Deep in the desert workshop, time seemed carved by precise mechanical rhythms.
Air filtration systems maintained their low hum, filtering traces of sand seeping from outside, leaving only mixed scents of machine oil, ozone, and cold metal.
In the central work area, Sasha Yakovleva lay quietly on a specialized medical bed—less sleeping than forcibly maintained stasis.
Most of her body was covered by translucent bio-gel and rigid mechanical supports, only her pale, peaceful face exposed.
Hair-thin conduits and energy cables connected to her spinal column, chest cavity, and cranial ports, steadily pumping life-sustaining nutrients, stabilizers, and nano-repair units into her nearly collapsed body.
Several mechanical tentacles around the medical bed stayed motionless, but sensors at their tips constantly flickered, monitoring the subtlest vital sign changes.
Cairo stood nearby, crimson optical lenses scanning holographic projections hovering above the medical bed, real-time displays of Sasha's bodily status data streams.
"Biological functions stable. Neural impulse decay rate controlled within safe thresholds. Tissue regeneration protocols initialized, current progress thirteen point five percent." He stated calmly, voice transmitting through his face mask without emotional coloring, like reporting maintenance progress on precision equipment. "Survival probability increased to eighty-nine percent. But deep damage unavoidable—partial mechanical replacement is most efficient solution."
Days ago when Maine's crew brought dying Sasha back, her body was nearly rubble barely holding together.
Conventional cyberpunk ripperdocs were helpless, but Cairo's techniques transcended life's boundaries.
Using rare biocatalysts from Maine's crew plus his own bioactive matter reserves, he forcibly reactivated Sasha's residual vitality and began reconstructing her most severely damaged organs and limbs using Mechanicum's unique bio-mechanical fusion technology.
The process was slow and delicate, requiring absolute environmental stability.
Just then, from the workshop's other side came deep, powerful metal scraping sounds.
Dorio sat up from that deep-modification medical chair.
Her movements carried newborn, slightly awkward stiffness, but the power within was heart-stopping.
Her already tall frame seemed to have swelled another size. Beneath bronze skin, muscle fibers bulged like tempered alloy, lines full of explosive beauty.
Simple movements stirred faint air currents.
She looked down at her hands, clenching fists, feeling that surging power far exceeding before.
That strength didn't come from heavy metal implants but from her own biological essence's ultimate enhancement—more coordinated, more responsive.
The metabolic systems and new catalytic agents Cairo optimized for her seemed to completely detonate this body's potential, forged through brutal training.
"Feels... like being reborn." Dorio's voice was somewhat hoarse yet filled with irrepressible shock and gratitude.
She looked at Cairo's tall, dark-red silhouette, gaze complex.
Awed by his unfathomable techniques, more grateful for the new power he'd granted.
This power would let her better protect Maine, protect this crew.
"Basic enhancement complete. Your biological tissues have adapted to new metabolic levels. Subsequent maintenance requires periodic specific nutrient and stabilizer supplements to maintain optimal status and delay tissue degradation." Cairo said without turning, attention still focused on Sasha's data. "Specific maintenance cycles and formulas I'll provide later. Now go outside and adapt to your new body. Don't interrupt my work."
Dorio nodded firmly, took a deep breath, attempted her first step.
Footfall landed solidly. Ground transmitted clear vibration.
She walked toward open space outside the workshop, beginning slow, focused limb movements, familiarizing herself with this transformed body.
Meanwhile, Maine crew's other members stayed busy.
The Goodwood and two other modified trucks shuttled back and forth, hauling crates and bundles of heavy construction materials into town. High-strength concrete prefabs, thick alloy steel beams, dense composite armor plating, energy cables coiled like giant serpents...
Materials meant for major engineering projects, gathered through various channels—purchasing, trading, even some not-so-legal "acquisitions"—and transported here.
The process was far from smooth sailing.
Collecting such bulk specialized materials inevitably touched certain interests, aroused suspicion.
Several handoffs involved small-scale conflicts.
But thanks to Dorio's newly gained terrifying strength, Rebecca and Pilar's optimized weaponry, plus Falco's excellent driving, they repeatedly turned danger into safety.
Once at a scrapyard, they encountered another merc crew attempting to double-cross them.
Just as the enemy's numerical advantage was closing the trap, a silently hovering imitation servo-skull—Test Subject One—quietly entered the fray.
It didn't attack directly but released powerful electromagnetic interference, instantly crippling most enemy cyberware and vehicle systems, creating perfect counterattack opportunities for Maine's crew.
"Boss's gadget is fucking brilliant!" Rebecca excitedly vented heat from her plasma pistol while kicking a sparking enemy on the ground.
Test Subject One hovered calmly overhead, blue light flickering in eye sockets, recording combat data and syncing it back to the distant workshop.
Though Cairo focused on research, he didn't ignore Maine crew's struggles.
Through Test Subject One and occasionally deployed combat servitors conducting remote reconnaissance and support, he ensured that crucial "supply chain" wouldn't break.
This was investment for his grander plans.
As construction materials arrived batch by batch, Cairo began directing preliminary renovations of the underground facility—"Little Dipper" Seventh Outpost.
He first used combat robot wreckage to fabricate engineering robots, then reinforced and widened the southeast ventilation shaft entrance using available materials, making it accessible to small transport vehicles.
Next, he cleared a relatively intact warehouse zone on the facility's top level as temporary material storage and forward base.
Imitation skulls busily shuttled through underground spaces, conducting more precise mapping and structural safety assessments.
Cairo continuously updated the base's 3D model on the workshop's main terminal based on transmitted data, marking load-bearing structures requiring priority reinforcement, planning energy conduit layouts, and future laboratory, residential zone, and defensive node positions.
His goal was clear: transform this abandoned corporate secret facility into a Mechanicum-standard secure, concealed, fully functional stronghold.
The surface workshop would serve as cover and primary processing plant, while the true core shifted underground.
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