“In fact,” Ross continued, “Sheldon here is also a prototech.”
“Really?” The woman seemed genuinely surprised, her eyes widened, giving her a childlike appearance. Sheldon didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixated on the black moradium table. He seemed lost in thought.
“All right,” Ross said, signaling that it was time to focus on business, “Mr. White will start the presentation. Go ahead Mr. White.”
“It’s about damn time,” the old man grunted. He got up and walked next to the holoprojector. An enormous map of a galaxy materialized behind him, with certain stars shining bright red.
“In two weeks you will be leaving Anderra using the departure chamber at the office. You will arrive in our privately owned departure chamber on planet Lusia. From there, the more difficult part of the journey will begin. First, though, Ms. Gaumont, I want to introduce you to the team and the strategy we have devised for the transportation of information package AR16997418.”
Sophie paid close attention, like a studious child in class, never taking her eyes off White. Alex studied the features of her face. She was very attractive but also sort of funny, the way she frowned when she concentrated. He looked at Sheldon but the mindguard was just absently staring out the window. Still, Alex was sure that Sheldon was not missing any part of what was being discussed.
“Transporting an information package is mostly done via the mindguard-bodyguard system, which is the most widely used and by far the safest. Lately, with the advancement of artificial mindguards, alternative transportation methods have been developed. Some artificial mindguards consist of nanobots that are released in the carrier’s bloodstream. They work, but they offer no physical protection at all and we all know a package can’t reach its destination if the carrier is dead. In the mindguard-bodyguard system there are various structures that can be used but we’ve found that ours works best. We know that because we’ve never had a botched mission and we have only lost six bodyguards and one mindguard in the company’s existence. That’s why we are the best.” He looked at Mac, then at Sophie. “Let’s just say your daddy made a good choice,” he said. The young woman laughed. She seemed to be warming up to the bad-tempered old man.
“Neurological data protection works on two levels that are intertwined: bodyguards protect the physical integrity of not only the carrier but also the mindguards who, in turn, guard the information package by protecting the carrier’s mind and, to a lesser extent, the minds of the bodyguards against telepathic aggression. It’s symbiosis, it’s art - it’s beautiful.” White’s deadpan delivery drew a round of laughter from everyone in the room, except for Sheldon, who seemed to be studying the texture of the window frame.
“We call the carrier and the two mindguards the ‘static elements’, while the bodyguards are the ‘dynamic elements’, though I prefer the terms ‘smart elements’ and ‘dumb elements.’” The bodyguards protested, acting offended, while White just winked at Sophie.
“Two ‘dynamic elements’ are assigned to each ‘static element’. In other words, two bodyguards will be protecting the carrier and each mindguard. One mindguard will exclusively guard the carrier’s mind, while the other is responsible for protecting the minds of all bodyguards. Your mind, Ms. Gaumont, will be in the very capable hands of Isabel Mensah, while Sheldon will be providing protection for the rest of the team.”
“No!”
Sophie’s emphatic protest surprised everyone except Sheldon, who was looking at the floor as if he hadn’t even noticed there were other people in the room.
“I want Sheldon,” she said, looking directly at the mindguard, challenging him to meet her gaze. After a few seconds, he finally did.
“It should be Isabel,” he said indifferently. Ross was quick to offer an explanation: “Sophie, Sheldon is partially retired. He hasn’t been on the field in a long time. Given the nature of this mission and the dangers that come with it, the information package should be protected by Isabel, who is an active mindguard. It’s not a trivial aspect, it’s a matter of training and activity. Isabel is simply in better mental conditioning, so to speak.”
Sophie was unbending. “I want Sheldon,” she demanded. The veteran mindguard did not seem at all flattered. He looked at her like an adult at a spoiled child.
“Now look, Ms. Gaumont -” White started, but was immediately cut off by the woman: “My father made no secret of the fact that he chose Ayers-Ross specifically for the services of Sheldon Ayers.”
“And you are getting his services,” Ross said.
“My father and I want him to guard the information package, those are the conditions. Sheldon Ayers guards my mind!” Her emphasis had an almost sexual connotation. Everyone in the room looked at each other, not really knowing what to say, but Sheldon was quick to react.
“So, even in his absence, Educator Miller gets his way,” he said, with undisguised resentment.
“I’m sorry if that disappoints you, Mr. Ayers,” the young woman answered, “but this is how it’s going to be. Please, no offense intended, Ms. Mensah.” The gentle woman nodded; no offence had been taken. It was clear that the client wanted Sheldon to guard her mind and that she would not budge. White sighed and looked at Mac, whose face betrayed no emotions. Alex knew, however, that his employer did not like to be told how to do his job.
“All right, let’s move on,” Ross said coldly.
“Good, fine,” White muttered. “So, then Sheldon guards your mind Ms. Gaumont and Isabel will be guarding the bodyguards. The bodyguards in question will be Maclaine Ross, team leader, and Jason Ellden, who will be protecting the carrier, Francois Zola and Ray Manner assigned to Isabel and Simon Bayles and Luther Brinks guarding ‘Popular Pete’ over there.”
“I’m sorry,” Sheldon said abruptly, “but does the Educator run his business empire with the same reckless foolishness he is displaying here?”
Mac’s face turned blood red. “Sheldon!”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ayers,“ Sophie retorted, staring him down with the intensity of a prizefighter measuring her opponent, ”but have you built your impressive reputation on the boorish impertinence you are currently displaying?”
Alex was shocked. First, that Sheldon had no reserve to flat out insult their client and second, that their beautiful customer was not at all intimidated by the famous mindguard. Instead, she was matching wits with the man, to the obvious chagrin of Ross, who seemed ready to punch either of them in the face.
“Now listen,” Ross thundered, “I will have no more of this crap in my briefing room. We will finish this meeting in twenty minutes and I don’t want you two speaking to each other anymore. In fact, I want you two to stop speaking without being spoken to first, is that clear?”
“No, Mr. Ross.” Sophie’s bold reply silenced the whole room. “Today this is not your debriefing room, it is my father’s. He owns this room for now and, as per our contract, he owns you as well.”
Alex could not believe his ears. He had never heard anybody talk to Maclaine Ross this way. In the course of just a few minutes, the short girl with elven features had turned into the embodiment of the ruthless and arrogant businesswoman. She was certainly her father’s daughter. Alex didn’t know if he admired or resented her.
Mac was silent for an uncomfortably long period of time. His icy stare remained fixated on his client’s face. The quiet intensity of the moment and the giant man’s tacit anger would have sent chills down the spine of a lesser woman, but Sophie was as determined as she was beautiful. Seconds went by with no word spoken and Francois cleared his throat, hoping to dissipate the uncomfortable silence. It was to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity, Sophie spoke first, her pleasant, melodious voice returning to its normal timbre.
“Look, Mac, I mean no disrespect, and certainly neither does my father. This is a business venture that is of utmost importance to him. I am here, acting as his representative, to make sure that everything goes according to our best interest. My father paid
an enormous sum of money to your agency because the information package I was authorized to carry is of great importance not only to us, but to all of mankind. The knowledge I possess could very well change the course of human history.”
The tension in the room was palpable. There was the feeling of a ghostly presence, as if the briefing room itself had suddenly come to life to witness this moment. No one asked her anything, such was the policy of every thoughtprotection agency. The young woman was obviously aware that she had aroused their curiosity. Thoughtprotection agencies were allowed to know nothing about the nature of the information they guarded. Sophie surely knew that, because she visibly enjoyed this feeling of power over them.
She confidently continued: “While your agency in itself is reputable, and certainly deserving of the highest praise, the reason my father chose Ayers-Ross was specifically to acquire the services of Sheldon Ayers.”
Sheldon suddenly looked very tired, like the entire weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders and he wanted none of it. He felt worn out, perhaps consumed by this profession, by the folklore created around him. Alex found that very troubling.
“All right,” Sheldon hesitantly agreed. “But you are exposing yourself to more risk this way.”
“I have every confidence in your ability… Mr. Ayers.” Again, the way she pronounced his last name seemed meaningful. This time, it sounded like a military rank or a title of royalty. Alex could not help but wonder: if Sheldon’s grandfather were still alive and an active mindguard, would Horatio Miller have insisted so hard on getting the services of ‘the great Sheldon Ayers’, or would he have gone directly to Kinsey.
“All right, so now we finally got this out of the way and we know the individual roles of each team member.” White’s raspy voice set things back on track. “Now we have to talk about the route.”
The tension vanished and the bodyguards and mindguards returned their attention to the old man’s presentation.
“The route is going to be extremely dangerous. As I mentioned before, once you get to Lusia, it’s no more fun and games. First, you will need to board a ship that will take you near Korall, a planet right on the edge of the Djago Desert. It can’t be a normal passenger ship, for obvious safety reasons, so we have to arrange for a smaller cargo vessel. For the right amount of money, our contacts on Lusia will lend us one, though they are usually wary of this for various reasons. You obviously won’t be allowed to take the ship through the gateway towards the Djago Desert, so you have to get off on Korall, which is not as dangerous as a desert planet but also not a pleasant tourist destination, if you get my drift. From there, you need to acquire means of transportation to Djago, which means dealing with the locals and that’s always risky. But there’s no other way. You need a vessel for Djago since there’s no way in hell you’ll ever find a personal transporter in that region of space.”
“Hold on a second,” said Ray Manner, a dark haired, brown skinned man, whose arms were completely covered in tattoos. “Can’t you talk to your dad t‘get us one of his company’s carriers? Milagro, was it?”
White looked at him like he was the village idiot. “No, he can’t and that’s a stupid question,” he said. Then, to Sophie: “I guess now you get my comment about the ‘dumb elements.’”
Manner puffed and shook his head before White addressed him with the tone you would use on someone who asked the same question four times. “The mission is classified, smart guy - you don’t want the freakin’ company’s logo on the ship. And it’s Mylonas not Milagro. Plus, you send a Mylonas craft in the Djago Desert, it will survive about as long as a kitten in a dog pound. You might as well have a bull’s-eye on it for desert dwellers.”
“Desert dwellers?’’ Sophie asked.
“The natives, that’s what people call’em. They’re all a bunch of no-good inbreds and they’re dangerous. Anyway, we’ll have to scrounge for a ship on Korall. Now, once you’re in the desert region you have to cross four planets in order to get to your destination.” The old man turned to a glowing blue dot on the holomap. With a gesture of the hand he made the image zoom in on a planet that managed to somehow look menacing, even on the map. “Carthan,” he announced. Sophie smiled and nodded as if she were saying “Correct.”
The old man took a deep breath, let his head down and looked at her as if he were trying to see over a pair of sunglasses. “I know that’s your final destination and it’s company policy not to ask and it ain‘t even none of my damn business… but the contract specifically states that we drop you off there.”
“Correct,” she said, this time out loud. Alex was confused; he didn’t know the details of the contract. They were only available to Ross, Kriss White and the active members of the mission. This short young woman, with her ponytail, her big eyes and her funny smile, wanted to be dropped off alone on a planet in the Djago Desert. And then what?
“And then what?” White said, echoing the young mindguard’s thoughts. The woman said nothing and the old man finally understood that he would not be receiving an explanation.
“That’s crazy,” Alex said. Everyone in the room turned to look at him at the same time, as if they had forgotten he was even there. Sophie smiled affectionately. She seemed to appreciate his concern, but she still remained silent. The others also said nothing, which made Alex feel slightly embarrassed.
“All right,” the old man continued. “You drop off the nice lady and then get your asses out of there as fast as possible. And try not to attract anyone’s attention. Francois, that means no shacking up with the locals!” Everyone laughed, except for Sheldon, and for Alex, who was still worried about the young woman’s safety. He looked at her again; how fragile she seemed.
“So you don’t, uh, you don’t want us to pick you up at a later date or something?” he asked.
“No, the contract is for a one-way journey only.”
●
Sophie was touched by the young mindguard’s concern for her safety. He seemed more human, more vulnerable than the others. She secretly wished he could accompany her instead of the polite but distant Isabel Mensah. She measured him with her gaze. Clean-shaven, athletic, with a boy-next-door look; he seemed out-of-place in this group. The others were either muscle-bound, tough-looking brutes like Ross, Ray Manner and Luther Brinks or distant, withdrawn, hyper-intellectuals like Sheldon and Isabel.
Alex was not like that. He seemed emotional, almost shy at times, in complete contrast with the other two mindguards. She discovered that she was very fond of him. She wondered how he would fare in bed. His careful, protective nature predicted only good things. The sudden thought of sex drew her attention back to Sheldon. As if through some sort of magical magnetism, her gaze was pulled towards the man and she couldn’t fight it. The famous mindguard was looking directly at her, which startled her a bit. She suddenly felt very awkward.
“How do you use telepathy to protect the information?” she asked White, without taking her eyes off Sheldon. “How does it work?”
“They don’t use telepathy, not directly,” the old man answered. ”I mean, obviously mindguards have to be powerful telepaths in order to do what they do but their method is completely non-invasive. You don’t have to be worried about that.”
“I’m not,” she said, somewhat hesitantly.
“I’m sure you’re familiar with the legal repercussions for using telepathy,” White said, hoping to put her mind at ease.
“Of course.”
“Well, for mindguards the punishment is more severe.” He waited for a few seconds. “That means death, the punishment is death.”
“Without the possibility of ever having your memories uploaded into the Human Knowledge Archives,” Ross added.
“I’m not worried about that, I’m just curious about how it works,” Sophie said, managing to finally ply her eyes off Sheldon. Ross took on a very didactic tone that did not fit him at all. “Well, technically it is a singular, intricately developed form of telepathy.
You see, telepathy in itself is intrusive. When the mindguards work, they do access the carrier’s mind, in order to build a defense mechanism around it. However, they do it from a distance, so to speak, without exposing any of the carrier’s thoughts. They interact with the carrier’s mind without ever accessing the thoughts, if that makes any sense. Basically, mindguards use their own minds as protective shields between the carrier’s thoughts and the aggressor’s.”
“Thank you for explaining that,” Sophie said. “I’m just curious about one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I’ve heard rumors that mindguards possess the ability to plant thoughts into somebody’s head, like dreams or hallucinations. Supposedly, the victim can then no longer discern reality from the mindguard’s projection. I know regular telepaths can’t do this, but what about mindguards? Can you do it, for example?” she said, turning to Sheldon. The mindguard said nothing.
Ross answered for him: “Yes and no, it’s very complicated. As you can imagine, becoming a mindguard takes intense training. This profession requires a more complex study than any other in the world. During this training period certain particularities of the mindguard’s brain are nurtured. Not everyone can be a mindguard, only people with a unique type of development in a number of key areas of the brain. Those are unofficially called Weixman’s Areas. As a result of their extensive training, mindguards’ brains naturally develop the ability to project synthetic thoughts into other people’s minds. This is dangerous and highly prohibited. When the first guarding techniques were developed, leading to the appearance of the first mindguards, the government allowed this profession to exist only on the condition that this ability would never be used.”
“So no one ever used it?”
“No. Years of training are dedicated to subduing this ability, until the brain learns to naturally suppress it. From then on, it’s practically impossible. Blocking it off becomes a natural reflex. It’s like trying to let yourself fall face-forward. At the last second, your arms will always attempt to break the fall.”
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