After Silence went outside the lab to fetch their engineering extraordinaire, she returned with the little vampire and Maria.
"What? Why are we called here in such a hurry?" Maria had a smile on her face and she was quite excited to work on a huge project.
She tuned some weapons here and there. Upgrading Margaret's swordspear, increasing the efficiency of its arts unit. But she hasn't done anything that would blow everyone away. So she was quite energetic.
"Uh, are we going to work on something exciting?" Closure was missing Rhodes island. But she was learning a lot in Paradiso.
She is one of the original members of Babel. And it worries her to no end that Kal'tsit and Amiya may be having tons of problems in the upkeep of the landship. Closure makes sure it runs smoothly after all.
"Yes, we are going to make something amazing. You two, will help me and the scientists from Rhine labs to create a nice program to figure this out." Ash snapped his fingers and a screen appeared.
"DNA?" The two tilted their heads. They were in another branch of science. Biological engineering is a level of it that they won't ever dabble on. It was too complicated, as if engineering electronics and software isn't enough.
"Ahhh, I know that look. No, you would be in charge of the AI and software for it. I don't expect you girls to try and help me with reverse engineering this complicated genome." Ash waved his hand nonchalantly.
The duo sighed in relief, thinking that they would be receiving a crash course about the stuff he was working on.
"Hmm, but that can be possible. With something like Joyce's neural implant, we can give anyone knowledge in the blink of an eye. Just install it directly into your brain." Ash grinned and thought that was genius.
He was cackling and Closure started getting nervous. "Ummm... Sorry Ash, but you're sounding like a mad scientist. You won't experiment on us right?" She fidgeted around and hid behind Maria.
"Don't worry, Ash doesn't do human experimentation." Maria gave her a toothy grin and a thumbs up.
"I don't know... He looks like he wants to use it on us." Closure pointed at him who was in his own head, thinking of upgrading their citizens and turning all of them into geniuses that can hold data like no other, similar to Joyce.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I won't do that. I'm spread thin enough as it is. And anything I do, I test it on myself first. How can we make an ethical board in Columbia if the one who presents it violates the thing?" Ash snorted.
"Well said." Saria returned with dozens of nerds who look well rested. Unlike with their employment in Rhine labs. They were given plenty of time to rest.
And because he believes that researchers are the most important thing to any nation. They also have free access to the spas and entertainment facilities.
Science and research can produce miracles. Humans back on earth accelerated civilization to the point where they unravel the universe's secrets with particle accelerators. In just less than a century.
If you bring a person a from the past century to the modern world, they won't understand almost everything. But if you bring them to the past for hundreds of years. Almost nothing has changed.
"Everyone is here it seems. I need your help in this project. We are going to create super soldiers that you cannot even fathom." Ash told them the basics about the Abyssal hunters.
"Increased strength, musculature, bone density, intelligence. A soldier that can adapt to anything if they live. The pinnacle of evolution." Ash described the seaborne.
It is now an arms race. There are innumerable amounts of those freaky beasts under the ocean. And they haven't even explored the vast world yet. They were land locked in the megacontinent everybody is on.
Who knows how many of those things are lurking around? And the planet is similar to earth. So more than a third of it is water, which is their habitat.
The scientists gasped and they got excited. Research of that caliber would be etched in history.
And they as scientists, want to discover. Receive glory and fame. Be acknowledged in the scientific community as the ones who brought humans who are at the zenith of evolution.
Ash gave them the chance, and nobody would dare try to squander it.
"Yes sir!" They all shouted and he nodded in satisfaction. Though Maria was confused, she thought that they already have something like that.
It was already being used by their elites and trustworthy operators. Even Patriot and Yelena were given stims to enhance themselves.
And Patriot never felt better. He even requested for his bladed mace to be upgraded. Increase its weight so much that even Terrans who have incredible strength can't lift it.
"Ash, what is this about?" Maria asked him stealthily.
"It's because of our water based friends. The abyssal hunters. Everybody knows how strong they are. Only a handful of our operators can contend with them." Ash whispered to her.
"What? The abyssal hunters are supersoldiers?" She was surprised and he nodded.
"Yes, the strongest ones around right now. And we need every edge we can get against the things they are fighting, the seaborne." Ash furrowed his brows.
Maria went quiet and she was definitely going to keep it secret. Mass panic would happen otherwise.
And the church of the deep was in his mind. He remembered the humanoid seaborne that's leading them. The seaborne are making small moves. But like an avalanche, they can suddenly do a full scale invasion that would wipe out everyone.
"Then this is of utmost importance..." Maria squinted her eyes and she was determined to give it her all.
Closure went up to them. "So, Ash. You're the boss, what are we going to do? Give me something to work with, I'll definitely bring results." Closure smiled.
"Yeah, so do you know anything about the seaborne? Those rabid beasts that took down Iberia a peg?" Ash asked and she rubbed her chin.
"Not much, but I do know that they are ferocious beasts. And Iberia who had the strongest navy decades ago got sacked by them. Their golden ship, the Stultifera Navis disappeared after that." Closure shrugged.
"This DNA is actually from them. You see, we have Intel that they adapt to anything given time." Ash's expression was grave.
Closure tilted her head for a second and then it dawned on her. She gasped, eyes wide in shock.
"So they will be doing skirmishes and then adapt to arts and human weapons!?" Closure imagined it and thought it would be a nightmare.
"Yeah, they would just keep coming back. Stronger, faster, with more and more skills and powers to combat us." Ash explained.
"So this would be an arms race... But why are we researching about their genes? No way... You're going to reverse engineer it and splice it with our troops!" Closure pieced the puzzle and he nodded, patting her head for a job well done.
"That's right, fight fire with fire. But of course, we would be mostly fighting using our range advantage. But I'm afraid that they're nearly endless in amount." Ash sighed and he remembered Alive until Sunset's words about them.
Aegir which is the most advanced nation on Terra were losing a battle of attrition against them. And they are also much stronger in the water.
The only race that are stronger than them quality wise are Sarkaz and of course the Feranmuts. Yet the Aegirians are losing ground inch by inch as they spoke.
"T-this is huge!" Closure was trembling at the gravity of the situation. She could have never thought that there are more pressing issues out there than oripathy that Rhodes island is working to rectify.
"Calm down Closure, we need to work on this fast. You can't have a meltdown and be paranoid." Ash held her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye.
"R-right." She calmed down, but she took a whiff of his scent and her cheeks reddened.
He raised a brow and remembered that she was a vampire. "Come on, take a sip and calm down." He lifted her up and her pupils dilated.
"T-thank you." She licked his neck and slowly bit into him.
"Uhh, why is she moaning and wriggling around like that?" Maria squinted her eyes at Closure.
"I honestly don't know, haven't met enough vampires yet. But I think that my blood is like crack for her. Look at her, she has a dopey grin on her face." Ash pointed to Closure's face and she was high as hell.
"Pwah~ Sho good!" Closure licked the remaining blood on his neck and he put a hand on her head. Ash balanced her neurotransmitters and Closure slowly got sober.
"W-what happened?" She blinked and Maria snorted.
"You were moaning and fidgeting around like a pervert as you drank his blood." Maria had a bit of edge in her voice.
"Don't be jealous Maria, here. Big brother will give you a kiss instead." He kissed her forehead and she froze.
"Um... So, what's the plan again?" Closure diverted the topic.
"We need programs and AI's to help us figure out the genes in their DNA. It's imperative for us to do so." Ash scowled.
He can't have a bomb around them that can go nuclear any second. Skadi will be a big problem if she goes into her behemoth form and cause destruction from within.
Not to mention the leviathans and seaborne she will be calling when she transforms and loses herself.
Specter, she isn't that much of a problem. But Gladiia is as fast as Shining and she has strength that equals Specter. She would cause a massacre on the battlefield if the swordfish turns into a seaborne.
"How are we gonna do this?" Closure wanted to start right away after learning the dangers.
"I heard you've managed to make intricate AI's that have their own personality back at Rhodes island?" Ash was interested at that.
"Ohh, that? Yeah, I created a medic robot called Lancet-2. And a combat one as well." Ash nodded in satisfaction at her answer.
"Then we will need to create an AI strong enough to crack the code of the seaborne's genes." Ash called Joyce over.
"This project has been going on and more than half of the unique genes have been sequenced by Ash." Joyce gave them info about their progress.
"We need immense processing power for this. You think you can do that? I've been doing it by myself, so it took a lot of time." Ash sighed.
"I think so, I'm assuming it doesn't need emotions or to talk right? Then I just need what are the configurations for what it is supposed to do. Then Maria and I will start programming." Closure rubbed her chin while thinking.
"Excellent, the equipment I received from Rhine labs isn't up to my standard. So we'll be using those as the host of the AI. I'll make the necessary upgrades to it so your work can automate it." Ash started telling them how to sequence genomes.
"Oh, I am going to need something from Rhodes island." Closure frowned.
The project was a bit complicated. And it will take a long time if Closure and Maria creates the thing from scratch.
So she would copy the programs and softwares of her creations from Rhodes island. Then they'll edit it to suit their needs.
"Rhodes island huh? Then let's go, no time to waste." Ash gestured them to prepare.
"I'll go and get the necessary hardrive to copy their software." Closure went to gather her equipment.
"Maybe there would be something interesting in Rhodes island? Oh, I better get something that Kal'tsit has been withholding from me." He thought it would be a great time to go there.
"Ahhh, I want to mess with Sonus' son too. I should bring her with us." He grinned and gave the Banshee a call.
"Really? You'll take me to visit my son? Okay, thanks for giving me the opportunity." Sonus ended the call.
They quickly gathered and Closure nodded at him, already shouldering a backpack that was filled with electronics.
"Let's go then." Ash willed them to float near him. "Hold tight, this will be exciting." He rocketed to the skies and Closure screamed in fright.
"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! Ahhhh!" She was screaming her head off.
"Shut up girl, you're louder than a Banshee." Sonus used her arts and made a barrier around her mouth so she won't make their ears bleed.
They quickly arrived at Rhodes island. Because it was still nearby Laterano.
Ash landed them right on top of it and they just had to wait a bit until operators confronted them.
"Wait, Closure? Is that really you?" Amiya arrived with Ace after their alarms sounded.
"Hello, how are you guys doing?" Closure looked pale, so they thought that she was doing bad in Paradiso.
"Are you okay? You look pale." Amiya was concerned and Closure put a hand on her mouth so she won't suddenly puke.
"I... I'm fine, we just flew here while breaking the sound barrier..." Closure was given some candy by Ash and she glared her weakly.
"Okay... Then please go in, tell us how you're doing in Paradiso, come on." Amiya smiled at them and gestured for them to follow.
"You, you are Ace right? You're a part of the elite ops of this place? And Logos is too?" Sonus asked with her holier than thou tone.
Ash hasn't beaten it out of her yet. Sonus is basically a Kazdelian high noble. So it was ingrained in her to be arrogant.
"Yes?" Ace didn't know how to react to her. "Are you Logos' little sister? You look similar." Ace did an oopsie and Sonus glared daggers at him immediately.
"You cretin! Are you saying that I look like a child!? Logos is my son!" She started whispering in Kazdel's language and Ace suddenly dropped to the ground. Feeling black chains wrap around his body.
"W-what!?" Ace was shocked and Amiya also couldn't believe it.
"Okay, firecracker. Calm down, they don't know you." Ash calmed her down, patting her head.
"Hmph, disrespectful brat. Don't make the same mistake again. Or I will kill you." Sonus growled.
"Geez, you don't need to be so insecure of your petite body. It's fine in my opinion." Ash shrugged and Sonus snorted.
"Um, shouldn't we go? We aren't here for pleasure." Maria reminded them that they were there for a reason.
"Oh, right. Sonus has such a bad temper, it distracted me a bit. Come on, let's go." Ash started walking to the entrance.
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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.