Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

20) "Seventy-Six"

A cold sweat trickled down Seventy-Six's face as he lay awake in bed. His right hand was shaking uncontrollably so he held it tightly in his left hand. The nightmare he had just awoken from left him rattled. Not because it was frightening to him per say, but because of how real it felt. He was in a room strapped to a chair and was being periodically shocked by electricity. It felt more like a memory than a nightmare, but he did not remember it happening to him. His torture was at the hands of Mars, he had clear memories and scars to support it. But the room he was in during the nightmare, it reminded him of the BlackDiamond facility on Ceres.

Seventy-Six sat up in his bed and pondered the idea of relaying the dream to Thirty-Five. He was concerned that it was an early sign that his Multiple Personality Disorder was returning, but he thought the nanites in his brain were supposed to cure him. As long as the headaches did not return he felt that he should be fine. There was no reason to worry Thirty-Five about a premature issue. He got out of bed and put on his BlackDiamond uniform. It was for the best that he did not go back to sleep. He did not want to continue that dream or have another one like it.

The door to his room shut behind him as he entered the corridor. There was still some time to spare before Kasra would arrive on The Nightingale. He made his way to the galley to make himself a cup of coffee. Twenty and Thirty greeted Seventy-Six as he entered the room. Thirty asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee as she poured one for herself. Seventy-Six nodded and thanked her after she handed him her cup.

He blew on the piping hot coffee three times before taking a quick sip. The heat of the drink warmed his insides as it traveled down his throat. His face recoiled as he lowered the cup to his stomach. The coffee was bitter which meant Thirty did not add sugar to it. She apologized after seeing the reactions to Seventy-Six's first sip. She said that he thought he liked black coffee. Seventy-Six shook his head and told her that it was alright.

Twenty asked him when Kasra was supposed to arrive. Seventy-Six shrugged as he took another sip of coffee. The truth was he did not know since no specific time was given to him. They were in their assigned position outside of Deimos and were waiting for her. Seventy-Six was not fond of this little excursion that Elias had assigned them to. He felt that any operative at BlackDiamond could have had this meeting with Kasra. With Elias' ability to transfer his mind to different computer servers, he could have had the meeting with Kasra himself. It frustrated Seventy-Six that Elias did not allow him to ask questions about his mind upload. To successfully pull off a mind upload was an incredible accomplishment. Elias had essentially rendered himself immortal. His physical body could be destroyed, but his mind was stored away in a server. In the case where his body was killed, his mind could simply be downloaded onto an AI. Seventy-Six began to wonder whether Elias was truly Elias. It was more than probable he could be someone else entirely but with a different name.

The longer he contemplated BlackDiamond's history, the more his suspicion of Elias grew. It was odd that CEO after CEO shared the similar vision over the 270 years of BlackDiamond's existence. An extreme focus on technology, military, and claiming the bulk of the asteroid belt for themselves. Seventy-Six wondered how long Elias' mind had been uploaded. From that he would be able to gather whether BlackDiamond operatives have been working for the same person for years, albeit in a different body. But an answer to the question from Elias was very unlikely. So Seventy-Six would have to find another method that could show when Elias underwent the operation. He decided that he should take the matter to Thirteen, she would be able to help him.

Hazy and distorted images of distant memories flash across Seventy-Six's mind. He lowered his cup slowly as he tried to compose himself. The images crossed his mind too fast for him to clearly see all of them, but he was able to see one. It consisted of him being in Martian legionnaire uniform. He massaged his left temple with his fingers. I was never a Martian. He thought to himself. So how the hell do I have these memories in my mind?