Sanctuary

by H C Edwards

  Everything was black now, and the sounds around her were starting to fade.

  “Kiss me,” Mia said desperately, but she wasn’t sure if the words came out.

  She tried to say it again, needed to say it again, but then she felt the warm soft lips close over hers, and she knew that Chase had heard.

  The Chamber

  Misao looked nervously at the clock on the dashboard. She had waited until the coast was clear before she commandeered one of the security transports from the lot. It was a risk, but her plan depended on arriving at the Pantheon as quickly as possible. She knew that Talbot would see the Major immediately, meaning that the guards would need to bring him to the east entrance, the shortest route to the council chambers. No doubt Talbot wanted as few prying eyes on the Major as possible, and that gave Misao some time. She could arrive at the west entrance, and if she was quick enough, head off the security escort.

  As her transport sped towards the Pantheon, her thoughts were burdened with the hopelessness of the present situation. Had the Major been able to obtain the explosives? Did it even matter now? Surely they had been confiscated, meaning that their one plan was now null and void.

  And what about Griffin? If they had Trey they probably had him as well.

  What had happened?

  She realized that it didn’t matter. However Talbot had found out, he had, and their plan was no longer a viable option. Even if Griffin were able to bring down the field, they had no way to set off the explosion to destroy the quantum computer. So why was she still trying? Why race to the Pantheon for a desperate rescue attempt?

  Something nagged at her in the back of her mind, and as much as she tried to push it away and focus on what she needed to do, it persisted like an itch she couldn’t scratch. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her thoughts, but all she could think about was the first interview she had with Talbot, her confession of the true events that transpired with her experimental team in the cooling chamber. It was that confession, her choices during and after the failed experiment, that had been the deciding factor in her appointment.

  What was it that Talbot had said? Something about weighing the greater good against our moral obligations to uphold the truth. Why would she think of that now? Why did it matter so much that she couldn’t shake it?

  You gambled and took a chance that turned out to be a mistake…

  And there it was…what her subconscious was trying to tell her, the reason why she continued forward when she knew their plan had crumbled apart.

  When the transport signaled her arrival at the Pantheon, Misao knew exactly what needed to be done. She just hoped that Griffin had been able to do his part.

  Trey stepped out of the transport as the two guards surrounded him on either side. He knew their faces and names, Mitchell and Singh, but they were relatively new recruits, joining the ASF in the last five years. He supposed that Talbot didn’t want any of the veterans escorting him. After all, there could be residual loyalty, and that would complicate things.

  The east entrance of the Gardens was easily the least extravagant, as well as the shortest access to the Pantheon. Here, the fauna was sparse, consisting mostly of green ferns and bushes, small trees and covered awnings crawling with ivy. It was an unspoken rule that the council and associates, meaning governors and department heads, used this area as a social meeting place, or just to enjoy their meals in peace. The rest of the people that worked in the Pantheon ignored this area, some out of respect, others out of a sense of awe and fear.

  On this morning the Gardens were completely empty, as Trey and his guard proceeded past the automated walkways to cover the distance more quickly.

  Trey had remained completely silent during the entire ride, processing the turn of events and what it meant. He considered the possibility of one of them playing the role of mole, but he rejected it out of hand almost immediately. That only left one other possibility, that they were being monitored. Considering how quickly events had transpired to bring them together, he was surprised that Talbot would have been this prescient.

  They found the explosives after he was cuffed. It as if they expected to find them, but when Sanchez held them in his hands to confirm what they were, the look he gave Trey was one of confused disappointment.

  You don’t know what’s going on, Trey wanted to say, but he had remained silent.

  The plan was done, their little rebellion failing before it really started. And now he was being marched to what could only be the end. He wasn’t afraid. He had stopped being afraid of death a long time ago. Death was something that he welcomed, for it meant that he would be consigned to the Ether, and there, in the Cloud, he could search for his Shay and Hannah. Who knows what would have happened had they destroyed the quantum computer. The Cloud would cease to exist, but what about the Ether, the dumping ground of all those profiles that would never see revival again? That information and energy that could not be used again was sent into the orbiting satellites, those few that still existed, just in case it was ever needed. Up there, in the nothingness of space, the data was bounced from satellite to satellite around the globe in a constant stream, because not a single one of them could handle the workload at once. It created a circuit, a river of all the lost memories and lives, forever circling the Earth, an invisible ferry of souls…the Ether.

  Yet despite Trey’s willingness for that transition, he also seethed with the hate that only betrayal could instill. His resurfaced memories of Talbot instilled a rage that he’d never felt before. It demanded retribution.

  “Walk faster,” Mitchell said from behind, poking him with the EMP baton in the small of his back.

  Trey stopped, prompting both guards to back up, Singh in front raising his rifle. They were at the edge of the Gardens, right before the steps.

  “Easy, Major,” Singh said from in front of him. “None of us wants this to go down this way.”

  “I think Mitchell does,” Trey replied, gesturing with his head.

  The cuffs they had on him were unbreakable. He knew that, but neither were they that constricting. There was a little bit of movement, enough that he knew he could turn and take out Mitchell before he could activate the EMP baton and use it to any effect. Singh, on the other hand, had stepped back enough that Trey couldn’t reach him before he was taken down.

  There was a moment when Trey considered it. After all, he’d rather be shot down then taken like a mewling cow to the slaughterhouse. And then he saw the doors at the top of the steps open. There was the swirl of the council’s robes, but no face to make out. Whoever was coming out to meet them had a hood on where no councilman would wear one. The steps were short and clipped, a woman’s gait.

  “I wouldn’t come any closer, Councilman,” Mitchell said from behind him.

  “It’s okay,” Trey replied, dropping his shoulders and his head. “Let’s get this over with.”

  It was enough for Singh to relax in front of him and drop the barrel of his rifle, long enough for Misao to close the distance down the steps, enough time for her to withdraw a pistol and put it to the back of Singh’s head before he knew what was happening.

  Trey exploded into action, swinging around with both of his hands clasped. Mitchell’s eyes were on the councilwoman and he didn’t have time to recover. Trey’s closed fists caught him right on the chin. He was out before his body hit the ground.

  “Don’t move,” Misao replied from behind Singh, and just in case the guard was considering any action, she cocked the hammer back on the pistol.

  Whatever he might have been thinking, it went out the window like a breath of wind. Singh immediately took his hand off the grip of his rifle and held his hand out by his side. Trey stepped up and relieved him of the rifle, slinging it over his back on the strap, and then bent down to grab Mitchell by the legs. He dragged him unceremoniously to a copse of bushes and dumped him in none too gently. Then he returned to Singh.

  “I’m going to need your access card,” Trey said. “I
’m assuming mine doesn’t work anymore.”

  The guard glanced down at his breast pocket. Trey fished it out.

  “Is he dead?” Singh asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice, referring to Mitchell.

  Trey frowned.

  “Hardly,” he replied. “But he’ll have to get that jaw fixed when he wakes up. And you might have to be checked for that concussion.”

  “What?”

  Trey’s fist connected with the side of the man’s head. He pulled his fist back at the last moment, not wanting to create any permanent damage. It wasn’t an exact science, he knew, but this wasn’t the time to be too concerned.

  Singh collapsed in a heap, Trey reaching out to catch him before he was completely splayed out. Dragging him to the same set of bushes he deposited the man on top of Mitchell. When he returned, Misao had pushed back the cowl of her hood enough that he could make out her eyes.

  “Didn’t think I’d see you again,” he said, checking the action on the rifle.

  “I didn’t think I’d make it in time,” Misao replied, the pistol at her side shaking just the slightest bit. “I had to take the service tunnel to get here, but someone might have seen me come in.”

  She was referring to the cameras, Trey knew.

  “I guess we better get out of here then. We can take the security transport behind me.”

  He turned to leave, expecting her to follow.

  “Wait,” Misao said, grabbing him by the bicep, causing the Major to turn in some surprise. “Griffin.”

  “If I’m burned we’re all burned,” Trey replied. “You can’t help him.”

  “But what if he can do it? What if he can drop the field?”

  Trey shook his head.

  “Doesn’t matter. They took the explosives. Best thing we can do is regroup, figure something else out.”

  He didn’t say that all he was thinking about was getting her somewhere safe and then coming back to kill Talbot. It wouldn’t solve all their problems, but it damn sure would solve one of them. Maybe if the councilman was dead then Misao could go public, swing the people to her side with the truth. It was an outrageous idea, and yet, it was the only play they had left.

  “What if there was another way?” Misao interrupted his train of thought.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What if we could still destroy the computer?” Misao asked. “Would you come with me?”

  He didn’t need more than that, a chance. If it didn’t pan out, at least he’d be in the same building as Talbot…and this time, nothing would stop Trey from killing him.

  “Lead the way, Councilwoman,” he said.

  Trey had the rifle slung across his back as they entered the Pantheon. He had made Misao put the pistol away before they hit the lobby. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her with it. She had proved herself capable of being threatening with it, but he was certain that when it came to fire the weapon in an actual situation, she would hesitate, probably not even go through with it.

  As they entered, he kept close to Misao, directly behind her, keeping his head low. The lobby was surprisingly empty on this morning. It was early, just before shift change, but it was still stark compared to the usual. He wondered why that might be, but it was of no consequence. The less people the better, as far as he was concerned.

  Misao, despite her youth, wore the mantle of leadership with ease. She walked head up, hood aside, staring straight in front of her as if she expected no one to stop her, a council member on her way to important business. The few people that went to and fro didn’t give her so much as a glance, which was as it should be.

  But the real test was approaching the guard station. If it hadn’t been so early in the morning, right near the end of shift, the two guards would probably have been more alert. As it was, pulling an all nighter sitting on one’s duff tended to make a person idle and slow to react.

  Misao was already past the guard station before one of them looked up. Trey had fallen back more than a dozen steps to gauge the reaction.

  He noticed that it was Guffman, another five year recruit, but a synthetic, and relatively fresh to Pantheon duty. It seemed that the council was surrounding itself with the newbies, and that couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “Councilwoman!” Guffman called out with surprise, reaching out to the side and slugging her partner on the shoulder to garner his attention.

  It was enough for Trey to know that Misao’s position had been compromised. He wasn’t sure what they had been told, but he wasn’t waiting to find out.

  Stepping up to the desk and leaning over, Trey tapped one then the other guard on the head with the tip of his EMP baton. They both were out immediately, Guffman sliding to the floor and the other guard slumping in his chair.

  He quickly holstered the baton and continued walking as if nothing had happened. A few seconds later he joined Misao at the lift. Her eyes were wide, belying the composure she had worn while walking through the lobby.

  “What happened?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Nothing,” Trey said in a normal voice. “But any guard we meet from here on out is going to stop us. Better let me take point.”

  She nodded, visibly gulped, and when the elevator doors opened, stepped in as if she were walking on hot coals.

  “Where are we going?” Trey asked, when they were inside.

  “Past the growing fields to the cooling chambers,” Misao replied, punching in her security code.

  It still worked, Trey noticed, so there was that at least. They didn’t have time to revoke all her clearances, which meant that maybe she wasn’t a full suspect in their little conspiracy.

  “But you won’t be going with me, Major,” Misao continued, hitting another button as they started to descend.

  She was blindsiding him, giving him no time to argue.

  “What?”

  “Our comms have been blocked,” she explained quickly. “That means they’re either getting ready to grab Dr. Byrne or they already have. We need him to drop that field or this is all for nothing.”

  “How the hell do you expect to get there by yourself?”

  “I have this if necessary,” she replied, patting the pocket with the pistol.

  “That’s not very reassuring.”

  “We don’t have time to argue,” Misao said testily, and she was correct, but Trey still didn’t like leaving her. “You need to find the doctor and make sure he uploads the virus.”

  “How will you know we succeed if the comms are down?”

  “When the field goes down and the quantum computer shuts down, there will be a few seconds where all the power will go down before the backup generators kick in. And then there’s the alarms. Trust me, I’ll know.”

  “And how do you plan on destroying the computer without explosives?”

  “I have that part covered.”

  When Trey didn’t look convinced, she sighed.

  “I’m going to overload the system, set off a chain reaction that will reach the quantum computer. I’ve done it before, by accident. This time it will be on purpose, and this time there’ll be no security protocols in operation to stop it.”

  “Accident?”

  “I don’t have time to explain,” Misao said, frustrated. “But it will work. I know it will.”

  The lift dinged and the doors opened.

  Trey looked out, recognizing an office floor.

  “Why am I here?”

  Misao grabbed his arm, pulling back the sleeve to reveal the forearm computer.

  “This is my security clearance code,” she said, punching in a set of letters and numbers. “Get to one of the offices and access a computer.”

  “Then track down Griffin using his quantum signature,” Trey finished for her.

  Why didn’t he think of that?

  Misao nodded.

  “You better get going.”

  Still, Trey hesitated.

  “I’ll be fine,” Misao assured him, flashing an impatien
t smile.

  Trey wasn’t so sure about that, but it was like she said before, they didn’t have the time. It was ironic, after three hundred years as a synthetic, time had suddenly become his enemy.

  “Take this,” he said, handing over the EMP baton before stepping off the lift. “And be careful.”

  “And you, Major.”

  The synthetic cloud line dropped away, the growing fields looming into view. It seemed like an eon ago that she had last been down there, attending to what she thought was going to be a minute problem down in the aquifer. She thought about Wu Lin and her no nonsense brand of getting things done, and couldn’t help but wonder what the woman would do in her place. No doubt, she would be forging ahead with her trademark grimace, the fear that Misao was experiencing nothing but a minor annoyance to Wu Lin.

  If only she had the time to stop and find the woman. She was certain that Wu Lin wouldn’t hesitate to accompany her if she knew the stakes. Misao would feel better with her alongside.

  It was a fleeting fantasy. There wasn’t the time for such frivolity, nor the amount of explanation it would take to convince her. This task, like most of them in her life, would have to be done alone.

  Misao watched as the growing fields passed by and bedrock rose up to meet her. This was the last leg of her journey. She knew what needed to be done and what it meant.

  It was strange, knowing that in a way, she had come full circle. What began as her journey to the council, the failed experiment that had attracted Talbot’s notice, would also be the end.

  After a few more seconds, the Cloud Chamber came into view. She had only seen it once before with her own eyes, that day of the experiment where she lost two dear friends, who though now living a synthetic life, had declined future contact with her. She didn’t blame them, and their pseudo-existence was something she would atone with the rest of her life, however short that was probably going to be.

  The chamber was a monolith of epic proportions. The only light that was produced came from the dome that housed the quantum computer, a massive structure almost as large as the Pantheon itself. It gave off an almost neon green light that pulsed as it processed the trillions of computations per second that gave life to the Cloud, the heaven of Akropolis. Branching from it like the spokes of a wheel were six tubes that acted as tunnels, about fifty yards in length, at which point they were interrupted by oval chambers that provided the necessary cooling systems that fed into the quantum computer, keeping it from overheating. Past the chambers the tubes continued for another fifty yards, ending in the Ring, a set of monitoring stations situated at the end of each spoke, circling the entire quantum computer. If any one chamber failed, the tunnels sealed and closed it off from the mainframe, which had happened only one time in the city’s existence, the day of her failed experiment.