The following weeks blurred into one endless cycle of panic and caffeine.
Juliet's rejection had faded to a dull ache,
replaced by a far greater terror-
Exams.
Neo-Aether Academy was infamous for one thing: no mercy.
And Russell's grand academic strategy-
"Cram later."
-had finally reached its catastrophic conclusion.
Data-slates, empty nutrient bars, and half-charged styluses littered his room.
Holographic equations floated above the desk, shimmering like taunting ghosts.
Xenobotany. Advanced Calculus. History of Interstellar Colonization.
An insurmountable mountain of knowledge.
Three days to climb it.
Panic crept in-
that cold, familiar, chest-tightening kind.
He could already see it:
failure.
humiliation.
Juliet's voice echoing in his head-
"You're... well, you're you."
---
Desperate times.
Desperate measures.
Russell sighed and opened his comm.
The hologram flickered to life-
and chaos answered the call.
---
SALVADOR ZODIAC
Genius.
Madman.
Family embarrassment.
He was surrounded by sparks, half-assembled drones, and enough tools to start a small war. Even through the feed, Russell could smell ozone.
"Russell! To what do I owe the-
by the stars, are those stress-induced capillaries?
You look like a Martian canal map!"
"Uncle, I need help."
Russell's tone cut through the teasing.
"Exams. I'm doomed. Three days to learn everything.
You said your offer was for 'real science,' but please-anything.
A study guide? A cheat sheet?"
He winced even saying it.
But Salvador didn't laugh.
His eyes lit up like a reactor going critical.
A grin stretched across his face-hungry, electric.
"Russell! You've finally seen the light!
Of course I can help.
Memorization is primitive.
I have something far more... efficient."
He leaned close to the camera.
"Come to the coordinates I'm sending.
Now."
A soft ping echoed on Russell's datapad.
Industrial Sector 7.
He frowned.
That area was famous for two things-
rust and rogue synth-rats.
"This... is a joke, right?
That's a condemned zone."
"The greatest treasures hide in plain sight, nephew!
Hurry! The learning algorithm awaits!"
And just like that-
the feed cut.
---
One hour later.
Acid rain hissed against metal as Russell stood before the address.
A sagging warehouse loomed, its walls scarred with graffiti.
A dead shipping drone rusted in a puddle at his feet.
He shivered.
"Uncle?
This isn't funny.
You joked with me, right?"
The wall beside him clicked.
A small panel slid open, revealing a glowing retinal scanner.
"Identity: Russell Zodiac.
Authorization: Omega-Level Guest.
Please state purpose of visit."
Russell blinked.
"Uh... to not fail calculus?"
Beep.
"Purpose accepted."
Then the entire wall groaned-
not opening,
but retracting,
sliding sideways like a curtain of steel.
The illusion of ruin peeled away, revealing blinding white light.
Sterile air washed over him-clean, cold, ionized.
"Proceed to the decontamination arch,"
the voice instructed.
Still dazed, Russell stepped forward.
Blue light scanned over him, humming softly.
Behind him, the massive door sealed shut-
the derelict facade returning, hiding everything within.
---
A second door hissed open.
Russell stepped through-
and his breath caught in his throat.
He hadn't entered a lab.
He'd walked into a cathedral of science.
The space stretched upward for stories, filled with floating holograms of impossible machines.
Silent assistants glided between consoles, their movements precise.
Through the glass floor, he glimpsed lower levels-
a plasma forge, containment chambers,
and in one hangar bay-
a sleek, unmarked starship bathed in blue light.
The hum in the air wasn't mechanical.
It was alive.
"Welcome to my lab, Russell."
Salvador stepped out from behind a towering cylinder swirling with iridescent gas, his coat flaring slightly as he spread his arms wide-
a magician revealing his masterpiece.
"This... this is..."
Russell's words faltered.
"The future?"
Salvador grinned. "Yes, and yes.
But more importantly-your tutoring center."
He led Russell to a high-backed chair-half throne, half command seat.
"Forget your books.
We'll use a Mnemonic Inducer.
It'll imprint the data directly into your synapses.
Three hours of learning equals three months of study."
Russell stared.
The dream of a quiet, normal life dissolved in the sterile glow around him.
He had asked for a cheat sheet.
His uncle had handed him a revolution.
And somewhere deep in the lab's hum-
something else stirred.
---
Lesson One:
Be careful what you ask to learn.
The test might just rewrite you.