More than Human [SciFi LitRPG]

Max sat nervously in the plush guest chair in the middle of Kane's secluded office, deep in the unmonitored regions of the android residence region. Kane was deep into his monologue regarding Max's shortcomings in making good on their deal. The rant was so scripted that Max assigned Sherlock to listen and respond appropriately. He watched the room with his other senses fully extended.

He was surrounded by all of Kane's top-level crew crowded into the room. Vinny the fence, Marko the enforcer, Tony Lombardi, Tommy Twos, and Candy. Candy was his primary concern. Max thought she must be some manner of thief or assassin with the way that she moved and tended to disappear when he wasn't paying absolute attention to her.

"Your last win is the only reason we are even having this meeting right now. Your refusal to help collections in other ways still grinds my gears. Your last team match should have been a windfall for me. Instead, my quota for Lachesis is again in jeopardy. What do you have to say for yourself? What's going on?" Kane growled. Sherlock used Max's voice to answer.

"I assure you. My team and I are still quite capable of earning victories. The team match was an unexpected glitch in my augmentations. I doubt the viewing rooms can appreciate the sheer energy of high-level EMPs on augmentations when your guard is down. It won't happen again. I've advanced a counter-skill to prevent it." Sherlock said.

The daemon knew better than to reveal Max's ongoing blackout issues and lack of sleep due to his nightmares. The excuse was plausible…at least for now. Max focused on the room, trying to keep an eye on Candy. He was confident he could fight off two or three of the androids if he needed to, but all six would be a problem. Kane had already bragged about the number of players that his crew had "escorted" out the level's exit.

Max withheld a growl sensing something wrong about Candy. She'd faded slightly back into the shadowy corner behind Kane and his big desk and was standing too still. He caught a stronger whiff of the perfume she was wearing. It didn't make sense to suddenly increase without any air currents and no one moving around. He trusted his instincts.

Despite his focused advancement of the skills, it was Max's own intuition that figured it out. Candy's form was too still. She radiated heat, but Max knew that was just another wavelength of light that could be faked with artifice. His DigiSense hearing proved his hunch. All the other androids emanated slight whirring and thumps as their servos and systems moved and stabilized. Candy's image was lacking in those tells.

The room and the foglets were firmly under Kane's command, but Max's custom skills enabled him to bypass the android's lock and use them without his notice.

Max finally found her, lurking with a high-level cloaking cloud of foglets. A large number of foglets in the room had belonged to her. Max looked right at her and took outright control of the room's thick air of floating micromachines. He disabled her illusion and mask and locked the other androids from using them.

Max took full control of the room and dismissed Sherlock. The androids all startled as the room's automation rejected them and Candy's tricks dissolved. All of them reached for weapons. Max held up a hand with cold confidence and spoke over their surprised exclamations.

"Enough games, Kane. You haven't said anything new. As you can see, I still have much more to offer, despite recent difficulties. I can tell you're building up to something, so why don't you just cut right to it." Max said. Kane sat back down with a glower. Max could feel him pressing to reacquire control of the motes and room, but Max leaned harder into his skills.

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Max was tense as Kane scrutinized him. A smaller thread of his multitasking consciousness commented to Mal and daemons, that this was excellent training. Max mused that his elevated stress levels seemed to encourage his training system to award more points. Both House and Tesla agreed immediately and began working with Cipher to create an autonomic program to simulate stress to encourage the system to pay out faster.

The gangster AI's glass eyes glowed and surprisingly he let loose a loud and echoing laugh. "You see that, boys! That's the moxie I was lookin' for. Alright, kid. You've impressed me again. Keep a tight grip on that screen, cause what I'm about to say could get all of us ejected if Lachesis were to hear it."

"Lachesis has set up this level to be exactly like a casino, including massive stocks of chips in its vaults. She's very hands-off, expecting all the players and NPC androids to struggle for dominance. Her own staff and security have firm control of the infrastructure and some special trump cards like the Chimeric smart poison that helps to offset the special skills that players might bring in."

"All that said, there is nothin' preventing an enterprising player from takin' and unauthorized withdrawal from the vaults. Moving that much coin would be difficult, but you've already shown you have somethin' to help, right?"

Max grinned. He'd been looking at a long slog to scrap and fight his way to get enough credits for the Grandmaster coin and open the next level. Kane's suggestion clicked as Max anticipated and built out a plan to achieve the heist. Lachesis had set up the level with this in mind, but she couldn't have anticipated Max's tesseract nor his burgeoning Chthonic override skills.

"And you have details regarding this vault's security that will help? In return for a cut, I assume." Max said.

"That's right. We all gotta earn a living. I can't participate directly, but I expect that even if Lachesis figures out that we helped you, she'll probably promote me. If her casino manager can't keep her vault safe, then maybe she needs someone more motivated to take that cushy job. So, we got a deal? I'll provide you with all the insider details I have. You and your team all get your ticket to the next level, and I take the remainder. Lachesis credits won't be worth nuthin' on Atropos' levels." Kane held out a hand to shake, but Max hesitated.

"Xavier has a match tonight against Abigail. If we do this, I could use him. Understand?"

"Haw Haw Haw. There it is. I do like you Max, but I don't have any more aces to pull against that British thot. I've yet to get a single player willing to take a fall in a knockout fight. Once again, Lachesis' credits and chips are worthless outside of this level. I'm afraid Xavier will just have to try his best to win on his own."

Kane frowned as Tony and Tommy escorted Max out of the Thieves' Den warren of rooms. As he left, he pulled the room's motes and foglet cloud out with him. Kane felt exposed and even the carefree Candy shivered. Marco groaned and punched the wall, splintering the faux wood paneling.

"Marco! Control yourself. This is my office. You will arrange and pay for da repair of dat wall immediately." Kane barked. Marco slumped and apologized as Kane pressed a button on his desk. Hidden around the room, canisters opened and released a smaller stockpile of backup foglets to reset the room.

"That was super scary, Boss. He stripped my chameleon motes away like I wasn't even there." Candy complained, a pouty face projected on her face plate.

"That's why I suggested the Heist, dear Candy. Max has more to his name than just that interesting piece of novel technology he brought into the Labyrinth. Somehow, his access and control skills are far beyond even the high-level skills of a Master class augmentation system. He-"

Kane stopped himself as he felt a large pressure building. Another presence filled the room with an unyielding burden of authority weighing down upon the androids. He felt the control of the room once again slip from his control as the familiar aura pressed against them. He backed up his memory files and took the initiative to address Lachesis first.

"A timely contact as always, Madam Lachesis. I was just about to initiate contact with you."

"YOU CAN DISPENSE WITH THE THEATRICS, KANE! WHAT HAPPENED? YOU KNOW I DISLIKE MY SYSTEMS BEING BLINDED. IF YOU DID THAT, I'LL PUT YOU BACK IN THE WALLS TO SERVE MY SISTER CLOTHO AS A PASSIVE AI OBSERVER. WHY DID YOU LET THAT PLAYER GO? YOU KNOW I HAVE A BOUNTY OUT AMONGST THE NPCS FOR THE TECH HE IS CARRYING. IT WOULD SATISFY EVEN YOUR PRINCELY RENT FOR A CYCLE OR TWO." The Labyrinth AI's voice boomed and echoed about the room; her anger was on full display.

"That was not me. The Player Max seems to have deeper skills than any I have seen before. He asserted control of my room and its smart matter. There was little I could do to assuage him. However, I laid out a marvelous plan that will bring him into the very bosom of your power. We are planning a heist to empty your vaults." Kane said with growing confidence.

"Kane…you have ten seconds to clarify that treasonous statement. If I don't like your answer, I'll recycle you myself. There's no DAIE down here to save you." Lachesis hissed. Kane hurriedly answered.

"My apologies, overseer Lachesis! I was only trying to best bring the young pup under control. His abilities gave me pause, but I crafted this most excellent plan to ensure you would not lose him or his tech!" Kane said. He flinched as Lachesis' avatar coalesced in the room. Her intense stare made his RAM purge its cycling logic for two seconds. When no digital assault came, he continued.

"I said I would provide him with details to help access the vault. He intends to grab enough Grandmaster chips to ensure his team's access to the next level. However, knowing this, you and your Security Chief can bring the full weight of your NPC forces to restraining him and taking his technology by force if necessary. Even should he escape you; I intend to continue the ruse. If force fails, I and my team of thieves will try other means to take his treasures."

"Seriously, this is for the best. The worst outcome isn't even his accessing the next level. No. Atropos and her deathtrap of a level will guarantee she pillages every detail of his hidden equipment and any changes to his augmentations via his backups. No. The worst outcome would be if another player knocks him out in combat. If he leaves the Labyrinth, then we've all failed the Builders directive." Kane's monologue petered out. Lachesis' visage flickered through many emotions, anger, reflection, desire, and even fear. Finally, she spoke.

"Very well, Kane. You shall continue as you've stated. Just know that once this is over, I'll be certain to reassign you to a new role. What that role is will depend entirely upon the outcome of your questionable plan."

Lachesis' avatar faded and her intense presence withdrew. Kane fell back into his plush leather chair, cursing roundly.