“So how persistent are these Arvo” Thomas asked over breakfast the next morning as he watched the mutant raccoon poke the waffle on his plate suspiciously.


    “They are patient, will wait for a long time” Delvik replied with a frown, “if normal hunting pack, some will watch the door, others will seek other entrance and any remaining will seek other, easier prey”


    The two lapsed into silence, Thomas continuing to eat while Delvik seemed to be deep in through. As Thomas finished the food on his plate, he noticed that Delvik had barely eaten and asked him what was bothering him.


    “My people are in danger while I sit in safety” he replied with frustration in his voice. “I am far scout, eyes in the world for my people, my job to see danger and warn the Tribe”. Turning, Delvik slid off the chair, the extra cushions he had been using falling to the floor as he began pacing in the cafeteria. “I need to warn them, maybe rally other tribes to fight” he said waving his arms about, “Arvo being here is bad omen, their territory in swampland, not ruins here”.


    Thomas frowned at that, thinking back and trying to remember where the nearest swamps were. There was that national forest about 20 or 30 miles east down the highway that had a pretty big lake. With a shrug, he dismissed the thoughts and looked at his companion, seeing the worry written across his features and made a decision. “I think I have a way that we can help your people, but it will put you at great risk,” Thomas said.


    Delvik paused mid stride and looked at Thomas with a mix of hope and confusion. “What is it?” he asked, “I don''t think your little robots will help against Arvo”


    Thomas stood and walked over to Delvik, and crouching down, poked a few metallic pieces that were clearly once parts taken from the robots Thomas had sent after him. “I Agree, the robots wouldn''t work, without the transmitter on the building and with limited AI’s to control them, they wouldn''t stand a chance” Thomas said, “but I had a bit of inspiration last night, and with a bit of work and luck, I think it will work”


    As Thomas began to expand on his idea, he realized he was losing his audience from the way Delvik''s eyes seemed to be glazing over at the techno-speak Thomas habitually fell into. He realized he would need to work on simplifying his explanations, for while Delvik was intelligent, he had no grounding, no experience or exposure in most of the concepts that Thomas took for granted.


    Standing, Thomas motioned Delvik to follow him. He would show Delvik the lab, it was dangerous of course, but if he wanted Delvik''s full trust and support, then he would need to be open and up front as well. Thomas felt that Delvik could be trusted, he had already saved his life twice, and his reasoning for both attacking and then tracking Thomas made sense when you thought about it. Plus, Delvik had been up front about what he wanted from Thomas, and so he would do that same.


    As they walked through the halls towards the command center, Thomas began to speak. Delvik listened intently as the Human began explaining the purpose of this burrow, of this whole ruin even, which caused him to nearly trip over his own paws in shock. These ruins were a warriors camp from what he was understanding. Where Humans of old created and tested new ideas. Delvik learned of a world that was both broken by greed, fear and ignorance; and buoyed by hope, inspiration and dreams.


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    To say that he learned more about Humans in the five minute walk through concrete hallways than he had in his seven summers of life would be an understatement. He did not interrupt, merely listened as the Human spoke of his people and the world as it once was. It gave him a lot to think on, and he thought, a better understanding of the Humans he was used to seeing. He could think back on some of the things he had witnessed while observing the nearby human tribes and see glimmers of a once great people who destroyed themselves.


    Delvik almost ran into Thomas’s legs as he stopped before a great metal door. This one was different from the others, it had a box with blinking lights on the front that turned green as Thomas inserted something into it. With a soft buzzing sound and a loud click, Thomas pushed the door open and waved for Delvik to enter.


    “Welcome to the control center Delvik, this is the heart and brain of this shelter” Thomas said with a bit of a flourish. He watched as Delvik stopped a few steps into the room, eyes widening as he took in everything. His new friend, and that was how Thomas had decided to start thinking of Delvik, his Friend, slowly began to walk around the room.


    He watched as Delvik walked to the U shaped desk, with its multitude of blinking lights, small monitors and of course the mobile terminal. Thomas nearly laughed as Delvik was startled and leapt back suddenly, as he approached the server racks and one of them began emitting loud fan noises. He saw wonder, fear, excitement and confusion all cross his friends face. “Why show me all this?” Delvik asked.


    “Because you saved my life twice now, because you can help me, because you have been honest and straightforward with me” Thomas said with a shrug, “I could say any of those reasons and they would be true, but really it''s because I consider you a friend, and friends help each other.”


    Delvik stood there in shock, it was more than he expected or, truthfully hoped for, but before he could muster a reply, Thomas continued with a chuckle, “Enough of the mushy stuff, you have monsters to slay and a tribe to save”, and with a few button presses, one of the monitors lit up.


    Delvik turned to look at the thing that lit up brightly, he could make out pictures of a humanoid figure in gleaming metal, similar he thought, to the killer metal humans that occasionally strayed into the ruins. Then the picture began moving and he saw that the metal began opening up and a human stepped out of it. As the image changed again, this time it showed a drawing of similar armor, scaled down to a rough drawing of what Delvik realized was himself.


    Delvik turned his head to look at Thomas, and he saw a excited, maniacal grin. One he had seen many times as he observed the Human tribes and his fur tried to stand on end. “You were right, robots won’t cut it against these creatures, at least not ones I can build with what I have available now, but we can build you a special suit.” Thomas spoke softly, “a suit that can equalize the difference between you and them, that can play to your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses”


    Delviks mind was whirling with possibilities, such a suit was an impossibility, a child''s fantasy, and he said as much. Thomas just laughed, “I saw impossibility become reality as a child, I saw a door opened that cannot be shut, and it drove my choices to this place and this time” he said, “and while we may not be able to fix this broken world, I think we can maybe fix this one place, and make it safer, better.”


    Thomas shrugged and then smiled, “I''ve got a few ideas, but that later. For now we have dangerous monsters hunting us and your people” he said, tone turning serious as he reached out his hand to Delvik “what do you say, are you ready to do the impossible?”