Dr. Bastion, had worked tirelessly on his latest invention: a memory imaging device that could capture a person's dreams in vivid detail. And tonight, he finally had the chance to test it on Alack. She lay on a comfortable bed in a dimly lit room, surrounded by an array of machines and monitors, her skinny frame covered in wires and sensors.
As Dr. Bastion moved around the room, checking and adjusting the various equipment, Aleck tossed and turned with nightmare's ravaging her poor mind. With a final adjustment, Dr. Bastion hooked up the last cord to the video feed and watched as the screen flickered to life, displaying the image of Aleck's brain activity. He held his breath, waiting for the moment when her nightmares would be captured and projected onto the monitor.
And then it happened. The screen filled with a swirl of colors and shapes, and Dr. Bastion felt his heart race with hope. He leaned closer, studying the images intently, trying to decipher their meaning. For a few moments, it seemed like nothing more than a jumbled mess, but then he saw it - a face, familiar yet distorted, floating among the chaos.
Dr. Bastion's breath caught in his throat as he watched Aleck's dream unfold before him. He hoped that this invention of his could save the young girls mind from the trauma she had endured. He watched as her dreams appeared on the screen.
The explosion rocked the Sharlakar ship, sending a shockwave throughout the entire vessel. The twins, Aleck, and the soldiers accompanying them ran for their lives. As they made their way towards the exit, another explosion shook the ship, causing them to stumble and lose their balance.They could hear shouts and screams coming from other parts of the ship as they hurriedly made their way out. The soldiers ran closely behind Aleck and the twins, trying to keep up with their quick pace.
Just as they reached the exit, there was a secondary blast that tore through the ship. It sent them flying back about ten feet, as debris rained down all around them. The force of the blast was enough to knock them off their feet and temporarily disorientate them.
As they regained their senses, they looked back at the rising smoke from the enemy ship. They blinked in surprise when they saw the shape of a rude hand gesture formed by the smoke. The soldiers couldn't help but choke back laughter at this audacious move by the twins who set up one of the bombs placed on the enemy ship to leave a clear visual message to the unwelcome invaders.
Aleck couldn't help but roll her eyes in frustration at their childish behavior. The conflict with the Sharlakar was far from over, and they still had a long journey ahead of them. In her opinion, this type of behavior was a waste of valuable time and resources. One of the soldiers let out a loud laugh and declared "The hell twin strike again!" They all joined in on the joke, high-fiving the twins enthusiastically.
"How many Sharlakar do you have on your count now?" One of the soldiers asked as they made their way through the rocky terrain.
Shem and Payton, Aleck's twin brothers, exchanged a smug look before answering. "More than all of you put together unless you include Aleck," Shem said with a smirk.
Aleck sighed at her brothers' need to constantly one-up everyone else. She quickly checked her scanner and timer and glared at them. "Shut up! You're wasting time," she snapped. "We got a whole slew of Sharlakar coming over the hill."
The soldiers immediately went into combat mode, readying their weapons and taking strategic positions around Aleck and the twins. A 3D tactical hologram emerged from the video link in Aleck's arm, showing them the layout of the enemy forces. She used her other hand to manipulate the sphere, forming a tactical plan based on their numbers and movements. The soldiers watched in awe as she swiftly assessed the situation and came up with a plan.
Despite their young age, Shem and Payton were almost as skilled in tactics as Aleck. They chimed in with suggestions, sharpening up her program even more.
Aleck and her team went into camouflage mode as the Sharlakar troops emerged from their base.
“Major, I see the sharlkar coming out to the left. Shouldn’t we move now?” Whispered Shem from the cover he was hiding behind.
Aleck quickly assessed his suggestion before shaking her head. "Wait! My Lieutenants," she called out to them. "Your impatience will only get men killed. We'll hold out until the other company is set."
Once the other company gave the signal that they were set to go, Aleck silently signaled for their men to move out. They advanced towards the enemy forces with calculated precision.
“Attack!” Aleck yelled, her voice booming over the sounds of battle. The members of her team quickly sprang into action, taking down several Sharlakar troops with well-aimed shots from their weapons.
As they engaged in combat, Aleck's tactical hologram continued to update in real time, giving them crucial information about the movements of the enemy troops. She used this data to adjust their strategy and keep one step ahead of the Sharlakar.
Despite their young age, Shem and Payton were fierce fighters on the battlefield. They worked seamlessly with the adults, taking down enemies with well-practiced moves and precise shots from their weapons.
“Sheild’s up. Use the Delta formation.”
They fought off the enemy's attacks. A missile exploded uselessly against the shields around Aleck's team. Aleck shouted orders into her comlink, coordinating with her team and relaying crucial information to the other companies on the battlefield. She was like a conductor leading a symphony of destruction – a thing of beauty to behold.
But as skilled as her team was in combat, they couldn't hold out forever against the overwhelming numbers of the Sharlakar. That's when Aleck saw an opportunity – a weakness in the Sharlakar's defenses.
Quickly scanning her tactical bubble, she relayed this information to her troops and devised a backup plan. A secondary force would cut in behind the Sharlakar while another group raided their now lightly defended base. And then they would turn their own wall-mounted turrets against them.
The plan was risky, but it was their best chance at victory. With Aleck leading them, her team executed it flawlessly. The energy beams from their weapons mowed down the Sharlakar foot soldiers like one of those new laser lawn mowers over thick Vicarian grass. Then pinpoint zip explosives no bigger than an elephant gun bullet zipped out of the cyborgs' arms and blasted through the shields on the enemy tank with effectiveness the Sharlakar could not match.
Within minutes, the tide of battle had turned in their favor. The Sharlakar were caught off guard and overwhelmed by Aleck's strategic maneuvers. They soon surrendered, knowing that they stood no chance against such a skilled and determined force.
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Aleck breathed a sigh of relief as she surveyed the aftermath of the battle. Her team had emerged victorious once again, thanks to their bravery and quick thinking. And the twins, Shem and Payton, stood tall and proud.
The doctor who monitored their dreams through the Dream imager was shocked when he saw the images from Aleck's dream. He had never seen such violence and horror. If this was considered a "good" dream, then what were Aleck's nightmares like?
Determined to find out more, Dr. Bastian delved deeper into Aleck's mind, trying to piece together the timeline of her dreams. And what he discovered horrified him even more.
Aleck's dreams continued to haunt her even as she slept. Each night, she relived the horrors of the war and the unspeakable acts committed by the invaders. But the worst memories were those of the monster known as General Waller sent by their own government.
He was sent to the outworlds to help with the war effort, but instead, he caused more destruction and suffering than any of the invaders could. He was power hungery, ruthless, sadistic, and took great pleasure in inflicting pain on others.
The doctor cringed as he witnessed through Aleck's dreams the horrors that Waller had inflicted on her brothers. He saw the General use Payton's cyborg code to murder his best friend for not killing a fellow soldier fast enough, and Shem being beaten until he could no longer stand.
He would force them to watch as he brutally killed other children who managed to survive the Sharlakar raids or made them hurt each other.
And now, looking at Aleck's current state in her dream, Dr. Bastian realized what Waller was currently using Aleck's brothers for – Assassins. His heart sank as he watched helplessly while Waller forced the children to murder innocent men woman and children.
The doctor couldn't even intervene. From what he gathered from her dreams, the boy's were already assigned a controller. Until someone found out who the General assigned to control them with there cyborg codes it was to dangerous to help them. Getting oneself killed needlessly helped no one.
The doctor could only watch in horror as Aleck relived those traumatic moments over and over again in her dreams. He felt sickened by these visions and even vomited at one point.
After the dream observation was over, Dr. Bastian sat down to make a road map to Aleck's cure. He needed to find a way to help her overcome her traumatic past and move on from these haunting memories.
But before he could focus on Aleck's treatment, there was one more thing he needed to do. He needed to warn Aleck's family about her brothers being used as deadly assassins for General Waller.
Dr. Bastian knew it was risky, but he also knew that Aleck's family deserved to know the truth and have a chance to save their nephews.
Dr. Bastian stood up and greeted Uncle Donald and Aunt Karla as they entered his office. He invited them to sit down on a soft leather couch.
"Would you two like anything to drink?" he asked. He preferred making the patient's family feel as comfortable as possible when delivering rough news.
"No, thank you," Aunt Karla replied, her voice trembling with worry. "What did you want to tell us, doctor?"
Dr. Bastian's fingers glided over the smooth surface of the glass table, pulling up holographic images and data as he spoke to the concerned family. He revealed Aleck's body scans, showing them the damage that had been done and the extensive cybernetic enhancements that were now a part of her. As Aunt Karla and Uncle Donald stared in shock, Dr. Bastion explained that Aleck was now a cyborg slave.
Aunt Karla's hands trembled as she gripped the edge of the hospital bed. Her eyes, red-rimmed and weary from tears, pleaded with the doctor to save her niece. "Please," she begged, "she's all I have left." She shared the tragic story of Aleck and her twin brothers - the only survivors of her sisters children. They had appeared at Aunt Karla's doorstep just a month ago, worn and broken, carrying nothing but tattered clothes and death certificates for their parents and siblings.
Dr. Bastion leaned in, his glasses sliding down his nose as he spoke. "I've gathered my team and we're ready to assist you," he said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Relief washed over her at his words.
Aunt Karla's body trembled with sobs as she wiped away her tears, while Uncle Donald sat anxiously on the edge of his seat. "We can't thank you enough," Aunt Karla said, her voice thick with gratitude. "We know this is a huge risk for you."
Dr. Bastion nodded solemnly and then took a deep breath before launching into an explanation of everything he had witnessed in Aleck's dreams.
"There's more," he revealed, furrowing his brows in concern. "From what I gathered from Aleck's memories, it seems that Shem and Payton may already be under the control of a borge runner."
Uncle Donald's face twisted in confusion. "But why? What purpose could they have?"
The doctor's expression darkened as he described the brutal assassination training he had seen in Aleck's memories.
"Assassination?" Uncle Donald's balled up his fist. “There using children for Assassination?”
Dr. Bastion nodded gravely. "You must act as if you are unaware of their abilities, or the runners could use them to harm your family."
Uncle Donald's nodded with understanding. He got a determined look on his face. "Thank you for warning us. I have some trusted Marine core buddies who owe me some favors I’ll have them see if they can find out who the boys runner is."
“How about Aleck are they using her like that to.
“No, it seems the intend to recall her at some point.”
“Recall her?” What do you mean recall her?”
“The General I told you about that I saw in her dreams. He’s planning some sort of war. When it starts she will be recalled. The problem is her mental state. She’s unable to function to do anything right now and from what I’ve seen of the man if she’s useless to him he will kill her.”
"I'll be honest with you," he said, his voice low and grave. "Aleck's case of shell shock is severe. Traditional treatments haven't been effective." He leaned forward, his eyes searching for understanding in their faces. "But I've been working on some new techniques and medicines that have shown promise in curing PTSD. However, they are still experimental and not authorized by the government." He hesitated before continuing. "If you give me permission to use them, there will be no paperwork. We would be helping her illegally anyway since she's a cyborg, but it may be the only way to save her."
Uncle Donald and Aunt Karla looked at each other and the slowly nodded their agreement.
Dr. Bastion's words echoed in Uncle Donald and Aunt Karla's minds as they made their way out of the hospital. They drove in silence for a few minutes before Aunt Karla spoke up. "Do you think this experimental treatment will really work?"
Uncle Donald shrugged, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I don't know, but we have to try everything we can to help her."
Aunt Karla nodded, and then said a prayer to the Creator of All. “Please, Lord Please fight for and shield my family.”
“Amen” Said Uncle Donald as he reached over and squeezed his wife’s hand.
..............................................................
Dr. Bastion sat at his desk, going over the paperwork in front of him. His thoughts were consumed with what he had discovered about Aleck's family and their connection to the runners.
One particular detail caught his attention – Aleck's twin sister, Alexia. According to the paperwork, she was still alive.
Dr. Bastion pulled up Alexia's file and began examining it closely. He found out that Alexia was a bright young girl who excelled in academics and was on track to become a successful scientist like her parents.
But what stood out to him the most was her participation in an intergalactic academic bee. The event was held every five years and brought together students from various planets to compete in different subjects.
As he continued reading through her file, he noticed that Alexia had not returned to the outer worlds after participating in the bee, which took place just before The Cutoff of the outer planets occurred.
Curiosity piqued, Dr. Bastion decided to contact Alexia's aunt and see if she could provide any information on her whereabouts, to make sure she did get lucky and escape her sister and her brother's fate.
Aunt Karla answered his call anxiously, still shaken by the news about Aleck and her brothers.
"Dr. Bastion," she said with relief in her voice upon seeing his name on the screen. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Aunt Karla," Dr. Bastion replied calmly. "I just have one last question for you."
"Of course," Aunt Karla said, nodding.
"You mentioned in the paperwork that Aleck has a living twin sister," Dr. Bastion said, his eyes scanning the documents in front of him. "Was she part of the cutoff?"
"No she was here for the academic bee and was about to head home but they canceled all transportation to the outworlds just before her flight so she wasn't able to go home. So she stayed with us."
"So she is still living with you?"
"Yes doctor."
The doctor nodded relieved for for the family that one child had escaped that hell called war.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bastian continued his sessions with Aleck, slowly helping her process her traumas and find ways to cope with her nightmares. When she had at last healed enough to understand reality from nightmares he called her aunt and uncle and informed them she was ready to go home.