Zero’s voice remained steady as he continued, "These changes are not a manipulation or a trap. They are a reward for your willingness to aid Null and Infinity. There is no hidden cost. You see these things as major alterations, but to us, they are simply minor corrections to a flawed design. Humans are still primitive, and what seems impossible to you is, in truth, neither difficult nor risky."

  Chris exhaled, It felt too good to be true. What does he mean humans are primitive, is this drone not human?

  "But… I’d still be me, right?" he looked toward his mum, seeking reassurance. "I wouldn’t change—not really?"

  Lisa nodded. "You will still be you, Chris. This is only unlocking something that was already there."

  Chris looked over at Jania. She wasn’t hesitating. Her fingers twitched at her sides, her jaw set with determination. The idea that she could finally be fixed and that she could move without pain or limitations was something she had never let herself hope for.

  "I'm in," she said simply.

  Chris inhaled sharply, then let the breath out. "Me too."

  Without warning a high-tech pod materialised before them. The surface was smooth and dark, seamlessly forming out of nothing.

  "Step inside," Zero instructed. "The process is painless. You will simply rest while the adjustments are made."

  Jania didn’t hesitate. She strode forward, placing a hand on the pod. The surface rippled at her touch, then split open, revealing a softly glowing interior. She gave Chris a sharp grin. "See you on the other side."

  With that, she climbed inside. The pod sealed around her, a gentle light filling the air as it went to work.

  Chris swallowed. He wasn’t sure what he had expected but this wasn’t it. He had expected some kind of painful, invasive surgery. Wires and needles? Instead, Jania looked peaceful, as if she were in the deepest sleep of her life.

  His turn.

  With one last glance at Lisa, he stepped into the second pod. The warmth of the interior surrounded him, pulling him into a deep, weightless rest.

  As Chris stepped out of the pod he saw Null, Infy, Jania, and his mother all standing together, engaged in what looked like a completely silent conversation. Their eyes shifted between each other, expressions changing as if they were speaking, but not a single word was spoken.

  Then, suddenly, he heard them.

  "This is great! We can all talk at once using only our minds!" Jania’s voice rang out in his head, brimming with excitement.

  Chris stiffened, his body tensing. He hadn’t spoken. None of them had. But the words had been clear, as if Jania were standing right next to him, whispering in his ear.

  "Yes, we have never had multiple people in the room, so we weren’t sure if we could do this."

  The voice was new, unfamiliar. Chris glanced around the room, but everyone else seemed unbothered. It was as if this was normal to them.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Tentatively, he focused his thoughts, pushing them outward in the same way he would if he were speaking aloud.

  "Who was that?"

  "Ah, apologies," the voice responded. "I am Infinity, or Infy. It seems you can finally hear me now."

  Chris frowned, rubbing his temples. It felt bizarre to him, he hadn’t just heard Infy’s voice but he had felt it, like an awareness pressing at the edges of his mind.

  Lisa must have noticed his discomfort because she gave him a reassuring smile. “It takes some getting used to,” she said aloud, though her voice now sounded oddly distant compared to the clarity of the mental link.

  They spent a few minutes testing their newfound connection. It didn’t take long for Chris to notice something strange.

  "Wait. I can hear all of you, but I can’t talk to Jania or Mum directly. Why?"

  "That’s because I am holding the connection," Infy explained. "Lisa and Jania have latent psychic abilities, but they were never developed. You, on the other hand, had the genetic potential, but it was never activated this is until now. However, none of you are fully trained telepaths, so I’m acting as the bridge between you."

  Chris nodded slowly, trying to process it all. He could speak to Lisa, Jania, Null, and Infy—but only through Infy. The idea that the little glowing energy being could facilitate an entire mental network was… interesting. An hour ago I didn’t know energy being existed now I’m acting like it normal.

  Still, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He turned to his mother, his expression serious. "Is now the time to finally explain everything?"

  Lisa exhaled. “Yes,” she said. “It’s time.”

  And so, she told him everything about how Null and Infy had arrived on Mars, the events that followed, and how they had ended up here, hidden above Mars on a ship that shouldn't exist.

  Jania and Chris listened intently to the story, and after it was over they both seemed to be contemplating everything.

  Null grinned, clapping his hands together. “Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, we can get to the good stuff.”

  Chris, Jania, and Lisa all stared at him, confused.

  Chris folded his arms. “And that would be?”

  Null’s voice chimed with excitement over the mental link. “Round three is about to start, which means we can finally use our own gear.”

  Jania raised an eyebrow. “Wait. We couldn’t before because of the weight limit, has that changed?”

  “This round is different,” Infy explained. “It’s an unofficial rule meant to let corporations sponsor teams by giving them prototypes. It serves as both advertising and a way for the rich to rig bets by giving their favoured competitors an advantage.”

  Lisa sighed “It is an open secret but it works.”

  Chris joined in. “It’s also smart. If companies think their tech is being showcased, they’ll dump money into the competition. Keeps the whole thing funded.” He shook his head. “I take it you don’t care about any of that, though.”

  Null nodded. “Nope. It just means I get to build us proper battle suits.”

  Before anyone could react, Zero's voice filtered through the drone's speakers. “Reminder: The technology must remain at an appropriate level,” Zero warned. “Don’t get too excited.”

  Null waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah. No antimatter, no field manipulation, I know.”

  “Field manipulation?” asked Lisa.

  Null dismissed the question. “just forget you heard that”

  A screen materialised before them, displaying a detailed blueprint of the base suit. It was sleek, compact, and efficient it was designed with both mobility and protection in mind.

  “This is the base design,” Null explained. “Carbon nanotube and wax hybrid muscles for enhanced strength, nanogel padding for impact resistance, and a powered exoskeleton for extra movement support.”

  Jania whistled, impressed. “Alright, that I like.”

  Chris leaned in, studying the specs. “And power source?”

  “Fusion reactor,” Infy answered. “Zero stopped us from using antimatter, so this is the next best thing. You can choose the size but the higher output means more energy but also more weight.”

  The screen shifted to display different weapon options.

  “We also need to pick a weapon loadout. Primary slot options are: plasma rifle, rail gun, or stun gun. If you can think of something else we can likely build it”

  Another set of schematics appeared.

  “And off-hand slot: plasma shield, a second weapon, a plasma blade, or other utility tech.”

  Chris rubbed his chin, considering. “So we’re picking for ourselves, but also for Max and Zeph, since they aren’t here.”

  Null nodded. “Right. You and Jania need to decide what works best for them.”

  Jania grinned, cracking her knuckles. “Now this is the kind of planning I like.”