Crash looked up at her, a faint smile on his lips, barely detectable.
“Crash,” she finished, “I’d like you to get in as many sim hours as possible.” Her face dropped and became serious. “But make sure you take proper breaks and rest time. I’m not having you burning yourself out so you’re good for nothing when we have to fly.”
Crash nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, before allowing a smile to return to his face. “I can do me the flying,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.
Chapter 6
Planet Kurilia, Koin Star System, Zhyn Empire
Shaa paced the width of his enormous office, a few feet from the paneled windows. “This has that human, Reynolds, written all over it,” he growled, his breath catching short in his lungs.
He was getting old, and his body was starting to feel it. Being stuck behind a desk and unable to fight anymore wasn’t helping his health, or his temperament.
Davon watched his master as he stood a short distance back from the desk — his usual spot for addressing His Highness. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, biding his time for the moment to reel the conversation in a useful direction.
“Find me evidence it was Reynolds!” Shaa commanded.
Davon didn’t move. Shaa kept pacing. A few strides later, he turned and looked at Davon. “What is it?” he snapped, his bluster forgotten, and now concerned for what other news he had to deal with.
Davon rubbed his hands a little, trying to soothe himself while minimizing his fidgeting. “Your Highness, we have already begun gathering intel,” he began. He took a deeper breath before continuing. “It seems the attack was on our computer systems only. There is still no evidence of a full invasion.”
Shaa turned and walked back towards the desk and rested his hands on the back of his antigrav chair. “And?” he asked, more curious than demanding now.
Davon continued. “It seems we had an intruder breach our data center not an hour prior.” He paused, waiting to see if Shaa would explode.
Shaa remained silent — too silent for Davon’s liking. Davon continued. “It seems two humans managed to access the data center, and plant some kind of code. It was in our new language… which rules out the Etheric Empire. They only had access to our old code, which we’ve also been using as a diversion…” His voice trailed off as he watched Shaa’s reaction.
The blue Zhyn went a deep red, and then turned purple around the boney frill framing his head. Still he remained silent. Seething. He gripped the chair and pulled it out roughly from behind his desk and sat down. There he sat for several moments, waves of anger pouring off him, as he fought to compose himself.
Davon waited patiently, relieved that the windows were at least still intact. Hell, relieved that he was still intact.
Shaa eventually seemed to have released the majority of his fury. He looked up at Davon, anger still smoldering in his eyes. “But if they were humans, surely they won’t have been acting alone?”
Davon shook his head. “At this stage, we don’t know. Although,” he paused, wondering whether to broach the next thought. “It’s not the Etheric Empire’s style. We know Reynolds would try and broker a negotiation. If he wanted us disarmed, he would have at least suggested it as part of the terms of his disarmament. The Empress of the Etheric Empire would have come in here with incendiaries, and blown us all to shit. This group - whoever they are - just don’t seem to fit with either of those approaches. And there is still no indication the Federation knows anything about these secret bases.”
Shaa shook his head. “And it begs the question, how did they get hold of our code to be able to even read our data, let alone hack through our security?” He leaned his arms on his desk and hung his head a little. “Humans aren’t capable of reading our language. The code is too sophisticated; we checked that already. They just don’t have the working memory…”
“…So they couldn’t have been acting alone.” Davon finished his sentence for him.
Shaa nodded, his eyes now solemn more than enraged. “And that,” he added, “brings us on to which of our allies have we shared our developments with, who could potentially do this?”
Davon bowed his head respectfully. “I shall find out straight away, Your Highness.”
Shaa waved his hand to dismiss him. “Conduct your investigation quietly, though. We don’t want anything getting out, if it is one of our allies that we have to strike down.”
Davon bowed again, and then left the room. Shaa’s gaze followed him out, before dropping to the desk in front of him.
Gaitune-67, Safe house, Common area
Molly finished reviewing the document and looked up from her holo. Paige had been tracking her eye movement, trying to deduce her opinions from her facial expressions. Finally she was going to hear Molly’s take on her editorial.
Paige looked at Molly expectantly. “So? What do you think?” she asked, her eyes hopeful.
The three girls were sitting on the sofas, while the hub of the others buzzed around them. Sean and Joel were watching the holo screen, which was playing some kind of sport that ADAM had recommended. They had the sound routed through their implants.
Molly glanced at Maya, who was still engrossed in reading the article. She looked briefly down at her holo again. “I think it’s great.”
Paige smiled. “Really?” she asked brightly.
Molly nodded. “Yeah, it’s interesting. It’s got good pace.”
Paige detected there was something Molly was holding back on. “But…?” she pressed.
Molly frowned a little and scrolled back up. “I’m just thinking about how a reader would perceive it. It might need a stronger hook at the beginning. Maybe think of what it takes to attract someone’s attention so that they know there is a reason, a benefit to them, to keep reading.”
Paige pursed her lips and looked down at her copy. She scribbled a few notes. “So, from a customer’s perspective, you mean?”
Molly nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Imagine your ideal customer is looking at the article, and then tell them up front the thing that would most get their attention.”
Paige nodded. “Okay, great. I’ll have to think about that.”
Maya lifted her head, and Paige turned to her next. “Well?” Paige asked.
Maya bobbed her head. “It’s great. I agree with Molly. But how do they get the product?”
Paige slumped back in her chair. “I’m still looking at manufacturing options. Looks like it’s going to have to happen on Ogg, for cost reasons.”
Molly looked at her, impressed with her progress. She closed her holo. “You’ve got a quote in?”
Paige nodded. “Yeah. I like a couple of companies in the inner system, but there’s one on Ogg that I think is going to be able to handle the process, and is going to be the cheapest.”
Molly smiled. “Well, that’s good, then.”
Paige looked a little anxious. “Well, I hope so. It’s a big step.”
Molly smiled. “You can do this,” she told Paige, looking deep into her eyes until Paige nodded.
Molly turned to Maya. “So, you were thinking about a call to action at the end of the piece?”
Maya nodded, pulling up her screen again. “Yeah. I think that it would be stronger if we deliberately led people into what their next action is. That’s how you capitalize on this kind of thing. It need only be a single line: ‘if you want to try this new, bulletproof nail color, then click here.’ Boom. And you’re done.”
Paige frantically took down the notes as Maya talked. She was silent for a few more seconds. “Okay. I’ve got it,” she told them. “Thanks so much for your help… I’ll go get those other bits sorted, and let your friend at Newstainment know what’s happening.”
Maya smiled, closing her holo. “Great stuff. It’s going to be a hit. You’re doing great!”
Paige smiled weakly. “Thanks. I appreciate your support,” she said, looking first at Ma
ya and then at Molly.
Molly smiled and stood up. “Any time,” she said. “Now I need to go check on some work that Oz is sending through,” she added, excusing herself from the group.
As she walked past where Paige and Maya were sitting, she started to feel a little lightheaded.
Paige was the first to recognize what was going on, and turned in her seat to see what was happening.
Molly kept walking, moving off into the center of the common area, and then to the foyer. With each step, she felt a little fainter.
A little stranger.
She spotted Neechie just to her right. Brock was coming towards the common area from the basement door. He said something to her, but she couldn’t hear it. She could only see his lips moving.
The world around her went blue, flashing her into another world. She recognized what was happening.
She felt hands on her arms from people behind her grabbing hold to steady her as she wavered.
The blue world had people in it, too. There were military people walking around; none of them seemed to see her. Neechie was still there, though.
Then the world flashed back to normal. She gazed at the Sphinx, noticing he had been in both places. She felt hot and faint and sick…
The world flashed again, into another blue place where everything was rock.
She was completely alone.
It looked like Gaitune - but there was nothing around. No landmarks. Nothing she recognized.
Then she looked up, and there was an enormous ship hovering above her. It was large and menacing, yet she felt safe and protected; as if she were somehow distanced from what was happening.
Suddenly, she flashed back to the real world, and her vision started to go black at the edges.
She was aware of falling and hitting something with a thump, but nothing in her body hurt. She was enveloped in comfort, and then nothing.
Gaitune-67, Safe house, Molly’s quarters
Molly slowly became aware of feeling comfort, like she was wrapped in cotton, and completely at ease. And then she became aware of her body.
“She’s waking up, Joel.” It was Paige’s voice. Molly stirred, opening her eyes, and looked over to where the sound was coming from, as her eyes adjusted to the light.
Paige was smiling down at her. Molly heard the scrape of a chair and movement, and then Joel appeared behind Paige.
Molly tried to bring herself around quicker. “What happened?” she asked, trying to use her voice – which felt like it hadn’t been used in a month.
Joel answered first. “You took a tumble,” he told her. “How you feeling?”
Molly tried to shrug from her lying down position in the bed. “I dunno. I just woke up from a nap.”
Paige interjected. “You didn’t just fall. You jumped realms again. Do you remember what happened?” she asked.
Molly felt confused. Her mind was foggy as she clung to the sensation of comfort that was fast evaporating. She searched her memory like a dream that was fading away. “I remember something. I remember being out on the rock… Out there… I remember military people walking around this place…”
Paige looked across at Joel. “What if… I know this sounds crazy, but she might have been time jumping. There were probably military people here, once. Before the base was abandoned.”
Joel nodded. Paige reached forward to Molly’s neck. Molly flinched, afraid that what she was about to do would tickle her. Paige fumbled a second for her necklace. “Looks like this isn’t helping.”
Molly rolled onto her side, and hauled herself into a sitting position. “It had been about five hours since I meditated…” she offered.
Paige frowned. “We need to find a more permanent solution. Something tells me this isn’t just going to disappear…”
Molly sighed, hanging her head.
Paige looked at her, still frowning, her eyes filled with concern. “Can I get you anything? A mocha, perhaps?”
Molly shook her head. “No thanks,” she said quietly. “It’s still making me feel nauseous.”
That’s when she realized Sean was in the room. He stood up from his seat in her living room, and wandered over to the bed, on the other side from Paige and Joel. “That’s something we need to look into,” he said seriously. “The nanocytes make it so that there isn’t anything physically wrong with you. There can’t be. That’s their job… to fix anything that is broken, and make everything inside balanced.” He looked solemn as he glanced across at Joel. “I think there is something else going on,” he explained.
Molly stuck out her bottom lip. “I hate this.”
Paige rubbed her arm. “I know, honey. We’ll figure it out, though. Just you hang in there.”
Molly started to peel back the blankets that Paige had covered her over with while she slept. “How long was I out for?” she asked.
Paige checked her holo. “About half an hour. Maybe a little more.”
Molly nodded as she got up. Joel and Paige backed up to give her space.
“What are you doing?” Paige asked.
Molly stretched a little, finding her house shoes. “I’m going to go have a word with ADAM, and see if we can’t get this fixed once and for all. I can’t keep going through this, and run a base. Or show up on an op. It’s in the Empire’s interest to help us solve this…”
There were nods and sounds of agreement from the others. Molly found her hoodie on the end of the bed, and pulled it on as she ambled gingerly out of the room.
Joel watched her go, shaking his head.
Paige looked up at him. “I’m really worried about her. What if she came back wrong?”
Sean had been heading towards the door, but when he heard Paige’s comment, he turned around with passion in his eyes. “Don’t ever say that again. She’s just adjusting. We’re going to figure this out.” He hit the panel on the door, and disappeared out into the corridor after Molly.
Chapter 7
Gaitune-67, Base, Ops Room
Molly arrived in the Ops Room, having agreed to let Sean accompany her in case she fell and experienced head trauma. Now, perched at her usual console, she sat awaiting ADAM’s arrival.
Sean sat a few consoles back, in an antigrav chair, carefully watching his leader: she was swinging her legs, her hands shoved into her hoodie pockets, with her hood up, covering her hair.
It took a few minutes, but ADAM arrived. “Greetings, Molly. How goes it?” he asked.
Molly straightened up a little, pulling herself back from her idle thoughts. “Hi, ADAM. I was wondering if we could get some help on these episodes I’ve been having? The meditations have only helped so much, and Paige’s pendant helped a little, but it feels like we’re fighting an incoming tide.”
She paused. “Did you speak with your contact about helping me? The classified one?”
ADAM’s audio clicked on again. “I did indeed, and she agreed to help. She’s just wrapping up some other things for us right now, but she should be available soon. I will have her reach out to you as soon as she is able.”
Sean watched. He could see Molly’s face light up in relief.
“That’s great!” she exclaimed brightly. “Who is she? And how will she contact me?”
ADAM’s voice was serious again. “As it happens, it’s someone you’ve already met. She’ll swing by when she can; I have no doubt. In the meantime, keep up with the meditation practice. She has assured me that it is the most effective thing you can do until she can get to you.”
Molly eyed the console suspiciously. “Who is she, though?”
ADAM chuckled a little. “Ah, I like it when you get surprises, so I’m not going to tell you.”
Molly scowled a little. “Dammit, ADAM. This is serious! It’s no time for games. Just tell me!”
ADAM seemed to be smiling as he responded. “Molly, I’m a very old AI; there isn’t much left in this world that gives me pleasure. But surprising you a
nd giving Sean shit are two of my favorite pleasures. Don’t deny an old man that.”
Molly mumbled something inaudibly under her breath.
“No need to be like that, Ms. Bates,” ADAM continued. “It’s good for you not to always have all the answers.”
Molly scowled at the console, wishing that ADAM was more embodied so she could hit him. “Yeah, well, if I die, or end up in some hell dimension, I want it written on my tombstone: ‘Here lies Molly Bates. Dead because some jackass of an AI wanted to get his ya-yas in at her expense.’”
ADAM chuckled again. “Ms. Bates, that is something I can certainly arrange for you.”
Molly started slipping down from the invisible stool she had perched herself on. “Fine,” she told him.
“Well, okay, then. Your person will be in touch soon. Good luck, Ms. Bates.”
“Thanks, ADAM. Bye for now…” she said. The audio channel clicked off again.
Sean stood up and ambled over. “Well, sounds like some progress was made, at least.”
Molly shook her head. “That guy… honestly. I swear he and Oz are more human than most of the humans I know.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “I know. Tell me about it. The guy has been jerking my chain for…”
Molly glanced up at him waiting to hear how many years he had known ADAM.
Sean caught himself just in time. “… for ancestors know how long,” he concluded, grinning.
Molly shook her head, and headed out of the ops room. Finding out Sean’s actual age wasn’t high on the list of tasks requiring her energy right now.
She paused, turning back to him and narrowing her eyes. “And I swear Oz is becoming a bad influence on him. Didn’t ADAM used to be more stuck-up, before he and Oz started mind-melding?”
Sean shrugged as he followed her out. “You know, you may have a point there.”
Gaitune-67, Basement, Workshop
Pieter and Brock sat at one of the benches in the workshop. Crash had wandered in earlier, on a break from the flight simulator; but hearing that they were deep in technical discussions, had grabbed his antigrav mug and disappeared again.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 94
