Geneva Elizaveta Hawthorne

Sol 3UN1A Adjunct to Universe 0

Reflexis City

Cavern Entry Terminal 211

She gazed across the cavernous city of Reflexis. A city that reflected itself upon ceiling and floor. From the entry gates hanging at the southern end of the upper ceiling, Geneva could see the expanse of structures that made up the large region. Towards the horizon towering buildings hung, descending hundreds of stories deep. From the floor, large skyscrapers seemed to reach up from the ground to meet them.

It was an expansive metropolis, like many others, it was carved from the crust of the earth deep below the ground. Large plumes of water fell throughout the landscape pooling into large lakes and rivers that flowed throughout the region meandering their way through the urban landscape.

“Geneva…” Archaeus groaned. His hand finding its place on her shoulder. “You can gawk later, we gotta get moving.”

Snapping out of her stupor, Geneva and the others began to work their way through the large crowds that were gathering to take in the sites of a new city. She was here because the earth, an overcrowding metropolis, needed help; heck the entire system of Sol needed their help.

“I was just taking in the sights.” Geneva shrugged. They were now descending a large staircase that opened into a large central terminal.

“No… you were basking in the energy weren’t you.” He replied. “You were pretty zoned out there.” They shuffled into a long line that spanned the length of the hundred foot room.

“Can’t get anything past you huh?” She replied. “Its so weird being down here under the earth. A big transition compared to the equatorial reef.” Their team had just arrived from their last mission on a floating city bordering a man-maintained coral reef structure.

“The sky there felt so open, didn’t it?” Archaeus replied.

“Y’know, I thought down here it would be more… I don’t know… claustrophobic.” She said sighing.

“Still… you know you’re not supposed to use your abilities.” He looked around. “At least not here.”

“My powers, my problem. Besides you have your own struggles.” She retorted looking at the waves of heat radiating from his hands.

“I’m not a level 0… hiding in a very, and might I add… very… fragile city.” He said shaking his hands to cool them off. They were getting close to the front of the queue.

“We’re buried about a mile beneath Metrolina… I think its pretty safe to say the city isn’t fragile.” Geneva said as one of the holographic automata checked their Overseer Moon and Earth Forum ID’s.

“The transportation and shuttle services hubs are located just to your right.” The automaton stated, and after a brief pause continued. “Welcome to Reflexis, we hope you find your… Reflection.” They winced as there was a brief and machine like stutter to the robots voice as it finished its statement.

“What kind of cheesy intro line was that?” Archaeus said when they were a good ways towards the grav-shuttle hub. His face slightly contorted as he tried to hold in a laugh. “I mean we’ve been to a lot of places… but that was just rough..”

“Right?!” Geneva replied. “And I thought the Apollo City intro line was bad.”

“Okay so which shuttle are we taking?” Archaeus asked a slightly serious tone replacing his earlier cheer.

“Skip the pleasure I see…” Geneva smirked. She gestured towards a group of people who had lined up on the far side of the grav-shuttle hub. The duo chatted as their team, and hundreds of people, worked their way through a myriad of turnstiles.

“Reflexis Floor Zone One. The next shuttle is arriving now.” A holo-automata announced as the two made it near the end of the queue. “Please make sure to fill in all available space and proceed to the back of the shuttle.”

At this time a sizeable doorway opened as the wall went out of phase. The opening lead to a platform where a large grav-shuttle waited. Geneva and Archaeus were a few of the first to board. Veralia, one of the team members who had met up with them in Apollo City, snatched Jerry out from in front of a pending stampede as the many passengers rushed the shuttle.

After a few moments the vehicle lifted from the ground and began to make its way towards the lower city. They watched as the crowded terminal slipped away replaced by miles of dense suburban neighborhoods.

In the far distance along the cave walls lights could be seen dotting the surface. Geneva imagined the idyllic life one could have. A beautiful home that had breathtaking views of a cavern city. The peace of not knowing the worse truths of the system. A family that would come together and eat at every meal. Neighbors and friends who could come over while you entertained each other. All to the backdrop of a one-of-a-kind mirror city that reflected upon itself. It’s a life Geneva could never have.

She never got a level. No roman numeral ever appeared in front of her. Her adoptive family disowned her, not realizing that what they thought was a curse was the ultimate gift. She had led a life living on the streets of Io, slowly working her way up through what some would call the underbelly of society.

“What was the briefing again, Archaeus?” Geneva asked. She hadn’t had time to pull up all the paper work on her slate as they has literally transferred 40 times to get to this underground marvel.

“You see that tall blue tower hanging from the ceiling over there?” Archaeus said. “The one to the right of that tall tower that connects from the ceiling to the floor, like an hourglass.”

“Is it the blue one?” Jerry asked. He was a nervous looking man. Despite his combat prowess within the organization, he lacked specific social conformity. He was pale skinned and had an aura of sheer confusion. A vibe that felt as if he didn’t belong in the room but somehow still managed to secure a spot anyways.

“Yes, that’s it. Has ALC written in white.” He said. “That’s Allusion Logistics Corporation. The shipping mega-corp that has an HQ in each of the Solar Sovereignties. I heard through the grapevine, the higher-ups heard from an informant that they have been moving some pretty resource critical shipments from this region. As Reflexis is one of the leading manufacturers of new tech, we narrowed it down to this branch.”

“So basically, a long game of telephone lead us here?” Veralia asked. Her build was buff, that of someone born and raised within the Jovian Empire. She had almost reddish skin with deep ruby hair from her adaptations.

“ I mean I wouldn’t put it that way I’m sure there’s more to it we weren’t told. But if he said she said is your mantra. Then so be it.” Archaeus said. “Basically they are manufacturing starship tech. Quantum shit we aren’t supposed to be messing with but someone behind the scenes is. And they are shipping it out to god knows where. You know what happened the last time we conducted an interstellar mission. You know what the mission statement is.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Geneva replied. “The fact that I can manipulate energy with the flick of a thought, sets it hard in stone. Who knows what else could happen to make this life we live even more hell. Humanity has infested this solar system to the brink of its limits. And if it weren’t for the fact that so many can conjure vast amounts of resources, we would be extinct.”

“I mean we have to expand at sometime.” Archaeus replied.

“What are you some expansionist sheep now? We don’t need expansion if the first attempt rocked humanity to its core.” Geneva said.

“Guys can we keep politics out of this. We have a mission.” Veralia said.

“I mean rocking it to its core is one way to put it. Look how far we have come since the days of fossil fuels and ancient history. When wars shook the world and we didn’t have the security of multiple worlds. You don’t have to be an expansionist to understand that the world we live in isn’t amazing. And we wouldn’t have this if whatever the heck happened to that mission hadn’t occurred. Being called a null would have been the least of someone’s worries.” Archaeus said.

Throughout the course of their discussion, they had made their way across the vast civilization that laid before them. Something that could be called a mecca of engineering and architecture. The grav-shuttle landed at the Zone One station and they disembarked. The street was crowded. The early morning bustle was in full affect. At least early morning for everyone on the floor.

Geneva looked up and saw the almost star speckled ceiling that lay just beyond a hologram of a fake sky. If it hadn’t been for the plumes of water falling from certain areas and a few of the high-rises descending down in the middle, shed have thought they were on the surface. Still they had an appointment to get to.

The group made their way slowly through the local neighborhood as they dodged and weaved between hover bikes and scooters. After about a ten minute jaunt, the group came to a dilapidated store that stood on the corner of a ten story apartment block.

“This our guy?” Geneva asked. “This place is sus enough. But you never know what you will find.”

“Oh this is the place alright.” Archaeus replied. He gestured to the small icon, the cloak of their nameless organization. “Definitely one of ours.”

“Ah well lets get this on the roll. Id like to get the heck off this rock before I get too comfortable.” Geneva said.

“Yeah Earth is pretty luxurious even in places like this at the fringes of their society.” Jerry said. He was one of the entourage of newbies that had accompanied them on this mission. People who were somewhat expendable.

“Alright his name is Mo.” Archaeus replied. “Let me do the talking. He’s with us but you never know in this line of work and id rather not complicate shit before we get started.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He knocked on a door that faced the side street a few feet around the corner from the entrance.

“Can I help you?” A deep voice called out of the doors opening. “We don’t do service in the morning without appointment.”

“We got an appointment alright.” Archaeus replied as he rolled up his sleeve and showed the symbol of a cloak on his upper arm.

“Oh your kind are always welcome here.” The voice replied. The door clicked all over as locking mechanisms shunted out of the door and back into its frame. The door with a silent huff glided out of the way. Standing in the doorway a short man with a muscular build beckoned them inside.

“This way. How was the journey down to these parts?” the man asked. “I’m the owner of this hell hole, Mo. Didn’t catch your names there.”

“I’m Archaeus, this is Geneva, Jerry, Albion, and Veralia.” Archaeus said. “Journey wasn’t anything special just long and arduous.”

“Tell me about it.” Jerry said a little too excited. Archaeus shot him a sharp glance, but Mo didn’t even hesitate in his stride. Jerry slumped down as the group continued inside the building. Behind them Geneva felt the air shudder as the locking mechanisms latched within the door each one resounding a clang down the dusty staircase.

The group proceeded to a dark but clean basement. One wall was covered in display tech the other walls and floors coated with a Mahogany tinted synth-wood. The screen lit up with the ALC logo.

“Okay you guys definitely must have had a long travel day coming out from the Jovian system. So ill hurry it up. Down that hallway.” Mo said gesturing down a corridor to the left of the staircase they just descended. “There is a bunk room. I should have enough cots for the lot of you. New clothes there. The fancy synth kinds that adjust to your fit so don’t worry about sizing. There's a bathroom and communal room down there as well and a kitchen that’s fit to the nines so help yourself.”

“Now the reason we are all here.” He continued. “Basically my friend. Not gonna give their name, just know it’s a friend of mine. Works for Allusion Logistics Corporation. Their a scientist in the research and development lab. Well about a week ago she comes to me and gives me the four eleven on some new technology they were about to ship out. A manifest she wasn’t supposed to see fell into her lap somehow.”

He gave a huge shrug as the rest of the group watched the images change on the screen. They switched to an image of a strange device that was shaped like an upside-down crystal tree.

“It was some Quantum mechanism.” Mo started again. “She didn’t know much just notated the name Quanta on the manifest and saw this and sent it to me. As you know that banned tech around these parts.”

“Can you get to the point?” Geneva said. “This is a little too much exposition for keeping it brief.”

“Hey now.” Mo said. “Context makes the world go round.”

“I like his story. It adds flair.” Jerry said. Archaeus snapped in his direction. “Sorry man.” Jerry gestured as if zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

“Alright ill speed it up. You guys are grumpy huh?” Mo said. “Gotta get his over quick as you only got a few hours to get to the spot before its gone. I alerted y’all as soon as the announcement came in but coming as far as you did you barely made it here on time. The point is this device is exactly the kind of thing that you would need to leave the system. Which is definitely what you are after. That crate is at the transport yards right now. Or at least it should be. The schedule could be shifty right now.”

“I get it.” Archaeus said. “Send us the details to the transport yard and we will head out.”

“And send us the code to the door.” Geneva said. “As soon as we are done I’m heading to bed, and I’m not going to wait on you to let us in.”

It was a long jaunt through the cities subway system, and a short platform ride up to the ceiling. All an experience Geneva found even more claustrophobic than the subterranean system. The group had arrived in front of a large wall leading to side of the Allusion Logistics Transport Yard 331.

“Alright, stand back.” Archaeus called. His hands glowed a bright white as he placed his hand on the wall of the transport yard. The rock began to sizzle and melt into a magma that flowed down and away from where his hands gained purchase. After a matter of minutes, there was a roughly human shaped hole in the exterior of the facility.

“That took you longer than normal.” Geneva said.

“And you could have done better?” Archaeus retorted. “If you had made the attempt you would have blown up half the city.”

“Hey not cool.” Geneva replied. “Lets just get this over with.”

The group had entered into an open pit the size and length of a stadium. Stacked hundreds of feet high were rows and rows of transport containers.

“How the hell do we find that quantum entangler or whatever bull shit we were sent after?” Jerry asked. “I mean I’m as excited as the rest of you but this seems like it’d take all damn day.”

“Jerry, how many times we been over this.” Archaeus said. “What are Geneva’s powers, man?”

Jerry stared blank faced. After a minute, his eyebrows rose sharply.

“She’s gonna blow this whole place up?” Jerry asked. A shocked expression on his face. “I mean it seems a little drastic so it sure beats searching each container over the course of several days. I mean do the higher ups even know this is our place? I mean of course they'd know they, they the ones who sent us out here in the first place. And with her lack of control it was guaranteed some explosions would take place. Yeah, yeah that makes sense.”

“Jerry.” Archaeus replied. His fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. “No. She’s not going to blow up half the city. Are you nuts wed have a dozen level ones on us in a matter of minutes. On top of that there are rumors there is a level 0, or several for that matter, existing within this region. They would drop half the cavern on our heads. What kind of deranged plan did you somehow concoct in a matter of minutes.”

“Yeah Jerry.” Veralia replied. “Her powers are energy based. So yes, one plan would be to destroy everything. Or, like a smart and intelligent person, she could sense the energy and fluctuations around the facility to then narrow in on specific cargo. You know energy isn’t all just explosions. But of course with your sensibilities that would quite occur to you.”

“I will add that I have a PhD in astrophysics.” Jerry replied. “Not that it’s a lucrative field but I understand some complexities of our reality.”

“Just because you get numbers, doesn’t mean that you are intelligent in other areas, Jerry.” Veralia said. “Besides I think she’s already figured out where to start looking.”

During the course of several minutes Geneva had honed in on several locations around the nearby region. There were definitely quantum fluctuations, but there were numerous mechanisms that tripped that sense for her. Heck it was normal for everyday households to possess some sort of quantum device. She looked around and the spectral sense of what she was sensing for any spikes in energy. After a few moments the group began to move.

Three rows back on the fifth stack down there was a create that had some strange energy feeling to it. She couldn’t place it but it felt as if space was folding around on itself. This had to be something worth looking.

After a few minutes of running, Veralia pumped her fist to the left and the door to the side of the hexagonal crate popped open and slide up as if its locking mechanism had been triggered. Veralia was a level II with the repeated application of opening things. Almost anything no being affect by a power withstood her ability. Being a rare ability most people did know to protect for it, as it was virtually unheard of.

The group was started to find that within this small case seemed to be a large reservoir of water that stretched far beyond the limits of the casing.

“This isn’t it.” Geneva said. “Archaeus take a sample. Maybe it is something special if they went through the trouble of putting it in this quantum expanded casing. Meanwhile ill try and pin down a separate unit.”

Geneva once again focused on the energy waves around her. She could feel the resonating energies from the transport yard around her. Slowly she broadened her awareness straining to the far reaches of her abilities. She then sensed a strong presence moving in the direction of their group.

“Oh shit.” Geneva said out loud. “Guys we got 3 level IIs and a Level I coming in our direction. Archaeus did you get the sample? This will have to be all we can get. Aside from our company I cant sense any other strong quanta layer energies.”

“Yeah yeah, I got it. Lets get back to the safe house and get Mo to analyze the sample. Maybe there is some information if they went through all of that effort to hide that cargo.” Archaeus said.

As he finished speaking, a geyser of sweet smelling liquid burst from a nearby container.

“Ah what is this shit?” Jerry asked. He was covered in thick layer of the syrupy substance.

“Awe, you finally sweet, Jerry.” Veralia said. “looks like some kind of combination of sweet syrups for drinks.”

A blast of air buffeted the syrup from Jerry's person and splattered it on the surrounding containers. And as more liquid seemed to pour in of various types he used the air around them to form a molecule thin shield.

“Okay its definitely a liquid type.” Geneva said. “Archaeus you take the two and get back to the safe house. Ill lead these few on a wild goose chase in the mean time.”

As she said this a wall of liquid rocketed towards her and before it made contact with her it froze to a solid mass and shattered a few inches from her skin. She took off towards the direction she had sensed the four pursuers.

As she came up on them one appeared to her right. A level two with some kind of jumping ability. Within seconds a heat blast had seared a chunk of flesh from his left leg and he went down.

She dived underneath the man withdrawing a small amount of energy from his being. He fell to a heap as she passed. She kept going when a boomerang whizzed past her face a chunk of her hair sheering off in an instant as it passed her by. It was razor sharp she surmised. It came back for a second pass and she seized its motion in the air it dropped like a rock falling to the ground below.

As she had taken care of another of the assailants abilities she slammed her palm into the ground, the containers all around them began to shudder and slowly toppled down the aisles below. This blocked off the path of the third and fourth as she rounded a corner and sped to the exterior wall of the yard.

As she moved to the wall, she felt the Level I's power once again spike. A thin needles worth of water seared her ear as she dodged in the nick of time. Without a moment to breath Geneva slammed her palm into the exterior wall of he transport yard. A plume of debris and cement bore a tunnel into the city scape beyond. She had accidentally used too much force. Quickly she began running through the path she had made jumping over the fallen remains of the neighborhood she had just destroyed moments ago.

Water seemed to billow from the ground as she sensed once again the Level I's energy spike. A massive barrage of the thin needle like water projectiles assaulted her. As she dove through the city. She increased the amount of energy her feet radiated step by step. Moving swifter and swifter. She didn’t have time to prevent collateral damage as surviving this mission was critical.

The Level I following her stayed glued to her heels, the woman, she now noticed, seemed to glide on a thin layer of sewage that flowed beneath the woman’s feet. Geneva increased the amount of force, her steps now carried her several feet into the air and tens of feet in a forward direction. Beneath each step the city street crumbled slightly, engineered to resist the abilities and the heavy traffic that used it.

No matter how much energy she dumped into her movement, the Level I kept up in the pursuit. She had no choice. Before local authorities were able to get to them and actually track her signature she had to put this pursuer down. With the next step she reversed the flow of energy and her position halted.

In a single fluid motion, not caring about who she hurt in the process, Geneva turned with a solid fist and planted all of her energy into the woman’s face, they were facing the direction of the city center, and all of the energy transferred into the woman, and then the ground beneath her. The woman fell, her face a frame of shock. Eyes wide, mouth agape, she slammed into the ground and then a crater appeared beneath her. Geneva quickly realized she had overdone it.

In a moment she tried withdrawing all the energy she had just released. Her efforts were only able to keep the woman from getting her skull crushed. All the energy that had been released into the ground and the city behind them didn’t get affected. She felt and a reverberating resonance shook the city. The sky overhead when red, alarms of yellow and green brightly lit up the streets of the entire cavern.

“Category 9.8734 Earthquake detected. Category 9.8734 Earthquake detected. Please remain calm. Please remain calm.” A voice blared echoing throughout the cavern. The massive city, engineered to resist such event shuddered as buildings reflexively elevated and absorbed the energy from the cavern around them. People on the streets swayed a little but most remained steady footed. Some from the cavern ceiling could be seen falling. People floated in the center of the cavern as the holographic sky arrested their momentum.

Geneva knew this was her chance and ran.