by Josh Leone
Sha closed the distance between him and Franks at lightning speed but Franks was just as fast. Franks could not possibly have all the enhancements Sha had which meant, among other things, that moving his body that fast was doing significant harm to the P.A. His bones would suffer numerous micro-fractures, his heart and circulatory system would be over-taxed. That’s when Sha realized the truth. Franks didn’t care if he survived, he only wanted to win. The man was willing to destroy himself to achieve victory.
Sha’s usual tactics would not prevail against such an opponent. Franks was not a warrior, not a soldier. He was a murderer and a psychopath. He liked killing for its own sake.
‘If Franks is not a soldier, then I should not fight him like a soldier,’ thought Sha. ‘Perhaps, in this case, anger is not an enemy.’
“You killed my wife?” Sha asked.
“Oh, yes, indeed I did,” Franks replied. “Such a sweet woman. Troubled past, but still.”
“You know of her past?”
“Of course, you fool!” Franks was nearly manic now. “Making it so she would feel obligated to help her friend, having that petty crook Dravik blackmail her; it was all according to Vashek’s plan!”
Sha had no idea who this ‘Dravik’ was but he did know what ‘friend’ Franks was speaking of; Kevin Jacobs. So Vashek had arranged the accident that had so terribly injured Julie Marx, had murdered Pietra, and, he now understood, manipulated Sha from the start.
“Yes, Franks said. “You get it now, don’t you? My master will ascend and I will be at his side. You, the Council, all of it will bow down before Vashek!”
The man’s madness was practically bubbling over now, his mask of sanity entirely gone. Franks was enjoying the pain he was inflicting on Sha, both the mental and the physical.
“Say it again,” Sha said.
“Which part?” asked Franks.
“The word you used to describe my wife.”
“Sweet?”
“No, the other one.”
“Oh! You mean, ‘bitch!’
“That’s the one.”
Sha roared, a primal sound that echoed through the room setting small items to shaking as he charged across the space separating him from Franks. The P.A.s eyes widened as he tried to get out of the way. He failed.
Sha slammed into Franks’ torso, ignoring the slashing of Franks’ blades across his exposed back. Sha let his momentum carry Franks straight into the far wall with enough force to dislocate Sha’s shoulder. Cracks appeared in the solid wall, fortunately not part of the outer hull of the submerged estate.
When Sha backed away he was gratified to see Franks coughing blood onto the floor. The P.A. may be enhanced but there were limits to what could be done to protect the human body.
“Didn’t…,” Franks cough some more, obviously badly hurt. “Didn’t expect that.”
“You’re dying, Franks.”
“You should know better than most,” Franks said, more blood coming up from his broken insides. “Death isn’t always permanent.”
“What does that mean?” Sha asked.
“You’ve been disentangled from your precious tower, Honored Returned,” Franks laughed, though it cost him more blood and pain to do so. “Vashek was able to convince the Council that you were a threat, that you’d gone mad with grief. Not far from the truth it seems.”
“Once I tell the Council what Vashek has done things will be set right.”
“Ha, ha, ha!” What little sanity Franks may have retained was surely gone now. “Why do you think Vashek let you stay here? This estate is almost two kilometers below sea level. The water outside is cold enough to kill and there’s not another structure for fifty kilometers. This is your grave, Szoveda Sha, and it is my pleasure to bury you in it.”
At a signal from Franks’ neuro-tech explosions began taking out various support structures holding the estate in place. As the structure began to collapse to the ocean floor, breaches formed in the outer hull. Additional detonations widened those breaches considerably.
Normally in such a situation emergency hatches would have closed all over the estate, sealing the majority of the structure against the encroaching ocean. Franks had disabled all such safety measures, allowing the killing water free reign throughout the estate.
◊
Exiting into normal space, the Enduring Journey automatically DLed the latest data updates from the q-net. Mostly it was the usual junk that no filter had ever been able to completely block out. But there was one bit of interest, a vid from Jonah. Seth watched, expecting the simple message, but realizing that some part of him had been hoping it would not come.
“Seth and crew, the time has come.”
That was it, except for a set of coordinates. It was all Jonah felt comfortable sending over an unsecured connection. But Seth knew what Jonah meant and what to do. He woke up Iyanna and Vig, both having worn themselves out working on an upgrade to the sensor array. When all three were assembled in the main cabin Seth laid it out for them.
“Just got word from Jonah. What he told us about is happening. He needs us to rendezvous with him A.S.A.P. Are we ready for this?
“Iyanna and I have been busy,” said Vig.
“The weapons have been upgraded,” Iyanna said. “Engines and shields are maxed out.”
“The old girl is as good as she’s going to get, Cap’n. She’s ready for a fight.”
“Good,” Seth said. “I’ve a feeling we’re going to need everything she’s got.”
As Seth turned around, he heard the telltale purr of a weapon powering up. He turned back to see Iyanna looking in horror at Vig. The engineer had his pistol pointed at Seth’s chest. Vig’s face was full of confusion. He looked at his raised pistol, at Seth, at Iyanna, and back to the pistol.
“Vig,” Seth said. “What the hell are you playing at?”
“I…, I don’t know Cap’n.”
“Put the damn pistol down.”
“I can’t! I want to Seth, I swear it, but I just can’t make it happen!”
“They did something to him,” Iyanna said. “The Legion, when they fixed him back on the Judgment. I’ve heard of this sort of thing. It’s called a Zombie Chip. Takes over the body, makes it do preprogrammed things.”
“How the hell did they activate it?” asked Seth.
“Probably automatic. The Z-Chip picked up specific patterns of thought and activated.”
As soon as Iyanna moved, Vig drew his holdout weapon and pointed the tiny but deadly gun as her.
“Shoot him, Vig,” Iyanna said drawing looks from both of the men. “You have to stop him from interfering. You have to kill Seth now!”
“What the hell’s gotten into you girl?” Vig practically begged.
“Nothing, but can’t you see what’s happening?” Iyanna said. “Seth is going to lead us straight to our deaths. You have to stop him, you have to shoot him.”
“Have you lost your mind, too?” Seth yelled at Iyanna. But then he noticed that the holdout pistol Vig held was lowering, no longer pointed at Iyanna. The Z-Chip was letting go of that arm.
“I can’t shoot him!” Vig screamed. “I won’t!” But the Z-Chip wasn’t listening. Vig’s finger was starting to tighten on the trigger just as Iyanna jabbed something into Vig’s neck. A hissing sound preceded Vig’s fall to the floor.
“What did you do?” asked Seth.
“Fast acting sedative.” She showed Seth the mini-injector. “A trick I picked up. I may not be as big as some people, but I’m awful sneaky.”
“And all that stuff about telling Vig to shoot me?” Seth asked.
“Z-Chips are just basic machines when it comes down to it. They take their cues from patterns of neuronal firing. I had to get the right patterns to fire in Vig’s brain, make the Z-Chip see me as an asset instead of an enemy.”
“Hmm,” said Seth. “Sneaky.”
“Like I said,” Iyanna confirmed.
“Guess I’m glad you’re on our side.” Seth look
ed down at his friend where he lay on the floor snoring. “He going to be okay?”
“He’s just sleeping, will be for at least a few hours. But we have to get that chip out or when he wakes up it happens all over again.”
“We’ve no time to find a surgeon. We have to meet up with Jonah. The boy’s counting on us.”
“You know of Far Star?” Iyanna asked.
“Who in our line of work doesn’t?” Seth replied.
“Take us there. I have an idea.”
Seth didn’t argue. Every second that passed they were leaving Jonah in the lurch. Seth knew Iyanna was smart, now more than ever. She had a plan and Seth trusted her.
They secured Vig in his cabin with Iyanna watching over him, ready to dose him again if needed. Seth plotted a course to the border station and entered the gate at top speed.
◊
Sha had managed to close two of the safety doors, sealing himself into the sitting room with Franks. The P.A. had dragged himself into a chair and sat laughing at Sha’s furious attempts to forestall his permanent death.
For Sha it wasn’t dying that bothered him. It was knowing that Vashek was going to get away with what he’d done, that there would be no one to stand against him. Sha had checked the estate’s computer and was not surprised to find that it had been thoroughly disabled. His own communication tech was also being jammed.
Sha had searched the room, hoping he might get lucky and find the jammer. No such luck. The device could be secreted anywhere on the estate, probably somewhere the ocean had reclaimed.
Even with his enhanced physiology it was unlikely Sha would survive long outside the sealed room. He could probably survive the cold but the pressure was a different matter. With his armor on Sha might be able to last ten, maybe fifteen minutes before his bones began to break. Normally a human exposed to such pressures would die relatively quickly. For Sha it would last a while. But in the end he would be just as dead.
“No returning this time, Sha,” Franks laughed. “How does it feel to be mortal?”
“Have the courtesy to hurry up and die, Franks.”
“Oh,” said Franks. “I’m having too much fun watching you scramble to save your useless life.”
“Glad to entertain you in your final moments.”
“Indeed,” Franks giggled, more blood erupting from his mouth.
Sha considered strangling Franks just to shut him up. At least it would give him some pleasure before the ocean claimed him. It was a temptation to be certain but also a waste of time and energy. Franks would be dead soon enough. His injuries were fatal. That the man had survived as long as he had was indication of his enhanced nature.
Sha considered that perhaps Franks had been lying about Sha being disentangled from the Calling Tower. There was only one way to know. In any case Sha was lacking in options. He just had to hope that the Holy Mother was with him.
He stood with his back straight, his arms outstretched. Focusing his psi Sha felt the ball of energy forming just below his naval. It burned as it compressed. Sha let it intensify, feeling the skin of his lower torso begin to blacken. Franks watched from his chair, fascinated by the process.
When the energy reached a point of maximum compression Sha screamed and let it explode, vaporizing his body in a flash of power. The energy wave burned Franks to bones, erasing his smile along with the rest of his face. The force of the explosion was great enough to finish what Franks’ explosives had begun.
◊
The vote had been close, and Vashek had taxed his resources greatly, but that hardly mattered. He would need nothing but his own power after his ascension. The Council had voted in favor of disentangling the consciousness of Szoveda Sha from the Calling Tower.
The action was carried out immediately. Szoveda Sha was no longer an Honored Returned. Out of respect to his past service it would be announced that it was Sha’s decision to leave the corps. When he was brought in his consciousness would be transferred to a clone of his original body. If he cooperated he would be given a generous pension and be able to live out his remaining days in peace. If not he would be sent into seclusion at a facility where he could be kept from doing harm to himself and others.
Vashek was not concerned about that. He knew it would soon no longer matter. Sha was dead, buried under the ocean so deep his body would never rise to the surface. Franks had signaled via his tech that the deed had been done.
As Vashek left the assembly hall he was accompanied by a familiar face, one that was expected to be near him at all times. The surgeons had done a magnificent job recreating Franks’ face and physical dimensions. The decoy would provide an alibi for the P.A. as Franks began his own process of ascension. Not the same as Vashek’s of course, but necessary if he was to properly serve his god.
As the car took Vashek to his private landing field he took time to take care of various minutia required of a Caller. At this point it was more essential than ever to maintain appearances. Also it amused Vashek to think that soon he would never have to sign a document or speak to some obsequious official ever again. His word would be gospel, his every thought a divine command.
Lost in thoughts of his very near future, Vashek didn’t notice that the car had arrived at its destination. He boarded his fastest ship and let the onboard computer handle the piloting. He refused to share his moment of victory with any lesser being.
Speaking of which, Vashek called over to his operative at the Calling Tower complex, a social climber willing to betray his duties for a the paltry few million credits.
“Has it arrived?” Vashek asked.
“Yes, Caller. Your package is in place and ready to receive.”
“You have done well. Your reward will be transferred upon completion of the task.”
“Thank you, Caller.”
◊
Iyanna had to dose Vig twice more before the Enduring Journey arrived at Far Star Station. When William’s voice came over the comm she explained the situation as much as she dared over an open channel. William understood and cleared the ship for immediate docking, much to the outrage of several other captains. The station A.I. ignored them all.
When the Journey was docked and a secure hardline was made available, Iyanna told William everything, including what she needed from him.
“How is it, girl,” William asked with not a small amount of irritation in his voice, “that I can tell you to watch out for getting yourself wrapped up in Ministry business, and you come back to me in it up to your eyes?”
“It’s not exactly Ministry business,” she said.
“No, it’s worse. Damn it, girl, how the hell did you wind up in this? A Caller! How does a smart girl like you step in a pile that big?”
“I had to.” Iyanna knew the A.I. was right. She was entirely out of her depth. But still, “It was the right thing to do, Willy.”
“The ‘right thing’ gets people killed more often than not.”
“Will you help them?”
“No,” William said. “But I will help you. Bring your friend to the med-bay. I’ll let the doctors know they need to put him in cryo for a time.”
“How will you explain it to them?”
“I won’t. I’ll alter the entry records to indicate the presence of an ‘unknown pathogen.’ They’ll put him in cryo until they can test him. They’re backlogged down there so it’ll be at least a week before they get to him. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe.”
“Thanks, Willy.”
“In the meantime tell your Captain to put in a request for maintenance. I can at least make sure your ship is tip-top. I might even be able to provide an upgrade or two to better your odds.”
“I wish I could hug you, you old bot,” Iyanna said, grateful for the A.I.s familiar presence.
“Just come back alive, alright?”
“I’ll try.”
◊
Sha was drifting in nothingness. It was a strange sensation, unlike anything he’d experienced after a Sending.
Usually the transition from the point of detonation to the Calling Tower and into a new body was nearly instantaneous. But there was no body waiting for him, no connection to the Calling Tower to pull him in.
‘This is death,’ Sha thought. It wasn’t frightening, just empty. He’d hoped Pietra would be waiting for him but she wasn’t. He’d hoped it would be a garden, like in the old stories. A place of beauty and peace, perhaps one in which he could know the answers to all the questions of his life. But it was just nothing.
‘My darling,’ the voice came from nowhere and everywhere. ‘You always were a romantic.’
‘Pietra?’ Sha thought. ‘Is that you, my love?’
‘I am Pietra, and I am more.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Pietra is a part of me in death as I was a part of her in life. I am the mother who gave birth, the child waiting to be born, and the elder seeking to teach. I am all things, yet I am only a small piece of a much larger whole. I come to you as Pietra Meot because that is how you choose to perceive me.’
‘But,’ Sha thought, trying to make sense of what he was being told. ‘I want my Pietra. Just her. I want to spend eternity with her.’
‘The individual mind you knew as Pietra has passed from this life. You have not.’
‘I’m not dead?” asked Sha.
‘Not fully. There is still work for you to do, Szoveda Sha.’
‘What can I do? My body is destroyed and there is not a new one waiting for me.’
‘When the time is right you must return to the Calling Tower. The soul you name ‘Vashek’ seeks power and he will endanger many lives to obtain it. You must stop him.’
‘How can I stop him without a body?’
‘There are already those in place to combat him in the physical world. Your fight will be one of the mind.’
More than anything Sha wanted to leave his pain and his grief behind. He wanted to find his wife and spend eternity in her embrace. He missed her more than he missed his breath or his flesh. Hadn’t he done enough? Hadn’t he suffered enough?
