Chrome Symphony - Chapter 7

Jess took off her dive gear. Jax, startled, looked over at her.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" demanded Jax.

"I have to go in there," said Jess. "Mulhauser's locked it up again. If the bio-metric system still works, I'm the only one who can unlock it and get through to the asteroid."

"You could be killed!" shouted Jax. "Firewall cannot allow someone in your position to go on a suicide mission!"

Jess stood up. "I plan to come back."

With that, Jess walked out of the room and went down to the street level, where Atlas and Renk were helping Crest's security and the L1 colony police hold back the now-violent, mind-controlled adepts. Atlas had been slightly injured in the struggle.

"Atlas!" shouted Jess. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Atlas, "but why are you out here?"

"I..." said Jess. She hesitated, knowing that Atlas would disapprove. "I... have to go out to that ship and unlock the sphere's security system manually, with the bio-metric unlock."

"No, no, NO!" shouted Atlas. "Don't you understand how dangerous that is?! Shell was nearly killed out there just hours ago!"

"Shell and Duncan are doing all they can to interfere with that thing," replied Jess. "They'll be able to disable it completely for a little while if I can just get the stupid thing unlocked."

"Jess... please don't," replied Atlas.

"I've made up my mind. This isn't just about me, or Crest, or my father..." said Jess. "This is about the entire world. If we don't stop this thing, there's no telling how much devastation it will cause. Just look at what it's doing to the adepts!"

Atlas handed Jess a bottle of pills. "Don't forget that you need these just as much as the rest of them. God knows what would happen if you succumb..." said Atlas.

Jess took one of the pills and put the bottle in her pocket. "These work... for now. They might not work forever," she said.

Atlas tapped Renk on the back. "Renk," said Atlas, "I'm going with Jess."

"Where?" demanded Renk.

"No, Atlas," said Jess. "I can't let you risk your life, too."

"Jess," replied Atlas, "I'm going with you whether you like it or not. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me."

Jess sighed.

"Ditto, brother," said Renk. "I'm coming, too, and I don't want to hear any complaining about it! The security team should be okay here for now."

"Are you absolutely, sure, Renk?" asked Jess. "We might never come back."

"Get a shuttle ready," said Renk.

Jess, Atlas, and Renk rushed to the colony's docking area. Camay had been up to date on the situation and had already prepared a shuttle. The three of them boarded it and the shuttle quickly left the colony, en route to the ancient ship wreck.

The shock waves were becoming more frequent, as if they were sent out in desperation. The military and Crest ships continued to surround it and allowed the L1 colony shuttle to pass on its way toward the dangerous wreck.

Once the shuttle was inside, Jess, Atlas, and Renk put on space suits and headed into the bowels of the old ship.

Duncan's voice came over the radio link to Jess's communicator. "The proximity bio-metrics system just unlocked the sphere's controls," said Duncan. "Shell and I are jamming its systems right now. As soon as you're ready, we'll force it to open the portal to the asteroid. You'll have about fifteen minutes."

The sphere started to send out another shock wave. Renk could see the terrified expressions on Jess and Atlas's faces. Concentrating as hard as he could, Renk slowed down time around him. The entire room started to go dark as he did.

Renk noticed that something was different this time around. His power had become many orders of magnitude stronger as time seemed to come to a complete halt. Even more surprisingly, Jess and Atlas did not seem to be affected by his power.

"Atlas? Jess...? You're...?" asked Renk.

"What's going on," asked Atlas.

"I can't believe this. You're actually with me, inside my time-changed power?" replied Renk.

"How is this possible," asked Jess.

"Stay VERY close," said Renk. "I don't know what's going to happen."

In this slower time state, the three of them watched the shock wave slowly expand from the sphere. A different room was visible through the portal that opened around the sphere. Renk wasn't completely sure but it looked like the large room from the asteroid.

The three of them entered the portal, stepping into the other room. Looking around, Renk could see a crushed attack robot - the one that Duncan had destroyed on NEA726. The entire room looked like a mirror image of the one from NEA726, in fact.

Under the influence of Renk's amplified power, the room was very dimly lit by deep red lights. A control panel glowed at the far end of the room.

"We have to find the orbital cannon," said Jess.

"We also have no radio contact with the others right now," replied Renk. "We're going to have to do this without any outside assistance."

Renk released his power and the lights returned to their normal brightness. Since the three of them were wearing space suits, the time warp was much easier to endure.

"Of COURSE," shouted Renk. He had been staring at the control panel. "The orbital cannon uses the sphere as its power source!"

Jess took a look at the panel and pressed her hand to it. "This panel's unlocked," she said. "We can do whatever we want now."

Renk scratched his head. "I'm no good with this s***," he grumbled.

"Duncan and Shell can't hack it, either," said Atlas.

"From what little I understand from Dr. Thameh," said Atlas, "This whole thing does what it does through quantum entanglement. Sure, it emits electromagnetic waves and gravity waves, too, but it's main shtick is some kind of weird-ass quantum trickery."

"So, uh, yeah?" replied Renk.

"Let's see if we can piggyback on that somehow to get through to Duncan and Shell," said Atlas.

"What good would it even do," replied Jess.

Suddenly, a group of men wearing EMA Corporation uniforms entered the room. They pointed their guns at Jess, Atlas, and Renk.

"Hands where I can see them," said the leader of the group.

"Who are you guys," said Atlas.

"We're EMA Corporation security," replied the man. "You are trespassing in our facility. I don't know how you even got here, let alone figured out how to enter this room."

"EMA? This asteroid is property of Crest Corporation!" yelled Jess.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the man. "EMA has owned and run this facility since it was built. Now keep those hands where I can see them and step away from the control panel."

"What's going on here," whispered Atlas to Jess.

"My guess is as good as yours," replied Jess. "I haven't got a clue. This place was never owned by EMA."

"Come with us," said the leader of the EMA security team. "You're all being taken into custody."

The group of EMA guards led Jess, Atlas, and Renk down the hallway to a detention area.

"Give us those space suits," said the leader.

Jess, Atlas, and Renk refused. The leader sighed in frustration.

"Look," said the leader, "We don't want any trouble from you. I'm security director Heath McYama and all I want is to know why you're here and who sent you."

"Well," said Jess, "All I want to know is how and why EMA corporation is running things all of the sudden on this rock after it vanished into thin air?!"

"Young lady," said Heath, "I really don't know what you're on about. EMA has had facilities on this mountain for decades."

"Mountain?!" shouted Atlas.

"Are you three on some kind of drugs, or something," asked Heath. He was unable to grasp what Jess and Atlas were talking about.

"Come over here, weirdos," said Heath. He led them down the hallway and around the corner. Large windows down the hallway provided a scenic view of the countryside. Mountains and a distant city could be seen. It was in the middle of the day and the sky was bright blue.

"This rock, as you call it, is no asteroid. We're in the side of a mountain, as you'd know from breaking into this place," said Heath. "Now come with me. You're going to cool your heels and come off your high until the police arrive."

"Wait a damn minute," said Jess. "I don't know how we ended up here."

"Suuuuure you don't," laughed Heath. "Geez, get a load of these weirdos..."

Heath and his security team goaded the three of them to a detention room where they were shoved inside, space suits still equipped.

"You might want to remove your helmets before you suffocate," chuckled Heath. "The air in here is plenty safe to breathe."

Meanwhile, back at the L1 colony, Camay returned to the room where Jax was still in the dive, connected to Duncan and Shell in the link to the probe. The probe was still aboard the ancient ship.

The shock waves had ceased a short while after Jess, Atlas, and Renk had entered the old ship. Duncan and Shell were still concentrating on jamming the sphere's control systems after Jess had unlocked it with her presence via bio-metrics.

"Dr. Thameh," said Duncan, over the 'net link, "Jess, Atlas, and Renk entered the space time warp, it seems."

Camay accessed the probe's optical sensors and looked around. "I'm going to bring this probe into the room with the sphere," she said.

Taking control of the probe, Camay piloted it down the corridor until it entered the room with the giant sphere. The sphere appeared to be inactive as its control systems were temporarily jammed.

A terribly disturbing sight lay before the probe as Camay looked around the room. The destroyed and discarded former android bodies of herself and Jax lay on the floor.

"I don't know why that bothers me," said Camay, "but it does."

Camay quickly turned the probe away from the dismembered androids and faced the probe's main camera toward the sphere.

"They've been gone in there for about twenty-five minutes," said Shell.

"What in the hell is taking them so long," said Camay. "I hope they are able to engage the orbital cannon's self-destruct and get out of there."

"Question," said Shell. "Are they going to have time to escape once that thing is set to blow?"

Camay was radio silent for a moment. "Jess... insisted, Shell. She insisted. I just don't know if they'll have time to escape."