The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [202]
Talavera’s demeanour went from beatific adoration to incandescent hatred in an eyeblink.
‘And you are not Him!’
A moment later her eyes rolled up to show the whites and she collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings severed. The vermax shrank and dwindled as they escaped through gaps in the floor.
‘Correct,’ said the mask. ‘I am what He might have become.’ The mask then tilted slightly in Julia’s direction. ‘Now, Julia, the real Julia, there is very little time – do you know about the Godhead and the missiles?’
She nodded. ‘Five hundred supernovae equals a gateway to a higher plane of existence.’
‘Yes, or a one-way ticket to hell,’ the mask said. ‘What you have to do is access the missile-targeting system and retarget them all on the Godhead.’
Julia almost felt like laughing, feeling a trickle of something like hysterical panic.
‘There is a slight problem or two,’ she said. ‘Talavera has four or five thugs wandering around while I’m here, strapped to a couch and the new arrival is … ’
Her voice trailed off as the Asiatic Kao Chih snapped the bonds around his wrists with casual ease then reached down and did the same to the cords around his ankles. Then to her astonishment his appearance, his very form began to change, darkening and growing taller while limbs became slender, matching the rest of his torso.
‘Ah, a member of the ancient and noble Roug,’ said the mask.
The shapeshifter being gave a slight but grave bow of the head. ‘My sincere apologies for the subterfuge – although I am acquainted with the esteemed Kao Chih, I am not him. I am Mandator Qabakri, sent by the High Index of the Roug to assist in any way that I can.’
‘Julia,’ said the mask. ‘You must find a way to target all those missiles on the Godhead without delay. We do not know how long it will be before the Godhead emerges from the dream-state we have fooled him into. It would also be advisable to bind Talavera’s limbs.’
‘Who are you?’ Julia said. ‘Are you Human?’
The mask smiled eerily. ‘We are embers, the embers of one Human life, and the embers of a fading conscience. Go now – do what must be done.’
Then the mask was gone, replaced by that daunting view of the Godhead’s bizarre vista.
‘Human Julia,’ said the Roug, ‘is this a normal occurrence?’
She looked round and gasped to see Arkady gingerly swing his legs off his couch and press his naked feet down on the tiled floor.
‘Arkady,’ she said hoarsely. ‘The readouts said that there was no brain activity, that you were gone.’
‘I’m sorry, Julia, but he is definitely gone.’ Arkady spoke but the voice wasn’t quite his. ‘We’ve been watching via the shadow system and when we heard our snake-loving friend here revealing her Godhead colours we decided to act. Which is how I came to be downloaded into this body’s implant.’
‘And into this one … ’
Thorold was likewise getting down from the next couch along, swaying on shaky legs. Julia stared, knowing she should be feeling something strong, something like anger or even fury as she recognised the intelligence that was looking back at her from those two well-remembered faces. She shifted her posture, sitting straighter on her own couch.
‘Harry,’ she said, glancing at the Roug. ‘And no, this is not a normal occurrence.’
‘I know, two of me,’ said Harry-Arkady. ‘Can the cosmos stand the strain?’
‘At least you’re showing some initiative,’ Julia said. ‘Time is not on our side, so can you find out how Talavera shut down my access and reverse it?’
‘I know exactly what she did,’ Harry-Thorold said, bending down to examine her couch’s control panel. ‘Saw it all on the surveillance feed.’
‘So did I,’ said Harry-Arkady. ‘But I can see that you’ve got this one.’
‘I see what you mean,’ Julia said. ‘Twice the wit.’
Harry-Arkady raised an eyebrow and pointed to Talavera’s prone, unconscious form. ‘You know, our mysterious masked ally had the right idea. Might be wise to keep the queen of the snakes tied up.’ Nearby, the Roug Qabakri nodded agreement.
‘And that’s the lockouts cancelled,’ said Harry-Thorold,