Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6)

by Laura Jo Phillips

“I did,” Dr. Kannon replied, grinning again. “Every single test run on the material indicates it’s completely inert. But I don’t believe it.”

  Ria thought for a few moments. Just because she and Bean weren’t as smart as Vari didn’t mean they were stupid. They were, in fact, quite the opposite, so it didn’t take Ria long to figure out what Dr. Kannon was getting at. “You think the nano-bots are able to either mimic the metal’s base form, or actually reduce themselves to that form when subjected to observation or analysis.”

  “Very good, Ria,” Dr. Kannon said proudly. “Only it’s not what I think, but what I know. The early Controllers were easy to identify under a scope. But the new ones are tricky. I’ve read the Jasani Council’s reports on the newest Controller nano-bots. Within seconds of putting them under a scope, they reduced themselves to their liquid metal base with leftover microscopic bits of unidentifiable sludge. That’s exactly what happened when I analyzed samples from each of the blobs we collected, so I know they’re Controller nano-bots. I just have to prove it.”

  “There must be enough of the little buggers in there to make several complete controllers,” Ria said, eyeing the container. It’s at least a liter. They can’t possibly put that much into someone’s head. It’d never fit. “Is that possible? Would the Doftles be able to cart around a bottle containing millions of nano-bots, and just scoop out however much they need to inject into a person and expect the nano-bots to organize themselves into working Controllers without any outside instructions?”

  “Maybe,” Dr. Kannon said. “We can’t rule out anything when dealing with the Doftles’ technology. That’s one of many questions I’m hoping we’ll find answers to.”

  “Since it reduces itself to its base form when tested, how are you going to learn anything about it?”

  “The nano-bots are clearly programmed to destroy themselves when faced with the common methods of examination, all of which I’ve already tried. I’m not going to use any of those methods now. Instead, I’m going to expose it to different types of stimuli that I already know the base metal either won’t react to, or will have a mild reaction to. If I can get a reaction, any reaction other than I’d get from plain liquid metal, I’ll know it’s nano-bots.”

  “What sort of stimuli?”

  “We’ll begin with something simple,” Dr. Kannon said. “If what we’re looking at here is, in fact, nano-bots, they’ll react to a mild electromagnetic pulse modulated to mimic the kind of data carrier signal we know the Doftles use to communicate with their Controllers.”

  Ria followed Dr. Kannon over to a waist high stainless steel portable instrument cabinet in the corner of the small lab. It was about four feet long and two feet deep, and currently set about three feet away from the wall. Stepping behind the cabinet with Dr. Kannon, Ria was surprised by the number of switches, buttons, knobs, dials, and slides that covered the slanted top of the cabinet. The only thing she recognized was the vid screen mounted at one end.

  “What sort of response are you looking for if it’s nano-bots?” Ria asked, watching Dr. Kannon’s fingers move over the control panel with obvious familiarity. Ria heard a deep humming sound and looked around, surprised to see the safety shields rising over the view ports. An electric-sounding crackle mingled with the hum, telling Ria that the laboratory’s high-intensity containment field had just kicked in.

  “Anything and everything,” Dr. Kannon said, regaining Ria's attention. “If the substance in that container reacts in any way at all, even the slightest bit of movement, change in color, or variation in temperature, we’ll know it’s more than liquid metal.”

  “You’re going to hit all of that with EMPs?” Ria asked as she glanced once more at the material in the container. It looked like a lot to her.

  Dr. Kannon glanced up at her, then back to the controls. “There’s nothing to worry about, Ria. I’ve never read a single report of this metal in either form reacting dangerously regardless of what was done to it.” She grinned again. “Unless it’s injected into someone’s brain, of course.”

  Ria nodded, embarrassed that she’d questioned Dr. Kannon. “What can I do?”

  Dr. Kannon checked her settings on the control panel, then pointed to a green button. “When I tell you, press that button. It’ll send an EMP into the material from that emitter in the ceiling.” Ria looked to where Dr. Kannon was pointing and nodded. “I have the recorders on but I want to be close enough to see for myself if there are any changes.” She pointed to the vid screen to the right which now displayed a close up view of the container. “You’ll be able to see whatever happens on that screen.”

  “Okay,” Ria agreed. She was a little disappointed that she’d have to watch from a distance, but at least she’d still be able to see whatever happened.

  Dr. Kannon went back to the table, reached up to adjust her goggles, then paused. “Ria, check the vid screen please and make sure all of the lab safety and isolation measures are active. There should be a green lock icon in the lower left corner.”

  “Yes, it’s there, and it indicates that the safety shields are up, sealed, and locked into place, the containment field is activated, and the lab door is set to ‘NO ADMITTANCE’. There’s a little red icon flashing next to it, though.”

  “Oops,” Dr. Kannon said, hurrying back to the controls.

  Ria’s eyes widened. Oops? Really? I hope OOPS is an acronym for something scientific because otherwise I might need to start feeling a little alarmed here.

  Dr. Kannon did something on the control board and Ria heard the air shut off in the vent directly above her head. She pressed another switch and air began blowing again but through a different set of vents.

  “Independent air circulation and reverse atmosphere pressure. Good catch, Ria.”

  Yeah. I just hope it isn’t some kind of Catch 22. Or 51. Or 13. “Um…,” Ria managed before Dr. Kannon was off like a shot back to the table. It worried her that Dr. Kannon didn't seem to take the safety precautions seriously. But then again, she said that neither the base metal nor Controller nano-bots had ever reacted dangerously. Dr. Kannon probably wasn’t worried because she knew there was no need to worry.

  Ria watched as Dr. Kannon finished adjusting her goggles, then bent down, her face close to the side of the container so as not to block the overhead camera, or the EMP. She fixed her eyes on the silvery liquid so she wouldn’t miss anything, then said, “Now.”

  Ria hesitated, troubled by how close to the container Dr. Kannon’s face was. On second thought, I’m glad I’m way over here watching on the vid screen. I get a close up view, and if anything goes wrong I get to keep my face.

  “Something the matter, Ria?” Dr. Kannon asked just before she pressed the green button.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Kannon, I’m just a little worried about your face being so close to that container,” she said sheepishly.

  Dr. Kannon straightened, looked at Ria for a long moment, then nodded. “You’re right,” she said, surprising Ria. “I should be wearing more protection.” She opened a cabinet, retrieved a thin shield mask that would cover her entire face from her forehead to just below her chin, and put it on over the goggles.

  That might be enough protection if you were standing close to Aunt Lari while she was mixing up a cake.

  Ria didn’t like it, but this time she kept her opinion to herself. She’d already expressed her concern and instead of getting angry Dr. Kannon had nicely gone along with her. She needed to quit while she was ahead.

  “Relax Ria,” Dr. Kannon said, smiling through the thin acrylic while adjusting the strap behind her head. “Remember what I told you. Neither base liquid metal nor Controller nano-bots have ever reacted dangerously to anything we’re going to do today.”

  Ria wondered what would happen if the substance in the container wasn’t either of those two things, then bit down on her tongue. Hard. Yes, Dr. Kannon seemed unusually hyper, maybe a little over excited, but there was nothing wrong with the woman enjoying her work.
Besides, maybe she isn’t conducting these tests with one of her fellow scientists because they’re not interested in safe, boring experiments like this. Ria blinked, wondering where that thought had come from.

  “Okay, Ria,” Dr. Kannon said, leaning down near the container again. “Now!”

  Ria turned her head to look at the vid screen on her right, and pressed the green button with an uncontrollable wince. She heard a deep hum, then caught a whiff of ozone. After that, nothing happened.

  Relieved, she watched the vid screen as Dr. Kannon impatiently tapped the table with one finger, an expression of disappointment on her face. Ria started to turn away just as a message flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened as she read it, but she had no time to shout a warning before the substance in the container detonated with the power of a bomb.

  ***

  Talon checked the time as soon as he, Thorn, and Tee transported from the Bihotza to the Hilgaria after their weekly meeting. He nodded absently to the operator as he led the way out of Transport. “That was astounding,” Tee said after checking to be sure they were alone in the corridor.

  “It was,” Talon agreed. “I have to admit I look forward to these meetings. It’s like listening to adventures told by the Elders when we were boys, except that we know some of the people involved and it's not fiction.”

  “I’m going to go crazy trying to guess what Lady Vari learned from that Doftles’ mind for the next week,” Thorn said.

  Tee started to agree when his hand terminal chimed. He pulled it from his belt and tapped at it without missing a step. Until he read the message. Then he stopped in his tracks, his expression suddenly grim.

  “Tee?” Talon asked, turning to look at his brother. “What is it?”

  “There’s been an explosion on the Beacon. Commander Declan has requested our immediate presence. They’re on the way there now.”

  Talon spun around and jogged the short distance back to Transport. “Does he say where the explosion took place, or what caused it?”

  “The science department,” Tee replied, just before they rushed into Transport. Tee returned his hand terminal to his belt while Thorn gave the operator orders to send them to the Beacon.

  A few moments later they were being asked by the Beacon’s transport operator to please move off the target pad. They stepped away and huddled in the corner to wait for the Dracon-Bats to arrive. “I’m glad it’s Wednesday instead of Thursday,” Thorn said under his breath. Talon and Tee both nodded in solemn agreement, relieved to know that whatever had happened, Ria was safely onboard the Bihotza. A few seconds later Declan, Jay and Kai stood in the center of the room, their expressions as grim as the Katres’.

  “Declan,” Talon said as they all turned and hurried out into the corridor. “What happened?”

  “We’re not sure yet,” Declan replied. “Captain Chou sent a message that the Level 9 Bio-Lab alarm went off, that it appeared to be an explosion, and that the shields and containment protocols were all in place and active.”

  Talon frowned. “That makes no sense, Declan.”

  “Why not?”

  “We should have gotten an automatic notification sent by the security system that the Level 9 lab was in use. We didn’t.”

  “More than that, we should have received a notification that it was going to be put into use, and why, by whoever intended to use it,” Tee added.

  “That’s disturbing,” Jay said.

  “How many people were in there?” Talon asked as they all crowded into one elevator. Thorn hit the button for the deck where the science labs were located and the doors slid shut.

  “I don’t know,” Declan replied tightly. “I’ve already told you all the information her message contained.”

  Talon scowled, not liking the sound of any of this. Before he could say anything else the elevator doors opened and they all hurried out of it, then up the corridor where a small crowd had gathered. The crowd parted for them immediately and, after a few words from Kai and Tee, they left.

  “Captain Chou,” Declan said as he and Talon joined her where she stood looking through the transparent doors leading into the lab. They could all see that the view window at the far end that normally looked into the bio hazard lab was covered with protective shielding.

  When the Captain didn’t turn her head or respond he frowned. “Tell us what you know, please, Captain.”

  “Marta…sorry, Dr. Kannon was testing something. It exploded.”

  “Why are you standing out here?” Declan asked, wondering why the Captain looked and sounded so…stunned.

  “Protocol,” she replied in a flat voice. “No one is to enter the lab proper until it’s been scanned and determined to be free of contamination.” She handed a square tablet to Talon. He took it, glanced down, and saw that the system had almost completed its testing.

  “Why didn’t you notify us, Captain?” Talon asked as he studied the tablet screen.

  Dr. Chou turned to look at him in mild surprise, then resumed looking through the window. “I assumed you’d been notified by the security system.”

  Talon nodded, but said nothing. They should have been notified by the security system. “How many people were in there?”

  “I don’t know,” Captain Chou replied. “The explosion damaged the data bus that routes the signal from the security cams in the Bio Lab so we can’t access them directly. The bus is still in its normal mode which routes the cams’ feed to the computer in the lab. The damaged data bus doesn’t respond to the ship mainframe command to switch the imaging data to any other destination. We’ll have to gain entrance to the lab before we can pull the vid from the lab’s dedicated computer.”

  “The feed should have been switched to the high security system outside the lab module when the shields went up,” Thorn said.

  “I know,” Captain Chou said, still using that flat voice.

  “You didn’t receive a notification by the security system either, did you Captain?” Talon asked.

  “No, Admiral, I did not. I had no idea the Level 9 Lab was in use until the explosion set off several alarms.”

  “Captain Chou,” Declan said, “if you didn’t know it was in use, and if you can’t see into the lab, how do you know Dr. Kannon is involved?”

  “Because she’s the only person with access to that lab who is unaccounted for.”

  Talon started to ask a question when a soft click sounded from the lab doors. He glanced down at the tablet and saw that the system had completed its testing and examination and unlocked the doors.

  “All clear,” he said to Declan, who then turned to enter the lab. Thorn went to the main terminal and pulled up the general security vids. He found the one they wanted, ran through it until he saw figures on the screen, then played it at normal speed. They all gathered around to watch, leaving room for Captain Chou in the front so she could see it too. Ten seconds into the feed Declan hissed, drawing everyone’s attention even though the Katres already understood and shared his surprise.

  “That’s Ria,” Declan said. The Katres said nothing as they all watched the vid in silence until it cut off right after the explosion.

  “The entire vid system in there is tanked,” Thorn said. “We can’t see or hear anything. We’re going to have to go in.”

  “We’ll go,” Declan said, already moving toward the doors.

  “No, Commander,” Talon said. “This is our job. We’ll go in.”

  “That’s our sister in there, Talon,” Declan growled, but Talon didn’t back down.

  “You are needed, Commander,” Talon said calmly and firmly. “You cannot risk your life unnecessarily. You know this. That’s why you called us. It’s our job to see to the overall safety and security of this task force.”

  “If it helps, there’s no bio hazard in that room,” Tee said, studying a different vid screen. “The liquid metal is harmless enough, though I wouldn’t want to get it on my skin. No organisms were released, and there’s no risk of contaminatio
n.”

  “It helps,” Jay said. “Thank you, Tee.”

  “Isn’t Thursday Ria’s lab day with Dr. Kannon?” Thorn asked.

  “It is,” Kai said after a moment. “I’ll see if I can discover why she’s here today instead.”

  The Katres put on goggles and gloves, entered the air lock, waited patiently for it to cycle through its routine, then stepped into the small lab. The first thing they all took notice of was Dr. Kannon, whose upper body was riddled with slivers of the transparent metal container and virtually coated with liquid metal. The thin acrylic face shield she’d donned when Ria asked her to protect herself had offered nothing in the way of protection. It was only one of several lapses in security and safety protocols that had all three of them angry and confused.

  Over the past sixteen weeks they’d worked hard to research and memorize security and safety protocols for the Bihotza’s labs. Tee and Talon in particular and to a lesser degree, Thorn, had spent many long hours working closely with the doctors and scientists to make everything as safe and secure as possible. To see that hard work so blatantly disregarded, and by the Beacon’s Chief Science Officer no less, wasn’t easy for them.

  They couldn’t ask Dr. Kannon why, though, since she was clearly deceased. Tee checked her for life signs anyway and recorded the result on his hand scanner. Then they moved to the corner of the room where Ria had been standing in the security vid.

  After seeing Dr. Kannon, they were almost reluctant to see Ria. When they discovered that the steel cabinet had tipped at an angle, the top edge resting against the wall so that it acted as a shield for Ria, they allowed a little bit of hope to take root.

  The back of the cabinet was splashed with liquid metal and riddled with slivers that had penetrated the steel, shorting out the equipment inside of it. They carefully pulled the cabinet away from the wall, easing it back onto its base, then shoved it aside.

  They all stared down at Ria, who was lying on her back, apparently uninjured, but unconscious. They saw no sign of the liquid metal on her, and none of the long, thick splinters of transparent metal. They crouched down around her, an unfamiliar sensation building in each of them as they examined her more closely.