Harmony X - Chapter 1 Noc X1

Blood red cumulus loomed over a warning sky. Another downpour of acid rain would hit the base within t-minus 40 minutes. Viena had prepared the human stronghold well before the reading on her scans. Her human instincts was able to alert her to the pending trouble and confirm it on the meteorological satellite systems; seeing to human life being safe and snug under cover.

She continued to observe for patterns of threat from the sluggish blimps on her satellite retina scans. There were no abnormalities on the land mass beyond the man-made island that made up the human refuge base. Sea waters surrounding them were thus far free from shadow vein activity.

Viena wondered if it was her human paranoia that saw ghost readings on her scans an hour earlier; abnormal blimp activity within the sea’s depths, which was visible for a fraction of a minute. No. Shadow vein ambush attacks were known to be sporadic and sometimes striking at an unpredictable time. She had miscalculated on a similar reading once, which eventuated to a cost of human lives. She wasn’t prepared to repeat that mistake. Human life was precious. It was her duty to protect the few that assumed normality on the island base that became their world.

She reorganized a small cluster of the mechanical eco-drones around the area she had detected the ghost readings. The small crab like drones would be able to deal with any threats and allow her time to make some counter measures should matter become worse.

Feeling satisfied that would cover one looming threat, she continued her scans for more and was relived no other out of pattern movements were detected. The bases’ drones continued to fend off approaching threats or wait, inconspicuously, around the island and on the lands beyond.

She heard the door whoosh open behind her. Her surveillance scans detected a figure enter the white-wash server cell, which she sat crossed-leg on a platform in the room’s center. Well, even without her surveillance system, she would’ve detected his presence. Colin’s outline and movements was a familiar reading on her bio-scans.

“Viena. You’ve been logged in for hours now. Even an OCP needs to recuperate.”

Viena released her tension with a sigh and faced her lover. She noted a slight tension to his jaw and a forced strain to his extraocular muscles.

“I can say the same thing for yourself Colin. Your levator palpebrae superioris appears it’s about to spasm from insomnia. I see you have not taken my advice for allocating eight hours of downtime,” Viena sighed.

Colin chuckled at Viena’s clinical way of speaking. Of course, he wouldn’t expect her to respond in any other way. Her manner of speaking was the same as on the day she fought her way into his life, almost a year ago, and had saved him from being transformed into a shadow vein. Back then she responded to his gratitude nonchalantly as if saving him was justifying an order. It was the moment he fell in love with her. He blindly followed her directives that saw to his continued humanity. Of course, except for when she ordered him to sleep on his own.

“You know I find it difficult to go into downtime mode when you’re not next to me,” Colin pouted.

Viena kept her face expressionless.

“For a twenty five year old male, I’m surprised you are still able to act in a manner befitting a child.

for visiting.

“Only when I’m around you,” Colin teased and gently wrapped his arms around her.

Viena blocked him from further contact.

“I’m still logged into HarmonyX Base’s systems as a primary server. Will you not wait for my return to the van?” Viena asked with an inexpressive tone to her voice.

“Understood. I came to remind you to take a break. So wrap it up and set the surveillance to standby mode already. I want to share my downtime with you,” Colin said with a cheeky grin and sexual innuendo.

“Allow 15 minutes for primary systems transfer to NOC-X1. Then I’m all yours.”

Colin detected the interest behind Viena’s monotone voice. He suppressed the urge to touch more of her and reluctantly released her waist. He headed for the cell door, which whooshed open upon detection of his form.

“I’ll wait for you,” he affirmed and stepped over the threshold.

The door snapped closed, removing his presence from her scans. Viena braved another sigh before resuming her inhuman state of mind and the preparations of transferring the base’s primary systems to the non-organic computer server cluster identified as NOC-X1.