by KT Belt
“Psyche?” he asked, his voice exploratory and unsure.
Carmen returned him a puzzled look. There was something different in his eyes. He had the countenance of someone questioning their faith. He also looked like he was containing physical disgust as he looked at her. The effort to avoid looking at her without seeming like he was avoiding looking at her was obvious. She had no idea how she appeared, but the blistered, leathery mess that was her arm was a good clue. Her gaze traveling from her arm to Rauon and back caused him to redouble his efforts.
“Psyche, why didn’t you fight back?” he asked.
She didn’t expect the question. A response came to mind—a lie. It was a misnomer that Clairvoyants never lied. Their entire time at Solitary was a lie. Still, it was a distasteful practice, and as she looked at him, she couldn’t bring herself to give another. She lay back on the bed, plain faced, and said not a word.
“Well?” Rauon asked. Carmen turned her head away from him, which made him pause. “Who is Edge?” he asked, his voice low.
Her only response was a deep breath. She heard Rauon get up and walk slowly in front of her. She looked at him.
“I fear there is more about you than I first assumed,” he said.
No one said anything else. Carmen’s unwavering eyes stared at him. Rauon stared back. She could have read him at any time and known exactly what he was thinking, but it was unnecessary. He, like so many before him, backed away from her slowly, as if she were a dangerous animal. Carmen watched him go, much like she had with Inertia. In this instance, though, she felt no elation.
Mugal was waiting for Inertia in the corridor. He had four Clairvoyant Constructs with him, as well as several sorten security members. Inertia looked at the unusually heavy escort and paused.
The security director noticed his hesitation. “You are to come with us, Clairvoyant. The project leader wishes to see you.”
“That I know, but all this?” he asked, gesturing to the force arrayed against him.
“Extra precautions in light of previous events. Project Leader’s order,” Mugal said. “As is this,” he added, producing a set of binders. Inertia’s eyes narrowed when he saw them. “You don’t object do you?”
It was only a second, but in that brief instance, Inertia made a calculation. “No, I don’t object,” he concluded as he held out his arms.
Mugal stepped forward and placed the binders on him. It was only a few seconds before the Clairvoyant’s hands went to his head and he fell to one knee. The corridor felt like it was spinning.
“They were calibrated for your mate. Should be more than strong enough for you,” Mugal commented. Inertia glared at him but said nothing. “Come.”
He got to his feet after a wobble and joined the sorten contingent. They moved swiftly with the security director and security members in front and the four Clairvoyant Constructs behind. Inertia did his best to keep up in the center. It was then that he realized there was something different about Mugal. The purpose and tenseness in his movements weren’t birthed from his usual militant readiness. It was difficult to know what had caused the change.
Inertia considered the possibilities. Yesterday’s events had reset the landscape. That much was inescapable. But what changed, and to what degree, was still only an educated guess.
He had never thought they’d see Phaethon, other than finding out in some computer record that he’d been killed. Now the sortens knew Edge’s real name—well, her Clairvoyant name anyway. What could be done with that was hard to say. Phaethon had probably been interrogated on who Edge was and his relation to her. Inertia let his mind explore that realm for a moment. It was doubtful they’d found anything incriminating. They would probably kill or at least attempt to kill them if so. Inertia looked at Mugal. The sorten was certainly filled with purpose. To an outside observer, it looked like the Clairvoyant was being taken to his execution. Inertia looked at the binders and wondered if cooperating wasn’t the best idea. It didn’t help that Edge wasn’t much of a threat to anyone in her current state.
In short order, the group eventually arrived in an average sized room. It wasn’t a fight room or observation booth. There were computer terminals, but no one was at any of the workstations. In fact, no one was in the room at all. The sorten security and Clairvoyant Constructs took vigilant positions throughout the room, save two of the Constructs who stayed close to Inertia. Mugal walked a little away, but not before he shot the terran an accusatory glare.
What’s going on? Inertia wondered, but there were no clues to go off of. Caelus wasn’t even in the room. It didn’t seem like they would be removing the binders. No direction was given. Inertia decided to not let the opportunity go to waste; there was no other option anyway. He took a seat at one of the computers, eyeing Mugal as he did. Mugal watched him in turn.
Inertia’s search of the computer system proceeded in frantic spurts that were punctuated by his quick surveys of the room to make sure it was still safe to proceed. Mugal made no active attempts to stop him. It seemed more like the security director was waiting for something. Mugal glanced repeatedly at the door. Unfortunately, the binders did their job quite well. A purple clown with a bouquet of roses could have been behind that door, for all Inertia knew. But just then, there was a strange noise.
It sounded heavy and came at regular intervals. And it was getting closer. Boom, boom, boom. The sorten security team was no longer watching Inertia. Their attention was firmly fixed on the door. Inertia no longer studied the computer and looked at the door as well. Boom, boom, boom. It was right outside the room now.
A quiet second passed—several, in fact—and each was agonizing. Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of gears whirring and the hiss of hydraulics energizing. The door opened to reveal an Eternal attempting to fit through it. The ungainly machine clopped and staggered as it determined the optimum way through an entrance that was a size too small. Inertia couldn’t help turning his nose up. Limbs were retracted, angles were adjusted, and the Eternal was finally able to make it into the room, where it rose to its full height.
Inertia looked up at it. The machine was charcoal black in color. Quite oddly, its construction was completely, if sometimes subtly, asymmetrical. The unnatural aesthetic of the unnatural contraption was intentional. This unit had yet to talk, but Inertia was already quite certain its synthetic voice would randomly change stress, tone, and tempo as it spoke. The ultimate purpose was to make whoever they encountered uncomfortable. It had to provide some type of advantage in some situations; Clairvoyants often used similar tactics. In any case, Inertia had dealt with Eternals before. It had been brief, but it was more than enough time for him to learn that he hated each and every one of them.
Boom, boom, boom, boom. The Eternal walked toward him, and it was a surprise craters weren’t left everywhere it went.
“Where is the other Clairvoyant?” it asked, its voice changing stress as he’d guessed. “I would like to study both of them.”
Inertia pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. He had no doubt he was currently being scanned by every type of sensor in the known galaxy. It was just the Eternal way. No one knew exactly where they came from or who built them. They claimed they were the products and legacy of a long extinct race now lost to the histories. That explanation was as good as any other, and just as irrelevant. All that really mattered was that they weren’t alive, despite their protests otherwise. Inertia would read nothing behind this unit’s metal exoskeleton if he weren’t wearing the binders. Each and every Eternal went about its purpose with the mindless abandon that only a machine could muster. That purpose, in almost all cases, was scientific research. An Eternal could spend months cataloguing each and every blade of grass in a field.
Caelus walked into the room with a small security escort of sortens. “In time. She is recovering in our med bay. The incident I told you about,” Caelus said to the machine.
“Is there any threat that the female could expire?
If so, I’d prefer to analyze her before,” the Eternal said.
Caelus gave a soft chuckle. “No,” he said. “I believe, for now, she will survive.” He looked at Inertia as he spoke.
Inertia stared right back, and just then another player entered the room. Every soul subconsciously stiffened. The Clairvoyant’s clothes swayed and billowed with every movement he made. The reflection of everyone’s image in his mask, really all of creation, was bent, corrupted, and inverted on itself, on and on for eternity. Even Caelus took a few steps away.
“Beast,” the sorten said, referring to Inertia, “this is 1227231.” He gestured toward the Eternal. “And this is—”
“Charon,” Inertia interrupted.
Caelus’s face flashed with a look of surprise. Charon’s countenance couldn’t be discerned.
“Do you two know each other?” Caelus asked.
A Clairvoyant’s bioelectric field was as distinctive as a fingerprint. Unfortunately, Inertia couldn’t read much of anything with the binders on. Nevertheless, he knew of no Clairvoyant who used similar theatrics.
“No,” Inertia said. “But I know of him,” he added after another quick mental calculation.
“Explain,” Caelus demanded.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. My wife and I didn’t even know sortens would accept Clairvoyant assistance until we heard of Charon’s attack on New Earth,” Inertia said. Half-truths were always the most effective.
“How did you know sortens were behind the attack?” Mugal asked.
“It made sense,” Inertia replied. “Who else but the sortens would have the means to create Clairvoyant Constructs? And who else other than the sortens would have to use Clairvoyant Constructs because natural Clairvoyants won’t work with them, especially not in numbers?”
That answer seemed to satisfy Mugal, who didn’t say anything else.
“How industrious of you,” Charon said. His voice, though not exactly deep, reverberated throughout the room. “Unfortunately, not all Clairvoyants seem as enterprising. I’ve been hounded by a particularly tenacious pair ever since that attack… Though one of them is not a Clairvoyant, despite how capable she is.”
The comment caught Inertia’s interest. “And what happened to them?” he asked, knowing in the back of his mind that the pair was more than likely Gungnir and Widget.
“They can’t track me here. I will set out again after a time. That is all you need know,” Charon responded.
Inertia gave a respectful nod and thought it wise to hold any further questions for the time being.
“It is fortunate that Charon could join us, never mind the circumstances,” Caelus said, sounding almost respectful. “Now I must ask him, do you think our efforts here are wasted? Inertia has said since the beginning that I will never succeed.”
1227231 spoke before Charon could. “All that is needed is time. Nothing escapes the relentless pounding of logic, given a long enough timeframe and enough variables to compare. A complete understanding and duplication of Clairvoyants is inevitable.”
“I quite agree,” Caelus said.
Charon and Inertia ignored the automaton.
“This entire facility and its purpose are a laughable construct,” Charon said simply.
The sorten looked taken aback. “How can you say that? Why did you not say anything before?” he asked hurriedly.
Charon looked at Caelus. His mask split the sorten into wild disarray. “My opinion is immaterial. I get paid regardless of your success,” he said.
Mugal glowered at him. Inertia couldn’t help thinking that Clairvoyants were Clairvoyants, no matter their allegiance. It was refreshing.
“I tire of this. See me when you are finished here,” Charon said to Caelus. Then he left the room without pause.
Caelus stood still for a moment, time Inertia used to study the computer. He was close. The sorten looked at him and noted how busy he seemed to be.
“Why continue working if you think it is futile?” he asked.
Inertia didn’t look up from the computer. “Clairvoyants are wrong as often as anyone else. They are just seldom in doubt,” he said simply.
The scientist considered his words and nodded. “What do you need to proceed?”
“As you said, time,” Inertia responded, but he smiled a few seconds later. He had found everything he needed. He looked at Caelus. “I could use one thing,” he said, holding up his bound hands.
Mugal shot the project leader a look but said nothing. Caelus didn’t speak either, instead pausing for silent consideration.
“No, those will stay for now,” he said. Then he took a deep breath. “I will return in a moment. I must speak with Charon.”
Inertia looked at 1227231 and Mugal, wondering when the best time to strike would be now that he knew exactly how to get to the comm room and how to use the computers. He’d have to reconnect with Edge and figure out some way to find Phaethon.
Caelus left the room as Inertia made his final calculations.
Charon patiently waited for Caelus in the corridor. The beast’s services were invaluable, and his loyalty was without question. Despite that, being around him made Caelus’s skin crawl.
“You said there were two of them?” the Clairvoyant asked.
“Yes, the male, Inertia, who you just met. He’s provided technical assistance. His mate, who is more powerful, was used as a baseline. I’m not sure what to call her, though. She claims her name is Psyche. However, yesterday, one of the previous subjects you brought us referred to her as Edge, and the two of them even defended each other,” Caelus said.
“Which subject is this?”
“His Clairvoyant name is Phaethon,” the sorten replied. “Of course, we interrogated him, but he revealed nothing. Unfortunately, a mind scan takes some time and is yet to be completed.” Charon made no response. “Does the name mean anything to you?”
“What did she say?” he asked back.
“She’s yet to be questioned.”
Charon was silent for a moment. “I can’t be certain. I need to see her.”
“That can be arranged,” Caelus said.
He started walking and Charon followed. They disappeared into a room only a short distance down the corridor. The sortens in the security station stiffened when the Clairvoyant entered, relaxing only when Caelus gave a reassuring nod.
“Show me the med bay,” he ordered.
The security officers responded dutifully. “On the main screen now, Project Leader,” one of them said.
Caelus stepped out of the way to allow Charon a clear look. On the main screen was Edge. She lay on her bed quite peacefully in the medical bay. The burns on her face and arm were clearly visible.
“I know this one,” Charon said. “There were reports of an extremely strong Clairvoyant fitting her description years ago at the facility on New Earth.”
“The same facility where you collect Phaethon?” Caelus more remarked than asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you know anything else about her?”
“I do not. She got the attention of many when she was younger, due to her extreme power. But she was basically forgotten after she graduated.”
Caelus stared at the monitor hard. “So, she and Phaethon are from the same facility, know each other’s names, and defended each other. You also said two mercenaries have been following you since your attack on New Earth. Too many coincidences,” he said.
“Indeed,” Charon muttered, folding his arms. “Kill her and her partner. Do it immediately.”
21
Into Action
Charon didn’t return to the room. Caelus entered alone sooner than Inertia had expected. Other than glancing in Inertia’s direction from time to time, the sorten largely ignored the Clairvoyant. Inertia bit his lip. It was impossible while wearing the binders to tell if Charon was waiting outside. He’d never had an objective be so close yet feel so far away. If only he could capture or kill Charon… But the opport
unity seemed ever more fleeting.
Caelus spoke quietly to Mugal while Inertia considered his next move. He couldn’t hear what was said, and it wasn’t easy to intuit. It was then that he realized how much he passively read minds to discern alien body language. With the binders on, the sortens were opaque to him. Mugal listened more than he spoke. By Inertia’s best guess, Caelus was probably giving a series of commands. That was nothing out of the ordinary. As impossible as it seemed, however, the always solemn security director’s features turned more severe the longer Caelus talked, drawing all of Inertia’s attention.
Boom, boom, boom. “What are you studying, Clairvoyant?” 1227231 asked as it lumbered toward him. Its tone seemed curious instead of accusatory.
Inertia cursed under his breath. He preferred to not be distracted from whatever was going on with Caelus and Mugal.
“I’m reading the baseline comparison results between different batches of Clairvoyant Constructs,” he said while trying to figure out how to get the Eternal to go away.
1227231 shifted its position to get a better look at the workstation. Inertia already had the screen on the relevant data just in case. “What are your findings?” the machine asked.
Inertia couldn’t care less about the sorten data, despite how extensive it was. He didn’t waste his time answering right away either. Instead, he watched Caelus exit the room. Two of the Clairvoyant Construct guards left with him, which prompted a look of interested surprise from Inertia. Then his eyes fell on Mugal. The sorten stared back with icy readiness. Inertia turned his attention back to 1227231.
“I don’t have any conclusions yet,” he said, no word of which was a lie.
Mugal continued staring at him, even while he moved slowly from sorten guard to sorten guard. A few hushed words were exchanged from leader to each subordinate, but Inertia had no idea what they were. There was a silent edginess about the sortens. It couldn’t be described as calm, but it was a far cry from the nervous dread Clairvoyants usually produced in all those around them. For the first time since he’d been in Solitary, Inertia felt anxious. He couldn’t help a glance at his binders.