THE SIEGE OF NEOTROY

Aklion’s consciousness returned like a slow tide washing over a desolate shore. Every part of his body felt out of sync, his muscles twitching sporadically, tingling with the aftermath of the overdose. He tried to move, but even the thought of flexing a muscle sent a sharp wave of pain rippling through him. His mouth felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton, and his throat was parched. He winced as the blinding lights above made his head pound.

“What the f.. what, what did you do to me?” His voice barely scraped past his lips, weak and raw, more a gasp than a growl. It felt unfamiliar even to him.

A figure in a white coat, standing at the far side of the room, turned slowly. A doctor. No, a man pretending to be a doctor, Aklion realized. His movements were too deliberate, too military. “Oh, a terrible, terrible thing,” the doctor replied with an oddly casual tone, smirking as though the whole situation was amusing. “We saved the life of the assassin that was going to split us all in half.”

Aklion tried to push himself up, but his body screamed in protest. His muscles locked, every joint burning as though molten metal flowed through them. He slumped back onto the bed, cursing under his breath. His HUD, usually buzzing with constant updates and tactical overlays, flickered weakly in his peripheral vision, the system barely operational.

Stats Update:

•HP: 30%

•Stamina: 20%

•Cognition Stability: 45%

•Glitch Instability: 70%

•Status: Recovering

•Combat Readiness: Offline

His vision slowly cleared. He was in a dingy room—sterile, yes, but clearly makeshift. Medical equipment lined the walls, some of it outdated, some of it scavenged. This wasn’t a Conglomerate facility. It was too crude, too patched together. The whole place felt temporary, as if they could pack up and vanish at a moment’s notice.

Aklion glared at the doctor, who was now casually working with a syringe in his hand, preparing something Aklion didn’t trust. “We had to pump a hell of a lot of shit out of you,” the man said, clearly amused. “You overdosed. Big time.”

Aklion grimaced. “Great. Just what I needed. Sorry, force of habit, actually… thank you” His voice cracked, the dryness in his throat making every word feel like sandpaper.

The doctor moved closer and jabbed the syringe into his arm without hesitation. Aklion flinched, but the needle was quick, injecting something cold and metallic into his bloodstream. He felt a strange sense of clarity after a few seconds, like ice slowly washing over the burning chaos inside him.

“This will stabilize you, for now,” the doctor continued, sounding more clinical now. “We’re not Conglomerate, by the way. Thought you might be wondering.”

Aklion narrowed his eyes. “SYNTHIA?” he asked quietly, almost instinctively, hoping to hear that familiar, cold, sarcastic voice.

“SYNTHIA? The glitching AI support?” The doctor glanced up, a strange expression on his face. “She’s offline. You’re stable…for now.”

Aklion’s jaw clenched. Stable, but for how long? Without the constant stream of data, without SYNTHIA’s presence, he felt… empty. Too quiet. Too calm. It was unsettling.

“Where am I?” Aklion forced himself to sit up slightly, every movement sending ripples of pain through his body. He scanned the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. “This isn’t a Conglomerate base. What is this place? What’s going on here?”

The doctor stepped back, crossing his arms. “We’re just an improvised medical facility. No military ties, no rebels, no Conglomerate. Just a bunch of civilians trying to help people survive.” He gestured around the room to a few other individuals—medical personnel, tending to wounded patients in the corner. “You’re in a safe place. For now.”

Aklion scoffed, disbelieving. “Sadly, good doctor, there’s no such thing as neutral in this war.”

The doctor sighed, shaking his head. “You’re not the first to say that. But we don’t care about the war. We don’t care about rebels or Conglomerate. We’re here for the people caught in between. Peasants for your eyes, probably, precious life’s as any, for ours.”

Aklion didn’t trust him. Why would they save him? He was a soldier, a killer, a tool of the Conglomerate. And yet… here he was. Still alive. He could feel the pain in his muscles and the strange quiet in his mind where the constant flood of data from SYNTHIA used to be. It was eerie.

“Why help me?” Aklion’s voice was low now, almost contemplative. “You had every reason to let me die.”

The doctor didn’t flinch. “That INPAXX bath did fry your brain and your heart I see. I just told you, honestly. Because we help everyone. Doesn’t matter who they are. Conglomerate soldier, rebel, civilian…we don’t discriminate. You needed help. We gave it.”

Aklion was quiet for a moment, processing the situation. “And what’s the price for that help?”

The doctor smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. “No price. At least, not from us. Your body, though… it’s a different story.”

Aklion’s body felt like a husk, his nerves on fire, his muscles screaming with every attempt to move. He had been cleaned out, his system purged of the INPAXX that had driven him for so long. The doctor was right—he was a mess.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” the doctor said, moving back to check on another patient. “Without the INPAXX, your body is going to struggle to adjust. You’ll feel everything now. Every ache, every pain, every emotion you’ve been suppressing. It’s not going to be pretty.”

Aklion chuckled darkly. “Story of my life. Actually, doctor, for a time now, INPAXX… I’ve… I’ve… been feeling a lot, actually, it’s like it’s not working…”, he immediately regretted saying that, after all, they could all be spies. “Never mind”, he shut off that dangerous stream of conversation.

The doctor turned, his expression softening slightly. “You know, you’re not the first Conglomerate soldier we’ve helped. A lot of you come through here, burned out, broken. Some recover. Most don’t.”

Aklion’s gaze hardened. “And what do you do with the ones that don’t?”

The doctor didn’t answer, instead moving toward the door as if the conversation had come to an end. “Rest,” he said, without turning around. “You’ll need it.”

Just as Aklion was about to ask another question, a loud metallic clang echoed from outside, followed by heavy footsteps reverberating through the walls. Aklion’s instincts flared, and despite the pain, he pushed himself upright, his muscles screaming in protest. Something was wrong.

Before he could react, the steel door was blown off its hinges with a deafening crash.

“What the—” Aklion barely had time to process what was happening before the figure stormed into the room.

A massive, heavily armored figure filled the doorway. Hektor. Aklion recognized the mercenary immediately. The towering man’s cold eyes glinted from behind his helmet, and a wicked grin spread across his face as he scanned the room, locking onto Aklion.

“Well, well,” Hektor growled, his voice like gravel. “Looks like I found you, old friend.”

Enemy Detected:

•Name: Hektor

•HP: 100%

•Armor: 80%

•Strength: 110

•Reflexes: 99

Aklion’s blood turned to ice. The doctors in the room scrambled back, their faces pale with fear. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Aklion demanded, though his voice lacked the power he wanted.

Hektor didn’t bother answering. His hand moved to the massive gun strapped to his back. “You’re on the list, Aklion. Time to die.”

Aklion knew he wasn’t ready for this. His body was still weak, his stats far too low for a confrontation. His hand fumbled for the combat knife at his side, but he was too slow. Hektor moved with terrifying speed, raising his gun and firing at the bed Aklion had just been lying on.

Aklion rolled off the bed just as the first round exploded into the wall behind him, sending metal and debris flying across the room.

Combat Surge: Initiated

•Stamina: +5%

•Reflexes: Boosted by 15%

•Glitch Instability: Climbing

“Shit!” Aklion cursed, diving behind a nearby med cart for cover. His HUD flickered weakly, struggling to keep up with the situation.

Hektor fired again, the gun roaring like a beast, shaking the entire safehouse. “Come out and fight me, Commander!” Hektor taunted, his voice booming. “I remember you being better than this!”

Aklion’s eyes darted to the side—his rifle lay just a few feet away. If he could reach it, he might have a chance. Or did he? The rifle was damaged, how badly, though? But Hektor was already moving, his heavy boots thudding against the floor as he approached.

Aklion lunged forward, grabbing the rifle just as Hektor swung at him with the butt of his gun. The blow caught Aklion on the shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through his body, but he managed to roll with it, pulling himself up and firing a round into Hektor’s chest. Bless his rifle, the old fart is indestructible.

Direct Hit:

•Enemy HP: 75%

•Status: Armor Cracked

But it wasn’t enough. Hektor barely flinched, his armor absorbing most of the damage. Aklion gritted his teeth, his mind racing for a strategy, but his body was betraying him—too slow, too weak.

Hektor charged again, his gun raised to finish the job.

Aklion had no choice but to block with his rifle. The force of the impact sent him sprawling across the room, crashing into the wall. His HUD flashed red, warnings blaring in his peripheral vision.

Critical Condition:

•HP: 8%

•Status: Near Death

“Fuck… me…” Aklion gasped, struggling to stay conscious. His vision blurred, the edges of his world darkening as his body gave in to exhaustion.

Hektor loomed over him, grinning wickedly. “This is it, Aklion. The great Conglomerate commander brought low by a merc he fired from the corps.”

Aklion’s hand tightened around the combat knife at his side. If this was the end, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

With the last of his strength, Aklion lashed out, driving the blade into a small gap in Hektor’s armor, right between the plates. The blade found flesh, slicing through muscle, and Hektor howled in pain.

Critical Hit:

•Enemy HP: 40%

•Status: Bleeding

Hektor staggered back, clutching his side as blood poured from the wound. Aklion tried to push himself up, but his body refused. He collapsed to the floor, his breath ragged, his strength nearly gone.

But his mind was still working. He noticed an IV line attached to a bag with big yellow words “EMBALMING FLUID, DANGER, DO NOT INJECT ON LIVING PATIENTS”. Thank god for the big letters, he thought. With his not so useless arm he yanked it free, wrapping the thin tube around his fist. Improvising, he turned the needle into a makeshift weapon.

When Hektor lunged again, Aklion sidestepped, jamming the IV needle into a small exposed part of Hektor’s neck and stomping the bag to rush the liquid into his veins.

Unexpected Strike:

•Enemy HP: 25%

•Status: Blood Loss Accelerating

Hektor roared in fury, swinging wildly, his flesh burning from the inside. Aklion ducked, using every ounce of energy he had left to stay out of reach. His body screamed in protest, but he kept moving, staying low, dodging Hektor’s blows.

Finally, with one last effort, Aklion grabbed a piece of debris from the broken door and smashed it into Hektor’s faceplate, shattering it.

The mercenary staggered, his helmet cracking open to reveal his bloodied face. Aklion didn’t hesitate. He drove the debris straight into Hektor’s skull, ending the fight in a brutal, bloody moment.

Enemy Defeated:

•XP Gained: +500 (level progression uncertain, system in overload)

•Status: Victory

Aklion collapsed, breathing heavily, his vision swimming. His body was a wreck, his mind barely holding on. And then… he saw them.

Outside, through the shattered doorway, the faint glint of something metallic caught his eye. Camera drones. Hovering silently, watching everything. Recording everything. “What… on earth…” Aklion whispered. He couldn’t comprehend it. Why were they here? How did they know? The fight. The blood. The pain. All of it had been for their entertainment. Just another spectacle for the Conglomerate? Or was there something else going on, as he suspected? But his brain was just a bowl of fried jelly beans at the moment, maybe he was just paranoid. Was he?

He looked at Hektor’s corpse, then at the drones. Both of them were broken, nothing but empty husks. The room fell silent. No more gunfire. Just the cold, eerie quiet of the drones hovering outside. Aklion’s vision faded once again, the edges of his world slipping into darkness. There were no answers. Just silence.

And then… nothing.