15


It was one of those days that didn’t seem to end. Both my mother and my sister had liked my friends, smiling at the exaggerated stories they told about me. Neither of them could keep their voices so they sipped hot tea and tried not to strain themselves laughing.
If I’d been worried about them fitting in, it had been a misplaced concern. The reunion quickly became as festive as was possible in a medical research facility.
The exception was Rejon. He’d arrived after about the first half an hour and loitered on the fringes of our impromptu gathering. I introduced him, of course, and he was exceptionally polite.
But I could tell his mind was elsewhere.
When Doctor Moore finally told us enough was enough and that his patients needed to rest, we dispersed. I took Rejon aside and confronted him.
“What’s on your mind, Rejon?”
“I’m glad that you are reunited with your family. If I have ruined it in any way, I apologize,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it.”
He shifted, clearly choosing his words carefully, and faced me with a haunted expression. “I’ve been watching the video of your mission to Macabre. What we show the crews of all the ships focuses on the dramatic leap across the lava and flying away on the shuttle with the prize in hand.”
“But that’s not what’s bothering you,” I said.
“I’m wondering what type of creature you found inside the lava ship,” Rejon said.
My blood ran cold. I’d forced my thoughts away from that particular discovery. “I need to watch the video to see how it appeared to everyone else. X, has Captain Younger edited the video display to the fleet?”
“She has not, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said. “Transparency of government is a fundamental principle of both Wallach and Xad. It is one of the things that confirms my theory of them having once been part of the same society.”
“Great.” One disaster after another grew in my imagination.
“Why would this be a problem, Reaper?” Rejon asked.
“We don’t know much about the creature I found in the lava ship vault. There are probably a hundred rumors rippling through the fleet right now.” I wondered if I was overreacting, but I could imagine the horror stories that were growing each time someone discussed the creature. The monster had spiked tentacles that looked ready to catch children and eat them in one bite.
Rejon looked at his feet. “I’ve already received reports of such stories. Fortunately, the people of Wallach and Xad have been hungering for stories of heroism and good news for a long time. So far, most have focused on the successes of the mission.”
“I think it’s time to check out the vault,” I said. “Let’s walk. We’re going to reveal the Bright Lance’s secret.”
“I suggest you include Captain Younger in this revelation,” X-37 said.
My limited artificial intelligence wasn’t wrong. I also knew better than to rush to failure. “Let’s get the whole team on this. Elise and Path for security, Tom and Henshaw for technical advice, and Younger. Who she brings is up to her, but I suggest it’s a small group.”
“I would like to see this for myself before exposing my own people,” Rejon said. Despite his lanky spacer’s frame, he was shorter than me and had to stride quickly to keep up. “I would recommend that President Coronas at least be informed of what we’re doing, however.”
“Good call.” I was feeling awake and energized if not exactly refreshed from the day’s events. “X, make sure Path and Elise are geared up in their archangel units. And make sure Path understands that’s an order. He may not like the power the AA gives him, but we need him ready to kill the hell out of something.”
“Ordering your friends about as though they are Union soldiers is unnecessary and rude,” X-37 privately said.
I gave my LAI a nonverbal signal suggesting he understood what I meant and should rephrase my message appropriately.
The messages went out over secure commlinks, and before long we met at the Bright Lance vault. Access to the area was guarded by Xad and Wallach soldiers. None of the Union turncoats were allowed on this level, whether inside or outside the restricted area.
Nervous energy rippled through our group. I took Younger and Rejon aside. “I don’t know what we’re going to find. To be honest, I had hoped to take it slow until rumors started spreading to the ship.”
“It’s best we find out sooner rather than later,” Younger said. “If there are going to be rumors, I want to be informed. I would hate to tell people something isn’t true, and then find out I was wrong. That would look as though I was lying to my people, and that is a sin not tolerated among our people.”
“It is much the same with the people of Xad,” Rejon said.
“If no one has any objections, it’s time to see what’s inside,” I said.
Path and Elise flanked me as I approached the most secret section of the ship with codes that could change everything for us. And probably not for the better.
“I must remind you that leaving that door sealed could be the best option,” X-37 said to me and the group. “I understand this is nearly impossible. Curiosity is a nearly unstoppable force for you and your friends.”
“You’ve got that right, X,” I said. Nervous chuckles spread through our group. Except for Path, of course. He was deep into his pre-fight calm. The man could invoke his meditative practices at will and be ready to fight in an optimal state at a moment’s notice.
“Does anyone want to back out?” I asked.
No one answered.
Nodding, I approached the vault door and activated the access panel. There was a place for a palm print and a DNA reader, which probably meant I could bring Ayers down here and prick his finger for a little bit of blood to get in if I had to. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, X?”
“Unknown, Reaper Cain, but in light of recent events, it seems we might have to use DNA from Ayers to access this area if the code Ayers gave us is false,” X-37 said. “My review and analysis of your many interrogations with the man suggests that only Nebs had complete access to Union ships. It is probable that Ayers added a way to access the vault on Macabre without the vice admiral knowing. On the ship, however, it is much different. The captain is the king and admirals are their deities.”
“That is an interesting way to look at it,” Captain Younger said, not sounding entirely pleased. “We will need to study Union psychology to avoid being caught unaware of such mental paradigms.”
“You’re absolutely right,” I said. “There are going to be some growing pains as we learn to live together. I’m going to use the codes now.”
Everyone waited, completely focused on the vault door and what I was doing.
I entered the code from memory even though X-37 offered to put them on my projected HUD. Touching each number on the pad deliberately, I regulated my breathing and tried to be as ready as Path was for a fight or whatever happened when the door opened. It was unlikely there were any living guards inside, but there could be traps just waiting to go off in my Reaper face.
I pressed the last button. A light blinked three times, slow enough to almost seem broken, and numbers began counting down from ten.
“Well now isn’t that dramatic,” Elise said with attitude.
“Elise and I should stand in front of the opening,” Path said. “If there is some sort of countermeasure, our armor will withstand it better than your body, Reaper.”
I let my friends step in front of me. The Archangel armor gleamed where it hadn’t been marked by molten lava that had breached the external layers we used on the mission to Macabre.
The door slid open revealing a dark chamber that stretched out farther than I had anticipated. “X, adjust my optics. I want to see everything. No surprises.”
“My thoughts exactly, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said. “I’m detecting a line of cryo-pods similar to those used to imprison your family over the last several months.”
“Elise, Path, and I will clear the room,” I said. “Tom you have the codes to open the door if it closes behind us.”
We moved quickly but not too fast. I checked between each cryo-pod and looked for doors, finding none. When nothing exploded and no one attacked us, I gave the all clear for the rest of the group to enter.
“There are thirty-six life support units, divided into three distinct groups,” X-37 said.
“Yeah, thanks, X.” I walked from one end of the room to the other. “Just give me a second to take this in.”
The first row contained a dozen men and women who seemed normal except for their size and muscularity. Each was a commander’s dream of the perfect soldier: tall, broad shouldered, and well developed. Someone had shaved their heads before they were put to sleep, but even in this state there were some biological changes. I made a mental note to ask X-37 and my smart friends about that, because something seemed off.
Or maybe they had been in stasis much longer than my mother and sister. Why were they strong and robust when it seemed these super soldiers were just lying around growing muscle? The answer, when I thought about it, was fairly obvious.
Nebs had restricted calories to my family’s pods, and to the other people he had chosen to imprison. These people were weapons, volunteers that would be combat ready soon after being awoken. Or knowing Nebs, maybe they were volun-told to submit to Ayers’ lunacy.
I paused at the last subject, looking down into the face of Commander Briggs. It took me a second to recognize him. He was younger somehow. He’d always had buzz cut hair, but it had been thick. Now he was bald, his skin a shade of blue gray that made me think of dead things.
Elise walked up behind me. I casually shifted my stance to divert her attention. This was a complication I needed to face on my own, after I thought about it, and maybe after I threw down a few glasses of whiskey.
The next row changed my hypotheses significantly. These men and women had spiked tentacles growing out of their arms. The monstrous additions were fully extended, frozen in the act of coiling around their limbs from wrists to shoulders, looking like an alien cocoon of strangeness.
Their heads were oversized and their faces grotesque. One had its mouth slightly open revealing rows of teeth. Each of these twelve had different skin tones, apparently changing at a different rate depending on their individual biology.
They were even larger than the first group, nearly filling up the oversized cryo-pods.
The third group were like nothing I’d ever seen, not even the corpse in the lava ship vault on Macabre.
Every one of the dozen monsters filled their pods, faces pressed to the glass and tentacles smashed into all the open spaces. Something was different, so I leaned close to allow X-37 a better view.
“Boo!” Elise shouted, instantly becoming the least popular member of our group as everyone jumped halfway to the ceiling.
“Paybacks are a bitch, kid,” I said.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She moved toward me. “What’s the big deal with this last group?”
Once she saw what I was seeing, her mood changed. Henshaw and Tom began theorizing, chatting so quickly it was hard to follow their conversation. The scientist and the engineer had a theory about every aspect of this horrific techno tomb.
I went back to my careful examination of the creatures Ayers had created from whatever DNA he thought belonged to aliens. “There are a lot more of the tentacled things on these mature subjects. Do they have them in their legs? It looks more like one tentacle interwoven around its lower extremities.”
“I believe that is a tail,” X-37 said. “For balance while moving or to brace against the floor while striking with hands or feet. In a worst-case scenario, the tail itself could be a weapon.”
Tom and Henshaw moved away from the pod they had been studying and stood next to me, looking at the most mature monster in this menagerie.
“I think that is a tail,” Tom said excitedly. “This is incredible.”
Henshaw rubbed his chin. “The possibilities of its functionality are endless. In nature, a limb like this could be used to prop an organism up, maintain balance while running at high speeds, or lash out as a weapon.”
“What did I say, Reaper Cain?” X-37 asked privately. “Henshaw has co-opted my theories.”
I didn’t comment.
“This is amazing,” Tom said, sounding like he might need to throw up despite his curiosity.
“It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen,” Elise said.
Captain Younger and Rejon toured the room slowly. Tom and Henshaw began an organized database of notes and observations from everyone in the group.
“One thing is certain,” Younger said. “We need to change the locks.”
“That was my thought exactly,” X-37 said.
“I think you should assign a combined Wallach and Xad guard detail of at least three squads,” I said. “They will need to be vetted for security clearances and possibly get some extra training. I’d also include a science officer in that group in case there is a critical decision that needs to be made before they can consult one of us,” I said.
“Agreed, Reaper,” Younger said. She faced Rejon. “Would you like me to brief President Coronas and our council? They will want to see this. Who among their people need access?”
“Not many,” he answered. “Our council will want to know as much as possible. We should continue to work together.”
“What about the Union turncoats?” Tom asked, looking up from his work with Henshaw.
“What about them?” I asked, wishing I had a cigar but also feeling weird about the idea of lighting one up in here. It was irrational, but I thought that might invite contamination of some sort.
“We have ten Union officers and scientists who were imprisoned alongside your family. I imagine they ran afoul of Nebs and Ayers at some point. I’m wondering if they can be trusted and if they might have some insight about this experiment,” Tom said.
“I’m not even sure we should wake them up,” I said without thinking.
Elise shot me a look, which was much more dramatic in the Archangel armor. “We have to wake them up. What the hell are you talking about? How would you like to be imprisoned like that?”
“Yeah, you’re right, kid. I wasn’t thinking. There has just been a lot to take in today,” I said. She didn’t snap at me for calling her a kid, which probably meant she wasn’t a kid anymore.
“I recommend we seal this area and select an appropriate security team,” X-37 said.
“Agreed,” I said. Younger and Rejon consented.
“I will guard the exterior until you have selected the proper guards,” Path said.
“Good. After that, it’s definitely whiskey and cigar time. And sleep. Lots of sleep. And maybe the biggest breakfast that has ever been eaten on the Bright Lance.”