by M. A. Owens
Mira smiled widely. “Now for my part! Now, try not to be too impressed, but I’ve done my homework and I’ll admit I’ve cheated a bit. I’ve been working on something special in advance with the help of Iris. I like your jacket, a lot. Very retro. Super retro, actually. Oh, and Kerdy showed me the hat too. Cute, handsome, and stylish. War-ready? Not so much. Until now!”
She reached under the desk and pulled out a coat that looked identical to my usual brown one.
“Wow, you really nailed it, but uh… these ain’t so special in the city. I could have just gotten one when I got back. No offense. I mean, thank you, but you really didn’t—”
Mira smiled wider. “Tsk, tsk, Trigger. Did you really think that’s all there was to it? You missed a detail there, Detective. War-ready. Remember? This one is bullet proof. Okay, I know you don’t have guns in the city, but that’s standard issue here. Anyway… burn-proof, stab-proof, lightweight. The material, if stricken quickly becomes harder than steel. If you touch it slowly, lightly, it’s as soft as a cloud.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding!”
“Aha, I think he’s impressed, Commander. But wait, there’s more! It’s also stain-proof, machine-washable, expands in higher temperatures to allow body heat to escape and condenses when it’s cold to hold body heat inside. Oh, and it comes with the famous fedora hat in a perfect matching set. No more sneak attacks down dark alleys. Bam! Whack! The amazing material repels those pesky assassination attempts and allows you to counter-attack while they’re scratching their heads.”
“Yeah, that’s all wonderful. Really, but maybe you’re overselling it just a—”
“Counter-attack with what, you ask?” Mira continued, as though I’d never opened my mouth. “Well, how about this fancy baton that looks like the one you had in the city?” She lifted the hat into the air, revealing the baton hiding underneath. Wow, talk about a hard sell… “This one can deliver an electric shock, sure, but what kind, you ask?”
“Actually, I didn’t—”
“Why, it’s an advanced signal that shuts down your opponent’s nervous system with a touch. No more basic shocks that sometimes work. This state-of-the-art weapon of the future works every single time and is virtually indestructible. ‘But Mira,’ you ask. ‘What if I touch myself with it? Wouldn’t that be so embarrassing? Wouldn’t I be so embarrassed I could just die from embarrassment?’”
“Yeah, I didn’t say—”
“Glad you asked, because Joy has already planted a small chip in your paw that emits reverse signals on contact and essentially cancels out the effect fully. The same works for normal electrical shocks. To a limit, of course. Even we have our limits of how much power it can handle all at once for such a tiny device.”
“Whoa! Hold on a second. You put a what in my paw? How big is this thing, and why can’t I feel it?”
“About the size of a grain of sand. Smaller, I guess. You’d have to ask Joy. Hey, but aren’t you amazed, though? Don’t leave me hanging here. I put a lot of work into this.”
I smiled and nodded. “Considering everything that’s at stake here, it’s only taken me a little time to realize that this was never something I could refuse. Kerdy knew that from the start. So, the fact all of you put this kind of effort into an ‘offer’ to play along with how I do things in the city is… well… Thank you, I guess. This is amazing. More than enough.”
Mira looked absolutely heartbroken, and about the time she looked away Kerdy gave me a sharp elbow.
I took the hint. “But, of course, I could have always turned it down anyway and gone back to the city, because things are bad there too. To tell you the truth, you cats seem like you have everything under control and, like I said, I don’t think I’ll be much help, anyway. But after seeing this amazing offer? Not a chance. You crafted everything with my exact preferences in mind. You’re a genius negotiator, Mira. I never stood a chance.”
Instantly, the smile returned to her face. “See, Commander? I told you he might refuse. Aren’t you glad you agreed to let me commission these items?”
“You’re right as usual, Mira.” Kerdy said, shrugging her shoulders. “Guess you can’t ever be too careful with these city-dwellers. They really love their money, and… things.”
I nodded along. “Thank you, Mira. And you, Kerdy. I think the eye, the training, the coat, hat, and weapon will be just about right for another suicide mission. Those are my specialty these days.”
“Ours too,” Kerdy said.
“Right, I forget who I’m talking to,” I said. “That’s every day of your life out here. Sorry.”
Kerdy pushed my chair over, sending me crashing to the floor. “Gah, the apologies again! If we wanted to hire a whiny puppy, we could’ve picked a kitten of our own. A hard-nosed private detective is what I want. Is that what I’m getting, or not?”
Holy cow. Even after everything Kerdy and I went through together, she was still this hard on me.
Mira jumped to her feet, running around the desk and helping me up. “Commander! Joy said not to do that.”
“Joy, and the rest of you, are going to have to realize that just because he’s from the city doesn’t mean you have to handle him with velvet gloves. I’ve seen him in action. I’ve seen him take on things a dog like him would be crazy to try taking on, and win. Then do it again.”
Mira shook her head. “He nearly died, and finding out the truth of what goes on outside the walls is a lot for him to take in. Don’t you remember what it was like when you learned the truth about the world, Commander?”
Kerdy froze in place for a moment, the pain on her face showing exactly how that memory felt. “Why, you! I…” She shook her fist at Mira, and for a moment I thought she was going to punch her head off. But slowly, her face softened, and she lowered her paw. “It’s been a long time, but it’s something I’ll never forget. I cried every day and was useless for months. Trigger is better than that, and we don’t have that kind of time.”
“No more apologies,” I said. “Let’s go beat up some robots.”
5
The thought of Kerdy ever crying about anything was too hard to imagine. Just couldn’t picture it. Which was funny, given all the crazy things I’d been told since I woke up and the even crazier things I would try to discover alongside Nightshade. A cat who I had not even met yet.
I was obviously going to take the case for free, for once, because I didn’t have a choice. Thankfully, Mira didn’t approach it that way. Talk about a payment. It’s too bad I was on the cusp of retirement, because these things would give me an enormous advantage back home. Oh well. At least they might help keep me alive in retirement, and I wouldn’t have to worry about having to make trips to the tailor to patch up holes in the coat anymore.
One thing I’ve learned in my career, that applies whether you’re living in the real world or some kind of twisted science fiction dream world you woke up in, is that bigger the offer, the more dangerous the case. If I knew what a favor from Kerdy meant, I’d have considered refusing the case to track down Saul. Not that I had much choice there either, since Saint had him target my friends. Now the odds are clear, and the payment makes it even clearer. Subtle or not, this gear skirted the rules. I knew that, regardless of whether they played it off that way or not. All I had to do was run my mouth. So, they were putting a lot of trust in me, but it was more than that. Kerdy must figure if they don’t succeed this time, none of it will matter anyway. What threat is a dog running around telling secrets when the entire city is in ruins, and that dog and everyone else is dead? Easy. None.
As I was about to join Kerdy’s group for evening training, Joy stepped in and let both of us have it. Everyone seemed comfortable speaking their mind around here to some extent, but no one had the guts to disagree with Kerdy in front of everyone the way Joy did. These two had a history, that’s for sure. In the end, they compromised on allowing me to join the next day, and that’s only if Joy examined me and signed off. Maybe it’s bec
ause they were so much alike that they got along so well.
Instead, I was directed to the tent of a cat everyone simply referred to as Professor. Professor was an old gray cat, and I couldn’t tell where the age-related gray started, and where the original gray fur ended. His long hair was a consistent hue, minus the even whiter area around his whiskers. I’d expect a cat this age to have glasses, but he didn’t.
“Professor, this is our new guest. I’m sure you’re excited I’ve brought him here, since the two of you have a lot to share. Given we’ve had to cut back on all of our academics lately, I know you’ve been a little bored,” Kerdy said.
The old cat just smiled and nodded, first to Kerdy, and then to me.
“Pleased to meet you, Professor,” I said, raising my paw.
“Oh my. How rare it is for us to see a dog up close,” the old cat said, slowly walking toward me.
Maybe he didn’t need glasses because the lighting was so good in these tents. I hadn’t realized it earlier, because of how bright the sun was, but now that it was dimming, I couldn’t tell any difference.
I pointed above me. “These lights. They’re almost exactly like sunlight, and they don’t seem to be plugged into anything.”
His eyes widened at first, apparently surprised by the question, but quickly relaxed into a gentle smile. “Oh, that’s right. The lights you have in the city are quite ancient. Truth be told, these are as well, but they are many generations improved from what you’ve seen. Their tone is like the sun, yes, but they are tiny diamond housings that hold a special solution of two elements that, when combined, glow brightly for roughly, oh… about a hundred years, give or take a decade or two. A few decades longer, if you don’t mind the dimming light.”
All I could do was scratch my head. I’d gone from shocked to skeptical. Was I really awake, or was I still dreaming? Worse yet, maybe I’d died, and this was some kind of strange afterlife.
“Do you… find this hard to believe?” Professor asked, leaning forward and squinting at me.
“Yes. I mean, no. It’s just that I couldn’t even imagine something like this before, and now to see it for myself? Then, for you to tell me even this is ancient technology. It’s hard not to feel like maybe none of this is real.”
Kerdy quickly nodded, not eager to stick around for more questions. “I’ll send someone to pick you up later and take you to your quarters.”
She didn’t wait for me to answer, just hastily walked out of the tent without another word.
Professor laughed, which was equal parts wheezing and laughter. “Oh, don’t mind her. She’s just long tired of those questions, having explained all of this over and over, more times than either of us could count. I, on the other hand, don’t mind answering your questions. I’m well-adjusted to giving these lessons to young kittens, and I have a knack for explaining them to the skeptical mind. What you’re feeling right now is a sort of mental shock. It will become easier to accept in time.”
I took off my hat and scratched the top of my head, like I had fleas. “I sure hope so. Otherwise, I think my brain might fall out.”
He laughed again and nearly choked this time. “How about we start from the beginning, then? That should cover many of your questions.”
I nodded, slumping into one of the many seats scattered around the tent. “Alright. I’ll try not to interrupt with too many questions.”
Professor cleared his throat and pulled a book from a nearby shelf. “The fact is everything that’s truly important that could be of any help to us is lost. We aren’t sure what ended humanity, or why these machines they created continue to maintain themselves and hunt us down. One hypothesis is that these machines are what wiped out humans. The only problem with that is how equipped and powerful humanity was, even before their creation. Without humans around to guide their production and programming, perhaps they have weakened over time.
“What we do know is that many, many years ago, cats and dogs looked very different. They were relatively dumb creatures, that walked on four legs at all times. Nevertheless, they were by far the most beloved companions for humans, as far back as we’ve been able to observe. They wanted to improve their companionship with these ‘pets’… as well as exploit them for military use. So, they experimented, and we are the result of those experiments.”
I held up my paw. “Alright, so if part of the reason they created us was for military use, how can you be sure we aren’t the ones who wiped them out? It’s not like anyone knows or remembers. Ever consider we’re the bad guys in all of this?”
Professor nodded slowly. “Yes, of course I’ve considered this. Would it be so wrong of me if I simply preferred this not be true? There are other explanations, after all.”
“Well, sure. I’d prefer it wasn’t true too. What was human society like?”
“I was about to get to that. Quite advanced, actually. Far beyond anything we’ve been able to do with the scraps of their long-lost technology. Creating several new species on a whim, for starters. They also had self-refining resource systems, so things like electricity and building materials were always available on demand in any quantity. They’d cured virtually every disease or ailment they’d ever suffered. Such tranquil lives caused a great divide between those who had immense wealth, and those who have virtually nothing. A rebellion broke out which the corporation, an enormous business that ran the entire world, called PanTech, narrowly defeated. They solved this final predicament by creating what would become their ultimate system of governing.”
I laughed. “Forgive me for being skeptical, but I have a hard time believing a system of government solved anything, unless the problem is that you don’t have enough problems.”
He raised his paw, smiling. “Ah, as you’re about to find out, I use the term ‘solved’ loosely. They divided humanity into many closed systems they called adversity zones. They based each zone on a different time period and culture that played a significant role in human history. This was a large-scale experiment to see what experiences would create the finest human. This also made most of the population more manageable, since they didn’t have access to the technology necessary to become a threat. They chose future members of PanTech from those that excelled most in these adversity zones, preventing current PanTech leadership from passing their status on to their spoiled offspring, who would destabilize the status quo.”
“And yet, they got wiped out anyway. Guess they didn’t really solve anything after all, huh?”
Professor closed the book and placed it back in the bookshelf. “It sounds like you’re finally coming to terms with the world around you.”
“Wait just a minute. Arc City. It’s one of those old adversity zones! That’s why our technology is so much different from yours. That’s why our culture is so much different.”
He nodded, but didn’t look happy about my realization. “And I suppose you could say that we are the last remnants of PanTech, managing the last adversity zone.”
“Why would you want to be like a bunch of control freaks? Or is that the appeal? You cats a bunch of control freaks?”
“I had a feeling you would think of it this way. I should give you one more lesson. One taking place not nearly as many years ago. For a very long time we thought cats were the only intelligent species left alive. One day, after our scouts made a significant expansion, we stumbled upon a very primitive tribe of dogs. Our people had known about the empty Arc City, and we quietly moved many of them to their new home with the cooperation of their leader, without exposing all of them to the latest technology and the fight against the machines PanTech created. It was a decision by their leader, though some joined us anyway. They are all long dead, I’m afraid.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that your people, a bunch of control freaks, found my people, a bunch of cowards, and shoved them in an old adversity zone. Because they were too scared to fight, too useless, or whatever the reason. Professor, I’m going to be straight with you. That’s got to
be the most depressing news I’ve heard since I got here. I thought you cats didn’t like city dogs because of how they treated the cats you sent to Arc City. Turns out that’s just one reason. Sheesh…”
Professor shook his head, sitting down in a chair a few feet away from me. “You’re looking at it all wrong. You can make up for all of that, and more, if you and Nightshade can fill in the gaps of our history. If we can find out what happened to humanity, and how these machines have continued to thrive all these years, there may actually be a possibility of victory within my lifetime. As of now, we are less than one-hundredth the size of our original force. This next wave may very well wipe us out. If not this one, then surely the next one. We’re running out of time. This is why Kerdy is so desperate. It isn’t an exercise in diplomacy, Trigger. This is a mission that few others would be as capable of excelling in.”
As I sat quietly, mulling over what he’d said, a cat stepped into the tent. “Please come with me, Trigger. I’ll show you to your quarters.”
6
If my destination was confusion and headaches, I was on the right path. I was beginning to see how pointless pursuing every single question was, despite my every urge to continue doing just that. Every question answered made me think of three more, and they just kept piling up. Since Kerdy was keeping me here so I could find answers to the questions no one knew the answers to, it was going to be best if I focused on those from now on. PanTech, humans, adversity zones, and all of that other garbage would have to wait until another time. Maybe I didn’t want to know. My life may not have been simple before I met these cats, but it was at least straightforward. Sometimes predictable. Now? I couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.
The next day, I did everything in my power to pretend I belonged, like this was just any other day. I awoke to the call for breakfast and left my tent to find a large gathering in the middle of the camp. Dozens of cats crowded together, enjoying conversation, laughing, and eating their fill. It wasn’t hard to talk myself into joining them, but as I approached, I noticed a shift in the mood. Even though everyone was being polite, probably as instructed by Kerdy, it wasn’t hard to pick up on the distrust and skepticism in nearly every cat’s eyes. Is this how the cats felt in Arc City? It put things in perspective, suddenly finding myself thrown into the middle of an all-cat society and seeing it from the other side. Most of them probably didn’t want me here, and I couldn’t say I blamed them for feeling that way.