Sleeping Giants

by Sylvain Neuvel

  The door behind us leads to a large room roughly the size of the one we trained in, back in Denver. There are also half a dozen laboratories on this floor, and a huge bay—I mean gigantic—that leads into the Atlantic. I’ve only been on this floor, though, I don’t know what else there is.

  —There is only one floor. There is also a twenty-thousand-square-foot machine shop, medical facilities, crew quarters, and a power plant.

  —Can I ask a stupid question?

  —No. You cannot.

  —Then, can I ask a really smart question?

  —As you wish.

  —How do we get the robot out of here? The only door I’ve seen that might be large enough leads straight into the ocean.

  —Once assembled, the device cannot leave this facility on the ground. She must be disassembled and hoisted to the surface near the shore. There, we can load the pieces onto cargo ships. She does, however, fit into the sea-lock chamber, so, in theory, she could simply walk her way out of the ocean along the more moderate slopes of the coastline.

  —You think she can work underwater? That’d be cool.

  —We do not know. I certainly intend to find out. And, yes, it would.

  —Who runs this place? Is this an American base?

  —Not quite. These facilities belong to a consortium of four nations: Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as four corporations: two from Germany, one from the United States, and one from Japan.

  —That seems like a completely random list of countries. Did you pick the names out of a hat?

  —Russia had to be involved in some manner. The situation was simply too volatile after two of their officers were shot during one of our missions.

  —We shot two Russian officers?

  —We did not shoot anyone. Tuvan peasants did…It is a long story. Suffice it to say that any attempt by the United States to keep the robot would have had catastrophic consequences. I had to offer Moscow some assurances. Unfortunately, they do not have the financial resources necessary to fund a project of this magnitude. The Emirates did. Japan was an acceptable partner for both of them, and South Korea is the most obvious client for our product. Our private partners bring specific technologies to the table.

  —Did you just say “our product”?

  —Our goal is to provide close-range defensive capabilities for member nations.

  —How about offensive capabilities?

  —No. It is part of our charter. It can only be used to defend against an enemy strike or invasion, never as an offensive weapon, and never against another consortium member.

  —I’m sorry, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. You can do that? Just grab the robot and say you own it?

  —It is open to interpretation. Ownership could perhaps be contested. We do, however, own over seven thousand patents on the technology. It would be legally perilous for anyone else to use it.

  —What do the private companies get out of it?

  —The cost of membership is…significant. As more nations join our group, those who provided seed funding could enjoy a considerable return on their investment.

  —So we went from the greatest discovery in history, for the betterment of all mankind, blah blah blah, to a weapon for profit? Is that it?

  —I will concede that this situation is far from what I had envisioned, but it is one that allows us to continue our research and avoid a global conflict.

  —What’s it called?

  —What is what called?

  —The consortium. Oh, that’d be a good name, just that: “The Consortium…”

  —It does not have a name at this point. It is a numbered International Business Company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.

  —How romantic. You didn’t want to call it the Themis Consortium? It’s got a good ring to it.

  —I have not shared information pertaining to her history or identity with anyone else at this time.

  —Why?

  —I have my reasons. However, I do admit that a numbered company is less than ideal from a motivational point of view. Perhaps you can suggest a good name for our group. I would like our personnel to feel a certain sense of belonging. Given the security restrictions and personal life limitations that come with working in our facility, strengthening morale will be of the essence.

  —Well, if you don’t want to use Themis…She’s a daughter of Gaia and Uranus. You’re not dealing with teenagers, but I would still avoid having Uranus in the name. Gaia’s not bad. The Gaia Consortium.

  —I will suggest it to the board of directors.

  —There’s a board?

  —It is a corporation.

  —I guess so. Anyway, I’m not gonna complain. Buying this place must have cost a fortune. Who was here before us?

  —I do not understand.

  —I mean, what was this place before we came in? Was it a mine?

  —There was nothing here. We are below a national park. We had to excavate from the sea.

  —You’re kidding. There’s absolutely no way you can build something this size in just a few months. It would take years to dig this much, this deep.

  —It took approximately two years.

  —Did you just say two years?

  —Yes, we built this facility in less than two years. The costs were, unfortunately, inversely proportional to the speed.

  —That makes no sense. Two years ago, we hadn’t even put all the pieces together. We didn’t even have a head.

  —I rarely do anything without planning for contingencies.

  —Aren’t you a little worried about how the US government’s going to react to all this? They weren’t on that list of countries you mentioned.

  —Indeed, they are not. They are, however, immune to any attack since one of our members is an American company.

  —I’m sure that’ll be a great comfort to them…I must be missing something. The US paid for all the research. We retrieved all the pieces with their Army, and now you’re giving it to Russia? I don’t know about you, but I’d be a little ticked off.

  —You are correct in assuming there will be some fences to mend at some point.

  —OK then. Who am I to complain anyway? I’m from Canada. When do you think we’ll be able to start training again?

  —If Ms. Papantoniou is correct, we should have retrieved all the pieces within a month.

  —We’re also missing a pilot. I thought Kara would be here by now.

  —She should be here soon. She may have been involved in an accident.

  —What happened? Is she OK?

  —She is fine. She may not have had the accident yet. You may have forgotten that she is US Army personnel. Without direct involvement from the United States, I cannot simply ask the government for her services. There is nothing I am officially, or unofficially, involved with at this point that would require a helicopter pilot.

  —So?

  —So sometime soon, if it has not happened already, she will be involved in a routine traffic accident. She will suffer a concussion, whiplash. Her physician will diagnose her with postconcussive syndrome and cervical radiculopathy and declare her unfit for duty. He will recommend that she be placed on medical leave for at least six months.

  When she arrives, you will have some fences of your own to mend. She was deeply hurt by your disappearing act. While I sincerely hope that your relationship can be restored to its former status, I will gladly settle for peaceful coexistence at this point. It is imperative that the two of you learn to work together again and communicate in the most efficient manner, just as you did in the past. Furthermore, you must learn to do this very quickly. Recent events have forced me to increase the number of players involved. There are now too many people, with too much vested in this project, to see it set back because of personal issues, even if it is only by a few days.

  —I don’t think you need to worry about Kara. She may hate my guts now, but she’ll do her job.

  —You are absolu
tely correct. Ms. Resnik is a professional, and she will perform her duties to the best of her abilities, despite whatever feelings she may have. It is you I am worried about.

  —I’ve never…

  —There is no need to be on the defensive. I have no doubts about your determination to perform your duties well, but you lack the military experience Ms. Resnik possesses. You have mentioned several times, and so has Ms. Resnik, that working in the sphere has a unique psychological effect on people. I am concerned that, should one of you not find his or her feelings reciprocated, the sphere will quickly become a toxic environment. I do not believe you could cope with this much added stress and be efficient.

  —We’ll be fine.

  —You need to be more than fine. You need to be in sync. Your minds need to work in unison.

  —Kara and I had absolutely no business being together in the first place. She has more issues than the New York Times, and I’m about as charming as a root canal, and yet, we found each other. It took about—what? twenty minutes?—after I kissed her the first time for some yahoo to run me into a cement wall with a pickup truck. We stuck together through that. We destroyed an airport together, killed our best friend, and brought the world to the brink of World War III, all in a day’s work.

  Don’t you see? The two of us ending up together is either the biggest cosmic joke ever, or it was somehow meant to be. The real funny thing is, I don’t believe in fate. Like I said, Kara and I will be fine. If I were you, I’d be more worried about the next mess we’re gonna make.

  FILE NO. 250

  INTERVIEW WITH CW4 KARA RESNIK, UNITED STATES ARMY

  Location: Undisclosed location, near San Juan, Puerto Rico

  —Mr. Couture has been through a lot.

  —You think it’s been a walk in the park for me? I was there too, remember! He abandoned me! Didn’t call, didn’t write. It’s not like I have really high standards for relationships. If you need some time alone, fine, but if you’re gonna just bail on me, at least let me know that you’re OK, and—I don’t know—maybe tell me if you’re coming back or not. Is that too much to ask?

  —I am increasingly uncomfortable with the direction in which this conversation is heading.

  —Just tell me! Am I being unreasonable?

  —A modicum of communication would seem like a sensible requisite.

  —Thank you!

  —Your sudden gratitude worries me, deeply. Please do not take anything I have said to mean that I am taking “your side.”

  —What would you have done?

  —I will pretend you did not just ask me that. The truth is: Neither you nor I can understand what went through the mind of Mr. Couture, as he bears the better part of the responsibility for the death of Dr. Franklin.

  —That’s a horrible thing to say. I’m just as responsible as he is for what happened.

  —That is very generous of you. However, both of us know it to be inaccurate. The hands that pressed the buttons that caused the energy burst belonged to Mr. Couture, not to you.

  —That’s not fair! The robot tripped!

  —Yes, the robot tripped while Mr. Couture was controlling the legs. Had Dr. Franklin been crushed under a giant thumb, I might point…blame the person who was controlling the hands. You should talk to him.

  —We talked.

  —I do not mean exchanging pleasantries. I mean talk. When I last visited him, I had serious doubts about his mental status, about his willingness to continue, and yes, about the nature of his feelings for you. I no longer have these doubts. While it may be difficult to understand, his prolonged absence, and what he did during that time, is a validation of his commitment to this project and, to an even greater extent, of his devotion to you.

  —You said he played with toys.

  —That is not exactly what I said. I may also have been more affected by the accident than I wished to believe when I first visited Mr. Couture, enough to miss certain things that, in retrospect, should have been obvious. I realize now that my rendition of the event may have compounded an already difficult situation, and I sincerely apologize for my shortsightedness.

  —You’re right about one thing for sure. Whatever he did in Montreal, it sure as hell made him better up there in the sphere. We had our first trial this morning.

  —In the simulator?

  —No, the real thing. They retrieved the last part during the night. She was fully assembled and ready to roll by the time we woke up. I don’t know if I like this private-business thing, but we sure have more staff.

  —Has the water caused any damage?

  —The chamber was as dry as the day we left it. Anyway, we were a bit rusty at first, but after about a half hour, Vincent had us running in circles in the room. Running! Last time we strapped ourselves in, he could barely take a few steps. Now he’s running…He’s even able to work the console while walking. I just didn’t think he had enough muscle left to do this.

  —It is amazing what someone can accomplish once they really set their heart to something. I am very interested in the fact that the sphere remained sealed after being subjected to such incredible pressure. I would like to know if we can operate the robot underwater.

  —Alyssa’s one step ahead of you on this one. We’re supposed to have a trial run in the sea-lock room on Friday. If it works, we can put some distance between us and dry land and try a few things while submerged. She’d like us to find out how to focus the energy release. It’s not a bad idea. If anything bad happens, we might kill some fish, but we won’t vaporize anyone and destroy the base…again.

  —She did not mention anything to me.

  —I’m not surprised. I don’t like her. She’s driven, I’ll give her that. But there’s something about her that just doesn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right in Denver. It doesn’t feel right now.

  —She said you would not like her.

  —I didn’t like her before.

  —She said you would not like her because she is not Dr. Franklin.

  —Oh, that explains it then. And here I was thinking it might have something to do with her.

  —Feelings aside, has she done anything to earn your disfavor?

  —Well, for one thing, she keeps sticking needles in me. The needles are getting bigger too. I’ve been here three days, and I’ve been asked—told—to report to med bay four times.

  She took some blood the day I came in, and a few swabs. I guess those are for DNA.

  —She is a geneticist.

  —She’s a bit of a mad scientist if you ask me. The next morning, I was called back in for more blood samples. She had me spend a good half hour inside an MRI. I’m not claustrophobic, but I gotta say I really don’t like that machine. She treats me like a guinea pig. She doesn’t explain anything, doesn’t tell me what any of this is for. She probably thinks I’m too dumb to understand.

  After dinner, I was getting ready for a bath—it had been a really long day and I wanted to go to bed early—when I heard my name in the intercom. “Kara Resnik, please report to med bay one.”…I get there, and she sticks an IV in my arm to get me ready for a CT scan. I’m still burning up from the iodine shot when she tells me she needs to do a spinal tap. Do you know how big the needle is for a spinal tap?

  —Did it hurt?

  —I don’t know, I just ripped the IV out of my arm and went back to my room. I’m sure it would have hurt.

  —You said you were called into the medical bay four times. That makes three.

  —Yep. I was asked to report to med bay again this morning.

  —I will take the lack of details to mean that you did not comply. That may have been ill-advised. She might not take no for an answer.

  —She’s just gonna have to learn to live with disappointment. I mean, what’s she gonna do? Drag me there?

  —I would not discount the possibility.

  —I’d like to see her try. Why does she need all this anyway? Dr. Franklin already determined there’s nothing out of the ordinar
y in our DNA.

  —I do not know precisely. She wants to understand why the helmets only activate for you and Mr. Couture and to remove these limitations if at all possible.

  —Oh yeah, she’s open about it. She wants to have a “B team.” She says her first priority is to get the helmets to work for anyone. She’s gonna have a hard time finding someone with legs like Vincent, but if she gets her way with the helmets, she might be able to replace me.

  —I do not believe she wants to replace you, but she is evidently uncomfortable having this entire project depend on the health, or the will, of a single person. I would be lying if I said I did not share the sentiment. It would be incredibly easy for anyone to remove the robot as a threat by simply having either of you killed.

  —I understand. I just hope it takes her a while to do it. I don’t think she’ll keep me around if she doesn’t have to.

  —What makes you think she would prefer to see you go?

  —Oh, trust me, she’d love to get rid of me. If you fall in love with someone, there’s a good chance the person won’t love you back. Hatred, though, is usually mutual. If you despise someone, it’s pretty much a given they’re also not your biggest fan.

  —I did not realize you disliked her this much.

  —Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. I don’t really hate her. I just don’t like her, a lot. I think she loathes me.

  —I wish I could be more helpful. Unfortunately, my relationship with her is not all it could be. She is a strong-willed woman, perhaps too assertive at times. Her determination is commendable, but she is somewhat…defiant.

  —You mean she doesn’t agree with everything you say? Now, I’m beginning to like her…

  —I meant to say that I fear it will become increasingly more difficult for me to help you.

  —I’m just thankful she’s stuck with me for the time being.

  —Speaking of thankfulness, I realize I may not have properly expressed my gratitude for what you did in Bosnia.

  —You don’t need to. You were right. I didn’t really notice it until I was on my way to the airport, but I didn’t want to leave. The people there are so…They’re so strong, and they’re so vulnerable at the same time. Everything there just feels more…