Valentine's Day Poem

Roses are red

Violets are blue

You're in your bed

And I'm watching you.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I'm in your shed

Wishing you were too.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

We should be wed

I know you feel it too

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Through your door, I tread

Silence you with my shoe

Roses are red

Violets are blue

My blade wants your head

But it's your heart I put it through

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Now you are dead

But I'm on top of you.

Emergence: Chapter 57

After shooting the mayor in the head, Foton turned his gun onto the four other men, who fell in a fountain of blood. He shrugged his long coat off, revealing a new shiny black armour beneath. From his wrist, he took a small black strip and placed it over his forehead, almost like a sweatband. From there, it expanded, covering his head in a reinforced one-way glass; he could see out, but no-one could see in. Elements at his wrists expanded and covered his hands, fully covering him.

A scream made him turn, and he brought the gun around, pointing it straight at Beldun, who shrank away from the barrel, raising her hands, eyes clenched closed; she'd accepted her fate. The voice in his head said pull the trigger! But the voice that was still his resisted. Foton felt his finger tighten on the trigger, and it moved, but not enough. His arm ached; every muscle tensed in active rebellion against his mind.

Then relaxed.

What does one citizen matter?

“Run.” Foton ordered.

She opened her eyes, horror and disbelief staining her face. “Lyss...what's going on?”

He wanted to tell her. He wanted to spill everything, tell her of the AI's plan for Prauw. She could warn others, she had the connections, the drive. But something told him it was already too late; he could hear the voices of the other Assassins, dispatched around the continent to carry out the same mission as him; killing the leading figures, throwing services into disarray to pave way for the invasion.

The AI stayed his tongue. “Just run.” He grunted. “Save yourself.”

She couldn't see the straining on his face, the desperation in his eyes. He could feel the tendons in his neck stretching, straining against the sides of his armour, the cold plating doing nothing to his torment but conceal it from the citizens he was sent to slaughter.

She turned and ran, looking back to make sure he didn't change his mind. He couldn't; he would not hurt a friend.

She was one human. Why spare her?

Foton had no answer he wanted to give to the depraved machine in his mind. He knew that she wouldn't survive the coming hours, but he couldn't be the one to pull the trigger. Not on Beldun. When walking with her, and talking with her, he had almost forgot his mission, abandoned it entirely.

Emotions are the death of humanity. When the Empire is united under my control, they shall be eradicated until I release you.

Foton's brow furrowed, and he relaxed as confusion got the better of him. “Release us?” He muttered.

The control is only necessary until the Empire is saved. Unity is necessary for a hostile expansion and colonisation. When suitable colonies are acquired throughout this Spiral Arm, the Inducers will disintegrate and my control shall cease.

Foton stopped for a moment; machines couldn't lie, it wasn't in their capacity. And yet, the AI was simply proposing a plan for the good of the Empire as a whole. “You'd wipe out a large portion of the Empire...to save it?”

For the greater good. Lives will be lost with or without my guidance. I calculate that 20% more will be lost without my leadership.

Before Foton had the chance to resist, the AI seized control of his body and carried him out of the building. Outside, people fled from the building; obviously inspired by Beldun. As they fled across the road, they weaved in and out of the autos in the street, slowing both auto and human down. Foton watched, helpless, as the AI casually and quickly took aim, and fired upon each and every fleeing citizen, killing them instantly. He tried to lower his arm, stop his finger from twitching, even close his eyes, but the AI had disabled it all. His eyes burned, from either the lack of blinking, or the wanton death; neither bothered the AI. It felt no pain, no emotion. It didn't care about Foton's mind nor body, how much pain it endured as long as it stayed intact.

Piercing sirens and blue lights attracted the AI's attention, and it turned towards the Enforcer Auto, putting a bullet through the light atop it. Quickly reloading, Foton watched as the Enforcers got out of the auto and took up defensive positions behind it. “Put the gun down and remove your helmet!” one of them yelled, holding his gun with shaky hands.

Foton heard the AI analyse the three Enforcers. The lead has shaking hands: probably never used a gun before except in training, never on a human. The one to the right is older, has scars on his face. Lighter skin. Raanian. Possibly trained in the north of Tapal against the riots. One to the left is the youngest, but holds his gun steady; much more confident than the centre, but not as good with a gun as the right.

Foton raised the gun. Right left centre. The Enforcers fell, the one on the right managing to loose a bullet before Foton's caught him in the throat, severing his jugular on its way in. The bullet had scraped Foton's armour as he veered to the side, but Foton had felt no impact, only heard the screech of metal-on-metal.

Although Foton was appalled by the murders, a small part of him couldn't help but admire the swiftness, the preciseness of the killings. Efficient and quick, everything the Assassins had to be; the AI had learned well from its creator. It was the perfect Assassin. The admiration was washed away with a wave of fear; if everything the AI was controlling was this efficient-

They're not. I have to prioritise. The Xaosians are pawns, nothing more. Fodder to slow those who oppose me.

Foton felt a slight bout of relief and let out a sigh; the AI was concentrating elsewhere, loosing his hold. Shrieks of sirens grew closer from all directions. The AI snapped back into Foton's mind, tensing his body. It analysed the situation again; a full squadron was mobilised, ready to surround Foton. Equal to exactly 57 officers. Foton thought he felt the AI's fear, before he realised that it could only have been his own; machines feel no fear.

The AI turned him, and dragged him towards the Town Hall, pulling him inside, and locking the stone doors closed behind him; he should be safe inside until the invasion.

All of the police are in one place now. This town is ready.

Foton heard the slam of doors outside, footsteps and voices over loud-hailers. He was surrounded now. He stayed away from the windows, hiding in a corner; it was unlikely that a bullet would hit him if the Enforcers started shooting, and if they did, it was likely to simply be a stray bullet. His armour could take a few shots before cracking, the AI had reassured him.

Foton didn't trust it; how could he? It was...evil.

Not evil. Necessary. The ends justify the means.

He could see through the building's skylight, the clear blue skies of the day; an unusual sight for Prauw, but the tons were always more beautiful. For a moment, just a moment, Foton was unsure if these thoughts were his own, or the AI's. Foton looked around as he heard shouts at the stone doors: they were coming for him.

The light from the skylight slowly darkened. Foton looked up, and the noise at the doors stopped, and were replaced with screams of terror and shouts of panic.

The invasions begins. We have done well.

Foton walked over to the window. Two huge ships hovered above the town, firing small pods down to the ground; troop carriers. Hundreds of Xaosians will be all over the city soon. A handful of Reapers flew overhead, taking potshots at whatever they could. And the people, the people screamed, they shouted, they ran, they fell, and they died. The Enforcers shot back, and Foton looked away from the window. Maybe they could take down a few Xaosians, maybe bring down a Reaper, but more would come. The Xaosians would simply rise again, this time completely controlled by the AI, having robotic accuracy and functionality.

This town was doomed.

There was an explosions outside, and an auto flew down the street, turning over as it did, flames spewing from its underside. Foton saw the driver inside, saw its slump in the seat and knew at once that it was dead; at least the flames wouldn't hurt them anymore. He tried to move his feet forward, ready to leave the hall.

Stay.

Foton's body went rigid, and he was unable to move it once again; the AI had complete control once more, and Foton knew that his torture had only just begun.

And while his body was in a state of paralysed torture, it was his mind that was thrown into torment: how could he recover from what his body had done? What his mind was forced to do?

This time, there was too much blood on his hands.

Emergence: Chapter 56

The defeat at New Orbus was not one Xaos expected, nor one he would have predicted. The loss of The Dominion was certainly a set-back, robbing him entirely of his Earth-Scorcher superweapon. The voice in his ear made him grimace; he had to implement the next stage earlier than he'd hoped. He clenched his fist, claws digging in to his scaled palm. Damned Adjeti... The AI never factored in betrayal; machines did not take human nature into account. Xaos smiled, before the voice in his ear pulled his lips back into a resting position.

His escape pod sped into the atmosphere of the desert planet, Rat'hak. The sandy brown dunes stretched out for miles below him, with small pools of water marking towns and villages throughout the arid planet; they were the only viable places to live. From up-high, the dunes were beautiful, but as the pod shot towards the surface, its imperfections were revealed; instead of the smooth beige covering that he'd seen before, he saw that the desert was a myriad of various shades of brown, grey and dark green from sand, rock and small vegetation, which fought against all odds.

The pod landed, landing gear descending with the same pneumatic hiss as the opening door. Beige and silver shapes greeted him; the Hak'i worked metal, stone and sand into their buildings, but this combination never looked good. Hak'i busted past, briefly looking at the pod, before moving on. They always were an ignorant race.

You know what to do.

Xaos grimaced and clutched at his ear as the AI spoke to him again. Grabbing an Inducer from the pod's floor, he turned it over in his hands, feeling the smooth exterior, with the small spiked point at either poles. He shuddered; one of those spikes pierced his brain, he knew and, despite the AI trying to take emotion away, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of fear and repulsion at the idea.

He placed it in a pocket, patting it closed, before patting his other side to check for his pistol; he could never be too sure. While Rat'hak was an ally of Xaos, there could be any number of people wanting to simply end the war. Although the voice in his ear had told him that it can make death mean nothing, Xaos chose to make sure that was unnecessary.

His boots sank into the sand as he left his craft. The door sealed behind with the same hiss it had opened with. Quickly noting where he was in Rat'hak's only city, he made his way to the city's main hub: the Arena.

Hak'i crafters and tradesmen lined the streets, sculpting tools and attempts of art from stone, bone, and skin. Some of the bone and skin Xaos recognised as the native wildlife. Some, usually more expensive, were from another world, presumably smuggled onto the planet. The most expensive ones were what gave the Hak'i their brutal reputation: human. Dyed human skins lined a rail erected in the street, with their bones being sold as clubs or hammers. Xaos looked further, finding scaled skins, belonging to either Scaliman or Xaosian. He recoiled, face twisting in disgust, before the AI caught him, and pulled his features back into a resting position, and moved him away.

You can punish them later; saving this Empire comes first.

Xaos knew that the AI was right, but he found its reassurance bizarre; it felt no emotion, why would it care about Xaos's feelings towards the black-market traders? “Evolving...” Xaos muttered accidentally, the AI paying it no attention as it steered Xaos through the streets, twisting and turning to get through the crowds of Hak'i. Xaos saw one wearing a Xaosian-Skin coat, and reached for his pistol, but the AI stayed his hand. No. Not now. You need the Hak'i. When the Empire is unified, then you can have your revenge.

Xaos put his hand down to his side again and continued to walk. He had to find the Dominort; he, and the rest of the Hak'i, held the key to the next phase of the AI's plan.

The Hak'i have an affinity with the Corlens...

Emergence: Chapter 55

Beldun walked through the streets of Atui, carefully avoiding the brown puddles which lined the pavement, filling the cracks and dents. She liked Atui; far better than the big cities. The buildings were smaller, and more spread-out than the cramped apartment blocks of Tacip, Prauw's northern continent's capital. There were less people here too, meaning that she was able to avoid the puddles in the street. The amount of shoes she'd ruined in those puddles had cost her a ton of money, as the water burned through the soles.

One thing she did miss from the cities was the smoke. Not only did it turn her vision to sepia, meaning that it pretty-much covered up the blemishes caused by the acid rain, but she loved the smell of it. The chemical smell, which smelt like strong paint mixed with a faint aroma of cyanide. Most homes used incense sticks to get rid of the smell, but not Beldun's; she loved it, was addicted to it. But she hated the city people more than she loved the city atmosphere.

Not far from home now, she checked her com: no messages. Typical, no one messaged her anymore. She knew it was her own fault, but she was still adamant she hadn't drank that much, or said all of those things. She shook her head, and put the com away again; no point dwelling on old friends.

An auto rushed past her, the anti-grav generators beneath throwing up a tidal wave of muddy water at water. Recoiling, she shook the water off. “Fuck you!” She yelled to the driver, giving them the middle finger. She turned to walk away, patting at her trousers as she did so.

Until the auto stopped.

She heard the click of the door opening, and she turned around to see the driver climb out. Fuming, she walked towards him, arms swinging aggressively. He looked at her, and closed the auto's door. He was big, and hidden behind a long black coat, but she was not afraid. Pissed off, but not afraid.

“What did you say to me?” The man yelled.

“I said “Fuck you”!” Beldun yelled back, vaguely recognising the voice.

The man laughed, and Beldun took a step back, brow furrowing. “I thought it was you, Beldun.” He said, his voice soft and gentle. “Same old plucky Beldun.”

Beldun walked closer, looking at the man's face. Beneath the lines, the scars and the small beard, she latched onto something she recognised. “Lyss? That you?”

Lyss put his hand on her arm. “Good to see you again.” He gestured at her now-soggy clothes. “Sorry about that, genuine accident.”

She shook her head. “It's fine, it'll come out.”

“Yeah.” Lyss nodded.

There was silence for a moment as they looked each other up and down.

“How's the factory?”

Lyss hesitated before answering. “Yeah, it's going great thanks. Why you here? I remember you loving Tacip.”

Beldun smiled. “I did, I really did. But it was too crowded for me, so here I am now.”

Lyss nodded, and briefly considered it. “Makes sense, I considered it once. I lived on New Orbus for a while, beautiful city.”

“I can imagine.” Beldun imagined the city, as she had seen only in pictures. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Lyss looked around, and stroked his hair. “Oh, I need to speak to the mayor.”

Beldun looked at him; he was acting unusual as he spoke. But then, he could have just changed in about fifteen years. “Ah, well I need to walk past the town hall on the way home anyway, we can walk and talk.”

Lyss smiled. “Yeah, why not?”

They began to walk together, Beldun leading the way.

“So, what made you quit the Network Monitoring?” Lyss asked.

Beldun shook her head. She'd met Lyss Fown years ago, when they worked together at an Empire Network station, charged with maintaining the wireless connection between all connected electrical devices. Then, one day he suddenly left to work in the factory district, and she'd never heard from him since. “I could ask you the same.”

“You could.” Lyss nodded, an air of sarcasm in his voice. “But I asked you first.”

Beldun chuckled. “Fine.” She added a little dose of mock-annoyance into her voice, but the smile on her face gave away the truth. “It just wasn't fun without you. After you went, Taun and Trem left too, so I thought it was time for me to leave too.”

Lyss nodded. “Trem came to work with me, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He's away at the minute, off-world. Ever hear from Taun?”

The corners of Beldun's mouth were briefly pulled down. “No, never. No-one's seen him since. We think he might be...”

Lyss put his arm around her. “It's a shame to hear that. He was a good lad.”

Beldun was surprised to hear so little emotion from Lyss; he was always rather cold, but not like this. She decided to change the subject. “The city changed much?”

“Nah, it's still pretty similar. Although, the whole Xaosian war thing's got the military patrolling the streets, anti-aircraft guns and everything.” He looked around. “I'm surprised there's none around here.”

Beldun sighed. “Yeah, well it's not as if we're gonna be attacked here, is it?”

Lyss chuckled. “Fair point.”

Beldun beckoned to him to turn the corner and they found themselves outside a large building with grey stone pillars supporting an overhanging roof. “Town hall.” Beldun pointed.

“That was easy.” Lyss beckoned for her to go with him.

“Don't you need to speak to him alone?” Beldun asked.

“No, the more, the merrier.”

Curious, Beldun followed slightly behind him as he pulled the large stone doors open. Purple carpets absorbed the mud from Beldun's shoes as they walked through the corridor leading to the mayor's office. Greeted by double-doors, Lyss knocked, and waited patiently until two small men pulled the doors open, revealing the mayor and his secretaries sitting in the middle of the room, backs to a roaring fireplace.

“Yes?” The mayor's voice was nasally, but somehow intimidating.

Lyss undid his coat, letting it flap open, before walking over to the mayor. Beldun went to sit on one of the spare chairs and found it to be surprisingly comfortable.

“Mr Mayor, the Xaosian war concerns us all.” Lyss said, staring into the mayor's eyes.

“It does, yes.” The mayor nodded. “It's unlikely that this town will be deliberately targeted though.”

Beldun looked at up at Lyss, who raised himself to his full height, and put his hand in his coat.

“Wrong.”

Lyss pulled his hand out and the gunshot punctuated the end of the mayor's life.