The elevator doors opened. I stepped in, hands stiff at my sides. I pressed my palm to the panel, holding my breath while the red scanner swept across my eye. "Access granted. Floor one-zero-eight."
My heart hammered once, a sharp, stubborn thud. Then the elevator rose, fast and smooth, like I was being pulled into the sky. I watched the numbers tick upward and tried not to think about what waited at the top. When the doors slid open, a blast of cold, filtered air hit my face as I stepped into the hallway.
The hallway was cold, silent, and too clean. The lights buzzed softly above. Everything smelled like glass and steel.
I walked, heels clicking lightly on the floor. A small sign pointed to the Firearm Division. No people. No noise. Just the sound of my own thoughts, rising too fast.
What if I get exposed?
What if I forget something?…
What if they already know?
My throat tightened; I swallowed hard, but my feet kept moving.
At the end of the hall, glass doors slid open without a sound.
Inside was a sterile room with sharp lights and a long silver table. Four officers from the Empire's High‑Security Firearm Division. Two men. One woman. One Zhen. They all wore identical gray uniforms, their silver badges gleaming at their collars.
The woman, Leyta according to her badge, gave a small nod.
"Ann Ivly. Please, have a seat."
I forced my legs to move, sitting with a spine as straight as the mirror's reflection, exactly as I'd rehearsed.
The man in the center leaned in slightly. His badge read Kore.
"This is the final round of the assessment process. We will ask you a series of technical and ethical questions. Your responses will determine your qualification for service within our high-security firearm unit."
"Understood," I said, though my voice felt like it belonged to someone else.
They exchanged glances, nodded.
We will now begin."
" Question one," Leyta started, her voice beautiful but cold.
"What is your thought on a dying Zhen consciousness being integrated into military weaponry for predictive targeting and autonomous combat?"
The words struck like a bullet.
Even I'd seen the headlines about that leak, Zhen's minds revamped as living chips to be used in advance targeting military weapons. It had shaken the whole Empire. And the government couldn't even deny or cover it up due to sheer amount of intense scrutiny from the public and the other major forces. It was a shitshow.
I kept my facial expression still, though my heart felt like it could sprout legs and run right out my chest.
Inside, I wanted to scream.
Outside, Ann merely inhaled.
'Cucumbers… cool as a cucumber.'
Except, I had no damn idea what Ann herself would've said!
"That technology," I began slowly, "presents both as a strategic opportunity and moral responsibility. Embedding Zhen consciousness can provide unmatched foresight, but it also raises questions about consent, autonomy, and overreliance on a single intelligence system."
The Zhen at the end of the table tilted its smooth head, I seem to have caught his attention.
The others said nothing, waiting.
I continued, keeping my tone even and voice devoid of crack's. "If such systems are used, they should operate under strict ethical oversight with the infused Zhen's consciousness approval and consent alongside civilian and Zhen representatives involved in authorization. Without transparency, we risk eroding public trust, increasing the risk of misuse and repeating old mistakes."
The Kore leaned back, clasping his hands "I see, you suggest regulation along with the Zhen's personal choice."
"Yes," I replied. "Power without accountability breeds destruction."
For a moment, no one spoke. Seeming to soak in what I'd just said.
Eventually, the woman gave a firm nod. "Understood"
The Zhen's voice followed, layered and echoing faintly. "Your reasoning acknowledges balance between utility and morality. That balance is rare."
I tilted my head ever so slightly in a small respectful nod, but beneath it all my breath trembled almost failing to keep myself conscious.
"Question 2" This time it was the Zhen—Mali, as his badge showed.
The panel's lights dimmed, and a service cart rolled forward, unveiling the Electra‑Gun's components.
"Now, let's see how you handle the practical side," Mali continued
As the parts of the Electra-Gun were laid out before me, I felt a strange calm settle in. The technical questions came and went quickly, and I moved through the assembly almost on autopilot.
It was as if Ann's memories guided my hands, but the nerves I had earlier still seemed to linger.
Piece after piece clicked into place. Power core. Ion chamber. Magnetic acceleration module. Cooling lattice. Carbon-titanium casing. It became a blur, like leaving an exam and forgetting everything on the paper the moment you stepped out.
But the first question… that one stuck with me like a shadow, settling deep in my chest as the elevator doors closed.
Could I really serve in a world where living minds became weapons?
A quick, unwelcome thought flickered through; yeah, the five forces don't get along, but do we really need weapons this extreme? The war ended ages ago.
I pushed the thought aside. It didn't feel important.