by Skyler Grant
Instead of the few hours flight back home we were in the air for something closer to twelve. Given the cramped quarters, it made things more than a little uncomfortable.
"They're asking if there will be any problems, if they hand us back control. Landing in the current state would be risky," Hammer said.
I didn't want to play along, but I also didn't want my people dying in a crash.
"We'll play nice," I said.
The airship trembled again. I went up to the cockpit just in time to see the swarms of drones disengage and fly away from us. We were surrounded by white, blocky structures dimly visible in heavy snow.
"One of the poles?" I asked.
"The north. Ceded to them after the war. They like it cold," Inanna said. Below us lights flashed revealing a landing platform.
"You sure about this?" Inanna asked.
"We try to fly off, they'll just pull us back again. Let’s hear them out," I said.
Inanna landed and opened the hatch.
Above us a large dome was closing, cutting off the sky. We were trapped, but at least heated air was flooding in.
"They wish to see the sphere," Hammer said, grabbing it and tucking it under one arm.
I figured, why else would they have brought us all the way out here?
I wasn't even sure Hammer was entirely on our side right now.
"I'll allow it. If it stays in your possession," I said.
Hammer paused at that, listening to voices within. "I can be nearby, but the testing environments are not all suited for human physiology."
"They can figure out a way to make it work or I can put a few bullets in the thing right now," I said.
It was a mostly empty threat. Right now, the Collective could kill us all and simply take it. But I was concerned that once the sphere left my sight I'd have no ability to do anything.
"Agreed. They'll make it work although it will delay things," Hammer said, and walked off. An iris in a wall of the hangar slid open and he disappeared.
A moment later a different iris opened and flashing lights beckoned that was where we should go.
Great. I hoped that the Collective were good hosts.
They were. The iris opened to a small hall that led into a much larger lounge with several bedrooms attached. There were warm colors, freshly blooming flowers, and paintings a bit too impressionistic for my tastes decorating the walls. Masque and Billy slipped off to find the restrooms while the rest of us looked around.
A flicker and Ismene appeared, the hologram was the best I'd ever seen her. My friend looked real as she walked around and took the place in. She said, "We have to get one of these."
Sparks was staring a bit hard. "We really do. I want to get a look at those specs."
I was sure those weren't what he was interested in staring at.
"Nice place. I'm surprised they have rooms for humans at all," I said.
"They actually do a lot of entertaining," Inanna said. "There are even quite a few human residents, from what I understand. There were many who fought on their side in the war, like Hammer."
"He did seem a little close to them," I said.
Sparks managed to glance up from Ismene to give me a frown. "He's our teammate now, but he fought beside them too. Man don't forget those kinds of bonds."
No, he wouldn't. I knew that better than anyone. Ismene still hadn't managed to find any of my old squad members. They'd be twenty years older, but I still wanted to catch up.
"We came all this way and they aren't even talking to us?" I asked.
Ismene moved over to flop out on a very plush-looking couch. It was amazingly realistic apart from the motion of the fabric itself. "They're talking to me. They're excited to see me, there aren't many who aren't a part of them now."
"Are we guests or prisoners?"
"Little bit of one and a little bit of the other, I think," Ismene said. "They don't want to hurt any of us. They really like us, I think. But they also want to know what is going on with what we found, and figured that you'd say no to them poking and prodding, so decided not to ask."
They were right on that score. It was getting them results. But I'd find a way to make them regret taking this route, if I ever got the chance.
There was another holographic flicker and Aphrodite appeared in the middle of the room.
"You're connected to all this?" I asked.
"Oh, she really isn't and they're really upset," Ismene said.
Aphrodite gave a thin smile. "I imagine so. Get yourself a seat. I'm pulling you in. Your coming here isn't an opportunity to be missed."
23
"You're telling me you hacked the artificial intelligences? Ma'am, I'm not that good and I know you aren't that good," Sparks said.
"You're being sexist, babe," Ismene said. "And she sure did that. They're pretty pissed off."
I could believe it. Aphrodite was growing on me.
I settled down on one of the couches. "Sit down, heroes. We seem to have some work to do."
Inanna and Billy took their own seats and the world dimmed around us.
Where we went hurt my brain. The lounge had been carefully crafted for human sensibilities, but our surroundings now were entirely virtual and a space for minds who could perceive reality very differently.
Along with Aphrodite we were four humans in a land gone mad.
Aphrodite let out a low breath and waved her hand. The surroundings closest to us transformed into a marbled pathway.
A figure manifested, a young man with dark hair and serious eyes.
"You know that you are not welcome here," he said to Aphrodite.
"You know that I don't care. You've got things I want. I have things you want. Let’s make a trade," Aphrodite said.
"You don't have anything we want."
"The Dicene Ciphers," Aphrodite said.
The man frowned. "And in return, your terms?"
"Does anybody have a clue what she is talking about?" I asked.
"Not a clue," Inanna said.
Aphrodite said, "He does, which is what counts. I want the core released, as well as Persephone and her people. I also want you to set Galatea free."
"That core is mine," I said.
"I'm not demanding you give it to me. I'm just demanding that they give it back," Aphrodite said, with a sharp look.
"We cannot agree to Galatea," the man said.
"If you've harmed her there will be consequences," Aphrodite said.
"We've not harmed her. We are simply unwilling to release her."
"I thought you might not agree. To decide, a fair contest then? Persephone and her people against three of your own," Aphrodite said.
The man considered and after a few moments said, "That may be agreeable depending on the terms of the contest."
"I'm sending them along on a private channel. Review and come to a decision," Aphrodite said.
"Aren't you forgetting someone you need to convince about this little scheme?" I asked.
"Do you really want to continue to enjoy the hospitality? I know they're pleasant enough hosts, but that does have its limits," Aphrodite said.
I was rather motivated to fight for my own freedom.
"We agree," said the man, ignoring our argument.
Aphrodite motioned us all forward. "This is going to be straightforward enough. A series of challenges with multiple ways to get past them. The Collective does not have any sponsored heroes, but they're a lot smarter than you are. Remember that."
There was an unspoken subtext there and I got it. I was sure the others did as well. Focus on our unique abilities.
Our surroundings shimmered and I was left standing with Inanna and Billy in a long stone corridor. There was only one way to go here and that was forward.
"I guess it's a race," Inanna said.
We all set off jogging down the corridor. It wasn't difficult at all until we came to the first challenge.
Buzzing blades erupted from the walls, ceiling, and floor
at regular intervals. Continuing would almost certainly mean a messy dissection. There was a pattern though, I could already see that. With careful timing someone could get past them. A lever on the wall beyond offered a way to shut them down for everyone else.
I didn't have to think overly hard. A puzzle that involved an almost certainly messy death, this was meant for me and my unique powers. I was getting so used to this it was almost second nature, I ran forward and leapt. With my divine dexterity I almost made it, dodging three blades before a fourth finally caught me in the stomach and tore me apart. I survived long enough—and I was close enough—to grow a patch of flowers on the far side.
I was rising from it before my bloodied remains even came to rest and hitting the lever. A hum and the blades withdrew into the wall.
"That is really unsettling," Inanna said, running up.
We kept going. It was another death maze, this time one consisting of gouts of flame. They roared past at dizzying speed. I didn't think my powers would be of much help. There wasn't a section of the floor or ceiling not getting regularly incinerated. My flowers would be gone too quickly.
"I'm not going to be able to do anything here," I said.
"I can figure out the pattern. Not as fast as they will though," Inanna said.
"Look close and you can see the opening in the stone when a flame burst comes. Just for an instant," Billy said.
I watched and you could, a momentary hole through which the fiery liquid was being expelled. It only lasted a fraction of a second.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
Billy drew his pistol and waited. I didn't see how he could hit a target appearing and disappearing so quickly, yet he did just that. An explosive roar blowing apart one section of the wall as the tank behind it exploded. A second later he did it again, and again.
Within thirty seconds the passageway ahead was cracked, charred, and passable. We ran through.
Soon we came to a wider chamber. A door was flanked on both sides by levers. Each had their own death trap, massive spikes erupting on a regular basis from the floor and ceiling making it clear how anything approaching those levers would be skewered. On a pedestal before the door was a tile puzzle.
"A puzzle to shut off the spikes, but forget it. To save time, you and I probably need to handle this. You think we need to hit both levers simultaneously?" I asked Inanna.
"It wouldn't be a challenge if we didn't," Inanna said.
I gestured and filled the room with flowers.
"I can try. I'm fast enough I might be able to make it," I said.
Inanna shook her head. "We'll need to do better than that."
I wasn't seeing a way. "You can steal my immortality, but that isn't going to do us any good."
Billy shook his head. "Listen. All I am is a good shot and we've already used my talent. I'll just pull one and you pull the other, and you carry on without me."
I shared a look with Inanna.
There was a swirl of water and Ismene appeared.
"Cheating much?" I asked.
"Nymph sidekick. Totally allowed. Totally disposable," Ismene said.
Of course she was.
"Let's do it," I said.
I made the lever just as the spikes came down, just as they tore me apart. Ismene must have done the same.
I appeared back on the field of flowers even as the door was creaking down.
Beyond there was a single, spherical chamber with a pedestal in the middle.
There were three keyholes positioned in the center marked with symbols I didn't recognize. On a shelf keys were piled high.
"Got to find the right ones for the locks?" I guessed.
"Makes sense," Inanna said, walking towards the pedestal.
Just before she arrived a bundle of shadows on the wall formed into a massive spider and sprang at her. Billy put it down with a quick shot.
Other pools of shadows quickly began to form.
"Guess we have to keep them off of you," Billy said.
I'm glad we'd kept him around.
Inanna didn't bother with the keys, pulling a set of lock-picks from her sleeve and moving in to work at the locks. Of course, Inanna was first and foremost a thief.
I conjured brambles in front of the spiders slowing their manifestation. It wasn't enough. Somehow it always came down to dying. There were too many for Billy's guns alone to handle, so I charged in.
Spiders covered me, razor-sharp limbs ripping and tearing me apart. It was an agonizing way to go, which of course means I did it again, and again.
Between my deaths and Billy's gunplay we gave Inanna the time she needed to work.
After a few minutes of this the pedestal finally lowered into the ground and our surroundings faded.
Instead of being taken back to where we started, we were kicked out of the Network.
I reached up to rub at my throat. Dying used to be something I just shrugged off, but it seemed to be the more I did it, the more it clung to me. The harder it was to set aside those memories.
The iris leading outside slid open and blinking lights showed us the way.
"I'm guessing we won," I said.
"Seems that way," Inanna said.
We returned to the airship where Hammer was waiting with the core under one arm.
"I see they keep their word," I said.
"Always. It's part of the reason they are so deserving of loyalty. We should be on our way," Hammer said.
24
Inanna slid into the cockpit while the rest of us bundled into the back.
"Don't waste any time. Let's get out of here," I said.
"Believe me. I'm not waiting around," Inanna said, firing up the engines. The dome overhead retracted and soon we were rising above the snowy landscape.
"I'm going to keep us on manual for the rest of the trip back, just to be on the safe side," Inanna said.
"Good," I said, settling back.
It had already been a long day and I was really looking forward to getting some rest.
"Wake me up if there is an emergency," I said and rested my head back to get some sleep.
I woke up in agony. I was gurgling fluid. My throat felt raw and I reached up, it was slick with blood. My vision was blurry as I looked around the cabin. Part of it seemed to be missing, that wasn't good.
"Persephone is up," Ismene said over the Comms.
"She's still alive? Fuck," Masque said, rushing to my side and fumbling for a medpack from one of the emergency kits. I tried to tell her it wasn't necessary, but I couldn't actually do more than gurgle. The kit was pressed against my throat and I felt the edges sealing against my flesh.
"Sit still honey, you took a bad one," Masque said.
I didn't want to sit still. I wanted to know what was happening.
"I'm not maintaining altitude. I've still got nothing on the third thruster," Inanna said.
"Working on it," Sparks said, he was doing something behind a panel he'd torn away from the side of the plane.
I still couldn't talk. I could think though.
"Ismene what is going on?"
"Billy. He shot you a few times in the throat and then took the orb and jumped ship. He hit us with that rocket launcher of his on the way. We're flying, but it doesn't seem like it is for very long."
A few times in the throat. No wonder I couldn't talk. No wonder they'd thought I was dead. Without Ismene I would have been dead. I wonder who was paying him and how much he'd gotten. It wouldn't be enough.
Masque was dabbing at my throat with hands covered in blood. They were drenched in it. My blood. I hoped it was my blood. A rocket launcher? If we hadn't lost anyone it was a matter of luck. I tried to count heads, but my eyes still weren't working that well.
"I've got you twenty percent power," Sparks said.
"It isn't going to be enough. Can you get anything from number one?"
"Number one isn't there anymore."
"Give her a shot of adrenaline, Masque," Ismene sai
d.
"In her condition?" Masque asked.
"I'm patching things up and she isn't going to bleed out. Well, not anymore than she already has. We need her alert," Ismene said.
Masque plunged a needle into me. That felt pretty damned good actually. Real good. I mean, I hurt like I'd been shot a few times in the throat, but suddenly the world was swimming into focus around me.
No other casualties. Masque had bleeding streak across her face. He'd shot her—at her. I didn't know if Billy was as good a shot outside the Network as he was in. I didn't know if he'd let her live on purpose or on accident.
Inanna's voice cracked over the Comm. "Okay people, here is the situation. We don't have the engines to maintain altitude and we're in a slow glide down. I estimate we have about three minutes until we hit the water."
Three minutes. We had to be ready. A quick search proved we did carry emergency supplies for a water landing. Emergency vests, an inflatable raft, signal beacons.
I tried to hand them around and almost passed out. Masque pushed me to the side and took over.
Inanna's voice came over the Comm again. "We're in a desolate area. I've spotted an old oil rig all lit up. I don't know if I can make it for a landing, but I'm going to try. I don't know who it is and they could be foe just as much as friends. We don't have a choice. If we hit the water it's going to be freezing."
Hammer shifted closer and flung me over one shoulder. I wanted to protest that it wasn't necessary, but I still couldn't talk.
"It is for the best. You lost a lot of blood. I can replenish it eventually, but until then you're going to keep getting woozy and passing out," Ismene said.
I certainly wasn't. I could keep my head through this. I had to, they might need me.
I blacked out again and woke up when freezing water splashed my face. I was being hauled into the raft by an exhausted-looking Masque. The airship was angled oddly in the water, slowly sinking beneath the waves.
I fell unconscious once more, then woke again as I got slung over Hammer's shoulder, the massive man climbing a rope ladder. Lights blazed above us and there were voices in many languages.
I passed out yet again.
When I next opened my eyes I was on a bed of pillows. The scent of incense was heavy in the air and candles burned nearby. Inanna was resting with her back against a wall, a leg kicked out before her.
