Critical Strike (The Critical Series Book 3)

by Wearmouth

  Layla frowned and shook her head. “The scion attacked you and have taken over parts of your planet. Is that what you were working toward? How is that any better than living under croatoan rule?”

  “Charlie and Denver asked the same questions. I will provide you all with an overview.”

  They passed through an automatic set of double doors to a thirty-meter-wide room. A floor-to-ceiling window looked out over the immediate landscape. Charlie and Denver stood in front of it, gazing outside and chatting.

  Denver turned and smiled. “Nice to see you’re awake.”

  “Learned anything new?” Charlie said.

  “Not really. Our host says we’ve been asking the same questions. I guess it’s time for us to hear it.”

  Charlie grabbed a cup from a polished stone table and handed it to Layla. “Here’s something to toast the death of Augustus.”

  “I’ve just been thinking about that. Gregor would be pleased.”

  “Screw him,” Denver said. “I want to know if we’ve got a way back.”

  Layla peered over his shoulder. The remains of the gate towered over the forest outside. The two edges of the broken ring glinted in the sun and seemed to be expanding toward each other. Mechs floated on either side of it and fired lasers. Other small black square objects moved smoothly up and down the internal side.

  “They should have it finished in a unit,” Doslin said. “You can be on the ship if you agree to our terms.”

  Charlie stepped toward her. “Are you serious? We’ve been messed around since arriving. I can’t take another false promise.”

  Doslin held her stumpy translucent fingers toward a granite bench. “Take a seat and I will explain.”

  Layla sat between Charlie and Denver. Doslin knelt in front of them. “Tredeya and Earth are both parts of a Galactic struggle between two force—”

  “I kinda guessed that,” Charlie said. “What’s that got to do with us?”

  “You need to see the full picture. The croatoans colonized hundreds of planets in the universe. Earth or Tredeya are not exceptions. Croatoans see it as their right as one of the oldest species, and use our resources for their expanding population.”

  “Vingo hinted toward that,” Denver said. “Where do the scion come in?”

  “They are on a quest to find their purpose and believe that the information they need is spread around the universe, including Earth.”

  “They’re going to invade us?” Layla said.

  “No. Mike has agreed to give them access to Hagellan’s devices and any other system they choose. If you give them what they want, they are happy to let you live peaceful lives and will leave a ship in the solar system for protection against the croatoans.”

  Charlie grunted. “And that’s why they’re standing on the croatoans’ toes.”

  “What do you mean?” Doslin said.

  “The scion are liberating any colonized planet that goes along with their request. It sounds like your command made a huge mistake.”

  “You’re correct, and it’s also the reason Tredaya has finally fallen today. Our commanders followed croatoan instructions to the letter.” Doslin bowed her head. “They thought being attacked by the scion was better than facing a croatoan planet destroyer. That is a risk any rebelling planet faces.”

  “Have the croatoans managed to get past the scion defenses yet?”

  “I’ve only heard rumors about two distant colonies. I believe you call it a myth, but the croatoans use these stories as a threat.”

  “What about the Amalgam?” Layla said. “Vingo was trying to gather information to trade with them.”

  “They are not a major force yet, but they’re growing in strength and have entered our galaxy. It’s the perfect time to rise because croatoan resources are stretched to the limit, trying to stop the scion advance.”

  “Who’s winning?” Charlie said.

  “Nobody wins,” Doslin replied, her blinks becoming rapid. “This has gone on longer than humans have been on Earth. I believe the scion expansion is unstoppable, but the croatoans are determined.”

  “What happens if the information they’re looking for doesn’t exist?” Denver said.

  “They will continue looking. This is their purpose until they find out the reason for their creation.”

  Charlie stood and sighed. He peered out the window toward the gate. “Enough of the history lesson. You said there are terms?”

  “If they are agreed to, you can return to Earth through the repaired gate, and a scion ship will protect your solar system from future croatoan invasion. Mike has agreed to his part of the proposition.”

  “Are you sure they won’t turn on us?” Denver said.

  Doslin shuffled toward him. “That is not a concern you alone must address. Please accompany me to another room.”

  Denver raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

  She reached inside her robe, produced a small black prism and held it toward Denver. “Take this and follow me.”

  “Wait for just one second. We do things together or not—” Charlie said.

  “He comes with me now,” Doslin snapped. “Everything has a price.”

  Doslin stood and pressed the prism into Denver’s hand. Layla looked across to him. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll let you know everything that happens. If this is how they want to play it, so be it.”

  Denver took the prism and held it in front of his face. Doslin walked toward a door at the left-hand side of the observation area. Denver followed and paused to glance back at the bench.

  Layla feared this wouldn’t be as straightforward as the scion agent explained. Doslin’s final three words spun in her mind. She hoped the price didn’t involve losing Denver.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Denver inhaled the fresh air generated from the atmosphere units of the small room. They had even managed to equalize the gravity so it felt like being back on Earth again. His muscles eased away the lingering cramp with each step into the room.

  “Please, rest; take a seat,” Doslin said, indicating with an elegant gesture of her thin hand a sofa that resembled a large hotdog sign he had once seen on the streets of New York among the debris of collapsed buildings.

  He sat down on what would have been the bun and rested his back against the ‘sausage.’ The design was surprisingly comfortable, the foam supportive as it conformed to his shape.

  The room was carpeted with what looked like an organic material of woven long stems, making a light striped pattern. It was soft underfoot and gave off a light fragrance of mint mixed with cinnamon.

  Like the previous room, this one had a large window that looked out onto the gate’s repair; the huge spines that made up the rings were quickly taking shape. If he blinked, he would miss some growth, some mutable effect. The scion machines were swarming it like ants, and the gate itself seemed to animate before his very eyes.

  “That’s incredible,” he said, mostly to himself.

  Doslin stood with her back to him, her hands crossed behind the small of her back. She inclined her head forward. “They’re a unique race, that’s for sure,” she said in a neutral tone.

  “You don’t seem impressed. I suppose you’ve seen so much that these things no longer hold any wonder for you.”

  Doslin turned to face him. “I think it’s time you listened to your handler. She’ll be able to explain far better than I can.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on here. Why am I being separated like this?”

  “They’re interested in you. The scion, that is. Did you not wonder why they hadn’t killed you when they had numerous opportunities?”

  “Of course I did, I’m not that witless. By interest, do you mean they want to… what, inspect me or something? If this is going to get weird, then we’re going to have trouble.”

  “Please, it’s nothing like that; you can relax here,” Doslin said, her voice becoming lighter, friendlier. Unlike Vingo, she was far subtler and convincing, whi
ch is why he supposed she was working for the scion and Vingo lay dead in a vault that was likely now a pile of very old rubble.

  “So what is it?”

  “Place the prism on the table here and we’ll get started.” She pressed a button on a small control pad Denver hadn’t previously noticed attached to her forearm. A glass surface the size of a regular coffee table floated down from the ceiling and hovered half a meter off the floor just in front of him.

  Following Doslin’s instructions, Denver leaned forward and placed the miniature scion artifact onto the table’s surface. It whirred and the cone lifted up. In a repeat of what he saw in the vault, the cone flipped back and a holographic image appeared above the prism.

  He recognized the construction. “Drone 451?” Denver asked.

  “You remembered,” the scion handler said as a statement. “That’s an encouraging start.”

  “To what?”

  Doslin stepped away into the shadows of the room as the lights dimmed. Drone 451’s light-blue holographic display glowed brighter in the gloom. When Denver turned away to look at Doslin again, he couldn’t see her, though he heard no door open and detected no movement of air.

  Impressive, he thought. He could see why she was an agent.

  Sure it was a shade darker in the room, but not that dark. Not to his trained eyes anyway.

  “To your new role, Denver Jackson. You’ve been assigned agent status, code number 6001. We’ve analyzed your algorithm, and it interests us greatly.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute there, buddy, agent status? Algorithms? What are you talking about?”

  “A simple deal. Your help on a short-term mission for the future safety of your planet.”

  Denver sighed and leaned forward. “You’re starting to sound like Vingo. What is it with you aliens and your deals? Sure, you gave us air and a safe place to sleep, but now you want what exactly?”

  “Your algorithm dictates much progress in our aims. We would rather cooperate with you for mutual benefit than increase the odds that our progress will be delayed. The war with the croatoans is a complex affair and has already put us back an estimated fifty thousand Earth years. A minor issue in the grand scheme, but the Order of Things has sent you to us, and by our calculations, you’ll help us to our goals significantly quicker than without.”

  Denver sat back and thought about what this being was saying. They obviously wanted him badly, which gave him some bargaining power… depending on what they wanted him to do.

  “Listen, are you familiar with our term ‘put all the cards on the table’?”

  The drone flickered briefly before affirming.

  “Then let’s do that right now, shall we? I appreciate your other drones not killing me, I really do, and I appreciate you guys bringing us back here and attempting to rebuild the gate, but I know so little about you and your kind. Who are you, for example? Do you have a consciousness? Are you an individual or just a software program?”

  “Would it matter to our negotiations whether I have a consciousness or not?” it replied.

  “I suppose not, but you’re not exactly being forthcoming with details here. Tell me what you are, what you and your kind want, and what your plans are for me. You mentioned the Order of Things… what is that and how does it factor into my working with you as an agent?”

  “Unlike many, you ask the right questions,” Drone 451 replied. The holographic image changed to a flat screen. On the screen a stream of code flowed too fast for Denver to understand or recognize any individual characters. “This is the Order of Things as it stands now. It is much changed since you arrived on Tredeya. It is the underlying programmatic expression of the chaos that exists in all things. Our intelligences mine it for information, seeking patterns. We build algorithms to fix complex programs and compute outcomes.”

  “That’s… interesting, I suppose, but I’ve never really used computers, so excuse me if I’m not blown away. Are you suggesting you guys can tell the future?”

  “No,” the drone said. “We can infer from it. And that’s where you come in. One of our algorithmists saw your pattern in the Order of Things and we knew that you would be important to us regarding one of our long-running missions.”

  Denver cocked his head as the screen changed to show a small blue planet surrounded by darkness and a single sun. There were no other planets or moons on the image and so few stars that he couldn’t make out any recognizable constellations, which told him it could only be one thing. “That’s not Earth, is it, even though it looks like it at first glance?”

  “You’re correct, although you could look upon it as the first Earth.”

  “First… you’re saying there’s multiple Earths?”

  “Of a kind, yes. Humans currently inhabit three hundred and fifty-nine planets with similar properties to the first Earth. Yours is classified as number ninety-seven.”

  “Okay, that’s… kind of mind-bending, but then I suppose everything is at the moment. I’ll be sure to process this all at some point. So what’s special about this first Earth, and where do I come in?”

  “You’re going to find it for us,” Drone 451 said.

  “Oh, am I?” Denver wanted to laugh at first. The absurdity of this whole scenario suddenly hit him in the chest. “Is this like some kind of weird test? You know I’m just a guy from Earth ninety-seven, right? I know nothing of the galaxy. I think you lot would be better suited to find this planet than me.”

  “But you’re human,” the drone responded as though that answered everything. “For the mission we have in mind, we need you. Doslin, please provide Agent 6001 with the printed mission brief.”

  The holographic display shut down. The cone clasped down onto the prism and the room’s lights slowly came back up to their previous illumination. Denver felt as if he had just awoken from a dream.

  Doslin appeared by his side. He hadn’t even seen or sensed her move. She held out a folded piece of white card. “Your mission brief. You’re to press your thumb against the box to accept.”

  “You all seem so sure that I will just go along with this madness.”

  Doslin gave him the slightest smile. “The scion are… persuasive. Now please, read the brief. Then we can return to your father and Layla. There is still much to discuss before the gate is fully operational.”

  Denver took the card and sat back in the sofa. He realized he was smiling, still thinking all this was some weird elaborate game, but when he opened the card and started to read, his smile dropped and he leaned forward. The card shook slightly in his grip. He twisted his head to stare up at Doslin. “This isn’t bullshit, is it?”

  “The scion might be many things, but when they offer agent status, bullshit is not in their mode of operation. I can assure you of that.”

  “Right,” Denver said, turning back to the briefing. He paused for a second, his thumb hovering over the small chip embedded into the card. And then he pressed his thumb down. A small tickle of electricity excited his skin.

  Doslin took the mission briefing from him and held out her hand.

  “Welcome to the scion, Agent 6001.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Charlie peered through the glass of the observation room. A large scion prism had floated to the surface and stopped over a flat strip of land. A ramp dropped from its underside.

  Hundreds of tredeyans and croatoans were being escorted aboard by a row of hovering jet-black mechs. He felt little sympathy after his experiences with both species. At least they probably weren’t being turned into trays of silver slop.

  Scion fighters still patrolled the sky, although they only made sweeping runs around the ship and none fired during the time Charlie observed their movements.

  Half an hour had passed since Denver left the room. Layla paced around behind him, fidgeting and mumbling to herself.

  “Get yourself over here and relax,” Charlie said.

  She stood by his shoulder and looked at the fully formed gate. “What do you thin
k they’re saying to him?”

  “No idea, but worrying about it isn’t going to change anything. We’ll find out when he comes back.”

  “If he’s coming back.”

  Charlie wrapped his arm around her. “You should know Denver by now. He’ll be back.”

  A loud crack echoed to their right. From their position, only the top half of the gate was visible. A solid shimmering blue surface filled the giant circular structure, like a piece of suspended water. Green waves rippled across it as the strip of light running around the perimeter flashed. The green strip remained solid after ten blinks, turning the internal space to aquamarine.

  The ground shook below Charlie’s boots, accompanied by a low rumbling sound. Layla gasped and pressed her hand against the vibrating glass. Stones danced around on the ground directly outside.

  “Looks like they’ve got it working,” Layla said.

  Charlie shook his head. “That’s insane. Hard to believe we came through it.”

  A black tip punctured the surface inside the gate. Electricity fizzed around it. A large black prism smoothly glided through, filling three-quarters of the area.

  It continued forward over the trees toward the command center. Charlie took a couple of steps back, maintaining a fixed gaze on the ship. It stopped over an area covered in yellow grass peppered with orange wild-growing root. The croatoans must have used a different version of it on Tredeya. The ones on Earth didn’t spread seeds.

  Dust puffed from below the prism and showered the observation window. Through the haze, a graphite ramp, with blue lights running along each side, lowered twenty meters to the ground.

  “Do you trust them?” Layla said.

  “I’m prepared to trust anyone who’s fighting the croatoans. If they make good on their promise to defend our solar system, I’m all for it.”

  “It’s hard to believe this could all finally be over.”

  Charlie shrugged. “It ain’t over ’til we get back to Earth.”

  The door clicked open behind them and he spun around. Doslin walked toward them. Denver followed with the black prism fastened around his neck.