The City of Hope: A SMAC Legend - Story Thread

[Velociryx]

Thirty Hours Later:

He paced like a caged panther backstage.

Nervous.

Edgy.

Had to remind himself to reign in is Psi-energy, lest he start a general panic. He knew that if he wasn’t extremely careful, he could inadvertently hurt or even kill members of the audience. People who had come to see and hear him play.

The thought of that astounded him, and as he dwelled on it, he found himself calming. They thought he was good. And more than that, they thought he was good enough to actually pay to come see him.

Pride swelled inside him, and he smiled nervously. It was all going to be okay.

&&&

Several blocks away, something stirred unseen through the crowd that had gathered. Restless, dissatisfied hundreds. Anger buzzed in and among their number, an almost tangible force.

Constable McDonnaugh stepped out into the street and marched up to a big, physically imposing man near the front of the assembled crowd. Not that this rabble had a leader, but he seemed to be their point man. He knew without looking that his three deputies were on the walk, covering him with their Tasers. Good men, but four against hundreds....he tried not to think about what would happen if things got out of hand.

“I ask you to disperse at once.” He barked in a loud, clear voice.

“And if we don’t?” The big man in front of him growled, face screwed up in a mask of rage and hate.

“Aye...that is your choice....but if you don’t, then my men and I will have to show you the inside of our holding cells.” He patted the shredder pistol at his belt (the only one in the entire city) almost unconsciously.

“There are only four of you....and you can’t stop us all.”

Perhaps it was fate, or the Constable’s single, unconscious motion, or something else entirely, but something dark and wicked stirred through the crowd, and the tension reached a critical mass, then snapped.

As a single body, they surged forward. Constable McDonnaugh drew his shredder pistol and fired once, wildly.

It was the only shot he had time to get off before the crowd simply bore him down and began trampling. The big man who had been closest to him stooped long enough to heft up the shredder pistol, a wicked gleam in his eye. He kicked the Constable in the side of the head, making him groan weakly. One shot to the chest silenced that and stirred the crowd’s frenzy even higher.

The three deputies on the walk did the only thing they could do, under the circumstances. They turned and fled, talking rapidly and breathlessly into their Comm bands as they ran.

&&&

Lady Deirdre was in the Opps Center when the first garbled communications began coming in. What she heard brought tears to her eyes.

“Christ! They killed the Constable, run for it!”

Then something that sounded like gunfire.

Screams.

Then static.

She turned to her Minister of the Interior, a sad, almost lost look in her eyes. “Never again.” She whispered.

He could not answer back.

&&&

His first number was the PlanetSong he had played for Gayle and Kevin in his apartment, and the audience was enthralled. It was so fragile, so wondrous that not a single soul in the place stirred. No clinking of ice cubes against glass. No whispered conversation. There was only the music. That breathtaking, perfect music that seemed familiar and yet strange to them. And when it was over, the roar of applause that erupted was enough to shake the entire building.

He got a standing ovation, and it prompted him to be more daring.

He had written a piece that he had not played for anyone yet. It was loud and had a decidedly rowdy edge to it, but it was a creation purely his own, and before the applause had even died away, he launched into it.

For half a second, the crowd was silent. Even mildly confused. Such a contrast to the airy, beautiful music from a moment ago, and yet....

Someone got up to dance.

And then someone else.

Two more.

And then, as one, most of the rest of the crowd joined in.

They were liking it. They really, really were.

He beamed out at the crowd, finding Gayle and Kevin sitting in the corner. She winked at him and Kevin waved.

&&&

The surging mob outside ebbed and flowed, moving in fits and starts. Smashing and destroying everything it encountered.

It was heading south.

Toward the Recreation Commons.

&&&

[Velociryx]

Episode Six - Burial

“Vel....wait!” Kevin called out as he ran after him, doing his best to keep up. He was still a little unsteady on his feet and woozy from the gash on his forehead, and despite the fact that Velociryx was carrying Gayle, Kevin found himself unable to close the distance between them. He could keep pace, but just barely. He was a researcher, not an athlete, and his lungs already felt like they were on fire, but he kept running anyway. He had to.

Gayle.

He’d seen her slump in Vel’s arms, and feared the worst, but he didn’t know. Not for sure.

So he ran.

Velociryx didn’t stop when he reached the edge of the City. He didn’t even slow down. Panting and groaning with effort, Kevin reached deep down inside himself and raced on, trying to at least keep him in sight.

He ran for what felt like forever, and Kevin was certain he would die trying to keep pace, but he tried not to think about it. He shut the rest of the world out and focused on Velociryx’s receding form. Closed his mind off from the pain in his head, his tortured lungs and aching legs. Isolated himself from all of it so he could continue.

Eventually, he began to gain ground, and it took his pain-clouded brain a long moment to understand why.

Velociryx had stopped.

Slowly, almost tentatively, he began to allow the world around him to enter back into his senses.

That was when he realized they were somewhere in the depths of a Fungal Bed. The same one they’d come to when they were learning the “walk.” The same one they’d found him in originally.

His heart skipped a beat. This was the third time they had all been here. The location suddenly felt important, although he could put no reason to it.

Why? Why would he bring her here?

Before he could half-consider that, Velociryx lifted Gayle above his head effortlessly, and held her there. Standing completely motionless.

From his stance, Kevin realized that he was expecting or waiting for something but he had no idea what it might….

The thought was not even fully formed before the whispering began, and a heartbeat after that, the faint stirrings of PlanetSong. But there was something else besides. Something….almost lost in the background. A humming sound….a mechanical throbbing….and it was getting louder with each passing second.

He ran closer with renewed vigor, ignoring the stitch in his side and the burning in his lungs. When he was still some twenty meters from Velociryx, the ground began trembling. Not much at first, but it quickly grew and swelled….so much so that he lost his balance in mid-stride and pitched forward, tumbling face-first in patch of fungus. The stalks broke his fall somewhat, but it still wasn’t anything close to what he would have called comfortable.

He tried to stand, but the sight that greeted him as he looked up and toward Velociryx froze him in place.

It was even enough to make him forget all the pain he was in.

A Monolith, rising up out of the ground.

He stared, unbelieving.

Shook his head to clear it, thinking surely he must be hallucinating.

The Monolith remained, rising higher and higher into the night sky, not twenty feet from where Velociryx was standing.

Kevin watched, utterly fascinated, as Velociryx stood his ground, still unmoving.

What the Hell? He thought numbly as he regained his feet and stumbled forward again.

It couldn’t be real…..it just couldn’t. He had to get closer. Had to touch it. Maybe then, it and the rest of this crazy dream world would disappear and he would wake up, and Gayle would be warm and safe at home in her bed….or even better than that, warm and safe in his bed.

No.

She was gone, and it was all real.

And right then, watching the Monolith rise higher and higher, the full weight of that came crashing down on him.

At last, the full height of the Monolith was revealed, like the blade of some great sword sticking up out of the alien soil.

The trembling in the ground faded to nothing, but the humming did not. If anything, it seemed to swell and grow further now that the structure was above ground again. It seemed almost alive. Pulsating with some ancient power.

Before his brain had the chance to fully digest the Monolith springing up from the ground, there was more.

The Fungus itself began to shift and change. A pair of new stalks rose up like living creatures from the depths of the Fungal bed, flanking the newly risen Monolith….growing to at least thirty meters in a matter of seconds, approximately two thirds the height of the Monolith itself.

Kevin had no idea what to make of it, and was too awestruck by what he was seeing to even contemplate it at this point. All he could do was gape open-mouthed at the spectacle unfolding before him.

A voice inside his head was screaming at him to pay attention, and that this was all somehow vitally important…..he did his best, but his brain didn’t seem to be functioning quite correctly….the world was sluggish….surreal.

A waking dream, and professional researcher and observer or not, he could not quite wrap his mind around what he was seeing.

And there was still more.

[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited November 11, 1999).]

[Velociryx]

The Great Stalks rippled for a moment as though straining against something, and then actually began to move. They shuffled closer to Velociryx, and bent down until their stalks were touching the top of his head. Smaller tendrils reached out to lightly caress and wrap themselves around Gayle’s body in a strangely moving embrace. He detected no malice in their movements….it was almost as though they were trying to help her….revive her somehow.

In a moment, the stalks straightened themselves and stood swaying slightly back and forth, clearly communicating with each other.

Velociryx gently set her down at the base of the Monolith and took a moment to arranger her hair….fingertips lingering and caressing her cheeks. Even from where he was, Kevin could see it was a bad wound. No way could the hospital have saved her from that.

Understanding seeped into his bones.

It was a funeral procession.

The thought came to him from nowhere, but it seemed to fit what he was seeing.

Suddenly, he had to be closer. If it was in fact, what he thought it was, then he had to be a part of it, so he walked. Nevermind that each step brought pain. There would be time to heal later. Right now, this was something he had to do.

“It is dangerous for you to be here.” Velociryx said quietly as he drew closer. He didn’t even turn his head.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Now Velociryx turned and met his eyes. “It matters to me.” He said simply.

“I had to come….I needed….” He could not finish the thought with words, but his tears finished it for him.

Velociryx nodded. “There is not much time…..if you would say goodbye to her, do it now.” Without another word, he stood and drifted back some distance into the deeper shadows to give Kevin a few final moments alone.

Kevin’s body reacted automatically, bending closer to her, gazing down at those lifeless features, trying his best to ignore the gaping wound at her throat as his tears spilled from his chin onto her cheek….and her skin was so cold…..lifeless. It was not the Gayle he remembered.

Not the one he wanted to remember.

“Goodbye….my love.” He whispered to the night as he bent to kiss her forehead. “I will never forget….I promise you that….”

He took her hand and held it a moment, and then stood. Seconds later, Velociryx stepped out of the deeper shadows, and seemed to materialize right next to him, and the two men stood quietly over her for what felt like a very long time.

Finally, Kevin cleared his throat and looked around, partially to make sure he hadn’t imagined the things he thought he saw a few moments earlier.

The Monolith remained, as did the two Great Stalks.

“Vel” He said softly. “I….why are we here?”

Velociryx bowed his head, and his entire body trembled slightly as he wept for a moment before he answered. Then he looked up and met Kevin’s gaze. “I didn’t…..I couldn’t keep her safe.” His face was etched with deep lines of agony and the tears threatened to spill over in face.

A part of him raged. Yes…..he damned well should feel guilty and responsible. If not for him and his stupid gig at the Rec. Commons, Gayle might still be alive…..

But that was just desperation talking, and the greater part of him realized it. Velociryx was his friend….they had both just lost someone important, and anger would not help either of them, so he swallowed it, and put a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Vel….no….it wasn’t your place to keep her safe….she was a grown woman who happened to her was an accident….you can’t predict….”

“I did see it coming though!” He said with real venom in his voice. “Don’t you see? I am not one of you! I can pretend all I want to, but that’s all it is….pretending! I should have reacted quicker….I should have done something more….it’s what I am, isn’t it?….it’s what I was designed for…..I detected the gun a long time before the man used it…..I could have obeyed my programming and Psi’d him…..then we’d still have Gayle….she’d be okay….”

“No….you might have detected the gun, but how could you have known what would happen?….It’s easy to torture yourself after the fact….but what if you’d tried to stop the gunman, and he’d taken a shot at you?”

Velociryx shook his head and responded to the question without thinking it through. “He would have probably missed me….I can’t dodge bullets, but I’m fast enough to dodge him.”

Kevin nodded. “So you would have dodged the shot….and what if that had been the shot that hit Gayle?….” He let that sink in for a moment. “So you see….there’s no way you could have predicted it….none.”

Vel was quiet at that, and Kevin watched him. The self-hatred was still evident on his face, but he didn’t look quite so out of control as he had a few moments before, and Kevin found himself wanting to breath a sigh of relief. Instead, he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Shhh!” Velociryx cut him off sharply and looked around.

Kevin fell silent, straining to hear.

Nothing.

Even the PlanetSong and the humming had gone quiet.

In fact, everything had gone quiet.

“Stay close to me….they’re coming.” Vel said in a low tone.

Kevin moved a step closer. He had a good idea who They were and didn’t want any part of them.

In a moment, he heard a curious rustling noise in the Fungus. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, and it sent a shiver down Kevin’s spine.

It grew louder, heading right for them.

Then he saw them.

Worm Boils.

Chittering to each other as they rose up from the Fungal Bed and began moving closer.

There must have been dozens of them, coming in from all directions. Perhaps even scores of them. Converging on Velociryx, the Monolith, and the Great Stalks.

“Oh my God....” Kevin whispered softly.

Velociryx was silent. Waiting.

The Worm Boils gathered around them in a circle, drawing to within ten feet of them before stopping. Kevin stared, fascinated. He had never been this close to them before, and now that his brain didn’t seem quite so foggy….now that he’d at least had a chance to say goodbye, the researcher in him took over instinctively. They were clearly in communication with one another, and perhaps with Velociryx as well, chittering and shifting. They almost seemed to have some kind of body language, though Kevin was mystified as to what it might mean.

Velociryx bowed his head for a long moment, and then began to speak. “Watch over her, my brothers....let no one near this place....keep her safe....safer than I could....”

He said a few more words, but they were too soft for Kevin to make out.

They stood there for several long moments, unmoving, but despite the stillness, something was definately going on.

At first, Kevin was not sure what it was exactly, but when his nose started bleeding, he understood. The place was awash with Psi-energy, and it was spiking higher.

I will do my best to shield you came a voice in his mind.

Kevin looked over at Velociryx, who stood near him, eyes mostly closed, swaying back and forth with the Worm Boils.

Finally, he opened his eyes all the way, wiped the tears from them and looked over at Kevin. “Stay close to me while we’re leaving.” He didn’t have to say why, and Kevin nodded in understanding, and wiped more blood on his shirtsleeve.

They moved out, and the Mind Worms parted for them as they approached. The researcher in him took over again, and Kevin noted something interesting in their posture.

They almost look like an Honor Guard., He thought to himself. And then he realized that’s exactly what they were. He sensed a powerful intelligence from them, and was close enough to see details. Actually, in a strange way, they were quite beautiful.

Time seemed to stand still for them as they made their way back out of the Fungal Bed. He was aware of the passage of time, but had no idea how much time was going by. He was shocked when they made the edge of the Fungus just moments before Alpha Centauri A broke up over the horizon.

He opened his mouth to speak, but could find no words to phrase the jumble of questions in his mind about the strange things he had seen, and he got the distinct impression that Velociryx would not answer him in any case.

What was his friend becoming? The scene that had unfolded in the Fungus was almost….religious, so…. what? Velociryx was becoming some type of “Planet-Priest” or something? And why had the Great Stalks appeared like that? For that matter, what were they, exactly? Clearly a more advanced version of the Fungus, but nothing like it had been seen since PlanetFall….had Velociryx summoned them somehow? Kevin shook that idea off….no….at least he hoped not….that would be just too strange to consider. Likely then, he had simply known when they would appear, but how? And what about the Monolith?

Those, and a thousand other questions pouring out of his mind. So many and so quickly that he could not even sort them out. But he would. And when he did, he would get some answers. If not from Velociryx, then he’d come back out to this place, Mindworms or not.

For the moment though, Kevin Aldridge kept silent, and they returned to the city. He cringed as he considered what they might find.


[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited November 11, 1999).]

[Velociryx]

Episode Seven - Lady Deirdre Skye
Gaian Opps Center

“My lady, it is too dangerous.” Minister Shenn told her earnestly. “They’ve already killed your Constable, what makes you think they’ll not kill you?”

Deirdre stared thoughtfully into space and nodded absently. “They might, but....it is a risk I must take at this point.” She sighed deeply. “The answer is not in more police....that was a mistake on my part....what the people need is leadership....they need courage.”

“But M’Lady, I cannot....”

“My decision is final. I would ask that you make the necessary arrangements for me to speak with them.”

Minister Shenn fell silent, knowing all too well that it was his infrastructure program that had caused their current troubles. Knowing further, that his infrastructure program might very well spell the Lady’s death. He shuddered to think about that, and what might happen to him afterwards. “I shall do as you ask, M’Lady.”

She nodded and left the room.

&&&

[Velociryx]

Kevin was amazed at how far they had run, and how long it was taking them to get back to the Colony. He was beyond tired, and even more amazed that Velociryx did not even appear fatigued. Then he remembered his cybernetic enhancements and nodded to himself in understanding. That made sense, but....it was about the only thing that did.

Even though he had promised himself that he would not ask Velociryx about any of it yet, he could not stop his mind from churning furiously on them.

The Monolith….there could have been some kind of Psi-trigger which activated it and brought it to the surface….that would explain that part of it, at least, but what of those Stalks? What were they, exactly? And how much more (or less) intelligent the worms? And, would more of them be appearing now that these first two had arrived? That last was ominous indeed. The Gaian people had only just begun to come to some kind of sensitivity with Planet, and this apparently new life form could upset the new balance they were creating for themselves in some unforeseen way, which meant Deirdre would have to know about it.

And then what of Velociryx himself? He had already proven his value to the Gaian People, teaching them so much about the Fungus and being a source of tremendous strength for them to rely on. They had no army, but they had (as far as they knew) Chiron’s only Psi-talented human, and that was huge. But, just as the Gaians were learning from him, was it so unreasonable to think that perhaps Planet’s native life was learning from him as well? And maybe they did revere him in some way….if so, that could either be a huge blessing or a dark curse indeed. If he could call and command Mindworms, and anything happened to push him over the edge….

No…He tried to shake the thought from his head, but found that he could not. Not completely, anyway. He had seemed almost spiritual at the Monolith....like the High Priest of some new and primitive religion, and the Mind Worms were his Acolytes? His brow creased as he thought it over. And he called them (the Worms, he had to conclude, and maybe the Great Stalks too) his brothers. Something else the Lady Deirdre would have to know about.

For the first time since they had brought The Stranger into the colony, he began to worry that perhaps they had made a mistake with him. Perhaps by taking him in, by making him self-aware and teaching him, they had done more harm than good. Unbalanced him in some way that could do long-lasting damage to the Gaian City….assuming there was much of a city left.

He sighed deeply as they finally entered the city gate (at least that much was still intact, which was a good sign). So much to think about.

What he really needed was a hot shower and a bed. A strong sleeping pill and a few days of rest should dull the pain at least to the point where he could....

Something caught his attention. A movement high atop the flanking city wall.

He looked, and Velociryx looked with him.

They recognized her immediately.

The Lady Deirdre.

Velociryx growled deep in his throat, and ran off toward the section of wall she was climbing.

“Wha...Vel.....wait! Where are you.....what’s wrong?”

He didn’t look back, but his words in response were unmistakable. “I lost one of them....I couldn’t live with myself if I lost them both....”

Kevin understood that, and a very bad feeling crawled up under his skin. He groaned in pain and took off after Velociryx as fast as his weary bones and muscles would allow.

&&&

[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited November 11, 1999).]

[Velociryx]

The PA System had been hastily rigged together, but no matter. It would work well enough. She had to be seen. To speak to her People. She knew that now. Why it had not been so clear to her before, she was uncertain. But she knew it now, and wanted more than anything to put things right.

The crowd below was filled up with hisses and boos, and there was an almost tangible angry buzz moving through it. Her People, reduced to this? It terrified her, but even as it did, it strengthened her resolve. She grabbed the microphone and took a deep breath. One way or another, she was about to radically change things in the Colony.

“Citizens of the Landing....hear me.”

She waited a moment, and the surging mass below her began to settle. They were at least willing to listen, that was a good sign.

“Hear me.” She repeated, and the crowd grew quieter still.

Her confidence grew.

“Is this what we have come to? Rioting in the streets? Wanton violence against our friends and neighbors? Have we sunk so far as that?” She grew silent for a moment, letting those questions sink in, then she bowed her head.

“If we have, then I have failed you, and you anger should be directed at me and me alone....not at each other....”

&&&

[Velociryx]

Velociryx scanned the crowd with his tracking implant, searching for the weapon. He wanted to find out just how much danger Deirdre was in.

Handgun located....fifty-six meters, north by north-east.

He measured with his eyes.

That put the gunman up close to the wall. Almost directly beneath Deirdre.

With a grim, icy determination, he began pushing his way through the crowd.

&&&

[Velociryx]

“....I ask you to give us time....plans are in the works to correct some of the things you have concerns about, but they will not happen overnight, and they cannot begin until we can heal this city.....please....help me start that.....let the healing of our People begin....”

She could sense it in the crowd. They were responding to her. Yes, there were still a few angry elements mixed in, but the mood of the crowd in general had calmed greatly. It almost made her want to smile.

She took another deep breath. “If it is the will of the People, if the dissatisfaction has truly become unbearable, then I will step down from leadership of the colony. We are an imperfect People attempting to build a perfect world, and mistakes have been made....sometimes terrible, tragic ones, like the ones that brought us here, and if it is your will, I will hand myself over to the mercy of the courts.....I will put myself and my fate in your hands....”

Her speech was interrupted by a curious popping sound. She fought the instinct to flinch when she realized what it was. Strength was important, and she would not appear weak before her People.

She scanned the crowd, looking for the gunman, grateful that he had missed and given her the opportunity to at least see the face of her assassin. Reason told her she should seek cover, but she found herself unable to do that. Her course was set, and she would play it out.

In a moment, she saw him.

Velociryx had seen him too, apparently.

He bulled his way through the crowd to the gunman as he was lining up his second shot. He seemed to be moving almost in slow motion, and the Lady noticed that he seemed to be clutching his sides with one hand while holding the pistol with the other. Perhaps that was why he....

Before the man could squeeze off his next shot, Velociryx was on him. He put the gunman in a headlock and hammered his arm hard enough to make him drop the pistol. In one graceful motion, and without breaking the headlock, he stooped enough to pick the pistol up, and put it to the gunman’s head.

Deirdre could see his lips moving as he talked to the man, and could feel the anger emanating from him, but was too far away to hear. She began coming down from the wall. Drawing closer.

&&&

[Velociryx]

“....let you live the first time, and you’d better start talking fast if you want to convince me not to kill you right here.” Velociryx’s face was flush, his eyes narrowed to mere slits. He could feel his Psi-Defenses whirring at levels high enough to make him giddy, and it felt good. The rush. The power. He smiled grimly.

“I....please....don’t kill me....”

“Why not? You killed Gayle....you tried to kill Deirdre....why shouldn’t I do you right now?” But even as he spoke the words, he felt something twitch and then shudder inside him. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. The gunman was helpless. Defenseless now, and terrified. True, he could not be trusted....he’d already amply proven that, but that didn’t warrant a death sentence.

He looked up, and found himself staring into Deirdre’s beautiful, wide eyes.

The anger, and his Psi-energy left him, and he let her calming presence work its way inside him.

Yes.

Calm.

Peace.

That was exactly what he needed. So hard to know the right thing to do when anger had him in its grip, but now....

He flipped the pistol around and clubbed the gunman in the back of the head.

Hard.

The man slumped forward, and Velociryx eased him to the ground, then stood and offered the pistol to Deirdre. “M’lady, he will be no more trouble to you....though I suggest you call the constable and have him put in a holding cell.”

She regarded him for a long moment, and then sighed. “You and I have many things to discuss....among them is the death of Constable McDonnaugh, and my desire to see you take his place.”

He looked startled, and was about to speak, but Deirdre put a finger to his lips. “No....do not give me your answer now. We will talk later. For the moment, I pronounce you Acting Constable, and ask you to take this man to a holding cell. We will talk later this evening, yes?” She handed the shredder pistol back to him and patted his hand.

Velociryx studied her for a long moment, and nodded. So many conflicting emotions. Too much happening too quickly. He felt almost dizzy.

Confused.

Overwhelmed.

Somewhat stiffly, he tucked the shredder pistol in his belt, hauled the prisoner to his feet, and slowly made his way toward the town jail.

&&&

[Velociryx]

Episode Eight - Healing.....

Deirdre watched him go, half dragging his prisoner down the street. She could sense the torment and conflict in him, but she could also sense the goodness. Quite a remarkable change from when they’d first found him.

She nearly allowed herself a smile, but then remembered where she was and all the work that lay ahead of her. The crowd thronged around her, no longer angry, but certainly restless.

Briefly, she considered climbing back onto the wall and speaking further to her People, but decided against it. No. Nothing more needed to be said. So, she simply moved among them. Talking to them individually. Opening herself up to them and feeling their pains and frustrations.

And as she moved through the crowd, full of grace and strength, poise and compassion, the mood of the crowd began to shift further still. This was not some distant, disconnected leader. This was a leader who heard their cries and answered them in person, moving among them. She did not respond to force with force, but with compassion and tenderness. She was as kind as she was fearless, and they were enthralled. Just to be close to her. To reach out and touch her shoulder or her hair. To feel her among them.

The riots ended. The healing began. And Lady Deirdre Skye finally allowed herself a smile.

Her People had come through. Stronger now than they had been before. Bonded together by hardship and tragedy.

They had made it.

&&&

[Velociryx]

Later that evening

“Velociryx, I am glad you could come....please, come in.” She stepped back and allowed him into the inner chambers of her apartment.

He entered stiffly. Uncomfortably. “You honor me, M’Lady....allowing me into your home.”

She shook her head and sat on an overstuffed divan, motioning for him to sit on the matching one across from her.

“Not at all....I am no more or less important than any other member of the Landing....you are welcome here any time.”

He sat down and stared at her. “There are people who would beg to differ with that opinion, M’Lady.”

She smiled faintly. “I re-learned several important things today.” She told him. “Things I should never have lost sight of....this position of leadership exists to serve the People, not the other way around.”

“But from what I have seen you have never....”

She held up a hand. “Yes....I have. Perhaps without even realizing or intending, but I have just the same. I became so distracted by a higher, scientific goal, that I lost sight of the needs and desires of the people who make our research efforts possible....and it cost us.....”

Tears returned to Velociryx’s eyes at the merest mentioning of that. “Yes.” He said softly. “It cost us dearly.”

She leaned forward and touched his arm. “I am sorry for your loss....I know how much she meant to you.”

He did not speak for a long time, and when he finally did, his voice was that of a child. “I....I should have done things differently. I might have saved her if I’d focused on the gun instead of getting to her....I might have....”

“Shhhh....don’t....you cannot torment yourself with it. It is finished, and you did the best you could. You were trying to protect her.”

He met her gaze. “My best fell well short of being good enough.”

“No....you cannot control everything. You cannot predict everything. You are only Human.”

“Am I?” He asked blackly. “All my extra organs that your science teams still can’t figure out....a computer embedded in my skull, hydraulic assist struts in my arms and legs, strength enhancers.....am I really Human, or just some kind of freak you managed to rescue and impart a few good qualities to?”

Deirdre shook her head. “Human. And I can prove that to you if I must.”

“Do it.” He shook his head, not believing.

“When Gayle was shot, you could have killed the man who killed her. You did not. Why?”

Velociryx stared at her for a long moment, thinking. Remembering. So much anger and hate. It would have been so easy, but....

“I....it wasn’t....I couldn’t....”

“The machine part of you wanted to, and maybe the Human part did too, but as I understand it, you kicked him instead. Why? Why not just kill him? That is what a cold, efficient machine would have done, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” He whispered.

“But you did not. Nor did he go unpunished. You kicked him. Why do that? Why not kill him or let him go?”

“Because....what he did was wrong.....there was no justice in letting him go completely free.”

“There was justice in kicking him?”

He pondered. “Yes....I think there was. Maybe not the kind of justice that a court would approve of, but there was balance to it.”

“Some kind of response was called for then.”

“Yes.”

“And again later, when the gunman was firing at me....the same gunman who had killed Gayle earlier. You had another chance to kill him, but you didn’t.”

“For the same reasons.”

She nodded. “But you clubbed him in the head....was that for the same reason as when you kicked him earlier?”

He nodded, and she smiled. “Human.” She said softly. “You are a good man....you want to do that which is right, and you do not like to see the wicked go unpunished....You are brave and resourceful, and I can think of no one I would rather have serve as this City’s Constable. You will make a fine one.”

“But....I....my music....”

“Being Constable is not a lifestyle....it is merely a job....I imagine a number of people in the Landing would be deeply disappointed if you did not continue with your music. I ask that you do both. Become our Constable to serve the greater good of the Colony, and continue with your music to serve the hearts and souls of our People.”

He considered for a long moment, and then sighed. “I have been thinking about this since you spoke to me by the wall....it is a hard thing that you ask me to do, but....you and the people here have given me a life....I am happy here, or at least I was....”

“You can be again.”

“Someday.” He said softly.

“Yes....someday.”

He nodded. “Maybe if I serve as Constable I can try hard to make sure nothing like the riots ever happen again....and it would be my way of repaying the Colony for all the kindness everyone has shown me....I accept. I will be your Constable.”

Deirdre favored him with a smile. “In that case, report to your new office tomorrow morning....you have much work ahead of you, Constable Velociryx.”

He stood and bowed to her. “Yes M’lady....and thank you....Thank you for this chance.”

He turned to go.

“Velociryx?”

“Yes?”

She paused a moment, considering exactly how to ask her next question. “Where.....is Gayle, exactly?”

“She is with Planet now....safe. At Peace.”

They held each other’s eyes for a long moment.

“Good night Velociryx....and good luck to you.....Walk the Planet.”

He smiled, remembering the day the phrase had been coined. “Walk the Planet, M’Lady Deirdre.”

He closed the door softly behind him and made his way out of the building. The night air was cool....bracing. He stretched in the moonlight and then sighed deeply.

Much work ahead.

Indeed.

But for now, a late night walk to think, and consider, and remember.

“I miss you, Gayle.” He whispered on the wind, and somehow, he imagined that she could hear. The thought made him smile as he took his first steps into the thick evening shadows....

&&&

[Velociryx]

Interlude:

Professor Baxter paused in the telling of the story for a lingering moment, and looked around the campfire at his charges. There were no dry eyes in the group, and it made him smile a faraway smile.

“Shall we stop for the evening?” He asked quietly.

The looks he got in response told him everything he needed to know, and he drew in a deep breath, and continued.....

[Velociryx]

Kevin Aldridge stood in the shadows and watched as Velociryx made his way unhurriedly down the street. Head low. Hands stuffed into his pockets. Clearly, deep in thought.

Unconsciously he chewed his bottom lip in indecisions. Go or stay? He was not sure....too much conflict in him to think clearly.

He was jumpy and an odd movement behind nearly made him cry out. Probably just some harmless night sound, but after what he had seen in the Fungal Bed....

That decided it for him. He walked quickly and quietly up to the compound which served as home for most of the leadership of the Gaians.

&&&

Lady Deirdre was staring thoughtfully out her window when her Comm Station chimed to life.

She was tempted to ignore it. Such a long, trying day. But no, her People came first, always, so she went to it with a sigh.

“Yes?”

“M’Lady.” The Guard downstairs said. “You have another visitor. Science Section. Mister Kevin Adleridge.”

“By all means, send him up.” She said, her curiosity piqued.

He arrived scant moments later, looking flustered and unsure of himself.

&&&

“Thank you for seeing me, especially with no appointment and so late.” Kevin stammered as the Lady showed him in.

She favored him with a smile. “It is no trouble, Mister Aldridge. Actually, a friend of yours only recently left.”

Their eyes met, and she saw something tortured in his.

“I know.” He said quietly.

She motioned to the large divans in the center of the room. “Why don’t you tell me what brings you here.”

Somewhat stiffly, he moved and sat, then buried his face in his hands. “I....I don’t even know where to begin.”

She waited.

The silence was heavy.

“I know where he took Gayle.”

Again, she waited.

“The Fungal Bed.....I followed him there.”

That was odd, and she arched her eyebrows in curiosity. “Why do you suppose.....”

“I have no idea, but when we got there....you should have seen it....the whole place came alive.”

“Alive how?”

“New Fungal growths sprang up in a matter of seconds....it was almost like he summoned them or caused them in some way.”

“You mean the Bed has expanded? Closer to the City?”

Kevin shook his head. “No....entirely new types of stalks. Things I’ve never seen before....they could move on their own.”

Their eyes met again. This was profound indeed.

“You say he ‘summoned’ them?”

“Well.....that’s the part I’m not sure about....he stood there, holding Gayle and....waiting....like he knew something would happen, and then the Monolith rose up out of the ground and.....”

Lady Deirdre Skye held up a hand and stopped him. “I think perhaps it would be best if you began from the beginning.” She said in a soothing voice. “Tell me what happened when the two of you left the City.”

Kevin nodded, drew in a deep breath and told her.

Everything.

&&&

She was silent for what felt like a very long time. Considering. Contemplating.

It was all so extraordinary.

Finally, she stood and went to the window, looking out at some point near the horizon.

“Do you trust Velociryx?” She asked quietly.

“M’Lady?”

“Do you trust him? To you count him as a friend?”

“Yes.” He said after a moment. “Yes I do.”

“So do I....” She turned to face him. “And our friend has many gifts....gifts I do not think he fully understands....I have spoken with Planet about him....this ‘Son of Chiron’ on more than one occassion....I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I do know he is important to us.”

A moment of silence passed between them.

“For now.....I would prefer if you kept this between us. Monitor the area as often as you can, but take no unnecessary risks. Do not go back there unless Velociryx is with you. If the worm boils are still active, they might not be controllable unless he is there....we are beginning to develop an affinity with Planet, but that is still in its infancy, and I don’t want to risk anyone unnecessarily.”

“I understand.” He half-whispered.

She went to him and stroked his brow lightly. “I know it is hard for you....she was very special....and we will solve this mystery, but we cannot do it without Velociryx’s help....you know that, don’t you?”

He nodded.

“These are strange events, but they may not be forboding....I trust Planet, and I trust my own instincts.....I ask you to do the same.”

He kissed her hand. “Yes, M’Lady Deirdre.....and thank you.”

“Good night, Mister Aldridge.” She said with a wisp of a smile.

“Good night.”

He showed himself out, and left the leader of the Gaian People with her thoughts.

They kept her awake for most of the night.

&&&

[Velociryx]

Episode Nine
A new beginning.....

He looked over his men. A sturdy group, numbering forty in all. Good officers. His men.

That seemed strange still.

“I never knew Constable McDonnaugh.” He told them. “But I have heard that he was a fine man, and a good leader....I do not know how to fill his shoes, or even if I can, but I can tell you that I will try my best to do a good job for you and the Colony.” He got a far off look in his eye for a moment, and then smiled. “And, since I’ve not had much practice at making speeches, I’m going to shut up now....we’ll leave everyone’s schedule as it is until there’s a problem and just....make the rest up as we go.”

And with that, he walked out of the room, leaving his officers standing in puzzled silence.

&&&

Three officers stood talking together out by the side of the Constable’s Office. The others, except for the duty crew, had dispersed, carrying their thoughts of their new leader with them.

“That guys a nutball.....dangerous man” Sergent Detrick whispered. “I don’t know why our Lady picked him.”

“Yeah well, don’t let him hear you say that....fry your brains up quick.” The portly Sergent Kennerly shot back, tapping his temple for emphasis.

“Awwww, I think that’s a load of Worm Crap! Probably just some propaganda made up by the Interior Ministry to keep the Drones scared.”

“No....my sister was there when he brought down the gunman....she saw what happened to the people around him when he Psi’d up.” Lieutenant Wilkes told them.

“And what did she see?”

“People bled....eyes....ears....nose....” Wilkes shut his eyes. “He should not be our leader, and he should not have access to the only shredder pistol in the city....”

“Hey, I agree with you Wilkesey, I already said he’s dangerous....freakin’ menace if you ask me, but why are you worried about him having a gun....if he can fry your brains out, why would he need it?”

“I’m not worried about HIM having it....I’d just like to have it to balance against him....insurance policy.”

They all looked at each other in silence for a long moment, and unspoken plan passing between them. They sealed it by placing their hands together, one atop the other.

“Agreed?” Wilkes whispered the question.

Detrick and Kennerly nodded their assent.

“Okay then....we’ll try for it, and if not....we’ll smuggle one in.”

Detrick smiled. “Buddy of mine pulled Former duty near the Spartan Sector....he might be useful.”

The conspiracy had begun.

&&&

In the Apartments of the Lady Deirdre Skye

“Are you settling in?” She asked him as they sat across from each other on the divans.

“Yes....it felt strange, but, I think I can do it.”

She smiled at him. “I know you can....but there are things you will need to know.”

“Well m’Lady, I am a quick study. Tell me.”

She chose her next words carefully, not wanting to frighten him with the idea she was about to propose. It had taken her most of the night to come to the realization of what she must do in an attempt to understand him. She had not lied when she told Kevin Aldridge that she trusted him, and if it had just been her, then trust alone would have been enough. But where her People were concerned, she wanted more certainty than that. And it was not enough to simply ask what happened at the Fungal Bed, because in many ways he still did not know himself or his abilities. No, if she was going to find out, then she needed to feel him. To be a part of him, and he of her.

“You need more than just the knowledge. We have no need of a Field General, because we have no army, and it will fall to you to join me when we meet with leaders of other factions. Your officers are the closest thing we have to a military presence.”

He nodded. This was unexpected, but he was warming to the job. Not unwelcome at all. “So what are you proposing?”

“The leaders of the various factions on Planet are powerful, charismatic men and women. They are intelligent, cunning, and sublte. You will need more than just raw information about them to hold your own....so I propose that I share my impressions with you. My experiences and knowledge will become yours.”

He studied her for a long moment as the full implication of what she was offering him began sinking in. Could she do that? Would she? It seemed such an intimate, personal thing. He was flattered....honored....almost beyond words. “How? I mean....you would do that?”

“Yes....but I will not force you....and I will not lie to you....my motives are not purely political.....your knowledge and experience will become mine as well, so think carefully.”

“Everything?” He asked, his voice taking on a somewhat shaky tone.

She nodded and he searched her eyes with his. “You want to understand....about that night.”

“Yes....that is another reason for my offer to you.”

“It made Kevin frightened of me again....and I feel I’ve lost some of your trust because I cannot explain it.”

That smile again. “You are my Constable. My sturdy knight....if I cannot trust you, then I can trust no one at all.” She stood and came over beside him. Sat down. “If you want this, and if it works, you will have the sum of all my knowledge and experience added to your own.”

“And you will have mine.”

“Yes.”

“If it works?”

“I do not know if you remember it, but I tried to open a communal channel with you once before.”

“Yes...” He whispered. “At the Research Center.....I....I felt you.”

“But your Cybernetic-self blocked me....it may do so again.”

He shook his head. “I....I’d like to try, and I think I can control it.”

“I am counting on it.” She touched his arm. “Are you ready, my Sturdy Knight?”

“Now?...I mean...”

She nodded. “Right now.”

He said yes with his eyes, and she brought the tips of her long, delicate fingers up to his temples and began to concentrate.

&&&

Lights....motion....a multitude of sounds....all blurring and tangling together. He felt himself spinning, twisting past it all at dizzying speeds, like a helpless passenger on some demented roller-coaster. So fast that even his implanted processor had difficulty keeping pace with it all.

The Lady Deirdre Skye’s life’s experiences flashed before him, and he felt his own experiences being leeched out of his head, pouring into her. They were melding together....becoming as one mind. It filled him with a strange kind of peace and certainty. Made him stronger. And it was the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced.

How long it went on, he could not say. He woke up hours later in his own apartment, the early morning suns of Chiron peeking through his bedroom window. No memory of how he might have gotten home. No, that wasn’t quite right though. The memory was there it was just....dancing in front of him.....tantalizingly close, but just out of reach.

He smiled and rolled up out of bed, feeling relaxed and refreshed. Well rested.

But Deirdre was right, he realized, as some of his new impressions floated up to the surface of his mind. The factional leaders were a strange bunch indeed. Very focused, very driven. Powerful, forceful personalities and keen minds. He saw the wisdom in what she had done for him, and was grateful for it.

He padded out to the kitchen and opened the refridgeration unit, intending to see what he could scrounge up for breakfast.

The moment he opened the door, the swirling colors, lights, and sounds swept him up again and carried him away.

It took his breath away.

And if he was still seeing the lights and colors, then that must mean....

His mind grappled with what was happening to him, as the realization sank home that he was still in Deirdre’s apartment. Still melding with her.

More of her life’s experiences were absorbed into his mind.

Suddenly there was a screeching noise and he felt the pressure of impact.

His chest constricted horribly and began to ache and throb.

Heart attack?

The thought came to him calmly enough and he assigned a portion of his cybernetic awareness to do a full systems check. All normal. Then what?

He saw a darkened lab, and the name of the place floated up to the forefront of his awareness.

The Psi-College.

Somehow, Deirdre had bypassed the mental blocks placed by his handlers from before, and he found himself able to access the memories of what had come before.

A cold finger of fear began worming its way through him, and the sensation was shocking. He had never felt anything quite like it.

Shivering, he waited as the scene unfolded before him.

The lab. Banks of blinking lights and whirring computers.

The Psi Master. Bald. Emaciated. Leering at him.

The test subjects. Eight of them. And he was the last.

Yes. All dead, he realized.

The mindworms. Their genetic material analyzed and his modified to more closely match theirs.

The growth room, where their experimental organs had been grown and harvested. Organs which allowed for more efficient ingestion of Fungus, enabled them to access the Planetary Neural Net (even if fleetingly and peripherally), and sensory organs to detect Psi Energy in others.

The surgeries.

Pain.

Torture.

The electro-bath. Oh yes, he remembered that. And the incision they made across the center of the Hippocampus of his brain. Without anesthesia. The saw, spinning toward his head. Glistening in the too-bright lights and grinning like a many-toothed demon, intent on.....

The screaming from the other beds.

The memories pounded him. Assaulting him relentlessly. Forcing him to remember. He tried to scream, but was not sure if any sound issued from his tortured throat and constricted lungs.

The images continued.

The self-awareness suppression courses.

Isolation chambers and sensory deprivation tanks.

Image reinforcement therapy to numb his mind. Teach him to kill and enjoy it. And then the live test runs.

He and the others, like cobras pent up in a cage. And followers of Sister Miriam, captured by Santiago’s forces....turned loose in a warehouse. Trying to hide.

But they could not hide from the Psi-Corps.

One by one they were rooted out.

They begged and wept and pleaded, but he and the others were machines. Remorseless. Relentless.

The man he was assigned to even wet himself in sheer terror. Mentioned his wife and two children in an attempt to stave off the inevitable.

And now that Deirdre had broken down the barriers to his memory, he remembered smiling as he blasted the man with enough Psi-Force to knock him back more than five feet. Intentionally undirected, so that it did not kill him instantly. The Psi Master enjoyed sensing their terror and suffering.

He wept then.

For all the deaths he and the others had caused. For all the terror. For this, he did not even deserve to live.

No Child A soothing voice reached out to him. You were their creature then

Who....who are you? He heard himself asking, but he already knew the answer.

I am that which surrounds you....the air of the sky, the root of the tree, the spore of the fungus....

Are you the Voice of Planet?

Some call me thusly

Please make it stop He begged.

But you must see....this woman, EarthDeirdre, will help you....you must understand who you are and from whence you came before you achieve your fullest and truest potential, and I have need of you

But I am just....

You are many things, my Child....son of Chiron....I am sorry these visions pain you, but you must watch and learn

The voice faded in his head abruptly, and in that moment, he felt more alone and more empty than he ever remembered feeling before.

And the visions continued to pound their way into his head. Each more terrifying than the last.....

[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited December 12, 1999).]

[Velociryx]

Episode Ten: Dark Conspiracy
Somewhere below Assassin’s Redoubt:

Two weeks after the bombing, when the official investigation had ended, Captain Marlo Hollis put plan “Salvage and Rescue” into action. Sparta’s Gen-Lab section was still in its infancy, and it was no easy task to slip the sample out undetected. In fact, that was harder by far than getting budgetary approval for the new project.

To be sure, the bombing had cost them. Set them back enormously. Foolish mistakes had been made.

They would not be repeated.

Now, instead of pursuing a strategy of a unified Psi-College, the plan called for two distinct schools of thought. One focusing on Psi-Defense, and being termed Neural Amplification Center, and the other, centering on channeling Psi-Energy as a weapon, being code named Project Dream Twister.

Hollis was in charge of Dream Twister, which was why the sample found in the Cryo-Lab was such an astounding piece of luck.

Cloning technology was still in its infancy, and it would be years before any work in the area could be mass-produced, but now that Hollis and her project had some momentum, she found herself with a vast amount of council support, and access to almost limitless supplies of cash. Both would be needed in order to turn the genetic sample into a prototype clone.

She held her arm up to the security panel and waited the span of two heartbeats as the reader verified who she was from her array of tattoos, marking both rank and identity, slowly evolving and becoming more elaborate over time. To be sure, there were more sophisticated methods of marking and identification available in the lands of Santiago, and those were used as needed, but the marks of a Warrior were marks worn with pride. Let the other factions think what they would, the Spartans were strong, and their path was the right path.

She smiled as the door slid open and entered the lab with cat-like grace. All alone in the bowels of the Redoubt, she felt at ease. Comfortable.

Even better was the fact that only four people in all of Chiron knew this place even existed. It was completely shut off from the rest of the world. Her own private sanctuary. Her world.

She ran her hands up and down the length of the smooth glass enclosure which ran column-like, from floor to ceiling in the middle of the room. Perhaps three feet in diameter, it was filled with a clear, slightly bubbling liquid and glowing with a faint, bluish light. Suspended in it, only barely visible to the naked eye was a speck of something.

Just a tiny speck, to be sure, but when it was finished growing.....

The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Oh yes, when it was finished growing. A fine day indeed.

Letting the tips of her fingers linger on the glass a moment, she almost reluctantly turned away and made her way across the darkened lab without turning on the lights. She had not been here long, but long enough to commit the entire layout to memory. First mark of a good Warrior. Survey the lay of the land. Know your territory.

And she did.

She made her way back to the series of three rooms which served both as her office here and her living quarters. Very soon now, she would move here permanently. Soon, but not yet.

She went to her room and passed her hand across the light sensor. Setting one illumination, barely above candle light, sprang weakly to life. Suffused. Golden. It made her smile. And thinking of what was growing inside the tube in the lab expanded that smile further still.

Her child. Her son.

The closest thing she could have to it, anyway.

Santiago’s Black Guard stood at the very core of her Empire, and, as the best of the best, their personal freedoms were even more harshly restricted than most. That was the price that accompanied the pride of serving in the deadliest unit on all of Chiron. The women of the unit were forbidden to take mates, or ever have children, and the males could do so only after his potential mate underwent an exhaustive course of genetic testing.

Not that Hollis had any regrets about the choices she had made, but....there was a certain thrill at the prospect of circumventing the rule. Of bringing a life into the world. It put a strange tickle in her stomach and made her feel things that her training normally did not allow.

Slowly, almost seductively, she took her uniform off as she stood before the full length mirror.

Firm, toned body. Well muscled.

Long, powerful legs.

High, thrusting breasts.

It was the body of a warrior. Some would call it more handsome than beautiful. Almost chiseled. But she was proud of it, and the way she looked, her ranking tattoos spiraling in an exotic pattern up her left arm. And if this project bore fruit....

But there would be time to think of that later.

One more mission to complete, and then she could return here, to her lair.

Her smile returned and she went over to the comm panel, still nude. All part of the plan.

Sergeant Lane Curtis did a doubletake when he saw her, but recovered very quickly.

“Captain.” He said with a curt nod, trying not to stare.

“Have you found him?”

“Yes we have.”

“Excellent. You have done your job well.” Her voice was nearly a purr, and it was clear that, training or not, she was mesmerizing the young man on the other side of the viewscreen. “Tell me.”

He was silent for a few seconds, and Hollis shifted seductively in front of the camera. The shadows created in the dim lighting receded, revealing more of her. Curtis cleared his throat. “It seems he managed to make his way into Gaian Land.”

“Is he functional?” She raised her hands casually to her neck and then let them wander slowly down her body.

The Sergent’s mouth hung open slightly, and it was a long second before he remembered to speak. “Uhhh....yes, we believe so, but he’s not sending out response signals to the emergency transmitter you had me establish.”

The emergency transmitter. Yes. Something clearly outside her jurisdiction at present. “Dismantle it then. Shut it down. We will have to assume those links were burned out in the blast.”

“Manual extraction? If so, we’re in luck. Our contacts there have heard rumors....apparently there are some people in the Base who don’t trust him. Be easy to create a diversion.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Yes. In time. I can rely on you, Sergeant?”

He openly leered for a moment, and then nodded.

“And I can rely on your discretion?”

Another nod. “Good....then I will contact you when everything is in place.”

He smiled.

“Hollis out.” She snapped the viewer off, a small scowl crossing her features. Men. Stupid creatures, by and large. Too easily controlled, even among the disciplined Spartans.

She got dressed. Went back into the lab. Gazed into the growth tube again, and could not resist touching it. “Soon....” She whispered. “Soon....”

&&&

Thanks to the lockpick set they picked up at the station, they were inside his apartment in a matter of seconds.

The three of them fanned out, guided by tiny blades of light from miniaturized hand lamps. Searching. Seeking.

Several minutes later, they met back up in the living room and doused their lights.

“Anything?” Wilkes asked in a whisper.

“Nothing....bastard must have it with him.” Detrick hissed.

“I didn’t see a thing, either.” Kennerly added glumly.

Detrick took a moment to look around. “Not bad taste though...gotta give him that....even got some stuff from the kiddies....look at this pottery.”

Wilkes studied the room for a moment. The pottery. Crude. Fashioned by the children. Three pieces, on top of a high shelving unit, lined up in a row.

But not quite.

One was....slightly out of place.

He walked up to it.

Picked it up.

Heavy.

Something in there, but the opening was too small for his hand. It might be big enough for a shredder pistol though.

“Give me your light.” He said, turning to face Kennerly. “Shine it in here.”

He did, and they all huddled around, peering into the shadows. Straining to see.

“Jesus Christ....” Someone started to whisper. Too late.

[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited December 12, 1999).]