Ch 78: The Unveiling
Kael shut the door behind him, letting out a quiet breath. His place was exactly how he had left it—dark, quiet, and cluttered with ongoing projects.
The only source of illumination was the soft glow of Solver's terminal screen, still running decryption processes in the background.
Kael pulled the data chip from his coat and rolled it between his fingers.
Alright. Let's see what they were hiding.
Kael slotted the data chip into Solver's console, watching as the interface flickered to life.
Lines of encrypted text scrolled across the screen.
No problem.
He reached into his workbench drawer, pulling out the quantum key—a custom decryption device that used parallel processing to brute-force high-level encryption.
Most people wouldn't even get their hands on something like this.
Kael?
He built it.
The moment the key interfaced with Solver, the security locks collapsed under the processing weight.
The files unraveled, revealing thousands of detailed records.
Kael leaned in.
The first two projects were bio-enhancements—attempts to push the human body beyond natural limits.
Project Viros:
Aimed at modifying genetic structures to create enhanced immune systems, muscle density, and regenerative abilities. Focused on military applications—soldiers that could endure extreme conditions without cybernetic implants. Side effects? High failure rate. Genetic instability.
Project Nyx:
A more direct combat enhancement program. Neural conditioning paired with experimental hormonal regulation to create individuals with heightened reflexes and suppressed emotional responses. Essentially, a way to make human killing machines without cybernetic interference. Trials showed unpredictable aggression, leading to failed stability tests.
Kael read the reports without much reaction. The morality of it didn't matter to him.
What did matter?
That these programs had failed—or at the very least, weren't producing stable results.
Kael scrolled further.
His expression hardened.
Project Meridian.
Unlike the first two, this wasn't about human enhancement.
It was something far worse.
Kael's eyes scanned the contents.
The substance—the one he had encountered months ago, the one that had nearly killed him—was part of this project.
The documents listed its properties:
Highly volatile. Capable of breaking down any material upon prolonged contact. Molecular instability makes it impossible to store without specialized containment. Tested as a potential asset in destruction-based operations.
Kael exhaled slowly.
The same material that had forced him to abandon an entire location like a scared animal, the one that had been stolen from a shipment, had been part of a covert experiment under the Consortium's nose.
Even after returning the sample, it hadn't stopped plaguing him.
And now?
Now he had the full context,
With implications.
Kael leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples.
This was bigger than he had assumed.
Someone had been testing ways to create destruction at a fundamental level, experimenting with bio-enhancements, and doing it under extreme secrecy.
More importantly?
They had shut down and erased operations, which meant:
The projects had been deemed failures. Or they had been moved somewhere else.
Kael didn't believe in coincidences.
Most people would be disturbed by this.
Kael?
He saw opportunity.
The substance wasn't his enemy. It was a tool.
He just had to figure out how to control it.
His past self would have avoided this, left it alone to protect his own survival.
But now?
He had already started pulling at this thread.
And Kael didn't like leaving things unfinished.