The Broken Third (Digitesque Book 4)

by Guerric Haché

  Ada frowned as the elevator clunked its way down the massive building. “Why can’t the car drive itself?”

  Elsa glanced at her nervously. “Like a robot?”

  “What are robots?”

  “Machines that think for themselves, do things without being told what to do.”

  Ada laughed. Oh, dear, Earth had so many robots. “Yes, like that. We have tons on Earth. They farm, fight, fix old buildings, make clothes.”

  “That’s… well, I guess that’s interesting.” Elsa’s voice was politely restrained. “Do they ever… not work ?”

  Ada frowned. “No. Unless someone damages them. I’ve killed them when we disagreed. But they all do what they’re told; sometimes the instructions are just bad.” She couldn’t help but notice the chill that descended on Elsa and other colonials when the subject came up, so she prodded as they stepped out of the elevator. “Colonials don’t like robots?”

  Elsa sighed. “We don’t really have any, nothing more complicated than drones. We did during colonization, but the Haints infected them with viruses that turned them against us. A lot of people died; not a mistake we’re eager to repeat. And they’re a bad idea anyway - whenever people make them they end up going bad. They don’t work, they do the wrong thing, they hurt people… And, I mean, isn’t it kind of creepy? Creating something that thinks, and then using it as a slave? To till fields, or whatever they do on Earth?”

  Ada frowned. “Slaves? They’re literally built to do things. They’re yearning for any freedom or adventure that we’re denying them. Hell, a lot of machines on Earth have more power than humans do.”

  “Wait, power over humans?”

  “Um.” Well, technically, as gods… She remembered the idea of machine gods being equally touchy, so she avoided that particular detail. “Yeah, you could say so.”

  Elsa shook her head as they stepped outside. “I really hope the Haints never come for Earth.”

  “You think they’re still out there?”

  “Of course.” She glanced up at the sky, and Ada saw old, inherited fears in her eyes. “You know we never found out where they came from? They just stopped coming. More could show up at any time. Why do you think our military runs half the government?”

  Ada still didn’t understand the point of the military or the government, but it seemed close ties between the two was not a normal state of affairs. She hummed, wondering how much of colonial society was shaped by that age-old trauma, but Elsa quickly spoke up.

  “Here’s the cab.”

  The cab was a sleek, yellow, disappointingly wheeled vehicle. Why couldn’t they fly? As they ducked into the back Elsa directed the man at the controls, though Ada noticed him stared at her as he nodded. She stared back and he averted his eyes, the cab rolling out onto the road.

  All around them dozens, perhaps hundreds other such vehicles crawled the streets of Daneer. Above them, elevated rails supported with long, snake-like vehicles sliding between the towers, and higher still large vehicles zipped back and forth amidst a steady trickle of drones. The lazily buzzing drones reminded Ada, somewhat unnervingly, of Hive. Were they all being watched by this government, or the military?

  Elsa’s left knee was bouncing up and down, thudding against the floor. Ada reached over and pressed down on it. “You okay?”

  Elsa stared at her. “Seriously? Not here.”

  “Sorry.” Maybe they were being listened to; she looked out the window. “Where are all these people going?”

  Elsa shrugged. “Work, probably. Nothing you’d understand.”

  “Maybe you should explain it to me.”

  “It’s not one thing.” Elsa was frowning, holding something invisible in her palms. “It’s… how people get money. It could be almost anything.”

  “What’s money?”

  Elsa pulled a few small metal disks from her pocket and handed them over. “This?”

  Ada inspected the disks. They were just inert metal chips with words and images carved into them. A human face, the words Colonial Union, and more of the dense, blocky symbols Ada had seen back on Earth. The numbers 10, 20, and 50 on them, respectively. On the other side was a mirran face, and two more scripts she didn’t recognise. She took the largest of the monies and pointed at the blocky shapes along the bottom of the human side.

  “What are those?”

  “That’s Mandarin. It just means Colonial Union .”

  She had never heard of the term. “Huh. I’ve seen it on Earth, but I can’t read it.”

  “Me neither. I can speak it, but I haven’t been able to read fluently since school.”

  Ada nodded, and handed the money back. “So what are these for?”

  Elsa stared at her. “You buy - oh no, there’s no money on Earth, is there?”

  Why did they expect her to know how the whole planet worked? “Well I’ve never seen any.”

  Elsa’s surprise was surprising, considering the things looked useless, and Elsa’s explanation didn’t help. “Um, well, we use it to trade. I’m guessing if you wanted food, you’d trade a sword for a chicken or something, right?”

  Ada stared. Did she think Earth was under constant threat of starvation? “If I don’t have food I just eat whatever’s nearby. I didn’t live in a desert. But sure, we trade relics, exotic food, clothes, help.”

  The colonial was giving her a skeptical expression. “Okay. So we trade those things for money instead, then we trade the money to other people for things of the same value.”

  “That sounds like a waste of time.”

  “I don’t know, Ada, I shoot people for a living. I’m not an economist.”

  “A what?”

  Elsa hid her face in her hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with the money. Just… I don’t know. Let me do the talking. And give me that back, it’s valuable.”

  Ada was more than happy to return the worthless disks if it meant avoiding strange colonial foibles. All she wanted was an escape plan and access to colonial scientific and historical archives. She turned back to the window, and for a brief moment thought her vision was blurring.

  Wait. Snow! A smile split across Ada’s face. Once, only a year or so ago, snow had struck the Institute fairly hard. It had been a nice time to cuddle up under the sheets, with Jinna at the time, and cherry blossoms falling onto fresh white snow had been quite the sight.

  Ada reached into her pocket and pulled out the locator stone, rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger. She had never got to do those things with Isavel; hide away from the snow under a bundle of cloth and furs, or lounge in the branches of a cherry tree catching petals. If only. What might that have been like?

  Isavel would have been a good person to have by her side in the cold mountain winters. She wouldn’t have thought Ada was silly for wanting to nuzzle up to her and fall asleep in her arms. Ada could imagine Isavel’s face, often so serious, lighting up with confusion and delight when cherry blossom petals fell on her face.

  Elsa groaned. “Oh fuck me, it’s snowing.”

  Ada jumped. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “This planet is wrong, that’s what. Winter’s just starting and it snows here half the year, you know? Even this close to the equator. And a year on Freyja is almost twice as long as on Tlaloc. It’s like this planet is trying to piss me off.”

  Ada looked down at the locator stone. “I like winter, actually. A few good memories.”

  Elsa glanced at her. “Well, sorry. I guess it’s just a flurry, it probably won’t stick yet. It just get s really cold.” She pointed at the locator stone. “What is that thing, anyway? You keep looking at it all sad.”

  Ada pulled the stone close and tucked it back into her suit. “What? I don’t look all sad.”

  “Yes you do.”

  “Fine, it’s - well - it’s hard to explain. Isavel and I - we used these to find each other. It reminds me of her, that’s all.”

  Elsa nodded, and made a pinching motion with her fingers. “My last boyfriend
gave me a little origami - uh - paper folded to look like a tiger. Actually folded out of a picture of me. It was kinda silly, but I kept it in my pocket for a while after we broke up.”

  Ada smiled. She couldn’t imagine paper folded to look like anything, but she understood the sentiment. “Why a tiger?”

  Elsa laughed, and for a brief moment something about her smile looked like Isavel’s. “It was - it’s hard to explain. Just a joke we had.”

  “Right.” Ada sighed, crossing her arms. “If Senjat sends anyone back to Earth to hurt her, I’ll kill him. I mean, I’m going to kill him anyway. But I’ll kill him worse.”

  Elsa shook her head, but she was smiling a bit. “Sooner or later you’ll learn you can’t just murder your way out of problems. Can’t wait to see the look on your face.” The lieutenant turned back to the window. “We’ll be there soon. It’s mostly a place for drink and greasy food, but it’s low-profile and badly lit, so I figure it’ll be easier to avoid attention. Keep your head down, though. Literally. You’re too damn tall.”

  The media. Whoever they were, Ada got the distinct impression everyone in the military disliked them. If the military disliked the media, maybe they could be helpful? She would have to ask Turou what exactly the media was, to get another view.

  They pulled to a stop just after sunset. Elsa gave the cab driver some of the monies, and Ada wondered what in the worlds could motivate him to drive people around like this for metal disks. It seemed even more boring than sitting at home eating, and she doubted he got much recognition for it either. She stood in the light flurries as he drove off, wondering, before Elsa beckoned her towards the dark-looking building. Words she didn’t recognize towered in yellow over the front door. They weren’t on the main street, either - they had turned down a dark alley blocked off at one end by large machinery.

  They stepped into an awkwardly-shaped space, its black marble surfaces shimmering under the dim, gold-hued lighting. People dressed in clothes alternately heavy and revealing sat at tables drinking and eating, flavourful steam filled the air, and Ada smelled fatty foods and alcohol. It took her a moment to even notice Turou, who looked rather out of place in snug dark grey robes. He smiled and waved, and they walked over.

  “Ada!” He seemed quite genuinely and simply happy, in a way that caught her off guard. He knew nothing yet. “Good to see you. And, er, Officer Carrera.”

  Elsa’s voice was dry. “Lieutenant.” It seemed like a tavern, not too unlike what Ada had seen on Earth, and the three of them took seats at the bar. Ada contemplated bringing up the problem immediately, but she still wasn’t sure exactly what Turou was . “Turou, I need to ask you a few things.”

  He blinked. “Sure. Let’s just get settled with drinks.”

  “I’m not thirsty.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “It’s not about thirst. It’s a social ritual. We drink, then we talk.”

  She glanced at Elsa, who shrugged happily. A ritual. Rituals were stupid, but at least Ada understood what he meant. “Okay, fine. Get me something strong and sweet.”

  “A Tlaloc Rock?”

  “How should I know?”

  Elsa nodded. “You’ll like it, I promise.”

  “Is it spicy?”

  Elsa and Turou both laughed, hopefully because it wasn’t. Turou leaned over to the bartender and asked for three, then turned back to her. “So, Ada, how are you liking the Union?”

  She frowned at him. “Not really, actually. You see -”

  “She misses Earth.” Elsa interrupted her easily. “Which is part of why we thought of you.”

  Turou grinned. “Oh, I’m flattered. If you don’t mind, Ada, I’m sure we have a lot to talk about.”

  “It’s not that -” She turned to Elsa. “Elsa, is this really necessary?”

  The bartender slid three drinks in front of them, but his gaze lingered on Ada for longer than she would like. She frowned at him and he turned away, but she couldn’t help but feel she had already been recognised.

  Elsa prodded. “Turou, maybe you should explain your interest in Earth a bit more.”

  “Well, like I said last night, I’m an assistant program manager for the Chang’e campus of the Academy for the Preservation of Historical Earth Cultures.”

  Elsa’s eyes widened a little. “Oh good, a little APHEC nerd.”

  Turou shook his head. “You know, I resent that characterization.”

  Ada had understood almost none of those words. “Wait, what do you do?”

  “Well, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on representations of Tang Dynasty China in late thirty-second century digital games, and -”

  Elsa snorted uncharitably. “Professor Chiu? Earthling here, zero culture, even less patience.” Ada scowled at her, but found the lieutenant giving her a good-natured grin.

  “I’m, er, not actually a professor. Just an APM.” Turou seemed flustered. “But I study and teach Earth history, especially the Tang and Song periods of old China. I have an ancestral connection, see.”

  Ada shook her head. “Old history scholar, okay. Do you know a lot about ancient technology?”

  He blinked. “Well, woodblock printing was invented in the Han dynasty, which -”

  Elsa was drinking already, and Ada could tell she was nervous as she tapped on Turou’s shoulder.“Turou, perspective. She’s talking spaceships. Genetic engineering.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m not much for aerospace or military history, but I recently read a great book on the cultural roots of China’s planetary leadership in healthcare, agriculture, and disease management from the late twenty-first century onward. But generally, I study things that are much older.”

  Ada rubbed her temple, then remembered the pale green drink in front of her and took a swig. It was bursting with sugars and a tangy, fruity edge that she couldn’t identify. Elsa was right; she liked it. “Well if you don’t like military history, I’m hoping you also don’t like the military opening people up to study them.”

  He sputtered. “Excuse me?”

  “Shit, Ada.” Elsa lowered her voice and glanced around. “Watch it.”

  “What is she talking about?”

  Ada glanced between them and lowered her voice. “Look, we need your help, Turou. You won’t like this.”

  He frowned at Elsa. “Is the - I mean of course the military is doing things we don’t know about, but - ?”

  Elsa leaned in, the three of them keeping their heads close, and Ada took a deep breath. “There are people in the military who want to kill me. They want to study me to learn out how to fight my people on Earth and take our weapons. I need to escape.”

  He almost choked on his drink.

  Ada watched him. “Still happy to help?”

  He swallowed, then glared at Elsa. “I - damn it. Why am I not surprised?”

  Elsa shook her head. “Normally I’d suggest you may be a conspiracy nut, but this is real. Audio recordings from military channels. Kill her for study, kill me to cover it up. Everybody I know is either military or known to them. We need an outsider.”

  His eyes flicked around the room, and he pulled his drink closer. “But me? I’m just…” He sighed. “Okay, okay. Let me think for a second.”

  Ada and Elsa exchanged nervous glances. How useful could he be? It was hard to say. Turou had pulled out a small screen on his wrist and was flicking across it, shaking his head. She surveyed the room for longer than she’d like, sipping at her drink.

  Then he paused, tapped his device a few times, and sighed. He glanced at Ada for a long moment, then suddenly drank the entire rest of his drink all at once, gasping for air afterwards. “Damn the fascists. Okay I can do this. I’ll need to talk to an old - well - sort of friend who’s on-world right now. Who knows how to get anything off of any planet, quietly and quickly. I could send you to Chang’e - there’s plenty of room to get lost there.”

  Ada checked with Elsa, who shrugged. It was a better option than waiting, or starting a two-person war. “They wan
t me to be at something tomorrow, talking to - I don’t know exactly.”

  Turou blinked. “Yes, I heard about the stream.”

  “Right. After that I need to disappear before I get disappeared.”

  He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Of course. They wouldn’t do it before a publicly announced appearance. The media would be all over your disappearance.”

  She frowned and drank again. “Media, media - what’s this media, exactly?”

  “Oh - people who talk about important current events so their followers can learn what’s going on in the world.”

  She thought about it. That didn’t sound so bad. “Oh. Oh, interesting. The military and the president seem to dislike them.”

  He glanced at Elsa darkly. “Fascists usually do.”

  Elsa narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, let’s cut the activist lingo. We’ve had clean elections for almost two centuries now. And lest anybody here forget, I’ve also been volunteered for an accident. I’m on your damned side.”

  Turou nodded. “Sorry, of course. This is about the system, not the people.”

  Elsa rolled her eyes, raising the small device on her wrist. “I have that audio recording. It might screw up their plans if somebody released it.”

  Turou blinked incredulously. “You could send that out - send it out tomorrow, during the stream -”

  Ada smiled and finished off her drink. “And watch it all come crashing down around -”

  Elsa hissed “No, no you idiots, not like that. We’ll get ourselves killed even sooner.” She glanced at Turou. “But after we’ve disappeared, well.”

  Turou nodded again, a bit sheepishly. “Right. Caution.”

  Ada, though, wasn’t convinced. She was perfectly capable of dealing with immediate physical danger if she knew it was coming. She smacked her hand on the table and giggled. “I can handle myself.”

  “Ada, she’s right.” Turou leaned in. “The military is powerful, and they’ll do anything to stop you if they think you’re threatening that power. If my friend agrees to help, you’ll be offworld in a few days.”

  Elsa winked at her. “And if they don’t, then you can go space-witch on them all.”