Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
MARIA
Why did I think I could do this?
I screamed, flinching sideways and yanking on the wheel.
We slid sideways, and the weapon fire clipped the edge of my hamster ball.
It was too late to change our minds. We were already hurtling through space, pedal pressed against the floor.
Another projectile came at my face, and I stomped on the brake, yanking the wheel to the side as I punched the gas again.
It whizzed past us as we spun around. The shoulder harness did more than just hold me; when I ducked down, the whole hamster ball ducked down too.
The wheel was merely a suggestion; it was the movements of my body he was reacting to.
Nothing hit us dead on. The shots either missed entirely or went wide, even as my heart pounded in my chest and I made a little prayer that my bladder would hold on tight for me.
"You're doing great!" Lyrien laughed, glee in his voice as I let out another shriek and we flinched out of the way of another weapon's blast.
Not a single one hit us.
As we grew closer, the surface of the other sphere told a different story.
There were huge gaping holes in the surface, chunks torn free from the impact of our guns, exposing the white filament structure underneath. The more we hit them before we made contact, the better. To free the other being, we had to hurt it so it couldn't fight back as hard.
"Almost there!" Lyrien said as the other sphere loomed large before us. My mind spun in panic as I suddenly realized that when Lyrien said he was big enough, he didn't mean he was bigger.
"It's bigger than you!" I shouted, unable to keep my tone calm as I flinched away from another projectile.
"Captive Vaurelcars are all shelllocked. Its center will have to remain at the center," Lyrian said. "If you can't get to it, hide. I will find you after I free it!"
Then the view cut out, leaving my vision surrounded by the soft white glow of neurofilaments, as I felt a massive shudder ripple through them.
Then they were shifting all around me, pressing on the soft material of the spacesuit that Lyrian had insisted I put on.
A helmet was put on top of my head, latching it into place as the neurofilaments writhed around me, carrying me, and a small screen lit up in the bottom right corner of the glass, displaying a reading that showed my oxygen level as well as the composition of the environment outside my helmet.
Suddenly, the neurofilament parted around me, and my feet set down on a worn metal floor that had a crusted layer of grime on it.
Lyrian's neurofilaments arched up and around me, making a cave around me, one wall of the cave a dented, dirty metal wall.
Several of Lyrien's filaments came out, wrapping around my neck as if he were trying to choke me.
"I'm going to yank off the wall panel," Lyrian said, his voice coming through the speaker in my helmet.
"When I do, fire the weapon I gave you to free yourself.
That should provide enough doubt. Don't pull the cutter out of your pocket until you are certain you can use it.
I sent it the language packet for your species, so it should be aware of what is up.
We just need it to pay attention to you. "
I grabbed the Calicium weapon at my hip and lifted it, pointing it at the base of the filament that was wrapped around my neck.
"Let's help it lie to its soon to be ex-masters," I said.
The wall panel ripped off the wall at the same time as he lifted me up off the ground by my neck.
I triggered the weapon, and a red light burst from it, snapping the filament and dropping me down to the ground.
I turned and ran toward the newly exposed neurofilament that belonged to the other ship, putting one gloved hand on the solid wall of interlocking filaments as I kept one eye out for Lyrien's pretend attacks.
A soft note of surprise echoed through me as I saw the color of the filaments behind the wall.
They had a beige, peach tint to them, a different shade from the vibrant, bright white of Lyrien's.
"Take me to the center!" I demanded as another one of Lyrien's filaments reached for me. I fired at it, cutting it down.
Nothing happened.
Did it not have sensors in this area? It should be able to feel my touch at least, and listen in.
"Open up the ship and take me to the center!" I ordered again.
Again, nothing happened.
My mind raced through the possibilities.
We'd hoped that I would look like a Calicium that was fighting off one of Lyrien's probes into the ship.
He had enveloped me so that any other Calicium wouldn't be able to spot me, but it also kept me rooted in one place.
I couldn't wander around the ship looking for a spot where it had audio or visual centers.
It would have to move them over to me, and would it want to?
If I were a captive ship, I would make sure I took advantage of every last bit of malicious compliance to make sure that all possible Caliciums met a horrible death. If there weren't any audio sensors to listen to commands, why put them near any of my enslavers when they were in danger?
I glanced at the pressure and oxygen readings. The spot I was in had breathable air. Lyrien must have sealed it when he put me in this spot.
Another one of Lyrien's filaments reached out and made a slow, halfhearted swipe through the air. I fired at it, the shot missing but hitting one of the walls he had formed. Instead of reaching for me, the filament recoiled as if I had hit it, putting on a show.
I lifted my hand off the wall, looking at the glove that encased it.
Without another moment of hesitation, I fumbled with the controls of my suit, eventually managing to detach the glove.
I tucked it into one of the pockets at my belt and reached out with my bare hand to rest it against the other ship's neuro filaments.
I stroked it, petting it slowly and softly, as if it were a scared cat that was desperate for affection but wasn't sure if I was going to hurt it or not.
After a moment, the tip of a filament emerged from where I was touching, entwining with my fingers as it felt them.
The surface of the wall above my head rippled.
"WHO ARE YOU?" a voice boomed out.
Most of the sound was blocked out by my helmet, but still, I winced.
"I'm totally and definitely a Calicium," I said.
"I'm just um, made to be super deceptive to those pesky inferior races.
I blend right in with them. I was on a standard mission doing standard Calicium things, but any electronic components that could identify me were damaged while I acquired what I needed to improve the collective.
Now, if you wouldn't mind speaking a little softer and taking me to your center so I can defend it like I've been ordered to do and prevent some sneaky alien from coming on board and freeing you. "
The point wasn't to be good at lying and actually deceive the other being.
The point was to give it enough to work with that it could pretend to believe me and work around data-driven constraints.
My communication had to provide reasonable data, which meant filling my sentences with as much information as possible that aided my goal, as well as hitting specific keywords Lyrien had given me that its control software would greenlight.
"You're an infiltrator unit?" the Vaurelcar asked. "You aren't a part of my Plexus cluster."
"Yes, I was a prisoner on the other ship," I said. "I have orders to defend your core."
"There is already a Calicium with my center," the Vauelcar said. "He was stationed here to defend my core against intrusion."
"I bet there is a blind spot he can't defend well," I said. "I have orders to go to his blind spot to defend you better."
"And why are your commands not being relayed through my Plexus command?" the Vaurelcar asked.
"The enemy, um, fried my communicator," I said.
"You mean the hostile disabled your control chips' outgoing signals?" the Vaurelcar said.
He knew that I wasn't a Calicium. He was giving me the information I needed to continue my pretense.
"Yes, but I can still receive orders, like the one telling me to go to your core," I said.
"There is a space near me he cannot see physically, but there is a visual monitoring system on my core, and he will be able to see you enter the room if it is on," the Vaurelcar said.
"There is also a problem with the monitoring system," I said. "A big problem."
"I am detecting no problems with it," he replied.
"I am a Calicium, and I can detect a level five problem that is outside of your security rating. The only way it can be solved is by turning it all the way off, letting it fully cycle down, and then turning it back on again," I said, completely bullshitting.
"The visual monitoring system doesn't cycle," he replied. "My Plexus command doesn't use that rating system."
"I am using euphemisms to sound more like the species I'm supposed to infiltrate," I said.
"Please interpret that in any way that ends up with the monitoring system going down at the exact moment I enter the room so that I can...
um... ensure it is working right in person by being in the room while it is off. "
"Please...?" the Vaurelcar murmured.
"It would be very helpful," I said. "That is an inferior race way of speaking. I am a superbly designed infiltrator, Calicium, like you said, and will not drop character for the likes of you, you big creature. So please do as I ask. That's an order."
Filaments shot out of the wall, wrapping around me and squeezing my wrist to the point of pain.
Then I was yanked forward, into the mass of it.