The council chamber felt at pin drop silence and colder than the ruined city outside. A circle of lamps threw a pale light against the cracked concrete walls, shadows stretching long and sharp across the floor. Every rebel officer had gathered, their eyes shifting between me and Helen as though they were staring at a bomb that might detonate at any moment ! ...
I stood in the center, hands at my sides, chrome fingers flexing with a faint whine. My optics dimmed to avoid catching the hostile stares. Still, I could feel them. Judging. Measuring.
Helen's voice cut through the silence. "We need to decide what he is to us. Asset , Liability Or threat."
Her words were deliberate, each one striking like a blade.
Lira stepped forward from the edge of the circle. "You've seen what he's done. Without him, we wouldn't have taken down that relay. We'd be buried under Dominion fire."
"That's one victory," someone muttered. "One. How long before the machine inside him calls home?"
Murmurs rippled around the chamber. Doubt weighed heavier than the ruined ceiling above.
I wanted to speak, to defend myself, but the static in my head stirred. The Dominion's whisper slithered back into my thoughts. They fear you. They always will. Come back to us. You belong.
I clenched my jaw. Not now. Not here.
Helen studied me, eyes sharp, calculating. "Then we test him."
The murmurs fell silent.
"What kind of test?" Lira asked.
Helen's gaze never left me. "A mission. Not one he can walk away from. If he is what you say, Lira, he'll bring back proof. If not…" Her hand hovered near her sidearm. "We'll know soon enough."
My voice came out steady, though I felt the Dominion pressing harder inside my skull. "What's the mission?"
Helen finally stepped forward. "There's a Dominion cache beneath Sector Twelve. Weapons, data, maybe even coordinates for their patrol routes. We've failed to breach it twice. You'll lead a strike team."
I nodded slowly. "And if I don't come back?"
Her expression didn't change. "Then that answers the question."
Lira's fists clenched. "You're sending him to die."
"No," Helen said flatly. "I'm giving him the chance to prove he's not Dominion property."
The chamber fell into silence again. All eyes turned to me. The choice was already made.
"I'll do it," I said, even as static buzzed louder in my skull.
The meeting ended. The officers filed out, leaving only me, Lira, and Helen in the cold light.
Lira turned on Helen. "You're using him like bait."
Helen's gaze was unflinching. "I'm using him like a weapon. And if he breaks, better it happens in Sector Twelve than here."
She left without another word, her boots echoing against the concrete.
Lira looked at me, her anger softening. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do," I said quietly. "If I run from it, I'm proving her right."
Lira touched my arm, chrome against flesh. "Then don't face it alone. I'm going with you."
For the first time that night, I let myself nod.
Later, in the barracks, I sat on the edge of the cot, staring at the shard of glass that still hung above it. My reflection wavered, red optics glowing faintly in the dim light.
The Dominion's whispers returned, harsher this time. You cannot escape. The more you fight, the deeper you sink. You are not Kieran Vale. You are ours.
Pain seared through my head, circuits sparking along my neck. I clutched the cot, forcing air into lungs that didn't need it. Images flashed—labs burning, faces blurred by static, equations scrawled across blackboards. My own voice shouting don't let them take it.
Then another voice broke through, softer, almost human. Kieran… remember.
I gasped, optics flaring. For a moment, the static retreated. My reflection in the glass shifted—not just chrome, but a ghost of my human face layered over it. Pale, exhausted, determined.
I reached toward it, fingers trembling.
The vision shattered, leaving only the machine staring back.
The door slid open. Lira stepped inside, carrying a rifle slung across her shoulder. She saw my expression and frowned. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"
I nodded slowly. "They're still inside me. Watching. Waiting."
"Then we make sure they see the truth," she said firmly. She set the rifle on the cot. "Sector Twelve. Tomorrow. You don't fight it alone."
I looked at her, and for the first time since waking in this body, I felt the smallest crack of light cutting through the Dominion's shadow.
Still, as the lights dimmed and the city groaned outside, I knew the test wasn't just theirs. It was mine. And if I failed, the rebels wouldn't have to kill me. The Dominion would do it for them.
And somewhere in the darkness above, the Hunters were waiting.....
To me , this was a perfect chance to see how mine fighting abilities have evolved rather then sitting at the corner of the rebel base.
I want to check how much I evolved from a human to the thing - SUBJECT 09 .
I have to know how much mine metallic body can withstand and more about durability of the body. Moreover, I have to try getting more adapted to this body and improve the output.
I have to do a research on this body until I found a way to get back mine original body.
I have to find a way to either lead the rebels or a escape plan and find a shelter..
But sometimes I think about Lira, the way she always try to be by my side. She is a perfect kind for me. It really reminds me of mine EARTH days... If I would have met her in mine youth days, I would have made memorable moments with her.
In this harshes time, Lira was the only one who supported me. So, I wish to met her again someday, if the stike fails tomorrow and I die...
DEEP INSIDE SECTOR 22 , THERE WAS A HUMBLE OF THE HUNTERS GATHERED .