Black Hole Heartbeat

Elizabeth - 90

The burst of an airhorn.

Then,

The lab, Elizabeth. Now

And an airhorn again.

Elizabeth jolted out of bed. She threw on some clothes from the floor and headed

for the lab as Ana started to stir.

Her jacket slapped against her legs with each footstep. The message repeating until

Elizabeth reached the lab. West's voice like cogs grinding.

"What you got?" Elizabeth said.

She didn't notice Rusalka perched sweetly on the lab table.

"I think you owe him a thank you. Do you realise how long Krakk's been fixing this?"

"It's not entirely fixed yet," Krakk said.

Elizabeth's eyes moved over the green symbols glowing on the key's shaft. Her

translator did not melt the letters into recognisable shapes.

"My translator's not picking it up either," Rusalka said.

"Krakk? Yours any better?"

Krakk tapped his temple.

"I don't have any translator."

"Seriously? How can you understand me?"

"I speak 7 Human languages. 43 in total. Master wanted to push the limits of my

mind."

"He even speaks three strains of Umbra," Rusalka added, "I don't even know any

Umbra who can do that."

"So we've got nothing?"

All that blood on their hands. Her hands. Elizabeth slammed her fist into the bench

and the key trembled. Rusalka jumped off the table.

"You'll break it!"

"Caution is advised around the key, Captain. I do not know if I could reassemble it

again."

She took a step back.

"It's just... we're no closer than we were three years ago when I was dead."

Elizabeth felt her heart beat. Bad-um-um. It had gone beyond keeping West happy.

This was about finishing what she had started. The Fire. The tree. She needed

answers.

"Not quite back where we started, Captain," Krakk said, "I can't read this, but I have

seen these letters before. Nyomee often reads books with these symbols."

"Then let's get her down here."

~*~

Nyomee strolled into the room. Elizabeth cracked her knuckles

"Elizabeth... you put it all together."

"Krakk put it together," Rusalka said.

"Can you read it?" Elizabeth asked.

Nyomee tapped the key's shaft. The air disappeared from the room. Elizabeth's skin

turned to ice.