X-Calibur: The Trial (5 page)

“Nothing,” Gwen replied. “We haven't been hailed or scanned, no contact at all.”

“Maybe they've just accepted the transponder code?” Lance said hopefully.

“Perhaps,” Arthur agreed, but he didn't sound convinced. “Merlin, are you able to access the network?”

Merlin's image flickered as he attempted to access the hive ship's computer. “No,” he said, puzzled. “Since we were last here, remote access is proving difficult. Perhaps when we're docked and connected to the network directly?”

“Gwen?” Arthur asked.

“I don't like this,” Gwen replied. “Something about all this just
feels
wrong, can't you feel it?”

“I can,” Lance said. “The sight of that ship has always terrified me, but this just feels, I don't know, more somehow.”

“I've only ever seen the images before,” Triltan added. “They don't really convey the scale of it.”

“Are you suggesting we don't dock?” Arthur asked.

“I suggested we didn't come at all,” Gwen replied, failing to lighten the mood. “Remember?”

“But we're here now,” Lance said. “We need to find out what happened in there.”

Arthur hesitated, trying to ignore the feelings of wrongness that emanated from the hive ship. Part of him wished he listened to  Gwen and Caran Doc, remained on Earth or brought the Ardent Dawn with them, but he'd made his decision and he had to accept the consequences.

“Full shields,” he ordered at last. “Take us in slow and put us down near the birthing chambers.”

Arthur's heart beat faster as they approached, the enormous vessel slowly growing in size as they edged closer. It was entirely black, visible only because it blocked out the stars behind it, a hollow emptiness waiting to swallow them whole.

The entrance to the docking rings was on the underside of the hive ship, a central circular opening leading to a wide channel which rose the length of the ship. The birthing chambers were amongst the lowest levels of the hive, the docking platforms normally occupied by drop ships waiting to transport the newly birthed slaves to wherever they were needed to work.

As Gwen guided the ship through the opening, she was struck by how dark it was. When they had fled the hive the docking bays had been full of lights, along the walls and on the thousands of platforms, guiding ships to and from their destination. There were no lights now, and she slowed the ship to a stop as she strained to get her bearings.

“Any communication from the docking computers?” Arthur asked.

“Still nothing,” Gwen replied.

“Merlin?” Arthur continued.

“I took my inability to connect to the hive as improved security,” Merlin replied. “I hadn't considered the possibility that it just wasn't responding.”

“Now I really don't like this,” Gwen continued. “What was that story you told us, Merlin, about the empty ship? The Mary something?”

“The Mary Celeste,” Merlin replied. “One of the most famous ghost ships, back when they sailed the seas and not the stars.”

“I remember,” Lance added. “I bet this is what it felt like when they found it.”

Gwen switched on the external lights and used the instruments to navigate slowly through the tunnel. Most of the platforms were empty, but a few had fighter and drop ships anchored to them as Gwen guided them slowly upwards through the dark. There was no movement except for the Vanguard, no guards or slaves wandering the platforms, no security turrets tracking the movement of the ship.

Gwen guided the ship to one of the empty docking platforms on the birthing chamber level and landed gingerly, almost jumping from her chair as the platform arms gripped tightly to the landing gear. In the silence of the ship, the sound of metal against metal was almost deafening, a terrifying
clang
as they were anchored in place.

“So, something's still working,” Lance said nervously, his worm-like fingers gripping hard against the arms of his chair.

“Not all the systems are offline,” Gwen replied. “Some are just on low power, like the docking clamps.”

“How about atmosphere?” Arthur asked.

“And lighting?” Lance added. “It's as black as space out there.”

“Now that we're docked, I should be able to access the network directly,” Merlin said, his image flickering. A moment later, the area outside the ship appeared before them, the large lights surrounding the docking platform bursting to life. Lance and the others rose from their chairs, taking in the hive.

Everywhere they looked was deserted. There were no signs of fighting, no plasma burns or patches of blood. It was as though the area had just been abandoned.

Merlin reappeared a moment later, his face puzzled. “Almost every system has been disabled,” he said. “The last log entry in the docking computer is from thirty-four days ago, a routine landing by one of the drop ships. After that, nothing.”

“How about elsewhere in the hive?” Arthur asked. “News reports, personal messages? Anything that might tell us what happened here?”

“I didn't want to venture too far,” Merlin said honestly. “Last time I was inside the network, well, it wasn't a pleasant experience. Thankfully there's no sign of the security program which attacked me.”

“It's okay, Merlin,” Gwen replied. “Just find out what you can. Did you notice if there was any atmosphere around the birthing chambers.”

“There is,” Merlin assured them, “but considering we think the external doors were opened on purpose, I'd recommend wearing the environmental suits anyway.”

“Good idea,” Lance agreed.

They stepped from the cockpit and helped each other into their environmental suits, Lance's earpiece allowing him to remain in contact with Arthur and Gwen. Triltan began to put on her own suit until Arthur reminded her of the promise he'd made to her father.

“You might need me out there,” she said.

“Maybe,” Arthur agreed, “but I'd rather you stayed here for now.”

Triltan was about to object until Lance stepped forwards. “You'll be our back-up,” he said. “If something goes wrong, we'll be relying on you to help.”

Triltan paused, looking up into Lance's eyes. “I'm not sure I believe you,” she said, “but I suppose you're right. It would be best if one of us stayed aboard the ship, just in case.”

“And Merlin might need your help with the computers,” Lance continued, smiling.

Triltan removed her leg from the environmental suit and returned it to the locker on the wall. “Keep in touch,” she said. “Every hour, or I'm coming to look for you.”

“I promise,” Lance replied, smiling as he relished in the felling that Triltan worried about his safety.

*****

Merlin slipped into the docking computers and cast his attention out towards the hive network. It spread out before him, huge and open, though with barely any activity.

In his digital form, the network looked like an enormous map, systems like cities joined by tortuous paths of data highways. He floated above them, taking in the view, but he knew that if he wanted to interrogate them he'd have to get closer. Merlin recalled his last encounter with the security system, the vicious assault as it tore into him, devouring his digital flesh, the strangely familiar eyes staring back at him as he fled to the safety of the Vanguard.

Most of the network looked to be in darkness, tiny patches of light highlighting only minimal activity in distant systems. He moved gingerly, watching for any sign of pursuit as he hovered above the nearest systems. Even the sub-light engines were powered down, leaving the enormous hive ship drifting uncontrolled through space.

The brightest area was around the birthing chambers, positively glowing compared to the rest of the hive. The atmospheric regulators were working normally, and all the birthing pods appeared to be active, though minimally compared to the last time he was there. He moved closer, reaching out with digital fingers as he began to investigate.

During Arthur's escape from the hive, the pods had been producing new slaves to replace those lost on the factory level, and their energy usage was intense. Merlin was surprised to see them all online, but working at a much lower energy level. There was no data streaming from the genetic libraries which housed the codes required to grow new slaves, and only minimal levels of input from the nutrient processing controls, not the large volumes needed for accelerated growth. None of it made any sense to him.

Merlin took a virtual deep breath and moved in closer, focussing on the system drawing the most power. He saw that it was cerebral programming, but something about that didn't make sense either.

“Ah!” Merlin said at last as realisation dawned. “Of course, it's going in the wrong-”

*****

Arthur breathed hard, the screen in front of him misting over with every breath. He knew there was air around him but, just as Merlin had suggested, he didn't want to risk not wearing his helmet. If the external doors were opened again, he might not have time to get the helmet on to stop him from suffocating.

The hive was almost silent, the only sound the occasional creak as something deep within the structure expanded or contracted. The temperature was normal, but the various cables and pipes hidden behind the walls still gave off intermittent noises. He had never really noticed them before, their sounds lost in the cacophony of daily life on the enormous vessel. Every time something creaked or clanged, he paused and searched for an unseen enemy.

The room leading from the docking bay was in darkness. He remembered the last time he had made the journey, fighting off the Mori guards as he made his way through the changing room, along the corridor and up the stairs to the birthing chamber. They had never been brightly lit, but in the absolute darkness of the empty hive, the torch beneath his plasma pistol did little to illuminate the gloom. He felt like he was far beneath the frozen ice world all over again.

“Through that door there and up the steps,” Lance said, mirroring his thoughts. “A control console should be just to the right of the stairs.”

“Just like last time,” Arthur said breathlessly. He paused before the closed door, waiting for Gwen to open it. As it hissed slowly open, he peered through, shining his torch along its length. Just like everywhere else he'd seen, it was empty.

“On me,” Arthur said, advancing slowly. In the claustrophobic gloom, the walls seemed to bend in towards him, the already narrow corridor growing smaller with every step. He fought to slow his breathing as he recalled the crab-like creatures they had encountered, how they stalked in the dark. They didn't have the safety of the Teleri shield generator this time.

“Wait, what's that sound?” Lance asked, making them stop. “It sounds like-”

Chapter 3

The Trial

Earth Year 6239

Arthur opened his eyes slowly, the dim light making his headache worse. His skull felt like it was in a vice, a constant throbbing pressure thudding against his temples. He raised his hands, hoping to move whatever was causing the pain, but found his wrists were securely bound.

It came back to him suddenly; the dark corridor, the noise Lance had heard and then the flash of light and pain.

He sat up gradually, his bound wrists making it difficult. Looking down he saw rusted manacles around his wrists and ankles, all bound together by a thick iron chain. The chain was then connected to a large metal ring in the floor, with three other chains leading from it. His clothes had changed too. Instead of the environmental suit he had expected to see, he was dressed in tattered fabric; poorly made trousers and a grubby looking over-shirt.

“Lance, Gwen,” Arthur said, following the chain. “Merlin?”

Lance and Gwen were slowly regaining consciousness, moving tentatively against the same restrains as Arthur had done. What struck Arthur most though was seeing the same iron manacles around Merlin's wrists and ankles. What use would manacles be on a hologram?

“Where are we?” Lance asked, pulling hard against his restraints but finding them secure.

The pain in Arthur's temples was slowly easing and he finally took a good look at his surroundings. They were in a room unlike any he had ever seen, outside of the images in the Ark. The walls were stone, damp and cold, with mould growing on the bricks and the mortar in between. A thin trickle of dirty water ran down the wall closest to him, forming a pool beside his right hip. It smelt bad, stagnant, but the other smells were worse. Sweat, blood, urine and faeces, all mixed with a tangible hint of death.

The only light came from a distant torch, its flame flickering and casting irregular shadows on the walls. The single small window, barred and high up, showed only night outside, the stars hidden behind a blanket of cloud. A wooden bucket in the corner was the source of most of the smells, and a heavy iron door marked their only exit.

“We were on the hive,” Gwen said, her left eye red and bloodshot. “The flash-”

“Electricity,” Lance interrupted. “I heard the buzz just before it hit us.”

“Merlin?” Arthur said again.

Merlin was staring at his hands, dumbfounded to find them bound. As he moved, the iron manacles moved with him, the chain rattling against the ring. “Am I back in my body?” he muttered to himself. “Or is this all a dream?”

Arthur and the others didn't know how to respond. They knew he couldn't be back in his body, he'd never had a body to go back to. He did seem solid though, or at least as solid and real as anything else around them. Any hopes of Merlin slipping through the walls or into the computer network were quickly dashed.

“Merlin, it's not a dream,” Arthur said.

“No chance,” Lance added, massaging the left side of his temple as the pain oscillated with intensity.

“But look!” Merlin exclaimed, shaking the manacles towards them. “I'm free! I'm finally free of that infernal machine!”

“Merlin, it's not-” Arthur began, but Merlin wasn't listening.

“A little magic should see us out of these restraints,” Merlin said to himself. “A little, come on, why isn't my magic working? Are they enchanted perhaps? No enchantment exists that a Wizard of my calibre won't be able to-”

“Merlin!” Arthur yelled, startling the older man. “We were on the hive, remember? The message?”

Merlin paused and rested back against the damp wall, relishing the sensation even though a part of his mind insisted the damp would be no good for his ageing bones and joints. “Ah, yes,” he muttered. “The hive. The message, and Mordred.”

“You were going to investigate the network,” Gwen prompted. “To try to find out what happened.”

Merlin thought back to the hive and his hesitant steps into the mainframe. The sensation of, well, sensations had momentarily overwhelmed him and blinded him to the danger they were all in. He thought back to what he had seen and the unusual activity in the birthing pods.

“Oh,” he said at last. “I think I know where we are.”

“You do?” Arthur asked, never having seen a region of the hive which looked remotely like the room in which they found themselves.

“I do,” Merlin replied. “The majority of the hive was powered down, all except the Birthing Chambers. Every pod was active, but they weren't growing new slaves.”

“They all had Mori inside,” Lance said.

“Exactly,” Merlin continued. “Do you recall the cerebral electrodes? The ones used to program new skills and memories?”

“I don't think I'll,” Arthur began. “Wait, the pain? It's like it was before.”

“Pressure over your temples,” Gwen added.

“When I was in the network,” Merlin explained, “I noticed something unusual about the pods. The signals to the electrodes weren't just going into the brains, they were coming out again in a two-way connection.”

“So what does that mean?” Arthur persisted.

“Your brains,” Merlin replied. “They've been connected to the hive mainframe.”

*****

Triltan sat in the cockpit of the Vanguard, tapping icons on the screen in front of her. Half an hour had passed since she had last heard from Arthur and the others, thirty minutes since they were about to enter the birthing chamber. She considered contacting them, checking in, but decided against it. Her father had taught her of the importance of radio-silence on missions, and distracting those in the field at the wrong moment could get them killed.

Even so, she was surprised they hadn't checked in already. The map before her showed the route to the birthing chamber; across the docking platform, through a large room and then along a narrow corridor. They should have reached the chamber by now, unless they'd run into problems.

“Merlin?” Triltan said aloud, hoping that the AI would hear her. “Merlin, are you there?”

There was no response, and after a cursory examination of the Vanguard's computer, she found Merlin was nowhere within the system. He'd gone to examine the hive mainframe, which would explain his absence, so why did she feel so strongly that something was wrong?

She almost activated her capsule to contact Arthur and the others but stopped herself at the last moment. No, if she was responsible for something happening to them she'd never be able to forgive herself. Oh, what would her father do? He always had the answers, knew when to act and when to wait.

He'd been right, she realised. She should have stayed on Earth or the Ardent Dawn, safe and secure and away from danger. She wasn't ready to be flying off with Arthur, Gwen and Lance on missions to the hive or anywhere else.

But that wasn't entirely true, was it? She'd more than proven herself, deep beneath the frozen surface of an alien world. She'd been scared, terrified even, but then so had the others. They'd admitted as much to her after the giant creature had tried to kill them.

She'd helped them then and she could help them again. They'd asked for her to come along; they believed in her. She could help them, she was sure of that and she'd do whatever was needed. She would face every fear she could imagine, rise to every challenge, but not just yet. First she'd wait, give them a few more minutes before she contacted them, just in case.

*****

“What?” Lance exclaimed. “We're wired into a computer?”

“In essence,” Merlin replied.

“And this is all what?” Arthur asked. “A simulation?”

“A very realistic one, but yes, I believe so,” Merlin said.

“Which explains why you can touch,” Gwen said.

“Exactly,” Merlin agreed. “And judging by the appearance of our surroundings, I suspect we're supposed to be in the dungeons deep below Camelot. My Camelot.”

“The message,” Arthur remarked. “Mordred and Camelot, it was all about this simulation?”

“But why send it to us?” Lance asked.

“To get us here,” Arthur replied. “We were right about it being a trap.”

“And we've fallen straight into it,” Gwen said.

“Merlin, can you access the network and get us out of here?” Arthur asked.

Merlin closed his eyes but his image never faltered. He looked to be straining, concentrating, willing himself to move. “I don't seem to be connected to anything,” he said, the confusion evident upon his face. “I'm just, here?”

“You can't leave the simulation?” Lance clarified.

“No,” Merlin muttered. “Arthur, can you contact Triltan through the capsule?”

Arthur thought about activating the capsule to contact Triltan, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind he was struck by a sudden increase in pain, a searing flame burning behind his eyes. His vision blurred as he groaned with discomfort, hands over his eyes as he wished for the pain to stop.

“Arthur?” Gwen said nervously, placing her hands on his shoulder. She was shocked by how solid he felt, how real. The flesh was warm and his skin was sweating, a single bead running down his right cheek towards his jaw.

“I'm okay,” Arthur said, grimacing. “Whatever they've done to us it's interfering with the capsule somehow.”

“I'm sorry, my King,” Merlin said. “If I'd known-”

“Don't be,” Arthur replied quickly. “We had to try, but it looks like we're on our own for now. If we can't get out of the simulation, let's at least see if we can get out of this cell.”

Arthur stood gingerly, his legs a little weak, the chain between his ankles making it difficult to take more than shuffling steps. Lance and Gwen joined him, Lance's long arms helping to steady Gwen as she stumbled. Only Merlin remained where he was sitting.

“Merlin, do you need a hand?” Arthur offered, shuffling towards the older man.

“No, no,” Merlin said sombrely. He moved onto his knees, wincing at the pain from the hard stone floor. The chains felt heavy and dug in at his wrists, and for a second he found himself wondering why he had ever wished to have his body back. Surely it hadn't always been so painful?

“Here,” Arthur said, offering a hand. Merlin hesitated at first, trying to stand by himself, but he eventually gave up and accepted the help. Arthur pulled him gently to his feet, steadying the older man as he grew accustomed to being upright. Gwen offered him a sympathetic look.

“Don't you start,” Merlin grumbled. “I used to be as young and flexible as you once upon a time!”

Gwen felt herself blushing and was amazed to find her cheeks warm as she put her hands on them. “I'm sorry, Merlin,” she said. “I didn't mean to offend you.”

“No, I'm sorry,” Merlin apologised, shaking his head. “I'm not used to feeling so frail and helpless, but I shouldn't take it out on you.”

“It's okay,” Gwen replied. “Let's just see if we can find a way out of here, shall we?”

They moved as far as their chains would allow, running their hands over the walls. The stone was just as wet and slimy as it looked, leaving an unpleasant residue on their fingers. The mortar between the bricks was solid, and even with tools it would have taken days to chisel it away enough to provide an exit.

Lance took his time on the door. It was made of a dark wood, covered by strips of thick iron with rivets to hold them in place. The small hatch near the top of the door was closed and locked from the outside, and there was no obvious handle or lock. Whatever mechanism unlocked the door, it was only accessible from the other side.

While Lance was running his worm-like fingers over the door, Arthur turned his attention to the restraints. The shackles themselves were solid, locked with a bolt that only a key would remove. The chain was thick and, despite spots of rust, he was unable to damage any of the links. The large ring in the floor, to which all the chains were attached, was also secured in place.

“Enough,” Merlin said at last. “We've been at this for hours and there's no way out of here.”

“We can't just give up,” Arthur protested.

“I'm not suggesting we give up,” Merlin clarified. “Just take some time to rest. I'm sure we'll find out why we're here soon enough.”

Arthur sat back against the wall, Gwen resting her head on his shoulder, but sleep was a long time coming.

*****

Triltan watched the countdown timer, ticking away one second at a time. Once it reached zero, she would have been waiting an hour since Arthur and the others left the Vanguard. There was still two minutes and twenty-three seconds to go and the tension was killing her.

She'd put the artificial limit on her actions more out of desperation than anything scientific. She had been pacing the cockpit, checking the chronometer, endlessly debating with herself whether she should try to communicate through the capsules or wait a little longer. By giving herself a deadline for them to get in contact with her, she'd given herself a little breathing room before she had to make the decision once and for all. And then, of course, was the decision whether she needed to contact her father or Gar-Wan.