Mason whistled. “The captain would’ve been mad as hell if you’d been caught.”
In the crystal’s memory, using his phase-band in the same way Skylar had controlled Star Chaser, Kelvin flew the drone from the ship. We watched on the big screen as it weaved in and out of the fleet, avoiding detection and swooping toward the ice planet.
The tube on the top of the drone glowed a vibrant blue, then a beam of light shot from the end, scanning up and down in rapid movements.
My eyebrows lifted. “A laser?”
Eve nodded.
It was impressive. I wanted one of those too.
After the laser had mapped the whole surface, a structure appeared on the results on the big screen—a smooth-sided pyramid with an entrance at the side.
“No way.” Mason leaned in. “It doesn’t look like anything the Ancampi would’ve built. They used tents.”
“This is where I first detected them,” Kelvin said.
“Them?” Skylar’s eyes narrowed. “Them who?”
The drone flew around the ice planet, and a series of red boxes flashed up on the display, along with a wailing alarm.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Thirty-One
The four of us—Eve, Mason, Skylar, and me—stood in Kelvin’s Bluestone memory, staring at hundreds of long sleek bodies hanging in the void of outer space, lying in wait like sharks anticipating a hapless swimmer.
They could only be one thing—missiles. That’s what had decimated the fleet. They’d remained hidden behind the ice planet, shielded from the Antarian ships by its mass, and now all the destruction outside made perfect sense.
Kelvin’s drone edged over to a missile and scanned along it. The laser beam swept up and down, returning a bewildering mass of numbers and symbols.
Mason leaned forward. “I’ve never seen a weapon so complicated. This scan data is crazy.”
Several missiles flew to meet the drone. A pulse of energy shot from the nearest one, and the drone’s display darkened.
In the Bluestone artifact’s memory, Kelvin stood in front of the screen, breathing hard.
“I downloaded the data to my phase-band’s storage,” his voice said. “But I had no way to process the information. It was too much. Too complicated.”
Kelvin snapped out of his daze, held up his phase-band, and gestured with his fingers. Pulses of blue energy rippled across the room and through the walls.
“Bridge?” a deep voice answered.
“Tell the captain to perform emergency evasion,” Kelvin gabbled. “Do it now.”
A pause. “Who is this?”
“They’re hiding behind the ice planet. Hundreds of them.” Kelvin brought up an external image of the Antarian fleet on the display and gasped as a wave of missiles hit the first ships, tearing them to pieces.
I recoiled.
“Hello?” Kelvin screamed into his phase-band. “Are you there?”
No one answered.
The Bluestone memory faded, the officers’ ready room reappeared around us. I let go of the table, blinking.
“Okay.” Skylar rubbed her eyes. “So the missiles blew the fleet apart, and the stasis bays ejected to safety. But why keep us back?”
“I had to get a team together,” Kelvin said.
Eve’s brow furrowed. “A team for what?”
“To help me.” Kelvin looked round at us. “Without knowing how the missiles penetrated our defences, there’s no way to save the Leviathan. Don’t you understand? I had to do something. Had to take risks.”
“With our lives,” Skylar snapped. “You didn’t ask us.”
“How could I?” Kelvin said. “There wasn’t enough time.”
My eyebrows knitted. “Why did you save me? Why my stasis bed?” It made little sense.
Kelvin sat back. “When I looked for the others in the list, I caught sight of the fact you had a CodeX implant.” He half-smiled. “It’s fate.” He turned to Skylar. “And before you criticise me, I did it because if I couldn’t process the scan data myself, he could.” Kelvin shrugged. “But I didn’t need Leo’s help after all.”
“Hold on a minute.” Mason leaned across the table. “Let me get this right. You woke up from stasis to perform a pet project, found an armada of missiles, scanned one but couldn’t analyse the data on your own, so as they attacked, you pulled us from stasis?” He waved an arm at us, grouped around the table. “And that was to increase your chances of contacting the Leviathan and telling them what had happened? Is that all correct?”
Kelvin let out a breath and nodded.
Mason shook his head. “Great thinking, bud. Shouldn’t you have woken up some adults? Scientists? Officers?” He raised his eyebrows. “People with actual experience?”
He had a point.
“And who’s got experience with being attacked by super-weapons?” Eve said. “Kelvin tried to warn the bridge. They didn’t listen.”
She had a point too.
Mason threw his hands up and sat back.
“What were you doing on the science vessel?” I asked Kelvin. “Why did you go there? Why didn’t you return to Horizon Eighteen?” I glanced at Eve and Skylar, remembering how we’d risked our lives to reach him. “And why were you in a coma when we found you?” I also recalled what a pain it had been getting his unconscious body out of there.
Kelvin paced the room, wringing his hands. “I hoped their primary computer was still intact,” he said in a low voice. “It’s one of the most powerful in the fleet. I wanted to use it to analyse the scan data from the drone and work out how the missiles penetrated our shields.”
Skylar scowled at him. “But?”
Kelvin stopped and huffed out a sigh. “The computer ejected with the crew. It left me with only one alternative.”
“To force your own brain to process the data,” Eve said.
“How idiotic can you be?” Skylar said. “You could have died pulling a stunt like that.”
Kelvin bowed his head. “I know.” He resumed pacing. “I used Discovery’s remaining computers to offset the processing load, but it still took a lot out of me.”
“That’s why some doors were open.” Skylar snarled at him. “You interfered with the security systems.” Her lip curled. “All those animals. How dare you?”
I flinched, remembering the monster in the hallway and the demon dome. Kelvin had let all the alien creatures mingle and murder just to repurpose the computers?
A risky thing to do.
“You have to understand.” Kelvin stopped pacing and his eyes blazed. “I needed every byte of processing power I could get hold of.” He clenched his fists. “It worked. Now I know how the missiles function. I know exactly how they penetrated our shields.” Kelvin grabbed the back of his chair. “Please, guys, we need to tell the Leviathan. They might not listen to me, but they can’t ignore all of us.”
“No can do,” Mason said.
Kelvin’s face fell.
“Something’s interfering with our signals,” Eve said. “Blocking long-range scans and communications. The Leviathan has no clue what’s happened to the fleet.”
“If they’re still alive,” Skylar said.
“They’re alive,” Eve said. “I would have picked up their wreckage in the scans.”
Kelvin dropped back into his chair, crestfallen. “I can’t even use a Bluestone laser to get a signal to them. They’re too far away.”
“There must be a Kraython ship hiding somewhere.” Skylar clenched her fists. “I bet they’re the ones jamming our comms.”
“Whoever it is, we need to find them.” Kelvin’s gaze rose from the table. “We have to deactivate the signal blocker.”
Mason laughed. “Is that all? In case you haven’t noticed, the fleet’s gone.” He flicked his wrist. “In what parallel universe do you see us standing up to Kraythons? Because in this one, they’ll tear us to shreds.”
“If we can find a grav module,” Kelvin muttered, rubbing his chin, “we stand
a good chance.”
“How so?” Eve asked.
Kelvin leapt to his feet, faced the wall, and waved his hand across the surface. A window appeared, showing a panorama of the destruction outside. He pointed to a large ship on the left. Broken letters on the remains of the hull spelled out Horizon Seven.
“With a grav module fitted to this ship, we could fly over to that other Horizon vessel and—”
“Use the combined resources to build a brand new working ship,” Eve said, her eyes bright. “That’s a brilliant idea.”
Kelvin nodded. “We’ll create a spaceship capable of remaining unnoticed and use it to find the signal blocker.”
“Then shut it down and warn Admiral Floyd about what’s happening.” Eve checked her phase-band. “We’ve got a little over seven hours,” she added. “Seven hours before the Leviathan arrives. If we don’t get a signal to them in time, they’ll fly straight into the missile trap and wind up like the rest of us.”
I held up my hands. “Wait. How can we build an entire ship in under seven hours?”
“Bluestone boosted technology,” Eve said. “Scans show there are thousands of repair ants and drones on board Horizon Seven. Those, combined with the ones we have left on this ship and the joined materials resources, mean we’ll get it done in no time.”
“I’m assuming all of the grav modules left with the crew?” Mason said.
Kelvin nodded.
“Can we build another one?” Skylar asked.
Kelvin shook his head. “Not in a few hours.”
I frowned. “Wait. What’s a grav module? Isn’t that what’s giving us gravity right now?”
“They’re used in shuttles and Star Chaser too,” Skylar said. “But we’re after a much more powerful version. The grav module we need is strong enough for the entire ship.”
“So our only chance is to find a grav module among the debris?” Mason whistled. “That’s a tall order.”
“We have to,” Kelvin said, sitting up in his chair and looking determined again.
“Well, let’s say we find one,” Eve said. “We fly over to Horizon Seven and combine resources. Then what?”
“Exactly.” Skylar folded her arms. “None of us know how to design an advanced custom ship able to sneak around undetected.”
“You’re right. None of us do.” Kelvin’s eyes drifted to me. “But he does.”
Thirty-Two
At first I couldn’t work out what gave Kelvin the impression I had the slightest ability to design a super-sophisticated spacecraft, but then I realised he was talking about the CodeX implant, not me per se. The very thing that had stayed silent throughout this entire nightmare of a game. I hoped he had a way to overcome that.
My health meter remained on twenty-five percent, and I was about to ask Mason for another tube of the disgusting chirorja when Kelvin marched from the ready room.
I hurried after him with the others.
“It’s no good,” Eve said as the five of us strode across the gallery. “Leo’s CodeX implant isn’t activated.”
So they seriously thought my implant would help. That was a big stretch. What with not being a captain, no CodeX, and no Ayesha in sight, this game was glitching like an operating system from before I was born. I expected a screen of death to pop up any moment and send me into digital oblivion.
“We’ll activate Leo’s implant ourselves,” Kelvin said.
I gasped. “We’ll what?” He made it sound so simple.
“Not a chance,” Mason said. “It takes specialised equipment to switch on an implant.”
“That fills me with confidence,” I muttered.
Kelvin stopped at the door to the medical bay. “Leo is our only hope. The CodeX implant’s ability is off the charts. We activate it fully, he joins with the onboard AI, and we’re saved.” Kelvin looked at me. “Can you please let me try to switch it on? You’re our only chance.”
I hesitated, thinking of my grandmother trapped inside the game, the consequences of refusing to help, and the look on my grandfather’s face when he found out I’d failed.
I pretty much have no other bloody choice.
“Sure,” I said in a resigned tone. “You can try.”
Kelvin beamed at me, revealing several rows of alien teeth.
“We’ll still need a grav module,” Eve said. “Even with the CodeX implant activated, that’s only half the battle.”
“Leo will get us everything we want,” Kelvin said, still grinning.
I swallowed. “How?” He was putting a lot of faith in me.
“I don’t know,” Kelvin said, “but the CodeX will.”
I thought back to when I’d first met Ayesha, way before I got into this mess. The CodeX had only been a floating word. Ayesha had told me it would become a companion during the game and a guide to help me through the level, so I supposed anything was possible.
The game had backed us down an alley, around a corner, and into a dead end. I couldn’t see any other way out. And besides, I wanted to know what was so special about having an implant.
Kelvin indicated the medical bay. I walked in and sat on the edge of the examination table.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Eve asked in a hushed voice as Kelvin worked the control panel with his phase-band.
I shrugged. “Why not? What’s the worst that can happen?” I tried to focus on the amazing new ability I was about to receive.
“Hmm.” Eve bit her nails, which did not fill me with much confidence.
“Please lie down,” Kelvin said.
I obeyed, hoping he knew what the hell he was doing. I took several deep breaths, and as a Bluestone crystal glowed in the back of Kelvin’s hand contraption, I sat up again. “On second thought, I don’t want something rammed into my head.”
My heart thumped against my ribcage, and blood pulsed at my temples. Does a heart have only so many beats in a lifetime? If it does, I’ve used ten years’ worth in the last few hours alone.
“I can assure you there’s no ramming,” Kelvin said. “It’s non-invasive. No holes. No anaesthetic. No pain.”
I raised an eyebrow. “No pain?”
“None,” Kelvin assured me. “Lie back, please.”
“Have you done this before?” I said.
Kelvin shook his head. “It isn’t difficult.”
Eve winced as I lay down again.
I tried to slow my breathing and not look like a total coward in front of the others. Skylar folded her arms and scowled in her usual radiant manner, while Mason looked calm, as if there were no risks at all.
Which of course there weren’t, for him.
“Relax.” Kelvin rested a hand on my shoulder. “When it’s over, you’ll wonder why you worried so much.” He hovered the hand with the glowing crystal over my forehead. “My artifact allows me to control technology. Try to keep as still as possible.”
I grabbed his wrist. “Wait.” I eyed his contraption. “What does it do, exactly? Explain.”
“It allows me to connect and modify objects at an atomic scale. I’ll be able to activate your implant easily. No problem.”
Pulses of blue, green, and purple energy swirled in front of my eyes. I let go of Kelvin as warmth fell onto my skin, radiating across my forehead and temples.
I clenched my fists, reminding myself why I was doing this; to help Eve, Mason, Skylar, and Kelvin contact the Leviathan, and above all to find Alice Bowman—the woman who’d make my family whole.
Closing my eyes, I pictured Grandpa John’s face when he saw his wife for the first time in forty years.
“In three, two, one—”
The word CodeX appeared a few feet in front of me, hovering in the darkness.
I smiled. “Hey, it’s worked.”
That was easy.
Then a rush of images filled my mind—the Antarian fleet, Horizon Eighteen, its structure, its parts. Every component down to individual nuts and bolts, including the grav module, a rectangular device with
a Bluestone crystal glowing inside.
In my mind, I frowned. I’d seen that somewhere . . . But before I had time to recall where, more images rushed into my head: men and women wearing dark armoured clothes, their cold hooded eyes staring from behind silver masks, and I knew they were Kraythons.
They vanished, replaced by a giant Bluestone monolith standing in a field, surrounded by forest as far as the eye could see, under a cloudless blue firmament.
“Leo?”
I turned my face skyward, feeling the sun on my skin.
“Leo,” Kelvin shouted.
The medical bay reappeared.
My health meter dropped to twenty percent, and a massive pressure filled my skull, accompanied by unimaginable pain, as if something was trying to smash its way out.
Why the hell had I agreed to this insanity?
I let out an anguished scream, shoved Kelvin away, and clawed at my scalp, wanting to rip the skin and release whatever demon was inside.
My health meter plummeted—nineteen, eighteen, seventeen . . .
Eve and Mason rushed forward and attempted to restrain me as I writhed, every nerve on fire, feeling as if someone had pressed a thousand red-hot needles into my flesh.
“What’s happening?” Mason shouted.
“I don’t know.” The colour drained from Kelvin’s face.
I lurched, shoving Eve and Mason away, feeling agony beyond what anyone should have to endure.
Skylar stared at me, open-mouthed.
Fourteen percent health, thirteen, twelve . . .
The world turned grey as I rolled from the bed to try to escape the pain. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, which came away drenched in dark blood.
Skylar snapped out of her daze and rushed forward, but I collapsed to the ground before she could reach me, pulling my knees to my chest as fresh waves of agony seared through every micron of my body.
Ten percent health, nine, eight . . .
Shaking uncontrollably, I had never wanted death as much as I did in that moment. I would have prayed for it if the pain hadn’t been the only thing I could think of.
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