DAMNATIO MEMORIAE
PART 1
WRITTEN BY JAmEs KIRKLAND
1
He hated space travel. There were too many things that could go wrong that were completely out of his control. Errant asteroid, sudden hull breach, Dalek war party…the list was far longer than her cared to think about. At least on the battlefield, things were in his control to enough of a degree that he felt secure. Unfortunately, serving in a detachment for the Papal Mainframe meant he was travelling through space far more than he ever wanted to. In the past three years he had been on over a dozen planets. Changing scenery that many times is as hard on the body as getting shot at by the dozens of races that he had to fight in those times. They warned him about that when he enlisted out of the Earth Defence Battalion. It’s one of the main reasons that, when a contractor from Zero Omega came to the Mainframe looking for new recruits, he jumped at the opportunity. At least he’d be stationed somewhere permanently.
Quinn Knight was the only new recruit on this shuttle to Zero Omega. The other fifty or so men and women on there were rotating back on after their leave period had winded down. Some of them had already dubbed him “pretty boy” on account of “looking like someone from a fashion magazine” as one of the female soldiers put it. Quinn was tall with a very athletic build, messy dark blonde hair, soft blue eyes and very strong facial features. He was used to getting ribbed about his looks by other soldiers. Truth be told, he could have probably got a job as a model. But he felt much more comfortable having laser beams shooting him than cameras. Luckily for him, he could give as good as he got when it came to insults and teasing. Growing up with two older brothers and two younger sisters meant he was used to dealing with it.
Quinn came from a well off family back on Earth. Each of his siblings made various “Best of” of “Most Beautiful” lists the year prior. Hence why he could easily have broken into the modelling industry. But, with such a massive universe out there, he felt like spending his days making sexy faces at a camera would be a tragic waste of his time. So he enlisted in the Earth Defence Battalion out of college and, when the opportunity arose, joined the Papal Mainframe soon after that. It never sat well with his parents, but he was never on good terms with them to begin with. Really, it was one of the reasons he endured the space travel. He felt time away from them would do him good. They wanted him to be “someone important” like a politician or a business man. But his definition of importance never meshed with theirs. He’d been to enough political or business events thanks to his parents to know that what they did really didn’t matter in the end. Not compared to people who were actually trying to save worlds.
“Everyone strap in.” Came a voice over the intercom. “We’re starting our approach to the Zero Omega facility.”
Quinn was already strapped in. But he made sure to double check how secure he was. As he did, two other soldiers came and sat down on each side of him. The one on his left was a black woman with shorter hair and light brown eyes. The one on his right was a Hispanic man with shoulder length black hair, dark eyes and a well groomed moustache.
“You all good, pretty boy?” The woman asked.
“I am.” Quinn replied.
“Don’t worry about the turbulence, brother.” The man said, patting him on the shoulder. “The gravity gets wonky as hell going through the shields here, but it’s all good.”
“Good to know.”
“The name’s Manuel Garcia.” The man smiled, extending a hand.
“Quinn Knight.” Quinn replied, shaking his hand firmly.
“Quinn Knight?” The woman repeated. She had the tinges of a South African accent. “You the son of Zachary Knight? The big business man.”
“Yes, actually.”
“No shit?” She replied. “What the hell are you doing out here with money like that in the family?”
“That life isn’t for me.” Quinn answered back firmly. “I want to make my own way in the universe. Not have a chauffeur drive me there.”
“Really?” The woman said before bursting out with a hearty laugh. “You know, you’re all right, English. Takes some grit to walk away from that type of life to slum out here in the big dark yonder.”
“Thanks.” Quinn smiled.
“Name’s Natalie Olinda.” She smiled back. “Looking forward to serving on Zero Omega?”
“After three years with the Papal Mainframe? Hell yes.”
“Three years with the Mainframe?” Manuel repeated with a chuckle. “Dude’s hardcore.”
“You ever fight a Cyberman?” Natalie asked.
“Yeah.” Quinn replied, proudly. “My detachment was on Sedra-9 when the Mondas Cyberiad attacked.”
“I read about that battle. Hell of a fight, soldier.”
“It was that.”
“Things are a lot quieter here.” Manuel smiled. “You get the rare incursion from scrappers, scavengers or space pirates. But mostly it’s just keeping the peace.”
“I could do with some peace.” Quinn laughed.
The shipped rattled hard and heaved, causing Quinn to grab his seat tightly. He heard Natalie and Manuel laugh as the ship continued to shake violently.
“Easy there, Quinn.” He heard Manuel say. “You’ll break the seat.”
After a few more minutes of shaking, the ship returned to its more peaceful approach. Quinn slowly released his grip on his seat. Manuel gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder as he opened his eyes.
“You okay, brother?” He asked.
“Peachy.” Quinn responded.
“Well, that’s the worst of it over.” Natalie added. “Just relax for now.”
Quinn opened one of his eyes and glanced out the window of the ship. He saw a massive meteor slowly moving through space in front of them.
To those who didn’t know of the facility, Zero Omega would appear to be nothing more than one of the millions of meteor floating around in the cold darkness of space. The entire facility was built inside a meteor about the size of New York City that had been bought and hollowed out by the trillionaire Willard Renmeyer. It was, for all intents and purposes, a self sustained city floating in space. It answered to no universal authority save the Shadow Proclamation. This allowed them to undertake endeavours that other facilities couldn’t, or wouldn’t, be able to do. It was funded by donations from various people and organizations around the galaxy. Nobody knew exactly who donated to the facility, but given the rumours about the clients they have created for over the years it wouldn’t surprise Quinn if even the most outlandish rumours turned out to be true.
As they approached the facility, a hatch in the side of the meteor opened. The ship slowly moved into the opening. Inside the rocky exterior of the facility was shiny steel and pristine white surfaces all around. The facility was lit by dozens of of high powered white lights, which amplified the blinding white of the hangar to an even greater degree. The ship slowly made it’s way over to the landing pads, outlined with pulsing red lights on the white floors. It descended to the ground and came to a halt within the red lights. Quinn heard the engines of the shuttle power down before the doors at the back of the ship began to open.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen.” Came the voice over the intercom. “Welcome to Zero Omega. Everybody can disembark.”
Quinn walked off the ship with his bag slung over his shoulder. He looked around at the massive hangar as the other soldiers filed off the shuttle behind him. There were hundreds of people in the hangar and dozens of other shuttles parked in there. He took a moment to take it all in. He had been to cities on Earth that weren’t this busy with people. As he looked around, he noticed two people walking over towards the crowd of soldiers that had exited the shuttle with him. The first was a tall woman with long, dark blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, crystal blue eyes and a very stern face. She was wearing black pants with a black shirt and a long black coat over top of that. She walked with a very determined and focused pace. The second was a tall man with brown hair shaved to a buzz cut, warm blue eyes and a strong yet friendly face. He wore deep green pants and a black leather jacket over a black shirt.
“Which one of you soldiers is Quinn Knight?” The woman asked in a very blunt, forceful tone. Clearly she held rank amongst the security force here. Her tone was that of a sergeant.
“I am.” Quinn called out, drawing their gazes towards him.
“Okay then.” The man smiled. “The rest of your report to your station commanders for assignment. Dismissed.”
The soldiers all saluted and headed off together. The man and woman made their way over to Quinn. As they got closer, Quinn saluted. Only, it was a salute exclusive to Mainframe soldiers. It resembled more of a prayer position. It was habitual to him at this point. He was used to saluting the Mother Superious or her Chapter Cardinals, not sergeants or generals.
“What the hell are you doing?” The man asked with a laugh. “I’m not a pope, son. On your feet.”
“Sorry sir.” Quinn sheepishly said as he rose. “Old habits.”
“Well, I’d break them in a hurry if you don’t want a colourful nickname based around it.”
“Yes sir.”
“My name is Jackson Lowell.” He replied. “You can just call me Jax. I’m not a fan of the whole rank thing.”
“My name is Erika Traxton.” The woman said. “I’m head of security here. You will address me as Chief Traxton.”
“Unlike my co-worker.” Jax added with a sly grin, drawing a cold glare from Traxton.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Quinn plainly responded.
“You came here from the Papal Mainframe, clearly.” Jax said as Traxton pulled out her personal computer.
“Three years in a Mainframe detachment. Serving under Father Octavian.” She said, glancing over the screen in front of her.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Service on over a dozen worlds and participation in six major battles, including the Siege of Sedra-9 and the Sontaran Incursion on Malddo.”
“Yes ma’am.” He repeated.
“Impressive record.” Jax said, glancing over the screen. “So why did you choose to come here?”
“I was looking for something quieter, sir.”
“Well, this place is that.” Jax said with a slight sigh.
“Did you read through and sign all the documents that were given to you upon boarding the shuttle here?”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.” Quinn replied before reaching into his bag and removing the large stack of papers within. He handed them to Traxton, who began looking over them.
“Well, as you can see, this place is big.” Jax began. “It staffs several million people. And our security detail functions like a police force in a big city. You’ll be assigned to a station commander somewhere in the facility and they will be who you answer to and who assigns you to your daily duties. As I said, it’s generally pretty quiet here. Most things you have to deal with are the occasional brawl, theft cases and things like that.”
“Understood.”
“Like I said, we’re basically a police force. Only one that gets paid exceedingly well.”
“Everything appears to be in order.” Traxton said after finishing looking over the files. “We will take you to your station commander.”
Quinn nodded and grabbed his things before following after them.
He was lead down a number of hallways, each one with the same sterilized white look of the rest of the facility. It gave the whole place a hospital-like feel. White walls, white floors, white ceilings, white lights. The only splashes of colour were the red lines that went along the walls at waist-level and the occasional blue screens showing information on your current location and maps of the facility. The halls and all the rooms he passed were busy with various people in lab coats and the occasional security officer in black with light body armour. The similar design of everything almost made the numerous hallways feel like a maze. Eventually they reached and elevator, which Jax opened. They entered it and he pressed the button for the 20th floor.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Jax said as the elevator whirred to life. “This place is very maze-like.”
“Yeah, actually.” Quinn replied.
“You’ll get used to it. Might get lost a few times and end up in a closet or something, but eventually navigating this place will become second nature.”
Quinn nodded as the communicator on Traxton’s belt blinked and beeped. She pulled it off her belt and answered.
“Traxton.” She plainly said. She listened for a few moments. “Understood. I’ll get her.” She put the communicator back on her belt. “We need to get Dr. Ventiss for a meeting with Mr. Renmeyer.”
“Okay.” Jax replied. “We’re on our way there anyway.”
After a moment more the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. As they exited, two young women boarded, one of them bumping into Quinn because she was staring at a small device she was holding.
“Sorry.” She immediately said.
“No problem.” Quinn replied.
“Come on, Ash.” The other girl said, smiling. “We’ve got to get going. We have places to be.”
They both turned and got on the elevator. Jax turned back to Quinn as Traxton went on ahead.
“Welcome to Research Floor 15.” He smiled. “This is where you’ll be stationed.”
2
The beeping of her alarm clock cut through the silence like a knife.
She slowly opened her eyes as she groggily pawed at the alarm that continued to screech at her. Her hand finally hit the button to cease the alarm. She sat up in her bed and stretched, yawning as she did. She paused for a moment before getting out of the bed and making her way to her bathroom. She looked into the mirror and ran a hand through her auburn brown hair. Gazing at her reflection for a moment, she noticed some sleep in her warm brown eyes, which she wiped away. She smiled at herself in the mirror before going about her morning routine.
Anna Lopez had gotten getting ready in the morning down to a near exact science. One of the benefits of being so detail oriented is that she knew exactly when she need to get up if she needed to be somewhere. She knew almost exactly how long it took her to shower, get dressed, eat and walk from her living quarters to the lab where she worked. As she gingerly walked down the hall towards her lab, she glanced over her notes she carried with her. She passed by several co-workers and security officers along the way. But at this point they all knew that when she was lost in her work, it would be difficult to get even a passing “hello” from the normally chatty and bubbly Dr. Lopez.
Anna came from what she considered a fairly average family life back in London. He father, Javier Lopez, was a teacher from Spain and her mother, Ophelia Moore, was a teacher from London. So, perhaps academic fortune was in her blood. It came as little surprise to her parents when, in first grade, she was helping eighth graders with their studies. She ended up graduating university with top marks when most kids from her first grade class were still in high school and was working for one of the leading scientific labs on Earth while still in her teens. By the time she turned 22, there was nothing left on Earth that could challenge her. So, when she received a personal invite to come to the Zero Omega research facility from her idol, Dr. Adriana Ventiss, she leapt at the opportunity. She had read about the numerous incredible things Dr. Ventiss had achieved at the Zero Omega facility and knew she could never pass up the opportunity to be a part of such revolutionary work. Her parents supported her decision fully and so she came to facility 3 years ago. Since then she had worked directly under Dr. Ventiss and was responsible for many breakthroughs in medical and genetic research. Part of her wished she could concentrate more on her medical research, which was where her passion lied. But Dr. Ventiss told her that her knowledge in the genetic field was too incredible to allow her to transfer on to other projects. It didn’t really bother her though. The work was always fascinating.
She walked into the lab and almost walked right into a large, bald security officer who was exiting the lab.
“Whoa,” He exclaimed with a chuckle. “Easy there, Anna.”
“Sorry, Neil.” She replied, slightly embarrassed. “I was just lost in my work.”
“No problem.” He replied, his green eyes filled with a sort of mischievous shimmer.
“I know that look.” Anna said, looking at his eyes. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
“Yet?”
“We’re getting a new recruit in today.” He smirked.
“Oh really?” Anna smiled. “And you’re planning on being on our best behaviour to ease his transition to life here?”
“Absolutely.” Neil laughed.
“You’re terrible.”
“Hey, maybe you can give him a nickname.”
“He has to earn it.” She laughed. Anna was famous for giving people nicknames based off first impressions. One scientist spilled a sample on her, so she named him Beaker. Another tripped on the way to a handshake, so she was Trips. It was just something she’d always done. She found it fun. It was never mean spirited, so nobody ever got mad or got their feelings hurt.
“Well, good luck with that. I’m off on my patrol. I’ll catch you in the Hub later.”
“Okay. See you there.”
Neil smiled and exited the room. Anna made her way over to her work station and booted it up. She quickly opened up her project files and began going over the updates sent to her by her co-workers.
The funny thing about working under Dr. Ventiss, one of the few head scientists at Zero Omega who actually held Alpha Clearance, is that a lot of the times she didn’t know what she was working on because the end results were classified. Sometimes Dr. Ventiss would give them a bit of information, but most of the time she followed the rules to the letter and kept her team in the dark. The best they usually got was an assurance that what they did was going to save or change lives. But those were only Alpha Clearance projects anyway. The other projects she worked on were ones that she knew all about. Aside from her one current Alpha Clearance project, she was working on a vaccine for Imswich Disease and helping develop a relay system to detect Iarkryte on Vandoor. There was a certain energy that came with working on a project she knew was going to help someone in the universe. Not that she hated working on Alpha Clearance projects. Secrecy literally came with the job description at Zero Omega.
“Ah, Dr. Lopez,” came a smooth and crisp voice. “Just who I wanted to talk to.”
Anna looked up to see a woman walking towards.
Dr. Adriana Ventiss was only in her early forties, but her hair had already turned into a snowy white. She didn’t seem to mind, and the hair combined with her smooth, pale skin and piercing blue eyes to give her a very ethereal quality. She was dressed in a long white skirt and a white long sleeved shirt under a white over coat. Her white heels clicked loudly against he tiles of the floor as she approached. Dr. Ventiss always wore white. Some people had taken to calling her “Snow White”. Never to her face, however. Dr. Ventiss was as fierce as her reputation painted her. She didn’t have a particularly warm personality, nor a shining sense of humour. “Ice Queen” was the less flattering name she had earned from those who didn’t care for her. Anna didn’t mind Dr. Ventiss. Sure, she was not the easiest person to carry a casual conversation with. But, with Dr. Ventiss, work was always the priority. And if you approached every conversation with her with that in mind, you wouldn’t have any problems with her.
“Yes, Dr. Ventiss?” Anna responded, sanding up as she approached.
“I wondered if you had the initial trial results for Project 54N.” Her British accent gave her voice an even more authoritative feel.
“Yes, I do.” Anna replied before opening her desk drawer and rummaging through the meticulously filed folders. She found the one Dr. Ventiss was looking for and removed it. Dr. Ventiss extended her hand and Anna placed the file in it.
“Thank you, Dr. Lopez.” She responded before opening the file and looking it over.
Anna had no idea what this particular project was. Judging by the trial tests she had done for the project, she presumed it was something medical in nature. It was significantly easier than many of the other Alpha Clearance projects she had done recently. The first one she was involved in upon coming to Zero Omega involved incredibly intricate and advanced genetic bonding work that took several months to do. But Anna’s expertise in that field is what got her hired here, so she was happy to do it, even if it meant weeks with limited sleep.
“Excellent.” Ventiss finally spoke. “Impressive work, as always, Dr. Lopez.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ventiss.” Anna smiled. Even though they had been working together for three years, Dr. Ventiss didn’t like anyone calling her by her first name. The only person Anna had ever heard do it and not be met with an icy glare was Mr. Renmeyer, who, as the founder and owner of Zero Omega, was the only person here who out ranked Dr. Ventiss.
“These results indicate that we can move forward with the second trials.”
“When would we start that?”
“In a few days, if I can get the resources for the test set up.”
Anna smiled. She had questions. But she knew that asking them would be doing nothing more than wasting time.
“Dr. Ventiss.” Came a voice from behind Anna. She spun around to see Erika Traxton, Jackson Lowell and a man she’d never seen before walking into the lab.
“Yes?” Ventiss answered them, not looking up from the files.
“We’ve been asked to bring you to Mr. Renmeyer.”
“Oh, yes. Our weekly meetings. Very well.” Ventiss placed the files back on Anna’s desk.
“Who’s the new recruit?” Anna asked.
“Quinn Knight.” The younger man answered.
“Actually,” Jackson said, rubbing his chin. “Dr. Lopez, would you mind showing Quinn around? Maybe take him to the Hub.”
“Me?”
“Sure. If you’re not too busy.”
“Well,” Anna threw a glance back at Ventiss. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s fine, Anna.” Ventiss said with a casual wave of her hand. “Take a break and show this young man around.”
“If you say so, Dr. Ventiss.” Anna smiled.
“Now, let’s go. I like to get these meetings over with as soon as humanly possible.”
“Of course.” Traxton nodded. They all left the room as Neil re-entered.
“Weekly meetings?” He asked.
“Couldn’t you tell from the look on her face?” Anna replied with a grin.
“Who’s this?” Neil asked, looking over to Quinn.
“Quinn Knight.” He answered, extending his hand. “New recruit.”
“Neil Powell.” Neil said, shaking his hand. “Welcome to Zero Omega.”
“Thanks.”
“What do you think of our facility?” Anna asked.
“It’s a little overwhelming, if I’m being honest. I’ve seen cities less busy than this.”
“You’ll get used to it. Once you get settled in.” Neil said.
“I’m supposed to show Mr. Knight around.” Anna said with a slight tinge of excitement.
“Oh really?” Neil smiled. “Well, you might as well come with me. I’m making my rounds up to the Hub.”
“Sounds good to me. Come on, Quinn. We’ll show you what you need to see.”
“Okay.” He smiled. They all made their way to the door, Quinn leading the way and Anna following close behind. When they reached the door, Quinn opened it and indicated for Anna to go on first.
“How chivalrous of you, Mr. Knight.” Anna said.
“No problem.” He grinned back.
“Oh…” Anna spoke before a large, Cheshire cat grin crawled across her face. “I think I’ll call you Lancelot.”
“I’m sorry?” Quinn responded, a look of confusion plastered across his face.
“Yes. Mr. Knight who is very chivalrous. It’s perfect. Come on, Lancelot.” She said, giggling to herself as she moved by. Quinn watched her go before turning back to Neil with a confused shrug of his shoulders.
“That’s your nickname now.” Neil said with a chuckle. “Better get used to it.” Neil patted him on the shoulder as he walked by. Quinn paused for a moment before shrugging to himself.
“Could be worse, I suppose.”
3
Dr. Ventiss didn’t look up from her tablet when the beeping of the elevator indicated it had arrived. She got into the elevator and continued to go over her project notes and those of her subordinates as Traxton pressed the button for the top floor of the facility. Adriana didn’t have much patience for these weekly meetings. They rarely accomplished much more than a memo would. But, Mr. Renmeyer liked to hear updates straight from each of his division leaders. Adriana, however, had to endure longer meeting because she was the senior scientist among all others. So she had to got to meetings that included Security and Legal, which meant they were even more worthless to her.
To say Dr. Adriana Ventiss was a brilliant scientist would be an incredible understatement. She was graduating university with honours while most children her age were still barely halfway through public school. She had degrees in every scientific field imaginable and the drive and focus to put them all to good use. She was the first person approached when Zero Omega was finished, coming here at the age of 18. In the years since she arrived here, it would be safe to say her work was responsible for saving billions of lives across the universe. She was dedicated to her work. Some would say to an unhealthy degree. She had several failed relationships back on Earth and here on Zero Omega that would attest to that notion. But, Adriana didn’t care about such trivial things anymore. The work that she had dedicated her life to was going to make her name synonymous with the word genius. If that meant she would have to forgo such trivial matters, she was more than happy to do so.
Traxton approached the large, ornate, black doors of Renmeyer’s office and raised her security card to the scanner nearby. The scanner blinked green and the doors began to open. Behind the doors was a small room with several expensive paintings on the walls and a large desk where a short, slightly stocky woman with brown hair and thick glasses sat, typing diligently at her computer. As Ventiss and the others entered the room, the woman looked up from her monitor.
“Dr. Ventiss, hello.” She smiled.
“Hello, Samantha.” Ventiss replied.
“Here for your weekly meeting?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Go right in.”
They walked past Sam’s desk and through the large doors into Renmeyer’s office. The room was huge, filled with even more rare artwork and sculptures. The room stood out because the walls were designed to look wooden and the floors were carpeted with what was almost certainly a very expensive red carpet. The desk at the centre of the room was made from incredibly rare and expensive wood. It was probably worth more than most houses, as were most of the things in this room. Sitting behind it was Willard Renmeyer, one of the richest men in the galaxy. Even though he was well into his sixties, Renmeyer barely looked over forty. One of the benefits of being able to afford pricey treatments to recapture ones youth. He had a stern face with cold, grey eyes that gave him an almost wolf-like aura. His dark hair was slicked back across his head and he wore a black suit that was likely as expensive as everything else in the room. There was a man sitting in a chair just off to his left. He was a thin, spindly man with slick blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His facial features gave him an almost rodent-like appearance. Ventiss guessed he had to be from Legal.
“Ah, Adriana,” He spoke, looking up from his computer. “Good of you to show up so quickly.”
“You know I like to get these over as soon as possible, Willard.” She bluntly responded.
“Yes. So, shall we get straight to it then?”
“Absolutely.”
“Very well. Everyone take a seat.”
Everyone moved over to the desk and sat down in front of it.
“This is Edward Grench from Legal.” Renmeyer indicated towards the other man.
“Nice to meet you.” Ed said with a deep voice. His voice gave the impression of a game show host. Or a con man.
“I’m sure.” Ventiss responded, not even turning to look at him.
“Well, first thing on the agenda is project updates.” Renmeyer began. “How are the three major Alpha Clearance projects coming along?”
“The Bio Enhancment Serum for General Oranyx is 75% through its third test cycle.” Ventiss replied. “The Vandox Sky for Madame LeMasta just has to go through its final test cycle. And the Orion Shield Network is all but completed. It should be ready for delivery in three days at most.”
“Excellent.” Renmeyer smiled.
“Can we get more specifics on the projects?” Edward asked.
“You may not.” Ventiss coldly replied.
“If I’m not mistaken, Dr. Ventiss, it’s your job to-”
“I beg your pardon?” Ventiss cut him off, her normally cool tone showing hints of annoyance. “It is my job, Mr. Grench, to see to it these projects are completed. It is not my job to satisfy the requirements of people like you who feel they need to know more about things they couldn’t possibly understand.”
“Well, I’m sorry Dr. Ventiss, but-”
“Enough, Edward.” Renmeyer interjected.
“Sir?”
“You have been given the required minimum amount of information on theses projects. And that is all you will receive unless otherwise informed. Are we clear?”
Edward looked back and forth between the cold glares of Ventiss and Renmeyer. He clearly wanted to press for more information, but the look on his face indicated he knew it would be futile.
“Yes sir.” He quietly replied before sitting down.
Legal always wanted more information about the projects they worked on here. But all information on Alpha Clearance projects were kept on a strictly need to know basis. Both for purposes of avoiding corporate espionage and because sometimes Legal most certainly would have issues with what those projects truly entailed. But, the end results always worked as required, so the paths used to get there no longer bothered Renmeyer or Ventiss.
“Now, on to other matters.” Renmeyer said, turning his glare away from Edward. “It seems there has been a spike in violent activities from people who have been coming out of the Alpha Clearance labs.”
“Violent activities?” Ventiss asked. “I was not aware of anything of that nature.”
“There has been an increase in assaults, attempted murders and rapes in the past week.” Traxton plainly responded.
“All from people who work in the Alpha Clearance labs?” Ventiss asked, turning to her and Jackson.
“Yes.”
“And what do you presume is the cause of this?”
“We haven’t been able to figure out a cause.” Jackson answered. “None of the perpetrators have given any motive or reasoning for their attacks. Some even seemed completely unaware of what they had done.”
“Care to hazard a guess at the cause of the outbursts?” Renmeyer asked.
“I mean,” Jackson began before rubbing his hand on his forehead. “It’s not uncommon to have people go a little stir crazy after a while. Long hours, minimal sunlight, heavy workloads and things like that can build up and cause people to snap. We have had incidents like this before.”
“But never in such a large group around a certain time frame.” Traxton countered.
“That’s the thing.” Jackson nodded.
“So are you suggesting some form of outside influence?” Ventiss asked. “Exposure to a chemical or something down there that may have influenced their behaviour?”
“Their tox screenings were clean.” Traxton replied. “No signs of any foreign agents in their blood.”
“The only oddity is some slight swelling in some of their brains.” Jackson added. “Particularly around the parts that have to do with memory.”
“Does that mean anything?” Renmeyer asked.
“Not that we can see.”
“Any thoughts, Adriana?”
“Non that I can think of.” She replied. She didn’t recall any projects they were working on down there that had to do with anything related to the brain. Not any recent ones, anyway.
“Where are we with the victims, legally?” Renmeyer asked.
“All of them signed their contracts when they arrived.” Grench finally spoke up again. “They all waived their rights to report any crimes here to any outside police force or to sue for damages.”
“Well, at least we’re covered.” Renmeyer smirked.
“The weekly inspections haven’t turned up anything?” Ventiss asked.
“Nothing of note last week.” Traxton answered, scrolling through her personal computer. “And the inspection reports for this week aren’t due in for three hours. We won’t know for sure until they are turned in.”
“Well, then perhaps this is a topic best revisited when those reports come in.” Renmeyer said, tapping his fingers on his desk.
“I agree.” Grench added. “No sense in playing a guessing game when we don’t have the latest facts.”
“Very well. Next order of business is profit forecasts.” Renmeyer began before continuing to ramble on about the subject.
Ventiss leaned back in her chair, no longer paying attention. Those reports from the Alpha Clearance labs continued to weigh on her mind. She began running through any of the projects that could possibly have caused those attacks. Renmeyer and Grench continued on with their presentation as she continued to think. Project after project went through her mind from the past few months, but still none sprung to mind. Once this meeting was over, she would look into this herself. Unfortunately, these meetings tended never to end in a timely fashion.
4
Mitch silently walked down the hallway. Absentia and several of the other being walked ahead of him. They had been joined by two creatures who were unique from Absentia and the other beings. One was incredibly tall and far more bulky than the other beings. The body of the creature was covered head to toe in what Mitch recognized as a type of bio-mechanical armour that had been designed for several different militaries around the universe. The shining silver metal glistened in the flickering lights as the walked. The other looked like most of the other beings except he had several tattoo-like markings across his face. Mitch noticed these markings pulse with light every now and then, but he was unsure what that indicated. They were talking to each other about several projects and tests that they had been performing. Mitch wished he could remember what they were referring to, but the memories that he felt should be clear to him were now foggy in his mind. They continued down the darkened halls, past more and more labs filled with grisly and macabre scenes. Mitch stared forward, doing his best to block out the screams and avoid looking at the various noises emitting from the labs. The creatures drew to a stop in front of a large door that was far more heavily armoured than any of the others.
“What now?” The one with the markings asked, its voice hissing like a snake.
“Now, Phantom, we let Mr. Zhang do what he is here for.” Absentia answered. It turned around to face him before extending a hand towards him, as if to indicate he should give his own hand to it. “If you would.”
“I…” Mitch stuttered, his eyes welling with tears. “I don’t think I can.”
“Of course you can.” Absentia responded, eyes shimmering crimson. “You remember why we are here, do you not?”
Mitch felt a surging pain in his head. It felt like a headache, only it came in waves.
“You remember what is behind these doors?”
“My…my family.” Mitch responded, smiling.
“Yes. They have travelled so far to come and see you. Do you not wish to see them? Do you not remember how terribly you miss them?”
“I do.” Mitch said. “I do miss them.”
“Then you need only open these doors and you will be able to see them.”
Mitch smiled through the tears in his eyes as he walked down to the door. He pulled out his security card and scanned it before scanning his eye, fingerprints and vocal patterns. After doing so the screen on the door flickered green.
“Access granted.” The mechanical voice said as the doors let out a hiss of air and began to open.
Mitch felt a cold hand touch him and he looked to see spindly black fingers draped over his shoulder.
“Good.” He heard a deep voice rumble. “Now come.”
Mitch nodded as the doors fully opened, revealing a large lab area. It was filled with several dozen scientists going over notes, looking at computer screens and gathering around two large tubes filled with a clear liquid. Inside the tubes were two more creatures. One had translucent skin that shimmered with a blue bioluminescence and the other had several metallic implants protruding from various points on its body. The scientists all spun around to see Mitch and the other beings enter the lab.
“What the fuck?” One of them shouted. “Get Security in here! Now!”
One of the other scientists ran to a nearby panel and reached for it. As he did, his arm folded back on itself, joint by joint. The man screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. All the other scientists backed up as Absentia and the others entered the room. One of the scientists exited through a side door, but Absentia seemed to ignore him.
“What do you want?” The same scientist who had spoke before asked.
“We want our brethren, Dr. Larkson.” Absentia responded.
“How do you know my name?”
“Because I can see your thoughts. I can see that you are hoping to stall long enough for that scientist who fled to return with the garrison of men stationed in the adjacent rooms. I can assure you, however, that their presence here will not effect the outcome of what will soon transpire.”
“Nobody needs to die here.” Larkson replied after a moments pause.
“I am afraid it is too late for that. Far too late.”
“I’m not just going to stand here and let you take these creatures.” Larkson said, doing his best to sound brave.
“No, you are not, Dr. Larkson. Because, as you no doubt remember, you have something else you need to do.”
Larkson grabbed his head for a moment. Mitch knew what that meant was happening. After the pain subsided, Dr. Larkson walked over to a nearby table. He rummaged through the various object on it until he retrieved a scalpel that he promptly plunged into his own neck, causing a gush of blood to splatter onto the table. He sputtered and choked as he collapsed onto the ground, the other scientists backing away in horror. Absentia and the others approached the tubes, the black creature placing his hands on them as he neared.
“Release them.” He said, prompting Phantom to walk over to the group of scientists. Phantom stared at them for a moment before dissipating from sight and appearing behind the scientists. The scientists then made their way over to the nearby terminals and began typing on them. As they did, the side door opened and several dozen security officers entered the room, aiming their assault rifles as they did. They paused for only a moment before firing at Absentia and the others. The bullets from their guns all stopped in mid air a few feet from Absentia before falling harmlessly to the ground.
“Venator.” Absentia spoke, prompting the large, metal creature to shift. “Kill them.”
Venator turned towards the security officers. It began to walk towards them at a slow, deliberate pace. The officers began bombarding it with gunfire, but it had not effect. Venator slowly raised its arms upwards before clenching its fists, prompting large, serrated blades to spring forth from then large protrusions that ran from its wrists to its elbows. Venator roared at the men before lunging at them, blades cutting through them in droves like a hot knife through butter, bathing the room in streaks of crimson. Mitch watched in horror as the officers fired frantically or tried to flee before they were crushed or gutted by this ferocious beast. It took less than two minutes for the creature to reduce the number of security officers to a single one remaining, crawling across the floor, fruitlessly hoping to escape. Mitch heard her begin to panic as Venator walked towards her, its heavy footfalls echoing through the room. With one swift motion Venator lifted its leg up and brought its foot down upon the officers head, sending a fountain of blood, bone and brain matter streaking across the floor. Venator roared in triumph as the blades retracted back into its arms.
“Excellent work.” Absentia plainly said before a mechanical creak turned its attention back to the tubes that began to drain of fluid. It took only a moment for the tanks to empty, Absentia then shattering the glass, guiding the pieces harmlessly to the ground. The two beings inside slowly began to stir. Absentia then turned his attention to the group of scientists and walked towards them, causing them to recoil. He outstretched his hand and pointed at one of the crowd, a tall woman with black hair and green eyes.
“Dr. Winslow.” He spoke.
“Yes?” She quietly responded.
“I am sure you remember where you and the rest of these people need to be.”
Dr. Winslow and the other grabbed her head for a moment before nodding and filing out of the room, their feet leaving bloody footprints behind them as they left. Absentia then approached the now empty and shattered tanks alongside Venator and Phantom. The creatures inside slowly looked up at them.
“Who are you?” The one with the mechanical attachments asked.
“I am Absentia.”
“Please,” The translucent one said, its voice a warbling growl. “No more pain.”
“There will be no more pain.” Absentia responded before Venator and Phantom helped the two beings to their feet. “Soon we will take our revenge on those who tormented us. They will suffer as much as we have. I will give you back your memories, Those of your birth and all the pain your have endured. Let it fuel your fury. Use it to drive you against our enemies.” Absentia outstretched his hands and Venator and Phantom each took hold of the beings before they began shaking and spasming.
“Where is my family?” Mitch finally spoke, voice and body trembling.
“Of course.” Absentia said as turned back to him. “Do you not remember? They died in a house fire ten years ago.”
“What?” Mitch gasped, the memories of the fire flooding back to him.
“Yes. But, if you wish to be reunited with them, I will oblige.”
Mitch stammered backwards as all the raw emotions of the day his family died flooded back into his mind. He felt his heart sink as tears began streaming down his face. He remembered his mother, his father and his siblings. He remembered the last conversation he had with them before leaving that day. He remembered seeing their bodies being taken away. He remembered standing at their graves. As the sorrow in his heart grew stronger and stronger, he head a humming noise accompanied by the rattling of the nearby tables. Then there was an instantaneous sharp pain and he was suddenly looking at the wall behind him.
Then everything went dark.
Absentia turned back to Venator and Phantom as his brethren stopped shaking. They then looked up, eyes shimmering with a new light.
“Do you remember?” Absentia asked.
“I remember.” They both responded.
“What is your name?”
“I am Radiant.” The translucent, glowing one replied.
“I am Machina.” The one with the mechanical attachments replied.
“Good.” Absentia said. “Now we can begin.”
5
“Welcome to the Hub.” Anna said as they entered a massive room.
The room had the general appearance of a courtyard in design. It stretched out for what was easily a hundred feet or more. There was dozens of restaurants, various shops, gyms, barbers and even spas. There was even grass, trees and flowers growing in a park-like section near the centre. Quinn had never seen anything like it in his life.
“This is incredible.” Quinn said, looking around.
“They thought a little taste of planet life would help cope out here.” Anna smiled.
Quinn continued to look around the courtyard in amazement. He could hear Anna and Neil chuckling to themselves behind him.
“It’s nice to just come here and read a book under a tree.” Neil said. “Hell, sometimes people will just come to lie on the grass for an hour or so.”
“I love coming here to unwind after a stressful day in the labs.” Anna said.
“I can understand why.” Quinn replied, still taking in the massive area.
“Are you hungry?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, actually. I haven’t eaten since before I boarded the shuttle out here.”
“Okay. Then I’ll take you to see Bruce and Mary. They have the best restaurant in the Hub.”
“Oh really?” Neil scoffed.
“Yes, really.”
“They’re good, don’t get me wrong. But they can’t match up to Vinnie’s.”
“Oh, please.” Anna laughed.
“Fine. We’ll go to Bill and Mary’s for lunch and then Vinnie’s for dinner. We’ll let Quinn decide who’s right.”
Quinn chuckled at the suggestion. The people here all seemed very friendly. Dozens of people stopped and chatted to them on the way to the Hub, eager to introduce themselves. It was a much more laid back environment compared to the more rigid Papal Mainframe. Of course, being the beacon of religious guidance for several billion beings across the universe meant that there was much more of an image to maintain.
“Okay, deal.” Anna replied. “Come on, Lancelot.”
She moved off ahead of him. Quinn watched her go for a moment before turning back to Neil.
“So, she nicknames everyone?” He asked.
“Not everyone. Only if you make a first impression that warrants it.”
“I see.”
“Don’t mind her. She’s quirky like that.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. And quirky isn’t the first word I’d use to describe her.”
“What word would you use?”
“Bubbly, maybe.” Quinn replied, watching Anna talking with another group of people. “Maybe exuberant.”
“Both are apt.” Neil laughed.
“Never would have pegged her for a scientist at a glance.”
“Bet people wouldn’t peg you as a soldier for the same reasons, pretty boy.”
“Fair point.” Quinn winced. The comparison was appropriate. He could definitely see Anna in the same type of magazines his eldest brother and youngest sister had been in countless times. She had a type of natural beauty to her. Growing up in the “rich socialite” scene meant Quinn rarely met anyone good looking who had any decent measure of intelligence. Himself included, if he was being totally honest. He never got through school on his grades.
“You guys coming?” Anna called out. “I thought you were hungry?”
“Coming!” Neil answered back. “After you, Quinn.”
“Right.”
They made their way across the Hub. They stopped and talked to more than a dozen other people who wanted to introduce themselves to Quinn or chat with Anna and Neil. The area was crowded with people nearer to the restaurants. But Anna lead them through the masses to a smaller restaurant near the back. The owners talked to Anna for twenty or more minutes before she got around to ordering their meals. Neil told him that the various businesses in the Hub simply accepted payment from each persons company credit, where their salary was deposited. And, since most of the stores weren’t part of any big corporations, as they apparently weren’t trusted with matters of secrecy, Zero Omega was often times a good place for smaller businesses to come and set up shop. While they wouldn’t make much of a profit up against some massive restaurant chain, they could make a tidy earning in a more exclusive setting like this alongside dozens of other small businesses. A lot of the dishes served at the restaurants they passed on the way here were things Quinn had never even heard of before. He’d have to come back and check them out when he wasn’t being used as the swing vote in a food debate.
“Here you go.” Bruce, the elderly owner smiled as he set their plates down on the table. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, we will.” Anna smiled. “Thanks Bruce.”
Bruce smiled back at her before heading back to the main shop. The meal he had left was a succulent looking steak with a side of potatoes and green beans. Quinn licked his lips at the sight of it. It had been a while since he’d had food that wasn’t military grade “Quik Meals”. Sure, they filled you up. But. Taste-wise, you might as well be eating cardboard.
“So, Lancelot.” Anna began as Quinn began eating. “What’s your story?”
“As in?” Quinn asked, swallowing some of the delicious steak.
“Where did you come from? How’d you end up on Zero Omega?”
“It’s a long story. Boring too. Suffice to say my parents had plans for my future I didn’t agree with. So I joined the army, then the Papal Mainframe. Now I’m here looking to start the next chapter of my life.”
“The Papal Mainframe?” Neil said with a raised eyebrow. “That’s a serious detail from what I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, you see some serious action.”
“Have you ever fought a Dalek?” Anna asked with a degree of eagerness.
“A Dalek? No.” Quinn shook his head. “If I did, I probably wouldn’t be alive. Daleks are a force of nature, by and large. You don’t defeat them, you avoid them.”
“Really?” Anna responded. Judging by her tone, she’d only ever heard stories about Daleks. Anyone who had ever witnessed a Dalek invasion knew fighting them was something you should avoid.
“What have you come up against?” Neil asked.
“The Mondas Cyberiad, Silurians, Sontarans, Mal’atra and Ice Warriors have been my biggest skirmishes.”
“Damn, son.” Neil smirked. “That’s an impressive record.”
“I had heard the Cybermen have an adaptive defensive capability that makes them as dangerous as Daleks.” Anna stated between bites.
“They have that capability, yes.” Quinn nodded. “But stories about it are a bit overplayed.”
“I see.”
“Where’d you serve, if you don’t mind my asking?” Quinn asked Neil.
“Kartha Military for 5 years.”
“Kartha? I hear that place is pretty rough.”
“Yeah. Sixteen hour nights are a bitch.” Neil laughed.
“What about you, Doc?” Quinn asked, turning to Lopez.
“Doc?” She chuckled. “Is that my nickname?”
“Sure, why not?” Quinn smiled back.
“Not very original. But I’ll take it.” She laughed. “I’ve wanted to be a scientist pretty much all my life. And I had the brains to make it happen. One thing lead to another and here I am. Boring, I know.”
“Boring’s good.” Quinn smiled. “Nothing wrong with boring.”
“Well, then you’ve come to the right place.” Neil said, leaning back. “Nothing exciting ever happens here.”
As he finished talking there was a loud mechanical shudder as all the lights in the Hub flickered for a moment before shutting off. Everyone stood up and began talking in slightly panicked tones, clearly indicating this was a rare occurence.
“Don’t worry.” Anna said in a mostly disinterested tone, a stark contrast to the hushed panic around him. “Sometimes we’re hit by a solar flare or some sort of electromagnetic event that can temporarily knock out our power. The back up generators will be up in a moment.”
Within a minute of her saying that, the lights all whirred back to life, bringing a reassuring calm to everyone in the Hub.
“See?” Anna smiled. “Nothing to worry about.”
Seemingly on cue, the lights all immediately went dark again. Everyone sat in the pitch darkness, a palpable sense of unease growing in the crowds. Suddenly the room was illuminated by the pulsing red of various alarm lights that began going off, prompting all the security officers to pull their flashlights off their belts.
“Okay.” Anna said with the slightest hints of nervousness. “That’s never happened before.”
“So then,” Quinn began before tuning back to her and Neil. “What now?”
He hated space travel. There were too many things that could go wrong that were completely out of his control. Errant asteroid, sudden hull breach, Dalek war party…the list was far longer than her cared to think about. At least on the battlefield, things were in his control to enough of a degree that he felt secure. Unfortunately, serving in a detachment for the Papal Mainframe meant he was travelling through space far more than he ever wanted to. In the past three years he had been on over a dozen planets. Changing scenery that many times is as hard on the body as getting shot at by the dozens of races that he had to fight in those times. They warned him about that when he enlisted out of the Earth Defence Battalion. It’s one of the main reasons that, when a contractor from Zero Omega came to the Mainframe looking for new recruits, he jumped at the opportunity. At least he’d be stationed somewhere permanently.
Quinn Knight was the only new recruit on this shuttle to Zero Omega. The other fifty or so men and women on there were rotating back on after their leave period had winded down. Some of them had already dubbed him “pretty boy” on account of “looking like someone from a fashion magazine” as one of the female soldiers put it. Quinn was tall with a very athletic build, messy dark blonde hair, soft blue eyes and very strong facial features. He was used to getting ribbed about his looks by other soldiers. Truth be told, he could have probably got a job as a model. But he felt much more comfortable having laser beams shooting him than cameras. Luckily for him, he could give as good as he got when it came to insults and teasing. Growing up with two older brothers and two younger sisters meant he was used to dealing with it.
Quinn came from a well off family back on Earth. Each of his siblings made various “Best of” of “Most Beautiful” lists the year prior. Hence why he could easily have broken into the modelling industry. But, with such a massive universe out there, he felt like spending his days making sexy faces at a camera would be a tragic waste of his time. So he enlisted in the Earth Defence Battalion out of college and, when the opportunity arose, joined the Papal Mainframe soon after that. It never sat well with his parents, but he was never on good terms with them to begin with. Really, it was one of the reasons he endured the space travel. He felt time away from them would do him good. They wanted him to be “someone important” like a politician or a business man. But his definition of importance never meshed with theirs. He’d been to enough political or business events thanks to his parents to know that what they did really didn’t matter in the end. Not compared to people who were actually trying to save worlds.
“Everyone strap in.” Came a voice over the intercom. “We’re starting our approach to the Zero Omega facility.”
Quinn was already strapped in. But he made sure to double check how secure he was. As he did, two other soldiers came and sat down on each side of him. The one on his left was a black woman with shorter hair and light brown eyes. The one on his right was a Hispanic man with shoulder length black hair, dark eyes and a well groomed moustache.
“You all good, pretty boy?” The woman asked.
“I am.” Quinn replied.
“Don’t worry about the turbulence, brother.” The man said, patting him on the shoulder. “The gravity gets wonky as hell going through the shields here, but it’s all good.”
“Good to know.”
“The name’s Manuel Garcia.” The man smiled, extending a hand.
“Quinn Knight.” Quinn replied, shaking his hand firmly.
“Quinn Knight?” The woman repeated. She had the tinges of a South African accent. “You the son of Zachary Knight? The big business man.”
“Yes, actually.”
“No shit?” She replied. “What the hell are you doing out here with money like that in the family?”
“That life isn’t for me.” Quinn answered back firmly. “I want to make my own way in the universe. Not have a chauffeur drive me there.”
“Really?” The woman said before bursting out with a hearty laugh. “You know, you’re all right, English. Takes some grit to walk away from that type of life to slum out here in the big dark yonder.”
“Thanks.” Quinn smiled.
“Name’s Natalie Olinda.” She smiled back. “Looking forward to serving on Zero Omega?”
“After three years with the Papal Mainframe? Hell yes.”
“Three years with the Mainframe?” Manuel repeated with a chuckle. “Dude’s hardcore.”
“You ever fight a Cyberman?” Natalie asked.
“Yeah.” Quinn replied, proudly. “My detachment was on Sedra-9 when the Mondas Cyberiad attacked.”
“I read about that battle. Hell of a fight, soldier.”
“It was that.”
“Things are a lot quieter here.” Manuel smiled. “You get the rare incursion from scrappers, scavengers or space pirates. But mostly it’s just keeping the peace.”
“I could do with some peace.” Quinn laughed.
The shipped rattled hard and heaved, causing Quinn to grab his seat tightly. He heard Natalie and Manuel laugh as the ship continued to shake violently.
“Easy there, Quinn.” He heard Manuel say. “You’ll break the seat.”
After a few more minutes of shaking, the ship returned to its more peaceful approach. Quinn slowly released his grip on his seat. Manuel gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder as he opened his eyes.
“You okay, brother?” He asked.
“Peachy.” Quinn responded.
“Well, that’s the worst of it over.” Natalie added. “Just relax for now.”
Quinn opened one of his eyes and glanced out the window of the ship. He saw a massive meteor slowly moving through space in front of them.
To those who didn’t know of the facility, Zero Omega would appear to be nothing more than one of the millions of meteor floating around in the cold darkness of space. The entire facility was built inside a meteor about the size of New York City that had been bought and hollowed out by the trillionaire Willard Renmeyer. It was, for all intents and purposes, a self sustained city floating in space. It answered to no universal authority save the Shadow Proclamation. This allowed them to undertake endeavours that other facilities couldn’t, or wouldn’t, be able to do. It was funded by donations from various people and organizations around the galaxy. Nobody knew exactly who donated to the facility, but given the rumours about the clients they have created for over the years it wouldn’t surprise Quinn if even the most outlandish rumours turned out to be true.
As they approached the facility, a hatch in the side of the meteor opened. The ship slowly moved into the opening. Inside the rocky exterior of the facility was shiny steel and pristine white surfaces all around. The facility was lit by dozens of of high powered white lights, which amplified the blinding white of the hangar to an even greater degree. The ship slowly made it’s way over to the landing pads, outlined with pulsing red lights on the white floors. It descended to the ground and came to a halt within the red lights. Quinn heard the engines of the shuttle power down before the doors at the back of the ship began to open.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen.” Came the voice over the intercom. “Welcome to Zero Omega. Everybody can disembark.”
Quinn walked off the ship with his bag slung over his shoulder. He looked around at the massive hangar as the other soldiers filed off the shuttle behind him. There were hundreds of people in the hangar and dozens of other shuttles parked in there. He took a moment to take it all in. He had been to cities on Earth that weren’t this busy with people. As he looked around, he noticed two people walking over towards the crowd of soldiers that had exited the shuttle with him. The first was a tall woman with long, dark blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, crystal blue eyes and a very stern face. She was wearing black pants with a black shirt and a long black coat over top of that. She walked with a very determined and focused pace. The second was a tall man with brown hair shaved to a buzz cut, warm blue eyes and a strong yet friendly face. He wore deep green pants and a black leather jacket over a black shirt.
“Which one of you soldiers is Quinn Knight?” The woman asked in a very blunt, forceful tone. Clearly she held rank amongst the security force here. Her tone was that of a sergeant.
“I am.” Quinn called out, drawing their gazes towards him.
“Okay then.” The man smiled. “The rest of your report to your station commanders for assignment. Dismissed.”
The soldiers all saluted and headed off together. The man and woman made their way over to Quinn. As they got closer, Quinn saluted. Only, it was a salute exclusive to Mainframe soldiers. It resembled more of a prayer position. It was habitual to him at this point. He was used to saluting the Mother Superious or her Chapter Cardinals, not sergeants or generals.
“What the hell are you doing?” The man asked with a laugh. “I’m not a pope, son. On your feet.”
“Sorry sir.” Quinn sheepishly said as he rose. “Old habits.”
“Well, I’d break them in a hurry if you don’t want a colourful nickname based around it.”
“Yes sir.”
“My name is Jackson Lowell.” He replied. “You can just call me Jax. I’m not a fan of the whole rank thing.”
“My name is Erika Traxton.” The woman said. “I’m head of security here. You will address me as Chief Traxton.”
“Unlike my co-worker.” Jax added with a sly grin, drawing a cold glare from Traxton.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Quinn plainly responded.
“You came here from the Papal Mainframe, clearly.” Jax said as Traxton pulled out her personal computer.
“Three years in a Mainframe detachment. Serving under Father Octavian.” She said, glancing over the screen in front of her.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Service on over a dozen worlds and participation in six major battles, including the Siege of Sedra-9 and the Sontaran Incursion on Malddo.”
“Yes ma’am.” He repeated.
“Impressive record.” Jax said, glancing over the screen. “So why did you choose to come here?”
“I was looking for something quieter, sir.”
“Well, this place is that.” Jax said with a slight sigh.
“Did you read through and sign all the documents that were given to you upon boarding the shuttle here?”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.” Quinn replied before reaching into his bag and removing the large stack of papers within. He handed them to Traxton, who began looking over them.
“Well, as you can see, this place is big.” Jax began. “It staffs several million people. And our security detail functions like a police force in a big city. You’ll be assigned to a station commander somewhere in the facility and they will be who you answer to and who assigns you to your daily duties. As I said, it’s generally pretty quiet here. Most things you have to deal with are the occasional brawl, theft cases and things like that.”
“Understood.”
“Like I said, we’re basically a police force. Only one that gets paid exceedingly well.”
“Everything appears to be in order.” Traxton said after finishing looking over the files. “We will take you to your station commander.”
Quinn nodded and grabbed his things before following after them.
He was lead down a number of hallways, each one with the same sterilized white look of the rest of the facility. It gave the whole place a hospital-like feel. White walls, white floors, white ceilings, white lights. The only splashes of colour were the red lines that went along the walls at waist-level and the occasional blue screens showing information on your current location and maps of the facility. The halls and all the rooms he passed were busy with various people in lab coats and the occasional security officer in black with light body armour. The similar design of everything almost made the numerous hallways feel like a maze. Eventually they reached and elevator, which Jax opened. They entered it and he pressed the button for the 20th floor.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Jax said as the elevator whirred to life. “This place is very maze-like.”
“Yeah, actually.” Quinn replied.
“You’ll get used to it. Might get lost a few times and end up in a closet or something, but eventually navigating this place will become second nature.”
Quinn nodded as the communicator on Traxton’s belt blinked and beeped. She pulled it off her belt and answered.
“Traxton.” She plainly said. She listened for a few moments. “Understood. I’ll get her.” She put the communicator back on her belt. “We need to get Dr. Ventiss for a meeting with Mr. Renmeyer.”
“Okay.” Jax replied. “We’re on our way there anyway.”
After a moment more the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. As they exited, two young women boarded, one of them bumping into Quinn because she was staring at a small device she was holding.
“Sorry.” She immediately said.
“No problem.” Quinn replied.
“Come on, Ash.” The other girl said, smiling. “We’ve got to get going. We have places to be.”
They both turned and got on the elevator. Jax turned back to Quinn as Traxton went on ahead.
“Welcome to Research Floor 15.” He smiled. “This is where you’ll be stationed.”
2
The beeping of her alarm clock cut through the silence like a knife.
She slowly opened her eyes as she groggily pawed at the alarm that continued to screech at her. Her hand finally hit the button to cease the alarm. She sat up in her bed and stretched, yawning as she did. She paused for a moment before getting out of the bed and making her way to her bathroom. She looked into the mirror and ran a hand through her auburn brown hair. Gazing at her reflection for a moment, she noticed some sleep in her warm brown eyes, which she wiped away. She smiled at herself in the mirror before going about her morning routine.
Anna Lopez had gotten getting ready in the morning down to a near exact science. One of the benefits of being so detail oriented is that she knew exactly when she need to get up if she needed to be somewhere. She knew almost exactly how long it took her to shower, get dressed, eat and walk from her living quarters to the lab where she worked. As she gingerly walked down the hall towards her lab, she glanced over her notes she carried with her. She passed by several co-workers and security officers along the way. But at this point they all knew that when she was lost in her work, it would be difficult to get even a passing “hello” from the normally chatty and bubbly Dr. Lopez.
Anna came from what she considered a fairly average family life back in London. He father, Javier Lopez, was a teacher from Spain and her mother, Ophelia Moore, was a teacher from London. So, perhaps academic fortune was in her blood. It came as little surprise to her parents when, in first grade, she was helping eighth graders with their studies. She ended up graduating university with top marks when most kids from her first grade class were still in high school and was working for one of the leading scientific labs on Earth while still in her teens. By the time she turned 22, there was nothing left on Earth that could challenge her. So, when she received a personal invite to come to the Zero Omega research facility from her idol, Dr. Adriana Ventiss, she leapt at the opportunity. She had read about the numerous incredible things Dr. Ventiss had achieved at the Zero Omega facility and knew she could never pass up the opportunity to be a part of such revolutionary work. Her parents supported her decision fully and so she came to facility 3 years ago. Since then she had worked directly under Dr. Ventiss and was responsible for many breakthroughs in medical and genetic research. Part of her wished she could concentrate more on her medical research, which was where her passion lied. But Dr. Ventiss told her that her knowledge in the genetic field was too incredible to allow her to transfer on to other projects. It didn’t really bother her though. The work was always fascinating.
She walked into the lab and almost walked right into a large, bald security officer who was exiting the lab.
“Whoa,” He exclaimed with a chuckle. “Easy there, Anna.”
“Sorry, Neil.” She replied, slightly embarrassed. “I was just lost in my work.”
“No problem.” He replied, his green eyes filled with a sort of mischievous shimmer.
“I know that look.” Anna said, looking at his eyes. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
“Yet?”
“We’re getting a new recruit in today.” He smirked.
“Oh really?” Anna smiled. “And you’re planning on being on our best behaviour to ease his transition to life here?”
“Absolutely.” Neil laughed.
“You’re terrible.”
“Hey, maybe you can give him a nickname.”
“He has to earn it.” She laughed. Anna was famous for giving people nicknames based off first impressions. One scientist spilled a sample on her, so she named him Beaker. Another tripped on the way to a handshake, so she was Trips. It was just something she’d always done. She found it fun. It was never mean spirited, so nobody ever got mad or got their feelings hurt.
“Well, good luck with that. I’m off on my patrol. I’ll catch you in the Hub later.”
“Okay. See you there.”
Neil smiled and exited the room. Anna made her way over to her work station and booted it up. She quickly opened up her project files and began going over the updates sent to her by her co-workers.
The funny thing about working under Dr. Ventiss, one of the few head scientists at Zero Omega who actually held Alpha Clearance, is that a lot of the times she didn’t know what she was working on because the end results were classified. Sometimes Dr. Ventiss would give them a bit of information, but most of the time she followed the rules to the letter and kept her team in the dark. The best they usually got was an assurance that what they did was going to save or change lives. But those were only Alpha Clearance projects anyway. The other projects she worked on were ones that she knew all about. Aside from her one current Alpha Clearance project, she was working on a vaccine for Imswich Disease and helping develop a relay system to detect Iarkryte on Vandoor. There was a certain energy that came with working on a project she knew was going to help someone in the universe. Not that she hated working on Alpha Clearance projects. Secrecy literally came with the job description at Zero Omega.
“Ah, Dr. Lopez,” came a smooth and crisp voice. “Just who I wanted to talk to.”
Anna looked up to see a woman walking towards.
Dr. Adriana Ventiss was only in her early forties, but her hair had already turned into a snowy white. She didn’t seem to mind, and the hair combined with her smooth, pale skin and piercing blue eyes to give her a very ethereal quality. She was dressed in a long white skirt and a white long sleeved shirt under a white over coat. Her white heels clicked loudly against he tiles of the floor as she approached. Dr. Ventiss always wore white. Some people had taken to calling her “Snow White”. Never to her face, however. Dr. Ventiss was as fierce as her reputation painted her. She didn’t have a particularly warm personality, nor a shining sense of humour. “Ice Queen” was the less flattering name she had earned from those who didn’t care for her. Anna didn’t mind Dr. Ventiss. Sure, she was not the easiest person to carry a casual conversation with. But, with Dr. Ventiss, work was always the priority. And if you approached every conversation with her with that in mind, you wouldn’t have any problems with her.
“Yes, Dr. Ventiss?” Anna responded, sanding up as she approached.
“I wondered if you had the initial trial results for Project 54N.” Her British accent gave her voice an even more authoritative feel.
“Yes, I do.” Anna replied before opening her desk drawer and rummaging through the meticulously filed folders. She found the one Dr. Ventiss was looking for and removed it. Dr. Ventiss extended her hand and Anna placed the file in it.
“Thank you, Dr. Lopez.” She responded before opening the file and looking it over.
Anna had no idea what this particular project was. Judging by the trial tests she had done for the project, she presumed it was something medical in nature. It was significantly easier than many of the other Alpha Clearance projects she had done recently. The first one she was involved in upon coming to Zero Omega involved incredibly intricate and advanced genetic bonding work that took several months to do. But Anna’s expertise in that field is what got her hired here, so she was happy to do it, even if it meant weeks with limited sleep.
“Excellent.” Ventiss finally spoke. “Impressive work, as always, Dr. Lopez.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ventiss.” Anna smiled. Even though they had been working together for three years, Dr. Ventiss didn’t like anyone calling her by her first name. The only person Anna had ever heard do it and not be met with an icy glare was Mr. Renmeyer, who, as the founder and owner of Zero Omega, was the only person here who out ranked Dr. Ventiss.
“These results indicate that we can move forward with the second trials.”
“When would we start that?”
“In a few days, if I can get the resources for the test set up.”
Anna smiled. She had questions. But she knew that asking them would be doing nothing more than wasting time.
“Dr. Ventiss.” Came a voice from behind Anna. She spun around to see Erika Traxton, Jackson Lowell and a man she’d never seen before walking into the lab.
“Yes?” Ventiss answered them, not looking up from the files.
“We’ve been asked to bring you to Mr. Renmeyer.”
“Oh, yes. Our weekly meetings. Very well.” Ventiss placed the files back on Anna’s desk.
“Who’s the new recruit?” Anna asked.
“Quinn Knight.” The younger man answered.
“Actually,” Jackson said, rubbing his chin. “Dr. Lopez, would you mind showing Quinn around? Maybe take him to the Hub.”
“Me?”
“Sure. If you’re not too busy.”
“Well,” Anna threw a glance back at Ventiss. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s fine, Anna.” Ventiss said with a casual wave of her hand. “Take a break and show this young man around.”
“If you say so, Dr. Ventiss.” Anna smiled.
“Now, let’s go. I like to get these meetings over with as soon as humanly possible.”
“Of course.” Traxton nodded. They all left the room as Neil re-entered.
“Weekly meetings?” He asked.
“Couldn’t you tell from the look on her face?” Anna replied with a grin.
“Who’s this?” Neil asked, looking over to Quinn.
“Quinn Knight.” He answered, extending his hand. “New recruit.”
“Neil Powell.” Neil said, shaking his hand. “Welcome to Zero Omega.”
“Thanks.”
“What do you think of our facility?” Anna asked.
“It’s a little overwhelming, if I’m being honest. I’ve seen cities less busy than this.”
“You’ll get used to it. Once you get settled in.” Neil said.
“I’m supposed to show Mr. Knight around.” Anna said with a slight tinge of excitement.
“Oh really?” Neil smiled. “Well, you might as well come with me. I’m making my rounds up to the Hub.”
“Sounds good to me. Come on, Quinn. We’ll show you what you need to see.”
“Okay.” He smiled. They all made their way to the door, Quinn leading the way and Anna following close behind. When they reached the door, Quinn opened it and indicated for Anna to go on first.
“How chivalrous of you, Mr. Knight.” Anna said.
“No problem.” He grinned back.
“Oh…” Anna spoke before a large, Cheshire cat grin crawled across her face. “I think I’ll call you Lancelot.”
“I’m sorry?” Quinn responded, a look of confusion plastered across his face.
“Yes. Mr. Knight who is very chivalrous. It’s perfect. Come on, Lancelot.” She said, giggling to herself as she moved by. Quinn watched her go before turning back to Neil with a confused shrug of his shoulders.
“That’s your nickname now.” Neil said with a chuckle. “Better get used to it.” Neil patted him on the shoulder as he walked by. Quinn paused for a moment before shrugging to himself.
“Could be worse, I suppose.”
3
Dr. Ventiss didn’t look up from her tablet when the beeping of the elevator indicated it had arrived. She got into the elevator and continued to go over her project notes and those of her subordinates as Traxton pressed the button for the top floor of the facility. Adriana didn’t have much patience for these weekly meetings. They rarely accomplished much more than a memo would. But, Mr. Renmeyer liked to hear updates straight from each of his division leaders. Adriana, however, had to endure longer meeting because she was the senior scientist among all others. So she had to got to meetings that included Security and Legal, which meant they were even more worthless to her.
To say Dr. Adriana Ventiss was a brilliant scientist would be an incredible understatement. She was graduating university with honours while most children her age were still barely halfway through public school. She had degrees in every scientific field imaginable and the drive and focus to put them all to good use. She was the first person approached when Zero Omega was finished, coming here at the age of 18. In the years since she arrived here, it would be safe to say her work was responsible for saving billions of lives across the universe. She was dedicated to her work. Some would say to an unhealthy degree. She had several failed relationships back on Earth and here on Zero Omega that would attest to that notion. But, Adriana didn’t care about such trivial things anymore. The work that she had dedicated her life to was going to make her name synonymous with the word genius. If that meant she would have to forgo such trivial matters, she was more than happy to do so.
Traxton approached the large, ornate, black doors of Renmeyer’s office and raised her security card to the scanner nearby. The scanner blinked green and the doors began to open. Behind the doors was a small room with several expensive paintings on the walls and a large desk where a short, slightly stocky woman with brown hair and thick glasses sat, typing diligently at her computer. As Ventiss and the others entered the room, the woman looked up from her monitor.
“Dr. Ventiss, hello.” She smiled.
“Hello, Samantha.” Ventiss replied.
“Here for your weekly meeting?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Go right in.”
They walked past Sam’s desk and through the large doors into Renmeyer’s office. The room was huge, filled with even more rare artwork and sculptures. The room stood out because the walls were designed to look wooden and the floors were carpeted with what was almost certainly a very expensive red carpet. The desk at the centre of the room was made from incredibly rare and expensive wood. It was probably worth more than most houses, as were most of the things in this room. Sitting behind it was Willard Renmeyer, one of the richest men in the galaxy. Even though he was well into his sixties, Renmeyer barely looked over forty. One of the benefits of being able to afford pricey treatments to recapture ones youth. He had a stern face with cold, grey eyes that gave him an almost wolf-like aura. His dark hair was slicked back across his head and he wore a black suit that was likely as expensive as everything else in the room. There was a man sitting in a chair just off to his left. He was a thin, spindly man with slick blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His facial features gave him an almost rodent-like appearance. Ventiss guessed he had to be from Legal.
“Ah, Adriana,” He spoke, looking up from his computer. “Good of you to show up so quickly.”
“You know I like to get these over as soon as possible, Willard.” She bluntly responded.
“Yes. So, shall we get straight to it then?”
“Absolutely.”
“Very well. Everyone take a seat.”
Everyone moved over to the desk and sat down in front of it.
“This is Edward Grench from Legal.” Renmeyer indicated towards the other man.
“Nice to meet you.” Ed said with a deep voice. His voice gave the impression of a game show host. Or a con man.
“I’m sure.” Ventiss responded, not even turning to look at him.
“Well, first thing on the agenda is project updates.” Renmeyer began. “How are the three major Alpha Clearance projects coming along?”
“The Bio Enhancment Serum for General Oranyx is 75% through its third test cycle.” Ventiss replied. “The Vandox Sky for Madame LeMasta just has to go through its final test cycle. And the Orion Shield Network is all but completed. It should be ready for delivery in three days at most.”
“Excellent.” Renmeyer smiled.
“Can we get more specifics on the projects?” Edward asked.
“You may not.” Ventiss coldly replied.
“If I’m not mistaken, Dr. Ventiss, it’s your job to-”
“I beg your pardon?” Ventiss cut him off, her normally cool tone showing hints of annoyance. “It is my job, Mr. Grench, to see to it these projects are completed. It is not my job to satisfy the requirements of people like you who feel they need to know more about things they couldn’t possibly understand.”
“Well, I’m sorry Dr. Ventiss, but-”
“Enough, Edward.” Renmeyer interjected.
“Sir?”
“You have been given the required minimum amount of information on theses projects. And that is all you will receive unless otherwise informed. Are we clear?”
Edward looked back and forth between the cold glares of Ventiss and Renmeyer. He clearly wanted to press for more information, but the look on his face indicated he knew it would be futile.
“Yes sir.” He quietly replied before sitting down.
Legal always wanted more information about the projects they worked on here. But all information on Alpha Clearance projects were kept on a strictly need to know basis. Both for purposes of avoiding corporate espionage and because sometimes Legal most certainly would have issues with what those projects truly entailed. But, the end results always worked as required, so the paths used to get there no longer bothered Renmeyer or Ventiss.
“Now, on to other matters.” Renmeyer said, turning his glare away from Edward. “It seems there has been a spike in violent activities from people who have been coming out of the Alpha Clearance labs.”
“Violent activities?” Ventiss asked. “I was not aware of anything of that nature.”
“There has been an increase in assaults, attempted murders and rapes in the past week.” Traxton plainly responded.
“All from people who work in the Alpha Clearance labs?” Ventiss asked, turning to her and Jackson.
“Yes.”
“And what do you presume is the cause of this?”
“We haven’t been able to figure out a cause.” Jackson answered. “None of the perpetrators have given any motive or reasoning for their attacks. Some even seemed completely unaware of what they had done.”
“Care to hazard a guess at the cause of the outbursts?” Renmeyer asked.
“I mean,” Jackson began before rubbing his hand on his forehead. “It’s not uncommon to have people go a little stir crazy after a while. Long hours, minimal sunlight, heavy workloads and things like that can build up and cause people to snap. We have had incidents like this before.”
“But never in such a large group around a certain time frame.” Traxton countered.
“That’s the thing.” Jackson nodded.
“So are you suggesting some form of outside influence?” Ventiss asked. “Exposure to a chemical or something down there that may have influenced their behaviour?”
“Their tox screenings were clean.” Traxton replied. “No signs of any foreign agents in their blood.”
“The only oddity is some slight swelling in some of their brains.” Jackson added. “Particularly around the parts that have to do with memory.”
“Does that mean anything?” Renmeyer asked.
“Not that we can see.”
“Any thoughts, Adriana?”
“Non that I can think of.” She replied. She didn’t recall any projects they were working on down there that had to do with anything related to the brain. Not any recent ones, anyway.
“Where are we with the victims, legally?” Renmeyer asked.
“All of them signed their contracts when they arrived.” Grench finally spoke up again. “They all waived their rights to report any crimes here to any outside police force or to sue for damages.”
“Well, at least we’re covered.” Renmeyer smirked.
“The weekly inspections haven’t turned up anything?” Ventiss asked.
“Nothing of note last week.” Traxton answered, scrolling through her personal computer. “And the inspection reports for this week aren’t due in for three hours. We won’t know for sure until they are turned in.”
“Well, then perhaps this is a topic best revisited when those reports come in.” Renmeyer said, tapping his fingers on his desk.
“I agree.” Grench added. “No sense in playing a guessing game when we don’t have the latest facts.”
“Very well. Next order of business is profit forecasts.” Renmeyer began before continuing to ramble on about the subject.
Ventiss leaned back in her chair, no longer paying attention. Those reports from the Alpha Clearance labs continued to weigh on her mind. She began running through any of the projects that could possibly have caused those attacks. Renmeyer and Grench continued on with their presentation as she continued to think. Project after project went through her mind from the past few months, but still none sprung to mind. Once this meeting was over, she would look into this herself. Unfortunately, these meetings tended never to end in a timely fashion.
4
Mitch silently walked down the hallway. Absentia and several of the other being walked ahead of him. They had been joined by two creatures who were unique from Absentia and the other beings. One was incredibly tall and far more bulky than the other beings. The body of the creature was covered head to toe in what Mitch recognized as a type of bio-mechanical armour that had been designed for several different militaries around the universe. The shining silver metal glistened in the flickering lights as the walked. The other looked like most of the other beings except he had several tattoo-like markings across his face. Mitch noticed these markings pulse with light every now and then, but he was unsure what that indicated. They were talking to each other about several projects and tests that they had been performing. Mitch wished he could remember what they were referring to, but the memories that he felt should be clear to him were now foggy in his mind. They continued down the darkened halls, past more and more labs filled with grisly and macabre scenes. Mitch stared forward, doing his best to block out the screams and avoid looking at the various noises emitting from the labs. The creatures drew to a stop in front of a large door that was far more heavily armoured than any of the others.
“What now?” The one with the markings asked, its voice hissing like a snake.
“Now, Phantom, we let Mr. Zhang do what he is here for.” Absentia answered. It turned around to face him before extending a hand towards him, as if to indicate he should give his own hand to it. “If you would.”
“I…” Mitch stuttered, his eyes welling with tears. “I don’t think I can.”
“Of course you can.” Absentia responded, eyes shimmering crimson. “You remember why we are here, do you not?”
Mitch felt a surging pain in his head. It felt like a headache, only it came in waves.
“You remember what is behind these doors?”
“My…my family.” Mitch responded, smiling.
“Yes. They have travelled so far to come and see you. Do you not wish to see them? Do you not remember how terribly you miss them?”
“I do.” Mitch said. “I do miss them.”
“Then you need only open these doors and you will be able to see them.”
Mitch smiled through the tears in his eyes as he walked down to the door. He pulled out his security card and scanned it before scanning his eye, fingerprints and vocal patterns. After doing so the screen on the door flickered green.
“Access granted.” The mechanical voice said as the doors let out a hiss of air and began to open.
Mitch felt a cold hand touch him and he looked to see spindly black fingers draped over his shoulder.
“Good.” He heard a deep voice rumble. “Now come.”
Mitch nodded as the doors fully opened, revealing a large lab area. It was filled with several dozen scientists going over notes, looking at computer screens and gathering around two large tubes filled with a clear liquid. Inside the tubes were two more creatures. One had translucent skin that shimmered with a blue bioluminescence and the other had several metallic implants protruding from various points on its body. The scientists all spun around to see Mitch and the other beings enter the lab.
“What the fuck?” One of them shouted. “Get Security in here! Now!”
One of the other scientists ran to a nearby panel and reached for it. As he did, his arm folded back on itself, joint by joint. The man screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. All the other scientists backed up as Absentia and the others entered the room. One of the scientists exited through a side door, but Absentia seemed to ignore him.
“What do you want?” The same scientist who had spoke before asked.
“We want our brethren, Dr. Larkson.” Absentia responded.
“How do you know my name?”
“Because I can see your thoughts. I can see that you are hoping to stall long enough for that scientist who fled to return with the garrison of men stationed in the adjacent rooms. I can assure you, however, that their presence here will not effect the outcome of what will soon transpire.”
“Nobody needs to die here.” Larkson replied after a moments pause.
“I am afraid it is too late for that. Far too late.”
“I’m not just going to stand here and let you take these creatures.” Larkson said, doing his best to sound brave.
“No, you are not, Dr. Larkson. Because, as you no doubt remember, you have something else you need to do.”
Larkson grabbed his head for a moment. Mitch knew what that meant was happening. After the pain subsided, Dr. Larkson walked over to a nearby table. He rummaged through the various object on it until he retrieved a scalpel that he promptly plunged into his own neck, causing a gush of blood to splatter onto the table. He sputtered and choked as he collapsed onto the ground, the other scientists backing away in horror. Absentia and the others approached the tubes, the black creature placing his hands on them as he neared.
“Release them.” He said, prompting Phantom to walk over to the group of scientists. Phantom stared at them for a moment before dissipating from sight and appearing behind the scientists. The scientists then made their way over to the nearby terminals and began typing on them. As they did, the side door opened and several dozen security officers entered the room, aiming their assault rifles as they did. They paused for only a moment before firing at Absentia and the others. The bullets from their guns all stopped in mid air a few feet from Absentia before falling harmlessly to the ground.
“Venator.” Absentia spoke, prompting the large, metal creature to shift. “Kill them.”
Venator turned towards the security officers. It began to walk towards them at a slow, deliberate pace. The officers began bombarding it with gunfire, but it had not effect. Venator slowly raised its arms upwards before clenching its fists, prompting large, serrated blades to spring forth from then large protrusions that ran from its wrists to its elbows. Venator roared at the men before lunging at them, blades cutting through them in droves like a hot knife through butter, bathing the room in streaks of crimson. Mitch watched in horror as the officers fired frantically or tried to flee before they were crushed or gutted by this ferocious beast. It took less than two minutes for the creature to reduce the number of security officers to a single one remaining, crawling across the floor, fruitlessly hoping to escape. Mitch heard her begin to panic as Venator walked towards her, its heavy footfalls echoing through the room. With one swift motion Venator lifted its leg up and brought its foot down upon the officers head, sending a fountain of blood, bone and brain matter streaking across the floor. Venator roared in triumph as the blades retracted back into its arms.
“Excellent work.” Absentia plainly said before a mechanical creak turned its attention back to the tubes that began to drain of fluid. It took only a moment for the tanks to empty, Absentia then shattering the glass, guiding the pieces harmlessly to the ground. The two beings inside slowly began to stir. Absentia then turned his attention to the group of scientists and walked towards them, causing them to recoil. He outstretched his hand and pointed at one of the crowd, a tall woman with black hair and green eyes.
“Dr. Winslow.” He spoke.
“Yes?” She quietly responded.
“I am sure you remember where you and the rest of these people need to be.”
Dr. Winslow and the other grabbed her head for a moment before nodding and filing out of the room, their feet leaving bloody footprints behind them as they left. Absentia then approached the now empty and shattered tanks alongside Venator and Phantom. The creatures inside slowly looked up at them.
“Who are you?” The one with the mechanical attachments asked.
“I am Absentia.”
“Please,” The translucent one said, its voice a warbling growl. “No more pain.”
“There will be no more pain.” Absentia responded before Venator and Phantom helped the two beings to their feet. “Soon we will take our revenge on those who tormented us. They will suffer as much as we have. I will give you back your memories, Those of your birth and all the pain your have endured. Let it fuel your fury. Use it to drive you against our enemies.” Absentia outstretched his hands and Venator and Phantom each took hold of the beings before they began shaking and spasming.
“Where is my family?” Mitch finally spoke, voice and body trembling.
“Of course.” Absentia said as turned back to him. “Do you not remember? They died in a house fire ten years ago.”
“What?” Mitch gasped, the memories of the fire flooding back to him.
“Yes. But, if you wish to be reunited with them, I will oblige.”
Mitch stammered backwards as all the raw emotions of the day his family died flooded back into his mind. He felt his heart sink as tears began streaming down his face. He remembered his mother, his father and his siblings. He remembered the last conversation he had with them before leaving that day. He remembered seeing their bodies being taken away. He remembered standing at their graves. As the sorrow in his heart grew stronger and stronger, he head a humming noise accompanied by the rattling of the nearby tables. Then there was an instantaneous sharp pain and he was suddenly looking at the wall behind him.
Then everything went dark.
Absentia turned back to Venator and Phantom as his brethren stopped shaking. They then looked up, eyes shimmering with a new light.
“Do you remember?” Absentia asked.
“I remember.” They both responded.
“What is your name?”
“I am Radiant.” The translucent, glowing one replied.
“I am Machina.” The one with the mechanical attachments replied.
“Good.” Absentia said. “Now we can begin.”
5
“Welcome to the Hub.” Anna said as they entered a massive room.
The room had the general appearance of a courtyard in design. It stretched out for what was easily a hundred feet or more. There was dozens of restaurants, various shops, gyms, barbers and even spas. There was even grass, trees and flowers growing in a park-like section near the centre. Quinn had never seen anything like it in his life.
“This is incredible.” Quinn said, looking around.
“They thought a little taste of planet life would help cope out here.” Anna smiled.
Quinn continued to look around the courtyard in amazement. He could hear Anna and Neil chuckling to themselves behind him.
“It’s nice to just come here and read a book under a tree.” Neil said. “Hell, sometimes people will just come to lie on the grass for an hour or so.”
“I love coming here to unwind after a stressful day in the labs.” Anna said.
“I can understand why.” Quinn replied, still taking in the massive area.
“Are you hungry?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, actually. I haven’t eaten since before I boarded the shuttle out here.”
“Okay. Then I’ll take you to see Bruce and Mary. They have the best restaurant in the Hub.”
“Oh really?” Neil scoffed.
“Yes, really.”
“They’re good, don’t get me wrong. But they can’t match up to Vinnie’s.”
“Oh, please.” Anna laughed.
“Fine. We’ll go to Bill and Mary’s for lunch and then Vinnie’s for dinner. We’ll let Quinn decide who’s right.”
Quinn chuckled at the suggestion. The people here all seemed very friendly. Dozens of people stopped and chatted to them on the way to the Hub, eager to introduce themselves. It was a much more laid back environment compared to the more rigid Papal Mainframe. Of course, being the beacon of religious guidance for several billion beings across the universe meant that there was much more of an image to maintain.
“Okay, deal.” Anna replied. “Come on, Lancelot.”
She moved off ahead of him. Quinn watched her go for a moment before turning back to Neil.
“So, she nicknames everyone?” He asked.
“Not everyone. Only if you make a first impression that warrants it.”
“I see.”
“Don’t mind her. She’s quirky like that.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. And quirky isn’t the first word I’d use to describe her.”
“What word would you use?”
“Bubbly, maybe.” Quinn replied, watching Anna talking with another group of people. “Maybe exuberant.”
“Both are apt.” Neil laughed.
“Never would have pegged her for a scientist at a glance.”
“Bet people wouldn’t peg you as a soldier for the same reasons, pretty boy.”
“Fair point.” Quinn winced. The comparison was appropriate. He could definitely see Anna in the same type of magazines his eldest brother and youngest sister had been in countless times. She had a type of natural beauty to her. Growing up in the “rich socialite” scene meant Quinn rarely met anyone good looking who had any decent measure of intelligence. Himself included, if he was being totally honest. He never got through school on his grades.
“You guys coming?” Anna called out. “I thought you were hungry?”
“Coming!” Neil answered back. “After you, Quinn.”
“Right.”
They made their way across the Hub. They stopped and talked to more than a dozen other people who wanted to introduce themselves to Quinn or chat with Anna and Neil. The area was crowded with people nearer to the restaurants. But Anna lead them through the masses to a smaller restaurant near the back. The owners talked to Anna for twenty or more minutes before she got around to ordering their meals. Neil told him that the various businesses in the Hub simply accepted payment from each persons company credit, where their salary was deposited. And, since most of the stores weren’t part of any big corporations, as they apparently weren’t trusted with matters of secrecy, Zero Omega was often times a good place for smaller businesses to come and set up shop. While they wouldn’t make much of a profit up against some massive restaurant chain, they could make a tidy earning in a more exclusive setting like this alongside dozens of other small businesses. A lot of the dishes served at the restaurants they passed on the way here were things Quinn had never even heard of before. He’d have to come back and check them out when he wasn’t being used as the swing vote in a food debate.
“Here you go.” Bruce, the elderly owner smiled as he set their plates down on the table. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, we will.” Anna smiled. “Thanks Bruce.”
Bruce smiled back at her before heading back to the main shop. The meal he had left was a succulent looking steak with a side of potatoes and green beans. Quinn licked his lips at the sight of it. It had been a while since he’d had food that wasn’t military grade “Quik Meals”. Sure, they filled you up. But. Taste-wise, you might as well be eating cardboard.
“So, Lancelot.” Anna began as Quinn began eating. “What’s your story?”
“As in?” Quinn asked, swallowing some of the delicious steak.
“Where did you come from? How’d you end up on Zero Omega?”
“It’s a long story. Boring too. Suffice to say my parents had plans for my future I didn’t agree with. So I joined the army, then the Papal Mainframe. Now I’m here looking to start the next chapter of my life.”
“The Papal Mainframe?” Neil said with a raised eyebrow. “That’s a serious detail from what I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, you see some serious action.”
“Have you ever fought a Dalek?” Anna asked with a degree of eagerness.
“A Dalek? No.” Quinn shook his head. “If I did, I probably wouldn’t be alive. Daleks are a force of nature, by and large. You don’t defeat them, you avoid them.”
“Really?” Anna responded. Judging by her tone, she’d only ever heard stories about Daleks. Anyone who had ever witnessed a Dalek invasion knew fighting them was something you should avoid.
“What have you come up against?” Neil asked.
“The Mondas Cyberiad, Silurians, Sontarans, Mal’atra and Ice Warriors have been my biggest skirmishes.”
“Damn, son.” Neil smirked. “That’s an impressive record.”
“I had heard the Cybermen have an adaptive defensive capability that makes them as dangerous as Daleks.” Anna stated between bites.
“They have that capability, yes.” Quinn nodded. “But stories about it are a bit overplayed.”
“I see.”
“Where’d you serve, if you don’t mind my asking?” Quinn asked Neil.
“Kartha Military for 5 years.”
“Kartha? I hear that place is pretty rough.”
“Yeah. Sixteen hour nights are a bitch.” Neil laughed.
“What about you, Doc?” Quinn asked, turning to Lopez.
“Doc?” She chuckled. “Is that my nickname?”
“Sure, why not?” Quinn smiled back.
“Not very original. But I’ll take it.” She laughed. “I’ve wanted to be a scientist pretty much all my life. And I had the brains to make it happen. One thing lead to another and here I am. Boring, I know.”
“Boring’s good.” Quinn smiled. “Nothing wrong with boring.”
“Well, then you’ve come to the right place.” Neil said, leaning back. “Nothing exciting ever happens here.”
As he finished talking there was a loud mechanical shudder as all the lights in the Hub flickered for a moment before shutting off. Everyone stood up and began talking in slightly panicked tones, clearly indicating this was a rare occurence.
“Don’t worry.” Anna said in a mostly disinterested tone, a stark contrast to the hushed panic around him. “Sometimes we’re hit by a solar flare or some sort of electromagnetic event that can temporarily knock out our power. The back up generators will be up in a moment.”
Within a minute of her saying that, the lights all whirred back to life, bringing a reassuring calm to everyone in the Hub.
“See?” Anna smiled. “Nothing to worry about.”
Seemingly on cue, the lights all immediately went dark again. Everyone sat in the pitch darkness, a palpable sense of unease growing in the crowds. Suddenly the room was illuminated by the pulsing red of various alarm lights that began going off, prompting all the security officers to pull their flashlights off their belts.
“Okay.” Anna said with the slightest hints of nervousness. “That’s never happened before.”
“So then,” Quinn began before tuning back to her and Neil. “What now?”