Deeper Darker Book 2: Chapter 80: Back Up

Third Quadrant.

Asteroid Tethari.

Asteroid Core.

Point-Two had not expected the gravity to suddenly turn off. That was what if felt like, sobody flicking a switch and normal zero-G weightlessness resud. Although it wasnt accurate to say there had been gravity before the sudden change. There had, but not the sort of gravity he was used to.

The whole thing was very much outside of his understanding of what gravity should be able to do. And what you should be able to do with gravity.

Using it like your own personal telekinetic power was not sothing he had ever seen before, mainly because it was impossible to manipulate in that manner. Not according to current scientific theories. They would probably need to be updated. Or rewritten from scratch.

But then, the reaction of the Floxyn gas which he had never even heard of before with gravity was also new to him. Perhaps there were whole books about gravity that regular people werent allowed to see. Everyone was told it was all about large spinning masses and the stretching of the fabric of space, and then they were given a bunch of ridiculously complex equations to keep them from asking anything more.

In any case, normal gravity or its absence had been restored, and the large sections of droid parts that had been used to threaten Ubik were continuing on the sa trajectory as before, directly towards Ubik, which at least was in keeping with the laws of montum.

Ubik was doing an excellent job of not getting out of the way. He was waving his arms about and kicking his feet, but not actually going anywhere. His form was terrible and he was using up far too much energy. It was nice to know there was sothing he wasnt good at.

Little help, called out Ubik, surprisingly calmly considering how fast the droid limbs were spinning. If one was to strike him, it would easily take off a body part. Although, knowing Ubik, sohow the inanimate, very-animated object, would probably stop when it got to him, sit up and beg for a treat.

Im not kidding, said Ubik, sounding a little more concerned. I cant move.

Possibly, the Floxyn hadnt affected the whole area evenly. Perhaps Ubik really was stuck in that one spot, unable to avoid the spinning death fast approaching his position. He was curious to see how Ubik was going to get out of this one.

There were several other pieces of spinning debris, now released from Intercessor control, but none of them posed an imdiate threat. They just spun harmlessly through the air. Ubik was the only one in imdiate danger. He was leaving it very close.

PT! Ubik sounded upset.

And then Point-Two was moving. Not of his own volition, though. Soone has pushed him. He managed to turn his head just enough part of a manoeuvre he had to make in any case to see the Guardian with her boot up. She had kicked him.

Why not go save Ubik herself? But then he saw she had positioned herself next to Fig, who was ignoring Ubiks plight in favour of the amalgam of his father and the Intercessor intelligence that now existed in the image still hanging in the middle of the chamber.

Eeeee said Ubik, which made no sense whatsoever, but which Point-Two assud was so sort of final animal sound before the arrival of death.

He turned, put out his boot and tapped it against the very tip of the spinning object about to take Ubiks head off his shoulders.

It was only a gentle touch, but it sent Point-Two shooting off at an angle. Timing was everything when collisions were taking place. You could get smashed to pieces or you could absorb speed, you could even exchange energy.

The rotor stopped spinning and remained in place. It had taken a very precise strike to get it to do that. Not many people could have pulled it off. He probably wouldnt be able to if he tried again. One in ten tis. Maybe three in ten, if he was in form.

He was pleased with how cleanly hed made the hit, even though it had been quite so ti since hed practised this kind of skill. It used to infuriate people in zero-tag matches. All fired up to ping across the arena, only to power up your opponent and be left for dead.

Youre welco, he said as he went spinning off towards the far side of the sphere they were in.

Ubik had his hands covering his eyes. He took them away and looked around to check why he wasnt dead. He saw the large, flat piece of droid material hanging in front of him and smiled, like this was all part of his plan. It wasnt, but it would be hard to prove once Ubik found a way to work it into the next phase of his mission to get everyone killed.

Point-Two was already distancing himself from Ubiks position, which he could have stopped there were so complex moves you could do to shed montum in a no-friction, weightless environnt but frankly, getting so distance between them before he tried it seed like a good idea.

He was currently heading towards the far edge of the brain half-a-brain that Ubik had built. The Intercessors were less likely to do sothing violent to him if they might end up damaging themselves, or that was his thinking.

The others were busy doing their thing. Fig was dealing with his parental issues. The Guardian was playing her eponymous role, to the galaxy and to the Ollo heir she was also probably quite annoyed that shed had to be Ubiks assistant. And Ubik was being Ubik, which ant an explosion of so kind was about to happen imminently.

All in all, Point-Twos best chance of surviving was to stay out of everyones way until it beca clearer how they were going to get out of here. They probably werent, but in case an opportunity presented itself, he wanted to be away from the targets of the aliens interest. Which appeared to be everyone but him. He wasnt complaining.

Wait, Ubik called out after him. Where are you going? Oh, right. Good thinking. Ill co with you.

Point-Two wasnt sure what Ubik was talking about or how he intended to co with him, but considering how terrible he was at moving under zero-G conditions, he felt confident Ubik wouldnt be catching up to him any ti soon. Ubik could, of course, prove him wrong, which was exactly what he did.

First, Ubik grabbed one end of the now stationary droid artefact. It was composed of a bunch of smaller droid parts that no longer had any reason to stick together, but they still did.

Ubik slowly twisted his body while holding on to the long, flat rotor-like arm, spinning in a circle twice before stopping so that the arm went floating towards Point-Two with Ubik attached to one end.

It wasnt a difficult move if you knew what you were doing. But Ubik didnt know what he was doing, or so Point-Two had thought. Actually, from the way he had pulled off that manoeuvre, Point-Two was still pretty sure he didnt know what he was doing, he had just thought it up on the spot and decided to try it.

Not one to rest on his achievents, now he climbed onto the droid limb and stood up, using it as a surfboard. Point-Two wasnt surprised by this, but he was surprised that the surfing Ubik was sohow accelerating towards him. That shouldnt be possible without so kind of propulsion system. It was the boots. It was always the boots.

Good idea, said Ubik as he ca up alongside Point-Two, who had stopped spinning but continued floating towards the Intercessor half-brain. We can work on the brain while Ramon competes with the Ints for control. By the ti one of them wins, well be the one running things.

There was no good starting point so Point-Two just asked the most obvious question first.

How are you going to take control of their brain?

Easy, said Ubik, looking mildly confused at the question. I built it. Itll do what I tell it

If it just follows your orders, why didnt you take control of it as soon as it ca online?

How could I? Them two were both in the way? He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

The image of Ramon Ollos head was flickering and glitching out. So kind of struggle was going on, that seed obvious.

Arent they working together to defeat you? asked Point-Two.

Nooo, said Ubik in a long drawn out dismissal of the idea. Thats what they told each other, but they both reckon theyre smart enough to outthink the other. Arrogance, its a terrible illness. Many have died from it.

Point-Two was tempted to tell Ubik to seek dical help before it was too late, but it wouldnt do any good.

Theyre locked in a battle for control so youre going to use the ti to take control yourself.

Thats even better than my idea, said Ubik. Lets try yours first.

Are you just going to break things and put them back together again until sothing interesting happens?

No. That would take too long. This Ant tech is surprisingly simple, you know. Theyre all built on the sa principle. Each construct is modular, made up of snap-in parts designed to be easily replaced. Sothing stops working, you just open a fresh module, factory-sealed, no glue, screw or welding required. The tricky part is finding a way to remove the ruined bit without interrupting critical functions. The new parts are made to slot right in. Its very user-friendly.

Great. You know how to snap them together. But you dont know what any of it does?

A very small part of the equation, said Ubik. Not even worth wasting ti thinking about. You get to that part eventually.

The more blas about it Ubik was, the more Point-Two suspected there was sothing the little shit wasnt telling him. Knowing what it was probably wouldnt make him feel any better.

What about destroying it?

What do you an? said Ubik. Why would you want to destroy sothing so amazing?

To stop it from destroying us?

No, no, no. Thats a terrible idea. Then youd just have a large rock floating around in space, just like any other large rock. What kind of an existence is that?

Point-Two was even more sure there was sothing Ubik wasnt telling him.

You an, what kind of existence is that for a large rock? About the sa as it is for most rocks. Ubik, can you destroy the droids or not?

Is anything ever truly destroyed?

Yes, Ubik, it is. Usually just after youve passed through. It would be a lot quicker to end this if you make everything on this particular rock non-operational. All the droids stuff, all the Ollo stuff, all the stuff youre keeping to yourself because you think youll be able to do sothing really crazy with it and then Figs dad will offer to adopt you.

Do you think he would? said Ubik, a little too eagerly.

Hes supposed to be a genius, so I cant see him making such a rudintary mistake.

Am I not deserving of love, PT?

No, said Point-Two emphatically. What you deserve is He was about to say sothing insulting, which Ubik would ignore or deflect or turn back on him, but a stray thought wandered into his mind at that mont.

A thought that rang a little bell. An alarm bell.

He was floating away from the others, which was fine, but he was doing it in the company of Ubik. Which had the potential not to be fine.

Point-Two and Fig had co to the conclusion that being close to Ubik when he was attempting to pull off so highly improbable act was the best place to be. Ubik had a habit of putting a small boundary around Ground Zero to protect himself, and it was a reasonably safe place to be.

The only ti that wasnt the case, he and Fig had decided, was when Ubik actually invited you into that space.

Then it beca imperative to find out why he wanted you so close by, and what he intended to use you for.

The sound of Ubik calling for help repeated in Point-Twos mind. Ubik didnt call for help. He never needed it. But he had called for Point-Two specifically, to save him from the spinning rotor. And then he had proceeded to ride it like a surfboard, as though it were sothing he did all the ti.

What do you need for?

Ubik looked down from his surfing position. Oh, you know, soone to talk to, a friend to call when Im bored, a light in the darkness when

No, I an why did you want to co over this side of the room with you? You want to do sothing. Sothing you know I wont want to do, but youre going to wait until I have no choice before telling what it is. Point-Two looked up at Ubiks impassive face. What is it?

But if I told you, youd only say no.

Then Im saying no.

You cant say no, this is our only chance to get out of here. Those two are going to be bickering, internally, for a couple more minutes at least. And then Figs going to try to convince the winner not to do whatever it is they think is the next step in human evolution. Whoever cos out on top, theyre going to want to do so kind of weird alien-human hybrid experint, right? Its the obvious next step.

I dont think thats the obvious

This is the best chance for us to sneak in behind the back and take control of this baby ourselves. The brain, the asteroid, the whole thing. And when I say us, I an you.

? Why ?

Thats what Im going to show you when we get there. Ubik looked ahead at the wall they were closing in on. The structure Ubik had built, the brain, or half-a-brain, was attached to the rocky surface, anchoring the giant droid parts that ford the complex lattice that spread across almost half the chamber.

Point-Two twisted his body and used Ubiks impromptu surfboard to right himself. It looked like scaffolding from up close, with lights pulsing through it. Or most of it.

We need to go in there, said Ubik. And then up near the top, where theres a small opening.

What kind of opening? said Point-Two, already not liking where this was going.

Hard to say. The way these parts fit together, it makes it very easy to know what goes where, but not so easy to know what it does. And so parts are made to sit inside other parts. You sort of layer the parts on top of each other. But that ans you cant see whats happening when it turns on. If you take it apart to have a look, it stops working. Pretty sneaky. He sounded like he approved.

Maybe its dangerous and needs shielding, said Point-Two.

Maybe. Im not really sure what this stuffs made of. I dont think anyones ever been able to figure it out. Should probably ask Fig, hes the type who would know.

What is the hole for?

What is any hole for? said Ubik. A way in, a way out. Wont know until you go take a look.

? No, I dont think so.

Its a small hole. So bends, needs a flexible person to navigate. He gave Point-Two a look. Hmm?

Youre smaller than , said Point-Two. Youd be the better fit, Im sure.

Its not just the size, its the gravity. Its all about gravity. And youre the gravity guy.

I have as much understanding of how they

You can feel it, said Ubik. You can adjust to it quicker than anyone else here. Youre the guy for this job.

But

You. Youre the guy. Ubik reached out a hand while still looking at Point-Two, and caught the nearest droid beam in his hand. There were no lights pulsing or streaking along it.

Is that one broken? asked Point-Two.

No. Its not plugged in. Theres a lot of them that arent. Not a lot, but just the right amount to provide a path through there without setting off any alarms. Probably. Before Point-Two could get a clarification on what kind of probably Ubik was referring to, Ubik had pulled himself into the lattice with an ease and agility he hadnt shown earlier.

Now would be the ti to bail. Ubik would never be able to catch him, and then hed have to take the risk himself.

But Point-Two was curious. He was here now. And it wasnt like he had anything better to do. He looked back at the giant head still flickering. The battle of the two minds seed far from over. He slid through the web of droid parts the sa way Ubik had and then followed him up.

The path was easy enough to navigate. The areas that werent lit up were safe to grab onto and push and pull your way deeper into the brain. Ubik had it all mapped out.

Being weightless made it very easy, although there were so sudden sharp turns. He was careful not to bump into any glowing parts. He was impressed at how smoothly Ubik was able to do the sa, the big faker.

What am I supposed to do once I get inside this hole?

Im sure youll think of sothing.

I have no way of understanding their technology.

Neither do I. Just do your best. Itll be fine. Its not like the droids know much more than us.

Point-Two swung his body around and then up. What do you an?

Its pretty obvious droids didnt build droids. The Ants, the Ints, soone else made them.

A third type of alien?

Who knows how many types there are. Look at how many types of people there are. But this hole, this insertion point, it wasnt made for droids.

Droids can change their shape to any size, cant they? said Point-Two.

Yes. So why make it that shape? He pointed up ahead at a place where the droid limbs ca together to form a knot, in the middle of which was a hole. In the shape of a man.

Humanoid, in any case. Two arms, two legs, a head. It would be presumptive to assu it could only have been made for humans but it was hard not to see the similarity.

You built that, said Point-Two.

I told you, I just put the pieces where they fit. The whole thing was pretty much prefab. Slot and lock.

And why cant you go in and have a look whats in there?

Go closer. Youll see.

Point-Two slid past Ubik and approached the opening. He felt it imdiately, the pull. It was drawing him in. It would be easy enough to allow it to drag him inside, but getting out again could be a problem.

He put his hand out to get a better sense of it. There was no movent of air, no gradient around the hole. Even, regular, gravitational pull. And then nothing outside the defined area.

What do you think? said Ubik.

I think its probably their version of a toilet, automatic flush.

I wish, said Ubik. It hooks up to the main command junction, far as I can tell. And no droids allowed. He took out a small droid part and threw it in the hole. It ca flying out, against the flow of gravity.

Ubik caught it. Soone else is ant to be driving this. You know, I thought the Intercessors were using this place as a hideout, and the Antecessors ca to keep them bottled up. But now I think they both ca here to fight over sothing else.

What? said Point-Two.

Dunno. Why dont you go have a look? Better be quick, once the Floxyn dissipates, theyll have control again, and I dont know what thatll an for in there.

He could refuse, but then what? There was definitely sothing worth investigating here.

Hell with it. He let himself float into the opening.

The mont he was in front of the man-shaped hole, he was sucked in. He had to quickly get his arms and legs in the right position to prevent getting hit.

Call if you need , said Ubik.

And what will you do?

I havent decided yet. Ubiks words were lost as Point-Two hurtled into a passage in between walls of droid limbs. The passage grew smaller and narrower. Point-Two adjusted his position into a dive, head-first. He expected to find himself being jettisoned into space, a living missile. Maybe this was the Antecessors secret weapon, using their enemies as ammunition.

A dead-end approached with no way to slow down. He stopped just before he was going to hit. It was sudden and with no sense of inertia, not jarring at all. He had been moving very fast, and then he wasnt.

The walls around him were very close, but he wasnt touching them. They felt like they were closing in on him. The pressure was imnse, like he was being crushed.

And then he was part of the asteroid. He had access to all of it. He could sense the droids moving around. It wasnt like seeing through a cara, it was a general awareness. He had been plugged into so kind of sensor array. It wasnt uncomfortable. He felt like an observer more than soone in control, though.

There were droids here, and humans, and sothing else. Sothing that seed to be waking. Not like a droid, not a machine. It was a sentient presence, very much alive, and it was all over the asteroid, spreading, growing. And it was very, very angry.