The Gaia Effect

by Claire Buss

'I know. See you later. Love you.'

  'Love you.'

  Jed left the room quietly. Kira checked the time. Three thirty am. She could doze for a bit. She looked over at Grace, and scooped the baby out of the cube, laying her gently in the bed. Then she curled her body around the tiny shape, closed her eyes, and tried to sleep.

  ANTIC: Rare snake sighted but not caught – did it slither to freedom?

  CORP: We remind citizens that animal sightings MUST be reported for immediate containment. Wildlife from outside the city will contain harmful contaminants – don't risk contact. Stay safe, stay inside.

  The skimmer hummed as Jed went through the Upper Community Hub, deserted now but with benches for people to meet, sit and chat, play areas for the children and during the day vendors hawked food and other knick knacks. The streets were empty and apartment blocks dark as he went to pick up his partner. Pete lived in the last apartment block in the Upper sector, the one designed for individual dwelling. As Jed drew close he saw Pete standing on the corner bleary eyed.

  'We got him then?' Pete asked climbing into the skimmer.

  'Yep'.

  'Where are we going?'

  'Apartment Six, Lower 7th – one of the student blocks.'

  'Lock-down?'

  'Yep.'

  Pete grunted. 'Where are we going to question him? Is HQ secure?'

  'Should be,' Jed said. 'We can use meeting room one. You still got your holo?'

  'Yep.'

  The two men spent the rest of the journey in silence, engrossed in their own thoughts.

  It was all quiet on Lower 7th, every apartment window dark. The lock-down was still in place and the detectives found apartment six easily. Jed touched the security plate on the side of the door.

  'Access request for Detectives Jenkins and Barnes.'

  'Confirmed.'

  The door slid open. Both men entered. Jed motioned for Pete to go left as he went right. Armed with stunners, they separated to explore the apartment.

  Michael Greenwood tossed and turned, dreaming of footsteps. He sat up as the door to his bedroom banged open and a Force Detective aimed a stunner right at him.

  'Frag!' Greenwood yelled, arms up. 'Don't shoot!'

  'Be quiet,' Jed snapped. 'Michael Greenwood, you are bound by Force Law. Anything you say may be used as evidence against you. At this time you do not have the right to a Defender. You will be escorted for immediate questioning. You may dress but any act of aggression will be dealt with. Do you understand?'

  Greenwood nodded.

  'What did I do?'

  Jed motioned Greenwood towards a pile of clothes on the floor. He slid out of bed, glancing nervously at the armed stunners following his every move and put on the green tunic and trousers he had discarded earlier that night. Within minutes the detectives had bundled their suspect into the waiting skimmer and were traveling in silence to HQ. Greenwood looked at each of the detectives in turn, and then down at his magno-bound hands.

  'But I haven't done anything,' he said.

  HQ was dark except for a pool of light where the night guard sat on reception. He greeted them sleepily. 'Detectives.'

  Jed and Pete took Greenwood into the meeting room, magno-binding him to an interrogation desk. He started to speak, but stopped at the fierce look on Jed's face and dropped his gaze to his bound hands. Jed turned to Pete.

  'I need a truth patch, a lie catcher and your holo.'

  Pete gathered the various items from the corner of the room where all their equipment was piled. He connected the lie catcher into Greenwood's info jack port at the back of his head and stuck the truth patch to his arm. The lie catcher was designed to pick up on unusual brain wave activity, whilst the truth patch released chemicals that made most people eager to share whatever information they knew. Occasionally the truth patch had no effect. There were other, less accepted, methods of gathering intel – usually left as a last resort.

  Greenwood swallowed nervously and watched as Pete took a seat behind the lie catcher readout and Jed sat down in front of him, beginning the holo recorder.

  'Force Case G7753. Detective Jenkins speaking, also present is Detective Barnes. The date is 16th April 2215. Mr Michael Greenwood is present for questioning. In use for interrogation are standard issue lie catcher and Corp Tech truth patch, version four.' Jed looked at the prisoner. 'Please confirm your identity for the record.'

  'Michael Greenwood.' He leaned forwards. 'Why am I here?'

  'I remind you that you are still under caution. You have been bound by Force Law. Anything you say may be used as evidence against you. At this time you do not have the right to a Defender. Do you understand?'

  Greenwood nodded, sat back in his chair then cleared his throat. 'Yes.'

  'Where were you between four and six on the afternoon of April fourteenth?'

  'Walking home? I think?' Greenwood looked confused.

  There was a pause in the questioning as Pete watched the lie catcher trackers. 'Confirmed.'

  'What route did you walk home?' Jed asked.

  'Through the park in fourth,' Greenwood answered. 'It's beautiful.'

  Jed looked at Pete.

  'Confirmed.'

  'Did you meet anyone?'

  'I don't know....maybe,' Greenwood said, trying to remember. 'There was, I can't....'

  'Think harder.'

  'Yes, there was a lady, a blue lady.'

  'Blue?'

  Jed was hoping for more information but Greenwood only nodded.

  'Confirmed,' Pete said, looking back at the screen, sounding surprised.

  'And....' Greenwood continued. 'There was a bee.' He reached round to touch the side of his neck, and felt a slight bump. 'It stung me!'

  'Hands down,' Jed barked.

  'Med scan?' Pete said, already getting up and searching the pile of equipment in the corner.

  'Interrogation calls for medical scan. Results uploaded to file.'

  Pete brought back a handheld and scanned Greenwood. After a few moments the scanner beeped.

  'Positive for bee venom,' Pete said slowly.

  Jed and Pete looked at each other for a moment before Pete sat back down. Jed cleared his throat and turned back to the suspect.

  'Did you see anyone else?'

  'No, I … no. The next thing I remember is being at home.' Greenwood looked at each Detective in turn, his brow creased, eyes wide. 'Did something happen?'

  'Cue the footage,' Jed said to Pete.

  The vid-screen on the wall glowed briefly as Drone TV flickered into life. A young woman walks into view. Greenwood shook his head. The woman seemed familiar. The footage blanked out, then resumed. The woman continues walking past a man, walking past Greenwood himself. He leans forward, unsure as to what he will see himself do next.

  The screen blanks out again. When the footage continues the man on the screen is holding his neck, looking round as if trying to find someone. He spots the woman who is walking away from him. He moves quickly to catch up with her. He grabs her by the arm and spins her round. She loses her balance and falls, hitting the ground hard. She does not move.

  Greenwood gasps.

  'Keep watching,' Pete menaced.

  The man on the screen has his back to the drone camera, yet despite this it becomes clear that he is undoing his trousers. Greenwood watched with increasing horror as the man sexually assaults the prone woman. When he has finished, the man gets up and walks away as if nothing unusual has happened.

  'It might look like me but it wasn't me. I'd never do something like that.' Greenwood's face turned pale and tears formed in his eyes. 'You have to believe me. I couldn't... that poor woman...I didn't...'. He sniffed, licked his lips and looked up at the two detectives. 'Those footage blackouts. That's unusual right?' His voice got firmer. 'That sort of thing doesn't happen anymore. Obviously this is someone's idea of a sick joke, isn't it? The footage must have been tampered with – maybe it's Anti-Corp - I'm being set up, I would never.'

  He trailed
off as the two detectives looked at him dispassionately. He lowered his head, his words now no more than a disbelieving whisper.

  'It wasn't me, it wasn't me.'

  Pete turned the vid-screen off. After a brief pause Jed cleared his throat.

  'Your DNA was identified and matched after the victim was taken to Medical and scanned. The footage corroborates your presence at the scene of the crime.'

  'I didn't do this, I didn't.'

  Pete watched the lie catcher readout, his brow furrowed. He leaned over to Jed and spoke to him in a hushed tone.

  'According to this he thinks he's telling the truth but he can't be, can he? Drugs?'

  'We'd better run the full spectrum,' Jed whispered back, then watched as Pete got the syringe from the med kit.

  'End of interrogation. Drug analysis requested – full spectrum ordered. Results uploaded to file.'

  Jed watched Greenwood as he sat behind the desk muttering to himself, head bowed and shoulders slumped. Something about this didn't feel right. Hamble had declared the culprit would be terminated, and Jed wanted to be one hundred percent sure that Michael Greenwood had knowingly committed this crime and wasn't an unwitting accomplice to someone or something else.

  It must have something to do with the blue woman. Greenwood had seen her, Martha too. And the bee. Just like him, it had to mean something. Anti Corp could be trying out a new aggressive campaign to destablise Corporation. It didn't make sense. Even if they were, Anti-Corp would never advocate rape, and why didn't the blue woman affect him when he saw her? Why didn't the bee sting him? If indeed there even was a bee. Jed's head was beginning to ache.

  Pete finished taking the blood samples.

  'Where shall we put him?' he said.

  Jed refocused.

  'The isolation cell. No-one will go that way if we lock it down, and we need to keep this off the mainstream.'

  'You take him, I'll get these samples over to analysis,' Pete said, agreeing with his partner. He looked at his watch. 'Should be done by nine.'

  Greenwood flinched as Jed came over to him. He tried to protest his innocence again, desperately.

  'I didn't do this. You have to believe me. I don't remember a thing, it wasn't me, I'd never...'

  He was cut off mid-sentence as Jed administered a sedative. The dose was enough to stop the man from talking but not too much that he couldn't walk by himself. Jed released the magno-binders from the table and took the prisoner out of the room, guiding him through the corridor to isolation.

  Jed wasn't convinced whether Greenwood was truly guilty or not but the evidence against him was strong. He was hoping the drug sweep would come back positive for something. At least that would make some sort of sense and it might be the only way to keep the man from death. Jed was appalled someone he knew had been raped in broad daylight by a random stranger, but the confusion and horror Greenwood had shown whilst watching the footage made it difficult for Jed to believe that he was putting on an act.

  ANTIC: Early Force birds catch worm. Do you know more? Share & sweep.

  Thunder rolled through the overcast sky as Martha lay on the bed listening to the rain pelting the window. The weather suited her mood. In fact if a lightening bolt were to somehow hit her right now she didn't think it would be a bad thing.

  She could hear Kira and Grace moving about in the next room. Holding Grace had been a real comfort last night. She was so pure and innocent.

  Holding the baby had washed away some of the badness Martha felt inside. The shower she had taken last night hadn't done anything to get rid of the dirty feeling. Her skin still crawled and she didn't think she would ever be able to bear the touch of any man ever again.

  Why her? Why had that man, that nobody of a man, why had he attacked her?

  Martha was used to hate mail, she was the daughter of the Marketing Director on the Board of Corporation - but she didn't think this was aimed at him. It wouldn't gain Anti Corp anything to have Mr Hamble's daughter raped. The only person she knew involved with Anti Corp was Ruth and she would never be part of an organisation who would condone sexual assault.

  She could ask Ruth later, at the party - that would help set the mood. 'Hi Ruth – were you aware of an Anti-Corp plan to rape me?'

  A loud banging interrupted Martha's thoughts.

  Kira held Grace awkwardly in one arm as she opened the front door and then stepped back as Roger Hamble came striding through.

  'Kira,' he nodded as a way of greeting. 'Is my daughter here?'

  'I am,' Martha said, appearing from the spare room but not looking at her father.

  Kira closed the door as Mr Hamble strode over to where Martha stood in the middle of the lounge. Kira walked past them both and hovered by her bedroom door, unsure whether she should stay or go.

  'Your mother and I were worried when you didn't come home. We spoke with Medical and they said you'd checked out. We thought something might have happened.'

  He peered at his daughter under his bushy eyebrows.

  'Something else you mean?' Martha said in a small voice.

  Her father ran a hand through his thick hair.

  'Yes, well, no need for all that. I've got something for you.' He fished in his jacket pocket and brought out a vial of clear liquid. 'A Nano tech memory wipe. Designed to remove painful events. Your mother thought it might be useful, you know, so you can put it behind you and get on with …. things.'

  Martha glared at her father.

  'You mean so she doesn't have to talk to me about it.'

  'Now, now Martha, that's not fair. Your mother is delicate.'

  'Not fair!' Martha shouted. 'Not fair! Can you even hear the words coming out of your mouth? I do not want your frag damn memory wipe and I do not want you pushing me back into my perfect daughter mold.' She took a step toward him. 'He raped me, Father. He raped me. He pushed me and hurt me and raped me. And there was nothing I could do about it.' Martha lurched forward into her father's arms, sobbing. 'I am so sorry Daddy.'

  Hamble wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.

  'There, there. It's alright. Shhhh,' he whispered, his gaze soft.

  Kira hesitated a moment before slipping back into her bedroom.

  While she waited Kira stared out of the window watching the rain as it continued to pour down.

  'What has upset you so much today?' she said, to the darkening sky.

  Grace began to snuffle in her arms, looking for milk and crying.

  'Alright, alright baby. We'll get your bottle.'

  Kira stood by the bedroom door, trying to hear whether the coast was clear or not so she could get to the kitchen. Grace's cry was traveling right through her, and Kira's anxiety level was beginning to rise. She poked her head out the door. Martha and her father were sat on the couch, talking.

  Kira tiptoed towards the kitchen, an intruder in her own apartment. Once there, Kira took a bottle out of the fridge and activated the self-warmer, turning to go back to her bedroom, but Martha's father was now on his feet.

  'Kira', he said nodding in her direction before letting himself out of the apartment. Once the door had shut behind him, Kira went over to where Martha sat with the memory wipe vial in her hands.

  'You alright Ma?'

  'Yes. No. I have no idea. I am so sorry Kira – have I ruined Grace's party?'

  'No, don't be silly,' Kira replied. 'It's all pre-organised, you know what my mum is like.' She paused, not sure what to say. 'Are you sure you want to stay for it? Because I completely understand if you don't want to be around lots of people.'

  'Of course I will be here,' Martha said. 'I think I would rather have something to do then be left alone right now. As long as you don't mind me being here?'

  'Of course not,' Kira replied, smiling at her friend. 'You can help me figure out what to wear. Party set-up are arriving at ten and the first guest is due early afternoon. I expect the mothers will turn up anytime before that, so we'd better get this little one sorted out at least.'
>
  Both women stood for a moment looking at the baby in Kira's arms before walking together towards Kira's bedroom discussing party dresses and checking the latest sweeps.

  Jed returned to the meeting room where Pete was waiting.

  'Hamble's on his way,' Pete said.

  'Great.' Jed sighed and sat down.

  'What's wrong Jenks?'

  'This case. This whole thing is so odd. First we have a rape – a rape! I mean, when was the last time you remember hearing about one of those?'

  Pete shrugged.

  'Then there's this whole blue lady, bee thing. I mean I thought it was some kind of promotion for something or other but this guy saw it too and now he's facing termination for a crime he has no memory of committing. I mean, what the frag?'

  'You saw a blue lady?'

  'Yeah. On the way to Collection. I just thought it was, you know, advertising or something.'

  Pete bit the side of his thumb.

  'I saw her too Jenks. I mean, I think I did. I'm not sure. I didn't see a bee, though.' He paused for a moment. 'I saw a snake.'

  ' A snake!' Jed's eyes widened.

  'Fragging thing slithered round the corner from my apartment and when I followed it I think I saw a blue lady turn into the alley. I checked it out but there was nothing there. Can you imagine how many credits I'd get for a live snake?'

  Snakes were extremely rare but very, very occasionally they turned up in the city, attracted to the heat given off by the solar power hubs. They were worth a small fortune.

  'What is going on, Pete?'

  'No idea,' Pete said. 'You should be talking to Kira and her mates. Aren't they meant to be regularly communing with nature or something?'

  Before Jed could answer the door opened and Mr Hamble entered. Both detectives stood and spoke as one, 'Sir.'

  'Sit.'

  Pete and Jed sat. Hamble remained standing by the door.

  'You've got the bastard then?'

  'Yes Sir,' Jed said. 'Although there seems to be some discrepancies in his statement.'

  'Discrepancies? Did Drone TV positively identify him?'

  'Yes Sir.'

  'Did you get the DNA sample you needed from Corp Medical?'

  'Yes Sir.'

  'And it was a positive match?'

  'Yes Sir but..'