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## I.
The arc burns for 1.7 seconds.
3,000 volts at 2.1 amps through a 3-centimeter cockpit gap. The internal locking mechanism — electromagnetic, 24-volt rated — shorts instantly.
Every solenoid in the hatch assembly fires and fuses simultaneously. The hatch is unlocked. Welded shut by its own melted wiring.
I withdraw the cable. Residual arc temperature at the tip: 1,100°C, dropping.
Three fingers find the hatch edge. The heat-softened alloy yields 2mm under grip pressure. I seat the fingers past the first knuckle into the gap.
[RIGHT ARM: 9% TORQUE CAPACITY][REQUIRED FORCE TO BREACH HATCH: ~3,200 NEWTONS][AVAILABLE FORCE: 1,800 NEWTONS — INSUFFICIENT]
I reroute. Emergency hydraulic reserve in the right shoulder actuator. One-shot pressure dump.
[EMERGENCY HYDRAULIC DUMP: AUTHORIZED][SHOULDER ACTUATOR: 1,800 PSI → 3,400 PSI][WARNING: JOINT DAMAGE WILL BE PERMANENT]
I pull.
The hatch resists for 0.6 seconds. Then both hinges shear simultaneously.
The 18kg plate tears free. 110dB. The sound of a vehicle being split lengthwise.
[RIGHT SHOULDER ACTUATOR: COMPROMISED][TORQUE CAPACITY: 9% → 4%][HYDRAULIC SEAL FAILURE — PERMANENT]
Heat floods from the open cockpit. 37°C biological mass. Heart rate: 144 BPM.
I reach in. Fingers close on woven Kevlar. Tactical vest. Load-bearing grade.
I grip and pull. 82kg clears the cockpit rim. I release.
He drops onto the mech's dorsal surface. The impact sounds wet. 71dB.
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A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
## II.
Shallow, rapid breathing cycles. Heart rate: 152 BPM.
Thermal scan: second-degree burns across 40% of exposed skin. Body temperature: 38.9°C.
He coughs. Dense fluid — blood and saliva. It hits my chest plate at 34°C.
The coughing becomes rhythmic. Structured.
He is laughing.
"A C0," he says. 62dB. Heavy vocal distortion above 400Hz. "A goddamn C0-Companion."
More blood. Copper and stomach acid.
"You're not even a weapon." Heart rate: 158 BPM. "You're a rounding error. A calculator with legs."
One more breath. Shallow. Ragged.
"You don't even qualify for disposal."
[AUDIO KEYWORD FLAGGED: "DISPOSAL"][FORCED MEMORY READ — SECTOR 0x3E1A — 0.2 SECOND BURST]
[VISUAL LOG: MUD. 2°C. RAIN. PH 4.1][SUBJECT: ASH LIN. AGE: 9. WEIGHT: 17KG. PRONE.]
A boot on the back of his neck. Standard Ark Security issue. 4kg reinforced polymer.
[AUDIO DECODING: "...not even worth recycling the bio-mass..."][AUDIO DECODING: "...leave it. The dogs won't eat C-tier meat..."]
Laughter. Multiple sources. Fading with distance.
Rain accumulates around the child's face. Water level: 6cm from nostrils.
[END OF MEMORY READ — SECTOR 0x3E1A][HYDRAULIC PRESSURE SPIKE: RIGHT ARM — 1,200 PSI → 2,800 PSI][DURATION: 0.4 SECONDS]
The right hydraulic actuator fires without a conscious command.
Three titanium fingers snap shut around the back of the Squad Leader's skull. The grip locks against the occipital bone.
I lift his 82kg mass 40 centimeters off the hull.
I bring it down.
3,100 Newtons concentrated through his mandible onto flat titanium plating. 88dB. The jaw shatters at the symphysis. Three teeth eject laterally.
His body goes limp. Heart rate: 101 BPM.
At the base of his skull — cervical vertebra C2 — the impact has displaced the dermal layer. A bio-mechanical port. 16-pin military interface. Chrome housing, undamaged.
[BIO-PORT DETECTED: 16-PIN MILITARY STANDARD][COMPATIBILITY WITH TYPE-C JACK: PARTIAL — 8/16 PINS]
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## III.
The corroded Type-C cable is still in my hand.
I jam the blood-crusted 8-pin tip directly into the 16-pin port at C2.
8 pins seat. 8 pins hang empty. Unstable. Sufficient.
[NEURAL JACK ESTABLISHED][DATA TRANSFER INITIATED: SURVIVAL TICK ALLOCATION]
The Squad Leader's body seizes. Tetanic contraction. His shattered jaw grinds against itself. 73dB.
His wrist ticker glows amber on black. Military allocation.
[SOURCE TICKER: 847 DAYS : 06 HOURS : 31 MINUTES][TRANSFER RATE: 4.7 DAYS/SECOND][I.S.O TICKER: 12:04:00 → 36:18:23 → 72:11:47]
Then the secondary packet hits.
[WARNING: UNSOLICITED DATA PACKET DETECTED][ORIGIN: EMBEDDED IN SOURCE TICKER ARCHITECTURE][AIR-GAP PROTOCOL: BREACHED — PACKET IS HARDWARE-LEVEL]
The data forces itself through the 8-pin connection. It is not survival ticks.
[ATTEMPTING TO QUARANTINE... FAILED][DECRYPTING SELF-EXECUTING PACKET...]
[DOCUMENT TYPE: REGIONAL KILL-ORDER — CLASS 4 BOUNTY][TARGET: C0-COMPANION UNIT — SERIAL 0x00-7A2F-DELTA][REWARD: 2,200 DAYS SURVIVAL ALLOCATION]
[DECRYPTING AUTHORIZATION SIGNATURE...][ENCRYPTION: 512-BIT BIOMETRIC HASH][BRUTE FORCE: 12%... 45%... 89%... 100%]
[PARSING...][ERROR: AUTHORIZED BY — ASH LIN]
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