Chapter 1: Good Morning, Cold Man
In the deep reaches of a seemingly abandoned military base, the hissing of a cryopod opens suddenly with the silence being broken. The story of a wayward soul begins here.
*Synthesized voice* - "Welcome to the new world of possibility. Your purpose will be realized soon enough. For now, gather your bearings, and attend to the necessary areas for briefing."
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It felt like ages despite waking up from cryosleep. With a body that was practically made from nothing, I have to be rather grateful that I have a chance to walk around. Can barely remember anything. Everything feels hazy. And my body... it feels kinda weak. I try to gather my surroundings, see something of interest or anything I can use to prop myself up and keep myself from falling all over the lab floors. Well, it looks like a lab. A bunch of computers, monitors, and... a visor?
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My curiosity got the better of me and decided to take a look at the visor that was left on the desk. The way it was propped up almost seems like it was deliberately there. Inviting me to wear it. That's when I heard it.
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"Well, hello there, Otsdarva. Or should I call you Mr. Integer? I am the All Calculating Eyes, or ACE for short. I am your extra set of eyes and brains that will help you navigate this strange world you are currently inhabiting. I can provide a wealth of resources and measures to help you in any kind of situation should the need arise for it."
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I just touched you and you already know my name?
"Yes. The nanomachines in your body allow for seamless interfacing between us. That also means you are susceptible to electromagnetic interference that could possibly debilitate the both of us, so do be mindful of what you get into."
You say that like I'm a haphazardous type...
"Considering circumstances, I would like to avoid that situation anyway. Though I can't hold my circuits to believe that."
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The first day in bumfuck nowhere and already I have something shit talking me. Wonderful~. Which also begs the million dollar question.
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Where am I exactly?
"You are currently inside a defense outpost located in the Methus Gorge. It is a defense outpost that hasn't seen use in the Endless Frontier for roughly years."
Endless Frontier?
"A dimensional anomaly if you will. One that seems to be the backend of many dimensions. A place that should realistically not exist, but does so anyway."
So it's like a dreamworld?
"Only everything is real, and majorly a wasteland full of displaced tech and civilizations."
I see... Seems like a good opportunity to explore for a bit. So... how about it?
"No need for questions. I am obligated to serve you. Good Doctor's orders."
The Good Doctor?
"A benefactor. Nothing more than that."
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Oddly enough, the name sounds familiar. Almost like I've heard it before. I just can't put my finger on what and where I've heard that name before. But the fact that he dodged that question tells me he's hiding something. Though, pressing the question will only clam him up, so I'll play it cool. For now, I'll change the subject. And what better way to do that is...
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Since you know the layout of this place, how about you guide me around for a bit.
"Sure. First, you need to put some clothes on. I know there is no one here, but some decency is still required in these parts. You should find them in the equipment and resources sector. Everything you need for your role should be set out for you."
My role?
You have been assigned the role of engineer effective today. You will be fast tracked to learning all the ins and outs of your role to better assist you in your mi-
WAAIT WAIT WAIT... I have no experience with engineering. I mean, I have memories of piloting and whatnot, but never engineering.
I will assist you on that endeavor. And besides, the nanomachines will allow you to trigger a stimulus to absorb and utilize information easier. I am literally your cheat engine. All you got to do is apply everything else to power.
Riiiight.
This day just keeps getting better and better~ God, if you are watching, you may very well give me my Eve now because there is a lot of things happening beyond my understanding.​
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We moved to the Equipment Hall to get my stuff. In front of me were a few things that stuck out proper: an olive green compression shirt (very form fitting I might add), cargo pants, a pair of steel-toed boots, a utility belt for tools and other things, and a peculiar looking weapon propped on the racks.
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What's this one right here. It looks massive.
That is a shoulder-ready, man-portable anti material rifle. It's capable of charging rounds with a special frequency that allows it to pierce anything at high speeds. It's a bolt action, so its stopping power is already high, and the typical caliber used is roughly .50 caliber. However, the special rounds used, and intended for use are called FANG rounds.
I somehow felt the capitalization in that phrase, but I'm not gonna humor it. Though all-and-all, this seems like I'll be using it for anti-armor situations the most.
Proper summation. Fortunately, FANG rounds are easy to make since they are makeshift hollow points. Unfortunately...
Unfortunately...?
Unfortunately, the galvanization process to solidify the casings can be mighty dangerous should you amplify it the wrong way. One miscalculation and it is *poof* for the gun... and us.
Oh great... but I guess since you mentioned they're easy to make, I can make any bullet from scraps I can find. And I can leave the precise measurements to you when I make the bullets.
On top of that, the gun looks like a sleek menace. Body of the gun has some lights. Probably to indicate the charge. And it looks like the scope has some sort of 3.5 mm port to connect with.​
That scope allows connection with the visor. There should be a compartment on the right ear side of the visor that will open up from the bottom to reveal a 3.5 mm jack. This way, you can access a special microphone hidden in the scope. Oh, and you can change the connection type for data feeding too.
Got it.
Once you got everything, we'll head to the hangar. There's a couple things I want to show to you before going any further.
What could ACE possibly show me in the hangar? I had to find out and see for myself exactly what he wanted me to see. And the moment I went down the hall, I was greeted with an overwhelming amount of shock and awe. The hangar was massive. Practically the largest part of the base I've seen so far. That's when I saw it...​