"I swear unto the names of the Gods that if I have to review one more set of 309 protocols, I'm just gonna end my suffering right now."
Isaiah chuckled, barely even looking in Cheslin's direction. The man was always griping, regardless of what text he was given for the day.
"Quit bein' a baby. Yeesh, you're startin' to sound like mah mama on cleanin' day when all the siblin's an' I are out back playin' in the mud." Zubia snorted before returning to her own set of documents.
For a full two weeks, the group had tried reviewing all the materials together. But, in the end, there was just too much information that they needed and weren't finding. So, Isaiah made the executive decision to divvy up the records to see if that would help.
Now, they were on day three of this new routine, and—while many pieces of the puzzle were still missing—there was a significant increase in productivity. So far, they were confident that their world, Colony 782, and its history were entirely fabricated. Norman had been right as to the actual age of the colonization being roughly 320 years ago after their searching led to various graphs and time maps showing the progression of the colony.
Isaiah's small group had also discovered that a far more refined version of Tousen's Expan serum had been developed prior to the colonization. From the records, the serum was called Poreselite and it, too, was a bright orange substance. While it was injected directly into the bloodstream instead of exposed to bare skin, taking that was one of two reasons people from 309 evolved into the Breathless.
The second serum went by the name of Courssadium, and that one was a far more complicated medical enhancement. Unlike Poreselite—or even Tousen's Expan—Courssadium was part of the cryosleep process for the six-year journey from 309 to 782. It was a serum that slowly altered each individual's genetic makeup, forcing them to evolve.
Upon landing on 782, it was estimated that one in six died on the journey, the toll being too much for their bodies to take. The estimation from there was that four out of those remaining five simply didn't take to the serum leaving only one individual with the capabilities to carry out the Breathless Initiative. With less help and far fewer people to develop the Breathless civilization, the domes rapidly outpace the Breathless in creating their respective societies.
Those that arrived on Colony 782 had two missions. One was to ensure that following generations followed the scripts that 309 had drawn up. This included setting up hundreds of drones and cameras within each society to be monitored back on 309. Along with setting up these drones, the first generation born on the colony would be taught this fabrication routine, their parents passing on the mission to falsify the historical records and truly begin each society with their own children.
Two—a reason that was somewhat unclear with what the group had read—was to prepare the colony for the arrival of an asset simply called three-seventy-eight. Not even Norman had a theory as to what that meant. Cheslin thought it was a weapon, while Camille and Frederic were sure it was some kind of ship. Regardless, it was coming, and they needed to find the documents for it if it was something dangerous.
Other than that, they had yet to learn what the purpose of building societies on false foundations could possibly do to benefit people on 309. Not to mention that multiple outposts scattered throughout the Outer Boundary were unaccounted for in these records. Many of the protocols listed were also unclear, lacking any substantial information about what they were.
Basically, there was a ton of information the group could look at and observe, but nothing that fleshed out that very information. Isaiah constantly felt like they were making a ton of progress and none at the same time. It was infuriating.
On the flip side, the bunker's functions had been started up, and stable food and water supply was established. The creptors seemed to have lost interest after a few close calls of the fierce creatures clawing at the elevator shaft. Eyu and their riders were able to make full use of the arena, each rapidly learning the way through the maze of hallways and unexplored rooms.
As Isaiah looked over the papers before him, his gaze wandered over the others currently situated in the room. Camille and Frederic had both caught a stomach bug and were resting. Velicity was watching Marianna and supervising the cadets. That left only Zubia, Cheslin, and Isaiah to do the work while Norman searched for additional records that he hadn't already found. They were all tired of looking over lines of words written by people who actually knew what they were talking about, so the Commander decided to call it a day.
Slapping his stack on the table, Isaiah announced, "Alright, I'm calling it quits for today."
Cheslin sat up, alight with eagerness. "Really?"
Isaiah simply shrugged. "I'd prefer Camille and Frederic to be here so we can discuss as a group anyway, so might as well."
"Whoo! Thank the Gods, I've been blessed!" Cheslin whooped as he quickly stood from his seat and exited the room.
Zubia was a little slower, carefully placing her papers in a neat stack that she'd return to on the morrow. "I swear, he's like a kid sometimes, ya know?"
Isaiah nodded. "Yeah, but that's what I like about him. He's got that childish side that makes him so lovable."
"Tch," Zubia scoffed. "Sure, boss. Whatever makes you sleep at night. You stayin' 'ere?"
"Yeah. I'll wait for Norman and deliver the good news. I'm sure he'll be happy to get some gardening done in his spare time."
"Alrighty, then. Guess I'll be on mah way. See ya 'round." Zubia dipped her head in a slight bow before following Cheslin in exiting the room.
Isaiah was mildly tempted into diving back into the stack that he'd set down but decided against it, instead leaning back in his chair. His lids grew heavy the longer he sat reclined like that before the doors opened once more.
"Decided to call it a day, Norm. Go on ahead and…." Isaiah trailed off as it was Velicity entering the room, followed closely by Marianna.
"Daddy!" the young child shouted, running to Isaiah and falling into his knees.
Isaiah picked his daughter up and set her on his lap with a big smile stretching across his face. "Hey, princess," he said, kissing her forehead and ruffling her hair. "I thought I put you in charge of the cadets."
Marianna leaned back into her father's arms with a guilty smile. "I missed daddy," she replied, snuggling Isaiah's chest. "Mama says I did a good job an' it was time for a…break!"
Isaiah mockingly rolled his eyes. "Ooookay, as long as mama said it was alright." He kissed his daughter's cheek before looking up into Velicity's hetero-chromatic eyes. "How are they doing?"
Velicity shrugged. "For the most part, fine. Mateo's still quiet as ever. Amalee and Ivan are doing pretty well, considering. The twins have been fighting nonstop since yesterday, but I think it's a coping mechanism since they've been doing it this whole time."
"Would make sense," Isaiah replied. "I mean, their family died right in front of them."
"Mmhmm. Judice is still a hard girl to manage, but that's a given with her family's military background," Velicity continued, taking a seat in the chair next to Isaiah and leaning against the table. "Yvlen is probably the most concerning, honestly."
Isaiah nodded his head in agreement. "So you see it, too."
"Yeah. She's been losing weight, her complexion has gotten paler, especially in this last week…I mean, she was quiet before, but she was never this withdrawn. I don't know what's happening."
"Shock, probably," Isaiah pondered. "Some people process this kind of stuff easier than others."
"Still, we should talk to her. Or, at the very least, you should talk with her. You're the Commander, after all."
In the time that Velicity and Isaiah had been talking, Marianna had passed out in her father's arms. Gentle snores came from the resting child, and Isaiah couldn't help but nuzzle her soft brown hair.
"I'll talk to her this evening after dinner," he decided.
Velicity nodded. "Good." Looking around, she stated, "Stopping early today?"
"Yeah," Isaiah admitted. "I'm not sure proceeding without Frederic and Camille is a good idea."
Velicity narrowed her eyes.
"I know what you're thinking, and we're not talking about it again," Isaiah warned.
Velicity scoffed. "You said you'd give them time to explain themselves, and they haven't said a damn thing."
"It's been barely over two weeks, Velicity. I think they're allowed a little more time before we start more arguments," Isaiah explained, sure to keep his tone low. He didn't want to wake his daughter.
"Pardon me for the intrusion," Norman's voice spoke up from behind the pair. "I do have to agree with the young lass, Commander."
"Ah, Norman. Did you find anything…else," Isaiah's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the heaping pile of binders and folders Norman had in his arms. "Fuck."
"You know, we're gonna have to get the truth outta them some time," Norman continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "An' I've been following you long enough to know that you know that."
Isaiah rolled his eyes. "I'll bring it up at the end of the week, okay? By the Gods, I swear you two want to see the end of me."
"No, I just don't want to see the end of us," Velicity corrected, standing to her feet and gently maneuvering Marianna out of Isaiah's grasp. At his pout, she explained, "I'm just putting her to sleep before she pinches a nerve. Go spend some time with your other child."
Velicity's tone was humorous, bare of resentment or anger or even sarcasm. She'd come to realize that having Ezra's flesh and blood just down the hall meant so much more to Isaiah than simply having a replacement steed. Especially after she imagined what it'd be like to lose Siren the way her former spouse lost Ezra.
So, at her behest, Isaiah gladly obliged.
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