“No appropriate self-identifier exists,” the voice answered, “but if you desire to ascribe a designation, you may use the term ‘observer’.”
“Ok, ‘observer’,” said Gabriel, “have you been watching us this whole time?”
“Correct.” the observer confirmed, “the observer has been observing your kind ever since you first gained entrance to the observatory.”
“Observatory? You mean this place?”
“Correct.”
“What were you ‘observing’?” Cato asked.
“Permitting one’s subordinates to speak out of turn is a behaviour the observer has not observed amongst your kind before.” The observer noted condescendingly.
“Answer the question!” Gabriel snapped back impatiently.
“The observatory’s purpose is beyond your ability to comprehend,” was the imperious response, “but it has traversed the void between countless stars to fulfil it.”
“‘Void between stars’?” Gabriel asked, “This is a ship?”
“Correct.” The observer replied, “However, it is no longer capable of interstellar travel. The observer’s own systems were reduced to minimal functionality. Only sensory capacity has remained fully functional.”
“How long has this ship been here?”
“The observatory’s landing occurred approximately 605,936 local solar years ago.” The observer replied, “Your kind gained entrance to the observatory through a breach in the hull approximately five local solar years ago.”
“That’s just over a million Terran years,” Viker said over the comm. in amazement, “that means it’s been lying here since before Humanity invented fire…”
“The observer can detect your transmissions, but is unable to decode their content.”
“The thing we found in the central chamber, what was it?” Bale asked.
“The Swarm.” The observer replied. “It was contained safely in the central chamber of the observatory until your kind disturbed it approximately one local solar year ago in an effort to study it. One after another, it corrupted their minds and instead of studying it, they began to display behaviour towards it indicative of extreme, superstitious awe.”
“Is that why they began doing all those sick experiments on each other?” Cato asked.
“The observer observed that the earliest test subjects were those who refused to be ‘enlightened’.” the observer explained, “Later subjects were volunteers. It was then that those of your kind who have settled within this ship began to self-identify as the ‘Faithful’. However, the observer prefers the term ‘Enthralled’.”
“The thing you called the ‘Swarm’,” Gabriel said, “the Faithful’s leader referred to it as the ‘Voice’. What did he mean by that?”
“When the Swarm enters the body of an organic host,” The observer explained, “it initiates temporary neural fusion, resulting in neurological data transfer directly into the host’s mind. The Enthralled refer to this process as ‘enlightenment’, since it imparts technical knowledge otherwise beyond the host’s grasp. After the Swarm leaves the host, the effects of the neural fusion remain long afterwards in the form of a ‘voice’ or ‘whispering’.”
“That explains the tech advantage they have.” Said Viker.
“Furthermore,” the observer continued, “the data transfer appears to be bi-directional, permanently imparting a portion of the host’s own memories and knowledge to the Swarm.”
“So they know what it knows, and it knows what they know.” Gabriel said.
“Correct.” The observer confirmed.
Gabriel’s stomach tightened when he realised what that meant.
“Colonel…” Viker said over the comm., having had the same thought, “Ogilvy...”
“The Swarm knows what he knows.” Gabriel’s blood ran uncharacteristically cold.
“Before they became enthralled to the Swarm, your kind deemed it unacceptable to exclude an individual from a conversation by means of secrecy.” The observer noted.
“You said you still had sensor functionality,” said Gabriel, “Can you track the Swarm?”
“The observer has full sensory capacity throughout all chambers and passageways of the observatory.” the observer replied, “The observer detects 732 distinct life signs, excluding your own, including one possessed by the Swarm.”
“Where is the Swarm right now?”
“On the other side of the barrier.” The observer responded.
The squad snapped to attention and trained their weapons on the barrier.
“Can it get through?” Gabriel demanded, having run out of ideas on how they were supposed to fight an enemy like this.
“Unknown.” The observer replied, sounding unconcerned.
The translucent barrier began to glow, releasing a bizarre whining sound as an armoured foot, then a knee, and finally a body stepped through as if the barrier weren’t there. Ogilvy looked like a supernatural plague made manifest with his jet black eyes, his mouth twisted into a demonic snarl, and the cloud of alien particles that orbited his body like a dark storm.
“Correction.” the observer observed wryly, “Yes, it can.”
The squad opened fire, but to no avail. Ogilvy didn’t even flinch as the bullets struck his Swarm-generated shielding and were violently slapped away in all directions.
“Observer! We need an exit, now!” Gabriel shouted.
A section of the basalt-black wall flashed green, repelling a quarter tonne bank of computers away from it and across the room straight into the possessed operator’s torso, pinning him against the wall. He screamed in rage, the Swarm buzzing violently in a reflection of his fury as he pounded at the bank of computers that trapped him.
There was a whirring sound and the glowing circuitry on the central column suddenly died. Then the column itself began to move, retracting smoothly and noiselessly into a slot in the domed ceiling, and opening up a manhole sized escape route in the floor.
“Here is your exit.” The observer informed them congenially, “It will take you directly to the…untranslatable…at the opposite end of the observatory.”
“Why do we need to go there?” Viker demanded.
“The observer requires your assistance in containing this threat.” the observer informed them, “By restoring the…untranslatable…in this location, all local systems have been restored to full functionality. Once you have repeated the action in the other five chambers, the observer will be able to do more than merely observe.”
“Down the hatch, boys!” Gabriel ordered.
Anywhere was better than here, and the squad members hopped into the hole one after another without complaint, each one vanishing suddenly as a powerful gravity field sucked them downwards at high speed.
The Swarm-possessed Ogilvy finally tossed the bank of computers to one side, freeing itself from the imprisoning weight. Then it turned and fixed its evil, alien gaze on Gabriel who stared back through his visor.
“You must go now, voidstalker.” Said the observer.
Gabriel snapped out of the staring match and took the plunge.
* * *
Aster’s blood ran cold in her veins for the entire elevator ride up.
The red data chip was gone. Had someone snatched it out of her pocket during the blackout, or had it simply fallen out amid all the jostling? It really didn’t matter how the data chip had vanished; the important thing was it was gone, along with whatever leverage she might have had over Jezebel Thorn.
On second thought, it was probably an incredible stroke of luck. Chairman Darius must have gotten wind that Jezebel had a mole in his company, and the shared surname made her the obvious suspect. If a data chip full of J.E. Co.’s secrets were found in her possession that would be clear proof of guilt; whereas the only thing on the blue decoy chip was company spyware which she had installed.