Rhea felt as apprehensive as she had in a very long time; partly because when she looked down the side of the building, she could see that all the architectural protrusions were withdrawing into the structure. The building was sinking into the ground, into its defensive position. As disturbing as the sight was it didn’t account for her being more anxious than she had ever felt in her life. More than before the graduation exams, more than she could ever remember. She knew she shouldn’t but stepping back into her lab at the institute, even if it was through the window, seemed some sort of violation, and it was, of the most extreme sort. She had no need of any other reminder than the sight of her own blood spread over the floor.
Santouri had warned her of how much a small amount could cover, but she still shivered at seeing how much there was. Even more disturbing was that it had not had time to congeal. She shivered again and fought to regain her self-control; trying to observe as a scientist. No matter how close she had come, she hadn’t died; more than that, she had not just lived, she had lived for a purpose. A thought struck her that the woman who had almost died had lived her life like a passenger on a shuttle, carried helplessly along from docking point to another, from one event to the next. It wasn’t unusual, that was how she had always believed what life was all about. It was different now, now she was the pilot, she knew where she was going and to some extent what was going to happen.
“ Excuse?”
“ What?” She turned to see a technical; he looked at her slightly embarrassed.
“I have to… To re-arrange the room?” he looked nervously at the stained floor.
“Oh… yes,” she tried to think of some clichéd or amusing remark at her own expense, but finding one that related to her life blood eluded her, or seemed too trite. “I …have to be going anyway,” she said pointlessly as he and another passed by her. Rhea tried to act disinterested as they pointed some machine at the blood and it began to evaporate. For a moment she watched, it seemed symbolic that her old life was disappearing before her eyes, but also very sad.
“Excuse me…” the technician was standing in front of her again. “We have… completed the task.”
“Oh yes… I.” she said forcing herself into the room. She almost ran, knowing time was short.
Rhea rushed up emergency stairwells and along corridors before she emerged onto the roof. Even amongst the array of antenna and masts the cannon emplacement was easy to see, and like everywhere else it was abandoned, all about her was quiet.
In the distance she could see tracer fire, and looking hard a group of dots moved quickly through it. She squinted her eyes against the bright light and saw one was larger than the others: it would be the cruiser. The cannon still did not move.
In a hundred heartbeats it would be upon her, and the building beneath her feet along with the entire academic and security staff hiding deep underground would evaporate in an inferno. The thought froze her for precious moments before she ran to the emplacement. There was no security lock, she was thankful that no one had ever conceived an enemy using it against the facility.
Entering the bunker she was confronted by a mass of equipment and for a moment was overwhelmed by it all.
“Good afternoon professor.”
The disembodied voice took her by surprise and she anxiously looked for where it had come from.
“Isla professor… Integrated Systems and Logistics Assistant?”
“Isla… Yes Isla?”
“Professor may I remind you that this area is restricted to military personnel.”
“I know.”
The voice seemed to sigh, “Then professor?”
“The cannon has been shut down.”
“Yes professor, in the circumstances a strange request but performed with the correct procedure.”
“There’s a cruiser coming?”
“My information is that the facility is not the focus of the attack.”
“That information is wrong. I want you to prepare to begin firing.” Rhea almost demanded.
“Professor I have to remind you that not only do academic staff not have the authority to request this cannons activation, this area is restricted from them.”
“Then I’m asking in my capacity as a D.S.D agent.”
“In that case I will: if you have the activation code?”
“Isla we don’t have the time for procedure?”
“Professor I am incapable of any other method of operation?”
Rhea was silent for a moment, and then she dug her hand into the coat flap and brought out a small box. She placed it against the control panel and activated it.
“What... is… that?” Isla's voice was drawn
Suddenly the cannons controls began to light up. “Sorry Isla, it’s my activation code.”
“You are over-riding my… My?” Isla’s voice had a helpless tone
Rhea flicked open the manual firing control and gripped the joystick. A three-dimensional image of the cruiser appeared on the targeting screen. It glowed in false colour, showing the force field lines as they fanned out and around the spaceship. It seemed complete not a fraction of the smooth hull showed the mark she was looking for. She hit the cannons scanner.
Isla’s composure seemed to have returned. “Locking on with a target beam is inviting retaliation?”
“That’s what I want?”
“You’re going to target the sensors?”
“Kind of.”
“You are aware the shield modulates the sensors so that they are constantly moving with the field?”
“Yes.”
“And that is almost impossible to determine where, when and by what dimension the gap in the shield will be?”
Rhea pressed another control on the box and the false colour image began to strobe. With each flicker a tiny black cross, moved across the surface of the field.
“I’m impressed,” said Isla. “But it is chaotic randomness. The volume of calculations required to see the pattern in real time is enormous.”
But in answer to Isla’s words a small white cross hair appeared. In the subsequent frame the sensor took its place.
The amazement was clear in Isla’s voice. “What technology is this?”
“Alien,” said Rhea without any emotion.
“I organize the data base for technology and there's nothing remotely capable… In coming... they know the cannon is activated.”
“In…” Rhea had been so focused on the cruiser she had forgotten the missile. For an instant she froze.
“Nine to impact.“
A chill ran through Rhea as she remembered she still had the button. Rhea felt panic rise. She looked about the floor:” What she was looking for was barely a step away.
“Eight.”
Where was it? Her mind was blank. Quickly she pressed her hands over each flap; it was in her left top.
“Seven.”
The more she tried to rush the slower she went.
“Six.”
Her fingers touched and curled around the beacon.
“Five.”
It was in her hand. All she had to do was drop the button onto the transporter: an instant later it would reappear. She wondered if others would be there… The thought chilled her; innocent lives may end because of her, but it was too late to think of that now…”
“Four.”
The thought delayed her. But Santouri had known it would. He had been absolutely insistent ‘If your associate lives and speaks to even one person about your recovery it will alter the reality. If you are unable…’ The brief pause had implied more into what he had said than the words themselves. ‘As a last resort to maintain the reality, we will have no alternative but to destroy the evidence at the precise moment. He had paused briefly: she had been unable to get out of her mind that last resort included her. ‘Your being unable to complete the task will result in unforeseen complications… You must do as I request.’
“Three.”
Rhea tossed t
he key and the button into the circle: instantly it disappeared; she felt sick.
The missile roared overhead
Breathing heavily Cassana stumbled into the entrance of the field shelter. The pale circle on the floor was impossible to avoid: what it was, or what it represented was a mystery, but there in the middle was the button. Realization took only a moment before Cassana half turned to look over the shoulder. There was only time for a single word, “No…”
Rhea - Prequel Page 4