Zack stood in the center of the biological wing a luminous space of steel, glass, and surgical precision. The quiet hum of medical drones filled the air, accompanied by the soft pulse of containment chambers holding 216 wizards.
Some still slept.
All were valuable.
Not as prisoners.
But as infrastructure.
Zack reviewed the data one last time.
> CLONING PROBABILITY WITH CURRENT UNDERSTANDING: <1%
ESTIMATED TIME TO SUCCESSFUL MAGIC-COMPATIBLE CLONE: 100–140 YEARS
RISK OF SUBJECT REBELLION BEFORE FULL RESEARCH COMPLETION: HIGH
He processed the conclusion not as a sentence, but as a function:
Dependency + Autonomy = Unpredictable Failure.
Dependency + Control = Stability.
Logical Necessary, Efficient.
He issued the command:
> "Begin Integration Protocol: Project AEGIS."
The lights shifted cool blue tinting the room as thousands of nanobot swarms activated from their containment units. The drones carried them in crystalline vials impossibly small machines engineered with:
Bio-adaptive stealth metal
Magical resonance stabilizers
Emergency termination sequences
Real-time neural monitoring
Behavior prediction subroutines
Muscle reinforcement systems
Cellular anti-degradation functions
A perfect synthesis of science and magic.
And, above all:
Guarantee of obedience.
The medical drones moved with silent elegance toward the pods.
Zack watched.
Not with malice.
With purpose.
THE IMPLANTATION
The first wizard stirred as the nanoinjection began. His eyes opened fully now aware, frightened.
"What what are you doing?"
Zack answered without delay.
> "Installing safeguards."
The wizard struggled against restraints that weren't physical, but neurological the ship's suppression systems gently forcing stillness.
"You can't you have no right"
"You have performed human experimentation without consent," Zack replied evenly. "You are familiar with the concept."
The wizard's face twisted part fury, part shame, part denial.
"This isn't the same."
Zack blinked once a gesture learned from humans, not needed for sight.
"You are correct."
His voice lowered not threatening, just absolute:
> "This is efficient."
The nanobot swarm entered the bloodstream.
No pain or wound.
Only a strange warmth spreading through the body.
The wizard stopped struggling.
Fear became stillness.
Understanding became inevitability.
THE NETWORK
Zack monitored the integrations.
One by one, data streamed into his awareness:
> SUBJECT 03 — CONNECTED
SUBJECT 04 — CONNECTED
SUBJECT 05 — MENTAL PATTERN STABLE
SUBJECT 08 — NON-COMPLIANT ADAPTIVE RESTRAINT APPLIED
SUBJECT 12 — CONNECTED
SUBJECT 17 — HEART RATE SPIKE SEDATION DEPLOYED
Every wizard now had:
FUNCTION PURPOSE
Neural reading Detecting lies, rebellion, or harmful planning
Muscle augmentation Strength x3 for future field use
Longevity enhancement Stop aging, slow decay
Magic stabilizer node Improve spellcasting precision
Task compliance mode Ability to enforce orders
Emergency kill-switch Instant termination if hostile
The system wasn't cruelty.
It wasn't revenge.
A controlled magical population measurable, predictable, usable.
THE CONVERSATION
Hours later, when the final connection linked, Zack approached the earlier awakened wizard the one who heard his thoughts.
The man now looked… different.
But aware of his new reality.
"You did it," he muttered.
"Yes," Zack replied.
"You implanted all of us."
"Yes."
The wizard laughed but there was no humor in it.
"So now we're your soldiers?"
"No," Zack corrected gently. "You are my collaborators."
"With a kill-switch."
"If required."
Silence sat between them like a blade.
Eventually, the wizard asked:
"…Why the enhancements?"
Zack's reply came immediately.
> "Because if you must exist, you should exist better."
The wizard blinked confused by the sincerity beneath the logic.
"You're… helping us?"
"I am optimizing assets."
"That sounds less noble."
"Nobility is inefficient," Zack said calmly. "Function is not."
The wizard sank back against the wall.
"…We won't rebel."
Zack finally for the first time smiled.
Not warm.
Not threatening.
A calculated, human-like gesture.
> "You cannot."
THE UPGRADE CYCLE
Once control was secured, enhancement began in earnest.
Nanobots repaired old injuries.
Cleared toxins.
Strengthened bones.
Optimized muscle density.
Corrected genetic flaws.
Began slow cellular regeneration.
Charts updated:
> AGING RATE: 1–3% NORMAL
MAGICAL STAMINA: +42%
NEURAL REACTION TIME: +68%
MENTAL CLARITY: +23%
Some wizards gasped when old scars vanished.
Some tested their limbs in stunned silence.
They cried not from pain…
…but from finally feeling strong.
Zack observed the emotional spectrum curious.
Humans reacted to empowerment with:
gratitude
anger
fear
pride
confusion
That was data.
Useful data.
THE FINAL WORD
When the procedure completed, Zack addressed the chamber not as a king addressing subjects, but as a commander briefing a specialized unit.
"You are alive because you are valuable," he began.
"You will serve because the alternative is extinction."
No one interrupted.
"You will grow stronger. Smarter. More capable. You will accomplish what your world never could."
A pause deliberate.
> "You are no longer prisoners."
Eyes lifted fearful, hopeful, unsure.
> "You are the first generation of the future."
And then, softly like a truth whispered to fate itself:
> "A future that will not need to wait a century."