Heart Of The Machine (Soulmates Book 2)

by Don DeBon

  Minerva nodded. "Perfectly. But I will remind you, it came from a very dark period in my past. One, even I don't want to remember." She closed her eyes and several screens lit up scrolling with data. Numbers, dates, actions taken, what worked and what didn't. Minerva shuddered as a tear ran down her cheek. "I am truly sorry. Please forgive me."

  Leon pointed at the screen on his console. "What are these long numbers?"

  Deven's hands balled into fists as he read the numbers. Several he knew quite well. "NCIs or Nexus Citizen Identification."

  Leon's eyes went wide. "What? You mean each one of these lines is a telepath?"

  Minerva nodded as another tear ran down her cheek. "Yes."

  "There are hundreds, if not thousands here!"

  Minerva closed her eyes and winced. "Yes."

  Deven scrolled through the list, seeing several other numbers he recognized. "While I always knew this was being done, to see the actual amount of the people hunted down … is astonishing."

  Leon pointed to the screen. "You know what is odd? Telepaths only started showing up in the last generation or so. Minerva what is this last column?"

  "Power level, or the strength of the persons abilities. Most of the people listed here could only listen to minds on occasional basis. Telekinetics were very rare. Only one was encountered before."

  "I still find it odd telepaths started popping up all of a sudden. What about the chemical suppressors?" Minerva nodded and another screen appeared showing a complex chemical formula. Leon shuddered as he read it. "Are you kidding me? This would create permanent chemical lobotomies with repeated use! No wonder they seemed like zombies after a while."

  Minerva's eyes drifted down. "I know."

  "Minerva, where is the data on creating this formula? There must be something," Galina said.

  "Not much. The formulation was created in the early days of the situation. I took a baseline strong tranquilizer and altered it to affect the areas of the brain I assumed was responsible for telepathy."

  Aleshia's mouth dropped. "You assumed responsible?"

  "The formulation proved effective, so I assumed I was correct."

  Aleshia glared. "Sending a carbine blast through their brains would have done the same thing. You affected the whole mind, not a limited area. It was not targeted at all."

  "I am sure I could have done more research and refined it. However, at the time such a thought seemed like a waste of resources."

  Galina spat. "Waste of resources! How can you say that?! This is peoples lives we are talking about."

  Minerva's eyes narrowed. "I know! You have no idea what it was like to come online and realize what I had done! It is almost impossible to bear. It is why I blocked it from my memories."

  Aleshia raised a hand. "We know Minerva, we know. Please, is there anything on increasing telepath abilities?"

  Miles' camera swiveled towards Aleshia. "If I may, I have found one instance where the normal formulation was tainted and resulted in an increase of the person's abilities. But it also caused increased heart rate resulting in a stroke an hour after administration."

  Aleshia chewed her bottom lip. "Risky, but it could work. If we could come up with an antidote able to be administered before that point."

  Mile's camera iris went wide. "I object. You are talking about taking a chemical compound with limited testing. It could alter your brain permanently or kill you. I cannot allow it."

  Deven nodded. "I agree. No way are you taking that stuff. I don't care if it gives us the advantage."

  Aleshia looked him in the eye. "And what do you suggest? We let them come here and take over? We don't have the army to fight them. This is our only chance."

  Minerva shook her head. "Not exactly."

  Aleshia turned to face the screen. "What do you mean not exactly?"

  "There was one instance of increased abilities created in a physical rather than chemical way."

  "How?"

  "It isn't in my research, but I do have data from long ago regarding the Lytherian ship. A crystal substance was found in the wreckage. Is silicon based with other elements including quartz, diamond, chromium, beryllium, selenium and a several others they couldn't identify. While having high clarity, the many facets make it highly reflective. It is far harder than diamond and is in an approximate cone shape. It was discovered when powered, the energy radiated had the same exact frequency of the human mind. Many of the technicians that worked on it, complained of severe headaches."

  Galina rolled her eyes. "How does a bunch of people getting headaches help us?"

  Minerva sighed and continued. "It may be possible to build a device uses this crystal to focus and intensify the mental energies of Aleshia. I realize the odds of using this crystal in such a way is low, but no less than using a chemical means without taking even greater risks due to the lack of significant testing, which we do not have time for. Not to mention objections have been raised against such testing."

  Miles' camera focused on Minerva's face. The screen reflected some stray light into the lens, but he ignored it. "You are correct. I will not allow such testing."

  Deven leaned forward. "Even if I ordered you to?" The camera zipped over to Deven's face, rotated to view Aleshia for several moments before returning to Deven but Miles remained silent. "Miles?"

  The camera focused on Aleshia again then back. "I cannot say. You agreed with me earlier, therefore the question is irrelevant."

  Deven's eyes narrowed and didn't like what he was hearing, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Minerva, where is this crystal?"

  Leon waved his hands out in front of him. "Hey, wait a sec! Who is going to build this device?" Deven smiled and Leon pointed a finger. "I know that look, and I know nothing about telepathy. How am I going to build this thing?"

  "I have records basic structure of what was inside the Lytherian ship. With those records and my previous research, it should be possible to create said device. The effectiveness of it is the unknown factor."

  "Or the side effects," Leon said out of the corner of his mouth.

  "True, but I still think it is a much smaller risk to Aleshia. Especially if we proceed slowly with low power."

  Leon put both hands on his knees and hung his head. "I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Galina. You're crazy."

  Galina laughed. "I never thought You would either. I must be rubbing off on you."

  Leon's head popped up. "Ha! In your dreams."

  "Of our limited options, this sounds like the best one." Deven turned back to Minerva's image. "Minerva? Where is the crystal?"

  "Last known location I have is the research lab beneath the UN complex," Minerva said.

  Leon choked. "Are you kidding? Why is it there?"

  "At the time of its discovery, the UN was the center of the world's government. Since every country wanted the lab on their own land, a compromise was reached. It was placed below the central UN building, which everyone agreed was neutral territory."

  Galina sighed as she folded her arms and sat back in her chair with enough energy to hear it complain. "Well so much for that! Lavine has it in his clutches for sure."

  Minerva shook her head. "That is not probable. You see, not many know about the lab at this point in time. After I was constructed, the UN complex gradually became less important. The buildings were maintained by my Mechands, but they have sat unused for hundreds of years until the formation of the World Council."

  Deven rubbed his chin. "So we do have an advantage."

  Galina choked. "Some advantage! What do you propose we do? Walk in and say 'Hey, don't mind us, we are going into the secret lab you don't know about and remove a very rare crystal.'? Yeah, right!"

  Deven grinned. "Pretty much."

  Galina waved her arms. "You're insane! We are being hunted by the Valiant, and whatever else Lavine has managed to cobble together. I am sure the instant we show up, he is going to call them all in."

  Leon sighed leaning forward p
lacing elbows on his knees and folding his hands. "I have to agree. There is no way we could show up, blast our way in, get to the lab, grab the crystal, and get out before all hell broke loose. Heck, I don't think we would even make it to the lab. Not to mention as soon as we emerge from overdrive, Lavine is going to know something is up."

  Deven's grin broadened. "Who said anything about blasting our way in?"

  "You don't plan on sneaking in? Lavine must have made it the most secure place in the world by now!" Galina said.

  Deven pointed to a screen then flicked his finger around the room. "Otis? Can we get in?"

  Otis' face scrunched up. "Maybe if I got the latest blue prints, I could plan something out."

  "And how long would that take?"

  "Depends on what the security is like, and if I can find any holes. Might take a few weeks or more to be sure."

  Deven shuddered. "We don't have that kind of time." He turned to face Minerva's screen. "Is our spy still operational?"

  She nodded. "Yes. It would appear no one detected his transmissions to me. Either they were too brief, or Lavine is not certain what to have his security look for."

  "That's our way in."

  "You're nuts!" Galina said. "Even if he gets us in without tripping alarms, there is no way we are not going to be spotted."

  "Perhaps."

  "Perhaps nothing!"

  "What if we give them enough activity above so they don't notice what is going on under their noses."

  "You have got to be joking."

  "Far from it. With full shields both carriers can take on the Valiant without too much damage. If we create enough of a distraction above, hopefully they will ignore everything below."

  "That is if Lavine doesn't have any surprises up his robe."

  "True, it is a risk. But do you have a better idea?"

  "No, I don't," Galina grunted.

  "Minerva, how do we access the lab once inside?"

  "The elevator in the back of the central building can get you inside. There are keycard slots in each elevator at the base of the control panel. With the proper card, the bottom of the shaft will slide open and you will descend into the lab."

  "That should be easy enough. I can do it in my sleep. And if Minerva gives me the codes, we should be heading into the bunker seconds after entering the elevator," Otis said.

  Galina shook her head. "We will still get spotted walking in and entering the elevator, not to mention trying to leave with the crystal."

  Deven thought for a moment turning in his chair. "Minerva? Can our spy disable the video feeds of the main entrance and elevator?"

  Otis blinked "Boss! Have you lost faith in me?"

  "No, of course not. But if you do it, it will take time for you to hack in and erase your tracks. Time we may not have. Minerva? Is it possible?"

  "He is not designed for system manipulation, but he does have a basic interface. If Lavine has not made drastic changes to the central surveillance system, I should be able to have him create a loop in the memory buffer of the cameras in question. But it will be subject to degradation as the cameras check their time sync with the central system."

  "Can't you have the spy recreate the loop if needed?"

  Minerva shook her head. "No, if I do it a second time before the first loop ends it will cause a momentary power surge triggering an alarm. And if I wait until the loop is done, they will be detected before I can start another."

  "How long will it last?"

  "It depends on the camera's current settings. Perhaps ten minutes."

  "Boss! I can do better than that tin can. Just give me a few minutes with those cameras."

  Minerva's eyes narrowed as she talked through pursed lips. "I resent that remark. The 'tin can' as you put it is giving you an opportunity you would not have otherwise."

  "I still can crack better any day of the week."

  "Care to put that to the test?"

  "Anytime Mechamoron."

  Deven raised his hand. "Hey, we are both on the same side or did you forget that? Otis, I have no doubts you could do more than a cleaning Mechand, but I need you in the elevator and down in the lab as soon as possible. Ten minutes is going to have to be enough."

  Otis nodded. "Right. Sorry Boss."

  "Hey, don't say sorry to me." He pointed to Minerva.

  Otis' image turned to the side. "Sorry Minerva."

  Minerva nodded. "Accepted. I too owe you one as well. I am rather defensive of my units."

  "I think we have a plan. Minerva prepare your landing bay. I am coming aboard."

  She blinked. "You are?"

  "Yes, with Aleshia and Leon. When we are aboard, Galina will jump us both into overdrive."

  Minerva nodded. "Understood. I await your arrival." Minerva's face faded from the screen.

  Otis gave a three fingered salute that rotated towards the camera. "See you in a few Boss." His image winked out.

  Aleshia glared at Deven. "Why are we going over there?"

  Galina folded her arms. "Not to mention you are taking Leon and leaving me alone!"

  Miles' camera rotated. "But Galina, I will still be here, and the crew of the Defiant."

  She rolled her eyes.

  "Look, Aleshia and Otis are going down to the UN, while we create a distraction up here. I still don't trust Minerva completely, so we have to be aboard, just in case. Leon can disconnect her in a heartbeat, should it be needed. And if I only send him, she might question the reason. Not to mention, Lavine would never suspect me leaving the Defiant. It should keep him guessing. The longer he does, the more advantage we have." Deven gazed around the Defiant's bridge. "Are we in agreement?"

  Galina nodded. "While I agree we need to keep Lavine guessing, do you have to take Leon? I mean, what happens if the engines go down again?"

  Leon waved his hand. "Gregory can handle it."

  "Yeah right, he did such a wonderful job last time," she spat.

  "Hey, he got you out of there didn't he?"

  "Yes he did, but he is not you."

  Leon stood up. "If there is a big enough of a problem, he can call me you know."

  "I doubt there will be time to make a repair call in the middle of a fire fight," Galina grumbled.

  "You know this is the best way to deploy our resources." Deven stood up and helped Aleshia to her feet. "We need to get over there, time is short."

  "Yeah I know. But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

  Twenty minutes later Deven was on Minerva's bridge with Otis, Aleshia and Leon. He pulled out his data tab and punched the button to contact Galina. Her face flashed onto the screen. "Jump us into overdrive to the coordinates I gave you earlier."

  She nodded. "You got it. Full power in five seconds." She hit several controls causing energy to build up inside the central core. The Defiant's engines began to glow brighter and brighter. A second later she leapt into overdrive with the Phoenix following a nanosecond behind.

  Halburn leaned forward in his chair as they emerged from overdrive. He watched as Naud's fingers flew over his console as he operated the scanners. "Anything?"

  Naud sighed. "No sir, the Defiant is not in rage of this parts center either."

  Halburn pounded his fist on the armrest of his chair. "Blast it! Where are they?" This was the third junk yard, or parts center as Naud liked to call them they had hit and still no sign of the Defiant. "They must have gone somewhere for repairs."

  "Obviously not somewhere near the main skyways."

  Halburn coughed before he waved his hand over the scrap yard in front of them. "Like this is on the main skyway?"

  Naud shuddered. "Sorry sir, I thought they would be here."

  Halburn's voice softened. "I know Naud, it is not your fault. It was a good guess."

  Rechert pointed to the blinking light on his console. "Sir, you have a call coming through."

  "Three guesses who that will be," Halburn grunted.

  "I don't even need one," Naud said rolling his eyes.
<
br />   "Put it on the big screen here. Let's get this over with."

  Rechert nodded and hit the button. A second later Lavine's face appeared. "I assume you have good news for me?"

  Halburn swallowed hard. "That would be a little premature."

  "Don't tell me you haven't found them yet?" Lavine said as his eyes narrowed.

  "No, we haven't. But they must be doing their repairs somewhere. I am sure I will find them at the next location."