This Day All Gods Die by Stephen R. Donaldson
Authors: Stephen R. Donaldson
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Hyland; Morn (Fictitious character), Thermopyle; Angus (Fictitious character)
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about it? Tell me what in hell you think you can do about it.
"But if you're right
if it's hardwired
" Mikka's voice
trailed away.
"If it's hardwired," Vector finished for her, "we don't know how to countermand it." After a moment he added, "I was always pretty mediocre as an engineer. I can use systems like these"
he must have meant sickbay's
"but I don't
really understand how they work. I'm out of my depth here.
Sorry."
Passing responsibility to someone else.
"Don't look at me," Mikka muttered. "I thought I was at least competent as a programmer, but I didn't know it was even possible to edit a datacore."
Only the Amnion could tamper with SOD-CMOS chips.
The Amnion and Angus. But he was in no position to offer suggestions.
"Shit," Davies said through his teeth. "Morn's going to wake up soon. When she does
I can't tell her this. I just
can't. After what she's been through
"He's the only one who can repair the drives."
Repair the drives?
"We don't know that for sure." Mikka didn't sound hopeful. "Vector and I haven't tried yet."
Repair
?
"So what?" Davies protested bitterly. "Even if you can, we're helpless without him. We don't know enough about the ship. We don't know enough about what's going on. Who's he working for really? Why did they give him to Nick
and then
let us take him back? Why are we on the run?"
Angus breathed a nonexistent obscenity. What happened to the drives?
"The cops are coming after us," Davies went on. "You know that. We're sending out a Class-1 UMCP homing signal.
I can't figure out how to turn it off. If they chase us long enough, they'll catch us.
"When that happens, we're finished. We may not die out here, but we won't be able to make any choices.
"Whose side is that cruiser on? The side that sent Nick Angus' codes? The side that wants to suppress our antimutagen? The side that let Nick have Morn in the first place?
Or the side that gave us the chance to set Angus free?
"We need to know what's going on."
Davies' young voice rose as if he wanted to wail. "I can't tell Morn that the only man who stands a chance of helping us is stuck in fucking stasis."
"Try his priority-codes," Vector suggested. His habitual calm sounded frayed.
"They're blocked," Davies retorted.
"Try them!" Mikka snapped. "What the hell do you think we have to lose?"
Fiercely Davies complied. "Isaac," he rasped. "Gabriel.
Wake up. End stasis. Wake up!"
Angus waited in suspense. But of course the commands couldn't reach him. He'd erected a wall against them.
The Amnion had taught him well.
"Nothing." Despair roughened Mikka's tone. "No change. He can't wake up."
Inside his head, he laughed until tears ran down his soul like sweat.
Davies reacted as if she were taunting him.
"God damn it!" he raged. "What the fuck is wrong with Ciro? What was he doing! Didn't you tell him he's been cured? Didn't you at least try to convince him he doesn't have to take orders from goddamn Sorus Chatelaine?"
Ciro did it? Sabotaged the drives? Well, damn. That sounded like something Angus might have done himself.
"Of course we told him," Mikka replied wearily. "Of course we tried to convince him. Vector showed him the tests, for God's sake. The hurt's just too deep, that's all. We can't reach the place where she damaged him. I can't." She may have shrugged. "There isn't anything worse than what she did to him."
A paroxysm of fury took hold of Davies. "I don't care!''
he yelled. "I'm not interested in excuses! We've got to do better than this! I would be a fucking Amnioni myself right now if Morn hadn't found a way to do better. She was alone on Captain's Fancy, Nick had her locked in her cabin! She still saved me.
"Don't tell me how bad Ciro's been hurt! Tell me
"
Angus heard a sound like a blow. Davies stopped suddenly, as if he'd been struck. As if he'd struck himself
"What is it?" Mikka breathed tensely.
Without transition Davies' voice changed. It became at once lighter and
"But if you're right
if it's hardwired
" Mikka's voice
trailed away.
"If it's hardwired," Vector finished for her, "we don't know how to countermand it." After a moment he added, "I was always pretty mediocre as an engineer. I can use systems like these"
he must have meant sickbay's
"but I don't
really understand how they work. I'm out of my depth here.
Sorry."
Passing responsibility to someone else.
"Don't look at me," Mikka muttered. "I thought I was at least competent as a programmer, but I didn't know it was even possible to edit a datacore."
Only the Amnion could tamper with SOD-CMOS chips.
The Amnion and Angus. But he was in no position to offer suggestions.
"Shit," Davies said through his teeth. "Morn's going to wake up soon. When she does
I can't tell her this. I just
can't. After what she's been through
"He's the only one who can repair the drives."
Repair the drives?
"We don't know that for sure." Mikka didn't sound hopeful. "Vector and I haven't tried yet."
Repair
?
"So what?" Davies protested bitterly. "Even if you can, we're helpless without him. We don't know enough about the ship. We don't know enough about what's going on. Who's he working for really? Why did they give him to Nick
and then
let us take him back? Why are we on the run?"
Angus breathed a nonexistent obscenity. What happened to the drives?
"The cops are coming after us," Davies went on. "You know that. We're sending out a Class-1 UMCP homing signal.
I can't figure out how to turn it off. If they chase us long enough, they'll catch us.
"When that happens, we're finished. We may not die out here, but we won't be able to make any choices.
"Whose side is that cruiser on? The side that sent Nick Angus' codes? The side that wants to suppress our antimutagen? The side that let Nick have Morn in the first place?
Or the side that gave us the chance to set Angus free?
"We need to know what's going on."
Davies' young voice rose as if he wanted to wail. "I can't tell Morn that the only man who stands a chance of helping us is stuck in fucking stasis."
"Try his priority-codes," Vector suggested. His habitual calm sounded frayed.
"They're blocked," Davies retorted.
"Try them!" Mikka snapped. "What the hell do you think we have to lose?"
Fiercely Davies complied. "Isaac," he rasped. "Gabriel.
Wake up. End stasis. Wake up!"
Angus waited in suspense. But of course the commands couldn't reach him. He'd erected a wall against them.
The Amnion had taught him well.
"Nothing." Despair roughened Mikka's tone. "No change. He can't wake up."
Inside his head, he laughed until tears ran down his soul like sweat.
Davies reacted as if she were taunting him.
"God damn it!" he raged. "What the fuck is wrong with Ciro? What was he doing! Didn't you tell him he's been cured? Didn't you at least try to convince him he doesn't have to take orders from goddamn Sorus Chatelaine?"
Ciro did it? Sabotaged the drives? Well, damn. That sounded like something Angus might have done himself.
"Of course we told him," Mikka replied wearily. "Of course we tried to convince him. Vector showed him the tests, for God's sake. The hurt's just too deep, that's all. We can't reach the place where she damaged him. I can't." She may have shrugged. "There isn't anything worse than what she did to him."
A paroxysm of fury took hold of Davies. "I don't care!''
he yelled. "I'm not interested in excuses! We've got to do better than this! I would be a fucking Amnioni myself right now if Morn hadn't found a way to do better. She was alone on Captain's Fancy, Nick had her locked in her cabin! She still saved me.
"Don't tell me how bad Ciro's been hurt! Tell me
"
Angus heard a sound like a blow. Davies stopped suddenly, as if he'd been struck. As if he'd struck himself
"What is it?" Mikka breathed tensely.
Without transition Davies' voice changed. It became at once lighter and
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