Phasewave

by David Gill

  Half the journey was over by the time a faint glow of light on the horizon ahead indicated their approach to the city of Kalmis. Declan looked inside the carriage and found Slater staring at him. A picture formed before Declan's eyes and he cursed the trick of nature that forced him to think in images. It was the interior of a room, an apartment, depicted in perfect detail. He tried to put the sight to one side, but it immediately discovered a weakness in his fatigue and crept back again. Red was the colour - dark red, the room was washed in red. The mutilated bodies were wired together. Declan tried to look away and wished he could forget. The images were part of him, each one as clear as it had been at its moment of creation; there was no escape, no relief, no dimming of memory with the passage of time - the images of his life were stored below the level of consciousness, waiting to spring back into his awareness. He was haunted by the ghosts of reality.

  Every muscle in Declan's body ached, and his left arm throbbed in a steady rhythm of pain. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, but his thoughts kept returning to the message he had received from Gil on the journey to Vennica: avoid the media and don't talk to anyone. What could possibly be so significant that he was not allowed access to the public version? He could think of nothing, so abandoned pointless speculation and recalled his time on Scion, the greatest challenge of his life. After years of uninterrupted analysis spent in the perfect working environment of Scion3, the advanced research establishment in deep space, he was now back on Vennica in circumstances which he had naively assumed to be behind him. Fate had moved him in a full circle and he was about to discover the cost of his years of absence. What did Gil want? Another bolt of pain stabbed down his arm, finally removing all thought of sleep.

  Too many questions remained unanswered. Declan eased himself upright in the seat and turned to Jarvine. 'What's happened?'

  Jarvine stared back indifferently and Declan felt annoyance boil up inside him.

  'I need to know.'

  'You'll get to know when we feel like it,' sneered Slater.

  The pain swelled inside Declan's body. 'You'll answer my questions now,' he replied, and in one swift movement reached forward and twisted the nearest door handle. The emergency brakes immediately screeched on and brought the transporter to a shuddering halt, throwing them from their seats and leaving the transporter swinging perilously from its track above the buildings on the city outskirts.

  'You crazy bastard!' yelled Slater. 'Are you trying to kill us?' He seized Declan by his jacket and forced him back against the seat. Slater's eyes bulged in their sockets as he fought to control his temper. 'I've had enough of you!' He pulled back his arm, ready to drive his fist into Declan's face.

  'No!' Jarvine grabbed Slater's sleeve. 'Remember what Gil said.'

  Declan stared calmly into Slater's eyes. For a moment he thought he had pushed his luck too far, and then Slater unclenched his hand and leaned closer.

  'Listen to me, you useless piece of shit. Do you want to know why we're here wasting our valuable time holding your hand? Well, I'll tell you. Something has cropped up, and Gil, for reasons best known only to him, is under the impression that it's too important for the likes of us to handle. It's a job that only his old buddy Declan can do, providing he graces us with his presence that is. Well, Mister Spaceman, a lot of people disagree with that kind of muddled thinking and believe that Gil has finally outstayed his welcome. The same goes for you; you're not wanted around here. We were glad to see the back of you when you left, and no doubt we'll feel the same next time. So, as far as I'm concerned, you can take a dive out of that door any time you like. Next time we won't stop you. You can count on it.'

  Slater sat back, breathing heavily, his large body crowding the dark confines of the carriage. He latched the door and the transporter moved off again into the night. Declan continued to meet Slater's gaze without any display of emotion.

  'Don't ask questions because you won't get answers,' said Slater.

  'You've already told me what I wanted to know,' said Declan. He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes, but not before he saw the other man's face turn ugly with rage.

  Declan tried to ignore the pain and relax. He was a fool to let Slater get to him. Think before you speak, idiot! Silence is power, welcome back to Vennica. The melodic sound of the metal runners overhead recaptured Declan's attention and, after listening for a while, his mind slipped free and he fell into a troubled half-sleep to the rocking of the transporter. Images continued to flash endlessly before his eyes - an approaching fireball, moonrise on Scion, a knife cutting into a child's throat. Angry and red, all of them coloured red.

  The sound of opening doors plucked Declan from his dreams. For a moment he did not know where he was.

  'Out!' ordered Jarvine and for the second time that night Declan was hustled along deserted corridors inside a strange building. The stale, recycled air was unique to the underground level of the city, but the place itself was unfamiliar and its internal doors unmarked. They eventually stopped outside one of many identical offices.

  'This is where we part company,' said Slater. Declan moved towards the door, but Slater stepped forward and blocked his way. He thrust his face next to Declan's. 'I hope we don't meet again.'

  'That will be something for me to look forward to,' said Declan.

  Slater opened the door and stepped aside, revealing to Declan, for the first time, the welcoming sight of a familiar figure.

  For some reason Gil looked a lot older and smaller than Declan remembered. A look of relief appeared on his face when he saw Declan enter the room. 'It's good to see you again, Declan.' Gil walked round his desk and curiously inspected Declan's face. 'What happened?'

  'It was an accident, nothing serious.' Declan gingerly fingered the angry marks on the side of his head. 'How are things with you?'

  Gil grimaced. 'I could lie, but what would that achieve? I wouldn't have brought you here if I could manage without you.' He sat down at his desk. 'You must be wondering what all this is about, and I owe you an explanation. Take a seat. Did the boys look after you?'

  'Slater certainly hasn't improved with keeping,' said Declan. 'I'll stand if you don't mind; I need to keep moving.'

  'Sure, feel free. I would have collected you myself, but I've only just got back from a meeting with the Security Council. Where's it you've been holed up? Scion? What were you doing there?'

  Declan walked slowly around the room. Every available work surface was piled high with documents, and the walls were plastered with sheets of scrawled information in Gil's untidy writing. A faded, framed picture of Gil's long-suffering life partner, an unsmiling woman whose name Declan could never remember, looked down at him from high on the wall. 'Scion3,' he said. 'It was research.' Another object caught his eye. Declan picked up a ceramic cup holder and recognized it as a present he had given Gil before he left, and with the memory came the realisation that he was back exactly where he had left off. It was as if he had never been away. He replaced the holder where he had found it. 'I was out there for six years until the fire. Burns won't heal on Scion so I was sent home. I didn't have a choice.'

  'I'm sorry to hear that,' said Gil. 'What's the damage? If I'd known I wouldn't have disturbed your journey.'

  'I've got a few burns, nothing to get too excited about.'

  'That was bad luck,' said Gil.

  'It could have been worse.' Seven friends killed, yes, that was bad luck. Did it therefore count as good luck to be the only one of the team left alive? 'I'm okay and the burns will start to heal once my body becomes acclimatised to the Vennican atmosphere.'

  'Six years seems a long time to be away. Was it worth it?'

  'I think so,' said Declan. 'Yes, in the end we created a basic form of life, which was definitely an achievement.' He momentarily relived the moment when the positron microscope had revealed the fusion of biological molecules and recorded the artificial reproduction of a human cell. He had been privileged to witness the first succ
essful attempt at artificial creation, something which he personally considered to be the ultimate achievement of mankind, but which ultimately aroused no public interest whatsoever. Notwithstanding, it had still been a definite first in its field.

  Gil lifted a paperweight from his desk and studied it. 'Would you describe what you produced as an alien life form?'

  'Right now it's nothing to look at, just a collection of cells. Given a few million years of evolution it might eventually resemble something you could call an alien, if you had a good imagination.'

  Gil nodded to himself, his thoughts elsewhere.

  'What's on your mind?' asked Declan.

  'There's a problem.' Gil sat back in his chair. 'Have you spoken to anyone since my call?'

  Declan shook his head. 'Slater and Jarvine weren't exactly communicative.'

  Gil sighed. 'You're right, some things never change. The likes of Slater and Jarvine are now employed by the Security Service, and I'm so short of staff I have to hire them back to help out. You remember Slater from before, don't you?'

  'Could I forget?'

  There was a silence while both men relived past, painful memories. Then Gil returned to the present.

  'Have you heard Phasewave mentioned recently?'

  'No.'

  'I honestly don't know where to start,' said Gil. 'Something has happened which, if true, defies the imagination. I say "if" because nothing in this case is as straightforward as it seems. I contacted you because I no longer have the resources to tackle anything this complex. Two weeks at most, that's how long I require your assistance.'

  'If it's as complicated as you indicate, how do you know it won't take longer?'

  'I've only been given two weeks to sort this case out, but the Department's leaking like a sieve and, if the media break the story, it could reduce even that timescale. I don't want to prejudge the issue but when you start to hear the details you'll understand what I mean.'

  'I'm not sure I can be of any assistance,' said Declan. 'There must be others.'

  Gil spread his hands on the desk and inspected his fingernails. 'I still count you a friend so I'll be straight with you. A lot of things have changed since you left, and none of them have been improvements. I'm fighting for the survival of the Department and, whatever your investigation comes up with, we've got to be seen as cleaner than clean. No-one here can do what you do. If you turn me down Slater or Jarvine will step in, and, when you find out what I'm asking, you'll understand why I don't want them involved. I need an experienced investigator on the job. It will require sensitive handling, but, in certain respects, this case is related to some of your past work. Above all, you have been in isolation and must be one of the few people who have not heard the rumours which are flying around. Before I can report back to the Security Council I will need a straightforward, uncontaminated assessment and explanation of certain events which have happened, and I'm only going to get the one shot at it.'

  'How does Phasewave feature?'

  Gil stiffened. 'Where did you hear that?'

  'You just told me,' said Declan.

  Gil slumped over his desk. 'That's terrific - now I'm frightened of my own shadow. Hear me out. Two engineers, a man and a woman, just got back from a stint on a planet - Bouron I think it was. The man was suffering from some kind of mental illness, but the woman made claims that while she was out there unbelievable things took place, and take my word for it, they were totally unfuckingbelievable. When the Phasewave Company got her back to Vennica and heard what she was saying they went into a flat spin and called in the lawyers. The whole thing was handled as badly as you might expect anything to be handled in this place. Company security then got hold of her and managed to scare her half to death before the Security Service stepped in. Since then she's been out of sight under arrest and has now reached the end of the line, our Justice Department, where every crap case gets the treatment it deserves.' He snorted loudly. 'What chance do we stand if we're always at the back of the queue? Anyway, that's enough of my problems. If we can't deliver she'll be sent for treatment and we both know what that means.'

  'What has she been charged with?' Declan asked.

  'Nothing yet but I can give you a clue. Unexplained deaths and destruction of Phasewave properties are involved but, on the other hand, if we're lucky this could turn out to be a simple case of space sickness.'

  'I don't want to interfere in someone else's investigation,' said Declan.

  'It hasn't yet been allocated,' said Gil. 'I'd like you to meet this engineer, she's not far away.'

  Declan held up his hand. 'No thanks, I can make up my own mind.'

  'I'll tell you everything I can,' said Gil. 'If you stay in Kalmis you'll start picking up rumours and we'll have lost a major advantage. There are also legal and practical aspects which prevent us from holding the woman in custody for much longer. All I'm asking you to do is to listen to her story and make a totally impartial assessment; you won't be expected to get involved in any heroics. She's been badly affected by the previous interrogations, during which nobody believed a word she was saying, so now she's lost interest and is being somewhat less than cooperative. More than anything she needs a friend, so be that friend and let her tell you in her own way what exactly went wrong on Bouron. I've arranged a quiet place in the mountains for the two of you to stay where you won't be disturbed. There'll be a support team nearby at all times, and we'll be listening to you, watching you, guarding you. You won't have to worry about a thing.'

  'What happened to the other engineer?'

  'He's also in custody, but the medics don't think he's fit to be questioned.'

  Declan thought it over. 'What kind of surveillance do you plan to use?'

  'That's all been taken care of by the team, and the recordings will be streamed back to this office. I just want you to be there when she needs you, because if she has anything left to say she'll say it in her own time and way. We'll be in permanent contact and able to meet whenever you want. You've worked for me before, so you know what's required. I don't want to say anything else other than that after you meet her you'll realize why it has to be you. How about it? Take a quiet week or two to settle down after your long journey.'

  Declan smiled to himself at the thought of a quiet week in the Justice Department. Since when had that happened? But he had made no plans for his enforced visit to Vennica, so what else would he find to do if he turned down Gil's request?

  Gil got to his feet. 'Come and meet her before you decide. Don't worry, she won't bite.'

  Declan opened his mouth to object, but Gil was already leading the way out of his office. He paused for a moment but then followed Gil into an elevator which moved so smoothly that Declan could not determine whether they were travelling up or down.

  'I must warn you,' continued Gil, 'that some controversial issues are involved.' The lift came to an almost imperceptible halt and the doors slid aside.

  'What's the name of the engineer?' Declan asked.

  Gil was again lost in his own thoughts and did not reply. After leaving the elevator they turned into yet another empty corridor.

  'Getting to know her might not be so easy,' said Gil. 'I've already painted a picture - you're a gentle, intelligent soul, someone who wouldn't harm a living thing, the exact opposite of the people she's had dealings with so far. Bear in mind that she's only young and has been through a pretty traumatic experience. I'm not sure that she understands how bad things will become if we don't get what we want, so I suggest we emphasise a positive approach and play down anything which could upset her.'

  They passed through another door and stood on yellow markers on the floor while two security guards politely checked Gil's authorization. Declan noticed that neither of the guards was armed, then glanced behind him and saw the familiar cloth panels on the wall - automatic weapons were trained on them, controlled from a remote observation post, and began to understand how seriously Gil was taking the case.

  The guards returned
Gil's credentials, unlocked another door and ushered them into an inner room. It was not an office like the others, but a living room, complete with soft furnishings and coverings on the floor. Another guard sat in a chair staring at a monitor on the wall and studiously ignored them when they entered the room. They stood and waited. Nobody spoke. Declan looked down at his timepiece and was surprised to find that it was still evening on Vennica. He adjusted the time to local and tried to work out how long he had been down on the planet. A couple of hours at most, he decided; darkness must have fallen quite early. Then his senses, heightened by the long spell away from stimuli, detected a fragrance in the air, and he glanced up to find himself looking into the pale, drawn face of a young woman.

  'I'd like you to meet Jenna,' said Gil.

  Declan automatically accepted the slender hand that Jenna offered and nodded an introduction, caught off guard by her silent approach. His second glance took in the fact that she was barefoot, which made her look shorter than she would normally have appeared and accounted for the absence of sound when she entered the room. The casual clothes she was wearing made her body almost shapeless.

  'So this is your friend,' said Jenna in a small voice.

  'Yes, this is Declan,' Gil replied. 'He's just arrived.'

  Jenna tried to hide her shock as she took in the scars on Declan's face and head. He was tall, so tall in fact that she had to crane her neck to look up at him. Her heart sank. Was this the best they could come up with?

  Gil led the way into an adjoining room where they sat in easy chairs. Jenna could not take her eyes off Declan, it looked as if one side of his head had melted and run down his neck, and the dark shadows around his eyes made his face appear hollow. The guard from the adjoining room entered carrying a tray and left it on the table. Without asking, Gil poured three cups of coffee and handed them out. Declan, acutely aware of his unsightly appearance, continued to avoid eye contact with Jenna - there would be time for explanations later after they had established mutual trust, but only if he accepted the case.