Earthseed

“They must know how.”
    “It wouldn’t be that difficult,” Yusef said. “With a small jamming device, you could shut off one sensor and set off a chain reaction, each sensor jamming the next until they’re all shut off. Ship probably never knew what hit it.”
    “This way,” Zoheret said, waving her light at a passageway on her left.
    Yusef came to her side. “You’re leading us farther away from the corridors. We should be going to the right.”
    She shook her head. “That’s what I thought the first time I came in here. That’s how I almost got lost.”
    “You don’t remember.” As Yusef spoke, she began to doubt; what if she had forgotten?
    She led them into the next passage, but they had only gone a short distance when the narrow way came to an end. Bewildered, Zoheret stared at the rocky surface, searching with her light.
    Yusef said, “I knew this wasn’t the right way.”
    “Be quiet!” This was the right way; she knew it. She had gone through this corridor after trying all the others, and had almost given up, until—She aimed her light at one corner. “There it is,” she shouted, lighting a low tunnel near the ground. “That crawl space. We have to go through that.”
    She dropped down on her hands and knees. “I’ll go first, and turn on my light at the other end. Give me a minute, then follow.” She turned off her light and began to crawl, moving through the tunnel until her knees hurt; bits of rock and sharp-edged shards scratched her hands. Had the tunnel been this long? She froze, worried that she had picked the wrong way after all. Total blackness surrounded her; she could see nothing. She might be trapped. Biting her lip, she continued to crawl until, lifting her head for a moment, she noticed that her hair had not brushed rock. She raised an arm, and felt only air.
    She turned on the light, then scrambled to her feet. She was in an empty cave. Ahead of her, at the other end of the cave, there was another corridor. Running to it, she shone her light down its length and saw the distant door; its metal gleamed as it caught the light.

    They left their boots and shoes at the door, then crept silently forward into the hall, hurrying along it until they came to the main corridor. Zoheret peered around the corner. They had left the residential areas; these walls hid Ship’s conduits, its nerves. Ship’s body was vast, but the cortex was small and, Zoheret realized, oddly vulnerable. The removal of a few panels in one room could silence Ship forever, shutting off its brain while its body continued to function. If Ship’s mind were ever restored, would it be Ship who lived again? Or would it be a new mind, forgetful of the past?
    “Help me,” the voice called again. She wondered if Ship could be driven mad; it was trapped in darkness, crying to itself. “Help me.” It was still crying to them; that meant it was still conscious.
    If the invaders knew about Aleksandr and his friends, they would be expecting an assault from the part of the corridor nearest the residential zone, not from this side. And there was still a good chance they didn’t know about the group at all.
    Aleksandr lifted a hand, then led them forward. Ship’s cortex was just around the curve ahead. A loud buzzing reverberated through the hall. “Help me.” The buzzing grew louder; something crackled. “Help.” Aleksandr flattened himself against the wall and the others did the same. “Help. Help. Help.” There was silence, then a triumphant shout.
    Aleksandr motioned to them. Zoheret peered around the curve of the wall and hurried after him.
    The strangers had burned their way through Ship’s door and were already inside the cortex. Ship had apparently locked its door as soon as it had realized it was being threatened. There was no one in the hall. They would have to confront the Earthfolk inside the cortex, where Ship’s components could be damaged during the battle. “Help me.” The voice was lower, as if a tape were being played at too low a speed.
    They approached the gaping hole in Ship’s door. “Start over here,” a man’s voice shouted from inside. Zoheret moved forward, glancing at Aleksandr. She had always been a pretty good shot, but she had to be a perfect shot now; she could not risk affecting part of Ship. The stun weapons might not hurt it, but they could not take that chance. Yusef crept up behind her, followed by Kieu.
    A man suddenly stepped through the hole into the hall.