Eye of the Abyss

by Michael Formichelli

  “Praetor Augusta arrived this morning. She is presently at Keltan Tower, conducting her investigation.” Baroness Revenant-Olivaar seemed pleased with the news, and she could guess why.

  In Baron Keltan’s absence Baroness Sophiathena Cronus was running Keltan Securities. Knowing what she did, Cygni was willing to bet that the Praetor’s presence at Keltan Tower was irritating at best for the white-haired baroness. Baroness Revenant-Olivaar must be relishing her peer’s discomfort. It was well known that the Revenants hated Baroness Cronus for the threat she posed to them by virtue of her birth. Her disinheritance had been Confederate-wide news.

  “Is she expected to come here?” Doctor Rega asked in a more sedate tone.

  Cygni gave him a look and realized he had a reason to worry. Having planted hundreds of canisters of Siren around the city couldn’t be good for him. She told Thuban weeks ago, but between him and Sanul, they still hadn’t found them. If Daedalus’ agent took Baroness Sophiathena and Rega down, that would be two worries removed from her mind. Maybe she could make contact with the Praetor and end all of this. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that might be the best course of action.

  “She is not expected here,” the baroness said. “But you never know, so all of you better have your houses in order. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Baroness,” the managers chimed at once.

  “Good. Miss Aragón, your section is no longer needed. All of you must clear out by the end of the week. Turn over all of your materials to Doctor Rega.”

  It wasn’t bad news, she realized, but it was surprising. With the spy-grain in Revenant’s office there was really no need for her to be in the tower anymore, and maybe, if she could make contact with the Praetor, even that would be unnecessary.

  “Yes, Baroness.” Her simple statement drew a curious look.

  “Very well, this meeting is at an end.” The baroness looked around the table one more time, then swept from the room.

  The managers broke out into conversation as soon as the door slid shut. A few of them gave her pitying looks, but she wasn’t interested. She waited half a minute, then left the conference table and headed down to her floor. She was still in the lift when her implant detected an incoming message. She regarded the CPAd in her UI for a moment and accepted.

  “Cygni, Thuban just messaged me. I think—” Her implant chime cut Giselle off.

  Hang on, he’s calling me now. She switched channels. Thuban’s deep voice entered her thoughts.

  “Come downstairs, both of you. Dorsky’s accepted your request.”

  You’re here about that? she sent back. I thought—

  “Come down.” His tone allowed no disagreement.

  On my way, she messaged back and cut the link. Finally they were getting somewhere. The one thing bothering her about this was that Thuban was coming to them on behalf of the Premier. When he last took her to the Palace it was on Baron Revenant’s orders. This time it wasn’t, but where did his loyalty really lie?

  Giselle joined her in the lift several floors down, her dark eyes alight with their shared excitement. “At last.”

  “Strange timing,” she responded as the car started moving again. “The baroness just disbanded my section. Rega’s to get all of our work, and we’re out by the end of the week.”

  Giselle looked alarmed. “Baron Revenant hired you, right? Does he know?”

  “No idea, but what do you think? I’d bet he does.”

  “Shit,” Giselle said.

  She nodded, wanting to say more but knowing further discussion of what this meant would have to wait. She connected to Ila and Sanul in the office. Heading out, meet you tonight for dinner.

  “Sounds great, see you there.” Sanul messaged back.

  It was code to get the group together at Giselle’s place, the only location in the city they were reasonably certain they couldn’t be spied on. Anyone reviewing their movements would discover that they went there on a weekly basis, but coworkers meeting socially wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Of course, anyone watching them probably already suspected they were involved in some kind of plot, but that couldn’t be helped.

  Thuban stood by his black air-car, hands crossed in front of his groin. He had the look of a pissed-off cerberai, and it put Cygni on edge the moment her eyes met his.

  “In,” he said and headed for the driver’s seat.

  The passenger compartment opened.

  “What’s got you in a mood?” Giselle asked when they were airborne.

  Thuban turned his head just far enough to answer her with a glare as he flew between the claws of Revenant Tower and out into the city.

  “What?”

  “Can we talk in here?” Cygni shifted in her seat.

  “Yes.” He sounded annoyed, like she just implied his mother was a space rat.

  “Does your mood have to do with the Abyssian?” she asked.

  “Abyssian?” Giselle turned to her so fast she thought the woman’s neck was going to snap.

  “Baroness Revenant-Olivaar just announced it at the meeting. Daedalus finally sent one to investigate her husband and Vargas’ death—” She stopped herself too late. Two barons died in that freak car-accident, Baron Olivaar, and Thuban’s father. “I’m sorry, I should have—”

  “Never mind that. What else did she say?” he asked.

  “Just about the travel ban—oh, and firing me.”

  He nodded and turned back to the windshield.

  Giselle drew her attention. “Daedalus sent an Abyssian?”

  “We expected that, right?”

  “Sophi was of the mind it wasn’t going to happen.”

  “Guess she was wrong,” Cygni shrugged and turned to Thuban. “Why is it you?”

  “What?” he said.

  “Why did you come to pick us up? I didn’t involve you in our requests for a meeting. I didn’t want to give away our connection,” she said.

  “You didn’t.”

  “And?”

  “And.”

  She rolled her eyes. Aside from telling him about the Siren canisters, they hadn’t had much contact, and she was grateful for it. Turning her attention from him she noted Giselle biting her lower lip.

  “What’s the big deal about the Abyssian? Isn’t this good news?”

  “How is it good?”

  “We can go to her with what we have. Daedalus can end all of this for us,” she said.

  Giselle shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s not going to work like that.”

  “Your friend’s right,” Thuban said. “Even if things were as they should be, Daedalus would still have to go through the Barony to get Revenant convicted of anything. The odds of that, even with what we have, are slim to none.”

  “What are you talking about? He’s consorting with VoQuana.” She frowned.

  “You’re talking about a species that nearly defeated ours and the Cleebians combined sixty-years ago. Even after Daedalus joined the war they still gave us a run for our ConSovs,” Thuban said. “I’m sure they’ve thought of what to do if Revenant gets exposed. Aren’t you?”

  “Well…” She hadn’t thought about it from that angle for some reason. I’m losing my edge.

  “Too bad we lost our chance to interrogate one,” he said with a look in her direction.

  She scowled, and her nostrils flared. He was referring to Sinuthros, and she wasn’t about to apologize for that. The son of a bitch had to die. She was glad it was by her hand.

  “Are you saying it’s hopeless?” she asked, resisting the urge to smack him.

  “No, not hopeless, just harder than you think.”

  Xur’qon Island loomed large ahead of them. Thuban brought them in for a landing within its walls by the pond in the garden. She got out onto the black landing pad and looked at the fountain at its center, watching water spill down the five rings meant to represent each major sovereignty within the Confederation. She wondered how long it would stand if they failed, and if the VoQuana
would replace it. Shaking her head, she followed Thuban and Giselle deep into the palace corridors.

  The door creaked as they entered a wide room with patriotic banners displaying the five rings hanging in its corners. At its center, framed by a large window showing the bay and the city beyond it, was a broad desk with the seal of the Confederation displayed on its surface. Seated in a high-backed leather chair, Premier Dorsky looked up at their entrance with dark, tired eyes. He smiled, just like he did in his campaign ads, and got to his feet.

  “Cygni, it’s been too long.” He moved around the desk and embraced her in a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you since the party that night.”

  She almost corrected him. “Has it been that long?”

  “And who is this?” Dorsky moved over to stand before Giselle.

  “This is my friend, Giselle Tauthe,” she said. “She’s wanted to meet you.”

  “It’s an honor,” Giselle said with the most genuine looking, eager smile she had ever seen. It floored her how easily that woman could fake emotion.

  “And a pleasure, I hope?” he asked.

  “And a pleasure.” She winked.

  “I don’t have very long.” He leaned back against his desk and gripped its edge. “How can I help the most famous media personality I know?”

  “I am not the most famous media personality you know.” She felt herself blush. “I haven’t done my stream in a long time, longer than since I last saw you, Mr. Premier.”

  “Stop with the formality,” he responded. “In fact, if you come back later tonight we can dispense with an awful lot of formality. Bring your friend, too, maybe.”

  She frowned. What the hell? He wasn’t acting this way before when she ran into him in Revenant’s office. Did he somehow think she was here to proposition him? She opened her mouth to say something about what an ass he was being, but Giselle spoke before she could.

  “Well, we’d love to come by tonight, but are you sure we couldn’t just spend some time with you now? Just a little?” She winked.

  Cygni glared at her.

  His smile became a grin.

  “Well, if you ladies insist. Agent Vargas, would you be kind enough to give us some privacy?”

  “Yes, sir.” Thuban stared into the air before him for a moment. “Okay, we’re clear. I’ll give you a warning when they break through my screen.”

  Dorsky’s grin vanished. “Sorry about that, Miss Aragón. I had to find a reason for Thuban to block their surveillance.”

  She blinked. “What? Who’s ‘they?’”

  “Don’t be daft.” Giselle’s smile was gone as well. “’They’ are Revenant’s spies, and they’ll think we’re blowing him right now or something.”

  “It’s better than knowing I’m conspiring with you against the most powerful man in the Confederation, isn’t it?” Dorsky winked.

  “Ah, yes, of course. Sorry. You threw me for a moment.” She felt herself blush again.

  “Now, what can I do for you?” he asked.

  “How long do we have?” She looked at Thuban.

  “Maybe twenty-minutes, maybe less,” he said.

  “I’m sorry about this,” she said.

  Dorsky squinted at her.

  “Giselle?”

  “Sorry,” she said, and Dorsky’s body stiffened. He was so still he looked like a statue of himself.

  “What’s going on?” Cygni asked.

  Giselle stared into the Premier’s eyes. When she spoke, her voice sounded strained. “I’m working on him. He’s paralyzed but he’ll be okay.”

  “How are you doing that?”

  “I told you before, I have specialized implants.”

  She shared a concerned look with Thuban. He had his hand on the butt of his gauss pistol, but he knew why they were there from her first request.

  “Aren’t you going to ask him any questions? I thought you said you had interrogation cybernetics.”

  “It doesn’t work that way. If you keep interrupting me, it’ll take longer.”

  “Sorry.” She frowned. This was strange, really strange, and she felt her nerves starting to fray. What Giselle was doing bore a resemblance to what Sinuthros did to her and Baron Keltan. The Premier wasn’t flopping around on the floor, but this was still something like it, and she felt her body go cold. Giselle didn’t look anything like a VoQuana, after all, except maybe for her chin, and the dark eyes, but she couldn’t be. Even if a VoQuana had a chameleon implant, like she did, it couldn’t change a body that much. Giselle’s lean curves were completely different from those emaciated-looking monsters. She was just being silly. She was uncomfortable with this because of the attack she suffered. That had to be it.

  But if I’m being silly, why is Thuban so on edge? She spent the next several minutes wrestling with her discomfort. When Giselle spoke, she nearly crawled out of her own skin.

  “I think we can trust him to a degree. He resents Zalor Revenant for ending his reign as Premier. He’d do anything to extend it.”

  Premier Dorsky blinked. “I’m sorry, did I just doze off?”

  “No one noticed,” Giselle said.

  “I must be working too hard. Where were we?”

  Thuban gave Giselle a sharp look, but his hand moved away from his gun.

  “We need your help,” Cygni said. “Do you know about Siren?”

  At the word, Dorsky’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”

  She swallowed. “It started when I began investigating Baron Mitsugawa Yoji’s death. Um, look, there are a lot of steps between there and here. I know about Siren. I know it’s being stored below this building.”

  “By the Will,” he whispered. “That son of a bitch. I’m not going down with him.”

  “We don’t want that.” Giselle looked at him from over the bridge of her nose.

  He frowned. “What do you want?”

  “Revenant is working with the VoQuana. I’m not sure how, but I think he killed Baron Mitsugawa to keep it secret,” Cygni said. She never actually connected the two with evidence, but it made sense to her. “I want him to go down for it, and go down hard.”

  “So you can be the reporter who breaks the story?”

  “Originally, yes, but I think I just want to see the right thing done now. Whether or not I break the story, he has to be stopped.”

  He nodded. “How long have you known about this?”

  “They brought me in recently. I had to be sure of a few things first, but I’ve reviewed everything she had when I arrested her,” Thuban said. “She’s telling the truth.”

  “Is she in the system?” Dorsky asked.

  Cygni looked back and forth between him and Thuban. Why would he ask that? Wasn’t it obvious?

  “No. I didn’t want to jeopardize the investigation by even hinting at this where the CSA could see it,” he responded.

  “Aren’t you part of the CSA?” she asked.

  “He isn’t, not exactly,” Dorsky said. “See that pin?”

  She looked at Thuban’s lapel where that opal and gold pin was.

  “Here.” Dorsky moved around his desk and withdrew an identical pin from a drawer. He put it down between them.

  “Sir?” Thuban asked.

  “She’s either on board or she’s not. We’ll know in a minute, but from what you’ve said I’m sure it will be the former.”

  “On board for what?” She shared a look with Giselle, who seemed just as confused as she was.

  “This is the symbol of the Umbrals, an organization within the CSA answerable only to the Premier of the Confederation. They were created to balance the power of Daedalus after the Quae-Sol War, but they’ve become much more than that,” Dorsky stated with great reverence. “I’m inviting you, both of you, to join this organization. From what Thuban has told me, you two and the rest of your team have done a lot for our cause already. Why not make it official?”

  Cygni licked her lips. “I’m already sort of working for someone.”

  “A
nd I’ve got enough on my plate as it is,” Giselle said. “I’ll pass.”

  Dorsky frowned. “Cygni, I promise you I can offer a lot more than whoever it is you’re working for. Helena told me you were cut loose today, so I know it’s not Revenant.”

  She sucked in a long, trembling breath. Official support could be a powerful tool. With a government organization behind her, and one that was already working towards the same goal, they might actually be able to bring Zalor Revenant down. Baroness Sophiathena wouldn’t be happy about having her loyalty split, but did the baroness deserve any loyalty at all, really? And wouldn’t she be protected against the Orgnan this way? Surely the Umbrals would come to aid one of their own, right? Maybe this was the right thing to do. She had to make sure, though.

  “The situation I’m in, well, some close friends could get hurt. If I join this thing will they be protected?” she asked.

  “You have my word,” he said.

  “Would they have to join, too?”

  “It is preferable, but no, it’s not necessary. They can be brought in as special consultants to this office. You wouldn’t be able to share all of the information with them, not beyond what was pertinent to the mission. Also, you’ll be on the Umbral payroll, which can get complicated, but it also means you can’t go back to being a reporter. Can you accept that?” he asked.

  She took in a deep breath. Her whole life she wanted to be a part of the action, have the front row seat, and take the spotlight. What had that gotten her, though? Recently? A lot of pain and suffering, but could she give it all up? She dreamed of being in the thick of things ever since that trip to the Weeping Volcanoes. This, she reasoned, was just a different way of doing that. She would be out of the spotlight, true, but she would get to know so many secrets, and that alone was an incredible temptation. Add to that the power to protect herself and her loved ones, and it became a much easier decision. These people fought the monsters that tortured her, and as one of them she would get to destroy them by her own hand as she did Sinuthros.

  She took a deep breath, and nodded. “If it means they’ll be safe, then yes.”

  “Pick it up,” he indicated the pin on the desk, then looked at Giselle. “No chance of convincing you? You must want something.”