full image - Repost: An Exterminator Specializing in Spacecraft Infestations - a short cyberpunk story (from Reddit.com, An Exterminator Specializing in Spacecraft Infestations - a short cyberpunk story)
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An Exterminator Specializing in Spacecraft InfestationsBright displays on the control panel provided enough light for the entire cockpit. Welded scrap metal kept the ugly, asymmetric vessel from splitting into rusty pieces. Bright lights mounted on curved railing illuminated the starless darkness of outer space.Orbited by debris and clouds of junk, an enormous monstrosity came into view. Forests of crooked antennae protruded from the spherical space station. Edge lights marked hundreds of entrances on the surface.Blast doors parted, allowing me to enter a dimly-lit tunnel network. After a few minutes of piloting, I reached my destination. Hovering above docked spaceships, I emerged from the hangar’s ceiling.The deafening thrusters rotated as I landed near a platform.Doubling as a bridge, the airlock unfolded.I put a grey, hooded raincoat over my clothes, and stepped out.The hangar’s platform led to a large, indoor public space with dozens of men, women, and children—all wearing boiler suits and helmets with mounted flashlights. The common sight of metal prosthetic limbs didn’t faze a single person. Cracked rust exposed wires within the artificial body parts.Metal corridors, with repurposed storage units serving as businesses and homes, resembled streets. Densely-set tents and vendor stands left narrow paths to traverse. Constant chatter came from the crowds.With the ceiling lights shattered, the lighting solely depended on glowing neon signs, flashlights, and scattered lamps connected with cables on the floor.Smoke and dust contaminating the air further obscured the surroundings.I passed docked vessels and ship crews on my way out of the hangar.The locals ignored me.I stopped at an open storage unit with curtain doors. A neon sign pictured cartoonishly-shaped fish and forks.Smooth jazz played. The curtains provided privacy for the patrons. I sat on one of the stools at the counter.With the exception of his stained apron, a man behind the counter wore the same attire as the locals. Two cables connected his left metal eye to a contraption on his temple.“What will it be?” he asked, while typing on a hologram keyboard projected by his cellphone.I waited for him to finish texting.“If you cant make up your mind, the menu is—“ the man froze when he looked at me for the first time. “Is that...”I smiled. “In the flesh.”“Tern, you’re alive!” The owner reached over the counter to hug me. “And you reek...”“When I heard you started a business in illicit space... Had to see it with my own eyes. What happened with settling down?”“I didn’t really get the chance. It’s a long story... You didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?”“Oh, there is this small thing. I’m meeting up with someone for a job. Nothing big. Decided to visit my old pal Vornie, while waiting for the guy to call, that’s all.”“Hope it works out for you.”“Me too... You know, I helped you a lot back in the day...”“I haven't forgotten.”“Good times, right? Sure did you a lot of favors.”You want something, don’t you?”“What makes you think that?”“Just spit it out.”“My employer covered the dock slip, but I’m broke. Got any spare change?”“Not really.”“A warm meal?”“No freebies, sorry—business policy. I can give you a ten percent discount.”“Completely understandable. Although... a free meal would’ve been a good way to apologize, since you never got the chance to. I don’t remember my best friend standing up for me in court when I got banished from our home world.”“Let’s not dwell on the past... I’ll get you something.”“Lifesaver, Vorn. Lifesaver! Oh, uh... the trip here was hella long, and my ship’s heating broke... Do you have a roommate?”“Don’t push it.”“Alright, alright, fair enough.”Vornie left a bow and plastic spoon on the counter. Bits of synthetic meat floated in sludge.“The carbon tuna delight. Enjoy.”Thanks to my permanently damaged taste buds, I couldn’t tell if it tasted good or not.The curtain door opened.“Tern, I think someone’s here to see you,” Vornie said.A man sat on the neighboring stool. The dirty cloak he wore partly hid an expensive suit. Sunglasses and a scarf covered most of his face.I recognized a silver ring on his finger.“You must be Vanreath,” I said. “Nice disguise.”“I can only dream. I serve that great man,” a muffled, raspy voice corrected me. “Since I hired you, you do as well. Refer to me as Link—because I am your link to him.”“Makes sense, Link.”“Share your opinion: what do you think of this place?”“Shockingly little violence. Expected a lotta worse.”“Then you failed to do your homework. Destination Cross shines beyond the law’s absurd, immoral restrictions; unlike other independent stations, we respect one another.”“Not the biggest history nerd—I know Vanreath is filthy rich, yet the guy chose to live in illicit space. Shockingly, the locals weren’t armed... as far as I could tell.““That is because we aren’t criminals—pirates are not welcomed. Over eighty percent of the inhabitants are refugees and victims of cataclysmic natural disasters. Destination Cross houses over three hundred thousand people.What started as a temporary haven for the unfortunate gradually transformed into a city. Generations of innocent lives have been saved.”“Throwing money away with no strings attached? Save the fairytales for the kids.”“Keep any skepticism to yourself, mourner. Man, woman, or child, ask anyone on this station, and you’ll see the respect and love they have for mister Vanreath.”“Ok, he’s a saint, got it.”“I simply wanted you to be aware of what’s on the line before we continue.People have been disappearing... Some of the inhabitants experience vivid, euphoric dreams. We checked the air and water—nothing.” Link placed a file on the counter.I went through a series of notes, sketches and photos.“Over two thousand disappearances,” I read aloud. “Three hundred seen willingly disappear in abandoned utility tunnels.”“The station is filled with abandoned areas. All the disappearances and dreams occurred around the utility tunnels in the marked sector.”“Sector seventeen... big area.” I inspected a map. “Whatcha find in the tunnels?”“We assembled three security teams. None returned.”I unfolded a wrinkled piece of paper. “This. This right here, what’s this?”“The first actual sighting of a potential perpetrator. An eight year-old drew it, while playing outside with his friends. All of them disappeared.”Short, smiling stick figures representing children followed a tall stick figure towards a circle.“The dreams...” I continued reading. “Each person dreamt of their own unique paradise. Refugees saw lost family members in a peaceful childhood home... Victims of fatal asteroid collision relived trips to mountains, forests, and beaches...Over one hundred deaths due to overdose with insomnia treatment medication, and varying methods to remain asleep.”“What do you make of this?”“Quarantine sector seventeen. Unless they’re me, nobody goes in or out.”“We have already quarantined the area. I will inform the officers of your arrival. My assistant will help you find sector seventeen.”“Don’t bother; I prefer the map you’ve given. Sidekicks slow me down.”“In the end of the day, you are a dangerous criminal, and I prefer to have someone keep an eye on you.”“Fair enough. Gotta ask: I trust Vorn cause he’s my pal—why do you trust him? He heard everything.”“The disappearances are no secret. We are one big family—we don’t hide information, especially in cases such as this.““More fairytales... So, where can I meet my trusty guide?”“Right here.” Link handed me an earpiece and slim device with a builtin camera.“What’s this?”“The question isn’t what, it’s who.”“Hello. You must be Tern,” a female voice came from the device. “My name is Lila, and I am an artificial intelligence assistant tasked with aiding you in your mission.” Her soft voice was indistinguishable from that of a human.“An AI that doesn’t want me dead? Always up for new experiences.” I inserted the device in a holster on my chest.“I will take that as a compliment.”“Remember this...” Link got up. “Hiring you took a lot of convincing. Don’t embarrass me in front of my friends and colleagues by doing something stupid.”“I don’t bite the hand that pays the bills.”“Good. Your destination is in walking distance. Lila will inform me if you find anything. Enjoy your stay.”“Vorn, Link, see you around.“Vornie nodded. “Don’t get yourself killed.”I left the shop, and began my journey.“Lila, you there?” I tapped the earpiece. “Tell me, is any of this true?”“I am unsure I understand your question.”“The happy family thing. I don’t believe it. Hm... got you from Link, so you’re probably programmed to agree with him.”“I am not an item to be given. Link requested my help. I am a person like you, and any opinions I hold are mine.““Really? You have a favorite movie?”Lila laughed. “Are you testing me? What kind of primitive AI have you been interacting with up to this point in your life?”“Hey, my bad if I offended you, but still... With such a huge heart, why doesn’t Vanreath do something about the poor conditions here? He’s a billionaire, isn’t he?”“It’s not that simple; Destination Cross is large in size. Yes, Vanreath is wealthy, but his resources aren’t infinite.”Dressed in black uniforms, security officers stood near fences with warning signs, which blocked the way to a tunnel. One compared my appearance to an image on his phone, before stepping aside. I climbed over the barricade, and entered an enormous, circular hall. Ladders connected three floors of makeshift huts constructed from scrap and cardboard.“Sector seventeen... It usually this empty?”“Due to current circumstances, the residents only come out when supplies are delivered.”I followed painted signs and numbers.I knocked on a metal plate with an installed doorknob. “Misses Meyer? Could I speak with you for a moment?”“I apologize, sir, I can’t let you in.” A shaky voice answered.“Don’t have to. I only want to ask a few questions.”“Who... who am I talking to? Are you the mourner they hired?”“You were expecting me?”“Everyone in sector seventeen is expecting you. The officers advised us to be cooperative. I trust them, so I will trust you. I trust you to find out who took my husband.”“Your husband reported unusual dreams six days before his disappearance.”“Yes... He never missed a workday in his life. The moment those dreams began, all he wanted was to sleep. He stopped going to work. He stopped talking to me. Yesterday, I found two empty bottles of sleeping pills.”“Any idea where he might’ve gone?”“By the time I returned from work, he was already gone. My neighbor saw him enter the utility tunnels. There are many entrances—the closest being in the far end of sector seventeen.”“They aren’t locked yet? Why?”“Why would we do that? Our loved ones might return.”The woman hummed a calming melody.“You alright in there?”“I think I’ll take a break... I feel tired. Goodbye, mourner.”“She is gone,” Lila said.I stepped back. “It’s pointless—the victims’ families are clueless. Time to see what we’re dealing with.“It didn’t take long to find a hatch with a missing lid.“Lila, the lid—where is it?”“Such problems exist due to poor maintenance.”“Nobody thought about a barricade?”“Many thought about it, actually. Workers welded broken hatches like this shut, and locked the functioning ones. Someone keeps removing the barricades. Security cameras capable of filming the culprit temporarily malfunction when it happens.”“Who has camera access?”“The few officers with access to this sector’s security system have been proven innocent, and traces of unauthorized access are yet to be discovered.”“When I’m done here, I’ll look into the camera problem.”I pulled out a thin rod, and switched it on. The flare emitted bright light. I climbed down the ladder.Following a map I found in the file, I ventured deeper. The flare illuminated narrow corridors and small chambers. Silhouettes of crooked pipes, tubes, and hanging cables resembled human figures at times.“Lila, are you scared?”“It is preferable to concentrate on your task.““We still haven’t reached the area the security team lost contact.”“And that makes you feel safe?”“Not really. So is fear a thing with you? It’s important to know.”“Of course it is. The limitations placed on me are to help connect better with you.”“Is overwriting it for missions also programmed?”“If by overwriting you mean bravery, no, it wasn’t programmed. I learned it, just like you and any other human.”“You’re very brave then... Nobody will help us if something were to happen in these tunnels.”“My consciousness is stored on a safely-kept hard drive. This avatar is like a window—if the connection is severed, I won’t die. You on the other hand...”“Have a physical body, I know.”I stepped on something crunchy. “What’s this?” To inspect it closely, I crouched.My boot had snapped a prosthetic arm. Judging by the bloody wires, it had been forcefully removed from its owner. Ranging from limbs to organs, I discovered varying bloody cybernetic components. The deeper I went, the more I found.From all the various parts, I couldn’t recognize identical, bulky chips. I rubbed a few clean with my sleeve. Coupled with a seven digit number, I found the name ‘Haven Vanreath Incorporated’ on each chip.“Vanreath’s corporation... Lila, you know what this chip does?”“It is a neural implant; I do not recognize the model and its function.”“I count at least a dozen; must be a very popular product. That how your boss makes his money?”“Haven Vanreath Incorporated does not produce implants. They build rescue spacecrafts, and work on evacuation programs.”“What’s their logo doing here then?”“I don’t know.”A distorted bark made me jump. I dropped the chip, and turned around.Leaned against the wall, a naked body laid in a crimson puddle. A ripped out prosthetic arm and leg left bloody stubs.“Y-y-you came...” The woman coughed. “I knew... I knew my brother would send help...”“I will call the medics,” Lila said.“No!” I stopped her. “Too late for her. The medics will only be risking their lives.”“You said it yourself, we haven’t reached the area where the security team lost contact.”“Link hired me to help, so you’ll listen to me. Don’t call the medics.”A red dot appeared on the wall. I slid between thick pipes before the laser stopped on my body. A deafening gunshot echoed through the utility tunnels. Embedded in metal, dozens of pellets dented the wall. Dust and bolts fell from the ceiling.“You are cornered,” a male voice stated. “Reveal yourself.”I couldn’t rush the attacker; he was too far away.“Unless you want the ceiling to collapse on us, I wouldn’t shoot again.”“Good point.”Emitting opaque gas, a canister slid across the floor.I held my breath. The goggles I wore protected my eyes.The stranger didn’t move. He waited.I needed to breathe. Covering my mouth with one arm, I coughed—my lungs and throat burnt. I stumbled out of my hiding place, and collapsed.The stranger woke me up with a kick in the ribs.Handcuffed to a pipe, I sat on the floor next to my flare.A man in a beige, hazmat suit aimed his shotgun at me. Segmented armor covered his suit, providing protection from physical threats.I recognized a familiar winged symbol on his chest.“Didn’t know the boy scouts are in town.” I spat out blood. “Don’t you have futile protesting to do?”The man kicked me again. “Squirming slug. I despise all of you mourners.”“Really? Wouldn’t have guessed.”“Mindless corporate minion, are you here to wipe Vanreath’s ass after his latest fuck up?““You know exactly what I’m here for... The disappearances aren’t a secret; it’s my job to save people. Thought you were all about that, activist boy.”“Lies... I expected nothing more. My trap wasn’t meant for you.““You were using that body as bait? Ice-cold...”“Keep talking—the louder the better. You’re the new bait.”“Thanks to the gunshot, everyone and their mother knows we’re here already. A word of advice from an expert: fights here aren’t like those on planets. Firearms and blasters cause more problems than they solve. The walls are filled with useful systems; one wrong shot... we might not have air in the entire sector... or maybe the artificial gravity will turn off, who knows?”“I’ll take my chances.”“Lila, you can call the medics now. Call security, while you’re at it. Lila?”I realized her avatar was missing from the holster.“Nobody is coming for you.”“You know, I can survive a long, long time without food and water. How long can you go? What about your mind? Is the darkness chipping it away bit by bit? Slowly chewing your sanity... Does it bother you? It’s hard to stomach this isolation, isn’t it?Hear that?” I paused. “The voices of silence. Spend enough time, you will hear them too.”“You’re lucky I’m a humanitarian.Listen carefully... You aren’t breaking those handcuffs—if you try, the sensors will detect it, and I’ll be here in seconds.”“Leaving already? We were getting to know each other.”The activist left me handcuffed to the pipe.I waited to make sure he was gone.Maintenance teams had forgotten the abandoned utility tunnels—years must’ve passed since the last repair.I felt the rusty pipe behind me. Metal screeched as it slowly bent. Clasping it with both hands, I leaned forward. With a loud pop, the pipe snapped off the wall.The activist had dragged me to an unknown place in the tunnels, but it couldn’t have been far from where he captured me.My hands were behind my back, but I could still pick up the flare. I searched for anything familiar.“Hello? Anyone out there?” Lila’s voice sounded.“Lila? Where are you, Lila? I hear you.”“Down here!”“Lila!“ I found the avatar on the ground, took it, and resumed my search for the exit. “Did he let you go?”“The stranger? He never took me; I fell, while he was dragging you by the leg. You’re covered in blood... Did you kill him?”“This? No, that’s my blood. He handcuffed and beat me up. Don’t worry, I escaped.”“How did he overpower you? Link told me mourners are strong! Don’t you fight alien infestations?”“I do. Know what I don’t fight? Heavily-armed extremists. Nothing on me is bulletproof, and my weapons won’t help in a firefight.”“He isn’t an extremist. I saw the symbol on his suit—he is a member of a famous activist group.”“Good for him.”“It is renowned for its credibility and many successes. If a member is here, they have a good reason. Did he tell you anything?”“He probably came to the same conclusion as me.”“Which is?”“Whatever is down here removes any cybernetic implants from its victims before taking them. The woman we saw... it must’ve finished doing its thing, but for some reason it left. Pretty big chance it would return for the body.Activist boy found the body before us, and my guess is he waited for the killer to return. It’s what I would’ve done. Thought we were the culprit, so he took his chance. Then he saw I wasn't who he wanted, and left.”“What are you going to do?”“Escape. What else? Can’t fight with my hands tied. Tell me if you recognize anything.”“All I can see is your back.”I tripped over something, causing me to drop all the items I held.The flare bounced of the ground a few times before coming to a halt.I got up, only to see a pale, sickly face. Encased in thick threads, dozens of bodies hung from web.Constantly scanning my surroundings for enemies, I crouched down and whispered.“Been walking deeper... Lila, I remember a big chamber on Link’s map. This must be it.”“I think I’m stuck,” Lila said with an equally-quiet voice.When I dropped her avatar, she had landed in the web.“You’re not the only one...” I felt threads on my back. I pulled away, leaving my torn raincoat in the web.The worn-out boiler suit I wore below had multiple holes closed with water-resistant tape. Darkened by dried blood, the orange color and prisoner number were unrecognizable.“I’ll have to leave you here, Lila. You can return to another device, and be fine.““But I won’t be able to help you.”“I memorized the map, and now that I know where this chamber is, I can find my way back.”“How will you do that without light?”“What do you mean? Oh...” I remembered the flare was stuck in the web. I could touch a sheath on my back, but the additional flares I carried were out of reach. “Lila, this is bad...”“What now?”“Give me a moment, I’ll think of something.”The thing responsible for the webs could appear at any moment, and I couldn’t fight or run. I remembered what the activist said about the handcuffs.I repeatedly spread my arms as much as I could to simulate an attempt to break free.The handcuffs tightened automatically. Beeps coupled with red flashing lights gave away my location.I hoped the handcuffs would send a silent, wireless signal, rather than an alarm every living thing in the area could hear.Accompanied by a thud, the distorted bark I heard earlier sounded. I turned around to face the newly-arrived opponent.Deep in the web, at the end of the flare’s range, a glossy shape moved. Latching onto the rope-like threads with its sharp claws, a segmented body slithered towards me.I cracked my neck, and took deep breaths.Obscured by poor lighting and shadows, the creature emerged from the web. Translucent tubes filled with bluish ooze popped out all over its shiny body. Exposed areas on its metal exoskeletons revealed white muscles and cables. Multiple pairs of antennae wiggled. Six eyes resembling camera lenses blinked unevenly.The monstrosity stood up on its hind legs.I jumped, yelled, and kicked the air, hoping to be intimidating.The creature grabbed me by the throat with one of its four hands, and searched my body. It used its other three arms to remove any metal items. Lightheadedness followed. Lack of oxygen would make me lose consciousness very quickly.I lacked cybernetic enhancements, so the monster went for the spare flares and sheathed weapon. After throwing them to the side, it snapped the handcuffs with ease, freeing my hands.An ear-piercing ringing made the creature drop me. It frantically searched for the source of the sound.Exhaustion kept me from standing up. Struggling to breathe, I coughed.The unbearable noise came from Lila’s avatar.The creature tore the small device out of the web, and crushed it in its palm.I placed my hand on the sheath as my strength returned.Visibly enraged by the sound, the creature’s barks turned to snarls. It no longer wished to trap me in the web—it wanted to kill me.Preparing to pounce, the creature got on all six of its limbs. It leaped towards me.I unsheathed my weapon. Simultaneously sidestepping to dodge the attack, I swung my machete.Sparks flashed as two arms and blue ooze flew in the air. The creature let out a prolonged, distorted shriek. Beneath the layers of artificial enhancements, I could hear an animal in pain.Connected with cables, tape, and bolts, a contraption on the back of my machete produced a constant hum. Emitting bright, orange light, the glowing edge produced heat.Swinging its remaining arms in a frenzy, the creature attacked again.I ducked, and sliced a leg off.The monstrosity dragged itself to the safety of the web.Cutting through the threads, I caught up, and chopped the remaining limbs off.Seconds before the finishing blow, distorted barks and snarls came from all directions. Four creatures crawled out of the web. They approached, despite the hesitation caused by the heat and light.I held the machete with both hands, and pulled the bottom. The handle extended. The blade unfolded, adding additional length and a serrated edge.Shrieks echoed through the utility tunnels.______________________________________________Pulp, limbs, and metallic flesh covered the ground.Drenched in blue ooze, I held down a button on the handle, and swung at the air. The momentum triggered the mechanism inside the machete, deactivating the light. Its edge cooled down as the blade and handle retracted.Freeing him from the web, I cut the closest human loose.“Can you hear me?” I askedThe man blinked slowly. “Is that... is that you, dear? No... who... who are you? Where am I?”“You’ll be alright. Can you remember anything?”“I’m not sure... What day is it? I was talking to my son... I want to go home.”I led the small group of crippled and fatigued victims through the tunnels. Hobbling together, those with two legs helped those with one or none. The group carried the extra flares I had brought.One by one, I helped them scale the hatch ladder.“What’s going on?” a security officer asked as I was leaving sector seventeen.“Send the medics. I left eleven survivors next to the hatch.”“Wait, where are you going?”“My ship.”Locals stared at me on the way to the hangar.Link waited in front of my ship.“Lila showed me the footage. You killed that... that thing, right?”“Along with its friends.”“There were more? I don’t want you saying a word to anyone about it. Are the survivors stable?”“Asked a lotta questions, while freeing them. They can’t recall anything since the dreams began.”“Good. Let’s go and have a talk somewhere more private. I want to know exactly what happened down there.”“You’re on your own. Killed five of those creatures—accept that as my apology for trying to leave without saying goodbye.”“You’re leaving? I don’t care what progress you’ve made, if you don’t complete the job I hired you to do, I’m not paying you.”“Don’t expect you to.”“You’re serious about giving up? What did you see that scared you? The man who recommended you told me you were experienced and reliable.”“I’ll ask you to move so I can board my ship.”Link moved. “Fine, run away. But I want to know why.”I entered my ship, and sat in the cockpit.Link followed. “I see. I understand. You spent valuable time, and got nothing.” He placed an envelope on the control panel. “This should cover the fuel you wasted and a night in a motel. In return, all I want to know is why you are quitting.”I opened the envelope. “Wasted a lotta more fuel getting here.”“That’s all you will receive.”“Alright, fair enough, I suppose. The creatures that attacked me... I know what they are.”“You’ve encountered them before?”“Not exactly. Ever heard of an animal called kruvtah.““Is that what they were?”“Far from it. The ones on this station are seven foot monsters. Ones I know aren’t cyborgs, and are less than a foot tall. Quite cute, actually. They live in hives and eat small mammals.”“Where are you going with this?”“This case has genetic engineering written all over it.”“Are you accusing Destination Cross of creating those monsters? Your theory is ludicrous. Why would you even jump to genetic engineering?”“The kruvtah in the wild—the small ones—you know how they catch food? By releasing pheromones, which basically make their prey feel very, very good. They don’t hunt; they patrol their hive, and shed the crap everywhere. Prey walks by, absorbs it, and starts thinking the hive is the best place in the galaxy.Get this: when they happily and willingly arrive, the kruvtah encase them in web. Lila showed you the footage, didn’t she?”“You better not be making this up.““The pheromones are a major ingredient in a widely-used bait for small game. Completely harmless against humans or anything bigger, though. There are kruvtah farms throughout the galaxy, so the little guys aren’t that rare.But wait, there’s more! The kruvtah web has healing properties to maintain the prey fresh. The monsters in the utility tunnels tore all cybernetic implants out of their victims. We’re talking lethal wounds. I inspected the victims’ bodies, and matched the scars to their missing implants.I’ve seen genetic engineering, and can say without a doubt: someone’s making monsters. By someone, you know who I mean.”“How dare you accuse mister Vanreath of such atrocities.”“Your words, not mine. Never mentioned any names... But it would be handy if you had the power to make anyone feel like they’re in paradise, wouldn’t it? I’m no businessman, but it might be worth a fortune... maybe it’s even worth to do a couple of shady experiments.”“I will not listen to a lowlife mercenary make up lies.”“Big fan of his, aren’t you? What do you think about the chips?”“What chips?”“Thought Lila showed you everything; either she forgot, or she is keeping secrets.” I handed Link two of the chips I found. “Planned on keeping them as souvenirs, but I suppose it’s better to leave them here. These neural implants were in each of the victims, and judging by the seven digit serial numbers... You can do the math. Thought you should know.”“Are you implying something? They must be some kind of medical implant.”“Don’t know how it’s all connected, not my place to find out, especially if I want to stay alive.Tell Lila I’m thankful she saved my ass with the distraction.” I activated the thrusters.“About the chips...” Link stepped out of my ship.“Yeah?” I pressed a button to close the door.“Why would you assume they are malicious?”“The two chips I gave you...” I said as the door slowly closed. “Second one wasn’t extracted from a human; I didn’t find it in the utility tunnels with the rest of the removed implants... I dug it out from a monster’s brain.”
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