Alone in a Room

Shion was not feeling well at all since they entered the bunker. She had the suspicion that she was coming down with a fever after overworking the nanites. Shion could feel Chizuru gently rubbing her back as the two sat in silence listening to the storm that was raging outside. Shion decided to start talking because she didn't think there would be enough time to explain everything if she didn't start soon.

"Chizuru, what would you like to know, or rather where would you like me to start?"

"How about you start from the beginning, Shion?"

"Christ the beginning, I'm gonna shorten this up then because there won't be enough time to tell it all." Shion explained to Chizuru how she had convinced Matt to let her join the Rebellion, how she passed the trials, how she fought on the battlefield at the age of 11, and how during the Great Cull she had taken on the data identity of another child who had died in the battles. She explained how she had gotten to OTS, how she had secretly been gathering intel about the Nietzsche Protocol and other Nazi research, and how she had found the people selling information to the west and stole it for the Rebellion. Information about shipping routes, food stores, and weapon storage locations which played a critical role in keeping the Rebellion afloat.

Chizuru asked another question, "I just have one other question, this is for me as your fiance because I want to know more about you. How did you come to look like this?"

Chizuru gestured to Shion's face. "I mean, the little girl I remember was a brown-eyed, dark-haired child. Can I see what you look like naturally? I want to know the real you."

Shion smiled, and with a sigh, "One day you can see what my hair looks like, but unfortunately you'll have to live with the eyes you see. These aren't contacts or dye, the blue eyes I have now were grown just for me. I had a surgery that removed my brown eyes and replaced them with these modified ones. I wish I could say that I liked them but everytime I look in the mirror it's like I'm staring at a stranger, one who would hurt me if they knew the truth.”

Shion continued, "I do have to thank the surgery for one thing though."

"What's that Shion?"

"I don't know if you know the real way I got my codename "the devil", but the real reason is not because of how bloody I get on the battlefield, or how I rip my enemies apart. I got that name because I can make people feel like they are in a living hell during my interrogations. I felt so much pain during that surgery that I learned the limits a human body can take before it crashes. I bring the people right to the edge of death then pull them back until I get the info I need because I experienced it myself.”

Chizuru got quiet, she had heard rumors about the surgeries that happened with the Rebellion. Surgery without pain meds or awake surgeries that should have been asleep because they simply did not have the supplies. It was a nightmare.

Now it was Shion's turn to ask questions, but she didn't have many. Shion wiggled her fingers and moved them one at a time as function began to return in her hands.

“Chizuru, what drew your attention to me in the first place. It's not like I was super nice to you all the time. I am curious, this is a question for your fiance too."

Chizuru was happy that Shion asked a relationship question rather than anything else. She rubbed Shion's back while answering, "I think it was the look in your eyes. You had a determination that was pure, and you didn't believe things just because you were told. You needed proof which is more than many young people need. You are also a goofball and super competitive, all things I really love to see in people. And animals love you, and everyone knows that animals are the best judges of character. I guess I felt like I could be myself around you and you weren't going to judge me for it. I always felt that even if you figured out what I was doing that you wouldn't turn me in. There was many times I thought about telling you too, I'm sure I would have caved eventually."

Shion was satisfied with the answer for now, and moved on to the next topic as there was something even more important that they needed to discuss. Project Adam. Now that Shion could use her fingers, she would be able to enter a passcode herself which made her feel a little more secure.

Shion asked Chizuru, "Hey do something for me? Somewhere in this room there is an access panel with a key code input pad. I need you to dig around until you find a little lip or a button of some kind. Check under the cabinet or somewhere like that, there is always a hidden computer in these rooms for remote intelligence work. With comms down there is something that we should look over together with a physical computer."

Chizuru began to search for the hidden panel. After moving all the supplies off the shelf Chizuru could see slightly faded paint in one corner. She ran her fingers along the paint and felt a small bump. She carefully pried back the wooden flap which revealed a biometric lock.

Shion stood up, "Chizuru put my hand up to the scanner."

Once her finger was up the scanner whirred, then a needle extracted some blood. A pad popped out and Shion entered in a five digit code.

On the wall beside the cabinet, part of the wall slid up and in a cut out in the dirt, a simple desktop computer with a single chair began to whir. A robotic voice echoed from the computer, "Welcome Shion Tanaka-Cohen."

Shion pointed with her nose to her breast pocket, "Go in there and get the nano hacker. It’s in the silver case in the hidden pocket near my breast."

Chizuru removed Shion's flack jacket before reaching her hand into Shion's shirt. As she rustled around in Shion's shirt, moving her bra aside, Shion's face became increasingly red.

She let out an awkward cough, "Chizuru, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but ... why are you inside my shirt and not my coat?"

Chizuru suddenly froze and her face began to turn red too as she quickly retracted her hand and began to search in the jacket instead. She felt a hard lump in the lining and moved it around until it started to poke out of a small hole in the lining.

Chizuru pulled out the small silver case and placed it on the bed beside Shion before opening it. The contents surprised Chizuru, the metallic injections, and three separate colored capsules next to the nano hacker left her with a puzzled expression.

Shion noticed and said, "An Upperclass citizen like you wouldn't know about these, but those are nanites, they help me to heal like you guys do. The red and green are stop and go pills, and the blue one is why my hair stays blonde. Can you please connect the nano hacker to the computer terminal?"

Chizuru grabbed the dime-sized device and placed it on the small pad next to the computer tower. Data immediately began downloading, and within minutes a notification popped up announcing data transfer completion.

Chizuru moved the mouse to the zip files that appeared in the left hand corner of the screen, one was unlabeled, the other was named "Project Adam." Clicking into the folder, hundreds of bright flashes lit up the darkness as all of the files began opening themselves all at once.

Shion sat in the swivel chair as Chizuru clicked on the images, opening them to full screen. The few images were from the medical examiner's report. Exact cause of death was listed as penetrating injury to the brain. Photos of Adam's brain with electrodes connected to a machine, and his entire genetic sequence with certain section highlighted, and a photo of the lab team posing happily with an ouroboros emblem in the corner were also included and a family photo of Shion, Adam, and Kana with a red question mark over Shion's head.

The rest of the images were labeled 0-231. All were images of different Adam clones in various states of dismemberment. Shion grabbed Chizuru's hand as she began to tremble with anger.

Notes on the bottom of each photo said various phrases, " Test subject 001, exact clone strength not intact. 003 patient highly aggressive, no evidence of retained memories, test subject 171 memories retained, strength adequate, subject does not obey commands, test subject 200 gene sequence isolated, subject does not retain strength, but obeys commands..." comments like that continued until 216.

Further notes made mention of the inability to isolate the super strength gene, and apparent connection to retained memories with gene activation. There was a need for another individual that exhibits the trait for complete gene isolation. Notes on a device that removes free will while retaining memories was mentioned. A recent photo of Shion and Chizuru walking together before the promotion ceremony with question marks next to both girls was the image that they stopped on. At this point, Shion was fuming, teeth grinding and red faced. Chizuru gave a tight hug and rubbed her shoulders, "I'm so sorry Shion".