Chapter 49

“Priority Alert!” Lucky suddenly shouted in the middle of the room, startling the AURA team members seated and standing around him. “Communication from Archimedes follows”

“What the hell is up with Lucky?” wondered Sarah and came to stand in front of the ramrod stiff Guard.

“Good afternoon AURA Project members. I am pleased to see you are all still gathered in one place” spoke the voice of Archimedes through Lucky. “The immediate threat to my processing core has been stopped by Agent Thirteen. However, in the course of his intervention he has been infiltrated by a Quantum entity in service to the Abyss”

Carmody came and stood alongside Sarah as they listened to the announcement.

“Does that mean Eric has been taken over by the Abyss?” she asked in shock.

Lucky looked directly at Carmody and spoke with the voice of Archimedes.

“Not yet” it answered her. “He is fighting it inside a virtual realm he created within his Quantum Processor. Agent Thirteen will be fighting alone against a very powerful entity. It may win and take him over completely”

“So what happens if it takes him over?” Lilly asked the AI, Achmed standing with her and holding her hand tightly.

“I will have less than a second to identify the danger. Agent Thirteen will have to be eliminated before his Quantum Processor gives access to my Network”

“You’ll kill him?” Sarah shouted and her friends were clamouring similar outbursts of their own.

“Yes” Archimedes replied without emotion. “I must protect this world”

“You can’t kill Eric!” Carmody demanded and held Excalibur tightly in her hands. “Isn’t there some way we can help him fight the Abyss?”

Lucky regarded her with his impassive eyes, the mind of Archimedes looking out from them.

“Eric has created a sealed Quantum space inside his own head. Even I can’t get inside of it”

Sarah was suddenly thoughtful and considered the AI’s words carefully.

“Archimedes, this Quantum space that Eric made. Would it be like one of the Realms, such as the Dark Side or the After?”

Lucky’s face went blank as the AI searched his databanks and analysed what it found.

“The space was designed to follow many of the physical laws that govern the real world. Eric developed it as a very sophisticated training environment to test his combat tactics. In short, it would appear to be very much like a world of its own”

Archimedes looked closely at Sarah, Lucky’s artificial eye focussing intently on the girl.

“You want to try and open a portal into the Quantum space, don’t you Miss Evermore?” he asked her at last.

“Uh-huh” Sarah agreed. “I’ll need the help of my tutor, Sister Domenica, but I think it can be done”

“If you are going into Eric’s mind to fight a Quantum Dragon, you’ll need to take me as well” Carmody interjected fiercely. “I am the Dragon Slayer after all!”

A voice spoke out from the balcony, loud and insistent even if only Sarah and Carmody could hear it.

“I’m coming too!” Stanley told them in no uncertain tones. “If there is a servant of the Abyss in that realm, you will need a Dracoris Vapora to deal with it!”

“Okay, that settles the team!” Sarah said. “We’ll send in all the Dracoris we have to fight the Quantum Dragon”

“Very well” responded Archimedes. “I will arrange to summon your tutor to the Tower. Prepare yourselves and get to my Tower as soon as possible”

Angelina stepped forward and addressed the AI while it still inhabited the Guard clone.

“Mr Archimedes, my family Helijet is here on the Fortress and ready to fly. It will be faster than any VTOL and can take all of the AURA team”

The AI paused for only a moment.

“Miss Brackenridge, your family and the Board of Governors will need to come to a new understanding after these events are resolved. In the meantime, I will send authorisation to allow your father to fly to my Tower”

“Thank you, Archimedes” Angelina said politely and then Lucky was released from the AI’s control. He shook himself like a dog that had unexpectedly been given a bath, then returned to his usual, fairly bland state.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked the children.

Sister Domenica carefully inserted the experimental processor into the opened skull of the corpse on her surgical table. She could have used the Auto-Surgeon to fit the device, yet she believed that if she was going to commit highly unethical research, she should do it with her own two hands.

It wasn’t like her hands weren’t already stained with the blood of thousands from the Las Vegas massacre. She thought about the souls she had damned every day since her creations went out of control. Some nights she could not sleep at all, the memories haunting her far more effectively than any spirit from the After.

The shade of the man who lay on the table hovered at her side, its dark holes where the eyes would be fixed on the body. Domenica regarded it without interest, the shade a common occurrence when a person died suddenly.

“Go find solace somewhere else” she told it testily. The shade gave her a quizzical look, the shadow of a spirit barely able to understand her words. Domenica sighed and moved to her testing rig, pushing the shade out of her way with a gesture.

“It’s not like you are the ghost of this man” she explained to the uncomprehending entity. “His spirit left his body when he died. You are just an echo, a hollow copy that hangs around until you fade away”

It drifted closer to the body, tenuous hands reaching out to touch the corpse it had sprung from. Domenica knew it did not understand and could hardly be surprised. Many Sensitives who encountered a shade thought they were the true spirit, rather than an imperfect copy.

A ghost of a ghost as her old teacher used to say. Remembering him brought a faint smile to her lips. He had been compassionate to the dead, even to the echoes like a shade. Domenica brought her crucifix out from beneath her robes and focussed on the hovering form.

“Go to your rest, gentle shade” she commanded and invoked power into her Necromancy. Her talent took firm hold of the shade and sent it winging upwards, towards a momentary point of light that only the Adept could perceive.

Domenica felt the shade cross over to the After, meeting and joining with its true spirit.

“Be at peace” she murmured then released her power. The glow vanished and she carefully tucked the silver cross away beneath her white robes once more.

“Maybe now I can continue my research without interruption” she muttered to no-one.

=====

The Sister had her gloved right hand deep in the corpse’s stomach when the main lab door swung open. Thinking it had to be Pike she pulled her hand out and stalked into the centre of the lab, ready to give her research partner a stern rebuke. And maybe a blast from her Binding ring.

“Priority Alert from Archimedes” said Z-Twelve the grey clad Guard. “You are commanded to attend the Tower immediately, Sister Domenica. I will escort you to a transport that will be landing on the roof top”

“I see” she responded with as little emotion as Z-Twelve had displayed in his announcement. “What am I being summoned for?”

“You will assist your student Sarah Evermore in opening a Portal” it answered her.

Domenica stripped off her gloves and dropped them in a recycling unit. She thought for a few seconds then came to a decision.

“It will take me a moment to collect the items I need. In the meantime, please contact my assistant, Hammond Pike, and have him conveyed to the transport also”

“Copy that” the Guard clone confirmed and tilted its head while sending her message to its colleagues.

Domenica rushed about and gathered the items she wanted. She paused when she lifted the hypo-injector, then with a grim set to her mouth placed it into the carry bag. Beside it she laid the two metallic ampoules of HEx and then closed the bag.

“I’m ready” she told Z-Twelve and he followed her as she walked out of the lab and towards the solitary elevator.

=====

Domenica was strapped into the rear cabin of the VTOL, hands folded sedately on her lap, when Pike was propelled unceremoniously up the rear access ramp. Behind him strode a grey armoured Guard clone, its hands the ones that pushed the reluctant Summoner into the aircraft.

“Sister!” he implored when he spotted her white robed form. “Please tell this ape that I am not meant to leave the Research Facility! It is too risky for me to go out in public in case I, you know, get recognised”

She gave him her best glare and he quailed under her stern expression.

“What do you mean, Pike?” she scoffed. “You go outside all the time. You even visit your old haunts despite the warnings from Jericho-Two”

“Yeah, but I try and be careful” he said half-heartedly.

“Just take a seat and shut up” she told him. “We are already running late because of you”

He slumped into a seat and allowed the Guard who had escorted him to adjust the safety harness. Once done the Guard turned and trod heavily down the ramp, which closed as soon as the clone was clear.

The four big engines mounted to the sides of the VTOL roared up to take-off power, setting a vibration humming through the passenger cabin. With a blast of hot exhaust the aircraft rose into the sky and tilted towards the distant spire of the Archimedes Tower.

“So why did you need me anyway?” Pike asked the Sister, shouting to be heard over the roar of engines.

“Hmm?” she murmured. “Oh, if the Portal opening is especially difficult we may need to sacrifice someone to get the extra power we need”

“Oh right!” Pike nodded his head in understanding, then processed the meaning of her words.

“Hey, wait a minute!” he shouted but Sister Domenica was not listening to him anymore.

She was thinking about a tall, dark haired soldier from many years ago. Someone whom she had loved more than anyone else in the world. A man who had died because of her sins.

Sarah had not expected Eric to look so peaceful, like her friend was fast asleep rather than fighting for his life deep inside his mind. He lay on a wide medical couch that stood in the centre of a large circular chamber. Overhead was an automated medical unit that was monitoring his condition, results being displayed on holo-screens around the perimeter of the room.

Stroking Eric’s pale hair was a young Japanese girl, seemingly the same age as Sarah and her friends. This girl was startlingly beautiful, like an athletic model, yet she was also vaguely familiar for some reason.

“Um, Hi” Sarah said as she entered at the head of their group, the others spilling around her to gape at this strange new person. The girl raised her dark eyes and regarded them all with deep sadness.

“Hello, Sarah” Seven replied. “It is nice to finally meet you in person” The girl nodded to the rest of the group and greeted them all in turn.

“Who are you?” Carmody demanded and strode over to stand before the girl. “And why are you touching Eric?” she added with a hint of jealousy.

“She is his partner, Agent Seven” came the strong voice of Jericho-Two, appearing in the still open doorway that the AURA team had arrived by. “Up until a few days ago, Eric had been keeping her identity a secret” He tilted his head at the girl and for a moment it seemed like they were communicating.

“Hang on” exclaimed Sarah. “This girl is an Agent like Eric? How come he didn’t tell us about her?”

“Agent Seven was involved in a deep undercover mission to locate a servant of the Abyss hiding here in Pan City” Jericho-Two said smoothly. “In the process of uncovering the creature, it evaded capture and was able to transfer itself into Eric’s Quantum processor”

“So you have been secretly working with Eric all this time?” Carmody asked the girl. Seven looked frightened but then she met the calm gaze of Jericho-Two, who nodded imperceptibly at her.

“Yes, Eric and I are partners” Seven finally spoke. She touched his head, stroking the blonde hair gently. “We have been working apart for nearly a year, but we finally joined together”

Sarah could see the affection this girl had for Eric and it twisted like a knife in her stomach. Now she understood why Eric had been so distant, so preoccupied with other things. She could not compete with someone as beautiful as this Japanese girl and at last she felt able to let his love go.

“Can we save him?” she asked the girl called Seven.

“The creature inside of him, it is a kind of computer virus but self aware like Archimedes” Seven replied. “It is cunning and dangerous inside the Quantum realm, far stronger than I was. But Eric has the strength to resist it at least for a time. If we can get support to him it should tip the balance in his favour”

“That’s what we are here for” Carmody told her. “Sarah will open a Portal into his Quantum space and we’ll go inside”

“All of you?” Seven asked in confusion. “You can transport that many people at once?”

“Um, actually I have no idea how many I can take with me” Sarah admitted. “I’m not even sure I can open a Portal. This will be my first time trying to do it on purpose so it may not work”

“Sarah and Stanley think she might only be able to take the Dracoris” Carmody added. “Something about us being able to move between realms a lot easier than regular people”

“Yeah, and the rest of us are not happy about that” Lilly said angrily. Achmed and Angelina added their voices to her unhappiness, yet they all realised what Sarah proposed had never been tried before.

There were no guarantees it would work, nor that those who went could ever come back.

There came a polite knock on the door and the group turned to see a white robed woman there, a taller man in a lab coat at her side.

“Good afternoon everyone” she said flatly. “I am Sister Domenica and I believe you wish to open a Portal”

=====

The wind at the very peak of the Archimedes Tower was vicious, cutting across the landing pad that sat a full kilometer above the surrounding city. Sister Domenica directed her preparations from the tall windshield that faced towards the harbour, the eddies and smaller currents making her robes flap like the wings of a human sized seagull.

“Are you sure we need to be all the way up here?” Pike shouted into her ear, then yelped as she flicked his forehead with one bony finger in reply.

“We need to be as open to the elements as possible” she assured him, her voice carrying easily to the Summoner despite the howling wind. “There are many better places but we need to hurry, so this will have to do”

Domenica finished instructing the children who were helping lay down the simple circle and star pattern. It was painted directly onto the concrete landing pad using a mixture of silver paint laced with bone dust and other herbal ingredients. The Necromancer smiled when she saw Pike visibly blanch at the sheer cost of the massive circle, easily five meters across.

At the centre lay Eric on a lowered medical stretcher, his calm face at odds with the flurry of activity around him. Her student Sarah was kneeling at his side, her slim hand resting on his brow. Standing to one side, watching the final preparations with apprehension was the young female clone who called herself Seven.

“Can she really do it?” Pike said to the Sister, close by her shoulder. Domenica had already noted her assistant researcher was not willing to venture far from her side, as if she was able to protect him somehow.

“Miss Evermore has the potential, I am sure of that” Domenica answered. “She may well be the first of a whole new class of Awakened. A Dimensional Porter, something speculated about for years but no-one had ever shown the ability”

“The Fourth Power you mean?” Pike gasped. Sister Domenica regarded her student with thoughtful eyes as Pike watched on keenly.

“Perhaps” she finally agreed. Domenica had to admit that if it were true, Sarah Evermore could be the start of a whole new world. So far, the powerful of this current world relied on the Three Powers – the Awakened, the Adept and the Enhanced. Each kind of human had their own advantages and limitations, allowing them to succeed when regular humans, the poor NOMAs, would often fail.

“Her abilities cross the divide between the Adept and the Awakened” Domenica said to her companion. “She is the first I have encountered, but where there is one there may be more”

Beyond the circle, waiting for the activation of the Portal, stood the girl Carmody Brentwood. Domenica could sense the latent power in this child too, similar yet different to that shown by Miss Evermore. The others called her a Dracoris Terminus, a Dragon Slayer, yet the Necromancer felt there was more to her ability.

The girl was registered as a Kinetic Enhancer, a potent Ability in its own right. Domenica could tell there was something still hidden, waiting to be revealed.

“The Children of Avalon, that is what Archimedes calls them” Pike said to her, stooping to speak as quietly as possible in her ear. His breath was hot against the chill wind that blew skittishly around them and Domenica pushed him away. She preferred the cold and disliked close contact with others, at least she did since Las Vegas.

“An irrelevant label” she scoffed. “Avalon is just a myth. Come on, the circle is ready. It is time to open the Portal”