There were many things he was unsure of. Most of all of them, his current plan stood out as daring and foolish in the extreme. Every rational cell in his brain screamed that he couldn’t allow a latent psi-witch to roam unchecked, especially not one that was on the verge of awakening. Lucas had a vague idea of what he wanted to accomplish and no idea how to do it. He hated it, but it took standing in front of the Knight Protector to realise that all he managed to do so far was imitate Morgana and the other Oni. But he couldn’t do even that properly. The moment a new hurdle presented itself, he drastically changed his plans. But that was the thing: Lucas wasn’t Command; he was a bloody techno-medic. He was the weakest among the Demons, content to follow the strict chain of command. Whenever left to his own devices, he always tended to act before thinking. Of course, this was encouraged and rewarded because it took a special mindset to blindly charge through a bombardment in order to tend to a wounded comrade. It was as much a part of Lucas as were hubris, ego and superiority complex.
However, no matter what, he knew he wasn’t alone. Preacher was always there to guide him. Discharge and Hornet were there to watch his back, and if things got really tricky, Puppeteer would send Carthage or Lucifer. Even Rage would support him despite always disagreeing with Helix.
But you’re all gone now. I’m alone, Lucas thought as he fought against the indoctrination which made him an obedient soldier. There had to be a way out from the hole he had dug himself into. He should have never allowed the frigate to dock. Sure, the Innari weren’t as impressive as he was led to believe, but they were well-trained and clearly experienced. Lucas had seen it clearly in those brief seconds when they entered Control. The troopers kept proper formation and spacing so that they could react if any one of them was attacked. Most likely, the medic could take out a single squad if he had the element of surprise on his side. However, there was half a bloody platoon of them. No matter how he looked at it, an alarm would be sounded the moment he took action.
And to make matters worse, Alexandra von Eisstahl just had to be a noble. Sure, the woman wasn’t part of the Holy Terran Empire’s elite, but that didn’t matter to the mnemonic blocks which prevented him from killing her without authorisation from Command. In order to circumvent them, Lucas either had to force her to attack him or allow her to awaken. Neither option was advisable, and there were too many things that could go wrong. However, he was the one responsible for this mess.
“Okay. So… What the fuck was that!” Zoë’s high-pitched yell interrupted his thoughts.
Because of the strangeness of the situation the medic found himself in, he had forgotten that she was with him. He had to remind himself that she was just a member of the local security for a station so far removed from what was happening in the wider galaxy that it might as well be a different reality altogether. Still, the girl had been following his orders with surprisingly little resistance. The least Lucas owed was an explanation, which would be difficult after the ill-advised speech he made while waiting for the psi-witch.
“I took a gamble, and it paid off. That’s all.” It was unlikely that this would convince her to drop the subject, but stranger things had happened lately.
“Nah, mate! Not this time.” Zoë stopped and looked at the rifle. It was visible in her eyes that she was tempted to use the weapon to force him to talk. “All this time, you were working for her!”
“Is that how you see it?” Lucas was intrigued to hear how the Second Officer came to that conclusion.
“Well, how else am I supposed to see it after what happened? You used me…”
“Miss Kurtz, I’m not sure if you pretend to be stupid or if you really are that oblivious.” The medic kept a close eye on the rifle as he began to answer her question. “I think Lorn Morat said it best: The only people more reluctant to drop old traditions than clerics are nobles.”
“Never heard of him, and what the hell do clerks have to do with anything?” The girl pouted, and the tension in her stance began to dissipate.
Oddly enough, Lucas actually thought that it would be regrettable if he would have to hurt her. Regardless of that, the conversation was starting to test his patience, and it had barely begun. Apparently, basic education was another thing these people had decided to throw into the black hole they’ve tossed common sense into. The memoirs of Lorn Morat, personal secretary of Queen Anastasia Rütter, were one of the fundaments of civilised society. Sure, they were as dry to read as eating ration crackers – a normal thing for any text that had gone through the hands of the Church of the Third Hell’s Censors – but they were one of the favourite ways for the Demons to pass the time when they had nothing to do. So much so that for a short while, they actually called themselves lords and ladies when talking to one another.
The memory was enough to make Lucas involuntary smile instead of sigh at the girl’s ignorance. “Clerics are those that devote themselves to the theological teachings of an officially recognised and approved religious sect.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re making that up, but whatever,” Zoë shrugged, some of the previous playfulness returning into her eyes. “So? What do clerics have to do with the Knight Protector?”
“I’m not explaining several centuries of history to you.” This time, the Demon did sigh. “Miss von Eisstahl is a noble, yes?”
“Not really. There’re no nobles in the UR. I mean, there were rumours that some of her great-grandparents used to serve the Empire, but there was nothing official. But the Hero of Sentinel Hill ain’t one.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Lucas motioned for her to talk and walk. “She has a Scicron-frequency implant, which designates her as one to me.”
After the failure of the Gen 2 Demons, Constantine IV Rütter made the identification implant mandatory for all Terran and human members of the nobility. It was an ingenious device that informed Command elements of the Holy Empire’s military when one of the elite was anywhere near a theatre of operation. It also made rescuing or eliminating them much easier. Of course, after dealing with the Gen 2s, Helix and the rest of the Demons had a receiver implant that could detect the Scirion frequency.
“Kavalira is a way to address female members of the nobility,” the medic continued before Zoë could interrupt him. “The word itself was used amongst the members of high society back when Hell used to be called Earth. Or at least, that’s what Lorn Morat’s books claimed. All I did was take a gamble that he was correct.”
“Wait… What?!” Zoë screamed next to him, dropping the valuable rifle to the floor. “You risked our lives… my life on something you’ve read in a book?”
“Yes,” Lucas picked up the weapon and shoved it in her chest, annoyed that she clearly didn’t know about Scicron-frequency implants and thus missed that particular piece of information. “And, Miss Kurtz, you’re yet to prove that your life is worth more than that.”
That dampened the Second Officer’s mood, and they continued to walk in silence. Although, now that he thought about it, Lucas wasn’t sure where they were going. He knew that one of the exits of section 01 was in that direction, but that wasn’t necessarily the case anymore. And assuming he got lucky again, the medic would still need to locate his target. Based on the maps he had seen in passing on the consoles at the Command room, searching aimlessly would be an utter waste of time.
< DEMON_08: ZETI, LOCATE OVERSEER THARKS. >
< DEMON_08: PLOT THE FASTEST ROUTE AND SEND IT. >
He didn’t want to contact the AI, especially when the mainframe was supposed to be down, but it’s not like he had much of a choice. Hopefully, the messages wouldn’t trigger any alarms or raise suspicion. There was also the possibility that the construct wouldn’t respond if it was trying to remain hidden. Somehow Lucas was doubtful that would be the case, but there was no telling what the damned machine was thinking.
< CONTROL: VIDEO_FEED LH-SRC11B4458 LINKED >
< CONTROL: AUX_ACCESS KEY GENERATED >
< CONTROL: MAP_ROUTE SAFE UPLOADED >
< CONTROL: ESTIMATED 144 MINUTES >
< CONTROL: MAP_ROUTE ALTERNATIVE UPLOADED >
< CONTROL: ESTIMATED 26 MINUTES >
The medic was a little surprised to see the information he requested arrive a second after sending the message. It was almost as if Zeti had it prepared in advance. Actually, Lucas should have expected as much. The AI was listening to everything, and it could probably hear a pin drop inside the Control room. But there was also something frightening about how quickly Zeti could come to the right conclusions and predict what he would need based on the information it collected. Opening the two maps only further fuelled the Demon’s uneasiness. He could clearly see that Zeti had taken into account that Officer Kurtz would be going with him, which was why it had bothered with sending him the safe route. If they took the conveyor belts, as suggested by the alternative one, there was a good chance the security girl would get hurt, injured or worse. So, he had to choose between wasting time or leaving Zoë behind. Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling that this was done intentionally. Apparently, he would have to teach the AI that the Demons were really good at finding a third way.
As he examined the map closer, his suspicions were confirmed. The target was inside a luxury yacht in Docking Bay C7, in section 04 and according to what he was seeing from the layout of the mining complex, they could take a blocked maintenance corridor partway and walk from there. By the medic’s calculations, he should be able to reach Overseer Tharks in less than an hour. As for the blocked corridor – a well-placed grenade or two would take care of any obstacles.
Without warning, Lucas went into a jog, leaving a startled Zoë to chase after him. To his dismay, the young Officer caught up to him fairly quickly and matched her pace with his. By the time they reached the access hatch he had marked as a suitable entry point to the maintenance corridor, Helix had to admit that he was impressed. Considering the speed he set, the distance they’d covered and her medical state, Zoë should have been gasping for air while trying to hurl inventive obscenities his way. Instead, the girl appeared slightly flushed and a little winded.
“What’s wrong with you?” She asked while watching him open the concealed hatch. “And what’s that?”
“Didn’t you like the warmup?” Lucas smiled as he stepped inside the claustrophobic chamber behind the thick steel door.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Zoë managed to yell when he pulled her, embracing her tightly to allow the hatch to close behind her.
With the two of them, the interior was even tighter, and he found it difficult to manipulate the keypad on the wall. The girl’s constant squirming and her hot breath against his neck didn’t help either. After a few failed attempts to press the correct sequence of keys, Lucas realised that they were in the wrong position. The problem was that he could move only his left hand and couldn’t reach the key that would open the hatch so that they could re-enter.
“Shit!” He cursed and grabbed Zoë, trying to twist their bodies to the side.
“Uhm… I don’t think there is… enough space for this… in here…” She moaned quietly in his ear.
Ignoring her clear misunderstanding of what he was trying to do, Lucas pressed himself even closer to her, nearly crushing her against the wall of the chamber.
“Ouch! That hurts… Okay, it really hurts! Stop!” As soon as the plea left her mouth, Helix’s fingers hit the correct sequence of keys, opening the door behind him.
Allowing a triumphant smile to form on his face, the medic took a step back and unceremoniously pulled Zoë out of the chamber and into the darkness of the maintenance corridor. She blinked several times before looking at him, her face turning scarlet as she whispered. “End me. Please.”
“Perhaps another time,” Lucas chuckled, picked up the rifle she’d dropped, and offered it back to her.
The Second Officer sheepishly took it and looked at him, her face now illuminated only by the dim glow of the emergency light strips along the floor. Reaching for his helmet, Helix had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.
“When are the lights going to come on?” He turned back to see Zoë looking at him, worry replacing the embarrassment on her face. “I don’t like the dark.”
Idiot, he cursed himself. She is a human. She can hardly see more than a few steps in front of her. Locking the Predator’s helmet back to his belt, the medic opened the hatch again. It took him a moment to figure out the settings on the keypad, but after doing so, the light strips began to glow brighter, pushing back the oppressive darkness. It wasn’t perfect, but now Zoë could navigate the corridor without stumbling at every step.
After walking in silence for a little over ten minutes, he sneaked a peek at the girl next to him. The Second Officer was uncharacteristically quiet, and he had to reluctantly admit that he was missing hearing her speak. Despite testing his patience and self-control, a part of him enjoyed Zoë’s company and foolish ranting. Plus, Lucas could use the distraction. The Demons always talked with each other in moments like these as a way to fight off boredom. While pondering on what to say, the medic realised that he knew how to converse only with the others from his squad. In theory, it shouldn’t be that difficult for him to imagine that she was one of them. Zoë looked just as young as all of them and had a similar build to either Thessia or Nia, though somewhat scrawnier. But the problem was her posture.
Officer Kurtz didn’t carry herself as an experienced soldier. Discharge alone had over a decade of battle experience over her. And what about Carthage? Like him, Nia was Gen 3. They had spent over twenty years perfecting their skills at killing others. On top of that, they were conditioned to ignore the brutality of their craft and shrug off the toll it would have on a normal human. Which made them stand out when compared to other military personnel with similar years of experience, more so than their external youth. As the Demons’ medic, Lucas knew that because of his kind’s heavily augmented and engineered physiology; he would never age, in appearance at least. In theory, each of them could last a thousand years before their minds degraded to a point where there could be no other alternative than euthanasia. That was assuming they actually survived for that long in the first place. After all, Gen 3s were a temporary solution, and his squad, in particular, was rushed out of the vats to deal with the crisis on Hell.
“Miss Kurtz, why don’t you tell me more about this Academy you mentioned?” Desperate to stop his thoughts from going that path, Lucas decided to take the risk and used the same approach he had seen the faithful use when talking with someone they knew little or nothing about.
“What?” She looked at him as if he had spoken in another language.
“The Academy, I presume it is some sort of training facility, is that right?” Lucas slowed his step.
“Yeah, sort of…” Zoë gave him a faint smile. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“We have time. I would like to learn more about it.”
“Why?” She looked at him with narrowed eyes, most likely coming to some outlandish idea.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve been gone for quite some time. I want to learn more about the galaxy.” He stopped and gave her a warm smile. “And I figured the Academy would be a topic you are quite familiar with.”
“Right… That makes sense.” The girl nodded, confirming his worry that she had misunderstood the reasoning behind his question.
“The name is somewhat wrong, you see. What we call the Academy is actually a Citadel class system. It’s just three fortified worlds orbiting a locked binary star.” Zoë shrugged, downplaying the importance of this information.
“How very interesting.” Lucas was not faking this.
Her explanation could be quite relevant to him; however, the galaxy was a vast place, and a lot could have been changed after he entered cryo-sleep. The Citadel classification was one defined by Constantine IV Rütter at the start of the Xith invasions in human space. It was obvious the people of this age had preserved the term. This shouldn’t surprise him. After all, a lot of things from his time had been preserved if he thought about it. Some might have evolved their meaning, but the core idea was still there.
“Why is that?” Lucas could see the doubt in her eyes.
“I was stationed in a similar system for quite some time, you see.”
“Okay. I’ve had enough,” Zoë yelled at him, her face blossoming a clear shade of red in its centre. “Are you messing with me? Is this true? Or are you just trying to get information from me so that you can ruin what little I have left!”
Lucas was taken aback by her sudden outburst, and for a moment, he thought that she had finally reached her breaking point. A closer look told him that he was partially right in his assumption. She was there but was yet to break. He could see it in her blank stare, dazed footsteps and dropped shoulders. Helix was glad to have her around, but in this state, she was all but useless. The combat medic could drug her, but that would only delay the imminent mental breakdown.
“Have I ever lied to you?” He chuckled, trying to ease the tension.
“That’s just it! You pretend to be honest, but all you do is twist the truth!” Lucas could see her entire body shake from the rage she was feeling as her emotional responses were starting to swing from one extreme to the other.
“I suppose you will not trust me if I tell you that I have been conditioned to never lie.” Zoë’s shaking head was all he needed to know the truth was unacceptable for her. “Very well. I was, let’s say – trained – at the St. Erebus system. It bears a similarity to what you describe of this Academy.”
The girl looked at him with her jaw dropped. His honesty had surprised her, or was it the fact he was sharing something with her? He couldn’t be sure. Lucas couldn’t explain it, but he wanted to trust this girl and for her to trust him. If he had to guess, it was because he felt alone without the others, and she was the next best thing. Despite everything, Officer Kurtz had tried to reach out to him when they first spoke and had slowly become the only thing keeping him going insane. Because of this, Helix continued.
“It is, or rather was, a binary star with three planets. Abismo – a barren world of blasted black rock and poisonous atmosphere. Forgestia – a desert world of red and green sands, and Senfina, a maze of lush jungles and shallow rivers.” He recalled the three worlds that housed all the facilities of Project Osiris.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Lucas had seen Forgestia and Senfina only from space when the Demons had transferred out from their home and birthplace in the deep caverns of Abismo. What he did not mention were the massive ordinance complexes covering most of the surface of each planet. But before there was any need for those defences to be used, a potential attacker had to pass through the ring of orbital stations and their macro cannons and Tyson punch-lasers, making any attempt at an invasion a costly endeavour. After all, there was no such thing as an impenetrable fortress.
“I’m sorry…” Zoë lowered her head.
“Why do you say that?” Lucas was confused. This wasn’t the response he expected.
“Just now, your face looked very sad. That must have been your home system.”
“Miss Kurtz, you never cease to amaze me. How very observant of you,” the medic laughed, avoiding further explanation. “I’ll see you all on the other side.” He added, remembering his squad mates.
“Mi salutoss fin enla extera monto. What does that mean?” The girl looked at him, repeating the phrase, somewhat butchering the pronunciation.
“It is a farewell, my kind used to tell at the hour of our death,” Lucas said far more sternly than he meant to. “It is a private thing. Now, please continue about the Academy.”
“Fine, be that way.” He could see it in Zoë’s eyes. This was something that she would remember to bring up later.
“The three worlds of the Academy are dedicated to one of the United Republics’ armed branches: the UR Army, UR Navy and the last one is a military research world or the Institute of Science as it’s called lately. There’s nothing left of their original landscape since it’s been reshaped to simulate all manner of environments. Or it’s been blasted to nothing by orbital bombardment. Or, as the one housing the Institute – which is a dwarf planet, by the way – it’s been covered by manufacturing and testing facilities.” The girl spoke avidly, forgetting the state she was in at the start of their conversation.
“Because of its influence and importance regarding the safety of the UR, the Academy is home to the command staff and the High Commodore. They’re the ones who hold the most control over the Union, save the Council, because of the arms race we are in with our neighbours.” Fire returned to her previously glazed eyes.
“And before you think of it, I wasn’t born there. I come from Helsinki III in the Grötter cluster. My dad disowned me when I was ten and sent me to the Academy as a conscript for a couple thousand credits of government support. Despite the propaganda, volunteers aren’t as common as High Command would like, so unwanted kids are bought and trained.” Zoë said this as if it was the most normal of things, which further raised Lucas’s ire.
“I am surprised to see that the worst of all practices of the Blue Bible Group has survived the ages.” He chose his words carefully not to offend the girl for whom this was a reality.
“It’s a good way to support struggling families.” She looked pissed, but overall, far better. “Your own childhood can’t have been much better. Look at you; you are my age, and you talk and act as if you are a veteran soldier with many years of service behind you. If I have to guess, you must’ve been about the same age as me when you were shipped to a training camp.”
Lucas pondered the comment for a moment. He could try to tell her everything, but that would require absolute trust that she would never betray him. The secrets of his creation were locked behind a psi-kill command deeply rooted in the cortex implant he had in his brain. There were ways around it, he knew that. The safest one was to have her bonded and conditioned to secrecy, something that only a sanctioned psi-witch could do. Lucas very much doubted he would find such an individual. That left him with the second option – have Zeti provide her with the clearance she needed by listing her as an Oni. He was sure that with some light augmentation he could do on his own, she would be an exact match for any one of the Infiltrators in terms of physical condition. As for the training, the girl would need to even come close to Morgana or the others; well, that would require a substantial investment of time and effort. Not to mention that Lucas didn’t have a clue how to train her properly as an Oni. However, ignoring all that, he was worried that Zoë was just not ready to accept the truth.
“I have told you before, I am…” He began, but the girl raised her hand, clearly meaning for him to stop talking.
“Right, right, I am tired of you repeating the same thing.” She pursed her lips and stared at him for a moment before continuing. “Just tell me what is with all that religious crap you are always hiding behind.”
“I beg your pardon?!” Her statement astonished him.
Saying something like this would have earned her the heretic brand and internment into a labour death camp or a summary execution if the law enforcer was unwilling to deal with all the paperwork. Helix had to remind himself that now was a different time, and there was no need for him to kill her. On the other side of the spectrum, it amazed him how quickly she had warmed to him. The Demons had absolute trust in each other. The indoctrination they had all gone through had seen to it. Not to mention that they all shared Arch Sinner Michael’s tainted blood. The Demons also had trust in the Shayatin and Daeva in a similar way, although not as absolute. Helix had never found it necessary to bond with normal human soldiers. Even if he had the chance to do so, it would have been impossible. Having the poisoned vitae of not one, but all eight Icons of Sin coursing through his veins was deterrent enough for normal humans to speak to him. Every interaction he had with the faithful was kept professional and limited. Even then, humans found talking with the Demons to be unsettling. But not Zoë; she appeared unfazed by his appearance and didn’t seem to be bothered by his gaze.
“It is not religion. It is theological science,” Lucas finally said after taking a deep breath.
“It’s the same bloody thing said with different words.” The girl rolled her eyes.
He laughed. For the first since waking up, he laughed from the bottom of his heart.
“It’s not the same. Religion is a faulty system based on superstition and ignorance. Theological science is empirical knowledge and rational thinking presented as theology in order to assure the loyalty of the masses,” Helix mimicked the same tone that Lucifer had used whenever the subject was brought up.
Lucas started walking again and motioned for the girl to follow him. Although he was enjoying the chat, there were tasks he had to complete and problems to solve, preferably before they turned into disasters.
“Although basic education is mandatory for all faithful citizens of the Empire, it is almost impossible to have it cover everything. As such, His Holiness Constantine II decreed the establishment of the Church of the Third Hell after he became the Blessed Saint of the Garden of Hell.” Helix was oversimplifying things, but he had never been that interested in the topic to begin with.
“What the bloody… well yes, hell, is all that about?” Zoë’s shocked expression was enough to remind him that the gap between them was quite large.
“What do you know of Terra?” Lucas asked.
“Well, it was the capital world of the Third Empire and its fall…”
“Not that one. I am asking about the cradle of humanity – old Earth,” Helix knew some of the frustration he felt had slipped into his voice.
“It was glassed or something like that.” The girl’s shrug only increased the pain he felt. “Oh! Shit!” Zoë exclaimed a moment later and pressed her hand against her lips. “I’m really sorry…”
“Do not worry, Miss Kurtz. There will be enough time to discuss this topic at a later date,” Lucas knew he was pushing her away.
However, gaining her trust was not his primary goal. All he wanted for the time being was to push her away from the edge of a mental break. Something he had managed to do despite the obvious differences between them. Now came the harder part: push her right back into the thick of it.
----------------------------------------
“Why did you stop?” Zoë asked as the man tormenting her every thought came to a sudden stop.
Helix appeared confused, angry, and a little worried, or at least she thought he did. Honestly, she didn’t know what to think when she looked at him. She really wanted to trust him, to believe his words, but Zoë was worried he could be faking it. For all the girl knew, the man could be lying to her so that he could get more information in order to destroy the last few things she cherished.
“There should be a block here.” Helix finally answered after taking his sweet time to examine the walls and ceiling of the corridor they were going through. In reality, it was more of a linked series of flights of stairs, and now that she looked better at it, this part did appear cleaner and more brightly lit. She could even see one of the portable lights the techs used fixed in the corner where the right wall met with the ceiling.
“Ha. Looks like the excavation teams have already cleared this part. They probably forgot to update the map or haven’t had the time to do so if the work was finished in the last few days.” Zoë removed the locator attached to the front of her uniform and powered it on. “Let me check.”
She was glad that she’d taken the time to take the one from Jackson’s locker when they were in the barracks. Not only was it loaded with an up-to-date map of the explored parts of the station, but the areas where the tech and the eggheads were working were also marked. It took the locator a moment to pin her general location, though the accuracy left much to be desired, placing her somewhere in a three hundred meters wide area. Then, after scrolling through the layers, the Security Officer saw what she was looking for.
“Yep. Just as I thought, they forgot to update the map. I swear, half of the work here is checking after the techs.”
“How do you people get anything!” Helix groaned, and she averted her eyes. Sadly, she couldn’t argue with the statement and could feel his frustration as it was similar to her own, but at the same time, she wanted to defend the overworked techs.
“It’s not so bad…”
“Old Earth was called Terra at the time of the First Empire, which in turn was created in the aftermath of the Second Hell.” Zoë was surprised that he continued their conversation after the disapproving shake of his head she saw. Still, the previous warmth of his voice was gone. However, that didn’t stop her from listening carefully to his every word.
“Centuries after the Third Hell, which shattered the First Empire, the surviving Terrans renamed the planet to Hell. A fitting name for it was made into an irradiated, toxic, inhospitable place that would kill the humans it had given birth to in a matter of hours. But you should never underestimate the tenacity of the human species.” The girl could see a faint, amused smile twist the edges of his lips. “Something the unclean learned the hard way.”
Zoë wasn’t sure what he was on about, something she was slowly realising she would have to terms with. Helix had a habit of speaking in riddles, forcing her to guess what each word could mean. It was frustrating, for sure, but it also fed her hungry curiosity, and interrupting him now would probably put an end to the explanation. And despite the difficulty, she was learning more about him than she had hoped. For that reason, she kept her mouth closed and continued to listen as the man spoke in a captivating tone.
“It was Queen Anastasia Rütter who began the construction of the Garden, and it was her great-grandson Constantine II, the first emperor of the Second Terran Empire and Blessed Saint of Hell, who finished it.” Helix looked at her, raising an eyebrow after most certainly seeing the confusion written on her face. “The Holy Garden is a series of habitats that allowed for humans to return back to their ancestral home and actually live on the surface of Hell. Man-made slices of Paradise under domes of diamond-coated glass and reinforced titanium.”
“Sounds lovely.” Zoë didn’t know what else to say seeing his expecting gaze.
“It was,” he responded, disappointment written on his face.
Without saying anything else, he placed the helmet of his armour on his head and motioned for her to continue walking. Apparently, she had managed to somehow say the wrong thing again, and the uncomfortable silence returned. She stopped and wiped the tears forming in her eyes. Zoë knew she was reaching the limit of how much she could take before breaking. Actually, she had reached it and, talking with Helix, pulled her back from the edge. If the Second Officer allowed the quiet to continue, she knew that there would be no saving her this time.
“Where’re we going anyway?” The girl was glad that she managed to keep her voice from cracking.
“Section 04, docking bay C7.”
“That’s Overseer’s personal dock! You’re really going to kill him, aren’t you?” Zoë shook as it dawned on her that this was happening.
Sure, Oliver Tharks was a corrupt asshole, and every cadet could tell her that. However, he was the Overseer of Last Hope and, as such, would be protected by members of Security. By people she knew and, despite everything, would like to one day call friends. But most of all, Zoë didn’t want to see that cursed smile or those filled with twisted pleasure amber eyes ever again. Looking at the purple reflective crystal that was the helmet's faceplate was enough to help her think of Helix as a proper monster once again.
“I am sorry, Miss Kurtz, but I don’t understand what you are asking,” he didn’t even bother to stop and look at her.
“You made me a traitor. Fine! I can live with that. You ruined the hero that inspired me to finish the Academy, despite all the fucking pain I had to suffer. And although I can accept your reasoning, it doesn’t make it any easier. You have destroyed my life! I can’t do this! I’m not a murderer!” She almost screamed at him.
“Why do this? There are laws… There has to be another way!” This time, he stopped and turned to face her. Through clenched teeth, she managed to ask again. “Why me?”
“Because I am a Demon, and that’s what I do.” Helix didn’t move a muscle; he just stood there like a statute. “And because you were the only one around.”
“You don’t get it…” Zoë shook her head. More to hide the tears than anything else. “You don’t know what it feels to lose everything—”
“Zoë Kurtz!” Before she could react, Helix had crossed the distance between them and was towering over her. “Have you lost everyone you’ve ever cared about? Have you been ripped from your world and shoved into a place that is a ruined shadow of everything you’ve ever known? Have you woken up one day to be told that every sacrifice you’ve made, everything you’ve bled for, is not only gone but utterly destroyed? You are yet to learn what loss means.”
The anger in his voice froze her in place. She felt genuine fear at this moment. She had pushed too far, and she realised she wasn’t ready to give up on life. Not yet, not ever, if she had anything to do about it. Zoë remembered the wounds she had seen on his body. This man had waged war with the Xith. He had seen and experienced horrors she could only imagine. Helix was a man who wasn’t supposed to exist because he was from an age long gone. Of course, he knew what it was to lose something one held dear. This was, perhaps, the stupidest thing she could have said to him. But what was Zoë supposed to do? It was her world that was crumbling around her, and Helix was the one responsible for this.
“I became a Security Officer to protect people… Not kill them. How… How am I supposed to deal with this?” She looked at him, hoping he would give her something, anything to cling to. “How do you do it?”
“You’re a human, so you accept what has happened. You adapt, and you move on.” The anger was gone, replaced by a calm, soothing tone.
“You say this as if you are not one,” Zoë had to keep her mind occupied, less her emotions took over her again, and he had given her something to ponder on.
“I am a Demon.” He stressed the word as if it was supposed to mean something to her. “I was never allowed to be one of your kind. From the moment I exited the growth vats, I was given a weapon and told I had to kill the enemies of humanity. Even those who threatened it from within.”
“I don’t get it?” Her mind tried to piece all she knew about him into something that made sense. “What is all that supposed to mean? What are you?”
“I’m not obliged to tell you that.” He took a step back before Zoë’s hand could reach his. “In time, when you’ve earned my trust, I might share this information with you.”
Zoë felt close to him, and at the same time, she saw there was an abyss separating them. She had been an outcast among the other guards, and he was alone. That was what connected them, though she knew there was more to it but had yet to put it into something she could understand. She had to find out what it was; she had to find out why he separated himself from the rest of humanity. Well, he is your age and good looking… That terrible voice in her head emerged again. It was because of the stress; the girl was sure of it. At least, she hoped that was the cause because otherwise, it would mean that she liked the monster. That she might have fallen in love with him. No! That was insane. She refused to accept it. And yet, there was no denying that her heart always increased its beat when she was near him. But it wasn’t love. The girl was drawn to Helix on some animalistic level.
“Now, Officer Kurtz, are you coming with me or not?” Zoë saw his finger gently resting on the trigger of his rifle.
This was it. The choice she avoided making for so long. It seemed Helix was also getting tired of her indecision. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. It didn’t really help, and her thoughts were still a mess, so she did the next best thing. She stopped thinking and hoped her luck would turn.
“Yes. I am with you.” The confidence in her words amazed her. Zoë actually believed it.
“Good.” He turned his back to her and continued to walk along the corridor. “We still have some ground to cover until we reach the next hatch.”
“Actually, there should be an entry point at the next junction over there,” she showed him the screen of the locator in her hand to see for himself. “It should put us about three hundred meters from the supply utility lift for the dock.”
Zoë convinced herself that she was helping him this time, only because she couldn’t stand the idea of being stuck to him in another tight room. She could only guess why the damned chamber existed in the first place, but there was no way she was willingly walking into one. Not in her current state, anyway. That’s why she searched the map for the hatch that the techs would have installed to access this place.
She could feel Helix’s smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “See, you’re adapting.”
The words sickened Zoë, but he was right. Now that she had accepted her new reality, the former security guard felt as if a boulder had dropped from her chest. It didn’t mean she was better. It only lessened some of the torment as she marched after her tormentor. Within a few minutes, the two of them were standing in front of the five-meter-thick door that separated the station from the docking bay. A part of her was relieved that there were no guards stationed at it, while the other part screamed for her to turn back and not take part in this senseless murder.
“Good. You take a position here and deal with anyone who gets past me. I’ll do the rest.” The tone of his voice made it clear that would be highly unlikely.
The fact Helix was using her as a guide, and nothing else helped a little with accepting what was about to happen. Zoë noted that the young man took several deep breaths before placing the butt of his rifle on his shoulder and nodding to her to open the door. Stilling herself, she pressed her palm against the lock, and the man-sized hydraulic arms groaned as they moved the large slabs of titanium alloy into their respective recesses inside the walls. It took about ten seconds for the gap to become large enough for the young man to pass through it. Helix bolted inside the docking station. Her curiosity took over her common sense, and Zoë popped her head to see what was happening.
She could see the same pair of the Commodore’s Agents they had encountered in the hallway to HQ, keeping watch. Well, it was more like idling around while a group of guards wrapped a holding mesh around several ore cargo crates on top of a lift cart. Oliver Tharks’ large luxury yacht loomed at the end of the mooring clamps of the single platform inside the bay with its hold doors wide open. As for the Overseer himself, he was standing on the edge of the platform, switching between shouting at the guards and yelling at one of his lobotomised secretaries. The woman wearing an expensive black dress had enough hardware in her head and body that she was more of a machine than a person. And Zoë didn’t need to guess why a clerk would require so much cybernetic augmentation – she was a bodyguard. Not that it mattered.
None of them were prepared for how fast Helix moved.
A slug caught the secretary in the chest and splattered her insides through the railing of the bay and onto the utility terrace below. Two more booms followed as the pair of Agents reached for the pistol inside their white coats. The first blew through the shoulder of the one on the left, detaching his cybernetic arm and reducing half of his heart into nail-sized chunks. At the same time, the second slug hit the one on the right in the stomach, separating him in two. Zoë could see the man’s mouth move to form words or a scream as his legs collapsed next to his head and thankfully hid the man’s face.
Before the stunned guards could comprehend what was happening, there was a fourth and a fifth boom. Almost simultaneously, Overseer Tharks’ left hip exploded in a fine mist of blood and gore, and his chest split in two along its length. The mangled corpse hung in the air for a second before crumbling into a gruesome heap on the dirty metal plates of the platform. Zoë’s eyes moved away to see that Harper and Yo had the common sense to jump from the lift cart and use it as an improvised shield. Heily and Kamenski, on the other hand, chose to fire shots at Helix while Gregory stood frozen in the open. The girl had hardly spoken to any of them, but right now, she could see their faces with disturbing clarity. Just as clearly as she saw the demon drop to the ground and, using his momentum, slid to the crates while the gun was aimed at the three who hadn’t taken cover. One slug emptied the contents of Gregory’s skull by removing half of his head, while two more struck Heily in the left leg and throat, respectively. One more went through Kamenski’s weapon, with the gun detonating against the floor, missing its target by a second. What followed could be described as horrific. The Ripper rifle discharged its deadly payload at point-blank range, obliterating the poor man’s pelvis, intestines, stomach and lungs before ejecting fragments of his ribs from his back. Zoë wanted to scream, and perhaps she did for all she knew. But it changed nothing. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the carnage unfolding before her.
From where she stood, she saw the mistake Harper and Yo had made. The lift cart used a gravity cushion, which meant it floated half a meter above the ground. It left their legs exposed. That was all the advantage Helix needed from his position on the ground. The flash of a plasma round illuminated the underside of the cart and was followed by a deathly scream as Yo collapsed to the ground. The barrel-chested man’s leg was a ruin of melted flesh. Zoë didn’t know what lunacy possessed Harper to drop to his side and aim his gun. All she saw was the result. A second plasma round turned the slender man’s head into goo. Thankfully, he didn’t have the time to scream. Only Yo’s screams disturbed the macabre tableau as the man crawled in a pointless attempt to reach the imaginary safety of the yacht. Calmly, Helix stood up and walked to the wretch. The monster pulled the combat knife from its sheath and pressed his knee at Yo’s spine. The gruesome instrument was a dark red colour, almost black, made more ominous by the fact it didn’t reflect any of the light from the illuminators bathing the docking station. Helix grabbed the screaming man’s head with one arm and slid the blade across his throat. The sharp edge nearly sliced Hue’s head off.
Zoë stood by the open door, numb and detached. She saw the Demon walk back to her, his helmet held in his hand. The half-smile was there on his lips, but his eyes were burning with satisfaction from what he had just done. She watched him casually stop by the console at the large door and initiate an emergency vent of the docking bay.
He gently wrapped his fingers over her shoulder and lightly shook it as the massive doors began to close, yellow warning lamps telling them that they should move away.
“See, it wasn’t that bad, was it? Next, we’ll deal with the psi-witch,” he looked directly into her eyes, his gaze tearing at her soul.
She was way past her breaking point. Zoë bent over and threw up on his feet.
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