Ivory Tower dug through the rock face, slicing and shaving on alternating angles with its jaws. Joy watched it do this, keeping a safe distance as it eagerly made itself useful to her. She'd recovered both rifles, one spent and one nearly so. And Omega, still unconscious, was laid up next to her.
"How well do you know these tunnels?" Joy watched Ivory Tower sticking its head into the opening it made in the rock, advancing forward and keeping a steady footing as it continued chewing through.
Quite.
"As in quite well?"
Yes.
"In that case I need you to lead the way. I hardly know anything about the layout of this place."
Where are we going?
"Actually, I was wondering if you knew a way to reach the surface from the tunnels, outside the Thought Foundry." It would save her a lot of hassle of she didn't have to deal with the Foreman again.
It continued digging, talking and working at the same time. I know of an exit which can be reached from the natural caverns. However the path is laden with hazards. Your safety would not be guaranteed.
"Really? Listen, I'd really like to take that way. Forget the hazards."
There are large D-Tractors along the path. They would not attack me out of fear, however, an Emotion would be too valuable a target to resist. And I am afraid my lack of eyesight would make me a poor protector. Its head came out from the hole it was digging, and it looked her way; the direction of her voice. Your remaining weapon is nearly deplete of energy, is it not?
Joy had the empty rifle slung it over her shoulder by the strap. The one with some firing energy remaining remained in her hands. "Yeah... I guess you have a point."
The hole is complete. You can now enter the artificial tunnels, and make your way back to the Foundry.
"You're not coming?"
I would not fit into the Mind Worker-dug tunnels. In addition, my presence would cause a panic in the Thought Foundry.
"I suppose you have a point," said Joy. "I want you to take that other route you mentioned, and meet me outside. I'll be taking the trams out of these mountains."
Understood. Question: how will I find you? I haven't eyes by which to see things on the surface.
"You're a being of joy now, right?" She was picking Omega up by the arm, and slinging him atop her shoulders. "You'll be able to sense where I am. You're not feeling it right now because I'm close by."
I will assume it is as you say. I will exit these mountains, and then seek you out.
"Good deal." Joy, with Omega over her shoulders, headed toward the newly carved hole in the stone. She balanced him with one hand, and held the usable rifle in her other. She heard ivory Tower heading off the other way.
The gentle lighting from under the rock of the tunnels gradually faded. Riley was going back to sleep. This left Joy's natural glow as her only light source. It lit the pitch-dark tunnels in a limited radius. This was enough to walk.
It was what felt like an hour of wandering through the maze of mining tunnels. Before she finally encountered the Irregulars and their APC. They explained that Omega had swallowed a transponder before leaping through the hole after her, and that was how they found them.
"We're nowhere near the source of the D-tractors." Lambda stated, walking on the same flank of the vehicle as Joy. "Not a single grub in sight as we got closer to you and Omega. We'll have to head back to the Foundry, and resume our search next night."
"I'm... sorry, I caused you trouble," Joy said.
"Don't worry about it. Though I do need a report. Did you see anything peculiar? And how come Omega's hurt?"
Should I tell her about Ivory Tower? Joy asked herself. She could just say she found nothing, but that wouldn't explain why Omega was unconscious, or why their weapons were depleted...
Joy shook her head, now suddenly smiling. A much simpler, much less problematic answer popped into her mind. "I ended up in a huge natural cavern, and was attacked by a colossal bug. It looked like a giant termite."
Lambda's head was slowly tilting curiously as they walked together in sync with the APC and she listened to joy's story. "So... a Category Three, or Four?"
"Nope! It wasn't a D-Tractor. It was a Primal Fear. At least that's what it told me."
"Sigma," Lambda said abruptly. "A report is a statement of facts, recounted to the best of your memory. This is sounding like a crazy story. There's no way you killed a Primal Fear. Those things are crazy nutzo monsters deemed too hazardous for the Supermax Subconscious."
"I didn't kill it."
"So... you escaped?"
"Nope! Again. I brainwashed it. Shot my energy right into its noggin. It sorta lives to serve me now."
"Sigma..." Lambda was growling the name.
"Also, my name isn't actually Sigma. I lied. It's actually Joy." It felt great, to just plainly tell the truth.
Lambda looked ahead, shaking her head. "The file did say you were a gifted liar, Sigma. Fine, you can give your report when we reach the Foundry. And I expect the truth then, alright?" She climbed atop the APC while it was in motion, moving over to her and Gamma's side.
Joy was frowning after her. It was a frown of slight annoyance, and mostly confusion. She'd been telling the whole truth, and Lambda just brushed it off. "Hey, Lambda!" She called after.
"Yeah." She replied from the other side of the moving vehicle.
"What file are you talking about?"
"I looked up your file soon after you joined up, while you were target practicing. You checked out, of course."
"W...W..." Joy was trying to find words. "Could I... see, this file when we get back?"
"Of course."
"Good." Joy's arms were crossed around her rifle, and she was looking straight down as she walked.
"Hey Sigma, I showed you how to reload earlier, right?" Gamma's voice could be heard.
"Yeah, you did."
"Well, there's fresh memory orbs in the box near you."
There was indeed a box mounted on Joy's side of the APC. She changed her walking course over to it as she wrestled with the container on the back of her rifle.
Dim Joy shut the manual in her hand, plopped it on a growing stack of them, and then picked up a fresh one.
She was consulting the Mind Manuals, probing them for information. Riley's dream played naturally out in the corner of her vision. The dream was of a film she had seen. A lightweight male voice was monologuing something. It had continued for awhile, sometimes looping back to specific parts, sometimes repeatedly on account of it being a dream. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business."
Dim Joy's eyes looked up. She recalled this film; in the past she had picked up Riley's memories of it and watched them. The context was that the hero was identical in appearance to an ambitious dictator, and in the end he ends up switching and taking his place. The Hero, impersonating the dictator, delivers his own speech; one which a benevolent ruler would give.
Dim Joy stood up, resting a hand on the console. Her orange color spread to the impressionable control deck, and the speech continued, from beginning to end uninterrupted.
When it was finished, Dim Joy paused, letting the heat of the passed moment cool. She crashed back into her chair, slouching like a cat. With this supremely relaxed posture, and her face pointed upward from her laid-back head, she laughed.
Her laughter echoed across the central control room of Headquarters. Nobody else heard it.
"Here you go, Sigma. I present to you... well, you."
Joy was looking at a file, displayed on a computer screen which was set up on a table next to the APC. She and the Irregulars had made it safely back to the Foundry, and now Iota was showing her the Sigma file. It was the middle of the night, and the Foundry was inactive, with only the sparse embers of furnaces still smoldering on their floor.
The photo on the record looked exactly like Joy. The same hairdo, the same body shape, and even the same face. The only discrepancy was color; the photo had dark green skin with purple hair.
Joy's eyes were glued on the photo. "I don't understand... there's an Irregular who looks just like me?"
"Well, you obviously had a dye job done. Other than that, it's a photo of you. Your file checks out."
Still in a state of disbelief, Joy ran her hand back through her hair, breathing heavily. "No, this isn't me. It can't be me. This is some grandiose coincidence."
Lambda had approached from the side. "Look, Sigma." She was pointing to the screen as Iota scrolled down. "You arrived here at the Foundry right on the time your schedule said you would arrive."
Joy looked at the time table, and Sigma was indeed scheduled to arrive at the Foundry the previous day; the same time Joy had awoken at its bottom. "It's coincidence," she said.
"If you're not Sigma, then where's the real Sigma? And how did you know to call yourself by that name? The only explanation is that you're her." Iota stated this plainly; as matter of fact.
Joy was hit with a fit of anger at them not believing her. She wheeled around and banged her fist on the APC. "I was dropped down two hundred stories into the pit and didn't die. I came to you with no weapons training." Her voice elevated. "And I brainwashed a Primal Fear." She wheeled back around to them. Gamma was also observing, looking up from his Solitaire game. "What explanation is there for these things, unless I'm Joy?" Her face had transformed, into the most serious of looks; a look of intent. "If you cannot believe me, then I've no use for any of you."
Lambda looked awestruck. Iota was looking away, scratching himself, uncomfortable. Gamma was stiff; he looked scared.
Lambda stepped forward. "Can we... go talk over there?" She was indicating the ledge overlooking the shaft, a fair distance away from their setup near the rock wall.
Joy sighed, held there for a moment, and then nodded. They both went toward the inner ledge of the broad, donut-shaped floor.
Iota and Gamma watched them walk away. "How much?" Gamma asked.
"How much- what are you talking about?" Iota replied as they both kept their eyes on Lambda and Joy.
"How much do you bet Lambda's gonna beat the crap out of Sigma?"
"How much do I bet..? Oh, certainly," said Iota. "I bet it'll get really nasty, and involve some of the machinery around here at one point. Then Sigma will learn her lesson and never act out again."
Gamma already had a small book open, and a pencil ready to write into it. "Great. How much can I put you down for?"
"Nothing," he said. "I'm not betting."
Gamma snapped the small book shut.
Warm air rose up the shaft, brushing against Joy and Lambda as they stood near the edge. They were out of earshot of anybody else on the floor.
"Look," Joy said. "I'd like nothing more than to help you solve the D-tractor infestation, and I still plan on doing so. But I'm done with lying."
Lambda had a hand raised, looking away with the smallest of smiles. "I believe you."
Joy stopped herself, biting back what she was going to say next. "You do..?"
Lambda nodded, "I've always believed in Joy. She's a great leader."
"Well... thanks, I guess." Joy was scratching the back of her head. "You're no slouch yourself."
Lambda shook her head at this. "No, what I am is a commander. I can keep people in line, I can give orders. But in the end..." She indicated her team, in the distance with an outstretched hand. "I'm not the reason they're here. I'm not like you. I'm not an Emotion."
"You... really do believe me. Even though I look just like this Sigma person."
Lambda nodded lightly as she turned her head to face the shaft. It was nighttime, with the mind asleep. The glow of furnaces and beaming of electric lights from all floors below and above their position, produced an effect of a swirling cityscape all around them. Joy observed this spectacle as well, and they shared a moment of silence.
"You need to go back."
Joy's head snapped to look at Lambda. "I already told you, I want to help."
"You want to help? Then I'll tell you how you can: You can go back to the safety and comfort of your Headquarters. And once you're there you can run things. Run them well, like you've always done. That, Joy, is your place and your part. And if you don't accept it, everything suffers."
"It's only a breach though, right? I can help you seal it and be on my merry way before breakfast." Joy perkily spread her hands as she described this.
"Inaccurate, Joy. The truth is we don't know whether there's one breach in the mines, or several. Or whether another breach will happen while we're resolving the ones we know. We could be down here working on the problem for weeks, even months. You cannot be away from Headquarters for that long.
Joy groaned at this, keeping her teeth together as she leaned forward sagging, a hand on her hip.
Lambda was frowning, trying to get her point across, but not too forcefully. "You have to do your duty, by neglecting this one."
Joy, after a sequence of silent expressions, finally nodded. "I see your point. When I get back to HQ, though, the infestation is going to be my priority one."
"We can consider this a formal meeting then. You're down here in person, inspecting the troops."
Joy had a small smile at this. "Tell me what you need to get this done as soon as possible."
"More angry memories; a larger supply volume."
Joy instantly exhaled, looking away toward the open and lit shaft of the Foundry.
"We've got much stronger weapons than those rifles, but can't use them. Our memory budget is rather limited."
"Lambda, I am really, really on the fence about using them at all."
"There's no other way to kill D-tractors. They're getting worse, Joy. We need the big guns."
Joy's hands were rustling the sides of her hair. "They're Riley's experiences. There's no way to replace them."
Lambda pointed at her with a closely raised hand. "That is a dilemma you have to deal with. And this mind will bear the consequences, good and bad."
She inhaled, becoming tense; twitchy in her concession, "you're right." Her speech was rapid, forcibly soft. "You're right again. I should just up and hug you, you're right."
"You do need to get out of here."
"I agree."
"What's keeping you from doing that?"
Joy indicated the control center above, suspended over the shaft. "The Foreman said only Mind Workers can ride the tram. My plan was to pass myself off as an Irregular, then ride off with you guys."
A frown, "he said no to you?"
"He didn't believe I was me. He thought it was an act."
"Alright, alright." Lambda was nodding as she turned to the side, and began pacing in front of Joy. "In that case we have a list of options, which I want to propose to you."
Joy crossed her arms. "Shoot."
"One," a raised index finger. "We take over the control center, hold the insubordinate Foreman at gunpoint, and force him to let you out of the Foundry."
"I don't like that one. Next, please."
Two raised fingers. "Option Two, and this one's my favorite-"
"Why don't I smuggle myself into the delivery tube? Next time Headquarters orders thoughts, it would take me straight there."
Lambda frowned. "That's a very powerful vacuum. And what if one of the thoughts pinned you against the tube wall? They weigh like a ton."
"I'm not worried about dying. Perpetually digested by a giant termite, yes, that'd be terrible, but..."
"You're going off on a tangent."
Joy fixed her face a bit. "..Well yeah," she blabbed. Then she perked up. "But my plan holds up, right?"
"They keep a close eye on what goes up the tube. They see you, and they'll shut off the vacuum. What gets to go to Headquarters is a very sensitive manner."
Joy flipped her hand over in the air. "Then you can force the Foreman to let me go up the tube."
Lambda smiled, shaking her head. "I'll give you credit for creativity, but still a no-can do. He may be coerced to let someone unauthorized on the trams, but Headquarters is a whole new level of important. He'd take tube access to his grave."
Joy sighed, and remained like this for a full ten seconds. "Alright, fine, what's your Plan Number Two?"
"I'm glad you asked." Lambda clapped her hands together. "Cue: Your ticket out of here:" She pointed over Joy's shoulder, in the direction of the shaft.
Joy turned, and Omega was hanging right in front of her face, suspended on a long, thin appendage gripping something above. She jumped backward, letting out a yelp.
"Omega told me you've seen his spider form," said Lambda. "He's going to spirit you out of here."
Joy turned back to her. "I don't think he's strong enough to carry me, and besides..." He was almost certainly the one who attacked her in Headquarters, kicking off this whole mess.
Lambda took out an orb. It was golden yellow; a joyful memory. "He will be strong enough, for a short time at least.
Joy felt her stomach sink. "What are you planning to do with that..?"
"Omega isn't an ordinary Mind Worker. I wouldn't even call him an Irregular, if not for the definition of the word."
"Oh... no. No, no, no-" He eats memories, doesn't he? She thought to herself. It would definitely explain why he wanted to steal the Orange Orb.
"Come on, Omega!" Lambda called, talking to him like he was a puppy. "Come get the tasty memory."
Omega swung forward letting go with his appendage above. He landed on his feet, walking up to the held out memory with short, stocky strides. Lambda stepped back, still holding the orb aloft. Then she chucked it underhand, "there ya go!"
Omega's round head shot up and he caught the memory, holding it with two stubby arms into his face. The memory slowly sunk into his black, furry skin.
As Joy stood watching this happen, Lambda turned to her. "Are you ready to get out of here, Joy?"
Joy broke eye contact with what Omega was doing, turning to look at Lambda. She could only sigh, nodding in agreement. "I'm... really glad, that you decided to believe my story. It's made things much easier for me."
She raised her hands. "Joy please, no drama. I don't do the drama."
"No... you just do the job, am I right?" Joy had a small smile.
Lambda waved it off. "Get her outta here, Omega. See her safe to Headquarters."
Omega grabbed her from behind, piggy-back style, and she was lifted into the air on his extending limbs.
They moved quickly. Omega headed toward, and then climbed vertically up a support column bordering the open shaft. His hands gripped without slipping, and his arms made long strides in their rapid ascent. Joy saw the opening to the night sky above grow larger in perspective. To her left, she saw the control center passing her field of vision.
Within a minute, they'd reached the top of the shaft and emerged at the surface.
They were on top of a mountain. The surrounding area was covered in snow, and there were other mountains in the hazy distance.
Not far below, a train came out of a tunnel on the mountain, traveling on an elevated rail that went smoothly down the slope. It ran on a single large rail, and there were two rails running parallel to one another. It was already coasting down the right side rail, and it was too fast to catch. Another track, situated above the monorails, supported a giant vacuum tube which arced into the sky.
Joy pointed down to the lower tram tracks. "Let's follow those rails, Omega. They'll lead us to Long-Term Memory, and then to Headquarters.
Omega's spider limbs shortened, receding back into his body. He set Joy down on her feet as he fully reverted back into his short, stocky self.
"Omega, what's wrong?"Joy asked, tentatively taking a step toward him. "Did the memory wear off?"
The mute Irregular was looking into his hands, then he looked over at the hole in the top of the mountain; the Thought Foundry below. He then turned his head to see the snowy landscape around the outside of the mountain. Lastly, he looked up at Joy.
"Don't tell me you're scared of heights." Joy was cracking a smile, trying to rationalize why Omega was acting this way. "Are you getting cold feet?"
Omega shook his head at her inquiry, then looked down at his feet in the mountain snow. Again, he looked back up at her.
"No, I didn't mean literally."
Omega turned away, walking off a few steps and sitting down to overlook the ledge above the lit Foundry.
Joy came, and patiently sat next to him. "I do need to get out of here, you know."
Omega continued staring down at the Foundry. He was slow to process Joy's words, and nodded when he did.
"Maybe... I could recharge the memory you ate? It'd be worth a try."
Omega reacted to this, taking a now grey and non-emotional memory out of the spot where his mouth would normally be. It came out slowly, and once it was free he presented it to her.
When Joy had it in her hand, it did indeed slowly regain its color. The memory was a rather routine one. It presented imagery of Riley waking up in the morning, seeing the first dim light peering in through the window.
Once the memory was once again a golden yellow, she handed it back to Omega. He took it in both outstretched mitts, and began pushing it into his face below his round eyes. It slowly sank in.
"This is great!" Joy exclaimed. "Even if the trains aren't running, you can walk me straight up to Headquarters via the island channels." She couldn't contain her giddiness. "I might well make it back by later tonight."
Something was wrong. Omega suddenly gripped his own head between his hands. He vibrated and turned his small self left and then right in jerky, impulsive motions.
"Omega, hey, what's-"
Omega's eyes became tall ovals. He rapidly shifted into spider form, his long appendages growing out as his humanoid limbs shrank into his dark, stocky body.
Joy had no time to react. Omega picked her up with two free hands, and then tossed her.
Into the crater, the opening, the shaft. Back into the Foundry.
Consciousness. It came with opening her eyes to a bright light. She did not want to wake, feeling restful and relaxed. There was no real need to wake up at a certain time, as it was a Saturday. A recent but familiar lack of energy made its presence known to her, keeping her in bed and her eyes shut.
Riley's phone vibrated. She picked it up while peeking one eye open to check. It was a text, from Jordan, asking where and when they should meet up. Riley remembered the essay, and how none of their trio had done it yet.
Isn't that dandy? Said Disgust. We're just as disinclined as Jordan and Kaede, but they expect us to motivate them.
Sadness interjected, They actually do the same thing for us. It's mutual.
I can't believe we're making such a big fuss over a stupid essay! Anger took the reigns. Riley tossed off her blanket covers and shot up on her feet. Come on, we're getting this out of the way, right now.
Joy awoke in the exact same manner as Riley, to a bright light which she saw from laying on the bottom rock floor of the Thought Foundry. She could see the sky, up through the shaft. It was daylight, meaning Riley had awoken.
"You know how I'm feeling, right about now?" Joy said out loud.
"I am uncertain. You yourself are the embodiment of a feeling. Having feelings yourself is bound to happen in an abnormal fashion."
It was a voice speaking directly into her mind. And it was familiar. Joy turned her head a bit, peeking an eye open to see Ivory Tower's massive head looming over her. "Hey, Ivory," she greeted. "You found me, well done."
It made rapid physical clicking noises. "I am curious. What, indeed are you feeling?"
"Do you know that squat little guy who was with me down in your cavern?"
"Yes."
"If you seem him again, I want you to eat him."
"Noted."
Joy shot up to her feet, and marched toward the underneath of the plates, Ivory Tower's massive insectoid figure following. "I'm not sure how to describe this feeling, Ivory. It's probably what it's like to be Anger. But the kind of anger in which I just have to do something."