What Am I Supposed to Be?: Please...Brother....Please....

With the recent revelation that everything they learned about their past was a lie, System Error 123 threw itself into their work with Search and Rescue. The blue-visored, black-armored protogen barely rested for a moment between jobs. Systor was doing everything they could to not think about the killer they used to be or how Dr. Mal manipulated them into exterminating their kin. Oddly enough, their newly reclaimed combat data and assassin skills made the protogen quite efficient at finding missing adventurers. When the call for help on Kahari came up, Systor wrapped themself in their brown cloak and was through the portal before anyone else could volunteer.

 

The protogen surveyed their surroundings as they stepped out into the blue glow of the azure skies. Thin crystalline structures sculpted into artistically flowing shapes decorated the streets. Members of the local Thath population gave Systor odd looks as they passed. The snake-like people had probably never seen a protogen before and were more curious than anything, but their glances made Systor uneasy. Pulling their hood over their head, System Error 123 moved through the streets towards the southern edge. According to the request made to Search and Rescue, the missing gnome adventurer had gone missing when investigating the Star Fields.

 

As they walked towards the shallow pools, Systor noted how quiet the world seemed. There was no ambient sound from wildlife besides the occasional meep from the passing puffball eeps native to Kahari. After pulling one of these creatures off its cloak, the black armored protogen stopped at the shores of the Star Field pools. Systor looked around the area, flipping between ultraviolet, infrared, and X-ray visions, looking for clues. In the distance, towards the center of the shallow water pools, a heat signature lit up that seemed too large to be a gnome, but it was hard to tell from this distance. Cautiously, the protogen stepped into the pools, disrupting the reflection of the moon and stars above.

 

Keeping their infrared vision active, Systor moved towards the heat signature at the center of the Star Field. The blue-visored protogen did everything they could to minimize the sound of them walking on water using their assassin programming. They couldn’t eliminate the noise, but it dampened the noise enough that it shouldn’t alert anyone in case this was a trap. Systor flipped back to regular vision to see a crude scarecrow with a strapped device emitting heat to mimic body temperature.

 

“There never was a gnome was there,” the protogen asked as a metal blade rested itself against the neck of their hood from behind. Systor’s radar had picked up the attacker the second they switched off the infrared and wasn’t surprised this was the move they had made.

 

“No, but you, of all people, know the value of a good lie,” the sword wielder laughed as he kept the weapon on the protogen as they moved around to the front of them. As they moved into view, the Systor saw that it was their twin brother with the same grey and white colored fur with blue accents. The one who remained unconverted and for whom Dr. Mal had harvested body parts from the protogen. “Since you keep forgetting things, Gamma, allow me to introduce myself. I am your twin brother, Magnus.”

 

“Why didn’t she turn you into a protogen like the others,” Systor asked, examining the sword now poking their shoulder. Their visor displayed statistics on the weapon, indicating it was an energy katana of Dr. Mal’s design, although the blade was turned off at the time.

 

“That would be because she used your parts to make me like her,” Magnus smirked, holding up his arm. There was a hiss of air as the limb opened up to reveal a network of cybernetics running through him. “The process is highly toxic to organics but luckily I had a weaker sibling with enough parts to spare.”

 

“We can stop her from doing this to any more worlds. Together,” the black-armored protogen pleaded, pulling the apple-shaped locket from a compartment on their thigh armor. Flipping it open, they showed their brother the picture of the two of them on the inside. “We can still go back to how it used to be.”

 

“That isn’t us, Gamma. It never was. That was given to our parents when they volunteered to try to stop Dr. Mal from landing on the planet,” Magnus shook his head, disappointed by his sibling’s ignorance. “They failed because the Vertivix people were weak and needed uplifting. Dr. Mal kept that as a trophy, so I don’t know how you got it.”

 

“Before this ends, as we both know it is going to, can you tell me my name?” Systor requested with a sigh as they put the locket away. They had already begun mapping out possible battle strategies with the heads-up display on their visors. “My real name, not the designation she gave me.”

 

“Your name was Diara but don’t count on remembering it after Dr. Mal reprograms you again,” Magnus smirked as he ignited the plasma blade of the cyber katana. “Now tell me do honestly plan to kill someone who shares your face?”

 

As the weapon switched on, System Error 123 raised their internal temperature to dangerous levels and slammed their hands into the reflective water of the Star Field. A wicked hiss sounded as a large portion of water immediately evaporated into a vision-obscuring cloud. The protogen counted on their brother, knowing all their tricks, so they vented high-pressure steam out of the red centerpiece of their chest armor in his direction. Systor wasn’t counting on the attack landing but hoped it would buy time while Magnus dodged it. With the steam vented, the protogen started cooling its system in safe increments to prevent damage to the liquid cooling system.

 

“We both know the same tactics! You can’t trick me like that,” the male Vertivix growled as his sword blade slashed through the thick steam. It connected with Systor’s brown cloak as they threw it at him to evade the attack.

 

Water started to pool around the two combatants as the protogen activated their Jet Boosters to shoot straight up in the air. Silhouetted against the moon in the blue sky, Systor summoned their Support Gauntlets and aimed. With their internal temperature now frigid, it was time to strike. Opening all the vent ports on the black metal gloves, Systor fired a barrage of razor-sharp ice crystals into the steam cloud. They didn’t stop the volley until Magnus leaped from the cloud with jet boosters firing from the bottom of his feet. Bloody from dozens of razor ice hitting grazing him, the cybernetically enhanced Vertivix lunged at his sibling with a furious yell with a mouth full of sharp metal teeth.

 

“I’m stronger than before with a whole new bag of tricks,” Systor retorted as they cut their Jet Booster power to dodge the attack and land back on the shallow water of the Star Field.

 

“That defective core of yours will run out of water long before I’m ready to quit,” Magnus howled as he cut all power to his rocket feet. He fell into a heavy downward strike with the plasma sword. Systor heated himself back up just enough to unfreeze their insides and blasted their brother aside with a pressurized blast of water from the Support Gauntlets.

 

“Mom and Dad make sure the tank is never empty,” the protogen coldly told their sibling as they dropped their temperature back to freezing. Slamming their hands into the shallow reflective water of the Star Field caused it to freeze in a wide area instantly. The blue-visored protogen knew their metal claws would give them traction on this slick terrain but hoped Magnus would be off balance.

 

With burning fury, the two fighters charged each other. Their blades met, sending sparks into the blue skies. They exchanged blows back and forth in rapid succession. Each swipe or stab met a block or a sidestep. Neither could find the advantage in this straight-up fight, even on the ice. Magnus was bleeding from his previous injuries, but that did little to slow him down. Systor didn’t have the room to try another magical tactic, and anything they did try, their opponent would see coming. The cyber katana rose to block a double wrist blade chop. Without thinking, Systor retracted the left blade and switched the momentum of that arm to punch Magnus between the eyes.

 

The protogen’s visor lit up with a new status message as their brother stumbled backward, momentarily stunned. They weren’t sure what assault mode would entail, but it was better than dying, not trying every option. Once Systor gave the signal to activate it, they felt a strange tingle of energy crackle through their body. The one active wrist blade grew to double its length out to three feet long. As it did, the four blue sections of the hard-light weapon separated and turned into a red claw weapon. Vicious bolts of scarlet energy jumped between the pieces. Magnus made to charge with his sword, but a backhand block from the hard light claw snapped the weapon like a twig and sent him flying.

 

“So you’ve finally become unchained,” the Vertivix coughed as he stood. Exposed cybernetics sparked from where the claw tore his face and chest open. Before he could utter another word, Systor moved faster than they ever had before to impale their brother with their weapon. “Diara, you can’t stop progress.”

 

Machine fluids leaked as Magnus coughed out those last words. Systor pulled the hard-light claw free from the defeated opponent, sending sparks and viscous blood mixed with machine fluids spraying across the ground. Pale blue light bathed Magnus’s body as he fell, and then, in a flash, he disappeared. All he left behind was a data disk inscribed “MAL” on the device. Picking up the device and reclaiming their cloak, the protogen knew this wasn’t the last they’d see of Magnus. Luckily, the teleportal beam took all the fluids and machine parts so the Star Field wouldn’t need cleaning. With much to think about, the protogen slipped back into their cloak, put the hood up, and headed back to the guild hall. They would wait until then to view the data disk.