-Now hold on. This was mostly operator error. They started the sequence before they completed all the systems checks. One of the modules did go rogue, but a proper systems check would have revealed that there was a bug.
-HOW MANY?
-Seven, plus five blinded, but some of them will probably recover, and the others can get implants.
-SEVEN DEAD? Shut it down right now! How was it possible for operator error to even happen? Weren’t there redundancies built in to prevent that? We’re going to pay the price for this one. Holy crap, (SVC)!
-Now, calm down. Remember your blood pressure. Of course there are control redundancies, I wrote them in myself. I don’t yet know how this happened, but things are in chaos there at the moment. They’ll get it sorted out over the next couple of hours.
-They’re not sorting anything, because we’re shutting it down. Send whoever is left, whoever didn’t get killed or maimed, back to their primary jobs right now. DO IT!
-Now listen, I know this is bad, but let’s think before we overreact. It was working. Despite the losses, the tests were largely successful. You saw that. We both did. We can still deploy it and get the boy and his father out safely from Area 51. It will work.
-Do you know how much this will cost us, you idiot? It’s a space-based system designed to keep our ship safe from space debris; it was never supposed to work here, anyway. We were trying to make it do something it was not designed for! What is wrong with you? You’re an egomaniac, that’s your problem. You can’t stand being wrong.
-You don’t have to be insulting.
-Oh, that’s what got to you? Calling you an egomaniac?
-No, it was the idiot part.
-You’re a real piece of work, you know that? Shut it down, or I swear to God… did you know I have one of the Bright Hand laser pistols? I had one smuggled here. They’re good for three shots, and that’s it. I’ve shot it twice already. Or was it three times? Suddenly I’m not sure. There might be a shot left in it, or it might be dead. Shall I point it at your head and find out?
-…
All right, settle down. Admit it, though: I had you scared, didn’t I? I don’t have a laser pistol. There’s no way they’d let one of those out, even though we paid for them. Now make the call and shut it down. They can keep working on the control system so it’s ready when we bug out from this dying planet, but that’s it. And go get me some ice cream. I need to calm down.
****
W e rushed through the rest of our meal, and I choked down some kale and spinach. As we rose to leave, I waved to the Bright Handers, and they quickly turned away, pretending not to see. Why would they do that? I was just trying to be friendly…
Outside the dining hall we found Bernie in his long, electric cart, his bald head shining in the low light of the Bright Hand cavern. “G’day, mates. I heard you was here and thought maybe you could use a lift.”
“Yeah! Thanks, Bernie!” Cheri called, as the rest of us piled onto the cart.
“Oh, good. I am getting too tired,” groaned Ms. Houng, her usually spiky hair falling limply around her face, and the rest of the group grunted in agreement. We sped away, headed for the Communications and Logistics center, and although Leslie Lazenbee had been uncharacteristically quiet up to now, she apparently decided this was the perfect time to start up in earnest. As she spoke, I marveled again at how big and muscular she was. “Hey, so I heard you had quite a little wingding over in Brazil. Chi’s leg is all bandaged up like she’s trying out a mummy starter kit, and I heard you took one in the back that got through your turtle shell. Still, it put you one step closer to getting daddy back, eh? I mean, it’s not all total gloom and doom, right? Hey, Benj, did shorty’s reboot short-circuit his tongue?”
Benji made a tsk-tsk noise with his mouth and shook his head. “Aww, come on, Les, can’tcha tell our boy’s been through it? Give it a rest, will ya?”
She smiled and patted both of us on the arm. “Sorry, fellas. Inquiring minds want to know, and mine is going a mile a minute. Or make that one point six-oh-nine-three-four kilometers a minute.”
Benji chuckled and said, “See, that’s why I like you, Les. It’s your knowledge of the metric system.”
I was trying to decide if that was funny when we slid to a stop in front of the Communications and Logistics center. Just at that moment, another cart rounded the corner, carrying Mr. Kane and his two hulking bodyguards. They pulled to a stop next to us, Mr. Kane’s megawatt smile on full display, and I noticed that he was wearing his usual black track suit and impeccably clean white tennis shoes. “Well, hello, friends, I was hoping to find you, and here you are. Lucas, you had us all quite worried with your system reboot. How are you feeling?”
How am I feeling? It’s weird… I’m not sure how to put it… maybe a little more aware? A tiny bit clearer? Could just be my imagination, but it seems real… “I feel fine, thanks.”
“Yes, well, let’s not do that again anytime soon, okay? I assume you’ve been in contact with the Americans and they have assigned you a next mission. I can see you’re on your way somewhere, but as soon as you’re done I must insist you come to my office. I have much to tell you, and I assume you’ll need some assistance from me as well.”
“Tell him you heard from them, and you’ll tell him about it when we go to his office. I don’t think we should tell him about the Area 51 plan just yet. Like P. T. Barnum said, always leave ‘em wanting more.”
Whether or not he said that is disputed… wait, how did I know that? And who is P. T. Barnum? Oh, boy…
“Yeah, I heard from them. I’ll tell you about it when we get to your office, okay?”
His smile left his face for the briefest moment, but was quickly back in place. “Of course, but please, come as soon as you can. Good to see you all.” He waved and off he went.
It seemed like everyone was holding their breath until his cart turned out of sight. “Oi, what a dag that Kane is. I reckon he takes all the fun out of a piss up when he shows,” Benji complained, and it caused some giggles and took the tension out of the group.
We hustled to the door and Cheri put her hand on the sensor pad; a few seconds later, Zoey Perez opened the door and stepped outside. She waved us back from the trailers, led us to the center of the roadway, and motioned for us to come in close. She whispered, “I’m sorry to do this, but I’m just going to take Lucas in alone. I’ve uncovered some information leaks coming out of our department, and I need to minimize the chance of more. I’ve been sending out some false info to our agents to see if I can uncover who is doing the leaking, but the bottom line is I don’t want to take a chance of jeopardizing Lucas and John, Dr. Taylor, any more than I have to. I hope you understand.”
The group hesitated, seeming a little uneasy about being left out of the loop yet again. After a few seconds, though, Mr. Harutyunyan stepped forward, towering over the rest of us. “If you say is necessary, we wait. We trust you; you keep our boy safe, yes?”
Zoey Perez nodded, and any trace of her normal professional demeanor seemed gone as she said, “I’d give just about anything to not have to do this at all. For John to be here, safe with all of us, and for Lucas not to have to risk his life to save him. I feel strongly that the best way for me to help keep him safe as I can is for me to give him this information in private. I’m sorry, I really am.”
I glanced at her; her eyes were beet red, and I wondered again how long it had been since she slept. “She’s telling the truth, sonny boy. Just go in alone, it’s for the best.”
I turned to my friends and said, “It’s okay, I’ll go. Ava says it’s for the best, and she knows everything.”
“Look, we’re all exhausted, so I’ll get Bernie to take us to our trailer so everyone else can rest, and I’ll come back and wait for you, okay?” asked Cheri, as the group nodded.
Zoey Perez hesitated for a moment as she decided what to do. She took Cheri by the one remaining arm, pulled her a few meters away from the rest of us, an
d whispered in her ear: “When you come back, come inside and look to the left. There’s a hand sensor plate in the wall at a meter up and against the left side in the small security room before entering the primary control center; you won’t be able to see it because it’s a part of the wall. Place your hand there, and you can enter a side room; the agents in the primary room won’t know you’re there. Wait there and we’ll come to you when we’re done.”
Cheri nodded and motioned to the rest of the group to pile back onto Bernie’s electric cart, and a moment later he whisked them away.
9
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
MEETING WITH SVC
121852 22:03
-Man, it’s getting late. Hey, aren’t the Americans wondering what happened to Oakes?
-They have given him a leave of absence for treatments related to his MS.
-Huh. Convenient for him to have that condition. Whoa, that was insensitive. Hey, at least I realize it, right? I could be one of those sociopaths with no ability to empathize. I have tons of empathy, I just choose not to act on it.
-Oh, yes, choosing not to care is so much better than not caring in the first place.
-See? It’s the sarcasm, (SVC). I know I can count on you for that. I think that may be the only reason I keep you around anymore. Oh, also, sorry about that halo protocol debacle. Installing those plasma generators on a bunch of drones… it was a genius idea, but the control system just isn’t there yet. It’s close, though, I’ll give you that. Maybe another year or so and it’ll be sussed.
-Yes, well, I had really hoped we could use it to protect the boy and his father, but I suppose they must go it alone.
-Aww, cheer up. They have a better chance that way, anyway. That kid’s better than all of us put together, if you ask me. He’s done some stuff entire armies couldn’t do. And if we get our hands on that technology, we can do it too. Speaking of which, schedule a general assembly for the twentieth, let’s say eight p.m. our time. By that time the whole shebang will be well under way, and any leaks at that point won’t matter. The storming of Area 51 will attract some attention, of course, so they’ll hear about that and might put two and two together, but like you say, they’re busy people. They won’t think much of it if it doesn’t affect them directly, right?
-I’d say that’s exactly correct. I know it’s not your style, but you might want to get a little dressed up for this meeting.
-Yeah, you’re right, I should probably at least try to make a good impression. This will be an important meeting. Have Sherry get a nice dress ready for me and have her make me a hair appointment, okay?
-Oh, my. Going all out, eh? That’s not like you, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
-Hilarious. A girl likes to look good every once in a while, you know, even if it is only about once every ten years. It’s getting close, (SVC). In forty-eight hours we’ll know whether we’re saved or stranded.
-Oh, I don’t know. The Bright Hand has come up with quite a number of life-extending innovations. Their work with the tardigrade gene sequencing has been promising, among others. They have some mice that have lived ten times their normal life span using what they’ve learned from the tardigrade genome.
-That’s not the same and you know it. The kid’s tech has leapfrogged everything the Bright Hand has been working on by a hundred years. Plus, the Americans know about the Bright Hand headquarters; it’s not a secret anymore. The only reason they haven’t taken it down is they don’t want poor relations with an ally like Australia, but after this stunt in Area 51, they’re liable to say screw it, we’re going after them, anyway. If that happens it’ll expose us, and then who knows where it all leads. Oh, crap, now I have myself all worked up. Get us a little late-night snack, will you?
****
A s Bernie sped away with the rest of the group, Zoey Perez turned to face me, and it surprised me to see just how totally drained she looked. I had noticed it before, but now I saw the entire thing: her shoulders were drooping, her hands were shaky and seemed thin as spider legs, and it looked as if she had been wearing the same clothes for days. I wonder… I don’t think… no; I know I wouldn’t have seen all that stuff before our reboot, or even have thought to look… weird…
She noticed me staring. “Yeah, I know, I’m a mess. Come on, I have a lot to tell you. Things are happening that will change the next couple of days in a big way.”
She led me through the door into the compact security room just inside, and just as she had directed Cheri to do, she turned to the left and faced what looked like a solid wall. She placed her left hand against the wall at waist height, and a moment later the entire wall slid half a meter to the right, leaving enough space for us to pass through into another narrow room, dimly lit by a single overhead LED. I had a feeling as we went in… I don’t know why, but it was the same feeling you get when watching a scary movie and the teenagers go into a room where you know the evil guy is waiting. Ava, are we… are there any listening devices in here or anything?
“Feeling a little paranoid, are we? Try to sense them yourself; let’s see if the new connections between us are robust enough for that kind of tomfoolery.”
As Zoey Perez turned and placed her hand on the inside of the wall, I concentrated on trying to do as Ava said, but I didn’t know what it would feel like to ‘sense’ listening devices. Ava, I can’t… is ‘feel’ the right word? I can’t feel any microphones or anything.
As the wall sealed back up, leaving no clue it was anything but a solid barrier, Ava said, “You don’t feel anything because there isn’t anything to feel. We’ll try again later.”
Zoey Perez mistook my hesitation for surprise or something, because she said, “Pretty cool, right? I’ve had Tom and Barry working on a few security innovations for me. Come on.”
She walked to the wall opposite the one we entered through and repeated the process, and we went into the conference room we had used the last time we came to the Communications and Logistics center. “That space we just passed through has come in handy a few times already. It’s a totally quiet room; people in the primary communications room, where you first saw Jim Early and me working, won’t know there’s anyone in there. So, how are you doing, Lucas? You’ve been through a lot in the past couple of days. Wow, that’s the understatement of the century, right? Sorry, I might ramble a little. I have a dangerous amount of caffeine in my body.”
“It… you look awful tired. You should probably go and get some rest.”
“I was wrong. THAT was the understatement of the century. Let’s get through this info I need to pass on to you and Ava, and then I promise I’ll rest.”
She looked down for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, “So, here goes… I have uncovered a heavily guarded plan for a massive group to make a siege on Area 51 on the evening of the twentieth, which is about a day and a half from right now. I had to wade through tons of secure and encrypted communications, but there’s no question that it’s happening. Thousands are planning on storming the gates. This will cause chaos there, and that will pull virtually all their security personnel away from the major buildings. I think you are probably getting where I’m going with this; it might be the best possible time for you to go in after your dad. The siege will cause a massive distraction, and there’ll be minimal numbers of personnel for you to deal with because they’ll be busy at the fences, as long as you’re stealthy.”
“This is good, sonny boy. We need to find out what direction the hordes will attack from, and approach from the opposite direction. Basic misdirection, magicians use it all the time. Abracadabra, made the Statue of Liberty disappear, pulled a quarter out of your ear, stuff like that.”
What? Oh, boy… I actually understood that…
“That’s good, but… it’s all the way on the opposite side of the world. How will I get there so fast?”
She smiled thinly and said, “Mr. Kane. I heard him speaking to you just before I came out of our building. Once he
knows of this opportunity, he’ll get you to Las Vegas in time. Actually, he probably already knows. I feel confident about that.”
“Really? I don’t know… I don’t trust that guy. He’s the one who told me about the LFP, but it seemed like… like they have some control over him or something. Like they’re behind all of this somehow.”
She smiled again, a little broader this time. “You’ve got it right. The encrypted communications I told you about? They came from the LFP. It took me a while to trace it back, but I’m pretty sure they meant for me to get it. Here’s what I think: they want to stay behind the scenes, unexposed, so that means they can’t intervene directly. Even they, rich and powerful as they are, fear the Americans. Still, they want you to succeed, so this is their way of helping you. The other thing I’m almost certain of is that they orchestrated this siege on Area 51, and they did it also to help you. To make it easier for you to rescue your dad. It’s probably because they want your tech for themselves and want to keep the Americans from getting their hands on it. The way I see it, they are the lesser of two evils right now. I can’t stand the thought of you out there going it alone, though. Seems like there just has to be another way, but I don’t know what it is.”
“Well, I won’t be totally alone. I’m taking Cheri with me; between her and Ava, they keep me on track, and she’s good with the espionage, although this time there probably won’t be any. Another thing I found out is that Tom and Barry have been working with some other scientists and they have a prototype quantum communication thing, using something called quantum entanglement. They want me to leave one unit with you, and I’ll take the other one. That way, you can communicate with me without any delay and without anyone knowing. What did they call it… oh yeah, instantaneous, unlimited range, and little risk of decoupling. That’s good, isn’t it?”
Reassemble (Singular Book 4) Page 5