Chapter 18: The Holy Trinity

The makeshift drill pierced into the open cavern. It fell from the ceiling downwards into the giant pool of liquid underneath. Gin held on tight with his eyes shut as tight as possible. About two seconds later, the drill hit the surface of the pool. *Sploosh* A loud splash followed by a rush of water blasted onto Gin’s body. He quickly let go of the drill as it sank deeper into the darkness. His body was buoyant and floated on the surface as he slowly opened his eyes.

The glittering ceiling of the cavern was like the night sky. Pitch black with sparkling dots as the light from the drill hole reflected off the surface of the water back upwards. The lake was large, Gin couldn’t even see the edge, not that he could anyway, it was too dark. Suddenly, the hole clogged up as it collapsed. The light shut off leaving Gin in complete darkness. This wasn’t regular darkness; this was cave darkness. A whole new level of sensory deprivation washed over Gin. At least with the hole blocked, the gas won’t be leaking in so soon.

As Gin stopped panicking, he slowly began to get used to the darkness. He couldn’t see, but he could hear drops of water dripping from the stalactites on the ceiling down into the lake.

“You're mostly OK. A lot of bruising but thankfully no broken limbs.”

Zin gave a status report.

Gin nodded. The pain settled in after the adrenaline calmed down. His arms felt like they were on fire. His legs felt broken and battered. Gin felt like he was dying, but at least he lived.

“How do we get out?”

“From the initial scan, this lake leads outwards through a massive underground river. You might need to do some swimming. Not right now though, you need to rest and recover.”

Gin nodded as he felt the cold water around him.

“You should move to land quick. Your body temperature is dropping rapidly.”

Gin suddenly sighed as he moved his battered body.

“Head to your left, there’s a rock jutting out of the wall that can provide you some relief.”

Gin floated along until Zin told him to stop. They had to rely solely on Zin’s scanners to navigate.

“Throw a rope above you.”

Gin reached for a rope on his waist and tossed up. It circled a few times around the rock and landed back down in the water.

“Hoist yourself up.”

Gin sighed as he attempted to climb the rope. The searing pain was unbearable, and his mind nearly shut down. By the time Gin finally crawled onto the rock, he passed out immediately.

Zin took over and sat up.

“Time for some diagnostics.”

A more thorough scan was performed.

“Some fractures, muscle damage, and bruising. No internal bleeding or life-threatening issues. Rest is recommended.”

The fractures would take time to heal. Best thing to do now is to wait in the cave and recover.

As the water dried up, Gin started to feel warmer. His suit was waterproof anyways.

Complete and utter darkness along with the lack of sound was eerie, but it helped Gin get the best sleep he ever had. When he woke up, he completely lost track of the time. There was no indicator for day or night, nor the passage of time.

“You’ve been out for about 5 hours.”

Gin coughed a few times as his body felt stiff.

“Don’t move. Your body needs to heal.”

A straw poked into his mouth and provided a quick drink of water with electrolytes.

His head was aching with a dull throb. Gin eventually gave up and went back to sleep.

______

Rakia had hurried back to her shop. She changed her outfit immediately. A rough-looking pair of denim jeans, a comfy and breathable t-shirt, a denim jacket. It looked as if she was going out for a nice stroll.

She packed everything she owned into a large backpack that was larger than an adult male. It was heavy beyond belief. It wasn’t something a human can lift unassisted. The teenage looking girl strapped on several metal frames to her arms, legs, and back. *Buzz* The frames vibrated with power as she turned it on. It was an exoskeleton suit.

With the support of the suit, Rakia lifted the backpack and strapped it to her back.

“Let’s go Mead.”

“Roger that.”

Rakia took one last look at her little shop. It had been her temporary home, a refuge, for the past two decades. But she was finally finished and could move on now.

With a sigh, Rakia left the building. As she exited the door, she pushed a button hidden in her jacket. The shop made a hissing sound before it all caught on fire.

“Goodbye, crappy Area 58.”

Rakia laughed with glee. She was temporarily off the grid as she purged herself of anything related to the Company. With the limited time she had, Rakia must leave the borders of the enormous city.

She avoided the shuttle terminal and walked down to Area 59. The pathway leading out into the wilderness was blocked by a line of resource gathering drones. Thankfully, due to some bribery, Rakia managed to sneak onto one of them.

As it left the inner walls of the city, Rakia activated a protection bubble. It was oddly similar to the one Gordon was using, but there was no one around to make the comment.

The drone finally reached its destination of a ruined city outskirt that was two hundred kilometers away from the company. Rakia got off sneakily and pushed another button in her pocket. A beacon was sent out and began broadcasting her location. It was encrypted to ensure only the right people will hear it.

Soon, a strange spherical machine flew down from the heavens and landed near her.

“Got your message, Agent 901.”

“Bring me home.”

“Got it!”

Rakia entered the flying sphere and relaxed. She was finally done with her mission. Twenty years ago, she was sent on a corporate espionage mission. It was supposed to only last a few months, but she lost contact with her team. Countless years of pretending and struggles eventually led to her reestablishing communications. Rakia was obviously worried. What had changed in the years she was gone? She had no family to worry about thankfully. But what would her home look like now?

When the Earth was on the brink of destruction, the Company wasn’t the only group who scavenged together a pocket of livable space. After all, they were only on one continent. Nearly every major continent had a pocket of survivors.

The Company in the Americas, the Nomads in Africa, the Royal parliament in Europe, and lastly the Dynasty in Asia. Smaller regions and regions where a lot of dangerous animals had already become wastelands or hellholes unsuitable for human living.

Poor Australia was obliterated by the mutant creatures. Rakia was a spy sent by the Royal parliament. A few years back, when she was just a humble knight, her superior gave her a mission. No one expected that mission to become a twenty-year-long ordeal.

As the spherical orb flew past all the devastation and desolation, it arrived at the crisp blue Atlantic Ocean. Rakia looked outside at the glittering waves of the water. It was as stunning as she remembered.

“It has been over twenty years…”

She sighed.

Hours later, a brilliant kingdom the spanned across nearly a quarter of Europe appeared before her eyes.

The kingdom of the Royal parliament. One of the final bastions of humanity.

The spherical drone landed safely in a designated field. Several uniformed officers approached the drone with caution.

A mustached man walked up with a cane in his hands.

The others all bowed when he walked past.

Rakia walked out of the drone and met face to face with the man.

“Count Gavin, it is good to see you again.”

“Agent 901, it has been such a long time.”

“Indeed, it has sir.”

Rakia did a bow.

“Come on now. Since you have been gone, the parliament had raised your noble ranking to be equal of mine now. There is no need for such humbleness anymore.”

Rakia was shocked but smiled faintly.

The mustached man smiled as well.

“Welcome home, Countess Rakia.”

______

Vodka fiddled with his knife as he waited in the room. Soon, June appeared with a suitcase in hand.

“Vodka, the director has asked me to prepare a mission for you.”

Vodka stared blankly at June.

“Our security surveillance has detected two deserters. Your mission is to capture them and bring them back in one piece. If that is impossible to do, dispose of them.”

Vodka nodded.

June opened up the suitcase to reveal two files.

“First one, name Rakia, AI name Mead. Deserted yesterday at 0900 hours. She sneaked away through a known secret channel. Employees were bribed along the way. They have been disciplined accordingly. You must hunt her down. She shouldn’t have escaped far on foot.”

June read the file. Little did he know that Rakia had the backing of an entire country.

“The second one, name Gin, AI name Zinfandel. A reserved hanger in Area 13 was left to him by his fallen superior. We have information to believe the items within the hanger are stolen goods. As he hasn’t reported to corporate in the last three days, we assume he is currently on the run. Due to company policy, we cannot open the hanger without him present. We have to either capture him alive or have proof that he was deceased.”

Vodka nodded again.

“You will be provided all the necessary tools of a reaper, including a specialized hunting AI.”

June brought out a small chip. He handed it to Vodka. The boy looked at the chip in his hand and sniffed it. Finally, he slotted it in the space behind his ears. A nearly invisible headband appeared as a slot opened up. The chip slotted in perfectly.

“AI, booting up, initializing…”

“Reaper AI load complete. Personality module disabled.”

A floating skull appeared in Vodka’s peripheral vision.

“Hello, Reaper Vodka. I will be your assistant AI for hunting.”

It said in a monotonous voice. Vodka nodded silently in approval.

June sighed. Now that things were done, he wanted to get away from the creepy kid immediately.

“Good luck, Reaper Vodka.”

______

Gin woke up to the sound of dripping water. It echoed throughout the cavern.

“How long have I been out?”

“Couple of hours. I have done a thorough scan of the place. I was right about the river leading outwards. However, it might be a bit dangerous as the current is moving at high speeds.”

“We still have to try it. My stomach hurts from the lack of food.”

“Fine, can you move your arms?”

Gin lifted his arms with a bit of difficulty.

“It’s sore but I can make do.”

“Good, turn around 117 degrees and jump into the water. Swim straight down until you see a hole. I will turn on the bubble helmet flashlight. But once you enter the tunnel, I have to turn it off to conserve power.”

Gin nodded as he mentally prepared himself.

He turned around and slipped into the cold water. It sent shivers down his spine. He dived down as the light on his helmet turned on. He saw just how deep the lake was in the abyss of the cave. It gave him a sense of Thalassophobia.

Kicking as hard as he could, he swam downwards towards the floor of the lake. Soon, he saw a small hole, just big enough to swim through.

He tensed up as he swam into it. The flashlight turned off as the current picked him up. It tumbled him around like a washing machine. But gradually, Gin was brought further towards the surface.

“If I survive this with no broken bones, it would be a god damn miracle.”

Gin screamed as he spun around. Several times, the current slammed him into the walls of the tunnel. Turns were especially painful. Thankfully, his helmet remained intact and thus he had enough air to survive the journey.

After what felt like an eternity of suffering, Gin saw the light up ahead. It represented hope.

The current slowly became weaker as Gin regained control of his body. He swam towards the light and eventually broke the surface of the water.

Gin looked around. He was in the middle of nowhere in a random lake. Off in the far distance, he could see the towering city of the Corporation.

“We have to move. Drones may scan this area at any minute.”

Zin said.

Gin sighed as he moved his battered body.

“Where do we go now?”

“The only place safe for us, the headquarters of the resistance.”

______

Rakia knelt with her head down. The Queen placed the sword on her should and granted her the noble rank she wanted.

She was now a countess. Wearing a deep purple suit with a black tie, Rakia was dressed sharp. She slowly stood up as the Queen sat back down on her throne.

“Countess Rakia, as monarch and ruler of the European parliament, I grant you the usage of the battleship Kaiser 6.”

Rakia bowed her head.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Duke Grey will show you the way.”

An older gentleman stood up from his chair. He looked like he was in his 60s, grey hair, grey beard, a pair of reading glasses.

“Countess Rakia, if you would follow me after the parliamentary meeting.”

Rakia nodded as she sat down at her assigned seat.

“The monthly parliamentary meeting will now begin.”

“Reporting last month’s food production, we have seen a rise in 15% due to emerging technologies.”

One of the noblemen in charge of agriculture belted out.

“With the information Countess Rakia recovered, we predict another 50% increase in yields in the following growth year.”

The parliament nodded in agreement as the noise became louder.

“Silence.”

The Queen spoke.

The room quieted down.

“Continue.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The nobleman adjusted the papers in front of him.

“To put in to place such an increase, we need funding. The fertilizer and drones need to be made as soon as possible if we wish to achieve this. All of it needs sufficient money. Our current budget is not enough.”

The Queen whispered to her attendant before giving a reply.

“Funds will be transferred from the military department to yours. But first, you must promise the drones are combat-ready as well.”

“Y-yes, your majesty.”

The nobleman lost composure when he heard that precious military funds will be spent on this endeavor.

Rakia listened carefully to the rest of the meeting, slowly taking note of what she has missed over the years.

Finally, the meeting was adjourned, and Duke Grey walked up to her.

“Come with me.”

Rakia nodded and followed the old man.

“Duke Grey was one of the highest-ranking military officers in the parliament. He must be annoyed that the agricultural department took some of his funding.”

Mead whispered to Rakia.

Rakia didn’t react but agreed in silence.

Slowly, the reached the hanger of battleship Kaiser 6.

It was a medium-sized vessel equipped with two enormous wings that looked like two flexing arms. It was bulky and looked slow, but the military reassured that it was a powerful ship.

“This ship will be under your ownership by the command of the Queen.”

Duke Grey said with pride.

“Accept it well, Countess Rakia. Praise her majesty.”

“Praise her majesty.”

Rakia slowly inspected the ship.

It was olive green in color, a shabby paint job for sure. But at least it provided some camouflage in forested regions. The thick arm-like wings must be used for something. Rakia entered into the cockpit. It was small and cramped for such a bulky ship. There was at most, space for two people. Overall, the ship looked crude and wasn’t efficient in design at all. Rakia couldn’t help but wonder if they were dumping the ship on her.

Finally, she plugged Mead into the main control hub.

“Initial scans, processing…”

Rakia sat down at the pilot chair.

“At least the leather chair is very comfy.”

She sighed.

Mead suddenly stopped.

“Rakia, you need to see this.”

A single file labeled ‘The Holy Trinity’. Was brought up.

“This file was hidden deep within the ship’s data storage. I wouldn’t have been able to access it without some tools we stole from the corporation.”

Rakia opened up the holographic file.

Three images popped up. The middle one she recognized immediately. It was the Kaiser 6, although it looked kind of different from what it was now. It was obvious that it had suffered some modifications and a paint job ever since it landed in the hands of the parliament.

The first and third image was of different ships as well. If Gin had been next to her, he would recognize that the image was of his ship ‘The Bolsheviks’. The 3rd ship looked stalky, like a road vehicle instead of an aircraft.

With a flashing light, the images merged. The ships began morphing and slowly it combined into one.

A single enormous mech stood still in the image. Its glorious image towered over the backdrop. Rakia stared in wonder.

“A mech…So the Kaiser 6 is a part of a mech. That explains what it looks so inefficient by itself.”

Mead confirmed as well.

“The parliament military must not have known this. They couldn’t access this file without Corporate data.”

Rakia frowned.

“Someone disguised this ship as an ugly piece of junk on purpose. Whoever the modifier was, knew about its secrets.”

“We should find them to ask what they know about this mech.”

Rakia browsed through the file until she finally saw a name.

“Necrobyte.”

The name of the mech was Necrobyte.