Season 2

The second Season of Atlas Reactor, entitled **Reactivated**, took place between January 17 and May 9, 2017. After public demand for a new Trust led by

 to replace the former Warbotics, player input led to the formation of Helio Corps over the alternative option, Helio United. The remainder of the season chronicled the new Trust's machinations, a love virus accidentially unleashed by EvoS, and the emergence of new Freelancers from the "Waste" outside Atlas and the abandoned enclave of Nidus.

## Chapters

* Chapter 1
* Chapter 2
* Chapter 3
* Chapter 4
* Chapter 5

Helio Rising

* Story
* Missions
* Completion Rewards

Helio, Omni Trust’s former golden boy, has bravely stepped forward to accept full credit for the reactor’s miraculous resurrection last December. His self-proclaimed acts of “valiance in the face of certain doom” has catapulted him to popularity amongst most Atlas citizens. Though others, particularly those in the Cloudspire District, seem less keen. One has even lodged a noise complaint which details Helio’s “f\*\*\*ng constant partying all f\*\*\*ing day! S\*\*\*!”

Still, after last year’s frequent reactor outages and the destructive Trust War, which saw the end of former robotics superpower, Warbotics, the newfound stability is a welcome change. Millions of Atlas citizens promptly called for a new Trust run by Helio himself.

While publicly stating, “Me? Really? Well, if the people need me, I’m happy to serve!” and running an aggressive, near-unavoidable marketing campaign, complete with jingle and free swag, Helio won a meeting with Omni Trust and Evolution Solutions that resulted in an unusual outcome.

Two new Trusts were presented to the public. “Helio United,” a Trust vetted and approved by Omni and EvoS, and “Helio Corps,” a Trust comprised primarily of Helio’s purported friends.

Now, they said, it’s up to the lancers of Atlas to choose who their new “voice” will truly be.

Mad Love

* Story
* Missions
* Completion Rewards

Omni Trust, Evolution Solutions, and the newly minted Helio Corps thank you for sharing your voice in the recent election! In celebration of his new Trust, Helio has released the following stat—

* BREAKING NEWS: New “Evo-Love” Solution Causes Chaos in Atlas

Emotions are running high in Atlas this morning – literally – as EvoS’ latest “solution” has increased hormonal activity in nearly all individuals who’ve ever used a catalyst. Studies show that number includes every living Atlas citizen, and possibly some deceased as well.

The trouble began earlier today, when a group of self-proclaimed “fancers” launched themselves at Evos’ Freelancers during a meet-and-greet outside of their headquarters. A witness to the event said, “It was horrible! Men and women, robots and hybrids – everyone in sight! – lunged at those lancers. They were RABID, shouting, “TAKE OFF YOUR BODYSUIT!” Rask hardly had any fur left by the time they were done groping him.”

Sources inside EvoS claim that Dr. Finn, Rask, Phaedra, and Gremolitions, Inc are shaken (but unharmed), Nix has vanished (though EvoS seems unconcerned), and Quark simply hasn’t stopped giggling.

What’s more, SELF-Es from around the city have caught footage of crowds forming outside the homes of many other Freelancers. One viral holo shows Titus frantically charging across an astounding 10 city blocks to escape the grabby hands of a frenzied mob.

* UPDATE: Evolution Solutions released a brief statement in regard to the incidents: “We’re aware that an upgrade we made to catalysts may be mutating – or, let’s say, “altering” – the hormonal balances across all species. We’re working on a fix. In the meantime… enjoy!”

Purchases of EvoS’ catalysts, street-named “catatrysts,” have skyrocketed across the city. One customer outside a local market was overheard saying, “Now I know why they call it a second wind!” The customer was promptly escorted out of the store, to raucous applause.

* UPDATE: This just in from Evolution Solutions: “The mutation is deeper than expected. But, uh, you’ve got Resurrection contracts. Don’t worry about it!”

Waste Not, Want Not

* Story
* Missions
* Completion Rewards

*“Helio Corps is here to break the reality you know, and reforge it into something more awesome, more epic, and more HELIO.”*

Khita was sure she’d lost her mind when she first heard the signal. She was deep in Oceanus, days into hunting a blink shark migration, when the scratchy, intermittent voices sounded out across the city.

“Bonjour, mes amis!”
“We’re gonna have a BLAST!”
“Let’s kick this city up to 11, together!”
“Prepare to be impressed!”
“WOOF! BARK! BARK!”

It’d been ages since she’d heard a voice other than her own. They sounded so excited, whoever they were – so familiar and happy.

Khita huddled up beneath the old holo-techs in the underwater tunnels and waited for more sounds to sputter through them. There were men, women, robots, and a loud, angry sounding thing called a “Rask.” She wasn’t certain how long she spent there, but long enough that her cheeks were sore from smiling.

“These people sound so… fun,” she whispered, longingly. “Go to them! I’m so tired of only talking to you.” She shook her head. “But they’re in Atlas.” And even she knew that there was nothing left to say. No one got into Atlas. Its borders were packed with people living off the city’s scraps, and the “waste” around it had been picked clean. Khita settled into the rough camp she’d made, content to just listen for a little while longer.

“Mad Love is everywhere! Will you be Grey’s next catch? Can you tame the wild heart of Titus? Keep your holo-techs tuned to the TRIPLE F: Freelancer Fighting Federation to find out!”

It was as if lightning jumped through Khita’s body. Her head buzzed and her heart thumped loud. “Titus?” she whispered.

It couldn’t be her Titus. Her Titus was…

She frowned. Truth be told, she didn’t know. One day she woke up, and he was gone. No explanation. No goodbye. Just a cache filled beyond the brim with enough supplies to last the year, and a broadsword-sized hole in her heart.

It hadn’t been a surprise, necessarily. From the day he saved her life from mutated rat-men on the road to Atlas, he’d tried to get rid of her. “I don’t like kids. Just take this and go,” he’d grunted, dumping a sack of dried meat into her tiny hands. She followed him for weeks before he even grunted in her general direction again. Even then, it was only because she almost ran into a wildebeest trap of his that “took too long” to reset.

The possibility of reuniting with the man who taught her how to survive settled it for Khita. If Titus was in Atlas, that was where she needed to be too.

She followed the trail of flickering holo-techs south as far as she could. She noticed that the only ones working were those lined up beneath the colored lights in the sky – the odd, dancing ones that showed up so suddenly last winter. Everything else was still dead. For weeks, she marched through underwater tunnels and floating pod-islands, until she reached the marshes that made up the Oceanus border.

There, she finally saw the holographic boundary of Atlas shimmering over the horizon. Now all that was left was getting through the dilapidated labyrinth of fallen skyscrapers in the waste, and the border-crossing. Strong winds cut through the waste constantly, kicking dust into her eyes and cutting up her skin. She wrapped her green, striped bandana around her mouth and pressed onward.

At the border, a line of creatures wrapped all the way around the city. Purple, green, and red orbs flew overhead, scanning the faces of people trying to enter the city and beeping.

Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected.

Khita loathed the Atlas border. The people who lived here lined up every day hoping for some flash of magic that would make an orb say, “Accepted!” even though it never had before. She lined up, fully ready for disappointment, and scanned the holographic walls for some other way of infiltrating.

For hours, she waited and watched as hundreds more got rejected. One young girl with thick, purple tentacles for hair caught her attention. The bright-eyed little girl (and all of her tentacles) were perked up, smiling eagerly up into the stinging green scanner of a seafoam orb, only to have it screech, “Rejected!” right into her face.

Before Khita even realized what she was doing, she’d nocked an arrow into her bow. With a wink at the girl with the tentacle hair and a deep breath, she shot the orb from the sky and watched it explode against the city’s holographic barrier.

In the next instant, a red orb streaked through the sky toward her. She stared into it, in surprise, as a bright red scanner flickered across her face. The image of a young man’s face appeared inside of it. “ACCEPTED! Your escort into Atlas will arrive shortly.”

Everyone around her stared. Khita felt naked and awkward under their hungry gaze, until the moment a small, flying carrier swept her up and through the air. Below her, she smiled as she observed a small crowd snatching orbs out of the air and crushing them against the ground.She was transported through the city barrier and deep into a world she could scarcely have imagined, buzzing with life and movement as far as the eye could see. Khita felt dizzy from all the action, and dizzier still when she stopped abruptly in front of a huge, rotating building with a giant ‘HC’ across its sides.

Soon, the man she’d seen in the orb was inviting her into his blindingly bright, white and red office. “Welcome to Atlas! I’m Helio, founder of Helio Corps.” he said. Khita giggled in excitement. She’d never been welcome anywhere before, much less by such a shiny, fancy man.

Helio seemed to prefer staring a picture of her on his screen over her actual face. Her smile faded as he spoke.

“You’re impressive! And new. According to your scan, you’ve never even been to Atlas. And judging from your aim out there, your eyesight is perfect. That’s a plus. I imagine you handled yourself pretty well out there.”

This man talked faster than anyone she’d ever seen. Or imagined. It was... annoying. But at least it wasn’t boring! Mostly? Khita sighed. At least it wasn’t just her.

He went on and on and on about “expanding Atlas” and “growing the city.” And for someone who seemed to think very highly of himself, he was a real idiot when it came to anything outside of Atlas. He asked her hundreds of questions about the terrain and the monsters. “You lived in Oceanus? It’s not destroyed?”

“Uh... well. It’s not like Atlas,” she responded, irritated. “Everywhere’s different. In Oceanus, all the good stuff’s underwater. Lots hidden in caves. I liked living there best since there’s plenty of fish that are slow and fat and easy to catch. Hyperion was okay too, except everything’s frozen or packed in snow. You’ve got to dig and rub and dig and rub.”

When he finally realized how exhausted she was, he let her go. “But I will definitely need to speak to you again. Soon. Your knowledge of the waste is invaluable. For now, I’m going to get you a Freelancing contract – I’ll make you a Wild Card so that you can come and go without any pesky Trust oversight – and a place to stay in the city, if you need it.” But she didn’t.

“Actually,” Khita said, nervously. “Do you know where I could find someone named Titus?”

And miraculously, he did.

Helio ordered her a carrier, and she was on her way. The ship whooshed past thousands of buildings, zig-zagging through a city center filled with floating merchant ships, and away to the outskirts of the city.

The carrier stopped in front of a minimalistic grey house with wide, square windows that overlooked the northern waste. There was a weapon rack leaning up against the side wall, stocked full of huge swords and axes wrapped in a familiar, green-striped cloth.

She took a deep breath before making a fist and rapping on the door. The moment it opened, she smiled wider than she had in her entire life.

“HI, TITUS!” she said, cheerfully launching herself into his arms. “DID YOU MISS ME?”

Avast Ye, Sky-Rats!

* Story
* Missions
* Completion Rewards

“You’re sleeping outside?” Helio asked, eyeing Khita’s camp in Titus’ garden.

Her tent and wood fire looked out of place in the bounty hunter’s neat ecosphere of evergreen saplings and bonsai. He glanced at the house and saw Titus leering at them from the window. The hulking warrior shrank into shadow as soon as he was spotted.

“Mmhmm. I like it. Feels like Cronus. That’s where Titus is from. They’ve got giant skyscraper trees, bigger than those!” she said, gesturing at the buildings across Atlas.

Helio wanted to reply that a tree that large was physically impossible due to the inefficiency of energy transport, but bit his tongue. Khita’s attention was fleet enough; offering further diversion was inadvisable. Instead, he asked, “You mentioned that you came to Atlas because of ads you heard?”

Ever since Khita mentioned that she’d interacted with a working holotech in the waste, Helio obsessed over the idea. It shouldn’t have been possible outside of the reactor’s boundaries, and yet, here she was.

“Yep,” Khita replied, absently fiddling with her nanotech glove. She giggled as arrow shafts tumbled out of her quiver. “I can make, like, a gazillion arrows a second! No fire. No wood. Just me and my glove, demanding satisfaction!”

“Was there anything unusual about the devices playing the ads?” he insisted.

Khita furrowed her brow. “Dunno. I mean, only a few worked. The ones beneath those lights.” She bobbed her head up toward where the mosaic of lights from Quark’s reactor reignition last year still danced in the sky.

A million thoughts buzzed through Helio’s brain. These days, the lights were blurred, but during the explosion, twelve clear beams had radiated out from the reactor. He recalled how odd it was that a few of the lines were thicker and closer together than others, but hadn’t had time then to give it more thought. Now, it made sense. Twelve beams. One for every reactor in the world.

But why was it so targeted? Was the Atlas Reactor communicating with the others? Sharing its energy?

With the chaos of establishing Helio Corps, he’d been too busy to look into anything else. That would have to change. Engrossed in his thoughts, Helio returned to his ship and directed his auto-pilot back to Helio Corps.

“OOH! I get sparky arrows if I…” Khita deflated when she realized she was talking to empty space. Again. “Well, I’m excited about it,” she mumbled.

She lit up again as she added, “And I bet Titus would be too!”

“Titus! Look!” she said, leaping toward his window. She waved her arms to get his attention. Shadowy arrows blasted out of her quiver and into the air like fireworks as she shouted, “Titus! Can you hear me!? TITUS!”

Helio Corps headquarters was a beehive of activity. Construction crews rushed to fill all of Helio’s requests, from advanced satellite towers to a state-of-the-art observatory.

His energy efficiency management tech, Emmett, was overseeing it all. Helio would have done it himself, but Trust duties kept him busier than expected. Arranging systems for utility distribution, housing, lancer recruitment, border-vetting – on top of endless negotiations with Omni and EvoS about anything with even a passing effect on their thirds of Atlas – was exhausting.

When Helio’s ship landed by his suite, the whole world shifted in anticipation of his needs. Steps emerged from the rooftop garden floor and formed a floating staircase up to his private office. The mirrored doors slid open in one smooth motion, and a fusion hearth inside flickered on to warm the room.

He strode past his new ecosphere filled with flora reborn from fossilized pollen. Since EvoS and Omni gifted him with a nanite-responsive rose (that miraculously survived his rigorous bug-testing), he’d grown to enjoy horticulture. His latest blooms exhibited fascinating behaviors, from garden-variety petal envy to plant-on-plant cannibalism. He and Emmett had even taken to betting on small-scale plant battles. (The A.I. was winning, much to Helio’s annoyance).

Emmett’s calm, masculine voice greeted Helio as soon as he’d entered the room. “Lovely to have you back, Helio.”

“Two things, Emmett. Have the builders add anti-toxicity netting to the ecosphere. The plants are growing fast and I don’t want to be surprised if they re-direct their venom, so to speak. Also, grab Zuki for me, would you?”

“Readying my positronic arms as we speak,” Emmett replied.

Helio smiled as he prepped an infopack for Zuki. “Should I worry about how quickly you’ve developed a sense of humor? Don’t tell me you’ve started reading.”

“Never! And I have Zuki here for you.”

PuP’s face popped up on the wall, and Helio’s hand shot to the volume controls on his desk instinctively. “Pupperoni Pizza Delivery. What’ll it be?” Zuki’s voice called out from off-screen as PuP barked into the receiver.

“One time is cute. Every time just lacks creativity.” he said, annoyed.

“What’s that? A Piz’zuki Pie? That’ll be three point one four one five nine two–”

“I hate you,” Helio said, dryly.

Zuki poked her head into frame. Her cheeks were covered in dirt and by the looks of it, she’d been waist-deep in oil not five seconds earlier. “Love you too. Whaddya want?”

Helio stretched out on a long recliner in front of the screen. The day’s security logs materialized on the holotech table beside him, alongside a protein bar, nano-vites, and chilled water. “Are you still in contact with the freebooters?” he asked before taking a bite out of the protein bar.

“The sky-rats?” she asked, disappearing back into the heap she’d been rummaging.

Helio groaned. “I hate calling them that. It’s so... Dr. Finn.”

Zuki laughed. “It’s their tag. It’s cool.”

“So you’re still talking to them despite my many, thoroughly justified warnings?”

“Duh.” She popped back on screen to show him a half-busted magma spinner. “Think this has got any juice left?” she asked.

He shook his head, and she vanished again.

Zuki was always running around with less-than-reputable people, as if Lockwood wasn’t bad enough. Helio had seen Trust docs on that guy that’d make Rask lose his lunch. But nonetheless, Zuki was insistent on doing what she wanted.

He pressed on. “Do you think they might be up for a job?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Yep.”

“Does it pay?”

“Yep.”

“They’ll be up for it,” Zuki replied, confidently. She swiveled into her pilot’s chair and wiped the sweat off her brow. “What’s the job?”

“I’m sending you the specs as we speak,” Helio said, tracing lines across his controller.

Zuki’s eyes zipped back and forth over something off-screen. Then, they went wide. “You want us to fly out of Atlas? Our ships will drop like rocks the second we’re out of the reactor’s ambient range.”

“Hold it,” Helio said, sitting up. “Firstly, who’s this ‘we’? You can’t go. You’re part of Helio Corps. Everything you do goes into our disclosures. Secondly, if the, ugh, sky-rats follow the exact paths specified, they’ll be fine.”

But Zuki was staring at the map. “These paths match the lights from the Reactor explosion. Does that mean that they generate energy?” Her voice pitched up in excitement. “This is incredible!” she exclaimed. “No way my junker’s staying grounded.”

“We just reached an accord with Omni and EvoS,” Helio said, seriously. “After the Trust War and all the dirt we busted them for, I can’t be seen doing anything shifty. Forging a new future, remember? It’s all over the billboards.”

She shook her head. “And paying sky-rats to do work on the sly is...?”

“Skirting the line,” he said. “The well-established, laser-thin line. It’s all they ask.”

“Fine,” Zuki replied, unconvincingly. “But if you’re using sky-rats as test pilots, you’ll need to pay upfront. They’re all gonna see this as a death run.”

Helio scoffed as he set up the payment through his console. “Like they won’t be taking half the waste back as loot anyway.”

“They wouldn’t be sky-rats if they didn’t,” Zuki said, smirking.

“It’s all done,” he said. “Thanks, Zook.”

The wall returned to a pristine white, and Helio went to his desk, eager to plan out his next move. If his theory was correct, he could start his Atlas expansion plan sooner than expected.

The beams of light were extending the reach of the Reactor. It’d be simple to tap into those energy fields and redistribute their coverage. Fortunately, he still had the Omni Core specs from Celeste. The Omni Core was built to siphon energy from the reactor, which is precisely what he needed. If only it was smaller, he thought, ruefully. He’d have to design a version small enough to transport by ship.

A huge smile crossed his face. Android cores functioned just like the Omni Core. If he worked off that core’s design, he could cut production time in half.

All he needed was an android.

“Emmett, assemble a file on Su-Ren for me,” he said. “I’d like to meet with her soon.”

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Aside from the fact that she enjoys trashing me on HNN, I don’t know much about her. I’d like to offer her a trade, but I’m not sure what an android might want.” He chuckled. “Maybe throw in your wish list? That might help.”

“Consider it done,” Emmett said.

Helio walked to the stairwell, but paused at the entrance. “One more thing, Emmett.”

“Yes?”

“Make sure Zuki doesn’t leave Atlas.”

“Of course,” Emmett replied.

Then, Helio descended the steps to his nanoforge as the room behind him stilled to darkness.

You, Version 2

* Story
* Missions
* Completion Rewards
* Hidden Content

Rain drowned the roads across the Waste. Concrete structures sagged beneath the weight of the downpour and waterfalls poured from the tops of rusted skyscrapers. Miles out from Atlas, Asana had grown weary of the rubble shifting beneath her feet. Kaigin, however, teleported up and through the crumbling buildings with ease. He grinned as Asana trudged behind him.

“Keep up, Rin! You’re the one who wanted to come out here,” Kaigin said, warping behind her. “You can see the road. Most would call that an advantage.”

The “fulfillment of his pact with GAIA” – Kaigin’s preferred euphemism for his destruction of the Reactor’s core – scrubbed years from his soul. He relished combat again, often coaxing Asana into friendly duels. He’d even grown amused by his reputation as a “dark and mysterious” freelancer, briefly entertaining the idea of capitalizing on it as the face of Ronin Tuxedos. (That is, until they unveiled their Kaigin-inspired indoor sunglasses).

“I asked for proof that the Rens lied to us. You’re the one who led us here.”

Asana leapt off a dark concrete stone. It collapsed behind her, tearing through five floors before crashing into a surging waterway. She eyed its long path down warily.

Kaigin stifled a laugh. “It seems the foundation is no match for your strength.”

She acted as if she hadn’t heard him, but the moment Kaigin was fatigued from warping, she dashed away, forcing him to track her path through the rain. When Kaigin finally found her, it was only because she’d laughed aloud at his attempt to sniff the air for clues.

“It seems you don’t need me to guide you anymore,” he observed, sheepishly.

“I could feel Nidus calling to us the moment we entered the Waste.” Asana’s sword radiated a yearning energy, urging her westward.

Kaigin must have felt the draw as well, as he was not often sentimental. “Do you ever miss Nidus?”

“The quiet was nice. The only time Atlas is quiet is after you’ve tried to destroy it,” Asana said. “And I miss the springtime. Xi-Ren would pluck fruit from the top of the trees for me, and say, ‘The ones drenched in sun taste the best.’”

“You were always the favorite.”

“And you were always stealing the candied fruit that Bo-Ren made for the new disciples. He’d get so furious when you ran away calling him ‘boring’.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have been so boring,” Kaigin said, dryly.

“What about you? Do you miss anything about Nidus?”

“No,” he replied. “Everything important came to Atlas with me.”

A blush rose in her cheek. If Kaigin noticed her quickened heartbeat, Asana was grateful he didn’t show it. “Do you remember when we first came to Atlas?”

“You, me, and Tol-Ren, together forever.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

“It seemed like the Waste got bigger and more twisted every day. I was so exhausted by the time we reached the overlook, I thought Atlas was a mirage. It looked like the whole city was made of light, with glass pillars drifting up and down through the clouds. I never imagined a place like that could exist.”

“I remember your voice when you told me about it. I knew it must have been beautiful,” he said. “I wish I could have shared that with you.”

“But we did share it.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Kaigin’s voice shifted and pain flashed across his face. “Our experiences of Nidus were different. The Rens – Tol-Ren – took so much from me.”

Asana’s hand tensed at the urge to touch his cheek. “What happened with Tol-Ren? With your training? You never told me.”

“I thought you knew. The other disciples whispered about it constantly.”

“Your word is the only one that matters.”

Kaigin hesitated a beat, and then shrugged.

“Tol-Ren tore my eyes out.”

He said it casually, as if remarking on the weather. In some ways, that was more disturbing to Asana than the words themselves. He sensed that, and elaborated.

“The void changed me. Colors. Lights. Shapes. Everything was different. The nanites helped with some physical complications, but my eyes? It affected me. Or, rather, I allowed it to affect me. Tol-Ren saw that it had become a distraction, so...” Kaigin’s hand shot forward and plucked an invisible eye from the air.

Asana was horrified. “I assumed the ‘gift’ had blinded you. Su-Ren said it affected us differently. I had no idea…” She paused. “Is that why you killed him?”

The memory of Kaigin cutting out Tol-Ren’s core flashed in her mind. It had only been a few years since then – a few years since he’d turned his daggers on her too. Her hand dropped unconsciously to the scar on her hip. “No. I told you, I did what was necessary. We’re going to Nidus to prove it.” Shame crept into his voice. “But I enjoyed revenge against him. And I will always regret hurting you.”

“I’m sorry—”

“Don’t. Tol-Ren was right, like any broken clock. I adapted. And I was better for it.” Kaigin suddenly placed a hand on Asana’s shoulder and nodded his head toward the west. “Those trees you miss so much are in bloom. Nidus must be close.”

He teleported toward the mountain range as Asana dashed to catch up. They traveled up a narrow path until they reached a low clearing where the rocks were streaked deep red and purple. There, the sweet scent of fruit blossoms was almost overwhelming.

Kaigin placed his hand on the mountain and crept his fingers across the dirt and lichen, feeling for something beneath the stone. When he felt a puff of cool air from within the solid rock, he smiled.

“The door is here.”

Together, they pounded their fists against the stone, cracking the dirt and exposing the circular door hidden behind it. In the center of the door, a mark of sacrifice, like the one emblazoned on Kaigin’s chest, was engraved around a tiny hole. Asana placed her fingertip against the opening and didn’t flinch as a fine needle pricked her.

Grinding gears shook the ground and blood spiraled out across the shifting metal panels, revealing a pitch black passageway through the mountain. As they walked forward, rushing water echoed around them and wind whistled past their ears. In the supreme darkness, every sound spiraled on for eons.

Asana was relieved when the pinprick of light finally grew into a wide open view of the valley she grew up in. Winter must have been harsh, because the northern waterfall was full and fast. It surged into a radamantium-lined moat, through irrigation channels across the valley, and beneath dozens of hovering bridges, before disappearing into the east side of the mountain.

The valley itself burst with color from purple wisteria, red maples, and white magnolias. Lush greens overran the terraced fields and stubborn wildflowers clung to every mountain crag. Nanite pollinators still buzzed from flower to flower with dutiful precision.

And there, up against the northern mountain, was the Temple of Nidus.

Grass had grown through the cracks of the wraparound wooden steps. The metal eaves of the roof were tarnished, changing from bright red to speckled silver and brown. But still, fusion lanterns glowed and swayed against the temple’s rafters, and the walls stood as tall and proud as ever.

Asana remembered running down the steps every morning in straw slippers still wet with dew. She would climb up the sun-warmed mountain stones to watch the temple’s long, cantilever rooftops transform with the elements, opening and closing like the petals of a flower. In heavy wind, the wide windows would twist to batten themselves with a loud crack, making so many of the lesser disciples flinch.

From this height, Asana could even see the holographic training fields. The dusty platforms emulated different terrain and rotated up and down so that warriors could train at any altitude. She handily defeated Kaigin (and anyone else who challenged her) in duels there right up until the day she left.

Kaigin teleported toward the temple, beckoning Asana to follow.

“Where are we going?” she called out.

“The sanctum.”

The sanctum was carved deep into the mountains, only accessible through the main temple. It was where Asana and Kaigin – the weapons from which the two warriors inherited their names – were once stored.

Both main doors groaned from disuse, waking up the whole temple. Years of dust rose from their rest in a huff. The rice paper doors where disciples used to line their slippers rattled and shook. Cobwebs danced above the unlit fusion hearth where students would gather for morning meditation. Silk banners waved beneath the wide windows.

“It’s so empty,” Asana murmured.

“It was emptying out before we were even born. Some Rens left to investigate the dying Reactors. A couple more left to fight in the Titan War. Tol-Ren left with us.” Kaigin said. “Whatever they intended to do with this place clearly changed.”

Kaigin wandered the main hall, rebuilding the temple’s layout in his memory. He placed a hand over a gash on a nearby column and plucked at a tuft of white fabric still caught in the splinters. “I think this might be some of Haru’s gi from when I threw my shuriken at him.”

“And how long did you spend in solitary meditation for that?”

“Only half the time he spent for failing to dodge it,” Kaigin replied with a smirk. “I don’t regret it. If I wasn’t sent there so often, I may never have met you.”

“What do you mean?”

“We met in the meditation suites – well, I met you there. You were too busy training to notice me.”

“Now I remember.” Asana grimaced. “The Rens made us share so that I could be an example for you.”

“And I made you so angry, you threw a pot at my head. I think the only reason you spoke to me at all was because I was able to slice it in half before it hit.” He paused by the hallway. “Do you think Haru survived the waste after the Rens released him?”

“If he wasn’t strong enough to claim an ancient, I doubt he could make it out there,” Asana replied, absently. She was tracing a finger across the words engraved on the hallway arch: the real battle exists within.

Fusion lanterns flickered to life as the two continued toward the sanctum. Delicate watercolor paintings of birch forests, crashing waves, nine-tailed foxes, and whole worlds in between decorated the walls. Asana peered into every open room, lingering over the cerasylar dummies in the practice room, the floating weapon racks in the armory, and the nanite baths in the infirmary.

Soon, they came across the “key” to the sanctum.

The floor-to-ceiling carving told the history of the Rens: their creation, their triumphs, and their losses. Within the piece, the 13 Rens of Nidus were rendered with such detail, it seemed they could attack at any moment. Chests heaved. Eyes burned. Stone silks flowed around every limb. But all of their hands were empty, outstretched and wanting. To open the water lock, each Ren had to place their weapon into the carving itself.

“What do we do?” Asana asked. “We can’t open the door.”

“We don’t need to. Hold onto me.”

“You’re going to warp us inside?” She looked concerned as she stepped into Kaigin’s arms.

“There’s nothing to fear. You may feel a pressure on your chest; try to breathe through it, if you can. And no matter what, keep your eyes closed,” Kaigin advised.

He held her close, noticing with a smile that the honeyed scent of orange blossoms still clung to her skin. “Are you ready?” he murmured.

Asana nodded, and his grip around her waist tightened.

The next moment, ice flowed through her veins, air evaporated in her lungs, and she gasped, drowning in darkness. Then, just as suddenly, she slammed into the ground.

Kaigin steadied her. “You’re okay, Rin.”

Asana took a deep breath, focusing out the pain with sheer willpower. “Didn’t you want to show me something?” she asked.

“It’s over there. Take my hand?”

“I’m fine,” she said, stiffly.

“It’s for me. It’s scary in here.”

Her ribs ached as she laughed.

Kaigin guided her to a thin veil of water that emptied into a pool around the sanctum. As they approached it, their weapons glowed.

“What’s happening?”

Kaigin raised one dagger up to the silvery screen of water. An ethereal voice sounded out. Resurrect me, Kaigin. Keep the Atlas from their hands.

A map flashed across the screen that lead to coordinates Asana did not recognize. Free me from the Rens. Keep them from the Atlas.

“What’s happening? Whose voice is that?”

“That was GAIA,” Kaigin said. “I heard her for the first time when we left Nidus. By the time we reached the city, she was part of me. I didn’t know what was happening until I came back here and found this.”

“I don’t understand.”

Kaigin lifted her sword hand and pushed the weapon up toward the water. New images spun across the screen. A flash, and Tol-Ren was placing nanite threads into the core of a reactor. He knelt before it as the core pulsed purple and blue. Then, he reached into the light and pulled out the sword, Asana.

Another flash, and Asana watched as Tol-Ren lifted a baby girl out of the nanite baths in the infirmary. As he did, the blade, Asana, glowed bright. His booming voice reverberated around the room. We have successfully merged organic matter with GAIA’s core cells from Hyperion. Experimental subject, 78, will remain in Nidus.

“What is this?”

“It’s what they did to us,” Kaigin said, quietly.

The voices of more Rens joined in a chorus around them, each blurring into the next.

The injection will activate the nanites fused into their DNA. But half of them perished on activation! We can’t afford failure with the Reactors dying around us. These weapons were gifts from GAIA; they cannot be remade. And these are GAIA’s children. They’re weak organic matter – better we cull them young. The strongest among them will lead us to GAIA.

Kaigin prowled the room as he spoke. “From what I’ve learned, the Rens were furious at GAIA. When GAIA abandoned the world, she abandoned the Rens, too. They blamed humanity for driving her away, but I suspect they were part of why she left.”

“The Rens created hundreds of us, trying to find a few capable of wielding her weapons. They thought there was some secret in them that they couldn’t see. But the Rens don’t understand GAIA. And just like they couldn’t stop her from leaving, they can’t control us.”

He touched Asana’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Asana’s hand dropped down to her side. “Su-Ren found me in the waste,” she muttered. “She saved me and carried me back to Nidus.”

“She lied.”

“And you hear GAIA every day? Does that mean she controls you? Did she make you destroy the Reactor?”

“My actions are my own. I didn’t want the Rens to get what they’re looking for, and neither did GAIA.”

“Why don’t I hear her?”

“That question has been on my mind,” Kaigin said. “I hoped this place would give us an answer. Would you try the water again? Think of GAIA. Think of times you’ve felt Asana’s influence on you.”

Asana raised her sword to the screen, but nothing happened.

“Why would this be?” Kaigin wondered aloud. “I guess your creation was different than mine. They had to use preserved data from Hyperion, since it was already dead. Mine, they farmed fresh from Atlas.”

He turned to her. “Have you ever been to Hyperion?”

“No.”

“I wonder what would happen if you did.”

Asana closed her eyes. “Sevi… could I be alone for a moment. Please,” she murmured.

He squeezed her hand gently. “Of course. Call my name when you’re ready to leave.”

Once he’d disappeared, she thought of her past and lifted her sword to the screen again.

Old memories played out from new perspectives. She saw herself turning in her wooden training blade and smiling as Tol-Ren brought over her first metal sword. Then, there was the day of her first nanite injection – “the gift” that turned her flesh purple. And the first time she’d entered this chamber to receive her ancient weapon. Su-Ren’s proud voice echoed through the room, uttering her new name for the first time: “Goodbye, Rin. And welcome, Asana,” she said.

As Asana’s thoughts turned to Su-Ren, the images shifted.

Su-Ren was cradling a baby in her arms. “Look at you, meditating. So peaceful and strong. You will be a great warrior,” she said, smiling. The android turned to Tol-Ren, who stood beside her. “Let’s call this one Rin, because she’s a little mini-Ren, already. Aren’t you? Hmm?”

“You’re getting attached,” Tol-Ren warned.

“Hush,” she murmured. “Oh, I didn’t mean you, little one.”

The memories kept spinning. There was Su-Ren, plaiting Asana’s hair into neat braids and mending her skinned knees. Her whole life, Su-Ren was there, guiding her meditation and focusing her thoughts. Teaching her what to believe. How to think. Getting inside her head. Using her to find GAIA?

Anger shot through Asana like a bolt. Was it all a manipulation? If Sevi was right, would she one day hear GAIA’s voice in her head as well? To what end? There was so much that the Rens kept from her.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed watching her life pass by on the screen, but as each lie played out, one thing became clear: Su-Ren had much to answer for.

“Sevi,” Asana murmured.

Kaigin reappeared at her side.

“I’m ready.”

Asana and Kaigin arrived back in Atlas in the dead of night, taking a ship from the border to Asana’s penthouse suspended above the western rim of the city. Asana had picked that location because it had a long view of the mountains where Nidus was hidden. Now, as she gazed out into the darkness, she wondered if she ever wanted to think of it again.

When they dropped down to the garden path to her home, they both stopped, surprised to hear music playing from inside.

… We’re forging a new future! And that includes YOU, version 2.

As they approached the door, their weapons radiated a cold, familiar energy. Kaigin grimaced, knowing full well who was waiting for them inside. He mouthed, “You gave her a key?” with disappointment, before cloaking himself in smoke.

Asana threw the door open. “Su-Ren,” she said, looking over at the android sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat in the center of the room.

“Good evening,” the Ren replied.

Su-Ren dashed to Asana’s side as Kaigin warped past and slashed the air where Su-Ren had been sitting.

“Predictable as always,” Su-Ren purred. “Asana, I came to speak to you. Privately.” Her eyes narrowed at Kaigin.

He grimaced. “She has no time for your lies.”

“Sevi, please.” Asana turned to Su-Ren. “I think that would be good.” She extended a hand to the garden and both women stepped out into the night, much to Kaigin’s irritation.

“You’ve recreated Nidus in your own home,” Su-Ren mused, running her fingers through the suspension fountain and observing the fireflies flickering through the magnolias. “It’s lovely.”

Asana gripped the handle of her sword in anger. “Is that all you have to say?”

“No. Of course not.” Su-Ren held her arms wide, palms open, as a sign of peace. “I wanted to tell you that we aren’t angry with you for assisting your friend. Loyalty was always your best quality. We only wish you would reconsider where your loyalties lie.”

“Who’s ‘we’? Do you speak for Omni now?”

A satisfied smile spread across the android’s face. “Who said anything about Omni?”

Inside, Kaigin paced back and forth. His daggers burned cold in his hand, as they always did in Su-Ren’s presence. If Asana wanted privacy, he would give her privacy, but he would not leave Su-Ren unmonitored.

He focused intently on the sound of her core whirring in its housing. Voices faded in the background. The low hum of holotechs disappeared. The only sound in his head was the spin of her mechanical heart, pinpointing her location in his mind.

White hot pain exploded in his chest. Blood flooded his mouth, drowning him in heat. His hands were slick, stinging as they groped at the notched blade being pulled through his ribs. He collapsed onto his knees, confused, as the cold pull of Resurrection crept through his spine.

A heavy leg kicked him onto his back.

“Predictable as always,” a deep voice boomed.

“SEVI!” Asana cried out, storming back into the room.

The distant echo of Asana’s voice was the last thing Kaigin heard before the Reactor took him.

Tol-Ren grinned at Asana as he cleaned Kaigin’s blood off of his katana. The open cut across Tol-Ren’s chestplate glowed bright blue in the dark.

“Was that necessary? We’re guests. Now there’s blood everywhere,” Su-Ren chided. She walked to Tol-Ren’s side and looped her arm through his.

“Necessary? No. But it was so well-deserved,” Tol-Ren replied with a smile. “Now Asana, as Su was saying, we’re guests. I believe that calls for tea.”

  Helio corps scientist