They were meant to be perfect.
Augustus did not even blink when needles pierced his pupils. Laying safely in the sealed medical capsule, naked and helpless, he ignored the pain that flowed down his body as more and more needles came from the ceiling, sticking into his arms and legs, piercing his abdomen. From outside, the capsule looked like an elongated white egg with a small window for the patient. Inside was a masterfully crafted means for healing a patient. Operated either automatically or by a single operator, countless medical instruments could skin the patient, lying on a thin slab of metal, almost to the bone, and collect him back in one piece. Augustus’ muscles were being examined by several sensors, then probed for weakness, before, finally, the sharp needles sliced through some of his muscles. Once improvements were made, a healing solution was injected, and the needles started healing sinews and muscles anew, crafting a better, stronger version of him. The same process was going on with his organs.
He ignored the pain, for no pain could match the fire of shame burning him down every day, every moment of his existence. They were meant to be perfect. Rho family, the sole corporation that held on to the higher ideals in the Extinction's wake. Where the other two corporations went deep into barbarism, kidnapping and performing tests on the living subjects, Rho Corporation kept their pride. Their medical facilities worked to deal with a countless host of new diseases, the engineering teams worked hand in hand with Iterna’s government to preserve the orbital elevator, the tallest tower that contained a key to Iterna’s shield.
Only members of the Rho family were subjected to unimaginable feats of craftsmanship by the bio research teams. The ascension to angelic levels was meant to be theirs and theirs alone at first. As ever, they were the ones to pave the way to new heights for the humanity, to serve as shining beacons in bringing all others to their level, once the process was secured. After all, had it not been the Rho Orbital Elevator that provided the energy needed to sustain the shield and help Iterna survive? Had it not been their ingenuity that ended the cancer in Iterna? Who, if not them, was better suited to endure all the dangers along the road to perfection and immortality?
“Beginning injecting the sub-dermal armor,” an icy voice spoke, and a gush of white steam left Augustus’ lips. Two more needles pierced his chest, filling his body with a fresh surge of pain.
Like always, he endured it. Savages from the outside of Iterna cut open their bodies to install whatever trash they passed off as prosthetics in their organs. No one allowed this barbarism to happen in Iterna, not anymore at least. Instead, a liquid solution was poured into his body. Once inside, this mass of steel would spread evenly across every inch of his body, creating a sturdy armor right beneath the skin, fully capable of stopping a firearm or preventing a knife wound.
The capsule moved on, positioning itself vertically, and the lid had opened. Steadily, giving himself just enough time to adjust, Augustus stepped outside, a masterfully crafted parody of the perfection that has been denied to him by life.
He was born a normal human. Ever since the Rho family started tinkering with the side effects of the glow, the substance that caused the appearance of abnormals in the world, the main branch of the family gave birth to nothing but abnormals. Healthy boys and girls, capable of bench pressing an iron lathe with the same ease that a normal human can break a glass. The family looked at this as a sign from above… Before the blessing ran out. Undaunted, the family improved their sons and daughters through the use of bio technology.
The disgrace of his birth no longer mattered. Augustus stopped, allowing a single doctor, a young-looking blonde dressed in a white lab coat, to examine him. They were in a small, square-shaped room, deep within the main research hospital of Rho Biotechnology Enterprises. For all their riches, the Rho family valued a utilitarian approach more than ever. This room, filled with the soft humming of sensory devices and illuminated by the light from countless screens on the wall, was no bigger than the usual medical room for any other patient.
“Make a punch with all your might, please,” the woman asked, and Augustus obliged, punching toward a wall and sending a wave of air across the room. The woman nodded, looking at something on her black, square-shaped terminal. “Muscle density increased by 0,003 percent, reaction time and speed both increased by 0,02 percent. There is no deterioration in the vision. Your weight has increased by twenty kilograms. All within the expected parameters.”
“Adequate. Thank you for the work.” He stepped toward a locker, dressing himself in a white linen shirt and stylish black pants. The woman turned to leave and got frozen when he asked: “Whom have you lost?”
“I… I beg your pardon?” She stuttered, confirming his suspicions.
“Don’t play games with me, doctor.” Augustus put on the shoes, speaking in the same icy tone. “The procedure is meant to be utterly painless. I know this because this is one of its selling points, and I have performed it countless times. You caused me pain on purpose, and we both know it. Now answer the question.”
“Not lost.” The woman turned to him with sheer hatred in her pale brown eyes. “My brother. One of your father’s spawns had left him wordless and broken. The poor boy is now locked in a mental institution for Planet only knows how many more years. He doesn’t even recognize me anymore!”
“My sinsere condolences.” Augustus pulled his hair behind his head, tying it into a knot. “Tell me, what would your brother say, seeing how you are indulging in such petty revenge?” He pushed past her, stopping for a moment before the door. “I am going to give you a chance. Take a bone saw and be done with your vengeance. I recommend aiming at the back of my head, the sub-dermal armor should not yet form there.”
He spread his arms, hearing her shocked breath. His ears caught the sound shifting from one foot to the other—the sound of her gloves when the doctor clenched her fists.
“I am no murderer!” The doctor stomped on the ground, sounding genuinely shocked that he would dare to even offer her this choice.
Augustus turned to her:
“Not yet. You have five minutes to report this incident, or I will do it myself. If your brother is so damn important to you, try to honor him with integrity while you are waiting for his recovery rather than turning into a parody of the thing that gave me life, doctor.”
Augustus meant what he was saying. Self-reporting and reporting from colleagues were common in Iterna and rarely frowned upon. Everyone had a problem occasionally in their lives, and Rho Corporation offered various benefits to its workers, hungrily keeping every experienced person they could. If anyone had spoken up, then his father would have been stopped before the bastard could cause the tragedy. But no, back then everyone, Augustus included, was blinded by Maximillian’s supposed genius, oblivious to the blunder that the bastard caused everywhere he went. And when they opened their eyes… It was too late.
He stepped outside, walking across the halls, giving nods to the personnel who had greeted him. Augustus had just reached the elevator and was planning on going back home to study and rest before tomorrow when a message came on his terminal. His uncle wanted to speak with him. Leaning against the wall, Augustus looked out from the transparent ventilation shaft while the elevator carried him to the three hundredth floor.
Iterna has grown ever more beautiful in the winter. A faint snow, a rarity in this part of the country, covered the ground and was immediately cleaned off by the robotic workers. The sun has started to set, and the main streets leading to the town were decorated with colorful lights that are now eagerly flashed on in anticipation of the new year.
Down below, he could see workers gathering around the corporate buses that would take them home. More and more beautiful-looking cars left the underground parking lot as the day was coming to an end, leaving just guards and essential personnel in the building. His eyes narrowed, noticing an army truck, accompanied by two police cars, arriving at the gates. They are bringing in new victims of his father’s madness for treatment.
Augustus remembered the event from a hundred years ago. How he went into this very building, the blood dripping from his blade, how he hesitated to fire a round from a shotgun into the butler’s face. The man all but raised him, standing with him at all times and helping the overly serious boy find friends. The butler’s face became a blank mask, only his eyes betrayed the utter pain that the loyal servant felt while his hands were looking for a pistol. Augustus gave him the only mercy he could. It took three shots and one sword hit to finally end the creature that controlled the man. More of the same victims were brought in.
Only this time they will live. When his uncle announced that the family will keep this place, Augustus thought him mad. Now he saw the wisdom in this. What his father tried to destroy, Argus rebuilt. Where Maximillian enslaved people, his brother, and the person Augustus' considered his true father, liberated them. An ultimate middle finger to Maximillian.
Augustus stepped outside after the elevator door opened to a brief greeting from the guards. As soon as he walked through the ornate doors, he went straight to Argus’ office, where the smell of a cigar and alcohol met him.
The first person who caught his attention was a woman dressed in a green leather coat that covered her from neck to feet. The coat’s collar did a poor job of hiding the woman’s steel jaw, her arms were in pockets, but Augustus caught sight of her steel feet. Combined with her unnaturally thin build, he could bet his monthly salary that most of the woman’s was replaced with prosthetics. She looked at him with one gray eye and a crimson lens serving as her right eye. The woman’s lower jaw was stylized after a skeleton jaw, down to the individual teeth. Around her ears, the metal connected with highly tanned flesh. Seeing Argus, the woman spat a cigar into an ashtray and gave him a nod.
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“Ah, Augustus, come in, have a seat. Regina and I are almost finished.” Argus Rho, the owner of Rho Corporation and all its subsidiaries, welcomed him with a glass of wine.
Argus Rho, one of the two people in Iterna’s history to be dishonorably discharged from the Elites, sat on a comfortable black sofa with his back to his working table and a window behind him that showed darkened skies. Dressed in the pristine white business suit, Argus ran a hand over his black hair before patting a black kitten, meowing on his right shoulder. The animal looked comically small compared to the gigantic body of his uncle. Like Augustus, Argus constantly visited the underground labs to become stronger and faster. Unlike Augustus, his uncle was never born normal. He was, through and through, an abnormal. The Elite who killed his traitorous brother with his own hand and prevented a catastrophe that could have ravaged Iterna.
“If they give up, it’s all well and good.” Argus emptied the glass, scratched the kitten behind the ear, and spread his hand over the table before him. Pieces of metal lifted from the table, following his power, and started dancing around his fingers. “If some of them try to resist…”
“They will.” Regina’s keen eye kept on looking at Augustus until the man sat down. “Half of them are just common rabble, the other half are from the Cartel. Of course, they will resist.”
“Well, this is why I hired your group, my dear. Do ask your people to show moderation, as you said, half of them are rabble. We wouldn’t want to hurt our future working bees too much, would we?” Argus leaned back, looking at the ceiling. “As for the next job. I want you, personally, to do it for me.”
“Won’t be cheap,” Regina warned him.
“I am not exactly poor,” his uncle laughed, looking back on the woman. Something clicked in her pocket, and she took out a small terminal, looking and frowning at the information. “Yes, go in, liberate the slaves, and all together surrender to our dear friend. If you can keep the guards alive, I’ll throw in a bonus for this.”
“And if I do this mission…” Regina’s natural eye widened. “You can…”
“Of course, I can, why do you think I gave you a tour of the place? My dear, you should have come to me with this problem right away! By the Planet, you think I could not find a use for a skilled and competent mercenary group?”
“And once I’ve done what you asked and given up.” The woman put back the terminal, looking into the eldest Rho’s eyes. “What exactly stops you from leaving us to rot in prison?”
“One, you insult my homeland, Iterna’s prisons are nothing like your Pearl’s shitholes. They are more like a… kindergarten in comparison, trust me, I spent my time in both after some drunken nights.” Argus gave the scared kitten a pat. “Two, have I ever lied to you before?”
“No. But you dig out something personal this time,” the woman replied with a hint of steel.
“Oh, please, have you never done research about a client in your life? I have a reputation to uphold,” Argus looked directly in her eyes, his voice turning cold. “If you accept the job and fuck it up or drop my name anywhere… You will never see her ever again, Regina. Am I understood?”
“Crystal.” The woman came closer to Argus, and for a moment, Augustus thought she would try to strangle him. Or go for his eyes. Regina extended her right hand, the mechanic prosthetic fashioned in the image of a skeleton arm, and shook hands with Argus. “The job is accepted.”
“Then I’ll start to prepare the lawyers. Send me a list of names before the mission. Oh, and Regina.” He stopped the woman before she could storm out. “You might want to think about changing back. We have the technology, and your kid deserves a proper mom—one of warm and gentle flesh and not a doll of cold steel. Trust me, the bio tech can make you just as strong…”
The woman stormed out, leaving Argus only to shake his shoulders. The metal flowing around his fingers changed, merging together and creating something new. This was not a product of nanomachines, but the result of Argus’ own power. Once known as the Elite Metallic, Argus Rho could control the metal that he considered his own or his own side, fashioning new tools or even whole new devices if he himself knew the schematics of the needed device.
Soon a portable game console appeared in his arms, with a single small screen and a host of buttons to the left and right. The screen flashed, showing a man running across the road, dodging various obstacles, all in white and black.
“What was this all about?” Augustus broke the silence, annoyed at his uncle’s silence. The elder Rho always did this, always forcing him to talk first in order to ‘socialize’.
“This?” Argus pointed at the kitten, and the running man tripled, causing a game over screen. “Leone went to her friend’s house today and made me babysit her cat. Now I am sending her photo reports every bloody hour…”
“I meant the woman.”
“Ah, that. You heard about the ceasefire between the resistance and reclaimers, right? Well, Iterna got a whole swath of land out of this. For refugee camps, of course. And, it just happens that on these new lands, several rich mines exist, currently occupied by the Cartel,” Argus flashed a smile. “Naturally, our officials would try to reason with them and all that… But I really want my own cut. And the Cartel is in the way.”
“Adorable.” Augustus stood up, taking the kitten and putting the tiny animal on his own shoulder. He’ll have to have a talk with his cousin later, Leone should really learn to look after her own responsibilities. A life is not a toy, and if she got herself a cat, she should not ditch it.
Augustus walked toward a wooden cabinet that contained various alcoholic drinks. Briefly skimming over them, he took up a sharp corkscrew, straightening it up with his fingers. With all his speed, he turned around, sending this needle into Argus’ left eye.
His uncle stopped the metal an inch from his face, freezing it in the air, while still enjoying a game. Argus only lifted his brow in a silent question.
“What is this whole business with Regina all about? How dare you threaten a kid’s life?” Augustus asked calmly.
“One, the kid is sick and is currently being healed up through my own charity. I am saving her, you dimwit.” Argus started tapping faster. “Two, there are other means to punish disobedience than death. If Regina fucks up, I’ll simply change the girl’s name and send her off into some nice and cozy orphanage. Three, I am frankly disgusted that you think this badly of me, Augustus. I am a former Elite, for crying out loud. And now I am trying to save my friend from getting into trouble.”
“If so, you have my apologies. But if I find that you went over the line, I’ll stop you, uncle."
"You mean that you will try. And that's why I adore you, Augustus."
"Why have you called me?” Augustus shook his head, sitting next to Argus and refusing a glass of wine.
“Rumors are floating around that you have been buying gifts for one very particular and exquisite lady. Ready to settle down by chance?”
“One gift. And she is my colleague, not a girlfriend.”
“A pity. There is nothing sadder than a hundred-year-old virgin.” The game console turned into a knife that flew into Augustus’ face. Argus didn’t hold back this time, it took all the explorator's speed and power just to grab the weapon by the handle before it could slice his nose in two. The kitten hissed in fear, and Argus took it, cradling the little animal in his hands. “Good. Your reflexes are solid. Augustus…” The elder Rho stopped, trying to find words. “The mission is dangerous. I got only a general outline from Artificer, but I have that feeling in my gut that something weird is going to happen. Your job may be important to you, but just this time, ditch the expedition. I can go in your place if you want to.”
“Never.” Augustus endured the gaze from his uncle. For once, he decided to speak his mind. “Dad. I know that you are worried about me. Truth be told, I am weaker than you. But how long has it been since you last saw action? Decades, if not longer. Someone like you can't keep a low profile. The entire Desolation will swarm to your location in seconds.”
“Your life.” Argus gave him a pat on a shoulder. “Your choices. Now, there’s one more thing I’d like to speak with you about, Augustus. Chances are, you’ll run into some ancient ruins on the mission. I would really appreciate it if, say, a certain someone would make a copy of ancient data bases and give it to me.”
“Why the hell would you need one?” The explorator asked in confusion. “Haven’t we pretty much surpassed the ancient technology by now?”
“Don’t be daft, Augustus!” Argus stood up, waking back and forth, seating the kitten on his shoulder, and starting gesticulating. “Surpassed? Hah, no, not even close. Iterna’s spaceship, for one. We can maintain it, but we don’t know how it fully works. Many nearly unbreakable alloys and a technology of spatial manipulation—the knowledge of how to make these marvels had been lost. We have recovered much, but we are far from relearning everything, my boy. And if my hunch is right, we just might hit a treasure trove, and…” Argus stopped at the call of his terminal. Skimming through the information, the elder Rho looked at his nephew. “Someone in the company has tried to harm you.”
“Merely tried to cause me a minor inconvenience. Because of you-know-what. I recommend showing leniency.”
“Leniency?”
“Yes. And I would prefer that this doctor be the one to work on my body during future visits. I rather prefer to work with the people who hate me openly.” Augustus looked at the window, noticing a drop of rain on the glass. “Than with those who hide it behind a smile.”
“It’s not your fault, boy. I may be at fault, but don’t you ever dare blame yourself,” Argus put a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, Augustus returned to his childhood. The man and woman who gave birth to him left for another party, and he was left alone with his butler to celebrate his birthday. Until his uncle crashed into the place, bringing his daughter and a few other kids alone and dragging Augustus to a cinema to have fun. “But the people are naturally afraid of us because of what Maximillian did. Truth be told, I doubt they’ll ever forgive us.”
“The people have every right to feel angry at me.” Augustus told his uncle in a steely voice.
The Rho family had a duty to guide Iterna’s people—no, the people around the entire world—to a better tomorrow. For this reason, they have been given riches beyond counting and countless brilliant people to lead them. The inventors of problemsolvers, the intricate knowledge about the human body… And with the main branch of the family being so brutally cut off by the bastard who gave Augustus life, the family now was but a pale shadow of its former self, crippled forever and guided by his uncle, who cares only about making profits rather than creating miracles.
Why should Augustus be forgiven for straying so far from his duty? If the Rhos of old cared about profits as much as his uncle, the orbital elevator would never be completed, and Iterna would have been devastated during the Extinction. If only Augustus had been smarter, more charismatic, or more talented, he could have healed the wounds caused by Maximillian, and all would have been right again.
“Foolishness. Fine, I’ll show her leniency. Keep in mind my request, though. Some in Iterna might hate us, but the family will always stay by your side. Follow your heart and all that, but I really would’ve liked some research data from the ancient times, if possible. It is our duty to better people’s lives for the right price.” Argus went to collect his things from the table. “Margaret recently complained that you haven’t visited us in years. She is exaggerating, but I am inclined to agree. Care to drop by tonight? Have a chat with Leone and Dayn, maybe have a drink with me, like in the good old days?”
“Fine,” Augustus sighed heavily. “I have a few things to discuss with my little sister, anyway. Not a word about the mission, you got it, dad? And no mentioning about Ratcatcher either!”
“And here I thought her name was Elisa. Hmmm... Most curious.”
"Dad, she is younger than me by more than half a century!" Augustus stopped talking, seeing how Argus landed in his chair and unleashed a roaring laugh, uncaring of any dignity.