The Network Strikes Back

by Gary D. Snyder

Chapter 13:

Jimmy had used the word huge to describe the object pulling them in, but astronomical would have literally been a better adjective. As the travelers neared what they had first assumed was a planet two things became evident. The first was that the features on the surface were much too regular and symmetric to be natural formations. The second was that this was the source of the unseen tractor beam holding them in its grip and consequently their unintended and inevitable destination. Everyone (with the possible exception of Carl who was covering his eyes with his hands once again) stared in awe as the great sphere expanded before them. It grew to dominate their attention, then grew to fill their entire field of view, and then, impossibly, continued to grow. It swelled until its very curvature was lost to them and all could see that what had first seemed to be mountains were actually vast towers, and that what had appeared to be canyons were really enormous trenches.

"Where do you think its taking us?" whispered Cindy.

"I don't know," Libby answered in equally hushed tones. "But I've got a bad feeling about this. You think maybe we should have listened to Jimmy?"

The thought of publicly admitting that Jimmy was right was almost as repellant to Cindy as the numerous possible and equally messy outcomes of their present journey. "I…suppose…he may have…" she began.

This halting admission was interrupted by Libby pointing to something ahead. "Look! What's that?"

Cindy leaned forward trying to make out what Libby had spotted. At first she saw nothing but the myriad points of lights in the shadowed surface before them. As she continued to watch, however, she thought that one of the lights was growing, not brighter but larger. After a few seconds of observing this Cindy decided that she was not mistaken, and further concluded that what she was seeing was the hatchway to some lighted chamber opening before them. As miniscule a feature as it was on this monstrous construct, it dwarfed the tiny ships it swallowed the way a whale does the microscopic krill upon which it feeds. The spacecraft were pulled into a chamber not much smaller than Cindy and Libby's neighborhood and deposited on a smooth surface which, from the faint clanking sound the ship made as it touched down, Cindy deduced was constructed of some type of dark, non-reflective metal. Cindy and Libby gazed around the vast compartment in wonder as the colossal hatch closed silently behind them.

"What is this place?" Cindy whispered. Her voice echoed faintly in the huge chamber, causing her and Libby to instinctively lower their voices.

"I don't know," Libby whispered back.

Both girls were startled by the sound of Carl's frightened voice over the speaker. "Are we there yet?"

"That depends," Libby replied. "Where exactly were we supposed to be going?"

"And is it a good thing if we made it there?" added Cindy doubtfully. Thus far nothing bad had actually befallen them, but she did not like the looks of their surroundings. They few features that she could recognize were sparse and utilitarian, and suggested that whoever had built them lacked any of the more noble aspects of human nature – even assuming that a human had devised this place. She turned as a faint whooshing noise sounded in the chamber and saw that the hatch to the shuttle pod was opening. The first to exit was Bubo, followed by Exjay Nine, Captain Valtor, and finally Carl. Recognizing that it was pointless to remain in their own ship, Cindy and Libby both exited their craft. It was only then that everyone realized that there was no sign of the Strato XL or its occupants. It had been behind the other ships when the tractor beam had seized them and it had not occurred to anyone to look behind them during the stressful incident. The group clustered together.

"Where could they have gone?" Libby wondered aloud.

Cindy sounded annoyed. "And why couldn't they have taken us with them? It would be just like Nerd-tron to abandon us like this just to save his own skin."

"Uh-uh, no way," objected Carl. "Jimmy and Sheen would never do that. We're the Three Amigops."

"I'm with Carl on this one," nodded Libby. "Jimmy wouldn't bail on us like that." She folded her arms defiantly. "And Sheen had better not have, or he can just forget about my ever being his girlfriend, girl friend."

"Perhaps the tractor beam took them somewhere else," suggested Captain Valtor. "Whoever brought us here may have different plans for us and your friends."

Cindy looked dubious. "Such as?"

"All in good time," a soft but deeply resonant voice intoned.

Despite begin surprised by this unexpected voice Captain Valtor reacted with astonishing speed. He dove away from the others and rolled to his feet, bringing a small energy weapon up and firing at the owner of the voice almost before the others knew what he was doing. Captain Valtor's target did not seek to dodge or otherwise avoid the lethal barrage. Instead, the silent but ominous figure simply stood there, his right hand extended palm outwards. The energy bolts from the Felangian's gun appeared to be deflected away, striking the distant walls of the compartment and leaving smoking holes. The outstretched hand gestured slightly and the High Captain's gun appeared to fly into the menacing figure's hand. The hand then closed, crumpling the weapon like so much tin foil.

"Welcome aboard, Captain Valtor," the dark shape said evenly. The twisted mass of metal that been Captain Valtor's concealed sidearm fell to the deck with a dull thud.

"Lord Versile," the captain spat back.

The name meant little to any of the humans, but Cindy felt that she didn't want to know any more. The dark shape, a full head taller than Captain Valtor, exuded menace like frigid air spilling out of an open refrigerator, causing her to shrink back without realizing it. In the back of her mind she wondered what Jimmy would have done had he been here, and if he would have been as frightened as she was. The realization that she was afraid angered her and put her on the offensive. "Just what do you want with us?" she demanded.

"As I said, all in good time," the dark lord answered almost pleasantly. "For now, all I wish is for you to remain here with me. How pleasant your stay is will be entirely up to you."

"Do what you want," Captain Valtor challenged. "You'll never get anything out of us, despite any threats or torture you may use."

"Yeah," Carl agreed, but then looked uneasy. "Now, when you say 'torture', are you talking about no dinner at all, or just vegetables, or maybe no dessert, or -"

"I mean," Valtor answered grimly, "unspeakable physical torment that will leave a man a broken ruin of his former self, both physically and mentally."

Carl considered that. "So, calisthenics and homework, then?"

Lord Versile cut off the High Captain's response. "Rest assured that I have no immediate need of any information from any of you," he announced. "You are here because you were attempting to locate and rescue Her Royal Highness, Princess Leama."

"And I intend to do just that," declared Captain Valtor.

"Indeed. You always were most willful. One might almost say foolhardy."

"And you intend to stop me?"

Lord Versile sounded almost amused. "To the contrary. After all your hard work attempting to find Her Highness, it would be most ungracious of me to deny you the opportunity. You will join her as my personal guests aboard this station."

"Prisoners, you mean," Libby blurted out.

"Call it what you will," the dark lord replied with a slight shrug. "You will be taken to the security holding area to join the princess. I'm sure that Captain Valtor will be most happy to be reunited with many of his old compatriots as well."

Captain Valtor seemed taken aback by that. "The Royal Guard? They're here?"

"Many of them. The ones who were sensible enough accept the obvious and not throw away their lives in a futile gesture of resistance. But make no mistake," Lord Versile went on. "Mercy had no part in this decision. I keep my friends close, and my enemies closer still. In time, they will become useful allies…or be destroyed. That will be your decision and your fate as well - in time."

"Well, you can save yourself some time about me," Cindy said hotly. "There's no way I'm joining you in whatever it is you have planned."

"Nor I," Libby agreed emphatically.

"The princess is my friend," Carl stated, "and I'm not letting her down."

"My duty and choice are equally clear," put in Captain Valtor.

"As are mine," added Exjay Nine.

"And mine," said Bubo.

Lord Versile simply shrugged. "So be it. But I think that you will see things differently soon enough. Now, if you'll accompany me to your quarters?"

"And who's going to make us?" challenged Cindy.

"An excellent question." Lord Versile gestured. As though by magic a score of automata seemed to materialize and converged on the group, all brandishing unfamiliar but lethal-looking weapons. Goddard growled, but took no action.

Cindy assessed the situation uneasily. "An excellent answer."

"Word," Libby weakly agreed.

The drones flanked the group of prisoners and began to shepherd them towards one of the many hatches positioned around the enormous bay. "I would accompany you," Lord Versile apologized as the captives were marched away, "but I regret that I have a number of pressing duties to attend to. I will get back to you as soon as I can."

"No rush," Carl called as the group exited the chamber. "We can wait."

When he was alone in the chamber Lord Versile activated a private communications channel. "Unfortunate news, my master."

"Yes, Lord Versile?" the chairman's voice came back.

"There were several members missing from the party captured by the tractor beam."

The response was terse. "Who?"

"The human called Sheen, the reptilian called Tee…and Neutron."

Even over the low-fidelity audio channel Versile heard the low rumble of discontent from the Chairman. "How?"

"I do not know, Master. I was certain the tractor beam was too powerful for any of the ships to escape. Apparently I was mistaken."

Lord Versile could imagine his master frowning. "I warned everyone not to underestimate him. On the loose, there's no telling what he could do. He could ruin everything."

"Yes, my master. But there is more."

"More? What do you mean?"

"Two human females and a cybernetic mechanism not in the original report were with those we captured." Lord Versile's voice turned thoughtful. "Captain Valtor would not have requested assistance from Earth. Only Neutron would have summoned these humans. Now that we have them as well as the princess, I am certain that he will attempt a rescue attempt. With your permission, I will prepare the battle drones to intercept him when he does."

This proposal was greeted by a long silence. "I don't like it, Lord Versile," the chairman finally answered. "He must have realized that we were waiting when we captured the others. He must surely know that we will be waiting for him now. He will be cautious."

"He has no choice, my master. Unless he acts his comrades will be in peril. And it is surely time to test the capabilities of the battle drones."

"Yes," was the chairman's reluctant answer. "You are right. Very well. Deploy the battle drones. But," he added thoughtfully, "be sure that our guests are well guarded. Neutron may still get past, and I don't want any slip-ups if he does."

"Yes, my master. My informant is still in place, but added security would be wise. It will be done." There came a grunt from the other end of the line and then the channel went dead as the link was terminated. The dark lord left to carry out his master's instructions, but paused briefly before leaving the bay. He scrutinized the area as a feeling akin to disquiet passed over him, Then he departed, sure that the feeling was nothing more than frustration in his inability to adequately quantify all necessary factors in his plans.

Elsewhere Cindy, Libby, Carl, Captain Valtor, Exjay Nine, and Bubo were being conducted to one of the immense station's security holding areas, more appropriately described as a detention area or prison. Cindy was still grumbling.

"When I get my hands on Neutron for bailing on us like that…" she was saying.

"Oh, get real, girl," Libby answered. "What was he going to do if he hung around? At least this way he can try to get more help from Earth."

"How much help can he get from Earth?" asked Captain Valtor.

"Well," Carl replied haltingly, "I think that Cindy and Libby were it. But he might be able to find April and ask her for help."

Cindy scowled at the mention of the name. "I wouldn't put it past him."

This piqued Valtor's curiousity. "Who's April? Is she a friend of Jimmy's?"

"Yes," snipped Cindy. "A very good friend."

"Here we go again," sighed Carl.

"Carl's right," said Libby. "Give it a rest, Cindy. There's nothing going on between them and you know it."

"If there isn't, it won't be because Neutron was against it," Cindy replied. "If it were up to him he'd be trust-sealing with her and every other Gorlock girl he could find."

The High Captain simply shook his head. "If this April is on Gorlock I doubt that even your friend Jimmy will get through. The Network effectively isolated the other worlds of the First Alliance before attacking Felangie. I'm very much afraid we're on our own if we wish to escape."

The group came to a halt outside a large hatch that could easily have passed for the door to a vault. One of the guard drones extended a coded appendage and inserted it into a matching slot. "Inside, prisoners," the automaton announced. "You will remain here until Lord Versile wishes to converse with you again."

Ever practical, Carl asked, "Will lunch be served soon?"

Before the guard could answer a commotion at the rear of the group arose. The head of one drone seemed to collapse inward on itself, resulting in the mechanism collapsing on the floor. Another two drones, attempting to evaluate the situation, suddenly swung to face each other and fire their weapons, slagging each other's torsos with their energy beams. The confusion continued to grow as the remaining drones attempted to localize the source of the disturbance and failed to identify any apparent cause for the mechanical mayhem. Valtor, recognizing an opportunity when he saw one, immediately dove for the dropped weapon of one automaton and began firing on the captors. The move was a dangerous one, for it provided the functioning drones with a clear and identifiable target. The drone that had opened the security door swung its weapon to fire on the Felangian, only to have its circuits fried by Goddard's twin lasers. The drone's gun fired once, going far wide of its mark and blowing a hole in one of the station walls before the automaton toppled over.

By now Cindy and Libby had joined the fray and were firing into the remaining crowd of thoroughly disoriented drones with confiscated weapons. The number of functioning machines rapidly dwindled, until finally only two remained. One of these Libby dropped with a well-placed shot to the head. The other took aim at Libby just as she became aware of her danger, and both Cindy and Valtor maneuvered to find a clear shot. Before either could fire, however, the drone suddenly whirled and repeatedly hurled itself first against one wall, and then another. Each impact succeeded in knocking various components of the drone loose, until it finally fell apart completely.

With the destruction of the last guard the erstwhile captives looked about, breathing heavily. "That was a lucky break," ventured Cindy. "What are the odds these mechanical misfits would malfunction like that?"

Libby looked doubtful. "I don't think it was a malfunction."

"You got that right, babe," a familiar voice announced. There was a shimmer in the air and Sheen materialized right in front of Libby, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Libby screamed and jumped back before recovering from her surprise. "Where did you come from?" she demanded. "And don't ever call me 'babe', boob."

"We never left." The air rippled again and Tee appeared, standing next to the remains of the last drone that had been destroyed. "These cloaking projectors come in handy for squishing drones. That felt good. Real good." He slammed his fist into his palm. "But next time, watch where you're shooting. You almost hit me a couple times."

"Jimmy said to stay low," chided Sheen. "No one ever shoots at the feet."

"Jimmy said?" Cindy echoed. "Is he here, too?" She looked about, half-expecting Jimmy to appear.

"No, he told us to stay with you and find the princess. He had other things to do," Sheen replied. "He said he had to find out what was going on with this station."

"And how was he going to do that?" Libby demanded.

Tee scratched his head. "Not sure. But he said the best way was probably to follow that Lord Versile chump. So I guess that's what he's doing."

Cindy stared at Tee and Sheen, speechless, with here mouth hanging open. "You mean," she finally said, "that he's out there alone?"

End of Chapter 13

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the long delay. 'Tis the season, and all that. This was a particularly crucial point in the story and I didn't want to rush it so it took me a couple weeks to get it just the way I wanted. With luck the subsequent chapters will go faster.