The Golden Circuit (The Smith Chronicles)

by John K. Irvine

  The Lieutenant used the activator, once again, for insurance. “‘Satyagraha’, my mutant friends,” she said.

  “Oh, yes, satyagraha, Lieutenant. How may help you, ma’am?” said one of them.

  “Please, show us to the hostages… I mean, to the guests, here at the camp. We have orders from TAPCON to take them back to Muhaze on the Starship Pan.”

  “Yes, Pan is all ready, ma’am. We keep ready to fly. Nice and polished. Has fuel.”

  Another joined in. “Sometimes we try fly it. Not far, ma’am. Just in hangar. Lift off - touch down - lift off - touch down. Very exciting!”

  “Oh, OK,” said McGilvary, surprised. “That’s good to know… Now, please show us the guests, if you would be so kind?”

  “Yes, ma’am. You follow.”

  McGilvary and Lead-out went through into the five-sided central area. They removed their helmets and packs and looked around the facilities.

  What they saw there shook them to the core.

  Coming off the pentagonal hub, were five long corridors, each with doors leading to small rooms that housed the families of the blackmailed TAPCON workers.

  There were hundreds of people here.

  Hundreds of people who belonged to a family somewhere back on Tapi-36, whose loved ones were being coerced by David Sempre into doing his dirty work for him.

  They’d all come out of their rooms and were standing motionless, staring at McGilvary and Lead Out. Blank faces wondering whether they were in trouble. Wondering who the strange people were that had arrived. Strange people, from somewhere they could not go, not now, not ever.

  “Hello,” said McGilvary.

  A quiet chorus of ‘hellos’ came back, in return. Meek, frightened voices echoing down the five hallways to where the two women stood in amazement.

  McGilvary was so moved, she felt a lump in her throat and tears come to her eyes. But, somehow, she found the capacity to speak. “We have come for you. We have come to take you home, back to Tapi-36. Back to your loved ones.”

  Lead-Out could feel her heart breaking, as she looked around the makeshift camp. Then, to her amazement, a little girl of about 9 years old ran down one of the hallways. Her black hair was in a bowl-shaped haircut and her dress looked like she'd been wearing it since she was 6. She stopped, and looked up at Lead-Out.

  “Hi, there. And what’s your name?” Lead-Out asked.

  “My name is Wind Tamashito. I’m 9 years old. How old are you, lady?”

  “Oh, I’m old enough to know when someone is making fun of me,” she said, smiling at the pudding-haired child.

  “Our father, he is here, now?” asked Wind.

  “No, little one. No, he’s not. But he is on Tapi-36 waiting for you to come home. We’ve come to take you there.”

  “But, Miss. This is our home. Reis-91 is our home. And I have school tomorrow. I will get in trouble if I miss it.”

  “No, Reis-91 is your old home, and you’re going to go to a new school. You’re going to a place where you can go outside and breathe the air - and play with Daddy! How does that sound?”

  The little girl spun round, excited. “Mother, we’re going to a new home, with Daddy! Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Mary Tamashito slowly stepped out of her room and into the hall. She looked drawn and tired. “Is it true? Is it true you have come to take us back to Muhaze?”

  “Yes. It is, ma’am. It’s true,” said McGilvary.

  Mrs. Tamashito felt her legs give way beneath her. She began to weep with joy. “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

  “Our pleasure, ma’am,” said Lead-out, tears welling up in her own eyes. She was glad to be back in the field - even though she was not yet firing a Pro-Cannon.

  The Starship Pan was stored in a hangar about 3 kms from the base. The road was well built and the journey only took a few minutes.

  The tarmac stopped at the front of the hangar. It went no further. The hangar and a small landing area were the only structures visible.

  The Argonauts got out of the vehicle, while the mutant went to open the hangar doors. He raised a hand-held to the locking mechanism, and the doors began to slowly move apart.

  There, inside, was the Pan, shining like a pearl in its shell. It had been immaculately preserved by the mutants of Reis-91. They had lovingly cared for it over the years, even creating a daily rota of restorative works that needed to be carried out. It was a relic from a bygone age, but one that was fully working and in pristine condition.

  “Well, drain me sideways,” said Gadget. “You fellas have really done the business on the old Pan, haven’t you? What a babe!”

  “Yes, Pan is babe,” said the mutant. “We love Pan. Very much. Now you need take it?”

  “Aye, pal,” said Crim, hardly containing her excitement. “We take, I’m sorry.”

  “We sad.”

  “Yep, it shame,” said Ω. “But orders are orders, my friend.

  Chapter 35

  09:59 - Tuesday, July 31, 2187 (Starship Argon, nr. Reis-91)

  “Mikita, you had better sit down,” said Jameson, alone with Mikita on the Bridge. “I owe you the truth about your parents. About myself, and your parents.” She didn't like the sound of this, but she had so many questions, and Jameson appeared to have all the answers.

  “Well… Where do I begin…” said the Captain, hesitantly. “Eighteen years ago, my wife died. I’ll spare you the details for now, but suffice to say that, afterwards, I was in a bad way. I needed some professional help in order to come to terms with things.”

  At this memory Jameson looked down at his hands. His knuckles were white with tension; he loosened them off and took a breath.

  “I was treated by your mother in the Psychology Department at the TAPCON Airbase. I went to several meetings with her. She helped me, Mikita. She brought me back from the brink, from the edge of a dark, dark place where I had existed for a long time. It would have been so easy for me let go and fall into the abyss, but she encouraged me to get back on my feet. I owed her my life.”

  Mikita sat quietly. She was very emotional, but she wanted to understand, she needed to hear the truth.

  “We grew close in our meetings. Probably not very professional, on either account, but that was how it was. Her own marriage was not in the best of health. You father was a strict man, always working and away for long periods - such is the life of a flyer. And, well, one thing led to another, and Kaori… I mean, your mother and I began a relationship. It only lasted a couple of weeks, or so. Then, we were both so consumed with guilt, we ended things. I was appalled with myself for being with another woman so soon after Mharianne had died. And your mother? Well, she was devastated by her betrayal.”

  Mikita could not stop a tear rolling down her cheek, as she struggled to hold her feelings in check.

  “You were born the daughter of Ichiro Smith. The child of a successful and highly thought of TAPCON pilot. It was not until several years later, when you were eight or nine, that your father found out about the two of us. Your mother admitted that the child… I’m sorry… you, were not his. Then he was killed in the Froome Skirmish, along with your uncle, Yaso. But, by this time, she'd long ceased any contact with me, and I had never seen you. Not in the flesh. Though I tried, many times I tried, Mikita, but she would not allow it. She made things very difficult. However, just before she died she sent me a photograph. The one I showed you earlier.”

  Mikita nodded. Her tears flowed freely.

  “You’re probably wondering why I never came for you, after you were orphaned.”

  He paused again to collect himself.

  “Oh, the amount of times I drove down to the Kid’s Project and sat outside in my car. But I had no proof. And you were already in the TAPCON system, getting care. What would have been the point in disrupting your life? A strange man coming in and telling you that you were his daughter? What could I have given you?”

  Jameson was struggling. He was on the verge of tears himself. Tears of re
gret, tears of remorse, for what he’d done - and for what he had not.

  “I’m so sorry, Mikita,” he said, standing up. “Sorry to cause you this pain. I do hope you can forgive me at some point.” Jameson walked towards the door of the Stateroom.

  “Wait, um -” She didn’t know what to call him. ‘Father’ was wrong. Not yet. She carried on: “I’m sorry I said those things before. I too have done wrong.” If you only knew… “Perhaps we can turn some of these wrong things into rights. Together?”

  Jameson was delighted. “Yes, Mikita. I’m sure we can.” He said, then paused, thinking what to say next.

  “So, will we start as friends?” said Mikita.

  “Yes, friends - that’s good. I’d like that,” Jameson replied. “Friends it is.”

  Chapter 36

  11:30 - Tuesday, July 31, 2187 (TAPCON Towers, Muhaze, Tapi-36)

  Tamashito looked out of the cylindrical, glass lift. Muhazians were getting smaller and smaller as the podule shot up the front of the building. The view over the landscape of Muhaze was quite vertigo inducing, but yet, there was such beauty, such hope. And here he was, in one the most despicable and degenerated places he could imagine. Not for long, he told himself. Herra, help me. Tamashito arrived at the top floor and walked out of the elevator.

  Directly in front of him was Ulysses Flugg, sitting at his desk, twitching like a small mammal.

  “Good morning, Dr. Tamashito. You are here for your 11:45 with Mr. Sempre, I take it?”

  “Yes, Flugg. I am.”

  “Please take a seat. You’re a bit early, but I will check if Mr. Sempre will see you now,” he said, as if doing Tamashito a great favour.

  “Thank you, Flugg,” the Doctor replied.

  Flugg got up and disappeared around the corner like a mouse to its hole.

  Tamashito was feeling nervous, but he was making every effort to retain an Earth-based poker-faced exterior. He was about to break every rule that he went by. Every last vestige of respect that he held for human existence was about to be dashed in the next half hour.

  But he had to do it.

  He wanted to do it.

  Flugg came back. “Yes, Doctor. Mr. Sempre is ready for you now. Please, come this way.”

  Tamashito followed Flugg as the weasely secretary retraced his steps back down his warren run.

  Outside the office, Flugg made a polite knock on Sempre’s door, waited for the usual muted reply and swung the door open for the Doctor.

  Tamashito entered.

  Sempre was standing over at the entrance to the Cryonics System. He looked edgy. “Good morning, Dr. Tamashito. And thank you for coming so promptly.”

  “Good morning, sir. It is my duty, and honour, to help.”

  “Well then, let’s get to work,” he said, flicking his hand at Flugg to leave them alone.

  “With great pleasure, sir,” said Tamashito, hoping Sempre could not detect the hint of gleeful malevolence in his reply.

  Sempre held his palm up to the sensor and the bookcase moved. He did the retina test and they were in. Bigsby’s voice came on from above, as usual.

  “Good morning, Mr. Sempre. Good morning, Dr. Tamashito. What a pleasure it is to have you both -”

  “Yes, Bigsby… and likewise,” spat Sempre. “Now, we are in a great hurry today, so can we speed this up, please? You have alerted father, yes?”

  “Yes, Mr. Sempre, certainly, sir. Air Marshall Sashan is waiting for you. Please go through to the -”

  “Thank you,” said Sempre, cutting Bigsby short.

  Tamashito and Sempre put on their suits in silence, then waited for the camera eye to click and the Actionglass door to open.

  Swizzzshumpf!

  They entered the darkened chamber.

  “Will we do the repairs for Air Marshal Sashan first, or shall we awaken my mother, Doctor?” asked an eager Sempre.

  “We will begin the regeneration of your mother first, sir. We can then leave the machines to run while I replace the graphite nodes in the dome interior.”

  “Oh, yes. Very good, Doctor. Please, after you.”

  Tamashito headed for Mayette Froome’s capsule. He could feel his pulse increase as he walked across to the glass tomb and looked down into the nitrogen gas.

  Hate filled his mind.

  He removed his electronic tablet from his case and punched some numbers into it - random numbers just to make some bleeps and blonks; just to lead Sempre into believing that he was actually doing something useful.

  “Oh, this is such a happy day, Doctor,” said Sempre, trying to convince himself that he actually felt something for his mother. “Such a happy, happy day…” His voice trailed off, unconvincingly.

  “Just a few more minutes of programming and I will be done here, sir. It will take approximately 30 minutes for the process to complete itself, so, perhaps, you could inform Air Marshal Sashan that we are ready to make the node corrections? That would be most helpful, Mr. Sempre.”

  Sempre nodded and went over to Sashan’s dome.

  Tamashito was controlling himself perfectly. He was in a lab - this was his territory. However, a dark mood had descended upon him. A darkness he had often felt for the three individuals now in the systems room with him, yet had never given vent to. But here, surrounded by technology and scientific equipment, he found the strength and superiority of mind that allowed him to work calmly, clinically and with the utmost precision. He knew that he had the self-belief to accomplish anything he desired. All that was left to do was switch off his emotions and become numb to his better moral judgement. What was to follow would be a physical act and nothing more.

  Looking over at Sempre, the Doctor could see that the lights inside the dome had come up and heard the usual radiophonic drivel as Sashan began to speak. ‘Dear boy… David my son… How glad… blah, blah, blah…’ It nauseated Tamashito - the distant, superiority of it all.

  By now, the regeneration process had begun. It was really only a matter of switching the green button on the side of the casket to ‘REGENERATE’. Tamashito left it to do its deadly work. Of course, the technology was not ready - nowhere near it. It was a sham. Mayette Froome would be dead in minutes.

  He went over to Sashan’s enclosure. Tamashito’s tone was flat and lifeless: “Good morning, Air Marshal Sashan. It is Dr. Tamashito here, sir.”

  Hello-Doctor-nnmmmnn-and-thank-you-for-nnmmmnn-coming-so-quickly.”

  “It is my pleasure, sir,” said Tamashito.

  “I-trust-the-repairs-will-nnmmmnn-not-take-too-long?”

  “Oh, no, sir. It is only a few minutes work,” replied the Doctor, reassuringly, then set to work.

  The graphite nodes did need replacing, that much was true. Bigsby wouldn’t have allowed Tamashito into the Cryonics Systems if there hadn’t been an appropriate reason. And Tamashito was replacing them - but he was also making a few more ‘minor adjustments’. A few things that Bigsby would probably not approve of…

  “Almost there, sir. Shan’t be a moment. Sometimes these nodes are a bit fiddly.”

  “I-quite-understand-Doctor-nnmmmnn-There-is-no-rush-nnmmmnn-I’m-not-going-anywhere-today-nnmmmnn-Ha, ha!”

  Bigsby’s voice sounded overhead: “Regeneration of Capsule 2 in process! Highly dangerous! I repeat, highly dangerous!”

  Sempre looked at Tamashito, with a confused, worried expression. “Doctor, it appears that Bigsby thinks that your procedure is irregular? Is there something wrong with the capsule?”

  “No, no sir. Everything is in order. Bigsby’s system is programmed to do that. Please, do not worry sir,” assured Tamashito.

  Sempre nodded, hesitantly.

  “There,” said Tamashito. “The repair is complete. Now let’s go check on the regeneration, shall we? Goodbye, Air Marshal Sashan.”

  “Goodbye-Doctor-nnmmmnn-and-thank-you.”

  “Goodbye, father,” said Sempre.

  “Goodbye-nnmmmnn-David.”

  Sashan closed his eyes. The dome dimmed. Ta
mashito and Sempre went back over to Capsule 2.

  “Now Mr. Sempre. Let’s see what we have here,” Tamashito said, as he pressed the ‘EJECT’ switch on the frontispiece.

  Out slide the body tray. A cloud of nitrogen gas escaped in white wisps and plumed upwards toward the ceiling.

  “Irregular procedure in Capsule 2, I repeat irregular procedure!” shrieked Bigsby.

  “Dr. Tamashito, Bigsby says -”

  “Everything is fine Mr. Sempre. Please do not worry.”

  “Aaargh!-nnmmmnn-I-can’t-breathe-David-nnmmmnn-My-son-nnmmmnn-He-e-e-elp-me!”

  The gasps were coming from Sashan’s dome.

  “Father!” shouted Sempre, starting over to the capsule. “Father! What is the matter?”

  “I’m-nnmmmnn-I’m-Cho-king-nnmmmnn-Da-vid-nnmmmnn-He-e-e-elp-nnmmmnn-meee-eee-eee-eee!”

  Sempre stood with his fingers on the glass of the capsule. He could only stand and watch as his father wheezed and heaved, desperate for air. But he was not sure what emotion he felt. Once again. Was he happy? Sad? Angry? He didn’t have a clue! He stood at the dome feeling… nothing. Then, in the reflection of the dome’s glass, he saw an arm raised over his head. And in the arm’s hand was an electronic tablet. He saw it smash down on his skull. Then he saw stars. Then everything went black.

  When David Sempre came to he was surrounded by white clouds.

  He thought he’d gone to heaven.

  He saw a face. A man, with a beard.

  It’s Herra, it’s Herra! he thought, to himself. No. Wait. That’s not Herra… that’s…. that’s someone I know… that’s Tamashito!

  He realised that Tamashito was smiling at him.

  He realised that his mouth had dropped open.

  He realised that he was beginning to scream.