The Spider Queen

(Planet Cthelen- Hive City)

(Subsection Alpha Quadrant- Control Room)

The control room was a massive chamber that was illuminated by a dim, bluish light coming from the numerous screens that were hung on the walls.

The walls themselves were reinforced steel panels that were accentuated with a layer of circuitry that was embedded into the metallic surface.

Each screen showed a projection that was constantly being updated with data streams, footage from surveillance drones and analysis done by both humans and AI units.

It may seem disorganized to the untrained eye but to the men and women working in this room, there was a method to the madness.

Each individual was stationed near a console that was covered in a wide array of buttons, switches and touchscreens that allowed them to manipulate the footage and request more information.

In addition to the screens, it was a common sight to see holographic projections float in the air above each station with an AI companion gesturing at a certain object on the screen.

The beating heart of the control room was the raised central platform where one man oversaw the chaos with a steadfast expression.

All the modified data was streamed directly to the screen in front of him and despite the overwhelming amount of information, the man did not even seem remotely flustered.

His name was Professor Percival Blackthorn and he had been assigned to this position by the committee in charge of overseeing the succession ceremony.

He stood tall at six feet with dark black hair that was pulled back into a single ponytail. He wore a simple white shirt and a pair of navy-blue pants.

His eyes had been augmented with cybernetic implants that allowed him to access the internal Virtual Network remotely and a chip had been implanted into his brain.

This chip served two purposes.

The first was that it allowed him to act more efficiently and connect more easily to the systems.

And the second was to ensure his obedience by modifying and causing certain docile chemicals to secrete in his brain.

"Two thousand are dead already," Professor Blackthorn muttered quietly to himself as his fingers danced along the edge of the console in front of him.

The first day of the succession ceremony had been a complete bloodbath. The fatality rate was hovering near ninety percent.

A number that was far higher than in the years of the previous tournaments.

Professor Blackthorn attributed that fact to the sheer number of imperial offsprings that had been sired by the late Emperor Sisrelis.

The late emperor had done little to stop the competition and backstabbing among his children as he was too preoccupied by indulging in pleasures of the flesh.

As a result… his children grew to hate each other.

Now this was the inevitable outcome of his negligence.

Professor Blackthorn tapped one of the screens in front of him and footage of arena number fifty-seven appeared.

Two young men rolled ungracefully on the floor while holding sharp jagged knives and plunging the blades into their bodies.

They appeared to be evenly matched, and each prince viciously stabbed and carved apart the flesh of his opponent.

There were no fighting or cultivation techniques employed by either party. It was just a savage display of primal violence and hatred.

Professor Blackthorn hummed quietly under his breath and moved on to the next screen.

This screen showed the list of candidates that had won their fight and advanced to the second day of the tournament.

There were several noteworthy figures on that list.

Princess Amara the 'Witch of Temptation', Prince Henry the 'Golden Child', Princess Eleanor the 'Dragon's Heart' and many others who earned their nicknames after decades of battle.

And of course, there was one name on the list that stood out.

Prince Theseus.

The crown prince.

He had faced off against an opponent in the qi tide stage during the first round of the tournament and it had hardly been a fight.

The prince knocked out his half-sibling with a clean blow to the temple using the back of his sword and then left the arena without killing his fallen opponent.

It was a display of both arrogance and kindness in equal measure. It sent out a message that the prince did not need to kill his siblings because they were not a threat.

A cold and calculating move.

Still… that was none of the professor's business. He was only in charge of recording and archiving footage from the fights for storage purposes.

Suddenly a loud noise interrupted the quiet atmosphere. Professor Blackthorn turned in the direction of the sound and his body froze up in fear.

The doors swung open, and a figure slowly stepped into the room with slowly purposeful steps as if intentionally announcing his presence.

His body was covered in a heavy black robe that concealed most of his features save for his hands that were covered in bio-mechanical parts.

His presence along was enough to send a cold chill down the spines of everyone in the room and no dared to even make a single sound.

All eyes turned in the direction of the figure, but no one could look at him directly for too long before the alarm bells in their minds started to ring.

It was like standing in the presence of an apex predator and you were nothing more than a soft and fragile prey.

Agent 417.

One of the many supervisors assigned to this control room who was in charge of monitoring the workers responsible for recording the events that occurred in the hive city.

He was a genetically modified human with an above- average intelligence and a certain amount of free will which allowed him to make decisions to the benefit of the collective.

"Fighting pit three hundred and ten should be a tundra-like environment," Agent 417 coldly spoke as he strode up to one of the workers and lightly tapped the side of her desk.

"Explain to me why it is currently a desert…"

The female worker trembled under the enormous wave of pressure that washed over her body.

She tried to speak but the cold inhuman eyes of the supervisor staring directly at her with an expression of displeasure made her face turn white with fear.

"Sir… that is not… I… that is another department… I…" the female worker stuttered nervously as the supervisor continued to look at her with no emotion in his gaze.

"If there is an issue… Why did you not send a message to the environment team in charge of that fighting pit?" Agent 417 coldly asked with his voice no louder than a whisper.

"All anomalies are to be recorded and a report must be sent to the appropriate departments to get the problem resolved as soon as possible."

"Do you understand?"

Agent 417's voice held the barest hint of a warning as he leaned closer and rested his right hand on the female worker's shoulder.

She trembled violently as goosebumps appeared on her arms and she had to fight the urge to get out of her chair and run.

The agent remained in place for a few more seconds before removing his hand and walking around the room.

He did not say a word as he inspected the desk and workstation of every worker in the control room and glanced at the information on the holographic projections.

Professor Blackthorn scowled but continued to work while trying his best not to pay attention to the agent.

He tapped one of the screens and a new piece of footage arrived. It showed the scene of what appeared to be a six-year-old girl standing silently in the middle of a murky swamp.

The child sat down in the swamp and cried loudly as the dirty water stained the edges of the pretty white dress that she wore.

Wait… what?

Professor Blackthorn's eyes widened since children were not allowed to join the succession ceremony for obvious reasons.

Who was that?