Celldweller | Blackstar - Act One: Purified by Joshua Viola

Author:Joshua Viola
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: FiXT
Published: 2013-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

III

Kaine’s orders were clear: apprehend and return the fugitive immediately. Terminate only if necessary.

A team of Sentinels blasted through Central’s main port and entered the Outlands, their accelerometers moving into the red. A three-dimensional portrait of Rezin’s identity scan rotated in their communication dock, a signal relaying the same scan to all known networks in the area, along with a reward: Retros.

Sentinels were rarely deployed, often kept in various warehouses across the city, awaiting rebirth. They served little purpose in Central. Kaine’s rule alone maintained order. And when there were those who defied his rule; Scandroids were more than enough muscle to deliver his justice.

The Sentinels were the big-guns, used for the jobs Scandroids simply weren’t built for, equipped with technology capable of withstanding the harsh climates - and the harsher inhabitants - of the Outlands.

The commanding unit led the team across a large portion of flat earth on the outer rings of a giant crater, the smooth surface perfect for high speeds. This place was considered by many to be the birthplace of the Blackout, the blast zone stretching hundreds of kilos in every direction.

The Sentinels pushed forward, searching.

* * *

Elara wrestled against her bonds inside the vehicle’s storage bin, pressing her head to the inside wall closest to the occupants of the vehicle, listening. Their voices were muffled, but audible, through the choking sounds of the Earthscraper’s engine.

Light cast through puncture wounds in the Earthscraper’s metal casing. Elara focused on and saw something shimmer above. She squinted, catching glimpse of a broken hatch lock.

* * *

“How the hell did you do that?” Ark said.

“You an aug?” Maddox asked, pressing against the accelerator. “They didn’t mention anything about an aug.”

Rezin stared down at his hand, his grasp still firm around the grip of the gun. He tried to understand, tried to piece together what allowed him to do what he had done.

“Well?” Ark said. “Are you or aren’t you?”

Rezin remained silent.

“Can you believe this, Maddox? An aug! Should’ve known. No way a clean-body could decrypt like that.”

“I’ve never been augmented.” Rezin said.

He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t exactly telling the truth, either. All reapers, even Ark, Rezin knew, upgraded their memories, making space for large and expensive grabs. They had to if they wanted to survive such a competitive market. It was common. But Rezin never traded his own biology for the artificial. He wasn’t a cyborg or, more commonly called, an aug.

He’d have to prove it. Augs, Rezin knew, were hated by Outlanders. Hated even more than Centrites. The augmented were a product of Central’s leader. Kaine was the first augmented human. Augmented in order to survive an assassination attempt years ago. The upgrades made him faster, stronger and smarter. And far more difficult for anyone, especially an Outlander, to take down.

Rezin tapped his forehead. “It’s something I decrypted. Something from Re:memory. Has to be.”

Rezin placed the fragger on the seat and reached for the floor, searching frantically for his satchel. He pulled the microcase from the bag, opened it and retrieved the Pulsar.

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