Cloud to Cloud

Episode 34: The Heart of the Beast

The man on screen was little more than a background silhouette.

"What do you mean your team is locked out of the grid?" Linus could sense the fury in his tone and guess the scowl that must have accompanied it.

"I've recruited a new technician. He is digging into it. He's good." Linus assured the silhouette. "I can only assume it's something to do with both the architect and the woman in the metaphysical shop.

"And what of the potential architect?" The silhouette inquired.

Again the darkness in the man's tone sent an anxious tension through Linus. He swallowed and steadied his breathing before responding.

"It seems he stepped outside the building before the pulse struck." He shook his head. "But, we know his equipment was destroyed. It will set his research back again. Gain us more time."

"None of the architects who came before have ever been able to get this close to controlling the core of the grid. We have not been able to control it ourselves." The silhouette paused. "Professor Atticus, you were put in the lead of this case because you are the best in your field and the most connected in your sector. If this is too much for you, we can make more substantial arrangements to put an end to this."

Linus considered the man's words carefully. Though he had set the pulse bomb on the house, resorting to the more obvious means of wholesale violence suggested by his superior did not thrill him. He preferred the appearance of accidents, vandalism or faulty equipment.

"I would rather not involve any other teams until I can be certain that architect's energy will not be compromised. I am certain he is the source now. He cannot be terminated, yet. We have to learn more from him." Linus confided.

"I agree our options for confrontation are limited with the incarnation of a potential Delphi conduit and an architect in such close proximity to one another; both in time and space." There was almost a hint of amusement in the silhouette's tone at this. "However, this could be a good sign that we are incredibly close to bringing up the grid."

"I agree." Linus relaxed his shoulders as the tone of the conversation seemed to be leaning more to the amicable.

"We will continue to allow you to maintain lead in your sector. Keep a close watch on the progression of their work. And Professor Atticus, check your locker in the university archive this afternoon."

At this the screen flickered and went dark.

Linus glanced at his wristwatch. Only past noon. If he hurried he would arrive at the university before evening classes started. He wouldn't need an excuse to linger in the archives too late.

Linus gathered his coat from the back of the chair and slipped from his office into the main floor of cubicles.

One of the assistants met him in the corridor.

Leaning in close, Linus informed the young man, "I'm heading back to the university for the evening. Unless something dire comes up, continue with the tracking and uploads."

"Of course." The man gave a curt nod, then paused. "Oh. Professor, did you want us to continue to trace and confirm the whereabouts and identity of the Pythia?"

Linus shrugged his jacket onto his shoulders as he eyed the young man. "Potential Pythia." He hesitated. "Yes, I think so. But, keep that information in our sector only. Until we can be certain of course. We wouldn't want the whole organization excited if it turns out to be nothing."

"Right." The young man smiled. "There've been enough wild goose chases over the decades."

Linus offered a short laugh. He took his leave of the man and made for the elevators.

Wave7 had indeed seen many potential oracles come and go over the years. Linus sighed as he walked, recalling the research by the United States military. Some files were nearly a century old, more recently buried in nonsense about alien technology, and CIA MK-Ultra research. But he was fully aware Wave7 operatives had been testing psychics, primarily twins, as potential Delphi entities.

The woman in the occult shop didn't have a twin though. As far as Linus could tell Hannah was an only child. It would make little sense if the woman was this century's Pythia, but her energy had stood Linus's hair on end the first time he so much as glimpsed the storefront.

Linus continued to wander in his thoughts as he rode the train to the university.

He fumbled with the ring of keys tucked in his pocket as the stop closest to the university was announced over a crackling speaker system. Linus wondered how the transit system had managed to bypass the automated broadcast system within the trains and allow the engineer to make announcements over the train car speakers. As he stepped onto the platform his wonder at the communications systems merged with concern over where the city had found enough human drivers to man the trains. Certainly technicians used manual overrides for repairs, but how many had been available for a sudden full time work day?

Concern etched Linus's face as the strain of the shutdown weighed his thoughts.

"It's a necessary evil." He mumbled as the train pulled away.

Keeping the grid safe from widespread knowledge had been the purpose of Wave7 since the first discoveries. Linus shook his head as he entered the campus and descended into the basement level library entrance. The archives behind the main library housed files from as far back as the nineteenth century. Then, of course, everything had been hard copy documents due to lack of technology. Now, it was a required form of secrecy. Privacy and technology had been enemies since the mid twentieth century.

Linus often wondered if this was a manifestation of Padua's adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, bringing their Analytical Engine to life. Or perhaps it became clear only after the confirmation from the discoveries in Egypt less than a decade later.

As he strode down the dim corridor past a series of darkened vacant rooms Linus glanced back down the hallway to be certain no one had followed. The campus was enormous and the lower level spaces were seldom used since the turn of the century. But it was still wise to remain cautious. At the farthest end of the passage Linus coughed as he opened the door to the Wave7 archives. Secrecy and steady custodial maintenance rarely went hand in hand. Linus was almost certain his hands were the last to have disturbed the thin film of dust gathered on the door frame.

"Though perhaps not." He mumbled as he flipped the switch on the wall beside the door.

A manila envelope sat on the center of the counter at the far end of the room.

Linus closed the door to the archive, which from the inside was clear to be made of much sterner stuff than institutional building materials. He passed the shatterproof glass cases lined with neat shelves of books and archive boxes and tossed the keys on the research counter.

As he drew open one of the metal drawers, he pulled a pair of gloves from the box and tugged them onto his hands.

The manila envelope bulged from the contents within. Linus unwound the red string and opened the flap of the envelope. He slipped the contents gingerly onto the table.

At first glance, Linus was uncertain what he was looking at. The dull pages had no cover though a series of grey green threads bound one edge. The title page was missing as well, leaving Linus to stare at the jumble of images and figures scrawled on the first page.

"The drawings look Voynich." He pondered aloud as he leafed through the opening chapter. "But these figures almost read like programming code. COBOL or assembler code-like, maybe?"

Linus flicked an overhead lamp on as he continued to study the volume. In frustration he shook the envelope. A single slip of paper floated free.

Linus read the single line of hand written text, "Latest download from Paquimé. Enjoy."

He stood silently pondering the prehistoric archaeological site in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.