Chapter 8 – Equal and Opposite

512 A.R. February 16, Etemenanki – Hangar, Night

‘Welcome back,’ Etemenanki whispered within my mind as I stepped out onto the hangar.

‘Thank you,’ I thought, and glanced back at the ship.

‘You seem different… not troubled or unsettled, but rather…’

I filled in, ‘Uncertain?’

‘… Yes,’ Etemenanki whispered.

The shuttle’s walkway lifted, and within moments the ship had sealed itself once more. Its presence knocked on the back of my mind, and I could feel a bust of sensation.

It was weird to interpret the ships primitive intelligence, but the feeling it left me with was yet another variety of saying goodbye. The ship was leaving.

I stepped back, and then turned my attention to the exit.

‘I’d advise vacating the area, the Lunar Shuttle just made a request to leave the tower,’ Etemenanki answered.

‘I know,’ I thought, and slowed down for a moment.

I then glanced back, lifted my arm, and directed my thoughts outward, ‘Thank you!’

The ship didn’t answer, but it still felt proper as I looked toward the exit and marched my way through. In mere moments the massive bulkhead behind me began to close, and I could hear a loud hum as the engines powered up once more.

I watched as the bulkhead sealed shut, and a loud roar followed. Within moments the noise was already dampening.

‘The Lunar Shuttle has left the tower and is now leaving for Moonbase Alpha,’ Etemenanki said.

I gulped, and nodded to myself, ‘I see.’

‘You’re wondering whether you should have been on it?’ Etemenanki wondered.

I shook my head and faced the elevators at the end of the hall, ‘No, well… Maybe a little.’

‘Corvyn has already retired to his chambers, but I may have something to lift your spirits.’

‘Oh?’ I thought, and started walking toward the elevators.

‘Join me downstairs, and I will let you dream of Mars once more… You’ll wake up refreshed and ready to face what comes next,’ Etemenanki mused.

‘… I’ll just drop off these cookies in my room, and I'll be down,’ I thought.

‘Excellent,’ Etemenanki whispered.

Unknown

“Marcus?”

I looked at the panel in front of me, and found myself uncertain of what was going on.

“Marcus?” Milly repeated once more.

I blinked in surprise, glanced around the hallway, and realized that the sound had been coming from the intercom in the spacesuit, “Yes, Milly?”

“Did you find the fault?” Milly asked.

I looked at the panel once more and remembered. We had gained access to the central databanks of the Mars Colony, but our first attempt at powering it up had fizzled out. As I now stared at the circuits and fuses in front of me, I could clearly see the fault. One of the ceramic fuses had cracked, and it promptly fell apart as I gave it a poke.

“Faulty fuse, one moment…” I said.

A glance at my utility gauntlet revealed that I already had a spare. I grabbed the fuse, slotted it into place with a click, and looked over the others.

“Give it another try,” I said.

“Hands clear, powering on in 3… 2… 1…” Milly said.

I stepped back, and I could hear a subtle clack through the thin atmosphere as sparks shot out. The lights above me flickered, and within moments the corridor lit up with a bright white sheen.

“Central databanks are powering up; make your way in here,” Milly ordered.

I moved to the side, stepped into the airlock, and pressed the button once more. The airlock shut behind me, and a loud grinding noise could be heard from a pump in the wall. An override wired into the nearby display kicked into gear, and the front of the airlock opened with a pained groan.

Upon looking into the room, I had a flash of memory. I was reminded of who I actually was, and my eyes widened in amazement as I saw the room.

These were the central databanks of the Mars Colony. A repository of its collective knowledge.

It was giant room filled with flair and color. A light blue path on the floor snaked its way through the room, and the rest was painted in darker gradients. Big pillars of processing clusters stood throughout the room. Each looked like a semitransparent cistern filled with liquid, a large block of crystal, and rows of lasers equipped with sensors meant to read data from the crystal lattice.

Support hardware curled around the cisterns like veins, and every so often there was what looked like a monitoring or control station. In the ceiling, there were thick bundles of twisted wire that ran across the processing clusters like a spider’s web.

I stepped inside, and I could see an alert at the bottom of my visor.

[Breathable Atmosphere Detected]

As I looked around I could see plenty of droids busy with new sets of wiring, small power generators, and more. In the corner was the atmospheric generator, and I could hear its loud hum through the spacesuit.

A glance toward the center of it all revealed a bigger cistern, one with a large and looming control system that reached outward as if it had been organically grown. Milly was standing in front of the control station and seemed to be staring into nothingness.

A series of loud thumps could be heard, and the cisterns began to light up one by one. A sensation of urgency drove me forward, and I marched toward Millie.

“Talk with me,” I said.

“The simulator is working, and the system is booting up as if old Earth was still intact,” Milly said.

“But that’s just one of the hurdles,” I said as I walked up next to her.

Milly’s muzzle wasn’t moving, but I could still hear her voice in the intercom of my suit, “Correct. Frost is dealing with it as things develop, but I could use your help hooking me up.”

“Just give me a moment to get out of my suit,” I said.

Milly stared motionless at the large control center in front of her while I reached up to my helmet. With a click and a turn to the side, my helmet unlocked with a hiss as the pressure equalized.

I pulled the helmet off, reached into the suit, and pulled the latch to open it up. The suit loosened around me, and the front spilled open as I eased it off my upper body.

“Shouldn’t we have prepped this beforehand?” I asked.

The speaker from my helmet spoke at a volume where I could still hear her voice, “No time. The nukes hit in a few hours and we’re already screwed if they have the ability to latch onto our shuttle.”

“Such a pessimist,” I murmured, and stepped up beside her.

Milly had already removed her spacesuit, but the things it revealed were worse in return. A tight bodysuit covered her, and along her spine was a sight that made me recoil.

Marcus had seen it before, but I found myself rather shocked, especially as I began to understand what the others had meant by calling implants a curse.

The implant along her spine had caused some serious changes to the surrounding flesh. It had grown as if trying to assimilate the metal and had shifted color to an angry purple hue. Even as I watched the irritated flesh gently pulsated as if doing it can to destroy its invader.

“I can see your expression right now,” Milly whispered through the intercom.

I swallowed, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Marcus… I wouldn’t be alive without it,” Milly said.

“Does it hurt?” I wondered.

“Yes. Constantly. Always. If I focus I can cut myself off from the pain, but the moment I forget, try to sleep, or anything similar, it’s there.”

I drew a deep breath, “What do you need from me?”

“Help me sit down on the floor, I'm a bit too focused at the moment to control my body.”

I stepped closer, caught her waist with one hand, and let my other support her side, “I have you.”

Slowly, her body began to relax, and I eased her knees down to the ground. She settled moments later and lifted her gaze a little as she stared up at the control station. I glanced up for a moment and saw a flurry of activity across the large screen.

“I’m amazed this place still works,” I said.

Milly blinked, and her tinny voice emerged from the helmet, “This place is airtight, enforced like a bunker, and more radiation hardened than the residential section they lived in. These people, as stupid as they were, realized the value of data integrity.”

“Mm,” I murmured, “What’s next?”

“The optical cables on the floor, connect me,” Milly answered.

I looked down, and saw a number of cables, “Any specific order?”

“No, just give me time to adapt after you plug one in,” Milly whispered.

I reached down, caught the first cable, and leaned back as I looked across her implant. The first slot was along the center of her spine. I moved the connector close to the port and adjusted my aim.

“Ready?” I wondered.

“It’s not sex, Marcus… Relax a little, will you?” Milly answered.

I felt my ears flutter, and stifled a chuckle, “Are you alright, Milly?”

“I am just fine, Marcus,” Milly answered.

I pushed, and with a click the connector popped into place. A shudder shook her body, and I felt her chest swell with a deep breath. As I glanced back, I could see a light flicker near the port. It turned from red, to a blinking orange, and settled into a green glow.

“See, that’s the kind of answer that makes me think that you aren’t alright,” I said.

Milly’s voice chuckled, and I could see a smile spread on her lips, “I’ve run plenty of simulations to prepare me for this, but I still find myself amazed.”

“Tell me about it?” I wondered.

“They were so paranoid, the humans… So utterly frightened that they would lose control, but it didn’t help. Many of the bypasses and exploits we were planning to use are already in place.”

“So the colonists eventually managed to take control of it all?” I wondered.

“Not to a point where they could survive in the long run, and-”

Milly’s voice cut out while I was reaching down to grab another cable.

“Milly?” I wondered.

“A close call… But we’re fine. We’ve set up a number of services meant to simulate Old Earth’s authentication servers, but there were a few unexpected requests,” Milly answered.

“Ready for the next one?” I asked.

“Yes,” Milly answered, and blinked once.

I moved the cable to the next slot along her spine and pushed it in with a click. Milly winced once more, and I felt as her back arched in my hands. Another glance revealed that the port had behaved much like the first one.

“You doing okay?” I asked.

A loud hum began to fill the room, and it made me look up for a moment. The large processing clusters throughout the room were lighting up, and the equipment within the tanks had begun to move. The crystals within the tanks began to glitter, and it gave the room something of a sparkle as reflections bounced along the black surfaces.

“Milly?” I asked once more.

“… The first hurdle is out of the way, now we need to authenticate ourselves to the actual data-repositories and begin decrypting the data,” Milly said.

I nodded to myself, “Doesn’t it strike you as suspicious?”

“What?” Milly asked.

“Maxwell asked us to come here, and basically handed us everything we’d need to crack the vault wide open. A simulator to make this system believe that Earth’s authentication servers still exist. A series of exploits to get past the first layers of security. The ID of a very specific file hidden deep within these databanks. How did he get hold of this information, and why can’t he get it himself?”

Milly blinked as I watched her in my arms, “Maxwell can’t… leave the moon, Marcus.”

My ears perked up, and it felt like Marcus’ reaction had mirrored my own. It felt strange, but even for someone like Marcus who had worked on the moon, Maxwell seemed to be quite a mystery.

“… What do you mean? Have you met Maxwell?” I asked.

A smile grew on her lips as she stared into nothingness, “One does not meet Maxwell and live to tell the tale, Marcus. I’m surprised you don’t know that much even.”

“I’ve heard the rumors of course, in the depths, beyond the many seals, but-”

Milly’s eyes shifted to stare at me, while the tinny voice of the speaker interrupted, “Even here I can sense his presence, you can’t. I’m not sure if that is a blessing or a curse.”

“… I don’t understand,” I whispered.

Milly’s gaze drifted away once more, “There is no need to… concern yourself with such things.”

I drew a deep breath, “I’m just thinking that we might be about to open Pandora’s box, and if either of us knows something, then…”

Milly chuckled, “I never took you for a scaredy cat, Marcus.”

I sighed, and reached down to grab the next cable, “Ready for the next one?”

“Yes,” Milly answered, and shut her eyes.

I reached down, and grabbed the second to last cable, “You seem to know more than you let on.”

“I just know what I need to know to finish this mission, and you know what you need to know, Marcus. I told you that I don’t know what we’ll find in here, and that was the truth,” Milly answered.

I waited for a moment, then slotted the cable into the third port. A shudder ran through her body, and I could feel her arms tremble as she knit her hands.

“… You’re shaking a bit,” I said.

“Nerves losing sync… It’s natural as I dive deeper into the system,” Milly answered.

“Don’t dive too deep or else bad things happen, you know?” I said.

“Which is why you insist on talking with me at a time like this, right?” Milly asked.

I smiled to myself, “All according to protocol.”

“I’m not sure they intended for you to ask questions like this, you know?” Milly asked.

“Well, I could ask you about the weather or something similar… If you prefer,” I said.

A smile grew on her lips once more, “Don’t… It’ll be as awkward as our ride here.”

I smirked back, “Then let me ask you this; why are the humans so hellbent on getting in our way?”

“I thought you only cared about the practicalities of history,” Milly said.

“Their constant meddling is of a pretty practical nature,” I answered.

“To me it’s obvious, you just haven’t considered their point of view,” Milly answered.

I blinked in wonder, and felt as my shoulders sank, “Meaning?”

“There is always a ruling class among humans. In Old Earth, it was the politicians and the ultra-rich. In Dyssia, it is the M'shall. Within the UCS it’s the mega-corporations, and the Empire has their sacred bloodlines.”

“I know,” I said.

“Now put yourself into the role of someone within the upper ranks of human society. By ensuring that the status quo remains the same, you not only make sure that you can live a life of leisure, but you also ensure it for your family. Why would you give that up? Why stir the pot?”

“Because we’re on a dying planet, on an island with limited resources,” I said.

“You’re still thinking in different scales than a human, Marcus. You think in centuries, possibly millennia ahead. You think of the nation, of life itself.”

I drew a deep breath in silence.

Milly kept talking, “The humans think of their social circles, their reputation, the immediate needs of their family, and the way they have structured their society makes it almost impossible to think differently. They act and live in the present, or they get crushed by their opponents, be it the members of their own family, or others in their surroundings.”

“You’re saying that the future is irrelevant to humanity,” I said.

“Why care what happens in several centuries when you will be long gone by that time?”

“Because…” I whispered.

Milly opened her eyes once more, “Because you imagine a bright future among the stars? Because you want to build, and see your fellow creators shape their surroundings? To discover all that there is to discover, and even when you’ve done all that, you’ll still peer into the beyond, and wonder what’s next?”

“… A bit too philosophical for my taste, but I think we have all been imbued with a drive to spread the light of civilization,” I said.

Milly’s gaze drifted to me, and she began to smile in silence. There was a warmth to it that I hadn’t seen before, and her eyes seemed to glitter as if she had been speaking about her own dreams, not mine.

“Oh, I see,” I whispered.

“The system is almost ready… You’ll need to plug in the last cable,” Milly said.

I nodded, reached down, and grabbed the last one.

“You know what to do next, yes?” Milly wondered.

I found the last slot, and paused for a moment, “Monitor you… apply what medical care I can.”

“I’ll be fine, Marcus…” Milly whispered.

I slotted the last cable into place, and this time Milly didn’t seem to react much.

“Talk with me?” I wondered.

“I can’t feel my body at this point,” Milly answered through the helmet.

“Tell me about it,” I said.

“My body? Well, aren’t you dirty…” Milly murmured.

I found myself smiling and reached up as I put a finger along her throat. The beat of her heart was quick, and I could feel the heat radiating off her.

“You’re running warm,” I said.

“The processing clusters throughout my body are maxing out. Even with the bodysuit’s active cooling I won’t be able to keep this up for long,” Milly said.

A thought rushed past within Marcus’ memories. A satchel with something secret inside it, and a warning of some kind. It made me reach down, and I felt along my belt. There was a satchel there, and I eased the top open. Hidden within it was what looked like a hypospray with some kind of vial.

A medical injector? With a vial containing something that even Marcus wasn’t sure about…

“Marcus?” Milly said.

I blinked in surprise, and I felt a strong urge to fall into line once more, “Yes?”

“We’ve breached the databanks,” Milly said.

The hum within the room shifted, and as I glanced up there was now a frenzy of activity within the nearby cisterns. Lasers and detectors were moving in circles along the large crystal slab, and I could hear a great many fans spin up across the room.

“Are they intact?” I asked.

“The equipment is in bad shape… Many of the laser-assemblies have deteriorated. Then there are oxidation layers on the crystals which make it even more difficult. Nonetheless, we’re starting to get some data.”

“Go on,” I said.

“We’re indexing the databanks, figuring out what is what, but…”

“But?” I asked.

“Based on the titles I can already see that the virus which affected the rest of the colony has been playing havoc here as well.”

“… Does this affect our objective?” I wondered.

“The reference we were given had a numeric index, and for whatever reason the virus hasn’t tried to alter any numbers, so we should still be safe,” Milly answered.

A grinding noise could be heard, and it made me look back in surprise. The noise was coming from one of the nearby cisterns. As I watched, one of the laser-assemblies began to fizzle with a spark of light.

“Milly…” I whispered.

“We see it… attempting to shut it down,” Milly answered.

Within moments the sparks within the cistern began to spread, and a loud pop was heard as a maintenance hatch went flying with a loud bang. Pieces of smoking equipment scattered across the floor, and a big cloud of smoke began to emerge as the whole cistern went dark without warning.

One of the nearby drones approached with what looked like a fire extinguisher, aimed at the maintenance panel, and let loose a stream of foam.

“… As I said, much of the equipment is in bad shape,” Milly said.

I gave the large cistern in front of us a cautious stare, and then looked down at Milly once more, “How is it going in there?”

“We’re still indexing the databanks, fortunately it seems the data we’re searching for wasn’t in the one that just blew up… That being said, we’ve unearthed some interesting things.”

“Oh?” I said.

“The virus which spread throughout the colony isn’t connected to the collapse, it was unleashed years afterwards, and it would seem the central databanks were shut down before it had time to fully corrupt everything.”

“Any idea who did it, or why?” I asked.

“Oh… This is very interesting!” Milly said in surprise.

I drew a deep breath, “… I’m sure it is.”

“Aww, are you jealous, Marcus?” Milly said with a snicker.

“Said by the one who is drooling on herself,” I murmured.

“I am not drooling on myself! … Anyway, give me a moment and I'll find a better way to interact with you,” Milly murmured.

Something shifted in the edge of my vision, and it made me look up. To my surprise the big screen attached to the large cistern had now shifted to show a representation of Milly. She stared down at us, and her voice now emanated from the big control panel.

“There we go, is this better?” Milly asked.

I nodded toward the big screen, “Much… Now tell me what you’ve found.”

Milly’s representation moved and seemed to summon forth a big image that she held up for me to see, “Remember how I told you that they seized control of the orbital docks?”

I looked at the image, and I could see what looked like an orbital shipyard with a big dock in the center. Filling the dock was a ship of some kind. It had a big plate in front, big modules filling the center, and a long spindle that attached to what could be a big set of engines along with fuel tanks.

Once more I felt that pit of anguish in Marcus’ memories, and the horror at what it might mean.

“… They built a ship?” I wondered.

“Mars received supplies from Earth on a big cargo hauler. Said cargo hauler was heading to Mars as everything collapsed. They then docked the ship in the Orbital Docks, and began to repurpose it with the automated construction droids.”

“… For what purpose?” I whispered.

“Based on the logs we’re finding there was a lot of ideological infighting within the colony.”

I perked my brow, “In what way?”

“Some of them wanted to find a way to get off Mars, get on the ship, head back to Earth, and do their best to find a way to stop the collapse,” Milly answered.

“Seems unlikely that a cargo hauler filled with colonists would be able to do much. If the Moon Colony hadn’t collapsed, then they might have stood a chance, but…”

Milly nodded on the screen, “There were several other camps as well. One of them saw the Collapse as their god’s judgment and advocated that they should stay and eventually die in the colony.”

“… Why exactly were religious folks up here in space?” I wondered.

“The various religions of Old Earth were deeply intertwined with the ruling classes. As insane as it may seem, religion was one of the keystones to maintaining the status quo.”

“Opium of the people, yes?” I wondered.

Milly nodded, “In a way, yes… A method that still works when you look at the religious fanaticism of Dyssia, the unwavering nationalism of the Empire, and the blind doctrines of eternal growth that rule the UCS.”

“… What exactly are you saying here?” I wondered.

“The paranoia of Earth knew no bounds, and they knowingly sent people to the colonies with an unwavering loyalty to Earth, be it out of nationalism, or out of religious faith. In other words, it’s not surprising that a large portion of the populace on Mars either wanted to return to Earth, or wither away per the judgment of their god.”

A sensation of relief rippled over Marcus’ memories, “… Let me guess, they tore each other apart in the end?”

Milly winced a little, “… We’re still digging through the logs, but in some manner of speaking, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Tell me?” I asked.

Milly motioned with her hands, “The third camp in the colony were those that in some way wanted to preserve humanity, and it would seem that they put quite a plan in place to accomplish it.”

“Yes?” I wondered.

“They discretely took control over the Orbital Docks and set to work while the others were still quarreling. More than that, they manipulated the computer systems to make it seem like nothing was going on.”

“What did they do exactly?” I asked.

“They patched the cargo hauler up, built in a lot of redundancies, and added a new module that contained a primitive version of the artificial womb that we use for procreation these days.”

That feeling of horror returned to Marcus gut, “They were… building a colony ship?”

Milly nodded, “An automated one. Its purpose was to drift through space for centuries, find a suitable planet, and do its best at raising a new generation of humans from scratch. They christened it the Conestoga, an odd name considering its history.”

I wanted to inquire about the name, but Marcus’ voice overruled my own, “… Please tell me they didn’t succeed?”

Milly’s representation drew a deep breath, “The ship launched, though not without problems.”

“… What happened?” I asked.

“As this third group discretely rebuilt the cargo hauler, the others made plans as well. The group which wanted to return to Earth were doing their best to investigate the moon and make plans for their return, while the extremists were making plans to end the colony by the force.”

“… That’s one hell of a bomb waiting to go off,” I said.

Milly nodded, “The new colony ship was launched in secret, and in their stupidity, they announced it to the rest of the colony. What followed is… difficult to interpret, but it wasn’t pleasant.”

“I’m surprised, given that most of the damage to this place seems to be from natural decay,” I said.

“There was a strict ‘no weapon’ policy on Mars, even for the guards. To make matters even more absurd is that one of the biggest complaints throughout the logs reference restrictions in the 3d printers that would prevent them from constructing anything with sharp edges, or the shape of a tube.”

“… So they beat each other to death with blunt tools?” I wondered.

Milly glanced away, “There was some of that, yes… But at some point, they just divided the colony into parts and went their own way. Of course, the problems didn’t stop there.”

“The virus? The modified suspended animation pods?” I wondered.

“The extremists in the colony tried to destroy the colony ship from afar, but it didn’t work. Eventually… and this is the truly absurd part, they found a way to upload a new dictionary into the colony ship, and then triggered the databanks maintenance routine. The databanks auto-corrected everything according to the new dictionary, and promptly spread back into the computer network of the Mars colony.”

My muzzle dropped open, “It… what?”

“It wasn’t a virus, just a maintenance routine that went haywire as it propagated through every system it was connected to. The extremists seemed to reason that even if the colony ship somehow succeeded in its mission to find a habitable planet, then this new humanity would never be able to survive thanks to the gibberish that now fills its databanks.”

I lowered my head, and let out a deep sigh, “… I see.”

“The ones who had launched the colony ship panicked, and in their attempts to shield the ship from further damage, they managed to inadvertently disable the communications array.”

“Do we know where the colony ship may have ended up?” I asked.

“No… We don’t. I’ve looked for any mention of its initial destination, but it doesn’t seem like the information ever made it into the databanks.”

“… Do you have the design specs? What’s the likelihood that something like this could succeed?”

“I’m not an engineer of that sort, Marcus… But based on what Frost is telling me it’s… technically possible. But they certainly had the odds stacked against them.”

“So, one last desperate shot into the dark, and most humans in the colony reacted to such a degree that they did everything in their power to stop it.”

“Yes… and it would seem that the suspended animation pods that we found earlier belonged to the extremists as well,” Milly said.

I looked up, “Why would they put themselves into suspended animation if they wanted to die here?”

“Suicide has always been controversial to most religions, and it seems this was their way of cheating. Basically, it was the simplest way to make sure they died of natural causes.”

“But the pods killed them just hours after entering hibernation, wouldn’t that…” I murmured.

“Be hypocritical? Sure… but the logs I've found so far don’t make it sound as if it was their intention. Hell, the modified software may have been put in place by one of the other groups to make sure the extremists couldn’t bother them any more.”

“Is there any mention of what happened to the rest?” I wondered.

Milly’s body made a sudden lurch in my arms, and promptly relaxed once more. At the same time, her image on the screen seemed to shake and shudder. I looked down in an instant, and put my hand along her throat once more.

She’s burning up…

A crackle could be heard in the speakers, “I- I’m fine, Marcus… We’re almost-”

Milly’s peaceful expression suddenly hardened, and her lips peeled back. Her left hand slipped, hit my leg, and as I glanced down I could feel a sudden pain. Her body began to cramp, and as it did her claws extended from her fingertips as they dug deep into my leg. I winced in pain, and grabbed her hand in haste, but even as I tried to pull her off, things got worse.

She was shaking, head arching back, while sounding as if she was choking on air. With a grunt of pain, I managed to rip her hand off, and watched as she tumbled down on her side.

Shit!

I felt panic as I watched it unfold, and I leaned over her as I took a look at her implant.

“WAIT!”

The voice boomed throughout the room with enough force that I jumped in fright.

“I am dealing with the problem… Just wait...”

The voice made me look toward the screen, and I could see the motif of a big ice-crystal.

“Frost?” I whispered, and held the hypospray near her neck.

“Observe… She is calming down, there is no need for you to interfere, Marcus,” The voice said with a more acceptable volume.

I looked down once more and watched as Milly began to relax once more. Her neck relaxed, her lips settled back into place, and her tail settled on the floor.

“Are you Frost?” I asked.

“Milly’s lack of consciousness has diminished me, but yes… I am Frost.”

“What just happened?” I asked.

“I pushed her too hard and for too long. It backfired,” Frost whispered.

“… What’s her status?” I asked, and looked down at her.

“Milly has experienced an epileptic episode, she will recover, but for now she must sleep.”

“Then we need to get back to the ship… We’re already pushing our departure as it is,” I said.

“We’re not done yet, Marcus. We can’t leave,” Frost protested.

I looked toward the big screen, “How much longer until you find what we’re looking for?”

Frost was silent.

“I asked you a question,” I said.

“… We have already found the database entry,” Frost said.

“You’ve… what?” I asked and felt my ears perk up.

“The data has already been sent to the ship, and it is now being transferred to the satellite in orbit. Milly knew that you’d find out sooner or later, so she did her best to keep you distracted for as long as possible.”

“… A distraction that you’re keeping up as we speak,” I said.

“I’m forced between the choice of trying to distract you or lying to you. Lying won’t work, and my distractions will not last for long. I am therefore reduced to being forced to plead with you.”

“… Plead with me regarding what? We’re done here,” I said, and gritted my teeth.

“Please understand… There is so much information in here; observations of Earth’s collapse, more than Athena ever managed to capture. Communication feeds, samples retrieved from the moon, research from Old Earth’s dying moments. It could help us find ways to defeat the Lusus. We need this data. Sophos needs it.”

“We came here to find a very specific piece of information, nothing more, nothing less,” I said.

“We can launch the ship now and set up a relay network. We’d be able to transfer as much as we can until the nukes hit,” Frost said.

“Irrelevant,” I said.

There was a pause, “Marcus, consider the implications that this could have. Sophos most likely did not know how much information that was hidden here, your orders would not be the same if they knew.”

Once more I felt something. A strong sensation that emanated from Marcus memories with a certainty that I couldn’t even hope to manipulate.

“You know nothing of the orders I was given,” Marcus said.

Frost’s logo on the screen did not change, but it felt as if Milly’s other half stared back at me, “I’ve looked through the database entry that we were asked to retrieve. Most of the text has been scrambled beyond recognition, but it seems to be some kind of research.”

“Are you saying that it’s worthless?” I asked.

“The formulas are all intact, we just don’t know what they do, and there’s a lot of them,” Frost said.

“If you’re trying to buy more time, then know that you are moments away from me pulling the plug.”

“I’m not, I just want you to understand that what we were asked to find might not be worth nearly as much as what remains here.”

“Then tell me… You’re an advanced AI of sorts, born from Milly’s mind, what are these formulas about?” I asked.

“Without knowing the context it’s difficult to say what any of these formulas are for, but there are certain similarities to subatomic physics… The problem is that even our biggest data-centers would have trouble crunching the mathematics involved here.”

“… And why would Maxwell want this?” I asked.

“… We do not know,” Frost answered.

I looked back at Milly’s body, and leaned in once more, “Well, if you have anything you want to grab before going offline, then you’d better do it in the next few moments.”

“Marcus… It was Milly’s wish to remain here, just as it is mine. You are free to leave, but I request that you respect our wishes,” Frost said.

“No,” I said, and looked at the cables jutting out of Milly’s back.

Frost’s voice grew harsher, “Don’t even think about it, Marcus. Disconnecting her without my cooperation, even like this, will make the previous surge pale in comparison. You will fry her, and me along with it.”

I reached down to the satchel along my side, “Fortunately for me, a far greater intelligence has already predicted this scenario.”

“… What are you doing?” Frost asked.

I unlatched the satchel and removed the hypospray that I had felt earlier.

Frost spoke, “A sedative will not work, Marcus. You’ll destabilize her… hurt both of us.”

I pushed the hypospray into her neck, and moved my thumb to the button, “I don’t know how it works, but I'd rather trust this than your words.”

“Don’t do it! Marcus!” Frost screamed.

I pushed the button and heard a hiss as the hypospray punctured her neck. The vial connected to the hypospray began to empty as its contents transferred into her bloodstream.

“You bastard!” Frost snapped, “Just leave us to do our work! Please! You can still-”

The entire room began to flicker, and Frost’s avatar on the screen grew choppy.

“You- You’re making a- Marcus… You can still fix- th- th- this-”

Frost voice crackled, and the screen went dark. I turned my focus to Milly’s back, and the ports began to shut down one by one.

“Time to go home,” I whispered, and reached in as the last port faded to black.

512 A.R. February 17, Etemenanki, Morning

Waking up in the warm embrace of numerous tentacles was something of a mixed sensation.

In some ways it felt like a warm bath combined with a massage that left you feeling like a piece of dough. On the other hand, it was difficult not to imagine a bunch of snakes squirming against you, threatening to eat you if you didn’t pay attention.

I’ve forgotten to shield my mind again…

Upon becoming aware of my mistake, I could also feel Etemenanki’s presence in my mind as she snickered with amusement.

I feel comfortable enough that I find myself wishing for just a few more minutes…

Etemenanki’s presence coiled in my mind as I heard her whisper, ‘You are welcome to stay for as long as you like, Vilkas.’

As my mind mingled in the depths of her presence, I could feel hints of what was hiding behind the curtain. Hundreds of minds, whispering among one another, connected, yet maintaining just enough individuality to remain separate.

None of them were human, or hybrid. Even as I drifted, I could feel hints of how they perceived the world in wildly different ways from myself. Time itself was a plaything to these creatures, and they sneaked glances at me as if I was a piece of art that belonged in a museum.

My heart began to thump a little harder, and a tingling sensation of unease began to well up inside me. There was a hidden meaning behind what she had told me, to stay for as long as I wanted.

I’m not the first… I’m not the first who has received an offer like that…

I could feel as some of the creatures within Etemenanki’s realm turned their attention to me with renewed interest. They had once been hybrids, and now they were something else.

Fright surged through me and it felt like the bonds between us began to crumble.

‘Yet again, the light of individuality springs to life within you,’ Etemenanki cooed.

The tendrils which held me began to slither away, and I gasped for breath. Moments later, I slipped from the tendril’s grasp and landed on the walkway with a thud. My heart pounded, I stood on all four, and my claws held onto the grating.

There may have been a hidden danger to Etemenanki. An allure that would grow with each encounter. How many times could a hybrid resist something like this before…

I gulped and drew shaky breaths as a great many tendrils slithered away from the walkway.

As my thoughts gathered once more, I began to realize that I felt more naked than usual. A glance at my arms revealed that the uniform seemed to have… melted to some degree. The cuffs along my arms were gone, and the rest of the fabric was dissolving.

A look down my chest revealed more of the same, and my fur was damp from the mucus secreted by the tendrils. I lifted my gaze, and saw a large tendril looming just a short distance away from the walkway.

It was almost as if the tendril stared at me, a smaller representation of the greater whole.

I leaned back and sat down, then lifted my head.

Part of me wanted to be angry, but… Etemenanki was in some ways a slave to her nature, just as hybrids had their instincts and various drives. She offered a choice to me, and I was the one who had to choice whether to refuse it or embrace it.

I had no desire to be part of it.

The thought calmed me, and I let myself relax once more as I let my defenses drop. Etemenanki’s presence grew once more, and I could hear the distant chitter of her forest.

‘You seem at peace?’ Etemenanki whispered.

‘A moment’s respite, just like your embrace,’ I thought.

‘You have a strong mind, Vilkas… Despite your many doubts, or… because of them.’

I smirked a little, ‘Thank you, I guess.’

‘Are you satisfied with our transaction?’ Etemenanki wondered.

‘I have a few questions, if you don’t mind?’ I thought.

‘There are things I cannot answer, but go ahead and I will do my best.’

‘Marcus’ memories, are they exact copies, or your interpretation?’ I wondered.

‘Both… I hold the raw data of his memories, but it is up to me to ‘paint the picture’ so to speak.’

‘I see,’ I thought.

‘Tell me, how do you experience it?’ Etemenanki said.

‘… Well, it’s like my own self is pushed into the background. In some ways it’s like dreaming, but I'm still aware on some level who I really am. It’s what allows me to look around and ask questions that feel like my own. Sometimes there are things that ‘I feel’ must happen as intended.’

‘Yes… Ultimately the experience needs to follow a narrow line. While I can adjust things to some degree, so that you can look around, or ask questions that Marcus did not, there’s very little I can do to keep things running if you were to do something unexpected.’

‘Like run into a room that Marcus did not explore?’ I asked.

‘Yes… It is computationally expensive as it is to follow a narrow path, to suddenly adjust for such events would be jarring for everyone involved.’

‘I see…’

‘You can do it yourself, you know?’ Etemenanki whispered.

‘… Do what?’ I wondered.

‘Take a segment of your memory, focus on creating an experience out of it, and then sharing it with others. It will exhaust you, but your body has a lot more computational capacity than you realize, especially with the Zephyr’s help.’

‘… How?’ I wondered.

‘That I cannot teach you… It is simply something you’ll have to figure out on your own.’

‘When you say I can do it, do you mean a Dualist, or anyone of my generation?’ I wondered.

‘Technically you can all do it, but it is also a matter of scope and training. You should be able to share your memories with a small group, others might falter at keeping one simulation going.’

‘Interesting,’ I whispered.

‘Anything else?’ Etemenanki wondered.

‘Is there more to Marcus’ story? Do you know what the research they found was about?’ I asked.

‘There is more… a little bit more, but no… I do not know what became of the research that they found or what its purpose was,’ Etemenanki answered.

‘… Did they make it, Marcus, and Milly?’ I wondered.

‘How about we make another deal, a special one, just between the two of us?’ Etemenanki asked.

I tipped my head in wonder as I peered at the big tendril, ‘I’m listening?’

The large tendril moved as if motioning to me, ‘You do not know it yet, but the powers that be will soon make sure that you are forced to leave this tower.’

‘… But my training isn’t finished?’ I said.

‘There was never an expectation for you to finish your training in this place, it was merely supposed to be a stepping stone. A lesson to be learned.’ Etemenanki answered.

‘And what happens next, where am I supposed to go?’ I wondered.

‘I am sure that you will be informed of that,’ Etemenanki said.

‘… Somehow, I suspect that you’re not supposed to be telling me this,’ I said.

The large tendril nodded, ‘I am telling you because I need a favor.’

‘You… need a favor, from me?’ I wondered.

Once more, the tendril nodded, ‘Once we are done here, you will head upstairs and make your preparations. Corvyn will seek to teach you another lesson, and this time you will win. Understand?’

‘… You say that as if I can do it just by being ordered to do so,’ I thought.

‘Corvyn is faster than you, and he always will be. In other words, there is no way for you to win this scenario, without finding some way to cheat. That realization is what will make everything fall into place.’

‘… And you just told me,’ I said.

‘Sometimes one has to break the rules, and this is my way of cheating to make sure I get what I want,’ Etemenanki answered.

I perked my brow in wonder, “So… Are you offering to tell me how to cheat? Or was the offer to tell me what you just told me… thus expecting payment from me without me agreeing to anything?”

‘Consider what I have told you to be a gift in good faith, to smooth the offer that is to follow.’

‘Ah, I see,’ I said, and smirked.

The large tendril pointed at me, ‘Win against Corvyn, make preparations to leave the tower, and pay me a visit before you leave. I will show you what remains of Marcus’ story, and then you will hear the details of the favor that I request from you.’

‘… You expect me to accept a deal without knowing the details of said favor?’ I wondered.

‘Yes, but if it eases your mind, then know that my favor will not harm anyone, including yourself. Nor will it ruin your clothing, or mess up your precious fur,’ Etemenanki said.

I waited for a moment, and peered at the tendril, ‘… Mmhmm.’

‘You don’t trust me?’ Etemenanki whispered as the big tendril swayed in the air.

No, not really…

‘Fine, I hadn’t expected my adventure to be over this quickly, but I'll do my best to win-’

Etemenanki interrupted me, ‘No. You must win. You will win. For the sake of Corvyn, and Shay.’

‘… Why is this so important?’ I wondered.

‘It just is, and I can’t tell you why… I wish I could, but I can’t,’ Etemenanki answered.

I drew a deep breath, ‘I will win against Corvyn, and then I will come down here to finalize our deal.’

The large tendril sank back as if relieved, ‘Thank you… Vilkas.’

I perked my brow, ‘… You’ve been trying to lure me into staying down here, what if I had accepted?’

‘You wouldn’t have,’ Etemenanki answered.

‘But what if I had?’ I wondered.

‘But you wouldn’t, thus the question is irrelevant,’ Etemenanki answered.

‘And you know this how?’ I wondered.

‘Because we know you, Vilkas. Because we have peered into your core.’

I gave the tendril an incredulous stare, ‘So, what... am I the ‘chosen’ one, or something?’

‘No, nothing that grand… Just a wolf doing his best, among a great many others also striving to do the best they can, with the circumstances they have,’ Etemenanki answered.

As silly as it was, I’m actually relieved to hear that…

I chuckled to myself, and lifted my hand to look at it. A bit of mucus flowed toward the tip of a claw, and dripped down onto the grating, “Well, I guess I should head upstairs then and have a shower.”

Etemenanki huffed in amusement, ‘Your path is clear, and the elevator is waiting, Vilkas.’

512 A.R. February 17, Etemenanki – Kitchen, Morning

I walked toward the kitchen entrance, leaned onto the edge, and then peered inside.

Shay’s scent was fresh, but she didn’t seem to be in the room. Corvyn’s scent was also present, and to my surprise I could see that the balcony door at the end of the room was open. I stepped inside, peered toward the balcony, and saw a figure sitting in a chair, peering out at the sun as it rose above the distant mountains.

A glance toward the actual kitchen revealed that no one had bothered to make breakfast yet, though they had left the plates from yesterday’s meal.

With a subtle sigh, I kept walking and set my sights on the balcony. Corvyn’s ear wiggled a little as I stepped up to the door, but he didn’t say anything.

“Morning,” I said.

“Ah, you’re back,” Corvyn said.

“Want to be left alone?” I asked.

Corvyn’s face couldn’t be seen, but he did make a something of a shrug as a response.

“It’s a beautiful morning,” I said, and looked out the window at the blue sky.

“… How was your trip?” Corvyn asked.

“It’s been interesting. Visited Fenrir, talked with a Dyssian soldier, helped an old friend,” I said.

“You didn’t go to the moon,” Corvyn said.

“One day I might, but I don’t think now was the right time,” I answered.

Corvyn turned around and revealed his face to me. I wasn’t sure why, but the once exposed skeletal features of his muzzle had been covered by a fine web of growing flesh. He’d also lost his eye-patch, which revealed an eyeball with a surprisingly large iris. Disturbingly enough the eyeball randomly looked around, as if not being controlled by him.

I blinked, waited a moment and made an attempt at smiling, “Are you… alright?”

Corvyn tipped his head, and rubbed his temple for a moment. It seemed to fix something as his aberrant eye stopped wiggling, and focused on me like the other one, “Healing naturally was more of a pain in the ass than I expected, but I'll be fine. In fact, I've started to grow bored of this place.”

“Ah,” I said.

Corvyn blinked, and grew a lopsided smirk, “You missed your lesson yesterday.”

“You had already gone to bed when I returned,” I said.

Corvyn shuffled around in his chair, and glimpsed at the kitchen, “I’m torn between asking for breakfast first and being forced to fight on a full stomach, or teaching you the lesson first, just to spend the rest of the morning with you moaning and whimpering while the rest of us go hungry.”

“You assume there are only two ways this can go,” I said.

Corvyn perked his brow and looked back at me, “Oh, and what would this mysterious third option be?”

I motioned to him, “We fight, I win, and then the three of us have a pleasant breakfast.”

Corvyn opened his muzzle a little and bared his menacing set of fangs as he tipped his head to look at me, “Oh? You certainly grew cocky while on your little trip…”

I stepped back and did my best to act dismissive as I made a wide shrug.

“Heh,” Corvyn chuckled and rose from the chair like a smooth snake.

Footsteps from behind made me glance back, and I caught sight of Shay wandering into the kitchen.

Well, that’s a complication…

A rushed noise made me glimpse back in front, and promptly made me bolt back in fright. Corvyn’s knife almost caught my nose, and I could hear him bark out in amusement.

“Keep your eyes on the enemy, whelp!” Corvyn snapped.

Focus…

My heart thumped hard, and adrenaline brimmed in my veins. It reminded me of Corvyn’s earlier lesson, and as I focused on it, the world slowed down around me. Corvyn was still moving, ever so slowly, but it allowed me time to think, and plan.

Shay was near the kitchen, to my left. If I moved back toward the wall, then Corvyn would follow and up in roughly the same direction as Shay.

Perfect...

I allowed things to speed up a little and guided myself toward the wall. Corvyn was grinning like mad, and he was rushing as if he were about to teach me a quick lesson. To make it all seem more genuine I let myself stumble as he swung the knife once more.

As both of us recovered, it became apparent that it was time to put my plan in motion.

The knife was in Corvyn’s right hand, and he was coming at me as if planning to plunge it in my gut. Like usual he kept the knife close to his body, while his left arm was being used like a shield.

I allowed myself to bump into the wall behind me, and I could almost see Corvyn’s thoughts as he considered my incompetence. As I bared my teeth in what I hoped would come off as fright, the two of us began to clash.

I angled my left hand so that Corvyn couldn’t see my palm, and then I willed the tendrils within my wrist to spring into action. They emerged in haste, flowed down my padded palm, and settled on the underside of my fingers.

As Corvyn moved his right arm to make his attack, I reached out to grab the blade of the knife. My right hand slipped past his defenses, and I reached for his throat.

Corvyn put a lot of strength into his attack, but as my hand seized around the blade it must have been like hitting a concrete wall for him. Shock and surprise began to spread along his face as I grinned back at him.

I wrested the knife out of his grip, and my hand caught his neck like a vice. A choked cry of surprise followed as I threw the knife along the wall and ordered the tendrils to return.

Corvyn thrashed at me. His legs kicked fruitlessly against my chest, one hand clawed at my hand, and the other pulled at my uniform. I lifted him into the air and saw him glare back down at me in anger.

I let time return to normal, and I could see Shay observe us in silence.

“Wh- *cough* Grah!” Corvyn choked as I held him in the air and weathered his strikes.

“Yield,” I ordered.

Corvyn opened his muzzle as if trying to bite me, and let out a choked growl, “Grr!”

“Yield, Corvyn,” I repeated.

“D- Damn wolves!” Corvyn managed to choke out.

After a few more seconds, he began to calm down, and gripped my arm with both hands.

“Yield,” I ordered once more.

His lips rippled with anger for a moment, and I could feel the claws on his hand dig into the fur on my arm. Finally, something began to change, and his grip began to relax.

The anger faded, and he drew a wheezing breath as he grew an amused smirk, “Y- you win, Vilkas… I- yield.”

With a sigh, I eased him down on the ground, and let go with my hand. Corvyn gripped his throat as he stepped back and glanced toward the floor.

“… Neat trick, what did you cover your hand in?” Corvyn whispered, and looked back at me.

I raised my hands in silence, and simply observed.

Corvyn stared at me, leaned side to side, glanced at the floor, and his frown grew. He then walked closer to me, reached out, and almost leaned in against my chest as he patted the pockets on my sides.

This is rather amusing…

Still frowning, he stepped back, reached up, and grabbed one of my hands as he felt my palm. He rubbed the pads, glanced up at me, and stared as if the world no longer made sense.

I inched closer, and peered into his eyes, “There was no way I could win against you without cheating, Corvyn. I just had to pull it off in such a way that you couldn’t see it.”

Corvyn let go of my hand, and stepped back, still silent. After a few moments he drew a deep breath, poked his thumbs into his pockets, and glanced back at Shay.

Shay shrugged in the distance, “I honestly have no clue how he did it.”

“… Mmhmm!” Corvyn said, and squinted at her as if not trusting her words.

“I swear!” Shay snapped.

Corvyn sighed, and seemed to perk up as his ears rose along with a renewed smirk, “Well then, you’ve surprised me, and you have won this trial… Though I have to wonder if you have learned what you came here to learn.”

I motioned to myself, “My self-control is much better now, and you’ve taught me a great many things. I may not have learned how to ignore pain, but I'm no longer sure whether something like it would even be to my benefit.”

“… Fair enough,” Corvyn said with a nod, and looked toward the kitchen.

I took a step closer and felt a smile grow on my lips, “How about we make a meal together?”

Corvyn perked his brow, “I’m not much of a cook, you know?”

I pointed at him, “But, you are good with a knife.”

Corvyn made a quick huff as he shrugged, “Perhaps.”

I looked over at the kitchen, and focused on Shay, “How about our own version of an old intercontinental breakfast?”

“That’s going to be a lot of work,” Shay answered.

I motioned to her, “We have time, right?”

“It is the first time I've seen Corvyn disarmed like this,” Shay grew a sly smile, “Sure, why not.”

512 A.R. February 17, Etemenanki – Kitchen, Midday

My gaze drifted along the dining table until it settled on a relatively small plate filled with pastries. Vanilla cream, a strawberry on top, a ring of whipped cream, topped with a sweet layer of gelatin.

Seems I still have my sweet tooth…

I ignored the urge to grab one of them, and instead popped a cherry tomato into my muzzle.

Shay was observing Corvyn in silence, and as I glanced toward the silent coyote, I couldn’t help but get the impression that something had changed. He hadn’t eaten much, and he leaned onto one hand as he stared into nothingness with a surprising expression.

Relief? A tired, but welcome relief?

As I stared at him, it felt like the barriers around his mind were slipping. His presence seemed to pulsate in tune with the beat of his heart, and it had an almost mesmerizing effect to it.

I wasn’t sure whether it was my own mind drawing biased conclusions, or his own simmering thoughts, but it felt as if something had broken down inside of him. The odd part was just how much relief this seemed to bring him.

His ears slowly folded back against his head and I could hear him draw a long, deep breath. There was pain inside of him, a sort of emotional pain that made him struggle to keep himself in check. It made me feel as if I was watching someone hunched over a campfire, huffing and puffing as he stoked the cinders of his fire. Embers rose around him, like flickers of hope that brought light to a desolate forest.

Without warning his ears perked up, the barriers of his mind rose once more, and he glanced back at us.

“… What’s with the stare?” Corvyn asked.

I let my hand crawl along the table as I reached toward the plate with pastries, “Nothing…”

Corvyn glanced down and grew a big smirk.

He then reached out and pushed the plate toward me, “Here ya go, pup.”

I caught the edge of the plate with my claw, “Why, thank you… old man.”

Shay began to chuckle, and as I pulled the plate toward me, she stealthily reached out to grab one of the pastries. As Shay began to eat, Corvyn turned to focus on me, “Athena has just informed me that our time here is over.”

“… Oh?” I whispered.

I have to wonder why she didn’t contact me directly…

Corvyn pointed at me, “Although I didn’t know it, it seems I was your officially assigned instructor.”

I smirked back, “… I won’t complain about you, if you do the same about me.”

Corvyn huffed as he pulled his hand back, “Apparently there will be a train to pick you up in a few hours, it’ll take you to the training facility where the others are.”

I tried to hide my suspicions as I observed him, “Is this because I defeated you?”

Corvyn blinked, “I’d rather you put the emphasis on your victory, rather than my defeat.”

I made a slow nod, “Is my time at the tower coming to an end due to the conclusion of our current training exercise?”

Corvyn eyed me for a moment as if considering something, and shrugged as he looked back at the table, “To me it sounded like Athena wasn’t aware of it.”

As Etemenanki said, one way or another, I will soon leave the tower...

“I see,” I said, and reached down to grab one of the pastries.

Shay murmured as she nibbled on her pastry, “Corvyn won’t admit it, but he’ll miss your company.”

Corvyn looked over at her with a tired stare.

“Well, I'll miss him too,” I said, and slipped the pastry into my muzzle as I began to chew.

“… Once more, I find myself wishing for a drink,” Corvyn whispered.

I chuckled as I looked back at him, “So, what are you two going to do now?”

Corvyn tipped his head and glanced up at the ceiling as he seemed to ponder it. After a few moments he looked back at me with the same inquisitive stare from earlier, “Something is clearly going on, but I don’t know what… Perhaps it’s time to find out.

“Hmm?” I murmured.

Corvyn raised his hand to point at me, “And I'll be keeping an eye on you as well,” and then grabbed a pastry of his own.

I nodded in silence and chewed as I reached for another piece on the plate.

512 A.R. February 17, Etemenanki, Midday

Once more I walked along the walkway in Etemenanki’s garden. The large tendril that I had seen earlier seemed to still be here, waiting for me.

Etemenanki’s presence whispered in my mind, ‘You won, and you have your backpack once more.’

I stopped at the end of the walkway, and looked at the big tendril as I nodded, ‘It’s almost time for me to leave.’

‘Yes…’ Etemenanki whispered.

‘Athena didn’t seem to know of my victory… Should I draw the conclusion that you were the only one interested in seeing Corvyn beaten?’ I wondered.

‘That is one interpretation, yes…’

I drew a deep breath, ‘Because that’s what you think is necessary to push his recovery along?’

‘… Perhaps,’ Etemenanki whispered.

I chuckled to myself, ‘So, what has happened in the world that demands my departure?’

The pressure in the air seemed to grow heavier, and I didn’t need Etemenanki to speak in order to feel that she was growing irritated with me. Usually I would have kept up the pressure, but the situation made me reconsider.

I reached up with my hand, and made a dismissive wave, ‘In the end it doesn’t matter, I will leave the tower and find out for myself.’

The pressure abated, and the large tendril inched closer as it loomed over the walkway.

‘Extend your hand… We will connect, and I will show you the last of Marcus’ story…’

I raised my hand and the tendril pushed against my palm.

Unknown

The lights were dimmed as the ship was in silent running; the reactor barely ticked, electronics running in low-power mode, as the engine remained quiet. Even the temperature was starting to drop.

I glanced to the side, and I could see Milly sitting in my old seat. She was still unconscious, head leaning to the side. My focus shifted to the control panel in front of me.

[No Messages]

I looked to the left, reached up, unlatched the medical kit, and eased it down into my lap. Pain flared in my leg, and I winced in response.

“Hrrmn?” Milly murmured.

I turned my chair around to face the rest of the ship, and then glanced over at her. She groaned for a moment, reached up to feel her head, and opened her eyes as she looked up.

Milly gazed at the window, and the starry expanse beyond it. For a few moments she merely stared, and then let out a subtle sigh.

As I watched, she turned her head and looked at me.

I met her gaze, and I felt as Marcus’ otherwise cool demeanor began to shatter inside of him. It pulled me along, and the sensations that followed were as if someone was wrenching my insides.

Despite the pain and the uncertainty, he didn’t regret it.

Milly’s small ears folded back, and she lowered her head, “I did not expect to wake up here.”

Marcus had been silent, and I found myself mimicking his behavior. Part of him wanted to scream at her, another wanted to beg for forgiveness, a small portion of him wanted to be stoic and harsh.

Milly lifted her gaze once more, and looked at me, “I’m not going to ask for your forgiveness.”

“Neither will I,” I answered.

Milly blinked, “… Did you do it because these were your orders?”

I swallowed, and Marcus’ words spilled from my mouth, “I did it because we need to be better than this. Through hard work and difficult choices, we preserve life, not end it.”

Milly made a humbled smile, and lowered her head once more, “You haven’t studied much history apparently, human or hybrid.”

“I don’t have to in order to know that this is what we should aspire to,” I said.

Milly gave me a skeptical glance, “… And what if this has cost the lives of everyone?”

I blinked, “Then we did our best, a star of hope, that burned bright in the stars.”

“I’m not sure whether to consider you an idiot, or a brave idealist,” Milly said, and perked her brow.

“I am who I am,” Marcus answered.

Her eyes widened without warning, “… Your leg, you’re bleeding.”

Marcus smirked and looked down. Milly’s claws had dug deep into the upper part of his leg.

Milly raised her hand, and saw her bloodstained fur, “Oh, I did this.”

“You had a seizure and your hand caught my leg,” Marcus said.

Milly reached down and unlatched her belt with a click. She began to float moments later, then maneuvered her way in front of Marcus.

“What’s our status?” Milly asked.

“Stealth mode, we’re still waiting for confirmation that the humans didn’t leave any surprises in the area,” Marcus answered.

“And the colony?” Milly asked as she grabbed the medical kit.

“Nukes vaporized it several hours ago. If we had waited another half-hour, we probably wouldn’t have made it,” Marcus said.

Milly pulled herself toward the floor, and her boots clicked into place as the magnets engaged. She then leaned down and opened the medical kit.

“Have we received confirmation that the data-package arrived?” Milly asked, and peered down at Marcus’ leg.

Marcus nodded, “They confirmed the delivery as the droids were carrying you to the ship.”

Milly picked up a hypospray from the medical kit, slotted a vial with anesthetic, and then brought it up to Marcus’ leg, “This might sting.”

“I can take it,” Marcus answered.

Milly pushed the hypospray against his leg, and glanced up as she pressed the button, “Tough guy, ey?”

Marcus winced, but smirked back in defiance, as the injection was taking place, “You know it.”

“Hmm,” Milly murmured, and put the hypospray back.

“… So, that research we found, you still have no clue what it’s about?” Marcus asked.

Milly shook her head, “Frost ran some of the simpler equations as an experiment, but we have no clue what numbers to feed it, or what the results mean. He’s run a bunch of comparative analyses as well, but nothing matches.”

Marcus motioned at her, “Isn’t that indicative of something.”

“Other than the possibility of it being some new field of science? Not really,” Milly said, and reached down as she grabbed a surgical stapler.

Marcus’ ears folded back, “… I’ve always hated the sound of that thing.”

Milly grew a big grin, “You can look away if you want.”

“… Hrrmm,” Marcus murmured, and then turned his head to look away.

He could barely feel a thing as Milly proceeded to push the wound together, followed by putting the stapler in place.

*Ka-chunk!*

Marcus groaned, and shut his eyes as the noise continued, over, and over again, “So, is Frost angry at me?”

“Yeah, he’s a bit pissed… Though he is happy he’ll be around to figure out what we’ll be able to do with this new data,” Milly answered.

Finally, the noise came to an end, and Marcus looked back at Milly, “Please, don’t try to pull another stunt like this, Milly.”

Milly raised her brow, “You make it sound like we’re going to work together.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Marcus answered.

Milly blinked in wonder, and then put the stapler down, “And here I was, thinking I'd done more than enough to scare you off for life.”

Marcus smirked back, “Is that a no?”

“Didn’t say that,” Milly whispered, and looked back.

Marcus tipped his head while his tail began to squirm along the back of his seat, “Good.”

Milly lowered her head and shut her eyes for a moment. She then leaned closer and let her head rest against Marcus’ left leg, “I think you made the wrong choice, but I'm glad you did.”

Marcus reached out and put his hand on her head, “That’s alright, kittycat.”

A dark chuckle followed, and Milly peeked up with one eye, “Careful, or I might decide to use your leg as a scratching post.”

Marcus chuckled with a sheepish grin, and carefully removed his hand, “Easy now…”

512 A.R. February 17, Etemenanki, Afternoon

I blinked, then felt as I slipped back into my own body. Etemenanki’s large tendril pulled away from my hand, and I drew a deep breath.

‘Where did they end up?’ I wondered.

‘They spent the next few decades as researchers on the moon. For reasons unknown to me they eventually moved back to Sophos, and they helped build the tower that you’re standing within. They may not have created me, but if something like me could have a father or mother figure, then they were it.’

‘Oh,’ I whispered within my thoughts.

‘I have a favor to ask you, Vilkas Volkov…’ Etemenanki said.

‘Yes?’ I asked, and looked up.

Something was starting to move near the bigger tendril. Something akin to a blue and budding flower emerged like a pedestal. Within moments it began to open up, and the larger tendril reached in.

It grabbed something, and then pulled. A snap was heard and the large flower visibly twitched. Moments later its bright blue hue began to fade, and it withered while sinking into the depths once more.

The large tendril moved closer, and it uncoiled as it presented something to me. The object looked like a semitransparent bowling ball. Its surface shimmered like blue crystal, while the inside had an intense purple hue.

I looked at it, ‘Do you want me to… take this?’

‘Yes… To safeguard it, and one day… far from now, you will know what to do with it.’

‘Just like that? Another enigma?’ I asked.

‘Hmm,’ Etemenanki murmured, ‘A clue then, just for you.’

‘Yes?’ I wondered.

‘Lift your gaze and look deep,’ Etemenanki whispered.

I looked up, straight up into the far reaches of the tower. Bioluminescent creatures made this living and breathing ecosphere brim with colors.

‘Remember this moment, the feeling that this tower fills you with,’ Etemenanki said.

I lowered my gaze once more, and nodded, ‘… Why me?’

‘Why not you?’ Etemenanki wondered.

‘I move around a lot, and I don’t intend to be rude, but I can’t carry this with me at all times,’ I thought.

‘Then hand it over to someone you trust, but only as long as it doesn’t end up in the hands of the AIs,’ Etemenanki said.

‘You don’t trust them?’ I wondered.

‘A system without balance will destabilize itself one way or another. The primary AIs of Sophos are currently made up of Athena and Ares. They are forces of great power within the system, and at present there are enough checks and balances to reach an equilibrium,’ Etemenanki paused for a moment, ‘It’s not that I don’t trust them, it’s that I don’t believe the overall system is robust enough to tame them. One day, this seed will help in that regard,’ Etemenanki answered.

I began to reach out for it, and stopped as I hesitated, ‘Does it need care? Will it freeze and break?’

‘Nothing short of a nuclear bomb will break through its shell,’ Etemenanki answered.

I reached out, touched the hard shell of the seed, and lifted it up. It was surprisingly heavy, as if made of lead, and it still felt warm to the touch.

Man, this would have been a pain to carry around as a human…

I slipped it into one hand, and held it up to peer at its glittering inside, ‘I will do my best…’

The large tendril began to slither back, ‘Thank you, Vilkas…’