Item C04-000-000-002 - Cestra

I returned from the pantry with a cup of hot beverage. I think the Old Age records say that it's called "tea"?

I reopened my secure connection to that dummy's lab feeds. Glad that I got it before we... we... let's not dwell into such... downers... Well anyway, I checked and~ what the heck? I got booted out? Seems my connection to Munz's lab was... severed. Weird... Wait. What was the last thing my video logs got? Oh dear... oh dear...

"MUNZ! NO!" I dropped everything that I was to do that day, and rushed to his place in a MachRider.

The dusty, gaseous horizons of Jupiter was usually a nice sight for me during my journeys in-between facilities, but I need to focus. Not only Munz's human error costed NorthStar, his employer, a precious Orokin relic, it could've fallen into the hands of very, very bad people! I sped up my personal transport, speeding through the gaseous wasteland at a pace I haven't seen myself do for a long time. I managed to also sneak through many radars and cameras, thanks to Munz's tweaks of this thing.

I finally arrived, all in stealth, to his place. I clutched my side-arm, a basic energy pistol that can fire rapidly. Manufactured by NorthStar's Arms Division, and the first weapon he designed. His initial vision was to imitate the Orokin aesthetic, but was talked out of it, stripping loads of gold metal, transforming it into a nice, simple design. Fit for mass-production.

I rushed to his lab, and found him attempting to self-medicate. A small patch of his blood is visible, he must've been in this state for some time. He seemed to notice that there's someone else in the room, and looked up to me. Our eyes met, and in that moment, no matter how hard I try to avert my gaze, I couldn't. I holstered my firearm, rushed to his side, and took my first-aid kit from my bag.

"Munz, Munz, hang in there, I'm getting some medication.", I said, opening my first-aid kit.

"Kasla... I'm sorry...", he said, clutching at his side. Judging from the wounds, he was shot, point-blank, with a Strun.

"Stop saying that! What's important is that you are to survive."

"You... haven't forgiven me...", he coughs.

"I can't yet, but know this: No matter how untrustworthy you are to me after that... that...", I couldn't find the words...

"Mistake... A horrible mistake...", he holds my hand. Why are you like this? Why did you do that to me? You know I couldn't say 'no' to you, but here we are again: me here, helping you in a mess that you went into all by yourself.

"Did they get the relic?", I broke our hand connection, trying to change the subject. I looked at my hands, and found some of his blood on it. I immediately pulled some AutoBenda, a spray-based automatic bandage and treatment product that my company sells, and sprayed it into his wounds. The product seems to work, as the gunshot wounds began to close. The wonders of modern medicine! Who would've thought that it will end up with nano-machines?

"Yes... Niel got it."

"You really fucked up. You know that he knows about your obsession with that cube, and now he might be trying to either crack the relic, or make sure nobody can.", I scanned him with a bio-scanner, and fitted a yellowish vial to the device's socket. It purred and began to beam light into the vial, and after a few seconds, I have a ready-made medicine for him.

"Promise me... please... don't tell anyone... the cube in the Vault... is real." What in the world are you talking about?

"What? Wait, before you speak further, drink this", as I hand him the vial from the bioscanner. It's a vial of ReAugment, an experimental, but already effective, product of ours. I can't really speak more details about it, but what I can say is that, it's really effective in taking care of what's inside you.

"The cube that he got... the cube I told you about... was a fake one. I tried to re-engineer the cube... and got it to the point that it emulates... self-mutating security details."

"You're saying that you tried to make a copy of the cube?", I said, trying to piece through this revelation. By the way, he seems to react properly to the medication... He will surely react to it, the nano-machines should do its work by about... now...

"I couldn't re-image the cube, so I emulated its behavior... From the shifting parameters, mutating security layers, even its own defense mechanism! But I only managed a maximum of 10240 layers. What did you gave me? I feel so much better now..."

"Under NDA. I don't want another mistake..."

"Right... Don't tell me then... Just know that I feel better now.", he stood up, and went to his desk, leaving a trail of blood from his injuries.

"Command: Self-clean!" The lab began to light up and vibrate, as if trying to search for the mess. Machines then took up the daunting task of making sure things are clean and pristine.

"Kasla, please turn back.", I did. "Command: New clothes!", and machines popped-up from nowhere, and I heard some buzzing and whirling.

"You can turn again now.", and there he was, Munizel, with clean suits, as if nothing happened. The lab is spotless, with no evidence. We really spruced up and turned the tech of this place to eleven.

"You do know that Niel has more computational power than you, right?", I asked him.

"Yes, which is why I am glad that he took the bait."

"You are expecting him to steal it, and then try to kill you?"

"I don't think me dying is part of his plan. Besides, he knows that we are almost inseparable.", he winks. I sighed, and placed my palms into my face.

Why am I like this with you around?

"I alerted the board that Niel might be taking the relic, from what I gathered from my anonymous sources. I proposed to them that in exchange of me doing actual work with the cube afterwards, I will form a decoy cube, they will publish its disappearance, bait Niel into taking it, and they arrest him."

"Are you okay with that? He's still your father..."

"I didn't ask to be associated with his shady works. Not anymore..." but then... alarms were sounded. His computer displayed something...

"
Facility-wide emergency lock-down engaged.
Reason: Alerts about a thief is in the facility, taking a valuable, restricted item.
Proposal: Remain in this facility until the safety of the area can be ensured.
"

"I have to go, Munz.", standing by the door.

"Take care, Kasla...", and we hugged. I hope he remains safe here as I left the area.

...

After a few hours, I'm back at Varidex. My employer. Glad that my stealthy cover was intact for the whole ride.
I returned to my now cold tea, and checked his secure channel feeds... All is well now... I opened my inbox, and found some unread messages.
"Seems he's safe and sound now... That's what matters...", I said as I opened my unread messages.

"
2 messages.


1st message
From: Munz's Scumbag Dad
Subject: Thank you for treating him well. He really is fortunate to have you.
Content: I also called him "punk". First time I used that. Please relay to him my apologies.
<Metadata scrubbed>

2nd message
From: Munz's Scumbag Dad
Subject: By the way, I know that the cube I stole from him is fake. I'm happy that he can work now on the real one. Bid him my regards.
Content:
I have already seen what's in the real cube. It's more valuable than all the Platinum in this universe.
DO NOT LET HIM UNCOVER IT. Enclosed in this message is the cipher for the real cube. The only copy. I have deleted mine.
Feel free to know the truth yourself, just make sure he's not around. I will now go undercover, and may not contact anyone for a long time; I might in the future, but only you.
With my blessing and acceptance, Fn.
<Metadata scrubbed>
"