THE FALLOUT AND THE PROTOCOL
The Tragger Esson was a state-of-the-art submersible—a huge mobile lab that Dr. Patrick McGregor, the Head Scientist for The People's Voice, still considered his domain.
He sat staring at his main display, General Thorne allowing him a moment to process Jackie's decision. The screens of his lab blinked with project analyses or showed live footage of strategic deep-sea locations.
"Gregor, do you remember when The Voice was the truth of this world? When we controlled the momentum and actually made a difference?" Patrick asked, his voice low.
"I do," Thorne replied, his own voice detached. "Maybe this Spark Collective can pick that back up and help this world change for the better—for good."
Patrick McGregor scoffed, looking at his old friend over the rims of his glasses. "You don't believe that for a moment. Black Chrome is just a group of rich kids trying to make their fathers angry. Why say 'Wake up the Spark'? They just want to incite the young."
"But we need the young to be incited. We need Jackie to be the key player."
Dr. Patrick McGregor shook his head, pushing back. "Not this way." He rubbed his temple and activated a command. "Sura, report to the docking ring in twenty minutes."
"You're going to send her with her?" General Thorne scowled, folding his arms across his chest. "She is the biggest Nexus supporter I know."
Dr. McGregor offered a chilling smile. "I know. She will keep Jackie grounded. She is my mandatory surveillance."
The Tragger Esson had enough space to hold two hundred soldiers, but now it housed only a skeletal crew and a few key researchers.
Dax Calder watched Jackie keenly. When he found her, half-dead, in that alley, he sensed something special about her. He always trusted his instinct. Looking at her now, he felt a measure of pride for saving her without question. With so little training and true understanding, she had come a long way.
He narrowed his eyes. "Listen. I know you feel you can save this world, and your system is sophisticated—you actually might be able to pull it off. But what is your family going to do when you are off saving the world with no thought for the aftermath?"
Jackie, who had been leaning defiantly against a support pillar, straightened, her eyes narrowing.
In all honesty, she hadn't thought that far. She was never built that way; even before she was a cyborg, she always jumped right in and worried about the consequences later. Thomas was the thinker; he was the smart twin.
She deflated a bit and sat down to listen. "You have a point. I'll listen."
Dax nodded and looked to Mikael, who nodded back and took a seat near the door. Aiden and Lyra sat on either side of Jackie. Dax took a deep breath, his synthetic lungs cycling and the fluid moving faster through his cybernetic torso.
"This is the plan. We will check in at Gloomhammer Protocol." He jutted his chin toward Mikael. "Our ghost operative needs some critical maintenance. Then, we will go to The People's Voice main training island—Malitia Storm. I think you need three months of tactical training there, and two months at Gloomhammer." He raised his hand to stop the protest itching at the back of Jackie's throat.
"This is for all of us. We are now a team, and we need to be able to move like one. It is not just about you, Jackie, not anymore. You may be the new star, but you have to learn how to truly work with others before you burn out."
Lyra scoffed. "We coordinate pretty well already. With training…"
She trailed off. "Exactly," Dax confirmed. "You have twenty-four hours on Stratos Pelagia for necessary logistics; then, we leave for Gloomhammer. The battle dome transport has already been sent out for us."
"Good." Mikael stood and stretched, his cybernetic eye seemed to extend forward, and his body registered a momentary flicker.
Dax shook his head. "You waited too long. You should have gone to the med-bots as soon as that electrical strike ripped you out of your previous phase."
"And what will we do after training?" Jackie asked, her tone calmer but still focused.
Dax looked to Jackie. "We go to New Andes—the main island below both Aegis Nexus and Stratus Bastion." He touched the comm pad on his forearm and a geo-holographic map of the Andes region was projected.
"This is the central island and the two battle domes used for the Breeding Program." He cocked his head and looked to her. "You did want to destroy the Breeding Program, right?" He smiled, and Mikael clapped his hands together.
"Maybe this was a good idea after all."
With that, BDJ chimed in, a cold, smooth voice in the closed space:
BDJ: "Analysis complete. There is an 84.92% chance all current goals will be met with this group of operatives."
Jackie rolled her eyes internally. 'I am not a system. I am a person. Remember that.'
BDJ: "Designation saved: Person – Jackie Cannon – former asset designation 4986J."
Jackie's eye widened. Her implant whirred, and her mind flared with immediate alarm.
"Asset?"