by Josh Leone
“But Caller, without at least a basic personality matrix the bioform will remain inert. It will be useless.”
“Get the body done, doctor. I will take care of its mind.” Vashek hated the little man and his little dreams, his little hopes. Soon, so soon, Vashek would not need such people. But for now he did.
“Just think, doctor. In just a few short days our project will be finished and you will be able to devote yourself fully to your research with all the funding you could ever ask for.”
“Yes,” said Levin, consoling himself with thoughts of future greatness. “Yes, Caller. I will do what must be done to meet the deadline.”
“I know you will.” There was no need to state the consequences if the doctor did otherwise.
◊
Jonah had hopped a flight to Earth as soon as Vashek had left the Judgment. He was sitting in his quarters in the Tower complex when the call came through. He’d been expecting a call from Vashek and was surprised to find it was a different Caller on the line.
“Caller Teresk,” Jonah knew the Caller by sight, though he’d never met her in person. “I am honored by your call.”
“The honor is mine, Jonah Haj. I must speak with you on a matter of the utmost importance. Will you come to my home?”
“I can be there in an hour.”
“Very good. I will leave word with my guards to expect you.”
The call ended and Jonah sat back in his chair. His instincts told him that everything was about to come to a head.
‘Perhaps an ally has appeared, my brother.’
“Caller Teresk? She is the youngest of all the Callers. How can she help?”
‘The young sometimes see things more clearly than the old. Was your mind not more open because of your youth?’
Jonah considered that. It would be immensely helpful to have a Caller on his side against Vashek, even the least of them. It would increase the odds success considerably. If Jonah could only convince Teresk of Vashek’s madness. But how? Jonah was still an unknown. How could he tell a Caller that one of her colleagues had gone insane? He would have to find a way to make Caller Teresk believe.
“Holy Mother, help me convince your servant Teresk of the truth that I might receive her help in stopping Vashek.”
Jonah called for a car to be made ready for him and flew out to meet with Caller Teresk. Normally the air out to several dozen kilometers around a Caller’s home was a strict no-fly zone but Teresk had sent authorization codes that allowed Jonah to bypass security.
The property was beautiful but Jonah knew that looks were deceiving. Combat bots were hidden beneath holographic camouflage ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Even the grass itself was part of the extensive defenses of the estate. Approximately one in a hundred blades of the green grass was actually the tip of a nested micro-drone that would erupt from its hiding place and attack an unwelcome visitor with lethal force.
A very large cyborg waited at the door for Jonah. The man was taller and broader than Jonah and looked like he’d been in more than one fight in his life.
“This way, Honored One.”
Jonah followed the big man into the house, dismissing the hired car behind him. The home was furnished with solid, comfortable looking décor representing a diverse range of folk art from across the Primacy including, if Jonah was not mistaken, a few pieces of alien art as well.
“Caller Teresk, like her mentor before her, believes that to understand a people’s art is to understand a people.”
“A very wise notion,” said Jonah, approving of the Caller already.
Jonah was led into a medium-sized room dominated by a large stone fireplace around which a number of comfortable looking chairs had been arranged. Jonah saw that one of the overstuffed chairs was occupied by the Caller. Jonah took a seat in the chair opposite the Caller, wondering how best to broach the subject of Vashek’s madness.
“Honored Returned,” Teresk began. “I will get right to the point. There is something I must tell you that you may have trouble believing.”
“As do I, Caller,” Jonah replied.
“Please,” Teresk said. “Tell me how I may aid you. It is the least I can do considering that I must ask for your aid as well.”
“Caller Teresk, it is my duty to inform you of a plot that threatens to destroy the very foundation of the Primacy.”
“Go on,” Teresk said, a strange gleam in her eye.
Jonah hesitated. ‘I sense strength and goodness in this Caller, my brother. We can trust her.’
“I fear that a Caller has lost touch with his senses,” Jonah told Teresk. “He intends to raise himself above all others in a mad attempt to achieve godhood.”
“You speak of Caller Vashek?” Teresk asked.
Jonah sat back in his chair, sinking into the comfortable padding and feeling as though his world had just been thrown into a box and vigorously shaken.
“You… you know about it?” Jonah asked.
“I do,” said Teresk, smiling a broad and genuine smile, her eyes moist with tears of relief. “I do, as did Sarthol, my mentor. But how did you know?”
For the first time in a while, Jonah felt his hope renewed. The Holy Mother had worked in Her way to help him. She had answered his prayers before he’d even said them. Jonah felt emotion well up in his chest, his own eyes becoming moist.
Teresk reached across the space between them, placing her hand on Jonah’s, a physical affirmation of a joined cause.
“I thought I was alone in this,” Teresk said. “I prayed for help and here you are. When I heard that Vashek had sponsored a new Returned and then sent him on a private mission, I merely hoped to find out the nature of that mission. I did not dare hope to find an ally.”
“I, too, prayed to the Holy Mother. I prayed for help and a renewal of my faith in Her benevolent nature. She has given me both.”
“Please, Jonah,” begged Teresk, all pretenses of authority and rank dropped in favor of the familiarity of two beings standing shoulder to shoulder against a storm. “Tell me what you know.”
Jonah did so. He found that once he got started, it was impossible to stop. He told Teresk every detail of his conversation with Vashek, his mission to retrieve the shard, the Pash Spirit-Walker, even his choice to bring the crew of the Enduring Journey into the fight. A burden lifted from his shoulders and he spoke. Teresk may be young by Caller standards but she was his elder in more than just years. Sharing it all with her made him feel lighter. He was no longer solely responsible for the success of the incredible task before him.
“Thank you, Jonah,” said Teresk. “I believe we can stop Vashek. Together with your friends I believe we can save the universe from his madness.”
Teresk’s P.A., the cyborg she introduced as Oscali, rushed into the sitting room, a look of terrible anxiety on his scarred face.
“Caller! You must see this!” He handed a flimsey to Teresk, who read the contents with growing alarm.
“What is it?” Jonah asked, sensing the anxiety infecting the Caller as well.
“It’s from the Council,” said Teresk, the flimsey dropping from her hand. “Vashek has brought charges against me and has managed to convince a majority of the Council that his evidence should be considered.”
“What charges? What can Vashek possibly accuse you of?”
“Mental instability. He charges that Sarthol covered up psychiatric evaluations that prove it. He’s called into question Sarthol’s appointment of me as his successor.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Jonah exclaimed. “Vashek is grasping at straws. He can’t possibly believe that anyone will believe Caller Sarthol did such a thing.”
Before he’d finished the last word Jonah saw the look in Teresk’s eyes. It was fear. It was the kind of primal fear an animal felt when it knew it was trapped.
“What will happen?” asked Jonah.
It was Oscali that answered. “Because a majority has deemed the evidence worth hearing, there will be a spe
cial meeting of the Council. Teresk will speak in her own defense, Vashek will speak against her. The rest of the Callers will vote on whether or not the evidence against Teresk is strong enough for further action. If they do then they will deliberate on what action to take.”
“What could they do?” asked Jonah.
“They could censure Teresk which would mean little officially. But having such a thing on record would hinder her authority for decades.”
“They could also decide that I was a disruptive influence in the Council,” Teresk said. “If that’s the case then they could remove me from the Council. My consciousness would be DLed into a clone of my original body and I would be sent to live out the rest of my natural life in a secure facility; out of sight and out of mind.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing happening, not in centuries.”
“That’s because it hasn’t. It would be a huge black mark on the history of the Callers. It would damage the people’s faith in the Council. The political and social effects would be long reaching.”
“Then why would the Council do such a thing?”
“They would weigh the possible effect on the public consciousness of removing a Caller from the Council against the effect of having a sitting Council member’s sanity be always in question.”
“If I remained on the Council,” Teresk continued, “The public would wonder why. They would wonder if other Council members were not in full possession of their senses, if such things have been covered up in the past. It would encourage paranoia and fear.
“Sarthol once told me that the Primacy, for all its power, was a fragile thing. He called it an, ‘elephant balanced on the head of a pin.’ The slightest push could send it tumbling. If the people lost faith in the Council it could be that push. It would be better for the Council to act decisively than to be seen as weak in its ability to manage its own affairs.”
Jonah understood what the Caller was saying. In essence the Council had no choice but to find Teresk unfit to serve and remove her from her seat on the Council. Anything less would be disastrous. The Council wouldn’t even have the option of disproving Vashek’s evidence. Doing so would make a sitting Caller who had served for centuries and been among the most active political and religious figures in the Primacy’s long existence appear flawed. It would call into question every decision the Council has made for the past seven-hundred years.
“But,” Jonah asked. “Won’t there be consequences for Vashek as well? The other Callers would certainly be angry with him for putting them in such a position.”
“Of course,” Teresk confirmed. “But it won’t matter. In anticipation of the hearing I will be confined to my home and suspended from the Council. The Council will wait until a suitable amount of time has passed before punishing Vashek. In the meantime there will be nothing standing in Vashek’s way. He’ll be free to enact his mad plan of ascension without resistance.”
“This can only mean,” Jonah said. “That Vashek is within days of achieving his goal.”
“Perhaps hours,” said Pirom.
“We have to assume that it could happen at any time.” Teresk locked eyes with Jonah, the intensity of her gaze lending him strength.
“We have to act now,” she said.
◊
Franks had suffered. Each pain a prayer to the only being he’d ever known that was worthy of his worship. Vashek had forged him into a fine blade; given him knowledge and skills that made him superior to any opponent he’d ever faced. When Vashek ascended, Franks would be his high priest. Franks would forge others into blades as Vashek had done for him.
When Vashek had commanded Franks to undergo yet another series of surgeries the P.A. did not voice a single word of objection. Pain was Frank’s sacrifice to his god and he would gladly suffer more to prove his devotion.
Of course Vashek had been correct. The surgical enhancements were perfect, further expressions of Franks’ own lesser ascension. Waiting in the darkness for his prey, Franks flexed the muscles of his forearms, eager to do his master’s bidding.
He’d reached the oceanic estate in a submersible that was recognized by the security system so no alarm was raised when he’d docked. The entrance Franks had used was a secret one, known only to Vashek and himself. Franks had snuck through the domed estate like a burglar, using a series of hidden passages to reach the main room.
Franks had warmed himself up with some light exercise before selecting his hiding spot. It was exciting to test his stealth. Even asleep his opponent was aware as few others could be when fully awake. The upcoming fight would be the best of his life. His opponent would test him as never before. Franks knew there was a very good chance he would not survive but, in this case, even if he lost he would still win.
◊
The moment Sha awoke he sensed something was wrong. He extended his senses as far as they would reach; nothing. It wasn’t a nothing that told him everything was okay. Rather, it was the sort of nothing that only served to make him more alert. There were none of the sounds Sha had become familiar with during his time at the estate. No heartbeats of human servants and no mechanical noises of cleaning bots. The entire estate was without movement. When Sha reached the main house he saw why.
The bodies were everywhere. Every human on the estate from grounds keepers to cleaners and cooks. All of them were dead. Each kill had been swift and clean, often a single cut to a major artery or organ. The expressions on most of the faces indicated the victims had been taken by surprise. As Sha made his way to the main sitting room where he’d spent most of his time the bodies continued.
“Do you like it?”
The man seemed to detach himself from the shadows. Sha had not been taken by surprise in such a manner for decades. He recognized Franks, Vashek’s P.A., but believed that he now saw the man’s real face for the first time. Whereas before Franks had been the picture of retrained insanity, now there was no more restraint and Sha had no doubt of the man’s madness.
“Why have you done this?” Sha asked. “All these people, they served Caller Vashek.”
“Served him? None of them were worthy to serve him. Only I am worthy to serve the true God!”
“Vashek is no god. He is a servant of the Holy Mother.”
“You are a fool, Sha, a pawn, and it is my pleasure to end you now.”
“You must be joking.”
“You are the joke, Honored Returned.” Franks spit the title out with a heavy dose of contempt. “We’ve watched you, you know. Running around, trying to put the pieces together, trying to discover who killed that bitch wife of yours. All the while the answers have been right under your self-righteous nose.”
Franks remained still, letting his words sink in. The P.A. enjoyed watching Sha finally put it all together, realizing that the source of all his pain and grief had been Vashek. Vashek, who had manipulated him, arranged Pietra’s death, plotted and schemed and caused untold harm to who knew how many people. Once Franks was certain the full impact of the revelation had sunk in, he activated his newly installed tech. Sha watched as the man underwent a transformation.
From each of Franks’ finger tips emerged a half-inch blade. From his elbows, long blades erupted from beneath his skin. All of the blades glowed with a pale blue energy. Franks’ skin hardened over critical areas.
Sha sent the commands to his own tech, activated his armor and putting his body in combat mode. Sha also activated his linkblade, wishing to make quick work of Franks.
The two circled each other in the large room, studying each other for weaknesses. Franks feinted to the left but Sha did not take the bait, expecting an attack from the right. But he’d misjudged. Franks moved so quickly he left Sha with little doubt that the man’s enhancements included far more than blades and bio-armor.
Franks managed to score a slash across Sha’s arm which, much to the Returned’s dismay, was not stopped by the nano-armor. Instead of condensing at the sight of impact, the nano-swarm armor provided no mo
re resistance than a piece of thick cloth. Franks’ blades bit deeply into Sha’s flesh.
“Like them?” Franks asked, displaying his fingers for Sha to see. “The energy field around each blade stuns your little beasties, makes it impossible for them to react in time.”
Sha grabbed a heavy chair with his left hand, throwing it as if it weighed hardly anything. The P.A. dodged the improvised projectile but it had only been meant as a distraction. Sha followed the chair with a thrust of his linkblade. The energy weapon passed through Franks’ chest, and had no effect what-so-ever.
“Another gift from my master,” Franks gloated. “My entire nervous system is shielded from your little sword.”
“Such technology doesn’t exist,” Sha said, incredulously.
“Not in human hands,” snarled Franks. “But my master is not limited by such things. Vashek understands that humans are not the only worthy life forms in the universe. He has studied cultures and discovered technologies you have never heard of.”
Franks struck again, trying to score a hit on Sha’s face. Sha bent backward, avoiding the blades and realized too late that it was yet another feint. He felt the small blades rake across his chest, his armor again providing no protection.
Sha backpedaled quickly, trying to entice the man to advance. But Franks did not take the bait. Sha deactivated his armor knowing it would do him no good. He also dispersed his linkblade, it also being useless against Franks. Franks smiled, enjoying seeing his enemy stripped of his signature technology.
Sha knew that technology and technique was not going to win this fight. For all his insanity Franks was clearly an excellent combatant. Franks was also much more accustomed to this sort of combat. Sha had been trained to fight against large numbers in battlefield situations.
“If you want to surrender, I’ll make it quick,” Franks offered. “I’ll put you out of your misery like an old and feeble pet.”
Sha knew the man was trying to make him angry, trying to put him off balance but he knew better than to let that happen. Sha had been trained to control his emotions in battle, to never let anger guide his decisions.
