The Monastery

"There is no royal road to science, and only those who do not dread the fatiguing climb of its steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits."

-Karl Marx

"So you want me to be a living transceiver!" The mission was to go to the mountain peak away from the watchful eyes of the super computer, and arrange a certain connection with Richard Cumolo inside the monastery in the cloud mountain island. These guys just treated me like a fucking tools, what a shitty behavior! I cursed in my heart at this thing that keeps happening to me. The device will be delivered to me, on the day before the event, directly to my dorm room, i just should to wait for it.

"The grandma summon me again" i told Jean. "What did that old hags wanted this time?" She is annoyed. "I received a direct order to try out some kind of communication device!" half lying about the whole dumb founded situation. "Huh!?" She continue her packing. In two days we will be going to the south garden, today i was packing my equipment with Jean. After that we went to the trade rings, the trade rings is the outer rings of the Valorem school. It was where the markets and the restaurant, bar and cafe. I was turning seventeen today and two weeks ago when i was under treatment Jean just missed her birthday sixteen birthday. She insisted that i have to celebrate my sweet seventeen birthday in some place rather than a dark gloom dorm. So we go out on a date, well it feels nice to hold hands in public. When you enter a cafe with a girl it was normal, people tends to looked around if someone enter a cafe alone. She bought me a piece of cake, but we blow the candle together. Since my birthday and her just two weeks a part, but our age is one year a part. I received a couple letter today, one came from Lilia saying she miss me, and will be expecting the vacation at the end of the semester, she really want to meet with Jean, that if she is willing to stay at the Barnes mansion for the whole vacation time, but who am i to robbed a father happiness. Her father going to kill me! If i do that, the second letter come from my mom. She missed me, Jenny keep asking when will i go home. Her golden eagle Goldy is so beautiful, even Mr.Barnes like to feed it with top quality meat. This half semesters is really a life changing and death inducing moments in my life. I don't even tell my mother in my letters, not even Lilia. I swear if Jean was not here with me, i would be on severe mental break down because of the pressure level. As we walk, we enter a pet shop. In the pet shop we can buy normal companion, it will display a pregnant animal with how many baby will it be born with, the buyer will buy a baby and will give a vial of blood to be stored in cryogenic box. The companion will be bonded at birth and the animal will be ready for pick up within two months. The city companion registration will be arrange by the pet shop too. This is the normal track, because our team has completed the super cores activation. It will be advised to use two companion animal, since the engine more that capable of running more than one companion for direct neural link. We were just sight seeing, trying the foods and drinks. We had a wonderful night, after i drop Jean at her dorm, i go to my dorm. A package was waiting to be accepted by me, it was the transceiver object. It was sealed so i better not open it before i was at the mountain peak. I decided to skip my simulation training today and went to sleep it was two in the morning. The box must be delivered in the mid of the night.

It was the same blue orb that i touched at the western outpost, that night i run right back to Juliet, she said the orb is already modified to login into the monastery network but with no command override, that means that Richard Cumolo can not hack my brain like the first time i touch the orb. And she assure me that the orb will not do harm to me. The next morning i told Jean, that the device communication is a modified orb that almost caused me my life. She cursed and swears to Juliet for an hour before asking me, am i alright with the tasked "I'll manage since i know now that you'll be with me!" She kissed me on the lips and rubbed my cheek, and if some shit happens in my missions, i bet she will bring an entire hell to burn Juliet down in her hanging frame in the hall of heroes.

The transportation to the South Garden is an open top Jeeps, ten jeeps in convoys, a couple of SS was joining us, and even the Betta and gamma team. A month ago, Dean seems to get close to one of the gamma team engineer member Jude Sands. Her characteristic is a big build an athletic type, she is almost as tall as Dean, with a blonde hair. She is quite nimble in my engineering classes but a little rude towards other students. None of her team dare to talked loud to her, she is one of the recruits that came from a rising low level worker like me, but surprisingly Dean that came from a rich backgrounds seems immune to this. She gets physical sometimes, but Dean just screamed "ouch!" And smiled. Today i see them holding hand in the back of number three jeep before leaving here. "Hey Dean!" He looked at me, then i asked him about Jude Sands. He pulled me away from the rest of the team, "Please keep quiet Cass, i haven't asked her to be my girlfriend!" He whispered to me. "Damn man! You move so fast!" Dean slap my stomach. "No shit! Looks who's talking!" I smiled. "So I've been wandering, how do you asked Jean." He asked me. "Actually Jean the one that asked me! But i guess you have to be honest by it, just be yourself!" He quiet for a while nodding then leaning to the seat of the jeep in deep thoughts.

We arrived on the south garden in one hour time, we start from the edge of the forest to the mountain area, after we reach the peak, we will cross the mountain, the reach the river crossing, our exit was the southern outpost. Southern outpost is the border between our region and the desolated land. All student are forbidden continuing to the south west area.

At the forest we hunted some grey wolves, the wolves are thriving in this forest. We avoid taking lives of cubs and pups, also we don't raid their lair if they trying to hide away, a couple of mountain lions at night. This animal is very sneaky, some student got minor injured in preemptive attacks. Dean also got minor injured, when suddenly that night Jude came to treat his wound. Of course we all makes excuse to let ourselves busy and stay away from the tent. And that is our first day.

Our first day started by lack of sleep, Dean's rendezvous has render us sleepy. They finish their friendly chat at dawn, which was worth it, Dean told me they hook up eventually. Then after breakfast we hike the mountain, in the mountain we found several hawk-eagle nest, but only one nest has three eggs, we can't take the nest that has only two eggs, if we took one it will be 50% of the loot. We got one eggs from the three egg nest. We come across a few black bear, a couple of high grade vials there. Black bear are territorial animals they will attack invaders. In the mountains we hunt a couple mountain goats, the carcass was a little hard to get. Because of the terrain, we have to kill a long distance and take it from the extreme. A good thing we have aerial companions and we can mapped the route using our monocle. Snow is a good climber and Fang is a good tracker. We rest not far from the peak, that night i sneak around with Jean to the peak. Dean is with Jude in the tent, Grey with Shawn near the fire, we just say that we will take a patrol on the outer parameter of the camp, nobody question us. They are equally busy catching up with their partners.

It take us thirty minutes to reach sufficient heights, then i take out the orb and touched it.

IMMEDIATE CONNECTION ENGAGE

RELAYING…

FIRST END: MASTER JULIET SIERRA

ACCESS GRANTED

SECOND END: MONASTERY NETWORK

INQUIRING RICHARD CUMOLO

CHIEF HEAD OF MONASTERY

****************PLEASE HOLD…

*********ACCESS RELAY IDENTIFIED…

CASSIDY REED MIDDLE ACCESS LEVEL

VALOREM NETWORK

*********ACCESS RESTRICTED FOR EDIT

*********MINIMUM LEVEL COMMUNICATION

*********PATCHING…

ACCESS ACQUIRED

LINKED ESTABLISHED.

"Hello Richard!"

"Juliet how are you, how long is it? 160 years?"

"No Richard, do you forget the attacked to sage institute 90 years ago?"

"Ow, yes 90 years then! I see you has manage to developed a utility core in human super cores, by the look of it seems still in early models.."

"Indeed, this is the prototype. Richard i want to asked you, how tight is you supervisions of your nanoweap?"

"Quite tight, why do you asked?"

"Will you take a look of this" suddenly a memory of my mind was played like a movie clip in a screen, two of the dragons that are fighting in the northern tundra.

"Oh my, no human was detected in the area, is this memory even valid?"

"The feed is because of the super cores, it has relay functions, this child can see through his companion eyes."

"I see, then as my promise then Juliet. I lost the bet!"

Damn! I cursed, this is all a bet? What is the stake anyway! Cursing in curiosity.

"Then Juliet send in the person that eligible for transplant!"

"Richard, have you notice the boy? I never work half ass! It's the boy, have him selected one of them"

"Oh.. he is? Isn't he too young?"

"Quit it you old bastard, quit stalling, just do the explaining and please do the boy some justice, you did hack his nanites to get through to me! Release this orb lock and link the ultimate nanites with the super cores!"

The orb suddenly open up.

ACCESS GRANTED

TRANSPLANTING UNIQUE NANITES

MOBILIZING TO HOST

The glow from the orb is gone, the orb vines pieced my main blood vessels in my wrist, a little speck of lights is entering my blood flow. I can see through the eyes of the nanites, entering my heart, convulsion happens the nanites is adjusting. I begin to shake, Jean is calling my name as i shook to the ground! I can feel the nanites is trying to sync with my super cores, but can't while the nanites is speeding my super cores is slowing down, and then my utility core takes over.

REBOOTING SUPER CORES

MATCHING FREQUENCIES

SYNC SUCCESS

LINKED IN

SUPER CORES EMBED

NORMALIZING 1%…

PLEASE CHOOSE SUBJECT SLAVE

Suddenly three type of beast appeared in my monocle. As my seizure reduced little by little. My breath is getting normal i see the super cores are now managing to sync with the blue nanites. The percentage of the NORMALIZING indicator is slowly adding.

DRAGON - FIRE ELEMENT

FLYING

BREATH ATTACK

CLAWS

TAIL HIT

POSSIBLE MUTATION:

ENHANCED POWER AND FIRE FORM

GRIFFIN - WIND ELEMENT

FLYING

BEAK ATTACK

WING ATTACK

CLAWS

POSSIBLE MUTATION:

ENHANCED AGILITY AND WIND FORM

CERBERUS - EARTH ELEMENT

TRIPLE FANG

CLAWS

EARTH DEFEND

SHADOW SPEED

POSSIBLE MUTATION:

REGENERATION AND EARTH FORM

A message directly injected to my neural link, this are the bet arrangement.

After the attacked of a beast to the Sage Institute, even with the protection of the Great fortress of the sea and Monastery, i was not sufficient measurement of security. I Juliet Sierra plead for access to the unique creature to be given to the Valorem to protect the continent. I Richard Cumolo has moral obligation to the human race as this creatures was the fruits of my labor to give a means to defend from my abomination of failed experiments, therefore i will agree to give one of my creation to the Valorem. The conditions was the Valorem able to creates a sufficient super cores that has the capability to survives the unique nanites union to the Valorem technology without using the Monastery technology as basis build. The super cores has to be purely new developed by the Valorem. The twist was if the Valorem able to do it in 100 years starting from this bet was agreed. Two will be given, the unison will be determine by the convenience of Valorem as the winner.

-TRANSMISSION CASS TO JULIET-

"So they will give us two of this companions, who can choose beside me?" I asked Juliet.

"Shit! I was totally forgot about that last part! I just thought Richard are joking with me, a 100 years is hard enough to reach this breakthrough! Anybody with you now Cass? Or you stupidly go alone on this mission? You have two companions right? I don't reckon you could handle more than three, and two of them will be unique, the risked of super cores malfunctions is high!" Juliet replied.

"No Grandma, i am not that stupid, i brought Jean with me! Can she be a recipient?" I replied.

"The military girl right! I trust your judgement! But one grey area i wish to pointed to you, heed my word that this conversations is monitored and i can't choose for you. It was the rules!" Juliet replied.

"What is it tell me!"

"It takes two to make one!" Juliet says

-END TRANSMISSION-

"No pressure here! But can you hurry choose one?" Richard Cumolo instructed me to choose in hurry.

"It was two, read the deal!" I said it making a point.

"Jeez, greedy little bastard! OK fine! Do you have another recipient for the procedure? Or you will bear two slaves?" Richard asking.

"Another one with me with the same, super cores versions, please acknowledge" then i held Jean hand. The blue nanites split it self and now the new nanites is traveling back to the orb in my blood vessels. It reached the orb.

NEW USER ACCESS GRANTED

PLEASE PUT YOUR HAND ON THE ORB

I place Jean's hand on the orb, a vine also pierced through Jean's wrist doing the same, after she shook to the ground. She is slowly raised up, she is now reading the bet arrangements and the list of creature options. And now both of us is facing the same problems.

PLEASE CHOOSE SUBJECT SLAVE

Jean looked at me "the rules was i can't tell you to choose which one" i said to her.

"It takes two to make one" i relayed Juliet's message.

"Then you choose first!" Jean seems to understand the message.

PLEASE CHOOSE SUBJECT SLAVE