Chapter 40: Dorio's Augmentation
The desert night was cold, the stars like chips of diamond scattered across black velvet. The derelict town was silent, save for the tireless wind singing its eternal, mournful dirge through the ruins.
When Maine's crew arrived, the heavy, reinforced metal door of the manufactorum slid open silently, as if anticipating their arrival. The steady light from within cast a clean rectangle on the dusty ground.
Joric's tall, dark-red form stood silhouetted in the light, a mechanical colossus guarding its sanctum. His "Old Friend" servo-skull hovered quietly at his shoulder, the blue light in its oculars pulsing steadily. In the days since their last visit, the workshop had gained an even greater sense of order, the harmonious hum of machinery filling the space with a vibrant, efficient energy.
"Boss, we got the goods," Maine announced, his voice booming with accomplishment as he stepped out of the vehicle. He personally carried the heavy metal case forward and placed it on the designated workbench, opening the lid.
Inside, nestled in temperature-controlled containers, were several strangely colored liquids and crystalline substances, pulsing faintly with bio-active energy.
"Got a batch of Aldecaldo heirloom seeds, too. Prime stuff for synth-fuel production. Biotechnica charges a fortune for this shit."
Joric's crimson optical lenses swept over the contents. His sensors emitted a near-inaudible hum. He ignored the seeds for the moment, focusing entirely on the augmentation materials. A slender mechadendrite extended, its precision probe scanning the substances.
++[Bio-Active Catalyst Purity: 98.7%. Gene-Adjustment Serum Sequence: Intact, no degradation detected. Myo-Fiber Inducer Concentration: Meets optimal theoretical values...]++ He recited the data, his synthesized voice carrying a rare, distinct note of satisfaction. "Excellent. The quality and preservation state of the materials exceed projections. Maine, your team's efficiency is commendable."
The praise brought a wider grin to Maine's face. Pilar puffed out his chest. Rebecca, meanwhile, was already looking around, trying to spot any new additions to the workshop.
"So, Boss, about Dorio's upgrade..." Maine steered the conversation back to the point.
"The prerequisites are met," Joric retracted the tendril, his optics turning to Dorio, who stood silently, her anticipation palpable. "Based on these materials and your existing biological foundation, I can perform a thorough bio-enhancement ritual. The process will require thirty-six to forty-eight standard hours, involving deep metabolic restructuring, neural-pathway optimization, and muscular-tissue regeneration. Projected success probability: 94.3%. Are you prepared?"
Dorio took a deep breath and stepped forward, her gaze as steady as rock. "Ready when you are, Boss."
"Good." Joric inclined his head, gesturing for Dorio to lie on the specially modified medical slab. "Maine, your team may wait in the designated rest area outside the primary work zone. This process requires absolute focus. Any interference could compromise the final result."
Maine and the others nodded quickly, retreating to the area Joric had set up with a few sturdy metal chairs and a water dispenser. They watched as Dorio calmly settled onto the slab. Joric's mechadendrites descended like living metal vines, the cold tips of their tools glowing with calibration light. Their hearts pounded with a mixture of hope and unavoidable tension.
The main lights in the workshop dimmed, focusing around the medical slab. Monitoring arrays flickered to life, data-streams scrolling across auxiliary screens. The augmentation ritual began. The only sounds were the low hum of the machinery and Dorio's deepening, steady breathing.
The wait was long.
Rebecca grew restless, peering over Falco's shoulder at the data on his tactical display. Pilar fiddled with his newly optimized cybernetics, muttering to himself. Maine leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on the slab, his fists clenching and unclenching.
Time crawled by. Occasionally, a faint vibration would emanate from the slab, or the soft gurgle of fluids. An almost imperceptible shimmer would sometimes pass over Dorio's skin – the sign of the potent bio-agents at work. Joric stood like a statue beside her, only the minute adjustments of his optics and the fluid dance of his mechadendrites indicating the intensely precise work he was performing.
After roughly two hours, Joric paused the primary procedure and turned to the waiting crew. "Phase one metabolic restructuring is complete. She now requires energy absorption and rest. You may approach, but maintain silence."
They moved forward cautiously. Dorio lay on the slab, seemingly in a deep sleep. Her complexion was healthy, her breathing deep and powerful. The most striking change was her physique – she seemed... larger, more solid. Her exposed skin was taut, her muscle definition seemingly carved from stone, radiating a contained power. She even looked fractionally taller.
"Gods..." Pilar whispered in awe. "The effect... it's already showing!"
"This is merely the beginning," Joric stated flatly. "The true transformation will occur upon completion of the neural and muscular optimization phases. For now, she rests."
The crew looked from the sleeping Dorio to the inscrutable "Boss," their awe mixing with a renewed hunger for the power he commanded.
It was during this pause, as Joric allowed them to observe Dorio, that Rebecca sidled up to Maine, her voice a low whisper.
"Boss... I still got a bad feeling about Sasha. Been radio silent way too long for a simple data snatch. It ain't right."
Maine frowned, quickly cycling through comm channels on his wrist-link. Only static hissed back. He clicked his tongue, trying to sound unconcerned as he clapped Rebecca on the shoulder. "Don't spook yourself. Biotechnica's internal network security is always tight. She probably hasn't found a clean window to ping out yet."
But the flicker of doubt in his eyes didn't escape Rebecca.
Though their exchange was barely audible, Joric's highly sensitive audio receptors picked it up clearly. His crimson optical lenses turned towards them, refocusing slightly.
"Sasha... is out of contact?" Joric's synthesized voice cut into their quiet conversation.
The mention of Sasha and Biotechnica triggered a data-point in Joric's memory banks – fragmented information recalled from the pre-Warhammer entertainment data-files he still possessed. Sasha's infiltration of Biotechnica, the discovery regarding her mother's death, her subsequent fatal attempt to leak the information...
He turned directly to Maine. "The netrunner of your team? She did not accompany you? What mission is she undertaking?"
"We took a side gig, hitting Biotechnica for some data," Maine explained. "Sasha said she could handle it solo. But yeah, she's gone dark."
Beneath his faceplate, Joric's processing core rapidly evaluated the situation. Dorio's augmentation was stable and proceeding nominally; constant supervision was not strictly required for this phase. Sasha's disappearance, however, was a variable that represented a significant potential disruption – and, perhaps, an opportunity.
"Your assistance is not required here for the moment," he stated calmly. "If you deem it necessary to provide support to your asset, you may proceed."
"Thanks, Boss!" Rebecca replied instantly, her voice tight with urgency.
"Take this unit," Joric gestured to the hovering servo-skull – "Test Subject 1". "Based on the data you previously provided, I have upgraded its reconnaissance and counter-interference modules. This mission can serve as a live-fire field test."
Maine took the silently floating skull, feeling the steady energy pulse within its core. He looked at Joric and gave a curt, firm nod. "Understood. We're on our way."
(Warhammer Bio-Augmented Human)
(Joric during the Age of the Cybernetic Revolt)