Outside the Spire
When Callan’s fingers tapped onto the keyboard made of light, Halari couldn’t stop herself from squinting to try and make out what the word was. At her angle, it was hard to see, but she thought there was a ‘C’ at the beginning.
Stop it, Halari! She shook herself and berated her own curiosity. Callan would tell her everything about his past and his wife when he was ready. In the two weeks after burying her, she’d never asked him or pressed him about the topic, just comforted him and let him come back to her on his own. She was thankful that hadn’t taken very long.
Green light flashed from the short column under Callan’s hand, then it disappeared back into the ground where it came from.
“Oh shit!” Halari yelped and lept back when the tower rising above them sprung to life. It lit up with rings of white light every couple of stories, then made a deep buzzing sound. A gale of wind blasted from vents she couldn’t see, but the force of the air almost knocked her off her feet. “What’s happening?”
“I think it’s cleaning the air,” Callan said. Sure enough, the wind it blasted at them pushed the dark green smoke away until it was well past the first block of buildings outside its courtyard perimeter. “That’s incredible technology.”
With the smoke absent, they got a much clearer image of the area around them. Not that there was much to see anyways. Besides the barricades set up, there wasn’t much else. Any decorations had been long since destroyed or removed, so the courtyard was nothing more than a stone circle.
The tempest of clean air died down, then with another depressurizing hiss, a wide, rectangular, metal section of the Spire slid to the side, revealing a triple of set of plain glass doors. Past them there was only darkness.
“Seems like we’re welcome,” Halari said, stepping towards Callan and looking to him with a proud grin. He did it. For a second there, she’d thought he might balk, but he pulled himself together. “Let’s get inside before this air shield fails or something.”
“Good idea,” Callan said. He turned to the men. “Everybody, masks stay on! This pocket of clean air might fail or run out of power, so stay ready! Captain Dalvo, your squad on us! Kurt, bring half your men. Rest of you keep your eyes peeled!”
Halari felt her heart beat faster and faster as they approached the glass doors separating them from the interior. What was inside this place? Her future? Nothing? Would this be the end or a whole new start?
A group of thin, red light beams swept over Callan when they got within a couple steps, then a voice spoke seemingly from the building itself.
“DNA confirmed!” it chirped into the air. “Welcome Callan, first Blessed Flame of Melokon!” The doors slid open to the sides, leaving nothing between them and the dark of the interior.
“Impressive,” Callan muttered, putting his hands on his hips while he studied the door. “It didn’t used to have this level of security. Just metal detectors, mostly.”
“Kalia must’ve made a bunch of improvements,” Halari said, putting one foot into the darkness inside. “I mean, she did have a thousand years to—”
The building itself interrupted her by lighting up its interior with the cleanest, crispiest white light she’d ever seen in her life. It shone down on a large room decorated by somebody who clearly loved the colors silver and gray far, far too much. All of the furniture pieces in the center of the floor, from the pristine sofas to the cushy footrests, were a soft slate in color, and the curving countertops set into each corner of the huge room were glittering and chromed.
“By the Visionary...” Halari breathed, taking it all in. This was a place out of time, preserved by the Spire for almost a full millennia. Dalvo even let out a whistle of awe beside her, and beside him Viria gasped in wonder. It was so unlike anything in the Quarry where the most beautiful things always had a rundown air to them.
“Once upon a time this was the main lobby,” Callan said, pushing his way through them and waving to the space. He pulled them over to the counter nearest them on the left. “You could check in here and request audience with me or an administrator. And over here...”
This place is insane. Halari and the rest followed close behind him to the next countertop clockwise to the first, looking at every inch of the lobby like it was about to disappear. She missed what he said about the second corner, but in her stupor accidentally walked into his back as he stood frozen underneath a hanging sign at the third corner.
“What’s the matter, Callan?” she asked, taking his arm. He looked amused and even started chuckling. The sign he studied shown a... what was that? A woman with deformed arms? Were those supposed to be tails curving around her on both sides? “What is that thing?”
“I cannot believe Starbucks lasted a millennium of human advancement,” he muttered, still chuckling. “This was here before I even took the place. Incredible.”
“What’s a Starbucks?” Halari asked, not understanding why he seemed so amused.
“Coffee,” Callan said, although that didn’t help at all. “I would’ve figured it would’ve gone out of business at some point, but...” He shook his head and chuckled a bit more before refocusing. “Come on, let’s see if we can find the real reason we’re here.”
“That’s one weird-looking gal,” Kurt grumbled, still staring at the image as they moved past it toward the hallway leading away from the room. “Maybe she had a better personality.” His men grumbled their agreement.
Callan led them through the place effortlessly, as if his legs remembered every silver tile on the floor. Their next stop was a quartet of metallic doors set into the wall.
“At least these are normal,” Halari muttered, pressing the elevator buttons between them. The one on the left opened immediately as if it had been waiting for them. It wasn’t very big. “Viria, why don’t you, Kurt, and Dalvo come with us, squads take the next ones.”
“You got it,” Viria said.
Halari pressed herself close to Callan in the elevator; as much as she wanted it to be somewhat flirty, it was mostly so Kurt’s large mass had enough room to fit inside. The Fortian really was a large guy, so even then it was a tight fit. Dalvo and Viria had to press their backs to one wall and stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Looks like it needs a thumb scan for the sublevels.” Callan pressed his to the little glass panel next to the lowest button and it scanned him with red light, then the compartment beeped pleasantly. “Tell the rest, would you, Captain?”
Dalvo clicked his short-range comms until a response came.
“Rilo here,” a voice said. “What’s up, Captain?”
“Lifts are ID locked,” Dalvo said. “We’ll get you down here somehow. Hold tight for a few.”
“Copy copy,” Rilo said.
“Do you think we’ll actually find what we need?” Halari asked as the elevator hissed downwards. Callan grinned at her and squeezed her arm gently.
“We’ll find out won’t we?” He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled. He was definitely nervous, but not enough to show it. The ride was lengthy; the elevator took them down what it counted as twenty-seven levels before finally stopping easily at the bottom of its journey. "Looks like we’re here.”
It opened to reveal a wide, short walkway that led to a large vault door similar to the one she’d opened all those weeks ago and found Callan behind. It was silver instead that strange dark, off-green color and looked pretty normal.
If I find another demigod in here, I’ll... Halari giggled softly to herself and stepped out of the lift behind Callan. Yet another annnoying red group of thin lights scanned over him, chirped once, then flashed green. The vault began to open with a whirring noise as its lock disengaged.
“Whoever set this up was pretty damn paranoid,” Kurt said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Better be worth it.”
“Yeah, really,” Viria whispered. “This was a little ridiculous.”
It wasn’t dark beyond this vault door, something that Halari might have appreciated if what lay behind the door didn’t push out every single thought from her head.
The cavernous, metallic room was unbelievably massive. Its ceiling rose a story or two above and the far wall was barely visible in the distance. Between her and that far steel horizon, the floor was lined with shelf on shelf on shelf on shelf, spaced to create a corridor down the middle and horizontal alleys between each row.
And every shelf was packed full with... everything. The first couple she could see were stuffed with canned foods and packaged MREs and kegs of drinks she could already imagine tasting despite not even knowing what they were.
“Trade Master Kurt...” Callan breathed next to her, taking it all in with a look of both awe and gratitude. She felt the same thing for the beautiful, saintly Old Flame Kalia. “You are in a position to argue for twenty percent if you want.”
The Fortian looked dumbstruck. His tattooed eyes were wide and his jaw was slack. It took him a second to pull his intelligence off the floor so he could speak.
“Hell, I-I’ll take ten just so we can move it home,” he said, still frozen by the sight of wealth so large it could feed him probably feed his people for years.
Callan pulled her close. “Why don’t you take a look around while Kurt and I work out the details? Find something interesting.” He smiled at her.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Yeah...” Halari said. She felt as excited as she did the very first time she scaled a cliff or successfully rappelled into a ravine. This singular room was a whole new world to explore and dive headfirst into. She almost dashed off like a manic child to climb the nearest shelf. It towered above her, five times her height. “Viria, let’s go. I want to explore.”
Viria laughed and actually did dash off, dragging Dalvo by the hand to check out the nearest storage space of food. Halari saw her pull out a colorful box and break it open without a second thought, then reached in to pull out a handful of small, pale brown chunks.
I could get lost for days in here, Halari thought, moving down the central corridor of shelves. She unlooped her rifle and chambered a round, just in case. The alleys between shelves were deep, and while there didn’t appear to be any signs of life, she didn’t want to get caught unprepared. There’s so much stuff. How long did this take to put together?
Foodstuffs became mechanical parts and huge bundles of cords after five rows. There were crates of screws, tools, nuts, and bolts. There were entire shelf levels dedicated to sheets of metals and beams and bars. Five rows of those gave way to technology parts most of which she didn’t recognize. They had a familiar feel to them, as though they were more advanced versions of the same parts she used for her trawler. Again, five rows of the same.
Is that foam? Halari paused at the first of the last five shelves where crates as long as she was tall were set. Each was full of bio-foam to the brim. What’s that doing here?
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a pedestal at the end of the main corridor. She’d been so focused on the shelves she hadn’t noticed it until now. A thick, peculiar rectangle object the size of a book sat propped up on it. Its purple interior looked crystalline but lined with lights or power that moved down it in thin strands. Its metal frame was polished and shining.
Halari moved towards it curiously, inspecting it closely when she was a step away. There was a button at the bottom of the device’s frame and what looked like a camera lens at the top. She reached for the bottom, then hesitated, thinking about the last time she’d pressed random buttons.
Technically that worked out, she thought, pressing it.
The lens at the top flared a pale violet and a beam of light the same color shot from it to hit the floor. After a moment, it begin rise upwards, leaving an afterimage of legs with it.
No, wait, it’s like the keyboard, Halari realized as the light formed a chest, then arms, then a head. It made a full person made of pale, violet-tinted light about her height. The lightman had no features other than a nose without nostrils.
“That’s amazing,” Halari murmured, reaching out and putting one finger through its face. She felt nothing around her skin.
“Hello, what’s your name?” the lightperson asked, turning its blank face to look at her.
Halari yelped and jumped backwards, aiming her gun right at its head. “What the fuck?”
“There’s no need for expletives,” the lightperson said in a flat tone. It turned in full and put its arms behind its back. “What’s your name?”
“Halari?” Callan dashed up and moved in front of her. “Are you alright?”
“This thing is talking to me,” she said, keeping her barrel level with the lightperson’s face.
“What are you?” Callan asked it.
“I am Magellan,” it said, bowing at the waist. “It is a pleasure to meet you, King Callan. I have been waiting a long time.”
“Halari, I think this is the AI that Kalia mentioned,” Callan said, lowering his defensive posture and glancing at the device on the pedestal. He grabbed it one hand, then squinted into its crystalline interior. “This is circuitry on another level.”
“I am the latest model of navigation intelligence,” Magellan said. Its voice never changed from a flat, but pleasant tone. “If it pleases you, you may call me Magi for convenience.”
“Magi?” Halari asked. She lowered her gun as Dalvo and Viria approached to gawk at the AI. Kurt came too, but he looked less awed and more concerned. He even had his maul readied in both hands.
“MAGI meaning Multi-purpose Artifical Guidance Intelligence,” it said. “My programmer gave me the familiar name ‘Magellan,’ but MAGI-1.2v3 is my official designation.”
“And what’s your directive, Magi?” Callan asked, replacing the device back on the pedestal.
“My primary directive is your guidance to the stars,” Magi said. “My dormant clock counts that it has been nine-hundred, ninety-five years since I was made idle. You have a lot of catching up to do.”
“You can say that again,” Halari huffed. “Do you know... about everything?”
“I have access to all information from the first years of the Obsidian Informational Uni-server until I was put to rest,” Magi said. “Centuries of data at your disposal.”
“But no idea about the current world,” Halari clarified. “I’m sure you’re in for a surprise.”
“I cannot be surprised, I am a computer.” Magi emulated a shrug, but Halari swore that its blank face was smirking at her. “Is there anything I can be of assistance with?”
“Can you unlock the elevators down here?” Dalvo asked. He had a brown rectangle in his hands and appeared to be taking bites out of it regularly, even offering some to Viria. It was the most unprofessional thing Halari’d seen him do since his promotion, so whatever it was he was eating had to be worth it. “My soldiers need to get down here.”
“Soldiers?” Magi asked, turning its blank face towards the officer. “Surely the war Queen Kalia feared for is over by now.”
“New war,” Callan said. “Can you do it or not?”
“All elevators are ready for transport,” Magi said, waving to the far-away wall where they came from. “As long as I remain on my pedestal, I have access to many of the Spire’s systems.”
“Wonderful,” Callan said. He turned to the captain, who very quickly pocketed his brown rectangle. “Go get your men, Captain. Viria, Kurt, you too. Halari, stay with me.”
Is it finally time? Halari wondered, feeling excitement buzz in her toes. There was only one reason he’d send everybody away while keeping her around: she was the only one besides him who knew what was really down here.
His power.
“Magi, are you aware of the other storage floor in the sublevels?” Callan asked.
“Yes,” Magi said, turning to the wall behind his pedestal. “Queen Kalia had that knowledge installed with a second primary directive. I am not at liberty to speak about it unless asked for its location by you, King Callan.”
“Take us to it,” Callan said. He held out a hand to Halari, which she grabbed with an eager grin. Magi held up a light hand and gestured to the wall. Part of it slid open to reveal a regularly-sized doorway from which a set of stairs descended.
“I was kinda hoping for another elevator,” Halari said, eyeing the staircase unhappily.
“You will burn exactly two-hundred, fifty-one calories on the way down,” Magi said without turning to her. It began to hover down the steps, emulating a walk that didn’t match the pace it made. It stopped by the doorway. “Please remove my emitter piece from my body. It slides out.”
Halari grabbed the top of the device’s metal frame and pulled on it. It came off easily, and she pocketed it so that the lens faced the open air and wasn’t obstructed.
“Follow me,” Magi said. It guided them down the winding steps quickly. The air grew colder, enough to make her shiver and walk a little closer to Callan. He was also shivering, but not, she guessed, from the cold. In a few moments, he’d be back in full.
Will he still be the same? She worried, unable to push the question out of her head. This Callan, her Callan, was tempered and level, but what if that changed when he got his strength back? No, no he’ll just be Callan. Just a bit more electric.
“Here we are,” Magi said, stopping in front of a door with the Dragon’s head engraved on its surface. “I shall deactivate until you call me again. Even I am not allowed to see such a reverent process. Good luck.”
Magi disappeared and the emitter in her pocket went dark.
“I want you in there with me,” Callan said, squeezing her hand. He looked uneasy, like what was beyond that door was affecting him. His draconic eyes flicked to the door, then to her filled with concern. “I need you here for this moment.”
“Of course,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him. “I’m kinda excited to see what happens. But Callan...” She kissed him again. “Do come back to me, ok?”
Callan smiled at her, then turned and put one hand on the Dragon engraving. His lightning flowed into it, illuminating its eyes with red-purple power. Then the door split down the middle and opened inwards.
Light the same color as his electricity shone on them so brightly that Halari covered her eyes until they adjusted. Beside her, Callan gasped.
The room had no floor. Instead, the door opened up to a pool of liquid that shimmered and glowed with crimson-amethyst power. Halari didn’t see the bottom through the glare.
“Is this it?” she asked.
“Yes, these are the Rains of Melokon,” Callan said softly, kneeling down and cupping one hand to scoop some out and take a long swig. He shuddered, then laughed. “I can’t believe it.”
“Well, go on, jump in!” She restrained herself from pushing him.
“I...” Callan suddenly looked unsure. “It might...”
Halari’s short-range comms clicked, then a voice came through without waiting for her acknowledgment.
“Hala! Hala!” That was Viria’s voice. Why did she sound so panicked? “Come in!”
“What is it Viri?” Halari asked. “I’m kinda preoccupied at the moment.”
“Hala, it’s the gildgrown,” Viria said, voice trembling through the comms. “They’re here!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
They’re here.
No! Callan snapped up from his worship of the pool of Rain beneath him. Halari looked terrified as she clicked to talk into her comms.
“How many?” she asked into the mic. “Viri, how many? Can you fight them off?
“Word from up top says a hundred, maybe more,” came Viria’s voice. “We need all hands.”
“Fuck!” Halari hissed. “Nobody moves, nobody engages, I’ll be there in a second.” She dropped the comm and groaned. “How is this possible?”
“I don’t know,” Callan said, shaking his head. He balled his fist and punched the wall so hard it dented. “Damn it!” He was so close, the pool was right there, but now he had no time. Especially if...
“Let’s go,” Callan said, moving to run back up the stairs and rejoin the armed forces.
“Wait.” Halari moved in front of him and put both hands on his chest. “Callan, if you go out there like you are and we make an assault against that number, we’ll probably win, but most of us might die. If you restore your powers, can you wipe them out and limit our losses?”
“Yes, but Halari...” Callan gritted his teeth and forced the truth out of his throat. “Halari, if I walk into those waters, the sudden intake of power might burn me up. I’m weak, Halari. I might not come out.”
“It’s a gamble,” Halari said, smiling wanly at him, “but I believe in you. I have since I pulled you out of the Vault. You’ll save us. All we’re gonna do is hold until you come. That’s all we have to do, it’s easy. Just... hurry.”
“I’ll be there, I swear it,” Callan said. Then, he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her hard for a long moment before pulling away. “Do not die before I get up there.”
“Cause after’s the only time that works for you, huh?” She smirked at him sweetly, then turned away and dashed up the steps with her rifle already out. He watched until her footsteps faded, then turned back into the pool. If it rejected him for losing himself in the dark for two thousand years, he was going to burn up and die.
But, that wasn’t an option.
Callan took off his shirt, stepped up to the pool, and took a deep breath. “I will be there, I promise.” Then, he jumped.
The Rains of Melokon absorbed him into the warm waters; their power electrified his skin, set his nerves alight, and lit his soul on fire.
Callan screamed under the water.
No, this was wrong!
This hurt too much!
He was going to burn up and die here and break yet another promise to the woman who held his heart.
Darkened purple and red glow dominated his vision while submerged. Just as he thought he was going to pass out, the pain faded and the angry light attacking his closed eyelids dimmed. The sensation of being underwater disappeared from his burning skin at the same time.
Callan opened his eyes to find that he wasn’t in the pool anymore. He stood on the carpet of a familiar hallway that belonged to a time that no longer existed.