Chapter 10 Revelations
It was impossible to tell how deep the lift had taken them. It was fast and smooth, but offered no reference points to judge the speed and depth of the descent they had made. They stepped out into a wide empty corridor and continued to follow the trail of lights laid out before them.
Harvey turned to Bryn as he chewed a protein bar. “God I'm sick of these things, I'd kill for a proper meal right now.”
He barely finished speaking when the trail of lights ahead of them went out and one of the doors off to their left opened up. Without waiting for Bryson to give the all clear, David poked his head inside and laughed. His laughter echoing through the empty lifeless halls. “Looks like someone was listening Harvey, it's a mess hall.”
They followed David inside and looked around what appeared to be a large mess hall or restaurant capable of seating several hundred people. The tables were made of polished rock and seemed to grow organically out of the floor. The chairs looked to be made in a similar way to the tables until you touched them and discovered they were soft and warm to the touch, defying analysis. There were a series of dispensing machines running down either wall. The nearest bank to them powered up and came to life. David wandered over and inspected them. The upper half consisted of a large touch screen that displayed a list of dishes complete with pictures that could be called up. David selected strawberry ice-cream and hit the vend key. The machine emitted a slight hum and moments later the opaque door in the lower half of the vending machine slid open and a tray with a bowl of fresh ice-cream emerged.
David picked up the spoon and tasted it. “Wow, that's good. I mean really good. Anyone want to try some?” he continued bringing the tray over to where they were standing as they crowded round him for a sample. “There's plenty more where that came from.”
Bryson looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.
He sighed. “Okay everyone, let’s take a break, you've got one hour and remember this is a mission not a holiday. So don't get too comfortable or I'll have Bryson get you doing press-ups and a circuit of the mess hall.”
“Interesting.” said Anna looking across at Carol's screen as they stood side-by-side at the vending machines trying to figure out what to order. “The display seems to tailor itself to the physiology and personal tastes of the individual. My menu's completely different to yours”
“Huh?” Said Carol trying to decide between pasta and lasagna.
“As your doctor I'd recommend this.” she continued indicating the Zucchini Lasagna. “It’s low carb.”
“Well in that case I'll have the farfalle al salmone.” Carol said playfully stabbing the screen with her finger. “What are you having?” she added furrowing her brow. “I can't even pronounce half of what's on your screen, is it alien?”
“Ancient Earth. French. A passion of mine before the war. It’s been so long I can't decide. I wonder what the chef would recommend?” The screen automatically highlighted a selection and a few moments later presented her with a steaming plate of Petit Sale aux Lentils.
Lucy who was standing behind them laughed, there was an uneasy edge to it. “Just what the doctor ordered I’m beginning to think our guardian angel knows us better than we do.”
“Well with food this good.” said Carol between mouthfuls of pasta as Lucy punched in her selection and they moved off towards a table. “It can be a demon for all I care.”
Bryson came and sat opposite him, it was just the two of them at the table. “Not eating?” he asked as he tucked into his beef stew.
He shook his head, sipping the large cappuccino he'd ordered. “Not hungry. It's a long time since I've seen them this happy.” he gestured towards the small groups clustered round the tables.
“It’s a long time since they've eaten this well. Their uneasy though.” he put his spoon down. “They're worried about you, you've changed since we came down here.”
“Changed?” he leaned forward so no one else could hear what they were discussing. “How so?”
Bryson sighed. “You’re more introspective, moody, erratic even. The nearer we get to the truth, if that's where this is really leading us, the darker your mood gets.” he paused for a moment. “And the headaches they're getting worse aren't they?”
He nodded. “Is it that obvious?”
“Perhaps not to everyone, but refusing the medical back up there was a mistake.” he pointed upward with his spoon. “It’s like you’re afraid of the truth or have something to hide.”
“Is that what you think!”
There was a brief pause as people stopped eating and turned to their table. He'd raised his voice without realising.
Bryson waited for everyone to resume their food and conversations. “No, but some of them do, and it scares them. They've fought alongside you, put their lives on the line for you, but they’ve never seen you like this before.”
Lucy poked Anna in ribs and pointed her fork in their general direction. “Boy talk, why do they have to be so serious all the time.”
Anna was about to respond when there was a commotion at a table off to their right. Several people were standing up to see what the fuss was about. A strange flexible multi-armed robot resembling an octopus had appeared was busy clearing the tables, sweeping up the trays and cleaning the tables with its tentacles. Emptying the waste into what, if had been an octopus, appeared to be its mouth before scuttling off to wherever it had come from. It was such a preposterous sight they couldn't help but laugh.
“At least it’s got them laughing.” Anna replied. “He's not been right since we got down here and its starting to spook everyone.”
“Crap!” said Carol, the comm unit on her wrist was flashing. “Don't know how under all this rock, but I've got an incoming message from Luther. Better tell the boss.”
She was barely out of her seat when one of the ubiquitous information screens above the vendors came to life. The image was shaky and dust could be seen falling from the ceiling as the underground room in which Luther was stationed seem to vibrate at irregular intervals.
“This is Luther can you hear me. The planet is under attack, repeat the planet is under attack.”
Everyone's attention was focused on the screen.
He was out of his seat in a flash. “Carol can we get a line back to him?”
“I'm trying. Luther can you hear me, what's happening?”
“It started a few minutes ago, the planet is being systematically bombarded by an alien force and they've issued an ultimatum. They’re going to destroy a settlement every hour on the hour until we surrender the boss into their custody.”
“It's a trick, it has to be, they’re using the planetary defence gird on the planet, the bastards.” cried David. “I'd recognise the signature of those explosions anywhere.”
“Perhaps.” said Luther. “But you need to see this.”
He punched a button and linked them into the newscast. The same blond reporter they'd seen in the earlier report was once again broadcasting from New Hope. Although her blue uniform was now crumpled and dirty and her hair distinctly dishevelled. The scene behind her was wracked by explosions and fires. There was debris in the streets, people running, shouting and screaming. The camera vibrated violently as a near-by explosion shook the ground. She nodded tensely to the cameraman and began speaking.
“We're reporting live from New Hope. Just over an hour ago a combined task force of Talmari, Hyneari and Onggar ships entered the Anobar system, disabled the planetary defence grid and laid siege to the planet, before issuing an ultimatum. They will destroy the Anobar colony one settlement at a time until this man, an intergalactic criminal is handed over to them.” There was a collective gasp, as a familiar hooded figure filled the screen. “We now go live to Commander-in-Chief Jasper for an update.”
They were treated to picture of Jasper standing arms folded amidst a badly damaged bridge, fire suppression teams and damage control crews running around in the background.
“
People of Anobar following an unprovoked surprise attack by a combined fleet of alien ships our defences have been disabled. In response to this unprovoked act of aggression Malstrom's primary battle fleet is inbound to engage and repel the enemy forces. In the meantime we are endeavouring to bring our own defences back on line while we attempt to negotiate an end to these hostilities.”
He paused for effect as an exploding console blew a crew member across the room.
“However the combined alien fleet has made it clear that this man.” his picture flashed up on the screen again. “The leader of the so called rebellion must be handed over if hostilities are to cease. To some he is a hero, to many more he is a dangerous and wanted criminal, who travels by many different names, when he chooses to give himself one.” A series of near identical images of the same figure all wearing the signature hooded cloak flashed up on screen with different names, Jones, Harrison and so on with a long list of crimes under each one. “Help us to help you, surrender him to our forces and end this bloodshed now.”
The screen cut back to the reporter who had slipped into an armoured suit while Jasper had been speaking. “The bombardment is intensifying, we're being told to evacuate the settlement. No one knows where they will strike next. If anyone, anyone at all, knows where this man is you can stop this now by contacting Malstrom security forces”
There was another large explosion nearby and the transmission was lost in a sea of static. Luther's face reappeared on the screen.
“Propaganda and lies, all of it, it has to be.” said Lucy. “They're levelling the plant with the defence grid to get to us.”
“Well whatever it is its working.” Luther snapped back. “We've already lost contact with several of our people in settlements across the planet, people are grassing on them and turning them in. What do we do?”
“Make it stop, Make it stop!” he yelled clutching his head and falling to his knees banging his head against the floor.
“Quick.” yelled Bryson “Restrain him.”
Bryn and Andrews raced over and wrestled with him trying to prevent him harming himself they were quickly joined by Bryson, Harvey and two others before they had him under control.
Anna was by his side scanning him. “He's off the scale. I've never seen brain activity like this. He's burning up, if it doesn't stop, it'll kill him.”
“Can you given him something, anything, a sedative.” Bryson grunted as the struggled to contain him and prevent him from harming himself.
Anna nodded and readied her suits injector aiming it his neck. Before she could act she was flung back with the others. A localised force field had suddenly emerged around him, holding him rigid and prone on the floor. They landed heavily in a heap a few feet away. The hapless Harvey finding himself on the receiving end of Anna's injector went out like a light. Anna pulled herself free from the tangled heap and scanned him through the force field, while Bryn and Andrews took care of the unconscious Harvey.
“What the hell is going on down there?” demanded Luther. “We've only got sound, no visuals, sounds like someone’s having a fit or being attacked, are you guys okay?”
Bryson took control of the situation before anyone else could respond. “Nothing to worry about Luther, medical emergency, one of the teams had some sort of allergic reaction. Anna's on the case right now. I'm sure they'll make a full recovery.” He ran his finger across his throat gesturing to Carol to cut the comm link. “Hold fire for five and we'll get back to you once we've stabilised them.”
Carol mouthed. “Allergic reaction?” to him and then nodded to indicated she'd muted the comms.
Bryson shrugged at her and held his palms up nonchalantly. “Best I could think of on the spur of the moment.” he said before turning back to Anna. “How is he?”
“Stable for now, but I don't know how long for the way his brain is racing. In any case we can't get to him.”
He was lost. The last thing he remembered was the blinding white wave of pain that shot through his mind as he fell to the floor screaming. As the world around him, as he knew it, disappeared. Instead he found himself lost in a sea of sensations, emotions, hate, love, loss, anger, joy and countless others as thousands upon thousands of images raced through his mind faster than he could comprehend them. He feared he'd lose himself in this vast endless sea of strange new thoughts that his consciousness was slowly dissolving into. Frantically he searched for an anchor, something he could hold onto to pull himself back into the real world. He tried to seize an image as it raced passed missed it and rewound the stream of consciousness to find it again. 'Spaceport', he clung to it like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver, as thousands more swept past trying to unhinge him from his fragile hold on reality. He seized another one as it swept past 'Iverson', and felt his hold on reality strengthen as he dropped it into place. The next image he seized was bizarre. So bizarre he nearly lost his grip on the other two and was swept away. Desperately he tried to make the link between 'Spaceport', 'Iverson' and the shambling characterisation of the undead from a low budget holohorror, a 'zombie'. Suddenly it clicked into place. The zombie virus Iverson had planted in the computers at the spaceport. The realisation pulled him clear of the fast flowing data stream, back towards the world he knew, but as he returned he was also aware of darker and more troubling images that had flashed past him. The force field surrounding him collapsed.
“The force fields gone.” cried Anna. “His vitals are returning back to normal and he's coming round.”
“I've got Luther on the comm, says it’s urgent.” added Carol.
Bryson nodded “Say nothing about the boss unless I do, now put him on.”
“Good news guys.” Luther sounded and looked ecstatic. “The bombardments stopped, in fact everything’s stopped.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well its hazy, the reports are garbled to say the least, but it looks like the whole planet is off-line. It’s like someone initiated a planet wide activation of old Iverson’s zombie virus and took the whole of Malstrom off-line.”
“But that's crazy we don't have the capacity to transmit a signal that powerful.”
“Hey man, I didn't say it wasn't, I'm just telling you how it is. Malstrom is off-line. There’s a mass breakout under way at the main prison complex in Paradise, seems the bio-filters on the guards weapons have been infected. The spaceports completely inoperative, the miners at the iridium mine in the Yaddle Mountain Range are revolting and wow! The orbital command station is off-line along with the entire planetary defence grid.”
“So much for the attacking alien fleet.” snorted Carol.
“Sorry nearly forgot with all the excitement up here, how’s your man down there with the allergy?”
Bryson glanced over at Anna, he appeared to sitting up and talking quietly to her. “Fine Anna’s treated him for anaphylactic shock and it looks like he'll make a full recovery.”
“Anna lacks what? “ Luther had a puzzled look on his face. “Never mind, anyway Bryson how come it’s you doing all the talking where the boss?”
“Checking something out, wants to make sure we don't get another outbreak of Anna lacks what. Keep tracking the situation up there. We'll check in again when we have something to report.” Luther nodded and the screen went blank.
Anna helped him to his feet and he called Bryson over.
“What did Luther say?”
“Seems someone broadcast a signal powerful enough to activate the zombie virus planet wide. They even managed to take down the orbital command station. Its chaos out there and it'll take them hours, days perhaps, to reboot everything and bring it back on line. If the people let them. The playing fields been levelled and their fighting back at last.”
He smiled. “Not sure how, but I think I did that.” he shook his head. “Don't ask, take too long to explain. I also recovered some fragmented memories as well and it seems everything Jasper said about my criminal past is true. In fact there were quite a few crimes
he missed off.”
“Don't worry I've seen nothing to make me want to shoot you yet.”
“Good, because none of those alias was the real me and that’s the bit that’s still missing.”