Chapter 34:

The Derelict World

Tokyo5: Prosper’s Law


The tiny doll-like figure stood at the ledge, her black scarf flapping in the wind. A much larger figure appeared behind her, his shadow cast across the concrete by the parking bay lights. They were two hundred stories up, the city like a dream far below them.

‘As stealthy as ever, d’Argon.’ Said the girl at the ledge. She sipped from a small glass.

D’Argon looked out over the city beyond her. ‘And you as observant, Malbrette.’

***

They had arranged the meeting on a floor shared by their cities in the Nagasaki building.

He pulled at fingertips of his gloves. ‘This is all very cloak and dagger.’

She turned to look at him. ‘We have to be sure.’

‘Seems a lot of this going on at the moment.’

She looked him over a moment longer. ‘Walk with me.’

The ledge ran around the outside of the building, nothing but a thin railing between them and the hundred mile drop below. The clip clop of her heels was punctuated by deeper footfall of her companion.

Malbrette smiled, a rare enough sight. ‘What did you think of the meeting?’ She said.

There was a long silence. Not nervous, she thought. Doesn’t need to fill gaps with useless prattle.

She turned to him. They were now on the far side of the building where no one could see them. ‘More to the point, what do you think of the new Daimyo?’

At this, he met her gaze.

‘I see. So you have the same feeling.’

‘I have no reason.’ He said.

‘You have said enough.’

Another period of silence passed between them.

‘An alliance then?’ Said Malbrette. She almost winced at this word. It was a necessity she had been hiding even from herself.

D’argon grunted and walked to the corner of the ledge. If the doll wanted she could arrange for him to fall right now.

He spoke. The wind howled around them, the air shredded into ribbons.

‘This city was the greatest of the data hubs when it was built.’

Malbrette waited.

‘My father built half of it himself.’

‘Yes, I know, my own took ours 200 years ago.’

D’Argon turned and exhaled. ‘And yet you come to me. With all that power in your grasp.’

They were gazing into each others’ eyes, at their own reflections in them. She felt suddenly weak, almost overwhelmed. She would need to return soon. This man bore a strange magnetism. He had turned his back on her. There is nothing more powerful than that which is willing to die.

The implants beneath his eyes flashed. ‘I will accept.’

She looked at him again.

Such a pity.

***

‘Strategy?!’ The General’s laughter rang out across the room. He had grown more comfortable now in Elder Toguchi’s setting, though this was perhaps not to the comfort of the others.

‘Do you know how complex it is to formulate a proper martial—and you think a bunch of mindless bugs...’ He tore off a piece of chicken and bit into it.

It was their second meeting.

‘All I’m saying is that a lifeform capable of strategising would be what’s required to maintain the systems—‘ the Minister was speaking.

‘What kind of lifeform?’ D’Argon asked.

The Minister thought for a moment. ‘A collective perhaps.’

‘Are you suggesting—?’ Spluttered the general, his mouth full of chicken.

‘I’m merely saying—’

The General laughed again. ‘And I’m saying it’s impossible!’

Elder Toguchi had grown tired of listening to them argue. ‘A lifeform, an organisation, some mix of the two, we don’t know at this stage, but nevertheless it is there and that is the point from which we must work.’

The General dabbed at his lips. ‘Whatever it is, if it comes near us, it will regret it.’

‘Is that not the point?’

Everyone looked up from the table.

It was the doll-like girl, Malbrette, who had spoken.

‘You all know how well defended the Hegemony is… and yet we have suffered similar losses.’

‘All that matters is how we are going to slow this invasion.’

‘Invasion?’ The Minister’s voice was tremulous.

‘Somewhat rash, perhaps… I’m sure the Electress didn’t mean—‘ said the Elder.

‘Oh, I most certainly did. What else would you call such concerted depredations on our interests?’

A most uncomfortable silence filled the room.

‘After all,’ Daiko spoke now, mopping his mouth delicately with a napkin. ‘We don’t want another Tokyo 2.’

The silence acquired a new aspect.

‘No one knows what happened to Tokyo 2.’ Said the General.

Elder Toguchi cleared his throat. ‘On that subject… perhaps it is time I shared something with you.’

***

The holo-recording glowed blue above the middle of the table.

The General leaned in, squinting. ‘What is that?’

Everyone around the table watched as a strange three-dimensional shape rotated in the air, its pitted surface occasionally giving off jets of gas, strange lights traversing its edges like sparks on burning pages.

‘That,’ said Elder Toguchi, ‘is the remains of Tokyo2.’

‘But… what happened… it’s been eaten from the inside…’ said the Minister.

The Elder paused. ‘Several years ago, our long range scanners picked up Tokyo2’s signature in a unexplored region of theoretical space. When our scanners entered the area, we believe they triggered some sort of automated recording. It appeared to be capable of homing in on any form of man made system.’

‘Years?! And you kept this to yourself?’ Said the General.

D’Argon watched the Elder silently.

‘We did not consider it urgent enough at the time—’

‘Not urgent enough—?!’

‘Perhaps… we should hear this recording.’ Interrupted the Electress.

Elder Toguchi inclined his head, and touched a button at the edge of the table.

The holo-projection rose again, this time displaying a black figure in a bulbous spherical helmet. It was floating in space.

‘It’s one of them!’ Shouted the General.

‘We ran several layers of decryption and—‘

The image flickered and the helmet was all they could see. In its surface were reflected strange cosmic formations. A series of low burbling noises slowly rearranged into intelligible words.

‘We went to the edge

Of where there are worlds we saw our own

But there new places not yet become’

‘What is this babble?’ Said the General.

The Minister shushed him.

‘The decryption is not perfect.’ Said the Elder.

‘There old races

Where survives in the dark

Waiting

Waiting to become

Eater of worlds

They will deceive one of you

One of you who deceives

As they deceived us

As—’

The recording vanished.

‘Well, that was entertaining.’ Said Daiko, smacking the crumbs of his meal from his hands.

‘Play the rest.’ Said the General.

‘That’s where it ends. At that point our scanners stopped responding.’

Several of the council exchanged urgent glances.

‘Then the black ones are not an invasion.’ Said d’Argon.

Malbrette looked up at the table. ‘No. They are a warning of one.’

Elder Toguchi waited until the chatter subsided. ‘We believe that they are recordings. Made by the former inhabitants of Tokyo2.’ 

He waited for the murmurs to subside. ‘A few months ago, we received a separate message from one of our newest experimental receivers. No known sender, or trajectory. No images. Just the message. Presumably for anyone who developed the technology.’

‘What did it say?’ Said d’Argon.

‘It was an offer.’

‘An offer?’ Said the Minister.

‘Yes.’

‘Of what?’ This, the General.

Elder Toguchi paused. ‘Our survival.’