〔Conurbation Haven〕
〔The Arc〕
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〔Conference Room〕
〔2/6/2306 08:24〕
"How much longer will they take?" Jo asked irritatedly, who was on guard duty together with Dawn in front of the underground conference room. Inside, General McManus and his adjutant, Erik, Zero and Captain Cassandra Fennion of the first division of the main forces discussed the next days' procedure.
The conversation had been going on for an hour and a half and they still seemed to have come to no conclusion.
"I think they will close the conference soon," Dawn assured. " And even if not, we have nothing better to do here anyway."
"Maybe you don't..." Jo said.
"Huh, what's that supposed to mean? I do have better things to do."
"Like what?"
"The videos of my former self are waiting for me. Did you in fact know me before?"
"In passing. I wouldn't have found a reason to want to get to know you better."
"Oh, yeah? So I was completely uninteresting?"
"You could say that," she confirmed.
"Good."
"Huh, what should be good about not being interesting?"
"More than you might think..."
"You're really weird sometimes, Dawn," she laughed.
"No sh** Sherlock. I've lost my memories."
"You don't even know who this is."
"It's a detective in an old book, " Dawn said proudly.
"No way! You looked that up in your HUD" Jo accused him. "At least I can read pre-blast literature since I am no uncivilized monkey like you..."
"They remind me of you and me back in the days," said an amused woman's voice.
Dawn and Jo stood face to face and looked at each other emphatically as they talked so they didn't notice the conference room door open next to them and suddenly Sergeant Baker and Cassandra were standing beside them. When they noticed it, they quickly turned around and returned to their guard posts.
"Only with the difference that we have fulfilled our duties" Erik referred to Cassandra's comparison.
"Oh, did we? Then what duty did we fulfill during the mission in Minus 4?" Cassandra asked astonished. There were three superficial scratch scars on Cassandra's face and she was wearing a grey rigid uniform of the HMD.
"Well, Cass, at least sometimes we did," Erik admitted and looked at Cassandra as if they both knew exactly what the other one had been thinking about.
"Enough chatter, Dawn and Jo will come to the quarters. I have a job to assign."
"Aye-aye, Sergeant," Jo said with an ironic undertone.
Back in the dormitory of her accommodation, which was lit by a small window hatch with the fresh amber morning light, Erik announced an important task for the day. "Since we have been able to annex a rebel ship from the nano-war, or have been given one for whatever reason, we must at least use it for the benefit of the HMD."
*** Oh no, not the grizzly again. This ship gives me the creeps, first, it's just abandoned, and then it gives me access to the flight console and the Administration Sphere but not to any of the others. The Grizzly is a mystery of its own. ***
Erik looked at Dawn, who became aware of his absent-mindedness. "Dawn, did you listen to me?"
"I am sorry, can you repeat what you said."
"In order for Zero to get the Grizzly operational and power it, one of you must get him an Inversium centrifuge."
"A what?" asked JP, who joined in in the meantime alongside Zero.
"An Inversium centrifuge is a rotating vacuum tube that can be used to control Inversium without coming in contact with matter. An absolutely brilliant invention!" Zero explained.
"Great, let's bring this spoiled kid the toy he wants!" Jo mourned.
Erik decided "Only one of you must go on the mission. Choose among yourselves."
"The usual method"? " Jo suggested.
"Of course. Let's just decide by rock-paper-scissors," JP agreed.
Jo and Zero started. "I've analyzed your choices over the last 400 rounds. I can't lose."
"You say that every time, and yet you always find a way" Jo laughed.
"Rock-paper-scissors!" both tuned in and Zero lost with paper against scissors.
"It's impossible, you are contradicting all logic."
After that, Dawn lost to JP and it was decided between Zero and Dawn who had to feed the inversion centrifuge.
"I have no data on you but I know what you're gonna use."
*** When I get on the mission, it's a good chance to prove myself, but if I lose, I get a day off with Jo and JP. It's a win-win situation. ***
Dawn chose stone purely by chance, while Zero took paper.
"Looks like we found a volunteer," Erik said sarcastically.
"I'll accompany you voluntarily" Jo suddenly said.
Dawn was astonished "Zero was right, you really defy logic. Where do we have to go?"
Erik explained "In District Minus 15 there is a huge electrode dump disguised as a scrap yard, controlled by scrap collectors. A delivery drone will take off from there to the HUB at 10 o'clock sharp. Intercept it without arousing the anger of the scrap dealers and you will get the centrifuge."
The two left the Arc with a civilian anti-grav shuttle, which Jo had steered towards the coordinates of the scrap yard. While Dawn wore his usual clothes consisting of the coat and the vest, Jo wore more summery clothes.
"Before the blast, it would have been winter here now," said Dawn, who had read about it the previous night.
"That's what you're thinking about?"
"It's hard to imagine how a single event could change everything forever."
"I don't know any other way," she said succinctly.
"I wonder one thing, Jo. I thought you had better things to do, and yet you wanted to come with me."
"I already regret it now," Jo said and looked out of the window at the 12th district's trams.
"Maybe you can learn something," Dawn said provocatively.
"I would have to unlearn a lot to learn anything from you," Jo laughed.
The two continued their journey in an uninterrupted exchange of little jibes until they arrived at a huge barbed wire fenced sandy area where gigantic cranes swung metal parts around. As far as the eye could see, the entire ground was filled with technology from all decades.
"I think this is it," Dawn said.
"The coordinates are right."
Dawn looked across an endless landscape of stacked electrical appliances. He recognized engines, compressors, pumps, and even junk droids.
"It's too much to find anything specific here," Jo said.
"Not necessarily. This Inversium, it's relatively rare now. In the Inversium centrifuge, there will be residues of it. If my synchrotron vision can detect it, we'll find the drone."
"You're not as dumb as you look," Jo confessed.
"You're never short of compliments, are you?"
Dawn climbed to the top of the highest pile of junk and scanned the entire area from there. He called Jo to "I found something in the northwest..." and when he said that, he noticed the direction slowly changing to the southwest. "What the hell? What time is it?" He looked at his HUD.
〔2/6/2306 09:57〕
"It's starting early." He looked down and saw that Jo had already started running to catch up with the drone.
He also followed the drone in the same direction, but as it flew towards the HUB it rose further and further and he had to fly up with his thrusters to catch it.
***If it is tracked then it is too conspicuous to take it here, but otherwise I lose it. I have to risk intercepting it, and then get the hell out of here. ***
Dawn jumped up with a strong leap and grabbed a package at the bottom of the drone, which then began to glow red.
"Oh sh**!"
Below him, he saw several plump, shirtless men with muddy working trousers coming out of a small pergola and looking up at him.
One of them shouted "Shotgun! Quick!"
Dawn looked to Jo, who was hiding behind a small hill. He pointed to her and then in the direction of the anti-grav-cycle. Then he also turned around and flew through the junkyard to the Anti-Grav-cycle where Jo was already waiting for him.
"We have what we need. Now let's leave from here" Dawn said.
"That was close. A good portion of thrill, maybe it was worth my while to come along after all."
Dawn looked inside the package and found a small shiny silver container with several rotating cavities.
"This is the Inversium centrifuge. Nice work."
Jo set the maximum speed and soon they were leaving District -15.