Trial 017 - 2019 Wattys Sci-Fi Winner

Leko Vysin

16.01.2723

This wasn't going well, Vysin thought. And with Malbar gone, my head is on the line.

The planet below seemed oddly peaceful from the heights of space, the red jungle of the planet giving the surface a look akin to bleeding. From orbit, you couldn't make out the fires burning in the bases below, nor the swarms of skyhoppers and foot soldiers struggling to contain the escaped test subjects. Each passing day meant the escapees grew stronger. If this wore on much longer, he might be forced to cleanse the area and start anew.

Vysin glanced down at the briefcase lying on the table beside him. Only hours before, he had had a conversation with one of the escapees, a young Inert Kingsfielder. Though the conversation was largely unproductive, it did offer him a rare chance to finally observe a dormant kinetase gene. The briefcase now contained a new set of samples, cryogenically sealed, obtained from the Inert after subjecting him to a Phase I treatment. Assuming things went right for once, the boy's genes would eventually reveal positive results and prove Vysin's theory.

Elsewhere, the situation was growing dire. Back in the cockpit, when that Inert boy, Charlie, was holding him captive, he had had the chance to stop him from sending out a distress call, but he hadn't. Now, an entire airfield was in enemy hands, and his head was next on the chopping block.

"Well played," Vysin growled.

A hiss signaled the opening of the door to the conference room. Vysin didn't have to turn around to know it was Commander Vogarin, freshly returned from his trip to the surface.

The ship they were now on had been lavishly decorated, having formerly been under the possession of the late Lord Malbar, meaning the ship was half command center and half luxury cruiser. The room reflected the contrast, with the conference table displaying screens with logistics and supply logs, and an automated servant android in the corner. Other than the table and the hoverchairs in the room, the only other furnishings were the patterned wallpaper, a bucket of chilled refreshments and a fancily carved stonelight centerpiece on the tabletop.

"What happened?" Vysin asked without looking.

"Your experiment just escaped," Vogarin answered. "Aided by some new friends. I killed one, but the rest took out my men. Forced me to retreat."

Vysin spared a glance at the seasoned commander, noting the heavily damaged armor. With the Kinetics still on the loose and all of their Phase II units gone, there was little left to appease the King's wrath.

He turned away from the window, facing the commander. Vogarin was still decked in his golden armor, equipped with the most cutting edge technology the Empire had to offer. The armor was awarded to only the most skilled warriors throughout their nation, which meant in that armor, Vogarin was almost an invincible warrior. Almost.

"Not an hour gone, I received a report from an officer on the ground," Vysin said. "He was in charge of the investigation surrounding the first breakout incident."

Vogarin raised his eyebrows at that.

"Any news?" he asked. "That incident started this whole mess."

"Yes," Vysin agreed. "It did. As it turns out, we underestimated the containment zone more than once. The first time, I anticipated a widespread area, but I didn't take into account the passage of time."

"It's expanded," Vogarin grunted. "Makes sense."

"Not only that," Vysin said. "It's spread to Fort 34."

Vogarin nodded slowly, taking in the problem.

"Could it have been prevented?" Vogarin asked.

Vysin shook his head.

"Once the King gave his order, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. We were at least a decade behind in planning and research. Not only that, the operation was rushed, leaving room for errors.

"That doesn't do us any good now, however," Vysin continued. "We can't turn back time. What news do you have of the situation on the surface?"

"Fort 23 is lost," Vogarin reported. "Surrounding areas have been dubbed no-fly zones, as you said, and we estimate approximately two hundred Kinetics are on the loose now. Only one of our Phase II subjects survived the attack. I've brought him up to the fleet to recover."

Vysin pressed fingers to his temple, sighing in frustration. This was much worse than he'd thought. He'd warned his superiors that rushing the project wasn't going to end well. And now he was going to pay despite his forewarning. Damn the whole project.

"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you've tried," Vysin muttered.

"What?" Vogarin asked.

"Shut down all affected assets and transmit current data to the fleet's servers," Vysin ordered, sounding more confident than he felt. "Quarantine all assets remaining on the surface, even the ones that aren't near the contamination zone. They'll all remain in quarantine until further notice. All shipments off-world will be subject to extensive screening processes to ensure no insurgents escape the planet."

Vogarin nodded, but Vysin wasn't finished yet.

"Fort 34 is crucial," he maintained. "If we're to stay alive after this mess, we need to evacuate as much research as possible."

"I'll send our troops there in force," Vogarin promised.

Vysin closed his eyes.

"Another thing," he continued. "When I got back, I received a summons from the King. He must be looking for someone to blame. We will have to tread carefully from here on out to ensure the blame doesn't fall on us."

He exhaled, kneading a fist on the briefcase. Then, he turned back to the window, opening his eyes to admire the planet's beauty. If things went south, he might not get the chance to see this view again.

"Where's the King's emissary?" he asked.

"The emissary left this ship a few hours ago," Vogarin said. "Wherever he is, it's not here."

They exchanged worried glances. For all they knew, the emissary had taken off to personally deliver a report to the King, which could spell disastrous consequences for the two of them. Now that the Lord Malbar was dead, there were very few people the blame could fall to now.

"Any ideas?" Vogarin asked.

"Maybe," Vysin muttered. "The trick is to convince the King to keep us alive."

"And how will you do that?" Vogarin asked as they both walked toward the door.

"By showing him how useful we still are," Vysin answered, opening the door. "It's a week's journey to the capital from here, and we both know he's going to want someone to pay for this. We just have to make sure it isn't us."

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