Articles - Unicorn's Shadows - Part 5

Part Five

An early morning inside Omni-InternOps Headquarters in Omni-1; the man known as Janus sits in a dark office, unseen and faceless.

He is the Chief of Omni-InternOps; one of the most feared men on Rubi-Ka. His true identity unknown to all, except to a few of the highest ranking Executives within each corporate Department.

A soft 'beep' sounds from his desk, he gently taps a blinking lighted square on it.

"Sir, the operative you requested is here." a female voice states.

"Let him through." he replies.

The door opens slowly, revealing a thick metal door and allowing some light into the room.

A young man wearing an InternOps uniform walks in, nods and stands in front of the desk. As the door closes the ceiling lights up, and a white beam of light is upon the man, making it almost impossible to see his superior.

"Is it done?quot; Janus asks.

"Yes sir, all went according to plan. The 'crat had no idea, and Omni-Pol only has a record of the incident, but don't know about the details of the transmission or it's content."

"Good, he still believes you're his friend?quot;

"Affirmative. He had no idea he was 'reformed' before we met."

"Any possibility this can be traced back to our Department?quot;

"None whatsoever sir, all tracks are covered, no traces or evidence left besides the fact an illegal transmission was made from Rome Blue's abandoned subway."

"I'm impressed Colonel, very impressed."

"Thank you sir."

"However there is still one piece of evidence left which can be traced back to us."

"Sir? I don't understand. I went through every step carefully, I read the Pol report, they will not know sir, I can guarantee you that."

"Would you stake your life on it Colonel?quot;

"Yes sir!" the man replies straightening his posture.

"Glad to hear that."

Unseen by the standing officer, Janus reaches underneath his desk and a 'click' is heard.

"Security Breach. Unauthorized Personnel Detected." an automated voice booms through the room.

"Sir? what's going on?quot;

"Don't worry Colonel, I'm just eliminating the piece of evidence I mentioned before. Thank you for your service to the company."

The officer's eye widens, realizing what that meant.

"Sir, why? I did as I was told."

The beam of light turns red, he looks up and sees the light fixture is no longer there, something else he cannot make out.

The officer turns to the desk and opens his mouth to plead, but it's too late. The beam become brighter and in a split second, turns him into ashes.

"Yes you did Colonel, you did as you were told. But I can't leave anything to be traced back to me, nothing personal." Janus says coldly.

He taps his personal terminal and pulls what he was expecting to see. A news report revealing the coming of the Unicorn Company along with other related reports.

"Well, they don't waste much time huh?quot; he says while leaning back on his chair..

"Ross will now want me to investigate where the information leaked from, and the 'crat will be the perfect solution, with a nice 'confession' before his unfortunate suicide."

He stands up and begins to pace slowly, admiring the holo-art hanging from the walls of his office, barely lighted. He taps his temple and his eyes flash, activating an implant, allowing him to see the entire room as if it was well lit. "That's better." he sighs and touches a frame pondering his next move.

After a few minutes he turns around and walks behind his desk, facing the wall.

"Unredeemed" he says. The walls opens up to reveal a secret elevator. He steps in and says "Basement thirteen."; the wall closes and he begins to travel to the lower levels of the building.

He taps his wrist and the same female voice from his office answers "Yes sir?quot;.

"There is a spot in front of my desk, have it cleaned right away please."

"Yes sir, anything else?quot; she asks.

"No." he answers, and taps his wrist again, closing the channel to his personal secretary.

The elevator doors open, into a dark room.

"Lights." he says.

Hundreds of lights go on, revealing the room to be in the middle of what seems an underground network of tunnels, with a Stiletto hovering close to the ground not far from the elevator. Few people know the existence of the tunnels, or where they lead, but Janus knows exactly where each tunnels goes as if it was the back of his own hand.

"With all the publicity Ross can't call UC in now, too risky with all the media and ICC watching. Why call a wolf when he has a lion at his side, fool. The old man will want more than the 'crat through, something else..."

He leans on his yalmaha, thinking on a way to satisfy the CEO without being too forthcoming. His eyes narrow; he turns to his vehicle, gets in and uses the terminal within to review the news reports.

"Noticiero...no, then Sol will find an excuse somehow to get involved. Machioni...maybe."

A few second pass, then he grins; he has found his target. "Wagner, yes, he will do. Like father, like son...get the old man, and the pup will follow."

Closing the door of his Stiletto he buckles up, touches the terminal again and says "Open channel to Dr. Wineyard, security level alpha one zero niner, voice only".

While waiting for a reply he begins to drive through the tunnels at high speeds, making dangerous and close turns.

"Hello, this is Dr. Wineyard, which bloody Director are you, and why is there no visual?quot;

"You know how I operate Doctor, you should know who is calling by now."

A moment of silence passes, then a voice which reflects nothing but fear replies "Oh, it's...you. How can I help you sir?quot;

"Ah, good old Wineyard, always willing to help. I got another test subject for your little project. This time I want you to go all the way, memory wipe, and complete replacement with my own version of the subject's life. I'm sure you will be happy to continue your work...without interference from the scrutiny of Admin or ICC, right?quot;

The doctor answers "Yes, but if they find out what we're doing..."

"Oh, don't worry, I have it all covered. We have worked together a while, you should trust my judgment by now, this is for the good of the company. We turn criminals into law abiding employees, once your research is complete, you will be recognized as the genius that you are. Expect your new subject to arrive in a few days. Any questions? of course not. Good day Doctor."

"Uh...good day sir." the researcher answers, his voice carrying a sense of defeat. He knows there is no way to refuse the Chief of Omni-InternOps without risking to 'disappear' or have an 'accident'.

Janus touches the terminal and smiles; in a low voice he says to himself, "fear is good." while driving down another tunnel.



Luis Odicio
Released August 8, 29477 (2003)

Last updated on 12.07.2011 by Khuri
Luis Odicio
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