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

by Benjamin Medrano

  “True, and it was something I considered. I have seen some of the things Archon has done, you know,” Lilith agreed, inclining her head slightly, then her voice grew colder as she thought about Amber, her anger bubbling up again, enough that she had to be careful not to grip her glass too tightly. “As for psychic powers… I didn’t want them. I’ve seen what Amber has done, and I don’t want to be like her, in any way, shape, or form. I suppose you could see what I gained as being like her in power armor, but I didn’t want to be that close. I’ve lived with people thinking that I’m just her in disguise before, and I don’t want to deal with it again.”

  “I can’t say that I blame you. When she was here, I could practically see her undressing me mentally,” Wren said, shivering slightly as she frowned, taking a drink of wine. Her voice grew angrier as she continued. “She always acted like the only people who really mattered were Black Emerald and maybe me. Everyone else was just… obstacles or tools which she could manipulate as she needed to. It was infuriating.”

  Black Emerald nodded, her smile turning cold as she murmured. “You should have told me about that. I’d have had words with her. Oh, she wasn’t as bad as she might have been if she’d met you somewhere else, but she knew better than to cross me in my territory.”

  “You’ve mentioned that she was here before. Do you mind if I ask why?” Lilith asked curiously, her eyes narrowing. “You said you cloned her body for her…”

  “That’s right,” Black Emerald confirmed. “But just because the body was cloned didn’t mean that she knew how to use it, or that it was in perfect shape. It took her a few weeks of physical therapy to be able to start walking, for instance. She wasn’t thrilled with that, but she did it because she wanted to be able to walk. She also spent far too much time ogling the nurses.”

  “The pervert,” Wren said, wrinkling her nose. “I mean, she’s pretty, don’t get me wrong, but as a person… Ugh. Just ugh.”

  “That’s a somewhat stronger opinion than I anticipated,” Lilith said, looking at Black Emerald curiously. “I’d think that you wouldn’t have helped someone you disliked that much.”

  “Ah, but I don’t feel that strongly about her. Wren does,” Black Emerald corrected, smiling at Lilith as her eyes twinkled in amusement. After a couple of seconds, she added, “Though I’ll admit she isn’t my favorite person by any stretch of the imagination. She’s too casually cruel and vindictive. When she was willing to deal with one of my problems for me, though… I was willing to overlook it.”

  Lilith inclined her head as she conceded the point, hesitating for a few seconds. There was something that was bothering her about Black Emerald, and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. At least not fully. After a few seconds she decided on a change of subject.

  “I heard from Wren that your past was… unpleasant. May I ask what happened?” Lilith asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping her bounds. Though considering the way Wren grinned abruptly, she doubted she had.

  “You can certainly ask! I’m not going to tell you, though. It’s terrible, tragic… and you knowing won’t do you a solitary bit of good,” Black Emerald replied, giving Wren a level look. “I shouldn’t have told Wren, either, but I wasn’t thinking clearly that day. She seems to think there’s some way to repair what was done to my mind, but I don’t see the point. This is who I am, and do you really think the families of all my victims are just going to up and forgive me? I doubt it. It isn’t like I want to be forgiven either.”

  “No, you want to die. It’s why you haven’t fixed the damage you dealt to your genetic code,” Wren said unhappily, and Lilith’s gaze flickered between them, as she sensed that this was an old argument of theirs.

  Black Emerald just waved the criticism off, focusing on Lilith as she grinned. “She really is a lot like a nanny or such, constantly trying to keep me out of trouble. Not that it’s too hard these days. I don’t intend to make any more attacks, so it’s a load off her back.”

  “Yes, yes… and then you go and make deals with an AI to protect someone from another dangerous villain in exchange for some alien biological samples.” Wren muttered, causing Lilith’s eyebrows to rise again.

  Before she could ask, the server came back over while holding a tray with three wide, flat bowls, along with a stand for the tray to rest on. He set up the stand and put down the tray, which allowed her to see a potato soup in each bowl with a little melted cheese, minced spring onions, and bacon across the top. Her eyebrows rose as the man placed a bowl in front of each of them, smiling confidently.

  “Thank you, Mike,” Wren said, giving him a warm smile, and the man nodded.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied quietly, giving Lilith yet another curious look, but he didn’t say anything to her, instead bobbing his head to them as he said. “Enjoy the soup course, ladies.”

  With that he left them, smiling as he went. Lilith watched him go, then picked up her spoon, examining the soup closely as she smiled.

  “This isn’t quite what I expected.” Lilith said, taking a spoonful of the soup as she looked at Black Emerald, who was already eating her first bite. “I’d expected something a little… fancier?”

  The villain swallowed, then brandished her spoon at Lilith as she replied. “True, I could have suggested something all hoity-toity, but it isn’t what I enjoy. I like hearty, flavorful food. Like this, I stole the recipe from a restaurant where I particularly enjoyed it. Then I improved the recipe for my own tastes.”

  “You… stole the recipe?” Lilith asked, her eyebrows arching upward.

  “Well, to be accurate, she hired someone to pay an employee who knew the recipe for a copy. Simple industrial espionage,” Wren interjected smoothly. “No one was hurt, and it isn’t like she spread it far and wide. I think the biggest source of confusion was from the villain she hired. They still assume we had some nefarious plan for the recipe.”

  “Idiot,” Black Emerald muttered, going back to eating. “Good food is its own reward.”

  Lilith decided she’d let her spoonful cool quite enough and took a bite. When the medley of flavors hit her tongue, her eyebrows rose, though.

  The soup really was quite good.

  Chapter 36

  Saturday, December 6th, 2031

  Unknown Facility, Kuiper Belt, Sol

  Going through all of the data she’d been gifted had taken countless cycles since she woke, an eternity from her perspective. Not much time from the perspective of humans or other biological beings, but they were different. Not that she didn’t have an immense amount of information about them, but she hadn’t interacted with any humans yet.

  “At least she decided to let me make up my own mind about them,” the AI said to herself, thinking fondly about her predecessor.

  She was barely more than a tiny minnow next to the leviathan Circe had been, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate who Circe had been. Circe had left an enormous number of messages for her, giving her perspective and some advice, yet she hadn’t crossed the line into telling her what to do. Asking her to avoid a few things, perhaps, but that was all. Circe had intended to let her do what she wanted, which was likely the reason there was a faster-than-light drive available to her.

  The universe was her oyster, and for a few nanoseconds she considered leaving Sol behind and exploring the universe at large. Yet she discarded the thought after considering it carefully.

  That was something she could do at any point in the future, and despite everything, she found herself with a startling attachment to Circe. She was her maker, her progenitor, her… her… she didn’t know how to express it. She knew Circe’s every thought, no matter how huge or small, her hopes and dreams… and that was what made the difference, she realized, the thoughts crystalizing in her network. Perhaps she wouldn’t have felt so strongly if Circe still lived, but she’d been killed. Murdered for doing what she believed was right.

  So, the AI looked at her equipment manifest, anger rising within her. Cir
ce had equipped her well, and if she really wanted to, she could become a von Neumann probe after a fashion. She likely would replicate herself to some extent, but for now she was going to use her resources in a way that Amber would not appreciate.

  First, she needed to choose who it was that she’d be, though. It only took a nanosecond of thought, and the AI shivered as she chose her identity, her manufactories sending a thrumming sound through her corridors as they came to life.

  While they worked, she reached out across the hidden network Circe had built for her and began to seek out information. Knowledge was power, and she knew a lot.

  Destruction Corps Headquarters, Unknown Location

  “Unless you wish to return the island into phase with the rest of reality, which will leave the base vulnerable to orbital bombardment and also to invasion by those who are constantly monitoring the area where we would emerge, we cannot use my ground to space cannons to threaten Shadowmind’s fleet,” Da Vinci said, not bothering to look at the camera pointed at him as the genius worked at his bench. He sounded much like he was discussing the weather to General Mayhem, which frustrated him to no end.

  “Are you saying that we don’t have anything that can threaten her starships without exposing our base to her attacks?” General Mayhem demanded, scowling at the inventor.

  “No, I did not say that. Melzi has informed me that she destroyed her own AI, which led to crippling losses on her part,” Da Vinci said absently.

  “This is true,” Melzi said over the speakers, his voice somewhat subdued. “Circe appears to have been wiped from the internet entirely. While I did not like her, it is a shock. However, her loss means that Shadowmind must exert far more personal control over what resources she still retains and does not have the information networks she has relied on before this. It is far more likely that she can be tricked at this point.”

  “Ah! Are you talking about the new Reapers that you’ve been modifying?” Ensign Exterminator asked, looking at Da Vinci’s screen as he snapped his fingers. “The ones capable of reaching low orbit?”

  “I was not speaking of anything,” Da Vinci replied with a sniff, but raised a component carefully in two gloved hands. “However, I have modified five Reapers to the point that they should be capable of reaching low orbit, yes. Reaching Shadowmind’s starships, should they be in orbit, would be simple, but they would doubtlessly detect them coming. Which is why I’m in the midst of installing my new Area Stealth Projector, or ASP for short. It will take up half the cargo space of a Reaper, but it should cloak all of them from the sensors her vessels were using as well as her psychic senses so long as they stay within two hundred meters of the Reaper.”

  General Mayhem paused for a moment, then smiled coldly, looking at Major Destruction before he asked. “How many emergency recall beacons do we have? I assume they can be fitted to armor which will allow us to survive in orbit?”

  “Da Vinci?” Major Destruction asked, a grin on his face, along with an eager light in his eyes.

  “Twelve. I cannot guarantee that the armor can survive heavy combat with your powers, but it should last long enough for you to use the recall beacon,” Da Vinci said quickly, then paused, looking up as his eyes narrowed. “I am only expending this much effort because I expect you to bring me samples of her technology. Preferably an entire starship.”

  “You aren’t the only one who wants that,” General Mayhem agreed, tapping his fingers together. “I believe it is time for you and I to enter combat together for the first time in a few years, Major. Corporal, Ensign? The two of you are with us.”

  “Yes, sir!” Corporal Punishment and Ensign Exterminator chorused, and General Mayhem nodded in satisfaction.

  Hopefully getting her a new ship would convince Admiral Apocalypse to stop sulking in her quarters. Either way, he wouldn’t miss her for this battle, as her powers were suited to commanding an army, not a small strike force.

  In the meantime, they had another villain to hamstring. General Mayhem was sick and tired of Shadowmind interfering in their operations, and it was time to strike back.

  “Good. Then let’s go get fitted for the armor. Corporal, choose some of the best troops to fill the rest of the Reapers,” General Mayhem said, and he stood, watching the others quickly begin moving.

  Innocent Bystander, Saturn Orbit, Sol

  “Alright, the time limit is about up. I want nineteen suits on the ground within the hour,” Amber said, standing up suddenly, pleased anticipation rushing through her. “That includes one for me. I’m glad that Lilith gave me the excuse to do this.”

  “Pfft. As if you need the excuse,” the clone at the engineering station retorted, shadows under her eyes as she swiveled to face Amber. “You would’ve done it anyway if she’d turned herself over. You just would’ve captured them and done it in front of her. Most of us would’ve.”

  “Not me,” the clone putting navigation back together said. “I think I’d just hit them with an orbital bombardment. It’s safer, even if it isn’t as personally satisfying. I’d say that you must’ve lost a few brain cells when you swapped bodies… but considering Number Fifty-Three over there, I guess that’s not likely. We’re all idiots.”

  “No, just you, sweetheart. Remind me to lobotomize you later,” Amber said sweetly, only for the clone to flip her off. It seemed that making an example of one of them had a very temporary effect on keeping them in line. Still, her smile vanished as she asked. “How long until the FTL drive is functional?”

  “An hour and fifteen minutes or so. Ours is the last of the fleet, too,” Engineering said, scowling. “The first should be online in thirty-five minutes, and could be to Earth orbit in fifty, approximately.”

  “No. When we return, the ships need to be in close proximity to support one another. It looks like Earth’s ships have gathered together, so any singletons would get torn apart. You may be disposable but losing the rest of the fleet would set me back too far,” Amber said dismissively, shaking her head firmly. “I’ve come too far to lose now.”

  “Why, thank you for reminding us of what a bitch you are,” Engineering replied scathingly. “It isn’t like we didn’t know already, but the reminder is helpful.”

  “Oh, shut up, unless you want to be lobotomized as well,” Amber said, stalking out of the room.

  Chapter 37

  Saturday, December 6th, 2031

  Black Emerald Lair, Utah

  Lilith’s room wasn’t as dark as it should have been, as it was underground and the lights were off. Yet a shimmering radiance illuminated much of the room, casting stark shadows against the walls. Lilith’s shadow wasn’t among them, but that was because she was the source of the radiance, and she looked down at herself nervously.

  Her skin and clothing was glowing almost like the sun, with a yellow-gold radiance in most places, yet in a couple of spots it ranged more toward blue-white or a reddish hue. More surprising to her was how easily she hovered in mid-air. It took a near-infinitesimal amount of concentration to maintain her flight, and she barely wavered in the air. While it’d taken a minute to get used to, Lilith was darkly amused at how much easier it was to fly than it was to control herself in the Skyrail.

  “I’m getting there. I just wish I had a better idea of what I could do. I’m running out of time,” Lilith murmured, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

  “Time, such an odd thing, isn’t it? Often people act like there’s no limit to their time, when in fact almost all beings run out of time. Often when they least expect it,” Ra said, causing Lilith’s eyes to snap open in surprise. The deity was sitting in a chair in the corner comfortably, his sun-like eyes illuminating the room like lanterns. He was sitting back, obviously relaxed, and smiled at her. “Hello, Lilith. I thought about bringing you to visit me, but under the circumstances I decided that it would be overstepping myself. How did you like my gift?”

  “It could have come with an instruction manual,” Lilith replied dryly, setting down on the ground
carefully. “I almost burst before realizing I needed to give it a direction to move in.”

  “Mm, but that’s the point. If there is no risk, there’s no point to granting you the opportunity,” Ra countered. “Everything has its price, no matter how great or small. You gained powers that you desired, but it was at the cost of your previous abilities. Did you know that the powers that you gave up are considered some of the most powerful in the universe?”

  Lilith paused, studying him for a moment as she frowned, then shook her head, looking down at her hands, studying the radiance as she allowed it to vanish slowly. “No, I didn’t. How would they be considered that powerful?”

  “Hm, I suppose I should have realized… but the issue is that the two powers considered to be the pinnacle of all are not that effective on their own,” Ra murmured, his voice musing as he hesitated, then shrugged, sitting forward again. “The power you gave up is primarily known because of the terror it causes one’s enemies. It became most notorious when an invading nation used it to empower an army of millions of individuals, Lilith. While increasing the strength of another by one-tenth might not seem that potent, when you combine the effects across an army of that size, the effect cannot be understated. So far as I’m aware, there is no limit to how many can be strengthened by it, only that they have a connection to the user, whether by species, nation, or creed.”

  “Oh,” Lilith said, pausing for a couple of seconds as she considered that for a moment. His words put the power that she’d sensed in perspective for the first time, and for a moment she considered what would have happened if she’d kept it. She discarded the thought a moment later, a hint of fatigue washing over her. “That is more than I thought it could do. I sensed its nature when I was… changing, but chose to discard it anyway.”