[USS Prometheus - The Burning Bridge]
The aircraft carrier was a floating graveyard. Smoke billowed from the holes where the railguns had punched through the steel. The Praetorian Guards stood like statues among the wreckage, their red eyes glowing in the gloom.
The General (Seat 2) was on his knees. He was a man who had commanded armies for forty years. Now, his uniform was torn, his forehead was bleeding, and he was looking up at a man half his age.
The airlock doors hissed open. Alex walked in. He wasn't wearing armor. He was wearing a pristine black suit. He stepped over a dead officer without looking down.
"You look terrible, General," Alex said, inspecting a charred console. "And to think, this ship cost the taxpayers $13 billion. What a waste."
"Go to hell," The General spat. "You think sinking a few ships makes you a god? You are just a boy with a credit card."
"And you," Alex sat on the edge of the Captain's table, crossing his legs, "are unemployed."
[The Deal]
Alex pulled out a silver cigarette case. He offered one to The General. The General swatted it away.
"Where is The Elder?" Alex asked calmly.
"I will never tell you," The General sneered. "I am a patriot. I serve the Order. We are the shield that protects humanity from itself."
"You serve a corpse," Alex lit his own cigarette. The smoke curled up into the ventilation fans. "Let's look at the math, General. I just destroyed your fleet in three minutes. My technology is fifty years ahead of yours. My budget is infinite. Do you really think The Elder can save you?"
The General stayed silent, but his eyes flickered. It was the micro-expression of fear.
"The Elder is hiding," Alex continued, pressing the wound. "He sent you to die here. He knew you couldn't win. He just wanted to slow me down. You were a speed bump, General. Nothing more."
[The Breaking Point]
"You're lying," The General whispered. "He trusts me."
"Dawn," Alex commanded. "Play the intercept."
A hologram appeared in the air. It was a waveform of a scrambled call between The Elder and The Bishop.
Audio Playback: "The General is a blunt instrument. Let him attack the boy at Point Nemo. If he dies, it buys us time to evacuate the Sanctuary. He is expendable."
The General listened to the recording. His face turned gray. The word "Expendable" echoed in the bridge.
"He sold you out," Alex said softly. "But I am willing to buy."
Alex opened the System Interface. He typed a number. He turned the holographic screen toward The General. $100,000,000.
"Tell me where he is," Alex said. "And you walk away. You get a new face, a new name, and a hundred million dollars. You can retire to a non-extradition country and drink margaritas until you die."
The General looked at the money. Then he looked at the burning wreckage of his fleet. Loyalty was a luxury. Survival was a necessity.
"Antarctica," The General rasped.
"Specifics," Alex demanded.
"The Hollow Earth entry point," The General defeatedly lowered his head. "Sector 7G. Under the Ross Ice Shelf. That's where The Sanctuary is. That's where the Server Farm is."
"The Server Farm?"
"Where he keeps them," The General looked up, his eyes haunted. "The memories. Elena... all of them. They are stored in the Core."
[The Execution]
"Good," Alex stood up. "Antarctica. Pack a coat, Luna."
"So I can go?" The General asked, hope rising in his voice. "The deal? The money?"
"I transferred the money," Alex smiled coldly. "I always pay my debts."
The General checked his smartwatch. The notification pinged. +$100,000,000. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you. You are honorable."
"I am a businessman," Alex turned his back. "But I am also a fiancé."
Alex gestured to the open airlock door leading to the stormy ocean below.
"You attacked my home. You tried to kill my people."
"But... the deal!" The General stammered. "You said I could walk away!"
"I said you could walk," Alex clarified. "I didn't say where."
Alex nodded to the Praetorian Guard. The cyborg soldier grabbed The General by the neck. It lifted him off the ground like a ragdoll.
"Wait! No! I have money! I have—"
WHOOSH.
The General was thrown out of the airlock. He fell sixty feet into the freezing, churning waters of the Pacific Ocean. The weight of his boots dragged him down instantly. He died a very rich man.
[System Notification] [Intel Acquired: The Sanctuary (Antarctica).] [Target: The Elder.] [Objective: Retrieve Elena's Soul.]