by I. O. Adler
“I overheard most of it as I was searching for you. She said you would seek to communicate with the Melded engineer for a way to reconnect to the harvester with no one else knowing. She also speculated you would wish to meet again with the part of her still inside the simulation. That you wish to know whether she freely became one of us.”
“Did she?”
“You are distrustful. You must learn those answers for yourself. I can bring you to the Cordice. My fellow Melded won’t hear us. All we will have to do is stay out of sight.”
He moved as if to lead her away from their hiding place. Carmen thought she saw a shift in the lights of the cavern’s ceiling, as if something reflected there was moving. Were the Melded returning? She scanned the chamber and saw nothing. The fish in the pool swarmed about beneath a nearby platform. But no one else was there.
“I need your help,” Carmen said. “But I’m not lying when I say I’m not going to the Cordice. Take me to the ship where the One lives.”
His fur flattened. “Why would you want to go there?”
“Can you lead me there or not?”
He hesitated before answering. “Yes. But with great, great reluctance. The One’s kind has terms to describe the others within the Framework.”
“Derogatory, from what I heard him call your Primary Executive. Called him ‘less than one.’ I thought it was because he didn’t like your boss.”
“Former boss. But She Who Waits is a polite translator. I was listening in. She doesn’t include a small rider on any of the One’s comments towards us and most of the warm-blooded creatures here.” Ovo played a short audio clip over and over. It sounded like a single syllable. “That means ‘with bones.’ Or, to be less succinct, ‘meat with bones.’ His kind is one of a few that raise meat for slaughter, to my disgust and that of most civilized creatures.”
“He’s a carnivore.”
“He’s a killer. There are other stories, but there isn’t time right now. I’ll lead you to his ship if you insist.”
Carmen took a moment to consider the alternatives. If everything Ovo was saying was true, then the Melded were as put out as the rest of the Framework by the disruption to communications, never mind the ‘coincidence’ that it had happened right when they arrived at She Who Waits’ shuttle. But they also wanted to catch Carmen and control her. Now they anticipated her going to the Cordice.
What about the One? The frightening creature was part of the Framework and it was arguing for everyone’s access to the harvester. The One needed the ship returned and wasn’t afraid of the worm or the Melded.
But could she convince a meat-loving alien that she was part of that solution, even when she was the person who had lost it?
“I insist. Ovo, I’m trusting you alone of all your people. Don’t let me down.”
He started typing a reply. But then he cleared his device and led her through the shallows along the edge of the pool to another trail, which headed out of the council chamber.
The lower levels beyond the pool felt somehow heavier, as if gravity pulled harder than in the upper area of the Framework. Carmen had the distinct sense they were being followed. Had Ovo signaled his kind through their silent communication? Or did the Melded track one another? She couldn’t dismiss the possibility.
For what felt like the tenth time, she paused to search the path behind them.
Ovo led them down a long track with a stone ceiling curving above them. They had been walking for what felt like more than a mile.
“Are all the Ones like their spokesperson?” she asked.
“There is only the One. The others of its kind perished during the attack.”
“And what’s the One’s position on what the Framework does with its resources?”
Ovo checked behind them with his wrist scanner. “Not to fight nor to red shift, but to continue as the survivors have been doing. To keep running. Find places to hide. The burrowers, our former Primary would call them. We should continue.”
He set a fast pace.
She had to jog to keep up. Too many questions lingered. Like how much time and effort had the surviving aliens put into building such an immense place? How much of the Framework was new construction, or was this truly all pieces of spaceships cobbled together?
They approached a curtain of light that obstructed the way forward.
Ovo produced a floating display full of symbols. “Oxygen levels beyond this point are lower than you are accustomed to.”
“How low?”
“From your mother’s biological readings, you and I have similar tolerances. You would be more comfortable with a suit, but we can continue.”
She took a tentative breath as she passed through the curtain. No burning sensation and the air tasted normal, but as they moved towards another tall sculpture, she felt herself getting winded. It was as if she were hiking in the mountains or skiing. If the Melded chasing them caught up, running any distance would be difficult. But if She Who Waits had eluded the guards, none of her concerns would matter.
The One and the rest of the Framework could police the Melded, leaving her to work on figuring out how to fix her mom.
The towering figure, like the others within the Framework, stood within a column of rain. It was an immense blob. Vague lumps covered its body, some appearing to be partially formed limbs and others that were eyes, ears, and nodules Carmen didn’t recognize. The skin shone like chrome, making many of the eyes look like they were opening and staring and gazing upon her and Ovo as they drew closer.
Carmen felt a chill looking at the thing.
While the walk robbed her of her breath, the hike up the spiral around the statue made her lungs burn. She had to stop repeatedly. Her mind felt fuzzy. Ovo waited patiently next to her, obsessively referring to his wrist device, pulling up one screen after another and dismissing them as quickly.
“You’re…as bad as me with my phone,” she gasped. “Worse, maybe.”
“They caught She Who Waits.”
“Where?”
He enlarged a hovering grid. “They are moving her. It appears they are returning her to her ship. I—wait a moment.”
His fur smoothed over and he appeared to shrink. “I am being summoned. They’ve excluded me from the network and are waiting for my reply. Oh. Oh, no. They have my location. They are asking if I’m with you.”
“Then shut it off!”
Ovo appeared to experience a moment of panic before mashing the controls on his arm. The displays winked out. He was suddenly breathing hard, but Carmen guessed it wasn’t from the thin air.
He crouched, gazing at his device with a lost expression. “I…can’t hear them…anymore.”
“Why are you even here risking yourself for me?”
“When the Primary tried to commandeer the harvester, you stood up to him despite him being bigger and us having weapons.”
“I was trying to save my sister and my mom. You would have done the same for your family, wouldn’t you? You told me you’re originally part of a tribe.”
He gestured as if showing off both metal arms. “Who rejected me once I was injured and no longer able to contribute to our mutual survival. The Primary Executive took me in. Then I thought they were my tribe. Perhaps they are. But…” He appeared to be having trouble completing the thought. “But my new tribe’s unity is based on purpose.”
“I don’t pretend to understand everything you’re saying. Sometimes unity based on purpose is as good as it gets. Sometimes it sucks and you have to look out for yourself.”
His throat swelled. But instead of commenting, he continued the ascent. Carmen took in a lungful of air and moved to follow. The ramp ended at what appeared to be a huge elevator, which stood open.
A portion of the statue loomed over them. A broad mouth with rows of crooked teeth hung open above a dozen more eyes arrayed across a broad chin. It was smiling.
Chapter Fourteen
The harvester sphere hung in the air outside the hospi
tal, suspended inches from the ground by an electromagnetic beam connected to a chain of segments all part of a single vessel. The next closest link hovered out of sight and out of reach above the clouds in the upper atmosphere, with the rest far beyond in the vacuum of space.
The humans were busy.
A crane with a suspended mesh cage was swinging its load into position above the sphere. A perimeter of vehicles remained, their rooftop lights blinking. Many humans in bright hazard suits swarmed the ground around the sphere with tools and equipment. They also worked to set up a series of connected tents. A breeze caught several sheets of plastic that formed one tent’s entryway. Closer still was a shower station that reeked of bleach and stung Barrett’s nose.
The shadow studied the scene. Imagined the world full of humans, emotional yet industrious, fragile yet foolhardy. A glimpse into Barrett’s memory revealed that humanity boasted several billion in number. They would become a trillion with their spread to their solar system, and soon they would master travel to the stars as so many others had before them.
Those beyond the Wall must know. The shadow would have to communicate what it now understood about the humans and this third world to its brood. But how to send a message to the others without compromising itself?
It needed to continue to wage its war. While destroying the harvester was an obvious way to deny the Framework access to such a machine, the ship might also prove useful. And it needed to evaluate whether such a feat was even possible.
“What are you doing, sir?”
A soldier in a hazard suit approached him. While his stance looked guarded, his weapon was slung.
They were under the overhang of the emergency room entrance. Too many eyes on them for the shadow to attack. And in the bright daylight it might be seen clinging to Barrett beneath his open shirt. Barrett was still trying to communicate with it but the shadow ignored him. It considered seizing the sentry, but controlling two struggling human nervous systems at a time wouldn’t be possible.
Barrett gestured towards the flapping plastic and open tent.
“Sir, are you okay?”
But as the shadow tried to guide Barrett towards the tent, Barrett once again blocked control, this time over one leg, and they stumbled.
The sentry caught them. “Whoa! Easy. You’re Agent Barrett, right? You’re looking a bit loopy. Let me get you back inside and Dr. Leavitt can clear you. But it looks like you shouldn’t be out here in your condition.”
The shadow prepared to reach for the sentry. Grab him by the wrist. Overload his system and stop his heart.
Barrett’s thoughts were deliberate. You want to go to the tent? Let me speak.
With a thought, it would send Barrett into convulsions. Intensify the sense of pressure in the human’s head. Cause a muscle spasm so severe it would break bones. And it let Barrett know what it could do. Then it showed him the image of the tent and let him speak.
“Yeah, I’m Barrett. Look, Dr. Leavitt’s got a situation in there and she’s cut me free. I need to get suited up and get back to work.”
“You look like you’re about to collapse. Let me get her.”
“No! I mean, no, I’m okay. It’s just been a long haul. But she’s riding me to get my statement, and I need to go inside that tent and put on a space suit. So give me a break.”
“Stay right there.”
Through the hazard suit’s speaker, the shadow couldn’t understand the tone of the sentry’s words.
Wait, Barret urged the shadow. It’s okay. Don’t hurt him.
It couldn’t trust Barrett. But before it could reach for the sentry, a team of four humans hurried towards them. The sentry and his weapon were out of reach. It would use Barrett to charge them. Lash out, flee back to the hospital.
A ringing alarm sounded. The noise frazzled the shadow, causing it to hesitate.
The four humans hurried past and went through the sliding glass door. And the sentry had gone to an unnoticed wheelchair and was bringing it over.
“This should help. I’ll get you to the tent.”
Barrett and the shadow took a seat. The shadow squirmed beneath Barrett’s shirt, sliding around his abdomen and crotch and ignoring the shudders running through the man’s body. It kept Barrett gripping the chair’s handles and forced him to clench his jaw and not utter a sound.
The sentry was talking as he wheeled them towards the tent. “You were up there. I know we’re not supposed to ask, but what happened? The eggheads haven’t told us what that thing is or who it belongs to. It’s got something to do with our astronauts on Mars, doesn’t it?”
Barrett was trying to ease his mind from the sense of revulsion as the shadow’s slippery body pushed in around his belt. His slacks were tight enough that the creature couldn’t quite slide out of sight. Then a new realization crossed his panicked mind.
He knew the sentry.
They had driven together from Travis Air Force Base to Garden Village, part of the convoy coming to secure the scene where the sphere had first been discovered inside a derelict restaurant.
Tommy Jackson.
He had irritated Barrett at first, not letting a moment go by without filling it with chatter. But the young man’s friendly banter had been the nervous talk of a soldier on his first mission, and he had landed the assignment of a lifetime. First contact with an alien vessel. His enthusiasm had been infectious and his reverence for the country and the possibility that the United States was going to be the ones who “bagged the ETs who had caused the Big Wipe” had made Barrett feel good about his work.
First time in ages.
He’s cooperating, he thought to the shadow. Let him take us into the tent. He’s doing that for us. Let him go.
Tommy stopped the wheelchair and moved to secure the flapping plastic with a Velcro tie. A tech working with a long ventilation tube ignored them. Meanwhile, the shadow remained in Barrett’s lap and beneath his clothes. Everyplace it touched him he felt the prickling tingle of a thousand needles dancing on his skin.
“Look at that thing,” Tommy said as he admired the sphere next to the tent. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And it’s floating like magic. Imagine when we can take something like that into space. And this one is ours. Sure beats letting it fall into the hands of the Chinese or Russians, or even France.”
Barrett couldn’t look. The shadow wormed a tendril up his back and peered out over his collar. Two guards had emerged from the hospital. One pointed at them. The shadow pushed and Barrett almost stood. But Barrett stiffened his legs and clamped down on the wheelchair handles. They almost pitched forward in their brief struggle.
Tommy hurried to help and got him back seated. “Oh, sorry, Agent Barrett. I got you. Although I reaaaally think you need to—what is that?”
Through the face shield, Tommy Jackson’s eyes went wide as he gazed down at the part of the shadow resting in Barrett’s lap.
No, don’t—
The shadow thrust a tendril out and grabbed the suit’s front. It yanked Tommy close, opened the suit, and reached inside. Tommy jerked and vomited as the shadow made contact. He doubled over. The soldier bent forward and backward as a powerful spasm racked his body.
Barrett was crying out, pushing every which way, but the shadow locked him down with a mind-crippling squeeze and forced him to wheel them into the tent.
Shouts from outside. Coming closer.
You killed him! You killed him!
The shadow ignored Barrett. Didn’t have time to savor the rage seething from him. It had to go deeper into the tent and discover what the humans were doing and whether they could actually capture the harvester. But with two more humans coming, it had a choice. Stand and fight or run.
Barrett continued to do what he could to prevent them from moving down into the primary room of the tent. His mind continued to howl. The human in his control wasn’t walking normally, couldn’t speak, and would soon be apprehended.
A fresh electronic alarm began to whistle a
round them, competing with the one already ringing.
The shadow gave Barrett a final shock to his system before leaping from him and slithering into the next tent. It slid between sections of a plastic screen and under a table. A ring of equipment and computers occupied the room. Four humans worked there and one was hurrying past the table towards the entrance.
She screamed as the shadow tackled her. She wasn’t wearing a helmet. The shadow stunned her before darting to the next man, who didn’t have time to get up off his rolling chair before getting knocked down.
A stool smashed into the shadow. The blow caused a wave of pain that only fazed it for a moment before it jumped the foolish human. With a shock, the human fell, convulsing. The last one, another woman, was screaming into a radio before the shadow likewise took her down.
It felt spent. None of its electrical discharges had killed. All four humans were eyewitnesses. But it couldn’t be helped. If the events in the emergency room hadn’t already revealed its presence, the humans would now know with certainty they had a visitor.
Voices called from the front of the tent. But the shadow had no strength for a fight. It hadn’t the energy to mount another attack. The woman who had been on the phone was already stirring.
It rose in the center of the room and considered the computers. While it understood how the humans interfaced with them from its contact with Barrett, it lacked the intimate knowledge to actually use any of the machines. But perhaps the computers weren’t the only place it could look for answers.
It reached for the woman. Touched skin. She was a materials scientist and chemist. Her fear distracted the shadow. It forced itself to look no further inside of her than at what she had been working on.
The sphere and its electromagnetic tether. The human knew little but had several working theories their military was trying to prove. That the sphere was one part of a whole, that it was being remotely controlled, and that they could communicate with the aliens who sent it.
From what they had learned from Agent Barrett, they understood that Jenna Vincent had piloted the harvester.