Shards [Book Three]

by Peter W Prellwitz

  Mike shook his head. “I don't think you did. I ran the entire conversation and movements through logistical semantics and there's a less than one percent chance that the good doctor picked up anything in addition to what you intended, and a ten percent chance he didn't get everything.” He considered a moment. “Though that number maybe a little high. He's a pretty smart cookie for a flesh. No offense intended."

  “Liar,” I said bluntly. “All right. So we got our message across. Now can you tap into our conversation and follow what he has to say?” He started to look indignant, so I raised my hands and laughed. “Hey, no offense."

  “Liar."

  “Yeah, yeah. Well, I gotta go, Mike. I'll try to get back to you in the next couple of days. You take care of yourself, pervert. Oh! I've got Kiki working on some UTC routines for me, so leave her alone.” I turned to leave, but Mike grabbed my hand.

  “Hey, beautiful.” His voice was so quiet, I snapped my head around to him. He suddenly sounded so mature and concerned. “You make sure you come back sooner than later, all right? I can't watch over you out there, and it ... it bugs me that I can't protect you."

  I put a hand along his cheek and kissed him, spreading yellow along his green skin where my lips touched. “You're so sweet. I'll be careful. Another few months and we'll have time for a real adventure. Bye."

  “Bye."

  I turned back to Ressler and Jody and stepped into the box. There was a rumbling sound and the dense cybersky turned into a heavy black cloud that poured down onto us. Just as the first fringes touched us, ending our access, I looked back at Mike. He was still standing there, arms straight by his side with a light blue flicker emanating from his chest. With surprise, I realized this was the first time I'd ever seen him scared.

  * * *

  Chapter Four

  It was nearly two in the morning when I crawled back under my covers. The bed creaked a little, as though disapproving of my late night rendezvous. I rolled onto my back and stared into the emptiness above me. I was exhausted.

  And worried. After exiting the puterverse two hours ago, we carried on our conversation, this time focusing on Jody and Ressler's problems. I had expected to find out that I would continue to encounter difficulty with the command structure of the 179th regiment and I was right. I had also expected to learn that ultimately it would have little to do with my overall plan to cross the Quantum River and face what was there. I was wrong. Or at least, I thought I was. The uncertainty more than anything worried me.

  The 179th Regiment was a mess. And the problem wasn't just a commander who was a clueless ass and a surly A Company with an overblown opinion of itself. Ressler was convinced that NATech had been actively trying to disable the regiment. This pleasant bit of news had come while he was still treating Jody and himself for the effects of their rough ride with me in the puterverse.

  * * * *

  “Here, Sergeant, drink up.” Jody took the cup from Ressler and drank up. The clear pink liquid gave off a pleasant fragrance that made me think of early morning. She stopped about halfway and began coughing. This was her third episode and like the other two, the violence of her coughing gave her a bloody nose.

  “I am so sorry, Jody!” Guilt mixed with worry gave me an awful feeling. “I had no idea that UTC would have this effect on the two of you.” Like Jody, Doctor Ressler had had several fits of twitching, coughing and bleeding. He had treated himself first to better give treatment to Jody, and his side effects had faded significantly, though his right arm and head still jerked on occasion. Jody continued drinking the pink liquid while the doctor sat by her as I sat on her left.

  “It's not your fault, Abigail,” Ressler assured me for the tenth time. “We brought you into our little spy story, and you were perfectly right in verifying my identity. I wouldn't have approved your trip unless I accompanied you, and you wouldn't have helped us without going. Besides,” he smiled thinly, “what I saw makes how I feel all worthwhile.” He laughed and stretched with a groan. “And I feel awful."

  “Me, too. And me, too.” Jody handed back the empty cup to Ressler and also smiled thinly. “I feel like a hov is parked on top of me and I'm still glad I went. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined how beautiful the puterverse was. Nor how alive.” She looked at me with wonder. “I'm surprised you don't just step in there and never come out. Accessing doesn't bother you in the slightest, and it's a lot nicer world in there than it is out here. And safer, too, with the kind of power you have, Abigail."

  “The temptation pops up from time to time,” I admitted. “But even though I've never been affected by access, I still need to eat, drink, sleep,” I gave a short giggle, “and use the bathroom. Besides, while the puterverse is exciting, it's only partly real.” Ressler's eyebrows raised slightly and I hurried on. “Partly real in the sense that we are at least mentally present in it. It's out here that's real.

  “And as for safety, well, that can also change. I've told you how in there. Now you tell me how out here."

  Jody and Ressler exchanged quick looks. Ressler nodded and Jody began.

  “I've been attached to the 179th as B Company sergeant for just over five months. I had transferred over from the Thirty-fifth, rather suddenly. My commanding officer had said it was a golden opportunity to move up. It was, too, on screen. I'd been heading up a half-strength Company D for a year, and prospects weren't good. So I took it as an atta-girl commendation and went.

  “It started off for me about the same as it did for you, Abigail. Fortunately, I arrived healthy and with the proper papers, so the Lieutenant didn't give me the grilling he gave you, Abigail. But he wasn't happy either, which seemed odd because all along I was coming here to lead Company B. It wasn't until I'd been here for a very miserable three weeks that I discovered it was the doctor here who had arranged my transfer."

  I looked over at Ressler, expectantly.

  “I've been here about six months, arriving shortly before Sergeant Eyer. TAU had been suspicious of this unit for two years, and we felt it was time..."

  “Suspicious in what way?” I inquired.

  “Nothing that we could point to at first. Failed missions, canceled missions, barely achieved objectives. As you know, every unit has its moments when nothing seems to go right. But the 179th hadn't had anything go right in twenty-eight months. Nothing catastrophic, but nothing good either.

  “Then seven months ago, the regiment was ordered to make an attack on a convoy that was supplying the Douala garrison on the coast. TAU was certain that in addition to supplies they were transporting prisoners from the failed raid on Tripoli. We very much wanted our people back.” I nodded in understanding. I remembered that raid. We wanted to take part in it, but had been tied up knocking out the Hong Kong microsat launch facility. And the rescue effort was very believable; the Resistance always used every means at their disposal to rescue captured dogs. It was a matter of pride. TAU fully supported these actions, partly because they had no choice and mainly because they had all been dogs themselves once.

  “The attack point was missed by Posen's force. Faulty equipment we were told. Since the transports NATech was using had been damaged in the fighting in Tripoli, they were restricted to surface travel only. Ours weren't, so a second attack point was scheduled. They missed that one, too, arriving thirty minutes late.

  “In all, four separate attack plans were implemented over the two days it took the convoy to travel from Tripoli to Douala. Lieutenant Posen was unable to make any of them. By this time, TAU wanted to relieve him of command.

  “Then, unexpectedly, came news of a fifth attack, one implemented by Posen himself, literally underneath the sonic cannons of the Douala garrison. The 179th put up a good fight and Posen showed a flash of brilliance in its execution. They had attacked too close for the cannon to be used—one shot and not only would the 179th be wiped out, the garrison shields would have been ruined and the foundations badly ruptured. Posen took a calculated risk. He reasoned that NATech w
ould be willing to ruin their defenses temporarily in exchange for destroying one of our regiments, so he kept his B Company back in reserve, out of range of sonics, but in sight of the garrison. If NATech breached their shields to destroy A Company, B Company would swarm in. The garrison has heavy guns on the outside, but is believed to be poorly protected inside. They didn't fire, so apparently we're right. Then, as an escape route, he took a path along the shielding perimeter, accelerating to full speed. Once he had done that, he simply scattered his force out across the desert, giving the guns nothing but fast moving targets that quickly sped out of range.

  “So the attack was successful. The convoy was badly mauled, and some supplies were taken. TAU was almost ready to forgive and forget."

  “And the prisoners?” I asked quietly, captivated by Ressler's story.

  “Yes. The prisoners. That's why I said almost. Unknown to Lieutenant Posen, TAU had acquired a manifest of the convoy prior to its departure. Included in the shipments was four tons of frozen nitrogen, destined for the Douala backup data core. Following standard NATech procedure, that hov traveled at the front of the convoy. The prisoners were being transported in vehicles located in the middle of the convoy. None were rescued, none were killed. And today that nitrogen is being used by the data core in this facility. Posen never reported the nitrogen."

  He paused to let that soak in. It didn't take long. The only way that Posen could pull off a raid underneath the garrison defenses would be to hit the rear of the convoy, then work his way to the front. To reach the frozen nitrogen, he'd have to first reach the prisoners. If there had been stiff resistance by NATech, it was just possible that he'd be forced to abort the rescue. But that would also mean he'd be unable to advance further to capture the nitrogen. Not only would he have an unwieldy vehicle to turn around, he'd also have to fight his way back through the same firefight that had supposedly prevented him from rescuing the prisoners in the first place.

  Ressler's comment on there being no prisoner fatalities was not wasted on me, either. Intense fighting is the norm during NATech/Resistance battles. The only thing in the minds of the soldiers on both sides is a numbing desperation and mad fury to kill everything in sight as quickly as possible. Mercifully, such battles were of a small scale and very brief, some lasting only two or three minutes. Sadly, any unarmed personnel caught in the middle, such as prisoners, were helpless laser fodder. Riding in thinly shielded prisoner transports, and dressed only in fatigues and without armor, this group suffered the greatest number of casualties. That there were no prisoners killed in the fight meant that the fight had taken place elsewhere.

  “So Lieutenant Posen had never intended to rescue the prisoners,” I voiced my conclusion in disbelief.

  “Lieutenant Posen never intended to rescue the prisoners,” Jody repeated, barely keeping her emotion in check. “That little jerk with his shiny boots only wanted the godammed nitrogen! And he got it, too, with—"

  “That's enough, Sergeant,” Ressler broke in with a firm voice.

  She broke off and stared at him a moment, then nodded and sat back down.

  “But as bad as this raid was, it doesn't sound like it would merit a covert and long-term investigation. From what you've told me,” I prompted quietly.

  “No, it didn't. As you've probably guessed from the details of the fight, TAU had already started looking into the 179th Nothing out of the ordinary, really. Whenever a unit shows signs of losing its edge, we try to rotate personnel in with the recruits.” He said it as though spying on your own people was the most natural thing in the world. “Our person in the 179th was only looking for irregularities and inefficiencies that could be addressed through normal channels. We didn't expect anything criminal.

  “What we got was totally unexpected. The convoy carried a fighting compliment of ninety Company A musters 148, with 145 effectives on the day of the raid. The fighting, as reported by our agent, who was in B Company, was intense, lasting nearly four minutes. And although the escape route was well chosen, the sonic guns should have scored at least two hits, especially on the slower nitrogen transport. To be blunt: Despite the excellent execution of the raid, there should have been some casualties. There were exactly three. Through careful monitoring of the Douala transmissions and using other, classified, means, TAU was able to estimate NATech casualties at five."

  * * * *

  I heard a creaking from a bunk to my right and turned my head. In the dim light, I could see it was the athletic blond woman who had smiled at me earlier today. She was getting up to undoubtedly make a midnight trip to the ladies room. I was tempted to whisper to her as she passed, just to say hi, but didn't. I was too tired. Instead, I turned over to stare at the wall, hoping it would help me think better than staring at the ceiling.

  * * * *

  “After the raid,” Ressler continued, “TAU had all they needed to open up a covert investigation. Clearly, Posen and NATech were in cahoots. Whether it was the Douala garrison taking advantage of a weak Resistance officer or if it was an official NATech operation working with a traitor remained to be discovered. This kind of investigation was beyond the scope of TAU's inside man, so I was introduced. One of the casualties had been the regimental doctor, so he was transferred out to recover from his wounds and I was transferred in."

  Ressler stood up and refilled his and Jody's cup with the clear pink liquid. A kind of quick-acting nutrient, the fluid greatly diminished the effects of puterverse travel. Jody took it gratefully and sipped it. Again I smelled a morning freshness fill the sickbay Ressler took a swallow out of his cup and continued.

  “Within days of arriving, it became obvious that A Company was as rotten as Posen. They had to be, or there would have been a lot more NATech casualties during the fight. I needed help, but B Company was useless. In order to keep full control over the 179th, yet still allow for the normal movement of personnel in and out of the unit to allay TAU suspicions, Posen kept B Company undertrained but honest.

  “Seeing that B Company was clean but weak, I requested TAU to send me a solid replacement sergeant. Since Posen had an aversion to women serving in his unit, I made an unusual condition and specifically asked for a female non-com. Three days later—"

  “An aversion to women?” I interrupted. “Isn't that a bit strong? I'll admit that I've noticed some tension here, but ... ow!” Jody smacked me on the back of the head.

  “Geez, you really are a teenager, aren't you? Don't interrupt all the time. The doc's right, Abigail. Hadn't you noticed that A Company is a boys only club?"

  I hadn't noticed. It had never occurred to me to notice. Sexual discrimination still existed, sure. It always would as long as there were physical differences between men and women and the world was populated by sinful people. But it had faded quite a bit from the time when Mama Wyeth's little girl was a little boy, and I'd missed it entirely. Besides, I was too worried about discrimination against me because I was a Cue to notice it might exist because I was a woman.

  “Thank you, Jody. I've been wanting smack her myself for about three days.” Ressler's quick smile told me he was only kidding—mostly. I didn't blame them; I did have a mouth on me. I smiled and rubbed the back of my head.

  “Sorry. I get caught up sometimes. So you needed a strong right arm to help you out, huh? Why didn't you call for one of your buddies from TAU?"

  “Because it could be checked on. We're able to get into units without too much difficulty since we're normally injury or transfer replacements. Jody wasn't either The sergeant here was competent, healthy and still had four years to serve."

  “So where did you bury him?"

  “Eh?” Ressler seemed startled. “That's pretty cynical, young lady. And wrong. We didn't bury him. We messed up his service records and requested his presence at our Bern processing center. Once there, he transferred into TAU, effectively creating a hole that no one would think we'd fill with one of our own. And we didn't."

  “So my atta-girl promotion was mos
tly a sham,” Jody picked up with a touch of anger. “Even worse, I stepped from a crack unit into a pile of backstabbing traitors who spent ninety percent of their time doing nothing and ten percent trying to do NATech's bidding. I hated it.” She finished her drank and slammed the metal cup onto the table. “Nobody tried to hide anything. They put all their faith in Company A, tossed Company B the scraps, and didn't even have a Company C.” She laughed with derision. “Scratch that. They did have a Company C; it was a Company B they didn't have. I was appalled at the lack of training and discipline in my people, but even more appalled when I found out that I wasn't even allowed to get them into shape. Company A and Sergeant Olecki handle that.” She grinned. “At least until today. Not to change the subject, but I loved the way you handled him today, Abigail. The look on his face when he realized he'd been caught with his legs open by a girl!"

  I flushed and smiled and she laughed. Ressler cleared his throat.

  “Yes. Well, I heard about it and I'm glad that Company B will finally get some proper training. Perhaps Olecki will step down and Jody can start doing her job."

  “Uh-huh. And maybe you'll hit the lottery,” I added.

  He looked at me funny, but went on. “In any event, when Jody showed up, I had my ally. And a good one, too. I had decided to wait about a month to let her size up the unit herself. After that, I'd approach her and begin testing the waters about making her an active partner.

  “Imagine my surprise when she approached me, worried about the regiment's demeanor. That's when I knew I'd chosen right."

  “Okay, that's great. Wonderful. All the spies are happy. But what's going on now? What are your plans and where do I fit in?"

  “To be honest, Abigail, we didn't have any plans,” Jody confessed. “It wasn't until after you showed up and we found out a few things about you that we thought we really had a chance to do anything other than spy on this outfit. Now with your talent in the puterverse to help, we should be able to provide some concrete proof, maybe even take action."