Chapter 7: Into the barracks
Time was running out like sand through an hourglass. I needed to become stronger, and quickly by any means possible. The General’s decision was clear: proceed with the remaining serum to create an army of one hundred super soldiers. We were all fighting battles of our own. Meanwhile, Number One persisted in his efforts to extract the serum from my body. Despite his concerns about the potentially lethal dose I had consumed, my body was recovering well from the battle with Randy.
I remained confined to the research wings of Fort Vanguard. With little else to do, I could only study to pass the time. And then about three weeks later, something strange happened to me. I was engrossed in studying fighting techniques, when suddenly, a bolt of agony tore through my body. My world collapsed into a blinding white noise, followed by darkness. I fell unconscious, only to awaken in a vivid nightmare that lasted three days. And the entire time, i was fighting with my own memories.
When I finally emerged from the mental prison, I opened my eyes to a sterile room surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Among them stood Dr. Ernest, a figure from my father’s past. He had worked with my father at the CosCap research facility. His gaze was icy.
“So, you’re Cipher. Why on earth did he give you such a name?” he asked, his voice a grating rasp, “Your father spoke of you often. Are you aware that the world is on the brink of destruction, and it’s all your father’s fault?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. He seemed anxious, jumping in between character
“Fredrick Silver committed the highest form of treason,” he continued. “He stole from me and betrayed the entire world. He rushed to complete an experiment that would have taken centuries, killing hundreds in the process. Now he’s fleeing back here after wounding an animal he couldn’t kill. If anyone is the enemy here, it’s him—not the Vodocks!”
I wasn’t surprised by his accusations against my father. After the explosion, all of my father’s friends turned against our family. Although, it was astonishing that Dr. Ernest, a man I barely knew, would wait for me to wake up just to insult him in my face.
Hearing him accuse my father of causing the impending war gave me an unfamiliar urge. To silence him instantly. But that would only confirm his claims. After the incident with Randy’s grandmother, I had vowed never to hurt anyone again. I was torn in two: one part of me was hollow, devoid of guilt or regret, while the other sought a peaceful way to achieve my goal—defeating the Vodocks and atoning for taking the nine vials.
“Ernest! What do you think you’re doing?” Dr. Priya intervened, another of my father’s colleagues. “Don’t listen to him! No one knows what truly happened that day. But one thing I’m certain of is that your father was a good man. I don’t know why he did what he did, but I’m sure he had a good reason.”
Her words stung like salt in an open wound. She, too, believed my father was responsible for the deaths of hundreds in the building.