The glow of the encrypted files still burned in Hayes’ mind long after he’d shut off the terminal.
Corporal David Keene.
The name lingered like a ghost. A squadmate, a friend—one of the few people Hayes had trusted in the Pacific Mirage War. The files had reduced him to a clinical footnote: “Resurrection incomplete. Subject exhibited resistance to neural integration. Status: Neutralized.”
Hayes knew what “neutralized” meant.
He leaned against the wall of his quarters, staring at the blank terminal screen. The rage and confusion coiled inside him like a spring, but he couldn’t let it show. Not here. Not now.
The door chimed softly.
“Who is it?”
“Someone who knows what you saw,” came Reese’s voice.
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She was waiting for him in a maintenance corridor.
Hayes followed her silently, his boots clanging against the grated floor. The lights here flickered intermittently, the hum of machinery drowning out the noise of the bustling station above.
Reese finally stopped near a junction, leaning casually against the wall. She crossed her arms, her sharp eyes fixed on him.
“So,” she said, “you read the files. What’d you think?”
“I think you’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” Hayes replied, his voice low. “Start with Keene.”
Reese sighed, her smirk fading. “He was one of the first. They brought him back just like you, but he wasn’t playing ball. Started asking questions, doubting the orders. You can guess how the URT handled that.”
“They killed him.”
Reese nodded. “Or worse. I don’t know where they keep the ones who resist. Maybe they’re scrubbing toilets in some blacksite, or maybe they’re gone for good. Either way, Keene isn’t walking around telling his story, is he?”
Hayes clenched his fists. “They brought me back for the same program.”
“They did,” Reese said. “But you’re special. You’re the face of their war, their golden boy. That buys you a little more leash.” She leaned in closer, her tone turning sharp. “But don’t kid yourself, Hayes. They’re watching you. You step out of line, you’ll get the same treatment Keene did.”
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The corridor fell silent for a long moment.
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Hayes finally spoke. “Why are you telling me this? What do you want from me?”
Reese’s smirk returned. “I want you to stop wasting time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you already know the URT isn’t what it claims to be,” Reese said. “And I’m betting you’re tired of being their puppet. So why are you still sitting on the fence?”
Hayes scowled. “Because I’m not jumping into something else blind. The OUC isn’t exactly saints, either.”
Reese tilted her head. “Fair. But here’s the thing: they’re not the ones erasing people’s minds to turn them into meat puppets. And they’re willing to let you see the truth—if you’ve got the guts to face it.”
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The proposal came next.
Reese handed Hayes a small comm device. “There’s someone you need to meet. Liora. She’s one of the OUC’s top leaders.”
“Why would she want to meet me?” Hayes asked.
“Because you’re valuable,” Reese said bluntly. “You’re not just some grunt. You’re the Iron Will. The guy the URT brought back to win their war. If you turn, it’s not just a blow to their morale—it’s proof that their whole system is rotten.”
Hayes shook his head. “You think I care about your rebellion? I care about my squad. I’m not dragging them into this mess.”
“You don’t have to,” Reese said. “This meeting is off the books. No one knows, no one gets hurt. You walk in, you hear her out, you leave. What you do after that is your call.”
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Back in his quarters, Hayes stared at the comm device.
Reese’s words replayed in his head.
“You already know the URT isn’t what it claims to be.”
She wasn’t wrong. He’d seen too much, both in the files and on the battlefield. The civilians on Ganymede. The Outer Rings. The Hall of Heroes. All of it painted a picture he couldn’t ignore.
But turning against the URT wasn’t just a personal choice. It would mean betraying everything he’d fought for—everything he’d died for.
He activated the comm. “When?”
Reese’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Tomorrow. I’ll send the coordinates. Don’t be late.”
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The next day, Hayes found himself aboard a stolen transport ship.
Reese piloted the small craft through a narrow asteroid field, her hands steady on the controls.
“This is neutral territory,” she said. “The URT doesn’t patrol here, and the OUC keeps it quiet. Liora’s waiting on a hidden base near Callisto. It’s safe. Relatively.”
Hayes glanced out the window as the base came into view—a nondescript facility nestled against the icy surface of the moon. It didn’t look like much, but that was the point.
As they docked, Reese gave Hayes a final look. “This is your chance, Hayes. You don’t have to decide now, but once you step inside, you’ll see what the URT doesn’t want you to.”
He nodded, stepping out of the ship.
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The base was cold and dimly lit.
Liora waited in a small, makeshift conference room. She was younger than Hayes expected, her sharp features framed by dark hair tied back in a braid. Her uniform was simple but clean, marked only by the emblem of the OUC—a silver star surrounded by broken chains.
“Sergeant Hayes,” she said, her voice calm but commanding. “It’s an honor.”
“Let’s skip the introductions,” Hayes said. “I’m not here to join your cause.”
“Not yet,” Liora replied, smiling faintly. “But you’re here, and that means you’re curious. Sit. Let’s talk.”
Hayes hesitated, then sat across from her. “Alright. Let’s hear it.”
Liora leaned forward, her expression serious. “You already know what the URT is capable of. What they’ve done to you. To your brothers. What you don’t know is how far it goes.”
She slid a data pad across the table. “This is everything we’ve uncovered about Project Phoenix. The names, the experiments, the lives they’ve erased. If you want the truth, it’s all there.”
Hayes picked up the pad, his heart pounding as he began to read.