with long, straggly raven hair glanced up over her glasses with a smile. This was Athena, whose knowledge of computers and hacking skills had been invaluable in Ghost’s struggle against the Dark Queen. Cindella moved to greet Athena, her facial expression set to one that was friendly and admiring. It was impressive just how much animation was possible with these avatars.
Athena didn’t bother to get up, but she did tap her fingers to her forehead in salute. “Erik, everyone, thanks for coming.”
“We are glad to help, Athena.” Erik paused. “I’m amazed at this place. You’ve fixed it all up in just a few days?”
“We have indeed.” Athena looked proudly around the whole length and breadth of the warehouse.
“What is it that you are doing here, young lady?” Gunnar was presumably trying to be polite, but there was something slightly patronizing in his tone. Perhaps, thought Ghost, he was too nervous to relax and just talk normally. In any case, it didn’t bother Athena.
“It’s our command and control center. Here is where we receive and record the feed from the cameras we have tracking the aliens. We have managed to place broadcasting devices on the two that are in the city and also on one who left through the portal last night. These monitors”—she pointed to a couple of screens—“show where the two in the city are. That one was showing the third, but lost its signal when he went back through the portal. Over there”—she waved her arm toward the far end of the building—“we’ve had to start up the army again, and they are organizing the movement of tanks and other heavy weapons into position beside the portal, just in case. And over there”—she pointed to the third hub—“we’ve invited the leading guilds to draw up plans for evacuation and for civil procedures in case of emergency.”
“And just what—if you don’t mind me asking—kind of emergency do you envisage might arise?” Again Gunnar sounded insincere. This time Athena glanced away from Gunnar toward Ghost, who gave the slightest of shrugs. The two women understood one another. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the question; it was the manner in which he talked, as if interrogating them. The hint of suspicion in his voice was consistent with B.E.’s warning that Gunnar did not have the same outlook as Erik and the others who had come to help out their friends.
All the same, Athena answered the handsome soldier in the same steady, matter-of-fact tone as her previous response. “Our current theory is that the aliens are scouting the city in preparation for an attack of some sort. They seem to be interested primarily in our weapons and have taken several back with them through the portal. When they move around the city, they seem to linger at our higher-technology factories and our strategic facilities, such as the telecoms tower, the spaceport, and so on.”
“Interesting, and worrying,” said Harald. “You must have thought about simply getting hold of one of these men, to ask him what he was doing?”
Ghost nodded. “We’ve thought about it, but that would mean revealing that we know they are here. At the moment, observing them is pretty useful. The other thing is that I don’t think we would learn a lot by attempting to converse with these scouts. These creatures aren’t like living people. They don’t seem to need to eat or drink, or sleep, and they also don’t seem to function like a person. I mean, they are more like robots.”
“Look.” Athena turned to an adjacent desk. On the screen above it flashed a still of a cloaked figure whose face was made up of large gray polygons. “Bachelor number one.” She changed the view, to an identical figure. “Bachelor number two. And here’s three. Now, take your pick.”
“Odd, all right,” mused Anonemuss.
“Yeah, and watch this.”
The image jumped forward to show one of the humanoids outside of a toy shop. He stared through the
Athena didn’t bother to get up, but she did tap her fingers to her forehead in salute. “Erik, everyone, thanks for coming.”
“We are glad to help, Athena.” Erik paused. “I’m amazed at this place. You’ve fixed it all up in just a few days?”
“We have indeed.” Athena looked proudly around the whole length and breadth of the warehouse.
“What is it that you are doing here, young lady?” Gunnar was presumably trying to be polite, but there was something slightly patronizing in his tone. Perhaps, thought Ghost, he was too nervous to relax and just talk normally. In any case, it didn’t bother Athena.
“It’s our command and control center. Here is where we receive and record the feed from the cameras we have tracking the aliens. We have managed to place broadcasting devices on the two that are in the city and also on one who left through the portal last night. These monitors”—she pointed to a couple of screens—“show where the two in the city are. That one was showing the third, but lost its signal when he went back through the portal. Over there”—she waved her arm toward the far end of the building—“we’ve had to start up the army again, and they are organizing the movement of tanks and other heavy weapons into position beside the portal, just in case. And over there”—she pointed to the third hub—“we’ve invited the leading guilds to draw up plans for evacuation and for civil procedures in case of emergency.”
“And just what—if you don’t mind me asking—kind of emergency do you envisage might arise?” Again Gunnar sounded insincere. This time Athena glanced away from Gunnar toward Ghost, who gave the slightest of shrugs. The two women understood one another. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the question; it was the manner in which he talked, as if interrogating them. The hint of suspicion in his voice was consistent with B.E.’s warning that Gunnar did not have the same outlook as Erik and the others who had come to help out their friends.
All the same, Athena answered the handsome soldier in the same steady, matter-of-fact tone as her previous response. “Our current theory is that the aliens are scouting the city in preparation for an attack of some sort. They seem to be interested primarily in our weapons and have taken several back with them through the portal. When they move around the city, they seem to linger at our higher-technology factories and our strategic facilities, such as the telecoms tower, the spaceport, and so on.”
“Interesting, and worrying,” said Harald. “You must have thought about simply getting hold of one of these men, to ask him what he was doing?”
Ghost nodded. “We’ve thought about it, but that would mean revealing that we know they are here. At the moment, observing them is pretty useful. The other thing is that I don’t think we would learn a lot by attempting to converse with these scouts. These creatures aren’t like living people. They don’t seem to need to eat or drink, or sleep, and they also don’t seem to function like a person. I mean, they are more like robots.”
“Look.” Athena turned to an adjacent desk. On the screen above it flashed a still of a cloaked figure whose face was made up of large gray polygons. “Bachelor number one.” She changed the view, to an identical figure. “Bachelor number two. And here’s three. Now, take your pick.”
“Odd, all right,” mused Anonemuss.
“Yeah, and watch this.”
The image jumped forward to show one of the humanoids outside of a toy shop. He stared through the
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