NOVEL NEXT Ch66.1 Xin: Digital Depths (Scene 1)
11:17, March 19, 2295
3F, Jensen H Engineering Center, 475 Via Ortega, Stanford Psi University, CA 94305, Golden State Republic territory
The morning sun streamed through the Engineering Library's windows, lighting up old wood panels from the Digital Era. Fusion generators hummed beneath clear floor panels, their blue glow mixing with sunlight. At a research station, Xin sat typing while Lorna watched from the side.
"Any luck?" she asked, leaning forward. The Pendant of Mánagrát caught the light at her throat as her beige trench coat shifted. Håkon perched on a nearby shelf, his blue scales shimmering as he watched the library.
Thomas stood by the window, Gauss Rifle held low but ready. "Perimeter's still clear. Diego's got eyes on the north entrance."
"Yeah, the override code works." Xin said, adjusting his glasses. Kuma - Emmanuel's Kinetic SMG - rested against his back, its polymer surface softer than it appeared. "Now to find where in California they've hidden this next shard..."
"Earlier, I found forty-three references to 'moondust' in my searches on another terminal," Lorna muttered as Xin scrolled through results. "and exactly zero mentions of where Watrous might have hidden anything."
"Watrous always was methodical," Thomas added, not taking his eyes off the window. "Back when he was teaching, he'd hide exam answers in plain sight. Students never caught on."
"You knew him?" Xin turned, surprised.
"Took some night classes at Champaign Institute of Technology. Director Otis asked me to, but books were never my thing. Was in Watrous's sociology elective. Before he went..." Thomas made a vague gesture with his cybernetic hand. "You know. Corpse-like."
"Although, I'm not sure Watrous could hide a Moondust shard. He's looking for one, too, remember?" Xin turned to her, speaking softly.
"You're right." She ran a hand through her hair. "I feel dumb in front of computers."
"Hey, that's what I'm here for." He reached out to touch her hand gently. "You're great on the battlefield."
Håkon trilled encouragingly at Lorna.
She smiled as Xin withdrew his hand, returning his attention to the terminal.
A shimmer in the air preceded a holographic projection - Chief Executive Reeves appearing beside them in his golden business suit, one hand behind his back. He held a lit cigarette.
"Having trouble with our databases, Agent Weiss?" The man asked.
Lorna's shoulders tensed. "Mr. Reeves. I thought you'd be coordinating your Wardens outside."
"And miss the chance to assist our new allies?" He gestured at the terminal. "Stanford's quantum repositories can be...particular. They were designed to protect GSR state secrets, after all."
"Any tips?" Xin asked, pausing his typing.
"Try accessing the 'Visiting Scholars' partition. Password is 'Eureka-1849.'" Reeves said.
"On it —" Xin's fingers flew across the interface. A new directory tree appeared on the display. "That worked. Thank you."
"The GSR values cooperation," Reeves said, though his eyes remained calculating. "Though I'm curious why you'd look for Professor Watrous. The Moondust Crystal shares minimal connection with such individuals."
"He escaped Stardust Command," Lorna replied. "We have reason to believe he's after the same thing we are."
"Ah. The Fenris Horde he serves." Reeves' expression shifted. "Mac was brilliant before his transformation. Close to understanding how the Radi-Mons integrated consciousness with their tech." He paused. "Cross-reference his papers with 'Yosemite excavations'."
As Xin typed the new search terms, movement caught his eye.
Håkon had crawled down from his perch and positioned himself beside the keyboard. The young Diabolisk hunched his back, copying Xin's posture perfectly, and began tapping his tiny claws on the table in rhythm with Xin's keystrokes.
"Look at him," Lorna smiled despite the tension.
Håkon chirped proudly, his claws clicking faster as if he too was searching the database.
"Want to learn how to code, boy?" Xin grinned. "I'd need Pawan here to help with the lessons."
"Didn't bring your drone?" Lorna asked.
"Left it back at Stardust Command. Was working on some upgrades for…medical sensors." Xin stroked his chin before resuming his typing.
"That tab there — that's the one." Reeves said, highlighting a section on screen with his cigarette. "Watrous published this last November, three months before leaving for Chicago. 'Theoretical Applications of Nirboh Artifacts in Modern Computing.'"
"Uh…Nirboh?" Xin raised an eyebrow. When he paused to read, Håkon paused too, tilting his head at the same angle.
"A rumored alien race that used to live on Neptune's moons." Lorna shrugged. "Many just call them Neptunians. No one's ever seen them, though."
"Our scholars believe that the Nirbohs created the Moondust Crystal — then constructed Osram the Moon to conceal it from the Earth civilizations." Reeves gestured with his cigarette, the smoke rendered clearly in the air but without smell.
"The Moon is artificial. Right." Lorna remarked sarcastically, shaking her head. "And the Sun is placed in the sky by the ancient goddess Sol."
"There were argument that the Moon is too large to be Earth's natural satellite, though." Xin said, pushing his glasses as his eyes scanned the abstract. "Here's something. Blue-colored unknown mineral housed at southern Yosemite. Serial number NH-2247-SH."
"Think that could be our shard?" Lorna breathed, leaning closer. Her perfume - lavender with a hint of something else - momentarily distracted him. "Suspected Nirboh Artifact, discovered 2247."
" — Immovable object, reason unknown. Labeled 'Sensitive Info', confidetial level 'High'." Xin read out loud as his finger traced the screen.
"The entire valley has been...problematic since certain parties began experimenting there." Reeves confirmed.
"Problematic?" Xin pressed, but noticed Reeves' expression had changed - less helpful politician, more like calculating businessman.
"Classified information. Even for our new allies." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "But I can tell you the GSR military lost an entire platoon there in '86. The official report blamed equipment failure."
Lorna and Xin exchanged glances. "And the unofficial report?"
"Doesn't exist." Though Xin's sharp hearing caught something. Reeves' tone suggested it very much did. "Continue your search. I'll provide what assistance I can."
As Xin dug deeper into the classified files, more pieces emerged. Photos showed Watrous younger, still human, standing beside a blue crystalline object the size of a toddler socked into the ground. One that seemed to shimmer even in still images.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"That's our shard, alright." Xin pulled up a financial record on another tab. "Three weeks before Watrous went underground, he ordered specialized equipment. Resonance scanners, bio-neural interfaces, and..." he frowned. "Sixty gallons of synthesized Helionite?"
"He was planning to feed whatever he summoned," Lorna concluded. "The Fenris Horde loves that stuff."
Before Reeves could respond, Håkon's playful chirping turned into a warning trill. The young Diabolisk abandoned his typing game, scales darkening to deep blue as he pressed against Lorna's arm, tiny claws digging into her trench coat's sleeve.
"¡Madre de Dios!" Diego's voice echoed from two floors up. "We've got movement in the ambient signatures. The sensors are going loco!"
The terminal screen flickered, lines of code racing across it faster than human eyes could follow. When it stabilized, a massive three-eyed Kraken filled the display, its brown flesh glistening, arms writhing.
"Professor Watrous and our newly converted scholars have shared much knowledge with us." the creature's words appeared as text before being voiced through the library's speakers. "We've learned to navigate your information systems as easily as the ocean depths."
"Like hell," Lorna muttered, hand moving to Baldr at her belt.
"Ah, Primarch Skarn's prize," the Kraken's central eye focused on her through the screen. "He speaks of you often, Lorna Weiss."
Lorna's face went pale, her hand unconsciously moving to her stomach. Xin felt a surge of protective anger.
"Shut up," he snapped at the screen, fingers flying across the interface to start data transfer to his flash drive.
The Kraken's attention shifted to him. "And the mate-surrogate. Perhaps one worth converting to a Draug, as well?"
"In your dreams!" Xin's hands moved faster, running defensive protocols while starting the download.
"Reeves!" Lorna's voice was firm despite her pallor. "Can your systems help?"
"My projection has no admin access," the hologram said, stepping back slightly. "But being a technician in my younger days, I can guide you."
"Guide us?" Xin asked.
"The Kraken will try to corrupt your download through packet injection. Set up mirror nodes, command prompt 'lambda-seven-seven.' It's an old Digital Era trick." Reeves said before drawing on his cigarette.
Glass shattered on the floor below, the sound echoing through the library. The stench of decay wafted up through the climate control systems - rotting flesh mixed with something chemical. Through the clear floor panels, Xin could see Bone Fiends emerging from maintenance tunnels, their exposed vertebrae clicking as they moved.
Outside, the golden-armored Pomo Wardens opened fire, their neural disruptors creating nets of blue energy. But more creatures emerged - Skuggrs with their insect forms.
"Contact!" Diego's voice crackled through comms from his position two floors up. "Multiple hostiles engaging the Wardens!"
Thomas moved to the window, Gauss Rifle ready. "I count twelve Fiends, three Skuggrs. The Wardens are holding but—" His cybernetic hand tightened on his weapon. "They're getting flanked."
A young Warden, barely out of training by the look of him, tried to dodge the Skuggr's acid spray. The corrosive stream caught his shoulder, eating through the golden composite plating.
"Eric! Get him some Medi-Vap!" his squadmate called out, dragging him behind cover while still firing one-handed. Another Warden rushed forward with what looked like a can of neutralizer spray, but a second Skuggr burst from the wall behind them, delivering a pincer attack, streams of acid bile dissolving metal as their giant mandibles bit into their prey. The two Californians never made it.
"They need help—" Thomas said, already moving toward the stairs.
"Wait!" Lorna grabbed his arm. "We hold this position. If they breach here, Xin can't finish the download."
Through the transparent panels, Xin watched as another Warden - her golden helmet gleaming with integrated sensors - coordinated her squad with crisp hand signals. "Sectors three through seven, establish overlapping fields!"
"Thirty percent downloaded!" Xin reported, using Reeves' mirror node suggestion while typing furiously.
The Kraken's arms pressed against the edge of the screen, as if testing for weaknesses. "Admirable. But we'll secure the data while you perish."
Håkon had taken a defensive position now, no longer playing but watching the stairs with reptilian intensity.
Lorna stood up fluidly. She drew the Psi Shield Device from Xin's jacket pocket and fitted it to his ear without asking. "Vacuus Arcanum Custos," she murmured in Ordovox, the Void spell activating the shield.
"Thanks!" Xin replied, glancing at her.
"Keep working, we'll handle the rest." she said, drawing Baldr from within her trench coat. The Psytum Sword's quantum blade hummed to life, casting blue shadows across her face.
"Actually, the mirror nodes are self-replicating now!" Xin got up from his chair. His fingers flew across the terminal one last time. A progress window appeared, showing the download proceeding on its own.
The screen split into multiple partitions, each one showing identical progress bars advancing in parallel. Even if the Kraken could somehow corrupt one stream, the others would continue.
"Smart!" Lorna's approval made his chest swell with pride.
"I'll help with the fight." He said.
"Good!" Thomas moved to cover the main entrance. "Three-point defense. Lorna takes center, I've got the stairs, Xin covers our six."
"Your Kinetic SMG, then." Lorna nodded toward Kuma. "Remember what Manny and I taught you. Breathing control, center mass, squeeze don't pull."
Xin grabbed the weapon, nodding. The grip felt familiar now. "Got this side covered!"
The first wave hit. A Bone Fiend burst through a maintenance panel twenty feet away, its canine skull wreathed in darkness. Xin raised Kuma, breathed out slowly and squeezed the trigger. A seven-round burst caught the creature center mass, electromagnetic rounds punching through its ribcage. It dropped instantly.
Another emerged from the same panel - Xin adjusted his aim left, fired, watched it fall. His groupings were tighter now, more confident. The hours of practice from last night were paying off.
"Northwest stairwell!" Thomas called out, his Gauss Rifle's distinctive whine filling the air. Three Bone Fiends tried to rush his position, but his cybernetic reflexes were faster. Controlled bursts dropped them before they made it halfway up.
"Nice shooting for an engineer," Reeves observed, watching Xin. "Probably spending too much ammo, however —"
"Duck!" Lorna shouted.
Xin dropped as a Skuggr's acid stream sizzled overhead, melting through an irreplaceable section of 20th-century wood paneling.
Raising his left hand, he pointed a palm at the Radi-Mon and chanted in Devavāṇī. "Śūnyatā Śāntih!"
The Skuggr stumbled back as green energies wrapped around its torso, visible cracks forming on its shell as it spat out an acidic stream to retaliate.
Nervously, Xin dodged left, came up on one knee, and squeezed the trigger hard to put eleven rounds through the creature's head. The creature fell.
"Diego, status on the Wardens?" Thomas asked, dropping another Fiend.
"Down to four effectives," Diego's voice came tense. "But they're holding the perimeter."
Beside Xin, Lorna moved through the library, using columns and reading desks as pivot points. Baldr carved through two Fiends in a single flowing motion, leaving azure trails of energy. Váli, her 10mm Magnum, fired twice - precise shots that dropped a third target before it could close the distance.
"Fifty-three percent!" Xin called out between bursts of gunfire.
Suddenly, a figure rounded the corner - not charging like the Fiends, but walking with purpose. Its partially melted flesh still bore recognizable features beneath the corruption. The university ID badge hanging from its neck read 'Marcus Chen, Computer Science', and the eyes that fixed on Xin glowed with intelligence. This was no mere zombie.
"Draug, bearing two-seven-zero!" Thomas warned, trying to adjust his position, but a fresh wave of Bone Fiends surged up the stairs, forcing him to hold.
"A fellow programmer?" the Draug's voice rasped like grinding stone. "Your knowledge will enhance the collective."
Xin raised Kuma and fired - six rounds. The bullets struck true, but the Draug merely staggered, dark ichor seeping from wounds that began closing immediately.
"Járn-önd!" The Draug exhaled, and the air itself became weapons, sand forming around it to disintegrate the subsequent bullets that Xin fired.
Then, blades of compressed sand formed from the barrier, slashing toward him.
He dove left, feeling the attack whistle past. His Psi Shield flickered as one blade grazed it, draining his Aether to prevent what would have been a severed arm. Heart hammering, Xin came up firing, trying to buy time.
"I'm coming!" Thomas called, but the stairs were choked with enemies.
"Śūnyatā Śāntih!" Xin attempted the same nullification spell, focusing on the Draug.
But the spell's green light struck the creature harmlessly. The Draug laughed - an ugly, wet sound. "Newly awakened. Your Void calls to mine, but you lack depth." It raised one partially skeletal hand. "Beinaklifr!"
Ghostly fingers erupted from the floor, grasping at Xin's ankles. He jumped back, but one caught his shoe, its grip crushing. Panic flared as he realized how outmatched he was. The Draug advanced, each step deliberate.
"I won't give up!" he managed to gasp, raising his gun once again. More bullets. He squeezed the trigger hard, prepared to empty the magazine.
The Draug walked through the shots raining down at him before raising a mutated arm to intone in Jǫturmál. "Kyrrð Ginnungagaps!"
The world went silent. Not quiet - completely, utterly silent. Xin's shots made no sound. His breathing, his heartbeat - nothing.
The Draug's fist caught him in the ribs, lifting him off his feet. Only the Psi Shield saved him from broken bones, but he felt his Aether reserves plummet. He hit a bookshelf hard, old books cascading around him.