Undisclosed Location, year 456 of the Unified Alliances

My eyelids felt heavy, I couldn't open them no matter how hard I tried. I attempted to lift my arms, but they were just as unresponsive. When my legs wouldn't budge either, panic welled up inside me. I could only listen as my pulse quickened, my breathing became rough, and soon I found myself screaming internally, for it was all I could really do. My internal monologue helped calm me, remembering who I am helped cool my panicked head. I tried accessing my bio-implants, but they didn’t respond like I expected them to. Bio implants are like having a user interface for my body inside my head, they are a network that feed my brain information on my body’s state and how it interacts with the outside world.

Connecting…

The wait was horrible, .

System has been subverted or all Implants are offline.

My precious state of calm shattered, panic resumed. Ok, my onboard A.I. is still online which means that at least some of my implants are still operational; my body is still intact. Someone or something has disabled them, I am completely in their power. They could be forcing themselves onto me or cutting me apart, and in my current state I wouldn’t notice a thing!

Weighing my options, I came to realise that I am in no position to do anything but wait. Waiting to see if my captor will decide to discuss with me about my demise… well, let’s just say that you wouldn’t believe the number of times I have found myself in that kind of situation before. Unprofessional people always want to gloat about how you will “die in the most horrible way” and blah blah blah, and it is ideal for me, because they give you a free window of opportunity to escape

The biggest issue I have however, is that I can’t remember how I got here, I can’t remember how I was captured or why. The most logical conclusion would be that I had been captured for the bounty on my head, but there were countless possible other reasons too, ranging from brain damage to someone messing about in my head for their own purposes...

Intense pain suddenly jolts my body, making me try to scream out in torment. Thinking is impossible; I am in pain for what feels like an eternity but could have equally been just a few moments. Was I always this weak? That panicky mess I woke up as earlier isn’t really endearing.

As sudden as it had started my torment eased suddenly. If I could access my implants I would numb my pain receptors and be done with it. Damn, that’s… good. A wave of relief and exhaustion came over me. Tiredness slowly filled me, it wasn’t exactly relaxing and I couldn’t even resist it, darkness embraced me once more.

***

I woke up again and this time my eyes opened, intense white light seared my retinae; my eyelids instinctively slammed shut. The light passed through them; while trying to shield my eyes with my hands I realized that I still couldn’t move any of my limbs. Glancing frenetically around me, I tried to get a good picture of my surroundings. I am in a big room; a laboratory of sorts. It has some sort of chrome theme going on. Tools and machinery that are completely foreign to me are littered around the table I am strapped on. Am I to become the subject of some depraved experiment!? Turning my head a little to the left I could see the back of someone, a female humanoid with a tight white uniform that covers her whole body. Her white hair is styled in a tight bun around the back of her head. If I could move I would be glad she is facing away from me, but wherever I am has me bound tightly. Sitting in a nest of screens and keyboards her hands moved elegantly and efficiently while typing and tracing her fingers on tablets all around her. It was akin to how conductors led their orchestra in the old vids, the staccato tapping of her fingers was entrancing. The show continued for long minutes until a flash of light, brighter than the glare of the lab dazzled me.

It felt like there were millions of tiny insect under my skin, my head, everywhere!

“Finally, you are awake my little one.” I heard say.

The creepy feeling which took over my body gradually ceased, letting me focus on the voice. My eyes found the scientist of earlier facing me; it’s an older woman maybe in her thirties. But it’s hard to judge age nowadays with rejuvenation treatments becoming the norm, this woman could be eighty for all I know. Upturned golden eyes smiled at me, her heart shaped face exuded softness and a kind feeling. She was petite and adorable looking, but my job always was about getting past the first impression. Evil is often hidden by light.

“Oh what a prudent little thing, you are right to be on your guard though.” Said the tiny woman.

I don’t know how to respond to that, but I… wait is she a psionic?

“Indeed!” She answered with her soft voice.

Fuck.

“Language.” She frown her cute face.

I couldn’t believe that people like this actually existed, still caring about being civil and respectful. That’s the kind of things that doesn’t bring you anything in the rim of Cagliostro space, here only strength and influence count. Only my father or my late mother could talk to me lik…

“So Fenran told you that I was dead, the bastard.” She said, while gritting her teeth.

My captor (?) is furious and spouting obscenities which could make a seasoned space pirate blush.

Now I don’t want to explore the implication of what my captor just said… Idunn my mom is dead. Well it’s what my dad told me when he bitched about how useless I was, that I couldn’t even get into the combat form of the Saryan race. Who would want to become tall and ugly anyways? The only thing I had going for me is my strength, agility and intelligence. But that wasn’t enough for the bastard, so he kicked me out. “Useless microts” he called me when he did. The woman stopped ranting and looked at me with horror. Suddenly she came at me with a swiftness I didn’t expect, I closed my eyes. A warm hand caressed my matted hair; a troubled expression reflected on the woman’s face.

“I shouldn’t have left you with that man.”

“Ha, you don’t have to worry I settled my debt with the sperm donor. I never treated him like my father.” I said.

Indeed, I remember the day that man kicked me out and when he said to not come back; that he and the people of the Saryan clan of Saryna will consider that I have never existed. I remember smiling at that, that my already vague moral attachments to those people were being cut away. It explained what I did three years after leaving Saryna, I disseminated an agent in the atmosphere of the planet which - if it did not outright kill the colonist there, would forever deny them access to their battle form. A wicked smile appears on the woman’s (mom?) face, no trace of disgust or anger. That’s normally the reaction I receive if I reveal what I did to those rat-bastards.

“Oh, my dear. I would have done worse in your place.”

When I looked into her eyes, I see the same insanity that I see in the mirror contained within their golden depths. The same color of eyes as mine, yet fundamentally different. This person has seen a lot more of the universe than I have in my meagre 24 years. As fast as I could, I analysed the ramifications of what this woman just hinted at - that she is my mother, and by the physical features she expressed; that she is Assurian. I always knew that I was half Saryan, but I never imagined that my other half would be Assurian… I always thought that earthling blood ran in my veins and that was why I was considered weak. But it seems I hit the genetics jackpot.

The other half originate from a race of backstabbers, mad scientists, cloak and dagger types and all other sorts of bullshit. I wish I could facepalm but my arms are strapped to the goddamn lab table, oh ah and I can only just move my head. Sighing from exasperation, I once again move my eyes over to the reason I am here.

“So, when are you going to cut me free, mom?” I asked with a derisive tone.

The woman made a sad face, her adorably soft features making me almost regret speaking to her in such a sharp manner. But hey, I’m strapped to a lab table, and she’s not.

“I know you don’t believe me, I have prepared a test to show you…”

“Yes, yes. But the fact that I am a prisoner in my own body and strapped to that fu…” The lady glared at me. “Chair is not making your case, MOM.”

And whatever test she prepared might be a load of crap; did that woman think that I was born during the last meteor shower? Being a telepath the woman must have heard me; a tear ran down her face when she looked at me. Right, that shit stopped working on me when I almost got gutted by a little girl on Narson VI. Even with all the tech we have now, lives are cheap on frontier worlds.

“No need to be sarcastic, my dear. You’ll be free soon enough after I put your body on the mend.”

“What do you mean? I feel normal…”

“That’s because I cut your pain receptors, didn’t you feel the pain before?” She asked. “When I saved you from the ARES mercenary HQ, your body was mangled, your legs shattered. No, Fenicia you aren’t well at all, it will take some times for you to be whole again.” The lady put her hand on my forehead. “But don’t you worry; I will make you whole again. You’ll be better, faster and stronger! The best of what biotech can give you, you’ll have it. You’ll be able to gain your Saryan form and your Assurian gifts.” I could feel the confidence of this woman, it was present in her eyes, the way she moves, she practically exuded it.

“But first, you’ll have to sleep again. I just wanted you aware of your situation.”

And I found myself fighting against sleep yet again, but that guy Morpheus sure does pack a punch. I once again, lost consciousness.