As it did, a large hatch opened to reveal a staircase, descending deep into the dirt. A triple confirmation of dna, palm print, and correct pressure dinged on the small screen. Vectir kicked over an active camo sheet, undetectable even by the Technocracy’s best active scanners, and placed his hand on the palm reader underneath. The contrast between their casts were stark, and written into the very dna of their bodies. Even Nuria, who had provided the tech in the first place had fallen well and truly behind them in the race of genetic warfare. Skethi, matriarchal fanatics with a love of perfection, right down to their genome. It had taken him almost all of his life, from being a barely twelve year old Codesmith during the Era of Slaughter, right on through to his almost second century, the last eighty years of which had been unusually quiet thanks to the signing of the Accords from all four of the disparate powers. Looking down at Alphon, he knew that the small android had no idea how significant it was. Which had allowed him to develop his greatest creation: sentience. He had access to the outside’s permanent blizzard, which made supercooling material as easy as opening a window, and he was away from prying eyes. Quiet, for one, but two others were more important.

Time tables have changed,” Vectir stated, going into the deepest part of the enclosed laboratory he had built in the heart of his little domain.īeing outside the armored dome of Nuria proper had its risks, certainly, but it also had its rewards.

“Father, why are we encoding the lock? Faridy and her young will not be able to enter our home now.” It looked up at him with its wide, almost childlike innocence. The small android that followed him beeped in confusion. Vectir slammed the access hatch to his large estate closed, activating the helix encryption on the electronic locks to ensure that the Technocracy Coderunners would waste precious minutes to reopen it.

Requiem for immortals