Constellations' Child

31

Out in space, far from the Constellations and Earth, the emptiness can feel overwhelming, like a perpetual state of free fall without anything to fall from or to. Being underground feels the exact opposite, like a dark world of shadows is closing in on you. Luckily we don't have far to go to Ubiquity.

"What do you think it'll be like?" Vela asks me.

"Ubiquity? Honestly, I don't really know; never thought in a million years I'd actually be going there."

"Just try to remember that nobody you see there is truly alive," Carina replies.

"You've been to Ubiquity?" Pavo gasps.

"Many times. The Alliance sends us in periodically to get any information we can about the Addicted."

"What's it like?" Vela asks.

"It's cleaner than you think. The Addicted are meticulous about every last detail; if anything — or anyone — is out of place anywhere, they'll notice it."

"So how do you go there without getting caught?" I ask.

"Simple: we disguise ourselves as Addicted."

Pavo chuckles nervously. "That doesn't sound simple."

"There are only three things you need to do to play Addicted for a few hours," Carina continues. "First, you get a harmless injection in your arm that turns your skin the Addicted shade of green for about two hours."

"An injection?" Pavo is already panicked.

Carina laughs. "Don't worry; it's harmless and doesn't hurt."

"Second?" I ask.

"Don't talk to anyone. No matter what you do, don't speak to the Addicted. They don't talk much anyway, so it's not that hard to avoid, but they'll be able to tell you're not one of them within a few sentences."

"How's that possible?" Vela asks.

"We don't know for sure, but it has something to do with their connection to the dark energy."

I shrug my shoulders. "Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Third thing. When the Addicted get their dark energy update, stop whatever it is you might be doing and close your eyes."

"Come again?" Pavo asks.

"Okay, look," Carina continues. "You know how the Addicted survive off of dark energy? Well, in order to sustain a growing population of heartless green former humans, you need to provide dark energy in ever-growing quantities. Over the years, they've gotten more and more efficient at this. What was originally Addicted injecting newbies by hand became automated injections using bots. Eventually, the Addicted learned to harness the properties of dark energy in such a way that they can provide their people with dark energy all at once, like a dark energy diffuser that fuels every single Addicted wirelessly."

"And how often do they get this update?" Vela asks.

"Twice a day, so it's more than likely to happen at some point while we're in Ubiquity."

"But how do we know what to do and when to do it and where and wh—"

"Listen," Carina cuts Pavo off and stops walking. "If we see the Addicted stop everything they're doing to stand still and close their eyes for a minute, we do the same. When we hear them start moving again, we move. Got it?"

"We're here!" Gen. Sagitta yells from up ahead.

We put aside any further questions for Carina and jog up to the General, standing with the other Alliance soldiers in what appears to an unremarkable spot.

Gen. Sagitta gets right down to the plan. "We have less than twelve hours until Ophiuchus' countdown is up. Here's how this is going to work. Carina and I will surface first. We'll signal for the rest of you."

"Who's the rest of us?" Crater asks.

"Well, we need you and Pyxis; we don't know exactly how the Link works."

Crater smiles. "Good, it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to punch a smug Addicted face."

"Maybe it's best if Crater stays underground with your other soldiers, Gen. Sagitta. I can figure the Link out on my own," Pyxis says.

Gen. Sagitta shoots Crater a look. "Nobody's punching an Addicted. We need to avoid interacting as much as possible, and we need both of you."

"My friends are coming with us." I do my best to convey that this is non-negotiable.

"Yes, they are," Gen. Sagitta replies.

"Well... good." I was expecting push-back.

"Vela's knowledge of the DMN is relevant, and you'll stand out less moving together." Gen. Sagitta opens a Velcro pocket on the side of her pants and removes a small injector filled with green fluid. "Here's to never getting Addicted!" She jabs the injector into her shoulder and grimaces slightly as the green fluid flows into her."

"I thought it doesn't hurt!" Pavo calls out.

"I lied; it hurts a little," Carina confesses just as she catches Pavo off-guard with an injector in his shoulder.

"Ahhh! Why didn't you warn me?"

Carina laughs. "If I had, we would've had to hold you down!"

Gen. Sagitta exhales and it's then that I notice the injection has already taken effect. It's remarkably accurate; If I didn't know she wasn't actually Addicted, I'd be running. "The rest of you go ahead and inject yourselves now," she orders.

Carina hands us all injectors. It's an odd feeling, holding it in my hand. I know it'll only make me look Addicted, but it still feels like I'm about to put on the enemy's uniform. The enemy that destroyed my life, and the world.

A green hand touches mine. "Don't worry, Edwin, it's only temporary." I look up to Vela's eyes, now green.

I take a deep breath. "Here's to never getting Addicted." The injector pierces my skin. I exhale. We're all Addicted now, at least on the outside.

An Alliance soldier takes out something resembling a large gun, points it straight up, and fires a projectile that's connected to a long net, about two feet wide.

Gen. Sagitta tests our new ladder with a pull. "Once we're up there, we'll be able to get a location on Leo's contact. Remember, we're about to enter the capital city of an enemy that believes complete victory is only twelve hours away. The streets are likely to be packed. Stay close, follow my lead, and don't get Addicted."