He's alive! Part 4

Poor Rei. He has received several shocks, all at once. Not only was he thrown into a makeshift jail but he also received a transmission from MINIMCOM who was assumed to be dead, being crushed and all underneath the Ark II. However, in the world of Rome's Revolution, nothing should come as a surprise. In this final part, Rei finds out that MINIMCOM has developed some remarkable new abilities that will help him get back to the secret Ibbrassati enclave in the north woods:

     “All right. So what else are you doing? Getting buff?” Rei asked.
     “I do not understand the reference.”
     “What are you doing to yourself, that’s what I am asking.”
     “Oh. Yes,” replied MINIMCOM. “Perhaps I can explain it by using an analogy. You have heard of petrified wood?”
     “Of course,” Rei answered.
     “The process consists of replacing every cell, every element of the original wood with a different material. In the case of petrified wood, it is with minerals.”
     “That takes eons, doesn’t it?”
     “Of course. But I do not need quite that much time. My process is proceeding much more quickly.”
     “I don’t get it though. Why are you petrifying yourself?” Rei asked.
     “You are being funny,” said MINIMCOM. “No, I am replacing every element of my airframe with these helper units. The final version will look similar but I will be mutable. I will be able to change my shape and functions at will. I am augmenting my capabilities using the memron fabricator.
     “Like how?” Rei asked.
     “For example, I have built some experimental PPT projectors, similar to the throwers onboard the Vuduri craft, but these are made to stand up coherently even in a gravity well. I believe they will be very useful for jumping a short distance.”
     “So where are you going to jump to?”
     “I will be using them to excavate myself when the time is right but in this case, I was not thinking of myself at all.”
     “What do you mean?”
     Just then, Rei heard a sizzling sound then a dull thud. He whipped his head around and saw a gaping hole in the far wall. A two meter circular section of the wall had fallen over, landing on the grass outside. There, in front of him, was the great outdoors. He was now staring at the woods behind the house.
     “Hmmm,” MINIMCOM said. “Not exactly what I expected. No matter. Are you ready to go for a walk?”
     “Buddy, you’re all right in my book,” Rei said out loud.