by Elin Wyn
“Which means that I was right,” Tella interjected. “The Puppet Master is sentient, and far more intelligent than we had given it credit for.”
Rouhr nodded. “Exactly right. Whatever it wants, it believes that it is here. The attacks everywhere else, while I don’t presume to understand or know what they were about, I must assume were intended to find something. I could very well be wrong, and it won’t be the first time, nor will it be the last, but...” he leaned forward, arms braced against the table as he spoke, “based on my conversations with Tella, and from my own deductions during the past hour, the previous attacks had to be about something specific. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
I held my tongue. It seemed a more prudent choice to hear what everyone was saying. Perhaps Tella was rubbing off on me.
“Why don’t we just have Fen’s A.I. create a rift then?” Sk’lar asked.
“I’ve been in contact with General Rouhr about just that,” Fen’s voice cut through the conversation in the room. “And I believe there are two main things that will prevent this. The first is that, from our readings, the entire city appears to now be one living organism. We believe this is because the vines have encased the city.”
There was silence in the room. Finally, I spoke up.
“Creating the rift while blind to where living beings are would mean that the chance to catch someone in a rift as it forms goes up dramatically,” I said soberly.
“That is correct, Rokul,” Fen said through the comm unit. “Without knowing exactly where the rift should form, we cannot create one without placing living beings in danger.”
“What was the second reason?” I asked.
There was a pause before Fen continued.
“Even if we were to be able to pinpoint a specific area to form a rift, our readings indicate that the gravitational constant is in flux in and around the city,” Fen replied.
“How is that even possible?” Axtin asked. “You’d need something massive…”
“Something that’s tied into the planet and can control planetary forces like gravitational pull could very well cause circumstances that make it unstable for us to create a rift. Remember that a rift requires a fairly controlled environment. Stability is key. When the gravitational forces fluctuate even slightly, it becomes impossible to maintain a stable rift,” Fen concluded.
I looked to Tella as I spoke, “That would mean this Puppet Master is so enormous it’s intricately woven into the very core of the planet itself.”
She nodded and looked at Rouhr.
He looked around the room and I finally noticed how tired he looked. He must not have been sleeping as he tried to figure all this out. He went on. “While the attacks have stopped, due to the dome closing us from the rest of the crews and the world, resources are highly limited. We’re going to need an updated inventory of what we have here. I already have the outside crews making an inventory list of their own.”
He sat down, looking defeated for a breath, then drew himself up straight. “We need ideas of our own. I want each of you coming up with ideas on what we can do. Now, I’ll turn it over to Tella to give us her thoughts.”
Tella nodded a thank you to Rouhr, then leaned forward in her chair. “Well, like the general was saying, we’ve made contact with the outside world. I’m not sure how the signal is getting through, but I will assume that somehow we’re bouncing a signal through a satellite of some sort and it’s getting through one of the holes at the top. As for the vines, from what we’ve been told, they look different on the outside of the dome than inside.”
“Why would they look different?” I asked.
“The only thing that I can think of is that because of the tendrils being inside, and the dome having to be here on a long-term basis, the outside of the vines would most likely have some sort of protective surface in order to keep it from burning in the sun, especially at the top,” she answered.
“So, if this thing is sentient, like you say,” Karzin cut in, “then what is it looking for? If the general is correct, and it is looking for something, what could it be?”
“I’m not sure,” Tella answered back. “If it’s looking for the toxin I used on it back at Rigkon, there’s barely any left and I think the tendrils have already searched the lab. My concern, honestly, is why hasn’t it simply destroyed the city?”
“Why would it destroy the city?” Takar asked.
“Well,” she said as she stood, “like I said, I firmly believe that this creature is sentient, and I think that it somehow thought of the city as a threat. Now that the city is encompassed in this tremendous-sized cage, it hasn’t attacked anything else. That means it feels that it has contained the threat and no longer needs to do anything.”
“So, you’re saying that it’s not looking for something, it’s containing something?” Sk’lar asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
“Well, what do you know, then?”
She shot Sk’lar a look that had two of his own team looking away. I didn’t bother to hide my smile of pride. “More than you, and if you’d shut up long enough to let me finish, I can catch you up. M’kay?” She looked away from Sk’lar and patently ignored his glare. I loved her so much at that moment. “Now, I was going to say that, I don’t know if it’s simply trying to contain us, but I’m certain that it’s looking for something.”
“How?” was the question voiced by at least four of us.
“Did you guys practice that, or was it natural?” She shook her head and continued on. “The tendrils. They come down and feel around everywhere they can.” As if on cue, we heard Tobias yell from down the hall. Since I was closest to the door, I got up, looked out, and let out a loud “ha!”
“It’s the tendrils. They’re poking around and Tobias looks as unhappy as can be to have them around. Oop, here they come.” We all stood and moved aside as the tendrils felt around. We had already learned in a short time, if we left the tendrils alone, they generally left us alone. After a few minutes of being poked, prodded, and having two chairs toppled over, the tendrils finally left.
“We need to do something about those things,” Sk’lar announced.
“I agree,” Rouhr said. “And I believe that’s the point Tella was trying to make. We’re trapped, and we’re being searched. We don’t know what for, but we need to either figure it out or find a way to prepare for a long hold-out. So, we need plans. Every single plan you can come up with, no matter how stupid, asinine, or insane…it may turn out to be brilliant.” He let out a deep breath. “That will be all.”
We left the conference room and I gave Tella a light kiss on the cheek as she headed back to the lab. Takar and I left the building.
“Any thoughts on our assignment, brother?” he asked.
“Yep, and they’re all stupid,” I laughed. He joined me in my laughter. “You hungry?” I asked.
“Always.”
“Good. I’m starving,” I chuckled. “One favor, though?” I asked politely as we headed towards our favorite little shop.
“What’s that, brother?”
“Don’t make me eat a salad, I’ve had enough green the past few days.” I did my best to keep a look of innocence on my face, but when he stopped walking to glare at me, I burst out laughing.
“You’re an idiot,” he snapped with a smile.
I kept laughing. That was possible.
But if so, I was a happy one.
Epilogue: Tella
A week had passed since the vines overtook Nyheim. At first, I’d spent night and day inside General Rouhr’s lab testing and retesting samples, looking at the same data for hours on end for something I might’ve missed the first time.
The first time I went to collect samples from the vines, I was nervous. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think one of the planet’s native plants could grow to this size.
I read the initial reports done by Karzin and Annie when they first discovered the Puppet Master in the crater
. The crater in which it resided was half a mile wide, suggesting that the creature we were dealing with was huge.
But this…
I looked out the window of the lab, where a towering wall of green rose up behind the buildings. I craned my neck in an attempt to see the top, but I couldn’t. I made my way back to my desk, passing Leena, who was working around the clock as well.
“I’m running out of tests to run. I don’t even know what I’m looking for at this point,” she sighed.
“No luck with recreating the toxin?” I asked.
“I have pieces of it,” Leena sighed. “The samples I tested were too small and the substance wasn’t fully recognized by any of my machines. I should’ve gone to the Aurora to test the samples in the first place.”
I pondered a moment in silence, both of us trying to come up with answers, possible guesses. Anything.
“Without another sample of that toxin, we’re basically taking shots in the dark,” Leena went on.
“At least we can satisfy some scientific curiosity,” I suggested.
“Even that has its limits. I’ve just about figured out everything I’m going to figure out about the Puppet Master for now,” Leena replied.
“I still have a few tests I can run,” I replied. “They won’t help our current situation, but maybe the knowledge will come in handy later.”
“One can only hope,” Leena muttered. I left her to grumble over her data. I suddenly felt the urge to take a walk. I hadn’t been in the lab very long, but I was already itching for some fresh air. I left General Rouhr’s building without telling anyone where I was going, not that there was anywhere to go.
I walked through the city, my eyes trained up at the green vine dome that blocked out the sky. General Rouhr had had special lights built to make up for the lack of sunlight. They were huge, glowing white orbs that hung high above the buildings, almost touching the vines. It wasn’t as nice as real sunlight, and everything had a green tinge to it now, but it was better than darkness.
I didn’t stop walking until I reached the base of the vines. I’d been this close to the bases once before, the day the vines grew. That was to examine them and sample them with a scientific eye. I didn’t take the chance to stand still and just look at them.
The vines were thicker than a building in some places, but as they stretched up, they wove together in intricate latticework that was a clear indicator of conscious design. It was too neat, too organized, and too beautiful to be the product of random growth.
Not long ago, being trapped against my will inside the boundaries of a city for an unspecified amount of time would’ve been my worst nightmare.
Then I met Rokul.
Ironically, he hated feeling idle and stuck just as much as I did, yet it was he who taught me that standing still for a little while is okay.
He hadn’t asked about my family since I told him they were dead. Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to talk about them yet. But I was ready to think about them, to remember them. I kept myself moving from place to place non-stop because I was too scared to think about them. The moment I stood still, images of the last time I’d seen them flooded me. That used to terrify me. Now, it wasn’t scary, just painful.
I pressed my hand against one of the vines. It was solid, impenetrable, but softer than I’d expected it to be. I could feel the creature connected to these vines humming with life through my fingertips. Maybe that should’ve frightened me, but instead, it made me feel less isolated.
I stood completely still and closed my eyes, focusing only on the feel of the vines beneath my fingers. I let images of my family flood my mind’s eye. I saw my little sister begging to come along when I went to explore the chunk of forest behind our house. She didn’t like dirt, insects, or anything to do with nature, but she still always wanted to come.
My mom and my dad used to watch us from their kitchen window because they knew more about the dangers of the forest than we did. They still let us explore, because the last thing they wanted to do was teach us to be afraid of the world we lived in.
My throat constricted as a shuddering sob escaped my lips. At first, I tried to hold everything in. Then I realized there was no point. I let myself cry at the base of the vines.
“Tella.” Rokul grabbed my shoulders and pulled me against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged myself closer to him.
“What are you doing here?” My tears dried up. Crying in front of others, even Rokul, wasn’t something I was ready for yet, either.
“I saw you leave the building. I figured I’d walk with you.” He smiled down at me. “I always forget how fast a walker you are. You can dip between people like water. I lost you twice before I finally found you here.”
“If I’d known you wanted to come with me, I would’ve waited.” I managed a smile.
“You looked like you wanted a few moments to yourself,” Rokul said. “I’m sorry if I disrupted you.”
“You could never.” I pressed the side of my head into his chest to listen to his heartbeat. All traces of my little outburst vanished. “I just came out here to look at the vines. I feel like we’ve been doing everything to them except looking.”
“Any progress in the lab?” he asked.
“No,” I frowned. “That toxin is our only lead and we don’t have enough to fully reconstruct it synthetically.”
“A partial reconstruction is better than no reconstruction,” Rokul reasoned.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I’m sure Leena’s already on it.”
Rokul released his embrace and offered his hand to me. I took it, enjoying the comfortable, familiar feeling of his hand.
Together, we walked along the boundary created by the vines. I walked directly next to the wall of green and stretched my free hand out to run my fingers along the velvet-like skin of the vines.
“You seem to be enjoying those,” Rokul observed.
“I wish they weren’t here,” I replied. “However, I’m also glad they grew around the city and not through it. This plant is sentient. It could’ve killed everyone in Nyheim if it wanted to.”
“You make it sound like the Puppet Master is more than sentient. You’re making it sound intelligent,” Rokul said.
“We’ve named it the Puppet Master for a reason,” I shrugged. “It has dominion over the other sentient plants. That implies a higher level of intelligence.”
“Well, if that’s true,” Rokul leaned past me and shouted, “thanks for not killing us all!” I tipped my head back and laughed.
“I don’t think it can hear you,” I chuckled.
“You don’t know that,” Rokul replied.
“You’re right, I don’t,” I admitted. “All I know is that if I’m going to be trapped in Nyheim, I’m glad I’m trapped with you.”
“Me, too,” he smiled. “But I know you. In another couple of days, you’ll be restless and threatening to claw your way through the vines with your bare hands.”
“That does sound like me,” I said after considering his words.
“The moment those vines are cleared, you’re going to take off like a blaster shot,” Rokul chuckled.
“I’ll be dragging you behind me, so you better get ready to keep up,” I replied.
“Good. Where will you be dragging me?” he asked. I chewed my bottom lip as I pondered the question.
“I think I’d like to head to the swamplands,” I decided. “There are species of plants unique to that area that I haven’t gotten the chance to study.”
“I’ve spent some time out there,” Rokul said. “It didn’t seem that different from the rest of the forest, but then again, I was there to stop Xathi hybrids, not look at flowers.”
“Good point,” I nodded. “If we do make it out to the swamplands, promise me one thing.”
“Anything.” Rokul’s eyes were bright and his smile was warm.
“If we happen to come across a Helmria Ithalma, please don’t kill it.”
Lett
er from Elin
Oh my goodness, Rokul and Tella are a blast to write. Something about characters that don’t have filters on their mouths, even if they keep their hearts more guarded.
It’s possible I’ve woken the cats a few times, giggling at those two.
You know the crew is going to be doing everything they can to get out, searching in every direction for a weakness.
But what they discover will reveal a part of Ankou that they never suspected existed…
Keep reading for a sneak peek, or get it on Amazon now!
XOXO,
Elin
Sylor: Sneak Peek
Nesta
It has never been a good idea to scream in the tunnels.
The darkness had its secret inhabitants and sometimes shadows were more than what they seemed. The mere sound of footsteps was enough to draw unwanted attention in the cramped tunnels below Nyheim, and caution was the number one tool to carry if you wanted to survive in the underground. And if you ventured deep into the tunnels, you needed more than just caution.
You needed silence.
“SON OF A BITCH!” I cried out as loud as I could, looking down as blood trickled out my cracked fingernail.
Yes, just a fingernail.
But it was the last straw.
My voice echoed through the maze of tunnels behind me, but I didn’t care if someone (or something) could hear me. My broken nail demanded all my attention, and I would scream as loudly as possible if that helped ease the pain.
Caution and silence?
Screw that.
Sitting down on a pile of rubble, flashlight strapped to my shoulder, I brought my finger up to my mouth and sucked on the blood as I grimaced. The coppery taste of my own blood made my stomach growl in protest, and I remembered once more just how hungry I really was.