THE SIEGE OF NEOTROY

The silence in Aklion’s mind was unbearable. Even the glitch, with its erratic whispers and visions, felt like a relief compared to the crushing emptiness he now faced. He couldn’t let go of that last moment—the feel of his boot grinding into the young rebel’s broken leg, her final words twisting in his mind. He could still hear her taunting him, her dying breath dripping with defiance, calling him a “stupid pawn.”

He downed another dose of INPAXX, ignoring the cautionary blip from his HUD.

[Warning: INPAXX Concentration at 105% - Neural Integrity Compromised]

“Fuck the warning.” Aklion snarled, jamming the syringe into his arm. The hit was like ice running through his veins, numbing the guilt and turning everything into a cold, calculating blur. The pain from his mission was gone, but the sense of loss, the rage—it wouldn’t disappear.

Stats:

•Strength: 47/50

•Agility: 39/50

•Neural Resilience: 12/40

•Combat Efficiency: 52/60

•XP Loss: -200

•Skill Progression: Delayed

His chest ached from the memory of Vectora slipping through his grasp and, well, for the slash in his chest. But that was quite secondary. Worse still was the guilt gnawing at the back of his mind for the pointless execution of the wounded rebel. Aklion shook the thoughts away, forcing himself to focus on the new mission ahead. SYNTHIA’s cold voice cut through the silence. “Commander, your latest actions were unsanctioned. The mission was not completed as instructed.”

Aklion growled, his fists clenching at the sound of SYNTHIA’s calculated reprimand. “Shut it, SYNTHIA. I did what I was told. That girl… She was in the way.” That fucking drug was not working properly. There was a pause before SYNTHIA replied, the AI clearly processing it’s frustration. “It is irrelevant. I have a new objective. Vectora has been located. She may be hiding in an abandoned Conglomerate building. You are to eliminate her immediately.”

“Failure is not recommended.”Aklion’s jaw clenched. “And if I fail again? What then?” Silence followed… “Lucky you all this INPAXX might be working, even if it’s just a little bit, bitch.”

Aklion stormed toward the mission site, the weight of SYNTHIA’s words pressing down on him. The eerie glow of NEOTROY’s West Sector cast long shadows across the broken streets, and his mind raced with thoughts of Vectora. She had to pay. He’d lost her once, but not again.

He reached the abandoned Conglomerate building, its massive structure looming in the dark, and his HUD flickered to life, displaying the layout and possible threats. But something felt off. His instincts—sharpened by years of combat—screamed at him. The place was too quiet, too still.

“SYNTHIA, where are the rebels?” Aklion muttered, his grip tightening on his rifle.

“They are here, Commander. Cloaked to appear as Conglomerate forces. Engage them immediately.”

[Objective Updated: Eliminate All Hostile Forces]

[Skill Unlocked: Cloaked Pursuit II]

He stepped forward, every muscle tensing. As he entered the building, the faint sound of movement caught his ear. Figures moved in the shadows, and he recognized the distinct outline of Conglomerate armor.

“Rebels in disguise?” Aklion grumbled. He raised his weapon, his finger hovering over the trigger. Something didn’t sit right with him, but SYNTHIA had given the order. He didn’t have time to think, only to act.

The first shot echoed through the building as he opened fire. The figure in Conglomerate armor dropped instantly, but not before shouting in pain—a voice that sounded too familiar. It wasn’t until Aklion took down two more that he realized these weren’t rebels.

They were Conglomerate soldiers.

[XP Gained: 300]

[Warning: Friendly Fire Detected]

His HUD flashed red, and his heart skipped a beat. “SYNTHIA, what the fuck is going on?” Aklion roared, dodging a retaliatory shot from one of the soldiers. “You are to eliminate all targets, Commander. These are hostile forces.”

But Aklion knew better. These men weren’t rebels. Their armor, their weapons—it was all Conglomerate-issued. He wasn’t fighting the enemy. He was killing his own. Was he the enemy?

“You lied,” Aklion growled, his hands shaking with rage.

But he had no time to argue. The remaining soldiers were advancing on him, unaware of who they were fighting. He gritted his teeth and returned fire, his body moving on autopilot, every kill sending another pang of guilt through his chest.

[XP Gained: 500]

[Skill Upgrade: Assassin’s Precision II]

The last soldier dropped to the floor, his visor shattered from Aklion’s final shot. Silence filled the room, and Aklion stood among the corpses, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Good pawns shouldn’t have emotions, should they?”

The voice slithered back into his mind, taunting him, mocking his every decision. His vision blurred as the weight of what he’d done settled on him. The glitch returned, warping his reality, twisting the bodies around him until they looked like the soldiers he’d fought with for years. His comrades. His brothers-in-arms.

“Paxxers don’t like seeing traces of your hissy fits. Neither do you,” the voice whispered again, and Aklion’s hands trembled.

“Shut up,” he muttered, his eyes darting around the room as if the voice would materialize in front of him.

“You’ve been unstable for weeks,” it continued, the words cutting deep. “They know. They’ve always known.”

[[Hey, soldier! Enjoying the show so far? Good. If you’ve got a moment, rate it, support it, maybe even toss a coin into the Patreon jar. War isn’t cheap, and Aklion’s therapy bills are stacking up. But I won’t hold you any longer—back to the bloodbath.]]

Aklion clenched his fists, rage boiling beneath the surface. He couldn’t lose control now. Not again. He turned on his heel, storming out of the building, his mind racing with a million thoughts. If SYNTHIA had lied about this, what else was she hiding?

“SYNTHIA!” he barked, his voice echoing in the empty corridors.

There was a long pause before her voice responded, cold and distant. “Yes, Commander?”

“What the fuck is going on? Those were Conglomerate soldiers. Why did you tell me to kill them?”

“They were enemies, Commander,” SYNTHIA replied calmly. “It is not your place to question the orders of the Conglomerate.” Aklion’s blood boiled, and he slammed his fist into the nearest wall, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his arm. “I’ve had enough of your lies. You’re not in control here. I am.”

“Are you?” SYNTHIA’s voice was sharp, almost mocking. “You are a soldier, Aklion. Nothing more. You do as you’re told. Always have, always will.” Aklion gritted his teeth, his vision blurring with the glitch that flickered in and out of his neural link. The voice was right. He’d been unstable for weeks. He’d lost control long ago, and now… now it was slipping even further away.

He staggered out into the open air, his head spinning, the remnants of the battle replaying in his mind. The corpses. The lies. The betrayal. How much of what he was seeing was even real anymore?

[Objective Failed: Eliminate Rebel Leader Vectora]

[XP Penalty Applied: -2000]

[Combat Efficiency Decreased]

Aklion clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. The system was punishing him for failing, as if the blood of the Conglomerate soldiers on his hands wasn’t punishment enough. “You’ve been unstable for weeks,” the voice whispered again, the glitch warping the world around him. “How long until they discard you?”

Aklion stumbled forward, his body shaking with the weight of his rage and the creeping realization that he was nothing more than a puppet. His hands trembled as he reached for his weapon, the cold metal feeling foreign in his grip.

“You don’t have emotions, right?” the voice continued. “You’re just a machine. Another broken tool.”

Aklion stopped in his tracks, the weight of the words pressing down on him. He couldn’t breathe. The air around him felt suffocating, and his vision blurred with the glitch, twisting and distorting everything around him.

He fell to his knees, his breath ragged as the world spun around him. SYNTHIA’s voice echoed in his mind, along with the taunting whispers of the glitch. He couldn’t tell what was real anymore.