The Key of Astrea

by Nicholas Marson

  “Do you think it might be related to my ability?” Jenny asked.

  “It could be,” Lin said. “Keep it in mind as you go through your tests, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  A few minutes later, the ADD powered down, and the table slid out of the circular opening. Lin entered the room and helped Kensei out of the chair.

  Kensei returned to the control room. “Wow, what a trip. Hey, Jenny, now you’re glowing.”

  Jenny smiled. “Yeah? What color?”

  “White,” Kensei replied. “Soft white. Like a rose.”

  Jenny and Kensei retrieved their belongings from Mazu’s office and left the sickbay.

  Jenny fiddled with the straps of her burstepi and asked, “When will we feel the effects of the ADD?”

  “It’s not instantaneous,” Mazu said. “And some connections won’t be fully established until you seek them.”

  “How do we do that?” Kensei asked as he checked on Leon.

  “The best way is by experience. You’ll find that you’ll be better at familiar tasks and that you know some things you didn’t before. Like languages.”

  “So, we’ll be able to understand people?”

  “And aliens,” Lin said. “Though you may have some trouble speaking.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Some sounds will be unfamiliar, and you’ll have to train your muscles to form them before you can properly speak them.”

  “That makes sense,” Kensei said.

  “Where are we going now?” Jenny asked.

  “To the testing room.”

  “Um, Mazu?” Jenny asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “Could you teach me that flip move you used on Jack?”

  Mazu smiled. “Sure, everyone should learn how to protect themselves. Especially from guys like Jack.” She winked.

  They climbed two sets of stairs to the top level of the Endeavor. As they rounded the hallway Jenny heard a familiar sound echo against the white walls of the ship. It was the squeak of shoes on a gym floor. They entered a large room directly above the mess hall that looked like a school gymnasium, and there she saw the source of the sound. Eight people were playing volleyball at the center of the gym, four in blue uniforms versus four in black.

  “Here we have our gymnasium,” Lin said. “As you can see, it’s been set up for volleyball, but we also play basketball, handball, and football in this space.” She pointed left at a room filled with free weights and resistance machines. “That room is set up for weight training.” She pointed right at a room filled with tumbling mats, heavy bags, and dummies. “That room is for structured activities. You’re free to use these rooms any time of day.”

  “Team sports are drop-in only,” Mazu said, “and work on a first-come-first-serve basis.”

  Jenny pointed toward the back of the gym where a group of people had gathered in front of a row of windows. “What’s in that room?”

  “That’s where we’re going.” Lin led them around the volleyball game.

  A red-haired, freckled young woman caught the volleyball, halting the game. Soon, every eye was on Kensei and Jenny. As they approached the back of the gym, Jenny saw four black boxes the size of refrigerators through a row of windows. A recruit in a white uniform stood in front of one of the cubes with her back to the gym.

  “It’s Adriana.” Jenny stood on her tiptoes and tried to see what she was doing at the large box.

  There was a leaderboard next to the room’s entrance. The top row read, “Player,” “Maze 1,” “Maze 2,” “Maze 3,” “Maze 4,” and “Total.” Underneath was a list of names sorted by score. The highest score of 423 belonged to Randolph Torres the Third (Trey). Cassadi Stevens followed with 415, and Adriana Thatcher stood in third place with 409.

  “I see that Trey’s score is still there.” Mazu withdrew her Topo. “I should probably remove it.”

  “Do you know how he died?” Kensei asked.

  “Blunt force trauma.” Mazu tapped at her Topo. “Likely a blow from a Risi’s club.”

  “Do you know why the Risi attacked Acacia City?” Kensei asked.

  Mazu shook her head. “No idea.” When she put her Topo away, Trey’s name was gone from the leaderboard, leaving Sadi in the number one position.

  As Jenny studied the board, one thing stood out. “Why does every player have a score of zero in at least one maze?”

  “Each of the mazes tests a different range of frequencies,” Lin said. “And no one can sense the full range.”

  The door opened, and Adriana stepped out. Those gathered around clapped and whooped. On the leaderboard, her name slid to the number one position.

  Billo clapped and ran up to Adriana. “I knew you could do it!” she cheered.

  Kensei gave Adriana a high five. “Does that mean you’ll be the one to go to the Terminal?”

  “I wish,” Adriana said.

  “I’m sure she will.” Billo gazed at Adriana with undisguised admiration. Jenny realized it was the same look Kensei wore for Adriana.

  Just like at home, Jenny thought. Adriana has no idea that everyone is in love with her.

  “The day isn’t even over yet,” Adriana replied. “I’m sure Sadi will just pass me again.”

  “Jenny, are you ready?” Lin held the door open.

  “Um, sure.” Jenny felt far from ready for whatever was about to happen, and now she felt self-conscious with Adriana there.

  “Good luck,” Kensei said.

  Jenny felt everyone’s eyes on her as she entered the room. Lin followed her inside, and the noises of the ship evaporated as the door swung shut. Inside the room, the windows acted as one-way mirrors, further isolating her from the gym just outside.

  Lin approached the first black box. “The goal is to guide a ball through a maze as quickly as possible.”

  “And the fastest time gets the Riftkey?”

  “That’s right. Of course, you already have one.”

  “Is there any point in me taking these tests?”

  “Yes. These are actually simulators, designed to teach you how to unlock the Terminal. That way, when you’re up there”—Lin pointed up—“in space, you’ll know how to use the Riftkey to unlock the Terminal.”

  “I get it.” Jenny tried to infuse her voice with confidence that she didn’t feel. “I’ll just have to make sure I win.”

  “That’s right.” Lin smiled. “After you insert your Waypoint key into the brass plate, the walls will become clear, and the timer will start.” She walked toward the exit and opened the door. Sounds from the gymnasium flooded the room.

  Jenny stepped up to the first black box and peered inside. She couldn’t see anything—no maze, no ball. There was a brass plate set low on the box with a ruby gemstone above a keyhole. The hole looked like a perfect fit for her Waypoint key. She pulled it free of her uniform.

  “Try to be receptive and calm,” said Lin from the doorway. “And, Jenny…”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good luck.” The door swished shut, and the room was silent once more.

  Jenny stared at the box and took a deep breath. If the gems act the same here as they do in the Waypoint keys, then this maze will test…ugh, what did the ruby symbolize? Perception! This should test my ability to control perception.

  Jenny inserted her key, and a steady tone sounded from the box. A panel slid open on the brass plate, revealing a timer set to five minutes. The walls of the box transitioned from black to transparent glass, and the clock started.

  Inside was a maze that stretched from edge to edge. A red ball, like a large marble, sat within the labyrinthine walls. In the center, a bronze-lined hole marked the finish. Jenny traced the path from beginning to end and quickly discovered a problem. She had no idea how to move the ball. There were no visible controls.

  This must be part of the test.

  The walls were like glass. Jenny slid her hands along the sides, feeling for any bumps or depressions her eyes missed in the sides of th
e box. As she did, the maze floor tilted.

  The red ball rolled down a corridor and came to rest against a wall. Tentatively, she brushed her hand along the opposite side of the box. The floor tilted in the other direction. Jenny smiled and placed her hands on the sides of the box. The floor of the maze quivered under her trembling hands. She moved her right hand down, and the floor tilted in response.

  The ball rolled, but it was too fast. She overcorrected, and the ball moved in the wrong direction. She sighed, growing frustrated, then remembered Lin’s advice. This was just a learning exercise, designed to teach her how to use the Riftkey. She forced herself back to calmness.

  Rather than focusing on the path, Jenny decided to get a feel for the controls. After a minute of trial and error, she could guide the ball in any direction she wanted. Yet she lacked a certain finesse when going around corners and bounced the red marble down its course until it dropped into the bronze-lined finish. She stepped back, thankful to have completed the first maze. Jenny glanced at the timer. She had just under three minutes left. Not bad.

  The walls of the maze melted into the floor and reformed into a second labyrinth. Its corridors were narrower and contained more traps than before. Jenny sighed. I guess it was too good to last. There was a new finish, this one lined with silver, in the back corner.

  Jenny placed her hands on the sides while she scouted the path. She tried harder to avoid traps and slow the ball down before each turn. The new strategy paid off, and when the red ball dropped into the silver hole, she had one and a half minutes left on the clock.

  This time, she didn’t dare to take her hands off the box. A good thing too, as the maze walls melted away and a third labyrinth appeared. This one was full of dead ends, and instead of the hole, a golden cage marked the finish. She found her path through the maze and slid her sweat-slick hands across the smooth wall of the box. As the ball slipped inside the golden cage, the clock stopped with only eight seconds left.

  This small victory filled her with a sense of exhilaration. As Jenny pulled her key from the hole, the box grew dark, and the panel closed over the timer. Curious if she could improve her score, she inserted her key, but nothing happened. Shrugging, she approached the second test.

  A sapphire gemstone sat above the keyhole. This one represents the ability to control radiation. Eager to apply her new knowledge, Jenny inserted her key. The panel slid open, and Jenny noticed some immediate differences. Two waveform patterns appeared on either side of the timer. The left one was on a red background, the right one on blue. A meter, measuring watt-hours from zero to one thousand, sat above the clock.

  The walls of the box transitioned from black to transparent.

  Jenny gasped. This maze was completely different from the first one. The labyrinth did not rise from the floor. Instead, it was set into the sides of the box. Water filled most of the cube except for a short gap at the top.

  This ball was blue and sat at the bottom of a water-filled column. Jenny walked around the maze and found the golden cage on the opposite wall from the ball. Carefully, she traced a path from the ball to the cage.

  Jenny placed her hands on the sides of the box, but nothing happened. She searched the cube for controls, and like before, there were none. The timer ticked down. She imagined people outside the room laughing at her, and her ears grew hot.

  Well, maybe I could try this one later. Jenny reached down to pull her key out of the socket. A buzz traveled through her arm and she jerked her hand away.

  Something about that feeling was familiar. It reminded her of the VRGo test. Jenny pinched the key with her fingertips. Her body buzzed with energy, and patterns of light swam in her vision. A white waveform with peaks and valleys appeared in her mind.

  Jenny looked down at the waveforms next to the timer. The red one had dramatic peaks and troughs, and the blue one was more of a spiky pattern. Just as she had done with the VRGo test, she hummed inside her mind. The chaotic humming changed to a steady tone, and the peaks and valleys of her key’s white waveform changed. She experimented with different pitches, and the waveform varied in frequency and intensity.

  Jenny worked the white waveform until it matched the red pattern. As she did, the blue ball flashed, and the meter buzzed. Nothing else seemed to happen, so she tried the blue waveform. The ball flashed again, and to her surprise, the water around the ball froze. The ice formed a column that pushed the blue sphere upward until it tipped into the next column of the maze. It fell with a plunk and quickly sank to the bottom.

  Jenny clapped with joy. She could move the ball to the other side of the maze on columns of ice. She put her hand back on her key and tried the blue pattern again. The meter buzzed and nothing happened. What did I do wrong? She looked down and noticed that the needle on the meter had maxed out. Since the blue one didn’t work, she decided to try the red pattern again. As she did, the ice melted away, and the meter returned to zero. She smiled.

  By her third sequence, Jenny could melt the ice in one column while freezing the water in the next. After her sixth round, she could control the direction of the freeze. This opened up new routes. Instead of rising to the top of each column, Jenny could push the ball into openings in the wall. Once she reached the last column, she lifted the blue ball on a column of ice until it rested inside the golden cage. Jenny pumped her arm in celebration and looked down. The clock had stopped at 00:01.

  A pit formed in her stomach. That was too close. Jenny approached the third box on shaky legs. A heliodor capped the keyhole on this brass plate. This one is electromagnetism. She inserted her key. The brass panel slid open to reveal two different waveforms on red and blue backgrounds. Above the timer sat a voltage meter. Its needle—which was all the way to the right—read 100 percent.

  Inside the box was the most bizarre maze of all. Forty strange mechanical devices—connected by ramps—filled the interior. Half of the devices were red, and the other half were blue. In the top corner, a trapdoor held a yellow ball up from the golden cage below it.

  Jenny chose the red waveform and hummed inside her mind until the white waveform synced. Jenny jerked back in surprise as an electrical arc jumped from the yellow ball to a red device, which powered on and rotated ninety degrees. Next, Jenny tried the blue waveform. This time, a green laser shot out from the nearest blue device, bounced off a reflective surface on a red mechanism, and terminated at the floor of the box. The voltage meter, she noticed, had dropped by 10 percent, but with the red device, it didn’t drop at all.

  Jenny shook her head. What am I supposed to do? She tried blue again. A green laser shot out from the next blue device. It bounced off a reflective surface on a red device and hit the floor.

  The blue devices shoot lasers, and the red ones reflect them. Jenny shook her head. I still don’t see a pattern. She chose more waveforms at random. At one point, she activated a blue device and nothing happened. Looking down, Jenny noticed that the voltage meter had reached zero. The timer read 03:23. What do I do now? I’ve only activated half the devices.

  Okay, Jenny thought, each blue device decreases the meter by ten percent, but I’ve activated twelve. The meter should have reached zero two devices ago. Jenny traced the path back and noticed that two of the red devices had reflected the lasers at two blue devices. That must be the trick, Jenny thought. Looks like I have to adjust each of the red devices so that they feed energy back into the system.

  Jenny worked her way backward. She found that if she focused on the last device she’d powered on that she could deactivate it and get more energy in the bank. Then, she discovered that she could access any of the devices by focusing on them. She targeted the first red device and rotated it until the laser pointed at a blue device. Then, she did the same for each of the red devices until the laser opened the trapdoor, and the crystal ball dropped into the golden cage. The transparent walls of the box turned black, and the timer stopped at 00:18. It was her best score so far.

  Jenny wiped her brow as she a
pproached the last box. These puzzles are exhausting. Yet, they also filled her with a great sense of accomplishment.

  An emerald sat above the keyhole on the fourth test. This one is for gravity, Jenny thought as she inserted her key. The panel slid open, revealing a timer and four new waveforms: two on either side of the clock, and two on the top and bottom. The walls grew transparent, and the clock ticked down. The green ball sat in the middle of the floor, but the finish was nowhere in sight. The structure of the maze seemed identical to the first one; however, these labyrinth walls were much shorter, and small geometric objects littered the course.

  Jenny touched her key and chose the rightmost waveform. The ball rolled to the right. Huh, it’s like a controller. The left pattern made the ball go left, and up and down made the ball move forward and backward.

  Neat, but what’s the point if there’s no finish?

  Jenny rolled the ball down a corridor of the maze. A small cube was in the way, but instead of bouncing off of it, the ball stuck to the block. Jenny smiled. It’s sticky. She rolled the lopsided ball to a small cone and picked it up too. But, when she turned toward a big cylinder, the green ball rebounded.

  So, there’s a size limit.

  As Jenny rolled her ball around, she was careful to avoid large objects while she picked up small ones. She rolled up ramps, across bridges, and inside walled areas. Over time, the ball grew unwieldy and lumpy. When she thought it couldn’t hold any more, it absorbed all the pieces it had collected so far. The ball grew slightly larger and became a darker shade of green.

  The ball felt more massive as well, and best of all, it could now pick up larger objects. She grabbed the large cylinder, then the ramps and bridges she had rolled over earlier. Once she had gathered enough objects, the ball absorbed the pieces stuck to it. It grew a little larger and darkened to an evergreen color.

  Now, as Jenny rolled the larger ball around, it picked up entire sections of the maze floor. Underneath, Jenny glimpsed a flash of gold. She doubled her efforts. As more layers came loose, a golden cage soon became visible.

  The green ball flashed again, absorbing the objects and growing larger, and darker. The ball moved sluggishly across the floor. The finish was only millimeters away, but it took several agonizing seconds for the ball to crawl inside the cage.