After a moment, he joined her. “I don’t claim to know anything about this trial, but at a rough guess, I’d say what we just did is against the rules.”
Her wet hair shone in the moonlight. “Technically, there are no rules. But I imagine the people in charge won’t be too happy, no.”
“They’d disqualify us.”
“More likely they’d execute us under the Agantzane principle of one plus one equals two. But you don’t have to worry about that. This is a simulation, remember? No one has been expired.”
“I know that. It’s just that it feels like… well, cheating.”
“Would you rather lose and abandon your people to their fate?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then if the price of victory is nothing more than your personal discomfort, I’d call that a bargain, wouldn’t you?”
Quinn averted his eyes and shovelled harder.
~
Quinn clung to his over-the-shoulder harness as the skimmer zipped between the tree trunks. Keiza’s hands rested on the arms of an upright column that she shifted left and right, but judging by the speed they were travelling, the machine had to have some form of automated collision prevention. The system smoothed out their movements as far as possible, but he still felt like a shaken martini.
“We’re not far from the portal,” Keiza said. “No signs of pursuit, as yet.”
First Aurek and then Keiza. Quinn had never been comfortable with having another entity rattling around in his head, confronting him with memories both real and imagined, some of which he longed to remember, and others he was desperate to forget. It felt like being awake with his insides splayed out, while some fiendish surgeon poked at his spleen, liver, and heart. When Rahada sought a meeting with the Elinare, it had seemed the perfect opportunity to hand over the reins to her and regain the peace of his own mind.
Yet Keiza had reminded him he had a wider duty to humanity. He couldn’t simply abrogate his responsibility. He had to ensure the right outcome. Time to get this over with.
“The advance party is just up ahead,” Keiza announced. “Rahada is among them.”
She must be in contact with Rahada’s mind. “How’s she doing?”
“She appears well, although…”
“What is it?”
“A ruinator lies between them and the portal,” Keiza said. “Her chances of getting past it are not good. I can show you, if you wish.”
“All right, let’s take a look.”
Keiza banked the skimmer and veered off to the left. They passed through a dense section of willow-like fronds that slapped at Quinn’s face before the forest opened onto a wide bluff.
Five figures in black advanced through a lightly wooded valley below. A loud clacking reverberated from the upper end of the gap as a ten-metre-high creature with a shield-shaped exoskeleton emerged from a bend in the rock. It waved quadruple eyestalks at the Shanata before launching spinning webs at them.
“Those threads are designed to immobilise prey,” Keiza explained. “The creature will return later and consume the cocoons for food.”
The Shanata in the valley dived for cover. A flurry of tiny discs struck the creature with no discernible effects.
“We could go down there,” Keiza said in his ear. “Our beam weapons would easily see off the ruinator. We could rescue Rahada and bring her with us to the portal.”
“No,” Quinn said, turning away. “Let her take care of herself.”
~
At the exit portal, Quinn imagined a brass band, a cheering crowd or, at the very least, a finish line tape, but there was merely a shining beam that extended far into the night sky.
Leaving Rahada behind was the only choice. If they had brought her along, she would surely have found some way to seize the initiative and snatch victory. Of course, if she died before reaching the portal, then that too would be a problem.
Keiza brought the skimmer down on a low plateau and released her shoulder harness. She indicated the beam with a sweep of her arm. “Yours is the honour of stepping through first, Quinn.”
“Won’t the Shanata authorities be waiting to take us into custody?”
She shook her head. “You will exit the scenario as soon as you enter the portal.”
The beam thrummed as he stared at it. “No. You go.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve won.”
“You said it yourself. Rahada is determined to take you from me. If I prevail, then she’ll just look for another opportunity. But if you make the decision, then it’s final.”
“You’re going back for her?” Keiza asked.
“I have no choice, remember? We all have to survive or my efforts will be for nothing.”
Keiza’s face fell. “What if I told you that you didn’t need to go back, that your victory no longer depended on her survival?”
“You’re altering the rules for my sake? That’s hardly fair.” He searched her face for a reaction, but she fled eye contact. “It wouldn’t make any difference.”
“But why?”
“Because rescuing her is the right thing to do. And because I need her. The Shanata’s cooperation is essential to the success of this mission. If I survive, but she dies, how do you think they’d react? They wouldn’t understand the nuances of this trial. They’d turn their backs on me, and both the Consensus and the worlds of humanity would perish.”
“The ruinator could expire you as well as her.”
“That’s a risk I’ll have to take.”
She looked at him, eyes filled with something close to disappointment. “If you send me through the portal first, I cannot guarantee what my choice will be.”
He forced a smile. “Well, at least if I manage to rescue Rahada and you pick her, then she’ll owe me one, right?”
“I’m not sure that’s true. You place too much reliance on human traditions, Quinn.”
He shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
“There’s something else you need to know. I designed this re-creation so that whoever passes through the exit portal plays no further part. When I step through, I won’t be able to aid you in any way. You’ll be on your own.”
He pressed his lips together. “That’s one thing I’ve grown used to.”
~
Quinn twisted the grip on the upright column, easing the skimmer’s speed all the way to maximum. Its power unit sang as it surged forward. The trees on either side of him shot past in a blur.
It had taken around fifteen minutes to traverse the distance from the valley where he had seen the ruinator to the exit portal, five spent arguing who was going to pass through, and another fifteen to return—though he hoped to shave a little off of that. Still, that made over thirty minutes for Rahada and a handful of Shanata to face off against a creature the size of a house—an eternity.
Fortunately, if Keiza were right, the creature’s instinct was not to kill, but to immobilise prey for future consumption. Hopefully, that would give him the time he needed to mount a rescue.
He spotted a familiar patch of fronds and killed the skimmer’s forward momentum. Just beyond lay the drop to the valley floor. The forest was unlike any on Earth or Eire Colony. Branches twisted overhead, their thick, silvery leaves struggling for the moon’s light. Ancient roots thrust into the soil while whip-like vines strangled them, sucking on their essence to feed drooping, bell-shaped flowers that oozed a yellow, puss-like substance. It was like watching grizzled old men locked in a death struggle.
And yet, all of it was now gone—the forest, the continent, the entire planet obliterated by the Damise in an act of vengeance. He felt a pang of regret. Even grizzled old men deserved better.
The skimmer broke through the trees and settled onto the rock platform. Quinn disembarked, went to the edge, and scanned the landscape. Other than a series of bestial bellows from far off, the valley lay still and silent. The creature was gone.
The sides appeared steep. He didn’t know enou
gh about the skimmer’s operation to judge whether it was safe to navigate the drop. Best look for an easier way down. He remounted the skimmer and began to skirt the valley.
Ten minutes later, he came upon a natural rockslide. The angle was still around forty-five degrees, but he decided it was worth the risk. Gingerly, he eased the skimmer over the edge, and it flew down the incline. The valley floor galloped towards him. He fought down an attack of blind panic before pulling back on the upright column. The skimmer’s front tipped up slightly, slowing its headlong rush. He bottomed out, narrowly avoiding two small trees before coming to a sideways halt. Leaning against the column, he took a moment to recover his breath.
The foliage in the valley was sparser than the forest. Spindly, thin-limbed trees poked finger-like twigs at the sky. Any of the valley’s inhabitants who had been panicked by his sudden arrival must now be in hiding. Mentally, he mapped out where he had last seen the Shanata and pointed the skimmer in that direction. He had no idea whether they might still be there, but it was as good a place to start as any.
As he urged the skimmer forward, he spotted a pair of moving lights over the trees. He slowed the machine once more and gazed skyward just as they turned towards him on a lazy trajectory.
Lights that changed course could not be natural phenomena, but maybe their appearance was nothing more than coincidence. The Shanata overseers might not even be aware of him. The words sounded hollow even as he framed them. The only safe course was to assume the lights were hostile.
He glanced around, but could see no place of concealment. The forest offered denser cover, but the lights would be on top of him before he managed to climb out of the valley. If he couldn’t hide, then his only option was to run. A moving target would be harder to hit.
He gunned the skimmer’s power unit, and the machine surged forwards. Weaving between the bare white trunks, he headed up the valley. The lights descended, resolving into sleek, fish-shaped craft. They closed rapidly.
A blinding white beam flashed to his left, transforming a coppice into a raging inferno. He veered to his right, scraping the skimmer’s edge against the ground. Sparks streamed from the point of contact as he fought to regain control. As the damaged end lifted, a wall of flame erupted directly ahead. Quinn shielded his eyes and tried to pull up. The skimmer swerved to the left and careened towards the blazing trees sideways on.
Quinn tugged and twisted the upright column, but the skimmer did not respond. Steering’s gone. This thing’s finished. Tearing off the shoulder restraints, he flung himself from the seat, struck the ground shoulder-first, and rolled over and over, smashing the side of his face against a rock.
The skimmer crashed into the fire and broke apart. He half rose and managed a few stumbling steps before the craft exploded, thumping him in the back like an anvil. He went sprawling as flaming debris rained all around him.
The side of his head felt cold. His questing fingertips came away dark and slick with blood. He tried to rise once more, but his elbow and hip gave way. Roaring filled his ears as the fires took hold. The working part of his mind yelled at him to flee, but he lay barely moving, fingertips clawing at the dirt.
An unseen hand gripped his mesh garment from behind and dragged him away like a sack of coal.
~
Released by the unseen hand, Quinn fell face-first onto hard rock. The hand rolled him onto his back and thrust a blazing brand in front of his face.
“Quinn.” Rahada spat his name. “You are a pestilence. What are you doing here?”
Quinn’s eyes screwed up and his chest heaved as he doubled up in laughter. “Rescuing you.”
“This isn’t the time for levity.”
“No,” he said, as his breathing slowed. “No, you’re absolutely right. I’m sorry.”
Flames flickered over the right side of her face. The left side was wreathed in shadow. “I want to know how you got hold of a skimmer.”
“We… stole it.”
“You and Keiza.”
“That’s right,” he said.
“What happened to its occupants?”
“They… expired, as you would put it.”
Rahada muttered a string of unfamiliar words under her breath before raising her voice again. “Where is Keiza now?”
“She passed through the exit portal a little while ago.”
Rahada’s features hardened to granite. “So it was a trick all along. Did the two of you conspire to cut me out?”
He sighed. “No, but I don’t expect you to believe that. In any case, it doesn’t matter. Our only objective now is to get out of here alive.”
“So you can control us all by means of the Elinare.”
“I’m not interested in control, and neither is she.” He sat up with some effort. “Of course, I don’t expect you to believe that, either.” He blinked, but everything beyond the brand’s flickering circle remained dark. “Where are we?”
“Some cave or other,” she replied.
“Not from your memory?”
“No. But we can’t stay here.”
“Why not?” he asked
“Because the Keeper will be hunting us.”
“Keeper?”
“The Shanata responsible for overseeing the trial,” she said. “He will expire us on the principle of one plus one equals two. Only an idiot would attack a skimmer.”
Quinn let the insult ride. “They must have seen the skimmer burst into flames. Wouldn’t they conclude that everyone aboard had perished?”
She stared beyond the fire. “I wouldn’t make that assumption.”
“So which way do we go?”
“The valley is the safest and most direct route. However…”
“The ruinator is guarding it.”
“Right.”
“Perhaps your Keeper placed it there to increase the difficulty.”
“This is not a genuine trial,” she snapped. “It’s an illusion created by your Elinare friend. But heightening the challenge would not be inconsistent with the Keeper’s actions.”
“Can we get past the creature?”
She looked him up and down. “I have an incendiary blade. You appear to have misplaced your weapon. Assuming you bothered to take one in the first place.”
Quinn reached inside the pocket of his mesh garment. “Would this help?”
She raised an eyebrow at the innocent-looking black baton. “Taken from the skimmer’s crew, I assume.”
“That’s right.”
“I see I have underestimated you,” she said. He held the weapon out to her. “What are you doing?”
He shrugged. “It’s a Shanata weapon. I have no training or experience in its use, but I’m guessing you do.”
“Aren’t you concerned I might use it on you?”
“I reckon you’re smarter than that.”
“You’re referring to the Elinare’s threat to abandon our civilisations if we don’t all make it to the portal.”
He shook his head. “It goes way beyond what happens in this scenario. You represent the Alliance headed by the Shanata and what remains of the original Consensus. I represent the human worlds that have yet to be touched by the AI. Keiza represents the Elinare, the only remaining Founder Race with the ability to combat Damise technology. Each of us needs the others if we’re to stand any chance of survival. I think Keiza’s true purpose in putting us through this re-creation was to get us to realise that.”
She stared at him and grimaced. Quinn caught the gesture. I must look a mess.
“You’re talking about trust,” she said.
“I suppose I am,” he replied. “Perhaps Keiza figured the best way to build trust between the three of us would be through shared adversity.”
Rahada claimed the baton, deftly inserting it in a loop at her waist. “Then let’s hope we live long enough to benefit from the lesson.”
~
Rahada snuffed out the brand in a puddle of rainwater and peered past the cave’s exit. She pulled
back and motioned for Quinn to take a look.
Gradually, his eyes grew accustomed to the softer moonlight. Off to his left, an inferno lit up the undersides of a pair of fish-shaped craft. Water sheeted against the flames.
As he withdrew, she whispered in his ear. “As soon as the fire’s out, they’ll land and search the remains of the skimmer. When they don’t find a body—”
“They’ll come looking for us,” he finished. “That gives us a little time at least.”
She passed him without replying and slipped out of the cave. He followed. His largesse had left her with two weapons and he with none, but he balked at asking for the blade. His experience with the spear had taught him that weapons were best left in the hands of those skilled in wielding them. The only way for him to win a one-on-one contest with Rahada would be not to start one in the first place.
They set off in a low run, keeping to the shadows. The side of his face felt as if it were set in plaster. His swollen knee protested the steepening gradient, and his stride skewed, becoming closer to a limp. His shoulder ached. Pain overran the outer walls of his consciousness until his world was reduced to nothing but the moonlit landscape and the sound of his own laboured breathing.
Darkness tore chunks from the light. He halted behind Rahada and glanced up. Winged shadows flitted across the moon.
“Razers,” she hissed.
“I know,” Quinn said. “We’ve met.”
A question flashed across her face but fled unasked. She set off once more.
He flogged his tortured limbs into motion. A piercing shriek shook the valley and was answered by another. They’ve seen us, like hawks spotting mice in an open field.
He forced his lungs to work. “We have to find cover.”
“No time,” she replied. “If the Keeper catches up to us, it’s all over.”
He glanced over his shoulder once more. A pair of razers swept towards them, claws outstretched. “Rahada!”
The Arc of the Universe Page 22