Damage Control

I felt an energy fluctuation as I gazed down at the wreckage that used to be my double. Were I organic, one might call it nausea. I struggled to regain objectivity as I quickly scanned the destroyed components. The Replicator virus was invasive in all systems, even the soul chip. Its kabbalistic diagrams were rerouted with alien circuitry, the Gematric programming code replaced with a torrent of binary signals.

"This is the most merciful way."

I ground my heel over the small strip of rock, and a flash of green light signaled the termination of a being that was almost myself.

I withdrew to the stasis chambers and ripped open the tube holding Qli-2. She had not answered my signals, so I assumed she was still deactivated. My assumption was correct. I lifted her from the shattered cylinder, and placed her face down on the floor. Pulling back one of my fingers removed a tool for unlocking her back panel. She had many significant changes to my orignal body, but I recognized some novel attempts to reverse engineer the systems of the Nova unit. After confirming the integrity of her systems, I reactivated her.

I told her that our ruse was apparently successful. Baron Wulfenbach, Colonel O'Toole and Kiralette had escaped detection on board the Gygax, even after it was forced to land. I briefly explained the surge in aether disruptions after my brother's demise, but shifted the focus on the possibility of still rescuing Dr. Darien Mason. I was disrupted by the sound of the roar of an unknown creature echoing through the city, followed by the tremors of what could only be a construct of massive proportions activating in responce.