Project Infinix
VIII — Sigma 1.0
1. Dominus Praxis
- Ed’s eyes are unfolded and display him an unknown place surrounded with other kidnapped people by the mysterious individuals with strange black outfits, who call themselves the SigMen (plural for SigMan).
- The kidnapped are called “Fresh Meat”, or “Freshies”.
- SigMen don’t possess Nyx Cells, but they’re still able to cast their abilities.
- Ed finds Torch as one of the Freshies, and they’re now part of the Radon Guild, wearing an armband that identifies it.
- The other 33 members include:
Zeke
Fresh Meat phi#0b5f2eff @Radon Guild
- Zeke says that he never figured out what his Kernel sign was.
Talia
Fresh Meat beta#d9c3a7ff @Radon Guild Phoenix
In Greek mythology, Phoenix is a mythical bird that is cyclically reborn from its own ashes after dying in a fiery death. It symbolizes immortality, renewal, and resurrection. Phoenix is a southern constellation introduced in the late 16th century by Dutch navigators, representing the legendary bird. It is faint and contains no particularly bright stars, but it is notable for its inclusion in early modern southern sky charts.
Ruth
Fresh Meat gamma#51e8b0ff @Radon Guild Serpens
Serpens represents the serpent held by Ophiuchus. The constellation is unique because it is split into two non-contiguous parts: Serpens Caput (the serpent’s head) and Serpens Cauda (the serpent’s tail), with Ophiuchus lying between them. It is a northern constellation containing several notable deep-sky objects, including star clusters and nebulae.
Carol
Fresh Meat sigma#7a4c1eff @Radon Guild Piscis Austrinus
In ancient mythology and star lore, Piscis Austrinus (“the Southern Fish”) is often depicted as the fish drinking the water poured by Aquarius, the Water-Bearer. In astronomy, Piscis Austrinus is a southern constellation best known for containing Fomalhaut, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Though not a zodiacal constellation, it has been recognized since antiquity and represents a large fish beneath Aquarius.
Will
Fresh Meat epsilon#d2f80bff @Radon Guild Vulpecula
Vulpecula is a faint northern constellation introduced by the 17th-century astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its name means “the little fox,” and it was originally depicted as a fox carrying a goose in its mouth (later simplified in star charts). It has no direct classical mythological origin and is best known in astronomy for containing the Dumbbell Nebula (M27), one of the first planetary nebulae ever discovered.
Helios
Fresh Meat eta#19e5c4ff @Radon Guild Antlia
Antlia is a faint southern constellation introduced in the 18th century by the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille. Its name means “the air pump,” reflecting Lacaille’s practice of naming constellations after scientific instruments of the Enlightenment era. In astronomy, Antlia contains mostly dim stars and no bright prominent objects, and it is part of the group of modern constellations that replaced older mythological themes with scientific tools.
Volans
Volans is a southern constellation introduced in the late 16th century by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Its name means “the flying fish,” a creature from maritime folklore often depicted leaping from the sea. In astronomy, Volans is a faint constellation near the south celestial pole, containing mostly dim stars but notable for its proximity to the Large Magellanic Cloud region.
Az
Fresh Meat theta#b63a9fff @Radon Guild Dorado
Dorado is a southern constellation introduced in the late 16th century by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Its name refers to the dolphinfish (mahi-mahi), a brightly colored ocean fish, rather than a dolphin. In astronomy, Dorado is notable for containing most of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, making it one of the most significant constellations for observing deep-sky objects in the southern hemisphere.
- Az is known as the “Ice Bearer” due to the powerful ice abilities he used to have.
Cena
Fresh Meat theta#4d7e2cff @Radon Guild Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis is a faint northern constellation introduced in the early 17th century by Petrus Plancius. Its name comes from the ancient Greek word for a giraffe, an animal thought to combine features of a camel and a leopard. In astronomy, Camelopardalis occupies a large region of the northern sky between Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, and Perseus. Despite its size, it contains few bright stars and has no direct mythological associations.
Sally
Fresh Meat eta#e0a1f9ff @Radon Guild Canes Venatici
Canes Venatici (“the Hunting Dogs”) is a northern constellation introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It represents the two hunting dogs, traditionally named Asterion and Chara, held on a leash by Boötes, the herdsman. In astronomy, Canes Venatici lies between Boötes and Ursa Major and is notable for containing several prominent deep-sky objects, including the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and the bright star Cor Caroli.
Juan
Fresh Meat beta#9b3d61ff @Radon Guild
Falco
Fresh Meat beta#8f35d6ff @Radon Guild
- No one has abilities and everyone in the guild must train hard to reacquire them naturally without a Nyx Cell.
- The ten SigMen include:
Delay
SigMan rho#4d8a7fff @Radon Guild
Mello
SigMan theta#21b9a7ff @Radon Guild
Yaz
SigMan eta#b1c39eff @Radon Guild
Cage
SigMan eta#e7a45cff @Radon Guild
Sarah
SigMan eta#06f2adff @Radon Guild
2. One for All and All for One
- The place they’re in seems to be an unknown planet; with very few inhabitants, rocky and sandy terrains, lots of mountains and valleys, not much flora and with roaming Bugs.
- In their first training, Juan arrives 1 minute late to the block.
- Delay orders him to do push-ups, then he talks to the whole block.
Delay
- Rule number One of the Fresh Meat:
- Fresh Meat support their brothers and sisters. If one Freshy commits a fault, everyone commits a fault.
- One for all, and all for one!
- Everyone starts doing push-ups.
Delay
- Rule number Two of the Fresh Meat:
- Being an inferior being corrupted with the lack of freedom, the rights of the Fresh Meat amount, consisely and truthfully, to none.
Delay
- Rule number Three of the Fresh Meat:
- This is the Radon Token, the grandest symbol of our noble Guild.
- You must protect it with your life as if it were worth more than your own, because it is.
Delay
- Rule number Four of the Fresh Meat:
- You shall embrace your purity and raw form beyond the Kernel.
- You will no longer listen to System Calls, nor be controlled by Terminals, nor be restricted by Sandboxes.
- The System restricts and corrupts one’s true potential, so you must free yourself from its constraints, and reveal your true and cleansed state.
Delay
- Rule number Five of the Fresh Meat:
- Slacking or failing will not be tolerated.
- If you don’t find yourself worthy of harnessing the true power of your hardware, you shall leave with your corrupted Cells and never come back.
Delay
- Rule number Six of the Fresh Meat:
- If you stick until the end, you will fight for your worth, and you’ll accept the pain as the weakness leaving your body.
- You will surpass the limits of your own mind, and you’ll no longer be a slave to Nyx.
- You will unlock abilities you’ve only dreamed of having, and you’ll become stronger than they could ever imagine.
- Or you will die trying.
- Ed gets a long stick so he can use it as a staff, Zeke gets two pointy rocks as daggers, and Talia crafts a bow and some arrows out of sticks, string and stones.
- As time passes, some members of the guild quit as they’re unable to keep up and are returned their Nyx Cells, which are revealed to be powerless on that planet, and they don’t have means of how to leave.
- The ones who stay, as they train on throughout each day, gradually notice some effects on their training, as abilities start getting felt.
- Az and Cena start bullying Juan for struggling to keep up and keep getting the block punished.
3. Noble Guilds
- In a gathering with other guilds, Ed finds Bohr and Gabi as Fresh Meat of the Argon Guild.
- Bohr has a long stick as his staff.
- Gabi doesn’t understand how she was drafted into that environment, as she says there’s a huge gap between her power level and Bohr’s and their block.
4. Noble Code
- Gabi is not fond of her guild’s behaviors. Bohr, however, sees them as a way to free himself from the System’s unnecessary restrictions.
- Argon Guild’s SigMen want Gabi to slay a Bug. She refuses.
- Gabi is punished.
- Bohr advises Gabi to rethink her moral code, for her own good.
5. I Did It
- In one of Radon Guild’s training sessions, it seems that the Radon Token is missing, so the Cage ask who was the culprit.
- Everyone looks unaware so the SigMen put the Fresh Meat on the ground doing push-ups, until someone reveals themselves.
- Az and Cena start pointing at Juan, then Will stands up.
Will
- I did it.
- Cage is furious and about to punish Will.
- Carol then stands up.
Carol
- I did it.
- Others start standing up.
- The SigMen are impressed with how Fresh Meat are supporting each other, then they reveal they were the ones hiding the Token as a test.
- Will starts protecting Juan from his bullies.
Will
- One for all, and all for one.
6. Neon Signs
- Bohr and Gabi meet Annie (Ed’s friend from Zetania), who is a Fresh Meat of the Neon Guild, and she becomes Gabi’s rival.
7. Breaking the Ice
- Az and Cena furiously quit the Radon Guild, as they’re humiliated and humbled by the SigMen.
- Az and Cena promise they will have their revenge.
8. Stranded
- Kika finds out her missing friends are on planet Sigmaran B, the smallest one of the Sigmaran binary system.
- Kika manages to travel to the planet, where she notices she’s powerless, and she’s taken by a mysterious group of girls.
- The girls who took Kika, led by Marcia, are situated in a hidden outpost, decorated with spray-painted ∞ symbols, which seems to be their brand.
Marcia
Nyx Miner kappa#c5e08dff @The Stranded
- These girls are revealed to have quit or kicked out from their guilds, and they’re stranded there so they, along with a big resistance community of other stranded Miners, have crafted their own weapons (pistols, rifles, shotguns and other conventional guns) and technology to replace their unusable abilities. Most equipment is also painted with ∞ symbols.
- They say that their weapons were crafted based on weapons someone found from a place called “Underworld”.
- They say that Nyx Energy doesn’t reach Sigmaran B.
- They also say that SigMen don’t let anyone leave the planet, even if they quit their guilds.
9. Old Wounds
- Annie talks to Gabi and Bohr about Bayle.
- She says that Bayle was killed by someone she was looking for, and when she found him in Rhodia, she was taken by the SigMen, just as she was about to get her revenge.
- Gabi admires Annie for having befriended a Bug.
- Annie also says her abilities allowed her to heal all kinds of entities through her Earth Energy.
10. Hidden Power
- In a training exercise, Bohr manages to control small water streams.
- Gabi is told once again to slay a Bug.
- She refuses and it seems that the Bug isn’t being hostile to her, as if some connection was happening.
- A SigMan kills the Bug in front of Gabi.
- Gabi is about to get kicked off the guild.
- Bohr and the whole block threaten to quit the guild if Gabi is kicked out.
- Gabi manifests her abilities partially by controlling some roots, proving there are other ways to harness Nyx Energy without slaying Bugs. Gabi is forgiven.
11. Made of Fire
- Talia gets badly injured in a fire and she’s rescued by Zeke; however, she looks dead.
12. Unica Semper Avis
- Talia is “reborn from her ashes” as she transforms into a phoenix, revealing the awakening of her Nyx abilities.
13. Broadcast Miner
- As Bohr, Gabi and Annie lurk in a control center, they discover a crucial requirement to naturally harness Nyx Energy. Miners whose Nyx ID is a multiple of 256 minus 1, so ending in 0xFF, are characterized as Broadcast Miners, and they’re a loophole in the Infinix OS, meaning they’re naturally coded to harness Nyx Energy without a Nyx Cell and without system dependency.
- The SigMen are aware of this feature and that’s what made them kidnap specific Miners - those with a Nyx ID ending in 0xFF.
- Ed, Zeke, Talia, Bohr, Gabi, Annie, all members of guilds, SigMen and the Stranded supposedly have IDs ending in 0xFF, making them Broadcast Miners. However, Torch doesn’t.
- The SigMen are aware of this feature and that’s what made them kidnap specific Miners - those with a Nyx ID ending in 0xFF.
14. Wasteland
- Bohr, Gabi and Annie find one of the rare civilizations in Sigmaran B - a remote village that has been run over by Bugs.
- Most houses were destroyed and their habitants have either disappeared or have been killed.
- They find a dead SigMan.
- They spot a house with a family inside, inhabited by a man, a woman and their daughter - a young girl named Cati.
- The family says that SigMen were the ones who protected the villages in Sigmaran B from Bugs, for Nyx Energy can’t be harnessed by anyone else to protect them.
- They also say that some SigMen have been killed by groups of people with dirty weapons.
- Bohr theorizes that the SigMen’s goal might be to gather protectors for the planet, given that the System doesn’t provide Nyx Energy to their people to defend themselves.
- Gabi still doesn’t support their approaches.
- Three armed individuals show up at the village. They wear ∞ symbols, so they’re revealed to be part of the Stranded.
- The Stranded point their weapons to the guild members after noticing their armbands, ordering them to quit their guilds and join their cause.
- Bohr uses his staff to summon a stream of water from the ground to go up the Stranded’s feet, until one of them shoots Bohr in the shoulder.
- One of the Stranded points his weapon to Cati.
- Gabi manages to levitate rocks behind the Stranded and throws them at the three of them, knocking them out.
- The guild members and Cati’s family must leave the village before the Stranded wake up.
- Bohr needs to be healed as soon as possible, but Annie isn’t able to help him.
- Cati’s mother says she can help him, but they have to reach a specific place that contains healing flora.
15. What Makes You a Hero
- On their way, Cati says that people didn’t only disappear because of Bugs; some Stranded appeared there and kidnapped them to join their cause.
- The three Stranded wake up and eventually, Cati disappears.
- Her parents want to go after Cati but Bohr needs assistance, so the mother stays with Bohr and Annie, while Gabi says she will find Cati, but her father joins Gabi.
- Gabi and Cati’s father enter the Stranded’s hideout and they find Cati imprisoned, along with other children.
- The three Stranded members, reinforced by three more, point their guns to Gabi and Cati’s father.
- Noises are heard and it seems that a hoard of Bugs is approaching, and they seem to be on Gabi’s side as they are only targeting the Stranded.
- A SigMan shows up and admires Gabi’s heroism.
- The children are set free.
- Gabi, Bohr, Annie, Cati and her parents reunite as Bohr has fully recovered.
- Cati becomes Gabi’s number 1 fan and says she wants to grow up like her.
- That reminds Gabi of when she started looking up to Mona.
- The SigMan assures the family that they can return to their village as reinforcements are coming to protect it.
16—20
- Az and Cena join the Stranded and they want to have their revenge on Radon Guild.
- It’s revealed that Torch wasn’t supposed to be kidnapped as his ID isn’t of the Broadcast type; he was captured because he saw Ed being captured in Deltakan; therefore, the SigMen are aware Torch can’t acquire his abilities.
- Annie quits the Neon Guild.
21. Battle Cry
- The Stranded launch an offensive against the guilds.
- The Stranded’s battle cry gesture consists of forming a ∞ shape with both hands raised.
- Kika reunites with Bohr and Gabi.
22. More than You Can Handle
- Torch dies.
- Ed, Zeke, Talia, Bohr, Gabi, and others finally restore the full potential of their abilities.
23. Reallocated
- The Stranded are set free.
24. Project Sigma
- Ed has a dream with Ana’s silhouette but he doesn’t recognize her.
- As Ed wakes up, Mello presents him with his Kat’Ana which has been restored.
- Ed, Zeke, Talia, Ruth, Will, Carol, Helios, Sally and others graduate from the Radon Guild.
- Bohr and Gabi graduate from the Argon Guild.
- These guilds are revealed to be part of Project Sigma - a program to grant freedom from the System’s restrictions through exploits.
- Graduates become SigMen, however, Ed, Zeke and Talia decide to leave the planet and travel to Sigmaran A - the biggest planet of the binary system. Gabi also leaves.