by Tony Corden
“Kate said you were not only smart but wise. I’m only learning that now. That’s why I need a friend. I need to let my emotions heal.”
Leah leant over and embraced Sparrow and said, “I’m sorry for before. Please forgive me.”
Sparrow returned the hug and said, “I do, but I also understand.”
Leah shook her head slowly and said, “Thank you, but just because I can explain why something happens or even the inevitability of it doesn’t give me licence to make unfair judgements or to treat people with disrespect. If I start letting myself get away with it, then where will it stop? I know what you mean, but that path of self-justification is too slippery for me to start walking.”
The conversation petered out after that, and they continued looking through the maps until they’d identified several possible routes. Finally, Leah said, “It’s time to go. Kate, are you OK to lead the way with Thad?”
“I can, but I’ll need more light than you. I was wondering if you went first whether you’d see better with your eye, and we’d have more warning of attackers?”
Leah couldn’t fault Kate’s logic, so she led the way followed by Sparrow, then Thad, Kate and Ian bringing up the rear. Both Thad and Ian had to duck every now and then when the roof of the tunnels dipped for one reason or other. They’d travelled a third of the way without meeting anyone when Leah heard the sound of footsteps heading toward her through her prosthetic additions to her ear, and saw a very faint light moving in her direction. She slowed and immediately the others concealed their lights.
Leah pressed herself against the edge of the wall and used her coat to blend as much as she could with the wall. She was successful enough, as the slave noticed Sparrow first and only registered Leah when Leah stepped out and took a position behind him. The slave was an older man, skinny and dressed in a hotchpotch of old clothes and skins to keep warm. He almost dropped the light he was carrying but didn’t cry out. Leah nodded at Thad who stepped forward and said, “I apologise for causing distress good sir, but we are somewhat wary travelling these tunnels. We would prefer to remain unnoticed by the Pyranthians if it is at all possible. What assurance might you give that our presence will remain between us?”
The man looked closely at Thad and said softly, “Who are you? I don’t recognise you. You don’t look like the normal spies Cassius sends into the city.”
“My name is Thad, and although Cassius supplied the map to these tunnels, we did not come here at his behest.”
“Makes no difference, I suppose. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone I saw you. The bastards would probably kill me for turning you in, it would offend their sense of honour. Just don’t mention me if you do get caught. They wouldn’t punish me, but they’d make your death more painful, because of your lack of honour.”
“Should we expect a similar reaction from others we meet in the tunnels?”
“Most of us want nothing to do with you lot. All you do is watch.”
Leah stepped forward into the light and said, “What is it you would have us do?”
Thad looked at Leah, and before the slave could answer, he said, “What are you doing?”
Glaring at Thad, Leah said, “I’ll explain later.” Then turning back to the slave she said, “As I said before I was interrupted, ‘What would you have us do?’”
The slave stared at Leah for a moment then said, “When you leave, I want you to take my son with you. I don’t want him to grow up a slave. He’s stubborn like me and will probably end up as one of their sacrifices. He hasn’t learned to roll with the blows as I have.”
Leah said, “What about you?”
“My master has things for me to do. If I don’t turn up within the hour, he’ll come hunting. My son is still too young, and they’ll probably not realise he’s gone until he’s safe.”
Leah said, “Give me a moment to think.”
Then turning away, she walked down the tunnel a few steps and leant against the wall.
Thad joined her and said, “Leah, what are you doing? There’s no way we can take anyone with us. We’ll only get them killed.”
She looked up at him and said, “You know, I think the virtual multiverse is absolutely amazing, but it seems that most people seem to forget that a world like this was constructed primarily as a game. I know it looks like I’m a little too invested at times and that I forget it’s a virtual world, but that’s not true. This is a game, Thad. Very few things here happen by accident. If anyone ever asks me why I’d been successful, the honest answer would be that I don’t forget it’s a game. The AI running the game is guided by a whole list of parameters, and most of them are designed to provide the players with experiences which they enjoy. If that happens, then the creators will get paid. I had no idea who we would meet, but whoever they are I’m almost sure they will either help or hinder us, depending on our reactions.
“What do you do in games? In the very earliest ones you would say something like, ‘How can I help you?’ The words and situations have changed, but not the premise. We are here to do stuff! To go on quests and defeat increasingly powerful foes. All I did was ask the same old question, and we’ve been given a quest. There’s no message which appears in my feed, but the principle is the same. Honestly, I’m not any luckier than anyone else. I’ve just remembered that I play a game. I’m still naive enough that I’d have settled for the simplest thing like ‘kill all the rats,’ but the games these days are far more sophisticated, and the AIs have years of experience and almost unlimited processing power. The AIs in the games I play still value altruism, courage and loyalty as well as strength, skill, and risk-taking.”
Thad looked stunned by what Leah said, so she raised herself onto her toes, kissed his cheek and said, “Go stand by your old girlfriend and watch what happens.”
Thad was even more shocked but did nothing as Leah returned and turned to the slave. She said, “This team has a mission at the Festival of Blood later tonight, and I’m not convinced we’ll survive the night. On the other hand, our mission is to rescue someone from the Pyranthians, so I think leaving your son behind would amount to failure as far as we’re concerned. We have a ship coming to collect us as well as several which will be used to create a diversion. If I was to have one of those ships land near the base of the city, how many slaves could you collect in the tunnels and have ready to leave three hours from now?”
“The Pyranthians destroy any ships that get that close.”
“I know. I have a small fleet, and the rest of the ships will create a diversion on the other side of the city. It’s the only option I have. If you can’t collect other slaves, then go get your son, and one of us will take him back now.”
“You’d weaken your team for my son?”
“Yes.”
“If that many escape, the Pyranthians will learn how these tunnels can be used, and I imagine Cassius will kill you.”
“He can’t. I shot him less than four hours ago.”
“You killed him?”
“Yes. I’m sure the first bullet would have killed him, but I shot him a second time just to make sure.”
The old slave looked down and then in a quiet voice said, “Thank you. Just after my son was born, my wife’s name was called out to join the offerings for the Festival of Blood. I asked Cassius to help me save her and my son, but he refused. He said that her one life meant less than the thousands he could save.”
Looking up, the slave said, “My name is Robert. I can collect several thousand slaves in three hours. Can you take that many?”
Leah turned to Ian and said, “Which ship can take that many?”
Ian thought for a moment and said, “Commodore, at a real pinch, we could fit two thousand aboard the Tempest. More than that and only the Iapetus is large enough. Once it’s launched the fighters, it could possibly get close enough. It’s too big to land, but there is a cliff near the western edge of the city. I’m sure we could bring it in close enough to run some gangways across. If it stays
close to the ground, it would also have a fairly sheltered approach.”
Leah spread the map in front of her and said, “Where are you thinking?”
Ian pointed to the area, and Leah turned to Kate and said, “Kate, you’re the most experienced at sneaking and night work. I need you to go and give the fleet instructions. Who do you want to take with you?”
“I can go by myself.”
“That’s not going to happen, Lady Katherine. You can have Ian, Sparrow or Thad. Who do you want?”
Kate looked defiant for a moment then said, “Aye aye Commodore, I’ll take Ian if you don’t mind. Sparrow is your bodyguard, and Thad will just whine the whole trip if I take him.”
“Can you find your way back through the tunnels?”
Kate and Ian both nodded, so Leah said, “Robert, Lady Katherine and Major Daniels will have an airship at this position towards the middle of the Festival of Blood. Anyone you have at that location we will attempt to rescue. Do not betray me.”
Robert bowed his head and said, “You have my word, Commodore. Who shall I say our saviour is?”
Thad said, “We call her Commodore Charlotte, and she sails under the sign of the bleeding eye.”
Leah snorted, then said, “Robert, please call me Charlotte. Kate, you and Ian had best hurry. Robert, before you go, have you heard any rumours about a human training with the Pyranthians within the training houses?”
Robert actually turned to see if anyone was nearby before whispering, “There is a rumour, but repeating it means death. If the Pyranthians don’t kill you, then Cassius’ spies do.”
“Do the rumours give a location?”
“Not really. Most people believe it is in the next centre to graduate because any slaves chosen to work there are never seen again.”
“Do slaves ever enter the vents under the city?”
“Besides the Pyranthian priests, we are the only ones who do so regularly.”
“Is the air breathable or do you need special equipment?”
“All the priests wear special masks and take extra air in bottles. You only get to use them as a slave if you are going to be in the vents for more than ten minutes. A short journey of two or three minutes won’t kill you, so they don’t provide any help even though it becomes hard to breathe, and the atmosphere irritates your eyes and nose. For longer trips of up to ten minutes, slaves are given simple face masks which filter the air.”
“Where are they kept?”
“They are all locked away in storage rooms near the entrances.”
Leah looked at the other members of the team and said, “Have any of you got more questions?”
When all gave a negative response, Leah said, “Then let’s keep moving.”
After everyone said goodbye, Leah started down the tunnel followed by Sparrow, then Thad. The rest of the journey to the bathhouse was mostly uneventful. They passed another three slaves, but the slaves averted their eyes and kept walking without engaging with them, even when they were addressed by Thad. Altogether the trip to the bathhouse had taken six hours from when they’d left the ship, and it was an hour-and-a-half before the Festival of Blood started.
79
Chapter 79
December 19, 2073 - Early Morning - Part 5
PNEUMATICA
The tunnel exited into a storage area at the rear of the bathhouse. No one was in the storage area, but they could hear movement on the other side of the locked door. Leah moved to the door and kneeling down, she took a small tube from one of her many pockets and after a few adjustments connected it to the front of her eye before extending it under the door. Then, in a whisper, she described what she saw.
“This opens into what looks like the female change area. Straight in front is a set of open lockers, half are empty and the others have an assortment of clothes and weapons. The room is on the right of the door, and it has several rows of lockers and what looks like showers on the far right wall. Stairs without a safety balustrade descend into the floor immediately to the right of this door. Straight ahead looks like an open door into a reception type area. I can see five Pyranthians and three human slaves in the room.”
Leah continued to describe what she saw happening for about five minutes, then pulled the tube back from under the door and after disconnecting it, she got to her feet and they moved back into the tunnels to discuss their next step.
Leah said, “Slaves take used towels and robes down the steps, and the water in the showers looks hot so I’d think the heating apparatus is towards the right. I suggest we wait until the room is mostly empty then exit down the stairs. The Pyranthians don’t look at the slaves so we shouldn’t be noticed.”
Sparrow said, “There is a bench of slippers, sheets, robes, towels, and what looked like uniforms in the storeroom. What if we changed? That way if we are seen we’ll blend in better.”
They agreed, though much to Thad’s disgust the room only held uniform’s for women. They took turns at dressing and wrapping their other clothes in towels. Leah tied one of the cloths over her head to hide her prosthetic. After they’d changed, it took Leah only moments to unlock the door and then using the tube, waited until the room looked clear before one at a time she opened the door and they scuttled down the steps. Leah went last and locked the door behind her.
Once down the steps, they found a maze of tunnels filled with pipes carrying both hot and cool water. They made their way through the network of tunnels, always heading toward what sounded like a large engine. Although they passed several other slaves, each time they were ignored. Leah knew they were recognised as strangers, but no-one said anything or acted as if anything was out of the ordinary. Finally, they came to a large cavern that had obviously been carved out of the mountain. The room was unbearably hot and humid.
Several big rectangular pools of water were at the nearest part of the room, and at the far end, on a higher level, they could see a fiery red glow. More slaves were at the far end of the room overseeing an engine which pumped the cooler water up several stories into a pipe which ran along underneath the slow-moving flow of lava. This was the centre of the bathing pools. Used water from the bathing area filled the lower pools, and after being filtered, it was reheated before flowing to one end of the large baths used for bathing.
Nobody acknowledged them until they ascended to the uppermost part of the room near the lava. When they stepped onto that level, a slave came close and said, “Where’s Cassius? I expected him almost an hour ago.”
Thad stepped forward and said, “He was injured, so we were ordered to take his place.”
“By whom? Whoever it was should’ve only sent one of you. I only managed to steal one suit, and you can’t stay here. The other two will have to go back and hide in the tunnels.”
Thad said, “That’s not what we were told to do. Where are the other suits locked up? We’ll put them back afterwards.”
“Fools. Which idiot sent you? We only needed one assassin and Cassius said he would come himself. Who sent the three of you?”
Leah said, “Cassius always compartmentalised his plans and nobody knew everything he’d been working on. All we knew was to be here at this time. It was decided to send the three of us because we usually work well as a team.”
“I imagine you three work for the Prince. Cassius always said he was a fool, so it's no wonder he wasn’t told the plan. The Pyranthian rebels have agreed to sneak one person only into the training centre. Without the heir to parade in front of the masses, the old leaders of the regime will die without a plan, and their successors won’t have a chance to take over. Which of you is the assassin?”
Leah stepped forward and said, “I am. When are the rebels arriving?”
“They’ll be here in five minutes. What happened to the Privateers the Queen sent?”
Leah said, “Without all of Cassius’ plans, we hurried them into the mountain. We had no way of knowing any passwords. All we had was this location.”
“Well I only h
ave a suit for one, and that’s what they are expecting.”
Leah moved closer to the man and palming a knife, inserted it half an inch into the man’s chest, just under his ribs. She said, “I’m sure you understand, but the Prince suggested that anyone who knew of his involvement should disappear. Tell me who else knows, and I’ll make it quick. Keep silent, and I’ll leave you here with my friends, and they’ll make it slow. I’m not sure whose turn it is first, but they usually take bets on who can make someone scream the longest.”
The slave suddenly looked terrified. “No one knows anything. I swear.”
Leah said, “Let’s move out the back and out of sight. Take us to the room where they hold the suits. Sparrow, if he signals to anyone, kill them.”
With that, she signed with her jaw for the man to move ahead of her. He took one look at Sparrow who was watching him carefully, and hurriedly moved past the lava flow and through an open doorway at the end near where the water was had been turned to steam. The door opened into a short hallway which opened into a natural cave. Lava flowed slowly through a depression at the base of the cave, and a walkway was cut into the wall about fifteen metres above the molten rock. The slave stopped at a locked door near the end of the hallway.
Carefully reaching under a nearby rock, he pulled out a suit. He said, “This is the only one I could arrange. They don’t want more than one assassin.”
Leah said, “Thad, watch him. Don’t kill him just yet. If he’s lying, I’ll want it to be slow.”
She then turned to the door and after a quick inspection, unlocked it and said, “Sparrow, go get four suits. I’d like full bottles of oxygen if they have them.”
When Sparrow turned to the slave and said, “Where and when are you meeting the rebels?”
“They should be here at any time.”
Leah turned to Thad and pulling him out of earshot of the others she said, “I’m going to go with the rebels. You wait inside the room. When I’m gone, make sure this guy can’t warn anyone. I’d tie him up and lock him in the room. You two go to the overwatch site. Depending on what the heir wants to do, I’ll either turn up there with her or I'll come on my own. Is all that clear?”
