The Key of Astrea

by Nicholas Marson

  That should do the trick.

  Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Jenny’s neck rose. She looked sunward and saw a bright, moving light. As she watched, it grew to the size of her thumbnail. Oh no. With her heart pounding, Jenny watched the rapidly growing shape of the Tamarack as she raced toward the eleventh lock.

  Jenny plucked the Riftkey from Cobol’s back and inserted it into the slot. As she worked on the eleventh lock, she tried not to let the approaching warship distract her. When she was done, the groove glowed a bit brighter.

  Before Jenny could remove the Riftkey from the lock, a thump echoed through her mind. Looking around, she saw that the Tamarack had transported to the rear of Lance’s fleet, near the Terminal. It can teleport, Jenny thought.

  All at once, hundreds of spaceships swarmed out of the Tamarack’s many hangars. Then, rays of light lanced out from holes in its side. They looked like enormous flashlights flicking on and off. But these left behind a trail of spiraling plasma embers. The lights struck Lance’s largest ship, instantly overloading the shields and carving through its armor.

  That must be the nuclear lance, Jenny thought. The other ships don’t stand a chance against that weapon.

  By the time Lance’s flagship retaliated with ballistics and missiles, the Tamarack had already disappeared. The projectiles passed harmlessly through the spot where the Tamarack had been. The Tamarack reappeared on the opposite side of the flagship and immediately fired its nuclear lances. Molten metal fountained from the flagship, and the colossal ship went dark.

  In the meantime, both of Lance’s frigates had turned their weapons on the Tamarack. Zippy corvettes and destroyers accelerated into the fray, and in the midst of battle, a voice spoke into Jenny’s mind.

  STOP US.

  Jenny froze in place and focused on the source of the voice. It was coming from the Tamarack. But who could it be? She closed her eyes and concentrated. The voice conveyed fear and pain, but, above all, hope. And there was something familiar about it.

  STOP US.

  Kett’l? Jenny gasped and opened her eyes.

  Please help, Kett’l begged.

  I’m here. Jenny whimpered from the fear and pain she felt through their connection. What can I do?

  Kett’l sent a picture into her mind. It was the pattern that Jenny had used on the Selkan boy. The one that kept him from teleporting. She felt the burn of shame from Kett’l’s admonishment rise in her body. She also remembered how Victus had nullified all the Cabin recruits in the gym. What are you asking me to do?

  Don’t let them use us to teleport their ship. Kett’l sent her an image of a dark, circular room. Tubes and cables descended from the ceiling and plugged into a dozen fluid-filled pods, each with a Selkan inside.

  Jenny shuddered. I didn’t know.

  Please help.

  I will, she said to him. I will. She looked out at the ships. The Tamarack still dominated the battlefield. Several of Lance’s ships were derelict wrecks, the occasional spark, and exhalation of gas the only sign that they had once been alive.

  Kett’l didn’t want me to use that waveform on living things, Jenny thought, but now it’s the only way to save him, and us. Jenny concentrated on her connection with Kett’l and formed the pattern in her mind. Nothing happened.

  It is happening again, Kett’l sent to her as his fear spiked.

  Jenny cowered onto the surface of the Terminal. I don’t know what to do. She looked down at the eleventh lock and the handle of the Riftkey. A thought came to her then. The Waypoint key helped me focus my ability. What if the Riftkey works the same way?

  It will, Cobol said.

  Jenny pulled the Riftkey free of the lock. She focused on her connection with Kett’l and formed the pattern in her mind. The effect was like hooking an amplifier up to a guitar. She felt a surge of power in her mind and she saw black mist explode around Kett’l and quickly spread to the other eleven Selkans. Jenny had just taken away their abilities the way Victus had done to the recruits back in the gym.

  Thank you, Kett’l sent to Jenny. You freed us, and now we can sleep.

  You’re welcome. Jenny smiled.

  Without the Selkans, the Tamarack could no longer teleport away from danger. Its shields flared blue as torpedoes, ballistics, and lasers found their mark. There was an explosion midship. Wreckage and bodies flowed out like a river, and one of the Tamarack’s segments went dark. Though injured, the warship was far from disabled. It moved with a speed that belied its size. Weapons fired from every surface of its cylindrical body to hit every ship within range.

  At least I gave Lance’s fleet a fighting chance, Jenny thought as she returned the Riftkey to the virosuit.

  As Cobol came to life, he yelled into Jenny’s mind, Look out!

  Jenny turned in time to see a black troop carrier hovering several meters above the Terminal. Four massive armored soldiers jumped out of the back. Cables shot out from their hips and pulled them down to the surface. Each soldier was as wide as a truck, and two of them spanned the width of the Terminal.

  The soldiers’ red-painted skulls grinned as they lifted their arms to shoot, and the troop transport tilted downward to aim its massive gun turret at her. Even a small tear in her suit would be a death sentence, as the remaining 16 percent of her oxygen would vent into space. But there was nowhere to hide, and there was no running away. She had been so close to unlocking the Terminal. She thought of her aunt, who was probably worried sick about her. Now, Jenny would never return home to show Bea all that she had achieved.

  There was a sudden flash, and the troop transport exploded. Shrapnel blasted in every direction. Though she could see explosions, the only sound could hear was her own breathing. The bulk of the transport smashed into the Terminal, hitting two of the four armored soldiers and dragging them out into space.

  Cobol charged forward.

  Jenny engaged her perception ability just as the remaining two soldiers opened fire. Everything moved in slow motion, and red lines marked the path of the fléchettes. Jenny’s muscles screamed in protest as she twisted away from the deadly projectiles. The soldiers followed her path, forcing her toward the edge of the Terminal and the endless void of space.

  There’s only one way out of this, Jenny thought as she jumped off the edge of the Terminal. The stars spun around her as she contorted her body and attached her boots to the side of Terminal. She was safely out of sight from the armored soldiers. I hope my disappearing act was convincing.

  Jenny? Cobol asked. Are you still there?

  I am. Hold on, I’m coming to help. Jenny circled around the underside of the Terminal and resurfaced behind the armored soldiers. Up close, they towered over her. Fortunately, Mazu had taught Jenny how to handle a larger opponent. Lin and Aindriu were able to take these guys down, I can too, Jenny thought. She hooked her arm through one of the soldier’s legs and bent her knees. With a surge of strength, she twisted her body, and the enormous soldier came free of the Terminal. Jenny rolled him over her shoulder and hurled him out into space. I did it!

  Jenny turned her attention to Cobol, who still struggled with his armored soldier.

  Suddenly, a cable struck the Terminal near Jenny’s foot, and the soldier she had just thrown slammed into her back. An enormous arm wrapped around her neck and tugged at her helmet. Jenny snaked her uninjured arm in front of her face to protect herself, and her back popped as she strained against the powered armor.

  It was impossible to break free of the soldier’s grip, but there was one hope. If I could just reach the Riftkey… With her injured arm, Jenny reached out for the Riftkey on Cobol’s back. Just a little more, she thought. The armored soldier lifted Jenny away from the Terminal. She didn’t have hip cables to save her. If the soldier threw her out into space, she’d drift away until she died of asphyxiation.

  Just then, Cobol tore open his soldier’s cockpit in a spray of metal parts. Inside, a young man, around twenty-five, wore no protection against the vacuum of spac
e. His exposed body thrashed against his restraints as air exploded from his lungs. His skin swelled to the point of splitting, and the moisture around his face crystallized.

  With a grunt, Jenny stretched out for the Riftkey, but her fingers only grazed the handle. Cobol stepped backward, and Jenny wrapped her fingers around the grip. As she pulled it free, she activated the Riftkey and swung backward. The arm around her neck went slack, but she was still in danger of drifting away. Jenny grabbed the soldier’s arm and pulled herself back down to the Terminal and attached her boots.

  39

  Doppelgänger

  Jenny stood frozen as she watched air and blood vent from the armored soldier she had just killed. There’s a man in there, probably not much older than me, Jenny thought. Knowing that he would have killed her didn’t lessen her horror.

  Jenny, Cobol spoke into her mind.

  Yeah, Jenny replied numbly.

  You need to keep going. There is only one lock left…

  Jenny looked up at the battle raging overhead. Dozens of fighters chased one another around the Terminal, and half of Lance’s fleet had been destroyed by the Tamarack. Their derelict shells sparked and expelled gas as they drifted lifelessly against the stars.

  Victus is winning, Jenny said. What’s the point?

  Because there is still a chance, and if you stop now, their sacrifice will have been for nothing.

  Jenny blinked dry eyes and looked down at the Riftkey. She took a long shuddering breath to calm her nerves. You’re right. She snapped the Riftkey into place. Just one more lock to go. She forced a smile onto her face. Let’s do it.

  As Jenny made her way around the Terminal, she saw another Tyran troop carrier hovering above the final lock. Two figures leapt from the back of the carrier and descended to the surface using their hip cables.

  Oh no, Jenny thought, not again.

  One of the figures was an armored soldier with gold details on her suit. Jenny knew that it also had a white skull on its black face mask instead of red. She had seen this armored soldier before, it was Alberta. Which meant that the other figure, which wore a black armored spacesuit and held the stolen Riftkey had to be Victus.

  I will handle this, Cobol sent to her.

  Thanks. Jenny dropped to the ground as Alberta raised her arm to fire. All I have to do is stay back and let Cobol handle them.

  Alberta’s arm flashed, but it wasn’t bullets that struck Cobol, it was something sticky, like glue or foam. Within seconds, the android was covered from head to foot and bound in place.

  I cannot move, Cobol said.

  Oh no. Jenny ran to him and tried to tear the foam away, but it was no use. The stuff was as strong as steel. Cobol was indeed trapped.

  Behind Alberta, Jenny saw that Victus had reached the final lock. He held his Riftkey out, ready to thrust it into the Terminal.

  You must stop him, Cobol said in her mind. If he succeeds in aligning the final lock, then he will become the Terminal master and control the solar system.

  No! Jenny replied. A surge of rage flooded through her. I haven’t come this far to just let him win. Though Cobol was trapped, his back remained free of the foam. She gripped the handle of the Riftkey and yanked it free. Like before, she felt a pull from the empty virosuit, and she remembered how Nimue had carried the Waypoint through the cave by possessing the suit. She thought briefly about possessing the suit, but she knew it would do her no good as long as it was trapped.

  Jenny’s heart pounded as she walked around Cobol. Thump—thump—thump. Holding the Riftkey in front of her like a shield. Alberta aimed, and Jenny activated her perception ability. Time slowed to a crawl, and a red line extended from Alberta’s arm to Jenny’s chest. I doubt she will be using the foam this time, Jenny thought to herself.

  Thump, beat her heart. In her altered state, Jenny’s heartbeat seemed to take a minute to complete. More red lines appeared as the needle-like fléchettes flew toward her at the perceived speed of a baseball pitch. Jenny easily moved the Riftkey into the path of each fléchette, deflecting them out into space.

  Jenny’s heart went thump as she marched forward. The red lines that marked the path of each fléchette made them easy to block, and Jenny grew cocky. She started to relax. I have this. I can beat her. As Jenny walked closer and closer to Alberta, she had less time to block each round.

  Then, the worst happened. She failed to block a fléchette aimed directly between her eyes. Jenny’s muscles flared in pain as she jerked her head back, but she failed to dodge the round completely. The needle-like fléchette grazed her helmet’s face mask, and a hairline crack spread across the glass. The sound of escaping air whistled in her ears.

  Thump, beat her heart.

  Jenny ignored the crack in her mask. I have to make myself a smaller target, she thought. Jenny took another step forward, released the magnetic hold on her boots, and dove at Alberta. She flew forward, hovering just above the Terminal, and held the Riftkey directly in front of her. She easily deflected each shot as she quickly closed the gap between them. As she came within striking distance, Jenny activated her boots and planted her feet. Blue light flared as the Riftkey cut clean through Alberta’s gun arm. Metal and flesh turned into gray sludge, and the dismembered limb flew out into space.

  Thump, beat Jenny’s heart as she slashed again, this time in a wide arc. The Riftkey passed through Alberta’s waist, and the pressure inside the armored suit blew it apart.

  With Alberta defeated, Jenny disabled her ability, and her perception of time returned to normal, and her heart beat in normal time. Behind her, the virosuit was trapped in foam, and ahead of her, Victus worked at the final lock.

  He hasn’t unlocked it yet, she thought. I can still stop him.

  Jenny ran past the stumps of Alberta’s legs as fast as her magnetic boots allowed and swung at Victus’s head. Victus pulled his Riftkey from the twelfth lock and blocked her attack.

  You can’t have it, Jenny spoke into Victus’s mind.

  You are wrong, Victus answered. After I kill you, I will be the one to unlock this Terminal, girl.

  You’ll find that I’m not so easy to kill. Jenny thrust her Riftkey at his chest.

  Victus backed away and glanced at Alberta’s remains. What a waste, Victus said. He took a wide fighting stance. I will take pleasure in destroying you.

  Jenny widened her own stance and held the Riftkey in front of her. Before joining Cabin, she only had basic training in saber combat, but after the ADD treatment, she felt like a master. Jenny feinted a stab at his head, and Victus parried her attack downward. She adjusted her footing and blocked a swing at her midsection. They spun their Riftkeys at each other, narrowly dodging and parrying each blow. To an outside observer, the Riftkeys would have looked like blurs of light, forming glowing parabolic curves through space.

  You are skilled, girl, Victus said.

  Thanks. Jenny slashed at his leg, arm, and head. You’re not so bad either.

  Victus blocked her combination attack and held her back with minimal effort. He deflected her next attack and countered with a thrust. As his aggression increased, Victus turned single attacks into combinations of two or three. His onslaught was more than Jenny could manage. As he advanced, she was forced backward, past Alberta’s remains, and toward the trapped Virosuit.

  You still have much to learn. Victus charged at Jenny with a flurry of blows.

  Jenny’s muscles burned from protecting herself, and air whistled out of her cracked mask. She didn’t have the strength or experience to face a foe of Victus’s caliber. He was an experienced Æon in a powered suit. All it would take was one minor slip, and his Riftkey would slice her suit open.

  Jenny turned her thoughts to the Riftkey. I’m sorry, Cobol. He’s too powerful.

  No, he’s not, Cobol said. You can beat him if you use the virosuit.

  What? Jenny thought to herself. But the virosuit is trapped, isn’t it?

  Victus pointed his Riftkey at her chest. You are n
othing, Victus said in Jenny’s mind, and unless you join me, you will always be nothing.

  You killed Lin. Jenny gazed into his black face mask. I’d rather die than join you.

  Victus charged, and Jenny barely got her Riftkey up in time to block him. She stumbled backward and bumped into the virosuit. Jenny felt its pull as she ducked under a slash. As Victus’s Riftkey struck the virosuit, some of the foam disintegrated in a puff of dust. and the virosuit remained unharmed.

  That’s right, she thought, the Riftkey can’t hurt the virosuit. Jenny came up with a plan. She spun around the virosuit, keeping it between her and Victus’s Riftkey.

  You are only prolonging the inevitable, Victus said as he slashed at her. He missed Jenny and hit the virosuit. More of the foam disintegrated. Jenny slid her own Riftkey along the skin of the virosuit. All the dust from the foam created a cloud around the suit and obscured her vision. After a few more slashes, the virosuit was mostly free of the foam, and it was time to enact her plan.

  With her back against the virosuit, Jenny focused on her breathing, her heartbeat, even the blood flowing through her veins. Like when she had possessed Sona, the pilot, Jenny embraced her inner self. In her mind, she saw herself as an eleven-year-old girl back when she still loved Roma life. Electricity sparked in her neurons as she drifted into a state between sleep and waking, between dreams and reality. Her mind split in two, and Jenny was both outside and inside her body. Jenny’s other self, her doppelgänger, drifted toward the virosuit. As she accepted its invitation, her doppelgänger was pulled inside like water into a drain.

  As the cloud of foam dust cleared, Victus swung his Riftkey at Jenny’s unprotected head, but her doppelgänger blocked the attack with the virosuit’s arm. Victus stepped backward, surprised by the suit’s sudden movement. Jenny’s doppelgänger slammed a metal fist into his gut, and his magnetic boots came free of the surface. He flipped toward the edge of the Terminal, but before he drifted out into space, a pair of cables fired from his hips and pulled him back down to the surface.