Atomic Heart

(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Nothing of importance.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:00PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) You know it. I know it. You’ve been saying so for 30 minutes, sister. Just walking forward, forward, then forward. White and red. White and red. Red and white. That’s all this place is. I don’t feel like thinking today, so I am not trying to walk any sort of weird path, which would mean I would have to find my way back. Although, since there’s no way to walk fully straight, I have to find my way back anyway… but one can notice the difference between making a path that makes sense and just searching randomly. It’s easier to make a path back if your path hasn’t greatly changed shape. But an obvious path also means this. It’s been half an hour. Yet I have not found a damn thing. That’s because someone thought of taking this exact path, while picking all they found on the way to sell for scraps. This is, obviously, frustrating for me. Specially considering I’m making way more money on this by being paid per piece, while they’re probably just selling these as recycled trash after weighing everything together. It’s either that, or my sheltered princess of a boss has more partners. Which, you know, I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to cover as much space as possible, and since there’s not many who would adventure outside, much less this far. I also shouldn’t call him a princess. Taking note of finding another name for the guy. (sigh) I sigh. The fumes coming out of my suit make it appear as if I let out a huge cloud of smoke by sighing. That kind of money can be extremely appealing, specially for ones that see themselves unable to do anything else and, therefore, look for an easy way out, that’s not easy at all, out of desperation. The kind of people that go out cannot be defined by a word other than slash quote “desperate” slash quote. And desperation makes people get either dangerous for others, or dangerous for themselves. Therefore, it is not rare to find dead bodies around the bunkers. The further you get, the less there are, and they also carry more stuff with them. That’s because both bandits and tomb raiders act close enough to the bunkers, yet far enough to not get in problems with the guards. And since only desperate people want to go out, there’s no solution for them. Other than arming oneself, I mean.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Found unusual heat signature. Analysis on course…] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:10PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) Well, that’s something. At last. Even though this doesn’t mean advancing in the job at hand, at least I’ll be distracted by something that’s not my own voice.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Unusual heat signature analyzed. Intelligent specimen. Designed as: mutant. Recently deceased. Still giving a heat signature. Analyzing…] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:12PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) I don’t feel like seeing that in person after such a day. Let’s just go back.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… It seems to be carrying a bag. The bag contains [minerals]. I advise you to check it before you go back.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:13PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) I don’t think so. (Sigh) Is this the best I can get? A dead body that happens to carry what I’m looking for with themselves? Come on. I’m not doing that. Although I guess I could theoretically identify the guy at least… just in case someone looks for them. I step forward. Slowly. I’ve lost my usual gait. One after the other. And I find the body. The AI said this person had died recently. Not like that means anything at all. Everything that’s outside the bunker bloats fast. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mutant, as it seems to be the case. And no, this isn’t the kind of bloat a mutant would have per se. Since they wouldn’t have been able to move if they were like this, of course. I carefully turn the body around. I do not like what I see, and it’s enough to give me pause and force me to try more than once. Still. As a searcher who works on the outside, I’ve seen my fair share of bodies that bloat immediately. It’s gross. I can’t stand to look at it, but I’m mostly used to see them. Not really to touch them, of course. Give Order: [Take photo] and [Identify]. Order over.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Identified. Showing identification…] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:00PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) Never seen him before. Ah, rest in peace. It’s never good to see the body of someone who lives close to home, even if I wasn’t acquainted.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Notable drop in the temperatures. Consider returning before the Sun drops.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 6:00PM. February 14, 245 N.C.) I felt a cold breeze passing through. It’s getting late. I am turning back now. About the bag, I did glimpse at it once or twice, but that’s all I did. I swear. So, I walk back. Nothing to see, specially considering the kind of path I had taken. Just red and white, with an occasional black. The fact the scenery was mostly all the same was no problem to me, a searcher. I might not be good at searching for the materials that are supposed to be my goal, but I am good at searching for a way back, which is the most useful skill to have if one wants to venture outside. After a long time of just walking mostly forward, I reach the bunker. After a fast decontamination shower, I walked towards my cabinet. Since people rarely ever go out, cabinets are rarely in use, so renting one’s really cheap. It’s not gonna be easy, letting the family of that guy know… Ah, well. ] (text-colour:green)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[`Give Order:[Log Over]. [Assist Undress]. [Turn Off]. `] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Nothing of importance.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 10:30AM. February 15, 245 N.C.) I’m going out into the white-and-red again. This time, I have a particular goal in mind. A mission of sorts. That’s why I’m pushing a cart. Well, the actual reason I’m pushing a cart with a huge box on it is because these stingy I-Am-So-Above-You of the guard wouldn’t let me rent a car. I mean, I get it, since both gasoline and the cars themselves are highly coveted. Our bunker doesn’t have any way to do industrial refinement or construction, since the fumes would probably kill all inhabitants. We’re just completely unequipped for these, by account of lacking infrastructure. And engineers. And… Well, back to the mission. It’s easy to imagine why I’m pushing a cart, really. I’m giving the old guy from yesterday a lil’ visit, then I’ll get him into the box, then I’ll push it back until we reach the bunker. All for the purpose of giving the body back to the family so they can bury them close before he fully decomposes in the heat. Which will happen really, really soon. We’re just lucky the thing’s probably halfway frozen because of the night cold. Not the ideal state to carry a guy to meet his family, but still, his body was already quite lumpy yesterday. It’s the noblest thing I’ve done in a while. Of course, I also get to keep what’s in the bag. They won’t need it that much since they have a mouth less to feed. So, I venture into the white and red. There’s no way I’d get lost in these circumstances, and while I don’t like trusting an AI that much, it’ll save me from skipping it. In fact, not wanting to trust a machine with conversation is the reason why I am. Writing. Pronouncing myself. In a log. A diary. I was told by a psychiatrist I shouldn’t be going out walking in silence for hours. I don’t care much for music, and I specially, absolutely do not plan to try and have a conversation with a machine that can only choose premade answers in a huge chart. That’s worse than talking by yourself Therefore, I chose that I’d just be talking to myself. Walking forwards, while I keep talking. Of course, I have to rest my throat and lips. And so. Again. Again, and again, and again, the same red and white, the same white and red. I can imagine the heat burning my skin. Thankfully, my suit keeps it at bay. And when I got there, I saw something unexpected in the distance.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Found unusual heat signature. Analysis on course…] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 10:55AM. February 15, 245 N.C.) Something far less common than finding a body. Far less common than finding the scraps I have to find. That something unexpected was, of course, someone. A person. The suit they’re wearing is smaller and hangs specially close to the skin, so it’s either a very high-tech deal, or they have a more notable mutation than I do and therefore need less protection. Let’s just assume it’s the second, as someone rich enough for the first wouldn’t be in a place like this. But anyway, they really are close to the body. They’re really close to the bag, too. That’s bad. I’d rather avoid a bad situation of any kind, but I can’t let that happen. I walk towards them, ready for anything. And when they notice me, they react. And so do I.] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[Analyzing… Unusual heat signature analyzed. Intelligent living specimen. Designed as: mutant. Ask to receive more details.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[( 10:59AM. February 15, 245 N.C.) No, thanks. Now that I’ve pinned down my adversary, I become aware of something. I haven’t touched anyone in a long while. And now, I’m pinning another girl down. It’s clear our hard breathing comes from our short chase. My hands are pressing hers as to avoiding letting her go. My lower body is locking hers down. It’s not because we are looking for the other’s touch, it’s just so she can’t run away with my stuff. I keep my eyes on hers, so I can be aware of her every move. She does the same. It’s just normal that I’m nervous, but still. I swallow. Then, I take a deep breath in. Breathe it out. And finally. Give Order:` [Open external channel]`.] (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[EXTERNAL CHANNEL OPEN Could you please. Tell me your name?]

(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0.8031,(hsl:0,0,1,0.4),1,#e61919,1,#ffffff)))(text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))+(text-style:"blink")[ (text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[](text-colour:lime)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,0.5333,0.35))[