Infinitys end books 7 9, p.48
Infinity's End: Books 7-9, page 48
Zenfor had jumped at exactly the right time, as the two of them were aimed directly at the Sil ship. Evie glanced up at the shuttle in time to see it rip itself in half, exposing the crew portion they’d been standing in only seconds before. The air inside had finally decompressed the cabin where it had been weakened by the blast. The decompression threw the shuttle off in a wildly different direction, and it tumbled into the darkness out of sight. Evie still couldn’t believe she wasn’t dead. But what really amazed her was just how beautiful everything was out here. With no barriers between her and space she felt like she was part of it in some way, and the beauty of the stars, the ships, even the energy blasts around them reached out to her, beckoning her to stay.
Zenfor tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the Sil ship, which loomed large in front of them. Zenfor put her one free hand and both feet out and Evie did the same, noticing her exposed hands still hadn’t begun to form ice crystals in the skin, though they were changing color. What was going on? She should be a block of solid ice by now, but somehow her body was holding its temperature.
The Sil ship approached fast and Zenfor hit the surface. She absorbed most of the impact and Evie felt a rumble vibrate through her like a grunt, but the silence around them allowed no noise. Quickly, Zenfor scrambled across the side of the ship, finding small handholds in different areas and propelling herself forward until they reached a small hatch. She motioned for Evie to grab on to a hold while she addressed the door. Evie did, noticing while her hands had gone sort of an ashy gray color. The exact same color as Athru skin. Was this one of their latent abilities? Resistance to cold?
Zenfor closed her eyes and placed a palm against the center of the hatch. Pressure formed in the back of Evie’s throat and she felt like she wouldn’t be able to hold her breath much longer. Just as she thought she might start seeing spots, the hatch opened slowly and Zenfor grabbed Evie by the arm, tossing her inside. Zenfor followed and the doors closed behind them. There was a whoosh of air, Evie’s ears popped, and she sucked in a deep breath. Inside it was pitch black, she couldn’t see a thing.
“Z-Zenfor?” she asked, breathless.
“I’m here,” she replied.
“What—happened?” She continued to take in big gulps of breath.
“I had to convince the ship to allow us entry. Whether Bortos decides to keep our presence a secret or not I can’t say. She might decide to reveal us. Ships can be…testy sometimes.
“I can’t believe I’m not dead.” Evie held her hands up to see if they were still gray, hoping a sliver of light would emerge from somewhere, but there was nothing. They’d gone from an absence of sound to an absence of light. “Can you see?”
“No,” she replied. “But I don’t need to. Take my hand and follow me.” Evie stood, crouching at first to make sure she wouldn’t hit her head. She fumbled in the darkness for Zenfor, focusing on where her voice had come from until she found her shoulder. She ran her hand down her arm until Zenfor’s large hand closed on hers and pulled her further into the darkness.
“Did they make it?” Cas asked, turning to his crew one by one. “What happened?”
“I’m showing the shuttle decompressed after taking the hit,” Zaal said. “It is currently tumbling through space. But I detect no life forms aboard.”
“They jumped,” Tileah said.
“They what?” Cas asked.
“Sensors show two heat signatures leaving the shuttle right before it decompressed, heading for the Sil ship. They landed on the surface and disappeared,” Tileah continued.
“Were they both alive?”
“Unknown. But they were cooling fast when they landed, I can tell you that much.”
“Sir,” River said. “The two large Sil ships are close. Our encounter at the Sil border cost us precious time here.”
“We’ll just have to hope for the best,” Cas said. “Helm, get us out of here, any course. Just make sure the Bortos follows us. We can’t lose it.”
“Aye,” Ronde said, activating the undercurrent again. They took off, but without using Zenfor’s upgrades so the Sil ships could keep pace. “All three Sil ships are confirmed to be behind us now, sir.”
Cas slumped back in his seat. He was exhausted.
“I have to point out, captain,” Tileah said. “The longer we stay in Sil space, the more likely we are to run into more of their ships. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t have a small armada behind us before long.”
“What are you saying, Ensign?” Hank asked.
“We may have to leave Sil space before Diazal and Zenfor can finish their mission. Especially if the Sil try to corner us.”
Cas ran his hand down his face.
“Look at it this way,” Samiya said. “At least now you can finally say you’ve fired on one of their ships. On purpose.” A grin spread across her face.
“Very funny,” Cas replied. He silently wished Zenfor and Evie safe travels. He didn’t know how, but he felt like they’d survived that jump, as crazy as it had been. Now all they needed was a little time and a lot of luck.
Chapter Thirty-Three
They’d been walking in complete darkness for at least five minutes. The only reason Evie knew this was because she’d been counting her breaths, keeping time with how many times she would breathe in and out in a given minute. It was surprisingly regular. Beneath her feet the floor was hard like deck plating, but it wasn’t as regular. Instead, it had more of an organic feel to it. She’d refrained from saying anything because she hadn’t wanted to alert any Sil that might be around them, nor did she want the ship itself to listen in to their conversations. She wasn’t sure how sentient the ship was, or how much it understood, but she wasn’t going to take any unnecessary risks. Somehow, they’d made it this far and they couldn’t afford to make any mistakes from here on out.
Ahead of her Zenfor stopped and Evie hung back. She still clung to Zenfor’s hand, afraid if she let go she’d never be able to find it again and she’d never find her way out of this labyrinth. Cas had tried to describe the experience of walking through a Sil ship to her, but until she’d experienced the phenomenon for herself, it was hard to imagine. He said he’d spent a lot of time fumbling around in the dark, but having light wasn’t much better, as—except for the bridge—there were no windows or sources of anything to look at. Evie thought she’d lose it if she couldn’t see the stars every day.
Finally, a twinge of reddish light appeared in her vision. At first it was little more than a dull glow, but it grew brighter. Evie almost asked what it was, except as it moved toward them, Zenfor ushered them backward. Evie could finally see the hallway they were in now. It was oddly symmetrical, and yet not. Above her, two long, white bars were suspended in what looked to be a pinkish material. All around them, the walls and floor were a dull gray. Zenfor hunched down and Evie followed suit, until she saw the source of the light. It was a Sil, clad in their “uniform”, above them a red crystal was situated over their head, glowing so bright Evie had to shield her dilated eyes. It passed by through an adjacent corridor without looking over at Zenfor or Evie, its feet barely touching the ground as it moved. It looked to be as tall as Zenfor, but only about half her weight. Evie was silently thankful Zenfor was on their side. Evie took the opportunity to look at her hands. Thankfully, they’d returned to their previous color. She was glad whatever had happened hadn’t been permanent.
The red light faded as the Sil moved further down the corridor and Zenfor ushered them forward. They reached the same corridor it had appeared from and took off in the opposite direction until they arrived at what looked like a portal in the wall, though it was hard to tell as what little light remained from the Sil faded fast.
“Here,” Zenfor said. “The space beneath.” Before Evie could ask a question, Zenfor stepped through with Evie in tow. For a brief second she was cold, then warm again. There was still no light in here, but she felt as if they’d passed through more than just an ordinary doorway. The air was different. Not stale, but it had a distinctive taste to it Evie couldn’t place. And there was a faint smell of sulfur in the air. She felt Zenfor’s hand fall away and for a second Evie panicked, until a bright light illuminated the space. Evie shielded her eyes for a moment before they adjusted to see Zenfor had brought along the emergency flashlight from the kit in the shuttle. She strapped it to her arm, and examined the tunnel they’d come in. Behind Evie was the same portal they’d come through, though its surface was pitch black and featureless, like a piece of rubber had been stretched across it. Zenfor reached out and touched the side of the wall.
“We’ve come out in a good place,” she said. “I was afraid we’d have to exit on another ship or station and find a closer point of entry. But this will do.”
“How can you tell where we are?” Evie asked.
“It’s something we’ve developed over time, an internal compass, though it’s more complex than that. But I know we don’t have far to go.”
“And we’re not…in my universe anymore?” Evie asked.
“No, this is an adjacent dimension. Smaller…stranger.” Her light shone on the walls which reflected a light purple color. They were ridged, like they’d been made by some kind of machine. As if the entire tunnel had been “dug”.
“What’s on the other side of these walls?” Evie asked. Zenfor began walking along the tunnel, shining the light in front of her. Evie kept up.
“Nothing but the void. It isn’t pleasant on the other side. Few Sil have ventured beyond the safety of the tunnels. Of those that have, none have ever returned.”
“Then how do you know it’s unpleasant?”
“The collectors,” Zenfor said. “Those who gather the negative-mass particles. They stand at the precipice of the void and gather them for our weapons. Imagine looking out to an endless abyss, and being filled with sensations of dread, hopelessness, and despair. And imagine feeling as if stepping off into that void was your only choice. It is why the collectors must be restrained at all times. Otherwise they would walk right off. It makes me glad I was born a Consul.”
“I bet,” Evie replied.
“This way,” Zenfor said, continuing down the corridor. They traveled for only a few minutes before reaching a four-way intersection. In the middle was a small raised platform made of what looked like stone with some writing on it. Zenfor skirted it without a second glance, continuing straight. Moments later they reached another one, this one a six-way and another stone marker in the middle.
“What are these?” Evie asked.
“The oldest parts of the space beneath are closest to the Sanctuary itself. From millennia ago, when we first discovered this place.”
“The way Cas made it sound was like you were from here.”
“He was mistaken,” Zenfor said, no emotion in her voice. Beyond the six-way was a large archway, with the same black membrane. Evie noticed Zenfor hesitate, then she took a breath and stepped through, motioning for Evie to do the same. It was a good thing Evie had already begun walking toward it, because as soon as Zenfor was gone, so was the light and she was thrown into pitch black once again. She felt the same cold as she had when she’d come through the first time, but this time emerged into a large hallway, which curved away from them in both directions. Evie glanced up to see there was no roof, only stars in the darkness of space, but anything was preferable to the absolute night that had been down there and in the Sil ship. Despite it being night, the sky was tinged purple.
“Space,” she said.
“We are on Thislea,” Zenfor replied, keeping her voice to a whisper. “Walk softly. We must be quick.”
“This is your homeworld?” Evie asked. The air had a tangy bite to it, like it had been infused with an aroma Evie had never smelled before. If she had to place it, she would say it was the smell of the sea, but…different. Though the air was fresh and rejuvenating. Fresher than anything she’d ever breathed in. Immediately Evie felt invigorated.
Zenfor crept along without answering, keeping to the wall while Evie followed. Every few moments she’d look up at the giant open structure above them, just to stare at the stars. She’d never seen them so clear from the surface of a planet before; usually light pollution got in the way. “Where are we?”
“In the Sanctuary Temple in the capital city,” Zenfor replied.
“Then where is everyone?”
“The Temple is often empty, except for the council members, their aides and other important people.”
“No guards?”
“No Sil is stupid enough to try what we are about to attempt.” Zenfor’s voice had dropped even lower.
“Which is what?”
“To interrupt the Sanctuary itself.” She paused. “Are you ready?” Evie couldn’t say if she was or not. But what was she going to do, turn back now? She nodded. “Then run, as fast as you can.” With that, Zenfor stood, and sprinted down the corridor. Evie stayed right on her heels. The Sil should be able to outpace her, but thanks to Esterva, Evie had no problem piling on the speed. As Zenfor turned a corner and led her through an archway that had to be forty meters high, she couldn’t help but think what would have happened had Cas tried to do this. Would Zenfor have carried him on her back? She almost laughed in spite of herself.
They ran down a long corridor, with a series of massive archways on each side, all of them overlooking a landscape beyond. All of a sudden Evie realized just how high they were, the “bridge” they were running across had to be at least two-hundred meters in the air, judging from the size of the lights in the distance. No wonder the stars were so clear up here. Beyond them on her left was complete darkness, but from the light of the city and stars, Evie could just barely make out the edge of a large sea brushing up against the shore. It had been the ocean she’d smelled after all. “Keep up!” Zenfor said and Evie realized she’d slowed to admire the view. She redoubled her efforts and caught up with Zenfor easily as they passed through another forty-meter-high archway.
Evie stopped short, just behind Zenfor.
Spread out in front of them were no less than two-hundred seats, each with a Sil seated, all of them staring in the opposite direction toward a small stage beyond the audience. They were arranged in a semi-circle ending at the same place on both sides so the “back half” of the room was open to the elements. It overlooked the city beyond and offered no guard rail or protection for anyone standing near the back of the stage. Someone could walk right off into oblivion if they wished.
Above them, an open ceiling supported by only a few long struts extended out to above the stage. Evie figured they must not get much rain on Thislea. The interesting thing was some of the Sil in the seats were still clad in their suits with their glowing gems, while others were like Zenfor, and wore robes or other clothes. If Evie had to guess, she’d say perhaps only a third of the Sil were in the black uniforms. But the myriad of colors coming from the gems spanned the rainbow, from magenta all the way to cyan. On the stage was a Sil standing behind what Evie could only imagine was their version of a podium, though it seemed to have grown from the ground like a tree trunk rather than just placed there in the middle where they could all see. They spoke in a language Evie couldn’t understand, but abruptly stopped upon laying eyes on her and Zenfor.
“Come,” Zenfor said, leading Evie down the main aisle. They made their way down the aisle slowly, as if in the presence of a group of predators that might pounce if they made any sudden movements. She could feel the eyes of every person in the room on her as it had gone dead silent. The only sound was the light shuffle of a turning head or someone shifting in their seat. The “speaker” at the front stepped back from the podium and raised their left hand, looking to the right side of the stage. Someone from the crowd spoke, but Evie still didn’t understand the words. Then someone else said something she did understand: “human”. From the right side of the stage where the Sil speaker had been looking appeared two Sil, both as large, if not larger than Zenfor herself. “Disable them,” Zenfor said.
“What?” Evie asked.
“Incapacitate them. Or we die.”
The “guards” moved toward them and as soon as one put his hand on Evie, she grabbed it, twisting it back and snapping it. There was a murmur of shock through the crowd as the Sil grimaced, but he wasn’t deterred. He reached out with his other fist to punch Evie, but she avoided it easily, shoving her foot into his abdomen. There was an audible crunch and he doubled over, clutching himself. Now that his face was in range she bent over and pulled back with her fist, shoving it into his face with all the power she could muster. Another crack and the Sil’s body went limp, tumbling off the front of the stage.
The second guard, who had grabbed Zenfor, stared at her with eyes wide. He let go of his charge and approached Evie. But before he could make a move she shot forward and planted the heel of her foot into his knee, breaking it. He screamed and crumpled at once, grasping the injury with both hands. There was another series of shocked expressions from the crowd. Sil stood up, yelling things Evie didn’t understand. The second guard seemed sufficiently incapacitated, so she stepped back beside Zenfor. Behind her a soft breeze blew through the open space, ruffling her back of her hair. For some strange reason she thought of the facility on Cypaxia.
Zenfor held up both hands and began speaking in what Evie could only assume was the primary Sil language. It was a flowing language, with lots of vowels, and Evie understood none of it. She expected she’d hear a proper noun thrown in there somewhere, but it all came across as foreign.
The Sil that had stood in anger sat back down, while the person who had been speaking disappeared for a moment, then returned with a small device. He handed it to Zenfor, who gave it to Evie. “Speak into this,” Zenfor said. “It will transmit what is said back to you as well.” Evie turned it over in her hand, it was an old, clumsy piece of technology. She wondered how long it had been since someone other than a Sil addressed what she had to assume was the Sanctuary in front of her.
