Log 1 Matter | Antimatter (24 page)

“Precedence?” Caleb tugged at his hair.
“What?”

“Some history of ours is hard to get.”

“Ah, so you’ve been trying?” Ara was astute
at many things but she couldn’t miss the sudden nudge Maya sent
her. Ara was at a crossroad. Maya was suddenly tuned in to her and
she felt so very afraid. At a touch, she opened her fist to allow
Caleb to squeeze her hand. He connected to her using ArT.

“
Are you okay, Ara?”

“
Maya just connected with me.”

“
She’s interested in the topic?”

Ara gave him a slight nod.

“
So, bravely run away or do this
together?”

Ara chewed her finger as Caleb looked at her
fondly. He smiled then.

“
You’ll be with me, Monkey?”

“
I will.”

“
Me too.”
Bel linked with them
both.

“
Shit,”
Ara and Caleb said mentally at
the same time.

“
Sorry, but you guys are leaking something
bad.”

They all chuckled.

She was more tempted now to ask Korbet but he
might let someone know what they were doing.

Bel winked at her and carried the
conversation. “I need your help, and Caleb’s.”

“Okay, what can I offer that your older
brother can’t?”

“Caleb, Jadan might be my older brother but I
have nothing in common with him. He’s a mother’s boy. He treats
Inferors like germs. You don’t like them but you tolerate
them.”

Ara turned and stared at Caleb’s red face.
Caleb was about to berate Bel but the younger Aryan was quick.

Bel moaned. “Sorry, Caleb. Ara, I thought you
guessed. Look, they aren’t in a Time Dilation Field anymore so
Earth is in the 1500s. You two know how their ‘years’ work?”

They both nodded but Caleb was keen to talk
about it more, TDFs were his field of expertise. Ara was beginning
to think Caleb’s interest was only because it meant they could talk
more. He refused to meet her eyes.

“There are already numerous religions, forms
of government, monarchies, and other systems. They are manipulating
as much as they can. It’s a real mess. The conflict is high because
of it. Humans are dying. But now other systems in Estancia are
introducing people too.”

“What?”

“Shhhhh, Baby.”

She frowned at Caleb.

“For instance, Roma and Sparta have been
sending people there for training. There are a lot of wars. And
their culture is influencing Earth, or rather it has been for
hundreds of years.”

Ara felt sick. “That’s awful.”

“So, what do you need?” Caleb squeezed her
hand.

“I need access to the historical records
going back beyond the Dressian Gates.” Bel looked at them both.

Ara felt another surge of energy and
nodded.

Caleb screwed up his face. “That could be
tough. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Can I help?” Ara offered; in fact, with the
Maya nudging her she started to feel that she didn’t have a
choice.

“Yeah, once we have access I’ll need help
stopping anyone from tracking us.”

She nodded. “What algorithms do they use in
those things?”

Caleb snorted with laughter. “You’ve never
used the history vaults?”

Ara’s face was getting hotter by the second.
Bel smiled, trying to diffuse the impending argument. “We should
show her. The kings are the ones who keep the vaults and the
warlords are the only ones with the military history vaults.”

Cal nodded. “We can use ours and say Ara is
failing history. That will give us a lead in anyway.”

Bel jumped up. “And it’s the truth!”

Ara look at Bel annoyed. The First-Gen didn’t
seem to notice.

Caleb grinned at her.
“He’s
clueless.”

“Hey, Ara. You’re a queenling, you could take
Earth and make your first claim.”

“Why?”

Bel looked at her askance. “Because that’s
how queens get their regions and kings. Earth and other planets in
Estancia may be open to claim soon and they have a few monarchies.
You could effectively save the entire universe, with planets and
their people.”

Caleb was shaking his head sadly at her and
then ducked a fist. Ara was dragged up by the two of them. They
walked to a public station when Caleb dragged them to an open horse
and carriage. “Come on, Ara. It’s romantic.”

Bel laughed. “Yeah, with the three of
us.”

Ara knew they were trying to settle her
nerves. Maya was far too keen for her liking. They settled in the
open carriage and, with a slight jerk, they were off. She said
quietly, “What would I do, sail in and anchor the entire station to
my ship?”

Caleb laughed. “We’re sitting in a carriage
and she’s talking about boats.”

“Ships. I prefer water conveyances. There
are
horse drawn boats you know.”

“Well, excuse me, Queenling of the Oceans,
ugh!” He yelped as she jabbed him.

“Shhhh, the horse driver is looking at us.”
She told Caleb off.

Bel shook his head. “It’s not a horse driver,
Ara. It’s a … excuse me, what is your title?”

The rough looking Inferor didn’t bother to
turn. “It’s “Coachee”, this is a Landau, I’m the driver. That’s the
horse. You’re in the Landau Mark IV, Prince Valdain.”

Ara and Caleb sniggered at Bel’s red
face.

King Delario’s Palace

Arriving in Caleb’s sleek, silver Zarlton,
latest model road machine of course, they were granted access but
their times were logged in the vault. The palace was cool and
quiet. Staff members were busy at their tasks and they strode
energetically down two flights of stairs to access the library.
They entered through two wide white doors, and then opened the
sliding panel that gave them access to the virtual library. They
entered the dark space. Ara was interested despite her aversion to
history. Caleb began to insert his codes into a virtual window. A
library solidified around them. Bel started walking toward a large
set of doors. Caleb was walking as well.

“Why are you walking?”

Caleb shrugged. “I feel sick if I just stand
still.”

Ara shook her head. “And you like spatial
anomalies.”

He grinned at her. They walked and she just
stood watching the spectacle. Years passed on either side of them
marked by symbols and scenes. They came to large gates.

“I take it these are the Dressian Gates?” It
felt as though Maya had a large hand at her back and was shoving
her. Ara balked and refused to “walk”.

“No, these just access the ten years
before.”

They moved through them and Bel headed for
what looked like an old, stone castle. “Cool.”

Ara figured by now that those slower moving
weren’t registered so she ran and moved them faster.

“Crap, Ara.”

She laughed at them as they ran, feeling like
they had to run with her. For a moment, she had surprised Maya and
that pleased her greatly. Ara saw passages ahead and took a left.
“No, down here,” Caleb called out to her.

She turned but couldn’t see them, apparently
they could separate. Caleb had taken a different passage. Ara
re-joined Caleb and Bel and found old archives in a small,
stone-walled room. Ara walked over to the solid-looking, wooden
desks and studied the scrolls dispersed over the surface. Could she
pick them up? They looked real enough so she reached down, her
fingers touching a document. She yelped. “Hey, that hurt.”

“Sorry, Ara. I should have told you.” Bel
quickly turned from her frown.

Caleb was trying not to laugh. Guards rushed
in through a “wall” spoiling the simulated environment. Caleb told
them she was still learning. Because she was Pure-Gen the guards
bowed and apologized but still looked at her suspiciously. After
they left, Caleb explained what she could and couldn’t touch. He
opened a scroll.

“This is so cool.”

“Don’t your parents have this, Ara?” Caleb
asked innocently. “In the barn maybe?”

She slapped his arm.

“Ow!”

“Baby.”

“No, you’re my Baby.”

They eyeballed each other.

Caleb said laughingly, “Ara’s family still
uses BCIs.”

Bel looked horrified. “They give you brain
damage.”

At the same time Ara said loudly, “Do
not!”

“Ara, Ara. Still lying?” Caleb shook his head
and jumped away as she lunged for him. “I saw the BCI in your
room.”

“Dad gave that to Mum years ago, she tried to
pass it off to me, and I told you that already!”

“Come on you two.” Bel complained. They
obediently followed him to the next level.

Ara felt a chill. “It’s cold here.”

“Creepy, huh,” Bel said, distracted.

“Noooo, just cold.” Ara ignored Bel’s annoyed
look.

Caleb was looking around for something. “We
can turn off the environmental systems.”

They heard a noise behind them. They all
turned. “What was that?”

“Don’t know.”

Bel and Ara stared at Caleb with
disbelief.

“I don’t know!” His eyes narrowed.

They walked on.

They heard an eerie scream. Ara shivered as
her imagination ran away with her. “Now that’s creepy, Bel.
Caleb?”

“Maybe it’s Terzon’s sub-program. We used to
play in here when we were little to try to scare our little
sisters.”

They rounded a corner and their mouths
dropped open. “What the—?”

Three armored men ran at them, yelling.

Ara started laughing but stopped seeing
Caleb’s face turn pale.

He said, “They’re not mine, Ara.” He pulled
at her arm. Bel had already run away. “That little shit.”

They ran but lost their way in the myriad of
gloomy passages. They stopped around another bend.

“Where are we?” she whispered but her voice
carried. They heard the steps of the guards following them.

C. Talk this way, it’s called “short
ArT”

A. Are you teasing me?

C. Just a little … run!

They ran again and bumped into Bel who had
weapons. She took a sword.

A. You’re kidding, right?

He shrugged.

B. Found them in one of the rooms

A. Why’d you run away, Bel?

B. I thought you were right behind me

They started laughing. They heard a yell and,
as they ran, they ran into a small room with no other exit. To
Ara’s horror, the guards ran in after them and attacked. She was
thankful now for all the weapons training and fighting tips from
Jesran. But Caleb ran into the wall and yelped.

Bel yelled at him. “This isn’t simulated!
Somewhere we’ve entered a real place.”

At the same time, Ara raised her sword to
block a strike. Clang went her sword. It wasn’t supposed to go
“clang”. The three fought hard and then Caleb saw an opportunity.
He grabbed Ara’s arm and pulled her. They ran further into the
castle and crept into a room, closing the door behind them. Ara
looked about her.

A. Why is there a bedroom here? That’s
creepier than the noise

B. It’s not simulated, I already said
that

A. I was a little busy at the time

A. Hey, we make ABC in short ArT!

Bel nudged her, mentally. He said,
“Dork.”

Caleb laughed and then shrugged. “I
don’t—crap. Run!”

They ran out through another door and each
yelped as they dropped, falling onto a smooth floor. The air from
Ara’s lungs whooshed out as she hit the floor. “Damn it.” Caleb
helped her up, but then rubbed his own elbow. They looked around as
they straightened their clothes.

“I almost fell on my sword, that’s so
dangerous.”

Caleb rolled his eyes at Ara’s chiding tones.
There were no doors so they began to touch the walls.

Caleb cursed. “This is one of Terzon’s traps.
We’re in the simulated part again”

“How do we get out?”

“We can’t until he turns them off.”

They were stuck. For two hours they tried to
get out.

“This is ridiculous!” Ara flopped down,
annoyed. She drew her sword over her dark pants.

Caleb looked embarrassed. Bel was having a
snooze.

“Can you hear something?” Bel opened one eye
and then sat up. “There’s someone—”

They heard screaming and saw two more bodies
fall in.

Ara saw how similarly they were all dressed—dark
pants, soft, quiet shoes, and dark tops. Good for hiding in dark
places?

Caleb stared and then laughed. “Hello,
Terzon. Jesran.”

Bel helped them stand. “What are you doing
here?”

“What are you doing here?” Terzon demanded,
trying to get his breath.

They all stared at each other.

“Research.”

“History lesson.”

“Programming lesson.”

“Fun.”

They shook their heads. Terzon, who had said
“fun”, said, “No one wants to tell the truth. I think, though, we
might be here for the same reason if Bel heard the same thing I did
at that meeting.”

“What meeting?”

Bel flushed. “The anti-human meeting.”

Ara turned on him. “I thought—”

“I am but the best way to find out what they
are doing is by going to the wrong meetings.”

She couldn’t argue with him there so she
turned to Terzon, disappointed. “And you?”

“You’re not my mother, Ara.”

Her eyes narrowed.

He relented. “Father asked me to attend.”

Caleb pretended not to know anything about
it. Great.

“Anyway, I asked Jesran about the Dressian
Gates—”

“Why do you know?”

Jesran grimaced at her tones. “I’ve been
studying ancient battles and Earth is in the 1500s, lots of
battles. With swords.”

She grumbled saying, “And there are some
great playwrights as well.” She tossed down her weapon, which
clanged until Jesran picked it up admiringly. “Nice.”

“Anyway, Ara, we came to see if what the
Avatara are doing really is legit. I am Avatara, a Modernus.
Inferor. If anyone has the right to be here I do.”