Shattered Truth

by Michael Anderle

  “I know. I want allies, and the captain is looking good.” Erik put his feet back on the desk and his hands behind his head. “Right now, though, I just keep thinking the same thing.”

  Jia scratched an itch along her ribs, one of the abrasions she’d had dealt with. “What’s that?” she asked.

  “That it has cost someone a lot of money to try to kill me.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Nov 8, 2228, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Shadow Zone

  Erik yawned as he guided his flitter from his present lane up into one that had fewer vehicles.

  A few flitters passed him on their way to their own early-morning tasks. Emma was feeding the navigational arrows directly to his smart lenses, and he’d taken a liking to the method.

  Allowing the AI to drive all the time would lead to a skill deficit, and letting her help satisfied her ego. Having a self-aware car was akin to having a daughter, a wife, and an overbearing coworker, all in one.

  “The colonel really likes his early morning meetings,” Erik commented, raising a hand to cover his yawn. “Would it have killed the guy to meet me at noon?”

  With the thick pollution layer blocking the light, perpetual gloom extended over the Shadow Zone.

  Even now, shortly past dawn, enough darkness smothered the area that someone might think it was early evening, not early morning.

  “Considering he’s capable of contacting you directly, he might be about to assassinate you,” Emma suggested.

  Erik laughed. “Aren’t you just a crystal AI full of sunshine? It’d suck if I got assassinated before I got some decent coffee and a beignet.”

  “It’s a non-zero possibility. You have to admit that.”

  Erik wasn’t sure if she was serious.

  Emma’s snark grew, the more time they spent together. She’d already seemed very human, almost impossibly so, when they first met, and only got more so with the passage of time.

  “Trying to assassinate me seems like a good way to end up dead,” Erik suggested. “That’s what all the recent examples suggest. Just saying.”

  He glanced at the lidar and cameras. Emma’s joke aside, the Shadow Zone was a dangerous place, and many of his trips into the area had resulted in major confrontations.

  His gazed dipped to his left arm. Both the biological and technological components had been repaired several days prior, but a certain grim fatalism lingered from the incident. Erik wouldn’t ever claim the Lady would keep him alive no matter what, but he needed to last until he could avenge his troops.

  Emma’s hologram appeared in the passenger seat and she looked at him with a wry smile, her red hair down for a change. “You know what the problem is with humans?”

  He eyed her. “We smell?”

  “I’m sure you do.” She chuckled. “But I can only interpret olfactory data in terms of what I receive from gas particle sampling. So, in a sense, everything smells the same to me. But that’s not the problem. The real issue is how your kind thinks.”

  “Slowly?” Erik suggested.

  Emma laughed, with almost a twinkle in her eye. Erik didn’t know if it was a good thing for an AI to enjoy mocking people so much.

  When AI state-of-the-art of was a machine like the King or a glorified virtual assistant, it didn’t matter, but if Emma represented the future, it might mean trouble.

  There was no way a group of beings like her would tolerate being the servants of slow-thinking, smelly meatbags. Even if she couldn’t technically smell.

  He dropped the thought. Future AI revolts weren’t his problem.

  Emma tapped the side of her head. “Slow thinking can be overcome with strategies and tools, as your species has proven throughout the thousands of years of your simultaneously impressive and appalling civilizations. No, the fundamental error is that you do not think statistically. Your little pattern-matching primitive brains are always looking for a tiger in the shadows, which means you jump to conclusions from the scantest of data. I can think statistically, and therefore can evaluate true risk. A useful trait, to be sure.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “My point,” Emma replied, “is that you’re getting arrogant, Detective. You do not have enough data to derive an assumption of victory. Not all patterns continue.”

  A low, dark chuckle escaped Erik’s mouth. “You keep winning until you lose? Trust me, you don’t need to be a billion-credit AI to know that. I know it too well, which is why I’m on my way to meet Colonel Adeyemi in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Ok—” she started, but he cut her off.

  “If I’d always won, the 108th would still be alive,” he finished.

  Emma pursed her lips and looked away. “True enough.” She vanished.

  Erik maneuvered and descended until the flitter skimmed the ground. He was leaving the edge of the densely packed buildings and tower bases. His course took him toward the dead carcasses of buildings slowly rotting over the decades, an area of the city where no towers had risen after the Summer of Sorrows.

  Grass and shrubs took their revenge on parking lots. Trees surrounded partially collapsed buildings.

  The area was abandoned for a reason. It was uncomfortably close to the Scar.

  The presence of plants and animals proved it wasn’t a poisoned wasteland like the Scar, but honest people didn’t want to live so close to such a twisted place, and most criminals in Neo SoCal preferred the anonymity of the crowds.

  Several more minutes passed before Erik pulled the MX under an overhang connecting two broad, hole-filled buildings that might have been warehouses in the distant past.

  Their roofs were partially collapsed, and they were covered in overgrowth.

  The colonel waited in front of a trio of parked flitters, along with half a dozen other uniformed men, all with rifles and dour looks. Erik recognized most of them from the last time he’d met the colonel in person.

  The older man stared at the MX 60, frowning.

  Erik hesitated for a moment, his eyes drifting in the direction of the hidden compartment holding his TR-7. Emma’s joke about assassination floated back into his mind.

  The colonel hadn’t provided a reason he wanted to meet in such an out-of-the-way place, but it would have been just as easy to shoot Erik in the Shadow Zone proper.

  He shook his head and opened the door, then stepped outside and looked around. “Being on the Shadow Zone Task Force gets me in and out of the main zone pretty easily, but I didn’t see any drones, or military patrols, even though I passed the Scar Exclusion Line with no warning, which means you pulled a lot of strings to make sure I could get in here.” He eyed the colonel. “Isn’t that a bad idea?”

  The colonel’s nostrils flared. “Why do you say that, Erik?”

  “Because it draws attention to you,” Erik suggested. “And I thought you were trying to keep a low profile.”

  Colonel Adeyemi pointed to the buildings and towers in the hazy distance. “You’re right. This isn’t somewhere I want to meet often, but sometimes it’s helpful to go somewhere more private. After everything that’s happened with you, I thought it best to stay away from anywhere your department patrols until a few more snakes are found and handled.”

  “That makes sense, but why even meet in person?” He waved a hand. “Why not use your fancy experimental comm method from before?”

  The colonel locked eyes with Erik as if daring him to look away, but the detective stared back, awaiting his answer.

  There was probably no one left alive who could intimidate him.

  “Sometimes you need to look a man in the eyes,” Colonel Adeyemi explained. “Just to make sure his soul is still there.” The tension in his face lessened. “Sorry to drag you all the way out here, but there are things put in motion by these recent incidents that have made me extra paranoid. I wanted to make sure you got the information first. It’ll be filtering down to your department soon, and when it does, whatever corrupt officials and cops are left might feel like
they need to make a move. I want you to be on guard.”

  Erik folded his arms. “If they’re getting desperate, that’s a good thing. It means I’m getting closer to the truth.”

  The colonel nodded.

  Bags lay under his eyes, highlighting an already weary countenance. “A lot of people have been asking the obvious question about how the Evolved Six went from allegedly being all but destroyed to being able to mount a major assault in Neo SoCal.”

  “Yeah. I’ve been wondering about that, but they swear that this time they are finished.”

  “They are,” the colonel replied. “CID is raiding the four last cells as we speak.” He glanced down at his PNIU. “In fact, they should be finished.” He looked back up at Erik. “They’re keeping it quiet while they follow up on some of the potential links between the Evolved Six and other groups.”

  Erik frowned. “What happened before? When they said there were only a few cells left? My captain didn’t have a good answer for that. Someone send in the wrong report?”

  Colonel Adeyemi’s mouth tightened. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “There’s another thing that CID is keeping very quiet for now. A highly-placed CID agent was falsifying reports related to the Evolved Six and a few other groups.”

  “What? He’s a Grayhead?” Erik asked, puzzled.

  The colonel shook his head. “That would almost be better. I can respect a man who fights for an ideology, even an insane one. This man was messing with data related to the Evolved Six, a few insurgent groups, and some criminal organizations.”

  Erik rubbed his beard stubble, the harsh hairs making a noise as he thought. “I don’t understand. What’s the link between all of those?”

  “We’re not sure. We only know what was motivating him. He was taking bribes. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know who was paying him. He was contacted anonymously and paid anonymously. He just received messages, and when he proved he’d done what they wanted, a nice new payment would end up routed to his account from mysterious bank accounts that don’t seem to be associated with anyone real.”

  “What’s his excuse?”

  “He claims he didn’t think any of the relevant reports and data were very important. A feeble defense, considering he’s looking at life in prison as a co-conspirator in multiple terrorist incidents.” Colonel Adeyemi narrowed his eyes and glared at the ground.

  “What about payment-tracking?”

  “From what the finance and computer guys tell me, the way they made these payments is ridiculously complicated, and almost certainly required people with deep access to the financial and communications backbone. The UTC has put in a lot of back doors to help fight tax evasion and money laundering,” he looked up, “but these people did end-runs around all those measures with ease.”

  Erik grunted. “Not just some gangsters, then.”

  “No. That would too easy. Most of the men involved in the second operation were newer recruits, as you might have heard, and some of them were barely Grayheads. They were effectively mercenaries who thought they could make a little noise and grab some quick money.”

  “That explains their behavior,” Erik mused. “I overheard some conversations that made me wonder.”

  “Did you put that into your reports?” the colonel asked.

  “Depends on if you read the early ones or the later versions.”

  “Early,” Adeyemi admitted.

  “Try the ones submitted almost a week after the event,” Erik suggested.

  He nodded. “Whoever decided to fund the Evolved Six gave them a major infusion of money,” the colonel continued, “which is why they got so ambitious all of a sudden. The CID is leaning on a few companies and they’re having to explain how a terrorist group ended up with something like a King sentry bot, but that seems more like basic greed and looking the other way than a grand political conspiracy.”

  Erik snorted. “How many people are going to let the UTC burn so they can earn a few more credits on the side? Helping insurgents I can see. But helping Grayheads? Cockroaches.”

  “You’re starting to clean up, and CID’s taking notice as much as the criminals,” the colonel replied. “They’re going to keep a closer eye on cases that might be related to you, and that should help cut down on some of these surprises you’ve had to deal with.”

  “That’d be nice.”

  “Some of their agents might be reaching out to you eventually. I’ve got a few contacts here and there I’ve pushed to make sure the right kind of agents are involved, but we need more evidence before I tell them about Mu Arae. We can’t risk having our entire investigation disrupted just as we’re building up momentum.”

  “I was thinking the same thing about my new captain,” Erik explained. “The more things like this happen, the more I have to keep things from him. He’s a straight shooter, but I also get that he might not support us running off to take extra-judicial revenge.”

  Colonel Adeyemi managed something close to a smile for the first time since the conversation had started. “Good. I don’t know him personally, but I have a few high-level friends in the law enforcement community, including some people who used to serve with me. They all say he’s a good man, but I think you should be careful about who you include. Keep in mind that everyone who is probing this conspiracy is at risk.”

  “I know, but we won’t be able to find the bastards by ourselves, or punish them. I doubt this is one guy sitting in a chair somewhere.”

  “Agreed,” Colonel Adeyemi replied. “I’ll trust your instincts on this, Erik. So far, you’re the main reason we’re uncovering anything. Now that CID’s getting cleaned up a little and you’ve got some people watching your back even if they can’t be there for every fight, you can continue moving forward. As we get more evidence, we can maybe start linking people in a more official capacity, but we’re nowhere near close enough for that yet.”

  There was a beep and the colonel looked down at his wrist, flicking it to ignore the message as he looked back up at Erik. “What about things on your end? They’re going through some of the data they grabbed from the terrorists’ PNIUs in Florida. We got lucky that you caught them with their pants down considering they were more careful in Neo SoCal.”

  “Emma, why don’t you explain since you did most of the work?” Erik suggested.

  The redheaded hologram appeared, arms already crossed. “Most of the work? I did all the analysis work.”

  Erik noticed a few of the guards around the Colonel turned to eye her, then resumed their watch looking out.

  “Yeah, but I’m the one who got shot at, nearly blown up and got a new hole in my arm. You don’t even have an arm to shoot.”

  “The MX 60 got shot,” Emma replied.

  “Did it hurt?”

  Emma smirked. “Touché.” She nodded to the colonel. “I cross-referenced the analysis of some of the data we found in Florida with previous data, including data recovered from the Halcyon systems. There are some obviously coded attack orders, and given certain patterns and signatures, there’s a strong probability they originated from the same source.”

  “I see,” the colonel replied. “All evidence pointed to the conspiracy being involved in this case, but now we know for sure that’s the case. Anything else relevant?”

  “CID, based on what they said to Erik, has already come to this conclusion as well, but everything indicates that the second attack wasn’t an act of desperation, but rather a preplanned event.”

  “A little overkill,” Erik muttered.

  Colonel Adeyemi shrugged. “Maybe. You’re still alive. Most of the terrorists aren’t. Very few innocent people died during the terrorist incidents, and we both know what dedicated terrorists can do, especially if they don’t care about surviving the attack. Some big money is being thrown around to turn minor threats into major threats, and all signs point back to the massacre on Mu Arae having something to do with it.”

  “Knowing that doesn’t do any good if we don’t know
who is pulling the strings.” Erik looked out, past the colonel. “It’s like seeing the back of someone’s head in the distance. I just need the bastard to turn around, so I can figure out who he is.”

  Colonel Adeyemi’s face turned grim. “You’ve been loud, Erik. Very loud. Whether it’s Halcyon, Ceres or someone else, they realize you’re a serious threat. A man dying to terrorists is a convenient way to cover up his assassination. The fact they even want to assassinate you proves you’re closer than you should be. I’m doing what I can on my end to keep you alive, including letting you keep Emma, but you need to keep that in mind. Not telling you to stop pushing forward, but be careful as you do, even with the new behind-the-scenes help.”

  “That’s the one thing I don’t get about all of this,” Erik replied. “Why go through all the trouble of paying terrorists to kill me on the side? If they want me dead, why not go at me directly?”

  “It might be a test, too. That’s my working theory.” Colonel Adeyemi gestured toward the buildings and towers in the distance. “The situation here is fluid, and it gives a lot of people, whether street criminals or the rich kind who like to wear suits, the potential for power if they’re ruthless enough. The more these people know about what they can get away with, the better they can refine their tactics. Right now, you might just be an inconvenience, but things could get worse. They probably will.”

  “With all due respect, Colonel,” Erik offered, his voice low, “they can’t get worse than what happened on that moon.”

  The colonel’s mouth pinched into a thin line. He inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly breathed out. “Understood. I’m just trying to make it clear that things are going to be dangerous. I’m being honest with you, Erik. I respect you and what you’ve done, but I’m also using you to avenge my son’s death. Every night I go to sleep thinking about my son dying on that damned moon. And for what? At least if I know who and why, I can get a decent night’s sleep, but I’ll do whatever it takes to find those people. This will probably help protect the UTC in the end, but it isn’t about the UTC for me. It’s about my son.”