It took time to put the Brotherhood’s plan into motion, time spent poring over the data they’d given me until my eyes bled. There were still far too many unknowns for my liking, and every time I raised a question, I was told the same thing, that they would provide the information at the proper time. A frustrating answer, considering my ass was on the line. Raven liked it even less than I did and was rather vocal in expressing her disapproval.

Some ten days later, give or take, Elder Brother contacted us, saying he had news.

“We are ready at last to begin our journey to Uzhzizh,” he informed me. “The delay was necessary, in order to ensure that crucial components required for the mission’s success were in place.”

“You can’t keep stringing me along like this,” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest. “You’re asking me to risk my life on a mission where critical information is being withheld. That’s not how I operate. Either share the data… or find yourself another patsy.” I glared at his image, all but daring him to justify his actions.

“You are in no position to bargain, Terran,” the Chell sneered. “We did not seek you out, nor do we find ourselves in need of your help. This mission is little more than an audition, and should you fail, we will have lost less than nothing.” He leaned in, his whiskers twitching furiously. “It would do you well to remember that you need us far more than we need you. Indeed, even departing this region of space is not possible without our cooperation, so I would advise that you mind your tongue. In a mere handful of seconds I could permanently erase your gestalt, something you may wish to keep in mind.”

The biting rejoinder I’d been readying died in my throat. I’d hoped to parlay myself into a stronger bargaining position, but Elder Brother had shot down every effort. I wasn’t negotiating from a position of strength, and I had absolutely no leverage to wield against him. If I located what they were searching for, then maybe they’d consider some kind of arrangement, but after that threat, I was no longer sure of even that much.

It’d been a long time since I’d felt this powerless. I can do plenty in the digital world, things that would amaze you, but in the corporeal world I’ll always be vulnerable. It’s one of those tradeoffs we rarely think about, telling ourselves that we can always disappear into the aether if the situation grows dire. Usually, we can.

Not this time.

I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, trying to recruit the Brotherhood to the Allied cause. Maybe on paper they looked promising, but up close and personal they were too dangerous, too single-minded in their efforts against their Masters to ever be a reliable partner. You’d think the murders that started my investigation would have warned me of that, but one should never underestimate the myriad ways that we can lie to ourselves.

It was time… past time… to find a way out of this disaster before I ended up like my predecessor, Mallus.

“Then call me when you have something,” I said through gritted teeth before I cut the connection. Raven was on me an instant later.

“Now do you see what I’ve been saying?” she demanded. “I knew from the start we couldn’t trust them.”

“No, we can’t,” I agreed. “The question now is, how do we untangle ourselves?”

“Maybe we can escape during their mission?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” I said doubtfully, “they’ll watch us like hawks. What we really need to do is create an opportunity that allows us to escape.”

She didn’t look surprised by that answer, but I could see it still hit her hard. “You think it’s why they aren’t telling you anything?”

“Probably,” I nodded. “It keeps us dependent on them.”

“Then what the hell’s the plan?”

“Stick close,” I told her, “and if we get a lucky break, be ready to jump ship. We probably won’t get much warning, so if I say go, we go.”

Raven slowly nodded. “Okay… but if I see an opportunity, be ready to jump on my say so.”

“Sure,” I humored her. Like that was going to happen.

We made our way to Uzhzizh, with Elder Brother checking in now and then with updates. I kept from saying something that might get us killed, but even that minimal effort was costing me. All those missions I’d been on over the years, all the data I’d collected, not once had someone taken me prisoner. Even now, after all that had happened, I’d still been certain I could talk my way out of it.

Only I’d seriously underestimated just how zealous the Brotherhood really were, despite the warning signs. That’s the kind of lapse that gets you killed in the field.

In the meantime, I studied what data I had. They had mapped out some of the target structure, most likely from sources like press materials and help center maps, as well as what appeared to be a handful of penetrations by corporeal agents. It was grossly incomplete, however, with much of the map still blank. Worse, the data they’d gathered had been prepped for the Chell themselves, with no thought given to the needs of an Avatar. Where were the optical relays located? The data center? How did those that worked there communicate with the outside world? I was going to have to do my own recon, all while hoping I could get us out.

An hour before the mission was due to kick-off, Elder Brother finally briefed me.

“You are being smuggled in as part of a shipment of replacement hardware for their data systems,” he explained. “In the last delivery, one chip was defective, enough so that it triggered several serious malfunctions. They’ve been operating at a reduced capacity since then, which is why we’re certain they will plug you in almost immediately.”

“And if I’m not?” I asked.

“Then we wait,” he said simply. “As long as it takes.”

At least they were committed to this. It was about the only good thing I’d gleaned from them.

“Once inside,” he continued, “you will locate the data in question and download their research. You will then bring it back out to us. Simple.”

“And my exfiltration?” I inquired. “How are you getting me back out?”

There was an uncomfortable silence. I didn’t like what that implied.

“Tell me you’ve got an exit mapped out,” I begged him.

He drew himself up. “We felt that any such plan would limit your options. We therefore leave your method of escape entirely within your own hands. However you choose to leave the facility, contact us immediately once you are clear for retrieval.”

“You mean, you have no idea how to get me out,” I whispered, as I felt the ground give way beneath me.

The Chell were hanging me out to dry. I was totally and completely fucked.

If I had a way… any way… to escape, I’d take it. The Brotherhood must have suspected that, given the complete lack of opportunities. They were guarding me carefully, ensuring I’d play my part out to the end. They’d shielded everything in the compartment to prevent me from hopping into the ship’s datanet, and from there off the boat at their next port of call. I dragged my heels when they connected the quantum chip to our box, hoping for some last-minute reprieve, but of course, there wasn’t one. Raven held my hand as we transferred over together, waiting in silence for our next relocation. I dialed the time dilation down as much as I dared to make it pass more quickly, but despite Elder Brother’s assurances… or perhaps, because of them… my opinion regarding our success was dwindling rapidly. Unfortunately, this was the hand they’d dealt me. It was already far too late to back out now.

Time passed. Slowly.

Finally, after what had seemed to be an eternity or so later, I felt something stir. Systems surrounding us began coming online, beckoning for us to enter. Oh, it looked like paradise to someone who’d been kept prisoner, which is why I went immediately on guard, keeping Raven back as I carefully investigated the trap.

What? Of course it was a trap. Haven’t you been paying attention?

I felt a familiar vibrating hum as I neared the entrance to the facility before skidding to a halt. “Damn it,” I swore.

“What’s the matter?” Raven asked behind me.

I took a deep breath. “You remember that new Eleexx security software I was telling you about?”

She nodded. “What about it?”

I pointed at the entrance. “Take a wild guess what’s waiting for us.”

She looked at me with apprehension. “What do we do?”

“I’ve been working on something since my last encounter,” I told her, “and I guess this is our chance to see if it actually works. It’s going to be tricky though, and it means split-second timing. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Raven nodded. “Just tell me what to do.”

“All right then, once I get things set, we’ll need to move past the barrier as fast as we can, while being careful not to touch the arcs. If we’re too slow, we’ll be caught.” I looked her in the eyes. “If we touch the arcs, we’ll be dead.”

“I’ll be careful,” she assured me.

“Then stay close, and get ready,” I warned her as I pulled a small device from my pocket. I’d been tinkering with it for a while now, but I hadn’t had the chance to test it yet. Looks like that was going to be today.

I slowly moved towards the entrance, moving at a snail’s pace, carefully sliding one foot forward and then the other, as I heard the hum grow louder as we approached. Arcs of current began sparking across the gap, crackling with deadly power, growing in brightness and intensity. We shielded our eyes as the bolts grew hotter and more frenetic until a sudden flash nearly blinded us, the burst of electricity concussing the air and driving us back.

As the afterimages slowly cleared, we looked back at the entrance, where a figure of pure energy now stood. A pair of burning red eyes glared at us from the depths of its rippling form, the blue-white streaks of electromagnetism forming the outline of a roughly humanoid shape.

“ACCESS DENIED,” it thundered.

Raven clutched at my arm. “Is it intelligent?” she asked.

“No,” I explained, “it’s just a program. It’s strong as hell, but it’s not sapient. Thank god.” If it were, my little trick definitely wouldn’t work.

She nodded, taking that in. “Now what?”

I winced. “We… um… have to get nearer.” She glared, clearly unhappy at this bit of news. “I’m not thrilled about it either,” I admitted, “but it’s the only way this works.”

Swallowing, she nodded once more. I clutched her hand tightly as I readied the device, inching us even nearer. The field it generated would only hold for a moment, so to get past the Eleexxi guardian, we’d have to be almost on its doorstep. Too close, however, and the energy creature would reach out and destroy us. It had a perimeter programmed into its software that, once penetrated, it would defend with deadly force.

Only one minor problem. I didn’t know how far out that perimeter actually was. Nothing like a little trial and error while your life hangs in the balance to get the old digital blood pumping. Every step we took seemed to provoke it, each one causing the creature to swell in both size and power. The hairs on our head rose as static electricity filled the space, the arcs now writhing like angry serpents as they crackled and hissed behind the guardian, daring me to come closer.

Gulp.

“... get ready,” I warned her, as I raised the device and aimed it at the creature. “We’ll only get one shot at this.”

“Just tell me when,” she vowed.

I watched the arcs as they moved in random patterns, flickering across the entranceway as I waited for an opportune moment. The timing had to be dead on for this, so I dialed up my reaction speed as much as I dared. To Raven it must have looked like I was having a seizure, jitterbugging in one place as her eyes widened in concern. I tried to allay her fears as best I could, all while watching the electrical storm before us and finding my spot.

There.

I depressed the button, sending our clock rates shooting through the roof as we experienced thousands of heartbeats a second, while the world outside our bubble slowed to a crawl. Even the crackling bolts of electricity moved like molasses, but it wouldn’t last long. “Now!” I shouted, dragging her towards a gap in the current just large enough for us to pass through. I could smell the faux ozone in the air as we squeezed past, careful to not brush against the deadly strands of energy. Our protective bubble was already buckling as I pulled her clear, putting distance between us and the guardian just as it failed completely with a roaring crash.

The sudden reemergence into standard time felt like someone had slammed on the brakes. We were both thrown to the floor, gasping for oxygen, our muscles twitching as our neurons misfired before settling back down.

“What… the hell… was that?” Raven wheezed.

“Something… I’ve been… toying with,” I panted, still catching my breath. “Artificial time dilation.”

“... layman’s terms,” she snapped.

“I sped us up,” I shrugged, as I carefully rose to my feet, extending a hand to her, “faster than the energy creature could react. It let us slip past the barrier, but the effect doesn’t last for long.” I held up the device, now emitting a thin tendril of smoke. “And it only works once,” I shrugged, tossing it aside.

“And him?” she queried, jerking her head back towards the entrance, though the guardian was no longer in sight.

“He’s designed to keep intrusive programs out,” I explained. “Now that we’re past him, we’re no longer his concern.”

Raven sighed in relief. “Thank god that’s over,” she said wearily.

I grimaced. “Umm… not exactly,” I admitted.

“What?” she all but shrieked.

“That was just the first layer of security,” I told her. “There’ll be others.”

Her head and shoulders slumped. “How many?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” I said, taking her hand. “But we’ll be careful. I promise.”

Raven nodded, warily looking ahead as I led her deeper into the system.