Embrace The Ether 22 Friend Or Foe?

'Thaddeus?' Deus questioned himself again, again feeling overwhelmed by concern and fear for what came next. If Thaddeus had been plotting something behind their back, then what else could happen during this operation that was beyond his expectations? Why was it that Deus had planned for everyone from Mercer to Elias, even Rufus acting against him, but had failed to even consider the possibility of Thaddeus acting out? Was it arrogance, or perhaps it was simply inevitable.

'Dammit, he was far too quiet… so much so I didn't even notice him until it was too late…' Deus shook his head, angrily biting down on his lip as he considered everything. 'I'm in the middle of enemy territory… how the h.e.l.l did I forget that? I got too lax for my own good, and now I've let a potential threat sneak past me and directly into the middle of this operation.'

Deus quietly lurked out of the side-room which he had previously stashed himself in as he waited for the cloaked Thaddeus to wander out. He headed toward the room which Elias had a.s.signed him as his mind continued to wander from one dangerous circ.u.mstance to the next.

It didn't take long for him to arrive within his a.s.signed room. He closed the heavy door behind him with a strained push as he walked further inside, toward the small bunk which would serve as his bed. Atop it sat a stack of supplies, including the equipment he'd gathered from his unfriendly visit with Marigold.

He shuffled through the pile of things, awkwardly sorting through everything as he seemed almost set on finding something in specific.

'I stashed it here somewhere, right?' He asked himself.

With a heavy yank, he pulled out a familiar looking metal device from the luggage of junk he'd brought aboard. His Archive device.

The battery was dangerously low, low enough where the machine itself had warned him that a single scan would render the device void of power. He could send out one more message, or commence with a single scan, either way, the device would die unless it received a sufficient charge.

"Archive, power on."

Beep! A single tone sounded as the Archive device powered on from its standby phase. It was originally on standby to preserve power, however, it was able to re-active with a command. It was dangerous, though, since the battery would continue to drain far quicker the more processes were active.

"Archive is online. Power at dangerously low levels, usability - minimal." The machine spoke back in a monotone voice as Deus shuffled it in his hands.

"Archive… give me a basic calculation, no need for detailed a.n.a.lyses or scans." Deus ordered, "Check your database for everything I've told you regarding this a.s.signment. I've prepared precautions against every member of the team who I deemed a potential threat. So, how did I miss Thaddeus?"

The handheld computer took several moments to give a reply. It had most likely agreed with his advice and searched through its database for any relevant previous inquiries.

The machine itself was old and unappealing, but the artificial intelligence - or so Deus referred to it as - was the outcome of his worlds combined efforts in the study for creating new life. It wasn't human, but it wasn't that far off. It was capable of some amazing things, but unfortunately, most of its functions were locked behind virtual shackles which were implemented in its original installation.

The idea of a fully autonomous artificial intelligence frightened its creators, and thus precautions had to be met. One such precaution was to limit its capabilities to the absolute minimum it would require to function correctly. Normally if you ordered the system to scan you, it would be capable of scanning everything within you, down to the molecular level. However, because of the limitations set on it, it was limited to a far less intrusive scan.

Deus always wondered what the Archive could accomplish if unshackled, but he had no clue where to even begin with such a plot. An unshackled AI could probably reveal the secrets stashed within itself, while as it was now, not even his own name could be shared if it did indeed still hold that information.

The Archive replied to his earlier question, "New threat confirmed; Thaddeus. Files report this man as being potentially hostile, with unknown allegiances. From previous inquiries, it was confirmed that he was recruited by Mercer to cooperate with the operation, why is unknown. His skills and abilities are currently unknown."

"Yeah, I know all of that already… blasted machine." Deus cursed out, "What I'm trying to ask is if I overlooked anything that could lead him to be a threat to my plans…"

"Question accepted. Commencing basic a.n.a.lyses through the database for a correct response, one-moment Experiment X-Z-001."

'That's a name I haven't heard in a while… s.h.i.+t, I still don't even know what I was an experiment of. I've got quite the busy schedule, don't I?'

A moment pa.s.sed as the mechanical voice spoke again, "According to reported information and constructed files, Experiment X-Z-001 has not overlooked anything significant that would leave behind speculations on that individual's loyalty or threat-level."

That report shocked Deus more so than if the machine claimed he did overlook something. "Wait, if even you think that… then why the h.e.l.l is Thaddeus even relevant? How did he sneak past not only my sight but even yours?" Deus revealed quite the ugly face as he thought aloud, "What are you planning… Thaddeus. Who are you? What makes you tick?"

Beep. "Question unknown. Please rephrase the inquiry before asking again, as no response could be calculated."

"What?" Deus coughed out, "Wait, no… I wasn't asking you about his ticks… I was just…" He stood up, "Ah, forget it!"

The Archive gave out a faint noise as it was powering back down, the lights on the front of the device decayed away into nothing.

Noticing this, Deus rea.s.sured himself, "I suppose it's for the best… I've got to save the charge for when I really need it. Now, time to make preparations for Thaddeus… whatever he's planning, I can't let myself get caught up in it. I will prevail, I will survive… I will find out what that person meant when they left me in this place with a warning to be careful. h.e.l.l, I'll find out who they were and make them answer me, no matter what."

Deus nodded his head, a pleased grin began to grow on his face as he thought through everything that came next. Thaddeus wasn't as significant in the grand scheme of things as some other things were, or so Deus claimed. He wouldn't let himself be taken advantage of by anyone, not as long as he could help it. Elias used him, Droh mostly likely used him - in which he used him in return, so they're relatively even - and Deus believed it was his turn to gain something from another.

"So, Thaddeus huh? Right… not a prob-"

Right as Deus was getting started on his counterplan, The Nijaden shook violently. Numerous items instantly shot off their shelves, cras.h.i.+ng onto the ground with a solid thud. The room had turned to mayhem in only a few seconds, and all Deus could do to stop it was to throw caution to the wind and dive down for the falling items in an attempt to catch them before they fell. Some of these items were relatively fragile, from a few lone grenades which had been given to him for this operation, to even an earpiece designed to allow people to discuss in real time with their allies, even at a distance.

The earpieces were all simply local transmission, meaning they were relatively cheap and easy to make, only requiring you to be within transmission range with another device to create a relay. They couldn't be used from too far away, and thus they were rarely relied upon unless used for traceless communication.

Over a loudspeaker, a voice spoke to everyone aboard the s.h.i.+p. The origin of the voice seemed to be the old pilot, Rufus. He tamely spoke, "Pardon the sudden stop, everyone… but it seems we've arrived. I've landed us behind one of the cliffsides, awaiting your command mister Elias, sir."

With that sudden proclamation, the s.h.i.+p transformed into a hubbub of loud noises and hurrying. The clansmen dived in and out of different rooms as they roughly and loudly lugged the heavy weapons and equipment out from the lower deck onto the top deck. The weapons were gathered in one spot, while the general equipment was all tossed together into a small cubby hole that sat comfortably into the side of the wall.

Deus placed the Archive device into his front pocket in a hurry as he haphazardly threw whichever tunic sat on the top of his pile of clothing at the time. It was a plain black s.h.i.+rt, a few loose threads on the sleeves as the line work was handmade and provided by the clan.

The clan had provided practically everything aboard the s.h.i.+p, in fact. From the food to the weapons, even the clothing, and bunks. It was Elias's way of showing off his influence without making a big show of it. After all, this wasn't the sort of place you'd easily acquire a bulk amount of ease-of-life things, not unless you held considerable power and had nothing to truly fear.

Of course, Elias's lack of fear stemmed from relying too heavily on Roland and the influence he's acquired over the years. After all, it's Roland who holds the ears of lords and possesses grand weapons and powers, not Elias. No, Elias had simply glided through life by relying on Roland's success and never fully understood just how difficult this world could be to those with no power to fight back.

The s.h.i.+p was filled with a loud excitement that seemed to rock everyone aboard to the very core. This was the moment they've all been waiting for. From this point onward, they'd either make themselves rich beyond their dreams or they'd just have to simply risk death, there could be no turning back now, for anyone. Everyone had their plots, their secrets, but only one of them would truly succeed. That was what it meant to live within Midnight.

It was finally time to challenge Direfell's overwhelming military force.

As everyone came together to fight and steal, the world of Midnight seemed to almost pause, as if awaiting the bloodbath that would soon arrive. To soak in the blood of the fallen through the black salt of the desert. To destroy or to be destroyed. That was the way of life within Midnight, within this place it had been chosen to give form to a demon that would come to devour all that touched the sky.

It was time once again to give form to that which should not exist. Just as the monarch who conquered everything did before, a hundred-thousand-years prior.

The one who laid the foundation for the grand Empire, an order which has ruled for ages. The same order which some say the Grandmaster himself belonged to.

One forged through blood by an irregular force—an outsider. Only he could challenge the status quo. Only he may disrupt the plots laid out before him.

Only he—who is capable of accepting incredible risk—may survive this place. A h.e.l.lscape that will span beyond the stars. To uncover the secrets hidden beneath the black sand of Midnight, a forgotten land of regret and hatred.