Chapter Sixteen: The Root of the Problem

“We can’t be sure if they know anything,” William said. “All of this is speculation until we’ve completed the trace.”

“When will that happen?” Sun asked.

“By tomorrow,” he responded.

“Very well,” she said. “Then we wait.”

“But what happens if they do know?” Maria asked.

“How could they?” Fernando added.

The room went quiet. Not a whisper could be heard across the chamber council. Everyone waited for a response from Sun when Maria suddenly spoke up.

“It’s true Lucas could have been turned,” she admitted. She had already considered that his inexperience could make him an easy target for the Machinists. But, everyone knew what Fernando meant.

The most obvious way the Machinists would know about the Nekuia was if someone told them, someone like James.

“We may think we know,” Sun began. “But it would unwise to make any assumptions. It could be the obvious choices, or it could be someone we’ve never considered.”

She was careful not to mention the name.

“They could also have some kind of technology that allows them to eavesdrop on our conversations,” William suggested. “Even if they told us it was someone specific, we can’t trust that.”

He was also careful not to mention any names. “If Trent is anything like his father, he’s deceitful and captivating,” he added.

“If he’s anything like his father, Lucas is already dead,” Fernando interjected.

Sun did not say a word, but immediately stood up and walked away. She left the council chamber without another word spoken.

No one ran after her either. She quickly crossed the main entrance hall outside the council chamber and headed into the library.

Walking quickly past the Alexander family trees in the vestibule, the shelves and shelves of ancient paper books, the displays of by-gone printers, and into the depths of the library where the office of the Librarian was located. She approached the large wooden door and placed her hand on the glass panel beside it. A small communicator window appeared just above the panel.

Kate looked at her mother, and the large door opened. The screen with Kate’s face in it disappeared, and Sun headed down the long hallway. Before she reached its end, another large wooden door opened.

Kate sat at her desk, surrounded by small screens and large, paper books. One of those screens still showed the inside of the council chamber.

“I take it the meeting is over,” she said.

“It is,” Sun responded. With that Kate switched off her communicator and the screen went black.

“Fernando is just as crass as usual,” Kate added.

“He’s socially inept, but good with numbers,” Sun responded. “I want to ask you a favor.”

Kate stopped working, and looked up at her mother. “You never ask for favors,” she said.

“No, I don’t. But this is different.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m asking because I know this is a task you don’t want, but you are the best and most reliable person for it,” Sun told her.

“For what?” Kate asked.

“I believe James is on Mars, and I want you to find him.”

Chapter Fifteen: Message in a Bottle

“We don’t know what they want,” Maria said.

“They’ve made no demands?”

“No,” she said. “They only said he is with them, and he is safe.”

The leaders of the Builder’s Guild sat on Maria’s communicator as if they were sitting in her office. She could see every wrinkle on their faces, every ounce of their fears, and every doubt in their minds.

“Is that exactly what they said?” one of the members asked.

“Why?” she wondered.

“Could he be with them?” he continued. “As in, on their side.”

“Absolutely not,” she responded. “We think that’s what they were trying to imply. Maybe they are simply trying to deceive us; maybe they just need to buy some time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time to prevent us from preparing for war,” she said. “The truth is we don’t know. But we need to be ready for anything. The one thing we know about the Machinists is that they are dangerous and they have no trouble murdering people.”

“We are only builders, Maria,” one of the members said to her. “We are not soldiers.”

“We don’t want you to be soldiers; we are only asking you to build. Build ships, great ships we can use to defend ourselves, ships we can use to defend the people. Even ships we can use to fight back.”

“We will help,” the leader said. He was a tall man with a thin face and sallow cheeks.

“We’re putting together a plan,” Maria told him.

“What kind of plan?” he asked.

“A rescue plan,” she said.

“Good,” one of the members barked out.

“What do you mean ‘good’? If we want to discover their plan of attack, we can’t send in a rescue team and hope for best,” another member shouted out in response. “We need to find out what weapons they have before we can take them on.”

“There is no action without planning,” the leader stated. “Let us start from the beginning and worry about the endgame if we get there.”

No one responded or shouted out.

“We will build your ships,” he told her. “Be well.”

“And you,” she said.

With that the communication ended. Maria sat back in her chair, placed her hand over her forehead, and tried to imagine what Lucas was going through.

He had been protected and sheltered his entire life. Not once did difficulty knock at his door. Until the day his father came home and said he had cancer.

With all the technology and advances humans had seen and discovered since the box arrived on Earth, cancer was still a something that had not been conquered. The box revealed secrets about the universe, secrets about physics, but it was not written by humans. It was not built by beings who knew the secrets of human anatomy.

That was still something humans needed to learn on their own. And cancer was something no one had learned enough about.

It was still something any person could die from. And Lucas’s father did. It was the first taste of real life Lucas ever experienced. Less than a year ago, he was suddenly sitting on the council with no real understanding of what that meant. He only understood it was a task he could not walk away from.

Maria wondered how someone so naïve would survive surrounded by some of the toughest men in the solar system, a world away from his own. She could only imagine him being swallowed whole by the Machinists.

That’s when the beep sounded. It echoed between her office walls like a siren, reminding her she had a message waiting. She finally opened the message. It was from Lucas, and it was only one sentence long.

“They know about the Nekuia.”

She was motionless, soundless, even thoughtless. What did that mean? Who knows about the Nekuia? The Machinists?

And was the message really from Lucas? Not just anyone could send her a message through that system, but it could still be accessed by a handful of people. And Lucas was kidnapped. He was naïve and weak enough in Maria’s mind to be taunted, to be tortured, to be turned.

The first thing she did was turn on her communicator and ask for William.

Chapter Fourteen: United We Stand

The family was coming together. Maybe it was the Nekuia, or maybe it was Lucas. Something inspired the Alexander clan to unite.

Most of them were too young to remember, but things hadn’t been this collaborative since the Massacre. A generation ago a small group raided the compound and killed most of the family. After that everyone worked together to rebuild, support each other and make the family great again.

This time they came together for different reasons. They knew someone was coming. They knew there was an enemy at the door. So, this time, they came together to defend. The point was to protect before anyone was lost, not to rebuild after they were already taken.

And Lucas was foremost on everyone’s mind.

The Machinists, who kidnapped Lucas, had taken him to their base on Mars. There was only one place on that planet where a group like the Machinists could grow and organize without so much as a rumor slipping out about their existence – the Prosperity Ghetto.

This was the area where the first colony was built. The first planet humans settled. When the Moon was still just a hub, people came to Mars. It soon lost its charm and began to erode until those looking for a place to hide called it home.

This was the one place in the solar system they could hide.

The Machinists believed the Alexanders lied about the box, lied about how they got it, and how it worked. They thought it should be something the world could access, not just one family.

But they were wrong. Only an Alexander could open the library stored within it. It was always meant to be limited. It was always meant to help humans ask the right questions, never to present them with the right answers.

The family knew this. They had been learning how to use the box for hundreds of years, and had just begun to understand its purpose – to help the human race survive.

But if the Alexanders were going to save anyone today, they wanted it to be Lucas.

The first step was to look for allies on the red planet. In order to mount a rescue, they were going to need friends. Maria, the Ambassador, worked her magic and a special team of soldiers was assembled for the task.

While they studied Mars, the ghetto and the history of the group, Hermes and the Engineering Panel continued their own projects.

These projects were the first steps in a war against an unseen enemy. An enemy the Alexanders could not see or hear or touch. The Nekuia only really existed inside the box. These mysterious beings from another world haunted them like ghosts. They knew the Nekuian system existed and, according to the box, there was a dangerous race of beings in that system, a race that only wanted to destroy everyone else in the galaxy.

The Alexander clan could not prove the Nekuia were real or even dangerous. All they could do was prepare for the worst, prepare to defend themselves.

The first blueprints for warships were complete. The factories to build these machines were already under construction. And the army grew larger everyday.

The family continued to prepare for battle, continued to work together. They had one enemy they could see and one they could not. Somehow seeing just one enemy, the Machinists, was enough to support both theaters. At least, for now.

Chapter Thirteen: To Know the Enemy

William pushed forward again. He swung high, but was blocked. He swung low, and was blocked again. Then he tried to stab forward, sending out a small bolt of electricity to shock his opponent.

But she knew all his tricks, and had already tumbled backwards gracefully and well out of reach.

Then Sun was on the attack. With William outstretched, she hit his staff hard to knock him off balance. She swung her glowing hot staff low, hoping to singe the tops of his shoes. But he had used the momentum she gave him from hitting his staff, and turned away just in time.

She continued to swing around, this time higher, and hit him square on the shoulder, but he blocked her. For a moment, that’s where they stood, facing each other. Her glowing staff only inches from his left shoulder. His staff starting to gain back electricity, glimmered as he held it straight up down his left side.

They were both breathing hard from the battle and glistening with sweat. Sun smiled, and William began to lean in for a kiss.

Suddenly the doors to the training room opened, and Kate walked in. William and Sun smiled at each other again, then backed away to face their guest.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have news that cannot wait,” she told them.

“Go ahead,” Sun told her.

“Hermes suggested we consult the box for designs for a gunship.”

“Yes, we know,” William said.

“His question was far simpler than you and I discussed.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” he responded.

“He instructed Maria to ask for battleships, specifically to fight the Nekuia. He thought that if the beings who gave us the box intended to help us fight them, they might have had such designs. And they did.”

“What do mean specifically designed to fight the Nekuia?” Sun asked.

“The ones who gave us the box, they knew how to fight them. They just didn’t have the time to build an army,” Kate told them. “The Nekuia have a weakness, and now we know what it is.”

Chapter Twelve: Down the Rabbit Hole

Lucas woke up. Again, not knowing where he was. He remembered talking to the leader of Machinists. He remembered finding out who Trent was, and how he revived the group. Then they hit him with the sonic sleeper for the second time two days. And his ears were already starting to hurt.

He sat up and looked around. The room was small. One bed was up against the wall and a toilet sat in the opposite corner. It had no doors, no windows.

His heartbeat and his breath quickened. He’d seen plenty of rooms before that had no visible doors. But sitting there in an unknown place with no visible exit was almost too much for the young Alexander.

Lucas was just about to give in to his paranoia when a crack appeared in one of the walls. He started to calm the moment it did. Just knowing it existed was enough.

The crack grew vertically, then hit a corner and turned, creating a long rectangle. The door opened and Trent walked through.

“Hello, son,” he said.

Lucas looked up at him. “If you hit me again with the sleeper, you could damage my eardrums permanently,” he told him.

“As long as I have a choice, I won’t,” Trent said.

“And you didn’t have a choice the last time?”

“That’s a long story,” he said, taking a seat on the bed. “I’ve told your family we have you in custody.”

“In custody?”

“I am your custodian, and I will look after you.”

“You mean you have me held prisoner.”

“We only want to speak with you, Lucas.”

“About what?”

“The Nekuia,” Trent said bluntly.

“What?” Lucas asked. He was shocked that Trent even knew that word, that name. He tried to play off his surprise by acting like he did not know the word either. “The what?”

“We both know they exist,” Trent said. “But, unfortunately, not much more than that. That’s why you’re preparing for war.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It’s Ok. You don’t have to admit anything,” Trent told him. Then he reached out his hand. “Come with me. I’ll show you what I know. Then you will know we’re on the same team.”

“We’ll never be on the same team,” Lucas said coldly. “You’re murderers and we’re not.”

“Just come with me, son.” And he stretched out his hand a bit farther. Lucas hesitated at first, but then reached out and grabbed it.

The two exited the room together and Lucas found himself traveling down another long hallway. At the end was a sealed door. Trent opened it and the two walked through into a large room with windows, lots of windows.

Lucas could just see the light exploding on the other side of the door, but when he walked through he stopped dead in his tracks. He walked straight up to the wall of windows and just stood there, staring.

The vast red desert stretched out before him, and he knew. He finally knew exactly where he was. And which planet he was on.

Chapter Eleven: The King Has Returned

Five humans and one android sat in the council chamber and discussed how to protect the two members who were not there, along with everyone else in the solar system.

Io was bound for Jupiter Station where a dangerous alien race could soon attack. Lucas had been kidnapped by political fanatics from Earth who had already assassinated two members of the Alexander family.

“We must prepare for war,” William warned the group.

“If we just start building an army the people will rebel,” Maria responded.

“Rebel against what?” Kate asked. “We’re not anyone’s leader.”

“Everyone on Earth looks up to this family,” Maria said. “You know that.”
“I don’t care what they look to,” William interrupted. “If we want anyone to survive, we must prepare to fight the Nekuia.”

“He’s right,” Fernando suddenly interjected. “Maybe they’ll come next week, maybe next year. Either way, we need to begin preparing our defenses now. Or we’ll end up just like the race of beings that gave us that box.”

With that, everyone in the room sat back in their seats and kept silent – except for Sun Alexander, the council chair.

She leaned forward, and sat up straight.

“William, you will continue with your preparations. Only, I want you to double your recruiting quota. You will also create an engineering panel. Hermes, will lead the group,” Sun said.

“You want me to lead the panel?” Hermes questioned. After all, he was an android. He was Io’s companion and had been from the first moment she began building him. It wasn’t unheard of for androids to earn positions of power on Earth. But, it was still unusual.

“Yes. You can consult Io, and keep everyone on track. Your job will be to create gunships, warships. Our focus, for so many years, has been transports. It’s time we started making a different kind of ship.”

“Yes, mam,” Hermes said.

“Kate, you will keep in contact with them and be ready to craft any question that can help. They will have full access to the box, but they will need your help to use it. That box is a library, let’s start using it again.”

“I’ve also come across some old plans for a warship created during the first Battle for the Library,” Kate offered up. “It was never built, but it has some brilliant design details. It could help.”

“Good.”

Kate watched her mother continue to dole out orders. She told Maria to tell the people that the Machinists were back, and they had taken Lucas hostage. No one knew about Lucas. The Machinists had not made contact. But everyone on the planet would take notice. And, most important, they would all believe that it was the reason for the increase in military action.

Then Sun demanded Fernando, the Administrator, simply find a way to pay for everything. No matter the costs, he must find a way. He agreed without hesitation.

Everyone agreed. No one hesitated. Not even Sun who for weeks had struggled to regain her confidence.

When her son, James, betrayed the family and plotted its demise, she was unable to quickly rebound. The matriarch that had once ruled the family was gone, and a weakened version of her sat at the head of the council chamber meetings.

But, tonight that woman was gone, and Sun was back. She sat at that same table, and took control. She made a plan, she gave out instructions and she led the family.

Kate was finally starting to admire her mother again. Then a guard knocked at the chamber door, and entered.

“What is it?” Sun asked.

“You requested I interrupt if we received word,” the guard said.

“They have contacted us?”

“The leader of the Machinists is waiting on the communicator, m’am. He said his name is Trent,” the guard told her.

“Thank you,” Sun responded.

“M’am,” he continued. “There’s just one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“He looks very familiar.”

Chapter Ten: A Brave New World

Lucas slammed his head against the floor of the vehicle when it hit the bump. It woke him up. He kept blinking, rubbing his eyes and then slowly sat up.

He looked around trying to figure out where he was and what had happened.

The vehicle he was in was large, like the old transports. Some makeshift shelving and cages had been added to the sides, and the seats were two simple benches.

Four men sat up front, facing forward. No one turned around to notice him. They were all wearing the same uniforms as the reclamation company that worked for the Alexanders.

That's when he remembered what happened.

He was headed to an outside garden in the Alexander compound for a meeting with Fernando when one of the guards came by. He told Lucas that Fernando changed the meeting location to one of he shuttle bays and wanted him to escort Lucas there.

A shipment of historical artifacts had arrived and Fernando wanted their authenticity verified before he could pay for them.

It seemed a bit strange, but Lucas had no reason to doubt a guard in the Alexander army. Lucas was not one to doubt anyone but himself.

As he approached the shuttle bay he saw men in the reclamation uniforms working in the bay. It seemed logical to see them there. But almost the very second he stepped inside the bay area, he was hit him from behind with a sonic sleeper.

All he could do now was watch and wait. With a sleeper, he could have been out for hours or days. He could be anywhere on the planet. There was no way to know.

Lucas pulled his knees up to his chest, and hugged them. It was cold in the vehicle, but that wasn't the only reason. He was alone.  

Finally it stopped moving and three of the men got out. The fourth turned around and looked at Lucas, but said nothing. Then the back doors opened. One of the men took Lucas by the arm and guided him out.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. The air was cold and stale.

Then he looked around and could see down a long hallway until it disappeared around a corner. The floors, walls and ceiling looked like stone. Two of the men lead the way, and the other two just stared at Lucas until he followed. He could tell with the first step that he wasn’t walking on stone. The floor had some give to it.

They headed down the hallway and around the corner where Lucas could see a doorway at the end.

Still no one spoke to him.

The men opened the hatchway door at the end of the hall, and everyone stepped into a small room. Once the hallway was sealed off, the men opened a second door on the opposite wall. The air hissed through the hatchway. The air smelled different, better. And Lucas could feel the change in pressure. It forced him to step back and one of the men immediately pushed him back.

Everyone stepped through the second hatchway and into a large room with metal walls and no windows. As soon as Lucas crossed the threshold he could see  group of men and women standing in one corner. The man standing in front of the group looked familiar, but Lucas couldn’t place him at first.

He rubbed his eyes again, and took a long look. Then it hit him. He thought he was looking at the leader of the Machinists the Alexanders executed all those years ago. But it couldn’t be him. That man died. Lucas was sure of it.

Then he spoke.

“My name is Trent. And don’t worry, I’m not a ghost,” the man told Lucas. “I’m just his son.”