by M. D. Cooper
When she reached the central building, Isa burst into the lobby, scanning the information that gave the floors and room numbers of each department. A human receptionist asked if he could help her, but Isa replied that she was fine, she knew where she was going.
The Trojan Business License Authority was on the fifty-fifth floor. She waited for an elevator. There were only two and both of them were at the top of the building. Two elevators to service the seat of Troy’s government? Whoever had designed the place had to be a moron or an asshole. She guessed the latter.
The long wait caused Isa’s ire to cool, and she took more notice of what was happening around her. At the other side of the lobby, the doors to the public gallery in the debating chamber were open. A parliamentary debate was in session. The leader of the ruling party was answering questions from the opposition. Isa could hear the responses of the representatives from within the chamber.
It seemed like a normal day at Troy’s seat of government. Except, Isa suddenly realized with puzzlement and a degree of alarm, there are a lot of guards. She recalled she’d had the same impression on her previous visit. Are the numbers normal for Troy?
Isa had only been at Carthage’s Government House one time, when Tanis had debriefed her on the SSS attack at Tyre. She didn’t think she’d seen that many security personnel there.
She took note that not only were there excessive numbers of guards, but that more were appearing and walking past her, heading toward the debating chamber.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
STELLAR DATE: 05.25.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Marine Park, Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
Martin wasn’t sure what effect Jude’s presence might have on the octopuses, but he hoped it would be a good one. As a species, octopuses were excellent parents, or at least the females were, up to a point. Most octopus species’ females spent months caring for their developing eggs, not even eating or moving from their nests until after the eggs hatched. Often, they would die.
Martin had been heartened by the news that the octopuses had been behaving themselves since he’d spoken to them. Maybe another visit with his son in tow would be equally effective. Hopefully they would see him as a father and not only another marine park biologist.
As he was driving the submersible out of the bay, Martin saw the visitors’ amphibious vehicle enter the water. He pointed it out to Jude. The amphibian seated twenty and was one of many that were parked at the park’s entrance on the beach. After the passengers climbed aboard, the vehicle would be driven along a paved ramp that led directly into the sea.
Was that why Pietr had wanted to tag along on the latest tour? Did he want to have fun driving the underwater buses? Martin peered closer at the amphibian as the bubbles cleared in the distance. Yes. There Pietr was, in the driving seat.
Martin gave him a wave, but Pietr didn’t wave back. Martin guessed the lab tech hadn’t noticed him. It didn’t matter. He would see him later.
Martin started out on the drive across the park to the octopuses’ garden.
Lindsey had told him the route the visitors would take. First, they would pass by the coral reefs, which were already teeming with life. The site was best seen via snorkelling or diving, but the guests would still have a pretty good view through the amphibian’s windows. Next, they would be visiting the sea mammals’ area. That would be a lot of fun. The sea otters, seals, sea lions, and dolphins loved going up close to the vessel’s windows to watch the people inside and interact with them.
The third site on the guests’ itinerary was the deep-sea dome. Pietr would circle the dome slowly several times so the guests could get a good look at the strange luminescent creatures that inhabited it. The final stop would be the octopuses’ garden. After leaving the sea, the visitors could catch the maglev to return to Ithaca, or take another route home.
When the park was fully open, all the areas would be accessible, including the monsters of the deep site and the diatom spectacle, which wasn’t quite ready yet. Creating diatoms the size of small children that could also perform their normal processes had turned out to be much harder than Lindsey had anticipated.
Jude’s expression was full of fascination as Martin piloted the submersible through the water. Even his favorite toy had fallen from his grasp as he stared, open-mouthed, at the watery expanse that surrounded them. He was quick to spot sea creatures, no matter how distant they were from the vehicle.
Soon, Martin had driven the Torpedo most of the way across the safari park, and the kelp forest that was the octopuses’ pride and joy was coming into view.
Jude asked, “Are we at the octopuses’ garden? Can I play with them?”
He was clearly thinking that Martin would drive the submersible to the surface and let him get out for a swim, as he had at the sea mammals’ site.
“No, sorry,” Martin replied. “The waves are too high today. It isn’t safe to swim.”
Jude thought for a moment. “I’ll swim under the water.”
“You know, the octopuses would like that because they live on the bottom of the sea, but you won’t be able to stay there very long. You would have to go up to the surface to breathe. Sorry, Jude. Maybe next time. But you can see the octopuses from here.” Providing they come out. The seascape was looking suspiciously empty of cephalopods.
“I want to breathe water like you, Daddy,” said Jude.
“One day you’ll be able to if you want. When you’re older.”
The legal age for body modification was eighteen, but Martin didn’t want tell Jude that. If his little mind could comprehend the passage of time, he didn’t want to disappoint his son. When you were three, fifteen years had to seem an impossibly long wait.
Martin was looking around carefully for signs of camouflaged octopuses, but he couldn’t see a single one. The darned creatures were just too good.
The kelp forest swayed and trembled in the rough water, but of Xavier there was no sign. All the other octopuses were hiding too.
Darn it.
Martin might have known the creatures’ promises could not be counted upon. He wondered what to do. In an hour or so, Pietr was due to drive the amphibian across the garden. If the octopuses ‘pounced,’ as they seemed to be planning, that could mean bad publicity for the park.
Or perhaps it could be a feature?
Martin could see the positives in selling octopus kidnapping as an experience, as long as the captors weren’t held for too long, but the visitors had to be expecting it.
Martin was also deeply confused by the news, but he wasn’t sure what Lindsey wanted him to do. She was Pietr’s manager, not him. He had enough on his plate at the octopus garden.
Jude had climbed out of his seat in the subm
ersible and was pressing his face against the transparent skin, trying to spot the octopuses.
“I think they all went home, Daddy.”
Martin now had a better idea why Lindsey was contacting him. From his current position, he would be able to reach the amphibian faster than she would coming from the complex. But what could he do? He had no idea what Pietr had planned.
he ventured,
Martin looked at Jude, who was sitting in his seat again, swooping his toy octopus through the air.
First, Martin tried to contact Pietr himself; predictably, the man didn’t reply. Then Martin accessed the park complex’s network and pulled the real-time route of the amphibian. He could see that the vessel was heading in a straight line across the park. Martin ran a prediction based on the current route so that he could estimate where to intercept the wayward vehicle. The line ran across the park to the ocean shelf. When Martin saw the point at which Pietr’s route exited the park, he tensed.
Lindsey went silent. Martin hoped she was taking his advice. He swung the submersible around.
“Where are we going?” Jude asked, noticing the change in direction.
“We have to go home now,” Martin said.
“Awww, why?” the boy whined. “I want to see the octopuses.”
Lindsey was almost wailing her words over the Link.
Martin altered the direction of the submersible. Despite the danger to his son, he couldn’t leave the visitors to die.
“But, Daddy, I want to see the octopuses.” Jude’s eyes were wet and his chin was trembling.
Martin reached out and touched his son’s head. “I’m sorry, Jude. Another time. I promise.” He hoped he would be able to keep that promise. “You’ve been so good. Try to be good a little while longer, OK?” He fastened Jude’s safety straps.
“Hmph.” Jude folded his arms and thrust his chin into his chest. He gave Martin a disapproving look.
If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Martin would have laughed.
Damn Pietr and whatever the hell he’s doing. What is the man thinking?
Martin could hardly believe how out of character his actions were. Lindsey was right. Pietr was on a suicide mission.
He checked the submersible’s location. He should reach the amphibian soon…. Maybe he could drag the vessel to the surface. If rescue services arrived in time, they might save anyone who had drowned.
A powerful whoomf hit the Torpedo, bowling over Martin’s submersible like a toy boat hit by a tsunami. It spun end over end so that all Martin could see was whirling water filled with sand and bubbles. The sound of Jude screaming filled his ears as he fought to regain control of the vessel…but it was hopeless.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
STELLAR DATE: 05.25.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Government House, Heliopolis, Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
Isa felt nervous as she took the elevator to the floor that housed the TBLA. She checked the news f
eeds, but she couldn’t find anything that would explain the deployment of so much security at Government House. Tanis had long since departed Troy, returning to Landfall and her work at the system’s seat of government, so the guards weren’t there to protect New Canaan’s leader. No other dignitaries were visiting, according to the media.
Perhaps word was received that yet another secession rally has been organized, and additional guards were deployed as a precaution?
That had to be it. There was to be a protest of some kind at the government building. It was the only explanation that made any sense.
Isa inwardly groaned. She hoped the protest wouldn’t prompt the civil servants to close their offices. She needed to solve her licensing problem quickly.
The elevator seemed to stop at each of the fifty-five floors between the lobby and Isa’s destination. She stood in the corner, trying to control her impatience as people got on and off. Why did the place she needed to go to have to be at the very top of the building?
When she finally reached the right floor and stepped out of the elevator, a sign on the wall directed her to the left. She walked down a short passage and opened the door with ‘TBLA’ emblazoned on it. Once inside, Isa groaned again, aloud this time.
An automaton receptionist sat at the desk in front of an opaque screen that didn’t seem to contain any entrance to the offices behind it. No humans were visible.
I need to speak to a person, not a machine.
The automaton would be programmed to fend off visitors so the human workers could avoid the necessity of dealing with anyone face to face. She knew this because it was the exact reason an automaton had staffed the front desk at Placement Services.
“Good morning,” said the automaton. “How may I help you today?”
Isa had no choice but to try to circumvent the machine’s purpose. “I want to speak to someone about having my business license reinstated.”
“Thank you,” the automaton replied. “I have identified you as Isa Chen. I am sending the relevant information to your—”
“No. I can look up that information myself. I need to speak to someone now. It’s urgent. I believe my landlord might have involved me in a scheme to defraud the—”