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175: Black Vale Six 176: Stay Of
Execution  Post: 03.11.2010Date: 12.31.2196 Time: Midday Black Vale Six Collapsing to the ground, pain spikes into knees, we lost the glitched trail. To come so far. To have searched for so long. To have bled and sweated. Just to fail. Could scream. Maybe that’d make me feel better. Crying would be better. Haven’t cried in over a month. Last time was during my first time with 2-85. Something about being with him allowed me a brief moment of release. Hasn’t happened since, even though I’ve been intimate with him almost daily since then. Yeah, a few tears splashing on the ground would be appropriate right now. Please don’t let me lose it right here, I pray. Don’t let me scream. Don’t let me betray how much this hurts right now. Give me strength to persist. Closing eyes, breathing steadily. Hand on my shoulder. Don’t look, but I know it’s 2-85. So glitched far. Here we are, the west coast of this glitched continent in sight. Traveled most of the way across this glitched land, and I’ve got glitch to show for it except some sore, calloused feet, a bad attitude, and a pair of legs that are toned to glitch. Walked more than I rode. We all did. Not that any of us were overweight to begin with, but if there was any excess fat before, it’s been burned and replaced with muscles. Then those muscles were broken down again and again, over and over. Now, every single one of us is strong and hardened. Most of us are angry at having to go through this at all. Only lost a couple along the way. They went back to Athara on their own. Not knowing the exact nature of the doom that I believe will descend on Athara, I was torn between wishing them a safe journey or a quick, easy death in the desert. Those that remain are dedicated to me and my cause—some through friendship, others through duty, and some through blind devotion to the concept of Athara-Meeatora. Good or bad, they are with me. I’m thankful for each and every one of them. I’m terrified on a daily basis that they are just following me toward a different end than the one that waited for them in Athara. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t isn’t much of a choice. The air is cold, cold enough that we’re all wrapped in our cloaks. Wish I had something over my mouth too. Nose is red, as are my cheeks. So glitched far! We didn’t see any of the Horrosaurs, only the dissolved earth they left in their wake. We managed to avoid major conflicts with the settlements and civilizations we did encounter. Our passage through Mountainhead Z could have been a little smoother, but in the end, they allowed us to leave once we’d paid their toll. We even survived an encounter with the digital poltergeist that haunted the detonated city of Baleful. PIIX almost died there. No, glitch, that. All of us almost died there, PIIX was just the closest since she would have been the first. We made it through the western Plague Fields, where white noise blankets everything, making it impossible to communicate audibly. The wirewitches couldn't pass directly through, so they ran around. Tracking the Zomboids the entire time. Seemed that obstacle after obstacle had been set in front of us. To slow us down, to break our will. None of it worked. We pressed onward and through. Eoas weren’t a problem thanks to my newfound ability. Keeping the eoas at bay turned out to be as easy as it had been that first time. Just think what I want them to do and they do it. It’s as if it’s an innate ability, almost a reflex—no real training necessary. The other Driftlings don’t understand. Even the other Sphek members—who know more history than myself or shea(3)va—are puzzled by my ability. While (2)amlela, ikki(5), and (6)flayle do know some of the eoa history, the do not know the exact science that created the eoas. As such, they’re unable to come to any agreement about why I can do what I can do. They all do agree that the Driftlings controlled the eoas through some sort of electronic device that could be carried. (2)amlela seemed to recall that she had seen one or two of the devices being stored in the gad (rin). But since they no longer worked after the fall of cyberspace, there was no use for them. The Sphek sided with everybody else that I’d told about what I could do. The eoas were a great weapon if they could be properly and safely controlled. Despite any differences we might have, I respect their opinions and counsel. As such, I’ve kept a large number of eoas following us. They’re several miles away at all times, but with a quick thought I could bring them to aid us. Don’t know how far away the eoas can be and still get my message. Haven’t found the limit yet. Tested it a couple times. Farthest away I’ve tried so far is ten kilometers. Still worked, so everybody was very pleased with that. I find it a little disconcerting though. It’s like sending out a call and not knowing where the receiver is, or if they even received the message. At least until a rampaging eoa appears next to you wanting to know why you’re disturbing it with all the incessant mind-yelling. I have to be really careful with my thoughts. So far it’s taken a conscious thought every time to make the eoas respond. Still, I’m constantly afraid that some random thought will get through to them, make them do something I don’t want them to do, put my friends and followers in danger. All this way, and here, with the ocean only a few miles away, the trail ends. Part of it’s the ground here, which is a hardened crust of burnt soil. It’s black and gray, with flecks of red, looking as if the land itself is bleeding from some mortal wound. Get dizzy sometimes looking at it, feeling it beneath my feet, the way it cracks and crumbles sometimes, the sick explosion of black dust as rocks vaporize under my boots. The ground hides prints, too hard in places, or too resilient in others, springing back into place as if the surface has a spatial memory. Even the earth is against me, conspiring to hide my prey from me, keep my daughter from my arms. Kneeling here, on this cursed plain, I close my eyes, needing to be away from all this, wanting to escape. Don’t want to think about any of this—who I am, what I can do, and the path that’s been plotted out for me. At night, it’s easier to escape. In 2-85’s arms, I find brief moments of escape, a few hallowed seconds where my mind forgets that I’m leading a woefully inadequate group of people and wirewitches on a quest only a fool or an insane person would champion. In his arms, his body roughened against mine, his body held tight inside mine, filling me completely, I let my mind stray, let the urgency of my goal recede, let the all-consuming thoughts of my daughter fade under the ebb and tide of strain and release I find only when I’m with him. But even those moments of comfort are lessened by the concentration necessary to avoid broadcasting my passion to the rest of the coven. It took a few days to learn the control necessary, but having experienced the rapture of 2-85’s touch and the unique closeness of our coupling, I was determined to do whatever necessary to make sure that I could continue to experience it. Our first few experiments revealed that even simple kissing could affect the others. During one of our stops to rest, I’d kissed 2-85 in plain sight of everybody. Did it partially to find out how much the others were affected, partially to figure out if I could sense the link between us and subsequently shut it down, and partially to get back at JACK for not warning me ahead of time about the witchkiss she was going to give me. Going on tiptoes, pressing all my soft body to the hard of his, sliding my lips him his chin, to his mouth, sucking his tongue into my mouth. It was a bit much, but being close to him often has me going faster than I intend. Maintaining enough presence of mind to search myself for the communication link, closed my eyes and turned my attention inward, following the pleasure from his lips to mine, inward and downward, opening my awareness. Didn’t find it right away, and commotion off to one side had me kissing 2-85 with one eye open. Was amused to find that 2-85 was watching me. JACK was slowly weaving through the resting Driftlings, backing away from PIIX. At some point, JACK tripped, continuing to back away crab-like on her hands and feet. When they cleared the group, PIIX went down on her hands and knees, looking all the while like an animal stalking her prey. Fascinated, not breaking the kiss, I searched for the link I knew had to be there. “syl, please!” JACK said, voice thick with unfulfilled need. “Stop this, little one,” PIIX said, finally catching hold of JACK’s foot, immediately halting her backward motion. “You can do it,” 2-85 says, and I can feel his words as well as hear them. As PIIX, body writhing, began to crawl over JACK, I finally felt it. There, deep within, a hole. I could feel my enjoyment in the simplicity of the kissing act pouring into that hole and out into the others. Just as JACK, overcome, reached up to pull PIIX down to her, I closed my mouth, keeping my lips on 2-85’s, and willed that hole closed. It winked out. JACK and PIIX both exhaled deeply, blinking, as if they’d just woken up. “You did that on purpose,” JACK says, letting her hand drop to the ground. “But thanks.” PIIX still couldn’t move; she hovered over JACK for a few moments before she could find the energy to stand. “Don’t call me ‘little one,’ PIIX,” I said. “I’ll stop when you learn to control yourself.” I nodded. “That’s fair. Want to try again right now? The sooner I learn control the better.” JACK glared at me. After that, I had quite a lot of explaining to do to shea(3)va. The other Sphek members, as well as the rest of the Driftlings, had questions too, but I just let them wonder. Honestly, it’s a personal matter and none of their glitched business. I’ll work it out, eventually. It didn’t take long before I was able to close the hole with only a brief thought. It got easier. I was faster. It does require constant attention. Closing it doesn’t mean it won’t open back up if I’m not vigilant. But with a little forethought and some concentration, I can have 2-85 naked in my arms and nobody else gets to share in the experience. The greater implications of the link are still of great concern to me however. The wirewitches accept it more easily than I do—it’s what they’re used to. Even though I’m not a wirewitch, it’s natural for them to think of a coven member being able to communicate in that way. Never mind that none of them can do this, affect another wirewitch like I can—make them do things against their will. Not even the coven leader has that power. Individual coven members can disobey her if they choose. They do so at their own peril, but the choice is theirs. I haven’t talked with JACK about it, but they should be concerned. They should be afraid. Because what if that hole I can close isn’t just the gateway to a passive link that catches the random broadcasts of my mind and body. What if the link can be used more actively? If it can, they should be afraid of that. Afraid that I can control them. Just like the other beasts. Oh, glitch, they should be very afraid of me. Mainly because a part of me is curious, wants to give it a try, see what it can do. Think that’s the automatic me though. Don’t let her get control too often. Only bring her out when necessary. Life and death, you know, times like that. She’s too hungry, too greedy to allow out. We’re all weary. Glitched weary and frustrated, homesick and sad. Yet, we have not faltered or fallen. I am committed, and they are dedicated to me. My cause is their cause. 2-85’s hand squeezes my shoulder, awareness of his proximity a reassurance that I am not alone, even here, where the land ends and choices must be made. I stand, using 2-85’s hand to pull myself up, walk over to where JACK, nin(9), shea(3)va, and (2)amlela are waiting. Though informally, the four of them have become my counselors. Each of them brings their strengths and their expertise. We’ve been able to make all of the major decisions together on this journey. JACK provides an outside perspective that I can’t get from any Driftling. She thinks like a wirewitch, and that’s exactly what we need sometimes. nin(9) is a tactical genius. shea(3)va is able to provide me with information on the logistical considerations of anything we do. In addition, she provides me with feedback on how the other Driftlings are doing. (2)amlela’s role is unique in that she provides a more mature perspective on the consequences of any action we take. She has counseled me on Atharan ways—our blod (eth), and lif (pah). She lets me know when our actions would harm the Driftlings in ways that might not be noticed—emotionally and culturally. I picked her specifically over the other two Sphek members with us because she doesn’t like me all that much. Because of that, she’s more likely to speak her mind if she thinks I’m about to do something stupid and bring everybody else with me. It’s something I need since too many of the Driftlings with me would follow Athara-Meeatora off a cliff just because she slipped and fell. “7-07 is moving north, and PIIX is heading south,” JACK reports. “Don’t worry, syl, they’ll find something.” “I have scouts to the west,” nin(9) says. “Is this where we’re supposed to be?” I ask, directing my question at (2)amlela. “It’s difficult to be sure,” she replies, “but I believe so. This is where Black Vale Six used to be, at least as far as we can determine. That was so long ago. I doubt anybody’s used that term in almost twenty years. The palaces that housed the royal families were destroyed soon after you were born.” I survey the landscape. The flat land slopes toward the ocean to the west. Only a few miles that way before we’ll have to change direction. Behind us, the western mountain ranges still linger, though they’re only small bumps on the horizon, fading memories of obstacles conquered. North and south, waves of rolling charred desert. A giant billionth-degree burn on the skin of the planet that will never heal. What happened here? Probably never know, doesn’t really matter. All that matters is picking up the Zomboid trail again, continue my quest, hug my daughter to my breast once more and forever. (forgetting something) (aren’t you) Black Vale Six. Calamity Carl told me to come here. DevilGOD told me to come here. But there’s nothing here. Nobody knows where the glitch Driftfane’s Sin is. Nobody knows if it even exists. (2)amlela didn’t know exactly how big Black Vale Six is, but she didn’t think it covered more than fifty square miles of terrain. Using (2)amlela’s knowledge, we tried to arrive as best we could in the geographical center of Black Vale Six. Not sure if we hit it, but the wirewitches should have that information shortly. Until then, we wait here. “Advice, nin?” I ask. Her beautiful eyes flash, alert. The lesh (writ) on her neck shifts as the muscles there flex. “You were sent here. Both by the rivot bot and this DevilGOD. If they want you here for a reason, I’m certain that this is not a safe place to be. Everybody should be ready for a fight. We should be ready for quick movement as well. No unpacking. No camp. We need to remain mobile.” “I agree,” JACK says, then cocks her head, as if listening to something. “7-07 has reached the north edge of Black Vale Six. He has found nothing of interest. PIIX is still moving south. Nothing to report yet.” “nin, how long till the scouts return?” I ask. “No more than thirty minutes.” They’re fast for Driftlings, but they’re not wirewitches. I should have sent 2-85 or JACK to check out the coast. Heartbeat’s accelerated for some reason, body feels like it’s buzzing. Not sure when that started. Maybe when we arrived, maybe just not. Whatever, didn’t notice it before, sure am aware of it now. It’s not static. More of a resonance, as if my body is attempting to synchronize with something nearby. I take a couple steps closer to 2-85. It’s not him. “What is it, syl?” shea(3)va asks, noticing me. “Are you feeling okay?” Shaking my head. “Probably nothing. I’m fine. Just tired.” “Not supposed to do that,” nin(9) says. “Do what?” I ask. “Lie to your blod (sis).” Glitch. I sigh. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I am tired, but I feel something else. Not sure how to describe it. It’s like I’m picking up some sort of signal. My body is buzzing with it.” “What did this start?” shea(3)va asks. “I’m not sure. I just noticed it.” “Can you tell where it’s coming from?” JACK asks. I’m tired enough that trying to do that hadn’t occurred to me. Closing eyes, I try, but I don’t get anything specific. Spinning my body around doesn’t help either. “Nothing,” I say finally, running a hand through my hair, can feel dirt particles up there. Glitched desert. “I don’t like it. Let’s pull the patrol back. JACK, recall the witches.” I’m about to call for 2-85 to go retrieve the western scouts back, but JACK interrupts. “It’s PIIX. She’s found something.” During the pause that follows, I realize that I’m holding my breath, and that I’m not the only one doing it. “PIIX found a city. It’s in some sort of valley, so she didn’t see it until she was right on top of it.” JACK smiles then. “What?!” I demand. “We did it. She says the city is Driftfane’s Sin.” “Is she sure?” I ask. JACK listens for several seconds, gives a little laugh, then nods. “She’s sure.” nin(9) steps forward. “Is the city inhabited?” “Yes,” JACK says. “She’s going to investigate. She’ll make sure nobody sees her.” Unless they have some sort of electronic scanning, wirewitches can be glitched difficult to detect when they want to stay hidden. Most scanning should be nonfunctional at this point though thanks to cyberspace’s demise. “7-07 is already on his way back,” JACK says. “I’ve recalled my scouts,” nin(9) says. I wonder how she did that. We don’t have long-range communication devices. Of course, I wouldn’t put it past nin(9) to have technology that none of the rest of us have. She’s a resourceful girl. Part of what makes her so deadly. “We should go ahead and move south,” I say. “We have business here in that city, and I intend to complete it as quickly as possible so we can get back to hunting Zomboids. Are we agreed?” My counselors all nod their assent. “Fire up the Scorp,” I say. “We’re rolling.”
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I know why JACK laughed when I asked if PIIX was sure that this city was the one we’d been looking for. Driftfane’s Sin is nestled in a wide depression in the earth. The valley goes deep enough that on the sides of the city, there are jagged, rocky cliffs at the city outskirts. On those cliffs have been hung letters at least twenty meters tall that spell out DRIFTFANE’S SIN across the face of each cliff. The city’s name is repeated at least ten times around the circumference of the valley. And under each set of letters is a second set of letters. These letters read NODE 6. There are four roads into the city, one at each of the compass points. The south and west roads are thin and don’t rise from the level of the bottom of the valley. As such, without further reconnaissance, we don’t know where those roads lead. The east and north roads slope down into the valley, providing two safe passages down into the city from our location. The city itself is small enough. The buildings are modern, though they all appear to be single-story structures. Most of the buildings have been destroyed. All are crumbling, and the majority display catastrophic wounds. I wonder if there’s more to the city than what we can see from here at the edge of the north cliff. My mind hypothesizes that the rest of the city is underground. Node Six? What the glitch does that mean? That this is the sixth node of Driftfane’s Sin? Does that mean there are at least five other nodes? How am I supposed to know which one to go to? DevilGOD said I’d know what to do when I got here. Well, glitch him and glitch me, because I’m pretty glitched clueless at the moment. Counting the massive signage announcing the name of the city over and over and over, there are two other interesting things about the city. First, of all, the city is split into a north and south half. There appears to have been a wide river running through the city at one point. It’s dried up now, so the city is left with a blank strip where nothing grows and where nothing’s been built. Can’t see from here, but the river either runs underground as it heads west or that road to the west is really a groove cut by the river as it continues toward the ocean. The second interesting aspect of the city is the fact that it currently appears to be occupied by citizens of the Nation of Utopia. I can see the sun reflecting of the armor of some of their Armored Civilian Control Units. If I’m supposed to go into the heart of the city and do something, they will present a significant problem. None of us are card-carrying members of the Nation of Utopia, and as such, we’re subject to “deportation.” Deportation, as they define it, isn’t on my list of things to experience any time soon. “Node six?” I say, adjusting my cloak so it doesn’t bunch under me as I lie here so I can peek into the valley. JACK answers. “There are seven major cyberspace nodes in the Free States. This looks like it’s one of them. I knew there was one somewhere in this area, but I’d never heard of Driftfane’s Sin before you told me about it.” “Looks like this node took some damage,” shea(3)va says. I can only make out faint movement in the heart of the south side of the city. None of the ACCUs are flying around the area, so we’ve been lucky so far. How long that holds is anybody’s guess. nin(9), on my other side, peers through a pair of binoculars. “They look like they’re bringing equipment out into the open, out from one of the buildings.” “From below,” I murmur. “It’s possible,” nin(9) says. “Some of them are gathering around some sort of object. The object’s on some sort of metallic pedestal. You know, not all of them are ACCUs.” “How can you tell?” I ask. “Not all of them have the ACCU armor on,” nin(9) says. “And it looks like some of them are being led around by others. Looks like some of them are prisoners.” Then her breath catches. She quickly adjusts some dial on the binoculars. “Glitch.” “What do you see?” I ask. “We have a big problem. One of those prisoners is your modie friend. The one with the etched skin and the dangerous metal hair. They’re pointing weapons at her. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were going to execute her.” |
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Post: 03.11.2010 Date: 12.31.2196 Time: Midday Stay Of Execution “We have to do something,” I say. “We can’t let them kill her.” “There are at least twenty of those glitched ACCUs down there right now,” nin(9) says. “It’ll be difficult to do with that many.” “We outnumber them,” I say. “What I meant is that we can’t rescue her with all those ACCUs there—at least not without taking casualties. Doesn’t really matter how many people we have on our side.” “Suggestions?” “We need a distraction. Something that can draw them away while we go down there and free her. Oh, and there’s no way to do this without some sort of fight. They just have too many people around the prisoners.” “How many prisoners do you see?” “At least ten. Can’t see everywhere from up here though. There could be others.” Pulse quickens at the thought of finding Kiiziiziixii alive, at the thought of talking to her again. Lots of unanswered questions I need to ask her. As soon as we save her rear from the fire, gonna have to have a little interrogation session. Find out why she left. Find out what really happened in the Haven that caused her to desecrate it. Find out what brought her here, to this place, ahead of us. I am very interested to find out what her story is. Of all my travelling companions, she is the one I understand the least about. Her reasons for being near me are her own. Any explanation she’s given me has been vague. Our paths have crossed… It upset me that she left Athara without warning, without a goodbye. …and when they uncross themselves, we will never see each other again. Now, it looks like our paths are about to cross again. Guess we’re not to the never-see-each-other-again part just yet. “How long until the patrol returns?” I ask. “Any minute now,” nin(9) says, not taking her eyes from the binoculars. Not the answer I’ve come to expect from her. She has a lot to think about at the moment, so I let it go. 7-07 returned a few minutes ago, so everybody except for the patrol is accounted for. I’m hesitant to conduct a rescue effort while we’re split up, but with Kiiziiziixii about to be “deported,” we don’t really have a choice. It’s now or never. nin(9) lowers the binoculars. “I think it’ll be best to take a small group down into the city to rescue her. Not everybody down there is wearing ACCU armor, and there a good number of the people who aren’t prisoners. That means that some of those people are normal Nation of Utopia citizens. A small group may be able to blend well enough to get closer without being spotted. Since the air temperature is so low, anybody down there that’s not wearing ACCU armor is wearing some sort of heavier clothing, we should be able to go in without causing too much of a disturbance. We will use the wirewitches to provide our distraction.” “I’m going down there,” I say. “As am I,” nin(9) says. “I will go with you as well,” JACK says. nin(9) is about to open her mouth to object, but JACK interrupts. “It’s non-negotiable. syl doesn’t leave our sight. If not me, then it’ll be another from the coven. I will remain hooded and covered. Nobody will discover that I’m a wirewitch until I choose to reveal myself.” I shrug at nin(9). I’d probably feel the same way if I were JACK. “Fine,” nin(9) says. “That should be en—” “You need one more,” a voice from behind us says. “So, I’ll go.” I turn. That mix of green and yellow hair always did get to me a little. I’m about to reject his offer, but nin(9) is quicker than I am. “You’re right, four would be better.” I glare. She smiles. Glitch her. “We don’t know how efficient the Nation of Utopia is today, so let’s get down there,” I say. “Let’s hope they’re slowed by inordinate amounts of bureaucracy and legal procedures. Night would be a better time for this, but I doubt we have the luxury.” “What are your witches going to do for a distraction?” nin(9) asks. JACK drops her hood over her face, the back of her cloak wriggling. Peering out from beneath it, she grins. “We’ll surprise you. But don’t worry; it will be distracting.” I let 2-85 kiss me for several precious seconds. The promise of more later hangs heavy in the air between us. I’m having more than a little trouble breathing when I finally pull away. “Be safe for me,” I plead, suddenly afraid that there’s something final about what we just did. “You too,” he says, then he walks over to 7-07. I watch 2-85’s hairstalk sway as he moves. The ache that rises in me then is almost too much to take. I’m wearing my full cov (rin). My boots, scuffed and dirty as they are, peek out from beneath the edge of my cloak. Beneath my hood, I’ve gathered my hair back into a single ponytail, hairs tickly my neck. Have to use clips up there liberally to keep stray hairs from coming out. nin(9) has counseled me to keep my hair short—like hers—for safety purposes. If it’s short, it can’t get in your eyes in the middle of a fight. Also makes it more difficult for your enemy to use it against you if the fight gets personal and up close. I raise a scarf made of cov (rin) material up over my mouth and nose. Sever-whip is secure on the belt at my waist. The automatic me is lurking. I can tell she’s wants out. She wants a fight down there. I have to admit, there’s a good chance she’s going to get what she wants. Can’t imagine they’re going to be happy with us when we provide a stay of execution for one of their blessed citizens. (you prepared for this?) (you prepared to die?) (you prepared for your followers) (to die?) Descending into the valley from the north, I wonder if we look too out of place. At least we don’t all look the same. nin(9)’s cloak is almost black, matching that of the Atharan guards. The rest of ours are brown. JACK has her entire face covered except for a narrow slit that she can see through. To tell she’s a wirewitch, one would have to be extremely close—closer than she’s likely to permit. It’d be nice if one of us was plain looking without some physical giveaway. Bone deformities and hair coloring are the problems that force us to go in completely covered. When we reach the floor of the valley, I see two ACCUs take to the air, red and gold armor reflecting dimly in the deathly hues of sunlight filtered through dust and ash. “Thought there would be more patrols,” nin(9) says. “I’d sure have more if I was in charge.” “Maybe something else has them busy,” cyn(7)dar suggests. It’s possible. “They can be single-minded at times,” I say. “They are very dedicated to their constitution and making sure that it’s followed and applied—forcefully if necessary, which it is most of the time.” “How did you come to know so much about them?” cyn(7)dar asks. “You forget, she was away from us for a long time,” nin(9) says. “I’m sure she knows many things about the world that we don’t.” “I haven’t forgotten how long she was away,” cyn(7)dar says quietly. Glitch, losing focus now is not a good idea. “It’s not that,” I say. “And you, nin, are forgetting that I remember nothing about my time on the island before I woke up. Most of the things I learned during that time, I don’t know anymore.” Actually, maybe that’s not true. Glitch, not supposed to lie to my blod (sis)! “Wait, I take that back. What I meant to say is that if I learned something during that time, I am not able to recall if that’s when I learned it. I know something, I just don’t know when I learned something, or who taught me that something. In this case, I learned about the Nation of Utopia after the fall of cyberspace from a…friend.” Nobody presses me for any more information, thankful for that. We settle into walking along the edge of one of the bigger roads that leads into the city. This one looks like it could have accommodated larger vehicles back when this city wasn’t coughing and sputtering in the aftermath of what looks like carpet bombing. The road is bursting, cracking open in volcano-like hills, sunken and cracked in-between, making it impossible for anything larger than a single-person vehicle to travel across it. Walking isn’t bad, or at least not any more difficult that the terrain we’ve walked across for the past several months. The city reveals its true nature as we pass the first actual structures. We encounter a temporary barrier set across the road. The barrier displays a banner, drawn tight enough that the letters are distorted by stretched wrinkles. The banner proclaims:
THE NATION OF UTOPIA SECURITY PERIMETER CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT REMAIN CALM
The barrier is completely unnecessary since that part of the road is a huge crater that has to be twenty feet deep. To get the barrier in the proper position of being actually across the road, they had to set it at the bottom of the crater. Down there it’s completely ineffective as a barrier. In fact, if a person got stuck in the crater, it’s likely they would need to actually stand on top of the barrier to get out. “Don’t know about everybody else, but I’m completely calm,” cyn(7)dar says as we walk around the crater. “Mostly because that sign told me to be.” “I’ll be calm as long as they don’t ask to see our citizenship cards,” I say. “Aren’t we all citizens of Utopia?” JACK says. “That is what they claim,” I say. “But they still want you to have your card. Being unable to produce one will make them suspicious that you’re not from this planet. The other option is for them to decide that you need reeducated as to what it means to be a citizen. They’ll put you through some reeducation classes.” “Doesn’t sound too bad,” cyn(7)dar says. “And when I say reeducation classes, I mean that they strap you into a chair, inject you with compliance drugs, then jack you into a brainwashing program. In less than twenty-four hours, the entire Constitution of the Nation of Utopia is on endless repeat in your mind for the rest of your life.” We’re all quiet for a little bit after that. The buzzing in my body is increasing. Whatever it is that’s causing it, I think I’m getting closer to it. The one-story structures are either empty or exploded. Citizens of Utopia walk about aimlessly. Due to the cold, most of them are as bundled up as we are. Nobody takes notice of us as far as I can tell. They all look a little lost, a little scared. Here and there, we see an ACCU. Busy making sure their citizens are in compliance, we manage to make it through without being accosted. We cross the middle of the city. The dry, greenish-grey dirt under my boots seems like it might be filled with dead things—both ancient and fresh. I’m glad when we’re across it. There are more people in the southern side of the city, more activity. This side of the city moves as if it has a purpose. Everybody seems to be doing something. When we see a pile of silver containers that people are building, we each pick one up a container and start walking. Every building has been painted with the symbol of the Nation of Utopia. “That way,” nin(9) says, casually pointing toward where a large number of people are gathered. Even without the people I would’ve known that was the way we should be going. The buzzing is stronger than ever. It’s more of a throbbing now. Starting to get annoying, harder to ignore. It’s not painful or even unpleasant necessarily, just something I’d get rid of if I could. I feel a twinge of excitement knowing that I’m getting closer. Maybe I should feel dread, but I don’t. Still carrying our containers, we push our way into the gathered crowd. They’re almost all regular citizens, with only the occasional ACCU rising above the crowd. The crowd rings a large square. In the center, there is a large conglomeration of machinery that is clearly no longer serving its original purpose. Instead, the machines and appliances have been fused together to form the base of a large platform, the surface of which is a helter-skelter mess of flat pieces of metal that have been pushed together. The surface is anything but flat, metal bent and bowed in order to mate up with the adjoining pieces. Arranged in a shape that’s a complete failure as a circle but a success as a lopsided oval are ten cylindrical pedestals. The base of the pedestals are pristine chrome pipes about half a meter in diameter, reflecting the crowd and the city, as well as the shadowy clouds overhead. On each pedestal rests an egg-shaped object. The eggs are made of a blue crystal material. For some reason, each egg reminds me of an unlit light bulb. Something’s not right here. The eggs should be glowing and they’re not. Then, I see what all those pedestals are surrounding: a taller, larger pedestal in the center. And on that pedestal is another one of the eggs. Looks the same as the others. Wait, no not true. The egg in the center just pulsed, once, then twice, a deep blue glow that bathed us all in warm light, and amazingly, heat. It was beautiful, and the crowds around us makes oohs and aahs, whispering to each other “Did you see it?” and “What was that?” and “It’s never done that before!” The buzzing in my body pulses in time with the pulse of the egg, and I know for sure that’s what’s causing the buzzing. Is this why DevilGOD sent me here? Am I supposed to do something with that? “Okay, what the glitch is going on here,” nin(9) whispers. JACK taps my shoulder, moves to face me. leaning her head close to mine, her wirewitch smell and the warmth of her body bringing familiar comfort. Her voice is muffled by the material across her face. “Those are matrix cores.” “Matrix cores,” I repeat. “Those are the physical storage constructs that cyberspace data is stored in.” “They look like blue gems. They’re pretty.” Well, that glowing one is. “Pretty, yeah, but they’re not gems. More like the physical interface into quantum space. Mankind has often used technology they didn’t fully understand as long as it worked reliably. This is one of those times. The processing is performed and data stored in, for lack of a better term, a parallel universe—at least that’s the only way they’ve ever been able to describe it. Whatever reality, the fact is that it works, and it’s fast.” Parallel universe. “Sounds arrogant and dangerous,” I say. JACK shrugs. “It works.” Turning back toward the center, she says, “At least, it did. That one in the center is the only one still working. The others are dead.” I hear the sadness in her voice. “Can you feel anything?” I ask. “No,” she says. “The matrix cores are only processing and storage constructs. They don’t perform any of the cyberspace broadcasting.” “I wonder why that one it still working,” I mumble, distracted by the new movement off to one side. Several ACCUs are breaking through the crowd, walking slowly toward the center. There are cheers from the crowd. Behind the ACCUs are several normal citizens, followed by more ACCUs. Okay, mistake, those aren’t normal citizens. Hands bound behind their backs, legs chained together, it’s clear those are the prisoners. Their clothes are inadequate for the cold weather. They shiver and stumble. Then I see her. Kiiziiziixii is among them. She’s the prisoner at the end of the line. She shivers and stumbles with the rest of them, her head down, spirit defeated. Not right, it’s not right at all, to see her like that. Her hair talons flail at the air, her body, drawing blood at her shoulders. She’s been stripped to her once-white undergarments, her arms and a narrow strip of her belly bare, her leg muscles rippling for all to see. The cybernetic replacement for her left thigh glistens wetly, rivers of red leaking into the exposed machinery there. She’s barefoot. cyn(7)dar’s hand is on my shoulder suddenly. “Wait,” he says. “Not yet.” “I wasn’t doing anything,” I protest. He chuckles. “You may not realize it, but you were moving forward. You were going to run over there and get yourself killed. We need to see what their intentions are first. After that, we can do things that will get us all killed.” “Sorry,” I say. He smiles back in a way that I really wish he wouldn’t. Not sure what to think about the way he’s been treating me recently. He’s seen me kissing 2-85, and he hasn’t said a word. I know he feels as strongly as he ever did. Seems to be hiding it well. Maybe too well. Then again, hard to know how somebody will react when they discover that the baby they thought they were the father of has metaskin. Still possible (3)ela is his…no, not thinking about that right now. It’s a glitched moot point. The ACCUs lead the prisoners up a ramp. They line them up on one side of the platform. One of the ACCUs, wearing armor detailed differently than the others—more colored lines on one arm—steps forward, raises both arms to quiet the crowd. “Citizens of Utopia!” the ACCU says. “Look upon the haggard state of your fellow citizens! Their violations of the Exalted Constitution of the Nation of Utopia, sections eighty-nine through one hundred and forty-six are severe! As such, they must be deported! However, instead of being deported, these citizens have chosen to attempt to commune with the Super Grand Nexus Ultra Prime in order that they might become enlightened!” “What. The. Glitch.” Not sure if I said that out loud, or just thought it. “If ‘deportation’ means death, what does ‘enlightened’ mean?” JACK asks. Glitch, no way to tell. Probably means death. The first prisoner, a young man, is led to the center of the platform, where the pulsing matrix core is. They remove the bindings on his hands. “Be elightened, citizen!” the ACCU encourages, his weapon pointed directly at the young man’s head. The young man reaches out his trembling hand. There’s a CRACK as the palm of his hand comes down onto the surface of the matrix core. He slumps to the ground, raising the body count on the planet by one. “REMAIN CALM!” the ACCU shouts, his voice amplified suddenly so that it blankets the area. Then, at normal volume, “This citizen did achieve enlightenment! Next!” The next prisoner is led to the matrix core, and a second later the body count counter gets incremented again. “Enough,” I say. “We have to stop this.” “Glitch yeah we do,” cyn(7)dar says. “Plan?” “Got one,” I say. “JACK, signal the wirewitches when I say your name.” “Right.” “Gonna come down to a fight,” nin(9) says. “It always does.” Truth that’s hard to argue with. Sucking in a deep breath. The automatic me is prepped and waiting, anxious and taut. “We have a delivery to make, so let’s get to it,” I say. With that, we push out into the center, each with our containers to deliver. I’m in front. Can hear JACK making a frustrated noise, lets me know she’s not happy about that. I walk up the ramp, making a straight line toward the lead ACCU. The prisoners stand off to my left. Up here, my whole body is surging as the matrix core in the center pulses. I have to resist the urge to run over and touch my hand to that warm, blue surface. The ACCU is at least three feet taller than me in all that armor. I look up, and that great, helmeted head swings down to look at me. The ACCU’s weapon, which had been pointed at the next candidate for enlightenment, has almost absentmindedly swung in my direction. “Okay, but there’s this here delivery for you, ah, sir, ” I say. “Yeah, um, I mean, listen, you see Dackerson said you wanted these to, you know, go somewhere up here on this here platform, or something.” “Citizen!” the ACCU demands. “You are not authorized to be located here! Please return to the ground level so that your fellow citizens may have their chance at enlightenment!” I drop the container. “See now, now you gone and confused poor old me, telling me to, well, not do what Dackerson told little miss me to do. See, uh, I need to do this because, heh, um, it’s the place, they’re, well, supposed to be for the, um, thing.” “Thing?” the ACCU asks, alarmingly intrigued. “You’d have to ask Dackerson,” I say simply. The ACCU turns to one of the others. “Bring citizen Dackerson directly to me! I will question him further!” Something tells me that these ACCUs aren’t a normal bunch. Something strange is going on here. Maybe they were all jacked in when cyberspace flatlined. “So, big guy,” I say, as one of the ACCUs leaves. That’s one down. “You’re um, kinda cute.” Actually, it’s kinda true. Can only see his face, but he’s certainly not ugly. “After you are done, well, with, you know, the thing, maybe you could, uh, give me a ride on your armor there. Is it, all slippery?” “It is not slippery!” he proclaims. “It is polished with a mono-particle, abrasion-resistant sealant that makes it impervious to fire and lasers rated at lower than Class 2!” “And, well, about that ride?” “That would be highly illegal and a violation of Article Twelve of the—” I put my hand on the big gun in my face. “Well, I’m just saying, if you want to give me a, you know, ride, little old me is, you know, ready and willing to serve a mighty fine and glorious soldier of the great and, uh, powerful Nation of Utopia.” “A little thick…” JACK whispers. Glitch, her, I have this idiot right where I want him. “Citizen…girl!” the ACCUS says, finally altering the angle of his weapon so it if it goes off it’ll only blow off my left arm instead of my head. “Your offer is noble and valiant! We shall discuss it further after these other citizens have had their chance to become enlightened by communing with the Super Grand Nexus Ultra Prime! Please step aside!” “It’s sooo pretty!” I clap and giggle. The ACCU, still looking at me, reaches behind and grabs the closest prisoner. “Be enlightened, citizen!” he exclaims as he brings the prisoner forward, undoing the bindings at her wrists, pushing toward the center. Kiiziiziixii glances at me briefly before turning away and reaching her hand out to touch the deadly matrix core that will end her life. |
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Post: 03.11.2010 Date: 12.31.2196 Time: Midday Super Grand Nexus Ultra Prime I do the only thing I can think of. I launch myself at Kiiziiziixii, taking her at her hips. She goes down easily enough, almost willingly. “What?!?” the ACCU above us roars. I pick myself up, being sure to keep myself between the ACCU and Kiiziiziixii. “Oh no! Oh me! Oh my! I’m so so so sorry, little old me tripped because I wanted to be closer to big old you and your big handsome face that I, um, well you know, like to look at, and if I could, maybe, touch it a little bit, maybe on the hair or something?” “CITIZEN!” the ACCU roars, trying to move around me to get at Kiiziiziixii . “You have inadvertently violated Section Seventeen of the Enlightenment Directive! Please report to Education Station Zeta to pay your fine! After that, please wait for me there! I will pick you up!” “Oh, well, okay, then if that’s the way you want it, can you at least tell me where the rest of these, little old containers go?” “I am unaware of the purpose of those containers!” “Well, my friend JACK, and my other friends here, and I need to, you know, give all five containers to you, since you look like you’re, well mostly, in charge of things up here.” “That is correct! I am in charge of seeing that these citizens here have their chance at enlightenment!” “Oh, do you mean those dead guys?” I ask, pointing, hoping that the distraction I just signaled JACK for is coming soon, as in right now. “They did not achieve enlightenment! It appears that they have been deported!” The other four drop their containers simultaneously. The sound reverberates, makes the platform vibrate under my feet. “WHAT WAS TH—“ the ACCU in charge demands, but the massive explosion and subsequent fireball that unfurls into the sky on the north side of the city cuts him off. “WHAT WAS TH—” the ACCU tries again. Only to be cut off a second time by a second explosion and a second fireball, also on the north side. “Oh no!” I say, putting my hands to the sides of my hood. “REMAIN CAL—” the ACCU starts. Only to be interrupted by cyn(7)dar shouting, “Non-citizens are attacking!” I look over at him, and he’s cowering next to one of the other pedestals. The crowd is already at the beginning of chaos, erupts at his words. “Save little old me!” I say, grabbing the ACCU’s armored arm, pulling his weapon hand so that the weapon in it is facing the crowd. Kiiziiziixii is still on the ground, dazed or drugged, I can’t tell. “Citizen!” the ACCU shouts. “Remain calm! I am sworn to protect all citizens! Please let go of my arm!” I let go. The ACCU turns to the other ACCUs guarding the prisoners. “Check out the disturbances! You are authorized to deport all non-citizens on sight!” Every single one of the ACCUs guarding the prisoners takes to the air, leaving the prisoners without any real guards except for the one I’m holding onto. I look back at nin(9). Her hood nods. Turning back to the ACCU, I tighten my grip, jerking his arm back and forth, frantic. “We’re all going to die!” “Remain calm! You will not die! We are here to protect you!” “Protect me?” I ask, dropping my hands, retreating them beneath my cloak. “Yes! From the non-citizens!” “Oh, like me you mean?” “What?! You are a—? STOP RIGHT THERE!” My sever whip is already streaking toward him though, activating as it goes. Light flares, a knife-edge of light cutting through the air. I’m angry, and I put all the force I can into my attack. Sparks and an explosion as his weapon is cut in two. Almost clipped his trigger finger off. Caught him unprepared, and he takes a step back, dropping his ruined weapon, reaching for the second one at his belt. Pulling back with the sever-whip, then forward again, the second weapon skitters away, lacerated and useless. “YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF SECTI—” JACK collides with him then. Despite his size, he goes down, completely unprepared for her flying leap. “Get Kiiziiziixii!” she says. “I’ll handle this g’ekk!” “And I was just starting to have fun,” I say, turning to Kiiziiziixii. Taking two steps toward her, the throbbing in my body intensifies. She’s lying at the base of the pedestal that still holds that glowing matrix core, feebly attempting to prop her body up on one arm, looking vulnerable and disoriented. “Hi,” I say. “Are you hurt?” Her reaction is delayed, as if she’s having trouble concentrating on my question. “I…don’t think so.” “Good to see you. Can you stand?” She’s looking at me, confused and even a little frightened. That doesn’t make any glitched sense. What happened to her? They probably drugged her, glitch it. Maybe that’s why the prisoners would willingly touch the matrix core when it was obvious it was going to kill them. I realize that my face is covered. There’s no way, outside of my voice, that she would even know it was me. “Hurry,” nin(9) says. I spread Kiiziiziixii’s legs. A flick of my wrist, sparks, metal melts, then again, and once more, leg chains fall away, useless. She’s free. “Here, let me help you,” I say, offering her my hand. She stares at it for a second, then lifts her arm, puts her hand in mine. She may be disoriented, but she’s strong, almost pulling me down instead of me pulling her up. Being a modie, she weighs more than a normal human her size. Cybernetics will do that to a girl. “Thanks,” she says when she’s up. “Who are you?” I pull my face covering down and throw my hood back, pushing a rogue strand of blue out of my eyes. No real reason to keep my identity a secret now. “syl?” she asks.Her eyes stare at me, attempting to discern the truth behind my assertion. “Yes, we need to get out of here, where it’s safer,” I say. Looking around, JACK is standing over the broken body of the ACCU. His helmet is punctured, and he’s unconscious. The interior of his clear face shield is spattered with blood. The other prisoners are still standing there in a daze. The crowd around the platform is in a panic, but it’s directionless. cyn(7)dar and nin(9) are on either side of us, watching for any direct threats. So far, nobody’s taken any special notice of what we’re doing up here. There are ACCUs at the edges of the crowd, but they’re busy trying to prevent a full-scale riot. Be easy to get out of here if we could fly like the ACCUs. Since we can’t, it’s gonna be less easy. “I’m sorry, syl,” Kiiziiziixii says, grabbing my wrist. There’s dirt all over her exposed skin. She’s shivering. I pull my cloak from my body and secure it on her shoulders. She shudders. “I didn’t want to leave you, but I had to.” She glances away from me, to the center of the platform, where that matrix node still pulses invitingly. “We can play story time later,” nin(9) says. “We’ve been lucky so far. Let’s get out of here before a good plan goes bad.” “No!” Kiiziiziixii says. “I have to tell you this now!” “Go ahead,” I say. Hurry though. “I had to leave because—” “CITIZENS OF UTOPIA!” comes the deafening shout, as if broadcasted from a thousand speakers. “EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE CITY OF DRIFTFANE’S SIN, AND ALL SURROUNDING AREAS HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A LEVEL ALPHA SECURITY ZONE! NO CITIZENS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE OR ENTER THE SECURITY ZONE! REMAIN CALM UNTIL ORDER CAN BE RESTORED!” Kiiziiziixii grabs my shoulder, not quite painfully, but her thumb is grinding into bone. “I had to leave because he told me to!” “Who?” “DevilGOD!” (no) (no) (no not her too) She’s nodding. “He appeared to me, told me I had to come here, to Black Vale Six, to Driftfane’s Sin! He said if I didn’t, he’d kill your baby! He said that part of cyberspace was stored here. He told me I had to find the matrix cores here. He told me I had to find if there were any active ones. If there were, he said I had to steal them and bring them to him!” Matrix cores… She’s shaking, the vibrations flowing into my body, getting all mixed up with the pulsing already there. “I had to leave, and I couldn’t tell you! I didn’t know whether to believe you when you first talked about him, but I do now!” “I…” Don’t know what to say. “I came here to do what he said, but there, at the end, all I could think of was that if he wanted them, I…I…” Her face tells me she’s looking for some sort of forgiveness. “…I needed to destroy them. Oh, syl, I’m sorry!” “She’s right,” nin(9) says. “If DevilGOD wants them, we have to destroy them.” “Even if that means syl’s daughter dies?” JACK spits. “Glitch that.” “syl’s daughter is already…” nin(9) fades off, her eyes flicking to me only momentarily. Apparently, even she’s not cruel enough to actually say it to my face. Please God, don’t let it be true. Please? Glitch, no, Kiiziiziixii is right. If DevilGOD wants them, they have to be destroyed. He didn’t say anything to me about matrix cores, so the threats against my daughter don’t apply to me. That is, if he even has her. Once we track down those Zomboids, we hope to know more about what happened to her. A big part of believes there’s no way he could have her. If he’s in the Wastelands, it seems impossible. The Zomboids still have her. They’ve got to. Kiiziiziixii shakes her head. “No, I was wrong. We can’t take the chance. We need to take that matrix core with us. Then we can decide what to do with it under less stressful circumstances.” Uh oh, several ACCUs, who were flying overhead, just got interested in what we were doing. “Trouble,” I say. “I’ll get the matrix core,” JACK says. “No!” I say.The ACCUs are descending. Only a few seconds left. “Why?” JACK asks. “You saw what it did to those prisoners!” “Trust me, syl, nothing about cyberspace could ever harm me.” “DO NOT MOVE!” one of the ACCUs commands as it lands along with the others. Their weapons are pointed at the prisoners. Threat assessment isn’t one of their strong points apparently. The prisoners are still standing there, shivering and confused. Glitch, they didn’t run away. “JACK, do not touch the matrix core,” I say, feeling my whole body throb in tune with the rise and fall of the blue glow from the central egg. Could it be…? When you have finished what you must do in Driftfane’s Sin… Difficult to focus. Gaze goes from the egg to the two dead prisoners below it. Once you are there…well, you’ll know what to do. Glitch it all, I don’t know what to do. But maybe… “YOU WITH THE BLUE HAIR!” one of the ACCUs shouts. “DO NOT MOVE! YOU MUST NOT TOUCH THE SUPER GRAND NEXUS ULTRA PRIME UNLESS YOU WISH TO BE ENLIGHTENED!” His shouting makes me realize that I had been walking toward the center of the platform, toward that attractive blue pulsing—the one the same color as my hair, the one that’s sending that not-unpleasant tremor through me. It gets stronger as I get closer. “I want to be enlightened,” I mumble. “THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA! REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS SACRED PLATFORM OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO REMOVE YOU! YOU MUST URRGGGHLL!!” I blink. The ACCU is dead in his suit, his helmet punctured, a new hole sideways through his head. nin(9)’s sever-whip is activated, the plasma wire already retracting by the time I see it. The ACCU’s armor rocks back and forth for a few seconds, but doesn’t fall over. It slumps a little as the metal armor settles in on itself, just a lifeless shell with a lifeless human inside. She picks up his weapon, and despite the size, she slings it over her back. I’m not sure nin(9) should have done that. I’m also not sure I have time to worry about it. There are two other ACCUs and cyn(7)dar and JACK are on them. One of them gets a barrage of shots off. Amazingly, they miss every single one of their targets, most hitting on the ground away from the platform, two shots disappearing into the crowd surrounding us. The pent up panic breaks then. Seeing several of their number explode in melted flesh sends the crowd into utter chaos. They’re running everywhere. When they start attacking the ACCUs controlling the crowd, that’s when the dying starts. “Hurry!” nin(9) says. “That crowd’s going to be as dangerous as the ACCUs!” A single shot from the ACCU cyn(7)dar is grappling with explodes into the platform. The force of the blast almost knocks me from my feet, sends me stumbling sideways. Kiiziiziixii was closer to the impact point; she ends up on her knees. Looking up, and glitch, there are more ACCUs on their way. One of them in particular is headed directly for us, streaking down out of the air. The air warms with the thrust from his suit. He lands directly between Kiiziiziixii and myself. “BLUE-HAIRED CITIZEN! YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE SUPER GRAND NEXUS ULTRA PRIME!” The ACCUs weapon is pointed at me. Hand goes to my hip instinctively, fingers closing around the handle of the sever-whip. I’ll never get it out in time. I see hundred of snakes with talons for heads slither around the ACCUs right foot. Some of the talons bounce off, but others dig in, puncture the armor near the joints of his boot. As the ACCU swivels to assess the new threat, I scramble to my feet. Kiiziiziixii yanks her head back, taking the ACCUs foot with it. ACCU armor is amazingly flexible, but the force of her action spins him around on one foot. He doesn’t lose his balance though, instead bringing his weapon to bear on her. She rolls, narrowly avoiding the rapid shots that spew from the muzzle. The matrix core is within reach, I realize with a sudden mixture of dread and euphoria. …you’ll know what to do. “Grab it, syl!” Kiiziiziixii shouts, now on her feet, wrestling with the ACCU. Her hair talons batter the ACCU’s face shielding like a hundred starving animals. If they get through, they’ll feed. The matrix core isn’t pulsing anymore. It’s shining, spraying the entire area with heavenly blue light. My hand, unwillingly perhaps, is moving away from my body, wanting only to touch down on the surface of that small, ovoid planet. You saw what it did to those prisoners! “Take it!” Kiiziiziixii says. “It’s the only way. It has to be you!” …what you must do in Driftfane’s Sin… “Wait!” comes the shout from one of the others, but can’t tell who. “NOW!” Kiiziiziixii shouts. Then, as I touch what the Utopians call the Super Grand Nexus Ultra Prime, I know my mistake because there’s a familiar CRACK! and the world goes white. |
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Post: 03.11.2010 Date: 12.31.2196 Time: Midday No Escape From The Valley Of Sin Hand feels like it’s on fire, but I can see it, and I know it’s not. I’m on the ground, hard on my butt, where I landed. Lost a few seconds there. Everybody’s standing around me, staring down. cyn(7)dar is kneeling over me. Okay, maybe I lost more than a few seconds. I move to stand up. They help me, but it’s not really necessary. Except for my hand, I actually feel just fine, and the pain in my hand is fading now. No more buzzing. The matrix core I touched is down by my feet now. It’s not glowing anymore. “Are you okay?” cyn(7)dar asks. “What did you do to the matrix core?” JACK asks, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Just touched it,” I say. “Oh. Did that do anything?” “Not really sure. Was I unconscious?" "No." "I don’t feel any different. My body isn’t buzzing anymore.” “It’s not glowing anymore either,” nin(9) says. “You killed it.” “Take it anyway,” Kiiziiziixii says. “Just in case.” “That was extremely stupid, syl,” JACK says. “And after you told me not to touch it! Glitch, you scared me. We’re going to have harsh words about this later.” Their voices calm; our position precarious. Dead or incapacitated ACCUs litter the platform. Though some of the panicked crowd has spilled up onto the platform, they’re giving us some distance. Hopefully because they’re afraid we’ll add their bodies to our pile, but probably just because it would be difficult to climb over ACCU bodies to get to us. Okay, managed to prevent Kiiziiziixii from being executed. Now we just have to prevent her and us from dying as we extricate ourselves from the area. Done easier things. The panicked crowd is directionless, flowing around us in a sea of violence and blood. nin(9) is beside me, her shoulder to mine. “Just like I said, right?” I nod. “Always comes to a fight. Yeah.” “Since we can’t fly, we’ll have to push through that. Going to be difficult without harming innocents.” I sigh. “Just get us through it.” The matrix core is inactive under my fingers as I pick it up. It’s light, lighter than it should be, as if it were hollow or perhaps supported by unseen strings. It goes in a small pouch on my belt. We never really considered taking the others. Wonder if we should. Glitch it, we don’t have room, and they were all dead before we even got here. If there’s any of them I'm supposed to take, it’s the one I have. The ground begins to shudder then. Briefly though. We’re not even to the ramp leading off the platform, and already we have to deal with something new. “What the glitch was that?” I ask, verbalizing the question on everybody’s mind. “Explosion,” nin(9) says. “No,” cyn(7)dar says. “Impact.” “Glitch,” I say. “Watch your language, syl,” Kiiziiziixii says. nin(9) gives me a look that says: Did we really need to save this one? We’re risking our lives for her, and she’s scolding us like she’s our mother and we’re a bunch of rebellious younglings? Well excuse my Atharan, but GLITCH THAT! “Sorry,” I say, then the ground shudders a second time. This one, of course, is louder, closer. “Okay, I’m not interested in finding out what’s causing that. Where is the rest of the coven?” “Headed our way,” JACK says. Good. I need to see 2-85 with my own eyes, make sure he’s all right. Need him at my side. We move down the ramp with nin(9) in the front, JACK and Kiiziiziixii and I in the rear. Kiiziiziixii is doing better now, moving with control and purpose. Every few steps or so, she wobbles a little, but she tightens her grip on me momentarily, then continues. Sever-whips flashing, cyn(7)dar and nin(9) drive the crowd back from us. They part, unwillingly, slowly, eyes reflecting the light of the sever-whips forcing them in directions that the rest of the crowd doesn’t want to go. At one point the crowd jerks, a woman stumbles forward. Unable to stop the motion of her sever-whip in time, nin(9) simply grunts as the woman’s arm tumbles away, severed, cauterized. When the limb lands, bright red fingernails still twitch, furrowing the black ground. Her screams echo as she trips, then is trampled by the press of the crowd. All I can think about is 2-85. The crowd closes back around us. I consider whether I need JACK to reveal herself. The sight of a wirewitch appearing in their midst could be quite a frightful sight. No, I’ll hold her in reserve. Instead, I activate my sever-whip, shuffling sideways as I use it to warn anybody who moves close enough to concern me. We break through the ring of people surrounding the platform only to find that the reason the crowd hasn’t dispersed is because they’re ringed by a line of ACCUs that shoot anybody crazy enough to try to escape. “Okay, this is just stupid,” JACK says. “Glitched ACCUs!” I mutter. We’re stuck for a moment at the edge of the crowd, unable to move against the ACCUs since they’re at least fifteen meters away. Be difficult to cross that distance before at least one of the ACCUs could get a lucky shot off. Even if all ACCUs were bad shots—which they aren’t—the odds aren’t in our favor. There are at least twenty of them on this side alone. “Now taking suggestions,” I say. “On it,” JACK says, then a second later, “The coven is here.” Three ACCUs directly in front of us go down simultaneously. The cloaked forms of PIIX, 7-07, and 2-85 spring on top of the fallen bodies, their forms blurring as they hammer at the ACCU helmets. The wirewitches are silent, efficient as they kill. Blood fountains upward. “Run,” JACK says, as the wirewitches spring again, taking three more ACCUs out of the fight. The other ACCUs are firing now, but they’re doing more damage than good. Firing at the blurred form of a wirewitch isn’t effective when the wirewitch isn’t where they were a nanosecond before. Instead, the ACCUs explode the bodies of their fellow Utopians—some of them dead before the friendly fire, some of them not. We’re running then, and there’s only prayer and the unpredictable nature of our direction to protect us from being gunned down. We catch a break then as the crowd behind us decides to follow our lead en masse. The ACCUs bravely hold their position, cutting wide swaths through the onrushing stampede, but the numbers are too great, and they are overrun. The smarter ones—more than a few of them—take to the air before the crowd reaches them and start firing from above. Up there, a lone ACCU circles. “REMINDER! THIS AREA HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A LEVEL ALPHA SECURITY ZONE!” A pause, for effect perhaps, “UPDATE! THIS AREA HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A UTOPIAN SECURITY LOCKDOWN PERIMETER! ALL NON-CITIZENS AND NON-COMPLIANT CITIZENS MUST CEASE ALL MOVEMENT OR THEY WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH, SEIZURE, AND DEPORTATION ON SIGHT! REMAIN CALM OR ELSE!” Glitch it. That’s bad. “Yeah, they just gave themselves authority to kill anything that breathes.” “Breathing is moving?” JACK asks. “Yes.” We make it through the line of ACCUs through the break that the wirewitches created. I brush up against one of the dead ACCUs, her blood streaking against my boot. When the ground shudders again, it’s more of a quake. 2-85 appears at my side. The tip of his wounded hairstalk slides against my back. Can’t help it, I smile, really big. “Hi,” I say. “Hi.” “I love you,” I say, thinking that maybe, just maybe that everything is going to work out. That there is an escape from this valley of sin. There’s another quake, and this one is so big that it takes us all from our feet. Only the 2-85 manages to stay upright. My hand is, somehow, in his, and he’s pulling me to my feet. “What is it?” I ask, seeing his face, knowing it’s a stupid question. “Look.” He pulls me to his side as the others recover their feet. Screams behind us mean the ACCUs are continuing to deport citizens with an undiminished ferocity. I look. As the fleshy, mechanical leg of some horrible creature appears at the edge of a cliff on the north side of the valley. A second later, a wriggling mass of tentacles sucks itself across the lip of the cliff. Another leg appears, then another, and another, then the black bulb of its body. “Oh God, what the glitch is that?” JACK asks. (remember) “Doesn’t matter,” nin(9) says. I look and she’s absolutely right. Because the problem is big. Really big. The biggest. There are creatures appearing all along the edge of the valley. From all directions, along the edge, blocking the roads. There’s so many I can’t count them. We’re completely surrounded. There’s no escape. |
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this page and its contents copyright (c) by ethan a. cooper |
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