Dome of Souls (Book 2 of 2, after Story Less Told)

Ch8: The Lineup

A discreetly smooth steel door opened and Izzy strolled through the doorway, stood at attention obediently inside a virtual chamber. A series of disembodied voices filled the room that she could feel; almost smell around her, but not in a way she could fully comprehend. A wave of slight pressure approached from high above and directly in front of her.

"What have you learned?" asked a disjointed voice in the dark.

"He isn't as dangerous as you think, not to the humans, not to his family. I don't see why he couldn't have more visitors and be left alone. I do recommend his confinement, but I think the security measures are overkill." she answered.

"Can he be killed?" the voice asked. Izzy looked offended.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me how, if there even is a way. You aren't serious about that, this is just contingency in case he became a serious danger, right?" she asked nervously.

"Finding a cure for the beast is of highest priority"

"Finding a cure implies there is a disease, we are talking about a person here with a conscious mind and feelings. He has an illness, but he isn't himself the illness. He's too dangerous to be allowed to just freely go to populated worlds, especially those with atmospheric domes and confined spaces, but he IS contained. He's not even trying to escape. If the goal is to contain the threat, you have succeeded; I just don't think we need to torture him for it. He's miserable." Izzy said.

"He is too volatile to allow. Do you think you can gain his trust enough to find his weaknesses?" it asked. Izzy grit her teeth in frustration.

"I thought I was supposed to evaluate his threat level and report if he was safely contained. I did that." she snipped.

"If you cannot comply, you will be removed from this operation in favor of someone better. You're patriotism is appreciated." said the voice.

"My patriotism and loyalty to this Empire is about the people, not the council. I thought the council wanted what was best for the core worlds and the people on them. We have an asset down there with a shock collar and you want to kill him?" she barked angrily as her eyes started to brighten.

"He is a weapon without stability, a bomb with no safety switch."

"He's a living thing with emotions and feelings, he is no threat as long as he is contained, and one of these days we may need him for something. He's a weapon too, but he's also a person. You have him sealed, just let him live and enjoy what he can in there and maybe if you ever need his help, he will just willing help you. He's not the enemy, he's just broken and confused. The very reason he's like this is because you designed him to be immortal. You pulled him through different realities and chopped into his memory. He was never designed to be able to process that much memory, that many years of history, it's no wonder he's broken. His body is older than his mind is intended to handle. You can't just create people and then kill them when their job is done, and you can't blame him for being stronger than you thought he would be. I won't stand for this. You wanted my evaluation; you wanted me to learn if he was a threat to the Empire, he's not dangerous in this state. He's an ally to this Empire and he has a purpose, he just needs rules and limitations. With time he could be working WITH you."

"She did not respond as predicted. Her outburst suggests she is not the ideal operative." said the voice, sounding more robotic than ever.

"You're damn right, and when Christophe finds out about this, there will be action." she demanded.

"No there will not be. You have completed phase 1, you have shown you are not capable of phase 2, therefore you are dismissed from this project. Your usefulness is appreciated." said the voice. Before Izzy could begin her ranting, the room went dark. Izzy opened her eyes and felt strange, looking around confused. Christophe strolled past her as she removed her neuro-sync and puzzled.