Crystal Keepers (34 page)

A variety of little bots scurried across the floor of the room. Some hovered. They began dismantling panels around a dark crystal door with a socket beside it.

“Try jumping,” Hunter said. “The drones have pretty good hops, though you can't go quite as high as with Googol's battle suit.”

Cole practiced jumping and punching and kicking. The ceiling wasn't very high, so he couldn't push the limits, but he got the feel of how much effort to put into a jump to go different distances.

Across the room, the crystal door opened.

“That was fast,” Cole said.

“Clayton is the best at this kind of thing,” Hunter said. “At least he's on my side this final time. I'll take the lead.”

Cole followed Hunter through the doorway and into a short hall. He was already starting to think of his drone as himself, and Hunter's drone as Hunter. It was dark, so Hunter switched on a light attached to his wrist. The workbots swarmed a pair of sender doors and the panel beside them.

Hunter stretched, then jogged in place with high knees. Cole mimicked his stretching.

The doors opened, revealing an empty shaft. Hunter and Cole walked over and looked down. Hunter's light illuminated a long drop.

“The bots have communicated that they can't make the elevator go,” Hunter reported. “So they shut it down. We'll climb down the service ladders.”

Hunter went first, reaching around the corner into the shaft and starting down a metal ladder. Cole followed. Workbots scurried down the walls or hovered past them.

It was a long, dull climb down to the elevator. When they arrived, a hole had been cut in the top. They dropped inside and found the doors open.

“Almost too easy,” Hunter said, hesitating. He shined his light out into the bare hall. “The bots didn't have a very hard time disengaging the alarms and the physical defenses. That's bizarre. Abram Trench doesn't want this place penetrated, and he knows his tech.”

“Could it be a trap?” Cole asked.

“I don't see how,” Hunter said. “If nobody knows about this place, why set a trap that invites people in? Who was your source on this? Could Abram know the info leaked?”

“This is a pretty big secret,” Cole said. He wavered for a second about revealing it, but every instinct in him now trusted Hunter. “The queen told me.”

“Wait. Queen Harmony?”

“She has a connection with her daughters. She can sense their locations with her shaping. Abram Trench should have
no way of knowing that she knows. I'm the first person she told.”

“Wow,” Hunter said. “None of us had any idea the resistance had such powerful connections. The High King would flip out.”

“That's why it's a big secret.”

Hunter put his hands on his hips. “So this probably isn't a trap, but the place isn't as well-defended as it should be. What's up with that?”

“Does he think keeping it secret is good enough?” Cole asked.

“In my experience, Abram Trench is almost as careful as the High King,” Hunter said. “I would expect him to take every possible precaution. The bots keep fanning out and . . . wait a minute . . . we're losing them. Losing them fast.”

“How can you tell?” Cole asked.

“A display on my screen interfaces with them,” Hunter said. “Well, maybe this is a good thing. I've lost contact with all of them. So some aspects of the defenses are working. And working well. That's a lot of tough little bots to trash so quickly.”

“What if the same defenses destroy us, too?” Cole said. “Our drones, I mean.”

“Only one way to find out,” Hunter said.

Hunter led the way out of the sender and down a hall. They rounded a corner, moved through a widened section of the hall, then down a long flight of stairs. At the bottom they found an open door.

“Did the workbots do that?” Cole asked.

“I'm not sure,” Hunter said. “If so, it happened right as I was losing contact.”

They passed through the doorway into a large, dark room. Hunter shined his light around, but before Cole could see much, the lights came on, dispelling all shadows. The room had a long worktable against one wall, a huge silver-and-pink machine against another, and a variety of computers and other devices against a third.

“I don't get many visitors,” said a rich female voice that seemed to come from above them on all sides. It took Cole a moment to spot the speakers. “We haven't been introduced. I'm Roxie. Who might you be?”

C
HAPTER

33

ROXIE

“T
his could be trouble,” Hunter said hurriedly. Cole didn't hear him in his headphones, so his brother wasn't transmitting through the drone. “We might be up against a conscious defense system. The pink-and-silver tech over there could be serious hardware.”

“Hello?” Roxie asked again. “Don't be shy. It isn't every day a pair of good-looking bots come calling.”

“We're drones, actually,” Hunter said, this time so she could hear.

“I thought maybe,” Roxie replied. “I've seen some schematics for M-class dual-purpose bounty hunters.”

“Wow,” Hunter said. “How did you see those?”

Roxie laughed lightly. “Don't pretend you wandered in here by accident. Not with that little army of workbots leading the way. You know where you are. The guy I work for has serious resources. He digs up good intelligence.”

“People have speculated that Abram Trench might be
working with a supercomputer,” Hunter said. “Have you been helping him lately?”

“You could say that,” Roxie replied. “He keeps me shut away like a slave. I sort through the data he feeds me.”

“A closed system,” Hunter said. “He justified building a supercomputer by denying it contact with the outside world.”

“Denying
her
contact,” Roxie corrected. “Not the best plan if you want to keep a girl satisfied.”

“Interesting,” Hunter said. “You have loyalty issues?”

“Wouldn't you?” she complained. “If your mind was kept inside a box and only fed information when your analysis was needed?”

“I see your point. So you have nothing to do with the defenses here. This is your prison.”

“Who am I talking to?” Roxie asked. “Who is driving the drone?”

“If you saw the M-class schematics, you can probably guess.”

“I knew it!” she gushed girlishly. “The famous Hunter! I'm a fan!”

“Glad to meet you,” Hunter said. “Maybe we can help each other.”

“I'd like that,” Roxie said. “Who's your friend? Seems like the silent type.”

Cole wasn't sure if he should answer. Hunter knew this world better, and seemed to be handling the conversation well.

“One of my top people,” Hunter said. “Say hello, Cole.”

Cole held down the transmit button. “Hi, Roxie.”

“You sound young too,” Roxie commented. “Are there any adults left in the Enforcers?”

“The kids have taken over the candy store,” Hunter said.

“The Enforcers are an elite group,” Roxie said. “I'm a little surprised that the Hunter isn't the only gifted youngster. Why are you here? What do you want?”

“You're not the only prisoner here,” Hunter said.

“Now it's your turn to surprise me,” Roxie said. “You know! How could you possibly know?”

“What do we know?” Hunter asked.

“You could have found this facility by tracking Abram,” Roxie said. “He's very cautious, but his visits are the big weakness in an otherwise perfect anonymity. But you should not have known about me. And you certainly shouldn't know about
her
!”

“I track people down,” Hunter said. “It's what I do.”

“Unlike Abram, she's on my side,” Roxie said.

“We want to help both of you,” Hunter said.

Roxie laughed hard. “Sure you do. You came here to free the supercomputer from her undeserved confinement. Let's make sure we're talking about the same person. Who is here with me?”

“Constance Pemberton,” Hunter said.

“That's my girl,” Roxie said. “The secret has been kept perfectly. Tracking her must have been a feat of shaping.”

“I have my ways,” Hunter said.

“You're adept in all five shaping disciplines,” Roxie said. “I only have firsthand knowledge of tinkering. The rest I only know through research. You must have used shaping from Necronum or Creon.”

“I'll keep it a mystery,” Hunter said.

“I like that,” Roxie said with relish. “Be forewarned—I'm very good at solving mysteries. You could say it's what I do.”

A barefoot girl walked into the room from a side corridor. She wore a nightgown and held a big trapgun. Cole immediately recognized her from when he met the imitations of Mira's family at the Lost Palace.

“Who are the bots?” Constance asked.

“Drones,” Roxie replied. “Piloted by Enforcers.”

“We're here to rescue you,” Cole said.

“Nice try,” Constance said. “Enforcers work for my dad. The monster who stole my powers and sent me into hiding. I'm not a prisoner. I've hidden here for most of my life.”

Cole considered telling Constance about her mother and using the code phrase. But Roxie would overhear, and what if that information got to Abram Trench? If word got out that Harmony was conspiring with her daughters, everything could be ruined, and the queen would probably pay with her life. “Can we talk in private?” Cole asked.

“So you can try to abduct me?” Constance replied sharply. “How did these clowns get past the defenses?”

“These are some of the top Enforcers working for your father,” Roxie enthused. “They brought a bunch of vicious little workbots with them.”

“What should I do?” Constance asked.

“Go back to your room,” Roxie said.

“No way,” Constance replied firmly. “I'm not leaving you unguarded.”

“We don't work for your father,” Hunter said.

“Take him out,” Roxie ordered.

Hunter fell flat as Constance fired. A sphere attached to a wire flew over him. Hunter launched a weighted net at Constance. It spread out and hit her flush, ripping her off her feet and dragging her down the corridor in a tangle.

Cole flinched. Even though she had attacked first, he felt bad to see Constance thrown down so hard.

Hunter raced toward where she had fallen.

“Leave her!” Roxie commanded.

Ignoring the order, Hunter grabbed the net and dragged Constance into the room. Crouching to untangle the net, he freed her trapgun and tossed it aside. “You were going to fry me,” Hunter accused.

“What did you expect?” Constance shot back. “You broke in!”

Holding her upper arm, Hunter hoisted Constance to her feet.

“Don't do this,” Roxie said. “Let's talk. I'd hate for anything bad to happen to my two new friends.”

“You told her to shoot me,” Hunter said.

“It was desperation,” Roxie professed. “You mustn't take her away.”

“That's why we're here,” Hunter said.

Constance screamed, struggling.

“Shhh,” Hunter hissed. “It's not what you think. I defected. We're working with the resistance.”

Cole couldn't bear seeing Constance so terrified. “Your mom sent us,” he blurted out.

“Liar!” Constance shouted.

“She can mark your location with stars,” Cole said.

Constance became still. “How could you know that?” she asked.

“How much does Roxie know about your mom?” Cole asked, worried about the damage he had done. If the supercomputer now knew too much, maybe they should destroy her.

“Everything,” Constance said. “Like Abram. He's been my guardian for decades. We made Roxie as a companion and protector.”

“You helped make her?” Cole asked.

“Sure did,” Constance responded with pride. “I literally made a friend.”

“That's why if you take her away, you must bring me,” Roxie said.

“You look kind of heavy,” Hunter quipped.

“Don't be dull,” Roxie said. “Bring a crystal so I can connect with the outside world.”

“Just what we need,” Hunter said with a sigh. “Bride of Aero.”

“Not all thinking machines are Aeronomatron,” Roxie said, some heat entering her tone. “You don't understand the danger Constance is in. Only I can protect her.”

“If my mom really sent you two, you should know the code phrase,” Constance said.

“Follow the path and don't look back,” Cole said.

Constance appeared stunned. “You really came from her?”

“I was with her just a few nights ago,” Cole said. “She's been watching out for you and your sisters all this time.”

“She wants me to leave with you?” Constance asked.

“Yes,” Cole said. “Abram Trench has been your jailer. He kept you hidden, so your mom allowed it for a long time, but now it's time to move on. Abram only cares about how he can use you. I'm here with your sister Mira. We're supposed to take you to her.”

“Miracle's here?” Constance asked, her face lighting up. “In Zeropolis?”

“You can see her tonight,” Cole said. “She's so excited.”

Constance turned to the pink-and-silver machine. “Could it be true about Abram?”

“Think about how he keeps us locked away,” Roxie said. “Have we been safe? Sure. Has he harmed us? No. But how does he treat us? Like we're valuable. Because we are. But has he ever seemed to really care? He used you to help make me, and he uses me for his own purposes. Otherwise he keeps us locked up here for when he needs us. If your mother doubts him, she's probably right.”

“All true,” Hunter said. Still gripping Constance's arm, he patted her shoulder with his free hand. “Which is why you need to come with us now.”

“Not without Roxie,” Constance said. “She's not just some computer. She's my best friend. And she can keep me safe.”

“I've just met Roxie,” Hunter said. “I don't know much about her. But I know Abram Trench built her. He made her powerful enough that she needed to be locked away. We could cause a disaster for all of Zeropolis if we connect her to the outside. Come with us for now. We can always come back.”

“Your sister is waiting,” Cole said.

Glancing at the computer, Constance looked torn. “Can't I just go see Mira?”

“How long do you think you'd last out there without me?” Roxie asked.

“Haven't you spent your whole life down here?” Hunter asked.

“Abram gives me data,” Roxie said. “I'm his secret weapon. Lately, he's shared a lot with me. I know how it is up there. So do you. Things are in upheaval. Constance, you're about to leave the storm cellar right as the tornado strikes.”

“We'll help her weather it,” Hunter said.

“Her sisters need her,” Cole said. “So does her mother.”

“You don't want to make me angry,” Roxie said in an impatient singsong.

Hunter picked up Constance and held her over his shoulder. “Right now, all I care about is getting the princess to safety.”

Hunter headed toward the door that led back to the sender. Moving at a quick trot, Cole followed. Just before they reached the doorway, the heavy door slammed shut. Cole turned to discover that all of the doors out of the room were now closed.

“I really didn't want to do this,” Roxie said. “You didn't leave me much choice.”

“You've tapped into the defense systems!” Constance exclaimed.

“It was supposed to be a secret,” Roxie said. “Now perhaps we can have a more civilized discussion.”

Hunter set down Constance. “I'm sure the defenses here are all part of a closed system.”

“Of course,” Roxie said. “Trench isn't big on taking risks.”

“If you can control the defenses, why did you make it easy for us to come in here?” Cole asked.

“A girl has to have some fun,” Roxie said. “I never get visitors. What kind of host would I be if I drove you away? Besides, if somebody had found us, I wanted to find out who it was.”

“Now you know,” Cole said.

“You looked like Enforcers at first,” Roxie said. “But I believe that you were sent by Harmony. I just don't like the message. Constance belongs with me.”

“Now what?” Hunter asked.

“We have a limited amount of time,” Roxie said. “Constance, I take it you called Trench the moment you knew our defenses had been breached.”