by Jason Kent
"Join the club," Kate laughed. "We can't all be net-accessing, electro-magnetic masters-of-the-universe."
"I think I would prefer 'mistress-of-the-universe'," Sparrow added.
"I'll call you whatever you want," Ross said. "If you get us out of this place."
"You're on," Sparrow said and favored Ross with one of her rare smiles. She stopped in front of the door to Lab 1213. She glanced back the way they'd come. The hallway was still empty. Either there was no one assigned to work down here or they were already in their labs behind the numerous locked doors.
Kate held up the identity card. "Here goes."
The wide doors to the lab hissed open. Sparrow walked in quickly, hoping to surprise anyone they found inside. She came to a glassed-in airlock and gazed into the big room. The lights were coming on, activated by their entrance. Sparrow didn't see anyone beyond the glass windows. What she did see took her breath away.
"Okay, who knows how to tell the orbs apart?" Merrick asked.
Inside the lab, rows of tables held at least thirty power cores. Each one looked exactly like the Aether Source.
"Pass," Ross replied.
Sparrow held up her palms and swept them around the room. She announced, "It is here." She moved through the airlock and stood in the middle of the room. Sparrow sensed the Aether Source was near, but—
"These are all inactive," Kate said with a snap of her finger as she turned in a slow circle. She pointed at the nearest power core. Its surface looked like it was made of dark glass. "The power core aboard the Tallinn ironclad had lightning flickering on the inside as it operated. She turned in a circle again. "The Aether Source should be glowing..."
"It's none of these," Ross noted. He looked over at Sparrow. "In one of the boxes, maybe?" He gestured at the numerous crates stacked on the high shelves set in rows along one side of the room.
Sparrow didn't answer. The orb was near...but where? Then she had it.
"Sparrow?" Kate asked as Sparrow let her arms drop limply to her sides. "Is there something wrong?"
"I..." Sparrow began then stopped as her face twisted into a mask of grief. "I didn't know..."
"Didn't know what, sweetheart?" Kate prodded.
Sparrow turned her gaze toward her friend. "There's a signal..."
Kate shook her head. "I don't understand."
"I should have found it," Sparrow said softly. "But, it was lost in the clutter..."
Kate started to ask another question then stopped. Her eyes widened as the impact of what Sparrow was saying took hold. "The Aether Source is sending a signal?"
"More like a resonance," Sparrow clarified. She shook her head then covered her face with her hands. How could she have missed something so basic? "It must be what the Ater are following." She looked up at Kate. "How else would they know where to look?"
Kate gave Sparrow's arm a squeeze then called out to Merrick and Ross. "Check the crates! We need to..."
The lab rocked, accompanied by a deep rumbling sound. Sparrow's eyes drifted upward.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," Ross yelled as he continued to check one crate after another. Lids and foam packing peanuts flew through the air.
"The Ater," Sparrow said calmly. "They have come ."
Kate was already running over to help Ross with his search. Over her shoulder, she called back, "Then I suggest we make this quick!"
Chapter 26
Change of Plans
Tivon and Georges' elevator was nearly to the top of Tower 3 when the first detonation took place. The car's floor tilted as the building swayed. They stopped abruptly.
"That can't be good," Tivon said. "Do you think the others need help?"
"You can never rule out them getting into trouble," Georges noted. He pressed his forehead against the glass and looked down at the base of the EMTEC complex. The elevators rode up rails on the outside of the towers, offering riders spectacular views of the rest of Huygens City, at least those parts visible aboveground. They could also see an expansive crater nearby from which the city derived its named.
The glass roof of the promenade where they'd had coffee was visible directly below Georges. A jagged hole belched smoke. As he watched, a second blast threw glass and steel up into the air. With the low Martian gravity everything seemed to fall in slow motion. The tower rocked again.
"Could it be locals?" Tivon wondered. "Don't they have separatist rebels on Mars?"
"Yes," Georges replied. "But they usually aren't stupid enough to blow out domes and kill the people they are bent on liberating." Georges moved quickly to the doors and began prying them apart.
Tivon continued to look down at the thin smoke billowing out of the holes in the concourse roof. "Then the explosions are happening because of us?!"
"That'd be my guess." The doors refused to open.
'Remain calm,' a female voice announced, 'this elevator is experiencing a temporary malfunction. Help is on the way!'
Georges stepped back and looked around the car. His eyes locked on the hand railing lining the glass walls. He kicked hard on the railing, knocking a piece loose. Two more kicks dislodged it permanently. He reached down and hefted the twisted piece of metal.
"Don't you think we should wait for help?" Tivon asked.
"I'm more of the 'self-help' type," Georges said. He jammed the end of the railing into the crack where the door halves met, scarring the burnished finish in the process. Using the railing as a crowbar, he forced the doors open and used his hands to pull them wide enough for a person to slip through. Georges wedged the piece of metal between the doors to keep them open. Their car had stopped midway between floors. They could climb down or go up.
"We need to get to the bridge going over to Tower 1," Georges remarked.
Tivon leaned sideway so she could see partway around Tower 3 to their destination. "The bridge is one floor up."
"Up it is then." Georges knelt and laced his fingers together, forming a step for Tivon.
Tivon stood on her tiptoes to see into the upper floor. "Are you sure—?"
"Just go!" Georges ordered.
Tivon stepped up onto Georges' hand and squeezed through the partly open doors. Georges followed as best as he could. It was a tight squeeze. But, between Tivon pulling and him kicking against the doors, he finally made it out. When they stood up, they found a woman staring at them.
"Is the elevator out of order?" the woman asked. She had a stack of folders clutched firmly against her chest.
Georges dusted off his jacket and looked back at the elevator. He smiled at the EMTEC employee. "You might want to call maintenance."
"It's not here!" Ross called. He slammed the lid down on a crate he'd just checked and looked back at Kate and Sparrow. "You sure this is the place?"
Sparrow looked at the dark orbs sitting on the tables all around them. This was obviously where they studied the power cores from captured Tallinn ironclads. But what of the Aether Source? She bit her lip and laid her hand on the orb closest to her.
"Anyone check back here?" Merrick asked.
Sparrow turned to find Merrick looking around a partition hidden behind the rows of shelves near a back corner. He laid his hand on a wall plate. The lights of the small alcove came to life. Sparrow joined him and together they moved around two turns until they came to a heavy door.
"Blast resistant," Merrick noted. He rapped on the door then looked back the way they'd come. "The turns are designed to dampen an explosive shockwave."
"Perfect place to keep an active orb," Sparrow noted. Sparrow took the identity card from Kate and swiped it over the access panel. The red light blinked back at her accompanied by an error tone. Sparrow looked at the card then wiped it on her pant leg before trying again. Red light. Buzz! "Tral!"
The ground shook from a fresh explosion somewhere in the EMTEC complex.
"Problem?" Ross asked. He unlimbered one of his assault rifles and looked up at the ceiling. "Besides the obvious?"
; "The card doesn't work," Sparrow said. She tilted her head to one side and held a hand toward the lock. "The security protocols have sealed all the doors and reset all access codes due to an attack by unknown assailants," she reported. "Hold on..."
"Well, that doesn't sound good," Ross remarked.
"I'm in the security feeds..." Sparrow said then stiffened. "The Ater are attacking the complex. And..."
Ross laid a hand on the Link Sprite's shoulder. "What is it?"
"The orb," Sparrow gasped. "It's definitely behind this door!"
"Then please open it," Merrick requested as he calmly set his gun case on the floor and opened it. He lifted his sniper rifle from the case and seated a magazine. Merrick looked up at Sparrow, who was lost somewhere within the EMTEC net. "Sometime today, please."
The sound of Merrick's voice snapped Sparrow back to the present. She twisted her hand and the multiple locks on the heavy door clicked open. Merrick aimed his weapon at the entrance and nodded back at Ross.
Ross squeezed Sparrow's arm. "Time to go to work." He stepped forward and used his foot to nudge one of the big doors open enough to aim his rifle into the room beyond. After a quick look, he pressed his shoulder inside. Merrick was right behind him.
Sparrow didn't move. Kate took in the blank expression on the Link Sprite's face. "You okay?"
Sparrow shook her head. "Sorry, there's a lot going on in here..." She tapped the implants glowing on her forehead. Sparrow showed Kate the spiraling upgrades visible in her palms. "Plus, whatever's in there is starting to interfere with these..."
"Then let's get what we came for and get out of here," Kate suggested.
Sparrow stopped and took in the sight.
EMTEC had transplanted an entire engine from a Tallinn ironclad into the massive underground chamber. The chamber's floor was several stories below the doorway Sparrow and the others came through. Massive pistons pounded slowly at one end of the room while huge flywheels hummed at the other. Sweating pipes and thrumming cables linked the equipment to the giant heat exchangers and spinning turbines. Everything was hooked up to the crystal case meant to hold the power source. In this case, it was not a knock-off power orb, but the Aether Source itself sitting in the container. As they watched, it pulsed, sending streams of electricity shooting out to crackle along the wall of the containment unit.
"That's more like it," Ross muttered as he wiped beads of perspiration from his brow.
Sparrow had been so engrossed sucking up the details of the engine room, she had not fully appreciated the stifling heat. The room smelled of hot oil from the churning machinery and ozone from the oversized electrical components. The air sizzled with the sounds of pure energy emanating from the Aether Source.
Ross laid his rifle back against his shoulder. "So, any idea how we carry this thing out?"
"Well, we could..." Kate began. She turned her head to one side as she studied the orb at the center of the engine. "No idea."
"I can get it," Sparrow said.
Kate and Ross turned to face the Link Sprite.
"How do you propose to do that?" Ross asked, concern etching his voice.
Sparrow raised her hands, palms out toward them, and gave the big marine a timid smile. "Maybe Knowl knew what he was doing after all."
Ross' eyes drifted from to the lightning firestorm surrounding the Aether Source to Sparrow's tiny form. "You sure about that?"
"Not really," Sparrow said and shrugged slowly. "But, I keep wondering how far I can push myself..."
Ross stared at Sparrow for a long moment then sighed, "Well, those of us without the benefit of magic are going to need something to carry it in after you move that thing. I'll grab one of those cases." He gave Sparrow a grin then rushed past them back into the lab.
"Looks like we can probably get out over there," Merrick remarked. He gestured at the far side of the room where a massive set of doors were located. "Probably leads to a warehouse area. They had to bring all this in from somewhere." He swept his arm, taking in the Tallinn engine.
Ross returned with a carrying case and dropped it onto the floor with a hollow crash. He opened the lid, revealing a cradle obviously designed to hold a power core. Ross looked from the case to the sparking Aether Source.
"So, we need to get that," Kate said slowly, and looked over at the orb and then back to the box, "into this..."
"Okay, babe," Ross said, giving Sparrow a wide smile. "Up to you now."
Sparrow rubbed her hands together. The upgrades in her palms glowed bright and the implants in her forehead flashed with their golden light.
"Let's do this," Sparrow said, as the blue lightning reflected in her metal eyes.
Dagger rocked forward in the shuttle's co-pilot seat and looked out the window. "That's not good."
Technicians were running every which way across the wide hangar.
"They do look a tad excited," Garrett agreed.
"I'm going to check on something," Dagger stood and pushed out of her seat. She leaned down and took Garrett's head in her hands. Dagger tilted Garrett's face up and planted a long, passionate kiss on the marine's lips. When she pulled away, Garrett's eyes were still closed.
Garrett opened his eyes and smiled up at Dagger. "Couldn't wait until we got back to Blade?"
"You wish," Dagger said with a snort. She moved to the cockpit door and looked back over her shoulder. "That was just in case we die, flyboy."
Dagger left Garrett to think about that as she jumped down to the hangar floor. She grabbed a mechanic by the collar of his coveralls. His eyes rolled as he looked at the shaking ceiling. The man finally met Dagger's gaze.
"This thing loaded with ammo?" Dagger demanded, pointing at the assault shuttle. "The rail guns?"
"Uh...yes," the man replied nervously. "SUMC likes to receive their shuttles combat ready."
"What about those?" Dagger asked. She gestured at a stack of olive green crates sitting in a neat pile near one of the wingtips. "Are the missile pods loaded?"
"No!" the mechanic blurted. "We weren't scheduled to complete the fit checks and uploads 'til this afternoon!" A new round of explosions shook the hangar.
"Change of plans!" Dagger announced.
"But..." the man started to protest.
Dagger pointed up at the ceiling. "You hear that?"
"Yes," the mechanic stuttered.
"Unless you want whoever is bombing your city to come down here after you, I suggest you get this ship 'combat ready'!"
Chapter 27
Aether Source
"Ready here!" Ross shouted to be heard above the noise of the Tallinn engine. He had stationed himself at the control console. With his hand poised over a row of switches, he yelled, "Tell me when!"
Sparrow, Kate, and Merrick stood at the base of the containment unit. Sparrow's eyes were locked on the Aether Source wreathed within the lightning. Merrick was busy studying the complex locking mechanism on the access door which was set into the thick crystal wall of the unit.
Sparrow tore her eyes from the orb and meet Kate's gaze. She nodded. "I'm ready."
Kate strove to put on a brave smile and squeezed Sparrow's arm encouragingly. "Everything will be fine," she said, trying as much to reassure herself as her friend. She shouted over her shoulder to Ross. "Do it!"
"Hold on to your hats!" Ross called. He began pulling the levers. The rhythmic sound of the Tallinn engine faltered as if a drummer had lost his beat. The big machine shuddered and whined in protest to the unorderly shut-down. Around the big chamber, pistons ceased pumping and the turbines began to spin down. Steam hissed from dozens of points as multiple pressure release valves activated. After a few minutes the engine stopped altogether. It entered idle mode, hissing and popping to itself. In the containment chamber the crackling of electricity from the Aether Source lessened but did not entirely dissipate.
Sparrow raised her arms and flexed her fingers. The upgrades embedded in her palms flashed in the cold light crackling from the orb. He
r voice steady, she declared, "Ready!"
Another explosion from the surface rocked the room and Sparrow swayed on her feet. She flicked her eyes to the ceiling then put thoughts of the Ater aside. Sparrow told Merrick, "Open it!"
The sniper did not hesitate. He flipped the two big catches securing the man-sized maintenance door. A hard turn on the locking lever caused the access hatch to swing open with a screech. Merrick ducked out of the way just as a bolt of electricity blasted through the opening. A cable junction box absorbed the blow, exploding in a shower of sparks. Another bolt arched along the wall of the containment unit toward Sparrow.
Sparrow tilted her head and moved her hands together. As the Link Sprite concentrated on the bolt twisting through the open door, it curled around itself and was unable to touch the fingers of her outstretched hands. Breathing deeply, Sparrow took a half step forward. The lighting was forced back and away from her. It struck the frame around the access hatch and finally dissipated. The air sizzled with the smell of hot metal.
"Just get the orb in the box!" Kate yelled. She shielded her eyes against the blinding light radiating from within the orb and the raw electricity striking out in every direction.
Sparrow did not reply. She concentrated all of her attention on her goal as she pressed her arms through the door and into the violent confines of the crystal containment unit. Her silvery eyes looked as if they were on fire with the electricity reflected in them. Her brows furrowed as she focused the power of her magnetic generators upon the orb.
The Aether Source trembled in response to Sparrow's projected power. It rose smoothly from its stand. Blue flames and lightning continued to wreath around the orb and arc down to the stand. Ever so slowly, the Aether Source began to glide toward Sparrow's outstretched arms and glowing palms. The frequency of lightning bolts discharging from the orb increased dramatically as it drew closer to the Link Sprite. The bolts raced around the containment unit, probing for a pathway through the air and metal. Each time the bolts got close to Sparrow's hands, the electricity would veer off on a different vector, deflected back to the orb or to the walls of the power core chamber.