Monotomy

"How are his vitals?"

"Lord Null, subject Zero-Zero-One's vitals are still in the green zone, perfectly stable with minimal damage. Bone integrity decreased by 7% after receiving three clean blows from a Tier 3 Soulburner. Healing factor is normal, and all injuries are healing at a rate approximately a hundred times faster than normal," one of the men in black robes reported, gesturing through the various holograms in front of him.

Mr. Null examined the data feed and nodded. Zero-Zero-One was their most successful specimen to date. Attempts to replicate their success with other subjects had failed. While the others were not complete failures, none of them reached the same level as Zero-Zero-One.

Various colors from the holograms reflected in his eyes as he deep in thought. The higher-ups pressured him to proceed with the next phase of Operation: Soul Emperor despite his prior warnings. Zero-Zero-One was not yet ready.

"Analyze Soul Core Integrity," Mr. Null's deep voice resonated in the atmosphere.

"Already working on it, Lord Null," a female voice cut through the tense atmosphere from across the room.

The young woman's fingers swiftly moved across the keyboard, creating an oddly therapeutic hum of button presses. A hologram appeared on her screen, displaying a light purplish round core. She grabbed the hologram and tossed it to the center of the room.

"Lulien, catch the Soul Core," she called out.

A man stationed at the main computer in the center of the room reached out and caught the hologram, placing it on top of a circular disc. The disc ignited with lilac flames, quickly filling the entire room with a soft glow. All the screens in the room began reflecting data from the Soul Core. Everyone stopped their previous tasks and focused on analyzing Zero-Zero-One's Soul Core.

"Soul Suppressants show signs of weakening, sir," Lulien reported.

"What do you mean by weakening?" Mr. Null inquired.

"I'm not sure, sir. The data appears somewhat illegible compared to previous times. However, among the mess, a few patterns emerged indicating a decline in the strength of the Suppressants," Lulien explained.

"To what extent?"

"Well, it has weakened enough to elevate his overall prowess by one grade, sir. He has gone from a Midstage Tier 1 Soulburner to a High Tier 1," Lulien truthfully responded, based on the available data.

"Continue. I want a full report on my desk by tomorrow morning. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Lord Null," everyone responded in unison.

Mr. Null made his way through the pure white hallways of Location 01, the main base of operations for the House of Cards (HoC). Without his mask providing a live feed of the path, he would have been lost in the labyrinth of ever-changing corridors. The routes altered every second, leaving him in awe of their design. Each room had thousands of possible paths, and at any given time, only one of those routes worked, provided one had the necessary clearance.

He mostly walked alone, lost in his thoughts, contemplating the threat his position would face if Operation: Soul Emperor failed in its initial stages. Why couldn't they grant him more time?

Finally, he reached the end of his path and waved his hand over a screen that emerged from the white walls to his left. Boldly written words appeared on the screen, commanding attention: "Access granted."

The doors materialized and slid open, releasing white smoke to the sides. He walked through.

The most dominant fixture of the room beyond the doors was a large, sleek rectangular table that sat right at the center of the cubic meter room. In its center was a gigantic holographic orb that spewed blue light into the surroundings. Each side of the table had four seats, and each seat had its own personal computer.

The walls were made from large pieces of processed metal coated with a layer of blue and silver paint. Except for one lone man who sat at the far end of the large table, no one else was present in the room.

Mr. Null's languid form stiffened when he saw the sparkling red eyes of the man gazing at him. He bowed and sat across from the man.

"And?"

Mr. Null breathed in, calming his rising nerves, and spoke, "Lord Jack, I honestly still think Zero-Zero-One is not ready. If we remove the Soul Suppression beyond Tier 3, he'll go haywire from the sudden influx of power to his soul. At his current state, when he feels danger, the Soul Suppression we currently have on him loosens. And that's him operating on two decades' worth of memories. If we remove the rest, three thousand years' worth of memories will make him implode."

"Zero-Zero-One has functioned perfectly under duress before. And we haven't had that problem in the past thousand years. He operated as a half-step Soul Emperor during the great War that ravaged Planet E3 a thousand years ago. Are you trying to tell me we can't harness that level of power anymore?" Orion asked.

Mr. Null remained silent, his eyes gazing at the floating blue orb that separated them before flicking his wrist and sighing, "I'll have an answer for you tomorrow once I get all the data."

"We need him back on the field as soon as possible. His next mission, possibly the most important one, will require his full strength if he hopes to succeed. Dismissed," Orion waved Mr. Null away.

"Remember, King Edward is keeping a close eye on this operation. Do as you will with that information," Orion said as his figure faded out of existence.

Mr. Null remained in the meeting room. The silent sound of his thoughts gave a roaring echo throughout the place. Glued to his chair, he shook his head and left the place.

Alec Voldman woke up to the blaring five o'clock alarm that tortured him each and every single day as far as he could remember. Not once was he able to sleep past a minute past five. And no, it wasn't because he didn't dare—maybe it was—but rather because he saw what they did to you when you woke up a second later.

Leaping off the bed, he did a few body exercises, warming up his muscles for the day. He ran through his morning routine shortly after, taking care of the necessities such as bathing, brushing teeth, and staring at the mirror, stretching his facial muscles. The last one wasn't needed, only that he found the experience therapeutic.

The little space that was his room was cramped. One wouldn't be far off if they called it a black metal box with a single bed. That was exactly what it was. A dull fluorescent light bulb lit up the space. To his left was a door that led to the bathroom and toilet, and to his right was the door that led out.

He took a quick glance at the digital clock embedded in the wall that read five minutes to six and walked out of his room. Outside was a hallway littered with a few tens of other doors that led into rooms like his. And not a minute later, other subjects pulled open their doors and walked out and stood outside their doors.

Everyone was dressed in a simple black bodysuit, created with state-of-the-art nanites. No greetings were exchanged between them as they waited for the clock to strike six. And on cue, the sound of a platoon of boots filled the small hallway, coming from the far left.

Mr. Null walked in front of the rest, his chin angled upwards. His posture reeking of power and total control. The others behind him followed in their own rigid postures.

"Firstly, everyone congratulate 001 on his impeccable performance during his previous assignment. He scored a total of 95 points out of a possible hundred, making it the new record for a Three Months Assignment," Mr. Null spoke in a monotone voice.

Monotonous clapping sounded throughout the hallway. Everything from the loudness of the sound right down to the frequencies sounded exactly the same. Everyone had deadpan eyes as they turned towards 001 and simultaneously gave a bright smile, one that came out eerily eldritch. Alec saw no problem since this had been his life for the past three decades.

"Everyone, report to your personal trainers. Zero-Zero-One, come with me," Mr. Null said.

"Move!"

The squadron behind him fell into formation and guided the rest of the subjects through the ever-winding halls of Location 01. Within seconds, Mr. Null was left alone with Alec.

The masked man waved for Alec to follow him, and he did. They cut through a different corner than the rest, one Alec didn't recognize, despite walking the hallways for decades.

Silence was his only companion during the slow walk to their destination, giving him enough time to study the ever-white walls of the facility for the thousandth time. It made the awkwardness go away, sometimes.

"Your next mission has been confirmed. And frankly, I don't think you are ready for it," Mr. Null spoke, emotion breaking into his monotone voice, "But the top brass is going ahead with it anyway."