by Sayuri Ueda
“You’re wrong,” Tei answered with as much conviction as ey could muster. “It happens every once in a while. It’s a simple genetic aberration—not an abnormality.”
“Then why didn’t you choose surgery? It’s a simple reconstructive procedure, yet you chose not to go under the knife. I don’t understand it.”
“Because people like me are necessary,” Tei said. “If there is no one with such differences, nothing to regard as a mark of one’s individuality, Round society will become homogenized and eventually stagnate.”
“So what you’re telling me is that Round society will eventually develop a binary system like the gender distinctions separating Monaurals,” Karina said. “If a Round majority and minority were born of physiological differences, you’re going to have the same disagreements that exist among Monaurals, regardless of your elimination of gender distinctions. In time, these differences will be the standard by which you discriminate against others.”
“If we don’t dwell on the numbers, that these differences exist at all will be rendered meaningless.”
“I wonder,” Karina mused. “Do you really believe you can achieve in three generations what we could not in thousands of years, and overcome such a deeply entrenched way of thinking?”
Saying nothing, Tei gathered eir medical supplies onto the tray and stood up.
“Leaving so soon?” Karina asked in a mocking tone.
“Have you any compassion—any concern for others?”
“Do you have any knowledge of my activities on Earth?”
“Yes, I do. But surely you feel something. You’re human after all.”
“If I haven’t forsaken my humanity, that is,” Karina said.
“I won’t pretend to know the hell you suffered in the past, but that doesn’t acquit you of your actions now. Many of the things people believe they cannot do are merely things they don’t out of inconvenience.”
“You’re a blunt one for a counselor.”
“I don’t recall taking you on as a client,” Tei said.
Karina let out a laugh that sounded like a purr. “Since you patched me up, I’ll tell you one thing. The so-called ‘package’ I dispersed isn’t a virus or chemical weapon. It’s a parasitic machine.”
“A what?”
Karina said it slowly. “Par. Ah. Sit. Ic. Mash. Een.” Then she raised an arm and traced a pair of characters in the air with a finger. “There’s some kanji for you too. Understand now, maybe?”
“Parasitic?” Tei’s face froze. “A parasite?”
Karina slowly lowered her finger. “That’s all I can tell you. The rest is up to what you have to offer. Go talk to Kline if you aren’t able to negotiate with me on your own. She loves you like you were her own children; she won’t turn her back on the special district. You talk to her without involving special security, and I’m sure she’ll think of something.”
Tei watched Karina’s eyes slowly close and a satisfied smile come across her face.
When Tei stepped out into the corridor, with the tension leaving eir body, ey was assaulted by a feeling of vertigo.
These Monaurals were underhanded to be sure.
Tei felt powerless against the likes of Karina.
The doctor called Shirosaki on eir wearable and arranged to meet him in eir room to avoid any surveillance.
When Shirosaki arrived, Tei reported every detail of eir conversation with Karina. “I played right into her hands.”
“You did well to learn as much as you did. Karina didn’t talk at all to Harding or me.”
“Not at all?”
“Not one word. She may feel some sort of affinity with you.”
“What affinity could she possibly feel with me?”
“I can’t answer that,” Shirosaki said. “But you mentioned that you’d met her before. Five years ago, was it?”
“Strictly as a doctor. I don’t recall talking about anything of note or counseling her in any way.”
“What was she like back then?”
“She was a typical scientist. A kind, cheerful, charming woman without a single hint of a violent nature. She was a true friend to Kline, someone with whom Kline seemed to open up. So when I first heard that Von Chaillot was Karina Majella, I didn’t make the connection. I still can’t believe that Karina is her true identity. Even now I feel as though she remains Von Chaillot and not the woman before us. She seems to harbor some kind of enmity toward the Vessel of Life, which may indicate some extenuating circumstances we don’t know about.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
“You too?”
“It’s been twenty years since she quit the terrorism business. I suspect she had a special reason for taking on this job,” Shirosaki said.
“When I told Karina about the children that had died, she seemed to waver for a moment. So I thought I could appeal to her compassion—but no.” Tei took out the medal from eir coat pocket. “She gave me this. I don’t know why.”
“I would say it’s a sign that she trusts you.”
“Even if that were true, just what am I supposed to trust about her?” asked Tei, staring at the medal in her hand. “Somewhere deep inside Karina, something has stopped working—completely broken down.”
“You don’t have to trust her, Doctor. As long as she puts her trust in you, we’re at an advantage. As a counselor, I’m sure you’re prone to empathizing with whomever you’re talking to. But you can’t let her get to you. Whatever her reasons, Karina has killed hundreds of people in the past.”
“I had hoped to at least get her to tell me how the agent works.”
The phrase parasitic machine didn’t turn up in any of the databases. Based on the name, which Karina had likely come up with on her own, Shirosaki and Tei surmised they were dealing with a molec machine that functioned like a parasite. Whether it was a completely man-made creation or a parasite that had been modified on a nanomolecular level, however, they couldn’t say.
“Karina will likely reveal what she knows piecemeal until she can find a way off this station. She doesn’t want to be tried on Earth and even said she’d rather die here than face life imprisonment,” Tei pointed out. “What is she thinking, Commander? How can she be so careless with her life?”
“Something called human folly. A part of Monaural nature that may be foreign to you.” Tei lowered eir gaze. Seeing the tears welling up around the corners of eir eyes, Shirosaki added, “You should try and get some rest, Doctor. You’ve been working around the clock.”
“There isn’t time for that,” said Tei, looking up. “I’ve been so consumed by the Rounds that I’d forgotten. You should get some rest yourself, Commander. You haven’t slept since the incident in the docking bay.”
“I’ll be fine—I’ve been trained for this sort of thing.”
“I’ve no problem working a twenty-four-hour shift.”
Shirosaki rested his hands on Tei’s shoulders, pushed em toward the bed, and sat em down. “Sleep, Doctor. It won’t do for you to collapse in front of your patients.”
“I can’t sleep now. I’m worried about the special district.”
“I’ll get you a sedative.”
“No, wait. I have to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Why are the Monaurals so bothered by our existence? And so extreme in the way they express their love and hatred for us?” Tei asked. “What is it about us that upsets you?”
“If you have time to dwell on such silly things, you really ought to get some sleep.”
“Silly?”
“What is the point in trying to characterize Monaurals on the strength of only a few examples? Regardless of their hate or love for you, they’re all acting upon their personal feelings, and those emotions are subject to change at any given moment. Someone that loves you today may very well hate you tomorrow. In a few years, that same person may even lose interest in the Rounds altogether. Our intense reaction isn’t directed at the fact of your being Rounds—it’s
your humanity that inspires so many different feelings in us. In the end, the conflict between Rounds and Monaurals represents nothing more than one kind of human relationship. Why do you insist on stereotyping us? We are, like you, a diverse subspecies. There are people who are fascinated by the Rounds and people who aren’t. Many people never act upon that interest. Some may seek friendship and nothing more. While some people invest their heart and soul, others couldn’t give a damn about a relationship with the Rounds. You mustn’t try to pigeonhole us. We don’t want a conflict any more than the Rounds.”
“What about you, Commander? Don’t you give a damn?”
“If I’m honest, I don’t. But should the day come when Monaurals and Rounds have to work side by side, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
“That’s unfair,” Tei said.
“What is?” Shirosaki said.
“The day you’re referring to won’t arrive of its own accord. Such a world will only come to fruition by those willing to build a relationship and see it fail again and again, by those risking hurt to learn the truth about each other. But you say you’re happy to wait for others to lay the groundwork for you. To come as you please after the groundwork has been laid and the foundation built without getting dirty yourself.”
“It’s one way to live, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, but it’s an awfully lonely way,” Tei said.
“You may be right about that. But I doubt my thinking will change. Neither should you try to change it for me.”
Tei said nothing for a moment as ey lay down on the bed. “I think I’ll rest now. Don’t worry about that sedative. Just close the door behind you.”
Shirosaki muttered, “Of course,” and moved away from the bed.
“One last question,” said Tei. “If a Round were to confess eir love for you now, would you accept em or reject em?”
“It’s a moot question unless you specify to whom you’re referring. I’m not seeking a relationship with just anybody, and that goes for Round or Monaural.”
“That’s reasonable. But that person would be terribly sad to hear it.”
“Who is this Round you’re speaking of? Did ey ask you to intervene on eir behalf?”
Tei looked Shirosaki in the eye. “No,” ey answered. “It was a hypothetical question. Forget it.”
Tei closed eir eyes and said nothing more.
Shirosaki watched over Tei for a good several seconds before leaving the room without making a sound.
V
1
SHIROSAKI WALKED DOWN the station corridor and made a mental list of the various matters he would have to detail in his report: the number of security staff casualties, the number of Round casualties, the current situation of the Rounds, the damage incurred inside the station.
His head was spinning. He had allowed three terrorists to inflict unimaginable damage on the station. What could he possibly say to explain the situation to the top brass? When he thought about the harsh censure he was sure to receive, the energy in his body left him.
Karina had yet to come clean about everything. The composition of and antidote for the dispersed agent were still unknown. At this rate, the Round fatalities were bound to increase.
Karina had demanded her freedom in exchange for the data. But she must have known the SSD would never agree to such an arrangement. Was she trying to strike some sort of deal? Or planning to negotiate directly with Kline and the superintendents of the special district?
Would Kline allow Karina to escape without his knowledge in exchange for the data? Regardless of the initial shock of having been betrayed, she and Karina had shared a ten-year friendship. There was no telling whether Kline still felt any attachment to Karina, and it was entirely possible she might resort to extreme measures to save Jupiter-I and the special district.
Shirosaki quickened his pace.
When he arrived at the control room, Kline was talking with five members of the station staff. Although like Shirosaki, Kline had not had a moment’s respite since the onset of the attack, she was barking out orders without any hint of fatigue.
Kline caught a glimpse of Shirosaki out of the corner of her eye and gestured with a finger for him to wait. “The engineers are working on repairing the diagnostic equipment in the lab and infirmary,” she told Shirosaki, after dismissing the staff from the room. “They’ll have to procure the necessary replacement parts out of the warehouse and from what astrometrics equipment they can afford to shut down.”
“Will they be able to make the repairs with what’s available?”
“Some things yes and some things no. But once we get the virus detection system and diagnostic equipment up and running again, we’ll be in much better shape. The station staff have pledged to do whatever is in their power to aid the special district. They’ve already started work on what they can.” Then Kline asked, “Any headway with Karina?”
Shirosaki proceeded to give Kline a succinct account of what Tei had told him. Kline could only tilt her head quizzically when Shirosaki asked about whether she’d heard of a parasitic machine. “It may be a type of molecular machine that Karina created herself,” said Kline. “Or a parasite from Earth, or Europa’s ocean, that’s been genetically altered.”
“If we’re dealing with an organism from Europa, what are our chances of finding a cure?”
“I doubt it’ll be as easy as prescribing a vermicide. It probably multiplies exponentially, making it hard to eradicate. And what about how it spreads? According to Calendula, the terrorists fired capsules into an area where the Rounds had gathered and achieved nearly 100 percent morbidity without hitting any of the Rounds directly.”
“Maybe the parasite burrows under the skin like scabies,” said Shirosaki. “With that disease, a mite about 0.4 mm in length burrows a tunnel beneath the skin and lays eggs inside the host. If left untreated, a person can host as many as two million mites inside the body. The mature parasites then spread, falling away with the dead skin cells.”
“Norwegian scabies. I’m getting itchy just thinking about it.”
“Karina said she’ll only talk on one condition.”
“Something we can live with?” Kline asked.
“Hardly. She demanded that we let her go—she wants to avoid trial.”
“But she might be able to plea bargain down to life imprisonment.”
“Apparently she’d rather take her secret to the grave than accept a life behind bars.”
Kline sighed.
“She may try to negotiate with you directly,” Shirosaki pressed. “But you mustn’t listen to her.”
“You think I’ll betray you in exchange for the Rounds’ lives.”
“Forgive me, but it’s my job to suspect everything.”
“I understand, and you’re right to suspect me. Even though I’ve tried to remain emotionally detached for the sake of the station, I’m not certain I’ve entirely succeeded.” For the first time, Kline revealed a look of dismay. As supervisor of Jupiter-I, she was bearing both a public and private burden that would make anyone buckle. “Don’t worry, Commander,” she said. “I would rather see the special district perish than let Karina go in order to save the Rounds. She’s lied to us once already. We can’t trust her to tell us the truth. Karina must be planning to buy her freedom by giving us fake information. We can’t fall for her tricks.”
Shirosaki realized that Kline had already made up her mind to sacrifice the special district. Was it because the help from Europa had been delayed? Even so, the decision could not have been an easy one. No doubt she had drawn the line in the sand and bet her fate through sheer will.
“Have any of Karina’s personal effects turned up on Europa?” Shirosaki asked.
“Nothing yet. But knowing Karina as I do, she wouldn’t have left behind anything that would put her at a disadvantage.”
“I’m convinced Karina has the data we need,” said Shirosaki. “She wouldn’t be as calm otherwise. But since we don’t know how Karin
a’s going to play her hand, I don’t want to rule out the possibility of a deal.”
“I understand. Getting that information out of her is your job, I know. But please don’t make any deals that give her the advantage. We’re prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
Shirosaki hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Does that include the Rounds?”
Kline didn’t answer. “I realize this is a dangerous risk, Commander Shirosaki. But if we stand our ground, Karina will have to flinch first. If she realizes she isn’t holding all the cards, she’ll panic and lower her demands. That could turn the tide in our favor. Please tell Karina,” Kline went on, “that I have no intention of giving in to her demands. And that no amount of bargaining is going to break me.”
“I’ll pass it on. And of course I’ll continue to keep an eye on Karina as I discuss a new plan of attack with Harding.”
Shirosaki exited the control room and called Harding on his implant. Harding complained, “Later. I’m on break. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“How much later?”
“Give me half an hour.”
“That long? The situation inside the special district is deteriorating, you know that.”
“The Rounds can all go to hell.”
“We’re here with a job to do, Harding. What do you plan on telling Hasukawa if the special district is annihilated?”
“That it was an act of God.”
“The younger Rounds are already dying—doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“They’re not my family or compatriots. I don’t give a damn what happens to them.”
“Thirty minutes. Not a minute more.”
“Yeah, and call Miles and Arino while you’re at it. When the time comes, I’ll get to work.”