Chapter 28: Aftermath
The fight against Hira 125 had finally ended. The incident at Raspberry Island left me with more questions than answers. I was both curious and afraid. Who were these new enemies? What was their goal? I wanted to uncover why Loid Anderson had to die and why Drake was so intent on killing Dr. Necro. But first, I had to fulfill the deal I’d made with Victor.
Arriving at Fort Vanguard, I was shocked to find the entire base in disarray, with people running in every direction. Wondering what was happening, I pressed on and headed straight to our barracks.
I found Alessandra there
“You’re back!” She exclaimed when she saw me, her face anxious and glistening with sweat. “What’s going on? There was an earthquake—are the aliens here already?”
“No! Look, Alessandra, um... Victor is here.”
Her expression shifted as fear washed over her.
“Victor!?” She exclaimed, “What do you mean? What’s he doing here?”
Just mentioning his name sent a wave of dread across her face. I had to find a way to convince her that we needed Victor on our side to win the war ahead.
“Remember what you said after watching our training yesterday?”
“Training? Yes, I asked about the coming threat and begged you to let me join your squad.”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “The serum doesn’t just grant strength—it unlocks special abilities. I’ve only seen a few people awaken them, but those powers come at a cost. For me, I nearly lost my grasp on reality. My thoughts, my emotions—there’s something else in my head now, tampering with my mind. I can’t forget anything. My senses are constantly flooded with overwhelming information. To feel excitement, fear, anger—any emotion—I have to connect it to something logical and process it deliberately. There are exceptions, but I feel unstable all the time, like I’m balancing on a razor’s edge between good and evil. One wrong move, and I could fall to the wrong side.”
She stared at me, confusion clouding her eyes.