Withûr We

by Matthew Bruce Alexander

  Alistair’s expression became more serious as well, and he leaned forward on the table to speak with his friend.

  “I’m being followed, and I think you probably are too.”

  Nodding, Oliver replied, “I figured. I haven’t caught them yet but—”

  “Also… I’m leaving Arcarius.”

  This elicited a look of stupefaction from Oliver. “What?”

  “Tonight. I have to go. I had to hide my Null Suit. That’s the reason I know I’m being followed. If I try to get at it again and they catch me I’ll be arrested.”

  “So you’re leaving it here?”

  Alistair shook his head. “No, Katherine’s going to get it for me. I’m going to lose my tail – I hope – get the suit from her and then I’m off.”

  “How are you leaving?”

  “Assuming this noise is covering our conversation and they’re not waiting for me at the pier, I’ve purchased a trip across the channel to Avon.”

  Oliver leaned back in his seat, his bulk nearly upsetting the table. He regarded his friend with an almost hurt expression. Finally, he nodded. “Stay in touch if you can, little buddy.”

  “You know I will.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Fight. There was almost an uprising here recently. People are fed up with it all. They’re myopic, they’re ignorant, they’re misled… but they still have a sense of when something is this wrong. The food crisis almost got it started. The war is going to make things worse. Somewhere there’s a keg of gunpowder that needs a spark.”

  “Maybe you could do that here.”

  Alistair shook his head. “It’s not going to start here. Even if it does, Arcarius is important for mining, but that’s it. No one is going to care. Rendral will just crush it and reopen the mines. No, it has to be done somewhere else, somewhere more central.”

  Oliver was thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe.”

  “Anyway, the fewer people who know the better. Wait until I’m gone, and then tell everyone I said goodbye.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Actually, there is a favor I need to ask you.”

  ***

  A Civil Guard officer sat in the back of a long white van viewing a series of small projection displays. He wore a headset with a small microphone extending over his lips, and a piece in his left ear. The projection displays showed various city scenes, and at the center of each was a plain-clothes officer who, in the display, was no more than a centimeter in height. Though the displays were in true color, a figure in one of the displays glowed red. As that figure left the building he was in – and thus the reach of one projection recorder – he appeared in another display. The next officer trailed the figure but remained always at the center of the display, giving the pavement beneath him the look of a treadmill.

  “Red Four, stay with the target until the Laine intersection,” he said.

  “Laine intersection, copy that.”.

  When the tailing officer reached the intersection, several meters behind the target, he veered right and was picked up by a vehicle. Meanwhile, another trailer began his pursuit. The officer in the van slid his chair to the right to better observe the target in the new display.

  “I’m gonna send Red Four up to the park,” said a companion in the van.

  “He’s really extending our reach.”

  “If we have to keep recycling tails he’s eventually going to notice.”

  “Maybe.”

  After another minute or so, the target abruptly turned and entered a small supply store.

  “Red Two, continue past. Red One, enter the shop and get in line.”

  “I’ll set up Red Three outside the store,” said the companion.

  “Use Red Five,” replied the officer, obviously the team leader, “Red Three is going to get made if we use him again.” There was a moment’s pause, then, “Damn it, Red One, get in the shop and give us a visual!”

  Moments later the inside of the store appeared on Red One’s display, but the glowing figure was not there.

  “Maybe he left out the back,” suggested the companion.

  “There he is,” said the team leader as the glowing figure inside the store emerged from the back of the store and made for the shop’s entrance.

  “He knows.”

  When the target left the store, he emerged onto Red Five’s display and Red Five commenced his pursuit, but something was wrong. The target’s gait had changed, and noticing this, the team leader realized the shape of the body was different. Alarmed, he sat upright and gripped the arms of his chair.

  “Red Five, take the target. Red Three and Red Six, move in to support the arrest.” His companion gave him a look. “It’s a different guy. Red One, search the store for the target. He’s traded clothes with someone.”

  On Red Five’s display projection, the glowing red figure, though walking forward, appeared to slowly move back into the center of the projection until Red Five accosted him. The officer’s attention was interrupted by a report.

  “Gold One, the target is not in the store. I think he took a back way out.”

  “Copy that,” said the team leader and cursed. “All vehicles, the target is loose. Search and acquire. Red Five, what’s the status?”

  “Gold One, we’ve got a decoy. Said he traded his clothes with the target and didn’t ask questions.”

  “Sure,” said Gold One, “the target entered the store, proposed they trade clothes, they went to the back, stripped and got dressed again all in the space of a minute. Horse shit. Take him in for questioning.”

  “Gold One, this is Red Seven. We’ve got no sign of the target.”

  “Keep looking,” said Gold One, making it sound like a curse. Tearing his headset off, the team leader tossed it onto the desk in front of him and leaned back in his chair. “Caldwell’s going to murder me,” he muttered.

  ***

  Katherine shivered as she waited on the steps at the front of an abandoned building. Arcarius always had an empty feel in the winter, and now that the entire population was herded into a few city blocks near the center of town, the edges of the city were desolate. She was dressed warmly but had been waiting for a while and made the mistake of sitting on the cold concrete steps. Alistair’s bag lay beside her.

  She stood up as a figure emerged onto the street and made for her. Without being able to see him clearly, she knew it was her younger brother and felt a wave of relief. When he waved she returned the salute and, picking up the bag, moved to meet him.

  “You’re late, which is bad enough when it’s warm out,” she gently chided and gave him a hug. Her red and runny nose gave testament to how long she had been waiting. Alistair smiled and accepted his bag. Katherine’s tone became more serious. “And I know you told me not to look in the bag, but I did anyway and I’m not thrilled. Is that a suit made of Steltar?”

  “It’s a Null Suit. Yes, it’s made of Steltar.”

  “Those are illegal.”

  “Even worse, this one’s imported from Kaldis,” he replied with a wry smile.

  “Alistair, will you tell me what’s going on? If they’re following you, how are you going to use it?” He did not respond, but she guessed the answer, perhaps seeing it in his eyes. “You’re leaving.” He nodded. “When?” Her voice nearly faltered with the question.

  “Tonight. In fact, I won’t be seeing Mom and Dad before then. You’ll have to say goodbye for me.”

  Against her will, her eyes welled up with tears and she gritted her teeth. “Damn it, Alistair. This is so stupid—”

  Alistair put a finger on her lips. “Kath, they’ve trained me to fight, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Katherine could not look him in the eyes, could only shake her head. “This isn’t the way.”

  “The way to what?”

  “The way to where you want to go. What are you going to do, take on the whole government? You’ll be dead and the rest of us will be exactly where we are now.�
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  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “The thought had occurred to me, but obviously I’ve accepted the risk.”

  “Accepted the risk, but for what gain? This isn’t the way to make things better.”

  “And what, may I ask, is the way to make things better?”

  Katherine set her jaw stubbornly. “Science,” she insisted.

  “Science? Science is going to help us? And what is science going to do?”

  Grabbing her brother’s powerful right arm in both her hands, she pleaded, “Alistair, you have no idea. We’re so close to so many breakthroughs. It’s Flow Theory that I was telling you about. Do you know how many practical applications there are if Flow Theory works out? It’s going to be—”

  “Katherine,” said Alistair gently, sadly, “When was nanotechnology invented?”

  She stopped short, surprised by the question. “It goes back centuries… maybe the 22nd century in the Terran calendar?”

  “Earlier than that. The foundations for nanotechnology were pursued as early as the late 20th century. By the middle of the 21, nanotechnology was well established.”

  “So?”

  He disengaged his arm so he could spread both of them wide and turn in a circle, indicating the world around them. “So where are the nanobots?” She did not immediately answer. “Nanotechnology can cure any bacterial or viral illness. It can repair DNA. It can even break down pollution. Yet it never really came into wide spread use until Kaldis was settled. That was over three centuries ago. So where are the nanobots?”

  He dropped his arms and when he spoke again, his voice was gentler. “Technology has always outpaced progress. The technology might be there, but it doesn’t just appear in every factory ready to go. It needs to be purchased; it needs to be adapted, there needs to be investment… Just because a scientist in a lab discovers a new science doesn’t mean it will be widely used.

  “We need investment. But how can people invest when government taxes away their wealth? Why work when government will take care of you if you don’t, and tax you if you do? Why invest in your business when government may decide to steal it? Why save your money when government will inflate the currency and make it worthless? Why bother upgrading when it costs too much to comply with regulations? Why invent ways to use technology if it will never be profitable? Why work hard to get ahead when a payment to the right politicians will insulate you from any competition?

  “It’s not science alone that is going to help mankind. It’s the Free Market. And the Free Market is sick. Even Kaldis is going to be either a war torn and desolate wasteland or a fascist state. Or both. Somewhere, someone has to stand up and fight for what’s right.” He ended his lecture and gave his sister a gentle pinch on her cheek. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, letting his fingers linger for a moment, and then turned to go.

  “If you’re alive,” she somberly said.

  “That is a necessary prerequisite,” he conceded with a soft grin but was disappointed it did not produce a smile in response. “Kath, it’s a done deal. Someday, there will be a world where wives don’t have to wonder why their husbands disappeared.”

  Katherine’s eyes welled up, but she could think of nothing to say. Instead, she watched her brother go until he rounded a corner and disappeared behind another empty building.

  Chapter 14

  Stephanie Caldwell sat with her hands in her lap while, across the desk from her, Captain Travis examined a report she had given him. He sat erect, his posture perfect as always, his face shaven with the same tiny line of a mustache above his upper lip.

  “So you don’t know where he is?” Travis said without looking up.

  “I don’t know where Ashley is. They should be bringing in Keegan shortly. I have men waiting in his apartment.”

  “You got a warrant?” asked Travis.

  “No. You told me not to worry about it after the election.”

  This startled Travis and he looked up at her, but the surprise was momentary. “That’s true.” He returned his attention to the report. After a moment more of silent deliberation, he closed the file and tossed it on the desk in front of Stephanie. “Quite right,” he said. “The ARO will not be required to go through the standard procedures. Now, how do we find Alistair Ashley 3nn?”

  “I don’t know that we do. He knew he was being followed and he knew how to disappear. I tried to get his file from the marines to see exactly what sort of training he received but it’s classified. I know he was a highly prized, and highly trained, soldier.”

  “Has he gone through physical enhancement?”

  “I expect he has but I don’t know for sure. He’s… a lot bigger than when he left.”

  “Well, I doubt very much he’ll stay in Arcarius. I’ll forward a report to the central ARO office in Rendral. We don’t really have much on him other than suspicious behavior. That’s enough to bring him in for questioning, but hardly worth pursuing him around the globe.”

  Captain Travis nodded once, as if settling the matter in his mind.

  “Sir, there’s another aspect of this I’d like to discuss.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Stephanie leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands over her knees. “Alistair’s grandfather was one of the last members of The Homesteaders.”

  “Never heard of them.”

  “I only have through Alistair. The Homesteaders were a protest movement the government finally stamped out… I don’t know… fifty cycles ago. Alistair calls it a forgotten episode in Aldran history. They were around since The Founding. Apparently, many of the original colonists reneged on their agreement with The Founders and demanded more autonomy. There were lots of struggles between Rendral and militant groups who wanted to secede.”

  “And they called themselves The Homesteaders?”

  “Homesteading is when someone moves in on empty land and claims it. The Homesteaders said that’s what they were doing when they moved to uncolonized parts of Aldra, so they refused to recognize Rendral’s authority.”

  “But The Founders claimed Aldra before the voyage from Earth.”

  “The Homesteaders’ whole point was that this claim was unjustifiable.”

  “How quaint. So now… what? Alistair wants to bring The Homesteaders back into existence?”

  Stephanie sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “Alistair was always spouting the stuff his grandpa taught him. All anti-government, anti-cooperation. Everybody for himself kind of thing. When I heard Alistair was staying past his one cycle obligation I figured he had finally grown up, but when he came back it was immediately obvious this was not the case. He was still the same, but there was an edge to him. More anger than before. Kaldis definitely changed him, but not for the better.”

  “You think he poses a danger?”

  “I think with the recent bombings that have gone on, and the food riots… I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was involved. At the very least he’ll be perfectly willing to use it to his advantage. I know Alistair as well as anybody, I think. He won’t spend his life wandering around. He has a goal and he’s going to set about attaining it.”

  Travis had made a steeple with his fingers and now rested his chin on them. “Has there been any activity from the house we raided?”

  “Nothing. They moved out soon after. We’ve got them under surveillance but… frankly I don’t think we have enough surveillance for everyone we want to follow. We’re seeing evidence of a large network. Every new suspect has thirty contacts, and each contact has thirty more contacts. We’d need to triple our department size to keep track of it all. At least triple.”

  “So given the situation… how much is it worth to spend resources looking for Alistair?”

  Stephanie shrugged.

  “Maybe we’ll have to wait and see what develops. Don’t you work first shift tomorrow?”

  She nodded.

  “Why don’t you head home for the night then?”

&
nbsp; Grabbing her report, she left the room and, after a quick stop to file it, she put on her winter coat, hat and gloves and made for the front door of the station. Upon opening it, she was greeted by a blast of frigid air. Her eyes watered, but she plunged into the cold, head forward and face down, and made her way to the Metro station to catch one of the last cars home.

  ***

  Out in the dark and cold, perched atop a two story building across from the station, Alistair, in his Null Suit, watched Stephanie walk below him. Once again the wind was strong so he could not hear the crunch of her feet on the snow, just the howl of the air tearing through the beleaguered Arcarian streets. The roof he was on was flat with a yard-high brick wall surrounding it, giving him a perfect hiding spot. Next to him was the sack with the precious cargo his sister retrieved for him, as well as another he had brought. The second contained clothing, a toothbrush and other mundane objects, as well as supplies for something else he had planned.

  His ship would leave in three hours, giving him a window of opportunity. The captain agreed to smuggle him to Avon, though he would not wait for him. Alistair told him not to look for him; either he would sneak onto the ship or he would not be there. In either case, the captain got the money and his schedule was not interrupted. It was not difficult to convince him, especially when a few gold coins were dropped on the table.

  Waiting on the roof for another half hour, Alistair finally saw Captain Travis emerge, bundled up against the cold. Stephanie’s boss set the security code, pulled down the metal grating and locked it to the floor. He then went to a small garage at the side of the station and emerged moments later in his auto. Getting out and leaving it running, he performed the same closing procedure on the garage. Either he did not have a remote control, or it was waiting to be fixed. Whatever it was, Travis was forced once more to face the cold before getting back in and driving off, the exhaust from his auto getting snatched by the frigid wind as soon as it emerged from the tailpipe.