eugenesis-text

‘Relax. I was only joking.’
‘Ah, yes. Nothing like a joke at my expense.’ He threw more grit into the darkness (chink). ‘Besides,
I knew you were joking. It’s obvious.’
‘If you dare say that my head twitches when I lie…’
‘Well it does!’
‘I suffer from mis-aligned sensor-fissures in my upper spinal strut, fissures too delicate for even
Ratchet to correct. And anyway, I didn’t twitch just then.’
(Scoop. Chink.)
‘Do you think they’ll break through the entrance like last time’
Rev-Tone shrugged. ‘How else would they get in’
‘It’s been reinforced with adamantine shielding. They cannibalised most of B Ward.’
‘Makes no odds. They’ll break in. They’ll work their way through whatever we put in their way.’
‘So basically what you’re saying is that we’re dead in the water. That’s it. Finished.’
‘I’m just being realistic.’
(Scoop. Chink.)
(Scoop. Chink.)
‘Rev-Tone’
‘Hm’
‘If we’re going to die – I mean if we’re going to die here, soon – then at least we’re going down
together. As it should be, you know These last two million years have been a pleasure. A pleasure and a
privilege.’
‘You make it sound very formal.’
‘What I’m trying to say is… oh, I don’t know.’
‘Stop being so… icky. You’re making me feel queasy.’ Rev-Tone stood up. ‘Shall we rejoin the
party’
(Scoop. Chink.)
‘Rejoin the party Is that supposed to be funny’
‘I was being sarcastic.’
‘But even then, this isn’t the time for—’
‘Oh, calm down.’ (Scoop.) ‘Don’t get all twitchy.’
‘I can’t believe you just said that!’
‘Shhh! Quiet. Listen.’
Quark balanced a heap of gravel on his palm. ‘What What is it’
Rev-Tone nodded at Quark’s hand. ‘Throw it. I’m serious. Throw it down the tunnel.’
Quark threw. There was no impact, no sound.
They peered into the darkness, amazed at what they saw.
Midday on New Quintyxia, and the sky was vexed with vapour trails as Ryknia and Sevax left
Polyhex.
‘It’s not often that I envy Jolup,’ muttered Ryknia over a frictionless intercom, ‘but he had the right
idea staying behind. 13 hours of backslapping and self-congratulation. When Quantax tabled the kill-stats
and started talking us through each squad ratio I was ready to put a bullet through my head.’
‘You bore too easily,’ said Sevax. ‘If you’d stopped staring into space and actually listened you’d have
learnt something about Phase Three. Our work isn’t over just because we’ve won. Xenon’s holoratory was
just the beginning. Quantax was merely telling us what lay ahead.’
‘Quantax is weak-willed and overcautious, always hedging his bets. I thought even you agreed with
me there.’
‘Yes, yes, yes, but he’s in his element now. Now that the fighting’s over I think he’d be the best
person to rebuild this planet.’
‘I don’t think the Cybertronians would share your enthusiasm.’
‘Who cares what they think They’re just the work force, the tools we need to start anew.
Remember Quantax’s motto: Now As Then. Aren’t you excited The new trading centres, the
manufacturing plants – and what about the Law Chambers A Deathpit ten times larger than the one on