Project - Prometheus Ch. 39

She blinked as her eyes acclimated to the light streaming into the apartment. It was barely twelve years old, but with all the dust and debris that had marked it from the conflict years ago, it looked far older. It was cleaned since the Shadow Dancers had moved into the structure, but it still had that worn and used look about it. If they had the materials and paint, it would have done much to improve the look of this place.

Her apartment, which she had to herself, sat on the fourth floor of this particular high rise. It was the top floor, but that was only because the upper eleven floors had been blasted into dust during the Bombardment. It wasn't until the people had either died or left that the Shadow Dancers moved in. It wasn't just about finding a place that was defensible, but also structurally sound, which was a rare find in ruins like these.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up, catching her appearance in the mirror, and noted how different she looked. While Gloria hadn't aged much over the years, she wasn't the same woman as she was back then. She'd put on a few pounds, but had driven herself to shed what wasn't necessary. She also did look older, though everyone often told her she hadn't much, if at all, since the Bombardment.

She smiled to herself as she thought of the compliments that she often received, seeing many of them as genuine. Gloria contemplated on moving forward with her life, but on a world such as this, it would be more than difficult to do so. She wondered, and not for the first time, if she and Matthias could honestly leave this place. But there was the fact that they also had something that many people across the galaxy wanted. Knowledge.

Gloria stared at the piles of books and artifacts that she had there. While it wasn't the full collection of what their family had amassed over the centuries, there was still a fair amount there. She had been meaning to put some of it away, but there was still so much to read through and try out! As Gloria thought on this some more, a signal came through on a radio that sat on her nightstand.

Her head whipping around, she listened to the signal that emanated from the device, hearing the specific tones that it emanated. Gloria's eyes widened as she heard the tones finish, its message conveyed. There was only reason for that specific signal, and that was that they were under attack and her son was warning her that the enemies might well be in the walls of their home!

Without even thinking about it, Gloria embraced her Aetheric power, the cerulean energies suffusing her entire being. Moments later, a portal opened to a location that was dark, closed off, and secluded. Only Gloria truly knew where this place was, and kept it that way, with not even Matthias knowing its location.

This place she had opened a portal to was a repository of knowledge, about the Aether and how to use it. Everything her bloodline had learned of, found and used, was stored in this place. It was done this way, so as to keep the knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. It also helped as a way of keeping everything safe from being lost or misplaced, as such things had a habit of doing.

She grabbed the books that she had been reading and quickly chucked them through to the other side. Gloria was normally more delicate about the matter, but she needed to get things moved quickly! That signal was a cut and run signal, one which was only to be used when it was the most dire of circumstances. If Matthias was sending this signal, then it meant that someone or something was onto them, and they needed to move!

Gloria picked up the three artifacts she had been studying and carefully placed them on the other side of the portal. With those last items put away, Gloria closed the portal behind her and let go of her power, staying in the small apartment. While she could have left, she still had friends who mattered to her, and she wasn't going to abandon them. Not even a minute after the portal had closed, the door to her room burst open.

"Hah! We got her! Move it, bitch! We haven't got all day!" the man in front of her shouted.

Seeing how he had an assault rifle in his hands, Gloria didn't argue and did as she was told. She was hustled out of her apartment and pushed down the hallway, while witnessing the same thing happen to other people she knew. Some of them were being dragged out of their homes and thrown around like they were rag dolls. They were being moved towards the stairs of the building and being told to head down.

"What the fuck is going on?" one of residents groused as she was shoved into line to join the others.

"No talking!" one of the men snapped, pointing a gun at her face.

The woman snapped her teeth shut with a click, but it was clear that she wasn't happy about this. Neither was Gloria, but they had little in the manner of options at the moment. They all wanted to live and see what it was that was going on, but they feared the worst. The group of people were herded along by men and women who were Shadow Dancers, like them!

Gloria was beyond pissed that this had happened and needed to know who these people were! Were they impostors, or something else they didn't know about? She was certain that she'd have her answers soon, considering that everyone was being herded to the same place. Gloria noted other groups of people being moved in the same direction they were, towards the bottom of the building.

As they all converged in the lobby, everyone was given a quick search before they were mushed over to the basement doors. Gloria huffed, as she knew there would be no means of conventional escape that way. The whole of the basement was sealed off to prevent anyone who wasn't a Shadow Dancer from getting in. Once it was properly sealed, it was used as storage for whatever they needed.

She was pushed in by those with the weapons, along with the rest of those who didn't fight back. There had been a few who had, but Gloria, along with the others, had walked past their corpses on the way down. Some people had cried out in horror, but they promptly received a shove and harsh words, telling to keep moving or to join the corpses. They kept moving, hoping and praying that this wasn't the end of it for them.

Once everyone was down there, three other people joined them. All three were with the group that had been dragging everyone out of their homes and pushing them around. Two of them were men, while the third was a woman, all three of which Gloria knew. The men were Jake and Don, who were a couple of miners, who'd come to Prodosia a while ago, looking for some place to hide.

She'd heard they were involved in some sort of riot that put them in the crosshairs of the company they worked for. Given their current position, Gloria was certain they were lying about that. Then there was the woman, Shaye, who she had considered enough of a friend that she almost thought of her as a sister.

Shaye had said that she had been evading a stalker who had almost killed her when she first arrived on Prodosia. She had picked this place, as it was one of the few places that people would ever choose to go. Going by the stern and smug look on her face, Gloria sensed that was a well-fabricated lie, as well. Whoever these people were, it was clear they meant business and Gloria would find out what it was.

"Tell me, Shaye, what authority do you have over us, outside of that gun? Without it, you are nothing more than a common, garden variety thug," Gloria challenged. Some of the folks there looked at Gloria like she was crazy, while others smiled and nodded their heads in agreement.

"Garden variety thug? My superiors chose me specifically for this assignment, so that in itself speaks volumes about what I'm worth to them!" Shaye fired back authoritatively.

"Whoever the fuck they are, they have no say in the affairs of the people who live here! Not now, or ever!" Gloria retorted, making her stance on the matter clear.

"Times have changed! Besides, this assignment pays well enough to where I'll not only be able to get my own place on Terra Novus, but an overdue promotion as well!" the woman smirked.

Gloria did everything she could to suppress her rage at that moment. Terra Novus was the heart of the Human Confederacy and their capital world! Her worst fears were confirmed, as everyone who had turned against them were likely Confed agents! Though she would have dearly liked to tear these three to shreds, Gloria also had to consider the other people there and their welfare.

"You know, it takes a special type of twisted to befriend someone, making them believe you are to be trusted, before stabbing them in the back," Gloria said quietly, her voice as deadly as a knife's edge to the throat. Some of the people there agreed with Gloria, raising their voices and almost shouting at their captors.

"Shut your pie holes, before I give the kids some new ones to breathe out of!" Jake shouted, leveling his gun at the crowd. Everyone there ceased their chatter, not wanting to watch their children be shot, just to make a point!

"Guess what, Glo? Your days of running shit are over! And now, dear old Matty isn't around to protect your sassy little ass anymore!" the woman cackled.

Shaye brought her gun to bear, with every intention of shooting Gloria dead in front of everyone. She made to pull the trigger, but found that for some odd reason, she couldn't. Glancing down at her weapon, Shaye saw that it was now wreathed in an energy that was much like Matthias', but only cerulean instead of gray.

Shaye looked over to her compatriots and nearly screamed in horror, as they too were enshrouded in the same energy as her weapon was. The Confederacy infiltrator would have screamed for help, but she found herself unable to do so. The only thing she could do was look around using her eyes and saw that she was covered much like Jake and Ron were. Fear took hold of Shaye, as she knew full well that she was a dead woman.

"Who said I needed my son to protect me? It was more like I was protecting him," Gloria stated as she sauntered up to the trio, looking at each one in turn. She didn't look at them as human beings in this moment, but more like interesting insects, before she squashed them.

"Before you betray someone, be sure that you know absolutely everything about them, so they cannot surprise you. Sadly, this is a lesson you learn just as you die. If I were a kinder woman, I might let you live, but Prodosia is a hard world and because of the antics of you and your superiors, you have made me this way. As the old saying goes; 'You reap what you sow'," Gloria finished, before she used the Aether to snap their necks.

"Get their guns," Gloria ordered a few of the people up front and they did so, not questioning the woman.

She garnered a few looks from the people gathered there, with some even going so far as to shield their children from her. Gloria just scoffed and walked on, not caring about what they thought of her at that moment. Things such as being well liked took a back seat to survival, and this is what the situation had become; one of survival. She walked all the way back to the rear wall, where a large shelf festooned with food stood.

"Get the food off the shelf and grab anything that's not nailed down. We're leaving," Gloria told everyone.

"How? The ways out were blocked off! You ordered such things done years ago!" a woman replied, seeing them leaving as impossible.

"The power I wield can be used for many things other than killing," Gloria stated with a smirk.

Hearing this spurred a few of the people there to action, and they promptly emptied the rear shelf. Once it was done, she embraced the Aether once more, letting the cerulean power flow through her as it had earlier. Once she had full command of it, she did as she taught her son to do and made the necessary gestures and motions to craft a portal from these energies.

The portal started small, but bit by bit, it became larger and larger, until the circular construct took up most of the wall. The gateway opened into a small, but slightly verdant area, one which had been discovered by Matthias some months ago. They had both agreed that this place would be the ideal one to go to should an emergency ever arise. Proud of the work she had done, Gloria stopped her movements and stepped through the portal, holding onto the Aether so it would remain open.

"Well? Are you lot going to follow along, or wait for more Confed turncoats to show up?" Gloria asked, facing her friends as she gestured for them to come through.

Needing no further invitation, they all came through in two and trios, everyone making sure to grab all that they could carry. Some of the people there were a little leery of going along with this, given what they saw Gloria do. But when they considered the alternative, they all knew this was the better option.

Everyone walked on through, with Gloria calling only those closest to her to help with the count. There were only three of them, as these three had been with her and Matthias since the beginning. They had all stood with her and her son through both the good times and the bad, making them the closest thing to family outside of Matthias. Them, she trusted with her life, as they were part of this world back when it was called Asylo.

As everyone finished coming through, the four of them chanced a quick look at the basement. Most of what had been in there were survival supplies, some emergency rations and food. With nearly all of it gone, Gloria closed the portal before letting go of the Aether, leaving behind the place that had been their home for over a decade.

While this wasn't ideal, it was the best they had, and they would have to make do. She and Matthias would think of something to ensure that everyone here was all right. They would have to, as these people had put that trust in their hands. Gloria knew that there was a lot that would have to be done and soon, as she was sure that everyone would want answers as badly as she did at that moment.

Gloria then turned her thoughts to the people there and her family; Matthias most of all. She hoped Matthias was all right, and given the fact that he was well enough to send her that signal, made her believe so. If he wasn't all right, or hurt, she'd first put the screws to whoever hurt him, before killing them. The Shadow Dancers hadn't gotten their reputation for nothing, after all.

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In the streets of Tanith's Gully, a man and several of his bodyguards wove through the back alleys of the town. He hurried as fast as his feet would allow, eager to be finished with this critical bit of business before he was missed. The man could only hope that his other two co-conspirators got his message to meet up with him. His men kept pace with him easily, matching him stride for stride.

He headed towards a disused area of the town, hoping that there were few people around at this hour. Since it was dinnertime for most people, he was glad that many of the citizens of the town had headed home. While there was the odd layabout here and there, most of them were drunk out of their minds, or higher than kites. Such people were known to lie and couldn't be trusted to speak coherently, so he just kept on walking.

The man eventually reached his destination, a dilapidated warehouse in one of the poorest districts in town. He found both of his contacts arriving just seconds ahead of him. The man smiled, thankful that they were managing to make this seem like a random encounter. He sped up his pace, catching both men's attention as he approached. The pair of them glanced around for a moment before addressing the man.

"We got your message! What's going on?" the smallest man questioned.

"Our shipment has been hit! I received word and a vid alert that it was taken! Fucking greedy gangbangers!" the first man fumed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! How do you know it was gangers that took it?" the biggest man asked.

He seemed skeptical that a group of gang members could have pulled this off. The first man, who was elegantly dressed, pulled a small device from within his coat before he proffered it to the other two. They looked at the device, which had a video playing on it and in the corner of the vid was the timestamp of when it was taken. This widened the eyes of the other men, making them feel more than a bit panicky.

"Those greedy shits! Making off with merch I am supposed to be selling?!? I'll tear strips out of their hides, one at a time!" the small man growled, anger etching his features.

"Don't you mean you'll have me do it? You know you lack the strength to do such things," the big man scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! As long as those fuckers pay for this!! Looks like I'll have to pay you for some extra work after we get that shipment back!" the small man huffed.

"Keep it down! Do you want to risk us getting caught?!?" the first man questioned.

"Like anyone would believe that you, a councilor of the town, would be involved with such things! Besides, you're one of the few who are powerful enough to do whatever the fuck he wants, right?" the small man chuckled.

"That doesn't mean that I can afford to be careless, like you were when you dealt Neurocaine to those kids!" the councilor shot back.

"They were paying customers. What do I care if they were careless with its use?" the dealer scoffed, making light of such young deaths.

The councilor growled quietly, making his displeasure known, until he heard a grunt from the big man. He stood there, with one massive hand resting on a high caliber pistol. The councilor would have tried his luck with the big man, who he knew was a deputy under Daved, but for the head shake he received. He then saw the deputy wink, which let the man know that the deputy sided with him on this topic.

He then relaxed his stance, putting the dealer and the deputy at ease. The councilor knew that he had a game to play and that the dealers were a part of that game. For now, at least. Once the final move was made, there was a good chance that scummy dealers like this man wouldn't be needed. The councilor would just have to bide his time until then, keeping his cool for the moment.

"We should probably have a look inside. Maybe those little bastards left clues about who they were and where they were going," the deputy suggested.

"We know who took it and we need to make an example of the whole damned gang!" the dealer argued.

"Maybe, maybe not. It could be that someone is either framing these gangers, or it might be one of the yappy shits making his move for a power grab within the gang. You know how fluid some of these gangs can be!" the deputy responded.

"He does have a point! We should step inside anyway. We're too exposed out here," the councilor stated.

"You sure that's a good idea, boss?" one of the bodyguards piped up, voicing his thoughts.

"You and your men stay outside and keep a sharp eye out! We're going in to search for clues about who these little bastards are and how they stole our shipment!" the councilor snapped, reminding the men about who was in charge.

The bodyguard huffed, but did his job and directed the others to spread out. Keeping an eye on things was in his job description, but he didn't like the fact that his boss was taking risks like this. He watched the three men go inside, while he kept an eye on the alleys, making sure no one found their way there. Just then, he watched as someone hobbled into sight from a nearby street, spotting the lot of them.

"Hhheeeeeyyyy maaaannn! You got any good shit I could buy?" came a screechy, feminine voice from the standing bundle of rags.

"Fucking junkies! Can't wait to be rid of their asses!" one of the men scoffed, as he drew his hand cannon, eager to scare the druggie off.