"Do you want me to explain or not?" Lobo said. "A sensible structure will make this easier for you to understand."
At least he was back to his normal, pissy self. "I apologize for interrupting. Please go on."
"Wei's team started by simultaneously installing in me multiple AI and emotive code improvements. The idea was that all of them would compete in a genetic algorithm race to improve me."
"There's nothing new about that, is there?"
"No," Lobo said, sighing theatrically, "there is not, and I think it's peachy that you have a basic understanding of the history of computing. What was new is that they were willing to try algorithms of all sorts, including brute-force approaches that sensible programmers had rejected ages ago."
"And that worked?"
"No," he said, "as I would explain if you would please let me continue without interruption. Generations of software developers had rejected those techniques for good reasons: They weren't useful for a broad class of complex problems on any available computing platforms." He paused. "Put differently, Wei's people ran into the same hardware limitations previous generations had encountered."
He paused again, but this time, I stayed quiet.
Apparently satisfied, he continued, "My core programming stayed as it was, but the rest of my available computing resources spent their time running one useless approach after another. Wei had expected that, however; all he really wanted was the algorithm collection in place. What he did next was the new part."
When he paused again, I waited several seconds to make sure I wouldn't be interrupting him. Finally, I said, "Which was what? Why are you telling me the story this way?"
"The new bit was to run those algorithms on a radical computing substrate that Wei had developed and which he was confident no one had tried before." He paused even longer this time, long enough that I wondered what response could possibly take him so long to formulate. "I'm telling you about it this way because I know you won't like what you hear, and because I'm embarrassed, sad, and angry about it."
Lobo embarrassed? Sad? Angry? I was more intrigued than ever, but at the same time, he was my friend, and now I was reluctant to push him.
Pri banged on the door to my room and yelled, "They've called again, and they want to meet in person with you."
"Your call," Lobo said. "Do I continue, or do we deal with her people? You do understand that you can't trust them, right?"
I nodded. The longer I put them off, the more trouble they were likely to cause. We might as well deal with this now, and then Lobo could finish his story.
"Let's talk to them," I said. "Find a location with plenty of open ground for Pri and me but somewhere you can hide nearby. If anything goes wrong, you'll need to be able to reach us in a hurry. Take us to that spot as soon as you find it."
"Moving," Lobo said. A map appeared on the wall in front of me. It showed us and a course that took us to a river southwest of Entreat. "The area is undeveloped and has minimal traffic," Lobo said. "The river is broad, deep, and loud. Periodic clearings line it, but most of it is still raw terrain. We can be there in fifteen minutes without drawing any attention to ourselves."
"If we assume her people are in Entreat but plan to rush, how long for them to reach it?"
"Best case, fifteen minutes after we tell them," Lobo said, "and that assumes they are fully ready to fly. Nothing we've seen of them so far suggests that level of operational readiness."
"Good choice," I said.
"Of course."
I ignored him, left my room, and followed Pri to the front of Lobo.
"They insist on meeting," she said, "and right away. They're unhappy and think we should change how we're working together." She paused, then added, "I'm sorry."
I nodded but said nothing. I stepped in front of the display.
Lobo said over the machine frequency, "You're on."
"Meeting is a waste of time," I said. "We have work to do. Let us do it."
"If you were doing your job," the man, the same one who'd been calling Pri, said, "then we wouldn't need to meet. You had a chance, you were afraid to take it, and now he's safely back on the island."
"If we'd tried," I said, "we would either have failed to acquire him or even possibly killed him."
"Maybe we should give you some additional help," the man said. "It sounds like you could use some assistance."
Great. Just what I needed: Amateurs I couldn't trust following orders from someone who didn't know what he was doing.
"No chance," I said. "That's not the deal—and my deal, as you know, is with the CC, not you."
The guy leaned back, forced a smile, and spread his arms slightly. "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry I'm pushing so hard. I'm under a lot of pressure, and I know you are, too. We're all after the same thing: Getting this bastard Wei. Look, I need to give my bosses something to show I've tried. Why don't we meet, talk it over, and see if we can come up with some token that will keep them happy and also work for you?"
I hoped her party wasn't counting on this guy for any public-facing role in their government, because he was a lousy liar. Still, he wasn't going to stop nagging Pri until we met, so we might as well get this out of the way.
"You'll receive coordinates in a moment. Be there in one hour, or we'll leave. Suli and I will meet you; keep your group to two people as well."
His face reflected his annoyance for a second before he regained control, but then he smiled and said, "That's a bit tight for us, but we can do it. See you then."
I nodded, and Lobo cut the link.
Pri glared at me. "Since when did I go back to 'Suli'?"
"Since it became obvious that it's better for you if they don't have any doubts about your loyalty."
She considered my answer and finally appeared mollified. "So what's our plan?"
"Lobo drops us, and we meet with your people," I said. "What else?"
"They already know he exists," she said, "so why don't we keep him nearby? I mentioned him, and the CC almost certainly told them as well."
"I understand," I said, "but I told them to come alone, and I'm going to grant them the same courtesy."
She stared at me for several seconds, some sort of internal debate obvious on her face. Finally, she said, "I'm not sure you can trust them to behave nicely."
I smiled but said nothing.
"So what's your plan if they don't?" she said.
I shook my head.
"You're infuriating!" she said. "You don't trust me!"
"Ignoring how our relationship began," I said, "the fact remains that you work for them, and when this is over, you'll go back to working for them."
"I think I've earned some trust," she said.
"That's not the point," I said. "We're doing it my way, and that's—"
Lobo interrupted me. "We're there."
"Take us down," I said.
Lobo landed quickly, Pri and I got out, and he took off immediately.
"Stay here," I said. "I want to survey the area. I'll be back in ten minutes."
Pri looked annoyed but walked to the riverbank and stared across the rushing current.
I headed along the shore away from her. The sound of the water flowing over and around the rocks that dotted its surface was loud enough that I could probably have talked in a normal voice from a few meters away and been inaudible to her, but there was no reason to take a chance. When I'd gone thirty meters and she couldn't have overheard me even if I yelled, I squatted against a large, red-trunked tree, kept watch on her, and said over the comm to Lobo, "Do you believe they'll behave?"
"My opinion is irrelevant," he said, "as is yours, and you know it. We must assume they may not."
"I agree," I said. "So let's be ready. Here's what I'm thinking."
Chapter 26
The edge of the forest dipped down to the river like a servant motioning the way forward for its master. Here and there chunks of rock four or five meters across protruded from the gentle hillside like stone s
hips straining to be free. Pri and I sat in the shadow of one thirty meters upriver from where I'd told her people to meet us. The rich moist air smelled of leaves and dark soil and pure river water. The rocks that caused the rapids where we'd touched down were absent here, the water still moving fast but not yet encountering any impediments to its flow, the current still unaware of the obstacles that were about to confront it. I sympathized with it.
Neither of us spoke. I found the silence companionable, even comfortable, but I was also aware that I probably should be talking. I simply had no clue what to say. On missions with the Saw and in many of my other jobs, I'd become accustomed to long periods of isolation and quiet punctuated by bursts of often violent and usually dangerous action, but I knew that background wasn't the right model for a good relationship with a woman. Pri sat half in gentle darkness and half in light, the shadow of the overhanging rock bisecting her, her stomach and legs and part of her arms stark in the bright daylight, her upper half less visible. I knew what to do with the half of her that was my team member, the part that followed orders as we dealt with the task at hand. The other half, though, remained a mystery. I was thankful she let me sit without chatter, even though she so obviously wanted to talk.
"Incoming," Lobo said over the comm. "On time and on the target spot."
We'd agreed to keep the channel private, so Pri had no clue we were going live.
"Got it," I said aloud. When Pri looked at me, I said, "Your people are almost here."
"Lobo told you?" she said.
"Yes."
She nodded. "And you didn't let me know because?"
"Because you can now honestly tell your people that you have no idea what I'm doing other than that I sent away Lobo. This way, we don't have to put you in an awkward position."
She laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "I hope you're not dumb enough to believe that," she said. "My relationship with them has been precarious since you first told me what not to tell them."
"Fair enough," I said, "and, no, I'm not that stupid. I should have said that I'm trying to make this encounter as safe as reasonably possible for you." And protecting myself, I thought, but there was no profit in saying so.
She nodded again and opened her mouth to speak, but as she did a small air shuttle touched down exactly where I'd designated. With opaque windows but no obvious armor, the shuttle appeared to be more useful for privacy than for protection.
Pri stood.
I stayed seated. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her glance at me, but I ignored her and focused on the shuttle.
"Either they're alone, or any follow vehicle is staying a long way off," Lobo said. "The sensors I deployed can't get a clear IR reading from here—even that low-grade commercial crap possesses a fair amount of IR protection—but unless one of them gets out of the front, we can assume a pilot as well as the people you see."
The rear doors opened, and two people emerged, the man I'd seen on the comm and a woman who looked to him for direction as soon as they cleared the front of the shuttle. Both were classic executive types, their bodies thin and healthy and almost as tall as I am, their hair long, and their clothing the sort of dark and serious government-standard shirts and pants that wouldn't stand out in any meeting room for many planets around.
"I said only two," I shouted to them.
The two of them walked a few meters closer, and then the man said, "You didn't expect us to use a rental vehicle with full mandatory recording, did you? Given the very short notice, we had to make do with what we had. That meant a pilot." He shrugged and opened his hands, as if he were as annoyed as I was but had no options.
"Tell the pilot and anyone else in there to get out and go twenty meters in the other direction."
"Is this really necessary?" the man said. "We're all busy, and we're all on the same team, so can't we—"
I cut him off. "Do it, or I leave." I kept my eyes on him but spoke to Pri. "Suli, go verify the vehicle is empty."
When she delayed, I risked a glance at her; she was staring at the man. When he nodded his agreement, she headed toward the shuttle. I couldn't tell if she was playing by his rules or pretending to do so, but right now, it didn't matter; I had to assume that Lobo and I were the only members of my team.
Two men exited the front of the shuttle as Pri approached it, one leaving from each side.
I tilted my head in question, and the man said, "A co-pilot is simply SOP."
The two guys walked to the point I'd suggested as Pri reached the shuttle and glanced inside.
"That's it," she said.
"The ground sensors I planted confirm it," Lobo said. "The shuttle is now empty. My analysis of the images of all four former occupants, however, suggests each is carrying a weapon at the small of his or her back.
I coughed into my hand and subvocalized, "No surprise."
I stood and wiped my hands on my pants, then leaned against the rock behind me. "You demanded the meeting," I said, "so get on with it. What do you want?"
"Where's your ship?" the man said.
"I sent it away with a pilot friend. I'm meeting you alone, in good faith."
"You're not alone," he said. "You're with Pri."
"She works for you."
"We're all working toward the same goal," he said.
When I didn't respond, he looked at Pri, who was on her way back to me. "Is he telling the truth?" he said.
"I don't know any more than you do," she said. "The ship's clearly not here."
"You're not on comm with him and it?" he said. "I'd assumed that would be standard mission protocol."
"He doesn't trust me," she said, her voice flat.
The man nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and focused on me. "Why don't we start fresh?" he said. "My name is—"
"Irrelevant to me," I said, "so get on with why you demanded this meeting."
He clearly didn't like my violation of protocol, but that was the point: The easiest way to learn what bureaucrats want is to upset them, and often the best way to do that is to refuse to follow their rules.
Despite not being happy, he maintained his calm. "You asked what we're seeking," he said. "It's simple: results. You had a chance to grab Wei, and you didn't take it. That was your first opportunity, so wasting it was frustrating to," he paused slightly, giving away the lie, "my superiors."
"I explained my decision once," I said. "It was the right call, so I won't waste my time reviewing it."
The woman stepped slightly to her right, as if bored and simply moving for lack of anything better to do. It would now be much more difficult to shoot both of them at the same time, had I come armed. I hadn't.
"Though I'm not sure we'll ever agree on that point," the man said, "we can't go back, so I do concur that we shouldn't invest any additional time in discussing those events."
I hate it when bureaucrats waste time telling you why they're not going to waste time. I stayed quiet, though; he had a point to make, and eventually he'd get to it.
After a few seconds, he continued. "To enhance your ability to capitalize on future opportunities, we thought some additional staff might be useful. Our understanding is that you're working only with Pri and," he nodded slightly in her direction, "with no offense intended, she's not trained for this sort of job." He smiled, leaned back slightly, and spread his arms. "So, at no reduction in fee or additional charge to you, we're prepared to offer you the full-time use of a team of our security staff, as many of them as you'd like."
"No."
He tilted his head as if he hadn't quite heard me. "Perhaps I haven't been clear. We would not in any way reduce your fee. We would simply provide you with additional staff, all of whom would, of course, work under your command."
"No," I repeated. "First, I don't want more people. Second, if you gave me some of your staff, they would be working for you, not for me—just as Suli does. Third and perhaps most importantly, my deal is not with your party. The CC is paying me, so only they can renegotiate
that deal with me."
His displeasure was obvious, but we were on ground he considered his own—negotiation—so he paused for a moment, then said, "Have you thought about how much effort we could save you, and also how we could protect you from the CC? Once you have Wei, we could take him off your hands, and you could leave this planet faster, which given Wei's status with the current government might not be a bad choice on your part."
"I must be the one who isn't being clear," I said. "I work for the CC. My job is to snatch Wei and turn him over to them so he can stand trial. That's what I intend to do—with or without your help, but certainly not with any staff from you. As part of my deal with the CC, I agreed to take along Suli; that's the last concession you or they are going to get from me." I didn't look away from the man, but I could almost feel Pri's unhappiness at the way I was talking about her. It was for her own good, and later I could explain why that was true, but right now I had to focus totally on him and let her stew.
"Do you really believe the CC will put Wei on trial?" the man said, shaking his head. "Surely no one in your line of work can be that naïve."
"He's breaking the law," I said, "and they're the sources of that law, so why wouldn't they try him?"
The man shook his head again. "Any group that gets Wei is going to do the same thing with him: Hide him, fund his research, and try to profit from it."
Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe Wei wasn't the only one continuing to work on banned nanomachine-human research. I hadn't ever heard of any such projects, but then again, why would I? If governments and large corporations kept it secret, I would never know about it. On the other hand, secrets are notoriously hard to maintain, particularly for bureaucracies with budgets and funding reviews and all the other trappings of any large organization, civil or private.
He waited while I thought.
"Any group?" I said. "What about yours?"
He smiled, as if I'd finally gotten to where he wanted me to be. "We're the one organization that wins the most from exposing the awful things he's doing. By bringing his research into the light, we can both stop it and topple the current government, which is—"
Overthrowing Heaven-ARC Page 19