Cath

The Cradle

“Ok. Still getting the hang of this…” Dr Wetherall replied. Even through the interference, his voice seemed nervously excited by it all. He began sending pulses, referencing a Morse code guide.

“Non-threatening is our specialty.” Saddam chuckled from his post on the opposite side of the transit station. “There’s someone up there, watching us.” 595 reported calmly, pointing into the dark up the valley. “Where?” Thebes asked. “Let me try and mark it.” 595 replied. A waypoint appeared on everyone’s HUD at a point in the distance, but it quickly began jumping about, moving hundreds of metres each time. 595 removed it after a few seconds.

“Fucking hell, what is going on with our gear?” Carthage growled. “How can you even see that far anyway? I can’t visualise half that distance.” 595 shrugged. “My eyes are adapted for the Cradle.” was her opaque reply. She waved into the blackness at the faint figure high up the valley’s edge, beckoning for them to come forward. The figure promptly disappeared from view.

“A few of them are leaving town.” Athena reported. “Which way are they heading?” Thebes asked. “Away from us. Looks like they’re riding something warmer. The rest are still milling around.”

---

“New message from inside: TS test in five. They didn’t respond to our last hail.” Freyr nodded in acknowledgement. She was deep in thought, planning out what would go over in the first shipment. The transit station area set aside in the lab was a four metre square. They could scan and send people and materiel much quicker this way than programming equipment into the harnesses.

Freyr was using a datapad to simulate what they could fit into the transit station space; it was vitally important not to actually enter the area until it was confirmed to work. So far, with the help of a systems engineer, she’d sim-packed a third of the available space with spare parts and repair equipment for the comms mast and transit station, and more deployable cover, personal issue. Lab assistants had been running to fetch the required items and arrange them close by the transit plate. Freyr projected there was enough room for two Rothians and two Humans to squeeze in without touching each other.

Freyr looked up when Marae approached her. “Well, we need a wide variety of skills. My three so far span Genomics, Artificial Systems and Xenobiology, but they’re all trained how to survive in environments like the Cradle. They also all know to some extent how to maintain equipment and learn from their surroundings. I’m going to send in one of my other systems engineers in the next wave. It seems like the team are having some trouble with the equipment in there. My working theory is that this could be down to a divergence in language between this object and the Cradle over time. Oh yeah, and I’m also going to send two of my all-rounders to begin holistic study.”

Freyr spoke quickly, trying to translate her complex thought process on the fly. There was still a lot to prepare, but first they needed to confirm the transit station actually worked. “There should be room for four Rothians. Who do you have so far?”

The Cradle

“They might be watching us right now. We’re not exactly hidden up here.” Knossos remarked, peering through his rifle scope at the multitude of crags further up the valley from a prone position. 595 scanned the higher elevations too, her hands so far still free from weapons of any kind. “Not loads of cover up here either, apart from the transit shield.” Carthage muttered, picking up a small rock near where she knelt. It crumbled into black dust and fell through her fingers. “Keep the line clear.” Thebes ordered. “We’re trying to reach base.”

---

“I’m getting something!” A Rothian manning the auxiliary comms console called. Freyr rushed over and listened in. “It sounds like some kind of code.” He reported. Freyr only needed to listen to three pulses before she realised what it was. “It’s Morse code, an ancient Human form of communication. Plug it in, let's see what it says.” The transmission was unbearably slow, with words gradually forming on the screen. After about a minute they had their first phrase.

“LZ set up….safe”.....

Then another.

…..”mast jammed”

Then a sign off.

“TS in ten…life found…..stop”….

“They found life!” Freyr shouted, for the benefit of the people not huddled around the console. “The transit station will be ready in ten minutes. We only have limited space as it sounds like they need spares. We’ll need an anthropologist to go. Who else?” She’d resigned herself to being the vicarious co-ordinator in this expedition for now, but had already briefed the members of her team who were staying behind what to do when she did finally go in.

---

“I’ve got a lot of activity down here.” Athena crackled, sharing her feed again. Lots of heat blobs were emerging from the long, flat building shapes to congregate together and mill around. “Think they’re coming out for a look. Maybe we should tell the civilians to stay put.”

The Cradle

595 sighed. That was the boring, correct way to handle the situation, yes. “Fine. We wait.” With all the power coursing through her right now, she had to make a conscious effort to stay rational. She lowered her visor; it crawled back over her face and bright blue eyes.

---

Far away, further up the side of the valley, two creatures watched the twin lamps disappear. After a short exchange, one of them set off back down into the valley’s basin at a run.

---

“There...that...should do it.” Dr Wetherall groaned as they maneuvered the last of the mast’s supporting legs into position. “Start on the transit station, would you please?” He asked his two juniors, before turning the comms mast on. He stayed by the control panel while he tried for home. “This is Olive Branch calling base. Come in, over.” No answer. Dr Wetherall made a few changes to the configuration and tried again. “Base, this is Olive Branch, come in please.”

---

Back in the real world, aboard the FOB, the lab was suddenly filled with a whirlwind of white noise. Freyr jumped out of her seat and approached the comms console where one of her team was already sat. “Isolate that signal, clean it up!”

---

“I have one foot-mobile moving into town.” Athena reported after about ten minutes of Dr Wetherall trying unsuccessfully to get through to the real world on comms. She shared her view through the scope with the group. A faint, red and yellow blob was quickly traversing through the black canvas of the landscape toward a cluster of shapes identified as buildings.

“Great, there goes the element of surprise.” 595 commented, just as Thebes and Saddam successfully deployed the shield around the area being prepared as a transit station.

The Cradle

“Five minutes.” Dr Wetherall responded to Rareth’s question directly, lying next to the comms mast to fiddle with one of the control panels. “Why are comms so patchy? Sounds like you lot are inside a ration packet.” Memnon asked, carrying his massive repeater like it was a beloved pet. “Not sure. I’ll try to clean up some of the background noise in a minute.” Dr Dlamini grunted, tugging at one of the levers controlling the mast’s base.

“Athena, go and check out what our Rothian friend has found.” Thebes ordered the Sacred Band’s sleek, grey armoured sniper. He activated the first node in their deployable cover, which was actually a misleading name for an acorn shaped energy shield. Once the other two nodes were in place, it would envelope the transit station in a bubble which resisted ballistics and supercharged energy alike. They could even camouflage it against the background, making it almost invisible.

Athena wordlessly complied with the order, jogging over to the edge of the ridge where Rareth stood. She lay down on the pitch black ground and unpacked her weapon. Originally a rectangular block, it quickly unfolded in her hand, elongating into a high powered rail gun with a bulky scope. A bipod flicked out from the end of the barrel, which Athena rested on a stable platform before peering through the optics where Rareth had indicated. “Shit. My picture isn’t clear.” She put her hand in front of the scope and flicked it back and forth, trying to focus it. “That’s a bit better. Hmmm. Yeah, I can see something. Heat sigs. Looks like some buildings too.”

595 jogged over. “Where?” Athena pointed, her eye still trained down the sight. “Interesting...We should do a recce, see who or what lives there.”

The Cradle

“Everyone alright?” Thebes sent over comms once he’d regained his senses. He quickly located the outlines and IFF tags of the group in the low-light even before his enhanced vision came online. Memnon and Carthage were still on their knees, hands either held up to their helmeted face or resting on the ground. Knossos, second in command and the Band’s medic, rushed over to them while Saddam and Athena moved into protective postures, weapons raised and looking out into the darkness.

“Permission to lift my visor?” Memnon, the Band’s marksman, asked from his kneeling position. His voice arrived over comms noticeably crackly. “Atmosphere is breathable, no sign of any dangerous elements.” The scientist named Dr Ngata offered helpfully from nearby, also crackly. “Alright...Make it quick.” Thebes replied, pulling the energy rifle off his back and establishing a sensory grid from his suit. His team’s suits quickly integrated and amplified the field, creating a wide net to monitor motion, heat and other tactical data.

The front of Memnon’s helmet slid back and he promptly threw up between his hands, onto the featureless surface they all found themselves on. Knossos patted his shoulder. “You’re alright.” He chuckled gruffly. Memnon waved one hand around behind him to move the old soldier on. Knossos shuffled over to Carthage, who was having trouble as well. Memnon watched the ground greedily suck in the matter he’d ejected before grabbing his heavy assault weapon and standing up.

595 opened her visor too, standing on the edge of the group. It crawled back over her face, revealing her pearlescent teeth in a Cheshire grin. She sniffed loudly, sampling the air with her nose as three bright blue dots cycled up in each of her eyes. “This place smells different to the Cradle.” She noted, looking around.

“Ok, let's get this comms mast in the ground first.” Dr Wetherall announced, turning Dr Dlamini around so he could access the equipment attached to the back of her suit. Carthage finally stood up with Knossos’ help, unpacking her SMG. “Well, that was rough.” She crackled. "Good to have you back. Join the wall, look sharp.” Thebes ordered. “Doctor Ngata, may I take those deployable cover modules?” The short, stout suit with ‘CRD’ printed on the front nodded, chucking three containers over before rejoining work on the comms mast.

The Cradle

After a short huddle, Agent 595 and the Sacred Band made last minute checks to their equipment before letting the science team secure them into their harnesses. Dr Apalkov quickly and carefully readied a pre-load file for the three deputies Freyr elected to go inside. As they wouldn’t be carrying weapons, they had a bit of room on their person for vital equipment, like the components for a new transit station, a comms mast and deployable cover modules. Once they were all kitted out, they too strapped into waiting harnesses and prepared to go under.

Freyr was deep in thought when Vreta approached, and flinched slightly at his touch. She looked at him, and smiled distractedly. “I hope so.” She said, before getting up and moving over to where her team were finally settling down. “I’m sorry to leave you behind, kiddo. We’ll get you in as soon as it’s safe, ok?” 595 called, her hand craning forward to see Freyr while the rest of the agent’s body faced the ceiling. “Just focus on keeping everyone safe, alright? Don’t worry about me.” Freyr asked.

She then moved across to Wetherall and the other two scientists, who were looking noticeably less cavalier. “Remember, if everything is quiet: comms mast first, then transit station, then deployable cover. If anything happens, it’s the other way around. Do you understand?” Dr Wetherall gave her a thumbs up. Freyr nodded. She stepped back and looked at Dr Apalkov. “How are we looking?”

“We’re looking as ready as we’ll ever be. I can make adjustments based on entry feedback we get.” Freyr nodded again and looked over at Nirann, who was attending Rareth’s harness. “Ready?” He answered in the affirmative. “Okay. We’ll insert in thirty seconds; start the clock, please. Good luck everyone!”

The Cradle

“Knowing what we know now, i agree with you, Datius.” Captain Andersen’s hologram spoke up. “We can’t afford to lose you, Dr Lang. By all means, elect enough deputies to set up shop inside this thing without your help, but i can’t allow you to go in with the first wave. Agent 595, i’m transferring operational command of the Sacred Band to you. Once a beachhead is secure, get word back and we can funnel more resources in if required.

595 bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. Freyr bit nervously down on her bottom lip and clenched her fists repeatedly. She wasn’t happy to put other people in danger like this. What if they faced something they didn’t understand that she could help with if she were there? But it did make sense - she had to pick her battles. Especially when being brave was getting her nowhere. “Ok...Lets do it!” She conceded, trying to sound positive. She looked around at her team. “Ngata, Dlamini & Wetherall. Will you go in for me? I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

Wetherall looked at the other two, who nodded. “We’ll do whatever is necessary.” Freyr nodded and smiled, giving his shaking hand a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you. Happy?” She directed the last question at Andersen, who nodded her approval unequivocally this time. She then looked at Rareth, who also gave the green light. “Okay, positions, people! Let’s be ready for insert in fifteen minutes. Apalkov, I need you to dial in suits and equipment for these three! Give Wetherall the transit gear.” The lab exploded in a flurry of activity, leaving Freyr momentarily free to bite the nail on her right thumb and wonder if she’d made the right choice.

The Cradle

Freyr didn’t answer immediately. She took a moment to organise her thoughts, arms crossed, head slightly tilted down, perfectly aware most eyes in the lab were now on her. A flicker of blue light shone in her periphery; glancing over Freyr saw two half-body holograms of Captain Andersen and the Outremer Security Council delegate had appeared on a pedestal nearby. It looked like they were in a conference room up on the Barb.

“I am an academic, like many of you here today. I’m happiest with a careful, methodical, inexorable march toward the truth. I want nothing more for us to set up a robust programme of research from the safety of the FOB. But i’m afraid, we all know that this kind of work takes months, years even, to fully unlock results. This is time we simply don’t have. I fear lives are at stake on Outremer right now, many more than we’ll be risking with our journey inside this object. Two of those lives are my husband and daughter, who were kidnapped right at the start. So yes, i believe this is a necessary risk.”

Freyr paused temporarily, to avoid her voice breaking. She took a second to compose herself before looking straight at Rareth. “I can’t force anyone to enter the simulation, as i won’t be able to guarantee their safety. But, i am going in there myself, regardless. If we go in as a cohesive unit, we stand more chance of learning something and coming out alive.”

Everyone was silent for a millisecond, until 595 called “Ooo ra!” across the room. Her rallying cry made Freyr smile with emotion she wiped her eye. The Sacred Band all stamped their feet in unison, creating a hollow boom that rolled across the lab. “We’re with you, Dr Lang!” Dr Wetherall gaver her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Captain Andersen nodded opaqely and shared a muted word with the delegate on screen.

The Cradle

“That’s correct. We...um…We think it learned our language from kidnapped Humans. For the centuries before that we’ve never had direct communication from the device.” Freyr answered.

She took another deep breath, not quite believing she was volunteering for this. “I think we should get in there and find out exactly what is going on. Nirann, your analysis has already proved the simulation is livable, at least around our entry point. If we go in, we might be able to establish a two-way connection which will give us more reliable information to work with. Is that agreeable?” Freyr directed this to Rareth.

Freyr glanced over at the other side of the lab, where the Sacred Band were waiting patiently. 595 was over there too, deep in conversation with Thebes and gesticulating expansively. It looked like they might be discussing strategy, or at least one of them was. Freyr was surprised to see the agent had smudged some dark red battle clay over her face in a T-shape over her eyes, nose and mouth. “If you’re worried about putting Rothian lives in danger, I know at least seven Human desperadoes who’ll be willing to do the heavy lifting.” Freyr added to her question with a smile.

“Meanwhile, If we can figure out the language this thing uses, that could be the single biggest advance in this space for a century. I believe my team has sent over samples from Cradle creatures we've captured. There may be clues there if they do actually communicate through organic matter. However, even with all the computing power in the world, we’ll need some time to be confident we’re not going to piss this thing off with whatever message we try and send. Better to try a two-pronged approach.” Freyr finished her pitch by looking between Artek, Marae and Nirann.

The Cradle

“Very interesting...i don’t think we’ve fully considered that yet.” Freyr ruminated on what the monochrome Rothian had said about a DNA-based language. She turned back to her team, who had gathered around three consoles in the bank behind her. “Pull up the files on all the Cradle specimens we captured.” She turned back to Marae. “Yank the program for me, please. I want to see what data we have.”

---

“There’s hundreds more of them.” Freyr murmured in wonderment. Her overlay glasses were pulling out dozens of iterations of the same coordinates from the wreckage of the probe they’d yanked. She was very impressed that they’d collected this much, which she supposed was mostly down to the advanced Rothian tech. But what did it all mean?

Freyr took a deep breath through her nose, massaging her bottom lip with two fingers. Her back was starting to hurt, so she stood up straight again.

“Freyr, you need to look at this.” Dr Wetherall pushed in next to her at the conference table and splayed a mess of holo-pads out. “I tried to match up some of the information connected to the coords we pulled from the probe with the sample we took from Mr Sori. There are lots of slight changes, but i can see correlation too.” Freyr held two holopads up, one in each hand.

To her trained eye, one hand contained an atomic portrait of a Rothian. The other contained a fuzzy, indistinct, sinister looking cousin. “Do you think…?” Dr Wetherall asked, blinking at her. “Fuck, has it been staring us in the face this whole time?” Freyr asked back, staring off into the distance for a moment, lost in thought.

Then, she slid the two holo pads across the table to Marae. “We know that the Cradle captures and recreates things from outside the simulation. We also know it’s highly likely that this object had something to do with the patterns in Rothian DNA. But how did those patterns get there? We don’t know of any power these objects have to change genetics on the outside, but inside their domain? It’s plausible. And I think my astute deputy may have found the origin stock.”