Once we got back — the hoverbike destroyed a lot of grass around our landing site, by the way, which sucked — Alice had returned to her normal self. I could still sense a bit of abnormal dampness to the eyes (she was still a little teary-eyed), but, well, she did flick me on the head. So I figured she was doing better.

And anyways, we were both able to busy ourselves with setting things up to cheer our spirits. Admittedly, I was a lot less technically competent than the fucking gigacorporate heiress I was partnered with, but I was still able to utilize my strength and agility to make data-entry a breeze and make the construction of our new home base easy. Most of the non-metal structures of the autofactory/house/planning center hybrid were printed by Alice's hoverbike printer — it was able to produce quite a few kinds of material, and we quickly jury-rigged the schematics for boards and the like into it — and I took care of the heavier-duty metal stuff. Together, along with some assistance from drones Alice had snuck from the Keizen shell company, we did weeks worth of work in maybe a few hours.

Fucking nice.

The glow of a job well done burned strongly in my chest once we were finished, as I reaped the fruits of my labor by being warm, cozy, and not fucking wet. I was sitting at what I'd tentatively termed the dinner table, but. Well, Alice was already finished with her food, and I wasn't hungry.

I wasn't actually sure if I'd ever be truly in need of food again. Which was sort of a relief, but was also a little scary. Nevertheless, I had no time for existential crises: I was trying to plan our next move!

To be fair, this wasn't really my job. But I figured I'd probably want to do it anyways, and it'd be helpful if Alice asked me for my input. Plus, hey! I'm the one from a near-utopian society! Might as well use that to help make utopia a reality here too. Maybe I should look for some texts from the Revolution. I didn't really think I could like, access the internet? But I could ask Valor to get them for me.

Speaking of Valor, I wasn't quite sure what to do with her information. Ultimately, it was very useful to have a connection to my old world — but, like... is it really okay for me to be contacting her like this? This is the sort of thing that'd break the world's leaders and cause widespread global change, I think. Or a global panic, because a dystopia is a true existential threat to a utopia — especially a capitalist dystopia with what seemed to be massively more advanced combat tech.

I guess I actually hadn't paid attention to our combat tech, though? In the past few years I'd mostly just seen the odd power suit or something, which weren't super effective in wars. We still had like, fighter jets, but they were mostly tooled for aerobatics and fun now. Mostly. But that brought up the question: "How did we revolt without war machines?"

Hm. I'd need to ask Valor about that. Speaking of, I was pretty sure we were in a weird offset timezone deal, so... maybe she was up? Might as well send off a message.

chamberry: valor?

chamberry: you there?

My messages rocketed off into the virtual ether in milliseconds. But it was still what felt like an eternity before Valor responded.

catgirlBrave: Hey! Yeah, I'm here.

catgirlBrave: What's up?

chamberry: a lot honestly

chamberry: like, for one

chamberry: i just finished doing a fucking heist??? like an honest to god "knock out the guards then sneak through the vents", "steal the stuff and then break out" heisting session

chamberry: and like, we got back and did some building and now we have a pretty good shelter/base/factory??? because apparently matter creation tech is a thing here??? and it's somewhat-man portable??? and because we had enough in the tank to fabricate a small fucking house's worth of gear and generators????

chamberry: i dunno theres a fucking lot

chamberry: and i've been thinking y'know, i'm kind of the liaison to a dystopian capitalist hellscape

chamberry: you know

chamberry: like we used to be

chamberry: and that puts me in a weird spot where i should know all the techniques that the Rebellion used and shit?

chamberry: but i can't exactly connect to the internet from here

catgirlBrave: Berry, hey. Buddy.

chamberry: and i wanted to ask if you had any ideas??? and also check in???

catgirlBrave: Dear god

catgirlBrave: Stop fucking typing for a second.

catgirlBrave: Or I guess thinking? I dunno how your typing works.

chamberry: it is like thinking yes you wouldn't believe the self control I'm exhibiting right now

chamberry: *i'm

catgirlBrave: God.

catgirlBrave: It'll be fine, friend.

catgirlBrave: Don't worry.

catgirlBrave: I can link you some documents the Rebellion used. Your job is just to believe, okay? Ultimately, that was the whole mantra of the operation.

catgirlBrave: "Set your eyes upon a brighter tomorrow, no matter how bleak the forecast." That was the motto.

catgirlBrave: The reason the Revolution worked was because it was widespread social change due to a shift in social standing all over the world. The capitalists screwed up, and the workers took advantage. Then the system toppled from there.

catgirlBrave: Before you say anything, a lot of people died.

catgirlBrave: It wasn't bloodless.

catgirlBrave: And what you're going to need to do will probably be much worse.

chamberry: well

chamberry: i'll just have to not let it be worse then right?

catgirlBrave: Loath as I am to admit it, you are thinking in the right direction.

catgirlBrave: Basically, dumb hope can lead to smart hope. You'll have to make that journey on your own, because otherwise it's kind of impossible? But it works.

catgirlBrave: Not for everyone.

catgirlBrave: But, uh, I figure you'll probably be fine.

I snickered. Of course I'd be fine, I had a fucking "glow your eyes!" function.

chamberry: gotcha

chamberry: so should i get to that rn or do u want some time to send the docs asap?

catgirlBrave: If I'm being honest, Berry, I'd just like to talk.

catgirlBrave: Friend-to-friend. It's, uh, been a lot.

catgirlBrave: As I bet you can imagine.

catgirlBrave: So it'd be nice to just... talk. You know? Like we used to.

catgirlBrave: I understand if you need to go of course, don't let me hold you up!

chamberry: no no you're good

chamberry: i think that'd be good probably

chamberry: however

Here it came. The inevitable question.

chamberry: what the fuck do we talk about

catgirlBrave: Ah. Shit.

catgirlBrave: It'll all loop around to the whole cyborg thing for you, won't it?

chamberry: yup

chamberry: and for you it'll probably be your reactions to that

chamberry: Live Valor Reaction

catgirlBrave: Hey, for your information I am CHUFFED that you're getting this experience.

catgirlBrave: Some people would kill to be in your situation.

catgirlBrave: (Wink wink, nudge nudge)

chamberry: if it was possible i'd send a video of myself rolling my eyes and flipping you off right now

chamberry: unfortunately

chamberry: as half a robot ish sort of

chamberry: I CANT ROLL MY SINGULAR EYE

chamberry: so like. just imagine i'm doing that, i guess LOL

catgirlBrave: Heheheh. Will do, Commander Chamberry!

catgirlBrave: Actually, what are you gonna do for flavoring your revolution?

chamberry: huh?

catgirlBrave: Like, what is your aesthetic gonna be.

catgirlBrave: For us it was sort of cyberpunky, sort of dieselpunky. Very much atomic age/soviet era engineering, all sheet metal and shit. Unless it called for another material, we were using that in our operations.

catgirlBrave: Uh, from what I could read online I mean.

chamberry: yeye i gotcha

chamberry: honestly i dunno?

chamberry: like, i figure it'd probably be something similar? i don't wanna reinvent the wheel

chamberry: but at the same time i also kind of wonder what i can do with all this

catgirlBrave: Oh my god.

chamberry: [failed] i don't like the tone of your voice young lady

catgirlBrave: Shut the up fuck, Berry.

catgirlBrave: What if you styled your aesthetic after like, mecha anime?

catgirlBrave: Not all mecha-anime, obviously, but the same kind of shit. Bright colors! Flashy lights!

catgirlBrave: If you want to inspire the same kind of change in the world, you need to become a symbol beyond a superhero. That means making people want to believe in you.

catgirlBrave: You need to provide the hope that life has beat out of everyone.

catgirlBrave: So make it all flashy! Act and sound stupid but do it knowingly, play off it to make all your fights an act and all your acts the world's play.

catgirlBrave: Or something.

chamberry: kind of ironic that i'm supposed to provide hope when i so chronically suffer from terminal no hope syndrome

catgirlBrave: I don't feel like I can fight anymore.

catgirlBrave: I haven't for fucking years, Berry.

catgirlBrave: But I'm still making you feel something, aren't I?

chamberry: yeah

catgirlBrave: That was a rhetorical. Damn you and your mental fingers.

catgirlBrave: But you get the idea. You just need it to be real to them.

catgirlBrave: Maybe eventually you'll find what you're faking.

chamberry: god

chamberry: the title for "most campy/edgy person seen in the past day" goes to you alone, valor

chamberry: and *I* said "It'll make it just a little more real, because you'll have someone believing in you!" to Alice a few hours ago, so you know that's a fucking feat to be proud of

catgirlBrave: Damn.

catgirlBrave: Down bad.

chamberry: Shut the up fuck, Valor!

chamberry: *shut the up fuck, valor!

catgirlBrave: No.

chamberry: darnit

chamberry: defeated once again

catgirlBrave: Get fucked.

catgirlBrave: But also yeah

catgirlBrave: You'll figure it out, Berry.

catgirlBrave: I'll send over some stuff. And, uh, some more private things. You can't let slip that I leaked them to you, okay?

chamberry: is it nsfw

catgirlBrave: No it's not nudes.

catgirlBrave: Close enough. Not NSFW either

catgirlBrave: Get your god damned mind out the GUTTER, Berry! You're supposed to be a symbol for the PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

chamberry: ha, ha

chamberry: what is it gonna be if you dont mind me asking

catgirlBrave: Uh

catgirlBrave: Mech blueprints. Er, more specifically, it's gonna be blueprints for some more stealthy mechs that we'd made.

catgirlBrave: We being a theoretical we. Don't ask.

chamberry: isn't it supposed to be me who's the robot?

chamberry: for SHAME, valor

chamberry: stealing my trademark

chamberry: you won't get away with this, foul villein!

chamberry: i, Chamber the

chamberry: uhhhhh

chamberry: sonorious?

catgirlBrave: Please.

catgirlBrave: I'm being serious.

catgirlBrave: Dead serious, like... genuinely.

catgirlBrave: I don't want to talk about it.

chamberry: shit, sorry

I made a directed effort to pause and wait for a response before proceeding.

chamberry: i won't joke about it

chamberry: are you doing okay?

catgirlBrave: I'll be fine.

catgirlBrave: You need help more than I will.

chamberry: do you have a therapist at least

catgirlBrave: Not planning on it. Too busy helping your sorry ass.

chamberry: talk to lavie at least

chamberry: she's trustworthy

chamberry: i really value what you do for me valor

chamberry: and also that you're like, a person who i'm friends with

chamberry: it means a ton that you care

catgirlBrave: Yeah, yeah. Sap.

chamberry: actually more of a juice, honestly

chamberry: fruit and all

chamberry: but really im being serious right now

chamberry: you mean a lot to me

catgirlBrave: Yeah. You too.

catgirlBrave: Here's a doc full of Revolution teachings. It's a little propaganda-y, but it'll work. I'm gonna head to bed for a bit, okay?

catgirlBrave: You're a good friend. See you later!

chamberry: seeya!

Valor sent over the document, and I started skimming it absently. I hoped she was doing okay. I hadn't asked a lot about her past. On purpose.

She was a good person. I knew that much, and that much was more than enough for me — good people were rare, as far as I knew. If she didn't want to talk about her past? That was between her and whoever lived up above, as far as I was concerned. It didn't really matter.

But... didn't it? It was hurting her. I didn't want to intrude, but...

...there was a chance it would be the safer option.

Fuck. I can't be making hard decisions like this right now! It was too early in my revolution career! Wasn't this the sort of thing I'd be doing later — like, a bad guy would go, "Ehehehehehee! Save the cute lady or horribly mutilate the villain! What a moral conundrum!" and I'd respond with "Egad! What a moral conundrum, which I will solve by punching you in the face!"? Or was it a constant? Was the hard decision archetypical, and not the superhero? 

Fuck, I dunno. I sighed to myself. I'd just be open with her about it. I'd say I was being concerned, flat out, and we'd see what would happen from there. I hoped she would be truthful, but honestly? Who knew. It was up to whether we could trust each other subconsciously, I guessed.

Heh. At least I was a little self-aware, as opposed to like... most superheroes. God, the amount of plots I'd seen that would have been solved by simply not being a total fucking moron...

Well! I resolved to simply not be a total fucking moron, unless the situation called for it. Like Valor said: sometimes, it was endearing to see a moron go up against unstoppable odds. All I'd need to do was win, and the world's eyes would be on me. Becoming a symbol in one, two, three! Heheeee.

As the dumb giggly smile slowly faded from my face, and I sunk a little bit back into the gray fuzz of my life, I got up from my seat. Even if I wasn't hungry, I could make myself some food. And we'd gotten a few things stocked in the pantry — Alice had thieved matter projectors? Well, I'd stolen some instant oatmeal. Who was really coming out on top here?