It was a dilemma though, because they couldn't tread water forever.
“Hello.” A voice came from behind them, about twenty feet off. “Would you two like a ride?”
The craft looked different than Tor would have made it, like a perfect tear drop, a small hatch coming out one side, with Burks standing there dressed in a strange skin tight outfit of black that was vaguely shiny. It had a bright green stripe about four inches wide down the sides. It looked good on him, but strange. No one in Austra, Afrak or Noram dressed like it at all. Tor couldn't even identify what the material was supposed to be. Since he'd been the one that added all the field templates on the clothing amulet Burks wore, that meant the man, or someone else, had altered a field he'd made. It was possible to do, but showed a lot more building skill than he'd suspected before from the man.
Swimming towards the craft Tor wanted to shake his head. He was a moron sometimes, a big one too. Burks wasn't that good at building? Not only was he basically the same person as Tor, who did OK at it, but the man had invented the kind of magic they used. All the techniques, all the tricks and templates, were based on what he originally discovered. Of course he could tap into a field Tor had made. Now that the idea occurred to him, it wouldn't even be hard to do himself. Just match the work, like copying and rebuild it with the additional or altered information. He'd even done a little of that with his own work. It was nearly what he did to make shield improvements.
The first thing Tor did was touch Burks arm as he steadied himself on the craft then moved forward stepping inside to let Denno on.
“Burks, can I get a copy of the field for that material? It seems waterproof but flexible.” That was a rare combination. As he nodded, smiling, Tor remembered the important bit and blushed.
“Oh… Also, giant Larval army back there. I couldn't get their ages or exact numbers, but I left off at about three hundred and fifty and that was only about half of what was visible. The complex could hold more than that I think.”
Burks sighed.
“Of course. It had to be something didn't it? So, Den, what have you to say for yourself?”
Denno even looked good wet, which made Tor feel a little jealous. He probably looked like a drowned rat, this guy looked ready to seduce the upper crust of royal society. Tor moved past him and closed the hatch, a complex thing that melded into the body smoothly once it shut. Functionally the door was one with the solid and smooth side.
Cool.
Tor decided to take them down and get underway while the other two talked, or fought. Whatever was going to happen. He held them at about ten foot deep then hopped up to check the air flow in and out. It was a strong and healthy breeze on his hand coming in and the out port tried to grab him with suction. It was a little embarrassing, but he got his hand back before anyone laughed at him. Not that either of the others was paying attention to his antics, being a little busy.
They'd both collapsed into the passenger chairs in the back, large and comfortable things in a sturdy looking blue material, attached to the floor in a space bigger than his school dorm room. The men stared at each other silently, neither moving or even breathing hard. Shrugging Tor headed due west, it was both away and not particularly going towards Noram, which would be where he'd search first, if looking for a fleeing Tor. Almost everyone would try to run straight home, so he didn't.
If anyone was following yet they were good, he decided, or using techniques and tricks he just didn't know. Either way amounted to the same thing, a dead him if they weren't careful.
When Brown spoke his voice was mellow, relaxed and almost sounded like he was planning on trying to trick them into something. Believing him or what not. It wasn't a voice that Tor would trust, as much as he wanted to in the moment. It didn't sound phony, but it was clearly designed to manipulate. Incredibly sincere. Too much so.
“I have no clue what he's been up too Burks. He's held me prisoner for years, a decade I think. It's not any plan of mine. I admit that I was lax in my duty. Glost should have never gained power, but you know how I loathe killing and nothing else would have been half as effective.” It was a persuasive argument, but Tor snorted loudly, causing both men to look at him.
“You didn't want to kill him, which I get, killing is… hard. But you did nothing because you didn't want to kill him? Half as effective is better than not being effective at all, isn't it?” Tor made his voice stay relaxed and conversational, but felt like shouting at the man for having not done his job. It wouldn't help in the long run, so he made himself stay cool.
Denno sighed, his voice going back to normal.
“No doubt. Even telling him “no” a little more often might have helped, though I think… he may not be mentally well balanced. His daughter too. Daria has always been a problem.”
Tor nodded, but added what he'd found out about them first hand, Glost being crazy and ruthless and Daria mainly doing what she did to survive with her father in the picture.
“She's just as evil, but it isn't a mental disorder with her, she learned to be like that. She might have been able to learn to move past it, but it's too late now. ” She'd killed Yardley and would die for it. He had to quickly explain it all to Denno, but it only took a few lines. Tor didn't want to surprise the man later with the idea, but Daria Serge was a convicted murderer in Noram, that had escaped due to the threat of annihilation, which they'd gone with in order to save Brown.
The woman was going to be put to death for her crimes.
Burks didn't get side tracked as easily as Tor did and brought the topic back to the new problem, the one Brown's own lack of attention allowed to take place.
“What's your contingency with the Larvals, now that you know about them?”
Denno didn't have one. Not really. He tried to bluff his way through, but finally just fessed up.
“I have no clue. There were never meant to be more than twenty-one of them at a time. The interlocking nano systems for this many, they can't be controlled. Each individual is receiving raw data from all the others. If they aren't already mad, then they will be soon. But,” rubbing his face with both hands Denno paused for a full minute, then continued talking as if the thought was uninterrupted.
“Their being insane won't dampen their utility to Glost. If anything it will make them more ruthless, especially if all their training and actions follows a military model. About the worst case scenario.”
“Tor.” Burks spoke softly, as if trying not to spook him.
“Set a course for Soam please.”
Working it out in his head Tor shrugged.
“Already headed that way.”
“Good. We'll have to fly in, but I want about a thousand miles between us and Austra before we go aloft. I packed food for three weeks and these chairs lean back to make serviceable beds. Tor, are you good for the first leg?” His voice sounded tired, as if he hadn't slept in days, which he may not have, if he didn't know the escape schedule. Staying awake would be the only way he could assure catching them when they swam out. If they swam out.
The trip was boring, except when it was finally his turn to sleep and the other two started bickering about what should be done with the Larval army.
“Oh, come now Burks! They're just boys, what, fifteen tops? They aren't a real threat at this point, it will be years-”
“Until they come to Noram and start slaughtering innocent people because Glost couldn't get my daughter to marry him? I told you about all that, but you didn't do anything. After he stole a squad of young Larval from you? Why is that exactly?” Lairdgren sounded both skeptical and pissed at the same time when he spoke.
“What would you have me do? Murder him for having some strong feelings? Don't you remember being that age at all? We were all little monsters back then, but we managed all right in the end, didn't we?” Denno sat forward in the soft chair and stared at the back of Burks head as he drove the craft under the water. It wasn't hard to do, Tor knew, but it would have been easier to sleep if the men would just shut up about things they couldn't currently control.