Space Odyssey: Spectre-Chapter 467: The Flaw

Click!

The revolver clicked for the third time as Mountain Man’s breath hitched in his throat. It was only the second time but still... This situation was putting a strain on his heart. He quickly set down the revolver on the table and pushed across to Jace.

Jace picked it up with a smile and brought it up to his temple before pulling the trigger again.

Click!

"Looks like it is down to the last two shots. Do you want to take the risk?" Jace asked as he slid the revolver back over.

Mountain Man picked up the revolver as thoughts ran through his mind. Then he thought of something. "Why are you doing this? You could just take the information you want by force. You could even torture the information out of me." Mountain Man pointed out as he shakily held the revolver.

"Hmm... I wonder why... I suppose it is because I enjoy the thrill. Maybe I enjoy wasting other people’s time. I could also..." Jace looked Mountain Man right in the eyes. "I just really enjoy torturing people so much that I get a sadistic pleasure out of a little man struggling to not piss himself in terror. Now are you going to shoot yourself?" Jace asked with a sinister grin that only widened.

Mountain Man was frozen in terror. This could be the bullet that would do him in. The final bet of his life. All because this man in a spiffy suit decided he could play games.

He looked at the gun for another moment before he looked at Jace and pointed the gun at him. Jace raised an eyebrow and gave a crooked grin. "You fucking piece of shit." Mountain Man growled out as he pulled the trigger. If he was going to die, he decided he was going to take this person with him.

Pulling that trigger felt like several heartbeats as the hammer of the revolver slammed down with a spark. He could almost feel the explosion in his hand. But then he heard it.

Click! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

It was the only thing he could hear. He could see the man laughing in the background, the fire crackling in a nearby fireplace. He also knew that there was chuckling in the tavern as well. But they were all foggy and soundless. The revolver was the only thing he could see while he could hear the click echoing in his mind.

Mountain Man looked at the man again and pointed the gun at his chest and pulled the trigger again. It felt much lighter this time when he did it.

BANG!

The bullet rocketed from the gun and slammed into the man’s chest before going through him. He fell backwards as a burst of blood spewed from his back. Mountain Man could feel the silence and the stares of disbelief.

"Ha..." He chuckled slightly before throwing his head back and bursting into laughter. "Hahahaha! You are fucking trash! I may die! But I am glad I took you with me! Hahahaha!"

He then felt a chill down his spine as he heard a female voice behind him sigh in exasperation. "You moron."

—------------------------

Dahlia frowned. "What do you mean by saying it like that?"

Fenrir shrugged, "Did you not think for a moment after hearing about something like that we would have found a way to reward him? He saved you but that was not all he did." Fenrir pointed out.

"I... am not following." Dahlia shook her head slightly.

"I think I am." The High Priestess sighed. "Although I have an advantage by having access to medical and psychological reports."

"Jace did not do what he did to save you. He did it so he would have an opportunity to kill someone. He had already badly injured three people previously when he did that. Of course the police had no proof that he was at fault and there were always witnesses saying he defended himself. But it was still a pattern." Fenrir began explaining as she set her glass on her desk.

"So Jace... is psychotic? Why would you give someone like that so much freedom?" Dahlia asked in confusion, her face already flushed from the alcohol.

"Because..." Fenrir looked at the High Priestess and then at Dahlia. "We realized early on what he was doing. Because we had, we decided to utilize him. How much do you know about the nanosystem?"

"Why are you getting side tracked?" Dahlia scoffed and shook her head in confusion.

Fenrir waved her hand. "Just... answer the question."

"I know that it controls the nanobots in most nanohumans bodies. It gives us that display interface thing. That the more we workout and put in the effort we put in the more our bodies will develop and advance." Dahlia waved her hand. "Just like everyone else knows."

Fenrir nodded her head, "yes you are right. Those are the most common attributes that everyone knows. But..." She swallowed loudly. "What people do not know is that the system is flawed, severely flawed. At least we do not believe it was an intentional aspect of the nanosystem."

"There is a flaw in the nanosystem, why was this not disclosed?" The High Priestess immediately demanded. "Your people assured us that it was safe for all species."

"The system still remains to be safe for all species." Fenrir quickly assured her as a look of terror crossed her face. That momentary lapse worried even Dahlia. "But while the flaw was not intentional it was something that was exploited by a group of people. Of which, it appears Jace is descended from."

"How could a flaw go unknown for so long?" The High Priestess asked.

"Because we made sure to hide it and kill anyone who discovered the secret. Only four people currently alive know this secret. One is myself. Another is my husband, your biological father." Fenrir nodded at Dahlia. "The third is your adoptive father, Admiral Dakota. Then the last is-"

"Jace." Dahlia finished. "You are dancing around telling us what the flaw is."

"The system’s flaw is that you can actually grow or boost the amount of nanobots in your bloodstream." Fenrir told them with a sigh and saw a look of confusion. "The more nanobots in your bloodstream the less chance of a critical injury actually being dangerous or life threatening. It is like an invisible variable that can only be measured by how quickly the health stat grows."

Dahlia frowned, "How can you increase the nanobots?"

"By killing or being at the point of death when another person with nanobots in their blood dies. The first ancient family to discover this called it ’bathing in blood’ as a nickname." Fenrir informed them and Dahlia saw a flash of the trauma from her past when Jace was killed and her would-be assaulter with a piece of mirror. He was covered in blood and smiling madly.

Dahlia leaned back in her chair as her mind ran through a bunch of other information that she knew about Jace. He lived in the slums and always talked about it during their training. Telling them how much he was exposed to death and how he became good at torturing people to survive. The amount of dead he was near or killed before he entered the academy would have been many.

"I can see why you would kill to keep this a secret. I will make sure that the secret is continued to be buried." The High Priestess voice pulled Dahlia out of her thoughts and she looked over.

Fenrir nodded. "Thank you." She then looked at Dahlia. "So you see Dahlia, Jace did not save you. He was just using you as an excuse to grow. Even that young, he was able to think several years ahead. Just so he could grow into what he is now. A monster that we can only contain by letting him continue to kill at his leisure."

"He truly puts perspective into the name Spectre." The High Priestess pointed out.

"As a Spectre myself, I know just how difficult it is to kill one of us. But Jace has an advantage over the rest of us." Dahlia breathed out before downing the rest of her whiskey before thinking of something. "That ancient family, who were they?"

"You mean the first one?" Fenrir asked and Dahlia nodded in response. "It was the first people who discovered nanosystem and was at the center when it was spread out through several systems. They also had so many things wrong with them. They were considered witches or warlocks at some point. After the system that belief only became stronger. They are also Jace’s ancestors."

"How have I not heard about them?" Dahlia asked.

"Oh you have. But they were all mad. At some point their minds collapsed and madness set in. They were obsessed with growing their control over the system. Sometimes even calling themselves the chosen avatars of the system." Fenrir explained.

"Jace is a descendent of this family? How was he not being watched?" Dahlia asked.

Fenrir chuckled at that and waved her hand in dismissal. "He was the Oda Empire and has been watching him since his mother left him at the orphanage and disappeared. Jace has been under their observation for years. The only reason they have not approached him to kill him now after everything is because of the Spectre name. They know that killing the undead is impossible."