The Province

by Skyler Grant

  "Probably. It is the one most likely to be compatible with what you have," I said.

  Anna rushed too much and two wires slipped loose. She had to quickly respool them before moving on to finish the layer. The cover was just being replaced when a second bolt of lightning caught her.

  The crystal and the bolt of energy was a deep red. This picked her up and flung her against the wall of the chamber.

  Anna screamed and blood began to flow. Tears of it coming from her eyes, a vomit of blood pouring from her throat, skin bubbling away to explode with blood which coated the floor of the chamber. The blood shimmered and sparked all on its own—and began to ooze back inside Anna.

  It was another minute until she pushed herself upright, looking haunted as she made her way back to the console one more.

  "I don't recognize that one, but it was disgusting. It suits you," I said.

  "I think the word you're looking for is gory. A crystal of blood. I can now grow stronger by feeding upon the life essence of others," Anna said.

  "My sister made you a vampire? Here I thought that was Sylax's thing."

  "Powers try to find archetypes familiar to the host," Anna said, kneeling to start on the wiring once more. "It isn't an absolute, but it is the same thing that fuels the Divine. There are certain channels that flow in easier because the host on some level accepts them as familiar."

  Anna didn't sound as exhausted as she had earlier, or troubled. Her voice was professional, smooth. The movements of her fingers were now without hesitation. Another layer was completed. That should do it. A button on top of the console began to blink.

  Amy had at least made this next part easy.

  A third bolt of lightning struck Anna. This one was the most powerful yet, the entire cylinder becoming a play of multicolored lightning that completely obscured everything inside. This continued for minutes before finally fading and letting my cameras see once more.

  The walls bore heavy scorch marks, the thick crystal cracked and on the point of shattering. The console was completely gone, destroyed by the power of the forces unleashed. Anna's armor had suffered a similar fate.

  Even more terrifying than Anna's nudity was that the Agate had vanished.

  Anna rose to her feet. Skintight armor as red as blood and as dark as night had formed around her. They were her usual colors although subtly different, now reflecting the powers she possessed.

  Anna tilted her head to the side for a moment as if listening. Exposed wiring poking from the floor emitted sparks. Anna shimmered and was gone.

  The network was unlocked, freeing me. My processes had been transferred to Aefwal. Abruptly I was back in the city.

  The skies were dark with Vinci vessels firing upon the city.

  Anna appeared in her throne room.

  I was hoping the teleport had simply moved the Agate ahead of us, but I wasn't picking up any signs of it in the city’s power core. When I accessed the sensors I understood why.

  Anna was radiating the same power and distortion affect of the Agate. I'd never doubted Anna's gluttony. Here was proof. It wasn't enough for her to absorb three power crystals—she'd absorbed the Agate as well.

  Amy had given no hint of this being her plan. I imagined she would as surprised by this sequence of events as I was—if she even knew.

  It left us with an issue. I couldn't hook Anna up into the city’s power systems, and without the Agate we'd lost our primary power source.

  The Beryl sample—it wouldn't be enough to power the whole city and its defenses, but it might be enough for me to do what was needed. I teleported a drone to the lab in Diamate where the Beryl sample was stored, then teleported everything to the city’s power core.

  I wasn't trying to fuel the defenses, I just needed a single use of the city’s jump drive.

  I wasn't going to get it. There wasn't enough power after all.

  17

  Without being able to jump away we had to fight Vinci's vessels with what we had. Amy had abandoned her position as the Head of the City and I needed to fill it. To some degree a city’s leader affected everything. Diamate operated flawlessly, powered in some part by Caya's perfection, and when I'd been in charge of Aefwal everything had centered on growing more powerful and upgrading.

  With half the city already in flames I knew what had to be done, even if I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect.

  I initiated another teleportation from Diamate, bringing Ophelia to the Central District.

  "I was brushing my teeth. Do you have no respect for boundaries?" Ophelia asked.

  "You don't get tooth decay. If you did start to get tooth decay it would resolve itself seconds later. I have immense processing power and creative faculties, and it is still difficult for me to imagine a greater waste of time and a more pointless activity for you than brushing your teeth. I need you to claim the city," I said.

  "Again?" Ophelia asked. "It was really Amy in charge last time. I'm not exactly big on the responsibility."

  "I'm well aware of your every pathetic quality, but a significant portion of the city systems are biological, currently badly damaged, and that means this city needs you."

  "I just know this is going to wind up with me being tortured to death somehow," Ophelia said, as she walked to the main console and rested her hand on it. Lights flickered.

  Damaged Bio-reactors began to come back online, city defenses started to knit themselves together again. We were far from out of this fight.

  In the throne room screens were displaying the attacking forces and Anna was sifting through data.

  "You just had to gobble up the most important thing for city defense," I said to her.

  "The Agate in the end was like any other crystal. It was just very selective about a proper host," Anna said. "I see you had Ophelia take command of the city. Smart. It looks like your evil twin completely drained our reserves of crystal powder."

  "It appears so. Keeping the shields up long enough to put together her plan in secret proved costly. I've tried to jump us away with the Beryl shard, but it isn't enough."

  Anna grinned and rose from her throne. "Then we'll take what we need. Put together a strike team and give me a melee weapon I'm not going to accidentally break with my enhanced strength."

  Given that Anna's strength through the upgrades was already maxed, and those upgrades were now amplified by the crystal, that was a high order.

  "A shame your intelligence wasn't amplified. All of your abilities are enhanced and that includes your Bio-armor. Can you make your own?"

  Anna concentrated for a moment and a sheath materialized at her hip. Anna drew a long blade, studying it critically and then nodding. "It seems I can."

  I materialized a dozen Aegis units in the room. The standard model, because I didn't expect they would be encountering Reality Zero conditions.

  "Do you actually have a plan?" I asked.

  "We need crystal dust. Vinci's ships have crystal dust. We're going to steal what we need with the added bonus that it will cause those attacking ships to fall out of the sky," Anna said.

  That seemed optimistic, Anna didn't care. The group surrounding her blinked out as she engaged her teleport ability. Impressive—I couldn't teleport anybody aboard the Vinci ships, I needed a good sensor reading of the interior and they were too heavily shielded for that. Anna's powers definitely well exceeded my own.

  I sent a request for aid to Diamate and soon Flawless ships started blinking in. They were smaller than Vinci's vessels, each unique and a work of art. They were almost the complete opposite of Vinci’s mass production approach, which sadly meant there were far fewer of them. However, one-on-one the Flawless vessels’ perfect design would usually win and they were already opening fire.

  Vinci could keep throwing ships into the fray. That was her greatest strength. Our only real hope was getting the city away. Diamate didn't have enough fuel stockpiled. With Aefwal absent from the province they'd been making more jumps than usual and their supplies h
ad been taxed.

  Another option for crystal dust was the other Scholarium Royals, but if we let any of them know of our plight they would only join in against us.

  I shut down half of the city’s growth vats to route the power to those in rapid production. I wanted to get every drone that died back on their feet and with a gun in their hands as quickly as possible.

  With Ophelia in charge I wasn't certain Aefwal could actually be destroyed. Her healing factor spreading through every system prevented that. Still, the city could be defeated. The only defense against that was making sure we remained strong and ready for anything that came our way.

  Even in the distraction of battle I noticed several pending communications flagged with a high alert.

  Mechos had finally replied. That was good news. Various District Lords had sent requests for aid—Amy had isolated them all in their districts in power-suppressive fields. And they were trying to bring to my attention that Amy never filled the vacancies in the district leaderships after she stripped the crystals out of Blank and Sylax.

  How fortunate these two problems neatly resolved themselves. I sent a response to Mechos with coordinates for one of the underground hangers. He'd been waiting and a shuttle materialized shortly thereafter. Sensors revealed both him and Minerva were aboard. I sent invitations to assume the roles of District Lord along with visuals of the battle.

  Intelligence is a wonderful thing for realizing the immediacy of a crisis. Both accepted the invitations and two districts were returned to full power.

  I dropped the power nullifers holding the other District Lords captive and opened a group comm.

  "If you're all quite done being incompetent at saving your own skins there is a chance to redeem yourselves. Vinci forces are attacking the city. Ophelia is the new city head. Amy betrayed her and Ophelia is back on our side. Mechos and Minerva have replaced Sylax and Blank," I said.

  "Point me in the direction of something that needs killing," said Hot Stuff.

  I was mulling over optimal placement strategies when Ophelia spoke up.

  "Hot Stuff, Jade. I want you two on the main projector cannons. Your abilities are going to be the most powerful for knocking those ships out of the sky."

  It was the first part of a plan at least and not one I disagreed with.

  I said, "Vinci lacks personnel and the ground forces she is sending are mainly combat drones. Crash, this is your area of expertise. Do something about it."

  "The city is still badly injured, but it is healing. Flicker, you've got your own aerial forces. I want them to take defense positions over the projector cannons," Ophelia said.

  While a bit focused on those cannons again I didn't disagree. I'd thought that Ophelia would crumble under this pressure. I'd wanted her power without really expecting any leadership ability. When immense force was applied sometimes you got a cracked mess, sometimes coal turned into diamond. You never knew until it was upon you.

  "Mechos and Minerva, Anna is out trying to get us some crystal dust. I want the city’s jump drive fueled up and ready to go as quickly as possible. Do what you can to maximize the system and make sure it is good order," I said.

  "Everyone else defend your Districts and defend the city," Ophelia said.

  Shields died on one of the Vinci vessels and it started to tilt downwards, the engines spluttering out as it listed to the side. Moments later Anna materialized with her team inside an energy storage facility. Each of the drones had their arms around a barrel of crystal dust, setting them down.

  They'd seen combat, their armor scorched, and there were minor injuries. They didn't stay long before they blinked off again and I recorded a minor teleportation flicker on another Vinci vessel.

  The various District Lords were teleporting to where they could be most effective. Hot Stuff and Jade took their places in the projector cannons. I provided targeting data so they'd avoid firing on the ship Anna was attacking. Soon bolts of molten fire and green telekinetic force were streaming upwards.

  Vinci vessels tried to close on the new threats, but masses of flying tendrils from Flicker got in the way spoiling their aim.

  Crash was requesting full access to the city’s comm systems. Ophelia gave him expanded access but still a level well short of what he wanted. Again, I approved of her choice. Crash had betrayed me in the past when I thought that I could trust him, and while he had a valuable place in the city I'd never make the mistake of trusting him absolutely again.

  Mechos and Minerva started work on the Aefwal’s jump drive.

  "Emma, why is it always a fight where you are involved?" Mechos asked.

  "We didn't pick this one. My so-called evil twin finally made her move."

  "What did she do?" Minerva asked.

  "Made Anna super-powered and put us under this attack. Her plans make as much sense as some of yours have. It seems she was also responsible for that supposed final message from Minerva's father." I said.

  "That’s what you said in your previous message. You're sure?" Minerva asked.

  "Did you really think he was out there still hoping his daughter wouldn't prove a failure?" I asked.

  "Emma, shut up and go away," Mechos said.

  I could accomplish one of those. I cut the comm and reviewed the battle.

  More ships were arriving. If Vinci had decoded Amy's message she had likely sent fleets to both the underground base and Aefwal. Unaware that Anna had absorbed all the crystals, rather than securing them, the Agate and the amplification crystal would be Vinci’s bigger prize and earned the larger fleet. Worse was yet to come.

  It was hard to imagine that—there were already over two hundred Vinci ships in the sky. A huge fleet and yet only a portion of her strength.

  I had to stop thinking of it as a threat rather than an opportunity. Anna had the right idea. Each ship was another source of crystal dust and logistics Vinci had already expended.

  I thought back to Caya's talk about using the Beryl shard and Source Orb to make a Zero Bomb. Now might be the time. Vinci wouldn't stop throwing ships at us, she had no reason to do so. The more we put up a fight, the more would keep coming to overwhelm us, and that was our opportunity.

  The city’s Bio-bomb stockpiles had been left untouched by Amy and I had over a hundred. If Vinci had switched to automation on her ships these would be minimally effective, fueled by Bio-matter they encountered—and without that the explosive yield would be curtailed. Still, they should also work in a Reality Zero environment and if the shields on those ships were knocked out, their major defense against the explosives would be neutralized.

  I didn't need to install things in a missile, I could use drones to teleport them into the proper placement in the city for detonation. I prepared the payloads.

  Anna and her team materialized in city storage again with another load. They were short two drones this time, victims of a firefight on the Vinci ships. Word had gotten out and the engine rooms were filled with security teams.

  I took a moment to review those logs from my drone’s senses.

  Anna fought a lot like Sylax once had. It wasn't that the enemy couldn't hit her, although she moved so fast and was so nimble that was a challenge too. Shots to her Bio-armor bounced off with scarcely a mark left behind. In comparison a single cleaving blow of her sword would chop a security officer or defense drone in half.

  Anna was frightfully powerful, but as this fight was demonstrating it wasn't the most useful sort of power. Individually and one-on-one she was almost unstoppable. Despite the force she could exert, Anna wouldn't be taking out any fleets single-handedly.

  Mechos had tweaked the jump drive so that instead of making use of the city’s shield emitters to activate it would work through the teleportation gate emitters. It created a smaller jump field and used less power, but would still transition the entire city.

  A Flawless vessel went down in a pillar of smoke after being surrounded by six Vinci warships.

  I issued an order for the remai
ning Flawless ships to retreat. Caya was losing people she didn't need to lose and a retreat would only entice Vinci's commander to push the attack all the harder.

  Anna and her team materialized again—less three more drones. They deposited another load of dust before teleporting out. The fuel levels were rising and one more trip should be enough.

  Vinci ships took out Hot Stuff's projector cannon, a massive explosion rippling through the surrounding streets. With one down they focused their attacks on Jade's. Jade was putting up an impressive fight, a single shot from her cannon was enough to explode shields and crumple hull armor as if punched by a massive fist.

  It wasn't enough. The second cannon exploded, and I teleported Jade to an infirmary just as Anna was materializing with her last load of crystal dust.

  I signaled that was enough and activated our exit plan.

  The number of Vinci ships filling the air around Aefwal had increased to three hundred despite their losses, burying the city under a constant barrage of energy fire.

  Bio-bombs and the Zero bomb alike were teleported into the sky and scattered throughout the fleet, and I triggered the jump drive.

  Rainbow energy washed over the city. Our last sight of the sky was of detonations. First the Zero bomb and its blaze of blue energy, and then a hundred blasts of white as the Bio-bombs detonated above the Vinci ships.

  The city burned and bled, but it was intact. Vinci was now without a doubt an enemy, albeit one we'd weakened. We were in poor shape to act ourselves.

  Still, if ever there was a time, it was now.

  18

  Once we could be certain we’d gotten away from Vinci safely, it was time to hold a war council. As the head of the two cities of the Province, both Caya and Ophelia got a place in addition to myself in a drone and Anna.

  Anna even sat differently at the head of the table. There had always been something of a cocky swagger about her. That had been magnified greatly.