Redemption Protocol (Contact) (84 page)

The shut down control was situated on the dais – she didn't even need to access one of the panels. It was childishly simple compared to her earlier challenges. She shut it down.

She ran to the transparent overlay and peered through. She couldn't see anything. The ball of light slowed and shrunk. She willed it to dissipate faster but it wouldn't. She waited impatiently as it faded.

With a sudden jerk, the carousel resumed its rotation. She looked through the widening gap.

“Havoc?”

Nothing.

“Havoc?”

Nothing.

She glanced behind her at the console. It might be crazy but there was no way she could leave here without checking properly.

She climbed into the carousel. Her suit glowed as she entered the field. She thought that if Havoc had been lifted into the spinning vortex there would be nothing left of him. Literally nothing.

She swallowed as her stomach fluttered.

“Havoc?”

 229. 

Admiral Szabo was joined by his Ship Captain and Vice Commander at the window. They watched the gravitational anomaly dissolving inward like a sugar cube in tea. The patch of darkness receded as light began to pass through its outer reaches. The process accelerated and then there was nothing.

Szabo squinted.

“Nothing?” the Ship Captain said.

The Vice Commander pointed.

“We have something now.”

A tiny point appeared. The point grew, spreading outward. It sparkled in the light.

“What is it?” the Ship Captain said.

Szabo clicked his fingers and pointed at the screen beside the window.

“Magnify that.”

The screen next to the window illuminated with a glowing ball of scintillating gold. The shimmering ball expanded. The image continued to shift as the magnification increased. It looked like a million motes of gold in fluid suspension, reflecting and refracting the light.

Szabo didn’t like it one bit.

“Is it moving?”

The Ship Captain shook his head.

“Negative, Comrade Admiral. It is only growing, perhaps resuming its normal size.”

“Are you sure?”

The Ship Captain frowned.

“Perhaps it is moving now.”

Szabo studied the image.

“Flattening?”

“Yes. It seems to be.”

Szabo checked the orientation of the seething alien nebula.

“Presenting itself to the light?”

“Perhaps it seeks energy?” the Vice Commander said.

“Send a drone in.”

“Yes, Comrade Admiral.”

 230. 

Weaver dropped amongst the silver pillars on the floor of the carousel.

“Havoc?”

She couldn't see him. She wondered at the nature of the field as it shimmered around her. The nape of her neck tingled as she advanced slowly. She saw something over on the far side.

“Havoc?”

She hurried forward. It was a boot. She hoped it was connected to something. She got closer. Havoc lay on his back.

“Ugghhh.”

Weaver smiled brightly as she knelt down beside him.

“Havoc. It's me. I saved you.”

“Steph?”

“What?”

“Ugghgh.”

“Havoc, it's Weaver. I just saved you.”

He squinted at her.

“Hi Weaver.”

“Come on. We need to reach Tyburn.”

“Tyburn will be gone.”

“No, he's not the same any more.”

“What?”

Weaver gazed upward.

“This place is amazing, Havoc. Did you see what Abbott was doing in here?”

“Did I...?”

“I wonder what it is?”

Havoc sat up and blinked his eyes.

“It's a quantum vessel.”

She frowned at his suit. It was covered in burns and pockmarked by shells. It looked like he'd been shot in the shoulder.

“Oh, Havoc, you look awful.”

He gave her a wounded look.

She gazed around in wonder.

“Do you really think this is some kind of... quantum vessel. How would you know that?”

“Abbott told me.”

Her eyes widened.

“It wanted to communicate with you. That’s amazing.”

“It wasn’t that amazing, trust me.”

She felt breathless.

“Macroscopic quantum effects. That’s incredible.”

Havoc shook his head to clear it.

“Maybe when you see it from the outside.”

She projected a triangle from her gauntlet onto the wall.

“Oh my.”

Havoc stood up.

“Right, Weaver, we have to go.”

“Oh my. Havoc, look.”

Havoc turned slowly as he surveyed the rim of the carousel above them.

“It's awfully quiet here, Weaver. That can't be good, trust me.”

Weaver pointed. She was barely able to contain herself.

“
Havoc look at that. It's absolutely incredible
.”

Havoc looked.

“At the triangle?”

She nodded excitedly.

“Yes.”

Havoc looked at the triangle. She stared at it with him, open mouthed. He looked back at her.

“Weaver, are you alright?”

She could barely contain herself.

“Havoc, look at the angles. They add up to a hundred and eighty two degrees. Space is curving here,
seriously
curving
.”

Havoc frowned at her.

“Amazing. You've got the pictures. Let's go.”

She stared, confounded.

He lifted her up.

“Put your feet down for me, my little nerd.”

She lowered her feet to the floor. Her mind spun with the possibilities. Was it an instrumentation failure? Was there a genuine unknown phenomenon here? How could this possibly be happening?

“Weaver, we need to go.”

“Hmm.”

Havoc gave her a gentle push and she took a couple of paces. Havoc jumped on top of a pillar. He extended his hand to pull her up.

“Thanks, Weaver. You saved my ass.”

She grinned as she stuck out her hand.

“Yes, I did.”

He lifted her up and out of the carousel ahead of him. She turned toward him as he clambered out.

“But don't think I've forgotten you called me Steph.”

He turned in a slow circle, scanning.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“When are you going to move on, Havoc?”

He shook his head as he jogged toward the exit.

~    ~    ~

They ran along deserted corridors, shrieks of wind mixing with their footsteps in the dark passages. Weaver’s stomach turned at the bodies of Gathering and ORC soldiers strewn about. The building was a tomb now. She reflected on what had happened.

“I think Tyburn has changed for the better.”

“No.”

“He told you about Ekker.”

“He'd written Ekker off.”

“He helped us get in here.”

“Did he take the Scepter?”

“Yes.”

“Probably his plan all along.”

“No, I don't think so.”

“Remember you're talking about a guy who nuked two billion of his own people. He's a genocidal maniac, even if he's personable.”

“I don't see it.”

Havoc grunted.

“It's a common mistake.”

“I'm going to see if he'll lift us out of here.”

“I wouldn't do that. He could use our location.”

“Tyburn, it's Weaver.”

Havoc shook his head in disapproval. They emerged through the majestic arches of the southern entrance. Havoc pointed and they ran in the direction of the shuttle. Tyburn responded.

“Weaver. Are you out?”

“Yes.”

“We have Gathering nukes incoming. Tell us where you are. We'll pick you up.”

“Ok.”

“Don't worry I've got your location, we're on approach. Who is that with you?”

“Havoc.”

There was a pause.

Tyburn’s tone was scathing.

“You really don't get it do you, Weaver? You're as naïve as your father.”

“My father?”

The ORC spear lifted over the rise ahead of them with its engines howling. Dust swirled around it. Tyburn hung out of the side door with the Scepter in his free hand.

Havoc surveyed the weaponry along the front of the ORC vehicle.

“Big mistake.”

Weaver looked up at Tyburn.

“You knew my father?”

Tyburn shook his head.

“Briefly. He didn't have a lot to say. That was the problem.”

She couldn’t express the emotions welling up inside her.

“Then why did you take him?”

“Because we never considered that the 'Weaver' on the intercepts might be his daughter.”

Weaver’s hand covered her mouth.

Tyburn glanced upward.

“Gathering nukes incoming Weaver, followed by your Diss. Tell Havoc to report to gate six.”

“Are you going to lift us out of here?”

Tyburn held the Scepter up.

“I’ve got all I need.”

The engines on the ORC spear screamed. Tyburn swung back inside as it lifted rapidly away. Weaver watched the ORC spear shrink to a speck.

Havoc ran toward their shuttle.

“Come on, we haven't got long.”

Weaver stared up at the sky with a determined look. Her lip trembled.

“Be careful what you wish for Tyburn.”

She ran after Havoc.

~    ~    ~

Weaver followed Havoc into the shuttle. Havoc turned to her as she took her helmet off.

“Can you keep it on for me, at least until we're out of here?”

She tapped her visor and gave him a questioning look.

He shrugged.

“I wouldn't. Your call.”

She retracted her visor.

He moved into the cabin. Systems lit up across the cockpit. She stepped to the side as Havoc dragged Ekker's body to the rear.

“What's gate six?” she asked.

Havoc looked somber.

“We fought a three year campaign in Ngreao. Bloody and awful. We lived in orbit. Gate six was where they loaded the corpses for shipping home.”

She didn't know where it came from.

“Why do you hang out with such awful people?”

Havoc stopped at the doorway with his hands under Ekker's armpits. He looked confused.

She shook her head.

“Sorry that came out wrong. I mean, I just mean...
why
do you hang out with such awful people
?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Let me get rid of this one while I think about it.”

He disappeared toward the lock. She raised her voice, unnecessarily, as she called after him.

“In the end it will rub off on you.”

“Good point,” he shouted back.

“I'm serious.”

“I can tell.”

“Bad things happen to bad people,” she shouted.

“Uh huh. But sometimes bad things happen to good people as well.”

“No they don––”

The side of the cockpit squeezed inward like a crumpled ball of paper. The light and sound were incredible. The last thing Weaver remembered was the pilot's seat lifting up and smashing her in the face.

 231. 

Weaver awoke with a start. She tried to move her head. It was immobile. Someone was holding her head. She breathed. She was breathing in pure oxygen. A mask was being pressed over her face. The rest of her head felt exposed.

“She's conscious,” a voice said.

It was a man's voice. A strange accent.

What was going on? She felt concussed. Her head hurt. Her body had vened a mass of stimulants to revive her or someone had injected them into her. Even so, her head spun and yawed. She was looking skyward through the roof of the shuttle. The ceiling was curled and torn like orange peel.