Talia blinked as she slowly woke up. Everything felt stiff, and a blinking icon on her HUD informed her she’d been dosed with a small amount of non-sedative painkillers. That was probably for the best, even if she hadn’t asked for it.

The cave was still dark, but the bioluminescent plants were dimmed down to a soft hue. Her suit’s internal clock said she’d slept for over four hours.

“Neo, status report.”

[Informative: Fabrication process completed.]

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

[Notice: User was approaching exhaustion limit due to extreme activity and stressors. Well-being was prioritized. No detection of alien fauna has occurred during User sleep cycle.]

Neo’s voice seemed to echo within her helmet. She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes, only to bonk her gauntlet on her helmet. Ugh. She felt slightly better, but it also came with the feeling of being completely nasty inside her suit. It had plumbing and cleaning down below that was unintrusive and very efficient. But it wasn't the same as a shower.

With the exo-skeleton done, setting up a survival base was now top priority.

She sat down on the crate and looked over the fabricator’s status screen.

| Exoskeleton Upgrade |

| Status: Complete |

A blinking green square begged to be pressed. She complied and the fabricator’s tabletop slid open, allowing the internals of the machine to rise and present to her a black half-meter sized cube.

“Neo, what’s this?” Talia asked.

[Notice: Activating suit upgrade module requires User to deploy cube on ground then step on the indicated position. Upgrade will complete automatically.]

The top of the cube had a small display. It beeped in response to her touch and turned green while the screen reported it was compatible with the version of her suit. That there were options that might not be compatible upset her for some reason, but she’d have to leave that up to Neo.

The icon on the cube showed an image of a survival suit with the human-sized exoskeleton frame integrated into it. It was segmented, with hydraulics supporting each limb. There were a ton of extra panels and plates supporting it all and would definitely add bulkiness and a lot of weight. It was going to make her look like a walking tank.

She carefully picked up the exoskeleton upgrade and placed it on the ground. The cube instantly unfolded, revealing a flat platform with human-shaped footprints etched into its surface.

“Looks like I just step in?” Talia eyed the outlined shape on the platform before cautiously complying with the instruction.

The moment her boots touched down, several beams of light emitted from the edge of the platform and began to scan her body from top to bottom. It was a peculiar sensation, not uncomfortable but rather like being lightly brushed by soft feathers.

As quickly as they appeared, though, they vanished. Then came another set of laser lights, these growing intense and narrower as they waved back and forth across her form.

Two arms began to rise to either side of her, acting as poles for them to bounce off of as the spinning began to accelerate around her feet. It felt like she was in the middle of a mild tornado.

With each pass of the lasers, segments of exoskeleton materialized onto her spacesuit; starting from her boots and gradually working their way up to encase the rest of her suit with new parts.

[Notice: Suit upgrade process complete. It is now safe to step out of the upgrade module. The inert module can now be recycled to reclaim several units of Durasteel.]

Talia flexed experimentally and found that the suit didn’t hinder her movement like she had feared it would. Her first step off the platform felt much lighter than she expected, considering how much bulk and metal had been added to her suit. Standing felt effortless.

“This is great.” She took a little hop, but nearly reached the cave’s ceiling.

[Warning: Exaggerated User motions could pose a hazard until familiarization is completed.]

Talia giggled, slightly giddy with the feeling of being super strong. She unholstered her multi-tool and recycled the module before turning to the fabricator. It only took a few minutes for it to pack itself back up, and then she reloaded the cargo crate with her scattered equipment.

It was so easy. She marveled at how light everything felt. She’d struggled to drag the items out before, and now it wasn’t even something she’d need to think about.

The battpack was last. She replaced her used batteries with the few fully charged ones remaining.

She grabbed the crate using its two handles and lifted. The heft of it was impressive, but it was still within her suit’s new capabilities. She marveled at how she could walk with it, despite its bulk. She didn’t like the idea of having to carry the bulky thing back, though.

[Recommendation: A suit cargo hook is available on User’s back torso. A compatible mounting is present on crate side panel.]

Talia set the crate down and checked. Sure enough, there was a connector there. She hadn’t checked the back of her suit recently, but if Neo said it was compatible, she believed him. It was a bit awkward bending down and connecting, but when she got near enough, the magnetic attachment point yanked her into the socket with a snap.

[Notice: Crate has been safely secured onto Exoskeleton’s auxiliary cargo holder.]

“Sheesh. Warn a girl.” Talia mumbled before regaining her feet. She rotated several times, getting used to the new balance. Even the exoskeleton couldn’t hide it completely, but she felt more like an armored vehicle. If she doubled the crate, she wouldn’t feel any surprise at being able to handle that as well.

“It’s like a heavy backpack.” She mused after taking a few steps. With everything packed and ready for departure, she took one last look around the area that had been her temporary refuge. It was still lit by the few remaining rocks she’d skipped, but she was ready to go.

There was just one thing to do first. She headed the short distance deeper into her barricade, then pointed her survival tool at the hole she had made in it. Deconstruction mode made short work of a large chunk of it, one that she was sure that one or two of the spider aliens could fit through.

“There you guys go. Can’t say I enjoyed the stay, but thanks for your stuff and please don’t try to rob me again.” Talia mused aloud before stepping back and turning toward the cave entrance. There was no more reason to linger. Every instinct she had was telling her it was time to move on.

Blue arrows appeared on her HUD, and she gave Neo a silent thanks for the direction, even if she was familiar with the cave’s terrain, having navigated it several times already.

As she emerged from the mouth of the cave, she paused to stare at the jungle tree that she’d chopped down. Thousands of the glow-bugs had landed on its trunk and were waving their little wings. Some other type of insect was present in force as well, millions of the tiny things crawling all along the tree’s bark where it touched the ground.

The light from above had disappeared as well, the other tree branches having grown to stretch and cover the gap. It seemed like the jungle had not enjoyed the wound she had inflicted upon it and was working hard to cover up her intrusion.

She pointed her multi-tool at the bugs on the ground and scanned the new bugs, sending them scuttling around the light in a frenzy.

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +20 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Balance: 1000 |

That was the most investigation she wanted to do on the phenomenon, considering the glow-bug accident and whatever the crawly bug could probably do. A helpful blue arrow pointed her in the direction of the desert and her pod.

“Alright Neo, Let’s get moving,” she said aloud. Almost immediately, it was apparent that the jungle had reasserted itself and removed any trace of the crate’s journey through it. Plants had grown, plants had been eaten…by what, she had no idea.

Along the way, she spotted multiple plants and rocks of different types she hadn’t seen before and scanned them for the small amounts of points they each gave. Each little happy ding filled her with a small bit of satisfaction.

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +30 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +20 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +10 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +20 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Value: +15 |

| Cortex Inc. Credit Balance: 1095 |

Each step felt surprisingly easier than ever, despite carrying the heavy crate on her back. A new sort of confidence filled her as she made progress, right up until she reached the point where the jungle edge was and came to an abrupt stop.

“Uhh, Neo? Where is the tunnel through the thick part?” Talia whispered.

[Informative: Location matches User ingress point for jungle infiltration. It appears that the tunnel has regrown and sealed itself.]