CHAPTER 82: THE WALL

Citizens scrambled out of the way of the entourage as they crossed the city streets.

The Panoplians took the lead, their heavy metal limbs raising and falling in perfect rhythm with each other. Anyone too stupid to move fast enough found the barrel of one of their wrist-mounted cannons pointed at their face, ready to fire.

’Would they kill their own people, just because they didn’t move out of the way?’

Not for the first time, Charon found himself considering what Emerius had said.

’I need to remember that just because this side is the one I’m fighting for, it doesn’t make them perfect. That’s why I need to get back to the Empire. They truly are a force for good in the galaxy, even if they sometimes make bad decisions, it’s always for the people. For humanity.’

It was something he had thought about deeply. He missed his home, and despite seeing some parallels between what the Fort was doing and what he had heard stories of the Empire doing, he noticed that the Empire was always more forward-thinking.

They wouldn’t gun down a civilian for being slow. They might scare them into moving, but they wouldn’t need to raise a cannon to do that.

’I shouldn’t expect the same civility from this settlement that I do from a galaxy-spanning society with millennia of history. They are simply incomparable! Only the dissenters would say otherwise!’

As they walked, he noticed that they followed the opposite path that the spy had taken, still leading them to the outskirts but not crossing the poorer sections of town to do so. The Wall loomed in the distance, the mighty towers and metal turrets visible even from so far away.

It took them almost half an hour to reach it, Charon’s legs burning in protest by the time they finally approached a checkpoint.

It divided the street with a gate, two raised platforms flanking it, with multiple guards in each. An officer stood below, his hand held out to signal their group to stop.

Complying, the Panoplian who was carrying the body halted, while the other continued for a few more steps to address the man.

"Panoplians Roger and Igrit escorting single captive and multiple enlisted. Requesting entry into the Wall for further interrogation efforts. We possess authority under High Elder Mandate 2274."

The officer frowned deeply, his wrinkled face clearly uneasy about the directive, but still nodded and stepped to the side.

"Permission granted under High Elder Mandate 2274. Proceed."

With his words, one of the guards leaned over a console, the metal gate soon rising.

Their convoy continued through, passing two more similar checkpoints before arriving at the foot of the Wall. It towered above them, like a steel sentinel, promising safety and security so long as nothing breached its impenetrable defenses.

’Annie mentioned it being breached once when the electricity ran out, but I can’t imagine how. It would take someone a hundred years to break through, let alone unintelligent beasts.’

A rounded doorway stood in front of them, a sheet metal door slowly lifting away by an unseen crank. It revealed an open interior with multiple armed men running to and fro. Marching inside, the Panoplians quickly found and stairwell and began to ascend, the group close behind.

Fluorescent lights were attached to the ceiling, casting basic lighting down the bland hallways. A sterile smell filled their noses, reminding Charon of a hospital room.

Moving further into the Wall, they arrived at a room with a sign above that read "Room 7B". Entering, they found a nondescript chamber with a desk and two chairs.

Slamming the spy down in the chair, the Panoplians attached his cuffs to a black strip on the otherwise gray surface, the manacles glowing blue as they became locked to the material.

One of them reached into their belt, flipping open a compartment and withdrawing a syringe full of a yellow liquid. Handing it to Darius, he spoke.

"This contains a potion that will awaken him once injected. Its effects last fifteen minutes. That is all you have before the prisoner becomes ours. Please document your names and ID numbers now."

The screen on his arm popped open once more as he extended it for everyone to access. Liam went first, pressing a bunch of buttons before allowing Darius a turn. When it was Charon’s, he paused, unsure what his number was.

’Crap, I never asked! I didn’t even know I had one!’

As if able to read his mind, the Panoplian stepped forward and stuck it by his neck, the screen beeping in confirmation. He then did the same to Emerius, who craned his head to the side to make it more easily accessible.

They then retreated from the room, giving them some privacy.

The moment they left, Liam scoffed.

"Of course, you two got the better holo-pads. It takes a normal folk years of waiting to be administered the upgrade, and ya get in a week!"

Emerius’s eyes narrowed.

"What are you referring to?"

Darius tapped his own neck twice.

"The injection. It was invented by one of the High Elders. Most citizens apply for one, but they are very slow to provide them. Only the military gets them fast, and even then, it is based on rank. You are very lucky to have an expedited procedure."

’And to think I was worried about it at first. In my defense, the doctor didn’t warn me, instead slamming that gun into my throat.’

He shuddered as he remembered the feeling.

The door opened behind them, the group turning as they expected to see the Panoplians re-enter, only to smile as they saw Red and Annie.

Darius gave Red an appreciative nod.

"Thanks to you, we managed to capture the spy. We couldn’t have done it without you."

Liam beamed widely as he looked at the scarlet-haired teenager.

"You’re damn right we couldn’t have! What gave him away?"

Red gave a small smile.

"The weed was counting seeds, ready to poison them against the garden."

Liam’s smile faded ever so slightly, his eye twitching as he turned to Darius and nudged him.

"Alright, pretty boy, translate. It’s been months, and I still don’t have a clue."

Darius rubbed his chin and leaned on one foot.

"I believe she is saying the spy was attempting to find possible allies within the Fort. Could there have been others he was trying to locate? There is no telling how far the network goes."

Emerius chose that moment to withdraw the pages he found. He laid them all out on the table while the others gathered to read them.

"I found these in his robes. They detail various aspects of the Fort, including troop counts and guard rotations. The most pertinent piece of information will be his continued reference to people he believed could be converted into other spies."

Darius’s eyes widened as he began to study the information, his hands clenching around the table’s edge. His teeth began to grind, and a strange anger overcame him.

"I recognize some of these names. These pages have them listed as possible informants for a variety of reasons, but if even half of these are true, I can understand why. This is a major security breach. The kind of dirt here could cause all sorts of problems."

Scowling, Annie moved beside him, grabbing one of the pages and scanning it herself.

With a shaky breath, she exhaled and slammed the sheet down.

"There are military men listed. A few officers, even."

She tapped the paper.

"It says they went so far as publicly decrying the Fort and supporting our enemies, like the Claytons. If they would admit that, then only the gods know what else they could be doing. The High Elders need to know about this!"

Darius nodded his agreement while Charon frowned.

’Why would military officers support their enemies? Aren’t they the ones drafting plans and strategies to kill them?’

"How sure are we that the pages are accurate?"

His words drew the gazes of the others, except for Emerius, who was examining the documents with squinted eyes.

"They could have been purposefully planted in case he was caught. Everything in them could be made up, designed to turn the Fort against itself to give them time to send a new spy in, or change their tactics entirely."

Darius shook his head.

"I doubt it. These are too detailed. The locations where they were tracked are accurate; I have seen these people there myself.

Charon raised an eyebrow.

"And we are sure they didn’t go there, find some regulars, and jot some lies down?"

Darius’s frown deepened, his eyes burning with fury.

"We will need to bring them in for questioning at the least. A proper mind mage will make all of their secrets come pouring out. We will get to the bottom of this, that I assure you."

He turned to face the unconscious spy, who was slumped over in his chair. Glancing down at the syringe in his hand, he approached with measured steps.

"Starting with this one."