Viktor crawled through the narrow air ducts, the metal cold beneath his hands and knees. The muffled sounds of screams and gunfire echoed around him, mixing with the constant hum of the ventilation systems. He was certain that the Inquisitor was leading the prisoners in a fierce revolt, and the guards were struggling desperately to contain the chaos.
Through the small openings in the ducts, Viktor could see flashes of light and shadows moving. He paused for a moment, watching the battle below. The prisoners, led by the Inquisitor, were gaining ground, forcing the guards to retreat. The ground was strewn with bodies, some still moving and groaning in pain, while others lay still, lifeless.
"We need to reinforce security in the north wing!" one of the guards shouted, his voice laced with panic.
"But we're losing men too fast!" another guard replied.
Finally, Viktor spotted the Inquisitor, an imposing figure with an aura of authority, leading a group of prisoners armed with the guards' weapons.
He waited patiently, watching the fight move towards the center of the ship. he needed an opportunity to exit the ducts without being detected. When most of the combatants moved away, he took advantage of the moment and slid out of the ducts, landing silently on the floor.
He crouched, keeping himself in the shadows, and quickly accessed a nearby control panel. It was damaged due to the conflict in the corridor, but it was still usable. With a quick command, he turned off the corridor lights, plunging the area into darkness. The lack of light made the environment even more chaotic, with prisoners and guards stumbling into each other, trying to orient themselves.
Viktor moved carefully, avoiding the bodies and keeping himself in the shadows. Taking advantage of the confusion, he quickly moved towards the accommodation area, which was nearby, and was the address where he had access to Joe's room without being detected.
'ACCOMMODATION 121'
'Thank you'
Thanks to his card, he entered room 121, and his eyes quickly located something necessary for his plans on the table in the room. The Infini Tech Brace, or simply the G-bracelet, is a powerful multi-purpose tool that combines advanced technology with a sleek and practical design. With an inner diameter of 2.5 inches at its midpoint, it fits comfortably on the wrist, making it an essential accessory for everyday life.
However, there is just one problem, the standard army model. They have real-time locators. It was one of the reasons why Joe visited Viktor without wearing the tech bracelet.
"Finally" putting the bracelet on his wrist. "Let's see what you have?"
With the bracelet on his wrist, he began to explore its functions. He checked the exchange of messages about the person responsible for the contract that was made against him.
"Hmmm... It seems that Joe was telling the truth." Reading the contract accurately, "it says here not to kill him, only to hurt him."
'USER! UNTRACEABLE!'
"I see, he covered his tracks."
The message revealed that the person responsible had set up an anonymous donation website, and the encryption was untraceable.
This complicated matters, but Viktor had an idea. "Hasn't the contract been completed yet?"
'AFFIRMATIVE'
With a smile on his face, he accessed the bracelet's control panel and asked it to turn on only the camera in his cell. Using his amateur but experienced image editing skills, he manipulated a photo of himself, replacing Joe's face with his own, unconscious and more injured, wearing only his underwear. The work was meticulous, ensuring that no one would suspect the forgery.
"In the eyes of a professional, I could be caught."
'AFFIRMATIVE'
"...."
he worked on the facial details, adjusting the skin texture, angles, and even the small imperfections to make them look natural.
After at least 1 minute of meticulous work, thanks to his partner in his mind, Viktor was finally satisfied with the result.
"Not bad..."
'INDEED. SINCE I WAS FORCED TO DO ALL THE HARD WORK'
"You didn't have to..."
"USER, IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER FOUR HOURS, AND STILL..."
"OK, I understand."
What had previously shown Joe unconscious in the cell now showed Viktor unconscious, with every detail meticulously adjusted to look authentic.
First, he sent the image to the security system, ensuring that any scans would show his image in the cell, while he remained free for the time being undetected. Second, he sent the image to the contractor, to lure him in, waiting for confirmation of the contract.
As Viktor analyzed what else Joe had on his tech bracelet.
"Hey, where have you been, useless?", he was surprised by Joe's "colleagues".
They were wearing standard uniforms and approached him silently from behind. There were three of them, and Viktor immediately noticed the hostility in their eyes.
"Why don't you answer?" asked one of them, who seemed to be the leader, with a voice full of suspicion and irritation.
"Answer already, useless!?"
"The leader is talking to you!"
'USER, ANOTHER OBSTRUCTION IN THE WAY'
'I know, I see' with a downcast look. He began to wonder why trouble always followed him.
Before he could respond, one of the men attacked him from behind with an electric baton. Instinctively, Viktor used his right arm to defend himself, but that was where the technology bracelet was on his wrist. When it came into contact with the baton, the bracelet shattered, sending sparks flying.
Annoyed, Viktor glared at his attackers. "You guys know how to piss someone off," he quickly stepped forward.
"Wait, who are you?"
With quick movements, Viktor launched himself at the three men. He dodged a clumsy punch from the first man, a punch that Viktor easily avoided. Then, he grabbed the attacker's arm with a firm hand and twisted it, causing the man to drop the baton he was holding.
The man screamed in pain as Viktor applied intense pressure to his arm, causing him to writhe in agony. Viktor, without hesitation, kicked the man in the chest, who fell to the ground with a groan of pain and gasping for air. The sound of the kick echoed through the room, and the man writhed on the ground, clutching his chest with his hands.
"Oh, no... help...." the man groaned, trying to get up, but Viktor stopped him, holding him down with one foot.
"Is that all you've got?" Viktor taunted, as the second soldier tried to retreat.
"Let's finish him off!" he shouted, advancing with a punch.
Viktor, with impressive speed, delivered a right punch that hit the man's face with devastating force, making him stumble backward with a broken nose and bleeding.
Then, he followed with a heavy left cross that hit the man's chin, giving him a front kick to the chest, making him fall backward and hit his head on the ground with a dry sound. The man fainted instantly, his body inert on the ground.
The leader of the group, in desperation, tried to deliver a right punch, but Viktor was too fast and dodged with ease. Then, he grabbed the leader's arm and broke it in a few seconds, making him scream in pain.
"My arm!" the leader shouted, holding his broken arm with his left hand.
Viktor, irritated, pulled the leader's hair with his right hand and gave him a knee to the stomach, making him double over in pain.
"You shouldn't have done that," Viktor said, with a cold and threatening voice.
The leader, crying and begging for forgiveness, tried to move away, but Viktor held his hair with great force, preventing him from moving.
"Please, don't hurt me!", the leader implored, with tears in his eyes.
But Viktor didn't care. With a sudden movement, he pulled the leader's hair back, making his face hit the ground hard. The leader screamed in pain as his teeth broke, and his body writhed in agony.
The three men were on the ground, groaning in pain, while Viktor looked at them with a contemptuous expression.
"You shouldn't have messed with me" Looking at the three
"You really need to train more" taking a deep breath, trying to control his anger.
Irritated, Viktor picked up the tech bracelet from the leader of the attackers, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. He went to the bunk bed in the room and sat down, while the other two men remained incapacitated on the ground, groaning and writhing in pain.
With the tech bracelet in hand, Viktor began to explore its functionalities, trying to find the contact of the contractor. He navigated through the menus, checked the messages, and accessed the call records, but was unsuccessful in locating the person responsible for the contract.
"So, you plan to make Joe the scapegoat, in case things go wrong." Looking at the leader groaning in pain.
The leader of the group had evidence that would incriminate Joe. Although it was planted, it wouldn't help much on Joe's side.
However, while searching through the data stored on the bracelet, Viktor found something interesting.
the name of the leader's owner is Benjamin Castro. He frowned, the Castro family is one of the most influential members of the nation.
"Why am I not surprised?" looking at the ceiling with an empty smile.
There was nothing else relevant on the bracelet. He threw it against the wall. It didn't make sense to carry a real-time locator.
While reflecting on the next steps.
"Hey, do you have a name?"
'NEGATIVE'
"Seriously? I thought you had a name?"
The familiar voice of his partner echoed in his mind, complaining about the lack of a proper name.
'MY CREATORS DIDN'T GIVE ME A NAME OF MY OWN,' the AI said, with a tone of mild frustration.
'BUT IT'S UP TO YOU, USER! IF YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A NAME, I WILL NOT REFUSE.'
"Interesting," Viktor said, smiling sincerely.
"..." The cell was silent until Viktor recognized the need to give the AI a name. "Okay, giving it a name isn't bad."
He closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting on everything they had been through together up until that point. "Atlas," Viktor muttered, almost to himself.
"Your name will be Atlas."
He needed a name that represented strength and the ability to carry the weight of the world, just like the titan from Greek mythology.
However, the term also applies to a systematic list of information that is a reference for building information according to the importance of the user.
'Not an original name, but it's a great name...'
'REGISTERED NAME: ATLAS' replied the voice in his mind, now with a tone of renewed determination.
A wave of confidence washed over him upon hearing the name. Atlas would be the pillar of his plan, the force that would sustain his actions.
'I didn't know you had feelings?'
'I DON'T UNDERSTAND USER!'
Viktor sighed "Nothing, Atlas"
'ACCESSING SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS... OVERVIEW AVAILABLE IN YOUR EYE.' Atlas replied. 'THE PRISONERS ARE WINNING THE FIGHT, AND THE GUARDS ARE RETREAT. THE INQUISITOR IS LEADING THE PRISONERS TO THE PRISON EXIT.'
Viktor watched with his right eye, which now displayed images from the security cameras.
"Atlas?"
'YES, USER.'
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EYE??"
'ONE OF MY ABILITIES.'
"Incredible! But you still haven't given me my answer?!"
'USER! AT THE MOMENT, WE DON'T HAVE TIME.'
Viktor sighed and calmed down. Because at this moment, he was fighting against time.
He saw the chaos unfolding. Prisoners fighting fiercely, guards trying to maintain order, and the Inquisitor leading the charge with relentless determination.
"We need to wait until the fight moves to the center of the ship," Viktor , observing the images closely.
"When that happens, we'll get out of here."
'UNDERSTOOD,' Atlas replied.
He closed his eyes and began to analyze his body internally, a habit he had developed when he still possessed his powers. Before being captured and sent to prison, Viktor was able to feel every cell, every fiber of his being. Now, everything seemed distant, as if an essential part of himself had been torn away.
Viktor took a deep breath, trying to focus. He felt the absence of his regeneration and resistance, the lack of energy that used to flow through his muscles, a sense of emptiness. He could feel the frustration growing inside him.
"Haaaa... recovering my particularity will be after we get out of this place." Viktor murmured, his voice filled with bitterness.