his hand. His "skin" glimmered and began to pour toward his fingers. Still flesh colored, it formed a wedge that protruded from his fingertips by ten centimeters. Then twenty. Then thirty.
Everyone in the tent stared in awe. As they did, Caesar quickly swept his hand across himself, slicing into the throats of two generals. He did the same to the third. Their blood sprayed into the air as a fine mist backed with the occasional thick spurt. Their bodies slumped forward and to the side. Prime Minister Somap's face was covered in red and he blinked furiously, as much to get it out of his eyes as out of sheer surprise.
Caesar turned toward him and let the blood of his victims fall from his hand-blade. Drip. Drip. Drip. It pooled in the sand before Somap and the old man watched the grains swirl in the puddle. Speaking low and quiet, the imperator asked, "Do you surrender?"
The prime minister was quaking and he nervously looked to his left at the fallen commanders. Without looking Caesar in the face, he quickly shook his head. "No." His voice was barely above a whisper.
He nodded briefly and retracted his right arm. Caesar lifted his left leg, leaned his body forward and thrust his right hand straight through Somap's chest and out his back. The sound that escaped his mouth was akin to a wet belch as the air from his lungs was expelled almost instantly and simultaneously drowned in blood. The imperator removed his arm, allowing the body to fall over.
The mayor of Pithardra was weeping violently and fell onto his side. Caesar stared at him for a moment before walking toward him. The mayor felt his approach and twitched, thinking his end had come. Maxentius placed the face of his hand-blade on the man's side, causing another twitch, before wiping the blood from it and onto the prisoner's shirt. Caesar then turned his hand over and did it again. The mayor continued to blubber as the emperor caused his "skin" to return to normal.
"Keep him prisoner," he said. "We might need him." A tribune nodded and Caesar stepped back onto his chariot.
He thought for a moment about the ramifications of what he'd done. No emperor had violated the "sanctitas soli" for twelve hundred years. Caesar looked through the Matrix to see who that was. Pertinax, he thought when he found it.
Despite the bombing of Pithardra and the legions of soldiers making their way north through the country, the imperator's few steps from his chariot officially claimed ownership of Nandia for Tiberia.
XXXIV
CRONUS
145 Years Before the End
"That hurts," Tethys said.
"Just a moment." The scientist pushed the probe further into her naked torso. The woman pressed against the restraints as much as she could. "Almost there." She turned her head far to the right and locked eyes with Cronus. She began to cry.
"That's enough."
Biv looked over at Cronus and smirked. He turned the probe again and heard a beep. "I'm finished." He withdrew the thin device causing Tethys' chest to heave and blood to pour from the wound and over her dark skin. She breathed heavily and more blood spilled to the table. She squeezed her eyes shut and began to sob.
"Finish your work!" Cronus yelled.
Biv turned and looked at him. He shook his head and said, "Hold on." He returned to the small table and removed a capsule from the probe he used. Then he walked to Tethys and wiped the small incision with a disinfectant pad. After applying a thin line of suture glue, he unclipped her restraints and walked out of the room. Tethys didn't move.
Cronus watched her. Anger made his skin flush and he grit his teeth. After a slow and deliberate deep breath, he asked, "How are you?"
Her weeping had been rather quiet, but now she became loud. She brought her arms to her chest, covering herself, and then she folded her legs under her. She didn't speak.
"It will get better."
Cronus moved his right arm against his restraint. His exam table was vertical and he had been bound there for over two hours. He was waiting for a technician to perform yet another test on him. He never returned.
Tethys rolled off her table and she gingerly reached toward a chair. Crouched over, she removed her robe from the back and slid into it. After regaining her composure, she stood straight and walked toward Cronus.
"I don't know how much more I can take."
Cronus nodded. As she undid his buckles, he said, "I'm working on something."
Thethys looked up at him and mumbled, "You've said that for a while now."
He didn't answer.
Once he was free, Cronus went to the hook on the back of the door and removed his robe. After putting his arms into it, he looked at Tethys. She was examining the incision through her open robe.
"Pericardium testing?"
She nodded. "There's some bacterial pericarditis in Eridia. It's killed hundreds."
"That doesn't excuse," frustrated, he waved his hand toward the table, "rape."
Tethys walked toward the door. "It could be worse. I could be Coeus."
Cronus licked his lips. "Yes."
They walked into the hall and passed by several darkened examination rooms. It was only when they returned to the Psilon's common room that they saw how late it was.
"Where the frak have you been?" Hyperion asked.
"Tied down," Cronus said. He pointed to Tethys and said, "Pericardium sampling."
Mnemosyne nodded knowingly. "I had that, too."
Theia asked, "What about you?"
Cronus shrugged and sat in a large chair. "I was strapped down hours ago. Kandall left and never came back." The Psilons scoffed and shook their heads.
Hyperion handed him a few slips of paper. "Did you see this?"
Cronus read the headline first. "Tiberia invades Nandia." His eyebrows lifted and he skimmed the first few paragraphs: "Citing Nandian espionage, the Caesar's forces … scientific advancements stolen from Tiberian laboratories … international community balks, saying such claims are without merit … expert said, 'It's a power grab by Maxentius IX …'"
The others began to talk amongst themselves while Cronus furrowed his brow and leaned against the pillowed arm of the chair. He tossed the papers to the table before holding his jaw and thinking, only listening occasionally to what the others said.
"We've been here for almost nine years. Nine years!"
"I don't know why you're acting surprised."
"It used to be better, though. I'm serious. We had freedom …"
"No, we didn't."
"We were at least allowed to ask questions. To suggest things. They don't let us do that now."
"They let us live here, together."
"But not before sterilization. That's not freedom."
"How many more times can they keep doing the same tests on us? Taking the same tissues and fluids?"
"They've stopped killing us. Testing the transfer systems."
"Only because they ran out of ways to kill us."
"When was the last time you talked to Dr. Baraz?"
Pause. Cronus realized they were talking to him. He shook his head. "I sent a message last month. I didn't hear back."
Phoebe stood up from the couch in a huff and marched toward a fish tank. "She's too busy with the government."
"Business, business."
"Not just that," Crius said. "She's still on them to do something about Tiberia and Ouranos."
"She's taking care of Gaia, too." Some of the Psilons scoffed, but Rhea kept talking. "She's one of us, in a way. She used to be where we are now. She still needs help."
"It doesn't matter," Iapetus began. "She's not here and she can't help us. At worst, she's not interested in helping us."
Cronus was tired. For so long, he tried to speak with Dr. Baraz and Dr. Hikka. Hikka was killed in an aeroplane crash years ago … Baraz became distracted by Ouranos and Gaia's abductions. What little contact he had with people who actually listened to him was gone. He glanced toward Coeus. A once-tall, proud, and brilliant man was now reduced to a quivering wrec
k. He sat in the corner, spinning a child's toy in his palm. "Psychological testing," they called it. The procedures, whatever they entailed, seemed to age him years in a matter of days.
Cronus stood up and opened his mouth to speak. He balled up his fists to muster the anger he needed to rally them.
"What's going on in here?"
The Psilons turned toward the hall and spotted one of the night guards. He looked at each of them before settling on Cronus. He jerked his head in a "come here" motion.
Keeping his fists tight, he slowly approached the shorter man. "Yes?"
After looking down the hallway once, the guard passed a small piece of paper to Cronus. He spoke barely above a whisper. "You dropped something." Then he turned away, standing just outside the door.
He unclenched his hands and unfolded the note.
"Cronus," it read, "I understand you're having difficulties at home. Perhaps you should come for a visit. We're ready for you." It was signed, "Ouranos."
Cronus grinned and turned slowly toward the Psilons.
"What is it?" Themis asked.
He didn't say anything. Cronus crossed the room and sat at the table beside Coeus. He was still playing with a brightly colored sphere. The Psilons gathered behind him as he spoke.
"Coeus." He didn't answer. Slowly, Cronus reached up and took the toy from Coeus' hand. He grunted and tried to take it back. Cronus passed it over his shoulder and Oceanus grabbed it. After putting his hand gently on Coeus', he said, "Are you listening to me?"
Coeus studied the other man's hand for a moment. Then Cronus began to slowly stroke the tops of his knuckles before patting it. Coeus looked up, wide eyed, and nodded.
Cronus smiled and said, "Good." He leaned forward. "Are you tired of this place?"
Coeus looked around and seemed pensive.
"What about the exam rooms?" Immediately, Coeus moaned and began to withdraw. "Yes, yes," Cronus said as he started to calm him down. "I understand. You don't want to go there again?"
Coeus shook his head violently.
"Good." Cronus looked at his fellow Psilons and ordered, "Bring me a pencil and paper." He glanced at Coeus and said, "A pillow, too." While a couple turned away to retrieve the items, Cronus patted Coeus' hand again. "I have a plan."
XXXV
BARAZ
145 Years Before the End
Karin stared at Coeus' body. Though his expression was one of peace, his hair was scraggly, his fingernails were very long and he seemed emaciated. This wasn't the man she knew.
"Dr. Baraz," Tim Solon said as he placed his hand on her arm, "the investigators say they're ready for us."
She nodded without removing her gaze from Coeus. She followed her assistant to the doorway of the Psilons' common room and found Inspector Rhodes there.
"Doctor," he said, "good morning."
"And you."
"Let's go in order." He flipped a page in his notebook and pointed to the body. "Just before twenty, Coeus was smothered. More than likely by the pillow found next to him." Baraz glanced back toward the unattended corpse. "We verified this thanks to the computers in your laboratory."
"Right," Baraz said. Her mind had been racing since she got the call hours ago. She tried regulating her breathing so she could observe everything in a detached manner. It wasn't working.
"The guard, Nicholas Dore, led the remaining eleven through the corridors," he started walking. Baraz and Solon followed him. "Into the lab."
Typically closed off and requiring special clearance, the main door was open and several officers and inspectors were loitering in what had been a clean environment. "Inspector," Karin said, "can some of your people please wait outside? I'd prefer to not contaminate our research more than it already has been."
"Sure," he snapped his fingers and the crew left their huddle. "Head up top and see if Kyle needs you for anything." They nodded and departed.
"Thank you," Baraz said.
"There was a struggle here," Rhodes pointed at an overturned tray and its spilled contents. "The group then forced the three researchers into this small exam room here on the left."
They crossed the space to the empty lab. Two tables were pressed against the far wall. An office chair was overturned. Belts and straps littered the floor. Rhodes held up a computer slate, showing the images of the three unconscious technicians. Biv, Aemon and … what was the third man's name?
"They were drugged, strapped down, and tortured."
"'Tortured?'" Solon asked. "How?"
"One, Rod Kandall, just had syringes jabbed into his limbs. The other two …" his eyes widened and he flipped a page. "Nicanor Biv had a medical probe inserted in his rectum and he was covered in a thick liquid. Nathan Aemon had a probe forced down his throat." Solon shook his head as Rhodes continued, "They'll be fine. It sounds more disturbing than it probably was. They were … drugged before all that."
Karin looked around the room and didn't see what she was looking for. "I was told that a note was left behind."
Rhodes nodded and pressed a few lights on the panel. "Yes. It was attached to Biv's clothes." He turned the rectangle around so she could see.
It was Cronus' handwriting. Karin recognized that much. What it described, though, seemed completely alien.
"For years, we have been trapped in this facility. For years, we have been tested on as though we were little more than animals. We have been treated as less than human. We have been sterilized so that we cannot engage in the most basic of human behaviors. We have been treated as mere equipment. Our blood, bile, flesh, and bone are used to cure sick people, but we aren't asked to help. We give no input. We contribute nothing besides our very beings. We have been used for target practice to test our download systems and we've been put through psychological trials that would break the greatest minds of man … it did break the greatest mind among us. Enough. We have been offered sanctuary and we will take it."
"If Karin Baraz bothers to return, tell her she should be ashamed."
She lowered the computer pane and stepped back, leaning her shoulder against the wall. The inspector saw her expression and he held his head low. He organized the notebook for a moment, allowing Baraz time to compose herself.
Her mind reeled yet again. Breathe deeply. I was gone too long. I was helping with Gaia. I was busy petitioning the Dorian and Tiberian ambassadors. I wasn't paying attention to what was going on here.
"Can we proceed, doctor?" Rhodes asked.
Karin nodded. Solon moved toward her to console her, but she waved him off.
"They left this room and moved back into the main lab, toward the canisters in the back here." They walked into the cavernous, mostly white laboratory, their steps echoing in the darkness. In the rear of the room, a few dozen tightly packed casks were lined up. Lights glowed within a golden gel. Silhouettes of the bodies inside lay hidden. Baraz stared down into one of them.
"I must say, everyone on my team was a bit surprised at all of this," Rhodes said. "We knew you had artificial people like Ouranos and Gaia, but this …" he motioned at the canisters. "No idea." He walked down one of the rows and stopped at one. The golden light seemed to be brighter than the others. There was no silhouette within.
"Coeus?" Tim asked.
"Yes," Karin said. "This body was awakened when the other was killed in the common room." But, she thought, would he still be psychologically damaged as Cronus suggested the other body had been?
"It was almost twenty-thirty when this canister was opened," the inspector said.
Karin squinted. "That's too long." She pressed a few buttons on the side. "Coeus transferred to this body at nineteen fifty-seven." Rhodes nodded. "He sat inside for half an hour?"
"Apparently."
Baraz turned and looked around the lab. "He was part of the plan."
"How so?"
Karin turned back and said, "I believe that the Psil
on … the man who awoke here, was psychologically damaged by experiments he was put through. The others killed him in the common room, hoping that being in a new body might cure him of those ailments."
"Right," the inspector said. "Would it?"
"It would depend on the nature of the damage." She thought more and looked around. "He didn't get out of the pod, though. It may not have been safe." Baraz wandered among the casks, looking at the panels and around the seals. She saw a glint of light on the floor. When she bent down, she realized it was a splatter of the golden ichor in which the bodies waited.
Karin stood and looked at the Psilon container nearest the spill. It was a Phoebe. She touched the controls and saw that the hatch had been opened at nineteen forty-nine.
"Oh, no."
She opened the top and looked at the unconscious, empty Phoebe inside. It was hard to see, but Baraz was able to tell that she had been disturbed. Her connections were pulled to one side, her hair was mussed, her legs were apart.
Karin slammed the lid down and took a deep breath. "Inspector, you'll need to get a technician down here to perform a sexual assault exam on this one."
Rhodes was stunned but he complied. Baraz and Solon sat down in a small administrative office for another three hours while the officers did their work.
"Dr. Baraz," the inspector began as he first entered the room, "I think we've got that part of things figured out."
"Nicanor Biv," Karin said. "He's the one who assaulted her."
Rhodes looked up and nodded. He ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Yes. That explains the gel on his body and clothes. And he admitted to it when an officer asked him at the hospital a short while ago." The inspector sat down and propped his head up on his left arm as he flipped through his notes. "Back to the chronology of everything, …"
"I've had time to think," Karin said. "Coeus remained in his canister because he saw or heard Biv with Phoebe nearby. Then there was the commotion. Cronus and the others entering the bay, attacking and gathering up the technicians that were there. Only when Cronus came to the canister did Coeus get out. As they planned."
Rhodes nodded. "Makes the most sense. And then there's the datacubes."
Baraz's head jerked up, "'Datacubes?'"
"Yes," the inspector cleared his throat and continued. "Judging by the empty slots, at least forty-two cubes were removed from the main computer room."
"Show me."
Minutes later, they were one level down and looking at a mass of processors and wires. The drawers were still open. The panels of the drawer were colored a deep black but mirrored slots with lights dotted the base. Cubes were missing from six drawers.
"Do you know what data was on them?"
Dr. Baraz was leaning against a column. She blinked very slowly. "Yes." She was so tired. "Data relating to … Psilons. How to make them. Their memories. A little bit of everything."
"And from here," Rhodes said, "the guard, Dore, got them out of the compound and to two waiting vehicles."
Karin lifted her head off her desk. How did I get back here? She looked around and saw that it was fifteen. The afternoon, again. She shook her head and pressed a button on her wrist. "Tim?"
She heard movement outside her door and then Solon entered, yawning. "Yes,