November 3, 2066
Alex Mitchell (Volkov) POV
Over the past few months, I had finally completed the first prototype of my combat suit. Using it as a base, I developed a second, more refined version. For the stress test, I planned to take it to the Bakkers' camp — far from prying eyes. I had already given the nomad clan a heads-up about my visit and let John know the main reason I was coming. Initially, I had intended to travel with just my aunt, but, unsurprisingly, Kiwi decided to tag along as well. Vega, on the other hand, stayed behind to watch over the house along with Lucy and Roxy.
When we arrived at the camp, a small procession of nomads greeted us, led by none other than Rachel, who came sprinting ahead of the others. Judging by her excitement, she had probably been chattering non-stop to her mother about seeing her big brother again. I wasn't the least bit surprised, so I simply spread my arms wide, ready to catch my self-proclaimed little sister.
"Big bro Alex!" Rachel launched herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck, making it painfully clear just how much she had missed me.
"Sorry, she's been practically bouncing off the walls ever since she heard you were coming," Sue said with an amused smile, though her gaze quickly shifted to the woman standing beside me. Her curiosity was evident as she studied Michiko, suspicion creeping into her expression.
"Kid, who's this?" she asked, giving my aunt a once-over.
"Michiko Sanderson," I announced, making sure everyone could hear. "She's my biological aunt."
The moment those words left my mouth, the entire camp fell silent. Eyes darted toward Michiko, sizing her up with newfound curiosity. I couldn't help but wonder how they would have reacted if they knew her maiden name.
"Well, now… that's interesting," Sue muttered, crossing her arms.
"I want to sincerely thank you all for taking care of my nephew," Michiko said, bowing deeply, her gaze respectfully lowered to the ground.
"Ahem, no need for that," Sue waved a hand, clearly uncomfortable with the formal gesture. I hadn't expected anyone to fluster her so easily — or so quickly.
"Alex," John interjected, raising an eyebrow, "I'm guessing you didn't come all this way just for a social visit. You've got something you want to test away from the public eye, don't you?"
"Pretty much," I admitted, stepping over to my vehicle's trailer. I had to buy one just to transport my suits here — there was only enough space in the car for one at a time, and making multiple trips back and forth? Yeah, no thanks.
"I need to run some field tests on my armor and collect practical data for fine-tuning," I explained before turning to one of the guys standing nearby. "V, you up for helping me out?"
"Me?" The guy looked genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, you," I confirmed, crossing my arms. "I need another test pilot, and you're the best choice. You've already got experience handling power armor — even if it wasn't as technologically advanced as this one."
"And what exactly are you dragging my son into?" John asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"Into saving our asses from a potential nuclear war in the NUSA."
"Why am I not even surprised?" O'Brian sighed, rolling his eyes toward the sky as if searching for divine patience.
"I don't exactly have many options," I admitted. "Vincent hasn't installed any implants yet, which is a key factor in operating the suit."
"Ah, I see," John muttered, thoughtfully scratching his stubbled chin. "Alright, do whatever the hell you think is necessary — not like anyone here actually listens to me anyway." He waved a hand in resignation, letting out a weary sigh.
Apparently, someone had built up an immunity to my antics over time. Not that I blamed him — it would've been strange if no one in the camp had developed some level of resistance after all the stunts I'd pulled here.
"So, kid," Rick chimed in, tapping the helmet of the suit with a curious expression. "What exactly makes your new toys different from the 'Nomad Striders'?"
"Everything," I said with a smirk. "Starting with flight capability and ending with a built-in arsenal featuring high-powered lasers and repulsor cannons."
Rick blinked. "I thought that kind of shit only existed in comic books."
"Guess it's time to prove fiction wrong," I said, stepping toward the armor.
"Alright," I exhaled, flexing my fingers. "Let's put these babies to the test…"
***
"V, how's your comms? Do you read me?" I called out to the guy who had climbed into the suit about a minute ago.
"Loud and clear," Vincent responded. A small green arrow appeared on my tactical mini-map, marking his position. The idea for these markers came straight from mini-games — why reinvent the wheel when someone had already done the hard work for you?
"In that case, activate the repulsors on your legs and slowly lift off. Once you can hover steadily at a low altitude, engage the mimicry system. You wouldn't want to attract unnecessary attention, right?"
"Yeah, that's the last thing I need," Vincent chuckled before focusing on his first attempt to stay airborne.
Technically, I only needed a suit for V — I could run additional tests in a VR environment later. But who was I kidding? I wanted to try it myself, so I brought both suits.
After a few hours of flying and shooting at sand dunes, we finally called it a day. Unfortunately, the suits still didn't meet even half of my performance expectations, meaning I had a long road of refinement ahead. But the first issue I needed to solve was transportation. The armor was too cumbersome to carry around easily, which meant I needed a way to make it more portable.
Two ideas immediately came to mind — one relatively simple, the other far more complex and nearly impossible to execute without serious resources.
The first option: a transformable armor system — something compact that could be carried like a backpack or duffel bag and deployed when needed. It would draw less attention, but the increased number of moving parts would inevitably reduce its overall defensive capabilities.
The second option? Nanotechnology.
Nanomachines had been actively used for decades across multiple industries, from medicine to bio-implant manufacturing. In fact, I still had a small colony of them inside me, though they were currently in a dormant, hibernation-like state. They were too small for my body to reject or even notice, but the real problem was control.
Previously, my colony had been managed by a computational processor embedded in my spine and skull — but that hardware was long gone.
Technically, I could try studying Vega's old nanofabrication unit…
The moment the idea formed in my head, I was hooked. Nanomachines were a game-changer, and if I could harness them properly, my combat potential would skyrocket.
Right now, my body alone wasn't enough to stand toe-to-toe with a corporate spec-ops team. Sure, the power suit shifted the equation — but lugging around a massive suit of armor forever wasn't exactly practical.
I needed a solution. And I needed it fast.
"Vega, do you think we could develop a bio-implant concept that I could integrate into my body without any side effects?"
"I can't answer that question right now."
"I'm not asking for an immediate answer — just giving you a heads-up about an idea I want to explore."
"As far as I know, you have a strong aversion to implants."
"That's true, but nanomachines aren't quite the same," I clarified. "They're more of an enhancement than a replacement for body parts."
"Understood… I'll be happy to help with anything you need."
"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Ending the conversation on that note, I let my thoughts drift as I watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon.
"You know, I actually like it here," Michiko's voice came from my left.
"Honestly, I've missed this kind of peace and quiet," I admitted. "In a way, I didn't realize how much I needed it."
"Al, are you coming to the fire?" Kiwi's voice sounded behind me before she rather boldly plopped herself onto my lap, resting her head against my shoulder.
"No," I said, shaking my head as I wrapped my arms around her. "I'll stay here a little longer and then head home. I've done everything I needed to."
"Can't we stay a little longer? Rachel missed you a lot."
"I don't think that's a good idea. People are waiting for us back home, and I still have a ton of unfinished work. Besides, did I ever say this was the last time we'd be coming here?" I smirked at the flustered blonde, whose ears turned an adorable shade of pink. "I plan to come back a few more times before I've gathered all the data I need. One test flight isn't enough."
"I'm glad A-chan has someone like you," Michiko said, breaking the silence with a teasing glint in her eyes as she watched Kiwi turn even redder at her words.
"Alright, it's getting late," I said, standing up. "We should say our goodbyes and get back to the city before dark. I'd rather not run into any night raiders on the way home..."
______________________________________________________
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreøn.
[https://www.patreøn.com/amattsu]
The link is also in the synopsis.