Page 36 of Fractured Souls

What the hell was the boss planning now? Often, Tarak’s orders didn’t make sense to Nythian. Only when he looked back on a mission would he understand that insignificant order A had indirectly resulted in major catastrophic event B. The boss played a mean long game, taking calculated risks. That was why Nythian didn’t even bother to argue anymore… well, most of the time.

Poor General Tarak.

It must be so hard, being right all the fucking time.

“That’s it!” Zharek exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of his seat as Mareth appeared and took over the controls. Mareth’s burly frame filled out the entire seat, in contrast to Zharek, who possessed the typical tall, slender physique of the nobleborn.

In his spare time, Mareth liked to fight. He was easily good enough to enlist in the armed divisions.

“You want me to extract the probe, boss?” Mareth spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

“No, no.” Zharek waved his hands excitedly. “It’s exactly where I want it. Just watch her vitals. Holler if you see anything unusual. I’ll be back in a moment. Just have to get something.”

“What’s going on?” Through the speaker, Alexis’s voice was eerily calm.

Too calm.

“Zharek…” Nythian growled as the medic disappeared. Zharek was so used to doing whatever he wanted without consent that he sometimes forgot how to be civilized.

Oh, Nythian remembered the dark times all too well. He remembered Zharek’s dispassionate eyes as the medic introduced various pathogens and drugs and nano-devices into his immobilized body, all in the hope of creating the perfect super-soldier.

In his mind, he could still hear the soft echo of Zharek’s melancholy sigh as Nythian’s vitals dropped off, leading Zharek to believe he was dead.

“Dispose of the body,” he would order his assistants, and there was nothing in his voice—no regret, no remorse, no satisfaction.

He’d just been… empty.

As they’d drained the tank and removed the neural immobilizers from Nythian’s body, as his heart lay still in his chest, as Nythian’s consciousness had split into two, as he’d caught a glimpse of that place beyond life…

It was dark and familiar, and he just knew this was how it had felt inside his mother’s womb. Its warm embrace smothered him and drew him under, and for a moment he became part of something much bigger than what his insignificant soul could ever comprehend.

Return to me, child.

But there was a restlessness inside him, and even the Goddess couldn’t give him what he needed most.

He wasn’t finished yet.

Something came roaring back.

His anger.

Anger was always there for him when he needed it most.

His heart flickered… once, twice… then it started to beat.

And finally, his mind and body understood that if he didn’t bend those cursed black nanites to his will, they were going to eat him alive.

No. It was not up to them to decide if he lived or died.

He was in control now.

Nythian sat up, the fury of a thousand black holes coursing through his veins…

He attacked.

The scars would still be there, on Zharek’s left side. Nythian’s claws had gone right through the bastard’s ribs, narrowly missing his heart.

Impossibly weak and close to death, he’d still managed to almost kill the medic.

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