Scribbles and Drabbles

Notebook Drabble 56 - Hive Virus 1

"Welcome to the End, Ferguson. State your business," Titan Ironheart said, voice bored and expression blank. 

He played with a card in one hand, letting it flick through his fingers before it embedded itself into the table underneath. Titan headed the loyalty squad. The reputation gave sane men nightmares. They did try not to scare people coming to them too much, enough to maintain their reputation, but not so much that people lost the ability to admit their sins. Regardless, being in a white sterile room gave Ferguson the shivers. 

Ferguson steeled his stomach. "I have a possible plan to deal with Division One in a way that doesn't involve killing them." Because every Kazonite noticed the lack of deaths between the Kazon Elite and Division One. The death count for the war got published regularly but the fights between the best fighters on both sides didn't cause deaths. 

It was probably treason to notice. It was definitely treason to wish it was like that for more of the battles. Kazonites would destroy the Alliance and kill all who served it. 

A new card flicked into the metal, this one scoring deeper as Titan took more notice of him. "A plan which requires our help?"

"One that requires your knowledge and permission, or we'd risk being named as traitors. May I explain?" Ferguson had survived the war and slums by knowing how to play his cards. His plan might not work. Doing it without the loyalty squad's approval would be suicide. 

"Go on?" Titan said, waving his hand to invite Ferguson to lay his guts on the table for inspection. 

"You are aware of my people's Pulse Echo ability?" Nanite virus from their time under Hive rule. 

"Of course."

"Are you aware that those of us from the Blight have a particular mutation of the Echo virus? We can pass the Echo on in the right conditions quicker than most and without the normal pledge ceremonies to make the nanites connect." It was clear what the Hive planned when they injected the sludge with it. Millions lived in the dark dredge of the mines and fallen parts of planets. Infect the underclass, and a swarm existed, waiting to erupt into the light and devour all its path. 

He'd been listening to the Everlight priests too much again. 

Titan tilted his head, a glimmer of nanites flowing through his eyes. He was not a server like the A.I's people, but he was the closest thing outside of it. "Blight clutches need less time than normal to generate a pulse, but you can induce it?"

Ferguson's mouth turned dry. Induce was a good word for what they could do. "A month of sleeping soundly among us is enough to sync a new pulse to our Echo. No ceremony is needed; simply resting while feeling safe and trusting us will make a person part of our Echo."

"You have a new pulse?"

"One on the verge. He's starting to pulse, and I'd rather you not kill him."

"If he's a traitor, it is the way of things. It would be better to cull him now before he turns your clutch into a bigger threat."

"He's worse, I suspect," Ferguson admitted, voice low. 

"Oh?"

"I think he's a spy. More importantly, I think he's a Division One spy. Which brings us back to my plot on offer. If I may continue?" Ferguson waited for permission before speaking. More nanites whizzed through Titan's eyes as he checked through files and information.

"Explain your reasoning for him being Division One?"

"He knows things that he shouldn't. Things that are particular to my clutches' spawning grounds. I suspect the information was gathered from my lad Crash. If he hadn't started to pulse, I would have put in the tipline and left it, but then it occurred to me. Why not let him finish syncing before letting him escape back?"