An Obsidian Sky Part 5

'But that's not possible, is it?' I asked.

'If it was not, then I would not be speaking to you right now, would I?' She sighed impatiently.

'Fine, okay. Why are you here, what do you want with us and why did you place us in quarantine?'

'It was for your safety of course. As my sensors came online I found that there were still many infected who remained alive. Despite my best efforts, I appear unable to kill them all. They survive oxygen deprivation and extreme changes in temperature. Beyond locking down the facility there is little that I can do. You were placed separately in biological quarantine in order to keep you safe, not only from the hordes, but also from each other.' Folding her arms Blue Dawn appeared satisfied with her response.

'Well then what about the rest of our crew? Where are they?' I returned.

'They have been sealed in the docks and are not permitted to leave. Unlike Aeniah, Sean and yourself I have not permitted anyone else further access to Ascension.'

Aeniah scowled at her with utter contempt. Practically spitting her words out she turned to Blue Dawn and said, 'then I suppose you won't mind if I contact my crew then?'

'Very well Aeniah, a comm-link has been established to the vessel docked in Ascension's tertiary structure.'

In a moment a black square bearing Ascension's insignia appeared in between us. A series of dots were tracing their way along the screen when all of a sudden an image of First Officer Knightly appeared in the centre.

'Aeniah, is that really you?' Knightly shouted in a hoa.r.s.e voice. Something clearly was not right. His eyes had a wild property to them, glazed and unfocused.

'Of course it's f.u.c.king me, you dumb b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What on Earth have you been doing. I'm sitting here having tea with a murderous b.l.o.o.d.y machine and your there scratching your a.s.s,' Aeniah replied in a less than offended tone.

'We tried everything we could Sir, I'm sorry Sir, there was no means to find you, no means of opening the security cordon' stammered Knightly.

'I have heard enough of this Knightly. Status report. Now!'

'Um, well, it has been a while since we heard anything from you. We a.s.sumed you had died. We...we stopped looking. I had ordered the s.h.i.+p to prepare to make haste for the colonies, to try and see if we would have better luck there. The crew is restless, they want to move. Some have even gotten violent. The cells are full...'

She swiftly cut Knightly off with a slight raise of her palm. 'You mean to tell me that I am gone for a couple of hours and you let my s.h.i.+p turn to anarchy and then plan to leave us here. This stinks of mutiny officer.'

'A couple of hours Sir,' Knightly a.s.serted timidly, 'you have been away for days.'

'Days!' Aeniah screamed whirling to face Blue Dawn.

'The ma.s.s transport process is very temperamental, the systems were damaged, you both suffered from some neurological problems. It took several days to stabilise the both of you.' Blue Dawn seemed worried now. It appeared that Aeniah could put anybody on the back foot. Before Aeniah could become angered further a loud bang was heard coming from the screen.

'Sit rep' shouted Aeniah towards Knightly. 'Come on man, pull yourself together. What is going on over there?'

'Sir, there has been an explosion. Safeties were lifted from the reactor.' Gunfire was audible from across the comm-link. 's.h.i.+t, there are people trying to reach the CIC.' A detonation sounded. 'Keep them clear Lieutenant. Marshall, get guardsmen to the CIC-control now!' More gunfire could be heard in the transmission. Aeniah looked distinctly grey now.

'What's happening Simon? Knightly! What is going on?'

There was no response for a while, merely the sound of m.u.f.fled orders being given. Then his voice returned over the comm-link. 'Aeniah. Sir. A group of rebels have managed to get some guns and explosives. They are trying to take the s.h.i.+p. They have killed most of the people outside the CIC and have messed with the surveillance systems so we can't see them. The Marshall can't raise the guardsmen. I don't think that the rebels have the firepower to get through the doors for the moment. We can't seem to get a response from outside CIC. I have locked down the s.h.i.+p. What are you orders Sir?'

'Hold the CIC at all costs Simon. If they get to the CIC all is lost. We are coming to get you. You have your orders officer and I expect you to follow them. Hold them off at all costs. I don't care if they are your friends among the rebels. I still expect you to kill them. Aeniah out.' The screen dissolved, darkening the room slightly. 'Sean how far is the dock from here?' she asked.

'Around a six hour walk, that is if we don't meet any obstructions along the way' he replied calmly.

'Obstructions?'

'George and I have had several problems with the former inhabitants of the station. I believe that we are unlikely to be able to travel to dock A-44-C from here. Considering the trouble that we have had travelling the small distance to you I do not believe it wise to undertake a journey of that length. Furthermore much of Ascension's transport infrastructure, such as lifts and highways, appear offline or damaged. Therefore there is little opportunity for a short cut.'

There was a pause which was broken by the sweet and commanding voice of Blue Dawn. 'I agree. The odds of reaching the docks are unlikely given the size of your team and the size of your undertaking. There is of course a solution, but for this you will require my a.s.sistance.'

'No way, I don't even trust you enough to boil an egg. For all I know, this is your doing' Aeniah contested angrily.

'Wait, I think we should hear what she has to say,' I interjected.

Aeniah was silent and Blue Dawn continued, 'my help does however come at a price. I need you to re-instate my full control over Ascension. Many elements including the Equinox project remain outside of my full control. I would also ask that you a.s.sist me in resolving the problem of the Artefact and continue with your present mission objectives. Does this sound so unreasonable?'

Aeniah growled in response, she clearly had her misgivings. However she said nothing and so Blue Dawn took this as an agreement. 'Very well. The fastest way to the docks is via ma.s.s-transport. I have isolated the problems inherent in my first attempt and rest a.s.sured you will arrive safe and sound. I also have the capability of furnis.h.i.+ng you with an army through which you can retake the s.h.i.+p. However I require your authorisation to issue the command to the Equinox subjects.'

Without giving time for Aeniah to reply I asked, 'the Equinox project, they are an army?'

'Not necessarily,' she replied coyly. 'The subjects involved in the project were much like you George. They had a great affinity with the genetic modification required to reach the state of Ascension. It was believed that arranged as a coherent body of persons the Equinox subjects would provide the perfect policing agency for the abilities gained by others, being both stronger and more intelligent than they were.

'However the result of the project was somewhat a failure. Their augmentation caused them to lose a little of who they were. Installation of a command infrastructure worked at best, intermittently. Instead they became unpredictable. Their purpose was simple. They were to be vessels of energy through which the citizens of Ascension could delve into and draw upon for their use. This use manifested itself in abilities somewhat akin to magic. This is of course not the case, but I have little time to explain.

'When the use of these abilities became widespread among the inhabitants of Ascension, what we called casting, the Equinox subjects began to cut people off from their source of energy, seemingly at random. When this occurred the population was often extremely violent towards them and several were killed. When the station descended into chaos I lost the ability to administer control over them. We now have little contact,' she concluded.

'I need to know more, Blue Dawn, why did the population attack them? What went wrong?' Blue Dawn appeared to be about to open her mouth in response but was cut short by Aeniah.

'There is no time for that right now George. Dawn I'll give you whatever approval you need, just help me get my s.h.i.+p back.'

In front of Aeniah a new screen appeared. From where I was standing the text was blurred and illegible. She appeared to scan the doc.u.ment, searching for some hidden clause. Biting her lip she pushed her palm against the pad and drew what I presumed was her signature.

'Temporary Equinox control established,' Blue Dawn sounded in a distracted manner. 'Preparing ma.s.s-transport. Ma.s.s-transport available. I shall drop the three of you in the quarantine zone outside the docks. That way you should avoid any surprises. Ma.s.s-transport in three.'

I held my breath. What would we find? I had never been too fond of surprises and right now I seriously hoped there would not be any waiting on the other side. 'Two.' The floor beneath me began to hum more loudly than merely the background of Ascension. 'One.' I felt my feet beginning to lift off the ground as I experienced an awful stretching sensation. 'Ma.s.s-transport' and all was night.

10.

A Rising Foe We arrived, or more appeared, in the gloom of the quarantine zone. Red lights pulsed along the ceiling above us and the floor beneath. I looked around. Quickly I spotted the blue light of Sean, then the strong figure of Aeniah, soon the slight frame of Blue Dawn and finally the others. The angels stood around us, their wings outstretched, s.h.i.+elding us from some unimagined horror. They gave off an aura of impossible kindness, of unrivalled benevolence. They seemed to draw you towards them.

Each was slightly different in appearance but in reality all looked very much the same. One of them, who was standing behind me, placed a hand upon my shoulder. A burst of utter sorrow flowed from him and into the very core of me. It shook my very soul. It was as if he was trying to communicate his compa.s.sion with our situation. I wondered how could this be an army when all I felt from them was the very manifestation of love. I wanted one to hold me, to tell me that everything would be okay. That there was no reason to fear the night, for there would always be day. But instead the hand withdrew and he settled protectively behind me. I knew that they would give their all to protect us. Even Aeniah seemed awed by their countenance, their mercy.

She spoke with a cracking voice. 'Oh for the love of...Let's just get on with this shall we?'

Blue Dawn turned towards Aeniah. 'I am unable to access my sensor gird beyond this point. You should be prepared for anything. The Equinox subjects should offer some limited protection but I would not wholly rely upon it. Perhaps you would prefer something with a little more explosive potential than that glorified pistol of yours.'

'I think that this will be more than enough Dawn. Right then, open her up.'

In front a symbol flashed from red to green. The door sighed as it heaved itself open. The view of the dock opened slowly before us. The lights were low and everything had a faint blue tinge. By the opening of the door lay several bodies. All bore the Eternis Systems logo.

'Oh no,' gasped Aeniah. She rushed towards their bodies, checking them over. The angels soundlessly filed out and made a protective circle around her. Through the ma.s.s of gentle wings I could see Aeniah pause by one body. A tear seemed to trickle from her eyes. Sean floated and descended within the circle. He seemed to whisper something to her. She touched his little frame with kindness and rose confidently. She wiped something from her eye. I wondered if it was a tear. With some effort she began to pace smartly towards the vessel. I followed after her.

The docks were in a bad way. There were cracks about the gla.s.s that gave a panoramic view from the docks into s.p.a.ce. There were scorch marks pitting the part of the dock closest to the s.h.i.+p. A few bodies lay scattered around the ground between us and the vessel. We cautiously stepped around them.

Swiftly we reached our destination at the umbilical which connected the station to the s.h.i.+p. This was in an even worse condition than the docks. The angels appeared to scan around the section listening intently. I understood that they must be listening for the telltale hiss of the environment being vented into s.p.a.ce. It occurred to me that this was a perception that I might not have had a couple of weeks ago. But now my brain appeared to have been re-wired, many things were beginning to make sense.

Aeniah thumbed a pad on her arm. A communication broadcast about us. 'Knightly the pressure doors are under lock-down, get them open.'

Knightly's rather shaky voice became audible over the comms. 'Yes Aeniah, the security cordon about the vessel appears to have been quite successful in keeping away the rebels. I don't hear the sound of explosives anymore.' The angels had circles tightly around us. Each one of us had protective arc. Blue Dawn looked distinctly unimpressed by the damages made to her docks. Indeed she seemed almost disappointed at the lack of a challenge so far.

'I am not sure about the reactor state,' Knightly continued, 's.h.i.+p systems are giving a denial of service on any attempts to check up on it. The rest of the s.h.i.+p's systems are responding normally, although several reports of damage are coming in through automated channels.' Knightly's voice began to sound a little uncomfortable as he delivered the rest of his report. 'Most worryingly, there has been no response from anybody outside of the CIC. I am unable to raise anybody on any channels. What are your orders Sir.'

Aeniah looked at us and said, 'we are coming to take back the CIC, hold it at all costs. When we get to you we will have to come up with a strategy to take the s.h.i.+p back.' As she spoke Knightly must have authorised the opening of the pressure doors into the vessel because the doors hissed just for a second and rolled away revealing the airlock into the vessel.

'Confirmed Sir, Knightly out.'

From my position behind the others little was visible. The heavenly ma.s.s of wings veiled the view into the airlock. Aeniah, taking point, moved into the airlock with Sean a close second. For some reason Blue Dawn was sticking next to me. We moved together and into the airlock. The pressure door closed behind. After a few seconds the pressure door leading into the vessel flashed green and rolled away. We entered into the hanger of the s.h.i.+p.

The hanger was a state. Where there had once been row after row of light s.p.a.cecraft there was only charred wreckage. Somebody had gone up to each individual light-craft and detonated explosives within them. In the centre was a ma.s.s of bodies. From our vantage point we could see several figures dragging the corpses of others onto the pile. They we giggling and discharging rifle fire into the already decimated corpses beside them.

I rushed forward to the front where Aeniah crouched low. My angels gracefully merged with hers to form a more strategic ring of protection. I raised my lancer up to my shoulder. The reticule went red and I fired.

An explosion of light erupted from the muzzle and burst into the nearest figure. He was lifted into the air by its force and cleaved in to two. Aeniah let out several pulses from her pistol into the others. Blue Dawn folded her arms. There were not many and so within a matter of moments Aeniah and I had dispatched them all. The angels never even moved at the sound of the gunfire.

I moved towards the bodies. I began to look into each of their faces, not sure what I was looking for. And then I realised, in a moment of horror, that I was looking for him. Frantically I began to heave the bodies aside trying to get a glance of more, but Aeniah pulled me away.

'George, George, shush, shush. It's okay. He isn't here. Do you see those markings?' I nodded. 'That means that these were guardsmen. Adrian can't be with them. He is probably just holed up somewhere waiting for rescue. Once we take the CIC, we will find him, I promise you.'

I shook my head. 'Aeniah, I have tried my best. I really have. I have tried not to worry, not to care. But I just can't. I have to find him. I just have to be sure. You take my angels and I will go and find him by myself. I think I have learnt enough to know how to get by. I got through Ascension and found you so I'm certain that I can find him in here.'

Before Aeniah even had time to say anything Blue Dawn interjected, 'No. I can't allow you to do that. Your loss would be irretrievable. George your genetic affinity with the Ascension project means that I simply cannot afford to allow you to die. You are the only person left that has any possibility of removing the Artefacts, saving the world. I know you don't fully understand why, but you must believe me, I will explain everything in time.

'But I also know that I can't ask you to leave him alone for any longer. I will come with you and we will take just two angels, one each. Aeniah and Sean can have the rest. That should be more than enough.'

'I don't even need that,' Aeniah broke in. 'It is okay, you two can go. By the way Dawn, you do realise that I can't have Knightly opening the doors for both parties at once, he has enough to do.'

'Your lockdown will not be a problem,' she replied dryly.

Aeniah shrugged her shoulders. 'Knightly open west side hanger door.' A door to her left opened and with no further ceremony they were gone.

I turned away from the rapidly sealing door and looked at the mess of the hanger. Quickly I found what I was looking for. It was an undamaged wall-screen. Thumbing the interface I was about to call up a s.h.i.+p schematic when Blue Dawn interrupted me.

'That will not be necessary. I have a full scan of the s.h.i.+p and access to its entire information database.'

'But where is Adrian? We were away for much longer than I thought. His injuries should have healed. He could be anywhere. If he is outside of the medi-chamber then he is not safe.' I was getting worried now. It occurred to me that we may have had to scour the entire s.h.i.+p. In fact, I realised, we may never find him. The maddened crew may have dragged him away. In fact he may even be among the rebels, braying for blood. My eyes looked up at Blue Dawn who appeared amused at my obvious lack of understanding.

'I have access to the entire database. Adrian was a patient in the medical bay under the care of Doctor Natieah. Due to complications arising during surgery the patient required additional time in the medichamber. The patient was discharged two days ago. According to medical records his doctor was administering secondary level care at the time of sensor loss. In all probability he is still there.

'The infirmary is located on the upper floor in the aft section of the vessel. The most efficient route would appear to be to avoid main hallways and the lift systems, as both will be impa.s.sable if a full mutiny is in place. At the end of this hanger there is a launch tube for the vessels. Tube three is pressurised. There is a maintenance hatch M-44-2-M inside. From there it is simply upwards two floors along the maintenance shaft and we should arrive at the right floor. From there the infirmary is one hundred meters away.' Smiling with satisfaction she turned and began to walk to the launch tube, past the wreckage of the light-craft.

The angels did not appear to follow her, but me. They opened their wings and wrapped them about me as I walked along calmly. Everywhere there was the sound of burning wreckage. The heat was intense as I pa.s.sed each flaming husk, but still I was calm. The angel's soft touch isolated the world from me. I drew on their strength and continued into the open tube.

She stopped just next to the maintenance access screen. Rather than touch it in the conventional sense she held her hand lightly at a random point just below it. She closed her eyes. After about a seconds delay the screen flickered and granted her access. She turned to me and said, 'see no problem.'

I went ahead of her into the access point. It was a very narrow s.p.a.ce within which all that was contained was a ladder. I started to climb. Though by Earth standards this was a very large s.h.i.+p, it was nothing by comparison to Ascension. In fact, after about a minute's climb, we were almost there. The ladder ended on a small ledge with a door at the other end. I climbed up and onto it. There was just enough room for Blue Dawn besides me. She touched a non-specific point on the door and it too obeyed her will and opened.

I stepped into the science level and was suddenly confronted by a tremendous force borne against my head. It knocked me over. Struggling upwards I saw Blue Dawn hold her hand out and fire leapt from it, instantly incinerating my aggressor.

I looked ahead and five more of the s.h.i.+ps former crew were bearing down upon her. Possessed by some malevolent narcotic they slammed their fists against her repeatedly. One bent its head forward and bit down upon her face as she tried to push it away. In a moment an angel had appeared. With a most graceful movement of its hands it hurled one of the figures meters across the hall. Its head hit the wall with a crunch.

Behind me something had got hold of my leg. I reach out for my lancer but it was too far away. I turned my head to see a woman in medical uniform grasping dreadfully for my shoes. A heavenly hand dropped onto her head and lifted her high. In a serene moment of beauty she looked into the angels eyes. A contented wonderful look came across her face. She breathed in, in a state of absolute serenity. She sighed gently, her muscles relaxing, never to move again. The angel lifted me to my feet with one hand. I rushed for my lancer.

More and more of the crew were descending upon Blue Dawn. In the frenzy of violence I could only make out that her face was extremely bloodied. Occasionally I spotted the blue of her dress hammer-fisting one of her attackers. In the time that it had taken me to recognise this, I had raised my lancer. Clicking the weapon's toggle b.u.t.ton to wide-dispersal I saw the reticule lock on and I fired.

Bursting from the muzzle a thousand-thousand shards of plasma flew forward, sparkling like sped up confetti. As each point of this blizzard of light impacted upon something it exploded with a tremendous percussive force. The walls, the roof, the floor, the ma.s.s of bodies all exploded, hurled around at unimaginable speeds. Many disintegrated. Metal panels launched from their housings left and right. In that moment I saw that an angel had its wings surrounding her. When the last body fell I saw that she was still alive.

She was badly hurt. Blood streamed from the gore of her face. With a flick of her hand she motioned the direction for me to travel. Her angel a.s.sisted her in her limp in that direction. Matching her pace and speed I travelled alongside her. In front two figures rounded the corner. I shot them both automatically. Two trigger pulls, both were gone. We got to the infirmary.

Curiously by the time we had reached the door I noticed that Blue Dawn had began to walk normally. Much of her skin had returned and she had definitely stopped bleeding. I opened my mouth but she cut me off. 'You would have thought that if my body could live this long without aging and shoot fire from its hands; it might also be able to heal a little faster than yours too.' Without another word she placed her hand underneath the controls and the doors opened.

The infirmary was pitch dark. Only faint traces of light were visible at all. These came from the remaining active screens. Some of the displays were at floor level, indicating some kind of commotion had taken place. Blue Dawn removed something from her pocket. It was a little ball no wider than an inch. She threw it up into the air. But it did not come down. Instead it stayed floating above us.

She snapped her fingers. The ball exploded with light and the room became visible. The reception was an utter mess. Two nurses lay on the floor. The one on the left of me had been stabbed several times. Her crimson blood stained her white and grey suit. Her red cross was almost invisible in amongst the blood. Her mouth was open. Her death, it appeared from the expression upon her face, had definitely not been quick.

Dawn turned towards me and said, 'George, the door into the medical section appears to be barred. They may have mounted an effective barricade.' She pointed towards the sealed doorway with an outstretched finger and the little ball flowed over in that direction. The door was indeed well sealed. Where they would normally spilt apart in the middle, someone had applied considerable heat to it and effectively welded it shut.

'So how do we get in?' I asked.

'Perhaps we won't need to. All we need to do is to check that they are alright. It is probably safer for them to be in there alone, than out here with us.' She began pacing around the room. Though she would not bend her head down, her eyes were clearly searching for something. I turned around and hit the door control. The entrance to the infirmary rolled shut. I placed as much as I was able to in front of the door. At least it would serve to block the entrance should someone else compromise the door controls and try and get inside.

Whilst I waited for her to find what she needed I thought back upon the days before all of this. The days before it had all gone wrong on Earth. I remembered the heat of those days. The thick atmosphere. The smell of carbon and dust. And yet despite all of this it had been a great time. It had been a good time. Adrian and I had been great friends. We had done everything together. We liked the same films. Enjoyed the same sports.

I had met him on my first year of college. He had appeared suddenly next to me in the entrance to the accommodation blocks. His hair was long and eyes a dazzling green. He was taller than me and had the most wonderful smile. Whenever he smiled it opened up a world of joy within the people that he was around. To many it seemed as though the world revolved around his smile. We had been friends for about two years when it happened. The story was simple. It always is. It is so much easier to destroy perfection that it is to make it.

We had been celebrating. It was a night out. The club music was pumping. The holos flashed mesmerising colours about the room. Half formed images made of light strobed around. We had left the building for some air. The back alleys had been dark. It was too late for street lighting, part of some efficiency drive. For a moment he had looked at me, our faces had gotten close, in an attempt to see the truth hidden behind each other's eyes. A group in the crowd had taken exception to this. Their eyes spoke of a hatred I had never know people could posses. They were armed. I shouted for Adrian to follow me. I ran and ran and ran until all the air seemed to have left me forever.

When I stopped I could not find him. He was nowhere to be seen. I looked around and around. I shouted his name at the top of my lungs. I searched for hours. Then I got the call. It was his mother. Apparently the gang had shot him five times. It was a miracle that he had survived. They said he may not ever recover. Perhaps it was a love story and perhaps it was not. I had loved many people and lost many people. But I had never felt a loss so keenly as this.

The truth was that he eventually recovered physically but never mentally. From that moment on, he could never see me again, nor even look at me. Each time he looked at me his eyes filled with a haunting mixture of despair and anger, and I hated myself for it. After that I went off the rails. There was no stopping me, not the drink, not the drugs. I never forgave myself and with a rising realisation I uncovered another truth within my life. I had spent all this time searching for my salvation, searching the depths of Bagata, searching the heights of Ascension and all I needed to redeem myself lay right here. Perhaps even a few meters away.

'Aha' exalted Blue Dawn. She was behind the reception desk staring intently at the screen. 'The systems beyond that door have been physically separated from the rest of the vessel. However there is still an old fibre line in place.'

'Why would there be a fibre line?' I asked quizzically.

'The creators of this vessel intended it to be extremely durable. Everything has a back-up. The final level of electronic redundancy is a small bandwidth line. It does not require much power and so it is likely to go undetected by saboteurs.' She began to play with some of the wiring. I noticed that she had taken apart part of the desk and was fiddling with the components that would have been sealed inside. Then I heard a series of beeps. They were at regular intervals from one another.

'h.e.l.lo,' a voice announced. 'Who is this?'

I could not recognise the voice. 'This is George Engeltine, Special Resources from Eternis Systems,' I replied. 'Are you okay in there?'