"I can't let them have another host," Cillian muttered, his voice laced with desperation as he lunged for a knife. The guards were quicker, subduing him before he could act on his desperate plan.
"They'll get nothing from me," Cillian hissed from the ground, his defiance against the Primes unbroken even in defeat. "Death to Primes," he declared, his final words echoing through the room like a battle cry.
In a moment of harrowing finality, Cillian, trapped and resolute, made a chilling decision. With a swift, desperate motion, he slit his own throat and collapsed lifelessly to the ground. The brutality of his action was a stark testament to the lengths the Children of Gabriel were willing to go in their fight against the Primes. Still paralyzed, I was helpless as the guards hoisted me up. My mind was a whirl of shock and confusion as they carried me through the dimly lit corridors of Sanctum. The only sound was the muffled footsteps of the guards, echoing ominously around us.
We soon arrived at a lab that was nothing short of macabre. Skeletons, arrayed in various scientific poses, adorned the room, casting eerie shadows under the harsh artificial light. The sight was unsettling, hinting at untold stories of experimentation and research that had taken place within these walls. Simone Prime was there, her presence as chilling as the surroundings. Her eyes met mine with an unreadable expression, suggesting a depth of knowledge and involvement in the lab's activities. Leading the procession was Russell himself, his demeanor calm yet authoritative. The fact that he was personally overseeing this situation indicated the gravity of what had transpired with Cillian and the importance of what lay hidden in Sanctum's underbelly.
Russell's command to lay me on the table sent a shiver down my spine, even as the paralysis held its grip. The guards complied, leaving me exposed and vulnerable under Russell and Simone's scrutinizing gaze.
"What is this, Russell?" Simone's voice quivered with a mix of apprehension and urgency.
"Cillian betrayed us," Russell explained with a heavy heart. "He used a paralytic on Kegan before taking his own life."
Simone approached, her eyes flitting between me and Russell, a storm of emotions playing across her face. "And the antidote, Russell? Why haven't you administered it yet?"
The weight of her question hung in the air. Russell reached towards her necklace, a symbol of their authority and power, but Simone halted his hand. "He has the blood, Simone," Russell's voice was strained, torn between duty and morality. "If you say the word, I won't proceed."
The mention of my blood sent a cold realization through me. I was more than just a victim of Cillian's actions; I was a pawn in a much larger game.
"Jade has returned," Simone's voice broke the tension. "Rose is dead."
Russell exhaled deeply, the gravity of the situation dawning upon him. "The math is simple yet brutal," he began, his voice taking on a calculating tone. "There are no more hosts. The gap between Rose and Delilah was 14 years. Joey is still third in line. At best, we're looking at 35 years before his host is even born, another 21 years until the brain is mature enough. We could wait 56 years for Joey's naming day, or we could act now."
He paused, his gaze locked on me. "All it takes is for us to make one unthinkable choice: to sacrifice this innocent boy to bring back our son tonight."
In that moment, the full horror of the Primes' dilemma was laid bare before me. I was not just a survivor of Earth's demise, but a potential key to the Primes' twisted version of rebirth and survival. As Simone lovingly kissed Russell's cheek, a solemn resignation settled between them. Her fingers delicately opened the locket hanging from her necklace, revealing its true nature—an AI chip. The chilling realization struck me with full force: the Primes were perpetuating their existence by implanting these chips, carrying the consciousness of their loved ones, into unsuspecting hosts.
"I'll prep for the insertion," Simone's voice was steady, betraying no hint of the moral weight of their actions. "You clear the host."
Russell's gaze lingered on me with a sorrowful expression. "I'm truly sorry, Kegan," he whispered, a faint tremor in his voice. "Please, don't cry."
His plea was met with the silent trails of my tears, the only response I could muster in my paralyzed state. Each tear was a testament to the horror of my predicament, a stark contrast to Russell's hushed, futile request for calm. In that moment, the depths of Sanctum's depravity were laid bare, and I was at its mercy, unable to fight, unable to flee.
Russell's gentle wiping of my tears felt like the final act of a tragedy. His words, meant to comfort, only deepened the despair of my impending fate. "You won't feel pain," he assured me, his voice a quiet echo in the sterile room. "You're giving a gift, Kegan, a sacrifice for another's life."
Simone's hands cradled Russell's face, her eyes alight with a fervor that chilled me to the bone. "This is destiny," she whispered, her conviction unwavering. "A ship arrives just as we face our end, bringing the perfect vessel. This is meant to be."
The sharp sting of the injection at my neck was the last sensation I felt, a cruel reminder of my helplessness. "No more fighting," Russell murmured, his lips pressing a cold kiss on my forehead. "Find peace in a better place."
His words, a hollow promise of tranquility, were the last I heard before darkness enveloped me, swallowing my consciousness whole. In those final moments, gratitude was the last emotion I expected, yet Russell's voice, thanking me for this 'gift', was a haunting lullaby to my forced slumber.
***
As consciousness clawed its way back, the world rushed in with an overwhelming intensity. Voices from above, speaking of brain activity and antidotes, were a jarring symphony to my frayed senses. Confusion reigned as I heard them call me Joseph – a name that wasn't mine, tethered to memories of a father long gone.
"Why am I screaming?" I wondered internally, trapped in a body that no longer obeyed me, a body that screamed in terror without my consent. Fear gripped me, inexplicable and all-consuming, as I found myself seated on a table in a room I didn't recognize.
"It's okay, you're safe," Russell's voice tried to soothe, but it only deepened the chasm of my disorientation. Simone's lament about the difficulty of this 'part' was a distant echo as I struggled to anchor myself in reality.
"Dad?" the voice that wasn't mine asked, looking at Russell. The confusion was suffocating; my mind screamed in denial, yet my body, now Joseph's, accepted these strangers as parents.
Simone embraced me, her tears a stark contrast to the coldness of the act they had committed. My reflection in the mirror was a stranger's face, examining hair length with a foreign sense of familiarity.
"Stop with the hair," Russell chuckled, but Joseph – I – laughed in response, a laugh that felt alien yet somehow mine. In that moment, the horror of my reality settled in; I was no longer Kegan, but Joseph, caught in a body and a life that were not my own.
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Inside My Head (Silent Moment Series: Book 6)
FanfictionIt's been 125 years since he last opened his eyes. It was like he'd just gone to sleep yesterday. Monty and Harper and the ultimate sacrifice and saved everyone after earth was no longer viable. Now that Kegan and the others are in orbit of planet A...
