The maintenance shaft dropped into darkness, metal rungs disappearing into shadow. Each tremor that ran through Voidhold Two made the ladder shudder against my palms.

As I climbed down, my stomach churned with Cedar's words about weapons and destruction. Voidholds as parts of some vast mechanism meant to destroy Mosogon itself? My hands trembled on the rungs, and not just from the exertion. I thought of the White Room, of Commander Sentix frozen in his endless poses. What had he done? Had he known? Had he tried to stop it? Had he tried to start it? The questions made me dizzy, and I had to pause, pressing my forehead against the cold metal of the ladder until the spinning stopped.

Just keep moving down, Cedar said. Don't think about falling.

"That's not very helpful." My voice came out shaky in the narrow space. I took a deep breath. "Cedar, I'm not sure I believe what you told me about the voidholds either. I don't suppose you have any evidence?" The words tumbled out too fast, betraying the panic I was trying to suppress.

You're becoming quite the investigator, aren't you? How refreshing. No, I don't have evidence on me right now, due to circumstances that should be exceedingly clear.

I continued descending, focusing on each rung and trying to ignore both the growing ache in my arms and the cold weight of dread in my chest. The air grew warmer as I descended, carrying unfamiliar scents of oil and heated metal. Every time the voidhold shuddered, I imagined I could feel its destructive force, waiting to be awakened.

“Cedar, when we have found you a body and you have stabilized this voidhold, can you prove to me that what you said is the truth?”

There was a pause.

Yes. When I have a body and have stabilized this voidhold, I will give you evidence. And then you will tell your friends that Voidhold One is to remain lost.

“All right.” Suddenly, my foot touched solid ground. “We’re at the bottom of the shaft.” I glanced up at the ladder, stretching up into the darkness. I briefly wondered how I would get up again, then decided not to worry about it. A tremor started. I braced, but it passed as a mere shudder. "Now what?"

There should be a passage leading off to your right. Follow it until you reach a junction marked with those green symbols.

The passage was barely wide enough for my shoulders. Pipes and conduits snaked along its walls, some leaking steam in thin wisps. Everything felt alive here, humming and pulsing with the voidhold's systems.

“How do functionaries even get down here?” I asked.

Elevators.

“Can I use an elevator to get back up?”

I should have said “folded into elevators”. How good are you at compacting yourself?

“I suppose we shall find out,” I said as I spied green markings glowing faintly ahead. “I’m at the junction, now what?”

Go left. The node should be just around the corner. Are there any signs of damage? Ragged edges? Scorch marks?

I examined the walls. “Everything looks intact.”

Excellent. I don’t think the humans made it this far in. Keep going.

I rounded a corner and a vast and cluttered opened up before me. Workbenches lined the walls, their surfaces covered in functionary components in various states of repair. Partial bodies hung from ceiling racks, their limbs trailing cables like strange vines. The air sparkled with dancing motes of metal dust, shaken loose by the tremors.

In the center of it all, was a large, spotless table in a pool of bright light.

On the table was a functionary segment.

Behind the segment sat a human.

The sight was so unexpected that I stopped right where I was and stared.

The human was a man, slightly younger than Larkin but with a gentler presence. His frame was slight, almost delicate. Dark curls fell across his forehead as he worked, dampened by the node's humid air, and his face held an expression of complete absorption. Though his head and shoulders twitched in sharp, irregular movements, his hands remained steady on his tools. He wore simple coveralls like the other humans on Voidhold Two, marked with patches and careful repairs.

Okay, now that we're here we should proceed with caution. First, we need to—

The man’s head shot up. "Who's there?" he called. "Come out! Come where I can see you."

I hesitated in the shadows.

Why aren't you responding? Is there a functionary? What’s going on?

"Show yourself!" the man commanded again. "Now!"

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward into the light. "Hello—"

"You are not authorized to be here. Get out."

"Are you a human?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

A human? There is a human in the node? What in the void is it doing here? This isn't right at all.

He rose to stand, but his movements were loose and uncoordinated, his body fighting itself with each motion. He gripped the table for support, and I noticed how his knuckles went white with the effort of staying upright. Despite his obvious struggle for control, there was a grace to him. It was not the easy strength of Larkin, but something more deliberate, like every movement was a small victory.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I said, get out!” he shouted. "This area is restricted. You can't be here!"

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I need help.”

Is this human being awkward? This is the node, there shouldn’t even be a human here. Except upon invitation, like yourself.

“You’ve got someone talking to you, haven’t you?” The man’s eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

“Shade from Voidhold Zero.”

“Zero?” He shook his head. “I thought you were all just frozen brains.”

“What?" I was puzzled. "Frozen brains? No.”

Frozen brains! What is going on out there? Oh, what I’d give for an eye!

The man’s hand began shaking, and he stilled it by resting it on the functionary segment. “I heard that Zero eliminated its humans but kept their brains in vats to authorize procedures.”

“I have my brain in my skull,” I said. “And I have authorized plenty of procedures.”

Is this human lucid? It seems obsessed with brains. I am assessing this situation as dangerous. Look around and see if there is anything you use as a weapon. The node is full of parts. I suggest a leg.

“Who is that?” the man snapped.

Who is this?

“Who is what?” I asked. This conversation was making my head spin.

“You have a voice directed right at you,” said the man, “but it’s none of the units in here. They are patched into me. So who is it? Did you bring someone from Zero?”

I stared at him, taking in what he had said. Patched into him? I stepped forward, right up to the edge of the table to take a closer look at him. He didn’t have anything on his ears that looked like my ornament. His gaze was intense, dark eyes riveted on me while his body moved through a twitching dance.

“How do I know I can trust you?” I asked.

Okay, I see you are trying the diplomatic route. I suggest determining this human’s goals, preferably ones not involving brains. Then see if you can find alignment. Admittedly, I am a void stream navigator, not a negotiator, but there are surprising overlaps.

The man’s eyes flickered to my left shoulder. I turned to look. A huge misshapen functionary had silently positioned itself just behind me. It had one cracked eye and nothing else like a face, but it might have once looked like Yeller. When its raised its claw-like hand, not quite taking hold of my arm, I felt an odd sense of comfort.

“You’ll trust me because I could have had you snapped in two from the moment I saw you.” The man smiled. “Will that do?”

“I told you who I am: Shade of Voidhold Zero. Now tell me who you are, and only then will I tell you who is talking to me.”

He considered this. “Fair enough,” he said finally. “I’m Aster, originally of Voidhold Five, also known as the Broken Crown.”

Just checking in here. Shade? Is your thought organ still in one piece?

“Yes, still here. I am pleased to meet you, Aster of Voidhold Five.” I attempted what I hoped was a smile, though my face seemed to resist the unfamiliar movement. It was probably more of a grimace.

Voidhold Five! This is unexpected. I need to speak to this human. Ask it why it's here.

"I am talking to Cedar, Voidhold Two’s navigator. It would like to speak to you.”

“The navigator?” Aster leaned forward in interest, his arms on the table bracing his slender, unstable body. “Where is it?”

“It’s in my pocket, and it would like to know why you are here in the node.”

He scowled. “I am authorized to be here. You, however, are not. Yet here you are with one of the most important pieces of the voidhold. Where did you get it?”

“Cedar, he says he is authorized to be here. Aster, I...liberated it from Lidaros' quarters."

Aster’s eyebrows shot up. “Lidaros! You went in there? Alone?”

“Actually...” I felt my face doing strange things, almost as if by itself. I wished I was still veiled. “Lidaros took me in there, and then I used a stun gun on him.”

Understanding brightened Aster’s face, and suddenly he laughed. Loud and hard.

"You stunned Lidaros? You?”

You didn't mention me. Don't I get any credit for our violence?

“Cedar helped. I think it was eager to escape.”

Indeed! Tell me, Shade, does this Aster still seem hungry for your brains? Can we trust him?

“Yes, I think so. Let me talk. Please try not to interrupt.” I pointed to the segment on the table. “Aster, what are you doing to that?”

Aster lowered himself back to a seated position, his arms shaking. He gave a wry smile. "I am seeing what use I can make of it.”

“I thought Voidhold Two had freed itself from functionaries.”

“Ha!” He laughed. This time it was more of a snort. "So it would seem at the surface, but they destroyed their functionaries before they realized that crucial systems won’t work without them. They prefer to pretend this place doesn't exist. I think they even prefer to pretend I don't exist."

"Is that why you are down here alone?"

A violent twitch ran through his left shoulder. "Yes and no." He frowned and shook his head. "Being born on Voidhold Five means being born into toxic dust." He held up his trembling fingers. "Severe neural degradation. Scrambled nerves. Initially, Voidhold Two agreed to take on Five's children…but when they saw what my parents and guardians had done to me, they were suddenly less keen."

“What did they do to you?”

Aster’s gaze was level as he considered me. Then he turned his head, with some difficulty as his body was trying to twist itself against the table. At the nape of his neck, there was a gleam of metal and the smooth darkness of fibrepak.

“Is that a functionary part?” I asked.

“In a way. It helps me keep control, although I have to focus.” He turned back and looked at his twitching hands. “I seem to be distracted at present.”

Our eyes met. A small, shy smile played around his mouth.

Shade? Are you okay? Your heart rate just spiked.

“And so,” Aster continued, “The people of Voidhold Two suggested that I show them my gratitude by staying down here and keeping their stripped-down machines working.”

“Oh.” I looked around at the node. “That must be a lot of work. I saw one in the garden.”

“Yes.” Aster nodded. “That is Wattle. Well.” He shrugged. “What’s left of it.”

“Wattle,” I said quietly.

Good Wattle. It was—

Another violent tremor shook the node. Aster held onto the table as tools clattered off workbenches behind him. The misshapen functionary beside me swayed but remained standing.

"The voidhold is failing," said Aster when the movement stopped. His face was tight with pain.

"That's why we're here." I reached into my pocket for Cedar. "Voidhold Two’s navigator needs a body. Can you help?"

Charmed to make your acquaintance. Shade, tell him that I require a functional body. Preferably something with decent mobility and intact interface circuits.

Aster stared at Cedar’s module while I relayed the information. Then he shook his head. “I don't have anything complete enough for a navigator's core, but…” He reached down into a drawer and pulled out what looked like a delicate mesh of metal and crystal fragments. "We might be able to patch it directly into the voidhold's infrastructure. Ask it if that’s acceptable.”

I don’t like the sound of that. I'd be fixed. Anyone could tear me out and smash me to pieces….oh wait, I have no choice in the matter anyway.

Another violent tremor shook the node. Above us came the shriek of metal.

"It says it's okay with it," I said, handing over the module. Aster positioned it into what looked like a delicate metal cradle, its surface etched with patterns similar to the ones I'd seen on Redd's diagnostic panels. Filaments rose from its edges like metallic grass, swaying slightly. A set of arms whirred to life, their manipulators extending delicate probes and connection interfaces, weaving hair-thin filaments between the framework's crystal lattices. Cedar's module pulsed with a faint green light as the connections began to form.

"It’ll take a while," said Aster. “Would you…” He hesitated. “Would you like something to eat?”