All in Good Time

by Mackey Chandler

It was quite a long time before they heard a pop of the little rifle discharging, longer yet before they heard three more. There was a final group of three and they returned both looking satisfied. By then Eileen and their host were making lunch.

  * * *

  “What do you suggest I do, if I don’t knock any more bridges down, Chen?” April asked.

  Chen looked alarmed. “I’m not comfortable suggesting actions when I’m not sure of your intent,” Chen told her. “It’s too easy to slip into creating policy.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that before. But you are willing to say why some targets might be a bad idea. Of course, if I don’t do something you can’t be blamed for what didn’t happen, but if I follow a suggestion it may be a disaster and I could blame you,” April theorized.

  “That’s the essence of it,” Chen agreed, “but I’m not just evading responsibility. I think it falls well outside my duties to suggest broad actions. I’m more like a Captain serving you as a General. Now if you can explain what you want to accomplish I can help with how. I know you want Irwin back, but I suspect there are other things you would consider a plus in accomplishing that and other things outside acceptable boundaries. You’ve never made clear to me what those are and I’m no mind reader.”

  “You may have a point there. I guess half a glass is better than nothing. Since all this is pretty much about them getting in a huff about us using gold for money, it occurred to me to plant a nice big penetrating warhead on Fort Knox. Since they have no use for that relic of obsolete monetary policy what could it hurt? To hear them that has no influence on the value of the dollar, so how could they complain?”

  “Well, sarcasm aside,” Chen said, “they may object to your detonating warheads anywhere on their territory. Even in desolate wilderness. It’s a matter of sovereignty. But I wouldn’t hit Fort Knox because they might moan and complain, all the while smiling behind their hand because you did them a favor.”

  “A favor?” April said. She barely managed to make it sound like a question.

  “Nobody has said much about it in recent years. It kills your social score now to question anything. But back around the turn of the last century, people demanded a complete audit of all the gold at Fort Knox. They did have some official go unlock and look in one room, declared there was gold there, and that was the end of it. I do wonder if the people asking even realized how expensive an honest physical audit would be? The state of gold trading back then was secretive and there were questions about the quality of the reserves.

  “Apparently a lot of it was coin melt from back in the 1930s confiscation. Gold was loaned and hypothecated even if it wasn’t physically removed. Some of the smaller countries had their national gold reserves seized for political reasons, and even supposed allies had a hard time extracting gold that was held for safekeeping from back in WWII,” Chen said.

  “I’m not following what you are trying to tell me,” April admitted.

  “There is a possibility there is no gold, or not what is supposed to be there. Even if it is all there, the records of loans and liens may be so messed up the ownership of any one particular bar may be unknowable. The people who managed all that are dead, and the present people even deny it has any monetary worth, which isn’t exactly comforting. If you destroy the facility you may relieve them of the need to ever make an accounting.”

  “Oh well, scratch that idea,” April decided. “Since this is all based on financial complaints and banking law I would love to hurt them there directly, but I don’t know how without hurting innocent people and creating needless chaos.”

  “Oh, that’s not so difficult,” Chen said looking surprised. “You can disrupt their communications and put the whole trading and banking systems in turmoil.”

  “It must be obvious to you, but I have no idea how it works. Educate me,” April invited.

  “There are two ways you could disrupt them. Almost all data traffic is carried by fiber between cities. There are only so many places it intersects and branches. Remember, in North America, almost all the decent land has been developed for years. If you put in new utilities you don’t just cut a trench across some farmers field. There are established easements and you have to buy the rights to use them. In the cities, the locals get to say who can put stuff on poles. The big trunks follow interstate highways, state routes, and in some cases old railroad right of ways.”

  “Aren’t those all buried deep and armored against damage?” April asked.

  “Not at all,” Chen assured her. “They are so susceptible the utilities in a lot of developed countries require you to have somebody come out and mark where their lines are before you start construction or dig. Some things like petroleum pipelines are permanently marked.”

  “How can they mark them?” April asked, not picturing it at all.

  “They go along and poke little colored flags in the ground to mark the route,” Chen said.

  “That’s insane. Their critical infrastructure is all at risk. I mean, you can’t hide a bridge but if I owned fiber or cable I would want the route it followed to be secret,” April said.

  “That’s pretty much impossible,” Chen said, shaking his head. “Some places the easement is only a few meters wide. You know where it is in a very narrow band. For that matter, when you took down those bridges you can be sure you severed some utilities. Since they follow roads, when they come to a bridge the lines and cables are carried across hung under the bridge. There are places where there is a little building beside the road where lines intersect. Otherwise, it would be hard for workers to get access to them. They’d have to dig.

  “However, there are a few places you can target dedicated coms for the banks and markets that are critical. I imagine that would pressure them nicely without knocking out service to things you don’t want to like the power companies.”

  “Why would they have separate communications?” April asked puzzled. “In fact, how could they, if it’s all bundled together in these easements?”

  “The markets are automated to a large degree,” Chen said. “A microsecond can be the difference between your bid beating out a competitor or being the bag holder. They set up their own microwave and laser towers from the exchange to a company data processing site because commercial data services are too slow. It goes out over the air where there is no easement. It won’t take them all out of service but there’s a lot of overlap. The investment houses and stockbrokers are intertwined with the big banks and insurance companies. Nobody will know what to do. Take out their private data links and they will be in chaos. I bet they don’t even have a plan in place to switch back to the inferior public services if they go down.”

  April looked thoughtful, then calculating and smiled. “If that happens all the little players who can’t afford their own private coms will jump in to take advantage.”

  “Well yeah, I hadn’t thought of that,” Chen admitted. “A few of them will be very happy.”

  “Now that you know my reasoning and goal, will you get me targeting data for those systems?” April asked.

  “It will be my pleasure,” Chen said.

  * * *

  Mr. Mast was up early to make them a hot breakfast. They could smell it before going downstairs. Alice was off in her own room. That was another luxury that had amazed her.

  “Did you establish how you are going to help Mast organize his political machine?” Eileen asked. “Does he have other recruits besides you?”

  “Yes, but the main thing is he said we will all have a private meeting at the next festival. He is concerned with the Olsens. As long as they are there the road is dangerous for travelers. He was terribly upset they intended to keep Alice. I think that’s part of why he gifted her with such a valuable item. The next traveler they waylay may come to more immediate harm. He intends to form a posse and go remove them as a hazard.”

  “Some of the sons may not like being bandits anymore than Alice relished being their property,” Eileen said.

  “
Yes, but none of them have shown it by running away like Alice, have they? For that matter one of them could have run away with Alice as a rescue,” Vic pointed out. “We don’t have the luxury of a juvenile court and social workers to see if any of them can be rehabilitated. I’m afraid they are of an age where they will have to be responsible for their behavior like adults, just like most kids are since The Day. Would you want to take one of them into our house to try to straighten him out?”

  “Put that way, no. I’d be watching my back any time you weren’t in the room.”

  Vic just nodded, and the subject was closed.

  They resumed their previous formation of Vic in the lead and Eileen hanging back and sometimes taking the opposite shoulder. Alice was instructed to lag both of them and stay behind Vic most of the time. Her tiny rifle didn’t have hardware for a sling but Mr. Mast supplied a leather braid that was tied around the barrel forward of the handguard and at the narrow point behind the trigger guard on the stock.

  Vic informed her she was trusted to carry it with a round chambered since the rifle had to be manually cocked before it could be fired. Alice slung it hanging in front over her right shoulder. That was similar to how Vic carried his own weapon except his was heavy enough to need a more complex harness. Alice’s Cricket hung with the barrel pointing down to the left from her hip and the butt riding below her armpit and almost centered on her chest. That worked for now because she was still flat-chested. In two or three years they’d need a different solution.

  Eileen thought Alice looked three inches taller armed. She definitely carried herself differently. The rest and some decent food at Mast’s had to have helped too. Alice copied them and didn’t chatter on the road. Eileen suspected she was smart enough to realize it was a safety issue. When Eileen glanced back to check on her Alice was herself checking behind them. Apparently, that was of her own initiative. She hadn’t heard Vic tell her to do that.

  It was a long hard hike and Alice was carrying her clothing in a shoulder bag and a water bottle. She never made a complaint or failed to keep up, not even to ask for a toilet stop, waiting until Eileen called for one and joining her in the brush.

  When they arrived back home Alice jerked in shock when Tommy and Pearl were standing at the door waiting to greet them. Eileen was embarrassed when she realized they never got around to explaining they had house sitters. The poor girl must have thought they had squatters move in on them. The panicked look disappeared quickly when friendly greets were exchanged.

  Pearl hugged Alice when introduced and Tommy offered a hand to shake. It wasn’t that much of a hesitation, but Eileen saw Alice freeze for an instant before reaching to shake. She hadn’t acted that way with Vic. Was it because Vic was older or did Tommy remind her of somebody who mistreated her at the Olsen’s? Eileen didn’t want to ask.

  * * *

  Irwin finished what he suspected was lunch. The lights never varied and he had no clock or calendar, but for some reason, the jail still followed a traditional sequence of meals, every third meal seemed to be something that most people would choose for breakfast. Lunch and supper were harder to tell apart, but lunch often seemed to be some sort of sandwich. Supper was more often a hot wet dish that needed a spork instead of fingers. If they wanted to keep him totally isolated and off-balance they were missing a detail there.

  The screen activated with his supposed attorney again. Irwin hadn’t expected to see Frederick Brooks on the cell monitor again so soon. The boy looked distressed. Everything considered, Irwin couldn’t think of any reason the tool might look happy that would be of benefit to him. That would mean something was going against him.

  “Mr. Hall, I had an odd experience just now. The judge who was assigned your case suddenly decided to take his retirement. Not that he didn’t have sufficient service to do so. It’s just customary to do so in a much more orderly fashion, giving some notice if it is isn’t a matter of suddenly declining health or family matters. I have no idea what got into him.”

  “I suppose that means my trial date is put off for some time?” Irwin asked.

  “Indeed, I have no idea today who will hear it much less when. I spoke to the prosecutor today and suggested your crime was not one of violence and we were failing to give you a speedy trial. I proposed setting a bond even if was a very high one. After all, you have had no way to communicate and are not responsible for what your friends do. Then there is the matter of your cooperation in your favor.”

  Irwin just blinked a few times at that, cursing himself for even showing that much reaction. “How was that received?” Irwin asked carefully.

  Brooks’ face went back to unhappy. He even allowed a little anger to creep in.

  “He laughed when I mentioned your cooperation. That’s totally uncalled for. We’re both officers of the court and I have never disrespected him.”

  “In what way did you suggest to him that I cooperated?” Irwin asked.

  “Why, your video asking your friends to refrain from violence,” Brooks said.

  “I’ve been in this cell without any other communication since I last spoke to you. I haven’t made a video or had any interaction with anyone. I take it then that somebody has acted on my behalf? I certainly haven’t had any news of it,” Irwin assured him.

  “I watched it!” Brooks protested.

  “I’m sure you did,” Irwin agreed.

  Brooks looked alarmed that Irwin didn’t argue and reached out below his camera view to slap the connection closed. Irwin never got his question answered and had no opportunity to ask again. It was sort of sad. Brooks knew there were ads for various products featuring movie stars who had been dead for decades, but he couldn’t imagine the same tech being applied to propaganda. He wanted to believe so badly.

  So, someone was acting to gain his release. Who was most likely? His man Dan might do that, but he couldn’t imagine him doing anything violent. He didn’t have the personality or the resources to offer violence. If the matter went to the Assembly it would be a matter of war not mere violence and Brooks spoke of his friends. He’d have never used that word to refer to the Assembly.

  Irwin suspected Brooks would have told him plainly if matters had gone to the bad enough to have open war again. That pretty much left Jeff or April as his helpers. If one was involved the other would be supportive, but who was taking the lead? The more he thought about it the more he felt it had to be April. Jeff had such a bad reputation with the Earthies he’d been trying to keep a low profile. April, despite all the things she’d done, had a better press. Irwin had never thought about it before, but Jeff came across very badly in an interview. That, and the fact he hadn’t felt any artificial earthquakes, suggested April. Jeff was many things but not subtle.

  * * *

  Heather held her weekly court and disposed of a question about subleasing and occupancy by decree, refused to set rules for the division of property from an estate, and suggested to a young couple that if they were not mature enough to agree on terms of a marriage contract they were almost certainly not mature enough to marry, and could save themselves a great deal of drama and trouble by growing up a bit more before making such a commitment.

  The last petitioner who she knew to be a local got all twitchy and worried looking as the cases were disposed of working down to him. He’d never been to her court and Heather’s blunt and brutal evaluations of the losers in each case must have frightened him. The fact he was there without a counterparty spoke against him too. Such cases were often an ambush of the other party or worse, a complaint against Heather or her agents themselves. He wisely got up and left with the young couple seeking somebody to play the adult over them.

  That left one thin young man waiting who was not a local. Heather’s assistant Dakota has asked what the nature of his case would be and he’d replied it was a state matter and he would wait until he could speak directly to the Sovereign. Dakota was on high alert warning Heather she didn’t trust him. Heather doubted the man would patien
tly wait for all her cases to be disposed of before carrying out an assassination. Assassins were not generally so polite. Still, it was good knowing Dakota had her back and would keep an eye on him. The man had no visible weapon. Come right down to it he didn’t look all that happy to be here.

  Once the others were out the door Heather invited the fellow forward to the carpet.

  “How may I address you without giving offense?” he inquired.

  “Heather will do nicely until we have some sort of relationship established. I don’t bother with titles much and Ms. Anderson doesn’t really say any more than Heather.”

  “My name is Nathan DeWalt, and I am the number two authority in the Earthside recruitment and fundraising agency for the Martian Republic.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t style your office as an embassy,” Heather said.

  “We haven’t been able to negotiate that level of recognition,” DeWalt admitted.

  “Why didn’t you simply call me on com?” Heather asked. “I’d have spoken to you or at least returned your call.”

  “The nature of my message is sensitive and I have doubts about whether my offices, transport, or even my apartment are clean. I trust your facilities much more than my own.”

  “Yeah we have roaming bots that are pretty good at finding any bugs, and we don’t trust anything open to an Earth data connection. Anything that touches Earth is through a cheap stand alone computer and air-gapped and isolated. Even things like news programs are sanitized real-time and rerendered in formats that can’t pass any executable file,” Heather said, “but all this effort misses an important point. I’m not giving any promises to hold what you tell me confidential. My partners and I don’t like your little republic. We regard it more as a misguided cult than a legitimate government. So, balance that you are telling it to a partner of convenience, not an ally, against the value of what you want to tell me.”

  “Necessity is laid upon me from my superiors to transmit this,” DeWalt said. “May I ask why you have such an intense dislike of us? Perhaps I can present us in a better light.”