The infinity dungeon 262

Chapter 262

“Well,” Michael said. He and Icarus walked side by side, the warm sun of the Valley above them. “We totally forgot about going down to the eighth floor, didn’t we?”

Before Icarus could reply, they both detected something that made them stop in their tracks. Michael’s head swiveled, trying to locate the source of the disturbance, but it was gone before he could do anything.

“What was that?”

Icarus had already activated a million subroutines and auxiliary systems to track the phenomenon, veins of data pulsing and shifting inside the inner space. Data rooms came into being and then vanished, countless instances of Icarus created and dismissed in a matter of moments.

“The don,” the AI said with finality. “He used the broken mirror.”

“The artifact at the Vatican?”

Icarus nodded. “We don’t know where it is. We are assuming it’s there, or at least in Rome, but the Faith interference is strong.”

Michael dove into the very same data streams Icarus was expertly surfing, but the sheer amount of data was overwhelming. He felt lost, like he was learning how to swim all over again. 

“Can’t we, like, infiltrate some men in his organization?” he asked.

The data stream shifted and he finally found what he had been looking for. The answer to his question appeared in front of him. 

“Nevermind,” he said, dismissing the images of dead, dismembered people. Whole families went missing just to send a message. With Faith magic, there was no infiltrating them.

It was enough to sour his mood and make him return to the surface. He briefed Travis about what had just happened, and after some speculation, Travis told Michael about the next moves he had planned.

Then, he showed him the Origin system. The very same proof of concept Johanne had shown him, but improved. Michael had known about it, of course, but unlike Icarus he wasn’t everywhere all at the same time, and had not yet seen it in action.

“Do you remember General Brewer?” Travis asked.

“I do. You asked me if you could free him from the Valley. I assume it wasn’t you having a change of heart.”

“Of course not. I had Icarus help me pull some strings and made him Secretary of Defense.”

Michael whistled. 

Travis continued. “He will be our way into the White House. We will give them three gifts: the Origin system, the Daedalus surveillance and intelligence network, and the Methusalah drug.”

“Our three Trojan horses,” Michael muttered. “It is time, then, isn’t it? To make the big moves.”

“If anything, we are late. The Technomancer’s death revealed just how wide the Don’s network is. We still don’t know how much of it is his and how much is the Church’s, but it doesn’t matter. As long as they are working together, they are both our enemies.”

“Are they still attacking us?”

“Not the Site, but they are interfering with our operations both nationally and internationally. I am already planning our counterattack, and the move on the White House is only the appetizer. David is protecting our other big project, the “Water in the Desert” initiative in Arizona.”

“Our proof of concept for the wider public,” Michael said. “Setting the stage for the big moves. I like that.”

“There is more. I want to roll out the Origin system to all Unity personnel. It will have to have limits, tailored to each individual.”

“All Unity personnel? Even the non-combatants?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Interesting,” Michael said. “Plus we also have the version we are going to give to the military. Icarus and I can probably handle it manually–well, he can–but I have a better idea in mind. I will need a few days to work on it, can you wait?”

Travis nodded. “Of course. We are still working on setting up the meeting with the president, and we need to wait for Johanne to finalize the devices to make the system function outside your domain here in Site 00. While you work, I will be coordinating our counterattack, but I will wait until you are done to actually start moving. You are the only one who can reliably counter the Faith users.”

Michael’s smile was tight. “No pressure.”

“Trust me, you are not the one under pressure here.”

“Except,” his smile widened, becoming more genuine. “You actually like it.”

“You’re damn right I do.”

As soon as Michael left, Travis got up and made a beeline for the dungeon. Inside, a white room greeted him instead of the usual first room. In it, a figure of shadows was waiting for him.

“Infinity,” he said.

She cocked her head. “Travis Tyrell. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Travis almost scoffed. He knew full well she didn’t find their meetings pleasurable at all. He obviously didn’t say it, firstly because he liked living, but also because Infinity looked slightly different than usual. It was like she was glowing, and her smile–while usually fake and stiff, formal at best–hid traces of actual emotions in its depths.

He wondered what was up with her. 

“Did the don just access the dungeon using his strange broken mirror device?”

The woman shrugged, playing with her scythe by twirling it in her hand. “Answers do not come cheap, delver.”

“You are not the spirit anymore.”

This made her smile, for some reason. As if she was happy not to be the spirit anymore. He supposed it made sense, given her past relationship with the dungeon. 

“I still play by the rules,” she said with another shrug. “If you want to know whether Don Casellaro used his broken mirror to access the dungeon, and for what, then you need to provide something or do something of equal value.”

“What would be the price, should I want to pay it?”

Infinity hummed. “What would it be indeed…” she trailed off, looking into the distance. When she locked her gaze on him, he was staring at a predator. “I want every single powered individual in existence to be tied to the Origin system. I want Michael to allow Icarus to pacify the world. I want you to make my Champion the ruler of the multiverse, now and forever.”

Travis felt his throat go dry. “Those are some tall orders,” he said. “But I can assure you that I am working on all three things.”

“Then telling you that the don is using shards of the mirror to communicate and travel–not only to the dungeon but between worlds–would also be a tall order. There are demons, and devils, and they are but instruments in a grand plan that will probably backfire. I will say no more, save for the fact that you should intensify your surveillance efforts on your own planet. You have too many blind spots, and in a few of them there are gold cards waiting for you, but I cannot tell you about them unless you discover them first. Get to work, Travis Tyrell. Goodbye.” 

As she disappeared, he could feel a headache forming. Luckily, the room remained behind. There was no Gaze here, but time outside was frozen, meaning that he could stay here until either he got too hungry or the room started collapsing. He had not brought his computer with him, but these days he didn’t need to. His phone, upgraded as it was, would suffice.

A hologram appeared, a map of Earth.

“Patch the blind spots…” he muttered. “As if we don’t already have enough on our plate.”

An outline of a plan was already forming, however. A way to expand their ranks quickly, much faster than Candle Light and Vanguard ever could. The two branches of Unity needed a security standard for their personnel that was just incompatible with fast recruitment. Infinity had given him an idea, however. Use the Origin system as a way to ensure and enforce loyalty. It was an upgrade to what he was already doing, hooking people up to a supply of magic coins only he controlled. 

The Origin system could be a step further, just slightly below Michael’s old oaths, with its ability to interact with people’s Sanctums, and wipe them clean. He hoped Michael’s upgrades would make it even easier for him to use the system as a control tool.

A smile crawled on his face. An ugly, twisted mockery of a real smile, one he only allowed to exist here–alone in the white mists of Infinity’s room.

He had the perfect goons. No need to risk Candle Light or Vanguard when they had the US military. All they needed to do was meet the president, and sign a couple of sheets of toilet paper. Er, official documents.