Chronicle 4: Kingdom of the Rain
The Tatters [100701] Recalculation… ten days remain.
"Questions," he chuckled. "And here I thought you might be sweet on me. More's the pity, I guess."
Rook leapt from the platform to the rooftop of her gang's tilting highrise; a jump of at least thirty feet. If she'd doubted he was augmented before, that thought was dispelled immediately. He waited patiently for her to catch up with him, then pointed at a roof entrance.
"I think the service shaft is still stable and a lot easier than climbing back down. Besides, I think it's going to rain."
It appeared he might be right. Dark clouds were gathering over the Cannibal Sector and heading toward Machine City. Before long, they'd reach the Fallen Plaza. Memory served that the toxic crap the thunderclouds would pick up along the way would make staying outside dangerous. With how dry it'd been over the past month, the dusty air would rain down as acidic mud. The lightning flashed against the cooling towers, growing in fury. It would not be a restful night.
Rook smiled, touching her arm lightly. "After you, my dear. There's a small arboretum on the eighty-ninth floor. We could talk there if you like and watch God's light show."
As they approached the building that she had called 'home' for the past few days, Asha felt a sense of the magic of the day departing. Though it had been hard work, she had enjoyed the brief touch of her inner self, and the comraderie she had shared with Rook. However, all good things must come to an end, and her path, it seemed, had been set before she was born towards this end.
At Rook's urging, she stepped into the
open air of the shaft, plunging into the darkness, as her eyes picked out the
details of the entrance in the departing light. Easily maneuvering to the floor
that her mentor had mentioned, Asha landed lightly on the cracking tiles of
the level.
Tucking her wings against her back, she sat looking at the approaching storm,
waiting on Rook's arrival.
Looking out of the reinforced glass windows, it seemed a little like she was still suspended in space. But Asha could see that she didn't want to be out in the maelstrom that approached.
"It's going to be a bad one," she said, hearing Rook's approach.
"They typically are," Rook said, coming up beside her. He brushed her wing with his hand; a tender gesture of familiarity. "They're far worse in the Cannibal Sectors. I recall one night where the rain ignited. There was a dark beauty to it, those cobalt flames tumbling to earth like God's tears. The thunder hugged you, held you, touched your very being. And the lightning… Asha…so many colors…"
His voice trailed off with a shudder. Even in the dim light, she could see his eyes welling up from the memory. He noticed her watching him and blushed.
She smiled, turning towards Rook. The lightning flashes silhouetted her form, the jet black of her hair giving way to an inner light as her body recharged itself from her exertions.
"I must admit, I've enjoyed this time with you Rook," she said, somewhat wistfully. "And I appreciate the help that you've given me. But as I go to fight this 'Cairath', I'm struck by how much I still don't know about all of this that it seems that I find myself now involved in. You talk in riddles- unintentionally I think," she said gauging his reaction to see if this is so.
"An old habit," he offered. "A family trait, I fear."
"So I want to ask you a few questions about some of the things that I remember from our talks." The lightning cracks were much closer now, and the first few drops of the sludge that passed for rain had started to fall in light drops, striking the glass of the tower in a stacatto pattern.
"First... The most basic of questions. What are you? I mean, I know that you said you were the nephew of my progenitor- this Benedict. But aside from that- the way that you refer to humans as different from yourself." She paused as she quickly replayed the scene in her mind to make sure she had the words right.
"'How can one trust a love that may be an illusion; one created by your unconscious will?'," she quoted. "Your words... Not mine. And, 'If I was human, I'd be in a hospital right now, if not dead.'" She looked at him, trying to phrase the question correctly. "If you were a human, implies that you are not. If not, then what are you? And by the same line of reasoning... What am I?"
He listened to her questions without interruption. In the azure flashes of lightning, his face became increasingly jackal-like; that toothy grin was uncanny. The expression wasn't mocking in any way, but instead pleased, almost proud. When she was done, he took her hand gently, tentatively; ready to let go at any sign of her displeasure. But, Asha did not pull away- just the opposite as she gave his hand a slight squeeze and smiled. Rook didn't let go, but hung on; his thumb occasionally brushing the sensitive underside of her wrist.
Taking strength from her presence, Rook sucked in a deep breath, then began.
"I am one of the First. We aren't exactly human, although we share many of the same outward physical characteristics. But we are stronger, faster, and dare I say, smarter than anything humanity could ever hope to offer. Put in the simplest terms, we are fallen gods that walk as men.
"You are what is called an Alpha, although I had nothing to do with that particular moniker. In essence, you are one of our descendants. In particular, you are a descendant of Benedict, my uncle. His abilities, his essence as it were, has been passed down through the generations and instilled in your blood. That's why you possess inhuman abilities and the mutations that allow you to fly and change form. If the First are gods, Alphas are demigods. If we stick with the theological aspects of it, you are a goddess of War, unmatched by all humanity. Well, nonaugmented humans, anyway."
He smirked, "Don't let it go to your head though. Gods we may be, but a bullet in the noggin will still kill us. I've nearly died a couple of times, but that's a story for later."
Rook averted his gaze, brushing back his green hair nervously. "As for love being an illusion, well… the more I get to know you, the more I regret my choice of words. They were obviously unfounded. Trust is hard for us, Asha. But we do make exceptions. It's just terrifying for us to do so."
As Rook spoke, Asha listened with rapt attention to the answers he gave. When finally he came to the last, she pulled his hand, to get him to look at her. "Trust is a terrifying thing for anyone. It is a precious gift, that can only be given," she said smiling.
"And I trust you," she finished. Her eyes caught his and the silence stretched on until finally the thunder outside crackled dangerously close.
He jumped slightly at the thunder, but she could not tell if it was from the sound or her words. Rook stared into her eyes for a time, silent, entranced. A deep sadness darkened his angular features, but it may have just been shadow. With his free hand, he reached up and brushed her hair back gently. She could feel the warmth of his fingertips against her neck, her earlobe.
Then his eyes dropped. "Thank you," is all he could manage, sounding infinitely tired.
"So Cairaith," she said, seguing at the interruption. "What else can you tell me about him- and those who made him? You have some - connection to them?"
Rook's hands drew away from her, and he stepped back. "Yes. Yes, I do."
He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, then steeled himself for his next words. "I worked on the Mark-13 project twenty-five years ago, specifically its neural interfaces. Its completion was one of the elements that helped us achieve that particular Ascension. However, my uncle, decided to field-test the Cairath long before its psychological inhibitors had been perfected. Its mind fragmented during its trial run and it escaped out here. I'd warned him time and time again, but he never listened. After all, I'm just a child to him.
"So, I left Crown Enterprises and started a couple decades of rebelliousness and general debauchery. Until I'd heard about two things. One being the Cairath being worshipped like a god out here and the other being… you. Or rather, your previous mentor before his stupidity got him cooked by the Orbital Defense Grid.
"So, I came looking and I've been
watching you ever since. I knew I'd have to help you survive the coming weeks,
guide you down the right paths to keep you safe. I can't interfere directly
with what is to follow, but I can make sure you've got the right tools to fight
with."
"So," she said at last. "You really think that I can defeat Cairath?
Rook smiled, "Think? No. Believe with my very soul? Yes. You'll defeat it. You're a fast learner, and that's what it'll take. Killing him, it, whatever, will be rough, but I'm certain you'll triumph."
He sat down on a smart couch. Its surface contoured to his body, the nanotech deep within its comfortable shape reviving themselves from an ancient slumber. Rook patted the seat beside him, looking up at her hopefully.
She sat down easily at his invitation, neither too far, nor too close to Rook. Surprised at the movements of the sofa, she shifted for a few moments before finally settling into the material. Facing him, she listened as he continued.
The couch curled and shifted with Asha, massaging her strained back as she sat. Rook smiled pleasantly, setting his hand near hers, but maintain his respectful distance. He appeared comfortable with the level of their intimacy, taking whatever she gave him with joy.
"Once you've brought its head back, you can intimidate Aztaroth with it. The Lords will follow in kind. And, if you bring me back the Cairath's heart, I may be able to give you another weapon for the future. I can't promise anything though. My nanosurgery skills have been slipping of late."
She raised her eyebrow at the last statement- for it reminded her of certain unsavory habits of some of the roving tribes in the deserts she called home. But she was sure that he couldn't mean what she thought he did... could he?
He didn't answer her questioning gaze; just stared out into the flickering darkness. Another bolt of lightning struck the building, its reverberation shaking the smartglass and floor. Rook just let the subject die along with the afterglow, letting his next question guide them from the grisly subject.
His hand brushed hers again, back and forth playfully. "So, tell me. What's your fondest memory?"
She thought for a moment, saying nothing as she closed her eyes. A serene look came over he face as she reminisced. "Once I became used to the desert and being alone after my tribe was destroyed, being alone in her embrace was heavenly. Taking to the air and riding the currents generated by the warm winds- walking through the sands across the face of the desert... though it seems strange, it was as if it were taking care of me. I had known skilled scavengers and hunters who would come back after a day of looking for provision for the tribes emptyhanded. Yet with no training whatsoever, and no effort, I would come across oases and game whenever I needed to drink or eat. Just as the sun would get too hot, or the nights too cold, it was as if the desert itself would change to make me comfortable."
She opened her eyes, still smiling. "I know that this seems strange, and perhaps I was hallucinating at times. But still, it was heavenly, and I like to remember it like that."
He shook his head, "Not strange at all. We have an easier time of it. Fate smiles on us when we need her. No matter how cruel she can be at times, Fate will always provide."
Rook laced his fingers through hers, squeezing. "And it's a beautiful memory. I'm envious of you. I've always dreamed of flying. Where I come from, we can fly, of a sort. The water lets you move in three dimensions, but it isn't like the air. That's why I began climbing. Being atop a mountain or cliff was about as close as I get to becoming a bird. Felling the wind in your hair, the thrilling touch of gravity. God, I envy you."
His eyes darkened for a moment, capturing the night in them. Asha could feel his hand tense slightly, then he let her go. A gentle silence followed.
"Perhaps one day, you can show me your Selk, and I can show you my skies," she said, smiling, the though soothing her as much as the rain against the concrete and steel edifice. The storm seemed mostly spent, and formed the perfect background noise and she joined him in their shared silence that stretched on into the night.
"Yes," Rook said in a half-whisper. "I think I'd like that. Like that very much, indeed."
He sighed, letting the storm surround them in a blanket of sound and light. The decrepit ruins took on another existence in that silence; an otherworldliness that felt more familiar than the world Asha had known all her life. With the occasional flash, she noticed the image of a fireplace; tall and wide enough for three grown men to stand, palm to palm. Books, tomes of ancient past, lined the shadows, disappearing into a vaulted ceiling. And a chessboard, a game near completion, stood in a far corner. A boar's head had been mounted; Julian's kill was it?
And then, the fractured remnants of the tower returned; the specters fading into memory.
Rook was watching her; the canine glow of his eyes flickering in the dark. A strange smile played about his mouth; quizzical and shy. He'd leaned forward, close, so close. Then with a start, he leaned back and began to rise.
"I'd best be on my way before I do something foolish," he said, apologetically.
"Wait..." she said somewhat suddenly as she laid one dusky hand on his arm. "I.."She stopped, not knowing what to say. It seemed that so much was inside of her that it must burst forth, but she could not bring herself to say any of it. "Don't go. Not yet."
Rook touched her hand, letting it rest against his arm. His mouth twisted, fighting his words deep within. Frantic, confused, lost, his face appeared to show a dozen expressions at once. His arm shook slightly, a quiver of fear that would seem misplaced.
"Asha," he said, "If I stay, I may do something we will both regret. You enchant me. I… I feel naked near you, my soul pleading to be let out so you can touch it, just once. I can't really put my feelings to words… god, listen to me rambling."
He sat down again, sending a small cloud of dust wafting up. "So…" he let his voice drag out. "What should we… do." He looked over at her, eyes wide, almost childlike.
Shifting on the couch, Asha closed the distance between them, their bodies almost touching, but not quite. As the couch adjusted to her new position, she almost did not notice it as she looked into Rook's eyes. Then, in way of answer, she turned to look out the window as she laid her head lightly on his shoulder.
Swords clashing, the stink of boiling oil, cries of pain. A tableau of suffering and courage played out before her, stretching on to the horizon. Demons climbed the battlements while men fought to drive them back with spears and swords. Black lightning lanced up from the swarm of creatures below, roasting unlucky soldiers like pigs cooked for the Imbolc festival. In return, demons were bathed in burning pitch, contorting like living torches as they plummeted down the sides of Kolvir. Leading the host of en and women an angel stood triumphant, striking unerringly with his rapier. Demons would split open and burn at the metal's touch. Even so, the battle seemed hopeless; only time would be won here. Chaos would take the castle, and for some reason, that pleased her. She felt the soothing weight of a demon's claws touch her shoulder. "Our granddaughter has done well," she whispered and felt pride swell in her bosom.
Asha awoke with a start, feeling herself falling over. She caught herself at the last moment, then covered her eyes to block out the painful morning light. Beside her, Rook was shivering. He'd sat up suddenly, making her topple over. She immediately sensed the tension in his body; pure, unadulterated fear. He didn't look back at her, lost in his thoughts.
"It's out. It's out," he kept whispering. Although she didn't understand of what he spoke, the empty sound of his voice was enough to frighten her to the core.
Asha knelt in front of Rook on the cold bare floor, trying to get his attention. "Rook?" she queried, holding his hands. She felt so lost... and in that she realized how much she had come to depend upon his strength in so short a time. If something had frightened him this badly...
"Tell me," she pleaded. "Tell me... what's wrong?"
Rook covered his face in his broad hands, shivering. He didn't resist when Asha touched him, guided his hands into hers. He looked into her eyes and blushed. It was as if in that moment, he realized he was letting her down. He was the rock here, a stable place for her to rest. If he crumbled, so might she. That realization and her tender support renewed his strength. He squeezed her fingers tenderly."We have less time than I thought," he said in a shaky voice. "There's an infection in the Ether, spreading even as we speak. I can sense it growing. And if I can, so will Eric. He'll move up his timetable. He'll have no choice."
He arched his head back, taking a deep breath. "That silly bitch must have finally bred the right guy for the job. You know, I almost hoped she'd blow it, but somehow Winter pulled it off. Eric must be shitting in his pants right about now."
That thought made him chuckle slightly; although the mirth did little to lighten his dark mood. He sighed and looked back down at Asha. His lip quirked up, an apology of some sort was soon in coming.
"There's a game going on in Telos, angel. And it's coming to a head. Sort of a winner-takes-all type deal. I want to screw that up. Will you help me?"
"You don't even have to ask," she said, smiling in support.
"An infection in the Ether?" she asked, one eyebrow raising. "I don't exactly know everything there is to know about the Ether- not too much chance to get to learn here, and definitely not at ... home," she said. "But I have noticed something, and I don't know how important it is."
"I can see into the Ether."
Rook's smile returned; fond and surprised. "You never cease to amaze me, my angel. And thank you. You're help will be desperately needed in the coming days... hours."
He touched her lips with his index finger, the faintest touch. "Promise me, until I say so, don't look into the Ether? The chance may come soon, but resist it. This infection, so to speak, is virulent. It will pass from the ethereal into substance. Alphas, like you, will be very susceptible to it. The results could be… well, I just don't want to lose you now that I've found you."
He sighed, "Once the chaos subsides, however, your little talent will become quite useful, I assure you."
Rook leaned back reluctantly, "In the meantime, I need to get back to Machine City. You need to head into the Underground and hunt the Cairath. Are you ready for it?"
A nervous smile quirked Asha's face as she put on a brave front for his benefit. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," she said.