Daemon couldn''t shake the sense of dread and hopelessness he felt while in the presence of the Tyrant''s core. The low, sinking feeling lingered as he followed Selene and Kade around their hideout.
"Who were you back in the real world?" Daemon asked Selene and Kade.
Selene looked over at Daemon briefly before snapping back forward, focused on the path ahead.
"I worked for the cyber espionage division of Valeria''s Global Intelligence," she said.
She side-eyed Kade with a smirk.
"Kade''s never told me about his job, but I suspect he was busking around drive-thrus."
Kade muttered curses under his breath.
"I was a risk assessment consultant. My clients had concerns about AI-driven vulnerabilities,” Kade said. “It seems their concerns were credible.“
"What about you?" Selene asked, looking Daemon up and down.
"I worked for the Valerian Defense Department,” he said. “I was a strategist.“
Selene swept her head across the horizon in one, swift motion.
"Not a very good one,” she said.
Daemon frowned.
"Where was VGI when this shit was going down?“ he asked.
"We were trying to stop it,” Selene said.
“And I suck at my job?“ Daemon asked, laughing. “How did you find me?“
“We track and grab everyone who logs in, if we can,” Kade said. “You’ve got a lot to catch up on."
Daemon could see a towering structure in the distance.
It appeared to have cables running up it like arteries. Inside of the cabling, lights ran up and down in steady streams.
"What is that?" Daemon asked.
"It''s a data hub," Selene said.
Daemon looked at her with a smirk.
"I know what you''re thinking. It''s a bad idea,” Selene said.
"No. It''s a great idea," Daemon replied.
He began making his way to the hub while Selene and Kade followed, carefully monitoring their surroundings.
"How have you been able to stay hidden?" Daemon asked.
"We had to stay on the move for a while, but whatever the Tyrant is doing outside of the Nexus has kept him too occupied to focus on us," Kade said.
His eyes wandered around the construct.
"You''d think it would be omnipresent, but that doesn''t seem to be the case."
Selene nodded.
“We believe the Nexus is reaching its maximum processing capacity,” she said. “Whatever’s happening in the real world is demanding enough of its attention to leave gaps in here. That’s why we’ve been able to operate under the radar.”
They approached the data hub. The glowing cables were illuminating the area around it. The surface of the polygonal structure slowly cycled between shapes and colors.
Daemon stopped a few feet away from the base of it, studying its design. It was alien, yet familiar.
“What exactly do you plan to do?” Selene asked.
“These cables? They probably carry information directly to the Tyrant’s core. If we can hijack it—”
“We could send false diagnostics data,” Kade finished. “Maybe even disrupt its algorithms.”
“Exactly,” Daemon said. “A structure like this might also give us a backdoor into the Nexus framework—a chance to find its weak points.”
Selene crossed her arms.
“That’s assuming we don’t trigger every defensive protocol it has. It''s risky, Daemon,” she said.
“Resistance is a gamble,” he snapped. “This could turn the tables.”
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As the group moved closer, they could hear virtual drones patrolling the area.
Selene pointed them out. “Sentries. They’ll spot us if we’re not careful.”
Daemon surveyed the area. “Kade, you’re the risk guy. How do we get past them?”
“Their patterns are predictable. If we time it right, we can slip through the gaps,” he said.
“We''ll take that chance,” Daemon said. “Let’s move.”
They rushed forward, keeping low. The sentries hovered around the hub. Daemon led, followed closely by Selene and Kade.
They reached the base of the structure and pressed up against its surface. Kade examined a panel embedded in the wall.
“Access port. If I can interface with it, I might be able to get us in.”
Selene watched their backs while Kade worked. She tightly gripped her energy sword.
“Make it quick. I don’t like being this exposed,” she whispered.
Kade connected a small device to the port and began typing commands into a holographic interface. His device displayed streams of complex code.
“I’m in,” he said. “This encryption—I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“The Nexus won''t make things easy,” Daemon said.
As Kade worked, a low hum began to resonate from the structure. It gradually grew louder.
“That’s not good,” Selene muttered.
Suddenly, the sentries’ patterns changed. They began converging on the hub.
“We’re out of time,” Selene said. “What’s the plan, Daemon?”
“Hold them off as long as you can. Kade, get us into that system,” he said.
Selene drew a sleek energy rifle and took up a defensive position. Kade’s fingers tapped away at the interface.
“I’m almost there. Keep them off me!”
The sentries descended and split into many smaller drones. They began to swarm the hub.
Selene opened fire, the bolts of energy projectiles shattering the drones into pixels. Daemon joined her. Despite their efforts, the swarm seemed endless.
“I’ve got it! We’re in!” Kade shouted.
A hatch opened in the hub’s wall, revealing a dark tunnel lined with glowing conduits.
“Go!” Daemon ordered.
They scrambled inside, sealing the hatch behind them just as the drones crashed against it. The group paused, catching their breath in the dimly lit corridor.
Selene glared at Daemon. “This better not get us killed.”
Daemon smirked. “If it does, at least it’ll be interesting.”
“You’re insane,” Kade muttered.
“Maybe,” Daemon replied. "We really screwed that up.“
“We?“ Selene asked. “I told you that was a bad idea.“
The trio advanced through the tunnel. Quiet screams and pleas for help emanated off the walls.
“What is that?” Kade asked.
"The minds that have been trapped,” Selene replied. “There''s no bringing them back.”
"No, that," Kade pointed at a cable displaying images of him.
It was a version of himself being torn apart by Revenants. They were clawing their way into his insides, scattering his flesh.
"Is that me?" he asked, his hands trembling.
Selene pulled him back. "Ignore it. The Nexus wants to mess with your head."
“You mentioned two other subroutines. What are they?“ Daemon asked.
“Cryptorax guards the Tyrant and Glitchar runs the Abyss,” Selene said.
“You''ve met the others, haven''t you?“ Daemon asked.
For the first time since Daemon had met her, he saw something in her eyes.
“I fought Datashade once,” she said quietly.
“We''ve been together a long time. Why wouldn''t you tell me?“ Kade asked.
Selene closed her eyes, her chest heaving.
“It wasn''t really a fight,” she said, her voice trembling. “He gets into your head. He—”
“Hey,” Daemon said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “It''s alright. You don''t have to explain.“
“Let''s get out of here before the Tyrant finds us,” Kade said, gesturing toward an exit.
>>>>>***********************<<<<<
The council reconvened in a grand chamber on Val ''Dara.
It was a brightly lit room with a large, rectangular table in the center. The stone walls and pillars were decorated with the history of Val ''Dara.
The low murmurs of the coalition representatives echoed throughout the chamber.
Coran looked at Castle, who was sitting to his right.
"She won the battle, but what guarantees do we have that she won''t wield them like the Tyrant?" Coran asked.
Castle was skimming through the strategic intelligence reports in front of him.
"We have been losing ground for months," he replied. "Dalcor proves she can succeed where we have failed."
"What do we actually know about her?" Thalor asked. "A thousand years of secrecy? What does she have to hide?"
Aetherveil walked into the room, making her way to the end of the table.
She looked directly at Thalor.
"I did not come here to win your trust or approval," she said.
She turned to face the rest of the council members.
"I came here because your survival depends on it."
A slender, pale woman with long, dark hair took Aetherveil''s side. Her sea-blue eyes were speckled with silver that sparkled faintly.
"And how old are you supposed to be?" Thalor asked.
Lilyon looked at him, narrowing her eyes.
"Thirty-two," she answered.
Thalor looked at the representatives around him before returning his eyes to Lilyon with a smile.
"Thirty-two hundred?" Thalor asked sarcastically.
She shot him a smirk.
"Aetherveil is one of a kind," she replied.
Lilyon slid a device across the table. It projected a hologram of the battle on Dalcor. Aetheveil pointed at the projection while shifting her gaze between council members.
"The Tyrant''s army can be defeated," she said.
She looked at Thalor with contempt.
"You hoard your resources while your outer colonies burn, Thalor," she said.
She looked between Coran and Arros.
"You bicker while your soldiers are dying, Coran. Arros—you''re so full of doubt that you forgot how to lead."
The council whispered among themselves as the projection continued.
Aetherveil began taking slow steps around the table.
"Under my command, your forces will become more than soldiers. They will become Sentinels, but only if you are willing to surrender your control."
Arguments broke out among the council.
Some were willing to accept Aetherveil''s offer, while others were not ready to give up their autonomy.
"We have sacrificed so much already. If there is a chance to end this, we have to take it," Arros said.
"If we do nothing, we lose anyway,” another council member said.
"If we give her everything, what''s left for us when it''s over?" Coran argued.
"I will not surrender my people to another Tyrant," Thalor said.
Castle fixed his gaze on Thalor. “How many victories have you had?“
He stood up, his head sweeping across the table.
“How many have any of us had?“ he asked. “I''ll tell you. Zero. Not one win. She crushed the Nexus on Dalcor.“
Thalor scoffed but said nothing.
Murmurs rippled through the chamber. Castle spoke a bitter, undeniable truth.
Aetherveil raised her hand, silencing them.
"If you refuse, I will fight the Tyrant alone and your worlds will burn in its wake," she said, locking eyes with Thalor.
"We will support you, but only if we maintain control over our planetary defenses,” a council member said.
“I''ll agree to that,” Aetherveil said. “That does us both a favor.“
“You have the support of Valeria,” Castle declared.
Other members of the council nodded in agreement, settling on her terms.
"You have made the right choice," Aetherveil said.
She turned, motioning for Lilyon to follow. Just as she reached the doors, she glanced over her shoulder at Thalor.
Thalor watched her go, his eyes narrowing.
“Coran, aren''t you going to say anything?“ Thalor asked.
“We should support her. At least for now,” Coran said. “We don''t know what she is capable of. With our forces embedded in hers, we can gather intel.“
"This isn''t over, Castle,” Thalor said. “Coran, let''s talk more in private. I need to get back to Eldara.“
Castle and Arros exchanged looks.
Thalor was a generational ruler, raised in an environment of betrayal and lies.
They didn''t need words to describe how they felt, the tension they shared was palpable.
>>>>>***********************<<<<<
She looked out of a porthole as the ship glided past the stars.
Shadows pooled in the corners of her quarters. She placed her palms on the sides of her head, the whispers were growing more aggressive.
The hatch opened and Lilyon entered. She leaned against the bulkhead, crossing her arms.
“The Sentinels are ready,” she reported. “They know what’s waiting for us in the Nexus.”
Aetherveil turned her head to the side, keeping her back to Lilyon.
"Did you feel it?" she asked. "Was there interference, or were they just toying with us?"
"You heard them, too?" Lilyon asked.
Aetherveil took a deep breath, then turned around to face her.
"They''re going to be ready for us. Glitchar is not going to make this easy," she said.
Lilyon uncrossed her arms and took a few steps toward Aetherveil.
“We don''t have to do this,” Lilyon said. “Glitchar is not that important.“
“It''s an obstacle between us and everybody trapped in there,” Aetherveil said.
“At what cost?“ Lilyon asked.
“Its using them for something,” Aetherveil replied. “Why would the Nexus waste resources on it if it wasn''t important?“
Psionus’s voice crackled through the comms.
“We''re ready to enter the Nexus.“
Lilyon stepped closer to Aetherveil.
“I''m with you, Aetherveil,” Lilyon said. “But this is not our home. They are not our people.“
“You''re right,” Aetherveil replied. “Its about those things.“
“We''re going to push it too far,” Lilyon said.
She left Aetherveil''s quarters to meet up with Psionus and finish the mission prep.
Aetherveil gripped the hilt of her sword. Her hand was shaking.
It was already in her head. The Nexus would stop at nothing to break them. She took one last look at Dalcor’s data streams before stepping out of the hatch.