FROM ANY ONE ANGLE, Zan could hardly see the so-called 'face.' Standing from where Jiehong stood, however, and after looking at what he saw from his brother's position, he gradually saw what he meant. "Oh, gods," Zan said. "It is a face!"

  Its features were spread out through the cabinet and its surroundings. Bobbles and light fixtures acted as its eyes, its nose a hitherto yet unused lever, while its hair none other than wires mixed with a fungal growth coming from the machine at odd points.

  "Can you hear us? Understand us? Who are you?" he asked.

  "I can hear you. I can understand you. My name is MAC," the face replied.

  "Oh! MAC! Long time no see," he said to the entity he barely remembered interacting with despite it only being two or three months ago. Three, if I had to guess, he considered. "Do you remember us?"

  "Answer: I do. Zan. Jiehong. I do not know the woman, however," MAC replied.

  Whiskey introduced herself and gave, even, a small life story. More than she probably needed to give, but oh well, that was up to her.

  MAC's face, imprinted as it was, and one-in-the-same as it was, with the cabinet and features of the space, flickered; the keys on the keyboard jiggled, which he took to mean MAC nodded or some similar gesture. It could be hard to tell with a non-human, but still humanoid, face... especially when that face was tough to look at because it was not really a proper image.

  "How are you here?" Jiehong asked it while Zan pontificated on the construction of the face before them.

  "Answer: I am Master over the whole military installation. Remember: when you awoke me upon our first encounter, I could not enter local systems, such as exists here, in this bunker, due to the local installations being in a state of dormancy. Once a location in the installation is re-connected to the wider network, I can enter through the local network," MAC explained.

  It was coming back to him. The words, the extent of the 'military installation,' and the conversation they had, seemingly so long ago, where they talked of the nature of the installation and how it could be used to repel the New Woodland Expanse's invasion.

  "Okay. I'm remembering, slowly. I get it, though. Just to recap let me speak a moment! These bunkers -- this one and the ones yet to be uncovered by us -- are part of your network, the military installation network, and so, once we unearth the bunker, enter, and breathe life into the machine within, you notice from wherever you are within the network's hidden space, whatever place it is you Screen Masters dwell, and can enter and help us. Which for our purposes is to use it as originally intended and repel the invaders. Something like that?" Zan explained, hoping truly he did not misconstrue anything or leave anything out.

  "That is a correct summation of the situation. As we speak, my entity is spreading through the local network. I am recovering data, repairing damaged systems, and reporting back on all I find to Screen Master Simulacrum and his Ward, Sigma-Prime," MAC said.

  "I like the sound of this," Jiehong commented. "How long until this bunker's defense systems are active? I am assuming we do not need every bunker in the network activated before we can use this structure in battle?"

  "Answer: You are correct, Jiehong. You will not need to activate every bunker in the network to activate the local defense systems. However, my early readings are reporting to me a great deal of sustained damage. To activate these systems and make use of the local defensive and offensive measures, you will need to manually repair and activate the systems within the bunker complex. I will guide you through the repair measures."

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  "Sounds like we are on track, then," Zan said. "I assume these systems are close. I say we get a move on and get these functions repaired."

  His team shared in his enthusiasm.

  The Screen Master did not.

  MAC said, "Immediate repairs are needed. It is unlikely you will be able to repair these critical systems in one day of standard time Damaged locations are deep within the local structure. Additionally, my sensors are picking up fae anomalies. Such anomalies will make safe passage impossible. Being warriors of our Martial Order, although fae intrusions such as these will be possible for you to overcome, such anomalies will delay your speedy intentions. I suggest a policy of patience."

  He turned to his friends and teammates. "What now?"

  "What does he mean? Fae intrusions? Like, monsters?" Whiskey asked.

  "I detected no traces of monsters. Fae are natural phenomenon made real by magic and Holy Energy by-product. Materials and emotions, when properly magified by potent magics, become 'creatures of assemblage.' Otherwise known as Fae. Fae creatures are not intelligent, sentient, or sapient. They react only as parlor tricks and can only through mimicry. Fae creatures are always hostile to Willed Beings, Life Forms, and Kinds in general. If you encounter a fae creature, immediate termination is recommended."

  Whiskey spoke up and asked, "What makes them hostile?"

  "Fae creatures are not hostile because they prey on living and willful beings. Fae creatures do not need to eat. Their hostility is an accidental by-product of their disposition upon creation. Lacking only a fragmentary wisp of spiritual energy bound to a bond within the land -- the material which forms their body -- they lack full reams of consciousness. Hence, they seek it out in Willed Beings through attempted absorption and leeching of spiritual energy. Thus, their violence toward you is not born from natural processes. Only a fragment of a process," MAC explained.

  "That would make them practically related to Eldritch Entities then, right?" Jiehong asked.

  Again, MAC explained, "Yes. Correct, Jiehong. Fae creatures are considered within the eldritch family."

  Not knowing what any of this meant beyond 'weird creatures,' Zan asked MAC if fae creatures were actually very dangerous or if they were hostile but largely ineffectual, like insects or small mammals.

  "Generally speaking, fae creatures pose little danger to those who understand and are prepared to meet them in the field. However, to those people unarmed in both knowledge and means, fae creatures can pose more significant threats. Lethal encounters are rare but fae creatures pose other threats to human safety, such as dangers to their psychology, and mental and social well-being," MAC took the liberty of explaining. "Note: because of the potent energies of the bunker system, the fae creatures here might post an extra threat to your well-being."

  "Finally!" he said, thanking his lucky stars MAC actually explained what he wanted to hear explained. "That's what I was asking -- if we can do this now or not. Weird creatures -- dangerous magics -- lots to do. Got it. Let's come back tomorrow, when we've gotten some good rest!"

  "I think that's a wise move, Zan. I'm beat. Hearing all that sapped right out of me that herb rebound. Let's go," Jiehong told.

  He moved as his team advised and they returned outside.

  Stretching, he said, "Who wants first watch? I guess it is my turn?"

  Whiskey chirped, as though she said, 'don't think too much of it.' She actually said, "Nah. You both look beat. Let me take first watch. It must've been that herb, but I feel so fecking full of energy right now!"

  Because he never wanted to let his teammates down, he said, "Fantastic-on-a-jacket! I am going to sleep..."

  He was halfway inside the tent, Jiehong ahead of him, when Whiskey said, "Wait. You guys aren't going to sleep inside the bunker?"

  "I never considered," Jiehong said.

  "Ah, no, me either," he confirmed.

  They looked at each other, their young faces shifting about, making strange contortions as they weighed their options like well-crafted scales.

  He said, "I think that would be lovely -- tomorrow! For now, I am fine with sleeping in the tent in the great outdoors!"

  Collapsing onto their bunks only as the young could at the end of a draining day, Jiehong and he slept deep into the night and early morning. When he awoke, the morning sun streamed through the thin tent canopy like soft baked flowers. To his side, Jiehong gently chortled-snored. A new notification greeted him: [New Map Terrain Generated: Nora-a-Zule]