プロメテウス

The club room had a quiet feel today. Kat had some club, Professor Juri was doing who knows what, leaving just me and Sky alone. I could see the sweat on his brow, leg bobbing up and down.

“Any progress?”

“Nothing,” He muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like it. This isn't data corruption, this is a kind of forced remote destruction. Data doesn’t corrupt like this.”

“Are you saying someone interfered?”

“Not yet. Even I’m not that conspiratorial. But something interfered with the transfer, intentional or not. Best way I can describe it, someone sent a pile of garbage data that pierced the data mid transfer, letting the original file bleed out to the bottom of the page. Everything’s still here, at least I think, but it's all a sea of black letters and misplaced code.”

“So it's hopeless.”

“For anyone else maybe.” He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his long smooth brown hair. “Give me some time and I'll have this cracked.”

I slid myself into a nearby chair. Between my lecture and Caspian, my brain could do everything but focus today. Even Sky’s words felt like mush. It was like everything was covered by a thick gray filter, muffling everything I saw into a charcoal mirage.

“Anything I can do?”

“With your coding skills?”

“Fair,” Damn, I couldn’t help but feel useless. Here my brother was gone, yet I couldn’t decode his message, the one way down to the chambers was ultra blocked off, and the police made my astronomy tutoring look exemplary in comparison. There weren't many practical applications for a professional star watcher, not here anyway. “What do you think Sky, do you have any idea about my brother?”

“Nope, maybe the ghosts of students past did him in. I’d be vengeful too if I died while stressing about exams.” I pierced my lips, mind flying back to the endless blood on the walls. That hadn’t gotten there by accident. “I’m assuming it was the same for you guys?”

“Some of the rooms felt like they were coated in blood, not exactly a welcoming place. I don’t remember them going over that in orientation.”

“That's because they didn’t,” He said, not moving an eye from his screen. “Official story is that the old university was abandoned after the war, along with the rest of what's now Iero. That place look voluntarily abandoned to you?”

“Ok but, if there's some hidden reason why would they allow a group of students down there? Surely they’d know we’d run into it.”

“Who knows,” Sky shrugged. “I don’t think there's some grand conspiracy or anything. That was wartime, resources were scarce after half the world imploded. I don’t think a few bloody murders were exactly an uncommon sight. Those bloodstains weren’t new.”

“But five hundred years old?”

“Have you ever seen five hundred year old blood before, or any blood for that matter?” He said.

“Please, I see my own all the time.”

“The blood you get from tumbling off your bike is probably a bit different than the stuff we saw downstairs. Besides, I did a bit of research on the matter. After a bit it turns to that dull brown color and stays that way. That blood could be fifteen or five hundred years old, doesn’t mean anything.”

“Wow… You really are fun at parties.”

“Wouldn’t know. Unlike some of us I don’t spend my weekends at nightclubs; I prefer my brain to be alcohol free.”

“Whatever.” To Sky that was a point of pride. What a misguided soul.

“Asta!” Kat’s voice called out from the door. “You’re back!”

“Just for now,” I braced for impact as she tackled me in a giant hug, my ribs nearly snapping one by one. “The second my professor forgets to take attendance I'll disappear into the wind.”

“So you’ll not miss a day.”

“A girl can hope otherwise.” I grinned–a hollow smile.

“Anyway, Sky, is there anything else you noticed?”

“Just one thing,” He shot his screen towards us, a new mess of pixels and text. “In between all the corrupted code and gibberish, one single document found a way to survive.”

Kat grasped my shoulder, glancing around it. I could feel her hair tickling my nose. Blueberries again, not that I’d complain one bit. Her chest rose rhythmically and eyes widening as she read. “The Iero project… Humanity’s last hope, written October 14, 1944.”

1944… The date echoed in my brain, a single thought ricocheting like a bullet. If this was true, how in the hell did my brother of all people come across a five hundred year old document. “There's no way in hell this is a coincidence. Caspian’s disappearance, the garbled data, this!”

“You didn’t think that in the first place,” Sky said.

“But can you deny it?” I read on, eyes scanning like a machine. “We're pleased to inform you that preparations have been finalized for project Iero. Australia and New Zealand agreed to join the coalition last night, providing the land for Iero off the western shore, where if calculations hold true, should be an optimal spot for the project. Updates will be given soon on our alternative locations, however as a personal anecdote, I would be surprised if any other location could bear the same results as zone one. Our main concern still lies in the area of power. Nuclear looks promising for atmospheric filtration, but tests are still being performed to determine if it can handle what is to come. The scientists don’t like it, but if this fails the only other viable solution falls in the realm of the Prometheus Project. More updates to come. ”

“I ran a search on the document, there's not a thing like it on the internet.” Sky got up, fidgeting with his long brown hair. “Saying that, It’s not super revolutionary or anything.”

The taste of blood filled my lips, my teeth breaking skin, yet the pain felt like a distant memory. “Are you sure it's real?”

“You mean is it five hundred years old? Beats me. I can tell you it is old though. Metadata goes back to before enkes were a thing. Trust me, this is getting cracked through hell or high water.”

“It better be,” I said, gently pushing Kat off my ribs before they shattered. Anything I can do, anything at all let me know.”

“Don’t expect it…” Sky’s voice was a distant echo as he sat back down, typing with a frenzy.

“Gone forever to the void at twenty-one, what will we tell your parents Sky?” He just rolled his eyes. “Kat, I’m heading out. If I can’t find it out digitally, I’ll just do it my own way.”

“Asta, you can't punch a book to get information out of it.”

“Funny! Come on, those books won’t read themselves.”