by Eliza Green
‘I don’t understand. Did you plan to live in the base station?’
Tanya rocked with laughter. ‘You have such low ambition, Simon Shaw. I’m not sure why I picked you to be changed.’ She paused. ‘No, I am. We wanted you for your DNA, not your ambition. Plus, I also wanted your limited knowledge of the Nexus. To exist inside a suitable technology would give us ultimate control and infinite power.’
Simon tried to keep his mood light. ‘I’m sorry, Tanya. I don’t think much about these things.’
‘Of course you don’t.’ She walked towards the exit. ‘That’s why we’re Elite and you are not.’ She opened the door and commanded her assistants to get the chair. ‘I want to walk back. I could use the exercise.’
Simon followed Tanya, and kept tight control on his thoughts around the Conditioned pair.
‘I want you to take the other Elite, give them a dose of the machine,’ said Tanya.
‘As you wish,’ said Simon. ‘Later, I’ll need to do some calibration on it, get it ready to receive a full dose of power from the grid.’
Tanya turned. Her eyes were wide. ‘All of it?’
He’d thought that would catch her attention. ‘That’s what they said.’
‘What did you give them for the power?’
‘The promise of longer life,’ Simon lied.
She shook her head and smiled. ‘It would appear trust can be bought after all.’
35
It was only 6pm—four hours before he had to bring Simon to see Stephen—but Bill couldn’t settle his nerves. He had promised to give Laura space and even though they wouldn’t meet inside the caves, he’d be close enough that she could detect him. What if his presence moved up her decision to live an Indigene life? He wanted Laura to make up her own mind without him camping outside her door.
It was at this very hour when he and Laura normally headed home. But Bill couldn’t face the apartment without her. Two days had passed since he’d forced her out. Her absence left a gaping hole in his heart. And the fact that she hadn’t tried to contact him, to let him know she was okay, hurt more than he would admit.
Bill distracted himself with just one screenshot of Wave chatter that Ben had sent, the one that discussed Harvey Buchanan’s alias: John Caldwell. Harvey’s recent meeting with Simon had piqued his interest, in particular the trade of information on the Elite in exchange for Simon’s protection at the site of the cable. But with the addition of the force field around the site and the base station, Bill knew the trade would have been one-sided. Nobody would get near either location without the codes to command the field generator. And they were inside the base station.
His communication device vibrated on the table.
Bill grabbed it and stuck it in his ear. ‘What?’
If his patience had been thin before, it was nonexistent now.
‘Bill?’
‘Yeah, who’s this?’
‘Don’t you recognise my voice after all these years?’
The hairs on the back of Bill’s neck stood as he listened to the only man who still rattled him, even after all this time. ‘Harvey Buchanan.’
Harvey chuckled. ‘The very same. I’m calling you directly because your communication device is encrypted.’
‘It is, but it’s also off the band width. How did you get it?’
‘I have ways of getting what I want, Bill. You of all people should know that.’
He did.
‘We’re not on Earth any more, Harvey. I run things here. There are no higher authorities to pay off for your protection.’
‘I know, Bill, which is why I’m calling. I have something I think you’ll want to see.’
‘What is it?’
‘Medical data listing the tests carried out on the GS humans.’ Harvey paused. ‘You know I have it. You’ve been monitoring the Wave for my name. Good job in finding me by the way. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.’
Bill trusted nothing Harvey said. Call it intuition. Call it full-blown experience.
‘And what do you want in exchange for this information?’
Harvey laughed hard. ‘That’s what I like about you, Bill. I don’t have to explain myself. You already know this isn’t a one-way trade. Can we meet?’
‘I’m a little busy now.’
‘Won’t take long.’
Harvey visiting the ITF didn’t appeal to him, but he needed to speak to him.
‘How soon can you get here?’
Harvey paused. ‘Actually, I’m downstairs. Your security guy doesn’t know what to make of me.’
Bill covered the extendible microphone. ‘Shit.’ Then he said, ‘I’ll be right down.’
‘I’ll be waiting.’
Bill disconnected the call and yanked his communication device from his ear. He stood up and cursed. He hated being played and Harvey turning up on his doorstep felt like the biggest play of all. He would hear him out. Nothing more.
Bill found Harvey in the room where he’d met with Simon only hours before. He shook off the strangeness of meeting all these people from his past—a past that wouldn’t stop asking for favours.
Harvey sat at the table. His fingers grazed a mini disk the size of an old dollar coin. Bill closed the door, causing Harvey to look up.
His eyes raked over Bill’s appearance and he smirked. ‘This new planet suits you. You’ve got colour in your cheeks. Maybe even a tan. As soon as I get a minute, I’m going sunbathing.’
Bill stood by the door and folded his arms. ‘Why are you here, Harvey?’
‘That’s no way to talk to an old pal, is it?’
‘Oh, I’m sorry for not being clear. You’ve got ten minutes, so get to the point.’
Harvey clucked his tongue and Bill suddenly remembered Harvey’s past as a geneticist and torturer. He shivered at the memory. Back on Earth, Harvey had used to experiment on people for a living and Bill had witnessed what that torture looked like on his employees. One in particular, a man called Vladimir, had a protruding eye and was missing half his face.
But things were different on Exilon 5. Bill was in charge.
‘Always in a rush,’ Harvey said. ‘Got somewhere to be?’
Harvey said it casually enough, but someone had rattled him. Bill wondered who his former adversary wanted to avoid in his circle.
‘I’m a busy man, Harvey. I don’t have time for bullshit.’
‘Okay.’ Harvey held his hands up. ‘You win. If you’ve been monitoring chatter, which I know you have, you’ll already know I met with one of the GS humans and got this.’ He pinched the file between his fingers. ‘I traded it for security detail.’
Bill pushed off from the doorframe and walked over to the table. ‘So you’re going in to the security trade now?’
Harvey shrugged. ‘A few of my men show up and this particular GS human relaxes a little. Easy enough work.’
‘What’s so important on that file that you’re prepared to trade with the GS humans for it?’
‘I told you.’ Harvey stared at Bill. ‘Medical information outlining what testing was done to the Conditioned and the Elite.’
‘I’m confused.’ Bill leaned on the table. ‘You want medical data, but your colleague Patterson asked me for guns. Those two things don’t sound related.’
‘They’re not. Patterson doesn’t know I have the data. The guns are to show the Indigenes we are serious about attacking the GS humans.’
‘And are you?’
Harvey laughed. ‘No. We want your power, not theirs.’
That didn’t surprise Bill. But Harvey’s honesty did. ‘So what’s changed?’
‘I found a better distraction.’ He held up the micro disc. ‘In here. What I have is just partial information. My contact won’t give me more unless I get him access to his cable. So you can see, the force field puts me in a predicament.’
Bill frowned. ‘Let me get this straight. You want me to remove the force field so you can get more useless medical data?’
Harvey laughed and sat back. ‘Bill, you really have changed. I remember you hunting down every opportunity you could. First you sought revenge for your wife’s death, then you took on a crusade mission to help the Indigenes. You’re telling me you have no interest in never-before-accessed medical data on the Elite? If you don’t, you’re full of bullshit.’
Bill had an interest, but a trade like this would attract a heavy price. And according to Simon, giving the Elite enough power so they could transcend would be far worse.
‘What if I negotiated a certain quantity of power? Would that facilitate a new trade with your GS human contact?’
Harvey shook his head. ‘My contact wants as much power as possible. I don’t think a new trade will happen without it. But I’m not stupid either. He gave me useless partial data on the Elite—early tests, not the later ones. My contact got lucky and stole this information. The chance of that luck happening twice is unlikely.’
Bill didn’t understand. ‘So if you got your information by chance and more power for your GS contact won’t change that, why are you here?’
‘I want to do a trade.’
Bill laughed; he couldn’t help it. When Harvey stared at him, he pulled it back in and waited for him to explain.
‘You know what I used to do for a living, Bill. I’ve been studying the data on the Conditioned, which is more readily available. From their data, I’ve extrapolated the likely tests to have been carried out on the Elite.’
‘You just said the data was useless.’
‘To ordinary doctors, maybe. Not to the geneticist involved in their creation.’
Bill pursed his lips. If Harvey could help stop Tanya’s plans, he had to take the risk.
‘We know they plan to go out with a bang.’
Harvey nodded. ‘Transcendence.’
‘Is it possible?’
‘Unfortunately, yes. I don’t know where they will settle once they do, but it won’t be to a plain higher than one on Earth. What do you know about it?’
Bill knew better than to discuss the details with Harvey. ‘So we come back to my original question. Why are you here?’
‘I want status. I want to be reinstated as a legitimate geneticist with my own clinics. I want to reinvent myself on Exilon 5 because, right now, I’m a nobody. I travelled here under an alias and my job prospects are less than zero. But if you grant me permission to operate here again, I could make a life for myself.’
Harvey seemed genuine in his request, but Bill knew where a legitimate practising license would lead. Harvey was addicted to power, prestige. He was another Charles Deighton, but worse, because he had knowledge that could destroy humans, and he could hide his darker side better.
But Bill couldn’t ignore the opportunity to understand the GS humans better, in particular the Elite.
‘Let me think about it.’
‘Harvey slid the file across the table. ‘Consider this a goodwill gesture. It contains good information about the Conditioned. It might not mean much without my analysis though.’
Bill picked up the coin and pocketed it. ‘I said I’ll think about it.’
Harvey stood; a trace of a smile was on his face. ‘Don’t wait too long, Bill. I have other ways of getting what I want.’
‘I know, which is why I need time to think.’
Harvey flashed a smile. ‘I look forward to hearing from you. You know where to find me, apparently.’
Bill watched him go, still not sure if taking Harvey’s gift was a good idea. With a man like that, the smallest of acts meant a deal had been made. Bill had backed himself into a corner. To leave Harvey without an answer could mean serious consequences for him.
☼
Bill sat in his idling vehicle while he waited for Simon to show. It was close to 10pm and he played with the file in his pocket. He’d viewed its contents after Harvey left. It contained reams of data alright, but it could have been the alphabet in Hebrew for all he knew. Bill was no scientist. That’s why he’d brought it. Maybe Stephen would have better luck.
Someone rapped on his side window, causing him to startle. Simon stood back from the vehicle as Bill climbed out.
‘Fuck, you gave me a heart attack.’
‘Sorry,’ said Simon. ‘I waited for you to notice me.’
Bill frowned. ‘Why, how long were you there?’
‘About ten minutes.’
Bill shook off his fright and slipped the file into the inside pocket of his coat.
Simon watched him. ‘Where did you get that?’
Bill feigned innocence. ‘Get what?’
‘Don’t play that game.’ Simon pointed at his pocket. ‘That.’
‘An acquaintance.’
‘You know I gave it to him, right?’ Simon visibly tensed up. ‘So why do you have it now?’
‘I had no choice. Harvey gave it to me.’
‘What do you plan to do with it?’
‘Nothing right now. Harvey wants something that doesn’t affect your situation.’ Simon appeared to relax at that. ‘He says he also has information on the Elite. Where did you get it?’
‘One of the doctors left his bag unattended. But I don’t think I’ll be able to get more. That was a rare opportunity. Tanya is getting ready to implement the hosting idea.’ Simon glanced around the deserted, flat landscape. ‘When will Stephen get here?’
Bill checked his watch. ‘Soon. He’ll know where we are.’
Simon smiled. ‘When I was changed, I wanted that ability. You know, to sense the location of other people. My changes gave me telepathy and a higher brain function, but silent conversation is limited to the Elite.’
‘How does that higher function work? How do you know so much about electricity? Were you trained as an electrician on Earth?’
Simon seemed hesitant to answer. ‘I need to know that what I tell you will go no further.’
Bill nodded, intrigued.
‘We have developed mind mapping, the ability to map the skills of another person on to our minds. The effect is only temporary since our brain can only retain a certain amount of information.’
Bill’s mouth dropped open. ‘Fuck, Simon. Since when?’
‘Since four months ago, before we designed the machine to store the energy.’
‘So you could become experts in, say, bomb building?’
Simon nodded. ‘Theoretically, yes. But luckily Tanya has never asked for more than the machine. The Elite are a funny group who don’t want for much.’
Bill snorted. ‘Except everlasting life and unlimited power.’
‘Well, when you put it like that... What I mean is their goals have been limited to preserving their lives, not taking others.’
‘Except for their plans to sacrifice some of you.’ Bill rubbed his unshaven face. ‘Well, I suppose we can be grateful they haven’t built bombs—’
The sound of approaching footsteps cut him off. He touched his holstered Buzz Gun. It could be Stephen but he saw only shapes in the dark.
When Stephen slowed to a walk, Bill steadied his racing heart and took his fingers off his gun.
Serena was with him. ‘I’m sorry, Bill. We got caught up with something important.’
His heart raced again; he hoped Laura was okay. A cagey Stephen staring at Simon drew his attention away from his problems.
Serena had also locked her gaze on Simon. Bill didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe she was trying to keep Simon’s thoughts under her influential control.
‘There’s no need for that,’ said Simon, rubbing the side of his head.
‘We can’t be too careful,’ said Stephen.
‘I can vouch for him, Stephen,’ said Bill. ‘Please, just hear what he has to say.’
He nodded at Simon, who launched into an abbreviated explanation of what he’d told Bill that afternoon.
‘The Conditioned could really use your envisioning skill right now, Stephen,’ said Simon.
Bill noticed Stephen flinch at that sug
gestion while Serena kept her probing gaze on Simon.
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ said Stephen. ‘But we have something else that might help. We’ve been testing a new device on Laura.’
Bill’s heart barrelled down the side of a hill at the mention of her name. But he refused to ask about her. ‘So what do you suggest?’
‘We need to try something back in my lab.’
Simon shook his head. ‘If Tanya accesses my thoughts, she’ll have access to your tunnels.’
Stephen nodded at Serena, who stepped closer and produced a blindfold.
‘Put this on, Simon,’ she said. ‘Tanya won’t see what you do.’
Bill hesitated at the thought of going into the district. ‘Is this the only option?’
‘I’m afraid so, Bill. We need to throw everything we have at this problem. This is bigger than our issue with the rogue Indigenes and humans teaming up.’
Simon grabbed the blindfold from Serena and put it on. ‘Let’s go. Tanya told me today their plan is to exist in technology on Exilon 5. If that happens, who knows what damage they can do?’
Or what Tanya would control. Bill nodded and strode towards the district. This problem trumped any promise he made to Laura to stay away.
36
Marcus couldn’t believe it. The traitor.
Harvey had just come out of the ITF building. He shook hands with Bill Taggart like they’d just done a deal. What deal? Harvey was supposed to be taking down the ITF. He and Patterson wanted the ITF’s power, and that plan required giving support to the rogue groups who had done nothing more than watch the GS lair for days now.
Two to each shift: one human one Indigene. Marcus and Clement had been paired together from the beginning. What did Marcus have to show for it? A killer headache from listening to Clement badger him about Harvey and Ollie, about how he needed to divide them with more lies.
And a deep-rooted desire to go solo.
He stormed away from his hiding place just as Harvey got in his vehicle parked outside the glass monstrosity on a street filled with old-world opulence. The car drove away. Marcus used to command similar vehicles on Earth. But here, he had to steal one.