“Ryn,” Cosmos says more gently and more sweetly than I’ve ever heard her say my name. “Think about this for a moment. You are essentially offering up your unborn children to strangers, who live on what is, in reality, another planet. Is that truly something you can live with? And how would you explain these siblings to the children of your own that you will have one day?”
“I doubt I will have children of my own. There’s a high probability that I won’t live long enough to have a family, and even if I did, I don’t think I’d make a very good mother. I’d actually feel better knowing that whatever kids I did have would be raised here in this place, in safety and around people who would devote themselves to raising them.”
“Ryn,” I hear Feather say sadly.
“I’m not saying that to get you to feel sorry for me. I’m just being honest. I was born without defects, and the genetic alterations didn’t make me bad or anything, it’s just . . .” Again, I struggle for the right words that will make them understand but not vilify us. Finally I say, “We’ve seen a lot and done a lot that would make it very difficult to be a normal person with a job and a baby and a minivan—which is a type of vehicle that moms drive, in case you didn’t know.”
“You’re sure about this offer? And, Levi? You agree?”
Levi pauses. I finally look at him and I’m both surprised and relieved to see he isn’t really pissed at me. I made an offer that affects him, too, without even so much as consulting him. I’d be angry. Levi is too good a soldier for that, though. He must have known, as well as I did, that I was left with little choice, given what we had to bargain with. Instead, he looks determined, his green eyes intense. “Two thousand troops. Fifteen hundred at the ready to join us on our Earth if we need them and the remaining five hundred to stay here and protect your city. When we’ve won, your troops can join the Citadels and live on our Earth or they can return to you. But please, make them all different looking. It would be very weird and confusing to have a bunch of clone soldiers. Medical supplies and any advanced technology that will help us navigate the Rifts safely. If you do that, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Perhaps we should take some time to consider their offer,” says a gorgeous SenMach, who may be the most beautiful person I’ve ever actually seen. I wonder who she is.
“Time is the one thing we don’t have. We’ve already lingered here far too long and we have to make allowances for the medical procedures,” I counter quickly.
“Very well, then, I accept your terms and I suggest we vote,” Cosmos says efficiently. I smile for just a fraction of a second, long enough for me to realize that was entirely too easy. I offered the SenMachs everything we had to give. That’s no way to negotiate. I should have started with just one thing, tissue samples. If they hadn’t gone for that, I could have ramped it up. For all I know, this is what they wanted all along, and all of it—the troops, the tech, even the threat of being detained—was to get us here, right to this moment. Or maybe I’m being paranoid and Cosmos was just looking for a way, any way, to help us. I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ve learned something in this room: a lesson about bargaining, and it’s not one I’ll soon forget.
Everyone at the table seems to sit up even straighter than they were before, which is saying something because the SenMachs have excellent posture. The vote begins. I hear yeses from every SenMach I’ve spent time with personally and from some I have not. Unsurprisingly the bummer version of Matt Damon says no, and the super-gorgeous but also mean-looking girl also declines. Despite that, the tally is not really all that close. The SenMachs want what we have to give.
“The yeses carry. Ryn, Levi, you have secured an alliance. We will need . . .” Cosmos pauses and takes about ten seconds before continuing, “twelve point eight days to program and manufacture our troops. That is the fastest possible time frame we can offer.”
“We’ll take it. Thank you.”
“If you would like to come with me and Doe,” Neon suggests, “we can give you the tech we believe you’ll need on your journey. After that, you can meet with Feather and his team.”
The SenMachs move quickly. I hope because they are respecting our desire to Rift out quickly and not because they’re afraid we’ll change our minds. Although what does it really matter? I am learning, too, that trust cannot ever be absolute, even with beings who cannot lie. Everyone has an agenda and everyone believes their agenda is the right one, myself included.
We take a silent electronic car to what must be the Physics building. Although the building is concrete, it has an odd conical shape to it that almost makes it look out of place among the straight lines I’ve seen everywhere else.
Levi is walking ahead with Neon, and I am beside Doe, trying not to stare. There is important life-or-death stuff going on here, but even with the supergenes and all, I am a human girl. Even in his robot form, Tim/Taylor/Doe has a detachment that almost borders on brooding. Obviously, I’m just anthropomorphizing the situation. He’s an android. Of course he’s detached.
I just kind of wish I could watch him drink a beer and say, “Texas forever,” at least once, though.
After entering the building, we make our way to what I assume is a lab. I can’t say for sure, though. It’s a big, open space with large black computer storage towers, or at least I think that’s what they are. There are also dozens of steel tables holding different bits of equipment and assembled devices. We are led to the center of the room where there are two extremely thin rectangular pieces of silver sitting on one of the tables. Doe runs his hand over one of them and the top pops open. It’s a laptop.
“We would like you to start using these. They can replace your current computers,” Neon says kindly but efficiently.
“Yeah, okay,” I say, hesitantly eyeing what looks basically like two pieces of colored paper in front of us. “We do want to take advantage of your technology, obviously, but this . . . I don’t know. If it breaks or crashes, we wouldn’t have the first idea how to fix it.”
Neon waits a beat. Her head is tilting at an angle. “You will never need to repair them. They are not just machines. They are sentient. They will repair themselves if necessary. Their shell is made of a nearly indestructible alloy. I assure you, they are much more reliable than the computers you are currently using.”
“Sentient?” Levi raises a single eyebrow suspiciously.
“I understand that the singularity has not yet happened on your Earth. I can assure you these machines are not sentient in the way that SenMachs are. They have been coded with only one goal: to make sure you Rift safely and to do everything possible to keep you alive when you arrive on a particular Earth. That is all. It would be impossible for them to turn against you in any way, if that is your fear.”
Levi takes a step back and begins to chew his bottom lip while staring at the table. “Our fear, Neon,” he begins, “is that we’ll become dependent on something we don’t understand.”
Neon runs a single finger across the razor-thin top of the computer. “Yes. You have both been let down by technology, betrayed by it, even. All I can tell you is that we do not underestimate your ability to survive even the most dire of circumstances, but we would feel . . .” Neon practically stumbles on the word, clearly unused to using it, “so much better if you accept these. This technology will improve your chances at a successful mission and keep you safer. That is all we want. I promise you.”
There are enough similarities between the SenMachs and the Roones to give me pause, but I do believe that, ultimately, above all else, the SenMachs want us to live. I can’t say with 100 percent certainty the Roones feel the same. Besides, we did ask for the SenMachs’ help. They are making good on their deal. This is just what assistance from them looks like.
“It’s pure dumb luck that the last two Earths didn’t destroy our equipment,” I say. “The way I see it, we’re just one Rift away from being trapped somewhere and I don’t really like those odds. I think our chances increase exponenti
ally if we start using these. Just as a precaution, though, we can take one of the old systems with us for the first few jumps, in case these new ones don’t work in the field. Does that work for you, Levi?”
I hear him exhale. “Fine. But look,” he says as he picks one up and examines it more closely, “there’s a keyboard and a monitor, but I don’t see a power source or any ports . . .”
I cross my arms and sigh. I was doing so well with the going for it and the whole “let’s trust them mostly” thing. “Valid,” I volunteer reluctantly. I turn back to Neon. “We don’t have time for a seminar in advanced computing.”
“There is no need,” she says. Out of her pocket she pulls what looks like an iPhone. “I took the liberty of replicating one of your mobile devices to use as a demonstration.” She places the phone down beside the other laptop. In two seconds, an illuminated tendril-like cable emerges from the side of the silver computer, and Levi jumps back. The tendril attaches to the phone and immediately, information is displayed on the monitor.
“Oh, great,” Levi says with his usual rancor. He juts his neck to get a better look, but he keeps his feet planted, ready to spring. “I feel much better.” I can’t fault his skittishness. This tech is organic, alive. No matter how many movies you see, nothing can ever really prepare you for seeing this kind of thing in real life.
“Any file, any drive—any machine—can be read and downloaded. It already has all the binary information you brought with you, including your QOINS device, which no longer needs a Heads or Tails component to work. We retrofitted these to eliminate that cumbersome element and even managed to boost the signal two point seven percent. Whenever you arrive on a new Earth, any information you might require can be acquired physically or via a network. There is an internal power source that does not need to be recharged. You can piggyback off a wireless signal without detection—I believe you call this hacking? You can hack into any system regardless of encryption.” Neon walks over to a neighboring table and we follow her quickly. She picks up a smooth, oblong silver object that is just a little bigger than a bookmark. “These are drones. They don’t have quite the range as the ones you first encountered when you arrived, but they can be sent out in stealth mode to do recon for you. The drones, in conjunction with the computer, can help you triangulate your position on an Earth in a matter of seconds.”
The tactical advantages the SenMachs have just given us are staggering. I realize that we are in robot city and that basically every sci-fi show I’ve ever seen is happening all around me. Still, I feel like an observer here, a visitor. Once we take this equipment, this becomes part of our personal story. We won’t just be super soldiers, we’ll be super soldiers with Star Trek tech. We’ll be the most advanced humans on Earth—our Earth, at least. It’s awesome and I don’t mean that in a casual, hair-flipping, mall-girl way. I mean it in the literal sense. It’s awesome.
“Doe, show Ryn and Levi the sensuits.” Neon suggests. Doe nods slightly and walks over to yet another nearby table.
“We felt that these would also be incredibly useful on different iterations of Earth. Levi, will you slip this over your head, please?” Doe is gesturing to one of the pieces of silk that are laying on the table. I thought it was simply a sheet that was covering something underneath it. But when Levi picks up the material, there is nothing else there. He holds it up and now I can see it is a tube and up close it looks more satin-like than silk. I can’t say for certain what color it is. Every time Levi moves his hand, the color changes ever so slightly from ivory to nude to brown to white. Levi puts it over his head and instead of slipping all the way down it just sort of hovers around his body.
“Courtly Gentleman, Versailles, 1787,” Doe says, although I’m not sure who he’s talking to. That is, until the silk undulates like water on a lake shore. It moves up Levi’s entire body and molds itself into trousers, hose, shoes, a brocade vest, and a jacket. “Disguise face,” Doe orders. The sensuit slips over half of Levi’s head so that it ends just under his nose. All of a sudden there is a powdered wig, complete with a velvet ribbon and even Levi’s features are changed. His chin juts out more, his mouth becomes smaller. I would never know it was him unless I got really close and was able to see his eyes.
“This was a project we developed a decade ago,” Doe begins. “We wanted to see how humans looked in different time periods without having to manufacture several bits of apparel. We know that many of the Earths you visit will run on different time lines. There will also be Earths with different dominant species. This should allow you to walk in public without being noticed—you can use the drones for reconnaissance to get an accurate description of what the population is wearing or what they look like. When wearing the sensuit, you will be able to walk among them undetected. If the species is too far removed from a bipedal one, there is a stealth mode. Levi, say ‘stealth.’” Levi says the word and the image of him is instantly gone. He is gone. The SenMachs have just given us another superpower. Invisibility. Levi and I could walk onto any base on our Earth—hell, we could walk right into ARC and kill everyone inside and they couldn’t touch us. The idea is both horrifying and wonderful.
“Can you see me?” a disembodied voice asks.
“Not at all. Is it uncomfortable? Does it feel claustrophobic?” Invisibility is amazing, but if you feel like you’re being smothered in a sheet, I’m not sure you could do much besides hide. Hiding is great. I’m all for hiding. I’m also for “kill the bad guys when they think they’re being attacked by a ghost.”
“Not no. But if I had to fight in this, if that’s your question, then I could.” Neon takes two broad pieces of what look like black leather and holds them up. “These are also for you. May I put this on you, Ryn?”
“On my clothes, or . . . ?” I don’t know how I’m supposed to wear a strip of leather.
“I apologize. Please hold out your arm.” At this point, I have no idea what’s on offer. Maybe it’s a personal force field. Before my imagination carries me too far away, Neon places the band over my wrist and it closes and molds so that it becomes a bracer . . . like Wonder Woman.
Yes!
“The cuff is linked to your computer. You will not have to open it in order to access its features.” Okay, so, not so much with the Wonder Woman. “You can operate the sensuits and drones with audio commands. These commands are programmed to follow your vocal authority and yours alone. Once you set it up, the security is impossible to circumvent, even by us. Levi, take yours and place it on your wrist. Once you do, simply say the word ‘cuff’ and the SenSuit will retract.” Levi does this, and I watch as the suit actually disappears into the bracelet. “We also have the medical supplies and the food cubes you were given, as well as instructions for making more of them. These are all the tools we believe will help you survive with little or no injury in the Multiverse.”
“Ask them about the Iron Man boots,” Levi whispers, which is annoying because he does have a mouth. But I have to admit, I want to know, too.
“What about the boots? The ones with the little rockets in them?” I bring up hesitantly. I’m not sure that even if I could fly, I would want to. I feel like a lot could go wrong in that department.
“Unfortunately, as you want to leave as soon as possible, we did not have time to create an interface which would enable you to operate them easily. We control them with our neural net, which you do not possess.” I hear a little huff from Levi, which I choose to ignore.
“Do you have any questions about these devices?” Neon asks sincerely. Her silver eyes look especially bright in contrast to her flawless, caramel-colored skin.
“Only about a thousand,” I answer honestly, “but seeing as we don’t have the weeks you could spend answering them, I’ll just have to hope the ‘sentient’ part of the technology you gave us can fill in the gaps as we go.”
“I’m sure it will. Now, I believe it is time to go to the biomed facility?” I look at both Neon and Doe and everything they’ve sup
plied us with. As amazing as it all is, I am now reminded that it comes at a cost. These are just things. They are spectacular, game-changing things, but it’s nothing they won’t miss. A computer isn’t a kid. If the SenMachs do choose to start a breeding program, then I have to admit, reluctantly, that we got the short end of that stick.
I try not to think about that once Feather starts working on me. They use plenty of anesthetic and I’m fairly certain that it’s Walt Disney who’s assisting him. Levi is in another room. I should, of course, keep my eyes open. I should be watching everything that they do. It’s what I insisted on with Edo when she took my chip out. But once they put the instrument over where my ovaries are, I can’t help but close my eyes. Will they do it? Will they make Levi and me parents?
It’s one thing to explain the deprogramming to Ezra. This—this is something I can’t rationally articulate. They didn’t build me for motherhood, that wasn’t a lie. As if I needed further proof of it, I am potentially handing over any offspring I may have to robots to raise. And I bargained them away for a laptop and a costume.
It takes about an hour for them to collect everything they need from me. When it’s over, Feather asks if I have any questions.
“I have two,” I say as I begin to get dressed. “If you do decide to make humans, to raise them, will you adapt your base code? So that they feel like they’re loved? Even if it’s not real love on your part, kids get really messed up if they feel like their parents don’t love them.” Feather waits several seconds before placing a hand over my own.
“We would do that, yes.”
“And could you give me something? That would act as permanent birth control?” Feather removes his hand. His unblinking silver eyes momentarily pass over me. I watch them flicker with something close to real emotion.
“I believe,” he begins gently, “that right now, you cannot imagine being a mother. But I know, because I have been sentient for a very long time, that where you are right now is not always where you will be. You have been through so very much in your short life, but you are still young and I could never take that choice away from you. I can, however, give you something that will temporarily prevent pregnancy for a couple of years.” I don’t know whether Feather’s answer is a relief or a disappointment. Either way, there is no place for children where I am right now.
The Rift Frequency Page 11