The Night Before

// THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRONOS'S AWAKENING //

New Years Eve Tertius Year 368

[ Capital of the Astral Empire - Aion City ]

[ Edge of the Red Light District - Club Succubus ]

<< DR. STEEL'S POINT OF VIEW >> ( A Researcher of the Astral Institute of Technology )

The restless tinge of red neon light was background to the groans of rowdy drunkards and seductive giggles.

I sat at the end of the bar counter, face buried under the shadow of my cap.

The gestalt of drugs coursing through my veins had almost succeeded in burying the nightmare that was my origin story.

I stared blankly at the drop of liquor left in my glass...

It seemed to be mocking the parallels of our desolation and impending fate.

Tapping onto the glass with my finger, I could feel the microcircuits working under the silicon composite cocoon that hid my true existence.

Faded memories of a world of cold steel flashed across my mind.

"The safety of your family depends on how well you complete your mission..."

This cold robotic voice has been a frequent feature in my nightmares...

Nearly two decades ago, I was forcibly planted in Aion, the Capital City of the Astral Empire, as a researcher in the Astral Institute of Technology by the Empire of Technia.

The cyborg dictatorship of Technia had abducted and held my entire family captive.

Cold emotionless androids cared not of my will...

They casually dismembered my right arm then surgically replaced it -

Almost as if it were just a practice procedure...

They didn't care about where my loyalties lay.

It didn't matter...

The microprocessors implanted in my brain and those connected to my nervous system ensured that disobedience would only be met by a fate worse than death;

And they had my family as insurance.

After all these years, I thought and hoped I had been forsaken and forgotten.

While my life in Aion was no paradise, I had grown attached to the fulfillment my work as a researcher gave me.

Although a part of humanity was severed from me, I found peace in developing technology that helped others.

'Sigh... I guess my hypocrisy will soon come to an end...'

Time I had outside the research institute, would be spent basking in the subliminal symphony of sin and veiled tolerance of protocol in these areas to convince myself that I was still human.

But just 24 hours ago the mechanisms within my now-cyborg body had gone into overdrive and sent me a clear order.

[ Establish a connection to the systems in the laboratory overseeing the Prince's Lineage chamber. ]

There were no explicit descriptions of the result or purpose...

But it was obvious to me that they had hidden some sort of virus or malware within the codes of my prosthetic arm.

An attempt to assassinate Astralian royalty...

'Talk about a death wish!'

I clenched the glass in my hand so hard that it started cracking...

*Thud*

My string of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of a glass slamming onto the maroon table-top in front of me.

Shifting my gaze from the tiny scratches littered across the lamination of the counter top, I saw a bewitching red head in a revealing black latex one piece.

It struggled to hold her bust in place.

Her familiar puffy red lips let out a grin as she pulled herself toward me and seductively caressed my chin with,

"My oh my, it seems like Dr. Steel is having a bad day this New Years Eve..."

"Buzz off Red..."

I muttered in an inebriated stupor.

"Big words for a man who hasn't had the balls to even flirt with me after so many years in my club..."

she retorted provocatively, almost certain I would ignore her as I always did.

But this time, I grabbed her by the throat and pulled her toward me, planting my mouth onto her...

My tongue forced past her juicy lips and started wrestling with hers.

The mixture of our alcohol flavored spit was made only more enticing by our heavy breaths and increasing body temperature.

She took a deep breath when I released her from my clutches...

Her cheeks flushed in pink.

She was a picturesque scene of a shy damsel in heat especially under the red neon lights, albeit definitely not dressed for the part.

"Put my drink on the tab... and Oh... If I do come back, get ready to forget your own name whilst screaming mine"

I gave her a light nod, smirked and sauntered out the bar.

This was my usual spot, Club Succubus...

It was a bar on the borders of the Black Market and the Red-Light District in Aion.

The streets bathed in a crimson glow, the neon lights casting a bloody sheen over everything in the Red Light District.

The air was thick with the sound of throbbing music and the smell of smoke and steam, the clamor of revelers and the hum of machines competing for dominance.

The buildings loomed over the streets like gargantuan beasts...

Their facades etched with glowing signs advertising pleasure and desire.

Everywhere one looked, there were scantily clad figures, their skin slick with sweat and their eyes glazed with desire.

Here and there, shadowy figures lurked in alleyways and corners, their faces obscured by masks or hoods.

Overhead, Hovercrafts whizzed by, leaving trails of light in their wake, while holographic advertisements flickered and flashed on the sides of buildings.

Despite my position as a researcher in the Astral Institute of Technology, I found solace in the neon lights and air of carnal desires emanating from those who roam these streets.

Despite the chaos, there was a certain energy to the place, a sense of possibility and excitement that hung in the air like a tangible force.

It was a place where anything could happen...

Where dreams could be fulfilled and desires sated...

I guess it reminded me what it meant to feel alive...

I tidied my disheveled brown hair and hailed a HoverCab.

"Where to, good Sir?"

The burly middle-aged driver asked as I entered the HoverCab.

"Astral Institute of Technology Sector B-1"

I replied nonchalantly.

"Sir, able I am only to drop you off at the entrance...."

He replied in a thick foreign accent.

"It's fine..."

I waved my hand unwillingly to continue the conversation.

Looking out the glass windows, the entire capital was rife with jubilance and activity this new years eve.

I gazed emptily upon the smorgasbord of tiny figures dressed in all sorts of fashion scurrying the streets below.

The streets were a blur of movement...

Crowds of revelers streamed towards the city center, their faces lit up with excitement and anticipation.

The glow of neon lights amongst the shadow of towering institutes of buildings flew past as we traversed toward the center of Aion where the Astral Colosseum stood majestically.

The Astral Colosseum was an elliptical structure which by itself was large enough to form an entire sub-sector within the capital.

It had the stylings of the colosseum in Ancient Rome but its façade was a shimmering, iridescent material that shifted in color from purple to blue to dark green, depending on the angle of the light.

Surrounding the colosseum was a wide walkway and since it was New Years Eve, it was packed with people, street performers and stalls selling a variety of goods and food.

Music filled the air, a thumping beat that pulsed through the crowds like a living thing.

People danced in the streets, their bodies moving to the rhythm of the music, their faces alight with joy and celebration.

Everywhere one looked, there were smiles and laughter, an infectious energy that seemed to sweep everyone along.

"Why you aren't with family or down there enjoying the festivities this New Years Ever?"

The burly driver commented, as if unable to bear the silence in the vehicle any longer.

"No days off for A.I.T. (Astral Institute of Technology) with the prince on the way and all..."

I gave a disinterested mumble, eyes still fixated on the fiesta beneath.

"Oh yes yes~ Blessed be the Royals, I come from the outlands, Aion changed my life!"

The driver exclaimed proudly with his heavy accent.

"Yea... they ain't half bad,"

I sighed.

By no means do I live a life of affluence, but I can't deny that my life in Aion has been relatively peaceful.

A wave of guilt hit me as I considered my upcoming actions.

Just then... Looking downward toward the sidewalk below...

I spotted a 5 year old girl holding her mother's hand, smiling ear to ear at the exuberant lights around her.

I buried my nails deep into my palm, the prickling sensation of my lacerated skin forced a glimpse of determination into my soulless eyes.

It really mattered not if I survived...

But...

They have my beloved wife and kid.