Zoey Arc Chapter 9 - The Plan

A few days had passed since Zoey and Etrius had learned about the strange “upgrades” that were being planned for her and the Titan Vulpes suit. They had spent those days in deep analysis, poring over every scrap of data they could find. It didn’t take long before Zoey had a realization—an unsettling one.

Sitting in her APC, Zoey rubbed her chin thoughtfully, staring at the holographic projection floating above her wrist. It displayed the biometric readouts the aliens had collected on her. She’d been through these files dozens of times by now, and one thing kept bothering her.

"Kitty, look at this again." She pinged Etrius, who had been running diagnostics on his own equipment nearby.

"What is it?" Etrius’s low voice crackled over the comm as he walked over to her. His sharp green eyes flicked toward the data, scanning the same biometrics he had already seen before.

Zoey pointed to the section on her vitals and body composition. "They think I’ve still got my real arms, that I’ve still got my fox tail. These freaks don’t even know I’ve upgraded myself."

Etrius furrowed his brow, his gaze hardening. "That’s… strange. They’re obviously keeping tabs on you through the suit. The biometric data is all here—heart rate, blood pressure—but none of it mentions your prosthetics."

"Exactly." Zoey snapped her fingers. "This isn’t recent data. This has to be old, really old. They don’t even know about my horns, my tongue—hell, they don’t even know about my tail being replaced."

Etrius considered that for a moment. "The suit's biometrics wouldn’t account for your mechanical arms or anything non-biological. The Vulpes Titan only measures things it can connect to." He glanced at Zoey's arms, then back at the display. "Your prosthetics are off the grid as far as the suit is concerned."

Zoey’s expression darkened. "Which means the aliens only know about the fox I was when I first found this thing. They’ve got no clue what’s happened since."

She looked over at Etrius, her eyes sharp. "You know where that leaves us, don’t you?"

Etrius nodded slowly, his mind already connecting the dots. "Manhattan. You found the suit in that abandoned research facility after you escaped the Nazi lab."

Zoey stood up, pacing the length of the APC, her heavy boots thudding against the metal floor. "Yeah, that’s right. It’s been years since I even thought about that place. I didn’t exactly hang around for tea when I found the suit. I just grabbed it and ran."

She stopped pacing and slammed her fist into her palm. "But there’s only one other place that would have detailed biometric data on me—the Nazi research facility where I was created." Her lips curled into a grimace. "Which means someone’s been digging through the ruins, and they didn’t count on me having new limbs and new tricks."

Etrius leaned back, crossing his massive arms. "You said in the past the facility was bombed, but if they missed the underground sections, it makes sense. Especially since your earlier escape wouldn’t have destroyed their databases."

Zoey smirked, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Oh, we’re going back to Manhattan, Kitty. And when we find out who’s been snooping through my past, we’re gonna go to Germany and finish what was started."

"But if they have the old data…" Etrius’s voice trailed off, thinking aloud, "...they probably don’t know what those American scientists did to you after your escape or how you’ve changed since. That could be our advantage."

"Exactly!" Zoey snapped her fingers, her excitement growing. "I can use that. They don’t know what I’ve become. They think they’re messing with the fox I was back then." She leaned forward, her voice a low growl. "But they’ve got no clue they’re dealing with a whole new monster."

Zoey’s mind raced with possibilities. The Titan Vulpes suit had been a game-changer when she found it in the ruins of Manhattan—a perfect fit for her then. But now, with the alien crystal potentially acting as a conduit for whatever intelligence was behind this plot, she needed to understand more about the suit’s origins. 

She thought back to the technical data she had read about the armor​—how it had been powered by that ominous red crystal found in a desert impact site. Whatever the crystal’s real purpose was, it had powered her suit and kept it running through every insane battle she’d thrown herself into.

Etrius frowned. "You think the crystal’s been transmitting data ever since you found the suit?"

"Maybe," Zoey admitted, folding her arms. "It’s possible that’s how they’ve been getting this info. The suit was hooked into that military research facility, powering it off-grid with energy to spare. When I grabbed it, I didn’t exactly stop to see if it had any trackers. It just… fit."

Etrius nodded slowly. "We need to return to Manhattan, Zoey. We need to go back to where this all started. If the aliens are relying on old data, we can use that to our advantage. But we also need to figure out exactly what that crystal’s been transmitting—and to whom."

Zoey’s grin returned, full of dangerous anticipation. "Manhattan, huh? I’m overdue for a trip down memory lane anyway."

Zoey’s fingers tapped on her mechanical arms, the clinking of metal echoing through the APC. Her mind was sharp, her rage focused. The Nazis had created her, tried to break her, and now, some alien force was using her past to try to manipulate her. She wasn’t going to let that slide.

"We’re heading to Manhattan," Zoey declared, fire in her eyes. "And when we find out who’s been digging through my past, we’re gonna tear them apart, piece by piece."

-----

Zoey backed the massive Mantis APC into a tight parking spot outside a run-down grocery store. Despite her frustration at the cramped lot, the APC’s sheer size and military modifications allowed her to shove her way in without much concern for scratching paint. She’d already lost count of how many angry honks and yells she ignored in Sigma City’s crowded streets.

Jumping out of the APC, she adjusted her jacket and swiped her finger along the edge of her tail, the spaded tip swishing irritably behind her as she glanced back at the vehicle, still taking up two spots. The grocery store's neon sign flickered above her. It didn’t matter. She'd gotten a decent haul of dry goods: trail mix, instant ramen, canned meats, water, and coffee—enough to fill the vehicle's pantry.

As she finished loading up the last of the supplies into the cramped storage, Zoey glanced up toward the distant skyline where Etrius's condo sat. She climbed back into the driver's seat, muttering to herself. "Better not scratch my damn paint with all that fancy gear of his."

The drive to Etrius’s was relatively quiet, though navigating Sigma City’s congested roads with an APC was never a smooth ride. It took nearly an hour before she pulled up in front of his place. Etrius’s building stood tall amidst the aging urban sprawl, just like he did against a crowd. Zoey leaned back in her seat and honked the horn twice, loud enough to echo through the block.

Within a few minutes, Etrius emerged from the building, his large frame casting an imposing shadow on the pavement. He was hauling a couple of cases and what seemed like literal buckets of ammunition. Zoey squinted as she watched him wrestle the gear into the APC.

"Need help with that, big guy?" she called out, leaning on the steering wheel, smirking.

Etrius grunted as he shoved the last of the crates into the cargo hold. “Got it. Your tank could use a bigger loading ramp.”

Zoey chuckled. “My Mantis does its job. Let’s see your supercar do half this work.”

“Yeah, and if I scratch my Famdorchini, I’ll have a heart attack,” Etrius shot back, making his way to the stowage compartment to drop off his survival uniform. The black-lacquered asbestos fabric made a faint rustling sound as he folded the cloak, its double layers still heavy with memories of his time in the Burning Mine beneath St. Petersburg. He brushed his hands along the fabric, pausing for a moment as if recalling every battle fought in that cursed underground maze.

“I haven’t seen that thing since we met,” Zoey said from behind him, her voice softer now. "You're really planning on using it?"

Etrius nodded, his gaze lingering on the outfit. “If those blueprints are real… if there are people watching us, we can’t take chances. And I don’t know what the hell’s waiting for us in Manhattan. This thing kept me alive through a literal firestorm, so it comes with us.”

Zoey didn’t argue. She knew better than to question him when he got like this—focused, determined. Besides, she had her own reservations about what they were walking into. Aliens. Stalkers. Outdated blueprints that didn’t even account for the parts of her body that weren’t hers anymore.

She stood beside Etrius, glancing back at the APC. “I’m taking the core out of the suit,” she said quietly, almost hesitantly.

He raised an eyebrow, watching as Zoey made her way to the rear compartment where the Vulpes Titan was stored. She opened the large, locker-like cubby on the rear of the APC and accessed the suit’s power system. Her hands hesitated over the power core, the bright, pulsating glow of the alien crystal casting eerie shadows across the metallic interior.

“You sure that’s a good idea? Without it, that thing’s just dead weight,” Etrius pointed out.

“Yeah, and if someone’s tracking us using this thing, it’s even worse to have it running. I’ll put it in a Faraday cage.” Zoey’s fingers danced over the core, and with a soft click, she disconnected it, the suit dimming into an inert hunk of metal and synthetic fibers.

She carried the core to the front of the APC where she had rigged a makeshift Faraday cage, layering mesh and lead plates around the core before securing it in place. “Better safe than sorry,” she muttered, locking it down.

Etrius glanced at her, his green eyes intense as ever. “You think they’re still watching us? Even after all this time?”

Zoey shrugged, her expression hardening. “I don’t know. But if they’ve had eyes on me this long, they sure as hell aren’t doing it just for fun. Whatever we find in Manhattan, it’s gonna be important. Or dangerous. Probably both.”

Etrius slid into the APC’s passenger seat, leaning back. “Manhattan... haven’t been there since it burned. You think that lab’s still intact?”

“If it survived the initial attack, it'll still be there,” Zoey replied, firing up the APC’s engine. The low rumble vibrated through the vehicle as she maneuvered it back onto the road. “That place was deep underground. And besides, if anything in Manhattan is still standing, it's gonna be the one place I don’t want to go back to.”

Etrius smirked, glancing out the window as the dense urban sprawl of Sigma City disappeared in the distance, replaced by the barren wastelands leading to the ruins of Manhattan. “Good thing we’re going then.”

The journey ahead was long, and the quiet tension in the APC grew heavier with each passing mile.

----

The hum of the APC’s engine was steady, punctuated only by the rhythmic clink of metal as Zoey adjusted the auxiliary controls from her seat. Hours into their journey, the barren nuclear desert sprawled endlessly in front of them. Etrius glanced at the console screen and frowned.

“Got a question,” he began, leaning back in his seat. “How’re we gonna refuel this thing? Range is what, twelve hundred miles? We’re still a long way out.”

Zoey glanced at him, smirking slightly as she flicked on the automated systems. “We’ve got solar panels. Just stop for a day and let ‘em recharge the battery.”

“Uh-huh,” Etrius deadpanned, staring out at the flat wasteland. “You’re forgetting about the sandstorms. Frequent in nuclear deserts. Solar panels aren’t gonna do us much good if they’re caked in dust.”

Zoey shrugged, unfazed. “We’ll figure it out. Besides, there are settlements out here. Some of them probably have fuel. The Mantis can run on low-grade if we need it.”

Etrius grunted in response, though his mind still lingered on the possibility of running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere. But for now, the APC cruised on, the landscape slipping by like a monotonous, sun-scorched canvas.

After a while, Zoey activated her playlist, filling the APC with the sounds of prewar heavy metal. Rammstein blared through the speakers, and to Etrius’s surprise, Zoey began to sing along. Her voice was strong and clear, harmonizing effortlessly with the music, her accent carrying the German lyrics in a way that added even more intensity to the already heavy tracks.

"Du hast mich gefragt und ich hab' nichts gesagt."

Etrius blinked, momentarily taken aback. “I’ve never heard you sing before.”

Zoey froze for a second, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. “Yeah, well… I don’t usually sing when other people are around,” she muttered, turning the volume down slightly.

Etrius chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t be shy. You’re good at it.”

Zoey only grumbled in response, turning her attention back to the road as the music continued to play.

The first eight hours passed uneventfully, the APC’s tires crunching over the cracked, barren earth. Eventually, Zoey sighed and pulled the Mantis to a halt, stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders. “Alright, your turn to drive,” she said, pushing the door open. “I’ll take a break.”

Just as she started to move, a sharp alarm cut through the cabin. Etrius leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as the sensors picked up a group of fast-moving objects on the radar.

“Drones,” he muttered, his voice hardening.

Zoey tensed, quickly reconnecting to the remote turret’s interface. She recognized the shapes—the same type of drones they’d encountered during their initial contract in Sigma City’s weapons facility. But something about these felt off. The sensors displayed an unusual energy signature.

“The same signature as the facility,” Zoey said, her eyes narrowing. “And the same as the power core in the Vulpes Titan.”

Without hesitation, Zoey took control of the turret, and within moments, the APC roared to life, barreling forward as Etrius took the wheel. She fired quickly, taking out two drones with pinpoint precision, but one managed to break through her defenses, smashing into one of the solar panels and exploding. Zoey’s lips curled in frustration.

“Son of a bitch!" Her temper flared as she grabbed her PTRS-41 from the rear compartment. Without waiting for Etrius to react, she climbed through the roof hatch and aimed at the remaining drone herself. Each shot rang out like thunder, and none of them missed. The final drone exploded into a shower of metal fragments.

“Turn around,” Zoey growled, dropping back down into the cabin. “We’re checking out the wrecks.”

Etrius complied without a word, knowing it would be unwise to disobey Zoey when she was angry like this. As they stepped out to investigate, Zoey carefully approached the drone remains, kneeling beside a twisted chunk of metal. The explosion had vaporized most of the debris, but one thing caught her eye.

“These drones…” she muttered, pulling out a small, pulsating crystal the size of a pear from the wreckage. “They’ve got power cores. Smaller versions of the one in my suit.”

Etrius glanced over as she held it up. “Weird…”

“Yeah,” Zoey said grimly, her eyes narrowing. “But this one’s intact. I’m taking it. Maybe I can rig it to charge the Mantis.”

She carefully tucked the core into the Faraday cage alongside the larger one from her suit, securing it tightly. Despite her precautions, she still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

“They’re still tracking us,” Zoey muttered as she returned to the cabin. “Even with the core in the Faraday cage.”

Etrius glanced at her, thoughtful. “Might be sending out high-frequency signals. Stuff that can get through protective boxes like that. Especially if they’re using alien tech.”

Zoey sighed, laying back against the seat, clearly exhausted. She fumbled for her meds and swallowed a couple of pills, her eyelids growing heavy. “Fuck this. Wake me up if anything happens,” she murmured before drifting off into a deep sleep.

Hours passed quietly, the hum of the engine blending with the soft sound of music as Etrius continued driving. He had switched the playlist to some modern nu-metal, the heavy riffs filling the space. Among the tracks was an old song by Linkin Park—Lost.

To his surprise, as the song started, Zoey stirred, groggily singing along to the familiar tune. Her voice was softer this time, still carrying that same haunting melody. Etrius smiled to himself, admiring her voice for the second time that day.

"Just a scar somewhere down inside of me, something I cannot repair

Even though it will always be, I pretend it isn't there

I'm trapped in yesterday, where the pain is all I know."

Zoey began to tear up as the pre-chorus began. Etrius figured that this song might have actual meaning to Zoey, as it summed up a lot of her suffering quite well. Etrius just liked the meoldy, but in this moment, he also appreciated the lyrics.

They swapped seats again after Zoey woke up, and as she took the wheel, Etrius leaned back in the passenger seat, closing his eyes. It wasn’t long before he drifted off, the APC continuing its steady course through the vast, endless desert.

Etrius awoke to the silence of the cabin, only the soft hum of the APC’s systems accompanying him. Groggily, he rubbed his eyes and glanced around, noting the vehicle was stationary. Zoey wasn’t in the cabin, and as he stretched and stood up, he could hear the unmistakable clink of metal and muffled swearing coming from outside.

Curious, he stepped out of the APC, squinting against the harsh sunlight. Zoey was halfway under the vehicle, buried in a tangle of wires, her tail twitching with frustration. Etrius could see her arms moving furiously, trying to rig something together beneath the armored beast.

“What are you doing?” he asked, moving closer.

Zoey didn’t bother looking at him, her voice sharp with irritation. “Fuck off. Busy.”

Etrius raised an eyebrow, unsurprised, and decided to leave her to her work. He wandered away from the APC, mindlessly pacing in a wide perimeter, just as he used to do during his human days in the US military. The endless wasteland stretched around him, but his mind was far from the barren landscape, drifting into old memories of patrols, training, and the faces of long-gone friends.

After a while, he made his way back to the APC. Zoey was still under the vehicle, bolting the heavy armored panel back into place. One hand held an impact driver, the other effortlessly supporting the several-ton slab of metal as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

As she slid out from underneath the APC, Etrius greeted her with a grin. “Looks like you’ve got it handled.”

Zoey shot him a glare, clearly in no mood for banter. She wiped her hands on her pants before heading straight for the Faraday cage, pulling out the small power core she had salvaged from the drone. With a cautious expression, she moved to the Vulpes Titan suit, inserting the core. The suit hummed to life, though it sounded weak, strained, and sad, as if struggling under the weight of the smaller core’s limitations. The APC’s battery charger, drawing power from the core, drained it even further.

Zoey sighed, unsatisfied with the results but unwilling to give up. She pulled the larger power core out and placed it into a Pelicase lined with mesh and lead plating, carefully sealing it away between the legs of the Titan suit. As Etrius watched, he noticed how the Titan suit’s storage compartment was now reinforced with electromagnetic shielding. Every detail in the design told a story of meticulous, impromptu planning and resourcefulness, something Zoey excelled at.

“So,” Etrius asked again once she seemed to be finished. “What are you up to?”

Zoey’s eyes flicked up, her annoyance evident. “I rigged the smaller power core to the battery charger. We’ll save the rest of the fuel for when we really need it. I don’t know how to make a power distributor for the suit yet, so I had to improvise.”

Etrius glanced at the power monitor on the APC’s main console. The batteries were charging faster than expected, with the system even limiting the amount of current flowing into them to avoid overload. It was working, even if it wasn’t perfect.

Zoey nodded toward the console. “That means we can run on the electric motors for a while and still have the batteries charge up.”

With the repairs and improvisations complete, they got moving again. Zoey, clearly exhausted, collapsed onto the small bed in the back, quickly falling asleep. Etrius took the wheel, the hum of the electric motors and the faint thrum of energy flowing into the APC’s systems filling the quiet.

As the hours passed and the wasteland stretched endlessly ahead of him, Etrius’s thoughts began to wander. The facility they were heading toward—it would certainly contain more blueprints for the armor, maybe even enough to build a proper power distributor. If they could find enough crystals, they could power the Mantis, the Vulpes Titan, everything.

But more than that, his mind lingered on Zoey. He knew she was way smarter than him. He wasn't dumb, but she was a genuine genius. She was sharper, more intuitive. Yet so much of that intelligence was hindered by the pain she carried, the scars of her trauma, and the vices she clung to in order to cope. It hurt him to think about it, and as the APC cruised forward, he silently made a pledge to himself: he would protect her at all costs. Even if it meant his life.

Etrius had already fulfilled his greatest purpose. Ravenna’s tyranny had ended, and with it, the weight of his mission. His life now was simple—contracts, luxury, and idle days spent in the penthouse of his condo playing whatever new videogame was popular. He drove one of the fastest Italian cars on the planet, his only real concern was boredom.

But Zoey… Zoey lived every waking moment in torment. Her existence was one of pain and suffering, thrust upon her by forces beyond her control. Fifty-five years of life, and her purpose was only now beginning to unfold. It wasn’t fair, he thought, feeling a heavy ache settle in his chest. She deserved more—so much more.

Etrius, for all his years and the events he had witnessed, still felt like he was in his forties. His body, chimeric and altered, had extended his lifespan far beyond what he’d imagined. But Zoey… she had never even asked to exist in the first place.

The hours stretched on, the APC’s engine humming steadily as Etrius’s mind churned through his thoughts—his past, Zoey’s past, and the uncertain future they both faced. Part of him wished he had met her earlier, maybe when she needed someone the most. He had done everything he could to care for her without suffocating her, but still, it didn’t seem to be enough. She didn’t feel valued, and that cut him deeper than anything else.

Etrius’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, lost in thought as the APC rumbled onward through the desolate wasteland.