Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Page 51
wanted me to love her back. I . . . think that
able to resist hanging on for one last, grand
sometime in our travels, somehow without me
experiment: the one you and I have just com-
quite noticing, she managed that much. I’ll
pleted.”
have some bad moments for a while. But as
“So, your victims . . .”
long as we’ve been together, making our way
“The only real decision left to make, in the
to you, she’s always urged me to put my mis-
end, was whether to dispose of them in the
sion aside . . . and so I finally realized that this
usual manner, or provide them the more hu-
was also the hidden point of your wager, the
mane fate you agitated for. With that settled,
agenda that the two of you have always shared
and within the time I have made sure that I’m
from the beginning: getting me to accept the
medically guaranteed, I now give you my word
premise that surrender wouldn’t be too bad.”
that I will embark upon their emancipation as
“She was sincere about that,” Silver con-
soon as you and I complete what I suppose we
fides. “Even if that meant life as a prisoner be-
may call the post-mortems.” The lolling head
low.”
straightens itself, and his clouded eyes bore an
“That,” Draiken admits, “was the single part
uncanny, malignant focus into his. “Tell me,
that came closest to fooling me. The night be-
sir: when did you know?”
fore I agreed to your experiment, she begged
“Almost immediately,” Draiken says. “Not
me to give in, disappear with her, and give up
long after I woke up and saw her. I knew you
the rest of her lives to living in peace. It sound-
hadn’t taken her by force, and when she told
ed just like an entreaty natural to anyone who
me otherwise I knew she was lying.”
was sick of fighting, and for much of the time I
“Interesting. Elaborate.”
was stuck down there, I quite naturally spent
“You’re a terrible person, but you never had
hours wishing that I’d been less stupid and tak-
any real reason to trick me. This is, after all, a
en her up on it, as any man would prefer. Cer-
world owned by your backers, a world whose
tainly, your prison was nowhere near as
residents, and visitors, you can claim at will.
comfortable as my exile on Greeve.
Had you ever wanted to force me into becom-
“But that was my def inition of comfort,
ing your test subject, you could have just had
wasn’t it? Not hers. Hers was always the option
me arrested. You could have had me gassed in
of retreating inside a cell. Freedom, luxury, nat-
my lodgings, or summoned any number of
ural wonders, fun things to do, all those things
minions like Edifice to overpower me. You did
that we could have had on the kind of world
none of these things. You offered a wager, and
she repeatedly proposed as alternative, they
took me only when I accepted. That made you
were secondary: things she was willing to have
something that my past jailers have never
for my sake, but was willing to sacrifice as long
been: reliable.”
as she still had me and the one other thing she
“Go on.”
really wanted. Given those requirements, why
“So all that time I was in Elba alone, proving
wouldn’t she accept the conditions of a prison,
BLURRED LIVES
185
ANALOG
as long as she could get me to accept those
doom everybody below, including Thorne, to
conditions with her?”
imprisonment under the conditions he has
Silver chuckles, an affectionate and compas-
made for them.
sionate laugh that makes Draiken want to pum-
But after about a minute he regains control,
mel him. “Indeed. Why wouldn’t she?”
shakes his head wearily, and says, “You still fail
“All I want to know is how long ago she
to get it, sir.”
made the arrangements.”
“Indeed? What do I miss?”
Silver’s grin grows wider and more reptilian.
“You haven’t sacrificed a damn thing. As I’ve
“Oh, years, my dear man. Simply years.”
already pointed out, I’m dying by choice and
“Really.”
ready to put all my toys back into their little
“Of course. The painstakingly gathered in-
boxes, before the time f inally comes to shut
telligence that ultimately brought you here was
off the lights. This closure you seek, if you real-
redundant, my boy. She’s always known how
ly want it, you can sate it by conf irming my
to find me. A long time ago, she found a mo-
end, and your success in acquiring freedom for
ment of privacy, apart from you, and contact-
the unfortunates below. Beyond that, you can
ed the man who had once imprisoned and
also now see all that’s always been at stake be-
interrogated her, to present a scenario where
tween you and Thorne, freeing you to claim
the two of you would both surrender to my
your reward anywhere you want, and not just
custody. She wasn’t even a valuable asset any-
here. With all secrets revealed, healing be-
more. Like you, she had been out of the busi-
comes possible.
ness so long that she no longer possessed any
“The two of you can still retreat wherever
intelligence worth extracting. But her offer
you wish, even to that tropical paradise you
was an intriguing one on an academic level,
spoke of, and exist to the end of your days
and so the two of us were able to come to
knowing that you’ve taken matters of con-
terms, always with the understanding that in
science as far as is humanly practical. Do that,
the interim she was determined to employ
and whether you believe it or not, I’d even
every means of persuasion at her disposal to al-
meet my own end feeling happy for you.”
ter your suicidal trajectory and satisfy you with
The next moment extends well past its use-
a life not wasted interfering with the agenda of
ful life span, eons to Draiken, the emotions
powers beyond your reach.”
churning inside him like poison. Then the
Draiken’s chest burns. “She almost managed
churning goes away, and he feels a terrible de-
it a few times.”
termined calm, driven by a chill that he knows
“Of course she did. It was not just love; it
will never leave him.
was self-preservation. The way she saw it, her
He says, “I could never trust her again.”
own trajectory was linked to yours. She want-
Silver counters, “You could never trust her
ed something better than what awai
ted at the
before.”
end of your shared road. But steering you away
“True. But even if I found it in myself to for-
turned out to be beyond her power.”
give what she’s done, I’d still know that you
“Not by much,” Draiken admits, with a re-
were out there: not you personally, but the
gret that almost rips the heart out of him. “Do
others still behind you, the others like you. I’ll
you want to know something? At the very end,
concede her the right to surrender to apathy if
even knowing what I knew, I almost gave her
she wants. But I won’t. Not as long as I draw
what she thought she wanted. Because as it
breath. So you will pay off the wager, and you
happens, I do crave everything she craves: a lit-
will tell me where I need to go next.”
tle peace, someone to love, some happiness at
Silver’s immediate response to that is a long
the end of my days. I could have had those
slow nod, the gesture of any old and dying
with her. I just couldn’t have the other thing I
man who faces the end of his left bereft of any
need: the satisfaction of shutting you down,
remaining illusions.
and of shutting everybody like you down. So I
“Alas,” he says. “She always did have the
turned my back on her.”
most infuriating things to say about your
Silver explodes in a coughing fit, which lasts
pride.”
for so long that Draiken fears he will perish
right now instead of days from now and thus
It is now seventeen station days later.
186
ADAM-TROY CASTRO
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
Draiken sips coffee on a balcony café at the
the restroom, slides back into the seat opposite
Liberty spaceport, overlooking the view of the
him.
cargo bots loading one vessel or another. The
“Welcome back,” Draiken says.
coffee is delicious, some of the best he’s had in
“I’m surprised to see you still here,” Edifice
years, and a surprising comfort on this world
reports. She wears a crystalline amulet con-
where he’s known so much grief.
taining some of the odious Silver’s ashes; a
The view is less satisfying. He’s aware that
keepsake she will likely carry with her, com-
some travelers enjoy watching the activity be-
pulsively protecting, to the end of her years. “I
hind the scenes, even if it’s behind-the-scenes
would have thought you’d ditch me while I
activity cleared for public display, like what
was gone, taking advantage of my brief ab-
sprawls below. For his part, he’s always been
sence to arrange some other itinerary.”
cursed by his training to regard the doings of a
“What’s the point of that? I’m still going
port not as a dull to moderate entertainment
where I’m going. Nobody has to intercept me,
but as a potential source of intelligence, and
not when they know where I’m headed.”
even as the various parcels and crates are
“I’m not sure of that. You’re a devious man.
loaded, he cannot help taking mental notes of
You could have a subtler approach in mind.”
their marked destinations.
“No. Just a direct one. I think it’s likely the
It has been a busy two and half weeks. He’s
most powerful advantage I have, over those in-
stayed around long enough to watch as Silver’s
clined to design labyrinths.—No,” he says,
various prisoners were restored, if not exactly
shaking his head, “I’ll be reporting to bluegel
to their prior selves, then at least to beings ca-
suspension in no more than an hour. I have no
pable of perceiving the humanity around
need for any more complicated plans.”
them. It has not been a pleasant spectacle, ei-
“I do,” she says, with palpable regret.
ther. Some were prisoners for years, and all are
“Mmmm?”
damaged, a state he can only empathize with;
“Silver imprisoned a lot of people, but he
a few are in states that approach outright psy-
was not responsible for the restrictions on my
chosis and will not be free in any real sense for
own free will. The Bettelhines were. They
years, if ever. But a few, like the young woman
merely transferred ownership to him. The tech-
he encountered after leaving Thorne, have al-
nology is completely different, so he couldn’t
ready taken advantage of the f inancial settle-
do anything to free me. I’m still what I am, and
ments afforded them in Silver’s will and
as it happens, now that he’s gone I have no
booked flights off-world. She’d been permitted
more orders left to carry out for him, or for any-
to know that he was her rescuer and had em-
body else. I could go with you as an ally.”
braced him, weeping, for longer than he was
This is unexpected. He gives her a curious
comfortable with, before accepting his advice
look. “What would you do if I said no?”
to waste no time getting as far from Liberty as
“Nothing,” she says, as matter-of-factly as she
possible. He dares to hope that she’ll be all
says everything else. “That’s the main problem
right.
with being what they’ve made me: I have no
He suspects that maybe one in ten of the
ambitions and can form no plans beyond those
others will ever achieve a state anywhere ap-
approved by others. Silver died without specif-
proaching all right, but at least their journeys
ically putting me in the command of anyone
are begun. He can no longer help them, only
else, so I’m compelled to find someone else to
those who come after them, and at least he’s
provide orders. Since seeing to your safe de-
also had the satisfaction of being outside the
parture is my last existing order, and there are
chamber where Silver’s corpse was fired to a
no potential others, I’m compelled to declare
flaky grey ash.
you the most acceptable heir.”
None of this affords him any particular sense
“Me?”
of satisfaction.
“Say the word,” Edifice urges him, “and I’d
He has discovered that on this road he’s on,
take satisfaction in serving you, in any capaci-
satisfaction will likely always be withheld from
ty, without any reservation. There’d be no pos-
him.
sibility of me betraying you the way Thorne
He is still sipping his coffee when his com-
did, and with my physical gifts I’d be useful
panion since his escape, fresh from a visit to
protection against any opposition you’re likely
BLURRED LIVES
187
ANALOG
to encounter. Yo
u shouldn’t consider it taking
human master’s next order.
advantage of me. It’s my nature, and it would
“Please,” she says, urgently. “I need this. I
make me happy.”
can’t live without it. You know that.”
“I see,” he says, taking a sip as a delaying tac-
“I believe you.”
tic. “Happiness is a good thing. But what if I
It would be so easy to say yes, especially
don’t want a slave?”
now that he faces the next part of his long
“The only other alternative for me, I’m
journey alone. He’s come to like Edif ice, de-
afraid, is emptiness.”
spite himself; he would never take sexual ad-
Draiken nods and turns away, giving some
vantage of her compliance, but he could sure
thought to what has turned out to be an unex-
as hell use her company.
pectedly knotty problem.
And so he says, “Very well. If I’m the next in
Below, he f inds what he has been sitting
command, I suppose that I can take that re-
here, for hours, waiting to see. A crane lowers
sponsibility. What’s involved?”
a crate into the cargo hold of a freighter bound
“Just you saying so.”
for places far from his own immediate itiner-
“Then f ine, I take command of you. Do I
ary. He has paid for special handling to ensure
have your full obedience?”
that the crate, just large enough for the isola-
“Yes,” she says.
tion pod it contains, is treated with special
“Your absolute, unquestioning obedience.”
care throughout the trip. It’s currently unoccu-
“To the death.” She betrays no wariness at
pied, but still vital to someone he owes a debt,
all. Far from it. Her eyes shine with eagerness.
and the last thing he wants is for it to be dam-
She’s alive in a way she wasn’t even a few sec-
aged while he remains responsible for it.
onds ago, a machine activated and humming
The woman that pod belongs to, who in
with energy as it warms to the purpose that
truth belongs to it, already lies sleeping in a
gives its existence meaning. “What are your or-
bluegel crypt on a passenger freight bound for
ders?”
the same destination. It will take both pack-
“Just these,” he says. “Walk away, live your
ages a couple of years to arrive where they’re
life, pursue everything that was once by itself
headed, not Greeve but a world very much like
enough to make you happy, everything that