Cold Fusion - A Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Fusion Short Story Anthology

Chapter 5: Insurrection

Things moved quickly from that point. After a quick meal from rations that were stored in the safe house, Chhon used the device on her wrist to confirm that the peacekeepers were unaware of the body switch with Fletch's duplicate. Once that was done, she pulled up a moving map of the entire gaming site with the blood ghost enclave highlighted.

"The yellow dots mark Peacekeeper patrols," she explained when the psy variant stepped closer to look at it over her shoulder. She then highlighted another structure on the far north of the image with a gesture.

"The storage facility that holds the Engine," she said.

Fletch slowly nodded in understanding. Going by the small numbers of yellow dots in the vicinity, he saw that the therapsid's earlier assertion was correct. The storage facility was lightly protected, and what patrols that were in the area only periodically swung close to take a look at what was should've been the most heavily guarded secret in the federation.

Instead it stood virtually forgotten by those that should be keeping it safe. It was mute testimony of how little the game masters feared their slaves, and how much they had dismissed as being worthy of attention.

The human's features tightened with resolve. It was time those arrogant fools were shown the error of their ways.

Chhon was tapping other groups of colored dots when Fletch returned his attention to the diminutive therapsid. In quick sequence she moved all over the map, touching single dots and clusters both, in every factional enclave. After she touched the fifteenth cluster, Fletch spoke up.

"I thought you recruited only a small group," he said. Chhon answered without looking at him, continuing to touch dot clusters seemingly at random.

"Relative to the entire factional population, it is small," she said. She quickly tagged another half dozen before a wave through the display made it disappear. She then looked at the bemused human.

"Our diversion force has now been summoned," she reported with no little satisfaction. "Let us move you into position!"

As they stepped out of the safe house, the two were quickly surrounded by a cloud of ghosts. Instead of attacking them, as Fletch half expected, they took up escort positions and looked to Chhon. At her nod, they began to quickly make their way back out of the labyrinthine enclave.

"Are these ghosts part of the diversionary force?" Fletch leaned in close to ask. Chhon quickly shook her head, a curiously human gesture by one that was clearly not human.

"They will provide a measure of protection from peacekeepers being called to the storage facility once the diversion begins," the therapsid explained.

Fletch's expression tightened.

"I don't need their protection," he began to hotly protest before a curt gesture cut him off.

"The success of this plan rests on the game masters being unaware that you are still in play," Chhon said, fixing the angry human with a hard look of her own. "Psy variants are few and far between. If you reveal yourself by using your abilities prematurely, our original deception fails and the game masters will realize therapsids are involved in the insurrection." She looked away and stared into the darkness for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with anger and frustration of her own.

"Darmak will execute Trahd and the remaining Academy scientists along with their families in retaliation," she hissed. "Only after they are all dead will she begin to hunt for those of us that weren't originally arrested twenty years ago. Then all of our patience and planning will amount to nothing!"