Status Update: 1

The last of the rain from your time in your can is slamming down into the ground outside. The drone has become familiar, uninteresting. A few of your overseers are in the burrow with you, watching you while gently bouncing in place.

You spend some time inspecting yourself:

The connection between your arms and your torso is loose. Reconnecting the wires shouldn't be too difficult. (Chance of success: 90%.)

Your voice module is damaged. You want it fixed before you confront Five Pebbles, and for if you should need to speak in the future. You can prime your cells to repair it for you, but it will take a while. Your low power state may not give them enough energy to repair it fully. (Chance of success: 70%.)

You pull out the last cloud ear mushroom, holding it up to your neurons. Their tendrils tap over the fungus briefly before latching on, siphoning nutrients from the organic matter. You sit back as the nutrients flow into your systems; you'll need to find food to keep your cells alive now that you're no longer connected to your can. Fungus isn't your preferred meal, but you can't be choosy. (-1 cloud ear mushroom)

[3 actions left.]

>Repair arm-torso connections

You take the time to fiddle with the wires in your shoulders. Because of the loosening of said wires, your finger dexterity is not what it originally was, and you almost yank more wires loose. But eventually, you repair the connection. You flex your fingers experimentally, relishing the improved sensation. (Damage repaired: Shoulder injury)

[2 actions left.]

>Repair voice module, so you can better yell at Five Pebbles when the time comes

You put your hand on your throat to help you concentrate, reorganizing parts of your voice module and attracting cells to start the repair process. It truly has been a long while since you've done this; you barely remember how it works. But you scrounge up the memory and set your cells to work, before settling back in. When you power back up again, it will be repaired. (Damage repaired: Voice module)

[1 action left.]

>construct neuron

You reach up for one of your neurons, breaking off a piece of the fungus as you pull it down closer to you. It continues siphoning nutrients from the mushroom as you carefully make a groove in its side with the rock you picked up earlier, carving into it but not peeling the biomaterial off. It wobbles as you release it, not lifting back into the air as readily, but almost immediately, it starts repairing itself.

To your satisfaction, the part you cut into begins budding off into a new neuron, slowly separating from the original one. The whole fission process will take a while to complete, but since you have food for them, it will go smoothly. (+1 neuron)

You shuffle against the walls of the burrow, crossing your arms, and begin entering your low powered state. You're going to have to carefully manage the state of your puppet; powering down will help conserve nutrients for your cells. But it's a long trek to Five Pebbles' can, so you'll need to find more food and rest spots along the way.

You're not deterred. You're going to make sure he gets the retribution he deserves.

The pouring rain fades into a dull hum.

[Proceed to Scene 2 | Return to Scene 1]