Chains of Loss (17 page)

Kailyn thought for a moment.  “If you didn’t have a theory of your own, she’d be down here with a cage.”

The Hand didn’t even bother denying it.  “We wish to learn.  And if we shared our theories, we might taint your perception.  So for now, keep care of her, watch her, and let us know what happens.”

“And what of him?”  Kailyn waved back towards the prison cell - one of so many she’d already lost track of which one it was.

“We wish to be sure of some...other things.  After which, we will dispose of him.  For what he knows, we can’t let him leave alive.”

Kailyn shrugged.  “Good enough for me.”

***

Friday, October 27, 3481.

Time: Afternoon. 

Location: Wilderness claimed by Overarchy.  South of Worldsedge.

Derek fought to keep from bawling.  After ten real seconds of conversation, Shadow had logged off, terminating their connection; he was alone again.  He couldn't log off until he'd calmed down, or he'd moodcrash.

Mycah wouldn’t understand his loneliness.  Not yet, at least, and he couldn’t use her Shadow for solace; it was already too heavily imprinted on him instead of on her. 

He needed something to distract himself.  Moping about Shadow’s departure would only compound the loss and delay his return to calm.  The probe/transmitter was still in the air; he might as well take a new map at the same time. 

He accessed the sensors and ordered a sweep, then waited for the map to form.  They’d made some fifty klicks’ worth of progress from the crash site, mostly headed north.  Another day or so would bring them to a steep cliff.  The scans were at the wrong angle to see what was at the base of the cliff – which he assumed to be their destination.   

His Shadow had asked a number of questions that had disturbed Derek about how little he knew.  Where were they going, anyway?  Why were orcs hostile?  What did they
do
?  What was magic, and what could it accomplish?

Derek zoomed in to a twelve-kilometer radius.  The resolution was good enough that he could detect signs of habitation.  Roads crossed the landscape, connecting isolated buildings and fields. 

He looked closer.  The roofs were – what in
Tarus
had that been?

***

             
Mycah took a deep breath, testing the air.  The world
looked
and
smelled
normal – but so had the simulation.  Could she really tell the difference?  She couldn’t afford to worry if what she was doing was real. 

             
She turned back to Derek.  He was still staring upwards at the device, arms stretched towards the sky.  Was he still in the simulation?  How could she wake him, if he was?  He suddenly flinched and spoke.

“Mycah, I need you to look at this.  Back into simulation; we might need to be fast.” 

“Hhhhhhh,” she began, but her mouth and lips slowed.  What was going on?

[Sorry about that, I thought you might need my help here.]

I – how can – Ah, that’s how I talk to you?

[You’re a natural, kid!  Anyway, I realize Derek’s Shadow neglected to mention that the rush isn’t just for simulations.  We can do it in the real world too; Derek does it all the time.]

Why can’t I move?

[You can.  It’s just…not very easy.  If you try really hard – or if we dial the rush back a bit – you’ll have a bit more normal perception of movement.  To anyone
not
in the rush, you’ll be moving fast.]

That could be amazingly useful.

[Yeah, but it’s nothing to use lightly.  If you try it without proper preparation or care, you’ll make it two or three steps before you’ve torn every muscle in your legs.]

But…that’s what you’re here for, right?

[Exactly this kind of thing, yes.  But, Derek gave you a sim invite.  You want to join him?]

If I say no?

[I give him a polite message saying you didn’t want to come.]

Just asking.  Send me in.
 

[When you get in there, ask if I’m allowed too.  He didn’t send it to me and I’m curious.]

Will do.

Mycah found herself in a metal room.  Nearly every surface in the room was polished to a mirror-like sheen.  Derek stood in the middle, looking down at a table.

“Derek?  My Shadow wants in.”

He didn’t look up.  “Let her in, then.  What’s this?”  He pointed at the table.

The table’s surface held a single picture, life-sized.  She shrugged.  “Well, it looks like an angel.”

“And what’s that?”

She regarded her companion with alarm.  “You really don’t know?”

“No.  I’ve heard the word before, but what IS it?”

“Well.”  She reached back into her novitiate training.  It had been a  long time since she’d thought about it.  “Angels are God’s servants.  They’re – shit.  Messengers?  They also bring plagues.  Why do you ask?”

“Because there’s one about two klicks from where we’re standing in the real world.”

The words sank in.  “But – but angels aren’t real!”

“What?”  He turned to her with a grave expression.  “That's what I thought – but there's one on the scanner!”

“You’re joking, aren’t you?  It’s not really there?”

“I wish.  I have no idea – I figured that you’d just left out details about some other race.  Please tell me that’s what happened.  I’ve just come to grips with the idea of magic existing.  Proof of a specific religion is a
bit
more than I think I can handle right now.”

“No, I’ve never seen it – ”  She cut off her sentence.  “It’s wearing…I don’t believe it.”

“What?  Can you tell me that the world makes sense now?”

“No.  I need a better look at its sleeves.”  The picture adjusted.  Mycah saw that the angel was moving – very slowly.  The angle wasn’t quite right, but she thought she could see…  “Not good enough.  I need a clearer view of what it’s wearing.  Any way to get a better look?”

“If we tone down the rush, it’ll get to move some more.”

“Make it so.” 

The angel flapped its wings in slow motion, raising itself upwards.  The view stopped with a perfect view of its chest.

She shook her head.  “I have no idea what the hell it is, but it’s not a literal angel.  I don’t think they’re looking for work.  See those?”  She pointed, her fingers a few centimeters from the creature’s chest.  “I know those.  The two X’s - that’s a Coalition badge.  The defending army; my father was a member.  The green one there is a Kaitopolis badge.  I don’t know what the third one is, but considering that it’s wings around the letter K, it may be self-explanatory.”

“Kaitopolis again?”

“Maybe.  Anyway it – ”  She looked again.  “She should be friendly, if she finds us.  Just let me do the talking.”

“Fine with me.  Should I try to get her attention?”

“I think it would be safe, if you can be sure nobody else will notice.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”  The mirrored room melted into the real world.

[What’s going on?] Mycah’s Shadow interjected. 

We – Oh! I didn’t know how to invite you.  There’s an angel coming.

[No, really, what’s going on?] 

I mean it.  It looks like an angel, at least.  We’re trying to get it to come over here.

[Huh.  Sounds interesting.  I’ll teach you how to control sims while we wait.]

***

Derek finished relaying instructions to the probe, surveyed his handiwork, and slipped closer to normal time.  The web reshaped itself into the same offset-double-X that the angel was wearing, hovering two kilometers up.  He started bringing it down, but kept its sensors trained on the creature. 

He watched it in flight, mapping out the means that kept it aloft.  Mycah hadn’t known about it either, but she knew the organizations with which it was affiliated.  That implied that it was new – but
how
new?  It abided by the laws of aerodynamics for its flight.  If Derek had seen it in New Athens, he would have felt only mild surprise – but here? 

It could have been descended from genetically engineered humans.  The world was a big place; if a few had been produced before civilization fell, maybe some were tucked away in obscure places.  If they’d been keeping to themselves, Mycah might not have heard of them.

The hope that grew in his heart was entirely different.  He could do something like that with nanosurgery.  If he could, so could any other New Athenian.  Was he really alone?

It hadn’t seen yet, so he started the probe spinning.  He could tell the exact moment that the angel saw; the look of confusion was inescapable.  In response, he bounced the probe a couple times, then eased off on the magnetic grapple, lowering it to the ground at a controlled rate.

***

The angel lowered itself in an abrupt dive over their position, then turned it into a momentum-killing upward curve.  She circled at low altitude, then glided off to the west.

“There’s a clearing over there.  She probably wants to land.  C’mon!”  Derek had a significant spring in his step as he led.  Mycah followed, unsure of what she was going to say. 

She was sure that the wings around the ‘K’ meant House Keiths.  She didn’t much
like
House Keiths – not anymore.  She could be civil, at least, but the entire city of Kaitopolis had left her with a stomachache. 

Derek was right; the angel made an unexpectedly awkward landing in the clearing, then recovered its balance, as if pretending that nothing had happened.  They stopped a good five meters back. 

Mycah broke the silence.  “My name is Mycah, of Fae Lake.  Who – and what – are you?”

“Hello, Mycah – ” She stopped and frowned.  “You – did you just leave Kaitopolis a few…never mind, couldn’t be.  I’m Corporal Norah, battle seraph of Kaitopolis. 

“And you, sir,” she said, pointing to Derek, “Must be him, aren’t you?  Aurolan?”

Derek cocked his head to the side.  “Who?”

Mycah shook her head.  “No, he’s not Aurolan, but I did leave Kaitopolis a few weeks ago.  Doesn’t matter, though; you still haven’t really told me what you are.”

“I’m a battle seraph.  A kind of Kharai – wait.  Did you leave before the third?”

Mycah thought a moment.  “Yes.  The night of the first.”

“Ahh.  Lord Michael only publicly revealed the Kharai on the third.  I was sent off to the Coalition that night, myself.”

“So what are you?”

“We’re a new kind of humans.” 

Derek spoke up.  “You weren’t born with those wings, were you?”

Norah smiled.  “No, you’re right.  Lord Michael gave them to me.”

“What type of procedure?”

“Oh, it’s complicated stuff; they didn’t really explain it to me – ”

“They gave you something to drink, probably.  Made sure you’d had a big meal – plenty of meat and tough green vegetables.  You woke up and it was done, but it probably took a few extra days before it was full strength.”  Derek regarded the strange woman with a critical eye.  “Your bones are close to unbreakable, aren’t they?  I’d have to guess they used an organic fullerene lattice to compensate for them being hollow.  Probably diamond-coated to reduce your exposure to toxins.  Or did they use titanium instead?  Not as strong or as light, but biocompatible.  More convenient.” 

The seraph’s jaw had fallen open.  She finally managed to squeak out, “What?”

“Oh, just figuring out how it was done.  Or, how I’d do it at least.  They only convert one person at a time, don’t they?  All in the same location.”

“Uh—”  Norah’s eyes were wide.  “I, uh, really can’t tell you about that!”

“Yeah.  You probably need a lift to get in the air, don’t you?  Wings of that size probably can’t quite manage a takeoff from a standing start.”

“I…I…who ARE you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  My name is Derek Kazenushi, of New Athens.  Have you heard of it?”

“N-no.” 

Derek’s face fell.  “Well, I think you might’ve met someone else from there.  Have you seen anyone wearing something like this?”  He gestured at his suit and it rippled in response.

“I don’t remember anyone, but I – ”

“You’re sure?”

“No, why?”

Mycah cut in.  “Yes, Derek,
why
?  What are you doing?”

“I think I know how they gave her wings.  Another New Athenian could do it.”

“Wait, you mean you could do that?”  Mycah waved at the seraph.

“Probably.  It’d take a few weeks – maybe just a day if I had my ship.  The other ship must be fine…”  He frowned.  “How long have you had wings?”

“Almost a year!”

“Huh.  Well, faster than light, I suppose.”  He shook his head, deep in thought.