Chapter 19: Synthetic Prima part-2
The silence stretched.
One of the board representatives finally spoke, cautious yet impatient."So," he said, gesturing toward the screen where the man floated inside the glass tank, "what exactly is the role of that subject?"
Rose didn’t turn to look at the screen.
Her gaze remained fixed on them—like a vengeful wolf whose prey had been snatched from her jaws. Whatever her reasons, her answer ca slowly.
"That," she said, spreading her arms theatrically, "is the answer to a question you have been funding for decades."
A pause followed.
It was irritating. The researcher was a consummate drama queen, milking every mont for presence and aura. Had she not chosen science, she might have thrived as an actor. But they knew better than to rush her—she would never reveal the core so easily.
"You demanded resurrection," she continued."And you demanded supremacy."
She raised her hand. The screen shifted—schematics, tilines, and classified headers flashing in rapid succession.
"Project Phoenix," she said. "Resurrection from death. The experint has passed through countless phases—failures, corrections, refinents. At present, we are investigating the feasibility of preserving and transplanting human mory from deceased specins into cloned bodies. We will discuss its finer points later."
Another gesture.
"The Super Soldier Initiative. A concept once dismissed as fiction. Enhanced physiology, accelerated cognition, absolute battlefield dominance. We have already provided drugs that mimic these traits—temporarily and imperfectly. What we seek now is adaptability. A human body that can be weaponized for sustained warfare."
Murmurs of approval rippled through the chamber.
"These projects were conducted in parallel for efficiency," she went on. "In reality, they bled resources while chasing separate ends."
She folded her hands.
"So I propose we rge them."
The words settled heavily in the air.
"Project X," she said."One subject. One process. One outco."
This ti, the murmurs were unmistakably excited.
A sponsor leaned forward."You’re suggesting resurrection and enhancent—together?"
"Yes," Rose replied smoothly. "With reduced redundancy."
Then she tilted her head.
"However," she added, "despite the size of your cumulative investnt, the actual annual allocation is... negligible."
The room stiffened.They all knew what was coming.
She didn’t hesitate.
"To achieve satisfactory results," she said calmly, "we require a tenfold increase."
The backlash was imdiate.
"That’s absurd—"
"You’re asking for blind escalation—"
"Even Synthetica Prima doesn’t—"
"Before you decide," she interrupted, voice steady,"I suggest you watch."
She spoke a single na.
"Alex."
In the operating chamber, a duplicate of the AI stepped into view. Scientists moved imdiately, parting as a stretcher was wheeled forward.
On it lay a corpse.
It was male—one eye scarred, a muscular fra, his body covered in a white sheet.
The mont the cara focused on the face, the general stood up abruptly.
"What’s the aning of this?" he demanded, his voice low but shaking. "That body was cleared for burial."
The professor turned toward him.
"And yet here it is," she said slyly. "Weren’t you searching for the man who killed your favorite ace?"
Marcus flared as he turned toward the center.
"Julius, I won’t tolerate this. No matter how valuable she is to the organization, I won’t allow my fallen n to be desecrated. What precedent does this set?"
Julius looked at him and waved a hand, signaling him to sit.
"Relax, Marcus. The presentation isn’t over yet. Let her finish what she wants to say."
Marcus huffed and sat back down.
Rose gave a sly smile and gestured toward the glass tank behind her, where the living subject floated.
"I present to you the clone of Riku Higashi," she said. "Also known as the infamous Phantom. The one responsible for dismantling your facilities. Slaughtering your operatives. The nightmare that cost this organization dearly—and of course, the killer of that dead weight."
Her tone shifted, filled with the dramatic grief of a lover.
"As for the real body... it died before it could have the chance to beco my specin."
A tear might have escaped during her performance, but none of that mattered. The revelation of his presence—and his death—struck the eting hall like thunder.
The general’s face hardened instantly at the ntion of that cursed na.
"...Phantom."
A wave of murmurs erupted.
"Impossible, he killed—"
"Didn’t he died years ago—"
"Wait! He actually died?"
"He was never identified—"
The professor nodded once.
"Yes," she said simply with a half amused smirk, returning to her professional tone."He’s dead. And we will be using his clone."
It was a covert operation and its details were not to be made public even to their sponsors until the head decides. Since many were kept in the dark which ans it was the leader’s choice, so no one tried to dig around the matter anymore. And only sighed as the outcos is what made them pleased.
She deliberately paused to let the outco sink in.
The general’s composure fractured.
"Then why is he here?" he demanded. "Why isn’t he in the ground where he belongs?"
He was furious—not out of cruelty, but because his thoughts were with a forr subordinate, a friend, who had been butchered by this demon and was now being dragged back for so god-knows-what injustice.
Before she could answer—
The hologram seated at the center chair moved.
"Enough," said the leader of Synthetica Prima, Julius.
The room fell silent instantly.
He looked at the professor.
"Stick to the agenda. You are wasting our precious ti with your gas."
She scoffed, rolled her eyes slightly, adjusted her spectacles, and continued.
"Of course."
She turned back toward the operating chamber.
"Harvest the neural chip."
A flicker of hesitation passed across several faces.
The European businessman leaned back.
"The chip’s function is enhancent and deterrence," he said. "Post-mortem extraction was never disclosed."
"Because it wasn’t ant to be earlier," Julius interrupted firmly."Proceed."
It was clear that whatever was about to be executed had already been briefed to him beforehand. With his permission already granted, any further doubt or complaint would be unwise.
In the operating chamber, a surgical drill descended.
Bone cracked. Blood spilled. Gray matter surfaced. No one looked away—everyone present had their own share of blood on their hands.
The chip was extracted, placed into a cartridge-like cassette, and inserted into a towering computational core.
The screen lit up.
A life unfolded in accelerated fragnts—mories of implantation, training, missions, and victories.
Then it slowed.
A corridor appeared, engulfed in flas.
A brutal blade fight followed. Steel flashed. And in the final fra, a face twisted with rage appeared, thrusting the blade forward—before everything faded into darkness.
The room was stunned by the death scene. Many instinctively compared the face to the one still lying unconscious in the glass tank.
They were identical.
Sweat traced down the Stinger Corps leader’s temple.
For the first ti, everyone understood.
Their minds were not rely enhanced.
They were owned.
The professor stepped forward once more.
"For decades," she said, "we chased immortality through mory... or resurrection through flesh."
She reached into her coat and removed a small glass tube closed, the size of a vial.
Inside it, a tentacle-like organism writhed, its delicate tendrils dissolving into the fluid.
"This," she said,"was discovered beneath Arctic ice."
Julius’s expression twitched.
"Technology preserves mory," the professor continued softly."But biology..."
She lifted the tube.
"Transfers consciousness."
The room erupted.
"Wait—does this an we’re about to witness consciousness transfer?"
"Holy hell... so the dead soldier will be revived in that jerk’s body?"
"Doesn’t that an we won’t lose anyone precious anymore?"
"Damn it, Rose, you really pulled big this ti."
And for the first ti since the eting began—
Even Augustus joined in. "Now I see why you didn’t object, Julius."
Marcus nodded. "Well, if he can be revived... then I suppose it’s acceptable."
Julius smiled faintly."Indeed. Interesting..."
It was a massive leap in their research.
And for the first ti—
Even the gods in the chamber had lost control.
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AuthorNotes:
Great news, everyone! This novel crossed its first 50 power stones within the first ti, and that too in the first week. This is a very significant milestone, and I would like to appreciate your support and love so far. That’s why I have decided to start a weekly event so that your efforts don’t get slide. In the coming week, whoever gets the maximum votes will have their na ntioned, and the bonus Chapter will be dedicated to them. This is a one ti event as the targets and conditions may change for next ti. I hope to get your continued support. Have a good day, guys.
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