One day earlier…
Fresh back from deep space, the director of the Biotech Division – CEO Cole Tandun – waited outside General Graham’s office for a full hour before he was finally called in.
Soren was there as well, half his body replaced with machinery. The result was unsettling: human proportions stitched to metal, his movements stiff and slightly out of sync.
Cole stepped inside and raised a hand in salute. “General. Lord Dalton.”
“Oh.” Graham glanced up, then returned to his display. “Cole. You’re back. Sit.”
Soren took a few steps forward. Even walking looked painful now.
“Cole, don’t stare at me,” Soren snapped. “Damn it. How long do I’ve to tolerate looking like an idiot?”
“Number Two is only fourteen,” Cole said evenly. “Two years at best.”
“Two years is too long.” Soren scoffed. “Have you seen him? The kid’s already as tall as me. He looks twenty. Give him a woman and I guarantee he’ll make a baby on the first try.”
“That’s appearance,” Cole said. “His brain still needs time to finish developing. Unless you don’t mind losing memory and IQ along the way.”
“Of course I mind!” Soren shouted. “My brilliant mind is a treasure to all humanity.”
Cole stared at him for a beat. “…Then we wait two years.”
“Honestly, this body suits you better,” Graham said, finally pushing his keyboard aside. “Enough of this. Cole – your trip. What good news did you bring back?”
“I’ve a major discovery.”
Cole pulled a holographic projector from his briefcase and set it on the desk. A three-dimensional model of space unfolded above them, stars scattered like dust in velvet.
“This is what our sky looked like a year ago,” Cole said. “Now compare it to the current scan.”
The projection shifted. The differences were subtle at first – and then impossible to ignore.
Soren frowned. “…There are fewer stars.”
“Cause?” Graham asked.
“Someone has obscured the sky,” Cole said. “Or to put it more precisely: something is sealing off the entire Lansen system.”
He didn’t soften his voice when he reached the conclusion. “I believe Miller is responsible.”
Soren let out a short laugh. “He can do that? Why? So we can’t look at stars?”
“I don’t know,” Cole admitted. “He’s been gone too long. We need to find out -”
Graham cut him off. “Cole. I recall that your assignment was to locate Phantom Forge and Lord Julian’s space bases. Not to go hunting Miller.”
Cole’s jaw tightened. “This is more important. Miller is dangerous.”
“Didn’t you say his intelligence is at the level of a human child?” Soren pressed.
“His capabilities are close to godlike,” Cole replied. “With a steady supply of energy, he can create endless new species. Energy is food to him – and when it comes to food… he’s not picky.”
Graham leaned back. “So what? Phantom Forge and Julian were geniuses, and we killed them. Why should we fear a stupid child?”
“That’s exactly what makes him frightening,” Cole said. “You can predict a sane person’s logic. You can’t predict what a madman will do next. Miller is our greatest threat going forward.”
“No.” Graham shook his head. “At the last meeting I made it clear: our biggest threat right now is Julian’s awakeners. They’re ghosts. Before we deal with Miller, one of them could come from behind and cut your throat.”
“Exactly,” Soren said. “Until we kill those ghosts, none of us will ever sleep. And we won’t have the freedom to deal with Miller or restore the ecosystem.”
“But why do we’ve to fight them at all?” Cole asked, frustration bleeding through. “We still have a better path.”
Soren’s brow furrowed. “What are you trying to say?”
“Lansen is ruined,” Cole said. “This planet is no different from the billions of dead deserts in the galaxy. Rebuilding somewhere else is still rebuilding. We can start over – find a new home. Before the star curtain closes, before Miller attacks, we should leave.”
Graham looked at Soren and smiled. “So that’s it. He wants to run.”
Soren laughed too. “Right when we’re winning.”
“My dear Cole,” Graham said, almost kindly, “do you’ve any idea how far the nearest habitable world is? Are you willing to sleep for centuries, spending your days inside a virtual prison – looping the same nauseating nightmares – or staring at stars like an inmate counting cracks in the wall?”
Soren waved a metal hand. “I’ve had enough of that. I’d rather go to war with the stupid child.”
Cole fell silent. Disappointment and resentment flickered across his face before he hid them.
If anyone else had said this, Graham would’ve locked them up on the spot. Instead, he put an arm around Cole’s shoulder and guided him aside, speaking in a lower voice.
“You’re exhausted. Or stressed. Let me spell it out again.”
“Right now, we hold all the forces that belonged to Julian and Phantom Forge on Lansen,” Graham said. “But space is still a blind zone. Phantom Forge’s mainframe died in the volcano, so we don’t know what he left behind in the star ring – bases, ships, Deep Space Base No. 2 – we’re in the dark.”
“We need to seize those bases as quickly as possible. Then the ghosts have nowhere to hide. And the more warships we control, the easier it will be to deal with that… ‘child.’”
“Do you agree?”
Cole’s expression tightened. “…Yes, General.”
“Good.” Graham patted his shoulder. “Go take a shower. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we continue humanity’s great work.”
“Yes. Thank you, General.”
…
***
[ANALYSIS] Option 1: Rush forward, terminate the closest targets, then spin and return fire. Hit probability: 63%. Risk factor: soft snow reduces burst speed.
[ANALYSIS] Option 2: Lift off and fire immediately, prioritizing the gunman raising his weapon. Hit probability: 15%. Risk factor: higher signature.
[ANALYSIS] Conclusion: Option 2 is superior.
In 0.1 seconds, Wyatt had already decided.
Then the human leader spoke first.
“You’re Wyatt, right? Someone wants to talk to you.”
Wyatt paused. “Who?”
The man pulled a device from his belt, set it gently on the snow, and backed away several steps.
A hologram sprang to life.
A man’s projection stood above the ice: around fifty, wearing the same uniform Morag wore. A hint of baldness at the crown, deep-set eyes, a stubborn, decisive face – except right now that decisiveness was tempered by worry.
He forced a small, awkward smile.
“Wyatt.” His voice was calm, but cautious. “I didn’t expect our first conversation to look like this. I’ve wanted to speak with you for a long time. I just… never had a chance to do it privately.”
“I don’t make a habit of talking with rifles in my face,” Wyatt said.
“I’m sorry.” The hologram lifted both hands. “They’re afraid of you.”
All around Wyatt, the soldiers lowered their guns at once.
“I know you’re here to save people,” the man continued. “There are some who matter to you. Yes?”
Wyatt let the combat program idle. “What are you getting at?”
The man hesitated, as if he couldn’t find the right entry point. To Wyatt, it looked almost like shyness – or indecision.
After a few seconds he finally asked, “May I ask you a question? If… humanity’s future were in your hands – if you were our leader – what would you do? In this situation, where would you lead us?”
“Who are you?” Wyatt demanded. “And why are you asking me that?”
“Apologies.” The hologram tapped his own head, a nervous gesture. Then he smiled, more genuine this time.
“My name is Cole. Cole Tandun.”
His voice dropped on the last sentence.
“Miller’s creator.”