Log 1 Matter | Antimatter (56 page)

Ara suddenly wondered about the other
Cardinal Units and Mayas, were they in the other test sites?

“…ll, Ingrin, apparently it means that
everything is wiped out somehow and we are remade to start again.
They say it’s happened three times already, no wonder we don’t have
detailed history. Now, the Genocide Vote didn’t go through and
thank the Tagra for that, but, apparently, if it doesn’t go
through, and matter is reduced, we will reset by default. So the
question is should the Genocide Vote go through, or do we find
another solution, or be reset? I know I do not like any of the
options.”

“Neither do I, James. And the question
remains is it true about any of it, or the reset? And we know that
our minds, souls, and energy return to the Superlunary, Nexus, and
Sawol, but is that still the case?”

Ara found herself rubbing at her left hand.
It tingled slightly. Caleb noticed and held it.

“That’s just some of the questions we have no
answers for but it would make more now, that is the case. The
Artifacts are some kind of key to our test sites. We are trying to
get the Planet of Law to respond but no answer yet, they had that
major assembly so there may be some truth to the claim. But that’s
not all, bring up the image, Harry.”

Behind the two reporters appeared a holo of a
golden ocean with a rounded, flat, aqua-colored disk with a hole,
inside was a mass of wheels turning in a way that left Ara thinking
of the famous artist who specialized in optical illusions.

“Reminds me of Sir Pestina.”

Ara smiled at Caleb and squeezed his hand. “I
was just thinking of that.”

“It’s a perpetual in motion, fluid-metal
wheel labyrinth. It’s apparently keeping some entity locked
inside.”

Ingrin stared at it for a moment, allowing
her stress to be captured on camera. “Is that good or bad for
us?”

“We are waiting on news. More pressing for us
right now is the Matter | Antimatter issue and if this has anything
to do with that object.”

Ingrin turned back to the camera. “Who
decides who dies? The Aryan Government?”

“No, Ingrin. It comes down from Maya but this
is the scariest news, apparently most of the Pure-Gens voted for
genocide, one held off the vote, Ara Katron…”

Caleb turned it off, still gripping her
hand.

Now what Viper said made sense.

He sat back down, partially turning to her.
“Ara, they say we are a part of some crazy test where Maya, and the
Natal whoever they are, is trialing systems of all types for some
fabrication | reconstruction issue and the system that works will
live on, but Iota is on the verge of total destruction if what they
say is true. There are some beings called the Amatal who ensure the
tests sites are operational and do the actual resetting. It’s …
scary. The Aryan Military are coordinating all stations and planets
to get some decent intel. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on
you, from both sides, since your vote stopped genocide. My family
are for genocide, and I have to watch myself. Terzon too.”

Amatal? Where had she heard that before? “I
know. I understand. What are they testing for exactly and where or
what are the results being applied to? I mean, most tests have some
purpose, or are used to make life better.”

Caleb shrugged.

“The panic—” No wonder she couldn’t get hold
of Korbet, he and the other officials would be inundated. She felt
some relief it wasn’t because she had lashed out at him.

“Just understand that I have to take Tara
home with me.”

“I um … oh.” She looked down. “You are
worried if she’s with me—” She sobbed.

He lifted her chin and there were tears in
his eyes. “You saved her. I won’t forget that. I’m so sorry, I know
you two love each other. Tara often jokes that you are more like
her mum than Meg is. She was so looking forward to the trip home to
Wilds.”

Ara looked at him and kissed him. “I want you
to take her. I’ll leave earlier, better to be in the public’s eyes
and away from my family. If Kavela will still have me. I don’t
think Wilds will want me now either, it’s too dangerous. I’ll check
with them but I’ll need to get my things.”

“I think you’ll find the government will
insist on it. It is the best protection for you.” He stood and
pulled her up, holding on tight. “I will not abandon you.”

“I know. But we won’t see each other a whole
lot.” She sounded pathetic even to herself.

“And you’ll be busy, loving your spheres, and
learning to make planets.”

She nodded, knowing he was trying to cheer
her up. “I will have to.”

“People will be panicking and you with be a
beacon both revered and feared.”

She saw worry on his face.

But he said, musing, “I wonder what the
endgame is.”

“Game?” She paused. “With genocide being
triggered I hazard a guess the endgame is deadlock, resource
starvation where a system goes as far as it can like a vehicle
running out of fuel. I think Maya wants to reset this system for
the next and final attempt.”

He blinked at her but said, “I thought a
deadlock would prevent any movement.”

“That’s just us, within the system. The
controller sits outside the system.”

“Soooo, a Maya is outside?” Caleb seemed
shaken. “That makes sense if resetting.”

“I daresay we have Maya units or something.
Probably nine all up.”

“One for each test site.” He nodded. “The
Aryan Government is going to try to get out I guess.” He tossed
down his bag. “I’ve got this urge to run away, grab everyone one I
love and escape. But, Ara, where would we go?”

She stared at him and cried. “There is
nowhere.”

Go home.

Ara held her head in her hands.

“Ara?”

“I have to
go home
.” Her spine
shivered from tip to toe.

“Okay. I’m packed up.”

She laughed nervously, peeping at him through
her fingers. He took her hands.

She said, “We have three choices. Change the
vote, keep the vote the same, or get to the source.”

“We’ll never unite to do one thing.” He
released one of her hands and placed his other around it. “What do
you want Terzon and I to do? We think working on the … um … other
side will be key to feeding you information, but I may be able to
still help you from inside.”

“Caleb, I’m not prepared to make those
decisions.” She shivered with fear. “I’m barely hanging on as it
is.”

“You seem so … military minded.”

She laughed and cried. “I don’t know where
it’s coming from. You remember I told you I think my memories were
blocked?”

Caleb nodded. “Maybe you were a military
genius and came here as Mobile Unit to the big, fat Maya with even
bigger, fatter Cardinal Unit out there somewhere to save us
all.”

They stared at each other before
laughing.

After they calmed down, he lifted her chin.
“Be brave—” he kissed her nose “—be strong. I’m making the decision
for Terzon and I. You are going to think about your role in all
this, you were the last Pure-Gen, there must be a reason for your
birth other than being the Mobile Unit.”

Vanguard came to mind.

C. Vanguard?

A. Damn it

C. Spill it

She did.

C. So, Viper said he had the answers but
gave you no way to contact him, but what of the familiar energy you
say you picked up in Beachside City?

She shrugged. “Nothing yet. My relationship
with Maya has changed as well; I’m using the CU more like normal
Pure-Gens do.” Ara kept her pain locked in tight from knowing she
could have prevented the Genocide Vote. It shamed her.

They walked to the door and opened it.
Trickster was outside, hand raised to knock. Ara laughed nervously.
“When do you knock?”

“When Caleb is around.”

Caleb squeezed her hand and they moved back
in.

They stared at the Tuan until he closed the
door and faced them. “Ara, I can tell you that this involves you,
me, the snake, his assist revealed and hidden and ah—”

“Nyx?”

He bowed his head. “He told you.”

“Just that I’m working for her.”

“And I. Some others. The truth is Snake wants
a new regime. Nyx wants the old. Snake wanted to collapse the
Lacuna with everyone to end the suffering, but his brethren are
stuck here and he wants to get them out first. Nyx may want to get
everyone out. Ara Katron, there are no rules for their duel.”

Ara’s mouth had dropped open. Kill
everyone?

“May want?” Caleb glanced at her. It sounded
bad to both of them.

Trickster shuffled on the spot. “She hasn’t
decided yet.”

Ara snorted in disgust. “You’re wrong about
one thing. This involves everyone inside the Lacuna.”

Caleb nodded. “And I’m going to help.”

“You two are both—” Trickster sighed, looking
from her to Caleb. “Very well. Ara, you have to be ready to find a
way home if Nyx decides to get everyone out.”

Ara rebelled, not against his words but
against Nyx. Who did she think she was? If she could, she would get
everyone out anyway. Caleb was thinking the same thing and squeezed
her hand.

C. Together

“What do I need to start doing?” She locked
on to his brown eyes, forcing him to answer her.

“Make Aryans breathe water or fish breathe
oxygen.”

“Huh?” Not the answer she was expecting.

Trickster left as she tried to recover her
thoughts. She and Caleb both ran to the door and looked out but all
they saw was a brown wolf gliding through the mist. Caleb closed
the door and they stared at each other.

“Right. That was weird, even for him.”

Ara nodded.

Ara lay on her bed that night, comforted by Caleb’s
words, confused by Trickster’s. But still sleep did not come. Why
did she need to get fish to breath oxygen … unless life outside the
Lacuna was so different that those inside couldn’t breathe? So why
not stay inside then? She switched to the other issue. There were
no rules in this supposed war and it was obvious this was going to
get dirty. She flipped onto her stomach and screamed into her
pillow. It didn’t help.

Bleary eyed the next day, she took out her
frustrations on the weeds in the front garden; Mum was back in the
shed trying to find some new seedlings. Something intruded on her
thoughts. Ara held up a flower with roots dangling. “Oop.” She
quickly replanted it.

Drumming.

Pen stomped over and almost fell to her left.
“Damn! I was hoping for a nice, peaceful day with you.”

“Wife kicked him out again?”

Pen nodded and looked around, confused.

“No seedlings?” Ara glanced around leaning
back, resting her dirty hands on her lap. The replanted flower was
leaning unnaturally but Mum didn’t notice.

Mum had turned a shade of pink. “With all the
stress of that news, I remembered I’d already planted them over
there.” She waved her gloved hand in the direction of the garden to
Ara’s left.

“Why don’t we drive to the nursery? It’s only
fifteen minutes away, and they have that little café in their
gardens now.”

Pen smiled. “Great idea. And new gloves.
Honestly, why do you keep losing them all the time?”

Ara hugged her, grateful for some
normalcy.

Cobra and Viper sat in the garden café, on
one side of the waterfall.

“She’s too happy,” Viper said after hearing
Ara giggling with her mum.

Cobra shook his head. “She’s thinking about
it, let it percolate. Push her too hard and she’ll be less
receptive. You did a good job by the way.”

“I felt at odds. There was a definite tugging
to like her. It’s better Tarus is away more.”

Cobra raised a sandy-blond eyebrow. “Now that
we have released the ‘news’ Ara will have to rethink what she is
going to do. And the Natal with that amazing display of body
crushing will help our cause.”

Viper smiled then. “You did well eliciting
that.”

They both drank their spiders. Viper had cola
and Cobra raspberry.

“Did you want me to steal those Quadrazaads
from Ara’s Seeker?”

“No, let’s see if we can use them. The closer
they are to her, the easier it is to connect and manipulate events
around her.”

Cobra met the dark blue eyes. “Tarus was
right after all with the alliance idea, we can make it work for
us.”

“Once she gets a taste for power, it will be
easier to nudge her.”

“I had another idea.” Cobra’s eyes darted to
the right.

They leaned back as a grumpy waiter delivered
their pies and chips. The waiter left.

“Everyone is stressed—”

Ara’s tinkling laugh filtered across denying
that, but they both smiled, enjoying the sound.

“I want to be nasty and say Aryans might hate
her for that laughter, but I don’t think it will do her harm, and—”
Cobra couldn’t finish his sentence.

“It’s pleasant.” Viper picked up his fork.
“Tell me.”

“Put your hat on, Ara and Pen are—never mind,
they are heading back into the gardens to shop. Right, where was
I?”

Viper blurted out, saying, “Before you go on
I want to be one of those function tests.”

“I hoped you would. Tarus can work from
without. I need to meet with the Amatal as we’ll need their help;
our Chaos Brethren are ready to start escaping.”

They strolled around the gardens following
Ara and Pen.

Cobra smiled then. “Yes, see the tightness in
her body? Ara is definitely not happy. She’s under dual pressure
having to try to present a positive outlook.”

Viper studied the body language with a frown.
“You are the brains of the operation. I’ll believe you.”

“I’m the Nexus of the operation you
mean.”

“Same thing.”

An old argument that Cobra didn’t want to
expend energy on. They ducked out the way and resumed their stroll
seeing Ara and Pen heading out with armloads of seedlings.