Thrive in Catastrophe Chapter 88

This is a complicated topic.

Burrowing into the enemy's thoughts means you become the target of those thoughts within the subject. Having the power to construct and control the thinking of the subject requires a higher skill level than your opponent. The possibility of being killed is greater than the subject being invaded; you are also more likely to suffer from neuronal damage. Just like when Heine and Shen Bing invaded Renault, Shen Bing can no longer enter the subconscious mind of another.

For the subject, once you invade, and the barrier is breached, then you can mine information from their brain and even alter their thinking, causing chaos and damage. Such as when Xiao was. .h.i.t by the blocker and trapped himself in his own subconscious to trap the blocker from his thoughts.

Xiao raised his brow and thought deeply on the question.

General Xia looks at his serious expression and laughs out loud. "I am pleased that you didn't just give me an impulsive response."

As the formidable torture specialist sipped his coffee, Xia brought his own cup to his mouth.

"Ah! So bitter!"

Xiao has decided that he enjoys black tea much more than coffee.

"Haha." Xia is amused by Xiao's reaction and the solemnity of the moment relaxes.

"Although coffee is something I enjoy, it may not be to your tastes."

"...so it is like coffee. Everyone will react differently. With my interface rate, no one can match my speed, even the most experienced blocker. At the least, he must be as fast as I am. My brain is my territory, I can construct everything. For me, luring the enemy into my brain is the most advantageous strategy. "

Xia leaned back into his chair and looked directly into Xiao's eyes. "I cannot tell you if your ideas are correct or not. You determine your own success. I can only show you the techniques. Today I will give you your first lesson. Not how to scatter thoughts so a blocker cannot mine your brain, that information Colonel Burton has already shown you. I will teach you how to level up the construction of your thoughts, to lure one into your subconscious."

"The more rapid one is able to process, the higher their vigilance. He can easily shatter any trap I lay down!" Xiao recalls his own experience with Valentin. If Casey had not also invaded Valentin, he doubted that he would have been able to exit.

"The main thing to remember is you need to show the person what they want to see. Allow them to achieve their goal or pursuit. That is your bait. Once he gets close, he will want more. That is when you tighten the string and pull them further. A real master of thought invasion will force the enemy to sink into the illusion and destroy themselves. Once you do that, you have not only locked them in, you will have the opportunity to a.n.a.lyze and explore their mind. Our most primitive desires are not based in morality or rationality."

Xiao Yan cannot imagine what bait he needs to use, but he understands the concept of using a carrot and a stick to draw the enemy in.

"This is not enough to guide you." General Xia punctuated his statement with a clap and his officer entered the room with two terminals. "Now I will enter your mind and allow you to experience how I lure you into my brain."

Xiao Yan is startled. General Xia means to enter his brain first and then force his thoughts into him?

General Xia has tortured countless dangerous criminals, his brain must be a minefield.

"Do not worry. You are my student I won't let you die."

Xia placed the terminal on his head and Xiao took a deep breath as he sat face to face with the foremost torture specialist in the s.h.i.+re. He watched as Xia closed his eyes and completely relaxed.

The system prompt for neuron calibration sounds in his ear.

Xiao Yan sighed and calmly accepted Xia into his mind.

Xia pushed past the troposphere of Xiao's mind. Xia's thoughts were endless... infinite, he couldn't find a gap in the interminable data. Every thought was inseparable from the next. The most incredible thing to Xiao is that he cannot find any signs of Xia's interrogations here. All that is present is a limited view of his life. For example he and Ervel playing bridge, uniting to best Gordon, his adjutant making silly mistakes, the type of coffee that he prefers... on and on. It was a perfect manipulation of controlled transparency. As he invades, the flowing thoughts bring in more repet.i.tive daily memories. All vital information is hidden. Xiao Yan attempted to sift through his consciousness and a.n.a.lyze his thoughts. Xia didn't resist. As Xiao was completely immersed in separating and breaking down the information, an alarm sounded from overhead.

"Alarm! Alarm! Channel I node is compromised!"

"Alarm! Alarm! Channel J node is compromised!"

Xiao Yan's fingers tightly gripped the arms of the chair. He instantly s.h.i.+fted his focus to the terminal's surveillance system. He watched as several Level 3 zombies ran through the hall. The Special Forces outside the door struggled to fend them off. What is going on? Had the Surge been informed of his blocker training? Was there another spy in their midst?

Except...

Isn't that a little too fast? He only left the special missions headquarters an hour ago...

The General's voice suddenly boomed in his ear. "I have terminated the connection! Follow me!"

"Why? What happened!"

"Ah, we must go... what else can we do? This is the torture forces. Our combat readiness is not as strong as the special forces."

Xiao moves to slide open the door, but Xia stops him from doing so.

"I know you think that since you have the x-2 you can just rush out! But this is the torture forces, I can't allow you to put yourself at risk here. You must leave with me via the emergency pa.s.sageway."

"Heine is outside!"

Xia lifted his com to his mouth and spoke quickly into it. "Colonel we will meet you at junction A!"

"Roger that."

After hearing Heine reply, Xiao finally follows Xia into the evacuation tunnel.

Xia presses a b.u.t.ton and the floor retracts back to reveal their exit. Xiao Yan entered behind General Xia.

The moment he steps inside, his body feels weightless and the light above his head rapidly pulls away. The bottom seems endless and the rapid speed of his fall strains his body. His entire skeleton feels as though it will break apart.

He doesn't see Xia anywhere.

"Welcome to my thoughts, Major Xiao Yan."

Xia's voice echoes disturbingly amid this infinite abyss.

Xiao finally realizes what just happened. Everything he experienced was an illusion to lure Xiao into his mind. He used the zombie raid and emergency exit as bait to control the flow of his thoughts. For the first time in his life, Xiao suddenly finds the mind to be a truly terrible place. Xia had used his mundane memories to divert Xiao's attention as he constructed this reality. Now Xiao is trapped and lost. The line between his mind and Xia's seems distorted, he cannot separate the worlds.

The infinite darkness gradually disintegrates and Xiao's eyes adjust to the sudden intrusive brightness. He can smell the faint scent of coffee still lingering in the air. Was he back in the real world?

"Terminate connection, major."

Xiao Yan took a shaky breath and removed his terminal. He watched as Xia brought his mug to his mouth.

His heart jumped erratically, he can still feel the sensation of falling. The whole event was deeply carved into his mind.

"That is baiting. It is impossible to create a flawless reality in the mind of another person. You suspected something was off in everything I constructed but you didn't inspect it closely. Once you opened the door I had to be careful and create everything quickly, including Heine and the zombies. I am not familiar with Heine's combat techniques and I know little about level 3 zombies. What I created surely had many flaws and the more I create the more mistakes will occur and increase the chances of those flaws being seen. Tell me Xiao, what have you learned?"

"Your bait was the whole zombie ruse. You lured me into the trap and carefully guided me through to keep my resistance down. You did not overly construct the scenario in case something stood out and I withdrew and defeated you."

Xia nodded and smiled.

"You have done well. If it wasn't for my position you would have been more alert. Since I am your instructor you trusted me. Remember Major, everything can be a trap. If your enemy knows you well enough he can pretend to be a person that you trust, such as Colonel Burton. Of course that is just a possibility. Ah...my coffee is cold. That is enough for today. I will see you next time."

Xiao Yan glanced at his com. The display showed that he had been in Xia's office for less than 30 minutes.

"Thank you for your guidance. I will see you at the next lesson."

Xia watched Xiao leave his office. As soon as the door slid shut, his head tilted slightly and his brows furrowed in tension.

"G.o.d, another lesson? With such an interface rate...constructing a trap in your mind almost shorted out every single one of my brain cells..."

Xiao closed the door behind him and looked directly at Heine. He stood near the door, his posture straight and proud. His expression was void of any emotion but the lines of his face caught the light, haloing the beauty of his features. The liaison officer moved to say something to Xiao Yan, he watched as Xiao closed the distance between him and Heine and cupped his cheek. Xiao moved his face toward him and his mouth crashed violently against Heine's. His kiss was hard and crazed, full of frantic force.

Heine did not immediately respond. He simply parted his lips slightly as Xiao messily plundered his mouth. Then Xiao's palm fell from the side of Heine's face to wrap around his shoulders. The eagerness of his kiss faded into a more serious intimacy. Heine changed the angle of his mouth and his movements becoming more earnest. Heine moved his hand around Xiao as his tongue tangled with his. His arm tightened and wrapped Xiao up into a tight embrace.

Xiao attempted to even his breathing and before he completely pulled away from Heine, he reached up toward his cheek once more.

"I'm sorry."

"You do not have to say sorry for kissing me."

Xiao Yan let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I forgot."

"What's wrong?" Heine's hand moved to the top of Xiao's head. Just this simple gesture brings Xiao an inordinate amount of ease.

"Nothing. General Xia was showing me his outstanding blocker abilities. He succeeded in making me unable to distinguish reality from fantasy."

"So you kissed me to determine if this is the real world."

Xiao sighed. Perhaps there is no one in the world who knows him quite like Heine Burton. His love, jealousy and fear are all seen clearly by this man.

"Yes. I don't believe that anyone can re-construct the feeling of your kiss."

"Of course."

Suddenly Xiao's mood relaxed. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned his head back as he walked down the hall. Occasionally he turned his head to speak to Heine. Both his and Heine's expressions were relaxed and lighthearted...happy.

"Ah, is it so hard to leave headquarters? Do we have to go back right away?"

"You want to eat steak and red wine."

"No. I want to go to a strip club."

"You can only eat steak."

"Don't be so strict all the time. It's not like I'm interested in anyone else."

"Only steak and red wine, major. This is an order." Heine's tone was ferociously stern.

"..."

The officer watched the two walk down the hall. The Special Forces trailing behind them showed no surprise at the events. After a while the officer whispered to himself, "that man...was that really Colonel Burton?"

__________

A week later Xiao finally submitted his official x-2 formulation (calculation) to the Central Academy of Sciences. The last bit of data for the formula was submitted after his X-2 run with Maya.

After Maya successfully awoke from the X-2 a.s.similation process, the Academy began to roll out the x-2 for all special missions. Heine's troops were the first to accept the x-2 and leave the burden of the x-virus. It marked a new era of hope for the s.h.i.+re.

The military officially announced the news to the rest of the city. Although it was never revealed who the researcher was, the knowledge is well known among the Special Forces. When Xiao Yan returns to his lab he sees the wall lined with special forces commandos, all were saluting him.

Lauren, who trailed behind Xiao Yan looked on at the scene in awe. He touched his nose thoughtfully before saying, "I have not seen Major General Gordon receive such adulation. Who says that the Special Forces look down on the techs..."

General Gordon walked up at Lauren's words. "This gesture is not just because Xiao Yan developed the virus. He bridged the gap between the two troops. Our current military is more united than ever before."

Maya sauntered up and put on a dramatically exhausted expression. "The last recruitment was five times the normal amount. We are elite, we want only the best. Now, we are worn out from just sifting through them all, never mind training them..."

Lauren looked at him stunned. "Didn't you accept the x-2?"" How can you be so easily tired? Isn't there a simulated combat program? Shouldn't it be easier to train them than before?"

Gordon groaned and laughed until his stomach hurt. Maya looked over at Lauren with a helpless expression. "Hey kid, don't you get it? I am giving Xiao Yan a compliment."

Lauren grumbled. "Hmph...well I am not you. How was I supposed to know?"

Xiao laughed and waved Lauren away. "Hey kid. You still have a lot of data to look over."

Back in the lab it is clear that Lauren's attention is not on his research. He wore a terminal but his eyes were still glued to Xiao Yan. Xiao deliberately pretended to not see his pointed gaze.

It is so entertaining.

Xiao Yan feels that Lauren is just like a little pet.

Lauren sat quiet for a long time before he finally couldn't contain himself and spoke up.

"Did you know that tomorrow is the city anniversary?"

"Hn."

"You will definitely be invited to the dinner right?" Lauren's head popped up in front of him and his face was inches away from Xiao's. This is the first time he was seen Lauren act so coy.

"Hn." Xiao feigned ignorance concerning the direction of his thoughts.

"Can you take me? I heard that all the female officers wear really s.e.xy dresses to the party!"

Yup. Just as he thought. Xiao laughed to himself and looked at Lauren's expectant expression. His eyes were alight with fantasies.

"If you were a girl I could bring you as my date. But you are a man." Xiao ruffled Lauren's hair.

"...you are s.e.xist!"

"You should focus on the task at hand. The 1242 fragment is wrong."

Xiao handed Lauren's work back to him. Lauren carefully inspected it, it took him nearly an hour to find his mistake. He clutched his head and whined. "What kind of demon is this guy? He noticed such a small mistake instantly."

"You should know that with the work we are doing that small mistake is equivalent to thousands of miles."

Although Xiao's tone is mocking, his reprimand his clear. Lauren feels an inexplicable weight settle on his heart and he bowed his head in response.

See his forlorn face, Xiao couldn't help but poke at him mischievously.

"You could always ask Winn to take you."

'I don't want to go with that guy! He will slap my head and mess my hair up. Then find ways to humiliate me in front of everyone. "

Xiao Yan visualized Lauren's words and thought that sounded about right.

"Will you go with Colonel Burton?" Lauren asked suddenly.

Xiao paused. He suddenly recalled that he had never seen Heine in formal wear. With such a strong and lean frame, he would definitely be the center of attention at the dinner.

"You can't dance together anyway."

Lauren's gloating voice nearly made Xiao choke on his own saliva.

Xiao Yan's research on the x-2 has come to an end. He really needs to go all out and focus on his blocker training.

When he reached Xia's office it was obvious that his smile was somewhat forced.

"Major, are you here for afternoon tea?"

Xiao grinned and sat down in front of the General. "You have not yet taught me how to successfully kill someone after I have lured them into my brain."

"It is similar to baiting the enemy. Put them in a place where they are boxed in. Finish them before your opponent realizes they are trapped." Xia's gestured toward Xiao.

"In fact, if you remember, Colonel Burton did this to you."

Xiao sat stunned for a moment as he remembered Heine trapping him in his thoughts. He was invaded and Heine had forced him to withdraw by...

Xiao took a deep breath and looked up at Xia. "When I use my own thoughts to trap someone I must make them believe it is all real."

"Either that or make it something they desperately want to be true. Then they will sink into it themselves."

Xiao thought very seriously on this matter. "I don't suppose you will let me invade your brain for a demonstration?"

"Haha." Xia smiled and pointed at Xiao's head. "Don't even think about it. I have already chosen a suitable sparring partner for you."

"Who?"

Xia raise his wrist and spoke into his com, "Colonel Burton, please come in."

Xiao Yan looked over in surprise but quickly recovered a placid expression.

"Major, remember what I have told you. The point is to create a situation where once the other person is trapped, they are not aware or desperate to engage in the fantasy. That is how you win."

Xiao takes a deep breath. Creating a lie that won't be discovered or create a situation they want to stay in? This is not an easy task, especially when his opponent is Heine Burton.

Heine walked over to Xiao Yan and put on the terminal.

"In order to save some time Colonel Burton will start in your troposphere. I am quite curious to know if you have the ability to trap Colonel Burton."

Xiao Yan closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind. This is not the first time Heine has entered his brain. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Remember everything...and trap Heine Burton.

Lure him...trap him...how should I do it?

Heine moved past the outer edge of his thoughts and entered Xiao's troposphere.

Fragments of data and memories rush forward.

He brushed past all of this, slipping a certain image into Xiao's memories and they entered another reality.

He and Heine were sitting in a fancy restaurant eating steak. Xiao clearly remembers the eatery. Heine has reserved the entire place and several Special Forces have left the headquarters to guard the restaurant. They are the only patrons. Cla.s.sical music gradually gains volume and soaks into the s.p.a.ce to wrap around the two diners.

"Hey did you construct this from my mind?" Xiao leaned back and looked at Heine impatiently. The steak in front of him was the same, even the small sounds of gla.s.s clinking as Heine poured the wine are the same. Nothing is different.

Xiao begins to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

As he looked up, he saw Heine's eyes s.h.i.+ft downward, he knew that the scenery was where he would misstep.

Before he knew it the special forces guarding the restaurant disappeared and the world s.h.i.+fted into a state of calm. Xiao glanced out the window to see the night scape of the s.h.i.+re. The brilliance of the false sky gave him a sense that the city was floating and undulating along with the melody and mood.

Heine moved to stand behind Xiao Yan. He arms snake around him and he cuts Xiao's steak into small pieces for him.

Xiao Yan looked down at Heine's long lean fingers. Each movement is powerful and precise. He couldn't help but admire the strength and dominance of those hands.

"Eat."

Heine's voice sounds from atop his head and the red wine in front of Xiao seemed swirl around the gla.s.s in response to the deep timbre of his voice.

He delivered the first bite of beef into his mouth. He was so entranced by Heine that he didn't even register its existence or taste. Every bit of his focus is wrapped around Heine. Heine's lips brush the top of his head and slide down to nip at his neck. Xiao grabbed his wine and swallowed the smooth red drink. Heine leaned over him and dusted kisses along the side of his neck. Xiao shrugs his shoulders. He knows that this feeling is created by Heine since he has been invaded by him many times before...still Xiao finds his resistance is weak and half hearted.

***********Xiao v. Heine! That is entertaining. I hope that this is the right chapter, I have been so scattered...and acting like a rabid hamster. I just dig around, make a mess and move things from room to room. I don't think I am accomplis.h.i.+ng anything.

Um...Happy Holidays...I will try to get the next chapter up soon.

Also I posted the link to my paypal on the last chapter but it somehow disappeared. I have no idea what happened. Maybe it was me? I'll put it at the end and see. I don't know.  I have been so overwhelmed that my brain either runs around in terrifying circles or just shuts down completely. Both equal paralysis. Anyone have packing tips for emptying a house and not knowing where you will end up? I'm sorry to keep freaking out on everyone...the holidays have made this infinitely harder too-- for so many reasons. Most companies don't go over resumes/hire during this time, still no rentals ...what's going to happen... Oh.. What if this...What if that....forget celebrating anything...

I will stop with this. I am sorry. I will stop pestering everyone. I know patience runs thin with this kind of stuff.

Did I thank everyone last time for their kind remarks and advice? I hope so. I really did appreciate every word.

Uummm...the paypal...I think maybe it is best to treat it as a tip jar. I put the link on my profile page and here (maybe). If you feel so inclined, it is very appreciated. Very very...

I'll put it here too :