The Mole!

"Gramps, it's not your arthritis. Your leg is just having a contraction." Sy calmly stated. A contrasting atmosphere was portrayed behind as the nurse showed great irritation at the old man before them.

"Children these days.." The elderly shook his head, "Telling me things about my body."

"We have a long line so please comply!" The nurse, in her late twenties, grudgingly said with a frowning face.

As the tension between the nurse and the elderly dragged on from the very beginning before Sy interjected, the young Pioneer abruptly got up from his seat to resolve the matter once and for all. He knelt on one knee, "Can I take a look?"

The elderly scrutinized the young man for a moment. Unable to defeat the supposed doctor in a staring contest, he finally relented.

With his superior vision and sense of touch, Sy identified the affected part in no time and massage it with unmatched dexterity. A few minutes later, he tried stretching the old man's leg without resistance.

"Never felt better!" The old man said, a look of ecstacy on his face. He ungratefully got up and left, with the nurse chasing him with her piercing gaze. If eyes could kill, she would have slayed the old man a hundred times over!

Sy subtly sighed and went back to his seat. He motioned to the empty seat and said, "Next, please."

A woman carrying her daughter who had a big burn on the left side of her face, carefully sat.

[Scanning!]

A bit startled that the system activated on its own in his vision, Sy could see a detailed description of the wound on the juvenile's face. Molecular Data Imaging was designed to collect data, after all. Physical matters were faithfully represented as data. In practice, any material sample could be easily duplicated into a data file.

'This is very convenient. Imagine if all people had data imaging in their vision.'

As standard procedure, Sy asked the name of the parent and child, and then a few questions before inspecting the wound.

"Mrs. Cruz, your daughter is not expose outside. The storm carried sands with foreign elements that her body has yet to adapt. Thankfully, I don't see the work of any microorganisms. It's only a minor radiation burn." He turned to the nurse and prescribed the available anti-rad and something for the pain.

As the next patient came next, Sy noticed Niel standing nearby, staring at him intently. "What? I'm only giving first aid."

Niel chuckled, not believing the younger man's words. He looked to the nurse - who was more than capable of giving first aid, standing behind Sy. He then turned to the younger man and said, "Come. We saviours have more pressing matters to attend to."

Sy gestured the nurse - who blushed when their eyes met - to take over. Niel immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"We might not make it out if this storm will carry on longer than we expected. Our food and water might only last four days at least." Niel said in a hushed voice.

Sy turned and pointed at the huge mech reactors neatly piled on a corner and said, "Plenty of hydrogen from those. We can synthesize water in the life support of this facility."

"Hehe. I like how you think." Niel patted the younger man's back. He then broke away as they made a good distance from the crowd, saying, "I'm planning to scavenge outside."

Sy frowned at this. At the present, the three floored buildings would be underneath the sands already. How could a human with a fragile body hope to swim in the sands within such a depth. The weight of the sands will squeeze them to a pulp. After a careful consideration, he guessed, "A mech?"

"Haha! You know what I'm thinking!" Niel opened a hidden door through a series of code, and entered. The light automatically turned on, revealing a cluster of ancient computers. He dusted one and activated it. As he started working, he explained, "I have a design in my mind. I just need some of your ideas."

After about ten minutes, Niel showed the blueprint of a mech with a drill as its head, clawed hands, and short legs with a padded feet. He proudly declared, "I call it, The Mole!"

"The feet can rapidly rotate acting as a propeller, but I'm hesitant in implementing it. The replicators are too outdated. They can only fabricate certain parts and shapes. We need to do it by hand. With the conventional tools we have, it might be impossible." Niel muttered in deep thought.

"No problem with that." Sy interrupted. Just like what the older man said, the tools were conventional. Even reprogramming the replicators would be a task worthy of the title, 'impossible'. However, he can still work with the design - like the propeller feet. He just needed to make a few adjustments on the tools and equipments.

"You sure are confident!" Niel said with a growing smile.

"One more thing," Sy added, pointing out, "The integrity of the mech and safety of the pilot should be at the utmost importance considering the depth in which they operate. The torso should be spherical in shape in order to distribute the weight pressure."

Niel scratched his chin and grimaced. Mina was the only candidate in driving the mech and he did not consider these circumstances. He immediately redesigned the mech, according to their ability to fabricate it.

"The arms should be able to extend with an in-built tube connected to the storage and can act as a suction for materials. A vacuum!" Sy firmly suggested.

"That's f*ckin' impossible! We can't build that with what we have!" Niel protested. When either did not budge, the two men undergone a staring contest.

"I will work with the limbs, you work with the torso." Sy dismissively said.

The older man could only chuckle as he made the additional features of the arms. He uttered, "You're a godlike mechanic if you managed to pull it off."

After three hours, the design was finally complete. Sy was amazed that Niel did not need a simulator to know that his design will function properly. In fact, the older man was certain that it will work. He activated his Molecular Data Imaging Simulator and found that it was indeed a solid design. There were a few errors but it will work perfectly fine.

The duo was startled when a figure with silent steps infiltrated the vicinity. They turned and saw Mina, standing with a hand on her waist.

"Are you done with the new toy?" She asked with her fierce voice.

Stepping to the side - revealing the design, Niel sported a dignified face and a proud grin. He declared in a glorious sound, "Behold! The Mole!"

Mina could only narrow her eyes at her brother's silliness.

"By the way," Niel reverted back to a normal human, motioning to the younger man beside him, "This is my friend, Sy."

"You must be Mina." Sy briefly smiled, admiring the beauty for a second, before turning back to the design.

"Time to work!" Niel punched the air above his head, and made a beeline to the exit.

The only woman in the room, hurriedly went to a dark corner.

Sy was looking at the design thinking that the drill head was not necessary since the mech would be traversing soft sands. A brief curiousity made him glance at the direction where Mina went, but found that she was taking off her upper clothes. It happened so fast that he was not able to respond properly. The only thing he could do was stare.

Although a bit a dark, Sy could still see with his enhanced eyes the nakedness of her back. She probably thought that he couldn't see pass the shadows. The fair complexity of her skin, and the athletic body coupled with her feminine figure - a lethal combination. Sy also had a glimpse of her breast, overlapping in the silhouette of her back. He could only swallow hard. She was from a long line of good breed - a noble aspect.

'She's not shy!' He thought, and was about to admire her bottom part when he heard her irritated voice.

"Are you gonna keep looking?!" She said, not bothering to turn her head around.

Sy slowly rotated on his heel, retorting, "You did it too fast. If it was slow, I would have the common sense to turn around. What can a man do when it's already exposed before them?"

He heard her laugh. It was a sweet sound considering that it was coming from a fearsome woman.

A few moments later, she walked beside him - wearing a black jacket with the sleeves folded. She raised a finger, uttering, "My brother is an intelligent man. But I find his reasoning flawed. You on the other hand.. make a point."

She flashed him a smile - an effortless one, before exiting the room.

Sy shrugged as he watched her leave. Her alluring scent still lingered in his nostrils.

'Maybe I should pursue her?' He entertained the thought for a few seconds, then reverted his attention back to the blueprint.