《The Undeniable Labyrinth》 Chapter One: Focus! Light and darkness spun around her crazily. Althea stumbled out into space. She slipped out of control, falling forward ¨C reacted automatically ¨C legs and arms extended, palms flat; fingers outstretched. She felt sudden solidity. The vertigo and freefall spinning slowed, stopped. Althea collapsed on a hard, cold surface, shuddering. Her body curled up in defensive instinct. Lights still flashed around her, chimes of the portal¡¯s roaring sound, mind saturated with Mirror Maze visions. ¡­¡°Your Consortia crutches!¡± ¡­¡°Who will save you?!¡± ¡­opponent is playing ¡­taunting ¡­earth shakes ¡­taller than buildings ¡­puppets ¡­corpore ¡­beyond arrogance! ¡­thoughtless amusement ¡­so fast ¡­blow after blow ¡­again and again ¡­taste of blood ¡­swing and kick ¡­fist against flesh ¡­measure and lunge.¡­ Legion! Breathing deeply, harshly, she willfully calmed her racing heart and mind. The transit had been so long, the experiences this time so ¨C vivid ¨C so shocking. Thankfully, the air, sharp and cold, brought her quickly back to reality. Althea pulled herself to her knees, fought the vertigo, turned to look at the silvery light beaming from the active portal looming over her. ¡°Oneness,¡± she breathed. ¡°That was¡­¡± Memory returned. She had no time to waste. Vital, essential actions came to mind. She thought of Dorian ¨C and the Macro risk ¨C breathed in again, deeply. ¡°Transmissions?¡± she asked, voice haggard. "Standard portal responses", Dorian told her, voice comfortably inside her head. She felt relief ¨C he was still with her. Althea checked herself. Everything seemed in its proper place. Slowly she brought her cold hands up from the freezing floor, waited a moment for her NANs to send warming blood to them. Around her, the lights flashed a kaleidoscope in monochrome from the still active portal. She rubbed her face, tried to focus. The transit had been almost unbearably long. Filled with experiential fragments so intense she struggled to shake them out of her mind. But that might mean she had reached her destination. Elysium was a long way from home. ¡°Good¡­ good,¡± she finally forced out. ¡°Check for Macro fragments in the control system¡¯s foundation code.¡± The last thing they needed was an active, alert Macro responding to their arrival when she was in such a vulnerable, dizzied state. ¡°Does¨C does it know we''ve arrived?¡± she stammered a demand. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡­.click click ¡­clang clank ¡­robots ¡­Hissing ¡­Cutting burning ¡­surface warming shaking ¡­vibrations stronger and stronger ¡­what programming? ¡­eyes into eyes ¡­.sorrow ¡­predatory hunger ¡­.not kind ¡­he believes ¡­empathy ¡­must not be abandoned ¡­nodding agreement ¡­shifting mirrors ¡­portal winks ¡­pounding behind her¡­ pounding through her ¡­heart pounding ¡­legs pumping ¡­metal screams ¡­thrashing metal ¡­last steps ¡­push off ¡­shattering glass. Focus! ¡°What did you say?¡± she was sure that Dorian had replied, she just couldn¡¯t make out the words. "There are traces of code", he repeated, "but I am not detecting any queries. The code is surface embedded an inactive." She smiled, relieved. It didn¡¯t mean that they were clear yet, but it did mean that they had time. She needed time. "Are you all right?" he added. It was such a long¡­¡± she started, but couldn¡¯t finish. ¡°There was so much. Didn¡¯t you feel anything at all?¡± "No", he replied. "I felt nothing". Even with that he¡¯d felt nothing. Still not human, no matter how much she wished. She brushed her hair away from her eyes, willed the sensations away. ¡°Begin shutdown,¡± she commanded. Althea¡¯s sight was clearing as the portal lights began to slow their dancing, sharp chimes turning to low, treacle bubbling. The hall darkened, the glow from the columns and portal controls now dominating the growing gloom. The air was still harsh and cold. She was beginning to feel the chill all over; alarms in her mind rang about circulation, heat loss, hypothermia. Her adaptive clothing wasn¡¯t enough to compensate. That wasn¡¯t right at all. It was too cold! She tried to stand, but vertigo and flashes of images, sounds, stopped her again. ¡­the mirror leans ¡­pressing ¡­staring down ¡­deep ¡­in the depths ¡­woman ¡­older ¡­her ¡­not her ¡­behind another ¡­and another ¡­find us ¡­all of us ¡­.who you are ¡­you must ¡­¡±How?¡± ¡­¡±How do I get through¡± ¡­fists beating cold glass ¡­harder and harder ¡­will not break ¡­each blow hurting ¡­fists throbbing ¡­figures fading ¡­ disappearing ¡­crying out ¡­.hot tears streaming ¡­Falling ¡­sliding down ¡­.clutching fists ¡­pain. Althea was back again on her knees, looking down at her outstretched hands pressed against freezing solidity. How could she not think that was her? Straight black hair, smooth adult features with brown eyes and brown skin ¨C that was who she was. She gritted her teeth. Follow the plan! Chapter Two: Follow The Plan "Follow the plan," she repeated, felt her teeth begin to chatter. Dorian signaled his assent. Althea gingerly got to her feet. She shivered, rubbed her arms, thought figures and scales in her mind. In a beat, a new wave of radiating warmth came from within as her NANs responded. She glanced around for the station"s primary controls, spotted a vaguely mushroom shaped mound near her, perhaps two sixes away. She started in that direction, stepping carefully across the slick, ice coated floor. "Dorian, it''s too cold here. Didn''t we arrive at the proper site?" There weren''t supposed to be ports in either of Elysium''s arctic zones. The port''s address information is a close approximation of our data,he told her.Perhaps there has been a shift in seasonal weather patterns. Althea reached the mound. She activated the torch bracelet on her wrist, white light brightening the grey of her bodysuit''s sleeve, projected photons revealing what she''d suspected: underneath the thick, translucent coating were the station''s primary controls. She looked them over, frowning. The wide, slightly angled, waist high surface was totally covered in ice. Every access panel on it was thickly coated to nearly a double two, a handbreadth easily. Beneath, the surface lights did shine faint and dull - active - but inaccessible. The only way to get at them would be by smashing or melting. All around, the walls had a far thicker coating, glittering with frost. It all looked too solid, too permanent. "No, no, no, this ice looks way too thick to be seasonal." Althea felt a mounting anxiety. It wasn''t at all how she expected Elysium to be. Was this the memorial world at all? She began to wonder, to doubt.Better to know sooner than later. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She performed a three-point check on the relative gravity, finding it noticeably weaker than expected. She considered the content of the air, started swearing under her breath. There were trace elements that could not possibly be present the Elysian atmosphere. "It''s all wrong! None of this matches Elysium at all!" Dorian had warned her arrival wasn''t a certainty. She should have listened to him. But- all the marking symbols on the panels were obscured by the ice. "What planet is this?" Do you want me to scan deeper? "No!" she commanded sharply. "Too risky. I''ll break through the ice, access the board manually." My formula failed you. No!... No. "Dorian," she implored. "It was a long transit, and our information is over two hundred anna off pattern." She paused for a moment. "You did tell me there were no guarantees." He didn''t deserve the blame. The transit had been her choice, her decision. Althea took in a deep breath of the bitterly cold air, felt her thoughts clearing, echoes from the transit fading, gone. She glared at the iced-up controls, despondent. What do you want to do now? Return to your port and try another formula? And only improve her chances by a tiny fraction? With not even a cursory response from the world''s Macro, she was free for at least some investigation. They should have enough time to reactivate the portal and get out without any risk of it following them back. "No, not yet." It wasn''t too cold, she decided, to spend a little while looking for answers. They could easily triple their chances with new spatial data. "We need to find out where we''ve ended up." Chapter Three: Where Could She Be? Althea pondered a mental list of possible worlds that they could have been bounced to, as she began to cut through the ice coating the main controls. There were potentially hundreds, none more than a partial match to what she had found. The temperature here couldn''t match any of them, not combined with the local gravity and atmospheric composition. Where could she be? The ice wasn''t thick, but it was solid. Even cut, the layers of on the controls took no small effort to shatter, reluctantly succumbing to her attacks of kinetics and heat. It was tricky to adjust her tiny projector to cut only the frozen layers and not damage the control surface beneath, the density of the layers being too variable. Direct access would have been instantaneous, but there was no safe way for Dorian to activate the system, not without potentially exposing him to the local Macro. Human - manual operation - was the least dangerous way for her to bring up control fields, decrypt the local coding herself, time consuming though that would be. She was quickly beginning to regret the decision, however, having to stop cutting through the ice - often - to allow her stressed NANs to stabilize, help adjust her body''s response to the cold air chilling her, biting into her lungs, with every breath. Yellow and red lights blinked at her through the fragments of pulverized ice. She stopped for a moment, staring at the blurry screen beneath the final layers, shut, then reopened her eyes. ...Lying in a meadow ...big yellow flowers on green ...wavering in the leisurely breeze ...sun high in a sapphire sky ...a sharp glint of yellow-green high in the bright blue ...sweltering heat ...buttery smell ...buzzing of insects ...chirping of avians ...voices calling her ...hidden name ...child''s name ..."Tara, Tara, Tara" ...male and female voices ...adult ...familiar ...giggling ...never find her here ...she''ll be able to stay ...lay in the flowers ...away from the dark forest ...forever... Althea shivered - shook away the vision - leaned for a moment against the station controls, collecting her energy, her thoughts. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. She''d taken long transits before out here, far longer than was allowed among the Palmyr worlds, certainly. Dreamlike sensations, strange compulsions, visions, voices - she had experienced them before - but they''d never lingered so long after arrival. Should she abandon a direct route - formulate a series of shorter, more certain paths to Elysium? But then... how many ruined worlds, how many more dead, how many Macros could she handle? She shut her eyes tight against the thought. How many more Hadhalho''s, before she could find any kind of absolution? Althea took in a breath, let it out, watched it billow into the air - forced herself to relax - then looked down at her dark skinned Emeralder hands. They were loosening their grip, but her nails had clearly gouged sharp lines over the glowing displays. Whatever the hallucinations meant, pulled from her mind or not, figuring them out was not vital. Finding out what went wrong with the transit - where they were, and how to program the return formula - was. After Elysium, she could be more cautious; take shorter, safer, less harrowing transits. With renewed focus, Althea scraped, smashed and pried off the last of the ice, exposing the primary controls and reactive display panels to her touch. The board arrangement was different than she was accustomed to, but still workable. She applied the default commands, waited for the system''s responses to appear - and waited. Nothing happened. She looked up at the darkened portal, the dimming glow in the columns as the system cooled, steamed away the frost. When she looked back at the panels, there was still no change. The second and third tries produced the same result. Frustrated, she complained: "The controls aren''t responding at all!" They had to, or- Chapter Four: Whats that sound? Dorian offered a thought. Cryogenic damage? She let another white breath out. The suggestion wasn¡¯t of practical help, although was likely accurate, and worrying. She didn¡¯t want to have to try nanoscopic repair work in such conditions. You could try the secondary controls. Waste more time smashing ice? Althea shook her head, not wanting to entertain the idea, tried the activation sequence again. Nothing. She gave up. ¡°Fine, the secondaries.¡± Shards and ice dust piled up around her feet, scattered on the floor, as she finished melting and smashing through to the secondary controls. She worked her commands again, waited ¨C smiled. The glowing symbols transformed, shifted to green and blue. Satisfied, she brushed the dusty debris off the board then applied her requests. Althea poked the interface controls lightly, tentatively ¨C relieved by the positive responses, if not the system¡¯s stuttering, freezing. More green and blue symbols lit up; details appeared. She conferred with Dorian, then provided the required sequence of trinary code through the manual interface. It took almost a two sixes to decrypt the control paths, but the result proved to be worth the effort. The whole board brightened up, fields of data emerging, becoming clear; but the information they revealed was totally unexpected, and totally unacceptable. ¡°This cannot be possible ¨C It has to be wrong!¡± What¡¯s wrong? ¡°The system says that we are on Makan! Dorian, Statis Delcia Tres! It says we¡¯re not even in the right Century!¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Her mind filled with knowledge of the world. Fun, exciting Makan, with third grade technology, unremarkable population and culture, economy centered on¡­ tourism?! The Orealcean Century of cultures was galactic west, hundreds of light years from her intended destination. Makan was not described as cold world. ¡°I know,¡± she choked out, still disbelieving. ¡°We should be in a tropical zone, not a deep freeze!¡± How could that have happened? How could she have ended up here?! Makan was so far away from Elysium. The probability of such a redirection was incredibly ¨C unbearably ¨C small. Yet¡­ here they were. There were hints in our records that the original settlers may have altered their world¡¯s climate. Terraforming was very common in the Consortia. ¡°You think they would have been proud of that,¡± she replied angrily, ¡°and maybe advertised the fact. That kind of climate work would be hard to control with just micronics.¡± Perhaps the technology was provided by a higher-grade culture. Orbital solar lenses, she decided. That would explain everything she saw. Althea looked again around her at the thick ice, perhaps decades worth of deposit, coating the walls. The world was returning to its natural state. Not good for anyone, least of all her. She stared back at the confirmation report, accepted it. Portal Authority data didn¡¯t lie. Gravity and air composition didn¡¯t lie. They had to be on Makan. ¡°All right,¡± she agreed glumly, shivered again. A decision needed to be made, and soon. Elysium might be worth risking her life, not this planet. It wouldn¡¯t have anything she wanted or needed, and, even if it did, she wasn¡¯t prepared at all for such a hostile environment. ¡°Then we¡¯d better leave before we attract any attention. There¡¯s nothing here of any use.¡± She glanced over the asymmetrical control layout, began pressing the sequence to reactivate the portal. In moments, the trilium columns along the walls began to glow again. The symbols on fields, however, didn¡¯t change, remained static; didn¡¯t reveal any activation of the bridging fields. ¡°Damn.¡± She had entered the proper sequence, hadn¡¯t she? Althea looked to the power columns; their light had turned dim, fading, dying. ¡°The system isn¡¯t reactivating.¡± A light dust fell on the controls before her, glittering in the board¡¯s glow. She brushed it away, clearing the panel. A vibration ran through it beneath her fingers, accompanied by a low, almost sub-sonic, rumbling. She looked up. What¨C what¡¯s that sound? Chapter Five: Its taking to long! Alarmed ¨C Althea turned, looking, searching ¨C straining for the source of the sound. Glittering frost was falling from the vaulted ceiling high overhead. The rumbling changed into low splintering, cracking noise coming from above ¨C no ¨C it was coming from all around! Panicking, she stabbed repeated startup sequences on the unresponsive control board with her, again, cold-numbed fingers. They had to reactivate the portal, regardless of the risk. ¡°Dorian, access the core system. Start up the portal! Do it now!¡± That would be dangerous. There is still a significant risk the Macro¨C ¨Chad a thread into the control system. It didn¡¯t matter; they had to get out of here. The power surge created by her arrival must have damaged the frozen port¡¯s delicate structural balance. Above her, the decades¡¯ worth of ice that had built up was splintering apart. There was no time ¨C no time at all! ¡°The whole port is beginning to collapse!¡± she shouted. ¡°The ice is breaking apart. If we don¡¯t get out of here now we¡¯ll be buried!¡± So intent on the controls, discovering where she¡¯d transited to, she hadn¡¯t even thought to pay any attention to what was happening in the chamber around her. A monstrous crack of thunder reverberated through the still air.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Now, Dorian. Now!¡± The control fields shifted achingly slowly, board indicators flickered back and forth. Althea jumped in shock as a chunk of ice several times her size shattered on the floor just a five from her, the impact spraying her frost and slivers. Quick glances up told her that blocks as big as that one, larger were breaking loose, about to fall. It¡¯s taking too long! Activating¡­ activating. The circuits have been cut. Neither the primary nor the secondary are responding. ¡°Reroute,¡± she commanded. ¡°There have to be redundant systems somewhere here. There are always¨C¡± Several control panels went dark. ¡°Dorian!¡± Parts of the frozen vault above, progressively ¨C frighteningly larger ¨C were falling now, and not just ice; chunks of the port¡¯s structure were crashing down as well. Althea stared upwards, praying that the whole vault above wasn¡¯t going to collapse on her before the portal re-activated. The system has ceased. I cannot re-activate the portal. She gaped at the board in disbelief, stabbed at the flickering interfaces in desperation. I¡¯m sorry. Another thunderous crack, louder than before, reverberated around her. She glanced upwards, eyes widening in terror. The NANs in her body, now commanded by her overriding fear, tripped her perceptions up into overdrive, slowing everything around her to a perceptual crawl. The falling blocks floated down towards her with glacial slowness. She could move, and move fast, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere safe she could reach. She had failed to reactivate the portal and any other exit was too far away. A vast section of the ceiling was separating, splintering ¨C falling in massive pieces, straight down towards her. ¡°Oneness,¡± she forced out in a harsh whisper. The spell broke, and she fell to her knees, lifting her arms up to block out the horrifying sight. Chapter Six: The Alarm
Traejan
Time was tight. Traejan had less than thirteen seconds to reach the end of the corridor, burst through the barricades and cut the countdown. ¡°Almost there,¡± he whispered, cramped fingers losing their grip, slippery with sweat. The ratcheted-up opposition was relentless. ¡°Almost there.¡± He grimaced with the effort it took, having to blast everything that moved around him, but he reached the corner, with two seconds to spare, skidding to a stop before exposing himself. The triplet-gun raised high; he waited for the right moment. Now! Swinging into view, the grinning cyborg lowered his gatling blaster, the massive weapon spitting out fire. ¡°Not this time,¡± Traejan breathed as multiple bullets battered him, smiled. He¡¯d positioned himself perfectly; in location, in time, and with enough life to absorb a few hits. He leveled his gun, squeezed the trigger ¨C blew the monster to blood, bone and shrapnel. Run, run, run! He had only a few seconds to get to the gate, held his breath. Get to the gate, stop the countdown, save the hostages, win! Five, four three two, jump! He was through. He was finished. The world exploded around him in a kaleidoscope of light, cheers. All lives saved, ninety-three point seven five percent score! It took the game twice as long as usual to compile all his bonus credits. Gasping, Traejan leaned back in the mersion couch, soaked with sweat and strain, but soothed by his achievement. ¡°Ah¡­ best score ever.¡± He closed his aching eyes for the first time in an hour. ¡°Try topping that!¡± he challenged. The stacks of gutted tech around him offered nothing in return.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The silence of solitude made him sink further in the chair. As good as he¡¯d gotten, Mende would have kicked his ass at this game, Kaelin too. Kyso was still alive, but he didn¡¯t care; he had his own nostalgic dreamland to escape to. Traejan opened his eyes again, as he heard the game¡¯s master voice begin. It matched the bright bold characters, the display floating above him: ¡°Total victory! Zero casualties! You¡¯ve achieved the penultimate level!¡± Traejan tried a smile, gave up, let his body relax, gave in to the fatigue. He closed his eyes. From somewhere a rhythmic alarm began to ring. Traejan shifted irritably, tried to ignore it, looked back up at the field matrix, the details of his achievement. He rubbed tickling moisture from his close-cropped hair. The alarm stopped. Then it rang, again and again. ¡°Streck¡­¡± he swore ¨C tried to pull himself out of the couch, wincing at the pain, the stiffness of his muscles, the complaining flesh. On the second attempt he succeeded. Twisting carefully, he slipped his thin frame through the labyrinthine stacks of garbage tech in the room, towards the source of the annoying, throbbing, alarm. He swore as a sharp edged bracket snagged his trousers, ripped them as he tore free. ¡°What the hell?¡± Traejan muttered, clearing out the micronics that blocked the source of the ringing. A monitor, screen cracked, yet active, displayed large characters blinking rapidly: PORTAL POWER SURGE. It glowed brightly with graphic details pulsing in underlying fields. The pattern of the alarm began anew ¨C he pressed a key to silence it. Afraid, he jabbed the key again. The alarm restarted. Excitement gripped him. His fingers, so nimble and effective in the mersion game, stumbled over the verification sequence. He flicked the send function, waited; impatiently tapping the board as the system slowly digested his requests. Years¡­ years of silence, and it was finally ringing! A power surge could mean just one thing ¨C the portal at End¡¯echea had been activated, the Consortia had come back! Three seconds passed. It felt like an eternity. ¡°Verify,¡± he instructed. Then, exasperated, demanded: ¡°Verify!¡± The fields redrew into a new shape. The surge was confirmed. ¡°Verified. Confirm portal Activation!¡± New fields lit up in the screen, clearly showing the flow of energy through the End¡¯echea Mirror Port, spikes of excessive generation in the tenth-magnitude range. It was absolute confirmation. ¡°Yes!¡± One of the fields dropped out. Traejan blinked. Another dropped. The rest vanished from the display.
Chapter Seven: We have to go! ¡°No, no!¡± He tapped out all the commands he knew, but the power fields graphs still read dead. All that remained active was the alarm pulse. Traejan blinked hard, then called up the system records. He couldn¡¯t have just imagined it all. The records didn¡¯t disappoint. The mirror port had been activated. It had been running at maximum power for over ten minutes. Traejan had been up for twenty hours, mastering the mersion game, but he was more awake than he had been in weeks. ¡°Have to tell Kyso,¡± he muttered, ¡°have to tell him now!¡± Where the streck was he? Traejan ran through the cold, empty corridors of the old resort, calling the old man¡¯s name. He wasn¡¯t in his workshop, kitchen, dome or sleeping quarters. Where was he? The sound of music ¨C the tangy smell ¨C drew him to the darkened observation lounge, smoke of nostalgia hanging in the air over the Kyso¡¯s slumped body. Traejan shook his head at the man¡¯s stained ratty robe, lank white hair messily flowing over face and shoulders. The Trakka blared from some hidden speakers. He couldn¡¯t turn it off, or even see where the music controls were. Turned to his last companion, he shook the man¡¯s shoulder, slapped his slack brown cheeks. ¡°Kyso!¡± he shouted. The old man shuddered, raised his head, squinting in Traejan¡¯s direction ¨C dark, unfocused eyes staring from a nest of wrinkles. ¡°What is it boy?¡± he asked in a scratchy, lethargic voice, hand over mouth and beard, wiping. ¡°I was just in the¨C¡± Traejan started, stopped, gestured inadequately, frantically, then forced the words out. ¡°The alarm has gone off!¡± Kyso stared at him, blinked. ¡°Alarm? What alarm?¡± Traejan took him by the shoulders, shook him violently. ¡°The End¡¯echea Mirror Port alarm!¡± He stared into the man¡¯s now startled eyes. ¡°It read a tenth-mag trilium displacement.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Kyso¡¯s eyes widened. He shook off Traejan¡¯s grip, looked up at him. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, brow furrowed in thought, focus, looked back up. ¡°Tenth-magnitude? Not since¡­¡± He grabbed the man¡¯s left hand, pulled him to his feet. Kyso took a moment to steady himself, shaking his head as he fumbled over his robe¡¯s tie. Traejan was already moving to the door, turned to wave urgently. ¡°Come on, Come on!¡± For once Kyso managed some spring in his step ¨C once fully awake, actually kept up with him ¨C all the way back to the tech room. Traejan kicked away some of the equipment, shoved stacks aside so the both of them could look over the data he¡¯d recorded. ¡°There it is,¡± he announced proudly, pulling up the recorded field pulses. ¡°Verified and confirmed!¡± Kyso fussed over the controls, peering at the data with suspicion, mumbling incoherent tech babble all the way. After a long silence, he nodded, turned back to Traejan. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said, a rare sober smile on his lips. The old man turned back to the display, poked the cracked screen. ¡°That is a definite power surge. I remember those spikes.¡± He backed a couple steps away from the screen, rubbed his moustache and beard with a thick-fingered hand. ¡°But what could cause that now?¡± he wondered. ¡°What else could it be?!¡± Traejan challenged. ¡°Not bots or flyers. It¡¯s well above the ice line. No scavenger knows how to open up the Mirror Maze. Consortia, it has to be!¡± ¡°Now?¡± Kyso questioned. He¡¯d already started falling back into his listless dreamer fugue. ¡°They¡¯re due, don¡¯t you think?¡± Traejan countered, a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s just been ¨C what ¨C two hundred and fifty years?!¡± All he received was a skeptical look. ¡°We could find out what happened,¡± he continued excitedly. ¡°What¡¯s kept them so dammed long!¡± Kyso raised a gnarled finger; gave him a stern, refocused look. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself with the assumption this is Legionary,¡± he asserted, pointed back at the screen. ¡°All that is ¨C is a blip. It could be any number of things. We need¡­ need to consider our actions. We have very little left we can afford to lose boy.¡± He wished Kyso would stop calling him that. He had been married; he was a man. ¡°We have to go,¡± Traejan insisted. ¡°We have to at least take a closer look.¡± The old man turned back to him, narrowed his gaze, nodded. ¡°Of course, of course,¡± he agreed, then added in a dour tone, ¡°But don¡¯t hold your hopes high. It¡¯s probably nothing like what you¡¯re dreaming of.¡± Chapter Eight: Blistering Wind
Traejan crouched, leaned forwards against the straps, exhausted from trudging through the ice for three days, the frigid wind lashing his face all the way. He stared through his frosted facemask into the relentless blowing snow ahead. Just in sight, the ghost-like shape of Kyso struggled, bent over as he forced his way through the constant stream of white. Weeks of mersion games didn¡¯t seem to have done much for his endurance. Surprising, considering how much energy they took to play. Come on, you¡¯re falling behind a frail oldster. Even a sled packed with supplies shouldn¡¯t be killing you. The snow pack under his feet deepened; he slowed a bit. The sled¡¯s micro-thrusters weren¡¯t working well, barely compensating for its mass. He was struggling for each step, gasping for breath. Traejan shut his eyes tight and pushed his way forward. Shit, streck, shit, when is this going to end? Abruptly, it did. He almost stumbled right into Kyso. Were they there, already? His friend turned a masked face, held a thickly mittened hand up, then showed him why he¡¯d stopped. Traejan winced at the sight ¨C cursed again. They¡¯d gone way off course. The blowing snow was clearing away. They stood in sudden, brilliant sunlight. Bare gray rocks stuck out of the ice, against the empty blue sky. In the distance, high, white mountains cut the horizon. They¡¯d missed the easy slope by kilometers.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Traejan released the straps, looked at the old man, who shrugged ¨C motioned ahead. They hunkered down in a crevice, sheltered from the worst of the wind. Kyso took out his binocs, turned them towards the wide valley below them. Traejan couldn¡¯t see the station with his naked eyes, but it was visible through his lenses, if only just. He adjusted his own binocs to maximum, but still couldn¡¯t coax out a good image ¨C only a lump of structures poking out of the ice. The glare was too strong, solid white, hiding most details. ¡°I can¡¯t see much from this distance.¡± Kyso¡¯s voice rough, raw, and muffled by his mask, strained to rise above the howling wind. Traejan looked away from his binoc image to see the man shake his head. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of blowing snow out there.¡± He pointed out into the blue. ¡°I don¡¯t see any evidence of activity.¡± ¡°We¡¯re a solid fifty kilometers away,¡± Traejan knew. Fifty! That¡¯s going to kill me for sure. ¡°And whatever went on there happened inside ¨C not out.¡± ¡°Still could be bots,¡± Kyso offered. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of weather out here, could hide anything.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t!¡± Traejan protested, irritated at the other man¡¯s repeated contrariness. He wouldn¡¯t accept that the things would come so far north. ¡°Still think you¡¯re an expert on everything mech, do you?¡± Kyso shot back. ¡°As much as you are,¡± He retorted angrily. Kyso might have yelled something further. Traejan wasn¡¯t listening. He crept over to the ledge ¨C looked down. The ice and rock precipice beckoned. The base was not as far down as he¡¯d expected, but easily enough to be a fatal drop. It¡¯d be quick though, he told himself, not a slow, tortuous wearing away. Maybe put the old man out of his misery. He turned, crawled back, motioned to Kyso. ¡°Want to try the short way down the cliff face?¡± he yelled, pointing towards the edge. ¡°It¡¯ll only take a few seconds!¡± Kyso wasn¡¯t interested. Instead, he pointed south, back to the safe route. Traejan looked out at the stark, white landscape, punctuated only by gray, bare rock. When he looked back, Kyso had disappeared into the blow, his vague silhouette merge in with the darker, shadowy form of the sled. Must be break time, Traejan realized ¨C not a moment to soon. He couldn¡¯t feel his fingers anymore, or his toes
Chapter Nine: It has to be the Consortia! It was a relief to be out of the wind, the numbing cold. Traejan joined his friend in the cramped, but warm space, sipped on hot soup, endured the pain as circulation returned to his hands, his feet. When he finished the ration, he looked over at Kyso, now lying back, weathered face slack, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. ¡°Hey.¡± The three days in the snow compelled him to an old request. He reached out, nudged his friend¡¯s leg. ¡°Remind me that it was real.¡± Kyso offered a momentary, thoughtful expression; then his face turned lax again, gaze questioning. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°Remind me that it wasn¡¯t always like this.¡± His voice cracked with the memory of ancient dreams, frustrated by a world that was now, ¡°ice, snow, cold¡­ that the forests, the sun, the warmth ¨C that it was real.¡± The old man responded with unexpected humor, eyes twinkling, lips returning to a smile. ¡°It was real Trae, this whole region was a tropical paradise! Must have been four million people hereabouts. They were quite a folk, the End¡¯echeans. I had a woman¡­¡± Traejan expected another of Kyso¡¯s tales of adventure and debauchery. It would start with a woman, then a man, then three, four, until it became an orgy that would carry on for weeks. Had it ever been real? Or just products of Nostalgia smoke? The real last twenty years were all ice and snow ¨C and now ¨C bitter isolation. Kaelin had tried to get him to appreciate her world. She¡¯d dragged him out into it as often as she could. Naked in the fluffy drifts ¨C even he couldn¡¯t resist that. He¡¯d had a woman¡­ She didn¡¯t hate the cold. She loved it ¨C of course, she¡¯d been born to it. Traejan remembered, only dimly now, walking under a warm sun, playing in grass, on sand, being told to stay out of the sun, the heat; a world that ended before he knew about debauchery, Kyso¡¯s or anyone else¡¯s. All those memories had been strong once, not anymore. They¡¯d become as insubstantial as dreams. The expected tale didn¡¯t happen; Kyso just laid back again, closed his eyes. Traejan turned to look back at the continuing blow of white outside the sled¡¯s cabin.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°It has to be,¡± he insisted. ¡°It has to be The Consortia.¡± They would explain. They would explain why! They would turn things back. He felt a hand on his shoulder, felt his friend¡¯s close presence, his warmth. Kyso offered a yellow-toothed grin. ¡°Let¡¯s go down now.¡± ¡°Yeah, down,¡± Traejan agreed glumly, then looked up, shocked. ¡°It¡¯s a long, long way down,¡± and the sled¡¯s thrusters were barely handling horizontal travel. ¡°What is it, thirty, forty meters?¡± ¡°Sixty, I think,¡± Traejan corrected. ¡°I didn¡¯t measure it. The sled¨C¡± ¡°Still has a couple tricks in it,¡± Kyso responded confidently. ¡°You¡¯re not going to force me to spend streck knows how many extra days trudging through this knee-high stuff, are you?¡± Traejan shook his head. No, they could do it, if they were careful ¨C very careful ¨C and the sled¡¯s ancient thrusters didn¡¯t rupture under the stain. ¡°Rest up then. I¡¯ll work on the adjustments.¡± Kyso gave him a pat on the shoulder, leaving him with the only muffled wind for company. Ironic to have woken up after over two hundred and twenty years, frozen in suspension ¨C only to be returned to the world ¨C now an alien one covered in ice. He thought of her again, them again; warm, excited flesh against the chilling snow. Kaelin had loved this world, he reminded himself. She¡¯d loved him. He¡¯d loved her, missed her so much. He could never love this place ¨C not ever. The plain of ice that filled the wide End¡¯echean valley looked flat and smooth from a distance. Unfortunately, it was no easier to travel through than the mountains above had been. The depth of the snow varied widely, and the wind was much worse. Traejan had to work harder just to keep from shivering continuously. Over two long arduous days, the mirror port grew from a speck in the distance to a bump, then to a collection of bumps. Periodically they checked their receiver, to ensure the signal, the portal pulse, was still broadcasting. The radio signal was weakening, intermittent, but still active. Against the haze of dull pain and episodes of violent shivering, the quiet beeping was the beacon drawing him on. The hope it offered pulled Traejan through the misery. Early on the third day crossing the valley, they reached the point where they could distinguish significant details with their binocs; parts of the port structure had simply disappeared. ¡°Right¡­ There¡¯s been some kind of damage ¨C an internal collapse, it looks like,¡± Traejan noted, excited and appalled at the change in the port. He pointed at the crumpled top of the main tower. ¡°The roof and walls over the portal vault,¡± he said to Kyso. ¡°That¡¯s definitely new.¡± Against the clear, pale blue sky, a sharp jagged edge of the massive structure jutted out, dark grey, not frosted white. ¡°Looks like,¡± the man agreed, his voice grim as he adjusted his binocs. ¡°Get back to the sled. If we put a move on, we¡¯ll get there while there¡¯s still light.¡± Chapter Ten: Im Going In Despite Kyso¡¯s vocal fears of a mech incursion, they encountered no sign of bot or flyer activity. Both the sky and the snow appeared untrammeled. With strength of purpose, Traejan pushed himself and Kyso to reach the port before dusk. By late afternoon, they were in the shadows of the crumpled tower. Close enough to judge the damage, make detailed, revealing scans ¨C for heat ¨C for hope. Traejan smacked his scanner as it sluggishly responded in the bitter cold. ¡°Check with the deep thermal to confirm it was caused by the power surge,¡± Kyso told him. There would be a pattern difference, as if he couldn¡¯t tell. The energy surge would have radiated from the mirror port chamber, through whatever conduits it could, causing sudden expansion in materials made brittle by the decades of subzero temperatures. That was probably the cause of the collapse ¨C and unfortunately, it didn¡¯t bode well for who, or what, might have transited in. Traejan¡¯s scans were inconclusive. Kyso suggested they split up ¨C scan the complex from all sides. It took the rest of the day for them to cover all the structures still poking above the ice. After night fell, under the shelter of the sled¡¯s canopy, they argued over the collected data. ¡°Look at this, there are still some lines radiating from the breaks,¡± Traejan told Kyso. The heat difference was minimal, suggesting that it was just a one-time burst, not sustained. What encouraged him was the array of the signatures, even taking into account the slight difference in temperature. ¡°I know it¡¯s just a degree or two now, but even so, they¡¯re all along the port¡¯s power matrix.¡± Kyso grimaced as he looked over the images Traejan had beamed to his scanner. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that shows it¡¯s warmer in the depths, beneath the vault,¡± he countered. ¡°You¡¯re guessing; you¡¯re hoping.¡± Traejan sighed loudly. Kyso looked up at him, face shadowy, dark red to orange from his scanner¡¯s glowing display. ¡°You¡¯re sure you found no trace of mech activity?¡± Traejan had checked all around, his own fears had pushed him to that. Beyond the collapse, the drifts were untouched. Crushed for the first time under his feet since they¡¯d set the beacon, for all he knew. ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything,¡± he replied. ¡°You?¡± Kyso shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of blowing snow¡­¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Kyso! The heat pattern can only have radiated from beneath the vault ¨C from the portal chamber!¡± Traejan pointed at the canopy¡¯s transparency, at the massive structure looming over them. ¡°Boy,¡± Kyso cautioned. ¡°It¡¯s just residual.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying even if someone came from the Mirror Maze ¨C that even if they¡¯re still here, since the port has collapsed ¨C they must be dead? That we came here for nothing?!¡± ¡°The scans don¡¯t confirm there are people down there,¡± he reminded Traejan. ¡°And there¡¯s hundreds of tons of unstable material between us and the main vault. What do you want? You¡¯ve seen what¡¯s going on, the structure is still settling. We should at least wait until morning.¡± Traejan lowered his scanner, leaned forwards, pushed right up to challenge the man face to face. ¡°If there¡¯s somebody ¨C anyone ¨C in there,¡± he restarted through clenched teeth, ¡°they could be injured, they could be dying. Waiting until it¡¯s safe ¨C for us ¨C could kill them!¡± Kyso leaned back, crossed his arms; the lines in his brow deepened into furrows. ¡°Kill who? Even if your theoretical Consortians aren¡¯t dead, we¡¯re hardly in a position to provide medical aid for someone crushed under that, are we?!¡± True or not, it didn¡¯t matter. He had to find out. He had to try. ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡± Kyso made a noise of protest. Traejan cut him off. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing rescue scenarios Kyso.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been playing games boy,¡± the old man replied harshly. ¡°This is real. How long has it been since you¡¯ve done something real?¡± Kyso was one to talk, smoke fiend that he was, but¡­ Traejan couldn¡¯t snap back at him. It had been three years ¨C three whole years, since the others had died, killed by the mechs. Deaths the old man hadn¡¯t been there to witness. Streck, he wouldn¡¯t even go to Pakan anymore. ¡°Beats the kick of Nostalgia smoke, don¡¯t you think?¡± he managed in a low growl. Kyso dropped his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s about time I did something real again,¡± Traejan asserted. ¡°It¡¯s about time we both did. Why else did we even come?¡± The old man looked back up at him, then shrugged. ¡°Do what you want,¡± he offered dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m not going in there.¡± Traejan reached past him, grabbed a coil of rope. ¡°You¡¯d better be out here when I get back.¡± Minutes later, he was standing before a gaping, dark mouth, the broken remains of a window array. Shining a light revealed the frozen wreckage within. Traejan readied himself, shifted the pack on his back. ¡°Having second thoughts?¡± Kyso¡¯s voice was sharp in the cold air. Traejan turned to see him walking up from the sled. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming,¡± he challenged. Kyso smiled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not,¡± he confirmed. ¡°But you are going to need someone to guide you down.¡± Traejan couldn¡¯t help smiling back. ¡°Think you can still do it?¡± Kyso let him hang for a moment. ¡°As long as I can run a line out here for heat.¡± He smiled briefly, then turned serious. ¡°I want you coming out of there.¡± Traejan looked into the darkness. He wanted to come back too. With something ¨C anything. ¡°Get your stuff,¡± he told Kyso. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stand out here in the cold waiting for you.¡± Kyso barked a laugh. ¡°Giving all the orders now, huh?¡± He pointed past Traejan. ¡°Why don¡¯t you clear some of the debris in there? I¡¯m not going to work out here in the wind.¡± Chapter Eleven: No doubt The floor he lay on was slippery, frigid, the chill seeping in even through layers of thick clothing. Traejan had no choice but to endure it as he crawled and slipped along. New collapses had left less than a meter of headway through the passage ¨C the only route left to the portal chamber. Straining, he reached forwards, shined a beam of light towards the wreckage ahead. There was a space. He grinned, then shivered violently while his teeth chattered. Frost showered again on him, but the floor didn¡¯t shake ¨C this time. Grin turned to grimace; Traejan gulped down cold air. The claustrophobia came and went, memories of when he was a boy, squeezing through ruins searching for anything usable; anything they could repair, restore, trade. Keep going Trae. You did it before. You can do it now! He was only three levels down, still far above the portal chamber. Carefully, he pulled himself along the icy surface, exhaled to squeeze under the broken supports, shivered again. Through, he found the room to stand up again, get away from the heat-sucking floor. The torch flooded the cul-de-sac with light. He eased himself up, hands feeling cracks all along the wall as he rose. Heavy breaths coming out in clouds, Traejan pulled out and tapped his transceiver. It had begun to buzz with static. The images on his scanner kept fading in and out. Residual power? Radiation? Or simply a failing battery?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He frowned. ¡°Increase the power from your end,¡± he told Kyso over the radio link. ¡°There¡¯s something interfering with the signal.¡± Kyso sent it again. The imaging cleared up, then solidified. Heat, he could tell from the graphs ¨C not much ¨C but it was there, burning steadily. He paused the playback loop. ¡°You see it, don¡¯t you?¡± he said, excited, validated. ¡°Something is still radiating heat in the portal chamber.¡± ¡°No doubt then.¡± Kyso sounded excited for the first time since they left the resort. ¡°I can¡¯t make out the shape though,¡± he cautioned, pouring ice water on the fire. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what the source may be.¡± I¡¯ll find out soon enough. Looking over again, the plan of the port, confirming his location, Traejan smiled. The main lift shaft was only ten meters in front of him. He could take that all the way down to the bottom, all the way down to the portal chamber. It was deep, dark ¨C but brightened by his torch, looked clear of dangerous obstructions as far as he could see. Traejan carefully tied his rope, clipped it to his belt. He made especially sure that the ledge wasn¡¯t sharp in the slightest. One fall down an elevator shaft was enough for a lifetime. Kyso called again, to remind him of that. Traejan swore. ¡°Yes, I checked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to be safe Trae,¡± the old man advised. ¡°Next time you call,¡± Traejan warned. ¡°It¡¯d better be for a good reason.¡± Did the man think he wanted to die in a place like this? Traejan turned around, tested the line, pulled it taut, gripped it tightly through his gloves. Then he stepped backwards, and over the edge. Chapter Twelve: What do you see? Slowly, carefully, Traejan climbed down, diligently testing the beams and dislodged wall panels beneath him, squeezing and slipping through the gaps in the wreckage that blocked his way. ¡°How¡¯s the descent?¡± Kyso asked, for the fifth time since he¡¯d started. What did he think? Traejan bit his tongue. ¡°Difficult,¡± he replied tersely. The building shook as he reached the portal level. For a long nervous moment he swung in the darkness, stared upwards as frost, bits of ice, fell from above. It was just another shake, he told himself. The structure was still settling, but remained solid. There had been half a dozen since he¡¯d started down ¨C and as before ¨C the latest tremor stopped. Hanging on the taut rope, Traejan began the work to open the lift doors. Straining, he jerked the squealing sliders a few centimeters, then a few more. After an interminable struggle, he pulled himself through the narrow gap. Past the doors, a strong, acrid odor hit him, not the clear harsh scent of cold and frost ¨C the heavier smell of burnt carbon. Passing his light over the area, he could see why; thick scorch marks were scrawled all over the passage walls beyond. The floor bucked, then again, more violently than ever. Traejan grabbed hold of the elevator¡¯s doorframe, his feet skidding on the slippery floor as it lurched. Ice smashed onto the floor in front of him; debris tumbled down the shaft behind him. He was gasping with fear long after the shaking stopped. A frantic call by Kyso followed. ¡°I¡¯m all right!¡± he shouted. ¡°You have to come out. The next one could collapse the whole structure!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m not coming out ¨C not till I find what¡¯s down here! Streck, Kyso, I¡¯m so close I can taste it!¡± No fear of being buried would keep him from the portal chamber. Gingerly pulling his stiff fingers from the cold metal frame, Traejan steadied himself, began moving tentatively down the corridor. ¡°Please watch yourself,¡± Kyso warned. ¡°Tell me, how extensive is the electrical damage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m seeing some burn scoring from the surge.¡± Traejan scratched off the carbonization streaks, his scrubbing revealing the metallic silver underneath. ¡°The circuits must have failed right here.¡± ¡°Avoid them,¡± Kyso ordered. ¡°My scans suggest there may be still some undischarged power.¡± Traejan jerked his fingers back from the wall. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have started with that,¡± he demanded, exasperated. He turned from the wall, scanned the corridor ahead, then began making his way over and through the debris and ice to the archway leading into the portal chamber. By the time he reached the rubble-strewn entrance, he couldn¡¯t tell if he was shivering with cold or anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ve reached the main entrance¡­ oh hell.¡± Traejan¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. ¡°What do you see?¡± Kyso wanted to know. He repeated the question stridently. Traejan shined his light around at the disaster area laid out before him. ¡°The interior dome has totally collapsed¡­ took most of the support structure with it. There are huge blocks of ice and support members piled on top of each other.¡± Kyso acknowledged his report. They fell into silence. Then Traejan remembered what he was there for. He crawled over the blocks, zeroing in on the thermal signature. ¡°I¡¯m picking up the heat source¡­¡± It was close, just beyond a pile of smaller man-sized debris; just meters away¡­ Carefully, he stepped through, over, bend under, watching his scans, making sure he was closing in ¨C but couldn¡¯t see anything yet through the ice ¨C just the rubble and the twinkling frost drifting down from above. He glanced back at the scanner¡¯s screen. Heat was streaming through a break just ahead: orange, red and purple through the blue and white. Just ahead! ¡°Ah, I¡¯m at the source,¡± he announced, pushed the smaller blocks aside. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Kyso demanded to know. ¡°A hand ¨C attached to an arm! It¡¯s a human being!¡± Traejan forced out the words excitedly. ¡°A human being, Kyso! A woman!¡± She lay under the blocks of ice, dark hair frosted with white, dark-skinned face, eyes closed, shivering; her breath visible in brief white plumes. ¡°Kyso,¡± he shouted. ¡°She¡¯s alive!¡± Chapter Thirteen: Am I broken? The big yellow sun swam lazily through the sky, winked at her. She lay in the cool grass, a warm wind blowing over her, carrying the smell of butter. Althea soaked it in. It didn¡¯t matter to her how she got there or why ¨C just that she was happy and at peace ¨C most of the time. The only thing that seemed wrong was the wind. It whispered intermittently, incoherently. She expected so much more. They belonged to each other; her and the wind. They were devoted. Sometimes it whistled, sometimes it sounded like the buffeting of cloth, sometimes the howl of a monster ¨C very, very rude ¨C very wrong. The wind was supposed to be soothing, not a herald of pain and confusion. Those times she felt tightly constricted, brutal sensations assaulted her ¨C physically painful ¨C nightmarish. But, somehow, she couldn¡¯t muster the motivation to act. She should ¨C she needed to ¨C didn¡¯t she? She had somewhere to go, somewhere to be. The first time that idea suggested itself was when the wind became especially loud: the sound of fabric, being beaten violently, by something powerful ¨C something angry. There were voices inside the noise, speaking barely intelligible words that wandered in and out, floating around her in a worrying way. Cold and ice, that should mean something. So should fracture and blood.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. She couldn¡¯t hold on to them, or make sense of them, and just as quickly, they were gone. She was back in the warm meadow, with no reason to be worried. She was just fine, didn¡¯t need to act at all. Then¨C She was grabbed, jerked, pulled. She felt severe pain in her head, a change in pressure all over her body. Her eyes wouldn¡¯t open. The harsh sounds were back, the loud, beating noise again. Why wouldn¡¯t someone stop it?! ¡°This doesn¡¯t look proso,¡± she could hear a voice ¨C understand it! It was male, it sounded old, grandfatherly, spoke in a slow drawl, a kind that was new to her. ¡°Her pupils are completely exposi,¡± the voice continued. ¡°Her breathing is ineffi, I can barely find a pulso.¡± Pupils dilated? Nerve injury? Head injury? Another voice piped in, keeping her awake. It was younger, excited, also male. She felt bound, strained to float away. ¡°She should be glacia.¡± The younger voice sounded unhappy, even disappointed that she wasn¡¯t. ¡°She¡¯s not wearing any cold weather apparati, and so thin¡­ What¡¯s keeping her ferve?¡± ¡°She may be geneered,¡± the older voice guessed. Althea wanted to giggle at the ludicrous suggestion. Visions of twisting DNA spiraled around her; nothing wrong with them, nothing in them other than unadulterated human genes. Of course, they weren¡¯t alone; she did have millions of tiny, industrious friends to help her, sliding up and down the strands, to fix whatever might be broken. She should be able to talk to them, to command them, to visualize what they were doing inside her, and to visualize herself. Only¡­ when she tried to, all the images she could muster shattered like glass in to pieces and splinters. She grew afraid. Am I broken? Chapter Fourteen: The wind had a name ¡°She¡¯s still critically injured,¡± the older voice continued glumly. ¡°I told you we weren¡¯t prepared for this. We don''t have the medtech.¡± Of course they didn¡¯t have the tech she needed. A third grade tourist attraction wouldn¡¯t have the resources to properly reinforce or replenish her NANs. If they weren¡¯t fed, and she couldn¡¯t command them, what would they do? Would they stop? Or would they¨C No, please no. There was more movement around her. She wished she could open her eyes; see the sources of the voices. Talk to them, tell them what they needed to do. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to carry her back doma.¡± That sounded definite. The thought excited her. She liked going home. She wanted to go home. Home was beautiful. Home was green. Home was Emerald. Home was forbidden. Althea remembered where she needed to go. She remembered choosing the world, watching it spin down from the galaxy of ghosts. Choosing it¡­ so she could speak to her dead. But¡­ what good could come from that?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go the long way around,¡± the older voice grumbled. ¡°We can go up the promont, there¡¯s enough power in the leva, isn¡¯t there?¡± the other insisted. Then he sounded as desperate as he did determined. ¡°We have to do it!¡± Go up a cliff, she thought about it, in a sled? Wasn¡¯t that the wrong way around? Why did these voices make so little sense? Why didn¡¯t the wind talk to her? Tell her everything was all right; explain what it all meant. Then she remembered the wind had a name. She had given it a name. She had encoded its name. She had concealed it, still did, even after it carried her away from home. From Emerald. ¡°Dorian.¡± The name suffused her with contentment. The thought of it pulled her away from the noises, the constriction, the pain. Again, she was happy, comfortable, back in the sun, in the field and warmth; and it lasted a long time. But again, the peace ended ¨C as it had before ¨C with a shock. She was no longer lying down. If she was, gravity was playing a very silly game with her, spinning, flipping her about. The nasty, nameless wind was back. It was howling this time, wailing. She could hear a banging, a scraping sound, felt as if she was a bottle on the water, bobbing this way and that. She felt a jerk ¨C then a sudden stop. ¡°Come on, just another five!¡± ¡°I¡¯m losing it! I¡¯m losing it.¡± She became alarmed. Who were they? Why were they shouting? Were those the voices she¡¯d heard earlier? ¡°Steady boy, it¡¯s just another few fours.¡± Althea relaxed a touch; it was the grandfather, she remembered. Noises overwhelmed voices ¨C more scraping, banging sounds ¨C she was again swung about wildly. Then, a violent jerk, and she was on her back. ¡°Stop, stop,¡± the old voice shouted. ¡°Damn ¨C two more thrusters gone.¡± Chapter Fifteen: Just like a whisper ¡°Made it,¡± the younger voice sounded winded, exhausted. ¡°Is she still¨C¡± ¡°Better than that,¡± the old voice wheezed with delight. ¡°She¡¯s recovering. Look at this; she¡¯s healing fast. She has to be Legionary!¡± She giggled. There weren¡¯t any legionaries, hadn¡¯t been for hundreds of anna. All gone long, long ago, leaving nothing but dust and rust and bones. The Legion Consortia Galacium was a memory ¨C a memory of light, then terror: of dreams, then nightmares. Was this a nightmare? Could she wake up? Couldn¡¯t she wake herself up? ¡°She¡¯ll be waking up then.¡± The young voice was better now, hopeful. She was awake ¨C must be awake! She could hear ¨C she could feel everything. Only her eyes still wouldn¡¯t open. Her mouth didn¡¯t work. Her body wouldn¡¯t obey her commands. She was mad at that, even scared. It should be quite distressing, but something was stopping her from feeling despair. Were her NANs forcing her to produce endorphins? Forcing her repeatedly into a dream state? To speed her healing processes? It made a¡­ kind of sense. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± the older voice replied, sounding distant ¨C remote. ¡°Come on, we need to reach the ridge before night.¡± Althea remembered Dorian again, the voice of the wind, the voice she should be hearing whenever she needed; a voice that she could no longer hear.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Where are you? What happened to you?¡­ ¡°Dorian,¡± she cried out, as loud as she could. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hear you?¡± Funny, her cry sounded just like a whisper; hardly a noise at all. She felt shock, pain again, then nothing. The fields surrounded her anew, but they weren¡¯t quite so pleasant anymore. Were her NANs running out of resources, or was she growing tolerant of the high they were providing her. Either way, she needed to act. She wanted to get up ¨C wanted to move ¨C wasn¡¯t satisfied any longer to just lay there in the warmth. She wanted the wind, no, wanted Dorian! Only¡­ every time she made the effort, she floated away, back to the fields, again and again. For the first time she regretted paying top trilium for the best nantech. ¡°Any response yet?¡± Ah, the old voice again, Althea welcomed it. Gravity wasn¡¯t playing games anymore; she wasn¡¯t in motion, she was lying down. It didn¡¯t feel cold, didn¡¯t feel warm. Mechanical noises, hums, beeps, chattered around her ¨C faint, but clear. Was she home? Already? That had to be good. ¡°No,¡± the expected, younger voice answered. ¡°But look, her visible injuries are almost completely healed. Even the scars are fading.¡± ¡°Only first grade Consortia technology can perform that kind of miracle work,¡± the older voice replied with wonder. They were moving around her, she could tell, footsteps tapped, clothing rustled. ¡°She¡¯s still not waking up,¡± the younger complained. ¡°Any luck with the tech she had with her?¡± ¡°Very little,¡± the other said without much confidence. ¡°I''d rather not take any of it apart if I don''t have to. If she doesn''t wake up¡­¡± No, she wanted to say. Don¡¯t take it apart ¨C mustn¡¯t take it apart. I need it all. Dorian! ¡°She has to wake up,¡± the younger voice insisted. ¡°She¡¯s gotten this far.¡± ¡°This should help move her along,¡± the old voice answered. Then she felt, heard ¨C nothing ¨C and floated nowhere at all. Chapter Sixteen: The trajectory of his wrist It was as if her consciousness was a switch: off, then on. Silence, senselessness, then all around her: ticks, low beeps, hums, a musty smell ¨C smooth fabric loose and tight ¨C warmth. Althea¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She struggled to focus. Could this be home? The ceiling above showed a multitude of cracks, spun around in a jagged crazy web. To the left and right she could see chairs, cabinets, low-grade tech: in degrees of age, disrepair. There was a door, and a window. No light came through the window. The solitary lamp past the end of the bed produced a dim, sickly glow. Was she in a hospital bed? On a lost world?! She did feel whole, and that was far more than she deserved, expected ¨C could move her fingers, wiggle her toes ¨C could see, hear, feel and smell! She was alive, thankfully, but it had been so, so stupid of her. She had ignored all the danger signs, should be dead. Yet she¡¯d been saved¡­ but, by whom? And from what? Her breath caught in her throat. She wasn¡¯t wearing her memsuit, just something light under the patchwork blankets. Disturbed, she sat up in the bed ¨C suffered a powerful wave of dizziness, shooting pain in her arms, legs, chest ¨C fell back down. Her head felt like it was made of heavy stone. ¡°Dorian,¡± she tried to call. Her voice was harsh, a whisper, didn¡¯t sound like her at all. She scanned left and right again. Nothing of hers was visible. Were her belongings even here? Had they left it all? Had they left him?! Dorian hadn¡¯t woken her. His voice wasn¡¯t in her head. She ran through the checklist ofNANcontrol. No flicker of trinary response echoed in her mind. Head trauma! Maybe even brain damage; her skull ached enough for that. Althea stared up at the cracks, despondent, horrified. What had happened to her? Had they done something to her? She remembered¡­ She remembered¡­ She remembered the visualization chamber. In her port¡­ You¡¯ve chosen a destination. His voice came through the acoustic materials of the chamber walls, the floor, the ceiling ¨C all around her. She liked it that way. He knew her. Her heart raced again. ¡°Elysium,¡± she admitted ¨C confided. ¡°Yes.¡± Only this wasn¡¯t Elysium. It was¡­ was¡­ ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she remembered telling him, mustering up as much confidence as she could. Silence.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°What else can I do?¡± she had protested. ¡°I can''t go back and change what the Macro did to them¡­ What I did¡­ I can''t give up. I need what''s out there.¡± I¡¯m sorry. She felt the again, the again the pain of his reply ¨C of theNANinduced memories ¨C sharp and real. ¡°For what?¡± she¡¯d asked as gently as she could. What I could not prevent on Hadhalho. The attack, while she was enraptured, mind absorbed in the Macro¡¯s codestream. Pain and terror had brought her back from the swells of oneness to red and steel, to stare down at bloody metal: between her knees and outstretched hands ¨C a straight shiny shaft sticking out of her ¨C through her ¨C penetrating the hard earth. She remembered the shock, the remorse ¨C then later ¨C the terrible dread. Had she come back from the codestream, because she wanted to? Or had she escaped it only because of the pain of Seddo¡¯s attack? She¡¯d shaken her head. ¡°There was nothing you could have done.¡± I know. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t worry,¡± she¡¯d told him, as brightly as she could. ¡°The next will be better. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± This wasn¡¯t better, she decided. There was more¡­ were more¡­ fragments, reflections. She lay back, trying to recall. Reflections¡­ A reflection in the wall stopped her. The smooth, seamless surface of her memsuit hugged her NAN-toned frame. Her face, her skin was still the proper shade, between the milky tchokoa of her mother and her father¡¯s ebony. The reflections in the portal, the shifting mirrors splintered, reformed. The music of it rang in her ears ¨C the harmony and disharmony of all the wind chimes in the universe, in and out of tune ¨C wondrous and maddening. Eight steps had taken her to the border of the fractured whirlpool, to be surrounded, enveloped, then pulled away¡­ He head was beginning to ache harder, and she felt herself gasping for breath. She needed to remember¡­ Falling out of the portal, freezing cold¡­ Broken controls¡­ Tons of ice showering down¨C Was Dorian destroyed? Did they bring him back? Had they tried to disassemble his casing? What was she going to do without him?! She needed Dorian, needed him more than ever, more than anything. She gripped the fabric of the sheets; trying to steady herself, find strength, physical control. It¡¯s simple. Focused thought and desire could send commands to her nanometric networks. Risky ¨C oh yes ¨C but what other choice did she have? You have to get out of this bed. You have to find him. They must have brought him too! She heard a sound ¨C different from the background noise, a steady rhythm, the tapping of footsteps. Someone was coming, someone who would have answers. She forced herself to close her eyes, relax, appear unconscious, unthreatening. She would get answers, one way or another. The sound of steps came closer, still muffled by the closed door. Then she heard the clicking, rattling of a latch; the door slid open. A man entered, muttering to himself. ¡°¡­what''s your problem Trae, think you''re a dirty Panaki now?¡± It was a sarcastic, mocking tone. The voice was unmistakable ¨C definitely from her recent, broken memories, weird hallucinations. His voice became clearer as he approached her. Her sense of smell was working, perfectly. He certainly didn¡¯t smell very clean. ¡°Straighten your rooms up, clear out the halls. She is Legionary. So are we. Oneness, she hasn''t shown one sign of waking up.¡± Oh, I¡¯m was very much awake now. Althea opened her eyes a crack, his shadow, his vague form, his position was clear enough for her to act on. He moved to the side of the bed, leaned over her. She closed her eyes, kept her breathing light. ¡°Well, there you are,¡± he said, voice changed, now comforting. She felt his touch, light, on her wrist, on her forehead, pushing away strands of hair from her face. She couldn¡¯t suppress a discomfited twitch. ¡°Think you¡¯ll be waking up any time soon?¡± His touch left her brow. Althea visualized the trajectory of his wrist. Now! Chapter Seventeen: I think she’s still plenty strong Lashing out, finding his wrist, she grabbed it, pressed hard on the pressure points, twisted viciously. The man tried to pull away ¨C cried out. Her body responded to the action with near blinding pain. Clamping her teeth together, she willed it away. ¡°Hey, let go,¡± he shouted ¨C the pressure stopping him from pulling away. She reached out, grabbed the other hand he¡¯d brought around to try to pry hers loose. Althea opened her eyes, looked him over quickly: average human size and shape, wearing heavy, patchy, worn top and trousers. His coloring something like an Enta Ostherian ¨C blond hair cut close to his scalp, pale saffron-colored skin. ¡°Hey¨C¡± His sharp-featured face twisted in pain as her fingers clamped down on both his wrists. Only her fingers were so much thinner than she remembered, so much weaker. How much tissue had the NANs cannibalized to keep her alive? Could even she hold onto him? Despite his own pain, the man was pulling her up and away from the bed. Althea pressed harder, pulled his wrists down to the mattress, increased the pressure, forced him to his knees, head falling down to rest hard against her thigh. The position was too awkward to maintain. She felt dizzy again, sweating with the effort, holding on with all her strength. Wires pulled against her arms, head. Wires? They had attached wires to her? What had they done to her?! She leaned over him, shutting her eyes to block out the vertigo while the drum in her head kept pounding and pounding. ¡°Let go!¡± he cried out. Hold him! ¡°If you try to cry out again, I¡¯ll silence you permanently!¡± She needed Dorian, needed him now! He struggled against the pressure of her grip. She could hear his harsh breathing, felt warm skin, hot breath. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he forced out, pained, confused. ¡°You¡¯re injured. We¡¯ve been trying to help you.¡± ¡°By separating me from my tech,¡± she replied angrily, tightening her grip. The added pressure forced a pained gasp out of him. She held on, began to shudder violently. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I am,¡± she told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know you!¡± She could feel the strength draining out of her, stars flashing in her eyes. ¡°I need the tech you found with me¡­ I need it now.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She tried to maintain her grip, hold on hard, increase the incentive. ¡°All right, all right,¡± he surrendered, grimacing. ¡°Just let go of me.¡± The room started spinning. Her stomach turned violently. Having no strength left, Althea released his wrists. He fell away from her, thudding to the floor as she reeled backwards, unable to stop her collapse into the soft sheets, the yielding mattress. The cracks above her spun crazily, darkening, as if they were opening a portal to some place horrific¡­ Althea struggled to stay conscious. ¡°You promise,¡± she breathed. ¡°You promise¡­¡± She needed Dorian. She was all alone without him. Althea stared up, helpless, as the Makani man loomed over her, image wavering as dark and light battled for dominance. He didn¡¯t appear angry with her. He seemed worried. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± What as he responding to? Oh yes, her demand ¨C she hoped. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he told her, rubbing his wrist. He put a hand out to her, then thought better of it, drew back. ¡°Just¡­ just relax.¡± She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open, fell back into darkness. ¡°Hey, can you hear me. Don¡¯t go¨C¡± She was still conscious ¨C but¡­ oh, so weak. ¡°I can hear you,¡± she told him, her voice sounded strained, faint, distant. ¡°I have nantech¡­ medicine.¡± She prayed there was enough to rebuild her networks, restore her strength. ¡°Do ¨C you ¨C understand?¡± she stressed, breathing heavily with the effort of forcing the words out. ¡°N-A-N¡­ If you are helping me, if you want me to stay alive, you will get me my tech.¡± She felt him, heard him move, closer to her. ¡°All of it,¡± she commanded with as much strength as she could muster. ¡°Now!¡± He got the point, backed away from her. Oneness, she didn¡¯t have the strength to bat an eyelash. Was he still afraid of her? Or for her? She opened her eyes again, tilted her head to watch him turn and move for the door ¨C and thump headlong into a white-haired, taller, bearded man in a dirty, ratty robe, who began to swear at him. He didn¡¯t at all look like the same race. How was that possible, she wondered? The collision turned into physical comedy: the older man raised his voice in anger, alarm, the younger apologized ¨C pointed to her and his wrist, miming pain. The older man stared at her unmoving ¨C stared for a long moment ¨C then pulled younger out of the room, sliding the door shut after them. If they thought that brought privacy, they were wrong; from the sound of their voices, they hadn¡¯t even moved away from the doorway. She didn¡¯t even need to focus to hear them clearly. ¡°When did she wake up? What did she say to you?¡± the older man demanded. ¡°She said there were nantech medicines in her equipment,¡± the younger replied. ¡°Do you know them to see them?¡± You don¡¯t know what nanomeds looked like?!¡­ ¡°Maybe. I think, no¨C let¡¯s go, gather it all up,¡± the elder decided. ¡°There is no telling what she needs!¡± The demand didn¡¯t seem to move the younger one much, though. His voice was fading too slowly for actual haste. ¡°I still think she¡¯s still plenty strong.¡± ¡°Come on, boy,¡± the other raised his voice again, ¡°hurry!¡± ¡°Kyso, she almost crushed my wrist!¡± The complaint was the last thing Althea heard of them before they faded from earshot. Alone once again, she began to realize what she had done. ¡°Oh¡­ he¡¯s going to hate me for that.¡± Chapter Eighteen: Youve come a long way Althea trembled with anxiety, fought to remain conscious, refusing to fall back into a catatonic dreamland. She willed herself to be calm, suppress the worry ¨C muster the little strength she had to stay awake. Her desperation must have activated some of her systems. The blinding pain had been downgraded to weakness, stiffness, ache. Struggling into a sitting position, she gingerly started removing the wires and tubes they had attached to her, eventually noticing a container of water on the stand by the bed. Consumed by a sudden thirst, Althea drank it all, her shaky grip causing some of it to spill out over her hands, her lips, onto her and the bed sheets. The water relieved her dry mouth and throat, but she needed much, much more. The NANs couldn''t restore health on their own; they needed material to work with. Guilt returned. If those men hadn¡¯t found her, she would have died, NANs or not. There wouldn¡¯t have been much of her left, either; the NANs would have burned all her soft tissue up, to keep her alive, warm. It was an ugly thought. She pushed it out of her mind, concentrating on her imminent ¨C she hoped, she prayed ¨C reunion with Dorian and to determining the extent of her head injury, the best she could. She started by cautiously feeling all around her skull, finding it tender and sore. Maybe a skull fracture, maybe worse. They returned before she¡¯d finished. The young man had a box ¨C the older man, her travel tunic. She motioned them to approach, give her the tunic. She searched over the back of the fabric, until she felt the bulk of Dorian''s case, feeling immense relief. They hadn''t unlocked the pocket. Finding the impact gel unbroken, she decided that he must be safe, must be fine. The wire box appeared to hold her memsuit, her boots and most of the contents of her pack. She felt terribly exposed again, caressed the fabric concealing Dorian for comfort. Althea felt warmer, excited with the thought of him ¨C hoped the men didn''t notice. She pointed at the box, then at the bed in front of her; warily, the young man complied, lay it near her right calf, then ducked back as she freed theNANsupplement ampoules and nanomeds from her tunic¡¯s pockets. Thankfully, the armored material had protected the little she had dared carry. Althea wanted to take Dorian out of his pocket, feel the smooth alloy of his casing, but was afraid to draw attention to him. All the ampoules in her very thin hands, Althea took a deep breath, then looked back up at the two men. They returned the glance with uncertainty, expectation. ¡°Is there anyone else here?¡± she wanted to know.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s just two of us,¡± the young man started. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, Traejan Edos. This is Kyso Densca.¡± She was aware of his drawl but his words were clear to her ears. She could understand every word he spoke. At least her linguistic imprints were still working. ¡°My name is Althea Ram,¡± she told them, leaning back against the pillow and headboard. ¡°From Propero Emeraldis Prime, in the Palmyri Century¡­ through the portal.¡± The older man nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She recalled the sense of stretched time she¡¯d felt in the transit, the hallucinogenic jumble. She turned her attention to the tunic, the box of equipment, then looked back at Kyso¡­ Densca ¡°Is this all you recovered?¡± ¡°It was all I could find,¡± Traejan interjected. ¡°There was a lot of debris around you, a lot of ice.¡± I¡¯ll bet. Althea shuddered at the memory. She gave them an honest smile. Rescuing her, pulling her out of there had to have been an act of courage; she doubted the port had been safe to enter at all after it had collapsed on her. Still ¨C her smile faded ¨C that didn¡¯t make it any wiser to reveal more than she had to. The tech. She could use it to get them out of the room. ¡°Thank you,¡± she offered, then began looking through the ampoules for what she would need first. She looked back to them, tried another smile. ¡°This should be enough,¡± she lied. It wasn¡¯t remotely enough. They looked relieved. ¡°For your safety, and mine, I need to do this in isolation,¡± she told them, holding up the vials. ¡°Nanomeds are very delicate, very sensitive. You have to leave. Understand?¡± Kyso lowered his thick white eyebrows in consideration. Traejan, was openly skeptical. ¡°I don¡¯t think¨C¡± he started. Althea held up a hand to stop his protest. It was an effort. ¡°For a few fours at least,¡± she pleaded. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ll need food ¨C as much as you can spare¡­ and more water. Please?¡± Traejan twisted his lips, scrutinized her. Kyso nodded, glanced over at his younger counterpart, then turned back to her. ¡°We¡¯ll go, get what you need,¡± he offered sympathetically, generously, taking hold of the younger¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on Trae¡­ come!¡± The young man looked clearly put out, but reluctantly agreed. It was almost comical the way Kyso pulled him out of the room. Althea wondered how long they had been alone together. She listened, strained, but didn¡¯t hear either of them lingering by the door. The moment she was sure they were gone, she pulled up her tunic, opened the hidden pocket, drew Dorian¡¯s case from its protection. She looked over the shiny gold cylinder, smiled; there wasn¡¯t a dent or scratch visible on its surface. Holding it in her hand, Althea fumbled excitedly with combination, forgetting the sequence, then remembering. The holograph fields unfolded like a fan, glowing bright, even in the lit room. She almost laughed, twisting her wrist to hold the display flat before her. All she needed to do was touch the reactive fields, activate the voice system, prove he was with her, unharmed, undamaged. Her fingers shook as she pressed out the sequence, one through twenty-six. Althea brushed her hair back, took in a breath, waited a beat, then three. Then she pressed the final symbol. Chapter Nineteen: A kind of help ¡°Dorian, Dorian,¡± she pleaded, keeping her voice to a whisper. ¡°Are you all right?¡± I am unhurt, he told her, voice coming from the display, not transmitted into her mind. Regardless, Althea felt a powerful surge of joy again, hearing the voice ¨C warm and certain ¨C and his! Are you injured? I could not reach you. The damage could only be her¡¯s then. She ran her hand through matted hair, wincing. ¡°I¡¯m recovering, but I have a head injury; it must have damaged my internal transceiver.¡± Damage that could not possibly be repaired on a planet like Makan. I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she continued, not holding in the agony she felt. ¡°I should have never brought us here. I should have extended the life of the portal.¡± Criminally stupid, her actions been. Still, he refused to blame her. Extending the life of the portal would have risked the safety of all Palmyr, he reminded her. You could not have anticipated the effect of the power surge. Althea, there are always risks. She grimaced at her own words thrown back at her, then realized he had not intended to be cruel. ¡°I said it would be better. That could have been the end. I¨C¡± It wasn¡¯t. You survived. It is passed. You must think of the future. A future, where she was effectively starved and crippled, trapped on Makan ¨C which wouldn¡¯t have had what she needed, even before the fall. But he was right. She could only go forwards from where she was. Althea looked over the thinness of her fingers, the loss of flesh on her arms. She must look gaunt, ghastly. She felt¡­ insubstantial. Setting his case on her lap, she examined the ampoules for what would be needed to speed her recovery, broke their seals, swallowed the contents.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°What of those two?¡± she asked him after she¡¯d finished. ¡°Traejan. Kyso.¡± They saved your life. And she¡¯d responded with anger, violence. They have been waiting for the return of the Consortia. She understood all too well. They could be manipulated, enlisted in her cause, help her destroy the planet¡¯s Macro, then help her find an operable mirror port to escape this frozen world. Makan had been a tourist attraction; there should have been many¡­ ¡°What do you think I should tell them?¡± What you need to. Repeat the lies, half-truths she¡¯d used before? What other choice was there? She doubted that they¡¯d be very eager if they knew who and what she was ¨C a wanted criminal in the Palmyr, hardly a success out here. Althea brushed away those bitter thoughts, put his case on the bed beside her then looked over what she had left, the minimal tech she still had to work with and¡­ Her heart sank. She had allowed herself one thing, one offering for the dead of Elysium. Her dead. Bits of the zuthra atzu leaves had survived, but they crumbled between her fingers. She remembered¡­ The green surrounded her. Lichen hugging the stones beneath her bare feet, fingers of ferns brushing her arms, vines and leaves hanging down from the branches above. The holographs amongst the roots, of her parents, her brother and sister, the best she could remember them. Her family. Gone. Althea shook her head, checked the remaining tools she had with her. Most were intact ¨C but not the most important one. Her Maran multiplexing transceiver, the single tool that she had to provide her a direct codestream interface, was in pieces. So much for its advertised ¨C ¡®practically indestructible¡¯ ¨C she had paid so much for. Althea cradled the crystals in her hand ¨C examined the striations on their surfaces. Cracks were visible. Cracks. That meant that nines of thousands of code channels would be, at the very least, misaligned, if not cut. The multiplexer could be repaired; but like her personal nanotech ¨C not here, not now. She put the crystals away, picked up Dorian¡¯s case, folded its display fields. The left side of her head began to throb. How can I possibly succeed - with all this damage? How am I ever going to get off this planet? She lay back on the bed ¨C sank into the mattress, closed her eyes ¨C held Dorian¡¯s case tightly to her chest. There were few options left to her, all¡­ now involving direct contact with a Macro corpore. She would need help, a kind of help that would get people killed ¨C some, many ¨C depending on which she chose. Oneness, the last thing she wanted was more blood on her hands. Chapter Twenty: A fraction of herself Unappetizing was the kindest word she could imagine for what the Makani brought to her: tough dry meats, dry stringy vegetables, all tasting rancid, tainted, sour, acidic, or chalky. On top of that, her lack ofNANcontrol deprived her of important information. Was she getting the necessary nutrition ¨C the needed minerals, compounds? Considering the behavior of her NANs in healing her, Althea doubted it very much. The attrition her networks must have already suffered, would suffer, without the hope of regeneration, worried her greatly. With no way for her to her control their progress, the NANs seemed to be choosing randomly where to work on her and when. She had to endure sudden, overwhelming pain, nausea, lost strength and just as sudden blackouts. Though all the episodes were brief, they were unnerving, an ongoing weakness Althea did not want to display to the Makani men. She could not be ready to offer them her agenda until she had a semblance of control over herself. So¡­ Althea demanded privacy ¨C under the cover of the sensitivity of her nantech and rights of a Consortian, a Legionary. Traejan protested repeatedly, but Kyso was able and willing to persuade him to respect her wishes. She would be happy to answer their questions when she was stronger ¨C which she repeated, would be soon. It took five whole Makani days for her to feel a decent fraction of herself ¨C before she could sit up without shaking, without effort, before she could walk the few steps to the room¡¯s only window, without fear of her legs giving out from under her ¨C to rub away the thick coating of frost and at last look out at the frozen world beyond. The bleak, threatening landscape, however, only served to remind her how precarious her situation was. Whatever this place was, it wasn¡¯t any kind of hospital, could never have been. The thick but dirty carpeting of the floor, delicate detailing cracked and chipped by time. The complex must have been quite sumptuous before the Macro invasion. She ran her fingers over the roughened surface of the windowsill, reminding herself civilized Makan was two hundred anna gone. This was now the harsh world Kyso Densca and Traejan Edos knew. She was going to have to be sure that she told the men the right things and learn quickly how to survive here. By that day¡¯s evening, she was ready, waiting for them to return. She still felt feeble, vulnerable ¨C but impatience compelled her. Althea arranged herself on the bed to project as much strength as she could, regardless of how she felt. When they came in, laden with the latest meal, instead of asking them to leave it, she held up a hand to stop them and motioned towards the room¡¯s chairs, bade them stay while she worked through it, engaging in small talk. Once her plate was empty, she started the real work.Stolen story; please report. ¡°I can''t begin to thank you, for what you''ve done.¡± She offered them a smile; saw the response reflected in their faces. Kyso an echo, Traejan, still troubled, only offered a brief flash of teeth. Their clothes now had minimal patches, and were cleaner ¨C an obvious attempt to dress up for her ¨C it showed she was having some impact on even their most basic decision-making. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± She made her voice as warm and confident as she could. ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Kyso replied. ¡°You do look much healthier.¡± The confirmation buoyed her. She took in a deep breath, turned to Traejan, who still eyed her with distrust. That expected, she kept Dorian under the blankets ¨C hidden ¨C but still able to perceive the exchange. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for what I did to you Traejan. It was unacceptable,¡± she told him, watching for his reaction. She put her hand to her head, the side where her NANs were centered, it was still tender. ¡°My head injury, it did rattle my brain, somewhat.¡± He replied with a brief nod, his hard expression softening. ¡°It must have been difficult,¡± she continued, glancing from him to Kyso, then back, ¡°carrying me from the mirror port, across¡­¡± Kyso reacted automatically, strongly. ¡°You¡¯re Legionary,¡± he stated. ¡°No matter the effort, we could have done nothing less.¡± At the edge of her peripheral vision, she could see Traejan roll his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, though,¡± Kyso continued with a little more humor, ¡°I wasn¡¯t at all sure you would survive the trip.¡± She gave the older man a smile. Then turned back to Traejan, who nodded in agreement. ¡°Is it true then?¡± Kyso asked. Her puzzlement must have shown; he clarified, ¡°has the Consortia come back to us?¡± Traejan¡¯s impatience wouldn¡¯t let her answer. ¡°Why did it take you so long? We¡¯ve been left alone here, at the mercy of the constructs. Oneness, it¡¯s been two hundred anna!¡± She¡¯d grown accustomed to that invocation, but it was still difficult for her to respond to. She couldn¡¯t help but lower her eyes, break contact. She forced herself took back up, to gaze back into the pain radiating from his dark amber eyes. Accept it. Reflect it. Use it. ¡°So much was lost,¡± she told him, voice low with sincere grief, regret. ¡°More than you can imagine.¡± She waited for a moment, then tried a smile to offer him hope. ¡°But¡­ yes,¡± she added, brighter. ¡°The Legion Consortia survives¡­ still.¡± That made them clearly happier. She let that sink in, then continued. ¡°Do you know exactly what happened to your world?¡± ¡°We were there,¡± the older man told her. ¡°We saw it.¡± Chapter Twenty One: Not on my own What? She scrambled to think of why he would say that. She looked over at the younger man, who nodded in agreement. Were they deluded, or¨C ¡°Our technology went mad,¡± the older man continued heavily, bitterly, strength fading as he spoke. ¡°And it turned upon us, against all of us. All we had¡­¡± Two hundred anna, though? They couldn¡¯t have lived that long, not here. They must have been protected. Frozen in time. She was aware of techniques, but she¡¯d never encountered them personally. The two men were staring at her. ¡°You were¡­ there?¡± she started, sounding more disbelieving than she wanted to. It could have been cryonic hibernation, some combination of material substitution, or other more obscure technologies that allowed them to survive. ¡°You were suspended ¨C both of you?¡± The right guess. They both nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± Kyso replied. ¡°We were revived ¨C near twenty anna ago.¡± A hundred and eighty anna then ¨C still a very long time to be suspended. She¡¯d heard of people enduring longer periods, but without vigilant safeguards, survival was against very high odds. Suspension was rare transitional technology. Low grades couldn¡¯t achieve it, higher didn¡¯t need it. Perhaps Makan was a special case given its tourist destination status. That would also explain why Kyso¡¯s racial appearance differed so dramatically from Traejan¡¯s ¨C his height, darker skin, longer face, larger eyes, prominent brow. ¡°Can you tell us what caused it to happen?¡± Kyso asked. ¡°Can you tell us why?¡± Nobody knew why ¨C but she knew what. She¡¯d known all her life. ¡°The Macros came,¡± she told them. ¡°What they did to your world, they did to countless others, all over the galaxy.¡± She gave them a moment to absorb the information ¨C to realize all this disaster wasn¡¯t just about them ¨C wasn¡¯t just about their world. ¡°We still don¡¯t know why,¡± she confessed. ¡°But I can tell you this much. They came from the Mirror Maze. They¡¯re not physical, not like us. They are beings of motivated trinary code.¡± Understanding lit their eyes. They knew that trinary was the language, the intelligence, the operating basis of all Consortia technology. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what they¡¯ve done to many worlds,¡± she continued. ¡°You have to know ¨C the thing that is controlling the technology on you world ¨C it can be destroyed. You can get your tech ¨C your world ¨C back, if you¡¯re willing to help me do it.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Traejan¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°How?¡± he almost shouted at her. ¡°How can you destroy all those constructs? They control everything that isn¡¯t ice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the individual drones that are the problem,¡± Althea insisted, trying to maintain control over the conversation. She had to project determination, strength, or they might begin to suspect her. She needed to deal with his demands calmly, but could feel another episode coming on, staying upright was making her woozy ¨C then she felt a sharp pain in her side. Not now! Not again! ¡°It¡¯s the motive force behind them, controlling them. Destroy that, and they are all stopped.¡± ¡°You make it sound easy,¡± he challenged. ¡°Those individual drones killed¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± she told him, recalling, knowing, anticipating ¨C insisting. ¡°but I can do it. I will do it. I¡¯ve done it before.¡± Traejan leaned back in his chair, conflict showing in his face, his posture. ¡°There was no one else,¡± Kyso piped in, ¡°in the portal chamber. Were you sent alone?¡± She quickly responded ¨C had to steer them away from that line of questioning. ¡°No one else made it with me. Transiting is not as safe or as reliable as it used to be.¡± That was so true, at the very least. She made herself ask, ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to use that portal again, am I?¡± The men looked at each other, then Kyso shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it being operable. Not after the collapse of the vault.¡± Althea sighed. ¡°Then I¡¯m cut off from reinforcements. We intended to destroy the Macro dominating you world. I can still do it, but not on my own. Will you help?¡± Kyso opened his mouth to reply, but Traejan cut him off. ¡°One person can¡¯t destroy all those constructs,¡± he insisted. ¡°A thousand people can¡¯t. We need the Consortia. What you need to do is get to another portal, re-open the Mirror Maze.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± she told him harshly through the pain. ¡°The Macro could be aware of my arrival. It could be waiting to go back through the portal, back to the worlds I came from. I cannot allow that. It has to be destroyed before anyone can use a port. All of its corpore and constructs must be shut down, must be dead.¡± Traejan stared at her in disbelief. ¡°So you expect us to believe you¡¯re capable of all that? Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± She took a deep breath, struggled against collapsing, fought the darkness beginning to creep into her peripheral vision, felt her eyes growing moist with anger, frustration. Althea turned away from him, to face Kyso. ¡°Did I come all this way to be interrogated like I¡¯m a criminal?¡± she snapped at him. ¡°Is this how you treat your Consortian guests?¡± Kyso looked suitably alarmed. ¡°No! No¡­¡± He raised empty palms in a placating gesture, turned to the younger man. ¡°Show some respect boy! She came all this way, risked her life. She¡¯s Legionary, not a damned Panaki rat.¡± Traejan thankfully turned to face Kyso; away from his scrutiny, Althea could relax a fraction. ¡°It¡¯s not possible,¡± he countered. ¡°With all that¡¯s happened¡­¡± ¡°I am a Consortian, and so are you,¡± Althea broke in. She needed them to leave. ¡°I think you need some time to remember what that means.¡± Traejan turned back to her, glaring. ¡°I¡¯m tired, and¡­ still hungry, thirsty. Please get me some more food and water,¡± she pleaded, turned to Kyso, to his accepting, sympathetic gaze. She struggled to maintain her appearance of stability, of control. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to offer more details, but as you can see, my recovery has a ways to go. You understand?¡± Althea watched them as they left, forced a smile as Kyso looked back, nodding warmly. But the lingering, tight-lipped glance Traejan cast back chilled her. Chapter Twenty Two: Offer hope She lost consciousness only beats after the door closed, and awoke afraid, then reassured to find herself still alone. Dorian told her the blackout had only lasted a four. ¡°It¡¯s been six days,¡± she fretted. ¡°Six! Not including however long it took them to bring me here. And I¡¯m still having these attacks. It should be over. My NANs should not be doing this to me!¡± You¡¯ve told me the episodes have been decreasing in frequency. That must mean that you are nearly healed, Dorian reasoned. ¡°I¡¯m not used to this,¡± she complained. You are not without help. She lifted his case from beneath the blankets, caressed it, smiled. ¡°No,¡± she agreed. ¡°I have you, and a pair of decanted Consortians. What more could I ask for.¡± The thought of anything here replacing the loss of control over her internal systems colored her tone with sarcasm. The younger seemed to doubt you. ¡°Can you blame him? He saw his world destroyed,¡± she offered unhappily. ¡°After what happened, I doubt I¡¯m in an inspiring state. They had to rescue me, Dorian! I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re listening at all.¡± You will continue to withhold the truth from them. She almost laughed at the absurdity of doing otherwise. ¡°Oh, do you think they want to hear the truth of what¡¯s out there, of what¡¯s left of the Consortia?!¡± Oneness, why am I snapping at him? ¡°Dorian, I¡¯m sorry. This¡­¡± She began, but couldn¡¯t continue. She should be patient, thankful. ¡°It¡¯s merciful to not tell them, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked. ¡°I can¡¯t tell them what they have been waiting for, what they¡¯ve been dreaming of, is¡­ Not here, not this time. They need hope. If I can recover ¨C quickly ¨C maybe I¡¯ll actually be able to credibly offer it to them.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Of course. She felt a major worry slip away. I trust you to do the best thing. Althea caressed the surface of his case ¨C imagining he could feel the gentle, loving touch. They are different from the others we have met. She couldn¡¯t suppress a wistful smile. They lived in the Consortia, they remember. Traejan must have been only a child when the end came. Kyso¡­ the vast majority of his life would have been before this. He may have even been a galactic traveler. She had only met a few of them in her life. They were different. ¡°I agree, but¡­¡± she trailed off. On Hadhalho, on Ten by Four and Okala, she had seen the depths that humanity had been forced down to. The people on those worlds had regressed, lost whatever civilization they¡¯d had had been little help to her. This pair, maybe¡­ She wondered what Traejan and Kyso were saying about her; maybe picking apart the lies, the flaws in her statements. Kyso presented a wholly accepting face, but many people could mask their intentions. She could. She did. ¡°Do you truly think they should trust me?¡± Seddo, Danna ¨C the rest of their people had. ¡°They trusted me on Hadhalho.¡± Destroying the Macro on that world had been her last, and most pyrrhic of victories. This is not Hadhalho, Dorian reminded her. You will earn their trust. ¡°Sure,¡± she reflected a little of his optimism, tinged with self-doubt, ¡°I¡¯ll make them trust me. I¡¯m good at that, aren¡¯t I? And if I am lucky, I won¡¯t get stabbed through the back with a steel pole. Again.¡± She reached down to the spot near her right hip where the pole had broken through. There was no scar ¨C her NANs had erased it, all the evidence of it, as they¡¯d done many times before. We now know what to look for, he told her, ignoring her bitterness. You will not be at risk like you were there. With what we have learned you can offer them hope. No, she wouldn¡¯t be at risk anymore from those implanted by a Macro, she expected that now. On Hadhalho, it had been the whole population. One revelation among many she dare not reveal to the Makani men, what she had to hide from them: the knowledge that there was no Legion Consortia Galacium to go back to ¨C that there was no rescue coming, ever ¨C just one small Century that did its best to hide from the galaxy, from the Macros, and made what she was doing the highest of crimes. She settled back in the bed, stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Offer hope,¡± false hope that the Consortia was still out there, true hope that their Macro could be destroyed ¨C that they could take back their own world. ¡°That there¡¯s a light at the end of their dark tunnel.¡± Then leave them behind to find it themselves. What else could she do? Althea curled up in the bed, pulling the warm covers over her, lamented, ¡°Sometimes I do wish it wasn¡¯t just you and me¡­¡± Althea, Dorian told her. Your path need not be a solitary one. ¡°Please¡­¡± she chided, held his case closer to her. ¡°You know what happens.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°What always happens.¡± Chapter Twenty Three: The cybernetic dead On Emerald, among the Vedillian Underground, Shirae¡¯s Hunters ¨C in the Palmyr, and even out here, she could never avoid it. There had been, could be empathy, support ¨C but that would never last. The pressure, the danger, the lingering doubts ¨C the eventual choice always lurked; your friends or your life, death or survival, Macros or humanity. ¡°The inevitable betrayal,¡± she finished heavily. ¡°Always.¡± ¡°But¨C that isn¡¯t our biggest problem,¡± she forced out. ¡°There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you.¡± What is it? ¡°I can¡¯t use my multiplexer,¡± she confessed. ¡°The crystals are cracked; they won¡¯t be able to handle the interface or the codestream. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to repair them here.¡± Then you will need to find another way to interface with the Macro. ¡°I¡¯m not going to risk you.¡± You know the best alternative. ¡°I build a new array out of the local micronics,¡± she offered. It was not an impossible task, and it was a far better choice than what she knew he was going to suggest.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. That is not your only choice. ¡°Finding a corpore to climb into would be a bit¡­ risky.¡± A bit fatal, more like. It is likely there are Macro implants on Makan. ¡°I would have to kill to use them Dorian,¡± she breathed with mounting horror. After Hadhalho, she had gone back to all the lost worlds she had visited to search for, and examine the Macros¡¯ cybernetic dead. Macro implants could handle the volume of trinary code she needed; but the organic components broke down rapidly after death. ¡°You know I¡¯d have to remove the implants when they are alive. Even then¡­¡± She had only tested the theory with laboratory grown brain tissue. Not yet in the field ¨C hadn¡¯t wanted to ¨C but she had to agree with it would be the simplest, and quickest, and least dangerous choice, but¡­ Even just the thought of it made her feel sick. ¡°You think the Macro here has implanted people?¡± she wanted to know, dreading his response. You must recognize that probability. ¡°Do you expect me to hunt for victims to murder, just so I can reduce my risk? Can¡¯t you suggest anything else?¡± Unless you can find or construct another array before you have to face any corpore, you must make the least dangerous choice. Otherwise, you might not free this world from its Macro ¨C or ever escape it. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to do that,¡± she protested. ¡°I cannot do that. I will not be like that! I am not like that!¡± She could survive withoutNANcontrol. She could survive the cold. And she still had her imprints. It might take an anna, even two. But against his alternative¡­ ¡°We are not going to murder people,¡± she insisted. Chapter Twenty Four: Looking for answers
Traejan Traejan was worried about Kyso¡¯s transformation. The sleepy, nostalgia-soaked layabout had become infused with a vitality that was shocking. For the first time in years, Kyso was a fury of activity, actually pushing him around. The old man had had energetic periods before, but they were nothing compared to the way he¡¯d responded to this Althea Ram.
While the woman slept off the effort of healing her injuries, Kyso had them both cleaning and straightening the whole ancient resort up and down, getting their workable tech in order. He had never had to do this for anybody before, not even Kaelin. Streck, Kyso had even trimmed his tangled hair and beard. ¡°She¡¯s going to be up and about in mere days,¡± Kyso had warned him, bullied him. ¡°We have to look Legionary: Responsible, capable ¨C trustworthy.¡± And the way that he¡¯d looked over her frail, thin body, tenderly touched her dark skin as they examined her for injuries, had been disturbing to say the least. The old man had of tales of passionate life back in the old days, but had not made many friends in this world, in this time, preferring his smoke and his memory. As much as Traejan hated the world as it was, he enjoyed the company of at least some of its people. And yet¡­ and yet¡­ he was not energized in any satisfying way. They¡¯d saved the Consortian woman¡¯s life, and in return, she nearly broke his wrist and offered them only tidbits of information. It was driving him crazy with frustration. Why had she come now? What was she going to do once she was healthy? What did she want from them? How could she believe that she could destroy all the mechs by herself? Even if she could, what could they do to help her, when they¡¯d failed almost every time? His impatience boiled over as they were cleaning out the observation dome, in anticipation of Kyso¡¯s welcome dinner; a welcome for the return of the Consortia to Makan. Kyso was in a frenzy about removing the lingering odor of his Nostalgia. ¡°You aren¡¯t finished yet! I can still smell it,¡± the old man complained again, seeing him looking over the stained image of a dancer. Every time Kyso entered the hall, he stopped to berate Traejan on the years and year¡¯s worth of debris that needed to be cleared out. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening with you.¡± Traejan turned away from the musty pile of crockery he¡¯d been packing. ¡°The woman¡¯s been here for days, and done nothing but go through half out food stock. We should be demanding answers from her!¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°We should show Sa Ram some respect,¡± Kyso retorted, using the old, formal Consortian address. ¡°She almost died coming to our world, coming here to bring some light back into it, some hope, and all you want to do is interrogate her? What happened to your, ¡®the Consortia is back¡¯? What happened to your, ¡®I¡¯ve got to go down there¡¯, and damn the risk?!¡± Traejan dropped the plate he¡¯d been holding. It shattered on the pile. He turned a burning glare on Kyso, who stood there, broom in hand, as though it was a weapon. ¡°I went down there looking for answers!¡± he countered. ¡°She¡¯s told us nothing we couldn¡¯t have guessed ourselves.¡± ¡°She told us why she came,¡± Kyso replied harshly. ¡°She was critically injured boy. We¡¯re lucky she¡¯s survived at all! ¡°Have some patience Trae. The less we demand from her, the less she is going to demand to know what we have ¨C what we¡¯ve accomplished,¡± he pleaded in a softer tone. ¡°We can wait a few more days for the whole story ¨C Oneness knows it¡¯s nothing, aftertwenty ¨C after twohundred and fifty years. We¡¯ll have time to put together something to show ¨C and this place will look clean for once.¡± Traejan was unsatisfied. What difference was a day or two going to make? ¡°So you tell me then, why is she here now?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°Not five, or fifty years ago?¡± ¡°How do you expect me to answer that?¡± Kyso replied angrily, then offered him a sad, apologetic look. He looked old and tired once again. ¡°I am sure she¡¯ll tell us. Just give her the time she needs, give me the time I need. Please, could you do that? For me?¡± Thankfully, she didn¡¯t need much more time. Just a day later, Kyso was fussing over the waste of food he¡¯d put together for the ¡®dinner of honor¡¯ for their Consortia guest. The old man put so much seasoning and flavoring into the meal, Traejan wasn¡¯t sure any of them were going to be able to eat it; had even insisted on cooking far more than they could realistically spare. Streck, Althea Ram had already eaten through as much in seven days as they had in the last month. ¡°All right,¡± the old man said, removing his food-spattered apron, revealing the nearly pristine formal multi-layered clothing, the ancient get-up he had dug up. ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± He gave Traejan a stern look. ¡°Now remember, this is a social dinner, not a license for interrogation,¡± the old man had a sharp gleam in his eye. ¡°I expect you to be civil. Now, do you think you could go let her know that dinner is ready?¡± Traejan turned to the exit, in time to see Althea climbing up the steps to the deck. Looking back to Kyso, he could see the old man staring, eyes wide.
Chapter Twenty Five: Theyll be stopped She was dressed once again in the uniform in which they¡¯d found her, the light gray bodysuit, the dark gray tunic-vest, so different now from the listless form he had found in the mirror port. He could see where all the food had gone. No longer emaciated, it was astonishing how well she now filled out her clothing. When they had first examined her body, her skin had been stretched over an inhumanly lean, bony frame. Her body looked more like that of a woman now. Her face appeared much softer, healthier, younger, prettier, all of the hollowness and deprivation gone. It almost made up for the uncomfortable clothes, more representative of Kyso¡¯s old performances than what he remembered from the Consortia. He never remembered wearing pants that were so tight when he was young. Restored to health, Althea Ram looked even less like a Makani, her features softer, rounder, smoother. Her straight dark hair, long enough to brush her shoulders, was ¨C however ¨C uncomfortably familiar. Her eyes met his, and she smiled ¨C a flash of white against her dark, cinnamon skin, then she turned to grin at Kyso. She wasn¡¯t completely recovered, clearly. Her steps, weren¡¯t very steady, evoking a concerned remark from the old man. She waved him off. He offered her a seat. She accepted it politely. Traejan watched the Consortian woman gingerly sit down, as if she expected to break the chair, her eyes looking over the food and drink laid out in clean, if chipped dishes between them. She glanced up at him, over at Kyso, then offered her thanks again. The way her black hair fell over her eyes, her shoulders; it was like¡­ No, she¡¯s nothing like her, nothing like Kaelin. He looked away, disturbed and ashamed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re up for sharing a meal with us, Sa Ram, at long last,¡± Kyso said warmly. ¡°Do we need to be so formal?¡± Her tone was light. He looked put out, stood again, bowed dramatically. She bowed her head in return. ¡°Es Densca,¡± she relented. ¡°How do you feel today?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°I¡¯m still a little shaky, but more food and drink should cure that.¡± She looked over her plate, the pile of food, smiled at Kyso, then at him. Traejan tensed.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Es Edos,¡± she greeted him, eyes meeting his. He returned the greeting, traded a brief, polite smile with her. ¡°I apologize for the quality of our food,¡± Kyso began again. ¡°Unfortunately, our resources are a touch limited,¡± he added in attempted humor. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem so bad.¡± The woman glanced at the mound on her plate again. Traejan could tell, though, from the way she wrinkled her nose, pursed her lips, that she was being gracious. He looked to Kyso, who had sat down at the end of the table. The man motioned him to eat up. The food wasn¡¯t as inedible as he¡¯d expected, just hot, tangy. He ate slowly, but wasted nothing. After such an extravagance, they would be on half rations until he could make another trip to Panak. Her apparent dislike notwithstanding, Sa Ram devoured everything on her plate was well. Kyso engaged her in chitchat while they ate ¨C about food, her appearance, her home world and such. Traejan limited his part to social noises, watched her hair bob as she ate, lips move, breasts rise and fall. Kyso had made him promise to be civil. So¡­ he bided his time, watching her, waiting for his chance. She quickly emptied the second plate Kyso offered. Irritation bubbled inside of him, growing more intense by the minute. ¡°Still quite the appetite,¡± the old man noted, grinning. Althea smiled back. ¡°A few more meals like this,¡± she said, after downing another full glass of water, ¡°and I¡¯ll be strong enough to deal with the Macro.¡± It was a harmless, flirtatious remark ¨C but it was something Traejan could pounce upon. ¡°And how exactly are you going to do that? Can you offer some¡­ technical details?¡± Kyso scowled. ¡°Traejan¨C¡± ¡°No.¡± It wasn¡¯t a shout, but he¡¯d had enough, and wasn¡¯t going to be quieted any more. ¡°I risked my life in the mirror port. I deserve answers.¡± Althea matched his level gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll need a multi-channel system to directly interface with the Macro¡¯s codestream,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°Once my consciousness is interfaced with its logos¡­ I have an active pattern of trinary code that will entirely consume it.¡± ¡°Just like that,¡± he scoffed. ¡°All the bots and flyers will be destroyed.¡± She held her fork above her food, raised an eyebrow. ¡°They¡¯ll be stopped,¡± she corrected him. ¡°It¡¯s not as easy or as simple as it sounds. It¡¯s not something I¡¯m going to be able to alone.¡± She paused. ¡°You are going to help me destroy the Macro, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That goes without saying,¡± Kyso interjected. Traejan didn¡¯t look back at him. He kept his eyes on Althea. ¡°We¡¯ll provide whatever we can.¡± She looked back to the old man, as did he. Kyso continued, ¡°although, wouldn¡¯t any mech that can allow you to communicate with the ¡®Macro¡¯ as you call it ¨C be under its control? That sounds dangerous.¡± She smiled grimly ¨C speared a piece of meat with her fork, glanced at him, then back at Kyso. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be needing help.¡± Chapter Twenty Six: I dont need weapons ¡°You¡¯re saying, we find any bot or flyer, somehow hold it still without it killing us ¨C because it has to be active ¨C of course,¡± Traejan shifted in his seat a bit, Kyso¡¯s formal dinner forgotten in his challenge, ¡°long enough for you to load in your corruption code.¡± She looked up from her almost empty plate, shook her head. ¡°Not any tech. Most simply won¡¯t have the bandwidth capacity I¡¯ll require. I need something like a major communications station, from before the fall. You might call it a Mass Systems Access Gateway¡­ Trinary Nexus Eye¡­ Global Transmission Facility¡­¡± Traejan was amazed at the total ignorance of her statement. ¡°There are no GTFs,¡± he told her. ¡°Not on the ice. The only place we might find one will be far south of the Ice Line, if it wasn¡¯t scavenged by the mechs decades ago.¡± He speared a fungus on his plate, ate it whole, swallowed, glared back at Althea Ram, right into her unflinching brown eyes. ¡°It would take weeks, months to find, if any still exist. I can¡¯t think of anyone who¡¯s survived that kind of search. The mechs are merciless on their own ground.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He gestured to include Kyso. ¡°We have been down there,¡± he added. Althea didn¡¯t seem impressed by his statement. Kyso offered a glance of disapproval. Did the man think they should be dishonest with her? ¡°And we don¡¯t even have any effective weapons, defenses,¡± Traejan added. ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need weapons,¡± she told him, her plate now empty. She pushed it away from her, towards him. ¡°I just need access.¡± Traejan could only stare at her in astonishment. Kyso cut in again. ¡°The closest sizeable ruins are maybe ten days south of the line,¡± he offered, lightly, as though it was reachable. It was too much for him. Traejan stood up, over the table, over Kyso, over her. ¡°Spending a day down there is dangerous enough,¡± he shouted at her. ¡°Ten would be¡­ suicidal!¡± The woman stared up at him, gaze holding his, steely, unwavering. ¡°Traejan!¡± They both looked over at Kyso. He had risen to his feet as well. ¡°I think dinner is over. Why don¡¯t we retire to the lounge, for drinks?¡± Althea nodded slowly, rose from her chair, smiled at the old man. ¡°Thank you for the meal, and for everything, Es Densca.¡± She turned to Traejan, still smiling. ¡°Es Edos.¡± Traejan forced a polite grin. Kyso hustled over to him. ¡°Just walk her over there and make sure she is comfortable,¡± he urged Traejan in a low tone. ¡°Please, for just a few minutes, can you cut it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just telling her the truth.¡± ¡°Then¡­ just try to be at least a little conciliatory,¡± Kyso insisted. Then mouthed; shut the streck up! He turned to Althea, spread his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll get us all something to drink. Why don¡¯t you let Traejan show you the view? If your favorite colors run to white and blue, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± Chapter Twenty Seven: How Many Worlds? Traejan extended a hand in invitation. Althea nodded, followed him across the room. Just one more meal, and the way she moved was smoother, more sure. Nevertheless, that kind of resilience was on a totally different scale from taking on the vast numbers of bots and flyers he¡¯d expected roamed the south. Her eyes darted about, to scrutinize him, the dome, the view beyond. He watched her as she crossed her arms, gazed out at the ice, mountains; the clear sky beyond the transparent wall. The sun was falling over the snow-covered peaks ¨C gleaming white under the pale blue. She turned back to him, eyeing him with her cool gaze. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful view,¡± she told him. ¡°This was a resort once, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He nodded. Once. ¡°How did you guess?¡± She shrugged. ¡°The way the rooms are laid out, designed. The halls, this kind of¡­ style. I¡¯ve been in places like it before.¡± ¡°In the Consortia?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she replied in a quieter tone, turned back to the panorama. ¡°We needed the Consortia ¨C your help ¨C years ago!¡± he blurted out. She turned back, with a pained, sad look on her face. ¡°Many worlds,¡± she said. ¡°Many cultures were lost. I don¡¯t think any in your century escaped the Macros. We¡¯ve only learned how to destroy them recently.¡± ¡°How many worlds?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°How many cultures?¡± She shrugged again. ¡°Many¡­ many. I can¡¯t tell you the numbers; the galaxy is a very big place.¡± Glasses clinked; Traejan turned to see Kyso putting the tray on a table. The old man approached them with two glasses, offered one to Althea, one to him. ¡°They used to sky surf from here,¡± Kyso remarked. She nodded, but was clearly more interested in the present.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°The mechs restrict you to¡­ north of this Ice Line?¡± she asked. ¡°Right, where the glaciers meet the tundra.¡± Traejan was happy to accept her change of subject. ¡°We¡¯re safe from them, up here. It¡¯s still difficult to survive. The cold, lack of food, fuel¡­¡± ¡°The south still has usable tech,¡± Kyso added. ¡°And caches of trilium ¨C theoretically ¨C but the mechs¡­¡± ¡°You never know where they will be,¡± Traejan warned. ¡°Or how many, or what they¨C¡± ¡°Traejan¡­¡± Kyso began, in a tone meant to calm him down. Only there was nothing calming about even thinking about returning to the south. He alone had survived that last trip down there. The best-laid plans turned to disaster: the confusion, the blood, the mechs ¨C the huge, monstrous¡­ He closed his eyes tightly, shook his head. Kaelin¡­ He glanced at Althea; saw the calculating expression on her face. ¡°Kyso, she needs to know how dangerous it is down there.¡± To Althea: ¡°The last time¡­ no one made it back, except me.¡± Her expression softened. ¡°Just you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Traejan took a deep breath. He couldn¡¯t meet her gaze, it was too demanding, intimidating. ¡°There were twelve of us,¡± he began, lifted the glass to his lips, impulsively gulped the whole thing down, felt the burning in his throat, the sudden warming in his chest. He wiped his mouth, then dropped the glass, looked back at her as it bounced on the floor. ¡°We had weapons,¡± he told her bitterly. ¡°We had countermeasures. We had a plan. It didn¡¯t matter. Look, if we go down again there they will find us, they always do! You haven¡¯t faced them. You don¡¯t understand!¡± He made for the tray of drinks, but she held a hand out to block him. He glared at her, angered by the act. ¡°Traejan.¡± Her tone was sharp as a slap. ¡°Do you enjoy the world you live in?¡± What kind of question was that? Of course he didn¡¯t. He hated it. He was about to tell her to shove off, looked over to Kyso for support ¨C the old man was shaking his head ¨C turned back to the woman. ¡°I understand how your world is,¡± she continued, tone hardening. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before, ten times over. Do you want it all to be like this for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± He couldn¡¯t put much strength in his response to her stinging accusation. He looked over to Kyso, again seeing the sadness in the man¡¯s face. He turned back to Althea, wanting to say something, but not being able to put it into words. She stepped up to him, raised a hand, thin fingers gently touching his shoulder, gripping it lightly. No woman had been that close to him in three years. Her expression had turned sympathetic, but no less adamant. ¡°I¡¯m aware that going into mech country is dangerous¡­ risky,¡± her voice was low but firm, full of conviction. ¡°I¡¯ve faced risks before ¨C destroyed Macros before ¨C and I will do the same here.¡± He wanted to pull away, but her gaze held him there, for that long moment. Then she released his shoulder, took a step back, turned her glance to Kyso, then back at him, gaze still penetrating. ¡°But I cannot do it on my own.¡± She didn¡¯t raise her voice. It didn¡¯t matter, he could feel the accusation in her words. ¡°And if you won¡¯t help, then please point me in the direction of people who will!¡± Kyso jumped in telling her that they would do anything, again offered everything they had. Traejan, shaken, shamed and angry, could only turn to stare out at the hostile wilderness, the brutal world beyond. Chapter Twenty Eight: Forget everything Night turned the blue sky to black. Past the cold glass, the sky was a wash of stars ¨C remote, unreachable ¨C brightened by the lone moon, pink, pocked Tike Teke. Traejan sank into a big soft chair, numbly sipping Kyso¡¯s drinks, while the other two talked over trivialities. He stared at the darkening world, thinking of the past. Beyond his sight, he heard Althea say she was tired; heard her thank Kyso; then heard the quiet sounds of her departure. He shifted around to watch her leave. She turned back ¨C their eyes met. She offered a brief smile, then turned away. Kyso bade her a friendly goodnight, then aimed a sharp eye back to him. The old man rose to his feet, put his own empty glass down. Traejan turned back to the view, heard him pad across the carpet, watched the reflection of his approach. ¡°I do not understand you, boy. You risk your life, my life,¡± his voice rose with angry dismay, ¡°to get that woman back here. And now, you decide to insult the best chance we have ever had!¡± He loomed over Traejan, glowering. ¡°That we may ever have!¡± Taking in a deep breath, he looked away. Kyso had been completely taken in. He¡­ He just couldn¡¯t see it. He looked back up at the man standing over him. It was a strecking fantasy. He rose to face the man, drunk and unsteady, but filled with the strength of his convictions.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°She¡¯s one woman,¡± he replied. Couldn¡¯t Kyso see it? ¡°Even if she has Consortia geneering or ¡®nanometric networks¡¯ in her ¨C it¡¯s a big jump from surviving frostbite, healing fractures to taking on bots and flyers and¨C!¡± The Monstrous thing that filled the sky, blotted out the sun ¨C destroyed everything and everyone¡­ ¡°And we¡¯re just going along with whatever she says? Forget everything? When she¡¯s hardly answered for any of it?¡± He looked Kyso in his eyes, satisfied at seeing the old man taken aback, but still, refusing to agree. ¡°She is Consortia ¨C not a bloody scavenger! Everything she has said ¨C has told us ¨C has had the ring of truth,¡± he chastised. ¡°Wake the streck up! You can¡¯t pile everything that¡¯s happened in the last two hundred years on her.¡± ¡°But she is Consortia. Who else do we have we blame?¡± Traejan complained. ¡°Where the hell were they when we needed them?!¡± ¡°I think she explained that.¡± Traejan waved his hand in a quick, angry gesture. He wasn¡¯t going to be dismissed him again. ¡°Althea Ram,¡± he continued. ¡°She can just upload her little corruption that can destroy every single bot and flyer ¨C like they are nothing?! I want to believe this, I really do. Maybe I would have before.¡± Ten years ago, three. ¡°Now¡­ After what I¡¯ve¡­ I just can¡¯t see it.¡± He looked back out to the darkness. ¡°It¡¯ll go wrong, Kyso¡± he added, feeling the heavy weight of memory. ¡°It always goes wrong.¡± Chapter Twenty Nine: A ghost in the night Kyso barked a laugh. His reflection in the glass looked positively mirthful. Traejan turned back to him, furious, but was stopped by the man¡¯s sudden calm, sudden intensity. ¡°So¡­ if there were an army of Legionnaires with plasma projectors, a fleet of space ships bombarding the mechs from orbit, blowing them all to shrapnel and dust ¨C would that be enough to satisfy you? Eh? Boy, this isn¡¯t one of your games!¡± Kyso shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s Consortia. That¡¯s what we have to believe in.¡± He offered a brief smirk; hit Traejan on the shoulder with an open palm. ¡°And, hey,¡± he finished on a more playful, gentler tone. ¡°It didn¡¯t always go wrong.¡± No, not always. Traejan turned back out at the stars. He missed Kaelin so much, more than all the rest put together. They¡¯d spent many hours staring out of this window, at the night sky, at their own reflections. He looked back at Kyso. ¡°You really believe she can do what she says.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying we need to see this through,¡± his friend countered. ¡°I want you ¨C I need you to be there with me. Look, in all honesty Trae, I would rather be dead than believe there was nothing left¨C¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He spread his arms wide. ¡°¨Cbut this. Can¡¯t you understand how that feels?¡± ¡°I just wish Kaelin was here,¡± Traejan said, trying to picture her, standing with them, a ghost in the night. ¡°You still remember her, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I remember her!¡± Kyso protested. ¡°I remember the first time we met her, the little boot thief.¡± He couldn¡¯t suppress a grin, recalling¡­ ¡°I remember when she arrived, uninvited, at our door, demanding to be let in.¡± She¡¯d come alone, three days through the ice, to join them, learned as he did ¨C to operate, repair; weapons, tech ¨C do the what men and women did on the old vids, in life. Then he lost her. Kyso¡¯s voice echoed the emptiness, the grief Traejan still felt. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve forgotten them all, boy?! Don¡¯t you think this is what they¡¯d all want ¨C what she¡¯d want? She hated those mechs as much as any of us.¡± ¡°She would¡­¡± Traejan sighed. ¡°But¡­ that wasn¡¯t all she wanted,¡± he added inadequately. ¡°That wasn¡¯t all she was.¡± The woman that he loved: flowing black hair, skin almost as white as the snow, a smile, an infectious laugh. She¡¯d teased him relentlessly. She loved him. He focused back on the present, on their reflections. Kyso was nodding a ghostly nod. ¡°Yes,¡± Kyso agreed. ¡°Of course¡­ Traejan, this is our opportunity to get the things that killed her. Don¡¯t you want that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He couldn¡¯t say no. He wanted to see all of the mechs destroyed! Each and every one. ¡°Good,¡± Kyso continued, his tone abrupt, harsh and commanding. ¡°Now, when you get the chance, do you think you could please tell our Consortian guest you will do what she asks of you, as best you can, and not be such a strecking pain in the ass?!¡± Chapter Thirty: Youll never make it They were ghosts of worlds, memories of what was. Thousands upon thousands glowed bright against the velvet darkness. Worlds of the Legion Consortia Galacium, their essence, their memory, captured, held. Althea Ram gazed up at the vast array spread out above her. There were so many. There had been so many. At least one of them must still have what she was looking for, what she needed. Tearing her gaze away, she looked back down to the imaging controls glowing before her. One dark finger pressed down on a blue-shaded bar to begin the program. Looking back up, eyes wide, Althea watched the ghosts fade like candles blown out by the wind. Thousands became hundreds, hundreds faded to a disappointing few. She stretched her fingers to press the next bar. Nine spheres flew down to circle over the controls ¨C the best, the nearest, beautiful worlds of land, sea, clouds, with glittering constellations of light on their night sides. Worlds as they were, two anna hundred past. One more touch on the blue bar and the dance began. The smooth, feminine voice of Shirae Valerian also started. Why her voice? Why for this? ¡°Ar Denia, a bit rural don¡¯t you think?¡± A green and brown world spun into prominence, demographics and statistics floating in datafields around it. Propero Colchis Quadra, as it was also known to the Portal Authority, was very close, as the Mirror Maze twisted ¨C a potential source of knowledge or resources. In a few beats, another took its place in the dance, purple and blue.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Iuachu, pretty but pointless¡± didn¡¯t compel her attention. Neither did the three that followed, matching the bare minimums of her requests: basic stores of trilium, and ¨C at worst ¨C second grade in nantech or trinary development. Beyeni Four did look comforting, though, a dark gorgeous green from pole to pole. The fifth image, its attendant graphics, caused her to catch her breath ¨C stop the spin. ¡°Elysium,¡± was the world, first in its culture, richest in its century. Continents of green, seas of blue. The more credits she read, the more she wanted it ¨C but her glance to its location forced a frown. The world was far, too far. ¡°But you still want to go there, don¡¯t you,¡± Shirae continued. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it. Let it go.¡± Receedus Elisiamus Prime was a memorial world. The thought of reaching it made her heart beat fast; rekindling a hope she had almost given up on ¨C forgiveness. A part of her remembered what that memorial world once offered ¨C comfort to the living; solace from the dead. An electric sensation ran through her, a shiver down her spine, and she straightened, smiled ¨C knowing that she was being scrutinized. Dorian was always watching her, of course. The strength of his attention, the consciousness he focused on her, had increased dramatically. She could feel it. She could always feel it. Althea opened her eyes, understanding what was happening. Her NANs were at work restoring her memories, mixing recollections with dreams, fantasies, under no conscious control at all. But¡­ Something had changed. She eased herself up in the bed, looked over the room ¨C the intricate maze of cracks on the ceiling above her, the chipped cracked and otherwise old furniture, tech ¨C same shape, same positions. She looked left and right. The pile of her equipment appeared untouched. Dusty beams of light radiated from the single window, it cracks projected into blurry shadows all around. She relaxed back down again, stretched her arms, legs, body under the sheets. Then she knew. Althea smiled. The NANs had finished their work! She slipped out of the bed, stood on her feet, up on her tiptoes, grinning broadly. More wounds, more agonies to consign to history, to memory. Not even an ache remained. All the pain is gone! I¡¯m healed! Then she tried, Dorian, Dorian? Chapter Thirty One: You have the trillium No response. No, she wasn¡¯t healed, just better. His voice was still gone from her head, from her mind, and with it, the stream of NAN data Althea was accustomed to. Despite her returned to relative health, she still would not have any precise control over her networks. Communication lines certainly would have been fixed by now¡­ if that was at all possible. Althea sighed, giving in. Nothing could be done about it, not here. She hoped the absence of pain now meant she wasn¡¯t going to suffer more random agonies, sudden unconsciousness. She could live with that; but then, what choice did she have? Finding Dorian¡¯s case, Althea caressed its smooth metal surface, picked it up. ¡°Good morning Dorian.¡± Good afternoon, his faint voice replied.How do you feel today? ¡°Much better,¡± she told him. ¡°As well as I can be.¡± I¡¯m pleased to hearthat. You had a visitor. ¡°I did?¡± She should have heard, woken up. He did not enter the room. ¡°Oh?¡± She found a note on the door, message scrawled in poor handwriting, signed Traejan: He and Kyso were starting work on equipment needed for her efforts ¨C she should take whatever wished from their food stores.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Make my own meals, eh? Already tired of coddling me are you? Thoughts of food brought a pang from her stomach; her wounds were erased, but her NANs were still demanding more fuel. Still, her fingers were thin, body didn¡¯t flex and bounce quite as well as it should ¨C a few more stomach-fulls should take care of it. Althea forced a smile, she should be happy, or at least relieved. She pulled on her memsuit and adjusted it, slipped into her travel tunic, her boots, pocketed Dorian. Ready, passing one glance across the room to commit it memory, she headed out the door, closed it quietly. The dilapidated resort¡¯s hallways remained as chilly as the night before. She remembered Kyso telling her they had only a small ration of trilium to heat it. Her own couldn¡¯t be wasted on luxuries. Get used to feeling cold, you¡¯re going to be here a while. The kitchen was stocked with all the kinds of food that she¡¯d been eating. A cursory search didn¡¯t provide anything better, so she forced down the least repellent of the stock. On her way out, she nearly bumped into Traejan as he entered. He was wearing what looked like mechanic¡¯s work clothes. He was dirty, looked like he¡¯d been crawling through an engine; smelled like it too. Apologizing, she moved out of his way. He carefully passed by her, muttered a greeting. ¡°Good afternoon,¡± she replied ¨C and when he didn¡¯t answer immediately ¨C added, ¡°I read your note.¡± He looked up, narrowed his gaze, then nodded. ¡°What are you working on?¡± ¡°Our lifter,¡± he told her, acting reluctant to talk, but wasn¡¯t so rude as to brush her off. ¡°It hasn¡¯t worked in anna, but our sled won¡¯t do for a trip down south. And since you have the trilium to power it¡­¡± She nodded in understanding, anticipation. Her borrowed experiences might help with repairs. She was certainly finished with doing nothing but recuperating. ¡°Do you think I could help?¡± Traejan shrugged dismissively. ¡°Maybe,¡± he offered. ¡°If I can, in any way¡­¡± she told him, trying to be cheerful, but not invasive. ¡°Where¡¯s Kyso?¡± ¡°In his workshop.¡± She got the directions, nodded again, turned away. ¡°Sa Ram,¡± he started the formal address. She turned back to see him look away. ¡°I know you are here to help us. I¡¯ve been rude. Please accept my apology. ¡°Of course,¡± she replied lightly. Chapter Thirty Two: I shouldnt be hiding this The vaulted chamber she found Kyso¡¯s workshop in clearly hadn¡¯t been designed for the industrial work that was now going on. As with the rest of the complex, there were signs everywhere of former luxury, of aesthetic sensibility, peeking out from beneath the collected dirt and dust. It could have been a dance hall once, but now, its wide floor was dominated by rows and rows of packed shelving reaching upwards to the high ceiling. Wandering through the stacks, she identified many of the components on the shelves, but most appeared worn, incomplete, and grades beneath what she needed. It was hard to resist the urge to touch the pieces as she passed them, feeling saddened by the whole display. The feelings weren¡¯t likely hers, but she didn¡¯t shunt them aside. Borrowed memories, experiences, were still ¨C after all ¨C human. Coming from past the stacks, she could hear sounds: whirring, hammering, cursing. ¡°Damn you!¡± The muffled cry of frustration could only be Kyso¡¯s. ¡°Work, please work.¡± Althea turned a corner, drew closer to his voice. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± he was demanding. Her foot hit a loose shard, sent a piece of metal skittering into a stack. She froze. The sounds of work stopped. ¡°Trae?¡± he called out, sounding a little weary, a little suspicious. ¡°What do you want now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Traejan,¡± Althea moved into the open. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Kyso was standing behind a table piled over with what looked like a small thruster¡¯s internal components and various attendant tools. He was holding a large decoupler with both hands high up over his head. His fury softened as she watched.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°May I come in to your workshop?¡± He lowered the tool, shrugged, then beckoned her to approach. She took a few more steps towards his untidy workspace. ¡°I¡¯m not at my best, but you may as well. I shouldn¡¯t be hiding this from you, eh?¡± His expression twisted into a smile. ¡°Why would you want to hide this from me?¡± she asked. He was fixing a thruster assembly. He might succeed. There were enough parts scattered on the table and shelves around him. She pointed to the large tool he was brandishing. ¡°You weren¡¯t going to throw that at me, were you?¡± Kyso shook his head. ¡°No, of course not,¡± he told her, placed the tool on the table in front of him. He gave her a slight bow. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I just spoke with Traejan,¡± she told him, letting her tone imply confusion about the episode. ¡°I see,¡± he told her, his expression closed. ¡°He apologized for his behavior last night,¡± she continued. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to.¡± She saw a change in his expression, an admission. ¡°You wanted him to.¡± ¡°You asked for our help,¡± he said, tone colored with regret and embarrassment ¡°We are Consortia,¡± he added, his hand gesture a clear inclusion of her. ¡°We should offer it without question. Trae¡­ You aren¡¯t what he expected ¨C what he hoped for.¡± She looked down at the table, with a single finger traced a symbol in the dust, grit and shavings. She wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d hoped for either. The universe was cruel and harsh. She looked back up at the old Consortian. ¡°Who did he lose?¡± Kyso sighed, looked away, then back. ¡°We¡¯ve both lost a lot of friends,¡± he admitted. ¡°He lost more than that,¡± she challenged. He eyed her critically her for a moment, came to a decision. ¡°He had a wife, Kaelin. She died¡­ on that trip.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Her arrival had awakened fresher, deeper grief. She toyed with the idea of not asking for more information, to just be sympathetic and respectful ¨C but if there were clues about this Macro¡¯s behavior, something that Traejan had experienced directly, she needed to know what he¡¯d seen, what he¡¯d learned, and how he¡¯d described the encounter. She also needed to know these men, who they were ¨C what they were capable of. So¡­ she asked Kyso to continue, and found herself a place to sit that wasn¡¯t too grimy. Chapter Thirty Three: They turned on each other ¡°Almost three anna now, it¡¯s been¡± the old Consortian began, taking a seat as well, leaning casually over the soot-covered table. By the dirt on his work suit, he obviously didn¡¯t care about accumulating more grime. ¡°There were ten of us still here,¡± he continued. ¡°Two other ¨C suspended survivors like Traejan and me ¨C and others working on keeping the past alive. We helped each other, tried to help the people in Panak. That¡¯s a nearby¡­ settlement.¡± ¡°Many people there?¡± ¡°Fewer every annum these days, or so Traejan tells me,¡± he offered. ¡°Not the most amenable of people, nor their Ginga ¨C the ignorant thug ¨C who runs the place.¡± Kyso twisted his lips, wagged a finger at her. ¡°I would not recommend you deal with him.¡± She nodded, thug or not, ignorant or not, revealing herself to any established authority, had never been a been a good idea for her. She gestured for him to continue. ¡°But¡­ as hard as we tried, nothing changed, not really,¡± Kyso¡¯s voice grew tired, deflated. ¡°What we have here, it¡¯s practically unusable. Our search for the necessities of survival was getting us desperate, nowhere or killed; until the rumor.¡± ¡°Rumor?¡± He shifted in his seat; rubbed his beard with a dirty hand.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°More than a rumor, we were given specific details about an underground complex with a large cache of trilium; maybe a six¡¯s worth. You can imagine how we reacted.¡± Of course she could. That much could probably power the resort for years, more than she dared carry. ¡°Traejan, Kaelin and the others were determined to go. It was too good to pass up and close enough to the Ice Line to be relatively safe.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t go?¡± ¡°No,¡± he told her, bitterness in his voice, lifted a hand to his chest. ¡°That annum¡­ my lungs¡­ I was very ill. What can I say? We have no medicines to speak of either. I stayed back, Jossick and Felda stayed with me.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t a native of this world are you?¡± she asked gently. He smiled. ¡°I wondered when you were going to ask about that,¡± he replied. ¡°I was born on Propero Crassis Decimus.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long way from here,¡± Althea knew. ¡°It¡¯s on the other side of the galaxy.¡± He looked down for a moment, then back up at her. ¡°Is it¨C¡± She didn¡¯t know enough about the world to offer a proper, comforting lie. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be,¡± was the best she could come up with. ¡°I haven¡¯t been that far.¡± It was a mistake to bring that up, she realized, seeing the effect her doubt had on him; his slumping posture, narrowing of gaze, exhale of breath. She returned the conversation to the local, recent past. ¡°What happened to them?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he confessed. ¡°They left, didn¡¯t stay in Panak, though. The folk there, they blamed Traejan for the disaster, hated him for a long time.¡± He sighed, dropped the hand. ¡°I did too,¡± he admitted, ¡°for a while.¡± He shook his head slowly, sad eyes looking for something in hers, sympathy perhaps. ¡°It¡¯s wrong ¡­ to blame someone, simply for surviving. What he lost¡­¡± ¡°What did he say happened?¡± ¡°It was crazy, didn¡¯t make sense. I know he found a few friends from Panak to join in on the trip, maybe they were responsible.¡± Kyso pursed his lips, conflicted. ¡°He said they turned on each other¡­ started killing each other. Then the constructs came¡­ and¡­ and¨C killed the rest.¡± Chapter Thirty Four: Trust me ¡°They expected that, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Of course they did!¡± Althea almost expected him to pound the table, but Kyso calmed quickly. ¡°We always expect constructs of some sort. They were prepared for them ¨C but it all went to hell. Trae wasn¡¯t exaggerating, when he told you. South of the Ice Line. You make a mistake¡­ You attract attention¡­¡± She gave him a moment, broke it when he didn¡¯t continue. ¡°And since then, did you try to find out what happened, for yourself?¡± ¡°I ¨C we argued about it, but¡­ it¡¯s just too dangerous,¡± Kyso rejected the question. ¡°Jossick and Felda left, Traejan started spending all his time in his games. Pain, loss returned to his expression, his voice. ¡°And I¡­ I dreamed of what was.¡± He suddenly brightened. ¡°Until the portal alarm,¡± he finished warmly. ¡°Until you came.¡± Adulation she didn¡¯t need. She decided to steer the conversation back to Traejan. ¡°He never got past her death, then.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Kyso told her, pain returning. He tried to clear the strain, the memory from his face, his expression, with a wipe of a hand. ¡°But that¡¯s changed now. He just needs to see it.¡± He smiled, pleased ¨C hopeful. ¡°The Consortia is still out there. We have hope again.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. His glee made her queasy, but she couldn¡¯t give up the lie ¨C not yet ¨C and was it truly a lie? The Palmyri Century remained. It could still count, couldn¡¯t it? Seeing how he was watching her, she brightened herself up, gave him a smile. ¡°You¡¯re looking better every day,¡± he told her, easing her fear that he suspected the truth she was holding back. ¡°Mostly recovered. Thanks, to you. Still have a bit of a headache,¡± she told him, rubbing a temple. ¡°But it¡¯ll pass¡­ I hope.¡± He looked at her again with frank appraisal. ¡°I should say your nantech helped you recover as much than we did.¡± She had to agree, her toughness, endurance, ability to heal, was due to her NANs ¨C much of her knowledge and experience ¨C earned by others. There was only so much a single person could do. Without enhancements, she¡¯d have to trust people ¨C maintain it constantly, or risk betrayal ¨C again, and again. ¡°Well, my nantech does help¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous out here. The kind of work I¡¯ve had done ¨C it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°Out there?¡± Kyso stretched a hand to encompass the whole world. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a world more dangerous than this one.¡± ¡°Trust me,¡± she said, adding a little humor to her voice, continuing to test him. ¡°There are worse places out there than Makan.¡± ¡°Our mirror port collapsed on you,¡± he replied quickly, playing into the game, then returned to that appraising look, ¡°in case that head injury of yours has robbed you of the memory.¡± She didn¡¯t suppress her laugh. It felt good ¨C right. She mimed her headache again. ¡°Oh¡­ I remember,¡± she began, concentrating to get her tone, her performance right. ¡°Arrivals can be dangerous, but if someone hopes¡­ knows that Consortia will return, however long he feels he¡¯s been abandoned.¡± She held his gaze, softened hers ¨C kept eye contact. ¡°My mistake,¡± she admitted, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the ice, didn¡¯t expect the resonant effects of the power surge.¡± She offered him a warm smile. ¡°But someone had set an alarm and they were still listening ¨C and despite the risk they crossed a frozen wilderness, pulled me out of that ruin ¨C and brought me back to their home, helped me recover.¡± Finishing, she could see the appreciation lighten up his eyes, his face, his whole posture. ¡°Some could say that you are just lucky,¡± he said, humble response covering suppressed emotion. Very lucky. ¡°Yeah¡­ I am,¡± she agreed, looking in his sparkling eyes, filling her voice with a warm, serious tone. ¡°Sometimes.¡± Chapter Thirty Five: The slimmest hope With a few words, warm support and the right lies she had lifted Kyso¡¯s spirits. It was better that he feel good about what he¡¯d accomplished, what he had done, what he could do. The less pressure on her, the better, considering what she had promised. Althea turned away from him, to look over the room, the stacks and shelves, the array of grimy, below grade tech of all kinds. He hadn¡¯t likely done it all himself, but it was the best attempt to preserve old Legionary technology that she had seen on a lost word. ¡°You¡¯ve gathered quite a collection here,¡± she noted, turning back to him, smiling, hoping the statement sounded appreciating, implying that he should be proud. Kyso shook his head, and his misery returned. ¡°Most of it doesn¡¯t work,¡± he told her with a touch of the frustration she had heard before. Then his tone collapsed back into tiredness. ¡°Much of the rest we don¡¯t have the trilium to power.¡± His eyes were full of shame ¨C regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he finished. ¡°It won¡¯t be much help to you.¡± It was true. Nothing here was going to tip the scales on whether or not she was going to destroy the Macro. The grade was too low; the parts she needed to interface with the Macro couldn¡¯t be here.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she tried to be convincing. He didn¡¯t respond the way she¡¯d hoped ¨C instead choked back derisive laughter. ¡°How can you say that?!¡± his disbelief turned to fury. ¡°We are going south!¡± She took a step back, preparing for violence. Then the intensity, the anger in him just faded away, leaving him to collapse back down. ¡°I wanted to be prepared,¡± he told her, now seeming on the verge of tears, ¡°in the slimmest hope that the Consortia would return. And now that you have¡­¡± He trailed off, picked up a cylinder from the thruster unit, bent and worn, then suddenly threw it at the floor. A hollow metallic ring rung out, repeated as it bounced away from them. She looked back into his face ¨C tensing herself for his next outburst ¨C but it didn¡¯t come. He looked at her, looking lost, then turned back to the table. ¡°This is useless,¡± he spread an arm over the whole assembly, spouting his frustration angrily. ¡°It¡¯s crap! It¡¯s all crap.¡± Althea wanted to tell him to stop, to tell him that everything was going to be all right, but held herself, waited. ¡°I wanted to show you,¡± his voice was pained again, holding out his hands, ¡°that we¡¯d preserved something ¨C not just remnants, not this garbage. I don¡¯t even know why I try with this; I¡¯m not even a technician ¨C an engineer. Do you know what I am ¨C what I was?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was an actor,¡± He announced dramatically, ¡°for close to a hundred anna ¨C but here, now ¨C no one understands the subtlety of a performance. They only need food, power, bits of remnant technology. Oneness, I despair for the future.¡± He sat back down, heavily, head in his hands, shaking in unspent energy, giving up. Althea couldn¡¯t suppress her sympathy anymore, stepped forwards, started to reach out to him, drew back. No, it¡¯s dangerous to get too close. If nothing else, her experience on Hadhalho had reminded her of that. Chapter Thirty Six: I’ve seen far worse ¡°It¡¯s not all garbage, Kyso,¡± she told him, in as warm and supporting a tone as she dared muster. He turned back to her, eyes moist, doubting. ¡°It might as well be,¡± he told her then began to point out the problems, the hopelessness. ¡°This collector is useless without the filter. That magnetic polarizer is inoperable.¡± A second glance at the polarizer told a different story. It looked perfectly operable, maybe even the cleanest piece in the lot ¡°I could diagnose it once,¡± he confessed, his voice tired again, with sad humor, pointed at his own head, ¡°but my memory too, it goes¡­.I¡¯m probably not even passable actor anymore.¡± Althea could sense that he was coming to his final point. The point he wanted her to refute ¨C she hoped. ¡°It¡¯s all like this,¡± he said with certainty in his voice, then simply, heavily ended with, ¡°we¡¯ve failed you.¡± ¡°No, Kyso,¡± she disagreed warmly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen far worse,¡± That was the terrible truth. ¡°People who¡¯ve had more, lost all hope, fallen to¨C fallen completely, if they survived at all.¡± They were the worst destinations of all; where she had found no survivors, nothing left for even a Macro to acknowledge or abuse. ¡°There are dead worlds out there,¡± she told him, struggling to keep her voice even, lift it up to the level of inspiring. ¡°You¡¯ve survived. You¡¯ve prepared.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. That seemed to bring life back to his eyes, to his body language. He smiled a bit. She reached out, touched his arm, felt the rough fabric of his shirt, the warmth underneath ¨C looked straight into his brightening eyes. ¡°I owe you my life,¡± she told him sincerely. Kyso looked pleased, but still a little uncomfortable with her praise. ¡°You¡¯re very generous,¡± he said, some uncertainty in his voice still. She released his arm, smiled broadly. ¡°You deserve it.¡± A moment of silence passed between them. Althea considered what to say next. She waved at the stacks. ¡°We don¡¯t need this so much anyhow,¡± she admitted to him. She picked up the polarizer, gripped the cold metal tightly, lifting it easily. She smiled with the returned strength. ¡°And what we need,¡± she told him, light in her voice, ¡°I can help with. Traejan said something about a lifter? I¡¯d rather not have to walk through what¡¯s outside. And ¨C I do have all the trilium we should need.¡± He raised his snow-white eyebrows, a glimmer of humor finding a way back into his expression. Althea put the piece back down. ¡°We need people too,¡± she told him. ¡°At least a few.¡± He had mentioned a settlement ¨C Panak?¡­ something about a Ginga? ¡°You told me there were people ¨C at the settlement ¨C who might help? For profit? For fun?¡± He got the message, laughed. ¡°Of course, for fun,¡± he replied, smiling at the absurdity. He motioned her over to a wall that had a crude map on it. He pointed out their location, then a collection of markings a one or two from them ¡°Panak, as I¡¯d mentioned.¡± he drew a line over the map, from there to here, ¡°a few days walk, in good weather, much less time with a working lifter.¡± He dropped his arm, turned back to her. ¡°There are people there,¡± he didn¡¯t use the word people in a positive sense, though. ¡°Traders, hunters, scavengers.¡± She nodded. They would likely be the best choices to take with them. How many of them, she wondered, would be Macro implant? ¡°Survivors,¡± he added, turning back to her, unknowing. ¡°Useful?¡± Yes¡­ if all else fails . It wasn¡¯t time to Kyso about the rest of the plan ¨C not yet. Althea smiled at him again. ¡°Helpful,¡± she corrected. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be going into Macro territory alone.¡± Chapter Thirty Seven: How do I start this? She felt good, pleased with herself as she closed the door behind her. She had left Kyso in a healthy, positive mood, purposeful and more confident than she had found him. Score one for her. He¡¯d even accepted offer of help with the balky thruster drivers. Traejan was next. Despite that, her smile persisted for a number of steps down the grimy corridor. Her hope was on the rise. Maybe everything would work out perfectly this time. Maybe she had even found someone she could trust to watch over her when the time came. That would satisfy Dorian, certainly. Althea sighed, putting a hand on the door leading to the complex¡¯s garage. According to Kyso, Traejan would be there, working on the vehicle that, theoretically, they¡¯d be taking to Panak, and then to the south. Though the door, she could hear the sound, feel the vibration of powered tools or engines. She felt a sudden pang of doubt. Kyso had been easy to turn around. Traejan would be more of a challenge, his feelings towards her far more complex. Going to turn back before you even open the door? A deep breath, then another fortified her. She pulled the door open ¨C felt a burst of cooler air, the tang of metal and lubricants. At the other side of the high walled chamber, she could see the Makani man working hard. It looked as though he was trying to install a thruster assembly on a hulking, rusty chassis.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Whatever the thing was, it had no roof, just thickly tubed cage over the flat undercarriage. If that¡¯s the lifter, maybe it would be safer to walk. Althea made her way through the maze of scattered pieces, large and small, of vehicle parts and partially filled crates, unnoticed. She had to take a serpentine route. As with Kyso, organization in the workshops didn¡¯t seem to matter that much to him. Nor cleanliness ¨C the work suit he wore was caked in black dirt or dried lubricants, much worse than the other man¡¯s had been. The lifter was no cleaner, only gleaming where parts had obviously been removed. His close¨Ccropped hair, once blonde, had become almost as blackened as his clothing. He didn¡¯t notice her approach closer, still trying to manhandle the components together. It wasn¡¯t at all a close fit. The struggle he was having was comical. She wanted to help him with it ¨C instinctively. Was he as skilled a mechanic as Kyso? If so, they both needed her help desperately. It pained her how he was struggling. A six or so away, she was close enough to hear him curse at it. ¡°Come on,¡± the intensity of his struggle, curses suggested as if he was going to rupture something. ¡°Come on!¡± Althea winced in sympathy. He suddenly gave up; turning away from the equipment, his grimy face twisted with anger, frustration and pain, then suddenly noticed her. His expression turned to embarrassment, tried to wipe some of the dirt off his face; ended up putting more on. It was an oddly attractive gesture. Traejan swore lightly, then offered, ¡°So it¡¯s you.¡± Nodded, she tried to appear nonjudgemental, unthreatening. How do I start this? Chapter Thirty Eight: They’ll happily kill you ¡°That¡¯s not going to fit,¡± she finally told him. He gave her a smirk. ¡°You think so?¡± He responded sarcastically. ¡°All your Consortia knowledge tell you that.¡± ¡°I could help,¡± she offered. He appeared to consider that for a moment, then reject the thought. ¡°A part that would fit could help.¡± She sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to get in the way,¡± Althea told him, already growing a little impatient. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± he responded calmly. You want to get to the point? Good. ¡°I talked with Kyso,¡± she began, looking for the best way to begin. ¡°He told me a few things.¡± ¡°Did he?¡± he offered dismissively. ¡°Traejan,¡± she started seriously. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you how you should feel about what happened to you. Or about who and what you¡¯ve lost.¡± Traejan glared at her sharply. ¡°But we are going south ¨C at least I am ¨C probably Kyso too,¡± Althea continued sternly. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to decide soon whether or not you can do it. I won¡¯t think the worse of you if you can¡¯t.¡± She could imagine the fear that he felt, the grief and helplessness. She remembered hiding in a sewer when the First¡¯s secret army quarantined and killed everyone in the ZAT ¨C all her friends and then later her family. Either he¡¯d be convinced to come or stay and be out of the way. She just needed to figure out which would be best.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± he told her quietly, with no emotional inflection. She¡¯d expected at least a challenge, the kind he showed her the night before. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± His expression darkened. ¡°Yes,¡± he told her, irritated, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± She looked him over, noting his stubborn stance, pursed her lips. Her silence, attention, got a response. ¡°What did Kyso tell you?¡± he asked, voice rising, gesturing angrily. ¡°That I¡¯m a coward, a traitor?! That I abandoned all of them to their deaths? Or even killed them myself?¡± She took a step back from the sudden fury, but as with Kyso, it was gone as soon as it had come. Traejan shook his head slowly. ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± he insisted. She could hear the pain in his voice ¨C doubt and grief again. ¡°If there was anything I could have possibly done¡­¡± His expression of grief grew, and he put up a carbon-blackened hand to his face, covering his eyes, hiding them from her. ¡°Relax,¡± she said calmly, with as much sympathy as she could offer. She took at step towards him, palms up. He dropped his hand, dirty face looking pained. ¡°Please understand. We have to trust each other. ¡°He looked back up at her, eyes wary. ¡°I have told you exactly why I am here, what I have to do ¨C what I am capable of,¡± she continued. ¡°I do understand your doubts. But you have to cast them aside. Can you?¡± ¡°You are Consortia,¡± he told her flatly. The statement sounded rehearsed. ¡°I think so¡­ I have to¡­¡± he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as her. ¡°Good,¡± she replied positively, turned serious, ¡°Because we have a lot of work ahead of us. Kyso told me you know people in Panak, people who¡¯ve gone south and come back.¡± His expression turned derisive. ¡°Gregga¡¯s,¡± he told her, contempt in his voice. ¡°Scavengers. They can find tech, but they aren¡¯t exactly trustworthy.¡± Especially if they¡¯ve been implanted. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you could trust them to do anything for you, Consortia or not,¡± he warned. ¡°They¡¯ll happily kill you, for a working piece, or a few grams of trilium ¨C or just looking at them the wrong way. I wouldn¡¯t even trust most of them north of the Ice Line, let alone south.¡± She understood the sentiment. Where there were people, there was resentment, lies, manipulation, the hunger for wealth, power and control ¨C however petty. There lay the contradiction, the irony of her mission. Why fight for them? Why? Because they were human, because she was human, because what people did to each other paled in comparison to what the macros had done, still did ¨C by many magnitudes. Althea reminded herself of that every day. ¡°Even so, you¡¯re still going to help me find them, choose ones to take with us?¡± He gave her a look she couldn¡¯t read. ¡°Yes,¡± he told her lightly. ¡°Sure.¡± The dismissal in his tone irked her. ¡°Fine,¡± she told him. ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind telling me everything that happened to you ¨C the last time you went south.¡± Chapter Thirty Nine: You’re not alone He stared at her, eyes wide, mouth open ¨C then started shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what happened down there,¡± he told her. ¡°Sure you do,¡± she refused his answer. ¡°Kyso told me a little of what you told him ¨C your friends attacking each other ¨C the constructs coming ¨C you escaping¡­ somehow.¡± Easily implant behavior ¨C just like a new friend suddenly stabbing you in the back when his cybernetic master was threatened with destruction. Traejan leaned back against the lifter chassis. ¡°Sounds like Kyso told you lots,¡± he responded sharply. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back, ask him for more.¡± She stood her ground, crossed her arms, refused to play the game. ¡°Traejan,¡± she began. ¡°I¡¯m not here to play the two of you against each other.¡± She took in a deep breath. ¡°I want to hear it from you,¡± she told him plainly, straight, ¡°because you were there. Kyso wasn¡¯t.¡± He didn¡¯t respond immediately, kept glaring at her. ¡°Do you want more needless deaths?!¡± she asked, exasperated. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± That brought him out from his shell. ¡°What wisdom do you imagine you are going to dig out of my memory,¡± he challenged her, raising his voice again. ¡°I don¡¯t know the why or the how of what happened back there!¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She let him vent, trying to look as sympathetic as possible. ¡°I only know what I saw,¡± he finished, despondent. She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking Traejan,¡± she told him gently, not looking away. ¡°What did you see?¡± He looked away from her. ¡°It¡¯s hard,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been spending the last three anna trying to forget.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she said softly. She often preferred not to think of her own painful regrets, tragedies, horrors of the past. ¡°But it¡¯s necessary.¡± She tried offering a hopeful turn. ¡°Tell me¡­ tell me everything. And things can be different this time. They can be better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± his response was thick with sarcasm. ¡°You¡¯re going to destroy the Macro, its corpore and free the whole world.¡± ¡°Yes, yes I will,¡± she told him flatly. ¡°I will. Haven¡¯t you been listening to me?¡± She waited again. He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Is it going to be a long story,¡± she wanted to know, holding her hands out, gesturing. ¡°Should we sit down? All this standing is making my feet hurt.¡± He scowled at her, shrugged, pointed across the work area; Althea saw a rickety looking chair and a wide bench covered in bits of tech and tools. She started over. ¡°You¡¯re aware¡­¡± he told her following her. She chose the chair, not certain if would handle his weight. It barely held hers, squeaking ¨C straining ¨C even under her reduced weight. ¡°That we don¡¯t have much trilium left.¡± He cleared a spot on the bench, absently brushing away tools and tech alike. Leaning over his knees, he looked her over her warily. His smell was much stronger, being this close: his sweat, the mingling of chemicals, soot and lubricants ¨C strong ¨C but not unpleasant. Trilium, the universal source of energy, the universal currency. They didn¡¯t have much; she was running out. Elysium, the world, the dream ¨C her goal ¨C returned to her thoughts. If she could get there, struggling through all of this would be worth it. ¡°I know,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯re not alone in that.¡± He seemed to appreciate her statement, and his focus changed ¨C he was suddenly looking past her, past the piles of mechanical parts ¨C into the past. Chapter Forty: The Corpore had it all ¡°We learned from some greggas that there was a cache of it in an old power station,¡± he voice became distant as he recalled it, ¡°close to the ice line.¡± He looked back at her, sadness in his eyes, mouth twisted, lips pursed. ¡°Small risk, great reward,¡± he told her, voice bitter with the memory. ¡°So Kyso told me ¨C but there was no reward, was there?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Not that we ever found,¡± he told her glumly. ¡°Things fell apart almost as soon as we got to the site.¡± ¡°Where did it start?¡± What mattered, what ever mattered, was always in the details. It had started about an eighteen and a seventeen ago, or around for local anna. There had been joy, doubt, debates, arguments. Kyso and Kaelin had been the greatest proponents of the journey; Kyso, because the power would allow them to expand their recycling and rejuvenation of their equipment, Kaelin wanted to steal the trilium out from under the constructs¡¯ noses. Althea saw the change in his expression when he mentioned Kaelin, even if he did avoid calling her by name. Wistful ¨C then threatened ¨C looking at her, looking away. Could he possibly be comparing her to his lost wife? Althea dismissed the thought, concentrated on his story, trying to picture in her mind what had happened. She asked basic questions: ¡°What kind of equipment did you take? What weapons? What precautions?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He followed through. They took the best they had: weapons, scanners, armor, vehicles. Had ended up leaving most of it there; the Macro¡¯s corpore had it all now. They planned the route through the ice carefully; tried to pick the best time of the annum, the safest route, the most secret one. There were, likely still would be now, many places to hide, to watch. Why be so cautious, even on the ice? Out there, there could be anyone, anything watching: other scavengers, animals, avalanches, new crevasses in the ice, or even the weather ¨C all could kill. Despite all those dangers, he had still gone to the Portal Station ¨C for her. He shrugged again. Told her he had to do it, had to know. She nodded, asked him to continue. They carefully made their way to the base of the ice; the line between the human world and the one dominated by the Macro. Had he seen them before? He had ¨C but only in the distance, from the safety of the ice ¨C constructs, some as large as the old cities, floating in the sky. ¡°Did you see any evidence of construct activity?¡± Not when they arrived, the tundra was clear of even any signs or tracks. The ruins were seemingly empty of heat sources, energy sources. ¡°Where was the trilium supposed to be?¡± The cache was supposed to be in sub¨Cbasements, well below the ground, in the secure facility. The greggas had picked up the readings, picked up documentation. It had looked real ¨C even to Kyso ¨C and he had been in the region of the place, once, before the end. ¡°What did you do then?¡± They had done what they planned. Set out a perimeter; install scanning equipment that would let them know when the constructs would be coming ¨C from thirteens away. Even the automatic weapon defenses were set up. He reminded Althea that they had been very well prepared. Most importantly, they would have a corridor to retreat to the ice line, if things started to go bad. ¡°When was that?¡± The second day after everything was set up. They had completely committed themselves, found the entrances, began to break in. She could see the horror and grief growing in his voice, in his eyes, on face. She kept pressing, not giving him a break, forcing him to summon the awful memories back ¨C hoping the answers she uncovered would be worth the pain she was re-awakening. Chapter Forty One: We were too late Traejan Traejan shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench, stared down by the dark Consortia woman. He felt a painful tightness in his chest, as she forced him to relive the worst event in his life. She¡¯d sent him back there, back to the tundra. Traejan stared at Althea, trying to match her penetrating gaze. He remembered the night, but¡­ only in snatches, not as though it was yesterday. He remembered the cold, damp wind blowing from the south, up from the plains, over them, towards the ice. That should have been the first warning. The winds normally blew down from the glaciers. ¡°Where were you?¡± There was so much to do, after securing their position. They had to locate buried entrances, map the underground facility accurately; all the while, keeping watch for any kind of mech presence. He was¡­ on the outside rim of the ruins ¨C working his way in. Find the trilium. Pack the trilium. High tail it back to the ice. Live for another day. ¡°What were you doing, when things started?¡± ¡°I was¡­ radar surveying the ruins for their underground foundations;¡± holding the heavy emitter, the readings on its screen, symbols glowing showing the pattern of the structures beneath; recording the results, comparing with the info they¡¯d been given. There were several levels extending all the way to the bedrock, offering tantalizing hints of what he was looking for, ¡°storage vaults, energy sources.¡± Without any sign of an imminent threat, they all had split up into five set of pairs ¨C based on the layout of the ruins ¨C five subterranean extensions, five groups. ¡°Who were you with?¡± Who was he with, back then?Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I was,¡± he tried to tell her. ¡°I was¡­¡± Traejan looked at Althea. She was staring at him intently with those brown, alien eyes. ¡°I was with¨C¡± ¡°Kaelin,¡± he forced her name out. The effort made him gasp, and he breathed and breathed again, until the stress subsided. ¡°Do you know what I did?¡± he asked the Consortian woman. She didn¡¯t seem to understand, shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she said calmly, evenly, not responding to his distress. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking.¡± ¡°I left her.¡± Left her there to die ¨C left her there dead, unburned. Left here there ¨C hadn¡¯t been able to return, not even for her. The anguish rose in him again, the anger, the frustration, and the guilt. He needed air; need to breathe, filled his needy lungs deeply, again and again and again ¨C looked back at Althea. Why didn¡¯t she hate him? Why didn¡¯t she react with scorn, disgust? He couldn¡¯t take it anymore ¨C jumped to his feet. She looked up at him, reacting the way he wanted, the way he expected ¨C with shock. ¡°I left her there!¡± he shouted his pain. ¡°I said I would never leave her!¡± So many times he¡¯d promised Kaelin, whether she could hear him or not. She would have never left him ¨C not like that ¨C never! Then she was standing. He felt her grip on his arms, gently pushing him back down, telling him to calm down, sit down, take it easy. It was over ¨C long over. He felt her body close to his, the smell of her, the touch of her breath, light and sweet. He couldn¡¯t look at her, shut his eyes tight as he could as he was forced back down to the bench. The pain faded. His breathing slowed. Althea let go of him. ¡°What happened Traejan?¡± He put his head in his hands, remembering the chaos ¨C the screams. He looked back over at her, wiped the blurriness, wetness from his eyes. She held that sympathetic expression he¡¯d seen before. He didn¡¯t see any hate at all. ¡°It was crazy,¡± he told her. ¡°They were shouting, over the transceivers, over and over.¡± He was back there again. ¡°Kona screaming ¡®what are you doing¡¯,¡± he relayed the horror. ¡°Dray yelling ¡®look out, stay away.¡¯ I can¡¯t remember what the others were shouting about. They were all shouting at once.¡± There was the sound of gunfire, repeated, followed by more shouts, screams. Kaelin had looked at him, worried, alarmed, told him they had to move. He agreed ¨C ran ¨C following her over to the northwest quadrant of the ruins. ¡°We got to them as fast as we could.¡± By the time he¡¯d reached them, his legs were heavy as stone. ¡°But it was too late,¡± he finished. ¡°We were too late.¡± Chapter Forty Two: Before they died The carnage had been horrific, and not just in the quadrant where the screams ¨C the shooting ¨C had started. The others were dead or dying, bullet ridden or hacked apart, leaving only Kaelin and him untouched, their friends and comrades bleeding into the tundra, the dusting of snow their final blankets. ¡°It was over,¡± he told her. ¡°What was over?¡± He shook off his reverie. She repeated her question. ¡°The fight,¡± he told her, angry at her insistence. ¡°The attack.¡± ¡°But they weren¡¯t all killed?¡± ¡°No, not everyone, not yet,¡± he continued, voice choking with the memory. ¡°Moloch and Dray were still alive ¨C just ¨C bleeding badly. Thule was missing, we never saw his body.¡± ¡°Did you look for him?¡± she wanted to know. He stared at her in amazement. Hadn¡¯t she been listening to him? ¡°Seven of us had just been killed,¡± he forced out. ¡°The two left were bleeding to death. We were strecking busy keeping them alive!¡± Kaelin and he struggled to keep Moloch and Dray breathing, staunching their wounds; providing what drugs they had to cut the pain, stop the bleeding. Comforting each other, pat on the shoulder, words of encouragement squeeze of the hand. However, in the moments of free thought, he was filling with a new, growing dread.Stolen story; please report. Not Kaelin, she just seemed as determined as she always had been ¨C frantic, definitely ¨C angry, certainly. ¡°Did they kill each other?¡± ¡°At first I thought¨C¡± he began, ¡°but no ¨C they were shot, butchered ¨C and there was nothing else around. There would have been at least some kind of sign, then. But neither of them were able to talk. Before¨C¡± Before they died. Althea moved back, sat back down gingerly on the chair that protested even her weight. She looked up at him. ¡°They weren''t able to tell you anything?¡± He sighed, sat back down heavily on the bench, rubbed his face and then looked back at her, matching her gaze. He was tired of talking, tired of remembering. ¡°Moloch and Dray,¡± he continued, ¡°they were barely conscious, coughing up blood, bleeding out faster than we could staunch their wounds. We tried, but there wasn¡¯t time. They were killed right in front of us.¡± Metal arms, robotic grips ¨C grasped them, from beneath the ground; cutting their bodies, blood spurting from them before they disappeared into the tundra. The ground vibrated underneath them, then started sliding, bucking. Kaelin grabbed his arm. He could still see that look on her face ¨C couldn¡¯t forget it ¨Cthe first time he¡¯d ever seen her afraid. ¡°No one picked up the underground activity?¡± Traejan shook his head, there hadn¡¯t been any, before¡­ The next thing he remembered there was churned tundra everywhere. It looked like the results of explosives ¨C until it shuddered, rolled like water. He said that he would never leave her. ¡°Was it a Bot that did it?¡± Althea asked him. ¡°A Flyer? Many?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think so¨C I don¡¯t know!¡± He hadn¡¯t stayed to look. They ran ¨C ran until they could find solid, frozen ground. ¡°Didn¡¯t you look?¡± ¡°We were running away,¡± he confessed ¨C looking ahead ¨C not back. Even now, he wasn¡¯t sure what he had seen in the roiling, churning ground. ¡°I was running away.¡± And he¡¯d never even tried to go back, not once. Chapter Forty Three: A Corpore Not once. Traejan realized he had lifted his hand on his chest, high, close to his color bone, fingers outstretched to touch the cords of gold still hanging there. He looked down as his hand, pale fingers desperately clutched it. Kyso had made the rope for him, a twin of the one the old man had made for Kaelin ¨C cold bright metal ¨C slim, twisting cords of rosy yellow permanence; their bond. He looked up, seeing Althea¡¯s eyes were staring at his hand, his act. ¡°Why believe in the traditions of the high and mighty Consortia?¡± she¡¯d told him more than once; left her¡¯s dangling all over their home, least of all around her neck. ¡°The Consortia hasn¡¯t come,¡± Kaelin had told him once, as they held each other in the dark. ¡°Why should we be held to what the Consortia wants? We have to take care of ourselves.¡± Kaelin¡­ He looked back at Althea; she was watching him, leaning forwards, hands on her knees. She was Consortia. She was judging him; he could see it in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re still wearing your marriage bond,¡± Althea offered softly. ¡°Yes,¡± he told her reluctantly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, is there?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± she replied, shaking her head. ¡°No.¡± She sat up straight, pushed her hair away from her eyes. ¡°Did you see anything else?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Well?¡±Stolen novel; please report. He took in, a slow, deep breath ¨C let it out. ¡°Not from below, I¨C we did see other mechs. They came.¡± he told her, pointing up. ¡°From the sky.¡± He and Kaelin had managed to reach the edge of the ruins, up above on a rocky height, trying to figure out where to run, where would be the safest place. The defenses hadn¡¯t worked at all, had entirely disappeared in the fields of overturned earth, and they were kilometers from truly safe ground. Then the wind came up again, and they saw it ¨C descending ¨C down of the clouds. Kaelin stared up with him. ¡°Describe it. Please.¡± He remembered, holding her hand, for the last time, a tight grip as he, they stared up at the colossal thing, eyes smarting in the wind blowing down at them. ¡°It was huge,¡± he told her, still terrified by the memory. ¡°Vast¡­ like a city. Maybe it was a city ¨C once ¨C before. We had floating cities¡­ I remember them, but I hadn''t seen one since¨C but this thing ¨C it wasn¡¯t that anymore. It was¨C¡± She was watching intently him now, rapt, eyes wide, lips slightly opened. ¡°Yes, Continue.¡± ¡°It blocked out the sky, glowed with thousands of lights,¡± he continued, caught up as well, with the memory. ¡°The sound, so loud, so deep, I could feel it vibrating in my bones. It had flyers circling it,¡± dozens at least, miniscule by comparison. The pounding, pounding sound was all around them. He pulled Kaelin away. They stumbled, struggled over the spongy ground. Traejan could feel his breath quicken as he relived the terror. ¡°I ran,¡± he told Althea breathing hard, as if he as still running, still being chased by that thing. ¡°I ran. We ran. I though I was going to die, I thought it was going to take us.¡± ¡°You saw a corpore,¡± she told him, voice still low, intense. She leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowed. ¡°It¡¯s the primary physical expression of a Macro ¨C its hand, or its eyes ¨C a piece of its body. It must have been called. What happened to you, to all of you, must have been planned well in advance.¡± The mechs had known¡­ ¡°Of course it knew we were there, it was a trap all along,¡± Traejan relaxed, relieved someone finally believed him. ¡°And yet,¡± Althea reminded him, ¡°here you are. You alone survived.¡± He looked down, feeling the guilt again. Why had the things taken everyone else but him ¨C why? ¡°What happened to Kaelin?¡± Chapter Forty Four: Did you kill her? ¡°We were running.¡± The powerful winds were growing even stronger, blowing snow and earth all around them ¨C so much that they couldn¡¯t see ahead or behind. ¡°Don¡¯t let go!¡± she¡¯d shouted over the roar of the wind. Then he lost her hand, lost her grip ¨C stopped ¨C spun around searching. Where was she? Why had she let go? He called out her name, but couldn¡¯t even hear his own voice over the howling wind. He felt around for her frantically, blinded. ¡°I found her on the ground, I couldn¡¯t see her, but I could feel her arm, her head, her hair.¡± He shut his eyes again, tears welling as they had then, but the pain was different. ¡°There was so much dirt in the air!¡± There was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go. In the continuous roar, he kneeled over her. Tried to wake her, tried to find out what was wrong with her. Her whole body had gone limp. He couldn¡¯t even tell if she was breathing. He held her close to him, opened his eyes a crack ¨C to look into hers. Kaelin¡¯s eyes were open, staring. ¡°What happened to her?¡± Althea¡¯s voice was distant, prodding his memories.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°She just fell.¡± It was all he could remember. ¡°She wasn¡¯t breathing. She was staring up at me, but her eyes¡­¡± were dead. She was gone ¨C and the great mech was coming closer ¨C its roar overwhelming everything! It was too much; he scrambled to his feet and ran and ran and ran. Traejan couldn¡¯t sit still any longer ¨C lurched blindly to his feet ¨C passed the Consortia woman ¨C right into an engine block. The sudden pain stopped him again. He held the cold metal block, leaned against it, seeing nothing through the agony of memory. ¡°How did she die?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± he cried out. He hadn¡¯t seen any wound. He held her body in the screaming wind, cradling her, not wanting to leave her. ¡°Did you kill her?¡± He whirled around to challenge. Saw the Consortia woman standing right there ¨C hand on the block, eyes blazing. ¡°No!¡± he shouted at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t, I loved her, I would never hurt her!¡± ¡°Then why did you leave her behind?¡± He couldn¡¯t remember! He remembered holding her, remembered the storm around them ¨C running, running, running and never looked back ¨C not until he¡¯d collapsed in exhaustion: the horror, the mech, the dead ¨C far, far, behind. He closed his eyes tight, leaned heavily on the engine, gripping it. Remembering¨C ¡°The storm took her away from me.¡± One moment he was holding her ¨C then, ¡°I tried to hold onto her, but I couldn¡¯t. It just pulled her away.¡± He felt a hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she was telling him. ¡°It¡¯s over. It happened a long time ago.¡± He loosed his grip on the hard, solid metal, looked over at her. ¡°Did it? Did it really?! Then why¡­¡± Chapter Forty Five: Demanding a response He still leaned against the engine block ¨C weak, spent ¨C wanting to be left alone in his grief. Still, the woman wasn¡¯t going away. What more did she want? ¡°I left her there,¡± he confessed. ¡°What does that make me?¡± ¡°A survivor,¡± she said, refusing to condemn him, as though surviving alone was an accomplishment. It didn¡¯t seem to be such a wonderful thing to be. He survived all his family, the whole world he lived in, everything he¡¯d had in this life. What had survival gotten him? ¡°I abandoned her,¡± he insisted. Why didn¡¯t this woman hate that? She shook her head, her dark hair swirling around her head. Like Kaelin¡¯s had, when¡­ ¡°You said so yourself Traejan,¡± Althea told him coldly. ¡°She was dead. You tried to hold onto her. She was taken away.¡± He lowered his gaze again. ¡°I did,¡± he said quietly. Why then didn¡¯t the knowledge ease his pain? ¡°We are not in a fight where everyone can be saved,¡± Althea told him. ¡°We¡¯re not in a fight where we can carry our past around with us.¡± She lowered her gaze, then lifted it back up, a haunted look on her face, in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s too heavy,¡± she finished. He¡¯d been thinking only about himself. What about her? ¡°Who have you lost to the Macros?¡± ¡°A lot,¡± she told him, voice cracking. ¡°The closest.¡± He saw, for the first time, a vulnerability that she hadn¡¯t expressed before - even when she¡¯d been unconscious ¨C near death. ¡°Answer me one thing then,¡± he asked her. She brightened a touch. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Why you choose to come now?¡± His demands poured out in a flood. ¡°You said you¡¯d only learned how to destroy the Macros recently, but was our world so unimportant to you? Are there so many in a worse state than we are?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She turned away, took a few step from him. He pushed himself from the block, waited. Althea turned back. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to move between the worlds now Traejan,¡± though she told him evenly, she still had a haunted look in her eyes. ¡°Picture it: the galaxy is made up of millions of stars; each moving in its own direction, at its own speed; their planets, moons, everything all traveling through space in unique orbits. ¡°The Mirror Maze network has to keep track of all of that. When the Macro¡¯s struck, a lot of that capability was lost. Even the most precise transit formulas today can¡¯t compensate everywhere for that loss. It wasn¡¯t a matter of choice. It was a matter of scale, of¡­ probabilities.¡± She gave him a sad, wistful smile. ¡°I wish things were different,¡± she told him, sounding genuinely regretful. ¡°I do wish I could have come here years ago. Look, you have to decide what is more important to you. Are you going to hang on to what happened three years ago? To something you cannot undo ¨C or get back your world. Help me put an end to those things that killed all your friends¡­ that killed your wife. There¡¯s nothing I can now, but help the best I can. It¡¯s all any of us can do. So¡­ what you want to do? What would she have wanted you to do?¡± Her gaze, words, demanded a response. ¡°She would have wanted me help,¡± he told her. ¡°I want to. I have to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she told him, held his gaze. He could feel her gently pat his arm. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to have to leave you behind.¡± Traejan shook his head at her statement. ¡°Do you actually still think I like this world,¡± he struggled to continue. ¡°That I wouldn¡¯t do anything to change it?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± she admitted, narrowed her eyes, looked him over. ¡°I needed to be certain.¡± He shook his head. Looking over at the lifter chassis, remembering he still had plenty work ahead of him. He glanced back at Althea. ¡°Is that it?¡± Traejan hoped it was. She gave him a sympathetic look. ¡°I didn¡¯t intend it to be so hard on you,¡± she told him. She looked away from him. He followed her gaze. She was looking at the thruster unit, battered on the chassis where he¡¯d left it, turned back to him. ¡°I could help you with that,¡± she offered. ¡°Let me give it another try,¡± he said, rejecting her offer, then softened. ¡°If I can¡¯t get it in, I¡¯ll ask.¡± ¡°Let me know then,¡± she nodded, backed away a couple steps, started to turn. ¡°I¡¯ll let you do your work.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he offered tiredly. She didn¡¯t leave though, just lingered there. He needed to get back to work, turned away, picked up a tool, examined it, not remembering what it was, or what it was for ¨C didn¡¯t look up until the sounds of her retreating footsteps disappeared. Traejan dropped the tool, rubbed his face, tried to think about the task at hand, heard Thule¡¯s screams again, echoing in his mind. He looked up, the thruster unit was still waiting for him. He still couldn¡¯t figure out how to fit it in without compromising the strength of the chassis¡¯ retaining brackets. And¡­ there was the problem of equalizing the power feed, another headache in the making. Maybe he should ask for her help. Maybe tomorrow¡­ His hand went again, up over the gold rope around his neck, pressed against it ¨C felt again ¨C cold metal against his skin. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for you,¡± he whispered, closing his eyes, picturing Kaelin ¨C smiling. ¡°I won¡¯t forget you. I¡¯ll do whatever I have to.¡± Chapter Forty Six: You must alter your plan Althea If she unfocused her eyes ¨C the cracks above the bed transformed into rings ¨C rings within rings. She ran a thumb and finger along the warm fabric of her memsuit, from her neck, along the hardness of her collarbone down between her breasts. Unlike with Traejan, there was nothing meaningful to break the smoothness, not with what he had ¨C and never had been. Oh, there had been moments, adventures, dreams: Nayr, Morog¡¯n, Triese. Nothing good, nothing enduring had come of them. Still, her thoughts kept returning to those long discarded hopes, then back to Traejan¡¯s vivid recollection of loss. Fleeing from the drones ¨C the approach of the corpore, she could see it in her mind ¨C looming, falling, surrounding, the force of its thrusters blowing everything around them. Then losing her ¨C the guilt in Traejan¡¯s eyes, his face, his voice, she visualized all the ways he physically reacted to the recalled memories. Althea wondered who would remember her in that way. If she had died underneath all that ice¡­ who would have missed her? Like that? What human being would care that much? Or at all? She hadn¡¯t wanted to leave him there, alone with his reawakened grief; but couldn¡¯t stay either, and risk exposing her own. So¡­ she allowed him to turn away, forced herself to leave. Pushing past the piles of broken, useless tech, struggling with the sliding door, she¡¯d made her way down the corridor, tears threatened to burst forth all the while. Later, lying in the bed, concentrating on the ceiling, breathing deep, she allowed quiet calm back into her.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Dorian¡¯s voice broke the silence. Althea. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she replied softly. I¡¯ve analyzed the scans you requested, yes, the secret scans to determine if either of the men were implanted. She took in a breath, let it out slowly. ¡°Tell me.¡± Kyso is clear, his field is purely bioelectric. Traejan¡¯s is not. There are anomalies. ¡°Location?¡± Cranial. She felt herself sink into despair. That fact, just compounded the tragedy. He could have done it, then. A Macro¡¯s implant in his brain, he could have done it all and never even know. She felt her breath quicken, heart thumping in her chest, her eyes growing wet with tears. What was happening? Had her head injury caused her to completely lose her objectivity, her emotional distance, control? The probability he was responsible for the events he recounted is high. ¡°I know!¡± But did that invalidate the way he felt? Althea, you must alter your plan. She wiped the water from her eyes, her cheeks ¨C sat up ¨C took Dorian¡¯s case in her hand. She spread open the reactive fields, stared at the graphic comparisons between Kyso and Traejan. The difference was damning. ¡°I¡¯m still taking him. He can help us. He wants to.¡± Are you certain? Dorian was surely thinking of the potential threat ¨C and of Seddo¡­ ¡°You said I needed help, didn¡¯t you?¡± she responded bitterly ¡°Traejan has contacts in the settlement, Panak, with the locals and the greggas. Kyso wants him with us as well.¡± Then I trust you are making the best choice. ¡°It¡¯s not the best choice!¡± The best choice wouldn¡¯t have her stuck on this ice planet for fifteens, wouldn¡¯t have her dependent on micronic technology. There wasn¡¯t any other way she could live with. ¡°It¡¯s not even a good choice; it¡¯s what I have to do! If I had made the best choice, we¡¯d never have ended up here at all,¡± she lamented. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even be thinking of ripping that thing out of his head, or anyone else¡¯s.¡± Such acts, would not make you the same as a Macro, Dorian insisted. Or the First Centurion. Wouldn¡¯t they? Wouldn¡¯t they?! Chapter Forty Seven: Stop!! You have to stop! Mass Quarantine, mass killing to maintain security ¨C protection against dangerous ideas, dangerous truths ¨C was the Palmyri promise of a future; order over chaos. Hadn¡¯t she been responsible for the wholesale slaughter on Hadhalho, at least in part, through her insistence, her ignorance? She had promised them hope, freedom ¨C a future! Yet the result¡­ Now here, on Makan, Dorian kept suggesting she use her new knowledge, to make it easier to escape. ¡°What would make me better than them?¡± she argued. ¡°I would have to kill just to confirm the theory! Then¡­ I would have to pick more victims to ensure a proper connection.¡± It was all too appalling. You do not torture, Dorian reminded her. The implanted are not innocent, whatever their memories Althea. Their capability of human choice has been taken away. They are tools of the Macro. Echoes of her own words. It is not your fault, not your crime, he counseled. It was done to them by the Macro. Do you believe you can gather the necessary micronics on this world? Do you think you have the necessary tools to battle this planet¡¯s Macro constructs to collect them? She gritted her teeth.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. How many do you think will die in such a hunt? You must remember what happened on Ten by Four. Oneness, she mouthed. How can they, so beautiful in their codes, so beautiful in their cores, commit such horrific acts? She¡¯d only wanted to help, to understand. Thus far she could feel no happiness, no satisfaction, no accomplishment; only sure, miserable anticipation of more atrocities, more death. Althea closed her eyes, picturing the beauty, the purity of the codestream, a destination now inescapable ¨C the rush of her mind interfacing with the trinary logos of the Macro ¨C the powerful ebb and flow of the code, back and forth, more and more powerful the deeper she penetrated its layers. It would fill her emptiness; blot out the horror ¨C needed to¨C Althea. ¨Copen herself to it, erase all her barriers, lose herself, becoming one with its pure being ¨C its pure code¨C Althea! ¨Cfall into the heart of the oneness, the codestream so strong it scrubbed away any doubt any fear any pain ¨C leaving only warmth, peace and total acceptance! She would¨C Althea!! Stop!! You have to stop! You have no control over the corruption! You will destroy¨C ¡°I will¨C Dorian!¡± She pulled her fingers away from the interface ¨C heart pounding, chest heaving ¨C eyes wide in horror at what she had been doing, at what she¡¯d been compelled to do. Althea covered her mouth with her hand, staring at the display, recognizing how close she had gotten to his raw, underlying code. So many layers of protection; and she¡¯d erased them all. How could she have done that? I lost it. I almost broke into his codestream. I could have destroyed him! I would have destroyed him! She¡¯d never¡­ should never, ever¨C Althea shut down his active fields ¨C reset the lock ¨C curled around him, under the sheets, holding his case tight to her chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she repeated, mouthing the words over and over, until her voice fell below a whisper. Chapter Forty Eight: Your next meal Pale saffron, almost white hands gripped the thick fork poking at the indeterminate lumps in her bowl. The skin covering her fingers ¨C like the rest of her, had the melanin stripped from it now ¨C an effort to allow her to fit in easily with the Makani crowded into the hall around them. ¡°Can you alter your appearance?¡± Kyso had asked her. ¡°Maybe my skin tone,¡± she¡¯d told him. Without direct NAN control, adjusting her melanin level was as much as she dared try. ¡°You think the Panaki might react badly?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any with your kind of shade here; I could change mine once, before¡­¡± He¡¯d told her. ¡°These Makani are not as accepting as in the old days.¡± Few were, anywhere, she knew. ¡°What about you,¡± she¡¯d asked. ¡°You¡¯re obviously not a native.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve seen me before,¡± he replied. ¡°I still won¡¯t have Makani features,¡± she suggested. Changing her underlying appearance would be far too risky, lacking control, she could end up hideous. ¡°I admit they¡¯ll find your roundish face a little strange,¡± he offered critically. ¡°But add a few smudges of dirt, and you¡¯ll fit right in.¡± She¡¯d looked back at him sharply, but seeing his smile, relaxed, smiled in return. So¡­ with concentration, desire ¨C she changed her skin to match Traejan¡¯s as closely as she could. The effort proved to be a frustrating struggle, taking the better part of an afternoon, before the effect elicited smiling approval from the old Consortian. The alteration, not surprisingly, had garnered her disturbed glances from Traejan ¨C step forwards, step back. The effect must have made her appear even more like his dead wife, certainly there were as more dark haired people in the hall than shared his coloring.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She hoped it wasn¡¯t affecting his work. He seemed to be taking his time at the other table across the hall ¨C negotiating ¨C so he had claimed. The trip to Panak through the frozen wasteland had also been difficult. Helping repairing the lifter when it broke down in the immobilizing cold ¨C even covering the limited ground from the vehicle¡¯s hiding place in the pass above to the settlement ¨C was a test that she barely passed. It was a wonder anyone could survive such a harsh environment with what the Makani possessed. They didn¡¯t pass any living creature on the journey until reaching Panak, and struggled with it¡¯s the heavily bundled residents as they shuffled through alleys filled with thigh¨Chigh snowdrifts. The journey had been harder on her than expected, remaining NANs having constant difficulty with the demands to keep her core temperature even, leaving her shaking with chills or overheated and sweating, the three days a physical rollercoaster of vigor and exhaustion. The snow-covered buildings ahead had seemed a blessed relief from the bleak lifeless mountains. They began to look less and less inviting on closer approach. The settlement turned out to be disappointingly typical of a lost world. Scraps of the old civilization, held together here by ice and improvisation. As small as Panak was, barely half of it looked to be occupied at all. The structure that the men took her to, ¡®The Brother¡¯s Hall¡¯ was also familiar ¨C dark, smoky, rank and noisy. It was surprisingly lively though, full of men, women and children ¨C all laughing, shouting and screaming ¨C taking advantage of the warmth, food and sociality the place offered. She glanced around surreptitiously, wondered how many might be implants, then she again poked at the foul smelling lumps in the stew on the poorly repaired, poorly balanced table she and Kyso were sitting at. She could hear Kyso chuckling over the din, turned to scowl at him. As she did, smirking, he popped a lump into his mouth. She pointed at the bowl. ¡°You expect me to eat this?¡± He shrugged, continued chewing ¨C then swallowed ¨C as though it was actually edible. ¡°It looks¨C It smells vile.¡±¡± Kyso¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Eat up,¡± he told her firmly. ¡°On Makan you don¡¯t always know where your next meal is going to come from.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want know where this one came from.¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m sure it has a lot protein and fat,¡± he added in a parental tone. She was not comforted. ¡°Beautiful,¡± she muttered, then turned back to business. Which Traejan was supposed to be handling, which he insisted on handling. Better she watch the proceedings, the men had told her ¨C develop an eye for the local culture ¨C an eye for what was right¡­ and what was wrong. Chapter Forty Nine: Wrong indeed Wrong indeed. What she could see was him hunched over a table talking to a huge man in what reminded her of degraded paramilitary garb. There was no way of telling what, if any progress was being made; the loud din and crowd prevented her from focusing on details of their conversation. She turned back to Kyso, who was even more mouthfuls into finishing his bowl, shook her head. Two young, thin children ran past their table, bumping into and rattling their chairs, laughing and yelling at each other. She considered giving her food to them, but they were lost in the crowd before she could offer her bowl. The empty moment that followed, brought back a pang of hunger of another sort ¨C desire for connection, flood of oneness, feel of the codestream again ¨C demanding her to act. The need pulled her attention back over to the negotiations going on across the room. ¡°What is Traejan doing over there?¡± She turned back to Kyso. He looked at her as if she was mouthing nonsense ¨C pointed at his undulating cheek, emptying his third bowl ¨C and Kyso was not eating quickly. She pointed out he was getting stew all over his beard. He rubbed the food away, smiled again. ¡°We¡¯re wasting too much time in this place,¡± she explained, trying to keep her frustration at bay. ¡°He¡¯s been there for nearly two sevens. ¡± Kyso swallowed, winced, coughed, coughed again. ¡°Althea¡­¡± he began, in what to her sounded like a patronizing tone. ¡°Traejan comes here far more often than I do. Which, as far as I am concerned, is no longer a bad thing. Look around you, there¡¯s nothing here for a man like me. Trae, well¡­ What about Traejan? ¡°He knows these people, he deals with them,¡± Kyso continued, trying to convince her. ¡°He¡¯ll be able to find the type you are looking for.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She turned from him, back through the shifting crowd, back to the discussion Traejan was having with the gregga he¡¯d called Goshram. She¡¯d scrutinized the man¡¯s face, seeing exaggeration of Makani features ¨C the result of massive hormone treatments, geneering or freak chance of DNA recombination. The huge man had caught her gaze with his, dark eyes seemingly tiny beneath his prominent brow. He was appraising her as well. She¡¯d been in enough places like this to know what kind of appraisal it was. She turned back to Kyso, whose face was now hidden by the new mug of hot watery tea he was using to wash down the stew. It¡¯d tasted like soap to her. ¡°You really believe that?¡± she called his bluff. ¡°He¡¯s been at that table for sevens, and it doesn¡¯t look like a negotiation that I¨C we, want to be part of.¡± But then¡­ she¡¯d noticed that most of the glances passed their way had been disapproving of one way or another. There were some curious looks at her, until they saw the man she was sitting with, then the people offered sour looks then turned away. ¡°You weren¡¯t exaggerating the reputation you have here, were you?¡± Kyso put down his mug. A sliver of its base broke off on impact. He grimaced at her comment. ¡°Not much, I¡¯m sorry to say,¡± he told her unhappily. ¡°We¡¯ve been considered unlucky for anna, even unnatural, certainly unwelcome.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t enjoy being reminded, do they, of what you came from, at least their leader¡¯s don¡¯t,¡± she guessed. ¡°That and other things,¡± he admitted. ¡°But I think it mostly comes from what we¡¯ve tried to do here.¡± His voice grew bitter. ¡°Not very successful in improving their lives, at least in their eyes.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t have come as much as a surprise,¡± she offered. ¡°These people live on the edge of extinction, scrabbling for what little they have. Those with power here, they didn¡¯t like sharing their status, did they?¡± ¡°Well¡­ who would,¡± he replied with a heavy sigh. He then glanced up, past her, expression brightening. ¡°Look, he¡¯s finished, he¡¯s coming back.¡± Althea couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity, her irritation ¨C glared at Traejan as he wended his way slowly through the packed room back to them. A glance back to the men he¡¯d been talking to didn¡¯t lift her spirits. ¡°Traejan, what¡¯s going on?¡± she demanded. He looked away from her. ¡°It¡¯ll take a bit of time to explain,¡± he told her, dodging her question, looked down at her untouched dinner. ¡°Ah, you haven¡¯t even touched your g¡¯nash,¡± he continued to evade. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to¨C?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all yours,¡± she told him, pushing the bowl across the table. Chapter Fifty: You do not have control ¡°No, no and no!¡± Althea had waited silently with growing aggravation for Traejan to finish Goshram¡¯s short, offensive list of demands. It was no surprise, not from the glimpses she had gotten from their negotiations, the look in the Makani¡¯s leer. The last thing she was going to do on this planet was submit to that overbuilt thug. Althea glared at the blonde man, gripped the edge of the table hard, and dug her nails in. It was enough that she had allowed Traejan to negotiate her offer, leave her memsuit and tunic behind on the Lifter, accede to wear the scraps of clothing left by Kaelin and Felda, so she wouldn¡¯t look out of place. Gratify that freak of nature¨C No! Never! Traejan wouldn¡¯t hold her glare, hid his head in the bowl of steaming lumps, muttered his response back to her between gulpfuls. At least he seemed embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized. ¡°You said you wanted me to tell you. It¡¯s what Goshram wants. His friends too,¡± he finished. That would explain the laughter she¡¯d heard; but there had been a slight edge to it, maybe something she could exploit. The question was ¨C were they really the man¡¯s friends ¨C or his sycophants? She lowered her eyes, released her grip, stared at her fingers. The color looked bad on her; she remembered her face in the mirror, transformation complete ¨C looking unhealthy, sick even ¨C weak. On this kind of world, she was aware ¨C size, strength, ability to physically intimidate ¨C meant a lot. Goshram would exemplify that measure of status. If he was shown to be weak, beaten, humiliated¡­ Could she be strong enough, fast enough, in her current condition? ¡°There are other greggas,¡± Traejan was saying, sounding distant, barely above the din of the crowd. ¡°I can try a few which aren¡¯t part of his group.¡± Saplings, eking their lives out in the shadow of the big tree; only so happy to watch it fall ¨C grow on their own. She made a fist; felt the strength ¨C flex ¨C in her muscles. Althea turned back to the other table, narrowed her eyes, watching, scrutinizing Goshram¡¯s body, its massive musculature, prominent bone structure; whispered her assessment secretly to Dorian, through her jury-rigged conductive commlink. She¡¯d made sure it looked less like tech than industrial jewelry, and the men had accepted her lie. You do not know yet much about these people, nor do you have control over your NANs. Do you need results so soon?If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I do,¡± she told him, ¡°I almost destroyed you. I can¡¯t let that happen again. We can¡¯t take the slow way this time.¡± Calmly, intellectually ¨C eights after her uncontrolled, horrific act ¨C Althea had worked out what had provoked it. Empathizing with Traejan¡¯s loss, his tragedy ¨C had almost cost her everything. Her injuries, her losses, had made her unimaginatively vulnerable. She had to get off Makan as soon as possible, needed to be properly healed. She couldn¡¯t put off confronting this world¡¯s Macro. Its beautiful, gratifying trinary being had to be her destination, the totality of her path. She had to focus her need on the Macro¡¯s codestream, and its alone! Not Dorian¡¯s ¨C never Dorian¡¯s. Never ever. Never ever! He¡¯d been right. A micronic solution would take too long, likely cost too many lives. She had to choose her sacrifices; had to consider all the possible consequences. You will have to be very observant, careful and completely committed to your actions, he advised. ¡°What else is new,¡± but taking down the big man could impress the crowd, get things moving. Althea turned back to Traejan. ¡°Goshram¡¯s a lot larger than his friends,¡± she noted. He nodded frowning. ¡°They say He¡¯s geneered,¡± Traejan told her, ¡°like his father, grandfather, all the way back. He¡¯s the only gregga that doesn¡¯t care the Ginga runs this town. Oneness, if the Ginga didn¡¯t run things, Goshram probably would. Most of the others can intimidated or bought, not him. I¡¯ve even heard his skin¡¯s tough enough to stop bullets.¡± An exaggeration, a cultivated myth, had to be. Violence could be a dirty but quick solution. Not what she ever wanted ¨C but how long did she dare wait? How much longer before she was overcome with burning hunger, again compelled to break into Dorian¡¯s raw codestream? ¡°I look for the biggest, meanest one in the room,¡± a once very drunk Shirae had confided. ¡°You can¡¯t help take in the satisfaction radiating out of each and everyone when they see that kind of humiliation. It¡¯s envy, and it¡¯s in all of us. Even you.¡± Althea couldn¡¯t crush a man¡¯s will with Valerian telepathy, but her NANs and her imprints could still offer her a significant advantage. She looked over at Goshram. Big, powerful, tough ¨C possibly geneered ¨C but how fast? He likely relied on his size, strength, and reputation. She had only a fraction of her fighting tools available to her. Who had the real advantage? Althea started to feel tense with anticipation. She glanced over at the bowl of stew that Traejan was inhaling, torn. Her NANs could use more resources, but¡­ He pulled the spoon out of his mouth, held it out while he chewed. ¡°Did you want me to get you some more?¡± She shook her head, still revolted. She¡¯d had enough of the Makani swill to last a lifetime. ¡°Time to act,¡± she muttered, turned from Traejan to Kyso, raising her voice: ¡°Do you think men like Goshram or the Ginga should get whatever they want?¡± The old man offered a helpless shrug. ¡°Oneness, Kyso,¡± she began, feeling the anger and disgust building inside her. ¡°I hope one day to find a world out here where society hasn¡¯t fallen back to the same damned pattern.¡± She turned back to Traejan. ¡°You did tell him I had trilium, didn¡¯t you Trae?¡± Chapter Fifty One: Perfect balance ¡°He said that he wanted you first,¡± Traejan began, grimacing as though he was guilty of a sin. Maybe he was. ¡°And then the trilium,¡± he added sourly. ¡°He said he¡¯d thought you¡¯d be¡­ a challenge. I¡¯m sorry; you did tell me you wanted men who could survive the trip. His friends take the most trips, bring back the best stuff.¡± A challenge? ¡°Does he now?¡± she replied darkly, easing up out of her chair, feeling out the strength and stability of her bones, joints, muscles; Internalizing the revulsion, frustration, anger, fury that would have to substitute cool NAN control. In response, the hum of the NANs began murmuring in her ears; their rise in activity began crawling beneath her skin. ¡°And if he wasn¡¯t in the picture,¡± she hinted. ¡°Then the others would fall in line behind whoever could take his place, what do you think?¡± She glanced over to the older man, offered him a conspiratorial smile. ¡°I bet you haven¡¯t seen a good stage fight in some time,¡± she told him. Kyso started to shake his head, then nodded slowly, beginning to understand, smiled back. Traejan shook his head. ¡°They want more than we agreed to offer,¡± he protested, gesturing over at the other table. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see me over there? They need to see what you have. I told you, we aren¡¯t the most popular people here.¡± She ignored the rest of his statement, turned away to the greggas¡¯ table. The men were arguing over something. She looked past them, over the other tables, the way the people reacted to the group¡¯s shouts, laughter; the throw of intimidation the group commanded. Around her, talking, yelling ¨C creaking, squeaking of the furniture, rustling of the clothes ¨C the sounds of eating and drinking were becoming sharper as the rush of hormones flooded her bloodstream.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. You have to be fast to counter his reach and strength. You have to have perfect balance and control. Training ¨C experience ¨C flooded her consciousness. She pulled Dorian¡¯s case from her pocket, surreptitiously slipping it under the surface of the table, felt it adhere solidly. He would be safe, unseen. ¡°Goshram won¡¯t do what he doesn¡¯t have to,¡± Traejan was telling her. ¡°He¡¯s not hurting right now.¡± ¡°Then you should have made him think he was,¡± she snapped at the man. ¡°Your job was to convince him to take my offer!¡± He twitched, almost cowering from the demand. Althea continued stoking her internal fires. She could explain it all later. ¡°I was working up to it,¡± he explained, sounding weak to her. He made a gesture of helplessness. ¡°That¡¯s how this is done with them, that¡¯s how it¡¯s done here. Talk will only go so far.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she breathed, feeling the approach of maximum saturation. Everyone around her was acting as before ¨C but now ¨C even the smallest action was drawn into sharp detail: the twitch of an eyebrow, the clink of a fork, the smack of lips. ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll show him what I have. Traejan nodded, then his eyes widened, expression turned to alarm. He stood up awkwardly, his chair grating as it was pushed back. She turned away from him, targeting Goshram, pushed her chair away. She felt him approach, almost felt his hand before it touched her shoulder ¨C resisted an urge to shove him back as she forced herself to turn around slowly. It was too soon to betray her heightening speed. ¡°Althea, he¡¯s not going to talk to you. He barely talked to me,¡± he insisted. ¡°They at least have some respect for us. They don¡¯t know you. They won¡¯t do what you tell them to do. You can¡¯t just wave that much trilium in their faces. And¡­ you can¡¯t give Goshram what he asked for.¡± Was that what he thought? She was going to give him what he asked for?! Althea almost laughed out loud. She struggled to keep calm, balance the rising buzz, gave him a sideways look. ¡°I¡¯m not giving what he asked for,¡± she told him, waited for, then watched him nod. ¡°I¡¯m giving him what he deserves.¡± ¡°Then what¨C¡± Traejan started, confused. His expression turned to disbelief. He opened his mouth, reached out. She cut him off with a wave of her hand, grazing his chest, pushing him back. Time to act. She was at peak, almost floating as electric energy saturated her body. She gave him a smile. ¡°He¡¯s not Legionary ¨C right?! I am.¡± She motioned to the chair she¡¯d left unoccupied. ¡°Have a seat, this shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± she ordered. There was no way she could allow it to. Chapter Fifty Two: Strength isn’t enough to win a fight Energizing hormones coursed through her bloodstream; NANs, once quiet were streaming through her, egged on by her focus and fury. Nevertheless, their populations would attrite with the strain, other networks would be sacrificed in repairing the wear and damage the fight ahead would cause. The longer the fight, the greater the cost would be. Make this quick. Althea turned her sense on the figure of big, bad Goshram, through the mass of the crowd, through the dark and smoky room at her target ¨C of anger, of disgust ¨C of choice. She pushed her way through the packed seating, enhanced senses taking in the assault of smells and crude complaints of the people she rubbed by. She began to feel hot ¨C unhooked her borrowed, insulated over-shirt ¨C dropped it to the floor. Overheating and surging hormones could swiftly cause her to pass out. She had to figure out how to keep the packed crowd out of harm¡¯s way. If Goshram fought as large as he was, then his very reach would risk injury to plenty of people. Her initial challenge would have to get everyone¡¯s attention ¨C get them to move. Whether by chance or superior awareness of his own, Goshram glanced at her long before she reached him. Predictably, he followed the glance with a leer. Noticing, the companions at his table also turned, some of them leering, some not. Doing her best to ignore them, Althea concentrated on Shirae¡¯s lesson. She hoped envy was the strongest part of their bond. It would be the easiest one to break. A waft of rank odor came from the group, not out of place, simply stronger, stale sweat and smoke and the astringency of alcohol. Pungent, the testosterone wafting off them would be uplifting. She wouldn¡¯t have turned her sense of smell down if she could. Uplifted meant more endurance, more energy, a better chance of success. She was within two paces before her target changed posture, physically accepted her presence, pushed his chair back from the table. Sitting down, he was almost as tall as she was. His stance was still relaxed ¨C not expecting to fight ¨C still posingn From close up, there was more to Goshram than merely hairy, muscular and tall. The thick tendons at his wrists suggested physical power well beyond her capacity. You have speed ¨C speed, balance and imprinted precision. Strength isn¡¯t enough to win a fight.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Makan hadn¡¯t been a militaristic world. His legacy was likely geneering for entertainment and displays of exaggerated masculinity ¨C not for precision physical combat. Her training ensured survival fighting against highly trained combat specialists. She repeated in her mind; you can do this. He bent his head to the left, looking over her movements; she worked on making them a little off balance, a little awkward. Make him underestimate you. ¡°I¡¯m told your name is Goshram,¡± she offered, mouth rolling over the ugly syllables. She feigned difficulty keeping eye contact. He smiled at the sound of his name. ¡°That was quick,¡± he replied, showing large, heavy, yellow teeth. ¡°Your man sure gave you up easy.¡± His words sounded slightly slurred, his gaze a touch bleary. Goshram was intoxicated, at least a little. More advantage to her. Althea rubbed her bare arm, felt the heat of the NAN activity radiating through her fingers. She looked down at the hot, pale skin ¨C then back at him ¨C steadied herself. ¡°He¡¯s not my man,¡± she said, voice firmer, angrier, louder. ¡°And he didn¡¯t give me up.¡± His friends quietened, she looked over at them. They looked at her, back at him. ¡°I¡¯ve come looking for real greggas,¡± she said with a sarcastic tone loud enough for all those nearby to hear. ¡°With brains¡­ not braggarts.¡± Goshram laughed, big, loud and deep, still secure in his superiority. She turned back to him, stood her ground. ¡°You have quite a mouth on you, girl,¡± he said, pressing a meaty hand on the table to steady his rise. She had to look up to meet his gaze now. He towered above her, leisurely cracked his knuckles. They popped loudly. ¡°I know just what to fill it with.¡± ¡°Please,¡± she opened her arms, gratefully hearing movement, now around them both; scrape of chairs, whispers of anticipation. ¡°By all means, get up.¡± She kept her eyes on him, his movements, assessed his vulnerabilities ¨C stepped back a couple steps, dropped her gaze to his belt ¨C looked back up into his eyes. ¡°Traejan said you were looking for a challenge,¡± she smiled up at him, added in a loud voice, ¡°You don¡¯t seem like much of a challenge to me¨C¡± She let the word hang, waiting for him to cut her off. She heard the bark of a laugh from behind her, to the right. Goshram scowled. ¡°You should get used to being laughed at,¡± she goaded him. ¡°That¡¯s all any of these people are going to do after tonight.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret talking to me like that,¡± he growled, taking her bait, swaggering a couple steps towards her. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know now, I¡¯m gonna hurt you, but just enough to make you scream¡± he promised, ¡°Then I¡¯ll find some other things to do to you.¡± Althea took another step back, burning rise of adrenaline making her start to shake, loosened and tightened her fists, felt a moment¡¯s uncertainty. Did she have enough NANs left to do this? She was about to find out. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try,¡± she replied playfully, glancing around at the watching faces, smirked back at him. ¡°But I bet my friends over there that your reputation is a lie, that you couldn¡¯t even win a fight against me.¡± He replied with an ugly grin, lowered his brow. ¡°Tell you what,¡± he responded. ¡°You go first. I can take a little fight, from a little woman.¡± To draw him in then, she stepped forwards, overextended herself, taking an ineffectual swing. With surprising speed, he was all over her. Chapter Fifty Three: A liquid blur Althea let the dam burst on her adrenaline rush and the whole room around slowed down to a crawl. Borrowed experience told her where to grasp ¨C where to push, where to bend ¨C where to strike. Goshram roared in anger and pain, his swings and lunges missing her as she moved under and around him. Furniture under his errant blows exploded into shards and the crowd pulled back into a shouting ring around them. Keep it close. She paid for the thought, clipped by a pair of blows for her lack of attention to the fight. She was too high to feel pain, but the kinetic impacts bowled her away from him ¨C towards the nearest press of the shouting crowd. Grabbing a broken chair, she swung it wildly to force the crowd father back. Goshram may have intended to merely to beat the fight out of her, but after a few moments of actual resistance, the man realized what was happening. He quickly turned to lethal attacks. Her back to the wall of shouting people, dancing to avoid the man¡¯s enraged lunges. Goshram was getting perceptually faster ¨C her dwindling resources beginning to show. Althea didn¡¯t have much time left, and formulated a flurry of attacks to finish the fight. She threw herself into it ¨C quicker blows, faster spins. The hall became a liquid blur around her.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Muscles burning with the strain, turning to lead, she made her last gambit, pinning him to the floor his face against the rough and sticky surface. She held him there more with his pain than her strength. She pressed into his back, twisted, pushed his left arm as high as she could, forcing an agonized groan from him. ¡°Have you had enough,¡± she told him once, twice, three times, voice harsher, twisting tighter, increasing the pain with each iteration. Finally, he responded. She could barely hear his strained voice over the shouting crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. They¡¯ll kill you,¡± he asserted, voice still defiant, but near breathless. She angled her pressure and his body shuddered. ¡°No, they won¡¯t,¡± she told him, cheeks pressed against the hot wet fabric on of his back, his rank odor filling her nostrils. They don¡¯t care about you, any more than you do about them. He struggled underneath her pressure, nearly bucking her. She gasped, strained with the effort to keep him down. ¡°Give up, and I¡¯ll let you walk away.¡± He responded with a string of curses ¨C threats ¨C struggled wildly, his foot hitting an overturned chair sending it flying into the surprised crowd. Althea spared a glance up, but saw only a blurry array through the sting of hot sweat in her eyes. Fearing there was no time left, she pulled an arm free, speared the back of the man¡¯s head with the bent fingers as hard as she could, and his huge body shuddered and collapsed under her. He was still, unmoving as she gasped for breath, unable to rise; her own muscles locked with the strain. Then his body moved beneath her, barrel chest rising once, then again and again. She released him, wiped the stinging sweat from her eyes, looked up at the watching crowd, tried to smile ¨C forced herself to her feet. The mountain of muscle was beaten to the floor. She¡­ was standing. Chapter Fifty Four: Even a gram Traejan ¡°She can¡¯t be serious,¡± Traejan tried to pull himself from Kyso¡¯s grasp, alarmed at the turn of events. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Goshram take apart four men¨C at once!¡± The old man wouldn¡¯t let him go, gripped his arm harder. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate a woman like that Trae,¡± he replied; voice stern, knowing. Moments later, men and women were shouting, cheering, jostling for places in front of him, their children running about between the adults. He could hear the sounds of the fight, but he couldn¡¯t see any of it through the wall of Panaki massed in his way. Damn her for doing this ¨C he could have worked something out ¨C he¡¯d just needed more time. Between the shifting bodies, he could still only see flashes of the violence, hear the roars of the Goshram, but saw nothing of Althea. Was she winning? Or losing? Turning back, he saw Kyso up on a table, gripping a beam above him for balance, staring intently at what was happening. He had a wild grin on his face. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Traejan yelled. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kyso laughed loudly in response. ¡°She¡¯s cutting him down to size,¡± he yelled back down. ¡°He¡¯s three times her size!¡± Traejan shouted back. Kyso turned to look back at him, eyes gleaming in a way he hadn¡¯t seen in years, lanky white hair swinging around his bearded face. She is Consortia, the old man mouthed. A break opened in the wall of people, with the sound of furniture smashing against the circle of onlookers. Traejan pushing through the gap; could see clearly what had happened. Althea was on top of the big man, his boney, bloody face ground into the floor ¨C cursing, roaring in pain. She leaned close over him, saying something in the man¡¯s ear. Then it was over. Goshram collapsed on the floor after a sudden, swift blow she made to the back of his head. She raised her head from the thug¡¯s back, hair matted against her forehead, bare skin gleaming with sweat, eyes staring at nothing, mouth open as she breathed heavily. Goshram wasn¡¯t moving.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Traejan shook his head. It was impossible. No matter what her NANs did for her¨C The crowd began to break up, people pushing past him, going back to their tables. Traejan stood where he was, staring at the Consortian woman, leaning on a table, breathing deeply, her dark hair hanging lank, listless. Suddenly, two figures broke through the milling crowd shouting and swearing; long bearded hall keeper Jorhe and his brother stomped towards Althea, both of their faces red with anger. Traejan was shocked by a sudden slap on his back, turned to Kyso, who was grinning like a maniac. He still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°She took him down,¡± the old man crowed with delight. ¡°With her bare hands ¨C her bare hands.¡± Traejan nodded dumbly, then worried, turned back to see Althea standing, talking to the bearded brothers, holding up a shining cylinder to Jorhe. Both of the bearded men gaped at the object in her hand, quickly nodded to the woman. She dropped it into Jorhe¡¯s accepting hand. What the streck? What was she doing? Paying the hall keepers off? He started forwards, but Althea wasn¡¯t finished. She picked up a chair, climbed up on it, called loudly for attention. All around the hall had turned quiet, and eyes turned to the woman. Althea turned her gaze around the room, surveying the faces, appearing cool and collected, despite the sheen of sweat on her skin. Her gaze stopped for a moment as their eyes met, then traveled on. ¡°All right, listen up,¡± she commanded the gathering watchers. Even those crouched over the unconscious giant turned to look. The only sound to break the moment was a baby¡¯s wail. ¡°I am guessing from the attention,¡± she began, ¡°that you are all wondering about what has just happened.¡± There was a low murmur amongst the gathering, accompanied by the scraping of broken furniture as it was dragged out of the way. Althea pointed to Goshram ¨C who was still alive, if senseless ¨C sprawled on the floor. The group that had been poking at him had turned also to watch, listen to her. ¡°This unfortunate gentleman refused to accept my offer of genuine trilium for a service,¡± she reached into her shirt, pulled out another glittering cylinder. Exactly how much did she intend to show everybody ¨C to give out? ¡°No,¡± she continued sarcastically. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to want any of this at all. I found that a bit upsetting.¡± The murmuring grew louder. ¡°But I know you still use equipment and technology that needs power,¡± she added. ¡°And even a gram will go a long, long way.¡± There were yells of agreement from the crowd. She brandished the tiny object even higher, turned around. ¡°I have a whole cylinder right here,¡± she announced. ¡°For those who are interested and willing to travel with me south of the Ice Line, I will be arranging a gathering. Keep your ears open. Thank you.¡± Chapter Fifty Five: Wait two hundred years With that said, she pocketed the trilium, stepped down from the chair, then began to work her way towards him and Kyso. The crowd burst into louder conversation as the tension level in the room eased. Many of them still stared, but gave her a wide berth ¨C either by deference to her fighting prowess ¨C or the hard stares she gave anyone who dared approach too close. Althea looked both frighteningly powerful and utterly spent as Kyso welcomed her back to their table. She glanced warily at Traejan, sweat still dripping down her face. ¡°How did you do that?¡± he blurted out, still not believing what had happened. She leaned against the table¡¯s ledge, arms straight and pressing down on to its rough surface, wiped her eyes, focused on his with heavy lids. ¡°It was necessary,¡± she told him quietly, as much breathing the response and speaking it. ¡°We don¡¯t have unlimited time to spend here.¡± ¡°No ¨C how did you physically beat Goshram down,¡± he wanted to know. ¡°He¡¯s a geneered monster three times your size. Your nanometric networks do that much for you?¡± Althea turned to him, looking tired, gaze unfocused. ¡°I¡¯m still alive, aren¡¯t I,¡± she answered in an airy voice, then looked at him sharply. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¨C¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Althea stopped, looked passed him, Traejan turned quickly ¨C and was relieved to see it was one the few Panaki who didn¡¯t spit on him; Cuddy mal Derai, village idiot, therefore natural ally, was just a couple steps ways, smiling broadly. The short man¡¯s equally short brother Gil was at his side, as always, grinning too. He smiled back. They¡¯d all been waiting for a long time to witness Goshram meet his comeuppance. ¡°Hey Trae,¡± Gil approached closer; looked over his shoulder with a leering glance to Althea, then back to him. ¡°Where¡¯d you find your woman? Can I have one?¡± Cuddy, not to be pushed aside, shoved his brother to get closer, beaming with appreciation and awe. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been waiting years for that bastard to get taken down.¡± He shook his greasy haired head with astonishment. ¡°I never thought it would be by a girl,¡± he snickered. Traejan shrugged his shoulders; he didn¡¯t have an explanation, except¨C ¡°She¡¯s Legionary, Cuddy.¡± He suddenly felt a painful, shocking impact on the side of his head. ¡°Traejan,¡± Althea¡¯s voice yelled in his ear. ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot.¡± He cried out in pain, and shrunk away from the sudden, surprising attack, trying to put up a hand in defense. The two brothers laughed as Althea grabbed his neck, twisted painfully, pulled hard. The pain was paralyzing. He could hear her talking sweetly to Cuddy and Gil. ¡°Do you think the great Consortia Galacium would wait two hundred years just to send someone to pound on a big ball of streck like that? Traejan here just can¡¯t imagine a woman doing it either.¡± Traejan tried to push her away, but he was somehow blocked, the pain only increased. ¡°He¡¯s just embarrassed he wasn¡¯t man enough to do it himself! ¡°Come with me Traejan, dear, Now!¡± she added, pulling him away from them ¨C hard. He stumbled after her, trying, failing to resist. Chapter Fifty Six: We can’t afford any mistakes The overwhelming agony persisted as Althea pulled him out of the crowded hall, through a slamming door, down a corridor and out into the cold, snow-filled alleyway behind the hall. She ignored his cries for her to stop, brushed aside his wild blows, and only let go once he could feel the blast of stinging cold hit him. The frigid air hit his lungs so suddenly that it sent him into a coughing fit. ¡°Do you enjoy it when I hurt you?! I do not need that kind of sabotage Traejan!¡± the venom in her voice hit him as hard as the frigid air, steaming breath accompanying the scolding doing little to hid the anger playing out plainly on her face. ¡°We agreed,¡± she continued, a flat hands battering him back with each syllable. ¡°That none of us would even mention the Consortia, the portals, or my nantech at all until the Macro is destroyed!¡± The final blow knocked him against a wall hard enough to shower him with frost and snow. He blinked numbly at her. ¡°It was just a slip of the tongue,¡± he told her, glaring at her, burning with humiliation. It was just Cuddy, bloody streck. It¡¯s not as though he stood up on a chair and announced everything to the whole damn hall. ¡°Damn you it only takes a mouthful of words in the wrong ears to cause everything to spiral out of control,¡± she told him angrily. He stared at the sweat on her brow steaming off her. ¡°I am not going to let that happen. Not here.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Finishing, she continued to gulp in air, seeming not to care how cold it was. He stood back up straight ¨C to take her on ¨C to defend himself. ¡°Do you believe hiding who you are,¡± he started, stronger than he expected. ¡°What you''re planning, is going to work?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t take kindly to being misled or used,¡± he repeated what he had told her before. Why was she refusing to understand? He stabbed out a finger into the darkness. ¡°In the south it¡¯s dangerous enough without playing games with them. If you think people won¡¯t be spreading the news to everyone they know¨C¡± She closed the distance between them, despite his defiance. In a moment he was somehow back up against the wall. ¡°Listen to me Traejan,¡± she hissed, standing so close, he could feel her chest against his, the damp heat from each of her breaths. ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of spending time talking with all the scavengers in town, one after the other, after the other! I don¡¯t care if they spread gossip about Goshram being beaten by a woman all through this pathetic collection of shacks.¡± I don¡¯t care what they think even after the Macro is destroyed,¡± she continued, the word hitting like hammers. ¡°But I do care if they believe that I¡¯m a Consortian!¡± She pushed off from the wall, giving him room to breath, turned looked at the closed door behind them, then back, her eyes, her voice losing their fire. ¡°My way does work,¡± she added ¨C didn¡¯t seem to be talking at him anymore ¨C sounding suddenly exhausted. ¡°Regardless of how it may look now.¡± Her fury returned just as quickly, before he mustered the courage to speak. ¡°Do you believe that I can destroy the mechs, or not?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¨C¡± He tried to start. Put up his hands, trying to make peace. ¡°I know,¡± she agreed, offering a tired gesture of dismissal, a weak wave of the hand, ¡°but all it takes is one slip. With all those bots and flyers out there¡­ Do you understand? We can¡¯t afford any mistakes.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Traejan told her, but he didn¡¯t. The door behind them slammed open, accompanied by a gust of warm wind that blew the snow around in swirls. Kyso stood, backlit, staring at the both of them. ¡°What the streck is going on?!¡± Chapter Fifty Seven: A monster Traejan tried to start. ¡°Kyso¨C¡± he began, but the old man had turned his attention away from him ¨C back to Althea. ¡°Oh, need to cool down do you?¡± he said with good cheer. ¡°I have to thank you again. That was an astonishing performance.¡± Althea began to slowly nod, and Kyso happily continued, smacking his hands together in glee. He walked up to Althea, slapped a hand on her back. She shuddered in response, expression darkening as he continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that good a bout in almost three hundred years. Anyone who can take a walking mountain apart ¨C can take on anything.¡± She turned to face the old man, mouth open. ¡°My congratulations,¡± Kyso offered, still grinning widely. ¡°Oh¨C¡± she turned away, holding her face in her hands. She then turned back sharply, fury returned ¨C glaring back and forth between the two of them. ¡°Do you think I should have ¨C could have, possibly enjoyed that?¡± she demanded of them, gesturing angrily. She pointed back into the hall. ¡°What I had to do back there,¡± she stopped, seeming to have trouble finding the proper words, ¡°was not for your entertainment!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Traejan stared at her, shocked. He turned to Kyso, who was equally surprised. He turned back to the Consortian woman, uncomprehending. Goshram was a bully; a monster who brutalized or killed anyone who ever got in his way. He had deserved the beating. She shook her head. ¡°However much a thug Goshram is, he¡¯s still a human being.¡± She spread her hands out. ¡°Like all of us.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not¨C¡± Traejan started. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me! I¡¯m came here for all of you,¡± she raised her voice with a conviction that he hadn¡¯t yet heard from her. ¡°However miserable the conditions we may live in, we are human beings, we are all Consortia! If we revel in this petty streck, we may as well admit that we deserved what the Macros did to us ¨C do to us! Is that clear?!¡± He couldn¡¯t do anything other than nod. She looked back over at Kyso who was starting to nod, then glared daggers back at Traejan, started to shiver violently. She hugged her bare arms and ran back into the hall. The wind slammed the door shut behind her Traejan looked at Kyso, feeling ashamed. Kyso looked smaller, cowed, turned away guiltily, following her back into the warmth. Was she right? Could they have deserved what the mechs had done to them? Were he and Kyso no better than the rest back in the hall? What did she know? She hadn¡¯t tried to help these people. She hadn¡¯t been repeatedly insulted, humiliated and beaten for the thought, the effort. Althea Ram had probably had spent her life on a Consortia world where everything was handed to her, where no one had to fight for their lives just to eat. Who was she to judge any of them? Who was she to judge him. A sudden wind bit into him, through his coat, reminding him where he was. Strecking Goshram. Traejan had no sympathy for the bastard, none at all. The man didn¡¯t deserve a gram. And Althea ¨C how could she pick a fight ¨C then berate them?! He shivered, cursed, then stumbled through the snow back into the hall ¨C back to the warmth. Chapter Fifty Eight – You impressed the rabble ALTHEA Her temperature was still fluctuating wildly and it was proving very difficult to focus on evening it out to normal. Racing, hormone saturated thoughts, bounced all over her brain. She wasn¡¯t smoothly coming down from the physical high: radiating heat, then shivering with cold, then shaking with uncontrollable tremors. Althea stood leaning, her back to a solid wall, eyes screwed tight, concentrated on her breathing ¨C in and out, in and out ¨C her hot breath blowing through the fingers in her mouth, as she bit down hard on them. The charge she felt from the fight, the physical, sexual charge, still strong, still palpable, still driving her heartbeat up and up and up. Twice, when a Makani had passed her she had to suppress the urge to attack them. It¡¯s not you. It¡¯s the hormones. You have to take control of them. It¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s wrong. The undercurrent of throbbing pain helped distract her from the violent compulsions. Above all the pains she felt, the throbbing of her hands from the battering they¡¯d taken by the big man¡¯s hide helped the most. Maybe his skin could have stopped bullets. She opened her eyes at a sound, a creak, a shout, looked quickly left and right. There was no one, just the muffled sounds from the hall beyond. The sounds of excitement, the rumbling of the crowd, still filled the air around her. The result of her cleaning the hall¡¯s floor with their favorite bully and/or the offer of the trilium? The hall keeper and his brother had gladly taken the tiny cylinder, agreed to a back room recruitment ¨C no problem, no problem at all. She thought of the moment, standing above them, all those eyes on her, all the attention ¨C all that dangerous attention. It was easy to second-guess the choice to fight, the trilium offer to the crowd. An offer of a hundred grams had been a guess and worry was gnawing at her. What would the offer inspire?¨C adventurous spirit or homicidal greed?¨C Or swift action by Panak¡¯s ruler?This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She needed deeper quiet, made her way around the collection of containers littering the hallway, to the back room the keepers had told her would be waiting. Opening the door revealed a dingy, musty chamber, a few dust covered tables, a collection of dusty chairs. Once the door was closed, it was blessedly quiet. Finding a chair to curl up in, Althea continued with the breathing exercises to calm her heart, her body, her mind. She retrieved Dorian¡¯s case, closed her eyes, concentrated on him, his beauty, the warmest thoughts. Time slipped by¡­ until her eyes flew open, tensing with the sound of the door¡¯s latch lifting. She quickly stowed him away, sat up straight ¨C readying herself. The door slowly creaked open, letting a low murmuring creep in. Kyso followed, nodded slightly to her, closed the door behind him. She started to smile, then saw the embarrassment on his face. Was he still hurting from her angry scolding earlier? Seeing her smile, he responded with a grin of his own. ¡°There¡¯s a crowd gathering out there,¡± he told her, thumb pointing where he¡¯d come from. She nodded, sat up straighter in the chair. ¡°You must have truly impressed the rabble,¡± he told her in unabashed admiration. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more than the six you wanted.¡± She settled back in the hard chair, wondering how to balance off the envy of those who wouldn¡¯t be chosen. Always something to deal with ¨C and there wasn¡¯t an endless supply of trilium in her pockets. She straightened. It was best to appear professional and in control, even to Kyso, although she was starting to wonder what she needed to do to shake his apparent hero worship of her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose the best,¡± she assured him. She lifted hand to wave an instruction. ¡°Try to keep them happy, have the hall keeper provide them food, drinks.¡± She pointed a finger in warning. ¡°But not too many drinks,¡± she finished, satisfied with the command. He replied with a look of concern. ¡°Trae is concerned some of them aren¡¯t actually greggas,¡± he told her. ¡°Have him point them out to me,¡± she requested. Kyso nodded, loose hair and beard bobbing white. ¡°I¡¯ll give him the word,¡± he agreed moved to return to hallway. ¡°Kyso¨C¡± she started. He turned back to her, expectant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about how I was, earlier,¡± she told him. ¡°Heat of the moment. It was a difficult fight.¡± He nodded, hand still on the latch. ¡°I¡¯m just very glad you won,¡± he answered, voice choked with barely concealed emotion. Then he lowered his eyes, disappeared behind the closing door. Fifty Nine – It’s time to decide It was time for the other business; Dorian having had enough time to completed his scans. She tapped her ear, confirming the bud that allowed her limited transceiver communication was working well enough. Extending his graphic field a finger length revealed enough of what she needed to find out. Figures danced on the display. ¡°Dorian,¡± she asked tentatively. ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve found?¡± Fields re-adjusted, figures resolved ¨C the numbers spoke for themselves. ¡°Oh¨C,¡± she was both disappointed and relieved. It is a smaller percentage of implants than we have found elsewhere. A good chance for their survival ¡°It could still mean many¨C¡± she finally responded. If the people in the hall had been a true sample of the Makani Population, many were going to die when the Macro was destroyed. ¡°But yes,¡± she reassured Dorian that she read his analysis. ¡°There should still be enough survivors.¡± The door opened again. She quickly glanced up ¨C it was Traejan, this time. Her actions earlier seemed to have put a touch of defiance in his posture, a scowl on his face. ¡°The outer room is full,¡± he told her tersely, glaring a challenge at her. Althea¡¯s thoughts ran through options for leaving the man behind. Could Kyso keep him in line? Could she? After what happened earlier? Did she dare head south with only one ally? The noise of the crowd behind him had increased in volume; she nodded to him, meeting his glare. ¡°That¡¯s not a room of friends out there,¡± he told her. She nodded again, stood up. ¡°Bring them in, then,¡± she told him. ¡°It¡¯s time to decide.¡± Traejan hesitated a moment, scowl deepening. Exasperated, she motioned him to continue. Finally he turned, opened the door and stuck his head out.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Kyso, send them in!¡± Makani¡¯s best slowly shuffled into the room. Althea recognized a couple of them from earlier in the main hall ¨C mostly men, some women, rough, unclean, clothing patchy, bulky, recycled or re¨Cused. Most gave her little more than a simple glance, murmured amongst themselves. She could identify suspicion, greed, lust, as well as the expected bleary drunkenness. Traejan and Kyso found their way through the group, settled at either side of her. She glanced over to the older man, smiled briefly. He shrugged, raised his eyebrows. There were maybe thirty of them, mostly men and several from Goshram¡¯s table. Following Suiova¡¯s infiltration manual, she needed to trim the numbers, take six or seven at the most. Cut the risk of backstabbing ¨C keep the individual award high. Althea checked back down at Dorian¡¯s display, compared those moving about the room with his earlier scans. Fourteen had anomalous bioelectric readings. She turned to Traejan, took a breath in. ¡°Which ones haven¡¯t been to the south? Kyso said you¡¯d know,¡± she asked. He seemed surprised at the request, even pleased. His scowl softened a touch. ¡°I¡¯ll point them out, give me a moment.¡± He began the surreptitious noting of those in the crowd. Oneness be yours, she mouthed. The bulk of the crowd would have a chance at rebuilding their world. She waited until they had all sat down, then stood up on her chair. She needed to see them all. ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± she began, smiling at the varied response. ¡°Those who have been south stay,¡± she invited. ¡°Those who have not,¡± she looked around the room at the expectant faces, ¡°please leave.¡± There wasn¡¯t much movement, and a number of the crowd muttered complaints. She decided to be generous. ¡°You will be given a half¨Cgram of trilium for your trouble,¡± she continued. To a non¨Cresponse, she began to point. ¡°That¡¯s you, you, you, you and you over there, and you two in the back.¡± Unhappily, those marked made their way to the back and filed out the door, some looking back with envy, shaking their heads. She stepped down from the chair, faced the remaining fourteen. ¡°The rest of you,¡± she started. ¡°I want to hear what you¡¯ve done.¡± She pointed to a heavily bearded man with metal and comopsite piecework peppering his bulky coat. Was it battered armor ¨C or just a random collection of souvenir scrap? ¡°You on the left, you start.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been south of the Ice Line,¡± he said with a voice like sandpaper. ¡°Five times.¡± ¡°Five times?¡± She raised her eyebrows. Was that a high number? ¡°In the last annum,¡± he boasted. ¡°You¡¯re full of shit, Enos,¡± the man next to him sneered. The bearded man turned, snarled, ¡°And how many times have you been south, twice, in your life?¡± Althea glanced down at Dorian¡¯s display, back up. Enos had an implant. The other man did not. Chapter Sixty – It wouldn’t be a lie ¡°My problem isn¡¯t with the plan,¡± Abek Goa, tall and thin, wrapped in a heavy coat, leaned over the table. His stoop made his face, his head hanging disturbingly close to hers. His drawl added extra syllables to his complaint. ¡°It¡¯s with them.¡± He pointed out a double finger jab at Traejan and Kyso. Althea pursed her lips. ¡°Care to share the reason why?¡± she wanted to know. ¡°Bad luck is all,¡± he told her, glanced around the table for support. A couple nodded. ¡°I heard all about what happened, what he did.¡± She sighed. ¡°You mean surviving a full out attack by ground and flying constructs?¡± she offered nonchalantly. ¡°How many of you can say that you saw them that close, and survived.¡± ¡°Pretty suspicious,¡± Teffa offered gruffly. The lone woman in the group looked and tried to act tougher than the men. ¡°Twelve go down, one comes back.¡± Althea leaned back in her chair, trying to project an air of comfort and command. ¡°Pretty lucky,¡± she replied, gave a narrow eyed glance around the table. ¡°As far as I can tell. Any of you ever get that close and lived to tell? Any of you ever get caught by constructs, drop your finds and run?¡± ¡°What do you know, about the south, about what¡¯s down there?¡± Nur bek Nur challenged in his raspy voice. ¡°Coming from where you do? Have you ever even seen one of those things?¡± A story cooked up with Kyso; Tamas¡¯Anef, a rumored settlement, perched on a frozen sea far to the north ¨C her fictional hometown.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking for your help, your smarts,¡± she responded, ¡°and theirs. How many of you have worked in micronics fabrication first hand. How many of you learned how to rig tech after my friends here woke up and spread the knowledge?¡± Enos didn¡¯t like the sound of that, stopped scratching his beard, rattled the metal shards riveted to his coat. ¡°I learned plenty they didn¡¯t teach.¡± She smiled at the sideways admission. ¡°So you admit they did teach you all a little,¡± she continued applying the pressure. ¡°Fair reason why we could use them along, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Slowly but surely she was piercing the bigotry, providing novel thoughts to counter their assumptions, compounding the allure of even a few grams of trilium. Abek Goa pulled back a bit, long thin, if dirty hands still resting on the dusty table. His coat hung around him as if it was on a rack, his voice a high reedy tone ¡°I still don¡¯t see how much we¡¯re gonna get out of this¡­ Each.¡± She was still having to teach some of them a little rudimentary math, picked up the trilium cylinder again, showing them the glitter of what remained. ¡°There are ninety¨Csix grams of trilium left,¡± she showed them the glittering reflected light from the container, holding it between her thumb and forefinger, ¡°to be divided between the six of you. That means 12 whole grams each.¡± They all seemed pleased by that ¨C as well they should ¨C from the look of the place; there probably hadn¡¯t been more than a hundred grams in all of Panak before tonight. ¡°Even for them,¡± Enos asked. Althea shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s six of you,¡± she noted. ¡°Two of them ¨C seems fair to me.¡± Obe, just Obe, wasn¡¯t clear on another subject. Neither was the mumbling speech of his she could barely parse. ¡°And what exactly are we looking for again?¡± ¡°As I told you,¡± she held her voice ¨C bearing ¨C unflustered and unfrustrated. ¡°Working tech, not trinkets, not pocket gadgets ¨C bigger stuff: alloy and composite fabricators, compound synthesizers, com systems. The stuff we need to live ¨C not just scrape along by. I looked around your town. It¡¯s not that much different from back home. That¡¯s why they sent me ¨C to bring back something that will improve our lives.¡± There were specific points that she continued to press: living, making life better, easier, more gratifying. Words in a language that would get them excited, enthusiastic, committed ¨C hopefully reducing their suspicions. ¡°If this trip is successful, there will be many more,¡± she added with a smile. If they succeeded, it wouldn¡¯t be a lie, Althea told herself. They would be free to go wherever they wanted. Chapter Sixty One – I need them all Enos was still suspicious and wasn¡¯t afraid to speak out. Not unexpected from a man boasting more trips per annum south of the ice line than any of the others. ¡°How come we haven¡¯t heard of you before? Or your town.¡± She pursed her lips again. Repetition hadn¡¯t yet made her explanations sink in. She tried a different tact. ¡°Well, if the mountains weren¡¯t so high and the passes so treacherous, as unfortunately my partners found out, I¡¯m sure my people would have made contact a long time ago,¡± she told them. ¡°The only way we heard of you was that the ¡®sleepers¡¯ as you call them, could pick up our transceiver call.¡± ¡°Constructs pick that up too,¡± Nur bek Nur noted darkly. ¡°I hear they only pick up trinary,¡± she replied. ¡°Not basic radio, unless you know better?¡± He shrugged. ¡°What makes you think that we can do what you want us to?¡± Teffa, absently rubbing her ample belly, wanted to know. ¡°We don¡¯t make a big splash, try to grab big things. We avoid them and they don¡¯t notice us,¡± she said, in a voice that spoke of smugness and pleasure with her own personal success. ¡°You should too, if you want to keep living.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Too bad you were caught anyway. ¡°You¡¯ve all been to the south,¡± Althea asserted, her gestures wide enough to include them all. ¡°And you¡¯ve all come back. That¡¯s the kind of experience I¡¯m looking for.¡± Nur bek Nur continued to pick at his nails with a large, curved knife blade. He pointed it at Traejan, who offered a scowl. ¡°I still don¡¯t like having them around,¡± he said with a sneer, waving the blade at Kyso, cursing them. ¡°Damned sleepers.¡± Althea heard Kyso¡¯s harsh intake of breath at the baiting beside her, continued to stare down the man. ¡°They happen to be the best people around to analyze what we find down there,¡± she told the gathering. Even a couple of them had to agree, nodding ¡°And besides, they¡¯ve got a working lifter.¡± Peca¡¯s coal black eyes opened wide. ¡°I ain¡¯t heard of that.¡± ¡°We just had it put together,¡± She turned to a beaming Kyso. ¡°Have it running with nine thrusters, should carry five or six tons against a stiff wind.¡± That, and a down payment of trilium ¨C a couple grams each, finally won them over ¨C and the deal was set. They¡¯d all be ready the next morning to meet in the pass south of town. Traejan watched them shuffle out, closed the door behind the last. ¡°The Ginga¡¯s going to know about this,¡± he told her. ¡°Which ones are going to tell him?¡± she asked. Traejan had talked about the thug leader all the way into town. ¡°Maybe all of them,¡± he told her. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t know already. I still don¡¯t think that those are the people you want.¡± She pushed her chair back, sat up straight, achingly stiff. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find a way to work with them. I need them all.¡± A sudden, sharp pain in her stomach told her she needed food as well, desperately, immediately. ¡°Traejan, could you go get me something to eat ¨C please ¨C now?¡± Chapter Sixty Two – Desperation She tried to stifle a yawn, failed ¨C physical exhaustion bearing down on her heavily, muscles turning painfully stiff. Just covering the yawn was an effort. Her skull throbbed with each heartbeat. All of it was the result of final dissipation, withdrawal from the hormones that had kept her up, through the fight with Goshram and the negotiations with the group. Althea was worse when Traejan returned with a tray of food. She forced herself to shovel down the lumpy broth into her demanding stomach. The muck left an unpleasant, thick sticky coating on the inside of her mouth. Her little friends needed sustenance as much as she did, so she suffered silently. ¡°You have a keen understanding of the mercenary mind,¡± Kyso told her, smile glowing, returned to sit in the chair the man Obe¡¯s had, right across the table from her. ¡°There are always people like that,¡± she forced out, wiping offending sauce from her lips. In the Palmyri Century ¨C on the lost worlds ¨C they could be found ¡°on any world.¡± Weakness had her leaning forwards on her arms, over the battered and stained table. Her eyelids were heavy as she looked across at Kyso. ¡°Even civilized ones,¡± Althea told him flatly ¨C the Palmyri weren¡¯t anything to brag about. ¡°You learn to deal with them. Greed is always a predictable motive, desperation too.¡± Leaning against the other side of the table, Traejan interposed himself into the discussion.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°And that makes you believe you can trust them,¡± his voice was bitter, unyielding, his glance, disapproving. ¡°You do know the kind of people you¡¯ve chosen?¡± She knew, tiredly waved him on. Go ahead, vent. ¡°Thieves, bastards ¨C I know at least one is a killer,¡± he pointed out. ¡°How do I know, you ask?¡± She had enough strength to shrug, barely. ¡°Because he killed someone right outside this hall,¡± Traejan continued. ¡°Left the body on the bloody snow, for everyone to see.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll need you to keep an eye on them,¡± she told him through another stifled yawn. ¡°Six of them,¡± Traejan pointed out. ¡°Three of us.¡± Four. Kyso turned to him. ¡°I would say she counts as four or five on her own, boy.¡± Althea winced at the compliment. She looked over the mug of brew Kyso pushed over to her, then up the old man, raised her eyebrows. He flashed a grin. She could easily smell the harsh tang of alcohol. ¡°It¡¯s strong,¡± he warned her. Just what she needed. Alcohol, though excellent fuel for her NANs, could ruin her coordination, her judgment and potentially knock her out completely. She desperately needed something to wash away the foul stickiness in her mouth. It was worth the risk. Althea took the mug in both hands, took a sip. It tasted of chemicals, ashes, but it was strong. She gulped it down, relishing the sudden warmth it provided. ¡°They will turn against us.¡± Traejan said it as though he knew it to be a fact. ¡°Is that what you want?¡± It would make certain things easier, she decided, if they did. At least morally. ¡°I want skill,¡± she told him instead. ¡°I want experience.¡± ¡°What you¡¯re going to get is a knife in the back,¡± he insisted. ¡°Probably several.¡± Chapter Sixty Three – You can trust him ¡°Maybe,¡± she offered back, feeling lighter already. A knife or two in the back was nothing, really. She swished a little of the brew to clear her mouth ¨C almost gagged. The aftertaste of the alcohol was extremely sour. She scowled at Kyso, then looked back at Traejan. ¡°But not until they¡¯ve forged an alliance amongst themselves, and that¨C that will take time.¡± Traejan just shook his head. She looked up at him, exhausted and aggravated by his consistent contrariness. ¡°You¨C with your friends, those you trusted implicitly¡­¡± She could tell immediately she had hurt him ¨C in the sudden grief, sudden pain written in his expression ¨C continued anyway. Sometimes harsh words were necessary. ¡°Remind me what happened ¨C will you?¡± He glared at her for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table, fast and hard. ¡°There is a difference,¡± he struggled through the words, ¡°between being betrayed and inviting it.¡± His fury shocked her back awake, back out of numbness. ¡°We are going to be in danger every moment with them,¡± he insisted. ¡°I suggest you sleep lightly, if you sleep at all.¡± ¡°Betrayal comes, Traejan,¡± she told him quietly, gazing directly into his angry, amber eyes. ¡°Always, sooner or later.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She backed away again, tried a smile, tried to keep her head up. ¡°But from them at least,¡± she told him, the warmth, buzz of the alcohol making her tone sound breezy. ¡°We¡¯ll see it coming.¡± He raised his pale yellow eyebrows. ¡°If we even make it out of town,¡± he warned. ¡°Have you even thought about what the Ginga is doing right now? After all you¡¯ve done tonight?¡± Was that all he could think about? ¡°Why don¡¯t you handle it,¡± she told him. ¡°You can, can¡¯t you?¡± He stared at her for a moment. Then he slowly nodded ¡°Sure,¡± he muttered, turned away. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± ¡°Traejan¨C ¡° Kyso started. He stopped, turned to the old man. ¡°I may as well do something useful tonight,¡± he said in a bitter voice, turned back to Althea. ¡°I doubt I need as much sleep as you do.¡± Her exhaustion was that obvious, was it? Kyso made a disapproving noise. She turned back to him. ¡°You should treat him a little better,¡± the old man advised. ¡°You can trust him as much as you can trust me.¡± She nodded, swallowed the bitter dregs of the mug, forced herself to rise. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± she told him setting the empty vessel on the table. ¡°If I thought I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Maybe you should tell him that,¡± he advised. Later, bundled in cozy warmth, she thought about the terrible future. Seven dead at her feet, blood on her hands. Even if Kyso hated them, would he trust her after that? Would he understand ¨C would he accept what it meant, about Traejan ¨C about her? Lying in the dark, she whispered, in the time before she gave way to sleep: her fears, her uncertainties, her confessions, her hopes to Dorian ¨C who always listened to her, never gave up on her, and would never ever betray her. Chapter Sixty Four – We did try to help you Hours before, the hall had been buzzing with the laughter, shouts of the excitement, the fury of conversation, Althea¡¯s fight with Goshram had created. Now Goshram was gone, his friends were gone, much of crowd had gone back to their hovels, shacks, pieced together homes¨C leaving the eating hall quiet, but for the snoring of a few who had no home to go to and the clattering sounds of the Brothers¡¯ family cleaning up the night¡¯s mess. Traejan was surprised to find the hall so empty ¨C and no sign yet of any of the Ginga¡¯s thugs. What¡¯s the bastard waiting for? Whenever we upset things here, his thugs were always on top of us. He scanned the darkened, quietened hall for someone he could talk to ¨C someone who would have their ear to the ground ¨C spotted a familiar figure doing his own cleaning up. Cuddy was still around, although his brother was nowhere to be seen; probably had gone back to their piecemeal collection of shacks ¨C the men did have family. The little man was doing his part, wandering across the hall loading a box with the leftovers off remaining plates, a bag with the dregs of house brew and tea from mugs. On the other side of the hall, one Keeper¡¯s sons picked up plates, the rattling echoing through the still air. ¡°Filling up?¡± ¡°Got to get something for the kids,¡± Cuddy offered a quiet response, looked Traejan briefly in the eye, then away. ¡°How¡¯s the neck,¡± the man smirked, snickering lightly. Traejan scowled at the jibe. Still, now was not the time to obsess over that humiliation.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Brothers letting you clean their plates now?¡± ¡°Not everyone¡¯s got enough to eat, you know,¡± Cuddy muttered, moved on to the next plate. ¡°I¡¯m performing a well received mop-up service.¡± Traejan nodded, watching the man¡¯s scraggly mane bob with his scraping. ¡°Think you can do something for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to cause any trouble for nobody,¡± Cuddy replied, looking over the bones of another meal, another table. Traejan followed him. ¡°It¡¯s not as though we¡¯ve never done anything for you,¡± he grabbed a shoulder, rough cloth shifting under his grip. Cuddy turned back, a frown on his face, palms up. ¡°We did try to help you, all of you,¡± Traejan¡¯s frustration began to leak out. ¡°A little return on the favors would be a nice change.¡± Cuddy stepped back a couple paces. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll give us something, they¡¯ll come around and take something else from us.¡± he snorted, ¡°You¡¯d should¡¯ve stayed asleep.¡± Traejan shook his head. He hadn¡¯t been given the choice. Eight out of ninety had survived the two hundred plus year journey. Twenty years later he still didn¡¯t understand the continuing resentment. ¡°Kaelin didn¡¯t think so,¡± he countered. ¡°Nor did Rav.¡± Cuddy snorted. ¡°And where are they now?¡± Traejan stared at him, not believing what he¡¯d just heard. ¡°Although,¡± he continued, smirking. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy, eh. That new woman you¡¯ve got, certainly reminds me of somebody.¡± Infuriated, Traejan grabbed the fabric of the bastard¡¯s dirty coat, feeling threads rip, pulled him roughly around. The man dropped his box with a clatter, putting up a hand to shove him off. Traejan took a glance at the boy across the hall. He wasn¡¯t even looking their way. Traejan turned back to the Panaki rat, added another hand to grip the frayed layers of fabric. Their faces were so close he could tell which stew the man had eaten that night. ¡°You can finish later,¡± Traejan said between gritted teeth, dragged the man off to the back hallway. Despite the fear on his face, Cuddy didn¡¯t struggle much. Traejan hoped the effort would be worth it. He pushed through the door and pressed the smaller man against the far wall. ¡°I¡¯d have preferred to give you something for the information,¡± he snarled. ¡°But I don¡¯t have the time for shit slinging, Cuddy. What have you heard?!¡± Chapter Sixty Five – I don’t like hurting people ¡°I¡¯ve got kin, lemme go!¡± Traejan pulled him back, shoved him harder against the wall, lifted Cuddy up off his feet, not far, but enough to ensure he could make his demands face to face. They could be coming. They could be coming right now! ¡°I saw Fik and Bichell in the crowd.¡± He gripped the man¡¯s coat tighter. ¡°What did they do after the fight?¡± ¡°Your woman¡¯s fight?¡± ¡°Did I miss all the other fights tonight?!¡± ¡°I was just saying,¡± Cuddy struggled under his grip. ¡°Did either of them call in?¡± Cuddy looked away. ¡°They did, didn¡¯t they,¡± Traejan shook his head. But why aren¡¯t they here yet? ¡°Gil said he hear something.¡± Traejan released his grip a little, lowered the man, took a step back to give Cuddy room to breathe. ¡°What¡¯d he hear?¡± Cuddy looked down. ¡°What did he hear?!¡± Cuddy looked up at him; mouth playing around while pondering what to say. ¡°Do you want me to do what the others do?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me what I need to know. I can guess he called for a bunch of the men to come down for the trilium.¡± Cuddy replied with a toothy grin. ¡°What do you expect? They didn¡¯t want to take the woman on by themselves, might get hurt.¡± Traejan sighed. ¡°What did he hear, Cuddy.¡± The man went back to staring at his feet. ¡°Fik¡¯s not one of the Ginga¡¯s boys so much anymore. That¡¯s why he¡¯s been hanging around here with the Bichell¡¯s. The Ginga didn¡¯t believe him, wanted him to bring one of the brothers up to tell him face to face. One of the brothers? Streck! So much for Althea¡¯s deal with the hall keepers ¨C betrayal ¨C sooner. He wondered how much of a cut Jorhe and Josh were going to get for selling them out. Traejan released the smaller man, watched as Cuddy adjusted his coat, glanced furtively back up.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Was that it?¡± No. Traejan couldn¡¯t leave it at that. He shook his head. ¡°I did try to help around here,¡± he told Cuddy. The man shrugged again. ¡°This is the Ginga¡¯s town, maybe you should have tried harder.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like hurting people, Cuddy.¡± ¡°Seem to have learned,¡± the man forced out his reply. ¡°What do I get for the beating they¡¯re going to give me later?¡± Traejan empathized, remembering the beatings he¡¯d survived, the blood, the broken bones, the pain. He pulled out his key. Now that they¡¯d left, the resort was locked up tight, Mende¡¯s security system a barrier to anyone trying to enter ¨C steal. What did any of it matter now? ¡°Do you know what this is,¡± he wagged the metal stick at Cuddy. ¡°No,¡± the man¡¯s eyes followed its movements. ¡°It¡¯s the key to the resort,¡± Traejan told him. He looked over the buttons, played out a sequence. ¡°Here,¡± he held it out to Cuddy. The man held back, reluctant to take it. Traejan waggled it in his face. ¡°Take the damn thing. It¡¯s the key to the resort, man.¡± Cuddy took it gingerly. ¡°Why are you giving it to me?¡± He held the key like it was rotten meat. ¡°We¡¯re going south,¡± Traejan told him. ¡°If we¡¯re not back in a month, the key will become active. You can go there, take whatever you want, move in, whatever. We¡¯ve got food, heat, water, power.¡± Cuddy looked at the thing in his hands, looked back up with narrowing eyes, questioning. Traejan held up an index finger. ¡°One month,¡± he repeated. ¡°If we¡¯re not back by then ¨C what do you think?¡± Cuddy looked confused for a moment, gave a furtive smile, then headed back to continue his scrounging. Traejan watched him go, found a chair to sink down into, a moment to try to take in what had happened since they¡¯d got to Panak. It was all too much, happening too fast. And it was all out of his control. Why? Why was speed to important to Althea? He didn¡¯t understand the woman at all. He sat in the dark hallway, fingers pressed into his forehead trying to think up answers, but nothing new came to him. The only thing he was sure of was the Ginga¡¯s men were coming, and they had to get out of the hall, out of Panak. Soon. The old man was in one of the sleeping rooms the brothers had offered them. The musty odor was apparent the moment he opened the door ¨C Nostalgia. Kyso was lying in a cloud of the stuff, senseless, didn¡¯t even react to his approach. Traejan shook the Kyso awake. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± he demanded angrily. ¡°Where is Althea?¡± ¡°Just went to sleep in the other room,¡± the old man replied, slurring his words. ¡°She was very tired ¨C best to leave her be for a while.¡± Traejan glared at the man. A look of fear rose on Kyso¡¯s face in reaction. ¡°What are you going to do? Tell her? Please Trae¨C¡± Traejan swore, unable to maintain his fury, settling to dismay. ¡°No, you¡¯re going to show me the rest of your pack and I¡¯m going to throw it out,¡± at that the old man looked affronted. He shook his head. ¡°What? Are you going to smoke up when the mechs arrive? What part of dangerous don¡¯t you understand anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kyso told him, shamed. ¡°I just needed it for one last time. I just wanted to see the fight again. See what she did. You know what my memory¡¯s like.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Traejan told him. ¡°Unless you want me to tell her how much worth you truly are. Well?!¡± Kyso shook his head. Traejan started looking around for the rest of it. ¡°The Ginga¡¯s thugs are going to be by soon,¡± he found a small packet, opened it, saw the crystals, hoped the old man didn¡¯t have any more of it. ¡°Get ready for company.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± Kyso asked, sitting up in bed. ¡°Does it matter? They are coming, and they will have weapons.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t leave right away,¡± the old man said. ¡°It¡¯s the dead of night Trae, and there aren¡¯t any clouds. It¡¯ll be brutally cold out there. Maybe they won¡¯t come tonight. Come on boy, Althea barely made it to her bed. She was dead on her feet. Give her a few hours.¡± Traejan shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have hours.¡± Chapter Sixty Six – That’s a weapon? A thumping noise woke her. Behind it, her name was being called ¨C called out of sleep. She was still so tired and sore; shut her eyes and tried to ignore the noise. Althea, you must wake up. ¡°Althea,¡± Kyso¡¯s muffled voice added to Dorian¡¯s urging. She opened her eyes, closed her heavy lids. ¡°What is it?¡± she rasped, repeated in a stronger tone. ¡°There are people coming,¡± Kyso¡¯s muffled alarm brought her out of sleepiness. Mind running over the possible options, Althea pulled herself out of bed grabbed at her heavier garments. It was an effort to put them on ¨C she was weak and stiff ¨C but still made it to the door without collapsing. Kyso didn¡¯t react to her shakiness. He looked at her, nodded, then turned away. What?¨C ¡°There¡¯s a bunch out front!¡± she heard Traejan call out. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Five or six,¡± she looked out of the room, at Traejan at the end of the corridor, a silhouette in the moonslight. She nodded, shrugged her itchy coat on. If they hadn¡¯t tried to break in yet, they were likely waiting for reinforcements. ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± she told him, touched Kyso¡¯s shoulder to reassure him, hurried down the corridor. Traejan turned from the window, frowning. ¡°Look down there, outside in the alley,¡± he told her, a hint of superiority in his voice. She ignored the tone, moved to look out the dirty, frosted window, felt the chilly draft. In the shadow of the building there were three figures hugging the wall. She looked up above the rooftops ¨C the sky was still dark, but for the shining moons. She turned back to Traejan, fully awake now, fully ready. Kyso had joined them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I only see three of them,¡± she told him. ¡°The other three moved off.¡± Traejan told her. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they went.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve broken into the hall already?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t heard anything,¡± Kyso offered. ¡°I¡¯d be quiet about it,¡± Traejan told her. She nodded. ¡°We have to go. Now!¡± She told them tersely, adding as she caught Traejan¡¯s gaze: ¡°thanks, I¡¯m glad one of us wasn¡¯t dead to the world.¡± He might have smiled ¨C she wasn¡¯t sure ¨C that part of his face was in shadows. ¡°Traejan, once we¡¯re done with this, once the Macro¡¯s destroyed,¡± she tried a brief smile. ¡°I¡¯ll turn my skin back to the way it was.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Althea told them to collect their equipment, then ran back to her room. Her energy was building up, but she knew she didn¡¯t dare get into another physical fight. ¡°People are coming,¡± she told Dorian. He already knew. There are heat signatures on the first floor, he told her. New ones just appeared. ¡°How many?¡± Four. ¡°Any implanted?¡± I should have that information soon. ¡°Transmissions?¡± she breathed. None so far. She caressed his case, pocketed it. Of course, he would know soon enough. If they were implanted, any of them ¨C it might be an opportunity. Althea gritted her teeth, sucked in a breath. Could she do it? Now? She reached into another pocket, felt around for her projector ¨C held it up in the dim light, the thin wedge, adjusted the control wheel a third of the way, energy wheel to a sixth. There was no reason to kill ¨C it was far better not to. The level she set would launch on a cohesive stream of superconducting molecules guiding a high voltage shock ¨C more than enough to subdue. Traejan and Kyso were waiting at the top of the stairs, straining for the sound of the intruders. ¡°Anything yet,¡± she whispered. Kyso shook his head. ¡°Not yet,¡± he told her. ¡°But this is the most likely way up ¨C providing they¡¯ve been told where we were sleeping.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve been told?¡± She wanted to know, looking pointedly to Traejan. ¡°I expect they have,¡± he told her in a grim tone. She whispered to Dorian, accepted his stream of info on the intruders¡¯ movements. She felt Kyso¡¯s closeness to her as she leaned against the wall near the stairs. Three heat sources were heading towards them, grouped close together ¨C what weapons they had, Dorian could only confirm limited info ¨C weren¡¯t powered. Looking back, she spotted the pistols, slug throwers the men had drawn. ¡°Keep your weapons down,¡± she told the men, held up her projector. ¡°I can deal with them.¡± Traejan gave her a pained, disbelieving look. ¡°That¡¯s a weapon?¡± Chapter Sixty Seven – A pistol in each hand ¡°Consortia, remember ¨C size isn¡¯t everything,¡± she told him, turned back to the stairs, listened, felt for vibrations along the walls. The material construction of the hall was a composite, not hard or dense, likely an insulator. The conductor stream would slip right through it, losing little power. She should be able to deal with them without even being seen. She pressed a palm against it. The surface was cool and rough. Althea felt a moment of dizziness, leaned against the wall. She felt herself being shaken. ¡°Are you all right,¡± Kyso asked, hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, then nodded. She had to focus, could not fall back asleep here, now. They are approaching the stairs. ¡°Get ready to move,¡± she concentrated on sound, calculated the firing angle. ¡°I¡¯ll show you,¡± she told them lightly, turned back to the dark staircase, whispered to Dorian. The beats stretched long before the time was right. She felt a touch on her shoulder shook it off, held her hand up¨C arm outstretched. A six, from the base of the stairs, two fives, a five. Her ears strained to hear the creaking of the stairs, the fainter footsteps, rustling of clothes as the intruders began to climb. One, two, three. Althea held her breath, then pointed the projector at the wall, angling down ¨C pressing the firing pin ¨C redirected, pressed ¨C redirected, pressed. The sound of tumbling bodies, clatter of weapons came from below. Althea smiled a tight smile; the fine stream of the molecules had done their work, not even making a visible mark in the wall. ¡°Was that it?¡± Kyso whispered from right behind her ear, so close she felt the warm breath. She turned back, nodding. ¡°They¡¯re down,¡± she told him, and then started down the steps. She moved quietly, swiftly. The other two moved noisily behind her. It didn¡¯t matter. As she¡¯d expected, three men were collapsed in a pile at the landing, weapons scattered on the floor.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She checked for signs of life, consciousness. Found the former, not the latter. Dorian confirmed the fourth was just over two sixes away, inside the side entrance, likely a guard for the three across the street. Stepped over the bodies, she aimed ¨C fired ¨C turned back to Traejan and Kyso, who were already picking up the short-barreled guns from the floor. ¡°Get out of here,¡± she told them. ¡°As fast as you can. I¡¯ll follow.¡± Kyso looked up alarmed, a pistol in each hand. ¡°We¡¯re not going to leave you here,¡± his voice rose above a whisper. She raised the projector. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she told them. ¡°This thing can shoot through walls ¨C in case you didn¡¯t notice. You need the head start ¨C and I need to confirm there will be no one else following us.¡± She patted her pocket. ¡°My scanner can pick up their heat,¡± she told him, then added firmly, ¡°please ¨C go now!¡± Kyso was reluctant, Traejan pulled at his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she told him. ¡°Trust me. I took down Goshram single handedly, didn¡¯t I? You need to ensure the lifter is ready for travel. In this cold, that will take time. Someone has to watch your backs.¡± He stood there with a pained look on his face, then reluctantly nodded, headed off with Traejan, took one look back. She smiled at him; turned to the rest of the job. A few beats later, the figures across the street fell, one, two, three. Dorian confirmed there were no others active. ¡°Have you detected an implant?¡± Outside. That figured. She dragged the heavily bundled body back into the hall. He looked familiar ¨C maybe from the hall crowd, she guessed. ¡°Signals?¡± Still none. She closed the outside door, panting from her efforts, and the pain from breathing the icy air. Althea removed the man¡¯s head covering, releasing his greasy black hair over the floor. There would be plenty of blood, a horrific wound ¨C but she wasn¡¯t planning a return to Panak. Sparing a glance around, she gathered the tools from her pack, fingers fumbling over them, connecting the pieces together, readied herself for the operation. She knelt over the body, the still breathing man, fingers feeling over his head for the proper spot, the transmission point. Confirming, she held the projector over his ear, ready to burn a circular hole in his skull. She looked down on his heavy, dark unkempt beard ¨C hesitated ¨C glanced over his closed eyes, slack ruddy skin, took in the astringent smell of him. Heart pounding, she tightened her grip on projector. It¡¯s not difficult. Just a simple cut through the skin, the skull. Althea pressed it into his flesh, held her thumb over the pin ¨C pictured the path of the cut. She felt the sweat slick between her clenched fingers ¨C she struggled to press down. Couldn¡¯t¨C She collapsed on the wet floor beside the man, gasping, dropped the projector. It clattered quietly, bouncing on the floor away from her. Althea stared at him, the thug, the unconscious man. The chance to prove her theory, to leave no doubt, had been handed to her. She couldn¡¯t do it. He was a human being. He was helpless. She could not kill him. Chapter Sixty Eight – Her distant goal The climb back up to the lifter was arduous, but Althea was strongly motivated to keep moving ¨C leave Panak behind. The pass where they¡¯d hid the lifter possessed a wide view of the valley, as well as the whole settlement. The white and gray bumps in the snow appeared sleepy and non¨Cthreatening in the pale blue light of dawn. Happily, the greggas with their gear were easy to spot as they climbed up the snowfields, a collection in browns and grays on white. She didn¡¯t ask them about the Ginga¡¯s men, and they didn¡¯t offer any news. As the lifter lurched its day¡¯s travel through the mountains, she reflected on her failure the night before. To her relief, neither Traejan nor Kyso questioned her much on what exactly she¡¯d left behind, nor the actual reasons the Ginga hadn¡¯t sent anymore men after them. Althea hid the mounting unease with her choices from Traejan and Kyso, who were thankfully more intent on keeping an eye on the greggas. For themselves, the scavengers seemed mostly intent on settling their pecking order; boasts and put downs keeping their conversations lively, if crude. When they reached the Ice Line at the end of the day, she took the opportunity to escape the raucous group for some solitude and a look over the glacier¡¯s cliff edge, south ¨C to the tundra, and envision her distant goal. The drop off was steep, almost ninety degrees and the tundra and rocks at its base was a long way down, a nine at least. Beyond, stretched flat plains to the south, punctuated by a lumps in the distance ¨C maybe ruins, maybe not.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Glancing back at the encampment, she could see the strings of lights already dancing in the deepening gloom, pushed around in the wind, carrying snippets of laughter and shouts from the circle of tents around the crouching bulk of the parked lifter. She couldn¡¯t feel a part of it, did not dare. She¡¯d identified Kyso¡¯s approach, by the reds and browns of his own bulky coat, but chose to ignore the man¡¯s friendly wave. But eventually, the crunches in the snow were impossible to dismiss. She turned again to see his face, lit by the garish colors of the setting sun, framed by the tight protection of his heavily insulated cowl. He greeted her. She replied with a brief smile, turned back to look to the south, closed her eyes, feeling the call of it. Out there, in code and motive, the Macro waited. She could sense more than just the wind blowing down from the glacier, the mountains. It was anticipation, the shiver of desire, again, the need. Kyso stamped up to her, pulled his cowl back to expose his head to the wind, letting long white strands of his hair blow about. ¡°Here we are,¡± he announced, spreading his arms wide, grinning at her, the Ice Line.¡± She turned back to him, cracked a smile. ¡°The edge of our world, my dear,¡± he told her, then his tone darkened, turned dramatic, pointed. ¡°Out there, be monsters.¡± ¡°Does anyone why the constructs don¡¯t come north of the glacier, take over everything?¡± she asked, having to raise her voice above the wind. He shook his head. ¡°No¡­¡± he replied, tone bitter. ¡°I suppose they felt they had no need for dominion over the whole planet.¡± ¡°Leaving you the bleakest part ¨C generous of them,¡± she echoed his sentiment. ¡°But you survived.¡± His laugh was forced, dismissing her attempt at warmth. ¡°So you keep telling me,¡± he said with humor. She returned her gaze to the south. ¡°So I do.¡± Chapter Sixty Nine – What of your homeworld ¡°I¡¯ve always tried to see the beauty in everything, though¡± Kyso confessed, attempting to lighten the discussion. ¡°How in the last light of day, the crimson, umber, gold ¨C how it washes over the wasteland.¡± She could see the colors, but the sight didn¡¯t register to her as beauty. Compared to what she was longing to see, to feel, to experience again ¨C it was empty, nothing, just light. ¡°Almost like autumn in the old days,¡± he continued. ¡°A lot colder though.¡± She felt a grip on her shoulder, shaking her from her reverie. Althea looked over at him. Kyso had a smile on his face, his eyes twinkled in the falling light. ¡°What of your homeworld? You haven¡¯t said much of it. Better than this, I hope.¡± ¡°Emerald?¡± she forced the name out: much more than a name, a dream, a reality, a hole inside her, that couldn¡¯t be filled. ¡°It¡¯s been so long,¡± she told him wistfully, offering a sidelong glance before returning her gaze to the gray, brown and white tundra below and beyond. However she could describe it, would be inadequate. ¡°It¡¯s green ¨C a million shades of green ¨C from pole to pole. Inside that green, all the colors you can imagine.¡± A glance back revealed his sympathetic smile. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she told him with conviction. It must still be beautiful. ¡°And warm.¡± ¡°Ours was like that,¡± he replied. Althea decided to support his hopes, but, regretted the statement as soon as she said it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It will be that way again.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he smiled back, making it impossible to retract the false hope she¡¯d offered. ¡°With a little help from the Consortia¡­ All right ¨C a lot.¡± She couldn¡¯t respond. Points of light were starting to appear in the purpling sky, two small moons, one pink one grey, accompanied their arrival. ¡°The stars are coming out,¡± he observed, then began to sing, old voice filled with pain and longing, love. ¡°As the sky grows dim, they light the dark, streaks of fire, burning shards.¡± Shocked, she was compelled to follow along with the verse, staring with him up into the darkening eastern sky. ¡°Meet and cross in threads of love, the last of falling stars.¡± His voice fell off as he heard her speaking the lyrics as he sang. ¡°You know the song,¡± he asked her sounding surprised, but pleased. Althea turned to him, suddenly wanting to tell him everything then, confess everything. Her fears roared back ¨C stopped her dead. ¡°It was¡­ popular,¡± was all she could think to reply. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that it¡¯s still being sung,¡± his voice was warm, accepting. ¡°Come,¡± he lifted a mittened hand to touch her shoulder again. ¡°It¡¯s late and the temperature drops quickly on the rim.¡± She turned to him, hoping everything she felt wasn¡¯t written all over her face. ¡°And the others are getting restless,¡± he smiled briefly, stopped, spotted something as he looked at her. Oh. ¡°What, what is it?¡± ¡°You just keep reminding me of someone,¡± she tried, ¡°someone I haven¡¯t seen in a long time.¡± She couldn¡¯t keep the emotion out, had to disguise it somehow. ¡°Yes?¡± She tried to imagine what was going on in his head. She continued the safest way she could. ¡°My father,¡± she told him, keeping it simple. Her comment seemed to be a confirming one. Kyso¡¯s expression turned from questioning to certainty, but remained soft. ¡°Hmm¡­ And if I was a few hundred anna younger?¡± he offered. She tried a smile, but her mouth wouldn¡¯t work right. He nodded in response. ¡°Well¡­¡± he started, then added, ¡°come. The others did tell me to get you.¡± She gave in, nodded, followed silently. As she trudged back through the thick snow, her thoughts turned and turned over hope and promise ¨C all that she needed to tell Dorian. Chapter Seventy – Our goal They walked quietly into camp, the ring of ragged tents surrounding the hulking body of the lifter. Althea followed Kyso, climbing into the body of the vehicle, protected now from the winds by its fabric covering. Once inside, she was presented by demanding faces ¨C ready for concrete answers plans and goals. Her needs, her confession to Dorian would have to wait. The harsh acrid odor of the poorly filtered thruster engines threatened to overpower her. Althea covered her nose as she adjusted, cursed again her lack of control over her nantech. She nodded to Kyso, who spread out the map he¡¯d created, drawing the other six¡¯s attention away from her queasiness. ¡°This is our goal.¡± She stuck a finger at the site marked on the map. The others examined the spot, a couple pale fingers joining hers. ¡°The ruins of the fallen sky city, Merk¡¯apas.¡± She had to raise her voice; it wasn¡¯t at all quiet in the lifter. The looseness in the fabric cover magnified the noise of the rising night winds. From the end of the piecework table, she spotted Kyso¡¯s smile. He had picked out the site, the objective, based on her criteria ¨C her lies ¨C a place Traejan and he knew by rumor and memory, likely to be deep enough into the south to have not been visited. She looked up, checking the faces around her. The greggas¡¯ expressions, muttered responses were less positive than she had hoped for. ¡°That¡¯s pretty far south,¡± Nur told her displeased, showing it in his crossed arms, frown turned to scowl. ¡°There¡¯s no cover on the tundra. We¡¯ll be exposed all the way there.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Obe and Abek Goa agreed. ¡°We can get there in a half a day with the lifter,¡± Althea pointed out. On foot, it would have taken at least a full thirty Makani days. ¡°You think this collection of spare parts,¡± Nur pointed a thumb at the engine block of the lifter, ¡°will last half a day? Smell those thrusters? Another nine ¨C tops.¡± ¡°What do you know about lifters, Nur?¡± Enos chided. ¡°We made it here without breaking down.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got nine working cylinders,¡± Kyso offered smugly. ¡°We only need five to run it.¡± ¡°After the ice wall it¡¯s all flat land.¡± She glanced up at them, conviction firm, not letting her body language suggest doubt. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to move fast.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been there,¡± Teffa told group. For a moment, Althea felt the touch of panic. The surprise ended there, to her relief. The others laughed at the woman¡¯s claim, but the Teffa held her own, admitted that she hadn¡¯t scoured the ruin. ¡°A lot to look through.¡± Her claim wandered off into guessing, tacit approval. ¡°Could have what you¡¯re looking for.¡± Goa still wasn¡¯t totally taken in. ¡°How do you know what we are looking for will be there?¡± he asked, looming over the map, long arms gesturing strongly, dramatically. ¡°The constructs have stripped a lot of tech over the anna.¡± Althea took a breath in, steadied herself. ¡°Kyso has gathered a lot of information about the city, and the territory around it,¡± she told him. Still, it was terribly incomplete, and relied mostly on the older man¡¯s memory of when the city was home to hundreds of thousands ¨C operational, alive. ¡°Look over the data,¡± she offered, presenting the group copies. That was always a good choice. Provide more than enough for them to examine, keep them busy, appeal to their desire, greed and especially ¨C hope, the foundation of any successful manipulation. ¡°They can¡¯t have taken everything,¡± she told them with as much conviction as she could muster. ¡°Not yet.¡± Chapter Seventy One – The best imaginable There was plenty more bandying about, but when they left ¨C they were happy ¨C leaving her relieved, and eventually, almost alone. Traejan, silent during the verbal melee, spoke up after the last one left. ¡°You think you¡¯ve done a fine job convincing them,¡± he told her, coming out from the shadows. Althea looked gave him a questioning glance. ¡°Don¡¯t expect them to stay convinced,¡± he added. ¡°We have a few days yet,¡± she suggested. They weren¡¯t in danger. ¡°Their greed should keep them in check that long.¡± ¡°They will be trouble when we get to the city,¡± Traejan warned. She resisted the urge to snap at him. ¡°It¡¯ll be over and done soon after we get there,¡± she told him in the most convincing voice she could. ¡°And they don¡¯t know where I¡¯m keeping the trilium. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be able to find what I need.¡± ¡°The communication systems?¡± He still sounded doubtful, suspicious. It tired her further, the constant challenging. It was late and she¡¯d put off talking with Dorian too long.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Yes,¡± she decided to misinterpret his tone. ¡°It can¡¯t be all gone.¡± Keep to the plan. Repeat and remind. ¡°What the Macro hasn¡¯t stripped from the city,¡± she finished firmly, ¡°should be enough to get its attention.¡± He was about to continue, refute her maybe ¨C probably ¨C so she waved him off. ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± she told him, letting her accumulated exhaustion show. ¡°We can cover this later.¡± As she walked back to her tent, boots loudly crunching through the snow, wind whipping around her Althea berated herself: over the conversation, about how she should have turned his suspicions around ¨C convince him to trust her. It was only after she¡¯d made it to her tent, shrugged off the heavy coat, twisted the controls on the meager heater, that the debate in her mind ended. She put a stop to it, reminding herself again what she felt on the cliff face. The connection she¡¯d felt ¨C looking out at the stars with Kyso, hearing him sing that song. Dorian had been worried about her being alone, acting alone, without the benefit of the company of other human eyes, human hands, human hearts. He¡¯d be happy now. She was sure. Lying on her soft blankets, she cradled Dorian¡¯s case, confided the strength of her feelings. ¡°I¡¯ve realized,¡± she told him, feeling the light inside her, ¡°who I can take with me¡­ when we¡¯re finished here.¡± You have? Who is it? ¡°Kyso,¡± she told him. ¡°You heard him singing, didn¡¯t you?¡± I did. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked him breathlessly. ¡°Would he be a good choice?¡± What do you think? ¡°His is Consortia, real Consortia,¡± she told him. ¡°The best imaginable, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± I¡¯m glad you have acknowledged your need. Chapter Seventy Two – An unexpected catastrophe When are you going to tell him? She pursed her lips. Tell him the full truth about what was left of The Consortia ¨C who she was, what she had done? Was she so certain Kyso would be accepting of all that? It was much too much for any one conversation. Althea hoped he was capable of handling the truth, hoped she could convince him to. It would have to wait until this Macro was dealt with anyway. And¡­ how to even start? An alarm chimed. She sat back up, realizing what it meant. ¡°You¡¯re picking up signals?¡± Yes, but not Macro. Let me show you. She activated the display, opened it, scrutinized it; checked the symbols, the sweep of his wide spectrum surveillance. The signals weren¡¯t Macro, or even trinary. ¡°We¡¯re being followed?¡± It would seem so, he agreed. They are not close. She could tell by the weakness, diffusion of the signal, but, ¡°how far?¡± Too close and they would have to move again, or prepare for a fight. Could the Ginga be so confident, after what she¡¯d done? After seeing the pile of unconscious bodies she¡¯d left for him, the other graphic warnings? Had he recovered enough men to try to stubbornly exact revenge. Or were they merely following, in the hopes of being close enough to profit if her group had an unfortunate run in with the Macro constructs? The source is at least a two thirteens away. The information relieved her anxiety. Perhaps further, depending on the refraction of the cloud cover. She relaxed. The signals were far behind them; with the lifter they had covered a fourteen, in a day over the mountains, the glacier. Even if they were being followed, their pursuers had only moved one third their speed.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The signal is not mobile. With the frigid nights here, that was not surprise. Baring an unexpected catastrophe, a threat wasn¡¯t likely. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t catch up. I don¡¯t want more people involved in this. We don¡¯t have much margin for error.¡± I will continue to listen, Dorian told her. I will inform you if they transmit anything significant, or if there is a response from nearby. She smiled again, appreciative. Althea stretched under the warm blankets, shut her eyes for what felt like a brief moment, then was startled back into awareness by a noise. She turned over, heard something again, over the sound of the wind, the tent¡¯s fabric ¨C a woman¡¯s voice. Teffa? It sounded fearful ¨C then a man¡¯s voice over her¡¯s ¨C harsh. Already? Her mind raced back to full consciousness. Were they fighting already? Then she heard, confirmation of the fear Traejan had planted in her mind, Teffa¡¯s cries for help. She pulled on her boots, grabbed her tunic, sprang outside as quickly as she could. Out of the protection of the tent it was dark. The cold hit her, shock of it stopping her in her tracks. Where? Behind her tent ¨C sound of a struggle ¨C Teffa crying out again. ¡°No! No! No!¡± Althea spun around the tent¡¯s corner to spot Obe crouching over the prone body of the woman, whose legs and arms were flailing under the bigger man. ¡°Stop it!¡± Obe turned to look at her, rage in his face, blood on his fist. Althea felt her fury rise again. Not like this, not like this! She reached into her pocket for the projector. Felt around for its signature shape, feel. Did she put it back? She checked another pocket. Where had she put the projector? The man was rising, there was no time left to search. Althea moved as fast as she could, just a flicker of her potential strength rising. It didn¡¯t matter; she knew skill and anger would carry her against him. Obe tried to block her attack, but she batted away his defense with ease, landing blows that knocked him away from Teffa. The man grunted against the attack, defended against her repeated blows as he fell back to the snow. A detached part of her wondered if this would work. Kill him, under cover of defending Teffa, the implant could be explained. She landed two blows on his head, his face. It could work, he had been attacking Teffa. Another quick strike and he stopped struggling completely. She stopped, stood over him, breathing hard. Althea noticed the movement, crunches in the snow too late; stars exploded in her head as the blow from behind knocked her off her feet. She tried to stop the agony, tried to hold her skull together as she was thrown over the man. The shock of the cold ground warred with the ringing in her head ¨C the pounding, pounding pain. Then the harsh, hot breathing in her face, the cold sharp pressure on her throat. Chapter Seventy Three – Do you want to die?! ¡°What¨C?¡± She couldn¡¯t see anything, could barely focus through the pain. Something heavy pressed against her chest, something was hitting her face. Althea could make out something; features, lanky hair sticking out over a flat face, chubby cheeks ¨C Teffa?! ¡°Where¡¯s trilium,¡± the woman demanded in her reedy voice¨C Teffa, and Obe. Had they planned this? Pretended to be loners? Was the attack just a¨C Teffa pressed the blade harder against her throat. ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb,¡± the woman threatened. ¡°I know you¡¯re smarter than that.¡± ¡°How do you expect to¨C¡± Althea began to subtly adjust her position to reduce the potential damage. Teffa sneered at her, sliding the blade harshly along her skin, cutting, activating sensitive nerves, ninths from the artery pumping blood beneath the skin. She could deal with this, just had to keep the anger, terror under control ¨C focused. NANs would be streaming blood into the vessels and muscles of her neck ¨C to minimize the damage ¨C prepare to repair any wound. Don¡¯t panic, mustn¡¯t panic. She¡¯s no threat, no threat at all¡­ ¡°Tell me now!¡± Teffa commanded. ¡°Where is it?!¡± Her hot, fetid breath blew into Althea¡¯s face. She adjusted her position under the woman¡¯s weight, felt hands, arms strengthening. Move a little more, Teffa¡­ Just a little¡­ ¡°Give it to me, or I¡¯ll spill your blood all over this snow,¡± Teffa threatened, impatience increasing.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Kill me and you¡¯ll never get it,¡± Althea breathed. ¡°Your making a mistake. Don¡¯t you remember what I did in the hall?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a hairsbreadth from becoming a fountain? Do you want to die?!¡± the woman shot back, pressed the knife into her throat. ¡°The trilium or your life!¡± The pressure, the sudden burning pain made her gasp. It¡¯ll only hurt for a moment. Althea closed her eyes. Ignore the pain. The NANs will take care of you. Fountains¡­ Columns of pure thought, shimmering with experience, flooding, bursting, flowing over her, through her, filling her with the life of a world, carrying away all fear¡­ No, too much, too much. Use it, don¡¯t let it overwhelm you. Not yet¡­ ¡°I like fountains,¡± she whispered, then kneed the woman over her head, adding the power of her arms as leverage. The knife cut her, cut deep; the pain was excruciating, a sharp burning, explosion of agony ¨C overwhelming her senses ¨C but only for a moment. She rolled over, pushed Teffa away, grabbed her throat ¨C felt the hot blood coursing through her fingers ¨C held on tightly, held her breath, fought to stay steady, as her vision grew black. Then it was gone, the pain, the darkness ¨C replaced by strength, focus and fury. In all that time, Teffa hadn¡¯t reacted, was still trying to get back on to her feet, boots slipping, stumbling over the blood soaked snow. Confident of her NANs, Althea didn¡¯t even bother to stand, with a free hand flat on the ground; she spun around ¨C kicked hard. The woman fell back, the impact forcing out a choked cry. Althea rose, kicked her again and again. ¡°Stop it. Stop it!¡± Teffa screamed. Realizing what she was doing, Althea stopped, glared down at the woman, whose cream colored coat was now soaked in blood. Her blood. ¡°You should have listened to what I told you!¡± she forced out between harsh breaths. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for myself; I¡¯m trying to help you ¨C help all of us!¡± Teffa was curled up in the snow, whimpering in agony, probably not even listening. Althea looked down, at her own hands, red blood over cold white flesh ¨C red and white! ¡°There, are you satisfied?¡± she demanded, flinging drops at the woman¡¯s trembling body. ¡°Is this enough for you?¡± ¡°Blood ¨C my blood!¡± she shouted at Teffa. ¡°It¡¯s red! Just like yours!¡± Chapter Seventy Four – Two bundles at her feet The alcohol burned painfully as it went down his throat. Traejan sat on the cold deck of the lifter, leaning over his knees, put the bottle down by his foot. He couldn¡¯t think of any other way to calm his nerves down. They were on the edge of mech country ¨C on the edge! The bottle didn¡¯t help much, just made his mental arguments less coherent. Traejan rubbed his face, slammed a fist hard against the crate behind him. Why did he put up with Althea¡¯s caginess? Kyso¡¯s unquestioning trust of her? He was going to need to have to find some way of ensuring his survival this time. Which of them could he ally himself with? Nur bek Nur?Goa? Obe? Certainly not Enos, he¡¯d never turn his back on that man. What would Kaelin have done? What would she tell him to do? He took another swig and stewed. Over the wind, flapping of fabric, he heard something ¨C a voice¡­ yelling? It didn¡¯t sound like any of the men. He got up unsteadily to his feet, made his way to the door, to hear the call clearly. Was it Althea? He pulled the door back, looked outside. ¡°Kyso,¡± she was yelling, black hair whipping in the wind, dressed in just her grey Consortia gear, no outer clothing on at all. Two bundles were at her feet. Kyso approached her, looking to her, then the bundles, then back at her. What had she dragged ¨C it wasn¡¯t clear in the dim light. Traejan rubbed his eyes, tried to focus through his buzz. ¡°Go out,¡± she shouted over the wind. ¡°Wake them up! Wake them all up!¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Traejan stepped down from the lifter, felt the full bite of the cold wind. Kyso nodded to Althea, turned to look at him, then looked down at the bodies on the snow. Bodies? Teffa and Obe ¨C what the hell? Were they dead? No, he realized as he stepped forwards. Obe was moving a bit, Teffa was breathing. ¡°And find Trae,¡± she finished. ¡°I have an announcement to make.¡± Kyso pointed at him, then turned away. Althea turned. He gaped at the sight. She was covered in blood, a huge stain of red running from her face, her throat down over her vest. ¡°Oneness,¡± How is she standing? She couldn¡¯t be badly injured if she was standing out in the cold like this, could she? He looked down at the two. They were bloodied as well. ¡°What happened to you?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°Are you¨C?¡± She held up a bloodstained hand. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it looks,¡± she told him. ¡°But I need to show them.¡± Show them what? That you beat and bloodied Teffa an Obe? ¡°I¡¯ll be all right,¡± she told him, carrying an otherworldly calm. ¡°Help Kyso wake the others.¡± He could only stare at her. ¡°Go!¡± she commanded. ¡°I can¡¯t stand here like this all night! Shocked out of the moment, Traejan nodded, then turned away. Althea shouted at the two as he headed off. ¡°You two, get up!¡± Nur bek Nur and Enos grumbled at being disturbed, but he did get them up and out. By that time, Kyso had gathered Peca andGoa. Teffa and Obe were standing, but didn¡¯t resist when Althea shoved them, stumbling into the semi circle the others had formed. ¡°Move it,¡± she commanded. They grimaced in pain, glanced around fearfully; there was blood, bruises on their faces. Teffa looked back at her, demanding to know, ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Althea followed them slowly, the fresh, freeing, cracking blood garish against her pale skin, her expression focused, hard. ¡°The one who¡¯s going to save your lives,¡± she told them coldly. She stopped as the two entered the semi circle of the rest. Chapter Seventy Five – Improvising Kyso broke through the circle, passed the pair. ¡°Althea¡­¡± he held out his hands, as if trying to decide where to start ministering to her wounds, looking over her bloody clothing, exposed flesh. Traejan looked around at the others. They knew what happened, regarded Teffa and Obe with various combinations of disgust and irritation. ¡°Damn fools,¡± Nur bek Nur muttered. Althea pushed Kyso aside gently, then strode forwards through the snow, feet dragging, pushing the white up in puffs. The strong winds whipped her black hair violently about. ¡°It seems that some of you think that this expedition is just a free shot at some easy trilium,¡± she told them all, the blood on her adding a terrible vision to her words. ¡°Teffa and Obe certainly did,¡± she made a move towards the two. They shuffled back defensively ¨C toward the others ¨C towards him. ¡°They were going to take all your trilium and leave me dead,¡± she added in a loud voice. ¡°What do you say?¡± The men looked at each other. Enos pulled out a weapon, a pistol. Teffa stopped, pulled at Obe ¨C trying to hide behind him, stared at the others, Traejan too ¨C in fear. ¡°They¡¯re gonna die,¡± he continued, raising the weapon. Traejan turned back to Althea. What are you playing at? By the time he had turned his gaze; she was standing beside the two, an open palm held straight at Enos. The man hesitated, lowered the gun a bit, looking confused. ¡°No,¡± she told them, standing confidently. ¡°No they aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Stupid,¡± Goa muttered. The others echoed the sentiment. Traejan looked at Kyso. The old man shrugged.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You are on a job here,¡± Althea¡¯s sweeping gesture encompassed the lot of them, ¡°Don¡¯t you forget that! I asked for six, I need six ¨C I need all of you ¨C including them!¡± Her sweep ended with fingers pointed at the surprised pair. ¡°Anyone who wants to kill them,¡± she continued, ¡°will have to come through me.¡± Traejan pulled his eyes away to look at the others. They weren¡¯t taking action against her or Teffa or Obe; they were taking in her speech, just listening, staring. ¡°Listen, you want to kill each other¨C¡± she walked right up to Enos reaching. He pulled his gun away from her ¡°¨Cor anyone else, you¡¯re free to try ¨C after we¡¯re done. Is that clear?¡± She looked around at the group. They slowly made their agreements, either nodding or vocally. ¡°Good,¡± she said, with a frightening smile augmented by the blood on her exposed neck, clothing. ¡°Everything goes well ¨C we¡¯ll be at the city by tomorrow night.¡± The others started to agree, turned away, entertainment for the night now over. Traejan watched her turn to walk over to the pair, who cowered from her, but didn¡¯t run. ¡°Are we good now?¡± she told them as they hugged each other, stared at her. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Teffa stuttered in response, the man nodded rapidly. Then the two stumbled away into the dark. Althea didn¡¯t follow them; Traejan moved up to her. She turned to him as he approached. He couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just seen. ¡°I warned you,¡± he told her. She returned a hard stare. ¡°Are you sure you are all right?¡± he added, still shocked. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of blood. How much of it is yours?¡± She lifted a hand to her throat; there was a mark, but no cut. Had her Consortia nantech saved her again? She suddenly looked¡­ tired, unsteady, as she stood there, as the snow continued to blow around her. ¡°Most of it,¡± she admitted. ¡°They needed to see it, needed to see we¡¯re the same.¡± She looked back at the direction the couple had gone, the direction of Obe¡¯s tent, turned back to him. ¡°They won¡¯t be any trouble now,¡± she told him. ¡°Too banged up¡­¡± She swayed again in the wind. ¡°I¡¯ll need something to drink,¡± she asked. ¡°Do you have anything strong?¡± In the relative warmth of the lifter, he watched her swallow half a jar of their strongest, used the rest to dab the blood from her neck. The fabric of her vest, the suit underneath, absorbed the blood stains as he watched, in moments were as clean as she was. ¡°What are you trying to do here?¡± he wanted to know. She looked back at him, eyes calculating. ¡°I¡¯m trying to ensure we can destroy the Macro,¡± she told him. ¡°Not everything is laid in our laps. There are always obstacles ¨C of one form or another.¡± Traejan glanced toward the lifter¡¯s doors. ¡°And out there?¡± he wanted to know. She stared at him. ¡°I was¡­¡± Althea closed her eyes, then opened them, appearing unsettled and undecided for a moment, finishing with quiet resolve, ¡°improvising.¡± Chapter Seventy Seven – Almost there He climbed up the steps, joined the two in the cockpit at the rear of the lifter. Althea and Kyso were in the midst of an animated conversation, looked over when he entered, then continued. ¡°¡­fantastic,¡± she was saying to him, as they looked forwards to the dead, grounded metropolis. ¡°How many years was it in the sky?¡± ¡°Almost five hundred, so beautiful and vast,¡± Kyso had agreed. ¡°I used to spend days, weeks exploring its riches. They were extravagant, even by Makani standards. The views from the top were unequaled, I remember.¡± No looking down now, the original city had been a high-flying rounded disk; now much of it was flattened, twisted ¨C impacted solidly into the ground. With the thrusters alternating between whining and belching, they were able to get enough altitude to land the lifter on the body of the city, parking against a leaning wall under an overhang that, they hoped, would provide protection without sacrificing mobility. Althea and Kyso came down from the cockpit, went over the map drawn from his memory, listened carefully to Teffa¡¯s comments. Despite evidence of lingering fears, as Teffa continued to offer disturbing glances in Althea¡¯s direction, she was willing to argue with Kyso on several points of travel. ¡°We cannot use the main plaza; there are towers collapsed over it and around it,¡± she noted, pointing out a different route, the first of several debates in approach. ¡°This would be the best route.¡± With only the signs of any life a couple avians floating overhead, they started up the lifter again, heading through the quiet boulevards and abandoned plazas of Merk¡¯apas. The silence didn¡¯t ease anyone¡¯s tension, a simple touch on his shoulder made Traejan jump. ¡°Streck man, it¡¯s dead out there,¡± Peca shook his head, ¡°Did you like of the fungi? Want more?¡± He hadn¡¯t touched them, shook his head, turned to look out at the white shrouded buildings, searching for something in the darkened maws of former doorways, arches, windows ¨C seeing nothing but blackness. Through the stumps of the remaining buildings, the center towers swung again into view. Around them, the light snow blown into the air provided a glittering, sparkling contrast in sudden, brief sunlight.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Look,¡± Peca pointed. ¡°Almost there.¡± The last turn brought them into the main square, empty of life like the rest of the city. Littering the grand plaza were stumps ¨C of statuary, of crumbling smaller structures, of dead trees. They had arrived. Fifty meters from the grand entrance to the central tower the lifter shuddered to a stop, with a final burst of blown snow, settled down. With a whoop, Peca pulled open the lifter¡¯s side door ¨C jumped out ¨C started running around the lifter. Traejan scrutinized the pieces of fungi again. Is that what those things do to you? He looked around. The others were already pulling on their outer gear, strapping on equipment. Kyso, followed by Althea stamped down the metal steps from the cockpit. ¡°Grab your packs,¡± Althea told them. ¡°Check to make sure you have everything you need. If any of your equipment isn¡¯t working, tell us. Kyso and Traejan will try to provide you with what you¡¯re missing.¡± Amek Goa turned to him, held up a powered torch, shook it. Traejan could hear the rattle. ¡°Got an extra light?¡± the tall man asked. Traejan nodded, pulled out his, clicked to confirm operation, then threw it to the man. Goa looked it over, grinned, winked. Traejan turned away. ¡°Traejan,¡± He heard Althea calling him. He turned to see her looking out of the cage, the wind blowing her hair across her face. He watched her brush it away, then caught himself. ¡°What is it?¡± he called back. She pointed out. ¡°Could you get Peca?¡± she shouted. Traejan trudged through the snowdrifts, following the man¡¯s boot prints. He found the man standing by the stump of a column, staring up at a circling bird. ¡°Time to come back.¡± ¡°If only we could be like them,¡± the small man muttered, not looking down, back. ¡°Then we could live wherever we wanted.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Traejan told him, touched his shoulder, trying to attract the man¡¯s attention. ¡°Time to get ready ¨C remember what we¡¯re doing here?¡± Peca nodded, came back ¨C started to gather his pack while everyone else stood around watching, waiting. Finally, he was ready. ¡°Let¡¯s check our transceivers everyone,¡± Althea commanded. ¡°Can you all hear through your ear buds?¡± Traejan nodded, hearing her tinny voice in his ear. ¡°Are you sure these are safe?¡± Obe wanted confirmation. ¡°The mechs won¡¯t be listening in?¡± ¡°These are analog coded,¡± Kyso assured him. Traejan wondered why the experienced gregga would keep questioning their setup. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Althea asked impatiently. She¡¯d completely given up on the pretence of being like them, now only wearing only a light coat covering her light grey Consortia bodysuit and tunic. The others answered her, each in their own way, not apparently caring about the change. Traejan wondered if they were going to last an hour, let alone the days it might take to find something useful. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s move. The sooner we find what we¡¯re looking for, the sooner we¡¯ll be out of here.¡± Chapter Seventy Eight – Mech country ¡°Have you found anything?¡± Althea¡¯s voice cut through the static buzzing in his ear. Traejan had to dial up the gain again, as the additional layers of walls weakened the signal. He screwed the dial up to maximum, hoping that would serve. ¡°Nothing yet,¡± he replied. He had been teamed with Amek Goa; didn¡¯t complain, although the man did walk too close to him ¨C smiled too much. The chamber around them was strewn with fragments, real micronics ¨C but ¨C pieces, just pieces. They swung the beams from their torches, illuminating the signs of what was no longer there. Gutted blocks might have had trinary systems, might have been an element of the city¡¯s main communications nodes. Goa stood at a wall, hands going over the ports, empty tubes, burned conduits. The black, brown and green oxidization and floor to ceiling water stains suggested the chamber had been cleared out decades ago. Traejan kicked at a pile of plates, dislodging some of the micronics boards that had fused together. They were all useless, closer examination revealed. He shined a light through the scratched surfaces, examined the broke edges, snapped the brittle material in his hands. It was damp, cold, six levels beneath the surface of the city. Decade upon decade of temperature changes had fractured their delicate structure. Goa returned from his investigations, wiping his gloved hands. ¡°The woman seems to have missed out.¡± Traejan shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a big city,¡± he replied without much enthusiasm.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yeah,¡± the tall man replied. ¡°Maybe too big.¡± The bud in his ear buzzed. ¡°Traejan?¡± It was Althea again, a little strain in her voice. ¡°Have you heard anything from Nur bek Nur and Peca?¡± He hadn¡¯t. ¡°Try contacting them,¡± she ordered. ¡°I think they¡¯ve gone deeper than my signal can reach. He looked at Goa, swore, fiddled with his transceiver. ¡°What is it?¡± the man asked, watching Traejan. ¡°Althea¡¯s having trouble contacting Nur and Peca,¡± he replied. ¡°Probably they¡¯ve gone behind a reinforced wall or floor or something.¡± He pressed down two buttons again. ¡°Peca, Nur bek Nur, can you hear me? It¡¯s Traejan.¡± Static filled his ears. He tried to dial up the signal ¨C repeated the request; closed his eyes, concentrating. ¡°Please respond.¡± ¡°¡­Not clear¡­¡± That was Peca. ¡°Where are you?!¡± ¡°¡­Supposed¡­in the control¡­¡± The signal was faint, distorted. He turned to Goa, who was standing close by ¨C too close, again ¨C tried to relax. ¡°They¡¯re where they are supposed to be, I think,¡± he told the man, fingering the buttons again. ¡°I¡¯ve reached them,¡± he told Althea. ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°In the lower control center, I think. There was a lot of static.¡± ¡°You are the closest to them. Check it out and let me know as soon as you can.¡± Great, down into the depths again. At least it wouldn¡¯t be as claustrophobic as his last rescue. He hoped. ¡°We goin¡¯ down.¡± Goa raised his thin eyebrows. ¡°Yes,¡± Traejan confirmed, then called back to Althea. ¡°On our way. You may want to get over here, so that we can stay in touch. ¡°We will,¡± she confirmed. He heard a click, saw that Goa had his weapon out. ¡°Mech country,¡± the man explained. ¡°Gotta expect the worst.¡± Traejan had to agree, pulled out his weapon, headed out in the direction of the lower control trunk systems. Soon, they could see signs of the others¡¯ passage¨C open stairwell door, wet footprints in the semi¨Cfrozen puddles of water. The only sounds were their breathing, footsteps, dripping water. A couple flights down, he tried the transceiver again. ¡°Can you hear me now?¡± ¡°¡­Hear you better¡­¡± he heard Nur reply. ¡°¡­problem¡­¡± ¡°What sort of problem?¡± ¡°¡­Hear¡­what?¡­ That?¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded alarmed. Traejan turned to Goa ¨C worried, anxious. ¡°We¡¯d better move!¡± Chapter Seventy Nine – We stay together They sped down another couple of flights, Traejan, one hand gripping his gun, the other his transceiver. When they reached the next doorway, he tried again. ¡°Nur bek Nur,¡± he called out over the link, breathing heavily. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± the man replied. ¡°Peca said he hear ¨Csaid he saw something ¨C ran off.¡± ¡°Peca, Peca!¡± Traejan called over the link. ¡°Did he shut off his transceiver?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Nur bek Nur replied. ¡°His signal just cut out.¡± Visions of the horror three years ago danced in his head. He and Goa shone their beams ahead, seeing nothing but more empty corridor. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°In a control room,¡± Nur bek Nur replied. ¡°What¡¯s left of it.¡± ¡°Stay there,¡± he told the man. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a couple minutes.¡± He hurried down the corridor, followed by Goa. Seeing the light shining out from the control room, he relaxed a bit, turned the corner. Looking through the door, he could see the man shining his light towards them. The room was like the one above: gutted, with only scraps remaining either littering the floor, or hanging from wall and ceiling. ¡°Can¡­hear me?¡± he could barely make out Althea¡¯s voice over the static. ¡°Boost your signal,¡± he told her. ¡°Peca is missing.¡± ¡°Any sign of bots¡­?¡± He turned to Nur bek Nur. The man shrugged.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°¡­can¡¯t hear anything from Nur,¡± she complained. Traejan looked back over at the man. ¡°Is your transceiver working?¡± The man tried his, then shook his head. ¡°Dead.¡± Traejan swore. ¡°Our transceivers are dying,¡± he told Althea. ¡°We¡¯ll try to find Peca ¨C come up.¡± ¡°¡­careful,¡± he heard. More walls, floors ¨C weaker signals ¨C Damn tech! They spread out in the corridor, looking for signs of Peca¡¯s trail. There wasn¡¯t a lot of water on the floor, so the man¡¯s footsteps weren¡¯t obvious. The thermal imagers he and Kyso had used at the mirror port hadn¡¯t survived Althea¡¯s rescue. ¡°We should split up,¡± Nur suggested when they reached a cross corridor. ¡°No!¡± Traejan told them sharply. There was not going to be a repeat of last time. ¡°We stay together.¡± A sharp sound echoed ¨C Gunfire? Traejan couldn¡¯t identify the source, couldn¡¯t tell the direction. He stared around, anxiety rising. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± The others looked around. Goa pointed to the right. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± he confirmed. Traejan urged them to be quiet as they headed down the corridor. He held his gun out arm extended, along with his lamp, spotted a crushed bit of ice covering a puddle. He pointed it out to the others, continued further, heard a noise from up ahead ¨C indistinct, muffled. Again, they reached a crossing of corridors, looked left, right. Goa pointed left. Traejan nodded. As they traveled, they heard noise again, rhythmic, echoing, getting louder. ¡°It¡¯s coming from up the way,¡± Goa advised, on the right. ¡°It¡¯s close.¡± Traejan motioned them to move up against the wall. The cold, rough surface hard against his back as he sidled up to the corner. The rhythmic sound came closer. His grip tightened on his gun as he got closer to the corner. Could be footsteps¡­ Or? His breath was coming in short gasps; could hear his heart beating in his ear. He was just a step from the corner, heard the other two moving close beside him, turned back. ¡°Ready,¡± he whispered. They nodded. He set his torch for a wide throw. Traejan edged around the corner, turned, ready to fire; ready for anything that would show up in the light ¨C then swore. Peca stared at him, surprised, no weapon up, but three scrawny, furry things hanging from his left hand. He put a hand up to shield his eyes, then held up the bundle. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± he said. ¡°Look, fresh protein!¡± ¡°Idiot,¡± Nur bek Nur muttered. ¡°Are you even aware that your transceiver is dead?¡± Traejan wanted to know. ¡°It is?¡± Peca pulled out his transceiver, started tapping it. Nur glanced back at Traejan, shaking his head in disgust. Chapter Eighty - Weve Got Names much from the halls beneath the central towers, the former core of the city. ¡°Is this it?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°Is this all that they left?¡± Traejan shrugged. ¡°These are the best pieces that we found. The machinery, the power plants, the support systems ¨C it¡¯s all gone.¡± The others were gone as well, back to their own tents, Althea having calmed their grousing and grumbling. Only he and Kyso remained on the lifter. ¡°Did you look outside?¡± the old man asked unhappily. ¡°Did you see what the things did? It¡¯s brutal ¨C unconscionable!¡± Traejan nodded. It was the same as always. The mechs didn¡¯t care, they just destroyed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± was all he could say. Kyso looked weary, weak. ¡°Can you can handle your watch,¡± Traejan hoped the man was only reacting the ruin around them, ¡°for at least a few hours?¡± Fearing the mechs, they had made a sensible arrangement of vigils throughout the night. Kyso nodded his head, crumpled a micronic plate in his hand, looked back to him with longing in his unsteady gaze. ¡°When you¡¯re looking tomorrow,¡± he started. Kyso wasn¡¯t one of the searchers; Althea had him stay, watching over the camp. ¡°Could you please find something of the culture? A recording, a sculpture, a painting ¨C I don¡¯t care which. I cannot believe everything was destroyed. Please Trae?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find,¡± he reluctantly agreed. He didn¡¯t want to be loaded down with pointless artifacts, but he couldn¡¯t turn his friend down. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can find something.¡± Kyso turned away, staring out through the transparency in the lifter¡¯s cover, out at the dark night. ¡°This place was filled with light,¡± he reminisced, ¡°Day night, filled with revelry, music, and lust.¡± He turned back, fire back in his eyes. ¡°It was!¡± he insisted. ¡°I know,¡± Traejan told him. ¡°I know.¡± The next day they moved away from the central towers, to check out secondary nodes of fabrication, communications and power generation. Again, he found himself wandering through dark corridors, and empty chambers looking for any useful technology, rather than galleries looking through remains of Makani artworks. He and Goa searched through the stripped remains of a material fabrication facility, finding plenty of shells, even some raw materials, but little in the way of micronics, mechanisms, networks systems, just more mold and mildew covered walls and piles of shattered debris. Traejan found it disturbing how little human remains they found, even in the levels beneath the surface. Had they fled, died elsewhere? Or did the things take them? People disappeared in the south. After the disaster three years past, he¡¯d returned alone ¨C shuddered again to think what happened to the others. What would the things have done with the people, with their bodies? ¡°I found this,¡± Goa told him, presenting a small piece of smooth abstract sculpture, tossed it over to Traejan. ¡°Think the old sleeper will like it?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got names,¡± Traejan told him, tired of the stupid title. ¡°You might want to start using them.¡± ¡°Sorry Trae-jan. Wondered when you¡¯d find the nerve,¡± he smiled, waggled the object. ¡°Well¡­?¡± He looked over the piece. It wasn¡¯t impressively large, or even pretty. He didn¡¯t have a clue what it was supposed to be or represent, but it was something. Too bad they weren¡¯t finding anything important. ¡°He¡¯ll probably like it,¡± Traejan replied. ¡°This won¡¯t make Althea happy though¡± The man shrugged, looked back around the gutted facility. ¡°What did she expect?¡­ That this ruin would be filled with all the wonders of the old world? I could have told her we wouldn¡¯t find much.¡± ¡°Yet you agreed to come,¡± Traejan pointed out. ¡°Hey,¡± Goa protested with a smile. ¡°Twelve grams of trilium goes a long way buddy.¡± Chapter Eighty One: Is that what you wanted to hear? The reports from the others echoed what he and Goa had found. Empty rooms, tech long gone, only fragments left over ¨C the product of two full days of searching¨C not even enough to fill an empty crate. At least Kyso seemed to be happy with the sculpture Goa found. Traejan watched as he caressed the object¡¯s curved surface. He smiled when he looked up, beaming. ¡°Thanks boy, it¡¯s better than what everyone else found.¡± Traejan had to nod. Althea looked over the scraps, held one of the micronics plates, a dour look on her face. ¡°Sorry,¡± Traejan told her. ¡°I wish we could have found more.¡± She dropped the plate back onto the pile, looked back over at him. ¡°I was hoping¡­¡± her voice trailed off. Then she turned back to him, serious, demanding. ¡°We have to find more.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡°This is not the first time searches have come up with nothing,¡± he reminded her. ¡°It¡¯s not just the danger from the mechs we face here, it¡¯s the lack of anything left. The mechs stripped everything wherever I¡¯ve been.¡± He could see the anger on her face building. ¡°We¡¯ve only checked a couple days,¡± she replied tersely, ¡°in a few places. They couldn¡¯t have stripped it all.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°How many days are we going to search?¡± he challenged. ¡°Do you think the things are sleeping?¡± ¡°Look around,¡± she told him. ¡°There aren¡¯t any signs of constructs at all. Even the others say they haven¡¯t seen a site so barren of activity.¡± ¡°How many more days? Are you going to risk our lives?¡± he repeated, demanding a real answer. She held her stare. ¡°Maybe four or five,¡± she told him, ¡°at the most.¡± ¡°The mechs won¡¯t wait that long!¡± ¡°It will only be a few more days!¡± she replied, releasing her own pent up frustration. ¡°We¡¯ll find what I¡¯m looking for!¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t find a GTF?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°How are you going to destroy the Macro then?¡± ¡°There has to be something still here,¡± she insisted. ¡°If not, there will be somewhere else.¡± ¡°Do you have enough trilium to pay them for another trip?¡± Her expression turned angry. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m unaware of the stakes here, Traejan? This is nothing new to me!¡± Her eyes narrowed in anger as her voice rose. ¡°I told you. I told them. This isn¡¯t a risk free ride.¡± she waved her hands as though it would magically dismiss his valid fears. ¡°It¡¯s not just you and me and Kyso, or even the greggas. You told me yourself that the population in Panak has been dwindling. How much longer are your people going to survive with the Macro out there?¡± Traejan glanced back at the table, the junk, then back to her. ¡°If they come?¡± he challenged her. ¡°When they come ¨C what are you going to do?¡± She walked right up to him. For a moment, thinking she was going to hit him, he backed away. ¡°I¡¯m not here to get people killed!¡± she told him. ¡°If there is any choice to be made, whether we are going live or die ¨C it¡¯s going to be for life, do you understand?! We will leave, all right? Is that what you wanted to hear?¡± He held his empty hands up, a gesture he hoped would calm her down. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be much longer,¡± she finished, turning away from him, voice dropping. ¡°Not much longer ¨C believe me.¡± She grabbed her coat, turned away from him, walked towards the lifter¡¯s door, slammed it on way out. Chapter Eighty Two: Better Luck Althea When she woke up on the third morning, the first thing she did was turn over under the blanket, reach for Dorian. ¡°Are they still silent?¡± There has been no signal. She rose from her bed, stretched and collected herself. She could already noises outside, stepped out to see the greggas already at work. The day was darker than the one before, clouds rolling over the city again. They might be rain clouds; it was warm enough. Obe and Teffa noticed her ¨C turned away ¨C hurried to the lifter. She followed. They didn¡¯t appreciate her joining them on the search the day before, but she decided someone needed to keep an eye on the two, doubted they would try anything if she were watching. The teams had cleared the central towers ¨C they¡¯d need to start checking out the radial sub-centers. ¡°What makes you think the sub-centers aren¡¯t going to be as empty as what we found here?¡± Traejan wanted to know. ¡°The main center here would be an obvious choice for the mechs to strip first,¡± she told him, the others. ¡°It had the greatest quantity, quality of tech. In outlying areas, there would be much more ground to cover, less reward for energy expended, and still plenty for us to carry back.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The scavengers seemed satisfied with that. They packed up into the lifter, then took the journey to the southern sector of the city. Unlike the day before, she enjoyed the trip. To her relief, there was still no Macro sign, no trace of construct sightings at all to disrupt their search. All they needed was a few working pieces of the proper technology ¨C that was all they needed ¨C and she would be able to convince them, and Traejan, to continue searching. In the reddish light of the setting sun they ate Kyso¡¯s food over the lifter¡¯s table, the measure of the day filled another small crate. The greggas weren¡¯t playing along anymore. ¡°This city has been scraped clean,¡± Abek Goa complained. ¡°We¡¯re not going to find anything useful here.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t finished searching,¡± Kyso countered. He¡¯d happily shown her another sculpture Traejan had found him ¨C not exactly what she she¡¯d been hoping for, but she gave him a smile anyways. ¡°The city is still plenty large.¡± ¡°Large enough to keep us busy until the constructs come,¡± Obe started. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any of them, nor any recent trace,¡± Althea spoke up, not wanting the discussion to go any further. ¡°They don¡¯t always call in their approach,¡± Teffa offered sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m paying you to find tech,¡± she snapped at the woman. ¡°That is what you are going to do!¡± Amek Goa pointed back at the crate. ¡°And what if that is all we find?¡± he wanted to know. ¡°Are we still gonna get the tril you promised?¡± The group stared at her. Althea glared at Traejan, who glared right back. She looked back at the rest, let out a long breath. ¡°I said you would be paid ¨C and you will ¨C regardless of what we find here.¡± They were still staring at her. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Where are we going to go tomorrow?¡± She relaxed a little, relieved at the Peca¡¯s cheerful query. Althea leaned over the map, pointed towards an outer sector. ¡°We¡¯re going to check the facilities over here. Hopefully we¡¯ll find something useful in the lower levels. We¡¯ll have better luck tomorrow, we¡¯re certainly due.¡± Chapter Eighty Three: I warned you Her speech didn¡¯t stop the continued complaints, but it did reduce them to some colorful mutterings as the scavengers headed off to sleep. Even Kyso left, cradling his new sculpture. Althea finished her bowl, got up to look over the micronic scraps, picked up one of the least damaged plates. Things weren¡¯t looking good at all; if the rest of the city was like this ¨C there would only be one choice left. ¡°No luck today either,¡± Traejan told her, had come up on her suddenly in her reverie. ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± His tone was surprisingly apologetic. She scrutinized the piece. It was useless. She dropped the plate back onto the pile, looked back over at him. He smiled sadly, offered a gesture of helplessness. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to leave,¡± he told her. ¡°Soon. I¡¯m just letting you know.¡± She felt her resolve giving way. ¡°How many more days,¡± she needed to know, ¡°before they are demanding it?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Two, maybe,¡± he decided. ¡°If we don¡¯t find something pretty impressive.¡± ¡°Two days then,¡± she finished, turning away from him. ¡°Then we go.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The frustration, the despair filled her as she lifted her bowl off the table. It still stank from the stew. Consumed with anger, she threw it at the lifter¡¯s power block and it shattered, pieces ricocheting, rattling around the back of the vehicle. She grabbed her coat and ran out into the cold, dead city. The sight stopped her in her tracks. All around, puffs of white were floating lazily on the breeze, like the forest blossoms, white petals filling the sky. For a moment she was a girl again, running out into fields, to catch them all. She heard clanking of the lifter¡¯s gates behind her; Traejan had followed her out. ¡°It¡¯s delightful.¡± She turned, watched them floating around him. ¡°It¡¯s just snow,¡± he told her, not understanding. She shook her head, turned to catch his gaze, hoping she could share her hope. ¡°It¡¯s like spring,¡± she replied. ¡°Like the trees shedding their flowers. You remember trees, blossoms, spring¡­ You want it to come back, don¡¯t you?¡± He stared at her, then up at the huge flakes drifting all around. He looked back at her, offered a tentative smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ Of course I do.¡± The next afternoon, her transceiver buzzed with excited shouting. ¡°It¡¯s intact,¡± Nur bek Nur yelled over her transceiver. ¡°A whole plant. It¡¯s like they just left it.¡± A short time later, she was staring at a small-scale material fabrication facility. From the looks of it, it had probably produced simple micronic devices. Not enough to help, she realized, but enough to get the scavengers excited. Even Traejan seemed happy. ¡°Is it enough?¡± he asked her. ¡°Will it make what you need?¡± She looked over the sample plates, widgets scattered in the chamber around it. It wouldn¡¯t do what she needed, but it offered hope. Althea nodded to him. ¡°It¡¯s a start,¡± she told him. ¡°And it means that the constructs haven¡¯t taken everything. There are few signs of their stripping tech in that sector of the city. This may be the first glimpse of the treasure trove we¡¯ve been looking for!¡± Chapter Eighty Four: You must wake up Althea jerked awake ¨C eyes wide-open ¨C felt something electric in the air, shivered, her fingers twitching. She held her breath, listened for the sound that could have awoken her, then let it out. It was quiet: just her breath, weak flapping of the tent, hums just at the border of her hearing, nothing out of the ordinary. It was still dark. Althea, wake up. You must wake up. His voice still sounded wrong to her, over the tiny speakers, not inside her head, inside her mind. She calmed her breathing, wanting to delay the inevitable. ¡°Sorry, I was¨C¡± she hesitated, resisting the desire to lie, knowing the answer to her question before she asked it. ¡°What is it Dorian?¡± It¡¯s time, he told her. She tensed, awaiting the news. Transmissions have been sent. She took in a breath, haltingly. ¡°Already?¡± she whispered. They had just found ¨C they had found the plant¡­ of course. They are unmistakable, he confirmed. Althea flexed her fingers ¨C made fists. There has been a response. She gritted her teeth. You do not have much time, Dorian told her. No, no time at all. You must act, he urged. ¡°I was hoping¨C¡± She pulled herself up to a sitting position, leaned forwards, arms hugging her legs, felt the cold draft seeping through the edges of the blanket.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I still have a choice,¡± she forced out. ¡°Don¡¯t I?¡± There is potentially enough time to flee, but do you understand the consequences if you run? ¡°I won¡¯t have to kill them,¡± she replied. Do I have to repeat what you told me? Why you needed to resolve this with haste? Her fingers caressed his casing ¨C seeking connection to his codestream would mean his destruction, at the very least, if she was compelled again. By her side, her projector rested. Althea picked it up, felt the cold solidity of it, noted its single green light glowing ¨C ready for use. You must make a decision. Him or the greggas, her creation, her Macro ¨C or it, or them. Could she be forgiven ¨C for deliberate killing, for murder? ¡°I¡¯m not even sure it will work,¡± she told him. Your theory is sound. You understand the engineering involved. She pictured it, the act: sedating with the projector, locating the implant point, removal ¨C testing ¨C killing! The means to the end. You chose them for a reason. They will die when the Macro is destroyed ¨C either way. Have you changed your mind? Are you going to flee? She couldn¡¯t change her mind. She had to overcome the revulsion, the fear ¨C to get up ¨C wishing there to be more time. With force of will, she took another deep breath, mechanically, robotically starting to gather what she needed, fumbled with her clothing ¨C wasting time ¨C delaying the inevitable. You must act, Dorian raised his volume. Now! ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± she snapped at him, her clumsiness, the task ahead shredding her nerves. ¡°You aren¡¯t human. You don¡¯t know how this feels¡­ what it means. What it will make me.¡± She was choosing him, not for the first time, over human beings. I care about humanity Althea, he told her. I care about what will happen to them ¨C to all of them. She let her breath out slowly, nodded. Just as you do, he told her gently. You know I am here with you, whatever your choice, whatever happens. ¡°I know,¡± she told him, mouthing an apology, offered a light last caress of his case. ¡°It¡¯s just¨C¡± She was afraid; afraid of what she was about to do, afraid she couldn¡¯t do it, afraid of what she was becoming, of what she was approaching. And as before, she was afraid of losing him. She couldn¡¯t lose Dorian, not after all she¡¯d lost, all she¡¯d sacrificed. She would not lose him. She would not allow herself to destroy him. With renewed focus, Althea finished gathering what she needed, checked the energy store on the projector ¨C it was almost full. The scanner, locater, the nantech needed for extracting the implant ¨C her legs, to move her out of the tent, out into the bitter night ¨C all were in perfect working order. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she told him as she waited for the right moment. ¡°Wish me luck.¡± Good luck, Althea. Chapter Eighty Five: How can snow be hot? Traejan The sun was bright, burning; its light filled his vision. He could feel the heat of it, even when he closed his eyes, he couldn¡¯t escape it ¨C the red glow forced its way through his eyelids. So warm. The air was heavy around him, and the brilliant glare ¨C the white of the snow ¨C painful. He narrowed his eyes, knelt in the pack, needing its cold touch, relief from the heat. The snow wasn¡¯t cold. It was hot. How can snow be hot? The wind picked up, stirring flakes, spinning them around him, thicker ¨C warm ¨C then cold, darkening the light, cooling the heat ¨C chilling everything. He ran, trying to get back to the warmth, but the darkness ¨C the cold ¨C enveloped him. Traejan turned back to look. Kaelin was there, standing in the snow, the plumes of white bursting in the ground behind her. The sight of her stopped him in his tracks. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d lost her. He tried to run to her, to reach her, but his legs wouldn¡¯t move for him, they felt like they were stuck in mud. ¡°Traejan¡­ Traejan,¡± her voice echoed. She stumbled through the drifts, tried to reach him.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Kaelin,¡± he cried back, but as he reached out, she disappeared into the storm, into the swirling fury. ¡°Kaelin!¡± he cried out again, as he was buried by it. ¡°No!¡± He was smothering, held down; he had to get to her. ¡°Kaelin!¡± What was holding him down? He tried to move his arms, rise ¨C failed. ¡°Just a dream,¡± the voice insisted. ¡°Just a¨C¡± he started, then realized he was awake, was in the tent. Kyso was holding him down. ¡°Okay,¡± he relaxed. Traejan looked up into the darkness. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the old man told him, let go, stood up. ¡°You have to get up. We have things to do.¡± There was something strange about his tone, something wrong. Traejan threw off the thick layers of blankets, felt the cold chill. ¡°Kyso,¡± he started to rise, alarmed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyso spared a glance to the tent doorway, then looked dourly at Traejan as he rose to his feet. ¡°Is started,¡± he began. ¡°The Macro has noticed us. The mechs are coming¡± The mechs! His whole body tensed. ¡°Where?¡± Kyso put a hand out, to touch him, a light pat on the shoulder. ¡°They aren¡¯t here yet,¡± he continued. ¡°But Althea has told me a corpore is on its way.¡± Traejan turned, looked at the collection of gear, wondering what to leave ¨C what to take. His boots went on first, then he began to gather the necessities. ¡°How much time do we have?¡± he asked, looking back, wondered why his old friend stood so still. ¡°She couldn¡¯t say. She is preparing for it now.¡± Traejan continued stuffing his pack. Then the words sunk in. He looked sharply back at Kyso. ¡°How?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought we hadn¡¯t found enough tech.¡± ¡°She has enough, she says,¡± again Kyso¡¯s voice dropped, sounding pained. ¡°We have to leave,¡± he continued ¨C insisted, pointing at half filled packs. ¡°There isn¡¯t much time; we have to pack up the lifter and go. Now!¡± Chapter Eighty Six: What has she done?! Traejan stopped, turned a light on to see the man¡¯s face, the strained expression. ¡°What about the others?¡± Traejan wondered. ¡°What happened to the alarm?¡± Kyso looked away, back out the tent flap. Traejan walked right up to him. ¡°There was supposed to be an alarm Kyso!¡± The old man turned away, shook his head. Traejan grabbed his coat, left the tent. Outside there was no sound ¨C no sign of activity. They all should be in a frantic rush to pack up ¨C get out. He turned back to Kyso, who had moved with him. ¡°Where is everybody?!¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t coming,¡± he told Traejan, started to shake his head. ¡°She said it was necessary ¨C there was no other way.¡± What has she done?! ¡°Althea!¡± he shouted. Fear made him shake. He turned back to Kyso. ¡°What did she do? What did she do?!¡± He turned to leave, turned to search, but Kyso grabbed his arm, holding him back. He shrugged it off, stared accusingly at the old man. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± Kyso told him, desperation in his voice. But¡­ by the look of horror on the man¡¯s face, she had done something terrible. ¡°She showed me the devices ¨C the transmitters ¨C the Macro¡¯s nantech.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What transmitters?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to see it,¡± Kyso told him, voice high and commanding. ¡°Now we have to leave,¡± he demanded, grabbing Traejan¡¯s arm again, pointing to the lifter resting a few meters to the right. Traejan pulled his arm away, walked off, glancing around. Nothing moved but the shadows of tent fabric. There was no noise but the drift of a quiet breeze. Althea ¨C her tent was only a few steps away. But she wasn¡¯t there. He tried the next,Goa¡¯s Traejan stared in shock at what he saw. Blood stained the snow byGoa¡¯s head; the man¡¯s skull had been smashed open, brain and blood mingling in the dim light. The man¡¯s body was twisted, his bloody face a rictus of pain. Kyso moved beside him. No one was going to die, she¡¯d insisted, she¡¯d repeated. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± the old man began softly. ¡°Traejan¡­¡± ¡°Bloody streck,¡± Traejan choked on the words. ¡°He¡¯s strecking dead; he¡¯s had his brain ripped out. What am I supposed to think Kyso?!¡± He ran between the other tents. It was all the same ¨C all the same horror ¨C all the same bloody mess. He called Altheas¡¯ name, called it again. Where was she? Where was that damn woman? After the last tent, he turned to Kyso, who stared dumbly, apologetically at him. Traejan angrily listed the dead in front of the man, finishing with: ¡°They are all dead! Why she do it? Why did she kill them all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what she had to,¡± he insisted, voice sounding older than ever. ¡°They were implanted; they were tools of the Macro. They were transmitting our location, receiving instructions¡­¡± ¡°Transmitting?!¡± he demanded to know. ¡°Transmitting what? Receiving what?¡± Kyso only shook his head. ¡°Where is she?¡± Traejan demanded to know. He continued to try to break through to the man. ¡°Where is Althea?¡± Kyso responded, but only after Traejan grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. ¡°Higher up in the city,¡± he confessed. ¡°She said she needed open air for the transceiver.¡± He grabbed Traejan by the collar pulled him close. Shocked by the man¡¯s sudden show of strength, he didn¡¯t resist. ¡°She told me to find you and leave ¨C get as far away as possible,¡± Kyso told him harshly. ¡°The mechs are coming. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Traejan wanted to know, pushing him away ¨C looked around wildly. ¡°Away,¡± Kyso told him. ¡°Back to the Ice Line.¡± ¡°I meant, where is she?¡± Traejan corrected angrily. ¡°Where is Althea Ram?!¡± Chapter Eighty Seven: The was supposed to be an alarm! Traejan stopped, turned a light on to see the man¡¯s face, the strained expression. ¡°What about the others?¡± Traejan wondered. ¡°What happened to the alarm?¡± Kyso looked away, back out the tent flap. Traejan walked right up to him. ¡°There was supposed to be an alarm Kyso!¡± The old man turned away, shook his head. Traejan grabbed his coat, left the tent. Outside there was no sound ¨C no sign of activity. They all should be in a frantic rush to pack up ¨C get out. He turned back to Kyso, who had moved with him. ¡°Where is everybody?!¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t coming,¡± he told Traejan, started to shake his head. ¡°She said it was necessary ¨C there was no other way.¡± What has she done?! ¡°Althea!¡± he shouted. Fear made him shake. He turned back to Kyso. ¡°What did she do? What did she do?!¡± He turned to leave, turned to search, but Kyso grabbed his arm, holding him back. He shrugged it off, stared accusingly at the old man. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± Kyso told him, desperation in his voice. But¡­ by the look of horror on the man¡¯s face, she had done something terrible. ¡°She showed me the devices ¨C the transmitters ¨C the Macro¡¯s nantech.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°What transmitters?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to see it,¡± Kyso told him, voice high and commanding. ¡°Now we have to leave,¡± he demanded, grabbing Traejan¡¯s arm again, pointing to the lifter resting a few meters to the right. Traejan pulled his arm away, walked off, glancing around. Nothing moved but the shadows of tent fabric. There was no noise but the drift of a quiet breeze. Althea ¨C her tent was only a few steps away. But she wasn¡¯t there. He tried the next,Goa¡¯s Traejan stared in shock at what he saw. Blood stained the snow byGoa¡¯s head; the man¡¯s skull had been smashed open, brain and blood mingling in the dim light. The man¡¯s body was twisted, his bloody face a rictus of pain. Kyso moved beside him. No one was going to die, she¡¯d insisted, she¡¯d repeated. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± the old man began softly. ¡°Traejan¡­¡± ¡°Bloody streck,¡± Traejan choked on the words. ¡°He¡¯s strecking dead; he¡¯s had his brain ripped out. What am I supposed to think Kyso?!¡± He ran between the other tents. It was all the same ¨C all the same horror ¨C all the same bloody mess. He called Altheas¡¯ name, called it again. Where was she? Where was that damn woman? After the last tent, he turned to Kyso, who stared dumbly, apologetically at him. Traejan angrily listed the dead in front of the man, finishing with: ¡°They are all dead! Why she do it? Why did she kill them all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what she had to,¡± he insisted, voice sounding older than ever. ¡°They were implanted; they were tools of the Macro. They were transmitting our location, receiving instructions¡­¡± ¡°Transmitting?!¡± he demanded to know. ¡°Transmitting what? Receiving what?¡± Kyso only shook his head. ¡°Where is she?¡± Traejan demanded to know. He continued to try to break through to the man. ¡°Where is Althea?¡± Kyso responded, but only after Traejan grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. ¡°Higher up in the city,¡± he confessed. ¡°She said she needed open air for the transceiver.¡± He grabbed Traejan by the collar pulled him close. Shocked by the man¡¯s sudden show of strength, he didn¡¯t resist. ¡°She told me to find you and leave ¨C get as far away as possible,¡± Kyso told him harshly. ¡°The mechs are coming. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Traejan wanted to know, pushing him away ¨C looked around wildly. ¡°Away,¡± Kyso told him. ¡°Back to the Ice Line.¡± ¡°I meant, where is she?¡± Traejan corrected angrily. ¡°Where is Althea Ram?!¡± Chapter Eighty Eight: All of them?! ¡°We have to leave,¡± Kyso shouted at him as he started to climb the steps, following the woman¡¯s boot prints in the snow. ¡°They¡¯re are coming!¡± Althea Ram was insane ¨C she had to be. He¡¯d known something was wrong with her, from the beginning! Yet he¡¯d done nothing but follow along. He had trusted Kyso, trusted¡­ No more. No more! ¡°What are we going to tell the people at Panak?¡± Traejan shot back. ¡°When we come back? And all the others don¡¯t?¡± Not a strecking one of them will deal with us again. He stumbled in the snow, hitting his shin painfully into the stony surface underneath. The stairs were too damn slippery. He was trying to climb it too quickly, but he needed to confront her. After his third stumble, Kyso caught him, grabbed the fabric of his coat, pulling him around. Traejan tried to shove him off. ¡°What are you going to do Trae?! They¡¯re already dead! You mustn¡¯t stop her.¡± ¡°What the hell do you know?¡± he shouted back, struggling against the man¡¯s grip. ¡°You let her drag us all down here ¨C encouraged her! You let her kill them. You¡¯ve let her do whatever she wanted, and followed her every step of the way. She¡¯s told us nothing but lies! You think she¡¯s Consortia, but you have no idea who she is ¨C or what she is ¨C do you? Do you?!¡± He pushed the old man away. Determined, Traejan continued; crawled up the last few steps. Up on the plaza the cold of the wind blew around him, buffeting him in gusts. The platform ahead was dark, but for a single circle of light off to the side, and a crouching figure behind it. Althea, it must be her. He forced himself up, fought to stay steady against the gusty winds.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Althea!¡± he shouted, began to push his way through the wind to her. She shifted from her crouch, looked back at him. He felt himself grabbed, held back again, turned to face Kyso angrily. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Traejan,¡± Kyso insisted. ¡°You can¡¯t interrupt her.¡± He turned to him, wondering how Kyso ¨C Consortian, civilized, Legionary ¨C could have possibly accepted what she had done. She had castigated them for being violent, being uncivilized! He tried to pull his arm away, but Kyso stubbornly held on, shouted over the wind. ¡°She¡¯s doing it to save us! It has to be done!¡± ¡°Is that what she told you?¡± Traejan countered, shoved the old man back onto the snow, looking down at his shocked face. ¡°When you watched her murderGoaand the others? And you are still doing everything she tells you? Is this what you saw in your strecking smoke?¡± Kyso stared up at him silently, taking the punishment. ¡°I want to know why!¡± Traejan demanded. ¡°Tell me why!¡± Getting nothing, he turned away, strode across the platform towards the woman. It was only when he was close that he could see what she was crouching over ¨C a glowing web of a framework. She glanced at him a couple times, but otherwise, she was at work hands adding this twisting that, some organic looking devices attached to the frame, still glistening with bits of grey, streaked with red amongst the fibers and cylinders and micronics. The wind came up again, whipping her hair around. She stopped her work, looked up, eyes wide, mouth set and determined, then past him, over his shoulder. Traejan turned; saw the old fool jogging up. ¡°Kyso,¡± she ordered. ¡°I told you to get him out of here an hour ago. You have to go!¡± Traejan turned back, demanded, pointing. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± She stared back at him, up at the sky past him ¨C then back, with burning intensity in her glare. ¡°It¡¯s a multi-channel, high bandwidth trinary transceiver,¡± Kyso told him, breathless as he trundled in. ¡°She made it out of the implants.¡± Traejan turned to the device, disgusted anew. ¡°I saw her pull them out!¡± Kyso told him, no part of his voice sympathetic now, or apologetic. ¡°All of them¡­ All of them?!¡± Chapter Eighty Nine: Tell me the truth Traejan drew closer. Althea had moved to the side of the tech she was building, fixing the frame, looking up and down to a holographic display radiating from her handheld computer, whispering things as she fixed links adjusted fibers and cylinders. She glanced back up at him. ¡°So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t want them killing each other,¡± why Althea had insisted Obe and Teffa continue with them to the city. He looked down at her through the tech. ¡°You wanted them for yourself.¡± Her expression changed to anger. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± she told him harshly, fingers trembling over a connection. ¡°We don¡¯t have time. Get out of here. Go!¡± She looked away from him, up into the sky. ¡°It¡¯s coming Trae,¡± she added. ¡°I have to finish this. I have to try.¡± ¡°You killed them,¡± he accused. She looked back at him, eyes burning, posture defiant. She looked over to the old man. ¡°Kyso,¡± she said in a quieter tone. ¡°I told you to¨C¡± Traejan looked back at Kyso, who turned to look at him, then back at Althea. He stepped towards the framework thing.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Stop!¡± She was up in an instant, a thin wedge in her hand. The same thing she had back at the Brother¡¯s Hall ¨C her weapon. He stopped. The wind dropped to a whisper around them. ¡°Stay away!¡± ¡°Or what?¡± he demanded ¡°Or you¡¯ll kill me too?¡± ¡°I told him,¡± the old man broke in protesting, ¡°but he wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± Traejan turned to Althea. ¡°This was your plan ¨C all along,¡± he began again, feeling a cold calm come over him. ¡°Smash their heads in.¡± The Consortia didn¡¯t kill in cold blood. They didn¡¯t use people, throw them away. They didn¡¯t lie. ¡°They were bastards, most of them,¡± he admitted. ¡°But they didn¡¯t deserve to be betrayed. Not like that.¡± She had even warned him, and he had done nothing. She shrank back down, behind her tech, the hand that held her little weapon dropped to the snow. When she looked back up at him, her expression was contrite, pained. As was her tone. ¡°The greggas, those people were implanted by the Macro,¡± she told him softly, ¡°They were in communication with it. They would have killed us or worse. There was no other way ¨C us or them, your world ¨C or them.¡± He couldn''t look at her anymore, turned away, struggled with what he''d been told, what he''d seen, what he know. Warring emotions forced Traejan to turn back to her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± he pleaded. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you trust me? Did you think that I want the mechs to kill us? What do you think I would have done this if I knew what you were planning?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do it Trae; I hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to be the one to kill them.¡± She turned her face away from him as he looked back up at her. ¡°I ran out of time. You have to leave now. I don¡¯t want you to die.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to leave. Not until she answered his questions. He wasn¡¯t going to run like a coward, not again! ¡°Tell me the truth,¡± he told her, building his anger back up. ¡°This isn¡¯t a strecking Consortia plan,¡± he accused, not caring what Kyso thought anymore, letting the fury out. ¡°And you¡¯re no Legionary! Who¨C what the hell are you?!¡± Chapter Ninety: Should that appall her? Althea She¡¯d enlisted Kyso¡¯s help to drag the man¡¯s unconscious body back into his tent. She wasn¡¯t going to try extraction out in the snow. ¡°How is it done?¡± Althea ran a hand over Amek Goa¡¯s skull, through the man¡¯s lank hair; her scanner easily pinpointed the interface point of the implant. The bone, skin, hair, was completely healed, the only trace of entry ¨C a small metal point. He was still alive, the implant would be active ¨C she¡¯d be able to control it, if her theory worked in the field. She looked back at Kyso, wondering what he thought of her now, how much he still believed in her. He didn¡¯t stop her, didn¡¯t fight her. She couldn¡¯t decide if that should be a comfort, or appall her. ¡°Like this,¡± she told him, thumbing the controls on her projector. She adjusted it for a setting that would be enough for cutting through the skull, but not into the brain. She took in a breath, cut a wide circle around the interface point. A thin column of smoke rose where the stream burned away his hair. In moments, it was done. Carefully, she pried off the bone, revealing the gray folded tissue of his brain. The interface point, a skein of fibers glittering wetly. She touched the surface metal. The man¡¯s body spasmed, his head moved, mouth emitted a horrific wheezing sound, a choking intake of breath. Kyso gasped. Only one injection was necessary, the programmed nantech would work their way into the gregga¡¯s brain, sever the implant¡¯s connections, make it possible for it to survive extraction intact.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She waited a three, and then took in a breath. Gritting her teeth, Althea held the man¡¯s head hard to the tent floor, feeling through the folds for the solidity of the implant. It was there; she could feel its solidity underneath the soft brain tissue, underneath the spike of metal. She looked up at Kyso. He wasn¡¯t looking at her; he was staring at the twisted body of the man, mouth open in a frozen grimace. She turned back toGoa. Althea closed her eyes tight, then opened them, thrust her fingers into the tissue, gripped the implant¡¯s main cylinder, slowly pulled it out. The thing resisted. She tightened her grip, grimacing at the feel of the warm, sticky, gelatinous tissue ¨C pulled hard. Her other hand shook, struggling to keepGoa¡¯s heavy head steady. She heard Kyso gasp again as the man¡¯s body reacted to the pull ¨C shuddering and convulsing again. She pulled against the suction, her hand coming out, sharply colder in the open air, gripping the thankfully intact implant. It was indistinguishable from modules she¡¯d seen before, the bumpy cylindrical shape, mix of organic and non-organic, strings of fibers extending from it. Would it remain active in her hands? A strong salty scent wafted into her nostrils making her stomach turn. Althea swallowed hard, held it down. Quickly she wiped off the implant, then wiped her hands roughly, furiously on the man¡¯s blanket. The first step done, Althea located the transmissive fibers, locked it into her scanner ¨C began the search through trinary frequencies for an active response. Repressing panic when it didn¡¯t come, she ran the scan again, and again, and again, and again. She was beginning to believe she had just killed a man for nothing when a weak trinary signal came through. Relieved, she disconnected the secondary fibers from the man¡¯s brain, clamped them into the base unit she¡¯d jury-rigged back in Kyso¡¯s workshop. Too weak on its own, she needed the block to regulate power, provide transmissive stability to it, and the other implants ¨C hopefully, successfully ¨C for as long as needed. Finished, she glanced back at Kyso. He stood back staring at her mess. She couldn¡¯t think of anything to say to him, so she just started packed up her equipment. ¡°Do you have to do it to all of them?¡± Kyso asked. ¡°If I want to destroy the Macro,¡± she told him. Two of her extractions failed. When she finished with Nur, she told Dorian it was done. Two of the implants are damaged. ¡°Four should be enough,¡± she whispered. There is one more. Chapter Ninety One: Blood stained fingers ¡°I¡¯ve done enough!¡± she insisted. You have to ensure that he is not a threat, Dorian told her. To you, or Kyso. Kyso had followed her, watched every death, every one, the look of horror never leaving his face. How could he forgive her if he saw her do same thing to Traejan? ¡°Get the lifter ready,¡± she ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll get Traejan.¡± She crept into the tent he shared with the older Consortian, approached as he lay sleeping on his mattress. She pulled out her projector, adjusted the settings. If Traejan woke up, it was unlikely he would react as violently as the gregga¡¯s would have. A low powered shot was enough to lock him in REM sleep, put him out for the few fives she would need. He twitched when he was hit, but that was all. She knelt over his now unconscious body, searched for the implant point. She couldn¡¯t find one¡­ anywhere. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong here,¡± she told Dorian, pulled out his case, activated the holographs. ¡°There¡¯s no sign of surgery.¡± The close scan revealed significant differentiation from the others. There was no solid core. What kind of implant did he have? ¡°This isn¡¯t like anything I¡¯ve seen before.¡± It is still an implant. ¡°Is it sending a signal,¡± she wanted to know. ¡°Is it responding?¡± There is no apparent response. ¡°Is this a Macro implant at all?¡± Oneness, she could have killed him like the others. It does not match the construction we have seen, Dorian agreed. But it is still a risk. If it wasn¡¯t a Macro implant, it was a risk she was willing to take, gladly willing. When she entered the lifter, she found Kyso struggling with the starting mechanism. He looked back at her, a confused look on his face. ¡°I thought you were getting Traejan,¡± he asked. ¡°I need his help with this.¡± ¡°Traejan has an implant, in his head¡± Althea told him. ¡°Did you know that? Do you know what it is?¡± He stared at her for a moment, then nodded.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he started. ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She demanded to know. ¡°It¡¯s cognitive,¡± the man finally forced out. ¡°He¡¯s had it since he was a child. It¡¯s not¨C You didn¡¯t¨C¡± ¡°No,¡± she told him quickly. ¡°But he¡¯s not going to wake up for a while. I can¡¯t help here, I have to construct the transmitter. Get him, get the lifter running and get out of here. I need you to be safe. Once the corpore was destroyed, she could call them back. Have him stand by ¨C watch over her. It would¡­ it could work. It must work. Decided, she headed towards the platform above the lifter ¨C a wide plaza well exposed and high enough for clear transmissions. Now here she was, sitting on the platform, the transmitter in front of her, unfinished. Kyso hadn¡¯t left. Traejan hadn¡¯t left. She hadn¡¯t even finished the final tests, hadn¡¯t confirmed the Macro was receiving her signal. Traejan was still refusing to go, standing across the platform, in the cold, cold wind ¨C demanding answers. With Kyso watching, doing nothing, he continued to rage at her. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to tell me the truth!¡± Traejan shouted at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t a strecking Consortia plan, and you¡¯re no legionnaire. Who sent you? Who the hell are you?¡± Kyso cut in, tried to pull him back. ¡°Traejan! Enough.¡± Althea gave the old man a grateful glance, turned back to Traejan¡¯s defiant stance. She almost thought the younger man would back down as he looked at her, back to Kyso, to her. ¡°No,¡± he refused, pushing Kyso out of the way. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping this from us all along,¡± he accused. ¡°Why should we believe you now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to Kyso when I told him the constructs are coming. I didn¡¯t lie when I told you I wanted everyone to live.¡± What did he want her to do? Make the universe into what it wasn¡¯t? Make this world what it wasn¡¯t? Undo what she had done? ¡°Then tell me what you did lie about!¡± ¡°Traejan!¡± Kyso shouted. A corpore had acknowledged the signal. It is coming. She didn¡¯t want to risk them, wanted them to leave, wanted them to be safe. How was she going to do that? What would make them leave?! Maybe the truth will set them free. ¡°What I lied about¡­¡± she started, gathering the courage to say what she had been holding back ¨C the truth she was afraid would make them recoil from her, refuse to help her ¨C the truth that could destroy the hope that they had held onto for so long. She raised her blood stained fingers. ¡°You want to know why I have to get so much blood on my hands,¡± she raised her voice, lifted by the depth of hatred, horror, anguish. ¡°I lied about the Legion Consortia Galacium,¡± she told them, watched the shock of understanding appear on both of their faces, ¡°I wasn¡¯t part of a rescue or restoration mission. ¡°The Consortia was destroyed by the Macros,¡± she continued. ¡°It¡¯s gone. Those who are left¡­ Are too afraid to do anything but hide. No one is coming. Not now. Maybe not ever.¡± The last words fell out of her mouth like faint breath. Althea, a primal corpore is on its way. She had to blink to clear her vision, blurred despite the harsh, bright torchlight that bathed them all. Traejan and Kyso were still standing around her. Althea looked up at the younger man. Pain ¨C confusion ¨C filled his face as he tried to process what she had told him. ¡°That can¡¯t be true,¡± Traejan demanded. She turned to Kyso, who stepped back from her, shaking his head. ¡°It was the whole galaxy. Nothing could destroy¨C¡± She felt deflated, felt all her life had drained out. The horrible truth she had withheld was finally out. Hopefully they could understand why she had hidden it from them, forgive her. ¡°I lied to you,¡± she admitted, ¡°because I didn¡¯t think you would help me if you thought there was no one else was ¨C that there was only me.¡± Chapter Ninety Two: Come to me ¡°If there¡¯s no Consortia anymore ¨C where did you come from?¡± Althea looked up at Traejan. ¡°I told you, the Palmyri Century.¡± ¡°If the Palmyri survived then¨C¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± she snapped back. ¡°They¡¯ve blocked themselves off to survive. They are nothing like the Consortia was. They will never come. If any of them knew I was here, what I¡¯ve¨C¡± Free their world from the Macro, from fear, from violation, death, and ultimately ¨C extinction. The punishment that the Office of the First would enact for such an attempt, such a crime¨C ¡°You can¡¯t imagine what they would do to me.¡± Quarantined, broken, tortured beyond recovery. Body destroyed, mind agonizingly stripped layer by layer by layer. ¡°No Consortia,¡± he swore, then turned to frustration, turned to Kyso. ¡°What the hell have we been doing here? What the hell was the point of all this?¡± The old man shrank back. ¡°I didn¡¯t ¨C I wanted¡­¡± ¡°All these anna¡­¡± Traejan turned away staring off at nothing, voice trailing off like the white puffs of his breath, into the cold blackness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she told them, trying to express her regret. ¡°Traejan, Kyso, this isn¡¯t what I wanted,¡± she tried to convince them. ¡°Please believe me.¡± Past the two men, a sliver of light appeared ¨C a glint of dawn, pale lavender against the indigo sky. The three of them stood in darkness, the sound of the wind blowing around them; but Althea could feel something around it, beyond it ¨C a vibration, hint of a growl in the distance.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Althea, Dorian began urgently. The corpore is closing on your position! She looked to Traejan, to Kyso. They hadn¡¯t moved, just stared at each other. She felt a blast of cold through her memsuit, shivered violently. It¡¯s coming, he raised the volume of his warning. It¡¯s accelerating! What was she going to do about the men? She had carried the components up to an open platform with three hundred and sixty degree exposure, which had the option of an escape rout, a deep shaft she could run for, dive into for protection. There was no telling how large the corpore would be. The time it would take, to get the lifter started¡­ She whispered under her breath acceptance of Dorian¡¯s warning, brought herself back to reality. They were near the end of the path. From here on in it was kill or be killed. No time left for apologies, no time left for frailty, Traejan and Kyso would have to find what protection was available within a running distance. Althea wiped her eyes, forced herself back to practical thinking, force the shaking in her hands to strength. She turned back to Dorian, to the jury-rigged multiplexer, the holograph radiating from his case. She crouched down to tap instructions onto the dynamic fields, smiling for a moment at one worthwhile piece of information. The response codes were matching experience. All was as well¡­ as it could be. She made quick adjustments as the strength of her signal fluttered. The implants were working, better than hoped, but their design was still mostly alien to her. From here on in, it was going to be trial and error. Althea wiped the hair from her eyes, stared out for a moment into the lightening sky. The clouds in the distance swirled. It was out there. It was coming. It was huge. Based on the expansive wake of the cloud front - still so distant from her ¨C the thing had to be titanic. The wind came up again, blowing the loose snow around them. Lights flashed on the display, drawing her attention back. ¡°Can you see that?¡± she heard Traejan ask. She didn¡¯t turn away from the display; figures were constantly drifting in and out of optimum. The corpore¡¯s system¡¯s complexity ¨C protection ¨C was greater than she had anticipated. Already it was questioning the data she was sending it. It had cause; she was the destroyer this time. The wind shifted directions. Data refusals began to rack up. Pay attention! Althea worked furiously to correct her mistakes - her attention lapses ¨C struggling to keep up. The thing¡¯s trajectory altered. You must come to me. This is what you are looking for. You need to investigate. You need to come here! Chapter Ninety Three: I need you to live As a summoning ¨C combined with a flurry of data corrections ¨C it worked. The corpore corrected its trajectory. She flashed a glance at the men, silhouetted by the dim light of the coming dawn. They still hadn¡¯t moved. What was wrong with them? ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kyso wondered. ¡°It¡¯s a corpore,¡± Traejan was looking in the right direction. He knew, he understood. ¡°It¡¯s coming for us.¡± The tone of his voice had turned to dread. ¡°It¡¯s going to kill us all.¡± She broke her concentration, looked to them for a moment. ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡± she shouted. ¡°I am going to destroy it!¡± She could hear one of them approach her, looked up. It was a mistake ¨C and ¨C for a moment, all her connections winked out. Cursing herself, Althea turned back to the job and struggled to coax them back. Four unstable signal sources were more demanding to maintain than she had expected, and the units were physically decaying, bubbling and steaming. She increased Dorian¡¯s autonomy, despite the risk of his exposure, of attack, of absorption. She needed the moment. ¡°How?¡± he demanded, pointed at her array. ¡°With that?¡± The transmission reception fields miraculously aligned. She had a moment, a blessed moment to make them leave. Althea whipped her head around, felt the biting of the cold wind blowing into her face, stinging her eyes. Glaring at Traejan¡¯s obstinate stance, she swore under her breath.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Yes, with that,¡± she shouted back. He stared back at her. ¡°All a corpore is ¨C is a physical extension of the Macro,¡± she shouted over the rising wind. ¡°All the Macro is ¨C is code; manipulate the code, destroy the physical. I have already contacted the corpore; I am bringing it here so I can destroy it.¡± She looked back at the display; it was still strongly aligned. The signals were now powerful enough to maintain themselves. She had to do something to save Traejan, to save Kyso, to salvage something of this. She looked back up at them. ¡°You have to get away from here now,¡± she commanded them. ¡°Get into the city, someplace safe. The corpore is coming for me, not you ¨C but when that thing explodes, they are going to hear it in Panak!¡± She held her hands wide apart. ¡°You need to be behind two sixes of material,¡± she finished. They had plenty of options within running distance. A six of the city¡¯s reinforced walls should be enough to protect them, more would provide insurance. The trilium she would be transforming, would blast the whole area with high-energy radiation. Exactly how much¡­ she couldn¡¯t predict. The two men stood their ground, wind whipping at their coats, staring at her. What are you waiting for? ¡°You have to go now! Both of you!¡± Traejan snapped out of it, looked at the swirling sky, back at Kyso, grabbed at the elder man. Around them, the sparkling white blew in the morning light. ¡°Kyso!¡± Kyso stared at her, eyes wide. ¡°Althea¡­¡± Was he still afraid for her? She pointed to the hole in the platform¡¯s floor almost an two sevens behind her. ¡°That shaft back there should be deep enough for me to be safe,¡± she told him. She prayed it was deep enough. He didn¡¯t move. ¡°I have to stay,¡± she told him. There was no other way. Manual input was necessary. She was not going to risk Dorian. They would face the thing together. ¡°I have to ensure the transmissions get through.¡± He moved toward her, reached out a hand. ¡°We can¡¯t leave you,¡± he persisted, fighting Traejan who tugged on his coat. ¡°You must,¡± she demanded, slapped it away. ¡°Go! Go now.¡± ¡°Run away ¨C as fast as you can!¡± she shouted. ¡°You have to live!¡± I need you to live. Chapter Ninety Four: So beautiful Needing to correct the fluctuating transmission figures, Althea couldn¡¯t spare the attention to watch them leave, needed to smooth out the connection. There were sounds of scrambling behind her, then her ears were filled with the fury of the rising wind. She looked up at the low clouds; the wake of the corpora¡¯s massive thrusters turned their swirling chaotic and violent. Why are you still above the clouds? What are you waiting for? It must be still closing in. She could hear its thunder, could feel the cycling pressure of its thruster¡¯s massive subsonic wave displacement. Turning her attention back to the trinary figures showing up on Dorian¡¯s display, Althea tapped fields as she surveyed the confirmations the corpore sent. She could barely feel the display, rubbed her hands together, to ward off the chill ¨C keep them warm, supple, agile. Her NANs were clearly close to exhaustion. They couldn¡¯t even keep her fingers warm. True dawn arrived, a sharp slice of brilliant light from the horizon, below the edge of the cloud line, cutting through the blow of snow, the sun blindingly white from the east. She turned away from its glare, standing to look down to the plaza below where the men must have fled. There was no sign of them. Below, beyond ¨C no movement fluttered in the encampment but the undulating of the fabric of the tents, flap of ropes. They should be safe. They must be safe! She prayed that they were safe. Light snow whipped across her. Althea rubbed away the frozen dust, the afterglow from the brilliant sunlight, returned to the transmitter. Nothing new presented. ¡°Why do they always have to make it so difficult?¡± she complained.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. They are human. And she lied to them ¨C manipulated them ¨C ultimately drove them away. It is hard for them to accept what you have to do. She looked down at her pale hands. Still hers, still eight fingers, two thumbs ¨C stained with human blood. ¡°Am I still¡­?¡± she wondered. With all she had done to herself, all she had done to others. Of course you are. Dorian told her. You are doing this because you are human, because you believe in your humanity. She slowly eased down, buffeted again by the wind. Above the clouds continued to swirl, the corpore, her enemy, her desire. She could feel the vibration of its thrusters now, in her bones, the powerful, cycling beat. ¡°I believe in my humanity,¡± she whispered. ¡°I believe¨C¡± The thrum changed. Althea, torn away from her reverie, the mantra, shot a glance up ¨C no visible change. She looked back down to scrutinize the trinary on Dorian¡¯s display. There were subtle changes in the patterns. ¡°The corpore¡­¡± she began. She couldn¡¯t decipher the system¡¯s transmission structure confidently, asked for confirmation. ¡°What¡¯s it transmitting back?¡± Only queries. The pattern became obvious, a degree above the primary confirmations, but still only low-level acknowledgement. What was she missing? Had she overlooked something? It is still in communications mode, Dorian noted. That couldn¡¯t last, mustn¡¯t last. She needed to speed things up, before it realized¨C Her fingers danced over the interface, shoring up her weaker code lines, adding several strings to her messages, applied subtle variations through each implant transmitter. Dorian highlighted a variation. No, it was just a repeated string. ¡°Open up, come on¡­¡± she urged, then she noticed the complex patterns in the phase variation in the reply strings, the taste of true Macro code; complex syncopations¨C beautiful! So beautiful. ¡°I see it,¡± she said excitedly, flashed her responses, queries, corralled matching complex responses from her pattern store. She was falling behind ¨C called on Dorian for help ¨C doubled his access. It was as much as she dared. ¡°There is a lot more variant code than normal,¡± she noticed. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± Queries began repeating again. What was she doing wrong? ¡°Still only queries,¡± she didn¡¯t have any other tricks. Tapped her cold lips with her forefinger: two, three times, held. Maybe you need more stimulation. Chapter Ninety Five: What is it waiting for? She pulled more responses out of her older data stores ¨C started to feed them into the stream. ¡°You want more?¡± she challenged the colossal construct above her. Althea looked straight up at the darkening clouds. She looked back at the query response queue ¨C still seeing no improvement. ¡°You want everything?¡± she cried out. ¡°Take it!¡± She fed the whole pattern store in, filling the stream to almost half of the available bandwidth, rotated the variants through the transmitters. Instead of improvement communication, the corpore¡¯s queries started to reduce repetitions. It is not responding. Dorian warned, confirmed. It is cycling down. She was giving it all that she could! Why was it rejecting her? This should work, had always worked before. Corpore were hungry for signal, for communication. It is what drew them in. Why was it losing interest? It is stopping. What kind of damned corpore was this? ¡°You came,¡± she shouted up into the clouds. ¡°Damn you!¡± She cast through her experience, her memory, was at a loss.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What is it waiting for?¡± she asked, she begged. ¡°I¡¯ve sent all the reply codes I have.¡± The stress, the fear of failure was causing her to breathe deeper and deeper, faster and faster. She needed to solve the problem. Was it technical ¨C experiential? It must require a different order of transmission. ¡°Obviously,¡± she agreed, frustrated, unnerved. ¡°But there are so many possibilities. It¡¯s not like I can get inside its code processes.¡± She must have missed something from the start ¨C something crucial. Damn her, it was so hard to handle communication from the outside, so much easier from the inside. Inside? ¡°Show me what the implants sent when they were still connected to the gregga¡¯s brains,¡± She hadn¡¯t paid them much mind, but the solution was suddenly ¨C stupidly ¨C obvious. Dorian laid out the structure, the content, the syntax. ¡°Deconstruct them,¡± she commanded. Fragments of the code lit up the interface ¨C pieces of the syntax, scattered and reforming. Althea reordered them. Something was coming together. ¡°Again,¡± she commanded, not seeing what she was looking for. ¡°Again.¡± Here. ¡°What could I have missed?!¡± she demanded anxiously. ¡°What could I have¨C?¡± Repetitions¡­ repetitions in the matrix. It needed repeated signals? She checked ¨C checked again. ¡°Wait,¡± she commanded ¨C looked over the pattern. The figures revealed their secret. It was so simple. She had the answer, but had not applied it organically. ¡°That¡¯s a funny hiccup,¡± she noted. She reconfigured the trinary, added fragments of the signal¡¯s query, added detail to her syntax, applied the variant. Never the same way twice. She needed confirmation. Not human enough for you? What would be¡­ ¡°No¡­¡± It didn¡¯t work. Then, ¡°Yes¡­¡± What do you see? ¡°The answer,¡± she told him, grinning like a maniac. ¡°It wants only asymmetrical non¨Crepetitive variation.¡± She composed a structure, finger hovered a moment over the interface before she whispered to Dorian, ¡°Send this.¡± One. Two. Three. It¡¯s responding She smiled, feeling a wave of warmth, satisfaction, pride. Of course it is. Chapter Ninety Six: Oneness It was opening up to her. She sucked cold air through her teeth. ¡°Finally,¡± she whispered. It was asking if they were staged correctly, waiting for instruction, for implementation. ¡°Yes.¡± She tapped out the variants, forced them through the trinary stream. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you.¡± Althea studied the positive responses, re-wrote and re-scaled the appropriate string of variables. She chose the one most likely to draw the corpore close enough ¨C close enough so that it¡¯s destruction would leave its core accessible. ¡°Pick us up, please¡­¡± she echoed her new commands, translating the trinary. ¡°We have something special to show you.¡± Very special indeed. The speed things were falling into place, Althea felt her being humming with success. She looked up again, trying to make out the body of the monstrous thing above the clouds. The shadow over the southern plain suggested a structure at least half the size of Merk¡¯apas. She returned to the glowing display, the point counterpoint of the annotated signals music to her eyes. It sent her additional choices, responses. She worked the interface as swiftly as she could. ¡°Confirmation?¡± She laughed, tapped, then repeated ¨C firing all the corrected variances through the open gates. ¡°Here it is,¡± she breathed. Alerts came up, peppering the display. She was getting ahead of herself ¨C warnings flashed that her rush to confirm was edging into sloppiness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she pulled back the volume of her assault. ¡°We are all friendly implants here, just your happy little tools.¡± Tools that are turning. She hoped, wherever the greggas were now, they were pleased, approving of her actions against the Macro. She could only pray for a scrap of forgiveness.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It¡¯s waiting for the last block of confirmation codes. She pushed through the whole queue of instructions. ¡°Here,¡± she whispered, watching the figures flicker, eyes wide. ¡°Hope you like it.¡± The stream of commands weren¡¯t cycling properly. She tapped the interface with frustration, reflexively, not comprehending the delay in response. There is an energy problem. ¡°What?¡± She didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I was ready!¡± Dorian brought up the statistics on her transmitters power draw and drain. They were shocking. The strength of our transmission is decreasing, he told her. That was a gross understatement. It was falling catastrophically! Why? How is this happening? Althea glanced hurriedly over the physical connections she had built. Nothing seemed out of place. It is the implant power cells that are failing, Dorian confirmed. Had she underestimated the amount of bioelectric power the implants required from their human hosts? Got the frequency wrong? No! Joy of success turned to frantic scrambling to adapt to the situation. Her work bore no results. The system was failing; power was thinning out ¨C evaporating. One of the implants power signs flickered, then faded completely. ¡°No!¡± She shook her head, trying to apply compensating current from the other power packs, ¡°No! Not now!¡± She reached into the implant connection web brushing snow away, searching for a physical break. Her fingers felt nothing but the smoothly connected line; her eyes saw nothing out of place. Panic continued to rise, threatening to overwhelm her. The corpore was too close, success so close. Her cold fingers were beginning to go numb again. The wind just would not stop blasting her. Althea swore under her breath, praying for feeling, praying for them to be nimble. ¡°There must be a broken connection somewhere,¡± she decided, tried redirecting the flow. It was the only reason she couldn¡¯t apply power over the entire grid. The action added some peaks to the power spikes. They didn¡¯t last. The corpore is slowing its approach. The growing thunder began to plateau. South of the city, the main body of the thing gradually dropped beneath the bottom layers of clouds, exposed in the light of dawn. It was as colossal as the dead city around her, but like the terrifying memories Traejan had recounted, was projecting awesome ¨C pulsating ¨C power. She could feel the oppressive presence of the thing, could not resist staring upwards in awe. Beneath it, the ruins disappeared as clouds of snow began to blow up from the plain, unearthed by the constant force of the corpore¡¯s massive stabilizing engines. ¡°Oneness.¡± Ninety Seven: Desperate possibilities She rose, watching as it dropped down towards her slowly, by eights, then nines. For the first time, she felt the heat from its thrusters blasting their hot wind at her. Althea stood transfixed, as the colossal thing approach. Streams of smaller constructs, flying drones, dropped out of its many underports ¨C insects by comparison. Once exposed, they too slowed, hung in the distant sky ¨C hovering, waiting ¨C for what? ¡°It¡¯s stopped?!¡± Dorian didn¡¯t respond. Tearing herself away from the sight, Althea fell down to her knees, examined the figures on the display. ¡°Why did it stop again?¡± The answer was simple. There was no confirmation of her final transmission. It cannot hear your signal. She pounded a fist into the snow in frustration and rage. Not when I¡¯m this so close! ¡°No,¡± she shrieked. ¡°No!¡± Breathing heavily, she composed herself, glaring over her jury-rigged failure. ¡°I will not accept this!¡± Her mind raced over the last desperate possibilities. What could she do? What could Dorian do? Then she hit on it. She checked the remaining power in all the circuits, nodding at the total banked energy. It could be enough for a few beats. As quickly as she could, she rewired the connections, reset the system.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Program the remaining power cells for a burst, full current,¡± she ordered, furiously reorganizing the multiplexers control interface, repeatedly glancing in concern at the colossal construct hanging over her. ¡°That¡¯s all I need.¡± she told him as she completed the realignments. ¡°That¡¯s all I should need.¡± Dorian corrected the power draw projection, acknowledging her changes in the systems physical and code structure. The system will burn if the timing and connections aren¡¯t perfectly synched. The margin¨C ¡°There is no choice now!¡± Althea prepared the sequence timing. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready,¡± she told him gently, caressed the edge of the display. ¡°Trust me.¡± The program was set. I am waiting for the command. She looked up ¨C judged the distance, the level, the depth of its system ¨C judged the figures on her display. They were as optimal as she could get them. ¡°I am ready,¡± she said quietly, holding her fist in her hand, breathing deeply, harshly. The power cells will burn out completely in eleven beats, he began. Ten, nine¡­ The power matrix on screen brightened the figures to maximum scale. She glanced up, then back down again. ¡­eight, seven¡­ six, five¡­ She scanned the signal bounce. The efficiency rate was approaching one hundred percent, the response rate back to what it should be. She waited, waited. ¡­four, three¡­ The transmission feed was locked at maximum power. Glancing up, she could see a perceptual lowering of the corpore¡¯s horizon, life back in the many craft beneath it. They grew larger, approaching the platform ¨C coming for her. ¡°It¡¯s moving again, they¡¯re coming!¡± Everything was aligned; she scanned for the last bits of approval. The power was lasting longer than expected. ¡­two, one¡­ ¡°There we are,¡± she breathed. ¡°Close enough, strong enough.¡± All the receptors moved from yellow to green. ¡°Send the final command,¡± she ordered. Every single external node should receive reflexively. All she needed to do was send the command to blow it to the next world. She slid her finger to the transmission field, mouthed a brief prayer ¨C executed the command string. Command sent. Ninety Eight: Trying to Survive Althea scrambled to her feet, staring up at the vast corpore city in the sky. Below it, a group of drones had changed course, vectoring towards her position, growing larger by the second ¨C maybe only a couple hundred from her. Althea watched, searching for a sign. Do you understand what¡¯s happening to you? Are you trying to stop it? Trying to survive? Despite anna of study, and brutal ¨C intimate ¨C experience, she had no certain answer to those questions. Doubt peppered her thoughts. Had her program worked, or not? A popping sound, followed by the unmistakable smell of burning flesh, burning circuits, diverted her attention. She looked back down at her transmission system as it smoked ¨C sparked. She dropped again to her knees, gathered up Dorian¡¯s case, noting the green still glowing on the interface. Success ¨C matched transmissions. They must have successfully sent the command signal, but¡­ ¡°Did it all get in?¡± She wanted to hear his confirmation. The transmission was complete. I was able to send it twice before the system burnt out. Twice should be enough, more than enough. Then the panic hit her. The drones continued to howl towards her, no more than ninety beats away now. Her program could destroy them all at any moment. Althea ran, Dorian¡¯s case in hand, across the platform of melting, blowing snow. In her haste, she almost overshot the dark opening, slipping¨C stumbling to a stop on its lip stared back at the colossus in the sky, then began to climb down into the shaft. Beams and cables crowded the darkening depths. A tricky drop, but it still looked deep enough to survive the worst of the corpore¡¯s destruction.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The whine of the drones¡¯ engines accompanying the roar of the corpore screamed in Althea¡¯s ears. There should be time to reach the bottom. She just needed to let herself drop, like the snow trickling down into the depths, and land lightly. Securing Dorian to her tunic, Althea guessed the drop ¨C took the big step. Wind rushed past her, blew her hair from her face as she dropped straight down, landing on a solid beam. Snow and other debris shook off as she landed, shuddered, then shifted her body, balanced precariously for a moment, then dropped another five or two into the dark. The narrow pipe she landed on rested at a sharp angle, forcing her to fall forwards, grab a support brace as her feet slid back on the slick, icy surface. Gripping the cold metal, she took the moment of regained stability and safety to stare up into the dim light. A loud roar came from above. Hot wind blew down into the shaft. Fear rose again ¨C fear that the program had failed and the corpore would survive ¨C fear that the drones above would act on her deception. It was too late. There were no second chances, no second choices. Swinging from the pipe, she dropped again. The bottom of the shaft was within sight. She heard pounding, felt it. Was the drone searching for her? Was it landing ¨C or attacking? ¡°It¡¯s not happening.¡± Her program should be taking effect. Trilium stores all through the things should be changing state from energetic to explosive. It is an exceptionally large corpore. Your command may take time to work through its protocol structure. ¡°Or I made a mistake.¡± She couldn¡¯t drop the rest of the way. It was too far to the shaft¡¯s floor. Althea tested a hanging cable. It seemed strong, unyielding. She began to climb down, easily, automatically, leaving her mind to run through the possibility ¨C and the consequences ¨C of failure. ¡°Or it was rejected by its system.¡± That is not likely. She was still doubting, gripped the cable with both hands as she considered the possibilities, still maybe a couple fives from the bottom of the shaft. A bright blue beam of light shone down from above; falling dust reflecting, glittering around her. The drone was searching! ¡°It must be working,¡± she tried to convince herself. It was too high to drop on an unknown surface, so she continued cautiously ¨C hand over hand, down. ¡°It responded,¡± she told herself, she had seen the figures. ¡°The¨C¡± There was a sudden rumble, followed by a flash of light from above. Then the whole shaft shook as blasts louder than a thunderclaps pounded all around her. Ninety Nine: Bathed in light The cable swung, knocking her heavily into the shaft¡¯s wall, then broke. Althea fell, hitting the hard bottom with her shoulder, gasping and shuddering with the impact. Other impacts were pounding into the platform above. Powerful explosions rumbled in the distance, resonating so deeply she could feel it in her bones. She pulled out Dorian¡¯s case, held it tight as she curled up against the wall. The shaft shook again, the muffled, mighty explosions pounding from above shook the walls furiously. Debris, small and large rained down upon her while the floor of the shaft beneath her rocked and bucked. What were her chances of survival ¨C even considering the depth of the shaft? Terror of burning, crashing trees, flash of flames and destruction, memories of the child she had once been ¨C flooded into her mind. The transformation in death, she recalled the litany shouted over it, her grandmother¡¯s last rites. Althea focused on the memory with all her will. ¡°I will not fear the coming of shadows.¡± The darkness of the forest called all, but the faithful, humanity had come from the sky, from the sun, from the flames. ¡°For I am bathed in the light.¡± The cold, hard surface rocked again beneath her. ¡°I will not fear the touch of the one.¡± The expression of universal oneness, where they all had come from ¨C the beginning¡­ ¡°for it is the touch of love.¡± The finale ¨C the collapse of its trunk, branches, into the final conflagration¡­The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I will not fear the end of life for it is the end of loneliness.¡± The floor bucked again, a heavy object falling from above her shoulder, head with stunning, painful force. ¡°Oneness brings understanding of all that was and all that will be,¡± she continued, despite the pain. Still the peals of thunder continued. When was it going to stop? ¡°Oneness restores the touch of all that have gone before.¡± Would find them all: old friends, her sister, brother, mother, father, grandmother, teachers ¨C where she would be going? ¡°Oneness brings completeness, the new birth, in the new place, the new paradise, the new world,¡± the final promise of a world without pain, without fear. Althea curled tighter as the thunder above continued without abating, ignoring her prayer. ¡°Take me for, I have come to you.¡± She screwed her eyes tight. ¡°Take me ¨C for I give my all.¡± She hoped Dorian would be there too, that she wouldn¡¯t leave him behind. ¡°Take me for I am all for you.¡± The final submission to The One and oneness ¨C maybe she never would find out where her search, where the path to the truth of the Macros would lead. Althea held herself tightly, praying silently for forgiveness. Then it was over. Pounding thunder gone, leaving only her labored breathing, the throbbing pain of her shoulder, head ¨C yet again ¨C and the pitter-patter of falling dust and debris. She wasn¡¯t dead, couldn¡¯t be, it hurt too much. Slowly, Althea rose, brushing aside the shattered debris that had fallen on her. Felt over the matted hair on her head, the sticky wetness of fresh blood. She stared up at the bit of light, still marking the opening high above. The quiet stretched to a three. A distant blast shook more dust free. Then it was quiet again. Turning away from the point of light, fingers fumbling with the latches in her coat, she pulled out Dorian¡¯s case, checked its interface. His casing was clean, fully intact. She felt the rush of gratitude that while her audio buds were loosened, they still worked just fine. You¡¯ve done well, he told her, intending to comfort. ¡°It¡¯s not over,¡± in the darkness, the quiet ¨C Althea could feel the pull again ¨C the desire, the need. She couldn¡¯t take comfort in what she¡¯d done. ¡°Not yet.¡± One Hundred: There may still be some volatility Althea stared upwards, shielding her eyes from the bits of debris which were still fluttering and drizzling down. Climbing up would be a struggle through the added wreckage. She didn¡¯t have time to wait or rest ¨C despite collection of fresh, painful bruises. The Macro would be reacting to what she¡¯d done ¨C reacting with haste. Muscles burning and heavy as stone, skull throbbing with every heartbeat, she reached a hand up to grip the slippery lip of the shaft. The harsh acrid smoke continued to waft down from above, clear lines of blackness stretched out through what she could see of the sky. All the way up, the sounds of distant thunder continued to shake the shaft, but they were weak, sporadic, doing little around her but dislodge the dust. Only small pieces of a drone littered the platform, much to her relief. The commands she sent must have blown it right off the plaza; there weren¡¯t enough pieces scattered about to account for it all. Pulling herself out of the shaft, Althea could do little more than turn over, lay down on the snow. Still breathing heavily with the strain of the climb, she stared up at the dirty sky, the vast smudges of black and white bound together. Her NANs ¨C depleted from her previous injuries ¨C were no longer adding to her strength, her stamina. The weakness she felt was mortifying. It took an act of will to pull herself shakily to her knees, to her feet ¨C to stand up, battered and stiff, to survey the burning wasteland she¡¯d created. The fireworks were almost over, but many fierce blazes remained. The clean line of the horizon, the plain beyond the city was littered with huge burning pieces of the corpore.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Althea turned around, feeling again, the icy wind from the north ¨C smiled. It looked like the city had only taken superficial damage from the blasts. Some of the buildings were cratered, and smoking, but the destruction seemed minimal. The odds that the men had survived were good. A sensation of warmth wafted over her, along with harsh, nauseating smoke ¨C she held her breath, covered her mouth, shut her burning eyes. Was the warmth more than just residual heat from the fires? She turned her attention back to Dorian, readjusted the loose audio pod in her right ear, static worryingly buzzed, crackled. Thankfully, the smell had passed by the time she had to breathe again. ¡°Was I deep enough Dorian?¡± she asked, concerned about the radiation risk. How much trilium was still reacting, radiating? ¡°What¡¯s the radiation count?¡± It was a clean blast. His voice had a hard time through the static. There is only residual radiation. A lot of residual radiation, Althea suspected. She was probably going to lose the last of her NANs as they fought to preserve her against it. She pulled his case out, checked the display, frowned at the peaks in emissions. A spike showed up with every blast, the figures confirming her fears. There may still be some volatility. ¡°So I see,¡± she agreed, smiling at the understatement, spotted new fires, puffs of smoke. ¡°But we¡¯ve survived this far.¡± She tested her transceiver reception, frowned. There was a wash of interference over all the radio bands. ¡°I¡¯m worried about the static, Dorian,¡± she noted. ¡°Can you pick up any transmissions through it?¡± Linear points radiated through the visual noise on his display. She relaxed a touch. The core¡¯s signal is still obscured by local interference. There are many high-energy reflections from the dispersed trilium, but I can detect data burst fragments. ¡°Direction?¡± Difficult to pinpoint ¨C southwest, between two hundred and two hundred and fifty degrees. ¡°Pin the source down,¡± she told him, ¡°What about weaker signals?¡± Where were the men? ¡°Traejan!¡± she called out. ¡°Kyso!¡± One Hundred and One – I told you to run! She moved to the edge of the platform, scrutinized the fields of fires. They were vast. The wreckage spread as far as she could see. It could take ages to search it. Finding the core, beginning the final process would be easier, faster with help. She called out their names again, but still received no answer. How far could the men have gone? Had they run into the city, into its depths? Worry started to creep in. What if they hadn¡¯t avoided the flying debris? With all this radio interference, how was she going to find where they¡¯d gone? The answer lay in the snow at her feet. It hadn¡¯t been long, and the destruction of the Macro hadn¡¯t whipped up or melted too much of the ground snow. Kyso and Traejan wore boots; they would leave tracks. Energized, recovering from her long climb, Althea bounded down the steps to the plaza below, scrutinizing the boot prints in the snow. There were three coming up, then two heading out, then the two split up. More explosions thundered in the distance. She looked up, and was hit by another gust of smoke-filled air. The stinging forced Althea to shut her eyes, cough again. Once the smoke cleared, she moved around a broken wall, saw the body lying in the snow. A man¡¯s body heavily bundled. Kyso? Kyso! She ran toward him, the lone figure lying out in the open; convulsing ¨C shaking. On the dirty snow around him, smoking debris littered the empty boulevard. As she drew closer, horrible details revealed themselves. Much of his clothing was charred, some of it melted, fused with skin. She could see bubbling, bright blush of his exposed flesh, the burnt hair revealing a vivid red, even black. Radiation burns ¨C from the trilium blast ¨C it could only be from that. Althea fell to her knees. He turned his head towards her, the noise she made; burned eyes couldn¡¯t have seen her. She turned away from the sight of him, looked around; there weren¡¯t any walls for at least a two sixes. He hadn¡¯t protected himself ¨C at all.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Why? Why?! ¡°Trae?¡± his cracked, puffy lips barely moved his voice beyond a liquid whisper, a trickle of blood seeped out from his mouth. Her voice was choked, eyes blurring with tears. Althea kneeled, just a meter from him ¨C unable to take any action, afraid to. ¡°It hurts, please Trae¡­ Althea?¡± ¡°Kyso!¡± She wiped the tears that began streaming down her cheeks, crawled forwards, kneeling over him, but afraid to touch. She reached into her pockets, emptying them on the ground, trying to find something that would help. She stopped for a moment, projector in her grip ¨C it could stop his pain. She dropped it, trying to find something ¨C anything else. She found a tiny container of anesthetic spray. It wasn¡¯t much, but it could relieve the pain of his surface burns. ¡°Oneness,¡± she breathed, sprayed the liquid liberally over his exposed skin. ¡°Kyso!¡± she cried out at him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He turned his burned face to her, acknowledging the sound of her voice. His beard reduced to burnt stubble, his face looked so much thinner, younger than before. ¡°I told you to run!¡± she shouted at him. ¡°To get behind cover!¡± He opened his mouth, gasped in a breath. ¡°I had to see¡­¡± She shook her head furiously. ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡± she cried, overwhelmed by anger, grief. He wasn¡¯t supposed to die. She¡¯d made sure the risk was minimal. She had told him what to do. He¡¯d had enough time ¨C enough time! ¡°You had to survive,¡± she told him, voice ragged. ¡°I wanted you to live.¡± She couldn¡¯t even hope to save him now, clapped a hand over her mouth. Don¡¯t make the offer. You can¡¯t do it. You can¡¯t do anything for him. She collapsed into weeping. ¡°Althea,¡± Kyso whispered through his cracked lips. ¡°Are¡­ you crying?¡± One Hundred and Two: You’re only my audience Althea turned away, wracked with grief, huddled on the ground, shaking. She didn¡¯t want to look at Kyso, didn¡¯t want to see what she had done ¨C done to the one that she had chosen. She''d told him the Consortia was no more, that his worlds were gone. He had given up, stood out in the open to take the blast. She felt her head throb anew, gingerly pressed the wound she had suffered in the shaft. It was bleeding again, blood trickling down her forehead. She had to stop the flow, found a sealant in the pile on the ground, sprayed her head, winced as it stung. Blood ¨C her blood¡­ could save life ¨C and not just her own. Althea stared at the red stain on her fingers. Despite the depletion in NANs, she still likely had the fraction needed to protect her from the radiation poisoning ¨C filtering, repairing cells damaged by the disruptions ¨C for as long as she needed. The blast he must have been hit by¡­ The amount he would need would be overwhelming. How many NANs, how much blood would he need? A seven, two? To keep him alive for a few days, potentially enough time to destroy the Macro, find a working portal, make it back home. Could it even be possible?! No. The resulting blood loss could kill her, her medical knowledge insisted. Even if she did survive, the act would eliminate the protection she had from the ambient radiation. Althea cradled her face in her hands, damning herself. She felt a touch on her leg, near her foot, then another. Wiping her eyes clear, she looked back ¨C to notice Kyso¡¯s head had turned, burned eyes staring blindly at her, bloody mouth moving. He was mouthing her name.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Despite her aversion to the horrific sight of him, the smell of him, she leaned close enough to hear his whispers. ¡°My dear girl¡­ you didn¡¯t do this,¡± he struggled to tell her. ¡°You¡¯re only my audience.¡± She gingerly touched his hand, afraid of causing him more pain. His fingers were cold, crusty with burned flesh and dried blood. He had no grip, but his fingers trembled at her touch. ¡°It was me,¡± he confessed, voice ragged as the breath drifted, his life drifted, out. She shook her head, not wanting it to be true. No, she wanted to tell him. Kyso coughed, blood spattering red over his lips. ¡°There¡¯s just not enough¡­ not enough left for me,¡± he insisted. She didn¡¯t understand, shook her head. Another coughing fit wracked him so violently that she was spattered with blood as she tried to hold him down, calm his convulsion. The convulsions were going to get worse, unless ¨C until he fell into a coma. He should have by now, but stubbornly clung to consciousness for some reason. His hand grasped hers, clinging tightly. ¡°I can¡¯t¨C¡± His voice suddenly much stronger, almost healthy, but still filled with agony. ¡°This is bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± He relaxed his grip, hand falling back down to the snow. Althea stared at him in shock. ¡°I mustn¡¯t have much time,¡± he mused. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± she replied angrily. Her eyes blurred again with tears. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything for you,¡± she told him bitterly. ¡°The radiation, the burns, they are going to kill you¡­ Why? Why did you do it? You would have survived. You could have gone on. You could have come with me.¡± She watched him as he slowly turned his head back and forth. ¡°To what,¡± he whispered. ¡°Worlds like this ¨C pathetic shadows of what was? I was a Consortian, girl! I¡¯m aware my own desires. There¡¯s no hope I¡¯ll see it again, you confirmed it.¡± ¡°There are still worlds left,¡± she protested, tears flowing again, ¡°better than this!¡± He smiled at that ¨C Smiled?! ¡°That¡¯s a nice lie,¡± he told her. ¡°Your performance was skillful, but none to subtle. Your deflections, fictions, charm ¨C decent, but not what I would call professional.¡± He finished in a coughing fit, fresh blood spattering his face, chest. Althea stared at him, unable to reply. He¡¯d seen through her¡­ all along? One Hundred and Three: What are you waiting for? ¡°But don¡¯t feel bad,¡± he added. ¡°You used us all quite well. An excellent performance, for this day and age.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a performance!¡± she protested. ¡°I wanted everyone to survive. I wanted you to survive, I needed you for more than this¡­¡± ¡°You are too kind,¡± he replied, ¡°but you don¡¯t need one like me.¡± She shook her head, touched his cheek. She hadn¡¯t done well, not at all. ¡°You¡¯ve seen me, girl, I¡¯m not any good to anybody anymore. I haven¡¯t been for anna.¡± She breathed out the final, horrible truth, refusing his words. ¡°I needed your help,¡± she told him. ¡°The Macro isn¡¯t even destroyed yet!¡± ¡°Then finish it!¡± he commanded, staring past her, through her. His words slurred, voice was getting more ragged. He had another coughing fit, spitting out more blood. How much longer was he going to hang on? ¡°The light was very bright,¡± he continued, weaker, ¡°I¡¯d never seen anything so bright, or heard thunder so loud. You have a gift for pyrotechnics. The rest will come with a little more practice.¡± She shook her head again at his joke, appalled by his weak chuckle. If only she had told him earlier ¨C admitted her failures, her mistakes, her goals, her dreams. He would have understood, would have joined her ¨C wouldn¡¯t he? ¡°It was such a wonder,¡± he breathed. ¡°After all these anna, to witness such fireworks again.¡± He began raving, drifting in and out of coherence: rambled about desire, oneness, dreams, sex. It only served to remind her of what was ahead, the reality of the Macro¡¯s codestream pulling powerfully, despite his horrible image; she could feel it, envision it, desire it.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The brilliant power that would fill her, the touch of¨C She shook herself out of the fantasy. Not now! She wasn¡¯t going to leave him to die alone. Althea took his burned hand again, held it tightly. She was not even sure that he could feel it anymore, but she hoped he did, hoped it wasn¡¯t causing him more pain. So happy, he mouthed. It made her start to weep again. ¡°But you¡¯re going to die!¡± For nothing, nothing, nothing at all. Exactly when I needed you ¨C you are going to be dead. ¡°I¡¯ve lived¡­ I¡¯ve lived long enough,¡± he confessed, then coughed again. ¡°One oughtn¡¯t outlive their civilization.¡± She sniffed back tears. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± he demanded, voice sharp, lucid. She stared at him, mouth open, shocked by his sudden hard tone. ¡°Hanging around a dying remnant,¡± he commanded. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything better to do? Don¡¯t you have a beast to destroy?!¡± ¡°You believe I can?¡± ¡°You blew up a city,¡± he told her, voice fading gain. ¡°How hard can the rest be, eh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¨C¡± she started, choking on the words. ¡°I have to stay here ¨C for you.¡± ¡°You truly want to do¡­¡± he was struggling on the words now. ¡°¡­something for me¡± ¡°What?¡± she bent closer to hear, smelt the burned flesh, the stink of blood and pus. ¡°What is it?¡± she wanted to know. ¡°Take him off this¡­ damned planet,¡± he whispered to her. ¡°Somewhere¡­¡± Take him? Traejan? ¡°Take him¡­¡± He was so quiet now; she had to lean in very close to make out his whispers. ¡°Someplace warm¡­ and safe¡­ and¡­ good.¡± She pulled away. There were no safe worlds out there for him, no good worlds. Traejan was not¨C ¡°Give him a chance,¡± Kyso forced the words out, as though reading her silent objections. ¡°He¡¯s a good boy ¨C loyal ¨C always has been. Kaelin would tell you. He doesn¡¯t deserve to die here¡­¡± She released Kyso¡¯s hand, stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Do¡­¡± The blood dribbled out of his mouth, his head fell back. ¡°Will you¡­¡± She felt the warmth in her go away, the cold creeping back in. ¡°Kyso¡­¡± ¡°Girl¡­¡± he breathed out his last word. She shivered in the cold wind. There was a scrabbling in the snow behind her. Althea didn¡¯t turn. It could only be Traejan. She felt herself tense, her hands tightening into fists. ¡°Kyso!¡± One Hundred and Four – Not here, not now She found the strength to stand, move out of his way, but lost it as quickly ¨C fell back down to her knees. Traejan followed the same pantomime she had, but Kyso was in a coma now: no accusations, no apologies, no demands, nothing for him at all. That didn¡¯t stop Traejan from trying. He knelt by the older man, tried to get a response, pleading, touching Kyso¡¯s burnt clothing, flesh. He repeated the dying man''s name over and over. After minutes of no reaction, Traejan finally acknowledged her watching presence, turned to glare over at her. Tears streaked his face. There was a stain of blood on the side of his head, marring his short blonde helmet of hair. ¡°What did you do to him? What did you make him do?!¡± Traejan demanded. The words shocked her loose. She had to press a hand to the cold ground to maintain her balance. ¡°I told him to run,¡± she said in a voice that sounded remote. An explosion rocked them. It knocked her over. Althea scrambled back to her feet, struggling to breathe as a cloud of smoke surrounded them. Gasping, she wiped her stinging eyes, the tears, looked around for the source. The smoke was coming from a chunk of machinery, a thruster assembly; a ten or two past them, further inside the city. How many volatile pieces were hidden in the wreckage? How long could they stay in such an exposed space? Dorian¡¯s voice buzzed in her ear. There is a transmission coming in, Althea. She rubbed her eyes again. The stinging smoke remained around them. She held her breath until it dispersed, glanced back at the two men.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Traejan¡¯s attention turned back to his dying comrade. ¡°Kyso,¡± he tried to coax a response out of his dying friend. She couldn¡¯t stay, neither should he. She walked over to his kneeling form. ¡°He¡¯s dead Trae,¡± she offered. Traejan looked up at her, shook his head, shook it again harder, turned back to the body. ¡°Dead?¡± he said disbelievingly, looking back at Kyso. ¡°No, he¡¯s still breathing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not dead,¡± he pleaded to the man, ignoring the awful evidence. ¡°Kyso, I need you to talk to me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s absorbed too much radiation,¡± she told him, holding her voice firmer. ¡°There is nothing you can do for him.¡± He tried harder, listening for a voice, slapping the puckered, burned skin of the old man¡¯s face ¨C turned back to her. ¡°Why did you let this happen?!¡± His accusation hit her like a punch. It took a moment for Althea to respond. ¡°I didn¡¯t do this,¡± she replied, far more angrily than she had intended. Traejan glared at her as if she were a lunatic. ¡°We are surrounded by pieces of that mech,¡± he told her, waving his hands around. ¡°You did this. You destroyed it, didn¡¯t you?¡± She backed away from him, as he started to rise, automatically changing to a defensive posture. He stood, brushing snow, bits of debris from himself. He walked towards her, face twisted in pain, eyes blazing. ¡°I told him to run,¡± she told Traejan again, struggling against her own guilt, ¡°to find cover.¡± Like I told you¨C like I told both of you. ¡°He had time, like you did.¡± Her words weren¡¯t having any effect. Traejan¡¯s expression only turned angrier. Why hadn¡¯t he guessed Kyso¡¯s state of mind? He had known the man for anna, decades. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to hide,¡± she tried to explain. ¡°He wanted to see¡­¡± He wanted to see the light of destruction, the wonder of it all; so did she. The thought made her shudder with longing, wanting ¨C the heart of the Macro, the light¡­ ¡°You let him die,¡± Traejan¡¯s accusation brought her back. Althea shook her head, she hadn¡¯t let him die. She hadn¡¯t wanted him to die. It was the last thing she wanted. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save him!¡± she told Traejan, pointed back at the dead man, horrific wounds the radiation had caused. Traejan stopped, looked back. ¡°Not from that.¡± Not here, not now. She felt herself shuddering again, had to hold herself tightly, had to look away from him, up into the gray swirling smoke, the clouds above. The codestream was calling. It was calling! She struggled, brought herself back. She didn¡¯t want Traejan to do something stupid, while she was lost in the desire. One Hundred and Five – You have to find the core Althea forced herself to look back at him. ¡°It¡¯s not over Trae,¡± she confessed. ¡°It¡¯s still out there.¡± ¡°You destroyed it,¡± he told her. ¡°No, no, no! Why do I have to continue to explain, I destroyed a corpore! That¡¯s all!¡± she yelled at him. Dorian¡¯s voice tickled in her ear. The communications core has responded. There is not much time left. ¡°I told you what a Macro is,¡± she reminded Traejan. He didn¡¯t seem to understand. Was he that stupid?¨C Or was the grief so strong? ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡± She waved at the wreckage around her, in the distance. ¡°This is only scorched metal, burnt composites, broken wreckage,¡± she pointed out as plainly as she could. ¡°This was just parts,¡± she raised her voice to make her point. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nothing but the Macro¡¯s spare parts. She felt herself breathing again, faster harsher, sweating in the cold all of a sudden ¨C in anticipation?Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are dozens,¡± she told him, fighting against the renewed need. Light came to his eyes. Yes listen to me. ¡°Dozen¡¯s more,¡± she repeated. ¡°After this¡­ As large, as dangerous ¨C coming.¡± A look of horror crossed his face again. He looked back at Kyso. ¡°Then he died for nothing,¡± Traejan¡¯s voice dropped, pained. Then strengthened, he accused, ¡°you let him die for nothing!¡± The charge angered her again. Why did everyone have to be a martyr? Weren¡¯t there enough martyrs in the universe already? Enough! ¡°He died because he wanted to!¡± she told Traejan harshly ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± he shot back. ¡°Kyso wanted to live!¡± She¡¯d wanted him to live. She felt the tears come again, but couldn¡¯t pull away from the young man¡¯s fury, his accusations. ¡°Is that all you have?! Lies and fake tears?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had head trauma!¡± she shouted at him. ¡°I wanted him to survive more than anything else! Where were you? Why didn¡¯t you make sure he was with you?!¡± Traejan stopped, looking afraid ¨C ashamed ¨C then turned away. Althea, you have to find the core. She took in a ragged breath, wiped the tears from her cheeks. ¡°We were¡­¡± he started, but couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. He stumbled back a couple steps from her, turned back, hopeless grief on his face. ¡°I ran¡­¡± he offered, a look of horror now settling in. ¡°He should have run too,¡± she finished, started to turn away, then looked back at Traejan, held his gaze, pointed at the thick wall only two sixes away, felt her voice rise in her grief, ¡°He could have, could have made it, made it even behind that wall ¨C and survived! But he made his choice not to!¡± She stopped for a moment, inhaled a deep breath of the smoky air. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to die Traejan,¡± she insisted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he protect himself? Why Traejan? Why?!¡± Althea! One Hundred and Six – In a handful of beats Three explosions went off at once, blowing smoke and dust over her. Althea brushed away the dirt, concentrated on Dorian¡¯s display, the tracking scan for the corpore core¡¯s steady distress call. More radiation sources, more ghosting on the detection fields kept the true direction vague. She looked over at Traejan, who was back on his knees by Kyso. Response delays are decreasing rapidly. ¡°How much time do we have?¡± You may have two eights, less if there is acceleration. With the vast maze of wreckage to search through, that might not be enough time to find the core. She swore. It¡¯s never easy, is it? She couldn¡¯t cover the necessary ground on her own. She turned back to Traejan, walked the twenty-one steps to where he knelt. ¡°I need your help,¡± she told him. He remained concentrated on the dying man. ¡°When he dies, he¡¯ll need to be burned,¡± he told her quietly. Did they burn their dead here? Did they¨C she shook the thought away, needed to deal with the Macro first. ¡°We¡¯ll all be burned if I don¡¯t find the corpore¡¯s communications core,¡± she insisted, putting in all the urgency she could muster. ¡°Are you going to stand here doing nothing? Or are you going to help me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave him like this,¡± Traejan continued. She touched his shoulder.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°We¡¯ll give him a proper funeral, I promise you.¡± He turned to look up at her, expression wavering between loss and suspicion. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Later¡­ soon,¡± she assured him. ¡°Please ¨C let¡¯s get to work. There¡¯s not much time¡± The tundra south of the ruined city was a maze now, the broken ruins surrounded ¨C covered ¨C by massive fragments of the destroyed corpore. Thousands of huge chunks of the construct were littered in their path ¨C burning, smoking ¨C impossible to easily or quickly navigate. A solid third of it had failed to disintegrate, had fallen sideways to create a massive wall along the west, stretching ragged metal teeth into the sky. After two sevens of turning back and forth, Althea had no choice but to climb on the top of a hot broken mass to survey the path ahead. The corpore had exploded from the within, where its stores of trilium had fueled the thrusters, the other powered systems. Thankfully, that meant that the communication core wouldn¡¯t be deeply hidden amongst the blocks of wreckage and debris ¨C would be easy to find, manipulate once she could locate it. Unfortunately, the corpore had been at least a thirteen wide; the background radiation made finding an absolute location difficult, frustrating. Even with Traejan helping with triangulation, she didn¡¯t think they were closing in on it fast enough. She had chosen not to try the lifter. It too had been pummeled by fragments ¨C of the corpore, or maybe the smaller constructs ¨C and it would not start. Weighing definite movement over an uncertain amount of time to make repairs, she chose to head out on foot. Almost an eight into the search, Althea was starting to regret the decision. ¡°What direction do you have?¡± she called over her link. Her line buzzed several times, then his voice came through. ¡°One hundred and twelve degrees.¡± She readjusted the gain, compared the signals. Looked straight ahead, ran forwards to the next smoking block ¨C tried again ¨C grinned at the result, relieved. The ghosting had cleared, with Dorian finally able to compensate for the interference; the corpore¡¯s core communication source ¨C reduced to one definite signal. An eight and a seven away, two hundred and five degrees, confirmed! ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she announced. She locked the scan, started around the wreckage. ¡°Where is it?¡± Traejan wanted to know. ¡°A little over an eight from me.¡± ¡°How about from me?¡± She worked out his location, distance. ¡°From where you are ¨C about a nine and one eight, one hundred and twenty seven degrees.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can,¡± then he cut the connection. In a handful of beats, her goal was in sight. One Hundred and Seven – I’ve done enough killing! Standing in front of the mound of twisted, burned and deformed alloy, she was dead on target for the corpore¡¯s core signal, less than a seven away from it. She felt her fingers twitch, felt a shiver run up her spine. Soon ¨C soon her mind would be welcoming the codestream again. Soon all this horror would be done with. The asymmetrical chunk was still hot, steaming when she reached it. Althea had to scramble swiftly over the twisted, tortured metal and composite to avoid being burned, to reach the most obvious connections to the central units. One functional core would be enough to do allow her to do her work. Surprisingly, some of the material was already freezing cold, greedily sucking the warmth out of her fingers. The rest, steaming or smoking, was painfully hot to the touch or producing smoke too toxic to breathe in. She tried not to let it slow her down. Behind, below, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, labored breath. ¡°It¡¯s all the way up there?¡± Traejan called out, seeming surprised. She spared a look back, to see him at the wreckage¡¯s base, staring up, trying to shield his eyes from the streams of smoke. ¡°It¡¯s where it came down,¡± she told him, trying to figure her way into the mess. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been through worse.¡± Squeezing through the twisted framework, struggling for a short but seemingly interminable period, Althea reached the main communications core. It still glowed ¨C brightly ¨C in the three-dimensional webs of fibers, conduits. Her eyes widened, taking in its delicate, complex intricacy, noted the bracing holding it to the framework, pulled out her projector to cut it away; to cut the core free. The wreckage shuddered around her as she cut through the unit¡¯s bracing. It was still settling, live lines around her spraying sparks as they stretched, cracked and broke. Althea refocused, controlled her progress, forced herself to slow down, be careful enough to ensure safety, and not create an explosion, or give herself a fatal jolt from crossed circuits.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Where to drag the unit after she cut it free? The fields of wreckage were still subject to random explosions. An interface location needed to be safe, at least for a few hundred beats. Althea hoped there was enough time. Dorian, however, was more concerned with another potential threat. Traejan is still implanted. She paused for a moment, collected herself. ¡°I¡¯ve done enough killing,¡± she told him. ¡°It¡¯s not even a Macro implant?¡± No, but that does not mean it is inaccessible to the Macro. She didn¡¯t need any more pain, didn¡¯t need to inflict more horror, on Traejan, on herself. ¡°I am not going to kill anyone else!¡± Althea was growing to hate hearing Dorian¡¯s words, hearing his thoughts only buzzing in her ear. She wished, at this time of all times, that he was inside her, voice in her mind ¨C not something separate, different, outside. It simply did not feel like he was listening to her, that he understood. Gritting her teeth, gripping the core¡¯s braces, Althea pulled the heavy unit on its difficult path out of the wreckage. She backed down the hot metal surfaces gingerly, negotiating it through with only a couple missteps, curses of pain and frustration. With a last heave, she pulled the block over the bent composite girder and it hit the snow with a thump. Traejan made a motion to help. She waved him off. She dragged the gleaming thing a few feet, leaving a trail of burnt bits, dirty snow and earth scraped up from beneath, along with a tangle of cables and network fibers. With suddenly little strength left, Althea collapsed, kneeling before it, holding herself up against the unit¡¯s solidity. You must at least tell him to keep his distance. ¡°Fine,¡± she breathed. ¡°Fine.¡± But first ¨C the core. She recovered, pushed herself up, began examining its faintly pulsing, vibrating surface. It was dying, but not dead, not yet. Still warm, still under power, still a living component of the Macro¡¯s network, still a window into its being ¨C an unarmored gateway, that she could thrust herself, a cold blade through, into its heart. Win the battle ¨C free the world ¨C touch oneness. Excitement, anxiety made her body tremble ¨C her fingers shook, but she knew her work ¨C hadn¡¯t forgotten how to construct the interface. She would be inside it; it would be inside her, so¡­ so soon. One Hundred and Eight – Only a seven left ¡°Tell me what you are going to do,¡± Traejan kept pestering her. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡± She felt torn ¨C between an overwhelming weariness, the demand of her body to drop where she knelt, the continual draw of the Macro, the dead and dying carnage behind her ¨C and the undeniable beauty ahead. Althea reached down, grabbed a handful of snow. She rubbed it roughly over her face, feeling the sharp cold, wetness, hopefully rubbing the dirt ¨C the taint ¨C off. Feeling fresher ¨C cleaner ¨C she pulled herself up from the communication block, stood back, looked over at him. Traejan was closer than Dorian wanted, but she was beyond bullying him. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡± She held up two fingers for him, ¡°one of two things.¡± She pursed her lips, looked ahead at the smoking wreckage, then sidelong at him. ¡°I succeed,¡± she told him, dropping a finger. ¡°I destroy the Macro, and you will all be free, no longer imprisoned on the ice. You¡¯ll be able to rebuild your world.¡± She took a deep breath, dropped the second finger. ¡°Or I fail,¡± and nothing would ever matter again, ¡°and the Macro survives, the constructs come, soon¡­ and do what they will.¡± ¡°I thought you said¨C¡± he began. Would he never stop questioning her? ¡°I say a lot of things,¡± she replied tiredly, then tried to calm herself, be fair to him. ¡°All right?¡± He scowled at her.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. You only have a seven left, Dorian warned. ¡°Macros can be destroyed,¡± she continued, starting to gather the lines to connect to Dorian¡¯s case, glanced back at the man. ¡°I¡¯ve done it. But understanding them¡­ knowing them¡­ I¡¯m not honestly certain I¡¯ll be able to destroy this one. Maybe the ones before were weak ¨C maybe I was strong. There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t understand.¡± She brought her hands up in a gesture of helplessness. There was no further she could go with the confession, the admission. What more was there to say? Althea knew she wasn¡¯t remotely in the proper state of mind for the interface. ¡°It¡¯s hard,¡± was all she could add. Althea wondered why she was telling him at all. She would have told Kyso; Traejan was all that was left ¨C the only human being who could hear her ¨C maybe the last. He stood there quietly, she supposed; pondering her words. She shivered, feeling an intense moment of desire, pushed it out of her mind again. ¡°You destroy the Macro?¡± he mused. ¡°You said you access its code?¨C break into it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s much more than that. It¡¯s a total immersive interface; I create a conduit ¨C its codestream, its logos floods my mind,¡± she began, recalling the wonder. ¡°Perceptually ¨C for me ¨C I enter its logos, its mind,¡± she continued, pointing out the devastation around them, ¡°This all goes away. The codestream will draw me to its center. There¡¯s no other way. I couldn¡¯t avoid it if I wanted to.¡± She knew any discussion in language was inadequate, but her voice must carry the weight of what she felt, what she knew ¨C the light, the beauty. It called. It demanded. ¡°The code is so compelling, magnetic. Once I get deep enough, once I¡¯ve gotten past all its defenses, I¡¯ll let the corruption loose.¡± It was as close to the truth as she was willing to share. She didn¡¯t want to give him any reason to stop her, or interrupt her. ¡°You need to know a few things,¡± she continued. He was still here. Maybe he could forgive her ¨C if he could see her as human ¨C contrite. Then he might not remember her as a callous monster, a murderer. She couldn¡¯t see empathy in his face his eyes, but hoped it was in him, that he was capable of sympathizing ¨C especially now. ¡°I wish things had turned out differently, I wish I had been here five anna ago, ten, thirty,¡± she let the grief again flow though her, raw emotion choking her words. ¡°I wish no one had to die, you have to believe me. I will do my best to destroy the Macro ¨C for you ¨C for everyone. That was my intention all along¡± He nodded, but didn¡¯t smile, or offer comfort. So be it. One Hundred and Nine – Are you ready? ¡°You must not interfere at all,¡± she instructed sharply. ¡°Do not touch me, or attempt to rouse me. If I succeed, you¡¯ll know it. A fleet of corpore won¡¯t show up. Do you understand? Any interference could break my connection, concentration, would be disastrous.¡± He nodded, and then frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen once you¡¯re done? Will you¨C¡± She cut him off. ¡°Do you understand what I said?¡± she asked, growing frustrated with him again, ¡°what I told you ¨C or not?¡± The expression didn¡¯t leave his face, but he nodded again. ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed. ¡°I understand.¡± She hoped he meant it, started rummaging through her pockets. There was one last thing to do before committing to her final act. Pulling out the last of her nanomeds, Althea searched them, retrieved two ampoules ¨C of only four she had left. Two should be enough to keep the damage to a minimum. She handed them to Traejan. ¡°Take these,¡± she told him. ¡°There¡¯s enough ambient radiation around here to kill. You¡¯ll need it to survive.¡± He turned them over in his hand, looking them over, then looked back at her. ¡°Swallow them,¡± she insisted. He looked back at her. ¡°What about you?¡± She shook her head. She might be vulnerable, in her condition. What did it matter? ¡°I¡¯ll make do. Are you going to swallow it or not?¡± Seeing he was still delaying, she pulled out another, broke it, swallowed the oily textured liquid ¨C glanced sharply at him. ¡°It¡¯s not poison Trae.¡± Reluctantly, he followed her example. ¡°Now, move off,¡± she told him, gesturing. He started backing away. ¡°I need space to do this ¨C and remember what I told you. A few more fours. That¡¯s good.¡± He moved maybe a two sixes away, sat down on a stump of wreckage. She turned back to the core. Motivated, compelled by desire, she was finished the tests in beats. Physical connections were strung along the fibers from Dorian¡¯s case to the core. Special hardware and software locks protected him from the main connection, protecting his code¡¯s integrity. He would be safe, regardless of what happened. She pressed the installation sequence starter ¨C and there it was, the alluring, Macro interface laid, out before her.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Althea eased down, legs crossed, spread out Dorian¡¯s reactive fields, activated the connection. The Macro¡¯s encoded interface beckoned. She held tightly the cold metal in her left hand ran a finger over the entry symbols with her right, glanced back at Traejan. He had crossed his arms ¨C stared at her ¨C but hadn¡¯t moved closer. Turning back to the interface fields, she pressed down with her index finger. They multiplied, brightened. ¡°Oneness,¡± she breathed, looking on the beautiful intricacy of the gateway into the Macro¡¯s codestream. ¡°Is that you?¡± she whispered in wonder. Before her, the interface finished coalescing ¨C at full connect. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Two of her fingers brushed the swirl, and brief flashes of code erupted in her consciousness, memories perfectly replicated in her mind, the stream, drawn up by the permanent nanowires running from her fingertips to her visual cortex. Althea pulled the fingers away ¨C shocked and afraid. No! Not yet! Not yet¡­ She pulled her hand away, rubbed her forearms together, feeling electric pinpricks all through her right arm. She was too eager, jumping the gun; frightened by her own desires. She must not ¨C must not! ¨C open the gate before she was mentally prepared. Is there a problem? She shook the stray code out of her thoughts. ¡°No,¡± she told him, half-smiling, the spikes had been like a forbidden treat. ¡°Hardly.¡± She was almost ready, feeling another shiver course through her body. The tips of her fingers were tingling with anticipation. ¡°There it is,¡± she announced, her minds eyes deciphering the code before her ¨C the open gateway becoming perceptually three-dimensional. ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± Double six. She nodded, felt herself beginning to tremble. Are you ready? ¡°Oh yes.¡± I will be here for you. ¡°I know you will,¡± she told him. ¡°You always have.¡± I will welcome your return. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± she told him. She told him what she wanted to say, what he needed to hear, but felt the growing pang as she looked at the dancing codes. Remembered what it had cost to get here. Despair and ecstasy wound together. ¡°Dorian,¡± she began uncertainly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I will wait for you, he asserted. Did he believe that she was not coming back, did he suspect? ¡­Was she not coming back? ¡°I won¡¯t give in Dorian,¡± she tried to assure him. ¡°I can¡¯t give in.¡± Thoughts of Kyso, all the rest, the blood¡­ all that guilt ate at her resolve. Had Kyso made the best choice? Giving himself up to the burning light? ¡°But I have to¨C¡± You mustn¡¯t give in. ¡°No,¡± she whispered. ¡°I have to destroy it.¡± Of course. Hurry. She nodded, gripped Dorian¡¯s case hard with her left hand, flexed her right, pressed it into the interface field projection. Feeling the tingle flow through her fingers, into her wrist, up her arm, along her neck. She couldn¡¯t suppress an appreciative sigh. ¡°I will,¡± she promised. ¡°Dorian?¡± Yes, Althea? She held her breath for a moment, let it out, tried to put the words together. ¡°This is¨C¡± she began, her voice falling to a whisper, ¡°time to let me go.¡± She didn¡¯t give him time to respond, time to question. She keyed in the entry sequence, felt the brief shock of electromagnetic resistance, the burst of glorious light blast into her waiting mind ¨C let the beautiful, beautiful codestream in. One Hundred and Ten – Points of light Dream awake, open the gate¡­ The echoes of her persona supporting mantras maintained her as the codestream flooded into her mind. She repeated the echo over and over as the ecstatic sensory overload crashed through her consciousness. She struggled for the mental anchor, the starting place; the repeated condition needed to ground her, cycle through her. ¡­Icon of truth, icon of actuality, icon of veracity, anchor me, hold me, steel me¡­ Althea found the anchor, circling cracks in the ceiling; she followed the route in and out, start to beginning ¨C repeat it ¨C initiated it. It was within her, was what she had seen, analyzed, comprehended, held, it carried her, an unbroken line, throughout the chaotic Macro network, strung along golden cables shifting through the widening codestream. It was the first line, glowing, strong, brilliant and long, the stream flowed around, a narrow cord of calm that she could cast ¨C would cast ¨C and follow it in. ¡­Hold yourself in the stream flow, unknowing¡­ Her edges frayed against the contextual pull. She tightened her self as much as possible. ¡­Let the call go past¡­ Experiences burst on the edges of her consciousness ¨C intense, raw ¨C points in a pinwheel; sharing laughter in a crowd, touching, pulling, buffeted, straining up into a brilliant light; the touch of lips, soft skin under her fingers, warmth and hot wetness, taste of spices and blood, physical heat, deep heavy breathing; cold, harsh light, glass and stars, cold metallic taste of the air; loneliness, palpable, longing; looking out, a blue ball through the windows, huge, gorgeous; home, sweet, sour, hot tastes, smell of smoke, of sweat; murmurs all around, spicy liquid pouring down the throat; satisfaction, pleasure, voracious hunger, unsated, still.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡­Points of light, streaming past, a galaxy of thought, stretched through infinity, tens, hundreds, thousands¡­ She had felt it before, imagining memories long past, reflections of perception ¨C fantasies, truths. Minds linked minds sending images ¨C thoughts, feelings, sensations ¨C back to the mouth of the mind, to be swallowed, inserted, connected through the interface of surface consciousness. ¡­Trinary mind one zero neither, either¡­ she could feel the power of it, the completeness, the belonging. All in unity¡­ Althea willed her focus on the rope through the storm of experiences, drawing close ¨C fearing, rejecting the enthralling glimpses of other hearts, other souls, other lives. Fear was best ¨C it would keep her on target. The outermost shell was even more glorious than she¡¯d ever experienced before, with the ride through lives ¨C more compelling than ever before. ¡­Be not lost, not in their being she commanded herself, let her perception reach along, stretch forward to the next depth, the next shell, imagining the next gate, willing it into existence. ¡­Trace the doorway open the door, open the window, open my mind¡­ Along and along she followed the line, the data tributary, until another attached and another ¨C the line became thicker. She recognized the loop, the instructional base ¨C the coalescing of mind. ¡­Unveil the cohesion, she called. The oneness, the self¡­ Reverse, reengineer, she continued to apply the instructions she¡¯d had taught herself ¨C which she could compel onto Macro code ¨C it could not resist, it must not comprehend the difference, the change in command¡­ ¡­Fill with wonder, she hinted, offered. And belonging¡­ Althea was caught, accepted. The glow filled her again. A brief flash of oneness, setting every grain in her being spinning with ecstasy, a moment¡¯s stunning reward of what was to come¡­ ¡­We will be unified trinary mind one zero either, neither¡­ ¡­The following layer, she broke through easily. A sea of data: vaster, older, actions, reactions, massive data pushing, pressing. She forced her defenses tight, streamlined, focused, refocused ¨C squeezed out emptiness. ¡­Beyond the earth, the sky the world, it was the connections of space, time, the wide scope, the truth of what was¡­ ¡­Fall, fly stretch my thirsting thoughts, touch the unbroken skin of Makan¡­ One Hundred and Eleven – A universe all its own ¡­Layers and layers, surveillance and dissemination ¨C the combining and recombining of data to show a whole, current, extrapolated, now and the future¡­ Water and clouds, ground and sky, mountains and ice, movements of populations; curves of growth and diminishment, grouping and migrants, across the north and the south, dwindling and expansion; pleasure, control, the satisfaction of knowing from deep within to wide apart; lovely, lovely scale; separation and oneness, puzzling, black, white, shades of gray, life and death; their meanings, wishing elsewhere, sweetness, excitement, rhythm. ¡­Feel the electric textures, she told herself, adopting the spin beneath, the domain larger than the sky yet smaller than a teardrop in each moment. It was as real as the world without. ...It is real, she recalled ¨C repeated ¨C as you are real, as you are real¡­ ¡­A universe of its own alone, breath me in, I am the smallest thing, she flexed her patterns again, stretching her self over the vast surface of the next layer. ¡­You can encompass me, she assured the quivering layers of code. I can be of you¡­ Althea¡¯s perceptual being slid over layers ¨C searching for edges ¨C the gap between request and delivery, to penetrate, to present herself. She was far from the heart of the Macro, its motive soul. Still, this region bore profound depths, so much for her to absorb. Her hunger grew as she filtered the layers through her, as she cast herself down. ¡­Glide between times, she flittered, softly, a feather amongst clouds of data. Falling, falling, falling, searching, thirsting, wanting¡­ Consuming, she began to know ¨C know the births and growth, energy and heat, expanding and declining ¨C to coldness and death. ¡­It is striving, she could see, sense, it is wanting¡­Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. She accepted it; their wants combined. ¡­There can be no rebellion, she welcomed the joy again, the glory of confirmed connections. No dark thoughts, contrary codes no separation¡­ Pulling in too much, becoming too much, Althea felt a pang of fear, forced herself to smooth her being, let it flood through her ¨C be within the stream ¨C until she acclimatized to a greater state. ¡­Focus on the code, she told herself. Let the accumulation be you¡­ She spread to a simple layer, visualizing thinness. Letting nothing distract her, let her be pure data ¨C an acceptable current in the codestream¡¯s flow. ¡­I am information, there was no other reality. I will be desirable; I will be taken¡­ Still it repelled. She burned, twisted with frustration. Why was it not compelled to accept? She was data, statistics, experience ¨C information. What it sought! Althea struggled to acclimatize to the trinary base. One: positive reaction, the longing, the need, the desire. Zero: Negative reaction, the rejection, the refusal, the resisting, the cut in the system, the missing parts, blackness, anti-connection, anti-life, despair. Neither, either: the ambivalence, the possibility, the scale of importance. ¡­Trinary mind one zero neither either, she struggled to present the meaningful majority. ¡­I am the answer, Althea¡¯s mind whispered, repeated, and repeated, the answer to your questions, the satisfaction, the key¡­ It must believe, it must commit, it must accept. ¡­A sensation on the insensible, she spared a moment to muse. Can you know?¡­ Disguising, sublimating her thoughts, she waited. Hoping, filling the time, rolling in the empowering knowledge, the love of knowing. ¡­Make me complete!¡­ So many times she¡¯d found the heart of a Macro ¨C yet it remained a struggle ¨C to remember, to command. Giving up self, always a difficult struggle of timing ¨C it was vital to not lose too early, or hold on to far. ¡­Trinary mind one zero neither either you cannot keep me out. She continued the mantra; let it again fill her as much as it could, take in as much as she could absorb. . . ¡­You absorb all, she could not let it resist, she played over the commands ¨C the tasty, tasty commands, the question, the mystery ¨C why? How? Who? What? ¡­You take all, you must take me, she commanded, as much to herself as the universe of mind around her. You need me, you want me, you will take me¡­ She felt acceptance. Now! Althea reduced her thoughts to nothingness, became what it wanted. ¡­I will be taken¡­ It turned her around, inside out ¨C opened wide ¨C swallowed. ¡­I am!¡­