by D N Meinster
The three of them made their way down the corridor, all less alert than they should have been. While Aros' mind was on Leidess, Rikki's and Doren's were on each other. It wasn't as if there was any spectacular sight to behold in this hospital. All the corridors were exactly the same.
When they finally came to the room they believed Director Fantom was behind, Doren knocked on the door when it refused to slide open. "He should be in here."
Rikki held out her staff. "I can make it open."
"That won't be necessary," Keisler said, sidling up behind the trio.
All three of them whipped out their weapons and pointed them at the new arrival.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" he said, and the door slid open as he approached it. "Come in."
The trio lowered their weapons and followed him inside. They all paused right as they got a look at the interior. Floating transparent images decorated the room. There was a giant parasite hovering in one corner, while the map of a skyscraper spun around in another. The walls themselves were lit up with lines and lines of mathematical equations. And situated against one of the walls was a bare wooden desk. Keisler took a seat behind it. "I see you have yet to get used to our city. Don't worry about that," he motioned to the oversized bug. "It's only a three-dimensional image."
Aros, Doren, and Rikki all took one step forward together, and the door behind them slid shut. They all looked back at the closed exit, concerned they might be trapped inside.
"So why have you come to see me?" Keisler asked.
Aros twisted toward Doren and Rikki. They would have to provide the answer to that. Some deal between the two of them had brought them here. He would've preferred asking how plausible it would be to create clones of themselves. But his friends weren't even willing to entertain such a suggestion.
"We want to learn more about the MR," Rikki stated.
"Oh," Keisler replied and he leaned back in his chair. "There's not much I can tell you about it."
"You're the Director of Health, aren't you?" Rikki asked, recalling his title. "You must be working on a cure."
"Normally, yes," Keisler said. "But Director Talap has kept the purview strictly under his supervision. I've only been read in on containment. Any other information, you'll have to ask him."
"Director Trustt knew things," Rikki mentioned. She knew Keisler couldn't be so ignorant when it came to this.
"Maevus likes to know the business of others," Keisler replied. "I'm not so interested in that."
Rikki glanced to Doren and then Aros, but both kept their mouths shut. She wasn't going to get any support from either of them. "You know it stands for Magenine's Retribution?"
"Everyone knows that," Keisler said. "Is this all you've come to see me about? I'm afraid you are wasting time for all of us."
Rikki was sure Keisler knew more, but she didn't know how to push him to reveal it. "Director Trustt said you'd help us."
"Help with what?"
"Getting the Key."
"Well, you haven't asked about that, have you?"
He had her there. But Rikki was convinced that their quest to obtain the Key was directly intertwined with the MR. "Do you believe in the Goddess?" she asked him.
"There is empirical evidence to support such a conclusion," Keisler answered.
"I can feel Her will," Rikki affirmed. "She wants us to cure the MR. In turn, we will acquire the Key."
Keisler scratched his chin. "And I already told you, I cannot assist you with that. But allow me to comment. I do not believe the Goddess would want you to cure this plague."
"Why is that?" Rikki inquired.
"She brought it on us." Keisler stood up. "If that's all."
"It's not," Doren spoke up. It was his turn to try and get what he needed from the Director. "We need help getting the Key, and I don't think curing the MR has anything to do with it." Rikki's livid expression was enough to make him gulp and move away from her and closer to Keisler.
Director Fantom sat back down and hunched over his desk. "Go on."
"If we can shut down the traps in the Key Chamber, we can grab the Key before Hatswick has a chance to take it," Doren explained with increasing enthusiasm. "If we shut the electricity down in that structure, that would turn off the stasis field, right?"
"That would be a good idea," Keisler said, eyeing the Prince, "fifty years ago. Our electrical systems are self-perpetuating. There's no longer an off switch."
"The red lines send in the electricity," Doren tried to spell out what he'd seen on the eDat. "If we stop whatever is sending the electric into that place – "
"It's a lot more complicated than that," Keisler cautioned. "And I'm not sure you'd understand even if I told you how it worked."
"Try us," Aros said with a conviction that gave no hint of his everlasting bewilderment.
"We know you get power from the sun," Doren inserted before Keisler could begin his lesson.
"Call up graphic 42-B," Keisler said. The image of the skyscraper disappeared from the corner and reappeared in-between them. "All of our buildings are coated in solar voltaic sheets. They're not discernible to the naked eye, but look with the right lens and..."
The floating image of the skyscraper transformed into shades of red and orange.
"These sheets are absorbing energy from the sun every second. They feed directly into the power core of every building. And you can't simply turn off the core. Even if the grid in one structure is damaged, the system is designed so the core could be bypassed and the electricity would feed directly into the appliances. Understand?" He was met with three blank stares. "I figured as much."
"How would you explain it to a three-year-old?" Doren asked.
"Like that," Keisler asserted.
"What about a two-year-old?" Aros said.
Keisler's tongue hung from his mouth as he thought up the simplest describers he could. "You can't turn off the solar power on the buildings. You can't turn off the power cores in the city. Got it?"
Doren nodded. His plan no longer sounded feasible. Maybe they would have to go with Rikki's idea.
"Say you somehow managed it," Keisler went on. "You still have to deal with an overwhelming amount of peacekeepers that are designed to swarm the Key Chamber in the event of any outages. And from what I've heard, you three can only take on so many of our automatons."
Doren's head slumped to the side, and he rested his cheek on his shoulder. But before he could admit defeat, Aros spoke up.
"How would we manage it?" he asked.
Keisler raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say you could."
"You must have an idea though," Aros stated. There was no reason for him to say they could manage it if it was completely impractical. He wouldn't have ended the lecture right there. But he went on. That meant something.
Keisler looked over all three of them. "You have a mage with you. That means no matter what redundancies we built into the system, they can be overcome."
Doren and Aros gazed at Rikki once again.
"What can I do?" There was nothing in any of Keisler's impartations that gave any clue to what she might be able to do with magic. The systems here were beyond her imaginings.
"Solar power," Keisler reiterated. "If someone were to, say, create an unending storm that resisted our weather manipulations and blotted out the sun, they would cut off ninety percent of our power supply."
Rikki's mouth hung open. She knew she could bring in clouds. But what exactly did he mean by weather manipulations? Aros inquired before she could.
"We have technology that controls the weather in this kingdom," he explained. "If we don't want it to rain, it won't. However, a little magic to sustain a storm, and you'd make all of that wonderful technology useless."
"How did you even think of that?" Doren wondered.
"We've been brainstorming."
"We?"
The floating image of the skyscraper suddenly transformed into a life-size image of Director Trustt. When she spoke, the lips on the
image moved along with the words. "Keisler and I want to help you."
"Have you been listening in the entire time?" Rikki demanded to know.
"Who do you think came up with the plan?" Maevus replied. "I needed to make sure Keisler explained it correctly."
Keisler cleared his throat. "Director Trustt and I have been devising this since you arrived."
"Why?" Aros asked, skeptical of their assistance. Neither had done anything more than push them out the door upon their initial interactions, and, as far as he knew, nothing had really changed since then.
"We do not easily disregard the requests of kings and empresses," Maevus answered. "The other members of the Directorate can be rather obstinate."
"That doesn't really answer the question," Doren noted. The scrolls he carried had done little to sway anyone in the past. There must have been more to their decision.
"The Directorate welcomed Hatswick to our kingdom," Keisler recalled. "Because of his betrayal, the other directors are much less willing to entertain outsiders."
"We don't believe you will betray us," Maevus said. "That you brought proper authorization and already carry two of the Keys is only evidence of that."
Aros slid his palm down the two Keys hanging from his waist. If they were enough for these two directors, what more would it have taken to convince the others?
Rikki was ready to hear the rest of their proposal. "So I create an unending storm. Anything else?"
Keisler eyed Maevus before he went on. "The clouds must be maintained for six hours so the residual solar energy will be drained. Once enough of it dissipates, the backups will activate."
"You will need to shut off those backups," Maevus continued. "There are three geothermal generators." Her image disappeared and was replaced by a floating model of Cortex. "One is located in the tropical zone." The perspective of the miniature changed, as rows of translucent buildings flew by until they were eventually replaced by rows of trees. "Another is underwater in the oceanic zone." The trees disappeared and were swapped out for a metallic box that was apparently engulfed by water. "And the last is in the arid zone." The image changed to one of desert, which somewhat resembled the Absentia Desert in Kytheras.
"Those are the easy parts," Keisler said. "After they're down, the electrical grid switches over to the perpetual generator. Guess where that's located? In the basement of the Key Chamber."
The desert faded away and Maevus' three-dimensional figure once again took its place. "And that one you can't turn off."
"Versil was wise to put it there," Keisler remarked. "It ensured that the Key would always be protected."
"It only makes your job more difficult," Maevus said. "The only way to shut it down is with an electromagnetic device."
"And we've got one in our weapons lab," Keisler informed them. "You'll need to steal it. And while you're there, you'll have to pick up the master control for our peacekeepers."
"As soon as the perpetual energy generator is disengaged, most of the traps become useless. So the peacekeepers are programmed to swarm the area and protect the Key," Maevus said.
"With the master control, you can turn them all off."
Aros' brain throbbed as he attempted to digest the intricacies of the Directors' plans. He tried to break it down in his head. Rikki needed to create a storm. Then they had to shut down three power generators. And then they would have to steal the master control device for the peacekeepers and some other device that would shut down the last generator. He looked to his friends, who seemed to be struggling with the intricacies much less than he was.
"Of course, that leaves your last problem," Maevus said.
"Hatswick." Keisler tapped the tips of his fingers together. "Once the perpetual generator stalls, the stasis field will shut down. He'll be free to grab that key and get out."
"One of you will need to be there to stop him," Maevus said as her eyes locked onto Rikki.
"Of course it'll be me," Rikki sighed. She might even have to shift into the stasis field before it turned off to make sure she was in Hatswick's way. Being frozen in time and fighting her old teacher once more? She wasn't looking forward to either circumstance.
"We wish we could let you in there ourselves without this setup," Maevus said with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "But the traps in the Key Chamber are biometric."
"Meaning only certain directors can get past," Keisler said. "And neither of them are us."
"You know what you must do," Maevus said. "May Magenine's light point you true." Her image disappeared, leaving the trio alone with Keisler and the enhanced image of the parasite.
"We design things too well," Keisler said, standing up and walking out from behind his desk. "This would've been much less convoluted just ten years ago."
"We can do it," Doren avowed.
"Better get that storm going, then," he told Rikki as he walked around them and to the door.
"Hope you're not afraid of thunder," she said as she pictured the storm clouds in her mind.
"We only fear what we do not understand," Keisler noted. "So you will find little fear here in Cortex."
Doren scrunched up his face as the sheer hubris of the statement hit him. He wouldn't even have expected his father to say something so blatantly haughty.
The door slid open, but Keisler had more to say before they parted. "I would start with the weapons lab. If anyone else catches on to what you're doing, they'll send an army of peacekeepers after you. You'll want to have the master control if that happens."
Aros nodded. Having the ability to disable the chrome men whenever they wanted was an advantage they'd undoubtedly need.
Keisler motioned for them to step into the hall. "An AGT will get you there, but you'll need magic to get inside."
"That won't be a problem," Rikki said, waving her staff slightly.
"When you get the Key, get out of this kingdom as soon as you can," Keisler advised. "And tell no one we've helped you. If word gets to Talap, our punishment will be severe."
"No one will know," Doren promised.
"Good luck," Keisler said before the door slid shut, leaving him alone in his office.
"So, where do we start?" Aros asked.
Both Doren and Rikki gave him a funny look, unsure if he was serious.
Chapter Fifteen
Assassin
2 D.R.
His path was only lit by the two moons, but they were full this night, and he could make out every inch of the Outer. He didn't have to travel far to get there, but he became more listless the closer he got to his destination. Even his section of the Outer had not deteriorated this horrendously. It was impossible to find two structures standing next to each other that were still intact. Most had lost roofs; the others had crumbling exterior walls. He had to be careful where he stepped or he might trip on the remnants of the former homes.
Whose fault was this? The King that had allowed the Outer to fall into a state of disrepair even before the attack? Or the King that had refused to repair it afterward?
Ale kicked a stray stone out of his way. He watched as it hastily rolled into the distance and was swallowed by the night. He checked his boot afterward to see if it had left a mark, which it had. These boots were still in decent condition, given that he rarely wore them anymore. His occupation required a form of stealth that footwear didn't allow. Tonight, however, he could make as much noise as he wanted.
Nevertheless, he had dressed in layers of black felt. Even the moonlight could not reveal him lest he shed his clothes. His hood was up, and he had his daggers at the ready.
Why was he summoned? What exactly was he needed for? If he wasn't so curious, he mightn't have bothered. Instead, he might have left the boots at home and killed the man that called for him.
Ale had no love for Neanthal. How many decks had he been king? And had he fixed anything? The kingdom was in an even worse state because of him. To the Outerlings, Aergo and this new king were interchangeable. Neither seemed to care abou
t those that needed the most help.
Aergo hadn't sent his healers when Ale's wife lay dying. He hadn't even sent food. Ale could only watch as his wife and unborn child were taken from him. When they died, Ale hadn't the need to keep searching for a job. He knew the exact place he would take in this kingdom. Kytheras was overflowing with people. If there had been less, maybe someone would have come to help his family. The Outerlings needed there to be fewer people in the Inner. He could make sure there were. And he could even get paid to do it.
But what need did a king with an army have for an assassin? And how exactly had Neanthal heard of him? Only the Outerlings knew of his existence. He had seen to that.
The answers were less than a block away, but Ale was not in a rush to get them. He continued at a leisurely pace, letting his fury grow at every ruined home he passed. In one, he could make out a body buried beneath the rubble. No one had even had the courtesy to bury the Outer's dead.
Ale approached the sole unmarred home in the area. Houses adjacent to it didn't even have two walls left standing. And the one to blame for it all was waiting for him inside the only dwelling around that still had an inside.
Ale's fingers twitched as he caressed the handle of his dagger. But while he considered what action to take, the door to the house flew open on what must've been its own volition, for there was no one on the other side.
Ale stepped beyond the threshold and lowered his hood. He shook out his long, untidy, orange hair while his emerald eyes scanned the interior of the house. The King must have been waiting further inside, for he did not see a soul nearby.
"In here," Neanthal croaked from an unseen room.
Ale proceeded until he came to the only lit location within. The soft light touched his face, revealing his freckled complexion to the man who was waiting for him.
Neanthal was alone in the room. Or so he thought until he heard a cough and a whimper from a wooden crate resting near the fireplace.
Ale's eyes fell onto the box. He could not see inside, but he knew that a baby was resting within.
"Ale Chakra," Neanthal greeted his guest. "You've taken your time getting here."