“Holy Shit,” Stryme called out. “That’s fucking ingenious!”

“I thought the same when I came to.”

“Why do I feel like you guys are relieved?” The chief asked.

“This is good news if they blow up the entrance. It means one thing or two things.”

“Two things?”

“Yeah, they either have another way to get out or they plan to wait for the reinforcement team to arrive.”

“Which one do you think it is?”

“Gean, I don’t want to think of that right now. We have too much shit to worry about. Let’s focus on protecting ourselves before the reinforcements come, let my man get inside the bunker.” Eltessa said.

Gean, the chief nodded, but disappointment was written across his face. I could tell he didn’t trust Eltessa. I wouldn’t either, but the mere fact she put the people together to fight off the Doasians, at least earned her a little leeway.

He then sucked his teeth, slamming his hand into the table behind him, cracking it. Then, he shook his head and began pacing around the room, hoping to find some form of semblance of peace. Kudos to him for even trying, I mused.

“How long can we hold out against the Doasians?” I asked.

“We’re running low on ammunition and morale,” Eltessa said. “Ranton left us enough food and bullets to survive till his reinforcements come.”

“The man sounds like a genius. How come I’ve never heard of him before?” I asked.

“He did his four years, then went straight into the private sector.”

“Mr Black could’ve told me this.”

“I only found this out recently Cypher, so this is new intel.”

“I see.”

“You have any more ideas on how to get into the Bunker.” She said sternly.

“Not yet, but I’ll find something.”

“You better Cypher, or you know what’ll happen!” Stryme snapped.

Eltessa yanked the knife from her boot, flicking it toward Stryme. The knife shot right to pass his left ear, forcing him to fall on his ass with a loud boom.

He scrambled up, pulling the knife free from the wall and spun towards Eltessa. The woman flicked both her wrist, dodging Stryme’s attack. Two more knives shot right at Stryme who barely saw them. The knives shot past both his ears forcing him to stop midstep. It was as if he realised she could’ve killed him. “We’re on a mission. Keep your childish shit together. We need Cypher’s head in the game. Threats aren’t helping here.”

“Fuck this mission and fuck you!”

Stryme dropped Eltessa’s knife, and it hit the ground with a ping. He pursed his lips and knitted his brows as he stormed his way out of the room, leaving Gean, Eltessa and me alone. At least we’d get some peace, I thought.

“What the fuck is his deal?” I asked.

“I don’t fucking know.” Eltessa hissed. “But I’m gonna fix it before he gets us killed. Gean, I’m, sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s fine, my son has a temper of his own, so I’m used to such tantrums.”

“Growing up in the Carib Plains would make anyone have a tantrum,” I said softly.

“Growing up? My son’s Six. He doesn’t know shit about living!”

“Your son’s six?

“Yes...” He said squinting, confused. “How old did you think he was, twenty?”

Eltessa snorted a laugh showing her teeth in their entirety. She then shook her head as she eyed me. My lips curled into a smile, and then I laughed too.

Gean unhooked his lips, which were as wide as a lizard’s maw, something I found funny because his mouth looked as though it was permanently stitched together. A set of crooked teeth flashed in front of me and then a loud titanic laugh that bellowed throughout the room left my eardrums asking for silence.

Comparing Stryme to a six-year-old with a pissant tantrum was indeed funny and it made me feel good a little bit. For now, it did I thought.

Once the laughter dissipated, I turned right eyeing Eltessa, concern was painted across her eyes. She was worried and she should be. Nothing had gone according to plan and for once, I was confident to think it wasn’t my fault.

All I had to do, was infiltrate Sceleratus find the Hedgehog, and then leave. If Lieutenant Ranton hadn’t died, it certainly would’ve been easier to get into the bunker.

I just needed to swipe someone’s biometric data and it was as easy as that, but based on what Eltessa told me, no corpses of Ranton’s men were left meaning I'd have to find another way into the bunker. “I'll get inside the bunker,” I said firmly.

“You better...or we’re all dead.”

Eltessa strolled past me not looking at me as if to send a message. I got it, ‘keep my word or prepare for your family to get hurt. Black hadn’t threatened them, but if got wind that I purposefully fucked up his operation, my wife and daughter would be on the casualty list, and that's just not something I’d allow to happen, ever.

I pushed myself up from the chair, nodding to Gean, turned and left, leaving him to his machinations. Hopefully, one, which didn’t consist of a six-year-old ready to throw tantrums.

◆◆◆

It took me fifteen minutes to reach the Mess Hall in which my room was located. As I walked through the abandoned base watching people point and gawk at me as though I was an alien.

I probably was in all honesty, but at least my blood was red.

Children scampered away when they saw me approaching. I’d run from me too I mused bitterly. “Half man…half cybernetic,” I said softly.

Painful memories came alive in an instant. Memories I thought I had long forgotten. When Hannah was born she’d always cry in my hands because of my eye. It was metallic in makeup and lacked the natural aesthetic cloned flesh provided for the left side of my voice. “Just imagine…living a life when she cried even more from the looks of me,” I said.

I hated those memories, they weren’t far nor were the few. A mere seven years ago. Now, that left me sour, with a dose of Hannah begging me not to leave. “I hate you…I hate you.” She told me.

My mind heard the words, sifting through my ears into my mind. I closed my eyes, stopping trying to force the words out, but the words only grew louder as if she spoke through a microphone. “This. Is. The. Last. Time.” I said, balling my hands into a fist. “Never again!”

I made my way to the Mess Hall and strolled inside. The Mess Hall was busier than I had anticipated. I mean, there was a line outside, but I ignored it.

All the tables and chairs were filled with people. Parents fed their children, whilst couples sat together, in the left corner a group of pregnant women had commandeered it. Paternity section, I thought. “I guess regardless of culture, women will always stick together.”

To the far right, was a group of old people who looked like they were struggling with their soups. Their eyes looked as though they’d seen hell more, which wasn’t helped by the wrinkles that sat between their eyes.

An old woman turned to me and nodded, showing a toothless smile. I smiled back, nodding gently and continued on my way.

The people within the Mess Hall ignored me, unlike the villagers on the outside. In here food was paramount, and I was glad for that at least.

I walked past the line, squeezing in between two people and stormed my way past the serving table. A few servers were ignored but not all, one even sucked their teeth when I passed, whispering something under their breath. “Asshole,” I said aloud, not caring enough then pushed the door leading to the kitchen.

The kitchen staff stopped the moment they saw me and eyed me. I eyed them back, walked around the island and bypassed them not saying a word.

Once I exited the kitchen, pots, pans, knives and plates began singing through the door as they continued their work, ensuring the base would be fed.

The corridor to my room was cold as ever, but my side still aching in pain. I was tempted to lift my shirt to let it feel the cold vapour. At least it’d help with the swelling.

I reached the white rusted trailer that sat in the middle of the corridor that did absolutely nothing, feeling as though it was placed there for no apparent reason. Or reasons I didn’t know of, I thought.

The intermittently blinking lights of red, yellow and white splashed across the ground at the end of the trailer. I stepped over the light’s reflection, then turned right, eyeing the console.

The lights all turned white and began blinking in a sequence that, yet again, seemed to be Morse again. I was about to ignore it, but the lights sped up, spelling out something I’d read before, but back in Bridge City.

Nebula is Watching…

My SMB clutched my brain so tight that everything around me began to haze within my peripheral vision. I closed my eyes and opened them back, only for my left to go dead with a white line pulsing into existence.

My Cybernetic arm froze, leaving my spine to send waves of electricity down my back as it applied pressure from the poor angle I took whilst making a step. “You’ve got to be SHITTING ME!” I howled in frustration. “Why now? Why mother-fucking now?!”

It’d been months since my last cyber blackout. MONTHS. So why the fuck did it happen now? I stood there staring at the dull lights for a few seconds, which eventually turned into a full minute.

The urge to cry out for help was there, but if Eltessa or Stryme find out my cybernetics were on the glitch it wouldn’t give them much confidence to finish the mission, especially with the forced deadlined that had been invoked with Ranton’s death.

A red dot into existence in my left eye. My SMB released my brain, which was the complete opposite of what took place whenever my cybernetics were reactivated.

The red dot exploded, fading into existence and my vision slowly returned. I anticipated my SMB to clutch my brain from the feedback but it didn’t, and that made me smile at least.

The vector lines of my cybernetic eye began coming into view, but a lot sleeker and thinner. It was as if they were optimized. I blinked, thinking that would help, and of course, it didn’t.

Embedded Engrizier Tracker Disabled.

Embedded Ecin-Battery Tracker Disabled.

Would you like to permanently disable them? If so click Yes if not click No

“What the fuck?” I huffed, confused. “What the fuck do you mean the trackers have been disabled?”

Of course, no one answered, but I still hoped someone would. Without a thought, despite believing it to be a back I still clicked yes.

My cybernetic unfroze in an instant. I looked it up and down and scanned the entire area for some type of antennae.

Embedded Engrizier Tracker Temporarily Disabled.

Embedded Ecin-Battery Tracker Temporarily disabled.

To permanent disconnect attach Usin Cable to Console.

“Say what now?” I said, Eyes drifting up to the console attached to the trailer. My legs moved before I realised, as my curiosity got the better of me.

I unclipped my cybernetic arm, unrolled the Usin cable within and slid the jack into the console’s interface. The message Engrizier and Ecin-Battery message disappeared with another message replacing it.

My mouth gaped open without my consent as I read the words phrase five times before my mind processed the information correctly.

Would you like to initialise Neural Operating Valency Artificial Assistant?

Yes or No

Yes

My SMB tingled my brain for a second a voice I hadn’t heard in so long spoke through the microphone within my artificial ear. “Hello Sir, It’s been a while.”

“Nova?”