Schism part 2

                                                                                                            Schism part 2





    Artopos walked across the muddy crater.  The black and midnight green of her metallic flight suit blended into the night.  Her cropped cardinal red hair was rendered almost black by the rain.  She paused and felt herself sink into the filth.   

    “Planets are such untidy things,” she mumbled.  She let her gaze slide to Jazz-mir.  The statuesque women stood near the vehicle tracks.  Her long, golden hair was blown by the frequent winds only to reassume the original shape again and again.  Her golden eye scanned the tracks.  The chestnut colored skin of her brow was furrowed with apprehension.  Artopos felt her face grow warm with frustration.       

    “You are actually concerned, are you not?”

    Jazz-mir looked up from the muck.  “She is injured and she isn’t here.  Of course I am.” 

    “It is damaged and we will find it.  There is little on this rock that could harm it, not yet at least.”  Artopos turned and walked up the crater wall.  At least the packed soil near the forest wouldn’t cling to her boots as much.  Jazz-mir followed.

    “She is your own kind and almost a sister to you,” Jazz-mir said, “We should show each other compassion.  Nothing else in the universe will.” 

    Artopos made a fist with her right hand.  She turned.  Out of respect for Jazz-mir, she kept her tone even.  “Sister is a physical impossibility, it is.  Of my kind it maybe, but that is all.”  Jazz-mir looked up at Artopos and seemed about to speak.  Artopos felt the quantum entangled paths open.  She held up her hand.  “Incoming transmission.” 

    An image of Admiral Pillado appeared near the crater’s edge.  The image was utterly realistic.  Except for the fact that it was unaffected by the rain, it could have been the man himself standing there.  He was physically thirty, but he had added touches of gray to his black hair.  It was something humans of rank did to show they deserved respect.  Artopos thought it foolish.  He straightened the folds of his green and black Enforce Corp uniform and focused on the two of them.

    “Report.”

    “We found the impact crater,” Artopos said, “It is not here.”

    “Are you sure this is where it crashed?”

    Artopos nodded.  Jazz-mir climbed the rest of the way out of the crater to stand beside the image.  “Yes Sir, local reality has been disturbed down to the quantum foam level.”

    Artopos looked into the crater.  “Vehicle tracks lead into and out of the area.  The number of wheels and tread pattern indicates a military version of the Transport Model 30.  Orion Union military and paramilitary groups use this vehicle type.”

    “Someone has it,” Pillado asked. 

    “Unknown,” Artopos replied.

    “It is a place to start,” Jazz-mir said.

    “I concur,” Pillado said. 

    Artopos narrowed her red eyes as she accessed the Galactic Net.  “There are two engineering corps nearby.  One group is building a river bridge, while the other is reprograming smart gravel roads to black top.  There are also six ecological survey groups in the area.  Anyone of them would have Transport Model 30s.” 

    Admiral Pillado nodded.  “Start with them.  I also am getting reports that the enemy is dropping on Demeter in force.  Can you confirm?”

    Artopos glanced at the purple fires falling from the sky.  “I can.”

    Pillado frowned.  “If the Mark II is off line and in human form, it will be hard to find, but we must find it first.  It cannot fall into their hands.  As a contingency plan, I’m sending Mother and a full Host.  They will arrive in four standard days.”

    Artopos glanced at Jazz-mir, who raised her eyebrows. 

    Jazz-mir said, “If we do not find her, the enemy presences will continue to escalate.” 

    “And the confrontation will be that much more dramatic,” Pillado said, “If there is no Mark II, they will leave.  I expect you to complete your mission before Mother arrives, so no confrontation will be necessary.”

    “If need be, I will destroy it myself,” Artopos said.  Jazz-mir’s gaze snapped from the tree line to Artopos. 

    Admiral Pillado’s image stared at Artopos.  “You mission is recovery.”

    “Of course.”

    “Remember that.  Pillado, out.”  The image vanished.

    “I only meant if required,” Artopos said.

    “Of that I am sure.” Jazz-mir stared at the swaying tree again.  Artopos could sense the movement in the forest.

    “Yes, I feel them also. They grow bolder as their numbers grow.”  Artopos made a blurred backhanded gesture.  A wave of jumbled possibility rushed outward towards to forest, whipping virtual plasma from empty space as it went.  The trees at the forest perimeter were obliterated by conflicting realities.  The shockwave shredded matter a hundred meters into the woods.  The survivors retreated.  The forest burned.

    “Much better.” 











    The ride back to Skylax was tense and mostly silent.  The rain was sporadic.  Alex watched the dark forest through rain splattered windows.  More purple flares tumbled from the stormy sky.  “The rainy season is officially over next week, but Demeter doesn’t seem to know it,” Alex said.  Cisco made some muffled response.  Alex sat up.

    A line of blinking red lights appeared in the mist.  Beyond the blinking lights were the bright yellow lamps that lit the camp.  It seemed peaceful, but the camp might already be under attack.  Alex was relieved and filled with dread all at once. 

    Mandy pulled herself up and rested her chin on the back of Alex’s seat.  “What are those?”

    “It’s the maser fence line,” Cisco said, “It means we’re almost there.”

    “It’s a nonlethal deterrent to keep the big animals out of camp,” Alex said.

    “Oh, will it keep them out?”

    Alex shook her head.  “I don’t know, but if they can jam all our communications . . . probably not.”

    “Oh.”

    Alex looked over at Cisco.  “I’ve been thinking; our first priority is to getting everyone together.  We should gather at the motor pool.  It’s sturdy, has few entrances and it has industry matter printers for weapons.”

    Cisco nodded.  “It also has an upper loft with a view of the floor, in case they get in the building.”

    “Yeah,” Alex said, “Let’s hope not.  Communications being down is a problem.  We’ll have to round people up individually.”

    Cisco shook his head.  “Edwin could be anywhere.  You know him.”

    They were nearing the camp parameter.  The blinking lights of the maser fence had resolved into a series posts.  The lights on the post near the road turned green as the field shut down to admit them. 

    “Edwin will be gathering samples along the lake shore—most likely,” Alex said, “We’ll leave him for last.  Amayah has a photosynthesis project in the morning.  She’ll be in bed.  Chardea is a night owl.  She’ll probably be at the picnic table watching the rain on Onyx Lake.”

    They past the fence and it reengaged.  The camp had a park-like appearance, with winding paths over rolling hills lit by tall lampposts.  Most of the buildings were clustered together along a circular road by the main entrance.  Machines work tirelessly to expand the camp by lay roads, build infrastructure and to weave new buildings. 

    “We’re almost to the dorm,” Cisco said, “We can stop here and pick up Amayah.”

    Alex shook her head.  “No.  I want to get everyone together as soon as possible.  Drop me by the dorm.  I’ll get Amayah.  You go to the lake and get Chardea.  We’ll figure out how to get Edwin when we meet at the motor pool.”  She knew Cisco would object. 

    He let the T30 take over the driving and turned to Alex.  “I don’t like that plan.  We should stay together.”  Mandy moved forward on the seat, but said nothing.

    Alex looked out at the peaceful camp that had been her home for the last standard six months.  “It isn’t optimal, but neither is the situation,” she said, turning to Cisco, “There is no evidence they are here yet and I’ll be armed and aware of the situation.  The others won’t have either of those advantages.  We have to get to them as fast as possible.”

    “There is no use in arguing is there?”   

    “None at all.” Alex looked ahead.  Amayah’s garden was coming up on the right.  Beyond it was the large, square dorm building.  “I didn’t like the idea either, but it was a reasonable risk.” Alex tightened her grip on the rifle as the T30 came to a stop. 

    Alex leaned over to Cisco.  Mandy leaned forward and watched expectantly.  Alex felt self-conscience and mussed his hair instead of giving him a kiss.  He glanced up at Mandy.

    “I’ll make it up to you later,” Alex said with a smile.

    “You better,” Cisco said with a smile.  Then with a serious look he said, “Be careful, I mean it.”     

    “I will and you too.” Alex opened the door.  Mandy was watching her through the side window as Alex shut the door.  The girl was an enigma.  She seemed perfectly normal, but she was anything but.  Alex put her hand against the polycarb window.  Mandy stared at it a moment, then moved her hand to cover Alex’s hand from the other side.  When Mandy look back at Alex, her eyes were red and tears were forming. 

    “It’ll be alright, I’ll see you soon,” Alex said as the T30 began to move off.  Alex raised her rifle and thumbed the safety off.  “Well, that was a little disconcerting.”  She turned and walked into the maze of flower laden trellises that formed the central garden.

    Amayah had insisted on planting flowers here, since Demeter’s plants didn’t have flower.  The blue roses were just opening, filling the air with their fragrance.  Alex paused and touched one of the soft flowers.  “Next time I’ll stop and smell the roses before we’re at war.” 

    There was a white flash and a sizzling sound among the trees.  Then another flash came.  The maser fence was under siege.  “Damn it.”

    Alex began running to the dorm building.  It was designed like a hollow square with a central pool built to resemble a natural hot spring.  A covered, pseudo redwood porch ran around the outside.  The rooms and the connecting hallway formed the sides of the squire. 

    She jumped over the steps and onto the wide porch.  One of the doors opened for her and she ran into the main hallway.  The building’s lights were on the low nighttime setting.  As she came in the glass wall surrounding the pool was in front of her.  It formed one side of the hall and the doors to the rooms made up the opposite wall.  She began moving down the hall.  She came to Edwin’s room first.  No time for niceties.  With a thought, she tried overriding the lock.  The door opened.  Really, she had expected the jamming interfere.  “I’ll take anything I can get.” 

    “Edwin.  Edwin are you in here,” Alex called.  There was no reply.  “Well, that would have been just too easy.” Alex opened the door and stepped inside.  The room was clean and almost devoid of personal effects.  It could have easily been mistaken for an assigned room, except for the neatly trimmed Bonsai Tree and a precisely placed dirty coffee cup that read, “Mold Experiment in Progress.”  As she walked back to the door, something skittered across the roof.  A cold chill ran down her back.  She readied the Pulse rifle and ran down the hall to Amayah’s room.

    She beat on the door.  “Amayah!  Amayah,” she yelled, looking both ways down the hall.  The door opened.  The smell of fresh cut flowers spilled into the hallway.  The short Asian botanist peeked through the opening.  She was dressed in white cotton pajamas.  She swept her black hair away from her eyes. 

    “Alex?  What—“

    “We’ve got to go, Amayah.  Put your shoes on and nothing else.”

    “You’re kidding,” Amayah said sleepily.

    Alex held up the rifle.  “No, I’m not kidding.”

      Amayah stared soberly at the Pulse rifle.  “K.” She disappeared back into the room.  There was a bang and a soft curse.  The light came on in the room. 

    “Just the shoes.” Alex glanced both ways down the hall. 

    “I know.  I got it.”

    There was a splash as something large fell in the pool behind Alex

    She whirled around.  The water in the pool was still sloshing back and forth and spilling over the sides.  The pool and the patio area were made of black stone.  She couldn’t see what was waiting in its depths.  She aimed the rifle at the pool.  There was more movement on the roof.  She touched her Tamashii and watched as the water’s rocking slowed.    She felt like she was suffocating.  She couldn’t catch her breath.  Yet, she felt

like she was breathing too loudly.  Something brushed her neck!

    She spun back to the doorway and brought the butt of the rifle up.

    “Stop,” Amayah cried, throwing her hands up in defense.  “Slag and all of you say I’m jumpy.” Amayah stepped into the hall. 

    “Sorry.” Alex turned back to the pool.  She narrowed her eye.  A wet trail led out of the pool and through the opening in the glass on the far side.

    “What is going on?” 

    “I think we’re under attack—by something.”

    “By something?”

    “By some things,” Alex said.

    Amayah glanced at Alex.  “Maybe you should have brought me a gun too.”

    Alex gave up trying to find the invader in the pool area.  She turned to Amayah.  “You’re right, but I wanted to get here as fast as possible.” The sound of shattering glass came from within Amayah’s room. 

    Amayah eyes grew wide.  She pulled the door shut and patted Alex on the shoulder.  “Good call,” she said.

    “We’re gathering back at the motor pool.  We’ll decide what to do then,” Alex said, “Keep an eye out for anything unusual.”  Amayah nodded.   

    Something large was thumping about in Amayah’s room.  Alex hurried to get away from the door.  She turned back the way she had come.  Something dark and substantial sat at the end of the hall. 

    “That’s unusual,” Amayah said.  Alex managed to elbow her in the ribs.

    “Oh—sorry,” Amayah wheezed.

    Alex started backing up slowly with the rifle pointed at the miscreation.  Amayah followed.  “Maybe if we don’t run, it will stay there,” Alex said.  They had moved a few feet down the hall when the thing shuttered.  Alex stopped.  It looked like a pile of spheres, spikes and cables.  There was no head or eyes, but Alex could tell it was watching them.  She started to back up again.

    It bolted.  It shambled incredibly fast across the floor.  She fired.  It jumped to the wall and kept coming.  She took aim again and it leaped to the celling.  She pulled the trigger hard.  Flechettes came in a continuous stream.  She traced the things twisted path.  She hit it repeatedly, but it kept coming.  Flechettes ripped into the walls.  Glass shattered.  It leaped and landed on Alex, sending her tumbling.  The rifle spun from her grip.  It slammed her against glass.  The room was spinning.  She tasted blood. 

    Spikes drove into the glass, sandwiching Alex between the thing and the glass.  It pressed against her.  Her cap move up and nearly fell off.  One large sphere rolled forward and pressed close to Alex’s face.  It seemed to be watching her.

    “Now what,” Alex asked.  Blade-like appendages sprouted from the thing.  They reared, poised to strike.           

    “Amayah, run,” Alex gasped. 

    There was a series of small explosions.  Oily gel splattered from the sphere onto Alex’s face.  Glass cracked and shattered.  It ripped free from the glass wall.  Alex fell to the floor.  She looked up.  Amayah was standing to the side with the rifle.  She continued to fire into the mass until it was still.  Amayah took a ragged breath and looked down at Alex. 

    “I guess the big ball was its head.” Amayah took Alex’s hand and pulled her up.  Alex looked from the twitching form to Amayah, who was trying hard to suppress her own trembling. 

    Amayah touched her own left cheek.  “You got a little something on you.” 

    “Yeah, I know,” Alex said, wiping the gel from her face onto her sleeve.  “Thanks.”

    “No problem.” Amayah popped out the magazine.  The empty cartridge clattered on the floor and she handed the rifle back to Alex as though it were radioactive.  Alex slammed a new magazine in place.  It sounded like the thing in Amayah’s room was trying to get out.

    “Let’s go,” Alex said.

    They moved quickly and quietly down the hall to the South entrance.  Amayah kept compulsively touching the walls as they went, but since it didn’t slow them down, Alex said nothing.  Once outside they would have to move a quarter of the way around the building to get back to the gardens.  It wasn’t optimal, but Alex did not want to cross in front of Amayah’s room in case the thing inside got out.  There were more thumps, creaks and groans in the building now. 

    “The dorm doesn’t make those sounds at night,” Amayah whispered, “The place is filling up with beasts.”       

    “We’re almost out,” Alex whispered back as they rounded the corner to the South entrance.  “And you’re not helping.”  Amayah grabbed Alex’s shoulder and pointed.  Through the glass in the next hall they could see three shapes flowing as though they had no bones.  The entities were elongated smears covered with spines and fins.  Alex knew the creatures saw them too.  The creature surged towards the corner where the hallways met.

    “Go,” yelled Alex.  They ran.  It was sixty meters to the exit.  Alex felt her heart pounding as they neared the door.  She risked a look back.  The three things gushed into the hallway like polluted rivers.  How they stayed separate, she didn’t know.  They moved equally well across the floor, walls and ceiling.  The door began to open.  She heard the pursuers close behind them.  Alex jumped through the door.  She rolled on the porch and up into a standing position. 

    “Alex,” Amayah screamed.  She was through the door, which was closing, but a liquid tentacle had her by the right leg and was pulling her back in.  Alex grabbed both of her hands and pulled.  Alex’s boot skidded on the pseudo wood of the porch.  The tentacle constricted.  Amayah squeezed Alex’s arm.  Blood began to soak Amayah’s pajama leg as skin and fabric tore. 

    “Don’t let go,” Amayah said through clenched teeth.

    “I won’t.”  The door was pressing on the tentacle.  It would have reopened, but Alex overrode the door’s safeties and forced it to close.  It closed on the tip of the tentacle.  It liquefied and splashed onto the porch to become scattered, wondering droplets.           

    The wind whipped the trees violently, but there was only a smattering of rain.  Amayah tapped the deck nervously with her fingers.  The two women sat breathless on the porch for a moment, until the first strike against the door.   

    “Slag, I wish those things would quit,” Amayah said.  She looked at Alex, “What do they want?” 

    Alex shook her head.  “I don’t know.”  There was another hit against the door and a cracking sound. 

    They looked at each other.  “We should go,” Amayah said. 

    “Can you stand?”

    “That may be a problem.” Amayah rubbed the back of her knee and looked up at Alex.  “When that thing was pulling on me, I felt my knee pop.  It may be hyperextended.”

    “Let’s get you up,” Alex said, pulling Amayah to her feet.  Amayah groaned as Alex helped her stand.  With Alex supporting her, she tentatively tried put weight on her leg.  She winced.       

    Amayah shook her head.  “It’s no good.  I can’t walk on it.”  She closed her eyes and took out her Tamashii, putting it on with both hands.  The chain was at the breaking point.  She looked at Alex and swallowed.  “Look, Alex, I am going to slow you down—a lot.  I think—“   

      “No.” Alex put her hand on Amayah’s.

    Amayah looked up at Alex.  “I am not that brave, I’m being reasonable.  It’s better for one to make it than none.  I’m just giving you the option to take my Tamashii.”

    “It’s my choice to make and I am not leaving you behind,” Alex said firmly. 

    Amayah relaxed and nodded.  “Good.  That’s good.  ‘Cause, I really didn’t want you to,” Amayah admitted, putting the Tamashii away.  Alex took up position on Amayah’s right side, putting an arm under Amayah’s.  Amayah was only a meter and a half tall, which made the position awkward.  They started moving forward as fast as Alex thought Amayah could tolerate.  The door rattled again as something hit it on the other side.  Alex looked back.  The frame was splintering on one side.  Amayah made a fist with her free hand. 

    “We can go faster,” she said through her teeth.  Alex quickened the pace.  Amayah grew pale and flinched with each step, but she said nothing.  There were no more sounds from behind.  Either their pursuers had given up or they were backtracking through the dorm.  They reached the end of the porch.  Amayah grabbed one of the posts running from the porch to the roof.  Alex let her rest a few seconds.   

    “Ready to step down?” 

    Amayah nodded weakly.  Alex stepped down and Amayah following her down each step with a small hop.  They got to the ground level.  Alex heard the scurrying on the roof above and behind them.  They both looked over their shoulders at the roof. 

    This was the first one Alex had seen with a recognizable body type.  It looked like a meter long headless scorpion with a rounded body and six legs.  There were three of them.  One of them quickly wound its way down a post.  Alex brought the rifle up.

    Amayah released Alex.  “Let me go.” Alex did.  In her peripheral vision saw Amayah struggle stand on one leg.  Alex aimed and fired full auto at the creature.  The pseudo wood splintered.  She hit it several time as it jumped.  It fell and writhed on the ground. 

    “Look out,” Amayah yelled.  Alex looked up.  The two that had been on the roof were in mid leap toward her.  She knocked the first one away with the rifle.  The second one hit her shoulder with enough force to make her stumble and fall.  She felt it crawling on her back.  Alex heard Amayah drop to the ground beside her. 

    The one she had batted away righted itself.  It reoriented and hurled itself along the mossy ground toward her.  She had enough time to line up the rifle and fire.  Three flechettes hit the front of its body, vaporized and burn down the middle.  It tumbled to a stop beside her head.

    The last one climbed onto her left shoulder.  Alex could feel Amayah tugging the beast.  It dug in its claws, working through her uniform’s nanotube armor and drawing blood.  The wounds began to burn.  Alex gave a muffled cry of pain and frustration.  She dropped the rifle. 

    “Wait,” she told Amayah, “Try to dislodge the claws.”  Alex took one of the claws and pulled down on it.  The barbs slipped out of her skin.  Amayah follow her example and removed a claw. 

    “It has six legs and we only have four hands between us,” Amayah said. 

    “I know,” Alex said.  The pain was intensifying.  She had to concentrate to speak.  “Get all the legs on one side first, then—“  The agony spiked.  She doubled over; her body was racked with spasms as she tried to vomit and gasp for air.  Her awareness shrunk until there was only agony.  She thought she would die and then feared she wouldn’t.  The thing let go.     

    Alex was vaguely aware of it crawling away.  She felt Amayah holding her as she coughed and gagged. She felt the hard ground against her side.  She jolted into awareness and looked around wildly, trying to locate her attacker.

    “It’s gone,” Amayah assured her, “It’s gone.”  Alex put her hand on her throbbing shoulder.  Then she fumbled for the rifle.  That’s when she saw them.  It felt as if her heart stopped. 

    Two of the fluid shapes from inside the dorm were sitting on the porch watching them as the third poured itself down from the roof.  They must have escaped through the opening above the pool.  Ripples flowed across them from front to back; causing the unchanging shapes on the surface to bob like flotsam is a rough sea.  Alex’s hand was still half a meter from the rifle.  She held her breath.  Amayah was squeezing tighter now.  The three abominations shifted and then streamed away.         

    Alex exhaled.  She gathered the rifle and held it for a moment, feeling the weight of it. 

    Finally Amayah let go and said, “Well, I feel like chopped liver.”

    “Better than being chopped liver.”  Alex became aware of the smoke.  She looked to the forest.  Greenish flames flickered in the spaces between the trees.  Demeter’s atmosphere had a higher oxygen level that Earth’s and plants used oils, not sugars to store energy.  This made fire a real danger in spite of the frequent rain in this region.  Amayah was watching the flames too.

    “When they smashed the maser fence, they must have started the fires.  Hopefully the rain will start soon,” Alex said.  She wanted to wait until the nausea passed, but there was no time.  She struggled to her feet.  She had to pause for a moment until the dizziness passed, then she reached down and helped Amayah to her feet.  Alex supported Amayah the best she could, but her shoulder injury made it difficult.

      Amayah forced a smile.  “We are in sorry shape, aren’t we?”

    “Yes, terribly,” Alex agreed, looking toward the garden with the motor pool on the other side.  It seemed farther away now.  Shadows moved among the buildings.  Alex thumbed the safety off.   

    “The others are waiting for us,” Alex said, trying to encourage Amayah.  “We just have get through the garden to the motor pool.”

    “It seems so far . . . , Amayah whispered.  She looked up at Alex.  “Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “I am ready.”

    They moved slowly, cautiously through the garden.  Alex caught glimpses of the motor pool through the flower laden trellises.  She also saw movement in her peripheral vision, but there was nothing there when she turned to face it.  “Watch behind us,” Alex said.  Amayah only had the strength to nod.  Alex knew something was following them, but couldn’t catch sight of it.  The fire grew worse. The rain threatened, but wouldn’t come.