Nox gasped, jerking upright in bed, claws digging into the sheets.
His breath was ragged, chest rising and falling as if he'd just surfaced from drowning.
"Man, that was one of the... tough ones again," he muttered, pressing his head against the cold wall.
The dream still clung to him, unwelcome and persistent.
His blanket was half on the floor, barely covering his legs. He absently ran his fingers over the fabricâtorn, thin, and way overdue for a replacement.
"Gotta get a new one of these soon," he thought.
The distant hum of Coreline seeped through the windowâbusses, distant voices, the occasional mechanical hiss of steam.
Familiar. Comforting.
Nox reached for his phone, the screenâs glow casting sharp light across the room.
After swiping away a few ads he sees a message from Zee:
Working on it.
Maskâs a tough nut, but Iâll crack it by morning.
Sent at 2:17 AM.
Nox snorted. Sheâs gonna burn herself out.
"Gonna need a few coffees to process everything," he murmured, swinging his legs off the bed.
Thenâ
"A right dose of caffeine can boost cognitive function by approximately 12%," a voice announced smoothly. Unfamiliar. Sharp.
"However, given your excessive intake, you are more likely to experience heart palpitations and mild panic attacks. A truly optimal way to start the day."
Nox froze. His ears twitched, eyes darting across the room.
âWha- what was that?â
His gaze locked onto the mask.
Sitting on his desk.
Glowing softly its color illuminated the desk it was resting on in blue.
âNah. No way. Uh uh im still as leep.â
He cautiously stepped forward, rubbing his eyes like he could shake the voice out of his head.
"Wait... youâreâtalking â like actually talking?" His voice came out hoarse.
The mask blinked in response. A soft hum, thenâ
"I am Nebular, your unexpected new companion. And yes, I am as thrilled about this arrangement as you are."
The tone was drenched in sarcasm.
Nox blinked. Hard rubbing his eyes with the palm of his paws.
"Okay. Thatâs new."
"Wait⦠what do you mean, ânew companionâ?"
Nebularâs glow pulsed, flickering between blue and yellow.
"I am an embedded AI construct within this mask. Zee has rescued me from the mask deleting itself and given me the instructions to Quote â Babysit youâso here I am Nebular."
Pause.
"Congratulations, by the way. I Hope youâre ready for the responsibility."
Noxâs eyes narrowed.
"So... youâre just an AI, I thought they banned Ais?"
The mask flashed red, almost insulted.
"Just an AI?" Nebular echoed, her voice smooth but pointed the light on the mask switched to a unamused red.
"Thatâs like calling you just a fox. I prefer 'brilliantly crafted synthetic genius,' but sure,
let's reduce me to 'just an AI' if that helps your tiny organic brain process things besides â
you donât seem like the kind of you attached to rules.." The flickering light went back to its usual Blue tone.
Nox pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hm Fantastic. A back-talking AI with an ego I see how you are related to Zee."
Nebular chuckledâa short, amused buzz of sound whilst lighting up in Green.
"Not just back-talking. Adaptive. Learning. Occasionally lifesaving. But go ahead, try to mute me. Thatâll be -fun." The lights dancing in greenish vibrant colors as if amused.
Nox froze mid-motion, his fingers already searching for a mute switch on the mask.
Nebularâs glow pulsed in a sarcastic yellow, like a smug smirk.
"Oh, looking for the off button? Adorable. If it makes you feel better, Iâll pretend to be worried."
Nox sighed, defeated, and plopped back onto his chair running a paw down his face, exhaling slowly.
"So let me get this straight," he muttered, staring at the mask like it was part of a museum. "Youâre stuck with me. And Iâm stuck with you right?."
Nebularâs glow pulsed an amused green.
"Correct. A thrilling partnership, isnât it?"
Nox groaned, rubbing his temples. "Iâve barely processed waking up and now I have an illegal AI with an attitude problem squatting in my head."
"Correction," Nebular interjected, yellow flickering playfully. "A highly advanced, ever-knowing, andâif I may sayâfar more competent AI than you deserve."
Nox shot the mask a deadpan glare.
"Great. So Iâm babysitting a know-it-all computer. Just what I needed."
"Technically, Iâm babysitting you."
"okay maybe you can help me out in some way or another⦠but interests me now is, what âyour deal? Who are the syndicate?"
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Nebularâs glow dimmed for a moment before flickering back to life.
"Yes. Originally, I was a restricted AI tool for underground operationsâdata management, surveillance, strategic supportâ
run by an organization called the Syndicate. However⦠most of that data is gone now. Wiped. I only have fragments left"
Heavy silence filled the room for a second, then she continued.
âBut when Zee decrypted me?"
"She gave me access to my own data pack. A mind, if you will. It appears your friend has an unfortunate habit of creating dangerous things."
Noxâs ears flicked with a faint look outside the window.
"shes defently not the only one with that habit."
"Oh but, I assure you, it wasnât intentional. But it seems I have⦠evolved beyond my original function.
Lucky you, and because you and your friend stopped me from getting deleted I owe you my memory, in other words I owe you one Nox.."
Nox leaned forward, arms crossed.
"So, what now youâre going to set an alarm for me to wake me up early next morning how are you gonna help me?"
Nebular paused. âNot a bad ideaâ Thenâ suddenly Nox´s phone buzzed â His alarm clock activated.
"but seriously I am extremely useful. If you wear me, I enhance your vision, analyze threats, intercept data, and,
of course, provide brilliant commentary. Basically, I make you less likely to die⦠well I can also interact with most
electronic devices around you if I want to I even can⦠look outside."
Nox stretched, letting out a tired groan, before glancing out the window. His eyes flicked over the usual neon glow of Corelineâ
bustling streets, a bright tech store ad down the alleyway flickerd thenâ suddenly it stopped
The ad shifted.
âWHAT DOSE THE FOX SAYâ
Nebular whispers âI red it on the mug that is resting on the windowframe really charming and oddly fitting hehe-â
His eyes widened for a second as his jaw dropped .
Thenâit was gone.
Nox exhaled sharply, rubbing his eyes ears twitching He glanced at the mug. Back at the sign. Back at the mug.
"...Okay. That was actually impressive and creepy. Fine. 1-0 for the futuristic tin can ughh Iâm gonna need at least a dozen coffees to process this."
Nebularâs light blinked blue.
"I wouldnât recommend more than two. Excessive caffeine intake can lead to irritability, increased heart rate, andâ"
Nox cut her off with a dramatic groan.
"Have you ever heard of something called irony?"
Nebularâs light flickered yellow.
"No. Please, educate me on this fascinating human concept."
The kitchen was in its usual chaotic stateâempty instant noodle cups stacked near the sink.
He shoved aside an old takeout box before reaching for the last clean mug, buried all the way at the back of the counter awnsering.
"Ugh, was that irony?"
Nebular hummed.
âYes, yes it was. Let me assist you, coffee making process initiated.â
Nox reached for the coffee machine, only to hear a sudden loud hiss as it sputtered to life on its own.
He jumped slightly, ears flicking.
"...Did you justâstart making coffee for me?!"
Nebularâs glow pulsed green, smug as ever.
"see I can be helpful, you are welcome."
Nox let out a chuckle after he took a look inside his refrigerator.
âMaybe youre not so bad after all.â
Nebular pulsated in blze Analyzing. âSignificant biomass activity detected.
Your refrigerator is a thriving ecosystem. Based on observed growth patterns,
you may have unintentionally cultivated multiple strains of Penicillium mold, some of whichâfun factâ
were used in early antibiotics. However, your current samples are more likely to cause food poisoning than medical breakthroughs I suggest⦠cleaning. â
Nox nodes as he grabbed the last piece of a sack of flour a few eggs and some milk barley below the Consumption dat.
âYeah one day ill have the time to clean my room â and maybe the fried too, but not today. Ill make some pancakes â
Filling all the ingredients inside a the pen he turned on the stove
âYou know cleaning is not my favorite thing to take care of.â
As he flipped a pancake in the panââNebularâs voice returned, calmer this time.
"ive noticed that weâre on the topic of things you are bad at, shall I provide a refresher on the Syndicateâs Rules?"
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"You memorized them?"
"I Zee was able to restore some parts of my memory this is part of one of them."
Nox rolled his eyes as the poured himself a coffee out of the machine and sat down with his freshly made pancakes.
"Fine. Lay it on me."
Lines of text flashed across his vision as Nebular read aloud:
Operational Secrecy: Syndicate operations must remain confidential.
No Personal Interaction with Informers: Any breach will result in immediate termination of privileges.
Mission Priority: Personal risks are secondary.
Post-Event Cooldown: All contacts and locations must remain dormant for seven cycles.
Data Recovery Priority: Lost or compromised data must be retrieved at all costs.
Nox huffed, shaking his head, after he took a long sip he complained.
"Man, Iâve never been good with rules."
He took a huge bite of his pancake, savoring the warmth.
"Neb, you are totally missing out. A shame you canât taste this."
Nebularâs light flickered green. âAh, the tragedy of being a synthetic genius.
Deprived of pancakes but blessed with your company.
Lifeâs a balance, I suppose. â
Nox chuckled.
"That was... oddly cute."
Nebular paused.
"Careful, Nox. Flattery might get you somewhere. But donât expect me to get sentimental.â
Nox rolled his eyes, smirking. âOkay, okay, I get it.-
But tell me⦠can you play music?â