(3)Aurora System

Now that he was alone, Alexandre looked around him to take in more of the room's details. It wasn't very big, barely five square meters. A few panels dotted the walls and, from what Alexandre had already experienced, likely contained supplies, sensors, or machinery of various kinds. A tiny alcove with a toilet and sink were recessed into the back wall, but it could barely be called a restroom.

Though he tried to ignore the thought, Alexandre kept coming back to the realization that this room was very much like a prison cell. He didn't want to go to sleep in a place like this. Moreover, unlike the other new students, his body had already been modified by Virus Z, so there would be no more meaningful transformation from the S.G.C. injection—only the integration of the Aurora system.

As he tilted his head up, Alexandre could see another new student in the room across from his own. She'd already been in place by the time the second group arrived, so she must have been in the first group to show up.

Even through the multiple layers of glass and the distance separating them, Alexandre's eyes were sharp. He could tell that the young woman's hair was dark—and plastered to her head and pillow with sweat. Her medical vitals were displayed on the window of her room, showing that she weighed a bit more than 70 kilos and that she had a high fever. In fact, her vitals were fluctuating to an alarming degree. The procedure seemed to be wreaking havoc on her body. Indeed, Alexandre didn't even have to look at the vitals themselves—the young woman was shaking, groaning, and trembling as though she'd just finished running a marathon.

Even as Alexandre was watching, a nurse arrived to check the vitals of the young woman's room. Even if the infirmary was understaffed, it was good to see that they were keeping an eye on the students who were experiencing the worst of the side effects.

Alexandre put his head back down on his pillow. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to experiment with his Pip-Boy. He raised his arm and tapped on the screen, watching as a menu appeared.

╔═══════Aurora Nexus V0.23.1═══════╕

╟─╼[Character]

╟─╼[Detailed Inspection]

╟─╼[Quest] <Locked >

╟─╼[???]

╚════════════════════════════╛

Alexandre felt his heart rate speed up. Finally! He'd been waiting for this moment for years.

Alexandre knew very little about the Aurora system. He'd heard about its development when he was a guinea pig in the Genesis Project, but even then, very little information was available. That secrecy had always seemed strange to Alexandre, since the system seemed revolutionary, even more so than the S.G.C. solution for how useful it would be to Hunters. The S.G.C. provided power, to be sure, but it was the Aurora system which allowed that power to be bent and molded into something useful.

Alexandre, like a child opening a Christmas present, opened the first menu, entitled "Character."

╔═══════Aurora Nexus: Character═══════╕

╟─╼INFORMATION

║ ╰╼[Name]: Alexandre HautVille

║ ╰╼[True Name]: Alexandre Goldberg*

║ ╰╼[Levels]: 1

║ ╰╼[Biology] Human

╠══════════════╡

╟─╼STATS [Tier]: E+

║ ╰╼[Strength]: 1.62

║ ╰╼[Intelligence]: 1.15

║ ╰╼[Agility]: 1.15

║ ╰╼[Endurance]: 1.3

║ ╰╼[Resistance]: 1

║ ╰╼[Dexterity]: 1.35

║ ╰╼[Perception]: 1

╠══════════════╡

╟─╼SKILLS

╟─╼ACTIVE

║ ╰╼[...]

╟─╼PASSIVE 

║ ╰╼[Immortal]

║ ╰╼[Hunter Regeneration (Lv.1) ]

╠══════════════╡

╟─╼EQUIPMENT

║ ╰╼[...]

╠══════════════╡

╟─╼GUILD

╟─╼[Guild]

║ ╰╼[Guild Funds]

╠══════════════╡

╟─╼SUMMARY

║"Considering how powerful you are, you should be ashamed of being immortal."

╚═══════════════╛

After reading the menu, Alexandre felt like he was missing something. He really didn't understand what he was looking at. "1.62 strength? What does that even mean!? Perception? Level? Tier? That asshole professor is completely insane!"

But even still, something intrigued him—the "True Name" box. Alexandre had never given his true name ever since the end of Project Genesis when the government had created a whole new identity for him. How, then, did the Nexus know his true identity? Were the nanobots that were now in his brain able to read his memories, or was the software comparing his DNA against that of his father in some database? But even that wouldn't necessarily be enough to confirm his true name.

In the end, Alexandre settled on the most likely explanation: the man he'd bought the counterfeit Pip-Boy from had done deep research into Alexandre's past. That man had most likely also, very cheekily, put Alexandre's true name into the hardware. Perhaps it had been intended as a reminder every time Alexandre looked at his menu…

"We know who you are. Do what you will in the future, but know that we'll be watching."