"So, what's today's plan?" I asked while gulping down the last of the watery soup that barely had any flavor to call food.
Selery looked up to me, I could her eyes sparkling with excitement, and she replied to me with a wide smile breaking across her face.
"We have a big client this time,"
I raised my eye browns in curiosity, "Big client? How big?"
"The client is willing to pay us a big bag just to retrieve an item from a lab which is run by a Norm couple. Easy work, right?"
"Why on Earth would someone want to steal from Norms? What could possibly be worth taking?"
Selery just shrugged and she stepped closer to me. Dropping her voice in whisper she drops a bombshell on me.
"And you know what who the client? The current CEO of Elysium ecos."
"What?" the word burst loudly out of my mouth. My heart started racing in a mixture of shock and confusion. This is the grandson of the founders who created Homo Aeternus. Why would someone who could have anything with his ultimate powers hiring an illegal organization like ours to snatch something from Norms?
"He could definitely buy whatever he needs. Why resort to stealing?" I muttered, still trying to process the information inside my head.
Selery replied with somber voice. "This isn't the first time those Homo Aeternus have used us. We have always done their dirty work, and you know our only goal is survival. This job could be our ticket out of Leftorif."
But…
"Stop hesitating and get dressed. We're leaving with Jack in thirty minutes,"
Before I could argue she left towards her room leaving me to grapple with my conflicted feelings. I tried to convince myself that Selery was right. We had done so much dirty work for those in power, and we needed the money to move somewhere safe. Even though the thought of stealing from Norms left a bitter taste in my mouth, I still decided to trust Selery. Then why the chilling body of Selery lying in front of me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After reviving the item, we made our way to the designated location chosen by the client. An abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. As always, Selery went to meet the client while Jack and I stayed behind with the item for successful transaction. Waiting for Selery signal, we hear gunfire erupted, shattering the silence.
Selery!", I tried to join her, but Jack grabbed my arm with his strong grip.
"We can't go in there!" Jack hissed.
I struggled to shake him off but he held me back. Time went by as I felt helpless, hearing the chaos inside the building. Moments later, it went silent, and I saw figures leaving the building. After everyone had disappeared, Jack finally let me go and I run for the entrance to witness Selery lying on the floor and blood pooling around her.
"No! Selery!"
I dropped to my knees beside her and cradling her head in my lap. Blood seeped through her clothes as I eagerly looked for a way to stop the bleeding. But it was futile, the light had already faded from her eyes.
"No... no, no, no..." My voice broke and the words choked in my throat. The world stated blurring as my tears trailing down my cheeks.
"They took the fake item," Jack said rifling through Selery pockets with trembling hands.
"They must not have intended for any witnesses to survive."
I could barely grasp his words. I had known something was off about this job, but I never imagined it would lead to this. My heart shattered as I gazed upon Selery, the person who had always given me hope.
"Zelo, we need to move before they find out it was fake," Jack whispered.
I barely heard his words but a darkness twisted inside my heart and a chuckle escaped my lips.
"Right, there is no time for grief."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the syringe, a real item filled with a glimmering substance.
"They wanted it," I said, looking at Jack whose face was already a mask of horror.
"Zelo, I know you're broken, but we need to....."
Before he could finish, I plunged the needle into my own arm injecting its contents.
"What are you doing?!" Jack panicked and tried to pull the empty syringe from my hand.
"Are you out of your mind? We don't even know what that is!" he shouted.
I looked up at him, my vision already starting to blur and my heart pounding with a mix of rage and despair.
"That bastard... he will never get what he wants."
The world around me began to twist, a chilling cold spread through my body while my heart felt like it was on fire. I felt a sharp pain radiating through me. My head throbbed and I could hear whispers echoing in my mind.
"Ahhh!" I cried out clutching my head.
"What's happening to you?" Jack shouted; his voice is filled with panic.
I notice my veins turning darken into a sickly purple as I felt my bones begin to crack. The breaking sounds echoed in my ears with some weird sounds inside my head.
Registration successful.
Synchronizing with Aster…
Error….Synchronizing failed.....
Warning: 70% damage to body detected.
Warning: Body is not suitable with Aster synchronization.
Self-destruction imminent.
Warning: Stop the synchronization to prevent self-termination.
"Hey, Zelo! They're here!"
Jack's voice broke through my haze. He tried to drag me away, but approaching the footsteps, he decided to run, and I was left alone with Selery cold body, surrounded by a group of shadows. Among them one man stood out exuding an exclusive aura. It was the CEO, the very man whose face I saw daily on television and glaring at me with a mix of desperation and rage.
"That bastard injected the micros into him! Call Dr. Samuel! We need to extract them before he dies."
I could sense the man's desperation. Whatever was inside my body must be his lifelong obsession.
Warning: 90% damage to body detected.
Warning: Do you still wish to synchronize with Aster?
"You'll never have it, bastard! Synchronize with Aster," I shouted with a grin on my lips and shouted.
Command accepted.
Forced synchronization activated.
warning: Heart is overheating.
Warning: 10 seconds remaining.
I looked toward Selery one last time, the memories of her warm smile and protective nature crossed my mind.
"Thanks for everything, Selery. I'll never forget what you did for me."
Warning: 3 seconds remaining.
I turned to face the man who desperate face was now turned into the terror. Why were they all retreating, as if they saw a monster? I glanced down at my body which turned reddish brown from the severe burns.
Huh? But I don't feel any pain. What is happening?
Synchronization with Aster succeed.
"Huh, what?"
Self-termination activated.