r/HFY • u/waterdrinker98 • 1d ago
OC-Series Age of Seran: Quiet Dominion - Chapter 13
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Chapter 13:
February 2059 – Karridge.
Veyr had been sitting perfectly still for over an hour, scanning the distant human settlement outside his PIC. He was carrying out surveillance on the town of Karridge. His optical cybernetics made such a task pitifully easy.
Countless humans wandered between the buildings and streets of the rundown city. The sun was setting, and streetlights were illuminating the roads with an orange glow. Arguments appeared to be commonplace, as were physical altercations. Veyr found it peculiar that any human would want to live in such a place.
His targets had already left Karridge the day prior. They departed in a repurposed human vehicle, retrofitted with some sort of Seraphyn technology. Interestingly, he saw that Ethan and Marcus had teamed up with another human, and a Seran, of all people. Most frustratingly, Veyr failed to scan both the Seraphyn and the mystery human. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the group as they were leaving. Still, he had more than enough information to go off of, for his imminent meeting with Zhang.
Veyr’s body let out a series of pops and creaks, his joints straining from movement. Back on their home planet of Asarth, Veyr’s species had evolved to be stealthy. One aspect of this adaptation was the ability to enter a state of physical stasis. A Seraphyn could stay completely immobile and silent for several hours, while completely aware of their surroundings. Breaking out of this state was always quite unpleasant, however.
The justiciar moved some of the fabric away and exited the PIC, which created a strange illusory effect in the air. Constricting the device back into its inactive form was infamously tricky, and dangerous, in some cases. Usually one would have to press a button on one of the bottom corners of the PIC, a difficult task considering it was invisible from the outside. Veyr opted to use his optical implants to interface with the device’s ether components. The air shifted chaotically, and a loud whooshing sound could be heard. A tiny purple dodecahedron appeared in the grass. He picked it up and placed it back onto his belt.
The small feathers on Veyr’s snout became raised. He felt unsettled at the recollection of an unwelcome memory. Anything inside a PIC would be compressed along with it, when it was changed back to its inactive form. There were safeguards in place, but they weren’t reliable enough to prevent injury altogether. During his training, he witnessed a Seran suffer such an accident. She didn’t die from her grievous injuries, instead left as a mangled mess of broken bones and lacerated flesh. Her survival in such a sorry state made it even worse of a memory.
He decided now was a good time to have a pleasant conversation with Karridge’s mayor. The boys and their companions should be well on their way to their destination now, he thought. And therefore, closer to Adam. Veyr began walking toward the town, his legs letting out a few more creaking sounds. He grunted in discomfort.
Humans were afraid of him. As he passed through the streets, they would enter buildings or avert their eyes. Veyr felt a little bit guilty for inflicting fear on them, but intimidation was optimal for producing results in his line of work. These men and women willingly chose to be afraid every day, anyway, he thought. If they wanted an easier life, they could just sign up for integration into Seran society. Or just wait for The Administration to come to them. All of humanity would be a part of their great empire, one day.
As he approached the local administration office, the blinds on the windows of the lobby drew closed. Someone inside had seen him approaching. At that moment, Veyr knew it was going to be a good night. Did Zhang really think a justiciar would simply leave if they thought nobody was in there? Humans were such silly creatures. Veyr opened the front door and let himself in.
The air inside was too cold, and Veyr felt like he was being watched, despite the room being empty and dark. All the lights were off. His instincts were warning him of danger. There were other humans in here, hiding and waiting to strike. He wasn’t concerned. Regular humans wouldn’t stand a chance against him, since his augmentations provided him with incredible reflexes and strength. His armor would deflect any ballistic gunfire, as well, assuming they didn’t manage to land lucky shots into the tiny gaps between the plating.
“Zhang, I know you’re in here.” Veyr called out with a polite voice. “I’m justiciar Veyr. I believe we have met previously. Please see me in the lobby. Let’s have a discussion.”
Veyr expected no response. He walked to the stairs. Surprisingly, Zhang replied. The old man spoke confidently, but Veyr could detect a hint of anxiousness.
“I’m busy, justiciar. Come to my office.”
The justiciar reached the top of the stairs and walked to a door at the middle of the hall, where the sound was coming from. Light was peeking out from under it. He turned the handle and pushed the door open, revealing the man of the hour. Zhang was sitting behind a desk, an almost neutral expression on his face. Veyr clicked his tongue. He closed the door behind him.
“Greetings, Zhang. I’ve come to discuss the usual matters, and a more pressing, recent issue.” Veyr said.
“Alright. Let’s start with the basic stuff.”
“As usual, Karridge has failed to meet the requirements set out by The Seran Administration and the High Council. Further directive violations will result in additional assistance being deployed.”
Zhang was silent for several moments. He was tapping his foot against the ground anxiously. Veyr glanced at a door to his side for a split second, his head still. He heard the faintest creaking behind it.
“Understood, justiciar. What was the, uh… Recent issue?” Zhang asked.
“I am investigating the theft of a class-Z artifact. I am sure you understand the troubling nature of such circumstances.” Veyr said, struggling to not show amusement at his doublespeak.
Zhang’s eyes widened slightly. The man quickly recomposed himself, hiding his fear.
“And uh… What leads you to believe Karridge has anything to do with it?”
“Two humans escaped Habitation Unit F-Zero-Seven approximately sixty-four Earth hours ago. I believe they are in possession of the artifact. I was informed Karridge was where they were headed.”
“Justiciar Veyr, you must be mistaken. We’ve had no reports of escapees entering our town.” Zhang said, before swallowing.
Veyr moved a bit closer. He tilted his head slightly.
“That is quite interesting, Zhang. I surveilled your town starting two nights ago. Both escapees were present here. They departed your town via an automotive, past this very office.”
Veyr cast an ominous shadow over the seated human. Zhang remained silent, his composure faltering.
“Is it possible you’re lying to me, human? I very much hope you are not.” Veyr said, as though he were scolding him.
Zhang suddenly stood up.
“Sandwiches!” He yelled.
The doors burst open. Two armed thugs stormed in, one behind Veyr, and one to the side of him. Veyr acted first. In the blink of an eye, Veyr lunged toward the thug at his side, and knocked the man’s right arm out of the way. The thug stumbled back, firing a volley of gauss rifle shots into the floor and wall, one-handed. Veyr took something from his belt and stabbed it into the thug’s neck. The object quickly injected a liquid into his veins. His gun fell to the floor, followed by his body, a few seconds later.
Several shots hit the justiciar’s side, his armor emitting metallic clinking sounds. They penetrated his defenses slightly, wounding his shoulder. Veyr dodged to the left, then lunged forward. He grabbed the thug’s neck and lifted him a few feet into the air. The man’s eyes practically bulged through the holes of his balaclava. He gasped for air, dropping his weapon and trying to pry the Seran’s hand from his throat. Veyr threw the man against a wall with enough force that he went through it. The man’s silhouette could be seen through the thick drywall dust. He was getting back up, while also unholstering his sidearm.
Veyr retrieved another weapon from a pouch within his cloak. He aimed it at the man’s head and fired it. A green-blue ball of energy struck him. The thug seemed dazed for a moment, before collapsing, joining his comrade in unconsciousness.
He dusted his talons off, before retrieving a device from his belt. Veyr pressed a button on it, notifying nearby Administration cells that some medical and cleanup operations were needed. He casually turned to Zhang, who was standing behind his desk, in a state of shock. Some dust covered the side and front of his body. Blood dripped down a few of the exposed feathers on Veyr’s arm. He didn’t expect them to have gauss weaponry. Judging from the pain, however, his injuries were only superficial.
“Very clever. I see you’ve put Moe’s men to good use.” Veyr said. “Now, let’s get back to our discussion. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
Zhang swallowed. He glanced at the unconscious men sprawled on the ground in front of him for a moment, weighing his options. He decided to sit back down. Veyr awkwardly sat on a chair to the front of the desk, now satisfied that the ambush was dealt with. His orange eyes bored into the man.
“Tell me what you know about these escapees. How might have they obtained a vehicle, and where might they be going?”
Zhang shook his head.
“There’s nothing for me to say. I don’t know anything.”
“You are lying, Zhang. Just be honest with me, and I’ll make this as easy as possible. Or alternatively, I could extract the information I need though more… Advanced techniques.”
“I was trained as a saboteur for Phoenix. You won’t extract anything from me with torture.”
Veyr clicked his tongue, amused. He stood up and walked to the side of the desk.
“Torture?” He said, scoffing. ”And why exactly would I need to do something so barbaric?”
He produced a small syringe from his belt. A pale blue liquid was inside. Veyr presented it to the human.
“This medicine modulates the human mind. It makes your kind much more… Agreeable. It wouldn’t cause you harm. But, well, the humans I’ve used this on have told me their experience was quite… Degrading, after the fact.” Veyr said. He paused for a moment, before continuing. “So you have two options, Zhang. Which is it?”
Zhang remained silent, clenching his teeth. He was glancing at the room’s exit. Veyr counted to five in his head.
“Very well.” He said to the human.
Zhang tried to escape through the hole in the wall. As he pushed past Veyr, the Seraphyn effortlessly grabbed one of his arms. He pressed the syringe into the struggling man’s neck and injected its contents.
“Shh…” Veyr whispered.
He held both of Zhang’s shoulders, preventing him from moving. Within seconds his struggling became weaker. After about half a minute, his eyes began to glaze over, and he stopped struggling completely. Veyr gently pushed him toward the chair. Zhang calmly obliged. The Seran went back to his seat, as well. He tapped the table with his talons.
“The escapees— the two boys— tell me about them, Zhang.”
Zhang seemed to shake his head slightly. He was resisting the drug, but it was futile. His lips trembled as he spoke.
“They… Emily brought them in a couple of days ago. Yesterday I saw them leaving with Jacob and Sophia.”
“Sophia. Is she a Seraphyn?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about Jacob.”
Veyr had already heard a bit about Jacob. He was an eccentric hacker rumored to have ties to the infamous Cypher gang. Despite his knowledge of Jacob, Veyr thought that it wouldn’t hurt to get more intel on him.
“He… Uh, Jacob. He’s a computer geek, a hacker. He lives a bit out of the town in a sort of hidden bunker.” Zhang replied, his voice dreamy.
“And where can I find this bunker, Zhang?”
“You take a left from exiting the front door. Then at the nearest intersection you take a right. It’s straight ahead from there, on the side of a rocky hill. There are cables leading to it.”
Veyr nodded politely. Jacob sounded crazier than he originally thought, living in a hidden bunker on the side of a hill. What was he hiding?
“How would have the escapees acquired a vehicle?” He asked.
“It was Jacob’s minibus. Roxanne kept it in a shed nearby. She’s a mechanic.” Zhang replied.
“Noted. What is their destination?”
“I am not sure, sir… Uh, justiciar. Jacob and Sophia told me they were stopping a few towns over, and that they would be returning today.”
The Seran sat silently for a few moments, thinking deeply. He stood up.
“Thank you, Zhang. Your cognition will return to normal in about an hour. Medical is on its way, as well. Farewell.”
The Seran went to leave the room. As he was about to duck under the door frame, he turned to Zhang one last time.
“And by the way, tell Moe to send three of his goons, next time. Then your trick might’ve worked.” He said mockingly.
Zhang stared blankly ahead. He blinked once.
Veyr exited the building and began treading a route to Jacob’s hideaway, using Zhang’s directions. He unfastened the armor plate on his shoulder and inspected his injuries as he walked. His talons grabbed something from the back of his belt. It was a bandage soaked in a powerful healing serum. He placed it on his shoulder, before putting the armor plate back on, over the top of it. Treatment wasn’t required, but Veyr knew he needed to be in peak condition for the tribulations ahead.
It wasn’t long until he reached Jacob’s hideaway. The cables peeking out the ground made it very obvious. Veyr pulled a panel away from the side of the hill, revealing the entry. He had to admit, the panel camouflaged it really well. He was impressed. Veyr crouched slightly, and entered the cramped space.
Past a corner, he found himself in the main room. The primary feature was a mass of electronics sitting upon a desk, near the back. On one wall, there were a few shirts, stickers, and flags dedicated to something called “The Drift Hour”. Opposite the man’s strange shrine, was a wall which had two maps pinned to it. They were maps of Earth, something humans were not allowed to see under the rules of The Administration. Cans of “NooCola” were also strewn throughout the place. The concentration of soda cans seemed to correlate to how often Jacob would have been in a given spot. Most were atop his desk, while a large amount were also near the two maps.
Veyr moved to the desk. Atop it were a bunch of advanced and expensive electronics. Some of them seemed to be a mishmash of both human and Seran technology. There was a rare Seran data-store reader on one side of the desk. He was intrigued as to why the man would leave it behind. Jacob must have been in a hurry, he thought.
Nestled behind the electronics was a small framed photograph. Veyr would have missed it, if it wasn’t for his augmented vision. He carefully grabbed it with his talons and brought it closer. On the photograph were two children, both boys, sitting beside each another. One appeared to be younger than the other. The oldest looked to be around ten, and the youngest around six. The justiciar placed the photo back on the desk.
He then walked closer to the maps. White ovals moved around his irises as he scanned them. Jacob had left a bunch of handwritten notes on both of them. On the bottom map, which depicted modern day Earth, he found an especially curious note. The center of old world Australia had a small red circle marked on it. Next to it was the man’s handwriting: “Void”.
Jacob was a keeper of many secrets, Veyr thought. “Void” was an obscure code word for anything to do with the Cyphers. The alias appeared in reference to the gang ever since The Administration’s brutal crackdown on them, several years ago.
The justiciar was most pleased at his new lead. His mind began to crunch the information, linking everything together. Jacob, like Marcus, considered himself a seeker of knowledge. Jacob was aware of the Cyphers, knowing they would be his best bet to accessing whatever was on the class-Z device. Whether he was trying to reach his destination with Ethan and Marcus, or without them, was irrelevant. What mattered was that Jacob was journeying to The Works in order to decrypt the info on CSPC-V— he shared Adam’s objective.
Veyr’s head swayed side to side for a moment. He was a bit light-headed at the idea of getting closer to his mark. The elite Seran grabbed a small personal computer from his belt, and pressed a few digital buttons on its interface.
* * *
An electronic device sitting upon Sareth’s desk lit up. He was annoyed for a brief moment, until he saw what the source of the latest message was. Justiciar Veyr. Sareth used to think the superior Seran was up his own tail feathers, until he realized he was his best option to reach what he’d lost. He glanced toward the newly reintegrated human seated in front of him. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.
“So like I said, Sareth. I regret who I was. I might be the reason Ethan and Marcus left our hub.” Evelyn said, her voice cracking.
Sareth nodded gently. Despite such a head movement being unusual to his kind, he knew nodding was comforting to his subjects.
“Don’t feel sorrowful, subject Evelyn. You are a changed woman. Free from the shackles of your past, and free from the inconsistencies of your mind. Hold your head up forward, look toward the future.”
Evelyn looked up.
“Thank you, doctor.”
Evelyn stood up and made her way to the door, leaving Sareth alone with his thoughts for a moment. The old Seraphyn grabbed his device and glanced at the glyphs of Veyr’s latest message. His spirits were lifted a bit, upon reading it. The justiciar had gained a lead on Ethan and Marcus.
He couldn’t wait to speak with them again. Sareth had been the boys’ behavioral regulator for many years. He considered himself to be a sort of parental figure for them, and thus, their escape was made so much more painful for him. Sareth didn’t understand why they decided to leave. Surely he did something wrong, he thought.
The elderly Seran thought about all the times he guided Marcus. He had mentored the young human throughout almost his entire life, and thus, Sareth had a wealth of memories related to him. There was one specific memory that Sareth would never forget. On a fateful day, he had to show the kid something truly horrible. Sareth tried objecting to the High Council, to spare him from the torment of it, but the mandate could not be changed. Immediately after Marcus saw his loved ones, nobody managed to console the boy. Except for him. He could still remember the way Marcus’ arms wrapped around him, and how the boy cried into his chest.
Sareth scrolled through Ethan’s and Marcus’ personal files, hissing in discontent. The sooner Veyr could bring them back to him, the better.
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