“You’re artificial,” he said to Athame. “What model? You’re in violation of the law.”
“Praetor,” she responded before Cygni could chime in.
He gasped and thrust himself back against the wall. Athame placed Kae gently on the floor and Rune knelt down beside him.
“She’s a friend, I said.” Cygni put a hand on his shoulder. “Nero Graves reprogrammed her.”
Sanul’s tiny ears flicked at the air. “Nero Graves? You found him? So that’s that Sorina Khepria? Isn’t she CSA?”
“Unlikely.” Sorina placed the brain core back on the table. She reached into her jumpsuit and put the second one beside the first.
“Who’s he?” Sanul pointed his four-digit hand at Kae.
“Kaeden Faen. He needs meds. Do you have any?” Cygni asked.
“Yeah, two rooms over in the cabinet,” Sanul responded.
“How much progress have you made?” Sorina asked.
“Um…” It took another nod from Cygni before he started to talk. “A lot and not much. The encryption is amazing, but I found a way in. I’ve got weeks of data, but without a key or a point of reference to unlock it… Wow, how did you get yours?”
“Tore it out of Praetor Login’s head,” Athame responded. “This location may soon be compromised.”
In the sudden silence after her words they could hear the screams and crashes of air cars hitting the pavement outside the building.
“What’s going on?” Sanul asked.
“They released Siren. We should’ve gotten those canisters.” Cygni hung her head.
“We couldn’t find them. Gods, they actually did it? Rega?”
“And Zalor, I bet,” she responded.
“And Daedalus,” Sorina added. “Please focus. I require your assistance.”
“Right.” He gave Cygni one more hug before moving back to the table. “What have you got?”
She took the opportunity to slip into the hallway and fetch the medicine in the bathroom. The screams were louder in the hallway, and worse when she was standing beside the frosted glass of the bathroom window. Looking at it she could see the pulsing cloud of deadly nanomachines just on the other side.
She shuddered and fetched the long, silver tube of nanomeds from the cabinet. Pausing by the door she gave the window one last look. She hoped Shkur was all right, wherever he was.
Rune snatched the nanomeds from her hand the moment she returned. He knelt and jammed the active end into his father’s shoulder before she could blink. She watched him empty the tube, then toss it aside and wait for it to take effect. The kid knew what he was doing. She supposed he must have done it before. How long was it he and his dad were out there alone among the stars?
“There,” Sorina said. “That’s the cypher I worked out for the first three levels.”
“Nice job. Ah, wait, I see. It uses a fractal algorithm to code the cipher for the next level that depends on the derivative of the last,” Sanul stated.
“Can you break it?” Sorina asked.
“Yeah, I can. I have enough data. It’s a good thing Meia made me record it all.”
“Meia?” Cygni piped up.
Sanul’s ears flicked at his horns. “Meia, ah, Starblood. She’s Premier Keltan’s head of security, but—”
The woman with the olive skin and military haircut flashed through her mind. She was with Baron Keltan at the Barony, and present with the bodyguards at the Venus Club.
“Was Meia working for Premier Keltan the whole time?”
“Uh, yeah, I think?” he said.
“She spied on us. She might even be responsible for what happened in the tower. They knew we were coming. It was her, wasn’t it?” She shook with rage. The woman got Biren killed. She should have paid her more mind, but she was so angry with Dorsky… Guilt hit her like a tidal wave.
“Um, probably? She arrested me too, but—”
“She arrested you? Sanul, why the hell are you working with her? How much does she know? Does Premier Keltan know? Goddess, how much do the VoQuana know? How could you be so stupid?”
“Cyg, please, hang on,” he stammered. “She’s working with me to save the Confederation. She’s trying to get Premier Keltan free of the VoQuana and get rid of Siren. Oh, damn… Um, well we failed at that, but I’m serious. It’s all she talks about. That’s her drone right there. It’s how we communicate.”
She glared at him, then turned her attention to the silver device in the corner of the room. It looked like a twisted metal bangle with a large blue gemstone in the center.
“It is a Daedalus Systems 47 miniature reconnaissance drone,” Athame stated. She moved over to the device and picked it up in her hands.
“Goddess, Sanul. She’s spying on us right now. Did she order Siren’s release, too?” Cygni was so angry she could barely think straight. She felt the heat of her rage rising through her throat from deep inside her chest. That woman got Biren killed. She knew it.
“No! Hell no! She’s not like that Cyg, I promise. I’ve gotten to know her in the last few weeks. I think she’s for real.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Is she…”
“She is.”
“I cannot raise Nero,” Sorina said.
Athame put the miniature drone down on the table. “Neither can I. There is a jamming field present.”
“Maybe I can help. Where is he? Do you have his CPAd?” Sanul moved slowly as though trying to avoid being bitten by a snake and settled back into his seat.
“The Palace,” Sorina said.
Sanul’s fingers paused in the air above the terminal for a moment before he started typing on the orange holographic keys. It took a few minutes before he looked up.
“Something’s wreaking havoc in the Palace security network. I can’t get in,” he said.
“Someone has to go get him.” Rune startled her.
She looked down into his fiery, green eyes.
“Nero’s a hero, and my friend. We can’t just leave him without backup. Dad wouldn’t want it.”
“You are correct.” Sorina checked her pistol’s charge and ammo.
“You’re going to the Palace?” Cygni was in shock.
“I will not leave him alone in need.”
“It is inadvisable,” Athame stated. “The Palace is heavily guarded by a regiment of Star Jumpers. Even with your training the odds are heavily against you. If something happened to him you will not be able to assist.”
“I will not abandon him.” Sorina’s ears wavered in the air above her head.
“Siren is filling the city. You are not immune.”
“You are,” she said.
“Only because my mimetic flesh can be made into a configuration resembling Cygni Lau Aragón’s armacorium, but I would still be hard-pressed to overcome the entirety of the Palace guard alone. Additionally, we are operating in a vacuum until these cores are decoded and Daedalus’ plans are exposed. If Nero Graves needs our help, we have a high probability of making things worse if we try to go without intelligence.”
Sorina’s ears went into overdrive, vibrating like plucked strings. “Krushrex[5]! You are right—Did you say armacorium is proof against Siren?”
“Affirmative. Its nano-structure is designed to repel nanoweapon attacks even more sophisticated than Siren.”
Sorina’s amber eyes turned to Cygni.
She felt her heart skip a beat, but she knew in an instant what she would do. Biren, Lina, Giselle… With Siren loose Boa and Ila might even be on that list now. Nero was a good man. He helped get her out of the clutches of the Orgnan. It was probably safe to say she would be in their torture rooms without him. She couldn’t abandon him when she knew she could do something.
“I’ll go.”
Sanul shot her a surprised look.
“I’ll go. There’s no Siren in the tunnels, right? I’ll take them as far as I can and then—I don’t know, swim for the island maybe.”
“That course is inadvisable. The Palace defen
ses will destroy you before you can reach it,” Athame stated.
“Maybe not,” Sanul said in a small voice.
All eyes turned to him.
“Explain,” Athame said.
“Meia found a tunnel that goes right under the Palace.”
“She did?” Sorina leaned forward.
“Yes, it starts in one of the old restaurants in the Business District. Um, what was that name?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dried green leaf.
Cygni reached forward and grabbed his fur-covered wrist. “Which one?”
“Delicious something… No, that wasn’t it. It had to do with cooking I think. Um—”
Unbelievable, she thought as the restaurant with the old wooden facade appeared in her mind’s eye.
“Fried Delectables.”
“Yeah, that’s it! How did you know?” Sanul asked.
“I’ve eaten there before. It’s got a tunnel to the Palace?”
“Meia said it was in the freezer in the kitchen. We made a point to avoid it because it’s the way Doctor Rega uses to go to the Siren lab beneath the Palace, but yeah.”
She shuddered. Siren again.
“Siren lab? Are we on the goddamn capital?” Kae groaned and his eyes flickered open. His skin was deathly pale beneath the bushes of his mutton chops, but he was alive.
“Dad!” Rune fell upon him with a tight hug.
“What is your status, Kaeden Faen?” Athame asked.
“What is my what? I feel like shit, that’s what. Someone answer me.” He tried to sit, but gave up after a single try.
“Affirmative, we are on the capital. You flew us here. Scanning for brain damage… None detected. You have lost a great deal of plasma. Please remain in your present position,” Athame stated.
“Better do what she says, dad.” Rune pressed his hand into his father’s chest. In his weakened state Cygni figured maybe the kid could hold him down.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said at length. “We’re in a Gaian hideout, and it seems I’m about to go find Nero.”
Kae’s expression went from pain to serious concern. “What’s wrong with Nero?”
“We haven’t been able to raise him on the comm,” Rune said. “They’re jamming us.”
“All right, let’s go get him.” Kae started to sit up again but fell back, bouncing his head on the wooden floor. “Ouch.”
“You better stay here. I’m going to the Palace.”
“The Palace? You’ll be eaten alive,” he said between moans.
“Athame told her she’d need an army,” Rune whispered.
“An army? Well it’s a good thing that maybe we have one,” Kae said.
“What?” Cygni stared at him in shock. “What do you mean?”
“The CSS Peleus is up there. Nero’s sister captains that ship, or used to. If we could get a message to her we could tell her Nero and I are down here and need help. I think she’d do it.”
“He has a sister?” Cygni blinked.
“Orithia Graves, and that’ll be Captain Graves to you,” Kae said. “If you can get to a strong enough transmitter maybe there’s a chance to break through the jamming.”
“A strong enough transmitter? Where?” Cygni asked,
“Ah,” he stammered. “Okay, I haven’t been to the capital, ah, ever, but I bet you guys have one somewhere.”
“The Palace has one,” Sorina stated. “It links to the military comm network.”
Cygni nodded. “So that’s where I’m going anyway. If I can, I’ll send the message.”
“But finding Nero is your top priority,” Sorina said.
“Okay, I’ll find him.” She opened the trap door and put one foot on the ladder before Athame stopped her.
“You will need this,” she stated, handing her one of her machine pistols.
Cygni stared at the long, black barrel and shook her head.
“Do not be stupid, Cygni. Nero is depending on you,” Sorina said.
She didn’t want to kill again. The thought made her sick to her stomach, but they were right. She couldn’t chance someone stopping her.
“Okay.” She accepted the heavy weapon, making a loop in the armacorium on her thigh to carry it.
“Bring my Nero back, Cygni,” Sorina said.
“Yeah, I second that,” Kae stated.
She met the golden gaze of the Relaen and the crushing weight of the responsibility she had hit her like a wall of fastcrete. She couldn’t say a word until Rune put a hand on her shoulder and nodded like she was some hero going off to win the day.
“Okay, I will,” she said with a confidence she didn’t really have.
She hoped she wouldn’t disappoint the kid.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Somewhere in the Matre’s Glory System
J2400:3326
Nero jolted awake as all his muscles flexed at once as though an electric current ran through his body. His arms were bound at the wrists and stretched above his head. The ache in his shoulders told him he was hanging by them for some time. His legs were stretched out beneath him and bound at the ankles to a raised, circular node of some kind. The air was warm and dry in the small, black chamber, and he could tell by the way it caressed him that he was stripped to his skin.
There were other, empty nodes beyond his own in a semi-circle around a hexagonal dais. Behind it was the chamber’s only door.
Prospero? Nero thought when his UI booted up.
I am here, Nero. I seem to have been rebooted.
Where the hell are we?
Connecting to… Connection unavailable. I don’t know, but the overall design of this room is familiar.
A memory flashed through his mind; one of being in his niche with the Praetor Prime offering him her hand.
We’re in Deep Hydra, aren’t we?
I believe that is a correct assessment, though specifically where within Deep Hydra I cannot say. I have no record of this particular chamber.
He looked around the room for anything they could use to escape. The walls were smooth, and there were no obvious terminals, but of course there wouldn’t be. In Daedalus’ world wireless access to the machinery was all that was required. All of its servants had a q-comm as he did, but he dared not activate it. If he did, the machine entity would once again be able to access his thoughts as it did before he and Prospero freed themselves. It could possibly disable him through Prospero. No, that wasn’t an option at all.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss it, Prospero stated. I’m not sure we’re going to have a choice.
He gritted his teeth.
The door across from them dilated open. A lean figure with pale white skin walked in from the darkness. Dressed in Abyssian black, the Praetor marched up to the dais before them and held himself erect.
“Welcome home, Praetor Graves.” The Praetor had only glossy black orbs for eyes.
Nero blinked. “Ben?”
“You will re-enable your q-comm and submit to a memory download and wipe. It is time to reset you and end the experiment. There will be consequences if you do not submit.”
He stared, looking deep into the featureless black eyes before responding.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t be submitting today. Let me make Daedalus a counter offer; he lets me go and abandons his plan to upgrade the Confederation, and I won’t destroy him.”
“If you do not accept the terms I will have no choice but to test the next generation of the Siren upgrade on you and on your friends on Kosfanter. Do you understand?”
A transparent tube slid down from the node in the ceiling above him. It locked to the node below his feet with a hiss.
I don’t like this, Prospero thought. These are nanomachine tubes. I think we’re in serious trouble.
“Last chance, Nero Graves. Do you agree to the terms?” Ben asked.
Nero growled and hauled on his restraints with both arms and legs. Every muscle in his body stood out in stark relief beneath his skin, but neit
her the polymer cuffs nor the rods holding them budged. He cast about, knowing it to be futile, but something within himself refused to give up. If only he had a weapon or could break the bonds holding him…
He shouted in frustration. If he allowed Daedalus to reprogram him he would lose himself—and Sorina—forever. He would never allow that.
“Ben, tell Daedalus he can suck my dick.”
Ben stared as a mechanical whirring sound began in the machinery above him. Three small panels slid open in the node and thick, reddish-yellow liquid splashed off his shoulders, streamed down his body, and pooled beneath his feet.
Prospero, think of something.
Oh sure. Um, why didn’t I think of something already? How’s this? We’re screwed! What the hell do you think I’ve been doing since we woke up? I can’t breach Daedalus’ defenses. He has rolling encryption, and without the cipher there’s no way I’m going to keep up with his processing power.
Nero growled, thrashing against his bonds. “By the Will, Prospero! If we don’t think of something soon we’re dead, and not just us. Think about Sorina, and Kae, and Rune—!”
Yelling isn’t going to help, you know.
I’ll stop yelling when you stop being useless, he thought back.
Useless? Why you ungrateful son of a—I have an idea.
There, see? Better. Let’s do it.
Initiating…
Nero looked down, feeling the syrupy fluid close in around his toes and start crawling up his feet. “Hurry.”
Easy for you to say. I’m attempting to hack this Praetor—ah, Ben… Isn’t that a bit strange?—without allowing him to do the same to us. Don’t tell me to hurry up unless you think you can do a better job.
Why do you always get snippy when we’re in trouble? Do you think that’s helping? He thought at Prospero. They were just spinning their wheels without effect. No one had ever hacked a Praetor, or even taken one down without major firepower. Not even the VoQuana—
Except, one almost did. Remember what that VoQuana did to us on Zov? Prospero asked. Without waiting for an answer, his SCC recalled the memory for him in excruciating detail.
Goddessdammit Prospero, if you ever do that again—
The VoQuana generate a magnetic field with their unique nervous system. That enables them to interact with other biological beings and machines, and that was how they were able to cut us off from each other. Perhaps I can simulate the effect by modifying the field we use for electrolocation. Stand by, Nero.
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