KETTY'S SUBDIVISION Wattys2017

Chapter 15-Part VI

The final station on the old Jar-sedan Fault-line took time to reach, though they pounded effortlessly across space and time. Jar-sedan was the smallest Subdivision in the Galaxy, with only ten stars, it was barely more than a colony. She clutched his hand like a five year old at the top of a ferris wheel, fear and excitement gripping her in an embrace that told her she was alive. It was the subway scene right out of an ancient movie, two souls plunging into eternity one second at a time, though he didn't love her. Regret tingled down his spine. He should have confided in someone else, someone more expendable, so as not to have blood on his hands should this go wrong. It was too late, the decision had been made, and he trusted her. She was insurance on the likely chance he didn't make it as well.

Fault-line terminators were a rare but necessary expenditure on some systems where the next stop would be a black hole or hyper link to a distant galaxy, so the equipment was highly sophisticated and managed by one specific company. The fact it was Mon-catasto's company was more than a coincidence. There was only one terminator in the entire Subdivision, the one blocking Jar-sedan, which was put in place during the robot rebellion to excommunicate that system permanently. But somehow the largest manufacturer of Artificial Intelligence had his hand in one too many cookie jars.

Max whined softly under his free hand, somehow aware of his thoughts and the peril his master was putting them in. A chime sounded, indicating the last stop where the double ended spaceship slid into its final resting place before the long journey back across the Subdivision. They stepped out onto the platform where a few passengers hopped the fast moving light pads, intent on their destination, they were oblivious to a couple walking towards the end of the platform. Greer knew across the fault, on the other side of the station, spaceships of all shapes and sizes were off loading from similar trains. He imagined the screech of outdated fusion motors as they left raw plasma burns on the walls where a careless pilot got too close. The more modern gravity driven ships were given precedence, gliding free of the station and into space in mere minutes. It was a symphony of controlled chaos that never ended, like all commerce in the past, mankind's relentless drive to prosper was tireless as time itself.

"Come on." Their shoes clicked off the black carbon tile, the sound echoing in the cavernous expanse of the station. On this side, everything was clean and polished, maintained by a thousand bots. Soon they reached a small access door that opened with a fingerprint and retina scan, allowing them access to the power reflector which terminated this Fault-line and kept it stable.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just call it a hunch, I need to see what's going on behind the power reflector. You know I had to hack the security protocol to get in here and I usually have full access, so someone is hiding something."

Inside, the humming was incessant, causing her chest to vibrate like liquid jelly. Greer slipped her a pair of earplugs and sunglasses, then proceeded towards a giant glass wall that spread in every direction from the end of the platform. Where they were standing, it seemed as if they stood at the edge of the galaxy, peering out into the depth of space and a million points of light. To their right, the glass turned to mirror, where strange waves of energy expanded and contracted, folding in on themselves and shooting back down the tunnel. It was like a massive snake, so close one could reach out and touch it if they dared. Greer was humbled, as he always was in the presence of such power. It made him realize he wasn't as important as one might think.

Aleece wasn't so impressed. "Why are we here?" Greer touched the corner of his glasses, indicating she do the same. When the glasses polarized, they could see a small ribbon outside, extending into space beyond the glass wall. He imagined her jaw working open and closed, then she said, "That's impossible."

"So one would think." He manipulated a control panel, causing a small gondola to appear at the platform's edge. The door opened, inviting them in. "Now we will see what is happening in Jar-sedan." The small car floated out into the current, then, as if hanging by a wire, it was whisked away far beyond the speed of light.

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