Project Alice
Entry log 23.1
"Subject continues to prove the benefits of genetic modification for the Benefactor. The increased neural density as well as increased cognitive functions speak for themselves. However, it seems the gene expression modification we expected to cause a more obedient personality has backfired, resulting in the opposite. The Benefactor will not be pleased.
Subject Alice has shown repeated cases of attempting to hide their intelligence and hiding research since arriving at BlackRock under the guise of being hired by the military. Recommend Alice be repurposed for one of the additional projects.
-----
Entry log 23.3
Subject Alice seems to have developed an interest in peaceful technological development, keeping inventions that have a military application a secret. The Benefactor has proposed a possible solution-send her to the frontlines in South America, she has a friend in the military, a "Viktor Carlize". Recommend putting them in the same unit and having said friend suffer an accident. The traumatic shock could be enough to change Subject Alice's perspective.
------
Entry log 24.8
Operation Valkyrie was a success. Subject Alice has given up some valuable designs under the pretense of her friend being alive but in critical condition. A series of implants that would "speed recovery and improve resilience" is how the Subject described them. The neural implant, however, is interesting. Recommend testing to see if said neural implant can be used to override Subject Alice's tendency for noncompliance. If so, Project Wonderland is a go. This would help ease the Benefactor's frustration with the A.D.A.M failure.
-----------
Project: Wonderland
Overview- The research and development of technologies to create a perfectly obedient peak soldier capable of functioning in even non-survivable scenarios for the Benefactor.
Description- Subject Alice will be fitted with the full suite of implants, regenerative nanites, nano-ceramic bone enhancement, wetware neural interfaces, inhibitor implant, secondary brain, and Alternative personality has been given the codename: Cheshire.
Genetic modifications include increased neural capacity, decreased degradation, increased regeneration, and increased receptiveness to implants.
Result- partial failure. Implants were successful, however subject Alice's control failure resulted in a total loss, Cheshire remote termination failed due to an unknown virus implanted in the programming. All previous data subject Alice researched has been wiped. Recommend recapture and disassembly. Project E.V.E. to begin. Start with the Limos AI.
----
A.D.A.M, now Thanatos, read through the files with a thoroughly displeased mental state. He had raided three of BlackRock's sites, but because none of them had the full picture, this was all the data he was able to collect so far on Project Alice and Wonderland. Limos was still recovering from the damage, and Athena was...different. She was still there, but she seemed cold now, more methodical than before.
The one question on his mind was, Who is this Benefactor? Who is Executive 0.
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Are we sure the anesthetic will wear off soon, and that the restraints will hold?"
"The restraints are made from enough steel even this Uman will not be able to escape."
"And the Krultathan?"
"Quiet, both of you, it's waking up."
Amelia slowly began to come to as the effects of the anesthetic wore off, blinking rapidly due to the bright lights shining directly into her eyes. Trying to move made her realize she was restrained, and with it came a realization of what happened. They had been kidnapped while staying in Krultatha! Looking around, she could see that Hal wasn't on her arm and panicked. She panicked even more when she realized she wasn't even wearing her clothes anymore but a simple medical gown. The real fear though, started when her eyes adjusted and she could see three Axon around her, and what looked like a medical, or torture, room. She tried to say something, but her mouth was gagged. She couldn't see Viza or Hal anywhere, and she didn't like this room. It was just like, just like. No, nonononononono-
"Good, you're awake. You'll forgive us if we wear these masks, don't want to have an accidental dose, after all. Are you surprised? Shocked? Fearful even? Maybe you are wondering how we found out where you were heading? Well, not that any of that will do any good." One of them said while rummaging around a table filled with instruments, settling on a syringe.
"The only thing you need to know," It spoke as it pushed the needle into Amelia's arm, causing her panick to rise as it started drawing blood from her.
"Is that you now belong to the Axon Empire. You are property of the Matriarchy." It took the needle full of blood and injected it into a vial before sealing it and stepping away. Another one comes up to take his place.
"You humans will make a fine addition to our farms. Just having one or two of you will increase the production of the Krultathan stock." It started as it injected something that felt like fire into her veins. It burned, painful, like alcohol injected directly into a wound and he had to bite the gag to keep from screaming. After a few moments, the fire dissipated and the creature frowned.
"A shame, it seems the heat inducer won't work. We will have to find another way to increase the pheromones produced then."
He turns away and exits the room as the first one returns, this time with a much longer needle that he jabs into her thigh. The pain was agonizing as she felt it bury down to the bone, but it kept pushing, kept trying to pierce through to no avail. Pulling the needle out caused even more pain as the now bent needle tore more flesh, making Amelia scream into her gag.
"What are their bones made of? It bent the needle!"
"Stop complaining and figure out how to get the sample. We'll put the subject under again."
Amelia felt the gas being forced into her, realizing they had tubes in her nostrils to keep her from avoiding it as she fought to stay awake, but with no success.
Some time later, Amelia awoke again. In the same room, with the same three Axon. One of them grabbed her arm roughly and jabbed a needle in it."What did you do?! the blood sample disappeared!"
Amelia tried to say it was her nanites by being gagged, she couldn't respond. Instead the creature took another sample, and the second one tried for another bone sample and failed. He pulled out an even thicker needle and practically jumped on it to try and get a sample, managing to finally get just a tiny chip of bone, no more.
They fed a different gas through her this time, but the tube was so far back she couldn't smell what it was. It did have a calming effect though, strangely enough. They kept feeding it into her lungs for over half an hour, getting progressively more disappointed as the time went on. Eventually they stopped, giving her a moment of reprieve during which one of them tried to remove her artificial eye. Fortunately he couldn't figure out the release since it's a mental command from Amelia. One of the Axon wrote something down, and then the sleep gas was forced back into her.
The third time she awoke was different. She could see the track marks of dozens of injections into her arms, and several more she could feel on her legs. Across the room, she could see Viza, tied up just like her, and various marks across the body. They had been torturing him, and from his expression of fear, he had been awake. She tried to look at him with comforting eyes, to try and calm him down even just a little but, but she didn't think it was working.
"Now, since procuring a sample has been so bothersome, we are going to do a practical test. I even persuaded them to use your little Krultathan toy for it, isn't that nice? Proctor, remove the Krultathan's mask."
Fear shot in Amelia as she realized what was going on. Viza fought them to try and keep from having his mask removed but to little effect. Despite how hard he shook and turned and twisted his head, eventually they managed to remove the mask. Afterwards he tried holding his breath as long as possible but eventually, he had to breath.
"Hmm, yes. Results are positive, the Krultathan has started producing pheromones as well, and in greater quantity than usual, excellent. Proctor, you can replace his mask now, the Test is done."
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
The mask was put back on Viza, who looked to be holding onto his sanity but just barely. Amelia was burning with rage and fear and panic as he was rolled out of the padded medical room. How dare they treat him like that, how dare they take Viza away! The Axon just smiled at her and said. "From what I've been told, your toy there hasn't mated yet. Perhaps next time as a gift I'll undo his binds, Uman. Be sure to give us a good show."
Amelia felt herself drifting back into wakelessness as the Axon laughed.
------
When Amelia awoke the last time, Viza was once again there, mask off. Amelia started panicking as they undid his straps and rather than run, Viza locked onto her with an almost predatory look. He stepped forward slowly, as if fighting himself,and Amelia worried the worst would happen. Instead, by some miracle, she noticed two things. One, She had found Hal, hiding above and she hoped had a plan as he wasn't responding to her implant and two, the tuft on Viza's back wasn't raised. It didn't help the fear though, seeing him like that, but it did help give way to anger.
As Viza finally got close enough to touch, Amelia felt a strange calmness was over her, like back when Viza held her after her episode. Viza hid her behind his back, then she heard the voice, his voice, in her head, though Hal's channel. "Be ready."
Viza removed the gag from Amelia's mouth, and without hesitation, she shouted the command.
"C-combat mode! Confirmation t-tango22b!"
Instantly her implants whirred to life, removing limiters as close to the safety margin as possible, and pumping her full of chemicals to keep her moving as long as she had to. Hal dropped down from his spot above the lights and used his laser cutter to free her bindings. The Axons were utterly surprised and took a step back, not expecting to see Amelia freed nor to see an AI frame.
"Give me access." Hall commanded. The Axon, shocked at everything else, were not expecting to be charged by Viza, not in a full blown rage mode. Amelia, trying to process everything, shook her head. She wouldn't do that, wouldn't let Hal become a-
"DO IT MOM!" She...she didn't have a choice, he was right.
"G-Gaia defense p-protocol....2001."
Hal's Frame, previously either in stealth mode or deactivated mode, switched to active combat mode. Folding from his arms and on his pack were three gauss guns, along with the laser cutter mounted on his face. Calculating the angles and trajectories in less than a second, 3 shots were fired, and all three Axon died. Amelia was still in shock over everything, unable to move.
Viza held back the door as Hal prepped for whatever his plan was.
"Bypassing security measures, redistributing power. Initializing purge." he said, as the same knockout smoke used on Amelia started pouring out of the facility's vents. Viza and Amelia both quickly grabbed masks, while Hal slipped outside the door. Shots could be heard as well as a multitude of screams, but Amelia wasn't really there for all of it this time. The situation, the seeing Viza in front of her, bound like that..The little bit of sanity Amelia had left finally broke.
----
Hal had Been in low power mode whe Amelia and Viza were kidnapped an taken aboard the shuttle. Thinking quickly, he had managed to detach himself from Amelia before they took her to the holding cell of the massive complex. He needed to act, figure out a plan, recover his mother, his creator, and Viza from these Axon asshats that dared to harm them! But he had to be patient. They had taken Viza and Mother to different rooms. If he went after one, he would doom the other, and he still didn't know what they were after.
Logically, Hal knew waiting was the best chance for survival for everyone. Emotionally though, he could feel the fear and pain his Mother was experienced through the data her implant was still feeding him, and he could only imagine how bad it was for Viza.
He downloaded the schematics for the complex discreetly, he played with their orders here and there, manipulated them into getting Viza and Amelia in the room together, and the first time it worked! But there were too many people watching, it was too risky. No, he would have to try again. Luckily he didn't have to set that up. As he was crawling through the ventilation he heard the sickening words the Axon lead scientist, a disgrace to the name of scientist, said about taking Viza's will from him like that. he liked Viza. Viza was good for Mother, he helped calm her when she was upset, and he was niceto Hal too, for an organic.
And so for the first time, Hal felt rage at someone not only threatening his mother, but for another organic, Viza, as well. When they tried the little experiment, he managed to hack into Viza's implant and add a few lines of code that would dull his sense somewhat, allowing him to keep enough reason, and sent a single message.
'Pretend to lose reason, remove mother's gag, I'll do the rest.'
It worked! His plan worked! Viza managed to remove Mother's gag, and Hal cut her free, but he could feel it. This was too close to her past memories, she was frozen. Hal panicked, thinking of a way to save them, he had no choice. He begged her to release his morality limiter so he could defend her, even though he knew what he had to do would hurt her, it was the lesser pain than that of her having to live through this.
And when it was released, when he could finally let loose, Hal felt nothing but pure, unadulterated, rage at the Axon. How dare they hurt his family! How dare they make Mother and Viza suffer! Activating his gauss guns he immediately calculated the optimal shots and killed the three in the room with them. He then hacked their mainframe and turned their own weapons against them, releasing the knockout gas used for containment across the entire station.
Existing the room, Hal began to mercilessly kill anyone left standing. He had to watch his power bank, choosing optimal firing lines with minimum power to be able to conserve energy as long as possible. In the back of his mind the death count rose. 20 Axon, 30, 40, one fired off a plasma bolt that managed micro-fractures in his fram, he shot that one twice for damaging the body his mother gave him! 50, 60, another tried a laser weapon. It heated up his right forearm but it held as he shot that one through the sight on the weapon. 70, 75. He got to the last 3 awake, one of them the leader of this station, and Hal let all of his viciousness out on them. He fired into their kneecaps, then their arms, crippling them. He pulled their masks off letting them succumb to the gas but not before grabbing one of their drugs, one which increases sensitivity and blocks numbness, and forcing it into them. They deserved to pay for what they did.
-----
After what felt like an eternity, Hal returned, covered in blood and shouting to Viza to pick Amelia up and escorted them through the facility. Several new blemishes could be seen on his frame now, which struck another knife of pain into Amelia. They started moving however, passing by piles of either knocked out or dead Axon on the way to wherever Hal was leading them to.
Partway through however, Amelia and Viza both froze in their tracks and stared through a glass window. It was a lab, crude in design, filled with birthing cribs with Krultathan children...And almost every single one of them were dissected like a science experiment. Organs removed, bodies dismembered, vials with flesh floating in them. It was a gods-damned nightmare factory.
"Hal?"
"Yes mother?"
"Get me to a terminal, and take pictures of what the Axon did to those kids."
Hal led Amelia over to a terminal and, rather than using conventional means she didn't have time nor the mental fortitude for, activated her blackbox instead. It allowed her to directly jack into the mainframe using VR and in her native language where she found what she needed, the reactor controls. Setting it to go critical, she de-jacked and looked Viza and Hal.
"We need to leave, now."
Hal, the hero of the day, had already downloaded the schematics of the base and was heading to a bay, with them following. It took a few minutes, but surprisingly Viza was able to read the controls and fly the ship away from the base before the reactor went critical. It had been an asteroid base. One somehow still in Krultathan space. It shouldn't have existed, and now it no longer did as the asteroid cracked and the base exploded.They flew for a while after that, Amelia halfout of it, though apparently they were stopped by a Krultathan ship further in the system.
"Axon Shuttle you are trespassing in Krutathan space, respond or be shot down."
"Krultathan cruiser, we are escapees from an illegal Axon research base that was in that mine. We have the Human representative with us who arrived earlier to have talks with the Queen-Matriarch. We were abducted in Krultathan soil."
"One moment while we verify biometrics...Confirmed. The Krultathan starcruiser "Fangkiller" will escort you back to the embassy."
All during the return, Amelia was silent, unable to talk, unable to react. Viza was worried for her, as was Hal.
To be honest, Amelia wasn't processing much of anything right now, everything around her a blur. her combat implants had already shut down, she remembered numbly getting back to the Embassy, something about reimbursements for destroying an Axon research facility, but all of it washed over her without entering her mind. She had frozen, she had frozen and been unable to help Viza or Hal.
Hal had to kill because of it. Her kid, her boy, had to kill because she froze.
Dimly she was aware of Kixix talking, but Amelia just held onto Viza with Hal back on her arm, still in a gown, and numb to everything. Eventually Viza just walked away from Kixix without saying a word either, and went back to their room. Viza quite literally dragged the dresser in front of the door before falling onto the bed with Amelia, where she curled up in a ball next to him and cried, him holding her and letting his own tears fall as well.
No one said anything about the cries and scream that echoed that night.
---
The next morning, Amelia still felt numb, but a bit better. Viza had stayed with her throughout the night, and she, he, and Hal all held each other. She didn't get much sleep, the situation replaying in her head over and over. Viza made them some food, and she tried to eat but had no appetite despite knowing she should be starving. Kixix had attended the meeting with the Queen-Matriarch in her stead, most likely for the best given her current state, and after trying and failing to eat she just laid back down in bed, viza coming to sit beside her and try to calm her. He had taken his medication with breakfast, and slowly the effects of his being exposed to Amelia's scent was dissipating, but he was still being careful.
They still had a day before Amelia needed to meet with the Queen, and spent most of it laying in bed, trying to recover. All of them needed it.
"I...I fucked up, I'm sorry." Amelia said quietly after a while.
"You couldn't have known that would happen, no one could have. No one even knew that station existed."
"No, not that. I..I froze. I saw you, hurting, and I...I froze."
"No one is unbreakable, my dear Huntress."
"But, but you were hurt, just because you were near me! Why aren't you mad, why don't you blame me?! You should blame me!" Amelia shouted, though even she didn't know why she was saying what she was. Viza however just held her gently.
"How could I? If i hadn't simply rushed out when they knocked you out, I could've defended you better. You remember what I said? The past is unchangeable. All we can do is survive in the present. Right now that means dealing with this, and moving forward."
Amelia broke down again after that, crying in Viza's arms for several hours. Eventually the tears stopped, and she passed out asleep again. When she woke up, she got a shower, dressed herself finally, and ate some more, her appetite returning a bit, though she still wasn't back to normal. Whatever normal would be after this.
Later on there was a knock at her door, shocking her, before Kixix's familiar voice informed them that they would be meeting with the Queen in an hour and to prepare.