Two guards in white armor shoved me into a white room. There was a chair in the center, facing a panel of frosted glass. "Sit down, try anything funny and I'll blow your brains out."
One of the guards raised his pulse rifle, his voice muffled behind his helmet. I could see his eyes though, through his blue-tinted visor.
They were sharp and narrowed.
I sighed, shuffling towards the chair. It was hard to move thanks to my chained feet.
Well they weren't literally chained, my ankles were cuffed with magnetic bracelets. Pull them apart and they snap right back together. I sat down in the chair. The guards moved in behind me.
"Prisoner secured."
The door to the outside hissed shut. The glass before me hummed to life with a holographic projection of a woman in uniform. She had long black hair, white eyes, and a smile that looked manufactured.
Her uniform was crisp blue.
We stared at each other in silence for a moment.
"You look… different. From what your files suggested I expected someone weaker."
The woman finally spoke, her tone sweet and steady. I looked down at my lean and toned frame. Then I looked back at her.
"My files? What did they say?"
She hummed softly, reclining in her seat.
"Oh, only that you are the impromptu technician of IF-7. I hear the warden is quite fond of you."
"Tch, something like that."
The guy only likes saving money on repairs, who couldn't care less about me. Still, he isn't a total prick. It's only because of him that I get the parts to fix up Lola.
"Look, is there a reason I'm here?"
The woman smirked.
"Straight to the point, I like it."
She leaned forward.
"We're launching a new initiative. The Gifted Prisoner Program."
She tapped a finger on her desk.
"Our goal is to find exceptional talent in our prisons and turn them into assets for the federation."
I leaned back as far as my chair allowed.
"Assets," I repeated, rolling the word around my mouth like a jagged rock. "You mean livestock for slaughter? What, running out of pilots for your death traps?"
The woman tilted her head with an unnerving slowness. "I assure you, the Custodi are as strong as ever." She raised a long, slender finger. "But, our enemies are many. As such, we must improvise."
I chuckled bitterly.
She wants a soldier.
Too bad.
"Improvise my ass. I can see where this is going so let me end it here and now."
I leaned forward.
"My answer is no, I will not fight your wars."
The woman sat in silence, her smile unwavering.
"I figured it would be a hard sell, so allow me to enlighten you to the benefits."
Her projection was split vertically in half. She was pushed to the left, while a 3D Model of a massive complex spun slowly on the right.
"You and 20 others will be transferred to Bordon Military Academy and trained as pilots. You'll be afforded advanced education and the tools to use it. Alongside quality amenities, no more hard beds and cold rations."
She pointed a finger at me.
"The best part is, after you've graduated you'll be pardoned of all criminal charges. You'd become an official citizen of the federation."
I stared at the academy.
It looked pristine.
Expensive.
It was too good to be true.
"The answer is still no. I know you aren't doing this out of the kindness of your heart. You gain something, and it's at my expense."
I pointed a thumb at my chest.
"I have no intention of becoming a damn statistic. You're not putting my name on a slab of marble and calling me a hero. I'd rather rot in here."
The woman didn't blink.
She waved her hand and the hologram vanished. The projection of her face returned full front and center. "If you don't want the carrot, then I'll show you the stick."
Her voice dropped.
I felt a shiver run up my spine.
Her hologram dissolved into footage of a dim room filled with scrap and computers. On the back wall in bright, bold yellow letters, was maintenance bay 3, sector 4.
My heart dropped.
"Why the hell are you showing me that room?"
I tried to stand up.
But the charge of a rifle behind my head made me hesitant.
"Keep watching."
The woman said confidently.
Two men entered the frame, more officers. They walked over to a stasis pod in the corner of the room.
I gritted my teeth.
One of the officers reached out to touch it.
"Hey, get away from there!"
I barked, attempting to stand again. A gloved hand shoved me back in my seat.
Gripping my shoulder.
"They can't hear you. You're wasting your breath."
The pod hissed open.
The metal doors rolled down the sides with a groan. And lying peacefully inside, hooked up to dozens of wires and cables, was Lola.
She had the appearance of a young girl.
Silver hair.
Soft features.
And half her body was covered in milky white skin. The other half, was exposed internals. Silver fluid flowed through synthetic veins above synthetic muscles.
My heart raced as the officers looked down at her.
I tightened my fists.
The officer turned to face the camera, and by extension, me. The woman's voice came through once more. "An R-series assault android. An antique from the secession wars and highly illegal."
The air left my lungs.
How did she know?
Only the warden and I knew who was in there.
"Its presence alone is enough to trigger an article 3. Shutting this facility down and killing all involved with its handling."
She paused, letting the silence stretch.
I couldn't breathe.
"And you want to know what'll happen with this android after you're dead?"
She hummed with amusement.
"It'll be carefully taken apart piece by piece. Treated like a bomb… and disposed of like one. Three years of your life will be gone in an instant."
She snapped her fingers.
My muscles tensed.
"She's not an it, you fucking bitch! She's done nothing wrong! And if your goons lay a finger on her, I'll have your damn necks! Don't tempt me, I've done far worse for less!"
The woman laughed softly.
"Bold words. But ultimately pointless. After it's taken, you'll be shot down in that chair. A life as pitiful as it was short."
The guards moved to take Lola out of her pod. They approached her cautiously, like she was a damn monster! Don't they know they're the real monsters?!
Not her!
I lurched from my seat, shrugging off the guard.
"I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER! I'LL–"
The guard behind me slammed the butt of his rifle in the back of my head.
I dropped to a knee.
My vision was blurred. The guard pushed me face-first into the cold, sterile floor. The pain throbbed through my skull. He forced me to look up.
To watch as one of the guards pinched her wrist, lifting her hand.
She looked so small next to them.
So fragile.
"Please!"
I finally began to beg like a kicked dog.
"Please don't do this!"
The taste of copper began to swirl in my mouth.
"Five seconds."
The woman replied.
"You have five seconds to decide the fate of this android."
My heart hammered in my chest like a trapped animal.
"Four…"
She spoke with a deliberate slowness.
"Three…"
I pulled against my restraints so hard my wrists began to bleed.
"Two…"
They can't take her from me.
"One…"
They just can't.
"Alright!"
I screamed, my voice hoarse.
"I'll do it, I'll do anything. Just stop…"
The woman hummed with satisfaction as she reappeared.
"Excellent choice."
I slumped to the floor as the officer tossed me aside. My adrenaline began to fade. Leaving nothing but a hollow void in my chest.
"You're the monster." I whisper hoarsely, "You and your federation are nothing but monsters."
The woman leaned forward with a hand pressed against her cheek.
"Hm? If we're such monsters, why would we let you keep a walking bomb as a pet?"
I glared at her.
"To use me."
She smirked.
"We knew since the beginning, Marcus. We'd have been fools not to."
I spat blood.
"Bullshit. The warden snuck her in, he told me as much."
The woman's smile remained unchanged. A man stepped behind her with a sheepish grin.
"Sorry kid, I couldn't have snuck that thing in if my life depended on it."
My eyes widened.
"What?"
The warden shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that, kid. It's not like I completely fucked you over."
I sat up.
This bastard worked to the bone and gave me nothing but scraps. I only tolerated it because that bastard told me he snuck her in. That he'd expose me if I didn't work my ass off! And you want to tell me the federation knew the whole time?!
That I did that for nothing?!
"You lying sack of shit! I should've killed your old ass the moment I had the chance! I trusted you!"
He sighed, shaking his head before walking away.
"Tough luck, kid."
My breaths came in short gasps as my heart raced.
The woman looked down on me with a neutral expression.
"Just to clarify about that Android."
I stayed silent.
"I said I wouldn't destroy it, but that doesn't mean I can't change my mind if you give me a good reason."
She continued.
"Prove yourself at the academy and I'll reward her to you as a graduation present. Fail me, and it's destroyed. Any questions?"
I stared at her with balled fists.
"Yeah, just one. Who are you?"
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"Director Vane," she replied coolly.
I glared at her.
Director Vane… count your fucking days. Because when I get out of this. I'm coming for you.
She smirked.
"It's been nice, Marcus."