Talcador: Towerfall-Part 2

A high-ranking Syndicate officer stepped forward—a member of the Intergalactic Committee. Soldiers behind him were ready to storm bullets at Eve, but he halted them.

Eve walked into the center, blinking through the lights in the room. She pointed at him: "You."

Eve instantly recognized him.

He smirked, throat twitching. "Member," he admitted. "Of your precious Committee. But we're all survivors here."

"So the Syndicate knows about Kaal. They know my powers are suppressible. And this is how. You coward!" Her fingers tightened on her gun.

"Let's say. The Thelarians aren't the only one on the aniti-Nomad bandwagon. You have inflicted Syndicate more damage than you know."

"But why?"

"The Cybernetic world wants freedom from the chains of mother Cetra."

"Then Mother AI already knows. She never intervened knowing everything and yet you conspired against her!?"

"It is not that she knows. It is about what we know. Take a seat. You might wanna hear this out Eve."

"I don't think you can explain yourself. So save yourself some grace, take the bullet and die." She raised her gun again.

"You set off events you can't control. The minute you touched that alien artefact… the monolith…"

He curiously watched her expressions change. So this was The Syndicate's reach. This was their power. How did they know so much?

Mira didn't report Eve's little episode with the monolith to prevent Eve hardliners using that as an excuse… also because it weakened Eve's position as a high commander. Eve didn't care about any of it, but Mira did.

The member, whose name was Barnard, having induced Eve's curiosity spoke again, "the monoliths have altered Cetra's AI somehow. We don't know how but Mother is changing."

"What do you mean?" Eve rasped.

"Ask yourself. You are the sole witness of the event… of the knowledge the alien artifact gave you. The virtual universe that hides behind perception and vision… the virtual world... the matrix. Until now she ruled it. But now, it seems like powers beyond her have entered into the arena."

"You are lying. Cetra cannot be corrupted. She's way too powerful."

"I said, ask. Yourself."

Now Eve put the rush and anger aside. Barnard could be stalling her. It could be a trick. But the other prospect when she thought about it weighed much much more. If she killed him now she might never be able to find out.

If something powerful has entered the realm and the mind of the machine world. Cetra is the only defense, but if it's powerful than her. Then she can not only be corrupted but killed as well. Or worst. Controlled and used as a weapon of mass destruction.

"I am listening," Eve holstered her gun.

"You know new mutated species emerging from the Dark Galaxy. The increase in Thelarian attacks. But you don't know about petty little incidents… Cybernetics suddenly waking up and killing a very specific target or just a public attack. And then killing themselves."

"Only a few isolated incidents."

"Isolated only if the IC says they are isolated. Dictated... fabrication. You already know that. The Committee is big on cover ups and stories."

"Get to the punchline!"

"Cetra is turning. She eventually might turn into a threat and none of us will be able to stop it. She even might kill everyone in Cetra 9 and rule the skies like Galactus using Cetra as her personal Galaxy devourer."

"That is impossi…ble," then Eve had a rush of thoughts. Her eyelids and pupils swelled at the enormous prospect.

"Glad I don't have to get into an argument about that. If the universe's most fierce defender will not calculate all the possibilities.. who will," his voice calm and cunning.

"So what does the Syndicate have to say about it?"

"They are still digging into it. As you know the Syndicate is primarily comprised of Humans and Cybernetics. And they despise Aliens. If mother Cetra goes nuts… the machines will be wiped out. Syndicate leaders are afraid for their lives."

"Hence the secret alliance… to reach out to the Committee."

"Indeed."

"What now?"

"I don't know… now that my life hangs in the balance at the hands of the committee, the Syndicate, and dear Eve. I guess I will take orders now from all of you."

"You are not dying without telling me everything. Wait. Was this a set up? Just to get to me? Or…"

As she thought about it.

"Clever girl!" Barnard exclaimed.

"A Syndicate leader is here." A surprise element in her voice. They never show themselves. This is what the Syndicate is known for. Their leaders are untouchable, unknowable, unreachable. "But…"

"But we thought Nomad could happen. So we were prepared to take you into the loop if we couldn't kill you... well, we tried. Now it is up to you. Do you wanna walk the path?"

She thought a little then said, "okay, you live." She raised an eyebrow, looking at him with dead seriousness.

This was too important to let her sentiments get in the way. Eve never pulled her punches on the Syndicate, they terrorized the committee allied planets and had committed unforeseeable crimes against countless alien species.

A masked man in a black suit entered the door. He took his hat off and placed it on the table.

"It is an honor to be in the presence of the woman praised by galaxies."

She looked at him. His cybernetic skin was all covered in the mask, clothing and gloves. Just the skin around the eyes, that shimmered with traces of human skin layers.

"I suppose you have a plan."

"We had. This changes everything. We can't over power you, only run from you. But now that a greater goal unites us."

"Then what was the previous plan?"

"Run the committee dry one member at a time, then destroy Mother Cetra using hands and resources that can. Take help from Thelarians if needed."

He spoke out straight forward.

"How can you be so sure Cetra is… changing?"

"We do have our own way and system of keeping an eye on the machine plane. The machine realm, that's where we drift when we sleep. That's our subsconsciousness at risk. We know what we know and what's happening."

"She is listening as you speak. Aren't you afraid she will fry you this instant?"

"We believe she is fighting something in the virtual world and she's losing. Glitching now and then. And her adversary is stealing our bodies to carry out executions that just make no sense. Too random. Without pattern. What Barnard didn't tell you. One of the victims… was a syndicate leader. Who killed another one and then killed himself."

"So whatever's happening is happening deep and the committee…"

"Will continue to cover it up to hold up their arrogance that everything is under control… or prevent general panic to put it mildly."

"The Thelarians' response?"

"They don't work with anyone but they are not beyond Syndicates reach. We can grow roots in the IC. We can surely find loose ends in Thelarians too. They are not interested now, but since you left the dark galaxy, the mutated monsters that emerged in the artifact's wake… are thinning their walls everyday. Their fortresses at the Dark Galaxy are feeling the wrath of it all… and they will reach us out."

Eve was secretly admiring Syndicate's far-sightedness. This Cybernetic man spoke with such confidence it almost gave Eve chills under her skin.

"Where does this all leave us?"

The Cybernet drew out from his pocket, something that looked like a small badge. No etchings, nothing. He gave it to Eve, she took it from him.

"What's the plan you were asking. You are the plan. Now you command Syndicate and tell us what to do? All our resources and manpower and command chain is at your disposal."

Eve brows puzzled at his response. She looked at the object while turning it upside down.

All the while Barnard just listened, observed and smoked his cigar. Now he looked at Eve, looking at the woman who can just get anywhere, and get anyone's respect.

Eve carefully looked at the object… the badge, she noticed a similar badge on… just as she hit the thought her eyes snapped to Syndicate members' overcoat and his lips agaped.

He held the fabric of his coat so she could see it more clearly, clipped on his chest, "that's correct dearest Eve. Now you are a leader of the Syndicate. Sixty seventh addition."

Why would he just reveal how many syndicate leaders there are? No one knew the total. Speculations… from a bunch to thousands. He was connected to Syndicate network neurally and the decision came with consensus. Their technology... only second to the IC home worlds.

But making her a Syndicate leader… just like that? It even shocked Barnard.

"The nanobots that shape the badge are undetectable. They can take any shape, any form or insignia... badge, bracelet, earring, necklace, ring, buckle... Anything to suit yourself."

"How does it work?" Eve asked.

The Syndicate leader looked at Barnard. He showed himself out of the room. Then he explained.

"With that badge on your body, our people will instantly recognize you. It speaks to them within. A secret layer the Syndicate has developed within the virtual world."

"So you are all… super connected."

"It neurally responds to you… like your visor or exosuit. You don't have to wear it all the time. You have nanites already residing inside your cells so the badge should be…"

As he was saying the object in her hand liquified, crawled over her gloves and dissolved into the skin of her forearm. All in a matter of a second.

"...able to do that," he said after watching the badge disappear into her skin. "You are connected to machines like us. Unfortunately… not deep enough to dream like us. Dr. Kyle Seraphis shielded you from any possibility that you might be hacked. I am sure Mother Cetra must think what goes in your head."

Then he just sat there and looked at Eve.

"What are your first Orders, leader Eve?"

"Tell me your name." Eve demmanded.

"We are all called leaders. Unless you want a made up name."

"Custard. Then I am going to call you Custard. Need a point of reference."

He gave out a sigh that felt like a tired laughter.

"Let me guide your first steps. We will detonate the building when you leave. You didn't find the mole, just a syndicate leader that you killed. With the tower gone, the possibility of the Syndicate's presence on Talcador will be extinguished, will still be able to operate without invoking suspicion." He said standing up from chair and grabbing this hat, and started to leave.

"Your comms good?" Eve asked.

Just when he was about to turn around and answer that. The badge emerged from her wrist and crawled up her arms all the way to her left ear and morphed into an earphone. Custard's voice chimed in her ear.

"You have a piece of our mind. No voice needed." Then another voice spoke. It was another Leader.

"Leader Eve, never in our history we had a more covert leader. The one in the plain sight. We know you have reservations. But you must walk a few steps with us to know the full scale of this operation. As an emblem of trust, we hereby suspend all the activity against the Committee and the allied forces."

"Acknowledged," Eve replied. Silence. Badge disappeared into her neck.

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From her view miles above from the orbit, aboard Soul Drifter, Mira watched through a binocular overlay holograph showing the tower exploding into pieces. Eve diving from rooftop.

Soul Drifter shoots extraction pod into Talcros desert.