Death's Twilight
Page 21
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Igor's Hostel, Ural territory, December 5, 2308 16:04:25
Hotaru sat at the table in her room at the hostel. She sipped at a cup of coffee as she stared out the window at the vista below. Smoke twisted from chimneys disappearing into the evening twilight as stars twinkled above. Today had been a very interesting day. The things that Abujamal had told her all pointed to a cover up. What Hotaru couldn't figure out was why.
"Doctor Viktor Frankl...head of the team that finally eliminated Cancer from the Earth...The government pays him handsomely to keep it quiet..."
Frankl was part of it. Hotaru had him figured out. Money was his only motivator. As long as the money kept coming, Frankl would maintain the status quo on his end. Abujamal had indicated that there were plans to go public with the information. Would the information still go public with Abujamal dead? She needed to find out who Abujamal was going to talk to. And what of the claims he made?
"2299...fiftieth anniversary of the planet being Cancer free...research points to the deaths being targeted...arrested twice for unlawful protesting...died while riding his bike to work...completely healthy the day before."
She picked up her Tablet, and scrolled to the pictures she had taken of the cork board. Its charts of disease, and the hand drawn lines to dates. There was a line from Cancer to 2249. Was Abujamal telling the truth? The only way to verify the claim would be to talk to Frankl. She had some vacation time coming up. Maybe she would spend it in Northern Europe. She set the Tablet back on the table, and picked up her coffee, cradling it in both hands, feeling the warmth of the cup radiate into her hands.
Suddenly a thought struck her: Smallpox. Her father had died from smallpox after looking at the Tablet. Was there a connection there too? Reaching over to pick up her Tablet, she was surprised to hear it chirp. As she accessed the menu, she found another assignment. Already? That was fast. She submitted to the verification scans, and waited for the assignment to load on the screen. What she saw surprised her:
Information not suitable for Tablet viewing. Please contact Control for full assignment details.
What the...? Hotaru wondered, punching her chronometer's communication function.
"Voice activate, Emissary 0256773. Call Home."
The familiar voice responded. "Voice activation confirmed. Dialing. Please wait."
As she waited, she began to pace the floor of the kitchen area of her room. Unconsciously, she began to hum to herself.
"Hey Jude, don't make it-"
Suddenly a voice came on the line: "Emissary 0256773, this is Control. How can we be of assistance?"
"Hello, Control. I received an assignment transmission with instructions to contact you for full assignment details. Can you verify transmission?"
"Checking. One moment, 0256773." There was a pause of only a second. "Confirmed, 0256773. Transmission originated from Control. Are you at a secure location?"
She paused to think. Igor said this room was for Emissary use. It must be secure.
"Yes, Control. Room is secure."
"Locating chronometer signal address...address found...verifying connection security and speed...compatible. Transferring assignment details to viewing screen...information transferred. Can we be of further assistance?"
"Not at the moment, Control. Thank you. 0256773 out."
The line disconnected, and Hotaru walked to the viewing screen in the main living area of her room. On the screen in large red letters, Hotaru read:
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS CLASSIFIED, AND IS INTENDED FOR SELECT INDIVIDUALS ONLY. PLEASE PROCEED TO TERMINAL AND RE-VERIFY BIOMETRIC IDENTITY.
Well this is new. Hotaru, thought as she stepped to the identity terminal. She placed her right hand into the terminal, looking into the laser to verify her retinal identity. There was a long pause, and Hotaru thought the machine had malfunctioned. She removed her hand, and placed it back on the pad. She was about to bend to the laser again when the light on the terminal turned blue and the viewing screen changed from the warning message to the familiar silhouetted figure of Control.
"Good Evening, 0256773. This message is intended for you, and you alone. Sensors have scanned your accommodations, and have placed a silence envelope around your room. No one but you is privy to this conversation. It needs to stay that way."
"Understood, Control. Can I ask-"
"You may listen, 0256773."
"Yes, Control."
"We have reached a crisis point in the Emissary Program. For the first time in over a century, an Emissary has failed their task in Delivering their Letter."
Hotaru was stunned.
"And the Target?" she asked.
"Yesterday at 12:03:28, local Ukraine time," The voice continued, not acknowledging her question. "Emissary 0247893 registered Delivery to his Target. His Target time was 12:03:12. Failure to Deliver is an offense under iCorps Emissary manual Section IV, Subsection ii, paragraph 2."
Hotaru nodded. She knew the passage well. Every Emissary did. It was the next paragraph that scared them though.
"Pursuant to paragraph three, should an Emissary fail to meet the above guideline, a penalty shall be imposed upon said Emissary of no less than six weeks imprisonment, or death by Letter, despite what cause the Emissary purports to be. The Emissaries' immediate supervisor shall impose penalties according to his or her discernment, unless the target in question is of sufficient rank or level, in which case the Emissary shall be brought before The Tribunal for Judgment."
"And you want me to Deliver, because..."
"Because, 0256773, now that 0247893 is disavowed and slated for a Letter, you are our best, and only, hope of catching him."
"What about his Beta?"
"0247893's Beta is forty years old, and is on the other side of the world. We have activated 0247893 Delta, but she's only seventeen, and no match for someone who has been in this job for as long as he has."
"Where was 0247893 last seen?"
"Crimea. His Target was verified dead on a suburban sidewalk by a passerby. The coroner registered the cause of death as a heart attack."
Hotaru's mind flashed to Abujamal's cork board. No heart attack listing there.
"And the maximum penalty has been allowed-"
"Because his Target has been convicted of the murder of Principal Leeds of Alberta Territory."
"But the Target is dead?"
"Yes, but we cannot let this slide. We need to make an example for the rest of you. The order stands, 0256773."
"Understood. Target date?"
"You have seven days, 0256773. By midnight, December 11, 2308 you must register a delivery to 0247893, or face the same penalty that he is facing."
Hotaru gulped, swallowing hard.
"Yes, Control. It shall be done."
"Do you require any assistance prior to your undertaking of this extraordinary mission?"
"No, Control, but I do have an unrelated question."
"Proceed."
"My last Target, Husain Abujamal, claimed that Cancer has been cured since 2249. Can you verify?"
"One moment, 0256773, verifying."
The screen went dark, and there was a long pause as she paced the living room. After an excruciating five minutes, Control was back.
"We have searched the records maintained by iCorps, and we can find no records of such a claim. We did find irrefutable proof that Cancer is still unchecked. Your own mother died from Cancer, did she not?"
The words hit Hotaru like a brick.
"Yes." She muttered.
"Then you have your answer, 0256773. Your seven days begins at 0600 tomorrow morning. We have you booked on a flight from Domodedovo airport to Poltava airport that leaves at nine am. Good luck, 0256773. We hope you succeed, for your sake."
The screen went blank, and her Tablet chirped. She glanced at it. It read: Delivery Information Updated. And that's that, Hotaru thought to herself. Seven days. That was a long time. She had never heard of any Emissary being given seven day
s to find a Target. Was 0247893 that good? Deciding to leave in the morning, she accessed her Tablet's e-mail program and logged in. There were a couple ways she could get additional information on 0247893. She created a new message and began to type:
To: Control (control@icorps.corp)
From: 0256773 (0256773@icorps.corp)
Subject: Target 0247893
Control,
It seems to me that the most effective way of flushing a hidden Emissary is to freeze the assets owned by that Target. Therefore, I am requesting a full freeze of all assets belonging to Emissary 0247893, in accordance with Section I, paragraph ii.
Protocol dictates that his dwelling be turned over to his Beta, but I request a five day delay in that practice. While I cannot travel there myself, perhaps Beta 0247893 can photograph the room, and send the images to my Tablet, in the hope that I may glean information critical to completing my task.
Finally, if 0247893 was working with any known associates, they may be an additional avenue to tracking him down. A list of these associates would be most helpful.
Humbly Yours,
Hotaru Kogame, 0256773
It appeared that Frankl, and her vacation, would have to wait. She now had more pressing duties to attend to. She placed a call to Igor, and ordered three dresses of varying styles. She stressed her upcoming flight, and he promised he'd deliver on time. He asked if she wanted shoes and accessories to match, but she declined everything but the shoes. Her pack would suffice. A tingle of excitement filled her as she thought about being the first to go after an Emissary in over one hundred years.
Don't get too cocky, Hotaru. Complete the mission before congratulating yourself.
She checked her chronometer: 10pm. It was time for sleep. She changed into her pajamas, placing her uniform in the laundry bin. It would be ready for the morning. She crawled under the covers, and was asleep in seconds.