The Ganymede Legacy

by A C Bonesteel

  Leo frowned. "Well, we only need it to work for a few more minutes. The guy we're going to see should be able to hook me up with a black-market I.D. And, he should be able to link it to my credit balance."

  Annabelle turned back to Leo and smirked. "Ah, he's that kind of doctor..."

  "Yeah..." Leo admitted. "But, I've heard good things. His name is Pyke, and the monks have worked with him before."

  Annabelle didn't reply, and Leo couldn't blame her, for a marvelous sight was now growing before them.

  They had reached the interior of the city, and the titanic buildings of Shojun now surrounded them. Every surface of the inner city was shiny, whether due to titanium walls, or creamy, iridescent nano-polymer. The roads in the middle of the city were ten lanes wide, and the sidewalks all perfectly clean.

  Here and there, pedestrians navigated the city. Most were dressed in neutral-toned, skin-tight nano-suits, and they walked with incredible speed due to the aid of the technology.

  "Wow!" Annabelle exclaimed, "Everything is so high-tech!"

  "Shojun city is tech-hub. Horizon Technologies and Parker Nano-Tech are headquartered here," Leo remarked.

  As their truck turned left, a lovely park emerged before them. Annabelle's draw dropped as she absorbed the sight of 200-meter tall redwood trees stretching forth from beautifully manicured gardens below. In the middle of the trees, a gigantic nano-polymer sculpture reached even higher. The sculpture was in the form of a massive helix, and its iridescent sheen cut a stark contrast against the evergreen trees that surrounded it.

  "I guess not everything is high-tech..." Annabelle gasped.

  "Don't be so sure," Leo corrected her. "Those trees were cloned directly from earthborn samples. Mir and Zary Montalves built this park; they are the founders of Horizon Technologies, and they're founding members of the Council."

  "My goodness," Annabelle exclaimed. "That's crazy... How do you know all this?"

  "I've been around the block a time or two," Leo cheekily replied. "Speaking of which... One more block, and we'll be at Doctor Pyke's office."

  "Well, our little open-air city tour was nice while it lasted," Annabelle lamented.

  They cruised past the park and made a wide, sweeping left. After passing one more intersection, the truck veered to the right and came to a sudden stop.

  "Here we go," Leo remarked. "This is it!"

  "Damn, we got one of the shorter ones, eh?" Annabelle replied as she looked up at the relatively small building before them.

  "Yeah," Leo agreed as he climbed down the containers in the back of the truck, then hopped off and offered his hand to Annabelle. "Pyke is near the top, at least. Maybe we can get a good view of the park up there..."

  Annabelle climbed down the stack of watermelons, took his hand, then hopped off next to him. "I like the way you think, Leo!"

  Leo grinned at her and squeezed her shoulder. "One second; let me make sure the monks know the plan."

  Then, he walked to the cockpit of the truck, the door of which was already open.

  One of the monks looked down from the cockpit and nodded to Leo. "Nice ride, brother Leo?"

  "Yeah," Leo replied. "Thanks for the ride. We'll be waiting here in exactly two hours for you to pick us up."

  "The monk winked, "Very well, brother. Until then..." Without another word, the door to the cockpit closed with a smooth hiss, then the truck sped off and veered into traffic once again.

  "The Samari sure are nice," Annabelle remarked as she moved next to Leo.

  Leo nodded, then gestured for her to follow him. "Yes, they are... C'mon, our appointment is in two minutes.

  Annabelle walked next to him as they made their way to the entrance of the iridescent, windowless, spire-shaped building.

  "Ishikitomi Plaza..." Annabelle announced as she read the large, silver lettering above the building entrance.

  Leo's eyes traveled from the name of the building, to the entrance. It wasn't a door, but instead, a large, shimmering and flowing nano-barrier.

  "I hope it lets me in..." Leo remarked as he eyed the strange, wet-looking membrane.

  "Only one way to find out," Annabelle laughingly replied. Then, she confidently sauntered through the barrier. It wrapped around her weirdly as she penetrated it, but once on the other side, Leo could see her opaque figure waving him onward.

  Leo took a deep breath, appraised the barrier one more time, then stepped through it.

  Chapter 2

  Annabelle smirked at Leo as he slid through the entrance to Ishikitomi Plaza. "See, you were worried about nothing. No I.D., no problem!"

  Leo gave her a curt nod as he walked past and gestured for her to follow.

  Annabelle surveyed her surroundings as she followed Leo through the lobby. The immense, open space was incredibly beautiful. Vibrant, multi-colored, blown-glass sculptures hung from the lofty ceiling at regular intervals. Large, live trees grew upward from the smooth, iridescent floor. And, here and there, young and well-dressed business people went on their way.

  "Wow... Nice place," Annabelle remarked. "You sure we can afford the services of Doctor Pyke?"

  Leo shot her a furtive glance. "As long as the Council's account stays open... Ah, elevators are over there.

  With a nod, Leo beckoned Annabelle to a long, shiny hall that abutted the lobby. At least twenty elevator doors branched off from the hall, though it was otherwise empty.

  Annabelle looked around, curiosity growing in her mind. There were no buttons by any of the elevator doors, and she didn't know what to do. "Um, do you know how to call an elevator here?"

  Leo frowned. "No, I thought..."

  He was suddenly interrupted, however, when a calm, feminine voice sounded from high above. "Please, state your destination."

  "Um, Doctor Pyke's office," Annabelle tentatively answered.

  "Please proceed to the blue elevator," the voice replied. Then, the elevator door directly to their right began to glow with a bright blue outline.

  Annabelle took a step, and the door instantly slid open. She promptly stepped inside and Leo was quick to follow. Once inside, the doors slid shut. Then, with a barely perceptible sense of movement, the elevator began its journey upwards.

  Annabelle glanced at Leo as the elevator hummed around them. He was staring forward intently as he shifted his weight between his feet.

  "Something wrong?" Annabelle asked.

  Leo didn't blink. "Yeah. There's a lot wrong. Why is everything so normal? This city seems fine... Everywhere else we've been in the last week has seemed fine... It's not right..."

  Annabelle placed her hand on Leo's shoulder. "Well, everywhere we've been, a lot of people killed themselves... That's not fine..."

  Leo turned and stared into her eyes. "Only the aberrations. They're the only ones who killed themselves. Everyone else is fine... You, me, everyone..."

  Annabelle nodded. She could understand Leo's unease. It defied her belief that Exony's bizarre silver liquid hadn't caused more harm. "Well, we don't know what happened. Maybe Exony wasn't as bad as we thought. Maybe it killed the aberrations, and that's all she wanted it to do..."

  "No," Leo protested. "She wanted it to do a lot more... We need to figure out what happened. Where did it all go? Why did it function the way it did? What if it comes back?"

  Annabelle crossed her arms. "That seems a little above our paygrade, Leo. Where would we even start?"

  Leo clenched his jaw, but didn't reply. Then, the elevator doors opened to reveal a small, empty, pure-white room.

  "Yeah... First things first, I guess..." Leo remarked as he stepped out of the elevator.

  Annabelle quickly followed, and the elevator doors shut smoothly behind her. After only a few seconds, a section of the wall across from them slid open, then a pretty young woman dressed in a tight-fitting white dress sauntered through it.

  She instantly shot a beaming smile at Annabelle. "Alice and Leo, I presume. Doctor Pyke is ready for you. This way, please."

>   Without another word, she turned and walked back through the opening in the wall. After sharing a look and a nod, Annabelle and Leo followed her through the doorway, and into a long, narrow, and brightly lit hallway.

  The white-dressed woman walked quickly, and Annabelle had to tug Leo into a light jog to keep up with her. After twenty seconds of silent walking, the woman stopped on a dime and tapped her foot impatiently.

  "Right this way," she beckoned as she gestured to her left. Then, a small section of the hallway on their left slid open to reveal a large, white room.

  As Annabelle led Leo into the room, she spotted a small bald man wearing a white lab coat standing in the corner. Once inside, she looked back and watched the wall slide shut, leaving her and Leo alone with the man.

  "Hello!" the man exclaimed in a rapid-fire, high-pitched voice as he quickly strolled over to them. "I am Doctor Pyke, and you must be Alice and Leo! Based on your conversation with the Samari, I understand you need me to treat a few injuries to your hands. Let's have a look!"

  "Uh, okay," Leo grunted as he held his hands up for Pyke to inspect. "Um, don't you require payment or something?"

  "Oh please," Pyke admonished as he gently took hold of Leo's hands and began to inspect them. "The Samari have vouched for you, and have personally guaranteed any charges you may incur."

  "That's very nice of them, I suppose..." Leo replied as he gazed over to Annabelle.

  Annabelle shrugged. So far, the appointment had been unlike any other medical experience she could remember.

  "Ah, yes. You suffered severe burns to your hands," Pyke remarked. "And, they were treated with grade-two nanites, yes?"

  "I guess," Leo grunted as Pyke turned to Annabelle and gestured for her to raise her hands.

  She quickly obeyed, then watched as Pyke began to massage her hands within his.

  "No, no, no, no, no!" Pyke announced. "That won't do at all - not for anything other than short term functionality and sensation. I'll need to remove the existing nanites and replace them with something that will last you much longer. Luckily for you, I have just the thing..."

  "What do you have?" Annabelle curiously inquired.

  Pyke flashed her a glowing smile. "I have level-five nanites. They are the newest medical nanites on the market. They will bond with your tissue and precisely replicate your natural functions. Although, you may notice a bit more grip strength here and there. That's not an issue, is it?"

  "No," Annabelle mumbled.

  Pyke clapped his hands with excitement. "Well, then! It's decided! Follow me to the next room, and I will conduct the procedure!"

  Pyke quickly walked to the wall to Annabelle's left, where another concealed sliding door was already opening.

  After the door opened, Pyke turned and beckoned them forth. "After you, please!"

  Annabelle shot a look over to Leo as he crossed his arms and stood still. The situation felt a bit odd to her, but she didn't have much experience under her belt. Maybe they just performed medical treatment a bit differently in Shojun City.

  "Wait a second," Leo growled. "This is moving way too fast. Explain exactly what you're going to do."

  Pyke began tapping his foot impatiently. "Time is money, Leo. Your condition is obvious, and so is the remedy. There is no need to belay the proceedings with pointless questions or concerns."

  Leo frowned and Annabelle could tell he wasn't convinced, so she decided to chime in. "Um, Doctor Pyke? Where is your staff? Usually, medical offices have quite a few more people, don't they?"

  Pyke glared back at her as he began massaging his palms together. "I don't need a million useless people wandering around my office and slowing things down!My wife is all the help I need, thank you very much. Now, if you would like treatment, step through this door. If you don't, then please leave!"

  "Gah! Fine!" Leo growled. Then, he uncrossed his arms and trudged over to the door. With a grunt, he shoved past Pyke, walked through the door, and entered the next room.

  Annabelle was about to follow, but then, a wave of dizziness suddenly swept over her senses. She took a step to maintain her balance, and her dizziness rapidly intensified. Within just a few seconds, the room was spinning around her, and she felt her stomach trying to purge its contents.

  "Um..." Annabelle managed to say, but then she lost her balance and fell to her knees.

  "Are you okay, miss?" she heard Pyke say, but his voice was odd. It sounded like it was coming from very far away.

  Then, another voice registered in her mind. This one was as loud and clear as her thoughts. "Annabelle... This doesn't feel right... Something's wrong..."

  It was Alice, speaking in her mind.

  "Gah, Alice?" Annabelle thought. "I'm dizzy as hell... What are you doing? Is this you."

  "You need to get out!" Alice screamed in her mind.

  Annabelle felt a jolt of panic at Alice's words, but then her dizziness rapidly receded, and her nausea began to ebb.

  Annabelle shook her head as her vision cleared. When she looked up, she saw Pyke hovering over her. His eyes looked strange. There was a subtle blue light emanating from them that was unlike anything Annabelle had ever seen.

  "Miss?" he gently inquired. "I'm getting some extraordinary readings from you. Do you know what just happened to you? Have you noticed any strange thoughts, or lapses of consciousness recently?"

  "What?" Annabelle moaned. "No. I'm fine..."

  Pyke smirked down at her. "No, you are certainly not fine! I've never seen anything like this! You have two distinct alpha patterns! This is unprecedented!"

  "Whatever," Annabelle shot back as she climbed to her feet. "Leo?”

  When Annabelle looked around the bare, white room, however, Leo wasn't there. Neither was the door that he had just walked through. There were no open doors in the room now, only solid white walls.

  "Where's Leo?" Annabelle demanded as her eyes flashed back to Pyke.

  "Nevermind..." Pyke laughingly replied. "He will be fine... Well, maybe not fine... There is quite a large price on his head..."

  "What the hell are you talking about?" Annabelle demanded as she began to back away.

  Pyke stepped forward as she stepped back. "Leo is a wanted man! Titan always remembers, and he should know that. Honestly, he was a fool for coming back here. His bounty is monumental! I knew the first time I scanned him. But, to be honest, that is of little concern to me in the grand scheme. Truly, you are the ultimate prize!"

  "Fuck off!" Annabelle groaned. She had hoped that Titan would provide a little bit of peace, and for a week, it had. Now, it seemed their peace had run out.

  Pyke held his hands out in front of him as he stepped forward. "Now, miss! Please! I mean you and Leo no harm!"

  "Yeah, right..." Annabelle shot back. "Who wants Leo anyway? The Council?"

  "Well, yes..." Pyke admitted. "Among others, of course. The others are who I deal with. Many people are still not aware, but the Council is relatively powerless at the current moment, I'm afraid. It's only a matter of time before everything collapses. I've told a few people, but they don't listen. Soon, the currency blockchain will fail, and when that happens, I will need friends in the right places. The only people who survive will be the people with friends in the right places..."

  "Stay away from me!" Annabelle roared as true panic bloomed within her. "Let us go, or you're gonna get your whole fucking life erased! You don't know Leo! You don't know what he can do!"

  Pyke stopped in his tracks. "Oh, really? What can he do?"

  Annabelle stepped forward. "You're about to find out, you crusty... Old... Ass!"

  Pyke grinned, then slowly raised his right arm and pointed his finger at her. "I would've expected a more inventive insult from someone with a brain such as yours. I wonder if, perhaps, your rambling is a side-effect... Interesting... Yes..."

  Pyke trailed off, and Annabelle tensed. She was a split-second from kicking Pyke in the face, but unfortunately, she never got the chance. Before she could ev
en twitch her leg muscles, a long white wire shot from the end of Pyke's finger and penetrated her neck.

  A blip of pain registered in her mind, then, extreme exhaustion rapidly overcame her. She crumpled to the ground within a second and fell into an awkward heap.

  "Wuh... Wuuzah? I thawwww... Munkz..." Annabelle mumbled as she began to lose consciousness. She couldn't move. She could barely think. What was happening? Where was Leo?

  Then, Pyke's smiling face swam into her view as he squealed with glee. "Time to figure out what is going on in that mind of yours! This is going to be so much fun!"

  Chapter 3

  Leo pushed past Pyke and entered the next room. It was sparse, white, and empty.

  Leo took a deep breath as he looked around. He had a feeling something was not quite right with the Doctor, but he and Annabelle needed treatment. The condition of their hands had been declining for days, and if they wanted to salvage any use of them, they had no choice but to work with Doctor Pyke.

  Leo expected Annabelle to follow him into the room, but when he turned around to speak to her, she wasn't there. The door he had just walked through was also gone. It had disappeared, and now there was only blank, white wall.

  "Annabelle!" Leo growled as he walked over to the wall and began to run his hands across it, searching for the edge of the concealed door. He had no idea what was happening, but he felt immediate and intense anger for not staying closer to Annabelle.

  He ran his hands along the wall for ten seconds or so but had no luck in finding its edge. Then, he was suddenly interrupted by a low, emotional voice that sounded behind him.

  "Oh my god... I can't believe I finally found you..."

  Leo wheeled around and saw that he was no longer alone. A large, young man with waist-length black hair was now standing across from him. The man wore a long black trenchcoat, and he bore a grotesque scar across his right cheek.

  Leo flitted his eyes around the room. No other door had opened, and it appeared the man had somehow teleported inside.