Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
Sublevel Beta - Quadrant 4 - Passage 4-Zeta-6
Date: February 1, 2050
“Evacuate! Evacuate! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!”
Cipher heard the alarms go on and on as the floor shook from what he understood to be seismic shocks from possible high yield explosives going off in the other deeper, or adjoining, corridors. He didn’t fear the possibility of a collapse since the superstructure of the terracolony had millions of redundancies built into its network of structural hardware and encoded software. It would take a hell of a lot more than a few well placed bombs. You’d need thousands more.
Watching the map built into his screenless HUD projected onto his eyes from his earpiece, he switches through the security cameras. He sees a number of friendly squads rushing to investigate the affected areas, while others are detaining suspects. The next camera feed catches his attention, and he refers to his map to find that an irregular group has entered his area of operation.
“Get ready.” Cipher spoke over the squad comm, dismissing his HUD and readying for a fight. “Don’t let your guard down and follow my lead.”
After getting a nod from his team, they double time it to intercept the target. Turning the corner, Cipher sprung into action. “Hold it right there!” He shouted over the din of the alarm blaring from the corridor’s overhead speakers, raising his hand to stop a group of students rushing towards him. They halted a handful of paces from him, their faltering foot falls clattered on the steel ceramic alloy floor. Cipher kept his other hand close to his holstered pistol, studying each of them with mild suspicion. “What are you doing here? This is a restricted area. Identify yourself.”
There was a hesitant pause as the now frightened band of students noted the flak armor Cipher wore, and the heavily armed squad of four soldiers he had at his back. Cipher was about to ask again when a burly bearded man came forward.
“We’re evacuating, just like the alarm system told us too.” He explained with a measured voice. Cipher could tell by his accent that he was of Russkan heritage. “Our datapad told us which path to take. I think we’re lost.”
Cipher pinged his squad over the wireless comms, signalling them to be on guard and to run a profile check on each student as he stalled for time. It was at times like this that he put his charm to use. Changing his demeanor to be somewhat warm and worried, he smiled and stepped towards the beard man. Taking his hand from his holster, he reached for a hand shake.
“By the looks of it, you seem like the big brother of your little group. What’s your name?”
The bearded man bashfully chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that, but I do have to keep my guys out of trouble.” He clasped Cipher's hand in a firm grip. “My name’s Ivan. How about you?”
Cipher felt just how strong he was. Possibly a corebinder. “I’m Cipher.” He grinned like a kid. “But I guess you already know that.”
Ivan laughed loudly, shaking Cipher’s hand in a delighted mood. “That I do. I’ve met you once before, back in Russka. You were a citizen before? I think we were neighbors?”
“I was, until I moved to the Western bloc for work.”
“Work?”
“Yes, as an explorer. Got my certification years ago.”
“Really.” Ivan showed an expression of real astonishment. “Then why haven’t I heard about you? Not many people stay on as an explorer for long, you must be well known.”
“Well, I’m a grunt type. Our sort don’t really like the limelight. Plus, I decided to stay off the front lines of star depth exploration. Too dangerous, and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. What about you? I thought you’d be an explorer at your age, you old geezer.”
Ivan laughed loudly again as Cipher’s veiled insult bounced away. “I may be old, but I’ve got the young soul inside this old body of mine. And I am only 35, I’m not that old.”
Cipher studied him. Ivan had a considerable height, a few good inches over him, and while debatable, he had the youthful features of a man in his late twenties, which was enhanced by his smoothly cut black hair. His beard was also well trimmed, and perhaps its bushy appearance was what made him seem older than he seemed.
Ivan studied him too, his jovial expression somewhat turning to a frown. “So, you’re a grunt.” He mumbled, expecting that Cipher could not discern his words. Truthfully, Cipher could. His earpiece buzzed as Ivan continued. “I see, how disappointing.”
A deep set curve formed on Ivan’s brow, a telling sign of a wordless admonishment.
Or was it disdain, Cipher thought. It could be both. He shrugged, keeping a good squeeze on Ivan’s hand in response to how tight this big bearded fellow was now grasping. “You see.” Cipher continued. “There wasn’t much work back in Russka. I couldn’t apply for a good paying job since I was stuck in the downtown area of Chernobyl.”
Ivan nodded. “Understandable. There are a lot of low lifes in that city. The politicians have been pushing to clean up the streets and bring life back to those parts. You should see how much better things have become. The radiation from the nuclear disaster years ago is actually getting cleaned up. People might even be able to live there again by the end of this year.”
“That sounds nice.” Said Cipher, only half lying. In reality, he knew Ivan was talking out of his ass. cipher had never lived in Russka, not officially, and they had never been neighbors. The only truth out of Ivan was that they knew each other once, and only once in passing. He doubted Ivan truly remembered him.
Cipher let go of his hand and took a couple steps back. “So tell me, what are you doing here?”
Ivan pulled a confused look. “I told you. We’re evacuating. Didn’t you hear me from before?”
“I did.. But.” Cipher heard a chime in his ear. A signal and an attached data package from his squadmates behind him had come in. He kept talking while reviewing what was sent. “I just want to make sure I heard you right. You said, evacuate, but you do understand that this corridor leads to the deeper sublevels of the terracolony. Why would your datapads send you here? If anything, they should be telling you to take the lifts down that corridor over there.” He pointed to a nearby map directory hung to one side of the corridor. “If we’re here, then you should be heading there.”
The students glanced at each other warily, muttering amongst themselves.
“Really, I thought this was the way.”
“Have we been going the wrong way this whole time?”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Way to go, Ivan.”
Cipher put up his guard, though kept his warm outward facade as he beckoned to them. “Come on, we’ll show you the way out.”
“No, there’s no need for that.” Said Ivan. “We wouldn't want to drag you away from your duties.”
“I insist.”
Ivan shook his head, his fellow students adding their own polite refusal amongst the alarms sounding louder from the corridor speakers.
“Really, Cipher. We’ll be fine on our own.” Ivan said assuredly, “We’ll be on our way now, so..”
“Cut the crap.” Cipher snapped. He glared at them, his gaze drilled into each of them with such heavy intent. He saw through them and wanted the truth. “Tell me why you’re really here, and don’t make me repeat myself.”
This was a clear threat, one that Cipher was ready to act upon with his pistol if they refused to cooperate. Ivan, though, called his bluff and again shook his head innocently.
“There’s no need for that.” He stepped back cautiously to further the distance from Cipher. “Just calm down. I know this is a stressful situation and you have to be on guard, but you can trust me. We just got lost.”
Cipher would’ve believed him, Ivan was convincing in how he seemed like a standup guy. But Cipher wasn’t the young naive line troop of the past. He unclipped his pistol’s holster and gripped his pistol while flicking the safety off. Just as he was about to send a ping to his squadmate to open fire, a familiar voice spoke from his earpiece.
[Stand down!] It was the Professor, specifically, Professor Cyno. [Cipher, do you read me! Stand Down! I say again, Stand down!]
Cipher sighed and touched a finger to the side of the comm device at his belt. [This is Cipher, how can I help you.]
He heard a heavy sigh leave Cyno’s lips as he quickly gathered himself. [Cipher, I understand your situation, but please.. Don’t do anything rash.]
[And why should I listen?] Cipher whispered as to not let Ivan’s group overhear. He turned away and had his squad mates keep an eye on them. [These shit stains are obviously the intruders. They may not be the ones setting off the bombs, but they sure as hell are suspicious. And I’ve got proof.]
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
[I know you do.] Said Cyno. [But we don’t need to escalate the situation. Let me talk to them.]
Cipher let that idea roll around. The professor carried a large amount of fame to his name and was well known internationally as a hero. He wondered what weight all that would hold in this situation and decided it was worth a shot. [Fine. But if it comes to it, I’m terminating them.]
[Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.]
Ivan cut in. “Excuse me, but can we go now? Are you detaining us? If so, I’d..”
Cipher silenced him with a glare, then said. “Someone wants to talk to you.” He took out a datapad from his pocket, tapped in a command, then threw it to the ground between them with its screen facing up. “Don’t waste this chance.” With that said, Cipher stepped away.
Ivan was about to ask a question when the datapad’s camera lens glimmered. A blue holo projection rose from the datapad’s screen. It was life size, a one to one scale, of a familiar man that met Ivan’s gaze.
Ivan’s eyes went wide in dumbfounded awe. “P-Professor.” He stammered, barely able to contain his excitement. “Professor Cyno. I.. I.. I, well.” Cipher was sure Ivan would’ve knelt down and prayed to the Professor as if he were some deity. He could tell by the fanatical light in Ivan’s eyes, in all of their eyes, that they regard Cyno highly. Perhaps too highly. “Ahem!” Ivan coughed to clear his throat. “This.. is a great honor. I apologize for my..”
“No, it’s fine.” Said the Professor. “You’re worked up, shaken, even. I would be too in your position.”
“In my position? What do you mean?” Ivan unkindly looked at Cipher. “I was just about to de-escalate my little exchange with Cipher. But he seems to have other intentions.”
Cyno shook his head. “Yes, and I’m sorry for his behavior. I can’t do much except ask for your forgiveness.”
“There’s no need. It’s not like I’m holding you responsible for them.” Ivan snorted derisively at Cipher and his men. “Besides, people like him need to learn when to calm down. They should be professionals in their line of work.”
Cipher felt a vein bulge in his temple. He wasn’t angered that often, so when he did get angry, he had a good reason. If not for the Professor, he would’ve shot Ivan in the face.
Picking up on the increasing one sided tension, Cyno smiled while ignoring Cipher’s provocative reaction. “In any case, moving on, I want to cut to the heart of the matter.” The professor’s projection clasped his hand together in front of him. “Ivan, I’ve known you since you were a young man during the war. I know about your past, and I know why you are here. I know that you’re here for what I keep in the deeper levels of the terracolony. You’re here on Russka’s behalf, aren’t you. You’re here for my technology.”
A long heavy silence took hold of Ivan’s throat. The students behind him mumbled in hushed tones. One of them whispered into his ear, and Ivan curtly nodded.
“I.. I am.. Sorry.” He sighed. “I suppose trying to hide the truth from you was fruitless to start with. You are one of the smartest people on the planet, not to mention a hero, and a god to others.”
Cyno grimaced at the word God. “I wouldn’t put it like that. A hero maybe, but I’m no god.”
“But you are one of the smartest people in the world.” Ivan said jovially. “You won’t deny that?”
“Only a little.”
They both laughed as the mood became softer. Cipher breathed in, and hoped that this would lead to a peaceful resolution. But he still didn’t trust Ivan and his group, so he discreetly had his squad spread out behind Cyno’s holoprojection.
“So tell me.” Said Cyno. “How can we solve this? What does Russka want?”
“We want the terraforming technology you’ve used in the past when creating the terracolonies. Our leaders want to restore the motherland to how it once was.” Ivan explained. “The winters have gotten longer due to the recent climate changes ever since the war ended, and we plan to reclaim more territory from the monsters that still roam the surface. We will need your technology to bring humanity back to how it was before the war.”
Cyno rubbed the back of his head, contemplating the limits of what he could do. Giving the technology outright was off the table due to the potency of such world changing machines. As much good as it could be used for, it could also be used for just as much evil in the wrong hands, and exporting it so openly put that up to chance.
“I’m sorry, but I can give you that technology specifically. It’s too dangerous to give out freely, and I’ve set rules with the UN on how that technology should be deployed. It’s a last option, and I would need approval from all current governing bodies of the world.” Cyno spoke rapidly. “But I do have other alternatives, so how does coming to the table to discuss the details of my new inventions sound? I’m sure they could be of use to Russka. I’m only a few minutes away from you if I take my helicopter.”
“I would love that.” Agreed Ivan, then he paused. “But.. I need your technology, the miracle engine you used to save us all. I’m sorry, my mission is clear. I have no other choice. Either I return with the technology my people need, or I will be put to death.”
“I’m sure there is a compromise we can come to.” Cyno proposed. “There is no need to be so melodramatic.”
“I wish I was.” Ivan lowered his head, shame fell over his eyes. “Professor, I don’t have a choice. Please, just let me take the technology. Tell these men to stand aside, let me do my duty.”
“I can’t.” Said the Professor. “They don’t answer to me, but listen. We can resolve this. Trust me. Just, don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Cipher audibly sneered at that. “I think it’s too late for that, Professor. Why don’t you ask them how they got those uniforms first?”
Fed up with his tone, one student from Ivan’s group spoke up. “What the heck are you on about? We got these uniforms when we enrolled.”
Cipher could hear the lie in the kid’s voice. “Really now? You sure you didn’t steal it off the real owners?”
Ivan frowned, the veins on his face thickened. “You’d best shut up. I don’t like what you’re trying to accuse us of. We earned these uniforms fair and square, and I won’t take any slander from a lowly grunt like you.” His tone slowly became harsher as he began to explode into a sudden rage. “I commanded thousands of you shitty line troops during the war, and I was only a teenager back then! So show some goddamn respect for your superior, you stupid welp!”
And there it was. There was the real man underneath Ivan’s shell. Cipher could see it all now. There was the truth, the racism, the pride, and the sheer lunacy of his twisted character. All of it wrapped up in that container of flesh and bone. Cipher now knew there was only one way things were going to go now, that was unless Cyno had something to say about that.
“Ivan!” Shouted Cyno. “Do not address them like that. They are your equals, and this isn’t like the times during the war. You’re not in command of these soldiers.”
Ivan huffed. “Well maybe I should be. It’s obvious that these men have no respect for a veteran.” A collective scoff came from Cipher’s squad, making him go red in the face with an even deeper anger. “You.. You damn.. Little.. Fucking..” He snarled between gritted teeth, his rage barely contained. “If not for Cyno, I would..”
“Enough!” Cyno’s voice boomed from the datapad, overpowering even the alarms. The professor rounded on Cipher’s squad and signaled them to zip it. He then faced Ivan, who had calmed a little. “Ivan.” He said softly. “Tell me this. What happened to them?”
“Them?” Ivan didn’t understand. “Who is them?”
Cyno pointed to the gold bar stitched on the shoulder sleeve of their uniforms. “Each uniform is made with an identifying tag sewn into the material. That gold bar is electronically encoded with a unique profile for each student. I’ve run my scans, and I know that you’re not wearing the uniform we issued you, in fact, I know we never had issued one.” The words were like sand in his mouth. “You.. stole it. The attempts made by your technicians to override the ID encryption is impressive, but I can see through it.”
Ivan went dead quiet. His fellow students looked to him for guidance, which he returned with cold indifference and a commanding nod.
Cyno called out to him. “Ivan, tell me the truth. What happened to them?”
Ivan now spoke with a weight to his words, a burden of unseen responsibility. “I.. I did what.. I needed to do. I.. Only I.. can do this..” He raised his voice. “I should’ve been picked, I should’ve been the one.” He began to scream. “Not them, us!”
“What did you do to them!” Cyno urged for the truth. “Where are they!”
Ivan broke out into a maniacal laugh, first a snicker, and then a full blown cackling. The mask had come off. “They’re dead. I had no choice. I told them to give up their spots to come here, to the academy. The Russkan council told them to do so, but they refused. They wanted us to go to this academy instead, they wanted me to be the one to become an explorer. To save our country.” His lips twisted into a devious smile. “So I killed them, and took they’re spot. It’s mine now. All mine.” He turned to his group. “Isn’t that right? We were chosen! Right!”
They all nodded, voicing self righteous drivel. Cipher was sickened by all of it, as was the Professor. Cyno held his hand over his mouth, trying to contain the churning sickness in his gut.
“You understand, don’t you?” Asked Ivan. “Professor, you’re a hero. And I will be a hero too, like you. And heroes know what’s best for others. You must’ve thought the same too. That you’re superior to the others, that you’re so much more than human. You were chosen, chosen for greater things. And so am I.”
“No!” Cyno slashed his hand out in a firm denial. “I have never thought that. I have never thought of myself as a hero!”
Ivan grinned, his lips upturned from ear to ear. “So humble, so modest. I understand. Don’t worry, we’ll meet very soon.” With a flick of his wrist, he conjured his core weapon into his hand, a black whip that pulsated with a morass of malice. “I just need to get these insects out of the way.”
Ivan’s group followed his example, summoning their weapons and readying themselves for a fight. Several wielded clubs and axes, others had staffs and daggers. They all radiated with power, with dense core energies that permeated their edges. Cipher was no idle and already had his pistol drawn the moment Ivan made his move.
“No, stop.” Cyno pleaded. “Don’t do this, Ivan, please.”
“I have no choice.” Said Ivan. “This is my destiny. And I will not be denied. Not even by you, Professor.” He cracked his whip, its black metal tip scoring the floor with a jagged gash. “Come brothers and sisters!” He roared. “We show these fools the true meaning of power! And then, we shall show the world!”
His comrades bellowed in agreement, weapons raised and with murder in their eyes. Ivan was the first to strike, and lunged past the Professor holoprojection to..
A bullet detonated in Ivan’s skull, his brain blowing out the backside of his head. His comrades behind him were caked in a mixture of his spinal fluid, specks of brain matter, and splatters of blood. Horrified, they screamed.
Smoke ebbed out from the barrel of Cipher’s pistol as a heavy round casing clinked to the ground. What Ivan and his group didn’t know was that things had really changed ever since the war. Not only politically, but technologically as well, and on a grand scale at that.
Ivan’s comrades attempted to rally, to charge at Cipher and kill him for his blasphemous actions. Before they could, Cipher’s squad raised their rifles and depressed their triggers at full auto. The one way corridor was blitzed by a hail of bullets, all while Cyno watched helplessly as Ivan’s comrades were gunned down.
They were all so young, and it weighed on the Professor's heart to see their lives cut short. “You fools.” He muttered. “You damned fools.”
Cipher’s squad did not let up. One from the squad reloaded a fresh magazine and immediately trained every bullet onto one student who was already on his hands and knees. The rounds tore the kid’s shoulders away and turned his face into a spray of gore. None of them batted an eye, not even the usually easy going Cipher. All of them just continued to aim, fire, reload, and then repeat those steps over and over. They had a hyper focus honed after years of experience and from a truly brutal training that was courtesy from none other than Itsuki.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/K8PLNTM3/1737334373838.jpg]