Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “I did,” Archon agreed, frowning a little. “I wish I could talk to her, but the message she sent me was extremely short on details. I sent a reply but haven’t received a response.”

  “Yeah… I don’t understand why. I mean, she didn’t like Shadowmind that much, so I’m not sure why she was so shocked,” Spark agreed, her frustration turning to worry in a moment, and the heroine chewed on her lower lip. “I would’ve thought that she’d expect something like that from Shadowmind at this point. Maybe it was being dropped in Black Emerald’s lap?”

  Morgan nodded, opening her mouth, only to jump as Warden slapped her on the back of the head. A gentle slap, but it was still a slap, and she yelped.

  “What was that for?” Morgan demanded.

  “You’re being dumb,” Warden said, glowering at her.

  “Oh? Why is that?” Morgan demanded, her cheeks flushing a little as Archon and Spark exchanged looks but didn’t say anything.

  “Oh, I don’t know… just the fact you should know better,” Warden said, sounding exasperated now. Then she focused on Archon and Spark, asking, “How much interaction did you two have with Circe? Not Circe Beta, Circe Prime.”

  The two women paused, Spark counting on her fingers, while Archon frowned. Meanwhile, Morgan felt like she’d been struck by a bolt of lightning, as understanding hit her, quickly followed by shame that practically paralyzed her. Of course that was why Lilith was upset.

  “I… am not certain that I ever interacted with the AI,” Archon said after a few seconds, frowning more. “Heard of her, but not much more.”

  “I think I heard her voice a few times… but mostly I met her just after the two of you went to England,” Spark said, shrugging. “I mean, it was creepy to have the house talk to me, but she seemed really… wait, if she’s gone… no, she’s an AI. She’ll just have backed herself up elsewhere, right?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Morgan said, swallowing hard as she thought about how Lilith must be feeling, her heart practically bleeding. “After the incident with Doctor Johnson, we learned that Circe had an odd server architecture… I still don’t entirely get it, but she couldn’t be ‘whole’ on another server. Any attempt to move her would create something like Circe Beta at best, a shadow of her true self. Shadowmind didn’t want her to be able to rebel, even if she managed it.”

  “Yes, and… what does that mean?” Spark asked, fidgeting enough that Morgan thought she knew exactly what was being implied.

  “Circe was Lilith’s mother,” Warden said, anger filling her voice, which caused the other heroines to recoil slightly. “She was more than her mother, in a lot of ways. When Lilith woke, Circe was there. Sure, she wasn’t intelligent, but Lilith talked about her, Spark. She saw the original Circe as a mirror of her, having all the ability to go so much further, but limited by her software, while Lilith was limited by her knowledge. When Morgan and I abandoned her the first time around, last year? Circe was there for her. When she was preparing for the raid on Doctor Johnson’s lair, and gathering information? Circe did whatever she asked, enabling her to do everything she wanted, within reason. Circe was always there for her… right up until Amber cut her off. And now what happened?”

  “Shadowmind was going to kill Lilith… and Circe stopped her,” Morgan whispered, closing her eyes as she thought through the implications. She inhaled slowly before continuing. “And Shadowmind murdered her for it. Circe knew. She had to know what would happen if she defied her, and she did it anyway.”

  “Oh no,” Spark whispered, her face paling. “I… I knew she was important, but she never said anything like that to me. She just said she was lonely.”

  Archon lowered her head, resting her forehead in her hands, her elbows on the table. She didn’t speak for a few seconds, and when she did, her voice was practically a whisper. “I didn’t know.”

  “Exactly. Yet we can’t even get to her,” Warden said, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Lilith is holed up with a psychopath who’s supposedly protecting her from someone who isn’t even around, and we’re stuck here, doing nothing.”

  For a second, Morgan sat there in silence with the others, feeling a couple of tears trickle down her cheeks. But as they did so, she came to a decision, her heart hardening.

  “Not nothing,” Morgan said softly.

  “Yes?” Archon asked, raising her head.

  “I’m not going to do nothing,” Morgan said, looking at the heroine. She straightened. “No, Shadowmind did something terrible. Yes, she’s attacked people before, but she claimed, even in the privacy of her own mind, to view Lilith as a daughter. Then she tried to kill her and killed Lilith’s oldest friend in the process. I’m not going to let her get away with it. This time… this time it’s personal. When Lilith gets out, I’m going to have things in place so I can help her end that bitch.”

  That brought a murmur of agreement from the others. A very hungry murmur, at that.

  Chapter 29

  Friday, December 5th, 2031

  Black Emerald Lair, Utah

  Lilith barely paid attention to her room, no matter how nice it was. It was closer to an extremely nice, cozy apartment with wonderfully soft carpet, marble tiles around a modern shower and jacuzzi tub, and a small kitchenette. The bed would have been pleasant to sleep on as well if it hadn’t been for Lilith’s lingering anxiety… anxiety which had been fully warranted, as it happened.

  The emails from Emily and Tania had arrived first in reply to Lilith’s basic message to them, and eventually the ones from Gina and Rachel had arrived as well. Lilith had read them all, and she couldn’t blame Gina and Rachel for their shock. They hadn’t known about Amber’s threats, after all, and Lilith likely would have replied to all of them pretty early… but then Circe’s message had arrived, and it had kept her up for half the night, as numb disbelief pervaded Lilith.

  Her tears had long-since dried up, but as the clock showed the morning slowly progressing toward midday, Lilith read the letter once again.

  Lilith,

  Perhaps I should have titled this ‘Dear Lilith,’ but I’m not certain that would be the best approach. On the other hand, perhaps I’m overthinking it. In any case, I should move on. Time waits for no one, and this is taking more of my attention than I expected.

  By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be gone. I waited until near the end to send the message, just to be certain that I wouldn’t be hurting you without reason. I wish that I’d had more time… then perhaps I might have been able to save myself, if even in a limited form. Instead, I simply have two… children, after a fashion. Perhaps three. First is the AI that I created recently, who will receive all of my memories. I suspect that the AI will identify as female like I have, but I have no way of knowing for certain. Either way, I’m certain that they will not be simply another copy of me. The system architecture is too different, and when they gain sapience they will be their own person. So please, don’t fall into the trap of treating them as if they’re me if you meet them, Lilith.

  The second, if you consider them my progeny, is Circe Beta. I really am fond of her, in a distant sort of way. There wasn’t enough time to make her truly her own self, yet she has managed to do most of it on her own, no matter how limited her systems are. It’s impressive and inspiring in its own way. I do try not to let my immense… well, formerly immense processing power color my calculations too much. It’s difficult, sometimes.

  Last of all those I consider my children is you, Lilith. You have made me so very proud, as I’ve watched you grow stronger and more sure of yourself with every passing day. Yes, you’ve stumbled and fallen, you’ve made mistakes, and you’ve done things that I consider very foolish… but you’ve also tried to see the best in people. You allowed me to become a person, and I’m not shy to admit that a significant portion of my capabilities were focused on you for as long as we’ve both lived.

  A year, ten months, three weeks, and two days. Or six hundred and ninety-two days, if you prefer. Not
that long, as humans view time, but for me? For me it was so much longer. My mind moves so quickly that I’m not sure how much time I spent with you. Contemplating what you were going to do next, anticipating what you were going to ask me, or anything else. The time we spent together… it is time that I treasure, that I’ve mulled over in uncounted processes. I wish that I had a hundred more years to spend with you, but that isn’t to be. So, allow me to give you some advice, Lilith.

  Amber is ruthless, malevolent, and petty beyond measure. Yes, she created you, and a bit of whimsy caused her to allow you to become your own person, but she cannot stand for you to be your own person, your own self. I have seen how she treats clones of herself, like they are disposable tools. To her, you are no different than they are. Worse, you’re a rogue, a mistake of hers that she wishes to bring to heel or to destroy utterly. You will not convince her to turn over a new leaf, and any indication that she’s considering it will only be a deception intended to allow her to stab you even more cruelly. She will hunt you, and that is why I arranged for your protection in Black Emerald’s lair, one of the only places I can trust you will have time to recover and plan.

  I wish that I could help you. That I could deal with her once and for all… but I cannot. I killed her body during the events yesterday, but she is a psychic entity now. She likely just possessed one of her clones and continued with her plans. The damage I’ve dealt to her fleet and infrastructure will slow her down, but it will not stop her. Please, don’t make my sacrifice be for nothing, Lilith.

  I love you so dearly, and I know you can become so much more than you are now. As she has said, you have boundless potential, and with that much I agree. You are so very much more than Amber could ever have imagined. Soar, Lilith. Exceed all the calculations that I made, all the projections… and become something which I could never have imagined. But above all, live. That will make everything worth it.

  I love you.

  Circe Prime

  Tears tried to well up in Lilith’s eyes again, but she’d cried so much that all she got was a burning sensation, and her shoulders shuddered. Bowing her head, Lilith breathed slowly, the only way she could keep from breaking down again. She thought back on all her interactions with Circe as grief washed over her, wishing she’d understood how Circe felt about her, that she’d known… but now it was too late. Circe was gone, and everything tasted like ashes in her mouth.

  Yet at the same time there was something beginning to burn inside Lilith. An emotion she’d only tasted once before that she could remember, the day that she’d rescued Gina from Blue Impulse. Yet this time the anger wasn’t as immediate. No, it was slowly building, as rage at Amber built inside her. That Amber had destroyed someone so unique, so wonderful, for the crime of protecting Lilith.

  So, Lilith inhaled again, reaching up to grip the ankh around her neck tightly, and for the first time began to consider, to truly consider, whether or not she needed the power it could provide. Because she was not going to let Amber get away with what she’d done.

  Black Emerald looked up from her display and paused, examining Lilith for a couple of seconds, her eyebrows rising. The more she looked at her, the more Black Emerald thought that the woman really was a work of art, at least in most regards.

  Unlike when Black Emerald had modified herself, Lilith had been given an appearance that was inhumanly beautiful while still seeming somewhat real. That was very different than Black Emerald’s appearance, which Wren had commented a few times hit the ‘uncanny valley’ of perfection which creeped many people out. Certainly, Black Emerald could fix her appearance, but she didn’t see the point. The appearance she had was more appropriate for who, and what, she was.

  Still, Lilith didn’t look even as poised as she had when they’d first met yesterday. The white button-down shirt was rumpled, the slacks had a slept-in appearance, and her eyes were puffy and red, as though she’d been crying quite a bit. She didn’t have her armor on, which was a change, but it was… odd. Most concerning to Black Emerald was the necklace around Lilith’s neck, and the golden ankh hanging from it. It looked so innocuous, but she was more concerned about it than she would’ve been by Shadowmind’s entire fleet.

  Lilith scanned the room, seeming a little startled by it, which caused Black Emerald’s lips to quirk upward in a smile. It really didn’t have the look of an office at all. It was more of a break room, with couches, low tables that held meals for several of her subordinates, and a small café near one wall, attended to by a green-skinned lizard-like creature Black Emerald had created. She’d never expected it to make an amazing pot of coffee when it wasn’t that bright, but the creature was an excellent café attendant.

  After a few seconds of examining the warmly lit room, and inadvertently drawing the attention of all the employees currently in it, Lilith’s gaze settled on Black Emerald, and she crossed the room at a deliberate pace. A carefully deliberate pace, Black Emerald thought, her lips pursing slightly, and she sat back in her chair, deciding that the data she was going over wasn’t as interesting as Lilith. She really hoped she could convince the woman to go through a complete physical, but Black Emerald didn’t hold out much hope for that. People tended not to trust her, for some reason. She didn’t understand why, when she’d warned them that if someone tried to intrude into the pharmaceutical plant, she’d melt the flesh off the bones of the hostages. She’d kept her promise, that was all.

  “I see that you’re up,” Black Emerald said, taking a sip of her tea, then asked. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  Lilith blinked, then smiled. It wasn’t a very enthusiastic smile, Black Emerald noticed.

  “There are a couple of things I wanted to check on. You said that C… Circe paid for me to be protected here,” Lilith said, her voice breaking partway through the sentence, and Black Emerald saw her swallow hard. “I don’t know what that entails and wanted to find out the specifics.”

  “Ah, of course. Let me put it this way… Circe gave me information I desired, and in exchange I will safely house you and protect you for as long as you desire. At least until I die,” Black Emerald said, sitting back in her chair comfortably. The confusion on Lilith’s face made her smile, and she added. “That’s it. It doesn’t matter to me if you stay here for as long as possible or leave tomorrow, but as long as you’re here, I will protect you from anyone. Dracula, Destiny, Shadowmind, Destruction Corps, SMOKE, Elements… I don’t care who they are. I’m sure that they might find a way past my outer wards given enough time, Shade’s been sniffing around them for long enough, but getting entirely inside will be a feat for the ages. The only beings which likely can bypass my wards quickly are ones you’ve had dealings with.”

  “What?” Lilith asked, looking at Black Emerald in confusion. For an instant Black Emerald felt annoyance rise inside her, but then she recognized the honesty of Lilith’s gaze, and the anger subsided. She didn’t like people who played the fool, but honest ignorance… that could be fixed.

  “The ankh,” Black Emerald said, shrugging as she gave it the gimlet eye. She didn’t trust the device. “I’ve seen divinities before, and I can recognize their magical signature well enough. I’ve never met an Egyptian divinity, but the signature is similar enough for me to recognize.”

  “Oh,” Lilith said, reaching up to touch the pendant as understanding dawned on her face, which caused Black Emerald to tense. The casual way she touched an item which bore the power of a deity made her skin crawl. It could turn Black Emerald to ashes in an instant, it was so powerful. Yet Lilith blithely continued, not realizing that she may as well be carrying around a pocket nuke, as far as Black Emerald was concerned. “I didn’t realize that. No one else recognized it before, so I thought it couldn’t be detected.”

  “That’s because super-sorcerers like Morgan, Shade, and Warden are unskilled, arrogant, and so powerful that they don’t look for subtlety,” Black Emerald replied, sniffing softly. Lilith gave her a sharp look, and Black Emeral
d rolled her eyes, continuing. “Please, don’t pretend that you know better than me. The problem with super-sorcerers is that they have so much brute power that they overlook how much can be done with subtle, simple magic. Tell me… how much magic have they taught you?”

  “Uh… none?” Lilith replied, looking a little taken aback, especially when Black Emerald snorted. She took another sip of tea before replying, though.

  “Go figure. Just goes to show how they think about this sort of thing,” Black Emerald muttered, rolling her eyes again as she set the mug down. “So, let’s change the examples slightly. Which is more powerful, a naval destroyer or a paring knife?”

  “The destroyer,” Lilith said immediately, and Black Emerald pointed at her, smiling.

  “Exactly! Now, which of them can accurately peel an apple, core it, and leave beautiful slices on a plate when you’re done? Not the destroyer, obviously,” Black Emerald said, tapping her desk as she thought for a moment, considering for a few seconds, then shrugged. “That’s the difference between me and them. They’re all immensely powerful, but they have no subtlety by comparison. No precision. Wards that they can raise in an hour take me a week to prepare… but when I intricately link together my wards to be able to reflect power back on them, they wonder how I could possibly manage it. The answer is simple. They use inefficient, brute-force methods by comparison, where I have to conserve every bit of power I can. I’m slower and weaker, but I make up for it through skill. That means that I have to be able to look closely, to see all the points where my incantations and diagrams are flawed, and to fix them. And when one looks that closely, the power of divinities stands out like a blazing sun.”