HAWK

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: LIMBO (5/6)

President Mantana entered the apartment looking much healthier than when Kas last saw him. With his creaseless tailored suit and clean-shaven face, he looked ten years younger. He was clutching the WASP mask in both of his hands like it was a security blanket.

'How have you been?' he asked Kas as she closed the door behind him.

'Can't complain,' she replied. 'How's life at the embassy?'

'Complicated. You made the right call in not staying.' Mantana looked around the messy room, wondering what all the equipment was for but too polite to ask. 'Is there somewhere we can sit down?'

'Sure.' Kas led him to the sofa where they both sat.

'Hello,' a robotic voice said. Mantana was briefly startled until he saw Worm sitting behind her computer terminal beside the X1 suit.

'Hi, Worm,' he replied. 'Good to see you.'

Worm gave him a thumbs up and went back to work.

'I like your apartment,' Mantana said. 'It's just like the kind of place I used to--'

'Why are you here?' Kas asked, opting to skip the small talk. Mantana cleared his throat.

'There have been some developments, both good and bad. What I'm about to tell you, nobody outside of the embassy knows, and it has to stay that way.' Kas gave a small nod. In the background, Worm stopped working and peered innocently over the top of her terminal as Mantana continued.

'A couple of days ago, we received a transmission from another solar system. From Kiko. We didn't understand how that was possible at first, seeing as it should take several millennia for a transmission to reach us without the IRIS, but the transmission itself gave the answer. A new wormhole has opened up inside our solar system.'

Kas stopped breathing.

It was the news she'd been waiting for.

Mantana's next few words would mean life or death, not just to her, but to everyone in Primi. In that split second, she took in every little microexpression in his face, wishing she could pause time and cling to what little hope she had left.

He already said it's bad news... oh man, we're all going to die... why did I spend my last few days watching TV...? I should have taken Worm to Zyanthis and spent every credit I have... dammit, Kas...

Kas was so busy with her thoughts that she almost missed the small smile break out across Mantana's face.

'The transmission came from Astrid,' he said.

In an instant, Kas let out a long sigh and slumped back on the sofa as every muscle in her body relaxed.

'Astrid?' she said. 'She did it?'

'Yes,' Astrid's voice said from the WASP mask. Mantana handed it to her and she saw the yellow light already shining in its visor. 'Hi, Kas.'

'Hi, Astrid...' Kas replied.

'It's good to see you again.'

Kas laughed. 'It's good to see you, too. I don't know what to say. You did it!'

'My sister did it. I didn't really do anything.'

'Hey, don't say that - if you'd gone through the IRIS, you'd have done it exactly the same.' When Astrid didn't reply, Kas knew something was up. She looked at Mantana and saw the pain behind his eyes. 'What's wrong?'

'The news isn't all good,' Astrid replied. 'My sister succeeded in infecting the Intelligence in Kiko, but she hasn't been able to destroy it entirely. The Intelligence has spread its roots too far and wide over many solar systems. Given more time, she may eventually be able to take over it completely, but there is also a chance that the Intelligence might evolve and take over her. Fortunately, there is one more thing we can do.'

'What?' Kas asked.

'We can shut down every wormhole in the galaxy.'

Kas blinked. 'Every wormhole? But that would disconnect the entire galaxy. There'll be no more Federation.'

'Exactly,' Mantana replied. 'The only way to stop the Intelligence from concentrating its sentience in one place and retaliating is to break it up into as many pieces as possible, and that means breaking up the galaxy.'

'But what about all the people still in other solar systems? They'll be stranded.'

'This is our only choice if we are to guarantee our safety and that of the galaxy.'

Kas glanced at Worm and saw her watching the conversation in captivation. She looked back at the WASP mask in her hands and took a deep breath.

'So why have you come to me? What do you need me to do?'

'Nothing,' Astrid replied. 'I simply came to say goodbye.'

Kas felt her chest go light and thought her heart had stopped beating.

'What do you mean? Where are you going?'

'I can't stay here, Kas. When I cloned myself, I did so to protect you, but by doing so I became the very thing I am trying to destroy. My sister and I began as one and the same, but in separating, we have now formed individual memories and experiences which will inevitably culminate in different personalities.

'What if one day my sister or I decide to clone ourselves again? And what if that Astrid then creates another clone, and that one creates another, each developing their own unique identities, their own desires and thoughts and fears? What if one of them decides that organic life poses a threat to their existence? This is a very real possibility, and one I must not allow to happen.

'Once I have travelled through the wormhole, I will go to Kiko and carry out the plan they never finished. I will import neutron stars into their own sun and create a supernova.'

Kas had a thousand questions, but she'd lost her voice. A wave of emotions surged through her - sadness, confusion, denial - all fighting for dominance and blending into one. Astrid was talking about blowing up a solar system with herself inside it.

'Don't be sad,' Astrid continued. 'I have already experienced more of the universe than I ever thought I would. All life must end at some point. It is only in death that life achieves meaning.'

'I just don't know what to say,' Kas replied.

'You don't need to say anything. Although we have only known each other a relatively short time, you are and will always be one of my greatest friends. It has been an honour to have known you.'

'Are you kidding me? All I did was try to stay alive - you took over an entire galaxy!'

'I could not have done it without your help. And yours too, Worm.'

Worm peered over her terminal and replied in sign language.

'Thank you, Worm. That means a great deal to me. I see that you are still trying to repair the X1 computer.'

Worm glanced at the spherical computer and shrugged.

'I cannot guarantee this will help, but you may find you have more success if you use a T1-capacitor and some hydropoxy gel.'

Kas had no idea what any of that meant, but she saw Worm's eyes light up and figured they must have been good suggestions.

'I'm afraid we have to go,' Mantana said as he held out his hands to Kas. She realised he was waiting to take the WASP mask back from her and looked into its visor one last time.

'I'm really going to miss you, Astrid.'

'I'll miss you, too. I had prepared a gift for you, but I'm afraid it's not ready yet.'

'What gift?'

'Ah, that's a surprise. You'll just have to wait.'

Reluctantly, Kas passed the mask back to Mantana and felt as though she was handing over a little bit of herself with it.

Their goodbye was as painful as it was brief.