*
Slightly more than an hour later, nothing had changed. The silence had begun to feel heavy, and it weighed down on Kingston’s aching shoulders. With Alza still several minutes ahead, and Barsch unapproachable, it was up to Kingston to lift the veil of noiselessness. However, as he opened his mouth to speak, it was Maloch who beat him to it.
“Kingston, can I have a moment of your time?”
Kingston, his auto-piloted feet still carrying him forward, could only nod in affirmation.
“There is something I have been meaning to ask you, but I'm afraid I have not found the right time, until now, that is.”
Another nod from Kingston.
“Very well. You see, some time ago, when I was in the process of accessing Guardian's databank, I found a term that was unfamiliar to me. And from what I could gleam from its corresponding data, it had something to do with the application of advanced scientific technologies. And so I immediately thought of asking you, seeing as you have quite an extensive background involving such technologies.”
Kingston thought that he already knew where Maloch was heading, but he had to hear the re-mech say it aloud. “So, what was the term?”
“Project Seraphim.”
Without meaning to, Kingston drew in a large breath. He had thought he would never hear those words again, and to hear them coming from a re-mech only added to his surprise. A dozen lies raced through his mind, before the truth blind-sided him and escaped his lips. “I know of it... Well, I mean, just the basics really. Um, let's see... Project Seraphim was one of the Larkhesis plans.”
“I know of those. They were a set of anti-pollution counter-measures, were they not?”
“Indeed. Although the only one that succeeded was the Cryogenesis project, which is responsible for Barsch's current predicament. Anyway, the Larkhesis plans all had one thing in common: a way to ensure the continued existence of the human race. Project Seraphim, if my memory serves me correctly, focused mainly on genetic manipulation.”
“To what end?”
“Well, back before things got really bad, there were a few people who believed that instead of removing the pollution, we should have embraced the opportunity to further our evolution. Using the pollution as a means to an end, the scientists in charge of the project sought to alter our DNA; in order to make us more resilient to the devastating effects of the pollution. And, at the same time, they were trying to enhance other aspects of our physiology. Although the details I have are sparse and comprising mostly of rumours, a few terms crop up again and again. Things like accelerated healing, heightened senses and improvements in mental capacity were said to be common side-effects of the treatments.”
“Accelerated healing? Is that not similar to what we observed in Barsch, when he was injured? Is it not possible that he was one of the subjects in Project Seraphim?”
Kingston did not even need to consider the re-mech's suggestion. Immediately, he replied, “No... no, I don't think that that's possible. For starters, Project Seraphim ended after only two years of human trials, right after the fall of Pure. Even if Barsch had been entered into the program at the youngest possible age -which would have been illegal, mind you- the time difference is simply too great. And besides, Project Seraphim was shut down immediately after the Zeta Incident, right after the U.N.O.E banned all genetic experimentation and human alterations. So no, I don't think that Barsch has been... altered... in any way. If he heals quicker than most, then it's probably nothing more than a combination of youthful vigour and good genes.”
“I see. I guess I was mistaken.” However, Maloch had the creeping suspicion that Kingston was once more hiding something from him. From what he knew of the Larkhesis plans, they had been top-secret, at a level where even mentioning them could lead to life imprisonment, or permanent exile. And here Kingston was calmly revealing detailed knowledge on the plans, including their goals and methods. Whoever he really was, Kingston was not a man to be taken lightly. Maloch knew that Kingston was dangerous in his own way, but he had not yet decided if he was an ally... or a threat.
Kingston took the re-mech's apology, though he did not truly see why he need apologize at all. For the next few hours, he exchanged a few words with the re-mech, but they were mostly hollow, empty words, that existed only to keep one's mind busy. Around them, the surroundings varied little, as the tunnel wound and twisted through the rock. They had passed several side-tunnels and bifurcations in the path, but Alza had never once wavered. Without even looking, she would pick one, and continue her tireless trek. She exuded confidence in her every choice, making it hard for Kingston to question her about her decisions.
It was hard to tell exactly how much time had passed, given that everything looked alike. The shimmering walls studded with ç'aether did not help either, as their endless pulsing patterns brought on a trance like state. Kingston observed it to be somewhat like hypnotism, which he had once experienced first-hand as the result of a back-fired childhood prank. And so, without a means to accurately tell how much time had passed, it became harder to gauge how far they had come. Although Kingston's aching muscles told him that they had been walking for at least several hours, his stiffening joints and creaking bones failed to keep an accurate count.
Awakening Page 190