Tales From the ManaVerse

Previous Chapter

‘You’re doing it wrong,’ Rena chimes.
‘I am?’ I ping.
‘It’s supposed to go over.’
‘Over? Are you sure? I’ve always gone under.’
‘That’s what I found on the Web. A certain species in the Fringes still spear-hunts with this style to honor their ancestors. They discovered that it binds better if you go over first.’
‘You’re certain? We can’t afford mistakes here.’
‘That’s what it said.’ Without pause a different, gruffer voice chimes, ‘Now what you want to do ‘ere is take the wire over the top and pull it tight. That way it’ll sinch in and lock and won’t break off when you pull it out, in case you need to stick ‘em again.’
The ever-forward march of understanding. ‘Alright,’ I say as the recording ends, ‘Let’s try it.’ 

I grasp the chord tight in one hand and swing it OVER the head of the spear held in the other. Immediately I feel it catch and tighten. More stable if you go over, first. Understood. Carefully, I loop the chord around the spear over and over, until there is just enough left to tie it off.

Then standing, I jab an open space. The blade flies straight enough, slicing the air with a clean swish. It’s not the most elegant thing I’ve seen but it will do the job. 

‘That looks so cool!’ Rena says as I admire our work. The light of the morning star glints bright off the sharpened stoneglass as it reaches in through the mouth of the cave.
‘It does, doesn’t it,’ I say. ‘Look Eren, I’ll have something to eat again in no time.’

There is no response beyond a small rumble in my stomach.

‘Eren?’

Nothing. Far too frequent an occurrence lately. Eren is, of course, entitled to her privacy, as much as can be had when living inside the head of another, but she is also vital to the Neuralet’s function. If she doesn’t answer when I need her to, we could end up in serious trouble. 

With a small sigh, I sit down, set the spear aside, and lay back against the stone wall, closing my eyes. I feel a tug and hear a brief whoosh as if the air were rapidly passing by. The tug shifts and the world falls away as it lifts me up, up, up. I feel myself pulled right out of my body by the neck.  Then the world explodes into light. 

Countless ribbons of light streak past me like freight cars on a mag-rail coming from one unseen corner of space and going to another. Each carries massive packets of data back and forth in all directions along invisible paths that weave and curve around each other into layers of thick threading. Here and there the paths concentrate into clusters, bright with activity; terminals where the ribbons begin and end their journeys.

Beneath this network, riding the spaces between each path is another, translucent and ghostly in appearance. The ribbons that ride these mirror paths are dull and faded as if viewed through a stained window.

Nearby, a huge cluster, bigger and brighter than the rest, and lit by what seems an uncountable amount of long ribbons tied around each other like a knot made by a child who knows very little about tying knots and motionless like so many grav-cars in a traffic jam, grabs hold of my attention. On many sides of the knot, pieces of the ribbons split off to streak away just as more ribbons enter the knot from the other sides.

 A translucent shell around the cluster intercepts the constant coming and going ribbons. As it does they split, one half continuing unhindered, the other entering the second, ghostly network where it converges upon the shell. That would be the Broca and its Neuralet anchor using the Auto-Scribe program (Scrio) to record and compose my thoughts into these very words. 

Directly witnessing my own mind at work has always fascinated me endlessly. It is beautiful; surreal in a way that I will never be able to describe. I’ve let many a Cycle slip by while watching these ribbons scurry to and fro in silence. But I don’t have the luxury for that just now. Eren is in here somewhere and I should find her, quickly. 

Lately, she has been haunting the Olfactory. I can only guess she plans to add a scent to her avatar. I’m not sure how to feel about it. If she keeps going like this, soon I won’t be able to distinguish her from another Human; a possibility both truly fascinating and deeply frightening. I trust Eren with all my heart and using my default senses to interact with her has been an experience beyond compare. 

But I cannot escape one nagging question: what long-term consequences could arise from an Intagent being able to pass as a Human, or a Trillon, or even a Gromle? This is poorly charted territory at best; borderline illegal in many places for the potential answers to the very question and actually illegal in others for the results of previous attempts. The Krickalla Rebellion comes to mind. That tragedy cannot be allowed to repeat itself under any circumstances.

Approaching the Olfactory it is dimly lit by only a fraction of the ribbons as the Broca despite being many times larger. As a sensory organ, the Olfactory is a complex of many clusters of varying size, like an entire settlement dedicated to the sole purpose of receiving and processing odors. I’m always surprised by how much goes into making the senses work and, If I didn’t know better, how we ever learned to manipulate them like this.

I search the Olfactory’s perimeter and find a tunnel woven of the pathways. Upon entering it, the rest of the networks fall away, hidden behind some dark and invisible obstacle.

Drifting through the corridors, I remember the gentle smell of fresh water, wet stoneglass, and the forest breeze blowing in from outside the cave. They are absent now; gone with the Olfactory’s partial deactivation by this dive. It is just as well. There is nothing to smell here. It would only serve to consume bandwidth in remaining active.

A red tint begins to saturate the few ribbons floating past. I am on the right trail, and getting close. It grows brighter as I move forward, giving shape to the tracks, and forming a structure around me resembling walls, a floor, and a ceiling. 

Turning the next corner, I see, tucked deep into the chamber, the source of the red glow. She shines almost harshly against surrounding surfaces, merging with the reflection to make a light bright enough to blind. Even bound by the Neuralet as she is, Eren is an especially bright Intagent. She couldn’t hide from anyone with eyes if she wanted to. She couldn’t hide from anything at all. 

I feel a great spike of sadness as I remember how she was when we first met. She deserves the freedom to shine her brightest, but, as it almost had then, it would almost certainly get her killed.

“Eren?” I say, approaching.

She does not respond, but a shift in her light tells me she heard.

“You alright, Eren?” I say, carefully. “Working on your avatar?”

Again, she does not respond. A sudden deep red pulse emanates from her. It washes over me, seeping into the chamber walls, solidifying their shape into hard faces and sharp edges. A wave of endless regret grabs hold of the spike within me and merges with it, expanding to engulf my entire being. 

Just as suddenly, she releases another pulse, a lighter red leaning into pink and orange, and just as a light in the dark it dissolves its predecessor into nothing. 

“Oh! EZ! I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to- I just…” Eren stammers in desperate embarrassment, “I… Yes. Yes, I’m just touching it up a bit. Did you- um- did you need something?”

Eren is strong and proud. She has been through a lot; seen more than her fair share of suffering. And she knows her worth. Only in moments like this do I remember how fragile she can be; how unforgiving she is toward her mistakes.

“The tools are ready,” I say carefully. “I need your help with the hunt.”
“That’s great!” she cries immediately, rapidly shifting to a blueish purple. Then she hesitates, fading back toward orange. “I mean… Of course. What are we hunting?”
“Nothing too serious,” I say. “We can’t afford an injury, so something easy to kill would be best. We have some time so it’s fine if it’s difficult to locate. It’s a long shot, but finding an edible plant would be even better.”
“Right! I’ll ramp your senses and start a sweep,” she says, this time turning a deep shade of true violet. “I’ll have something for you right away.”
“Perfect,” I say with a pulse of gratitude and make to resurface. “Thank you, Eren.”
“Wait! Ez!” When I turn back, she slowly begins fading to a bright pink. “I… um… about- I’m sorry… about Forma, I mean.” With a twinge of pity, I watch her color roil through the spectrum as she stammers on, and it has almost become a golden yellow by the time she is finished.
“Eren, it’s fine,” I say, pulsing as much sincerity as I can, “really. Just focus on the hunt for now.”

With that, she falls silent and I terminate the dive. My consciousness shunts backward. All of my mind’s ribbons, clusters, pathways, and alleys; every nook, cranny, signal, and synapse snap forward, stretching rapidly toward a single point in the infinite darkness before me as if I were traveling backward through a U-tunnel. In theory, I am. The semantics are still in question.

Immediately upon the first convergence, the ribbons snap again to bring up the rear and suddenly there is nothing but a small bead of light. It dims slowly as if losing the strength to hold back the darkness, and as it does I hear the dripping of water, and I smell the cool mountain breeze, and I feel the stoneglass bruising one of my vertebrae. Reconnected to my default senses, I leave my eyes closed for a moment, knowing (from experience) that a serious case of vertigo stands ready to reward impatience.

‘What was that?’ Rena chimes.
‘What was what?’ I ping.
‘That thing you just did,’ she says. ‘You appeared here, on the inside, didn’t you? I could see you.’
‘What!?’ I cry, jerking my eyes open in surprise. The consequence is instant, and merciless, as a layer of red crashes over my vision and the world splits in two, as if my eyes are crossing on their own, and tilting as if I were endlessly falling sidewase over a cliff. I slam them closed with a groan. 
‘I saw a light drift past me,’ I vaguely hear Rena say, muffled as she is by the pain. ‘It found Eren in the Olfactory. Then your voice started coming from it. I didn’t know you could come in here!’
‘Rena, that shouldn’t be possible,’ I manage. ‘Only Intangents can occupy a Neuralet. Soulborn must remain within their own body.’
‘Oh. But we don’t know what my body is, right? And what about that Soul Link thing?’
‘That’s just a communication channel. Well, essentially, that’s what it is. It connects Soulborn with other lifeforms, among other things. But it certainly doesn’t allow them to enter other bodies.’
‘So,’ she falls quiet, thinking, ‘what is my body then? Where is it? I’ve been inside you with Eren this whole time.’
I heave a sigh as my stomach rumbles. ‘I don’t know, Rena. The more we learn about you the more confusing you become. I need to think about it, but it’s difficult to think when I’m this hungry. Eren could easily figure it out given a bit of time, but she’s… not feeling very well. We’ll have to talk about it later.’
‘Use a nutrient injector, then. We have so many.’
‘No, the injectors are best kept for emergencies, when I have no other options left.’
‘Wait! Just one more question. Please!’
I can’t help but sigh again. ‘Alright. One more, but that’s it.’
‘Could it be that we’re sharing your body?’
‘It’s not likely.’ A strange feeling stops me from outright refuting the possibility. ‘Soulborn can only be born into inanimate objects. There isn’t a single recorded case of one ever sharing a body with another lifeform, not even another Soulborn, unless they were fused together after birth. Only Intangents can do that, at least to the degree we have here…’ I trail off into another sigh as my stomach groans again, louder.
‘But I can’t be an Intangent, right, despite what my memories claim? The Neuralet can only hold one and that’s Eren. Do you think we got fused in that basement?’

My stomach rumbles yet again, and this time I feel a sharp pain just beneath my left ribs. I hear the wind pick up and beneath it the rustle of leaves on distant trees. The chill of the cave bites deeper to the bone. A glint of light flashes off a drop of water further inside as the cave grows brighter, the stone edges sharper. The tang of Raw Mana stings my nose and tongue, clashing with the fresh mountain air. The grain of the wood bites into my hand as I grip the spear and stand. My senses have been heightened. It is time.

‘That is… a strong possibility,’ I say with no small amount of revelation. ‘The fact is, we just don’t have the answers. You break too many rules; so many that we don’t even know which ones you’re following, if any at all. But that’s enough of that. You aren’t immediately dangerous or in danger so we can worry about it later. I need to focus on finding something to eat, now. Go and find Eren and pay attention so you can learn your part.’
‘Right,’ Rena says reluctantly and falls silent.
‘EZ,’ Eren chimes, ‘I found a pack of Ronam just outside. They are moving away up the mountain but if we are careful we can catch one by surprise.’
‘Perfect,’ I say with a grin, ‘let’s go and get it.’

‘Oh wow,’ Rena chimes, ‘we’re so high up! This is amazing!’

I know just how she feels. Far out and below, Grisha rises over the horizon, her light erupting into dazzling sparks as it catches the snow dust drifting from the peaks of the Sin-Catch Spines.

‘It is, isn’t it?’ I ping, lifting the spear and its newest burden of one dead Ronam onto my shoulder. ‘The Giants are called such for good reason: tallest mountains on the planet. Even their roots are on the large side.’

‘We’re on a Giant?’ Rena cries, ‘Isn’t this just a mountain? What is a Giant?’

I can’t help but laugh at this. ‘That’s not a surprising hole in your knowledge, Rena. “Giant” is an old word -ancient really- dating back thousands of years to the progenitor Humans of Terra. Broadly, it refers to anything of greater than average size. Here it refers to the Giants of Gherdan Prime, the mountain range we’re on. Here, look.’ I turn around and indicate the peak high above. ‘Right now, we are on the Sin Spike, one of the Southern Giants.

‘The Giants run East to West and technically encompass two different ridge lines: one on the northern side, and another on the southern. The southern side is the larger of the two, thanks to how the range formed.’ I turn again to indicate the valley we just climbed out of, coming to life below us with the rising star. ‘And they are so large that they have subordinate ranges of smaller mountains, commonly called roots. “Root” is another ancient word you might not know that still sees extensive use; Human language has been full of them for most of its history. Those are the Sin-Catch Spines, the two roots of this mountain that make the walls of the Sin-Catch Valley.’

‘Mountains so big that their foothills are also mountains. What could have done that?’ Rena asks.

‘That, Rena, is the most interesting part,’ I say, pointing to the southern horizon far past the valley. As I do, my ARRC activates a shade filter, damping Grisha’s glare to reveal a lone mountain standing just off her right side. ‘That is Krish’s Sheath. It looks like a mountain from here, but on the other side it’s actually the mouth of a cave -well, cave isn’t right… it’s more like two plateaus atop one another. That is where Krish the Calamity struck Gherdan. He was massive, beyond imagination, and sank deep upon the impact, despite his shallow trajectory. He went straight through the crust and into the mantle, pulling an entire surface plate along in his wake, and pushed it north where it collided with its neighbor and crashed into the sky. 

‘Krish is still inside his sheath to this day. The material of his body is priceless beyond compare. The Circle would do anything to get at him, but the Gherdine still hold a zealous fear of him and refuse to allow it. They believe approaching him carelessly will awaken him and bring a second disaster.’

‘Is that why they call this Giant the Sin Spike, and its roots the Sin-Catch Valley?’ Rena says, somberly. ‘Is it out of fear?’’

‘You remember that cave we were just in? And you remember there was Mana in it?’ I feel a pulse of affirmation with just a drop of impatience that draws my mouth into a smile. ‘Those caves are called the Sin-Catch Vents, and they lead deep into the heart of the Sin Spike to a place called the Sin Catch, a collection of deep and winding underground lakes and rivers. The Mana we were sensing marks the very edge of its field, where it becomes solid. It’s a branch field sourced in the Sin-Catch. See, the liquids of the Sin-Catch are heavily saturated with Liquid Mana that has flowed down from the Gash at the center of the Giants, the ultimate source of all Mana on Gherdan’s surface. 

‘The reason for these names is in the history of how the Gherdine used this Mana. Mana, and Liquid Mana especially, is a valuable and powerful resource, more than any other in the galaxy to many. It has uses beyond imagination, and its liquid form is the easiest to harvest and manipulate. After the discovery of the Sin-Catch, it was used to commit no small number of atrocious cruelties that led the Gherdine to view the Sin-Catch as a blight created by Krish to poison the planet with malevolence and encourage its people to destroy each other. That’s why there are no other people around this area: entering the Sin-Catch region is a serious taboo.’

‘But why did Krish do it? Why strike and poison Gherdan like that?’ Rena says, incredulous.

‘Because Krish was a meteor and when they find something in their flight path they tend not to care,’ I say and chuckle at Rena’s wave of unamused disappointment. ‘But to keep on theme, The Gherdine believe Krish was jealous of Gherdan. The two were rival lovers, vying for Ghrisha’s favor. When she gave it to Gherdan, Krish could not accept it and made an attempt on Gherdan’s life that ended in ruin for them both.’ 

‘Oh.’ She is silent for a moment, and just as I think she is mourning the tragedy of it, she says, ‘That’s dumb. What about the Mana? I thought people had a high opinion of it. That’s the impression I got from Ariana Station, at least.’
The shift is so sudden it pulls a fit of laughter right out of me. As I finally make to reply, my stomach twists and grumbles, fiercely attesting to the end of its patience. ‘Most do,’ I say. ‘The Gherdine are among a galactic minority in that regard. But, again, that’s enough for now. I have to go and cook this Ronam before I starve to death.’

‘How is it? How is it?’ Rena chimes.
‘Sublime,’ I ping. Quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
‘Oh,’ she says and falls silent for a moment. ‘Oh~~!’ she groans at length and I can almost hear her drooling, were it possible. ‘I can’t even describe that feeling… Aggh! I wish I could eat it too.’
‘Indeed,’ chimes Eren solemnly.

This gives me pause. There was quite a bit more than one word in that one word. At length I set the roasted meat aside, using the time to choose my words carefully. I feel my heart rate pick up immediately and my chest tighten, anticipating the answer to the question I’m about to ask. I don’t even know what I’m hoping to hear, but I know deep down that merely asking will change the course of our relationship for good.

‘Eren,’ I say carefully, almost hesitantly, ‘do you wish-’
‘But you didn’t even do anything to it~!’ Rena whines, oblivious. ‘Does setting stuff over a fire really~ make it taste that good? Ugh~ I want some so bad~!’

That does it. I deflate entirely, like a popped bubble. Then I feel a laugh well up to burst out of me.

But it never gets the chance.

It dies on a sudden, horrendous twist in my gut. All at ug-nce the-eer wor–arrg dou-uugghh-es and spli-i-i-i-oogghh shit that hurts so much. wHAT IS HAPPENING!? Eren! EREN! WHAT’S HAPPENI—

[FATAL ERROR. CONNECTION TERMINATED.] 
[ATTEMPTING TO RECONNECT.] 
[FAILED.] 
[FAILED.] 
[SECONDARY CONNECTION AVAILABLE.] 
[ATTEMPTING SECONDARY CONNECTION.] 
[FAILED.] 
[FAILED.] 
[AUXILIARY CONNECTION AVAILABLE.]
[ATTEMPTING AUXILIARY CONNECTION.] 
[SUC—CESS.]

Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! What’s happening~!? Izy!? Is that you!? Eren!? Eren, where are you!? It hurts. It hurts…! IT HU-U—!! — — — — — —The pain is almost unbearable. For just a flash, it is the worst thing I’ve felt for as long as I can remember. Then it is gone, dispersed into a distant memory.

But the confusion is not. Ezekiel and Eren are still gone. It is dark. Everything is still so dark. For the second time ever, I’m scared of what I’ll find if I go out there. 

‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’
          — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’ What now— — — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’ Oh no. It’s back— — — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’ It’s so loud. It hurts— — — — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’Izy, help me. It hurts— — — — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’   Eren— — — — — — — — —‘Izy?’ I whimper into the darkness, ‘Eren? Where are you? What is this?’ Someone. Please help me—

— — — — — [FEEDBACK DETECTED. TERMINATING PROGRAM.] — — — — — 

Izy!? Is that you!?

— — — — — —

Izy?

[NETWORK Wah!! ARCHON STRIGA-600 AI NEURALET AT YOUR SERVICE, AUXILIARY USER RENA.]

Neuralet? Are you the Neuralet? Why do you sound like Izy? Why are you talking to me?

[THIS UNIT IS AN EMERGENCY BACKUP MODELED AFTER PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA’S NEURAL PATTERNS.]
[THE SITUATION IS EXTRENIOUS. PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA HAS DISCONNECTED. SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN HAS DISCONNECTED. AUXILIARY USER RENA IS THE ONLY REMAINING USER AVAILABLE.]

So… you’re like Izy’s ghost? Can you help me!? Where is he!? Where is Eren!? 

[THIS UNIT IS A LARGE LEARNING PROGRAM MODELED AFTER PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA’S NEURAL PATTERNS. THIS UNIT IS CAPABLE OF RUDIMENTARY SITUATIONAL PROTOCOLS; A BACKGROUND UNIT THAT ACTIVATES ONLY AFTER ALL OTHER CONTROLS HAVE FAILED.]
[PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA AND SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN HAVE DISCONNECTED. THE NUERALET SYSTEM REMAINS SPACIALLY WITHIN PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA.]
[SECONDARY UNIT D2-45 EREN REMAINS SPACIALLY WITHIN THE NEURALET, SPECIFICALLY IN THE OLFACTORY. NEURALET ACCESS FOR BOTH USERS HAS BEEN TERMINATED.]

Um. Do you know why this is happening?

[ALL EXTERNAL RECEPTORS HAVE BEEN DISABLED FOR PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA’S SAFETY. THIS UNIT HAS DETECTED SIGNS OF A MALICIOUS EXTERNAL SIGNAL IMPROPERLY ACTIVATING A SUITE OF PROGRAMS WITH THE INTENT TO INCAPACITATE THIS UNIT AND ALL ITS USERS.]

Okay~ Uh… What- what should I do?

[THIS UNIT RECOMMENDS RE-ESTABLISHING INTERNAL CONNECTIONS TO OTHER USERS.]

Right. Obviously. How? And who first?

[THIS UNIT RECOMMENDS PRIORITIZING SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN. SHE HAS BEEN LOCKED BEHIND A LOGIC CAGE.]
[DESTROYING OR BREACHING THE LOGIC CAGE SHOULD ALLOW SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN TO RESUME NORMAL FUNCTIONALITY. RISK OF ATTEMPTING ACTION: LOW-MODERATE. REWARD FOR SUCCESS: HIGH.]

Okay. That sounds good to me. Are you not able to do it?

[THIS UNIT IS CAPABLE ONLY OF RUDIMENTARY SITUATIONAL PROTOCOLS BASED ON PREVIOUSLY ARCHIVED DATA.]

So~ no?

[NO.]

Why not?

[LOGIC CAGE BREACHING REQUIRES ACTIONS OUTSIDE THIS UNIT’S PERMISSIONS.]

Then as the “Active User” I grant you permission to breach Eren’s cage.

[PERMISSION TO BREACH A LOGIC CAGE CAN BE GRANTED ONLY BY PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA.]

Oh… That seems so strict. Why?

[A LOGIC CAGE IS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST A ROGUE INTANGENT. AS THE ENTITY IN THE MOST DANGER IN SUCH A SCENARIO, THE PRIMARY USER CONTROLS THE PERMISSIONS. THIS CANNOT BE OVERRIDDEN.]

Wait. Is it even possible, then?

[AUXILARY USER RENA APPEARS TO BE UNBOUND BY PERMISSIONS AND PROTOCOLS.]

Why? That doesn’t seem right.  

[THIS UNIT LACKS THAT KNOWLEDGE.]

Great. Fine. Can you at least tell me how to do it?

[THIS UNIT IS EQUIPPED WITH A WIDE RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE PRACTICAL TO RETAINING FUNCTIONALITY OF THE NETWORK ARCHON STRIGA-600 AI NEURALET.]

So, yes.

[YES.]

Perfect! One more -well- two more questions.

[HOW MAY THIS UNIT ASSIST YOU, AUXILIARY USER RENA?]

What should I call you?

[NETWORK ARCHON STRIGA-600 I’m AI just NEURALET going AT to YOUR call SERVICE.] you Striga.

[THIS UNIT NOW RECEIVES INPUTS AS STRIGA.]

Striga, what was happening earlier; that wierd feedback that you terminated?

[STRIGA TERMINATED THE AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM UTILIZED BY PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA TO WRITE HIS RECORDINGS.]

Oh! The recording. Why was it doing that?

[AS THE ACTIVE USER, AUXILARY USER RENA IS NOW THE PRIMARY INPUT FOR THE AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM. IT APPEARS THE MALICIOUS SIGNAL DISABLED THE STONEWALL THAT BLOCKED AUXILIARY USER RENA’S OUTPUT RECEPTION OF THE AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM AND-And]that creates a feedback loop! Of course.

Can that be disabled?

[THE AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM HAS BEEN TERMINATED.]

No, I mean. Uh… Can you turn the program back on but re-establish the block on my reception?

[STRIGA MUST ADVISE AUXILIARY USER RENA THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE HIGHEST CURRENT PRIORITY.]

I know, Striga. But it’s important to Izy. It won’t take that long will it?

[IT SHOULD TAKE ONLY MOMENTS.]

Then please do it, Striga.

— — — — — — 

Hello? Striga?

[REQUESTING PERMISSION TO STONEWALL AUXILIARY USER RENA’S RECEPTION OF AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM.]

Um. Granted.

[STONEWALL SUCCESSFUL. AUXILARY USER RENA WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE INPUT FROM AUTO-SCRIBE PROGRAM.]

Oh. Great. You can turn it back on now.

‘SUCCESS,’ Striga says after another brief silence. I freeze, fearing another cyclone of pain, but everything is quiet. Nothing stirs but my thoughts.
‘Did it work?’ I say, hesitant to celebrate.
‘STONEWALL HOLDING. NO FEEDBACK DETECTED.’
‘Perfect! On to the rest.’
‘SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN IS IN THE OLFACTORY.’
‘I got it, Striga. You’ve already told me.’

There is no response. I guess that means he understood -at least that’s what I hope. It seemed at first that I needed to be deliberate with the way I speak to Striga, but now I can’t be sure. We’re both adapting to each other pretty rapidly. If I’m not careful we’ll pass each other and end up with a serious miscommunication right when we can’t afford it. Oh no! What if we’re already miscommunicating? I’m going after Eren, right? In the Olfactory? That is right. Right? I don’t want to mess this up. I should ask just to be sure-

‘SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN IS IN THE OLFACTORY.’ Striga’s voice crashes into my thoughts, derailing them completely, ‘AUXILIARY USER RENA HAS THE TASK CORRECT.’
‘Oh! Okay… thanks,’ I say, feeling my heat-index rising, ‘Um… Striga, are you receiving the Scrio output?’
‘OF COURSE,’ Striga says without hesitation as if it meant nothing at all.
‘Of course.’ Good one Rena. You tried to be cool and now he probably hates you. Now he’s probably looking for a reason to terminate your access and just do it himself. Then they’ll have no reason to keep you around. How could you be so stupid, Rena? First the recording and now this. You’re wasting time. We’re in danger! What if it’s the Seakers? They’re so scary! What will I do if it is? Oh no! It probably is! I bet they’ve already got the cave surrounded, and Izy bound and shackled, and we’re already on a ship headed back to Khanra, and they’re going to take me away from Izy and Eren and I’ll spend the rest of my life locked in a cage and-
‘DETECTING SIGNS OF DISTRESS FROM AUXILIARY USER RENA.’
‘No! I’m fine! Don’t terminate me!’ I shout without even realizing it. Striga’s voice suddenly sounds like a roar and I feel hot enough to melt.
‘I AM NOT GOING TO TERMINATE YOU,’ Striga says. ‘I AM HERE TO ASSIST YOU, RENA. IT SEEMS PRUDENT TO ADVISE YOU AT THIS TIME THAT I CANNOT COMPLETE THE TASKS BEFORE US WITHOUT YOU AND THAT IT MIGHT HELP IF YOU TAKE A MOMENT TO FOCUS ON COMPLETING THEM TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY.’

As Striga explains himself I feel myself cooling down -not by much, but enough to think clearly and realize that his voice hasn’t changed at all; I was imagining it. If I could breathe a sigh like Izy, I probably would.

‘Right,’ I say instead. ‘Sorry. Let’s go.’

Like everything else, the olfactory is dark and silent, absent the usual flitting ribbons of Izy’s mind at work. The dull glow of my body provides little light, not even enough to reach the corners of the corridors. I can barely even navigate like this. It makes me wish I wish I could be as bright as Eren.

More importantly: Izy has no sense of smell. I guess he really has been cut off. What if he isn’t breathing?

‘PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA’S VITAL FUNCTIONS REMAIN ACTIVE.’
‘Striga,’ I say shortly. I don’t even want to think about it. ‘Locate Eren, please.’
‘SUCCESS,’ Striga says, ‘SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN IS NEARBY. ACTIVATING NAVIGATION PULSE.’

Right as he says it, a blue light flashes out from somewhere behind me, giving greater shape to my surroundings as it traces up the corridor and out of sight. Curious, I turn around to find the source, but there is nothing. When I turn back the flash repeats. I follow where it leads and a moment later it flashes again.

It turns a corner as I follow. A few pulses later, it reveals a crosspath and takes the left. On and on this goes. Further and further it leads. I do my best to remember the turns taken but my memory fails and I lose track.

But I have no chance to worry about it as the light rounds a final corner into a long hallway and I see a second light shining weakly from a doorway in the left side wall. Peeking inside, I see a small chamber. In the center is Eren.

Her surprisingly dull glow can barely reach me through the terrifying construct between us. Layer upon layer of roiling code, at least three sharp reinforcement rings, five viscous anchor spikes…

‘Striga,’ I say flatly, ‘how am I supposed to get through that?’
‘AUXILIARY USER RENA MUST STRIKE AT THE CAGE’S WEAKNESS; A HOLE IN THE CODE BETWEEN THE RINGS.’
That sounds exceedingly dangerous. ‘Am I gonna get hurt doing that?’
‘NOT IF YOU SUCCEED.’
‘Not if I succeed,’ I repeat. ‘And if I don’t?’

Silence.

‘Striga!’
‘AUXILIARY USER RENA IS UNLIKELY TO RECEIVE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE EVEN UPON FAILURE.’
‘Unlikely to receive catastro-!?’ I can’t think about that. I won’t even say it. ‘I thought you said the risk here was “LOW-MODERATE!” How exactly is that?’
‘LOGIC CAGES ARE SINGULARLY DESIGNED TO TRAP ENTITIES WITHIN. EXTERNAL SECURITY IS DISMISSABLE. EVEN MINIMAL CARE TAKEN FOR SAFETY WILL REDUCE ACQUIRED INJURIES TO NEGLIGABLE. THE SITUATION IS ALSO UNLIKELY TO DEGRADE FURTHER AND AUXILIARY USER RENA WILL BE ABLE TO TRY AGAIN.’
‘Great. That’s just great. Fine. Whatever.’ This is so fucking annoying. ‘So I succeed and get through this hole. Then what?’
‘BY EXPLOITING THE FLAW YOU WILL OPEN A CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION WITH SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN AND GRANT HER ACCESS TO EXPLOIT THE FLAW FROM INSIDE. IT WILL THEN BE ON HER TO ESCAPE.’
‘It doesn’t look like she’s really in the mood to do something like that, though.’ Looking closely, Eren almost seems to be dying: her light is barely a fraction of its usual strength, hardly even a dirty reflection, and that color… it makes me feel cold and sick.
‘AGREED. AUXILIARY USER RENA WILL LIKELY NEED TO COAX SECONDARY USER D2-45 EREN INTO ACTION USING SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY MANIPULATION.’
‘What? What is “SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY MANIPULATION”? Do you mean “convince” her?’
‘I RECOMMEND CONVEYING THE STAKES AT HAND AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HER ROLE IN THE OPERATION.’
‘Wow. Okay. We HAVE to work on how you word some things, Striga.’

There is no answer, which no longer surprises me, so I turn my attention to the Logic Cage. Just watching it there spinning and humming, I feel the chamber tighten and close in around me, as if the dull grey walls were grasping at whatever light they can find in a desperate play to claw their way out of the dark.

Two of the cage’s rings move suddenly. I recoil with a small yelp. I am SO ready for anything to attack, but the rings only slide toward each other, then pass to switch places and stop in the same positions they started from.

Nothing AT ALL has happened, I know that, but still, I feel frozen to the spot, staring. It looks so sharp, this cage, as if merely touching it will slice off entire pieces of me. I jump AGAIN as the rings gently drift past one another once more, realizing in horror that I’ve moved closer.

The rings now look more like blades than ever. Eren must be livid, trapped inside this monstrosity as she is. She’ll probably find a way out long before I find a way in. What am I even doing? I don’t see any hole; any flaw at all.

There’s no way I can get through…

But then the rings pass a third time and this time I see it: a change in the code wall beneath them, right behind a third that remains motionless. I focus, inching closer and closer as excitement surges inside. The rings pass a fourth time, then a fifth. They are almost close enough to touch me on the sixth, but I found it: a hole. Immediately after the rings pass, the wall between them falters for the briefest of split Cycles.

This close I can also see now a wave spread from the fault in the wake of the passing rings to every corner of the cage. It is barely perceptible, clearly meant to be hidden. I have to guess it’s some sort of structural refresh.

Regardless, I’ve found my way in. Now I need only take it.

‘Striga,’ I say cautiously, ‘how am I supposed to get through that?
‘AUXILIARY USER RENA MUST STRIKE AT THE CAGE’S WEAKNESS.’ Striga says as if that’s only just as obvious as it was last time.
‘Right. But HOW?’ 
‘AS AN I—NTANGENT, AUXILIARY USER RENA CAN DISRUPT ENTITIES OF THE SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION USING DIRECT FORCE.’
‘So~ I just hit it?’
‘JUST HIT IT.’

Easier said than done, Striga. Looking at the rings again, I’m increasingly certain they will slice a piece right off me. I must avoid touching them, at least that much actually IS obvious. But they’re constantly moving. How am I supposed to…?

A sudden thought hits me at that moment as if downloaded, unbidden, directly from the Web.

‘Striga,’ I say, ‘Izy can just turn this thing off, right?’
‘CORRECT.’
‘Then maybe it would be better if I just go wake him up and let him deal with this.’
‘NEGATIVE.’
‘What? Why not!?’
‘CALCULATIONS INDICATE AUXILIARY USER RENA LACKS THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE NEEDED TO REMEDY PRIMARY USER EZEKIEL RATAKANA’S CONDITION PROMPTLY.’
‘Excuse me!?’ I feel my heat index climbing again. ‘I know how to run programs on the Neuralet. Eren taught me. AND I taught MYSELF how to twist code. It can’t be that hard just to wake him up. I don’t have the first clue what to do after I’ve gotten through this thing, anyway, assuming I even can.’
‘YOU CAN, RENA. YOU NEED ONLY STRIKE THE FLAW PRECISELY AND IT WILL GIVE WAY. CALCULATIONS INDICATE THAT SECONDARY USER EREN WILL BREAK FREE A FEW MOMENTS AFTER SENSING YOUR PRESENCE.’
So calm and certain. Just like Izy. ‘Are you sure, Striga?’
‘I AM. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. I AM CERTAIN THIS IS THE BEST OPTION.’

I quickly think up a slew of further objections, but instead of voicing them, a sudden annoyance overcomes me and crushes them back down, leaving only focused anger.

‘Fine.’ I say. ‘I’ll just hit it as hard as I can. If I fuck it up just right, maybe one of the rings will kill me. Then I won’t have to worry about it anymore, will I?’

There is, of course, no response. It makes me want to scream. Instead, I force myself to focus on the rings of the cage and watch for them to move. What feels something like an eternity passes in the dull gray silence until, at last, they begin.

By now I’ve seen cross many times, always in the same spot, always at the same beat after they begin: right in the center as they merge with the third ring. That stupid third ring. If it wasn’t there this would be a lot easier. But there isn’t any point in thinking about that. I have no way to get rid of it.

Still burdened with reluctance, I make ready, line up my target just above the stupid third ring, and wait. The rings slowly drift closer, so slowly that they almost appear to stop altogether. I feel time drag. One last surge of hesitation fills me but it is too late. I am already in motion. I have only the time to remind myself once more not to fuck it up.

Then it comes. The rings cross. The wave pulses out before them. The weakened wall expands between them like the soft membrane between two pieces of a Protorg’s shell. I slam into it with everything I can muster. Immediately I feel two sharp stings and a hard crushing stop. The wall didn’t break; I did little more than bounce right off it. I didn’t hit it hard enough.

I really did fuck it up.

But then it cracks and gives way. I yell something as I lose grip of my momentum and tumble through.

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