Black Knight - Awakening: Part One

by Gilliland, Christian

  "Find something to do." Cade barked at his confused employee. "If you are sleeping the next time I see you, you will be dismissed." The guard, a youth that could not have been any older than seventeen, jumped to his feet and hurried to grab his rifle.

  "Forgive me Mister President." The guard said, "It won't happen again!"

  "See that it does not." Cade said as he nodded at the youth and made his way to the elevator. Ebren followed behind and violently pointed one of his fat jeweled fingers at the youth. The guard lowered his head in defeat and leaned his back against the wall behind him.

  Cade stepped onto the steel grated elevator platform and over to a control panel on the opposite side, the heels of his boots again making a metallic thump in response. Ebren followed behind and closed a safety gate behind him, giving Cade a nod once it was properly latched. Cade punched one of the buttons on the control panel and the elevator rustled slightly and with a mechanical hum, began to move downward.

  As the two slowly descended, Cade looked to Ebren and spoke. "I trust everything is already in place?" He asked. Ebren nodded slowly and stared forward.

  "Of course." He stated, nervously picking at the hem of his vest. "Well have an excellent surgeon eagerly awaiting your arrival." Cade stood silently and nodded his head.

  "This... resin, as you call it, it is safe?"

  "Of course it is!" Ebren exclaimed gleefully. "There is nothing for you to worry about."

  Cade lifted his hand and slowly touched the burnt half of his face. He rubbed his fingers against where the skin was raised and where it had depressed. It all felt so abnormally smooth in comparison to the rest of his skin. Feeling the wound made him think back to the battle with the Ancient whom had disfigured him and thinking of such a thing caused a wave of remorse to crash over him.

  It did not need to go the way it had. Cade believed that fact with every fiber of his being. He recalled the name of the Ancient, Leonic, and visualized not only his face but also the solid chrome faceless masks of the Govian Reapers that Cade had inadvertently led to the Ancient. He had not meant for Leonic to die, it was never part of the plan. The thought of it all manifested itself into an involuntary groan that caused Ebren to turn his head.

  "Something the matter, my lord?" Ebren asked, more out of duty than of concern. Cade waved his gloved hand at Ebren and shook his head.

  "The wound hurts from time to time." He said, "Nothing to concern yourself with." Ebren nodded his head and returned to his daydreams.

  The elevator descended into a large chamber, nearly half of a mile in length and width and well over one hundred feet high. The floor of the chamber was composed of mostly gravel and dirt and the walls were that of a cavern. From the roof of the chamber protruded many vines and roots presumably from the Lithaani Sentinel. Cade looked below and saw electric lights peppering the area and a handful of bodies and machines excavating different sections of the chamber. He hummed and the elevator came to a stop.

  Awaiting Cade and Ebren was a white clothed Humaan with short brown hair and a pair of black rimmed glasses. He was a skinny fellow and immediately gave off the impression that he had spent most of his life behind some sort of protected city's walls. As Cade approached, the wiry man smiled and stepped forward.

  "You must be President Cade." He said, extending his hand. Cade nodded as he grabbed the man's hand and spoke.

  "I am. I presume you are the doctor?"

  "I am the doctor." He affirmed, nodding his head gently. "Doctor Jake Smirnov. Tis a pleasure."

  "Tis indeed." Cade said, letting go of the doctor's hand.

  "He is the finest surgeon in all of Canrom!" Ebren announced, as he waddled up to the others. "I assure you Mister President, it was not cheap getting him here!" Cade winced at Ebren's tactless comment and returned his focus to Doctor Smirnov.

  "The preparations are made then?" He asked, "You will be able to fix... this?" He turned his head and revealed the damaged skin to Doctor Smirnov. The doctor smiled warmly and nodded his head.

  "Though my expertise does come at a price," He said, briefly glancing at Ebren, "it is for good reason. I will be able to repair your damaged skin and I will not have to graft it. Your archaeologists have found something quite remarkable in the sap of this tree. The healing factor of it... the regenerative capabilities... they are something like I have never seen. In the time I have spent experimenting with it I have learned that it is capable of so much."

  "Is there any danger involved with this procedure?" Cade asked, "Any risk?" Doctor Smirnov pursed his lips together and his eyes seemed to go out of focus for a moment. He was thinking.

  "I have seen no significant side effects thus far." He said. He raised his eyebrows at Cade and raised a finger. "However I have had only a week to experiment. I could not tell you of any long term side effects if they do exist."

  "In your experience," Cade said, "Would you forecast any possibility of long term side effects?"

  "In my experience..." Doctor Smirnov repeated, "I regrettably do not feel like I could possibly give you an answer to that question as I have no prior experience with this resin. Resin aside, however, I can assure you that you will experience only minimal scarring following this procedure... nothing like what you are enduring at the present moment."

  "Our team has been around this sap for years." Ebren said, "They have breathed it, touched it... they have experienced nothing unnatural. You are in good hands Mister President."

  Cade ran his fingers through what hair he had left and nodded his head. "Where are you set up then?" He asked the doctor, "Let us get this over with." The doctor smiled and beckoned Cade to follow him. Ebren took a step alongside Cade and the doctor shook his head.

  "I need only the patient." He said, "I would ask that you remain behind." Ebren scowled and looked to Cade. Cade nodded at Ebren and he turned and walked away.

  "Interesting fellow, that Ebren." Doctor Smirnov said, guiding Cade across the gravel. "I have had the opportunity to speak with him on multiple occasions in the past week."

  "I apologize for his behavior." Cade said, shaking his head. "He is rather eccentric, and that is unfortunately not one of strengths."

  "Indeed." Doctor Smirnov chuckled. They found another set of steel doors like the ones on the surface and Doctor Smirnov tapped the door with his own metal access card. The door locks released and they opened, revealing a long well lit white corridor.

  "I will say that this network of tunnels and rooms is quite a remarkable find." Doctor Smirnov proclaimed as he led Cade down the hall, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls. "A construct of the Ancients no doubt."

  "Is that a question?" Cade asked.

  "It is."

  "Yes then." Cade replied. "One of the Ancient corporations, Life Links it was called, had many of these structures peppered around the continent of Redodra. The one we are standing in was the first we found, you undoubtedly noticed the anomaly on the surface?"

  "You are referring to the vegetation, the Lithaani Sentinel?" Doctor Smirnov asked.

  "Yes." Cade said. "The weapons used against Canrom in the early days of the Empire left behind the barren wasteland that Canrom is today. Before that Canrom had lush green and yellow grass plains that stretched for hundreds of miles, dense forests, rivers, seas... this was around one thousand years ago."

  "So what of the anomaly on the surface?" The doctor asked.

  "We believe this anomaly is created by something that I only know exists but have never found." Cade continued. "The circle of grass, the mound and the great Lithaani Sentinel are all exactly as they were one thousand years ago. Preserved, untouched... or untouchable... perhaps immortal. Well, we have identified three Sentinel Trees around Canrom. Each of which have been thoroughly excavated... each of which have their own network of tunnels beneath. All are devoid of technology, bones... any sign of life other than the structures themselves. No furniture, no books, paper... nothing at all. It perplexes us."

  "I would i
magine so, Mister President." The doctor stopped before a door and pushed it open. "In here, if you will." Cade stepped inside the room and the doctor closed the door behind them. He turned toward Cade and pointed at a black reclining chair with a bright light hanging above it.

  "Please sit." Doctor Smirnov said, gesturing toward the chair. "I will begin the anesthesia."

  Cade took a seat in the chair and the doctor gently buckled a leather strap around his wrist, locking his arm to the chair. Cade watched the doctor, examining his body language for any malicious or nervous signs. The doctor appeared perfectly calm, maybe a little eager to perform the experimental procedure but Cade sensed nothing that was reason for alarm. He rested his head against the headrest and the doctor secured Cade's other wrist.

  "Will this be painful?" Cade asked, staring up at the white ceiling. The doctor was down on one knee, strapping in Cade's ankles and he shook his head.

  "If all goes as intended then your level of discomfort should be minimal." Doctor Smirnov replied. He took a seat on a wheeled stool and rolled between Cade and a tray of sterilized surgical tools. "As I previously stated, the procedure should be relatively quick. Are you ready for me to begin?" Cade gave a quick nod and Doctor Smirnov secured a strap across Cade's forehead and chest.

  "Do you have any adverse reactions to any medications?" The doctor asked, spinning around on his stool to face his tray of tools.

  "None that I know of." Cade replied. The doctor nodded and grabbed a small vial in one hand and a syringe in the other.

  "I was hoping you would say that." The doctor uncapped the syringe revealing it's short hollow needle. He stuck the needle into the vial and pulled back on the plunger. "I will be administering a painkiller called Lodone. Chemically speaking it is very similar to the illegal narcotic sugir. Unlike sugir however, the chance of you developing a dependency is after one dose is virtually zero and you should not experience any hallucinogenic effects. If you do, inform me immediately and I will administer a suppressant." Cade nodded and the doctor stuck the needle into his arm. "Relax, your arm will feel cold for a moment but it will go away."

  Following the death of Leonic, the Ancient, Cade had found it difficult to relax. In his dreams he saw the Ancient, while awake he thought of the Ancient. Cade had betrayed Leonic, inadvertent or not and he could not forgive himself for having done so.

  "I am now cleaning around the skin we will be extracting." Doctor Smirnov said. "I will try not to get any alcohol in your eye."

  They had developed a friendship over the term of a couple of months. Cade had found Leonic at a pub in Lithaan and immediately sensed something different about him. Cade decided to investigate and with an ancient device he had restored and learned how to use, intercepted the frequency that Leonic's nanomachines gave off and was able to translate the code. With the code, Cade was able to learn many details about Leonic's life, including the fact that despite his youthful appearance, he was nearly 1100 years old. A being from the Ancient times.

  According to Govian Imperial law, Leonic's very existence was illegal. Cade knew this fact but his thirst for knowledge of the Ancient's time nullified the threat of the punishment for not reporting the Ancient. Cade befriended Leonic and through that friendship his knowledge grew.

  Eventually Cade's relationship with the Ancient was discovered and reported to the Govian Inquisition, the militarized imperial police force who strictly and relentlessly enforced Govian law and hunted heretics. Cade did not know who had reported him but he had his suspicions and was intent on finding whoever was responsible.

  The leader of the Inquisition, none other than Bishop General Klaus himself, paid Cade a visit and explained the weight of the situation he was in. Klaus informed Cade that things could play out in one of two ways. Either only Leonic was going to die, or Leonic and Cade were going to die. Cade simply had no choice but to save his own life.

  Cade met with Leonic one final evening at the same pub they had always went to. Leonic seemed to know something was wrong and Cade eventually informed him of the situation. Frantic and furious, Leonic charged out of the pub only to be met by a team of Reapers, the Inquisition's heavy hydraulic armor-clad squad of Ancient hunters. Before they were able to act, Leonic lashed out with his NaNe magic, disfiguring Cade's face in the process. Shortly after, Leonic's head had been separated from his body and his NaNe had been absorbed by the Empire, further strengthening their understanding of the Ancient technology.

  "I will now begin the extraction of the damaged skin." Doctor Smirnov said, shaking Cade out of his daydreams. Cade looked over to the doctor whose back was facing him. Somehow his voice did not sound the same, yet it sounded very familiar. Cade rustled uncomfortably in his chair and the doctor shushed him.

  "You can not possibly believe you would get away with the betrayal of an Ancient." Smirnov said in the voice that was not his. Cade, confused and terrified at that point, shook his hands violently, trying to wrestle them free from the leather straps that held them down. The doctor reached his arm down and picked up a scalpel from the tray before him. With his back to Cade he spoke once again.

  "You killed me Cade." He said, "It was YOU!" At that, the doctor turned around and Cade froze in terror. No longer did he see Doctor Smirnov's face but that of Leonic. Without another word from either of them, Leonic stepped forward and slowly dragged the blade of the scalpel across Cade's throat. Cade, numbed by painkillers, could only gasp for breath as the opening in his throat streamed blood down his chest. He looked into Leonic's eyes and tried to speak, he tried to apologize but nothing came out his mouth but the blood that Cade knew he deserved. Within moments, he relaxed his head and closed his eyes.

  Cade's eyes opened and he gasped. Doctor Smirnov calmly raised his scalpel from Cade's face and put his hand on the President's.

  "Relax." The doctor said. "Vivid dreams accompany the Lodone. You are okay." Cade panted heavily and attempted to nod his head in affirmation.

  "Now, I have one final incision to complete..." the doctor said, returning his blade to Cade's face. Cade felt the blade cut his skin but it was not painful. Odd feeling, but not painful.

  "This may be uncomfortable." The doctor warned.

  "I am ready." Cade replied. The doctor nodded and gently peeled back the skin over the left side of Cade's face. Cade closed his eyes as it sort of tickled in an extreme way but as the eyelids peeled off of his eye, he was forced to watch as nearly half of his face was removed.

  The incision formed a sort of curved triangle from just above his left eyebrow and ran along the edge of his nose and down to the left corner of his lips. It then curved around the top of his cheekbone up to his the leftmost corner of his eye and finally back to where it began above his eyebrow.

  "How are you feeling?" Doctor Smirnov asked, leaning in to examine his patient.

  "I feel like my eye is going to fall out." Cade replied, "And the feeling of air against... whatever is under my skin... is very strange." The doctor smirked and warmly nodded.

  "Your eye will remain exactly where it is." He assured Cade. "We will now be applying the sap from the Lithaani Sentinel and then we will put on the mask that will keep it all together." The doctor held up a small container of what looked like lard and began to slather it onto Cade's opened face. The resin felt very cold and again, a bit strange. Cade was thankful for the painkillers.

  "Now, the mask." Smirnov said holding up a piece of brown layered leather cut to exact specifications. The leather was all sewn together and each piece overlapped the other slightly, like leather armor. Cade assumed it was like that to offer more protection. The doctor moved the mask into place, shaping it to contour to the structure of Cade's face and making sure the thin eye hole was appropriately aligned. The sticky resin beneath the mask held it in place while the doctor turned once again to his instrument table.

  "Almost finished." Smirnov said as he returned with a small metal rectangular device that had a needle poking out from one of the bottom corne
rs of it and a spindle of thread attached to the top. The doctor adjusted the device on Cade's face and pressed a button.

  The needle pressed through the leather and into Cade's skin, binding the two together. The doctor carefully, yet quickly guided the needle around the edge of the mask. It only took a few moments before the doctor released the button and cut the thread. He rolled back on his stool and examined his work.

  "You look quite imposing." He said, rubbing his chin as he admired his work. "Would you like to take a look?" Without waiting for an answer, the doctor held up a mirror.

  Cade could not help but hum at the sight of the mask over his face, he thought he looked a bit ridiculous, though imposing as the doctor had said. "Thank you." Cade said as the doctor lowered the mirror and released the strap over his forehead. Cade leaned his head forward and cracked his neck. Once the remainder of the straps were removed, the doctor took us seat on the stool once again and grabbed one final vial and syringe.

  "This is the suppressant to the Lodone. It will rid you of any further side effects." The doctor said. He stuck the needle into Cade's arm and then discarded the syringe.

  "You may feel a bit woozy for the next thirty minutes or so." Doctor Smirnov said, "That is normal. And you will not be able to blink for the next day or so... hopefully your eyelids will have grown back by then." The doctor reached in his pocket and produced a small container of saline and another small capped container of pills. "You can moisten your eye with this in the meantime. I also have some more painkillers for you, not Lodone of course but they will help with the post-op pain. I would like to have you come back sometime tomorrow for me to examine you if that would not be any trouble. Do you have any further questions?"

  "I do not believe I do." Cade said, standing up. He did feel a bit light headed like the doctor said he would but everything else felt normal. He nodded at the doctor and after grabbing his rifle that was resting against the wall, he walked to the door.