by Sarah Noffke
Chapter Seven
Alpha-line Q-Ship, Federation Border Station Seven Airspace
“‘Quite simple.’ Isn’t that Londil cute?” Eddie asked, following Julianna in as she prepared to dock. They’d been discussing the last conversation with Hatch during the trip.
“Yes, so if we see a Saverus—who could look like anyone else—we just walk up to it and ask for a sample of its blood, right?” Lars asked, joining in the laughter.
“Maybe we knock one out,” Julianna said over the comm. “Marilla said that when Saverus are unconscious they return to their original form.”
“You heard that, Lieutenant,” Eddie replied with a chuckle, looking over his shoulder at Fletcher, who was in the back of the Q-Ship. “Have your team knock out everyone we see on this station.”
“What about the scales that were found at Jaslene Corporation?” Fletcher asked. “Couldn’t that be used instead of a blood sample?”
“Nope, Hatch was pretty clear that he needed a fresh blood sample to make the goggles work,” Eddie stated.
“Speaking of that, isn’t Jaslene Corporation located here?” Lars asked. “How come they put Area Eight here too?”
“Well, no one is supposed to know that it is,” Julianna said. “I reviewed the blueprints, and the facility is hidden. Official records don’t even show that it exists.”
“I heard a rumor that if you don’t know you’re looking for it, you can’t see it,” one of Fletcher’s soldiers said in a conspiratorial voice.
Julianna sighed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m not so sure. There’s a psychological theory that you have to see something to believe it,” Lars said.
“Well, obviously something protects Area Eight from spying eyes,” Eddie stated over the comm, initiating a soft dock to the station. Once the connection was secure, he proceeded to hard-dock. When the docking mechanisms were sealed, he gave the crew an all-clear.
Eddie rose, strapping his pistol into his harness. Fletcher’s team were the first to file through the connector into the corridor of Federation Border Station Seven.
Lars gave Eddie a questioning look. “So they’re looking for Saverus. What exactly are we looking for?”
“Because we like to keep it interesting, we have no fucking clue,” Eddie said with a wink.
Julianna strode past the line of Special Forces soldiers with Eddie at her side. They halted at the security checkpoint and presented their access badges.
The security guard, an older man with wiry gray hair and troubled eyes, scanned the badges. General Reynolds had arranged their clearances, although it could never be tied directly to him.
“Which way to Area Eight?” she asked the man when he handed back her badge.
His thick eyebrows knitted together. “Area what?”
“Area Eight? It’s a storage facility somewhere on this station,” Julianna explained.
“I’ve worked on this station for most of my life, and I’m not aware of an Area Eight,” the security man stated. “Are you certain you’re in the right place?”
“I think this just confirms that we are,” Eddie said, motioning Julianna past the security checkpoint. Fletcher’s men followed, and Lars brought up the rear.
I’ve found Area Eight, Pip informed her.
You’re talking to me again?
No, not really—just for mission purposes.
I think I’m the first person to actually have an AI mad at them.
I got annoyed at the captain one time for showing off. Then there was the occasion when Lars was chewing with his mouth open. Oh, and Chester! He plays his music too loudly. I haven’t found too many flaws in Marilla, but I’m still looking because—
Can we focus?
Hey, I’m sharing my interpersonal experiences with you.
I’m not your shrink.
No, but if you were I’d tell you to work on your bedside manner.
We’ll get you counseling.
Good, because as the staff grows, I’m increasingly annoyed. Fletcher whistles all the time, and—
It’s a relief that you found Area Eight, Julianna stated, cutting Pip off again. I was starting to wonder how we’d find it otherwise.
Yes, what’s strange is that I’ve reviewed the blueprints for this station many times and have never seen Area Eight. However, this time it was there, as plain as day.
I reviewed the blueprints too, before the mission, and didn’t see it.
You scanned static plans. A picture. I pulled up the blueprints directly from the station’s mainframe. I’m guessing that they really do shift based on the observer.
How is that possible?
It’s based on the observer effect. I’m guessing that there’s something quite bizarre in Area Eight and Area One-Twenty-Six. Some real hocus-pocus that’s responsible for the plans shifting.
That’s very strange.
“Pip has located Area Eight,” Julianna said, turning to Eddie.
“I figured you two were chatting, based on the range of looks that just crossed your face,” Eddie said with a relieved smile.
“Yes, well, it would appear that Area Eight is in fact protected by some strange science,” she said as Fletcher and Lars joined them. Julianna almost smiled when the Special Forces Lieutenant ambled up whistling.
“Do you want me to send my guys in first?” Fletcher asked.
Julianna nodded. She could see the real blueprints as Pip projected them in her retinal area and based on the image, there was a likely place for weapons. “There’re two entrances into Area Eight. Have your team take the one on the base level at Sector 12.”
Fletcher didn’t hesitate before saluting sharply and pivoting to his team.
Julianna continued down the corridor with Eddie and Lars on her heels and wove her way through multiple intersecting areas, finally coming to a set of double doors. The placard beside the door clearly read Area Eight.
“I thought the Federation was trying to hide this place?” Lars asked, pointing his long finger at the sign.
“You can only see it because you already know about Area Eight and you’re looking for it,” Julianna explained.
“Because that makes total sense,” Eddie said with a smirk.
Julianna shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never seen Federation technology like this, which makes me think what we’ll find inside might blow our minds.”
“You sent Fletcher’s team down to the lower level based on what? Did you see something that indicated they should go down there rather than here?” Eddie asked curiously.
Julianna scanned her badge over the reader next to the door. “I saw on the schematics that the lower level has larger storage units, which made me think that weapons are housed down there. It appears that this is research and development up here, mostly smaller lab units.”
The scanner buzzed once and the automatic double doors slid open to reveal a darkened hallway. The only light was a bright turquoise glow from the windows lining both sides of the corridor.
“I think we’ve officially entered the twilight zone,” Eddie said, stepping forward.
Eddie’s nose twitched from the sharp astringent smell in the air. He held in a sneeze, but Lars wasn’t as successful and sneezed loudly in the eerily silent space. He looked up at Eddie and Julianna like he’d done something wrong.
“Yeah, there are definitely chemicals in the air,” Julianna said, trying to put Lars at ease.
The strange glow from the laboratory units called to Eddie, making him want to press his face to the glass like a kid at an aquarium. He found that without realizing it he’d strode forward and put out his hand toward a sliding door.
“Good idea. Let’s divide up,” Julianna said from behind him. “I’ll check this room. Lars, you take the next. Let’s meet out here in five.”
Eddie nodded absentmindedly, trying to make out the green orb floating in the middle of the clear case in the room ahead of him. He opened the doo
r and walked past the computer terminals and lab equipment, halting only inches from the case.
The orb, he realized when he got closer, was covered in a slimy green substance which dripped from the orb, stretching a few inches before springing back into place.
Eddie was surprised to find that the case was unlocked, and he stared around the deserted room to check that no one was watching his next move. This ball of slime didn’t seem like the kind of thing the Saverus were after. Who would steal a ball of gunk? However, it was incredibly fascinating to him all the same.
On opening the case, Eddie nearly coughed from the gust of air that blasted his face. A burst of lightning sparked inside the green gob and he blinked at it, trying to understand what it was as sparks continued to fire from the middle of the ball. It reminded Eddie of neural networks in the brain sparking when a connection was made.
A thick bit of slime extended from the ball, forming a tentacle of sorts. Eddie found himself reaching out, but paused before making contact.
This was insane. He knew better than to touch unknown things. He shook his head, pulling his hand back.
Before he could shut the case again the tentacle detached from the orb and launched itself at Eddie. He threw up his arms to shield, and the goop stuck to the back of his hand. Expecting pain or some strange reaction, Eddie lowered his hand and looked at the green slime. It didn’t hurt and it was neither cold nor hot, but rather it felt like nothing. He wouldn’t even have known anything was stuck to him if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes.
Eddie turned his hand over and flicked it, but the slime stayed attached. He hesitated, hovering the fingers of his other hand over the slime. I’ll just peel it off like a band-aid. Fast and painless, he thought.
Greetings, a neutral voice said in his head as bright purple sparks shot though the large ball in the case.
“What? Who’s that?” Eddie said aloud.
I haven’t been given a name.
Eddie lifted his hand to his eyes and stared at the green slime. “Is that you talking in my head?”
Technically it’s me talking—the host in the center of this room.
Eddie stared at the green slime on his hand. “And this? What is this?”
That is one of my agents.
“Is that how you are speaking to me telepathically?”
I’m a highly intelligent being, and that’s why I can speak to you telepathically, but to simplify matters, an agent does serve as a conductor for long-range communications.
“That’s what the agents are for?” Eddie asked.
The orb glowed and then dimmed. No, they are spies.
“Spies,” Eddie mused. “So they can stick almost anywhere and send back intel to you?”
And I relay it to my client. Also, note that you don’t need to speak aloud as long as I’ve established a connection with you and I’m in close proximity.
Otherwise I’d need one of these agents? Eddie asked.
A conductor. And that is correct.
Eddie shivered from the strangeness of this all. Was this how it felt to have an AI in your head? He liked it more than he had thought he would.
You were created by the Federation, is that right? Eddie asked.
Again you are correct.
Eddie scratched his head with the hand that wasn’t covered in slime. Were you difficult to create?
That is the question you are ostensibly asking, but my higher-level sensibility tells me that’s not the question you want the answer to.
Eddie’s eyes widened and he stared at the green goop as it dripped again, this time stretching straight toward him. He expected it to detach from its host and land on him again. You’re correct. I was wondering if the Federation could make more like you.
Because?
Because I work for a rogue squadron that serves the Federation.
And you could benefit from employing a spy such as myself? Is that right?
Well, and I’d get huge kudos from the Commander.
The whole blob shot forward, landing in Eddie’s hands. The sphere it had covered, Eddie now could see, was a metal ball. The goop dripped through his fingers, almost too difficult to keep together. The slime on his hand joined its host, and the substance glowed.
Is this your way of telling me you want to join us?
I was created to assist the Federation. If that’s what you intend, then I should accompany you.
Great. Now I just have one question.
You will find a carrying container in the cabinet to your right.
Damn, you’re one smart…thing.
Chapter Eight
Area Eight, Federation Border Station Seven
Penrae straightened and pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. The strange contraptions were uncomfortable and sat crookedly on her face. The Saverus had taken the appearance of a lab technician she’d met upon entering the storage facility.
“Tell us where it is,” Verdok encouraged, gripping Cheng’s arm. He’d taken the appearance of the wiry-haired security guard from the station checkpoint.
Although the elders and the council had entrusted Verdok with this mission, Penrae doubted his strategy. Bringing Cheng along had been risky. The old scientist had lost his mind long before they abducted him. She did understand, however, that locating the Tangle Thief without Cheng’s help might be difficult. Not completely impossible, but risky enough that Verdok had insisted on bringing him along.
“I don’t re-re-remember,” Cheng stuttered, shaking as he combed his fingers through his white-streaked black hair.
“You’re lying,” Verdok said in a terse whisper.
“Maybe he really doesn’t know.” Penrae pulled her glasses off her face, but quickly replaced them. Okay, the scientist she’d shapeshifted into needed the spectacles to see. She’d just have to deal with them.
Verdok shot a disgusted look at her, which was almost worse than when he was in his original form. Humans had so many expressions on their wrinkled faces. “He knows—we’ve already established that. He just has to remember. Which unit holds the Tangle Thief?”
Verdok tightened his grip on Cheng’s arm and led him down the dark corridor. The only light, a bright blue glow, came from the windows of the laboratory rooms. “Think. Think. Think. Where is the Tangle Thief located?”
Cheng slid both his hands over his hollow cheeks. “I can’t hear anything over the noise.”
Penrae pulled in a breath. The scientist was soon to be useless. Usually he heard “the noise” before he passed out, and then he’d be unconscious for hours. “Verdok, why don’t you let me try?”
Verdok swiveled his gaze to her, his hostility fierce. “Fine, but get him to talk. We’re running out of time.” She tried not to appear as flustered as she felt, but it was harder when she had shapeshifted and wasn’t used to this person’s face.
Penrae stepped forward, patting Cheng on the back. “Dr. Sung, you’re all right. We’re here to help you. All we need is the location for the Tangle Thief. If you can help us find it, we can fix you.”
The doctor looked up at Penrae with hope in his eyes. “You think you can fix me?”
She nodded, smiling broadly. “All we need is the Tangle Thief.”
Deep lines creased the man’s brow. “But it’s the Tangle Thief that made me like this.” He shook his head, suddenly more upset than before. “No, the Tangle Thief is bad. Bad. Bad. Bad!”
Penrae grabbed Cheng’s hands before he began stomping his feet, steering him over to a wall. “If we have the device, we can reverse the process,” she lied.
Cheng froze, staring at the white floor. He knotted his hands into his thick beard. “Reverse the process…”
“Yes,” Penrae said in a soothing voice. “We want to help you.”
Cheng probably wasn’t sure who she was. The poor scientist saw a different person every time he looked at his captors, so he obviously didn’t know who to trust. She hoped he believed she was a Federation scienti
st. That would make this easier.
“You want to help me?” he asked feebly.
She nodded. It felt strange to have a neck and arms and legs. “That’s right. We just need your cooperation.”
Cheng pressed into the wall, which was lined with windows. In the laboratory room was an empty case, and a row of computers and cabinets. Area Eight was an incredibly strange place, Penrae sensed.
“Will you keep those large snakes away from me?” Cheng asked. He reached out and gripped her hand. “Please?”
Penrae exchanged an uncomfortable look with Verdok, who was no doubt ready to explode. Instead she pressed her other hand over Cheng’s. “Of course. We’re going to catch the Saverus who abducted you. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that they pay. All you have to do is tell me where the Tangle Thief is located. It’s here, isn’t it?”
With a renewed sense of hope, Cheng looked around the facility. “Here? Hmmmm?”
Verdok let out an impatient sigh.
“He’s thinking,” Penrae whispered to him. Her partner’s hot temper was going to ruin everything, and then it was going to be her fault. She always took the blame, because it was easier that way. Verdok would find a way to sabotage her behind the scenes unless she took responsibility.
“This is Area One-Twenty-Six?” Cheng asked, spinning in a complete circle.
“Damn it, no!” Verdok yelled, his old face flushing red.
Penrae stepped in front of him. “What he meant to say is that this is Area Eight. Remember, you indicated that this was where the Tangle Thief was stored?”
Penrae forced a sympathetic smile onto her face. Of course, by “indicated” she meant the insane doctor had grunted and thrown a shaking hand at the records that had been stolen from Jaslene Corporation when they’d presented them to him. She had especially felt sorry for him that day. No one should have to undergo interrogation for so many hours. That was when Verdok had lost his temper—yet again—and shifted to his original form, and seeing the giant snake had scared Cheng enough that he had indicated Area Eight was where they should go. Verdok knew they weren’t supposed to show their original form to outsiders. It was a rule of the council. That form was sacred…for some reason.