And the Heavens fell to the earth,
And hellish spawn appeared everywhere,
And they destroyed the sinful and the sinless alike, seeing no distinction,
And the world plunged into Darkness…
"Book of Sorrow"
Verse XII
The same dream repeated over and over again. As if, in my rather long life, there was nothing else worthy enough to brighten my Eternal Sleep. A sleep I had entered of my own free will…
The Earth Council Hall, its high arches always illuminated by an artificial sun. Colored stained glass reflected the light, scattering multicolored beams across the stone floor.
"Absolute Vyacheslav Voronov! Do you understand that we have no choice? Are you ready to submit to the will of the majority? Do you consent to the procedure outlined?"
I stood there in a simple jumpsuit, without the armor that had become my second skin, and, of course, without weapons. I gave a bitter smirk. Was this Humanity's gratitude for everything we had done? Was this the reward for heroes, many of whom had sacrificed their lives to bring Humanity closer to victory? Was there any other way?
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air, just to remember what it felt like. To live. Then I exhaled sharply.
"I consent!"
An old man in a ceremonial robe raised his voice, and an invisible microphone carried its echoes throughout the vast chamber.
"Absolute Vyacheslav Voronov, Ideal, callsign 'Achilles,' by the decision of the Council, for your services to Humanity, you are sentenced to indefinite anabiosis. Your body will be placed in storage for an undetermined period. Only one thing can awaken you: a new invasion by the Aliens…" The old man faltered. "Which, I hope, will never come."
I smirked again. I had already accepted that in this new world—this "peaceful world," as absurd as it sounded—there was no place for the Immortals who had been created to protect Humanity. We had succeeded… and we had become obsolete. Too much power rested in us… power comparable to that of mythical gods…
A dim red light flickered, causing no discomfort to my eyes. But the piercing alarm blaring in the background grated on my nerves. A mechanical female voice repeated the same message over and over:
"Warning! Critical energy levels! Primary power source damaged! Emergency backup battery depleting. Personnel must evacuate the storage facility immediately!"
I jolted upright, instantly aware of how weak my body felt. That simple movement made my heart pound harder. My body ached with pain.
I looked around. I was inside something resembling a capsule or sarcophagus, filled with a viscous liquid. Devices throughout the small room glowed with the same dim red light.
Nearby stood several other capsules, but they were all crushed beneath massive chunks of rock. Mangled and "dead." Here and there, I saw broken limbs protruding, nutrient fluid mixed with blood pooling around them. It seemed I was the only one lucky enough to survive.
I squinted. The word "lucky" took on a new shade of meaning. My capsule looked like a battleship among merchant vessels. It was larger and far sturdier. I glanced at the other capsules again. It seemed the people inside them had died long before the collapse. How much time had passed?
The room shook. Fragments of stone rained from above. It shook again. A massive slab of concrete ceiling crashed down beside my sarcophagus, followed by a cascade of rocky debris.
With effort, I climbed out. The gelatinous substance slid off my body. I was completely naked. Then a message flashed before my eyes:
*Danger! Critically low reserves of vital energy. No external connection detected! Only individual storage available. Emergency mode activated. Calculating… Storage capacity: 11/1000. Immediate replenishment required. Failure to do so will result in death!*
A swarm of fragmented, meaningless memories buzzed in my head—snippets of time offering little information but immense irritation.
"Status!" I barked out of habit, though I could've issued the command mentally.
Lines of text scrolled before my eyes again.
*Status:*
*Ideal*
*Number: 003*
*Name: Vyacheslav Voronov*
*Callsign: Achilles*
*Rank: Absolute*
*Vital Energy: 11/1000*
*Body Modifications: Ideal+++ Set*
*Error… No connection to Central Core!*
*Warning!!! Restore connection to utilize modification capabilities!*
"What the hell?" I muttered, understanding nothing. "Full diagnostics!"
*Attempting connection to Central Core…*
*Error…*
*Reconnecting…*
*Error…*
*Searching for Backup System…*
*Error…*
*Backup System not activated…*
*Searching for alternative Systems…*
*Attention! Unknown System @#%@@ detected.*
*Connect?*
*Warning! This System is incompatible with your functionality! Modifications may malfunction! Partial implant failure possible, which could result in death!*
"Refuse!" I snapped immediately. "Switch to autonomous mode!"
I trudged barefoot across the stone-strewn floor toward a massive door. It was half-open, its panel warped and jammed shut. I stepped out into a wide corridor and surveyed my surroundings.
Another tremor. Emergency lights flickered furiously in the corridor. Concrete dust drifted from the ceiling. Cracks snaked across the smooth surfaces. Ahead, the passage was partially blocked.
Was this an earthquake? My survival instincts screamed at me to escape this underground trap. The surroundings were unfamiliar, but the wide corridor hinted unambiguously that the exit lay ahead.
I staggered forward, feeling like a frail invalid barely able to move. Along the way, I encountered a couple of locked doors with palm scanners. I pressed my hand to one at random and heard a sharp denial tone, accompanied by a flashing message: *"Access denied!"*
I pressed on. The corridor and the entire complex continued to tremble, though less intensely now. The elevator shaft ahead was also sealed. Without much hope, I placed my hand on the scanner. To my surprise, the system responded with a green flash and the message: *"Identification successful! Absolute Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Voronov, access granted!"* The elevator doors began to slide open but froze after barely a third of the way. The warning alarm screeched again:
*Warning! Insufficient energy for elevator operation! Primary power source connection required.*
I squeezed into the elevator cabin and glanced at the control panel, which displayed numbers from 0 to -12. I jabbed at the buttons, but as expected, nothing happened. The negative numbers confirmed what I already suspected—I was underground.
Another jolt rocked the cabin, making it creak and tilt slightly.
"You've got to get out of here, Achilles," I muttered to myself. With a leap, I shoved the ceiling hatch open with both hands.
To my surprise, it popped open easily. Climbing up, however, took nearly ten minutes as I hoisted myself with my arms. My body refused to cooperate. It absolutely refused.
Finally pulling myself up, I peered upward. The elevator shaft was dimly lit by emergency lights, but its upper reaches vanished into darkness.
I tried pulling myself along the cable but abandoned the idea almost immediately. In my condition, even if I managed two or three meters, my hands would give out from exhaustion, and I'd plummet back down.
On the shaft wall, I spotted metal rungs meant for maintenance drones. Well, it was something. I began climbing, pausing every few meters to rest, hanging limply in exhaustion, clinging desperately to the supports.
The shaft trembled like a malfunctioning cybernetic in an overload fit. Pebbles rained from above. A whistling sound cut through the air. Instinctively, I pressed myself against the wall as a sheet of metal fell past me. Lucky it missed. I gritted my teeth and kept moving. I had no idea how long it took.
When I reached the top, I found myself facing yet another closed door, clearly not meant to be opened from the inside. Inspecting it, I noticed a latch locking the panels shut. But I lacked the strength to pry it open.
Twisting around, I braced my feet against the base. Kicking was pointless—the system countered sudden impulses. I pushed until my vision darkened, reminiscent of storming Mars. Back then, I'd held up an entire dropship…
After what felt like an eternity, the latch gave way, and the door creaked open slightly. With my last reserves of strength, I crawled out. Standing was beyond me now—I had to drag myself along.
The corridor ahead ended at a massive armored door. Two thoughts pounded in my head: Would the mechanism recognize my prints, and would there be enough power to shift this beast?
Luck answered the first question. The unknown creators had entered my prints into the system. The lock blinked, and the door hummed as it began to open. Then the lights went out, and the female voice from the speakers gurgled before falling silent. The batteries must have finally died.
The gap the door had opened wasn't enough for a person to slip through—just wide enough to fit my fingers. I needed a lever…
Groping in the dark, I found a piece of rebar and wedged it into the gap. I pushed, but that was all I could manage. My exhausted body gave out, stars danced before my eyes, and I lost consciousness.
I came to from pain. Apparently, another tremor had dislodged a chunk of stone that landed squarely on my leg. Was it broken?
I yanked with all my might, leaving scraps of skin and drops of blood on the rough concrete. The leg looked bad. Another message flashed before my eyes:
*Activate regeneration? Warning: If you agree, vital energy reserves will drop to zero, and you will die!*
To hell with that game! The leg looked rough, but no major vessels were hit, so bleeding out wasn't an immediate threat.
I smirked. Not that it mattered… I'd just die here like a mouse in a trap.
Turning my head toward the door, I noticed the last tremor had shifted it slightly. The panels had slipped out of their heavy latches and tilted, leaving a gap at the bottom. About thirty centimeters.
I crawled forward. The jagged edge of the door mechanism scraped my bare back raw, but it was worth it. I made it out!
Sunlight hit my eyes like a blow. I was on a mountain ledge, sheltered by a rocky overhang. From the outside, the door blended seamlessly into the cliff face, partially covered with grass and mountain flowers. I was certain it'd be indistinguishable from the rock when closed.
I dragged myself a bit further to the edge of the platform, where a breathtaking view unfolded. Warm summer sun blazed overhead. The mountain slopes were mostly covered in leafy trees, and far below shimmered the azure expanse of a sea.
Another tremor shook the ground. Two things happened at once: the massive door broke free and began tumbling toward me, and the rocky overhang above started to collapse with a groan. With a final burst of effort, I pulled myself to the edge, rolled over it, and tumbled down the slope. I lost consciousness for the third time in the process.
"He's kinda weird," a young voice pierced through my haze. "Why's he naked? And what are those things built right into his body?"
"How should I know, Lyoshka?!" came an older voice. "He's clearly not a Raider—his skin's too pale. Wash his wounds so no filth festers in them."
"You sure we should help him, Krot?" the young voice asked again.
"Sure, kid, sure. He looks sturdy. And when the Masters show up, who're you gonna hand over? Your Nyurka, or you gonna go yourself? This way, we give them the stranger and stay free till spring."
"You're so smart, Krot," the young one said, impressed.
"Live as long as I have, and you'll soak up some wisdom too."
The voices faded, and oblivion swallowed me again.
"Wake up, stranger. Here, drink some water," a soft female voice said as firm hands lifted my head, bringing a vessel to my lips.
I drank greedily. Water had never tasted so good!
I opened my eyes and saw a young woman leaning over me.
"More?" she asked gently.
"No, that's enough. Where am I?"
"You're in Quiet village. Krot and the kid dragged you in yesterday."
"How long was I out?"
"A night and almost half a day."
I tried to sit up but gave up and collapsed back. I was lying on a wooden cot covered with tanned hides.
"Hungry?" the woman asked kindly.
"I don't know," I said, tuning into my senses. "I guess I am."
"I'll bring something."
The girl darted out of the house, the wooden door slamming behind her. I looked around. I was in a log cabin, its blackened timbers aged by time. Small windows were covered with a translucent film. Aside from my cot and a lone chair, the room was empty. A door led to an adjacent space where I glimpsed the edge of a wooden table and a couple of chairs. That was it.
*Critical vital energy level!*
The message flashed before my eyes again.
*Storage capacity: 5/1000*
At this rate, I wouldn't last long.
I'd definitely die if I didn't kill something soon. But I seriously doubted I could take down even an Alien Worker in my current state, let alone a Warrior. And with the System offline, tapping into the Energy Pool was out of the question. Regular food would only let me cling to a pitiful existence. On the other hand… Absolute Voronov! Pull yourself together! You led Earth's forces into the Last Battle! Back then, "last" carried a different weight than it did after victory. It was a suicide charge… but you won that fight. Figuring out how to handle your own body? You'll manage that too!
The woman returned with a bowl of salad and two sturdy men—one older, one younger. Given their resemblance, they were likely kin.
The older one pulled the chair over and sat down with authority.
"Well, let's get acquainted, stranger. I'm Nox, the elder of this village. This is Dog, my son. And you, what's your name, sickly one?"
"Vya—" I started, then faltered. "Call me Achilles."
"Achilles, huh?" The elder leaned back. "Strange name, not from around here. Where's it from?"
"Greek," I said with a smile.
"Where's that?" he asked, suddenly wary.
"It's…" I shook my head. "Doesn't matter."
"Fair enough, doesn't matter then. So, Achilles, what were you doing in the mountains, naked and unarmed?"
"I don't remember," I said, shaking my head.
It was the best excuse I could muster on short notice—memory loss.
"You don't remember?" The man frowned. "Which settlement are you from? What's the last thing you recall? Are you a Raider?"
"I don't remember anything," I repeated. "But I'm definitely not a Raider."
The old man burst into sudden laughter.
"Yeah, I can see you're no Raider. A stiff breeze could knock you over."
I glanced at my body. Washed and partially bandaged, it didn't look imposing, but I wasn't a skeleton either. I recalled my combat weight—110 kilograms at 190 centimeters. Now, either for efficiency or some other reason, my body's mechanisms had shed about 30 kilos of muscle during anabiosis. Still, I looked decently solid.
"And the big question," the old man's smile vanished, "why can't I see your stats?"
"Stats?" I frowned, genuinely taken aback. "Wait, are you all Ideals?"
"What?" The old man looked puzzled. "What Ideals?"
I cursed inwardly and "focused." No way! System labels hovered above everyone's heads: "Nox," "Dog," and "Doe." But no, they didn't glow with the bright blue light that marked us Ideals. These were a swampy green, flickering like they might vanish any second.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, keeping my composure—my poker face still intact despite my shock.
"Neither do I," the old man said, crossing his arms. "First time I've seen or heard of this. Why don't you have the Masters' mark?"
I shrugged, closing my eyes. I needed a timeout.
"Sorry, I think I'm about to pass out again."
"Hang on a bit. Let Doe feed you. Rest… for now," the old man sighed. "We'll talk later."
The woman propped a pillow under my back, helping me into a better position to eat, and fed me a cucumber salad with greens. It came in a wooden bowl, and she used a wooden fork to pass me bites. I couldn't finish the plate, thanking her and slumping back. I washed it down with water and thanked her again.
"Rest, Achilles," the friendly woman said with a smile.
I closed my eyes to think over the situation, but instead of strategizing, I slipped into a normal sleep this time—no blackout, just rest for a change.