I was in a ventilation duct on the second story. Through the floor and walls of the duct I could feel the reverberations. I could smell smoke. Hear distant screams.
Five Songs.
Needed data. What resources existed? Surveillance fiber optics ran in parallel with the duct. Low-security lines, running to outer guard tower. I compromised them, and began to scan. Tactical input—maximum three hundred troops. No air support. Moving through narrow cordon between sauropod pens. Minefield ahead activated. Attack useless. Would be pinned down and destroyed. Why attempted?
Unless …
Two hundred and seven separate camera feeds from inside Caernarvon. Eighty-seven infrared scans. Over a thousand pressure plates. I referenced them all in seven seconds, and stopped.
Two images, walking side by side. Armored. Almost identical bone structure. One was a paragon of physical power.
The other moved perfectly.
Father.
Five Songs “rebellion” was a feint. Father had infiltrated Citadel guard. On his way to kill Swarna? Video was pure visual feed. Contained no reference code for location. Did not know where Father was.
Body seethed with pain, rage, fear. Excitement. Had never felt anything like it. I was at sea. Arms and legs shook as adrenals dumped. I crouched in the duct. Must have resembled an animal, eyes wide, with the hair standing up on my head. Filthy, bloody, wounded.
I hurt, but I shut down the pain. Must help Father.
Video input projected chaos. Rebels surged across minefields, sweeping it with their own bodies. Guards terrified by sheer ferocity. A few external guards overwhelmed.
Excellent—sauropods being driven into inner garden by pain collars, the Menagerie turning against its masters. The guards were frightened, but regrouping. If only the saurians were intelligent, they could …
If only …
Swarna’s entertainment center. His pleasure—entering mating camosaurs. I saw better application of technology.
I crawled along the duct and headed to the entertainment complex. All computer centers were underground. Sealed during initial alarm. There was no direct access. Nothing human could reach them.
I am not human.
I am Death.