Sessrum Building

The pair tumbled through the window and rushed into the room they had held the meeting in yesterday. Wimund and Nessa, who had been sitting around despondently digging into cans, were suddenly assailed by a ball of limbs, speed, and noise.

“Listen up!” Marlo and Monticello said, at the same time “We’ve got to go to the Sessrum-”

Nessa smashed into the pair of them like a freight train, a comparison Marlo was now qualified to make. This possibly had a greater impact, and when he recovered from the percussive shock of the clothesline, he realised he and Monticello were being held in a tight hug. For a second, his heart melted, but then he realised just how tight it was, and he gasped and flailed. Wimund tapped Nessa on the back, and she let the pair go, who wobbled out of her grasp, walking shakily.

“Friends!” There were tears in Nessa’s eyes, but her smile was huge, a little fragile but so stuffed with joy it was beaming from her face onto the pair, calming Marlo’s rapid heartbeat which had been made all the faster by the brief asphyxiation. “We thought you had been devoured!”

“How wrong we were.” Wimund said, leaning around her and flashing a grin of his own. “What happened lads?”

“Later.” Monticello, the first to return to his senses, waved his hands, frantically, dispelling the conversation. “We need to move. We need to get to the Sessrum building, and fast.”

“The Sessrum building?” Wimund furrowed his brow “That’s a DVIN building. Why do we need to go there?”

“We can explain on the way.” Marlo said, tugging on Nessa. She didn’t move.

“You can explain now. Unless it is a good reason, we do not go near a DVIN building, ever.” Nessa said, crossing her arms, dragging Marlo back in the process.

“We came into some information.” Monticello said, urgently “We heard communications between DVIN and some security they were hiring. The Sessrum building is low on security, and every second we spend here is time they could be fortifying further.”

“What are they protecting?” Wimund, his voice intrigued now.

Marlo looked at Monticello, who nodded. “A Seancer.” He said. “This is our chance to tell the living world what’s happening in here. We could turn every person who’s ever going to come here against DVIN. This could be huge.”

Nessa gasped. Wimund leant back. His face looked shocked, but he had enough composure to stroke his chin in thought. Nessa looked from the pair to the older man “Boss? Let us go! You heard them.”

“This is a big move. A very big move.” He mused. “I should consult HQ.”

“What?” Marlo’s eyes widened “No, we need to go now! DVIN will realise that the security they want is dead, and they’ll bring someone stronger in. if there’s a God there waiting for us, we’re doomed! We have to be as quick as possible.”

“Ye see lad, the cells must exist in a constant balance with each other. If one does too much, it can cause issues for the others. I have to tell them, get the clearance, and wait for other cells to be informed.”

Marlo couldn’t believe this “What? Who gives a shit? This helps all of them, and everyone else. How could this possibly be an issue for any of them?”

“If we go too far, if we avoid too many orders, they’ll take things from us, we’ll stop getting info, we might lose our offices.” Wimund sounded conflicted like he didn’t believe his own reasoning. From the looks of it, neither did Monticello or Nessa. “I have to make sure that we don’t sabotage ourselves by-”

“So what?” Monticello cut him off “Boss, no one would care if that happened. Hell, if our organisation is so dreadful that it’ll punish us for doing our jobs too well we’d be better on our own.”

“But…” Wimund looked around, and Marlo noticed for the first time how meticulously all the acquired food was stacked in here, in neat, labelled rows, lining the walls. “We only got this food through our orders. If we do this, then after all we run out of this… who knows when you’ll next eat? I don’t want that for any of you.”

Marlo suddenly realised how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten for over a day now, and that realisation almost made him double over. Adrenaline had staved it off up to now, but he had never felt like this in his life. His body felt like it was devouring itself, his stomach reaching out and squeezing other organs of any other nutrients. If this was what it was like after a day, then he couldn’t imagine the pain the others were going through. Pain Wimund was doing everything he could to stop them from going through again. But… there was more than just hunger eating away at him.

“Please Wimund.” He said. “Ever since I’ve got here, DVIN have just been beating me down. I’ve taken loss after loss thanks to them. I’ve been put in more dangerous situations than I can count. I’m terrified to go back in there, to face them again. But I’ve got to. Because it’s not just me. Everyone here has been suffering. All of you have been treated like scum since you got here. You’ve had to fight for survival every day. You’ve been stripped of basic human traits by them.” he looked at Monticello.

“And forced into awful situations.”

He looked at Nessa. “I won’t pretend I can fix it alone. But together, the four of us, we could actually force DVIN back. We could make a difference, we could finally have them suffer the way we have, the way everyone has. We can fight back. Please.”

Wimund stared at him. His eyelids blinked once or twice over those metallic eyes. Then, he straightened. “Ye’re right lad. Fuck the higher-ups. Fuck the consequences.” He walked to the back of the room, gathered up armfuls of tins, and handed them to Marlo and Monticello. “Let’s go get back at these cocksuckers. Let’s go be Rebellious Souls!”

Marlo looked down over the edge of the metal disc he was riding on. it soared through the air at a speed that was almost enough to obscure the strange shapes he could see moving about far below. Almost. “You know, I was just down on the streets earlier, and I didn’t see any kind of beast like I was told was there. I was a little disappointed to be honest.”

“From your story, it sounds like you came out on the outskirts of the city. The dangerous streets are barricaded inside. I believe you saw the barricade as we left this morning.” Nessa said, sat in the centre of the disc, her palms flat against it, egging it on. Behind her, a shadowy dragon bounded through the air, carrying Monticello and Wimund.

“Yeah…” Marlo tugged on his collar. “Listen Nessa. About what I said, in the Scourgefields. I’m sorry. You were just protecting me. And there’s nothing wrong with this Armpak. There was a weird teething period at the start, but they’re perfect. They saved me today, more times than I can count. I think it’s probably the best gift I’ve ever been given.”

Nessa’s face broke into a wide smile. “I am glad you came to like them. it sounds like you put them to great use. I accept your apology. Now, tell me everything.”

Marlo blinked at the speed of her forgiveness, but he was coming to expect this kind of behaviour. “Well, I didn’t realise just how strong they were. I mean, wow. They threw a digger!”

“I only apologise that it could not do anything to the Terro. The next model will be able to get you out of any situations like that.”

“The next model?” Marlo blinked. “You mean these are going to get better?”

“Of course. I made this in a night.” She grabbed an arm and shook her head “Hence why it is only arms. For your next model… What would you like? Saws, drills, cannons? I can get you any attachment you wish.”

“Wait… really? Anything?”

“Anything. Well, within reason. Reason which is a lot broader than what you might be used to.”

“I mean… I don’t know about more weapons. It’s not a prospect that really appeals to me right now. But… I guess as a kid if you ever asked I’d say teleportation would be cool.”

“Teleportation?” Nessa clicked her tongue, thinking “Not sure how I would do that friend.”

“Oh…” Marlo looked down “I mean, yeah that makes sense. Stupid to ask really. Don’t know what I expected.”

“But…” Nessa said. Marlo perked up.

“But what?”

“What kind of smith would I be, if I did not push myself? So we will see. Every day, we make new advancements.”

“Yes!” Marlo clapped his hands in excitement.

“My progress will go smoother if you tell me more on the Armpak.”

“Hmm, what else? Well, there’s the issue of… wait.” Marlo looked at his arms. They snapped their fingers at him, like apprehensive dogs. “Earlier, they would do anything I even slightly considered. They would just attack anyone because I thought how much I didn’t want them to attack. But now… hold on.” He looked at her. “Be ready to block these if they do go for you.”

Nessa nodded, and Marlo focused. He imagined the arms lunging for Nessa, punching at her, knocking her back, and breaking her concentration, sending the disc of scrap metal below them crumbling down to the ground below, taking them with it. None of this happened. His arms stayed around his shoulders, drifting around harmlessly like curious snakes.

“They’re not doing it anymore.” Marlo said. He imagined all ten extending out to a point on his left, and they did so, stopping with outstretched hands as if they were trying to grab the darkness.

“They are not broken.” Nessa assured him “I have heard cases of brainstem-connected cybernetics doing what you described. They have a tough time inferring commands from standard intrusive thoughts. This is why, in my opinion, nerve-joined cybernetics are better. Though those are time-consuming and painful to set up, and ones installed anywhere other than limbs even more so. Brainstem cybernetics do eventually settle down though and learn to differentiate brainwaves. I simply did not believe yours would adapt this fast. I have never seen this before.”

“Huh.” Marlo said, looking around at his mechanical arms with a faint sense of pride. He had never been the fastest at anything, let alone the fastest at making mechanical super arms do what he wanted. But the arms weren’t looking at him or at least making the gesture he interpreted as looking. Instead, they were making that gesture, the thumb clasped with all the other fingers pointing forwards, pointed at Nessa. It looked almost like they were narrowing eyes they didn’t have at her. She held up her hands.

“My apologies. I have never seen brainstem cybernetics like you. If the rest were up to your quality, I would not have such issues.” The hands released their offended expressions, and moved almost giddily like they were embarrassed. Marlo stared at them and said

“The way you talk about them… and to them. Saying they get used to me and apologising to them… I mean, you, apologising? It’s like… they’re alive.”

“Are you making them do that?” Nessa asked simply, pointing to the arms, two of which were plaiting around each other idly. Marlo had to admit she had him there. “Every smith know their creations have a soul. Anything that you put effort into will reflect you. But weapons like this are more than that. Shed enough blood with something, and it will start to act as if it has blood of its own. And of course, I did everything I could to ensure some vestige of my friends were placed inside. Do not fear them. All you need to know is they will protect you, and a certain degree of autonomy aids in that. I am no fool who would grant my creations artificial intelligence. If it helps to believe they have souls, do not let me stop you.” Her face twitched into a smile “even rebellious ones.”

Marlo groaned. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“You cannot live anything down. You are dead.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Fear not friend. If you want us to have rebellious souls, that is what we will have.”

“I didn’t say-”

“This action we are taking,” she pointed forwards, and Marlo saw the Sessrum building “is quite rebellious indeed.”

The building in question was huge, easily the largest in the square. The entire thing was similar to what he had seen earlier, a large, flat building with a tapered top few floors, and bands of multicoloured light running up and down it. The entire thing looked like a huge frozen treat or children’s toy, but Marlo knew it was much darker in reality. Somewhere in there was a prized possession of DVIN. One they had to take.

“The Seancer will likely be at the top of the tower!” Wimund called “We’ll get as high as we can, then smash in and fight our way up from the inside the rest of the way. Ye lot start thinking of yer speeches. Everyone ready? Let’s go!”

The metal disc stopped whirling towards the tower some ten or so metres away and started heading directly up the side, Marlo and Nessa holding on as it rocketed up. As they travelled up the flashing wall, blaring reds and greens, and yellows and blue which made it hard to concentrate, Marlo fought to make out floors. A hundred floors up. Two hundred. Three hundred. Four Hundred. Five hundred. Six hundred. Halfway through the seven hundred mark, near the top of the tower, the walls slid away, and mounted turrets, with a barrel above and bellow on either side, emerged. They started firing, a barrage of heavy, slow explosive blasts, and Nessa whirled the disc out of the way. The Dragon arced its body to let a shell pass, then dived in to hug the wall. Nessa grabbed Marlo with one arm and held the other out towards the tower. The metal disc clustered around it, forming a thick rectangle mishmash of junk, with a hole in the far side. A gun, or perhaps a cannon, which fired a blast of shrapnel of its own, obliterating a dozen floors. Marlo’s arms swung them into the top one that was breached, batting broken glass out of the way, and the dragon dove in after them.

They rolled to a stop, and Marlo looked around. They had entered a boardroom, having smashed through the floor-to-ceiling window. In front of them was a conference room, with a massive dark oak table, stretching from one side of the room to another. On the walls on either side, there were several massive screens, so that everyone in the room, no matter where they were sat, could see one. However, the few people sat in the room weren’t looking at the screens. They were staring in abject horror at the four people who had just came through their window. For a second, Marlo felt bad. Then, he saw how they looked.

They were plump, well fed, in expensive suits. The men had golden watches, the women expensive jewellery. The few cybernetics they had were intricate and beautifully designed, multi-segmented rippling neck braces and golden opera glasses. This entire room, and it’s residents, were affluent in a way he had not yet seen in Limbo. He could guess where the money had come from. On the one remaining screen that wasn’t broken, he saw “Lay-offs.” His eyes narrowed, and as the people ran, he snapped his fingers. His arms lunged and struck them all down. Once again, he had no clue who was dead and who was not. He didn’t much care.

He followed the others, rushing out of the room. Nessa reached behind her, and with a yank the metal frames of the chairs came loose, flying to form a great scrap pile behind her. She pulled again, and with a sickening tear, the magnetic cybernetics came loose too, joining the metallic mass. She inspected one as she ran.

“Tacky. Who puts regular steel in a cybernetic?” She shook her head “More money than sense.” They sprinted through an office space, similarly decadent. Security guards, more of the same helmet, red visored faceless individuals approached, but before they could fire, Marlo’s arms hurled a vase at one, and Nessa shoved her hands forwards. The junk behind her rolled itself into a wall on her right. She ran along it, gaining height, before kicking off and swinging a punch from above into a guard’s head. There was a snap that Marlo would have found a lot more awful yesterday, and the guard folded, smashed into a cubicle by the force to another round of screams. Ness landed, pulled the junk with her, and said, “It looks like there will be bounties on all of us after this.”

Monticello sighed “That’s the best-case scenario, huh?”

“I wonder if me high birth will boost me numbers.” Wimund chortled, like it was points in a video game. They found a set of stairs and rushed up them. More guards were there but before they had a chance to fire Wimund was in the midst of them, dispatching them with gut punches, haymakers, and knees to the chest. The prone bodies rolled down the stairs past Marlo as he marvelled at his efficiency.

“Not just a pretty face.” Wimund grinned to Marlo, revealing a set of teeth, some yellow, some black, some wooden, and some gold, all quite unpleasant. “Just another floor and then we’re there folks.”

Marlo, still running, tried to pick what he should say. He should keep it brief, because every second they were here was another second DVIN might send something worse. So far, this was way too easy. Something to show DVIN was a monster and explain what they were doing. Ideally, it would cost them everything back in the world of the living, where they lacked their insane superpowers. But the main point was a repeatable message that would ensure everyone coming into Limbo would know what they had in store, and who not to trust. He didn’t have to explain that there was an afterlife, only what was in it.

“Anyone got any ideas?” he asked. The others shrugged.

“You’re the modern boy. They’ll connect best to you. Open with your name, method and date of death.” Monticello suggested. “Should lend credence.”

Marlo nodded, but before he could think any more about it, they reached the next floor. They pushed through the door and entered a dark room. The entire floor was one room, with sparse overhead lighting, and dozens of strangely shaped pieces of furniture. They looked like metal and wood at the bottom of a pool, being distorted by ripples, except there was no water. It looked like very weird modern art.

“What are these?” Marlo asked, leaning forwards and inspecting one. Wimund shrugged.

“This is what Nephilytes think human offices are like. For a species that hate us so much, they sure do like mimicking us.”

“Why is that?” Marlo asked. Wimund scoffed and shrugged.

“Next one ye see, why don’t you ask ‘im?”

Marlo was just mulling it over when he saw Monticello stop.

“I’ll stay back here and hold the door. Most of the attack will come from below, but if I use this door as a chokepoint, they can only come in a few at a time.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Marlo asked. “If you get hurt here, while we’re up above, and can’t get to you…” Monticello grinned, and his fingers formed V shapes. Giant pincers formed out of his shadow and slid to hover poised on either side of the door, barricading it with several statues as they did so.

“I’ll be fine. Just be quick, and don’t leave me behind.”

Marlo nodded, and awkwardly patted him on the back. “Good luck.” The other three moved on. Nessa ripped every metal statue out that she could, adding them to the growing pile. There were windows on all sides, and the bright flashing lights from outside were reflected on the metallic surface. Marlo saw his own face in it too and saw how worried he looked.

“This is going too well.” He thought “If they wanted to any one of those guards could have called in a Raven. Sure maybe they’d get in trouble but… do they even know that it’s up here? What if we were given false information, and we’ve put a target on our backs for nothing? The security here feels so low.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Wimund. “It’ll be alright lad.” The Scotsman assured him. “We’ll get it done. No matter what. Ye just focus on putting one foot in front of t’other. Leave the rest tae me.”

Marlo took a deep breath through his nose and nodded. No matter what, he had to keep moving. After another few dozen seconds of walking, they reached one last set of stairs. These ones were thin, looking like they were floating on nothing. As Marlo walked up them, he could see the city of Asgard stretch out beneath him. From here, looking down, it looked gorgeous, all bright lights and pretty colours. He was too far away to see the things wandering the streets, and the stairs were made so that he looked down rather than up, trying to force him to ignore the layers of filth and crime caked on top of most buildings like this. While the Sessrum may have been clear of it, the shanty housing he had seen on his first descent into the city stuck in his head. He half expected to see another person fall past this window as he walked up. But no. Nothing.

Halfway up the staircase doubled back on itself and split in two. Without saying anything, the trio was now sneaking. Marlo and Nessa went one way, Nessa leaving her great metal hoard on the stairs, Wimund the other. This new and final floor was the smallest in the entire building. Surrounded on all sides by floor-to-ceiling windows, it offered an incredible view of the city. But it was what was inside that intrigued Marlo the most. Stretching out in front of him were many pools of water, spaced a few metres apart and deep enough that he could stand on Nessa’s shoulders and just barely break the surface. They were placed in twin rows, one on either side, in alignment with the stairs, all the way to the opposite end of the room. It was set up with so many terminals, buttons, flashing lights and switches it looked like an airplane cockpit. And there, right in the centre, sat on a console that looked a lot like an Ouija board, was a mechanical device that looked like a severed, malformed head. The second Marlo saw it, he knew that was their target. They had found the Seancer.