by Matt Verish
“You don’t count, being that you’re my obnoxious older brother,” Cole said, realizing he had just contradicted himself. I’m losing it, he thought, and he could feel himself being backed into his Corner.
“No more secrets, Cole. Out with it.”
Might as well tell him. Whether now or later, he’s gonna find out I need a new android body for Cain. I hope he has a spare. “Quid pro quo.”
“I beg your pardon,” came Jude’s flat response.
“Well, it’s kinda like this....”
All of Astercor went dark.
Cole stopped, and he could hear—not see—that the others had as well. Ah, shit....
Emergency backup lighting kicked in, illuminating all the exits and Jude’s murderous expression. Nearby workers, already unnerved by the previous shutdown, we’re now fully panicked, scrambling to fix the problem—a problem that could not be fixed.
“What is this?”
Cole donned what he hoped was a convincing mask of shock and anxiety. It was easy considering that was exactly how he felt. He faced Jude with imploring eyes. “We need to move!”
“What?” The question came from both his brother and Emmerich.
Cole was grateful for her ignorance, knowing it would only lend credence to the lie he was fabricating on the fly. “Cain!” he said as though it was obvious. “It could only be him. You know he doesn’t trust our accord.” That last part was spoken to Emmerich, whose confusion was almost comical.
“The accord of which you speak was struck between us,” Jude said, spitting the words out like nails. “I was under the impression you were in control, not the AI.”
Cole shrugged, already moving ahead without them. “Rise of the machines, man. None of us is in charge these days.” He waved them to follow. “We’re just gonna have to further convince him not to turn this place into the very thing it’s trying to mine.”
Jude’s eyes widened, his anger giving way to the first hint of panic. He heeded his brother’s advice, Emmerich a step behind him. Cole waited to match Jude’s pace, keeping his attention forward so Emmerich could not try to read him.
Jude led them through hallways, down nearly pitch-dark steps, past conference rooms milling with confused suits, and finally through a crush of workers who raced by them without a word. At last they slowed before a familiar vessel in the facility’s landing bay.
The Icarus was a sight for Cole’s sore eyes. That CAIN was somehow able to remotely pilot the ship was a wonder to him. He only hoped the AI’s marvels wouldn’t end here.
“Where is everyone?” Jude asked. There was not a soul to be found near the infamous ICV-71
Cole assumed CAIN had initiated a lockdown before going silent. Most everyone in Astercor would be seeking refuge in the event of a disaster.
“Following the rest of the rats to safety,” Cole said. He was already heading for the ship. “We need to move toward the danger if we want to avert the coming catastrophe.”
“So help me, Cole....”
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Cole interrupted before Jude could spit out the rest of that venomous statement. “This isn’t part of some nefarious plan. We need to get in there and stop this now.”
He slowed and stopped when he realized no one was following. He kept his back to them, his hand upon his sidearm.
“No more running, Musgrave.”
Cole hung his head. It just had to be Chrys.
“This has gone on long enough,” she continued. “You’re letting your reckless nature get the better of you yet again.”
“Like I had a choice,” Cole said. He turned to face them, disconcerted to see her standing next to his brother.
Emmerich, with that familiar patronizing scowl, shook her head. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but you just had to switch up the plan—had to put all those beneath you in unnecessary danger.”
“Is that what you think this is? Me risking lives?”
“When is it ever not?”
Cole’s blood boiled, and the smug look on Jude’s face only intensified the heat. “Do you think this is what I wanted? To throw our lives away so we can all fly off into the stars and live as vagabonds? Maybe kidnap ‘Darkstar,’ and hold him for ransom? Perhaps even conquer the whole of the System and make it my own?”
“Yes.” It was a definitive answer. “You’re dangerous. Your actions speak volumes. This power play is proof enough.”
“Cain’s gone, Chrys!” Cole shouted. He pointed back toward the ship. “Reckless though this last ditch effort of mine is, I had to do something before all the walls caved in on us.”
“What do you mean by ‘gone’?”
Cole shifted his attention to Jude, his hand itching to draw his sidearm and blast a hole in his forehead. “Succumbed to a virus inflicted by the Sentinel security system that infiltrated the Icarus. He’s no longer in control. Hence the hysteria.
“Everything I promised would happen if Cain went down, well, it’s happening. We are all revealed, and whether any of us wanted it, this conversation is being broadcast live throughout the System for all to see. Compliments of the eyes of the crew of the Icarus. Turn on any news outlet if you don’t believe me.”
The following silence was palpable, and Cole could read his brother’s thoughts as the situation came into focus. He drew his sidearm before Jude could unleash the full fury of his rage.
“Don’t make me murder you in front of the eyes of the universe, Jude. I already have a shitty reputation as it is.”
“Do you think this is funny, Musgrave?” Emmerich demanded.
“No. But this whole thing is a joke. My life since the day I stepped foot on the Icarus has been nothing but one tragedy after another. And no matter how hard I tried to make things right, the deeper the grave I dug for us all.” He took a breath to compose himself. “Contrary to your belief, my recklessness has managed to keep my crew alive—yourself included. Perhaps you’d rather I’d let you nuke that Terraport so you could live with the guilt of murdering thousands of innocents? Should I have allowed a certain Arthur T. Forester to finish you off when we were drifting hopelessly toward the sun? Maybe, just maybe, I shouldn’t have cared so much for an ignorant turncoat like yourself. You’ve expressed just how much you appreciate me. Regardless, I don’t regret my past actions. And I’m not going to give up until I’m dead.”
“And I have every intention of making that happen,” Jude said, moving toward Cole.
The plastol was aimed squarely at Jude’s chest, finger tight on the trigger. “Don’t think I won’t do it.”
“Just what did you hope to gain by abducting me, brother?” Jude asked as he continued to slowly close the gap. “If not to ransom me, then perhaps to use me as a bargaining chip to clear you tarnished name?”
Cole honestly had not the slightest idea what he had planned to do with Jude if it came to this. His slapdash coup had never progressed to that stage. “Maybe I wanted to make you my new co-pilot, considering the previous one’s incompetence.”
Jude’s smile was malicious, ravenous. “Always the comedian.”
“Enough!”
The two half-brothers faced Emmerich, agitated by her outburst as she divided her attention between them.
“This argument will only end in death,” she said, her face red, veins bulging on her neck. “We need solutions, not finger-pointing.”
What we need, Chrys, is to leave,” Cole stressed.
“And go where? You said it yourself: Jude is our last hope in surviving this.”
Cole barked a cynical laugh. “Are you not witnessing this scene in front of you? That bridge has blown. That wasn’t my intention, but you the Musgrave curse had other ideas. This is how I’m dealing with it.”
“Then go and deal with it.”
“I don’t think you get to call the shots, Chrys,” Cole said.
“No, but I’ll take my chances here with the Ravens than wander the galaxy, trying to evade the inevitable.
”
“And why would I trust you?” Jude asked.
“You can’t,” she answered, holding his dark gaze. “Though you don’t trust anyone, or else you wouldn’t have ascended to where you are today.”
Cole began his own creeping retreat toward the Icarus, ready to abandon them both. He’d already received confirmation from Lin and Rig that they were aboard, though he’d severed verbal communication with them and ordered them to stay clear. He could only imagine what they were thinking, watching this scene unfold from the safety of the bridge.
“I’d say ‘descended’ would better describe this snowballing clusterfuck,” Cole said, then pointed to his eyes. “Again, the universe is watching, guys. I hate to break it to you, but it’s over. Anonymity, vengeance toward Terracom, Astercor... All ancient history. No amount of—”
The cage door finally burst open, unleashing the wrath of the enraged grizzly bear that was Darkstar. Cole’s brother bolted toward him, catching him unaware. Even with sidearm aimed, Cole could not think to pull the trigger. Only when he spied the glint of a blade unsheathed did he start to react.
A bloodcurdling roar accompanied the swing of the machete.
The ensuing blast was quicker.
Jude crumpled, a hole burned through the center of his chest. His weapon clattered to the ground, momentum carrying his enormous form into Cole and dropping them both to the ground in a heap. The force of both impacts knocked the wind from Cole’s lungs, and the weight of his dying brother crushed his chest. His gun wielding-arm was pinned beneath Jude’s hip, his other arm without leverage to shove his way to freedom.
Emmerich stood over top of him, seeming to be struggle between saving Cole or ending his life. He would swear she was leaning toward the latter.
“Now’s your chance,” he grunted. “Take me out. It’s what you want. I can see it...in your eyes.”
No reply.
“Do it. End me.”
Emmerich blinked before easing to one knee, reaching toward Cole, and seizing Jude’s coat. With a mighty yank, and Cole’s eager assistance, they were both able to roll the still-smoking corpse.
Cole was slow to his feet, his free hand clutching his ribs. He replaced his sidearm in its holster and gawked at his brother. He had killed him. Whether or not in self-defense, he had shot him. His one and only chance at survival was gone. The last line of defense against SolEx, UniSys, and Terracom had fallen, and they would most certainly see him dead.
Me against the universe....
Emmerich grabbed the front of his flight jacket and pulled him close. He did not resist.
“Get it together,!” The flat of her hand connected with the side of his face. “This isn’t over yet, so get your ass on that ship!”
Cole’s face stung something fierce, his ears ringing from the impact. He’d forgotten just how strong she was. “And go where?”
Emmerich lifted the front of Cole’s jacket, and he felt his heels leave the ground. “To hell, for all I care. That’s where we belong.” She dropped him and shoved him way. “Figure it out.”
Cole nodded, though he didn’t know why. In a daze, he turned toward the Icarus where Rig was watching from the top of the loading ramp, a long, heavy tool in his hand. He couldn’t meet his gaze. His body was on autopilot, and his legs somehow managed to carry him toward the ship. He did not look back.
History had repeated itself.
The Musgrave curse was finally complete.
PART TWO
THE LABYRINTH
ICARUS LOG 003:
“In fact, I know this fiasco is my fault. This here mess is a 100% certified, grade A, Cole Musgrave fuck-up. I’m a reckless son-of-a-bitch with a death wish. Just like Chrys loved to tell me over and over. And my wish is about to come true. I can’t blame the others for feeling and acting the way they did. Sooner or later I rub everyone the wrong way.”
9
SAGITTARIUS
“I’m open to any suggestions.”
Cole looked at each of his crew in-turn, hoping they had a solution for the unsolvable task ahead of them. Captain of the most infamous vessel throughout the galaxy though he might be, the thought of even gripping the ship’s flight yoke was suddenly a daunting task. Facing impossible odds should have elicited his Corner persona, but he was currently feeling little more than cornered.
Rig pointed toward nothing in particular. “Up and out would be a good start, Nugget. Sitting here ain’t gonna help, ‘cuz sooner or later the Ravens will figure what we’re about and come peck out our eyes.”
“You’re not helping, Rig.”
“Neither are you.”
Emmerich sat forward in her co-pilot’s chair and grabbed the controls. “Now’s not the time, Musgrave. While you figure out how to cope with your PTSD, I’ll take us off this rock.”
Cole watched her fumble through the launching process, and an important thought occurred to him. “Astercor’s still on shutdown. Without Cain to override things, we’re stuck here. So, unless you plan on blowing a giant hole in the—”
A missile launched from the Icarus toward the sealed bay door. Fortunately, it wasn’t a nuke. Unfortunately, the blast was still quite extraordinary. A gaping hole was left in the weapon’s wake, the escape of oxygen immediate. Emmerich did not hesitate to ride the draw of the vacuum into space.
Cole resumed control moments before the ship reached the tight clearance. He maneuvered them safely through the jagged, shrapnel maw of the mining facility before it could take a bite. Then he locked down the ship’s arsenal with his personal digital lock and key.
“You’ve been hanging around me too long,” he told Emmerich. “Leave the reprehensible decision-making to me.”
“My actions had the desired effect,” she replied, then sat back, arms crossed.
“Yeah, well I’d rather you come up with some coordinates which will lead us somewhere where we aren’t despised. Too bad Cain had to go and get himself erased by that bitch Sentinel. Maybe he could’ve converted this bird into a TARDIS and sent us back in time to fix this mess.”
“What about that traitorous goon at the universal transport hub with USCT back on the moon?” Emmerich tried. “He seemed to tolerate you. Maybe he can help.”
“Howerton? I doubt it. Not after I killed his boss on a live broadcast.” Cole activated the dark matter processor, but left the coordinates blank. He had half a mind to set a course for Earth, though he knew that not even its zealous inhabitants would welcome and forgive his sins. “Try again.”
“If he ain’t still pissed, maybe your girl’s old boyfriend can help us,” Rig suggested. “The guy was dumb enough throw away his career for a known spy; imagine if he got a load of us.”
Cole’s face contorted and he shook his head. “I don’t even know where to begin with that, so I won’t.” He was about to ignore them both when he realized there was one person from whom he’d yet to receive advice. “Where’s Lin?”
“Conducting research in the makeshift lab from across the medical bay.”
Cole perked up in his flight at the sound of Lin’s voice. Rather, he heard and saw her voice, though she was nowhere to be seen on the bridge. Unable to turn away from the viewport screen, her Rook had hovered beside his head like a comforting hand on the shoulder.
“Hey, Doc! Got a new set of pipes, eh?”
“My father’s,” she replied in her dulcet tones, waves of color fluidly morphing with her words on the device’s surface. “I finally managed to transfer all my data from my previous Rook, despite the damage it sustained.”
Finally? Cole thought, not recalling the project. Then again, he never could claim to fully comprehend the schemes of one Dr. Lin Dartmouth, mad scientist.
“I’m just glad you don’t have to speak through that thing using his voice,” Cole said. “That’d make things really weird between us.”
Rig laughed.
“Is there a point to this interruption?” Emmerich asked, armed still folded across
her breasts.
Cole would swear Lin’s Rook was glaring at Emmerich. “I would not have interfered without good cause.” The device hovered partly above the console and partly over CAIN’s darkened light. It began a slow gyration, signifying an upload of information. “I may have a solution to our dilemma.”
Cole’s mouth twisted into a smile. “Dilemma is the understatement of the millennium, Doc. But far be it for me to question your optimism. Care to explain?”
“I’m entering coordinates into the system that will lead us to a familiar energy signature I’ve uncovered. I have firm reason to believe this section of the galaxy will provide us some necessary cover until further notice.”
Familiar energy signature? Cole thought, confounded. How will that protect us from being hunted down by all of humanity? He was about to voice this very question when an alarm sounded. A new window opened on the viewport screen, showing the arrival of a fleet of Military ships in range of Astercor.
Cole snapped closed his fallen jaw. “Wow, they don’t waste any time, do they?”
“It seems your plan worked a bit too well, Musgrave.”
“Hey, I never anticipated things would progress this far. I figured we’d be long-since dead or arrested when things backfired, leaving everyone else to clean up my mess.” He switched on the mimetic cloaking, though he was pretty sure he was too late. There was also one other major issue....
“Our Ocunet lenses are still transmitting a live signal to the Galactic Web satellite dish,” Lin said. “We will be tracked wherever we go unless we sever the connection. Unfortunately, we need CAIN to accomplish that. Destruction of the lenses would be our only chance.”
“But she just said we’d be safe wherever we’re going,” Rig said, speaking what everyone was thinking. “I miss something?”
I missed it too. “Lin?”
“Nothing has changed,” she said. “Follow the coordinates. The rest will take care of itself.”
“That’s not cryptic or anything,” Cole said as he finished plotting their course. “And besides, we still have to somehow get to wherever we’re going. Might be a tad difficult with Military soon to be on our ass.”
