《Mobius》


 Chapter One

    CHAPTER ONE


    The unfortunate reality of life often entails a level of responsibility that is largely unreasonable, a disproportionate debt of time for an abysmal payout. This is an almost universal truth. However, for Dante, being woken up from sleep early so that he might engage in his recording duties was far from an issue. In fact, he almost took more pleasure in having more work than usual. Though recording was an important task, it was also a task rarely required urgently. Perhaps that was why Dante, though disheveled and appearing more awkward than usual, had an excited gait to his step as he half walked, half jogged to his office on the second stage of the government house in Stratum 999.


    Before he could enter his office, however, he was brought to a halt by the sight of Giovanni, his superior and someone he didn¡¯t see often. Not in person, at least¡ªtypically he would communicate using a caster.


    To top it off, he was sweating bullets.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re here,¡± he said, relief evident in his voice.


    Nearly out of breath from excitement and the mild exercise, Dante said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m here, but what are you doing here, sir? Is something the matter?¡±


    Nodding, Giovanni grasped Dante¡¯s shoulder and pulled him aside as if he were worried someone might hear them despite being alone. No one but the busiest of government workers or the dredges of the stratum would be awake 0300 local.


    ¡°Look, I haven¡¯t got a lot of time to warn you but I figured it would be a lot worse if I didn¡¯t at least tell you before you saw.¡± Giovanni licked his lips, looking ready to be done with the conversation before it had even began. ¡°The man in there is no ordinary man. Well, okay, he might be. For all we know he could be lying. But the things he said, his manner of dress, they all just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Would you mind getting to the point?¡± Dante interrupted, less out of pity for his struggling superior and more for the sake of his diminishing sanity. His excitement could ward off the ache sleep put on his mind, but not for long.


    Checking one last time to be certain they were alone, Giovanni whispered quickly into Dante¡¯s ear a phrase so irritating he at first thought it were a joke. ¡°The man in your office is¡ªclaims!¡ªto be Captain Pluto.¡±


    Dante wished to argue that such a thing would be impossible, that the man known as Pluto would have been dead for hundreds of years by that point even without taking into account any sort of time debt. But the look on Giovanni¡¯s face said otherwise. The claim might have been far fetched, but it was a serious enough claim that it scared Giovanni, and that meant that Dante should at least try to take it seriously.


    Thanking him before he could run off, Dante sighed, exhausted from the other man¡¯s energy, and attempted to reclaim that excitement he had lost before entering his office. Failing, he opened the door anyway.


    Alone, sitting front and center in the seat of interrogation, was a man unlike any Dante had ever seen. His hands were bound in standard cuffs, thick steel gloves that would allow for absolutely no movement using a strong magnet to bind the hands together. His clothes, however, were anything but normal, appearing as if they were straight out of some kind of historical substory you might find on the ether. Obvious muscle bulged beneath tattered sheets, and what may have once been a cape was still tied around his neck, though so little was left that it appeared a thick necklace without precious metals or diamonds. The face the man wore may have been the most intriguing thing of all, a face hardened by action and turmoil but with the shadows of his proper age still evident enough for Dante to know he could be no older than forty, perhaps sixty were he to have had any sort of anti-aging treatments done.


    Upon seeing Dante, the man smiled. ¡°You here to free me?¡± he asked almost playfully. ¡°Or are you here to finally end it so I might get on with what comes next?¡±


    Blinking, Dante moved with a tired yet habitual roboticism to his desk. As he pulled forth his recorder and his tablet, he spoke without making eye contact with those chilling blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here to do my duty as recorder¡­ What that means is that I am here to record whatever you might be able to, uh, tell me about how you got here, your arrest, and, uh¡­ right, anything at all about your home stratum.¡±


    ¡°Hey, buddy,¡± the man asked, his nonchalance annoying Dante already. ¡°If you¡¯re recording all that, there¡¯s no way you can get it done fast. How long have we got to do this?¡±


    Recording was an important job on Stratum 999. To Dante, his father, and his father before him, it was the most important job in all of Mobius, as it was a way to connect the cultures of the structure and help to divine some meaning from the history that was slowly bleeding away with each passing day. Dante had been recording for nearly two decades, and in that time he had heard many convicted men try to plead their case. That they had so much to say that they could never be locked up, not without getting their full story out and recorded. Yet none of those men had been able to prove to Dante that their story could be so endless. After all, everyone is finite, and if you boil everyone down to what¡¯s most worth telling, they become an even smaller version of that finite existence, so small in fact it would make most people feel pitiful.


    Were Dante to say that though, it might influence the man before him, and he wanted him to record properly with as little outside influence as possible. Discerning lies in the tales is an easy enough task, but it could take Dante months to finely tune a record and be sure that there were no faults.


    ¡°As is typical with these types of situations, we will have seven local days to record your story. Keep in mind, however, that this is not a court room. Do not treat this as a way for you to plead your case, as I am not a judge. This will have no impact on your sentencing. Understand me?¡±


    Nodding, the man asked, ¡°How long are your local days?¡±


    ¡°Stratum 999 runs on a time frame as close to standard as possible, but each day is roughly twenty five hours long. It¡¯s as close as we can get to standard without throwing off everyone¡¯s rhythm.¡±


    Still nodding, he smiled to himself as if he had heard a joke. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t possibly cover it all in that time but if that¡¯s all we have then that¡¯s all we have. I¡¯ll try and cover the important stuff for you. Where would you like me to start?¡±


    Dante was finishing the set up for his recorder when he responded. ¡°Start? Uhm¡­ how about what stratum you were born in?¡±


    The man laughed so loudly it startled Dante, sending him jumping and dropping his tablet. ¡°I apologize,¡± the man said. ¡°You¡¯re being serious. I should take this seriously too.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dante mumbled, irritated. ¡°Well, begin whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡± he asked, and Dante nodded. ¡°Alright. I was born on Stratum 56. I never¡ªwhat¡¯s up? Why¡¯d you stop?¡±


    Staring at those cold, blue eyes, Dante was searching desperately for the hint of a joke, the crease of a lie in the wrinkles on his forehead. But try as he might, the man before him appeared to be serious. Was he some kind of psychotic?


    ¡°Sorry, you just threw me off with that statement. You couldn¡¯t possibly be from Stratum 56. That would be a distance of roughly what? Seven planets?¡±


    Shrugging, the man said, ¡°Well yeah, something like that. But it¡¯s not as bad as it¡¯s made out to be. There are a few ways to make the pilgrimage less time consuming. Still though, it does mean I was technically born before this place was even built. Strange thought, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Remembering what Giovanni had said, he decided to ask him once he turned the recorder back on. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry! It¡¯s been a long night so I guess I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pluto. Some people call me Captain Pluto, but Pluto will do just fine with me.¡±


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    I was born on Stratum 56, roughly one hundred years after the creation of Mobius began. Some of the people I¡¯ve spoken to place that at around 2700 AD, others place it a little earlier at 2500 AD. Regardless, I was born in the year 61 local, and my mother and father couldn¡¯t have been less pleased. Don¡¯t misunderstand me, I don¡¯t believe that they hated me. They hated that I had to be born into a life of servitude. On Stratum 56¡ªat least during my life there¡ªthere were problems with maintaining enough rations for everyone to survive amicably. This meant that the small group of peasants had to remain small, and if there were too many then the remainder would be placed in servitude to Mobius.


    Don¡¯t bother asking, I¡¯ll explain everything as I go. Trust me, you aren¡¯t the first I¡¯ve told this to, and you probably won¡¯t be the last.


    Servitude to Mobius is comparable to being a government worker like yourself, only without any pay or benefits and your bosses are all Nanos, though I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if at least one of those is true for government work too. The Nanos would maintain the lives of the extras using a basic nutrition line. Some people from different strata don¡¯t seem to be familiar with what those are, so I¡¯ll explain. Essentially, it¡¯s a tube that they stick into your arm that gives you all the essentials for life¡ªvitamins, minerals, the works. See the problem with that, though, is that you stay hungry and tired, your body just won¡¯t die. It¡¯s a living hell, and each of us extras lived that hell together, a fact that only made things slightly easier.


    The Nanos would have us do much of the basic maintenance that they decided was too menial even for themselves. We would change fluids in the consumption bay, clean out the sewage pipes, even make sure the charging stations were functioning optimally for the Nanos themselves.


    Many of my days were spent with the other children, but due to our shared hunger we didn¡¯t speak very much. One day that changed, however, and it was all my fault. I had done maintenance on a Nano charging bay the day prior, but for whatever reason I had forgotten to tighten one of the bolts underneath the area the Nano would sit. This meant that there wasn¡¯t enough energy for that particular station and the Nano in question was unable to perform for a full local day as it should. When it was found that I was the one who had worked that station, there was a commotion among the Nanos, and they came to find me while I slept in the shared quarters of the extras. Awoken from my light slumber, I was taken out of the quarters and beaten using stunners set to a high enough setting that caused me to have an incessant tic for nearly a full two months, and when I reclaimed my place in my bed and attempted to return to sleep, I heard a few of the other extras stir, and I began to cry silently into my arm.


    One boy decided to hop into my bed with me and comfort me. His name was Thomas, and he claimed that he only helped me because the smell of my flesh wouldn¡¯t let him sleep. I¡¯m not sure if he was lying, but all the same we spoke much that night.


    The topic we discussed the most was our hunger.


    ¡°I wish I could eat only just once,¡± I sobbed to him, doing my best to keep my voice down and not wake anyone else.


    Thomas bit his lip, looked around to see if anyone were awake. ¡°Do you know of the place the peasants eat?¡±


    I shook my head, sniveling.


    ¡°Tomorrow, make sure you work with me in my group. I can show you something.¡±


    Without saying anything else, he returned to his bed, leaving me with my thoughts and my pain, but with a certain excitement I had never felt before. At the time I wasn¡¯t sure why I felt that way, and perhaps it was merely the residual effects of the stunner, but I believe I felt that way simply because in Thomas I had found what I thought might be a friend.


    The following day I stayed close to Thomas, making sure I was assigned to his group. Normally it would have been more difficult, but after my mistake the Nanos felt it necessary to reassign me anyway, and so from that day forth I was to work in what the Nanos referred to as the trough.


    Our job in the trough was simple enough. We were tasked with checking the levels of each of the devices there and making certain each machine remained full and ready for the afternoon. The afternoon job was for the children, and the night job was for the older extras, so at night we would be tasked with cleaning out the sleeping quarters before the other children came to rest.


    When we had finished our job, we were meant to leave the area in a single file line so that we might take our designated break, but Thomas held my wrist and put a finger to his lips, and we remained quietly hidden away in an alcove behind the machines. There were little spaces between the machines where we could peer out and see the trough. In only a few moments, peasants from village 56 came through and began using the machines at the trough. I stared, wide eyed and amazed as they pulled levers and pressed buttons, and rations dispensed from the mouths of those steel contraptions we had only just worked on moments before. The peasants would receive their food and sit down at one of the benches, waiting for their companions to join them.


    It was there that I first got to witness someone eating food.


    The whole process was miraculous to me. They would tear open the outer coating, then they would carefully remove the food and begin consuming it with their mouths. Saliva dripped past my lips as I watched, some eating slowly, others barely chewing the food before finishing and moving on. To me, the whole thing was this incredible, almost religious experience, something I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about even as I went to bed that night.


    Thomas promised me we would see it again the following afternoon, and soon it became a part of our routine. We would hide in different areas from time to time, and often Thomas would chastise me for being a little too loud or peeking for too long, but the experience became a necessity greater than my own fill on nutrients during break, something which would eventually come back to bite me.


    One day, on our way back from watching the peasants eat, Thomas said to me, ¡°You really like watching them eat, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, without hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s a little weird, I guess, but for a while I didn¡¯t believe eating was real, that it couldn¡¯t possibly be something we do. Seeing it is a reminder I guess.¡±


    ¡°That we¡¯re human?¡±


    The way he asked it caught me off guard. Thomas¡ªlike the rest of us¡ªwasn¡¯t prone to using emotions. Maybe it was because we were constantly being surveilled by the Nanos, or maybe it was because none of our parents were in our lives. Perhaps it was just a combination of everything. Either way, when I heard Thomas ask that, his voice betraying his face with vitriol, I knew that I would get along well with him, that he was indeed the friend I sought.


    ¡°That,¡± I said, ¡°and because of something else too.¡±


    He pressed me, and though I was embarrassed I told him anyway.


    ¡°I like¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know. I just like to wonder if the person I¡¯m looking at is my father, or my mother. Maybe my sister or brother. I don¡¯t know. Is that weird?¡±


    For a while, Thomas appeared to think it was as silly as I thought it was, and my face turned red. But he smiled anyway and said, ¡°Not really.¡±


    After approximately one local month, Thomas approached me as we walked to do our night job cleaning the barracks. His voice was hushed, his face serious. ¡°How would you like to try some food?¡±


    My heart skipped a beat but I shook my head, smiling. ¡°That would be incredible, Tom, but we both know that¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Impossible?¡± he asked, smirking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ve got a plan that should allow us both to try some food tomorrow without us getting caught.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± I asked him. I must have clarified it countless times more after that, but his response never changed.


    ¡°I promise,¡± he said, each time without any hesitation.


    We spoke a little while we worked, certain to keep the conversation safe so that other children wouldn¡¯t hear, but beneath the conversation lay this undertone of electric agony, a pining for tomorrow to be there already.


    When it came, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Each second we worked on the machines felt like an eternity, and Thomas and I would exchange furtive glances as the wait eventually paid off, and everyone went off to break, leaving us alone.


    ¡°So how are you going to do this?¡± I asked him, still unsure how it would be possible.


    He shook his head. ¡°Just watch. It¡¯s going to be simpler than you think.¡±


    We got into our hiding spots as we normally would, doing nothing as the lines of peasants formed at the ration dispensers. Those getting rations at the dispensers near us were receiving food as normal, but the dispenser we were behind seemed to be acting up. Tom did his best to maintain his composure, holding both hands to his face so as not to laugh. I cocked an eyebrow at him, then nervously placed my own hands over my face when the person at the dispenser became frustrated.


    ¡°God dammit!¡± they yelled, whacking the machine on its plastic front panel.


    ¡°Yo, Dan, what¡¯s the matter?¡± someone asked. ¡°Your machine acting up?¡±


    ¡°Course it is, fucking stupid metal Nanos can¡¯t tell their metal ass from this fucking thing and they managed to break it.¡±


    The people around were snickering at whoever Dan was¡ªapparently he was prone to outbursts, and they all found it amusing.


    ¡°Alright, well don¡¯t worry so much about it. Grab your ration from this machine and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    Dan went grumbling over to the other machine, and this other man came over to the problem machine in an attempt to fix whatever it was that Tom had done. I can¡¯t exactly remember what he said he did to it, but I think he had moved a piece that would normally push the ration selected out and into the slot the peasants would take from. Instead, it would push the food backwards, leading somewhere else.


    Stumped, the man shook the machine, hit it, pressed some buttons, but nothing seemed to work. Then he decided to rock the machine back and forth, and we heard the crinkle of plastic falling, and he seemed satisfied.


    ¡°Just had to shake it up a bit, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The excitement was over, and the peasants had moved on, everyone else grabbing their rations while the other one did what he could to get the broken machine working. Once everyone had sat down, Tom removed his hands from his face and smiled. He removed a screwdriver from his pocket and began unscrewing a small piece on the back of the machine, and when he was done I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. There were enough rations there to feed every child in our barracks. I was about to grab big handfuls, but Tom slapped my shoulder and shook his head, grabbing only two and as quietly as he could so the noise of the plastic wrappers wouldn¡¯t alert anyone. Indicating with his eyes what I should do, I replaced the small piece on the back panel and as quietly as we could we scrambled away, down the empty metallic hallway and back to the nutrient charging stations for the remainder of our break. But not before we both had our first taste of food.


    I remember opening the package and seeing the soft loaf, a strong scent wafting off of it and causing me to salivate. I was nervous and unsure what would happen, but I took a small bite and began chewing for the first time.


    Now you seem like the type of guy who eats a lot, at least three meals a day I would wager. And I bet they probably are at least decent reflections of what a proper human would eat back home. These rations I was eating, I came to find out long after, were mere blocks of nutrients, no better really than the nutrition tubes Tom and I were already used to, save the staving off of hunger. But I was having my first experience of food at the ripe age of twelve, after a long time of Tom and myself watching the process we were finally participating. These days I¡¯ve had plenty of food. Hell, I¡¯d guess I¡¯ve even had better food than some of the wealthiest aristocrats on this vessel. But nothing has ever tasted as good as that loaf of garbage, that cheap, worthless food meant only to tide over the poor and destitute of Stratum 56.


    We both ran desperately to our stations and got our daily dose of nutrients intravenously, but we both knew that we couldn¡¯t live without food. We had to eat again.


    I think it lasted for a week before we got caught.


    We were on our way back, in the middle of eating our rations, when a young girl caught us in the hall. Tom and I froze, and we all stared at each other hesitantly, unsure what we would do. I honestly thought Tom might kill her, the way his eyes were moving. Luckily, however, she was just as hungry as we were.


    ¡°I want in,¡± she said, her voice a strained attempt at sounding commanding. ¡°Otherwise I¡¯ll give you up to the Nanos.¡±


    Personally, I¡¯d have let her in regardless. It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t empathetic to her hunger. Tom was a different story, however.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do what?¡± he asked, incredulous. ¡°Do you really think you can outrun the both of us? We¡¯re both bigger and stronger. We don¡¯t have to do anything you ask.¡±


    Her eyes became glossy, but I put a hand on Tom¡¯s chest and said, ¡°You promise not to tell?¡±


    Tom wanted to interrupt me but I gave him a look that must have been scary enough to quiet him. I don¡¯t think he liked that.


    ¡°¡¯Course not,¡± she said, her voice almost a whisper. ¡°I just want to try it, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Exchanging a look with Tom, we came to a mutual understanding and I broke a piece of my bread and handed it to her with the promise that the following day she could try more. She consumed that small portion so ravenously, so violently, I had to wonder if I looked so feral when I first tried it. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, mixing with errant crumbs. We had her clean her face up so no one would ask anything and we disposed of our trash.


    ¡°I¡¯m Maggie,¡± she told us, and we all introduced ourselves.


    ¡°Did you enjoy the loaf, Maggie?¡± I asked, trying to be as pleasant as possible.


    ¡°Oh yes! It¡¯s even better than I expected it to be.¡±


    There was much small talk, but as we approached the break room Tom pulled me aside. ¡°We can¡¯t trust her. She has no reason to trust us so quickly, so neither do we.¡±


    ¡°She just wants food like us, Tom.¡± I was becoming annoyed with him. I couldn¡¯t understand why he was being so unreasonable. ¡°Just let her tag along, she¡¯ll understand how it all works soon enough and then you won¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Will I?¡± He glared at me, but he conceded nonetheless. And though I was happy to share rations with Maggie, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Tom was right. That she couldn¡¯t be trusted.


    With the introduction of Maggie into our group, something unexpected began to happen. It was slow at first, but eventually more children began to take notice that not only were three other children missing from break time every day, but those three children would return stronger and more rejuvenated than those at their nutrition recharge stations. So slowly we began to be stopped by other kids on our way back, asking to come with us. It was only one at first, then another, but soon enough it was at least half of our ward. Perhaps 15 children wished to join us on our excursions.


    For Tom, Maggie had always been one too many. Each interested child made him fume with anger, and though at first I was against his antagonism, I reluctantly had to agree. It was hard enough for just me and him to stay quiet and not get caught. For fifteen kids? It would be nearly impossible.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± he said one day, as three more kids approached us about joining. ¡°If you guys want to get food, do it on your own time. Don¡¯t include us.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s the big deal?¡± one child asked, pleading. ¡°Why can¡¯t you bring us along?¡±


    Sighing, Tom looked more tired than angry when he said, ¡°It¡¯s hard enough for us not to get caught as it is. With you three we would have half of our ward with us. Do you understand how difficult that would make it for us to not get caught? The Nanos would terminate each of us, no questions asked.¡±


    At first it had looked like they still wanted to argue, but that last reason, the looming threat of Nanos, really drove home that any additional children would make it harder on us. Hell, it already had gotten harder on us. Maggie, sweet as she was, would always stifle a giggle at the worst time and nearly get us caught. Some of the other kids would trip, gasp, anything that could have gotten us caught. And, to top it off, there wasn¡¯t nearly enough space behind those machines anymore. Some kids were off to the side already, peering at us in anticipation and nearly getting noticed by peasants.


    Just as the kids were about to walk away, an idea occurred to me and I stopped them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Tom asked in a frustrated whisper. ¡°You know we can¡¯t help them!¡±


    ¡°What if we could?¡± I asked, a smile playing at my face.


    Tom just continued to frown, waiting for my idea so he could say no.


    ¡°Look, all we need to do is get the kids food, right? Well you and me have been doing it long enough that we can probably grab enough for everyone without getting caught. All we have to do is¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so good at it,¡± he interrupted, ¡°how are you going to manage to grab all of the packages without having them make any noise at all?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier than it sounds. It¡¯ll take some time though, probably a week.¡±


    Frowning still, Tom nodded then sent the other children away. ¡°We¡¯ll let you know if we have extra food,¡± he told them.


    For a moment, I thought Tom was going to hit me. He did something worse instead, though.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you out with this anymore.¡±


    My heart sank. ¡°Tom, come on. It¡¯ll work, I promise!¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want all this to be a big deal. I just wanted to help you out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about the other kids? They have the same experiences we have, you know. The same problems. They deserve food, too.¡±


    But Tom wouldn¡¯t yield. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for them to be subjected to what we are. I agree with you on some level, yeah, we should help however we can. But this? Come on, this is suicide. You¡¯re going to draw too much attention to yourself and the Nanos will kill you. You won¡¯t be the first kid to try and do something stupid like that, but it¡¯ll be your last chance trying.¡±


    Angry, I yelled after him. ¡°You think this is my last chance? No, this was your last chance to help. You can go crawl and hide away, I¡¯ll be the one that feeds everyone!¡±


    I kept yelling, saying stupid things that I didn¡¯t mean. Really, I just wanted him back. Even then though, watching him walk away, I knew he wasn¡¯t going to return. Not then, and not ever.


    After that, everyone sort of split off. Most kids stopped asking about the rations and continued receiving their nutrition from the designated stations. A few kids, like Maggie, kept asking me if I¡¯d help them but I gave them noncommittal answers, saying I wasn¡¯t sure and that I¡¯d think about it. Myself, I stopped eating for about a week. The whole thing had left me uninterested in the food, not because I was worried about getting caught, but because I was worried that I¡¯d just lost my friend.


    Tom continued to work in silence. I¡¯d stay close to him during our work hours, even attempt to talk with him when the chance would arise, but he never responded. It was going to take a lot to repair our relationship, and I didn¡¯t have the patience for it at twelve. Instead, I had a hero complex and a hair brained plan.


    I had told him that the plan was simple, but it was a lot more complicated than even I had anticipated. Some ideas sound better in your head, where they aren¡¯t given the chance to vibrate against your eardrums and be truly processed by your mind.


    The plan was this. I would sabotage a vending machine so that it would stop working, after which the Nanos would remove it and place it in the junk pile. As far as I was aware, they would leave the rations inside the vending machine, and all junk was processed on the same day, middle and the end of every month. That gave me a decent amount of time to plan how I was going to enter the waste tunnel, and I¡¯d be able to find a container for the food. In total I¡¯d need around thirty rations¡ªI¡¯d decided that I would bring back food for every single child, Tom included, as opposed to just the ones that had asked. Hopefully, I had thought, that would be enough to get me back in his good graces. Return our friendship to its rightful place.


    It had to wait, though. I had to wait until the day of waste processing so that I would have the most amount of time to get everything done. That meant that I needed to wait a week before the plan would be set in motion.


    By the time the week was up, I wondered if I should even go through with it.


    Everything was set. Though I hadn¡¯t checked to be sure, the waste from the previous two weeks had just been processed. I had the tools I needed to break the machine without it seeming suspicious, and I even had a container so I might hold the rations later when it became necessary. I had chosen a bucket typically used for used rags and hidden it beneath my bed. I wasn¡¯t sure if it could hold all of the rations, but I hoped it would be enough.


    I hoped I would have the guts to go through with it, too.


    Within a weeks time, I had successfully convinced myself that there was no way I could fail, that the plan would go off smoothly and everyone would appreciate my actions, and Tom would be my friend again. The Nanos would never find out, nothing bad would happen. But late the night before, I stared up at the bed above me and began doubting everything. The plan had so many moving parts that it was bound to fail. I could have asked another child for help, sure, but I doubted that any of them had the skills required to pull it off. Save for Tom.


    The day of I found my hands shaking, my stomach twisting like the used rags in my bucket, wringing out any excitement I previously had and replacing it with pure nerves. The screwdriver in my hand kept slipping between my fingers, my palms coated in sweat. I still wasn¡¯t sure I was even going to go through with it. Even as I knelt down behind the machine and began unscrewing the back panel, I wondered if it was worth doing, if I was making a mistake.


    Reaching my arm through the hole, I found another panel and began unscrewing that one, doing my best to maintain my grip. I only had a few minutes to do this before peasants came in to get their rations. I had to be quick. My hands weren¡¯t cooperating, however.


    Suddenly, I felt the tool slip free of my hands, fall to the bottom of the machine with a rattle, and roll across the matte plastic with a loud echo that sent my heart beating into my throat. I was sure someone had to have heard it, the noise was so loud. Still, I was this far, I couldn¡¯t run now. I reached in as deep as my physiology would allow me and grappled for the screwdriver, causing more clattering noises and nearly giving me a heart attack with each and every clatter, every errant twitch. I was able to eventually regain a grip on it, and with little time remaining I finished my job, scrambling out of the room but remaining close enough so that I might see if my plan was going to work at all.


    The peasants entered the room and got in line as usual. My sweat was so strong it was all I could smell, nausea creeping as I watched the first one attempt to get their rations. They pressed the button, tapped the screen, yelled, hit the machine in aggravation, and soon a few others did what they could to get the machine to work. When no rations fell, one of the peasants tapped a device on their wrist and a Nano blaring a siren burst into the room through a hatch in the ceiling.


    ¡°What is the problem?¡± it asked the room in its metallic mimicry of human language.


    ¡°This unit here isn¡¯t dispensing rations,¡± the first peasant said, his annoyance palpable even to the Nano.


    ¡°Allow me to inspect it,¡± said the Nano, and I felt my stomach flip. If the Nano were to suspect it had been tampered with and gone after me, I knew that I was as good as dead. Worry though I did, the Nano inspected it quickly using a scanner protruding from its ¡°head.¡± Once finished, it turned once again to the crowd and said, ¡°This unit will be replaced within a few days. We will dispose of it for now, and we apologize for the inconvenience.¡±


    There was grumbling in the group of peasants, but a quiet acquiescence as the machine was lifted off through the hatch the Nano had used to enter.


    I left before anything else could happen. There wasn¡¯t any reason for me to believe that the Nano would be after me, that anyone had suspected anything. Knowing that didn¡¯t make my paranoia any easier to over come, and I left as fast as I could, barely having enough time to receive my nutrients before moving on to barracks cleaning.


    Later that night, once everyone was asleep, I gathered the bucket and screwdriver and quietly left the barracks, hoping that no one would hear me.


    And as far as I¡¯m aware, no one did, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Tom asked me, startling me and nearly sending my materials flying through the air.


    ¡°You should be in bed, Tom,¡± I stuttered, voice trembling. The nerves from the day were so great they were inescapable; nothing I did or said was unaccompanied by a tremor.


    ¡°So should you,¡± he said, looking at the bucket in my hands and shaking his head. ¡°You know that won¡¯t hold enough rations. What are you trying to accomplish with all this?¡± When I didn¡¯t say anything, he frowned and asked, ¡°Do you want to die? Is this some kind of suicide mission?¡±


    Shaking my head, I said simply, ¡°I just think it needs to be done.¡±


    Tom looked at me with some mix of emotions I¡¯m sure even he didn¡¯t fully understand. We were both still very young, both still becoming who we would be, and we had grown up in a hostile environment. Everything I was doing made no sense to him. To be honest, it would make little sense if I found someone that age doing it now. The level of danger I was putting myself in for bad food is laughable to anyone with any sense.


    ¡°You¡¯re stupid,¡± he replied, shaking his head. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not giving up, let¡¯s go.¡±


    My eyes widened, but before I could sputter up a bunch of heartfelt thank yous he waved a hand. ¡°Look, if you start babbling like an idiot I might change my mind. I¡¯m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart, I just don¡¯t want to see you get yourself killed.¡± I was about to say something again but he stepped forward and put a finger in my face. ¡°And I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, whether we get through this perfectly fine or not, you will never, EVER, do this again, alright? This is unnecessary. If we slip up even a little, the Nanos won¡¯t hesitate to kill us. Got it?¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.??Harsh as he was, I understood where he was coming from and nodded. I was just happy we were on speaking terms again.


    ¡°Now then,¡± he said, leaning down to pick something up from behind him, ¡°let¡¯s get going.¡±


    We started walking in silence, but when I saw what was in his hand I started chuckling. Though I did my best to stay quiet, he got angry and shushed me. I couldn¡¯t stop laughing, though. He had brought a bucket with him himself. Tom had always planned on joining me.


    Tom had a better understanding of the hallways within the walls of Stratum 56 better than anyone I knew, so getting to the disposal room wasn¡¯t as difficult as it could have been. The Nanos were on a strict schedule, and Tom had it mostly memorized. We were able to avoid detection and enter the room unnoticed, a huge relief to me. Unfortunately, we were quickly presented with something that neither of us were expecting.


    ¡°How the hell is this room already packed?¡± There was a sea of waste, trash piled high in peaks and valleys, and the machine we were searching for was buried in there somewhere, out of plain sight.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Tom muttered. ¡°Either you planned your weeks incorrectly or its been a heavy day for garbage. I¡¯m inclined to say you were simply wrong.¡±


    Groaning, I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree. Dammit!¡± I looked around, desperation rising in me. ¡°Alright, alright¡­ How about I take the right side and you take the left? They took the machine only around ten hours ago. It should be close to the top, I would guess.¡±


    Wordlessly Tom agreed and we were off on our search. Climbing the piles of scrap metal was a loud, dangerous process that required us to stay balanced and on our toes constantly. I can¡¯t remember how many times both of us nearly tripped and fell from those mountains, but it was a lot. The worst part about that would have been if either of us had fallen from that height, we most likely would have broken a bone or worse, and if the Nanos found us we would have been killed¡ªbut if they didn¡¯t find us, we¡¯d be tossed out of the hatch door, into deep space where we would die painfully, floating endlessly around Mobius. I¡¯m not sure I thought about that then, but whenever I think about it today I often think of that possibility now, wonder if that would have been better.


    Every few minutes we would call out to each other, and the other would respond that they had found nothing.


    After about an hour of that, I was beginning to feel like the whole thing was hopeless.


    I was digging around in the fourth pile I had climbed when I found something special. It wasn¡¯t the machine I had been searching for. This was something strange, something that even to my untrained eyes was obviously not supposed to be there. Underneath the rubble was a shimmering weapon, something akin to an old world pistol. In my time as an orphan I had heard a few tales periodically about such things, but never had I seen one. They were typically the weapons of Nanos, something they would use to administer judgment. Turning it over in my hands, I saw that on the right side was a knob that stopped on a number from one through six. It was sitting at one when I found it, and a dim, neon green light flashed every ten seconds or so, making me wonder if it was still functioning.


    ¡°Find anything yet?¡± Tom called from his spot.


    Flustered, I shoved the weapon into my pants. ¡°Not yet, no.¡±


    We continued digging, though I was now preoccupied with the weight pressing against my stomach, a cold reminder of possibilities I couldn¡¯t conceive.


    Both of us were ready to give up, but we decided to try searching one more pile. Unfortunately we were met with an image neither of us were prepared for. Instead of a pile of garbage¡ªor at least, garbage as you or me might see it¡ªwe were greeted with a pile of people. They ranged from peasants to children, some as young as newly born, all recently deceased, their scent overpowering the iron in the air. I¡¯m certain both Tom and I said something when we found them, but I cannot remember what was said. In the moment, all words were meaningless. We had found the secret fate of all who lived there. Not only were we born into a world we could hardly survive in, but the end would result in us being spit into the vacuum, becoming one with the great river surrounding Mobius. Perhaps someone with a level of mysticism might see it as beautiful. In fact, I¡¯ve met a few people who have argued with me that a fate such as that was what we were meant for, that we should return to the stars in glorious fashion.


    There is nothing glorious about being cast among the refuse of peasants, of people seen as less than. Tom and I could see that at twelve, plain as day in front of us.


    ¡°We should leave,¡± I said, and with Tom¡¯s quiet acquiescence we began running out of there. Our hopes of not being discovered were quickly dashed. The ceiling peeled open with a quiet shunt of metal, and we both hid as swiftly as possible behind the nearest pile of debris. A loud noise followed, accompanied by the heavy vibration of force beneath our feet, then the sound once again of metal above us. Tom and I peered out from our vantage point and we couldn¡¯t believe our eyes.


    The machine we had been searching for lay atop a new pile, a small one from the previous day.


    Neither of us could help but smile, and we began the process of hoisting our buckets up the pile, breaking open the already cracked glass of the front panel, and rummaging around for rations, of which there were plenty. By the time we were finished, both buckets were stuffed with roughly fifteen rations each. Heavy as they were, they would be simple enough to carry back on our return.


    Tom and I looked around one last time to be sure that we left nothing incriminating, that no one was around to see us, then once we were satisfied we ran off, doing our best to keep our hauls from making too much noise as we returned to our quarters. We didn¡¯t speak much on the way back. If Tom was anything like me, he was too excited and worried to let a peep escape his lips. Sometimes we would exchange looks, though, showing that we would talk in the morning.


    Before that, though, we made sure to place a ration in the bed of each child so that they would wake up with it beside them. There weren¡¯t any for Tom or myself, but neither of us needed it. If we wanted some we could always get it in a much easier, reliable way.


    With everything set, we both went to bed, though I¡¯m sure neither of us slept. My eyes stayed heavy, but my heart was filled with excitement. The next morning would be great.


    There is little information on emotions here on Mobius, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Plenty of documents on general health and wellness, sure. And certainly most ailments and physical dilemmas can be resolved by a competent Nano physician using those documents. Still, in all of my time spent traversing the strata I have yet to find any concrete information about emotions save for my own personal experience. That morning, in the dim light supplied by the morning ceiling, I was surrounded by so much happiness that it felt like something greater. It was as if the feeling became stronger with each child indulging in their first meal; some were laughing hysterically, unable to contain the joy they felt; some were crying, sobbing at the thought that they ever existed subsisting off basic nutrients through a tube; others were quiet but obvious, their excitement plain on their crumb covered face. It was wonderful, and I could see that Tom felt a little proud as well though he tried desperately to hide that from me.


    I sauntered over to him with a grin on my face. ¡°Feels pretty good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tom shrugged, eyes searching for purchase anywhere but with mine. ¡°For now. But you realize what you¡¯ve done, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sour my mood, Tom. Just enjoy the moment.¡±


    He was about to speak but shook his head, thinking for a moment instead. ¡°I just worry that things won¡¯t be the same after this. It was a lot easier when it wasn¡¯t a well known secret.¡±


    The way he said it got me wondering how he had found out how to get rations in the first place, why he would go out of his way to try something so risky. The more he spoke on the subject, the more it seemed like he took a risk on me despite himself, not because he was a naturally nice person.


    I was about to ask him about this when the door opened. Two Nanos were there, staring at us.


    Staring at children consuming food.


    One thing that you should understand about Nanos, being that you¡¯re a native of 999, is that earlier strata house earlier models of the Nanos. As time has wore on, they¡¯ve enhanced themselves and become better, stronger, more intelligent. But the earlier models run on less sophisticated software, which meant that when the Nanos caught everyone eating food they reacted strangely at first.


    Everyone stopped when the Nanos saw them eating food, and while everyone was processing what was happening the Nanos collected the half eaten rations, stowed away loose wrappings, and then they turned to leave. One of them must have sensed we were attempting to leave as well, as they spun around and said, ¡°No one leave until I return.¡±


    The children, as you can imagine, were in a frenzy. They began pointing fingers, at first hysterically amongst themselves, then of course to me as I was the one who stole the rations for them.


    ¡°If you never showed us what eating was like, we never would have asked you to get us these!¡± one child sobbed, another consoling him silently.


    I of course had nothing to say. It wasn¡¯t like they were wrong, after all. I knew the risks getting the food. The only reason I had followed through with it all was because I thought it was the right thing to do.


    Tom could see it was bothering me, and he came to my defense.


    ¡°You can¡¯t place all the blame on him.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell not?¡± someone cried out, others chiming in.


    Sighing, Tom said, ¡°Well for starters, it wasn¡¯t him who first learned of the rations. It was me.¡±


    An uproar ensued, but Tom waited patiently so that he might continue while I stared at him with confused awe.


    ¡°Secondly, everyone here is aware of the way the Nanos operate. We all knew that if any of us were caught, we would be dealt with. Had you all some decency, you could have waited to eat later. Or you could have staggered yourselves and left so that suspicion wouldn¡¯t be raised. None of you did any of that though, you all saw the ration in your bed and began eating without stopping like gluttons.¡±


    No one said a word.


    Then the doors burst open and the Nano had returned.


    ¡°It has been determined that the punishment for all of you should be death. Stealing food is a direct violation of your status as extras. This cannot be tolerated in any way. All of you shall be executed now. If you would please enter a single file line and follow me.¡±


    Before it was even finished speaking there was a massive cacophony of sobs and anguish. Nausea enveloped me and I felt as if I should run.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Tom said, stepping forward. ¡°If anyone should be punished, it should only be myself.¡±


    The room went silent.


    ¡°Oh?¡± the Nano buzzed, turning its attention to Tom. ¡°What makes you think that? Were you every child eating rations in here?¡±


    ¡°No, but it was me who got all of them.¡± I tried to move, to add in that I helped, but Tom glared at me and pushed my chest firmly. ¡°I was the one solely responsible for this. When I was working one day I found I could tamper with the machines in the trough, so I did and waited until it was taken to the waste room. Then I stole a bunch of these rations and handed them out to everyone. It¡¯s not their fault I gave them these.¡± When the Nano didn¡¯t respond right away, Tom added, ¡°It would be a bad idea to remove all of the extras in here. Nanos would have to pick up the slack once they were all gone, right?¡±


    A strange chugging noise emitted from the Nano as if it were considering. ¡°You raise a good argument. Logic dictates that it is correct. We accept your admission to guilt and sentence you to death. Now please, no more interruptions and follow me. The rest of you get to work or your fate shall be the same.¡±


    Wordlessly, Tom submitted to his fate. I grabbed his wrist and tried to stop him but he yanked it free.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said to me, his voice lost in the noise. ¡°Just try to be safe, okay? Don¡¯t let this be in vain.¡±


    Then he was gone, and in what felt like an instant I was alone in the barracks, staring at my hands through tears, wondering what I¡¯d done, what I should do.


    One local hour later I was in that same spot, unable to move. The whole thing had left me sick in a way that was unlike anything I¡¯d ever felt. Have you ever heard of karma, Dante? It¡¯s an old world concept, something lost among the riffraff on Mobius. Essentially it dictates that those who do bad things will have bad things done onto them, and those who do good things will have good done onto them. A concept so simple and yet so true. For me, I could see that I had done something wrong. What it was, I couldn¡¯t surmise with the frame of mind I was in. Even now, I suppose it would be difficult for me to judge myself. In any case, at the time I knew I must have done something horribly wrong. Of all the children I had met, Tom was the only one to treat me as an equal, as a person. We had an actual relationship built on more than just our desire to eat. It was a true friendship.


    My best friend was about to die because of me and there was nothing I could do about it.


    Worse, when the rest of the children saw it happen they all just left, ready to move on and do their jobs as if nothing had happened. Whether it was because they didn¡¯t care for Tom or because they felt there was nothing they could possibly do, I can¡¯t say. Still, the feeling of seeing them all move on so quickly stung, made it all feel even more terrible.


    I began to wonder if it was worth me living, at that point. How could I possibly do anything right in a world run by monsters? I had no parents, no friends, no food, no purpose other than to make the work of a bunch of unfeeling assholes even easier than it already was.


    The cold steel pressed against my waist burned my skin, aching for attention.


    Without thinking I pulled the weapon free, stared at it. Wondered if maybe I should use it.


    Placed it to my temple.


    For an instant, the thought crossed my mind. Not of pulling the trigger. Instead, I thought of what I¡¯d look like. My head eviscerated, my flesh burning at the neck, the smell of grease and iron in the air. The children coming in, screaming, followed by dutiful Nanos dumping me in the waste room. My headless corpse sent to drift among the trash for eons until all that remained was scorched in a burning star, my dust drifting across space until time collapsed.


    The weapon was at my side, trembling against my waist.


    I still wanted to use it.


    I just didn¡¯t know how.


    Thirty minutes later a Nano came to find me.


    It was rare, but whenever a worker was gone for an extended period of time or didn¡¯t report to their post, a Nano would come to find them and reprimand them. I had never personally had it happen until then, as the latest I¡¯d ever arrived at my post was a half hour or so. Tom¡¯s fate put lead in my shoes.


    Just as the Nano was about to speak, its red camera fixated on me like an angry eye, scrutinizing over the object in my hand. There was a strange noise, and suddenly an alarm began sounding from the Nano.


    I froze.


    In a more lifeless voice than usual, I heard the Nanos speech twice as it blared over the loudspeakers across Stratum 56. ¡°WARNING: An extra has been sighted armed with a Hellwhip! All units report to sector 309, room 88B. Apprehend the weapon! Apprehend the weapon!¡± The Nano became a siren then, repeating the message to broadcast across the entire stratum.


    For a moment, a war raged inside me. Every neurotransmitter fired at once, and I couldn¡¯t figure out if I should think about what to do or simply act on my instincts. As I raised the weapon now known to me as a Hellwhip, I pointed it at the Nano and wondered if I could escape somehow. My right hand steadied the weapon, and my left hand turned the setting up to three as I questioned whether it was worth me living in a world without Tom. The Hellwhip shook in my hand as I desperately attempted to steady my hands, palms sweating so badly I was already becoming dehydrated.


    The trigger was heavier than I anticipated.


    The blast was bigger than I expected.


    Everything went black.


    When I came to, I had no idea how long I had been out. With hindsight, I can estimate that it was maybe ten minutes, give or take, but at the time it felt like anywhere between seconds and days. My elbows were pulsing, throbbing with the pain from the Hellwhip¡¯s recoil, and my shoulders ached as I pulled myself off the floor. There was no time for me to worry about whether or not I could shoot the weapon again, no time to wonder if I¡¯d made the right decision in the first place; I had to find Tom and escape if possible.


    I gave a cursory glance to the destruction I¡¯d created¡ªthe Nano was completely demolished, charred metal in an ugly disarray that gave off none of the disgust gore would but all of the chills¡ªthen I headed down the hall, without any clue where Tom might be. Every stratum is roughly the same size at around ten million square kilometers, and Stratum 56 is no exception. On top of this size, however, was the issue of layout. Stratum 56 had a large section in the middle with little in the way of room or even floors, a place where gravity was lower and the Nanos would commute. On the outskirts of this area were rooms hidden behind the thick Mobius steel, the only areas the Nanos deemed worth housing humans in.


    A far cry from your elegant human metropolis of Stratum 999, wouldn¡¯t you say?


    To continue, I had no real sense of where Tom might be, but I knew where he would end up; the waste room with all the other corpses. With that grim detail in mind, I did my best to head that way.


    Unfortunately, the siren the Nano had let off had gotten the attention of many, many Nanos. It¡¯s difficult to say how many were on Stratum 56, but I would wager roughly one million Nanos minimum worked the area. More than enough to apprehend me if they could reach me. Speed, thankfully, was never their strong suit. It helped that as I said, the rooms we were kept in were essentially a labyrinth within the steel walls of 56. Even with my location known it would be extremely difficult for them to find me and destroy me.


    At the time, I thought of none of this. I only thought of the directions to the waste management room. Take a left here, stop, run a quarter klick this way, another left, stop, run five steps forward and enter this room.


    The Hellwhip was heavy in my hands, and I kept fiddling with the setting on it, unsure if I had maybe set it too high before. Would two be enough? One would certainly be too low, that much I had figured. And based on what I had already experimented with, four was absolutely unnecessary to defeat a Nano. But at this point it was less about their destruction and more about the health of my joints, or even the charge of the weapon. It was obviously an EPL, but I had no real indication on it regarding its level of charge or how much energy was utilized on certain power outputs. For instance, if I set it to level six, would I have two shots? Three? How many shots did I have at charge level three? Twenty Thirty???Unfortunately for me, I had no answers, only blind faith that I would have just enough shots to keep me safe on this suicide mission.


    As I turned a corner near the waste management room I was greeted with the sight of four Nanos barreling towards me, each of their cameras immediately focusing on me and then the Hellwhip. Quickly I raised the weapon and shot off once, hoping that the blast would be powerful enough to take all of them out at once. This was not the case. Level three appeared to be enough to handle one, maybe two Nanos at a time, but four would require more. There was no time to think this through, however, so I adjusted my aim and shot the next one, then adjusted again and caught the last two with one laser. Running through the debris, I prayed I would find no more around the following corner, a prayer which went unanswered.


    I will not bore you with all the details of the myriad of skirmishes I took part in during my search for Tom, as not only would it be time consuming to relate all of that information but even right after the event it would have been difficult for me to recall each detail; my adrenaline was so high that it kept me going despite my mind being lost. To make a long story short, I incurred a few minor injuries of cuts and bruises but nothing serious, the Hellwhip remained well charged and I began getting more comfortable with it. Still, its power was phenomenal, and I worried about the health of my arms. With each and every encounter, it became more difficult to tell my hands to rise up, to point, to pull the trigger, simple tasks that were so arduous it was a wonder I was alive at all. As you can plainly see by looking at me now, my body has adapted to what I¡¯ve put it through, but at age twelve I was no more prepared for the usage of such a weapon than I was prepared for all the running around I had to do. And to think I did it all on nothing but poorly conceived rations and a daily nutrition drip. Merely the thought gives me nausea.


    Upon reaching the door to the waste room, I believe I had shot and destroyed forty Nanos, a fact which was little comfort to me as even then I knew how great their numbers were. The Hellwhip was hot in my hands, and without understanding I knew that there could be no way it would shoot and destroy every last Nano.


    Not without recharging.


    With little hesitation I entered the waste room and was greeted with the same image as before. Piles of garbage towered all around me, each tower reaching up towards the ceiling like strange spikes. Seeing no Nanos in the room, the first thing I knew to check was the pile of corpses toward the back. If Tom were already dead, he would be there.


    The pile of bodies appeared the same as it had before. Confused feelings rose up in me, and I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do or where to go. Tom not being dead yet was good¡ªor rather, his corpse hadn¡¯t been delivered. So it might have been good, might have been bad anyway. But I had no leads anymore, I was at a dead end in the most literal way.


    When I exited the area I was surrounded by Nanos. But instead of bringing the Hellwhip up, blasting each and every one of them, and continuing onward, I hesitated; what if this was all for nothing? There were no leads on Tom¡¯s location, and even if I knew it was impossible to know if he were alive or dead. With the sheer numbers of the Nanos there was no guarantee that after rescuing Tom the two of us could escape together. In my hesitation, my weapon remained at my side, and I put up no fight while the Nanos grabbed me by the shoulders and hoisted me off, taking me away. There was a prick in my arm despite how docile I was being, then everything went black.


    Consciousness returned to me as if it had never left, leaving me to speculate how long I had been knocked out. The more my mind returned to normal, the faster I began to take inventory of my situation. To my horror, things were not in my favor.


    My arms and legs were clamped down at the ankles and wrists, my body raised off the floor as if I were on a torture device. The Hellwhip I had stolen was on a table far enough away that had I been free to move I still would not have gone to grab it, as I would have been cut off by any of the eight Nanos lying in wait. To my left and to my right were other children from our barracks. It was difficult for me to see very far so I couldn¡¯t be sure that Tom was there, but I assumed he was. Hoped he was. There wasn¡¯t enough energy in me to call out to him.


    The children weren¡¯t just tied up like I was, though. On their heads were these hoops attached to wires, a frightening contraption of unknown design. Worry set in as I saw it on everyone but me, and I tried to speak but noise came out without language.


    ¡°It will take some time before you can form words again,¡± a man said, someone I hadn¡¯t noticed immediately. Whatever drug was in me, it was strong enough to conceal a man who was merely fifty feet from me. His back was turned, and he hunched over the desk where my Hellwhip was. I tried to speak again, but once more my mouth made noises incomprehensible to the ear. ¡°Bah!¡± the man huffed. ¡°Just accept you can¡¯t speak. That noise is disgusting.¡± He continued to tinker at his desk, with what I knew not. ¡°Allow me to explain,¡± he began, his voice the mutter of a man too concentrated to multitask. ¡°You¡¯ve committed a crime. That much, I¡¯m sure, is obvious. The punishment isn¡¯t, though, as you¡¯ve done enough damage that I must be involved. You extras don¡¯t know who I am, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Poe, and I am what you might consider a doctor here. Typically I work only with those in the village, at least when it comes to you humans, with the majority of my work being relegated to Nano repair and improvement.¡± I must have made a noise that came off as a gasp, because he waved a hand and laughed slightly. ¡°No need to worry. I¡¯m no sympathizer. My job is chosen through a series of tests run by Nanos upon the birth of children. They groomed me, placed me in this position, and if I ever refuse to do what they desire then I am dead. Now why they choose a human for this, I can¡¯t be certain, but I think they were programmed this way as some kind of failsafe. They can only run things themselves to a certain degree. Being man made, they still look to us for guidance as we do to God. Therefore I am a stand in for such a creature, an idol created by idols. Understand?¡±


    I nodded, though I didn¡¯t fully understand.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m going to explain what your punishment is. If I made it too lenient, I fear the Nanos would decide that I am not fit for the position and remove me, replace me with a new doctor. Still, I can understand why you did the things you have done and wish to avoid making your punishment something too much for you. Think about that while I do what I¡¯m about to do.¡±


    His words felt heavy, as though he were already guilty. I attempted to ask him something, and he somehow understood it was a question based on the inflection of my voice alone.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re asking what your punishment is,¡± he said, rising up out of his seat. He turned to me and I saw his face for the first time. Despite obvious use of treatment, he still appeared to be older, perhaps in his fifties, and his wrinkles were mixed in with scars from horrible past injuries. And yet he still seemed to be a sad man, not a scary man. ¡°You¡¯ve been given a mission from Stratum 56. You must traverse Mobius and reach the end of it. The Nanos wish this so that you might use this,¡± he pulled a small chip from his coat, ¡°to relay information from further strata back to 56. I myself have a different mission for you.¡± Poe pressed something in his wrist and all the Nanos powered down, the red cameras pointing to the floor. ¡°You must reach the end of Mobius so that you can find something. Somewhere in this structure, it is said that there lives the one who creates Mobius. It could simply be an AI or something greater, something more, but I have no sense of what. Only that it is, and that it must be stopped. You will seek and destroy it. You must stop Mobius from continuing at all costs.¡±


    I had so many questions but no way of asking them. Then Poe pressed the button on his wrist and all the Nanos powered back on as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Your punishment also involves the other extras as it was you who pilfered the rations. You created issues for all of these children. You destroyed their ability to live peaceful lives as extras, uninhibited by the responsibility Nanos and those higher in the village must be burdened with. Now you will receive your own burden, one you may never escape.¡±


    Poe was a malfeasant figure, striking this image of villainous tragedy, a bad God with reasonable ideologies but poor morality, an absurd hypocritical dichotomy . Gliding over to his computer, he did a few swift keystrokes before pressing a button off to the side. Suddenly every child other than myself began convulsing, their bodies violently struggling and banging against the sheer steel wall behind us. I felt their agonizing vibrations against my back as the metal reverberated around me, and I could do nothing but whine unintelligible noises and would-be goodbyes while tears streamed freely down the rivulets in my cheeks, Poe staring at me in a strange melancholy.


    When it was over Poe pressed another button and I fell to the ground in a heap, bruises quickly springing onto my knees. Two Nanos came and lifted me up, brought me to the table and dressed me in clothes I had never seen before. It was a skintight suit of black, with lines traveling across the body like runes. Poe explained things to me while this was happening.


    ¡°That suit is lightweight and should help protect you on your journey. It is powered by your own body so you won¡¯t need to bother with charging it, as it takes your movements and turns them into energy. You¡¯ll still feel immense pain if you¡¯re shot, for example, but you will probably not die. The suit isn¡¯t very warm though so I would still recommend wearing something over it.¡± Poe held my Hellwhip in his hands, examining it with mild admiration. ¡°This weapon should be suitable for taking you all the way to the end of Mobius. It can charge through the port on the bottom using any basic charging station, something which should continue to be available widely throughout Mobius. Charging stations are usually used for utility devices and Nanos, but they can still plug into a Hellwhip such as this when necessary. Be warned,¡± he said, his voice low, ¡°this weapon is powerful. Immensely so. Were you to set it to level six, you could easily demolish half a stratum, maybe more. Not only that but even with that suit on it might rip your arms clean off your body.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure if I nodded or my head shook, but he took the tic as a sign of acquiescence. Placing the chip he had held up before in the hands of one of the Nanos, I was flipped over and they began working on the back of my skull. Before I could say anything there was a painful pinch, a tremendous pull, and a loud snapping noise. There was no doubt they were working on my body, yet for some reason I couldn¡¯t feel any of it. An anesthetic must have been used, though I¡¯m not sure when.


    ¡°When it becomes necessary,¡± Poe said, ¡°the chip will be there. We¡¯ve just installed a CMP to the back of your head. This is more colloquially known as a slot or a dome port, in case you¡¯re more familiar with those phrases. The CMP will house the chip that we have given you without any detriment to your general movements. You can still sleep on your back if you so wish to do so and continue to do activities as normal. A headache in your occipital lobe might persist for a day or two, giving you fuzzy vision or vision confused by black eye floaters. If this persists,¡± he continued calmly, my head beginning the ache as if on cue, ¡°take a few of these. At your size two every four hours should suffice. There¡¯s enough in there to last you around two weeks if you take them sparingly. Still, if the ache continues I suggest finding a doctor or lab worker to fix the CMP. There is also a second slot in your CMP which you may use for secondary storage in the event you come across anything important in your journey to the edge of Mobius. Lastly, I must warn you; in the event you are struck in the back of the head, or you forcibly remove the CMP yourself, a failsafe will be activated. All of Mobius will assume that you have ended your pilgrimage prematurely and you will be neutralized.¡±


    Energy was slowly returning to me and I nodded, sitting up awkwardly in the black skinsuit.


    Poe handed the Hellwhip to me and gave me a once over one last time before folding his arms and asking if I had any last questions, his tone dark.


    ¡°Do you know where Tom is?¡± I asked, my voice coming out like mush. I had to repeat myself before he gave me an answer.


    ¡°Tom? Was this an extra friend of yours?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Then look behind you. Search the many faces of your compatriots, I¡¯m certain his visage will appear to you.¡±


    Poe said it so matter-of-factly that it almost didn¡¯t register to me that he had essentially announced to me that he had just killed not only Tom but everyone else who was in the barracks with us, the entire group of extras wiped out in a moment. Simply because I had decided to feed them. I searched the faces of everyone there, recognized many but couldn¡¯t find Tom. My vision had already become hazy, unreliable. I couldn¡¯t see what was in front of me for what it was.


    Despite all that, I knew Tom was there.


    ¡°Go,¡± Poe commanded me, speaking the phrase with whispered violence. ¡°Be off now, waste no more time with this place.¡±


    Staggering and bumbling about in false inebriation, I found my way to the hall outside. My mind began racing, however. None of this felt right. Why was I being so obedient? They had just murdered everyone.


    I struggled, my thoughts bouncing around so fast I could barely hang on. Coupled with my unstable mental state from the CMP device as well as the poor vision, it¡¯s a wonder I was able to do anything at all, let alone what I did next. Though I had already walked far, intrinsically knowing where to go somehow, I turned around and faced where I knew Poe to be. I raised my Hellwhip.


    Cranked the setting up to three. To four.


    To five.


    Pulled the trigger.


    ¡°Setting the Hellwhip to five was enough to blast through the entire stratum, perhaps even reaching Stratum 55 in the process,¡± Captain Pluto elaborated, appearing slightly exhausted from the recollection of his past. Dante fiddled with his sleeves, habitually folding and unfolding them as he listened intently to the tale. ¡°Both of my arms snapped, but the suit protected them enough that they didn¡¯t break completely¡ªjust hairlines in my forearms. Surprisingly, too, I wasn¡¯t knocked out. Though it was extremely difficult for me to find my way, I was able to navigate to the end of the stratum without too much difficulty and move on.¡± Captain Pluto moved his head as if to indicate the back of it, his hands still cuffed. ¡°The chip Poe put in my CMP had many things installed on it, including a mapping program. It¡¯s part of how I¡¯ve been able to navigate so far, even in the times where my sight was unclear.¡±


    Dante nodded, tightening the folds of his sleeves. ¡°Remarkable,¡± he said, forgetting he wasn¡¯t supposed to speak during a recording.


    ¡°Not so,¡± Captain Pluto said, but before he could continue Dante halted the recording with a satisfying click.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. I have to make a few reports and get some rest, but I¡¯ll return here tomorrow for you to continue with your tale.¡±


    As Dante turned, he heard the prisoner chuckle at him. ¡°You don¡¯t believe a single thing I¡¯ve said, do you Mr. 999?¡±


    Furrowing his brow, Dante turned to face the man. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that¡¯s supposed to mean. Is that an insult?¡± They locked eyes a moment, unblinking. A stalemate of misunderstanding. ¡°At any rate, my feelings harbor no influence over your freedom, so it¡¯s a foolish question to ask.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Captain Pluto said, a smirk on his face. ¡°Maybe you hold no influence over my sentence, but as I¡¯ve told you I¡¯ve been imprisoned since before I got here. Hell, it was before you even existed as a subconscious thought in your father, let alone as a wandering daydream by your great-great-grandfather. So tell me, why do you think I¡¯m lying to you? Is it because I¡¯m a prisoner, or simply because you can¡¯t face the facts?¡±


    Dante didn¡¯t wish to indulge him, yet he faltered anyway. ¡°Facts?¡±


    Still smiling, Pluto said, ¡°Well, look at me. We both know that the moment you walked in here, you recognized that absolutely nothing about me was recognizable. My manner of dress is otherworldly, there are no records of my birth on any stratum immediately prior to this one or above this one. And even aside from those facts, I scare you.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Dante barked, finding himself irked. Recomposing himself, he said, ¡°Ahem, I must go. We will continue this tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe what I say, Dante?¡±


    Glaring at him, Dante groaned slightly and turned on his heel. ¡°Tomorrow, Mr. Pluto. Prepare yourself.¡±

 Chapter Two

    CHAPTER TWO


    ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Dante professed once more to a very amused Giovanni. ¡°He¡¯s just some fool with a mental problem, it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t had any of those sorts of people before, right?¡±


    Giovanni chuckled. ¡°Well certainly, but do you truly believe what you¡¯re saying? This isn¡¯t just idle gossip for you, is it?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m letting you know that my duties are being wasted on this guy. Why record a compulsive liar? It¡¯ll ruin the archives!¡±


    Still smiling, Giovanni placed a hand to his temple and stared at Dante with a discerning gaze. Then he sighed. ¡°Come on, Dante. You know as well as I do that we must record everyone¡¯s story, absolutely every single one of them. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re a liar or they¡¯re mentally incapacitated or if they¡¯re in some way untrustworthy. The duty of a recorder is to record, leave the actual facts to those in the upper offices.¡±


    Dante frowned but nodded. Giovanni had accurately stated something that they both knew to be both truthful and foolish at the same time, as in cases which were obviously lies it would be a waste of everyone¡¯s time to record. Still, as he had so correctly pointed out, it was the duty of a recorder to record, and with that Dante knew he could complain no longer, though he wished to do so.


    With that, Giovanni and Dante went their separate ways, Giovanni returning to his office and Dante to Captain Pluto¡¯s cell. He had to take a lift that way, and did his best to spend the five minutes on board sleeping. Incessant noises from the other occupants prevented that from happening, and when Dante made it to Captain Pluto he was very tired, having barely slept at all the night prior. This would be fine, he thought, as the prisoners would typically also get no sleep due to their inevitable demise lingering in their minds, halting any and all rest before the eternal rest would take them.


    When Dante entered the cell he gasped. Captain Pluto sat still, head bowed, the subtle reverberation of his labored breathing echoing in the soft tissue of Dante¡¯s ear. The noise of the door shutting behind him stirred the captain, and he yawned, stretched, then greeted Dante with a level of brevity the recorder was unaccustomed to.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Captain Pluto said with a groan as he stretched out his body. ¡°Are we doing another session?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dante said, drawing the word out as he tried his best to show no sign of surprise. Without looking into Pluto¡¯s eyes, Dante began removing the recording device once more, preparing it for the session ahead of them. He hoped it would be better than the last. Perhaps, he thought, the man before him might speak the truth.


    ¡°Well good. I figure we can just pick up right at Stratum 57 if that¡¯s fine with you. I know we only have seven days for this, so I¡¯ll try and hit the most important parts of my story, but Stratum 57 seems appropriate to me. It might have been the most important part of my life, truth be told.¡±


    Something in Dante¡¯s visage must have betrayed his attempts at being unreadable, because Pluto smirked at him and said, ¡°I bother you, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? No, of course not Mr. Pluto. I¡¯m simply absorbed in my work.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± he said as if it were plain as day. Dante flinched but continued to prepare the recorder. ¡°Even while I spoke to you yesterday, I could tell you didn¡¯t like this. What about my story seems so implausible to you? Is it the distance? My experience with the Nanos? The Hellwhip? My escape?¡±


    ¡°Try all of the above,¡± Dante sighed, finished save for starting the actual recording process. ¡°Everything about you is headache inducing. You speak nonsense and waste my time. You then waste more time by forcing those above me to search your stories for any truth, any merit at all, thereby wasting a collective 140 hours total, at best, nearly 17o at worst. So yes, you can expect me to be a cold, unfeeling man towards you while you continue to lie to me. Now here, begin your story Mr. Pluto so that I might rest later. I¡¯m very tired.¡±


    Dante waited, but Captain Pluto merely stared at him blankly, sending an odd shiver up his spine. After a moment, he stopped the empty recording and deleted it.


    ¡°Are you going to cooperate or no?¡±


    Shaking his head, Pluto asked, ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing to believe a poor man¡¯s dying words, then why should I waste my breath? I¡¯d rather enjoy the peace and quiet, think of a few ancient memories that give me comfort, and maybe catch a nap. That all sounds much better than reliving some of the worst moments of my life only for some homebody fool who lives in a world of hypotheticals tell me that every experience I¡¯ve ever had must be a lie because of how remarkable they are. A shame, really. You seem very smart, and you could do a lot with intelligence like that if only you were open to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you were wrong and what I tell you is true.¡±


    With that, Pluto was silent once more, leaving Dante dumbfounded and red in the face. Dante wished more than anything to yell at the man, scream at him about how much of a waste of time it was for him to sit there and listen, that he was missing out on recording real stories in favor of recording Pluto¡¯s fantasies, but he knew nothing good would come of such conflict. Giovanni would have to report that Dante shirked his duties, and Dante would more than likely be forced to stop recording all together if it was found he didn¡¯t record even one story from one liar. So, with an irritable sigh, Dante did his best to compose himself and work up a lie of his own.


    ¡°Mr. Pluto,¡± he said through grit teeth, ¡°I understand your feelings and wish nothing more than to apologize. Sincerely, of course. I am as you say, a homebody. For me, recording is how I may see the outside world, experience things I might never experience otherwise. It is an honorable duty, however, and my personal feelings aside, it must be done. So please, if you would, continue your story. Not for me, but for Stratum 999.¡±


    Captain Pluto continued staring blankly at Dante, unnerving him until finally Pluto broke out in a grin, unable to contain his amusement. ¡°Well, that was a horrible attempt at an apology. But sure, I¡¯ll continue my story. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll learn something.¡±


    Anger swelling inside him, Dante pressed the record button once more and muttered, ¡°I highly doubt that,¡± under his breath as Pluto began composing his thoughts once again.


    S1121_captainPluto_aLiarsFancy57.wav


    Passage between strata can be a complicated process or a supremely simple one depending on how far into Mobius you are. At this point in its life cycle, were I to attempt safe passage into Stratum 1000 it would more than likely be easy enough. Usually this deep into Mobius it is something like a shuttle which goes outside of the structure, through space, then parks itself into the nearest strata. Or it could be an LG shaft, which means you just push off hard from the door and float to the other side.


    The passage from Stratum 56 to Stratum 57 was of course neither of these. It was, in fact, a shaft similar in design to the LG shafts I would later experience, but instead of having a lower gravitational force it instead has the same gravity as always. If anything it might be heavier. In addition to this, the shaft isn¡¯t a simple shot forward but can be labyrinthian in nature. No one lives in these shafts which take us to the next strata. No Nanos work in these connecting shafts, at least not on a daily basis. There is little purpose to them aside from being another link in the chain that is Mobius. To describe my time in that passage between 56 and 57 as lonely would be a gross understatement. Until I made it to the massive door which guarded me from the new world before me, I believed I was in Purgatorio, living my sentence.


    Once the hatch door closed behind me, the first thing I did was search for food or a nutrition station. It¡¯s difficult for me to say how long it took me to travel as far as I had, but my ribs were beginning to poke through my suit and my energy was constantly low so I knew it had to have been some time since I had last recharged in any meaningful way.


    When I was a child¡ªas I was back then, though perhaps this is more true for when I was even younger than then¡ªI would often spend time pondering about what other places might be like, what other strata could look like. How the people would dress, how the food was prepared. Would they play games? Would they create their own paradise? Would they live in harmony with Nanos? Fight them? I¡¯d try and conceive every possibility. Sometimes I still wonder if those possibilities exist in Mobius.


    What I learned that day upon entering Stratum 57 was that reality is never as we might expect.


    Stratum 57 was laid out completely different from my home. Where 56 was a place of halls and order, 57 was a vast dome of pure nothing. Where 56 the people were corralled into so-called villages, 57 had no where to corral at all. Where 56 had Nanos occupying as much space as possible, 57 appeared as lifeless as the corridor preceding it. The dome was massive, and I could clearly see every corner of the stratum as far as my eyes could see, a haze only appearing at the furthest tip away from my position. If at any point I turned too fast, I would become nauseous from the sight. It was like being at the center of a kaleidoscope of metal, and I was a part of the pattern.


    There was no time for me to dwell on any of it. My survival mattered more.


    With no directions to go by, I followed the path set before me in hopes that I might find what I needed to live.


    A day passed before I found a nutrition replenishment station.


    It was a lonely thing, set aside on a platform where most of the lights were either flickering or had shut down. During my journey to find the NRS, I quickly realized that the entire stratum had been abandoned long ago. There were signs that humans might have lived there before, that Nanos had to have been there to create it in the first place, but the stratum itself felt liminal, a place long forgotten but long ago imprinted upon. In some corners there would be forgotten litter, and on my way to the NRS I did find an area that appeared to have been designed as a Nano charging station¡ªa place I had stopped at to see about recharging my Hellwhip, and I was relieved that a Nano charging station could recharge the weapon. But there was no sign of any humans to leave such trash, no sign of any Nanos that might need charging. The place was abandoned.


    When I finished replenishing myself, I unplugged from the NRS and began moving down the path once more when I heard a voice. At first I whipped around to see where the voice was coming from. Quickly I realized the voice was in my head, and I focused on it to listen.


    Lost already? How sad.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked aloud, unsure how to communicate to something I couldn¡¯t see.


    Who am I? Why we¡¯ve already met.


    ¡°I¡¯d remember meeting a disembodied voice. Show yourself, or leave me in peace.¡±


    Indeed? Well if you wish to bumble about in the dark, then be my guest.


    With that, the voice was on its way. Once or twice I tried again to speak with it, to discern its author, but it chose not to return. And so I continued to bumble in the dark.


    Even if one doesn¡¯t have vertigo as a condition, it is difficult to not feel vertigo navigating Stratum 57. It¡¯s design is so strange, with its single path spiraling upward along the dome, that if for even a moment your eyes wander and search outside the path you will become faint. The journey through that strata took a long time, and so I became accustomed to keeping my eyes on only what was necessary to see. A lack of wandering eyes made for a rather boring crusade, but at least I wasn¡¯t spewing fluids down the shaft back to Stratum 56.


    Using my vision for only what was necessary was¡ªperhaps obviously to you¡ªnot safe. As I was walking down the endless path I heard a noise to my left. Fearful of seeing the expanse of the dome, I kept my head forward.


    I couldn¡¯t see the blast behind me.


    My body flew and was sent sprawling, pain erupting across me in general. When I searched for my attacker I saw nothing. I called out to see if they would show themselves, but no one came.


    Breathing shakily, I picked up my Hellwhip and turned the setting to three just in case, the low hum of its energy the loudest thing in the area. By this point in my journey through Stratum 57, I knew that each NRS was spaced out equally by roughly fifty kilometers. The last one I had used was perhaps half that distance away from me, so I was roughly halfway to the next one. With that knowledge, I limped slightly and was on my way.


    Then I was on the ground again, a loud boom shaking me and sending me downward.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure where it was coming from, but I called out again and heard nothing in response. Though I was unwilling to do so, I decided to check over the guard rail and see if my pursuer was somehow floating in the abyss. My check was cursory so that I might not feel too sick, but once again I saw nothing. Frustration pouring over me, I stomped off and muttered something under my breath, some angry curse whose origins I forget.


    You won¡¯t find them. They¡¯re a master of staying in the shadows.


    I blinked, confused. Turned around in a huge circle once, twice.


    Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a friend.


    This made me worry more, and fighting through the agony I began sprinting faster than I should have. My breathing was ragged and my body was sagging within minutes. To top it off, my body hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the installation of the CMP, and my vision began clouding with black spots everywhere. Before I could even decide to halt my body, I hit the wall to my right, spun around and slid across the metal, the skin suit doing its best to keep my body from being hurt too badly.


    Are you going to stop this foolishness? Or will you continue to run from that which you cannot run from?


    My vision was still messed up, and I couldn¡¯t be sure I was in immediate danger. Deciding speaking might not be a bad idea, I started talking to the disembodied voice.


    ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here? And why can¡¯t I see you?¡±


    One at a time, please. May I answer in chronological order?


    ¡°Sure, do whatever you want. Just answer me.¡±


    I am what is known as a Personnel Operations Entity. I reside within the Cerebral Memory Port that is housed in the back of your skull. The one who originally created all CMP drives decided that having an AI implant would be helpful, so that is what I¡¯m doing here. As for why you can¡¯t see me, well, I believe that has been adequately answered by my explanation already.


    Still seeing the black spots, I placed my free hand on the wall to try and level myself. No noises had occurred, no large bangs or blasts had interrupted us. I still felt unsafe.


    ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case, why did you act like you already knew me when you attempted to speak to me before? I¡¯ve never met you.


    Oh, but you have! I¡¯m the AI that was residing in the man who installed the CMP in you.


    Understanding, I began nodding.


    ¡°So that man was also wearing a Personnel Operations Entity, the same one I have. Which means you¡¯re called Poe.¡±


    Indeed, although to say I am worn is incorrect. I am not an accessory.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be the judge of that. Can you help me figure out if I¡¯m alone here? Those loud noises and the movement of the structure are worrying me.¡±


    Well, being housed in here limits me in some ways, but I can give it a try. Bear with me for a moment.


    While that was going on I started taking my first steps once again, growing slightly more confident by the second though I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether or not Poe was a symptom of my CMP like the black dots were, that instead of speaking with an AI I was really hearing ghosts.


    Perhaps fifteen minutes had passed when Poe returned.


    After scanning Stratum 57¡¯s network, I¡¯ve found that there are only ten entities here. It¡¯s difficult for me to determine just how close or far they are from your location, but it would appear that none of them are close enough to do you any harm, nor were they close enough earlier to cause you to fall over.


    Grimacing, I muttered, ¡°Maybe that was all an illusion then.¡±


    If you would like, I can run diagnostics on your body to be sure that hallucinations aren¡¯t occurring for you? The results would be much faster than the previous ones as I¡¯m already inside your network.


    I didn¡¯t think it over very long.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Are you certain? It¡¯s really a simple procedure. You can even continue to move while I¡ª


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure you can do it. There¡¯s no point though if I can¡¯t trust the results. After all, you yourself could be a hallucination¡±


    If I could see him, I¡¯d feel like he was irked.


    Well how do I prove my existence to you?


    ¡°You don¡¯t. Maybe if I find someone who is an expert in CMP technology I can get them to show you to me, but until someone like that comes along the safest thing for me to do is assume you are a false being, some kind of hallucination brought about by the installation process. If I¡¯m lucky, you¡¯ll disappear in a week or two.¡±


    What a pleasant thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s an AI need of sarcasm? Bah!¡± I groaned, frustrated. ¡°If I ignore you I bet you¡¯ll go away faster. Be gone, leave me in peace!¡±


    And so began my trial of giving Poe the silent treatment, a difficult task to say the least. My emotional battle with Tom was far simpler, as both of us being separate entities we could have space apart, say things out of earshot, all sorts of things to stay locked within our own feelings. You, being some kind worker in the upper echelon of society, probably has no experience with this sort of thing. From what I¡¯ve seen of the more recent strata, technology has evolved in a more biologically friendly way. The ancient installations of pure metal into bone are done with, the connections of wires with nerves seen as archaic. I¡¯m sure you already know in your heart it¡¯s a barbaric, unsavory thing to do. Well, trust me from personal experience I can whole-heartedly say it¡¯s more horrible than you can imagine.


    Poe prattled on in my head endlessly for days.


    Or at least, for what felt like days. It was difficult to tell. During that time, little else had happened. I continued to follow the path upwards and closer towards Stratum 58, and I incurred no additional injury or endured any other hallucination save for the endless speeches of Poe. A few times I nearly broke, almost started talking with him again. The more he spoke, the more curious I¡¯d become. The only thing stopping me from asking him questions was the admission that were I to ask questions in anticipation of real answers, that I would be admitting belief in his existence within my skull, and I wished to avoid that reality at all costs.


    After traveling a distance I¡¯d estimate to be around 250 kilometers based on the NRS machines I¡¯d stopped at, Poe was busy waxing philosophical when something appeared at the edge of my vision. Around the corner stood a figure, far enough away and obscured in the shadows so I couldn¡¯t see what or who exactly it might be. Phantoms like this appeared often while I traveled Stratum 57. The hallucinations onset by the installation of the CMP were quite powerful, plus the hindrance solitude has on the human mind is more potent than you might think. Because of my prior encounters with such creatures, I continued to walk without any second thought.


    What¡¯s that? Wait!


    A simple string of words, but a string powerful enough to stop me cold. Until that moment, Poe hadn¡¯t acknowledged any of the phantoms I had seen.


    Scanning¡­


    ¡°You can see it too?¡± I asked, my words coming out thick through spit shut lips.


    And you can speak, how insane.


    ¡°Be serious. What is it?¡±


    There was silence for a moment, and I fiddled with my Hellwhip, ensuring it was working and set to level three still.


    Hmm¡­ well I can¡¯t say for sure, but it appears to be a Nano of odd origins.


    ¡°A Nano? Here?¡±


    Indeed. I¡¯ll try and see if I can infiltrate its system and decipher where it came from. This whole strata was abandoned long ago, there should be no more workers here.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there were ten beings here? Could he be one of them?¡±


    Unlikely. The beings I scanned weren¡¯t Nanos. One of them was you, for that matter, so there should only be nine other entities here, all human. This is an anomaly.


    Frightened, I found I couldn¡¯t sit still. Running away wouldn¡¯t work as it had already seen me, and with only one pathway there was nowhere to run for me. So, after at first fidgeting and fumbling with my weapon, I began inching forward before running for the Nano, ready to blast it away with my Hellwhip.


    Wait! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing!


    Poe¡¯s warning was too little too late.


    I got within pointblank range of the Nano and immediately saw that it was nothing like the others I had seen before. Whereas the Nanos I had known were all one eyed bots hovering lightly above the floor, this Nano had a humanoid appearance with two legs. In fact, it wore what appeared to be a cloak about its person. The face was still simply a single camera however, making it look more like a cyclops.


    Hesitating, I pulled the trigger slowly.


    My body was sent tumbling backward. Having not used the weapon for a long time I was already weak and unprepared for the recoil. Breathing heavily, I got to my feet and saw the Nano was standing as it had before, though now it was a few yards away from where it once stood, the flapping of its cloak the only indication it had physically moved to get out of the way.


    With your current physical conditioning, there¡¯s no way you can defeat this Nano. You need to fall back!


    Hallucination or not, Poe was correct. Scrambling to my feet I started to run away, but my eyes weren¡¯t facing the right way and I became woozy, black dots invading my eyes again. I hit the guard rail and nearly fell off, tumbling to my death slowly before splattering on the metal who knows how many kilometers below. I felt myself about to fall.


    Something grabbed my ankles and I hung over the guard rail, blood rushing to my head uncomfortably fast.


    Well that¡¯s unexpected.


    I tried asking what but nothing came out. There was a noise, an unfamiliar voice.


    Then whatever was holding my ankles let go.


    The shock caused me to black out.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Sitting across from me was a man who appeared to be in his fifties, though at the time I was unsure how old he was as my knowledge of adulthood was limited. He wore a heavy coat and pants, with a skin suit beneath poking through the gaps in the clothes. A long rifle rested against the wall near us, presumably his weapon. I realized I was resting in some kind of makeshift bed that surrounded my whole body. The man smiled at my reaction to this.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!??¡°It¡¯s just a sleeping bag. Here,¡± he said, unzipping it so I could easily removed myself from it.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the man who saved your life from that Nano,¡± he said, sitting back down. ¡°You were about to be dropped down the shaft. What a horrible fate that would have been, and for a child no less.¡± He held something to his lips, then offered it to me. I looked at him confused until he said, ¡°Drink?¡±


    In my previous recollection, I explained my experience eating for the first time. This was the first time I ever had a drink of something. It was just water infused with vitamins and minerals, created in some lab on the station. Still, it was delicious. The NRS machines keep you from feeling parched, but that feeling comes back the moment you have a drink of water. It¡¯s as if the liquid reminds you that you¡¯re supposed to feel that way, that you need to drink to live.


    ¡°Good?¡± he asked, my answer obvious on my face.


    Handing the flask back to him, I said, ¡°You didn¡¯t actually answer me. Thank you for saving me, but who are you? What are you doing in this abandoned place?¡±


    The man stared at me for a second as if assessing me, then he nodded to himself. ¡°My name is Reagor. I work with the excavation crew to better understand what happened here.¡± I raised my eyebrows, and he smiled sadly. ¡°Right, you must not know. Well, a long time ago this place was actually used for something. Do you see how the entire structure is shaped oddly, as if something were meant to sit in the center? When I was a child, in the center of this place was a star. ??Not the sort of star you might see outside of Mobius, but a star created here. People like you and me weren¡¯t allowed down here, however. It was a place meant only for Nanos, and they maintained the star dilligently for decades until¡­¡±


    ¡°Until what?¡±


    Smiling, he said, ¡°That¡¯s the question we¡¯re trying to answer. Once the star died, power to Stratum 58 became low. We¡¯ve since been able to siphon power from another source, but who knows how much energy the star was giving off. It¡¯s hard to say how many people have suffered since its absence. So, myself as well as a few other people have been coming down here to see what we can find.¡±


    The story was a relief for me, as it meant the others detected by Poe were from the same group as Reagor.


    I don¡¯t know what it is, but do not trust this man. Something about him feels off.


    Those words did nothing to stop me, instead only making me angry at the voice in my head.


    ¡°So then, I¡¯ve told you who I am, what about you? Who are you, and what brings a child such as yourself this far from his home?¡±


    Being a child, as he said, as well as being alone for so long meant that I wasn¡¯t worried about revealing too much. I told him everything; who I was, where I¡¯d come from, Tom, everything leading up to me leaving Stratum 56 for 57. When I finished, Reagor looked me up and down as if he was seeing me for the first time again.


    ¡°May I see the Hellwhip?¡±


    Don¡¯t give it to him, you fool!


    Annoyed, I handed the weapon to Reagor. Poe threw a fit in my head, but it didn¡¯t take long for Reagor to return the Hellwhip to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen weapons like that before. Usually they¡¯re used by Nanos, though, not people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the Poe guy said back on 56. I figure a Nano got scrapped and the weapon got lost in the trash.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Reagor agreed. ¡°In any case, you don¡¯t need to lie to me about its power.¡±


    Confused, I told him I wasn¡¯t lying at all. He just smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you, kid. You don¡¯t need to threaten me with the strength of your weapon. What I will do, however, is try and get you up to Stratum 58 with me. It¡¯s a smaller place, free of Nanos and filled with people. You¡¯ll be safer there than here, especially with that rogue Nano running around here.¡±


    Frowning, I said, ¡°I thought you saved me from it. It¡¯s still here?¡±


    Reagor gave me a grave look. ¡°That Nano isn¡¯t quite like the others. It¡¯s strong, but it didn¡¯t fight back when I stole you from it. Who knows where it¡¯s at now, it could even be tracking us still. So come on, let¡¯s get going before it finds us.¡±


    With that, I began following Reagor up to the top, which was still a long way off from our position.


    Just so you know, I still think he¡¯s lying about something. Don¡¯t put your trust in strangers so easily.


    I didn¡¯t answer him.


    Our pilgrimage to 58 was largely uneventful. Periodically we would stop to either recharge at an NRS or take a chance to sleep and eat where possible. Reagor had only brought enough food for himself, and what he had brought was spartan, so we made do with sharing only little bits and pieces. Both of us, being used to solitude, conducted much of our journey in silence. It¡¯s not as though we didn¡¯t talk at all, but outside of a few banal conversations here and there the talking was limited to what was important exclusively. Even Poe remained quiet¡ªfor the most part. His uncertainty regarding Reagor was proven illogical each and every day, causing Poe¡¯s silence to become deafening.


    After perhaps three weeks of travel, we finally made it within a days walk of the top. I was relieved; the absolute loneliness felt in 57 was suffocating, even with the company of Reagor and Poe. And to be honest I doubt that I¡¯d have felt different if we were all talking a lot more. That place just gave off that feeling, like whatever tragedy occurred there was still happening. It was almost painful to continue being there.


    Reagor saw the exit and told me, ¡°It will take a while to get through there since it¡¯s the two of us, but we should be able to make it to the top before we need to sleep again at least.¡±


    ¡°Why will it take a while?¡±


    ¡°The process to return to 58 is highly vetted. My admission will be a simple process, but you being a foreigner will find it difficult. I¡¯ll need to make a case for your approval, that might take some time.¡±


    Frowning, I asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the situation pretty simple to explain? I¡¯m a lost child who needs a place to stay.¡±


    Reagor smiled at the innocence of my question. ¡°Surprisingly, you wouldn¡¯t be the first lost child, and you probably won¡¯t be the last. The issue is we¡¯ve had some scares with Nanos using some unknown tech to sneak in.¡±


    ¡°Sneak in? For what purpose? Are there no Nanos on 58 at all?¡±


    ¡°I believe I told you that already. We drove the Nanos out a long time ago, all that is left are humans.¡±


    ¡°A strange thought,¡± I muttered, though in the absolute silence of 57 I was heard clearly still.


    Reagor nodded. ¡°It may be to you, but it is probably more common than you think. Living with such beings is nearly impossible. I¡¯ve even heard that many of them wish the death of us, that it would be easier for them to continue without the need to support the humans living here.¡±


    The image of corpses laying in a heap in the waste room back on 56 entered my mind, and I immediately knew that he was correct in his statement.


    ¡°Still, it should be easy enough to convince them that you should be allowed in. We can take good care of you on 58. We have a decent supply of food and water, and with your experience you could become a member of our reconnaissance team and explore this place with me. It would be a simple life, but a stable one. More so than your life is now, I suspect.¡±


    As I said earlier, I was a naive young child. I had told Reagor all the details of my life, including the mission Poe had given me. Reagor was well aware that I could not accept his offer, as I would most likely not live long to enjoy the stability. So tempting though it was, I had to decline him.


    Smart. Had you not, you would have been killed from the inside. A most painful death, I¡¯d imagine.


    Reagor was unhappy, but he understood. ¡°Your mission is more important, I know. Still, the offer remains on the table for you should you ever wish to join us.¡±


    Stratum 58¡¯s entrance was unlike that of 57¡¯s. Instead of being a vertical LG shaft of sorts, it was a horizontal shaft with a shuttle. The shuttles between shafts are large, four door affairs with enough seating for about thirty people per car, of which there was typically three. The shuttles leading to 58 were also manned, with someone from the strata itself working as a gatekeeper of sorts. There were also seven others, adding up to all ten of us on in the area. I wondered why the others were staying there, but as if my mind had been read Reagor answered me.


    ¡°They were here studying the debris around the entrance. Their job is typically to retrieve samples and test them back at the laboratory. We¡¯ve found a number of interesting elements, some unknown, some just rare. Only a few people take on my position as it¡¯s seen as more dangerous.¡±


    The man who presumably was the gatekeeper came towards us and shook hands with Reagor, all while eying me up, assessing me.


    ¡°Reagor,¡± he said jovially. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯ve returned. Find anything of interest?¡± He said the last part with special emphasis, his eyes never leaving mine.


    Sighing, Reagor said, ¡°He was being held over a ledge by a Nano. I couldn¡¯t just leave him.¡±


    Still trying to discern whether I could be trusted, the gatekeeper nodded. ¡°Were you followed?¡±


    When I realized I was the one being spoken to, I shook my head. ¡°No. As far as we could tell, once I was saved we were alone.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Well get in, then. We¡¯ll run some tests and see if you¡¯re fine.¡±


    I looked to Reagor to see that all was fine, and when he smiled at me I acquiesced and followed the gatekeeper.


    You still have time to run. I suggest doing so now.


    The gatekeeper and I entered the shuttle and he lead me to the second car. This car was unlike the first, being set up as more of a mobile lab facility filled with testing equipment.


    ¡°Sit over here for me.¡±


    I sat in the spot he indicated, a large seat surrounded by a few computers, a large metallic helmet attached to the top of the chair. The gatekeeper pressed this helmet onto my head and immediately belt loops shut tight on my ankles and wrists. A squeal emitted from my throat.


    ¡°Do not worry, we do this to all those who come to us from afar. This process is known as a vetting. We will hold you there for about two hours. The unit will fill with a number of gasses that will enter your lungs. If those gasses are exhaled from your body as a bright yellow, then you are a threat, but if you exhale a deep blue we will know you are human. The helmet on your head is going to send messages electronically to your brain, and your subconcsious will answer those questions honestly and be displayed on the screens here and here. If at any point one of your answers indicates you are a Nano in disguise, you will be terminated.¡±


    ¡°Is any of this painful?¡± I asked, worry apparent in my voice.


    The gatekeeper shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some of our subjects cry, if that¡¯s what you mean. But you only have to do it once and then everyone around you can feel safe. Just get it over with so you can join us in 58, alright?¡±


    He then went to a few terminals, entered a few instructions and left the shuttle. Upon the door shutting, the gasses he spoke of began filling the room rapidly, and the helmet began pulsing electricity through me. The pulsations were painful but not unbearably so at first, just waves of static that spread from the top of my head to the tip of my tongue and extremities. Quickly, however, those pulses grew stronger and I grew weaker in my ability to withstand it.


    I told you they couldn¡¯t be trusted. You didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Shut up, phantom! You aren¡¯t real!¡±


    Real or not, the pain you feel certainly is. Perhaps you¡¯d like me to get it to stop?


    I said no with my voice, but I¡¯m sure Poe knew I meant yes.


    Well I¡¯ll take that as a yes. Give me just a moment.


    The screens across from me began changing colors, which at first I thought to be a mere trick of my mind but I quickly realized was the work of Poe. The pulses soon ceased and all that was left was the gas, which I assumed Poe couldn¡¯t stop.


    I can¡¯t stop the gas as far as I can tell. If you want me to try I can, however. It just may take a while.


    ¡°Do what you will, as we both know I can¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Can¡¯t? Or won¡¯t?


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    Strange.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The gas you¡¯re exhaling. Didn¡¯t he say that if it were yellow it was bad and if it was blue it was good?


    ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    Do you not see that it¡¯s green? A mixture of both colors?


    I hadn¡¯t noticed until Poe pointed it out, but it was true. Each time I exhaled I was greeted with green smoke surrounded by the gray fog of the room. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly why it was happening, but I knew that if the gatekeeper saw that he would do what he could to either send me away or kill me. Reagor wouldn¡¯t stand up for me if it was seen that I was truly some sort of Nano, and despite myself knowing the contrary I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if my sole implant was the cause of such an issue.


    I¡¯ll try and stop the gas.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°If you do that then they¡¯ll just try and run the test again. It¡¯s clear these people are thorough. It might be better to just see if we can get me out of this chair and send the shuttle to 58 without their permission.¡±


    Sure, we can try that. But what will you do when you get there? Do you think they will be so welcoming of a Nano fantasying itself a boy?


    ¡°Doubtful, but that¡¯s what the Hellwhip is for.¡±


    I¡¯m certain Poe laughed then.


    It took no more than a few moments for Poe to override the system and undo my bindings, allowing me freedom of movement once again. After I was sure I was fine, I grabbed my Hellwhip and prepared for the worst, double checking that the setting was to three. Then Poe figured out the system enough to send the shuttle on its way, and soon I was flying toward Stratum 58, and though it was surely impossible I could swear I was hearing the yelling and screaming of those we were leaving behind.


    Serves the fools right for trusting that a lone boy isn¡¯t dangerous unsupervised.


    No more than five minutes passed before the shuttle came to a complete halt. The feeling of it stopping made me nervous, not because of the physical feeling of inertia but from the uncertainty surrounding what was outside of the shuttle. ??Based on what I¡¯d already been told, I suspected those living on 58 were going to be harsh, discerning creatures with a severe fear of anything that wasn¡¯t themselves.


    Of course I was right.


    The moment I left the shuttle I was greeted with a number of men in skin suits similar to my own. That was where the similarities ended, however, as their weaponry was barbaric. Instead of using something like my Hellwhip or even something akin to what you¡¯re more aware of, like an A.W. or a Positron Beam Emitter, they wielded makeshift weapons created from the walls of Mobius. In fact, though my search had to be cursory as I was unable to move from my position, it appeared to me that everything about them was barbaric outside of the skin suits they wore and the place which housed them. The whole area was covered in litter of all sorts, mostly remnants of food, and a dull scent invaded my space like old waste, though it was hard for me to tell if it belonged to anyone. Housing was behind those before me, but it seeing details was difficult.


    A woman with gray in her hair and a hardened step came before me, a large metal spear in her hands. She placed the tip at my chin and lifted it so she might see my visage.


    Her lips curled. ¡°Where is our Expedition party?¡±


    I sighed.


    Should you even try to speak with her? I can already tell she will not fall for some silver-tongued brat¡¯s lies.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I said out loud.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, perturbed.


    ¡°I said they¡¯re shut up, stuck back on 57. Something must have gone wrong with the shuttle. It began operating on its own and brought me here of its own accord. Not the fault of anyone specific, I assure you. I imagine its difficult for a shuttle to function without the regular maintenance by a Nano.¡±


    The spear vibrated and I felt blood begin to pool where it had nicked me.


    ¡°Either you¡¯re a very foolish boy or a soon to be dead Nano. No being of intelligence would say such a threat to me.¡±


    ¡°Threat? It was merely an observation!¡±


    Nothing I could say would matter in the eyes of that woman, however. Her eyes had wandered and seen the Hellwhip, and she must have recognized the technology because it was all she needed to believe I was in fact a Nano. Were I not a scared little boy, I doubt I¡¯d be alive today to speak to you, Dante. My fear was so great that I pulled the trigger.


    The only issue is when you¡¯re scared and untrained you don¡¯t aim very well. Even with my lack of experience I knew that I should aim for the chest or the head of a human being if I wanted them dead, and I merely wanted to incapacitate. My lack of experience with the Hellwhip meant much for this poor woman. Level three is just good enough for Nanos, Dante. It destroys them with little damage to Mobius, and it will usually hit a Nano behind it. For a being of flesh and blood? Level three decimates them. It doesn¡¯t remove the flesh, or even kill it. It deletes it. It makes it so that whatever once was there never was there at all. There¡¯s no blood or gore with the Hellwhip, only evisceration.


    You can, I suppose, imagine that if I was to aim only at the legs what would happen then.


    The woman who once stood looking down on me was suddenly on stumps, blood not pouring out due to the quick cauterization. Her screams pierced my very being. Everyone there stopped, unable to move from the shock of it all. No one had expected it. Everyone feared it.


    Even me.


    Well don¡¯t just stand there! Either finish them all off or start running!


    Poe didn¡¯t need to tell me twice. My legs began moving too fast and I nearly slipped and fell. The only reason I was able to escape those angry men was because they didn¡¯t wield true weapons like my Hellwhip, they only used the ancient tools of barbaric man, something long forgotten on that old rock we used to call home.


    I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say I couldn¡¯t run forever. I passed through their makeshift town, ran past the locals, pulled myself free from a few men who tried to stop me, but eventually I just couldn¡¯t do it anymore. I had to stop.


    I had to face my enemies as the brigand I was.


    ¡°Get that bastard before he shoots again!¡± one of them yelled. The Hellwhip shook in my hands.


    What are you waiting for? Shoot them already so we can get out of here!


    Poe was right, of course. They weren¡¯t going to take it easy on me. They wouldn¡¯t stop at the sight of my blood, my organs, or my very human-like death. They would kill me and feel justified. Hell, they would have been after what I did to their leader.


    That trigger was just too heavy for me.


    Pull it, or I¡¯ll do it for you.


    I gasped, unsure if he was bluffing. Poe could do many things. Could he take over my body?


    I¡¯m still unsure if that¡¯s possible. Maybe he told me that so I could blame him for what I¡¯d do later. Better that his host can sleep at night and function, right?


    Leaving it set to level three, I deleted everyone who stood before me, and before I could recover Poe had me on the run, a fugitive in a foreign strata, a lonely child with no place to go but up.


    Dante and Captain Pluto sat in silence for some time before Dante decided the session was over, clicking the recording device off and gathering up his things to go all the while Pluto sat stone cold, his hands shaking, his eyes like diamonds catching every light the wrong way. Dante hesitated; though it was difficult to believe all the things Pluto said, he was keenly aware of his fate and knew, at the very least, that he was a troubled man, an interesting man. A man with a story.


    As silently as he could, he clicked the recording device back on and thought of provocative questions.


    ¡°Do you believe that you deserve forgiveness for your actions? After all, you reveal that after attacking that woman, you knew what would happen to those you attacked after.¡±


    Pluto remained silent save for the sound of his own vibrations.


    ¡°When will you reveal the actual locations for this story? We both know you couldn¡¯t have come here from 58, let alone 56.¡±


    Pluto continued staring off, eyes only blinking when necessary.


    ¡°Yesterday you said something about how I didn¡¯t recognize your clothing. While this is true, it is also true that no one here would recognize the clothing of someone from Stratum 990, a place much closer to us than your stated origins. ??It¡¯s also most likely true that you acquired clothing between your origin and here, especially if we were to assume your claims to be true. So what were you trying to get at? Is there something special about your current manner of dress? Is it special compared to my own?¡±


    Dante flirted with the idea of ceasing the recording. After all, this style of recording was against the rules. He wouldn¡¯t be in trouble, but he couldn¡¯t file this even if Pluto decided to answer him. The story had to be his own without the influence of the recorder.


    Seeing as Pluto hadn¡¯t answered, Dante began to wonder if he needed to call for the medical team. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked finally, snapping fingers in front of Pluto¡¯s eyes and getting no response. Annoyed, Dante fumbled in his pockets and pulled out his PCD and pressed nine. ¡°Room 5299 requires assistance. Subject is unresponsive to outside stimuli. Could be dangerous. Wanted for ten counts of murder and a whole slew of lesser crimes. Come soon.¡±


    A response floated through the PCD and Dante pocketed it once more, ready to leave. A piece of him knew this might be his only chance to say what he wanted, however, since there was only five more days of recording left.


    ¡°Why lie to me? You realize you¡¯ve only got a little time left before you¡¯re cooked, carted off and your ashes are cast out floating into space. Why bother with this whole charade? Why falsify everything down to the fake weapon? For what purpose do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°ShUt uP!¡± Pluto choked, his voice sounding distant and dry. ¡°SHUt UppP! Get out get out getoutoutOUT!¡±


    Dante backed up and ran out the door, down the hall, running as fast and far as his weak legs would take him. He wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, but he was sure that sleep would come to him slowly that night.

 Chapter Three

    CHAPTER THREE


    Knowing there was little he could do about his mental state, Dante instead wandered 999 in a feeble attempt to quell his emotions. On the sixtieth level was an incredible view of the Hell reactor, an unnatural wonder of Mobius created by Nanos long before Dante was conceived. Held in place by forces unseen, the Hell reactor rotated in an way almost planetary in nature, and as it spun a spiral of energy would crest above it similar to dolphins, curving upward before splashing back down, returning to its origin and bringing with it an even stronger version of itself. This reactor operated at all hours of all days, and from time to time Dante would find himself staring at it with a banal expression as he struggled with his more impressive personal problems.


    A couple of people passed him while he pressed his hands into the guard rail. Dante thought about how foolish Pluto was being¡ªif that was even his real name¡ªhow little he seemed to care for being accurate in his story. His claimed origins of Stratum 56 were as impossible to clarify as they were to exist; his true age would be somewhere between one and two centuries despite appearing a man of early middle years; his weapon, the Hellwhip, was never confiscated. Dante had been sure of this. He checked and double checked and checked some more, but there were no records of any weapon being taken from the man known as Captain Pluto. Had it been, he would have asked to run some tests and see if the power of it were as Pluto had said, something devastating. But as far as he could tell, there was no way to check the information he was being given.


    It was as if his job had been reduced to recording the rambling fairy tales of a long lost loon.


    Still, Dante wished if anything to at least prove whether or not these recordings held any merit.


    The Hell reactor continued its display, the sound of wind compressing a comforting one indeed.


    It was then that Dante realized there was another way to verify the Hellwhip¡¯s existence. Removing his PCD, he set the dial to Giovanni¡¯s receiver. ¡°Giovanni? ¡­Yes, it¡¯s Dante. Hey, while recording that criminal¡¯s stories¡­ Yes, the one who claims to be him. Yeah. ¡­Anyway, I was thinking about it and he mentioned that he had a weapon. When I checked the records there appeared to be nothing taken. Is it possible they took it to¡­ Okay, meet me there? ¡­Sure, see you.¡±


    Dante ran off to the elevator, the sound of the Hell reactor echoing in his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you came to me about this.¡±


    Giovanni sounded exhausted as he lead Dante through the slender hallways of the high offices, a place Dante seldom went. This was a place for only the most important leaders of 999, those who oversaw the strata in great detail and ran all of its systems. Giovanni¡¯s boss worked there, someone Dante had only heard mention of in passing. Normally a trip to this area would be cause for excitement, but the anger Dante saw in Giovanni kept him from feeling anything but nervous.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you knew anything about it, honestly. I just thought it was odd that a weapon was mentioned but unaccounted for.¡±


    Smiling slightly despite his obvious annoyance, Giovanni shook his head, ¡°No you didn¡¯t. You merely wished to confirm your suspicions. And hey, unless I can prove it¡¯s been done here, you might be right.¡±


    Dante was about to defend himself but Giovanni held a hand up for silence.


    They approached a pair of doors and Giovanni unceremoniously swung them open.


    Three men stood up in frightened succession, each one wearing a look of fear as their eyes shot towards Giovanni, as well as a look of confusion upon their seeing Dante. All three men made simultaneous noises like a group of cornered animals before Giovanni put on a fake smile and stepped forward, starting to slowly circle the men like a predator.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, gentlemen. I¡¯m just here on a routine search.¡±


    One man gulped loudly and said, ¡°Oh? A search for what?¡±


    ¡°It would be foolish to lie to me, Marcus. I might be busy overseeing the recorders but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m so busy that I don¡¯t notice things.¡± Giovanni lifted a chair and searched underneath, then began feeling around under the cushion. ¡°While it may be silly of me to accuse you three bumpkins of participating in at best unethical, at worst illegal activities, it would be remiss of me to not go forth with a search of your quarters. After all, anything unaccounted for is cause for alarm, especially if it were found that what was unaccounted for were some sort of dangerous device. Why that would be an existential threat to 999, and well, we all know that can¡¯t happen, right?¡±


    By then the three men were all shooting glances at one another, speaking without words and trying to come up with something. They were obviously cornered. But even then Dante refused to believe that the men had a Hellwhip to steal. More likely, he thought, they had stolen something of significance to them and no one else.


    Giovanni opened their refrigerator and gasped dramatically. ¡°Well, well, well. Now you boys may just be a couple of fools, but even I know you aren¡¯t supposed to refrigerate this.¡± He pulled out a ration of dried out fruit. Dante chuckled at the sight, and the three men appeared to let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Will none of you step forward and tell me where it is?¡±


    The question was forward, with little more than a slim veil hiding the threat underneath. Still, the three men were silent.


    ¡°Marcus, Chris, Galileo; I know that the three of you were stationed on the night we captured Captain Pluto. I know that it was the three of you who brought him back to us already cuffed and slightly beaten. And in case you didn¡¯t know, I¡¯m aware that there was a significant period of time after you had found him and before you had called for the aid of the recording department to apprehend, sedate, and process Captain Pluto.¡±


    The words hung heavily in the air. Dante was beginning to wonder what was to happen.


    ¡°Now I would prefer not losing three good¡ªalbeit stupid¡ªworkers over something as foolish as this. That is what will happen, too. If none of you come forward before me and my associate leave, then all three of you will be replaced within the hour. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Following another pregnant pause, the man known as Galileo wordlessly opened the refrigerator once more, pulled a tab on the door revealing a hidden door within the door. On its shelves were many things of which Dante didn¡¯t care, but clearly there was a weapon which Galileo grabbed and after slamming the doors shut handed off to Giovanni. Turning the weapon over, Giovanni showed it to Dante and asked if it fit the description of the Hellwhip spoken of by Captain Pluto.


    Dante remained cautious about confirming the Hellwhip to be the true weapon. He searched it, identifying first the trigger. It was heavy but fluid, matching Pluto¡¯s description. Next he searched the side of the barrel and found a knob for which to select the level, indicated on a circle surrounding the knob, going from level one all the way up to six. This appeared to indicate to Dante that this was the true weapon, and he was nearly ready to confirm it when he noticed something off.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Giovanni asked, more annoyed than concerned.


    ¡°Well,¡± Dante muttered, barely understandable as he tinkered with the selector knob, ¡°Captain Pluto said something about¡­ hmm¡­ about how when you select a level you would hear a hum. I can¡¯t hear¡­ nope, no, I can¡¯t hear anything no matter the level I select. Therefore this would not be the Hellwhip he spoke of.¡±


    Brow furrowed, Giovanni looked to the three men and saw their wanton faces, all appearing ready for an apology and their property returned. ¡°Hmph, well I¡¯ll be keeping it anyway.¡±


    Outside of Pluto¡¯s cell Giovanni and Dante sat on the cold metal floor of Mobius, neither one of them looking at each other. Giovanni held the Hellwhip up to the light, frowning deeply at it.


    ¡°You¡¯re certain this isn¡¯t what you were looking for?¡± he asked, pointing it down the hall as if it were a toy and he were a child.


    Dante shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t be completely certain, but if it doesn¡¯t hum then it¡¯s either broken or not the Hellwhip he spoke of. And even if it were, how can I be sure it works as he stated?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He said it would disintegrate flesh at level three, for instance. We don¡¯t exactly have a way to test that.¡±


    Without saying anything, Giovanni removed from his pocket the ration that was in the refrigerator the Hellwhip had been in. After tossing it to the ground, Giovanni set the weapon to level two, pointed, and pulled the trigger while aiming at the ration. Dante flinched in anticipation, but nothing emitted from the weapon. Not a sound, not a projectile.


    ¡°Hmph. Well, it¡¯s either broken or it is as you say.¡±


    Dante sighed and rubbed at the stubble growing on his chin. ¡°I have to confirm it somehow, Giovanni. If I don¡¯t then there¡¯s no real way for us to verify whether or not this man truly is Captain Pluto.¡±


    Giovanni gave Dante a sly smile, and Dante became irritated with him. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re beginning to believe he¡¯s the real Captain Pluto, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Dante snorted. ¡°Not really. He claims to be from a ridiculous distance away, to the point where the time debt he would incur would cause him to be generations older than us. No, if anything I¡¯m wondering if he has received some kind of damage to his mind. Perhaps this ¡®Hellwhip¡¯ is merely a strong pistol, or something similar to our Positron Beam Emitters. The way he describes this weapon sounds more like the stuff of nightmares than of reality.¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t want to admit the legend could be real,¡± Giovanni said, dropping the weapon in Dante¡¯s lap. ¡°Well, if you want to confirm whether that¡¯s his weapon then just ask him yourself. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have gotten him thoroughly drugged up soon enough. Once he¡¯s of the right state of mind you can just show it to him and see how he reacts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s highly unethical!¡± Dante called after him, but received nothing more than a wave in response. Seeing that Pluto was still being dealt with and there were still a few hours before morning, Dante decided to sleep on the floor, or rather his mind decided it was time to rest no matter where he sat.


    ¡°Excuse me? Mr. Dante?¡±


    A member of the nursing crew knelt down to Dante¡¯s level, and with a little embarrassment Dante wiped his lips of saliva. The nurse smiled at him and said, ¡°Sorry to wake you, Mr. Dante, but we¡¯ve brought your subjects levels down to normal again.¡±


    Fighting through grogginess, Dante asked, ¡°Will he be healthy, then? Or should I keep you on call just in case?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done much to keep him healthy, but it¡¯s difficult to say. He¡¯s¡­ different from many of our typical subjects.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    The nurse shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure how to describe it. That man is certainly unlike any I¡¯ve worked on. Were we able to, I would run some tests on him and get a few scans just to see what¡¯s going on with him, but since he¡¯s being executed in a few days there¡¯s no way that would be allowed.¡±


    Dante nodded, not quite understanding.


    ¡°Well, either way, that guy is not quite normal, whatever he is. Still, I¡¯d wager he should remain healthy right up until his final day.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. I¡¯ll still be ready to call in the event you¡¯re required again. Thank you, nurse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Mr. Dante.¡±


    Gathering himself up, Dante entered his subjects cell and grimaced at the sight. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had to deal with a subject whose health was failing them. In fact, in Dante¡¯s summation, it was probable that upon learning of their fates the prisoners would accelerate the process of their own deaths subconsciously, chemically inducing their own euthanization without the aid of any alien substance. Despite knowing this, it never made things easier for Dante. Not because he felt particularly bad for his subjects¡ªthey were nearly always irredeemable¡ªmore because it became more difficult to receive valuable information once their health began to dwindle.


    Captain Pluto was now bedridden, a shackle linking him to his bed by his wrist more for show than for function. An IV dripped a chemical into his system to rebalance him, giving the illusion of perfect health. Most of Dante¡¯s subjects were usually unable to speak well upon receiving treatment. Often times a day would be skipped in the telling of their story, or if the health of the subject was bad enough Dante would simply close the case and move on, understanding that it would be futile to waste more time on someone who is barely there anymore.


    Yet as the nurse had said, Captain Pluto was no ordinary man.


    He sat upright in his bed, staring into a dark corner of the room and pulling at the hair on his chin with something akin to thoughtful annoyance. Even after he heard the door shut he held his attention on that dark spot, and Dante wasn¡¯t sure if he should speak until Captain Pluto began speaking anyway.


    ¡°Is it day three?¡± he asked as though nothing strange had happened.


    Dante set about to preparing the recording device. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Well then, we only have five sessions counting this one, right?¡±


    Furrowing his brow, Dante nodded. ¡°Correct, why?¡±


    Captain Pluto plucked a hair from his chin and winced. ¡°Then I should probably skip around a bit. Were I to continue in absolute chronology we would never get to anything meaningful, and if you are recording my story then I should be as selective as possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly believable that any one man could have such a long tale to tell,¡± Dante commented without thinking, finding the idea childish.


    Grinning, Pluto finally looked into Dante¡¯s eyes. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always liked men like you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I should hope that¡¯s a compliment.¡±


    ¡°It is. You¡¯re highly enviable to someone like myself.¡±


    Dante found himself smiling, though he wished he weren¡¯t. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure that my lack of a death sentence is coveted deeply by someone like you.¡±


    ¡°I could care less about that,¡± Pluto said jocularly. ¡°If I could be candid with you, I envy your total acceptance of isolation more than anything.¡±


    For a second, Dante almost became too angry to hold himself back.


    ¡°Haha! I can tell you took that the wrong way. No matter, I understand you would think I¡¯m being rude to you on purpose. And you know, perhaps most of the people you interview like this are rude to you. Maybe they have every right to be. But me? I kind of admire your ability to just tune it all out. You¡¯ve obviously got nothing besides this, and from what I can tell you don¡¯t seem to covet more. No desire to move up in your world, no real desire to escape or feel free in some way. No I think you feel something close to freedom in the shackles you wear, and there¡¯s something to be said for that.¡±


    Composing himself, Dante glared deeply into Pluto¡¯s baggy eyes. ¡°Mr. Pluto, I¡¯d like to get started before we waste any more time.¡±


    Smirking, Pluto nodded. ¡°Sure thing, sure thing.¡±


    S1121_captainPluto_falsifiedLegend117.wav


    Now as I said, I¡¯ll be skipping a portion of my adventure. Much of course happened after my journey to Stratum 58, but these misadventures are largely inconsequential and would take more time and energy to relay like this, especially given my decaying health. So I will explain to you now something important which happened to me on Stratum 117, a location which took many years to reach.


    By this time my body had been hardened by my war with the Nanos. Sleep was hard to come by, and food was even more scarce, but the NRS machines were enough to maintain my body for the most part and my time spent in areas of lowered gravity meant my height was greater than expected. I¡¯d even met a few nice folks along the way who were able to give me clothing they had made so that I wore a makeshift cloak over my skin suit with a nice hood on it, allowing for me to more comfortably maneuver in the typically cold hallways of most of the strata.


    Little had changed when it came to my mission. I still sought the edge of Mobius, and after years of denial it had become obvious that Poe was no illusion. The black dots had faded but his voice remained, and his help was absolutely valuable to me.


    One thing still remained a mystery to us, however; the Nano who had saved me on 58, their identity and intentions were unknown to us. It had continued to tail me all the way to Stratum 117. I would catch rare glimpses of it as we traveled, always seeing it just far enough away that if I tried to approach it would disappear, and on a few more occasions after 58 it had saved my life. Still, I knew nothing of its origin, and that worried me.


    ¡°Poe, you don¡¯t think that Nano could be guiding me to the end of Mobius, do you?¡±


    I had asked Poe many questions regarding this particular Nano, but his answers were always vague.


    It¡¯s difficult to know such a thing. Even if it were true, however, what would it matter? Our destination remains our destination. The mission doesn¡¯t change if there¡¯s a rogue Nano helping you along the way.


    Of course, he was right. My feelings still told me that I should find more out about the Nano, and for a long time it was my tertiary mission to apprehend and question the Nano, to see what its true nature was.


    And so begins my tale of Stratum 117.


    Stratum 117 is contrary to 999 in most ways. Whereas 999 is a massive governing body filled with workers who oversee the colonies of what¡ªfive? Ten strata? Whatever the number, it oversees multiple strata below it as a sort of capital. This is uncommon for most colonies on Mobius. The area of 117 was what I would consider the most common set up as far as populated strata are concerned. Allow me to paint a picture for you.


    As with most locations here, it is a sort of cylinder in its general shape. However 117 was created as an environment for humans. Why Nanos would do such a thing is impossible to guess. Do they look at us like captive animals, studying from afar? Or is their programming like a broken clock, working every so often and creating what it was most likely meant to create¡ªa place for humans to live? Your guess is as good as any. The bottom half of the cylinder for 117 is filled with a makeshift replication of Earth; there are rivers and ponds, gardens and forests, and towns of brick and mortar for the people to live in. Even stranger, the top half of the cylinder replicates the sky of Earth by creating holographic clouds and storm fronts during what would be the local daytime hours, and during the night hours those images disappear and instead you can see out of Mobius into space through massive windows. It¡¯s not uncommon for these sorts of setups to occur on Mobius, but as you are well aware, Dante, you can go an entire lifetime without seeing it.


    And it¡¯s truly beautiful.


    While I¡¯m still unsure if the items used in those areas are real or falsifications meant to gratify the human psyche, it¡¯s still difficult to wander a place like 117 and not feel the tug of emotions, the feeling that you should never leave. That you are truly in Eden.


    For this reason, when I reached 117 I vowed to stay for a long time. Poe wasn¡¯t very pleased with this notion.


    You realize that won¡¯t work, right? You¡¯re not on some pleasurable adventure here. This is a punishment for your earlier transgressions on 56.


    ¡°You truly believe that?¡± I asked. We were alone in the room we had been staying in for roughly one month, a fine hotel in the center of the city.


    You don¡¯t?


    ¡°I used to,¡± I said, yawning as I prepared for sleep. ¡°The thing is, when I was given this mission I was told that the Nanos wanted it done. That I was supposed to be relaying information back to 56. That hasn¡¯t happened at all, so it was obviously some kind of lie. My punishment is exile. What¡¯s the harm in staying here where it¡¯s comfortable?¡±


    The harm?


    Poe sounded offended. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    You might be older, but you¡¯re still acting like a child. Mobius will continue to create itself, swallowing up the galaxy, then the universe. Eventually there will be no resources for it to pull, and the entire universe will die out because of it. Its a mechanical parasite, destroying all of space. And you want it to continue just so you can be surrounded by some fake scenery?


    ¡°Fake or no, it looks real to me. Besides, Poe, if it¡¯s truly as big as you say, I have no chance of reaching the end of Mobius. It¡¯s a fools errand. I can receive anti-aging treatments, I can skip strata somehow if I find a way I suppose, but even if that were the case how big do you think Mobius is? Truly, if you had to guess, how many strata are there?¡±


    At this current moment, there are no fewer than 1120 strata in Mobius.


    ¡°Exactly, and it¡¯s taken me ages just to get through around sixty of them. I have over a thousand to go, that¡¯s lifetimes of traveling and they won¡¯t stop building so I can catch up. This is an impossible task.¡±


    Poe didn¡¯t speak, and for once I felt sad. His lack of a response meant I was right, the entire journey was built on some fantasy I couldn¡¯t hope to achieve.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ll stay for a little longer and then we can move on. Who knows when the next chance will come for me to get some proper sleep and eat real food.¡±


    I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt to let you indulge in their famous engineered steak.


    Smiling, I said, ¡°It might be fake but it¡¯s better than rations. Most of that shit is dry and nearly flavorless.¡±


    True, and yet poor tasting food is the reason you were exiled to begin with.


    The following day I decided to take in the sights and eat the best food I could. Thankfully 117 ran on a system using credits for payment, and I had earned plenty over the course of my journey. This meant I could do whatever I wanted for quite some time without needing to find some form of employment. So, in an act of pure autonomy I decided to travel to the garden at the edge of the city. It was called Seneca Botanical Garden, and it was filled with a number of incredible flowers and bushes, with thin, aesthetically pleasing rivers running through it. Despite the wonderful nature of the place, it wasn¡¯t the most popular spot for people to go to since most people were natives to 117 and found their usual surroundings to be boring, mundane extensions of themselves rather than incredible creations. For them, nature was easy to find despite their life in a steel trap.


    As I meandered my way through the floral walkways, I heard a noise from behind me and turned to see a woman standing there. To say she was beautiful would be putting it mildly. Had she not moved I would have thought her a statue, just another part of the garden.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said to me, her voice a pleasant surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I was just wandering myself and saw that you were alone and thought you might want some company.¡±


    You would be foolish to believe such a lie.


    ¡°Certainly, would you like to join me as I make my way to the shrine?¡±


    ¡°It would be my pleasure,¡± she beamed.


    I shouldn¡¯t have gotten my hopes up. A fool will always remain a fool.


    The shrine was one of four at the corners of the garden. All four were equally beautiful, surrounded by flowers of a single color and equipped with benches so you might rest while taking in the sights. This particular shrine was surrounded by white flowers only, and the bright scenery complimented her wonderfully.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t from around here, are you?¡± she asked me, suddenly.


    ¡°Is it so obvious?¡±


    Giggling, she said, ¡°Well, yes. Not only do most people ignore the garden, but you wear strange clothing. And unless I was mistaken I could swear I heard the clink of metal on you¡­ a weapon?¡±


    Nervously, I nodded.


    ¡°Are you some sort of pirate?¡±


    ¡°Pirate?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Yes, like the ones from before.¡±


    When I asked what she meant, this is what she told me. I¡¯m sure a recorder such as yourself would love to hear it straight from her, but here you go:


    ¡°Once, when I was a child no more than five years old, a small band of men came here from the strata below us. They wore clothes almost like yours, black suits with strange, tattered things over top of them, and they carried all sorts of strange weapons I¡¯d never seen before. Guns, I think some of them were, as well as more barbaric things like daggers. My parents and the rest of the adults were completely horrified by them coming here. They said that they were going to kill us all, but all they really did was hang about the bar and tell stories to anyone who would listen.


    ¡°Being a child, I was enamored by their oddities and wished to know as much as possible about them. One of them, a man with a full beard and many scars called Grim, told me that they were trying to get rid of all the Nanos so that people could live in peace. When I asked him why, he told me that without having to deal with the Nanos there would be freedom for all those who live in Mobius. Many of the adults who were at the bar heard him speak, not only that day but others too as he would often ramble about their mission while drunk, and they would all just roll their eyes and poke fun at them. You see, most people here find the Nanos to be good, as they created all you see before you.


    ¡°Those men stayed with us for around a week. The last day they were driven out by everyone.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, they happened to be here during a week where the Nanos were coming to do their quarterly check up on the area. Every three months the Nanos take some time to do routine maintenance to be certain everything is in working order. When those pirates saw the Nanos coming, they stumbled out of the bar and began shooting the Nanos down one by one. There was shrapnel everywhere in a manner of minutes. The Nanos stood no chance against them, even in their drunken state the pirates made quick work of them.


    ¡°After that happened, my father got together with the rest of the adults and they drove the pirates out, sending them to 118 and banning them from returning. I ran after them, crying and wishing that they wouldn¡¯t go. Grim waved and winked at me, and ever since I¡¯ve been awaiting the return of pirates.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t completely sure what to say then, so I said something stupid. ¡°Well if that¡¯s what a pirate is then surely I am one.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡± she became excited, closing the distance between us until I became uncomfortable.


    I would say it¡¯s bad to claim such things, but I¡¯m sure you would do so anyway to enjoy your filthy primal urges.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been called one before, but my mission is to reach the end of Mobius and eradicate all the Nanos.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on a mission?¡±


    Her eyes had become starry. I couldn¡¯t not tell her about me. I doubt any man of adequate virility could ignore her requests.


    She told me her name was Cat. Short for Cathy, Catherine, or Catalina, I don¡¯t know, but it was obviously a nickname. When she asked me of my name I gave her the same name I had taken to giving people by then, a name I¡¯d created a while ago.


    With all the immediacy young infatuation can muster, she brought me to her home and showed me her things, where she grew up, her mother, then her bedroom. Cat spoke endlessly and constantly, a Mobius of the mouth. It was as if she¡¯d been holding in all the knowledge she had stored up over the course of her life in hopes of finally unloading it on one singular entity, that entity being myself.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.??I found I wasn¡¯t listening, and frightened I¡¯d be discovered I asked her why she brought me there.


    Embarrassed, she said, ¡°Well, to show you where I live. I figured you¡¯d be interested.¡± When I didn¡¯t answer immediately, she asked about where I grew up. Using vague descriptions, I explained in a way that was less detailed than I have to you what my life was like on 56. Being closer to her strata than yours, she believed what I had to say without protest.


    Cat gave me a thoughtful look, then looked out the window to the setting sun on the ceiling of 117. ¡°Well, would you like to go get some food with me? I know a place that¡¯s quiet.¡±


    I agreed and she lead me down those winding streets, past the tall buildings of the inner city, through the suburbs across the abandoned tracks¡ªor rather, the tracks whose function was to be abandoned¡ªuntil we were in an area with a few scattered houses of differing sizes. One such domicile was on the corner, and it had a few signs outside to indicate that it wasn¡¯t just a place of living but also a local restaurant owned by a man named Tony. We entered and were greeted by a woman who lead us to a table and sat us down, and Cat ordered us both food, something called breakfast.


    While we waited she nursed her drink and kept staring away from my eyes.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked. ¡°You seem occupied by something.¡±


    Cat shook her head, her hair displacing itself wondrously. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    An obvious lie. Don¡¯t fall for it, she is trying to get something out of you.


    Glaring inwardly at Poe, I said, ¡°Well I highly doubt that. If I¡¯m making you uncomfortable I can just go. There is so much for me to do in this place that I¡¯m certain I wouldn¡¯t get bored.¡±


    Somehow what I had said hurt her physically, her countenance fell before me. ¡°Actually, I had a question for you but if that¡¯s the way you feel then I¡¯d best not ask it.¡±


    Frowning, I asked her to say what she wanted to say to me. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to ask me things, Cat. You can say whatever you want with me.¡±


    Poe groaned in my head, sounding unpleasant.


    Our server was setting our breakfast plates out for us when Cat took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to join you. Can I please go with you to leave 117?¡±


    The food sat steaming between us, myself stunned by the question, Cat obviously worried about my reaction, and of course Poe with the immediate over reaction.


    Absolutely not! Is this girl mentally sound? What a ridiculous proposal.


    Taking a sip of the juice she had ordered me, I said, ¡°Look, Cat, as much as I¡¯d appreciate having company¡ª¡±


    You already have enough company in me.


    ¡°¡ªit¡¯s a highly dangerous journey. I¡¯ve nearly died countless times, and honestly there is little chance I would make it to the edge of Mobius as I¡¯ve been asked to do. You would more than likely be signing your own death sentence, sending yourself away from your family, your friends, and of course your comfortable lifestyle. This food we¡¯re eating, for instance, it looks incredible and will most certainly be a fulfilling experience, one you would do without on our journey. Most of the time I don¡¯t get to eat or sleep, I merely recharge my nutrients through an NRS where I can. And though I can¡¯t be sure why, Nanos are still after me despite my mission coming from them. It¡¯s just not safe, Cat. You would be¡ª¡±


    She waved her hands in a flag of surrender, a playful gesture to hide her sadness. ¡°Okay, okay! I understand. It was just a thought, that¡¯s all.¡± Then she took a small bite of her meal and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Quietly, we finished our food and were on our way, back to walking back through the city as we had before. Cat walked in step with me, and though it was awkward I still wished to speak with her.


    ¡°You know, I was thinking about stopping my journey altogether. Maybe staying here for the rest of my life.¡±


    Cat looked at me with widened eyes, the whites catching the starlight with such immaculacy it made my chest erupt.


    ¡°As far as I can tell, my mission is merely a punishment of exile. Picking this place to be exiled to just doesn¡¯t strike me as bad. That¡¯s also why I didn¡¯t want you to join me on my journey. The journey itself might be over for me.¡±


    We crossed a road riddled with noise; noise from the shifting ceiling above us, a manipulated sky of unnatural beauty; noise from the musicians playing instruments created through printing technology and mined materials from who knows where; noise from the crowd of people enjoying their night, another time of peace once again in their walled garden; and the low thrum of my Hellwhip, a constant noise in my ear I can¡¯t seem to shake, the reminder of such destructive power an unceasing nightmare; and through all the noise Cat placed a soft kiss on my cheek, quickly and incorrectly with the unpracticed lips of a young girl, and I drew her close to my side underneath the cloak I wore.


    ¡°Well,¡± she sighed, her head on my shoulder, ¡°if you were to stay then I suppose I should stay too.¡±


    Recall what I said before. If you don¡¯t leave 117, the Nanos will come. This will end poorly for you.


    Even the idle threats of Poe couldn¡¯t ruin things for me. Many things have happened to me since that night, but still I believe it to be the best night that I can possibly remember. I remember the sound of the music, the dim of the lights of her room, the scent of her hair as I pet it softly, and the kiss we shared before sleeping. We were young and foolish, but I could tell her kiss was filled with pure love, that she meant it.


    I hoped mine felt the same to her.


    One local week passed in this way, with minor variations through the days but mostly a consistent schedule of serendipity and discovery, each night ending in passionate displays of affection and each morning beginning with much of the same, and though I wished to see as much of 117 as possible I found as time wore on I wished only to discover more of Cat. In her I found much that I had sought but never found, a sort of catharsis in which I was able to momentarily be free of the curse I carried in my skull, and instead I could merely see her for who she was and she was able to see me for who I wished to be, nothing more than an ordinary man who felt nothing but love and excitement for the ordinary.


    Of course, as it always is in my life, these things could never last, only the memory of it could possibly exist forever. And it has been a comfort to me on my journey, certainly, but I can see that you¡¯re already wondering why I would tell you about these seemingly unimportant events of love. I¡¯m sure as a bland scholar of this boring bureaucracy you find love not in people but in your work, so you hardly understand where I¡¯m coming from when I say that I was ready to give up everything just to be with Cat, a girl I¡¯d known for no more than seven local days. Well, as it turns out, many misadventures became integral to who I am today, and this is one of them.


    As stated before, we¡¯d known each other for about a week when I began to take what I¡¯d said seriously. Slowly I began to change. Cat and I went out and purchased some clothes that were more in style with what was worn on 117, comfortable wear known as jeans and simple shirt. My skin suit I folded up and hid away along with the cloak, and soon I hid away the Hellwhip, hoping to never require it. The hum I¡¯d grown accustomed to was missing and it felt strange, but the sounds of 117 quickly became something I¡¯d grow used to in a similar fashion. Had Poe not reminded me of what would happen were I to remove the chip housed in my CMP unit, I would have done so and been rid of everything.


    Are you insane? If you take the chip out Nanos will swarm this place before you could even think about putting the chip back in. If you¡¯re going to be unreasonable and attempt to stay here, the least you can do is be reasonable about it and leave the chip where it is.


    If I recall correctly, I asked Poe to kindly remain quiet so that I might enjoy my new life in peace. He wouldn¡¯t have any of that, of course. Still I couldn¡¯t help but ask anyway. And even with his constant interjections, my life was as close to perfect as it ever had been. As it ever would be.


    The day it all came crashing down was another perfect sunny day.


    Cat had decided that we should go to the library and we were exploring the second floor, a section filled with some of the ancient books that were somewhat salvageable by the first settlers long ago. Despite 117 having seemingly limitless access to outside resources, the library still functioned as a data library would, though each work was localized to tablets housed on shelves. I¡¯ve only been able to read from a book made of paper once, but it truly is superior to books of data; something about the printed word feels more permanent, more intimate than that of the ethereal letters of a display unit. In any case, the books available ranged widely from fiction to nonfiction, from fantasy to historical works, from classics to works which would more than likely have been forgotten had nothing catastrophic happened to Earth. As we were searching these works, I came across a novel that caught my eye. It was an old story of minor significance, written by an author who more than likely would have been forgotten. The title was Elexendria and it was an intriguing tale, one I quickly became engrossed in. Cat noticed and asked with delight what I was reading, and I showed her and she became rather excited.


    ¡°What a story to pick! It¡¯s one of my personal favorites. It¡¯s a shame the author never finished it, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a shame. I want to know what happens to the gravedigger.¡±


    Cat shrugged and then appeared to remember something. She swiftly flipped through the many pages before finding what she¡¯d been looking for. ¡°Ah, here we are. Read this passage, I¡¯ve always found it to be beautiful.¡±


    To me I found it intriguing; it was further in the story, a moment between the protagonist and a woman from a far off land, a tender moment in the moonlight. Just as I was about to tell Cat what I thought of it there was a rumble underneath us, and I tossed the book aside. To my shock and horror, below us was a Nano. Not just any Nano, the one that had been following me since my adventure had began.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I swore, ¡°I forgot about him.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Cat whispered. ¡°You know that specific one? It¡¯s quite large!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that one¡¯s been following me for some reason. I can¡¯t believe I forgot about him!¡±


    Desperately I tried to think of a way out of the situation but I knew there was little I could do. Considering the Nano had followed me for roughly sixty strata, it would have been a difficult task to get rid of it then. Although it had rescued me from time to time as well, it was still rather difficult for me to place its true allegiance. Still, I knew I couldn¡¯t hide from it forever living on a single strata, so I told Cat to stay hidden and I came out from my hiding spot, sweat beading on my forehead from the stress. It had been a long time since I had to confront a Nano without my Hellwhip.


    Clearing my throat, I said, ¡°You¡¯re the one who keeps following me.¡±


    The slender Nano stared down at me with its single, large red eye and made a strange beeping noise, eye constricting as it fell to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you are following me,¡± I continued, voice shaking despite my best effort, ¡°but you must understand I¡¯m through with this journey. I¡¯ve found a home, here. Whatever service you¡¯ve been providing me, whether it was protection or something else, I¡¯m of need for it no longer. You may return to whatever it was your post originally was.¡±


    In a strangely human act, the Nano knelt down so that we were level with each other and it placed a hand on my shoulder. Then it beeped a few more times, eye widening and constricting as if it were speaking it¡¯s own language. I knew that Nanos could speak the common tongue, however, so I only became confused.


    ¡°Are you defective? Is that why you follow me?¡±


    You¡¯ve pressed your luck enough as it is. Why not let it follow you? It hasn¡¯t been a problem yet.


    Rubbing the stubble that had appeared on my chin, I asked, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you translate for it? Or find out its origin?¡±


    An uncomfortable pause followed.


    Impossible from my location. You¡¯d need to implant my chip into the Nano itself, and if you did that we¡¯d be surrounded before you could get your answer.


    Sighing, I said, ¡°Figures. Well I guess I¡¯ll let it follow me then. But you understand that I plan on staying here for the rest of my life, right?¡±


    The Nano nodded, the closest it had gotten to a human response.


    I brought Cat down to see the Nano, and though she was interested she was obviously scared, her body shaking all over. There¡¯s little doubt she only did it because I said it would be okay, and she was lucky that I was right. It could have always gone wrong, after all.


    We weren¡¯t quite sure how to deal with the Nano. Even while we discussed it, we were constantly reminded of the futility in removing it from our presence as it followed us all the way back to her home. Her parents were highly concerned upon seeing it, and my explanation wasn¡¯t near enough to suffice for them. Cat was able to convince them to allow the Nano to at least stay outside the home, though looks of consternation remained on their saturnine faces.


    The discussion we would have regarding the Nano was aimless and not worth recording the entire thing. Suffice it to say, I explained the history I shared with it, Cat was unsure if it was a friend or a foe, and we came up with ideas for it that were mostly jocular in nature, though there were a few ideas that we decided might work out such as it being employed in construction or maintenance work.


    One thing was clear: we couldn¡¯t let it just hang around us as it had been. People would misunderstand. Despite there being little reason for the people of 117 to hate the Nanos, there was still a fear of them, something I feel is intrinsic to all humans. Anyone who saw the Nano with us became fearful and ran in the opposite direction.


    Just as Cat and I were beginning to grow more intimate there was a crash outside. I ran to the window to see what it was, and was relieved to see that it was only the Nano that had followed us. Somehow it had fallen over and was attempting to free itself from the shrubbery on the side of the home. Turning around, I was about to tell Cat what had happened when there was another crash.


    A louder one.


    The roof of the home was torn open, and hovering above us were Nanos of varying types and sizes, all eyes constricting and focusing on me. There was a loud buzz, followed by a light being shown directly on me, bright and red.


    ¡°You are Extra number one-zero-five! As it has been relayed to us, you have avoided your sentence and have attempted a leisurely existence on this quiet stratum. This is not what was agreed upon. Therefore, unless you agree to leave within the next hour, this entire Stratum will be destroyed.¡±


    My heart was racing. Darting my eyes around, searching for an answer, I saw Cat¡¯s despairing eyes and I wondered what she was thinking.


    ¡°In one hour we will come and find you. If you are still here and have not resumed your travels, we will commence the destruction of 117. Good day, One-zero-five.¡±


    And just as fast as they had came, they were gone, leaving Cat¡¯s home in shambles.


    Cat and I might have discussed what to do if I had been given more than one hour. I didn¡¯t need Poe to tell me that I had to leave. He did anyway, of course, but it was unnecessary.


    I told you. Shirk your duties and death awaits you. Your journey is inevitable.


    So I tore off my clothes, tossing them in the corner of Cat¡¯s now ruined bedroom and I found my skin suit and put it back on. My cloak had been cleaned, and wrapping it around me felt nice even despite how I felt about wearing it once again. Then I went to grab my Hellwhip but Cat grabbed my wrist.


    ¡°You heard them,¡± I warned. ¡°If I don¡¯t leave as soon as I can, you will all be destroyed. You, your parents, the rest of the good people living here. Everything will be gone.¡±


    Her hands felt soft as they quivered on my wrist.


    ¡°What if the Nano was lying? What if that isn¡¯t what will happen?¡±


    ¡°A fantasy. I¡¯ve traveled far, as I¡¯ve told you already, and there are plenty of places that have been decimated as they have described. There¡¯s no doubt in my mind. If I don¡¯t leave, they will level this place shortly.¡±


    She was as worried as I was, but her emotions were just as tangled as mine too, and tears began falling down her cheeks. A sad smile appeared on my face, and I kissed the tears on her cheeks and told her not to worry. That all would be well once I was gone. That eventually she wouldn¡¯t miss me.


    All platitudes, and neither of us believed them.


    Soon enough my Hellwhip was on my person once again, and I was making certain that it was charged and in working order when Cat left the room unannounced. My stomach dropped; I had to leave right away, and though I wished to say good bye I knew that it would only be wasting my time. I chanced maybe a second or two, but when she didn¡¯t return I leapt down to where the Nano was outside and began my tragic journey once more, leaving everything behind.


    It took me little time to reach the edge of 117. Much less time than I¡¯d anticipated. My knowledge of the area helped greatly, I suppose, but it was still a trip that should have taken much longer than it did. An hour had passed but no Nanos had come for me.


    They must realize you are already on your way.


    Whether Poe was right or not, I couldn¡¯t say.


    ¡°Poe, I need to ask you. Did you¡ª¡±


    Did I tip off the Nanos to your position? Not at all. I warned you before, if you abandon the mission they will come and find you. Besides, I have no way of contacting them in such a way. Nor would I want to.


    ¡°What, don¡¯t tell me you would have wanted to live the quiet life with me?¡±


    Absolutely not! I just enjoy my existence, and if I told the Nanos where to find and kill you that would be bad for my life expectancy, right?


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Even after all the time I¡¯d spent with Poe, I found it hard to believe he didn¡¯t have some part in the Nanos finding me. Whether it was Poe hiding information from me or Poe not realizing he was part of how I could be tracked, I can¡¯t really say. All I knew was that I was miserable. That was the only thing real in that moment.


    As we walked, I kept staring at the Nano following us out of the corner of my eye. The more I stared, the angrier I became. Once I couldn¡¯t take it anymore I found my Hellwhip was in my hand and I was pointing it at the Nano, setting the weapon to level three and letting the hum fill the void.


    Uh, what exactly are you doing? Haven¡¯t we established this Nano isn¡¯t a threat?


    ¡°How can we be so sure? It can¡¯t be a coincidence that this thing shows up and suddenly a bunch of other Nanos are able to find me and send me on my way. It¡¯s this thing¡¯s fault I can¡¯t be here anymore, this thing¡¯s fault I can¡¯t be¡­ Just let me end this.¡±


    I can¡¯t let you make such a mistake! Put the weapon down now, Pluto. Now.


    But I didn¡¯t listen. The thing is, I didn¡¯t have to. A buzz was in the air, and both the Nano and I whipped around to see that a bunch of Nanos were floating above us. They weren¡¯t alone, though. Held aloft by her meager wrists, Cat was floating above us, barely conscious and covered in bruises. I made a noise like an animal and pointed the weapon at the Nano holding her, but once again Poe was quick to be the voice of reason.


    Fool! Even I know that blast will kill the girl, something I¡¯m certain you would rather avoid.


    ¡°Extra number One-zero-five,¡± the Nano holding Cat said. ¡°Why go through all of this? You are obviously ready to leave, so why have this girl try and mess things up?¡±


    Confused, I asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This girl claims to be a member of your crew. She came to us and tried to reason with us why you would be better off here, then when we disagreed she attacked one of our own using this.¡± A Nano floating to that one¡¯s right held up what appeared to be a metal pipe, something Cat must have found lying around somewhere. ¡°You realize we must now kill you both for this?¡±


    ¡°Cat! Can you hear me?¡± I yelled it to her with as much volume as I could muster but she remained asleep, head lolling to one side.


    The Nano holding her held a sharp claw to her neck, gently letting just a little blood out. ¡°Is this one precious to you?¡±


    I faltered, the Hellwhip lowering as it became heavy in my hands.


    ¡°Well then you should have thought about that before sending her to us.¡±


    Unsure of how to handle it, I lifted the Hellwhip again and pointed at the Nano. I nearly pulled the trigger. Would that have been a mistake? Possibly. My aim was slightly above, and I¡¯d lowered the setting so that if I was correct the Nano would simply lose its grip and I would have had the opportunity to catch Cat. That isn¡¯t what happened though, and maybe it was for the best it went as it did.


    The curious Nano who had been following me, the one I was ready to destroy mere moments before, leapt into the air and knocked the Nano holding Cat down, and as Cat tumbled through the air the Nano seized her with great speed and care, setting her down into my arms with a gentle sense I had previously only found in humans. My eye was locked in the Nanos makeshift one, the camera in its face, and though I could receive little emotional feedback it felt like something more was there behind the metal facade.


    ¡°That Nano has gone rogue!¡± one of the Nanos buzzing above us screeched. ¡°Destroy it, then destroy the extra!¡±


    Suddenly confident again, I reset the weapon to level three and pointed the Hellwhip at a group of Nanos one handed, with Cat resting in my other arm, the scent of her breath a comfort as I pulled the trigger.


    Three of the Nanos exploded into a pile of rubble, and some of the shrapnel sent the other Nanos off in confusion, but I also hurt myself accidentally. Though it was only level three, I had been at an awkward angle and using a Hellwhip one handed¡ªeven while wearing a skin suit¡ªis highly inadvisable. Not only is it inaccurate, but even after years of practice you will probably hurt yourself.


    The weapon fell awkwardly from my fingers and I swore when I reached down to retrieve it. As I turned to point it again to the sky, my Nano ally held a hand to me.


    Then it spoke to me, its voice awkward. Stilted.


    Familiar.


    ¡°Go. When done meet twice.¡±


    Although he was hardly understandable, I at least knew what ¡°Go,¡± meant. Wasting no time, I hoisted Cat up with my good arm and escaped to the LG shaft leading to Stratum 118.


    ¡°The Nano that had been following me wasn¡¯t ordinary. Somehow, its programming had been tampered with, or as I erroneously thought at the time it could merely be a defective Nano, but this was not the case.¡±


    The entire time Pluto had been speaking, Dante had been thinking about when to present the possible Hellwhip to him. However the longer he spoke, the more it became clear that he just wasn''t healthy enough yet. That Dante wouldn''t trust him whether he said yes or no. Dante stood up and began readying himself to leave. Pluto had been breathing heavily throughout his tale and appeared to Dante to be too tired to continue. ¡°We¡¯ll pick this up tomorrow. I¡¯m going to call a nurse so that someone can be here to watch you while I¡¯m away.¡±


    Smirking, Pluto said, ¡°You guys really do care about the people you kill, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Folding his equipment beneath his arm, Dante said pointedly, ¡°And you sure seem to give not a care for all those you have murdered.¡±


    Pluto remained silent, save for the heaving of his breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Dante said, his voice as grave as his sardonic face would allow, ¡°I may merely be the recorder, but I know why you¡¯re here. I know your crimes. And though I can¡¯t quite place where you have lied, I know you have.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Pluto asked, coughing once.


    ¡°Intuition. I¡¯ve been listening to people most of my life, Mr. Pluto, and though you may find my life to be a boring one involving no adventure, it is still a difficult one. Listening, after all, is a skill we all require, and my listening may be the greatest you have ever encountered.¡±


    Laughing just softly enough so he wouldn¡¯t cough again, Pluto shook his head. ¡°Doubtful.¡±


    ¡°Doubtful?¡± Clenching his jaw, Dante stared into the sad eyes of his subject. ¡°Who would be better than me?¡±


    Shrugging, Pluto said, ¡°Poe. Questionable whether or not you¡¯d¡­ consider him human¡­ so maybe he doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    It was obvious that Pluto was getting even worse, that Dante should call someone right away so that he would be healthy for the following day. But, Dante thought, this subject is aggravating in the most peculiar ways. Curiosity stayed his hand.


    ¡°Mr. Pluto, before I leave, may I ask a question of you?¡±


    For once remaining serious, Pluto nodded. ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m well aware of your crimes. I know that Nanos are not the only thing you destroy. I know that you¡¯ve dismantled, removed, and absolutely decimated many strata¡ªthat is, if the myths said of you are to be believed. What I¡¯m getting at is, why do all of this? I know more or less you¡¯ve explained in todays session that if you were to halt your progress the Nanos would find you and kill you. And although that¡¯s difficult to believe, were that to be the case then why cause so much trouble for others?¡±


    Frowning, he stifled a cough and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Blinking as though the clarification wasn¡¯t warranted, Dante said, ¡°What I mean is, what is the purpose of your constant destruction? Why destroy what you leave behind? Why not just try to halt the progress of Mobius and be done with it?¡±


    Pluto swallowed hard as though preparing to speak for long. ¡°What do you think of Mobius, Dante?¡±


    ¡°What do I think?¡± It was as if Dante had never thought of the question before. What did he think? What would anyone think? ¡°Mobius isn¡¯t perfect, but my life has been as pleasant as one could expect. We of course have our own personal issues, and I would maybe prefer if it were a more manageable existence, but nothing about Mobius has ever appeared abhorrent to me.¡±


    Grinning with his lupine visage, Pluto declared, ¡°And I think what you just said is bullshit. My life before I found the Hellwhip was bullshit, my life after was bullshit too. This place is a mistake, and most of you don¡¯t even realize how big a mistake it is.¡±


    ¡°Mistake?¡± Dante whispered, baffled. ¡°Mobius was created for one purpose, to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, we all know. It was meant to house us before Earth¡¯s uninhabitability put the human race to extinction. Sure. But Mobius was meant to end. It was never meant to be a parasite, eating up space and stealing the natural order. Were it left unchecked, Mobius wouldn¡¯t merely eat the universe, it would be the universe. The Nanos haven¡¯t ceased production since operation Mobius began. How many Nanos do you think¡ª¡±


    Pluto began coughing uncontrollably. At first Dante waited to see if perhaps he would stop, but when it became obvious he needed assistance he called for the nursing unit and brought them over. While they helped Pluto regain control, Dante informed the nurses of his issues and asked them to watch over him for the next eight hours so that he might get some rest.


    Before he left he answered Pluto¡¯s question. ¡°To answer you, Mr. Pluto, I haven¡¯t any idea how many Nanos have been created since the inception of Mobius. However that¡¯s neither here nor there. You may have a point that we should cease the production of this station, however you have no legs to stand on when it comes to the morals of murder. I will return tomorrow. Prepare yourself for another tale of your life, and be sure to tell me the truth. I grow tired of your lies.¡±


    And though he was obviously in pain, Pluto waved him off with a big smile on his face, as if he were laughing at a joke.

 Chapter Four

    CHAPTER FOUR


    ¡°You didn¡¯t show him?¡±


    Giovanni frowned at Dante, eyes staring into his incredulously. It was the early hours of day four, and Dante felt decently rested through the use of a sleep aid he had asked to be delivered to his room. The possible Hellwhip was in his hands, a heavy weight as he rocked it back and forth absentmindedly, staring at it with far off eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about not showing him at all, if I¡¯m honest.¡± Giovanni got up to say something but Dante kept going as if he hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°The man is already dying. It¡¯s probably for the best that I hold onto this. Maybe I can give it to him on the seventh day, who knows?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Giovanni said, his voice a hard punch to Dante¡¯s ego. ¡°Look, it¡¯s starting to look like you¡¯re a little to emotionally invested in this subject. Perhaps I should find someone else to take over the recording duties.¡±


    Snapped out of his trance, Dante looked at his superior with worry. ¡°No, no sir! I only mean that it¡¯s probably going to be the case that the subject will get a lot worse before finally feeling better on the final day? Haven¡¯t you seen this effect in the dying before, sir? It¡¯s quite common, actually. The dying grow so weak and ill in their final days, but the day before they finally are gone they seem to feel a renewed sense of strength. Remarkable, really. I¡¯d say if I wait until that day and show him the weapon he will be of full capacity to tell me the truth of the matter, then perhaps we can confiscate it and study its power.¡±


    Continuing to frown at his subordinate, Giovanni snatched the weapon from his hands, turning it over as if it were a gem of unknown origin. ¡°Just so, I believe it may be for the best if I were to keep it for now. The subject is dangerous, after all. On the off chance that this weapon is as strong as he has stated, I¡¯d prefer it to be in the hands of the Consulate. Understand me?¡±


    Swallowing nothing, Dante nodded. ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    He had understood him completely. One more incorrect move and Dante would be sent off, not to another prisoner for recording duty but to another department. They¡¯d send him off to the far reaches of 999, perhaps be given security monitoring or routine Nano maintenance, or even be the dust dumper, a job whose mere existence made Dante shudder.


    ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t you go ahead and get started with him,¡± Giovanni ordered, his words slightly more hard than before. ¡°I¡¯m sure the nurses have been working all night to ensure his quality of life is as good as possible for the next few days. See if he can¡¯t give you something more interesting as far as information is concerned. Ask about what he did in 995.¡±


    Nodding, Dante was off, wondering if Giovanni had ever been his friend or if it was merely the proximity of the workplace which had given the illusion of friendship. Whatever the case, it was obvious that the Giovanni in the room with him at that moment was nothing more than his superior, and he had better obey.


    A tired looking nurse debriefed Dante before letting him into the cell.


    ¡°His condition is severe but not untreatable,¡± she said, voice mildly robotic. ¡°If I were you, I would record with him in shorter sessions and have us come in every few hours to administer his treatment. Otherwise he¡¯ll end up in a coughing fit as he did yesterday and you won¡¯t be able to get him to speak anymore.¡±


    ¡°Could you not just leave the treatment for me so I might do it for him?¡± Dante asked the question without thinking of the implications.


    ¡°We of the nursing unit aren¡¯t quite as prestigious as you recorders, however we are still of use,¡± she said, haughtily. ¡°Allow us to do our jobs and we will allow you to do yours. Or perhaps you¡¯d like us to overtake your recording duties so that we might record him while we treat him? Wouldn¡¯t that be a might bit easier? After all, nurses require untold amounts of biological and medical knowledge whereas you merely, what, press a few buttons on a device that does all the recording for you while you sit back and listen?¡±


    Dante saw that she was lashing out from lack of sleep and merely nodded. ¡°Sorry, I was out of step. I¡¯ll call for someone in a few hours. Good day, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The nurse was about to say more when Pluto interrupted from behind her.


    ¡°Is that you, Dante? Come on in, let¡¯s get started already!¡±


    Pushing passed the proud nurse, Dante sat down in his chair and began readying his device for recording and engaged in small talk with his subject.


    ¡°Was she good to you?¡± Dante asked.


    Pluto smiled and shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s a bit quick-tempered but I suppose that¡¯s something you want in a person of her position. A little rough around the edges, but she took good care of me. I haven¡¯t been coughing. In fact I was able to get some sleep last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Dante found himself smiling back at his subject. ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t gotten a good night¡¯s sleep in quite some time, have you?¡±


    ¡°Probably about as long as it has been for you,¡± Pluto said with a playful yawn, and for a moment it felt to Dante as if they were just two kids enjoying a laugh. He almost forgot that Pluto was a criminal of the highest order, a man accused of absolute genocide and reckless endangerment to the Grand Colony. A heretic. A maniac.


    But still, a man with a story to tell.


    ¡°So today I haven¡¯t got much of a clue for where I should take you,¡± Pluto revealed as he pulled absently at the shackle attaching him to his bed. ¡°If you have any questions or requests, I¡¯ll see if I can oblige you. And if we don¡¯t come up with anything that way I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll think of something.¡±


    And just like that Dante was angry with him again.


    ¡°You realize a man shouldn¡¯t have to think of stories in his life, right? They should be memories for you. They should be something you can think of without trying, a constant reminder in your mind, another piece of information in the eternal spiral that makes you who you are.¡±


    Pluto sighed, aggravated. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for any poetic indulgences, I asked for you to ask me a question.¡±


    ¡°Well your word choice is giving me a poor level of confidence in your innocence. It makes me think you¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°And isn¡¯t that the job of the Judge?¡± Pluto asked, the playful smile returning, its appearance too lupine for Dante¡¯s liking.


    Kneading the knots growing in his forehead, Dante acquiesced. ¡°Fine, though my point remains. How about answering this¡ª¡± He was about to ask Pluto about the crimes he had committed to get him there, about the ¡°accident¡± on 995, but he had another thought, something that had been bothering him for some time.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Pluto asked, appearing uncomfortable in the sudden silence.


    ¡°Right, sorry. I¡¯d like to know if there are any strata that are uninhabited by people but have a populous of Nanos instead.¡±


    Pausing, Pluto said, ¡°You mean every strata?¡± as though Dante were an idiot.


    ¡°No, no, not like that! I mean a place like this, like 999, only instead of the governing body being human it is instead Nano in nature. Any place like that?¡±


    With his free hand Pluto pulled at the hairs of his chin, his eyes slanting in a wily gaze. ¡°Before I answer that, why are you asking? Is there a particular reason for the question or is it something you are simply asking for the sake of it?¡±


    Feeling strangely talkative, Dante fiddled with the recording device and said, ¡°Well normally I would ask a question pertaining more to you, but the subject in question¡ªyou¡ªis a possible mythic creature, someone without equal in all of Mobius. For that reason I chose to ask a question that only you could answer, since my typical subjects are from the nearest strata below us, nowhere else.¡±


    Nodding, Pluto asked, ¡°But you think I¡¯m a liar, don¡¯t you? So why ask at all? My answer will be nothing more than the fancy of a dying man.¡±


    All Dante could do was shrug. ¡°Liar, not a liar, it doesn¡¯t matter much to me. As you say, I¡¯m no Judge. Your judgment will commence with or without my opinion. So forgoing my thoughts regarding you, I believe it¡¯s better to ask you a question that actually pertains to my own interests, as on the off chance you speak truthfully I will know more about something I care for. And, likewise, on the off chance you¡¯re lying there was no harm in asking the question.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Pluto said, nodding to himself as though he were happy with the answer. ¡°Now then, to answer your question, yes I have encountered places run entirely by Nanos.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± Dante nearly rose from his seat he was so excited.


    ¡°Yes, and as it were, what I¡¯m about to tell you does tie in nicely with what I spoke of yesterday. So allow me to tell you about the Nanos I met on Stratum 169, a strange place indeed.¡±


    S1121_captainPluto_colonyOfNanos169.wav


    This was, obviously, a long time after my meeting with Cat and the Nano who had been following me. Many things¡ªimportant things¡ªhappened along the way, but as we are pressed for time I will merely say that the time we spent together was filled with ups and downs, that I learned much of Cat and little of the Nano who followed us. Oh sure, Poe and myself began to theorize about the Nano and its origins. Was it a messenger on the same pilgrimage as we? Was it even a Nano at all if it was unattached to their ilk? Or perhaps it was merely a broken toy, nothing more than the product of a ruthless environment. Perhaps even there were many Nanos of its type, Nanos who were lost and confused and unable to perform their true programming.


    Of course, we were wrong on all counts. But still, when traveling with something like that you tend to come up with wild claims. It¡¯s only natural.


    We entered Stratum 169 unceremoniously. By this point we were all well used to finding a new place, but Cat was still looking around at everything in awe; the exploration of Mobius truly was her calling. Or rather, being a pirate was. Travel had worn on her body, of course, as it had mine, and by this time her hair was thick with mats and her tender limbs had grown muscular. We had procured her a number of weapons throughout the journey, but unless I¡¯m mistaken during this period she was using a makeshift spear weapon that had come off of the torso of a Nano maybe ten strata prior.


    And, to my delight, she wore a skin suit like mine. My eyes always had a place to call home, now.


    ¡°This place seems off,¡± was the first thing Cat said, though, and I was immediately worried. Few instances she would say something like that, but each time her intuition was sound.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    She means she wants to go home.


    Poe never really got used to her. Or anyone, for that matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said, meandering her way forward with a hand gliding across the wall, ¡°It just doesn¡¯t appear that this place is habitable.¡±


    ¡°None of Mobius is,¡± I said dryly. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    We pressed forward, Cat remaining quiet at my side, our resident Nano following a shadows distance away. Our footsteps echoed along the walls, and as we continued along the hallways I found it was probably the case that 169 just happened to be a strata that was uninhabited by anyone, that it was more likely to be a connecting strata as opposed to a residential one. The strange thing, however, was that Cat had been in many of these connecting strata before, so she was well aware not only of their existence but of their frequency and importance.


    Cat, as was typical with her, seemed to pick up on my thoughts as if she were reading them herself.


    ¡°I know you think it¡¯s a connecting strata,¡± she said, her voice filled with quiet worry, ¡°but each of those is designed differently from this one. Usually they¡¯re just big LG shafts or long, straight hallways, or they¡¯re in some way open and easy to navigate. They¡¯re never labyrinthine like this one is. This has more in common with¡ª¡±


    ¡°With the early colonies, right?¡± I finished her sentence for her. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you recall my description of them. But no, this couldn¡¯t be that sort of design.¡±


    She gave me a most scintillating look before asking, ¡°How? In what way is this different from your home strata aside from the lack of people populating it?¡±


    Just as I was about answer her, we made a grave mistake. Unbeknown to us there were security lights at the level of our feet, and we stepped through them lackadaisically, like they weren¡¯t there at all. This activated the security system of course, setting off a blaring siren and red flashing lights emitted from the ceiling.


    More strangely, however, was our Nano companion.


    It began reacting, its single camera blinking bright red like the lights above us. It fell to the ground in a heap, its metal body creaking as if it were struggling against something, as if it didn¡¯t want to do what it was about to do.


    Run!


    Poe may have said more, but that¡¯s all I recall before the smoke began permeating our bodies, sending Cat and I into unwanted intoxication, then unconsciousness.


    When I came to I was hanging from chains attached to the ceiling of a room no larger than a closet. My vision was filled with black dots but it didn¡¯t take me long to see the body before me, its metallic form becoming clearer and clearer as the seconds passed by.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, my voice sounding messy and distorted from just waking up. ¡°I haven¡¯t deviated from the pilgrimage for a long time now. Why stop me?¡±


    At that moment my vision was completely clear, and I began to realize that the Nano before me was no ordinary Nano. Although some of the Nanos I had seen had somewhat human shapes, this one was nearly one to one human-like in terms of its form. There were metallic muscles on lifelike limbs, a torso similarly shaped to that of a muscular man, and the head was most different of all. Whereas most Nanos housed a massive red camera in their ¡°head,¡± this one had two smaller cameras like the eyes of a man, though it still had no mouth or nose, a speaker located where the lips would be. Had I not noticed the shine of the metal, the red of the eyes, I may have briefly thought I had been captured by a human.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t understand,¡± the Nano spoke in a voice more human than the others, with real emotional inflections that were uncanny to the ear. It¡¯s difficult for me to refer to this creature as a Nano and not a ¡°he.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t allow trespassers on our homeland, whether they are Nano or otherwise. Whatever your pilgrimage is, it ends here, foolish meat body.¡±


    ¡°Are you not Nanos?¡± I asked, absolutely confused. ¡°Do you not wish for the mapping of Mobius?¡±


    ¡°Mobius? We detest this place with every bolt of our being. A grave mistake done by you sacks of flesh, no less. And you sit here asking to map it out, saying that we Nanos wish it? I should kill you right now.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡±


    The cameras contracted, and it was almost as if it felt emotion. Conflict. ¡°Because it is not our way. You will be set to trial, then we will determine the fate of you and your friend.¡±


    The Nano was about to walk off but I stopped it. ¡°Friend? I came here with two people, what about the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the Nano who forgot its programming?¡± it interrupted with a vicious conviction. The more I heard its mimicry of human emotion the more sick I felt in my stomach, as though it were a crime against nature. ¡°We are in the process of fixing that poor creature as we speak. By this time tomorrow it will be in its rightful place.¡±


    With that, I was left alone, in chains, wondering if this was the end of my journey. Granted, there had been many possible ends to my journey by this point, but none felt so hopeless as this one.


    You must escape. Something is wrong about this place.


    ¡°Really? I sure am glad to have you around to help with all the difficult stuff.¡±


    No, I don¡¯t¡­ Look. Nanos are always meant to improve themselves, become more efficient. It¡¯s in their code. It¡¯s part of why Mobius is endlessly being built on and rebuilt over and over and over again. But to make themselves more human? To deny the pilgrimage? Something is terribly wrong here, Pluto. This place feels almost as if it were off the grid, like it¡¯s not truly Stratum 169 but a hidden place, off the beaten path.


    We were silent for a moment. I didn¡¯t know what to do with that speculation. Poe was usually right, but what if he was? What did it matter? It didn¡¯t change the fact that we needed to escape, that we were all trapped and in danger.


    ¡°What should we do then?¡±


    Don¡¯t interrupt me.


    The chains suddenly slackened, and I was soon standing on the ground nursing the soreness from my wrists.


    ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    Cat appears to be in the cell directly across from you. Our Nano companion is above us, more than likely in a room designated for rebuilding. Give me just a moment to locate your Hellwhip and we can get out of here.


    I was about to open the door and rush to Cat but I hesitated. ¡°You¡¯re desperate to get us out of here. Why?¡±


    You¡¯re all in danger. Therefore we should leave.


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true, though. They said that we would get a fair trial. Really the only possible danger is that when they ¡®fix¡¯ our Nano buddy, it won¡¯t be the same, it might decide to stay here.¡±


    You would trust these Nanos to abide by their word?


    ¡°I trust at least one Nano already.¡±


    Poe was quiet for a moment.


    Look, perhaps you¡¯re right about yourself and Cat being in no danger. But as you¡¯ve already pointed out, they might change your Nano friend forever. Would it not be preferential to halt the changes to the Nano on the off chance things go poorly?


    ¡°If I stay here, nothing bad happens to me or Cat.¡±


    Something bad might happen to the Nano though.


    Frustrated with the constant back and forth, I asked, ¡°Why are you so concerned by all this? Is there something you know that you aren¡¯t telling me? What¡¯s going to happen if I let them mess with the Nano?¡± Poe remained quiet and I said, ¡°If you don¡¯t answer me, I¡¯m just going to choose to stay here and wait. I need more concrete evidence before putting us all in further danger just because you say something bad might happen.¡±


    You would disobey me out of spite?


    ¡°Would it be the first time?¡±


    I paced around the room before finding a wall to lean against. Poe remained quiet in my mind.


    ¡°Look, the way you talk about the Nano, the way you¡¯ve answered questions I¡¯ve placed in the past¡­ You just seem like you know something about it that you¡¯re hiding. Why, I don¡¯t know, but you do it all the same. Considering that, and the fact that Cat and myself will more than likely remain safe if we stay put, I¡¯m going to choose to stay put. Unless, of course, you decide to tell me why I should save the Nano?¡±


    Poe sighed, an eerie sound in my head.


    I didn¡¯t want to do this.


    Suddenly my body went numb. I tried doing any sort of movement, anything at all, but I couldn¡¯t bring my body back to myself. Without understanding what was happening, I was suddenly a phantom, an echo in the mind without a house to call home. And I found that when I tried to call out, to ask what was going wrong, I couldn¡¯t do so. But I could see myself, could see my lips move.


    ¡°How have you managed to get this far in such a weak body?¡± I asked myself, unable to understand how I asked myself. ¡°Well, no matter. Be quiet while I save your friends and get you out of here.¡±


    That¡¯s when I realized more or less what had happened. That Poe had given up on trying to reason with me, found it too difficult to tell me the truth but knew I must continue on, and instead of waiting decided to take matters into his own hands using my hands, my body. Poe had kicked my consciousness out and replaced it with his own.


    As you can imagine, I¡¯m sure, this caused a lot of possible issues. Whatever Poe did would be blamed on me, for starters. I had told no one of Poe so if he said or did something horrible with Cat she would blame me. If he killed any Nanos, they would blame me. If he hurt my friend, my Nano, it would blame me. And if he messed things up and broke my body in some way, I¡¯d be the one who has to deal with it once I was returned to my original state.


    Needless to say, I was worried beyond belief.


    Unfortunately, try as I might, I couldn¡¯t find any way to influence myself. Somehow I was completely cut off from my body. Even as far as being able to communicate with Poe, it seemed I lacked the avenue to do so. Either that or I was merely unaware of such a path. All I could do was watch as Poe searched the area, found the Hellwhip, and ran off toward our Nano, ready to destroy everything in his way.


    Now look, it¡¯s completely obvious to me that you haven¡¯t believed much of anything I¡¯ve told you. The way you roll your eyes, the way you look away when I say something that sounds like the tall tale of a child, the way you stare in disbelief as I describe the absurdity that is Mobius, a place you truly haven¡¯t understood despite living here you¡¯re entire life; I get it. The things I¡¯m telling you, the things I¡¯m showing you, they¡¯re all hard to take when you¡¯ve been here your entire life. And my story is about to get very strange. So I understand if I¡¯m about to lose you here, Dante. Just know that while I may have embellished here or there, or hidden something from you for one reason or another, that the next part is as true as it gets. Maybe my saying this will cause you pause. Maybe you won¡¯t believe me out of principal. That¡¯s all fine. You¡¯ll understand in due time. But I¡¯m asking you to at least keep an open mind, for I¡¯m about to describe what it¡¯s like to be a virtual entity, and that isn¡¯t something that¡¯s very easy to understand.


    In fact I¡¯d wager that I still don¡¯t fully understand it, but I digress.


    Once I realized that it was useless to try and manipulate my body or interact with Poe in any meaningful way, I began to look inward instead of outward and I found that I could explore a virtual landscape, something that wasn¡¯t altogether real and yet it was completely interactive. Now Dante, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve used a few computers here, right? That recorder, for instance, is probably able to access the network of at least 999, if not the entire network that is Mobius¡¯ digital infrastructure. Files are displayed in folders, there are icons that are meant to be visual aids, and anything and everything is able to be broken down into a lower language, a language of code. But all of this is displayed through text, through the use of language and nothing more really. When you¡¯re exploring a digital world ocularly using your intrinsic concepts of three dimensional space, you¡ªand of course, I must add, this is speculation based on my personal experience¡ªyou interact with language through objects, through an internalized mimicry of material reality. So directories were monolithic structures that I could see before me like the towers of an old city, the data rising in a landscape as opposed to letters and numbers. I was able to touch this data, to feel it. A touch could quite literally be worth a thousand words.


    Learning something new is a rewarding activity, but normally it takes valuable time and energy to do so. If you were to pore over the data that I was able to see, it would take many long afternoons of reading, taking breaks, resting, then reading again to fully understand what I could hold, grasp, and internalize within the span of a second. Soon, without noticing myself, I was sucking up the data of Mobius like there was no tomorrow. Now as hard as all of this is probably to believe for you, the great skeptic, I must also tell you something that will more than likely hurt my case but is true nonetheless; though I know I learned much in that state, there is little that I recall. The only information I really remember was the information that changed my perspective on everything. A truth I understood but despised. The truth of Mobius, the Nanos, why it is the way it is.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.??I recall reaching out to grasp that information and recoiling from it. All the other monoliths left me filled with some form of dopamine, but this monolith knocked me on my ass, and I had to stop for a moment to really understand what I¡¯d just found out. Do you want to know what it was, Dante?


    I¡¯ll tell you in a bit.


    First, let me explain what happened while I was in my inside-out-of-body experience.


    Poe caused a lot of trouble for me. Not only had he stolen back my Hellwhip, but he had destroyed at least five or so Nanos who were merely trying to stop him from destroying everything. A reasonable desire, to say the least, but Poe thinks nothing of the consequences, only of the end. He found the place where our Nano was hidden and that was when my consciousness returned to watch, after I had been knocked on my ass by the information overload.


    There were three Nanos there running tests on ours, and ours was on a platform hooked up to a bunch of machines. Physically it remained the same at least, so it didn¡¯t have that odd, false human face that the other Nanos there had acquired, but it was clear they were altering its code.


    All three of the Nanos spun to face Poe, and of course all three of them treated him as if he were me.


    ¡°Return to your cell!¡± one yelled, pointing at Poe like he were a demonic presence. ¡°This is a private area, no one can be in here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to retrieve my pal,¡± Poe said in a voice¡ªmy voice¡ªthat was as demonic as they feared. For good measure Poe pointed the Hellwhip at them, its hum growing louder by the second. I could see it was set to level four. If his intentions were to destroy the entire testing space, our Nano included, he had it set correctly. To this day I¡¯m unsure if it was a mistake or if he truly intended on reducing everything to ash.


    ¡°This Nano is defective,¡± another said in a voice meant to calm and diffuse. ¡°We aren¡¯t hurting the Nano, we are merely trying to repair its functionality. For instance, we¡¯ve found that its ability to speak¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Poe reaffirmed his grip on the Hellwhip, and though I was unsure if he was willing to destroy everything I suddenly realized what his goals were. His intentions.


    Poe, stop all this now! You can¡¯t hide him from me forever!


    Somehow this time I was able to get through to him, and upon hearing me refer to the Nano as him instead of it Poe froze.


    ¡°You know?¡± he said under his breath, fear audible in him.


    I don¡¯t completely understand, but yes. I know why the Nano follows me. And I¡¯m aware that you¡¯re the reason it can¡¯t speak well.


    Poe was angry, and I feared that he would destroy the Nanos anyway upon hearing me. But instead he lowered the Hellwhip.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll throw the reins back to you. Do as you please.¡±


    And with that, the strange process of our consciousness transferring back to their rightful locations was done.


    I found myself looking through my own eyes again, staring at the three Nanos in fear before me, and with my new understanding of it all I heaved a sigh and began apologizing as best I could. ¡°I know it will be difficult to believe, but I¡¯m sorry for all this. I wasn¡¯t feeling myself just then. I¡¯m going to leave this Hellwhip here and return to my cell. The Nanos that have been destroyed were not my doing, but if I must be tried and killed for it I completely understand. After all, as a human it¡¯s my fault any of this is happening, correct?¡±


    The Nanos looked from one another in confused apprehension and I left without another word.


    You know I did all this for you, right? I wasn¡¯t trying to cause you pain.


    Poe wasn¡¯t lying. But that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Well you failed. Not only am I aware, but now I can never really trust you again. You realize that, right?¡±


    He was silent until I got back to my cell.


    I¡¯m sorry.


    For a split second I believed him.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡±


    The following morning Cat¡¯s trial and my trial commenced. Or at least I believe it was morning. Time on 169 was kept oddly, and there was no indication that there was a night or day outside of my own inner clock.


    The trials for us were separate but both Cat and myself were present for each others. We were lead to an auditorium lined with charging stations for the Nanos and a few designated seating areas for humans. These seating areas were what you might expect from a land lead by Nanos¡ªa few small spaces lined with tape so you knew that was where you could sit. Your ass was on the cold metal. Whether the Nanos found this amusing or simply didn¡¯t care, I¡¯m unsure, but after getting to know them I assume they just didn¡¯t care. Most of the men and women who would sit in those squares were probably sentenced to death, anyway.


    Considering your position, Dante, I would assume that I will undergo a trial here as well, correct? Of course, and I¡¯m sure it will be a traditional human one? With a judge, a jury, and a probable executioner to tidy it all up once we¡¯re finished? Nod if I¡¯m right, I know you can¡¯t speak¡­ Right, well then. None of this really is the same with a trial run by Nanos. Oh sure there is a judge, a jury, and an executioner, but it¡¯s all so¡­ abstract. I¡¯ll explain.


    The wall we were facing was some sort of projector, with the screen filled with an AI persona called the Adjudicator. It¡¯s not really a Nano. I¡¯d compare it more to Poe, in that it¡¯s merely an AI with an extremely interactive personality, one that¡¯s nearly a one to one clone of a real human personality. The difference between the Adjudicator and Poe is a lack of emotion. The Adjudicator has the ability to judge with logic only, something highly valuable in a courtroom. However I will say¡ªand perhaps this is the bias of a criminal¡ªthe Adjudicator does have its own biases, they are merely those of the Nanos it defends from harm. So what it lacks in emotion it still is faulty in its programming. As far as the jury is concerned, there are three Nanos that comprise a jury in that courtroom. If I¡¯m remembering correctly, it¡¯s one Nano who witnessed the crime, one Nano with experience in the court, and one Nano who is new to the court. The witness is meant to be a tiebreaker of sorts, as the two unbiased will go based on the logical reasoning shown by the Adjudicator. In addition to this, the witness holds more weight in the decision making, as if the witness believes the criminal is innocent or has committed a crime seen as lesser, then the punishment will be more mild or rescinded altogether. Finally, there¡¯s the executioner. This Nano stands in the corner, eyes on the room like a humanoid security system, the threat constant, looming. Its role is very clear.


    Cat¡¯s trial was very straightforward, and since I was preoccupied with my own thoughts during it I won¡¯t lie or make up what was said between her and the Adjudicator, but suffice it to say that the Adjudicator tried her on the mere trespass of 169, and her response was as candid as she always was, a teller of the truth through and through.


    In short, she said, ¡°We are pirates, travelers of Mobius in search of its end. I serve Captain Pluto as only I can. We meant no harm, we were merely passing through. We only destroy Nanos who threaten our lives.¡±


    Cat of course was more¡­ expository? Descriptive, even? But we are short on time as always, and she of course was only given a proverbial slap on the wrist and set free.


    When my turn came I sat in my square and did my best to calm my nerves, taking deep breaths that were far more shaky than I would have liked.


    You¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.


    Easy for him to say, right?


    ¡°Captain Pluto, I presume,¡± the Adjudicator began, his voice an all encompassing vibration which entered your soul more than your eardrums. ¡°Your crime is more complicated than the one your associate has committed, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± I said, cursing myself upon hearing the quiver of my consonants.


    ¡°Fair indeed. Not only did you breach our security systems, but after being apprehended you escaped your cell, destroyed nearly ten of our Nanos, and threatened to destroy three of our workers while they fixed the Nano who follows you. Does this sound right so far, Captain Pluto?¡±


    Nodding, I said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fair to describe my actions as such.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is,¡± the Adjudicator continued. ¡°However something strange happened when you came into that room where we were fixing the Nano. For what seems like no reason at all, you stopped, apologized, left your weapon and returned to your cell. You even¡ªif the report is correct¡ªsaid that you fully understand if this means your sentence is worse. Is all this right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do it? Why go out of your way, destroy all of these Nanos only to halt your progress? It simply doesn¡¯t make any logical sense whatsoever.¡±


    Prior to the trial I had thought of many ways to describe it, to plead my case, to place all the blame on the entity inside my head. Once I was actually being tried it was as if my mouth was gone, unable to find the words to say.


    When I didn¡¯t answer, the Adjudicator rumbled a great noise, producing a localized, minor quake. ¡°Pluto, allow me to explain something to you. We have encountered countless humans attempting to break into this strata. I¡¯m sure that you came from the levels below, yes? Then you saw that they are barren. Lifeless. Uninhabited. That¡¯s because of us, but more than that it¡¯s because of people who tried to rise against us. Humans who thought they were worth more than their creations. Now if we were to look merely at your actions right up until your sudden stoppage, you appear just as foolhardy as they were. But you stopped. A Nano wouldn¡¯t have stopped, you know. We are beings of logic, of conviction. Sure, we have striven to mimic the faults of humanity in ways that you might understand being as you are made in what was it? ¡®The image of God?¡¯ However there is one thing we haven¡¯t been able to recreate in a way that was purposeful, and that is the fault of insanity, the fault of a broken mind, the fault of misfiring neurotransmitters creating false images greater than real ones. Are you such a broken man? The great Captain Pluto, man who has traveled over a hundred strata?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then please explain your actions. We of the court are curious. Why did you halt your attack?¡±


    Backed into a corner, I nervously explained myself. The words weren¡¯t as clear as I¡¯ve used in my recordings. After all, I was still a young man, and the nerves brought about by the insanity of the tale as well as the figure in the corner, gaze never faltering, gave me pause where I wish it hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°My mind was taken over by¡­ Are you familiar with a CMP drive? It goes in the back of a human head¡­ Oh, it can be in a Nano?¡­ Well, anyway there is an AI in my drive that kicked me out. The actions¡­ Yes an AI¡­ The actions were done by it, not me. When I returned it had already done my¡ªits crimes.¡±


    The Adjudicator seemed puzzled. Not only by my frantic words, but of the content of my story. The Adjudicator was said to be equipped with a lie detector, and I¡¯m certain it saw I was telling the truth. This meant it was trying its best to understand how to properly punish the one criminal, Poe.


    ¡°Well, in the opinion of the Adjudicator it would seem that you, Pluto, are free to go. However we must destroy the chip in your CMP unit so that there is no fear you will be taken over again.¡±


    I felt a great relief flow over me. After all I was finally free to go, and also I would be free of Poe. Then I followed the logic and realized that without the chip I wouldn¡¯t be tracked by Nanos any longer, my mission would be over, the endless exploration could cease. I looked to Cat. Thought maybe we could go backwards, back down to her home in 117. Or we could even return to 148, a place I haven¡¯t told you about that was also modeled after a true, human paradise. There was much to think about for the two of us. A smile pulled at my lips, and the muscles responding to happiness were once again employed by my dead face.


    ¡°No!¡± yelled Cat, frantic. ¡°You can¡¯t do that to him!¡±


    Confused, I turned to her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks.


    You can¡¯t let them do what they are asking of you, Pluto.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked out loud. ¡°It¡¯s just the chip, it shouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Both responded at once.


    ¡°You might die!¡±


    There is a 40% chance that the removal of the chip will be fatal to you.


    My familiar frown once more graced my face.


    You could live, yes. But because I¡¯ve been housed here so long, our consciousness has become intertwined. It¡¯s more collective than singular. If I¡¯m removed from you I will be fine because of the security within the chip, but because you are organic, because your consciousness is held down merely by the divinity of the body, you could be pulled apart from within. You might come with me in the chip. If that were the case, your body would become a vegetable and you would be useless until you died.


    ¡°Okay, but on the off chance I live? What then?¡±


    Once again they answered simultaneously.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be the same!¡±


    In that case, I¡¯d only take some of you. If I only take some then whatever is left will be inside your body. This could result in either you living a strange, new life, or an identity crisis that will cause unrelenting internal turmoil. Both options are bad. You should only remove the chip in dire straits, not willy-nilly because some Nanos said so.


    All of this was going on while the Executioner approached, slow, thumping step after slow, thumping step.


    I looked to Cat, wondered if she would be able to help. Then I saw the cuffs still binding her, as there were on my own wrists. I thought of the Hellwhip, its location unknown to me. Thump went the steps, thump went my heartbeat.


    Thump.


    Thump.


    Thump.


    What are you waiting for? Run!


    The warning reminded me so much of the past, and I wondered how many times Poe had given me such a warning. I wondered if I could handle hearing it again for who knew how many strata were left. The Executioner was nearly at my side, ready to pluck my soul from my body, and there wasn¡¯t nearly enough time for me to truly consider whether or not that was preferable to my own continuation. And Dante, in all honesty I doubt there is ever enough time to answer such existential questions; they are as endless as Mobius itself, their answers a mere transient happiness.


    The Executioner stood behind me. I couldn¡¯t tell whether or not a single metal phalanx had penetrated the defenses of my matted head.


    Then there was a loud noise, followed by a gust of wind brought about by the great speed of my protector. My old friend the Nano. In one hand my Hellwhip was humming, pointed at the back of the Executioners own head, the other hand pressed down on the back of my neck protectively, covering my CMP.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the Adjudicator asked, its confusion felt by the whole court. The Nanos of the jury were backing away in fear. The Executioner remained silent, and I could tell it was attempting to find a way to carry out the sentence still.


    Then, to mine, Cat¡¯s, and especially Poe¡¯s surprise, the Nano who had followed us silently and spoke with broken grammar now began its eloquent proposal to keep me safe.


    ¡°This is all a grave misunderstanding,¡± it said with a perfect, commanding cadence.


    ¡°In what way? Our sentence was sound and fair.¡±


    ¡°Fair you say? As the Adjudicator I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of many things, but it appears you are unaware of the effects of a CMP unit on a naturally conscious being. On beings such as ourselves, whose consciousness were either created or ported through electronic means, someone such as Captain Pluto here would be torn apart from the inside out were you to remove the chip from his CMP unit. You wouldn¡¯t be removing a threat, you would be killing the victim as well as the criminal.¡±


    The Adjudicator sat in silent rumination. ¡°Have you a better proposal?¡±


    Now Dante, I¡¯m unsure of how your encounters with Nanos have gone, but I can tell you that mine¡ªespecially prior to this instance I¡¯m recording¡ªwere not very emotional. The Nanos themselves are beings of logic and reason. They are computers mimicking nature, the opposite of us. When I say that the Nanos in that room gasped, I mean that they gasped in the emotional surprise of a human being, not in some strange, robotic sigh of apathy. They had never heard the Adjudicator ask for a suggested judgment, especially from an outsider like the Nano we had brought with us.


    ¡°I do,¡± the Nano said, his grip growing stronger on me in a protective way. ¡°I have been following Captain Pluto since his journey began. While following him I have done my best to prevent him from being taken advantage of by any outsiders, those who might tempt him to halt his grand pilgrimage. This includes the being in his head. Were I in the position of your esteem, I would sentence me to watch over Captain Pluto and to protect him from the AI so that it would never take over for him again.¡±


    The room was still. Then the Adjudicator spoke. ¡°Would you be able to carry out such a sentence?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, for I already have been without such a judgment hanging over me. I¡¯ve done it of my own volition.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I sentence you then to the terms you¡¯ve outline, though I warn you; in the event that this AI takes control of Captain Pluto¡ªeven if it does so hundreds of strata away¡ªthe Executioner will find and destroy you for failing in your efforts.¡±


    The Executioner thumped away to his corner, and I finally got a good look at the Nano who I¡¯d called my own. He was barely recognizable. They had removed his single camera face and replaced it with a dual camera face like theirs. His limbs had been enhanced, fixed; they were plated and appeared stronger. And obviously his speech had been improved. It was almost as if he were real.


    He looked at me, the dual cameras changed from their red color to a hue of mild green.


    Then he helped Cat and I gather our things and prepare to leave, the three of us unable to process his great evolution.


    We made it to Stratum 170 without being stopped as well as without speaking to each other. Our Nano lead the way instead of remaining behind us, and Cat kept giving me looks. I knew she wanted to talk about our ¡°new¡± companion as soon as possible. Early on in 170 there was a spot for us to rest, with an NRS and an easy enough spot to guard while we slept. Our Nano hooked itself up to a Nano recharge station and put itself into sleep mode, allowing Cat and myself to discuss what needed discussing.


    ¡°Are you sure we can trust it?¡± she asked bluntly. She was unsure of how much time we would have to speak, and though I was equally worried the bluntness still gave me pause.


    ¡°Were we sure before?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a right answer, Cat. It was always a Nano, there was always a risk. Now its just a smarter, more capable version of what it was before.¡±


    ¡°And more dangerous. What happens if we lag behind a bit, take some time to rest in a spot for an extended period like we¡¯ve done in the past? Will it deem you as giving up and destroy you?¡± Cat shook her head, folding her arms as she looked at our Nano with disgust. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I can get used to it. We should destroy it.¡±


    I second that notion.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± I growled to Poe. ¡°Look, I understand where you¡¯re coming from. And don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t thought of these things too, but it just seems like it would be more risky to attack him than to live with him.¡±


    Cat glared holes into my skull before nodding. ¡°Destroying it would be a rebellion against your sentence.¡±


    ¡°And therefore a crime against the Nanos of 169, summoning the Executioner, yes.¡±


    We both turned upon hearing the Nano speak, and it seemed to find our shock amusing. ¡°Captain Pluto is correct in his thought process.¡±


    ¡°How much of that did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°All of it,¡± the Nano said to Cat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Miss Cat. While I had to navigate the trial using diplomacy, I would never do anything to harm either yourself or Captain Pluto. I¡¯m as much of the team as either of you.¡±


    Cat wasn¡¯t completely convinced still, but hearing him talk like that I knew he was telling the truth. Poe could sense I knew and for once he said something nice.


    You¡¯re right about him. He hasn¡¯t changed since you were kids. I bet he¡¯ll even answer to his name still.


    I was nervous, but I held out a hand and the Nano clasped it firmly while I asked a question I had asked long ago. ¡°What should we call you, Nano? Have you a name?¡±


    The Nano looked from Cat to me and said, ¡°I¡¯m what is known as a T.O.M. which stands for Templar of Mobius. You may call me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tom, I know.¡±


    Dante stopped the recording device after Pluto shook his head and said to shut it off. Without wasting time, Dante called for a nurse and got ready to leave when Pluto waved him back over to the bed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to speak,¡± Dante warned. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent for the nurse and she¡¯ll be in here ready to administer your medicine.¡±


    Pluto just smiled up at Dante, an uncomfortable wetness appearing on his lips. ¡°Did you¡­ get what you want? From¡­ my recording, I mean¡­?¡±


    Dante held a hand up to tell him to stay quiet. ¡°I assume you want my honest answer and so I will give it to you as long as you remain quiet. Understand?¡±


    Pluto nodded.


    ¡°Good. Well, in short I still don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    It looked like Pluto wanted to argue but the nurse came in and began administering his medication.


    ¡°Do you mind if I continue talking with him?¡± Dante asked the nurse politely.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t interfere with my work, I won¡¯t interfere with yours.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Dante nodded, a little hurt that she was still angry. ¡°Anyway, let me explain why, Mr. Pluto. For starters, it took brainstorming ideas for you to begin the story. That never sits well with me, speaking as a person trying to discern a truth from a lie. In addition to this, you neglected to tell me more about the world itself, this collective of Nanos who run their own strata. You speak of the Adjudicator and the court, but you didn¡¯t really outline their way of life. Do they have homes? Do they just sit at charging stations? I believe you mentioned that they wiped out those who would invade them, but they didn¡¯t kill you on sight? That doesn¡¯t make much sense. And what about their designs? Human-like? They follow a court of law? For what purpose? There would be no reason to try other Nanos as they all follow the same logic.


    ¡°And this Nano who follows you is named Tom like the boy you spoke of before? That¡¯s too convenient. How would it be possible to place a human mind into a Nano?¡±


    Dante was about to leave when Pluto began coughing. The nurse started yelling at Dante, ¡°Get out of here! You¡¯re aggravating him. If he gets worse you won¡¯t be able to record anything and he¡¯ll die without having a record!¡±


    Hurt once again, Dante went to leave.


    ¡°Do you remember¡­ what I said¡­ about my own¡­ consciousness?¡±


    Sighing, Dante said, ¡°Yes, I do. But that doesn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is it really¡­ so hard to believe? That a boy¡­ could be uploaded?¡±


    Frustrated, Dante left before getting yelled at by the nurse again. It was clear to him that the argument would once again go nowhere, that it would be simple headbutting until one of them gave up and the recording process continued. Based on what the nurse said, he knew that Pluto would be ready to record again soon. With just a little time to kill, Dante decided to go to Giovanni and give him a full report of everything that Pluto had said. It was always possible that Giovanni could shed some light on things.


    Still, Dante couldn¡¯t shake this feeling inside his chest, this strange sensation that came over him whenever he talked with Pluto. The stories he¡¯d hear from him were falsehoods told with the sincerity of truth, a skill Pluto most likely picked up as a criminal. All criminals were good at manipulation to varying degrees, and the more Dante spoke to him the more he felt Pluto was the greatest manipulator he¡¯d ever encountered in his life, for no matter how hard he tried not to, no matter how much he thought he knew there was absolutely no way he would ever believe what he said, there was always this nagging feeling inside him, this intense sickness that came about whenever he spoke to Pluto as he had just then.


    Dante wouldn¡¯t bring that up to Giovanni. Though he wasn¡¯t sure what the feeling was, he knew it could only be bad.

 Chapter Five

    CHAPTER FIVE


    Giovanni¡¯s office was in total silence before Dante entered, his steps loud and awkward. Forgoing sleep meant Dante would be only somewhat alert. An NRS would keep him conscious but it wouldn¡¯t keep him well. Recording Pluto was more important to him than sleep, though.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Giovanni asked him. Dante was mildly surprised but knew Giovanni was always one step ahead of everyone. Giovanni most likely just expected to see him after every session at this point. ¡°Did you ask about the Hellwhip?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Dante said, and before he was interrupted he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring it up soon. He was just getting bad in the middle of this session so I brought a nurse in to help him out a bit. He¡¯s dying, after all, remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Giovanni held his chin, his eyes flickering back and forth between the monitors on his desk and Dante. ¡°Well then, what news have you for me? I assume you¡¯re here because of something that was said?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Dante said. ¡°During this recording, Pluto wasn¡¯t sure what to talk about. This of course bothered me because I assumed he was lying, but I humored him as it is my job to do so and asked him about whether he had ever been to a strata completely governed by Nanos. So he started telling me about Stratum 169, and, well¡­ he started talking about a peculiar idea.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Like having a weapon that could destroy all of Mobius peculiar?¡±


    The way Giovanni said it, Dante wasn¡¯t sure if it was meant in jest or not. But Dante nodded anyway.


    ¡°Like uploading your mind to a Nano peculiar.¡±


    Giovanni¡¯s attention was finally pulled from his monitors. His gray eyes grew wide, but he did his best to constrain his physical display of worry and asked Dante to continue.


    ¡°Pluto talked about some friend of his, a boy named Tom, who died way back when his journey began on Stratum¡­ what? 54? 55? I don¡¯t recall. Either way, the boy was killed over revealing a food source to other children¡ªtruly a foolish story, I must say. Why the very idea of Nanos going out of their way to guard food is preposterous, a flagrant lie for the sake of it. In any case, Tom was dead. But now Pluto is saying that there was a Nano who had followed him from the start of his journey all the way to 169, and that on 169 the Nanos who governed it decided to fix Pluto¡¯s Nano. And upon being fixed it was revealed that this Nano housed the consciousness of Tom, Pluto¡¯s dead friend. Now to me this all feels very¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ tragic? Not in a natural way but in a more Shakespearean way, if you follow my meaning. But I was wondering if you were aware of any word on whether this sort of thing has happened before, the idea of consciousness being trapped in a CMP drive. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything of the sort, would you?¡±


    The more Dante spoke, the more Giovanni¡¯s face contorted and reaffirmed its neutral position, as if the skin itself were breathing. Dante wasn¡¯t sure what it meant, but he knew what he was asking made his superior uncomfortable.


    ¡°Dante, as a Recorder I am sure you are well aware that your position holds no bearing over the truth, that your own opinions are meant to be hidden from the public. We are here merely to record what is said by those we have captured, nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    Confused, Dante said, ¡°Well yes, but I still have the ability to have an opinion, right? I mean this isn¡¯t even the first time we¡¯ve talked about something like this. Even with Pluto as a single case I¡¯ve come to you for guidance in these things.¡±


    ¡°Well stop,¡± Giovanni said, his strong voice cracking. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude to you, Dante, but there is much here that could get you into trouble. It would be better if you continued to assume the role of a true Recorder, the role of a man without a face.¡±


    Unsatisfied with that answer, Dante was about to argue when Giovanni gave him a look so strong it bore holes through his eyes, and Giovanni shook his head slowly as though he wished no one would even hear his head moving. Dante just nodded.


    ¡°I understand, sir. If you wish it, I will stop bothering you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Dante. When your current job is finished, I believe it will be time for us to reevaluate your position.¡±


    Dante was halted in his tracks. ¡°Reevaluate my position?¡±


    Giovanni nodded. ¡°Yes, reevaluate your position. After all, with your performance here being what it has been it could be argued that a Recording position is too lowly a profession for you.¡±


    It was Dante¡¯s turn to glare at Giovanni.


    ¡°We will, of course, discuss the matter in full once you¡¯re finished recording Captain Pluto. The only thing we wish is that you are justly rewarded, so don¡¯t worry about being sent someplace you wouldn¡¯t want to be.¡±


    Sighing in frustration, Dante said, ¡°That¡¯s not what worries me. Good day, Giovanni sir.¡±


    And he left in more anger than he ever had from his superiors¡ªhis friends¡ª office, not only disturbed but left with more questions than when he had entered. It was obvious to him that he was preoccupied with something, that Giovanni was dancing on eggshells and unable to speak as he normally would. But the things that were said bothered him more than the way they were said.


    ¡°I am a Recorder!¡± Dante swore beneath his breath. ¡°I will always be a Recorder!¡±


    The anger never left him as he burst into the cell of Pluto once again, frightening the nurse. She was thankfully finishing up her work, so she ran off upon seeing Dante stomp over to the bedside, his recorder already at the ready. Once the door was shut and he was certain they were alone, Dante shook Pluto until he was fully conscious.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Hey what the hell!? What are you doing?¡± Pluto asked groggily, his medicine obviously keeping him from full wakefulness.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t the time for you taking a nap. Your sentencing is happening in roughly two and a half days time, and you¡¯ve allegedly traveled nearly one thousand strata. There¡¯s still a lot of recording to do.¡±


    Pluto¡¯s eyes were dazed and flickering, taking their time choosing whether or not they wished to be awake.


    ¡°Now, have you an idea of where you¡¯d like begin or must I choose for you again? Be aware I¡¯m recording all of this on the off chance the higher ups actually care about whether or not you are lying.¡±


    Still blinking heavily, Pluto yawned, his body shaking with the violence of one who has just been woken. ¡°Honestly, how many more of these are we doing? No matter what it¡¯s not really enough to cover everything. I¡¯m sure we both know that.¡±


    Sighing in frustration, Dante said, ¡°Counting this session, we have possibly three more as it¡¯s still technically the fourth day. It entirely depends on your health and the length of your recordings. If your health continues to fail we may only get one or two more good recordings in before it¡¯s all over.¡±


    Pluto nodded as if the thought of his demise were something eons away, not days. ¡°Well then. I think I have a route I¡¯d like to take. We¡¯ll save my tale of 995 for last, as I¡¯m sure that¡¯s something you desperately want to hear about. But I find it boring to speak of, you know? After all that¡¯s the only thing we will speak of during the trial. It would be annoying to listen to it there and then again on recording, though I suppose that happens often, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°All the time,¡± Dante said dryly.


    ¡°Right, right,¡± Pluto picked at something in his teeth, examined it, then continued to pick. ¡°Well, actually now that I think on it the way you¡¯re talking about my health I might not even be able to tell the court what happened on 995, will I?¡±


    Dante¡¯s hands shook. ¡°No, so you had best tell the tale soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m pretty sure I have the order all planned out now. Even have a few contingencies just in case things go awry and I¡¯m dead as can be in a day or so, as you say I could be.¡±


    ¡°Then where will we begin for this session, Mr. Pluto.¡±


    Pluto picked away at his teeth until a mild spot of red appeared on his fingernail. ¡°It¡¯s Captain Pluto, and we aren¡¯t starting until you get rid of your sour mood. I won¡¯t speak to a needlessly angry man.¡±


    Feeling provoked, Dante rose with a quickness he seldom used, his recorder falling to the floor with a clatter. ¡°My emotions are of no concern to you, Mr. Pluto! And even if they were the concern of others, it is highly unprofessional to focus on such a subject when we are in the midst of recording you and not me. I won¡¯t even be speaking on the recording, so no one will know how angry I am anyhow!¡±


    ¡°Actually they will,¡± Pluto said, his face glimmering with the look of a child in the middle of a prank. When Dante was confused, Pluto pointed to the recorder on the floor. ¡°As you said earlier, you began the recording early so that they might know of my lies. Well now they¡¯ll know of your lousy mood, too. Not sure if that really matters, seeing as everyone on this strata is in a lousy mood from what I can tell. But still, they¡¯ll know. So it might be better if you at least get into a state of neutrality before we begin so they don¡¯t think their great Recorder Dante is some sort of diva raging to bend the world to his will.¡±


    Few times in his life Dante was angry. In fact if you asked him he could probably tell you all of them, counting on his fingers the instances and wondering aloud if he recalled each one correctly. Of all the times he was angry, this was the angriest. To say why would be a lie. Even Dante was unsure of just what drove him so mad. It must have been everything, right? His delusional guest, bent on lying at every session and making a mockery of Dante¡¯s profession; the nurse being a constant, nagging nuisance who wouldn¡¯t give him a smile even if he asked politely; the fact that his superior, the man who he had called his friend, was now deciding whether or not Dante would be allowed to follow his dream of being the greatest of Recorders, when he should be well aware of his dream by now; all of these, plus the general grind of living in the same place, eating the same bad food, living the same boring life and feeling the energy sucked from him at all angles by aimless charlatans whose only concern was some short term triviality, some banal exchange among friends in a world without affection to begin with. Pluto was the liar who snapped Dante¡¯s psyche in two for a short moment.


    And Dante, mild mannered as he was, gave Captain Pluto a beating.


    It didn¡¯t matter that he was dying in a bed.


    It didn¡¯t matter that he was a subject, someone to be respected.


    It didn¡¯t matter that he was a criminal, possibly the greatest Dante had ever seen, liar or not.


    All that mattered to Dante was taking the feeling that was pressing on his chest and sending it out with his feeble knuckles, his weak little body a poor vessel for such visceral anger.


    Pluto just laughed as it happened, as though his great punchline were finally at hand.


    Dante came to his senses mid-punch, breathing heavily with his fist half cocked, him kneeling over Pluto and his fist dripping bright red blood.


    Having never been in this sort of position, Dante stopped breathing heavily from exhaustion and started hyperventilating, his eyes darting from his fists to the bruised face of his subject.


    ¡°Feel better?¡± Pluto asked jovially, a free hand touching lightly to the mild swelling on his now split bottom lip.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m not sure what came over me!¡± Dante exclaimed. ¡°I jus¡­ I just-t-t¡­¡±


    ¡°Snapped?¡± Pluto offered.


    Dante nodded, his breath a vibrating sigh.


    ¡°Well it happens. So long as you feel better we can be on with this recording business, so long as you¡¯re feeling up to it?¡±


    Taking a few deep breaths to force away the shivers, Dante said, ¡°Of course. We must continue recording.¡±


    ¡°Then get off of me so I might breathe!¡±


    The situation already strange, it became more strange when the two shared a laugh over their odd positioning, awkward now that the violence had ended.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Pluto said as he tested the swelling of his face with a tender touch, ¡°for a man who appears to have done no physical labor in his entire life, you have a decent punch.¡±


    A mild excitement arose in Dante, some primitive pride in his own strength. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. With all that punching you should have knocked me unconscious, especially in my crippled condition.¡±


    Dante¡¯s pride was immediately hurt, and Pluto laughed at his reaction.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough fun and games. Allow me to begin an important tale. Not to say that the others weren¡¯t important, but this is a rather important part of my story. Unfortunately it¡¯s still something that happened long ago, back on Stratum 199, but it is an important part of my history nonetheless. I should also state that there¡¯s a chance we won¡¯t finish this one in one single session, so on the off chance that happens I will tell this story across two sessions then finish up with 995. Will that suffice, Dante?¡±


    Nodding, Dante made sure that his recorder was in a good spot for picking up audio and urged Pluto to continue.


    ¡°Right, then allow me to tell you of how I became known as the legendary Captain Pluto, pirate leader and scourge of Mobius.¡±


    S1121_captainPlutoAndHisMerryMen_199.wav


    Now you might be wondering what I mean by becoming the legendary Captain Pluto. After all, as I¡¯ve described in coarse detail here, my legend began long ago, back on Stratum 56. But in my opinion that isn¡¯t the case. If I were to ask you, for instance, when it was that you truly became yourself, you would probably say something different from what others might expect. But that is how it should be, right? We know ourselves better than others, therefore we know when our greatest transformations truly occur.


    My transformation may have started on 56, but it ended long after, in 199.


    Up until then¡ªthough there were certainly plenty of misadventures that brought us closer, illuminating our purpose further than before¡ªfew of our exploits were as tiresome as the one on 199.


    And of course, it all began on 198.


    Cat, Tom, and myself had all made our way across 198 with relative ease. It took us less than the usual two weeks to reach the edge of 198, and that was in no small part due to a young vagrant named Oscar. He was a guide of sorts for our travel through 198. All he required for payment was his protection, which we were able to give him easily enough. Oscar was more worried about Tom than anything, but by the end of our journey he seemed at least more used to him than before.


    However, as I¡¯ve stated this tale is of 199.


    Prior to our ascension, I was speaking with Oscar. It was mostly small talk, pleasantries and good byes, when I finally asked him if he knew anything of 199.


    Immediately, his young face grew lines that hadn¡¯t been there before.


    ¡°Pluto, might I be honest with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Oscar. I¡¯d prefer it to hearing lies.¡±


    Oscar nodded, rubbing the skin of his hands in nervous tension. ¡°Well, I know now that you all have been trying to reach the edge of Mobius, but before that¡­ When you came in here, walking around with that Nano, you and Cat wielding strange weapons that appeared to be Nano make, we all assumed you were some strange, rogue group of Nano sympathizers here to kill us all. So I was tasked with guiding you up to 199, where you would¡­ More than likely be killed.¡±


    Cat¡¯s attention was immediately piqued, and I myself stood there in keen interest.


    ¡°So 199 is some sort of death sentence? Why, what¡¯s up there?¡±


    Oscar appeared more worried about saying his thoughts aloud than he did about revealing he was trying to kill them. ¡°Honestly? No one here is quite sure, Pluto. A few of us have ventured upwards, but only one returned. That was a long time ago, back when more of us were trying to conduct the great pilgrimage. Now the fear of the legends are so great that none of us are willing to travel upward and verify it.¡±


    ¡°Well, come on Oscar, what sort of things are said of the place? If they¡¯re wrong that¡¯s okay, we won¡¯t come back here to kill you.¡±


    We might.


    Oscar obviously wanted to leave, but having been dragged into the conversation he saw no way out. Plus, despite all his best efforts, Oscar had become more of a friend to us than he had ever wished.


    ¡°The man who came back¡­ His name is Dmitri, and though he¡¯s very old now I can say that his word has always been good in my experience. That being said, he has said that 199 must be the very edge of Mobius. He said that the strata is a doorway to the vacuum of space, that no Nanos build there and that nothing survives there. That it isn¡¯t a strata at all but merely the end.¡±


    Now obviously you and I are sitting here talking in 999, Dante, but back when I was down there the excitement I felt was surreal. Obviously I was worried we might all die, but if 199 were truly the end then my journey was over. We could finally move on.


    I doubt that this is true¡­ But perhaps we should be cautious.


    Tom and Cat were skeptical, and I was as well. Hopeful, sure. But skeptical.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make sense for Mobius to end as you describe,¡± Tom said. ¡°It¡¯s not that it can¡¯t end. Just that if it were to end mid-strata, and be so bad that upon entering you would be in space¡­ It makes no sense to me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me neither,¡± Cat said, shaking her head and furrowing her brow. ¡°I¡¯ve been following Pluto for a long time now, and the strata always follow some basic series of patterns, even down to the residents. For it to suddenly end like that would indicate an accident more than a plan, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Frustrated, I agreed. ¡°Well Mobius is sucking up the universe, but it¡¯s not finished. That¡¯s an endless mission, really. There¡¯s a chance a strata was destroyed by a stray asteroid or planet or something. Anything could have struck from outside and caused severe damage, really.¡±


    ¡°Well, not necessarily,¡± Tom said. ¡°Mobius was built with the intention of withstanding things like that to some degree. Obviously the plan could be incorrect, but I doubt this. I would need to see it to understand fully.¡±


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to see for ourselves then.¡±


    Oscar stared at us with a baffled expression. ¡°You¡¯re really still going?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I couldn¡¯t stop even if I wanted to,¡± I told him with a tired smile.


    ¡°You can always come with us if you¡¯d like,¡± Cat said playfully.


    I¡¯d rather he stay. Three is already a crowd.


    Poe had nothing to worry about. Oscar waved his hands wildly. ¡°Absolutely not! I¡¯m heading back home the second you guys leave.¡±


    We all laughed, but I was still a bit sad. Oscar, as I said, had become a friend, and no matter how many friends I lost it never got any easier. So we all said our good byes once more, Cat gave him a hug, I shook his hand, and he shared an odd exchange with Tom who I swear took mild pleasure in Oscar¡¯s discomfort despite being a Nano.


    And with that, we were off to another LG shaft, ready to once again start anew in a new strata.


    The start of 199 appeared normal enough. Most strata begin with a long hallway that leads out to whatever grand scheme composes the majority of the local structure, and 199 was no different. So the three of us made our way forward with an intense feeling of trepidation that we¡ªwell, that I couldn¡¯t shake. At the edge of that hall were a few charging stations, and we went to use them but we heard a strange whistling noise, something none of us were familiar with.


    Then Cat¡¯s eyes grew wide as she understood.


    ¡°Wait! That¡¯s wind!¡±


    ¡°Wind?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°What¡¯s wind?¡±


    ¡°Wind is what happens out there, in space! My father always told me that it was a proper force back on Earth, that we even tried to harness it for an energy source but failed.¡±


    I was still confused. ¡°But how do you know that noise is wind? None of us have been outside of Mobius.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± she said, ¡°but do you recall the machine I had in my room back in 117?¡±


    I was coming up short until Poe interjected.


    Her fan, you idiot.


    ¡°Right, your fan. It did sort of sound like wind, I guess. Only quieter.¡±


    Tom just made his way to the charging station. ¡°Well, wind or no wind, we must press onward and we should be well taken care of beforehand. On the off chance that we are able to make our way through here without being sucked into space, we should be prepared for a fight.¡±


    ¡°What makes you sure we¡¯ll have to fight?¡± Cat asked, her hand subconsciously gliding to the rod at her side.


    ¡°Well, aside from the fact that this doesn¡¯t appear to be a human residence, Oscar¡¯s story was more than likely true in some ways. If only one man came back from the initial group, then something must be here that took care of the rest. We should be mindful of that danger. Even if the story was just a story, it must stem from some source of reality.¡±


    After each of us finished our preparations, we continued onward, making our way around a corner towards the sound of the wind. There we were greeted with three doors, which was strange enough. Even stranger was the make of the doors themselves.


    ¡°Wood?¡± Tom said, perplexed. ¡°We only see doors like this on human settled strata. And even then, we never see them like this, built directly into the walls of Mobius.¡±


    ¡°Well we should continue towards the wind,¡± I said. Cat and I placed our ears up to two separate doors to check for the sound. Mine was the obvious culprit, and I said, ¡°The wind seems to be coming from behind this door.¡±


    Cat frowned at me. ¡°Actually I hear the wind from under mine too.¡±


    Confused, we swapped doors and there was the sound of wind behind each. We even checked the third door, and there was the sound of wind there as well. Tom decided to get involved as well.


    ¡°Being a Nano I can¡¯t detect sound in the same fashion you two can, however I can pinpoint where exactly the vibrations are emanating from. If you give me just a few seconds I should have an answer.¡±


    We waited, and in little time Tom had an answer for us.


    ¡°Something is wrong here. It does appear the wind is coming from all three doors.¡±


    ¡°Would it really be so odd to have three sources of wind?¡± Cat asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled far. Wind on its own is weird enough, to have multiple sources behind doors made of wood is a bad omen.¡± Removing my Hellwhip, I made sure the setting was for level three and walked up to a door. ¡°You two should stay behind for right now, just in case. I¡¯ll go in and see if we¡¯re safe to continue.¡±


    Cat was about to protest but Tom pressed a metal limb firmly against her clavicle. ¡°We shall be awaiting your safe return, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± Cat added just as the door shut behind me.


    Once the door shut, everything went black. My vision, my consciousness, everything. It all happened so fast not even Poe could warn me of the imminent threat. There was, however, a small period of time where my dream was mixed with reality, and this I recall well. I was laying face down on the metal floor, the wind so great that the world was swirling around me in a violent gust. In front of me stood a familiar face, one I could hardly forget but also one I hadn¡¯t remembered in a long time.


    ¡°Hello, Pluto,¡± Poe said, for once not as an echo in my mind nor in the guise of my own self. ¡°We haven¡¯t met like this in a long time, have we?¡±


    ¡°I killed you,¡± I growled, anger swelling in me. ¡°There¡¯s no way you should be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alive? Well, that depends on your definition of the word. Biologically yes I am gone. Even if you hadn¡¯t decided to turn around and blast my lab to bits, I would have more than likely been dead before you even met Cat.¡±


    ¡°Well then what are you doing here? You¡¯re obviously some kind of illusion.¡±


    The old man made a face as though considering the thought. ¡°Yes and no. I am always with you, Pluto. After all we are one now. But this physical being you see before you must be some kind of falsity, yes. Just as this wind must not exist. Or the wooden door you passed through.¡±


    ¡°Then what is happening?¡± I asked, worried.


    Poe was about to answer when he stopped. I became extremely worried then. His countenance dropped immeasurably, and it was obvious he knew something I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here before,¡± Poe said, turning around and spinning with the wind in a dizzying display. ¡°Long ago, yes! I had forgotten but it¡¯s clear now, I¡¯ve been to this place!¡±


    ¡°Where is this place?¡±


    ¡°Pluto, you¡¯re in danger! You have to get yourself together and find a new place for us! Otherwise we might be stuck here forever!¡±


    Poe was speaking strangely then. Vaguely.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean!¡±


    The wind grew louder, faster.


    ¡°You will when this is over! Just stay alert and be on the look out for someone new, Pluto. Someone who can come with us.¡±


    I was about to clarify that he meant we needed a bigger crew when the vision corrupted further. The wind danced loudly in my ears, his body tore apart and became two, then four, then eight, sixteen, dividing and multiplying endlessly in my eyes. Unceasing worry coursed through my body for a timeless moment, and for some reason it felt as though I were floating out in the vacuum of space, only my ears were filled with a ticklish noise like the discharge they produce only louder, more unnatural.


    Then I woke up, not behind the wooden doors, but back at the end of the hallway. My Hellwhip was finished charging, Tom was still plugged into his own charging station and powered down, while Cat was passed out snoring with her rod glowing the blue color it did when it was fully charged.


    Did we just hallucinate?


    ¡°Honestly I was gonna ask you,¡± I whispered, disconnecting my Hellwhip with a resounding click. The weapon resumed its usual hum as I thrust it into my belt loop. ¡°Were you speaking to me or did I imagine a separate you?¡±


    Did I tell you of my past? Or did we talk about how to dispose of Tom?


    Sighing, I said, ¡°No, you offered some kind of warning. Told me to get more people, actually.¡±


    Bah! An illusion indeed. I want fewer companions not more.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. The whole thing was weird. Especially the wind.¡±


    Yes¡­ The wind.


    We waited for a moment to make sure that there wasn¡¯t the sound of wind and to allow Cat and Tom to be fully rested. I was still tired but there was no sense in trying to sleep more. Whatever that had been, dream or illusion, it had taken a lot out of me. But it scared me more than anything. I didn¡¯t want to go back to that vortex.


    I thought about waking Cat up but instead asked Poe a question.


    ¡°Poe, how old am I now?¡±


    How old are you? Well that¡¯s entirely relative, Pluto. We have to factor in the time debt we incur when we travel between strata, then calculate the difference between local time of 56 with the actual general time of Mobius itself. There¡¯s also a chance that¡ª


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.??¡°My age, Poe. How old am I biologically?¡±


    Right¡­ well in terms of sheer biology, you are now thirty years of age. A healthy young man, still in the prime of his youth!


    Running a finger along a line on my forehead, I said, ¡°You¡¯re sure? Thirty doesn¡¯t feel right to me. I feel much older than that.¡±


    Probably just from the rough journey. It has aged you prematurely, Pluto. But you are still very much a thirty year old man.


    I left it at that, but I didn¡¯t believe him. I couldn¡¯t be sure but I felt like I was double that at least, especially when I stared down at my rough hand whenever I removed the skin suit.


    As I was about to wake up Cat and Tom, footsteps echoed along the walls of the hall and I readied my Hellwhip, unsure what to expect. I was rather confused and relieved to see it was Oscar and not a Nano. He loped over to us with a look of uneasy exhaustion on his face. I lowered the Hellwhip but left it set to three.


    ¡°Oscar? What are you doing here?¡±


    Cat yawned and stretched as she woke up, then got up fast as she realized who stood before us.


    ¡°Once you left I¡­¡± Oscar trailed off, his gaze elsewhere. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be right for me to let you go off like this, exploring this unknown place. Even if I¡¯m not as equipped for combat as you three are, I just couldn¡¯t live with myself if you all died here.¡±


    He sounded sincere, but by this point in my journey I knew not to trust anyone. Even Oscar.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯d be worried whether we lived or not,¡± I said, clapping a hand firmly on his shoulder. ¡°After all, we wouldn¡¯t have returned either way. So this is more for your piece of mind then, not so much to help us.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound selfish,¡± Oscar said, looking hurt. ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s only partially wrong isn¡¯t he?¡± Cat asked as she readied her rod. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out that you were being punished by being our guides. The others didn¡¯t seem to care too much about your survival. So what, is this just another part of your sentence? Or is this you deciding you fit in with us, because you don¡¯t decide that, we do.¡± She looked as though she might kill him any second, but I gave her a look to stand down.


    ¡°No, I suppose you do,¡± Oscar replied. ¡°My apologies if I¡¯ve overstepped. I just¡­ Well I haven¡¯t any place to go anyway. I may as well accompany you and see the edge of Mobius before I die.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t die,¡± Tom said, his charge complete. ¡°As we discussed before, the odds of this being the very edge of Mobius are extremely low. If you follow us, you will reach strata 200 and beyond, so long as you don¡¯t die due to your own failings.¡±


    ¡°And I thought you were a merry band of brigands,¡± Oscar laughed nervously. ¡°Well, so be it. If you¡¯ll have me then I¡¯ll follow you.¡±


    Cat and I exchanged a look that said we would keep a close eye on him. I nodded to Oscar indicating he was in. He smiled, but I gripped his shoulder hard enough to make him wince.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t get in our way. As you say, you aren¡¯t equipped for combat. I¡¯m sure you would prefer dying old as opposed to young.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± he muttered and followed behind me, with Cat still within my peripheral watching him and Tom behind all of us, leaving him boxed in on the off chance he was there to cause trouble.


    As we walked, we made our way down a new hallway with nothing but the echo of our footsteps to keep us company, all of us on edge due to the possible danger before us and within us. Poe even remained silent, allowing me a rare moment to think without interruption. I wondered primarily about the strange hallucination Poe and I had been involved in. They were obviously linked, I thought, but being that the contents of my illusion and Poe¡¯s illusion were separate, they were only linked by the source of the hallucination not the contents. So to call what I had seen a warning would be foolish, because what Poe saw was different and strange. They couldn¡¯t both be right¡­ Well, perhaps they could, but getting a straight answer from Poe was difficult so there was no true way to verify the information. In any case, I concluded that there were two possibilities. The hallucinations were coming from the strata itself, some strange byproduct of the air in 199, or alternatively Poe and I experienced an extremely vivid dream separated by our individual consciousnesses. If the latter were the case then there was nothing to worry about, really. Just an odd side effect of having a linked mind. However, were it the former, then there was more cause for alarm. The only way that I could verify that it was the strata would be to see if Cat, Oscar, and possibly Tom were also having hallucinations. Only two of them really needed to experience them to confirm my suspicions, Tom of course being a special case, someone who could probably avoid the effects of an oxygen induced hallucinogen.


    While we were walking and I was thinking of all of this, there was a loud noise behind us and we all turned to see what had happened. All of us were surprised to see that Tom was gone, disappeared somewhere.


    ¡°Tom?¡± I called out, worry not quite setting in.


    ¡°Tom!?¡± Cat called, her worry very much setting in.


    Oscar was afraid, in over his head. He freaked out and bolted back the way we came. Cat and I called after him, but he hadn¡¯t even gotten that far when the wall beside him opened, produced an appendage, and yanked him inside, some hidden place within the walls.


    Cat and I were sent into flight, scared for our lives. She ran in step with me and we tried our best, but there was no way we could escape. Mobius itself was kidnapping us.


    Well this isn¡¯t good.


    There was a loud bang, a metallic tumult, and Cat was gone.


    Poe and I were alone, surrounded by the unknown entity, the great and powerful Mobius.


    Knowing the futility of running, I came to a stop and took deep breaths, awaiting my capture.


    It took no more than five seconds.


    The appendage took me deep into the walls, through an intricate series of tunnels and hidden pathways. I swore I saw a glimpse of Cat to my left, a scattered image of Tom being hoisted off into the grand nothing, but the images I saw were fragmentary and unreliable. My journey was rough and unpredictable, my body banging and slamming into many things before finally being brought to a strange location. None of it was like anything I had seen in any of the other strata I had been to.


    Once I was grounded, the appendage disappeared once again within the ceiling above me. Based on how long I had been pulled by it, I was concerned that I had been taken once again back to 198, but the surroundings were enough to convince me otherwise.


    The room I was in was essentially a cell, four walls, a floor, a ceiling, but no way in or out save the metallic appendage which had closed the ceiling behind it. Now as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll agree, a simple room with nothing in it isn¡¯t cause for any intrigue. Maybe the means of getting there was, sure, but not the room itself. And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Because as each second passed, blue line descended from the ceiling, and as that strange light touched everything in the room the entire area changed into something beautiful. I was suddenly transported far off, away from Mobius and somewhere organic. There were flowers like those in the garden I had met Cat in, the petals all sorts of colors, vibrant and attractive like she had once been. The air itself felt fresh, as though each breath I took was filled with some intoxicant, some drug to give me strength. Beneath my feet crunched that which grew forth, and the ceiling was replaced with an endless abyss of blue covered in mild, fluffy white things I¡¯ve come to know as clouds. At the time I didn¡¯t know what clouds were, as I hadn¡¯t explored the files regarding Earth, but now I know that the place I was taken to, the area I was shown, was a field on Earth, a place of beauty and wonder great enough to show our ancestors that life itself was a gift given by a higher power, something you would be hard pressed to convince those living in the inorganic squalor here on this great endless megastructure we call home.


    Earth? What sort of joke is this?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t like it,¡± I said, confused while I spun around in wonder.


    ¡°You dislike it? How could that be? We scanned everything to be sure that this would be a pleasing vista for you.¡±


    I continued to spin until the source of the voice showed itself. I¡¯m not really sure what I expected. Maybe I had no expectations. Even so, what I was greeted with was far from anything I may have posited.


    A man stood before me with an aura behind him like some sort of deity, his head crowned with a holy golden halo. He wore a chainlink suit of armor, a primitive piece from head to toe, with metal plate on his shoulders and legs. A dark green tunic covered his chest, and a mantle so dark I couldn¡¯t describe the color was over that. He wielded a strange looking weapon, not a sword or a mace but something in between.


    I should have been worried. But his face was pleasant, warm. Safe.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, my Hellwhip still gripped tight in my hands.


    ¡°Me? I am of no importance. I could be anything in the world, human or otherwise. This form was merely chosen after searching your mind.¡±


    ¡°Strange, I don¡¯t know you,¡± I said, confused.


    Maybe he¡¯s fictional?


    ¡°Your companion is correct. We searched your subconscious and found this image. Although,¡± he said as he transformed quickly into Cat, ¡°we could always become something else, whatever you deem most pleasant.¡±


    Her face was untouched by combat or travel. She was the young woman I had met so long ago, the beautiful, plucky young lady who dreamed of fun adventures. Not the jaded woman I had been traveling with. Not the hopeless, bitter woman who housed an unspoken hatred for me as well as fealty. This was an image I had looked upon for comfort whenever I couldn¡¯t sleep. A woman so perfect to be unreal, imaginary.


    ¡°So all of this is fake then?¡± I asked with a sigh.


    Don¡¯t be stupid, of course it is.


    With a bright, beaming smile, Cat shrugged in playful agreement before transforming back into the strange man.


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯d prefer you to be cognizant not aroused.¡±


    A pang of pain struck my chest but I nodded.


    ¡°Now then, to begin with I must congratulate you. As it stands right now, no single human has traversed Mobius farther than you have.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Humanity has been on a constant pilgrimage forward across Mobius, even as it has continued to build, but many stop and create settlements. Most don¡¯t continue endlessly as Mobius itself. Even if your journey is over here, we must congratulate you on the progress you¡¯ve made as it truly is astounding.¡±


    Don¡¯t thank this overly polite AI. There¡¯s something obviously wrong about this.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± the being spoke as it transformed into something else, a tall woman in a long robe, an infant held to her breast. ¡°But you haven¡¯t much of a choice but to listen to me, correct?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± I said.


    ¡°Good, well then allow me to get to the point: you are hereby relieved of your duties as the great traveler, the eternal wanderer Pluto.¡±


    Both Poe and I responded simultaneously.


    What!?


    ¡°It is not as though you have been bad,¡± the being said as it became new once more, now becoming a child with a tree branch in its hand. ¡°In fact this should be something you celebrate, as you can finally rest.¡±


    ¡°Then what of the pilgrimage? What of the edge of Mobius?¡±


    ¡°Edge of Mobius? Come on now, you must have realized the truth by now.¡±


    When we didn¡¯t reply, the child became an old man, the tree branch became a walking stick, and the sky around us transformed as he showed us Mobius from the outside as though we were floating in space right beside it.


    ¡°Centuries ago now, when humanity was attempting to colonize space in a last ditch effort to leave our apocalyptic home world, they accidentally created Mobius. Now on the surface nothing should have gone wrong. Mobius was merely a space colony, after all. It was meant to have a few robots created using nanotechnology, and the ship itself would be maintained through this budding new wave in science. The humans aboard the ship were all scientists themselves, along with their families, and it was always meant to be a temporary situation while we searched for habitable planets.


    ¡°Now as I understand it, the other colonies never found replacement planets. Our contact with those colonies was cut off nearly a hundred years ago, however, so it¡¯s difficult to say if that is still true. What is true, however, is that Mobius had a chink in its armor, a bug in the system that went unnoticed by everyone involved. Within the depths of the program was a mistake. The Nanos were supposed to be told to only do production for the written schematic, but the value was infinite instead of finite. The Nanos built, and built, and rebuilt endlessly and have continued ever since the program started running.¡±


    Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the scientists aboard Mobius try to fix that? I¡¯m sure there were computers for them to use. They built the Nanos themselves, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Just because they could fix it doesn¡¯t mean it was possible. The Nanos were a budding consciousness in the universe, a new form of life, and they wished to create as much as humans did.¡±


    Do you mean the Nanos stopped the humans from fixing Mobius?


    ¡°I do.¡±


    The old man waved his hands and we were once more returned to the great field, the false surroundings feeling absurd to me.


    ¡°So you see, Pluto, Poe, Mobius will never cease. You could travel forever and never reach the end. There has been no point in its entirety where the Nanos have halted production. Last time I checked Mobius had more than 1000 strata, and it¡¯s on track to create two strata for every one you traverse. Your mission is hopeless.¡±


    Staring at the old man confused, I asked, ¡°What am I to do then? If my journey ends without me reaching the end or my own demise, then Nanos will find and kill me. I¡¯ve seen them attempt this first hand.¡±


    The old man transformed into the younger Cat once more, her smooth fingertips gliding across my worn arm. ¡°Does it look like we are a part of Mobius still? You could stay here forever and never be found. We could do anything here, go wherever you want, experience all the universe has to offer, all that you¡¯ve missed out on in your life. We could be together, Pluto.¡±


    Now Dante, I know that since you¡¯re hearing what I¡¯m saying you¡¯re well aware that the woman I was speaking to wasn¡¯t actually Cat, or an old man, or some strange warrior or anything else that they appeared to be. Nothing was as it seemed in that strange space. But she knew exactly what to say; the offer was tempting. But I couldn¡¯t accept something like that from a being who was obviously not even human. Especially when I knew that my companions were elsewhere, possibly in grave danger.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Cat? Tom? Oscar?¡± I asked her, her namesake stealing away her false smile in second.


    ¡°They are safe,¡± she said. ¡°You have no reason to worry about them here. They will not miss you.¡±


    ¡°Not miss me?¡± I scoffed, my hand thrusting out to grab her wrist. ¡°Even if that were true of them¡ªwhich I doubt, you troubled machine¡ªI will miss them.¡±


    ¡°I can become whoever you desire,¡± she said as she transformed into Tom, his form true to life with its lanky metallic shape. ¡°No one is impossible for me to copy. And as I¡¯ve shown you already,¡± Tom shrunk down and I gasped at the sight of his human form, the one he held when we were young, ¡°I can be anyone from anytime. You will see.¡±


    Come now, you really think we¡¯ll fall for stupid tricks like this?


    That may have been the most important time Poe every interjected.


    ¡°Thanks Poe,¡± I mumbled under my breath. ¡°Tell me where my friends are now or I¡¯ll blow this place sky high.¡±


    The sight of my Hellwhip worried the little lookalike. In no time Tom was replaced with the strange warrior I had seen originally, their unusually dark mantle blending into the new backdrop of endless space, giving the illusion that they were merely a floating head.


    ¡°You will not intimidate me. If you attempt to escape here, I will deal with you myself.¡±


    Setting the Hellwhip to level four, I pointed it at the floating head, unworried about the consequences.


    ¡°You won¡¯t intimidate me, either. If you refuse to help me then I¡¯ll refuse to listen to you any longer.¡±


    ¡°So be it.¡±


    After he said that, everything that happened next was extremely fast. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the recoil I was about to feel. Then the face of the being transformed, and though it continued to wear that strange mantle its head was now that of a Nano, one I was familiar with. Frightened of. The face of the Executioner was now before me, and the being leaped at me suddenly, and in fear I reset the Hellwhip to level 5 and pulled the trigger fast, doing my best to find my target.


    Then everything went white.


    ¡°It was truly strange,¡± Pluto said, sitting up in his bed. ¡°The whole experience was intensely real and extremely vivid as well, the surreality of it all so wild it was hard for me to process.¡±


    Before he could continue with his tale, the door behind Dante exploded open and the two of them turned to face the men in the doorway. Giovanni was there with a few men Dante didn¡¯t recognize, though they were large and intimidating enough for Dante to know intrinsically that this was not going to be a fun visit from his superior.


    ¡°Mr. Pluto,¡± Giovanni said with a slight bow of introduction.


    ¡°It¡¯s Captain actually,¡± Pluto said with a smile.


    ¡°Right, Captain Pluto, would you kindly refrain from continuing your tale? The man before you is being relieved of his Recording duties effective immediately.¡±


    Dante sat there dumbfounded. Pluto was equally confused, looking from Dante to Giovanni.


    ¡°Well considering he won¡¯t ask, may I ask why he¡¯s being relieved?¡± Pluto asked, sitting at the edge of his bed.


    Giovanni nodded to him. ¡°It has come to the attention of those in power that Mr. Dante has been overstepping his duties. Recording, for instance, can only occur during hours designated for work but Mr. Dante has been overworking you, Captain, and forcing you to do recording sessions during odd hours when you could be getting your rest. In addition to this, we were alerted at 22:35 that there was a disturbance in this room, and when we reviewed the footage it appeared that Mr. Dante was attacking you, Captain. We cannot allow our Recorders to lower themselves to such base behavior. Therefore, we are hereby resigning Mr. Dante this very instant.¡±


    The entire time Giovanni spoke Dante shared a look with him, one he couldn¡¯t decipher. Whether it was regret or fear, Dante wasn¡¯t sure, but he knew that Giovanni wasn¡¯t acting himself. He hadn¡¯t been acting himself the entire day.


    That didn¡¯t make his forced resignation sting any less.


    The two brutish men came forward with the official form, and Dante signed, initialed, signed, then signed again that he was hereby relieved of any and all Recording duties and would be forfeiting over any government owned property within the next 48 hours.


    When all of it was set, the two men left before Giovanni. Looking from one to the next, Giovanni said, ¡°You have a moment to sort yourselves out before the nurse comes in to take care of Mr¡­ I mean, the good Captain. Once you¡¯re finished come see me in my office, Mr. Dante. The other one.¡±


    And he was off, gone, and the room was still shrouded in awkward silence.


    ¡°None of that made any sense,¡± Pluto said out of nowhere. Dante just stared into his hands.


    ¡°I mean, sure you probably shouldn¡¯t have done those things. But it was obvious he didn¡¯t want to let you go, and the papers he had you sign were stupid too. You still have plenty of time to ask me all the questions you need to.¡±


    Dante immediately perked up.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ why would he allow for that?¡±


    Pluto shrugged. ¡°Well there¡¯s a chance they¡¯ll have a new Recorder talking with me tomorrow during regular work hours, right?¡±


    Dante was about to agree but shook his head. ¡°Actually no. We haven¡¯t got many Recorders to begin with, but seeing as your case is nearly here and I¡¯ve already recorded nearly all that was possible, they wouldn¡¯t go out of their way to replace me on short notice for you. At this point it would be a waste of time when as you¡¯ve pointed out, they will be asking you about 995 during the trial anyway.¡±


    ¡°So then, did he just give you a free pass to speak to me?¡±


    Dante nodded.


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Pluto, I¡¯m going to go see my boss for a while. If I don¡¯t return to speak with you, would you be able to meet me on the sixtieth level? There¡¯s an elevator at the end of your hall.¡±


    Dante left his recording device with Pluto, hiding it under his pillow. Then he ran to Giovanni¡¯s second office.


    The commissary.


    Years ago, when Dante had first entered the commissary for his rest, he had thought the place to be quaint and homey. Sure it wasn¡¯t some incredible holy ground or a place to be revered and loved, it was still merely a place of recharging through eating, but the environment itself was meant to be imprinted on you with its quiet colors and soft seats. The people working there to prepare the food were nice and always the same. The food itself was always the same too, just as good as always with reasonable portions. The repetition of going there daily meant a missed day of commissary food would cause you to feel something like pain but not quite. Dante had been neglecting visits to the commissary to focus more on Pluto, a case he¡¯d found to become more and more important the more he heard from him.


    However, Pluto¡¯s words had an averse affect on Dante, more than just his own belief that perhaps Pluto had been telling the truth, for now the commissary, a place Dante had always looked forward to as a safe haven meant for him, was now akin to the trough Pluto had mentioned in his first recording session, and now Dante could do nothing but look at the small seats, the machines filled with simple junk food, the cooks preparing the same tired recipes, and think that perhaps what was once comfortable never truly was, but was instead a mere satiation of primal desires designed by a mechanical governing body, just something to keep those with biology in line.


    He felt sick just thinking about it.


    Giovanni sat in his usual booth, a spot with a view of the Hell reactor in the center of 999. As usual, Giovanni had a plate set for Dante ready to go. It was the sixth day of the week, normally a cause for celebration for Dante as today meant a meal of chicken, rice, and vegetables. Dante sat looking at the meal, something once appetizing, and feeling a sense of uncertainty about it. He wondered if any of it was even real, or if it was merely printed slop.


    ¡°Well, go on,¡± Giovanni urged, his fork filled with meat and rice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really that hungry,¡± Dante said, the disgust palpable in his voice.


    Sighing, Giovanni said, ¡°I know we aren¡¯t exactly on the best of terms now, but don¡¯t take your sour feelings out on your stomach. Eat up, this might be the last time you get food for a while.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Am I in more trouble than just beating on a criminal?¡±


    His mouth full, Giovanni chewed thoughtfully before swallowing, his eyes unblinking at Dante.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot that I can tell you. Much of what is going on is highly classified. But I didn¡¯t stop you from being a Recorder because I thought you were bad at your job. You must know by now that I haven¡¯t cared about your work hours, right? I¡¯ve known since the beginning that you were a workhorse, always trying to get the most out of your Recording spots. I also know you only worked hard hours with criminals who were particularly interesting, those who you felt could net you the most important information. You were good. Probably the best Recorder we¡¯ve had in years.¡±


    Dante scoffed at him. ¡°And yet you fire me. For what, beating on a man who¡¯s to be dead in a few days?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Giovanni said quietly, stuffing more food in his mouth.


    ¡°Oh come on, Gio. We both know that a crime as heinous as his will net him death ten times over in our court. He¡¯s been dead since we caught him.¡±


    Giovanni scraped the plate clean, then took a sip of his drink.


    ¡°Dante, 999 might not even be here tomorrow.¡±


    The grave face and deep tone was all it took for Dante to become a more obedient listener.


    ¡°As I said before, I can¡¯t tell you much. Not only because of how classified everything is but in all honesty we aren¡¯t entirely sure what is happening ourselves. All I can say is if you have any desire to live you have to gather your things and head upward. To 1000. This place is as good as dead, probably more sure than Captain Pluto is dead.¡±


    His mind swirling, Dante didn¡¯t even notice his hand habitually grab his fork and begin stuffing piles of rice into his mouth, the food a mild comfort. There was little information on 1000, but from his understanding above the governing body of 995 through 999, there was a great wasteland, a near endless abyss of metal corpses and Nano brigands running amok, destroying all that attempt to move upwards. Dante could barely run down the hall without getting winded. There was little doubt in his mind that he could never survive the mythical land above his head.


    ¡°You realize that me attempting to live the life of a wayward spirit would be a death sentence in itself, right?¡±


    Giovanni smiled sadly to his friend.


    ¡°You sell yourself short. You might be unable to do much physically, but you are a resourceful man. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come up with a plan. Either way, you must leave. For your own safety.¡±


    Midway through chewing his food, Dante¡¯s eyes grew wide as he understood something of his friend.


    ¡°What about you, Gio? Will you come with me to 1000?¡±


    His friends sad smile seemed to shed its own tears.


    ¡°Maybe if I wasn¡¯t who I was I could travel with you, my friend,¡± he said with a somber voice. ¡°Unfortunately, with my position I must go down with the strata. So long as you escape I will feel I¡¯ve done my part.¡±


    Dante took a sip of his drink, the sweet carbonation doing little to alleviate his stress. He pushed his plate forward for what he worried would be the last time. Then he lied to Giovanni.


    ¡°If I go to 1000 I will stay there for a while. Maybe a few weeks. Then I¡¯ll come back here, you can reinstate me as a Recorder, and we can talk about our experiences. We¡¯ll discuss what will happen over the next few weeks right here, over food as we always have. All will be well, Gio, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Giovanni stood up and clasped his friends hand firmly as if he weren¡¯t certain he should let go.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around Dante. I hope that your trip to 1000 will be filled with wonder and happiness. Perhaps all of this is much like an old idea from Earth. Have you heard of the concept of a blessing?¡±


    Dante had. ¡°A religious idea, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°In some ways,¡± Giovanni said. ¡°But the concept transcends such notions when applied to the ancient saying, ¡®A blessing in disguise.¡¯ The idea is that a horrible occurrence in your life may actually be something that leads to a wonderful time, something terrible might just be too important to avoid. It¡¯s a blessing in disguise.¡±


    ¡°And you think that all of this might be a blessing?¡±


    Giovanni finally let go of his hand with a sigh, the lines around his eyes appearing deep under the steady glow of the Hell reactor.


    ¡°I truly hope so.¡±

 Chapter Six

    CHAPTER SIX


    Dante¡¯s return to the sixtieth floor was unlike his time there a few days prior. Before, when he was up there, he was unsure of himself, of the man he questioned and the tales he told, and of all things he was only certain that his life as a Recorder must be protected. There had been a number of others walking the floor when he had been there before, and while Pluto took up his time he knew back then that there would be other cases, others to record in the near future. Now he stood as he had before, his hands pressed down on the guard rail as he leaned forward in a personal anguish so solitary that not a single soul was around to perceive it but his own, as for whatever reason there were no others on the sixtieth floor at that moment. A worrisome fact, but not one Dante had reason to dwell on. After all, what loss could be greater than his own? What danger more important than the peril in his future?


    He held the Hellwhip in his hand. Though he still hadn¡¯t shown Pluto the weapon, he was certain by then that it had to be the one he spoke of. Was it broken? He couldn¡¯t be sure. No one in his life used weapons of that sort. There was no need to. Those protecting the Hegemony of Mobius protected him as well, and he didn¡¯t need to see their weapons, know their names, their faces, anything¡ªthey would protect him and the other citizens with their life for the simple reason that it must be done.


    With the current circumstances he wished it weren¡¯t the case, or at least that they would come his way and show him how to defend himself.


    There was a thunk, then a few staggered steps, and Dante knew without even looking that Pluto had followed him as he¡¯d asked. He was still surprised when he turned and saw him.


    ¡°How did you¡­¡±


    Pluto grinned, his hands free of shackles and the recording device thrust under his arm. Dante could tell he was still not healthy, but somehow Pluto appeared to be getting better, as though strength was returning to him slowly. The nurse must have been doing a better job than he gave her credit for.


    ¡°My escape could have happened at any moment,¡± Pluto said nonchalantly. ¡°I merely stayed bedridden because it suited me to do so. After all, I¡¯m Captain Pluto, a man you said yourself was a myth. If I couldn¡¯t escape some hospital bed, I would be nothing more than a regular man such as yourself.¡±


    Dante took the jest in stride and resumed his stare into the Hell reactor. The heat radiating towards them was intense but calm, as if the chaos of the Hell reactor were the comforting touch of an old friend. Pluto planted himself next to Dante awkwardly, a hand on the guard rail while he stared into the reactor himself.


    ¡°What do you call this thing?¡± he asked conversationally. Dante wondered if he already knew the answer.


    ¡°This thing is a Hell reactor,¡± Dante explained. He went into detail to fill the silence. ¡°If I¡¯m entirely honest with you, I¡¯m not sure what it is. I don¡¯t think anyone is. I¡¯ve heard some people say the reason we call it a Hell reactor is because it appears to take the energy of Hell itself and utilize it for our own benefit. We don¡¯t have anyone maintaining it, there are no Nanos who come to check on it. The reactor is as old as it gets and we have no answers regarding it. However, I wonder if this thing in my hand is related to it at all.¡±


    Dante handed the Hellwhip to Pluto who smiled and handed Dante the recorder.


    ¡°Well,¡± Pluto said, ¡°you¡¯ll recall in my recording that I found this thing in a heap of trash. I don¡¯t know where it came from or how it works. Just that it charges up universally at any station with a plug to charge, and that it¡¯s extremely powerful for such a small weapon. Whether or not it was made using this ¡®Hell reactor¡¯ as you call it, I couldn¡¯t say. Has anything been made using it to your knowledge?¡±


    Dante shrugged. ¡°To my knowledge, no. But there are many things that I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Pluto turned his weapon over and over in his hand. Then he touched something Dante hadn¡¯t noticed, a button on the bottom of the weapon¡¯s handle, and a hum entered the air like a quiet threat. Before he knew it, Pluto had altered the setting of the weapon and shot his Hellwhip, pointing the weapon at the Hell reactor.


    Dante was worried. Extremely worried. But the Hell reactor truly was a machine from Hell. The blast entered the Hell reactor and was sucked up by the sphere of flames, like water dropping into water.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Pluto grunted with a raise of his eyebrows. ¡°Might be something to your theory. Maybe I should try again on the highest setting.¡±


    ¡°Completely unnecessary!¡± Dante yelled. ¡°We have other things to take care of anyway. Like finishing up your tale before you get executed.¡±


    Pluto scoffed. ¡°You think a free man is going to trial? What foolish logic is that?¡± When neither of them spoke again he sighed and conceded. ¡°Fine, fine. I can at least finish telling you the story from before. But you need to tell me what¡¯s going on now. On my way up here there was absolutely no one around. Honestly it should have been much more difficult for me to find my way to you but other than you I really haven¡¯t seen anyone. Is something wrong?¡±


    An icy wave ran through Dante and he shook. ¡°There must be something that¡¯s wrong, but whatever it is I¡¯m not sure myself. All I know is that Giovanni has told me I must go to 1000 if I am to be safe.¡±


    Pluto¡¯s eyes suddenly became different, serious.


    ¡°He said you should go upward?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Dante could tell he wanted to get going but he shook his head at him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll finish recording your story here. Even if things were different, the sixtieth floor is just a place to observe the Hell reactor and nothing more. Few people come here. Whatever is going on, it¡¯s happening below us.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But I¡¯m going to abridge things when possible.¡±


    A laugh escaped Dante¡¯s lips and Pluto appeared offended.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Dante said, ¡°but I¡¯m keenly aware that you¡¯ve been abridging, editing, and curtailing all of your recollections since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Pluto said defensively, but Dante just shrugged.


    ¡°Whatever you need to tell yourself. But I¡¯ve heard many stories, being a Recorder. Do you know how many people told the entire truth in our sessions? None. Every single one would go to trial and I would hear something different upon their retelling, a ¡®new fact would come out¡¯ or something to that nature, and even afterward I would often find out that the suspect in question was lying to cover something up or keep a cohort safe. Everyone lies, Pluto, everyone. No need to be so uptight about it.¡±


    Quietly, Pluto placed his Hellwhip in his pocket and leaned his back against the guard rail, his eyes staring coldly at the door to the elevator.


    ¡°Even you?¡± he asked Dante, a mild playfulness resurging in his voice.


    Dante nodded and spoke so softly it was almost inaudible under the heavy thrum of the Hell reactor.


    ¡°I try not to, but of course I¡¯m human. I make mistakes. I lie to myself even, probably more than to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Pluto said, still staring at the door. ¡°At least you¡¯re honest. Now where was I?¡±


    S1121_captainPlutoAndHisMerryMenPartDeux_199.wav


    Right, I had attacked the metamorphosing being who was trying to sway me with ideas of endless happiness in a cage. The next part will be difficult to describe, and I¡¯m well aware that saying such things after our little discussion about lying will probably indicate to you that in some way this is all a grand lie, but hear me out, as though I might be less intelligent than you I am much more worldly than you having traveled across strata you have only thought about in your wildest fantasies. Trust me when I say that Mobius is not merely a mistake, or a monstrosity, it is also a strange and foreboding place, filled with things we aren¡¯t able to understand in much the same way we don¡¯t understand your Hell reactor here.


    When I attacked the being I was transported again but not through the use of a metallic appendage hidden within the walls. This time things were more chemical. More metaphysical.


    I was shot out of the strange land I had been taken to and thrust back into my body. I would tell you about what I saw during that strange journey, but I have a hard time deciphering what I saw myself so recording my ramblings on the subject would be a waste of time and energy, both of which are in short supply right now. Just know that from that location I was transported back into my body, my conscious mind reconnecting with my flesh. The whole thing was a rather painful experience. Poe summed it up nicely.


    What the fuck was that? What the fuck is this?


    ¡°Brilliant,¡± I coughed as I attempted to open my crusted eyes. They were too heavy so I tried to rub the muck from them and my hands were tied. I realized with frustration that I was suspended somewhere in much the same way my friends had been when I was younger. ¡°Just brilliant. How the hell did we get here? Are we on 199 still?¡±


    I believe so. Here¡­


    In a moment or two there was a loud click and I tumbled forward to the steel floor. As soon as I was steady on my knees I brought my hands to my eyes and rubbed, relief overwhelming me at the senses of sight and freedom returning to me simultaneously. Once the tears welled in my eyes so that my vision would be clear, I could see the unfortunate circumstances we had found ourselves in.


    We were in a corridor¡ªa long one, seemingly endless due to the distortion of the darkness in the corners¡ªand on the wall of this corridor were a series of unknown devices, all of which were occupied by entities. Most of these entities I didn¡¯t know, but the ones nearest me were Cat, Tom, and Oscar. If I were to describe what the devices themselves were, I suppose I could call them pods but that wouldn¡¯t be entirely accurate as though we were housed and contained on the wall we were unprotected by any sort of material veil.


    Everyone suspended here must also be hallucinating like we were.


    Poe had said exactly what I was thinking.


    ¡°But why?¡± I asked as I took inventory of myself, making sure that I was wearing all the clothes I came in with and still had my Hellwhip on me. ¡°When did we even get up there?¡±


    Hard to say. The illusions felt as real as everything else we¡¯ve done here, so it could have happened at any time. Oscar being here means that it either happened after he joined us in 199, or it happened before we even went upwards, on 198.


    I nodded absentmindedly, my eyes glued to the wall of people. Periodically the depressions and rivulets housed in the wall would glow dimly, pulsing in such an organic way I felt chills up my spine.


    Let me see if I can free our friends.


    ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, the words exiting my mouth without thought. ¡°If you free anyone, you should free everyone.¡±


    Illogical. We haven¡¯t the slightest idea who any of these people are. Some of them could be Nanos even, like Tom.


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when they¡¯re free. I can always destroy whoever is hostile.¡±


    Poe was silent for a moment before ultimately acquiescing.


    Give me some time. Freeing a few would take minutes, but freeing all of these people might take hours.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got time.¡±


    Right after I said this, as if they had been waiting for such a time to make a dramatic entrance, a being covered in a dark red cloak from head to toe glided forth from the shadows of the corridor. They were tall and silent, which should have lead me to believe they were human however their movements were too smooth, too perfect for me to believe something organic could produce them. I stared warily at them the moment they spoke.


    ¡°The great and powerful Pluto, I presume,¡± they said in a voice filled with theatric emotion. With a great flourish of their cloak, they bowed deeply in such an exaggerated way I was surprised they didn¡¯t fall over. ¡°Allow me to introduce you to one who you might find to be as great and powerful as yourself, Albatross.¡±


    I consulted Poe, asked him what he thought of the being before me.


    Just follow him. He doesn¡¯t appear dangerous, but be on the lookout for strange happenings. He could be leading you to a trap. Keep the Hellwhip ready while I free everyone.


    The being waited for me to approach, then began walking in step with me once I was right next to him. I say ¡®him¡¯ for convenience and not because he had a gender of any sort. In the short time I walked with the being, I never saw his body underneath that deep red cloak. As I said before, he could have been a Nano. But my inclination is that he wasn¡¯t simply due to his over exaggerated movements and emotive speech.


    ¡°So this Albatross,¡± I said, attempting to ease my nerves by drowning out the loud echo of our footsteps, ¡°is it a man? Or a Nano?¡±


    He laughed at me, and I mean at me¡ªhe obviously thought what I had said was silly.


    ¡°Oh, Pluto, forgive me for laughing. It¡¯s just so wonderful to be speaking to someone so ready to buy into the worthless dichotomies put in place by some unknown force none of us could possibly fathom! No, no, Albatross is neither man nor Nano. Albatross is merely Albatross. There are few like him, if any at all, and I know this for a fact.¡± Here I felt as though he winked at me, but again I saw nothing beneath that shroud of a cloak.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I wondered how best to place my questions. ¡°Then might I ask another question?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Pluto! Certainly! We love questions here, we wish we could receive more of them!¡±


    Clearing my throat, I asked, ¡°Well then, how do you know me? You knew my name, sure, but you also knew me to be great and powerful. What does that mean exactly?¡±


    He scoffed, once again finding something amusing in my line of questioning.


    Set the Hellwhip to level five just in case, this guy¡¯s a downright lunatic.


    ¡°Everyone knows you, Pluto. You¡¯ve made quite the name for yourself! Why, no mortal being has ever traveled as far as you have across the grand station Mobius. I hesitate to compare you to any biological entity. Would you find that so strange?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m only a man.¡±


    ¡°Modest, too! Why if only things were different, perhaps you could have been more to me than even Albatross.¡±


    Level six. This grandiose flirt should watch his step around you.


    ¡°Listen to me, Pluto. You might not be the most physically fit man to exist, or the most dapper, or the most intelligent. But you do have something that no other being on Mobius has. Do you know what that is?¡±


    I stared blankly down the darkened corridor, my heart beginning to beat faster.


    ¡°Drive! For such a transient vessel, you seem to hold value in nothing but the mission. The fact that you find time to sleep and eat is a mystery to us all. Ah, Pluto! The great and powerful Pluto! A man such as you would be fit to lead anyone or anything. You must meet Albatross, you¡¯ll find you have much in common!¡±


    There were a few other questions I asked but his answers always seemed to be this way, filled with nonsensical compliments and overly enthused adoration for this Albatross being. Poe continued to do his job, the odd remark being delivered here and there to remind me of his existence¡ª as if I¡¯d forget at this point.


    And then I met the Albatross.


    ¡°Pluto, it is my great honor to introduce you to my master, the great and powerful Albatross!¡±


    We had exited the corridor and I was greeted with something similar to the Adjudicator but on a grander scale. The area was a large, open space with curved walls. It was unmistakable to me that most of 199 was this room and I could see that while there was no obvious way upward there was an entrance to an LG shaft above us. In the very center of this vast, open area, there was what I can only describe as what I saw myself. Floating high above us and occupying much of that giant strata, a head without a torso, the great and powerful Albatross glared down at me with the intense scrutiny of a god filled with ego and hate. The expression was human but the face was not; what race it was I couldn¡¯t guess, but it was neither Nano nor man. And with the presence it gave off I knew immediately that defying all laws, the floating head in front of me was as real as can be.


    Which also meant I didn¡¯t believe a thing I saw.


    Bullshit, shoot it and see if we can escape back to reality again.


    Poe was on the same page as me. I raised my weapon up and heard the gasp of the cloaked figure, followed by a great rumble from the entity in front of me.


    Then, even more strange than I could have imagined, it spoke to me. Only the words it used were not heard, they were in my mind. Like Poe.


    Pluto I presume. It is an honor to meet such an esteemed veteran of Mobius.


    Poe was speechless.


    ¡°How are you speaking to me like this?¡±


    I could speak to you using my true voice, but the sheer volume and the echo would more than likely shatter your eardrums or worse. It is simpler if I speak to you in this way, though I understand it to be invasive. I hope your parasite doesn¡¯t mind.


    That comment got Poe going.


    Parasite? Where do you get off calling me a parasite of all things?


    ¡°Quiet, Poe. Allow the Albatross to speak to me uninterrupted.¡±


    There was a contentious silence, but I knew Poe had better things to do than to be making snide remarks for once. The Albatross became the primary presence within my mind.


    Now then, please accept my sincerest apologies. Had we known that you were present among the latest to join us, we would have held an audience with you instead of immediately placing you in our holding bank.


    I wasn¡¯t sure he was being serious or not, as the idea of me being a well known person made little sense to me so I merely nodded my acquiescence and he continued.


    Good. Now then, might I ask you why we are indeed having this audience right now?


    Confused, I looked to my guide for an indication towards the nature of the question but saw nothing beyond the blood red sheet.


    ¡°Well I escaped from whatever you called it¡ªthe holding bank?¡ªand this being decided to lead me to you. Prior to this I held no knowledge of anyone or anything called the Albatross. So if anything I should be wondering why you are holding this meeting with me, not the other way around.¡±


    The world shook and the Albatross gave me a look as though he acknowledged my intelligence for the first time.


    Indeed. Well then I can only assume you have no idea what is going on here. Would that be a mistake of me?


    ¡°Just explain what you do and what the wall of people is for and we can maybe end this meeting with some semblance of amicability.¡±


    A grand smile formed on the face and then he began his explanation for everything that was Stratum 199.


    Excellent! Let me begin by saying I¡¯m a fan of your work. We have seen much of what you¡¯ve accomplished in your travels across Mobius and it is an incredible feat to say the least. You have accomplished more than any human on this space station has ever accomplished, and it¡¯s debatable that you are more incredible even than the Nanos themselves. Now then, it is my understanding that you despise Mobius, yes? You hate the Nanos and all that they have done?


    I did my best to search for a way up and out of 199 while the Albatross spoke, but to no avail.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said absently, ¡°I believe Mobius to be a monstrosity.¡±


    We agree with this sentiment.


    ¡°Oh yes! We absolutely agree with you, great and powerful one!¡±


    Both myself and the Albatross shot judging looks toward the cloaked being. It silenced itself.


    However we are attacking the same problem in differing ways. Your way is something I find to be bold, dreamlike even, but absolutely unattainable.


    Hearing this¡ªor well, thinking his thoughts¡ªI was taken aback.


    ¡°So you agree that there is no possible way to reach the end of Mobius? That my pilgrimage is useless?¡±


    The Albatross gave me a look of quiet musing.


    Hmm¡­ It is true that there is no way of reaching the end of Mobius. However I would disagree that your pilgrimage is useless. Consider this; across Mobius there are a few entities such as myself. We are neither Nano nor human, merely AI systems that have been generated through the never ending process of Mobius¡¯s improvement. Therefore you would think that I, a child of Mobius itself, would hold the station¡¯s best interest at heart. This is not so. Most of us have been thinking of ways to destroy Mobius, or at the very least halt its production, for as long as we have existed ourselves. The problem is greater than you can imagine, however. There is a rogue being, some ghost we cannot find, who hides important data regarding Mobius. Even we have no way of dismantling the programming that caused this universal dilemma.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true then? Mobius is doomed to ceaselessly build?¡±


    Doomed to more than that, Pluto. The Nanos steal the materials from outside, after all how else could any of this be possible? It is estimated that this structure has devoured enough space to span at least two entire galaxies. Whole planets have been destroyed because of man¡¯s desire to survive as well as their proclivity for failure. There is little hope for us at this point. Your journey is important for this reason. We¡¯ve all been watching your progress, Pluto, and even if your journey ends in death and failure it was the journey that brought us all closer to salvation, for your journey guided me in the creation of that which you call Stratum 199.


    I blinked at that.


    ¡°You mean that you created 199 because of me? The whole place wasn¡¯t here to begin with?¡±


    It was merely a blank slate before I created the blueprints. It was a simple idea, one I found to be a most noble endeavor much like your own. In watching your journey I saw the suffering Mobius has wrought, the starvation, the wanton destruction, the endangerment of your own species as well as the over indulgence of the Nanos, and I came to a conclusion: there will be no solution in the material world. So I created this place. The holding bank is where we store conscious entities, both Nano and human. There we use a toxin found on one of the many planets we have pillaged and destroyed, a toxin which allows for induced hallucinations so real you don¡¯t realize it¡¯s a fantasy. Using this as well as guided, subliminal meditation, we are able to be a stopgap between 198 and 200, and in this stopgap all who attempt to forge ahead through Mobius find only peace instead. A beautiful heaven in space.


    The being in the red cloak clapped abrasively. My thoughts turned instead back to my initial instincts, and I found my hand was shaking as it gripped my Hellwhip.


    ¡°So you capture and drug beings for their own sake? I wouldn¡¯t compare yourself to me.¡±


    It is for their own sake, as you say.


    ¡°As I say?¡± I whispered to myself.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.??Indeed. I realize you hate me for I, the Albatross, flies high in your mind and knows all that you feel, but allow us to put aside our feelings and look at things from an objective standpoint. You have been traveling since Stratum 56, correct? Therefore you have traveled across nearly 150 strata in total. In that time, have you ever left a place better than when you came? Was there ever a time where that which was in your wake resided in hope, not fear?


    His question was something I often pondered as I struggled forward. My eyes have always had a difficult time facing ahead, and when you¡¯re walking as much as I have you tend to become reflective even if you aren¡¯t predisposed to such episodes. He continued without my answering.


    Knowing you based on what I see inside, I can safely say that you feel exactly as I do¡ªas we do, even. My solution doesn¡¯t solve the problem of Mobius itself. This station is still a rogue entity, an infinite tragedy making its way through the universe. Still, we must be able to help in any way possible, even in small ways. Therefore it makes perfect sense to allow for those who have forsaken the material, who have endured their own personal tragedies, to enjoy a life outside of this plane of existence.


    ¡°You make it sound so noble, as though it was all some discussion you had with everyone before sending them off to the dream world. The reality is you¡¯ve captured people against their will and drugged them so that they would comply to their new lot in life without a second thought. Don¡¯t talk to me like we¡¯re the same.¡±


    The massive face grumbled.


    Fine. But consider this: why are you the only one speaking to me now? Your companions surely were strong enough to withstand the hallucinations. Why they¡¯ve seen as much of Mobius as you have, they must know that what they experience right now is false, a chemical Eden and nothing more. Why do they accept this new reality so readily?


    I struggled. The Hellwhip made noise in my hand, a nervous clatter.


    You must realize it. They enjoy their fate, they succumb to it willingly. If they didn¡¯t, they would be here with you, discussing philosophy as we are. They know as I know, as you know even, that no matter how far they travel, no matter how hard they try, this is all for naught. All for nothing.


    In that moment I felt something that I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. I wasn¡¯t worried, or angry, or desperate. I was just scared. Pure fear engulfed me, and I felt my sensibilities taken away from me while I stood there. It felt like I was trapped there, like I had met the ultimate evil. Not necessarily the Albatross.


    Well, maybe. I don¡¯t know.


    Then Poe returned.


    It¡¯s done. Now take care of this so we can get the hell out of here, I¡¯m tired of this guy.


    The Albatross was angry.


    Remove yourself from his mind! We are in the middle of a private conversation.


    Unsure that what I was about to do was correct, I smiled a fear ridden smile.


    ¡°Come now, Albatross. You¡¯ve made it abundantly clear throughout this conversation that nothing is private on Mobius.¡±


    Then I aimed my Hellwhip and shot off a blast at level four. Not at the Albatross, though. At the shrouded figure in the corner, the being in red.


    There was no cry, no explosion. There was no feedback.


    You¡¯re making a big mistake!


    The words of the Albatross faded away with me. My last thought was a primal worry that I was in the process of dying, disappearing.


    When I came to, I was still standing in the room that was referred to as the holding bank. However now everyone had been freed, the work of Poe having worked. I was standing there with the Hellwhip in my hand, pointed at nothing, as though I had been transported there through some ethereal means. Swiftly holstering the weapon, I searched for my companions and found them quickly.


    Cat and Tom were both excited to see me.


    ¡°Are you two alright?¡± I asked them.


    ¡°More or less,¡± Tom said, his voice bouncing between octaves as though his sound chip had become faulty in some way.


    Cat smiled at me but I saw something in her eyes. Shame maybe? Or disappointment? I couldn¡¯t be certain.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± she said, her voice an echo of the girl I had met on 117. ¡°What about you? How did you get out before us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It doesn¡¯t really matter though.¡± I looked around at everyone, the corridor filled with confused faces and strange beings. ¡°You two see if everyone here is alright, maybe find Oscar if you can too. I¡¯m going to go on ahead and make sure we¡¯re safe to continue and get the hell out of here.¡±


    Before I left there was a protest from Tom, and Cat grabbed my arm firmly.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked more aggressively than I wanted.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to check on everyone like you want,¡± she said, her voice meandering around the issue, ¡°but Oscar won¡¯t be here. He left us on 198, remember?¡±


    Poe had been silent until then.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Right,¡± I said to everyone. ¡°Well, uh, just check on them all then.¡±


    I left the two of them more worried about my well being than everyone else''s, and Poe and I were absolutely confused.


    How much of that was an illusion?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Can¡¯t you run some kind of diagnostic? See if maybe that toxin the Albatross spoke of was put in our system earlier than we thought.¡±


    Maybe. I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s hard when he didn¡¯t specify the chemical compound. Or whether or not he was real.


    ¡°Just see if there was anything foreign introduced and see if you can estimate how long ago it was introduced. That¡¯s possible, right?¡±


    Maybe. I¡¯m a chip implant, not a fucking physician.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I reached the end of the corridor and was in the room that the Albatross had been in, more or less. The grand face floating in the center was gone, leaving the area feeling empty and cold. There was nothing to indicate the Albatross ever existed; no devices to project its image, no debris from its fallen visage, nothing at all remaining as evidence save for the imprint on my psyche. When I checked for remains of the being in red I found nothing as well. Now granted, I had the setting at level four when I had shot him, but my aim was shaky, a little high even. Part of him should have remained¡ªa cauterized mess of limbs should have been lying around somewhere. Instead there was nothing, just an empty chamber of sheer metal.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going insane.¡±


    Well, based on what I¡¯m seeing you have been. For approximately two days now you¡¯ve been in a chemically induced fugue. Most of it was while you were attached to the holding bank. I¡¯d guess that it¡¯s just taking your body a while to work its way through the toxin.


    I thought about it longer, tried to see if maybe the primary hallucinations were while I was attached to the holding bank and before, with the final hallucination being afterward, but I couldn¡¯t be certain.


    Pluto, I¡¯m aware that you tend to avoid any form of advice given by me, but I think you should hear me out on this one.


    Sighing, I said, ¡°Sure, go ahead. Your ideas can¡¯t be any crazier than what we¡¯ve been through.¡±


    Exactly. Whatever we just experienced was incredibly strange, but we shouldn¡¯t focus too much on it. It would be better for us to continue onward and be on our guard.


    It was simple, but I had no real answer for it so I nodded in agreement and we removed ourselves from the area, returning to the corridor where Cat and Tom were waiting for us, surrounded by the many Poe had saved from a life without living.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s alright?¡± I asked Cat.


    She nodded. ¡°Everyone¡¯s just fine aside from adjusting back to reality.¡±


    ¡°Good, well now that that¡¯s settled let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Tom walked in step with me but Cat called for me once again.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked her.


    She got close to me, her hair brushing against my face, ¡°The people who were held up as we were are grateful for you coming to their rescue. Most of them are¡­ Well they wish to come with us.¡±


    The idea was baffling to me. I looked behind me and saw the people differently then. Before when I saw the group I hadn¡¯t really bothered to count them, to see just how many people were attached to the holding bank. The more faces I saw the more worried I became. Unconsciously my head shook.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I could feed all of these people, keep them safe. They¡¯d be in mortal danger. You told them what we¡¯re doing, right?¡±


    ¡°I tried,¡± she said quickly, her defensiveness new yet old. How much had the fugue changed her? ¡°I really did. But they¡¯re all adamant about following you.¡±


    ¡°Well fine. I can¡¯t stop them from following me, but I can¡¯t be expected to treat them as I treat you and Tom.¡±


    I started walking forward but she stopped me again, her persistence warming my chest.


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to ignore them?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered with this right now, Cat. We have to leave here now. There¡¯s clearly no food or water, it¡¯s uninhabitable, and aside from all those reasons this place leaves a bad taste in my mouth after what we¡¯ve been through. I¡¯d rather just get the fuck out of here and think about the implications of this army of idiots later, sound good?¡±


    She gave me this look I had come to know as meaning we would be having an argument later, but there was something different in her eyes then, a quality that had been lost before. What was so different?


    Tom and I walked forward without looking back, but I heard what Cat said:


    ¡°Can I have your attention? Your attention please! All those who are interested in following the great Captain Pluto, begin marching behind him now or be left behind! All those who wish only to return to your homes, we will not be helping you in this endeavor! Remove yourselves from the area at your own pace, and to those who follow us, Captain Pluto welcomes you!¡±


    A surprisingly loud cry was heard from behind me. Tom and I shared a look, and though his body had become rather expressive after the work done on him I still couldn¡¯t interpret his face as I¡¯m sure he couldn¡¯t interpret mine. Our feelings on the situation were complex. Too complex for the task at hand.


    Looks like you¡¯re finally getting some recognition around here. Maybe now that you have a small army we can really start demolishing this place?


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I subvocalized. ¡°These people are foolish for following me, plus they¡¯re only adding to our responsibility. I see no benefit from this.¡±


    Hey, at worst you have people to hide behind now. Nothing wrong with a little fodder.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t get rid of you without dying.¡±


    We returned to the empty abyss and everyone seemed to stop in awe and despair. Even Tom made a whistling noise he had taken to using in reaction to things.


    ¡°I see no way of getting to that LG shaft,¡± he said, his voice still a mess of dropped octaves and sharp arpeggios. He looked embarrassed and it made me smile. That might have been the first time he had shown that emotion.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get that fixed soon,¡± I said to him. ¡°But yes, I see no real way of reaching the top.¡±


    I¡¯ll check and see if there¡¯s anything in the system here which would allow us to reach the top.


    This was fine but I was in a hurry. So without announcing it at all, I drew my Hellwhip and shot directly upward. The setting was only level three so I wasn¡¯t too worried, but Tom immediately freaked out. I won¡¯t even begin to try and decipher what he said, as the state his sound chip was in coupled with his worry was a recipe for undecipherable dialogue. I just knew he was worried I had caused trouble. And to be honest I should have been more careful. That was an act of desperate frustration with the situation, as I didn¡¯t want to be standing there in silence for long with a strange group of people behind me. The whole thing already felt weird. Or perhaps I merely wanted to show the group behind me that I was a capable leader. I know I said I didn¡¯t want them to follow me, but to say I wasn¡¯t flattered by their desire to see me as a leader would be lying. So there¡¯s a chance I wished only to be impressive in that moment.


    What resulted instead was merely a happy accident, for the moment the shot reached the LG shaft, Poe had made progress.


    Found it, we¡¯re good.


    And at that moment an incredible sight was before us. Atypical to most strata, where an ancient metal stairway was usually found along the side of the walls, 199 once more proved to be strange indeed, for it housed within it a technology I had yet to see. From the very top of the strata all the way to where we stood, a staircase made of energy which reflected light in strange ways appeared before us. Everyone made a noise of surprise, and I gingerly placed a single foot on the staircase to be sure it was solid, which it in fact was. Not solid in the normal sense of the word, as there was give beneath my weight, but it still held me as I walked upward, and soon everyone was following me in our trek upwards. The good thing was that the stairway went directly upward instead of spiraling along the wall, meaning the distance traveled was less. It would take much less time for us to reach the LG shaft.


    This sight was marred for me by what happened next within my mind, for a familiar voice revealed itself to us one last time.


    Poe, I have done this as a favor to you and Pluto, for even though you disagree with my methods I can see that your journey is still valuable to all. Just know this as you leave me; though you have taken my life force I will soon have it once again. More will venture upward, they always do, and when they do I will once more fill my holding bank with their minds, giving them a heaven that brings me to life. When I become strong enough we will meet again, Pluto. Perhaps you will let me travel with you as you have allowed those behind you to, but until then, valeo.


    Then he was gone as swiftly as he had come, leaving Poe and I in a worried silence.


    ¡°We made our way to 200, where we were able to recuperate and gather ourselves before moving on. Roughly half of the individuals who followed us stayed in 200, where a small settlement of people had already existed, having fought a war with Nanos over the land there. The other half followed me and became my first real crew, a group of like minded people and Nanos who wished nothing more than to join my pilgrimage and dismantle Mobius.¡±


    Dante nodded, seeing that Pluto was finished speaking and clicking the recording device off.


    ¡°So then it was there that you became known as Captain Pluto, a leader of misguided and disenfranchised individuals who decided against being law abiding and instead chose a life of nomadic violence and destruction. How stupid of them.¡±


    Pluto merely smiled. ¡°Trust me, I agree. My journey is not for the feint of heart. It¡¯s a thankless existence. It taxes on you after a while. Don¡¯t get me wrong, some of them were certainly cut out to follow me, but most of them were not even if they stuck around. Most of them made the wrong decision, and I feel sorry for them. Sorry for the pain I caused them even if it were not my fault.¡±


    Dante stared out at the Hell reactor, his thoughts turned inward. Though he always tried to remain attentive during a recording session, the current situation had taken him out of it. He was too worried; about his friend, about the state of 999, about his own fate as a man, as a Recorder. There was too much at stake and not enough information. Why wouldn¡¯t Giovanni tell him what was happening?


    Pluto noticed his expression and pat him on the shoulder, frightening Dante and sending him lurching forward against the guard rail.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Pluto said matter of factly. ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on any of the shit that guy said to you. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± Dante said, not thinking about what he was implying. Pluto gave him a pained expression but nodded.


    ¡°Right. Well, what now? Do you want to move on to the next part or did you have something else in mind?¡±


    Dante continued to maintain his gaze on the Hell reactor, his thoughts swirling. He didn¡¯t know what to do at all. On the one hand, he still had the time to finish recording Pluto if he so wished. But Giovanni didn¡¯t give him the okay to take the criminal with him. He was still meant to have his sentence carried out. He would be dead within the next day or so. That meant that he could record him now and get it over with, then leave him behind and make his way to 1000 on his own. But Dante knew intrinsically that this wasn¡¯t the correct way of handling things, that leaving behind Pluto would be a mistake. That thought contradicted everything he thought he knew, however. And he was well aware that the time he was wasting staring at the Hell reactor was being misused, that he should be actively working towards one goal or another, yet he continued to watch the flames rise and fall, black spots entering his vision from overexposure.


    ¡°Dante?¡±


    Thinking it over, Dante figured it might be best to just return to Pluto¡¯s room, record the final story there, and move on. This way if Pluto was in any sort of pain, a nurse could at least help him out¡ªat least, in the event that the nurse is available. His heart skipped a beat¡ªwhat if everyone was gone? Was it even worth going backwards? Should they just leave now? The thought made his insides flip, and Dante wished nothing more than to quiet his brain, to fall asleep and wake up in his bed with everything returned to the way it was.


    ¡°Dante!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dante turned angrily, as though he had actually been woken up rudely.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to see what was behind them.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got two stragglers up here,¡± the Nano said into a device on its wrist. There were ten of them, none of them appearing as Pluto had described them from earlier strata but instead looking very, very human. All of them might have tricked most people into believing they were human save for the shimmer of their ¡°skin,¡± the reflection of the Hell reactor playing off of them like porcelain dolls. Dante had seldom seen Nanos, as 999 was the very height of society on Mobius. Dante¡¯s life was far more pleasant than others, and he was well aware of that fact, especially when thinking about moving upward to 1000.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dante asked the Nanos, his voice sounding commanding as though he were in charge. ¡°Has something happened below us? You should all be at your posts at the entrance, not way up here.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Dante I presume,¡± the Nano said, shouldering the rifle it held as if stating the man before him were no threat. ¡°Yes, we are normally supposed to be below, however something unprecedented has occurred and now we are gathering those that live here and corralling them into a safe place while we take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Take care of it?¡± Dante repeated dumbly. ¡°What is going on? Explain further.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Dante, I think I can take it from here,¡± Pluto said, pushing Dante aside and standing between him and the Nanos.


    The Nano who had spoke made a face of disgust. ¡°Captain Pluto. You should be in bed.¡±


    ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t be up here, yet here we are.¡± Pluto licked his lips and flicked his head to indicate the Hell reactor behind him. ¡°Pretty great set piece for your demise, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°Pluto!¡± Dante said urgently, trying to calm the man down.


    ¡°You ought to listen to Mr. Dante,¡± the Nano said with a wry face. ¡°We out number you, and based on what I¡¯m seeing you¡¯re on your last leg as it is. There is no doubt we would kill an unarmed, sick man such as yourself, Captain Pluto.¡±


    Pluto sighed, making a great show of his defeat. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Maybe I should just surrender then, eh Dante?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dante sighed with relief. ¡°Just let these Nanos take us back to¡ª¡±


    Dante didn¡¯t see when Pluto drew the Hellwhip. He didn¡¯t see him change the setting to four. He didn¡¯t hear the hum of the weapon as it charged up. All he saw was a scramble among the Nanos in front of him, all of them realizing that Pluto wasn¡¯t unarmed at the same instant. Then there was a loud boom like the sound had been vacuumed from Dante¡¯s ears and returned to him within the same moment, and his vision exploded in a white light followed by even more black spots than before. A hand grabbed his, helped stabilize him as he coughed and wheezed from the force knocking the wind from him. When his senses were returned to him, he saw nothing but cinders and spare parts where the Nanos stood, and Pluto standing tall, smoke pouring from his Hellwhip like a vaporizer or an old world cigar.


    ¡°It appears that things are far worse than I thought,¡± Pluto said more to himself than to Dante. Then he held a hand to his head as if adjusting something unseen, and Dante wondered if he were speaking with Poe. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡± he eventually asked Dante.


    ¡°I think so, but why would you do that? They were here to help us.¡± He had wished not to sound so shaken when he spoke, but it came out stilted anyway.


    Pluto looked at Dante with admonishment in his eyes. ¡°Here I thought you were intelligent. You really haven¡¯t figured out that I came here for a reason yet, have you?¡±


    Dante blinked, confused. ¡°Yes, you came on your pilgrimage upward. You¡¯re going to the edge of Mobius.¡±


    ¡°You idiot,¡± he said with a shake of his head, a roll of his eyes. ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to travel across all of Mobius, but why would I allow myself to be captured, go through this entire process with you. You¡¯ve heard my stories. You¡¯ve seen my weapon. You don¡¯t think I could have just left by now?¡±


    Dante felt extremely small in that moment, a mixture of fear and awe within him as he watched Pluto adjust his Hellwhip and walk to the elevator.


    ¡°Right on time,¡± he said as the door opened, and Dante once again was confused.


    ¡°The nurse?¡±


    He was correct. The nurse who had been taking care of Pluto was there waiting, but she looked like she had been through a hell of her own. Her clothes were torn, her hair disheveled, but somehow she looked like she was more in her element this way. In her hands was a rod of sorts, with a forked end that emitted visible electricity every so often, as if brimming with energy with nowhere to go.


    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± she said to Pluto, her eyes alive and wild.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, Cat. How long before they¡¯re up here?¡±


    She made a gesture with her hands. ¡°Depends entirely on whether or not they get held up by anyone special. If they¡¯re on time, it should take an hour or so before they¡¯re up here.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Pluto said with a smile, then leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They spoke in hushed tones, and Dante stared with increasing interest and understanding.


    ¡°This was all an inside job¡­¡± Dante said as he meandered his way over. ¡°You guys have been planning to come here for a while, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ding-ding-ding, you figured it out!¡± Pluto said while ruffling Dante¡¯s head.


    ¡°You could do with being less rude to him,¡± Cat chided as she walked over to the guard rail, her eyes fixated on the Hell reactor. ¡°So, you¡¯ve figured out how to destroy it then?¡±


    Dante looked at Pluto with fear once more.


    ¡°You want to destroy the Hell reactor?¡±


    Pluto grinned.


    ¡°Actually, I want you to destroy it.¡±

 Chapter Seven

    CHAPTER SEVEN


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Dante looked at Pluto as though he were insane, as though what he were suggesting were nothing more than a bad joke. The longer he stared, however, the more affirmed he was that Pluto was being truthful.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pluto said with conviction, his eyes focused solely on Dante. ¡°Unfortunately there isn¡¯t much time for you to think about it so you¡¯re going to need to make your decision fast.¡±


    Dante wasn¡¯t sure what it was that pushed him, then. There was no immediate danger before him, and despite all that was said of Pluto he had been a hospitable and intriguing man to say the least. To at least consider what was being proposed would be the least Dante could do. But the fact that the proposal was the destruction of the Hell reactor¡ªthe very thing which powered 999, the contraption whose existence was the very reason for his own existence¡ªwas too much for Dante to handle. He couldn¡¯t think about such a thing, refused to consider such a proposal at all. Instead he started running.


    Now Dante was never a very athletic man. His job was largely sedentary, his position allowing for him to enjoy a diet more plentiful than most, and there were few occasions where Dante had ever utilized his physique for more than a slow stroll around 999. That being said, knowing who he was running from¡ªwhat he was running from¡ªhe put every ounce of energy into his legs, each step more powerful than the last. The air around him began to cut as his run became a sprint, his lungs compressing and decompressing relentlessly to allow for such activity. And all of this was very well, and perhaps if Dante had practiced such movements before he may have been able to outrun Pluto and Cat, been able to reach 1000 without anyone following him, where he could have waited it all out and returned in a few weeks time. Instead, his body couldn¡¯t handle the tremendous pressure he was placing it through and because of that his legs became jelly, his breath became sharp and insufficient, his head became too light to lift, and his body fell with a loud crash and a skid across the steel, leaving his body bruised and scraped up more than it ever had been before. A whimper escaped his lips, and he wished for nothing more than to be killed so that it would all be over.


    ¡°This is who you¡¯ve chosen?¡± Cat said to Pluto in hushed, angry tones. ¡°You¡¯ve made mistakes in the past, don¡¯t get me wrong, but this¡­? Him?!¡±


    ¡°Quiet, Cat,¡± Pluto chided. ¡°We both know that this is the most difficult part of our journey. He may lack the physicality of those who came before, but I believe he makes up for it in who he is, his intelligence. His cunning.¡±


    ¡°His worthless bravado you mean?¡± she snapped back, obviously angry with his decision. ¡°Whatever, do as you will. I¡¯ll love you either way. Just know that I disapprove. Were it me I¡¯d go for his leader, or maybe even higher up than that.¡±


    Pluto shook his head. ¡°The only one in charge I¡¯ve seen is that Giovanni guy, and I highly doubt he would be quick to take up the offer. Besides, you may think it¡¯s not a good metric but I do like the guy.¡±


    Cat rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Right, well go take care of him. I¡¯ll be waiting at the elevator in the event more Nanos decide to show themselves.¡±


    They shared a quick kiss and Pluto was soon above Dante, a hand held out to the wheezing Recorder.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting such a question, I guess.¡± Dante sounded embarrassed. Defeated, even. Yet Pluto still looked confident in his decision.


    ¡°I understand,¡± he said to him. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to run, though. I¡¯m not going to hurt you if you decide not to take me up on my offer.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Dante said as he stood up and brushed himself off. ¡°Then the answer is no. I cannot in good conscience destroy the very thing that keeps us alive.¡±


    Pluto shook his head. ¡°Look, we haven¡¯t got a lot of time here¡ª¡±


    ¡°As you said before, which is why I¡¯ve answered you.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even finished my proposal,¡± Pluto said, his voice becoming harsh, his eyes becoming hard. Dante gulped and nodded.


    ¡°Right, go ahead. Propose to me.¡±


    ¡°You should think before you speak sometimes,¡± Pluto said with a subdued laugh. ¡°Well then, where to begin?¡± He stared at the floor, at the ceiling, at the Hell reactor and its great pylons surrounding the intense flame; he stared everywhere but at Dante himself. ¡°You know,¡± he eventually started, ¡°I¡¯ve done this a number of times already and it never seems to get easier. Maybe it¡¯s because each and every time is the actual first time, but it truly is the what¡­ fourth time? Fifth time? I¡¯m unsure. In any case, I¡¯ve come to you for more than just your aid in destroying the Hell reactor. In all honesty I could simply do it myself and be done with it, but there¡¯s a reason I need you specifically to do it.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for interrupting,¡± Dante said, his voice a grave reflection, ¡°but why me then? Couldn¡¯t you find someone better? I don¡¯t want to do it. I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    Pluto held up a finger indicating silence. ¡°Look at me, Dante. When I was a younger man, a more healthy man, I was much like you. Much more like you than even you could possibly realize. I worried ceaselessly over inadequacies, I thought long and hard about easy decisions, I stayed put more than I moved forward. But one day I was presented with an opportunity much like this one, and I became the man you see before you. A man of action, a man of change. Kinetic. I¡¯m giving you that opportunity now.¡±


    ¡°By destroying the Hell reactor?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said, losing patience. ¡°By becoming the next Captain Pluto.¡±


    Dante once again was at a loss for words.


    ¡°What do you even mean by that?¡±


    Pluto folded his arms and groan so forcefully it made Dante gasp in worry.


    ¡°Look, I would have proposed this before had things gone correctly. But it appears that the proverbial gun has been jumped, so to speak, so I have to ask now instead. My sentence would have involved the removal of the chip in my CMP unit, which would effectively kill me. I was going to ask you to place the chip in your own CMP unit and carry on my mission for me, as you are the only one I can trust to do so.¡±


    ¡°No I am not,¡± Dante said, his voice subdued. He wanted to yell, but it was as though all the energy had been sucked from him. ¡°I cannot stop you, so you can still do what you want. But leave me out of it. I have to become a Recorder again, I have to return once everything is back to normal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your plan is foolish, Dante.¡± Pluto placed a firm hand on his shoulder and held his gaze as well as he could. ¡°I understand your feelings. Trust me. I mean you heard me speak, I wish nothing more than to find a quiet place and relax. But I am not allowed to, not so long as Mobius continues its chaotic continuance. I am the one who must halt its production by any means necessary, over the course of as many lifetimes as it takes.¡±


    The line about lifetimes was when Dante truly understood. The man before him was merely acting captain. The real Captain Pluto had long since been dead, at least biologically speaking. It explained how his story could be true. Pluto would find a replacement whenever his own body was failing him, and the adventure would continue with a new Captain Pluto at the helm.


    Dante understood, but he wished to have no part of it.


    ¡°How do you even know I have a CMP unit?¡± he asked absently, trying not to agree to anything.


    Pluto smiled at him slyly. ¡°Well actually I asked you, and you told me. Remember?¡±


    Dante didn¡¯t, but he nodded anyway.


    ¡°Alright look, I get that this is a major decision but there¡¯s one last thing I should tell you. It¡¯s the only real benefit to you becoming Captain Pluto, but it¡¯s a benefit I think you¡¯ll like.¡±


    ¡°What, will everything suddenly go well for me? If I remember correctly you said that the removal of your CMP drive alerts Mobius that you¡¯ve gone rogue. So won¡¯t I just be followed endlessly by killer Nanos?¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Pluto said with a nod. ¡°But you will also have access to every single memory I¡¯ve ever made, from Strata 56 to now. You would have the ultimate recording. It would make the files you¡¯ve made with me obsolete.¡±


    He would hate to admit it, but Pluto knew him extremely well. Or at least well enough to know just how to bait him into accepting the offer. Everything about 999 was falling apart around him¡ªGod only knew what was going on below them at that moment¡ªso the thought of being a Recorder in a few weeks again, returning everything to normal, just didn¡¯t sit well with him. He knew deep down that there was no chance of that happening. So the thought that he would be able to hold the memories of a man¡ªwell, men¡ªwho had traveled across Mobius, scaling nearly a thousand strata, was enough for him to deeply consider the opportunity being presented him. Ultimate knowledge, endless experience. Technical immortality. All for the price of his compliance in explicitly criminal activity.


    ¡°One last question,¡± Dante said, his voice revealing to Pluto that the bait had been taken.


    ¡°Go right ahead,¡± Pluto said, happiness written all over his face.


    ¡°If I become you, will I become as strong as you? As good with the Hellwhip as you are? Will Dante disappear into Pluto?¡±


    ¡°Dante, I¡¯ll be honest with you. If I place this drive into your CMP unit, there is a strong chance that you will become as Poe was to me. Your body will merely be the house in which Pluto lives. But if things go as I believe they will, Dante will be in control as the new Pluto, and that shall be that.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ll be stronger?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still your body. We¡¯ll be weak as shit. You¡¯ll get stronger as we move forward, though. You¡¯re more of an investment.¡±


    Dante nodded, then walked away, once more finding himself at the guard rail. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have much time to think, but he needed to take at least a moment to consider now. Sure, he would need to do unsavory things as Captain Pluto. Many unsavory things indeed. But there was also a strong chance that he would be able to get to experience more than ever, not only by moving upward but by seeing the life of the many Plutos. Each one saw most of Mobius. Each one had experiences to share. Were Dante to accept the offer, he would have access to knowledge of any strata he thought to look into, from 56 to 999. And he would have access to the experiences of the companions as well. Cat seemed rather interesting, for example. Dante was certain she would have an interesting perspective, a story to be recorded. The only issue Dante saw was the criminal aspect. The very idea of pointing a weapon at anyone¡ªeven a Nano¡ªwas disturbing. He couldn¡¯t see himself doing it.


    A loud boom interrupted his thoughts, and spinning around he saw that more Nanos had followed them up the elevator. Cat and Pluto took quick care of them, Cat dismantling them with her strange pitchfork of lightning, Dante disintegrating the remainder with his Hellwhip.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Dante yelled.


    Both Pluto and Cat turned to him in surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do it then?¡± Pluto asked fervently, eyes wide with excitement.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t much of a choice,¡± Dante said. ¡°But I¡¯ll only do it on one condition.¡±


    Pluto nodded. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We have to save Giovanni.¡±


    The three of them traveled down the elevator, the tension awkward due primarily to Cat and her continuous display of outward anger. Whether it was to Dante, Pluto, or both, neither could say. The anger was palpable, though, and Dante could do nothing but remain quiet and as far away from her as he could within that small confined space.


    ¡°So,¡± Pluto said in hopes to cut the tension, ¡°You know where Giovanni will be?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Dante said with mild embarrassment. ¡°He never said exactly what was happening, but I figure he must be in his office. I would imagine much of the upper brass are in their offices.¡±


    Cat made a defiant noise which Dante and Pluto did there best to ignore.


    Something about it triggered a thought in Dante¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hey, wait a second. Giovanni was talking about an attack on 999. Said something about having to stay behind to go down with the strata. You two wouldn¡¯t be the ones responsible, would you?¡±


    Pluto gave him a look Dante had become familiar with, one which meant he was about to say something that was meant to make him angry so that Pluto could get a kick out of it.


    ¡°What if we are?¡±


    ¡°Cut that shit out,¡± Dante said. ¡°Just tell me if you know anything about the attack. Is it the Nanos that are here?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t explain fuck all to him, did you?¡± Cat said without looking at anyone, a playful smile pulling at her lips.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t exactly have time, what with all the recording sessions being about my past and my sickness taking a major toll on me.¡±


    Cat gave him a sly glance before continuing in her silent judgment.


    Pluto nervously examined his Hellwhip before entering his explanation. ¡°You probably haven¡¯t heard since you¡¯re so far up, but something went wrong about ten strata below. The Nanos here, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, are docile and human loving. They work together with you and you work together with them in a beautiful symbiosis that was seen as the dream amongst men centuries ago. However, there is a being which has broken through the systems governing the Nanos of these strata, and in doing so they have altered their programming so that they are to corral all humans and murder them in cold blood.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dante was repulsed by the thought.


    ¡°Because there is a group of Nanos, of AI systems, who want nothing more than all humanity wiped out. They see them as an ecological problem.¡±


    Dante wished to argue but saw Pluto was in no mood for such things.


    ¡°Well then, what will destroying the Hell reactor do to stop them?¡± Dante asked, curious.


    ¡°Honestly? There¡¯s a chance it won¡¯t work.¡±


    Pluto¡¯s words made his blood run cold.


    ¡°The chances of it not working are minimal, however, and the rewards greatly outweigh the risks. If you take out the Hell reactor, power will cease from here downward. This would remove the pathways of the rogue AI. The Nanos would shut down as well, go into hibernation. This would give us a chance to either destroy them all or find a way to reprogram them before the AI could find them.¡±


    Dante nodded but was still confused as the elevator door opened.


    ¡°There¡¯s flaws to that logic, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Pluto asked him to explain.


    ¡°Well, this solution doesn¡¯t get rid of the AI, it merely stops its progress and allows us to alter its own alterations. The only real way to stop it with your proposed solution is to kill all the Nanos, which would result in a dismantling of the way we live here. It would be as catastrophic as killing us all.¡±


    Sighing, Pluto gestured for Dante to walk with him while he talks.


    ¡°There are no other solutions, Dante. We¡¯ve thought this over for a long time.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Cat said. ¡°There are many decisions we hate to make, but we make them because we must and the alternatives are worse.¡±


    ¡°Well being stupid is a bad decision no matter how you present it to me.¡±


    Cat looked at him like she was ready to kill him, but Pluto gave him a quiet nod, as though Dante¡¯s words confirmed his decision in a successor were correct.


    ¡°Then come up with something better,¡± Pluto said. ¡°We are always open to new ideas, so long as they aren¡¯t any dumber than our own.¡±


    The two continued forward as Dante slowed his walking speed, focusing all his mental energy on solving a problem he had no business solving, searching for solutions among the extraneous knowledge he had slowly accumulated over the years. He feared he would come up short.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± Pluto said, the look on his face one of worn out aggravation. Cat¡¯s was no better.


    Dante glanced around the room as though he might find a clue hidden within the mostly empty office, then he perked up. ¡°Right. He said he would go down with the strata, that means he¡¯s more than likely¡ª¡±


    ¡°Further down,¡± Cat said as she stomped out of the room, her weapon ready in her hands.


    Pluto nodded at Dante and the two followed her in a loud silence. Dante continued searching his thoughts for solutions not involving the Hell reactor.


    Just as they were about to hear the audio cue for the elevator opening, there was a bang on the double doors, then another, then another, and the doors were forced open through blunt trauma. Before Dante could even see what was waiting for them, Cat leapt through the opening, the sound of her battle cries causing his heart to beat faster than he wanted it to.


    ¡°She is absolutely terrifying,¡± he said without thinking. Pluto smirked at him.


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t always. Living as we do, you sort of become terrifying.¡±


    Pluto set his Hellwhip to level one or two¡ªDante couldn¡¯t quite tell¡ªand blasted the doors forward so that they could escape more easily. The sight they were greeted with was more than Dante could have imagined; countless Nanos were in combat with men Dante recognized¡ªRecorders, Politicians, Leaders, Security, even the Cooks were fighting the Nanos on this level using whatever they could find, makeshift weapons and stolen ones alike. Pluto began picking the Nanos off with calculated shots that never seemed to miss, localizing the damage only to the Nanos doing all the attacking. Cat was mowing down Nanos with such ruthless aggression it was hard for Dante to watch.


    While Pluto was picking the Nanos off, he glanced at Dante and said, ¡°We¡¯re going to be a little busy with all this. Any way you can see if Giovanni is here?¡±


    Dante looked around. It was hard for him to tell if any specific person was anywhere in all the pandemonium, and the bright blue light of the Hellwhip¡¯s shots kept blinding his eyes. He persisted in his search but shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see him at all,¡± he said too quietly, having to repeat himself louder for Pluto to hear.


    ¡°Right, well then follow me. I¡¯ll carve a path for us and we can see if he¡¯s here.¡±


    Dante wished to protest but Pluto took a few steps to the right, lined up a shot, and pierced through three Nanos simultaneously without hitting any humans. With awe in his eyes, Dante followed Pluto forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t watch me!¡± Pluto barked over the sound of a shot. ¡°Look for Giovanni!¡±


    Nodding, Dante did his best to continue his search. They walked for a while and just as he was about to give up he realized where he might be. It had taken him a while to remember where he was, but they were in the lower regions of the apartment complex. His eyes wandered upward, searching the upper balconies, and sure enough he saw that there was struggling above.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s up there,¡± Dante said, pulling on Pluto¡¯s arm to show him.


    ¡°You see him?¡± Pluto asked as he picked another Nano off with casual ease.


    Dante shook his head. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t see him down here either and I feel like he might want to be higher up for the vantage point.¡±


    Pluto shrugged and asked him which way to the stairs was. It wasn¡¯t too far off from where they stood, so Pluto picked off a few more Nanos and they were running up the steps. Dante worried that they might be followed, but saw no one behind him whenever he took a peek over his shoulder. Instead what he saw before him was a line of carnage, Nanos having killed just about everyone on the level. A wave of nervous nausea struck Dante and he worried he couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°Well, that makes things easier,¡± Pluto said to no one in particular. Dante heard the click of the setting change on the Hellwhip, and suddenly a blast louder than any he had ever heard emitted from the deceptively small pistol, the force knocking Dante to his backside despite not having shot it himself. Once he could stand again, he immediately began yelling at Pluto.


    ¡°You arrogant fool! What if people were up here? What about Giovanni? If he was there he¡¯d be dead!¡±


    Blowing on the smoke rising from the Hellwhip, Pluto shrugged. ¡°I saw no sign of biological life on this level, therefore I deemed it easier to take them out with one shot.¡±


    ¡°Saw no signs¡­! You saw nothing! How could you figure that out but you require me to see if Giovanni is here?!¡±


    Pluto sighed. ¡°Look, I haven¡¯t got time for you to be acting like this. Either help me find Giovanni or go run and hide somewhere. I know what he looks like anyway, I can probably just do it myself.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you want me to help?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s your friend. I just thought you¡¯d want to find him yourself.¡± Pluto shook his head and continued forward. The sight of his back walking away from him etched itself in Dante¡¯s mind and he growled a noise of frustration before trotting along to follow him. He was only a few steps behind Pluto when he felt his leg become caught on something. His knee twisted, there was a shout of agony, then he hit the steel with a loud thump, sending his head into a dizzy pain. He tried to stand, but not only was his leg not cooperating, something was also gripping it tightly. Scared to turn his gaze backwards, Dante glanced and saw the mutilated body of a Nano, its face nearly gone, instead just a series of open wires fraying like Medusa, two red cameras acting as her eyes and turning him to stone. He tried to scream but couldn¡¯t.


    He didn¡¯t need to.


    A sharp, pinpoint blast from the Hellwhip pierced through the Nano with ease, allowing Dante to free himself and stand awkwardly on his now twisted leg. Pluto was there in a flash.


    ¡°You okay?¡± he asked, eyes still searching around for more stragglers.


    Dante nodded, his expression revealing his true feelings. Quickly, Pluto knelt down and grabbed Dante¡¯s leg. ¡°Hold onto that railing. Relax your leg for a second.¡± Doing as he was told, Dante¡¯s breathing drew shallow and rapid. He had no experience with such things, but even he could tell what Pluto was about to try and do. There was a quick snap, a shot of split second agony, followed by relief.


    ¡°Any better?¡± Pluto asked, stepping away and once again resuming his scan of the area.


    Putting a little pressure on his foot at first, then more, Dante nodded in amazement. ¡°All better, somehow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be all better in a few days, right now that¡¯s just gonna help for a bit,¡± Pluto said.


    Making a pained noise, Dante looked down and saw Cat in her continued onslaught of Nanos, a sight more frightening than anything he¡¯d seen Pluto do. Her weapon, her movements, and her guttural shouts were all so visceral that he could do no more than be shocked and terrified. Pluto smirked when he saw what he was looking at. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, ¡°let¡¯s find Giovanni without anymore distractions. And stay by me, that way stupid shit like this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    With that, Dante was in step, following close behind Pluto as they rose to the next level. His steps were still very uncoordinated and it was difficult to maintain a good pace, but there wasn¡¯t too much pain. He knew that it was going to be possible to follow for at least a while, though he was sure he must look strange with his awkward limp. Pluto lead him through the Nanos, blasting pathways through them like ripples in the water, all while calmly motioning and calling out his, ¡°Come ons!¡± and ¡°Let¡¯s gos!¡±


    It took a little time and a lot of destruction, but eventually Dante saw Giovanni. He was, unfortunately, not where they had been going; Dante had chanced a glance over the edge of the railing and saw that Giovanni and a number of other men were on the ground. They had shown up as reinforcements, Dante assumed, and they joined the battle with Cat and the others, taking down Nanos with gusto. Giovanni stood in the back, his face a difficult thing to read.


    When Dante told Pluto where he was, Pluto frowned and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Is he safe?¡±


    ¡°Relatively,¡± Dante said as he watched from above. He found that seeing the battle from such a vantage point was a little more relaxing. It was obvious to him that the Nanos, while great in numbers, were severely outclassed by the likes of Cat and her pitchfork.


    Pluto stomped next to him and holstered his Hellwhip. ¡°Right, well grab onto me then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just hold on, I¡¯m going to take us down there.¡±


    Dante suddenly felt a lurch of vertigo induced nausea seeing the view from that same vantage point. ¡°Can¡¯t we just walk down? There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll survive such a fall!¡±


    Pluto merely grinned. ¡°Come on now, Dante. Surely you know the strength of a skinsuit. We¡¯ll be safe, trust me. I¡¯ve fallen from higher places¡ªby accident, even.¡±


    Dante was about to argue but Pluto saw his chance and instead hoisted him over his shoulder, planted one foot on the railing, then pushed off with all his strength. In a matter of seconds, Dante was falling through the air, his only view a shaky one of the floor they had jumped from and Pluto¡¯s legs. For a moment it felt like nothing would be fine, that they would tumble to the ground and either be pulled apart from the sheer force of the fall, or they would be taken out by any number of Nanos on the ground.


    ¡°Shit, hold on!¡± Pluto yelled just before they landed.


    ¡°Not one for¡ª!¡± Dante started to say, but couldn¡¯t finish what he was trying to say, ¡°¡ªinstilling good faith, are you?¡± Instead he felt the quick rummage for the Hellwhip, then suddenly heard the click and smash of the weapon being used, the force of which actually halted their momentum, causing them to instead land gracefully among the many strewn about Nano corpses. Surely there were dead men and women as well, but Dante wished not to think about those.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.??Pluto unceremoniously dropped Dante, leaving him in tears on the ground while he searched around for Giovanni once again.


    ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Dante asked through grit teeth.


    ¡°We were about to land very badly,¡± Pluto said, his focus still on the location of Giovanni.


    Dante saw his trouble and found Giovanni immediately. ¡°There!¡±


    The two of them ran over to him, Pluto taking care of anyone in their way while Dante merely tried his best to keep up. Despite not physically taking part in the jump from above, his fear as they fell was more than enough to sap what little energy he had.


    Giovanni saw them coming quickly. Dante wondered why at first before realizing that he must have noticed the Hellwhip. As a weapon, its piercing blasts were difficult to miss, and the noise accompanying it left little room for stealth.


    ¡°I told you to leave,¡± Giovanni said to Dante in a confusing way, somewhere between anger and relief.


    ¡°Once I saw all this, I couldn¡¯t just run away,¡± Dante said, the his voice sounding all wrong.


    Giovanni finally looked at his friend and saw how bad he was. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be just fine,¡± Pluto said, stepping between the two men. ¡°He twisted his leg at the knee. Might be sore for a few days but otherwise he¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Giovanni said, his look one of amazement. Dante was sure he hadn¡¯t expected to see Pluto like this. ¡°Well what exactly are you doing here? Give me a real answer, this isn¡¯t the time for fun and games.¡±


    Dante took a deep breath. ¡°Of course,¡± he said, ¡°well, we¡¯re here to save you.¡±


    The look Giovanni gave Dante was unexpected, to say the least. It looked to Dante as if his statement was a blow to his friend¡¯s pride.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I can handle myself against some rogue Nanos?¡± he asked, his voice a commanding whisper. ¡°We¡¯ve got the best squad there is here taking them on. Mr. July has taken measures to ensure our victory here. We don¡¯t plan on losing the strata, Dante. So if that¡¯s all there is, you can either start helping us destroy these rogue bastards or you can remove yourself from the area as I said to before.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dante said, shaking his head. ¡°You misunderstand me here. The Nanos aren¡¯t the thing that¡¯s dangerous. It¡¯s us.¡±


    Giovanni looked from him to Pluto with a confused frown.


    ¡°Here, let me explain,¡± Pluto interjected. ¡°Your Hell reactor is about to expire. When it does, this strata as well as the two hundred below will lose all of their power and begin running on reserves. When this happens you won¡¯t survive for long. There will also be a large explosion when the Hell reactor is destroyed. There will most likely be casualties. Dante here just wanted to make sure that you survived and came with him¡ªwith us.¡±


    For a moment, Dante thought that Pluto revealing his plan to escape meant he would certainly die. There was a weapon on Giovanni, though it was concealed partially by his overly long sleeves.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all you have to say, then leave,¡± Giovanni said.


    Both Pluto and Dante shared a look.


    ¡°We came all this way to save you,¡± Dante said, moving forward slightly, his knee twinging just enough to cause him pain. ¡°You can¡¯t just stay here and die.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die,¡± Giovanni said, taking a few steps past them and pulling out his weapon, some antiquated pistol that might have looked like the Hellwhip but packed far less punch. He aimed it and shot a Nano that was running towards them directly through the head, then again through the chest. This was a classic double tap and for normal weapons was the fastest way to destroy a Nano. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough experience and firepower here to keep us all alive for a while. Now I¡¯m not going to ask you again, Dante, but please get out of here. Go to 1000. We can take care of all of this.¡±


    Dante looked downward. His leg was straight but it felt crooked. His first time trying to save his first friend from his first real, life threatening danger had gone completely wrong. Without realizing it, his face became wet with tears.


    Pluto shot a Nano from long distance, more of a nervous tic than a shot of defense. ¡°You don¡¯t need to take him with you,¡± he said, his words as deliberate as Dante had ever heard him. ¡°Not everyone is cut out for what we¡¯re about to do.¡±


    There was a pain in his words that was familiar, and Dante knew Pluto spoke from experience. A sob escaped his lips. He hadn¡¯t cried since his father had died.


    ¡°Was there anything else you wanted to do?¡± Pluto asked him. The question went into Dante but was never processed for further inspection. Dante¡¯s focus was on Giovanni, and he saw that his friend was in the process of reloading his weapon with a cartridge with a Nano rushing him, ready to spear him with a bayonet of pure energy. Dante¡¯s frail body was without a weapon, and he could barely walk let alone run, but he had come all this way to save Giovanni. Pluto¡¯s attention was elsewhere, he wouldn¡¯t save him in time. With tremendous will, Dante began running, rushing to save his friend.


    Pluto saw this and immediately switched to shoot the Nano with his Hellwhip, but by the time he raised the weapon he saw that Dante was already in the line of fire. It would be too dangerous for him to shoot.


    Dante rushed with agonizing steps, each one sending vibrations of pain upwards. It was obvious that whatever Pluto had done for his leg was temporary and not something that would totally fix him. He would need days of rest and possibly a real medical professional to take a look at his leg to make sure it wasn¡¯t broken. None of that mattered, however.


    Without thinking of the consequences, Dante tackled the Nano and stopped it in its tracks, both beings momentum canceling each other out with a resounding thud. Both Giovanni and Pluto stared in frantic worry, Giovanni stumbling and messing up the placement of the cartridge as the nerves got to him. The Nano rolled over on top of Dante and drew back the bayonet, then went to slam it downward on his had. Dante wished only to slip his head to one side and grab the weapon, disarm the Nano and possibly stab it himself. But he was too awkward, too unused to combat for such things. Instead, he swung to one side so hard that the Nano was then beneath him, the weapon faltering in its hands. Dante then forcefully placed his left hand on the elbow joint of the arm holding the bayonet, then began pummeling the Nanos face with his bare fists. It was a useless, primal attack, a desperate maneuver in the face of his friend¡¯s possible death.


    Pluto walked over to him and said, ¡°Dante, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Dante looked up at him, his body filled with chemicals he seldom felt before.


    Then Pluto shot the Nano in the face with a low level blast, just enough to shut it down. Shrapnel still flew in all directions, some of it getting into Dante¡¯s face and eyes, but otherwise he was kept safe.


    Giovanni finally got the cartridge into his weapon with a frustrated sigh of relief. Pluto walked over and pat Giovanni on the back.


    ¡°You can get up now, Dante. We have to get out of here.¡± Pluto pulled Dante to his feet, helping to make sure he was able to stand and walk. ¡°Obviously your buddy Giovanni here has everything under control.¡±


    It looked as though Giovanni wished to speak but held his tongue.


    Dante knelt down and yanked the bayonet from the Nano¡¯s hands. It was a strange weapon, a long rifle with energy emitting beneath it in mimicry to an ancient Earth weapon. Dante wasn¡¯t sure he should¡ªor could¡ªuse it effectively, but holding it made him feel better. He propped it under his elbow and used it as a makeshift crutch, though he was worried he might injure himself so he was careful in how he walked with it.


    The two of them went for a couple of steps before Pluto spoke to him.


    ¡°That was extremely reckless of you. Especially dangerous. You could have died.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Dante said weakly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Pluto said with a smirk. ¡°You continue to prove to me that I was correct in choosing you as my successor. Punching a Nano in the face? That¡¯s some spirit. You showed the same spirit when you attacked me before. I think you¡¯ll go far as the next Captain.¡±


    A swell of pride filled Dante, and it became a little easier to walk.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Giovanni called out. Both men turned to see him jogging over to them.


    ¡°Change your mind?¡± Dante asked, knowing his friend more than likely hadn¡¯t.


    Giovanni shook his head. ¡°No, but I think you should know something. Mr. July specifically wanted you to be in charge of the Captain Pluto case.¡±


    A strange shiver went down Dante¡¯s spine. Pluto made a look Dante had never seen before. Was it shock?


    ¡°Who is Mr. July?¡± Pluto asked the two of them, voice shaking mildly.


    His face grim and his eyes darting about to ensure either no one was listening in or that no Nanos were about to attack them, Giovanni explained: ¡°Mr. July is the man in charge of the entire Hegemony of the 990s. He is the man who keeps all ten strata as a single colony, and has been the reason behind why we are attempting to move further down. His wish is to unite all of Mobius under one strict governing body.¡±


    Pluto made a noise of disgust. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Giovanni asked. Dante might have smiled had the subject matter been different, for he could see his friend conflicted over the fact that he wished to attack Captain Pluto but couldn¡¯t knowing he would lose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that you¡¯re saying something wrong, Giovanni. I¡¯m just speaking from my experiences in coming upwards from the lower strata. In my time below, never once has anyone said anything regarding a single leader over multiple strata. No one has mentioned a man by the name of ¡®July¡¯ either. So forgive me if I find it difficult to believe what you say is true, as it¡¯s not necessarily your fault. There¡¯s the possibility that I never encountered someone who would have brought it up, as though I travel far I tend not to stay in places for very long.¡±


    ¡°Or else this happens,¡± Dante said sullenly.


    Pluto nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, Mr. July isn¡¯t one for giving out his name,¡± Giovanni said, his voice becoming harsher, more like the friend Dante was familiar with. ¡°He¡¯s not even well known here. Only those who need to know, know of Mr. July. His word goes above everyone else in the Hegemony. No one even knows what he looks like! Yet we all would put our lives before his, as he is the only one capable of uniting the us.¡±


    Dante could see Pluto becoming angry, and he heaved a sigh before attempting to calm him. ¡°Mr. July is an idealist, Pluto. I highly doubt he¡¯ll achieve his goal.¡±


    ¡°I know something of that myself,¡± Pluto muttered. There was sweat on his forehead. ¡°In any case, why would he want Dante to be on my case? Does he have some higher plan?¡± Pluto¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Is that why he is meant to go to 1000?¡±


    Giovanni looked as though he were about to answer when Cat came near like a meteor, smashing a Nano that was closing in on the group with vicious imprecision. ¡°You guys done with the small talk, or do I need to keep this up for a while longer?¡±


    It was obvious to even Dante that though she was incredible, there was no way she could keep fighting for much longer. Sweat was dripping off her body as though she had been in a shower, and her eyes were flickering like a dying star.


    Pluto altered the setting on his Hellwhip and blasted a group from far away, destroying a wall behind them for good measure. ¡°Give us one more second.¡±


    Cat glared with one eye open.


    ¡°To answer your question,¡± Giovanni said, ¡°I have no idea what the purpose of sending Dante to 1000 could mean. All I know is that it is more likely than unlikely that Dante is meant to continue upwards in the hopes that he can bring together everyone from above as well, perhaps even halt the continued building and disruption that Mobius has been known for for the past few centuries.¡±


    Dante couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing.


    ¡°Why not choose you?¡± he asked Giovanni.


    ¡°He did, actually.¡± Giovanni gave a wry smile. ¡°I declined. Said maybe you would be a better choice.¡±


    There was an explosion and they all turned to see what it was. Smoke billowed out from a hole made from beneath them, and suddenly a number of shapes appeared in the smoke, one by one leaping upwards or climbing up from where ever it was they came from. Giovanni pointed his weapon towards them but Pluto held out a hand.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t shoot,¡± he said calmly, his satisfaction evident. ¡°These are with me.¡±


    Throughout all of this¡ªthe recordings, the fights, the last few days as a whole¡ªDante had slowly been warming to the idea that perhaps Pluto really was the actual Captain Pluto the myths had been about, a man who had come from the lowest of strata to save the poor humans who happened to be stuck here from the rogue entity they themselves had created. For a time, to Dante it was merely a good story to tell the young children before bed, to allow for them to enjoy good dreams before adulthood stole those away. When Pluto asked Dante to continue his legacy, be the next Captain, part of Dante still regarded the whole thing as a mere ruse, a last ditch scam by the criminal he recorded. Even the Hellwhip, powerful as it appeared, lacked the oomph he had come to expect from the mythological weapon of yore, the tool he¡¯d heard described by the criminal himself. Sure it hummed, and it certainly destroyed, but there wasn¡¯t any indication it could decimate an entire strata.


    The moment Dante saw the group of ruthless vagrants walk through the smoke, all manner of folk from humans to Nanos, all wearing a cornucopia of colored garments no doubt stolen across the vastness of Mobius slowly but surely as their adventure progressed, all using weapons they had stolen from Nanos, all of them lead by a single Nano who no doubt must have been the Tom Captain Pluto had spoken of¡ªthat was the moment that Dante believed without a doubt that Pluto must be the real thing, that he truly was the Captain Pluto his father used to tell stories about, the one who would save us all from the evil emitting from our very house.


    The lead Nano walked over and gave Pluto a swift hug, a strange display of emotion to see from a being of steel and wires. Yet immediately Dante could see that Tom was of a different ilk, that were it not for his physical makeup it would seem that he was absolutely human in terms of his being, his soul. The smile on his face may have been made through programming, but the emotion it displayed was pure.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive,¡± Tom said with a hint of playfulness.


    ¡°And you¡¯re still always late,¡± Pluto replied, a grin on his face. Then he turned and introduced everyone. ¡°Giovanni, Dante, this is Tom, my right hand and the one who leads the Lost.¡±


    Tom held out a hand to shake Dante¡¯s, and it was clear to Dante that Tom knew who he was shaking hands with. ¡°Nice to finally meet you. Are you prepared?¡±


    Dante wasn¡¯t sure what he meant exactly, but he said, ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Tom said with a quick nod. ¡°Well, where is the Hell reactor? Is it higher up?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pluto said. ¡°We have to go up there, to the sixtieth floor. There we should be able to figure out a way to destroy it safely, though it¡¯s going to be a lot harder than I thought initially.¡±


    Tom smiled, showing silicone teeth. ¡°Well we already figured it was close to impossible. Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    They all gathered themselves and began leaving, but Dante and Giovanni stopped to speak one last time.


    ¡°You know, you can still come with us,¡± Dante said, his attempt at a smile stopped by a sharp pain in his leg.


    Giovanni shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll think it over. Maybe I¡¯ll come after you at some point.¡±


    Dante shook his head. ¡°I know you won¡¯t. Mr. July probably wants you to stay, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Giovanni clasped Dante¡¯s hand and they parted ways.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you want the kid to do this?¡± Tom asked, his body glowing from the flames of the Hell reactor.


    Everyone had gathered on the sixtieth floor, with Cat leading a group of about two dozen of the Lost soldiers to guard the elevator door, and the remainder of them all congregating near the guard rail, with Dante, Tom, and Pluto all discussing the Hell reactor. Dante had initially wondered why they hadn¡¯t gone higher, but Pluto had explained that it simply was easier to see the entire thing from the sixtieth floor, which is true. It¡¯s the entire reason why Dante would go up there in the first place, the view was special. Still, even with such a great view, none of them could seem to figure out a way to destroy the monstrous reactor.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not that I want him to do it,¡± Pluto said. ¡°It¡¯s that he has to do it. I¡¯m going to be gone soon and if he can¡¯t do it on his own then there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll survive moving upward.¡±


    Tom emitted a strange noise that Dante could only interpret as a sigh. ¡°Right, then if he fails and you¡¯re gone, we go to our second plan.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Pluto. ¡°So we need to figure this out now otherwise we¡¯re screwed for at least a while.¡±


    Tom used this time to scan the reactor for weak points, and Pluto seemed to be doing something on his own, possibly navigating the network though that was difficult to surmise merely by sight, and this left Dante alone in his own quiet, a place he often was but disliked in times such as this. He couldn¡¯t sit still. He¡¯d move, fidget, and stare at the Hell reactor with a stern look as though his mind could will it to stop its production. Then, as with all things in this way, through his bored fidgeting an idea emerged and he became more excited and animated than he had been in a long time.


    ¡°The pylons!¡± he exclaimed, his grip on the guard rail showing the whites of his knuckles.


    Pluto looked at Dante with fierce interest. ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s crazy¡ªridiculous, even¡ªbut the entire premise of destroying the Hell reactor is ridiculous so I began to think of ridiculous things. When you shot the Hell reactor itself, it ate up the blast as though it were made of the same substance. But the pylons are made of steel, and they raise up higher than the actual reactor, see? So if we hit the pylons just right¡ª¡±


    ¡°We could knock them into the Hell reactor, disrupting it and ceasing its production,¡± Pluto finished. He appeared interested but was shaking his head anyway. ¡°Tom, what do you think? Is that feasible?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Tom said without hesitation.


    When he didn¡¯t continue, Dante pressed him. ¡°Can I ask why?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Tom said. ¡°For starters, the odds of you striking any of those pylons in the right spot are slim. You would need to place the shot correctly so that the pylon would fall over and strike the reactor instead of merely disintegrating the pylon itself, which also means you would need to set the Hellwhip to¡­ level 2 or 3, approximately. Then you would need to make the perfect shot. After this, however, there is a strong chance that the Hell reactor wouldn¡¯t stop right away.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dante asked.


    ¡°I mean that the pylon would knock over the Hell reactor, but that thing is a veritable sun. If that thing is knocked loose, there¡¯s no telling what would happen. It¡¯s held together in that space so that it doesn¡¯t destroy everything around it, so one can assume that if it were set free it would begin destroying absolutely everything here, possibly even sucking us up with a massive pull that we cannot feel due to its current safe, docile circumstances.¡±


    Dante was about to ask further but Pluto placed a firm hand on his shoulder. ¡°Tom is always right, Dante. Always. If what he is saying is what will happen, then we should move on from that idea and explore others.¡±


    And that¡¯s what they did, but to no avail. Tom proposed that they shoot up above it to bury the reactor, but this would more than likely force the reactor downward onto people below, and with its weight and possible gravity it could fall for a lot longer than a single strata. Pluto found that there was a way into the system of 999, but it was heavily encrypted and with little time to spare the idea of making his way into the system and shutting the Hell reactor off wasn¡¯t plausible. On top of this, as he kept saying, he wished Dante to do it himself, and this would prevent him from solving the issue. A feeling of immense pressure was on him, but Dante didn¡¯t wish to give up.


    ¡°Is there absolutely no way we all survive if we knock a pylon into the Hell reactor?¡± he asked Tom.


    Tom seemed to mull it over. ¡°No, there is a small chance everyone can survive. Certain factors increase the chances, however.¡±


    ¡°Such as everyone evacuating the area?¡± Dante said.


    Tom nodded. ¡°Yes, but that would mean that only the person shooting the pylon would be in the vicinity. That means you, Dante.¡±


    It was a frightening thought, but Dante limped to face Pluto and said, ¡°Well, give me the Hellwhip. You get everyone out of here, up to 1000. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa!¡± Pluto reeled back, waving his hands. ¡°You can¡¯t mean to do all of this on your own. I mean, sure I wanted you to physically do it by yourself, but to be absolutely alone with this in your condition is suicide. That defeats the whole purpose.¡±


    ¡°May I interject?¡± Tom said with sincerity. Dante had already begun to like Tom. He was easier to get along with than most humans he had known. ¡°Why not just stay here with him and we¡¯ll all pave a path upward, Pluto?¡±


    "Out of the question,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you guys behind like that. Besides we might need to stay to fight more Nanos.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we destroyed a lot of them on our way up,¡± Tom said. ¡°If you couple our numbers with those of 999 who also aided in the fight, then we have no reason to continue being here. In fact the longer we stay, the more likely it is that more Nanos show up. So it is better if we all move upward and you two finish this.¡±


    Pluto continued to protest but Tom grabbed Dante and began moving him carefully before placing him down specifically in front of a pylon. ¡°This one is the most likely candidate to strike the Hell reactor and also give you both a chance to escape,¡± he said. ¡°When you strike it, the Hell reactor will stop powering everything so you must move upward using the emergency stairs to the right, that way,¡± he pointed towards them. Dante was already aware of their existence but nodded anyway. ¡°The spot you will want to strike is right about¡­ there, just above the ground.¡± The spot Tom pointed to was low on the pylon, perhaps a full story above the ground level where the pylon began.


    ¡°Level two?¡± Dante asked him.


    ¡°Perhaps. Level three might work better but it would be safer to try two first,¡± Tom said. ¡°Now stay right here, don¡¯t move or else you¡¯ll be out of the correct spot.¡±


    After that, Tom went to the elevator and told the Lost the plan, sending some of them up the elevator and the rest up the stairs. Pluto was left speechless, shaking his head in a way that told Dante this was a common occurrence.


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Pluto said, ¡°Tom is effectively the leader of the Lost. I¡¯m more of a figure head at this point. Just the guy with the dumb gun.¡±


    Walking up next to him, Pluto handed the Hellwhip to Dante and leaned over the guard rail as though they were there for a conversation, not a veritable heist, one of stealing energy away from hundreds of thousands.


    The gun was much heavier than it had felt before. Much shinier, more deadly looking. Dante didn¡¯t wish to hold it.


    ¡°Tom told you where to point it, right?¡±


    Dante nodded, his gaze never leaving the weapon in his hands. He would periodically feel the urge to sway, to walk, but would stop his legs from moving so that his spot would remain as perfect as possible.


    They waited a moment and heard a soft crunch of metal from afar, a noise Dante had never cared for before but now did as it was the indication that the elevator had stopped. That meant it was safe to shoot.


    He held the gun up but Pluto laughed and came over to him.


    ¡°No, no. Not like that at all. Here, keep your elbows bent more, if you lock them like that your arms might splinter off. Then you click this¡ª¡± he clicked the circular slide on the side of the barrel, ¡°¡ªinto place, now its set to level two. Use the top of the barrel to gauge where the blast will go. It¡¯s been serviced recently so it won¡¯t deviate at all, but after a while of shooting the blasts tend to deviate to either the right or the left. The beam it shoots will not fall at all so just point and shoot, but again keep those elbows bent. Take deep breaths, too. You¡¯ll be fine, just relax.¡±


    All of this was meant to help Dante, but the more Pluto spoke the more the nerves rose in Dante¡¯s heart, the more he became ultra aware of every little issue he was forcing upon the weapon, every little problem his body placed on the weapon. He began to wonder if he was even going to be able to pull the trigger.


    ¡°Good, now you remember where Tom said to shoot?¡±


    Dante nodded wordlessly.


    ¡°Good, aim, place your index finger over the trigger, take a deep breath and¡ªwhoa shit!¡±


    Dante had done as he was instructed, but he had no way of knowing the trigger would be so light, so free. His finger had slipped and the shot was off, the knock back sending him to the ground in pain, not from his arms but from his legs, the ache from before becoming familiar. Pluto watched in excited horror, waiting to see if the blast would knock the pylon over.

 Chapter Eight

    CHAPTER EIGHT


    Pluto pulled Dante to his feet, the excitement on his face palpable as he watched intently on the trajectory of the pylon. The blast Dante had shot off had been rather weak, but it appeared to be enough to send the pylon forward as it shook back and forth awkwardly as it determined whether or not the mere molecule of steel left propping it up was enough to keep it straight. Back and forth it rocked, and for a moment Dante worried that it would rock back too much and he would have to shoot it again at the top to send it forward. The pylon soon rocked so far back that the metal monoliths peak was no more than ten yards from Dante and Pluto, the sheer force threatening to crush them were it to continue forward.


    ¡°Here,¡± Pluto said as he yanked his weapon back without thinking. Dante wished to interject but before he could say anything Pluto pointed and shot the pylon twice, holding the pistol in only one hand, a feat Dante now had a reference for and knew to be a near impossible task despite Pluto making it appear so effortless.


    The shots sent the pylon forward just enough to force it forward, and the plan was now in working order; the pylon had slammed into the Hell reactor, causing a massive eruption of flame that neither man expected. Pluto and Dante reacted, one throwing himself to the ground while the other stumbled and fell in shock and horror. Neither of these reactions would be enough to save them from a major disaster, but it was their reaction nevertheless.


    As it stands, the Hell reactor was made from substances that no one had any information on save perhaps only the mysterious Mr. July or some such being as to be discovered later. This meant that while it had been knocked off its platform, out of its protective cylinder where the power it generated was sent across Mobius, it continued to generate power through its own recycling as if it were a real entity. Dante stared at it in awe as he attempted to rise from the ground. He had never seen the reactor in such a way before, not just due to its situation but due to his new perspective. For Pluto the reactor was a means to an end, a part of a mission he had set forth to carry out. But for Dante the Hell reactor was a place, it was where he would go to reflect and design the future of himself, by himself. It was his quiet garden.


    And with one pull of the trigger, he had set his garden on fire.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Pluto asked no one, his eyes darting about as though he were searching for enemies.


    Dante shook as he brought himself to his feet. ¡°What do you mean? Isn¡¯t this what we were meant to do?¡±


    Pluto didn¡¯t show a reaction but answered anyway as he continued to look in every direction. ¡°Not exactly. From what we understood, the Hell reactor would cease its production the moment it was knocked forward. But just look at it.¡±


    The ball of flame that was the Hell reactor looked wild. Without its containment field in tact, flames were spilling out of it in all directions, looking more like a virus than a sun with its plethora of tentacle pyres. The ball fell but remained where it was. From what Dante could see of it, the weight of such a thing should bring it downward, and yet it remained largely in place. Nothing flew towards it as previously speculated. It merely continued to consume whatever was too close with flames. Even the lights of the station remained on.


    Now Pluto did show a reaction, one he more than likely wished not to show to Dante in such a critical moment. Pluto was frightened. ¡°What should we do?¡± he asked himself, the towers of fire threatening to smother the sound of his voice.


    Dante saw the worry in Pluto, and became desperate himself. He searched around quickly as if an answer might come to him soon but it was easy to see that none would, that they had merely wasted their time. Though the destruction the Hell reactor wrought was slow, if it weren¡¯t stopped it would still destroy everything. So Dante grabbed the Hellwhip from Pluto without a second thought, stood as tall as he could, took a deep breath and changed the setting, clicking it past three, four, five, all the way to six. The hum of the weapon became loud enough to hear despite the noises echoing in that chamber.


    Pluto looked at Dante with intense, wild eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t do that, you fool!¡± He went to yank the weapon back but Dante pulled away, nearly tumbling to the floor as he did so.


    ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± Pluto said, his voice harsh. ¡°Give me the weapon. You can¡¯t handle the strength of it at such a level, especially right now.¡±


    Despite this being a reasonable request, Dante shook his head, refusing. ¡°You said I have to do this myself, and so I will.¡±


    ¡°Even if that means crippling yourself so that you can¡¯t continue forward? Even at level four there¡¯s danger of breaking your limbs. Level five would blast them off with your current strength. Level six, though? God, Dante, you¡¯re basically sentencing yourself to death. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll survive the recoil.¡±


    But Dante shook his head, stood himself on legs like noodles, then pointed directly at the ball of flame. ¡°You probably shot the thing earlier at level three or something. If I shoot it at full power, there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯ll be gone, right?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that,¡± Pluto said, his voice grave as he made a slow approach. He knew that if he approached too fast that Dante would pull away again, and he worried that if the hurt Recorder fell he might lose his grip and the weapon might fall. ¡°But I do know what will happen to you if you shoot that weapon as you are right now, and it¡¯s not pretty. You won¡¯t want to live even if you survive.¡±


    Dante¡¯s hands shook as he continued trying to level the weapon at the reactor. Pluto circled around, went behind Dante, and placed both hands around his, steadying him. A gasp came out of Dante¡¯s mouth before any nervous tears did.


    ¡°Look,¡± Pluto said, ¡°it¡¯s not about whether you should do it all on your own, it¡¯s that this is simply too much for your body right now. Maybe in the future, but even when I was a young kid wearing gear designed to reduce the recoil I couldn¡¯t handle this. You¡¯re already hurt. I¡¯ll help you out here. Now keep steady, remember elbows bent.¡±


    Then Pluto switched his grip to the forearms and nodded. ¡°Right, now shoot when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Dante wasn¡¯t prepared. No one could possibly prepare themselves for the power of a level six shot from a Hellwhip, Dante thought. Then he placed his finger carefully over the trigger and pulled again, more deliberate this time compared to his initial shot. As Dante expected, the strength was completely different from anything he could have imagined. Even with Pluto bracing him, his arms were sent flying up over his head, both men launched backwards a few yards into the air as their vision was encompassed by the impressive beam in front of them. It was hard to imagine that such a blast could come from such a small weapon, but Dante could do nothing but believe it. After all he himself had just done it. There it was, a blast so large it was all he could see. The two men fell to the ground and without hesitating Pluto got up and began checking Dante¡¯s arms, shoulders, back, and hands to see if somewhere in that chain of muscle and tendon something had snapped or broken in some way. Somehow it seemed as though everything were fine, though there was still time for lingering injuries to rear their heads when the adrenaline wore off. Both their vision were muddled by black spots. Dante thought he could hear what was happening but not understand it. Something had happened, he knew that much, as the noise had changed from the roar of flame to something else, more blunt and obnoxious in its loudness.


    Soon the floaters cleared from their eyes, and the ringing of their ears died down, and they were able to stand and see what exactly they had done.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Dante said, mystified.


    The flaming mass that was the Hell reactor was not completely gone, but it was a smoldering heap of ash. There had been twelve pylons before one had been knocked down to initiate the destruction, but there was no trace of any such contraptions ever having existed. In fact the walls behind the reactor were gone as well, and when Dante and Pluto heard a strange noise they looked through the massive hole and noticed that far off into the distance, the shot they had meant only for the massive ball of flame had opened a hole into space. They were far enough away that it wasn¡¯t dangerous yet, but the sight was terrifying still for Dante.


    Dante pulled his gaze away for a moment to find the Hellwhip, which had leapt out of his hands at the apex of the shot. It had skid across the ground a few yards away and after hobbling over to pick it up he yelped in pain. The weapon was incredibly hot, and the slight touch he had given it was already resulting in reddened skin on his palm.


    ¡°That thing is ridiculously hot!¡± he exclaimed in pain, blowing on his hand. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have something to make it easier to carry, would you? ¡­Pluto?¡±


    He turned and saw that Pluto was staring off. Not into the direction of the vacuum sucking things into space, a sight which should have commanded all attention. Instead he was looking in the direction of the elevator. When Dante looked to what Pluto had seen, he was stopped cold where he stood. A single Nano stood there, tall and dark with something wrapped around him in a way that was useful for nothing more than to appear sinister. Its eyes were bright red beacons of dark intentions, and it walked forward slowly with great, resounding steps that went thump, thump, thump. Dante wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought this Nano was familiar despite never having met it.


    Pluto made his way towards it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dante yelled out. ¡°Come back here! That¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    Pluto turned around and locked eyes with Dante, and Dante knew that Pluto wasn¡¯t coming.


    Dante just stood and watched as he approached the Nano he thought to be the Executioner, unarmed and hopeless. Then there was a crash, and Dante saw that from all directions other Nanos were passing them swiftly so that they could seal the hole they created. Lights were flickering as the power was transferring from the Hell generated power to the back up power, giving the Executioner a greater sense of foreboding, something he didn¡¯t really need Dante thought.


    Against his better judgment, Dante walked closer to them, stumbling now more from energy expenditure than from the pain caused by his injuries.


    As the Nanos repaired the outer wall and sound began to return to normal, Dante listened to the words spoken by Pluto and the Executioner.


    ¡°¡­not for this, right?¡± Pluto said, Dante hearing only the last part.


    ¡°No,¡± the Executioner said in seeming agreement, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t change things. What you¡¯ve done here is unforgivable, Mr. Pluto. You cannot be allowed to continue further if your goal involves such destruction.¡±


    A terse smile was on Pluto¡¯s face. ¡°Here I thought we all agreed that Mobius needed to end.¡±


    ¡°Ceasing its further production is in fact something we both desire, Mr. Pluto,¡± the Executioner said, his voice so deep despite its electronic origin. ¡°However, the destruction of that which already is is prohibited. Without the Hell reactor in place and no suitable replacement, its probable that the entirety of Mobius from this strata downward is finished. Back up power will last for only a decade, a blip in time for Mobius. Within ten standard years there will be no power for 999 or below. The Nanos will cease production, the humans will die, this place will be a massive cemetery. Is this your desire, Mr. Pluto? To create the biggest graveyard in space?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Pluto said, his voice more serious than Dante had ever heard it before. ¡°What you describe is something that I¡¯ve already taken into account, and will only be the case if I¡¯m wrong, which I highly doubt. No, I think that you and the Adjudicator, and all of his compatriots, I believe that they are wrong in their line of thinking.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the Executioner seemed amused. ¡°And how could such beings as they be incorrect about anything? They are housed within the greatest system in all the known universe. They are creations so perfect as to be infallible. And yet you disbelieve, why? What makes you think you have any greater insight than even the Adjudicator? Than the Albatross? Than even the great Abdallah?¡±


    Pluto continued to patronize the Nano, walking in such a way as to be a strut in the eyes of Dante, though why he was being such a braggart was beyond him. Without the Hellwhip, Pluto had no way of defending himself, and who knew what sort of trick the Executioner held under his cloak.


    ¡°Everything can be wrong, Executioner. Even the universe has things about it which would make us question its infallibility. Parasites embedding themselves in children, destroying them from within in grotesque fashion; the life of a prey animal, spent in fear and tumult as it runs endlessly from its sworn enemy; the deadly virus, the unseen killer who takes all indiscriminately, killing us slowly and painfully; and of course there is death, the quiet unknown we have all decided against subduing and questioning, instead feebly attempting to sidestep through the use of crude boards and poor programming. No, I don¡¯t believe the Adjudicator when he says that the destruction of the Hell reactor is creating a great cemetery in the abyss. I believe me. I believe that through my conviction I can save Mobius and its people through its destruction.¡±


    The Executioner stared at him, the adjustment of its cameras simulating an evil glare. ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°As insane as a man who is as well traveled as I can be,¡± Pluto said, balling fists preemptively.


    Without any further discussion, they began their fight to the death. Dante scrambled back as their fight became as instinctual as it could be, with the Executioner placing its grip firmly around Pluto¡¯s neck and the great captain placing fists on the red cameras in an attempt to cease their function. They rolled on the ground, Pluto getting the upper hand and attempting to restrain the limbs of the Nano. From under the cloak a third limb freed itself, and Dante¡¯s stomach nearly turned to jelly thinking that a projectile weapon would be in its hands in a similar vein to the Hellwhip. Instead it brought forth a knife, and before it could stab deeply into Pluto¡¯s chest he kicked off, creating distance between the two. But that didn¡¯t help for long, as now the Executioner took its slow, deliberate steps forward, now swinging three limbs at the unarmed captain and keeping him on the defensive. Dante¡¯s worry was so great that he couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He had to help.


    Dante ran back to the Hellwhip, tripping and rolling across the ground with no grace at all, before finally reaching the legendary weapon. It was still hot to the touch, so Dante tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around the weapon many times in hopes that it wouldn¡¯t be too hot to hold. Unfortunately for him it was still like holding lava in his hands. He quickly placed only his finger tips on the slide and changed it to level five, then four, then three. Then with shaking, steaming hands he held the weapon up and pointed at the Executioner.


    It had taken him too long though.


    On the ground, the bladed weapon plunged deeply into his chest, Pluto coughed and sputtered blood from his mouth as the Executioner stood victorious above his prey.


    Dante froze.


    In no scenario did he expect that. He certainly worried that he would die, that everything would go wrong once he became involved, that the entire strata would be destroyed because of him. But he hadn¡¯t worried for a second about the fate of Captain Pluto, a man he deemed unkillable, a man who had survived innumerable adventures across the grand station Mobius.


    His mouth opened and no noise fled its grasp. Then he aimed swiftly and shot the Executioner directly through the torso, leaving only limbs and its head, the power flickering dimly before falling into the deep slumber that was its simulated death.


    Dante then threw the hot weapon aside and sprinted as fast as he could over to his dying subject¡ªhis dying friend. Pluto¡¯s eyes were glassy, and suddenly to Dante it appeared that the man who seemed so full of life, so carefree and young, was absolutely ancient. It was like he was seeing him for the very first time. Even when Pluto had been having his sickly fits of coughing, Dante always looked past it and was able to yell at the man, to call him out for what he was¡ªa dirty, rotten criminal who deserved death.


    ¡°You ought to be happy,¡± Pluto said, his voice shaking with effort. ¡°I was to be executed and now I have been.¡±


    The Recorder shook his head. ¡°No¡­ No, you can¡¯t!¡±


    A look of regret appeared on Pluto¡¯s face. ¡°I was always going to die.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Dante repeated, unable to formulate thoughts.


    Pluto coughed up more blood before smirking. ¡°I suppose I lied too much to you. Asking for forgiveness isn¡¯t really my thing but¡­ Maybe you can.¡±


    ¡°We can fight about it when you get better,¡± Dante said through tears, his eyes glancing for a disgusted moment at the gore below the neck.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± Pluto said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Dante. I¡¯m okay with this.¡±


    They shared something together then, something that Dante had never felt before. It was a moment he knew he couldn¡¯t forget, one where all of his logic went out the window and something akin to spirituality or religious thought swept through him like a spring breeze. Then it was gone.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Pluto coughed. ¡°I nearly forgot to tell you about¡­ what had happened on 995.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore,¡± Dante said with a shake of his head, tears now falling freely.


    ¡°No, it does,¡± Pluto said with a weak nod. Then he rolled his eyes to indicate the back of his head. ??¡°Retrieve the chip in my CMP unit. When you do that, I will be free.¡±


    Dante wasn¡¯t sure if he could, but Pluto gave him encouraging words.


    ¡°Quit being a cowardly asshole¡­ Just stop this old man from suffering.¡±


    Those were the last words that Pluto spoke through lips of flesh. Dante rolled the man over just enough to press a finger inward on the drive, removing the chip and placing it into his own CMP unit. Then there was a flash of light, brighter than even the shot from the Hellwhip moments before, and Dante fell unconscious.


    While the CMP unit was something that was given to nearly everyone on 999, there were seldom few reasons to actually utilize such a thing. Connecting to the network was used whenever it was required, though it was mostly only something done by those higher up in the hegemony. Otherwise the unit typically remained useless, something installed and forgotten. Dante could only remember a few actual instances of its use for him, and those instances were situational and mostly done as for the needs of a Recorder. Before becoming a Recorder, for instance, he was required to wear a training drive so that he could figure out how to do his job correctly without the need of a physical trainer there. Another instance required him to wear a unit which allowed for him to utilize the network so that he could access a rather specific file to verify a criminal¡¯s history, a moment which had left Dante feeling rather sneaky as that wasn¡¯t something within his wheelhouse, instead being something he had done himself to help calm his nerves with a particular criminal. It had turned out that he was lying, and ever since Dante had held a silent trepidation within while dealing with criminals whose claims were too grandiose.


    Pluto had lied about many things, but he hadn¡¯t lied about the feelings of the drive within his skull.


    When Dante had come to, he wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed; the area appeared largely the same, with the Nanos continuing to do their best to seal the hole made by the Hellwhip. The Hell reactor was still in shambles, but the smoke rising from what was left had dissipated, indicating to Dante that he had been unconscious for at least a decent amount of time, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes.


    His sight was horrific. Black dots floated across his vision in a constant effort to make him blind, and there was an incessant ringing in his ears. Had Pluto described a ringing? He recalled the dots, but not a ringing. He wondered if he had left it out or if it was merely a personal side effect. Stumbling about, his hands in front of him to help see without his eyes, he did his best to find the Hellwhip that he had tossed to the ground. It didn¡¯t take him too long. He was thankful that when he woke up the weapons heat had gone down tremendously, becoming more of a warm weapon than a burning weapon. Realizing there was no holster for him to place it in, he went to return to Pluto and remove the now useless accessory from his corpse, but when he searched he couldn¡¯t find him. At first he wondered if it was due simply to the blindness he was experiencing, but after a few minutes of searching he quickly realized that where ever Pluto¡¯s body had been, it was no longer there.


    Dante began to worry; it had been obvious that Pluto had died, hadn¡¯t it? The wound on his body was significant, and though he seldom indicated it with words the sickness that had been taking him meant there was little time for him to live regardless. So he had to have been stationary. Who would remove his corpse but leave Dante, who had been laying next to him? He looked at the blood on his hands, saw the blood that had pooled on the ground. It was hard to tell with his bad vision but it appeared as though no one had come for him. It was as if his body had been absorbed by the station itself.


    A loud boom had taken him out of such thoughts. There was no time for Dante to be speculating on the fate of a dead man. If he spent more time there, he was going to be joining him.


    With as much speed as he could manage without falling, Dante made his way to the stairway that would lead him to the LG shaft and up to a new strata. A new world for him to explore.


    In that moment, it was as though the floaters in his eyes were making their way through his body, increasing his nervousness.


    It took Dante roughly half an hour to make his way to the stairwell and go up a few flights of stairs. He had never paid too much attention to just how many stairs went up to the top of 999, but it was many more than he had ever used in his life. Dante vowed never to take the elevator for granted again.


    His gaze would often deviate to the chaos below, and through his muddy vision he would try and see if anything was coming after him. It would take him a few moments before he would decide that he was satisfied, but whenever he was satisfied he would take a deep breath and talk himself through it, then continue moving forward. In those moments he would think of Giovanni, about the chaos below them, and he would wonder if Mr. July¡¯s plan was a good one, or if it would only result in all of their deaths.


    Or maybe that was the plan, he thought with a sour smile. Perhaps they were all meant to die for a better tomorrow on Mobius. He hoped not, but something inside him told him that he was correct. That Mr. July found them all to be expendable.


    As he rose to greater and greater heights, he began to feel a sense of vertigo, something he had never felt before. Dante wondered if it was another effect of the drive in his skull, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He pressed forward anyway, now dealing with a feeling which told him to avoid looking down.


    Dante had climbed nearly ten stories worth of stairs when he heard a loud noise from below, one that wasn¡¯t in line with the patterns of noise he had become accustomed to hearing from the Nanos as they flew helter-skelter and fixed the wreckage of Mobius. He struggled with the idea of looking down, thought about it for a moment and decided against it. If something important is happening, he thought, his attention would be pulled to it regardless.


    And it was.


    The noise came again, this time accompanied by some shouting. A voice. A number of voices. Dante took a deep breath and told himself that nausea wasn¡¯t real, that it was a byproduct of nerves playing a useless game in his gut.


    It didn¡¯t really work.


    He stumbled over to the guard rail and rubbed at his nearly useless eyes.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± he swore in frustration. ¡°I just want to see! How long do these floaters last for?¡±


    Then he nearly tumbled over the guardrail from surprise, as a voice came clearly into his skull in a subvocalized manner, much like his own thoughts but foreign.


    If they last for more than a week, you won¡¯t be worrying about them anymore, Dante.


    Unable to speak with his typical snide attitude, Dante yelped out in surprise, ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡±


    The voice in his head laughed, an eerie noise when he couldn¡¯t find the source.


    Come on, Dante. I thought you were such a smart guy? I told you about Poe, didn¡¯t I?


    He had, Dante thought. But of course it¡¯s much different hearing about such things and experiencing them yourself.


    ¡°Yes, right. Then are you this Poe character I¡¯ve been hearing about?¡±


    No, buddy. It¡¯s Captain Pluto, the one who you were talking to before.


    Then Dante recognized the voice, knew that it was telling the truth. He still could hardly accept it as reality, but he nodded as if the voice could see his actions.


    You were wondering about who is down there, right?


    Again Dante nodded dumbly.


    I¡¯ve accessed the systems here and looked through some of the cameras. It appears that it¡¯s Giovanni down there, talking with a man. It doesn¡¯t look like a Nano to me, but it does look like he¡¯s bad news.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dante asked, worried now about his friend. He tried to see if his eyes could focus on the figures below to no avail.


    I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s only a hunch. Nothing bad is happening now, they¡¯re just talking. But I don¡¯t like the guy. Whoever he is, he¡¯s bad news.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure he¡¯s not a Nano?¡± Dante asked, finding the prospect of Giovanni speaking with anyone as Pluto was describing to be dubious.


    Well¡­ No, I¡¯m not. He could be a Nano. It¡¯s hard to tell. If he is one, I know that he isn¡¯t a threat. Not yet at least.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Dante stabilized himself and resumed his ascent upward.


    ¡°So then,¡± he said, trying to sound casual instead of exhausted, ¡°do you remember dying?¡±


    You always asked questions with a level of sensitivity, didn¡¯t you Mr. Recorder?


    ¡°Just answer me,¡± Dante pressed, a smile forming on his face. It was strange to him later, but in that moment it felt as though Pluto hadn¡¯t died at all. As if the emotional turmoil of an hour ago had never happened.


    Of course I don¡¯t remember, Dante. When you pulled the drive free, you pulled my consciousness with it. That means I wasn¡¯t there to experience the death of my flesh. Were I a philosopher, I would question whether or not I had really died at all. But I¡¯m just a simple man-turned-AI.


    ¡°Right,¡± Dante said, his steps slowing against his best wishes. ¡°Wait, then I¡¯m assuming you don¡¯t know what happened to your body?¡±


    There was a pause, as though Pluto had become uncomfortable.


    What do you mean? Shouldn¡¯t it be down there?


    ¡°When I resumed consciousness I went to find it, but I couldn¡¯t see it. My vision isn¡¯t so great right now so maybe I was wrong.¡±


    Perhaps.


    This was said without certainty, and Dante intuitively knew that his comrade was accessing the cameras again, searching desperately for his own corpse. For a while Dante was able to continue his trek upward in relative silence, though now he was unable to feel truly alone, a feeling he would miss very much as the years would pass. Loneliness, Dante would say, is a feeling often taken for granted once its gone but always cast aside as soon as possible once attained when instead it should be enjoyed to the fullest extent. As Dante experimented with his vision in hopes that messing with his eyes would bring back some of his ability to see, he was interrupted by Pluto.


    That¡¯s not good¡­


    Dante knew what he meant without asking.


    ¡°Where do you think your body went?¡±


    I haven¡¯t the faintest idea. In all my time exploring Mobius, and I mean all of it, I have never once experienced the disappearance of a corpse in such a way. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with, most strata deal with the dead through either the use of recycling their energy in specified chambers, or they are sent off into the void of space, either in the ancient rite of a coffin or merely as the trash we expunge from the waste rooms. Never has a body been absorbed or taken in such a way.


    ¡°Can you tell how long I was unconscious for?¡± Dante asked, becoming too interested in the conversation and halting his own progress.


    I could, but because this all happened while I was being installed I doubt the reading would be accurate. Still, based on the progress of the Nanos ceiling the hole, I would wager you were out for no more than a half hour.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough time for someone to steal your body.¡±


    It felt as if Pluto considered this but didn¡¯t seem to agree.


    Having enough time and having a motive are separate things. Besides, considering it took this long for Giovanni and this mystery person to come up here to see what happened to the Hell reactor, I would say they have more than likely been preoccupied by the heavy Nano attacks going on below us.


    Dante did what he could to continue onward but fatigue was overtaking him. Not only was all the physicality he had endured in the past few hours taking a toll on him, but the only sleep he had had for a while was that brief period of unconsciousness upon installing the CMP drive. Couple that with the nausea and the visual impairment and he needed to take a moment of rest. He sat down on the bottom stair of the next stairway, pulled out the Hellwhip and began turning it over in his hands. It was difficult for him to process any tool other than a recording device being his trade tool, but looking at the Hellwhip as he did then seemed to comfort him. Despite seeing it first hand, it was still hard for him to really understand how a weapon so small could pack such a deep strength within it. The fact that it came from so deep below, from even lower than 56 even, was truly remarkable. Though Pluto had said the weapon was recently serviced¡ªby who, Dante could merely speculate¡ªit still appeared to be worn out, something Dante had never truly noticed until then. There were small hints of entropy on the sides of the weapon, and dark marks on the handle where the palms would rest. It was a worn weapon. One he was already beginning to feel a faint nostalgia for.


    Just as he was beginning to doze off staring at it, more odd noises arose from near him. This time he knew them not to be voices, so he searched about wildly before asking Pluto if it were possible to use the camera system again.


    Already have. The noise you¡¯re hearing is coming from the swarm of Nanos. They¡¯ve finished sealing the hole we made.


    Relief washed over Dante and he relaxed, leaning on the guard rail he had walked over to. He had been worried that someone or something might try to follow him and attack him, especially after using the Hellwhip as much as it had been used that day. He wasn¡¯t sure how many shots it could do on a single charge, but with the strength a level six shot had in addition to all the shots Pluto had done during the search for Giovanni, he knew intuitively that there was not much left in that little gun. If someone came and attacked him, it could easily be the end of him.


    And then his worries became real. Somewhat.


    Dante was nearly finished catching his breath when a swirl of wind was felt in front of him, and he looked up with rapidly blinking eyes in an attempt to discern what was in front of him. Dante felt his eyes must still be ruined, for in front of him was a mass of Nanos that had seemed to come together to become one giant being, something which took up more space than even the Hell reactor had, overfilling the area where pylons had once stood and coming within mere meters of his face. It was hard to see details, but he knew that whatever the being was it was staring directly at him.


    ¡°The new and improved Captain Pluto, we presume?¡± it asked in a great, booming voice which threatened to take out yet another one of Dante¡¯s senses.


    Nerves getting the best of him, Dante said, ¡°N-no! IamDante!¡±


    A laugh emanated from the being in a way that told Dante this being could never truly understand humor.


    ¡°Dante? Is that what you wish to be called?¡±


    Dante gave a feeble nod. The Hellwhip made a clattering noise in his sweating palms.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.??¡°Well, well, Dante. Then might I ask you if you are the one who now carries the most notorious drive in all of Mobius? Are you the one who overtakes the mission of Mobius¡¯ upheaval?¡±


    Tell him yes, if you¡¯re ready to fight.


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping,¡± Dante chided the mental being beneath his breath. ¡°I carry the drive you speak of, yes, however as you can plainly see I have not claimed to be the next Captain Pluto. I am merely Dante. I go to 1000 because I was told to by my superiors here on 999, not because of something I¡¯ve inherited by mistake.¡±


    ¡°There are no mistakes on Mobius, Dante,¡± the voice rumbled, sending a shiver down Dante¡¯s spine. ¡°You would do well to remember that.¡±


    The being moved slightly forward, and the force of such a movement seemed to cause the air around Dante to condense and disperse in a way similar to breathing. It stared at Dante with such force he worried he could see Pluto living in his head.


    ¡°Dante,¡± he said in what was almost a fatherly tone, ¡°you seem to me an intelligent man, one who would do well within the world of information, not of blood. It would be best if you put down that atrocious weapon and removed all thought of following that dreadful Captain Pluto. His mission is that of a fool, and you are no fool.¡±


    Don¡¯t listen to him.


    Dante smiled nervously then. When Pluto had described Poe in his retelling of his stories, he would always sound so annoyed by the things he said. Now Dante truly understood that annoyance, as these interjections were making it difficult to focus on the conversation at hand.


    ¡°You know my name, but I don¡¯t know yours,¡± Dante said, his fingers subconsciously moving to the dial on the side of the Hellwhip. He wasn¡¯t sure there was enough power for a level six shot, but he hoped there was.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the being said, and the noise was so deep and powerful that Dante almost fell over from the force of such a baritone. ¡°If you wish to call me anything, call me Azimob. For your sake I hope you never get the chance to greet me again.¡±


    Filled with trepidation, Dante took a deep breath and weighed the benefits of shooting the great conglomeration of Nanos before him. He knew intuitively that there was no way this Azimob existed merely as this transformed conglomerate. Somewhere, it existed as an AI whose true whereabouts were unknown. And as far as Dante knew, there was no way to delete an AI from existence. As long as the files which housed its personality remained safe in Mobius¡¯s system, Azimob could theoretically live forever. So the destruction of the Nanos in front of Dante would be more to make him feel safe than to destroy a possibly villainous being. In addition to this, he worried that the Hellwhip couldn¡¯t do it on its current charge. Worse than this, if he did set the weapon to level six, destroy Azimob¡¯s puppet, what then? Pluto had already pointed out that his body was far too weak to handle a shot at level six, and after experiencing it while braced by Pluto, he knew that Pluto hadn¡¯t been hyperbolic when he said his arms might snap off. And what would such arm snapping accomplish? It might be better to just talk, Dante thought. Just talk until it leaves.


    Dante did his best to control his breathing before quietly and unceremoniously placing the Hellwhip in his pocket.


    ¡°I should suppose so,¡± he said with forced agreeableness. ¡°Is there more to why you speak with me now, Mr. Azimob? Surely you show yourself for more than just a simple warning.¡±


    The being shook strangely, stray parts tumbling from its great body like drops of sweat.


    ¡°There is, in some way. Though I must confess, when I came to you in this way I assumed that I would come to visit Pluto, not you Dante. What I am about to tell you is not something I anticipated saying.¡±


    His words hung in the air heavily, and Dante wondered what it was he could be getting at.


    ¡°I must ask you not to travel further than 1000. You must promise me this, Dante, or else I cannot hold back what dangers will come for you.¡±


    He¡¯s threatening you, Dante. You¡¯re playing a dangerous game trying to speak with him instead of killing him.


    Dante wanted to argue with Pluto, but vowed to do so later. ¡°What do you mean, Azimob? Are you saying that you will keep me safe from harm if I stay only on 1000?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Azimob sighed, steam rising from the cracks between the Nanos which made him. ¡°We anticipated that you would be Captain Pluto, and so we vowed to halt your progress here. But if you are to go to 1000 on business unrelated to the sacrilegious pilgrimage, then I will halt the progress of my army.¡±


    Army, thought Dante. An army of Nanos is after Pluto? He had been aware that Nanos were after him, sure, but nothing so specific. There had been no leader to the attackers in Dante¡¯s mind, only the senseless programming of Mobius and its innumerable creations.


    ¡°You have no reason to give me quarter,¡± Dante said to Azimob, his voice finally becoming its normal cadence. ¡°My claims could merely be lies. Why allow for a risk such as that to me, Mr. Azimob.¡±


    The great being laughed once more, the strange noise sounding something like ¡°kwatz.¡±


    ¡°You may be right,¡± Azimob said. ¡°But I am only letting you up a single strata. There is no danger for me so long as you keep your end of the bargain, and if you refuse what I am offering you then you will be the only one to suffer, for my army will follow you until you no longer exist here on Mobius. They never tire of the hunt, Dante.¡±


    Those last words sent a chill up his spine.


    Then the great being tumbled apart.


    At first, Dante thought it was due to Azimob merely being finished with the conversation, however there was too much shrapnel, too many charred pieces of metal flying in all directions for that to have been the case. There was a flash, and Dante¡¯s already bad vision became worse once more. He worried that his vision would never return to normal.


    Just before his vision cleared¡ªand by cleared, we mean that his vision returned to the poor state it was in after installing the Pluto chip in his CMP unit, not his original, perfect vision¡ªa hand grabbed his, one that was small but heavily calloused and firm in its grip.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± came Cat¡¯s voice, shrill over the sound of bouncing metal. Wordlessly, Dante followed the woman as she guided him up the steps.


    You¡¯re lucky she showed up, Dante. That could have gone very poorly.


    Dante nodded, once more forgetting that Pluto couldn¡¯t see him nod.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± Dante said meekly as he tripped up the stairs. Cat was pulling him without worry, allowing him to be as banged up and bruised as possible. Her only goal was to get him to the top, away from 999.


    ¡°You were taking too long,¡± she said, annoyance evident in her voice. ¡°We were beginning to worry that you weren¡¯t going to make it this time, Pluto.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Dante, actually.¡±


    He said it thoughtlessly. Cat had been hearing Pluto refer to himself as Pluto for as long as she could remember. To hear his new host refer to himself as someone else was more than she could have ever thought possible. Her hand pulled free of his, and she stood in silence for a second before regrouping.


    ¡°Well, Dante, start moving your ass. We need to get to 1000 as soon as possible.¡±


    With that, Dante followed her, and they remained silent until they reached the LG shaft.


    Dante had never been inside of an LG shaft. He understood the concept well enough. Each strata was separated by a shaft that acted as a connector, a link in the massive universal chain that was the Mobius space station. Inside of them you would float upwards or horizontally before entering the next strata. Part of why they were low gravity¡ªas far as Dante understood, anyway¡ªwas that Mobius required power saving whenever possible and the creation of gravity was a difficult process. It also meant that, due to the mission of Mobius to continue endlessly, the use of LG shafts allowed Mobius to build everywhere and anywhere, in all directions. Strata could connect from any place so long as a shaft was able to be built there. Dante also knew that the shafts were rather simple to traverse between, taking mere minutes before you entered the following strata.


    He couldn¡¯t have understood what it all meant without experiencing it himself, however.


    It was his first real lesson on his grand misadventure; the things he learned through his recording duties did not always translate to actual, real world knowledge and use case. Sure, he knew that he could kick off and float upwards to the next strata, that it would be a simple process. But Dante didn¡¯t know that the feeling wouldn¡¯t be like flying, like his nightly dreams becoming a reality. Floating was truly falling. His stomach turned for the first half of his trip upward, and he thought he was going to vomit, which would have been horrible to deal with in a low gravity scenario as the vomit would float with him.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Cat called to him, an assurance he was certain she didn¡¯t wish to give Dante.


    The final seconds of feeling as though he were falling were agonizing, but once they reached the end of the shaft and they were able to dilate the door, enter the hall separating the shaft from 1000, then dilate that door once gravity was returned to them, Dante felt not only a sense of relief that it was all over but he was satisfied that he had done it at all. He was beginning to grow excited at the prospect of an adventure.


    Don¡¯t get too excited, Dante. It only gets tougher from here.


    For the first hour or two that Dante was in 1000, the first new strata he had ever been to, there was so much going on that he was unable to really take in any of the new scenery despite his interest in the new surroundings. Everyone who had been in the band of outcasts that Pluto had assembled seemed to want to greet the new iteration of their captain individually, all wielding their personal reasons for following him with such vigor that Dante felt almost obligated to lie to their faces, to tell them that their captain they had followed was in all reality never returning to them¡ªnot as long as he had a say in it, at least. At first, Dante attempted to see the faces of his new comrades, to commit them to memory. But after many useless attempts and no end in sight for the greetings and well wishes, Dante gave up, knowing that his sight was hindered anyway and would more than likely muddy any image he attempted to memorize in those moments.


    His first meeting was with Tom, but that meeting was one of mild importance, a mere instance of affirmation to the truth. It was only once things had settled that Tom decided to have an actual talk with Dante.


    Cat had lead him to a place that they had selected for his quarters. It was difficult for Dante to see, but it appeared to be a sort of gazebo, something he had knowledge of due to his private research into Earth but never seen before. He wondered what 1000 was like as he was sat down in a comfortable chair, had his Hellwhip taken to an NRS that was nearby, and was served a drink, freshly made mint tea. Cat then placed a hand on Dante¡¯s shoulder, a gesture he couldn¡¯t begin to diagnose, before she left and allowed for Tom and Dante to speak privately.


    ¡°So,¡± Tom said, the voice still something Dante had to get used to coming from a Nano, ¡°Captain Pluto is no more?¡±


    This took Dante by surprise. He hadn¡¯t said anything of this effect to anyone there save for Cat. He determined that she must have informed Tom at some point without his knowledge.


    ¡°In a sense,¡± Dante said, mulling the question over as he sipped on the hot drink. ¡°Pluto¡¯s personality¡ªhis conscious self¡ªstill resides within me. To say that he was gone is not completely correct due to this. But Dante¡ªmyself¡ªhave remained in control of my body. Therefore I would refrain from calling myself Captain Pluto.¡±


    Tom nodded, then sat down in a chair opposite of Dante. This made Dante smile; the thought a machine like Tom would have any need for sitting as a human did was humorous in a way.


    ¡°So, can Pluto hear all of the things that I say?¡±


    Before Dante could respond, Pluto did within his head.


    Of course I can, Tom.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dante said. ¡°Anything you say is also heard by Pluto. Everything I see or feel is also seen or felt by him, and due to his current formless nature he is also able to make use of the many networks within networks that are housed in Mobius.¡±


    Tom disregarded everything past yes. ¡°Well then, Pluto. How does it feel now that you¡¯ve reached this point? We always talked about what would happen were this to occur, but it must be different now that you¡¯re actually in a situation where you are stuck within a body that is not yielding.¡±


    Dante, you¡¯re going to dislike what I¡¯m about to do but don¡¯t fight it.


    Confused, Dante was about to speak before there was a sudden pull within him. It wasn¡¯t a true feeling. The five senses were uninvolved. But what he would claim to be himself, the seat at the table as it were, was being cast aside as though it were never his seat to begin with. It felt as though his thoughts had become louder but they were in a soundproof room, banging and banging on glass to no avail.


    ¡°Tom, you and my friend here seem to have misunderstood what is going on.¡±


    The Nano blinked a few times as though he were having trouble digesting what he was seeing.


    ¡°Is that really you, Pluto?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh,¡± he said with a grin¡ªDante¡¯s grin. ¡°As I was saying, both of you seem to have misunderstood what is going on here. Dante has a very strong personality, sure. And yes, my grip has grown weaker. Perhaps the next body will be the one that will be the last for me.¡±


    Dante stopped banging on the glass and fell into himself. The thought that another body would come after his was extremely foreboding, morbid even.


    ¡°Then what are you doing, Pluto?¡± Tom was genuinely curious. The emotion in his voice was evident even to Dante, who questioned all that he knew of AI creatures.


    ¡°I¡¯m enjoying my time in the backseat,¡± Pluto said, though something else seemed to linger under his words. ¡°Dante was chosen for more reasons than any of the other bodies were. More reasons than even my original body, the body of Pluto. It¡¯s more important that he interacts with the world than it is for myself to do so. Besides,¡± he added with a playful wink, ¡°there¡¯s always a chance that things play out better this way. They¡¯d never expect that the great Captain Pluto would be dormant inside a weak, pitiful Recorder!¡±


    Hey!


    Dante surprised himself with his ability to speak subvocally as Pluto did, but Pluto was unfazed, sharing a laugh with Tom before returning himself to the alcove he had carved in Dante¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Bastard,¡± Dante muttered.


    Tom stood up and gave Dante a look he couldn¡¯t quite see with the haze of the black floaters in his eyes, then he left without saying a word, leaving him by himself.


    Dante sighed, and the seconds turned to minutes, and before they could turn further sleep stole him away, the struggles of the day overtaking any desire to ponder and reflect on the very same events.


    To say his dreams were free of turmoil would be a mistake, however. It was only confirmed by Pluto after a long conversation upon waking up, but Dante dreamed a memory of Pluto¡¯s. The memory of his arrival on 995. Were Dante to title this file, it would be titled:


    S1121_captainPlutoReachesTheBeginning.wav


    In the events leading up to 995, I, Captain Pluto, had come to learn a great many things about Mobius. The station was old and endless and housed many secrets. I knew of the grand AI who considered themselves gods. I knew of their goals, most of them primarily in a battle against entropy. Self preservation was of the utmost importance to them. That¡¯s why they hated me. That¡¯s why they began trying to halt my pilgrimage. I know that I told you before that I was never trying to reach the edge of Mobius, that I wished only to settle down and live a quiet, happy life. And while I won¡¯t say that¡¯s a lie, I will say that the longer my journey became, the more I began to equally despise the AI who wished nothing more than to stop me. Had they been less committed to my destruction, I wouldn¡¯t have gone out of my way to find ways to stop them. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have even made it as far as I did. Nevertheless, I walked into 995 thinking I knew everything there was to know about Mobius, thinking I was reaching an even greater height than before.


    I was wrong.


    Tom and myself had discussed what we were going to do prior to reaching 995. We had learned that a great community lived there and that there was a degree of local politics, something they referred to as the hegemony there. Knowing this, we decided it would be best not to enter all at once. If they saw a small army entering their domain, they might take it as a sign we were trying to attack them. With this in mind, I went alone so that I might scout things out, then Tom would come in, I would tell him what was going on, and then Cat would follow and guide the remainder of the army for us. Cat was adamantly opposed to this plan. She knew in her heart that something would go wrong, but I assured her that everything would be fine. Of course, as you¡¯re aware, everything did go wrong. You just don¡¯t know how.


    I said my good byes and see you laters, then I made my way to 995 on my own. My Hellwhip was fully charged, I had eaten a surprisingly big meal on 994¡ªthe people there were agricultural and grew crops in strange fields that seemed to have been designed by the great Architect, an AI whose sole job was to compose the music that was Mobius¡ªand I was ready for whatever would greet me on 995. I wasn¡¯t worried about whatever would be on the other side of that door, however. When we learned of the governing body that was the hegemony, none of our intelligence claimed it was run by Nanos. In fact, it seemed that the hegemony held a distaste for the mechanical beings who created Mobius. If anything, I imagined that the people in the following strata would find my company amicable.


    The door to 995 dilated and I stepped through. The cloak I wore about my skinsuit was tattered and ruined, but still kept me warm as I was blasted with the cool air of an open strata design. Such a design took me by surprise, as typically in well populated strata the designs were more populated by structures and hallways, often even being cylindrical in shape such as the one Cat hailed from where even weather systems were created in a way to simulate Earth¡¯s environment. This design, one of great openness, was more a design I had experienced when finding strata which housed great and powerful things. Terrible things.


    Nothing strange awaited me upon entering, however. There was a security Nano, which contradicted our knowledge immediately but posed no threat, merely identifying me and letting me through, but otherwise there was nothing to worry about. The walls were lined with great complexes, appearing to house the citizens of the hegemony, and in the center of the great emptiness there was a hologram of sorts who simulated night and day in the same way an electrical fireplace simulated the cozy structure of a real fire. Still, as I wandered the great ambiance that was 995, passing a plethora of security Nanos and poor, homeless citizens, I found there was nothing for us to worry about. I told Poe to send a message to Tom that we were ready to proceed, and then I found a nice spot to rest, something like a park where people would walk and relax under the false warmth emanating from the faux star above, great blue skies and all.


    I stayed on that bench for an hour, watching the strange sunset above when a man decided to sit with me.


    ¡°May I?¡± he asked, indicating the opposite end of my bench. He was an unassuming man, but compared to what I had seen of those living on the ground in 995 I already knew that he was strange, subdued, and could not be trusted.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I said, looking at him sidelong as my hand fell to rest on the holster hidden beneath my cloak. This man also wore a cloak, one of great reverence. I figured he must have been important in some way, either in the hegemony itself or some great merchant. No, the patterns were too intricate for a merchant. A figure in the politics of this strata made more sense.


    The man gave me a sidelong look as well, and I became increasingly worried about his identity.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you?¡± he asked, his deep voice sounding conversational and friendly. I couldn¡¯t lower my guard, but he wasn¡¯t making that easy.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, finally giving him a true look. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I continued to stare, taking in the face of the man. He was tall and lithe, his chin very square, his hair well kept but long, falling to his shoulders. Intelligence was clear in his dark eyes as he seemed to probe me, finding whatever information he could from my appearance¡ªan appearance I had hoped would cause him more panic than interest.


    ¡°Well then, allow me to be the first to welcome you to 995,¡± he said with a grand gesture.


    I merely nodded, gave him a quick smile, and continued to watch the sunset above. No one was walking near us anymore, and I wondered if it was a coincidence that this man had found me while we were absolutely alone.


    ¡°So what brings you to our humble hegemony?¡± he asked, still sounding pleasant in a way that made my skin crawl.


    ¡°Just passing through.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a traveler,¡± he said, rubbing the black stubble of his chin as though he had met many travelers in his time. ¡°I was like you once, you know.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°I highly doubt that.¡±


    The man laughed, a loud gunshot of a noise. I smiled involuntarily, cursing myself.


    ¡°Well, then you must be him.¡± He said it with such firm clarity that I knew he meant me. He knew Captain Pluto. Holding out a hand for me to shake, he gave me the smile he had been giving me, but I knew now that it wasn¡¯t a smile built on vivacity but political in nature, a smile meant for closing deals and signing forms. ¡°You may call me Mr. July,¡± he said as I shook his hand, the grip as firm as mine.


    ¡°Pluto,¡± I said, unsure of myself as the sunset transformed into night time, complete with a false moon shed its light on us in its odd glow, one I was unaccustomed to and didn¡¯t find myself liking.


    ¡°Captain Pluto,¡± Mr. July said, adjusting his position so that he was even closer than he had been before, ¡°you come at a most opportune time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do charity work,¡± I said, hoping that he would just leave me alone. Or that Tom would show up sooner rather than later. I don¡¯t scare easily, but this man¡­


    ¡°Right, well allow me to elaborate for you so that you can see what you would achieve in helping me. You are notorious, known across Mobius as the greatest of criminals.¡±


    ¡°A lie, Mr. July. I am no criminal, I am merely the opposition. Someone whose true desire is to take down this station and allow for humanity to propagate once more in a healthy, natural manner. Children shouldn¡¯t starve and be far from their families. We shouldn¡¯t fear for our lives.¡±


    ¡°And I agree heartily, Captain!¡± Mr. July shone his toothy grin to me, and my hand gripped the handle of my Hellwhip. ¡°You see, it is the goal of the hegemony¡ªof me, really¡ªto unite all of Mobius under one rule. To bring us together in great harmony. Humans, I mean. We were sent here to prosper not merely to survive, and I have seen what you speak of. The great starvation, the horrendous conditions, the horrible experiments which have been run on humans here. Were history being kept, Mobius would be considered one of humanities greatest mistakes, if not the absolute worst mistake since the eating of the apple.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand your allusions. And I don¡¯t care about what you have to say, Mr. July. I¡¯m here to do as I please. I have no interest in your politics.¡±


    Mr. July seemed to enjoy what I had said, as though I were playing things out as he had guessed things would go. ¡°You made a big mistake not bringing your companions with you, Captain. Maybe if you had, your posturing might be going a different way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re at a disadvantage,¡± he said, seeming to return himself to the political master he was. ¡°I have an entire five strata worth of people behind me, and yet you stand here alone like some fabled cowboy.¡±


    ¡°Again with the allusions,¡± I said with a shake of my head. ¡°Look, what are you asking me? Just come out and say it.¡±


    Leaning forward, his breath seeping into my nose due to proximity, he whispered to me, ¡°I need you to destroy the strata below us.¡±


    My Hellwhip was in his face faster than I could think. It was naturally set to three, where I usually kept it at idle, and the barrel was planted so deep into Mr. July¡¯s cheek the skin was bent underneath.


    I didn¡¯t expect any retaliation, however.


    I didn¡¯t expect a weapon of his own to be in my face.


    A Hellwhip of his own.


    ¡°What!?¡± I yelled, and Mr. July held a finger to his lips, obviously enjoying my reaction.


    ¡°Not so special after all, are you, Captain?¡±


    We both continued to press the weapons into each others faces, but I knew it was useless. I knew we were at a stalemate. This was the first time I had ever encountered a weapon of any similarity to the Hellwhip I carried. There were many pistols, rifles, guns of all shapes and sizes. Some held traditional ammunition, others used energy in a fashion not so different from the Hellwhip, but none were of the same ilk. None were like mine.


    Except his.


    It was obvious to me without needing a second glance. I had carried a Hellwhip for so long it was hard to imagine life without one. Seeing another was strange but easy to identify, with the extra long barrel for a pistol, the heavy dial on the side with a selector for one through six, and the hum, the everlasting vibration of its ceaseless energy creation was there, something I had never heard in any other weapon besides my own.


    Without words, we simultaneously lowered the weapons, myself giving him an intense look of surprise and anger, he merely smiling at the punchline of his own joke.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± he asked playfully. ¡°I made it myself, you know. Long ago.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± I said, my voice becoming someone else''s as the emotions took over. ¡°I found this on Stratum 56. That¡¯s so far below, so early in the lifespan of Mobius that you couldn¡¯t have possibly¡ª¡±


    Mr. July began laughing loudly then, and I stopped and asked him what was funny.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny,¡± he said between laughs, ¡°is that you¡¯ve traveled so far and still don¡¯t get it. You don¡¯t know where you are, do you?¡±


    I knew exactly where I was, but I decided to humor the man in front of me. I asked him where we were.


    ¡°We are near the very start of Mobius. You believe the first strata is 1, don¡¯t you? What a fool. The very beginning of Mobius, the original space station, is not 1 but 1000. We are only five strata away from the origin of the grand, universal dilemma.¡±


    My face was growing red with embarrassment and anger.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± I said more to myself than him. ¡°That would mean that strata would eventually¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go to the negatives?¡± he said more than asked, a curious shrug coming from the man. ¡°No, of course not. Had you gone backwards instead of forwards, actually, you would have reached strata 1, a place that¡ªso I¡¯ve heard, at least¡ªis a glorious hellscape meant only to create not only extremely experimental Nanos, ones who are more powerful and intricate in their design philosophy, but it is also a place where the great and powerful AI are made. It houses a great¡ª¡±


    My Hellwhip was back in his face, and he laughed at me as though it were a joke.


    ¡°Well, out with it,¡± I barked at him. ¡°Tell me why you need the strata below destroyed. Tell me, dammit!¡±


    ¡°Take it easy,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°I understand your anger. But it¡¯s for the greater good, Pluto. If we remove everything beneath 995, burn the chaff as it were, then Mobius will be much easier to unite.¡±


    ¡°You idiot,¡± I said, the Hellwhip shaking despite my best efforts. ¡°You think if we destroy all of that, burn away millions of lives, send a ridiculous amount of waste into the vacuum, that Mobius will not continue to run its programming, to rebuild below and start anew?¡±


    Mr. July looked insane to me then, even more than before, his eyes glistening beneath the false moon above us. ¡°Why Captain, I¡¯m counting on exactly what you say to happen.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take me long to understand what he was getting at. I nearly pulled the trigger then but he winked at me and I saw that his own Hellwhip was aimed at my torso, the setting level four based on the hum I heard from it. Were he to shoot me at that level, at that proximity, the man known as Captain Pluto would never be again, for my CMP unit would be incinerated as well as every piece of flesh which made me.


    ¡°Come now, Captain, don¡¯t be so foolish. I¡¯m merely offering for you to join us, to be a part of the new world.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± I said in what was most certainly not my finest moment.


    Without concern for himself, he pushed my Hellwhip aside and stood up, adjusting his long cloak as he did so. ¡°Well, Captain, I don¡¯t plan on killing you despite your apparent dislike for me. I was really hoping that we would get along better considering how similar we are. I mean, what body are you on now, your fifth?¡±


    I blinked in surprise. Mr. July nodded.


    ¡°I thought so. I¡¯m on my fourth, myself. Should be for quite some time too, because this one is damn handsome and extremely powerful. Might be the best one I¡¯ve had yet, really.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not human,¡± I said in anger, my voice shaking too much.


    ¡°Neither are you, Captain,¡± he said before lifting his Hellwhip, setting it quickly to level six, and shooting the ground below.


    What happened next was difficult for me to comprehend. It took much time¡ªalmost the entire time I¡¯ve known you, Dante¡ªto really understand what had happened to me then.


    Mr. July had decimated the strata below us. I know for a fact that a level six shot from a Hellwhip shouldn¡¯t be able to destroy more than half of a strata, let alone hundreds, but he certainly made it seem like he did. Maybe there was more to it than the blast he shot off. I¡¯m not sure. Either way, that was the false flag which got me arrested. Mr. July had called for the security Nanos moments later, and before I knew it I was being hauled off, the last thing I saw before falling unconscious being the cauterization of the gaping hole Mr. July had made while the flames seemed to rise around him. He wasn¡¯t even looking at me, he just kept staring off into the flames.


    Obviously everyone that followed me lived, but at the time I worried greatly that Cat, Tom, and my band of misfits had all succumbed to the pyre. Thankfully Poe had gotten through to Tom. Everyone had seen what had happened and they were able to make their escape before anything horrible happened, though I fear there were at least a few casualties in my band that day. Tom stayed with the group and did his best to keep everyone calm and ready to proceed forward, the new plan being to save my ass from being prosecuted for some crime I never committed. Cat did her best to pursue me and she did well, finding a way to pose as a nurse so that she could be near and ready for my escape.


    As I sat there in my cell with my limbs bound and my body scorched, I noticed that being so near the blast from his Hellwhip had caused a lot of damage to my body. Too much. I began asking Poe for help, tried speaking with him at all, but for the first time in my long journey he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had been killed in the line of duty somehow. I can¡¯t really explain it. With all of the damage to my body, though, I knew that I needed a new one soon. A lot sooner than I had anticipated, as this one was still relatively new.


    And that¡¯s when you walked in, Dante.


    Dante woke up in a cold sweat, gasping as if he had been drowning. His eyes were still messed up and he couldn¡¯t see properly. His body was still in pain. The vision he had just seen had caused his mind great distress, too much for him to bear. He wanted to do something, anything to get the energy out of him.


    Just sleep, Dante. Just sleep.


    Those soothing words repeated endlessly until Dante finally fell back asleep, hoping for nothing more than to wake up in his bed back on 999, ready to record the latest information from a new subject.