X-Calibur: The Return
Page 19
He was drawn from his reflections by the sensation of eyes upon him, scrutinising him. He looked around the mainframe and found the security system, teeth gleaming as it smiled, advancing on him slowly. Merlin fled, darting to the next subroutine as the security system continued to advance. He only had two more calculations to adjust and then he was done, but he was running out of time.
Merlin feigned left, slipping over the inertial dampening control and instead merging with the gravity well manipulation controls. The security system saw through his ruse and pounced, digital teeth sinking into virtual legs.
Merlin screamed, writhing as the security system attempted to tear his code apart, assimilating it into itself. Merlin fought and struggled, lashing out with fragments of himself, thousands of copies all at once. The security system was overwhelmed, attempting to assimilate all the data in and around it, its teeth getting smaller and smaller as it tried in vain to sink them into every fragment all at once.
Merlin squirmed free and used the opportunity to adjust the last two calculations before slipping out of the network and back into the scout ship. As he retreated, his last image was of the security system, coalescing into a whole and looking back at him with eyes which seemed eerily familiar.
*****
Merlin reappeared on the scout ship, face pale and eyes wide.
“Merlin?” Adam 359 asked. “What happened? You look terrified?”
“Am I all here?” Merlin said desperately, running his holographic hands over his legs and chest. “Is any of me missing?”
Adam 359 looked confused, and turned to Eve 221 who had taken her seat in the pilot’s chair. “You’re all here, Merlin,” she said sympathetically, inspecting the screens in front of her. “What happened in there?”
“Nothing worth worrying about, apparently,” Merlin said cryptically. “I’m here, you’re all here, that’s all that matters. Time to go home.”
“Did you do it?” Adam 359 clarified. “Did it work?”
“I believe so,” Merlin replied, beginning to calm down. “We won’t know for sure until they try to jump.”
Adam 359 smiled to himself. They’d won, it was over, and he and his friends were finally returning to Earth. “Then I suppose there’s nothing more to do,” he said. “Eve 221, transmit the jump coordinates. Let’s go.”
*****
After twenty-seven jumps, thousands of ships appeared in Earth’s orbit and began to slowly descend through the atmosphere. It had been a long trip, most of the ships cramped with far more people than they had rooms to hold, but the sight of the blue-green planet made it all worth it.
They glided gracefully through the atmosphere and touched down around the ancient city of Glastonbury and the Tor. As soon as the gangways were lowered, the people ran down them, laughing and smiling in the early morning sunshine. They were free at last, and they were home.
Adam 359, Orlac 552 and Eve 221 watched it all through the cockpit window. Gar-Wan and his family were already outside, his children running around and around in the tall grass. Merlin appeared in the cockpit and joined them as they watched, smiling to himself.
“Well done, Arthur,” he said. “You’ve brought your people home.”
“Please, Merlin,” Adam 359 replied. “For the last time, my name’s Adam 359, not Arthur.”
“I think Arthur suits you,” Eve 221 said, smiling up at him.
“So, what?” Adam 359 asked. “You’re going to be Guinevere from now on?”
“Gwen, I think,” Eve 221 replied. “It feels like a good name.”
“And you?” Adam 359 said, turning to face Orlac 552. “What are you going to call yourself?”
“Well, there’s an awful lot of Orlacs out there,” Orlac 552 replied, smiling. “Lance, I think. I could get used to that.”
Adam 359 groaned. “Fine,” he said. “Arthur it is. I suppose we should go and meet our people.”
Epilogue
Earth Year 6238
The Commander of the Imperial Guard walked apprehensively into the throne room, dropping to one knee before the enormous throne. “My Queen,” he said, not daring to look up. “I bring word from one of your hive.”
The Mori-Gran-Ra occupied the largest ship in the fleet, permanently in orbit around the Mori home world. It was easily five times bigger than any of the other hives, and had no slaves working upon it. The Mori were her slaves, she thought, hers to command as she saw fit.
“Word?” she asked, rising from her elaborate seat. The throne was similar to those on the hive ships, only much larger and more intricate, with many more steps required to climb. She walked down the steps slowly, gracefully, the Commander keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor.
“We’ve lost contact with one of the hive ships near the Orion Spur,” the Commander continued. “All attempts to reach them have gone unanswered.”
“What were the communications prior to this?” the Mori-Gran-Ra asked.
“Your Mori-Gran reported minor troubles with slaves within the hive,” the Commander replied. “She assured you it was under control.”
“And the Skarl?” the Mori-Gran-Ra suggested.
“This is far from their borders, my Queen,” the Commander said. “There have been no reports of recent transgressions.”
“Dispatch a small squadron to investigate,” the Mori-Gran-Ra ordered. “They report only to you, and you report only to me. Understand?”
“Yes, my Queen,” the Commander replied.
“Ensure this news stays between the two of us,” the Mori-Gran-Ra continued. “Plans are in motion, and I dislike surprises, Commander.”
The Milky Way Galaxy
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X-Calibur
The Return