Hive Queen

by Sinclair, Grayson

  Repeat? Ah, that’s what this has been about since the beginning. “It’s happening again, isn’t it? That’s what the void is doing creeping in from the Azure Depths,” I said, placing my finger on the hyper realistic map. “The system is corrupted again.”

  “Yes. Our measures were only temporary, I’m afraid, and I don’t know how bad the situation actually is this time.”

  “What happens if the system gets fully corrupted?”

  “It’s the end, of everything, of the entire Ouroboros Project.”

  “So we would all die, permanently.”

  “Exactly. There are no backups,” Magnus said.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and heaved a sigh. I need a drink. I opened my inventory and pulled out my flask.

  “Anyone need a drink? Just me. Okay.” After a long pull, I capped the flask and passed it to Raven, because I knew she would want one. “All this time, and I still don’t know what the Ouroboros Project’s end goal was. Digital immortality is great and all, but this couldn’t have been the entire goal, right?”

  Adam shook his head. “It wasn’t. This was supposed to be just temporary. Windigo Industries saw the writing on the wall when the first of the ghouls appeared. They started forming contingency plans in case the worst should happen.”

  “Windigo? Seriously? Those bastards are who’re behind all this? So what, digital immortality was the best they could come up with?”

  “Not at all,” Evelyn interjected. “It was just one of the projects they had in the works.”

  “And how well did the others turn out?” Magnus asked her. “They built a damned spaceship in low orbit and ferried almost two thousand people off-world, and what happened to them, Adam, Evelyn?”

  Both of them looked away, their faces set in stone.

  Magnus slammed his fist on the wood. “Exactly. And how did our own end goal turn out? Twenty years. That was the promise we all received when we started working on the project. Twenty years, and our consciousness would be put inside clones of our bodies. That was our endgame, and what happened?”

  He blew out a breath and combed through his hair.

  “Raven, would you mind sharing?’ he asked.

  She froze mid-sip and pulled the flask from her lips. “No, ma─Magnus,” she said and stood, handing him the metal flask.

  Magnus drank deeply, nearly chugging the stiff whiskey I’d filled it with. He stopped and sat it on the table, spilling a few drops in the process. “Nine hundred and fifty-seven years. We’ve been here for nearly a thousand years and have no chance of ever going home again. If Earth even stands any longer. We’re here, on Nexus, until the power runs out and ends it all.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know exactly which of the nine hells I’m headed to, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

  The air was heavy, the tension so thick I could have cut it with my knife.

  “Look,” I said, standing up from the chair. “This goes beyond any past grievances. We can’t hold onto grudges when the literal end of everything is staring us in the face. I’m an outsider in all this, I’m not a scientist, computer whatever. I’m just a thug, but you three are the smartest, most powerful people in this world. If you can’t come to an agreement, then we all die.”

  “Sampson has a point, brother. We have to do something. We can’t repeat past mistakes and have us at odds with each other. We can find common ground.”

  Adam laughed, leaning over the table while his golden eyes stared down at the map, unblinking. “You’re right about one thing, Jess. We can’t repeat history, that’s for damn sure.” He looked up at Magnus, a decision made in his eyes. “We tried it your way last time, and all it bought was time. We do it my way this time.”

  Magnus’s eyes narrowed. “I disagree.”

  The tension broke with the last syllable of his words. Evelyn smoothly drew two silver daggers the length of shortswords and shifted her weight to balance. Adam pulled two summoning crystals from his inventory and stood poised to throw them.

  While on the other side of the study, Aliria pushed off the desk she stood against as chitin enveloped her, her hands elongating to wicked black blades.

  Magnus stood impassively, but with his time magic, he didn’t have to move a muscle.

  I had a choice to make myself.

  It wasn’t the wrong choice, but as I drew my sword, I knew it wasn’t right.

  My blade raised, I stepped toward Evelyn. “Don’t do this.”

  She lifted her lips in a smile. “You would raise your blade to me?”

  “If you two are not willing to see reason. Unless you have a better plan than wait and see, I’m siding with the plan that has the best chance of all of us surviving.”

  “Even at the cost of thousands of lives?” Adam asked, his fingers twitching.

  “I can’t save everyone…but I can save Eris. I can save Raven, the two of you, and the Gloom Knights. The rest of the world be damned. I’ll make that choice every time.”

  We stared into each other’s eyes, just waiting for the pin to drop.

  “All of you, stop this madness!” Eris shouted, breaking the tense silence.

  I wasn’t expecting her voice; she hadn’t spoken since we entered the study.

  Eris picked herself up from the dark floorboards and glared at all of us. “Look at where this has led! We’re family, all of us! And you’re about to slaughter each other? Over what? Because you can’t agree on something?

  “Children, all of you!”

  There was a single split second where we could’ve continued as we were and went to war, but as I looked at each of the people I would give my life for, I lowered my sword and chuckled.

  It started as a soft single chuckle, but it grew, and soon I was laughing so hard, it hurt to breathe. I had to lean on the table to keep from falling over, and when I got back up, everyone just stared at me.

  “She’s right! We’re children. All it took was one confrontation, and over ten years of loyalty snapped like string. I was ready to fight you, Evelyn, knowing I’d lose. That says something about the severity of the situation, but come on! We can’t do any better than try to kill each other over our differences?”

  I eyed each of them and then walked out of the room.

  “Where are you going?” Adam asked at my back.

  “To the kitchen. I’m starving, and I think we could all use a drink. Come, don’t come. I don’t care. If you kill each other after I leave, that’s on you. But I’m not going to fight my friends.”

  Eris and Raven followed me out, and I shut the wood door with a heavy thud.

  Before I’d taken a step, Eris’s heated hand intertwined with my fingers, and Raven looped her arm through mine. I ran my hand over Raven’s smooth skin as I turned to Eris. “Thank you for that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “You were all scared, because I know I was. To face the end is a terrifying prospect, but it affords a measure of clarity once you’ve lived through it.”

  “This isn’t just our end, it’s the possible end for everyone, its big…and I don’t know what to do, what I can do. I’m good at swinging a sword, but a sword can’t fix what’s coming. Maybe I should just let them handle it. I’m so far out of my depth I can’t see the shore, and I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

  Raven tugged on my arm, pulling my attention to her. “Maybe you just do what you can, when you can. I don’t think anyone is asking you to solve this yourself. Let those who know better handle the things you can’t. You handle the things you can.”

  I smiled down at her. It was simple advice, but that’s exactly what I needed in that moment, simple, to the point. I kissed the top of her head. “Thank you. that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

  “Good, I’m glad I could help. You can spoil me later,” she said with a wink.

  We walked the rest of the way in silence, our heads heavy with what we’d just been told, but I’d handled it better than
the first time Magnus had shattered my world. It’s not like the signs weren’t there from the beginning. I just didn’t put them together, didn’t want to think about how everything shifted in my world so easily.

  The only thing I can do is help where I can and do my best to protect those who matter more than anything else in my life.

  When we got to the dining hall, we took a seat at the banquet table while Eris stared at the wide-open windows and wooden support beams along the walls that connected overhead. “It’s a beautiful place,” she said softly, clutching my hand as we all three sat side by side.

  I laid my head down and rested my warm, almost feverish forehead against the cool smooth wood, waiting to find out if the others would join us.

  It took a few minutes, but eventually the heavy wooden doors opened, and a parade of footsteps thumped across the stone floor towards us. After a few terse seconds, the chairs around the table scraped against the floor, and I finally looked up.

  Magnus and Aliria sat across from us while Adam and Evelyn sat near the head of the table.

  “Glad to see you all came to your senses,” I said, leaning back.

  “Well, given the stakes, tensions are going to run high all around. But as Eris said, we were behaving inappropriately.”

  “Yes. Thank you, little queen. I’d have hated to take your lover’s head. I kind of like him.”

  I laughed and reached for my flask, only to find that I’d left in back in Magnus’s study. Oh, well. “I’m glad too. It would be a pain to respawn and level up now.”

  “You wouldn’t respawn. Not this time, Duran,” Magnus said, laying his palms flat on the table. “It’s why I couldn’t bring Jasmine back and why I’m thankful no blood was shed between us. The system has worsened faster than before, and I’m afraid there are no more respawns for any of us.”

  I slumped over in my chair, deflating at his words. Silence filled the room, broken only by the subtle gusts of wind that howled through the open windows.

  So this is it for all of us. We either fix what’s wrong with the system or we die for real. Fuck, I’m not cut out for this.

  Any thought of food soured in my mouth, and I fought the churning in my stomach and swallowed bile. I’ve died before, but I’ve never had so much to lose as right now. I can’t afford to die, not yet.

  “Okay,” I said, raising my head. “How do we stop it?”

  “We don’t,” Evelyn said, turning to me. “They do.” She swept her hand past Magnus and Adam. “They helped build the damn thing. They’re the only ones who can even hope to fix it.”

  “So what’s the problem? Why can’t you fix it?”

  “It’s not that simple,” Adam said with a shake of his head. “I’m going to have to dig into the root directory to find out what exactly is going on, and that’s complicated, to say the least.”

  “Do tell,” I replied, drumming my fingers along the edge of the wood. “Seems there is a lot you still haven’t told me.”

  He shook his head. “You know most of it…”

  “But not all of it.”

  “Playing coy after all you’ve revealed to the boy? Don’t get squeamish now. I’ve heard Magnus’s side of the argument, but I’m so curious about yours,” Aliria said, her arms crossed as she leaned to the side of her chair.

  Adam sighed. “When the schism happened, Nick and I argued on the correct course of action, much like we’re doing now. We just couldn’t reach common ground, as he wanted the most extreme option.” He looked from me to Magnus with fire in his eyes. “Nick went behind my back and used his admin access to override the system and force it to purge all non-essential data. He betrayed me.”

  “I’ll say what I told you then, what I told you minutes ago. I did what had to be done. You were content to sit and watch while trying and failing to come up with an alternative. I took decisive action and saved everyone I could.”

  “It doesn’t give you the right to play god!” Adam shouted, standing up so fast, his wooden chair clattered to the floor.

  “Do you hear yourself, James? With the power we wield in this world, we’re as close as we can be, you two especially. If not us, then who?” Magnus asked.

  “This isn’t what our power was meant for! We are supposed to be guardians, protectors, not executioners!”

  “By the nine kings of hell! Can you two not fight for two seconds?” I asked.

  They both turned to me as I ran my hand over my face, my jaw tight from clenching. “Adam, I understand your position, I do. But the perfect option doesn’t always exist. We have to do what we can with what we have. And unless you have a definite plan to save everyone, it’s just wishful thinking. Let’s hear what Magnus has to say, because from where I’m sitting, he’s the only one here with a plan already in mind.”

  He jabbed a finger at me. “This isn’t your─”

  “Let him be, brother. Guil─Sam is right. And he’s earned his place here; even I can’t deny that anymore.”

  Adam sat down in a huff, but when his eyes met mine, gone was the hostility. His eyes were back to the normal, back to the eyes of my friend. “You’re right. Both of you. I just─the whole point of this entire project was to save as many people as we could.”

  “Which is exactly what I’m trying to do, James. You have to admit to yourself that what I’m doing is the best and only way we can save as many people as possible.”

  “I can’t admit that, but I’ll hear you out this time, at least,” Adam said and knelt to pick up his fallen chair off the ground.

  I stood up and leaned on the table, looking at Magnus. “I’m assuming that your plan is the same as before?”

  “Essentially. Though we can’t shrink the island, as it’s the last landmass in this world, we delete everything we can, starting with the NPCs since they take up the most data besides players. We delete as much as we can to save as many people as possible.”

  “As long as everyone I care about is safe, I’ll help in any way I can.”

  Magnus nodded; his lips pressed together as he folded his hands in his lap. “I’m glad to hear it, but we can’t begin without James.”

  “You want my override code?”

  “I need it.”

  I held my hands up. “What override code?”

  Magnus stood from his chair as someone new entered the room, the clink of crystal on metal caused me to turn as Magnolia came in with drinks. But at a second glance, my eyebrows raised. I was wrong. I’d reflexively thought it was Magnolia, but it was actually Aliria. She carried a tray of drinks in both hands without so much as a wobble as she sauntered across the room. Her sharp heels cracked loudly against the stone.

  “I’ve brought drinks for everyone, but don’t get used to this,” she said as she set the tray in the center of the table.

  “Thank you, dear,” Magnus said as he poured himself a glass of wine.

  A crystal tumbler filled with amber called my name, and I snagged it from the silver tray before knocking it back. Oh, that’s delicious and just what I needed. I grabbed the bottle and another glass and poured another for myself and handed a glass to Raven.

  “Thank you, darling. I think we could all use a drink right now.”

  Eris declined a glass but held onto my fingers tightly as I leaned down and kissed her. She scrunched her face is disgust, but her eyes lit up with humor and warmth. “You taste like alcohol, love.”

  “Sor─” I began before Raven grabbed hold of my face and pulled me into a kiss of her own, her tongue dancing with mine.

  “You’re right,” she said as she pulled away a second later. ”He totally does.” She laughed and kissed my cheek before laying her head on my shoulder.

  It was for just a minute while everyone took a drink from the table, but I loved them both for being themselves in the face of such melancholy. Times have never been as dark as these, and they’re only going to get darker. I need to keep them close, to remind me of who I’m fighting for.

  Once we all had
a bit of alcohol to ease the mood, we returned to the conversation at hand.

  “This override code, what is it?” I asked.

  “Nick went around me and used his access to initiate the purge. When it was over, I couldn’t remove his access, but I had to make sure he didn’t do something like it again, so I did the only thing I could and locked us both out of the system,” Adam said, taking a sip of wine.

  “But you left a way back in. An override.”

  He nodded. “But I can’t give it to him, even if he’s right. He’s also not being completely honest. Even if it starts with NPCs, that’s not where it will end. Because if it’s not something we can fix, it’ll eventually lead to him sacrificing players to save space like he did before. No one person should have the right to decide who lives and who dies.”

  Magnus sighed. “I wish you would see reason, James. But this isn’t getting us anywhere.”

  He snapped his fingers, and Evelyn froze in place, her glass tumbler halfway to her pale lips.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking control of the situation,” Magnus said as he rose from his chair. “You don’t want to be responsible for the lives of everyone on Nexus. I get that, so once again, I’ll do what you can’t.

  “Give me the override.”

  “Or what? You kill Jess? You wouldn’t hurt either of us. I know that for a fact. I also know you can’t hold her for long.”

  Magnus lifted his head and stared at Adam. I knew the look in his eyes well, and Adam was wrong; he’d kill Evelyn if that’s what it took.

  “I can either release her or kill her. And you can either save her or watch her die.”

  Adam rose from his seat, crystals in hand. “I’ll stop you!”

  “How? I’m your counter—you know you can’t win against me.” Magnus sighed; the lines on his face aged him ten years. “Don’t make me do this, James. Give me the code!”

  Adam raised his hand, his fingers twitched as he was about to throw his summon, but he stopped and lowered his hands. “Epsilon, forty-two, seven, three, nine, Delta.”

  “Thank you. Was that so hard?”