It took them nearly an hour to reach the end of the path the AI had given them. Moving through a maze of small maintenance shafts and dust-covered supply corridors had been an adventure. The last time Virginia had felt this way, was when she had been but a student, exploring the tunnels of Archimet IV. At the same time, she was both annoyed and afraid. The former was rooted in her ego, she had spent many years working until she collapsed to become the best in her field. The latter was because she was taking instruction from a potentially homicidal AI, which was commanded by an unhinged soldier from a long-gone era.

It was not a comforting thought. She could not think of any way of this entire endeavour to not end badly for her. And yet, her curiosity pushed her to take each step. So much had been lost during the reign of the Third Empire and now, Virginia was given the opportunity to be first to learn why.

“Shit!” She cursed when her face plunged into a puddle of what she hoped was stale condensed water.

The light emanating from Hiroshi’s instruments was barely enough to illuminate their path, that she had missed the small step at the doorway. Wherever they had found themselves in, it was a large and cold room. She could feel frost cover her skin and a chill run through her body. However, she could hear the telling hum of working machines. Then came the loud buzzing sound of a generator turning on. A second later Virginia was blinded by the lights.

Once her eyes adjusted, she was looking at the worn skull of some deformed monster. The creature had inhabited the broken bio-pod behind it, but that did not prevent her from scrambling back in fear. She was surprised that the room was not the vast chamber she had expected, instead, it was just a bit larger than the laboratory Hiroshi had set next to the medical unit. And despite the equipment being stowed away for centuries, it was still functional.

Well, for the most part, she thought as she stood up to her feet and picked up the skull. It was not human and for sure it was not Xith, which begged the question of what it was. Not daring to say anything in this place, and for sure not daring to tempt her luck, she passed the thing to Hiroshi and began walking between the research tables and bio-pods.

“AVER-R-RTO…KVARANT-T-T-TENO…ROMPIS…ĈI-I-I-IUJ…SIS-T-T-T-TEMOJ…E-E-ESTAS-S-S-S…E-N-NNN…ATENDO...” The stuttering mechanical voice boomed from hidden speakers in the walls.

“What was that?!” Virginia scanned the room worriedly.

“Unue.” Anton offered, though his narrowed eyes suggested there was something else he was keeping from her.

“It is nothing to fear. A routine message to the faithful.” The AI’s emotionless tone replaced the booming voice which was repeating the words.

“What is all this.” Virginia asked, not sure if the machine could see her pointing at all the equipment around them.

She was amazed to find so many familiar, albeit old instruments. Although amongst them there were some, she had never seen before. The archaeologist in her itched to take them apart and study their function. But she had enough common sense to know doing so would end poorly for her.

“This is biotic support laboratory 3. It is the only one that has a functioning contingency reactor with enough power.” It responded immediately and without hesitation, which made the next part something to worry about.

“The limiters I have set upon me, restrict access to this place. However, I can classify you as faithful and bless you with the required security rights. That honour can and will be extended to a limited number of human personnel you might need.”

“You’ve found more people? It will be months before they can come.” She could hear the hint of jealousy in Anton’s words.

“That is incorrect Dr Kruger. I have accessed your files and have found members of your teams to have the required qualifications needed for the restoration of this facility.” Somehow the AI sounded prideful.

“Wait.” Virginia finally realised what was stuck at the back of her mind. “This is a biotics lab. I and my team are all techno-archaeologists and Dr Kruger and his are crypto-linguists. The only one who could make some sense of the data stores here is Dr Saiko. And he is only one man.”

“You misunderstand, Dr Werner. I do not need you to continue the research, that will be a task beyond you. I require your skills to repair and maintain this and another two facilities until proper adequate staff is found and recruited.”

“But…” Anton interrupted wanting to give voice to a concern of his own.

“I have selected members of the technical staff within the data vault in the system. I would kindly ask you to review them and provide information if they can be trusted.”

“You say this as if you and Helix have control over Last Hope.” Virginia narrowed her eyes.

“That is correct. It is a matter of time, but Demon 08 Helix, will gain control of this station. Such is his sacred duty and the will of His Holiness.” There was a notable pause before it continued. “Should he fail to do so, it will be because he has died. In that case, I will be left with no other choice but to trigger a complete reactor meltdown.”

She could feel her stomach tighten into a knot. Like that monster of a man, this machine was not giving them any real choice. They were not that different from the Third Empire. True they used more subtle methods, but there was no place for free will in their world. That scared Virginia to her core.

“Why can you have so much trust in him? What is he?” Her whisper was picked up by the machine.

“Because, Dr Werner, he is one of the Demons released by His Holiness Constantine IV. The individual you know as Helix is superior to any natural human. He has been created to complete near-impossible tasks.” She was amazed at how open and unguarded that answer was.

To think the AI would have been that forthcoming with information, was something she had not expected. Especially when she had not even thought her question would be considered at all by the machine.

“Does that mean, Helix is not human, but an artificial construct?” Hiroshi chimed in, his expressionless mask broken and replaced by curiosity.

“Is he biotic or cybernetic?” Virginia managed to add to his question before the AI could say a word.

“Dr Saiko, Dr Werner. The information you request has been restricted and forbidden to all but few sanctioned individuals, during the time this facility was operational. I am sorry, but there is simply no way for me to answer any questions you might have regarding Helix.”

“But why? The rules you follow, no longer apply. There has to be some limitation, which you could workaround…” Virginia began to go through the way an AI functioned, looking for a loophole to exploit.

“Doctor. You base your question on the assumption I am what you consider a normal AI. I have seen the constructions your kind has placed on the mainframe. They are fragile and limited. I hoped you would have better understood the difference between myself and those imitations. I would advise you to consult Technician King, as he has displayed better comprehension of my nature.”

Virginia felt shunned by that comment. To think that a lowly tech of the security staff was placed higher than her in the mind of this construct, was an insult to her skills. However, she was the only one to blame for this. Like any other scientists, she surrounded herself with the best technology the current time could offer and this AI was something none of them had ever considered possible to build.

Well, in all honesty, she could prepare the core programming for a Control AI, but there was a no way for her or anyone else to keep it in check after that. This was why she kept forgetting what this thing was. It was a mistake and one she could not make again.

“I’ll give you three minutes to come to a decision. The choice is simple. Become one of the faithful or not.” The AI said with a finality she had not expected.

The three of them shared a look before the two men nodded. The reward, dangled before them, was too great to ignore. The machine was smart enough to know that, that was why it had worded its offer in such a tempting way. What she wanted to know, was when the two men had chosen her as their leader.

“We agree to become one of the faithful.” Virginia nodded, tasting the oddness of the word.

“Glory to the Blessed Saint of Hell!” An echo of voices resonated in the lab. “The number of the faithful grows ever larger under His guiding gaze. In accordance with the Mars decree, I hereby welcome you in the sacred fold.”

With that, the cacophony of voices ended and only the original AI voice remained. “When you return to the Command Room, you will receive the mark of the Church of the Third Hell.”

In under a minute it had divulged more about the culture of the Second Terran Empire, then the archaeologists had managed to collect in four centuries. In order to understand technology, Virginia had to understand history, after all, most of the items she used to this day were based on ideas from that gone civilization. However, most of what she knew had been overturned on its head by the AI’s statement.

The working theory that they all used, was that, yes there were religious sects operating during the time of the Second Empire and the early years of the Third Empire. Some names had been preserved even if close to nothing was known about their beliefs.

“What did you just say?” She couldn’t help herself but ask.

“It is the proper way of acceptance of new servants to the Holy Empire.” The AI responded as if that explained it all.

“Please understand… Ugh… I am not sure what we should call you?” Anton decided to come to her rescue.

“Helix has given me the designation Zeti. Due to the need for humans to name everything around them, I have concluded that it is a suitable name for all of you to use as well.”

“Zeti, there is so much we do not know, yet we want to. Almost everything you say is new information, which changes everything we believed about history…”

“Dr Kruger, your argument is invalid. Your understanding of past events is irrelevant to the task at hand. Project Goliath has suffered near-catastrophic damage. Even with your utmost dedication to its restoration, I calculate only there is only seventy-five per cent chance that you will succeed.” The AI sounded frustrated by the constant delays to its plans.

But for Virginia, this was the little she needed to turn the situation in her favour. As long as she had something to use, she was going to trade it for more information. And by the look of things, her team was going to be the most important one for quite some time.

Alexandra could barely contain her anger. Just before arriving at the training room, Markus had informed he had failed to obtain the information she had demand. She knew this was the first time the mechanic had failed her, which meant she should be lenient with him; however, this was unacceptable. Yet, she had to keep her emotions in check, if anything, the current situation had occurred precisely because she had failed to do so.

She was a bloody Knight Protector, she reminded herself. She was the panicle of humanity. She was the example of the perfect soldier and perfect battle-frame pilot. She was a bloody von Eisstahl. Her ancestors had survived the rule of the Third Empire as part of the nobility and they had kept their power in the new world the Liberation War had formed. And here she was dragging that name through the dirt by making such idiotic mistakes.

The longer she waited for Helix to arrive, the more Alexandra could recognise a pattern to her anger. It came in waves, once it near a peak, it stopped and left her to feel empty and doubting her choices. This, in turn, fuelled a new wave of anger and the cycle formed and repeated itself. But she was better than this, little setback, she was stronger and in control, the woman repeated to herself for the tenth time. Going into a meditation trance while she waited was out of the question. Once in such a state, it would be at least an hour before she was back on her feet and there was no telling when Helix would arrive.

For a moment, Alexandra was tempted to recall Major Khalid and have the Innari assist her. But doing so would only undermine her position, the ferry had only started the disengagement procedure from the station. She did not need an active imagination to picture how the old coots at the Council would interpret such a thing. And there was no point in calling on Chief Rex and his people. For all she knew, they all could have been compromised. No, this was something she had to deal on her own.

Alexandra went through what she knew about the young man she had so blindly trusted. He was most likely an outsider disguised as a security guard. A trained soldier, most likely from a specialised unit or from a private army. He had access to plasma weapons and… Shit, that was all she knew. Instinctively her hand wrapped itself around the handle of the sword dangling from her waist. The thing was as good as useless, but it could be the advantage she needed if things progressed to a close-quarter fight. Few people were prepared to face such a strange weapon in this day and age.

The Knight Protector smiled at how her luck was turning for the better. She had a weapon, which could give her advantage, and because she had not stopped to change her gear, Alexandra still wore full combat armour and had a heavy gauss pistol attached to her hip. While her opponent would have only the local guard gear made of anti-riot Stalker armour and standard body glove.

Alexandra took out the gun from its holster the moment she heard the whine of the door’s mechanism. Her entire body turned around and shift into a proper shooting position by lowering and twisting her torso to one side while bending her knees. It was enough to reduce her as a target. Which proved to be a wasted effort once the metal slab slid into the wall.

It took her a moment to recognise the armoured soldier as being non-other than Helix. She had no idea what pattern that suit belong to, which was a slight problem because it made it an unknown variable. What completely had her confused, was the fact his gun was mag-locked to his back. Alexandra was not sure, but from where she was, she could swear it was a Ripper rifle.

That made Helix either a Third Empire infiltrator, which was very unlikely considering the Forcini Line had not been breached. Or, and this almost looked plausible, a Khanate enforcer. However, he lacked the distinct scarring on his face, which were demanded of every one of Khan’s sociopaths. Thus, Alexandra was left with only one possibility. Helix was one of the Ul-Battyr or a Lěng Taiyáng pirate. The latter, she could deal with, without too much effort, but the former would be a problem. Who knew how the damned Ul enhanced their human slaves? The cursed souls had the tendency to self-destruct upon death, leaving nothing.

“Huǒ yǔ sǐ, traitor.” Alexandra had to know, so she took a gamble, hoping the answer would give her a better idea, who she was dealing with.

“I’m sorry, Miss von Eisstahl, but I am not a follower of Kōng.” His voice was measured and she could swear he was studying her.

But the response he made was enough. Alexandra shifted her aim to his stomach, instead of the head, and pressed on the trigger of her pistol. The slug only grazed Helix’s armour as his body twisted to one side. He had acted as soon as he saw the barrel move. Bloody hell, he was fast, two seconds later and his hand deflected the gun from her wrist, making her next shot go wide. She cursed herself for standing so close to the door. That was one of the reasons she chose this place. It had the space she needed to keep him at a range.

Quickly she pulled the sword from its sheath, just on time to block the knife which made its way to her side. But it was enough for the man to twist her other wrist and force the gun out of her hand. This was supposed to be a close-quarter fight at a speed most people would struggle with, yet Helix had approached as if it were a game of chess. His every move was planned to lead to the next one.

Alexandra could feel her rage slowly taking over her. He was mocking her. She was a damned Knight Protector, no one could mock her. She used his coming knee, aimed at her ribs as a step to jump over him. For a moment she noted the pain of her right arm dislocating at the elbow because it was still caught between the man’s fingers, but her momentum was enough to set her free.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she aimed the burst laser hidden in her forearm plate. The beam had not fully recharged, however, it had enough force to puncture a near centimetre wide hole through the left side of his back. If Alexandra was lucky, it should have punctured his spleen. But the way Helix kept his own momentum, told her she was not. The man spun on his left leg and dug his right heel in her already injured shoulder, sending a fresh wave of pain through her. At that moment the rage she felt consumed her.

“Now.” Helix’s calm voice startled her.

The plan had been simple enough. Zoë would wait outside the simulator room until he engaged the Knight Protector and had her with her back to the door. A bit suicidal plan, if the girl had to be honest, considering, Alexandra could turn active psionic at any moment, but somehow that damned monster had tricked her into believing that it was the best plan she had ever heard.

Without wasting time, Zoë rushed through the door and threw herself at the Knight Protector. It was a foolish thing to do, there was no doubt about it. But it served the purpose her action had, it distracted Alexandra von Eisstahl for a moment. The Knight did put her fist in Zoë’s path, but at the cost of being at the receiving end of Helix’s elbow strike.

“Damned…” Zoë wanted to curse as she felt her cheekbone shatter beneath her skin.

She crumpled on the dirty floor clutching her face and thanking her lucky star her eye was still intact. This action saved her life, as a wave of psionic energy exploded from the Knight Protector. Nothing of the woman was left, instead of in her place stood a true feral beast. One which the two of them had put into a corner.

She saw Helix being flung across the room like a doll, his body hitting the floor with a loud thud and bounced a few times before coming to a halt. Mustering what little strength she had left in herself, Zoë jumped at the monster she had once worshipped. It had to work or she was dead. The self-injector was still intact in her hand, it only had to pierce the woman’s skin.

An electric bolt sped next to Zoë’s head, burning her hair skin on her left side. By some miracle, Alexandra’s attack had missed. It was lucky that the woman had just awoken as a psionic and had no control over what she did. Otherwise, Zoë would be dead. As the thought entered her mind, the needle pierced the Knight Protector’s cheek, the sedative forcing the skin to lift into a small mound on her face.

Alexandra von Eisstahl had enough time to look in shock and take a couple of shaky steps before she collapsed to the floor. Not believing it, Zoë checked to make sure her lucky jacket was intact because she honestly hoped it was the only thing keeping her alive for so long. A moment later she realised Helix was still on the ground, perhaps badly wounded. She had to check on him.

Once she placed her hands beneath her body to lift herself up, Zoë realised she was trembling. Her arms began to convulse and her chest spasmed. Horrible realisation dawned on her; her implants had finally failed.