Belisarius and Del Casal followed the server
and laid his hand against it.
around pool tables, through darkened rooms
Carbon nanotubules came in many configu-
and banquet salons, to a cool meeting room.
rations. The ones reinforcing the window
The lights outside and inside the room came
were undoubtedly designed for structural
on, showing fast-moving, oncoming silt be-
strength, a conformation that made them in-
yond the window.
different conductors. Belisarius sent a burst of
Belisarius took a small bottle before the
electrical static through his hand anyway. The
server rolled away and touched it to Del
wary Homo eridanus approached, close
Casal’s. The geneticist was poker-faced, wait-
enough for the spotlights to show expression-
ing him out. Belisarius presumed that the an-
less gray skin, smooth and puffy around enor-
tenna tracking the chips in the racers was on
mous black eyes. Wholly inhuman, yet there
the lee side of the mess. Based on what he’d
was a man in there, only a few centuries away
seen, it had a line-of-sight range of some ten
from a common ancestor with Belisarius.
kilometers. Stills’ icon was gone. Out of range.
You lost me sixty francs, Belisarius pulsed
Or out of sight. Belisarius called up the topog-
in the electrical language of the mongrels. It
raphy of the undersurface, verif ied his guess
made tiny static clicks against the glass.
about the location of the antenna and did a
Pulses returned. Not my problem, coño.
few more calculations. They watched the cur-
You speak Mongrel?
rent f linging silt at the window for an hour,
How’s my pronunciation? Belisarius asked.
looking onto depths of an ocean that could
Like you’re talking with your mouth full,
crush them instantly.
Stills replied.
A hostile nursery like this had birthed the
I studied the translation matrix, Belisarius
Homo eridanus, had turned them into some-
replied electrically, but I didn’t know if the
thing monstrous. In the late 2200s, a colony
source who sold it was any good.
ship arrived in at Epsilon Eridani, and found
What the crisse are you talking with? Stills the Solar System in chaos from a recent plane-asked. Computer augments?
tary collision. Orbital habitats were defenseless
I’m Homo quantus.
against asteroidal debris, and even the surface
The hideous, alien face, imprisoning a hu-
of the only habitable planet was showered
man mind behind it, considered Belisarius.
with fiery destruction. The colonists had faced
I heard of you guys. I thought you sat on
a choice: die out, or engineer their children to
mountaintops, thinking about the stars.
THE QUANTUM MAGICIAN, PART I
47
ANALOG
I’m scared of heights, Belisarius said.
the electrical language of the mongrels, and it
And what are you doing on this side of the
felt doubly false.
mess?
When you spit in the Congregate’s coffee,
I figured you were showboating. You didn’t
they mess you up pretty bad, Stills said. I
just want to beat the other mongrels. You
know ’cause I’m one of the heavies they send
wanted to show them that you could go
in to do the messin’.
deeper, and farther, and make it back with-
Belisarius already knew that. He’d do his
out being seen, Belisarius said. Then Belisarius
best to make sure the Congregate didn’t find
quoted, “Wipe their noses in it.”
out.
Where’d you come up with that, Angel
You don’t really care about that, Belisarius
Boy? Stills said.
said. You’re not scared of the Congregate.
I’ve read the Way of the Mongrel, Belisarius
Nope.
said. I can quote some of the good bits. “Bite
But I bet it’s hard to stay on top among the
every hand. Step on everyone’s foot. Lick your
Tribe, Belisarius said. You’ve got to prove
balls if you can find them.”
yourself over and over. How often can you
You forgot, “Unless you’re doing the bon-
outdo mongrels when you’re flying defensive
ing, you’re getting boned.” That’s an impor-
patrols and you’ve only got Claudius to
tant one.
swim in?
I didn’t want to come across as a know-it-
You sound like you’re trying to stroke my
all, Belisarius said.
stuff, Stills said, but you’re still just teasing.
So why you know all that, quantum man?
Get to the point or shove off.
I’m hiring for a job. I talked to some people
You’re dead-ended here, Belisarius said.
who hired you in the past.
You’ve got nothing new to do, ever, unless the
Bite me. I already got a job.
Congregate decides to bully somebody, and
Don’t take any more jobs on the side?
how long will that take? I’m offering the
Belisarius asked.
most dangerous mission you’ve ever seen.
The current washed silt over the unblinking
Everyone is going to be taking a shot at us.
bulbous black eyes. The Mongrel was electri-
When we pull this off, people won’t be talk-
cally silent as well, hopefully uncertain. I take
ing about what we did for years. They’ll be
some working vacations, Stills said finally.
talking about it forever.
I need more than a work vacation. I need
The utterly alien face stared back, perhaps
you to take some extended leave. I pay a lot
seeing nothing. Mongrel eyes were built for
better than the Congregate, and I need a free-
the low luminosity of the ocean floors. There
diver with giant cojones.
was no way for baseline humans to interact
If I could find my cojones, I’d let you lick
with the mongrels without translation equip-
them, Stills said, but I got a boss expecting me ment. Belisarius didn’t know what it was to be
to pilot the fastest fighters this side of hell.
a mongrel, but he was one of the only people
Too bad for you peace broke out, Belisarius
in civilization who could speak with Stills in
said. You like convoy runs and picket duty?
his own electrical language, the last bridge be-
Stills swam at the window suddenly, f ishy
tween subspecies of humanity. The pause ex-
mouth open, gills wide, arms unsheathed
tended, long enough for Belisarius to wonder
from pockets of blubber. Pudgy gray palms
if the bridge was there at all.
slapped hard against the window. Del Casal
Front me a deposit, and I’ll look at what
gasped behind him, but Belisarius didn’t
you’re proposing, little
man, Stills said .
move. The crackle of Stills’ electrical laughter
Belisarius turned to Del Casal. “We have our
throbbed against Belisarius’ electroplaques.
deep diver, our navigator, our electronics guy,
I’ve got a dangerous dive, Belisarius said,
and our two inside men. Do we have our ge-
with more pressure than you just did. The
neticist?”
pay-off is big.
Del Casal stepped closer to the window,
Does this involve ripping the Congregate a
staring at the Homo eridanus. “I wouldn’t
new one?
want to miss humanity’s family reunion,” he
Not for long. I’m a love ’em and leave ’em
said.
kind of guy. Belisarius felt his own bravado in
* * *
48
DEREK KÜNSKEN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
Chapter Sixteen
The sick bay began examining Belisarius
Français 8.1 was nothing if not a poetic lan-
with IR. A staccato set of IR signals shot out-
guage. Les Maisons d’éducation correction-
ward from the wrist device and into the sick
nelle, the Houses of Correctional Education,
bay’s AI. The room darkened.
was the Congregate’s name for the peniten-
“Saint Matthew?” Belisarius whispered.
tiaries scattered throughout its provinces. The
“I have forced the sick bay into a diagnostic
closest word in Anglo-Spanish was “reforma-
mode that will last several hours,” Saint
tory,” although this conveyed little of the
Matthew said in an implant in Belisarius’ ear.
graceful French irony.
“The blinders, masks, and Scarecrow viruses
The Congregate built the penitentiaries on
are uploading now. I’m downloading prisoner
dwarf planets or asteroids, on off-ecliptic or-
medical files.”
bits that were fuel-expensive to reach. La Mai-
Belisarius moved to the door.
son orbiting Epsilon Indi was buried in a
La Maison’s systems were hardened against
Mars-sized, airless rock. Its orbit had been tilt-
electromagnetic signals and passworded
ed twenty degrees off the ecliptic, so there
against other kinds of intrusion. The only sys-
was no practical low-energy transfer orbit to
tem designed to receive any EM was the med-
it. Except for supply ships running on high
ical one. No humans were involved in the
thrust, it had few visitors.
medical care of prisoners or crew, so the med-
Belisarius stepped off the supply ship into
ical AI had to be connected to other systems
the landing bay beneath the surface of La Mai-
in the Maison. Sophisticated electronic im-
son. The pilot was an AI, and Belisarius wore
mune systems, none of which were as ad-
the uniform of a capitaine in the Inspector-
vanced as Saint Matthew, secured the
General’s Off ice of the Congregate’s Correc-
administrative operations.
tional Service, which meant the crew left him
“The mask virus has penetrated their net-
alone. His blue uniform was crisp with pris-
work,” Saint Matthew said, “not far enough to
tine white fleur-de-lis shoulder flashes.
reach their security systems, but enough to in-
On his wrist, he wore the hard band of
tercept some data transmissions. The blinder
smart carbon that officers carried, which nor-
virus is creating data quarantines of the elec-
mally contained a minor sub-AI assistant and
tronic immune system around the places
the necessary codes and passwords. Belisarius’
you’re going to walk. The quarantine will only
service band housed Saint Matthew. The AI
last a few minutes in each case, but by then
had fabricated Belisarius a complete identity
you’ll be through.”
for Capitaine Gervais, one that would last sev-
“Map?” Belisarius asked, opening the door
eral months before AI auditors got to the files
onto an unlit hallway.
and found discrepancies with other databases.
Saint Matthew projected the blueprint of la
The deck sergeant saluted. “Shall I bring
Maison onto Belisarius’ cornea, blue lines su-
you to the warden or the watch officer, mon-
perimposing themselves over his view of the
sieur?”
darkened corridor. He crept along the route
“I would like that, but I’m not feeling well.
marked in orange in his display. None of the
Please point me at the sick bay. I have a med-
lights brightened for him.
ical condition that sometimes needs minimal
Prisons were designed on the principle of
attention.”
concentric shells, with hardened choke-points
A private escorted him to the medical bay.
bridging one shell to the next. He was in the
Belisarius thanked her and asked for an ap-
f irst shell. Marie and the other prisoners
pointment with the warden for the following
would be within the second. He was hoping
day. The woman saluted and left Belisarius in
she hadn’t done something stupid enough to
the care of the medical AI.
get thrown into the third.
The small sick bay was cheap and function-
“Cross-point ahead,” Saint Matthew said.
al, with hard plastic seats and cold, unwel-
The guard hut was a fortified structure be-
coming air. Being in a maison, it was also
side what looked a lot like an airlock, mostly
hardened against intrusion, with its tools of
made of steel. The hut would be run by sub-
the medical trade sealed into the walls, ready
AIs implementing fixed rules, counter-signed
for deployment by the AI.
by a human guard. Belisarius walked to the
THE QUANTUM MAGICIAN, PART I
49
ANALOG
hut and knocked on the thick window of the
ning water, pumps, and the bright growth of
hut’s door.
cabbage, millet, and rye sprouts.
The guard inside saluted and said on the in-
“There’s no Marie here, Saint Matthew,”
tercom, “ID please, monsieur.”
Belisarius sub-vocalized after a few seconds.
Belisarius held the wrist band containing
“She’s here. The reformatory AI said she
Saint Matthew beneath a reader. It chirped.
was here.”
The guard frowned, likely at the level of the
“Well, she’s not.” Belisarius passed a charge
security clearance Belisarius carried. Belisarius
through his magnetosomes to feel at the ambi-
signaled impatiently for her to open the door
ent magnetic f ield. There were weird, dead
to the hut. The private entered a code, and
spaces in the field. He extended his arms and
physically opened the heavy door. Then she
walked to a punch code panel recessed
into
saluted again. Her nameplate said Lavigne.
the back wall.
“I’m Gervais, from the Inspector-General’s
Its magnetic field was anomalously dormant,
Off ice,” Belisarius said. “You saw the clear-
but behind it, other currents moved. It came off
ance?”
easily, spilling cold air onto his f ingers. The
“Oui, monsieur.”
seals and screws were worn free. Inside, the se-
“Very good,” Belisarius said. “Cycle me
curity camera cables snaked in counter-intuitive
through the lock.”
directions, patched to different feeds.
Her eyes widened. “Monsieur, we don’t go
“She damaged the reformatory systems!”
in without armor and anti-prisoner kit.”
Saint Matthew said. “That’s against the rules.”
“You saw my clearance, private. This is In-
“It’s dangerous,” Belisarius said. “She can
spector-General business.”
get tossed into a much tougher prison. Why
Lavigne gaped for a moment, then autho-
did she do it? Is she making a break right now?
rized the airlock into the main area of the re-
That would be too much coincidence.”
formatory. Belisarius went through both
“The electronic immune system is going to
doorways and moved down the hallway with-
catch our virus in less than eighteen minutes.
out looking back.
Find her!”
“She sent a message to her control area?”
“I don’t know where she is!” Belisarius sub-
Belisarius sub-vocalized.
vocalized. “She can’t be far, not unless she’s
“I already intercepted it and replied,” Saint
cracked the security AIs.”
Matthew said.
How could the AIs lose her? On the side
“What’s your latest guess of the life ex-
wall was a door sealed with bolts. The hydro-
pectancy of your virus?”
ponics equipment would need some tools that
“Twenty minutes. It depends on the securi-
the reformatory would want to keep out of
ty posture of la Maison. At higher alarm levels,
the hands of the prisoners. Had she equipped
the areas where I managed to put the virus
herself with tools?
will be closed out of main processing.”
He moved between rows of cabbage and
“You’ve got Marie’s location?”
rye, toward the side wall, leaking a slow but
“She’s in AI-supervised rehabilitation,” Saint
steady current from his electroplaques into his
Matthew said. “Her curriculum includes train-
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Page 14