Hot Stuff stepped around the corner.
Mechos took one look at her and averted his eyes.
"Not the time to be shy," Anna said, raising the revolving and snapping off a shot. It didn't hit her in the foot. With my cameras I tracked the instant that the bullet started to glow and come apart. These rounds really could hold together far better than a normal one.
Still, the impact that Hot Stuff wound up taking was something closer to what a pellet gun might deliver. Without a doubt, she'd be bruised and hurting the next day, but it hadn't even broken her flesh.
"That fucking hurt," Hot Stuff said, raising her hands and firing off a burst of flame towards Anna.
Anna stepped to the side just in time. The temperature near that blast would have been enough to do serious damage to the lungs of a normal human, but that wasn't Anna, not anymore.
Another shot from her gun. This one took Hot Stuff in the throat and caused the woman to gasp in a breath.
"You didn't say she'd be naked," Mechos said, sounding pained.
"What are you, twelve years old? Stop looking away and punch her or something," Anna said.
"Yeah. Have a good long look," Hot Stuff said, throwing another fireball. This one caught Anna. Her own clothes weren't doing too well after that, smoking and smoldering away.
Anna cried out and dropped the revolver. There were limits to how much heat she could handle. That was good to know.
Mechos finally got in the fight and stepped forward to swing his metal fist at Hot Stuff. It didn't make it. While his biological components might be proof against heat, the metal wasn't, his fist turning molten and sizzling away into gaseous drops hitting Hot Stuff's flesh.
"Cute," Hot Stuff said, as she punched him in the nose and sent him tumbling backward on his ass. "Stick around. I need some new Flames and you might be just perfect."
"I don't think so," Anna said.
Hot Stuff turned back to find Anna just a foot away holding out the revolver. Anna pulled the trigger even as Hot Stuff reached for the gun.
Metal melted away as her hand drew near it, but the shot was already off and the bullet, already just a tiny pellet, plowed into her eye. Pellet or not, a shot to the eye was a different matter to one in the throat.
Hot Stuff screamed and reached up to cover her eye. Anna wasted no time and was on her, wrapping an arm around her throat and choking her.
Hot Stuff was burning near her full intensity—more than Anna could handle. Were it not for the enhancements she would already be dead. Faint wafts of smoke appeared as her flesh began to burn.
Anna wasn't letting go, she kept her grip as Hot Stuff struggled against her trying to escape. It wasn't long before Hot Stuff went limp and passed out.
"You can let go now," I told Anna.
Anna staggered away, her limbs sluggish. No surprise, given the damage she had taken. Her clothes had burned away and so had a fair bit of her flesh.
"Hate fire," Anna said weakly.
I wanted to say something mean. I did. I just didn't seem to have it in me right now.
"Get yourself into the Infirmary. I'm going to take these two below and get them locked up," I said.
Anna stumbled off, barely conscious. Fortunately, the Infirmary was close by.
As soon as she got inside I had the autodoc take over and load her onto the table. I reviewed her diagnostics—they were better than last time. She'd only be out of it for a week. As horrible as her wounds were, they were mostly superficial. It was shock more than anything else affecting her.
One human handled, I dragged the others below.
I'd have to get particularly vindictive with Hot Stuff's training regimen. Mechos had been a complete disappointment. Still, perhaps he might do better as a test subject than he had as a hero.
17
With Hot Stuff and Mechos secured in the lab, and Anna in surgery, I could focus my attention on the other followers of Mechos. Three had survived. This many were pushing my life-support abilities to the very max. I found that with a second Power core I was able to upgrade living quarters and Hydroponics to a second level.
Quarters Level Two
A large room containing eight bunks and storage lockers and an attached bath. Up to eight people can be supported with a basic level of comfort.
Requires 50 resources to construct and 5 additional power to maintain.
Do you wish to begin this project?
It was more space than was needed, but I seemed to be collecting humans. It would draw more from the Power core, which was substituting for my lack of resources. No other options were provided and I began the construction.
Hydroponics Level Two
An automated hydroponics facility capable of providing food for up to eight people as well as producing oxygen. Increased environmental controls allow the growing of uncommon plants once their genetics have been unlocked.
Requires 50 resources to construct and 5 additional power to maintain.
Do you wish to begin this project?
The ability to grow unique forms of plants could be of some worth. Tranquilizers or poisons might be of a lot of use in my traps. The next time Anna left the base, I would have to ask that she bring back some samples from the outside world.
I cycled through my facilities to find what else I could upgrade. I could improve the Infirmary, but for now there was no need. If more than one human got injured, I could simply choose the most important one to cure.
Another upgrade was of more interest.
Reactor Core
You currently have a basic fusion core modified from old world technology. For future upgrades two paths present themselves.
BioCore
You have unlocked the Fire Matrix and discovered the biological principles behind it. You can convert your power system fully over to this new technology. In the present, this will result in no increase in available power, but it will allow future genetic modification of your Power core. This upgrade will take two weeks to complete.
CrystalCore
You have found crystal shards and contain a power crystal housed within your core. This crystal can be relocated to the reactor for maximum energy harvesting. This will allow for an immediate increase in power and future understanding of the crystalline technology can further that yield.
This upgrade will take two weeks to complete.
While I hated to pass up an immediate advance, it seemed to me that this was a choice like the one I had made for upgrading my research facility. Because I went with the genetics lab, the BioCore made sense in the long term, even though it gave up an immediate short-term advantage. I began that construction.
That done, I could turn my attention to the research projects I needed to do.
Research Menu
"Mechos"
Mechos is bonded to a Power core that grants him the ability to upgrade his own body and items in his possession.
You have placed subject "Mechos" into a test labyrinth. While within the labyrinth escape is highly unlikely, although technically possible. If subject is held for two weeks you will unlock the ability of their Power core for your own usage. Further testing will accumulate core points at the rate of 0.1 per week.
I wasn't sure what I might get out of his power that I didn't already have, but at least I would get another core point that I could use to upgrade my facilities.
Research Menu
Mechanites
Requirement: 3 Mechanite corpses