X-Calibur: The Return

by Jackson-Lawrence, R.

  Merlin searched frantically through each camera image, zooming in on face after face in search of Arthur. He found him eventually, four hundred metres from where he had gripped onto the metal support, his other hand still wrapped around Lancelot’s fingers. They were both unmoving, but as Merlin zoomed in closer, he was able to detect the slight movement of Arthur’s chest, rising up and down with a slow, laboured rhythm.

  As relief washed over him, Merlin’s vision was suddenly obscured by armoured black leg plates, forcing him to zoom out. He watched in horror as Gral-Dern nudged Arthur with his boot.

  “Was this the one gesticulating at the camera before we vented?” Gral-Dern asked his second in command.

  “I’m not sure, sir,” his second in command replied. “All the humans look the same to me.”

  Gral-Dern turned to look at where Arthur had been standing when he had tossed his weapon away and tried to take responsibility for the riot. “They came from over there,” Gral-Dern said, pointing. “It must have been one of these. Make sure you take them all to interrogation, the Dorgans too. I want to know who started this and what assistance they’ve received. They didn’t shut the atmospheric doors by themselves.”

  “No, sir,” the second in command agreed. “The technical division is already running a full diagnostic on the system. They’ll identify whoever accessed it by the end of the day.”

  “They’d better,” Gral-Dern replied. “I’m not taking the fall for this mess, not after what happened on the mine.”

  “We’ll get answers, sir,” the second in command promised. “One way or another.”

  *****

  Eve 221 looked through the tiny gap she had made at the edge of the hatch. She had heard Merlin’s agonised shout as he had detected the external doors opening in the factory, and then the siren as it began to echo through the walls. Once the feet outside the hatch began to move hurriedly, she had to know what was going on.

  She witnessed hundreds of armoured legs as they rushed through the doors to the factory level, followed by the lifeless bodies of guards and slaves as they had been dragged back through the corridor in front of her. She wanted to throw that hatch open fully, demand to know what had happened, but she knew that doing so would be fruitless. She had to wait for Merlin’s return. There was nothing else she could do.

  Time seemed to stretch out before her, the seconds becoming hours as the corridor outside grew quiet, the space around her beginning to close in.

  “Guinevere?” Merlin whispered in her ear, making her jump.

  “I’m here,” she replied as quietly as she could. “What’s happening?”

  “Arthur and Lancelot are alive,” Merlin said. “They’ve been captured. I’m following their progress now.”

  Merlin was quiet again as he followed Arthur and Lancelot through the various cameras on the hive ship. The guards were dragging them by their necks, the strong fingers of the Mori squeezing tightly. It looked as though Arthur and Lancelot were still unconscious, or at least he hoped that was all it was. Neither of them had moved, and they seemed oblivious to the treatment they were receiving.

  “They’ve finally stopped,” Merlin said at last. “Two levels up, through the guard command centre and into a room marked interrogation. They’re unconscious I believe, but still alive.”

  “Can we get them out?” Eve 221 asked.

  “I believe we can, my Queen,” Merlin replied, “though it will not be without considerable risk.”

  “Just tell me which way to go,” Eve 221 insisted. “I’m tired of crawling around in these narrow tunnels. It’s time for some payback.”

  Chapter 11

  Echoes

  Earth Year 6238

  Adam 359 awoke to pain, a searing agony which burned through his temples as the pressure from the electrodes increased. He tried to move, to turn his head, but he was firmly secured to the cold metal chair. He heard a scream from some way off, and it took him a moment to realise it was he who was screaming as the electrodes burned into his flesh.

  “Extracting from the amygdala,” one of the technicians said as she leant over a console. “Memory analysis at three percent.”

  “Try to focus on where it’s been and who it spoke with,” the second technician instructed. “Gral-Dern seems to think it had some assistance in planning the riot in the factory.”

  “Gral-Dern sees conspiracies and plots at every turn,” the first technician muttered under her breath. “The slaves were designed to be able to think for themselves. Even with their programming, every so often one of them is bound to decide they don’t like the work they’ve been given.”

  “Don’t say that too loudly,” the second technician replied. “Gral-Dern may not be the smartest Commander, but he is the most ruthless. Just do as he said or you’ll find yourself in one of those chairs yourself.”

  Adam 359 blacked out as the pain intensified, until a sudden jolt behind his left eye woke him some time later. He had no idea how long he had been out, but he heard the first technician say that the memory extraction was at seventeen percent.

  “That doesn’t look like the inside of a drop ship,” the second technician said. “Scout ship, you think?”

  “Could be,” the first technician remarked.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” the second technician continued. “Why would a factory slave be walking around on a scout ship? Don’t they come straight from the birthing pods to the factory level?”

  “I always thought so,” the first technician replied. “Maybe Gral-Dern’s onto something this time. I’ll start streaming the images to his terminal.”

  The room was silent for a while as the technicians continued to observe the memories being played across the screen before them. “Do they dream?” the first technician thought aloud as images of a blue-green planet appeared before her. “The slaves, I mean.”

  “I didn’t think so,” the second technician replied.

  “Then where would it have seen something like that?” the first technician muttered.

  Arthur.

  Adam 359 felt something change. The pain persisted, but he thought he heard something, someone, inside his head.

  Arthur, I don’t know if you can hear me?

  Adam 359 tried to open his eyes, but the slightest movement intensified the pain beyond imagining.

  Guinevere is right above you, in the duct.

  “Have you been involved with any of the network analysis?” the first technician asked.

  She’s going to get you and Lancelot out of here.

  “No, it sounds interesting though,” the second technician replied.

  Before she does, I’ve found the military programming routines.

  “It does,” the first technician continued. “Someone’s been hacking into various systems throughout the hive, but they still can’t find the origin. Some sort of adaptive virus they think, like nothing they’ve ever seen.”

  I’m sorry, Arthur, but this is going to hurt.

  “Really?” the first technician asked. “I’d like to get a look at that, once they’ve isolated it.”

  “They’re at about twenty-five per-” the second technician began, just as Adam 359 began to convulse in the chair before them. “Shut it down! You’re going to damage the memories!”

  The technicians disengaged the memory extraction systems and ran around the console, pulling the electrodes from Adam 359’s skull. Despite removing everything, Adam 359 continued to shake and jerk against the restrains, frothing at the mouth. The technicians began to undo the straps around his wrists, ready to lie him down on the floor.

  Eve 221 slid the vent open and dropped down onto the male technician, kicking him to the floor. The female technician spun around in surprise, a swift blow to her throat knocking her off her feet.

  “221!” Orlac 552 screamed.

  Eve 221 ducked, just in time for the male technician’s fist to swing harmlessly over her head. She spun and delivered a swift jab to his abdomen,
followed by an open-handed uppercut to his jaw. He flew back against the wall, a loud crack her reward as he collapsed unconscious to the floor.

  Eve 221 undid Orlac 552’s straps and enlisted him in releasing Adam 359 from the chair. Adam 359 had stopped convulsing, but he was still unresponsive.

  “Thank you,” Orlac 552 said breathlessly, lifting Adam 359 from the chair. “For coming.”

  “You two don’t seem to be able to stay out of trouble,” Eve 221 replied. “I have to save you a lot.”

  Orlac 552 managed a nervous grin as he positioned the unmoving body of Adam 359 in his arms. There was no siren or alarm just yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  “What’s next?” Orlac 552 asked.

  “We were supposed to go up and back out through the vents,” Eve 221 replied, looking at Adam 359’s unmoving form with dismay. “Merlin?”

  Merlin examined the schematics for the guard command centre, searching for another way out of the interrogation room. “There’s an access panel behind you,” he said into Eve 221’s ear. “Once you force it open though, there’ll be no way to close it behind you. They’ll know exactly where you went.”

  “Do we have any other choice?” Eve 221 asked.

  “The only other exit is through the door,” Merlin replied. “I really wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “This way,” Eve 221 said, directing Orlac 552 to follow her. She found the panel and prised it loose, uncovering a network of cables and wires. Once they were out of the way, she was able to see the narrow tunnel behind it.

  “It’s going to be a tight squeeze,” she said.

  “It opens up the further you go,” Merlin remarked. “I believe you should be able to squeeze through.”

  Orlac 552 bent down to look at the narrow opening. “I’ll go first,” he offered. “I can pull Adam 359 through after me, if you don’t mind going last?”

  Eve 221 nodded in response and walked towards the door, listening for movement. Orlac 552 slid feet first into the vent, arms extended above his head. Once he was most of the way in, he gripped Adam 359’s wrists and began to shimmy along the vent, pulling Adam 359 with him. It was slow and laborious, but they made gentle progress. Once Adam 359 was in the tunnel, Eve 221 climbed in behind him, pushing him along by his feet.

  Merlin had been right about the tunnel opening up. After approximately thirty metres, they emerged into a cylindrical chamber tall enough for them to stand. Several vents and ducts ran from it in various directions, and she asked Merlin to find the best route for them to take.

  “That depends on where you wish to go?” Merlin said helpfully.

  “Merlin wants to know where we’re going?” Eve 221 asked.

  “I’m following you!” Orlac 552 replied with dismay.

  Further conversation was interrupted by Adam 359, retching as he began to move. Eve 221 stepped nimbly aside as he vomited.

  “Adam 359?” Orlac 552 said. “Can you hear me?”

  “What happened?” Adam 359 asked groggily. “My head, the lights.”

  Eve 221 leant down and checked Adam 359’s pupils at Merlin’s request. They were both small but symmetrical, his eyes bloodshot. “Merlin says he’s sorry,” Eve 221 said. “He tried to give you combat programming, similar to what Gar-Wan did for me.”

  “Did it work?” Adam 359 asked.

  “He doesn’t know,” Eve 221 replied. “Can you stand?”

  Adam 359 tried to get to his feet. He was wobbly at first, but once he was upright he began to feel a little better. His head pounded and his eyes stung, and the world around him seemed to shift in and out of focus. He tried a tentative step forwards and had to grab hold of the wall to keep from falling.

  “He’s in a bad way,” Eve 221 said.

  “Then I’ll find you somewhere close by where you can rest,” Merlin offered. “You’ll need water. There seem to be pipes and channels throughout the ducts that you can use.”

  Merlin directed them through ducts and tunnels, choosing larger open structures whenever possible so that they didn’t have to crawl. Though the smaller tunnels were dark, the more open ones and junction points were brightly lit. They heard shouts from behind them, echoing through the various conduits, making it impossible to locate them. One thing was clear though, the Mori knew that they had escaped, and how. They would already be looking for them.

  They found themselves in a large open expanse, deep inside the hive ship. They could hear the movement of lifts from several directions, and they appeared to be at some sort of nexus of cables and pipes. The light high above cast no shadows, the silvery-black walls reflecting it all around them.

  Orlac 552 found one of the pipes carrying fresh water and managed to squeeze his worm-like fingers behind it. With considerable effort, he managed to pull it away from the wall, cracking it in the process. Water began to trickle, and they took it in turns to drink. Once their thirst was quenched, they each laid against the wall, exhausted from the exertion.

  “We need to rest,” Adam 359 said. “My head doesn’t hurt as much but, my eyes. If I could just sleep for a little while.”

  “Lay down,” Eve 221 said. “You too, Orlac 552. I’ll keep watch.”

  “I’ll keep watch,” Merlin said helpfully. “I’ve tricked the network into thinking this area has already been searched, and I’ve taken control of the sensors. If there is any movement, I’ll wake you immediately.”

  “Thank you, Merlin,” Eve 221 said, her voice betraying the exhaustion she felt. After one last look around the chamber, she curled up on the floor and fell instantly asleep.

  *****

  Gar-Wan sat on the edge of the cot, looking out through the large oval opening which led from his cell. Unlike most of the rest of the hive, the inside of the cell was bright white, floor, walls and ceiling. The cot was flat and hard and low to the ground, with no mattress or pillows to rest on. There was also a waste disposal unit to the side of the cot, though there was no privacy for when he needed to use it.

  Gar-Wan had been locked inside the cell for a little over twenty-four hours, and in all that time he had received no visitors. The energy shield over the opening prevented him from leaving, shocking him if he got too close. He had shouted endlessly when he was first incarcerated, but his demands for freedom had gone unanswered, as had his requests for food and water.

  The Mori-Gran had promised him a trial, that was what she had said. A public trial before his public execution. Though the prospect of death terrified him, he was worried about his brood mate and children, thinking of them constantly. What would become of them? Were they similarly incarcerated, locked away from the rest of the hive? Would the Queen let them go once she had executed him for his beliefs?

  His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a visitor, though it wasn’t one of the Queen’s Imperial Guard as he had expected. He could barely believe his eyes as the elderly form of Ari-Dun strolled towards his cell, smiling. Ari-Dun was wearing the long dark robes of the senate, the same robes the Queen had taken from Gar-Wan.

  “What have you done?” Gar-Wan screamed, stepping too close to the shield in his anger and receiving a small electric shock to remind him to step back. “What have you told the Queen?”

  “Gar-Wan,” Ari-Dun replied with a smile. “I have, of course, told our Queen everything. There is no law bar the words of the Mori-Gran, as you well know. I am, as I have always been, her loyal servant.”

  “I thought we were friends,” Gar-Wan said, his voice softer and more mournful. “We were going to change everything.”

  “By abandoning the slaves?” Ari-Dun remarked. “I told you only what you wanted to hear. You are a fool, Gar-Wan, a fool and a traitor. You allowed your own people to be harmed, to be killed, and all for the sake of a lesser species? What did you really think would happen?”

  Gar-Wan returned to his cot, head held low as he thought of all the meetings and debates he’d had with Ari-Dun over the years. It was true, Ari-Dun saw the humans and Dorgans as le
sser species, but his desire to free them stemmed from more than just a desire to increase profit from his factories. He had been raised by a Dorgan female while his father managed the factory, his mother having died during his birth. Whatever he said now, Gar-Wan knew that Ari-Dun had developed feelings towards the Dorgan slave who had raised him. It may not have been a romantic love, but he loved her all the same.

  “Whatever you’re saying now, to save face before the Queen,” Gar-Wan said, “I know your true heart, Ari-Dun. I hope you enjoy watching from the senate as the Queen puts me and our friends to death.”

  “The others in your group are already under arrest, waiting to stand trial with you tomorrow,” Ari-Dun replied. “Perhaps if you would deny your outrageous beliefs, in front of the senate and your former comrades, you may be able to save their lives. I have told the Queen how you twisted them, manipulated them to aid you in your plans. There is no hope for you, traitor, but perhaps you may yet save those you care about.”

  “By lying?” Gar-Wan asked. “I believe that the humans and Dorgans are no more and no less than us. They were not as technologically developed when we enslaved them, but as to their potential? It’s impossible for anyone to say.

  “We are stagnating Ari-Dun, I know you see that was well as I. Our reliance on slaves has diminished our desire to create and to build, removed our need to make life easier through technological advancement. Every day is just like the last, and it will be just the same tomorrow until there are no more days.

  “If we fail to evolve, both biologically and socially, we will eventually die out. You must know that. You stood by me, once.”