Part 17: Damnation

Chapter 14: Damnation



Nei... I've failed you.

If what you said was true, if there was no way for you to survive with Neifirst dead, then it was my duty to fail you. I couldn't protect both you and Mota. In the end, I was loyal to Mother Brain and not to you.

Everything I've been taught all my life tells me that I did the right thing. The only rational course of action was to let both you and Neifirst die, for the sake of Mother Brain and the people of Mota. Commander O'Connor would be proud of me.

I'm not proud of me, though. I feel sick and low and cowardly.



I was shocked back to reality by a deep vibration that ran through the whole structure of Climatrol. The sounds of distant explosions and rushing water pounded in my ears. Kain was frantically twisting dials and pushing buttons, but he only seemed to be making matters worse.



Sparks flew and explosions rocked the control centre. Climatrol was shaking itself to pieces.

"Forget about fixing Climatrol!" I shouted to Kain over the cacophony. "I'm getting us out of here!"

I wasn't going to risk my other allies' lives; I'd lost enough here already. Mother Brain could send in a tech team to clean up whatever was left of Climatrol later. With Hugh and Kain by my side and Nei's body still lying in my arms, I visualised Paseo and concentrated.



Before my technique landed us back in town, I caught a glimpse of Mota's central lake filling with clean, fresh water. My job was done; thanks to Nei's sacrifice, we'd saved Mota from drought and Biomonsters in one stroke.



We arrived just outside Paseo's Clone Labs, my one hope at bringing back Nei. Could they do it without bringing back Neifirst as well? I didn't know, but I had to try.



The Clone Lab attendant was a withered old woman, her face unnaturally pale from decades of exposure to the chemical vapours of the labs. I placed Nei's body on the examination table, and the attendant looked it over dubiously. She took a scan of Nei's brain, then spent a minute looking over the results, clicking her tongue and shaking her head.



She was wrong about the reason why the cloning process had failed, but that did nothing to change the fact that it had failed. There was nothing more that anyone could do for Nei.




"A full life?" I said incredulously. "A full life? She lived for two years, and spent half that time running and hiding from people who were trying to kill her! That's not a full life -- that's barely a life at all! I heard all the same things when my parents died, but even as a child I knew better than to believe them. Spare me your platitudes, you old hag. I'm sick of hearing them."

Only my respect for Nei stopped me from storming out then and there. I gently picked up her body and walked out with all the dignity I could muster, leaving the Clone Lab attendant scowling silently at me.

Because Nei wasn't human, Paseo's funeral home wouldn't even accept her. I had to take her out of town and bury her myself, like an animal. She deserved better than this. She deserved more than I could give her.



All that remained now was to go to Central Tower to report that my mission was complete. I'd earned a hero's welcome, whether I wanted one or not.



A palpable tension filled the air of Central Tower. Everywhere I went, agents and technicians were speaking to each other with fear in their voices. A panicked man ran up to me.


rain supply has flowed into the lake! Mota is going to flood! Run for your lives! It's a catastrophe!"

My efforts to end the drought had succeeded too well. If the whole planet was flooding, running away would do no good. I had to report to Commander O'Connor and do what I could to clean up the mess I'd made.


those monsters had been taken care of, this happened! We could avoid the worst case if the dams could be opened... but there's no control. Someone must go there and open them."

Why was this happening? Why were all of Mota's automated systems failing at the worst possible time? If things were so bad here, what was going on right now on other planets? Was Palm, the home of Algo's scientific and political elite, experiencing problems like these? What about distant, icy Dezo?

If Mother Brain couldn't protect us when we needed her most, maybe giving so much control over to her in the first place had been a mistake.



The Commander bowed his head and furrowed his brow. I knew that look; it was the look he gave me when he had very bad news.


the ones who made Mother Brain go crazy. Right now, the security system is desperately trying to catch you guys. It is too dangerous to do anything that stands out."

What? What kind of bullshit was this? I'd cut off the Biomonsters at their source, and now I was Mota's most wanted criminal? At least the Commander didn't seem inclined to turn me in.



Even if everything I'd done for the people of Mota so far had only made me into a pariah, I couldn't abandon Mota in its time of need. That's not who I am. That's not why I became an agent.



"Thank you," I said. "If I'm caught, I'll tell them you knew nothing."



I went home to find the rest of my allies waiting for me. As soon as she saw me, Amy's face showed a mix of worry and confusion.

"Are you okay? Where's Nei?"

"I have bad news and worse news," I said, "and I don't know which is which."