Book 3 Chapter 57: Reassembly

Book 3 Chapter 57: Reassembly

I peeked out of cover, inhaled deeply, and listened, but didnt see, hear, or smell anyone. There was a hint of gunpowder, and a metallic tang in the air, but as far as I could tell, nothing living or even dead was nearby. I cautiously moved out of cover and toward the outpost. I saw a number of tracks in the mud that prompted the system to ping me with a notification.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

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I searched around, but from what I could tell the outpost was much like the ones Id raided since the war had begun. There were a number of places for gun emplacements, taking cover, or staging patrols, but it was empty, just a hollowed out shell. Behind that shell was the bunker. It had a much wider entrance than the ones Id seen before. It was somewhere between the size of bunker and factory doors. I slipped inside, still on guard for any potential threats, but saw nothing.

The entrance had the usual security screening section, but it was completely bare. No posters on the wall with instructions, no computers sitting idle, only the faint buzz of fluorescent lights and old furniture, perfectly preserved in the safety of the bunker itself. The only hints that people had moved through were bootprints, and scuffs in the wall that indicated to me something heavy had been dragged through the halls and out of the bunker.

I walked deeper inside. The residential portion of the bunker was a bit more full, though the entire place had clearly been tossed and searched. Bedsheets and blankets were strewn across the floor, as were dresser drawers and broken picture frames of people long dead. There was a bit more of a human smell here, an accumulation of old dust and fresh sweat.

I focused on the burnt smell of my own flesh, and started concentrating, experiencing every painful sensation, but embracing it, and in doing so, forcing my flesh to return to what it once was, and to do so slowly, and deliberately, rather than exploding into whatever form would guarantee immediate survival.

I guided my body to rebuild what was damaged of me piece by piece. It was agonizing, but I refused to let myself become a mindless monstrous beast like the First had become when hed attacked Potts. I mean, it was possible that was the best thing I could do, become a mindless near unkillable monster in the midst of STAR territory. That thought broke me concentration, and I felt my body go into panic for a moment before I wrestled back control.

I wasnt sure of how long the process took, but eventually I had completely rebuilt myself. I opened my eyes and raised a red right hand into my vision. I was able to see it clearly, to hear the fluorescent lights of the bunker, and smell the burnt flesh stench that still hung in the air. I sat up and flexed each of my muscles, making sure that everything was as Id left it. I brought a hand up, and cut my finger on the tip of a razor sharp tooth, tasting blood for a moment. I was still me, still a deadman, not a monster. Well, no more of one than Id always been.

I sat up and stood. I was naked except for a few scraps of cloth that covered me. I retrieved the energy shield from my old wrist and clasped it onto my new one. I pulled my only remaining spare outfit from my bag, and took a moment to mourn the loss of the hat Id only just received from Deux. Once I was dressed, I slung my backpack back on, and made my way out of the bunker.

The Remnants clearly didnt want us to find out what theyd been doing, but I was surprised at the depths of their paranoia. They couldve just destroyed the computers and equipment, or sealed the bunker, but instead they removed everything pertinent that could provide even a hint of what could have happened, and then left a trap that would entice anyone researching the bunker to trigger it. This bunker was across the entirety of STAR territory, and only one of three. I was impressed, it was the kind of thing only a truly distrustful person could do. It had Leahs fingerprints all over it.