The man bowed hurriedly, then left the room in silence.
Alone, the superior remained motionless for a few moments, his gaze lost in the lines of code scrolling on the holographic screen. His face hardened, every muscle tense like a rope about to snap.
"Elya..." he murmured, almost to himself. "That girl is going to disrupt the balance we've spent years building."
He slowly turned away, his steps echoing on the metallic floor of the command room.
A wall opened with a slight hiss, revealing a narrow corridor plunged in semi-darkness. As he walked, cameras discreetly pivoted to follow him, and lights turned on at his passage. At the end of the corridor, a large black door without a handle split in two to grant him passage.
Inside, a circular room. Coldly technological.
A huge globe floated in the center of the room, showing in real time the emotional flows of the population: red spots for unstable zones, blue for "neutralized" sectors. Everything seemed under control.
Except one anomaly.
A blinking light in the northwest of zone 9. An emotional peak. Irregular. Repeated.
The superior frowned.
— She is not just immune... she is already disturbing the collective balance.
He made a hand gesture. An interface appeared, projecting sealed files.
File no. 4716: Project Phoenix.
He entered an authorization code.
Images opened: brain scans, injections, scans of a young child... blurred audio files, including a voice recognizable among thousands: Elya's father.
The superior clenched his teeth.
— You were one of the best. And you turned against us.
He shut down the interface with a sharp gesture. The globe kept turning, impassive.
Then he whispered:
— It's time to activate Unit Vectra.
The patrolman who had spoken earlier to the Director, still marked by humiliation, angrily threw his helmet on the workbench.
— Three men, three! Killed in seconds. And we couldn't even keep an eighteen-year-old girl!
He spun around, his eyes burning with anger.
— The Réminiscents bypassed us as if we were mere toys. They knew exactly where to strike.
Behind him, other soldiers silently adjusted their armor, cleaned their weapons, but all glanced at him. Some with sympathy. Others… hostile.
A younger soldier, with a closed expression, finally raised his voice.
— You were in charge of the transfer. Maybe you were the one who talked.
Silence fell instantly.
The patrolman advanced slowly, his heavy step on the metal floor. He fixed his eyes on the younger man.
— Repeat.
— I said... maybe the Réminiscents had help. From the inside. And who else was so close to the convoy?
The patrolman grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the metal lockers.
— I have fought for the NEW ORDER since I was old enough to understand a weapon. I've seen children erased, entire villages turned into reprogramming centers. And you think I would betray?
He released the young soldier's collar, pushing him violently away.
— No, what's happening... is that the NEW ORDER is softening. We talk too much. We don't act enough. These Réminiscents are gaining ground because we still follow protocols instead of cutting off their heads.
A heavy silence followed his words. Then another voice, calmer, rose from the back of the room.
— You forget one thing. She's not just a girl. She's Elya Tatum.
All eyes turned toward the speaker. A veteran, tall, shaved head, arms crossed.
— That kid... she's the daughter of two former members of the NEW ORDER's scientific council. Traitors. Geniuses. If she inherited even a tenth of their abilities... then she's more dangerous than you think.
— Provided she knows how to use them, retorted a soldier.
— Apparently, she learns fast, said the veteran, pointing to the tablet displaying blurry images of the convoy attack.
The patrolman sighed deeply.
— It's only a matter of time before we find her. And this time, we're not bringing her back alive.
— Do you think the Director would approve an immediate execution? asked another, hesitating.
The patrolman clenched his fists.
— The Director wants results. And I want blood.
He turned toward them, his eyes full of cold rage.
— War isn't won with rules. It's won with fear.
The car sank into a road hidden by trees and dust, finally disappearing behind the rusted gates of an old underground military complex.
Dark corridors, metal staircases, then finally… the light.
Elya was guided through a maze of corridors to a white, sober, almost soothing room. She dared not speak, but her eyes scanned every detail. Everything mattered.
She was left alone in the room, empty except for a simple bench. The door locked behind her with a sharp click.
Shaken by the events, Elya sat at the back of the room, legs crossed, drawn close to her chest.
After a few minutes, the door opened. A woman entered, followed by two men.
The woman was blind.
— Good evening, Elya.
— You know my name? asked Elya, fear in her voice.
— Oh, I know you far better than you know yourself, replied the woman with a mysterious smile.
— Who are you? What do you want from me? I swear, I know nothing, I feel no emotion. Please, let me go, pleaded Elya.
— Calm down. I'm not part of the NEW ORDER.
— Then… who are you? asked Elya, surprised. If you're not from the NEW ORDER…
The woman sat down gently.
— You're blind? asked Elya, following her with her gaze.
— Oh that... it's a long story. My name is Denivela. A friend of your parents.
— My parents? You knew them? asked Elya, her voice trembling.
— Who doesn't know your parents, you real genius, said Denivela with a smirk.
— And do you know where they are? They disappeared when I was eight.
Denivela's face darkened.
— Ah... They have been dead for a long time.
— That's a joke?! It was never said they were dead, they just disappeared, that's all!
— That's the official version of the NEW ORDER. But at least, do you know they worked for them? Your parents…
— That's enough! shouted Elya, anger rising. They would never have done such a thing!
— Elya...
A man suddenly entered, interrupting their conversation.
— Denivela, we need you in the control room.
— Can it wait?
— Unfortunately not, the radar detected a new Neuroflux signal. We have to be there before the NEW ORDER patrols.
— Alright, I'm coming. Elya, we'll finish our discussion later.
— I don't think so. You have to answer me.
Denivela left without a word, followed by the two men, and the door closed behind them.
Elya remained alone, disoriented.
After several hours, loneliness and uncertainty became unbearable. She decided to escape.
She noticed the corridors were empty.
Summoning her courage, she began to run, eager to find the exit.
But taking a sharp turn, she bumped into someone.
— So, leaving us already? said a mysterious voice, accompanied by a smirk.
— You? she answered, surprised and defensive.
Meanwhile, at the academy…
The daily routine was abruptly interrupted. In the middle of a lesson, a crackling cut the class and a synthetic voice invaded the loudspeakers:
> [Attention all students. Please immediately proceed to the main courtyard. And do so with the utmost calm.]
A tense silence settled, followed by a collective movement. The students stood up without a word, used to obeying. Once gathered in the courtyard, a giant hologram materialized above the stage.
It was a well-known face: that of the Director of the NEW ORDER. His gaze was harsh, his voice icy.
> — My dear Elites. It is with deep sadness that I announce today that a betrayal has been committed. One of you, student Elya Tatum, fled during her transfer to the re-education facility, after allying herself with the enemies of the State. Her escape caused the death of three members of our patrol.
We urge anyone with information to come forward immediately.
And let this be clear: anyone who dares to help her, in any way, will face the severest consequences.
The NEW ORDER tolerates no betrayal. Nor emotion. Nor weakness.
The hologram disappeared.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd.
Deep within one of the NEW ORDER's strongholds, the harsh neon lights striped the steel walls. The humming of the generators set the tense silence of the central armory.
— Damn girl! he growled, his jaw clenched. And damn Réminiscents!
— She was extracted too cleanly… It smelled like a plan from the start, commented another while cleaning his weapon.
The patrolman did not respond. He stared fixedly at a display board, where the latest reports scrolled. A red dot was blinking. A new Neuroflux had appeared in zone 9.
— Another one, he murmured. It's getting out of control.
Another patrolman, younger, approached.
— Do you think the Réminiscents are behind this? That they… are provoking them?
— No, he replied in a dark tone. It's not them. It's the system. It's SERENEX. We stifle everything. And sometimes, it explodes. Neuroflux are just humans crushed by the system too quickly.
— You talk like a traitor, said an elder, black-eyed.
The patrolman shot him a look.
— No. I speak like someone starting to open his eyes.
A tense silence fell. Only the hum of machines continued.
— We have to find her, this Elya. And fast, he resumed more calmly. Otherwise, they'll start to believe the truth exists elsewhere. And then… we won't control anything anymore.
He put on his helmet with a sharp gesture.
— Prepare the units. We sweep the whole area. And if we encounter a Neuroflux… you know what to do.
He didn't wait for a response. The orders of the NEW ORDER were clear. No compassion. No exceptions.
Only order. And silence.