The Soul-Code Warden: Rise of the Ghost Heir

Chapter 7: The Scrap King

"Is that a throne or a pile of junk, Arix?" Pip asked, staring at the heap of broken droids I had stacked in the center of the mess hall.

"It's both, Pip," I said, leaning back against a dented metal chest plate. "Sit down. The show is about to start."

"The inmates are staring," Pip whispered. "They’ve never seen anyone sit in the middle of the hall like this. Not even Brux."

"Brux sat at the royal table because he wanted to be a king," I said. "I’m sitting here because I want them to see what happens to the things that try to cage me."

"You’re insane, Princey," Brux muttered from the floor. He was still kneeling at the base of my scrap pile, his head bowed. "The Warden won't let this last. You’re occupying the main hub. That’s a death sentence."

"He's already tried to kill me three times today, Brux," I said. "He’s running out of ideas."

"He isn't out of ideas yet," a voice boomed from the overhead speakers. "Prisoner 9042. Arix Beaumont. You have ten seconds to vacate the mess hall and return to your cell."

"And if I don't?" I yelled back, looking up at the black camera domes.

"Then we stop being polite," the Warden’s voice crackled. "Level 2 Executioner deployed. Sector 4 is now a Free-Fire Zone."

The heavy blast doors at the far end of the hall groaned. A massive machine, easily twelve feet tall, stepped into the room.

It wasn't a droid. It was a cyborg, covered in thick plates of black armor and carrying a humming energy scythe.

"That's a Level 2?" Pip squeaked, ducking behind my chair. "Arix, we have to run!"

"No," I said. "We’ve done enough running."

"Target locked," the Executioner said, its voice a deep growl. "Arix Beaumont. Preparation for termination."

"Wait!" I shouted, standing up on the pile of scrap. "Before you swing that thing, don't you want to know why your boss is so eager to kill me?"

"Orders are absolute," the Executioner replied. The floor tiles cracked under its weight.

"Orders are based on secrets," I said. "System, initiate Information Control. Wide-range broadcast. Every screen in the block. Now."

"What are you doing?" Brux asked, looking up in terror.

"I'm opening the books, Brux," I said.

Suddenly, every holographic menu and display screen in the mess hall flickered. The prison schedules disappeared. In their place, a long list of numbers and names began to scroll.

"What is that?" An inmate shouted, pointing at the nearest screen. "Is that the ration log?"

"Look at the dates!" Another screamed. "The Warden has been reporting that we get three meals a day. We haven't seen a full tray in six months!"

"He's stealing from us!" A third man roared, slamming his fist on a table. "He’s selling our protein bars to the High Fantasy Wing for credits!"

"It’s all right there," I yelled, my voice carrying over the rising noise. "The private corruption logs. Every credit he took. Every child he starved to build his villa."

"Lies!" The Warden screamed over the speakers. "That’s a hack! Executioner, kill him now! Kill everyone in that room if you have to!"

The Executioner raised its scythe, the blade glowing red. "Commencing purge."

"Hey, metal-head!" An inmate yelled, throwing a heavy metal tray at the cyborg’s head. "The Warden didn't pay for that armor! He stole it from our sweat!

"Kill the Warden!" Another inmate screamed. "Kill the thief!"

"Not the machine," I said, looking at the crowd. "The gate. The Warden is behind the gate."

"He’s right!" A man shouted. "If we take the gate, we take the food!"

The mess hall erupted. Five hundred men charged. They didn't run away from the Executioner; they ran through it.

They swarmed the machine like ants, tearing at its wires and jamming metal pipes into its joints.

"Get back!" The Executioner droned, trying to swing its scythe. "Stop!"

"Tear it down!" The prisoners screamed.

"Arix, the riot is starting!" Pip yelled, grabbing my arm. "The guards are going to use gas!"

"System, seal the ventilation," I commanded. "Keep the air in here. Push the gas back into the guard towers."

[Command Accepted. Redirecting Vents.]

A series of muffled explosions echoed from the walls. I could hear the guards coughing and screaming behind the reinforced glass.

"You’re a devil, Princey," Brux whispered, watching the chaos. "You’ve started a war."

"I didn't start it," I said, stepping down from my throne. "I'm just finishing it."

The Executioner fell. The massive machine hit the floor with a crash that shook the entire hall. The inmates didn't stop.

They used the cyborg's own limbs as battering rams, charging toward the primary gate of Sector 4.

"It's opening!" An inmate cried. "The locks are failing!"

The heavy steel doors began to slide back. Beyond them lay the bridge to the High Fantasy Wing.

"We did it!" Pip cheered. "The block is ours!"

"The block is just a room, Pip," I said. 

I walked through the screaming crowd. People moved out of my way as if I were a ghost. They were afraid of me now.

Even in their rage, they didn't want to touch the man who could make the walls talk.

I reached the threshold of the gate. I stood there, perfectly calm, while the world behind me burned. Brux followed me, limping and pale.

"Where are you going?" Brux asked. "You could rule the Scrap Heap for years."

I didn't look at him. I looked across the bridge. I could see the tall, white spires of the High Fantasy Wing. 

"I didn't come here to rule a garbage can, Brux," I said.

"Then what do you want?" He asked.

I raised my hand and pointed toward the white towers. The golden screen in my eyes flared.

"Next," I said.

"You’re going to the High Wing?" Brux gasped. "With an army of scavengers? They’ll slaughter you!"

"Let them try," I said. "The System just gave me the keys to their front door."

A massive horn sounded from the towers, a deep note that made the air vibrate. The bridge began to extend, its stones glowing with mana.

"Are you coming?" I asked, looking back at the inmates.

"To the end, Warden!" The men roared.

I stepped onto the bridge, the first piece of "trash" to set foot on the royal path.

"Arix, wait!" Pip called out, running to catch up. "The System is blinking red again!"

"What does it say?" I asked.

[Warning: Level 9 Paladin Guard Incoming.]

"Perfect," I whispered, a smirk forming on my face. "I've been wanting a new suit of armor."