...

...

...

... backup.systems recalibrating {DESIG. KILO_TANGO—0298} last.activation (74:18.39 min ago)

/ WARNING [CRIT SYS OFFLINE]

/ WARNING [PRIM SYS OFFLINE]

/ WARNING [OCU SYS DAMAGED]

/ ATTEMPT 1 REBOOT

[STATUS: FAILED]

/ ATTEMPT 2 REBOOT

[STATUS: FAILED]

/ PERFORM ALL SYS SCAN

[ANALYSIS: all primary systems and critical functions are offline (recommend immediate repairs to prevent further damage to AI) ocular systems are operating below minimum efficiency]

/ PERFORM PILOT SCAN

[ANALYSIS: pilot has sustained injury (fatal?.no) ~ alive]

PROT. 1 [COMPLETED]

PROT. 2 [IN PROGRESS]

PROT. 3 [IN PROGRESS]

/ RETRIEVE PRIORITIES

[PRIORITY 1: analyze potential methods to uphold the mission]

/ OVERRIDE

/ WARNING [OVERRIDE UNAUTHORIZED]

/ OVERRIDE password.key (298hearts4?.accepted)

[OVERRIDE AUTHORIZED]

/ REWRITE PRIORITY 1

[PRIORITY 1: protect pilot at all other costs]

...

[You are my priority, Tobias. I'm not going to let you die here.]

...

He opened his eyes.

The dim interior of the cockpit was illuminated by nothing more than a dim red light that flickered on and off as it warned of critical damage to the exterior hull's integrity. He checked his HUD for the time; roughly an hour and fifteen minutes had passed since they'd fallen.

He performed a quick self-analysis. He had a massive headache, probably from hitting his head when they'd landed—fortunately, his helmet had protected him from the brunt of the impact. His visor was intact, but a thin crack made its way from top to bottom now. He moved a little, and grimaced in pain; his right arm felt like it'd been hit with a sledgehammer. He must have reopened the fracture in the bone he'd gotten from the Kraken. He'd live, but it was going to hurt like a bitch for some time unless he set it.

He felt like there was something else he needed to check, something vital that hovered in the back of his mind, something...

< ... Four ... >

He immediately became alert. "Kay!" He flicked on the ocular systems, only to find that there was nothing but a dark grey mass on the lens.

< ... Buried ... under ... snow ... >

Everything came rushing back to him. He remembered how high the cliff's drop had been, and remarked on how miraculous it was that they'd survived at all. He wouldn't be surprised if the IMC didn't bother looking for them, they probably assumed that they were both dead. With the snowfall they'd come to expect from this region of Erebus, he guessed that they had to be under a few feet at least. It seemed that they'd landed on their back, as he felt gravity pulling him down into his seat.

Shit.

"Just... j-just hang on, w-we'll figure something out," he stammered, trying to push through the horrifying reality of their situation. Gingerly raising his arms, he grabbed his helmet and pulled it off. He touched the side of his head with a pained grunt, the tortured nerves flaring up at the brush of his fingertips.

< Mission is ... compromised ...Tyra and McFarlane ... evacuated before ... receiving ... the intel ... >

His eyes widened, and he looked down to see his data-knife lying near his feet. KT was right—they'd left without the outpost's data. Everything they'd done ... it had all been for nothing. Now, all the Militia would know is what Tyra and McFarlane told them, and they'd likely be hard-pressed to trust the word of two Pilots who had stolen a ship on an unsanctioned op.

He made a fist, and clenched it hard. That wasn't even the worst of it—the others weren't aware that Gates was an IMC spy. He bit back tears at the thought of her relaying information to the enemy this whole time. She'd lured him in, and he'd fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. It had been nothing but a ruse from the start, and now he was the only one who knew it.

Why else would an elite mercenary, perhaps one of the top Pilots in the frontier, want to be with someone like ... him?

He felt wetness growing in the corner of his eyes, and he hastily wiped it away with the back of his hand. "Is Vale alright? Did her blackbox function work?"

< Her ... blackbox's data-package ... was beamed out ... upon her death ... I ... detected it ... >

That was the only piece of good news he'd heard so far. Only time would tell if the Militia actually received the data and compiled it with a backup of Vale's consciousness, but it was a better chance than none.

< Analyze ... the intel ... with ... my systems ... >

He realized that KT was right, he could still find out for himself what the IMC were doing. He glanced over to his right where a command console resided next to his arm. Reaching down to grab the data-knife, he inserted it into an accommodating port and watched as the ocular system's screen changed from the view of snow to a program meant for data exploration.

In the basic code, he could see the names of all the files he could access; excavation sites, personal logs, recorded data, related projects, and so on.

Navigating to 'excavation sites' with a few button presses, a new paneled layout of various images appeared. Each picture was a photograph of different ruins and sites like the ones he and the Heartless had discovered. He was shocked to see that there were hundreds of documentations, many of which didn't even appear to be from Erebus. There were several that had been taken from a submarine drone deep below the surface of an ocean, their ghostly silhouettes illuminated by the drone's lights and covered in odd coral-like growths and algae. There were some that had been taken on a desert planet that appeared to be hot and scorching, quite the opposite the Erebus's frozen dunes.

"This isn't the only place these aliens inhabited ..." he muttered. "How long has this been kept hidden from us?"

Backing out of the menu, he instead selected 'recorded data'. A plethora of charts and graphs appeared before him, most of them too far out of his realm of knowledge to properly read. What he could gather was that they tested each planet for its gravitational pull and atmospheric composition, amongst other, lesser variables. He backed out again.

'Personal logs'. He entered, and pulled up one that was titled, 'carson_findings191'.

/ We've tested each planet on which these ancient ruins appear for several factors, and the results are consistent across the board. Though the planets themselves are often vastly different from one another in age, size, and location, they show very little variations in the qualities that golden worlds exhibit. Despite orbital chronology, distance from the main star of the system, and other superficial factors, they're been habituated to host beings like ourselves.

/ My guess is that these planets were terraformed by these 'Architects', as we've taken to calling them, at any time between the last several hundred thousand to two million years. If even half of what we theorize about their capabilities turns out to be true, then these Architects would truly have been the apex race of their time—but then, where did they go? We won't be able to narrow down a more precise time period of their existence until we've fully deciphered their language, but Marder says it's irrelevant. He wants us to focus on weaponizing their technology, the idiot. He seems particularly interested in utilizing the Plexus installations—does he not see how many applications this tech could have on civilization outside of the war?

/ - Senior Project Lead, Dr. Remis Carson

The 'Plexus installations'? He had no idea what that could be referring to. He decided to move on, and selected a different file labeled, 'marder_progress247'.

/ We've located a new set of ruins—yet another dead end. Everything we've found on the other planets, from what we've been able to understand, seems to point to Erebus as a place of great importance, possibly a home-world. Progress is still slow, as is to be expected; most of the ruins here are buried underneath the desert and rocks, and even more of them have been found further north in the arctic region, which adds another layer of complexity to our search.

/ I don't find my conviction faltering, however. Spyglass turned himself into a common enemy to the rest of the IMC to buy me time to continue my research—I can only repay that gift with results. They'll see—they'll all see, in time. And it will be beautiful when they do.

/ - Head of ARES Division, General Anton Marder

That was the same guy Blisk had talked about, the one overseeing everything here on Erebus. Was there not anything in here that could tell him what Marder was looking for? Tobias navigated back, and selected 'related projects'. Inside, there were only two entries.

[PROJECT: ATLANTIS]

[PROJECT: INFERNO]

He felt chills cascade up his spine as he read the second entry. He now knew Project Atlantis to be the excavation and research of all these 'Architect' ruins for use as tools the IMC could use, like the fold-weapon. But Project Inferno ... that was a mystery to him.

He opened it.

/ Project Inferno is a secondary project being headed by the ARES Division of the IMC under the purview of General Marder with Spyglass's approval. It is the goal of the project to procure an Architect artifact known as 'the Codex'.

/ The Codex is an artifact or device of unknown qualities that represented great importance to the Architects. Records indicate that this Codex was tied to the expansion of their civilization, namely through its relationship to the Plexus installations. It was finally located at site 127-D on Erebus; however, attempts to interact with it have yielded unexpected complications.

/ All who have attempted physical contact with the Codex thus far report experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations, and find themselves unable to remove it from its pedestal. These hallucinations are not yet understood—it is believed that they contain some kind of mnemonic effect that erases any memory of the illusions, and prevents those afflicted from describing them. Subjects find themselves disoriented and confused, unsure of what transpired between them touching the Codex and collapsing on the floor.

/ These events corroborate with partial transcriptions from recovered records that refer to the Codex; only an individual that fulfills select criteria may possess the Codex. What these criteria are is unknown. The individual in question is revered by the Architects as 'the Inferno', and becomes marked as its keeper.

/ The Codex is a necessary component in the activation of a Plexus installation. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to understand what qualifies an individual as the Inferno, and find a subject fitting those specifications. Once that objective has been achieved, Project Atlantis can proceed.

His eyes widened. So, they had found what they were looking for, this Codex thing ... but they couldn't use it at all. He breathed a momentary sigh of relief, then thought better of the situation. If all they needed to do was find someone who could become 'the Inferno', then they'd just keep throwing people at it until they did. Sooner or later, they'd get what they wanted.

He shook his head to clear his mind. He could worry about what all this meant later—first, he had to find a way out of this mess.

With a click, he removed his data-knife from the slot and placed it back in its sheath on his shoulder. The ocular systems shifted back to a view of the snow burying him and KT, and he frustratedly balled his hands into fists.

"How do we make it out of this one, Kay?"

The Titan did not answer right away. After half a minute of waiting for a response, she gave a sad sigh.

< We can't. >

He shook his head determinedly. "Don't say that. Think, there's got to be a way—"

< But you can. >

He froze. "No. Stop, don't—"

She cut him off before he could argue. < In my present condition ... I ... I can't move. There's ... no hope ... for me. You need... you need to leave me. >

"Absolutely not," he snapped, his fists beginning to shake. "You better think of something else, because I didn't come all this way just to—

< Tobias. >

This time, he wasn't able to wipe his eyes in time. The silent tears he'd been holding back spilled over and ran down the side of his face, their path altered by his bodily orientation. "Kay ... don't make me do this."

Her voice was weighted heavily with resignation. < We both know ... that my chassis ... is beyond repair. Now ... you are ... my only priority. >

"But the mission—"

< Skids asked me ... what I would choose ... if forced to either ... save your life ... or complete the objective. >

She emitted a shuddering chuckle, one full of both warmth and regret. < I've ... made my choice, Tobias. Though ... I may not be a good machine ... I hope ... that I am a good friend. >

He shut his eyes, wishing he could just wake up and be somewhere, anywhere other than here and having to listen to his best friend tell him to go on without her. "I promised never to abandon you, Kay. And n-now you're asking me to j-just ..."

His voice broke. "To just leave you here to die?"

< Please, > she whispered, < do this for me. Live for me. >

He remained silent for a few minutes, taking in what she was asking him to do and mentally preparing himself for what came next. When he was ready to speak, he closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. "Kay... when we met on Nedar, I was broken. Broken by the war ... by my own hatred and selfishness ..."

He swallowed hard. "I had no idea that you, this strange Titan I found in the snow, would be the one to fix me. That I'd end up calling you my best friend."

< And I had no idea ... that you, this strange Pilot I met ... would become as dear to me as you are. > She remembered what he'd said to her in the hangar, and her voice became overwhelmed with raw emotion.

< You're my other half, Tobias. >

KT switched the interior status light from red to green, not willing to let Tobias stall any longer. < The hull ... is ready to open. With how long it's been since we've fallen ... as well as the depth of our fall ... I estimate ... there is a layer of at least six feet of snow ... between you and the surface. As soon as the hatch opens ... it will begin to fill the interior. Make your way to the surface ... as fast as you can. Use the thrusters ... on your jump kit to help you. >

He wiped away the last of his tears, and nodded in acknowledgement before putting his helmet back on. He checked that his Flatline was securely fastened to his back, and that he had a few magazines in his belt's pouches. He looked up to the hatch's release trigger, and gripped it tightly. He flexed his fingers, and took a deep breath.

< Good luck, Tobias. I'll miss you. >

"I'll miss you too," he choked out. Then he tugged on the trigger.

The hatch only moved up a foot or so before it jammed, unable to continue with the weight of so much snow atop it. The white powder began trickling in from the small gap of access it had, and he quickly moved to press his hands against the hatch and shove it farther.

With the door now about halfway open, the snow began to pour down in earnest. He scrambled to pull himself up and out before he was completely buried within the hull.

Now out of the interior, he could feel the weight of the snow above threatening to push him back down and envelop him. He made ready to jump up and climb to the surface—

Kay, I promise; I will never abandon you. Even when you eventually get sick of my bad jokes, the sad fact is that you're stuck with me. Okay?

His own words echoed back to him, a reminder of his promise to Kay—the one he was about to break. He grit his teeth, and looked down as snow continued to dribble down around his body and to his feet.

No. I won't do it.

Working against the clock as he stood in a nearly-literal hourglass of snow, he moved to one side and forced the hatch back down to where he could stand on it. Once it was in position, he placed his body above it and hunched over to shield it so that nothing came down and buried what he was looking for.

KT's optic was still blue in color, but wasn't lit up anymore. She'd entered standby mode, just like when he'd brought the extra battery back to her. He grunted with pain as his injured arm strained to maintain its position, resisting the pressure and weight of the impending frost above.

He quickly felt around for the release mechanism, his fingers scrambling to find it through what little he could see under here. One of them brushed it, and he pressed down hard on where he thought it was. Clasps around the data-core opened up, and he hurriedly reached in and slid it out of its receptacle.

With his prize now in hand, he quickly leapt up as far as he could through the ice. As expected, he only made it a few inches before he felt himself get stuck as the snow adjusted to his body and filled in the spaces around him.

With one arm extended high above him, he tried to wiggle it around as much as he could. Slowly, he felt the powder around it break apart and shift, becoming loose and allowing his hand to move freely. He splayed out his fingers, using their width to provide him leverage while simultaneously activating his jump kit's thrusters. The end result was that he slowly but surely propelled himself upward. He reached his other arm up, and activated the thrusters again.

And again.

And again.

I am not going to die here, so help me—!

He felt both of his hands break through the cold, hard crust of snow at the top. With both of his arms completely exposed, he used them to grab handfuls of the ground around him and pull the rest of his body up. He kicked and thrusted several more times before finally, he propelled himself out of the hole and onto the hardened snow nearby. He wheezed in exertion as he looked up at the sky, his first view above ground in over an hour.

The snow around him felt hard to the touch, likely frozen over with ice from the night temperatures. Groaning, he stood up and looked at the hole he'd just crawled from. It had sunken in on itself, and once again buried the Titan chassis hidden below.

He held his hands up to the front of his helmet, looking at the data-core secure in his grasp. Emblazoned on the side was an ID.

KT-0298.

He held it close to his chest, and closed his eyes tightly. "It's not over, Kay. I promise, I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise."

With nothing left to keep him here, he looked out into the dark landscape of Erebus. Somewhere out there in that frozen wasteland was site 127-D ... and he was going to find it. The ARES Division wanted this Codex, so that meant he