"Location Sector 6-56. Experimental specimen has escaped. Activate Emergency Protocols 2 through 5."
Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of Research Station Supervisor Brova Landon. His legs trembled uncontrollably, yet he did not turn and run. Instead, shivering, he issued the emergency protocol commands in as steady a tone as he could manage.
The Hydralisk slithered across the station's polished floor like a giant serpent, the titanium alloy blades at the end of its tail screeching sharply as they scraped against the surface. It vaulted over several layers of security fencing, crushing them as easily as if they were blocks and toys.
"Protect the Marshal!" Corporal Faraday immediately charged to the front of Augustus. Several Revolution Army soldiers in powered armor followed close behind, positioning themselves between the Marshal and the enemy.
As the alarms and red warning lights began to wail and flash, the researchers in the station scattered in panic. The difference between the Korhal-born scientists and the Cerberus Corporation employees was clear: the former still tried to maintain order and rushed toward their leader, while the latter thought only of fleeing for their lives.
"It's coming for me," said Augustus, unmoving.
Because the research station was located in an extremely cold polar region with a harsh environment, it could not garrison many soldiers. Augustus himself had brought only a small number of guards.
Facing the monstrous creature, there was nothing on his face but an icy chill like frost. No one had ever seen fear or cowardice on the face of this renowned leader of the Revolution Army. He seemed as though he were a piece of steel newly forged.
As for Arcturus and Raynor beside him, both appeared calm. Arcturus merely drew his P-30 electromagnetic pistol and cursed, "Damn beast." Raynor, gripping his Colt revolver, began to aim, saying that Arcturus was right.
"Kill it." His voice was cold as he gave the order—showing not the slightest hesitation over how rare or valuable a living Zerg specimen might be.
Augustus's guards opened fire immediately. They were well-equipped, well-trained, and maintained steady aim on the roaring Hydralisk.
However, the Cerberus Project's modifications had indeed forged this creature's body into one of steel. The bullets from their Gauss rifles left only shallow, nonlethal dents upon its armored shell.
The Hydralisk possessed a certain predator's cunning. Its serpentine body moved around the consoles and glass containers of the research station, evading bullets, grenades, and EMP blasts alike.
In such an environment, the Hydralisk was in its element—like a true serpent of the jungle. Zigzagging rapidly through the few remaining obstacles before Augustus, it moved as fast as a streak of black lightning.
The soldiers of the Revolution Army tracked it with their gun barrels as it darted from side to side, but none of their shots managed to wound the creature, whose hardened chitin and reinforced steel armor rendered it nearly invincible. When it entered striking distance, everyone could hear the clang as its pair of titanium blades snapped out—clear and sharp as the hum of a sword leaving its sheath.
By now, the Hydralisk was close enough to strike. Like an enraged cobra, it raised the upper half of its body—its massive hood flaring—its spine arching as the muscles in its ridged back contracted violently. In the next instant, it fired a storm of razor-sharp titanium alloy blades at several times the speed of sound. Under the cold white lights of the research station, each blade shimmered like a flake of snow.
"Sarah." Augustus fixed his gaze on the rapidly approaching Hydralisk and spoke loudly.
"I'm here." Kerrigan was not wearing the Ghost operative adaptive combat suit that could to some extent amplify her psionic power today, but instead followed Augustus in a sharp, commanding military uniform.
Even so, Kerrigan's immense psionic strength was still sufficient for her to manifest an invisible psionic wall before everyone's eyes, blocking all of the titanium alloy blades.
Ever since Augustus had rescued her and removed the psionic inhibitor from the back of her head, Kerrigan's powers had no longer been restrained, becoming even stronger than during her days as a Ghost operative.
Those above PSI Level 8 could use telekinesis much like a supernatural ability. Any level higher than that was categorized as extremely dangerous—because such people were essentially psionic bombs, volatile and influenced by uncontrollable factors such as emotion.
Such psionics were exceedingly rare throughout the entire Koprulu Sector. Within the Ghost Program, it was generally believed that psionics of this type had to be restricted by additional equipment, or else the harm they could cause would far outweigh their value to the Confederacy.
At this very moment, Kerrigan's psionic index was still rising steadily. The psionic energy surging through her body was enough to make any designated human PSI-ranked individual's jaw drop—and to convince them that she was the most powerful psionic among all known humans.
The human PSI scale topped out at Level 10; within the entire Terran Confederacy, only two individuals had reached that level. But Level 10 had only a lower bound, not an upper one.
Because those at that level were so few, the head of the Confederacy's Ghost Program believed there existed neither a standard to follow nor any need to define levels above 10.
And without question, at this moment Kerrigan was far stronger than when she had been evaluated as a Level 10 psionic.
Tangible psionic energy formed arcs of lightning-like current around her body. Locking eyes with the Hydralisk, she issued a telepathic command directly into its mind—ordering it to retreat.
Immediately afterward, as Augustus and the others watched, the Hydralisk abruptly halted its forward charge, obediently retracting its two pairs of titanium scythes and slowly backing away.
Back at the Vyctor V facility, the researchers had already discovered that Kerrigan exhibited a mysterious resonance with the Zerg there—something unheard of even among other psionics. It even seemed that, if she so wished, she could command a larva to cocoon and hatch instantly.
Although researchers believed the Zerg did not possess psionics similar to those of humans or Protoss, they were extremely sensitive to psionic energy. The psionic power of human psionics exerted a fatal attraction upon the Zerg—like light to moths, or honey to bees. Ordinary psionics could only draw a Zerg's attention, but Kerrigan's connection with the species was inherently far deeper.
"Cease fire." Augustus swiftly made his judgment regarding the incomprehensible scene before him. He issued his command: "Assemble more troops. Seal off the entire research station. Arrest all personnel involved in the semi-mechanical modification of this Hydralisk."
Though they did not understand why the berserk Hydralisk had suddenly become so docile, the soldiers nonetheless executed Augustus's orders. Within minutes, the polar research station was completely sealed off, as more Revolution Army soldiers were urgently transferred to the site.
"What did you do?" Augustus's expression remained stern as ever, but Arcturus beside him was genuinely astonished.
"Mind control. It's like controlling a human being. Back in the Ghost Academy, psionics above Level 8 all received similar training—to skillfully manipulate their own psionic power and use their mental strength to control others. Simply put, it's the technique of taking over a person's brain and seizing control of their body—and it works on animals too."
At that moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Kerrigan let out a sharp cry.
"Oh God, Augustus doesn't allow me to control Zerg!"
Before she could finish speaking, the Hydralisk that had been retreating slowly into its holding cage suddenly roared again—clearly, Kerrigan had relaxed her mental control.
"For God's sake, Kerrigan, you have to control that thing right now!" Raynor shouted as well.
"How many can you control? One—or more?" Arcturus's gaze locked onto Kerrigan.
"I've never tried," Kerrigan replied, her focus still fixed on the Hydralisk. "But I think… if I tried, it should be possible. Just not too many, because my psionic energy is limited."
"But Augustus doesn't allow me to do that," she repeated.
"Can other psionic operatives do the same? If so, we wouldn't have to waste time and effort implanting mechanical neural controls into the Zerg," said Arcturus, looking at Kerrigan in a new light. At the same time, he found it strange—Augustus clearly knew Kerrigan possessed such an ability, so why would he forbid her from controlling Zerg?
"For now, it seems I'm the only one capable of doing it," Kerrigan answered.
Arcturus fixed his gaze on her, digesting the meaning behind her words.
Regarding this red-haired Ghost operative who always accompanied Augustus, Arcturus was by no means uninformed. Kerrigan had once attempted to infiltrate the Mengsk Sky Tower to assassinate Angus—and that alone had prompted the Sons of Korhal under Arcturus's command to conduct a full investigation of her.
After all, Kerrigan was right beside Augustus, and Arcturus cared deeply about his brother's safety.
The assassination of Angus Mengsk had been one of the key events that changed Arcturus's view of both the Confederacy and the revolution. For if Angus could be assassinated, then Catherine and Dorothy could also be in danger.
And as for Augustus's decision to employ the Ghost operative who had once tried to assassinate his father, Arcturus had no objection. He believed that if he were in Augustus's place, he would have made the same choice.
Since Kerrigan was an ace Ghost operative, executing her would undoubtedly be a waste.
"Why won't you let her control those Zerg?" Arcturus asked Augustus bluntly.
"Because it's unstable, Arcturus. Kerrigan's case is an exception, and the reason she can do this remains a mystery." Augustus did not say the rest aloud—that he feared Kerrigan's continued contact with the Zerg might attract the attention of the Swarm, pushing her one step closer toward becoming the Queen of Blades.
Augustus still remembered what Kerrigan had done after becoming the Queen of Blades—by the time of Wings of Liberty alone, nearly eight billion people had perished at the hands of the Swarm.
For Augustus, he had to keep Kerrigan under firm control, guarding against her ever heading toward that nightmarish fate.
This was why Augustus would rather support the Cerberus Corporation's use of mechanical modification methods to control the Zerg than allow Kerrigan to attempt controlling them herself.
Kerrigan's ability was indeed unstable; her talent in that aspect was not sufficient to let her control too many Zerg, and no one could guarantee that the ones she did control would not suddenly break free—undoubtedly courting disaster.
At present, the number of Zerg in the hands of the Revolution Army was not large, consisting only of Zerglings and Hydralisks—far from enough to constitute a military force that could not be ignored.
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