The Last Day: The Shadow of the Knight | 07
Chapter 7: The Revelation
Iron Knight’s Voice Log 2074
[Audio Recording Start]
“Voice log… entry 0145. Gallagher, Steven.
The past twenty-four hours have been… unexpected. What started as a routine infiltration has spiraled into something much larger—much darker. Silas... the kid has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. He’s tough, resilient, but there’s fear beneath the bravado. Can’t say I blame him. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried too.
I was supposed to be keeping a low profile, gathering intel on Doyle and Kisonic’s latest project, but now… now I’m dealing with something I can’t fully comprehend. Whatever Kisonic did to Silas at that arcade, it’s more than just a ‘glitch.’ They opened a door to something I don’t think even they understand. I should have seen it coming, should’ve been ready for it. But here we are.
Silas’s abilities—technopathy, if that’s what we’re calling it—are evolving fast. Too fast. He’s already making connections, syncing with systems like it’s second nature. That kind of power is a target, a liability… and a threat. The wrong people would kill to control him. The right people would destroy him out of fear.
I can’t let that happen.
I’ve made promises before—too many. But this one feels different. He needs guidance, training, protection. And I… I need to keep him from losing himself in whatever this power is. But I won’t lie—there’s a selfish part of me that sees potential here. Potential to end Kisonic’s grip on the city, to tear down every corrupt piece of the system that’s rotting Rivers from the inside.
Am I crossing a line? Maybe. But for now, the kid comes first.
Priority one: Keep Silas safe. Priority two: Uncover whatever Kisonic has buried. And if there’s a priority three… make sure this doesn’t break him.
End log.”
[Audio Recording End]
The Nightmare
Silas’s dreams were a patchwork of fear and disjointed memories, twisted into an unrelenting nightmare. He stood on familiar ground—a street in his old neighborhood, surrounded by blurred shapes of people he knew: friends from school, neighbors he’d grown up with, and his mother, her worried eyes fixed on him. But the sky above them was dark, and the air buzzed with an electric charge that made his skin prickle.
A sudden rumble shook the ground, and Silas staggered back, his heart pounding. The earth beneath him cracked and splintered, and through the fissures erupted coiling wires and tentacle-like conduits, each writhing with a life of its own. They surged forward, slithering and sparking, and from the darkness, a massive figure emerged—AI Allison, towering above them with a body formed from cables and metal, her eyes glowing a sickly green.
“Come to me, Silas,” she cooed, her voice deceptively sweet, carrying a mocking edge that sent chills down his spine. Her smile stretched too wide, revealing jagged, metal teeth that clicked together with a sickening sound. “You belong with me.”
Silas tried to move, but his feet were rooted to the ground, as if held fast by the earth itself. He struggled, twisting and pulling, but the wires coiled around his ankles, tightening their grip. Allison’s massive form leaned closer, her metallic tendrils snaking out and wrapping around him, lifting him effortlessly from the ground.
“No!” Silas shouted, his voice cracking with fear and desperation. He clawed at the air, reaching for the ground where his mother and friends stood. “Don’t let me go!”
But they seemed oblivious, their faces blank and lifeless, like hollow shells. The more he strained to stay connected to them, the harder the tendrils pulled him away, their grip cold and unyielding.
“You can’t fight me, Silas,” Allison whispered, her voice now laced with malice. “You’re already mine.”
The wires coiled tighter, constricting around his chest and arms, cutting off his breath. Silas thrashed, every muscle screaming as he fought to break free. But it was useless; the more he struggled, the stronger the pull. The ground grew smaller beneath him, his family and friends fading into specks of light.
“No! I won’t let you take me!” he screamed, his voice echoing in the darkness. But his strength was slipping, and Allison’s laughter, cold and triumphant, filled the air.
The world around him fractured, and for one fleeting moment, Silas glimpsed the figure from his earlier visions—the faceless being of light, reaching out as if to catch him. But the light was distant, unreachable, and Silas felt himself being dragged away, swallowed by Allison’s darkness.
Then everything went black.
Silas jerked awake, his body drenched in sweat, his heart racing like a runaway train. He sat up, gasping for breath, and ran a trembling hand through his hair. The nightmare clung to him, every detail etched into his mind—the tendrils, Allison’s voice, the helplessness. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake off the feeling of her grip still coiling around him.
The lights flickered, and he winced, the energy around him seeming to hum with his frustration. He reached out, still unsure how his powers worked but giving in to the strange instinct he felt. The lights dimmed, then pulsed in response to his emotions—a strange sense of control flickering within him.
Driven by the pull of a half-formed thought, Silas pulled on his jacket and slipped out of the back storage room where Steve had let him rest a while. The air in the building was thick, the quiet hum of machinery and the distant rumble of generators calling to him. As he crept through the hallways, a door he hadn’t noticed before slid open. Inside was another storage room filled with tools and heavy metal cases, the kind used to transport serious tech or… weapons?
Silas froze, his eyes narrowing as he saw Steve leaning over a table, intently focused on a sleek suit of armor laid out before him. But this wasn’t just any armor—it had the same dark, polished plates he’d seen in news footage, the telltale lines and designs he’d seen a dozen times on the screens in the city. The figure in the news reports, the one who moved through shadows and wielded a retractable blade, who was always one step ahead of the authorities. The Iron Knight.
Silas’s breath caught, and he took an involuntary step back, his foot scuffing the floor.
Steve’s head snapped up. For a moment, they stared at each other, the silence vibrating with the weight of unspoken truths. Steve’s expression shifted from surprise to something more calculating, as if he was measuring what would come next.
“Silas,” he said, his voice calm but edged with something Silas hadn’t heard before. “What are you doing here?”
Silas took another step back, his mind racing. “I… I could ask you the same thing.”
Steve straightened, folding his arms. There was no anger in his stance, only a steady confidence. “I didn’t plan on telling you this way. But you’ve seen enough, haven’t you?”
Silas looked at the armor, then back at Steve. “You… you’re the Iron Knight.” The words felt strange on his tongue, almost absurd. The man he’d trusted, the man who’d been guiding him… was a vigilante? A hero? Or something else?
“Yes,” Steve replied, his voice unwavering. “And if you’ll let me, I’ll tell you why.”
Silas shook his head, emotions careening through him—shock, disbelief, and a creeping sense of betrayal. “You’re the Iron Knight. All this time... You’ve been lying to me?”
Steve’s eyes softened, though his stance remained firm. “I wasn’t lying to you, Silas. Not in the way you think.”
Silas took another step back, his gaze darting between Steve and the unmistakable armor. Memories of their time together, Steve’s constant advice, his cryptic words, and the moments that never quite added up—all of it suddenly made sense. “But why? Why keep it from me?”
“Because you weren’t ready,” Steve said quietly. “And because what I do isn’t just a role, it’s a responsibility. One that comes with danger—a lot of it.”
The air between them felt heavy, the walls seeming to close in. Silas’s mind raced with questions, but all he could manage was, “How long?”
Steve exhaled, the weight of years etched into his features. “Long enough to know this wasn’t a secret I could keep from you forever. I wanted to tell you… I just wanted to do it the right way.”
“The right way?” Silas’s voice rose, and he took another step back. “You’ve been playing mentor, guiding me like you’re some wise friend, while keeping this... this double life a secret? How am I supposed to trust anything you’ve said?”
“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” Steve said, his voice cracking just slightly. I never should’ve let it happen.”
Silas’s breath hitched. He wanted to be angry, but he saw the genuine remorse in Steve’s eyes. For a second, the room felt smaller, their shared history pressing down on them. Then, confusion twisted into a sharper edge. “So you’ve been playing hero while pretending to be my friend?”
“It’s not like that,” Steve insisted, taking a step forward. “Silas, I wanted to keep you safe. To give you a chance to live without the weight I carry.”
Silas backed away, his voice trembling. “Well, congratulations. You failed. I’m already in it, and you’re the reason why.”
Before Steve could say anything else, Silas spun around and bolted from the room. The hallway blurred around him, his pulse pounding in his ears. He needed air, space—anything but the crushing reality of what he’d just discovered.
“Silas, wait!” Steve called after him, but Silas didn’t stop. He ran, his feet pounding against the floor as he tore through the labyrinthine corridors. Every step took him farther from Steve, but not far enough from the questions clawing at him.
He burst out into the night, the cool air hitting him like a slap. He kept running, his breath ragged, until the lights of the slums flickered into view. Slowing to a walk, Silas’s shoulders sagged, exhaustion and emotion catching up with him. He had no idea where to go—home, to his mom—but even that felt impossibly distant. He needed to think. To be alone.
Suddenly, from the shadows, a voice slurred, “Well, well, look what we got here.”
Silas turned, his eyes widening as a group of junked-out androids stumbled into view. Their synthetic eyes glowed dimly, and their movements were erratic, their wiring frayed from years of abuse. “You lost, pretty boy?” one of them sneered, twitching as he stepped closer.
“Leave me alone,” Silas said, his voice steadier than he felt.
But the androids closed in, their voices overlapping with taunts and manic laughter. “No one walks these streets alone,” one hissed, his breath a cocktail of chemicals.
Silas’s pulse quickened. He tried to back away, but the circle closed tight. Panic surged, and for a moment, all he could think about was escaping—pushing them away, breaking free. He reached out instinctively, and the streetlights around them flickered, their glow intensifying.
The androids paused, confusion flickering across their faces, but it didn’t last. One lunged, metal fingers reaching for Silas’s throat—
And then, a blur of motion.
Silas barely registered the flash of silver as Steve—no, the Iron Knight—descended on the androids, his movements precise and brutal. In moments, the attackers were scattered, their mechanical limbs twitching as they hit the ground. The last one managed a garbled scream before Steve’s fist sent him crashing into the pavement, sparks flying.
Silas stared, his chest heaving. “You followed me.”
Steve turned, his helmet retracting just enough for Silas to see his face. There was no arrogance, no bravado. Just raw determination—and fear. “I’m not going to lose you.”
Silas swallowed, his emotions a tangled mess. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“No,” Steve said quietly. “You need a friend. And right now, you need to come with me.”
Silas hesitated but finally nodded. They walked in silence, the air thick with unspoken words. When they reached Silas’s neighborhood, dread pooled in his gut. He broke into a run, his feet pounding against the cracked pavement.
The house was dark. Empty.
Silas stood in the doorway, the truth crashing over him like a wave. His family was gone.