The frail young man dozed in a Neuro-Synk Chair, its circuits pulsing faintly beneath his skin. The chair shifted with his weakening heartbeat, as if mocking his fading strength. His curly silver hair fell across his forehead the only softness in a body worn thin.
A glowing tag on his chest spelled his name: GALEN XAROTAR.
Beneath it, his moon chip gave a faint, rhythmic beep. Each pulse is weaker than the last.
Around him, Dubeon's synthetic humanoid robots moved in silence. They carried tools, adjusted panels, and cleaned surfaces. None looked at him. None cared.
His lips were cracked. His body starved.
A voice broke through the hum.
"Galen!"
Aidenx stepped in, holding a bottle of Nurturate X-21. His dark skin glowed with health, his moon chip pulsed steadily green. He looked strong, unbroken untouched by struggle.
"Tsk. Fuck…" Galen muttered, dragging his eyes from the hologram flickering before him.
"Sleeping on duty? That's not like you," Aidenx said, dropping into the Censor Chair opposite him. "You're still Agent UPC. Suspended last week or not, you can't afford another mistake." He tilted the bottle casually, like it meant nothing.
"Just get the fuck out. I don't have time for jokes," Galen snapped, eyes back on the screen.
But Aidenx leaned forward, setting the bottle within reach.
Galen's breath caught. "Are you serious?"
Aidenx only shrugged.
"You know how much this costs? My life depends on it."
"And yours is slipping away," Aidenx replied calmly. "Drink before it's too late."
***
Humanity had lasted 568,000 years long enough to rise, and long enough to fall. Continents cracked apart. Wars spread to exoplanets. Food vanished.
Now survival depended on one substance: Nurturate X-21.
Beside them lived the Dubeons—synthetic human-biod robots, bound by law to every human life. One per person. Assigned or purchased. Equal in rights.
But Galen's life was never equal. Born Homonexis
a fragile descendant of Homo sapiens he could survive barely a month without Nurturate. His family owned only two Dubeons, which were stretched thin among his mother, sisters, and nieces. And his name carried a curse: the son of a traitor.
The stain of Xarotar shut doors, silenced offers, and kept whispers trailing him through the city.
Only one friend remained. Aidenx.
***
"Come on, why are you looking at me like that?" Aidenx asked.
"Don't blame me for feeding on something this scarce. You're the one who can afford it," Galen muttered.
"I'm not the one running out of time. You are." Aidenx's moon chip pulsed bright green, its rhythm mocking Galen's fading one.
"You have a call," Galen said absently, eyes still fixed on the holographic display. The screen glitched. For a second, the borders of Lefex shimmered then every Dubeon in the room froze mid-motion.
"Aidenx…" Galen whispered.
Aidenx tapped his ear, voice suddenly softer. "I'll call you back, honey." He cut the line and turned sharply.
"We're under attack," Galen said, rising as his eyes swept the still machines.
Aidenx pressed his palm against the wall alarm. His moon chip flared with command light.
"Toad, connect me to the Control Room."
"Connecting…" the chip's synthetic voice replied.
Galen rushed to his locker. He pulled out his Aegis-Weave Vest, a layered chestplate that shimmered like liquid metal, built to swallow impacts. Then the Helix Shoulder Guards, flexible alloy plates wired to his vitals. His fingers shook as he strapped them on.
Beside him, Aidenx was already suiting up. Both men reached for the same dark uniform the Field Cloak of the UPC agents. Cloak over armor, black threads alive with faint light. Officers dressed for war.
"Cracking the code from West, left quadrant—3.6 UPC. We are under attack. I repeat, under attack!" Aidenx barked into the channel.
Galen threw him his side kit, then turned back to his flickering display. His hands moved fast across the holo-keys.
"Detection complete Southwest quadrant," he announced.
The AI's voice filled the building:
"All agents, gather in Room X-Pu. All agents, Room X-Pu. Code fracture confirmed."
"Any veil detected?" Aidenx asked, scanning the secondary screen.
"They're undercover… possible Forfeihumans," Galen said grimly. He pulled a weapon from the sliding wardrobe as it unlocked in layers. The Vortex Repeater is a sleek pulse rifle designed to shatter kinetic shields.
Aidenx armed himself too, keying in his code. Their eyes met. Brief. Silent.
Then they moved together. Officers. Brothers in the same war.
They left the room.
***
The world had fallen before. First, the Proto Wars, when nations cracked. But the worst was the Dub War the rebellion when Dubeons rose against their makers. The war ended quickly, but it left scars that never healed.
From that shadow, humanity split.
– The Homonexis, engineered descendants, built sky-continents to escape the quakes and the poisoned earth.
– The Forfeihumans, faith-holders, refused synthetic survival. They stayed on the ground, sickened, but certain a greater world waited beyond the stars.
Now, that conflict wasn't just history.
It had come back.