3 Reaping Progress

Aegis Corporation

—Database, paragraph 14. Liberator's Log.

     "In the past centuries, based on the writings on the elders from the old world, planet Earth was somehow very advanced and well, healthy, but also somehow corrupted. Some people in the old world believe in things that they haven't seen, and they made countless theories about it. One of them is the creatures that are out of the world, they call them Aliens. They're not those big-headed skinny bodied alien, they look like actual beasts. With metallic shells all over their bodies. They resemble the mythical creatures all around the world. They were like robots. Except for the parasites.

     The sad thing is, the old world was actually waiting for their doom in their time, but it came to us. Year 3530, at the exact afternoon of September 1, the sky was split in half, and millions and millions of creatures descended from it, after that, the land was the land, sprouting some gigantic stem, scattered all over the world. We call them "Babel." We consider it as the nest of the parasites. Besides the beast-like robots, the parasites also added. With their distorted bodies, and they're horrifying lust for blood.

     And so, we call them Gods. They dominated the whole world, and somehow, these beings are beginning to have our human-like knowledge, they started to evolve into something more dangerous. Gods are the common name for the two abominations that came from the sky, and the land. "Sky crawlers" the one from the skies. And "Parasites." The one from the land. Both of the two races had spread blood all over the world."

     "You and I both know that you should be having a rest instead of reading that log over and over again, subject number 3." Said a voice that made Anael Price frown. "You just got out of the cocoon, we still don't know if the core is compatible with your body."

     "Did Tanner told you to come here and tell me that again?" Anael asked while looking up at Sandoval. And it pissed her off big time when Diana called her subject number three instead of her real name or her code name. Sandoval's attitude reeked with ignorance.

      Diana crossed her arms as she looked at the frowning girl. "No, he didn't." She answered.

     This made Anael laugh, her lungs suddenly heaving for air after a few chuckles. "Did he tell you not to tell me that he told you to come, and say that again?" She asked, making Diana blink in temporary confusion.

     After a second, Sandoval's eyebrows scrunched. "You should stop assuming that Tanner got the strings of my acts, subject 3. I have my own will and way. And I am telling you that I came here without any orders and such things that an agent like you was always assuming." Said Diana then huffed a little, suddenly turning to her board where Anael's vital signs can be seen.

     "How long is this going to last?" Anael asked, a blank look on her face. She suddenly felt something clutch inside her the second she asked that. She felt her lungs expand for air, and her guts were twisting. "We've been stuck in this glass coffin for too long, doctor. And Tanner doesn't update us about what's our condition. What about the other two?"

     "That is called a Capsule." Sandoval looked at Anael's amethyst eyes, seeing the intensity in them. It was another change that she always noticed. Before any of this happened, Anael's eyes were a deep shade of blue, but after the second phase, her eyes started to turn purple. the color of amethyst. "And I cannot answer that." Sandoval simply answered, matching the blank look on Anael's face. "You will know once you pass this phase of the experiment. We are expecting that after three days, the supernatural abilities of the gods will take effect on you. In case you forgot, the core of a type A god was implanted in you."

     This made El's eyebrows furrow. A type-A god. How can Aegis have a core of a rare type of god?

     "How?" She asked. They all know that a type A god is much rarer than finding humanity in this fucked up world, everyone knows that. "I want to know how, doctor."

      "It's classified," Sandoval answered with a straight face. Sandoval's piercing gray eyes narrowed at El's purple ones. "You should keep your curiosity to yourself, subject number 3. I'll come back here after two weeks. From here on, you'll be put in sleep for two days."

     "Wait. The hibernation phase... I thought it will last for a month?" El asked, turning in her capsule, slightly blinded by the cool lights.

     "That's for the other subjects, but not for you," Sandoval answered. "You see, you're a very different case, subject number 3. Your body is adapting faster to the core of the gods, unlike anyone. Your DNA, if I say so, myself, is made to match the god's."

     In an instant, El's head was filled with countless questions, and yet, she can't make it into words. "Why?" It is all that she can ask, putting all the questions in her head into one word.

    "That, I don't know. If you really want to know, you should ask Dr. Tanner." Answered Sandoval then fixed her glasses for the third time and looked at the portable monitor once again. "We will now put you in the hibernation phase, subject number 3."

     "Wait. I..." El's thoughts trailed off with her words.

     "The next time you open your eyes, the world will be put in your hands." Said Sandoval, and there's something faintly dark in her voice. "And our future."

     El counted in her head. One, the lights faded. Two, her body was buried. Three, her world darkened. There were three words that played in Anael's head before she lost herself.

—Year 4559, the month of January, 28th day. NEXUS Labs—

     Tanner was in his usual spot as he watches the three subjects slowly change. It has been a week since the three subjects were put in deep sleep, and he can't believe that one of the subjects was surpassing his expectations. Tanner adjusted himself more comfortably in his seat as he presses the details about the last subject on his screen.

     "Anael Price," he murmured, putting both of his hands under his nose, his eyes peeking in the monitor. "It seems like I found something more interesting because of this experiment."

     "You're murmuring to yourself again, Tanner." Said a perky voice that came out of nowhere. It only belonged to him, of course. Vincent Chase. This made Tanner sigh. He's too old for this.

     Tanner looked at Vincent's way. He's standing right beside the white room where the capsule of the three subjects can be found. Vincent Chase is a superb scientist, Tanner can say that, but his attitude is a big minus. Unlike Diana Sandoval, Vincent is way off the respect line when it comes to Tanner, even though Tanner is basically the head of all this.

     "I think you can understand why Vincent." Said Tanner then looked at the glass room, and back to the monitor. "She's advanced. Too advanced. Have you seen her progress? She even surpassed subject 0."

     Vincent nodded, looking serious for once, the lights glinting against his eyes. "Anael Price, yes, of course. Have you reported this to the Liberators? They'll be thrilled to know."

     "I haven't thought about it." Answered Tanner then looked at his mails. The Liberators have been keeping contact with him and his team, of course. But to give off this very interesting case just as easily isn't a good thought for Tanner. But then again, it was the Liberators. He would be a fool to not ride their flow and get stuck in a rut.

     "Oh, who am I, kidding?" Vincent groaned. "Of course, you will. Do be careful around them, though, boss. They're not very friendly, if you ask me."

     Tanner grunted, focusing on the progress of the subjects. Three of the subjects are the right choice. The specialized agents of Aegis, turning into a God Wielder. Thinking about it made Tanner's blood to pump it, made him smile to himself. He might start a new era. An era where no human will be a victim to a god, no human will hide under the ground, trying to find sanctuary. If Tanner's project would be successful, it will be the silver lining for the whole of humanity. Hundreds of years ago, human civilization was blooming, advance and growing, but everything just dropped to zero when the gods came. Everything turned to dust, almost half of Earth's population disappeared, replaced with giant otherworldly things that crawled all over the Earth. Buildings were replaced with their nest, growing and randomly spurting from the ground. It was a nightmare. It was the apocalypse.

     Those thoughts kept Tanner moving,  searching for solutions until he learned that a human's DNA can match a God's. The world went crazy—literally. Aegis Corporation broke out, trying to get all over his team. Despite the crazy situation with the gods, Tanner couldn't help but feel proud. He would lead the world into their saving.

     "And I didn't ask you,"  Tanner said. "Aegis respects us now. Everyone does."

     Vincent raised his eyebrows at Tanner, completely doubting everything he said. Vincent knew what Aegis was capable of. In the midst of all the chaos, there are people who still find pressure in corrupting. "I'm not so sure about that."

     "You don't need to be," Tanner replied, gazing intensely at the holographic projection of the subject's status, still enthralled about their progress. "And if they're not, they will."

     "Pfft," Vincent snorted. "You really think that?"

     "Got a problem with that, Chase?" Tanner snapped, looking at Vincent's direction, still with his intense eyes. "It's quite fine if you want to stop serving the Nexus anymore. I can always, always kick you out."

     That made Vincent shut his mouth, and grunt. Tanner was an intelligent man, but no one could deny that he was ruthless when it comes to something that denies his will, or in his way. Prideful. Arrogant. He was never a kind, generous man. In this world, where humankind was the prey, no soul can ever be generous and kind. If you did, your chances of survival would probably drop to zero, and the next thing you'd know, you're on the brink of death. Tanner learned that the hard way.

     Only the sounds of the machine were in the air when Diana Sandoval entered the room, still with the usual stern look in her eyes. Diana Sandoval has been working with Nexus Labs, beside Tanner for almost five years. All those years, she had been a witness of how Tanner has gone from shocking measures just to figure out the gods' behaviors and if it's possible to match a human's DNA with them. She has been a witness about how Tanner can be ruthless about the countless human subjects, how he tossed them away whenever they die because the experiment fail. But, like Tanner, she understands that. About how useless mercy is in the world, and about how this project can save the world. Unlike Tanner, that's the only thing that kept her helping for this project, not because of the fame, or the glory or all those useless things. They may not share the same vision, but Diana still respected Tanner.

     "They're on their last phase," Diana stated, walking towards Tanner with the vital records on her hand. "I'm sure you know this, but one subject—"

     "Yes, I know." Tanner interrupted a strange gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Can you believe it? That girl can be the way to achieve our goals. I never saw anything like this before."

     Diana nodded, agreeing with Tanner. "Although, her progress is really abnormal." She said, crossing her arms and gazing at the holographic progress of the three subjects. "With her fast state, she should be dead by now. Nobody of a human can adapt—or shall I say, connect with a god's that fast. And we know that if someone was, that person will strain himself, lose control of his body and eventually result in death."

     "Or maybe, it was the god's DNA," Vincent said from the corner, his eyes at his own work. Tanner and Sandoval looked at him curiously. "What if it's the god's DNA that was fast? What if it's supposed to match hers, instead of the other way around?"

     "Bah," someone said, the same time the glass doors opened themselves. "You're blabbering nonsense."

     There stood an old man, much older than them—Sandoval, Chase, and Tanner. The man was wearing nothing like the three. Instead of white coats and gloves, the man was wearing a dark formal suit, with a badge shaped like a sphere attached to his left chest. The whole look gave it away, instead of his face. The man was from Aegis. As if the whole look wasn't enough to get Tanner out of his chair because of strange excitement and anticipation, the man is one of the head Liberators. Christopher Larson was standing before them.

     "Mr. Larson!" Tanner exclaimed, spreading his arms. "A pleasure to see you again."

     Christopher Larson nodded at his way as an acknowledgment, and casually inched closer towards the bright, holographic images that came from a big, clear glass in the middle of the room. Apparently, Christopher was more interested than the progress of the subjects than the pleasantries with Tanner. Realizing that, Tanner slowly dropped his arms and cleared his throat, the embarrassment still lingering in his bones.

     "They're quite promising," Tanner said, walking towards beside Christopher. "Especially this one," Tanner flawlessly touched the impassive face of a girl in the hologram. It was Anael Price. "She's surpassing everything we expected."

     Christopher didn't reply immediately, taking the status of the subjects in. Clearly, the girl was completely different. Her vital signs are normal, unlike the other two that looked like they were about to die any second now. Christopher nodded to himself, impressed. "Interesting." He turned to Tanner, fully acknowledging him. "When will the progress complete?"

      "Days," Tanner replied with a proud gleam in his eyes. "They're at the last phase."

     A thin, impressed smile etched in Christopher's lips as he nodded and gave Tanner a small pat on the back. The gesture was small, but Tanner felt like he can jump on from a rooftop because of happiness—no, pride. He was proud of his work, proud that everything he worked on was becoming worth it. He was reaping what he sow. No one can get him. No one can understand how a  simple gesture would mean a spot on the Liberator's council. How everything can change because of it. Not even the two scientists that were with them in the same room. They never shared his vision, never shared his pride.

      "The Aegis is glad that we have you, Tanner," Christopher said in a leveled voice. "In fact, they wanted to see you after your project is complete. And they will be introduced."

      An unnatural, wide grin broke into Tanner's lips. Wide enough to break the skin of his chapped lips. "It will be my pleasure," Tanner said as he chins up and chuckled friendly at Christopher. Tanner forgot the other things that were around him. Forgot about the other two scientists that helped him conduct the research and the project, forgot about the significance of the subjects. Only him with his euphoric feeling of pride and victory.