Neal Asher: The Line of Polity

Sticking out like the head of a thistle from one side of the ship, the bridge was roofed entirely in chainglass, and walled with consoles like compressed masses of fairy lights. Fixed to columns sunk into the black glass floor, in which the spill of optics flickered like synapses, was an arc of command chairs facing the chainglass windows to Cormac's left. The central one of these was the only one occupied.

Tomalon sat there like some ancient king upon his throne, only both king and throne were one. He was a swarthy and thickset man who was utterly hairless — probably because hairs might interfere with the many metallic and crystalline connections all over his body, which in turn made him appear to be suffering from some exotic skin complaint. The surface of Tomalon's body was a plug, and the socket was this crystal and ceramo-composite chair he occupied. It joined him — as closely as it was safe to be joined — to the Occam Razor's AI. From amidst his casings and skeins of optic cable, the Captain glanced at Cormac.

"This message," Cormac said.

"The drone," said Tomalon, tilting his head, "will take you to it."

Cormac glanced aside as the drone slid forward and turned towards him.

"What do you mean take me to it?"

Tomalon explained, "The message you have received is a total-immersion VR package. Beyond that, I know nothing other than its source at EC. Occam knows more, but I am not permitted to tell you what he knows."

Cormac stared at the Captain for a moment, as the man settled back in his chair and his eyes slowly went opaque white — some kind of reaction to direct optical linking — then glared out of the chainglass windows towards the planet below. More pointless delays — why all this unnecessary drama?

"Let's get it done then," he muttered, and turned away.

Cormac moved into a standing position, with his hands arranged as a Pharaoh's and his eyes closed. He held that position for one even expulsion of air, then moved into a sequence of punches, kicks and head-butts to take out five opponents. He finished the kata in the Pharaoh position again, took one steady breath, relaxed.

"You're very fast," someone said.

Oh shit.

The gym was supposedly closed to everyone but Scar and himself, so somehow this man must have got past the dracoman. He appeared young and very fit, which did not mean he was necessarily either, and he wore a gi, so it was clearly not his intention to spectate. Cormac watched him approach, noticing a strong hint of Japanese about him, and something familiar. Five paces away from Cormac, the Japanese bowed in a fighter's fashion — that is, he did not once take his eyes from Cormac, who returned the courtesy.

"Who are you?" Cormac asked.

The man grinned and slid into a fighting stance. Cormac did the same. He felt easy about this: he knew he was good and he was already warmed up, whereas his adversary might only have the benefit of the former. They closed, exchanged a few testing punches, all easily blocked. Out of the corner of his eye Cormac saw Scar step into the gym to stand watching with his arms folded like some paternal sensei. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Scar let you in here?" said Cormac, flicking his foot up at the side of his opponent's head as if to emphasize the point.

"He knows I have nothing but the best intentions," said the man, after successfully ducking the attack. He then countered with three kicks in quick succession, the last of which — a thrust kick turned into a reverse roundhouse at the last moment — nearly taking Cormac's head off. Cormac leapt back, countering the rapidly following punch with a crescent kick. He then himself went into the attack — and meant it. That last kick could have caused him some real damage. This was to be no game. They proceeded to exchange blows too fast for the casual observer to follow. Cormac felt his opponent's rib give under one of his strikes, then felt one of his own go immediately after. The next thing he knew, a foot cracked against his temple, then swept his feet away. He was now on his back, a straight-fingered strike poised, withheld, but ready, over his throat.

" You are fast," he admitted, panting.

The 'Japanese' stepped back, shrugged, and suddenly appeared a lot older. Cormac immediately recognized him.

"You're not so slow yourself, Ian Cormac. You're the first to manage that in a long time." He pushed his hand against his ribcage and there was a click. He shrugged again and stood upright. That he had a cracked rib showed not at all. Cormac pushed himself laboriously to his feet. His own busted rib was just beginning to hurt.

"Here, let me," said Blegg, and reached out to press his palm against Cormac's chest. A flush of warmth, the pain went away.

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked.

Blegg smiled and waved a hand at their surroundings. "I can do anything here — as can you, should you will it," he said.

Cormac walked to the side of the room and picked up a towel to wipe his face.

He gave the dracoman a calculating look. "Learnt anything interesting?"

Scar showed his teeth.

Cormac turned back to Blegg, who had followed him, and seemed to be sweating not at all. What did he mean, 'I can do anything'? Then Cormac suddenly realized what the comment might indicate. He held out the towel and let it drop, then, with a small exertion of will, stopped the fabric in midair.

He glanced at Blegg. "Total immersion?"

Blegg nodded once.

"How much of my memory is repressed?" Cormac asked.

"Enough for the civilities, but now you will remember where and when you are."

And Cormac did. He remembered his mission on Samarkand — that world devastated by the alien entity calling itself 'Dragon' — then his long sojourn on Earth after having spent far too much time trying to find the source of a contract that had been put out on his life — only to discover it was Dragon who wanted him dead. But whether that contract had been put out by the sphere he had killed or another, he did not know — for Dragon was now essentially four entities, each a living sphere a kilometre across. During that sojourn he had, not for the first time, considered retirement, then quickly rejected the idea. Thereafter had come the quick resolution of a problem involving a small group of amphidapt Separatists on Europa, which had then resulted in his pursuit of a biophysicist called Skellor, whom Earth Central Security had been watching for some time. This pursuit had been long but not particularly troublesome — Skellor having a tracer layered in a memplant he had purchased while watched by ECS. Then on to the Line-patrolling dreadnought the Occam Razor — and now here…

"Get to the point," said Cormac, regaining his impatience.

"As you will," said Blegg, waving a hand.

Instantly a black line split this reality, opened and swept away the entire dojo, and the dracoman along with it. Now Cormac found himself standing on a floor of glass in open space. He gazed down to where Blegg pointed and saw the huge Outlink station Miranda, suspended there. Around it, in speeded time, gathered a fleet of ships, and before his eyes the station began to come apart.

"This was Outlink station Miranda five solstan days ago. It was destroyed by a mycelium similar to the one used to destroy the Samarkand runcible," said Blegg.

"Deaths?" inquired Cormac, his urgency to find Skellor now seeming childish to him.

"Twenty-three of the Outlinkers refused to leave, but there was time enough to evacuate the rest."

"Did Dragon plant the mycelium? Are we talking outright hostilities with it now?"

"One of the spheres — it is well to remember that they are separate entities now — may have been involved. You will travel to this place in the Occam Razor, and you will find out what is happening, then take whatever action you deem necessary."