Evolve (31)
We waited until the Remora squad disappeared from our sight. Only after the sound of their booster packs had completely died out did we descend from the ceiling.
I gently used my telekinesis as a rope to drop down, let go of Celestia, and stared at the strange Remora whose visual sensor lights were blinking.
"... Who are you?"
Although I had narrowly avoided a serious injury, I didn't let my guard down. If anything, I heightened it. That was only natural, since our hiding in this location had not been a coincidence.
The unusual Remora's visual sensor swept over us.
「Psionic energy reaction detected.」
"No, I'm asking, who are you?"
The Remora ignored my question and merely continued to observe me. Compared to a power loader, it was relatively small, but at 2.5 meters tall, it was by no means little. In fact, I had to look up to see it.
Was it on our side or not? It didn't seem to be an enemy. Maybe because of the nanorobot extract, it had helped us shake off the pursuit. But if you asked whether I could trust it, I'd definitely hesitate to answer.
I continued my staring contest with the strange Remora. Since it was a robot, I couldn't predict its next move. I could only guess that something was computing inside, as its blinking visual sensor suggested.
'This is why I hate robots.'
Except for Carry. And the Alpha and Beta series Licorice had made. Once I excluded all of those, it turned out that the problem was really just with the Remora right in front of me—which looked identical to the ones that had chased us only moments before.
Celestia, who couldn't stand to see more time wasted, stepped forward in my stead. She tapped on her bracelet and projected an authentication code into the air. A mark resembling a blue flower appeared, and the Remora's gaze lingered on it.
"I am Celestia Myosotis. I am in alliance with the Earth Government."
「Denial. Such a relationship has not been confirmed. The Earth Government does not form alliances with mere corporations.」
Celestia was momentarily piqued by the Remora dismissing Myosotis as just some corporation. Although I couldn't see her expression, I could feel she was gritting her teeth. She managed to suppress her emotions for the sake of the conversation.
"There's a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We're hostile to the Pureblood Supremacist group. That means we have the same enemy. By the looks of it, you're not in good shape either, so wouldn't it be better to cooperate at least temporarily? We're fully prepared to do so."
Celestia, determined to keep the conversation alive, kept her emotions in check despite the Remora's attitude.
"I think there must be a reason you helped us. You're not just some simple Remora programmed only to exclude intruders, right?"
「...」
The Remora didn't answer immediately. Instead, it seemed its computational functions were powering up even more. Now that I saw it properly, it wasn't scheming something; it seemed the strange Remora was just as confused as we were about the situation.
Thud... thud...
Vibrations from outside reached all the way here. I couldn't know the exact details, but it was easy enough to guess that with the Sky Whale now in action, all sorts of problems were erupting outside. We didn't have time for this.
I guessed that the Sky Whale was now rampaging. Messing with the reactor room must have been a kind of trigger, and as the one who caused the incident, it was necessary for me to try to quell the situation.
The more time we wasted like this, the more dangerous it became for Nadia and Albatross, who were likely just waiting for us to come out. My fingers twitched anxiously.
I wanted to ignore the Remora and just get going, but since Celestia had asked me to trust her one more time, I decided to wait a little longer.
'And she also said it's not just a simple Remora.'
There was exactly one thing about this Remora that set it apart. Unlike the angry, fierce Remoras in pursuit, this one exuded a cool blue light from its eyes.
All the Remoras coated in my nanorobot extract had reacted like this. However, this was the only one that displayed a further, even more advanced reaction. And the Remora's next words confirmed it.
「Affirmative. This AI is one of the Sky Whale's main system recovery programs that operates independently in emergencies.」
"If that's so, your awakening means there was a problem with the main system, right?"
「Affirmative.」
"But you only activated after we sprayed the nanorobot extract. If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have even been able to attempt completing your objective."
「... Affirmative.」
The Remora hesitated for a moment, but didn't deny it. I had expected it to remain silent, but to my surprise, it was responding more willingly than I'd thought. Perhaps that was thanks to the Myosotis authentication.
"We're short on time, so I'll be upfront about our goal. We're going to overload the reactor and activate the purification protocol. Depending on the situation, things might change, but we have no intention of destroying the reactor. At least for now."
As Celestia said, destroying the reactor was never our goal. Trying to destroy it inside the furnace room would be suicide. The moment it was destroyed, it would explode, and even I couldn't withstand that.
As if recognizing that, the Remora gave a subtle reaction, and Celestia continued.
"We didn't even know the Sky Whale unmanned weapon existed. We certainly didn't expect the reactor room we'd tracked down to be inside it. After being branded as intruders, we wound up here. I think we've revealed enough, so now it's your turn. What's your objective?"
「Top priority: Protect the reactor and restore the main system.」
"Would us activating the purification protocol go against that?"
「Negative. Activating the first phase security protocol of the purification protocol is an order given to the main system. As part of that order, this AI is also obligated to fulfill it. After top-priority missions are completed, the relevant order can be executed.」
"Good. Help us then. We'll help you too."
Celestia suddenly pushed me forward.
"If you can't trust me—no, Myosotis—then trust this person. You know what it means for someone to have psionic energy, right?"
For a moment, I almost blurted out, "What is that supposed to mean?"
If Celestia hadn't motioned for me to control my expression, now standing right beside me, I might have.
The Earth Government knew about the existence of psionic energy, and the Remora in front of us had that data, so this was a kind of gamble. Whether it was her original intention or not, it seemed to have worked.
After a brief hesitation, the Remora accepted Myosotis's authentication code.
「Holder of psionic energy, I formally request your cooperation. This request remains valid until this AI regains control of the Sky Whale.」
I tried to say something, but only nodded quickly instead, as a huge vibration rocked the facility again. Even if temporary, we now had a cooperative relationship. The rest could be discussed while moving.
"Lead us straight away. To the place where the reactor is."
「In order to access that data, this AI's authority must be restored first. Until then, pinpointing the location of the reactor is impossible.」
"Then guide us there! There's no time!"
「Calculating the fastest route to that point. Real-time changes to internal pathways due to security settings. Follow this AI.」
With those words, the strange Remora fired up its boosters. Maybe because we told it to hurry, it sped off in the blink of an eye.
The body vanished into the fog. Caught off-guard, Celestia and I had to start chasing it at full speed.
"Where are we going?!"
Even if hearing the answer didn't actually tell us, it still seemed better than knowing nothing. The Remora slowed its propulsion so we could keep up and replied.
「Destination is the control center located in the heart of the Sky Whale. The sea fog must be lifted through that facility.」
"Sea fog? You mean the ECM chaff mist?"
「Affirmative. The sea fog must be lifted to open the route leading to the power source.」
"So, 'the route must be opened' means it's currently sealed off?"
「Affirmative. Right now, the Sky Whale's power source, the reactor, was moved to one of several internal chambers after the security protocol activation failed, to repel external intruders.」
The chambers were basically compartments designed in case of emergency; they blocked the reactor's heat and allowed for that energy to be used naturally. Of course, the chambers had top-level security, so we needed to go to the control center to obtain the required authorization—or so the strange Remora explained.
It also added that, since it was forcibly activated—not via standard protocols but through a gap made by the nanorobots—it hadn't been able to properly inherit authority from the main system.
"I never heard of a weapon that uses a reactor as a power source... I can't believe that what was once an urban legend actually exists. I expected it, but it's still hard to believe."
Celestia murmured in genuine astonishment. The Remora, perhaps sensing her questions, began to explain even though we hadn't asked.
「Colloquially known as the Sky Whale. Also referred to as Mother Whale. Created as a Guardian of Titan, for the purpose of minimizing confusion and countering objects.」
"Guardian? What's that about minimizing confusion? What confusion? And by 'Objects,' do you mean..."
Confusion likely referred to the current catastrophe enveloping space, and Objects must have meant those indestructible entities—the ones Gedric the Reformist had told us about. The ones that began showing up everywhere in space after the Pureblood Supremacist group's terrorist attack.
'As expected, the Earth Government...'
It was all but certain that they had predicted something like this would happen. Not all my questions had been answered, but one more piece of the puzzle had clicked into place.
Celestia's gamble—presenting me as the psionic energy holder—had worked because it was connected to that premonition.
But if they were prepared, why had things escalated to this degree? That riddle only deepened.
I hadn't seen the Sky Whale in its entirety yet, but given the size of the corridors we passed through, I could roughly imagine the sheer scale of its hull.
If reactors produced only on Earth had been scattered across the galaxy, and unmanned autonomous weapons using them were standing by, pureblood Supremacist terror attacks should have been completely futile.
Maybe the Pureblood Supremacists didn't know about the Sky Whale's existence. If they had, they'd have done anything to try to seize it.
「No authorization to view this data.」
"You? Or us?"
「No point in making such distinctions.」
Apparently, both. The Remora stopped answering my continuing questions, instead sticking to the line about lacking the necessary authority.
Then, all of a sudden, it leaped across a chamber that had appeared. Its booster pack flared, and it made the jump in one go.
"...!"
We had no choice but to brake hard and stop in our tracks. After all, unlike the Remora, we didn't have any thrusters.
"So this is what it means for the corridor's structure to change. The layout's shifting. It's much wider than I thought... Hyun-woo, do you think you can make it?"
Catching her breath, Celestia asked anxiously. I didn't answer right away and instead studied the area ahead.
I could hear the random noises of metal structures moving. Every time they sounded, the floor would appear or vanish, doors would manifest and disappear on a whim.
The hull had to be enormous. A jump assisted by the suit's strength wouldn't cut it. But that was fine. Even if the cube-shaped walls moved randomly, I just needed to match my moves to theirs.
If I used telekinesis like a rope, I wouldn't fall. In the past, I'd have called desperately for Carry. But things were different now.
"Of course."
I motioned for Celestia to come closer and lifted her up gently. I secured Celestia's linear rifle to her suit so it wouldn't drop; she nodded as if to indicate she was ready.
I'd felt awkward around Celestia ever since I became aware of Ian's existence, but now that awkwardness had largely disappeared. Memories I'd half-forgotten seemed to blend in naturally.
"Hold on tight."
"Yes! I'll never let go!"
Just as I had when hiding on the ceiling before, I extended my telekinesis a great distance. That was another thing I now found less awkward. It had always been tricky, struggling to control a power entirely dependent on sensation rather than physicality—but now I'd become fairly adept.
I took a deep breath, then with a few running steps, leaped straight into empty air. No matter how hard you jump, if you're under gravity, you'll eventually fall.
But I relied on my telekinesis fixed to a cube above my head, moving ahead without falling. Occasionally, obstacles presented themselves. Still, compared to what I usually fought, these were slower and smaller, so I just lightly kicked them away.
Whoosh. The sensation of slicing through the air washed over my body, and in no time, I reunited with the strange Remora. I wanted to scold it for running off without us, but the sight of it busy with some operation made the words die away.
I carefully set Celestia down as the Remora, clutching a door, spoke up.
「The rate of interior restructuring is accelerating. Please pass through the entrance before more time passes and a new shortest route must be found.」
"Fine, fine."
Prompted by its urgency, we crossed through the door without hesitation. The Remora followed after us, letting go of the door, which shut with a thunk as the locking mechanism engaged.
And then the door, which we'd just passed through, disappeared as the structure shifted. Now that I looked at it, the Remora had gone ahead of us on purpose to keep the door from closing on us.
I was glad I hadn't said anything snarky. Celestia and I exchanged glances.
The Remora, unconcerned, flexed its strained hands after forcibly holding the door, then checked its state. Seemingly fine, it set itself down quietly.
「We must reach the control center within 10 minutes. Sharing the route in advance in case of unexpected circumstances.」
In case of unexpected circumstances? That was an oddly human turn of phrase for a robot. I wondered about that, but the Remora didn't hesitate, transmitting the data to us through direct contact.
It wasn't a full map of the internal structure, but it synchronized with our bracelets to indicate the direction we needed to go.
We soon understood why the Remora had used such phrasing.
Once again, we navigated the transforming inner structure to head toward the control center. We saw a squad of Remoras who had lost the intruders now swarming the control center. Clearly, they knew this was the only place we could end up, and their numbers were considerable.
'The fog makes it hard to see...'
Like a swarm of angry hornets, the Remoras milled about the control center, making it easy to guess just how bad things were at the front.
"Just to clarify, you don't have control over those units, right?"
「Affirmative. Although this AI does not require approval from higher programs, this unit's computational capability is insufficient to perform that task.」
The Remora said that those units were operated not individually, but by other independent programs similar to itself. It wasn't as simple as hijacking a single Remora.
The first time, it had fooled the program's 'eyes' and passed itself off as an ally, but added that the same trick wouldn't work twice, and that since the main system was still unresponsive, it could end up overwhelmed by the program in charge of the 'rogue' Remoras.
「However, I can lure the Remoras inside the control center by means of sabotage.」
"That won't buy us much time. Once they figure out it's fake, they'll come straight back."
「Affirmative.」
Shifting my gaze away from the Remora that had replied, I stared at the fog filling the corridor. The ECM chaff was designed to confuse external threats, not fill the interior. Normally, there shouldn't have been any fog inside.
According to the Remora's best guess, the reason was that the chaff dispensing system was rampaging along with the main system. After flooding the exterior, the fog had started to flow back inside.
"Hyun-woo, I'm confident I can handle that defense. As long as we control the entry point, I can pick off anything that comes through."
Celestia tapped her linear rifle. She explained that she'd brought plenty of ammunition in case this happened. With her—an expert in supporting fire from range—watching my back, I could relax.
Of course, I'd evade attacks myself as much as possible, but once a firefight broke out, anything could happen.
And it made more sense for us to split offense and defense. Defense, with the ability to utilize the environment, was more advantageous anyway.
I heard another whale song, even sharper than before. While switching out my oxygen pack, I asked,
"You said you were one branch of the Sky Whale's main system, right?"
「Pilot— ... Correction. The engineer called this AI the Overall Risk Control Assistant system, O. R. C. A.」
ORCA. That was the name of the program inhabiting the Remora's body.
"Okay, from now on, I'll call you ORCA. Feels weird to keep saying 'strange Remora' all the time."
「Meaning unclear.」
"You don't have to get it. I'm just doing it for my own convenience. And for the record, I'm Lee Hyun-woo."
「Confirmed.」
"Let's go, oRCA. Whether it's the main system or the reactor, let's restore them."
「Confirmed. Commencing sabotage.」
The strange Remora—no, oRCA—connected to a wall panel and maximized its processing capacity. In less than ten seconds, a thunderous explosion erupted somewhere. The mist even seemed to ripple away from the shock.
As a blaring alarm filled the air, the Remoras in the control center started swarming away en masse like a disturbed hive.
Celestia and I were caught off guard, even though we knew this was our chance to move. We'd expected a fake alarm, not something real.
「Causing an actual incident is simpler than fabricating one in the system. Even with the Remora control program running amok, it's not so easily fooled.」
"... So, what did you blow up?"
「Identified points where energy wasn't escaping due to damaged circuits. Sabotage was executed on multiple locations: exposed propulsion unit 1, coolant passageway, aviation storage bay, tactical command room, shield control room, and more.」
"..."
No wonder they'd all charged out at once. ORCA had triggered multiple points at once, not just one, setting off a full-scale alarm.
"Somehow, you remind me of Hyun-woo," said Celestia.
"Me?"
"You like blowing things up, too."
I opened my mouth to object, then closed it again, at a loss. Past memories flashed through my mind.
It was true—everything always seemed to end with something blowing up. Not that I meant it that way.