The Key of Astrea

by Nicholas Marson

  Heather stepped forward. “This Deedleoh. Alfur leader.”

  “He looks like a witch doctor,” Kensei said.

  “How do you know?” Adriana asked.

  “I saw it in a documentary. They often wear masks like that and lots of bones.”

  Deedleoh spoke, and Heather translated. “Friends kill sacred worm.” The witch doctor rattled his staff. “Must pay price.”

  “We can pay.” Rygelus held out his flashlight and turned it on and off to the wonder of the crowd.

  Brock pulled out a steel compass and displayed it to the guards. They studied the device in awe.

  “No.” Deedleoh pounded his staff and pointed at the temple. “God judge.” The Alfur gazed at the pyramid as if hypnotized.

  “So, how do we pay?” Adriana asked.

  Heather shook his head and trembled. “Touch god.”

  “What does that mean?” Kensei asked.

  As Jenny studied the dark rectangular door, she felt a familiar siren call. Curiosity won her over. “We’ll do it, but you must let us see our friends first.”

  Deedleoh nodded and pointed at a stone wheel. “Friends watch. If fail, friends die.” The guards rolled aside a massive stone with a set of primitive pulleys. Jenny—along with Adriana and Kensei—followed Heather to the back of the cell. Brock and Rygelus chose to stay behind to prevent the Alfur from trapping them inside.

  A weak voice spoke to them from the darkness. “Jenny?” Mazu blinked against Heather’s bioluminescence. “What are you doing here?”

  “We came to save you.” Tears filled Jenny’s as she crouched down and took Mazu’s hands in hers.

  “What’s wrong?” Mazu asked.

  “Your mom.” A lump formed in Jenny’s throat, and she couldn’t speak. First my mom, then Lin. How much death do I have to endure?

  Kensei shifted his feet.

  “What is it?” Mazu asked. “What happened to Lin?”

  Adriana crouched down next to Jenny and said, “She’s dead.”

  Mazu’s eyes widened in shock. She stood up and dusted off her black bodysuit. When she spoke, her face was placid, and her voice sounded distant and cold. “How?”

  “Tyr arrived for the Selkans,” Kensei said. “We fought them, and a man named Vae Victus killed her.”

  “That bastard,” Jack said.

  Jenny faced Jack with clenched teeth. “It’s your fault. You’re the reason Lin is dead. You betrayed us.”

  “No.” Jack stood and held up his hands. “I didn’t—”

  “The night we arrived at the Endeavor, I overheard you telling someone about the Selkans. It was Victus, wasn’t it?”

  Mazu looked at him. “What is she talking about, Jack?”

  “He tricked me.” Jack reached out to touch Mazu’s arm, but she pulled away. “Victus possessed and killed a friend of mine. He forced me to come here, to Sol. I just wanted to get back home…” He looked into Mazu’s eyes for a moment before glancing away. “I know what I did was wrong.”

  “Too late.” Jenny clenched her fists. “You can rot in here for all I care.”

  “No.” Pain and conflict reflected in Mazu’s eyes. “I believe him, and Jack saved my life. Anyway, he’s not the one who killed Lin.”

  “You weren’t there.” Jenny shook as anger and sadness wrestled for dominance.

  Mazu took Jenny’s hands. “No, and I’m sorry about that. But there’s been enough death already, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Jenny breathed heavily through her nose and nodded. “Fine, we’ll decide what to do with him later. Now, I have something to show you.” She shrugged the burstepi off her shoulders and pulled the Riftkey free.

  “You won!” Mazu hugged Jenny. “I knew you could do it.”

  Ah, it’s good to be out, Cobol said in Jenny’s mind.

  Not now, Cobol, Jenny replied.

  “Well, I did win, but…” She put the Riftkey back in the burstepi and slipped it onto her shoulders

  “That’s not the Riftkey that Kett’l created,” Kensei said.

  Mazu knitted her brows. “I don’t understand.”

  “This is the Riftkey that Astrea lost,” Jenny said. “I found it in the forest ruins. Lin wanted me to keep it hidden.”

  “Then what happened to the other one?”

  “Victus stole it,” Kensei said.

  “He has the Selkans too,” Adriana said.

  “And with the Riftkey he’ll unlock the Terminal and control this system,” Jenny said.

  “That’s not the only bad news.” Mazu looked at Adriana. “I failed to find the virosuit, and the Locator is busted.”

  “That’s okay,” Adriana said. “We’re just glad that you’re safe.”

  “Do you know why we’re locked up?” Jack asked.

  “You killed one of their sacred worms,” Kensei said.

  “Those things are sacred?”

  Heather nodded. “Punishment is death.”

  “Then why are we alive?” Mazu asked.

  “Worm meat feed Alfur.” Heather looked down. “So not eat humans.”

  “That’s some relief,” Jack said.

  “Until they run out of worm meat,” Jenny said.

  “How did you get them to free us?” Mazu asked.

  At that moment, two armed Alfur entered the cell and spoke to Heather.

  “You’re about to find out.” Jenny turned and followed the Alfur out of the dank chamber.

  “Where are we going?” Mazu asked.

  “To the temple,” Kensei said, “in order to touch their god.”

  The pyramid-shape temple sat within a half-circle alcove. In the water’s reflection, the half-circle became a full circle. Bas-relief sculptures of huge fanged worms surrounded the black rectangular door. Alfur of all shapes and sizes gathered around the entrance. The young—who glowed brighter than the adults—clung to their parents’ fur.

  As Jenny ducked under the low ceiling of the entryway, a chill settled into her bones. A long hallway led them deep inside the pyramid, and the red light of the cavern transitioned to soft blue light. The source of the blue light emanated from hundreds of Alfur seated within an amphitheater. Their murmuring voices quieted as they entered. More carvings covered the temple’s walls. They depicted a funeral ritual in which Alfur gave their dead to the giant worms to devour. Other panels were like illustrated instructions for building homes and preparing food and drink. Another pictograph showed giant men who roamed the forest and killed Alfur on sight.

  At the center of the amphitheater was a sculpture of a massive worm—which stretched from floor to ceiling—and held a human-size silver statue on its coiled body.

  “The virosuit.” Mazu rushed down the steps, but a wall of poison-tipped obsidian spears blocked her way.

  For the first time in Jenny’s memory, the ghost of Nimue left her father’s side. She walked down the amphitheater steps and stood next to the virosuit. That’s Cobol’s body, Jenny thought, and apparently the object of Alfur’s worship.

  “Whoa,” Kensei said. “It looks just like the Silver Surfer.”

  “The Silver Surfer?” Brock asked Kensei.

  “Yeah,” Kensei said. “You know, the herald of Galactus. Oh, that’s right, you wouldn’t know.”

  “I don’t even know about that,” Adriana said.

  Jenny looked at the others. “We need that suit if we’re going to unlock the Terminal.”

  “So, we’re really doing it?” Kensei asked.

  “I’m in,” Adriana said. “Let’s save the Selkans.”

  “But we have to get back to Earth Prime.” Jenny looked at Mazu and asked, “Do you have a Waypoint key?”

  “Yes.” Mazu looked at them quizzically. “Don’t you have yours?”

  “No.” Jenny’s face went sour as she remembered Aindriu yanking her mother’s amulet from her neck.

  “They were confiscated after Tyr arrived,” Kensei said.

  “I’m sorry,” Mazu whispered.

  “
It’s okay.”

  “So,” Adriana said. “How do we get it out of here?”

  “Jenny must touch”—Rygelus looked at Kensei—“the Silver Surfer.”

  “Yes, but…” Heather wrung his small hands. “All Alfur that touch statue die.”

  “What?” Adriana looked at Jenny. “You can die from touching it.”

  “Yes,” Heather said weakly.

  “Only those who are not Æons die from direct contact with the virosuit,” Rygelus said and looked at Jenny. “It’s like when Brock touched the Riftkey, but a hundred times worse.”

  “How do you know that?” Jenny asked.

  “My daughter was an Æon. She could touch the virosuit without harm.”

  There was a loud rattling sound as Deedleoh, the witch doctor, shook his staff. Once he had their attention, he spoke to Heather. “God judge now.”

  Jenny took a step forward, but Adriana grabbed her shoulder. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Don’t worry,” Jenny said. “It won’t kill me.” At least I hope it won’t, she thought. It’s time to find out if I’m worthy.

  The witch doctor led her down the steps toward the giant worm sculpture and stopped an arm’s length from the silvery virosuit. Up close, she saw that geometric lines crisscrossed its shiny skin like the branches of a tree. Its face was a polygonal facsimile of a human’s. The ghost of Nimue stood next to the virosuit and caressed its face.

  As Deedleoh spoke, the Alfur leaned forward as one. It sounded to Jenny like a sermon. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with passion and held the attention of his people. Jenny unclasped her burstepi and gripped the handle of the Riftkey. There was a crack like thunder as she pulled it free, and sparks formed in the air around the blade. The Alfur ducked down and screamed. The witch doctor backed away from Jenny, and the guards held up their spears.

  You found my body! Cobol exclaimed in Jenny’s mind. And an entire temple, just for me? I am quite flattered.

  Jenny approached the virosuit, but before she could touch it, the ghost of Nimue grabbed her wrist. It was real, physical contact. Jenny’s mind exploded like a thunderstorm and everything went black.

  It was dark and silent. Jenny’s blood and bones felt like ice. After a few minutes, or maybe hours, her body warmed. Her heart pumped, forcing oxygen, nutrients, and enzymes throughout her body.

  “The vitrification has reduced your metabolic and brain functions,” said a familiar man’s voice. “But the cryoprotectant is being flushed from your system now. You should be able to hear me.”

  A red glow penetrated Jenny’s eyelids, and she gasped for air.

  “Careful, I have you, Nimue.” Warm hands guided her arms and legs into a sitting position.

  I’m Nimue now? As Jenny’s eyes opened, a stab of pain shot down her optic nerves. A cloud of steam rose from her skin, further obscuring her vision.

  Rygelus held her. He looked exactly the same age as he had back in the temple, with the same angled eyes, pointed ears, and that strange bump on his forehead. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I have the galaxy’s worst hangover.” Nimue croaked the words out of her parched throat. Just like in her vision of Astrea, Jenny was relegated to being a passenger, forced to relive Nimue’s memories, and unable to enact her will in this world.

  But this isn’t like Astrea’s vision, Jenny thought. It’s all fuzzy and indistinct as if I’m watching it through a scratched-up, dirty lens. Huh, this time I can’t smell or taste anything.

  Rygelus draped a thick, soft blanket around her bare shoulders and rubbed her back. As a passive observer, Jenny felt his touch, but could not respond. Nimue pulled the blanket around her with one hand and massaged a cramp in her side with the other. “Now I know why they call cryosleep ‘the icy womb.’”

  Rygelus’s bushy eyebrows inched toward each other in concern. He brushed Nimue’s long black hair over her shoulders. Then, he picked up a white mug printed with the name of the ship, Tricaster. “Here, drink this. You will feel better.”

  “Thanks.” As Nimue sipped at the thick beverage, Rygelus ran a hand through his unruly brown hair and smiled at her.

  Time skipped forward like this memory was incomplete. Jenny’s mind whirled as she struggled to interpret the new setting. The gray blanket was still wrapped around her, but her mug was now empty and sat on a shelf near the corner of a strange bed. A silvery human form stood in the corner of the room. Blue light radiated from a network of veins in its shiny skin. Is that Cobol?

  Nimue opened the closet and withdrew a pair of loose, dark-gray pants and a gray-blue shirt. She pulled them on over the black bodysuit she already wore.

  “I missed you all these years.” Rygelus walked to the far end of her room.

  “To me”—Nimue picked up a pair of black boots—“it’s like I just saw you yesterday. I thought it was the same for you.” She sat on a fold-down aluminum bench and buckled them on.

  “It has been thousands of years since we left. I haven’t been dormant all that time.” Rygelus pressed a button, and the entire wall became transparent. A blue sky filled the wall, and sunlight filled the room.

  Nimue walked up to the window and put an arm around her father. “Then make the next couple of minutes feel like days.”

  Rygelus hugged his daughter, and together, they watched turquoise-blue ocean waves crash into the rocky coast of an island. After a few minutes, Nimue looked up at her father and said, “Take me to Ramus so that we can be done with this mission and return to mother.”

  Time skipped forward, and they were in a new room. Specialized instruments covered every surface of the circular walls. Jenny recognized the four black maze boxes used in Cabin’s testing. At the far end of the room, a tall man stood with his back to them. He was studying a holographic display of the Riftkey. Without turning, he said, “Welcome back, Nimue.”

  That voice is familiar, Jenny thought.

  “Thank you, Ramus,” Nimue said, “but it doesn’t feel like I’ve been away.”

  “Ah yes, you have been in cryosleep.” He stared at the hologram. “You may be interested to know that I have identified the properties of nexum.”

  “Is that all you learned in thousands of years?” Nimue asked.

  “I have also refined the serum.” Ramus waved in the direction of several black fluid-filled cylinders. “I have only been researching nexum in my free time. While I understand its properties, I have no way of reproducing them. I have compared it to every possible material and alloy, including the theoretical, but nothing comes close.”

  “Eliminate the impossible,” Nimue said, “and whatever remains must be the truth.”

  “Yes.” Ramus touched the hologram. “I must discover what remains, even if it takes another thousand years. It could be the key to exploring the galaxy.” He looked pointedly at the silvery android, who had followed Nimue and Rygelus into the lab. “Cobol has been less than helpful in this whole process.”

  “Do you know how you were made?” Cobol asked Ramus.

  “I know what I am made of, and how I work.”

  “As do I,” Cobol said, “but I do not know how I was made.”

  “You have a point.” Ramus walked away from the data that streamed across his displays. “Perhaps if I wish to reproduce this technology, then I must first create life.”

  Ramus turned to face them. Jenny would have jumped back in surprise if she could have because she was looking at Lance LaGrange. Like Rygelus, he looked identical to the last time she had seen him. Even his dark hair was carefully parted the same way.

  Rygelus leaned against a table. “Can you tear yourself away from your work long enough to help us with the Waypoints?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Time skipped forward, and they were in a new room. Eleven, vertically stored Waypoints lined the walls. Ramus walked around the perimeter running his hand over each one as he approached the control panel. With a tap, the black screen came to life.

  Nim
ue turned to Cobol. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” Cobol’s polygonal face shifted to mimic speech.

  Nimue gripped a handle behind Cobol’s neck. With a tug, she removed something, and his body slumped over. It’s the Riftkey, Jenny thought. Then, Nimue and Jenny were somehow inside the virosuit, but it wasn’t like wearing a suit, it was more like she was the virosuit.

  Please hurry, Cobol said through their psychic link. Being trapped in this hunk of metal makes me claustrophobic.

  The vision skipped forward, and Nimue, as the virosuit, lifted one of the massive Waypoints from its resting place. She carried it off the ship and walked across a rocky coastline. Ocean waves crashed against the shore, sending spray and foam into the air. She jumped into the churning water. Jenny waited for the shock of cold that didn’t come. Nimue walked freely along the ocean floor and entered a cave through a cleft in the rock.

  An hour passed, or maybe a day for all Jenny could tell through the degraded vision. This time they were in a forest. Nimue carried another Waypoint up a mountain and into a gaping crack in its side. A steady wind blew out of the cave as if the Earth was breathing. After reaching the bottom, she took a path that sloped down to an enormous cavern with a broad, flat floor covered in a shallow layer of water. The ceiling of the cave glowed red with heat.

  This is where Alfur live, Jenny thought. Over there is where the pyramid will be. Her reflection in the water was that of the silver virosuit.

  Nimue exited the cavern and entered a complex cave structure. She took the Waypoint through a passage carved by a burbling stream. Albino cave dwellers skittered at their approach. She sped through a hot, crystal-filled cavern and out into a rocky tunnel. Finally, she came to a stop in front of a deep pool lit by bioluminescent worms. Their soft blue light reflected in the still water.

  There was a great splash as she jumped into the pool. She carried the Waypoint deeper and deeper underwater until the Waypoint could go no farther into the tunnel. Using the virosuit’s powerful fists, Nimue pounded the stone wall until it formed a smooth circle. She then wedged the Waypoint into it.

  Nimue paused, as if in thought, and the Waypoint vanished. The tunnel beyond changed, and there was a surge of water.