Genesis - the Battle Within (Pillars of Creation Book 1) Read Free

noise, and in the same instant his split minds and his AI went silent, as his body became rigid and unmovable.
    His religion’s infused personality was first to react, cursing his real one. This is what happens when you try to come along and synchronise ourselves in harmony, he thought fleetingly, annoyed at the series of novice mistakes he’d made.
    He’d seen the danger too late to correct, stepping overconfidently into the centre of the corridor and away from the protective shadows he loved so dearly.
    Before comprehending its meaning fully, Genesis understood enough of what was going down to know he was in trouble … and he almost felt the sting of his Master’s cuff over his ear.
    With a flash of movement, the opposite end of the corridor caught his full attention; his eyes narrowing as the danger grew. With a hiss the door slammed closed behind him, sealing the trap, and at the other end of the corridor, causing all the noise, an older style, manned turret wheeled towards him, dramatically screeching.
    His AI pushed in a thought and Genesis immediately knew the noise was from a well-used and thoroughly aged pivot on which the gun sat, probably having caught many before, like him, just as unaware. The turret, which had only just now detected his motion, made up for its excessive noise as it snapped to attention and left him hardly a second’s more pause to work with.
    ‘ Careless kid, ’ His Master’s words echoed in the back of his mind, adding a fourth voice to the equation, as he tried desperately to concentrate. His real self yelled at the lot of them, “ IN THE SACRED’S NAME WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP!”
    With his effort quietening the voices, and his Master’s scolding pushed from his mind, Genesis took over and sped up all three divisions of his mind, utilising his AI, the infused rift and his own mind, as he’d been trained to years earlier, by the very same man who cursed him in memory. Unfortunately though, as then, like a pupil, he made little progress as the danger overcame him and grew. In despair, Genesis searched for a way out as his Master’s words somehow echoed through his racing mind again, defying even time itself to scold him this, it seemed, soon to be last, time.
    ‘There’s always Option B, there’s always another way out boy, if you’re not too stupid, or blind; you just have to find it, before time catches up with you.’
    His jaw tightened as he shut the thought out, he was trapped directly in the firing line and forced to watch as the cannon snapped up towards him; there was literally nowhere to run.
    Craaaap, there was no Option B here … was there?
    Time was slowed agonisingly as he watched and saw plans he calculated evade him. The machine somehow seemed to move even slower than it had been designed for, making his fate even more tormen—
    Suddenly Genesis realised there was his out, there was his Option B; his AI had picked it when he first heard it but hadn’t realised it . The twin fifteen-millimetre barrels made their long turn towards him in their painfully slow rotation and gave him just a tiny window of opportunity and a sliver of hope. Come on Genesis , one of his personalities thought, bolstering him, only a few seconds before they activate … one chance, one option … charge you blind and stupid kid!
    Genesis threw himself forward as fast as he could summon, blocking everything else as he ran, squarely focussing on his target.
    Sheathing Katana while still sprinting, Genesis pooled all his internal strength through his Rieft ability and pushed the excess energy totally into his legs. Almost instantly he noticed his pace increasing as he hurtled forward in powerful lengthening bounds, not even registering that each time his foot struck the ground it did so with enough pounding force to crack the tiled floor beneath him. He had to outrun it, this was his only hope.
    Genesis soon left the remnants of the showering quarter as he sent himself careening