ManaNet

by Hancock, Thomas H.

  “Thank you, Salamander, we’ll be there.”

  Salamander looked back to the Gifteds. He gave a sharp nod and several people separated from the group, slinking off into the shadows.

  “See you there,” he said, before jogging off to join them.

  * * * *

  14:58, Falchion Street, East District Border

  “The Headquarters was originally a mine, dating back to when Plexus was a small mining colony,” Weasel explained as they walked. “Since then it’s been expanded hugely though.”

  “How do we get inside?” Victoria asked.

  “The main entrance is a no go, but there’s an escape tunnel which was created in case the mechanical elevator down into the HQ ever breaks. We can tunnel into it from the underground.”

  “Tunnel? With what?”

  “Don’t worry, leave that to the Gifteds.”

  “I’m going to lose connection once you go a short way underground,” Owen said through an earpiece. “Anything you need from Matt, Lily or I?”

  Victoria looked across at Damos, who shook his head.

  “No, we’re good,” she replied. “Just wait for us to resurface.”

  The trio continued a short way before reaching a staircase which led below the street. They descended into a box-shaped cavern with brick walls. Pillars rose from the tiled floor to the bare ceiling, dotted haphazardly around the space. Interwoven between the pillars were a variety of market stalls. Each was laden with miscellaneous mixtures of trinkets and tat. A variety of people strolled between them, waiting for something to catch their eye.

  Victoria followed Weasel as he weaved his way through the people and stalls. The place was alive with chatter, amplified by the boxed-in nature of the old subway station. Despite doing her best to move innocuously, several times Victoria felt someone bump into her.

  The crowds began to thin as they approached the back of the station. Above the people’s heads Victoria could make out the almost circular opening where trains would have entered and left, many decades ago, when the world still ran off electricity. The fact that her eye was functioning told her that she was still connected to ManaNet, but she knew that even at this depth the amount of mana she could draw would be seriously limited. The trains had stood no chance.

  The trio reached the edge of the platform and, after a quick glance around to check no one was watching, hopped down onto the rails.

  “They’ll be a short distance this way,” Weasel whispered before leading them into the tunnel. The light gradually faded as they walked, until eventually they were consumed by darkness. It wasn’t much further on, however, that another light appeared and they found a group of Gifteds waiting for them.

  “There aren’t many of them,” Damos said.

  “It’ll have to do,” Victoria replied. She counted eight in total. One held up a ball of mana which was lighting the tunnel. The others were all stood around, either chatting quietly or waiting in silence.

  “You’re here. Good, we were beginning to get worried,” one said. “I’m Salamander.”

  He held his hand out, clearly going for a hand shake.

  I hate lefties, Victoria thought, reaching across to lift up the shawl which covered her tentacles. Upon seeing them, Salamander’s face flushed red and he quickly swapped hands.

  “Sorry, I-”

  “Don’t worry about it. My name’s Victoria,” Victoria interrupted, taking his hand in a firm handshake. He quickly moved on to Damos.

  “Damos,” Damos said, taking his hand.

  “Ah yes, I remember from before.”

  Salamander turned back to the group.

  “Can someone brief them while we begin tunnelling?”

  “I’ll do it,” replied a woman standing towards the back.

  “Thank you, Cobra,” Salamander said, the pair swapping places.

  “How much do you already know?” Cobra asked.

  “Other than the fact we’re entering through the escape tunnel, nothing,” Victoria replied.

  “Okay, so the escape tunnel is essentially a large spiral which travels down fifty meters. At the bottom is a secure door which we’ll have to break through. A pair of guards will be posted on the other side, but we can deal with them. Once inside, the HQ is a bit of a maze. We’ll be able to guide you through, but don’t get split off from us. We’ll undoubtedly run into other Nexus members. Please deal with them using non-lethal force only; we may not trust Yakshi, but many of them are still our friends.”

  “You have our word,” Victoria said. Her eyes darted to Damos, who nodded but said nothing.

  The cavern was suddenly filled with an orange glow. Victoria’s head snapped around to look at its source. In front of the cavern wall stood Salamander, his hands glowing red. The rock beneath them slowly began to flow as it became red itself.

  “Stand clear,” another man shouted, raising his hands. The molten rock stopped falling and began to float sideways. It manoeuvred itself out from in front of Salamander and floated a short way down the tunnel. Once a significant distance away, it dropped to the floor like treacle being poured from an invisible glass. It gradually spread across the rock surface, reaching the railings of the train line. They held up valiantly for a brief time before succumbing to the heat and melting into the lava.

  “It shouldn’t take them long to reach the escape tunnel,” Cobra commented.

  “Are you sure they’ll still accept you after pulling a stunt like this?” Victoria asked.

  “Dove is a mind mage,” Cobra said, gesturing to one of the woman stood by the edge of the tunnel. “She’ll be able to erase the recent memory of any Nexus members we encounter. They’ll know Gifteds broke in, but not who. It’s mainly Salamander taking the risk as only a few Gifteds are able to create such intense heat.”

  “I hope he thinks this is worth it.”

  “He does, don’t worry.”

  Several minutes passed before Salamander and the telekinetic Gifted broke through to the escape tunnel. Once the final bit of molten rock had been safely removed, Salamander gestured for them to approach. The tunnel was small, and Victoria had to crouch to get inside, but its sides were smooth, making it easy to slide through. Once everyone was on the other side, the Gifted with the light began to lead the way down.

  “I’m going to lose you any second,” Owen said.

  “Good lu-” Matt began, before the connection died. Half of Victoria’s vision suddenly disappeared, as if she’d closed one eye. She felt herself slouch and tilt towards her missing arm side.

  Wow, I hadn’t realised how bad it would be, Victoria thought, straining as she forced herself to stand up straight without any help from her grafts.

  “ManaNet’s gone, I’m running partially blind,” she warned Damos.

  “Got it,” he replied. Victoria saw him reach to pull off his glove, but after a moment’s hesitation he decided to leave it on.

  They continued on in the semi-darkness. As Cobra had described, the cavern followed a smooth curve which led them around a wide spiral. It looked similar to the tunnel Salamander had produced, presumably having been made through the same process. When it finally came to an end, the group found themselves standing in front of a reinforced steel door.

  “Mechanical lock, give me a second,” Salamander whispered. He reached down and held his hand below the handle. Once again it lit up bright red.

  “Ready?” he asked. A pair of Gifteds flanked the door and nodded. Salamander pressed his hand into the lock. It burrowed through almost instantly. Salamander reached up and grabbed the handle from the inside, pushing the door open.

  The two Gifted on the flanks moved at once, slipping through the door and incapacitating the guards on the other side. Dove followed, walking up to each fallen guard and stroking their foreheads. Salamander held his hand up and gave the signal to move forwards. The final Gifted to enter closed the door behind them and together they began to move through the caverns.

  * * * *

&
nbsp; 15:37, Blu Vertex Hotel, East District

  The calming echo of piano notes reverberated around the room. Lily watched, mesmerised, as Owen’s hands glided over the holographic keys projected by his bracelets.

  “It’s been over half an hour since we lost contact,” Matt said. “Are you sure they’re okay?”

  “They’ll be fine. Victoria and Damos know how to look after themselves,” Owen replied as he played.

  He says that, but I can tell he’s lying. He’s just as worried as Matt is, Lily thought. It’s strange, usually he’s so calm and confident. I guess it’s hard for him not being in control, not being able to keep an eye out for them while they work.

  Owen’s hands sped up as he dived into a particularly fast section. The worry seemed to wash away as the playing consumed his thoughts. Despite that, Lily still felt a deep sense of anxiety, a desperate need to know that they were going to be okay.

  That’s not coming from either of them. That’s me, Lily realised. Who’d have thought two days later I’d be worried for the people who tried to kill me.

  Lily’s thoughts, along with Owen’s playing, were interrupted by a loud beep. Owen stopped and with a couple of keystrokes transformed the piano back into a keyboard.

  “She’s back online,” he said.

  * * * *

  All of a sudden Victoria felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She stood upright, enjoying the relief. A moment later her vision flashed blue as her eye came back online.

  But I’m still underground, she thought as the group crept down the tunnel towards where they suspected Yakshi was hiding.

  “Victoria-” Owen began, before Matt interrupted, “How did it go?”

  “I’m still underground, I don’t know what’s happening,” Victoria whispered. Damos and several Gifteds looked at her confused. Damos held up his glove and a transparent blue knife appeared.

  “Hold on, I’ll try and trace your connection,” Owen said. Victoria stopped. The group paused with her, realising something was wrong.

  “That’s odd. You seem to be connected to some kind of isolated server,” Owen replied a few seconds later. “I’ve never seen anything like this. All ManaNet connections have to be made though one of the primary satellite servers like the one we escaped from.”

  “Apparently not,” Victoria replied. “Let’s keep moving.”

  They traversed several more corridors before silently approaching the door they believed Yakshi would be behind.

  “She’s in there,” Cobra said as they reached the door. “I can sense her aura on the other side.”

  Victoria crept up and listened. She could hear muffled voices. She focused, trying to make out what they were saying, but the door was too thick. Someone cried out behind her. Victoria snapped her head around, prepared to chastise them. She held her tongue when she saw three of the Gifteds lying unconscious on the floor. The others were all crouched low, their hands raised to guard themselves.

  “What happened?” she whispered. As if in answer, a ball of energy flew in from an adjoining tunnel. It struck the floor and exploded, sending another pair of Gifteds flying. Before they could react, Nexus members began to run in from the tunnel, launching attacks on the remaining five of them. Salamander’s hands lit up and he reached out for the closest. He caught her in the rib. The woman screamed as the heat melted her flesh. Salamander flicked his elbow up and struck her across the head, knocking her into the cavern wall. A man appeared before he could follow up, shocking him with some kind of mana-powered electricity. Salamander fell to the floor, out cold.

  Victoria’s pair of remaining gifted allies fell in quick succession. Their skills were good, but there were simply too many attackers. Damos, on the other hand, was still going strong. With his glove back online, he dispatched one attacker after the next. Victoria followed suit, ducking, kicking and punching her way through the crowd.

  She glanced around to check the door to Yakshi’s room, but it remained closed. How she hadn’t heard the commotion Victoria had no idea. Or maybe she had and she just didn’t care.

  Victoria blocked a punch and retaliated with a kick of her own. It caught the Nexus member in the chest and he staggered back, unprepared for the force of the blow. Victoria followed up with a punch. It struck the side of his head, twisting it around to some hideous angle. A grip suddenly appeared around Victoria’s forearm. She tugged back but it was no use. She looked up to see the man who had thrown Jackal towering over her.

  Basilisk.

  Victoria flicked her leg up and smashed it into the back of his knee, at the same time driving her metal shoulder into his chest. Basilisk tipped back slightly but remained standing. He grasped Victoria in a tight bear hug, lifting her off the ground. Victoria writhed and struggled, but she couldn’t escape.

  “Damos,” she called, looking around for support. Damos replied with a grunt, struggling against the grip of three Nexus members who were holding him still.

  “Take them to her,” Basilisk said, his voice a deep rumble. He pivoted, Victoria still held tight, and carried her over to the door. There was a clunk as Basilisk hit it with a quick kick. Victoria continued to struggle, but Basilisk’s grip was too strong. The door opened to reveal a short woman. Long wiry hair hung loose over her back. She stood in front of a circular room with an eight-pointed star etched into the floor, forming the symbol of Nexus. Towards the back of the room stood a large monitor. The screen was blank, just a translucent blue rectangle. Behind it stood a large spike piercing the ground.

  “Found them breaking in with a group of our own. Thought you’d want to speak to them,” Basilisk rumbled. Yakshi stepped back and gestured for them to enter. The monitor’s speakers crackled to life.

  “Well Yakshi, it would seem that little incident is now the least of your worries,” a voice said.

  “It’s him,” Owen whispered, echoing Victoria’s thoughts.

  “I assure you, it’s all under control,” Yakshi replied. The three Gifteds finished shoving Damos inside before Yakshi closed the door behind them. It slammed with an echoing clang.

  “Sorry if I beg to differ. Do you know who they are?”

  “I do not recognise them, no.”

  “Good. Keep the woman restrained and alive.”

  “Shit, he’s got a visual,” Owen said. “Victoria, this is not good. There’ll only be a handful of devices connected to that server. In a couple of minutes he’s going to track your signature, even if I scramble it.”

  “And what about the man?” Yakshi said.

  “Kill him,” the voice replied.

  Yakshi grabbed her gun, aimed it directly at Damos’s head, and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 18 - Sadness

  15:46, Plexus City Nexus HQ, Below North District

  Damos heard the gun fire. The next thing he knew, he was blinded by intense light. A fist made of mana appeared in front of him. He saw the bullet embedded inside. A moment later it clinked on the floor as Victoria withdrew her arm.

  Damos felt the grip on him loosen. He kicked backwards, catching someone’s knee. Their foot slipped and they fell. Pulling with the fall, Damos tore himself loose from his other two captors, dispatching them with a pair of kicks.

  The monitor at the back of the room started wailing like a high-pitched siren. The door flew open and a pair of Freeloaders entered. Ignoring them, Damos hurled himself at Yakshi. A shimmering knife appeared in his hand. He caught her around the neck and pulled her into a tight hold.

  “Attack and I kill her,” he said, holding the knife to Yakshi’s neck. It was unnecessary though; Victoria had already taken care of the newcomers. Damos returned his attention to Yakshi.

  “Where are you making the supersoldiers?” he asked, increasing the pressure of his blade. Yakshi remained silent. A deep cackle came from behind Damos.

  “That’s what you think this is about?” came the voice of X. “And you got me worried over nothing.”

  “Damos, forget about it and get
out of there,” Owen’s voice came through the intercom.

  “Ah, Owen, how nice of you to join us. Plan on returning the jet any time soon?”

  “Go to hell,” Owen replied. “Damos, get Victoria and leave. Any moment he’s going to track her signature.”

  “I thought you said you wiped your algorithm?” came Matt’s voice.

  “I did, but he’ll still be able to track her when she surfaces. Scrambling her signature takes time,” Owen replied.

  “Vicky, let’s go,” Damos yelled, slitting Yakshi’s throat and tossing her aside.

  “You run, I’ll hold them off,” Victoria replied.

  “You heard Owen, he’ll track you,” Damos replied.

  “He already knows where I am! We can’t both run, and if I deactivate I can’t hold them all off,” she replied.

  “Victoria, you don’t have to do this,” Matt cried over the intercom.

  “I won’t let him take both of us,” Victoria replied. “Leave. That’s an order. Follow it for once in your god-damned life!”

  “Damos, you have to help her,” Matt shouted.

  Damos looked at Victoria, and then at the stream of Nexus members who were still pouring into the room.

  “I’ll go.”

  “No,” Matt cried.

  “I’ll clear a path,” Victoria said as she walloped a woman aside. Her arm extended and separated into a set of whips joined at her elbow. Victoria flicked them around, swiping wide across the cavern. Her attackers leapt back, leaving a way through for Damos. He hunkered down and sprinted past into the tunnel they had entered through. Victoria continued to crack her whips, advancing slowly back towards the tunnel exit. Damos glanced back to see her approaching.

  “Restrain her,” he heard X yell from the monitor. A ball of energy shot past Victoria’s head, striking the cavern wall. An almighty crack echoed up the tunnel as the wall shattered. Chunks of rock flew in all directions. Victoria’s automatic defences fired, protecting her back, but the momentary distraction allowed a pair of Freeloaders to get through. That was the final thing Damos saw as the tunnel curved and he lost his view.