It was the third day of their vacation to the museum. Ava’s mother Florine had come home late last night, staggering and laughing from alcohol she had consumed at the resort bar. Ava had struggled to sleep from her mother’s boisterous outbursts, plugging her ears at the sound of her mother collapsing to the floor as her father Charles knocked her out. She didn’t worry if her mother would wake up upset. She knew her mother wouldn’t remember due to drunkenness. It was frightening.
She pondered what she had heard last night as she sat on the edge of her bed in the artificial light of her family’s hotel room. Only yesterday, she had stumbled across the first freedom fighter she had ever seen in real life, discovering they weren’t as ugly or grotesque as she had always been told they were. Austin had been friendly and had even helped her escape. The way he had treated her, had been odd, but in a wonderful way. Sure her mother had acted nice to her, but she never felt her parents were her friends, or even that they had her best interest at heart. Austin on the other hand, had acted as if he cared. He had treated her as if she was worth something. She wanted to meet him again. She wanted a friend. But she shook her head. No, she needed to get his help. The ceremony for spreading her grandmother’s ashes was today and there were no ashes in that urn.
It was this realization that led her back to the museum lobby, as she tried to think of how to find her odd and friendly acquaintance. The massive double doors to the lower wing were still blocked off with caution tape and barriers, but the maintenance door she had snuck in through before was locked, and there were no museum employees around whom she could sneak in behind. Looking for other options, Ava went back up the stairs and went to the teleport pads. The other end of the lower wing terminated further along in the museum when it linked up to the other three wings. Perhaps there would be a way into the maintenance areas there.
The teleport pads around the museum provided convenient quick travel to each section of the museum to avoid visitors taking hours just to walk back to their rooms and were equally convenient to Ava. Soon she appeared at the section of the museum where all 4 wings converged and looked around. A similar setup of double doors to those in the lobby could be seen, connected by an identical staircase arrangement. The double doors to the lower wing on this end were also blocked off with barriers and caution tape, but as Ava watched, Mr. Harrow, who had led her out of the maintenance area last time exited a staff only door to the left. He pulled out something in his pocket and activated it before putting it away again. Acting quickly, Ava snuck behind the unwitting employee and slipped through the door they had left open. Moving quickly, Ava tried to find a way into the infrastructure where she knew Austin would be hiding.
After nearly five minutes of searching, she finally stumbled across a tall ladder leading down a dark maintenance shaft. At first, the darkness made her hesitant, but the headlamp helmet nearby provided a solution to this anxiety. She sucked up her courage and made her way precariously down the metal ladder, its rungs so far apart that she had to use the sides of the ladder for support. After half stepping, half sliding down the ladder, Ava found herself on a metal platform int a large maintenance tunnel. Cupping her hands around her mouth she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Austin!”
“Don’t shout!” said the young man as he peeked his head up from underneath the platform. With a grunt, he pulled himself up the rest of the way. “What are you doing here? This place isn’t very safe for little girls.”
She could see the concern on his face. It was still odd to her that a freedom fighter would worry about her safety. Her parents and teachers had always taught her that they were evil rat people with the singular goal of hurting others. But Austin wasn’t a rat person, nor was he out to hurt her. In fact, he was kind and friendly. “Um, have you thought about getting back in the urn for me? The ceremony is tonight.”
“Tonight?!” Austin grimaced. “Oof, I’m sorry Ava. There’s something I have to do right then.”
Ava thought for a moment, then she decided to try something her mother had taught her. She didn’t like doing it, but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. She put on the saddest face she could muster. “You want my dad to hit me?” It was blatant manipulation and neither of them liked it, but Ava was getting desperate.
Austin stared at her for a second. “Wow, you must really be scared of your parents.” He sat down on the edge of the platform. “You know, you remind me of me when I met your grandmother.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “You knew my grandma?”
Austin nodded. “She was the one who introduced me to the freedom fighters.”
“You don’t mean she was a. . . “
Austin nodded.
Ava stared at him wide eyed before sitting down on the platform. “Why did they tell my parents that she was dead?”
Austin hung his head. “Because to they didn’t want you to go to her. They didn’t want her to influence you.”
“Why would the police hate my grandma?”
“Because she was a freedom fighter.”
Ava was having trouble understanding what Austin was getting at. She had always been taught by her parents and teachers that the king of the world and all his forces were good, and that the freedom fighters and anyone against the king of the world was evil. So if the king of the world was good, why had he allowed them to believe her grandmother was dead? Something was off about all of this. “I asked you last time we met why the king of the world wanted to destroy this museum.”
Austin looked at her. “That’s right, I didn’t get the chance to answer that question. I suppose I have time now.” He adjusted his sitting position. “Exavior has been rewriting history. He’s twisting it to make himself and his ideas look like good, and the freedom fighters and their ideas look like evil.”
“But why?”
Austin stifled his frustration at trying to get Ava to understand. “Because Exavior is the one who is evil.”
Ava gasped. “You shouldn’t say that. Those are no no words.”
Austin sighed before he had an idea. “You get your NEROchip soon right?” Ava’s eyes lightened up. “Oh yes! I get it tomorrow! I’m so excited! I’ll be able to hear NERO once I get it.”
Austin doesn’t smile with her and there is sadness in his eyes. “And who made NERO?”
“The king of the world did. They taught us that in school. He made NERO so he could be with us always. Once I get the chip, I’ll have a direct line to the king of the world himself! Well, an AI version of him. But it will be like he’s with me everywhere!”
Austin nods sadly. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
Ava was confused, but her childish curiosity took the wheel. “Oh? Ok. Where are we going?”
Austin flashed into flame for a moment before transforming into a large black bird, as big as a car. His opaque feathers were accented by red stripes running down each side of his body and a gray underside. The two tufted crests on the top of his head moved around like cat’s ears. “Hop on and you’ll see.” He dipped one of his wings toward the wide eyed Ava for her to climb on.
She was hesitant at first, but something in his now golden eyes and caring expression put her at ease. Slowly, she carefully clambered onto Austin before he pushed off and swooped off through the cavernous maintenance area. Ava closed her eyes in fear as she gripped tightly onto his feathers.
Around fifteen minutes later, Ava was crawling through a vent behind Austin who had returned to his human form, as he led her towards the hangars. He stopped and motioned for her to come up next to him. Outside the vent, they could see the hangars and the shuttles coming and going, as well as the arriving and departing passengers. Ava tilted her head in confusion. “What are we looking for?”
Austin gave her a gentle shush before pointing to the large shuttle that had just arrived. One of the couples who had just arrived seemed confused and lost. When they came up to the customs agent, the husband spoke to him in broken English. “Perdon ser. Whare to git da . . . uh . . . teekits?”
The customs officer scanned their wrists like the other passengers and found that they had no NEROchips. Looking up with a slightly less bored stare, he pressed a button on his datapad. “Oh yes, let me get someone to help you.”
A few moments later Officer Griddon arrived. The customs officer whispered something in his ear, motioning to the ethnic couple. Griddon nodded before smiling and motioning for the couple to follow him. They did so worriedly, and in their insufficient English tried to ask Officer Griddon if they had done something wrong. He would just smile at them before leading them into the administration pillar.
Austin tapped Ava and motioned for her to follow him again as he led her back through the vents. After several minutes of crawling, Austin brought Ava to another vent cover, this time overlooking a circular clean room with an odd seat in the middle surrounded by a bunch of equipment Ava had never seen before. It looked so bright white and yet the instruments around the chair made Ava feel uneasy. Austin saw her looking at the needles and sharp scalpels. “When I tell you, I want you to look away. Alright?”
Ava was confused, but she nodded. “Ok.”
Just then a woman in an official government uniform entered the room and began pressing buttons on her datapd. The machinery came to life as she began to input commands, rotating the chair to face the door and preparing the instruments. Seeing that the contraption was in working order, she went to the door and held it open for the non English speaking couple Ava had seen earlier. Officer Griddon came in as well and closed the door behind them, standing in front of it in case either of them thought of escaping.
The woman undid the straps in the seat and motioned for the husband to get in the chair with a big smile on her face, but Ava felt like it wasn’t a nice smile. Something was wrong. As the husband warily sat in the chair, the government woman started strapping him in, restraining his arms and legs before setting brackets around his neck and head. Once he was completely immobilized, the government lady cast a smirk at his wife who stood watching, Officer Griddon behind her ready to hold her if she tried to interfere.
Austin tapped Ava and turned her face away as the machinery started moving. “Plug your ears.” He whispered as the loud whirring reverberated off the clean room walls.
Ava complied and after a few seconds Austin cupped her already plugged ears. Then she heard faint muffled screams. After several minutes, Austin let her unplug her ears and look. At first she wasn’t sure what had changed. The man seemed the same. But then she noticed his forehead. A symbol she had seen so many placed before was burned on his skin from the inside. A tri symbol made of three sixes.
Once the government woman undid the restraints and brackets, the man got up and rubbed his forehead. The woman smiled before motioning for his wife to come next. Just then the husband turned to the government lady. “Ma’am . . . uh. . . who are da. . . howdoyousay, Freedom Fi- Hrk!” He couldn’t even finish his sentence before he suddenly went stiff. He struggled for a moment as his wife watched on in horror before he stopped struggling and all the color left his eyes. That was all it took to make the wife hysterical. She began screaming and flailing, shouting in her native tongue. The government lady went from smiling to stone cold serious in a moment and snapped her fingers. Without hesitation, the husband walked up and forcibly shoved his wife into the chair. Officer Griddon and the government woman then restrained her in order to do to her what they had done to her husband.
Austin turned Ava away and made her go back into the vents first as the machine started up again, the poor wife’s screams fading behind them as they gained distance from the shocking scene.
Ava stared blankly into the maintenance area, her feet dangling off the platform. “Why? Why would Exavior allow such a thing?”
“Ava, he didn’t just allow it. He came up with it.” Austin leaned on the railing next to her. “Exavior is evil, and he doesn’t play by the rules. He wanted to enslave the world so he vilified anyone who opposed them, like me. Ava they would kill me.”
“But. . . my parents. . . Mrs. Landle at school.”
“They lied Ava. They all have the NEROchip. They couldn’t tell you the truth even if they wanted to. The chip won’t let them.”
“That will be me in that room tomorrow. . . ” Ava’s voice shuddered a bit as she realized the seriousness of the situation.
“Everyone gets the chip on their 10th birthday. It’s the law. Hence why people without it are forced to take it, or seen as outlaws.”
“Everyone? Even Lumios?”
“Lumios aren’t even allowed in most places because Exavior can’t control them. They’re bodies are incompatible with the NEROchip.”
Ava thought for a moment. “If they want to kill you, why don’t you just hide somewhere? Why come all the way to the museum?”
“Because my great great great Aunt was the original programmer for Vox Chronos.”
“Oh that’s right, you said something about that last time. You said you were on a mission.”
Austin stared blankly, thinking. Then he walked over to Ava and handed her his flash drive. “Not anymore.”
Ava took the flash drive and looked up at him confused. “What do you mean? Weren’t you going to plug this into Vox Chronos?”
Austin shook his head. “I can’t. But I have a friend at this Museum who was going to take it and plug it in when the time was right. Take the flash drive to him.”
“I. . . I don’t think I can. Why can’t you do it?”
“I can’t get close enough to the computers without being spotted, and I would be recognized immediately. Besides,” he smiles. “I have an ash spreading ceremony to attend.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “You’re going to turn back into ash so my parents won’t yell at me?”
“Yes. All I ask is that you finish my mission for me, by getting this flash drive to my friend.”
“How will I know who they are?”
“It’s the employee that pulled you out of the maintenance area last time.”
Ava tried to remember, but she couldn’t remember his name, having only a memory of his face. “I think I remember him.” She said as she put the flash drive into her pocket.
“Good. If something goes wrong, like you can’t find Mr. Harrow or you lose the flash drive. There’s a code word you can say to Vox Chronos. You have to say it in the master microphone. It’s written on the back of the flashdrive.”
Ava turned the flash drive over and stared at it.
”Do you need help getting back up?”
Ava looked up at the long ladder back to the museum areas. “Yes please.”
Half an hour later, Ava stood in the museum by herself, thinking about what she had seen and heard. She felt like the ground had been removed from under her. She looked around nervously. If Exavior was evil, and the NEROchips were direct communication with him and used by him to control others, then he could be watching her right now. The thought did not comfort her, and her imagination terrified her with images to fill in the blanks of what Austin wouldn’t let her see in the chip administration room. She felt so alone. She knew she couldn’t tell her parents. They wouldn’t believe her. Or worse. They would force her to take the chip right then and there.
Ava began making her way back through the museum, ignoring the beautiful exhibits and rides and statues. It all made sense now. Austin was nice and kind, while her parents had ignored her, hit her, pretended to love her, all while hating each other. She would have to pretend like nothing happened. She clutched the flash drive in her pocket. She needed to find Mr. Harrow. She hadn’t thought to let Austin know that she couldn’t read. She needed someone to read what was written on the back of it to her.
As she rounded a corner, she ran right into the hard crystalline hide of Loryli the Lumio that had arrived on the same shuttle as her and her parents. “Oh dear. Are you alright?”
Ava rubbed her forehead where a goose bump was sure to form later. “Ow. Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
The Lumio's ear twitched. “That’s quite alright. Where are you going in such a hurry?” “Back to my parent’s apartment. The ash spreading ceremony is today.”
Ava went to go past the Lumio, but Loryli blocked her with one of her 15ft wings. “Where were you earlier Ava?”
The little girl was unprepared to be put on the spot. Frozen, she didn’t know what to say. Then she remembered what Austin had told her. “You don’t have a NEROchip, do you?”
Loryli laughed. “Don’t be silly. The second they opened my skin to put it in I would lose my light and die.” The tall equine leaned closer to Ava. “Why do you ask?”
Ava felt a wash of relief through her body as she let herself relax, choosing to trust the elegant crystal horse and tell them everything. When she reached the end of her story, Loryli appeared shocked. "I never realized there was so much evil."
Ava pulled out the flash drive. "I want to help but I can't read the words on the back of this thing."
The Lumio's eyes narrowed, but she kept up her look of shock. "Fascinating! Can you hold it up where I can read it?"
Ava tilted her head. "Why can't you just grab it with your telekinesis?"
"Um. . . my horn is tired."
Ava shrugged. "Oh. Ok." She held up the flash drive where Loryli could see what was written on the back.
Loryli squinted at it before speaking it. "Oh, it's a Lumarian word. It says "maiko tep'corv". In my native language that means "come alive"."
Ava smiled. "Thank you. I better get going now."
"I wish you and your family health." Loryli watched Ava leave, waiting until the little girl was out of sight.
Over 400 years later, Vox paused the old security recording he was watching. Something about Loryli seemed. . . odd. He couldn’t quite place it, but he assumed the answer would be revealed in the final 24 hours of footage remaining before all the visitors left the museum. There was something surreal about watching the events leading up to the abandonment of the station. Just then Vox’s vision flickered. When it stopped, some things around the station had moved. Or had they been moved and had Vox blacked out for a few minutes and not witnessed it? The malfunctions were getting worse. Something was spreading through Vox’s code. Worried, Vox began to record a message.
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