Chapter 14
Eye of the Storm
Disclaimer: Yeah, Landmark owns it all. This is the same disclaimer you read all over the internet and web. Let's be truthful, though – this could have been a great show that Landmark and Mattel let slide into oblivion. Shame on them for being before their time in the entertainment business.
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Jennifer sat at the computer terminal in the lab, browsing the catalog of old system files from Volcania and the New Order. It was disturbingly familiar, her past rocketing back into the fore of her mind so quickly that she had to stop a few times to get the bearings that separated past from present. Tobias had somehow managed to bring to Sanctuary information on projects that were meant to spell devastation to anyone exposed to them who was not in Dread's good graces or who did not serve a purpose in bringing about a new world of machine rule.
The Sabre was detailed quite clearly. It had even been improved since the initial project designs. It was an efficient killing method that Dread had endorsed. Now, the plan was to use it against him and bring his reign of terror to an end. That was something she knew Jon simply did not understand. In no uncertain terms, large weapons were necessary to bring Dread to an end. She doubted Jon could even grasp the full magnitude of Dread's power. What the tyrant lacked in troop strength he held in his ability to convince the human beings in his service that his rule was inevitable and necessary. The flood was coming. It was simply a question of who was worthy and willing to serve in order to be preserved on the ark of salvation.
Tobias, she was certain, must have been an enigma if not a shock to her team. Holcomb had intimated there was trouble at first, but he gave no details of the incident. There was tension in the lab that was palpable and uncomfortable. There were things that Jon simply could not have known or understood about Tobias, information that might take a long time to explain. It was a period of her life that was so confusing and terrifying. Tobias had done the unspeakable to turn Jennifer's mind toward the greater good and allowed her to turn away from the lure of glory in the New Order. Tobias's actions spelled her own death at Dread's hand. Her resurrection, however, was a mystery that would be solved when the mission ended. Questions would be answered as promised, for Tobias was good to her word in most ways.
There was a sound at the doorway, a clanking metal sound on the tile. Jennifer turned to see the doctor standing there, watching quietly.
"A bit of light reading?" Tobias asked.
Jennifer thought of her answer carefully. "I wanted to be prepared."
Tobias entered and sat down next to the corporal. "I have a feeling your captain is well capable of doing this."
"I'm sure he is, too. I was more worried about you."
"Don't worry about me," Tobias said with a dismissive wave. "This is like going home again. I'm actually looking forward to it."
"Why?"
"Because it's been a very long time since I've been able to be a thorn in Lyman's side. I have the opportunity to burn him into oblivion. What's not to look forward to with a chance such as that?"
"Because you and I both know what can happen, much better than anyone who knows what we plan to do."
Tobias drew a deep, weary breath and put her hand on Jennifer's. "You have had your chance to redeem yourself. You are no longer known as Youth Leader Chase. You're a freedom fighter who has the opportunity every day to bury the past and move forward. This is my chance."
Jennifer shook her head in dismay. "You're wrong. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't shown me the way out."
"I only pointed out the inconsistencies of what we were doing. You made the decision to leave on your own. I always knew you would find your way, and not down the path Dread had paved for you."
"Do they know what really happened? Do they know the truth? From what I can tell, Captain Power doesn't."
Tobias was gentle. "He'll know in time. I'm sure you'll tell him some day. As it is, it's probably better that he's none the wiser now. Otherwise, he might doubt his ability to get them inside the complex. He trusts that I will get the doors open because of what he knows of my past. That is something that shouldn't be compromised."
The doctor sat down and picked up a probe from the lab table. She examined it closely until she was satisfied with its condition. The metallic gleam of its surface hinted at its preciseness. Her hand rose to the plate on her temple. She fingered it thoughtfully, a serious look on her face that worried Jennifer.
"What's wrong?"
Tobias lowered her hand back to the probe. She examined it again, slowly. "I always thought about what I would say to Lyman if I ever had the chance. Now, here it is, and I'm afraid I'll be speechless."
"You always told me to keep things simple. Maybe that's what you should do if you have the chance to talk to him?"
"And I probably will," Tobias concluded. "I'll have to separate what I want from what there is time to do. Speaking of time, we should get moving."
Jennifer nodded and turned to the terminal to her right. She typed in her code with one hand and brought Mentor online. Tobias removed the plate covering the port and picked up the probe once more.
"I'll need your help with this," the doctor said, handing the probe to Jennifer. "Do you see the locking rings on the port?"
"I see them," Jennifer said, accepting the probe. She brought it up to the port in Tobias' head and carefully inserted it into the hole, grimacing slightly at the act. She pushed it down to its limit, giving it half a turn to lock it in place.
Tobias breathed in sharply, as though in pain. Jennifer called to Mentor, alarmed.
"Mentor! Report!"
Mentor's gentle face appeared on the console screen. "One moment, Corporal. Establishing data link."
Tobias' eyes rolled back, and she whimpered quietly.
"Mentor!" said Jennifer urgently. She took hold of the probe handle, prepared to remove it in a moment if the episode did not lessen.
"Connection complete, Corporal Chase," Mentor said calmly.
All at once, Tobias relaxed, sinking down tiredly in the lab chair. She was breathing heavily, as though she had been running a race. Then she blinked several times, coming to grips with reality once more.
"Doctor Tobias?" Jennifer said, supporting Tobias' head in her hands until the doctor had recovered further.
"I'm all right," Tobias said, calming. "I'm all right."
"No, you're not," Jennifer protested. "Mentor, display Doctor Tobias's vital signs."
At once, the computer complied, showing the doctor's rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure. Brainwaves were erratic on the chart, illustrating the effect of the probe on living tissue.
After examining the readings, Jennifer said, "We're not doing this. We're stopping now." She put her hand on the probe to remove it.
Tobias grasped the corporal's wrist tightly and pulled it away. She looked up at Chase with steeled resolve. "No, we're not stopping. It's just a different interface. Mentor is compensating. It'll be fine in a moment."
Already, Tobias' vital signs were normalizing. Jennifer let go of the probe and watched as the doctor relaxed a bit. Tobias straightened in her chair, in control once more.
"Well, that was unique," Tobias quipped, nearly back to her old self. "Shall we get down to business?"
Jennifer looked once again at Tobias's statistics on the screen. Except for an elevated heart rate, the brainwave activity had settled. She still was not satisfied that Tobias was safe, but she did as Tobias asked. "Mentor, prepare to establish a link."
"Mentor," Tobias said, "scan for the Cumulus weather satellite. We'll use that to communicate to Volcania's secondary systems."
Mentor was quick to comply. "Satellite located. Link established."
On a second terminal, an image appeared, showing a schematic of data uplink to the satellite. Tobias' communication with it streamed forward, flowing through tunnels of data paths until it came to a doorway of sorts. Jennifer turned to her terminal and brought up a map of commands, shapes that represented what could be described as keys to doorways. There was one specific to Cumulus, and Jennifer showed it to Tobias on the screen.
"This one," she said.
Tobias, through a thought, brought up a library of symbols, selecting the proper key. She took hold of it, transferring it to the gateway. The symbol superimposed on the doorway. The wall blinked an acknowledgement and opened. A downward track spiraled on the screen toward a data fortress with yet another doorway.
Again, Jennifer recalled the symbol library, finding three possible matches. It was a time for choice. Only one would open the doorway. The other two would alert Overmind of an attempt on the secondary system, ending the mission before it even started.
"Which one?" Jennifer asked nervously.
Tobias thought for a moment. "The oldest. That will be the test link we used when the system was under construction. It was a back door key, never committed as an official login to Volcania's systems."
"If Dread locked it out, this is going to be a very short trip."
"He can't lock out what he didn't know was there," Tobias said, picking the oldest symbol.
Tobias moved it over the doorway, pausing before applying it to the cyberlock. She took a quick breath and let it out slowly. "Here we go."
She pushed the symbol over the lock. There was a brief moment of inactivity that made both their nerves jangle. The system was thinking, a dangerous response.
'It's not taking it," Jennifer said.
"Give it a moment." Tobias said quietly. "We're old friends. It's just trying to remember who I am."
The door blinked once. There was an interminable wait before it blinked again, this time with three successive chirps. The doorway opened, allowing Tobias to pass through without hindrance.
The data spiral continued until the main body of the secondary control system could be seen in the distance. Tobias charged toward it, not willing to slow down on any account until she came to what oddly enough looked like a wooden door in cyberspace. The handle looked old, an iron ring secured at its edge. Tobias reached for it, her very human hand visible on the terminal screen. Tobias, herself, sat with her hands folded in her lap. Her mind was equating action and thought into a visual representation in the secondary control system.
Jennifer was amazed. When they had first started working with the interface years before, a wire frame model had represented Tobias' body. Now, there was flesh and a real-looking interpretation of objects in Volcania's secondary system.
"Incredible," Jennifer said.
"I had a lot of time on my hands," Tobias explained. "I rewrote the original interface to allow me to effectively see things as they were, not as they were programmed."
"Makes it a lot easier to run the interface."
"It'll also make it easier to see any probes coming our way. Mentor, initiate the motion tracking protocol in Sanctuary's database."
Mentor complied with the command. "Protocol begun, Doctor Tobias."
Tobias' eyes were unseeing of the reality of the lab. Her eyes had become the looking glass into Volcania's subsystem. "With the protocol running, we'll be able to see any patrol bugs that come our way. You'll need to watch my back in here. If one approaches, you'll need to put me in standby mode so I appear passive in the system."
Jennifer pulled up the program on the terminal. In the center, she saw a small yellow circle with a smile painted in its center. "Interesting choice of icons."
"Why shouldn't I be happy? We're about to give Lyman a birthday surprise."
Tobias navigated down a hallway until she came to a panel on the wall.
"Interesting," the doctor remarked.
"What is it?"
"Troop reports. Let's see where Lyman is putting his eggs."
A moment passed. Then, the tracking protocol sounded an alarm.
"Tracker approaching," Chase said, feeling a sense of fear.
"Standby mode!" Tobias said urgently.
Jennifer altered the level of feed into the autonomic system. The tracker rounded the corner. Jennifer could see it. It resembled a beetle, scurrying along the hall, looking for anything out of place from what it was told should be there. It stopped when it reached Tobias. Long tentacles sprang forth from its head, reaching for the doctor's cyber body, feeling it, and examining its form.
Tobias remained calm, but her vitals showed a jump in heart rate again as the bug ascended the wall for a better look. It came into view more clearly, and its visage was no more pleasant up close. From the tracker protocol's point of view, Jennifer watched as it reached for Tobias' head and encompassed it with the tentacles. She watched as Tobias closed her eyes. The interface was not only visual. It utilized the five senses to enhance the cybernetic experience.
The bug inspected Tobias for a few more moments. Then, the tentacles retracted. It dropped to the floor of the hallway and scampered away, satisfied that nothing was out of order. Chase watched the map on her terminal until the bug rounded a corner and was gone.
"You're clear," Jennifer said with relief. "Bringing you out of standby."
Again, Tobias took a breath and gave a slight shiver. "I hate the way those things feel." She recovered quickly and returned to her view of the panel. "Now, about those troops. Looks like he has them stationed at every jump gate."
"Just as we thought."
"So, why don't we just recall them?" Tobias asked thoughtfully.
Could it be that simple? Jennifer was not confident. "Overmind might not like that."
Tobias was undaunted. "That monster is busy baking a new Dread. It's not paying attention to troop movements. Otherwise, I would have seen it actively directing their placement. The units are static, waiting for something to drop into their webs."
"They were probably told to hold their positions no matter what."
"What gate is closest to Volcania?" Tobias pressed.
"C24," Jennifer recalled readily. It was a gate they had all longed to use, but Dread's forces were always in such proximity to it that it had been a useless destination.
"Contact your captain. Tell him to go to that gate."
"They'll be under orders to stay there, no matter what command is issued from Volcania's systems."
Tobias smiled. "Really? Watch this."
Jennifer watched Tobias in the tracking protocol as the body of the doctor suddenly transformed into a likeness of Dread. The new image was eerie, an exact replica of Dread.
"Doctor Tobias?" Jennifer asked, alarmed.
The smile on Tobias' human form was there, but the electronic version was accompanied by Dread's voice that was harmonious with the doctor's.
"Call your captain, Jennifer." When Tobias sensed the hesitation, she said, "I can do this. Call Captain Power and tell him to use the gate. It's either this, or we fry any innocent who is still alive in Volcania's borders."
Jennifer knew they were in the last run for humanity's survival. If Tobias failed, then that would be the end of their attempts. Tobias, she knew, had not led them in the wrong direction yet. She knew the doctor's resolve to rid the world of Lyman Taggart and his tyranny long before Captain Power had intervened in the young woman's life. She did as she was asked.
The corporal activated her comm link. "Chase to Captain Power."
The answer was swift through the communications system. "Power here. Go."
"Captain, Doctor Tobias believes she can draw the troops away from C24 from here. You'll be clear to take the gate directly to Volcania."
Even through the communications net, Power sounded skeptical. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir," she answered, though it felt like a lie. "She has access to troop control and can redirect their movements."
There was another pause. "Are you sure, Pilot?"
Jennifer looked once more to the screen at Tobias' imitation of Dread. Then she looked at the doctor's human form, which had not changed countenance. Tobias, she felt, believed the troops could be redirected.
"I'm sure," Jennifer said after a moment. "Head for C24."
The answer was not immediate. Jennifer could easily envision Captain Power weighing the options. C24 was forbidden to them to that point,
"Standby mode," Tobias called.
Jennifer brought the link into passive mode.
"Captain," Tobias said, "trust me that I can move them. Start your run. They'll be disoriented and in motion toward Volcania by the time you arrive."
"Doctor, if they're not far enough away," Power said, "we'll be flying into a hornet's nest."
"I haven't lied to you yet, Captain," Tobias said adamantly. "You have to trust that I'll do what I say."
Again, there was a long pause. Jennifer ran through the options should the captain deny the request. Then the comm link activated.
"Setting navigation for C24. We're all crossing our fingers, Doctor," Power noted.
Tobias smiled slightly. "I'd have thought you'd be doing that anyway, Captain." She turned to Jennifer. "Active mode."
Jennifer did as she was told and brought the active link online.
Tobias touched the panel and spoke in Dread's voice, "Lord Dread to Overunit Balash. Return with your forces at once to Volcania."
Almost immediately, the overunit guarding C24 called for confirmation, and his face appeared on the command panel. The emblem on his overunit hat gleamed in the light of the troop transports to the right of him. His face was young, as was typical of the overunit commanders. It was easier for Dread that way, easier to mold the mind of the young than to change that of the free and older.
"Overunit Balash to Lord Dread, please confirm last command."
Tobias' eyes closed, her body stiffening at the challenge. "Overunit Balash, are you questioning a direct command from your lord?"
"Of course not, my lord," the overunit responded nervously. "I was simply confirming . . ."
"It is not your position to question my reasons, overunit!" Tobias said with fervor. "Return your forces to Volcania immediately. Do not question my command, or you shall find yourself answering for your insolence!"
The overunit gave a respectful dip of the head. "At once, my lord."
The panel's screen darkened. Tobias changed back to her form inside the computerized world and gave a quiet whistle of satisfaction. "That felt strange."
"I'll bet," Jennifer empathized. "It was strange just watching it."
This time, Tobias called for Power herself. "Tobias to Power, your exit gate should be clearing."
"Good work, Doctor, but what about Soaron?" Power asked.
Tobias consulted the panel again. She looked disappointed. "Unfortunately, that bugger isn't showing up on the secondary control system. Watch your back when you exit the gate. Soaron may not follow instructions as well as his human counterparts."
"Still better odds than before, Doctor," Power said. "We can handle Soaron if he's there. Good work."
"Godspeed to you and your crew, Captain. We'll be standing by to open the door for you," Tobias assured.
"Power out."
Jennifer was watching the tracker screen for bugs when a painful twinge caught in the small of -her back. She jumped at the shock of it. She emitted an involuntary guttural sound of pain and shock. Tobias turned quickly at the yelp and threw her connection to the secondary system into standby herself. She turned toward Jennifer, lending a hand of support to the struggling corporal.
"God . . . " Jennifer gasped, trying to catch her breath.
Tobias reached into the pocket of her robe and withdrew a vial of medication. She reached around Jennifer's neck to the device and slid it into place. Almost immediately, the younger woman began to calm as the pain eased.
"I tried to tell you," Tobias scolded gently. "When that stuff wears off, you're going to hurt. It happens quickly."
Tobias put a comforting hand on Jennifer's shoulder, helping her to ease back until the methylendorphin was fully in control of the corporal's pain factor. Tobias felt for Jennifer's pulse, her cold, slender fingers pressing down on the radial artery.
Holcomb quickly entered the room and took up position on the other side of Jennifer's chair. He looked over at Tobias with concern. "Everything under control? I was getting triage ready when I heard the alarm."
Tobias did not even look at him. Her concern was focused on Jennifer. She put a hand on the corporal's head, more in an effort of contact than physical support. "Well, now we know the schedule for injections. I had an amp in my pocket, but I'll need more just in case."
"Here's two for now," Holcomb said, handing Tobias two more vials. "I'll bring some from the infirmary before you use the last of that."
"You should feel better in a moment," Tobias told Jennifer.
The rapid thump of her heart slowed in a moment to a more acceptable level. Jennifer felt some semblance of control again, catching her breath and managing to deny the twinge of nausea that crept into the back of her throat.
"I'm fine," Jennifer said, trying to straighten. Tobias held her firmly back in a reclined position.
"Take it easy while you can. They won't reach the gate for another ten minutes or so. Your body's reminding you that you should still be horizontal. We're fooling tissue into thinking you're well enough to be doing this."
Jennifer could not even manage a response. While the pain was subsiding quickly, the lingering effects from the shock of it were jangling her nerves like a set of Christmas bells that chimed incessantly in her head. Her skin was energized, much like when a power suit was activated yet more painful and without any immediate end. Her hands trembled for control.
Holcomb took hold of her hand, enveloping it in a paw-like grip that emitted warmth against her chilled skin. He looked across to Tobias. Jennifer caught the briefest glimpse of tension between them. A new spasm in her back tore her attention away from their stare-down to the point she did not give a damn what it all meant. She was hurting, and in no small way. She had to get her bearings if she was going to be any use to Tobias, Captain Power and the mission.
She had every intention of begging off Tobias' warning to rest in the time allotted. Then again, ten minutes was not a long time to wait for the jumpship to get to the landing site. There were no more doors for Tobias to open at the moment. They had done the hard part, getting inside the secondary system without being detected.
No, ten minutes was not a long time to wait, but it was a lifetime of rest she desperately needed.