Zoë felt as if she was dreaming. She felt her breath getting caught inside her lungs. She had never, even in her wildest dreams, thought she could be in the same room as Knight Protector Alexandra von Eisstahl. One misplaced word, one wrong gesture and she would be either executed as a traitor or Helix would kill everyone in the room. She had to warn the Knight Protector to keep her distance, to stay away from the charming monster.

But it was too late. The red-haired goddess took a single look at the room and marched directly to the demon. Zoë couldn’t see the woman’s face, but she could see Helix’s half-smile and calm expression. The same that had had her confused so many times in just a few hours. His amber eyes were locked just over the Knight Protector’s head. That was wrong, she realized, they were locked on the Chief.

“Guard Helix, you have my gratitude for your bravery.” Mistress von Eisstahl’s voice was commanding, the voice a born leader.

However, the words themselves made Zoë sick. The woman was commending that monster for killing two real guards in cold blood. One look at the Chief confirmed he felt the same the way.

“Thank you, Mistress von Eisstahl.” The response Helix gave, reminded her of the sharp way her instructors greeted their superiors.

“Chief Rex, I would like to recommend guard Helix for promotion.” It was not a dream; this was a bloody nightmare and Zoë could not wake up.

Perhaps the grenade had caused some sort of aneurism and she was slowly dying. Yes, that sounded about right and it was the only way to explain what she was hearing. Because each word, only worsened her situation and cemented her status a traitor. She could see it in Donovan’s glare. The way his left eye twitched when it stopped on either her or Dr Werner, he knew.

“Thank you, ma’am, but that would mean I would be taking Security Chief Rex’s post. I am sorry, but I would have to decline.

“What is he talking about, Donovan?” Alexandra von Eisstahl gracefully turned around on her heels.

“I don’t…”

“That wounds me, Chief. You told me you agreed to it.” The way he switched his speech, to match how she and Felix talked with each other, was both admirable and frightening. “I remember you clearly stating that my promotion had been accepted.”

From her position, Zoë could see that the veins on Donovan’s temple were ready to pop. Helix was not only taking complete advantage of the situation; he was legitimising his takeover of the complex. And the Knight Protector was just eating it and by the look of her enjoying the show, though without understanding what was actually happening. For the first time, the girl understood what powerful tool information was, or rather disinformation.

“I understand now.” The woman standing with her back to the monster said and nodded. “I can and will make it official. However, Mr Helix, I would like you to complete an important task for me first.”

The smile the Knight had on her face was directed at the Chief and by the look of it, it meant she had won. What and why were important questions, but Zoë doubted she would ever learn the answers to them.

“You can count on me Mistress von Eisstahl.” He smiled again and it sent shivers down Zoë’s spine. “Miss Kurtz, why don’t you join us for a chat.”

She was starting to hate that word because when spoken from him it meant she was going to find herself in trouble. Or at the wrong end of a gun, or, if her luck continued to be as it was, something worse. But she could not say no, that half-smile and the testing gaze were enough to cloud her mind. There was something in that young man, that brought the worst parts of her out. Without protesting, except in her tortured mind, she began walking towards him.

“This request is meant to be a personal one, Mr Helix.” The Knight turned to face the demon.

“I understand. However, Zoë is my partner and the one I trust to have my back.” He smiled at Alexandra and leaned closer to her, so that his eyes could look into hers, for sure. “And in light of what has been happening, I would prefer to have someone at my side.”

“I see.” She could see the Knight’s face now when she was standing next to Helix. “You are a smart man and you show much potential. However, I can see that Miss Kurtz is wounded.”

“Do not worry, Mistress. She is a vicious little beast” He wrapped his hand over her shoulder and it made Zoë’s hart thunder in her chest and her stomach to twist in a knot. “I am sure that Dr Saiko over there, would confirm that she is in a state to come with me.”

“Knight Protector, I think it best to have guard Helix and guard Kurtz escorted to the infirmary.” Zoë could almost taste the bile on the Chief’s words.

“Doctor, are the two of them fit for active duty?” Alexandra von Eisstahl ignored the commander of the security force.

The girl could see Hiroshi weighing his words, his one human eye fixed on Helix. The doc was a good and honest man and he valued his physician oaths highly. Zoë could understand the dilemma he was having to deal with – lie or get everyone killed.

“Second officer Kurtz has a broken left wrist and severely bruised elbow joint. Additionally, she has several other injuries that would require treatment in a proper facility. However, due to the drugs that are currently coursing through her system, she could be considered fit for active duty for the next three hours.” The man finally spoke, skirting around the truth.

Come to think of it, it was the same way Helix had been twisting his words. Never outright lying, but never being honest. If anything, it was proving to be a very effective skill, one that Zoë should learn if she lived long enough. She dared a glance at the young man. He was slightly shaking his head while looking at the doctor.

“Will, that be enough time?” The Knight turned around to look at the two of them.

“Depends on the task, Mistress.” Helix flashed her that damned charming smile of his.

The way he spoke, was enough for the girl to figure that the AI had informed him what that might be. Without wasting time Alexandra, leaned in closer and answered the question in a tone that could not be overheard.

“Guards Ku, Miro, Hue, Jackson, Rüde, Dougherty and Kamenski, need to be dealt with. Quietly and quickly. Do this and I see a bright future for you.” The woman’s face was cold and she stared at Zoë for a moment before adding. “The both of you.”

The Knight Protector had clearly misunderstood the relationship the two of them had. Just at that bloody monster wanted. He had burned her last path of escape. The worst part was, that he had done it so elegantly that she had realised it too late to do anything about it. Helix leaned in even closer, looking directly into Alexandra’s eyes. The smile, Zoë could see on his lips, absent from his amber gaze, as he confidently spoke the three most frightening words she had ever heard.

“Consider it done.” She could see a hint of red appear on the cheeks of the Knight and it made her heart skip a bit. Damn you girl, you can’t be jealous because he is using the same trick, he used on you, on someone else. She knew she had to listen to reason, but that did not make the feeling any better.

“Sir, you can count on me. Why don’t you go and rest? Taking so many extended shifts must have taken a toll on you.” Helix pulled away quickly and looked at the Chief.

“Right…” Donovan’s gaze was glued to the turrets that were tracking his every movement as he answered.

“Mistress von Eisstahl, I thank you for your trust. The two of us will not take any more of your valuable time. I am sure there are far more important task to occupy your attention.”

He smiled at the Knight and stood at attention again. His hand gently tapping Zoë spine, telling her to do the same. It was scary to think that she was starting to understand him so well.

“Yes, right. That is correct.” She could not believe it, it had worked, the hero she had been looking up to had fallen for the demon’s tricks. “Chief Rex, we are heading to the docking bay. I need to have a few final words with the former Overseer.”

Zoë watched in horror as the Knight in shining armour left the security command room. Contrary to the stories she was so fond of, this time the hero had forfeited the castle and the damsel in distress to the evil beast. And that damned monster was smiling at her, telling her without speaking that it had won.

Virginia was speechless. This AI was a source of near-endless information. It held the answers to all the question they could think of. It could change the entire interpretation of history. It could fill all the gaps caused by the Third Empire’s censure campaign. The thing had only shown her a glimpse of the schematics it had stored in its data banks and they were enough to keep her busy for the next half a century. That was also the reason why the argument between her and Anton had erupted. Each of them wanted to monopolise the thing, not willing to share its secrets with the other one.

Before she knew it, Hiroshi had joined as well. He was going on and on about some lab and how all their efforts should be dedicated to it. He had used the argument that it held the key to functioning cryogenics. Kruger and his cursed assistant had been against it, vehemently clinging to the idea that by breaking Unue, they would have access to so much more. Which was also a good argument. After all, the AI was a construct of the Holy Terran Empire, which meant that any information it had would be in the same language. She was about to dismiss the physician when the door opened.

Virginia forgot all about the fear she had felt, it was replaced by hatred. The damned bitch of the Council had entered the room. So, that was the person Helix was interested in. She should have paid closer attention to the conversation between him and the guards. As she expected the bloody von Eisstahl did not even recognise her when her eyes stopped on Virginia. That was saying something, considering that the face of the Military’s propaganda machine was equipped with some of the best implants there were.

But Virginia was not angry because of this slight. It had happened a decade ago on Tulia and of Galx IV a few years before that. No, Virginia and every techno-archaeologist hated the Knight Protector because she had destroyed the info-vault on Hiagara Prime. The bloody von Eisstahl thought herself a champion of the people, but she was nothing but a pawn in the cesspool that was the leadership of the UR.

That was why Virginia had taken a quiet job at Last Hope, just to keep away from all of it. From the very start, the mining complex had proven it was not going to be just the same boring digging. It had so many secrets, one of which had had her drugged and marched at gunpoint. Everything she found only further reinforced her theory that humanity was entering a new cycle of technological stagnation and degradation. The cause of it was rooted in the Third Empire’s policies and its suppression of free will through psionic-conditioning and the AI could shed some light on it. It could decrypt the files that were locked in the mainframe. But with the Knight Protector here, this hope was put at risk.

Virginia felt Anton’s hand wrap around hers and she turned to face the old man.

“Now is neither the time nor the place for you to confront her.” His eyes were begging her to stay quiet. “Besides, it looks she is walking right into the spider’s web.” He jutted his chin out.

She could see the damned woman walk directly towards Helix. Whatever the young man had done, resulted in Alexandra von Eisstahl praising him for murder. The impotent glares Donovan directed both at him and the chatterbox Zoë were a sign that the imperial soldier had taken a hold over him as well. It was frightening and amazing how fast he had adapted. She was not sure what exactly Helix was, but he was not human.

As a specialist in technology, she could spot that he had very refined and intricate lens implants in his eyes and the way he scanned the room, suggested he had at least one brain enhancement. Everything else had to be the result of delicate genetic manipulation, after all, amber coloured eyes were far from naturally occurring. However, it was all speculation on her part. Rejuvenation genetic treatments were possible and she had taken advantage of them. But manipulation on such a level was out of the question. The Third Empire had not been able to do it, and there was nothing to suggest that the Holy Terran one before it could have unlocked the secrets of the genome. Since time immemorial this had been the goal of every biotic specialist.

“Tell me, Anton, what do you see when you look at him?” She pointed at Helix.

“A killer and a very dangerous man, that is both cunning and ruthless.” A wary smile formed on Kruger’s face. “But that’s not what you are asking, isn’t it?”

“You are right, he is dangerous. But there is more to it, please, Anton, share your thoughts with me.” Virginia did not dare tare her eyes away from the pretend guard.

“I cannot say anything about his appearance. It might have been normal for the period he is from, or it could be completely abnormal for all I can tell. However, the symbol he had on his armour is very interesting. It is clearly an indication of his position. I must admit I have seen it in some of the documents we recovered from the mainframe.” A weak laugh escaped his lips.

“What were they about, the documents I mean.” She kept her voice just above a whisper.

“Too fragment, it will be weeks before a single sentence could be recovered from translation. But the symbol was there. We couldn’t make any sense of it and it did not correspond to anything from the archive on the Third Empire, so, I ignored it.” He turned to face her and she could see the fire of curiosity burning in his old tired eyes.

“When I saw it on his chest, I thought it was that of some noble family. But and this should be obvious, I was wrong. Helix is some sort of soldier, a specialist perhaps, or an infiltrator. The symbol indicates fusion between cybernetic and organic; most likely indicates his position or rank.”

“His is not a cyber-construct.” She did not need for Anton to ask her to share her observations. “He prefers to keep his helmet on, that means he has to be human.”

“You doubt that.”

“I don’t know. It is very hard to tell.” Virginia shivered as she remembered the terrible way in which her interrogation had ended. “But his gear is very interesting. The armour is advanced, yet the design is too similar to that of the guards. The rifle is clearly a Ripper pattern, but the modification is far more advanced than the ones we worked on at the Institute. There is just too much conflicting information.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the Knight Protector who addressed Hiroshi. Virginia could see the physician struggle with the answer. After all, the oath he had taken was sacred to him. She felt sorry for the kind doctor when he proclaimed the girl fit for whatever task the damned von Eisstahl was going to force on her. Even Virginia could see that Zoë was fit only to get herself to the nearest medical unit.

“Fascinating.” Hiroshi exclaimed softly.

“What?” Both she and Anton looked at the man confused by his reaction.

“Dr Werner, I saw the man named Helix inject you with an unknown drug earlier. The same drug was injected in Second officer Kurtz. I suspected it was used to make you compliant.” Hiroshi said scratching his chin.

“I am sorry Dr Saiko, but I fail to understand your line of thought.” She exhaled slowly, trying to keep her frustration in check.

“The way he leaned closer to Knight Protector von Eisstahl. He was intentionally seeking direct eye contact at the extreme close range followed by slight confusion of the target subject. It is a prime example of sub-cognitive influence.”

“He is a psionic!” Virginia barely managed to keep herself from shouting.

“Not exactly. The colour of the irises suggests intentional design with the idea of making the target feel at ease. The ocular implant he has, must have the function of focusing minimal or dormant psionic power. It could also be an artificial, perhaps digital, replication of that, I estimate that possibility at thirty to forty per cent.” She could see the physician study the young man.

“I am sorry Hiroshi, but that is only a theoretical concept. There is nothing to suggest it could be possible to achieve in practice.” Virginia shook her head.

“Besides, if he could actually do something like this, why hasn’t he used it on us?” Anton added.

“Personal preference. However, I have noted that the entire structure of his face is done to convey charm, confidence and trust. It would suggest, that this person is required to work with targets who are in panic or agitated and needs to keep them calm and relaxed, while he performs his tasks.”

“Are you trying to say he is a physician like you?” Virginia could not believe she was uttering those words.

“Dr Werner, I have served as a field medic. I know first-hand how detrimental panic and stress can be when you are trying to patch a wounded soldier. My augmentations have been designed with the same concept behind them.” Hiroshi moved his head so that his human eye could look at her. “To answer your question, yes, I believe the individual we know as Helix has a role similar to that of a field medic.”

“Wait just a moment,” Anton said as he rubbed his eyes, the way he did when dealing with an absurd theory that was the only one to make sense. “You are telling me, that a field medic, not only made the entire security force of Last Hope look like fools, but also made a joke of a Knight Protector?”

“Dr Kruger, based on your reaction and question, I can assume you will not like my answer.” Saiko returned his gaze to the smiling Helix. “But, yes. That is exactly what I am suggesting.”