Fic: The Kirillov Project (2/?)
Title: The Kirillov Project
Authors: laeglass and miss_somersault
Pairing: VM/OB
Rating: NC-17 overall
Warnings: AU, dark themes, violence, language, angst (but hey, it’s from laeglass and miss_somersault - how bad can it get? ;-) )
Disclaimer: This is not true, has never been and never will be. We, the authors of this story, are in no manner associated with either Mr. Bloom or Mr. Mortensen. An idea is borrowed from a movie by Cinema ’84, but everything else is the product of our imagination.
A/N: All fiction entries will be posted on our personal LJ’s as well as several fiction comms. However, by joining the Kirillov Project fic comm kirillovproject you will gain access to all the additional stuff that is posted exclusively on this community.
Beta: tularia *hugs*
Summary: How far would you go to save your world?
Prologue, Chapter One
banner made by mesnica :)
Chapter 2
Snuggling closer to the warm body next to him, Orlando moaned softly in his sleep. Viggo smiled slightly and couldn’t keep his hands from stroking the boy’s dark curls. He knew they would have to get up soon enough, but he would give Orlando the few extra minutes of sleep. He would need them.
Orlando sighed and leaned his full weight against the warm, solid body beside him. The man smelled wonderfully of musk and sweat, and subconsciously Orlando pressed closer, seeking to increase the contact between them.
Watching the young man, and moreover feeling the young body so close to him, evoked several reactions in Viggo he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with yet. His jaw firmly set, the older man tried to disentangle himself from Orlando. He hadn’t expected to have these feelings for the boy. Protectiveness toward Orlando wasn’t much of a surprise for him, but the tenderness he now felt when the boy was in his arms and the jealousy from the previous night were really something he hadn’t thought he would feel.
He had thought the feelings for his lover at home would prevent him from anything more than physical attraction and protectiveness. He had thought he had prepared himself, but then... how exactly could you prepare for such a thing as this?
Sighing, Viggo shook Orlando gently, only to find out that the boy was a very sound sleeper and very hard to wake up. “Orlando,” he said softly. “It’s already morning. Time to wake up.”
When the young man stirred, his hands brushed over very sensitive parts of Viggo’s anatomy and the older man grimaced. But as Orlando still was half asleep he didn’t seem to have noticed. The young man’s long eyelashes fluttered and for a moment he looked confused at Viggo. “Wha…” He blinked a few time and then everything fell into place. The club, the men, the escape, the night spent under the boat.
Up close the man he had followed from the club was even more handsome, Orlando couldn’t help noticing. A small smile tugged at his lips as he realised that the older man looked really uncomfortable being so close to him. Flirtatiously Orlando fluttered his eyelashes a little bit more and bit his lips to suppress a small grin as Viggo’s gaze fastened on his. ‘Bingo,’ he thought happily. On a bright sunny morning like this one yesterday evening’s happenings felt like a bad dream, and Orlando already felt a bit foolish for having been so scared out of his wits. That guy at the bar had probably just been some regular weirdo, and his overactive imagination had made up all the rest.
So, feeling decidedly better, Orlando was in his regular state of horniness again. And his rescuer had scared away Robert after all. The least he could do was give him some ... replacement action. Cheekily, Orlando grinned at the older man and purred, “You’re one of the early risers, hm?”
To emphasize his words he sneaked his hand between their bodies and squeezed the definite bulge between Viggo’s legs, his dark eyes widening as he regarded the size of the thing. “Oh yeah, definitely an early riser,” he murmured, testing the hardness and length of Viggo’s cock in his hand.
But he hadn’t counted with the other man’s reaction. Anger flared up in Viggo’s eyes and he immediately slapped Orlando’s hand away, standing up briskly. “You still don’t get it, do you?” he asked torn between disbelief and anger. “I’m not here just for fun. Hell, you’re not here just for fun! This isn’t a goddamn school excursion, for fuck’s sake! Now, get a grip and come on. We have to go.”
Orlando looked up at him in shock. There was no denying that Viggo wanted him; he had felt the proof. “What are you so scared of?” he asked, his own anger slowly rising. “What’s wrong with a little bit of shared intimacy?”
He stood up, too, and winced as his back spasmed, turning so that Viggo wouldn’t see his pained expression. He didn’t want the man’s pity; for all he cared the man could go and fuck himself. He was sick and tired of hearing these demands and accusations from the other man.
“Hey, wait a minute,” he said, turning to face Viggo once he was sure that no signs of pain showed on his face. “You promised me yesterday you’d tell me what this is about. So start telling. I’m all ears.”
Viggo threw his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. He then pressed his lips together and looked at the horizon. Finally he took a deep breath and said, “I can’t tell you everything here. We don’t have the time. But I will tell you the important facts and I promise to tell you the rest later.”
Orlando nodded. “Okay, fair enough.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “So, that guy from yesterday; who was he? And why did he point his gun at me?” His eyes were suspicious as he looked at Viggo. “You acted like you knew to expect him.”
“Yes,” Viggo admitted. “I knew he was following me. I think I am the reason he is here. But,” and with that Viggo pointedly looked at Orlando, “he is not after me. He is here to kill you.”
Orlando blinked. “Me? But... why?”
Viggo sighed again and wetted his lips. “You know something. Something important I wanted to make sure you use. He is just....” Viggo trailed off. “He wants the opposite apparently. To make sure you don’t use the data. And that is assured best if you’re dead.”
“Data?” Orlando’s brows furrowed. “I have some data? Are you sure you have the right bloke, because frankly... I’m just a student. I don’t have any important data.”
“You do,” Viggo said seriously. “You just haven’t realised its importance yet. I’m here to make sure the data is safe. That you’re safe. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that the code doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, Orlando.”
After another serious look into Orlando’s eyes, Viggo started to walk down the beach.
“And that’s our cue to leave. We have to go secure the data now. I assume you have it in your apartment?” Viggo asked, turning around a last time before he went to retrieve the bike from where they had hidden it yesterday evening.
“Wha...” Orlando stopped dead in his tracks. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t even know anything about any data! Why should it be in my apartment?”
Viggo sighed and turned around. He then looked left and right. “Do you know anything about Professor Sullivan’s project about the amplifying circuit of hp-waves?” he asked while raising his eyebrows, annoyed.
Orlando shrugged confused. “Well, yes. He’s my Prof. and I work for him. So, of course I know his project. But it’s nothing interesting. It’s just about programming those holophones a bit better. They keep messing up signals after receiving 20 or more messages. So, you sometimes have the voice of your mother talking with the body of your lover. Yuck.” Orlando shuddered and laughed a bit.
Viggo nodded grimly. “So that’s what he’s told you? Sorry to break it to you, kid, but he’s been lying to you. The code’s nothing that trivial and he knows that goddamn well. You still have it, don’t you?”
A bit taken aback, Orlando tried to process those informations. “You’re... you really went all the way from... wherever the hell you came from, to get that data? Really, I tell you, it’s not interesting. It’s just about...”
He was interrupted by Viggo angrily snapping his fingers before his eyes. “Hey, leave the judgment of what’s important and what’s not to me, okay? And now let’s go.”
With that Viggo got on the bike and started the engine. If he didn’t want to stay stranded on the beach, Orlando had to get on the bike too. Grudgingly he put his arms around Viggo’s waist. He wasn’t convinced. Not at all. But for the moment, what was he to do? Still angry, Orlando vowed to himself he would abandon Viggo as soon as he had the chance. For the moment though he would play along. And at least the man he was sitting so close to was hot.
Viggo didn’t need to consult NAVI for directions this time so they spent the trip in silence. Orlando’s mind was working around the idea of Professor Sullivan lying to him; could that be true? He had known the Professor for many years now and held a lot of respect for the other Brit. It was hard to imagine the Professor being less than truthful with him. And how did Viggo know all this anyway? Orlando certainly had never seen him or spoken to him before, and yet Viggo seemed to know an awful lot of things about him, starting with the fact that he knew of the data Orlando had. Orlando set his jaw in determination. He was going to make the man talk to him. He wasn’t going to play along like a sock puppet if this infuriating man continued refusing to fill him in.
***
Not an hour later, the two men arrived at Orlando’s apartment. After Orlando had unlocked the door, Viggo went straight to his bedroom to retrieve Orlando’s small PC-port from the desk.
“I take it that you have the code in here?” he asked, while already packing a few cables and other stuff into a bag.
”I…yes,” said Orlando. “But hey! You can’t … I mean… could I have your attention for a moment, please!”
After watching Viggo for a few more moments, Orlando crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted, “I don’t understand why we can’t stay here, anyway. My PC-port is here, we have food, a shower, and a bed. What’s the hurry?”
Not even bothering to look at the younger man, Viggo answered, “We can’t stay here. He’ll find us here. He’s already been here.”
Blinking again, Orlando asked himself if he would ever get enough information out of the other man so that his sentences would actually start making sense to him. “How do you know that? Do you have a sixth sense concerning that man or what?” he asked, infuriated.
Now Viggo looked up and sighed, exasperated. Slowly he took a step in Orlando’s direction and shook his head. “No, I don’t have a sixth sense. And he’s not a man. But we’ll talk about that later. For now: I know that he’s been here, because I have seen him. I saw him yesterday when I was looking for you.”
“You…. You have been here? You… you broke into my apartment?” Orlando shouted disbelievingly. “I don’t believe that. You’re… you’re completely nuts. You’re a fucking lunatic, man! That’s the only explanation!”
By now, Orlando really was convinced of his theory. He grabbed a rucksack from behind the door and cautiously took a few steps back. “I’m out of here. I don’t care who you are or what you do, but I don’t want you to come near me ever again. I… No.” He frantically shook his head and retreated further into the direction of his apartment door.
But apparently that had been the wrong thing to do. Orlando had no idea how it had happened, but Viggo who half a second ago had stood at least ten feet away, was now gripping his arm hard and shaking him. “Don’t you get anything here, boy?” he shouted at the completely surprised Orlando. “That man - let’s just call him that for now - wants to kill you. To kill you! The least you could do is be a little bit more co-operative. I’m trying to save your ass here! So stop that shit right now and help me get all the necessary things together. I already told you I would explain later. Now, get some clothes.”
Orlando glowered. “Fine,” he snapped, and started stuffing some random pieces of clothing into the rucksack, sending furious glares in Viggo’s direction. The man spoke like someone who was used to making commands and having people obey his orders. Viggo was really in for a surprise if he thought he could just order Orlando about. “Okay, what next?” he asked coldly. “Where are you going to take me?”
“We’ll find a place,” Viggo said gruffly. “Now come on. There’s no time to waste.”
***
Having consulted his NAVI again, Viggo pulled up the bike in front of a motel a few miles outside the city. He figured that the CMC-1000 would still look for them within the confines of the city, where they had every technological device at their disposal. So, he thought they would be fairly secure for the moment in this small motel at the highway to the south. With the wireless internet-access and Orlando’s PC-port it wouldn’t be a problem to work on the code from here.
Leaving Orlando with the bike, Viggo went to the reception to book a room for two. As much as he loathed being so close to the younger man, due to his annoyance on one hand, to his attraction on the other, he thought it best at the moment. Two rooms were too dangerous in case the CMC-1000 would find them. But at least they didn’t have joined beds.
After having gotten the key, Viggo hustled the still-grumbling Orlando into the small room and shut the door behind him.
“Sit,” he ordered while throwing the rucksack onto one of the beds. “We’re going to talk now.”
Annoyed, Orlando muttered something to himself, but nevertheless complied and sat down on one of the beds.
Viggo sat down at the small table in the room and started to talk. “I know some things I’m going to tell you might be hard to believe,” Viggo said. “But I really need you to listen to me nonetheless. Okay?”
Orlando sarcastically raised an eyebrow. “No, really?”
Viggo decided to overlook that comment and instead focus on the main things. As the blunt approach always had been his strategy, he now came straight to the point too. “I’m from the future. From the time that was the future to be precise. Where things went wrong here and you destroyed the data, that code you have. Where things went very wrong and we had a war.”
Orlando’s eyes widened. “What the hell,” he said. “From the future? Yeah, right. Sure.”
“Shut up and listen,” Viggo almost growled. “We can discuss the specifics later. The data you had, have, is the key factor in developing a new breed of robots. And I’m not talking about these innocent little helpers we have here. I’m talking about efficient, indestructible killing machines. We have one of those on out trail right now.”
Orlando blinked. “I… wha...”
“Yes,” Viggo finished grimly. “We have to make sure that code never ends up in their hands. If Professor Sullivan finishes his researches and they actually start to build those robots...” Viggo’s jaw was firmly set now and the man seemed to be lost in memories. “The war was horrible. Most of us ... well, I was one of the few who made it. I could escape the war as well as the search after it. I slipped through the nets so to speak. Had to go into the underground though to survive.” The older man paused and licked his lips. He didn’t look at Orlando when he continued. “That was where I met... I gathered a small group of survivors around me. We tried to fight the system, but in the end.... it was to no avail.”
“They?” Orlando asked as soon as Viggo stopped talking. “Who are these people you’re talking about? And what war?”
Viggo looked at him again. “This might come to you as a shock but it was the Northern States of America against the rest of the world. You must know how things are in the North right now; restrictions, state control, all that nice stuff. It just wasn’t enough. With the help of CMC-1000 they could bend the whole world to their will. There were few who resisted, who wanted to fight for their freedom, but we were losing even that small battle when I left. People were dying of some unknown disease...” The words died in his throat as he thought of his lover who was among those who had gotten ill.
Disbelievingly Orlando shook his head. “No way. The Northern States are...,” he searched for the right word. “They are nothing. We are everything now, man. They couldn’t do anything without us.”
Viggo nodded. “That’s right. For now. When they have the data to build the CMC....” The older man looked meaningfully at Orlando.
“The CMC? You mean... those robots?”
“Yes. You can probably imagine what you can do with an army of soldiers that cannot die, cannot be destroyed,” Viggo said. “They forced the world on its knees. The war didn’t last all that long. Within six months the free world was enslaved.”
“But...,” Orlando still tried to argue. “What about the other countries? Other weapons? China, Europe, they all have the H-bomb! Hell, we have the H-bomb!”
Viggo raised an eyebrow. “And you would drop it where? To your own country? No, Orlando, that was too risky. No,” Viggo said sadly, shaking his head again.
“So you did nothing? People did nothing?” Orlando’s voice rose. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that our government would submit to something like that, ever. Robots or not. No, man. That is impossible.”
“It’s not,” Viggo answered. “And you know it. But now you also know how important you are. How important that data is you have. And how important it is that you trust me.”
He looked at the boy sitting at the edge of the bed and felt a twinge of sympathy; Orlando’s shoulders had slumped and he looked totally lost. Viggo could well relate to that feeling, and he also realised that he was asking a lot by asking for Orlando’s trust. He pushed all thoughts of comforting Orlando out of his mind for the time being, however. The boy needed to know what they were dealing with, and the sooner he understood and accepted the things Viggo was telling him the better it was for them and their situation.
“But that data I have... What does Professor Sullivan’s project have to do with anything?” Orlando asked. “How did he get it? I don’t understand.”
“Your Professor Sullivan works for the government of the North,” Viggo said dryly. “That’s why he told you to destroy it, that it was meaningless. He couldn’t have you realise what you have in your hands; it would jeopardize the whole Kirillov Project.”
“The Kirillov Project?” Orlando repeated.
“The Kirillov Project,” Viggo confirmed. “It was a project started by the Russians back in the 2020’ies. They were researching on the subject of an indestructible metal. Nobody had believed in the existence of something like that, but some accident in the Ukraine apparently proved the existence to the FSB. So, the FSB together with the Russian government set up a lab in the region of Kirillov. But the CIA got wind of the story. They destroyed Kirillov and everything that had to do with the project. But they saved the data and set up their very own Kirillov Project.”
Orlando shook his head. “Whoa. Wait a second,” he said, blinking furiously. “You mean that the code I have is a part of some secret project, a conspiracy of sorts? And that if something happens to it the world will end? Jesus, man.”
Viggo smiled grimly. “Exactly. The CIA thought the indestructible metal too brisant. So, they embedded it in a larger project and the Kirillov Project of the North ended up being a big expansion of the Russian Project. In fact, the research on the metal was just one part. The other was the programming of war-robots such as the CMC-1000. And the actual production later on, of course. But the programming is where you and the data comes into play. Your Professor Sullivan programmed those robots to kill, to do their missions and to never take orders from anyone else than from the initial ordering party.”
“This sounds like some bad sci-fi story,” Orlando said with a forced little smile. His face had paled and he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Oh God, Viggo. We need to hide the data. We need to find some place where this robot can’t find us. Oh my God. What are we going to do?”
TBC in Chapter Three
Authors: laeglass and miss_somersault
Pairing: VM/OB
Rating: NC-17 overall
Warnings: AU, dark themes, violence, language, angst (but hey, it’s from laeglass and miss_somersault - how bad can it get? ;-) )
Disclaimer: This is not true, has never been and never will be. We, the authors of this story, are in no manner associated with either Mr. Bloom or Mr. Mortensen. An idea is borrowed from a movie by Cinema ’84, but everything else is the product of our imagination.
A/N: All fiction entries will be posted on our personal LJ’s as well as several fiction comms. However, by joining the Kirillov Project fic comm kirillovproject you will gain access to all the additional stuff that is posted exclusively on this community.
Beta: tularia *hugs*
Summary: How far would you go to save your world?
Prologue, Chapter One
banner made by mesnica :)
Chapter 2
Snuggling closer to the warm body next to him, Orlando moaned softly in his sleep. Viggo smiled slightly and couldn’t keep his hands from stroking the boy’s dark curls. He knew they would have to get up soon enough, but he would give Orlando the few extra minutes of sleep. He would need them.
Orlando sighed and leaned his full weight against the warm, solid body beside him. The man smelled wonderfully of musk and sweat, and subconsciously Orlando pressed closer, seeking to increase the contact between them.
Watching the young man, and moreover feeling the young body so close to him, evoked several reactions in Viggo he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with yet. His jaw firmly set, the older man tried to disentangle himself from Orlando. He hadn’t expected to have these feelings for the boy. Protectiveness toward Orlando wasn’t much of a surprise for him, but the tenderness he now felt when the boy was in his arms and the jealousy from the previous night were really something he hadn’t thought he would feel.
He had thought the feelings for his lover at home would prevent him from anything more than physical attraction and protectiveness. He had thought he had prepared himself, but then... how exactly could you prepare for such a thing as this?
Sighing, Viggo shook Orlando gently, only to find out that the boy was a very sound sleeper and very hard to wake up. “Orlando,” he said softly. “It’s already morning. Time to wake up.”
When the young man stirred, his hands brushed over very sensitive parts of Viggo’s anatomy and the older man grimaced. But as Orlando still was half asleep he didn’t seem to have noticed. The young man’s long eyelashes fluttered and for a moment he looked confused at Viggo. “Wha…” He blinked a few time and then everything fell into place. The club, the men, the escape, the night spent under the boat.
Up close the man he had followed from the club was even more handsome, Orlando couldn’t help noticing. A small smile tugged at his lips as he realised that the older man looked really uncomfortable being so close to him. Flirtatiously Orlando fluttered his eyelashes a little bit more and bit his lips to suppress a small grin as Viggo’s gaze fastened on his. ‘Bingo,’ he thought happily. On a bright sunny morning like this one yesterday evening’s happenings felt like a bad dream, and Orlando already felt a bit foolish for having been so scared out of his wits. That guy at the bar had probably just been some regular weirdo, and his overactive imagination had made up all the rest.
So, feeling decidedly better, Orlando was in his regular state of horniness again. And his rescuer had scared away Robert after all. The least he could do was give him some ... replacement action. Cheekily, Orlando grinned at the older man and purred, “You’re one of the early risers, hm?”
To emphasize his words he sneaked his hand between their bodies and squeezed the definite bulge between Viggo’s legs, his dark eyes widening as he regarded the size of the thing. “Oh yeah, definitely an early riser,” he murmured, testing the hardness and length of Viggo’s cock in his hand.
But he hadn’t counted with the other man’s reaction. Anger flared up in Viggo’s eyes and he immediately slapped Orlando’s hand away, standing up briskly. “You still don’t get it, do you?” he asked torn between disbelief and anger. “I’m not here just for fun. Hell, you’re not here just for fun! This isn’t a goddamn school excursion, for fuck’s sake! Now, get a grip and come on. We have to go.”
Orlando looked up at him in shock. There was no denying that Viggo wanted him; he had felt the proof. “What are you so scared of?” he asked, his own anger slowly rising. “What’s wrong with a little bit of shared intimacy?”
He stood up, too, and winced as his back spasmed, turning so that Viggo wouldn’t see his pained expression. He didn’t want the man’s pity; for all he cared the man could go and fuck himself. He was sick and tired of hearing these demands and accusations from the other man.
“Hey, wait a minute,” he said, turning to face Viggo once he was sure that no signs of pain showed on his face. “You promised me yesterday you’d tell me what this is about. So start telling. I’m all ears.”
Viggo threw his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. He then pressed his lips together and looked at the horizon. Finally he took a deep breath and said, “I can’t tell you everything here. We don’t have the time. But I will tell you the important facts and I promise to tell you the rest later.”
Orlando nodded. “Okay, fair enough.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “So, that guy from yesterday; who was he? And why did he point his gun at me?” His eyes were suspicious as he looked at Viggo. “You acted like you knew to expect him.”
“Yes,” Viggo admitted. “I knew he was following me. I think I am the reason he is here. But,” and with that Viggo pointedly looked at Orlando, “he is not after me. He is here to kill you.”
Orlando blinked. “Me? But... why?”
Viggo sighed again and wetted his lips. “You know something. Something important I wanted to make sure you use. He is just....” Viggo trailed off. “He wants the opposite apparently. To make sure you don’t use the data. And that is assured best if you’re dead.”
“Data?” Orlando’s brows furrowed. “I have some data? Are you sure you have the right bloke, because frankly... I’m just a student. I don’t have any important data.”
“You do,” Viggo said seriously. “You just haven’t realised its importance yet. I’m here to make sure the data is safe. That you’re safe. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that the code doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, Orlando.”
After another serious look into Orlando’s eyes, Viggo started to walk down the beach.
“And that’s our cue to leave. We have to go secure the data now. I assume you have it in your apartment?” Viggo asked, turning around a last time before he went to retrieve the bike from where they had hidden it yesterday evening.
“Wha...” Orlando stopped dead in his tracks. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t even know anything about any data! Why should it be in my apartment?”
Viggo sighed and turned around. He then looked left and right. “Do you know anything about Professor Sullivan’s project about the amplifying circuit of hp-waves?” he asked while raising his eyebrows, annoyed.
Orlando shrugged confused. “Well, yes. He’s my Prof. and I work for him. So, of course I know his project. But it’s nothing interesting. It’s just about programming those holophones a bit better. They keep messing up signals after receiving 20 or more messages. So, you sometimes have the voice of your mother talking with the body of your lover. Yuck.” Orlando shuddered and laughed a bit.
Viggo nodded grimly. “So that’s what he’s told you? Sorry to break it to you, kid, but he’s been lying to you. The code’s nothing that trivial and he knows that goddamn well. You still have it, don’t you?”
A bit taken aback, Orlando tried to process those informations. “You’re... you really went all the way from... wherever the hell you came from, to get that data? Really, I tell you, it’s not interesting. It’s just about...”
He was interrupted by Viggo angrily snapping his fingers before his eyes. “Hey, leave the judgment of what’s important and what’s not to me, okay? And now let’s go.”
With that Viggo got on the bike and started the engine. If he didn’t want to stay stranded on the beach, Orlando had to get on the bike too. Grudgingly he put his arms around Viggo’s waist. He wasn’t convinced. Not at all. But for the moment, what was he to do? Still angry, Orlando vowed to himself he would abandon Viggo as soon as he had the chance. For the moment though he would play along. And at least the man he was sitting so close to was hot.
Viggo didn’t need to consult NAVI for directions this time so they spent the trip in silence. Orlando’s mind was working around the idea of Professor Sullivan lying to him; could that be true? He had known the Professor for many years now and held a lot of respect for the other Brit. It was hard to imagine the Professor being less than truthful with him. And how did Viggo know all this anyway? Orlando certainly had never seen him or spoken to him before, and yet Viggo seemed to know an awful lot of things about him, starting with the fact that he knew of the data Orlando had. Orlando set his jaw in determination. He was going to make the man talk to him. He wasn’t going to play along like a sock puppet if this infuriating man continued refusing to fill him in.
***
Not an hour later, the two men arrived at Orlando’s apartment. After Orlando had unlocked the door, Viggo went straight to his bedroom to retrieve Orlando’s small PC-port from the desk.
“I take it that you have the code in here?” he asked, while already packing a few cables and other stuff into a bag.
”I…yes,” said Orlando. “But hey! You can’t … I mean… could I have your attention for a moment, please!”
After watching Viggo for a few more moments, Orlando crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted, “I don’t understand why we can’t stay here, anyway. My PC-port is here, we have food, a shower, and a bed. What’s the hurry?”
Not even bothering to look at the younger man, Viggo answered, “We can’t stay here. He’ll find us here. He’s already been here.”
Blinking again, Orlando asked himself if he would ever get enough information out of the other man so that his sentences would actually start making sense to him. “How do you know that? Do you have a sixth sense concerning that man or what?” he asked, infuriated.
Now Viggo looked up and sighed, exasperated. Slowly he took a step in Orlando’s direction and shook his head. “No, I don’t have a sixth sense. And he’s not a man. But we’ll talk about that later. For now: I know that he’s been here, because I have seen him. I saw him yesterday when I was looking for you.”
“You…. You have been here? You… you broke into my apartment?” Orlando shouted disbelievingly. “I don’t believe that. You’re… you’re completely nuts. You’re a fucking lunatic, man! That’s the only explanation!”
By now, Orlando really was convinced of his theory. He grabbed a rucksack from behind the door and cautiously took a few steps back. “I’m out of here. I don’t care who you are or what you do, but I don’t want you to come near me ever again. I… No.” He frantically shook his head and retreated further into the direction of his apartment door.
But apparently that had been the wrong thing to do. Orlando had no idea how it had happened, but Viggo who half a second ago had stood at least ten feet away, was now gripping his arm hard and shaking him. “Don’t you get anything here, boy?” he shouted at the completely surprised Orlando. “That man - let’s just call him that for now - wants to kill you. To kill you! The least you could do is be a little bit more co-operative. I’m trying to save your ass here! So stop that shit right now and help me get all the necessary things together. I already told you I would explain later. Now, get some clothes.”
Orlando glowered. “Fine,” he snapped, and started stuffing some random pieces of clothing into the rucksack, sending furious glares in Viggo’s direction. The man spoke like someone who was used to making commands and having people obey his orders. Viggo was really in for a surprise if he thought he could just order Orlando about. “Okay, what next?” he asked coldly. “Where are you going to take me?”
“We’ll find a place,” Viggo said gruffly. “Now come on. There’s no time to waste.”
***
Having consulted his NAVI again, Viggo pulled up the bike in front of a motel a few miles outside the city. He figured that the CMC-1000 would still look for them within the confines of the city, where they had every technological device at their disposal. So, he thought they would be fairly secure for the moment in this small motel at the highway to the south. With the wireless internet-access and Orlando’s PC-port it wouldn’t be a problem to work on the code from here.
Leaving Orlando with the bike, Viggo went to the reception to book a room for two. As much as he loathed being so close to the younger man, due to his annoyance on one hand, to his attraction on the other, he thought it best at the moment. Two rooms were too dangerous in case the CMC-1000 would find them. But at least they didn’t have joined beds.
After having gotten the key, Viggo hustled the still-grumbling Orlando into the small room and shut the door behind him.
“Sit,” he ordered while throwing the rucksack onto one of the beds. “We’re going to talk now.”
Annoyed, Orlando muttered something to himself, but nevertheless complied and sat down on one of the beds.
Viggo sat down at the small table in the room and started to talk. “I know some things I’m going to tell you might be hard to believe,” Viggo said. “But I really need you to listen to me nonetheless. Okay?”
Orlando sarcastically raised an eyebrow. “No, really?”
Viggo decided to overlook that comment and instead focus on the main things. As the blunt approach always had been his strategy, he now came straight to the point too. “I’m from the future. From the time that was the future to be precise. Where things went wrong here and you destroyed the data, that code you have. Where things went very wrong and we had a war.”
Orlando’s eyes widened. “What the hell,” he said. “From the future? Yeah, right. Sure.”
“Shut up and listen,” Viggo almost growled. “We can discuss the specifics later. The data you had, have, is the key factor in developing a new breed of robots. And I’m not talking about these innocent little helpers we have here. I’m talking about efficient, indestructible killing machines. We have one of those on out trail right now.”
Orlando blinked. “I… wha...”
“Yes,” Viggo finished grimly. “We have to make sure that code never ends up in their hands. If Professor Sullivan finishes his researches and they actually start to build those robots...” Viggo’s jaw was firmly set now and the man seemed to be lost in memories. “The war was horrible. Most of us ... well, I was one of the few who made it. I could escape the war as well as the search after it. I slipped through the nets so to speak. Had to go into the underground though to survive.” The older man paused and licked his lips. He didn’t look at Orlando when he continued. “That was where I met... I gathered a small group of survivors around me. We tried to fight the system, but in the end.... it was to no avail.”
“They?” Orlando asked as soon as Viggo stopped talking. “Who are these people you’re talking about? And what war?”
Viggo looked at him again. “This might come to you as a shock but it was the Northern States of America against the rest of the world. You must know how things are in the North right now; restrictions, state control, all that nice stuff. It just wasn’t enough. With the help of CMC-1000 they could bend the whole world to their will. There were few who resisted, who wanted to fight for their freedom, but we were losing even that small battle when I left. People were dying of some unknown disease...” The words died in his throat as he thought of his lover who was among those who had gotten ill.
Disbelievingly Orlando shook his head. “No way. The Northern States are...,” he searched for the right word. “They are nothing. We are everything now, man. They couldn’t do anything without us.”
Viggo nodded. “That’s right. For now. When they have the data to build the CMC....” The older man looked meaningfully at Orlando.
“The CMC? You mean... those robots?”
“Yes. You can probably imagine what you can do with an army of soldiers that cannot die, cannot be destroyed,” Viggo said. “They forced the world on its knees. The war didn’t last all that long. Within six months the free world was enslaved.”
“But...,” Orlando still tried to argue. “What about the other countries? Other weapons? China, Europe, they all have the H-bomb! Hell, we have the H-bomb!”
Viggo raised an eyebrow. “And you would drop it where? To your own country? No, Orlando, that was too risky. No,” Viggo said sadly, shaking his head again.
“So you did nothing? People did nothing?” Orlando’s voice rose. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that our government would submit to something like that, ever. Robots or not. No, man. That is impossible.”
“It’s not,” Viggo answered. “And you know it. But now you also know how important you are. How important that data is you have. And how important it is that you trust me.”
He looked at the boy sitting at the edge of the bed and felt a twinge of sympathy; Orlando’s shoulders had slumped and he looked totally lost. Viggo could well relate to that feeling, and he also realised that he was asking a lot by asking for Orlando’s trust. He pushed all thoughts of comforting Orlando out of his mind for the time being, however. The boy needed to know what they were dealing with, and the sooner he understood and accepted the things Viggo was telling him the better it was for them and their situation.
“But that data I have... What does Professor Sullivan’s project have to do with anything?” Orlando asked. “How did he get it? I don’t understand.”
“Your Professor Sullivan works for the government of the North,” Viggo said dryly. “That’s why he told you to destroy it, that it was meaningless. He couldn’t have you realise what you have in your hands; it would jeopardize the whole Kirillov Project.”
“The Kirillov Project?” Orlando repeated.
“The Kirillov Project,” Viggo confirmed. “It was a project started by the Russians back in the 2020’ies. They were researching on the subject of an indestructible metal. Nobody had believed in the existence of something like that, but some accident in the Ukraine apparently proved the existence to the FSB. So, the FSB together with the Russian government set up a lab in the region of Kirillov. But the CIA got wind of the story. They destroyed Kirillov and everything that had to do with the project. But they saved the data and set up their very own Kirillov Project.”
Orlando shook his head. “Whoa. Wait a second,” he said, blinking furiously. “You mean that the code I have is a part of some secret project, a conspiracy of sorts? And that if something happens to it the world will end? Jesus, man.”
Viggo smiled grimly. “Exactly. The CIA thought the indestructible metal too brisant. So, they embedded it in a larger project and the Kirillov Project of the North ended up being a big expansion of the Russian Project. In fact, the research on the metal was just one part. The other was the programming of war-robots such as the CMC-1000. And the actual production later on, of course. But the programming is where you and the data comes into play. Your Professor Sullivan programmed those robots to kill, to do their missions and to never take orders from anyone else than from the initial ordering party.”
“This sounds like some bad sci-fi story,” Orlando said with a forced little smile. His face had paled and he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Oh God, Viggo. We need to hide the data. We need to find some place where this robot can’t find us. Oh my God. What are we going to do?”
TBC in Chapter Three