The Prometheus Conundrum (Quantum Legends Book 4), page 1
THE PROMETHEUS
CONUNDRUM
QUANTUM LEGENDS – BOOK 4
BY ANDREW DOBELL
Copyright © 2019 Andrew Dobell
The Prometheus Conundrum (this book) is a work of fiction.
The characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Cover Art by Andrew Dobell
Editing by Emmy Ellis
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE PROMETHEUS CONUNDRUM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTINUITY
TERMS
PREVIOUSLY IN THE MAGI SAGA…
PREVIOUSLY IN THE NEW PROMETHEUS
MAGI SAGA CHARACTERS
NEW PROMETHEUS CHARACTERS
CYBER PLAN
TAKING POINT
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
AFTERMATH
INCURSION POINT
FIRST MISSION
CHASING LEADS
INFILTRATION
TAKEN
INVESTIGATION
TACTICAL MERGING
HIDEOUT
BACK STREET
SKIRMISH
MAGIC REAVING
STEPS TO VICTORY
TRAIN
FLYING HIGH
SECURITY BREACH
CYBERIZED
CONFRONTATION
CLEAN UP
TACTICAL RETREAT
FAREWELLS
HOME AGAIN
BOOKS BY ANDREW DOBELL
CONTINUITY
If you’ve picked this book up and you’re wondering where it fits into the larger stories of The Magi Saga or The New Prometheus, hopefully, this will clear up any confusion.
Magi Saga
The Prometheus Conundrum fits into the Magi Saga Series after the Wedding Vows short story.
Magi Rebirth: The Magi Saga Book 7
Maiden Voyage: Star Magi Saga Prequel
Star Magi: Star Magi Saga book 1
Anomaly on Cerka: Quantum Legends Book 1
Magi Nexus: Star Magi Saga Book 2
War Magi: Star Magi Saga book 3
Crux Magi: Star Magi Saga book 4
A Bitch of a Paradox: Quantum Legends Book 2
Void Magi: Star Magi Saga book 5
Aberrant Ascension: Quantum Legends Book 3
Wedding Vows: Tales of the Magi Saga Book 9
The Prometheus Conundrum: Quantum Legends Book 4
The New Prometheus
Within the New Prometheus timeline, this book picks up just after book 1.
The New Prometheus
The Prometheus Conundrum: Quantum Legends Book 4
The Prometheus Gambit
The Prometheus Trap
The Prometheus Vengeance
The Prometheus Deception
TERMS
THE MAGI SAGA
Magi – Someone who’s awakened to their ability to use Magic.
Essentia – A multiversal exotic energy that the Magi use to fuel their Magic
Aegis – the Magical Shield that all Magi use to protect themselves.
Reavers – Multiverse Magi Pirates
Aetheric Realm – In the Magi Saga universe, this is the Spirit World.
Aetheric Sight – The Magical Sight that Magi use to see Magic and more.
Riven – A normal human
Nomads – Evil Magi
Aether Ship – The Magical spaceships that Magi create and use.
THE NEW PROMETHEUS
Exiles – People who have been forced into bankruptcy, live rough in the crime-ridden Under City of Neo London with failing or non-functional cybernetics.
Jacker Gang – Criminal Gangs who prey on the Exiles, forcibly removing their cybernetics to either use themselves, or sell.
ACT – Anti Corporation Taskforce. A high level government black ops force that fight the rule and corruption of the Mega Corps.
Corp – Corporations
Cyber Brain – A Neural Implant at the base of the skull, that gives the host all kinds of Cybernetic upgrades., including Net access, a HUD, Neural Link communication and more.
Doll - Android
PREVIOUSLY IN THE MAGI SAGA…
Amanda was a down-on-her-luck young woman on the street of New York until she was attacked… by a werewolf.
That night, she went through her Epiphany, awakening her magic, and joined the ranks of the Magi.
Hidden in the shadows, these users of Magic fight an endless civil war with the Dark Magi known as the Nomads.
Amanda joins this fight and soon learns she is destined for a leading role in the war against the Nomads and their godlike masters, the Archons.
Her adventures took her all over the Earth, the Spirit Realm, and deep space.
Amanda journeyed outside her universe during her adventures to a mysterious multiverse Bar. (BOB’s Bar)
This trip drew the attention of the multiverse travelling Magi known only as Void.
Void recruited Amanda to join her fight against the Reavers—multiverse travelling pirates. Agreeing to help, Amanda has fought the Reavers several times, journeying to other universes and meeting some incredible people.
PREVIOUSLY IN THE NEW PROMETHEUS
Frankie Gene was an un-enhanced girl working a day job and spending her free time trying to help those less fortunate – the Exiles.
Bankrupt and unable to maintain their ageing cybernetics and switched-off nanobots, Exiles live in makeshift disease-ridden homeless camps in the slums of the Undercity, hoping to avoid Jacker Gang attacks while depending on the assistance of compassionate Cyber Docs and kind-hearted individuals like Frankie.
When Frankie is caught in a Jacker Gang attack, she’s shot and left for dead.
She wakes to find she’s been saved by a back alley cyber doc called Xenox, who’s implanted her into a cyborg body. He only managed to save her brain.
The moment she wakes, the surgery is attacked by corporate forces. Xenox used to work for the Psytech Corporation, and they want him and his creation back.
Frankie goes on the run, hunted by a ruthless corporation, as she tries to survive against impossible odds.
Saved by the ACT, a fledgling government agency formed to fight the corps, Frankie wonders where her life will take her next…?
MAGI SAGA CHARACTERS
Amanda-Jane Page – A Magus from Earth. Born in Ireland, she now lives in New York. Amanda has survived many adventures and was recently recruited by another Magus called Void to help fight a multiverse-hopping group known as The Reavers.
Amanda is optimistic and friendly and has a strong sense of right and wrong.
Samhain (Sam) – Amanda’s Sabre-toothed Familiar and a typical cat in many ways, even if he’s many times bigger.
Void – A powerful Magus who travels the multiverse trying to stop others from exploiting it.
Matt – A normal human who’s been magically enhanced by his wife, Amanda, and is a part of her coven. Matt loves computers and technology, especially video games.
Howie – A normal human, also magically enhanced by Amanda, he’s been a friend of Amanda’s since before she became a Magus and is now part of her coven.
Jinx – An AI in an android body, Jinx hails from another universe Amanda visited as part of her missions with Void.
NEW PROMETHEUS CHARACTERS
Frankie Gene – A full-body cyborg who hates the rule of the corporations and wants to fight them and make a difference.
Doctor Xenox – A genius Cyber Doc on the run from the corporations and his past.
Gibson – A former Police detective who’s fed up to breaking point with corporation rule and decides to help Frankie in her mission.
Veronica – Gibson’s detective partner, who decided to help Gibson after the corporation attacked their Police Station.
Director Forrester – The leader of a new Black Ops task force set up to fight the dangerous actions of the corporations.
CYBER PLAN
Lux squeezed the railing, his grip on the smooth metal turning his knuckles white as he tensed. He gazed across a huge, roughly spherical room at the heart of Terminus station. This was where all the missions the Reavers undertook launched from, and it was a hive of bustling activity.
Walkways and platforms up the sides of the room linked to a central column that controlled much of the chaos. He could see armed teams of Reavers leaving for or returning from missions to hunt down new tech and gear. Sprinkled throughout these high-stakes missions were more routine logistics processes as cargo boxes were brought in from countless alternate universes.
It looked like complete chaos, but he knew there was order in there somewhere.
“That’s it, that’s my plan,” Lux said, having finished laying it out for his two companions. “So, it’s up to you. I’m not forcing you to do this. I’ll do it with or without you because I am fed up with this shit. Things need to change, and this is the only way forward that I can see.”
To his right, Reaver Emiko nodded. The sturdy-looking woman fixed him with her trademark steely gaze. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m in complete agreement, and with you all the way. Just say when.”
“Thank you, Emiko, I appreciate it.” He turned to his other companion. A thick-set man with a battle-scarred face. “Sonny?”
“Likewise, mate. It’s taken you long enough to make your mind up.”
“Yeah, I know. But that last mission was the last straw. Something needs to change.”
“And you said that Kaelis is in on this too? She’s coming with us?”
“She is. Along with Thyra and Dramen. They support us the whole way.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you finally saw the light. So, when are we doing this?”
“Soon. Who do you think you can bring on board?”
“I’ve got my usual crew,” Sonny replied.
“I know some like-minded guys, too,” Emiko replied. “You?”
“Yeah,” Lux answered. “Some of my team will be up for it. They’ve already expressed similar opinions.”
“Awesome,” Emiko muttered as she glanced around, checking no one was listening in.
He appreciated her circumspection. What they were talking about would be unsanctioned by command but was hardly unheard of. He’d seen several Reavers return from missions, enhanced or upgraded by multiversal tech. But it wasn’t routine or evenly spread through the ranks, and that was the issue.
Too many of his friends and colleagues had died, especially recently. Things were becoming more dangerous with Void and her friends stepping up their opposition to their missions. But no more. He’d had enough, and it was time to place a finger on his side of the scales.
They needed an advantage, and if command wouldn’t do it, they needed to take matters into their own hands.
Lux allowed his gaze to sweep across the vast room. “And you say you can get us through?” he asked and glanced at Sonny.
“I’ve got a guy I’ve worked with before. He’ll get us through, no problem. No one will notice amongst all this.” He waved at the masses of people and cargo passing through the multiversal portals scattered around the room. “And if Kaelis and her friends can sprinkle a little of their magic over the whole thing, no one will ever know. Not until it’s too late, anyway.”
“I hope so. I could do without Drachen coming after us,” Lux commented, referring to one of the two sibling leaders of the Reavers.
“Would he?” Emiko asked. “We’re taking the initiative. We’ll be helping the cause.”
Lux shrugged. “I know. It makes no sense.”
“Hypocrites.”
“My point exactly.”
“So, when do you want to go?” Sonny asked.
“How’s two hours from now?” Lux asked.
“Fine by me,” Sonny answered. “I need you back in an hour and a half. Meet here. I’ll take us all down to the portal.”
“Perfect,” Lux replied. “Back in ninety.”
TAKING POINT
Matt lay on the sun lounger with his eyes closed, as the light from the artificial sun caressed his flesh. The warming heat felt no different to lying on a beach back on Earth, and if he didn’t know any different, he probably wouldn’t suspect anything. In fact, he could lay here all day, enjoying the luxurious feeling without a care in the world. He couldn’t burn, both because of his enhanced body and because, unlike Sol, the artificial sun of this Quantum Realm didn’t emit ultraviolet light. It was guilt-free relaxation, and every time he lay out here with Amanda, a small part of him couldn’t quite believe the life he was living. It was a far cry from the mundane routine he’d once lived back in the UK before he’d been caught up in the craziness of the Magi. Before he’d really understood what was going on in the world.
He sometimes thought back to his clumsy attempts to find the truth, back before he’d made contact with someone who seemed to know what he was after.
Of course, that person turned out to be a Nomad named Angel, and it was from her that Amanda had saved him and brought him to New York.
That was the day that everything changed, and he ended up in this magical fever dream following Amanda to distant stars, alternate universes and living here, in this curious and extraordinary pocket dimension between universes, with the love of his life.
Because that was what she was. There was no doubt about it.
Matt turned his head and looked over at the red-haired woman lying on the lounger beside him. She’d tied her long crimson hair up in a ponytail which fell behind her bare shoulders. He couldn’t help but admire her beauty, especially in the white bikini she wore, and wonder how he’d been so lucky.
He’d first seen her over twenty years ago, travelling through the Middle East while on a gap year. He’d been on the island of Tarut when the Earthquake hit and tore the small island in two. He’d been caught in the middle of it, and Amanda had saved him… well, kind of. That was the thing about Amanda and her crazy life; nothing was ever simple, and if you thought too hard about it, it just gave you a headache.
For instance, in the hours before she’d saved him, he’d helped her give birth to herself, kind of… He thought back to how Amanda had described it to him.
Apparently, it wasn’t Amanda who saved him, it was her mother, Sofia, who happened to look exactly like her daughter. Also, Amanda’s consciousness had been inside her mother at the time.
This was because Amanda had been killed in the present day by Yasmin, and her soul passed into a dimension between worlds where her mother, who was some sort of god, transported her mind back through time to various places and moments, including her own birth.
Matt grimaced at the utterly mind-bending mental gymnastics he had to go through to make sense of what she’d told him, but he still wasn’t sure he fully grasped the whole thing.
Still, perhaps that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they had fallen in love and this beautiful woman had chosen to spend her life with him, and maybe that was enough.
“What are you thinking about?” Amanda asked without opening her eyes or looking at him. “I can feel you looking at me.”
“Sorry,” he muttered sheepishly.
“I don’t mind. You’re my husband. You kind of earned that right.”
“Ha! Thanks.”
“Pleasure. So, what’s on your mind?”
“I’m just… I don’t know. I sometimes still find it amazing what my life has become after that confrontation with Angel back in my basement flat.”
“Aaah, yeah. To be sure.”
“Do you ever think about that? About how crazy this life we lead is?”
“Sometimes, I suppose. I’ve been living it a lot longer than you have, though.”
She wasn’t kidding, either. She was over a thousand years old but looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. “Yeah, you old biddy.”
Turning her head, Amanda opened one eye in a look of incredulity. She blew a raspberry at him and went back to sunbathing. She was smiling, though. “I suppose I’ve been eased into this more. I’ve had a long time to get used to certain parts of my life, before things got really crazy. But, for you, it’s been much more sudden.”
“You’re not kidding. I went from blogging in my basement to quantum realms, aetheric spacecraft, were-dragons and magic. And let’s not forget Void and her multiverse missions.”
“Did I hear my name?” said a third voice.
Matt sat bolt upright.
Void was hanging in the air above the lake, to one side of Amanda’s Aether ship. Her body appeared to be made out of gleaming chrome, and her eyes glowed bright white.
“Bloody hell, don’t do that. Where the hell have you come from?”
Void went to answer.
Matt held up his hand. “Actually, don’t answer that. I’ve had enough mind-warping thoughts for one day.” He turned to Amanda, and gestured at the landscape around them. “I thought this place was impossible to find and get into.”
“Void isn’t your average Magus,” Amanda remarked as she turned to Void, swinging her legs over the side of the lounger. “I take it this isn’t a social call?”
“Indeed not. I have a new mission for you.”
“Reavers again?”
“Correct.”
“Great. I’m game,” Amanda said and got to her feet, crossing her arms as she focused on Void who’d floated down onto the deck of the Arkady Aether Ship.
Void smiled.
“If you need me, I can be there too, Matt added.
Void fixed Matt with her otherworldly gaze. “Actually, I was hoping you would go.”
“Oh?” Matt felt his breath catch at her words. Why would she want him to go, when surely Amanda was the MVP here. Matt stood up. “Um, me? Are you sure?”
