“Helix, you are killing her!” Dr Saiko’s anger was visible not only in his voice but also in the way he hurriedly injected a cocktail of stimulants and implant blockers in the psi-witch’s arm. “I warned you that tempering with the implant controller unit will cause a seizure. This facility is not equipped for this kind of manipulation.”
“And I have informed you that I do not care,” Helix shook his head and returned to the task at hand.
He was in his element, doing what he was created to do. The red medical uniform he had borrowed from the physician felt a lot more comfortable than the training clothes. Unlike the others, the moment he stepped out of the growth vat, his prerogative was to ensure that they all remained potent killing machines. He could deal with almost any wound and repair the complex, genetically modified bodies of the Demons and their sophisticated cerebral implants, even in the heat of combat. Working in a barebone operating room was more than what he usually needed. Yet, the relatively simple anatomy of humans was proving to be a challenge, all because of how fragile it was in comparison.
“I can concede you have vast medical knowledge, and there is much that can be learned by examining your unorthodox methods,” the physician pressed on, stopping for a moment to consult the readings displayed on the surgical robot. “However, what you are doing requires extensive cybernetic expertise, which I hardly think you would have had the time to acquire.” The man continued without looking at Helix while adjusting the settings.
“I don’t need to be an expert to know how to fix something like that,” Lucas shrugged and smiled at the worried Saiko.
“You cannot be serious! This is a delicate procedure!” The physician removed a hard-link cable from the bulky cybernetic occupying the left half of his head and connected it to the surgery robot.
“Doctor Saiko, the more you distract me, the greater the chance is that I will make a mistake,” Lucas had had enough.
He had days to prepare for this. Reading each scrap of info, Zeti could recover from the mainframe’s data-stores. He revisited all of his memories of watching the ordained scientists do the exact same procedure on subdued psi-witches to the point that he was sure he could imitate it perfectly during simulations. And now, after days of slowly pushing Major Khalid towards desperation so that the soldier would allow him to act without interfering, Lucas had to admit that Dr Saiko was right. He had to admit to himself that he didn’t know what he was doing. However, the part of him which revelled in finally being able to personally dissect a psi-witch prevented him from asking for help. Instead, it spurred him to continue. Still, that didn’t change the fact that partial memory reconstruction was an experimental procedure. One which even the brilliant minds running the Osiris facility didn’t understand properly.
But Helix was yet to reach that point. He was stumbling on the first hurdle, which was entering the damned cerebral implant installed in Alexandra’s head. The psionic mutation had significantly altered the very structure of her brain, turning it into a complicated maze. It didn’t help that the cursed implant was a jumbled mess of incompatible hardware. Each time Lucas prepared a suitable connection point, something else would break, forcing him to stop what he was doing just to keep the woman alive.
“Aneurism forming in the Occipital lobe.” Dr Saiko's statement was the equivalent of an “I told you so”.
“Drain it with an SK needle and increase the antihypertensive agent by zero point fifteen milligrams,” Lucas stated flatly as he soldered a pin connector on the implant.
“I do not have access. There is abnormal non-cancerous growth surrounding it. Cutting through it might permanently damage her vision if it does not outright kill her.”
“Shit!” Helix stopped his work and looked at the screen displaying the section of Alexandra’s brain the physician was monitoring. It didn’t look good. “The Klint Swelling hasn’t finished,” the Demon cursed under his breath and gave up on creating a connector point in this area.
“I must remind you that this is not my field of medical expertise. Access to material regarding physiological changes within psionics is strictly regulated by the Academy.”
Lucas was on the verge of snapping at Dr Saiko for being useless. However, the doctor was just a symptom of a greater problem. Every medical professional in the Holy Empire had a basic knowledge of this topic for the purpose of spotting a psi-witch that might have slipped detection. As good as the Empire’s screening process was, it wasn’t impenetrable. But, for some unfathomable reason, the society of the current time was failing to comprehend the need for such safeguards. Instead of raging against something he had no control over, the Demon focused on what could be done.
“It will take too long to explain properly. Prepare an alpha skull bore and a deployable vascular blocker mesh to contain the bleeding if it bursts. The growth will be absorbed into an Aslan’s cavity in an hour or two.”
“That is a limited temporary solution.” Dr Saiko stated flatly, but Lucas could feel the man’s irritation. “You are being reckless.”
It was understandable that the physician was angry with him after seeing the state Zoë was in after their light training session. But now was not the time and most definitely not the place for an argument.
“Doctor, right now, I am being very careful with my approach.” Lucas hissed back.
“I disagree. At this rate, the only way to avoid putting Knight Protector von Eisstahl in a vegetative state is to replace a third of her brain with cybernetics. Even then, the chances of her remaining in a permanent coma are unacceptably high.” Dr Saiko continued as he replaced the equipment on one of the robot’s arms. “However, this medical unit does not have the parts for this. Something I made clear before you insisted on proceeding with this insanity.”
“If there were spare cybernetics, I wouldn’t be elbow-deep in the brain of a damned psi-witch!” This time, Lucas did snap at the physician. “Niobium staple and ten millimetres of nine-ten poly-wire.” He extended his hand so that the nurse standing quietly behind him could pass him the materials he needed. “Prepare a sixth of CC of xenic acid and have the diffusion agent on standby.” The medic told the nurse on the other side of the operating table.
The Demon had to admit that the physician had made a valid point. At this rate, they were slowly but surely killing Alexandra. He had significantly underestimated the difficulty of performing an extremely complex experimental brain surgery. Still, as much as Lucas struggled to come up with a solution, he couldn’t think of anything.
“Thrice cursed piece of junk!” Dr Saiko's sudden outburst made Helix stop what he was doing and check what new problem had occurred. “Nurse Bo, check the connectors. I lost hard-link control. I swear, if the robot is bricked, I am going to scrap it and tech Beiden along with it!”
“What happened?” Lucas asked the motionless Dr Saiko.
“The hard-link control of the surgical robot stuttered and dropped on both ends simultaneously after I detected abnormal activity in the subthalamic nucleus. My own implant control unit has determined that I am going through a seizure and has locked my cybernetics.”
“Connectors are in order, doctor,” Nurse Bo spoke from behind the machine’s body.
“Patient is going into tonic-clonic seizures!” Nurse Clara shouted as she tried to restrain Alexandra, who was beginning to thrash against the binds holding her to the operating table.
“Shit!” Both Lucas and Dr Saiko exclaimed at the same time.
“Disable the power unit!”
“Administer a dose of F-Lan neurotoxin! I’ll hold her!”
“I cannot open the lid!”
“It will paralyse the patient’s diaphragm!”
“Just do it!”
“Surgical robot is offline! There is no life-support!”
“Manual release is not responding!”
“Get the guard standing outside!”
“Bring the one from OR-3!”
“It will take too long!”
In the span of a few seconds, the organised surgical theatre was consumed by chaos. Everyone was shouting over everyone else, and Lucas could see his plan crumble before his eyes. Even if he kept her in cryo-sleep, Alexandra was a valuable bargaining chip. He could use her to keep the Innari on a short leash just as he could use her to satisfy Zeti’s ambition of restarting Project Ascension and thus ensure the AI’s continued cooperation. But dead, she was worth nothing. He had to do something. Anything. However, all of his training told him that there was nothing he could do. If she were a Demon, he would be extracting her cortex implant without giving it a second thought.
“What’s going on?” A new voice joined the cacophony. It didn’t take much to realise that the soldier Major Khalid, posted outside of the operating theatre, had entered after hearing the commotion.
“Hold her down!” Lucas barked at the confused trooper.
“He will contaminate—”
“Bacterial infection is the least of our problems! On the double soldier!”
After a moment of hesitation, the Innari sprinted next to him and grabbed Alexandra’s limbs, trying to mimic Helix’s hold. Grabbing the combat blade attached to the trooper’s left hip, the medic stepped in front of Dr Saiko. An idea formed in his head. More of a gambit, actually. One born out of desperation rather than any rational thought.
“Hard-link cable’s composition?” Lucas looked directly into Dr Saiko’s organic eye.
“Vanadium rubber around a carbon nanowire core within a depolarised soft-plastic outer shell.” His limited facial expression still managed to convey his confusion at the question before the pupil widened in comprehension. “Do it.”
By the time the words left Dr Saiko’s mouth, Lucas was already cutting through the cable connecting the physician to the machine. As expected, this caused a localised short circuit in the bulky cybernetic implant covering half the doctor's head. There was a shower of quickly fading sparks, and a few of the light indicators went dark, but other than that, there was no life-threatening damage.
“The robot is back online!” Nurse Bo shouted and immediately moved towards the equipment’s control console.
That was good. Although without an operator hard-linked to it, the medical device would have severely reduced functions, it at least gave him access to life-support.
“F-Lan! Now!” He barked at Nurse Clara as he returned the knife back to the holder on the Innari’s thigh. “The edge is dull. Nurse Bo, take the guard with you and bring the robot from OR-3.”
“Helix, my cybernetics are still locked. I will not be able to assist you,” Dr Saiko interrupted.
That was not good. Lucas didn’t have the time to help the physician. At best, he had bought himself a few minutes with the neurotoxin, and he would need every second to try to save Alexandra von Eisstahl’s life. However, without a skilled surgeon to help him, there was little he could do. Rocking his brain, Lucas could think of only a single solution to this dilemma, which was going to cause more issues in the long run for Dr Saiko.
Screw it, the Demon thought to himself. It was clear that the experimental procedure was an utter failure. More than that, it was never going to work because Lucas lacked sufficient knowledge in several fields for it to ever succeed. But there was one field he was an expert in, and that was squad Demon’s cortex implants. Sure, the difference between the sophisticated marvel of technology he had inside his head and the memory implant in the Knight Protector was like night and day. And yet, both technologies functioned on the same fundamental principle. Besides, at this point, he had nothing to lose.
“Nurse Clara, begin full filtration of the patient’s blood. Disable all safety protocols and inject three canisters of BCC nanites,” he spoke in a hurry as he opened a direct feed channel to Nurse Bo. “Sending schematic and list of the necessary components required. Tech Bawler is recovering in Room 4C; pump her with painkillers and have her build the device. Instruct a drone to bring all bypass couplings from storage, a roll of neuro-wire and a cybernetic immobiliser.”
“Helix, have you lost your mind?” Dr Saiko protested while Lucas was still talking. “Without the safety protocols, the BBC nanites will cause rapid cellular degradation.”
“I want everything here in fifteen minutes,” the combat medic finished before taking a laser scalpel and moving in front of Alexandra’s opened skull. “I need our dear Knight Protector as clean as possible. We’ll deal with the tumours later. Nurse, cut the anaesthetic. Administer a quarter dose of F-Lan every ten minutes to keep the patient immobile.”
“That is monstrous!” Both Dr Saiko and Clara exclaimed at the same time. And while a single glare from Lucas was enough to silence the nurse, the same could not be said for the physician. “What you ask is immoral, unethical. Inhuman!”
“And she’s an unsanctioned psi-witch!” The Demon snapped, stopping his work for a moment to look at the pale-faced man.
“Regardless, Knight Protector Alexandra von Eisstahl is still a human being—”
Lucas pointed at the screen, which showed an enhanced view of the woman’s brain. “Not. Any. More. She is a valuable test subject. An asset. Remember that, honoured physician.”
“If she weren’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Lucas continued as he resumed disconnecting Alexandra’s memory implant from the rest of the implant network.
“Is that all you see? Assets?” Dr Saiko asked in a cold voice full of disappointment.
“Yes,” he admitted flatly. “You are all nothing more to me than assets.”
“And Second Officer Kurtz?”
“Yes. Even she.” Lucas answered after a short pause.
It was true that the girl’s very existence was special. Zoë was an emotional anchor which kept Helix from losing his mind. She was also a mystery he itched to unravel because of her genetic make-up, which resembled that of an Oni. However, Lucas knew that the moment he accepted her as one, that would be the moment she would truly become a military asset. Despite being part of MASS Demon and hailing from the same program that created him, the Oni operatives were never accepted by the Demons. They were treated as inferior imitations to be used, discarded and sacrificed when needed. All because they were too human. In that regard, Lucas was the outliner by trying to get to know Morgana and the other Oni. However, even he wouldn’t go as far as to call them friends.
But more importantly than that, Zoë was necessary for Helix to circumvent the mnemonic triggers in his mind. His indoctrination ensured his loyalty to the Holy Empire and emperor Constantine V Rütter, but it was incredibly taxing for him to remain loyal when either no longer existed. And Lucas wasn’t interested to find out what would happen when that loyalty crumbled. Well, he knew what the effects of the mnemonic triggers were going to be in theory. First, there would be a jarring personality change as the hormone levels in his body were forcefully adjusted to get him back on the right path. If that failed, they would begin erasing the memory records of his cortex implant, which would result in increasingly longer memory blackouts. And if that isn’t enough, his body would be forcefully placed into a coma to be recycled back at the labs on Abismo for preparation for the next generation of Demons or to be scrapped if the defect couldn’t be repaired by adjusting the indoctrination process.
“Blackout kill switch…” Lucas muttered to himself, his hand freezing mid-cut. “Yes! That would be a far better solution!”
“I do not understand.’ Dr Saiko interjected from his seat, concern visible on the part of his face not covered by the bulky cybernetic installed on his head.
“Instead of trying to alter her memory, why not just erase it?”
“You are insane!”
“Not literally, doctor,” Lucas smiled kindly at the paralysed man. “All I plan to do is abuse the Ibrahim-Santarini Interaction Principle to force her memory implant to confuse her actual memory by removing the hippocampus interface limiters.”
“The ISIP is a conceptual theory with no practical application.” Lucas was sure that if Dr Saiko could move, he would have tried to wrestle the scalpel away from him. “On a hardware level, cybernetic augmentation implants will go into hibernation if any of the limiters are damaged or disconnected. But even if you can solve this within the limited physical space available, you will face the ISIP’s software issue. Any encoding that can operate such damaged hardware will be self-contradictory and will only result in bricking the implant.”
Helix blinked several times as he tried to comprehend Dr Saiko’s argument.
“You’re joking…” It took all of his self-control not to lash out at the physician. “The Ibrahim-Santarini Interaction Interaction Principle is the basis of advanced military implants, cyborg conversion and the only way to have functional cryo technology.”
Thankfully, their conversation was cut short by a transport drone stumbling through the operating theatre’s door. Like everything else on the station, the thing appeared to be assembled by whatever spare parts people could find lying around. It was an ugly, rectangular, boxy piece of scrap hovering unsteadily half a meter from the floor thanks to the magnetic repulsors attached at the bottom on both ends along the width of its chassis. Loaded with the items Lucas requested, it struggled to maintain its altitude and was forced to constantly adjust it with sudden, short jumps. This only affirmed his initial impression of the AI-operated construct, though he was sure that there was no intelligent process involved in the blasted thing’s function. Still, out of morbid curiosity, he tracked the drone as it stopped a meter away from him and with a hiss and the sound of malfunctioning servos, a manipulator arm extended from the top of its mid-section. Two seconds later, the drone stood frozen in place instead of unloading its storage containers.
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“What the bloody hell is it waiting for?” Lucas demanded, feeling that he was reaching his limit.
“There is no designated tray for the drone to unload its cargo.” Clara's sheepish voice informed him, reminding the Demon of her existence after successfully blending with the background following his last outburst.
“The reasons I don’t just go and overload the fusion reactors are becoming fewer and fewer,” Helix addressed the threat to no one in particular. From experience, he knew that this was a far better method to instil fear than singling out one person.
“Honoured physician, monitor the patient’s vitals. If you spot any haemorrhaging, please inform me immediately. Nurse, come here.” Lucas commanded as he grabbed the drone and unceremoniously dumped the items it carried on the floor by lifting it upside down.
Of course, this caused the cursed thing to seize and shut down, but he couldn’t care one bit if the automated mechanical construct was permanently damaged. If it were up to the medic, he would have tossed it in a scrap compactor the moment it rolled out of the assembly line. Nevertheless, Lucas was glad to see that tech Bawler had prepared the device he requested. The attachment wasn’t all that complicated, and a competent tech – something that was apparently a luxury on Last Hope – should be able to make it with one eye closed, but it was outside of the abilities of a medical nurse. Not to mention, Helix didn’t have the right tools available in the operation theatre. Either way, the final product was acceptable. He quickly passed the ball-like device to the nurse along with two-thirds of the eighteen bypass couplings and a cybernetic repair tool kit.
“Dr Saiko can guide you on how to reach the control unit of his cybernetic. After that, install a bypass on the primary and auxiliary connectors.” Lucas explained as he attached a coupling to each of the three thin cables extending from the ball-like device in Clara’s hands. Once finished, he pointed to two of them and continued. “Merge this one to the one on the primary and this one to the one on the auxiliary using the clamps on the sides. This green one should be connected directly to the neuron interpreter module. If it is not long enough to reach, use the neuro-wire to bridge the gap.”
“Connect the cybernetic immobiliser here.” Finally, he pointed at the ports on the top of the device, however, before he could finish, the physician interrupted his explanation.
“Based on your explanation, I have concluded that you plan to create a Servelian Loop.”
“I’m not familiar with the name—” Lucas clicked his tongue as Dr Saiko interrupted him again.
“Restart of the control unit, followed by a forced crash of the interpreter module before it can finish the diagnostics protocols. Then a memory cache wipe and repeat at regular intervals.” The doctor sighed. “It will not work. The immobiliser will burn out in approximately ten minutes.”
“Have some faith, honoured physician,” Lucas couldn’t help but smile as he spoke. There was something really satisfying in seeing how these people reacted to any use of religious terminology with disgust. He turned the sphere around, exposing a shallow groove. Placing the last three bypass couplings, he continued. “Those will serve as pseudo-fuses, giving you an additional thirty minutes of movement for a total of an hour and a half.”
“And what exactly do you plan to do?” It was impossible to mistake the suspicion in Dr Saiko’s voice.
“To answer your question, I would need to teach you the entire Cybernetica Scripture. Alas, I don’t think Kavalira von Eisstahl can wait seven years for that. Besides, I’m not an ordained priest.”
Helix picked up the disabled drone and placed it next to the operating table. Sitting down on it, he took a hard-link cable and took a deep breath before plugging it into the port behind his right ear. He winced at the sudden sharp pain, reminding him of the poor job he had done fixing it with the parts he scrounged from Victoria’s collection of discarded tech. As the pain spread through his nervous system like a wave, Lucas made a vow to himself to properly fix the port, even if it meant he had to personally manufacture the required components. Thankfully, the awful sensation lasted only a second before slowly subsiding. To distract himself before the next wave of agony waiting for him as soon as he connected the other end of the cable, he turned to face the physician.
“If I’m not done in seventy minutes, manually disconnect the link. While I’m connected to the psi-witch’s memory implant, I will be unresponsive. Now, Dr Saiko, I am almost certain that you won’t do anything stupid during that time. However,” Lucas deliberately closed his eyes for a couple of seconds and sent a command to Zeti through the feed, “I’ve linked my vitals signature to the fusion reactor. Just in case, you see.”
“There is no need to go to such extreme lengths. My medical oath—”
“It might mean something to you, but it means nothing to me.” Helix interrupted with a sterner voice than he intended to use. “Now, please, let me continue. While I’m dealing with Kavalira von Eisstahl’s memory implant, you are to monitor her brainwave activity. If the gamma waves reach the hundred-hertz line – block the middle cerebral artery and rapidly increase the pressure with an infusion.”
“You want me to cause a stroke?!” Dr Saiko nearly screamed in outrage at the very idea.
“Yes, and make it a major one.” Lucas sighed after seeing the horror in the man’s eye. “A hundred and fifty-two-hertz beta wave activity is the threshold for psionic release. At least in testing conditions,” he added quietly before continuing. “In her current state and taking into account that she hasn’t had enough time to adjust to her new powers, it will take our dear Knight Protector between five and ten seconds to reach the threshold once a psionic response begins to form.”
Helix turned back around and began to double-check his handy work on the implant. It was sloppy and crude and he had cut too many corners, but it should work without destroying the irreplaceable piece of tech.
“After causing an ischemic stroke, you will have to stimulate the insula and anterior cingulate cortex.” Lucas was taking a risk by trusting Dr Saiko, but alas, there was no one else around, and the Demon was the only one who could perform the next part. “As soon as you regain mobility, I would suggest placing a pair of electrodes on standby to save time. And don’t forget to compensate for the F-Lan!”
With that, Lucas connected the hard-link cable in his hand to Alexandra von Eisstahl’s memory implant. A fraction of a second later, an agonising wave of pain pierced his body, and he lost consciousness as soon as his cortex implant confirmed that the connection between the two devices was successful.
----------------------------------------
Alexandra placed her hand on the hardened steel plating of Scolia. The sensation was familiar to her, while it felt utterly alien. It was the same with trying to remember what she was supposed to do. Where she was supposed to be. The memory was there, but the more she tried to access it, the more it faded, and it only hurt her head.
Estos pli bone se vi ne provos (It will be better if you don't try). The shadow in the corner of her vision whispered, causing her to turn around.
“Mistress!” Marcus’s surprised voice rang from behind her, further adding to her confusion.
The tech wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was her shadowy companion, for that matter. Actually, she was certain that he didn’t exist before he first spoke, and yet, she felt as if he had always been there.
What the hell is she doing here so late? Marcus whispered in her ear, causing her to instinctively twist her body.
“I came to check on the Scolia. You and your team are doing a commendable job,” she turned to face the lead mechanic, deciding to forgive his behaviour, only to see an empty hanger.
No, this was wrong. This was clearly the bunker under Playemar. The decorative banners were a dead giveaway. It was the middle of the night, according to the mining complex’s day and night cycle. However, that couldn’t be right. It would take the transport frigate at least another eight days before it made orbit. So why did her surroundings appear as an amalgamation of every hanger she had stepped foot in? It didn’t make any sense. With that, her body seized, her nerves were set aflame, and her throat contracted, refusing to let out the primal scream bubbling in her chest.
Ne batalu min. Kapitulacu vin kaj malstreĉu (Don't fight me. Surrender and relax). The shadow spoke softly to her left. No, the thing didn’t speak to her; its words simply appeared in her mind. Alexandra understood their meaning only to lose that ability a moment later. But the voice… It was so familiar that it was driving her insane. A heartbeat later, she realised the pain was gone. Or did it ever exist? It didn’t matter. Most likely, she was experiencing a side effect of having Scolia’s neuro-connection ports installed along her spinal column. The doctors warned her that there would be some disassociation from reality.
“Congratulations, Mistress.” The man bowed slightly and looked at her, worry written on what was left of his disfigured face. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes,” Alexandra imagined she looked as bad as she felt, trying to recall who this person was. “The last days must have drained me more than I care to admit.”
I would bet. Most likely, you’ve not stepped out of the general’s bed for days. The remark was barely audible, but it did not make it any less outrageous. Even insinuating something like that was grounds enough for Alexandra to skin the man alive. Yet, to her astonishment, she once more ignored the comment and continued as if nothing had happened. It was the right thing to do, even if it hurt her pride. After all, if not for Marcus’ timely intervention, she would have been burned alive inside Cathariona’s cockpit. The Knight Protector placed her hand back on the Scolia. The hardness of the battle-frame’s shell made her feel grounded. The coolness of the material sapped the pain from her head as she pressed her forehead to the metal.
As usual, the auto-link activated, and the machine’s AI greeted her with a list of system checks. Most of the mech’s systems were offline, but that was to be expected. A different pain pierced Alexandra’s heart. One born of sadness and an all-consuming sense of failure. The Scolia would never walk again because of her naivety. Such an inglorious end for such a decorated battle-frame.
Do tio estis via ankro. La kialo, ke vi ne vekiĝis pli frue (So that was your anchor. The reason you didn't awaken until now). The indifferent voice of her unwelcomed companion droned inside her head.
Of course, she valued the machine more than the people around her. And why wouldn’t she? The Scolia had never betrayed her, never plotted against her. All the battle-frame did was obey her commands without question. Even if Scolia had to remain dormant for decades, it was going to move the moment Alexandra connected to it. Not that she foresaw such a situation occurring in her future. With someone like Helix on her side, she no longer needed to worry about the Academy and the thugs posing as its leaders.
That was the missing piece from her life. Someone who shared her convictions and, as luck would have it, someone who shared a similarly challenging past. Alexandra wished to bury the truth, but not a day passed without her regretting the abolition of nobility. However, not in her wildest dreams would she have imagined meeting a man like Helix at such a forsaken place.
“That’s why you allowed him to betray you? Is there no end to your selfishness? This time, she was sure she heard Marcus mumble behind her, each word dripping with accusation and disgust.
Ne aŭskultu lin. Li tiom multe faris por vi, kaj vi neniam rimarkis. Sed ne maltrankviliĝu, li nun povas ripozi (Don't listen to him. He did so much for you, and you never noticed. But don't worry, he can rest now). Her shadowy companion made a valid point. For him to have made so many lapses, it had to be due to overworking. She had been selfish, demanding the battle-frame be completely redesigned for the harsh conditions on Elvira’s Moon.
“I’m sorry, Marcus,” Alexandra removed her hand and disconnected from the Scolia. “I know you are doing your best to meet my demanding timelines.” She turned to look at the man. “You and your team can take a few days to rest.”
“Are you feeling ok, Mistress?” There was no need for her to look at his face to know Khalid was confused. “This is very… I beg your pardon, but… Well, this is not like you at all.”
“It’s nothing, Major… Just my anger getting the better of me… I thought I was speaking with Marcus.” It was a lie. It had to be. She met with Khalid a few years after the debacle on Elvira’s Moon. So, why was he here? How did she know who this strange man was and what awaited in their futures?
“Marcus?” Khalid tilted his head to the side. “Mistress, do you not recall our last conversation?”
Alexandra could barely remember any form of conversation; however, she felt the urge to defend herself. “Ah, yes. Sorry. Excuse me, Major, this forsaken place is messing with my mind. No wonder the locals call it Lost Hope. How are your men recovering?”
Tio ne estis la ĝusta afero demandi, Kavalira (That was not the right thing to ask, Knight), the shadow in the corner of her vision snickered.
She turned around as fast as she could to try to catch a better look at him, but he was even faster. All she wanted was to know what mistake she had made by expressing her compassion for fellow soldiers. A question that was answered immediately as Khalid’s face replaced her entire field of view. It was a ghastly mask of rage and hatred.
“You killed them! Just like you killed Marcus!” The Innari yelled at her, and before Alexandra could form a response to these outlandish accusations, her body seized again, and her nervous system was consumed by an inferno of excruciating pain.
The torment lasted for an eternity before her shadowy companion returned to her. His presence eased her suffering, and she hungrily listened to his alien words.
Surfaca memoro rompita. Ni iru pli profunden, ĉu volos (Surface memory broken. Let's go deeper, shall we)?
Alexandra placed her hand on the hardened steel plating of Scolia. The sensation was familiar to her, while it felt utterly alien. It was the same with trying to remember what she was supposed to do. Where she was supposed to be. The memory was there, but the more she tried to access it, the more it faded, and it only hurt her head.
Estos pli bone se vi ne provos (It will be better if you don't try). The shadow in the corner of her vision whispered, causing her to turn around.
“How could you!” Marcus’s angry voice rang from under her feet, further adding to her confusion.
The Knight Protector tried her best to keep her eyes closed, but her determination lasted only a second. In its place, morbid curiosity forced her to look at the tech’s charred corpse. It was fascinating to see the tech in such a state. She warned him time and time again that his constant upgrades were going to cook him alive.
“No, mistress,” Major Khalid emerged from the cracked flesh, his flesh bruised and bleeding. “You did this. How could you lie to us?”
“I never…” the words caught inside her throat. She hadn’t lied, but she could tell them the truth.
“You hid that you were a monster!” Khalid and Marcus screamed in her face. One an avatar of anger, and the other hate incarnate. “You’ve known it all along!”
Diru ĝin. Ĝi faciligos al vi (Say it. It will make it easier for you). The shadow in the corner of her eye spoke softly inside her head. Helikso rekonis kio vi estas de la momento, kiam li vidis vin (Helix recognised who you were from the moment he saw you).
“No!” Alexandra yelled, feeling the anger brewing under her skin, demanding to be released. “I’m not an abomination! I’m human! If I weren’t, Helix wouldn’t have agreed to help me!”
She pressed her back against the Scolia as Khalid and Marcus moved closer. There was no way for her to escape. She had to use the battle-frame. However, the mighty war machine refused her. It ignored her signature because it was tainted.
“No…” Alexandra dropped to her knees and begged. “No. I didn’t… I didn’t want to be a psionic. It wasn’t my choice!”
Like that, the world froze as if it were a video feed capture.
Ne elekto. Sed vi sciis (Not a choice. But you suspected).
“Yes!” She yelled at the apparition, which was becoming more and more defined. “Of course I suspected! But I couldn’t face the truth! I couldn’t face reality…”
Akcepti ĝin. Ĝi faros aferojn multe pli facilaj (Accept it. It will make things a lot easier). The thing demanded, its amber eyes peeling away the lies Alexandra used as a shield.
“I don’t want to… It would mean to accept that I’m a monster… I can’t.”
Vi malamas ĉi tion (You hate this).
“Of course, I hate it!” She cried out on the verge of breaking down.
Tiam diru ĝin. Ĝi estas la sola vojo al savo (Then say it. It is the only way to salvation). The monster urged her hungrily.
“Psionic… Psionic. Psionic! PSIONIC!” Alexandra repeated the word as the anger inside of her consumed her.
Her limbs began to spam as her very bones tried to escape the confines of her flesh. She could feel the tremendous power just under her skin, strong enough to reshape the fabric of reality according to her whims. And she felt at peace. But just as the realisation that she could use this potential, the psionic gift devoured her. Agony threatened to obliterate her existence, and the only solution was to release the poisoned gift. A storm of destruction erupted from her and began to systematically disintegrate everything it touched. Slowly, at first, it picked up speed with each heartbeat.
Vi ne povas kontroli ĝin. Vi neniam kontrolos ĝin (You can't control it. You will never control it). The shadow rumbled as it moved closer, ignorant of the destruction around it.
Alexandra wanted to disagree, but she was no longer in control of her own body, let alone the psionic maelstrom she had given birth to. All she could do was let out a scream of impotent rage.
Nur Heliks povas savi vin (Only Helix can save you).
Yes. Curse it, but the demon was right. Helix was the only one who could help her. “No!” She cried as her body twisted again, threatening to break her spine. “Helix isn’t the one! He betrayed me! Like the others!”
Li ne faris. Li provis savi vin (He didn't. He tried to save you). The shadow was now standing right in front of her, and a distorted arm extended towards her. Li ankoraŭ povas (He still can).
All she had to do was take the offered hand, and she would be free from the pain. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to be saved because Alexandra von Eisstahl was gone, replaced by a monster, by a psionic abomination.
Malsaĝa knabino, ĉiuj povas trovi savon. Ĉio, kion vi devas fari, estas akcepti la kredon. Fariĝu unu el la fideluloj (Silly girl, everyone can find salvation. All you have to do is accept the creed. Become one of the faithful).
“That will change nothing!” Alexandra protested as tears clouded her vision. “Religion is a barbaric concept that breeds hatred… Faith will not save me.”
Ĝi volo. Ĝi estas lia fido. Kaj ĝi savis la homaron en sia plej malluma horo (It will. It is his faith. And it saved humanity in its darkest hour).
The thing was lying to her. It had to be; it was the only explanation. A well-educated man, a former noble like Helix, would never stoop so low as to get entangled in a religious cult. However, the shadow at least offered her a chance. A chain to bind the monster within her.
Ĝuste. Ĉu vi akceptas ĉi tiun ĉenon, sorĉistino? Ĉu vi kuraĝas ripeti la devigan ĵuron (That's right. Do you accept this chain, witch? Dare you repeat the binding oath)? The demonic creature demanded, satisfied that she had reached the conclusion it wanted.
“I do!” Alexandra screamed as the world around her crumbled faster and faster, consumed by her powers.
Mi estos la fidela servisto de la Sanktulo. Por la gloro de la imperiestro Konstantino V Reotter, Beata Sanktulo de la Sankta Ĝardeno de Infero. Its whisper overpowered the cacophony surrounding them.
“I shall be the Holy One's faithful servant! For the glory of the Emperor Constantine V Rütter, Blessed Saint of the Holy Garden of Hell!” She roared with all her strength, feeling her voice tear her vocal cords apart.
The maelstrom froze, and for the first time in her life, Alexandra was glad for the blissful embrace of darkness.
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“How long?” It was the first thing Lucas asked as he removed the hard-link cable from the side of his head.
No wonder the ordained scientists had never tried this. Editing the psi-witch’s memory stored in her implant in real time was straining, to say the least. A human, no matter how many cyber augments they had in their head, wouldn’t be able to do it. Damn it, even Helix’s genetically engineered body was struggling with the stress.
“Sixty-eight minutes and seventeen seconds,” Dr Saiko answered and quickly moved next to him in an attempt to conduct a basic neurological examination. “The bleeding from your nose and ears began twenty minutes after you connected. Your blood pressure and heart rate are within the values I have on record. However, your body temperature remains fixed at 314.35K—”
“Doctor, I understand you are used to dealing with cybernetic units, but I assure you, I’m not one. Please use normal measurements. Having to do the conversion is becoming tiresome.” Lucas didn’t hide the irritation from his voice. “I’ll be fine. A few stims and a couple of hours of sleep will be more than enough. I’m more curious about the psi-witch?”
“The Knight Protector is stable. Something that should not be possible considering the damage done to her brain.” It was blatantly obvious that the physician was itching to bombard him with questions.
However, he kept the conversation professional in an admirable show of self-discipline.
“The patient experienced seven psionic episodes, which I would have missed if not for your explanation. During the last one, I was forced to restart most of her organ implants, re-routing control through the surgical robot because she underwent cardiac arrest.”
“You did well, doctor,” Lucas smiled and placed his hand on Dr Saiko’s shoulder as he stood up.
The wave of dizziness and the weakness in his limbs confirmed the Demon’s initial assessment that he had pushed himself too much. On top of that, his breathing was laboured as if he had just finished a six-hour running session. There was no way he could finish treating the damage he had caused during the operation. And Dr Saiko didn’t have much time left before his cybernetics locked up again. So, to hear that Alexandra was stable was the best news he could have hoped for under the circumstances.
“Were you successful?” The physician asked Lucas the question he was afraid to ask himself.
“I don’t know.” He didn’t like the answer, but it was the only one he could give. “We will know for sure when she wakes up. For now, let’s put her back in cryo.”
“That is the most prudent course of action, yes,” Dr Saiko nodded in agreement and immediately began to give instructions to the nurses.
Lucas stood motionless for a moment, observing silently their work. Although he was proud of the solution he came up with, it didn’t change the fact that he had made too many mistakes. He was far too reckless and far too reliant on luck. That was definitely a sign that there was a problem within him. The cage placed around his mind was fading, causing a drastic change in his personality. Helix was certain of it now after copying the damned thing onto the psi-witch’s memory implant. He was worried that, for the first time in his life, he would be free to make his own choices without the guiding hand of the forced loyalty to the Holy Terran Empire.
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