“Ugh. Didn’t work out the way I hoped. You do anything interesting, oppa?”
“No,” Min-jun said distantly. “Went home. Saw the family.”
“Okay,” Haley said, clapping her hands together. “That’s us, then. Now back to Alex!”
“Hey…”
Katya opened her big mouth to speak, while Alex scrambled for something to defuse the situation. He was saved by the arrival of Dr. Graaf.
“Good morning,” he offered cheerfully, in his ambiguously European accent. “I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend?”
***
“How long did you remain in the rafters?”
“Five minutes, maybe. However long it took Mikey to recover, and Haley to raise a connection with Central.”
“Yes,” Gaul said, consulting his entirely archaic paper record of the event. “Analytics performed a remote scan of the vicinity, searching for the Etheric Signature associated with Emily Muir. Nothing was located.”
“Right. So I came down and secured the location. We found a truck and a bunch of boxes with labels in half a dozen different languages. Looked like they were loading up after an Eastern European shopping spree.” Alice paused for a moment, the uncharacteristic hesitation catching Gaul’s attention. “That implant you put in Michael – it’s really something, you know.”
“Yes,” Gaul said, responding to the question that hadn’t been asked, but implied. “I never stopped working on the procedure and the implant technology, even when I banned further human implantation. The process has been considerably refined, and the implant itself is several generations removed from the technology inside Mitsuru and myself. The nanites are capable of absorbing energy in his vicinity, as well as efficiently distributing the power of his own protocol into a more utilitarian form, allowing him to project other types of energy multiple times, even to form barriers.”
“Was a good thing, too,” Alice said, shaking her head. “We probably would’ve been dead, otherwise. They rigged the truck with more explosives than there was actual cargo. Without Mikey’s telekinetic shield, you would’ve had to scrape us from the walls. I’m inclined to think that the operation was a dodge from the start.”
Gaul gave her a sharp look.
“Are you certain? The materials losses they incurred appear fairly extensive, not to mention the personnel.”
“Yeah, but we wouldn’t have gone for it if it didn’t feel real,” Alice countered. “None of the guards were fully transformed Anathema. Only Emily Muir, and she bailed. I’m sure losing that gear hurt, but not so bad that it wouldn’t be worth it to take a couple Auditors out. They didn’t know about Michael’s protocol – that was the only reason it didn’t work.”
“You may be right,” Gaul allowed, remembering playing chess against John Parson when they were still students at the Academy. “The Anathema are certainly willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve their goals.”
He still wondered, though. It seemed to him that the Anathema had gone out of their way not to kill Alice Gallow when they had the opportunity, and he had a pretty good idea as to why. If they had truly planned on killing her with the explosives in the rigged truck, then that would mean either their priorities had changed when she became Chief Auditor, or her relative importance to them had shifted, for reasons unknown.
Gaul hated reasons unknown.
“What’re you thinkin’, boss?”
“That this is something of a setback. This operation was the culmination of a month’s worth of raids and investigative work. If, as you suspect, this was an elaborate ploy to draw the Auditors into a vulnerable position, then we have wasted valuable time following leads provided for us by our enemy.”
“What about that inside source you’ve been running?” Alice asked innocently, her eyes putting a lie to her tone. “No more huge revelations to drop in my lap?”
“That is not something I care to discuss,” Gaul said shortly. “But, since you asked – no. I have nothing new to offer on that front.”
“You know, boss, me and you are gonna need to have a conversation about some real awkward topics, and that whole deal will be a part of my line of questioning. You know that I have an Audit to complete, and your conduct is part of it. I don’t like how close you are playing this to the vest. You‘re allowed your secrets, of course, but it seems to me that you’ve been classifying everything lately...”
Gaul shrugged.
“Be that as it may. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” He gave her a thin smile of his own. “Unfortunately, my staff is still preparing the required records for the interview you requested, so that is a conversation for the future.”
Alice shrugged, but her smile flickered briefly.
“Your call, boss. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do. And, as it happens, I know what you are doing next, also. I need you to turn your attention to the Ukraine...”
Alice pursed her lips in annoyance.
“You really wanna follow up on intel that the Witches handed us of their own free will?”
“We play the cards we are dealt, Chief Auditor. Until other options present themselves, I will not sit idly by.”
“Are you buying that line the Witch fed Mitzi, about the Anathema taking over part of their organization? It seems a bit convenient, and we just walked into one trap...”
“It will surely not be the last, either,” Gaul said indifferently. “Such is the nature of our occupation. Better to enter a trap forewarned, with our eyes open, than to be caught unawares.”
“Maybe,” Alice grinned. “Alright, boss. Let’s hear it.”
***
“First, allow me to apologize for the informal nature of our lessons for the week. As I am not a teacher, and our facility is not educational in nature, we have had to scramble a bit to come up with a lesson plan and structure,” Dr. Graaf explained apologetically. “The experience may not be up to the standards to which you have become accustomed. We do have some unique capabilities, however, and I do think that you will find what we have to offer novel, if nothing else.”
He paused as if he expected a response, but none of his four students were so inclined. If they felt anything like Alex did, they were pretty confused.
“I would also like to thank Miss Haley Weathers for sacrificing a good portion of her break to work here with us, in preparation for today’s demonstration,” Dr. Graaf said, beaming at Haley, who blushed and nodded modestly. “I trust that the results we have achieved will prove worth the sacrifice.”
Alex looked over at Katya, but she just shrugged. He felt a little better, as he was apparently not the only one who was out of the loop this time.
“As you are certainly aware, the Far Shores is an institution devoted to the study of the Ether, the nanites, Central itself – all of the unique subjects that our unusual existence has provided. Our goal is to create a fostering ground for unique perspectives and radical rethinking of conventional process, for the advancement of knowledge in realms beyond mundane human experience.” Dr. Graaf said it all with a straight face, but to Alex, something about his demeanor made him seem a bit comical, as if he didn’t take himself, or the Far Shores, nearly as seriously as he claimed. “Until recently, we have been isolated of our own accord, politically neutral and uninvolved in the affairs of Central or the cartels. This policy was softened a few years ago for financial and technical reasons, resulting in the building of the power plant and the secured facility that Audits currently operates from – but these projects were undertaken as experiments, with the intent of preserving our overall independence. This position, however, recently proved untenable. You are probably unaware of this, but our campus and faculty suffered greatly during the recent Anathema incursion in Central.”
Alex snuck another glance at Katya, but she looked as surprised as he felt.
“During the attack, we lost a number of valued staff members, and the majority of our facilities were razed. Initially
, we suspected that we were attacked due to the reserve Auditors facility – which had not, at that point, seen any use – or due to the relatively new power plant. In the wake of the attack, it was immediately apparent that both structures were among the few that were entirely spared from destruction. The surviving faculty of the Far Shores held a common meeting, and devised a new course of action. Shortly after, we signed a formal declaration of alignment with the Academy, while remaining nonpartisan in the cartel conflict. The hope is that the work of the Far Shores might benefit the people of Central as a whole, without showing favor to any particular party – similar, I might add, to the position of the Academy itself – and in turn, serve as bastion of public good and a potential impetus to increased peaceful cooperation.”
The more Dr. Graaf spoke, the more Alex was inclined to agree with Katya’s cult theory. No one could possibly be as amiably naïve as he claimed to be – even Alex, in his short time in Central, knew that the conflict between the cartels was an interwoven thread that ran through every action and thought. Alex also thought he should mention this place to Vivik, if he ever saw him again, and if they were actually still friends when he did. He thought that these people might be right up Vivik’s alley.
“We have undertaken a number of joint ventures with the Academy. This includes our most famous contribution to Central – the power generation facility we recently completed – as well as little-known and still-in-progress advancements, including flexible compounds for the construction of personal armor, nanite dermal patches designed to supplement our natural healing abilities, and communication systems that employ both telepathy and radio transmission to thwart scrambling and interference. We have even proposed a transportation initiative, which promises to revolutionize travel and logistics for all of Central. We are eager to collaborate with the students and faculty of the Academy alike. What I would like to share with you today are the fruits of one of those ventures, one with potential applications in the field. So, if you would follow me...”
Dr. Graaf led them through the door he had entered from, down the hallway, and out into the grey light of the campus. Alex felt a little better about the place – at the very least, he understood why everything looked so new.
“Mind if I ask you a question, Doctor?” Katya passed up Alex to keep pace with Dr. Graaf, who seemed surprised, but pleasantly so.
“By all means.”
“I’ve been wondering why the Far Shores was so big, since we got here. Half these buildings must be empty, judging from the number of people who work here – maybe more. Does that have something to do with your ‘joint ventures’ with the Academy?”
Alex wondered why Katya was so concerned with the Far Shores. He suspected that it might have something to do with her position in the Black Sun, a role that she had repudiated in name only. Katya wasn’t really the curious type, so Alex couldn’t help but suspect that the curiosity was actually Anastasia’s.
“Indeed,” Dr. Graaf affirmed, putting one plump hand on Katya’s shoulder and gesturing at the campus around them with the other. “Much of what you see is indeed vacant, and at the north end of the campus, construction is currently underway. The Director has conceived of the Far Shores as a potential evacuation site should Central ever be attacked again. It is far easier to secure, and much better defended since the reconstruction. In the event of another incursion into Central, as much of the civilian population as possible would be shifted to the Far Shores and housed here temporarily, until the city could be secured.”
Katya nodded as if she wasn’t surprised by the answer, reinforcing Alex’s idea that the question was asked to confirm something Anastasia already suspected. The empty buildings and unused furniture felt a bit less sinister, now. When he remembered the wholesale slaughter the Anathema had visited on the residential areas of Central, and the bodies scattered on the road to the Academy, he had to concede that it wasn’t a bad idea. At the same time, the significance of the plan wasn’t lost on him – the Director was preparing for another attack on Central. That would have been ominous under any circumstances, but when the planner was a precognitive, it was downright chilling.
The walk wasn’t long. Dr. Graaf led them to the adjoining building, where a technician with protective eyewear and a long white coat held a security door open for them. They were led through another anonymous hallway to a small lecture hall, about thirty seats arrayed in progressively elevated rows around a central presentation dais, backed by a curtain. A few of the seats were already occupied – Michael Lacroix sat in the first row, wearing sunglasses, with a big grin on his face. Mitsuru Aoki sat further back, with an indifferent expression, beside Chike Okoro, the Nigerian apport technician whom Alex had barely spoken with. Alice Gallow held a heated conversation on her cell in the back of the room, and Alex extended automatic mental sympathy to the poor soul on the other end of the call.
Alex went to shake Michael’s hand, but the big man stood and gave him a hug instead, which embarrassed and secretly pleased Alex.
“It’s been a while, Alex,” Michael said, sitting back down and inviting Alex to join him. “How have things been?”
“Weird,” Alex answered, without hesitation. “How about you? I haven’t seen you around the Academy at all.”
“I haven’t been around,” Michael agreed. “I resigned my teaching position.”
“What? Really? I had no idea. Why?”
Alex was both curious and disappointed. Michael was his favorite teacher – actually, he was probably the most popular teacher on staff. Alex would miss his brutal conditioning sessions despite himself, and any number of girls (and a few guys as well, probably) at the Academy must have been heartbroken.
“I joined the Auditors,” Michael said with a grin. “Couldn’t let you handle everything on your own.”
Alex’s jaw dropped.
“Wow,” he said, trying to process the information and failing. “That’s, uh. That’s great! I think. Why would you...”
“Long story,” Michael said, patting him on the shoulder. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“Sure,” Alex said, nodding and confused. “Yeah.”
With nothing else he could think of to say, Alex instead turned around in his seat and gave Mitsuru a friendly half-wave.
“Hi, Miss Aoki.”
She nodded curtly.
“Alex. I trust you are well.”
She phrased it like a statement, but he had to assume it was meant as a question, and nodded his affirmation.
“Fine, yes. Um...”
Katya kicked the back of his chair.
“Shut up already. I wanna hear this.”
Pausing to glare at Katya, Alex turned back to the stage as the presentation slowly got underway.
At Dr. Graaf’s urging, Haley followed him on to the dais, while a number of white-coated aides bustled through the curtain and back again, providing Dr. Graaf and Haley with folding chairs, fiddling with a number of blinking black boxes arrayed on a rolling metal rack. There was brief and puzzling outburst of barking from behind the curtain, and Alex glanced at Michael, but if he knew anything, then he wasn’t giving it away. Eventually the technicians were apparently satisfied with the state of the equipment on stage, and Dr. Graaf took the podium, while Haley remained in her chair, staring at her sandals, struck dumb with stage fright.
“Welcome, students and Auditors, to the first of what I hope will be many joint ventures between the Far Shores and the Audits department. Since the Director opted to activate the Audits facility on our compound, we have had the privilege of working closely with some of your number to develop means and technology that might give you an edge in fighting our common enemy – the Anathema.” Alex had noticed before, but he caught it this time – when Dr. Graaf mentioned the Anathema there was a subtle difference in his intonation and body language, normally jovial and personable, to something tenser. He didn’t know what had happened at the Far Shores during the Anathema attack, but Alex g
ot a rather strong impression that Dr. Graaf bore a significant grudge. “The first of these projects to bear fruit is what we would like to share with you today.”
Alex glanced behind him, curious to see if the demonstration was just for the students, but Miss Gallow and Miss Aoki were watching with the same attention as Katya. For some reason, that was the first time that the whole Audits thing started to seem real to him – not during the training, or his first mission, but there, in an auditorium. They were seriously considering him as a candidate for Audits. He was excited and sweating, wondering what in the hell he had gotten himself into.
“The Far Shores has been performing research on the nanites and their rather puzzling relationship to biological organisms for years, with interesting and occasionally revolutionary results. One of the first discoveries our biological researchers made was incidental – namely, animals that were injected with nanites had the same rough ratio of activation versus non-activation as humans, but with a radically different survival average. In other words, those animals without the potential to interact with nanites simply passed them inertly in their excretion.” Alex stifled a giggle, fairly certain that one of the women in the room would kill him if he laughed. “Only mammals appeared to have any potential to interact with nanites, as all experiments with insects, fish, and reptiles had no effect. The vast majority of mammals were similarly unaffected. Of the minority who demonstrated biocompatibility, follow-up tests revealed fascinating results. The affected animals showed increased cellular activity and regeneration. And before you ask – no, we did not create hyper-intelligent monkeys.”
Dr. Graaf beamed at the room, but his joke was met with silence. He coughed, then continued just as brightly.
“After limited testing with compatible animals, we settled on canines as the most workable option, due to lifespan, cognitive abilities, and potential field applications. In conjunction with Vladimir Markov of the Academy, we envisioned the possibility of nanite-enhanced dogs playing roles in defense activities, explosives detection, and even surveillance. But, with the cooperation of the Audits department, and the talents of your own Haley Weathers,” Dr. Graaf said, gesturing with his hand to take in the furiously blushing hippie girl, “we have been able to accomplish more than we ever dreamed. Carlos, Vivian, if you would?”
The Far Shores (The Central Series) Page 27