Ferreira stared thoughtfully back at Vinter for several seconds, then inclined his head in acknowledgement. ‘You may well have a point, Vinter. I’ll have to think about that. However, to get back to our immediate problem. No matter how much we might not like the situation, we’re on the same side here as far as Stalker is concerned. Would you agree on that?’
‘If Stalker’s intentions are hostile, then yes,’ Vinter said carefully. ‘We don’t know that they are, yet.’
‘But you agree that we need to take all suitable precautions in the meantime?’
Vinter nodded slowly; he could see Ferreira’s strategy now. He wanted Vinter to declare at least a temporary alliance, rather than use threats or coercion. There was a lot more to Ferreira than met the eye – he didn’t always go for the brute force approach.
Except when he’s putting his killing machine into action…
‘I need you to find out whether there are any more EarthCorp agents on the Terra Nova and to track them down if there are. As you said, we could well be at a bad enough tactical disadvantage without Stalker being given information that will shift the balance still further in their direction. In any case, if we are to go onto a wartime footing, we need all the Intelligence expertise we can get.’
Seeing the opening, Vinter forced it open. ‘In that case, I’ll need all UNSEC personnel released,’ he said rapidly.
Ferreira nodded immediately; he had obviously been expecting the suggestion. ‘I’ll give the orders at once. They’ll be under supervision and monitoring, of course.’
‘Of course,’ Vinter echoed ironically.
‘And if there is any hint that any of them are working against New Dawn, then it will be treated as treason and punished by summary execution – do I make myself clear?’
‘Perfectly. I expected no less.’
Ferreira glanced sharply at him, presumably picking up the bitter undertones in Vinter’s voice, but all he said was, ‘Just as long as we understand each other.’ He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then continued, ‘There’s another thing I need to talk to you about, Vinter.’ Again, he paused, then suddenly said, ‘What the hell… You’ve probably realised that none of this is exactly going according to plan – none of us, you included, were meant to be revived until PlanetFall, but it was always built into the schedule for us to be revived in the event of any inflight emergency. I don’t think anybody seriously thought that it would ever be necessary – the feeling was that any emergency once we reached maximum speed would probably be over very quickly and almost certainly terminal. However… here we are. Your own particular role at PlanetFall, as far as we were concerned, would be to work for the New Dawn government. By that time, you would have been much more sympathetic to our cause than you are at the moment.’
‘I’d have been brainwashed in the Zombie Pits, is that it?’
Ferreira even had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Unfortunate turn of phrase, but it more or less sums it up. And before you say that it wouldn’t have worked, can you deny that your first take on events tended to favour us rather than EarthCorp?’
Vinter reluctantly nodded. ‘OK, I’ll give you that.’
‘And that was at less than a quarter of the way into the overall programme, so how much more effective would the indoctrination have been after three hundred and thirty years?’
‘OK, so you’d have had a brainwashed Security Officer at your disposal, two hundred and fifty years from now. How does that affect the present situation?’
‘We don’t just have a security officer, Vinter – we have probably the most formidable fighting man in history, once you’re in Augmented Mode. You can outfight any soldier, no matter how well trained, with or without weapons, but you have also been given military tactical and strategic training, up to command level, all absorbed during cryosleep and ready to be released as soon as I gave you the trigger phrase. To be honest, you’re probably a better military commander than I am now and if I didn’t have that–’ he gestured at the device on the desk, ‘– I would be reluctant to have you around at all, especially as you have not been conditioned in the way that was intended. To put it bluntly, I do not trust you as far as I can throw you but I have no choice but to try and persuade you to join forces with me on the military front as well.’
Very neat, Colonel… get me to agree on the smaller issue, then stitch me up on the bigger one… ‘You want me to help fight Stalker?’
‘Exactly.’
‘As I’ve said, we don’t know if their intentions are hostile or not.’
‘It is an EarthCorp ship – it has to be. And I’m sure that if you access your military mindset, you’ll agree that we have to work on a worst case scenario – that they will attack us at the first opportunity. You know what EarthCorp is like, the atrocities they’ve committed.’
‘Colonel, you’re forgetting that my brainwashing hasn’t really kicked in yet – either that, or you genuinely believe your own propaganda. Yes, the only incidents that I can recall involve EarthCorp as the aggressors and New Dawn as the side defending freedom and democracy, but I also know that my memories have been interfered with – presumably as part of that brainwashing. And the records we have on board all seem to favour New Dawn – funny, isn’t it? We only know what you’ve told us – New Dawn, that is, forever reluctantly being forced into fighting the Evil Empire, but the only source of information for all this is in the computer records – those same records that kind of forgot to mention that we were carrying a cadre of New Dawn VIPs and soldiers… We only remember what you want us to remember, don’t we?’ Memories, you’re talking about memories… ‘Staging a coup and ordering me to go into a berserker rage doesn’t quite chime in with the official Zen Buddhism ideals of New Dawn, does it? Not only that, but I seem to recall from the broadcast we received that New York was nuked before Beijing, which rather implies that it was New Dawn who launched the first strike, not EarthCorp. All I know is that you both look as bad as each other from where I’m standing, so don’t give me all that bullshit, right?’
‘Vinter, remember I still have this device!’ Ferreira’s hand snaked out and snatched it up.
‘And what good will that do you?’ Vinter glared at Ferreira, then shook his head slowly. ‘Look, Colonel, I hear what you’re saying. There is a very real chance that Stalker is out to destroy us and, as you’ve said, my main priority is to protect the UN people aboard Terra Nova. Like it or not, that’s also become part of your job as well, Colonel. So, yes, I will work with you – under protest – but don’t ever think that it’s because I support New Dawn, understand?’
Ferreira stared at him for several seconds, his expression completely opaque, before he nodded slowly. ‘I understand perfectly, Vinter, and this is something that, perhaps, one day, we will need to sort out between us, but, for the meantime, your acceptance of the situation will have to suffice. We have a deal?’
Vinter sighed and nodded in return. ‘We have a deal.’
*****
‘Come in, lieutenant. Sit down.’
Sondgren did so, her eyes fixed warily on his across the table. ‘You asked to see me, sir?’
‘Yes, I did,’ Vinter said slowly, realising that this interview was going to be just as difficult as he anticipated. Sondgren’s body language said it all; she simply was not comfortable with him any more. Can’t say I blame her, in all honesty… ‘Have you and the others been allowed back to your quarters now?’
She nodded, briefly. ‘Yes, we have, sir.’
‘With what sort of restrictions?’
Now, she shrugged. ‘None – so far. I haven’t found any signs that they’ve installed any monitoring devices, but…’ Again, she shrugged: You know as well as I do that we wouldn’t necessarily spot them in a preliminary search if they knew what they were doing. ‘Do they intend to put any in?’
‘Not as far as I know, but that doesn’t really mean much now, does it?’ He offered her a faint smile, mostly to see how she reacted.
>
‘No, sir.’ Cold, abrupt – there was no attempt to respond at all.
Right, so I know where I stand now, don’t I? ‘OK, lieutenant, we need to sort out UNSEC’s position, given the changed situation. What have you been told so far about what’s going on?’
‘Nothing, really, beyond the fact that New Dawn is now in charge and that Stalker is an EarthCorp ship that is likely to prove hostile. They – New Dawn, that is – want us to look for any more EarthCorp agents that might be on board.’ And that was it; she had delivered her statement in a flat monotone, her gaze fixed a point on the wall behind Vinter throughout.
‘Right. Lieutenant, I need to make some points clear here, so please pay attention.’
‘Yes, sir.’ With evident reluctance, she brought her focus back to his face.
She really is not making this very easy, is she? ‘Look, like it or not, we have to work with Ferreira at least for the time being. If Stalker is hostile, then our duty is to protect UN personnel on board, is it not?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Our argument may well be with Ferreira, but we’re going to be caught in the crossfire if it comes to any shooting – and we have to protect the Terra Nova before we think about anything else.’
‘I’m aware of that, sir, and I accept it.’
‘But?’
Now, something showed in her eyes, some hint of emotion. ‘May I speak frankly, sir?’
‘Please do.’
‘I accept the fact that I have to work for New Dawn during the coming crisis, but… not with you as my Commanding Officer.’
Vinter nodded. ‘Is that just you, or are you speaking on behalf of the UNSEC Unit as a whole?’
‘I’m speaking on their behalf – we all feel the same way. We feel that we can’t trust you.’
‘Explain.’
‘Isn’t it obvious? You killed six soldiers from our own side, for God’s sake!’ She paused, taking a deep breath, as if surprised by the sudden show of vehemence; Vinter had been expecting it from the moment she had come into his office. ‘I know that you were under Ferreira’s control when that happened, but that’s precisely the point – if he can turn you into a killing machine with just a single phrase, he’s got you where he wants you, hasn’t he? To put it bluntly, he owns you – but he doesn’t have the same hold over me or the rest of the UNSEC team. How can we trust you when, for all we know, he could send you that trigger phrase during a team meeting if he decides we’re no use to him any more? You wouldn’t have any choice but to kill us all, would you?’
Vinter nodded slowly. ‘Probably not, no.’
She hesitated, then said, ‘It’s not just that. We don’t really know who you are, anyway. None of us knew you back on Earth – OK, none of us knew each other either, but none of us have turned out to be latent super-warriors either. Some of us knew you by reputation, but that was all – you could be anybody, planted on us by New Dawn right from the start, and working for them all along. You were the first of us to be revived, for example, and Ferreira seemed to have your trigger phrase instantly available… Be honest, if you were in my position, what would you be thinking?’
‘I see your point – but whether any of us are who we’re supposed to be could apply to any of the UNSEC team – any of us could be plants.’
‘You think I don’t know that? But, in your case, there’s something else.’
‘And what’s that?’
‘As I said, none of us actually knew you on Earth, but Adebayo remembers seeing your file back on Earth – and she says the file we’ve got on board here isn’t the same.’
Vinter stared at her, suddenly tense: Adebayo had an eidetic memory, which was why she was so effective at data analysis. ‘In what way?’
‘The record we’ve got here, on board, says you’re not married. Adebayo says that the file back on Earth mentioned a wife and daughter. Angela, or Anji, and Emma.’
Jesus Christ… Vinter stared at her disbelievingly, as if he had misheard her somehow, even though he knew damn well he had not… Jesus fucking Christ.
Married? What the hell? Anji… she was his wife? And Emma – his daughter?
But there was nothing there for either of them, the names still meant nothing to him, not in terms of any real memories…
Married – and he couldn’t even remember his wife and daughter? Or even his wedding day?
Sondgren’s voice seemed to come from a huge distance. ‘So, to put it simply, which one is the real Vinter? You, or the one in the file back on Earth?’
She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes boring into his. ‘Who are you?’
CHAPTER 6
Vinter stared almost disbelievingly at the comp screen, wondering how the details of his life could be condensed down to just a few pages of text. It was all there – his years at Edinburgh University, the five year relationship with Naomi, being head hunted by UNSEC on his graduation following the informal vetting and evaluation procedure that he hadn’t even realised had been happening at the time, the end of the relationship (Naomi meeting someone else and dumping him without ceremony) and the note that he had never been in a serious relationship since (flagged up as a potential weakness), then working in London and New York before being transferred to Canberra and UNSEC HQ. A whole page of text and images devoted to Livvy – dark hair, laughing eyes and a wicked sense of humour who felt the same way as he did about the relationship – no strings, no commitments, let’s just have fun, OK? They had split up perfectly amicably a couple of years before he was selected for Terra Nova and, if truth be told, that had turned out to be the best thing in the end, because he would have had to leave her behind anyway.
The memories came flooding back… Livvy smiling up at him from the pillow, her hair tousled from their love-making, or straddling him as she rode him, his hands caressing her breasts… Splashing water at him in the sea, then running away through the shallows, laughing delightedly… Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef… The first meeting at the dinner party when they were the only two unattached guests and the hostess had decided to pair them off…
‘There you are, Livvy! What time do you call this?’ The broad smile on the hostess’ face robbed the words of any offence; the two women exchanged air kisses, evidently old acquaintances.
‘Well, one has to arrive fashionably late, doesn’t one?’ the woman called Livvy chuckled.
‘Indeed, darling, one does.’ Both women were using exaggeratedly upper-class British accents. ‘Do let me introduce you to your beau for the night.’ She turned towards Vinter, holding out a hand in a kind of beckoning gesture. ‘Livvy, this is Chris Vinter – sorry, I should say Inspector Christopher Vinter, shouldn’t I, Inspector?’
‘No, Chris is fine.’
‘Chris, this is Olivia – aka Livvy – Mottram.’
‘Delighted to meet you, Livvy.’
‘The pleasure’s mutual, Chris.’ She had dropped her cut-glass accent for her native Australian; it was still refined, well-educated, however.
The hostess muttered something about checking on the hors d’oeuvres and disappeared in the general direction of the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone.
‘I think we’ve rather been shoe-horned together,’ Livvy said apologetically. ‘Apparently we’re the only unattached pair here – Rhona is playing Cupid, I fear.’
Vinter gave her an appraising glance. ‘I’m not complaining.’ She was tall, slim, brown-eyed with dark hair cut fashionably short, wearing an old style cocktail dress with a neckline that plunged between her breasts, almost to her waist, and which was slit up the side of the thigh to reveal a long, tanned leg. Her voice was a husky contralto and she was, to put it bluntly, sexy as hell.
‘If that is a compliment, then thank you.’ She smiled impishly at him. ‘And, actually, neither am I. So… are you going to get me a drink?’
‘Coming right up.’
During the course of the dinner, she found out that he had only recently arrived in Canberra
after being transferred from New York – ‘Yes, Rhona said you’d been promoted here, but I’m afraid I assumed you were American.’
‘No, I’m a Brit, for my sins.’
‘I’ll forgive you – just don’t ever mention the Ashes, or any cricket, for that matter.’
‘Fair enough. Silly game, anyway.’
She worked for UNHQ in Canberra in the Diplomatic Service, lived alone, enjoyed swimming, surfing and vids, worked out three times a week in the gym and had always wanted to visit London. What did he think of Australia?
‘I’ve only been here a month or so.’
‘You must let me show you around – not just Canberra, but the whole country. Ever been scuba diving?’
‘Once – a while ago. A week in Florida.’
‘Excellent! A friend of mine owns a beach villa in Queensland, just north of Cairns. Fancy scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef? I’ll take you up there, if you like.’
‘I’d love to.’
By now, they were in the electric driverless taxicab, on the way to her apartment; he had insisted on seeing her home – or had it pretty much been taken for granted that he would? It didn’t really seem to matter now.
‘Excellent,’ she said – he’d already discovered that it was one of her favourite words.
The taxi pulled up outside a tall apartment block; she looked across at him and said calmly, ‘You are coming up with me, aren’t you?’
‘I was hoping to, yes.’
‘I’m glad about that.’
Once they were in her apartment, she simply unfastened the dress at her neck and let it fall to the floor; underneath, all she wore was a tiny black G-string. ‘Like me?’ she asked, pirouetting slowly around.
‘You could say that, yes.’ Understatement of the year – she looked sensational…
‘Well, I did say I’d show you around, didn’t I? The first place I want to show you is my bedroom – and my king size bed.’
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