{Earth}
Voices. So many. Warm and somewhat familiar. Silence liked a few of them, but they said such confusing things.
“Celindria—”
The bitch inside of Kyle.
“—said we only needed to mention the Mother,” Dr. Suarez offered.
The Mother. “Mother of my people.” The evil bitch said those words in the Faraday Cage and… Well, Silence couldn’t remember what happened next. But obviously she fell asleep. Again.
Only their voices reached her.
“Celindria said more.” Twenty-One. Massive Icarean warrior with warm dark eyes turned volunteer lab rat. And quite the fierce lover. Just. Wow. “She mentioned a library of the ancients. The Tritans sent King Umbra after it once. The campaign ended in failure.”
Ice filled Silence’s veins. No, no. Please, don’t say it—
“The Atheneum,” Smith confirmed.
Light exploded behind Silence’s eyes.
{Six Million Years Ago}
The caves below the basalt fields of the Ignis Desert stank of sulfur and plutonic ash. Silence stood naked over the resurrection casket delivered from Enki. Stuck here for Eternity-knew-how-long smelling that fire. A nearby vent expelled a hiss of steam as if to mock her disdain.
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A male voice behind her completed the briefing. “In choosing this mission, you will sleep until the time is upon us. The library will be ours.”
The Icarean female rolled her eyes. Ask a man to help with a mission, and he thinks he can take charge of it. “Hah! I am not convinced you truly failed to find it already. I know of your clandestine operations with Three Two Four behind Primary Tumu’s back.”
The male chuckled. “You are wise in your caution. But fear not, our Mother. The boy is harmless. You may trust in me. I am honored you selected me for this assignment.”
Ignoring his duplicitous offerings, Silence climbed into the casket and assured him, “I trust no one. Even if you never wake me, I installed a failsafe. I will awaken eventually. Do not let it come to that. Wake me when the time comes. No others will seek me. I will not be missed.”
“I believe you underestimate his affection for you.” The Tritan approached the machine with his hands clasped behind his back and a frown on his nearly featureless face. The sadness in his voice sounded genuine.
Grief tightened Silence’s chest. She swallowed it and argued, “It would help if he showed nary a sign of it on even the slightest of occasion.” Determined now more than ever, she laid out in the cold interior of the device with no fear. Only some sorrow to miss raising their only child. But those Probabilities were set.
“Pity. If only your own affections were not wasted on him. There are others—”
Now, he wanted to play matchmaker. She shook her head before thinking to set her long hair aside for the sleep. “I am not interested in others. He is the only match for me. Until I die or he does, I am his.”
The Tritan nodded solemnly. “And he is blessed, if unworthy. Good night, our Mother. May your rest be a peaceful one.”
“Unlikely. I am a creature of war and death. My dreams are filled with bloodshed.” If currently out of use in this golden era of peace. Their peace; never hers. Hers lied in chaos. “I cannot find enough chaos without the Aegis. I cannot find the Exalted without the Atheneum. I will find chaos when I wake. I wish you good fortune on your journey, Primary Remorse.”
“And you on yours, the Silence of our Stars.”
The mission called to Silence, and she dared not ignore it. With her memory intact, the Mother opened her eyes and gripped Kyle’s chain.