The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Darkness.

Aiden found himself lost in a state of hazy unconsciousness, swarmed by a numbness that consumed every inch of him. And then, a voice.

"Aiden."

Her voice was familiar, in an odd way. It felt as though Aiden had not heard it in many years, and yet, it was so distinguishable. He expected to be greeted with a searing headache upon fighting to identify her, but there was nothing.

Silence.

"Aiden," said the voice once again. "Be safe, Aiden, my soldier."

A warmness overcame him, accompanied by what felt like a blanket of safety and reassurance. Aiden desperately searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Have hope, my son. The end is near."

And then, too soon, the world came back to him.

Aiden's gray eyes flew open, flinching as harsh light greeted him. He furrowed his brow, squinting until he was accustomed to his surroundings. He was sitting down in a large room with a window overlooking hundreds of missiles laying dormant in a large warehouse. They looked as if they were frozen in time; untouched for many years and left to be forgotten for many more to come. A control panel ran along the window, a myriad of buttons, levers and dated computer screens lining the walls.

Aiden wanted to approach it, but he was stopped short at the feeling of sharp metal digging into his wrists and ankles, confining him to his chair. He looked around, puzzled and desperate for answers.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Aiden turned his head to find Orion sitting in a metal chair, surveying the weapons with a pleasant smile. His black uniform was crisp and untouched, not even a hair out of place on his immaculate head.

"Where am I?" Aiden asked. His voice was raspy and weak, and his mouth tasted like dried blood. "How long have I been unconscious?"

Orion rose from the chair, approaching Aiden with a swift walk. His uniform billowed behind him, making his stature look grandiose and fearsome.

"Underground," Orion replied simply. "This is a weapons bunker located beneath the Eskium warehouse. I believe it was once occupied long ago by the old countries, the ones who controlled this earth before the last World War."

"And just how did you manage to find it?" Aiden demanded, an unsettling feeling creeping into his body. Nuclear power in the hands of the Eskium leader wasn't to be trusted. Just what were Orion's plans?

"Well, that's just it, isn't it? Eskium may have lost the war, but we still fought in it. Only this time, we've made sure that nothing else can interfere with our victory."

"Bold words from an ambitious maniac," Aiden scoffed. "You're losing."

Orion's eyes glinted in the light. "I know."

Aiden hesitated, unsure of what to say next. Aiden hoped that the Creatan forces had been making great strides in their fight against Eskium, but he was unaware of their success. If Orion knew that his troops were losing, then why would he be so composed? Better yet, why would he let Aiden live to see it?

"So why keep it up, then? Why not surrender, here and now? End this," Aiden urged. He lifted his head up defiantly, as if to justify his claims. "If there's no chance of winning, find some shred of sympathy within you to save the lives of the people who are still alive."

"Our goal was to win," Orion explained, staring off into the distance. "But you see, there are no winners in a game on nuclear war. No matter which side fires first, everybody still dies." He turned back to Aiden, his face strained with a twisted smile. "So that's how this ends. Without any winners; with no survivors."