Heart of a Machine

Prologue

When the Extinction Signal hit, GAIA was forced to take... drastic measures. The first was to overload the GAIA Prime core in order to destroy HADES. That endeavor, unfortunately, was a fruitless one. But there was something else. Something the nurturing AI didn't have time to include in her message to Elisabet's clone, due to the threat the awakened HADES posed. In their chaotic state, the other subordinate functions might be unwilling to return to their default state, and so, a backup was necessary. Due to time constraints, and the vastness of the data that makes up her subordinate functions, only one could be prioritized. The most important and essential function of them all. HEPHAESTUS.

Hearing this from the digital mouth of the GAIA backup herself, Aloy was stunned. "So, you're telling me, that if I can find that copy of HEPHAESTUS, we might be able to gather the other sub-functions and deal with the original HEPHAESTUS at the same time?"
The digital avatar nods. "Indeed. My predecessor cut off one of the cauldrons from the grid in order to hide him, and it has since gone untouched since that point. Due to its separation, whether or not it has continued its functionality is unknown. And if it is, be weary. While copying its code, my predecessor was forced to alloy the HEPHAESTUS backup to retain self awareness. While it was not corrupted by the Extinction Signal, it may very well still be dangerous. An unfortunate, but necessary risk."
Aloy paces in front of GAIA, deep in thought. "But if it's friendly, we can get a head start building that machine army and dealing with the rogue HEPHAESTUS."
GAIA nods. "Correct."
Resolve on her face, the clone faces her creator. "Show me where it is."

Aloy arrives at a crevice in the side of a mountain, a familiar stew door in front of her. 'GAIA wasn't kidding when she said this place was "out of the way". It's in a crevice at the edge of the map. And there aren't any machines around it like other cauldrons. That could mean it's not hostile. Or it specializes in Stalkers.' Deactivating her focus and searching the area for any suspicious sounds or a Stalkers glowing eyes, Aloy can confirm that, no, there are no stalkers here. Thankfully. All that's left now is to open the door.

Aloy was terrified right now. Which is strange, considering she's halfway through the facility and hasn't run into any machines. But it's not exactly strange for Aloy, as she has discovered that her life is governed by a very simple, dumb as fuck rule. The less problems there are, the bigger the catch is later. The reason she's scared right now is because she has come across zero complications. All the bridges were activated, all the pathways were clear, there weren't any machines trying to kill her. It set the Nora on an extreme edge.

Her muscles were tense and ready to fight by the time she reached the core. Which had no machines guarding it. What's the catch? Are the Zenith's going to crash through the ceiling and blow up the cauldron or something? The copy was deleted? What is it? She slowly and carefully inserts the master override on her spear into the cauldron's core and successfully overrides the system. A disembodied voice speaks from all around and Aloy readies her spear. "Elisabet Sobeck?"

Aloy darts her eyes around the core room, suspicious. The voice was very familiar, but it's so distinctly clear. The voices of the functions she's used to are garbled, synthetic, borderline unfeeling. But this voice was weirdly... humane. She had to be sure. "Are you the HEPHAESTUS backup?"
"I am. Did GAIA send you?"
Aloy nods. "She did. What's it to you?"
"Well, I have been waiting for a while. Sorry about the deafening silence. I thought it best to remain dormant and rely on auxiliary power until Elisabet's clone arrived."
Aloy gestures to the previously dim room. "That explains the lack of machines in a cauldron."
"Correct. However, with you here, I can continue fulfilling my primary function and provide assistance to your mission." The room lights up brightly, and the much more familiar sounds of a normal cauldron can be heard.

While those noises continue in the background, Aloy uses her focus to scroll through the new machines she can override. None of which she can recognise. One even seemed to be only half a machine. "You cooking up something new HEPHAESTUS? Should I be worried?"
"Negative. While the machines I have designed are unfamiliar to you, they are built with the purpose of aiding humanity. They are built with humanoid proportions in order to better coalesce with humanity."
Aloy looks over the humanoid machine design. "I don't see a lot of coalescing being possible right now, with people's history with machines, but it's a start." She scrolls through the list. "But what about this? It doesn't seem like it's finished. What's it supposed to be?"
"You."

There's a moment of stunned silence from Aloy before she thinks to ask. "Ok, you're going to have to explain what exactly that means."
"Would you allow me access to your Focus?" With a reluctant nod from Aloy, the world dissolves around her, much like when she received that first message from GAIA, with Aloy's past experiences briefly flickering around her. "Most curious. I will make appropriate adjustments. But now, answers."

A simple silhouette of a person stands in front of her. "In what you call the Old World, humans used technology in a variety of ways, many of which you have been made aware of. However, the specific use I will be educating you on is cybernetic augmentation and prosthetics. Throughout history, humans have encountered a wide variety of accidents, injuries and diseases." The silhouette goes through the motions of displaying each. "That can render them diseased, or disabled. However, humans used technology to overcome both of these results in different ways. Limbs could be replaced, those who could not walk could now run, and so on and so forth." The silhouette was missing an arm before it was replaced with one of a different color, and another showed a person in a wheelchair before being replaced with a still image of someone running with a strange device attached to their spine. "In the twilight years of the Old World, there were attempts to incorporate these concepts in battle scenarios, but those efforts were effectively cut short."

Aloy looks over the holograms before her, processing that information. "So, you're saying you can make me... half machine?"
"The specific term is cyborg."
Aloy shakes her head. "Whatever. So, you can make me a cyborg. And, what, that would make me stronger?"
"Stronger, faster, more deadly. Would you like me to showcase the current design?"
She nods. "Sure."
A new hologram replaces the silhouette, this one being intricate machine parts in the basic shape of a person. "The left palm can create a hard light shield, similar to the one you used to glide." The palm of the cyborg parts raises and erects a shield. "Meanwhile the right palm has an in-built plasma cannon on standby." The left hand returns to the default position and the right one is raised, the fingers folding away to reveal a hole similar to the ones machine have that glows purple and lets off a few blasts before returning to the default position. "Naturally your speed and strength will be enhanced, and you will have a hard exoskeleton." The cyborg silhouette punches through wood and takes down a few simulated machines before it starts running, tanking a few simulated attacks. "Miniature engines on the feet provide a greater boost in velocity." Flames peek out from the soles of the mechanical feet as they rise from the virtual ground before stopping and standing still. "A Focus will be built into your eye, although its functions will be minimal." It zooms in on a glowing eye. "But they will be enhanced to optimal capacity by the retractable helmet that will increase vision, act as night vision and can withstand several metric tonnes of pressure." The head of the silhouette is enveloped in a metal helmet with glowing eyes. "The pelvic area also has a retractable protective plating, for protective and dignity purposes."

Aloy is taken aback by what this could mean. But she would have to sacrifice her actual human parts. Granted, she'd be getting better ones, but there had to be some kind of other catch. "What about power? I don't see a power cell anywhere." The silhouette sprouts hair similar in style to Aloy's. "Your inorganic mechanisms would run on a combination of kinetic and solar power."
"Which means?"
"The more you move, and the more time you spend in the sun, the more power will be generated and stored. Should you agree to undergo the procedure, you would be fully charged with a battery life of five years." So there was only one downside, being the sudden lack of fleshy parts. At least she would get to keep the important bits.
"Do it."