《Splintered Worlds》Chapter 14: Ripples II
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The retina scan shot a wave of green light into Lucas's left eye.
He flinched, as he always did, but pressed the nail of his index finger deep into his thumb. The slight pain that swelled usually helped relax him through mild distraction.
And he needed to relax. The scanner wasn't just identifying him. It was measuring his pupil dilation. Looking for signs of excitement or anxiety.
But Lucas was nothing if not professional. The light faded and the doors hissed open.
Storage unit 2359 was unremarkable. Just like any of the other of the vast mega-structures in the city.
City. Lucas thought that was too kind of a word for what this place had become. City spoke of people and vehicles and noise. Of life.
Here, everyone might as well have been dead.
Like all the storage units, it was run automatically. By droids, mainly. Robots built for specific purposes: cleaning, transportation, maintenance, repairs. Most droids were small and unobtrusive, but some were eerie facsimiles of humans, just without the skin. As if it had been peeled back to reveal that humanity was just a metal creation all along.
There were still repairs beyond droids though, thankfully. And that had given Lucas his way in.
He stepped in the lift and pressed for the 24th floor. It lurched up violently and, a second later, stopped at least as jarringly. These lifts weren't meant for humans and they always caused Lucas a few moments of mild nausea after usage.
The light was soft purple in the corridor. Helped the droids' visual sensors operate at maximum capacity, so he'd been told. The corridor itself was metal. Cold chrome. No need for pretty wallpaper or cheerful paint here.
Lucas had needed to disconnect his boss before he'd entered the building. Any illegal communication in or out if the storage unit would be pounced upon. No way to send signals to his target undetected, from outside of it.
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Inside though, that was a little easier.
He turned into a second corridor and counted the rooms until he found it.
A second retina scan. He dug his nail deeper into his thumb until a splash of blood dropped onto the chrome floor. The door opened and he walked in.
Lucas called them coffins. The hundreds of glass tubes that stood in eight long rows across the huge room. Each tube contained a naked body floating upright in gel, dozens of tiny wires running from their heads and spines into the frosted top of their unit.
Two of the coffins that he passed were empty. He guessed the virus was doing its job. Not that killing was its primary purpose.
Finally, he found her.
The repairs he was meant to make -- a connection to a neighboring coffin that he'd rigged to break, on his previous visit -- should only take a few minutes for him to carry out. And his time would be monitored closely. He would have to fix the problem and speak to her within the time.
Lucas needed to jog her memory or he wasn't going to get paid. More than that, his boss wouldn't be happy with him. And that meant trouble. As it was, Lucas was already shouldering the blame for her memory loss. His boss saw it firmly as his responsibility to get sorted.
Lucas slid the bag off his back and set to work.
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Life of a Villain
Our lives are based on lies. Historically, heroes were supposed to be the role models we looked up to, but were they? Some of them steal other people's fiancées, murder people to make a point, and so on. If these are the heroes, then who was the villain? Does being killed by a hero make someone a villain? Has anyone had the experience of living the life of a villain? Were they truly the villains we were led to believe they were? --------------------------------- Follow Andy's journey as he is transmigrated to the world of Cultivation. It was the same world he had read before being transmigrated.Furthermore, he discovered himself in the body of Lu An, the first villain, who was killed by the main character of the book. Image Source: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/ARvRowAG7vHGdKNLTkxiJYLui3lx-dzTzeITNFVhXA-XA46gUs4Z1S8/
8 126ASTRAL: Awakening of the Saffron Sky-Tamer
In a universe governed by powerful magic, people are divided into two overarching groups: the 'illuminated' wielders capable of harnessing arcane energies, and those without abilities known as the 'lightless'. With hopes of altering her station in life through the use of magical artifacts, a young lightless named Auriel broke into a derelict temple, inadvertently unleashing a plethora of dark creatures sealed within that subsequently wreaked havoc on the realm. As punishment for her actions, she received a magical brand and was banished to a distant village. When her new home comes under attack by vicious monsters, Auriel is approached by a mysterious organization willing to undo her brand and provide her with what she seeks, but for a peculiar price. ~Notes~ -First novel/story posted by me, so will be experimenting with it quite a bit. Writing this as a light novel, but will consider going further. -Primarily hard fantasy, with occasional sci-fi elements mixed in. -Planned weekly releases (though I still work full time so hey, the schedule might be a bit irregular). -A shift in scenes is signaled by the symbol ~X~ Please leave any constructive feedback, I'd love to make this story the best version of itself!
8 102Metal Lich isekai to another world
Metal Lich or as his teammates renamed him: Kenishi Well, he was tricked and trapped in the World of Misleplick a God from another world. But for things of destiny Misleplick was convinced by his wife the goddess Paulina, to make Kenishi a hero in her world, thereby transferring him to her world. But for some absurd reason, on the way Metal Lich ended up, in the spiritual world the world in which they decide if you reincarnate in other world, or go to hell, where he was given the opportunity to be transported to a world of magic and swords where he must defeat the Demon King, with the help of a woman who is supposed to be a goddess.
8 116The Immortals of Pandora
Richard was a humble man from a good background that put him above majority of the people around him. He was in his thirties and married to a lovely woman that brought him joy. He had gone through difficulties and conquered them all to walk a path of success. Only success of greater proportions could be seen in his future and his child would be born in a perfect family. But, reality could be cruel mistress. Richard got into an accident and died a painful death. His death was not the end of his ordeal and Richard found himself in a new world, and with a new family. The new world was still in the medieval ages but it was not normal. Magic and monsters were normal, and people could become stronger with magical energy. Armed with the new power, Richard decided to grow strong enough to return back home to his family. Starting from a low point, Richard was put into a journey of epic proportions that required compromise and effort beyond what he had ever imagined. It was a world where immortals roamed and each path towards the top was filled with the stench of death. Mixture of Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese and Lovercraft.
8 69Draconic Transcendence: Cinders and Ashes
In the world of Aesir, there lies magic and beasts, gods and heroes. A world amongst many. In a particular era of prosperity, there lies the Apollyn Empire, a large Empire stretching across most of the western continent, and the most powerful nation in the world. It is during an age where Humanity turns away from the Gods, turning from Faith to Science. From this viewpoint, magitech exists, miraculous inventions that make life easier than before. But the world is vast, and filled with myths. Legends point to a select few individuals, who throughout history are born from magic alone, and gifted with immense power. All are destined for tragedy, however, and to wreak chaos. With power surpassing that of the Gods and Dragons, it is they who have been behind nearly all the major calamities of the world; these are beings known as "Harbingers". In the slums of Harlup, Capital of Apollyn, a young girl is found in the ashes of a burnt building, and adopted by a homeless woman searching for something of value. Raised from the ground up, and evemtually finding her way to the Gran Sars, an organization of magicians dedicated to war magic, she will rise through the ranks with her partner, and eventually discover that she too, is destined for tragedy. Her path forced by the Gods, she must fight to save the ones she loves, and at the same time face her destiny, and surpass it. Because if she does not, the world will burn, and all she knows and loves will crumble to cinders and ashes.
8 166Future untold
Nora has always bent the truth to get her way or to complete a mission, but this lie could ultimately erase Carry from existence.-Artwork custom made by me.-#1's dcuniversecaitlinsnowDcuoFlashfrost#2'sBarryAllenSnowbarry#3'sArrowverse
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