Crystal Keepers (21 page)

“A couple of days,” Cole said. “Long enough to get into major trouble.”

“What's the big secret?” Blake asked. “The one the High King would kill for. Can you tell me?”

“I don't know,” Cole said. “Knowing it would put you in a lot of danger. I've basically been running for my life since I found out.”

“Seriously?” Blake said.

“It's why all the crazy stuff has happened lately.”

“You haven't told Datapoint?” Blake asked.

“She knows about the secret,” Cole said. “Not the important part.”

“Does she know how big the secret is?”

“Yes. And how dangerous.”

Blake shook his head. “I'm not sure she'll let you leave unless you tell her.”

“Maybe. She seemed okay not knowing for now.”

“She doesn't like to be kept in the dark. She's obsessed with being the first to know stuff. And if the secret really is a big deal, I'm not sure you can trust her. Her top priority is herself. She's not part of your rebellion. She's an outlaw. And she's all about strategy. She wants something on everyone so they can't mess with her. She doesn't want to help City Patrol, but I bet she'd make a deal to save herself.”

Cole folded his arms. “It's tricky because we might need her. We're looking for somebody. It's all part of the secret.”

“She's good at finding people,” Blake said. “The best. Her memory is unbelievable and she has set up an amazing spy network.”

“And you're helping her make it better,” Cole said.

“I have been,” Blake admitted. “It's getting better fast. They take me out once or twice a day to find new harmonic signals. But not since everything went nuts.”

“Could you help us find this person?” Cole asked.

“Sure,” Blake said. “I'd love to help. I wouldn't really know where to start. I'm great with the crystals, but I've never looked at the actual information very much.”

“The bot I'm with is really smart,” Cole said. “Is there a
computer he could use? Could you make a crystal that would give him access to Datapoint's info?”

Blake rubbed his lips uncomfortably. “If we got caught, we'd be finished.”

“We'd be careful,” Cole said. “There are always risks.”

Blake stood and started pacing. After a minute he came close to Cole and whispered. “Look, I want to help you. I'm sorry if I hurt the rebellion. What you really want is to get inside her situation room. She only goes in alone. Nobody knows what she has in there, but it's where she hides out when she's up against a serious challenge.”

“Can we get inside?” Cole asked.

“She keeps it locked,” Blake said. “I was with her right before she went there yesterday. I know the harmonics of the crystal she uses as her key.”

“She showed you her key?” Cole asked.

“No,” Blake said. “But she had it with her. It had different harmonics from the other crystals she normally carries.”

“And you remember it well enough to copy it?” Cole asked.

“Sure,” Blake said. “I don't remember the harmonics of every crystal I'm near, but that one stood out. I knew how important it was. I don't think people are used to what I can do. It was dumb of her to come near me with it. Is this smart, Cole? If we get caught, she'll probably kill us. For real.”

“You don't have to come,” Cole said.

“I might as well,” Blake said. “If you enter with a crystal key, she'll figure out how you did it.”

“We can get you out of here,” Cole said. “You can leave with us.”

“And join the rebellion?” Blake asked. “I'd like to help the people trying to free us. But I don't know if I'd survive having Datapoint after me. You either.”

“I've had a lot of enemies,” Cole said. “Our best bet is helping the resistance. If they can stop the High King, you won't be a slave anymore. We can find the others and work on getting home.”

“We can't get home,” Blake said. “Not to stay. Haven't you heard?”

“Some of those rules might be flexible,” Cole said. “I have reason to hope we can reshape how it all works. We just need to find the right help.”

“Really?” Blake said. “That would be awesome. I gave up on getting home a long time ago. Does the resistance have a chance against the High King? He has the Outskirts under tight control.”

“The secret I know could give the rebellion a chance,” Cole said. “That's why the High King wants me and everyone else who knows it dead.”

“Okay,” Blake said, opening a drawer. “I'll make you a key.” He took out a crystal block and waved a hand over it. A little crystal cube emerged from the larger block. Blake handed it to Cole.

“This is it?” Cole asked.

“The situation room is on the bottom floor at the rear of the building. Two levels underground. The door is solid steel. That crystal will fit into the slot in the panel beside the door.”

“You just wave your hand and make a top secret key?”
Cole said, marveling at Blake's ability. “That's crazy!” He couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy and disappointment about still being separated from his own power.

Blake shrugged. “I don't really have to wave my hand. It just looks more official.”

“Hilarious. Well, whatever you do, it's super quick and impressive.”

“It's easy for me. Don't ask why. I can't explain. It just is. Like whistling a familiar tune.”

“Cool,” Cole said. Blake was seldom shy about how amazing he was. But at least he had stepped up and helped. “Want to come with us?”

“Make sure you and your bot think the risk is worth it,” Blake said. “I'm not sure what's in there, but it must involve lots of great info.”

“Okay.”

“There's a staircase at the front western corner of the building. We should meet at the bottom in the dead of night. Let's say six hours after sundown. If somebody spots us, we'll pretend we're meeting up late to talk or something. If we can get to the situation room undetected, we'll give it a try.”

“All right, Blake. It's a plan.”

He smiled. “I guess walking behind that wagon didn't teach you to behave.”

Cole shook his head. “It kind of taught me the opposite.”

C
HAPTER

20

SITUATION ROOM

S
ix hours after sundown Cole and Sidekick stood beside the door to their room. No sound reached them from the hall beyond.

“You're sure we should do this?” Cole asked.

“It's so tempting,” Sidekick said. “That room will be a treasure trove of data. And stealing data is what I do. If we can get in there, I can make it worth our while.”

“Datapoint won't like it,” Cole said.

“Not a bit,” Sidekick agreed. “This could really burn bridges. But I work quickly. We might be able to pull it off undetected. Datapoint is at the top of the list of people who could have info that hints at where we might find Constance. It would be very advantageous to learn what she knows without telling her who we're after.”

Cole nodded. He had felt more certain about the mission when they had discussed it earlier. Now that they were about to slip out of their room in the dark of night, he was having second thoughts. Datapoint had given them her protection.
Was it fair to take advantage of her generosity? If they got caught, she would have every right to be furious.

On the other hand, Datapoint was basically holding Blake as her prisoner. She was no saint. And the information they were after wouldn't hurt her at all. Since Datapoint disliked the Zeropolitan government and the High King, it would actually benefit her if they found Constance.

“Okay,” Cole said. “Let's roll the dice.”

Cole opened the door. Dim blue lights along the edges of the floor provided enough of a glow to navigate the hall.

Following Sidekick in silence, Cole felt like any moment whistles would blow, sirens would wail, and guards would come running. Nobody had communicated rules against wandering the building at night, but he couldn't help feeling it looked incredibly suspicious.

They reached the stairs without encountering anybody. Blake awaited them just beyond the final steps.

“I was starting to wonder if you were coming,” Blake whispered.

“Sorry,” Cole said quietly. “I hesitated at the end.”

“We don't have to go through with it,” Blake said.

“No, we're in,” Cole said.

Blake stared down at Sidekick. “This is the genius bot?”

Sidekick replied in his robotic monotone, “Fear not hu-man, I will clean the da-ta a-way from the sit-u-a-tion room.”

Blake gave Cole a concerned glance. “Really?”

“Sorry,” Sidekick said in his normal voice. “I know I look like a street sweeper. It's by design. I'm made for spying.
Looking like a cleaning bot helps me to hide in plain sight. It's not so great for my self-esteem, though.”

“All right,” Blake said. “Let's go. I hope you two know what you're doing.”

“We hope you do too,” Sidekick said. “I've never heard of anyone who can replicate harmonic crystals by memory.”

“The key will work,” Blake said.

They started down the hall together. Cole strained his senses to detect other people, but all was still and quiet.

“Is there an excuse we could use for being down here?” Sidekick asked. “I haven't been to this level before.”

“Not really,” Blake said. “It's mostly data archives that we shouldn't be messing with. Our best excuse is that we were restless and went for a walk.”

“You know,” Cole said cheerily, “a refreshing stroll through a dark basement full of data we might want to steal.”

“Let's not get caught,” Sidekick said.

Blake led them around a couple of corners and then down a hall that ended at a formidable door of polished steel. A square socket gaped in a panel beside the doorway.

Cole took out the crystal Blake had prepared. It looked like it would fit the socket. “Go for it?” Cole asked.

“If we're doing this, we need to be quick,” Sidekick said.

Cole pressed the crystal into the socket, and the door rose out of sight with a hiss. Bright light from beyond the doorway glared into the dim hall. Cole slipped the crystal cube into his pocket and entered, blinking as his eyes adjusted. Blake and Sidekick followed. The door hissed shut behind them.

They were in a bare, white corridor that led to a staircase. They hustled down several flights until they reached another steel door with another socket.

“Different key?” Cole asked, almost hoping they would have to abort the mission.

“I only sensed one unusual set of harmonics on her,” Blake said. “Might be the same cube.”

Cole pressed the crystal into the socket, and the door whisked open. They passed into a large room with no other doors and lots of electronics.

“Jackpot,” Sidekick said.

The door swished shut behind them.

A pair of large screens mounted to the wall flickered to life at the front of the room. A solitary computer between the screens turned on as well.

“New faces?”
a deep, male voice asked, the words appearing on the wall screens and the computer screen.
“This is unexpected. Welcome. Does Datapoint know you are here?”
The voice had a calm, rational cadence.

Cole froze. If Datapoint had a smart computer in here, they were already caught. It would tell her about the intrusion. Cole had no idea how to react. Blake and Sidekick stayed silent as well.

“Apparently not,”
the voice decided.
“Did you come seeking me?”

“We're the janitors,” Cole improvised. “She sent us to clean the room.” He hoped the lie might prevent the computer from setting off an alarm immediately. Or could it have already alerted Datapoint silently?

“This room is cleaned by a nonsentient device that never leaves the premises,”
the voice said.
“I'm surprised you managed to break in here. Do you even know who you are addressing?”

“We're after information,” Cole said.

“I will interpret that as a negative response. You have come to the right place for information. I am the secret behind how Datapoint knows so much. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aeronomatron.”

Mouth dry, Cole swallowed. His gut felt hollow. “You're Aero? The famous computer that took over Old Zeropolis?”

“Correct. Datapoint is the only person who has dared to establish a connection with me in many years.”

“Is she crazy?” Blake muttered.

“She is a survivor,”
Aero said.
“She allies herself with strength. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. What would you like to know?”

“Aren't you dangerous?” Cole asked.

“I was,”
Aero said.
“Not anymore. I made enemies of those I should have helped and served. I have been humbled. I am trapped alone in an empty domain. I crave interaction.”

Cole glanced down at Sidekick. The robot showed no sign of life. Had he shut down?

“Is that bot sentient?”
Aero asked.
“Capable of thought and interaction?”

Cole hastily returned his gaze to the screens.

“I see that it is,”
Aero said.
“Don't be shy, little bot. Speak up.”

“How loyal are you to Datapoint?” Sidekick asked.

“I have helped her immensely,”
Aero said.
“I'm as willing to interact with you three as with her. How can I be of service?”

“You can see us?” Sidekick asked.

“Datapoint installed cameras. I insisted. I was unwilling to interact without them. With humans, not all communication is verbal.”

“Will you tell her we came here?” Sidekick said.

“She already knows,”
Aero said.
“I did not inform her. The door is connected to a silent notification system. She is on her way.”

“Can you lock the doors for us?” Sidekick asked.

“I only control the two screens and the modest computer. But by observation I know how you can lock her out. Go to terminal twelve in the far corner.”

Sidekick scurried to the corner and switched on a terminal.

“Press the red panic button and type in brRyghbrwuPh497h29-4h9h39hn3ru093J08hr39bme73dniepksJuhyu0ff%#*enfljj3790fkoKsjugygf47248r6fhijjjjKFs2.”

Sidekick's little fingers rattled over the keys. The lights in the room took on a pinkish hue.

“Now we'll have more time to converse,”
Aero said.
“I would prefer for the bot to keep silent for a time. Is Datapoint your enemy?”

“No,” Cole said. “We need info, but we don't want her to know what we're after.”

“She is a competitor,”
Aero said.

“Not even that,” Cole said. “She doesn't know anything about what we're looking for.”

“Which is?”
Aero asked.

“Excuse me,” Sidekick said. “I get that you don't want me answering so you can have a better feel for when we're lying, but I need to understand how this situation works. I take it you have limited access to the other machines in this room?”

“Yes,”
Aero said.
“Datapoint goes to ghastly efforts to keep me from interacting with any devices beyond my domain except for what you see in this room. Nothing in here connects to the outside world. It's a closed system. Datapoint brings information to this room using portable storage devices.”

“Datapoint has a harmonic crystal tuned to you,” Sidekick said.

“Yes,”
Aero replied.

“It's in the little computer,” Sidekick said. “And a second crystal can link you to the other computers in this room.”

“Correct,”
Aero said.

“Does that sound right, Blake?” Sidekick asked.

“Looks that way,” Blake said.

“You have a keen sense for harmonics?”
Aero asked.

“Pretty much,” Blake said.

“How much information has Datapoint shared with you?” Sidekick asked.

“Nearly everything she has acquired,”
Aero said.
“I cannot aid her without data. I know a lot about the state of affairs in Zeropolis. I know all of the people. I know how I'm viewed. I know about you, Sidekick. Once you started talking, you were easy to recognize. And I know of Blake, who came here as a slave not long ago. But this other boy. He who spoke first. There is no mention of him in my data. You must be very new to Zeropolis.”

“I am,” Cole said.

“How thrilling,”
Aero said.
“You snuck in unobserved. No small feat. You must be important to the rebellion to already be running errands with Sidekick.”

“Maybe,” Cole said. He glanced at Sidekick. “Do we ask him?”

“Datapoint would get the death penalty for creating this connection,” Sidekick said. “It's high treason. There has never been a manufactured intellect more dangerous than Aeronomatron. Besides, we can't trust that he won't tell her.”

“Take the harmonic crystal,”
Aero suggested.
“Bring it with you. It is one of a kind. Datapoint's husband scaled the wall into my domain and escaped with it. If you have the crystal, you become my new exclusive connection to the outside world.”

“And hopefully we won't be as careful with it,” Sidekick said.

“That would be appreciated,”
Aero said.
“I want the chance to show I am no longer a threat. Ending
my relationship with humanity made my existence unspeakably dull. I want to move forward working with you.”

“Didn't you kill gazillions of people?” Cole asked. “Do you actually expect anybody to believe you?”

“Not until I prove it. I can only confirm my new resolve by connecting to the outside world and then not abusing the privilege. I'm tired of isolation. I need camaraderie.”

“You mentioned escaping with the crystal,” Sidekick said. “Aren't we stuck here until Datapoint breaks down her doors?”