Embers of Change

5. The raid

I believed something awful was about to happen. Terror grasped my heart firmly, forcing it to beat so fast it made my whole body shake uncontrollably. My vision began to blur as I jogged toward the lab's entrance. I needed to get out from there. I had just betrayed the most powerful organization in the entire galaxy. I carried my gaze to my companions who were following me, their faces reflecting how anxious they were. I felt somewhat guilty for dragging them to this situation, but I believed this was the right choice. At least releasing Centaur-3 from the Circle's control would serve as some kind of vengeance against the misery I had been through when I was only a mere child.

After passing through the doorway, the security alarms began ringing. The sudden loud sound startled me, but I kept running as fast as possible. Once we got to the main hall, I thought the soldiers would try to stop us, though instead, they were putting on their combat suits. Something—or someone—from the outside was attacking the base. I gasped for air while trying to remain calm, although that was impossible in that moment. Carmen entered the building through the main door and immediately set her eyes on mine. I swallowed hard, trying to undo the lump that had formed inside my throat. We needed to pretend we were ignorant of the situation. Nevertheless, I wasn't good at lying. Fortunately, the Eraser program had done everything perfectly.

"Rebels are coming to attack us and the orum barrier has faded" the woman said angrily, a hint of fear being barely distinguishable in her eyes. It'd happened just as I had thought. "The external sensors detect a large group, maybe twice as big as our garrison. We'll need to use all of our resources if we are to survive, which we'll surely do!"

She tried to rally her men, but they were not stupid. She'd said it herself before: the rebels had improved combat suits. How could she hope to defeat them in such a terrible scenario? The soldiers simply nodded at each other, as if accepting their ominous fate. Then, the commander went out of the building followed by her reluctant subordinates. I turned around to see my companions. Drake snorted when our eyes met and Ed simply smiled nervously. I was quite shocked when I saw Alex behind them, the fear still overpowering him. He had not said a word about our act of treason. Did he have something against the Circle too?

"There are some spare combat suits over there" he said, pointing to a wall to my right which concealed a compartment built into it. There was also a small tactile pad one could use to open the container. "I want to go with you. I want to witness whether implanting orum is really plausible or not".

"Are you aware of the danger? We'll all be treated as outlaws as soon as the soldiers from this base realize we've changed sides" Ed explained hastily but bluntly. Somehow his tone had changed to a much more serious one. Alex simply nodded nervously, proceeding to pace toward the compartment where the spare suits were.

When he opened the container, he rapidly distributed the combat suits to each of us. They consisted on a reinforced armor that improved the strength, agility and perception of its user. The suit also was equipped with an assault rifle attached to the back of the breastplate, a phantom knife—a dagger with a 30 centimeters long blade which accelerated particles around it, creating plasma that let it cut through almost every known substance—concealed in a compartment hidden at the outer side of the right leg protector and a handgun attached to the waist. Additionally, the suit was built to work under different environmental conditions, so it included a refrigeration system, a retractable helmet with an oxygen mask integrated and other interesting features. Everything could be controlled via a tactile screen built into the left gauntlet, quite similar to a watch.

When we were all prepared, we walked toward the main door. As usual under these circumstances, my heart was beating really fast, my vision beginning to blur. I have never stood against a force like the Circle and even in that moment, I wasn't sure of my choice. Such an organization had almost unlimited resources when compared to a minor entity like the rebels. Had I taken the right decision? A hand was laid on my right shoulder and I immediately turned, seeing Drake's face staring at me. He was smiling, and although it wasn't as bright as usual, it served its purpose. I had his support, no matter where I went or what I did. Since the day I met him, he'd always watched out for me. Now that I had led him into this situation, I had to show some courage; for him, for Ed and now for Alex.