Throughout his nine-year-long tenure as the chief scientist of Trial 017, Vysin had only been to the surface about a dozen times. Usually, it was when something serious was happening, such as a breakthrough he might want to present to his King personally or pressing situations that just couldn't be handled from afar.
This week, he'd made two such visits. And on his second visit, he had been the prisoner instead of the jailer.
"My lord, this security breach has already been dealt with," the gruff commander protested.
Senet, the commander in charge of the airfield's security walked beside Vysin, offering poor excuses as he tried to salvage his career. Although the commander towered over Vysin in both height and musculature, he stooped and bowed often enough to seem much shorter.
"I do apologize for the security mishap earlier, but the previous situation was complicated and thankfully, my men have brought it under control. There really is no further need for such personal supervision, please, I assure you-"
"Take him outside the base and execute him," Vysin ordered to his guardsmen. "There is no quarter given for failure."
Given what had just happened, Vysin was done with taking chances when it came to security. Commander Vogarin was accompanying him on this trip, bringing along some of his marshals. Armed with the latest in personal defense technology, Vogarin and his men were a sure match for any Kinetic that dared venture out into the open. If that wasn't enough, he had brought along the first fruits of the 017 project, Phase II combat units, one of which had been deployed effectively. A pity that one of his first field tests resulted in a trip to the medical ward.
Behind Vysin, three strange Krakoshans followed in formation: a massive soldier with thick skin, immense strength, and great durability; a disproportionately thin soldier capable of traveling at high speeds; and a soldier with the remarkable ability to regenerate from life-threatening wounds. The remainders of his Kinetic Krakoshans.
Trusting Vogarin to deal with the former commander, Vysin entered the remains of the main compound, marveling at the damage done to the base. According to the reports he'd received, the base had been wrecked two nights ago, and his own abduction marked the second incursion. The descriptions in the reports indicated that the first assailants had been a Nethermancer and an aerokinetic, both of whom were already back in pods. This time, it appeared their leader had decided to try and rescue them.
He stopped his procession in front of one of the cleanrooms, waving the guards to step aside. One of them opened the door for him, giving him clearance to enter. Motioning for his escort to remain outside, Vysin slipped into the room.
Inside, the young Terran boy who had tried kidnapping him earlier hung from a vertical lab table, his hands and legs bolted and secured to form a human tee. He wore a dark navy windbreaker jacket and a pair of slim khakis. At the sight of Vysin, he scowled, turning to look away. Defiant but scared, Vysin noted.
"Good evening," Vysin said in Terran, spreading his hands.
"Here to process me yourself?" Charlie asked.
"Not really," Vysin admitted. "I was hoping for something more along the lines of an interrogation."
The boy frowned, appearing confused. Not that Vysin was completely sure. Reading alien faces was always a little difficult.
"Ironic, I know," he continued. "Given that some time ago, this situation was somewhat reversed."
Charlie said nothing, staring at Vysin silently.
"I looked at your file," Vysin offered. "You were brought in from the Cadmus Institute. I suppose you must be at least clever enough to realize by now that the Gholians you saw were merely pawns."
YOU ARE READING
Trial 017 - 2019 Wattys Sci-Fi Winner
Adventure***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction*** Charlie has always been the one left behind. It isn't because there's something special about him; in fact, there is nothing special about him at all. As one of the few unlucky members of Terran societ...
