Transformation Space - Marianne de Pierres [104]
The buccal started to shake, and a noise vibrated along the hybrid’s strata – part screech, part wail. Mira felt the creature’s relief and anger, but underneath it all still mistrust.
‘Josef,’ Mira whispered. ‘Be careful. Sal’s damaged.’
He nodded. ‘Then we’re a good pair.’
Mira moved to another nub and watched Jo-Jo climb into Autonomy. The v-comm unfolded over his head, and his fingers moved slowly through the air in front of him, creating patterns.
‘Tekton, sit.’ She gestured to unused nubs. ‘They will help protect you from the acceleration, but be careful not to pierce the outer layer of skin. The ’zoon is not … healthy enough to immerse in.’
The Godhead had not moved since Jo-Jo had entered the buccal, his brow drawn in concentration as though he was remembering or realising something important.
He shook his head slightly and stepped across to a nub. It responded to the pressure of his weight, folding around him. Mira sank carefully onto the surface of hers and let it do the same.
Another vibration spread through the buccal, a more familiar one. Salacious was moving. She glanced at Josef. He was concentrating, hands working, lips the same.
Finally she opened her mind to her biozoon. Insignia?
Dearest? The biozoon sounded anxious.
We’re aboard the hybrid. Follow us to the islands. I will come back to you then. Nova—
I’m here, Mama. I am happy that you are with the hybrid. I was scared.
Nova, the Post-Species have created something terrible. We must get far away from it. Insignia, it was so large … do you know what it was?
I’m afraid so, Mira.
Insignia projected her own images to Mira’s mind. They were moving. She saw the hybrid lifting high above Insignia and diving west towards the islands. Then the dunes began to shrink as Insignia gathered height. A towering shadow fell across them, a shadow that Insignia must scale – so, so high and far, encroaching on the biozoon, threatening to engulf it.
How big is it? Mira wanted to know.
I can’t say. It’s still growing. Given time, it could cover much of the main continent. Perhaps more.
No!
It’s possible while it has resources.
The quixite?
It would seem so.
As Insignia rose, the shadow seemed to chase them, while below the grisly object continued to expand.
Insignia, you must get higher!
But the shadow kept pace with them, blocking their view to the west. If Insignia faltered, the object would overtake them, suck them into its expanding mass like an exploding star gobbling a planet.
Hurry. Please. Save Nova.
Mira felt the surge of Insignia’s determination, the push of her energies as the biozoon dredged speed and energy from its dwindling supply of amino acids.
A tiny but pure beam of energy joined it, bolstering Insignia’s effort, and suddenly the biozoon was free, soaring above the object.
Nova.
Little one.
Look, Mama. Look, Tasy-al.
With altitude came more perspective, and something Mira could see but barely comprehend. Crux! It’s not a ship. It’s a single Saqr.
Insignia corrected her. No, Mira. It is both.
THALES
Thales looked around the group of Swestr gathered in Magdalen’s home: thirty or more women who’d arrived during the evening in twos and threes, now occupying every available space in Magdalen’s living room. He recognised a few faces, Eclectics from the candlelight vigil at the statue of Exterus, where he’d last seen Magdalen. One woman he knew separately, an academic from the Motokiyo Aesthetics stream. Ling-Ma. She was a descendant of the famous Ma dynasty who owned the Heka system. What would her family think of her membership of the Swestr? Ling-Ma nodded at him but made no further attempt to reacquaint.
The atmosphere in the room was furtive, as though at any moment their gathering might be discovered. Thales glanced nervously at the large bay window, now shuttered, that he knew gave a splendid view of the leafy Place de Liebniz. He remembered having been in this room once