Unit AKN-10D0 felt much better as it emerged from the upgrade tube. Its muscles were more dense and toned than ever before, but they still merely formed the actuators for monofilaments threaded throughout. Its bones were reinforced with a lattice of incredibly tough interlocking benzene rings to take the strain, and a similar material beneath her skin formed a flexible layer of armour; subcutaneous chain mail.
The Unit knew this because a schematic was being displayed across its vision like a heads up display. This was projected directly into her visual cortex by the ‘third eye’ embedded on its brow, where the capture module had been. The Unit was comforted to note that cybernetic device still functioned as a control module, but was installed directly into its brain case. That was a much superior arrangement, it felt, and this also allowed it to access other features.
The Unit was proud to note that due to its excellent pre-upgrade condition it’d been able to receive a far more advanced set of upgrades than most other biological units recruited from the wild population. It would serve the unity well and all would benefit.
The Unit bent over to expel the support medium remaining in her lungs, but felt no urgent need to do so. The gills on its neck could extract oxygen from gaseous atmosphere in an emergency, and it could subsist for several hours on the emergency reserved stored between layers in its intestines. Still, it would be inefficient for the unit not to expel the medium where it could best be recycled.
Immediately thereafter, Unit AKN-10D0 vacated the spot to allow another recruit to be upgraded. It felt a surge of affection for the poor inefficiently pure biological unit about to be gifted with an upgrade. The lucky unit would become like it was; a superior part of a much greater whole and all would become greater by its addition.
But there was no time to enjoy watching the Unit’s upgrade. Unit AKN-10D0 was directed by the controlling intelligence to report to combat deck Alpha to be integrated into its mecha and commence training for combat against the enemy. The Unit felt a surge of anger directed against the enemy, as was wholly appropriate. How dare the enemy be the enemy!
As it left the upgrade chamber, Unit AKN-10D0 noted that the converted units now identified as SUM-10D0 and NBC-10D0 had been directed to another egress. The unit dismissed a vague impulse to inquire about their destination as such knowledge would be provided to Unit on a need to know basis and the Unit did not need to know.
There was a vague sense of unease in the Unit as it journeyed to the internal transport tube. Its upgraded senses became aware that it was being followed by a unit that did not broadcast an identification beacon. But an inquiry to the net informed the unit that no enemy units could have infiltrated the ship, so the anomaly was not considered a security threat. However, pest control had been alerted that a wild animal was loose. It would be dealt with. Unit AKN-10D0 felt immediately confident that the situation was under control, and ignored further awareness of the anomaly.
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(Posted Sun, 15 Oct 2006 00:31)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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