‘Very well. And are you able to offer any reassurances into any further outbreaks?’

  ‘Absolutely. There will be no further incidents of manifestations as long as the quantum field remains closed.’

  ‘Oh dear, does he mean me?’

  We all turned our heads to locate the new speaker.

  Loki was lounging against a wall, twisting a lock of hair around his finger. He was wearing a black pinstriped waistcoat, trousers, and a pink tutu. It was a curious look, but he pulled it off. In one hand, he was leaning on a brolly that kept shifting its form. Now it looked like a sword, and just for a second, I thought it was a snake. Maybe it was the snake that was distracting me from the tutu? The pharaoh shot back in his chair, and Asha shouted for the reds.

  ‘More shooting, my dear Asha? I think not. Someone might get hurt.’ He smiled. ‘Although, I can assure you it won’t be me.’

  ‘You are a spoilsport, Loki,’ said Anansi from where he was sat amongst the engineers, who exploded away from him. ‘I think a few of these bodies could do with some perforation. There’s an awful lot of hot air in here.’

  I was aware of a presence beside me and was almost comforted to see Arthur. Today he was dressed as a Roman soldier.

  ‘What do you think?’ he whispered. ‘I’m not sure it’s me, to be frank with you. Anansi said I should draw on my Roman influence. Apparently, this world loves the Romans.’

  I was trying to watch as various dignitaries tried to climb out of the windows or hammer on doors. It was quite a spectacle. They really didn’t like people turning up unannounced. I was trying not to smile.

  I whispered back to Arthur. ‘They hate the Romans. They consider them barbarians. They’re more likely to throw things at you than worship you. I think Anansi may be pulling your leg again.’ Anansi put his finger to his lips, and the room fell silent. It didn’t appear to be a voluntary silence, given the expression of the inhabitants.

  ‘Did you just call me a dick?’

  ‘Might have,’ sulked Arthur, who had indeed called him a dick plus a lot worse, beside. ‘Julius tells me that this lot hate the Romans.’

  ‘Goodness. Do they really? Silly me. And obviously, you care what they think…’

  I grimaced. Now poor Arthur was stuck admitting to caring about what the puny humans thought of him or being stuck appearing as a version that would weaken him. I stepped in and found I was able to speak.

  ‘I imagine it’s hard to ignore the opinions of others in Arthur’s case. He is not yet as powerful as yourself, or Loki. The path to greatness is a stony one.’

  ‘I never had any problem,’ said Loki. ‘People just look at me, and know who I am.’ In my head I tried to envisage Tom Hiddleston as hard as I could, but Loki just laughed. ‘Nice try Julie, but I know who I am.’

  I did wonder if I had a hundred people all think of Hiddleston I could force him to change his appearance, but I decided not to voice that out loud. As far as I knew he couldn’t read minds, but I squashed the thought quickly. Loki had a penchant for pain. Not his own.

  I cleared my voice, as it appeared that I was the only one currently permitted to speak. ‘No Lucifer today?’

  ‘Too busy, unfortunately. I do worry about him.’

  Anansi snorted. Of the two, I sensed that Anansi was the more powerful. Given the way one or two of the occupants in the room were staring at him in wonder, I realised that an African god would naturally have more power here than a Norse one.

  ‘So, Anansi, yesterday you told us you would provide evidence of the gods' existence. I think you have done that.’

  ‘You would think so wouldn’t you, and yet this one—’ He gestured towards the First Engineer. ‘—still denies our reality. Why is that, do you think?’

  I was not about to be drawn into speculation with a trickster god. The best way to avoid being tricked was to let someone else do the talking.

  ‘Ask him.’ I shrugged. ‘I don’t know why they won’t believe the evidence of their own eyes.’

  ‘Interesting. Which evidence should they believe?’

  Every word I spoke, I was aware of hidden meanings, things unsaid, ways in which to trap or be trapped. I was beginning to sweat. I shrugged again, saying nothing this time. So far I had narrowed my options down to two choices. These were people from another Earth with unexplainable powers. According to everyone here, there were only two Earths, so maybe not. The other option was that these were actual gods, which again, according to everyone here, didn’t exist. Soon, someone was going to have to change their mind.

  There was a gasp in the room as all the people present suddenly had the ability to speak once more. Anansi raised his hand, and the room watched him carefully.

  ‘Please do not speak unless invited. Now you.’ He leant back in his chair and put his feet up on the table. I could only see two long legs, but the sense of others was almost tangible. Today, he was wearing a hat crowned in tall feathers and, as he tilted his head in the engineer’s direction, the feathers swayed in a non-existent breeze. I realised I, and probably everyone else, was being mesmerised by the gentle sway of the feathers. An image of a hundred teeth snapped out of the dark at me, and I jolted back in my seat. Anansi looked across and smiled as the feathers came to a halt.

  ‘Sorry, where was I? Ah yes, quantum anomalies. Particle baggage. That seems a rude way to refer to Loki there. Tell me again how we don’t exist.’

  First Engineer stood and addressed the pharaoh. ‘As I said earlier, these anomalies feed off our attention. I would suggest we simply ignore them for now.’

  ‘You also said that they couldn’t manifest without the quantum stepper being operational,’ stammered the pharaoh. ‘So how do you explain their presence now?’

  ‘Oh, I know this one,’ said Loki, waving his brolly in the air. ‘Can I?’

  All heads swivelled to Loki for an explanation.

  ‘We didn’t come through your tickly little gate. We don’t need help, but some of our brethren did. Besides which, I think they liked the sensation. You know what Anubis is like. He could easily self-manifest, but I think he was enjoying your stepper. It gives you that little quivery feeling in the pit of your stomach, like going over a bridge too fast. Honestly, he’s a wee scamp.’

  I could see half the room looking around nervously. The idea of Anubis turning up again was visibly disturbing them. The other half seemed aghast at someone describing the god of the dead as a wee scamp.

  ‘Citizens!’ demanded First. ‘It is essential that you ignore these manifestations.’

  Anansi yawned and looked across at me. ‘Do you think he’ll believe the evidence of his own existence?’

  I jumped up. ‘First Engineer. Please, stop talking. You are putting your life at risk.’

  ‘When I take advice from the superstitious ravings of a second-rate angel, that is the day I will step down from my office.’ Dismissing Julius, he addressed the pharaoh. ‘Sir, I suggest you have the reds remove Strathclyde at once. I propose that it is his febrile imagination that is firing up these—’

  He came to an abrupt halt as froth began to foam around his mouth and his body became rigid. It was over very quickly. With a massive spasm, he rocked backwards and then crashed to the floor. His eyeballs leaked blood, and his lips turned blue. I wasn’t a doctor, but even I could see he was dead.

  Haru ran across the floor but only reached him as he crashed backwards. Pulling a scanner out, he took a quick reading and a blood prick.

  ‘Massive amounts of venom in his system.’

  The Anansi I remembered from the tales and legends was a more jovial and happier god. I had forgotten this version. A vengeful spider was not something that I wanted to dwell on.

  Second Engineer jumped to her feet and was now addressing both Anansi and Loki. Her voice was shaking but I noticed that she was staring directly at them. Working in the quantum field on a daily basis bred some very unflappable people.

  ‘Right. Who are you and what do you want?’

  Anansi smiled at Loki indulgently, then turned his attention back to Second Engineer.

  ‘That’s better,’ smiled Anansi. ‘And you are?’

  ‘I am First Engineer.’

  Well, that was pretty brutal, I thought, but certainly efficient.

  ‘Very well, First Engineer. We are here to help out our friend with a challenge.’ He waved over at Arthur who was now sitting, looking noble and regal. He’d reverted to the pre-Raphaelite image of a blond Victorian hero.

  ‘Arthur wants to set up a quest for you all to engage in, and we thought that sounded like an excellent plan. It’s just the sort of thing we gods like to do. So, we are going to set you up into two teams and see who wins. Good, hey?’ He looked around the room expecting enthusiasm but was met with every sort of silence.

  ‘And what is the nature of this quest, noble Anansi?’

  Oh, I liked the new First Engineer. At least she was displaying some common sense.

  ‘The search to find da Vinci’s missing codex. Or, How to Build a Time and Space Machine.’

  Day Four – Julius

  First Engineer hissed and stood. Given how she had just gained her promotion, I admired her bravery.

  ‘That is forbidden!’

  The pharaoh looked at her, his face mottled with rage. ‘You knew about this?’

  Anansi tutted, and they both fell silent.

  ‘Of course the engineers know about this,’ Anansi explained slowly. ‘They are the guardians of da Vinci’s works. They built and now maintain the stepper. They know there is a complete codex out there. They just don’t think anyone else should be able to get their hands on it.’

  This changed everything. Honestly, I could see their point. So far, the stepper was being used for good, although personally, I think they could have used it better. Instead of saving the artwork and keeping it for themselves, they could save the artwork and give it back to us. Or — and how’s this for revolutionary? — they could leave behind the procedures to reverse dementia, cure cancer, rid us of petrochemicals. Even so, the idea of the thieves having their own stepper filled me with dread. They wouldn’t be so careful about only taking stuff that was about to be destroyed. They would remove art straight from the wall. Hell, they might even take the artist straight from his bed.

  The tension was evident. People were straining against the enforced silence. The engineers looked mutinous. Minju appeared calm, but her tail was flicking like a car wiper. I gave her a sympathetic smile and glanced at her tail. I knew she was proud of how she was able to still it and not betray her emotions. I didn’t want her fear to be exposed. She followed the glance of my eyes, and I watched as her breathing deepened and her body stilled. When she was totally calm, she looked back at me with a slight nod. It wasn’t much, but in this surreal situation, I was glad there was something I could do to help.

  ‘There will be two teams,’ announced Loki. ‘The fuddy-duddies and the funsters.’

  Neith nudged me and smiled. I didn’t have the heart to break it to her. She would discover soon enough what sort of people Anansi and Loki viewed as funsters.

  ‘Now, you are all muddled up at the moment, so let’s make it clearer who’s who. At this end of the room, we shall have the fuddy-duddies. Those whose job it is to uphold law and order and — oh god, I can’t continue, it’s so boring. At that end, we’ll have the funsters. Those that know what they want and help themselves using every trick in the book.’

  There was an uncomfortable pressure in the air, and my skin felt slightly itchy. As I blinked my eyes, I could see that the seating positions had changed. I blinked my eyes again. The people in the chamber had been divided into two clear groups. I was still sitting with Neith and familiar faces, but as I looked across the floor, I was looking at friends. They couldn’t be who we had been fighting against this past year. These people couldn’t possibly represent our enemy within.

  Asha, who was now sitting nearby, and Sam both jumped to their feet and roared for the guards. Almost as quickly as they jumped up, they sat down again. Although, from the way their feet shot out in front of them, it was clearly not of their own volition.

  ‘Is it all a bit shocking?’ murmured Loki sympathetically. ‘How would we have ever guessed that the pharaoh was a baddy?’ he slapped his hand to his cheek in mock outrage. ‘Who would even have believed that Minju the mild-mannered curator was evil through and through?’ Loki was laughing openly now. ‘Oh, Julie, your face!’

  God, how much information had I unwittingly passed along to her?

  I looked across at the group of individuals who were looking deeply awkward and defensive. Maybe it was unsurprising, but there wasn’t a single engineer over there, and maybe I softened towards them just a little. Some were protesting their innocence. Most looked confused that Minju sat amongst them. It was clear that their identity was kept a secret from each other. As undercover cabals went, it was a tight one.

  ‘Mikel,’ said Sam in a broken voice. ‘People have died. Curators have been killed, angels disposed of. How could you? What of the oath we took?’

  Mikel twisted his lips but looked unapologetic. He wasn’t a man I recognised, but his betrayal clearly shocked Sam.

  ‘I’m sorry, Nymens. Truly I am, but you know I was always against any integration with Beta Earth. We need to keep this planet pure. Death to the Angels!’

  A few people sitting on the other side of the chamber clapped. For my own part, I couldn’t believe that Stef was over there. He looked at me and shook his head.

  ‘It’s a mistake, Blue. Honest. Mr Loki, sir, could you check your list again?’

  Loki made a show of consulting a clipboard that had just appeared in his hands.

  ‘Stefan Seidel. Pocketed a jade statue of a fawn and handed it over to Soliman Alvarez. Requested another assignment asap. This is you isn’t it?’

  Loki waved his hand, and we watched as a hologram flickered in silence in the centre of the floor. We all watched Stef use a sleight-of-hand move to pocket the statue as Sabrina’s back was turned. He dropped a rock into the lava below and then pointed in horror to Sabrina who looked visibly upset. Then they both smacked their wrist braces and disappeared. Seconds later, the hologram stopped.

  ‘You pustulating shitgibbon!’ I wasn’t one for swearing, but at this moment I was tempted to join Sabrina. ‘When did you turn?’ she demanded.

  Now Stef shrugged, all pretence at innocence gone. ‘Turn, honey? I was never one of the boy scouts. Running around risking life and limb just for the bloody honour of it. Where’s the fun in that? Pulling the wool over all your eyes, spying on Julius. That was what made me get up in the morning. The money is just a glorious bonus. You should see my summer house.’

  What a mess. I looked across at Minju. ‘What about you, then? Are you in this for the money, or because you hate Betas?’

  Minju paused, considering my question.

  ‘Hate the Betas? Julius, I’m not a monster. I admire Beta Earth so much. From the rise of the first great empire of Rome, to the British Empire, and the rise of a new Chinese dawn. I watch the strength and power of your mighty nations, and I wail at the weakness and shallowness of my own society. We are working towards a new day. The rise of the Egyptian Empire, and we are so close to a new history for Alpha. An Egyptian dynasty for an Alpha civilisation, and we will use whatever we need from Beta Earth to power that rise.’

  So, not a monster then. Just a raving psychopath. Super.

  Anansi clapped his hands together, trying to get the conversation back under his control. Which, given that he had just thrown a hand grenade into the heart of Egyptian society, was going to be tricky.

  ‘Now, I’m going to give you some space to discuss your teams and your strategy.’

  ‘No, stop.’ Asha shot to her feet. ‘We can’t go haring off on a treasure hunt. We have to deal with these traitors. This betrayal needs to be dealt with immediately.’

  Anansi turned and looked at her. The room suddenly felt colder, and we tried not to look in the direction of the previous First Engineer.

  ‘Asha, do you remember Jan Kosgei?’

  She paused and frowned. ‘The boy in my primary school?’

  Anansi nodded.

  ‘Yes, do you remember the time he was pulling legs off a spider, and you bloodied his nose and tried to nurse the spider back to life as you wept?’

  Asha nodded slowly. This was such an old memory, and one she had forgotten until Anansi brought it up.

  ‘Your tears, Jan’s blood, and the spider’s pain summoned me that day, and I watched and approved of you.’ He paused, and now his tone sharpened. ‘And it is for that memory alone that I do not kill you. But never ever interrupt me again. Is that clear?’

  Asha stared him in the eye, and slowly sat down again, glaring at the people sitting across from her.

  ‘Excellent. Right, some quick rules. No approaching Leonardo. We will transport you wherever you want to go but won’t help any more than that. Anyone found cheating, we’ll just tell the other side where the codex is. Any questions?’

  I cleared my throat. It was now or never, and while the rules were being laid out, this was the best time to try and make the most of it.

  ‘What’s in it for us?’

  The two gods and Arthur looked at each other, confused, and Anansi looked back at me.

  ‘The chance to find and secure the codex. Stop the other side. I would have thought that was enough?’

  I shook my head. ‘Not if we lose. We may as well not compete at all.’

  ‘But it’s fun.’ said Anansi with a slight wheedling tone.

  ‘No. I want something if I lose. Otherwise, we’re not playing.’

  Asha leant across Neith and slapped me on the thigh.

  ‘What are you doing? Shut up.’

  I ignored her. If there was one advantage I had here, it was that I knew how the traditional bargaining with a god went.

  ‘Well, what do you want?’

  ‘At the end of this, no matter the outcome, all gods are to leave this planet and never return.’

  I felt Asha relax. Across from me, I saw Minju evaluating what I had just said.

 

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