There were only two minds close to me now. One was immediately recognizable as Adika, so the other had to be Atticus. I was still nervous about reading Atticus’s thoughts, so took a moment to study the appearance of his mind. It glowed brighter than most, though not nearly as brightly as that of Lucas. I was surprised by a hint of the hard, chiselled edge I associated with Adika and other veterans of combat. Why would that be there? Atticus wasn’t a fighter.
No, actually I was wrong about that. Adika fought with guns, knives, and fists to save the lives of the people of our Hive, and there’d been times when he’d failed. Atticus fought with his intellect and precision surgery to save his patients, and there’d probably been times when he’d failed too.
I finally moved on to reading Atticus’s mind, and found more than the usual number of thought levels, though again nothing approaching the glittering complexity of Lucas’s mind. Now it was obvious these thoughts belonged to Atticus, not because of any distinctive quality, but because several of the levels were thinking about me.
… prepared to walk out of the lift and be faced with a superior stranger who didn’t deign to remember our old friendship. She’s still clearly Amber though. An Amber that’s had to grow to …
… curious to think back to the times on Teen Level. Telepaths are supposed to block their abilities soon after birth, to protect themselves from the hundred million minds in the Hive, but there must have been some clues back then if I’d been intelligent enough to notice them. Amber wasn’t afraid of the dark. Was that because she could still see with her telepathic ability or …?
And further down, near the unconscious levels of his mind.
… couple of dates, but we didn’t want to start a relationship that was bound to end in Lottery assigning us to different levels. If we hadn’t been sensible, the normal rules don’t apply to telepaths, so …
I opened my eyes and nodded at Adika. “I’ve checked Atticus’s thoughts and I’m safe alone with him.”
Adika sighed and went out of the room.
“What does Eli need to know?” asked Atticus.
“Why the operation is needed, what will be done to him, and how long it will take him to recover. I know those will seem simple questions, which could have been asked in a message, but …”
“I know I’m not really here to answer a few simple questions,” said Atticus. “I’m here because Eli needs to be reassured that I’m a person who cares about him, knows what is important to him, and will do everything possible to help him. He’s so terrified of a second operation that he daren’t come and make his own judgement about me, so he’s trusting you to do it for him.”
Atticus reached for his dataview. “I’m going to look at some scans and images of Eli’s leg, and think through the answers to his questions. Please read my mind as I do that. I’ll try to keep things simple, but tell me if you need me to explain any technical terms.”
I closed my eyes and touched the top level of Atticus’s thoughts again. He was studying an image which showed the bones of Eli’s leg, and what I assumed were the plates that needed to be removed.
Eli was in a critical condition, with multiple injuries including drastic damage to major blood vessels and his leg. We knew he’d stand a better chance if we concentrated on saving his life rather than his leg, but when we asked the question …
“I answered that question for Eli,” I said.
I know you did, and I also know that you wouldn’t have answered for Eli unless you were sure of his decision. We were operating for hours, but the limit was Eli’s endurance not ours. We made several compromises because there was no point in going for the perfect result if the extra stress would kill him, but we still nearly lost him twice.
I winced. “I know. I was watching the progress reports from the operation.”
Those compromises kept Eli from dying while also saving his leg, but they’re the reason he needs this second operation. We used basic plates because more advanced techniques would take time that Eli didn’t have. Those plates need removing now because leaving them in could cause complications that shorten his career on the Strike team.
I wasn’t just picking up the words in Atticus’s mind, but a host of additional images and details. I wouldn’t need to explain all this to Eli. He would only care about the fact that leaving in the plates could shorten his career on the Strike team.
What we’ll do is make two incisions in Eli’s leg. We could remove the plates with one, but it would cause more muscle damage, and we want to take the chance to clear up most of the scar tissue left behind by the first hurried operation.
There were graphic images that made me wince again. “Eli isn’t worried about the appearance of his leg.”
It’s not just about appearance. That much scar tissue can cause physical problems.
“I understand,” I said.
That was completely true at this moment. I was sharing Atticus’s expert knowledge of Eli’s condition. I knew the full clarity of understanding wouldn’t last after I left Atticus’s mind, but there’d be enough left for me to explain the need for this surgery to Eli.
Even with accelerated healing treatment, Eli will need to take a week off work. Please try to stop him from attempting any training during that time, and make sure he obeys all the aftercare instructions. I don’t want to have to do another scar tissue cleanup next year.
“Eli won’t risk doing anything that could mean he needs a third operation.”
Any other questions?
“No.”
I opened my eyes, and was about to pull out of Atticus’s thoughts when they suddenly flared red with tension.
… dealt with all the professional issues, so it doesn’t matter if I get thrown out now.
“There’s a question I’d like to ask,” he said.
I could already see the words in his mind, but I knew I had to let him say them aloud. “Go ahead.”
“I heard you were in a relationship with your Tactical Commander. Are you happy together?”
“Yes. Lucas and I are extremely happy.”
… knew she’d say that. Amber wouldn’t stay with him unless he made her happy. She’s a telepath, so she knows her Tactical Commander is happy too.
… not sure whether she’s still reading my mind or not, but it makes no difference. It must be obvious that wasn’t a casual question. Time for me to make a polite excuse and leave before …
“I’m very glad to hear you’re happy.” Atticus stood up. “It’s been wonderful meeting you again, Amber, but I have other appointments so …”
I left Atticus’s mind and stood up as well. “I hope you can stay a few minutes longer. There’s someone else here that you should meet.”
I took out my dataview and made a voice only call. “Forge, it’s Amber. Can you come and meet me in community room 3?”
“I’m just down the corridor in my apartment, so I’ll be with you in thirty seconds,” said Forge’s brisk voice.
I put my dataview away and looked in amusement at Atticus’s stunned face.
“Forge is in your unit?” he asked incredulously.
I laughed. “Yes. He’s my deputy Strike team leader in charge of the Beta team.”
“I can see Forge has exactly the right qualities for the Strike team – I’ll never forget all the trouble he caused going exploring in the vent system – but it’s still quite a coincidence that he ended up in your Telepath Unit. Did you arrange for that to happen?”
I shook my head. “I knew nothing about it until I discovered Forge was on Adika’s list of preferred candidates for my Strike team, and Forge got his promotion to deputy Strike team leader through pure merit and hard work.”
There was a tap on the door.
“Come in, Forge!” I called.
The door opened. Forge came in and gasped when he saw who was with me. “Atticus! What are you doing here?”
I grinned. “Atticus is Eli’s surgeon.”
“Waste that!” For
ge took two rapid steps forward, grabbed Atticus by the waist, and lifted him upwards. “You’re the one who mangled Eli’s leg?”
“Mind my hands, you great, over-muscled lump. I’m a surgeon!”
“Forge, put Atticus down this minute!” I yelled.
I was backing away from the two of them when I saw another figure was standing in the doorway. Lucas was staring at us with a devastated expression on his face. I hurried over to take his arm and tug him back out into the corridor.
Adika was still in the corridor and frowned at us. “What’s going on in there?”
“Forge and Atticus were best friends on Teen Level,” I said, “so they’re a little excited about meeting again. There’s no need to worry. Forge knows perfectly well he has to be careful not to hurt Atticus, and I’m sure they’ll calm down soon.”
I tugged at Lucas’s arm again, leading him further along the corridor and through the park entrance door, before stopping to check his mind. His multitude of thought trains were dark grey and had a ragged edge of distress. Lucas had a habit of abbreviating his sentences when he talked to me, letting me pick up the extra words from his mind. This time he abbreviated everything down to a single word.
“Query?”
I scanned his thought levels and started babbling answers. “Yes, that’s the Atticus I knew on Teen Level. Yes, we had a couple of dates back then. Yes, he asked about me being in a relationship with you. No, I didn’t respond by throwing myself into his arms, or swearing undying love for him. I told him that you and I were very happy together.”
I watched in awe as Lucas’s mind analyzed my words and accepted the truth of them. There was a rueful acknowledgement of the fact his personal history meant he’d always expect rejection, thankfulness that I’d never tease him about his vulnerability, and then the host of thought levels abruptly calmed and became their normal glittering selves.
It would have taken anyone else hours to go through all that emotional processing, but Lucas had done it in less than a minute. His expression changed to one of embarrassment.
“Apologies. Was suffering from shock.”
I laughed. “Imagine how I felt when I saw Atticus walk out of the lift.”
“Resemblance highly disconcerting.”
“What resemblance?”
Lucas returned to using full sentences. “Atticus looks very like me.”
“Oh.” I thought about that for a moment. “I suppose you are a little alike physically. Your minds are a little alike too. In many ways, Atticus is a pale reflection of you.”
“So long as he’s the reflection and I’m the reality.”
I smiled and brushed Lucas’s lips with mine. “You’re definitely the reality. Why did you arrive just then anyway? I thought you were busy in a Joint Tactical Meeting.”
“The meeting ended earlier than planned because Morton’s Tactical Commander, Saanvi, called for some emergency business to override the planned discussion topics.”
“Does this emergency business affect us?” I asked.
Lucas pulled a face. “It does, which is why I came to find you. Saanvi has asked our unit to take over responsibility for one of their areas. Would you be happy with us holding a team leader meeting despite the unit being in shutdown? There are active problems in this area, so we need to reach a decision quickly.”
I blinked. We’d assisted Morton by taking over his target, then he’d called me, and now Saanvi had asked us to take over responsibility for one of their areas. I didn’t think that was a random sequence of events. My theory was there’d been some discussion of me on Morton’s crystal comms, either before or after the target handover, which had made Morton consider asking my unit to take over this area as well. He’d called me to assess my capabilities before making the final decision.
“The Telepath Unit Tactical Commanders usually arrange area responsibility between themselves,” I said. “Why do you need a team leader meeting to help you make this decision?”
“The Senior Administrator organizes the everyday running of the Telepath Unit,” said Lucas, “while the Tactical Commander is in charge of unit operations. The telepath has to make all major decisions though, and we’ve been asked to take responsibility for a very special area.”
I opened my mouth to ask why this area was special, and then closed it again. After Morton’s peculiar insistence on discussing my trips Outside, the answer was obvious. This area was somehow connected to Outside.
Chapter Ten
Ten minutes later, Lucas, Adika, Megan, Nicole, and I were sitting at the table in meeting room 4. “Morton’s Tactical Commander has asked us to take over responsibility for the Hive’s sea farm,” said Lucas.
I’d had the advantage of knowing what Lucas was going to say, but all three of Adika, Megan, and Nicole looked shocked.
“This came as a complete surprise to me,” said Lucas, “so I said we’d need time to consider the suggestion. My imprint barely mentions the existence of the sea farm, but I researched some basic facts about it when we went on our camping trip Outside because its location affected our target’s probable movements.”
He paused. “Morton’s Liaison team leader has sent me a copy of all their relevant records, but those are mostly just lists of incidents and suspects, with only a short summary document about the sea farm itself.”
Lucas tapped at his dataview and studied the screen before speaking again. “The sea farm is located on our nearest section of coastline, and supplies a variety of food, including fish, to supplement that grown in the vats and hydroponics areas of the Hive. Aircraft are used to carry people and freight between the sea farm and the Hive, but members of the Hive Ramblers Association sometimes walk there along what is called the Ocean Path. The summary document describes the population of the sea farm, rather oddly, as being about fourteen thousand adults.”
“Fourteen thousand adults?” repeated Nicole. “Workers at outlying supply stations usually alternate between spending a few weeks on duty at the supply station and having a few weeks rest back at the Hive. Do you mean there are fourteen thousand workers on duty at the sea farm at any particular time, or that’s the total number on both shifts?”
“Neither,” said Lucas. “The sea farm is different from the other Hive supply stations. It has a resident population that is born, lives, and dies at the sea farm.”
“What?” I gasped. “These people live their whole life away from the Hive?”
“According to this document, yes,” said Lucas. “If there are fourteen thousand adults at the sea farm, then allowing for children as well, the total population must be about twenty thousand people. That’s a minuscule number compared to the hundred million people in the Hive, so we obviously can’t spare one of our telepaths to be there permanently. That means we can’t have nosies there either, because they wouldn’t stand a chance of maintaining the pretence of them being telepaths without genuine telepaths to support them.”
Megan frowned. “So how do the hasties maintain order at the sea farm?”
“There aren’t any proper hasties at the sea farm. Their equivalent of hasties are the members of Sea Farm Security. Due to the low population of the sea farm, there are no level distinctions there at all, and …”
Megan interrupted him. “That can’t be right, Lucas. There must be some distinctions between people with skills of different value.”
Lucas shook his head. “Apparently not. Two of the key factors underpinning the social structure of the Hive are totally absent at the sea farm. There is no level system. There is no fear of Outside. Everyone at the sea farm has apartments inside the Haven, which is effectively a miniature version of the Hive built into the side of a hill. They all go Outside on a regular basis though, and most of them work there.”
“Everyone goes Outside,” Nicole muttered the words in a dazed voice.
“The sea farm has a far smaller number of professions than the Hive,” continued Lucas, “and most of them seem to be considered as being
of roughly equivalent status. The only person regarded as having a significantly higher status is Admiral Tregereth who is in overall charge of the sea farm. Even he seems to have few privileges in recognition of his rank.”
Lucas gave a despairing wave of his hands. “Going back to the issue of the members of Sea Farm Security. Unlike our own Law Enforcement, no isolation rules apply to them. Members of Sea Farm Security are free to live among, and intermarry with, the ordinary citizens of the sea farm.”
Adika glowered his disapproval. “But the potential security problems …”
Lucas lifted a forefinger to stop him, and smoothly completed the sentence himself. “Are avoided by the members of Sea Farm Security only being imprinted with limited information. Crucially, they don’t know the truth about telepaths. The only person at the sea farm whose imprint includes those facts is the Admiral.”
Lucas shrugged. “Everyone else believes the nosies patrolling the Hive are all genuine telepaths. They think the only reason there aren’t nosy patrols at the sea farm is that nosies hate the conditions Outside.”
“And everyone accepts that reason without argument?” asked Nicole.
“According to the summary document, they don’t want to argue about it,” said Lucas. “Each year, the eighteen-year-olds of the sea farm go to the Hive to live on Teen Level for a month before going through Lottery. That month on Teen Level is aimed at establishing how easy it would be for each person to adapt to the vast difference between life at the sea farm and life in the Hive, including the presence of the nosy patrols.”
Lucas paused. “Less than one in twenty sea farm Lottery candidates are allocated work at the Hive. The rest return home with vivid memories of hideous nosies, and feel they’re very lucky to escape having them at the sea farm.”
I laughed. “Given my own childhood fear of nosies, I can understand the population of the sea farm feeling that way.”
Hurricane (Hive Mind Book 3) Page 9