They thanked the old man and left the library. There was a strange disappointment inside them; they hadn't gotten as much information as they had hoped.
When he arrived at the room Ainsley had shown him, he gently knocked on the door. Ran opened it; she was wearing blue sweatpants and her hair was slightly disheveled, clearly she had been resting.
When he entered, he found himself in a spacious, almost empty apartment. The only furniture was a bed, a chair, and a small table. Through the windows that opened onto a large terrace, the silhouette of the misty city was visible.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said in an apologetic voice.
"It's alright sir, I hadn't gone to sleep yet." Ran gestured to the room, saying "The bed is ready for you."
"No, absolutely not. You will sleep in the bed Ran, I won't even discuss this. Your comfort and rest are very important to me. I'll be comfortable in the chair."
Ran couldn't say anything, just slowly nodded her head.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rest a bit," said the man in a tired voice as he sat down at the table. "Don't forget to go to your room and lock your door please. Security comes first in these dark times. If you hear anything or if there's a problem, let me know immediately."
Ran looked at the man with worried eyes, then slowly nodded and headed to her room. Footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by the sound of the door being locked twice.
The man let his tired body sink into the chair. His head slowly fell back, his eyelids growing heavy. Although the hard wood of the chair was uncomfortable, after the long and tiring day his body was desperate for rest. He crossed his arms over his chest, slightly extended his legs. His breathing slowed, falling into a regular rhythm. As pale light from the window illuminated his face, he fell into a deep sleep.
He woke to a sweet smell. On the table was a carefully prepared breakfast plate: light blue eggs, freshly toasted bread, cheese, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Next to it was a still-steaming cup of tea and several bright olives.
Ran sat at the table, eating the egg from her plate in small bites. She was wearing her blue sweatpants again, but this time her hair was neatly combed.
"Where did you find breakfast?" asked the man, taking a sip of his tea.
"From the bar downstairs, sir," said Ran. "They open early in the mornings."
The man nodded and started his breakfast. The egg's taste was unexpectedly good. Despite its blue color, it was no different from a normal egg. Maybe it was even a bit more delicious.
"These blue eggs..." said the man, putting his fork down on his plate. "I've never seen them before."
Ran smiled. "They come from a type of chicken unique to Hatrugar. They call them Mist Chickens. They're raised in farms in the north of the city. They're a bit smaller than normal chickens and only lay blue eggs. Some think they might have mutated due to the effects of the mist, but no one is sure."
"Interesting," said the man, taking another bite of egg. "How did you learn all this?"
"When I saw the blue egg, I got curious and asked one of the staff."
After they finished breakfast, Ran collected the plates.
"Thank you for breakfast, Ran. I'll be busy today, but I'll be back before nightfall, then we'll go to the meeting point together."
The man left the building and headed toward the empty lot through the light mist. His steps made soft sounds on the wet earth. With each step, the scene before him became clearer, the boundaries of the empty lot gradually becoming more distinct.
"Learning to control the nanomachines could save your life in critical moments. Continue working on this today."
Following Geminga's instructions, he continued striking the junked vehicles in the empty lot. Initially, each strike created a sharp pain in his fingers and joints, but after a few minutes the nanomachines in his body began to respond and his hands gradually became harder. For now, he could only activate the nanomachines in response to physical trauma, but an important question was on his mind: Would he be able to control these tiny machines with his own will?
After his hands hardened, he focused all his attention on the nanomachines tingling like small insects on his back. He hoped to be able to control these tiny robots crawling under his skin. He closed his eyes and tried to move them in his mind, concentrating. He followed the tingling sensation on his back, visualized the movements of the nanomachines, tried to give them direction. But no matter how much he concentrated, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to direct these tiny machines as he wanted.
Having caused too much damage to one of the vehicles, he began looking for another target he could use. As his eyes wandered among the piles of junk, he saw a striking, unusual machine next to a rusted vehicle.
Curiously approaching, he carefully lifted the machine and placed it on a nearby vehicle to examine it. Though he couldn't tell exactly what it was at first glance, with its complex mechanism and aerodynamic design, it resembled an advanced drone.
He began to examine the control panel on the machine in detail. A series of different operation modes were listed on the panel: destruction mode, construction mode, excavation mode, and transport mode. After thinking, he slowly turned the control dial to construction mode and hesitantly pressed the "Open" button.
After activation, the drone came to life with a slight vibration and slowly lifted off. Despite the thick layer of mud covering it, it rose steadily. It made an elegant turn in the air, scanning the surroundings, and its red, eye-like sensors began flashing with bright light.
Suddenly, it focused on a nearby wrecked vehicle and let out a mechanical growl. Its hands, which had appeared compact until then, expanded incredibly fast and reached enormous sizes. Without wasting any time, it began tearing the vehicle apart. With its incredible power and speed, it rendered the huge pile of metal unrecognizable in just a minute.
The drone's movements were uncontrolled and aggressive; it continued randomly attacking nearby vehicles using far more force than it was programmed for. With each strike, metal pieces scattered around, performing an ominous dance in the air.
"Hm..." said Geminga. "We can use this drone. Take a hood from one of the vehicles, bend it, and wrap it around yourself."
"What? If I do that, it might attack me."
"That's good, that's what I want. How much do you think you can improve by punching vehicles? You need a live — that is, moving target. Do what I say."
The man approached one of the vehicles. He examined the metal hood and grabbed it at the most suitable points with his strengthened fingers and slowly began to pull. As the hood came off with a creak, he felt the cold surface of the metal in his hands. Then he carefully lifted the hood towards his body and tried to fit it to himself carefully. He wrapped the metal sheet starting from his chest up to his shoulders, taking care to position it in a way that wouldn't restrict his movement or make it difficult to breathe.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The drone was searching for its next target among the piles of wreckage when the man made a move. He raised his arms and began waving them with attention-grabbing movements. It scanned the man from head to toe with its red sensors and identified the car hood he had wrapped around himself as a target. As the drone's massive metal hands expanded threateningly, it began advancing towards the man with heavy but determined steps.
"Don't try to damage the drone. Dodge its strikes and counter its punch with your own punch whenever possible."
As the drone came at him, the man tightly clenched his fists and took a defensive stance. The drone, its metallic body slightly gleaming, swiftly threw one of its massive punches. The man, using his reflexes, raised his own fist just in time and met the drone's attack. The deafening sound resulting from the collision of two metallic surfaces echoed across the empty terrain for a long time.
The man felt a sharp pain in his hand that went down to his bones. His hands weren't hard enough yet, and the shock from colliding with the metal fist spread throughout his entire arm. Still, incredibly, he had managed to stop the drone's massive fist. Without waiting, the drone threw its other giant fist with lethal force, and despite the pain in his joints, the man countered again. When the drone raised both fists for a crushing blow, the man rolled to the side with one final effort.
When the drone's fists hit the ground, they created a small crater. Before the man could even get up, he saw the drone above him again. The drone struck downward at the man's head. The man countered with all his strength from below. Due to the weight of the drone's fist, his feet sank into the sand and hurt tremendously. He noticed that his hand that had struck the drone had grown even larger.
"The stronger your response to the impact, the faster the nanomachines seem to respond. Stay on defense and keep striking."
Every time the drone's and man's fists met, a deafening metallic collision sound echoed across the empty terrain, and vibrations from the clashing steel surfaces rippled through the air. With each strike, the shock wave from their fists caused the thin but ever-present layer of mist beneath their feet to spread out in waves and reconverge.
As the drone continued its attacks, the man could now better feel the movement of nanomachines in his body. With each impact, his hands grew stronger and bigger. However, this power brought challenges with it - moving and lifting his hands was becoming increasingly difficult.
The drone suddenly accelerated and began circling around the man. Its sensors were flashing with bright red light. It stopped abruptly and threw both fists at once — one aimed at his head, the other at his chest.
The man instinctively raised his arms in a cross pattern and met the drone's strikes. A metallic ringing sound filled the entire terrain. The impact made him stagger backward, but he managed to stay on his feet.
"This thing is getting stronger and stronger," the man muttered, breathing heavily.
"The drone is learning," said Geminga. "It must be something to do with its artificial intelligence. You need to learn too."
The man nodded and corrected his stance. The drone attacked again, this time with a more complex combination: right, left, right - quick successive strikes. The man managed to counter each one, but the final blow threw off his balance.
The drone took advantage of this opening and threw a powerful punch at the man's chest. The man managed to raise his hand at the last moment, but the impact sent him flying backward and landing on his back.
"Get up!" Geminga shouted. "The nanomachines are moving in your body, can you feel them? Control them!"
As the man got up, he noticed the tingling in his body. Small metal particles were moving like a dance under his skin. He looked at his fists — they had now grown almost as large as the drone's fists.
The drone attacked again, but this time the man was ready. He met the drone's fist with his own and no longer staggered back. His feet were firmly planted on the ground; the nanomachines had begun strengthening his legs too.
"Maybe..." the man thought, "maybe I shouldn't just stay on defense."
"Don't try to break the drone. It looks like it's going to be very useful."
In the next strike, the man didn't just block - he also threw his own punch intending to cause damage. The two metal fists collided in mid-air and the shockwave dispersed the surrounding mist.
The drone staggered back in the air - this was an unexpected move. While it tried to regain balance, the man seized the opportunity and began launching a series of consecutive strikes. With each hit, his hands grew stronger as the nanomachines moved faster.
The drone was forced to go on the defensive. The man's attacks were becoming increasingly coordinated and powerful. The metal fists clashed like a dance in the air, with sparks flying from each impact.
"Yes!" Geminga shouted excitedly. "Keep going! Can you feel the nanomachines? Direct them!"
The man could now perfectly sense the metal particles in his body. The sensation became sharper with each strike.
The drone caught an opening and launched a powerful strike at the man's head. The man ducked just in time and slipped under the drone's arm. In the same motion, he drove his fist into the drone's body. The hit was so powerful that it sent the drone flying.
The drone regained its balance in the air and came at him again. This time it started raining down blows using both hands. The man could now handle these rapid attacks more easily. His confidence had grown considerably.
As the man was responding to the drone's barrage with his own punches, one of the drone's fists struck its own body. "Build Mode" switched to "Destruction Mode."
The drone's body size along with its fists nearly doubled in size within seconds. The drone pulled back its fist and launched it at the man's torso. Even though the man held both his fists up in defense, the drone's power far exceeded his own. The man flew back several meters and rolled on the ground. The drone flew quickly toward him and began its rain of punches. All the man could do was roll away to escape.
With one final maneuver, he threw off the metal hood wrapped around his body. The drone began relentlessly attacking the metal piece the man had thrown to the ground. It was as if it had become "angry."
"Turn it off before the drone destroys everything."
While the drone continued attacking the metal piece, the man jumped on it from behind and pressed the "off" button.
As the drone powered down, the man let himself fall to the ground. The giant machine making metallic sounds fell into his lap. He was breathless, his entire body aching. He took a deep breath while looking at the sky.
"This thing... is really dangerous," he muttered, still trying to catch his breath.
"But it will be very useful," said Geminga. "The nanomachines are still active in your body. How do you feel?"
The man looked at his hands. They were slowly returning to their normal size, but he could still feel a slight tingling. "I'm tired... very tired. But somehow... I feel strong."
"Normal. The nanomachines strained your body. You need to rest."
He examined the drone in his lap. The machine that had nearly torn him apart moments ago now lay like a harmless pile of metal. He ran his fingers over the drone's cold metal surface.
"This thing's artificial intelligence... it was almost like it was alive. It was learning how to fight."
"Yes, quite an unusual system. But what's really important is your learning. Did you learn how to control the nanomachines?"
The man nodded. "I think... a little. With each strike, I could feel them better. They were like a part of my body."
"Good. This is just the beginning. You'll need more practice."
The man groaned. "More? All I want right now is to sleep..."
"First we need to get to a safe place. Can you stand up?"
The man slowly tried to get up. His muscles were protesting. He put the drone down from his lap and stood up staggering.
"Everything hurts... feels like I've been run over by a tank."
"Well, that's almost what happened. Take the drone, let's get out of here."
The man bent down and picked up the drone. Surprisingly, it didn't feel as heavy as before. Maybe the nanomachines were still doing their job.
"We need to do this training every day, don't we?"
"Yes, but first you need to rest. Your body needs to heal and adjust to the nanomachines."
He looked around. His struggle with the drone had left small craters and metal pieces across the terrain. The mist was still floating above the ground, as if nothing had happened.
"This place... looks quite messy."
"Don't worry, nobody will check here. Now let's continue with your training."
"This... this power," he muttered while throwing a punch into the void. "Could become addictive."
"Be careful," said Geminga. "Power is always dangerous. If you can't control it, it will control you."
The man didn't respond. The sun had started to descend from its peak, he didn't have much time until nightfall. Though his body was tired, his mind was clearer than ever before. If he could just throw one punch, he could finish their business. He had to finish it. Things were changing. He was changing. And he didn't yet know where this change would lead.
"The night will be harder," said Geminga, as if reading his thoughts.
"I know," said the man. "But I'm ready."
Should we keep the drone as a companion?
