by J D Huffman
He tugged his beard and Sasha could tell he was anxious. He didn’t seem to trust her judgment. She also didn’t particularly care. If we can shut this thing down or blow it up or whatever we can do to it, and that’ll help put an end to Cylence’s regime, that’s what we’re going to do. She didn’t need to know the details—she suspected Zotz knew enough about the so-called Source to disable or destroy it, and that’s all she cared about.
Zotz did as he was told, strolling down the corridor as Sasha watched from behind another corner, out of sight. She saw him nod and smile at them, drawing their gaze. His lips moved and the one nearest to her stepped forward, his back partially turned toward her. Zotz slowed down. He had them distracted. Now.
She forced every quantum of energy in her body into her lungs and legs, getting a running start down the hall, and just as the closer of the two guards started to turn to see what was coming at him, she threw her body into his. Had he not been distracted, he might have kept his footing well enough that she’d have bounced right off, but Zotz’s intervention was crucial: he was off-balance, and he slammed directly into the other guard. Zotz wasted no time moving in and seizing one of their weapons, and Sasha rolled over the one she’d collided with and tried to wrestle him for his own rifle. Due to the Totality lockouts, the weapons were only useful as blunt instruments, but their bulk helped make quick work of their targets. After bludgeoning one of the soldiers senseless, Zotz caught on and handled his foe the same way. Maybe he’s not useless after all.
He reached out a hand to help her up, which she accepted. “Nice work,” she commented, shaking the excess blood off of her rifle. “How’s it feel to rebel?”
“I’ve been rebelling,” he reminded her. “Rebels do more than merely kill people.”
Killing people is the most critical part, she believed, but she doubted Zotz would agree.
She watched as Zotz went to work on the access panel for the room containing the Source. She could not pretend to understand what he did—he had largely disassembled the thing with his bare hands and a couple of tiny tools, sweat pouring down his face. She decided not to ask what would happen if he made a mistake. And then, when she thought he might never finish, the door gave way to allow them entry. “Nice work,” she said. Zotz returned a humble nod.
The Source chamber, as Sasha first laid eyes upon it, didn’t overwhelm her with its size or complexity. The room was not small, but it wasn’t that large, either—Cylence’s throne room offered a more imposing space. The chamber was round with a domed ceiling, and in the center stood a blue column of light which pulsated and emitted a low hum. The center of it was so bright she couldn’t stare directly at it. She imagined it was a powerful reactor, and its true workings were buried in the floor or ceiling. Surrounding it were various consoles and instruments, including mechanical arms that she suspected inserted materials into the blue light, for whatever reason.
“What do we do with all this?” she asked, turning to Zotz.
“Shut it down,” he said simply, stepping toward one of the consoles.
She hurried to his side to watch him work. “You have to tell me more than that. How do you do it? How does it work?”
“How it works, I couldn’t tell you. Hydrogen is gathered outside the Dominix by automated drones, and fed into a reaction system a few levels up. From there, it’s channeled here, and energy is obtained that powers the rest of the Centrality complex. It’s much, much more than could be acquired from the hydrogen itself, even with highly efficient nuclear fusion. There’s simply not enough loose hydrogen in this part of space to account for the energy levels I’ve seen.”
It now made sense to her why Cylence believed he could harness this energy to break down the barrier that represented the only restraint on Totality activities. There must be unbelievable amounts of energy coming from this. If he could direct it the right way, there’s nothing he couldn’t destroy. But he doesn’t want to turn it on planets or people, he wants to turn it on that ‘dimensional barrier’ he’s so fond of talking about. Let all of his kind through, everywhere, into everyone, all at once. Like breaking down a river dam to release the flood. It would be a nightmare for the rest of us. “How do we shut it down?” she inquired again, anxiety building up as she realized how close they were to a truly decisive move against the Totality.
The complex around them shuddered as Zotz searched for his answer. “I’ve experimented with shutting off the hydrogen flow. The energy output reduces considerably, but not enough to deactivate the Source itself. It appears to be self-sustaining. Its advantage is that it emits much more energy than it absorbs.”
“What if you did it the other way around? Instead of trying to starve it, you tried to exhaust it? Can you just… siphon off its energy to go somewhere else? Out into space, even?”
His expression told her she’d gotten him to think. He stared at the console before him, clutching at the gray whiskers that extended far past his chin. “By nature of how the Source is integrated with the rest of the Dominix, I can potentially affect how energy is distributed all over the facility.”
“Is that a yes? You think you can do this?”
“I’ll have to input a new distribution configuration and bypass the usual safety checks. The computer normally wouldn’t allow any kind of overload scenario.”
“Can you do that?”
“I can if you’ll be quiet for a moment,” he snapped.
She bit her lip and watched him work. She didn’t understand anything he was doing with the console. She was about to ask him a question when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, someone else approaching. “Watch out!” she yelled, putting herself between Zotz and the encroaching threat.
Zotz laughed and waved his hand, looking quite at ease. “Not to worry, Sasha. This is Andrew. We work together.”
The other man was chubby with dark, shaggy hair and Sasha now recognized the Trust uniform that matched the old man’s. She came out from her impromptu hiding place and cleared her throat, joining Zotz again. “You could have mentioned him.”
“I didn’t think he would be joining us.”
“I can’t let you have all the fun,” Andrew smirked. “I had a feeling you’d try to do something to the Source. As usual, I’m a couple light years ahead of you.”
“Now’s not the time to brag,” Zotz chastised. “What do you have for us?”
Andrew held up his hand and Sasha saw a small red device pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “Oh, just a little overload program. That’s what you wanted, right? Burn out everything on this nasty little space station with a bit of malicious code? I find it truly heartwarming, myself.”
Zotz snatched it from him. “This is serious,” he scolded. “How do I use it?”
“Just plug it in and run the root program. I made it nice and easy. Next time, you should talk to me first. I could have had this taken care of ten minutes ago. It wasn’t until I felt the Dominix getting beaten up and noticed you weren’t around that I figured you must be down here, tinkering, trying to get an edge on Cylence. I can’t say I blame you for wanting to shut that pompous ass up.”
“Speaking of people who won’t shut up,” Zotz blurted as he turned his attention back to the Source control console. He did as Andrew instructed, and soon the column of light grew brighter and brighter. The hum, which had before been a low, gentle bass, swiftly increased in intensity and range. Higher pitches accompanied it, and the room shook from a cause that had nothing to do with the Order attack. “I think we should leave,” Zotz suggested.
In no way did Sasha wish to argue that point. The three of them quickly ran out of the chamber, and from behind them came sounds like lightning striking only meters away, ear-piercing cracks and shrieks, and the floor below them trembled so fitfully Sasha thought it would disintegrate beneath them. The chaos lasted for several more seconds, and more quickly than it began, i
t was over. Silence came upon them with a startling abruptness, and every light in the corridor went dark. Sasha couldn’t see a thing until Andrew brought out a portable light.
“I really am a lot better prepared than you, old man,” he teased.
“We need to get out of here,” Sasha suggested.
“Before we do, I must satisfy my curiosity,” Zotz admitted. “I must know what the Source was.”
Andrew left. “I bet you there’s nothing left of it, now. It probably vaporized when we overloaded it.”
Zotz didn’t listen, but headed away from them, into the darkness. Andrew grumbled and went after him, lighting the way. Sasha followed.
The Source chamber, or what of it Andrew illuminated, was now littered with debris. None of the consoles or other equipment had been left intact. It didn’t appear to have been caused by explosions so much as errant bolts of energy simply ripping through matter, shredding it to ribbons all over the chamber, which was fortunately well-shielded.
Zotz came to a circular dimple in the middle of the room where once had stood the great column of light, and knelt next to it. Andrew shone his portable torch right on that spot.
Andrew squinted and spoke. “Is that…”
Zotz nodded. “…A tiny person.”
“With wings?” Sasha said, not at all ready to believe what her eyes saw.
Chapter 43
Ascending, Descending
Having lost his weapon down an elevator shaft and overshooting the level he intended to reach thanks to the distracting noises of the Order attack making him lose count, William found himself a few levels below his target. Based on the wall markings, he realized Cylence’s chambers were a few floors up, but he didn’t want to take on the man himself unarmed. Curiously, the floor he’d forced his way into via a couple of access tubes seemed deserted. He assumed that meant this floor wasn’t particularly essential, or perhaps defenses were concentrated somewhere down below in order to offer a protective perimeter for whatever was on this floor. Strangely, all the lights here had shut down for several minutes, before coming back up at a lower level. He didn’t know if the power failure was due to the Order attack or something else.
He had no time to stand around and try to sort it out, either.
Skulking through the dimmed silver and white corridors without a single means of defending himself, his heart pounded and his muscles remained ever tense. He was grateful for whatever the doctor on his mother’s ship had given him to quell his pain—he imagined it would be excruciating right now if those signals were getting through to his brain.
He crept through this apparently empty level of the Centrality, hoping to find a weapons locker or even some personal quarters that someone had carelessly left open, anything that would give him access to weaponry.
Eventually, he heard voices approach. He rushed to the nearest intersection and ducked around the corner, pressing his back tightly against the wall, hoping they’d go right past him. There was a hint of familiarity in the voices as they drew near, and he risked a peek to confirm his suspicions. Just as quickly, he pulled his head back, disbelieving. Andrew? And Sasha? My mother said Zotz was here, but…
He stepped out into their path with a wavering smile. They saw him and halted immediately. Moments passed without any words, until Sasha rushed forward and offered a brief embrace. He managed to return it for just an instant before she pulled away, collecting herself. She cleared her throat and spoke, her voice cracking ever so detectably.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said.
William thought she looked awful. The Totality uniform was ill-fitting, and a shaved head didn’t suit her, in his opinion. She also seemed emaciated, which was quite something considering the nutritional standards on Actis. Her eyes were sunken into her head and her skin had a pale, ghostly character. “It’s good to see you, too,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t betray his pained response to her appearance.
Zotz and Andrew, on the other hand, looked fine. In a way, that just made William angry. He’d been through so much, and it appeared as though these two hadn’t suffered at all. “How’ve you been, William?” Zotz inquired in a professional tone that William didn’t much appreciate.
“Oh, I’ve been fine,” William oozed. “I hear you’ve been spying for my mother this whole time.”
Zotz exhaled sharply. “How much did she tell you?”
“More than I wanted to know, frankly. But I’m glad you’re not dead.”
“Hey, what about me?” Andrew jumped in, waving his hands dramatically.
“What about you?” William shot back coldly. He gave his attention back to Sasha. “Are you alright? What did they do to you here?”
She shrugged. “Cylence thought he could break me. He didn’t.”
That didn’t surprise him one bit. “He should’ve known better than to try.”
It was then that William noticed something perched on Zotz’s shoulder. Its form was like a tiny human, with transparent, insect-like wings sprouting from its back. “What’s that?” he blurted, pointing.
“That’s a fine way to greet someone,” the little creature chirped. It leapt off of the Sage’s shoulder and buzzed right into William’s face, close enough that he could make out that this was a small, feminine being with dark hair and a nonplussed expression. “Never seen a faerie before?”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” he countered, recalling the one he’d nearly ran into on the Verge. “Do you all have bad attitudes?”
“When you’re this size, you do whatever it takes not to be pushed around. And if you were made into a living powerplant for a couple thousand years, you’d be in a bad mood, too!”
“What’s this one’s story?” William wondered, glancing at Zotz.
“Excuse you!” she hissed. “I’m right here. You can address me if you have questions.”
William took a step back and put up his hands. “Whoa. Sorry. Okay. I’m William. Who are you?”
“Hyacinth. Not that that would mean anything to you. I don’t even know if there are any more of my kind these days.”
“There’s at least one more,” William nodded. “I can’t say if there are others.”
“Well, two’s better than one, I guess,” she sighed. “But how do you know these clowns?”
“That’s… complicated,” William deflected. “Should we really be standing around talking while the Order are tearing this place up from the outside? I need to find Cylence. But first, I need weapons.”
“We’ve got that covered,” Andrew beamed, tossing William a pilfered sidearm. “There weren’t a lot of guards on this floor to begin with, and we already cleared them out.”
“I’m going to assume that’s a euphemism,” William said, examining the pistol Andrew provided him. “How many bodies have you all racked up?”
“Five,” Zotz sighed. “I didn’t want to have to kill anyone here. These people are not responsible for what the Totality do with their bodies.”
“There’s not much we can do for them while the Totality are still around,” Sasha argued. “They’re our enemies for as long as the Totality inhabit them.”
“I can’t argue with that,” William agreed. “So, where’s Cylence? Anybody know?”
“I have a reasonable guess,” Zotz said, strolling past them to take the lead.
As they walked, Sasha came up alongside Zotz, and William listened in.
“Why can’t I understand the little one with the wings? Never heard her language before.”
The old Sage smiled. “She speaks Avalonian. William, Andrew, and myself have--”
“I know,” Sasha stopped him. “Your little Order translator things. Would be nice to get my hands on some of those. But I actually need something else. There’s something I want to get from Cylence, if I can.”
“The Chronicle
,” Zotz anticipated. Sasha paused as if she hadn’t expected him to know. Zotz continued: “I’ve tried to take possession of it, myself. He’s rarely spoken of it in my presence, but what details he’s revealed tell me it would be an invaluable resource to us.”
“But he doesn’t keep it in his office,” Sasha noted.
“No, he does not. He either keeps it in his own quarters, and those are guarded heavily from all directions, or it is kept in a vault in some part of this facility that I am unaware of.”
“What’s this Chronicle?” William involved himself. “The one Sasha was writing? That’s back on the ship.”
Zotz shook his head. “Not exactly, William. It’s a later version of that tome.”
“A later… version,” William echoed. “That sure clears it up.”
Their group reached an access shaft that, rather than an elevator, offered only metallic rungs to be climbed either up or down. Zotz started doling out orders. “Sasha, if you wish to find the Chronicle, you should proceed with Andrew. He knows where Cylence’s quarters are.”
“Sure, stick me with rushing right into the big bad boss man’s cave,” Andrew snorted. “You’ve waited this whole time just to get me killed, haven’t you?”
“Quiet down,” Zotz scolded. “William, you and I will proceed to the launch bay. That is Cylence’s next logical destination. The portable dimensional erosion device—he calls it the Tunneler—he recently field tested is still aboard one of the ships. I suspect he will attempt to leave with it and use it to maintain whatever advantage he can. We absolutely cannot let him escape, especially not with the Tunneler.”
William didn’t bother asking what any of that meant. He knew well enough that they were short on time. All he needed to know was: “Which way do we go? Up or down?”
“Down,” Zotz said simply.
Hyacinth opted to go down with William and Zotz, hiding in the latter’s collar, though she didn’t say why. William was still puzzled by her unexplained presence, and hoped he would get a chance to learn the whole story later. That means no dying, right?