At the bottom of the tower, Nicolai moved to the entrance of the room where the others hid. He contacted them over Link before showing himself, wary of being shot by an overly primed finger-on-a-trigger, then he entered.

  The room was small and mostly choked with vines. There was a stairway behind the vines, but it was collapsed. The others were packed within. He gave the vines a careful look, running his Soul Sense along them. Where those above where excessively barbed and black in colour, these looked much more normal; green, with a more typical amount of barbs. Spiritually, they didn’t feel like anything special.

  Speaking to the others, Nicolai quickly learned how things had gone. Overall, not bad. Everyone was still alive, though low on ammo. It was best that they returned to the safe place to restock and hide from the current chaos, but that was easier said than done.

  While deciding he’d noted that the castle was now a site of open warfare. The upper jungle was choked with battling bugs and undead, and even pockets of humans, based on the gunshots. It would not be easy to reach the safe place, and perhaps they would be safer simply waiting here.

  ‘My dad’s still down in the prison,’ said Azure, worried. ‘We need to go and find him! He’s probably in trouble, I’m sure things are going crazy down there.’

  ‘We will, when we can,’ Nicolai assured her. ‘For now, we have to look after ourselves. Don’t worry, your father and Cait are capable. Once we have returned to the safe place, we will go there. For now, we need to find a better place to hideout.’

  Peering out of the exit, Nicolai looked over to Maxine’s tower. That was a better place to be. He wanted to gain some distance from this tower and the Centipedes above. They might come for him, after his betrayal, but he had noticed that they seemed unwilling to leave the tower top. It was clearly their post; they were meant to be guarding the Angel. So Maxine’s tower should be far enough to be safe.

  On top of that, now that the bird was dead, they were free to go and rescue her.

  There were some bugs and undead battling between the two towers, but not a huge quantity.

  He quickly explained his plan to the others, had everyone redistribute their limited ammo until every gun was loaded, then they pressed out.

  ###

  Vikrum was not having a good time.

  ‘Shoot them, kill them!’ came the cries from all around him, layered with massed gunfire, as the host of Chosen surrounding him fought back against bugs on one side, and undead on the other.

  He ran amongst them, firing endlessly with his assault rifle. He was fully chipped in, and the chip ran his augmented body far better than it could any biological body. His recent injuries had been patched and repaired as much as possible, using augment repair kits from the Trade Link. He wasn’t at peak condition, but his state was acceptable enough. He obliterated any bugs or undead he turned his attention to. Elsewhere, Borg, Gilvine, and the four Cyborgs also fought hard. But still, his people were dying.

  There were simply too many bugs and undead, and their position too compromised.

  They were in the middle of the upper-jungle. Vikrum had arrived here earlier that day, joining the others in the move against the three groups found up here. He had arranged this attack some time ago.

  If his people’s advantage of Trade Link weaponry was being eroded, he would reinforce their other advantage: numbers. The more they killed and captured, the more powerful they would become in comparison. On top of that, he needed to take Seeds and redistribute them to his people, to maintain their loyalty.

  But he had never expected that his grand sortie against their various enemies would lead them right into the middle of this war between bugs and undead, one that had erupted out of nowhere. Bugs and undead had simply boiled from everywhere within the castle, some bugs even climbing the walls.

  Now, they were hard pressed.

  ‘This way!’ he yelled, directing his people towards a nearby rise in the jungle, where there was some kind of ruined building with an accessible roof. A good, solid, defensible position, that was what Cornwall told him they needed. Then to weather this until it was over. Once they were out of the way, hopefully the bugs and undead would ignore them and focus on one another.

  But as he moved, his attention was drawn to one of his drones. He and his Chosen had many drones, some of which were out wide, keeping eyes further afield. Earlier, he had seen that great bird attacking someone, some group. He hadn’t thought too much of this; it was common. But then he had seen it land on the Kill Me tower, attacked by something. It had looked like it might be in trouble.

  He felt this worthy of investigation. The bird was a serious problem as it had so far held off his Chosen from taking Maxine, an individual he dearly wished to remove from the Radio Tower. He wanted her radio equipment for himself, and to take her away from it because she did nothing but encourage people against his Chosen; slandering his people and himself, using her single, privileged radio channel to spread poison.

  She had to go, and if the bird was too injured or dead to defend the tower, he could make that happen.

  But one of the drones, drawing close to the area, was able to more clearly make things out. It had seen a group of people flying up onto Maxine’s radio tower. It looked like three of them had Pegasi rings, which they were using to lift the rest of their group onto the tower. Moments later they begun disappearing inside.

  Cornwall pinged him. Look, said the AI.

  It showed him a zoomed-in photo, a little blurry but still plenty clear enough to make out one of the members of that group. The last of them was there, standing on the tower-top, staring right at the drone.

  Viper.

  Vikrum’s hands clenched with fury. Of course. Viper was set against him. It made sense the man had identified the importance of Maxine and the Radio Tower. First the Library, now the Radio Tower. Everywhere he looked, there Viper was, working to ruin everything that Vikrum had built.

  He sent the drone in, and it streaked towards Viper.

  What are you doing? Asked Cornwall. The drone has no hope of damaging him.

  I want to talk to him.

  Why? Doing so will only forewarn him we are aware he is there.

  Vikrum scowled. I want to see what this bastard has to say for himself.

  Cornwall was silent for a moment. In that case, it would be wise to make him an offer. Perhaps he could be convinced to join the Chosen.

  Join the Chosen?! I already have Gilvine to deal with, why would I want another knife at my back?

  Turning over Maxine and the location of his access to the Trade Link would be a condition of his joining. You would agree to forgive his crimes and give him status within the Chosen. But once we have secured the Trade Link access point, alongside Maxine’s radio equipment, and he is within your power, you could freely kill him. There is a low chance that this will work, but it is worth trying regardless because if it does, the problem will be solved with minimal time and cost.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Vikrum chewed over the AI’s words, frowning. Cornwall had always been like this. His parents had been insistent that he take the AI, and he understood why, now. Because Cornwall was an AI designed to think in the kind of way one had to think if they wanted to succeed as a corporate oligarch on modern-day Earth; methods based on statistical analysis. It wasn’t something he held any particular fondness for, but there was no denying Cornwall came up with suggestions that were highly effective.

  I’ll give it a go. He disliked the idea of breaking his word, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Tactics like this were exactly what was needed to deal with someone like Viper.

  ###

  Nicolai watched the drone as it approached him. A light-scout type with a long operating range. Quite expensive, quite nice. It was coming in fast, and he pulled a pistol. But then it slowed to an abrupt halt, and a voice crackled out of it.

  ‘Hello, Viper,’ said the drone.

  Viper? ‘Who’s that?’ he asked.

  ‘We met earlier today. I am Vikrum.’

  Nicolai kept his face carefully blank. ‘The man himself.’

  ‘Why did you kill my people in the Library?’

  Nicolai shook his head sadly. ‘An unfortunate matter. There was something I needed from the Library.’

  ‘You slaughtered them without even attempting to parlay.’

  He shrugged. ‘When you fortify a place with light machine guns, it gives the impression such an attempt would be pointless. As is the case with the general behaviour of you and your people—such as your immediate attempt to hunt me down and kill me, upon your arrival. I don’t recall you issuing a warning or seeking to parlay.’

  ‘I wished to avenge my people!’

  Nicolai put a hand to his heart. ‘And I needed something from the Library… in order to help my people.’

  ‘You’ve also been arming everyone in this place, selling guns to any who’ll pay. Many of the people you’ve armed are remorseless bandits. They’ve attacked my people, attacked everyone! A lot of people—good people, kind people—have been killed by the guns you’ve sold. You tried to kill me!’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Why are you doing this?’

  ‘Business is business,’ said Nicolai. ‘I’m merely a trader. I only do what I do to look after my own people, just as you need to look after yours. What my customers do with the items I sell them is out of my hands.’

  ‘A convenient view. I see it very differently,’ Vikrum’s voice snapped in an angry crackle from the drone. ‘I…’ He paused. Nicolai stared at the drone, curious. When Vikrum’s voice reemerged, it was in an entirely different tone. Calm and practised, no sign of the anger. ‘I have come to make you an offer. If you join me, and bring Maxine, and share the manner of your access to the Trade Link, I will make you one of my elites. You will be allowed to keep your Seed—all your things—and the same will apply to your people. You will be allowed to stay as a group within the Chosen. You will be given many benefits; access to the Trade Link, even a daily allowance, and true safety amongst the largest, best equipped and most organised group in this place.’

  Nicolai showed no trace of his internal reaction, which was derision. If he were to do as Vikrum asked he’d be eating a bullet in the back of the head the moment it was convenient. Still, he respected the game. In Vikrum’s place he likely would’ve made a similar attempt. As a result, he knew the proper response.

  He made a show of uncertainty, narrowing his eyes. Not convinced, but apparently willing to be convinced, that the offer might be genuine. ‘What’s to stop you shooting me in the back the moment I’ve given you what you want?’

  ‘You have my word. I am an honourable man.’

  Nicolai nodded solemnly. ‘I’m glad to hear it. I am also an honourable man. Like you, my word is my bond. But the offer seems a little light. I already possess much of what you list.’ He gazed expectantly at the drone.

  ‘The alternative is that I kill you. I am offering you your life.’

  Nicolai peered over the edge of the towertop, made a show of looking around. In the distance, he could see a place where there was a great deal of gunfire coming from. A large, ruined building quite some distance away in the upper-jungle. There were a lot of people up there, fighting off bugs and undead.

  ‘Is that your lot, over there?’ he asked. ‘The big group currently under attack by a few hundred bugs and skeletons?’

  Vikrum was silent, but Nicolai didn’t need any confirmation. There was no other group so numerous and well-armed as to account for all that gunfire, anyway.

  ‘So how is it you’re going to kill me?’

  ‘You’ll find out later.’

  ‘We-ell,’ Nicolai dragged the word out, thoughtful. As he did so, his Mask was wriggling closer over his face, aiding him. For this, the more human he could act, the better. And in fact it was saying that maybe he could sort something out, maybe all this could end here. He spread his hands. ‘Believe it or not, I don’t see us as enemies, and I’m not opposed to joining you. But you must admit, the offer is low. Trading as we are, we are gaining great benefits. We would be losing all that if we joined you. Whereas, as you have pointed out, we are causing you significant problems. If we joined you it would make life much easier on your side. You gain much, and we gain little. How would you make it even? And what would happen to Maxine?’

  ‘Do you care about her?’

  ‘Yes,’ answered the Mask without hesitation. ‘She’s a good person.’

  There came a moment of silence. ‘I can guarantee her life. Though she has done nothing but work against me. If she’s able to see reason, I’ll spare her—just as I am willing to spare and even embrace you. Furthermore I will give you a total of ten thousand Trade Link points, and I also have many other valuable items. You may pick… any two items from my personal stockpile.’

  ‘Tempting, very tempting,’ Nicolai tapped his chin. ‘But it still seems a little low. Can’t you do any better?’

  ‘No.’

  Nicolai sighed and shook his head ruefully. ‘You’ve called my bluff. Actually, that’s a pretty good offer. Generous, even. I’m inclined to accept.’ He paused.

  ‘In tha—‘

  ‘But matters like this require thought and consideration,’ he continued. ‘I will have to confer with the others, and it will take some time for us to come to a conclusion. However’—he smiled—‘I believe it will likely be a decision that will please you.’

  ‘You have one hour.’

  Nicolai clicked his teeth, frowning. ‘That’s not at all long enough. I need a few days. This is a big decision.’

  ###

  Vikrum was silent, gazing at the man in his feed. Now he was talking to Viper, he found the man nothing like expected. He’d imagined a snarling, sneering, villainous bastard, someone as vicious in temperament as he was in action. But Viper seemed… reasonable. Could he say that he would have done any different, in Viper’s position? Perhaps not.

  It even seemed that Viper might actually be inclined to join him, something he hadn’t expected; he’d imagined the offer would be instantly shot down. But Viper was bargaining. That had to be a good sign, didn’t it? One wouldn’t bargain if they had no intention of agreeing.

  But even so, Viper was a little too smooth. Too relaxed and easy with his words. He was still little more than a Raw, only some very minor augmentation that Vikrum could see. He led a tiny little band compared to Vikrum’s Chosen. He ought to be at least a little uncertain, a little afraid. But there was no sign of fear at all.

  As always, he opted to ask Cornwall. Do you think he’s truly willing to join?

  There came a brief hesitation. It is impossible to say. He is very difficult to read. His body language is full of contradictions. We know he is a practised liar, an individual who hides his true intentions until the last instant. After a moment, it added. I do not trust him.

  He frowned, perturbed. It wasn’t like Cornwall to be indecisive. Typically the AI was always ready with a path it deemed more optimal. What of his request for more time?

  If he lying, then he will simply use that time to escape and avoid the pressure you would otherwise put on him, while continuing to work against us. Giving him more time is a risk… but if he is honest, then refusing might remove any chance of him joining. If he does surrender to us it would be a huge win, a pivotal moment. He and Maxine are your only serious opposition. With them enfolded into the Chosen or simply removed once under our control, the castle would effectively be yours. It could be worthwhile to agree to his request, in spite of the risk.

  Vikrum considered. He might have been willing to give Viper the time… but not after the Library. This man had shown himself an enemy many times, and no amount of honeyed words would change that. If he was willing to see sense, to lay down his arms and join the Chosen, bringing Maxine with him, then Vikrum might—might—even find his way to forgiving Viper for his crimes. And if not? Then he’d crush him.

  He was going to win anyway. Whether it be the hard way or the easy way, that was up to Viper.

  ###

  ‘You have one hour, and even that is a blessing, one that I deign to grant you as a show of kindness. Do not push me, Viper. I will leave this drone here. I expect your answer within the hour.’

  Nicolai’s face remained blank, and he simply nodded to the drone then turned away. Annoying. He wouldn’t be able to drag this out as long as he’d desired. Vikrum was no fool. He’d hoped to secure “decision making time” of a few days.

  Isn’t it possible he was telling the truth? That he’d accept us joining? asked the Mask.

  Nicolai snorted. Possible, yes. Likely, no. Even if he is, joining isn’t possible. He would restrict me. Restrict us from doing what we need to do. No, working with him was never in the cards, not in the current situation.

  The tower-top was a flat expanse with small building filling its centre. A pair of solar charger panels were spread out, wires leading into the building through an opening, and an antenna rose from a small unit beside the panels.

  He headed into the building, where there was a stairwell leading down.

  At the bottom, he found a room filled with radio’s all playing different channels, a confusing mess of voices at a low volume. The others were waiting there, along with a small, brown haired woman. Maxine.