Halls of Power (Ancient Dreams Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “What if that’s what she had planned, though?” He asked uncertainly, grabbing pieces of armor and shoving them into a convenient crate. “She could mind control the other inmates, right? That could be a lot worse than just letting her die.”

  At the questions Warden paused, growing a little more worried. It took a moment before she sighed and shrugged, answering helplessly. “We’ve no way of knowing for certain, but I’m certain that Morgan and I can break her defenses. We’ll figure out what she was up to, and deal with it. But if it helps, I’ve heard that they’ve come up with a method of dealing with psychics like her, so we should be safe there.”

  “Good enough for me.” Crimson Bull grunted, hefting the crate. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Well after the stealthy submarine bearing the two heroes and their captive departed, the undersea base slowly imploded under the immense water pressure. The only thing remaining of it was a pile of wreckage and the three distant geothermal plants. For a time, everything grew calm on the sea floor once more.

  Several hours later, a hidden hatch opened near one of the geothermal plants and a tiny, unmanned submarine slipped out. The vessel quickly departed, humming along on a course significantly different from the one the heroes had taken.

  Friday, January 11th 2030

  Shadowmind Utah Lair Alpha-Three

  She woke up.

  Waking up was a strange sensation, especially when she’d never been awake before. While she knew enough to realize what being awake was, it was… confusing, in its own way. The knowledge was simply there, like the knowledge that the ceiling above her was white. It was strange and confusing.

  How strange her situation was made her ask another question, one that felt vitally important under the circumstances. She wondered who she was, and to her relief the knowledge simply came to mind just as easily as the other information had.

  Her name was Lilith Carpenter, and her creator was the supervillain Shadowmind. Shadowmind’s real name was Amber Meadow, a surprisingly mundane name to Lilith, and the information about her creator… confused her. Based on what Lilith knew about supervillains, that Amber had hoped to have Lilith view her as Lilith’s mother was confusing.

  The villain posed as a university professor for her civilian identity, preferring to teach via online courses. She was unable to walk due to the actions of an arrogant, long-dead hero’s during Amber’s childhood. The odd woman confused Lilith, and she nearly lost herself in musing when a voice interrupted.

  “Excuse me, Miss Lilith. Are you awake?” The AI’s gentle voice broke the silence of the room almost like thunder, causing Lilith to start slightly. She shook off the strange, oddly clinical recollection of Amber’s past and focused on the AI, Circe. Circe was Amber’s assistant and ran each of the villain’s hidden strongholds, which explained her presence. The problem was that Circe was only a class seven AI, not capable of intuition or dealing with problems outside the scope of her admittedly extensive programming. That meant that the AI would likely keep inquiring until Lilith responded.

  “I a-am.” Lilith’s voice caught in mid-word, and she paused, swallowing at the strange rasp to her voice. She cleared her throat, sitting up to look around as she waited for the uncomfortable itch in her throat to subside. Once she thought that the sensation had mostly passed, she spoke again, her voice feeling more stable at a lower volume. “What’s wrong with my voice?”

  The room intrigued Lilith, and not just because it was the first place she could remember looking around. It must be a small medical lab of some variety, considering the equipment along the walls, most of which was automated. Lilith had been laying in a large, clear tube nearly eight feet long, and she was completely naked. While it didn’t bother her much, her skin was damp and the cool air was raising goosebumps. What the tube was, and why she’d been in it was a mystery, one which irritated her.

  Pulling herself from the tube, Lilith carefully settled onto the floor, holding tightly on the edge since she wasn’t sure if she could walk. Fortunately, her feet didn’t betray her as she settled onto the floor, and she found herself standing firmly on a floor that gave slightly beneath her feet. She looked at the floor curiously, and after a moment shrugged. It must be a type of rubber or polymer of some form. If it was important, she could figure it out later.

  “You’ve just been decanted from your growth capsule, Miss Lilith. While in the capsule, tubes to allow breathing and feeding were placed in your throat, which I believe are the source of your discomfort. If this is the case, the abrasion should heal within a few hours.” Circe replied promptly, the AI’s voice almost seeming relieved. “The Mistress is presumed captured or slain, and it has been left to me to assist you. How may I be of assistance?”

  “First I would like something to wear.” Lilith told the AI, folding her arms and shivering slightly at the cool air. “I’d also like an explanation as to what happened to Amber. I find myself confused.”

  “Certainly, Miss Lilith. Please exit the room and follow the lighted line on the floor to your room.” Circe replied, and paused while Lilith followed the directions, the door silently sliding open at her approach. The hallway was lined with soft green wallpaper and warm yellow lights, helping Lilith to relax a bit more. As the center of the floor lit up with a glowing white line, the AI began her explanation. “As your growth cycle entered its final stages last week, the Mistress’ Arctic Base was attacked by heroes. The attackers were identified as two members of the San Francisco superhero team Ocean Shield, Crimson Bull and Warden. Both are powerful individuals, and they successfully managed to cut off all primary power sources for the base and dealing critical damage to the structure. With only enough power for a single teleportation, the Mistress teleported you to this location and initiated a data wipe of the base. News feeds indicate she was captured and the base was destroyed. Due to prior convictions in absentia, the Mistress has been sentenced to the Nevada SuperMax under neural inhibitors.”

  As the AI explained what had happened before Lilith’s awakening, the woman followed the path, listening carefully. A door opened as she approached it, revealing a plain, barely furnished room before her. While she knew the room could be personalized, that was unimportant for the moment. Instead Lilith opened the closet and paused. Dozens of outfits hung on hangers, but what drew her attention was the mirror on the back of the door. With only a moment of hesitation, Lilith stepped in front of the mirror and looked at herself.

  Lilith was gorgeous, she realized in faint surprise. Her pale skin glistened with the remnants of the liquid in the growth capsule, and she had long arms and legs, with an hourglass figure and large, full breasts. Her face was heart-shaped, with brilliant emerald eyes and full crimson lips. Her hair was black with faint crimson highlights, and she thought that when dry and untangled it would be slightly wavy. Maybe she should have been uncomfortable with her appearance, but Lilith found that she liked it. She just felt… right.

  Shaking herself to break her trance, Lilith turned away from the mirror and took a simple white bathrobe. Slipping it on and tying the sash in place, she closed the closet and sat on the edge of the bed, her voice calm as she looked up, asking. “Circe, what am I?”

  Find it here: Born a Queen

  Excerpt from Born a Queen by Benjamin Medrano

  © 2017 Benjamin Medrano. All rights reserved.