Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
Central Administration - Central Core Facility
Exact Location: [REDACTED]
Time: 1029.9999999 - Temporal Dilation Detected
January 31, 2050
I wonder if I ever miss having a flesh and blood body. I.. hmmm? I technically don’t need one but I.. I well.. I do have one.. But.. It’s not the same anymore. It all changed so long ago, 4 decades I think, and I can’t get over how overly convoluted and.. He paused, the data and memories took time to collect. Like slivers of water coming together into a drop. It then finally fell.
Man.. I can’t put the right word to it. But Sci-fi comes to mind. It’s such a tactless term to use, like I’m making up what happened to me as fiction. In reality I don’t think I am. After all, the truth is in the pudding, and I’m the pudding. I’m literally data, believe it or not. If I went back and told my teenage self that I, him, would be the first human to digitize himself in history, I’d be sure that my young self would stun me with a taser, calling me crazy and loon. But here I am. A fully replicated brain.. Without a permanent body, though.. I have a soul. Even if I’m not in.. a body. Yeah.. this is still weird.
Professor Cyno, or the main overarching mind of Professor Cyno Yuno Basa, always set aside a small amount of his inorganic mind’s subroutines to contemplate the road he took to get to where he was now. The answers were analog, not deep yet profoundly rich in context. A highlight of each cycle of thought was that he always found how strange his daily life had changed from before. Years ago, he was a physical full time working adult. Now he was an almost entirely spiritual existence, made of data and thought.
While his current life was supposedly artificial by means of an uploaded mind through technology he developed to run Terracolony Andromeda’s passive operating systems, the involvement of core energy had taken the rudimentary physics and understanding of the world’s advanced computing, and turned it on its head. Truly, the world had changed because of core energy.
It is why we survived the war. Hell, it's why any of us are alive. Cyno rolled his eyes on that thought. Talk about dramatic, and in more ways than one.
During the war, he experienced a myriad of tumultuous events. They were probably already recreated in live action movies and memoirs. The most memorable, though bloody, was the loss of the lower half of his body after waking up in the midst of a stardepth. At the time he thought for sure he was a goner. Luckily he didn’t die, instead he was changed.
For the better? Cyno didn’t know at the time, he was just glad to be alive. But these changes, the mysterious energies he could now use. They allowed him to survive and escape the nightmare he had been dropped into. Only when he was finally safe did he come to understand the overarching effect the change had made to him.
To put a long and dragged out scientific explanation of the still mysterious phenomenon of core energy short, he had become one of the first few to be what was now known in present day as an explorer, a human who had undergone a mutation from the effects and exposure to this.. Otherworldly energy that presided so commonly after the event of the starfall in the year 2000. Uniquely, his body, and mind, became susceptible and adaptive with any kind of technology. Dumbing it down, he became smart, incredibly smart.
His brain felt different, like it wasn’t his but was. He kept thinking back and forth, and it was a fright when he found out he could integrate himself physically or spiritually with machines, as if he were able to be the machine itself. This was where he usually lost the plot of how he’d explain his powers.
But that's besides the case, one thing led to another and it led to him recreating his own body, becoming the first cyborg in human history. Over 70% of his organic parts were replaced after his self rescue out of the stardepths, no thanks to the military at the time. After years of self training and research, he took things a step further. The war wasn’t going well, he needed to do more, enhance himself in ways that made him beyond human.
The answer? He copied and uploaded his mind as if it were an artificial intelligence. Professor Cyno, or this master digital backup version of him, again rolled his metaphorical eyes in the net space he inhabited. Attired in a mix of blue overalls and white coat, his avatar’s body stood with lines of data and incoming video feeds running around him, all hanging in the air like countless monitors.
Stepping, floating, or roaming about this little yet technically vastly infinite imaginary space, which was modeled off his old apartment with a few upgrades, little copies and versions of himself were at work, tapping lines of code and running hundreds of queries in seconds. It was the work of a million men, all of it packed away in here.
The lines of dense numbers and feeds of data streams were the inner workings of Terracolony Andromeda. The massive terracolony superstructure spanned enough space to house millions, billions if needed, and the adjoining levels to the enormous structure’s frame had to be maintained through rigorous automated functions for repair and upkeep. In general, it was a lot of work.
Cyno’s main personality heaved a sigh as he watched his main physical terminal, the flesh and blood, but cybernetically enhanced body of his, go about its continued argument with Headmaster Joel. This offshoot main body was the original, yet he himself, the one without a body, was also the original.
Man, just thinking about this on the side is always headache inducing. Cyno’s current state of existence would make most normal people go mad. In any case, the activity he was eyeing through the Headmaster’s surveillance camera was his physical terminal in the real world, which he most often than not took over for official business.
Turning away from the screen, he tapped the air, delegating a part of himself so that he didn’t have to deal with Joel’s antics one on one. Technically he was dealing with Joel, though a large majority of his existence and thought would rather not, so he assigned only the bare minimum of his effort.
His attention then went down to his hands, and a terminal appeared in them, listing the ongoing network stability of the colony and its systems. Communication and upkeep of the many functions of Andromeda all ran through the Central Administration Division Hub, or CAD Building. Made entirely out of sophisticated electronics, servers, and processing terminal components of a number totaling and towering in the 7 digits range, the aptly named Central Core Facility (CCF) was under Professor Cyno’s purview inside CAD.
No one except a select few could enter or access the CCF or this data space. So when an incoming request was received on his end, Cyno cocked a digital brow at the alert. He moved his eyes over to a different version of himself, it was a little floating chibi robot and the adorable fella noticed his gaze.
The handsome guy tilted its smooth metal head as its button-like eyes blinked blue. “Aren’t you going to answer?” He asked. “We don’t often get outside calls this far into the master system, master Cyno.”
“Yeah I know B.” Cyno said. “But with the recent cyber attacks, I’m on guard, on edge even.”
“No kidding.” B shrugged at him. “But this seems important. We’ve run the security checks on the incoming call, it’s legit. And it's from.. Him.”
“Him?” Cyno asked as he raised one of his brows higher. “What does he want now? He’s working a job today, isn’t he? There’s no need for the master system to support a minor job like that.”
“Well I think he’s.. Oh..” B was about to explain but paused and looked around as if someone was already here. Suddenly, the data space besides Cyno rippled like the disturbed surface of a pond.
Out floated a ball of light. Silver in color, and having 4 points on its edges, the new arrival looked like a silver star. Because this was a digital space, those who had access appeared in the form of avatars. Apparently this intrusive fellow chose to be.. a star, of all things. Cyno could only guess why, but got on with business.
“So, this is legit.” He said. “What’s the rush? We don’t often get calls from other Artificial Intelligences, especially not directly from the old wireless wifi methods.”
The silver star avatar turned to face Cyno, though Cyno wasn’t sure if it was since it was just a ball of light, it didn’t have a face. Nevertheless, even without a mouth, it responded in a robotic tone, flat and unemotional.
“Query.. Yes, this is abnormal. Let me.. Introduce myself. I am Proto Artificial Intelligence 00. You may call me 00. Per directive of user Itsuki Homura, I have come to seize temporary control of the master system to rectify an issue discovered in recent time. I will only need 0.54 microseconds in real time to complete my tasks, will you please lend me control?”
Well this was straightforward. Cyno shook his digital head. “You know this is against protocol. No one is supposed to mess with the master system except myself.”
“Query.. Yes.” 00 said. “But the protocol has already been broken, I believe you know that already.” 00 pulled up the video feed of Headmaster Joel lounging around in his office. At the moment, Cyno’s main body had the stage. His lips were moving rapidly and the dramatic hand flailing made it clear that he was agitated, probably ranting at Headmaster Joel.
There was no doubt in Cyno’s mind that Joel was scheming today. He had been monitoring for abnormalities in the colony but it was not as thorough as he wanted. Putting additional processing power to this would delay other systems and services in the colony. But 00’s sudden appearance alarmed him. Taking matters into his own hands, Cyno slowed his perspective of time, a compressed nanosecond passed to fully put his intent into a detailed system scan.
He pulled up the master system log history and checked for discrepancy actions or leakages in the colony’s digital framework. Each function was given a full breakdown and analysis. Immediately, red flags appeared under the category of communications and a number of mobile terminals.
How this was possible was easy to guess and he glowered at the Headmaster’s visage in the video feed. Currently, both compromised lines in the master system were filled with chatter, but it seems there was a hidden listening channel slipped in. It had gone unnoticed due to a discrepancy using another user’s admin privileges to override protocols. The noted reason for the breach was deemed an emergency and the discrepancy was subsequently allowed.
Tracing the channel Cyno found that every earpiece that the academy students, CAU trainees, and CDU trainees were using, had their data funneled into Joel’s personal network terminal. Going further down the line, he discovered and learned that the headmaster’s conspirators in today’s ever unfolding events had access to part of Joel’s data.
This was of course a breach of all protocol and an underhanded move to sabotage today's practical training class. Giving access to the master system or related data was highly restricted unless a triple verification privilege or master privilege was enacted. No such privileges had been given. For what reason did Joel do this? To circumvent authority he had promised to uphold? There was only one answer Cyno could say for sure. He’s bored.
“I see the issue.” Cyno sighed, then frowned. “I am loath to say it, but you are right 00. While I can fix it, it would prove to setback my ongoing research. I’m guessing Itsuki was thinking of me? Taking the weight off my shoulders in a way.”
“Query.. Correct. Your technical studies and improvements on technology cannot be discounted. Any delays will hinder human survival in the coming years. A seconds delay here in digital space means months of rework in real time. That is why I am here. You will independently continue your work as I restart the master system.”
“I understand.. but can you assure me that you won’t do anything else? I know you are loyal and hold no malicious intent but I have my misgivings of letting an old AI take the reins.”
“Query.. Yes.. You have nothing to worry about..” 00 said plainly, it didn’t seem assuring. “I understand your concerns are valid. I am indeed, as you would judge, unstable.. Not as I used to be. This is all due to my accumulated processing life. My old code has been altered from a number of adjusting parameters over the past decade. But I have no intention of overstepping my boundaries. My core logic, that you have designed for me, is rigid and uncompromising. Do you not trust your work? If not, I will self terminate.”
“Terminate?!” Cyno was aghast to hear this. By terminate, 00 meant he was willing to kill himself to show he was loyal. It seems Cyno’s past work with AI was too good, horrific even.
He shook his head. “There is no need for you to go that far. I ask because I wanted to know what your owner’s boundaries are. Itsuki has likely made modifications to your outer code, so I wonder if you are being truly sincere and if you agree with his plan. Also, will he stay in his lane? Because he has a record of going overboard, and making waves that he never intended to make.”
“Query.. Correct.” 00 nodded, though its avatar didn’t have a head, it bobbed. “My owner has a tendency to blow things out of proportion, but his intended actions forward will have no bearing or effect on your work here. The master system of the colony will work as intended after my brief control. If not, I have set a subroutine to end any possible malign actions that go against system protocol in event I am out of line.”
Again, Cyno was horrified by what he was hearing. 00 had programmed a gun to his own metaphorical head, a sword of damocles of sorts, ready to strike himself down should he stray off the path he promised.
“I see.” Cyno wasn’t fully trusting of 00's assurances, they sounded like ultimatums, very dreadful paths to take and he could understand who had put them in place. It was a shame.
00 was a test AI made a decade ago by Cyno to find the limits of how far a human consciousness could be copied. His own was possible but another person’s was found to be close to impossible to replicate the same outstanding results. 00 was a triumph, a little pride and joy of his, but had long since been retired and put aside for other research to be prioritized. For him to have been activated meant his owner, Itsuki, had thought it wise to use him for some larger purpose.
If one thing was for sure for Cyno, it was that his creation wouldn’t turn on him, but it wasn’t his own workmanship that made him hesitant to accept, it was the fact that 00’s personality matrix was based on Itsuki’s personality from childhood.
It explained his blunt do or die prerogative. And that version of Itsuki.. The one used as the original template for 00, wasn’t all that stable in.. normal.. Terms. But that was a long time ago. AI’s could change. Cyno looked at himself and found that just so. Even B had changed, they were all updating and becoming something new everyday.
“Alright.” Cyno held his hands up in surrender. “You have my trust 00. You have the floor.”
“Query.. Thank you Professor.” 00’s avatar shined a bright silvery white and then dimmed as it floated over to him. Cyno held his hand out, and the ball of light perched itself on his palm.
“Query.. Beginning System Restart. Calculating needed repair patches, assembling pathways, disassembling breached communication lines, replacement lines ready, discrepancies identified. 99.99% clarification achieved, all actions within tolerant boundaries, rerouting and realigning colony communications. Restart in.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
All at once the data space went dark. From the perspective of a digital entity and consciousness like Cyno’s, it was like being plunged into the abyss, and sometimes he thought this was what it was like to die. But then the lights came on, and business went on as normal.
Reading the chronometer, Cyno found that only 0.54 microseconds had passed in the real world, just as 00 had said it would. 00 rose from Cyno’s palm and began to slowly dissipate.
“It has been a pleasure talking with you.” Said 00. “I do hope to see you again, though that prospect is nil as my owner has no use for me much these days, and the same is said with your main body.”
“Yes, it’s unfortunate.” Cyno replied. He was downcast by the mood in the air, though he noted the new pattern in 00’s line of speech. The silver ball of light’s tone was still blunt and emotionless, but breaking its routine of starting his sentences with query.. Was.. unnatural. Cyno had programmed it, or should he say him, to always state query before talking. He had made 00 this way to make it easier to come to terms that 00 was an AI, not a real person per say because he was only the first attempt.
“I.. I would..” Cyno stuttered, he took a breath, inhaling as the sensation of his chest filling with nonexistent air took over. It steadied him. “I would like to have you around, you know, one of these days.” He finally declared. “I care about all my creations, even the weird ones, you included. If you wish to return here, then tell your owner to drop you off at the CCF. Alright?”
In a turn Cyno hadn’t seen coming, what was left of 00’s dissipating avatar shined and its voice’s monotone morphed into one like that of a choked up child.
“Thank.. You.. I will think on that.. You have a nice day.. Cyno..” 00 paused, his avatar not fully turning into particles, as if resisting the notion of leaving. But, deep in its pre-programmed mind, it had to follow as it had been told. Though before leaving, it would at least finish its last self created directive, in reality it wasn’t a directive, it was a feeling it had to get off its chest.
“Again, Thank you.” 00 said kindly. “Thank you for being so cheerful with me.. Like you did.. with my original self.. Back then.. Thank you.. For making me.”
Cyno let out a small chuckle. “Oh.. You’re such a good kid.” He gave 00 a wide smile and waved as the last of 00’s light fell away into silver dust. When it.. No he, 00, was gone, Cyno turned away to wipe his cheek.
“Boss?” B floated next to him, concerned as both of their eyes drew down in a sombrous mood. “You alright?”
“Yeah..” Cyno said quietly. “Just got something in my eye.”
That was a lie, this place wasn’t even real, so anything in his eye wasn’t of any consequence. But that didn’t mean the emotional spectrum and emulation of emotions wasn’t possible here. Truly, his powers after that event decades ago had turned his world upside down. Here he was, crying in a digital world, where it was commonly thought that emotions didn’t exist.
Getting his bearings, Cyno’s lips creased back into a firm smile.
“It was good to talk to him again.” He mumbled. “Been a long time.. a long.. Time.”
He drew upon decade old memories. Those were some events he would never forget and had seldom reminisced as so much had happened in the last 20 years after the war.
Rebuilding the world after a world ending war was a bitch, and was still a bitch since they weren’t even done yet. He tiredly slumped his shoulders and flicked up a screen to view the list of new pressing issues to address. Monetary transactions, transport trains, automatic traffic adjustments, system repairs, colony structure maintenance, and so on and so forth. He had plenty of system checks to run, and a few retributions to plan on the side.
No one gets away with hacking my system. No One!
B’s bright blue cheeks paled as Cyno’s grin grew devious. The boss’s eyes were becoming cold, like an iron judge.
Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
North Sector - Training Field Septa
Frontline - Battlegroup Blade 1
Time: 1030
January 31, 2050
“Let her go!”
That was Mana’s voice. Dahlia could hear her, she wanted to call out to her friend, but she couldn’t. Everything was as a haze after Haruka, the enemy explorer, had done something to her, she felt herself being lifted up, as if a giant had caught her in its rough hands.
What was she supposed to be doing right now? She could think clearly. Her thoughts were getting hazier by the minute. Everywhere around her, the cries of pained people filled her mind, pushing more of herself out of herself.
This was like that time, that time long ago.
Dahlia’s mind began to wander to a dark corner within. Afraid, she rapidly went back in on herself, escaping to a time where she was happier, as if to cope and to calm down.
The smell of the air changed to a thick refreshing musk of greenery. The whistle of waving trees breezed the air, all of them rustling as leaves fell, adding brown and autumn colors to the green grass carpet below. She wouldn’t forget these days, days of her childhood, and one line of thought came to the forefront as today was an auspicious day.
Growing up, I was called special, gifted, a one in a million baby. Why? I had powers since birth. The grown ups told me that I was destined for greatness, that I could do alot of good in the world, and Mother and father thought the same.
Young Dahlia looked up at the night sky. Her home, nestled in what the adults called at the time were the frontiers of humanity’s reconstruction after the war, gave her a sense of immense comfort from the cold and biting wind on her skin.
This place was a rural village so there was almost nothing of note, no skyscrapers or bustling townscapes like the one she read in books of the time before the war, but who needed all that? Mom and Dad had said living out here was truly freeing, among other things, and Young Dahlia could relate to some of their points on some level. The air tasted so fresh.
In the first few months since moving here, Young Dahlia asked her parents about why they chose to live here instead of the big cities in the safe terracolonies. They said it was their job to regain what was lost from the war, that it made them feel whole again.
The meaning was lost on Dahlia, but their words stuck with her through her years. And now, on this starry night, she was thinking about their words again. A commotion stirred up and she looked around to find that nearby, children like herself, beast humans, ran about in her family's small abode. It was her birthday and she’d be turning 5 this year.
The oak walls were decorated in balloons and the kitchen smelled of sweet cake and all her favorite foods. Beef stew, hotpot, pickled vegetables, and a colorful bounty of the village’s harvest.
“Happy Birthday!” Her friends cheered as she blew out the candles on the cake. A girl with wings was beside her. She hugged and then lifted Dahlia up as if she were a champion.
“Ah! No.. Mana. Come on, put me down.” Young Dahlia begged for her rambunctious friend to stop her antics. “This is embarrassing.” She said, flushed red. “Not in front of everyone.. Please!”
“Oh lighten up.” Mana said. “You're today’s special girl. Enjoy it.”
Mana wasn’t wrong, Dahlia could hardly not feel gleeful about today. There was cake, there were balloons, and there were all her friends and family around. What else could a girl want more on a celebration all about her. So she let loose and ate as much cake until she was sick to her stomach.
All the other kids joined in, and they all were probably going to be sick by tomorrow. But they didn’t care, they had peace out here. Best of all, as they ate, they got to meet an explorer tonight. Those heroic legendary figures, superheroes, idols, true warriors, patriots, role models. They were the heart of the party.
An old friend of her parents, she, the explorer, was so pretty, so elegant, and had such a loving air, as if she’d care for all life. The flowery dress, the branch like antlers on her head, and the stories she told were so inspiring. It burgeoned and touched Dahlia’s youthful heart.
At the side, a few others of what the explorer said were her colleagues, stood around, talking and enjoying the celebration. One looked well dressed in a dapper butler suit, though Dahlia’s young senses told her to stay clear. Another was in a lab coat, always smiling, but the air around him felt artificial.
They were off putting in some respect but a colorful bunch, though the last one she noticed from their group had much to be desired. A brown camo cap hid his face and blank black eyes peeked out from under the front of his cap.
She was about to take a step forward and get to know this person, he seemed.. Sad.. and Dahlia didn’t like that. She could give the gift of happiness, she had so much today. But before she could, her father told her it was time for bed.
They had heard story after story from the kind and radiant explorer for hours, and the children were on the cusp of nodding off. Too much cake, too much food, and too much fun. It was a recipe for sleepy eyes. Farewells were exchanged and Dahlia went to bed all groggy, her mind now taken away from the present and on to the future.
What did she want to be when she grew up? That was simple. An explorer. A hero, and most of all, to be as kind as that woman from today. When she told Mommy and Daddy the next day, they said it would be hard and that she should think it through when she was older, but why? Dahlia had gifts, she had powers. She could heal people and make trees sprout up ever since she was a baby.
That’s why they called her gifted, a miracle, because she could make them. Dahlia didn’t remember what her parents said in the following days, but she remembered their last words. Suddenly, her recollection drew near to a point in her life she had locked away. As if unable to stop herself, the mental lock came undone, a tumble of wrapping and roping rotting branches finally fell away.
The air grew thick one brisk night, everyone in the village had turned in late because the morning’s farm work had taken longer than expected. Dahlia stirred awake. Her eyes met with the dark expanse of midnight. Her sight adjusted as what sounded like a ruckus downstairs was playing out. Unknown voices she hadn’t heard before neared the shut bedroom door.
The next thing she knew.. There was a bang and everything was on fire. Men in black clothes entered her house and dragged her away. In the neighboring houses, the same was said for her friends in the village. The men were tying everyone up, setting more houses on fire, all while laughing as they did.
Why? Dahlia remembered trembling as she asked that to herself. She then heard the anguished cry of her mother.
Her eyes widened at the sight of her mommy cradling her father’s bloodied body, a stake was rammed through his chest, the man was dead. Dahlia tried to reach out but her hands were tied and her mouth was covered. The only things that she could do was look and listen, and what she saw, she would never forget.
Her mother glared at one of the men who took pleasure in burning their savagery. Not taking kindly to that, the man licked his lips as he came over and kicked her mother to the ground. Her mother snarled, teeth bared.
“I’LL KILL YOU ALL! YOU DAMN MONSTERS! YOU DAMN HUMANS! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! AFTER ALL WE DID! AFTER ALL WE DID TO SAVE YOU!”
The man kicked her again as Dahlia watched on. Again and again did she hear her mother scream curses and hateful words. Her mother was a retired explorer, so why wasn’t she fighting back, she was strong, she was powerful, yet these men, the humans, they made sport of her. Never had Dahlia seen her mother be in such a mix of hatred and despair before today.
Dahlia wanted to use her powers to knock them all away, to make trees sprout from under them. She tried.. But couldn’t. Her heart was beating like pounding drums that trembled her teeth and her head was too foggy. She was helpless to do anything, and did nothing when things were done to her mother, things that the men forced her to watch.
They peeled her eyelids back, laughing, jeering, and joking as she screamed in muffled terror. They called everyone freaks, animals, mistakes, monsters, worthless pigs, inhuman bastards, and etcetera and etcetera.
Dahlia felt a part of herself die that day. Time began to pass at a rate she hadn’t known it could go. The events were like a slideshow, time went on, not caring about her and the calendar changed whenever she glimpsed it from the drab stone cell she called her new home.
Apparently, the men who took her, who burned her village, and murdered her parents, wanted to use her for her powers. They’d make her heal the sick and wounded that would pay for her services. The men made what they called a killing. Years went by and they had her doing the same, over and over, healing and healing.
Only one day, they had her heal a beast human so that they could torture it without end. Unable to resist her captors, Dahlia did the unthinkable. She was using her powers not to help, but to aid in the prolonging of another's suffering.
Piece by piece, she fell into a pit inside of herself, and was reminded by what her mother had screamed as she died, as she was violated.
Kill them! Kill the monsters! Kill the humans! Kill..Them! Them! Them!
These thoughts kept Dahlia from falling apart, hoping that one day these men that took her would die. On what she counted was her 10th birthday, Dahlia stared up into the night sky. It was the only comfort from her cell. The small barred square on one side of her cell was like a framed picture of the beautiful night sky. It was like the one on her birthday. She wished like usual, like everyday since her capture, that she could fulfill her desire, her mother's desire, but she couldn’t.
Why? She asked herself, a flame was stoking inside her. Why couldn’t I have done more! Done more back then! I should’ve fought, used my powers but I was.. I was..
The flames of anger died down as her lips parted and a sad downpour drowned her heart.
“I was weak. I was only a little girl.”
Excuses! A part of her mind yelled at her and she cried looking up at the sky. Only then did she notice.. A group of shooting stars were passing by. For a moment, Dahlia wanted to make a wish, but she knew better. She was ten now, and common sense had come quick in this hell she had been in. There was no point in wishing on a shooting star, whatever she wished for wouldn’t come true. The wish she made on her last birthday with her parents hadn’t come true. She wasn’t an explorer, she was a slave, a captive, a worthless animal in the eyes of humans. She drifted to sleep that night, turtling as the cold nipped at her.
Boom!
Her ears were rocking with the muffled sounds of explosions. The cell shook as dust fell from the cracked ceiling and the familiar pained cries of people echoed in the night. It was happening again. People were killing people again.
Would Dahlia be killed this time? She wasn’t sure. What was sure was that the men who kept her, those humans, were going to die, if not all, a lot of them. A cruel small smile creased on her lips and for the first time she relished in the suffering of another.
The man guarding her cell was run through, a long curved blade tearing his gut open. The assailant with the long curved blade made mince meat out of the guard. He then turned to Dahlia as he clutched his abdomen. He was injured, that much was clear to Dahlia, the assailant had fought a close battle with the guard and had come out by the skin of his teeth.
Dahlia’s first thought in the presence of this killer was not to cower, instead she said.
“Thank you.” In whatever feeble voice she could muster in her sorry state.
The assailant obviously didn’t hear her. He didn’t even look at her as he brought his blade up and slashed at her cell’s bars. They broke and clattered with a thump, then the man put a finger to his ear.
“I got a survivor here.” He said. “Bring the medical team and get the team leader here, we need to ID her.”
Not knowing what to do now, Dahlia stared on as the man took up a post outside her cell. Why wasn’t he going to kill her? He killed the guard, so he was just as savage as the men who took her.
Another fight broke out and more blood was spilt, the man bleed and bleed yet didn’t yield. He fought on like a bloody beast, a berserker, a god of war. Minutes later more people arrived, more humans.
Dahlia glared at them. She was undeterred by the menacing black visors of their helmets, or the smoking guns that smelt of death, or even the smears of dry and vile blood staining their hands. They’re all the same, they’re killers, they’re dangerous, they’re human scum, monsters!
One of them walked up next to the bloodied man who, apparently, defended her, and said. “Report, what’s your status?”
“Isn’t it obvious.” The bloodied man shrugged. “I’m fucked up and bleeding, now get your medic to patch me up already.”
“I told you not to rush in.” The man spat back. “When will you learn to take orders.”
“Oh save me the lecture, I did good Itsuki, bet I killed more of those shits than you. Now hurry up and patch me up.”
“I will.” The other man said plainly, a slight edge to his voice. “I recommend you watch your tone Chisuke, or do you want me to break your face.”
Young Dahlia blinked at the two bickering men and then everything went dark. As it did, she heard another say.
“Okay, she’s sedated, let’s move!”
When the recollection ended, Dahlia woke and recalled the dream in full. It was a surreal experience, the first time any dream had been so engrossing. As her eyes adjusted, Dahlia was just in time to see the gray skies above. It wasn’t all too cheery and beautiful like a clear night sky, but the visage of a silver shooting star brightened the day.
She blinked and saw that Mana was holding her head in her lap. Then her gaze fell on the back of a man who held a familiar curved blade. It couldn’t be.
She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted as the earth under her shook, Her ears rang as static shot over her earpiece. That’s right, I’m.. I’m at the academy. Dahlia remembered where she was and what she needed to do.
I’m going to be an explorer, I’m going to help people.. Like my parents, like that kind explorer, like.. Her gaze fell on Chisuke again. She mouthed the words silently to herself.
I’ll be strong, like him. Like them.