Chapter 9 conclusion and 10 Ideas

When Siren arrived back at the hotel Peyton was already testing the vault for weaknesses with Dr. Feinburg. Peyton had already decided in advance that the vault would not crack under usual methods and was going to require a special device.

In the lab a large gun type device hung from a rail atop the chamber. Peyton hit a button and the gun slid along the rail into place. The particle beam relied on a particle accelerator to stream subatomic particles at near light speed to generate vast amounts of kinetic energy and thus heat, burning through the walls of the vault. The device was aimed through the use of three magnets which directed the stream through a lens which focused the beam.

"Do you really think this is necessary Peyton," asked Dr. Feinburg.

"The vault will not be penetrated by any other means, I am most sure of that fact," Peyton said assuredly.

Siren walked into the room a moment later, in the midst of the preparations to activate the device.

"Siren your timing is most fortuitous. Please step behind the observation wall and witness the cannon in action," cautioned Dr. Feinburg.

"Canon? You can't be serious. The vault is over 2000 years old. We could blow the dust away and the thing would cease to exist," said Siren quite sarcasticly.

"There are far more intricate powers at work in the safe then you are aware of Siren. These runes have hardened the stone beyond any properties we are prepared to face, it will be luck alone that grants us access." Peyton seemed quite certain of this.

Siren stepped behind the observation wall and Peyton fired the cannon. The beam focused upon the vault with intensity for a solid minute, then something finally began to show effect. Unfortunately it was not the beam that had become effective. A rune manifested itself before the beam, splitting it and redirecting it through the lab. The beam instantaneously began to wreck the room. In mere seconds the entirety of the lab was destroyed as if the sun itself had rolled within it. Ultimately the beam was redirected upon itself, destroying billions in research and material. This all happened in mere moments before Feinburg or Peyton could shut down the device.

"It appears you may have been right about the safe Peyton. I acquiesce defeat in this particular battle of wits. Luck was not with us," quipped Siren.

"My...my...my lab! What have you done! All my work is destroyed, all my ingredients are disintegrated."

"Calm yourself doctor the company will recover your losses without question. Your laboratory will be rebuilt and restored beyond your ability to imagine," Peyton replied nonchalantly to Feinburg's ecstatic rambling.

"But my work! It's all gone! It was irreplaceable."

"The backup systems are in place if you would recall Feinburg. Stop your inane muttering." It was obvious that the patience of Peyton had worn thin long ago, her every move being thwarted by Graven in the past and now the Eoti had singed his last nerve. "The vault-master is the answer. I must have him immediately. Siren!"

"Yes Peyton? How can I help you this fine evening?"

"You are to apprehend the keeper of this vault posthaste," an angered Peyton replied.

"Wait a moment there Peyton, kidnapping is not part of the deal. I will steal for you, I will play messenger girl, and on occasion I will take the life of those who stand in my way. I will not play party to kidnapping. A girl must have principles."

"You will kidnap him or your upgrades will cease to exist and you will remain a pathetic and weak human for the entirety of your short lived stay here on this planet."

"But Peyton surely have I served you well. The last couple of assignments have gone consummately. I am becoming a more effective employee with each upgrade, surely you can see that."

"Feinburg prep Siren for surgery and install the two upgrades she is owed in addition to another."

"Very well Peyton, I will do as you ask," said Siren in resignation.

Somehow Peyton always got her way.

* * * * * *

Iboga was a patient Etherian. It had been over 40 years since his defeat at Ahmphyrr and the time had finally come to reap vengeance upon those who both abandoned and betrayed him. He arrived at the festival shortly after twilight on the third day. The aftereffects of Hauntlore still blurring the vision of the people of Axium with psychadelic vibrance.

Iboga levitated through the city on invisible wings. He had almost reached the Gaiasphere, the home of Graven before he finally confronted Veyn and three of the guards.

"Iboga...I know not why you come or how you have survived but you may go no further. No stranger shall approach the tree." Veyn spoke with indignation at the intruder, the one distracting him from his busy day of policing the city.

"Veyn...ah yes the babysitter. I have observed you all these many years, no one here is capable of stopping me. Not that witch Gaia long since dead, and not Graven the keeper of the Fragment that should long ago been mine."

"You will not speak of Gaia that way and Graven will come to no harm by you, that I can assure. Step down and no harm will come to you"

The three guards trained their bows on Iboga, timidly awaiting his response. Two of them had been from the original village of Ahmphyrr and remembered Iboga all too well.

"Harm you say? Well I wouldn't want to come to any harm now would I?" Iboga seemed amused.

With a flick of his wrist he set two of the guards on fire. The screaming and burning flesh caused the third guard to run for his life. Veyn alone fired his bow in time striking Iboga in the right shoulder.

"Arrows? Arrows! You think wood will stop me this time!" Without a word Iboga shattered the arrow embedded in his shoulder and turned the splinters toward Veyn. He set them loose. The splinters riddled Veyns body with deep lesions throwing him to the ground. "Now young Veyn where is Graven.

"Do your worst, I would never give you Graven much less my cooperation." Veyn took his spear and began to throw it from his grounded position. The spear shattered into a thousand pieces, the metal tip driving into Veyn's skull. He fell over lifeless.

The guard who ran returned with Graven at his side before taking flight once more.

"Veyn! Nooo! What have you done? Iboga you will pay for this travesty."

"It is you who will pay Graven for the limp in my leg and my wasted time procurring the eye."

Graven manifested a crystalline shield coated in ice, remembering Iboga's tricks with fire. This time however Iboga went with water. Moisture condensed and beaded upon Graven before forming into droplets, then into a body of water that began to encircle Graven. Suddenly the wave overcame him and he found he could not breath, the water begging to coarse through his lungs. A storm began to form overhead and Iboga's will was set to be done.

As Graven began to drown a rune suddenly entered his thoughts, the rune of life. Graven called to it, asking..begging for it's assistance. Vines came from the ground and made to entangle Iboga breaking his concentration. The water surrounding Graven subsided, and dripping wet he could do little more then catch his breath. Iboga laid a hand upon the vine and electricity coarsed through the plant, shocking him as well but breaking the plants grip. Iboga laid upon the ground across from Graven. Both were stunned and on the verge of collapse. That was when Iboga in a desperate attempt to get the eye froze the still wet Graven solid.

Iboga let out a halfhearted laugh as he crawled toward Graven.
"Now after all these years the eye will be mine. The power of the cosmos squandered by your petty life will become one with my being."

Iboga grabbed Graven's leg and helped himself up, his old injury from their first battle biting at his leg as he arose. Graven could do nothing. Frozen helpless he watched as Iboga grabbed the eye and ripped it from his skull.

"At last! It's mine!"

Iboga wasted no time embedding the eye in his skull. The burning eye seared into his head and he screamed with mad glee and pain. The ether in his veins turned blue in that moment and in that very second Kalyx approached him from behind spear in hand and plunged it into his heart. Iboga fell over dead without a pause.







































Chapter 10

Graven looked into the eyes of his daughter who had just been forced to kill someone for the first time in her life, at his expense.

"Graven, Graven are you alright." Kalyx slid her hand down the frozen face of Graven, with his missing eye.

Graven did the best he could to blink his eyes despite his frozen state to no avail, though she could see his eyes darting back and forth beneath the sheet. The city still had not been made aware of the attack, such was the consequences of the festival. Kalyx gathered a torch and set to work defrosting Graven, starting with his head. At a distance she guided the torch along the ice, melting it gradually so as to not burn him stuck within. Moments later he could speak.

"Kalyx...I don't know what to say. You saved my life.






Siren tracked the hooded figure by beacon to an installation in the mountains. Her body was still sore from the implantations; finger dexterity, arm movement, leg movement, and finally a neural interface that allowed her to hack into computers even at range. Siren was on her way to becoming more robotic then biotic, which was fine by her account.

Witnessing her parents death at a young age at the hands of a robotic assassin, Siren had since hated her human side, her weakness as she had stated it. In her mind machines were faster, stronger, more efficient, objective, and ruthless. These were all the qualities that she admired. So it was with each new upgrade she came closer to her goal, replacing her weakness with strength, her liabilities with assets.

Drawing closer to her newest target Siren felt more confident and able then ever. Her every movement seemed guided and enhanced by the upgrades. She wasn't sure about abducting another human being for there was no telling what Feinburg and Peyton would do to a live capture, knowing their propensity for experimentation. Even Siren, ruthless though she may be, did not wish that on anyone.