The first thing Nicolai opted to test was how many—or even if all—of the Modules could go over into the robot.

He touched the robot, and immediately Psychology jumped over, joining Cyberwarfare and Aiming. However, the moment it had moved over and other Modules tried to follow, they found themselves blocked. The robot was at capacity. It appeared that three was its limit.

Nicolai frowned down at the robot. While within it, Cyberwarfare, Aiming, and Psychology all jostled with one another, fighting over the controls. He was able to see this quite easily, as his Soul Sense was in contact with the bot's Soul and the Modules made no effort to conceal what they were about.

Psychology was demanding the controls, while Cyberwarfare replied it was clearly the best at this, and therefore the only one who could be trusted to pilot the bot properly.

You don't know that, said Psychology. Neither of us are the Movement Module. Neither of us are likely any better or worse at it. Let me have a go!

The internal tussling grew more intense, Psychology attempting to seize the controls. Alas, Cyberwarfare was literally built for this kind of thing and easily maintained its position. This prompted Psychology to appeal to Aiming for assistance.

Aren't you bored of just playing with the laser? Wouldn't aiming at things be easier if you could control the bots overall movement?

'Wait,' said Nicolai. 'Everyone, recall,' he commanded, putting his hand on the robot and pulling spiritually on the Modules. With only minor bickering, the three returned to him.

'We will try numerous different groupings, and see what is most effective,' he told the Modules. 'Psychology, Legal, and Simulations—you three go.'

The Modules did so. And of course, Psychology immediately snapped itself over the movement controls. The bot gave a shake, then started trundling around the room, while Simulations took control of the sensors, and Legal handled the robot's arms and tools.

Nicolai observed carefully. Indeed, after a moment of practice, Psychology appeared no worse—nor better—than Cyberwarfare at movement.

The tests continued. The Modules rotated in and out in various different groupings of three. Nicolai, observing carefully, came to some conclusions. Of all the Modules, the only real differences was that Threat Analysis performed better in its use of the robot's sensors. Aiming was a close second when it came to that, and the Module was also clearly best at aiming the laser or anything else than needed aiming. Simulations did better—though only slightly—at movement. Presumably because it could simulate its movements before performing them.

Other than that, there was little difference between all the Modules. Ultimately, Nicolai concluded that the actual best trio to control the robot would be the Movement Module, the Combat Module, and Aiming—assuming he gave the bot a more combat-focused form. Movement would, of course, be best for moving the robot. Aiming would be good for targeting weapons effectively, and Combat could merge with the pair to improve overall performance, plus it had an extra focus on close-combat which the others lacked.

Alternatively, Movement, Threat Analysis, and Combat. Or Movement, Threat Analysis, and Aiming. It would depend on the exact task in mind.

For Nicolai, this meant it had just become a higher priority to regain those Modules. In fact, he would like to make a significant improvement to his overall capabilities. Cyberwarfare thought it was high time he invest in major upgrades to his brain hardware—ideally Tier 3 brain augmentation, which was available on his buyback list from the market. With the right purchases, he could bring back all of the Modules. Then, their ability to utilise this robot would become much smoother, as he could ensure it had the best possible Module combinations. Not to mention the improvements to his own capabilities, and the Zero-Twelve state.

While sending the Modules out, he also began to focus more closely on something else: the seed they appeared to leave in their hardware.

It seemed to him that the Modules were collecting themselves entirely into their spiritual part, then migrating all of it into the robot. But they left behind a flicker of sentience within their hardware. A small, sleeping part of themselves. He felt it was possible they would be able to return, in some form, if killed. That they might grow again from these seeds.

This was purely theoretical, however. He had no intention of seeing any of the Modules die.

For now, Nicolai had found that the best grouping he was willing to put into the bot was Legal, Psychology, and Aiming. Those were the Modules he would assign while engaged in combat. This way, both he and the bot would be as capable as possible.

Psychology was of some use in combat—it was quite good at predicting what an enemy might do, for instance. Likewise, Aiming was obviously useful, though its applications were somewhat specific.

Nicolai was already an exceptional shot; as humans went, he was about as good as it was possible to be—arguably beyond what should have been humanly possible, even without augmentation. Aiming allowed him to surpass that even further, and was especially valuable for sniping, instantly calculating any variables involved. At closer ranges, however, he could perform well enough without it. As aiming and shooting were among the most important functions for the bot, he felt Aiming was a good fit.

As for Legal and Psychology, the main reason he opted to put them in the bot was that he'd found anything under three Modules wasn't ideal. It performed best with three. In this arrangement, Psychology could manage movement, Legal could increase the bot's overall capacity by providing more processing power, and Aiming could focus on spotting and shooting.

If he wasn't engaged in combat—say, in the Phantom City—he would most likely want to keep Psychology and Legal with him, as he might need them for other matters. In that case, he'd have to work something else out. The bot could operate at reduced capacity, so he might leave Aiming to run it alone. When controlled by one Module, it became slower and less fluid. Still, it could manage well enough.

Next, Nicolai wanted to test if the bot could use Symbiotes. It was possible to lend another person a Symbiote by sending it out and impressing your will upon it to obey the individual you were lending it to. The Symbiote would remain broken in by you but could be used by another. This also acted as a safeguard against theft or it being turned against you. At any time, you could order the Symbiote—still carrying a fragment of your will—to self-destruct or refuse to obey the borrower. Such commands could be given through ripples, which upon hitting the borrower's Soul would be felt by the Symbiote.

If the borrower travelled far enough from you, they could try to break in the Symbiote and potentially steal it, so one had to be cautious. In this case, however, there was no risk.

He placed Cyberwarfare, Threat Analysis, and Simulations into the robot. Cyberwarfare and Threat Analysis had been with him the longest, had the most experience, and possessed the most developed Soul fragments. He felt they would be the best at utilising a Symbiote through the robot.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Then, he lent the bot his Burst Skin Shield. He reached through the robot's Soul from his own, found its Heart Node, and settled the Symbiote there, watched by Nicolai and the Modules. There came a flare of Oma and a shimmering of energy, and the robot began to form a Burst Skin Shield around itself. After a few seconds, the shield settled into place.

'How was it?' he asked the Modules. They hadn't appeared to struggle, but he wanted to know how they found the process.

'Easy,' said Threat Analysis over Local. 'This robot's Soul is slaved to us. It follows our desires and commands.'

Nicolai recalled his Symbiote. Interestingly, he merely had to push the desire from his Soul against the bot's Soul for it to begin moving. It emerged from the bot's Soul and flowed into his own. Frowning, he then ordered it to return to the bot, and it moved back and into the bot's Node.

Then he asked the Modules to try and restrict the Symbiote, to prevent it leaving the Node when he demanded it recall. Once more he sent the recall command, which rippled through the bot's Soul in a way that—so far as he and the Modules could tell—couldn't be stopped. It was like someone shouting; the sound couldn't be shut out and moved through everything.

This time, however, the Modules locked the Soul tight, trying to hold the Symbiote and prevent it from leaving. It struggled, but surrounded and confined by the Soul, it was unable to escape.

This was what would happen if he lent a Symbiote to someone who then refused to return it. Still, the Symbiote was clearly quite unhappy now—it began moving angrily around within the Node. Nicolai was able to observe, as the Modules gave him a view inside, a kind of spiritual pass-through. The Module looked like it looked as though it was searching for something to attack. Perhaps, had there been another Symbiote in there with it, it would have done so. As it was, he had the Modules relax the Soul, and the Symbiote slipped out and returned to him.

Next, he retrieved his rapier from one of the tables. He drew it and held it out. Cyberwarfare guided the manipulator to take it from him. The Modules sent out a stream of Oma into the rapier, and a moment later it took off, flying into the air. With the bot's Soul Sense tendril, they moved the rapier around the room.

Nicolai nodded. Another successful test—the bot was capable of using Imbued weapons, and presumably Artifacts, with its Soul Sense tendril.

'Low on Oma,' buzzed Threat Analysis. Nicolai moved behind the bot, where he'd opened it up to get access to its Node. He placed a few Oma crystals inside and observed as one began to crumble. Having the bot complete its internal system was already a priority.

Fortunately, he was perfectly positioned to do so, with the Yin–Yang Rotation Symbiote and plenty of Oma crystals, supplemented by a constant flow of more from the mining bots.

Currently, the bot's Node was located near its battery in the lower body. Considering their desire to improve the bot and grow more Nodes, they began to think about where the current Node was located and where new ones could go. Already, they felt this form was far from ideal. For starters, it was far too bulky. They wanted something much smaller that could be carried easily, but ideally with the ability to assume larger forms when necessary.

All Assembler robots were formed from two parts: an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion comprised the legs and all the main important hardware, such as the battery and processors. The upper portion could be removed—it was designed to slot over the lower section. The lower portion alone was essentially four legs, two small folding arms, and a central tower housing the vital components.

The upper portion typically held armour and shielding to protect the lower half, as well as sensor equipment, the head section (which could also be swapped out), and the primary arms and manipulators. This design kept the lower portion safe and made repairs easier; damaged upper portions could be replaced, and the legs were relatively easy to fix.

Nicolai was thinking it might be best, for now, to remove the upper portion entirely, then cut open the lower portion to extract the battery and processors—the part into which the Node had embedded itself—and build a completely new bot around that core. This would be much smaller and more sophisticated, and would serve as the base into which all the other Nodes could be grown.

He recalled the three Modules he had placed into the bot, and the bot settled with the loss of its animators. Then, he stood and considered, he and Modules thinking on which form would be best.

What about me? spoke the Mask.

Nicolai froze. You want to try going into the bot?

Of course. Why shouldn't I? I'm sure it will work.

Dimly, Nicolai realised the Mask was most likely right. This process seemed to be more about the Modules jumping into the bot's Soul and controlling it from there, though they were also able to interact with and command its hardware easily. The Mask should be able to move over. He wasn't sure if it would be able to fully control the bot, but it should at least be able to move it—and he needed to know if it could.

He nodded his assent. The Mask gradually detached from his spiritual face and, moving on spiritual tendrils, crossed over to the bot's Soul and attached itself. The bot shivered, its whole Soul twisting, and then it settled. The Mask had made the jump without any noticeable problem, and the bot began to move under its direction.

It wasn't as smooth as when the Modules had controlled it at first, but after only moments the bot's movements gained in confidence. The Mask was a quick learner.

'I have a whole Soul,' spoke the Mask spiritually,, amazed, as it flexed the Soul it had assumed control of.

Observing this, a large part of Nicolai's focus was internal, on the Dark in the cage. He felt off. Unbalanced. Like a puzzle with a piece missing. This shifted into a deep and abiding sense of unease. He felt the Dark shifting within its Cage, rattling it and feeling the restraints.

The Mask seemed to sense this too, and detached from the bot's Soul, hopping back to rejoin him.

Did you miss me? it asked, and he sensed its smugness.

Nicolai didn't answer. He let out a slow breath, calming himself. Inside, there was an anger growing. He disliked the sensation of being reliant on something, anything. The very idea was loathsome. He'd always suspected the Mask was crucial for his ability to withstand the Dark and retain complete control of himself. Now he knew for certain, and it was not a pleasant knowledge.

Again, he told the Mask, and with shug-like assent, it once more moved into the bot.

But this time, Nicolai felt for the energies of the Blade. Angelic in nature, it was like a kind of sedative for the Dark in his Soul, forcefully calming it. He nodded to himself. He had two methods, which was good. But better still to require none, to be able to do this with simple strength of will.

That being the case… 'We will do this again,' he promised grimly, as the Mask returned to him. 'We will do this in real practice, and we will see how long I can go without you.' Or the Blade.

As you wish, replied the Mask, and in contrast it seemed quite pleased. He could feel it plotting how it might use this unarguable proof of its importance to convince him to do things he may consider unwise, in the future.

Nicolai got on with the testing. He focused on the big mouth on his chest. When not in use, the Symbiote tended to fade. Still there, still part of him, but settled and quiet, blended into the surface of his skin-suit and barely noticeable. When focused on, however, it came alive, fully visible and opening wide. It did so now.

At the same time, he tested something else. Reaching out over Local with his Soul, he touched upon the bot and attempted to command it directly, to have it reach out. His teeth grit at the sudden strength of willpower and focus needed.

The bot extended a leg towards him, towards the mouth on his chest. But the moment the leg touched the entrance to the storage, it stopped—as if hitting a wall. Unable to enter, just as he'd suspected. The storage could not contain things of a spiritual nature, after all, but he had wanted to check.

Of greater concern was how much he had struggled to control it.

The Modules and the Mask both told him it had been much easier for them when they were inside the bot. When they tried to command it alongside him from outside, it was far harder. This taught him that while it could be controlled without any Module or the Mask inside it, and perhaps even remotely, it was far from ideal. Better to have a Module within.

This was primarily because it was controlled via its Soul, not its software. The Modules were able to control proper control of that Soul, and bid it to move. Nicolai, on the other hand, being external, had to grasp and push on that Soul, forcing it to move. Like someone grabbing another person's arm and moving it, compared to using mind control to make them do so

If it could be controlled in the normal manner, via software, this would be much easier. Nicolai opted to comprehensively test its current remote capability. He moved away until his Soul could no longer touch the bot, and then simply spoke to it over Local, commanding it as he would a typical Assembler bot.

To some commands, the bot showed a reaction. To most, it did not. That confirmed that the software was still there and in some ways functional, but largely broken. It was possible that it could be repaired, with sustained effort from the Modules, and they were happy to try.

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