What do you mean? asked Leonard with unease in his heart.
I meant exactly what I said. Why do you think all 18 of you are gathered here in the first place? You might believe that you called for this meeting. But you might not know that unknowingly you were influenced by my actions. Replied Zac.
But that's impossible....
Before Leonard could finish Zac cut him off: "Impossible...that's what you believe. Tell me why you called this meeting together. After all, the last time all 18 members of the circle gathered in person was when you took up the role as the president. There had to be something very important that needed everyone's attention, something that can alter the current pace of this planet. So, I had to provide you with something.
No way...…the blueprint for the spaceship...….: pausing Leonard took a deep breath. His eyes widened in astonishment. His brain was trying hard to process all the details.
"Not possible, the spaceship blueprint was found from ..."
"From the remains of the crashed spaceship, right? Zac completed Leonard's words.
"How many years has it been since the crash? Apart from bits and pieces of information you could garner from the remains, were there any other results. You just assigned a small team to handle the remains just for the sake. You wouldn't even have remembered them if it wasn't for this incident."
"But the blueprint is real": Said Leonard
Of Course, it's real. After all, I put it there. Otherwise, how could I have attracted your attention with a fake?
The research team behind the spaceship remains have been doing it for years without any proper results and they have long been forgotten. They were so eager for results that they didn't even take time to think about why they succeeded when there were no results for so many years. Said Zac with a cold smile.
And as for you, the reason why you didn't suspect anything is because of your condescending attitude. You believe your organization to be unparalleled on this planet so much so that you dismissed the mere thought of anyone else possessing such advanced technology other than the aliens.
By this time Leonard was almost convinced that this was all planned by Zero.
But I still have doubts, how were you sure that we would gather here. After all we had 2 bases of choice, and the decision was made after you were captured. We voted to decide which base the meeting was to be held at. You needed at least nine or above votes for this base to be confirmed. What if we voted for the other base? Then wouldn't all your preparation have been for nothing: asked Leonard.
Leonard…. Oh…. Leonard, I have told you before your decisions although unknowingly is a result of my influence on your actions. Smirked Zac.
Do you remember the virtual space where you gathered with your holographic projections? If you remembered, you would notice that the virtual space is designed in the exact same way as the meeting room in this base. This is the organizations' oldest base and all of you have at least visited this base more than once. You know, when given an important choice between two places, people subconsciously tend to choose the one they are more familiar with.
"Everything in the virtual space from the meeting files to the wall decorations were designed in a way to make you feel a connection to this base."
'Just with that you managed to grab the majority votes': asked Leonard with surprise.
Of course not, this just increased the chances. But I had to make sure, so there is more…...
Regarding the information given to you regarding both the bases, I made sure to only provide the details which proved to highlight this base. Also do you remember the virtual tour you had through both the bases; I tweaked the virtual tour a little bit. I found out about the preferences of all the members and made sure to accommodate all these preferences as much as possible without making many changes to the entire structure.
As for the second base I did the exact opposite. Also, I made sure to change the artworks on the walls to artworks depicting images of eyes. A psychological study shows that when people see the images of eyes, they feel they are being watched and they are under scrutiny. Being the people you are and the kind of things you discuss, you people will feel uncomfortable discussing it with the feeling of being watched.: Zac let out a snort after finishing.
"And finally, do you remember that all of you got a message at the time of meeting."
"It had been reported that the network of the secondary facility was compromised; however, effective measures were promptly taken to mitigate any potential data breach, and the intrusion was successfully thwarted. What has this got to do with the vote? asked Leonard.
'Leonard', I will repeat it's all about human psychology. All of you people who stand at the top of this planet. You people value your life very much. Would you choose a base with lax security measures against a base which you are familiar and comfortable with.
And this is not the end. The final trigger was me. Just before the voting you got a call. Would you care to repeat what you said to the other 17 members after the call.
Leonard proceeded with a cautious glint in his eyes: "Subject Zero who has caused us a lot of losses and who has been on the run from us for 3 years has been captured.
After a moment of silence, he continued…...
"He took down an entire regiment by himself, before we managed to finally capture him."
Leonard finished and stared at Zac's face. Zac had a mocking smile on his face.
Leonard could still remember the expression on the other member's faces when he said that. They had the look of trepidation.
Don't you think others will be curious to see a man who has taken down an entire regiment by himself: asked Zero.
Leonard had many thoughts running through his mind at this point. Why is so confident even after being captured? Or did he get caught on purpose? So, what if he gathered us here. How is he planning to destroy us?
Finally, Leonard came to a conclusion. This is the most dangerous man that I have ever encountered. He is only 21 and his thought process is not something a normal human is capable of. So, what if he has a big secret? I need to be alive to enjoy it and for that this kid had to die.
Zac noticed Leonard's face alternating through different emotions. "By now you should have realized I am dangerous, and you need to kill me right now. But you're too late. I have told you before..... "Your fate is in my hands". Zac said in a chilling voice.
Even now, why do I think I am sitting in front of you and revealing everything I have done so far. You most probably thought it is because I get pleasure seeing you in despair. You would never have guessed that I am trying to buy time. But with your condescending attitude it's no surprise that you believe that everything is still under your control.
"If you still think so, then you are in for a surprise": Zac started laughing as he finished.
At the same time a projection appeared in front of Leonard. Seeing the projection Leonard's face turned into a mix of anger and horror. The members of the Golden Circle were killing each other.
Most of them were already dead and the remaining few were still going at it.
What did you do? Leonard roared.
"Well, I just tapped into the greed inside you people. Just the blueprint of the spaceship was enough for you people to gather in person. I just gave them something better. Something that can make them the most powerful person on this planet. But it can only be obtained by one person. All I did was give a slight push. Of course, it is only possible because you're here with me and not there to control the situation." Answered Zac.
Leonard tried to open the door of the room to no avail.
Where are you going so fast? We haven't settled the debts between us: as soon as he said that the glass partition between them slid open to both sides.
Click.... Click...
Clang...Clang…...Clang...Clang....: the chains on Zac's hands and legs came off and fell to the ground.
Leonard looked up and stared into Zero's eyes. All he could see was endless killing intent. It only took a moment, when he blinked his eyes. Zero was in front of him and his right hand punched deep into his stomach. Leonard's face scrunched in pain. He was thrown into the air and hit the wall and fell.
He crawled up on his knees and looked up. What greeted him was Zero's knees which bashed his head into the wall.
Suddenly Leonard took something out of his coat pocket, and he injected the serum into his neck without hesitation. Scales started growing on his skin. His hair began to fall off. His body began to deform.
After a few seconds, Zac was looking at the monstrosity that was standing in front of him.
Do you think you could kill me just like that: A voice came from the monster.
Zac was taken aback." Eh…., so you're conscious. I agree this is a little out of my expectations".