Page 24 of Rebels Rising (The Intergalactic Union #3)

Reece

T he web was aptly named. White lines of varying luminosities spanned out in a vast web-like tangle. I didn’t know why I expected anything different, especially considering she’d described the place before, but I had. Perhaps I thought the lines would be more delicate like a thin trails of spun silk, or perhaps I had imagined the lines to have some sort of organisational structure like an arachnid’s web.

Hell, for all I knew, there was a giant, eight-legged creature just waiting on the outskirts for its prey to wonder close enough to pounce. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, but I couldn’t help that my mind had conjured up the worst.

The other thing I discovered upon my entrance was that I was, in fact, completely alone. We knew it was a possibility, but I had held out hope that Adara at the very least would be visible to me here, thanks to our nanites coming from the same batch.

The biggest downside to being alone, besides not being able to communicate with the others that I knew were in here somewhere even if I couldn’t interact with them, was the soul-sucking abyss the web was weaved in. I wasn’t corporeal like Artemis said she, Bromm and Cadmus were here, but if I recalled correctly that hadn’t happened until they’d been connected through the transmitted nanites.

A curiosity over the whole situation hit me hard. I wanted to delve deeper into that mystery to figure out how that was not only possible but why the nanites had made it so in the first place. When I removed myself from the situation, the whole thing was mind-bogglingly fascinating.

Regardless, that wasn’t what I was here for. I had a job to do and we had planned for this eventuality. I was sure Artemis already knew Addy and I would find ourselves alone here and had let us hope just in case.

I remembered my instructions and as soon as I thought of what I wanted to do I was in motion, the web responding to my desires without any further effort from me. Lines whipped by at dizzying speeds only I wasn’t physically here so I felt nothing. Images and sounds jumped out at me from all around, disappearing as soon as they came until I finally came to a halt at what looked like an oversized holographic keypad. I scowled at it until I realised I needed to put in the pin, and though I didn’t know the code I started inputting random numbers.

Suddenly, the web took over once again and the codes began rapidly inputting themselves until they came to the correct combination, unlocking the blockage in the pathway and allowing me entry.

Okay, that was awesome.

The web picked me back up again and zoomed me down the line until we reached another roadblock with the same result. Again and again it happened until, finally, I came to my destination.

Reminiscent of the holo-screen in the ship’s cockpit, one appeared in front of me displaying exactly what Eloria was doing back in reality. I watched as the holographic images depicted the enemy ship closing in on us while we were inching dangerously close to the asteroid field. If we weren’t careful we would end up being squashed by both.

I got to work, utilising the web’s natural helpful inclinations to achieve my goals. I noticed others were working alongside me as well, the screen showing multiple actions taking place. It was helpful in the way that I could see what they were doing to weave my own actions around theirs. Addy, Bromm, Cadmus and I were tasked with layering shields over the top of one another’s to provide extra protection from all angles. It took a moment to connect my mind with the ship’s programming enough to create something so physical, however, and I felt that my tangible body back in the cockpit was sweating profusely with the effort. It was a strange sensation, my mind almost being in two places at once. Or perhaps that was exactly what was happening. My mind was focused more inside the web, but if I tried I could still sense what was going on around me back in the real world.

I struggled to wrap my head around it and eventually gave up trying. Not everything needed to be understood to be fully experienced and appreciated. This was one of those cases.

All in all, I was pretty damn proud of myself for how quickly I was picking up on this whole cyborg deal. I’m sure it was a lot easier with the help from Arty, her experience and expertise allowing us to fine-tune our understanding of what we were capable of in a manner in which I was sure she hadn’t received herself. I was more than grateful that we all had her.

Suddenly, an incoming alert popped up on the holo-screen. It was hard to see, hidden behind the images tracking the distance between the ships, but there was no way I could have missed it. The shock of what I was seeing dragged me right out of the web and I slammed back into my body with a jolt. My arms windmilled as I attempted to catch myself but it was too late. I crashed to the ground, limbs akimbo.

‘Shit, Reece, are you okay?’ Xander asked, suddenly standing over me with concern furrowing his brow.

I sat up so suddenly that my forehead barely missed colliding with his nose, but I was too panicked to care. ‘Did you see it?’

‘See what?’

‘The alert!’

‘Reece, what are you talking about?’

‘On the holo-screen. It’s behind the images of the ships.’

He turned immediately to where Eloria was already minimising the other programs and maximising what I’d seen. There, for the entire world to see, was a selection of wanted posters, each one broadcasting our faces.

‘This is going to put a wrench in our plans,’ Eloria groaned, receiving a grunt in response from Xander.

‘We’re never going to win this war, are we? We were doomed from the start,’ the weapons guy started to panic.

‘They do have a lot more resources than us. This was to be expected,’ Xander commented. ‘The plan remains the same. Reece…’

I could barely hear him over the sound of the blood rushing through my ears, his voice trailing off into muted background noise. I was on a wanted poster. I had escaped one prison and now the entire Intergalactic Union was going to be hunting for me.

I couldn’t go back. I didn’t think I’d survive it again if they took me. I couldn’t go back to those cells. I couldn’t be their prisoner again.

My breathing was becoming too shallow, the world around me fuzzy around the edges as I stared in horror at my face on the holo-screen surrounded by my friends. It wasn’t just me this time. It was the people I cared about, too.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t think.

The fuzziness blended into black, swarmed me from all angles, then swallowed me whole.