"Rat Nest" - Reboot.Exe - S2 Chapter 10

## Rat Nest

Jenn

"Rat Nest" is the tenth episode of the second season in Reboot.exe. It was released on 3 September 2022 and is narrated by Dave.

## Episode Synopsis

After the altercation between Crystal and the other children of the Land, Eve is feeling very conflicted, in line with her emotional damage in regards to her past with the bespoke child.

Continuing on, a humanoid shaped trash bag breaks through the water's surface against the slums. As several more of these bags surface, the diver the crew has spent the last hour or so with slashes the air filled bags open, freeing Eve and Seb on the sand. Having no way to get an electric wheelchair across the water, it had to be left back at the reclaimed.

After checking her phone to a few texts from Pr0, Eve hauls Seb on her back and they begin making their way down the decaying road where slummers are sleeping against flaming bins. After a few more steps, Eve spots a shopping cart that she offers to Seb for a more comfortable mode of transportation.

Eve, not being able to get a grip on her surroundings, approaches a sleeping man and woman in order to ask for help. He agrees to do so, so long as she helps him first. He begins explaining that his wife is very sick and has been for a little while. Eve is only able to diagnose her with a few vitamin deficiencies and recommends her a few natural foods that she can take in order to regain these. He returns the favor by telling her where she is and how to get moving. Through text, Pr0 tells Eve to go on ahead and that he'll catch up with them soon.

On their way to the northern slums, Seb and Eve come across a previously burnt area of land that is reminiscent of a quarry. Due to the intense weathering, there is now a group or gang on dirt bikes that has claimed this area. There are several small shanty shacks set up that all echo with the ringing of constant coughing, moaning and groaning. Eve wants to look more into the sick people, believing it may be a clue that will lead to Joseph. Walking closer to one of the poorly made shacks, Eve is able to spot a man in his 50s, lying on his back, covered in filth and wheezing. His neck and face appear to be swollen. Not in the way that boils or blisters would be, but more so in the fact of goiters and growths. Eve enters the shack to see if she can get a more accurate diagnosis. The man hardly reacts to her at all. Upon closer investigation, Eve sees that there are large growths on the man's face, ears, and neck. Eve isn't able to make an exact diagnosis beyond the fact that these are growths, possibly cancerous and that this man is nearing the end of his life. After looking around a bit more, they spot another person in a very similar situation, but the growths affecting their arm instead.

Seb notices that there has been a delivery of food to these people and a very basic level of care being provided, but ultimately that these people have been dropped off here to die. After an unsuccessful attempt to get more information about these people from Belle, they eventually take their leave and make their way to the northwestern side of Brunswick.

Pr0, having finally caught up with them asks them if they're okay and trying to get more information on what came looking for him. They explain all they knew but promised to investigate it further if they go back that route.

The eventually make their way up to the ultimate destination, a jazz club. Pr0 tells Eve and Seb about The Duchess, where he was asked to meet up with Possum. They decide to split ways again, Pr0 heading to the bar and the other two continuing the the jazz club.

Pr0 enters the bar unsuspected and orders two beers. One for him and one for Possum. The bartender immediately recognizes the name and points him to the corner where a 6'2, skinny figure is standing against a pinball machine with his hood up, staying away from the crowds. Pr0 walks up, puts down the beers and says "Ones for you. One's from your shadow." The man speaks in an uncomfortable gruff voice asking for a password. Once Pr0 realizes he's fucking with him, Possum turns around with a huge grin and an overexcited attitude that someone has come for him. His voice immediately changes to a more natural and comfortable tone. He asks what Pr0 is here for and he tells him that Shadow never abandoned him and truly cares about him down here. Possum and Pr0 share a few more words about what Chessex has been up to and why he had to leave. Possum and Pr0 gain a bit of each other's trust and Possum leads him to a more private place to talk.

Back to Seb and Eve, they spend a little while looking for the club. They eventually spot an incredibly well maintained ganger carrying a medical grade Styrofoam container and passes it off to another inside a building, donning blue medical gloves. Seb recognizes this as being too familiar and wants out immediately. Pr0 and Possum rock up behind them not seeing much of the interaction. Pr0 starts pushing against Seb, saying that they need to go in further and "finish what they're here for." Possum says he recognizes Joseph as somewhat of a "doctor" in the slums and everyone goes to him when they're in need of being fixed after a fight. Pr0 is unable to get a true read on Possum on whether he truly knows something, is playing dumb, or is actually just a little dumb. He offers his pad up for a place to hold a more private conversation.

He leads them on a 15 minute walk to this apartment complex where Eve immediately asks what console he has and they begin a game of COD. Pr0 notices a strange, incredibly high-tech disk that gathers his interest, but he is ultimately not able to decipher what it is. He takes a seat next to Seb and asks how he's holding up, which is obviously not well after seeing the hands of a man who tortured and mutilated him for a half of a year. Pr0 shows his sympathy but also reminds him what they were here to do in the first place. Seb puts him in his place that they were looking for a stakeout and not to end up on his doorstep. There is no way that they could possibly take him on their own considering all of their physical attributes and lack of combat proficiencies. He says that they need to get a team together. Pr0 sees his point and makes a promise to him that he will never have to go through that again. Pr0 says that he's going to get all of the information they can and then come back with a plan.

Having reached an understanding, Seb begins calling for Possum by the wrong name, "Rat" and gets his attention by throwing an empty red bull can at his head. Possum whips up from the couch in a blur of movement, flings off his headphones and trains a gun at Seb, asking who the fuck he thinks he is to be doing that and calling him that in his own house. Seb reminds him of the promise he made him to return him to Shadow and how they've been risking their lives for him. Possum responds, as expected, poorly and states that they really haven't done anything for him yet besides invade his house. Pr0 talks to him, explaining through the misunderstanding saying that this is just what friends to with each other. Having successfully convinced and slightly embarrassed Possum, he lowers his gun and cracks down into smiles again, claiming the whole thing was just a joke.

They ask him again about the doctor, seeing if he can give them anymore information. Possum seems to speak honestly that as far as he knows, he's just a doctor that gang members go to after being injured. He also claims that he's the best doctor around. They then ask who the leader of the Hipsters, Possum's gang, is. After a confusing argument, Possum reveals that his name is "Chains." After Possum reveals that the gang's smoking leads to their stunted creativity in the name department, Pr0 suggests the idea that when they return back here, that they create something along the lines of a drug bomb to explode in the jazz club to give them the upper hand.

Possum goes through some drawers and files before he pulls out a little glass container with something tiny inside. He says its an incredibly convenient tracking device. Pr0 makes an offer saying that if he plants the device on Joseph, they'll take him back to Shadow. Possum isn't comfortable with the plan as it's hipster turf, which he isn't allowed on and that he's never been inside the club before. Pr0 offers themselves as backup and then asks for his wifi password, which he refuses as he believes he would look up "really seedy porn" on it. He then pulls Pr0 aside and tells him that there are things that need to change here before he continues to offer them help. Possum asks Pr0 what's up with Seb and why do they hang around him. Pro explains that he's family and that he really is cool.

Possum says that he's not cool due to the fact that he's been fucking with him since they've met and says he's going to mess with him in return. Pr0 does his best to be intimidating and says that he's not going to fuck with Seb. Possum steps closer, looks down to him and says "You are very serious for a very short man. And it's funny." He then types in the wifi password into Pr0's phone. On his walk away, he frisbees a cardboard pizza box toward him and tells him to eat something. Pr0, ignores all of this and begins location scoping looking for the interior to the club. He isn't able to find blueprints, but can see some interior pictures, menu items and general other items that would be on a general site's listing.

Pr0 turns to Possum with a sketchy layout of the building and pointing to it, showing him where he would need to go. Pr0 gives him the information of the local band that will be playing their tonight, as well as a few of their songs to help him fit in better. In his online investigation, Pr0 is able to see that there is a robot member of the band.

Possum begins packing a bag to get ready. Eve asks about what the disk thing she found before was. He says that its a hologram, AI sort of deal. He states that it's broken. Eve asks to see it anyway. It's a disk with an on/off switch, speakers and projectors on the side. Eve asks if they could try and fix it, to which he replies no, knowing that none of them would really know what they're doing. Eve asks where he got it from. He responds he's had it his whole life, looking immediately very upset. Eve hands it back, and apologizes for upsetting him. He dismisses his feelings and just says its expensive and that he could resell it. None of them are buying it.

Pr0 sifts around some of Possums clothes, looking for something "non-Pro" like to change into to offer as a bit of disguise. Possum asks Eve to follow him to the corridor to have a somewhat quite conversation. Pr0 pushes his head up against the door to eavesdrop. He asks why she's been spending so much time with these two. She replies that they're family to her. He then asks "why are they so fucking mean?" Eve says that they're not mean, just misunderstood and have been through a lot. Possum is feeling disrespected in his house and that they're bossing him around. With a break in his voice, he says that things have been hard since Shadow left. Eve reassures him that they really are going to return him to Shadow if they are able to get out of here and do things successfully. Possum, trying to pull himself together, avoids eye contact with Eve and thanks her for listening.

He walks back into the room, making up a story about his back was really itchy to avoid any questioning about why he was out there. Having heard all of this, Pr0 makes an attempt to change his attitude and be nicer towards Possum by thanking him and saying that Shadow was right in the compliments he gave Possum.

As Possum and Pr0 head out, they start a live feed with Eve and Seb. Not long after they began, they are interrupted by a horrible guttural sound.

After slipping into the alleyway, Pr0 sees a woman who was dressed up for the evening, lying in the gutter, clawing at her belly which is quite swollen and disgusting looking. As the woman rolls over, there is a fresh surgical scar along her lower back and rib cage that is swelling. Pr0 immediately asks the woman if she knows who Joseph is. She does and begs to be taken back to him, as "he'll know what to do!" Eve, having watched the whole thing can't make a diagnosis over the phone and says that she needs to see her in person as soon as possible as whatever is inside of her, is killing her. Eve tells Pr0 to stabilize her as she makes her way toward them.

As Pr0 gets close to her, the woman lets out a disgusting, mucus and blood filled cough. Pr0's endurance is able to pull through what this could have been and allowed him to do as Eve requested. Once she arrives, Pr0 heads back out and continues on his way toward the club.

Eve kneels down and says to the woman that this is going to hurt a lot, but that there is something growing inside of her that she needs to see if she can take out. Eve is successfully able to open the woman's torso back up via the surgical scar on her back and is met with something that defies all of her medical knowledge. As she goes through the muscle wall, the lady grows closer to unconsciousness. Eve is able to spot her kidney as the source of the problem. Its swollen growing, and attaching to the other organs through extra tissue and tumorous growths all around it. Its growing attached to other organs, grafting onto muscle and infecting everything. Her body is almost completely septic. Eve knows she is unable to remove any of this without much more skilled in surgery and certainly not able to while being in a slum alley. Knowing the prognosis is fatal, Eve drains the pockets of mucus and pus to prolong her life if only for a little while longer and suture her back up. Eve seeing that the woman is now unconscious, does her best to try to make her comfortable in the slum, waiting out the time she has left.

Seb, still being on the video call, feels the exact same knife slice into his back just as Eve did to the woman.

-YHTris

## TL;DR

* After checking her phone to a few texts from Pr0, Eve hauls Seb on her back and they begin making their way down the decaying road where slummers are sleeping against flaming bins.
* Eve, not being able to get a grip on her surroundings, approaches a sleeping man and woman in order to ask for help. He agrees to do so, so long as she helps him first. She obliges and he returns the favor by telling her where she is and how to get moving.
* On their way to the northern slums, Seb and Eve come across several small shanty shacks set up that all echo with the ringing of constant coughing, moaning and groaning. Eve enters the shack. Upon closer investigation, Eve sees that there are large growths on the man's face, ears, and neck.
* Pr0, having finally caught up with them asks them if they're okay and trying to get more information on what came looking for him. They explain all they knew but promised to investigate it further if they go back that route.
* They decide to split ways again, Pr0 heading to the bar and the other two continuing the the jazz club.
* Pr0 enters the bar unsuspected and orders two beers. One for him and one for Possum. Pr0 walks up, puts down the beers and says "Ones for you. One's from your shadow." Possum turns around with a huge grin and an overexcited attitude that someone has come for him.
* Possum and Pr0 share a few more words about what Chessex has been up to and why he had to leave. Possum and Pr0 gain a bit of each other's trust and Possum leads him to a more private place to talk.
* Seb and Eve, they spend a little while looking for the club. They eventually spot an incredibly well-maintained ganger carrying a medical grade Styrofoam container and passes it off to another inside a building, donning blue medical gloves.
* Seb recognizes this as being too familiar and wants out immediately. Pr0 and Possum rock up behind them not seeing much of the interaction.
* Possum leads them on a 15 minute walk to this apartment complex. Pr0 notices a strange, incredibly high-tech disk that gathers his interest, but he is ultimately not able to decipher what it is.
* Pr0 takes a seat next to Seb and asks how he's holding up. Pr0 shows his sympathy but also reminds him what they were here to do in the first place. Seb puts him in his place that they were looking for a stakeout and not to end up on his doorstep. Pr0 sees his point and makes a promise to him that he will never have to go through that again. Pr0 says that he's going to get all of the information they can and then come back with a plan.
* Possum goes through some drawers and files before he pulls out a little glass container with something tiny inside. He says it’s an incredibly convenient tracking device. Pr0 makes an offer saying that if he plants the device on Joseph, they'll take him back to Shadow. Possum isn't comfortable with the plan as it's hipster turf, which he isn't allowed on and that he's never been inside the club before. Pr0 offers themselves as backup
* Pr0 isn't able to find blueprints, but can see some interior pictures, menu items and general other items that would be on a general site's listing. Pr0 turns to Possum with a sketchy layout of the building and pointing to it, showing him where he would need to go. Pr0 gives him the information of the local band that will be playing their tonight, as well as a few of their songs to help him fit in better. In his online investigation, Pr0 is able to see that there is a robot member of the band.
* Eve asks about what the disk thing she found before was. He says that its a hologram, AI sort of deal. He states that it's broken. Eve asks where he got it from. He responds he's had it his whole life, looking immediately very upset. Eve hands it back and apologizes for upsetting him. He dismisses his feelings and just says its expensive and that he could resell it.
* Possum asks Eve to follow him to the corridor to have a somewhat quite conversation. Pr0 pushes his head up against the door to eavesdrop. He then asks "why are they so fucking mean?" Possum is feeling disrespected in his house and that they're bossing him around. With a break in his voice, he says that things have been hard since Shadow left.
* Possum walks back into the room, making up a story about his back was really itchy to avoid any questioning about why he was out there. Having heard all of this, Pr0 makes an attempt to change his attitude and be nicer towards Possum by thanking him and saying that Shadow was right in the compliments he gave Possum.
* As Possum and Pr0 head out, they start a live feed with Eve and Seb. Not long after they began, they are interrupted by a horrible guttural sound.
* After slipping into the alleyway, Pr0 sees a woman who was dressed up for the evening, lying in the gutter, clawing at her belly which is quite swollen and disgusting looking. As the woman rolls over, there is a fresh surgical scar along her lower back and rib cage that is swelling.
* Pr0 immediately asks the woman if she knows who Joseph is. She does and begs to be taken back to him, as "he'll know what to do!”
* Eve, having watched the whole thing can't make a diagnosis over the phone and says that she needs to see her in person as soon as possible as whatever is inside of her, is killing her. Eve tells Pr0 to stabilize her as she makes her way toward them.
* As Pr0 gets close to her, the woman lets out a disgusting, mucus and blood filled cough. Pr0's endurance is able to pull through. Once Eve arrives, Pr0 heads back out and continues on his way toward the club.
* Eve kneels down and says to the woman that this is going to hurt a lot, but that there is something growing inside of her that she needs to see if she can take out. As she goes through the muscle wall, Eve is able to spot her kidney as the source of the problem. Its swollen, growing and attaching to the other organs through extra tissue and tumorous growths all around it. Her body is almost completely septic.
* Eve knows she is unable to remove any of this without much more skilled in surgery and certainly not able to while being in a slum alley. Knowing the prognosis is fatal, Eve drains the pockets of mucus and pus to prolong her life if only for a little while longer and suture her back up. Eve seeing that the woman is now unconscious, does her best to try to make her comfortable in the slum, waiting out the time she has left.
* Seb, still being on the video call, feels the exact same knife slice into his back just as Eve did to the woman.

-YHT