Chapter 6: The Lake of Green
The silence after the crash was a physical thing, thick with drifting concrete dust and the sharp, electric scent of ruptured conduits. Kimi hung in her harness, breathing in ragged hitches. The cut on her temple stung, a bright point of pain in the ringing numbness of her skull. The viewer was cracked, showing a fragmented, tilted view of the chasm wall and the sickly, living glow far below.
"Report," she whispered, her throat raw.
"Multiple system failures," Shiro's voice responded, calm amidst the chaos of scrolling damage reports. "Left leg actuators are locked. Primary servo in the right arm is offline. Hydraulic pressure dropping in the torso assembly. We are embedded in approximately forty tons of debris. External mobility is currently non-viable."
"Non-viable." The word tasted like ash. She looked at the green luminescence beneath them. It was moving. Not much, but a slow, viscous ripple was spreading outward from directly below their position, as if they were a stone dropped in a pond. "And that?"
"Biomass reaction confirmed. It has detected the impact. Growth acceleration estimated at point-zero-three percent per minute. It is… investigating."
A cold that had nothing to do with the air washed over her. "How long?"
"Until significant tendril reach our position? Approximately seventeen minutes, given current growth rate. However, the biomass may have other means of propulsion." He paused, the hum of his processors a subtle vibration in the cockpit. "Standard piloting protocols cannot compensate for the damage. The feedback delay through the control yokes is now too great for precise movement extraction."
"Meaning we can't dig ourselves out." Despiration crept into her voice.
"Not with conventional control. There is an alternative system. A full neuro-synaptic link. It bypasses physical interfaces and connects your nervous system directly to my motive subroutines. Your thoughts become the mecha's movements."
Kimi had heard of such systems. They were theoretical, mentioned in late-night academy bull sessions as a dangerous, last-ditch option. The stories spoke of feedback psychosis, neural burn-out. "That's… that's insane. It's not even certified."
"It is installed in this unit. It was part of my… foundational design. The risk of temporary neural shock is present. The risk of being consumed by a semi-sentient alien growth is absolute." His tone left no room for argument. "The link will grant us the precision needed to dislodge the debris and regain limited mobility. It is the only logical path."
She stared at the pulsating green light below. Another ripple, larger this time. Something long and whip-like broke the surface for a second before sliding back under. Her breath hitched. "What do I do?"
"Remain calm. The process is automated. Release your harness."
With trembling fingers, she unbuckled the central clasp. The straps retracted into the seat with a hiss. She stood on shaky legs, the sticky warmth of blood tracing a line down her jaw. The cockpit floor was tilted, forcing her to brace against the main console.
"Initiating neuro-link protocol," Shiro announced.
The cockpit transformed. The pilot's chair hissed, folding in on itself and retracting into the rear wall. Panels slid open along the floor, rising to form two foot-shaped slots. She stepped into them, feeling a magnetic seal grip her soles. From the ceiling, articulated arms descended with a smooth, mechanical grace.
Two heavy cuffs locked around her thighs with a solid chunk. They were padded but unyielding, and they pulled gently, inexorably, widening her stance until she stood spread-eagled. She gasped at the vulnerability of the position.
"Stability for fine motor control is essential," Shiro explained, his voice closer now, as if speaking just behind her ear.