The child - Keai - was steadily improving over the next few days. Learning how to live in his new state of existence and coming to grips with the fact that until something acted against him, he would remain this way for the rest of time. He could certainly grow up, become an adult as far as mental maturity went, but that was it. It was not a fate that should have been visited upon any child, and I did not know how many more there were out there in the galaxy, just waiting to be set free. No doubt with the loss of Invidia, Valkyr would be far more careful and less prone to putting their H.I.s in harm's way without some sort of chaperone.
Unlike before my departure, I spent more and more time with Ula, and Zreeth by extension. The two had forged a deeper connection during their shared traumatic experiences, even if they weren’t openly admitting it and were firmly in denial. But I could see it, and it made me happy. I was happy for them both, and I made sure to tease them relentlessly about how close they had become, much to their shared embarrassment.
Finally though, the day came when Rutaq called me to the tower, and I appeared before him. Once again, Ula and the Emperor were there, but off to one side, the former looking nervous about the part I had to play now.
“Are you ready?” Rutaq asked, for once with far more emotion in his voice than I had ever heard him use. Perhaps he was finally warming up to me, wouldn’t that be nice.
“No, but I have to do it regardless. Let’s get started shall we?” say, rolling my shoulders and neck before taking a deep breath. Rutaq turned away and pressed a series of buttons, a small portion of the floor opening and bringing up the first prisoner. So far, all that had been retrieved from this one was his callsign and that was it.
When the prisoner came to a stop, Draugr One looked up at me with such a blank look on his face that I could have sworn he was incapable of feeling emotions. But the eyes… oh those eyes, they couldn’t hide such things from me. I saw three emotions in those eyes, rage, disgust and fear. Rage and disgust for the fact that he had been captured and was now faced with what he considered a traitor to his people, and fear, because he knew just what I was capable of.
Nobody within the Alliance would ever underestimate the abilities of an H.I.
“Know that I do not want to do this, but you have left us with no other choice.” I say softly, my voice full of resignation. His expression shifts almost imperceptibly, as if he doesn’t fully believe me. I glance over his shoulder, nod, and then lock eyes with the man. Rutaq flips a switch, and the connection is opened. One way only, for the moment.
Before Draugr One can say anything, I lean in and press my lips to his. It’s enough of a shock that any sort of mental training and fortification is paralyzed as I surge through the link and into his very mind. To everyone watching, my body seemingly slithers past his lips and into him, and then he goes limp.
– – – – – –
The human mind is a mess, an organized, seemingly elegant mess of wasted potential for most. So much is underutilized it’s a wonder we even managed to advance as far and as quickly as we did. A human mind transferred into a digital world is a vibrant place, full of wonder and spectacle unless acted on by outside forces such as irreparable brain injuries or something similar.
Not so for Draugr One. His mind is perfectly healthy, and yet to me I see it as something bland, shackled and akin considerably to those old Soviet Bloc era architecture styles. Square, gray, and devoid of any real character whatsoever.
To put it quite simply, his mind was depressing and clearly in desperate need of some color. I suspect this is the result of Valkyr’s brainwashing techniques, which would explain plenty about what I am currently seeing.
I raise a hand, noting that it too is devoid of color and warmth though it has not changed further aesthetically at the very least. With said hand, I wave it through the air and the scene around me changes allowing me to learn just a little more. Much like any computer system, I can interact with his mind like I would a holo-terminal, simple motions and gestures will allow me to progress or backtrack along desired paths, though I shall have to be on the lookout for any sort of mental defenses.
I am greeted by said defenses as I press further into his mind, the shock of my kiss now worn off, he’s able to resist. But he is exhausted, worn down and easy to ‘break’ as they say. I don’t really break him, but I do break his mental defenses over my knee with incredible ease. I’m honestly rather unnerved by how easily I did this, as if I had done it before without my knowledge. Perhaps I had, Valkyr could have had me do anything they wanted so long ago, perhaps I had infiltrated minds and left them in ruin.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
As I batter down the last barrier, I step into what appears to be an empty expanse, a sort of lobby area I suppose would be the best way to describe it. I could just stay here, say I found nothing once I leave, but that would be counterproductive and so I know I have to move on.
Again my hand passed through the air, and I was greeted by the stench of rotting memory as the world around me shifted. It was a terrible stench, one that had my nose wrinkling in disgust and I covered it with a hand, looking for the source. Said source was a series of doors that looked decayed, but were also chained up. Peering into one I saw what had once been a pleasant home, complete with a picturesque happy family.
Another showed a distant battlefield, a skirmish gone wrong, it seems Draugr One had been in the military before his acquisition by Valkyr. The rest of them were the same, pivotal moments in his life locked behind doors and left to rot, things that had made him a good, honorable man once, now decayed and useless. Valkyr’s corruption was nearly complete, but it was already too late for him.
I could bear the stench no longer and moved on, only to appear in a glimmering, sterile environment that instantly had my heart racing. I knew this place, I knew it well, or something quite similar at least.
All around me I heard the droning of a monotonous voice, whispers of something sinister meant to instill obedience in the man I was exploring. Much like the last place, this one was filled with doors, but these ones were intact and opened freely. They showed me things, the various operations he’d carried out as Draugr One, the horrors he’d been forced to commit. I learned a great many things, his will was not his own, he was a slave just as Invidia had been, they all were. Perhaps the only people with any free will left were those that he answered to, the scientists and executives, the people in control.
I took on the form of one of those people, and spoke firmly in a voice not my own, pulling what I needed from certain memories. My hand brushed against invisible strands of brain matter, inducing some confusion in the man, which would hopefully help sell what I was about to do.
“Draugr One, this is Control, authentication code Zeta-9201-3-Alpha. Status report.”
“Control, my unit is down, multiple KIA. Enemy has Rustwraiths and I have been captured. Enemy has attempted to extract classified information, I have resisted all attempts.”
“Understood Draugr One. Rescue operations are being put together as we speak.”
“Negative Control. Enemy has H.I. compatriot, do not attempt extraction. Besides, it will take a week for extraction units to arrive, the enemy is on high alert, rescue forces would be under heavy assault.”
So, wherever their base was, it was a week away by human FTL methods. Good to know. I took a moment to peer back into his memories prior to his corruption.
“Thank you, Robert, your assistance has been invaluable.” I say softly, dropping the facade. I can feel the shock of my deceit rattle him. But the use of his name also seemed to plant a crack in the foundation of his corruption.
“What the… who are you?! Where’s Control!? How are you in my head? Where’s Samantha?” His voice slowly became more and more filled with emotion and confusion, as my passage through his mind had produced some memory seepage of a sort. I retreated quickly, a panicked mind was no place to be for someone like me. But along the way, I took one last thing from him.
I reappeared before them all, but again not as myself. But as a small, blond haired woman with a somewhat plump figure. This again raised some eyebrows, but nobody commented on my new look. Robert however looked upon me with such a deep love that I felt moved, but only for a moment.
“Samantha?” He murmured, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. I smiled, just the way she would have, and nodded as I knelt before him.
“Yes, it’s me. I just wanted to say… I forgive you.” I use her voice, and my words bring him to tears. I hold him close, then glance at Rutaq. He got the message, and placed a hypospray to the man's neck. The gentle hiss as a fast acting toxin goes to work. In seconds, the man is deadweight in my arms. I lean him back and retake my proper appearance, my lips pressed into a thin line.
“He deserved better than what he got.” I speak softly, resting my fingers upon his brow and then closing his eyes. “Rest now, go to them. They’ve been waiting a long time to see you.” I feel my lip start to tremble and take a deep breath, stepping back and looking anywhere but at him.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Rutaq asked, and it took me a moment to gather myself.
“Sort of. They aren’t given any clues about where their base is. I would wager even the helmsman wouldn’t know either. Knowing Valkyr, they’ve got some sort of recall program set up, the ship calls the base, the base calls the ship and activates the program which puts them on autopilot. I’d have to look over the ship systems, what little is left that is. But… I do know that from here to there is about a week's worth of travel, which is a lot of space I know but it’s certainly a place to start.”
Rutaq and the Emperor nod, Ula just looks sad about what she’s been witness to.
“Well, it’s a start at least. What should we do with the other one?” Rutaq askes, and I glance at Robert, before locking eyes with Rutaq.
“Give them a quiet, peaceful death. Same stuff as you just used. They’re too far gone to be rehabilitated. As are most of Valkyr’s soldiers I think.” I turn and start to leave the old fashioned way, on my own two feet.
“Do you want to talk abo-” Ula starts.
“No.” I snap, and Ula jerks backwards, eyes wide. Instantly I cool down, but cannot bear to meet her gaze. “No… Not right now. I’m sorry I just… I need to be alone for a bit, okay?”
“Yeah… okay. Just talk to me when you feel like it.” She says softly. I nod, rest a hand on her shoulder and then retreat to some much needed solitude.