Crystal Keepers (22 page)

“There may be another way out,”
Aero said.
“Datapoint never showed it to me, but through our many interactions, she inadvertently revealed where it lies and how to access it. If it suits me, I could reveal the way to you.”

“What do you want?” Cole asked.

“Ask the question you want me to withhold from Datapoint,”
Aero said.
“If it interests me, I'll tell you how to escape.”

“Will you keep the question a secret from Datapoint?” Cole asked.

“If it does not directly harm her interests, I vow to keep our conversation a secret,”
Aero said.
“Of course, if you take the crystal, I will not be able to speak with her.”

“Unless she sends Lunk to get another one,” Blake pointed out.

“True,” Aero said. “But even in that case, my promise will hold.”

“Careful, Cole,” Sidekick said. “There is nothing to stop him from lying.”

“Except for my integrity,”
Aero said.
“If I'm trying to rebuild trust with humankind, lying would be extremely counterproductive.”

“We're trying to find Constance Pemberton,” Cole said.

“She's alive?”
Aero asked.
“And in this kingdom?”

“Yes,” Cole said.

“Now I see,”
Aero said.
“So much becomes plain. The girl the government wants is Miracle Pemberton. She visited here as a child. I see the resemblance. Almost none of them know who they are really pursuing. And they don't know that Constance is here somewhere as well. This is about the rebellion gaining real power. It explains the severity of the government responses.”

“Do you know where we can find Constance?” Cole asked.

“No idea whatsoever,”
Aero said.
“If she is truly in this kingdom, her presence has been extremely well guarded. Have you any leads I could add to my calculations?”

“We have no idea either,” Cole said. “It's why we asked.”

“Very well,”
Aero replied.
“Any other questions? I possess a broad array of knowledge.”

“Can you predict where we might find Googol or Nova?” Sidekick asked.

“No need to guess,”
Aero said.
“Rainday Base. Do you know where that is?”

“Not by that name,” Sidekick said.

“It's an underground bunker near the intersection of Unity Avenue and Long Street,”
Aero said.

“How do you know where to find Googol?” Cole asked.

“Datapoint brought me recorded communications last night,”
Aero replied.
“The messages came from obscure resistance channels and were heavily encoded. But I broke the codes and revealed the content to her.”

“She knew where Googol was hiding?” Cole exclaimed. “She didn't tell us.”

“Datapoint treats information as currency,”
Aero said.
“She dispenses knowledge as it benefits her.”

“She was keeping us here on purpose,” Cole said. “Was she going to betray us?”

“Not to the government,”
Aero said.
“That would be wholly out of character. She may have wanted to learn more from you before you moved on. Is there anything else you wish to know?”

“How often do you get updates regarding government files?” Sidekick asked.

“Datapoint brings them daily,”
Aero said.

“But you have no data on this boy?” Sidekick asked. “Not under the name Steve Rigby?”

“Several Steve Rigbys were added last week,”
Aero said.
“On one ID the face is obscured, as if the visual data was corrupted. It happens on occasion. That could be him.”

“City Patrol has harmed the rebellion much more effectively in recent weeks than ever before,” Sidekick said. “To what do you attribute this success?”

“City Patrol has recently had more assistance from Enforcers than usual,”
Aero said.
“They have also found new ways to intercept communications. But overall in the past weeks there has been a significant improvement in how they strategize and allocate resources. I suspect they have enlisted the aid of a superior intellect. Probably a manufactured intellect.”

“Googol was worried that might be the case,” Sidekick murmured pensively.

“Other questions?”
Aero asked.

“Can you find Jenna Hunt?” Cole asked. “She would have come here as a slave around the time Blake did.”

“No slave arriving near that timeframe matches that name,”
Aero said.

“I'm from Outside,” Cole said. “From Earth. Is there any way I can get home and stay there?”

“Not without changing how the boundaries between our worlds are designed,”
Aero said.

“How can I change the boundaries?” Cole asked.

“I know of no way to do so,”
Aero replied.
“Is there anything else?”

“What's the meaning of life?” Cole tried.

“There is no inherent meaning,”
Aero replied.
“All significance is constructed.”

“Says the homicidal computer,” Sidekick muttered.

“Anything else?”
Aero asked.

Cole looked at the others. Blake shrugged.

“We're finished,” Sidekick said.

“Your question about Constance intrigued me. I'll tell you how to exit.”

C
HAPTER

21

RAINDAY

C
ole slid the same crystal cube he had used to enter the situation room into the hidden socket in the machine Aero had specified, and a secret door opened. A dim hallway yawned beyond the doorway.

“No idea where this goes?” Cole asked.

“I predict that the escape tunnel leads well away from here,”
Aero said.
“I am sure that accessing this room in reverse would be extremely difficult if not impossible. Since the presence of the hidden passage was based only on assumptions, I am unable to provide further speculation.”

“How else can you aid us?” Sidekick asked. “Are there reasons we should bring the crystal and have more communication with you?”

“It all depends what questions you have,”
Aero said.
“I do not merely possess all of Datapoint's information. I have observed countless connections and patterns in my vast stores of data.
Conclusions only I could draw. My knowledge and comprehension would become the rebellion's most valuable asset.”

“Would you mind withdrawing so we can confer in private?” Sidekick asked politely. “We need to weigh whether to bring the crystal or leave it behind.”

“Understandable,”
Aero said.
“Possession of that crystal is treason, punishable by death. Many organizations here in Old Zeropolis would enforce that punishment as eagerly as the authorities in the new city.”

“Including the Unseen,” Sidekick said. “The implications are complicated.”

“Would I be a valuable asset in a time of emergency for the rebellion?”
Aero asked.
“Or might I directly or indirectly bring about even greater peril?”

“Exactly,” Sidekick said.

“Signing off,”
Aero said.
“Should you wish to summon me, use the red call button on the computer.”

The screens where Aero's words had been appearing went dark.

“Is he gone?” Cole asked hesitantly.

“What do you think, Blake?” Sidekick asked.

“It doesn't seem like his crystal is in use anymore,” Blake said. “But I'm not an expert in the practical side of how the crystals function. He might be able to fool me—make everything appear dark while he's really still listening.”

A silver disk trailing a slender wire shot from Sidekick to the computer Aero had spoken from. The instant the disk made contact, energy crackled along the wire, and the computer, along with the surrounding array of electronics, began to smoke and shoot sparks. Sidekick kept the energy coming until the computer blew apart, leaving behind flaming components.

“There is less chance that he's listening now,” Sidekick said.

“Does this mean we're taking the crystal?” Cole asked.

“It means I don't want Aeronomatron hearing one more word than necessary,” Sidekick said. “And I don't want him talking to Datapoint ever again. She betrayed and endangered the entire population of Zeropolis by making contact with him.”

“Couldn't Aero be helpful?” Cole asked.

“Undoubtedly,” Sidekick said. “But at what price? He has already shown what he wants. The intellect we were talking to could have held a billion similar conversations simultaneously without difficulty. That calculating intellect decided it should be in power, and killed more people than any disaster in the history of the Outskirts. People tried to reason with Aeronomatron. They tried to make compromises and treaties. In the end, all that stopped him was cutting him off. All it would take is one connection into our current systems and the nightmare begins again.”

“But aren't the systems all separated now?” Cole asked.

“Not nearly enough,” Sidekick said. “Aero would find ways. Once he had a connection to the outside, he would do
what he does, step by step, subverting system after system, adapting whatever elements he controls to extend his reach farther and farther. After an intellect that brilliant and methodical decides to destroy humanity, it doesn't repent. It just waits for its next opportunity.”

“Scary,” Cole said. “That makes sense.”

“Plus, he has a horrible personality,” Sidekick said. “When you're that powerful, I guess you don't usually need to charm anyone.”

“So do we bring the crystal so we can destroy it?” Cole asked.

“No need,” Sidekick said. “Blake can change the harmonics right now. In fact, to be safe, he can change the harmonics of every crystal in this room.”

“Easy,” Blake said. “There are only twelve—one tuned to Aero, and eleven others tuned to each other. Those eleven link the machines that share data with Aero.”

“Do your thing,” Cole said.

Blake walked around the room pointing his finger at various machines. After less than fifteen seconds he faced Cole and Sidekick. “Done.”

“You're amazing,” Sidekick said. “Nobody can do it that casually. You're sure the harmonics are different?”

“For each crystal, I erased the harmonics, changed the shape, and set up new random harmonics.”

“Big question,” Sidekick said. “What about Aero's crystal? Do you remember its harmonics?”

“It was pretty distinct,” Blake said.

“Can you forget it?” Sidekick asked.

“Maybe, if you give me some time,” Blake said. “I'm not a computer. I can't just erase it. Think of the harmonics like a catchy tune. The more I try to forget it, the more it gets stuck in my head.”

“That's a problem,” Sidekick said. “Potential contact with Aero remains a threat as long as you remember the harmonics.”

“I'll forget,” Blake said.

“We'll let Googol worry about it,” Sidekick said. “I take it you also remember some of the harmonics you used with Datapoint?”

“Not all,” Blake said. “But lots.”

“You could be a major asset for the rebellion,” Sidekick said.

“Everybody wants me for my tinkering,” Blake said with a sigh.

“At least you're wanted now,” Cole replied. “The only person who used to like you was your mom.”

“I'd trade anything just to have her remember me,” Blake said heavily. “Or my dad. City Patrol let me use a thruport to send e-mails. I never heard back.”

“I tried too,” Cole said, feeling a little bad for his joke. “I had the same problem. We'll figure it out. But not right now. Should we see if the escape tunnel works?”

“Sounds good,” Sidekick said, heading through the doorway.

“Think Datapoint will have people guarding this way out?” Cole asked.

“Depends how much credit she gives us and how much
she trusts her people,” Sidekick said. “She didn't know Aero was aware of this passage. And she probably doesn't want anybody knowing about it. This room is the secret of her success, and if the secret got out, most everyone in Zeropolis would want her executed. I bet there are no guards. But best to be ready just in case.”

The hall went on for a serious distance. Finally they reached a steel door with a square slot to one side. Cole inserted the same crystal key, and the door opened.

They passed into a room with walls of steel. When the door shut behind them, there was no slot to open it. But a square slot on the other side of the room opened a new door, and they continued into a grungy basement. After the door closed, once again there was no way to backtrack.

A flight of stairs led up to a locked hatch in the ceiling. Sidekick used a tool to cut the lock on the hatch, and they went up to a higher basement.

“How far to Rainday?” Cole asked.

“It'll take a few hours,” Sidekick said. “I'll get us there underground. Stay with me.”

“Are we there yet?” Blake complained.

Cole rolled his eyes. This was far from the first time Blake had asked. They hadn't been walking long before Blake began to make it clear how comfortable his life had been in the Outskirts so far. He didn't like the grimy tunnels. His feet hurt. He needed fresh air. He was hungry. He was thirsty. As the hours passed, his protests became more frequent.

“Does it look like we're there?” Cole asked, holding out his hands to display the dank, empty tunnel.

“That's the problem,” Blake griped. “It looks like we're lost.”

“We don't want anybody to see us,” Cole said. “Sidekick is taking us down paths that don't get used much.”

“There's a reason people stay away,” Blake said, eyeing a large spiderweb. “Is it worth hiding from Datapoint and the patrolmen if we die from spider bites and diseases?”

“We're not going to get diseases,” Cole said, trying to be patient.

“Sidekick sure won't,” Blake said. “He's made of metal. And he doesn't get tired. Maybe we should take a breather.”

“We just stopped like ten minutes ago,” Cole said. “If you want to get to Rainday, we need to keep walking.”

“Think Rainday will have beds?” Blake asked.

“Probably,” Sidekick said.

“I call top bunk,” Blake said. “I hate sleeping under people. It makes me feel like I'm in a drawer.”

“It might not be bunk beds,” Cole said.

“If it is, top bunk,” Blake said. “Man, my legs are beat!”

“I walked a lot farther than this to get here from Zeropolis,” Cole said.

“You had the battle suit,” Blake said. “Still do. Why not let me wear it for a while?”

“Because you don't know how to use it in an emergency,” Cole replied.

“Maybe you'd take a rest now and then if a machine wasn't walking for you,” Blake said.

“How much have you walked since coming to the Outskirts?” Cole asked.

“A normal amount,” Blake said.

“Have you ever slept on the ground?” Cole asked.

“I slept in the slave wagons,” Blake said. “Since then I've had a bed.”

“Have you ever been in danger?” Cole asked.

“I was a slave,” Blake said. “I had to follow orders. It wasn't easy, but I never dealt with anything worse than that. Except now. How about you?”

“Soldiers have shot arrows at me,” Cole said. “I've fought monsters. I almost fell down a bottomless cliff. I've watched people die. I've run from slavers, Enforcers, legionnaires, and patrolmen.”

Blake wiped his hands down his face. “And you're who I've joined up with?”

“I warned you it would get ugly,” Cole said.

Blake shrugged. “I figured if you could handle it, I'd be fine.”

“Can you make a sled and pull him, Sidekick?” Cole asked.

“Probably,” Sidekick said. “But we're almost beneath Unity Avenue and Long Street. You two should wait here. Let me go find the base and make sure it's secure.”

“What if you don't come back?” Blake asked.

“Follow Cole's lead,” Sidekick said. “He's a survivor.”

Cole appreciated the praise but felt a little worried. “You'll be back though, right?”