An Obsidian Sky (5 page)

‘Mr Engeltine,
a pleasure. At the time of this recording we shall not have met,
but you will know me well. As I am sure you are aware I will be
unable to field any questions as my death might constrain my
responses.’

Smiling with
the mirth of a person who had just told a joke of great design he
continued, ‘by now you should know a little of the reasons for
which we have altered your genetic code and sent you on your
mission. But intrinsically you will not be aware of your syndrome
and your abilities. The purpose of this presentation is to inform
you of the limited information that we have on your syndrome, in
order that you might be sufficiently prepared for the future. If
you have any questions, that will be your problem and your problem
alone. The Eternis Systems may well have an outstanding business
practice, but even we do not have post-apocalyptic consumer
support.’ Sephra’s voice quivered a little as he began to reach the
heart of his presentation.

‘Artefact 77-x
produces in the human brain an adverse reaction of epic
proportions. At an unconscious level 77-x has the ability to
produce a process of thought by which the only solution is self
erasure. Clinical studies suggest that the victim attempts to
correct some psychological imbalance through the process of a hard
reset. Unfortunately this self diagnostic does not simply impose
itself upon the individual. Victims categorically believe that the
world around them is saturated with the error, that this essential
wrong must be corrected. In all cases of exposure the victims seek
to eradicate themselves as well as their surroundings. We do not
understand the mechanisms behind this, but a potential theory is
that the victims are attempting to clean the environment, to make
way for something. The reality of this theory is yet to be
established.

‘When the
Ascension station produced a possible immunity to the infection our
science teams immediately began medical trials. Upon initial
exposure the patients appeared to recognise, at least visually, an
inherent problem with themselves and the world around them. 77-x
appeared to have an identical effect on them. However it became
clear that the gene sequence offered to the patients had the
ability to neutralise any greater effect. The discord with the
world was only temporary. Deeply affective, but temporary
nonetheless. As the patients were exposed more and more frequently
to 77-x they began to see more and more visions, some of heaven and
some of hell. With each vision grew some greater knowledge that
they could not understand. We never found out what it was that they
learnt.’ Sephra moved a little to the right to make way for a
diagnostic screen which appeared to be displaying the medical
trials’ data.

‘Mid-way
through the trials three patients began to exhibit new symptoms. As
they were locked down at night their bodies began to shift in a way
that I am unable to describe. One day they simply disappeared.

‘Thirteen days
after their disappearance they shifted back into what we would
consider reality. As they did so the other patients died. We do not
understand why. A post mortem on the other subjects revealed that
they had been drained of something. Some of the more radical
theories made out that the returning three had drawn the very life
from the other patients. Simply put, we don’t have a clue.

‘My theory is
that something went wrong in the trials. Radiation signatures were
similar to the technology found on Ascension. It is my belief that
one of the station’s systems may have simply eliminated the
defective patients and removed the others for further study. My
fears, however, may be unfounded.

‘As a matter
of course we questioned the patients. Their responses were
certainly interesting. They described to us that they had touched
upon a source of power, a reality beyond ours. They claimed that
their visions had ceased because they had gained, ‘a fuller
understanding.’ It is unclear what was meant by this.

‘Further
questioning yielded no further information. The patients resisted
even our best efforts at information acquisition. In an effort to
stop our attempts at this acquisition, they promised us a cure. As
a gesture of good faith they improved the gene modification that we
had developed and which ultimately you were sequenced with.

‘Despite my
reservations about continuing with the project on the Ascension
station, the chairman of the Eternis Systems demanded further
trials. The patients were authorised to have any resources they
required to produce a full resistance to the artefact, not just for
you but for everyone.

‘After initial
successes on Ascension the patients sent their final message. This
was the message that was played to you in our first meeting. The
transmission ended with an apparent resolution to commit suicide.
It seemed that even they, the best of our creations so far, had not
remained immune for long. Shortly afterwards the station issued a
report which was cut off mid-stream. Around forty five minutes
later all the remaining systems on Ascension became unreachable.
This is about all the information that I have for you. But I do
have some food for thought.

‘Ascension is
a station whose composition we can only dream at. Even our patients
were not allowed to see anything but a glimmer of it. They were
confined to the research facilities by the onboard AI. You are
about to step into a world untouched by humanities downfall. We
know so little about the station. Indeed we discovered it only when
it revealed itself to us after our discovery of the artefacts.

‘What we know
is simply this. The station was the greatest construction ever
undertaken during the time of the United World. Its architect had
wanted to build a new Eden, free from the world which conceived it.
It was to be a new world where generations of inhabitants would
live and die as gods.

‘I can tell
you no more. So little has been told to our children about the
world that existed before our own. Our own ignorance has been our
downfall. We may never recover from the damage we have caused to
ourselves George. But if we ever have any chance to recover what
was lost, Ascension is the only way. It is now the only project of
its scale left from those times.

‘As always,
good luck.’ The holo dissolved into the air. Faint traces of light
particles remained, like dead pixels on a screen.

‘Message
ends,’ chimed the computer.

‘Well that was
less than useless,’ I muttered, my mind still reeling from the
confusing mass of typically cryptic information. The man was a
frustration. Why couldn’t he just say, ‘this is what is wrong with
you. This is how you fix it. This is what to do.’

But that would
be too simple. There were never any answers, just more information
and that inevitably led to more questions. It was at this point
that I realised that I had put myself to bed. As the darkness drew
itself around me I offered a little whimper to the silence and
closed my eyes. Tomorrow would bring a new day and I would
understand.

Arrival

I did not
understand. Claxons were sounding everywhere. Alerts were being
offered from all sides of the room. Orders were being shouted over
comms. Whatever was said was lost in the static. Turning in my bed
an image resolved itself next to me of Aeniah. The din all around
me softened to allow for her voice to come through.

‘Get your ass
out of bed George, we’re nearly bloody there. Don’t make me come in
there and drag you to the gallery.’ She disappeared.

Groggily I
pulled on some clothes and staggered out of the door. The melee
continued outside. The corridors were full of frantically running
people. The air was filled with a frenetic energy that was
contagious. Blossoming with energy my body threw itself at a run
towards the elevator. As the door began to open I ran with all my
speed towards them. With a crash I collided with the partially
opened door.

‘Bugger,’ I
exclaimed rubbing my head as I took a breath, red faced, and made
it inside.

‘For future
reference George, you should wait until the doors are open before
charging...’

‘Oh shut up,’
I snapped cutting it off mid-sentence.

‘Please state
your floor,’ it requested politely.

‘CIC.’

‘Going
up.’

Emerging from
the lift I launched myself towards the bow where I could witness
what was ahead of us. I walked down the stairs leading down from
the CIC and into the gallery. The gallery was a walkway suspended
in the middle of a circular room that was entirely transparent. All
around me I could see stars and a large point of light that was
moving ever closer.

A comms holo
resolved into existence next to me and began producing sound. ‘Helm
hard left, directional heading to dock marker A-44-C’ came Aeniah’s
voice.

‘Yes sir,’
replied a husky voice.

‘Tactical,
establish servo connection with Ascension!’

‘Establishing
connection with Ascension. Connection approved. Awaiting passcode
authentication. DNA. Cognative. Ascension confirms docking
privileges. Beginning data up-link. Up-link confirmed.’

‘Status,’
Aeniah barked.

‘Ascension is
in low power mode. Primary systems are offline and not responding.
Wake commands stalled. Ascension’s systems remain in idle. Life
support is available. There is limited power available. Defensive
systems are partially active but recognised as friendly. No further
information.’

‘What?’ Aeniah
stated incredulously.

‘Sir there are
no systems, except for life support and some tag markers,
available. Docking is only functional because our vessel is
providing the number crunching capability and programme codes.’

‘Take us in
slowly then. I don’t want any surprises.’

‘400
kilometres...200...100...50...reverse thrust...slowing’

What was once
in the distance was now in full view. It was simply beyond all
words. It was the very essence of beauty, of human majesty. It was
a work of art. Ascension was the most massive thing that I had ever
seen. Surrounding its outer architecture were wings like those of
an angel reaching out and embracing the superstructure. The six
wings, each many kilometres long, were shaped as if folding towards
the building. As if in an embrace. The outer surface of Ascension
was a mass of shapes, like waves that were crashing into rock.
Rising above each of the thousands of waves were figures. No, they
were horses, people, lions, mythical creatures, each many hundreds
of times the size of their deceased equivalents. Long spines of the
superstructure curved and punctured themselves through the station,
creating a living image.

At the peak of
Ascension there was a dancing violet aura surrounding a cluster of
brilliant white light, collecting in a circle. It appeared as if
this oasis was collecting light like water out of a desert, pooling
it into a brilliant lake of dancing diamonds. The skin of Ascension
was itself a mass of wonder. One minute green, the next fluttering
to amber, then blue; and then for a tantalising moment it was
clear. In that moment of transparency a billion points of motion
and wonder could be observed before the colours shifted again.
Ascension was still and isolated in a world made of nothing,
literally nothing, and yet it bustled with life, with motion. It
was a pure essence of beauty, of the perfect from. Ascension was in
a state of perfect motion, and we were moving closer.

The little
ship, a point of barely visible light, was moving its way toward
the open wings of an angel. They rippled like water against glass
as they meet. An embarrassed motion between lovers. The world
around them faded away as stars set like suns. It was as though the
majesty of creation was unfolding, as two tiny points of light
joined together amid the green and blue and white constellations. A
moment captured forever amidst the forests of heaven.

*

We were
gathered around in the pressure chamber placing on our protective
suits.

‘No weapons’
Aeniah warned the guardsman to her right. ‘I don’t want anyone
bringing anything with them that they can use to kill each other,
when and if they go insane.’

In silence we
pinched the seals on our suits together, turned the systems on and
felt the warm breeze of the Eternis Corporation Dura-Enviro-System.
The final checking finished we made our way towards the pressure
doors.

With a flick
from Aeniah the door turned, burst, rolled and disappeared and we
made our way into darkness. Movement was difficult in the darkness
but we kept walking, hands out for stability. Night vision was no
use in the absolute darkness of the station. Our visor screens
swiped to thermal but there was no reading. Nothing living had been
here in a long time. The air had become stagnant and an acrid taste
worked its way along my pallet. As the corridor between the ship
and the station widened we came to the realisation that we had
emerged into one of the docking platforms of Ascension. We turned
to Aeniah who had been the only one with the foresight to switch on
her suits torches. We all felt quite stupid that we had forgotten
to turn ours on. The nerves had gotten to all of us.

‘Idiots,’ she
muttered over the comms. Soon everyone had activated their torches,
but little could be seen. It appeared that the room we were in was
of such large proportions that the beams from our weak torches
could not reach from one end of the room to the other. Instead they
faded infinitely to a point and no further.

‘Get me the
Remote-Drone-Unit,’ Aeniah stated.

‘Confirmed,
CIC will acquire RDU for Aeniah’ said a nameless character
somewhere in the darkness.