Chapter Four-"The shock"
At sunrise, a tactical border transport ship carries mentors and malformed heirs, along with scientists and soldiers, to the area.
SS-01: "Your heartbeat is high; is this a serious concern?"
He steps behind Veyron.
Veyron doesn’t turn:
"...I’ve never seen anyone leave without losing something… either their life… or a part of it."
From above, the base looks normal.
New walls, watchtowers, communication antennas, and a circle of low observation towers.
Part of the ground behind the base is darker, not fully burnt… as if the soil was washed, then rebuilt.
The aircraft lands directly inside the base.
A rear door opens; a metal staircase descends slowly. Cold air hits their faces.
The ground is still.
Veyron slowly descends, assessing the area, taking notes; SS-01 follows him.
The site commander greets them calmly with a security team armed:
Commander: "Arrival recorded. Communication remains limited… operations begin tomorrow."
Veyron and SS-01 are taken to the calibration room, a room designed for a certain protocol for dangerous heirs.
Inside, bright white lights.
SS-01 stands on a circular platform; a shock bracelet and restraints on his wrist; screen shows stable readings.
SS-01 sits inside the circle; Veyron stands opposite.
Supervisor: "Synchronization for thirty seconds. Do not exceed the limit."
Veyron trained hard on this sync, so he is mentally relaxed.
Lights dim.
Veyron closes his eyes.
At the moment he expects to feel only SS-01… he senses something beneath him… as if SS-01 isn’t alone.
Veyron freezes, opens his eyes.
Suddenly, synchronization is cut.
Devices show: stable readings.
Veyron’s face turns pale; he looks at SS-01.
He sees a smile spreading across SS-01’s face… not empty, but terrifying…
SS-01 covers his face with his hands; Veyron can see…
Veyron feels a ringing in his ears; scientists speak, but he only hears one voice:
SS-01: "So you felt it."
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Veyron is about to ask a question, worried and confused… but a sudden blow hits the back of his head as if someone struck a rock… he places both hands on his head.
SS-01 observes a slight difference in Veyron’s body.
"Veyron?"
He begins exiting the room; after all checks, Veyron still feels severe head pain.
Veyron to himself:
"...This is excruciating… how the hell are the readings stable? Nothing can be this consistent."
Upon leaving, he hears a faint, subtle conversation between scientists, as if no one wants to be overheard:
"Six months ago…"
Outside, Veyron is surprised; there are no soldiers or armed security.
Veyron to himself: "Have they started trusting that I can control him?"
SS-01 steps slightly away; Veyron extends his hand, pulling it toward him.
Veyron: "Where do you think you’re going?"
SS-01: "Weren’t you going to explore the place?"
Veyron: "How did you know?.. And with my head hurting in two situations… we’ll go to the room and sleep."
SS-01: "I don’t feel sleepy."
Veyron: "And you can’t wander without me."
SS-01 frowns slightly…
Veyron notices strange, extreme calm. He observes carefully.
The lower corridor is narrower than the rest of the base.
Lights dim, ventilation sound continuous.
Veyron walks behind a technician.
The floor is metallic, stable… then suddenly:
A soft sound.
"Thud."
As if someone hit beneath. The technician doesn’t notice, acting as if hearing nothing.
Veyron stops, waits two seconds, then again.
"Thud."
Same sound, same strength—not a wall vibration.
Solid sound… from below.
Veyron kneels, places his hand on the ground.
The floor is cold, but beneath the cold… a faint pulse, as if feeling a sleeping person’s chest.
Pulse… every few seconds.
Technician, surprised: "Problem, Mentor?"
Veyron slowly raises his hand:
"Here… do you hear it?"
Technician shakes his head: "No. Systems are stable."
Silence.
Veyron stops.
At the same moment, SS-01 stands at the end of the corridor.
He is not looking at them.
He is looking at the floor.
…and he smiles a very small smile.
Not mocking, not happy. A smile of someone who knows the sound.
When Veyron watches him… the third pulse occurs.
Slightly stronger. This time, the lamp above them flickers for a fraction of a second.
The technician quietly says: "Metal expansion; normal. Continuous natural geological activity in this area."
Veyron to himself:
"The metal doesn’t beat to a rhythm, and no one smiles at it."
Veyron: "Since when have you been here?"
Technician looks surprised: "For four months."
Veyron to himself: "There… something strange here."
He heads to a room… notices it also requires fingerprint access.
Veyron opening the door: "Strange… the only room that depends on fingerprint."
SS-01: "I don’t have a fingerprint."
Veyron: "You… never mind."
He opens the door and closes it firmly.
He notices cameras and quantum dampening devices in case of excessive activity.
Veyron stretches on the bed, reaches to yawn, hair slightly messy.
SS-01 sits on the opposite bed, calmly watching.
Observing the birds or sunlight through the window.
Veyron: "You observe everything, don’t you?"
SS-01 replies casually: "The small things matter to me."
Veyron sighs, looks around, then pulls a light blanket over himself, trying to ignore SS-01’s strange curiosity.
After hours, Veyron wakes, rubs his eyes; head pain persists slightly.
Looks at the clock: "...I’ve slept too long, sunset is near…"
He rises; sees SS-01 sitting on the bed deeply… slowly gets his bag, opens the door, sensing quantum presence behind him.
Turns, sees SS-01 behind him, glowing eyes in darkness.
SS-01: "Shall we go?"
Veyron stares, sighs… remembers quantum dampening devices.
Thinks: "There are floating devices… he controlled his quantum energy during training… leaving him alone won’t harm."
Veyron, sharply: "No, he will be more than an obstacle."
He exits the room; the door closes.
SS-01: "An obstacle?"
Veyron goes to the experiment room for calibration review.
SS-01 uses his card to enter.
He opens the screen slowly; Veyron examines it himself.
"If the reading is really stable… how the hell is there no device error? No, no."
Veyron begins recalling the morning event, decides to open the sensor panel.
Geological stability reading:
Status: Stable
Deviation rate: 0.02%
Any ordinary person would ignore it.
Veyron notices a small field below:
"Auto-compensation enabled."
Veyron: "Why would the system compensate if there’s no disturbance?"
He opens the back record, discovering:
Every 48 seconds there is compensation.
Not an increase, but a very light energy drain.
Veyron: "Geological activity gives random pulses… it doesn’t drain energy regularly…"
He starts investigating activity six months ago… access denied.
Veyron: "Why won’t it let me in?? I’m S-rank… I should have access to all events regardless of expertise."
Veyron takes a deep breath and begins recalling.
Veyron, quietly:
"The sound repeats at a fixed rhythm. Systems classify it as ‘geological activity’ because it’s very weak… but the pattern… too regular… something beneath us drains energy… and the base hides it unintentionally!"
He realizes something; rips his bag open quickly.
Veyron: "If I thrust the spear… and the pulse beneath them synchronizes with his quantum energy… that means it’s not just activity… it’s—"
He doesn’t finish; shock rises on his face… the spear isn’t in the bag.
Veyron to himself, tense:
"No, no… why isn’t the spear here? I’m sure it stayed in the bag… I’m sure! Could SS-01 have searched my bag again while I was sleeping? And in our room here??"
For five minutes, he runs to the room… then remembers something…
He recalls SS-01’s words a day before the mission…
Veyron: "Did… he hide—"
He doesn’t finish before a strong tremor shakes the ground beneath him. He stops, looks around… the entire corridor shakes, small stones dance on the ground.
Everything seems normal at first glance, but
Veyron knows in his heart:
"It’s not just an earthquake."
