Direct sunlight woke K-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He remained still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thing he registered was the ceiling above him. Hand-hewn wooden beams crossed the room, their surfaces uneven from tools rather than machines. Beneath him was a simple bedframe packed with straw. Rough-spun clothing covered his body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had no memory of putting it on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 began his assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room was small and functional. A wooden table stood against one wall with two chairs beside it. A storage chest occupied another corner. A stone fireplace had been built directly into the wall, its interior blackened from years of use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The air carried the faint smell of ash and old smoke. Beneath it was the dry, earthy odor of straw and the musty scent of aged wood. Nothing smelled chemical or industrial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were no electrical fixtures. No visible communications equipment. Nothing resembling modern technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His attention returned to his body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last thing he remembered was falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The electrical creature had struck him with enough force to launch him over the ravine. He estimated the vertical drop at approximately twenty meters. The impact should have caused catastrophic trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, he was lying in a bed with full mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 flexed his fingers and rotated his wrists. He tested his shoulders, knees, and ankles before shifting his weight onto his feet. He ran his hands over his torso and limbs, checking for fractures, burns, swelling, or localized tenderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He should have been injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wasn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The implications were more disturbing than the fall itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footsteps approached from outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 immediately turned toward the door. His eyes moved across the room, identifying anything that could serve as a weapon. The table was too light. The chairs were poorly constructed. The storage chest was too cumbersome to manipulate quickly. The fireplace contained nothing useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He moved beside the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His posture remained relaxed, but his weight shifted into a position that would allow him to intercept anyone entering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The footsteps stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An older man entered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 evaluated him automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shoulder-length silver-grey hair. Weathered face. Several scars around the jaw and cheek. Simple tunic, trousers, and worn boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man’s physical condition was good for his apparent age. His movements were controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conclusion came instinctively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scars suggested experience. His posture suggested training. More important, he moved with the quiet efficiency of someone accustomed to danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possibly a commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man noticed K-10 standing beside the doorway and stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 slowly stepped away from the wall and kept his hands visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The language was completely unfamiliar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He mentally compared the sounds against linguistic patterns he knew. Nothing matched. There was insufficient data to establish even a basic grammatical framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He remained silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man placed one hand against his chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Markum.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was giving K-10 his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man pointed toward him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 considered his response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“K-10.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something changed in the man’s expression. His eyes widened slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Kaiten,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pronounced the word carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaiten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 studied him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man’s expression suggested that the word meant something beyond simple repetition. K-10 decided not to correct him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 was not his real name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 was a designation\u2014a code name assigned to him by the Black Ops group he had served with. It identified his operational role, not the person beneath it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His real name was something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He didn’t know what it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The realization had always existed somewhere beneath years of training and conditioning, but he had never considered it important enough to question. K-10 was the name he had been given, the name he had answered to, and the identity he had carried into every operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, in a world where no one knew him, the distinction mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man had given him a name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaiten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 decided not to correct him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the moment, Kaiten would be sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Kaiten,” he repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was relief in the expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 stored the observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum then gestured toward his mouth and mimed eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His body presented another problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had gone more than seventy-two hours without eating, possibly longer depending on how much time had passed since the explosion. Under normal circumstances, he should have been experiencing hunger, weakness, or at least some measurable decline in performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He felt none of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His breathing was normal. His coordination was normal. His muscles showed no obvious fatigue. There was no dizziness or cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His body was functioning without the metabolic degradation he expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That should have been impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum smiled and turned toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He placed several pieces of dry wood beneath a soot-darkened kettle resting on a crude iron frame. The smell of old smoke grew stronger as he disturbed the ashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he raised one hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 watched carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A faint light appeared above Markum’s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It expanded into several rotating geometric disks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10’s attention sharpened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each disk contained radial symbols and intricate patterns that rotated independently. The structures overlapped, separated, and reassembled in a controlled sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 tracked every movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum moved his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The geometric structures accelerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A burst of flame emerged from his hands and engulfed the wood beneath the kettle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wood ignited instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The smell of burning wood filled the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 examined the phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no mechanical ignition system. No visible fuel source. No electrical equipment. The luminous structures produced a physical effect, and the burning wood generated heat and smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He considered the possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Projection required equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A concealed ignition mechanism required hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
None was visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chemical ignition required a reactive substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no evidence of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hallucination was eliminated because the wood was physically burning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 reached the only conclusion supported by the available evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He disliked the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was vague and scientifically imprecise. But terminology was secondary to observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something existed in this world that could manipulate physical matter through mechanisms he did not understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until he understood those mechanisms, magic was the most accurate working designation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum removed the kettle and poured a thick porridge into a wooden bowl. Steam rose from the surface, carrying the smell of cooked grain and salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He placed it on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 smelled it first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing unusual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He took a small portion and waited before taking another bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flavor was unexpectedly familiar. It reminded him of field rations on Earth\u2014plain, warm, and functional. Food designed to keep a soldier moving rather than impress him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The association produced an unexpected sense of comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He finished the bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markum watched with approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afterward, the older man gestured toward the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 followed him into a stone corridor illuminated by oil lamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The smell changed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Old stone. Oil. Dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was also the faint metallic odor of iron somewhere deeper within the structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility was larger than he had initially assumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stone steps had been worn smooth in the center by years of use. Door frames carried scratches and impact marks. Sections of flooring had been repaired, and the lamps were positioned at regular intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there was something unusual about the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too quiet for a structure of this size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K-10 listened carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No voices. No footsteps. No conversation. No movement except Markum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The realization came quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was nobody else here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Direct sunlight woke K-10. He remained still. The first thing he registered was the ceiling<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3936"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4219,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions\/4219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsantos.net\/_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}