Hope Citadel

[Hope]

Just outside the Elevator to Deck A; An abandoned unrepaired deck to Hope Citadel.
Left untouched for searching purposes.

Hope exited the elevator into the dark hallway. Flickering lights were a normal occurrence
on this deck, probably caused by the attack on the ship destroying some of the wires.

Deck A was once the living quarters for most, if not all, the original crew of the ship.
Finding a specific infocard on this deck wasn't going to be easy.

"Citadelia, please give me the location of the Captain's quarters."

"Captain's quarters not found on any deck, search result changed to Officers Quarters.
Officer's Quarters are located at the rear of Deck A."

"Hmm" Hope looked down at the ground for a moment thinking. "Well guess I'll go begin
in the officers quarters."

Hope walked casually down the flickering hallway. She had no problem with the dark
because she was able to see in the dark.

"Citadelia, what's the estimated time it'll take to repair this deck?"

"Not long Miss Hope, though you stated this deck was useless and did not need repairs."

"I know what I said. I think I have a use for this deck now."

"Understood Miss Hope, I will setup a cleaning crew once you are done searching
this deck."

"Thank you Citadelia."

Hope came to a room at the end of the hall. This room was the only room with a name
plate frame attached to it; the nameplate itself was knocked out. Hope decided to
try and enter the room but found out it was blockaded. One of Hope's eyes started to
glow a fiery blue color, and with overwhelming strength Hope slammed into the door
forcing the door open. The door snapped in half from the impact and all objects
blocking the door were now strewn across the room. This room however had full
lighting with no damage to it aside from what Hope just caused. A old man's voice
called out from a darkened corner of the room.

"Who are you?" The voice asked as he gazed upon the silhouetted figure of Hope
standing in the door way, her eye still glowing. His voice seeming weak.

Hope moved her hand to ready her light arm.

"No, the question is who are you and how did you get in here?" Hope stood in the
doorway ready to draw her weapon on whoever was hiding in the room.
"Come out now, slowly." She focused her attention on the corner of the room
where she heard the voice come from.

"I am....I'm Professor .... Stone." He was having issues talking but he didn't
come out of the shadow as ordered by Hope.

"Come out where I can see you, please." Hope took a step into the room. Still
ready to draw her weapon at the first sign of trouble.

"I would if I could, however I can not move. I am no longer mobile."

Hope had a somewhat confused look on her face.
"No longer mobile? Are you....Human?

"In a sense yes. Please come closer I wont harm you. Who are you?"

Hope moved closer toward the man and into the room where the man could
see her. "My name is Hope, I command this vessel."

The man pushed himself out of the corner to see Hope better. He had a steel
beam sticking through his lower abdominal. Sparks were going off where the
wound was. "It is you...Hope."

"You know me?" Hope moved closer to the man trying to help him.

"Do not try and move me Hope, my time has come."

"I have questions for you! I can help!" Hope put one hand on the beam and
got ready to remove it from the man.

"No! Please just don't. It is too late for me. You're time has begun, mine has
come to an end.." The man paused and took a look at Hope. Admiring her from
head to toe. "You are what we had imagined Hope... I couldn't have asked for
a better set of volunteers. We created you guys to be the future of cybernetic
technology, and now you are here in front of me." The man smiled as his
arm began to twitch in a robotic manner. "My systems have exceeded the time
they were ment for. I am to expire soon." He looked at Hope again and pointed
toward a desk in the center of the room. "There you will find what you are
looking for Hope." His head started to bob as his eyes closed. "You are our
success...." The sound of systems shutting down came from the old man
as the sparks came to a stop.

Hope stood over his now lifeless body. She did plenty of scans on the ship
and never had any readings of someone living on this part of the ship.
"Citadlia, why were you unable to detect this man's presence on this deck?"

"Miss Hope, I am to guess that this person, setup a barrier around the deck
to make sure no one could find him. The barrier however dropped upon
you're arrival into the room."

Hope looked at Professor Stone's body, his arm still raised pointing at the
desk. She turned her head and looked over at the desk before approaching
it. An infocard sit on the top of the desk titled "Project Despair."

---