Freedom's Last Gasp

by M. A. Rothman

  Terry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She’s stubborn. She thinks that by going back and letting them read the destroyed chip, it’ll delay any aggressive actions toward us. She thinks she’s helping, but—”

  “Don’t dismiss that as a possibility.” The governor put her chin on the heel of her hand in a thinking pose. “In fact… maybe we can get the UN folks precisely the information they want.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The governor smiled. “I have an idea.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Though she wasn’t back to one hundred percent, Priya was up and walking, and it felt good to be on her own two feet. It had been six weeks since the attack, five of those in the hospital, one in the dorm. And now she was going back to Earth.

  But first, it was time for her to give the UNIB what they’d been asking for. From what Terry had told her, there was nothing to hide on level twelve, and he wanted her to see that firsthand before she left. And it made sense, because if it was true, then she actually could deliver to Agent Ted and his cohorts what they’d asked for. It may not be what they wanted, but it was what they asked for.

  As they passed through level eight, switching between elevators, she said, “I barely even remember what happened down here.”

  “Good.” Terry grimaced. “I remember it perfectly well, and I’d frankly rather not. I thought you were going to die.”

  She chuckled. “It’s not a big deal. Just have Walter resurrect me once he gets enough experience points.”

  Terry didn’t smile.

  She nudged him. “Hey, I’m supposed to be the grumpy one.” She jabbed him a few times more times, and finally he cracked a smile. “See? That’s better.”

  “I hate to admit it, but I’ll miss having you around.”

  They reached the lower elevator. Terry swiped his finger across the biometric reader and they began descending. When they reached level ten, as far as this particular elevator went—and deeper than Priya had ever been—the doors slid open.

  It was loud down here, and dust was thick in the air. Heavy equipment crossed their path, and from down the adjoining tunnels came the scraping of a continuous mining rig. And yet, as foreign as her surroundings were to her, she’d been here. Or at least, one of her memories had been.

  She pointed to the left. “Elevator is that way. Right?” She had to yell to be heard over the noise.

  Terry raised an eyebrow and nodded.

  As they walked in that direction, farther from the active excavation site, the dust cleared. Soon they were at the next elevator. The one that would take them all the way down to level twelve. It was smaller than the others, more of a passenger elevator, only large enough to fit a dozen people.

  “You should be able to scan in,” Terry said.

  Priya pressed her palm against the security pad and hit the button for level twelve. Sure enough, they immediately began their descent.

  And it was quite a descent. They moved rapidly, and Priya could tell they were going a long way. When they passed level eleven, she felt a rise in temperature.

  “How far down is this, anyway?”

  “About two thousand meters. A bit over a mile.”

  “Good lord!” Priya’s ears popped with the change in pressure. “And how much hotter is it going to get?”

  Terry smiled and wiped sweat from his brow. “It’s going to get pretty hot. Sorry. Even though we pump iced water down to cool things off, the rock walls are about one hundred sixty degrees, so I wouldn’t suggest touching them. That’s also why I made you wear your mining gear.”

  Priya pulled at the front of her overalls, trying to get some air circulating against her sweaty skin. “It’s got to be too hot to mine down here, right?”

  “Oh, we don’t really have this level setup for active mining.”

  Priya was confused. “Then what is it for?”

  The elevator finally slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open. Bright lights in the chamber flickered to life from high up on the ceiling, chasing the shadows from the chamber that stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see.

  Priya stepped off the elevator and noticed the chamber was only about fifty feet deep. On the far end, there was a large stack of boxes, and closer to the elevator shaft there were evenly-spaced pillars running the width of the chamber. Directly in front of her was a large central support structure that rose ten stories to the ceiling. The rest of the pillars emerged from the ground at an angle and met with the central structure at the ceiling nearly one hundred feet above.

  She stared at what looked like an inverted fan and said, “That’s a bizarre design.”

  “This place is mostly for emergency use,” Terry said as they stepped further into the chamber. “This level connects to all the other mines in the colony. If there’s some kind of catastrophic issue in any one location, we can have our security team escort equipment and miners down to this level, over to another mine, and bring them up from there.

  “Also, I’m told we’re able to tap the heat down here, and use it to run a lot of our operations. You know, geothermal energy and whatnot. That’s not really my area; you’d understand it better than I would. Speaking of heat…” He unclipped a water bottle from his belt and handed it to her. “The last thing I need is for you to get dehydrated and pass out.”

  As Priya unscrewed the cap and downed the water, she walked past the support pillars and over to a stack of crates with numbers printed on them. “What’s in these?”

  “I have no idea.” Terry shrugged. “We can find out.” He donned a pair of mining gloves, grabbed a pry bar that was resting by the boxes, and began working on the top of one of the crates.

  Priya heard a buzzing in her ear. Almost like the sound of electricity arcing somewhere. Or… maybe she didn’t hear it, maybe she just felt a vibration in the air. It was almost like someone was rolling something heavy nearby. And then the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.

  Terry pried off the top of the crate. “Looks like we’ve got… tools.”

  Priya picked up a wrench, and immediately dropped it. “Ouch.” It was hot.

  Terry smiled. “Yeah. That’s why I put on gloves before using the pry bar.”

  Priya looked over the tools. “So that’s it? Level twelve is just… storage?”

  Terry panned his gaze across the chamber. “Now you understand why we’re perplexed that anyone would want access to this place. Beyond boxes and heat, you won’t find much down here.”

  Priya pointed at a small cart. “Is that a golf cart?”

  “Actually, we’re in a mine, so it’s a mining cart,” Terry deadpanned.

  Priya rolled her eyes. “Can it take us to one of the other shafts? If I’m going to try to convince the muppets at the UN that there’s nothing down here, I at least want to explore a bit.”

  “Of course.” He walked over to a refrigerator that had been partially hidden behind the crates, pulled out four plastic water bottles, and held them up. “Miners think of everything. Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”

  Priya stared out the window at the departures gate, her throat tight with emotion as the supply ship taxied toward her. Just a few months ago, she would never have imagined feeling upset about leaving. She also would never have imagined that the colony’s higher-ups wanted her to stay, even after learning why she was here and what she’d done. But it didn’t matter how she felt or what they wanted; it was time for her to go.

  “Leaving without saying goodbye?”

  She turned to find Terry standing behind her. She practically squealed as she gave him a hug. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

  He held her at arm’s length and smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He must have noticed her looking over his shoulder, because he added, “Tom couldn’t make it. Unfortunately he’s elsewhere on a critical assignment, otherwise I know he’d be here too.”

  “I und
erstand,” Priya said, but inside she was hurting. She’d wanted to see him one last time.

  She tilted her head toward the shuttle. “I can’t believe I’m the only passenger on that huge thing.”

  “Well, you and fifty tons of payload.”

  The doors swung open, and a man stepped through, staring at a handheld PC. “Priya Radcliffe?”

  Priya waved a hand. “That’s me.”

  The man came over and grabbed her bag. Then he looked her over and hesitantly offered his arm. “Ma’am, I wasn’t told the extent of your injuries. Do you need a wheelchair?”

  Priya shook her head. “No, thank you. I can walk.”

  She turned back to Terry, and was surprised to see how sad he looked. She jabbed him in the shoulder. “Don’t you dare make me cry again.”

  He pulled her in for a hug. “Take care of yourself, Priya Radcliffe, and know that you’ll always have a place here.”

  She stepped back and wiped her eyes. “Thanks, Terry. Don’t rip up Brianna’s character sheet just yet. This might not be the last you see of me.”

  Priya felt the strength of Earth’s gravity as she stepped from the shuttle. She hadn’t been wearing her weight vest since the attack, and she was worse off for it. Luckily, she didn’t have to walk; all she had to do was hold on to the rail as the escalator lowered her down to the tarmac.

  Agent Ted was waiting at the base of the escalator, his eerie eyes reflecting the sun so that it looked like a fire was burning in his eye sockets. He offered his hand and lowered her into a wheelchair. One of the pilots handed the agent her duffel bag, and Ted rolled her toward a boxy vehicle with a flashing blue light.

  “I’ve arranged to check you into Walter Reed for a complete workup.”

  She looked back at him. “That’s really not necessary. I’m much better now than I was. I’d rather just go home, if that’s okay.”

  He rolled her chair up a ramp into the back of the waiting vehicle. “It’s important that we get you checked out. I’m sure the colony’s doctors are adequate for simple maladies, but we want you to see a real physician. Besides, I was given a direct order. You’re to be in top-flight condition before you head home. It’s the least we can do.”

  Agent Ted buckled into a seat next to her, and clamps came down automatically to hold her wheelchair in place while a seatbelt snaked across her waist. Once they were locked in, the vehicle began moving.

  It felt strange to be riding in a vehicle on Earth. She’d gotten used to it on the colony, but on Earth all her travel had been by tube, other than a couple of trips she’d taken on buses.

  “I guess you’ve never been in an ambulance before,” said Agent Ted.

  She shook her head.

  He smiled. “That’s a good thing. Generally, you’d rather not need one.”

  Ahead of them, the yawning mouth of a tunnel appeared. The ambulance raced into its darkness, and LEDs lit the interior of the cabin.

  “Guided tunnel system,” Ted explained. “Most people don’t know about it—it’s limited to use by emergency vehicles and for other official purposes. It’s nowhere near as quick as the tube, though, so settle in—we’ll be at Walter Reed in about two hours.”

  As she was wheeled to radiology, Priya felt Harold shift from her shoulder to her waist. She looked down and saw that she was now wearing a belt that hadn’t been there moments ago.

  “What are you doing?” she muttered under her breath.

  Harold tapped back. “X-rays. Avoid detection by being in plain sight.”

  Of course. They’d scan her, and this way she could just remove her “belt” and keep Harold from being noticed.

  She was approached by a woman with a blue smock and pleasant smile. “Priya Radcliffe?”

  “That’s me.”

  The woman extended her clipboard. “Can I get a thumbprint for verification?”

  Priya pressed her thumb on the pad.

  “Okay, great. Looks like I’ve got an order for an MRI cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine without contrast.” She pulled a flowered hospital gown from a cabinet. “I’ll need you to change into this for the scan. Can you stand, or do you need help?”

  “I can manage.”

  “And are you claustrophobic at all?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  The nurse smiled. “Well, if you are, we’ll find out soon enough.”

  The governor watched with interest as the general received the latest news.

  “General Duhrer, I just got the report from Walter Reed,” said Sergeant Dixon.

  “Out with it.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll read it as it’s written. ‘Twenty-four-year-old female with no history of spinal injuries presented with weakness and a tingling sensation in the lower extremities. Magnetic resonance image of the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine without contrast. Five-millimeter axial images from the—’”

  “Get to the point, Sergeant. Is there evidence of an injury, yes or no?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Spinal?”

  “Yes.”

  The general raked his hand through his graying hair. “The bitch didn’t lie about that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How much did the implant capture?”

  “Nothing, sir. The implant had some type of catastrophic short circuit. From the data that was relayed live before the short circuit, we believe the damage was caused by exposure to EM radiation, possibly microwave, but we’re not certain.”

  The general’s face turned red. “Nothing? What about the storage? You told me that no matter what happened, there’d always be a backup.”

  Dixon’s face paled.

  “Let me guess,” growled the general. “It’s gone too.”

  “Irretrievable loss of—”

  “Shut up, you imbecile!” The general stood and began pacing.

  “But sir—”

  The general wheeled around. “That was an order!”

  Dixon looked like he was about to explode. He typed two words on his handheld and showed it to the general.

  The general glanced at the message. “What good news?”

  “Sir, she was debriefed by Agent Ted Oyama. She managed to get to level twelve.”

  The general stiffened. “I assume she was fully debriefed… do we know if she’s telling us the truth?”

  “Yes, sir. Agent Oyama had her monitored as he debriefed her. He worked with Agent Stone, a brain wave analyst, to certify the truth of her information.”

  The general seemed to calm. He sat on his desk, facing the sergeant. “What did we learn?”

  The governor leaned forward as she watched the scene play out. She’d never talked with Terry about Priya’s trip down to twelve, but she knew there was nothing to see down there—not yet, anyway. That would almost certainly be changing in a couple of days.

  “Sir, she stated that level twelve connected the multiple mines on Chrysalis. She found some crates filled with tools, a refrigerator with bottled water, and excessive heat.”

  The general leaned forward. “And…?”

  “That’s it, sir.”

  “That’s it?” The general’s voice sounded like sandpaper.

  Dixon nodded. “Yes, sir. The agent asked all of the other debrief questions, and they came back as truthful negatives. No noticed sparks. No sudden fluctuations of power anywhere on the site. No spools of any substance.”

  The general leapt to his feet, and with a cry of frustration, he swiped everything off his desk. Then he plopped down in his chair. “Get out, Sergeant! I’m done with you.”

  “Sir, yes, sir.” Dixon raced out of the office.

  For a long time, the general just stared up at the ceiling, not moving.

  Beside Governor Welch, Nwaynna said, “Man, is he upset.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  Suddenly, the general leaned down, grabbed his overturned phone, and pressed a couple of buttons.

  “Operator 17, what can I do for you,
General Duhrer?”

  “Get me General Carl Maddox at the Pentagon.”

  “Yes sir, please hold.”

  The governor and Nwaynna watched and waited.

  “Sir, this is Operator 17. I’m connecting General Maddox now.”

  A gruff voice erupted through the connection. “Henry, long time no talk. What is it?”

  “I’ve got an answer to the Chrysalis issue.”

  “Oh? I’m all ears.”

  “I recommend going forward with Operation Clean Sweep.”

  “Shit. You’re sure?”

  “I don’t think we’re left with any choice. I’ll send the paperwork right away.”

  “Understood. May God have mercy on our souls.”

  General Duhrer hung up, kicked the phone into the wall, and walked out of the office.

  “That can’t be good,” Nwaynna said.

  “No. It can’t.” The governor tapped the phone icon on the table and called Terry. “What’s up?”

  “Terry, this one’s critical. Reach out to our people on Earth. We need to know every detail there is to know about Operation Clean Sweep.”

  “Is that something happening now?”

  “Now, or it’s imminent.”

  “Well, this might be help affirm some of the timelines involved. I literally just now received a recall notice from the UN Education Council. They’re pulling back their interns.”

  The governor scowled. “It’s happening. Terry, this is the moment we talked about. Go do what you need to.”

  “Already underway. I’ve screened forty-three, found one.”

  “There’ll be more. Make sure your brother gets the message about Operation Clean Sweep. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Bye.”

  The governor turned to Nwaynna. “Talk to our friends down below. I figure we have at least four days, but let’s be ready in three. Go, and let me know by the end of the day what’s happening.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  As Nwaynna left the office, the governor leaned back in her chair.

  This is either going to start a revolution… or finish one.