Inwardly, he was still reeling from the shock of the revelations that had just hit him. Outwardly, he maintained a calm expression, turning to Automique to say his goodbyes.
The woman noticed, reaching out with a red glove for a final gesture.
They shook hands.
"Thank you for going out of your way," Finn said.
"Just get home safe," she told him.
He hesitated… What he was about to do was a reckless decision, but he didn't think he could live with himself if he neglected to disclose this and something bad happened when he could have done something about it. Not when she'd gone above and beyond to secure his way home.
"You…" he began, eyes flicking down for the briefest second before meeting hers again, "your left lung is showing signs of irregular tissue growth. It's small, but it's there. Maybe it's nothing—but you should get it checked to make sure."
Automique blinked behind her mask, aura flaring a mixture of surprise, alarm, and confusion. The red glove lingered in the air for a moment longer before withdrawing.
"You're certain about this?" she asked quietly.
"Yes."
There was a pause. Then she nodded once, firm.
"I see. Thanks a lot, Shade," she said, nodding toward the descending aircraft. "Have a safe trip. And take some time to unwind. I know it's a big ask, but please try at least."
"I'll do what I can," he replied, turning away from her. This time, it felt final. No more delays, no more last-minute obstacles. He was leaving. For real. He kept repeating that thought in his head, hoping he would begin to believe it and stop feeling so tense.
Finn walked out to the platform the aircraft was landing on, observing the area with his color sense. The section of the TUR station they were in was largely empty. The railway they were going to be using was utilized for supply transports for the most part. Civilians, meanwhile, had to sit in jam-packed waiting rooms like canned sardines to get tickets that might not even slot them in for a train ride that same day.
Intercontinental travel wasn't something he had given a lot of thought over the course of his life, honestly. He had heard that some hundred years ago, before the emergence of primebeasts, vacations outside one's home continent were easy to come by because of the increased accessibility to efficient travel methods that superhumans could provide in those first few years.
Now, only four continents were still under the umbrella of the Global Accords and therefore enjoyed the benefits of having these trains running underground to take people from place to place. The rest were either dominated by primebeasts or villains.
Personally, he had never visited North America until three days ago. Nor had he held a particular desire to. In his youth, his parents had talked about taking him on a trip one day when he was older, but Dad had died before anything could come of it.
Suppressing the sting that thought brought with it, he watched SEN step out after bidding the pilot farewell. Its movements were very fluid. Scripted. Though perhaps streamlined was a better word; rather than jerky, stilted motions, the lead representative simply lacked all the tiny imperfections and asymmetries that made human walking patterns human.
Moreover, the aura around SEN had surprised him when he first felt it. It was, after all, that of a superhuman. Finn was confused by that until his awareness registered that SEN did in fact have an organic brain. His senses were precise enough to detect the signs he got from that image as well.
Sexual dimorphism in cerebral structure would not have been his area of expertise if not for the extensive data his power had collected on the subject from having catalogued tons of different people in his senses ever since awakening this aspect of his power. But because he had, he was able to tell that SEN's brain originally must have belonged in a female body.
He hesitated to call it a woman, however, if for no other reason than that its humanity was extremely debatable—a sole brain connected to an incomprehensible network of machinery, some of it obscured even to his perception. Neither was he convinced that this individual even wanted to be referred to as such. From what he knew, the public consciousness viewed it as an AI inhabiting a machine of some sort, and SEN never said anything to contradict that notion.
Seeing the robot-ish wave in greeting to Automique, who chose that moment to wave back and depart, Finn locked gazes with SEN. Those were clearly glowing white cameras in its head, designed to mimic the appearance of organic eyes. The details of its face were different from what he remembered seeing on television, and given that he had perfect recall, that was saying something.
For one, he knew SEN didn't always have parts that were supposed to serve as substitutes for facial muscles. Second, it wasn't known for speaking with an actual mouth. Upgrades, he guessed.
"Good afternoon, Shade," it greeted in a normal, androgynous voice. Its synthetic expression was composed and polite. "I understand time is a relevant factor for you. Taking that into account, let us proceed without delay."
He found no issue with that, following SEN into the open gates beside the landing platform. The few operators on site sat back, relaxed, watching the two of them walk into the near-empty industrial station from their posts.
"I will admit," SEN said, tone even and measured as it placed a metallic hand on his shoulder, "that I was intrigued by the summary of your circumstances, as relayed by Automique. While I fully intend to ensure your return home proceeds without delay, I feel it only fair to caution you: my curiosity is not so easily restrained. There is much I would speak with you about. Chief among these matters is the nanite colony presently integrated within your body."
"How…" Finn started to ask, unsure of what words to use next. What had given him away?
White eyes regarded him steadily. "You're wondering how I came to know. The answer is straightforward. One facet of my power is the capacity to perceive artificial constructs, irrespective of their scale. Yours are particularly remarkable. I've encountered nanomachines before, but never any exhibiting such synchronicity or mysticism."
He didn't know what to say in response. All this time, he had never expected to be found out like this. Arguably his greatest asset exposed like it was nothing, it had now gone from "invaluable secret" to "interesting curiosity" in the span of a second.
Sensory powers being a thing in other people… he hadn't considered it impossible, of course. He just hadn't ever contemplated the possibility of one being used on him and plucking away things he kept hidden without his permission.
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Was this what other people would feel like if they knew about his color sense? He hated being on the receiving end.
"I've never seen anything like the connection from your brain to the rest of your body either," he responded to keep the conversation from getting out of hand.
Instead of growing guarded, SEN's interest visibly deepened. "Ah, yes. My composition does tend to provoke commentary. This should make for a compelling dialogue. And rest assured—no one is listening. I enacted a sound-dampening field five minutes ago."
It hadn't escaped his notice, actually, but he didn't care to comment on it. He watched SEN take a small, toy-sized airplane-like car thing out of its bag and toss it onto the train tracks leading underground, causing him to blink.
In real-time, he experienced another spatial distortion as he saw and sensed it expand into a sleek silver vehicle perfectly fit for the tracks, having no wheels but instead a set of parallel black bands that he suspected would carry them much more efficiently than the regular form of transportation.
"This is my personal shuttle," SEN stated evenly. "It outpaces standard TUR trains by a notable margin, and accommodates up to eight individuals, luggage included, without sacrificing comfort. The Global Accords R&D division is currently iterating upon more advanced variants, with the long-term objective of reducing production expenditures. Once achieved, civilian deployment on a broad scale may finally become viable."
The door opened on its own, prompting SEN to board, Finn a step behind. Inside were two sets of four cushioned seats opposite each other. In the middle was a table floating seemingly in midair, giving them room to eat, drink or read on. Above were sections where they could store their luggage, with two large refrigerators on each end of the shuttle holding food and beverages, respectively.
Finn stepped inside and let the door seal shut behind him. The instant it did, a subtle hum spread through the cabin, a sort of vibrational thrum so faint he only noticed it because his senses were so finely attuned. Reading the internal functions to the best of his ability, he came to the conclusion that it was preparing for takeoff.
He went to sit across from SEN without waiting for an invitation. The synthetic being didn't seem to mind. Flinging his bag into the luggage compartment, he sat down.
"What do you know about my nanites," he opened, skipping the preamble.
SEN didn't quite laugh at his straightforward questioning, but it did crack a smile on that inorganic blue face. "Regarding their programming and the limits of their design? Very little. But I believe you're omitting a critical variable, Shade."
He narrowed his eyes. "And that is?"
"As I stated earlier, my sensory capabilities extend to all artificial constructs. Not merely machines, circuits, or software. Broader than that." Its eyes flicked up to where he'd put his bag. "Your gatekey qualifies."
It was a good thing that he had plenty of practice suppressing his reactions, since he didn't want to move a muscle right now. He didn't want to give this technological marvel in front of him even a hint of more information than he already inadvertently had. He needed to be extremely careful here. Unlike with Automique, he wasn't confident that he could get out of a confrontation with the head rep here. If not due to its personal power, something he felt it lacked, then because of the shuttle itself. He knew this thing was secure beyond belief. Who knew what countermeasures it had when the wiring and components were a mystery to him. Especially the spatial compression mechanism that he had failed to notice at the beginning.
"That knowledge provides me with sufficient context to conceive new hypotheses, even if Automique was sparse on the details out of deference to your privacy. I am now aware that you escaped Wanderlust's dimension… and that you retain a means of returning there." It leaned back, resting both mechanical arms in its lap.
Around them, the shuttle shifted slightly, giving a low hiss. Then it took off, accelerating slowly. Finn sensed a surge of something near the front, and then it was as if they were standing still again. But that wasn't the case, he could sense the tunnel passing them by, descending below the ocean.
"What are you going to do with that information?" he pushed.
SEN delivered its response with measured clarity, as though every word had been precisely calibrated for diplomacy. No hint of coercion, only cold logic wrapped in civility.
"Nothing, aside from asking you how you did it. Is the escape method unique to yourself?"
Finn's stare sharpened. "If I say that it's not, what happens?"
"It would be safer."
It was an honest answer, offered without flourish.
"While I have no intention of disseminating this knowledge, others may not share that restraint. There is a high probability that you will be targeted by entities who seek to replicate that method, or extinguish it to preserve the status quo. However…"
SEN's fingers tapped lightly once against its forearm before stilling.
"…the Global Accords would prefer you come to us voluntarily, and provide whatever insight you are willing to share. We will not compel you. That is not our way. We operate on treaties, goodwill, and foresight." A brief pause. "Not bloodshed."
Bad news, in other words, considering that his method of leaving Wanderlust's dimension was not replicable as far as he knew. It was a good thing no one besides SEN knew about it then.
Although there was something that had gotten him thinking. The nature of sensory powers, capable of exposing his secrets with such ease.
"Are there powers capable of discovering that at random?"
SEN's luminous eyes dimmed slightly, the shifting expression on its synthetic face growing more solemn.
"I was leading up to that, yes," it said, voice dipping into something more subdued, almost grave. "There exist abilities, both sanctioned and outlawed, which specialize in extracting critical data from the seemingly irrelevant. There are those who divine truths through memory echoes, time fragments, probability scrying. Even ambient emotional residue."
Its gaze met Finn's, steady and unblinking.
"Furthermore, the gatekey network is being monitored. By more than just the Global Accords. The moment you returned from Wanderlust's dimension—effectively back from the dead—you became a statistical anomaly. One that demands explanation. You may consider your return a miracle, but others will treat it as a breach of protocol, a cosmic leak, or worse, an opportunity that may work for or against you."
SEN folded its hands again in its lap, tone ironclad.
"Eyes will be on you. And when enough parties ask, 'What happened to Shade?'… someone, somewhere, will make it their mission to find out."
Exhaling a long breath, Finn considered the implications. That would be a lot to deal with. Did that mean he would be firmly under Cyrus' grasp again upon his return? Could Cyrus monitor the activity of the gatekey network? The questions piled up so quickly.
"But on the bright side," SEN went on, its words adopting a lighter cadence. "Your presence has been noted by your allies and fanatics in turn. The update to your Aegis profile has been making rounds for the past hour or so."
Uncomprehending, he froze. "My profile?"
SEN looked at him with a small smile, the one you gave someone when you weren't sure if they were being serious. "Yes, your performance reviews are visible and your profile was re-listed as 'active.'"
Wait. Of course.
He had, out of habit, taken the relevant missions prior to eliminating the Miami gangs in exchange for his weapon. He'd thought nothing of it. But of course he would get performance reviews from the clients giving him credits from. They must have thought they were doing him a favor! From their perspective, they would be. They had no idea that he was trying to stay under the radar
.A sinking feeling settled in his gut. One careless oversight, and now every old contact who still watched those channels knew he was alive. The worst part? He couldn't even blame anyone else.
He'd walked straight into visibility. All the people he knew were aware he was alive, and not because of a deliberate decision on his part.
Finn closed his eyes.
He would deal with it when he got there.
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