Ceres Chaos [Exosuit Progression]

“So let me get this straight. You triggered the backdoor three times. THREE TIMES. Everything is your fault, we agreed beforehand that you will restore him! What do you mean you can’t heal him?!” Ann Lesion screamed at Doctor Wu, who sighed.

“For the last time, something weird is going on with his nerval jack! It’s like it is in complete lockdown and no one else is allowed to access it! I know about the agreement, and if you would stop disturbing me I will have more time to fix this problem!” Doctor Wu retorted.

“Weren’t you the one who installed the backdoor? You’re the one with ultimate access!” Ann was about to continue scolding, tears coming out of her eyes before someone grabbed her shoulder firmly.

“Madam, the doctor here is trying very hard to fix this issue, and you’re not making things any better! How about you sit quietly, otherwise I’ll have to ask you to leave.” Imperial Prince Zachary tried to calm the orphanage director down, but she slapped his hand off her shoulder.

“Ask me to leave? He’s MY orphanage kid! I didn’t sign up for this, Doctor Wu, you said the backdoor was only temporary!”

“It was, look at Braton and Trissa! Ceres here is an anomaly, and the more you shout the less I can work and the more risk there is!” Doctor Wu snapped at her, but she seemed to get even more agitated.

“This isn’t going to work out at all - we need more doctors here looking at him! You can’t keep him here to work on by yourself!” Ann tried to rush out the door, but Zachary stopped her.

“That’s not part of the deal, madam. You know you’ll be in trouble too if this backdoor plan is revealed to the public!” Zachary warned.

“It doesn’t matter right now, his life is in danger! There’s no way you can solve this on your own!” Ann screamed.

“For the last fucking time, his life is not in danger! When will you stop screaming and distracting us, woman?” Doctor Wu couldn’t concentrate on his work, extremely furious.

“Madam, don't do anything rash! I think it will be better for you if you waited outside, I’ll get one of the enforcers to escort you.” Zachary tried to calm her down.

“Okay.. okay.. tell me what happens next after we solve the problem.” Ann breathed deeply, knowing that she was too deep in this to get away scot-free.

Before Zachary could answer, fighting and screaming could be heard outside the door. “What’s going on outside?” Ann asked, while Zachary still had that cold slight smile on his face.

“It seems like unwanted intruders have arrived. Now, Ms Lesion, what would happen to you if the information was leaked out to the public?” Zachary suddenly asked her.

“I..I…” Ann could hardly think when she thought about that topic. Her whole career would be over, both in the military and as a teacher. It could be life imprisonment.

“Now what I want to tell you, Ms Lesion, is that if you do anything, anything at all that may jeopardize the current operation we have, we will not allow you to speak at all to anyone. This means that if you get caught by the military police, we will silence you first. I hope you understand, it’s just business.” Zachary explained as though he was teaching a three-year-old kid, while Doctor Wu continued working.

Ann just simply nodded, finally aware of how deep in the web of lies she had gotten herself into.

Her life was now under the thumb of Zachary, but she kept resolving in her head that she was doing it for the better future of her precious orphans.

She was right, wasn’t she? Look at how much trouble Ceres stirred up during his duel.

Some humans were never meant to go beyond a certain station, and she only wanted happiness for her orphans, not a never-ending rat race or consistent bullying.

She learnt it the hard way sixteen years ago when Henry won the competition and joined the Alpha Legion.

It was one of the most elite military legions, and Ann Lesion at that time was extremely proud of her first year of being an orphanage director. She had the right to be.

All her orphans were extremely motivated, pushing up harder and harder to climb the ranks. That’s where true social mobility was, wasn’t it? Strength was the currency of society.

But a few years later, she heard the news that three of her first batch of orphans had committed suicide.

In their notes, they wrote that they were too unsatisfied with what they had achieved.

The three of them never made it off-planet, and always kept Henry’s success as a point of jealousy, living their lives in continued regret that they didn’t manage to push as hard as Henry did.

They were trapped in the rat race, continuously comparing themselves to others.

They also faced a lot of social resistance, with inners mocking them and trying to block their promotion paths, not just in the private sector but even in the military too.

At that time, Ann thought that it was a one-off thing and that the majority of her orphans must still be okay. But as the number of cases kept increasing, the real kicker that shook her reality was when Henry Lesion came back.

He came back because of the incessant bullying and ostracization from the elites within the Alpha Legion. This was the turning point for Ann to finally realize that aiming for the highest possible result in society might not result in the most happiness.

She had to reconcile which was more important to her: her orphans’ career success or their happiness.

She eventually chose their happiness, finally accepting the backdoor contract that she had been rejecting for a few years.

Now, in the surgery room looking at Ceres unconscious on the table, she kept repeating to herself that she was doing it for the better of him, that this was the best for him.

Ann finally simmered down, sitting down on a chair in the corner silently, while Zachary headed over to the doctor.

“So from what I’ve gathered, something weird is blocking you from fixing the backdoor back. Explain it to me fully.” Zachary asked.

“Yes, it seems like his entire nervous system has solidified in some way, also encrusting the nerval jack. It also seems to be reacting to whatever external stimulus is poking it.” Doctor Wu pointed to the back of Ceres’s neck, who was laying face down on a surgery table.

The nerval jack seemed to be polluted with some pulsating black goo, forming a solid barrier that plugged the hole.

It was the first time Zachary had seen such a substance, and he had seen a good number of exotic materials and substances himself during his Imperial Academy training.

It unnerved him, knowing that there was something unknown that could potentially destroy his plan. “Can’t you just cut through it? Use a laser scalpel or something!” Zachary asked impatiently.

“That’s the thing, I’ve tried! Anything stronger runs the risk of me completely cutting off his entire neck, making things more complicated. What's worse is that it's inside his body, he's naturally reproducing it! I’m at my wit’s end here! If you’re willing to take the risk, I can give it a go. I’ve already analysed the properties of the black goo, though its parameters are still varying.” Doctor Wu ruffled his own greying hair, completely unsure of how to proceed.

“So the black goo can transform? Right now, is he completely paralyzed?” Zachary lost his wariness and was fascinated by the abnormality shown on Ceres’s neck, wanting to study it more.

He has never seen or heard of such a transformative material that could live in a human body before and was thinking about all the potential defensive benefits it could serve.

“Theoretically, his nervous system should be completely blocked off by this black stuff. The muscles and bones are filled with the stuff that has solidified too. He shouldn’t even be able to move a single muscle below his neck!”

“That’s great. That’s great…” Zachary paced around the room, thinking hard. Could he formulate a different plan altogether? The number of benefits that he could obtain from this would be immense.

What if he had an entire legion of soldiers that could freely manipulate the black goo, that can harden at will? They would be immune to any sort of nerval jack hijacking, ensuring that they could be the best black-ops operatives in the empire.

Zachary finally spoke. ”Ceres would be a great help to our current project, wouldn’t he now Doctor? Think of all the wondrous applications this can do, it would accelerate the project far beyond the former three-decade timeline. I’m sure Oliver will be able to accept the change given the potential benefits. Now, we’ll say he died, giving Chad the win. In the meantime, you and I will study him together. How about that?”

The doctor barely took a second to agree. He didn't care about anything other than advancing his project. He had a promise to fulfil, after all.

“Yes, yes that’s good, let me tell Oliver.” But before the doctor could reach for the multi, Zachary grabbed his arm firmly, stopping the doctor in place. “When I say ‘you and I’, I mean it. Are we clear? I hope you don’t go behind my back and share more than what is required from the project with Oliver.”

The doctor swallowed hard before nodding vigorously. If he couldn’t afford to offend Oliver Athen, he definitely couldn’t afford to offend the Imperial Prince!

“Wait! What do you mean Ceres is declared dead!” Ann suddenly got up, questioning Zachary, who immediately stared her down, causing her to falter.

“Madam, you’re in no position to ask for anything. Make one wrong move and you’re dead. Right now Ceres is paralyzed from the neck down, and only our ‘project’ can potentially save him. However, due to the project being worked with both the enforcers and city administration, the project requires a very high clearance to gain access to.” Zachary calmly explained while his eyes had a piercing glare.

“Naturally, any subject would have to be temporarily declared dead. Do understand that we’re doing this for the best of Ceres of course and that he will come out of the project safe and sound. He will be in his strongest state ever!” Zachary suddenly gave a photogenic smile, as though he was truly sincere.

Ann couldn’t find much to say in response. Zachary was right. She was in no position to do anything, she was merely a pawn. Going against him would be the worst outcome possible.

They were suddenly interrupted by a husky voice on the intercom: [Sir, three minors are fighting right outside, trying to break into the surgery room. One of the enforcers swears that he saw a fourth one, but we haven't found him. Continuing search now.]

Ann was astonished. Why were there minors fighting to get into the surgery room? Could it be...

Zachary smiled, that same cold gentle smile fixated on his face.

The doctor was stunned “Minors? I thought the rebels would have sent better than that. Are they relying on barely-adult soldiers to sabotage the project now?”

Instead of answering the doctor, Zachary looked up to the ceiling at the only ventilation vent in the room. “How about you come out nicely? I don’t want to hurt you, and I rather not call my enforcers in to flush you out of the vent with nerve gas.”

No one replied, making Zachary look as though he was talking to thin air. He sighed, pulling out a small energy handgun that could swap between stun mode and lethal.

“Don’t make me shoot the vent. I’ll give you three seconds. One...Two...”. Before Zachary pulled the trigger, out of the vent, a small boy crawled out and dropped onto the floor, staring angrily at the two of them.

It was Erik! Ann gasped audibly. Why was he here?

“Don’t try anything stupid, I’ve already recorded your voices and posted it up on the network! You’re all busted!” Erik shouted, holding his multi up in defiance.

He looked around the room, but when he landed on Ann’s face, the utmost expression of disgust filled his entire face.

Ann was stunned, unable to explain herself properly. Despite the shocking announcement, Zachary merely smiled as he slowly walked to Erik, unfazed by the threat.

“Little boy, you need to learn something. If you execute the threat before using it to threaten others, what is the point? Instead, all you get is a cornered beast that will have no choice but to lunge at you. Do you really think anyone in this room is here to protect you? Not even your orphanage director is on your side here. How naive.” Zachary smirked.

Erik’s face paled when he heard Zachary say that, as he realized he had zero weapons and no leverage, while he knew Zachary still had an energy handgun.

“I’m curious, how did you know about this plan? I was sure that the orphanage director never told any of you.” Zachary asked quietly, while Erik’s eyes locked onto Ann Lesion, his mind still unable to get over the betrayal.

He had spent the better part of his childhood under her guidance, only for her to actually sell them out. But what could Erik do in this situation?

Almost bursting into tears, Erik held his stand as he struggled with words. “Don’t cry now, I’m not going to hurt you! As long as you keep this a secret and claim that Ceres is dead, everything will be a-ok! In fact, I will even release your friends who tried to assault a police enforcer. How’s that!”

Erik was reminded of Trissa, Lisa and Braton. Now that the plan was foiled, he could not open the surgery room door without defeating Zachary and everyone else in the room. Erik nodded vigorously, passing his multi over to Zachary.

Zachary smiled as he took the multi, placing it in his pocket. “Now wait here while I get an enforcer to come and pick you up. Okay? Don’t try anything, or you know what will happen.”

Erik raced through his mind. He was trapped.

His friends were captured outside, and he couldn’t collect nor release evidence about Ceres’ backdoor. For now, he had to go along with the deal and hopefully release the audio recording later. He had a second device in his pocket that also recorded audio as a backup.

“I’ve heard back from Oliver, he’s alright with the plan. I told him that we will be disposing of the body ourselves, so he’s all ours. What do we do with the kid?” The doctor gestured towards Erik, who was scared stiff in the corner of the room.

Erik had never been in such a situation before, stunned. What was he supposed to achieve in this situation? This was vastly different from how the greenhouse raid went. He was up against the Imperial Prince!

“Great, here’s the perfect chance for you to prove yourself.” Zachary walked up to Ann Lesion, took her hand and placed his handgun in it, whispering into her ear.

“Simple, isn’t it? If Erik leaves this room, you’ll be exposed, and we’ll all go crashing down together. For my life as an imperial prince, I’ll still live a healthy comfortable life. You? Maybe the death penalty by military law? So, the deed must be done. Kill him.” Zachary flicked the switch in the handgun, swapping it from stun to lethal, before walking away.

Ann shuddered, looking at the handgun in her hand. She had hardly fired a gun ever since her military training, and it was in a firing range.

How could she shoot at her own kids?

Especially one that she swore to protect their happiness? She could no longer live with herself, resolving to fight back. She finally realized she had been wrong this entire time.

“Didn’t you say you were going to let him go?!” Ann shouted, moving over to defend Erik, shocking him.

She raised her handgun up to fire at Zachary, only to stop when a gunshot rang out even before she pulled the trigger.

Her body slumped backwards onto Erik, who dodged the now dead Ann Lesion, her head carved with a hole straight through while her eyes remained wide open in shock, the blood and brains oozing through the floor and splattering onto his face and clothes. The handgun in her hand clattered to the ground next to her limp body, sliding a few meters away.

"Hmm, another one limited by self-morals in a world that does not care. How pitiful." Zachary sighed.

Zachary walked up to the body, unafraid of Erik as he took out a knife. The doctor too acted like nothing had happened, keeping his hot energy pistol back in his pants, continuing his work on Ceres.

Zachary carved Ann’s head apart with the knife slowly but precisely, aiming for the back of the head. For Erik, the twists and turns of betrayal left him utterly confused, only allowing him to barely talk to Zachary, who extracted a bloodied cranial implant that looked like a memory chip.

“Why? Why are you doing any of this? WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU?” Erik cried out, tears forming at the edge of his eyes as he stared at the shocked eyes of Ann.

Zachary chuckled as he took out another memory chip, using his multi to copy the memory between the two. “You didn’t do anything at all, Erik. All I want is to make the planet, no, the empire a better place. If I said that, would you believe me?”

Erik didn’t know what to reply, obviously not believing it but yet afraid of incurring his wrath.

Finally getting back his bearings, Erik’s eyes darted around the room, trying to find a way out or a way to fight back. “I’m a military soldier too!” Erik resolved himself in his heart.

His eyes landed on Zachary’s handgun which was still laying on the side of Ann Lesion and dropped when she was shot. It lay about three meters away from where he was, while Zachary walked back to Doctor Wu.

“Does she have any other implants?” Zachary asked Doctor Wu, who was the one who did all of her implants.

“Not that I know of.” The doctor replied. “You can double-check the database again, it’s here next to Ceres.”

While Zachary was walking over to the database, Erik took the opportunity and suddenly dashed towards the handgun on the ground, intending to grab it. As he finally held it in his hands and spun around to aim, Zachary was suddenly right in front of him, kicking him straight in the ribs!

Erik collapsed on the floor in pain, shocked at how fast Zachary could cover the distance without him even noticing. Erik dropped the handgun onto the ground, which clattered and skidded away from him.

“Congratulations, kid. You have the honour of being kicked by an Imperial Prince. Did you really think I left my own handgun there without realizing it? But at least you got guts, I’ll give it to you.” Zachary picked up Ann’s pistol and shot into the thighs of Erik, the energy beam charring a hole right through his flesh and bones, making Erik scream out in pain.

Zachary then aimed the gun at Erik’s head, who could barely hold himself together from the pain, but he still stared angrily at Zachary in defiance.

Somehow, Erik hoped that Ceres would wake up this instance and create yet another miracle show of strength.

That’s how it usually goes right?

Maybe right about now, Lisa, Braton and Trissa would all come swooping in to save the day, right?

They must have won against the enforcers outside. It would just be like the safehouse all over again.

They always win!

And if they ever faced a tough situation, someone from somewhere else would come out to save them, wouldn’t they? Maybe even Ardan would come rushing in!

Zachary noticed the hopeful expression on Erik’s face, laughing out loud. “Did you think you would ever leave this room alive?! Or that your friends would save you?! What a joke - I knew you kids were coming from a mile away once I saw Mrs Qiu leading the group.”

“You think I didn’t notice your little stunt out in the greenhouse when I have a full view of the enforcers every single day? Why would I ever not keep track of every factor that could screw up the wager? I already knew everything you’d planned the moment you executed it. A team of kids trying to raid me and real enforcers, so naive.” Zachary continued laughing, while despair filled Erik’s eyes, causing him to tear up again.

“You’ll pay for this, fucker! You can kill me but the recording is already out there!” Erik shouted back in defiance, causing even the doctor to snigger.

Zachary finally stopped laughing, picking up the dropped handgun, switching the gun mode and cocking it at Erik’s forehead. “Sorry, I got no more time to play with you.”

Erik’s body froze up as he stared down the barrel of the energy handgun. In this last moment, a survival instinct kicked in and he tried to get up and attack Zachary, but a swift kick from Zachary knocked him down again.

“One last thing: I’ve jammed all unauthorized communications in this room, so your recording upload to the network never went through! You probably have a backup device left up in the vent that got jammed too, but it doesn’t matter anymore. At least not to you. Goodbye, kid.”