“Ul-Dar,” the Mori-Gran said as she returned to her rightful place atop the throne. “Where is the slave I ordered you to find?”
The security technicians had finally managed to stop Merlin’s message playing on continual loop throughout the hive, but it was already too late. All slaves had already heard it and were making choices regarding their future.
Gar-Wan’s children had finally quieted, but they still looked upon the Mori-Gran with fear and anxiety, sitting as close to their parents as they could. Eve 221 was feeling light headed and feverish, though fortunately the bleeding from her thigh had finally stopped. She had managed to prop herself up against the wall and was observing the Mori-Gran with interest.
To Eve 221, the Mori-Gran had only ever been a name, an idea, not an actual person. When Gar-Wan spoke of her, it was with trepidation, that she must never learn of his plans and deceits. To see the hive Queen upon her throne was as surprising as it was terrifying. She had ultimate authority over the hive, and she was more than happy to employ it.
“My Queen,” Ul-Dar replied, turning to face the Mori-Gran and dropping to one knee. “His whereabouts remain unknown. Your forces were able to terminate his transmission, but as to where it originated, they’re unable to say.”
“You’ll never find him,” Eve 221 said. “He’s smarter than you!”
Ul-Dar began to move, but the Mori-Gran stayed him with a gesture. “Hold, Commander,” she said. “If the slave truly knows this Mer-Lin, maybe she can tell us where he is?”
Eve 221 chuckled to herself. “He’s everywhere,” she said. “He could be in this room right now and you wouldn’t even know.”
As Eve 221 continued to laugh to herself, the Mori-Gran nodded to Ul-Dar, who smiled wickedly. Ul-Dar stepped down from the dais and advanced on Eve 221, the young woman’s eyes growing wide with fear as she tried to back away, her legs slipping against the smooth floor. Once he was upon her, Ul-Dar lifted Eve 221 up by her throat, her legs dangling uselessly as he choked the life out of her.
“Tell us where to find him and the pain will-” the Mori-Gran began, before the sudden appearance of Merlin interrupted her, his voice booming throughout the throne room.
“Unhand my Queen!” Merlin commanded.
Ul-Dar turned in surprise, casting Eve 221 aside as he drew the pistol from his hip and fired upon the elderly man. The plasma blasts passed straight through him, scorching the far wall.
“Queen!” the Mori-Gran screamed. “Queen! How dare you call another your Queen! I rule this hive and my word is law!”
“It’s only a projection,” Ul-Dar said, walking slowly around Merlin’s hologram. “The coward wouldn’t dare speak that way to you in the flesh.”
“I’ve come to find flesh to be a little, overrated,” Merlin remarked with a smile, as Ul-Dar aimed his pistol at the holographic emitter and fired.
Merlin’s distraction was more than enough. A short distance behind the throne, Adam 359 cut a section from the floor and climbed through first, with Orlac 552 close behind him. They edged towards the throne, weapons ready as they surveyed the scene.
Eve 221 was the first to spot them, her eyes full of excitement before they quickly turned to dread. She’d hoped to see an army behind them, but she couldn’t see how just the two of them would have any chance against Ul-Dar.
Adam 359 emerged from the right of the throne, weapon trained on the Mori-Gran as Orlac 552 stepped around from the left, plasma rifle aimed towards Ul-Dar. “Free the prisoners and surrender,” Adam 359 demanded.
The Mori-Gran turned slowly to face him, her eight eyes looking him up and down, more surprised than scared. After a moment she smiled and sat back down upon her throne. “Ul-Dar,” she said dismissively. “Kill them.”
Adam 359 and Orlac 552 fired in unison. Adam 359’s plasma blast deflected from an energy shield surrounding the Mori-Gran, striking harmlessly against the ceiling. Ul-Dar was already moving as Orlac 552’s blast sailed past him, though the shot from Ul-Dar’s pistol hit Orlac 552 in the centre of his chest. Orlac 552 was thrown backwards, his head making a loud crack as it struck the floor.
Adam 359 ducked behind the throne as Ul-Dar turned his attention upon him. Orlac 552 wasn’t moving he noticed, and he could hear Ul-Dar’s confident steps as the Imperial Guard Commander advanced on his position.
Adam 359 stepped from the left side of the throne, plasma pistol raised and ready to fire. Ul-Dar had anticipated his position and was there to tear the pistol from his grip, tossing in casually away. Adam 359 backed away, eyes closing as he waited for Ul-Dar to shoot him where he stood.
Ul-Dar laughed as he clipped his pistol back onto his hip. “Come, slave,” he said. “Face the consequences of your actions.”
Adam 359 pulled the sword from his back and charged, bringing the blade down in an overhead arc. Ul-Dar sidestepped it and grasped Adam 359’s wrist, taking the sword from his hand and tossing it away, listening to it clatter along the floor. Adam swung his fist towards Ul-Dar’s head, though again his blow was easily deflected, Ul-Dar following up with a swift open-handed strike to Adam 359’s midsection, winding him.
Adam 359 dropped to his knees, struggling for breath as Ul-Dar paced slowly around him. “My Queen,” Ul-Dar asked. “How do you wish this slave to die?”
The Mori-Gran chuckled. “Slowly,” she replied. “And painfully.”
Ul-Dar nodded, grasping Adam 359 by the back of his chest plate and throwing him across the room. Adam 359 slid and struck the wall near Eve 221, his head spinning as he began to see stars. She looked at him as he rose slowly to his feet, tears in her eyes. He tried to smile, tried to show her he was okay, but they both knew the truth. They’d tried and they’d failed. It was over.
Ul-Dar advanced, hands by his sides as he waited for Adam 359 to strike first. Adam 359 closed his eyes, willing the programming Merlin had given him to work, to give him the skills he needed to defend himself. He thought he felt something, a new sense of focus, and lashed out with his fist. Ul-Dar deflected the blow easily but Adam 359 used the momentum to turn and kick out with his right leg, just as Eve 221 had done before. The movement caught Ul-Dar by surprise, the blow landing on the side of his head and making him stagger.
Ul-Dar looked up with surprise as Adam 359 stood tall, ready to fight. “You’ve had training?” Ul-Dar said. “Let’s see what you’ve learnt.”
Ul-Dar lashed out with his right hand, a move Adam 359 deflected and returned with a blow of his own. Ul-Dar blocked that, and soon all anyone could see was a flurry of movement as the two of them exchanged blows, blocking each other over and over.
Adam 359 glided and twisted, his whole body a weapon at his disposal. Hands, elbows, legs and feet, all were viable options as he searched for holes and weaknesses in Ul-Dar’s defences. In return, Ul-Dar dodged and twisted, every blow from Adam 359 just missing its mark.
“Enough,” the Mori-Gran said.
Ul-Dar nodded and, as Adam 359 swung his left elbow towards Ul-Dar’s head, Ul-Dar wrapped his arm around it and twisted, snapping Adam 359’s forearm and knocking him to the floor. Adam 359 screamed as he felt the bones break, his vision clouding as the pain overwhelmed him.
“End it now, Ul-Dar,” the Mori-Gran continued. “I have grown tired of this.”
“My Queen,” Ul-Dar said, his foot pressing down on Adam 359’s throat. “His has some skill, perhaps he could be entertaining in the arena?”
“This one is too much troub-” the Mori-Gran began, just as the blast from the plasma rifle struck Ul-Dar in the back. The second and third blast struck him in the head, and the fourth struck the wall above him. It didn’t matter by then though, as Ul-Dar fell to the floor, dead.
“No!” the Mori-Gran screamed, rising from her throne. She stared down at the injured body of Orlac 552, who still lay on his back, the plasma rifle balanced precariously across his chest. The Mori-Gran stepped towards him, face full of fury. Orlac 552 fired a shot and then another at the Mori-Gran, thou
gh the blasts deflected harmlessly from her energy shield.
“You,” the Mori-Gran screamed, searching for the words to fully express her anger and hatred.
“Slave,” she continued as she stepped across Orlac 552’s body and kicked the plasma rifle away. She rested the heel of her foot against Orlac 552’s throat and, despite struggling as hard as he could, he was unable to free himself. The throne room around him grew dark as he felt himself slipping away, his arms growing weaker.
“Arthur!” Eve 221 yelled. She had managed to push herself across the floor to where Excalibur lay, and kicked it with all of her strength towards Adam 359. Her aim was true, and the sword clattered against him, rousing him from his pain.
Adam 359 turned and felt for the handle, feeling the vibration as the sword came to life. He could see the Queen as she choked the life out of his closest friend, and that gave him the strength he needed. Cradling his broken left arm against his chest, he rose to his feet and, holding Excalibur out in front of him, he charged.
The blade sliced through the energy shield as though it wasn’t there, the tip striking the Mori-Gran in the back and continuing onwards, protruding through her abdomen. Dark blood splashed as Adam 359 drove the sword upwards, the Mori-Gran’s screams growing louder and then stopping as she succumbed to the blade, and to death.
Chapter 16
The Beginning
Earth Year 6238
Eve 221 crawled as best as she could across the floor to where Orlac 552 lay. Adam 359 was shaking him, shouting at him to wake up, that he couldn’t be dead. As Eve 221 got closer, she saw Orlac 552’s eyes open slightly before blinking.
“Did we win?” Orlac 552 asked, struggling to focus on Adam 359’s relieved face.
“We did,” Adam 359 replied. “Thanks to you.”
“Me?” Orlac 552 continued. “Do you think maybe I’m this King Arthur person then?”
“Maybe,” Adam 359 agreed with a grin.
Adam 359 removed Excalibur from the Mori-Gran’s body and used it to sever the bonds securing Eve 221 and Gar-Wan and his family. Once they were free and Orlac 552 was back on his feet, Adam 359 pressed the communicator on his chest plate and called for Merlin.
“I’m here, Arthur,” Merlin replied. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to aid you, but it looked as though you did alright by yourself.”
“You saw all that?” Adam 359 asked.
“I did,” Merlin said.
“So what now?” Eve 221 asked, still struggling to put her full weight on her left leg.
“The first ships are already departing the hive, full of slaves eager to embrace their freedom,” Merlin told them. “Once they’re all ready, we’ll make the first jump towards Earth together.”
“So we need to make our way to the docking ring?” Adam 359 asked.
“Your forces are still engaged with the Imperial Guard,” Merlin said. “It may be best for you to retreat via the maintenance tunnels.”
“Okay,” Adam 359 replied. “As soon as we’re clear, get them out and tell them to find their way onto a jump capable ship.”
“Of course,” Merlin replied.
Adam 359 walked towards the hole he had cut into the floor, where Gar-Wan was staring down into the darkness. “Thank you,” Gar-Wan said. “You saved my family.”
“I think you saved us first,” Adam 359 replied.
Gar-Wan smiled. “Maybe,” he said.
“We need to get to a ship, all of us,” Adam 359 continued.
“The hive ship will just follow you,” Gar-Wan said.
“Merlin has a plan for that,” Adam 359 said.
“You put a lot of faith in him,” Gar-Wan said cautiously.
“He’s earned it,” Adam 359 replied.
Gar-Wan went first through the hole, followed by his children. He helped each of them in turn as they climbed through, supporting gashed legs and broken limbs. Orlac 552 almost felt back to his usual self, and was able to lend a hand as they worked there way down the various ladders and through narrow tunnels.
Gar-Wan’s children were silent for the most part, wary and confused by what had happened. They had always been told that the Mori-Gran was in charge of everything, and now she was dead. Their father had always kept his beliefs hidden from them, in case a stray word or comment by his children had been his undoing. Now they had to learn a new way, to start again in a new home.
Once through the network of tunnels and passageways, they took a lift on the senate level and descended. Merlin stopped them at level seven-six-three and directed them to a scout ship docked on a docking platform a short distance ahead of them. The corridors were eerily empty, though they were able to make out the sounds of weapons fire and shouting from some distance away.
As they approached the scout ship, Merlin lowered the gangway and allowed them access. As they began to climb, Merlin appeared in front of them.
“Guinevere, if you will see to your and Arthur’s wounds,” he said. “Lancelot, you too to the medical room. Gawain, if you and your family will strap yourselves in, I’ll begin the launch sequence.” Gar-Wan just nodded and did as he was told.
“Here, let me see,” Eve 221 said, aiming the medical scanner. It detected two broken bones, as well as considerable bruising and soft tissue damage. She retrieved a vial of liquid and inserted it into the injector, just as she did before. Placing it over the broken bones, she pressed the button and the thousands of tiny nanobots surged into Adam 359’s arm, knitting the bones back together in seconds.
“Your turn,” Adam 359 said.
Eve 221’s main wound was the laceration to her thigh. The scanner also reported that she had suffered blood loss, and recommended two injections, one to repair the broken skin and a second the increase the output of her bone marrow. Adam 359 took great pleasure in injecting her twice.
Orlac 552’s scan showed only a mild concussion, his chest plate having absorbed Ul-Dar’s plasma blast. He was more than happy to avoid treatment from the medical bay, and was the first to leave the room and head for the cockpit. As Eve 221 was about to follow him, Adam 359 held her back.
“Back in the throne room, when you kicked Excalibur over to me,” he began. “You called me Arthur?”
“Did I?” Eve 221 replied.
“You did,” Adam 359 continued.
“I really don’t remember,” Eve 221 insisted. Adam 359 was about to press the issue when Eve 221 added, “You do sort of look like an Arthur though, or at least what Merlin described.”
Adam 359 stood there, blushing, as Eve 221 smiled impishly at him.
*****
As they joined the others in the cockpit, they were immediately struck by the view. Through the windows, they could see thousands upon thousands of scout ships and cruisers, all hanging in space and waiting for the order to jump. It was like a dream realised, something they had only imagined but not for one minute believed it could ever come to pass.
There was still the occasional fighter craft, flying in and around the assembled fleet, but they were quickly dispatched by a blast from one of the larger ships. Many of them had already retreated back to the safety of the hive and as Adam 359 turned to look at the hive ship itself, he was still able to see jump capable ships emerging from it, joining their growing armada.
“We really did win, didn’t we?” Adam 359 asked to the room at large.
“It looks that way,” Gar-Wan agreed. “But if we can’t stop the hive from following us, the victory may be short lived.”
“I told you,” Adam 359 reminded him. “Merlin has a plan.”
“Indeed I do,” Merlin added as he appeared before them. “I’ve spent a lot of time within the hive network, and I believe it should be a simple matter to overload the gravity engines and destroy the ship.”
“That’s your plan!” Gar-Wan exclaimed. “There are millions of people aboard that ship, and your only solution is to kill them all?”
“Merlin, you can’t,” Eve 221 added. “That’s, that’s mu
rder.”
“They’re the enemy?” Merlin insisted.
“No,” Adam 359 said. “It’s wrong, I won’t let you.”
“Remember the stories you told us,” Orlac 552 added. “About Camelot, and our duty. There has to be another way.”
Merlin paused, thinking over what they had said. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Of course you’re right, what was I thinking? I’m tired, I think, dividing myself between so many places at once, it’s exhausting. I’m sorry, Arthur, all of you.”
“Can’t you just disable them somehow?” Eve 221 asked. “Shut the jump engines down?”
“I believe it’s possible,” Merlin replied. “They won’t be out of action forever, but it will stop them from following us today.”
“How long for?” Adam 359 asked.
“I can’t say for sure,” Merlin said. “Months, maybe years if we’re lucky.”
“But they’ll still have air, food and water?” Adam 359 continued.
“Oh yes,” Merlin agreed.
“Then do it,” Adam 359 said. “Shut it down, and as soon as it’s done, we jump.”
*****
Merlin cast out as many copied fragments of his code as he could before returning one last time to the hive network. As he entered, he imagined he could feel the icy stare of the security system already on him, approaching cautiously, enjoying the hunt.
The gravity engine control mainframe was one of the most secure regions of the network. Merlin had to carefully navigate through atmospheric control, the navigational subroutines and then primary weapon firing before finding his way onto the gravity engine mainframe. The mainframe itself was huge, with a variety of subsections and directories, and Merlin had to move from one to another, tweaking settings and adjusting variables until the engine would shut down completely and do irreparable damage to itself.
It would have been so much easier to overload it, he thought, but he wasn’t entirely sure where the idea had come from. Mercy in victory was one of his guiding principles, and yet part of him would have been more than happy to destroy the ship and kill everyone on board. He still had the occasional feeling that something wasn’t right, that there was a secret being withheld from him. He was sure it was something from his past, perhaps related to the transfer of his consciousness from his body to the infernal machine, but the Ark had had no record of it occurring.
X-Calibur: The Return Page 18