by Jason Kent
Sparrow concentrated on maneuvering the Aether Source through the small door and into the waiting storage crate. Electricity suddenly licked the outside of the containment chamber.
Merrick dove in front of Kate and pushed her away from the lightning. He grunted as a stray bolt stuck him in the back. Kate instinctively steadied Merrick with her hand only to be rewarded with a shock of own.
"We need to get out of the line of fire!" Merrick hissed loudly through clenched teeth.
Kate pulled Merrick farther away from the lightning. Another bolt of electricity snaked through the hatch and exploded against a conduit behind Sparrow. Kate cringed as a shower of sparks and bits of insulation rained down on her and Merrick.
"That's probably not a bad idea!" Kate admitted. She helped Merrick take cover behind a large pipe. Kate looked around the pipe enough to see Sparrow. With as much encouragement as she could muster, she called, "Come on, girl!"
The orb began to pulse as it reached the threshold of the hatch. Flames swirled madly just below its faceted surface and lightning struck out in every direction at once. Sparrow gasped, surprised by the fresh out-pouring of energy.
Sparrow's magnetic grip on the Aether Source faltered. The orb's movement faltered and then it slammed into the access door frame. Flames spread out over the exterior of the containment chamber. The force of the unleashed energies drove Sparrow back. She lost the rest of her control over the orb and it dropped to the bottom of the crystal chamber.
"No!" Kate yelled. She reached for Sparrow but Merrick grabbed Kate's arm. He pulled her back behind the relative safety of the pipe as bolts of electricity shot toward them. Kate pressed around their cover as far as she dared, desperate to see if her friend was okay.
Sparrow regained her footing and forced her hands back through the open hatch. She was able to gain control over the bolts with her implants, but the jagged flow of lightning all around her was still terrifying to look upon. With her arms and hands once again past the threshold of the door, Sparrow leaned forward and flexed her fingers toward the Aether Source. The orb trembled but did not rise. She didn't have time for this. Sparrow bent to grab hold of the flaming artifact with her bare hands.
"No, Sparrow!" Kate shouted. "Don't touch it! Give it some time to calm down!"
The ground shook from the battle unfolding above them. Kate was flung back against Merrick.
"There's..." Sparrow gasped as a bolt of electricity found its way past her defenses and raced up her arm. She focused on containing the lightning before finishing, "...no time!"
"You don't have to do this!" Kate yelled and broke free of Merrick's grasp. She stepped toward Sparrow only to be shocked by the electricity arcing away from the Sprite. Kate was thrown against a row of nearby equipment. She was rattled but able to focus on Sparrow enough to shout, "Leave it!"
"I see...no other way!" Sparrow panted. She moved her hands closer to the roaring blue flames.
"Sparrow!" Kate screamed, desperation filling her voice. Tears slid over her cheeks as she called, "Don't!"
Sparrow looked back at her friend and managed a sliver of a smile. Without another word, Sparrow clasped her hands on either side of the pulsing Aether Source.
"NO!" Kate sobbed. She looked on in terror as her friend was enveloped in blue flames and a ball of pure energy. "SPARROW! LET GO!"
Sparrow knew Kate was calling to her, but she could not spare the attention to focus on what her friend was so adamantly trying to tell her. Her mind was filled with the unexpected song of the Aether Source as it pressed into every fiber of her being. Sparrow tightened her grip on the orb and the mysterious song rose in successive pitches until the blindingly beautiful music threatened to completely overwhelm her. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the orb was just another piece of equipment she needed to adjust; just another valve to turn...except it most definitely was not.
The orb was not a tool Sparrow could easily use her upgrades to manipulate. Here, in her hands, was something else entirely.
Sparrow struggled to keep from getting lost within the orb's song. She realized in a flash there was so much more here than simply a power source...
The circuits of Sparrows net interface implants along her forehead flared brilliantly to life. Her back stiffened as both the net implants and the sensors in her hands synced with the pulsing frequencies streaming from the orb. Sparrow's eyes flew open and she stared into the swirling depths of the Aether Source, unable to pull her gaze away. She wasn't just holding the orb. Sparrow gasped and realized she held...
Everything...
Sparrow sucked in a ragged breath as she began to understand the truth of what the Aether Source really was; it tapped into the very fabric of space and time. Yes, they' discussed back in the Archives how it was able to pull energy from a quantum level. But, actually holding the Aether Source, joining with the artifact, was an entirely different thing. Here was something which was impossible to adequately describe in an academic setting. Most of what the archivist had learned came from the recovered tablet. Needless to say, the description they'd deciphered paled in comparison to reality.
Something clicked in Sparrow's mind. For what felt like the first time in her life, Sparrow thought she'd found absolute clarity of purpose. All of her existence, every experience and choice she'd made, even the upgrades forced upon her by Knowl, had shaped her mind and body in order to prepare her.
For. This. Very. Moment.
Sparrow stopped fighting the Aether Source; no longer attempting to bend it to her will. She let out a long breath and allowed the orb's song to wash over her. Her arms thrummed and her head throbbed as she synced her mind with the depths of the orb.
The new vision Sparrow experienced was far beyond anything she'd ever encountered before. Diving into the Aether Source made surfing a civilization-spanning data net pale in comparison. To Sparrow, it seemed as if she'd been reading post-it notes all her life. Until now. Here in her hands, was access to pure knowledge. Pure information on a galactic scale.
Sparrow laughed out loud.
Hollow. Endless echoes resounding across time...
Sparrow was not entirely sure the sound came from her lips or if it was merely bouncing around inside her head like so many tiny ball bearings dropped on a concrete floor. Was this experience with the orb similar to Kate's conversations with Nemus? Kate's link to Nemus was always a mystery to Sparrow. The Link Sprite imagined it was somehow akin to her net interface. Sparrow visualized Kate and the others cruising through Nemus' memories and thoughts similar to how she navigated data structures and negotiated security interface protocols within established, structured systems. She could not have been more wrong. Now she understood a little of what Kate meant when she talked about 'communing' with the great tree. Sparrow was not just reading data, she had become part of the data stream. The wonder of it all made her shiver.
Everywhere Sparrow turned her mind's eye, an infinite number of possible roads led away into swirling darkness. She felt the tug of each one calling to her, enticing her to discover the mysteries which lay just beyond her sight. The longer she focused on one path, the harder she found it to stay in place. She fought to keep from losing herself down millions of inviting rabbit holes.
...come...
Sparrow knew all she needed to do was to think of where she wished to go and the secrets of the universe would be unveiled to her. It was incredible...but...
With a jolt, Sparrow realized she must not allow herself to succumb to the calls pressing in on her mind. Ross' face along with the memory of Kate and Merrick anxiously waiting in the lab popped into Sparrow's head. She had to get back to them.
And yet, Sparrow paused to consider the universe at her fingertips. It was indeed awesome...
Sparrow's brow furrowed as she tried to put words to what she was...seeing? Feeling? Neither word seemed to adequately capture the overwhelming sensory immersion.
Sparrow tentatively reached out with her mind towards a part
icularly bright path. The orb did the rest.
The Aether Source enfolded Sparrow, smothering her with streams of light. She began to panic as her lungs constricted and the brilliance was replaced by impenetrable darkness. The blackness...blinked...
Suffocating...
Information pressed in on Sparrow from all around. It felt as if she were deep under the ocean being crushed by the weight of thousands of tons of water.
With a flash, Sparrow caught a glimpse of the information stored in a billion blazing stars. More information was to be found deep within planetary crusts, on the surface of icy moons, and even in the dark spaces in between.
Cold...
It was...so cold.
Sparrow felt her body shudder in response to the revelation. Yes, given time, she might be able to make sense of the tiniest fraction of the material. But, unlike what Kate described during her meetings with Nemus, there was no life as she knew it. There was just the cold, heartless universe. The orb tapped into the unfeeling while Nemus was connected to the warmth of life.
Sparrow tried to remember the heat of Ross' hand in hers, the sound of Kate's voice...
Kate...
Kate was here. Sparrow knew she was...
Not. Alone.
Sparrow shifted her gaze, found a new data stream, and thought her way into it. In an instant, she was enveloped by a blinding light and then dropped into a pool of endless, freezing darkness.
Falling...
She entered a new repository and instantly knew she was deep within a stellar nova. Although struck by awe, Sparrow pushed away the urge to linger, to absorb and study the information all around her. She dove down another path. Everywhere she went, she heard a familiar voice calling her name mingled with the song of the orb and a distant crackling like huge icebergs grinding against one another. She shifted her attention to a path, which seemed to lead her closer to the voice, and sped along another data stream...
How many roads had she traveled? For how long? Sparrow was having trouble keeping track of herself amid the tumbling, immense storage system.
"Keep to your path," Sparrow told herself as she followed the voice. "Keep to your path." Every now and again, she let her attention shift fractionally to the churning darkness, always closing in on the edge of her consciousness. Dark pits radiated an even deeper cold than she could have imagined and she would swear something was urging her to turn aside and join the endless chaos. The idea stirred a feeling of longing inside Sparrow, she needed to focus on the sound of the voice she was chasing...and remember she was trying to get back.
Kate, yes it definitely was Kate calling her.
Still, the darkness sang its lullaby to her...
"No!" Sparrow shouted inside her mind. "Stay on the path!" She focused on the brilliant flow swirling around her and took a dive into a dead planet's coal-black core.
She heard a new voice join Kate's. Sparrow closed her eyes and found she recognized it as well.
"Ross," Sparrow whispered. The longing in her heart turned away from the cold emptiness of space to warmer thoughts. Embraces. Strong arms.
...his hot breath on her neck as they held onto each other...
Cold... Sparrow realized her hands were so cold they were burning.
Hands!
Sparrow gasped as she opened her eyes and a flash of blue lightning from the Aether Source nearly blinded her.
"Sparrow!"
The Link Sprite quickly took in her surroundings. She was engulfed in a whirlwind of blue flames and crackling electricity. She still held the orb firmly in her grip; the source of the arctic chill burning her hands. Sparrow turned to look at Kate and Ross standing as close as they could with the maelstrom surrounding her. She could see the worry etched on both of their faces. For a moment, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing.
"Need to get rid of it!" Sparrow muttered to herself. She took a deep breath. The air around her smelled of ozone and hot oil.
The orb.
Sparrow remembered she needed to get the Aether Source into the crate at her feet. She tore her eyes from Kate's and found the box where Ross had left it a few minutes ago. Had it been only minutes? How long had she been lost in the orb's data streams? She realized she may have spent her lifetime lost exploring the far corners of the galaxy. Sparrow shook her head. More than likely, she'd been gone only a matter of seconds. A corner of her rational brain believed she had been gone for years or centuries. No. Kate, Merrick, and Ross were still here. Still with her. Despite the short passage of time, Sparrow was relieved they were still alive. How could any of them hope to survive the power unleashed by the orb?
Sparrow knew she needed to act. She looked down into the depths of the orb once more, this time managing to avoid being pulled into the icy data streams. Sparrow closed her mind to what was...inside the Aether and focused on the orb itself.
Firewall.
The orb had physical form, she told herself, which meant she could control it. Her upgrades were exactly what was needed right now. She could separate herself from the orb.
"Thanks, Knowl," Sparrow breathed. She willed the orb to stay in place using the magnetic generators and pulled her hands away. The orb hovered within her magnetic 'grip' between her outstretched arms. Lighting and flames intensified around her, as if fighting her for control of the Aether. Sparrow tilted her head and imagined embracing the orb as Ross had embraced her before. The flames died down and the bolts of electricity faltered. Sensing her control over the alien device had strengthened, Sparrow shifted her body around until the orb was directly over the reinforced shipping crate.
Holding her breath, Sparrow pulled her hands back. The Aether Source dropped and for an instant, she imagined it exploding into a billion shards when it hit the bottom of the case. The swirling cloud of flame and lightning closed in around the orb as it fell onto the cradle set within the box.
Sparrow staggered back, both from sheer physical exhaustion and the shock of being abruptly cut off from the pure, hard data that the universe had tried to force upon her. She was so relieved the orb was still in one piece in the crate, she almost didn't notice the pair of arms wrapping around her torso to drag her clear. She watched with an odd detachment as Merrick rushed toward the crate in a crouch. Half turning away in an attempt to shield his face from the electrical discharges and swirling flames, the sniper took a firm hold of the lid and slammed it shut. The roar of the flames and crackle of lightning ended abruptly. Silence engulfed the engine room, broken only by Sparrow and the others gasping for breath.
Kate collapsed onto the ground next to Sparrow and reached a tentative hand toward her. She brushed the younger woman's hair away from her face. "Sparrow? You okay?"
"Least we didn't blow up," Sparrow said, her words slurring as if she had been drinking too much. She shook her head. "Sorry. Took a lot out of me..."
"Guess we lucked out this time," Kate replied with a forced smile. She continued to gaze into Sparrow's eyes with concern. "Just take a minute to rest."
"Sure," Sparrow agreed. She didn't have the ability to do anything else just then anyway. She sighed and closed her eyes. After a moment, she remembered someone was still holding her tight. She arched her neck and found Ross staring at her.
"Hey," Sparrow said weakly.
"Hey, yourself," Ross replied with a look of genuine relief on his face. "That was quite a show!"
Sparrow held up her hands and stared at her palms for a long moment. The intricate, embedded patterns were still glowing, but were much dimmer than they'd been when she was manipulating the orb. Without them, there was no way she could have controlled the Aether Source. She looked back at Ross and gently touched his cheek. "Well, I try to please."
In response, Ross gave her a squeeze.
Sparrow turned to look at the packing crate. Merrick was fighting with the catches. Sparrow remembered the name Ross had bestowed on the crate as he'd dragged it into the engine room. He'd dubbed the heavy duty box the 'ACU'
for Aether Containment Unit. Sparrow found herself smiling at the big marine's habit of turning every name into an acronym. Still, it fit.
The orb. Sparrow's thoughts turned back to her immersion in the Aether Source and its limitless data streams. She looked up at Kate.
"Is this what you go through every time?" Sparrow asked.
Kate returned the Link Sprite's gaze with a confused look. "Every time we snag an artifact?"
"No," Sparrow laughed. She paused, searching for the right words. "The orb...it does more than tap into energy at some base quantum level. It...well...it provides a way to access...information..." She stared at Kate, willing her to catch her meaning. "It's all around us!"
Kate's eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder at the crate with the orb now safely secured inside. When she again met Sparrow's gaze, she asked, "You mean, like Nemus?"
"Yeah," Sparrow said. "But, it was cold. You know what I mean?"
"No, not really," Kate admitted with a grin. "It's not like that with Nemus. And it wasn't like that with Knowl." Kate shook her head and laid a hand against Sparrow's cheek. "Tell you what, we'll swap stories later. For now, let's concentrate on getting out of here!"
Chapter 28
Plausible Deniability
Georges and Tivon found the doors to the bridge sealed. Georges swiped his forged identity card over the access panel and stepped away. When the doors failed to immediately open, he reached over and slammed the card against the reader again.
"Red light!" Tivon hissed. "What now?"
"Security must have locked down everything when the attack started," Georges surmised. He tossed the keycard aside and shrugged off his pack. "Looks like we'll need to do this the old-fashioned way."
Georges pulled out a metallic egg. The smooth oval fit neatly in the palm of his hand as he punched in a code on the embedded keypad. With a whir, the device sprang to life. Eight articulated legs uncurled from the machine along with a cluster of gleaming eyestalks. With all its appendages extended, it looked like a golden beetle. Georges placed the clockwork beetle over the access pad. "Time to do your thing, little guy."
