The Live Soldier Trilogy Box Set

by Liam Clay

  And its pilot is familiar to me. This is the same man who delivered the Architect to us, back in the Kogi virtual world. We called his kind the Dead back then, because they had been killed so many times in battle. But the haunted expression is gone from his eyes now... his real, flesh and blood eyes. How many people has Balthazar unfrozen to defend her physical domain?

  The sub rises gently to the surface. The Kogi man pops the top on the vehicle, rolls over, and sits up.

  “Have you brought the Godmother back?” He asks anxiously.

  “Um, do you mean Amy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Right. We’re not actually members of the mercenary crew you guys hired; but Amy is with us, and safe.”

  The man turns his face up to the sky. “That is wonderful news. Balthazar will be so happy.”

  “Can you take us to her?” Tikal asks.

  “That is being arranged as we speak. Look down.”

  Doing as he says, I see a disturbance in the water below us. The sea floor appears to be attacking the surface, creating a storm of giant bubbles as it comes. And now our plane is being lifted up out of the ocean. Fascinated, I climb onto the wing to investigate.

  Our spitfire is perched atop an enormous stone pillar that has risen from the sea bed. Calendo's plane is here too, as are a handful of others. The pillar's summit has been designed to look exactly like the coral reef below. Jumping to the ground, I run my hand along a ridge of bleached ivory sea life. Then there is a hollow boom. It is followed closely by the sound of hydraulics, and now we’re sinking into the ocean. There are actually two parts to this pillar: an inner column upon which we are standing, and a transparent outer shell that encloses it. The shell has stayed stationary. It is keeping the water out, creating a sort of oceanic elevator.

  Schools of tropical fish swim past as we drop into deeper waters. I see a manta ray as well - and in the distance, a gray shape that may be a whale shark. From this position, the true scale of the sunken space station is revealed. The entire Kaleidoscope casino would fit easily inside it. Sea life has claimed its many surfaces, except for a few bare sections the Kogis must be in the process of stripping for salvage.

  Then we pass through the sea bed, and a new world is revealed below us. Hidden beneath the coral reef is a vaulted fortress carved out of the earth’s mantle. Made up of naturally occurring caves connected by manmade passageways, it is at least as large as the space station above it. The walls are striated stone in shades of white, blue and gray. And through a passage at one end of the space, I see rows of stasis tanks stacked on racks built into the bedrock.

  We have found the Kogi cryobunker at last.

  The column sinks down and vanishes into a freshwater lake. I am left treading water beside our spitfire. Tikal stands up inside the cockpit. She stretches, cracks her neck, and then dives into the lake, resurfacing beside me. With her crimson hair slicked back and water droplets beading on her brow, she looks incredible. I swim over to her, and we share a kiss in the shadow of our plane. The cavern has a hushed, echoing quality that makes it easy to pretend we’re alone. At least until Calendo swims around to join us.

  “There will be time for that later, you dirty lovebirds.” She says. “I need to hand you lot, and Amy in particular, over to Balthazar so that I can get paid.” She glances around. “Do you think the girl made it down in this load? It will take a while to shuttle all of the spitfires down here, and I’m keen to collect.”

  At her insistence, we swim through the floating airfield until we locate Amy. She and Francis are sitting on the wings of their respective planes, waiting for their pilots to finish powering down.

  “...what do you think you’ll do when you see her?” Francis is asking. “Clam up and go all shy, or jump her straightaway? Oh, hey Anex. How good was that sea elevator? I don’t know why the Kogis bother to live in virtual when they’ve got such a kickass secret base here in the Real.”

  “That’s a good question.” I say with a smile. “Maybe Amy should go find Balthazar and ask her.”

  “Maybe I will.” The girl says, blushing only slightly. Then she turns to Francis.

  “Could you maybe come with me, though?”

  He looks surprised. “Sure, if you want. But do you mind if I ask why?”

  “I don’t know - for moral support, I guess. And to smooth things over if we get awkward. You’re supposed to be good at that sort of thing, right?”

  “Why yes, yes I am. But if you two start to look like getting kinky, I am straight out of there. Deal?”

  “Francis, if we start to look like getting kinky, the first thing I will do is kick you out.”

  We break off as a group of Kogis swim in among the spitfires, attaching ropes to them as they go. Then they start to pull the aircraft toward an arched gate that has opened in the column’s shell. This gate connects to a water tunnel that cuts through the cavern wall, ending in a partially submerged cavern (a sort of parking lot, I assume.) But we are told to swim in a different direction. Reaching a human-sized door, I climb out of the lake and onto the cave floor. To my right, a pedestrian tunnel opens onto a chamber lined with glass tubes that travel up into the ceiling. A purplish glow emanates from the base of each tube, just below floor level.

  Directly ahead of me, a wide stair climbs up to a third exit. This one is forked. The right branching opens onto the cryobunker chamber I noted earlier. And the left turns into a corridor that heads deeper into the complex. A Kogi delegation has gathered in front of the stairs. They nod respectfully to me. But when Amy emerges from the lake, their expressions shift to something like reverence. A thickset woman with an abalone nose ring seems to be their leader.

  “Godmother, is that you?” She asks. “We have seen your physical form in the Live Soldier’s feeds, but...”

  “It isn’t the same as the real thing.” Amy concludes.

  “That is true. But no matter. The Queenfisher awaits you in her chambers.”

  “Then I will see her at once.”

  “Very good. And may I say that you have been missed more than you can possibly know. By Balthazar, and all of our people.”

  “And I have missed you.” Amy replies. There is a marked difference in her speech now, and how she holds herself as well. I am watching a beloved leader address her loyal subjects. The thickset woman beckons Amy forward. Francis falls into step beside her, but stops when the Kogi coughs loudly.

  “Balthazar requested that the Godmother come alone.”

  “Why?” Francis asks with studied innocence.

  “Because - well - that is none of your concern.”

  “Is that any way to treat an honored guest? Why, I have half a mind to -”

  “Francis?” Amy interrupts.

  “Yes?”

  “Please shut up.”

  “But you said -”

  “I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. And Delez still needs medical attention.” And then to Calendo, “Can you make sure him and Peace are in the next download?”

  The merc nods. “I’ll radio up with instructions now.”

  Amy bows slightly, and then follows the Kogi woman out of the cavern. Back on the lake, the last spitfires have been hauled through the arch. Moments later, the column begins its journey back up to the surface. I watch the process with fascination. When the elevator returns, it is carrying a new complement of planes. Lucy is standing on top of her spitfire, gesturing frantically to the one beside her.

  “Delez must have gotten worse.” Tikal says. “Francis, I need you to ask the Kogis if they have a doctor we can see. Anex, come with me.”

  Together, we dive back into the water. As I swim hard for the plane, I try not to think about what we might find. Did these extra few minutes of delay cost Delez his life? Or did he die hours ago on the plane ride over? But we can hear Lucy shouting now, and she doesn't sound upset.

  “He's awake! Delez is awake!”

  Redoubling my efforts, I reach the plane. And there is Delez, climbing gingerly ou
t onto the wing. He looks down on me.

  “Hello Anex.”

  I'm so surprised that I stop swimming. My head sinks underwater, and I swallow a mouthful of lake water. Delez pulls me up coughing. But then Peace cannons into him from behind, and all three of us fall into the water. By the time I resurface, the sniper is raining kisses onto her husband's head, threatening to drown him with her love. I can't tell if he is reciprocating. But he is alive and present, and that is incredible in itself.

  Lucy and I eventually pry Peace off of him, and we swim for shore. The Kogis have been watching our reunion with bemusement. They must not realize that Delez used to be Null, or they would be acting very differently. This thought takes me down an uneasy path, but I dismiss it as paranoia. When we're all safely onshore, I address the Kogis again.

  “As you can see, my friends and I have some serious catching up to do. Is there somewhere we could talk in private?”

  They are happy to oblige. A man leads us out of the entry cavern and into a series of corridors, finally stopping before an open door that lets onto a meeting room. Then he leaves us be. Aside from that initial hello, Delez still hasn't said a word. But now he strides purposefully into the room, and claims a seat behind the boardroom table that dominates it.

  “You will have questions.” He says gravely. “And we don't have much time, so I suggest you start asking them now.”

  CHAPTER 27

  “Delez, why don't we have much time?”

  Me, Lucy, Francis and Tikal are sitting on one side of the long table. Delez occupies the other. Peace stands behind him, palms resting on his shoulders. She still can't seem to believe that he's really here, and isn't absorbing our conversation. But he is focused on nothing else.

  “Delez.” Lucy says again. “Please tell us what you meant just now.”

  He weighs his answer before replying.

  “I meant that our time together may be short, and we have a lot to discuss.”

  “That's not an answer.” Francis says.

  “You're right.” Delez replies blandly. And then, “Anex, when your feed went dark, we thought you were dead.”

  “We?”

  “But finding you alive opens up new possibilities. Which means that it is time for the truth.”

  “About what?”

  “The Architect's plan. All of it.”

  A dark shadow is clawing its way over my sight, but nothing in the world could stop me from saying, “Tell us.”

  “Very well. You believe that the Architect is trying to conquer the human race. But in reality, the opposite is true. She is trying to save it.”

  “So she told us. But from what, god damn it?”

  “Anex, you may have caught a glimpse of our future in Medival. A yellow light against a black background. Does that bring back memories?”

  “On that screen inside the nullification tanker.” I say slowly. “What was that?”

  “It was a satellite image of an artificial black hole. One that is on a collision course with earth. In less than a month, it will enter our solar system. A few days after that, this planet will be obliterated. All life here will cease to exist. The only way to preserve any trace of ourselves is to escape. And that is what the Null have been working to achieve. As you have seen, we are building an interstellar ship. But there were certain necessities we lacked. The Grav gardens were one. The Worldpool network was another. And since there was no time to convince humanity to hand these things over, the Architect saw no choice but to take them by force. And in a few minutes, her troops will arrive to claim another piece of the puzzle.”

  I feel like I'm back in Tikal's spitfire, hurtling toward a mountainside with a broken joystick in my hands.

  “The black box.” I say. “You pretended to rebel against the Null, and to be dying afterward, all so we would bring you here.”

  “That is correct, although the black box was not my only reason for doing so.”

  Through this entire exchange, Peace has stood frozen in place. Now she sits down beside Delez. Cupping her husband's cheek with one hand, she brings her face close to his. I expect her to fly into a rage (it's what I would do if our positions were reversed) but her voice is calm and gentle.

  “In Medival, the Architect told us that your condition could be reversed. Was that true?”

  Delez shakes his head. “No. That was a lie designed to gain your obedience. The nullification procedure is irreversible. My emotions have been permanently stripped away, and there is no going back.”

  “Please try to help me understand.” She whispers. “If the Architect really is trying to save us, why would she do this to you and so many others?”

  “Because she couldn't build the escape ship alone, and few normal humans are capable of accepting that the earth is doomed. Even she wasn't - despite knowing logically that it was true. And that is why she carried out the procedure on herself, years ago now. Being nullified is the only thing that has allowed her - allowed all of us - to do what must be done. All the people we have killed and subjugated along the way... my old self couldn't have handled the guilt.”

  Beside me, Francis slams his hand on the table.

  “I've heard enough. This is obviously just another lie. Next he’ll be asking us to help steal the black box from Balthazar.”

  “Hold on.” I say. “Delez, you said that most normal humans can't accept the fact that the earth is doomed. But why not give us the chance, at least? What did you have to lose?”

  “Everything. If Balthazar had decided we were lying, she might have destroyed the black box and the engine schematics it contains. And if Kalana were to destroy the Mindrack, we wouldn't be able to digitize humanity for transfer through the void. All of the minds we gained access to in Worldpool would be lost.”

  “Digitized?” Tikal says. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “This is another part of our plan that normal humans cannot accept. The schematics from the black box will allow us to build what is called a Loop engine. It is faster than any other technology available to us, but still far too slow to make a conventional ship viable. Humans were not meant to live their entire lives in confined spaces. Any society we send out would consume itself long before reaching its destination. So digital stasis is the only way. Even before I found this place, the Architect had set the wheels in motion for her attack on the Hive. We have to retrieve the Mindrack from the old Designer’s labs, or all of this will have been for nothing.”

  Delez falls silent. I stare at him, half expecting a snake to come slithering from his mouth. This, sitting right here in front of us, is the enemy we have fought for so long. The Architect has stolen our friend's voice, and is using it to feed us extravagant lies.

  I think.

  “If secrecy is so important to you, why reveal all of this now?” I ask.

  “Because with the help of a woman you call the Medgician, Kalana has fortified the Hive. It is doubtful we can conquer it before the black hole arrives. In other words, the Architect has failed. But if I can convince you of the truth, you might still be able to save humanity.”

  “How?”

  “By persuading Kalana to let us take the Mindrack. But that is not all you could do. Anex, you have only increased in popularity since your feed went dark. If we give you a new retcom, you could convince thousands, maybe even millions of people to flee the planet on the ship we are building.”

  “Or I could contact Kalana and tell her to destroy the Mindrack right now.”

  “There was a risk involved in telling you the truth.” He admits. “But a necessary one, I think.”

  “Where's your proof?” Lucy asks. But Francis rounds on her immediately.

  “Don't listen to him! He has already admitted the Null can lie. And now he’s using a load of half-cooked false logic against us.”

  I've never seen Francis like this before. His hands are trembling, eyes flicking nervously around the room. He desperately wants Delez to be lying. And who could blame
him? If this is true, then not only is the world about to end, but we’ve been on the wrong side of this war the whole time.

  “He could easily be lying.” Lucy admits. “But you can't deny that what he's saying would explain a lot.” She turns to Peace. “What do you think?”

  The sniper looks into her husband's eyes. And he looks back, calm and steady as stone.

  “I think he's telling the truth.”

  “Of course she does!” Francis shouts. “Peace, you will believe anything he says. But it's time to admit that this isn't your husband anymore. He's just another fucking Null.”

  “You take that back!” She snarls. “It's not his fault that you can't face the truth.”

  Which brings us to an impasse. Lucy and I wavering, with Francis pulling one way and Peace the other. Tikal is the only person who hasn't weighed in.

  An alarm starts to go off. It is a deep blaring horn, rumbling through the caverns in waves. Guilt threatens to engulf me. These doomsday claims might be lies, or they might not. But either way, the fact remains that we have betrayed Balthazar’s location to the Architect. Of course Delez was always on her side. But we all fell into the same old trap of believing that he was special - that he could overcome the Null conditioning when no one else could. Not because of any special trait of his, but simply because he was one of us. And now the Kogis are going to suffer for our arrogance.

  Tikal breaks the spell of indecision that hangs over us. Pushing to her feet, she begins to lay out our path.

  “We don’t have enough intel to make a call on this black hole business. But I’ll be damned if we’re going to let the Null make it for us. So here’s my decision: we fight.” She points to Peace and Delez. “I’m locking you two in here. We can resume this conversation when the battle is over.”