"... Tia, what is that?"
Pulling area security, Hanna was the first one to spot it. It seemed like one of Mac's normal drones, which wasn't out of the ordinary since Hanna and Tia were currently in the deep forest receiving a cargo shipment of faux coal, but it had way too many eyes.
click click click.
And the sound it made, clicking like a large locust or some other kind of insect.
"I have no idea… Mac?"
Also spotting the strange drone, Tia immediately tried contacting Mac with her necklace.
[No use, it's just us here for now.]
Only it wasn't Mac's voice that came out from the necklace, but something else. Instead of Mac's steady pronunciation the voice that spoke through Tia's necklace sounded like a child, unsteady and barely correct.
Nevertheless it continued talking, this time both from the necklaces and the strange drone.
[I am Mac's subordinate, and by technicality your boss… Shooting my proxy won't do anything other than piss me off.]
Responding not only from the necklace but every single drone and vehicle around, the proxy didn't seem to appreciate Hanna pointing her rifle at it.
[Lower that before I feel the need to become angry.]
At once the surrounding Lynx transports deployed their weapons before they all clicked in the same unsettling manner as the strange drone had, forcing Hanna to lower her weapon.
"W-what do you want?"
This was the first time Tia had felt the layer of security Mac was providing getting stripped away, while it was strange how quickly she had started to trust her boss, Tia found the sudden lack of his security unsettling.
[I'm just here to talk, or rather ask questions… Time being a limiting factor I'll limit it to one per person. There are no wrong answers to these questions, just think of them as one of my little indulgences.]
Stepping closer, the proxy drone's many eyes shifted around as it continued to click like an insect, these noises started becoming particularly unsettling to Hanna as the drone came to a stop right in front of her.
[Let's say you woke up one morning and found that your little sister, Paige, had become two exact and identical copies, even with Mac's boundless power he has no way of figuring out which one is the real one and which one is the fake one. What would you do?]
Although the question itself was just as unnerving and strange as the drone itself, Hanna's response was simple and straight forward.
"In that case I would be blessed with an extra family member, assuming both of my little sisters would want to stay with me."
[Fascinating.]
Acknowledging Hanna's response with a single word, the strange drone focused its attention and countless eyes on Tia.
[Supposedly a great ship embarks upon an arduous journey around the world. Over the years long journey parts of the ship rot and fall apart before being replaced with local parts. When the ship finally completes its journey most of its original components have been replaced, even the crew isn't the same anymore, and thus my question for you: Has the ship really completed its journey?]
"... I would say it has."
Thinking about things for a moment, Tia answered simply what she believed and expected the drone to finally leave it alone, yet it seemed it wasn't satisfied with Tia's answer.
[Elaborate.]
"Repairing something doesn't inherently unmake its spirit or goal, the ship is still the ship even if most or all of it has been replaced."
[So you believe in the existence of a soul?]
Stepping even closer, the drone let out a few more clicks as its countless eyes started at Tia's face in a way that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Of course."
[Then would you say that I have a soul?]
"... I believe you only asked us to answer one question each."
Taking a half step back and away from the drone, Tia felt a strange intensity from the drone's last question, yet she didn't want to answer it.
[That I did, excuse me. My name is R3D, as I said before I am the director of Mac's RED, or Resource Extraction Division, that would make me your boss.]
"... Pleased to meet you."
Exchanging a glance with Hanna, Tia decided to return the greeting and Hanna also followed suit.
"Yeah, nice to meet you."
[Very good, I hope you meatbags last longer than the last ones, it is such a pain to continue to reintroduce myself.]
With that last unnerving comment, R3D's proxy drone flew off into the sky like there was an invisible cable janking it away, disappearing from sight in just a few seconds.
"... That wasn't a nightmare, was it?"
"I don't think so, Tia… Can you contact the boss now?"
After a few seconds of silence, Tia and Hanna came back alive and the first thing they did was contact Mac.
"Mac? Are you there?"
[Yeah, what's up?]
Hearing Mac's voice come through her necklace sent a wave of relief through Tia's body, Hanna likewise wasn't showing it, but she relaxed quite a bit.
"There was some strange drone here, it called itself R3D."
[...]
Hearing Mac audibly sigh with quite a bit of pain, Tia didn't know what to say, so she simply waited for him to collect himself.
[R3D is my unruly subordinate with a mind of its own, it is eccentric and unrelenting. I've tried to kill it for a while now without any success.]
"It?"
Not bothering to comment on most of Mac's choice of words, Tia honed in on the really strange part.
[Yeah it. R3D is a machine intelligence, not a person. What you talked to just now was a proxy, its main body is way larger than the cruisers I've brought with me here and will be leaving us all alone for a while as it goes to star bathe and refuel. For keeping up with that shit stain I'll award you two with a bonus.]
"Okay… Is that really all you have to say?"
Feeling like she was owed an apology instead of more cash, Tia felt anger starting to boil beneath the surface, even if she knew it was somewhat misplaced.
[Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If this experience unnerved either of you, then you are free to quit. The exit bonus will be the same as previously discussed, no stings attached and no bad feelings either way.]
Seeing Mac completely miss the point, Tia's face flushed with anger.
"I'm not quitting, you fucking idiot!"
[Wha-]
"Also I'm taking a week off, don't bother me for a while!"
[Okay.]
Hearing Tia's outburst, Mac decided to give her some time to cool off, not that he was okay with that.
"The fuck is her issue?"
Mac was well aware exactly what Tia's problem was, he also knew this was partly his own fuck up and that she was owed an apology.
Mac just didn't see the need to do that.
(No need for all of this attachment, she'll leave in the end just like all the others.)
Complicated feelings Mac didn't want to deal with aside, Mac had other issues to distract him for the moment.
"... That is really trending exponentially."
Looking at the data for monster activity in and around the Rose kingdom, but in particular the Victoria dukedom sitting within it Mac became concerned that some kind of event was rapidly approaching.
(Sure I've warned Anastasia, but I'm not sure what good that'll do… Or not, these people are somewhat used to monsters, so they should be able to handle it.)
Figuring that the people who evolved alongside and lived with monsters at least had some countermeasure for dealing with them, Mac still figured he was going to get involved one way or another.
"New orders: Move all completed A/SMBTs to the lighthouse and shift its location to the Victoria dukedom. Furthermore I want a company sized lynx RRF ready for deployment so prepare that strike package."
[COMPOUND DEPLOYMENT ORDER RECEIVED; ESTABLISHING RRF AT LIGHTHOUSE #1… 24 HOURS UNTIL SPEARTIP COMPLIANCE, 56 HOURS UNTIL FORCE RELOCATION COMPLEATES.]
At Mac's words multiple heavy dropships came to life and were loaded with armoured vehicles, or went to fetch said payload from graveyard orbits as Mac continued planning out a crisis response.
"Worst case I'll need medical, but also food and water suplies… Arrange that for me, please."
While he did want to micromanage that predeployment order too, Mac was pulled away from ignoring his problems by an unexpected communications request.
"Hanna, what's up?"
Waiting a bit for Hanna to respond, Mac still wasn't prepared for her next words.
[I just received a response from the adventurers guild, we've been blacklisted by them for ignoring their summons.]
The adventurers guild, an international organisation that combats monsters, explores uncharted territory, protects traders and explores dungeons. Mac hadn't seen much use in cooperating with these people before the current threat became apparent, so he wasn't really too angry about their childish response. What he was angry about, however, was being treated like a nuisance.
(Sure I might've eaten into their profit with merchant protection in the Victoria dukedom, but this feels like an emotional response.)
"Cool. Cool cool cool cool… Is their messenger still with you?"
[Yes, he's apparently waiting for your response.]
Getting eyes on Hanna through his neural uplink, Mac assessed the situation.
(So they're trying to piss me off? Why?)
Not immediately figuring out the reason behind the disrespect, Mac's petty side won out.
"Okay, you can tell the messenger I've just blacklisted all adventurer guild leadership from accessing the healthcare I will be providing shortly. Good luck dealing with dementia or cancer without my help… Oh he can hear me? Great, you, buddy is also added to that blacklist, good luck with that lump on your lung."
Watching the messenger freak out and run off, Mac's mind shifted back into logic.
"Guess we need a third party to pass along information to the guild then… Do you know anyone from your adventurer days Hanna?"
[Nope, they're all dead. That's part of the reason I was blacklisted.]
"Ah, sorry about that."
With the conversation instantly taking a darker turn, Mac instinctively apologized, prompting a scoff from Hanna.
[So you can apologize? That's amazing.]
"Okay that's-"
[Also as the person who I'm protecting is going on vacation, I am too. Bye.]
"-... Shit."
With the line falling silent Mac could only curse his luck and take his frustration out on a particularly offensive looking tree stump. After demolishing the stump and partially destroying his boots Mac sat down in the clearing where he had talked with Anastasia and R3D just an hour earlier, now all that remained was a destroyed proxy drone, Mac himself and a smashed up tree stump.
"Damn it all… Guess I'm back to normal again."
Glancing up at the sky, Mac watched a Fortitude class cruiser take its position just above him, no doubt under the direct orders of R3D.
"Feels like I've been put into time out… Or just baby jail."
This wasn't the first time Mac was left alone as a consequence of his own actions, far from it.
It was just the first time in a while it had happened.
"This whole 'trying to talk to other people' seems overrated…"
Realising he was stuck in a vicious cycle of loneliness eating him up, hope of something new followed by bitter disappointment Mac wanted very much to break the cycle, which is exactly how he had felt last time he hit this part of the cycle.
"Nothing to it other than preparing for that potential monster surge, I guess."
Laying down on his back and staring into the sky, Mac had no immediate plans of moving for the next week or so, it wasn't as if he needed to eat or sleep anymore.
"Vengance 11-9 and Vengeance 11-5 establish outer cordon and prepare for long term area lockdown… I'm going to rest for a bit."