by Pam Uphoff
***
The news was full of both the Exile and the arrests of people trying to avoid being exiled. The vids were full of pictures of handcuffed parents, and children being loaded into buses.
"Surely they aren't exiling children without their parents?"
They were all watching on the wall-covering projection vid they'd installed in the cafeteria. No one had asked who'd paid for it. Or the round tables, and comfortable chairs. No more school cafeteria style attached benches.
Wolfgang looked over at the speaker. Dr. Gisele looked worried.
"Didn't they stop all engineering five years ago? Almost six? And it was getting rare, anyway."
She looked over at him. "Yes, but five is about ten years too young to be torn away from parents and shoved into a wilderness!"
Harry marched in through the doors, Mark Hastings just behind him. Wolfgang could just about feel the drop in emotional temperature. Hastings was Jack Kelso's replacement, and appallingly like him. He'd already become "Jack Junior" to most of the Telies. He didn't appreciate the nick name.
Harry grabbed a chair across from Wolfgang and dropped into it. "Federal agents have arrested the entire Chou clan. What do you know about that?"
"Including Shao Kennedy?" Wolfgang started grinning. "Don't tell me their rejuvenation treatment involved some hanky-panky with the genes. Genetic engineering is illegal—and any of them that have had it are going to be exiled, aren't they."
Jason whistled. "So that's how the government is going to take control of Dimensional travel. I thought they might nationalize it."
AK started laughing. "Talk about hoist with their own prejudices! They must have spent a mint buying influence to get the exile bill passed."
Wolfgang nodded. "But did they intend to get themselves exiled? I think they had more specific plans. Have they sent much equipment through? Asked much about any specific worlds?"
A rustle as everyone looked around to see if anyone had an answer.
"There's a bunch of stuff in warehouse three, that was sent from California. Mr. Kennedy said it was for a colony project, but it would wait until the constructs were all gotten rid of." Ted McNiff squirmed. "Well, those were the words he used. Should we send it all through with them?"
"Perhaps we ought to take a look at it?" Pax was looking thoughtful. Sly.
Equipment for a new gate setup? We can't let it stay here, where they could rebuild the gate and hunt us down immediately. "We can send it through later, if it's personal stuff, not company property." Wolfgang suppressed a smile as everyone gave him suspicious looks. He glanced back at the huge vid. Bus loads of kids, coming here. "In the mean time, we ought to get some things together to send through with those kids, and talk to the people going through and see if some adults are caring for them."
Hastings glared. "And how are you going to get anything together?"
Wolf widened his eyes, although he doubted he looked innocent. "Oh, that was a barb aimed at all you company employees. Why, if I was an employee, I'd rush to town and get all sorts of stuff." He turned back to watch the end of the news.
There was a lot of late night coming and going through the corridor. A heap of bags in the lobby in the morning. Hand tools, leaning against one wall. Boxes and boxes of nails. Cages of chicks and rabbits.
***
The second group of exiles got organized early in the morning. They claimed to not have any bus loads of children. The telies settled down and opened the gate. It was a smaller group, but still took an all day rotation of telies to get them all through.
***
A week later, based on the results of genetic tests, fifteen members of the extended Chou family were escorted to the Trans World campus and sent away with the third group of engineered. A few spouses actually joined them, with hastily collected supplies. Jaejong's spectacular wife showed up with a BOCC RV. With a chauffeur.
Harry didn't recognize any of the federal agents who were all over the approach to the Dimensional Interface building. And in the gate room, and watching the telies as they formed up and started the gate.
Just outside the building, feds were escorting reluctant people into a cylindrical vehicle, apparently a bus made for this purpose.
"It's just retro-engineering for longevity, it's not real genetic engineering, there are no animal genes . . . "
Harry smiled a bit as he recognized Fu Chou's voice.
"And we must have our equipment . . . "
And the young assistant he'd seen multiple times. "I am Jaejong Chou. I am not from this world. I can help you discover medicines, power sources, computer equipment you've only dreamed of. All we have to do is find my home and it can all be yours. I just want to find my home." Then he, too, was pushed onto the bus.
Harry stood immobile for a long moment. Then shook himself. I'll talk to Mike, he'll be interested in that possibility. That Jaejong was even more foreign than we'd realized, and that his descendants covered for his lack of aging, and he repaid them by finding something that had rejuvenated them all. Even though he apparently did not find "home." I suspect Mike will have no trouble finding him, if the government decides it wants him.
Two buses showed up. Each about half full of children. The feds driving got out, and two of the older kids took the wheels. The telies loaded them up with sacks full of god-knew-what, cages and a slew of hand tools before sending them off.
Then the Feds produced lists and all the "excess" telies were herded onto more of the cylindrical buses and sent through with the rest of the exiles. Harry made a note to send lots of extra supplies to them on the first supply run, then went in and started sticking on electrodes to take over as the first round of telies tired.
Finally, the third group of almost-voluntary colonists started moving through the gate.
The next morning, Wolfgang mentioned that warehouse three was empty. It looked like the Chou clan had their equipment, even if they'd been sent to a world not of their own choosing.
***
The remaining stunned managers shifted the gate back to ore and delivery runs while the last two exile groups organized and traveled to Wisconsin. Rumors flew about the few remaining stockholders trying to meet. About Federal Agents claiming that the federal government owned everything belonging to the Chous. About them tracing every single share and confiscating everything possible.
Rumor gave way to reality when the army trucks rolled through the front gates. Most of the employees were sent home. A few managers and the ring techs were retained "to train army personnel."
Dr. Brent changed into a uniform and took over command of the gate operations. Two of the techs also swapped to uniforms.
Military Intelligence. Harry slipped away to call Mike, and found his phone not working. It worked fine in Eau Clair. Mike cursed, and told him to behave while he dug up info on which piece of the government was going to be in charge. Eventually.
Chapter Thirty-two
NewGene Experimental Facilities
Wisconsin, North American Union
4 June 2117
Wolfgang gathered the telies together, the night before the fourth colony run. "The problem is that a hundred and forty-two of us have been designated 'necessary.' We're not going to be allowed to leave. Otherwise, I'd be totally gone."
Paxal sneered. "We'll get Jason to open a gate for you. Feed you to a T-Rex. Good place for you. Great, in fact."
"Be fun while it lasted." Wolfgang flashed a quick grin. He studied the people around him. The cafeteria seemed empty with so few people left.
"Actually, where I want to go is to one of the five worlds the genetically engineered have gone or are going to. A world where we would belong." There was a stir through the small crowd. "The trick is how to get there, especially the last group, the telies who are wired in and opening the gate. I think three or four of us could do it, open the gate, and walk through with the wireless connectors."
Jason stood up. "We'll be doing supply runs every month, right?
"
"Yep, so we can go across, meet people, send stuff through for ourselves. Find out if any of our foster families have been exiled." Wolfgang looked around the room. "So think about it, think about what you want to take with you. We'll do a major shopping spree—everyone knows about the bubbles, right? We can take huge amounts of stuff through with us."
The crowd noise was increasing, so he sat back and let people talk. Bounce ideas off each other, and hopefully form groups to support each other.
"What about women?" Someone yelled from the back.
"The sex ratio of the people going through has been close to fifty-fifty. So there will be plenty, and they'll have engineering and won't be prejudiced. Even if they don't have as much engineering as we have."
"We've been sterilized."
"Plenty of doctors over there, and Dr. Heath has been doing reversals, under the table, so to speak."
That brought a temporary silence.
"She's one of them."
"The three of them tried working from the inside. Didn't work. Now they're stuck down here in the slave pit with us."
"What about Deiter?"
"His choice, if he wants to emigrate. Ditto Coventry and Hastings, not that anyone wants them."
That got a titter of laughter, and the group broke up into clumps of people arguing over, probably, everything. Wolf eyed the crowd. There were people missing, whom he'd expected to be right up front with him.
So many telies had been rounded up and sent through the gate with the more ordinary exiles on the third world . . .
Or had perhaps otherwise disappeared. Wired in, as the horrible rumors persisted?
Charlie Alpha wove through the crowd. "I can't find Rebeccah."
Wolf frowned. "I've half a mind to go find out if the rumors are true, and they're wired up somewhere. Dr. Brent always did consider us subhuman, he may have thrown his restraint to the winds."
"They opened gates twice yesterday, for the mining companies, but they didn't come get a team. Either they don't need us anymore, or some people are wired in long term."
"I refuse to believe it. They couldn't keep anyone healthy for long enough for any results to be worth the worst of the rumors." Mercy turned her back on them.
"So . . . how are you at breaking and entering?" Charlie challenged him.
Wolf flashed a grin. "Very good. Let's go."
It was worse than his nightmares.
Eight bodies. Completely depilated, wires running from scalp to a cage around their heads. They were arranged in a circle, head to the center. Floating in what he vaguely recognized as fluid beds made for long term coma patients.
Richie, Chauncey, Edmund and Barry.
They've been down here for almost a year. Plenty of room for another dozen or so of us.
Rebeccah, Marty and Michael.
His eyes prickled.
Several other telies had come along. They took one look and fled. Word would be spreading fast.
Charlie picked up Rebeccah's hand and held the limp thing for a long moment, then walked out.
Wolf followed him, silent in shock. And thought. Decision. Damn them. They will all die for doing this. Whether I can escape or not. "I'm working the long gate tomorrow morning, and you're off. Everyone possible needs to get out, get through it. You know how to catch bubbles, warp light. Start putting people in bubbles, and haul them through the gate. Don't forget to sabotage the magnetic beacon. Remind them to take all the stuff they've been collecting in bubbles themselves."
"What about you? I ought to be doing the last man thing." Charlie wouldn't meet his eyes, and Wolfgang didn't mention the tear tracks showing in the moonlight.
"I'm more likely to get away . . . and I have a little surprise to leave them as I go."
Charlie nodded. "So, do you know what happened to Jack the Ass?"
"Aneurism—something weakened a blood vessel in his brain. Such a pity."
"Really. And the government doctors who just did this??" His voice shook.
"I have an idea that ought to work just fine."
"I'm almost sorry I'm going to miss it."
***
Wolf saw everyone in the morning, at breakfast, then they all settled down to their routines. He spotted Charlie twice, scooping people up.
Midmorning he reported into the Dimensional Interface building. Harry and Gisele, Mercy, Pax, Jason and AK. All things considered he'd as soon have left Pax out of the circle, but it spun along smoothly enough, the only problem was Pax and AK fighting over which world to grab. Mixed gender groups were unstable enough without competition. Wolf sent power AK's direction. She reached for the high branch, spotted the pattern of beacons in the cloud and the gate clicked down. Wolf switched to supporting Rebeccah as the cars started through. Packed with people and belongings, tools and livestock. Everything they thought they'd need. And they thought that anything they were missing they'd buy next month when the gate opened on schedule. He saw the big lump of bubbles coming. Charlie had stuck them on cars, and was riding along invisibly on the back of a truck. Rebeccah whimpered a bit . . . Rebeccah? Wasn't Rebeccah as good as dead? But she was the one holding the power, Gisele was there, but backing her up as Wolf was.
The last of the bubbles passed through, Charlie was gone. Wolf wondered how many telies he'd taken. And held the gate, as more cars poured through. And held and held. The telies that were wired in, switched in and out, rested and then rejoined the circle. Wolf tried relaxing, being just a conduit for the circling power, not working for a moment. Crushing weariness flooded in, and he floated for awhile, then braced himself and immersed himself again.
And finally the last truck pulled a trailer full of unhappy cattle through the gate and it was done. They relaxed slowly, then the circle fell apart. Someone was yelling and furious. Wolfgang melted, collapsing on the floor right there.
"Oh no you don't. Get up you miserable son of a bitch."
He blinked as he was hauled off the floor. "Where'd your buddies go this time?" Hastings shook him, a show of his strength, or perhaps Wolf's exhaustion.
"Someone escaped? Good."
Hastings slapped him. "Where are they!"
Harry intervened. "He's been here for, umm, twenty hours, Mark. Whatever happened he's not the cause. Now how many are missing?"
Doctor, or rather Colonel, Brent stalked up. "All of them. Every single telie that isn't right here."
"Or wired into your computers, down in the basement." Wolf braced himself to not sway. "We were willing to work for either the company or the government, as employees. As slaves, you wouldn't have held us much longer. As brain dead medical accessories? No. Absolutely no. That was the last straw. Glad they all got away."
"You piece of . . . " That idiot Hastings had a gun. Wolf dredged for the power to raise a shield, and AK dove across him, grabbing for the pistol.
The report was muffled against her body, and she collapsed. "They went through the gate, and without me, you'll never find them again." Her mouth quivered into something that was trying to be a smile. Medical personnel flooded the room, and Wolf pulled himself wearily together. He'd seen enough gunshot wounds to know they couldn't save her. The medical personnel shoved them out of the way, and they walked outside.
"Was that what we felt?" Harry said. "Were those bubbles?"
"Full of people. Charlie is probably trying to find them all and let them out right now. Somewhere."
"I can find them." Pax glared at Wolf. "I can."
"Well, maybe in a few days, when we're recovered, you can try. By then the likelihood of Hastings' rent-a-cops, or the army, finding a significant number of them is very low. And of course, if one of them thinks to destroy the magnetic beacon, you won't even find the world. " Wolf leaned into Pax, and lowered his voice. "Or should I say, you'd better not."
"Has anyone called the police? No of course not, AK's not human." Jason watched Gisele in the scrum of medical people. "He might get a reprimand from HQ."
"Espec
ially if Pax can't duplicate what she did, and find all those other colonies and mining and lumbering worlds." Wolf straightened as Hastings stalked up to them.
"This is all your fault."
"No, this is the government's fault, for being so blind, self serving and short-sighted." Harry leaned in from the side. "Of course a penny-ante wannabe tyrant like you running around with a loaded gun had nothing to do with it."
"In three days we'll open the last colony world, and then we'll find this one again and arrest those . . . retrieve the company property wrongfully taken from here."
"The government has already taken over, and they may be glad they're gone." Wolfgang looked down on the killer, and a wave of rage flooded through him. It would be so easy . . . he shivered as he fought down the impulse to just kill the man on the spot. Later. Invisibly. Along with Brent.
Hasting must have seen something in his eyes, or posture. He slunk back and soldiers with red MP armbands intercepted him and led him away.
More MPs trailed them to the dorm buildings, but they did not attempt to enter the buildings.
Wolfgang was half starved by morning, and downed a huge breakfast.
"How can you eat like that?" Pax demanded.
"Because I'm hungry. Because I've seen people die before. Because I'm going to destroy those bastards for everything they've done to us."
He spent the day under the eyes of multiple guards. They watched through a long supply gate, paced him in a golf cart when he ran later in the day, and again the next morning before breakfast. The cafeteria looked empty as he walked toward the glass doors. Probably fired the cooks, with just five of us capable of eating.
Little alarms went off in his head.