He knew from the moment of his birth what his death would be and now it is at hand. Sixteen years of martial upbringing, gene tailoring, and chemical enhancement, all for these twenty seven seconds. Dropping from orbit into hell, a mess of alien jungle on an unnamed planet. He’ll live and fight for less then half a minute then die. It’s been determined in the great calculus of the Athena Machine that this is his purpose, one of a billion lives needed to ensure humanity’s continued existence. Thee fire is bright, the monsters are terrible, and he anticipates the moment. But it doesn’t come. He survives and wonders, now, if he has doomed everyone else.
Paddy Dobson
6th February 2024