The Outlaw (Phantom Server: Book #2) Read Online Free PDF

pleasant surprise! I didn't have any micro nuclear batteries to spare but I immediately thought about the mob! Could this Replication thing be actually used as a combat device? Let's see if we can outsmart the ancient technologies and squeeze an extra ability out of them?
    Following my command, the barely visible cloud of nanites turned into a semblance of a whiff of smoke and reached toward the mob, filtering into its works. And then...
    A blinding flash of light illuminated the room. A humming column of fire engulfed the ceiling. It singed me, the blast wave slamming me into the wall. The ancient mob had disintegrated into a swarm of incandescent particles that immediately filled the whole room.
    I couldn't breathe! Oxygen levels were at 0, depleted by the fiery blast. Toxin concentration had jumped to 100%. My life bar was rapidly shrinking.
    What had I been thinking of!
     
    Replication complete .
     
    I was enveloped in a smoky veil of hundreds of thousands of nanobots.
    My lips cracked, my skin was taut against my cheekbones. The reserves of my body were rapidly depleting, losing the uneven battle with the toxic atmosphere.
    10% Life... 9%...
    I used both my hands to force the helmet's visor down — impossible. The drivers were blocked. My fingers kept losing their grip. I'd have given anything for a piece of sealing plastic the right size!
    Symbols of the ancient language flashed before my eyes.
     
    Command sequence activated. The replication matrix accepted.
     
    In a flash, nanites formed an impervious membrane blocking my view and sealing the helmet.
    A breath of clean air burned my lungs. I exploded in a bout of coughing.
    I couldn't see a thing.
     
    Warning! Your life support resources are at 5%. Please replace the cartridge ASAP.
     
    I didn't have any spare ones! The Outlaws had stripped me of them!
    My face was stinging, my eyes running. The metabolic implant was in overdrive.
    The nanobots had just saved me from certain death but who'd issued the order? How had they known exactly what they had to do? My two AI modules had been temporarily blocked as the task demanded, so they couldn't have affected the situation.
    This was going way beyond the scope of normalcy. I was used to relying on my gear, my weapons and implants — but as it turned out, there were other ways of survival, too. Destroying the mob had been a bad choice. I should have considered the consequences before creating a molecular mist in a sealed module.
    Gradually my breathing calmed down. The helmet remained pressurized. I still couldn't see a thing though. I switched over to my mind expander which showed me a detailed picture of the vandalized module. Its walls were molten, exploded equipment still smoking. In the far corner, a small impact crater emitted a red glow. The force field protecting the entrance had deactivated.
    What's with my suit's drives? I made a tentative movement. They seemed to be okay. I could move. The servodrives didn’t seem to have suffered. The armor had withstood the blast. I had enough metabolites to last me another couple of hours. In that time I had to get back to the outer decks; and once there, my ship was virtually within reach.
    First things first. The logs.
    I opened the file and scrolled through the messages.
     
    10:01:39 You’ve initiated the process of nanites replication.
    10:01:42 You’ve specified an object suitable for utilization
    10:01:47 Molecular mist created
    10:01:48 Damage received: 347 pt. thermal damage. Blast wave damage: 34 pt. Radiation damage: 105 pt. Durability of all pieces of gear dropped 12 pt.
    10:01:50 You’ve suffered toxic exposure. Damage received: 39 pt.
    10:01:51 Your metabolic implant has restored 20 pt. Health
    10:01:52. You've suffered toxic exposure. Damage received: 39 pt.
    10:01:54 Your metabolic implant has restored 18 pt. Health
    10:01:55 Nanites have received a mnemonic command. Source: mind expander.
    10:01:55 The mental image recognized. The replication matrix