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| Carsius |
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| Augustus |
Carsius peered around a corner. There crouched a cloaked
man, fiddling with a control terminal at the entryway to the left wing of Lady
Miligred's house.
"Who is it?" queried Laurel.
The figure stopped, and slowly raised his head to peer
around. Carsius froze in the shadows, whilst motioning for the two elves to
remain silent. After five or so minutes the man returned to his work, and the
left-win door pulled back slightly. Carsius glanced around, trying to think of
a way to come up on the intruder unawares, yet he could find none. The shadows
ended at the entryway, as large stained glass windows let profuse amounts of
light into the corridor. He hadn't wanted to use this measure, for fear the
intruder was a friend, but he feared he had no other choice. He turned back to
Laurel, then moving only his lips asked if the was a way around them main hall
into the left wing. She shook her head. Carsius nodded hesitantly, and began to
draw back his cloak. Then, he saw it.
It was an intricately carved column, perhaps five feet
behind them, which supported the second floor walkway that ran opposite the
front wall of the house. It was in the light, but if he could get halfway up
then he would be unseen. All that then remained was to make his way to the left
wing and go down. Quietly, his cloth-covered feet moved noiselessly across the
hall. Slowly, quietly--then he heard a whooshing noise, and turned just in time
to see the intruder standing. In his right hand he held a small cross bow, and
from it he had launched a chain bolt, a dart with two chain-linked weights
coming out either side intended for incapacitating enemies. Carsius reacted
instantly, drawing a sword and blocking. The impact shattered the blade, but he
had a secondary blade drawn before the shards of the first hit the marbled
floor. The intruder drew a blade of his own, and the two advanced to meet each
other. Carsius glanced to see Laurel, bow drawn, still concealed within the
shadows. Then, Carsius saw the dark grey insignia emblazoned the stranger's
black cloak, invisible to all but the most prying eyes: a cross, from the top
of which extended an out-stretched hand. The emblem of the Syndicate.
"Name yourself, stranger, by the authority of the hand
of justice," declared Carsius.
The stranger eased, and lowered his sword slightly. "By
the snow-streams of the Vale, I present to you Augustus Phillipus,
friend."
Carsius lowered his blade completely. "Augustus....
Augustus Philipus Franci?"
The intruder nodded. At which point Carsius asked "What
is your business here, friend?"
"Tell me first your name, sir."
"Carsius."
The intruder bowed "A pleasure, my lord. I am here by
order of our noble crown, a volunteer for the assistance of a group who reveal
themselves scarcely, and who informed our brotherhood that this residence was
vital to the overthrow of the Overlords." As if expecting the next
question, Augustus threw off his cloak, revealing a tight-fitting suit of
cloth, with no presence of wyrts upon him. "I am pure."
Carsius motioned to Laurel and Renata. "Come, it is
safe. This is Augustus Franci, a squire I had when I first earned my
spurs."
The two elves emerged, albeit cautiously. Elves had a
natural distrust of men, shift and prone to change as they were. Nonetheless,
Carsius and Augutus were both notably forthright humans, and though Renata
still held them in apprehension, Laurel had successfully convinced her that
mutual distaste for the Elitinati had brought them where they were for a
reason, and thus they were to pursue that goal. After introduction, Laurel led
them into the central chamber of the mansion. As they proceeded down the hall,
Augustus spoke.
"You were correct about the althraxine theory, Carsius.
Marcus ordered me to perform tests on some citizens, and when exposed to a
slightly different genus of the fungi, analthraxine, the wyrts lose desire of
their prey and move on. I believe they attack as a defensive measure for the
mother-mind, to keep it from overloading from too many thoughts."
"Is that so... what else have you learned?"
ventured Laurel.
Augustus looked at Carsius, who merely nodded.
"We also found that if the level of althraxine is
brought to near-toxic levels, the neural activity spike overcomes any wyrts on
the test subject, sending them into shock. The subject is also left dazed, but
will return to normal psychological condition in a half hour. The wyrts,
however, remain stunned for close to an hour. We also noticed the shock this has
on nearby wyrts, and we think that a mass althraxine spike followed by an
analthraxine intake would result in mass-confusion of the wyrt network."
Carsius again nodded, then turned to Laurel. "I believe
we have our way in."
>>>>>>>>>
Laurel stepped into the room ahead of everyone else. She
stood stoic by the fireplace, sizing up this newcomer with a dubious frown on
her face.
Augustus sensed her hostility, and wisely avoided eye
contact. The young redhead with her, however, attracted his attention more than
he would care to admit. She staunchly followed Laurel's lead, though, even
taking the chair nearest to her, leaving the men to share opposite ends of the
ornate sofa. The foursome waited in silence. Carsius sat back and observed how
no one had bothered to appoint a leader, though it seemed Laurel had been the
one giving directions at first. Now Augustus turned to him.
"So, Carsius," he began, "This convenes the
War Council," he joked, "What plan did you have in mind?"
Carsius cleared his throat and began.
"Well, if we can manufacture enough of the althraxine,
say in the form of vapor, we could release it into the air over the town. The
wyrts would overload, remove from their hosts--"
"Yes, and return when the vapor dissipates!"
Laurel interrupted hotly. "As long as they are still networked with the
mother-mind, she will dispense the same directive, to attach to the hosts and
acquire information."
Carsius shot her a look. "Well..." he pondered
furiously to come up with an alternate solution.
"What if we were to introduce the althraxine overdose
into the wyrts themselves?" Augustus proposed, "Would that be enough
to infiltrate the mother-mind?"
"And then what?" Laurel scoffed, "These
people have been unable to think for themselves for who knows how long! Even if
we were able to overload the circuits of the entire network, and the
mother-mind, this would only be temporary, and these Elitinati will still have
power over them."
"Well then," Augustus growled, "What do you
suggest, Elf-maid?"
Laurel ignored the slight and raised her chin as she
declared, "We must discover the nature of the Elitinati influence over all
these people. Once we find this, then the real sabotage can begin."
"Laurel," Carsius cut in, having thought furiously
as the other two fought, "Before Augustus tripped the alarm--"
"I did?" the man cried, "Curse the Elitinati
and their nefarious strategic defense systems!"
Carsius smiled and continued, "--anyway, before that
happened, when we were talking, you mentioned you knew a way in; what would that
be?" He turned to Augustus, "Apparently, Laurel is the only one who
was able to successfully bring down an entire wyrt network."
Astonishment replaced scorn as Augustus turned back to the
Elf, "Truly, is this so?"
Laurel frowned, pressing her lips, "At the expense of
my last living relative," she confirmed. Her manner lost all hostility,
and she gazed around the small circle.
"The wyrts cannot be just tamed by chemicals. Your
scientists were lucky they did not kill their subjects. Contact them again in a
few days, and you will find that the subjects have not in fact regained full
cognitive ability, but remain in a trance-like state, incapable of independent
thought. The wyrt may be gone, but its residual effects are much more pervasive
and much harder to combat.
"The influence of a wyrt on its host is not only in its
physical contact. After a time of continuous exposure, the wyrt will begin to
assimilate the host's own nervous system to its own, so that the person will
begin to think like the wyrt. If what Carsius has told me about the Elitinati
is true, then I do not doubt that they have used the wyrts to introduce a
specific set of beliefs that facilitate their control over the movements of the
people and establish their authority. These beliefs must be countered if the
people are to be truly free."
Augustus shook his head, "So it is a matter of
belief?" He laughed at Laurel's conviction. "How quaint and
simplistic! No, no; I think the althraxine gassing idea will work. It's only a
matter of growing enough of the fungus to extract enough althraxine to cover
the town."
Laurel crossed her arms, and Augustus got his first good
look at the huge purple scar on her right arm. As quaint as her logic was, he
had the distinct impression that he would not like to face her in a
life-or-death fight. He did not doubt that the being who had given that wound
ceased to live shortly thereafter.
"And how do you plan to disperse this gas?" she
demanded skeptically. "Where are you going to get enough of this fungi to
accomplish your goal?"
Augustus grinned smugly as he produced a small silver device
from his pocket. He pressed a button at the center, and the device lit up with
many small green lights. He displayed it on his palm.
"This device is a beacon," he bragged, "It is
visible to all Allies of the Syndicate. They will see it and come to our aid.
I've arranged with some friends of mine on another planet to bring the fungus
and the equipment needed to distribute it. We can rest for tonight, and by
first light, they should both be here, and we can begin enacting the Syndicate Great Awakening." He turned to Carsius, "I
assume we can just bunk anywhere in this grand old house?"
Carsius shrugged, glancing apologetically toward the
stone-faced Laurel and her friend, "I believe so. I only arrived this
morning, but since there are so few of us, and it is empty, I'm sure it may be
every person for himself and herself."
Augustus stood and stretched his tall frame, "Well
then, let us conserve our strength for the morrow! Will you come with me,
Brother Carsius?"
Carsius shrugged, "Of course, Augustus."
As the two men left the room, Laurel could not resist
calling ominously after them, "Sweet dreams!"
The men did not acknowledge her words.
Laurel and Renata retired for themselves later, in a room
with two beds.
"Laurel," Renata asked as her friend laid herself
down in the bed across from her, "why are you so sure that their plan will
fail?"
"I'm sure," Laurel smiled as one absolved of
guilt, "as sure as I know how these people don't seem to be bothered by
the smoke from the factories. Their plan to use the vapor will fail as soon as
it is begun..." she sighed and closed her eyes, "and then they will
ask me for help."
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