‘Maybe some anarchist leanings early in life,’ Helen suggested.
‘Good call. He or they would need contacts in UA, though they could cultivate those later. Maybe. Uh, add in “good works” in the protectorates and sprawl areas. A lot of these people they’re transporting seem to come out of those areas.’
‘And we tagged Mister Hildrick apparently involved with meetings in the Brooklyn and Jersey Sprawl areas,’ Kit said. ‘I’ll task a copy with beginning that search. If you think of anything else to narrow it, let me know.’
Fox shrugged. ‘Any association with some guy named Joshua is a bonus.’
‘So noted. I’ll have that under way momentarily.’
‘Kind of slower over the satellite link, isn’t it?’
‘I can’t wait to be back where there is a decent internet connection. This really does feel like the ass end of the world, doesn’t it?’
Fox grinned. ‘Yeah, it does, but I never thought I’d hear you say “ass end.”’
‘Sometimes, a little indecorous language is appropriate. Such as when you’re on a slow internet connection in the ass end of the world.’
Airborne Over The North West Protectorate.
‘So, Kit’s hunting for any sort of individual, group, organisation, or company that fits our specifications,’ Fox said, keeping her voice to the inside of her head, though it was being transmitted all over the country. ‘Some of those were probably redundant, but she’s looking for someone who could be backing an operation like this. Jackson, Mariel, Garth, if you know anyone who fits the bill, or have any suggestions on narrowing the search parameters, let Kit know.’
They were keeping the conference to audio: the delay via a couple of communications satellites was not as bad as it was to L1 or the Moon, but it was enough to be a little annoying with video. Fox was sitting in the passenger lounge of one of the transports with Helen across from her. Everyone else was elsewhere.
‘I’ll make a couple of enquiries,’ Hoarsen said. ‘And I’ll check with BioTek on competitors with the right kind of biotech skill sets.’
‘I can think of one,’ Jackson said. ‘They had their principal laboratory destroyed recently. Too small to bankroll this kind of activity, but they produced various biological counteragents for plant viruses and such. It strengthens your argument.’
‘Mariel,’ Jarvis said, ‘I’ll send out something when I get to Chicago, but if you’re talking to BioTek, tell them to keep a full alert going until further notice.’ Jarvis was on the second transport, bound for Chicago.
‘I’ll do that,’ Hoarsen replied. ‘You think they’ll try again?’
‘I’m amazed they haven’t already,’ Fox replied, ‘but they may be leaving a gap to let us think it’s safe. They have time. They’re planning a war of some kind before they need to take out the food supply.’
‘This is insanity,’ Hoarsen stated flatly. ‘How could anyone think of this? How do they imagine they’ll get away with it?’
‘I’m not sure that really matters,’ Jackson replied. ‘I believe we have sufficient, if circumstantial, evidence that someone is trying to do it. Perhaps they would be identified before they can complete their plan, but that won’t help the people who will die and be injured before they can be stopped. They may not get their war, not the way they’ve planned it anyway, but they need to be brought to book as soon as possible or the loss of life could be substantial.’
‘No pressure then,’ Fox said. ‘I feel like we’re missing something. I need to understand their strategy better. I mean, I just don’t understand secreting away a horde of people from the protectorates. What’s the point? They seem to be trying to take out possible competitors in space, but that can’t be all of it. What are they hoping to get out of these attacks?’
‘Chaos,’ Helen said. ‘Fear. People trying to avoid space, and that’s working.’
‘Yeah. Could be just that. A few strategic targets, but mostly just keeping people on the planet…’ Her eyes widened.
‘So they’ll all be there when the war starts and the famine kicks in,’ Helen finished. ‘The old world dies. Maybe they don’t think of off-world stations and colonies as being part of the old world. Maybe they’ll get around to them later.’
‘Luna City is almost self-sufficient,’ Jackson said. ‘They could certainly survive without regular Earth traffic. Mars and Venus are another story. The stations on Venus would die fairly quickly. Mars… is questionable. Either way, someone with control over Earth would have considerable sway with the others. The various orbital domiciles could never survive entirely on their own, though some would keep going for longer.’
‘Someone would have to have a fairly megalomaniacal streak to even think of doing this,’ Garth Eaves pointed out.
‘Someone thinks they’re the Second Coming of Christ,’ Fox pointed out. ‘If he has money, or he’s hooked up with someone who has money, I don’t see megalomania as a big leap. I just wish I knew what their next move was.’
Prokhorov Station, L1 Halo.
Jason lifted his head as alert sirens blared and his implant popped an emergency alert indicator into his vision field. He was about to request further information when a second indicator appeared, a call indicator from Sergeant Huckabee.
‘Sergeant?’ The look on her face was enough to cut off any further query. Something was badly wrong.
‘Sir.’ Huckabee paused, swallowed. ‘Sir, the control room has picked up a vessel on collision course. It’s a Xiao class. Speed is two point nine kilometres per second.’
Jason’s stomach lurched. ‘How close?’
‘Estimated impact in just over eight minutes.’
‘How did it get that close?’
‘It’s coming at us right out of the Sun, Captain. It was basically invisible on the passives and the actives were blinded by solar radiation. They’re getting as many ships out as they can, but–’
‘There’s not enough time to clear them all, even if everything goes smoothly.’
‘Yes, sir. Sir, we’re being advised to head to the radiation shelters. There might be some chance–’ She cut herself off this time. She had likely done the calculations, just as Jason had. She tightened her jaw. ‘If it’s alright with you, Captain, I’m going to go to the shelter now. Nira is on her way.’ She spoke of her wife, a tall woman with a cap of copper hair; it was no surprise that Huckabee thought of Fox as her type.
‘Of course. I may see you down there.’
‘Thank you, sir. Uh, it’s been a pleasure and a privilege working with you, Captain.’
Jason bowed his head. ‘The same with you, Sergeant. And… Good luck, Lucy.’
‘Yes, sir. Good luck.’
The image vanished and Jason looked around his cabin. He would take the picture of Fox which sat beside his bed with him. No, there was no point in anything else. He engaged his message system as he walked through to get it. Then he was not entirely sure what to say and switched to a different recipient, recording a short message in French before sending it on to his parents and sister. There was some chance it would get out.
He tried again as he walked out of his apartment, his helmet under one arm with the picture frame tucked inside it. For several seconds, the words would not come. Finally, they did.
‘I am sorry, mon chère. Goodbye.’
Part Four: Everything Ends
New York Metro, 25th August 2061.
Kit diverted her attention from the reports she was going through as a call indicator was passed across from Belle. The source was a little surprising: communications with the Moon were, at best, slow with the primary relay station gone…
‘Terri, hello. I was not expecting to hear from you.’
The pause was longer than usual, the signal routing through a lunar satellite, then the BioTek station, then a geosynchronous satellite, and then down. ‘Kit… Uh, how is she?’
‘She has not left our viron since she heard. She has not run a sleep cycle. She sits, re
ading reports, running over what evidence we have, and staring into space a lot. She has accessed a number of external memory files of times she has spent with Jason. I am worried, but I do not know what to do.’
‘It probably doesn’t help that the UNTPP are in chaos. They’re talking about sending ships out to L-five, but… Well, talk is all they’re doing. Look, Kit, I need to talk to her. It’s urgent. Really urgent.’
Kit did not sigh, because she was an infomorph and had no lungs, but she thought a sigh. ‘I’ll see what I can do. Please hold.’
~~~
Fox sat on a virtual sofa in her virtual lounge, staring at the wall, which was not real. Her virtual body was clad in virtual copies of an old T-shirt and a pair of athletics shorts she had in the real world, but she had no desire to go out into the real world. The real world sucked, though the virtual one was not exactly great. The virtual one came without people expressing their sympathy.
Kit went entirely unnoticed as she walked into the room and paused to check on Fox’s mood. ‘Fox, I have a call for you.’
Slowly, Fox turned her head. ‘I’m not interested in hearing calls from people offering–’
‘It’s Terri. She says it is urgent. I do not believe her intentions are to sympathise.’
Fox was an infomorph, but she was in a simulated environment and used to being human. She sighed. ‘Put her through.’ Terri’s ident image appeared in the air beside Fox almost instantly. ‘Terri… Whatever it is, can’t it wait for Monday?’
The pause was long and irritating, and Fox was seriously considering dropping the connection when Terri’s voice came through. ‘No. No it can’t. Poppa’s coming to Jenner. I’ve argued as best I can, but he’s coming and he’s bringing Mariel with him.’
‘He what?!’ It was probably the most animated Kit had seen her putative owner in days. It was rhetorical anyway and Fox went on long before the words could reach the Moon. ‘Is he entirely off his little red wagon? Doesn’t he know what– Doesn’t he realise– Shit! I’ll go talk to him, Terri. What time is it?’
‘Twenty-two twenty-eight,’ Kit supplied.
‘Right. I’ll go talk to him now, Terri.’
‘Thanks, Fox,’ Terri said, though Fox was already starting the load process for her cyberframe by then.
There was no reply.
~~~
‘Jackson Peter Martins, have you completely lost your fucking mind?!’
Jackson raised an eyebrow, but remained where he was, sitting on one of the loungers in his solarium. He was working through reports on various projects which needed reviewing and possibly extending following the complete destruction of Prokhorov Station, but he pushed them aside for a second as Fox advanced toward him, obviously furious, but also clearly fatigued. The latter did not show in the same manner as a tired human would have betrayed their state: darkened eyes, drooping eyelids, numerous small tells which would give it away. In Fox, it was the slight stick in her voice, the slightly off tonal quality, the inelegance of her stride. Her processors were having to devote too much time to handling memory accesses to her short-term database and it was putting off motor functions and the software controls of her voice. There would probably be visual inconsistencies, disparities in synchronisation between sound and vision, interface issues, and eventually there would be difficulties in recalling things.
‘And good evening to you, Fox,’ Jackson said. ‘I assume you’ve heard that I’m–’
‘Trying to get yourself killed. Yes.’ She came to a stop and glared at him, but she was swaying slightly. Sensory inconsistencies, definitely.
‘How long has it been since you’ve run a sleep cycle?’
‘Don’t change the subject. Terri’s worried sick. You know what things are like up there now and you’re putting your life at risk to go see your daughter. Don’t tell me this is about Fei! I know you’re worried about Terri, but putting yourself in the cross hairs is not the way to solve the problem.’
‘You’re quite right. This is not just about Fei. Nor is it just about Teresa.’ He was sticking with reasonable. He was not entirely sure it would work because Fox was not in a reasonable state of mind, but he was also not exactly sure why she was quite so furious. ‘The UNTPP is in turmoil, Earth–Moon communications are disrupted, and traffic control is, essentially, broken. We’re trying to get relay equipment in place, fabricating it on the BioTek station which has the facilities if we can get MarTech Stellar people out there. We need coordination and negotiation with a number of parties, and the best way to handle that is for Mariel and myself to go to the Moon.’
‘I can’t believe Mariel’s going along with this,’ Fox said, but the anger in her voice had weakened. Her fists clenched at her sides, and then she dropped onto the lounger opposite Jackson’s. ‘You know the risks, Jackson. You know. How can you even think about doing this?’
‘For many reasons. And, yes, Teresa is one of them, but not the only one.’ He paused. ‘Now, when did you last sleep?’
‘No idea. I don’t get tired, remember?’
‘No, but you’re showing signs of the equivalent condition. You need to rest.’
‘What I need is for you to find a different way to handle this problem. Damn it, Jackson! I can’t…’ Her eyes dipped away.
‘Can’t what, Fox?’ Jackson asked when Fox did not seem to want to continue.
‘I can’t lose anyone else.’
‘You won’t–’
Fox looked up, right into Jackson’s eyes. ‘Can you give me a guarantee on that?’ His jaw worked a little, but he was not going to lie to her. ‘Thought not. I’m going with you.’
‘You’re needed here on–’
‘I am useless here! Kit can tell you. I can’t think straight. Kit’s been doing my work for me. All I do is snap at her if she asks a question. I just stare at the data we have so far and see nothing but Jason’s face. I need to do something, Jackson. Maybe all I’ll do is sulk in a cabin aboard a luxury transport, but…’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t think you realise what a juicy target you’d be up there.’
‘And I think you’re forgetting that these… saboteurs have dropped shuttles onto two spaceports. If they want to kill me, a shuttle hitting this tower at several times the speed of sound would likely do it. You being up there will do nothing to help if we did get attacked and flown into the Moon.’
Fox shrugged. ‘No, but I might be able to do something before we hit. We have no idea how they pull this trick off. And, if nothing happens and it’s all a waste of time, I happen to speak fluent UNTPP. Give me this, Jackson. If I can’t talk sense into you, give me, and Terri, just a little extra security. Neither of us want to see you dead.’ She pointed a finger. ‘Mariel too. Don’t forget she’s on this rocket ride with you.’
Jackson’s brow furrowed. Fox’s brain was running on slow, but it struck her that he looked older tonight. He was fifty-five, but normally looked younger. Tonight, he was showing more age, maybe even a little more than he had to show. He sighed and settled back on his lounger. ‘You would be useful to have along. Your name still has cachet with the UNTPP.’
‘I’ve never managed to stop them calling me “Captain.”’
‘Exactly. Very well. We’re flying out of Newark at ten a.m. Go home and, for Heaven’s sake, run a sleep cycle. You’re going to be no use to anyone with your brain running at half its usual speed.’
‘Yeah. Fine.’ She got to her feet, then paused. ‘I keep thinking that, if I go to sleep, I’ll have nightmares.’
‘You won’t. You don’t have dreams, or nightmares.’
‘I know, but it feels like I will.’
26th August.
‘I know it’s not what you were hoping for, but it’s what we’ve got,’ Fox said. ‘Jackson’s logic… wasn’t entirely illogical and I’m going to be there with him. If anything happens, we’ll have me there for fire support and him there for technical.’
She had passed identification packets to security and been
waved through into MarTech’s private lounge at Newark before Terri’s voice came back. ‘So, if it all goes bad, I lose him and you? That’s great, Fox.’
‘You’re forgetting something. I lose a cyberframe and I get restarted from the backup on my home server. I’m not risking much. If there’s a chance me being there could stop you losing him, I’m taking it, and if we get through without incident as, I would remind you, plenty of people are doing, then I’ll be useful when he and Mariel are talking to the UNTPP people. I’m going to do every little damn thing I can to make sure we all end up drinking bubbly in Luna City, Terri.’
‘Yeah, well… You just damn well make sure you do. When are you due in?’
‘ETA is twenty-two fifty, Terri,’ Kit supplied. ‘I promise to do everything I can to make sure we get there too.’
‘You just make sure you do!’ Kit’s voice again, but this time from her gynoid on the Moon. ‘And Fei wants me to add that she expects to see all of us soon.’
‘Kit and I will meet you at Luna City,’ Terri went on.
‘No,’ Fox said, ‘Kit and I will meet you in Luna City.’
‘Oh, ha ha. Get here safely or I’ll kick your butt and you won’t even remember why I’m doing it.’
Fox marched onto the shuttle as the connection died, finding a locker near the door to stow the large duffel bag she was carrying. Then she continued into the cabin, which was largely empty, having Jackson and Mariel in it, sitting across the aisle from each other.
‘Are you sure you brought enough clothes?’ Mariel asked.
‘What? No clothes in that bag. Just weapons.’ Fox swung into one of the seats. ‘I lie. There’s a combat vacuum suit in there too.’
‘You really think we’ll be targeted?’
‘If they know who’s on the ship, yes. If they don’t, I’d say we have a better than average chance of not being.’
‘You’ve changed your tune,’ Jackson commented.
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