Published at 28th of October 2025 4:46 am

Chapter deluge 16.1

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Elpida stepped from the darkness, into the quiet greenish glow of Pheiris control cockpit.

She paused to relish the moment of relative peace; it might be one of the last shed get, for quite some time.

The cockpit was just as shed left it, a grotto of secluded shadows tucked between the banks of softly flickering displays and dimly lit readouts, tiny lights winking to themselves in the enclosed gloom, consoles and control surfaces studded with switches and buttons catching the edge of the electric illumination. The crew seats drowsed before their stations. The tiny viewport up and to the right was sealed and blinded by an exterior curl of armour. The internal sounds of Pheiris body the humming and clicking and soft whirr of computers and machines and systems behind his sturdy inner walls was almost enough to drown out the distant static of the hurricane.

The cockpit was sparsely occupied, as Elpida had expected. Sky, one of the new girls, was fast asleep in a side-seat, muscular arms folded over her chest, mouth drooping open, a thin trickle of drool making its way down her chin. Kagami was in the very front of the cockpit, huddled deep in her seat, visible only as a glimmer of black hair beneath the sickly green light of several dozen displays.

Elpida resisted a sigh. She had left the most difficult to the last. She knew she should not be the one to peel Kagami away from her post that was Victorias role. But this was about more than caring for her new cadre.

She crossed the control cockpit, quietly enough to leave Sky undisturbed, but without any real stealth.

Kagami? she murmured. Kagami?

Elpida stepped into the greenish glow from the semi-circle of active screens in the tip of the cockpit, into Kagamis halo of data and feedback and camera-views. Kagami looked up and around, her neck a sluggish swivel, attention glued to the displays; when she finally lifted her gaze, her eyes seemed glassy and clouded, lost far away, still focused on the internal readouts and drone-feeds piped up her optic nerve. Her right arm was folded deep in her lap, as if shed been masturbating, and her left was lying flat on the arm of the chair, her twinned uplink cables spooled out of her wrist, their other ends sunk deep amid the machinery crammed into the tip of the cockpit.

Kagami looked strung out. Petite body wrapped in her armoured coat, dark skin gone waxen with sleepless stress, heavy bags under her eyes. Elpida silently chastised herself. She should have had one of the others drag Kagami off-station the moment everyone was safely inside.

Kaga? Kagami? Elpida whispered. Pheiri, can you bring her round

Kagami forced a tight hiss through clenched teeth, then blinked hard, three times. Her eyes focused and cleared. The lucidity didnt help, it made her seem even more exhausted.

Im right here, Commander, she growled, and I can hear you perfectly well. I am an expert at subjects you will never comprehend, but even I cant sleep with my eyes open.

Elpida suppressed a smile. Understood, Kaga.

Elpida lowered herself into an adjacent seat. Kagami looked her up and down. No time to dress for dinner, I take it?

Too busy, Elpida said. Ill strip down in a minute.

Most of the carapace suit Elpida had worn out into the warren of the tomb still hung from the straps and buckles of the armours under-layer, fastened around her hips and chest. Several of the plates were stained with gritty black smears from the airborne glass-dust which Ooni had released with her explosive gambit. Elpida had been back inside Pheiri for the better part of an hour forty seven minutes and sixteen seconds, according to her internal clock but she hadnt found long enough to slow down and strip off the rest of the carapace, despite Aminas dutiful attentions. Amina had managed to get her pauldrons and gauntlets and greaves off, but the rest had required her to stop and sit down.

Kagami frowned. Not right here you wont. You leave all that armour all over the floor in here and Ill Ill

She trailed off and made a dismissive gesture with her right hand, turning her eyes back to the flickering screens of exterior camera views and scrolling green text.

Is this your domain now, Kaga?

Kagamis frown turned into a scowl. And why shouldnt it be?

No sarcasm intended, Elpida said. If this reminds you of your life, and youre good at it, then why should I object? I know we can rely on you in this role. I know youre the most skilled, the most suitable, the most experienced, the best suited to act as our mission control, to interface with Pheiri, and to command the drones weve picked up. Its a serious question. Is this your domain now?

Kagami gave Elpida a sidelong look, then returned to her screens. Sometimes.

Then I will take my armour off elsewhere.

Elpida followed Kagamis gaze, glancing at the multiple vantage points from high up on Pheiris hull, the dozen different views of the revenant crowd out in the tomb chamber. She gestured at the screens, about to ask a question but then felt a spike of pain shoot from her elbow to her fingertips, lingering there like pins and needles.

She had tried to gesture with her missing right forearm. Phantom pain tingled in empty space. For a moment, Elpida was speechless, staring at the place her right hand should be.

So, Kagami drawled with a dry throat, without taking her eyes off the displays. How is our lady of the hour?

Elpida blinked hard. She needed a moment to recover. you mean Ooni, yes?

Kagami shot her another sidelong look. Who else?

You might have meant Ilyusha. She was out there too, went through most of the same. Worse, by some definitions. Had all her limbs removed and then re-seated. She can barely walk.

Bully for her, Kagami muttered

Or Iriko. Without Iriko in the lead, we would have lost Ooni, no doubt about it. Without Irikos self-control we would have nothing to bring back. She melted every scrap of armour and clothing off Ooni, but didnt even touch the scabs on her wounds. I think weve all underestimated Iriko. Or maybe you meant Serin. She made a hell of a hard shot to get Kuro off Ooni, and she did it first time. I couldnt have made that shot.

I could.

Elpida raised her eyebrows.

Kagami cleared her throat. With a drone.

Ah. Im sure you could do, yes. Kagami gave her a sharp glance, so Elpida added: I wasnt being sarcastic.

Right, of course you werent, Kagami grumbled. You wouldnt know how. Did they engineer that out of you as well? Is it a side-effect of the height and the musculature? Or was your Telokopolis just like that? A whole culture with no such thing as sarcasm. Id be climbing the walls by day three.

Its a me thing, nothing else. Howl can be sarcastic. But lucky for you, Howl is asleep.

All tuckered out, is she?

Exhausted. Like you look.

Kagami tutted. Im fine.

Silence descended against the black static backdrop of the distant hurricane, broken close at hand by the gentle sounds of Pheiris body. Elpida waited, curious if Kagami would repeat her question, or move onto the one she actually wanted to ask, but Kagami just shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A small grimace crossed her face as she adjusted her left arm. The circuitry inside made her skin there look pale and thin, a sheath of flesh over metal.

Oonis in the infirmary, Elpida said. Shell be out of action for quite a while, even if we pour a whole cannister of blue down her throat. Which, before you say anything, were not going to do. Shes safe, shes got medical attention, shes going to be fine. She drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, but shes sleeping now. Im proud of her. We should all be proud of her. She pretty much broke what was left of the Deats Heads, mostly by herself. Iriko and Serin just mopped up the remains. I have no idea how she kept going with all those wounds. Broken ribs, bad compound fracture on her left wrist, head wounds, maybe a skull fracture, concussion, cuts, abrasions, so on. And that burn on her right hand, its

Weird shit, Kagami hissed.

Mmhmm. You already know about it, then?

Drone cameras have good resolution. Good microphone pick-ups, too. I was with you practically the whole way back, listening to those two explain it. Kagami paused, then twisted her lips as if she wanted to spit. And what happened out there does not give me a lot of faith in the predictable stability of anything we try to do here, Commander.

We know what happened. Or at least I can make a good guess. Telokopolis helped Ooni, when she most needed it, via the network.

Kagami twisted to face Elpida, suppressing a wince of pain. We should not have to rely on ghosts!

Elpida smiled; she couldnt help it. Ooni and Ilyusha would be dead without that help.

Tch! Kagami tutted.

Telokopolis is forever, said Elpida. Shes real and shes out there, in the network. Ive met her. Were not alone. We are more than just undead orphans.

Kagami turned back to the bank of screens. For a long moment she said nothing. Elpida let her stew. Then Kagami said, That doesnt mean we can rely on a network ghost for operational stability. We wont always have a god in the machine looking out for us.

On the contrary, I think thats exactly what shes doing. Shes looking out for us, always

Kagami twisted to face Elpida again, quicker and harder this time, biting down on the pain of moving her left arm too much while wired into Pheiri. Her exhausted eyes were pulled wide, bloodshot whites gleaming sickly green in the backwash from the screens. Fine, fine! she hissed. Even if I accept the ghost of your city-mother is always watching out for us and for the record, I dont, not yet that doesnt mean shell always come through. We cannot rely on any of this.

I know that. Elpida took a deep breath. I know Telokopolis is not infallible. In life she failed me, totally and completely. She failed me, and all my sisters.

Kagami came up short. She shut her mouth, but couldnt look away, as if hypnotised by Elpidas eyes.

But she still loves us, Elpida added.

Kagami cleared her throat. Right. Sure. Fine. But she cant always help. Especially once this hurricane passes, yes? You said that yourself, its only the storm thats letting her act with impunity.

Elpida smiled again, a little sadder. Thats correct. Once the storm is over, I believe she must return to hiding.

Well then, Kagami hissed. Well then.

She turned back to her screens, but that didnt last. A second later she glanced at Elpida again. Besides, what about the force in the tomb that was slowing Howl down, hm? Or that second gravekeeper interface in the chamber where Ooni and Ilyusha ended up? Your network mommy doesnt explain both of those, does she?

Elpida nodded, this was a fair critique of her theories. Perhaps those actions were unrelated. Not her doing.

Right. Kagami nodded too, apparently more comfortable with this line reasoning. From everything youve said the network is full of ghosts, memories, monsters. A veritable underworld right beneath our fingertips. Huh! I wouldnt be surprised if theres more powers down there trying to influence events while this storm is covering their actions.

Elpida shrugged. Or perhaps it was her, but we just dont know why she chose to do it. We cant know her mind, were talking about Telokopolis, after all.

Dont you dare, Kaga hissed. Her voice dropped low and sharp. Dont you dare say god works in mysterious ways.

Elpida paused. Is that a set phrase? From your culture? From Luna?

Ha, Kagami grunted. Not Luna, no. Just more paleo bullshit. Dont you dare, Commander. Dont you dare start going all religious on me.

Its not religion. Elpida almost laughed. Telokopolis is out there, shes in the network, I met her, I

And that doesnt fucking matter, Kagami hissed. Her exhausted eyes were stretched wide, her teeth clamped tight. You can build religion on damn near anything. Ive followed you, weve all followed you, because youve kept us alive and made the right choices. But if you start making choices based on faith, I swear Ill shoot you in the back with a drone. Ill do it myself.

Elpida considered Kagamis expression carefully, and decided that Kagami wasnt joking. She controlled her earlier moment of near-laughter.

Its not faith, Elpida said. Its knowledge. Im not proposing to make decisions based on anything but that knowledge. I know Telokopolis wont be able to extend any help beyond the network, once the hurricane ends. I know that. Im not deluding myself otherwise.

Kagami slowly relaxed again. She ran her right hand through her long black hair, glistening in the greenish light, and settled back into her seat. She sank slowly, looking more exhausted than when theyd started this conversation.

Dont make me distrust your motives, Commander, she muttered.

Kagamis profile stood stark against the shadows, picked out by the glow from her screens, eyes dark pits of exhaustion. Elpida wasnt certain what had just happened. Was Kagami worried that Elpidas judgement had become compromised by religious belief? If she didnt believe that Elpida had met Telokopolis the real Telokopolis, the memory-ghost of the citys mind, a maiden in the machine then she might be concerned that Elpida was going to base command decisions on a delusion.

Elpida made a decision. Trying to convince Kagami by argument would not work. Only action and results would matter.

My motives are us, Elpida said. All of us. Telokopolis is how I express that, you know that. Telokopolis is forever.

Kagami cleared her throat softly, then muttered an echo. Telokopolis is forever.

A long moment of silence settled over the cockpit. The screens cycled through several different exterior views, some from Kagamis loitering drones, one from far back on Pheiris hull. Elpida caught sight of a familiar dark shape up there on the hull, tucked into a curl of Pheiris armour.

Wheres the rest of we orphaned undead then? Kagami asked.

Elpida suppressed a smile. She knew that Kagami wanted to ask after Victoria, but her pride would not allow that. Everyones either in the infirmary, the crew compartment, or the bunk room, as far as I know, Elpida said. Except Hafina, whos still up on the hull. Serins out there too, right there. She gestured at one of the screens, before the view cycled away. Iriko is lurking far away enough not to spook our crowd out there, but shes close by now.

Mm, Kagami grunted. I know that last part. She and Pheiri have been chattering. What about Serins mysterious duo?

Ahhh. Puk and Tati, Elpida said. They vanished after giving Serin directions, apparently. Havent seen any trace of them.

Sneaky cunts, Kagami muttered.

Elpida waited to see if Kagami would narrow her request. When she didnt, Elpida said, You know where everyone else is, right? Youre plugged into Pheiris senses right now.

Kagami gestured vaguely. Pheiri doesnt have internal cameras. He has well, internal sensors of a kind, buried behind his walls, but theyre not Kagami sighed and closed her eyes. Not easy to translate into human-readable data.

Elpida raised her eyebrows. She understood enough to know that was a big deal for Kagami to admit. Really?

Really. Kagami grumbled. Base-8 bullshit. I could, but it would give me a headache powerful enough to pop my skull like a grapefruit. Id rather not. Though it would be useful to know. Internal tracking and all that

One of the many inactive screens inKagamis semi-circle of displays flickered to life. A fragment of glowing green text scrolled across the black.

>n

Elpida laughed. Seems like Pheiri doesnt want you in that part of his head anyway.

Kagami tutted and rolled her eyes. The feeling is mutual.

Elpida relented. As far as I know, most of the others have managed to go to sleep by now. Victoria was helping Melyn with tending to Ooni, didnt want to let her do all that work alone. Amina and Ilyusha are together in the bunk room. Atyle was staring at Ooni, last I checked. Pira was in the infirmary too, for a while, but then she went off somewhere, I want to let her be alone, if thats what she needs. Shilu was talking with Amina, oddly enough. The girl we picked up, Sanzhima, shes still out cold. Im not sure if shes going to wake up any time soon. Eseld and Cyneswith are actually, I have no idea where they are.

Kagami twisted in her chair so she could glance back at Sky, who was still fast asleep. Then she turned back around and gave Elpida a silent look.

I trust them, Elpida said.

Kagami narrowed her eyes.

Elpida held up her left hand. Howl vouches for Sky. They had a talk. I vouch for Eseld, for hopefully obvious reasons.

And Cyneswith? Kagami hissed. She talks like shes in a fairytale.

Im not sure about her yet. Well deal with that bridge soon enough. But not just yet. We have bigger things to deal with.

Kagami stared for a moment, then eased back into a comfortable position in her chair. She let out a long, slow, rough breath. Her eyes flickered back and forth over the readouts and screens, soaking up the data. Elpida followed her for a moment, tracking the number of zombies out there in the tomb chamber, the relative position of active suits of powered armour, the number of weapons visibly displayed. She peered at the direct drone-feeds piped to Pheiris screens, from what was left of the reduced picket line. Victoria and Kagami and the others had already distributed what had been left of the transitory larder of corpses, so there was no longer any reason to guard that side of the chamber. The last of the meat had been shared out among the needy; even the bottom-feeders were well-fed, for now.

Not armed though, not yet; Victoria had been planning to do that at the latest possible moment, to reduce the potential for conflict. Better that the bottom-feeders got guns right before they had to flee, rather than with time to spare to feel the pangs of hunger growing strong again.

Elpida took a deep breath. Were both stalling.

Mmhmm, Kagami grunted.

How long do we have?

Kagami sat up straighter. The chair creaked beneath the weight of her bionic legs. She glanced at a blank screen; the black expanse flickered into life, filling with scrolling green text, numbers and equations and measurements that Elpida couldnt read.

Wind speeds are down to just below six hundred miles an hour, Kagami muttered. Its not a steady drop, they sometimes spike back up and hang there for a while. Hailstones, Im not sure about the size, Pheiris analytics are having trouble estimating from the sound alone, the acoustics of the tomb are fucked, for want of a more technical term. But theyre probably still too dense and numerous and fast for any shielding to hold up for long, not to mention the flying debris out there.

Kagami, Elpida said. How long?

Until total cessation? Six or seven hours? Maybe? Im not clairvoyant.

Until Pheiri can leave the tomb. How long? I need your best estimate. Please, logician.

Logician Supreme, technically, Kagami murmured, then fell silent. She sucked on her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and whispered under her breath. Another blank display flickered to life, this one showing a simplified version of Pheiris external layers, his shield projectors and generative capacity. Some of the shield diagrams flashed red, simulating future load stress.

No, you fucking overconfident no Kagami muttered, then drew a deeper breath. Pheiri insists he can withstand anything up to three hundred mile an hour winds, but he cant account for flying debris. His shields wont hold up to an entire concrete tower block dropping on his head. My estimate? I think we can make it out, intact, undamaged, with shields up, as soon as the winds drop below about two hundred and thirty miles an hour. Thats our maximum upper limit.

Which gives us how long until we can leave?

Kagami blinked hard. Assuming that the storm continues to weaken at the current rate? Four hours. Maybe.

All right. Thank you, Kaga. Elpida leaned back against her chairs headrest, metal supports creaking amid the quiet hum of Pheiris screens. Four hours, then.

Kagamis chair creaked too. She grunted with obscure pain, flexing the fingers of her left hand. That doesnt mean our hangers-on out there can follow. For those on foot, wind speeds will need to be significantly lower, not to mention what theyre going to be wading into. You do understand that, yes? Unless youre planning to cram several dozen extra zombies in here with us.

Elpida raised her head again and fixed Kagami with a slow, steady, silent look. Kagamis eyes went wide. The colour drained from her face.

Fuck no, Elpida, Kagami hissed. You are not inviting that entire crowd of zombies inside Pheiri. We can barely fit what weve picked up! She gestured at Sky. You cant, I will refuse. And Pheiri will

Elpida held up her left hand. Calm down. Im not suggesting that. I did consider allowing a small handful to ride out on Pheiris hull, but no.

Kagami squinted. Thats not like you. Youre suggesting that we what, we go first, leave first?

Yes.

Kagami shook her head slowly. Youre going to arm that crowd out there, and then withdraw Pheiris overwatch early. Theyll turn on each other. Theyll eat each other. Getting half of them to stamp themselves with that moonrise symbol of Telokopolis doesnt fill their bellies. Even you must be aware of that. You know all this already. You dont need me to tell you. Do you?

Elpida nodded. Its a risk. But if we tell them the truth, we warn them in advance, and we give them a timetable for their own exit, Im hopeful that can keep any infighting to a minimum, at least until they have time to scatter.

Kagami snorted. This isnt like you at all. You should be arguing for cramming them all in here, shoulder to shoulder. What am I missing?

The Necromancers.

Plural, eh? As if anybody could forget about that. I dont follow. What the hell is your plan here?

Elpida took a deep breath. We have to get out before the protection of the hurricane is lifted. Perpetua the Necromancer I met inside the network she knows were here. Lykke knows were here as well, and she may have been compromised. If Perpetua was telling the truth, and theres others coming for us, our best chance is to run.

Kagami stared for a long time. The derisive gloss fell away from her expression. She swallowed, glanced at her bank of screens, then at nothing, at the shadows.

I assumed you were going to argue that we should stand and fight, she murmured.

We cant, Elpida said. We can stop one Necromancer, under perfect conditions, at close-quarters, with the element of surprise, your gravitic drones, and Howls network permissions. And even then we only contained Lykke because Shilu was there. A wild card element. One Necromancer, again? Maybe. If were lucky. Two? Three? Half a dozen? More? No. Theyll dismantle us.

They cant freeze Pheiri, Kagami said, but her voice seemed smaller than usual. Hes not part of the ecosystem.

Exactly. Which is why we can run. Without Pheiri, wed be stuck.

Kagami raised her face, as if revived. But this is what Pheiri was made for! Armed for! Hes quite literally armed for Necromancer, he Pheiri! Kagami taped a blank screen. Tell the Commander what Im saying!

The screen remained blank.

Elpida reached out and laid her left hand against one of Pheiris consoles, flat against a stretch of blank metal covered with scraps of flaking paint. She hoped that he could feel it, in his own way.

Pheiri was built to fight the ancestors of these Necromancers. Probably, but we cant even be sure of that. His armament is impressive. I have no doubt about his capabilities against almost anything else short of Centrals physical assets, or maybe a combat frame. But every single Necromancer has perfect physical control of their own body, and permissions over the entire local nanomachine network. If I can get to one of them, with Howls permissions, then I can disrupt them, sure, but not in the ways we would need to kill half a dozen of them, not reliably. I will not ask Pheiri to risk

The particle beam emitter! Kagami hissed. His main gun! Elpida, what about

Firing the PBE puts extreme strain on his systems. We can get one, maybe two shots, and then his reactor is overloaded and hes limping. Maybe we can disrupt a Necromancers physical body, but we have no guarantee that will matter. We cant fight this, Kaga. We cant.

Kagami opened her mouth again, then closed it, then swallowed.

We run, Elpida said. With a little luck, we can draw the Necromancers away from the tomb, away from the revenants weve protected here, to give them the best chance of survival. Iriko wont be able to follow, so she can stay behind too, hopefully stay beneath their notice. If were especially lucky, if the Necromancers are bound by some kind of location-based download for their bodies, or limited in the spaces they can traverse once instantiated, then we can outrun them. Ive discussed this with Shilu, she thinks it might work. She says it depends on whats happening inside the network, on whos sending them after us.

Kagami tried to laugh, a bitter little chuckle. Do you have any idea what the landscape out there is going to be like, after the hurricane?

Waterlogged.

Kagami scoffed. Fitting. A superhuman level of understatement for a super soldier bull-dyke. You have no fucking idea. Youve never seen a hurricane, have you? I have, plenty of times, from orbit. And none of us have ever seen the aftermath of whats going on up there right now. Kagami pointed at the ceiling, finger shaking. The city was bad enough before. But now? Flooding, dozens of feet deep in places. Miles of rubble, fallen buildings, pulverized concrete. Entire dunes worth of debris.

Pheiri can manage that. Elpida patted the metal beneath her left hand. Cant you, Pheiri?

A screen flickered with the afterglow of dark green text.

>y

Kagami let out a low, humourless huff. And what if youre wrong? What if we cant run? What if the Necromancers can just fucking teleport themselves through the network and reappear right on top of us? What if we reach the edge of the graveworm safe zone and theyre still coming?

Were not going to flee toward the edge.

Kagami stared. You want to run toward the graveworm?

Elpida nodded. That is correct.

Oh fuck.

Elpida shrugged. Its a gamble. A game of chicken. Thats how Victoria described it, when I told her a little while ago. The worm-guard will respond to intrusions, to repel anything that tries to get too close to the graveworms body. So, who peels off first, us or the Necromancers?

Fuck me. Kagamis voice shook. Elpida, this is not much of a fucking plan.

Its the best weve got. Its our best chance of survival, if Perpetua was telling the truth. If she was lying, then we give Pheiris engines a workout for no reason, and well stop long before we get anywhere near the graveworm.

Kagami looked away, lapsing into a long silence. Elpida let her chew that thought for a while, leaving an open space for any questions. But Kagami said nothing, frowning at her many screens, face washed by the green glow. She looked sick.

And, Elpida added eventually. Thats why I want you to get some sleep. Reel in the rest of your drones, get them stowed, then go lie down for a few hours.

Kagami hissed between clenched teeth. Somebody needs to be here, Commander. Somebody needs to be right here.

Pheiri can handle overwatch by himself for a while. And he wont be alone, Ill stay.

Kagami snorted. You? You cant interface with this.

Kagami, listen to me. When its time for us to run, Im going to need you in that seat, and Im going to need all your wits. We may need the drones, we may need additional fire control, I dont know. Youre the only one who can do that, so I need you rested and sharp. Go get some sleep. Thats an order.

Kagami sighed. On Luna I could go thirty six, forty eight, seventy two hours of continuous attention for an operation. Just pump my tank with the right nutrient mix and Id go all night, no trouble, not even a hint of exhaustion. Here? We dont even have caffeine, let alone amphetamines. Fucking ridiculous. Thats next on the wish-list after vat-grown meat. Meth or coffee. Preferably both.

Sure. But right now, either you unplug and get yourself to sleep, or Ill go call Victoria to carry you there.

Kagami shot her a very dark look.

Elpida raised the stump of her right arm. Id do it myself, but Im short on leverage.

And what about you, Commander? Dont you need sleep, or is that something else they gene-jacked out of you?

Ive had enough sleep for a while, said Elpida. Now get going.

Kagami grumbled a lot, but she obeyed the order. One of her silvery grey gravitic drones nosed out from within the pockets of her armoured coat, floating through the air; it followed the wires from her wrist, vanishing down into the tangled machine-guts in the nose of the cockpit, to unplug the hard-line. The wires came free with a dull double-click sound. Kagami hissed and winced and swore softly as the shiny black cables slowly retracted back up inside her wrist, pulling at the flesh, reeled into the mass of her bionic modifications. She took a moment to recover, then used two more of her gravitic drones to lever her own body out of the seat.

Sleep. At least three hours, Elpida said to Kagamis retreating back as she floated across the cockpit, toward the entrance to the spinal corridor.

Kagami flashed her a rude gesture, a Luna gesture. Elpida committed it to memory. Howl might like that.

After Kagami had departed, Elpida relocated herself to Kagamis chair. The seat was still warm.

The semi-circle of screens flickered and hummed with dozens of exterior views, some in low-light enhancement, others with the glow of traditional night-vision, a few with infra-red or heat-map readouts. A handful showed true colour, bathed in the deep red of Pheiris external floodlights. Others displayed the raw data feed of Pheiris estimated readings of the hurricane, or complex echo-analysis algorithms with which he watched beyond the limit of the chamber. The data readouts were impenetrable, but the camera views were clear enough. Elpida spent a few moments watching the zombies down in the tomb-chamber, picking out the ones who had drawn or daubed or cut the symbol of Telokopolis into their clothes. A few had done worse with their skin directly; Elpida hadnt wanted that, but it was better than nothing. She located Persephone among the crowd, still lingering near the front, close to Pheiri, along with her group of heavily-armed cyborgs. They wouldnt need any help surviving what was coming, but others might.

Elpida weighed the possibility of speaking with Persephone directly. Giving her advance warning. Expecting reciprocation.

She stared at Persephones group, looking for even one of them who had adopted the symbol of Telokopolis, but she couldnt find it anywhere.

Elpida sighed. She reached out and patted Pheir again. Just you and me for the next few hours, little brother. Well get through this. You can do it, I know you can.

Commander.

Elpida looked over her shoulder. Sky was awake, eyes open, though her pose was otherwise the same, muscular arms folded across her chest, large frame sprawled in her seat.

Sky. You dont have to call me Commander, Elpida said. Youre new, I dont really know you yet. Youre not one of us by default, not unless you want to be.

Hmmm. Sky grunted. Be one of you lot, or take my chances out there? No thanks, Commander.

Elpida smiled. Alright. How much of that did you overhear?

Most of it. I was asleep at first. Then it seemed I dunno, more polite not to interrupt.

Sky uncoiled from her sleeping position. She sat up and leaned forward, rolling her stocky shoulders and stretching her long legs. She cracked her neck by turning her head from side to side. Beneath the tomb-grown clothes, she was a powerfully built woman. Elpida felt a twinge of pain in her missing right forearm; if she had sparred with Sky right then, she might have lost, despite Skys lingering bruises.

You have questions? Or suggestions? said Elpida.

Sky took a deep breath. Theres lots I dont get yet. Graveworms, worm-guard, Necromancers. Actually no, that last one I get. That was Lykke, right? She was a Necromancer? Thats what youre up against? You and this brain-box tank?

Correct.

And were about to have a whole platoon of those shape-shifting buggers up our collective cunts, when the storm ends. And were gonna run?

Were gonna run like hell.

Through post-hurricane flood waters? Sky shrugged. Super-hurricane flood waters, whatever.

Elpida nodded. That we are. Pheiri can handle it. Hes big enough.

Sky smiled in a way that Elpida recognised, and was surprised to see. Shed seen it before, always on experienced Legionaries, never on raw recruits, never on her sisters. That was an old-timer look, a lifers look, a dirty little grin that knew better, and had been taught via pain.

With all due respect, Commander, Sky said slowly, I dont think were gonna make it a hundred fucking yards, let alone all the way for a game of chicken with those giant robots out there. What then? What if were beached? Whats the plan?

Elpida felt a grin take her; she didnt need Howl for this. It came without warning, and it made Sky blink.

What do you think well do? she asked.

Sky almost grinned as well. Turn and fight, huh?

Elpida nodded. She knew the best chances for survival, she knew fighting Necromancers in such numbers was hopeless. But her experiences in the network, her time with Lykke, and the confrontation with Perpetua, it had all left her needing a resolution, one she couldnt get by merely forcing Necromancers to retreat. She would not risk Pheiri and her comrades, she would not risk Telokopolis, not for petty revenge. She would run, and try her best to get away.

But if she couldnt run? If she could prove it was possible to take out a Necromancer, with Pheiris firepower and a little network trickery from Howl?

Correct, Elpida said. In that case, we turn and fight.

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