And suddenly it was all invisible all of it and Lyre couldn’t see anything which was fine.

  That was fine because it happened and then she could just make new plans while Spike got rid of the invisible stuff so Lyre didn’t have to worry. And because also it happened before and it was fine and Lyre knew it would be fine because she just had to make a new plan and then it was okay. So it wasn’t actually a big deal or anything.

  Well it wasn’t a big deal but then in little spots and patches Lyre was starting to see again but she did not like what was there not at all. She did not like it.

  So first the thing about the plan in the first place is that there were lots of little specific things that Lyre had to make sure of for everything to be okay and for the plan to work okay. And this was how it was all the time with plans but especially for this one and she just went with it because that was how it worked sometimes and it was always fine. But then Spike was there and he was invisible and that’s when it all happened.

  There was the one drone all alone and everything was fine up to that point with Spike because he didn’t really do anything which was good because it kept things visible but then it didn’t happen like it was supposed to because he did something really invisible really big a lot and then the plan was gone and what was Lyre even supposed to do now?

  There was a thing to switch and pull and all that on the thing Lyre had in order for everything to go the way it had to so she would be fine and Spike would be fine and then they would go West. And she could switch and pull and everything but when Spike did what he did and she did something the plan didn’t tell her to now all the bots were gone but not the way they were supposed to be gone because they were gone and it was just so much so big she had to scrap the whole thing so she did. And it would be fine because Spike could see the invisible stuff and it was fine but also.

  Also now it was coming in pieces and it was everywhere.

  Sometimes when she could see there were things bigger than other things. Sometimes they were really super big and it took a long time for Lyre to think of a way around them through some tiny little path she wasn’t supposed to go or around some closed off areas she shouldn’t have fit through in the first place. And then she had to go far to get a plan but not so far it didn’t work. But then that was that but this was this because it wasn’t like that it really was so big it was everywhere.

  The place she was going to be was so big there was nowhere to go and basically she was there already. She was already there with Spike because there was absolutely completely no path in or out which never happened, well maybe it could but it had never happened before and then there was just nothing left to do.

  Nothing to do, nowhere to go, but then what was she supposed to do if there was nothing to do?

  Nothing to do but Spike was invisible and he didn’t know about these sorts of things and he had stuff for Lyre to think about and tell him about. So maybe she would do that for him because maybe he would find some super secret invisible path. Even though there was nowhere for that path to be.

  What were the things he said before to her he wanted answered? Thinking thinking thinking he asked “...Let’s go. Didn’t you want to go this way?” which meant what was she doing with the plan and was that direction on the plan and also “I’m putting this in my bag. If you need it again, tell me.” which was not important because she didn’t need it well she didn’t know if she did or not but that was basically the same thing. And also “Let’s go. We shouldn’t linger here.” which was also not important and that was it so then she had her answers to say.

  “I don’t know.”

  “...What question did you answer just then?” And that meant he wanted to know what he said before so she had that answer and she had the answer ready already as usual.

  “You asked, didn’t I want to go this way?”

  “I thought you had a plan. Which way are we supposed to go?” But that was the thing because that plan wasn’t any good anymore and there wasn’t another one so she had no idea where she was supposed to go because there wasn’t a plan to tell her.

  “I don’t have one anymore. I don’t know.”

  And then Spike didn’t say anything of course so she waited some more. “Let’s keep going this way for now. If you come up with a plan, let me know what it is and what we need to do.” And so basically Spike was doing his own thing with his own plan which was okay because Lyre didn’t have a plan that would go weird from that and also she wouldn’t come up with a plan that was one of the things she knew right now but it wasn’t really important to say that so it was fine. Well actually Lyre didn’t really know if it was fine.

  She checked and it was fine probably even though it wasn’t really doing anything for her big plan or anything but that was good anyway. It was good for things to not have danger even if they didn’t help a plan. But then she also didn’t know for sure because a lot was still invisible but she had to hope.

  Anyway so it was fine and there was nothing to do and it was just really really super weird for Lyre because there was always something to do.

  But then there was something to do because Spike was going to have more things to say and then he said them and Lyre had answers for it too. “...Follow me. If you just stand there I’ll have to keep pushing you like a lawnmower.”

  “Okay, I’ll follow you.” This time she would actually do something too which was okay because of the no plan so invisible stuff didn’t matter. Spike would tell her what to do. So then she was moving and it was in Spike’s direction and she kept doing that.

  And they were going going going and then of course the drones were waking up and they weren’t doing a whole lot just yet just a lot of beeps and boops and flashing lights but Spike didn’t like it so much even though nothing was actually happening yet. “Fuck. Lyre, run and don’t let the bots get you.”

  “Okay.” Lyre could do that and it was not that hard to think of how to avoid the drones because she had thought about that stuff a lot so she had a couple plans ready that were similar. Right now there wasn’t really anything to avoid so it was fine but she started running anyway as fast as she could because she didn’t really know how fast she was supposed to run and she was going West because that was where her big plan said to go.

  But Spike had more stuff to say and he was loud about it this time. “SLOW DOWN, don’t go faster than I can run! We need to stay together!”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Okay.” This made a lot more sense to Lyre actually because it was what the big plan said so it was better. It didn’t have to be this way because maybe Spike would get there later and they would be together again and she trusted him but her big plan still liked this more so she slowed down and then there he was and she was going at the same speed as before so he could follow.

  A bunch of the drones were looking around and stuff but they weren’t really running after them yet which was probably good because they wouldn’t be close if they weren’t running towards them but also she still didn’t know so she was still running and ready to do stuff. And then right then Spike had more to say and he said “Can the device you made power the bots down again?” which was a question.

  “No.”

  “Fuck.” And that didn’t change anything at all but Lyre was never sure so it happened anyway. They kept going and going and going and now some of the drones were starting to do things like point guns at them or run towards them so they were closer but not too close yet so Lyre was ready but there was nothing to do quite yet.

  And now some were closer and Spike was doing stuff with the magnet robot arm on his back but it wasn’t really doing anything. And while that was happening Lyre was also using the arm and she was pushing and pulling the drones and stuff and shoving them into each other which knocked over all the ones that were super close which was good but still there were a bunch of those that were far with the guns and soon they would be shooting and that was bad because then the rest could get close which was not supposed to happen. And then Lyre needed more for her plan because they were just too far away to do anything.

  So then there was some of that and then she had another part of another not quite finished plan but it was enough to try. So then there were more drones that were close and then when there was only one left Lyre got the arm but she only pulled and pulled no pushing and she grabbed the drone appendage the one that had the freezing part on it and she was pulling on that with her own arms and it wasn’t coming off yet. And then Spike hit it and it actually came off which was super good and she had it and Lyre gave it to Spike first for him because he knew what was going on a whole lot better than her.

  Then Spike was shooting at some of the drones but he was not getting any of them and it didn’t do anything and he said more stuff. “Get another gun for yourself, if you can do so safely!” And Lyre was already going to do that and it didn’t change anything so she didn’t say anything about it.

  Some more were coming and when it was the last one Lyre did the same thing and she hit it just right and the gun came off right away which was super good but she didn’t shoot just yet it wouldn’t do anything, a little farther and then she would try.

  And it didn’t take long at all and they were there so now she was shooting like Spike was but she was trying to get the ones that were far away because even though they were far they could freeze Spike and Lyre and then the rest would catch up super fast. And she actually got most of them but not all of them there were still some left and there were a lot that were appearing around too because there were a lot around in general. And then they were shooting too and not quite getting them but one of them hit the ground next to Lyre and she stumbled and almost fell.

  That made Spike start shooting too and now everyone was just shooting everything at each other. Both Spike and Lyre were doing really well and getting a lot of drones including the ones that were close and the ones that were far but it wasn’t all of them and there were more and more and more and Lyre was walking closer and closer to that big giant future and there was nothing to do about it. But Spike said keep going so she kept going.

  But then there were too many and she kept shooting but one finally shot back and Lyre was stuck and there was really nothing she could do not even for Spike’s plan even. And Spike was going and going but then not anymore because he was frozen too and they were stuck and the close drones were holding all of them and the far ones were surrounding in a circle and there was nothing but just keep going towards the end and hope it would really be okay.

  And Spike didn’t say anything and Lyre didn’t say anything either of course because there was nothing to say and they waited.

  And they waited.

  And the drones weren’t doing anything either they were just waiting all of them. Just standing there and they weren’t even doing anything at all just waiting. Looking at Spike and Lyre and closing off all the paths so there was only one road to travel only one way forwards only one destination that Lyre couldn’t quite see but still filled everything in her vision.

  Time went on without anyone to direct it.

  Waiting.

  And then they looked in a direction they didn’t really turn around all the way or anything and it wasn’t a big movement but it was like they wanted Spike and Lyre to turn that way too so Lyre did and she didn’t bother asking what Spike did but she didn’t think it mattered much.

  And just another little bit of waiting and then.

  Then it happened.

  A great long mechanical serpent from under the firm stones of the earth and it raised its big head it was pointed not like a needle or a knife but a lot like a drill and it had whirring bits and twitching bits and it was shaking some of the rocks off its back and from here with how big it was they were so small like gravel or even sand and it raised its massive neck into the sky so so tall building tall skyscraper tall and coiled itself as much as it could so it could hold like that and there was so much of it so long like a snake if it was longer than a city block.

  And then it lowered its face or as much of a face as you could call it back down to the earth to that tiny circle where the two of them stood and it was pointing. Right. At. Lyre.

  It did not do anything right away.

  Spike was talking first, and he was the first to do anything, it was quiet but not anymore. “Lyre, DO SOMETHING! Stop it, get us out of here, ANYTHING!”

  She did not. There was nothing to do.

  It was still looking.

  It was not moving, at all. Only looking. Looking, and then a couple of the bits on its drill face whirred just a little not like it was going to do anything but they whirred and it tilted along the neck a little and it got in a little closer like it wanted a better look.

  And it kept looking, right at her.

  Spike was there too and it didn’t look at him, not at all. Like he wasn’t even there at all.

  Lyre looked at the behemoth that lurked in her mind’s eye, that had conquered every single one of her plans.

  It did not look away it was still looking straight at her but now it was moving too with one of the many many thousands of arms that lined it all the way down the body like what a centipede might look like if it had hands instead of feet and it opened compartments scattered over its segments when some of them opened it vented out clouds of steam and vapours and maybe other stuff too and it picked over dozens until it chose one and stuck an arm in there and took whatever was there.

  And it was bringing it over to use on Lyre not very fast at all it didn’t matter because Spike and Lyre were stuck there and there wasn’t anything to do anyway so it was getting closer and closer and closer to them or just Lyre because it didn’t care about Spike not at all. And then it was there and it brought the hand down right in front of Lyre and there was another appendage too not a hand but it had a little tool on the end.

  And then the first appendage chipped the frozen bits around Lyre so she could move her arms and she didn’t do anything and waited for the second one to come down a bit further and the hand opened up and held the thing inside right in front of her.

  It was a Rubik’s cube.

  Lyre asked what exactly the serpent wanted her to do with it. Then she asked what it would like the most, if she did that with it.

  First she took the tool part and she tapped it and she had to do that first so she would have a chance in the first place and the thing went slowly some more went to another pocket on its big metal body and brought a tool just like it over and it held it out and she took that first.

  Then she took the Rubik’s cube. It wasn’t solved but Lyre could solve it super fast if she asked how so she asked and went and did that and the serpent was looking the whole time and it did not stop looking. And then Spike asked Lyre “Lyre, what's happening?!”

  And it was time for Spike anyway and she really really really super did not want him to do something invisible and there was only one thing she could do.

  “Spike, trust me. This is part of my plan.”

  And she got the tool she just got and she chipped the ice around Spike and now he could move his arms too and he wasn’t moving yet. And then she held the cube and she was mixing it up again and the person was holding its arm out because it wanted the cube back but Lyre did not give it the cube.

  She gave it to Spike.

  Spike didn’t do anything right away and the thing was still holding its hand out and he asked “...Am I supposed to solve this?”

  “Yes.”

  And then he was solving the cube and he wasn’t doing it right not at all not even close but then the parts were spinning and moving and the serpent was looking right at the cube not Spike but the cube but it was staring. And it wasn’t really acting different from before but Lyre checked and Lyre knew it was not just intrigued like before not just amused like before.

  It was amazed, beyond belief.

  And then that was everything and Lyre held out her hand to take the cube back from Spike and he shoved it into her hands and she barely caught it but she did and then she put it back in the serpent’s hand and it closed its claws around it and retracted back all the way to the hatch where it got it from and put it back so gently so gingerly and then turned its drill head away a tiny bit and whirred and then dove point first into the earth and it was gone.

  And it was gone and the drones chipped Lyre and Spike free and then they all turned away and started doing their work again like they weren’t even there.

  And that was it.

  did it want from them? Why did it only interact with Lyre? How is it able to overpower Lyre, for that matter?