Chaos Cipher (99 page)

‘
Hmmm,’ she
managed phlegmatically, ‘Keep me updated, I’ve plans for what’s
left of Malik Serat.’

‘
Do you
intend on reviving him?’ Adamoss called as she gained more
distance. She didn’t need to shout her answer, the android’s
hearing was superbly attuned.

‘
High glucose
levels…he’s been frozen before. He isn’t dead. We can revive those
memories, finish what Vance Serat started and try mapping the Chaos
Cipher. As for my ulterior reasons, Malik is a being who has gone
beyond our dimensions, piloted a machine that could change the way
we utilise space travel and even momentarily brought the world to
its knees.’ she smiled expectantly, pulling up her collar against
the cold air. ‘It’s in the better interest of our defence to know
our enemy. He could be useful. Besides, even if we do not find this
Hypermekhos key in the desert…down in the ocean there’s still one
more Spydrone…hence one more key.’

Adamoss
watched her tread through the wet mud and sand back towards her
ship, coat flagging in the dusty wind.

-81-

E
dge Fenris sat smoking heavily as
he stared out at the cloudy and pale sky. With a military green
combat helmet lodged on his head and a pair of binoculars, he
occupied his evening looking for SkyLarks at the top of Hangar 15
where since the fire a large hole now made most of the above
visible.

Below, Laux
had been working on some restoration repairs and hundreds of
students shifted to and fro, shipping new equipment and resources
into the place, and a whole rattling and banging and cacophony was
bustling in the area.

‘
SHUT UP!’
Fenris shouted back to them, while Laux shouted direction on where
he wanted new items and equipment to be placed. Edge Fenris had
been watching the Lewis family home. He kept a stalwart eye on
things, careful about Berengar’s activities. He’d heard some
activity on the makeshift radio Aldous Laux had put together out of
magnets and an old automotive battery. The radio was squeaking and
squabbling with static and Edge put his feet down off of it and
listened, trying to catch something above the din of repairs and
banging.

‘
Laux! LAUX
GET UP HERE!’

Laux tripped
over a wire as he hurried from the labs and hopscotched for balance
before ascending the ladder to Edge’s burned out observatory. He
kicked the deckchair away and passed Laux the radio.

‘
Voices,’ he
told him, ‘you won’t believe who it is.’

Laux listened
closely, his eyes staring ahead in concentration and he made out
the voice on the other end.

‘
Repeat, this
is Gustav Rutland of the Eagle away team on the Perigrussia Skybus,
requesting to land. Come in Cerise Timbers, Kyo is coming home,
repeat, Kyo is coming home.’

‘
Gracious
Atomagod!’ he exclaimed, juggling the radio into Edge Fenris’
arms.

‘
What does
this mean?’ Fenris demanded. ‘Were they captured? Is this a trade
off or something? That bastard Krupin’s coming back here, isn’t
he?’

‘
We have to
be ready!’ Laux shouted, running for the ladder. ‘We need to join
the assembly on the air zone!’

*

As the
Perigrussia Skybus descended for a steady landing in East B’One, a
congregation of familiar faces awaited them. Several members of the
Eagle and Otter military from the garrison waited with weapons at
the ready. Enaya had joined some of the local air zone technicians
and various others aware of the situation. As the belly of the
Skybus opened up Kyo and Pania were first out of the ship and they
met a delighted wave of cheer and celebration. Enaya ran towards
them and threw her arms around them both, kissing their cheeks with
joy.

Laux and Edge
came hurrying onto the air zone. The professor still had the radio
slung over his shoulder, while Edge carried the battery under his
arm, arguing over who was running the slowest.

‘
There you
are, you little scamp!’ Edge smiled, throwing his steely arm around
Kyo and messing his hair.

‘
Kyo!’ Laux
shouted, circling him with an analytical eye and looking into the
boy’s pupils carefully for any signs of unusual activity. ‘Those
nanomes didn’t mess you up too much, did they? You should be able
to access your natural capacity now, I’m only sorry that the pill
forced the change to happen faster than usual. Normally, those
things only occur in Olympians during their mid-teens and I would
have preferred a less forced reaction but given the situation of
your dilemma…’

‘
Laux, it’s
okay.’ Kyo assured irritably.

The
enthusiasm of the crowd began to dwindle as Gus and Artex led
Hattle Lewis down the ramp and onto the asphalt. He looked around
at the jovial faces and didn’t bother to return the joy.

‘
You’ve some
explaining to do,’ Enaya said mirthlessly. ‘Where’s your
father?’

‘
You don’t
have to worry about him,’ Hattle promised, grinding his teeth, he
spoke with a bitter hiss. ‘He’s dead.’

Enaya was
taken aback by the news and wasn’t quite sure how to
respond.

‘
He screwed
up,’ Artex decided to say.

‘
You’re damn
right, he did,’ Edge Fenris snapped. ‘The arrogant shit-for-brains
tried to kill me. And I still need to get you back for that, you
little ass-hat!’

And Artex
quickly pulled Hattle back from reaching for Fenris as Laux made
the same effort with his friend.

‘
Easy!’ Artex
shouted, pushing Hattle away. ‘You better tone that temper, kid.’
He reminded. ‘You’ve not many allies here and unless you learn to
start fitting in.’

‘
I don’t need
anyone.’ Hattle seethed.

‘
I like the
lone wolf attitude,’ Edge Fenris teased. ‘That’s the kind of
attitude that gets you killed, believe me. Keep it up.’

‘
I don’t
agree with Edge Fenris on much,’ Artex added, ‘but he’s right here.
You’re going to need time to get your head together. In the
meantime…when you’re ready…we’ll be here. So, cool it.’

Hattle stared
at Kyo for a moment and the gene-freak dared to say something now
that he was with all his companions.

‘
I know it
wasn’t all you,’ he uttered. He wanted to tell Hattle that he was
sorry for his loss, but he was too sorry enough for his own. If it
wasn’t for Hattle, his parents would still be home, safe. Because
of him and his father, Pierce, they were now missing.

‘
-but I think
your father dug his own grave.’ Kyo added, unable to help
himself.

Artex kept
his arm extended as a barrier between Hattle and the others and the
young boxer could only listen. Artex turned his ear to Kyo however,
with a sort of knowing glare that forewarned him.

‘
Alright,’ he
said, ‘you’ve said your peace…’

‘
No!’ Kyo
pressed, ‘He was a shitty guy, Hattle. He got my family
killed.’

‘
Cool it!’
Artex snapped.

‘
We’re
looking for them, Kyo,’ Enaya promised. ‘We won’t give up until
they are home.’

‘
It doesn’t
matter,’ Kyo sighed with a vague expression. ‘None of it matters
now. This whole place is a lie.’

‘
Hey,’ Pania
said softly, trying to counsel him, but he pulled away
fast.

‘
Don’t tell
me you don’t see it!’ Kyo roared angrily.

‘
Kid, I know
you’re upset but…’

‘
Those Blue
Lycans out there are working for the Titans.’ Kyo interrupted Gus,
and all accountable listened as he let out what was on his mind.
‘A-and I worked it out! That thing th-that monster told me some
things I didn’t want to believe. This city…everything we’ve
accomplished is just a big fat lie! We’re just a petri-dish for
growing things. And soon we’re going to end up just like the other
cities…just-lu-like Onyx Waters. They’re going to come here and
take everything and just send it back out and circulate it into the
hardlands – just hand it out to gangs and people like Krupin. We’re
a joke!’

Enaya looked
hurt the most by what she’d heard, but the pain was on all of them.
He’d said all he needed to, and walked hurriedly away from them,
leaving an uncomfortable silence as Pania gave chase.

‘
He’s not
exactly wrong,’ said Gus, eventually. ‘Those Titans have been
playing us for a long time. It’s about time we test our metal.
Upgrade the city for a better defence for when those things come
knocking.’

‘
Then, we
look for our allies,’ said Artex. ‘We can gather people from the
Kazakhstan Confederalism.’

‘
That’s not
going to cut it.’ Edge Fenris shook his head. ‘If the Atominii are
coming, they’ll kill you without human resources. They’ll send in
their machines. It’ll be a bad day for us the day they
come.’

‘
Talon’s
Bay,’ Enaya suddenly uttered, and once more they listened. ‘From
the Alaskan hardlands, Talon’s Bay could be our last hope. But we
need to reach out to them carefully. They are not exactly our
allies but it’s our best chance. It’s up to all of us now, we need
to work together.’

Scowling,
Hattle had watched the gene-freak slip away into the distance,
until at last he turned to Artex.

‘
Where’s
Berengar?’ Hattle said.

‘
Oh you won’t
be seeing him either,’ Enaya said dryly, overhearing the question.
‘Berengar was exiled from East B’One. He’s training with another
Bear faction in the South end of the city. They were reluctant to
take him in; his actions while you’ve been gone were less than
acceptable.’ She walked past Hattle with a mean spirited expression
and motioned to leave the air zone with a now drifting and
muttering crowd.

‘
I can guess
you’re not the kind for friendly advice,’ Artex told Hattle,
standing at his side now. ‘Come see me at the barracks, when you’re
ready to keep up your boxing.’

Hattle looked
at him suspiciously but the mercenary showed no sign of humour or
irony in his tone.

‘
Health is
therapy,’ he told him. ‘Keep up your fighting talents. You know
where to find me.’

High above
the gully and ravine sides of the mountains Cedalion sailed, diving
leisurely on the altitudinal winds. She passed into the woodlands
almost a day behind the Perigrussia Skybus, stopping only to
occasionally hunt. In Cerise Timbers the fields below were busy
with activity, of people hoeing and tilling the land, or makeshift
hand tractors carting up and down the furrows and vertical strips.
She watched an assembly of children following their mentors into
the forest, there to document the wilderness. And Cedalion perched
upon the highest tree to look out on the curving city dome,
allowing Artex a moment’s peace, as he shared in the tranquillity
of the natural vistas.

-82-

E
than pulled the peak of his
baseball cap down over his brow as he checked the last of the
Obsiduranium inventory. He looked back at Kelly with a faded humour
and tired eyes, watching the machines outside unloading the
shuttle’s cargo bay. His solenoid boots thumped lightly around the
magnetic track as he observed the unloading process through one of
the station’s observation windows.

‘
There you
are,’ said Kelly approaching from one of the personnel conduits.
‘I’ve been looking for you.’

‘
Look out
there,’ he pointed, ‘fifteen Obsiduranium edge drills being
unpacked and delivered to our financer by a Shield of Spheres
courier. They’ll get there in two days, late but intact, as
promised. The alloy is spent, though.’

‘
All of it?’
she asked.

‘
Most of it,’
Ethan said. ‘We used up a great deal of it in overmass while
pulling away from
Omicron
.’

‘
Will they
still be able to perform the dig?’

‘
It’s
possible,’ said Ethan. ‘They already got a good way toward the
aquifer. In my opinion, it will be enough. I think our financer
will be pissed, however, that he won’t have enough Obsiduranium
left to sell on after the dig is done. But screw it…our part is
finished.’

‘
We can kiss
goodbye to our debts,’ she added. ‘You’re working for Shield of
Spheres now.’

‘
No,’ Ethan
smiled vaguely. ‘I’m not.’

‘
What?’

‘
I’m done
with this crap,’ he nodded out to
The
Griffin’s Claw
. ‘I’m cutting ties. My
service was to
The Griffin’s Claw
only. Now the mission is over, I’m collecting my
severance package and claiming freedom all for the price of a quick
memory screening.’

‘
Where will
you go?’

‘
I’m getting
back to the Atominii,’ he sighed wearily. ‘I’m plugging in and
living out the rest of my days in comfort.’