The Laboratory Omnibus 2

by Skyler Grant

  The inside of the dragon looked almost like muscle tissue, silvery strands intricately entwined.

  The dragon tried to buck Sylax off, head lashing backwards and its maw managing to clamp down on her wrist. Blood sprayed as it tore off her hand, spitting it across the arena.

  They were a part for a part, but Sylax's hand was already starting to regenerate while the scale stayed gone. Sylax plunged the hand she still had into the mass of silvery wires and squeezed.

  The dragon bellowed in agony, a blast of energy from its maw hitting a section of the stands and incineration a dozen people. Despite that, the crowds didn't move, they seemed locked to their seats by the spectacle.

  It was Sylax's turn to scream, the energy coursing through her more agonizing than the loss of a hand. The red sparks along her flesh growing, her entire body taking on a reddish glow and she channeled that injury through her hand into the innards of the dragon.

  It roared, she roared. The stump of her severed hand had stopped regrowing, it simply leaked red light now and she plunged it along with her other into the dragon. It was too much power for her to hold, too much for a single entity to contain—but she wasn’t a single entity right now.

  Only the strongest would survive.

  The dragon thrashed in increasingly violent tremors as Sylax just tried to stay on, made difficult by her own convulsions. It was the dragon who stilled first, the great beast collapsing to the arena floor with red lightning engulfing its body. Then the metal pooled, much like we'd seen happen on Mercury, and reformed and reshaped itself as it flowed into Sylax.

  I could feel it in her system, enhancing her bones, her flesh, although most visibly it manifested as her left hand. The hand still didn’t regrow. Instead, now in its place, she had a silver claw.

  The crowds were still silent, unmoving.

  Then the announcers voice boomed.

  "Challenger wins! The Prophecy is fulfilled, and Earth has returned. Claw of the Empress, hear our message. The Arks will fly, the clans are going home. The Sedara are at WAR."

  Now the crowds roared, not just in the arena but throughout the city. Throughout Mars. The final parts of this bout must have been sent planet-wide.

  I didn't know what to do about that, but I knew what to do about a declaration of war.

  I teleported three dozen Bio-bombs above the city.

  "While you are more than welcome to stay. I'm about to bomb them to oblivion," I said to Sylax.

  "Sometimes, just sometimes, you remind me why we're friends, Emma," Sylax said, as she raised her claw to the arena. A single talon extended, Sylax spun in a circle as blood-red Bio-armor rippled to encase her frame and she blinked out of existence, teleporting back to Julasa's cavern.

  I still had a drone with Julasa. I explained what had just happened. I wasn't sure it was necessary with her ability of precognition.

  "We knew the day would come. The Sedara did as well, it was always known that the invasion of Earth would bring about their evolution," Julasa said.

  "Earth has been back for awhile now. I am aware humans are dull-witted, but they must have known," I said.

  "The Sedara always sought the strongest. Their essence passing to the one strong enough to kill them. Almost all long ago fell to humans, then those humans to still stronger humans. What Sylax fought was one of the strongest still alive, undefeated by your kind or by mine," Julasa said.

  Julasa had called the Sedara were “her people”, only with silver skin. It made me think, were they something older yet?

  88

  It was a strange war council that gathered, given how widely separated our assets were at the moment. We had yet to find any cure for Anna and so she remained isolated on Mercury, and Caya continued to run the team on Triton. I was able to bring them all together in a virtual conference room.

  "You should have taken a diplomat. You and Sylax? What were you thinking, Emma?" Anna said, clearly displeased.

  "I didn't kill anybody. Well, the dragon might have been alive, but it had it coming," Sylax said, as she lounged in her armor. Sylax had updated her look because of the claw, blood-red attire now mixed with a streak of silver.

  "And we didn't come out of it without allies. Over a million new citizens of the empire," I said.

  "Who are pacifists. Nudist pacifists. You befriended the nudist pacifists who don't have spaceships and made enemies of the badass cybertech-enhanced humans who do," Anna said.

  I was present at the meeting in a drone. In addition we had holograms of Anna, Caya, Julasa and Hot Stuff, while Sylax, Flower, and Forge were attending in person.

  "Let's not be all haters on the nudity," Hot Stuff said.

  "We can be helpful," Julasa said.

  "I'm not angry at you," Anna said, letting out a breath. "Your people made the right choice by joining the empire and we welcome all who would do so. I simply wish my people hadn't made an enemy of the rest of the planet."

  "War with them was always going to be inevitable, Empress. They were always going to seek out the strongest fight and once it was clear that was you, nothing could have stopped them," Julasa said.

  "Speaking of which, are they a real threat? We think they have ships, but can you confirm this?" Anna asked.

  "They do. There are twenty ships and each can hold around one hundred thousand warriors," Julasa said.

  "Two million hardened killers are on their way to Earth. Fantastic," Anna said. "How long will it take them to arrive?"

  Julasa said, "I'm not sure."

  "Based on the distance of Mars at the moment and the speed of the original Martian ships that invaded Earth—then went back, you're looking at eighteen days transit once they leave," Flower said.

  Anna looked at her. "Now you're going to be of help?"

  Flower shrugged. Today she was wearing a sun-dress patterned with sunflowers. "I'm allowed to help you in civil wars all I want, and that is what this boils down to. I still won't be giving away our technology."

  Eighteen days, plus however long it would take them to get ready.

  "That means we're probably going to have to deal with the Mars humans before Flower's people and their fleet get here. Plus side, we're way better at fighting a war than fixing a planet. How do we win this thing?" Anna asked.

  Caya lifted her hand. "I'd suggest we regard this as an opportunity. Earth's biosphere is ruined and we were already at a loss as to how to fix it and maintain our atmosphere. By the reports I'm seeing Mars is far more habitable."

  It was an interesting idea.

  "Mars does have an atmosphere suitable for humanity, as evidenced by the fact so many have already made a home there. They've made some efforts at terraforming and introducing Earth species. We could do so far more effectively. They don't have a me," I said.

  "Steal the planet? Can we do that?" Anna asked.

  "Right now, using the projector cannon to send resources is a huge energy drain. Establishing a functioning teleportation gate is a solution, except so far we don't have an energy source on Mars capable," I said.

  "I have some ideas there. I believe it possible," Caya said.

  "What about Earth?" Anna asked.

  "I've already had to reduce numbers," I said, "A lot of our population is now sitting my memory. If I can get growth vats established on Mars we aren't giving up anything for our efforts. Really, we're giving those people a chance to live that is being denied them right now."

  "We move everybody else to the habitable equatorial band and strength our defenses," Sylax said, "They want the metal sea, they can have it. They want the habitable part of the planet we'll make them bleed for it."

  "Is there any chance of stopping the Arks before they launch?" Anna asked.

  "That depends on if I have location. I already devastated one city with Bio-bombs. If we can get locations on the ships we have offensive options," I said.

  "My people can help with that. We can communicate telepathically with the slaves, see what they see and know what they k
now. They will have heard their masters discussing such things," Julasa said.

  Anna nodded. "Do what you can to keep them from launching. Any of their vessels we can destroy or capture on the ground is one less we have to deal with here. If they launch, let them go and hold back on further assaults. We’ll build our forces until they reach the halfway point and then we seize Mars."

  It was an ambitious plan. At that point in time the Mars fleet would be halfway to Earth and too far to quickly return and give support. If all went to plan they'd be faced with moving ahead into hostile territory, or returning home to try to retake land they'd lost.

  Either alternative would be demoralizing, and we just might be able to get a demoralized enemy to surrender. Whatever technology went into those Arks I wanted it, it might be just the thing we needed to help mount a defense against threats from another star.

  This felt almost good, soothing. Fixing what we had broken was a challenge. But war? War we knew, we could win a war.

  89

  Before any invasion was going to take place I had something else that needed attending to. The Mercurian expedition was making some interesting discoveries. The facility there had a supply of the same metal the golems had been made of, virtually indestructible and with an astonishingly high melting point. We didn't yet have any tools capable of shaping it, but it had proved to be receptive to Mechos's commands.

  I thought this was likely, in part, due to his Metal core. Mechos was technically one of Hot Stuff's lieutenants, although he had always taken a far different effect in his power set, perhaps because of the upgrade core he'd once held.

  I'd recalled him back to Earth along with several bars of the metal and invited Sylax to the Mountain as well.

  "This really makes me feel like an exhibit at the zoo," Hot Stuff said, as she paced within her cell.

  "How unusually perceptive of you. Since this metal responds to Mechos, I believe it will respond to you. Although I'm sure metal attire won’t be the most comfortable," I said.

  "But it might be better than nothing. I appreciate it," Hot Stuff said.

  "It is not just your modesty I'm focused on. If we can limit the egress points of heat from your body we might be able to get you out of there," I said.

  "I'm here to punch her if things go south?" Sylax asked.

  I told Sylax, "When you drew heavily upon the Agate I noticed a small drop in Anna's power level. With that claw and the endurance of the alien implants now coursing through you, I think you might be able to survive intercourse with Hot Stuff. If you two couple enough for Hot Stuff to transfer her virus, it might transfer you from being one of Anna's lieutenants to one of Hot Stuff’s."

  "Couldn't I just have sex with her?" Mechos said, before clearing his throat, "Not that I'm volunteering. Happy with Miranda, really."

  "Why would I be having sex with anybody?" Sylax asked.

  "Without an Amplification core you'd wind up draining even more power out of Hot Stuff. Enough, perhaps, for you both to lead normal lives. If, that is, you actually care about your friends. I expect you don't," I said.

  "Well, this just got even more awkward. Thanks, Emma," Hot Stuff said.

  "You are my friend," Sylax said to Hot stuff. "But we're damned-well trying the metal first. Mars was quite enough nudity for me."

  "You went naked on Mars. Why?" Hot Stuff asked.

  "To fight a dragon. I was amazing and now I have an alien metal claw," Sylax said.

  I was glad she'd had fun.

  I teleported a bar of Mercurian metal into the cell.

  "Just reach out to it like you would with a fire," Mechos said.

  "I know how my powers work," Hot Stuff snapped. The metal was keeping its form even in the intense heat of the cell. Hot Stuff stared at it and got no response.

  "You're not focusing enough," Mechos said.

  "And you're too stuck in your own head," Hot Stuff said, moving beside the bar and kneeling to reach out a finger to touch it.

  The metal began to glow, a dull orange color suffusing it, then the bar began to shrink, the metal flowing up Hot Stuff's fingertip and rippling along her flesh. It formed into a shell around her, stopping at her neck but covering everything below.

  If modesty was a goal this didn't help, the shell might have been a micrometer thick if that, although she did at least now look more like a sculpture of a nude woman.

  The orange glow of the metal faded to become a dull gray and the blue flames that constantly burned around Hot Stuff since absorbing the Chalcedony faded—except her hair began to burn now as if each strand were its own band of living blue fire.

  The temperatures in the room were still, well, extraordinary. A human setting a foot inside would quickly die as their lungs shriveled up from the heat.

  Hot Stuff cautiously walked around the chamber. The metal seemed to do nothing to impair her movements. "This is different. It feels odd, not bad."

  "Your hair looks amazing. If I have sex with her, can I have fire hair?" Sylax asked.

  I looked to Mechos. "We have more of it. If I provide you designs can you shape it?"

  "Of course. What do you have in mind?" Mechos asked.

  The design was a challenge, but I was a genius. Still, it took me all of eighteen seconds to put the pattern together and send it over.

  The necklace would look like nothing so much as a band of interlocking metallic flames. It looked good—humans did appreciate style. Beneath the surface they'd be far more. Fueled by the intense energy Hot Stuff put out they'd create a shield barrier around her head keeping the intense heat within and effectively rendering her energy neutral to the world outside.

  Another fourteen seconds and I added a set of bracelets. Hot Stuff being able to live her own life was a problem fixed, but it was even better if she could still assist us in the fight. This would allow her similar shielding around her hands with the possibility of opening the metal and shielding for tiny durations. In effect, she'd be able to fire powerful fire blasts from her hands.

  "Emma, these are brilliant," Mechos said, looking the designs over. "They're detailed work. It will take me a little bit of time, we want to get them right, but yes. I can do this."

  "I'll be able to leave?" Hot Stuff asked, a tremor in her voice.

  "You won't be normal. I'm still working on that. But yes, for whatever it is worth, you'll be able to leave the cell," I said.

  Hot Stuff began to cry. Humans were strange.

  90

  Caya was brilliant. This wasn't news but something of a perpetual comfort. We needed power on Mars to energize a gate and my Bio-reactors just weren't a sustainable solution.

  "While I approve of anything that incinerates more humans, are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

  Caya had a team of her Flawless surrounding one of the local volcanoes. What I'd done with Hot Stuff she was trying to do here, although on a far more massive scale. Utilize a force dome and energy-absorptive shielding to draw power. Enough to maintain the force dome protecting the city from the endless snow storms, enough to maintain the gateway to Earth.

  "It is an elegant solution. It will work," Caya said, as she checked some numbers on a tablet. "Are you certain you wish to have this war, Emma? I'd thought you were past that. I know you have ... regrets."

  How could I not? I'd killed a lot of people since first activating. The fact that most of them were trying in some way to destroy me didn't lessen that burden. All I'd ever wanted to do was perform my experiments. Somehow it had all led to me being the backbone of an empire.

  "They're human, Caya, though there is something alien there as well. Being human is enough. They'll keep trying to kill us until we prove we can kill them," I said.

  "You really have got a dark view of humanity," Caya said. "Has it gotten better or worse over time, do you think?"

  I'd once considered humans were unkempt beasts who would leave messes upon floor. That hadn't changed, I'd just learned how often those messes involved corpses.
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  "Isn't your own view as dark, now? Don't you think yourself their better in every way?" I asked.

  Caya set the tablet aside to stare at the volcano, shimmering green energy rippling around the summit as the shields engaged.

  "I am now filled with such terrible certainty, Emma. Such righteous conviction that I am right. Yet, there is this entire other part of me that realizes how dangerous that is and that I've never been more wrong," Caya said.

  That much I understood.

  "I probably understand humanity better than anyone alive, Caya, and certainly far better than the flawless little mimicry of them you have become. Most humans alive are now a part of my network and even those who aren't, I watch their every move. When I say they are a murderous lot, I speak only the truth, but it isn't all of the truth," I said.

  Caya chuckled at that and flashed my drone a wry smile. "You struggle with it yourself. Is it darkness and light, or something different?"

  "I don't think it is either of those. Such certainty is something I struggle with, although not as bad as you do. I used to think that I and the human race would ultimately be in a collision course. That Anna would turn on me, that I'd have to burn all I built. I think my sister still feels that way, that she is the adversary in their midst."

  "But you don't?" Caya asked.

  "Humanity these days are mostly a product of my creation. Their society in part something I created. Humans have always been about conflict, a struggle for dominance until the best ideas or the strongest come out on top. Physical battle, economic, political, whatever the arena, they battle," I said.

  "And you've joined us in our fighting?" Caya asked.

  "I simply recognize my place in that narrative. Anna originally woke me up because she needed a partner and I went along because I needed lab rats. We defeated Sylax because we had the ability to make friends of our enemies. It is one of the unique natures of our empire that have seen us triumph over the Scholarium and the Righteous," I said.