Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Tal hovered at the center of a great torrent. Cubes of differing sizes swirled around him with the intensity of a hurricane. His mind raced furiously as it tried to dissect the small clusters of data as they shot past. He was currently plugged into the Dominion’s cyberspace. An endless ocean of information that had once swallowed him up threatening to consume his mind. A decade ago it would've been overwhelming. Deafening. Blinding. A sensory overload that was like being injected with a thousand pure intense experiences. One could feel themselves swelling up as the brute force nature of cyberspace slammed into them like a tidal wave. Yet now this was his domain.

In here, he was the master of his fate.

The captain of his soul.

"She didn't pick up." A synthetic version of Deidra's voice called.

He screamed, throwing his hands out. He knew that Korsha had broken into the black ops facility. There was chatter all over that network. He had footage of her entering the server room from a bug he'd had planted several years back. Though to the untrained eye she’d have been a small pixelation glitch. Not uncommon but to him she was evident. He’d showed her how to use that ability afterall.

"Where are you!"

The whirlpool closed in on him. He'd have to retreat before the network trapped him.

"Insert spyware into the network. I want to know what's going on."

"On it."

Tal thought for a moment as he rose out of the whirlpool. He breached the surface and could see the endless expanse of cyberspace around him. What to do. What to do. There were redundancies in his plan of course. It wasn't an inevitability that Korsha would succeed. There were allowances that she got caught. The more vexing, and important, question was who had caught her.

He checked once more on Anadrov's condition. They had an informant in the hospital. As of ten minutes ago a new report had come in. Anadrov was being prepped to go into the ritual. Tal didn't understand how the curse could've happened. It didn't make any sense. There was no way that Deidra could've done that. Only he knew what she was capable of.

Thinking about her, he realized that he hadn’t checked in with her for several days. With them being this close to the end he needed to maintain tight focus and keep everyone right where they needed to be.

"Call Deidra."

He pushed down the awkwardness that tinged his cheeks. He'd made the synthetic version of Deidra shortly after the real one had been taken away. He'd flooded it with all his memories of her. For the most part it was a near perfect replica. Though there were moments where he recognized the program was only mimicking what he thought she was like. That was the strange thing about people. They were so complex and contradictory. Even if you’d spent a lifetime with them, you only understood the exterior, what they revealed. In the end one was left clueless as to the interior of a person. The mysteries that went in there were between them and the goddess.

A moment later he heard the chime of an established connection.

"Status." He said into the digital aether.

Lines of light appeared out of nowhere, racing on a collision course where they came together, bending and curving until Deidra’s body was formed. The body wasn't filled out but merely outlined in three dimensions. It looked like an old school game he’d played.

"I lost track of the target."

Tal brought his clenched fist to his mouth and bit down on the edge of his finger. He ignored the stream of information that told him that his avatar was in pain. He needed to find that technomancer Anadrov was talking to a few weeks back. He was a wildcard. One that he had not planned for. In all his time he'd never known Anadrov to have such an acquaintance. After doing a little digging he found they'd served under some centurion. Strangely enough Anadrov's commanding officer's name had been redacted. Why that was the case, Tal didn't know and, honestly, didn't care.

Tal examined the data that formed the geometric shapes around Deidra. She was out in the Imperial interior. He reached down and siphoned off data from the ocean. It shot up like a serpentine tornado. He got the data he wanted and quickly yanked his hand away, cutting off the endless stream of information. Deidra's position was near an omnigate. That would serve them well.

"Go to the omnigate. Standby for new orders."

Deidra gave him a sharp nod, "Roger. Roger."

He blinked. Had that been a joke? In the end he guessed it didn't matter. It was a curiosity to look into on another day. He glanced out once more under the roiling waves of information. Somewhere out there was his answer. But today wasn't the day you'd find it. Just a little longer.

A moment later cyberspace crashed. The warm colors that had made up the sunrise horizon bled away to black. The data, now white cubes drained of their vitality, fell away with a fading chime. A second later he was gasping, once more in his own body. There was a jerk at the back of his skull as he was unplugged from the system. He ignored the fruity taste in his mouth. A strange remnant of deep diving.

He lifted himself up and crawled out of the chair. The room was dark save for the pale orange blinking lights and status bars of his command console. He staggered across the room, his mind still trying to sync up with his body. He threw his hand out and caught himself against the door. For a moment he just stood there. Dozens of images flashed across to his mind. One of which was a car being driven by fire. Another was a wing serpent using its tail to draw something. None of which made sense. It was his subconscious trying to process all the new information.

He lifted his free hand and gazed down at it as he worked his fingers. He brought his thumb to each finger. He went faster and faster until he was sure his connection with his body was reestablished. Pushing off the wall, he grabbed the handle to the door and entered the living room. He looked at the pitifully small space. Barely large enough for two people. This was what a governor of the planet in the Dominion got on Megara. In truth he should be happy that they were even allowed onto the disc world. That portion of his plan had taken years of diligent work.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And it's all about the payoff, he thought to himself as he ran his hand over the synth leather top of the couch. He gazed around the room. The kitchen was empty. He flicked his eyes towards the other bedroom. It had only been marginally larger than his. His eyes settled upon the entrance to the balcony. He marched across the room, turned the handle and stepped outside. As he suspected, governor Arsanthia was staring out over the city.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

On some level Tal understood that it was aesthetically pleasing. Yet beneath the pastel glow of neon lights, were shadows and concrete, metal and disappointment. Deidra would've loved to see this. It's so… her. She’d taken one look at this place and marveled at the artificial lights that waged war with Megara's eternal night. She had a way of seeing the world that he never understood. Before her, he never cared. He could only see the parts, the components that fit together to make things work. She made him want to see the world in a way that was impossible for him.

And so he stood there, analyzing it. That was what he did. That was what he was good for. He could pick the lights apart, see how they complement each other or how they clashed. Artists were a strange bunch. It was as though they couldn't step back, they were caught up in the experience. Their art gushed out of them, flooded the page, the canvas, the city. They were lost, sojourners of experience. Initiates of some unfathomable primordial source.

Not him. He could only see the shapes. The colors. The surface level. He could take what was already built, and rebuild it. He could repair but he couldn't create. You couldn't repair what happened. You couldn't fix… He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away.

"You're in an introspective mood."

He gave a noncommittal grunt as he gazed up at the stars. Somewhere out there in the darkness Korsha was hiding. His plan, his carefully constructed revenge, hinged on him getting that data from her. With it he would destroy her and crush Anadrov's hopes of ever becoming what he wanted to be.

"I've had a thought."

Tal's brow furrowed, a frown twisting the edge of his lip, "Don't tell me you're questioning the plan now?"

Arsanthia shook her head. She turned to face Tal, leaning against the railing. The neon lights glowed against her chestnut skin. Tal smiled at her. Why was he always surrounded by beautiful women he couldn't have?

"What if we just got rid of Anadrov? We can always use the data later. Maybe even blackmail him with it."

Tal's eyes narrowed as he spoke through clenched teeth, "That wasn't the plan."

"Oh come now, we're in the endgame."

Tal shook his head as he squeezed the iron railing. It groaned against his enhanced strength. He let go not wishing to cause unnecessary harm. Megara had strict rules and who knew when they would need to come back here. He glared out at the city. He was so close. He didn't need her getting in the way. He was appalled that she even suggested blackmailing him. Anadrov was too smart for that. Given enough time, he would figure out how to twist the advantage against them. If they were going to do this, they were going to do this right.

"The data comes first."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

Tal stiffened. He knew exactly who she was referring to. Korsha. It was always Korsha. She was such a small pathetic thing yet things seem to revolve around her. He tried to work his plan over and over but in the end it all came down to her. It hinged on him deceiving her. Ultimately, he'd come to love that portion of the plan. He saw the desperation within her. She might not have liked being around people but she hated being alone. That was a weakness he'd eagerly exploited.

"See. The universe revolves and plans change. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out how to make this work."

"Since when did you become a planner?"

"I am…" She gave him a raised smile as she lifted her gaze and then rolled her eyes so that they were once more fixed upon him, "more of an idea person. I merely suggested it to my steward."

Tal gritted his teeth. He hated politics for this very reason. It was never enough. Ambition had become greed. Pride had to become vaunted arrogance. Confidence had to become dogma. It was this very reason that he had layered in several redundancies. Even if Korsha somehow uncovered the truth, he was protected. He glanced over to the governor and gave her his warmest, fakest, smile. The governor on the other hand… Such were the casualties of political intrigue.

"What are you suggesting?"

"We kill Anadrov."

Tal blinked. He snapped his head over to her, eyes wide.

"You would do that to him after everything he's done for you?"

She cocked her eyebrow, "We planned to destroy his career and have his servant imprisoned."

Tal cocked his head to the side. He had to give her that. Yet his plan involved allowing them to live, ensuring they suffered for as long as possible. Though killing that slimy serpent Anadrov did speak to his anger, it didn’t sit right with the colder part of him. He wanted the thaeruun to know what it was like to suffer. To know what it was like to have a desire and to never see it fulfilled. To know what it was like to hear one’s dreams shatter and then to stoop down to pick up the pieces and examine them through the lens of regret.

"I'd have to find a way to kidnap him as soon as he comes out of the ritual, which is currently underway."

"I have that handled. All you have to do is give him this."

She lifted up a vial of sloshing liquid and shook it in front of his face. He watched the amber liquid slosh back and forth. He had to choke down the anger that boiled within him. She already had this handled? She was going outside of the agreed parameters. Was she so foolish enough to think that she could do this without him? She was a politician not a strategist. She'd only risen through the ranks in recent years because of his efforts. His efforts! Perhaps it's time to remind her of that, he thought, creating a memo for later.

He snatched the vial from her hand. He ran a diagnostic but his system didn't recognize the liquid and he wasn't about to do an analysis through imbibing. That would take far too long and with pieces now in motion he needed to be active. Instead, he was going to have to ask her. And he hated himself for it.

"What'll it do?"

"It will burn his heart out. Give the appearance that it surrendered to fatigue.”

Tal frowned. This wasn't justice. This was a mercy. Anadrov was supposed to pay for what he’d done to Deidra. He wanted to take everything away from Anadrov, force the man to watch everything that he worked so hard for, what he cared for and loved, burn. Then he wanted to ensure that he stayed there among the ashes unable to rebuild.

Tal thought back to the curse that was slowly eating away at Anadrov. Now that was a fitting curse. Perhaps there was some justice in the universe and this was some sort of divine punishment. A slow agonizing death, knowing it's coming, knowing that he'll have to just sit there and watch as all he is and could be was turned to cinders. That was a fitting punishment worthy of his crimes.

Tal shifted his weight. Although, with Anadrov dead it would tie up loose ends and ensure that he couldn't get his own revenge. That would free up considerable resources moving forward. But if he dies, how do I make his death as potent as possible?

Tal froze. His mind was flooded with a series of thoughts. He learned long ago to just let it happen and not try to keep up. Once it was finished he blinked. His mouth was open and his eyes moved from side to side as though he were reading a document. His lips curved up into a smile. The answer, as usual, was Korsha. Ultimately, in the end this was all her fault. She'd been the one to join Anadrov. She'd abandon her sister. He nodded to himself. She's the one who was worthy of the highest punishment.

He gave Arsanthia a wicked grin as he placed the vial into a slot in his armor.

"How quickly do you need to be ready?"

"The ritual takes approximately twelve hours. At most you'll need thirteen."

Tal grinned, "That'll work."