Bullseye

Prologue

Daedalus walked down the halls of his prison. Although he was not imprisoned in the traditional sense, with ball and chain in a barred metal cell, he was a prisoner none the less. He was granted only the tools and rights enough to complete his tasks effectively. Daedalus was condemned to walk the halls and laboratories of a single building, unable to leave without being hunted and killed within the hour, and that was assuming that he was able to get past the airtight security. He felt like a lab rat. Sometimes he contemplated attempting an escape anyways, just to end it. Daedalus supposed that he could do it with ease, for he had a brilliant mind, but he had responsibilities and someone he couldn’t leave behind.

He continued to traverse the halls towards the main office, which he dreaded. Daedalus was sure that Minos would not be lenient if he had discovered his secret. He was determined not to spill anything, but he could not speak for any evidence that he had left behind. He was sure that the common individual, given they were in his position, would not hesitate to provide their captor with any services that they demanded. But despite the mistakes in Daedalus' life, he could not sit idly by while Minos' project flourished. He would rather give up his life than destroy another’s. What Minos requested was simply evil, and Daedalus would do anything and everything in his power to sabotage it. It was too late to stop it immediately though. The prototype was finished, and there was nothing that he could do to change that. The research was too far gone.

Daedalus opened the office door, sweating with anxiety, but concentrating on maintaining his outward appearance. He observed Minos at the opposite end of the room, standing up, mocking him with manners. He knew that Minos despised him, but he cherished the possibilities that Daedalus' mind allowed enter the realm of potentiality.

“Hello, Daedalus,” Minos greeted calmly, “I think that you know exactly why I have called you here.” Daedalus did suspect why he had called him here, but he had no intention of allowing Minos to know that.

“I know nothing of the kind, Minos. You’ll have to be more specific, sir,” replied Daedalus. He had not an ounce of respect for this tyrant, but this was part of his plan, his deception. And the first item on his list was to make Zeus trust him. He knew what kind of person Minos was. How vain of him to give himself the codename ‘Minos’. He was no king. In fact, the first time that Daedalus had called him anything otherwise, he received the instant cold shoulder, and he knew what that meant. It was indeed a challenge to balance between keeping his pride intact, and staying alive.

“I’ll get right to it, Daedalus. There’s been a glitch in the design. But, I believe that you already know this. Someone might be as bold to suggest that this was sabotage. Did you believe yourself to be the only mind working on this little project of mine? How naïve of you,” Minos drawled. The way he revealed what he knew did not bother Daedalus, but it was what he said that made him mentally stagger. How could he have been so careless! Minos had just thrown a wrench in Daedalus' plan. 

“Sabotage? I’m surprised that you didn't figure it out sooner,” Daedalus sighed, “The question is, what will you do now? Kill me? We both know that if you did, you could never fix the damage that I’ve caused. None of your scientists could fix what I’ve done, and you don’t even know what exactly that is.”

“You may be right, but I still have a plethora of options. I could, let’s say, torture you until you give me what I want,” said Minos with a sadistic smile. Daedalus had no doubt that he would perform the torture personally.

“And what would you accomplish? We both know how unreliable a method of information extraction torture is.”

“Oh, but it be so fun, wouldn’t it?” Minos teased. Seeing Daedalus’ expression, he added, “Don’t worry, Daedalus. I’m not going to torture you. I’m just going to find your little pet, and torture him. Until you give me what I want, that is.”

“You’ll never find him,” he assured, but he knew he was just grasping at straws. He had taken certain precautions, but he knew it would not be enough. His whole world crumbled around him. It was over.