by JM Guillen
We can.
We.
That one word contained everything within it. Everything an Asset never really was. We spent most of our lives in torpor; we formed shallow relationships, never creating anything that could last or be real.
In that life, there had never been anything remotely like a ‘we.’
Never.
For a long moment, everyone just stood there. The silence became heavy, thick with emotion.
“Okay,” I rasped. “Okay. I need to poke into our resources, figure out some things. Then we can plan.” I wiped one eye and sniffed.
“When you’re checkin’ resources, you might peek in the back,” Guthrie advised.
“Yeah?” I cleared my throat. “Why’s that?”
“I think I saw some big boy pants back there.” Wyatt gave me the widest smile I’d ever seen and Delacruz laughed. “You might need them.”
“What?” Rachel guffawed as well and then laughed harder at the expression on my face.
“I hate you people.” I fought to keep the grin off my face but then burst into laughter.
Wyatt Guthrie. Anya smiled, a hand halfway over her mouth. I will never understand you.
“I hope not, Anya.” He chuckled.
“I have to make a call.” I gave Wyatt a glare that we both knew I didn’t mean. “Alpha business only, so you guys need to knock it off.”
“Yes, sir,” Guthrie said with mock solemnity. He winked.
I chuckled and shook my head.
4
Malta, right? Demetrius Stone, as always, felt like a combination of smooth jazz and good whiskey in my mind. You’re already on site?
We are. We’re in the Corvus.
You know I’m completely at your disposal, correct? I felt both his smile and a touch of uncertainty in his link. I’d learned from previous experience that Demetrius didn’t feel entirely comfortable in combat situations.
I’ve been trying to determine how you can best assist us, I linked. I expect things to get pretty nasty here. Do you still have teams onsite? The ones who distributed the telemetric resonators?
Seven Assets, but none geared for such a dossier, he apologized. They only needed telemetric packs in order to set up the resonators, and they’re all in Italy.
I have Sofia here, I informed him.
Sofia Delacruz. I felt his wide smile. Hell of a woman.
If I remember correctly, she is in possession of a map that shows several potential conduit locations in Rome. She could open an aperture straight to the Corvus.
Demetrius gave a small shrug, and I felt it over the link. Would that be helpful to you, Alpha?
A year ago, Demetrius calling me ‘Alpha’ would have been something to crow about, something to rub in his perfect little face.
Twelve hours ago, it might have made me feel ill, or at least uncertain.
Now, it was just a title, just a word.
Well. Almost.
I just don’t know. I frowned. The idea of having extra bodies is appealing, but if they’re ungeared and unfamiliar with the Darkened Road, I’m uncertain they will be much help.
I don’t know that you need much help with extra relays, Demetrius confided. We both know that even without the additional telemetry, a Variance will show up on Anya’s systems like a bonfire.
If we’re close enough, I linked. I know Malta’s a small island, but, I mean, Malta’s a big place.
For short range telemetry. I felt his nod. I get it.
What I don’t have is data on where exactly the Variance took place. I paused. If Anya had been telemetrically active at the time the incident occurred, I might be able to pinpoint something.
Right. I practically felt the man’s wheels turn in his head.
Here’s my idea, I explained. A Variance is a powerful thing; I imagine any active telemetry would pick up at least a whisper of activity that might give me a direction.
All right, I see what my Alpha needs. Why don’t you let me get right back to you, and I’ll see what each of these relays picked up?
I’ll hold, I linked dryly.
He chuckled.
Moments later, I’d grown tired of thinking about all the things I would grab back at the Citadel. Dampening grenades, obviously, but as time passed, I became more and more aware that Wyatt Guthrie had been absolutely correct.
This suit reeked.
Okay, Michael. I have something for you. Eagerness bled through the link, and it I felt he must have something good.
Go.
We have nearly a hundred relays here in Rome. As you by now have realized, the moment that the Variance occurred, each relay created a ping.
I imagine the telemetry in Rome was far larger, I reasoned. Proximity.
That’s true, however, our telemetry is quite sensitive to a Variance in Rationality. Far more so than to a simple Irrat, you understand.
That’s what I’m counting on.
So of the hundred or so relays here in Rome, all of them tell me exactly one thing about the location of the second Variance.
Yeah? I leaned forward and felt like he’d found my answer. What is it?
The Variance definitely took place within the island nation of Malta.
I sat and waited for the rest. When only silence came, followed by the feel of his grin, I linked back, irritated, We already knew that. I shook my head. What possible difference does that make?
What you may be unaware of is that telemetric relays were also placed elsewhere. The Facility continues to be interested in Istanbul after your little adventure there the other day.
Okay?
Well, those telemetric relays also place the Variance within the island nation of Malta. I felt his cheesy grin, the one I often wanted to smack.
Just a little bit, I mean.
They intersect, Alpha. They cross, right next to the ocean, just inland from Exile’s Bay.
Yes! I sat back in my seat and clapped. That is exactly what I wanted to know!
Lattice records show a fairly wealthy area. Lots of tourists. The cross point is actually a condominium.
A condo? That seemed bizarre.
Indeed. Some kind of vacation ownership outfit.
Timeshare? This got weirder by the second.
Seems like. Place is called The Barbarous Sea. Stone paused for a moment, and I felt his confusion. That seems odd. This part of the world, I might expect something like The Barbary Coast.
Barbarous? That’s what it’s called?
My eyes narrowed and my memory snagged on something. That Irrat had said I was nothing before the might of the barbarous eighty-one.
At the time, the odd title had stuck out to me; ‘barbarous’ wasn’t a word you heard every day. It couldn’t be a coincidence. The telemetry damned them enough but with a name like that?
Obvious.
That’s where the telemetry crosses, Alpha. Do you think that’s our place?
Oh yes. I nodded, my thoughts dark. It’s absolutely our place.
***
“I’m going to port each of you a packet.” I stood at the front of the Corvus and assembled the packet as I spoke. “In it, I’ll detail everything I’ve experienced regarding three particular Irrats.”
“I bet ol’ Amir is one of them.” Wyatt crossed his arms and chuckled.
“3302 is, in fact. However, I also would like you to be up-to-date on Isabella Juarez, Irrational 6604, and her son, Diego Juarez, Irrational 8010. I’ll patch to memory now, unless someone is short on data space?” I grinned at Delacruz.
“A lady doesn’t show her Alpha the middle finger,” Sofia snarked.
I sent the patch and watched each of them twitch just the tiniest bit. If I’d viewed any one of them alone, it wouldn’t have been nearly as odd. Yet, the simultaneous effect even creeped me out a little.
The Variance you encountered in the Yucatán was Irrat 8010. Anya didn’t ask, she simply acknowledged the fact.
“That’s right. I would be stunned if it wasn�
��t the same Variance telemetry is reading now.”
“Kid would be, what, fifteen now?” Wyatt clicked his tongue.
“Trust me, that’s not a kid. He was no joke back in 1995, and I’m certain he’s only grown stronger.”
“Isabella had another child?” Rachel wrinkled her nose as she perused the data. “Who takes an infant girl into the Yucatán?”
“The Facility never learned if Graciéla Juarez actually possessed Irrational powers.” I shrugged. “There’s just no data on what happened to her or where she is. She’s not considered important in this matter.”
“The girl is Nothing.” Wyatt nodded. “Got it.”
“Remember their faces.” I made a point to meet each set of eyes. “Any one of these people will hold a vast amount of intel regarding the Darkened Road. We can’t miss out.”
“So each of them is an opportunity,” Sofia said.
“We need intel more than anything, and the Designates won’t be a help, it seems.” I scratched at the scruff on my face. “If you have a chance, take them. We can bring them back to the Corvus if need be.”
“Hell, we can keep ’em in stasis somewhere if we gotta,” Wyatt pointed out. “Good call, Hoss.”
“Now, beyond that, I have some ideas about how to start this thing.” I put my hands in my pockets, realized I’d immersed them in nasty fish scent, and pulled them out. “If you have input or ideas, I’d love to hear them.”
Delacruz nodded. “I’ll definitely tell you what you’re doing wrong.”
“I hope so.” I said earnestly. “But before you do, let’s talk about some intel I picked up.”
“From who?” Wyatt’s curiosity piqued.
“From one Demetrius Stone, Facility Liaison.” I gave him a winsome smile.
***
“So Stone’s sayin’ the cultists run a timeshare scheme?” Wyatt snorted and shook his head. “Typical. That is just so fucking typical.”
I do not find that to be typical. Anya stared at Wyatt as if she thought he might have lost his mind. How is this situation typical?
“Don’t you see, Twitchy?” Wyatt turned in his chair. “Timeshare is just another way they get you. I mean we are accustomed to dealing with the small time Irrats, but these guys?” Wyatt gave a low whistle. “Timeshare cultists are big-league bad guys.”
“You are [a crazy person.]” Delacruz turned to me. “I thought I might be able to deal with the Jesuit conspiracies and Facility conquistadors, but he is certifiably [crazy].”
“You guys aren’t seeing the big picture.” Wyatt shook his head, as if amused by our naïveté. “Oh, they seem like a good deal. And their pitch is so smooth. ‘Don’t take a vacation, own a vacation!’” He snorted.
“He bought a timeshare,” Rachel realized. “That’s what all this is about: Guthrie the math genius bought a timeshare!”
“A man goes down to Branson, Missouri, thinking he’s just gonna have a good time.” Wyatt waved one hand in explanation. “You’re down at your local waffle joint and some cute little thing says ‘Hey, we’ll give you tickets to Johnny Cash if you come and take a tour at our exclusive resort!’”
“The guy does love him some Johnny Cash,” I stage-whispered to Delacruz. “He thinks the man’s voice is Irrational.”
“Next thing you know, bam!” He slammed one hand into another. “It’s all ‘maintenance fee’ this or ‘membership dues’ that.” He shook his head again. “Fucking evil.”
I don’t understand how this relates to our current assignment? Anya seemed legitimately perplexed, as if she hadn’t dealt with this jack-hole for the past several years.
“You know what they do once they have you? They try to have you come back, every few months, so you’ll buy more. And do you know how they contact you to try to get you to come back?”
“No.” I sank my head to my hands as it began to ache.
“Telemarketers.” He pointed at me, almost violently. “Mother-fucking telemarketers.”
“Can we just get to the coordinates Stone gave us?” I rubbed my temples. “Please?”
“Sure thing, Hoss.” Wyatt frowned and abruptly shifted topics. “Did you want to use the cruising speed, take another jump?”
“Please choose cruising speed.” Delacruz pinched the bridge of her nose. “Please.”
“How long will it take us if we don’t cut through the gloaming?”
“The island’s only a few kilometers wide,” Wyatt considered. “Less than ten minutes?”
“Sold to the man in the ruined overalls.” I pointed at him. “Let’s cruise. Keep the Wraith active.”
“Will comply.”
Delacruz gave me a thankful smile.
“What’s the plan once we arrive?” Rachel asked, and then started to dig through her side bag. She pulled out more of the Type V injectors and handed them to me, even though I’d only used one so far.
“Our Gatekeeper will take charge of the turret.” I gave Delacruz a sideward glance. “The Designate said the turret could either fire Artisan spikes or Gatekeeper quarrels.”
“Where’s our insertion point?” Delacruz reached up to the Temporal Corona, which hovered just behind her head. She tapped on a few keys, and I saw its turquoise light blink.
“The roof. We’ll have the Wraith active, so we won’t be seen.”
“No one guards their roof,” Wyatt reasoned. “If a helicopter comes to assault your condo, it’s fairly easy to notice.” He chuckled. “Unless it’s a Facility helicopter.”
“Right.” I gave him a thumbs up. “Delacruz and I go in first. We will also remain beneath the Wraith and set up in insertion point.”
Michael. Anya sat up straight, very focused, very still. She stared straight ahead and watched her interface intently. Both of her hands twitched rapidly, as if she played an intense orchestral piece that only she could hear.
“You have something.” There was no question. Anya’s game face might be different than a traditional combat Asset’s, but I’d worked with her for quite some time.
I knew when she got down to business.
The Variance. He’s beneath the building.
“Perfect.” Wyatt shook his head. “I’ve missed all the bullshit we did in Tokyo. Now, here we are again, inserting at the top of the building and fighting our way down.”
“How far ‘beneath the building’?” Delacruz turned to me. “Might be smarter to try and Wraith through the front door.”
“We know some of them can dispel our packets.” I shook my head. “If they are on the lookout for us, someone watching the front door.”
Delacruz thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
“This is a different play from Tokyo.” I gave Wyatt a wink. “There the plan was to find and extract Stone. We fought our way through enemy defenses while they assaulted ours elsewhere.”
“These guys shouldn’t know we’re coming.” Rachel turned from Wyatt to me. “Right?”
“I’m calling a moratorium on assumptions regarding this cabal.” I wrinkled my nose at Rachel. “We don’t know where or how they get their information. All we know for certain is that they always seem to know way too fucking much.”
“So we go in first.” Delacruz gave her crooked smiled of approval. “We do it quick and quiet, unseen if we can.”
“I truly don’t believe that every Zealator can see past the Wraith. We’ll probably get quite a ways into the building with no one the wiser.”
“At what point do you plan on creating an aperture?” Wyatt sat back in his seat and folded his arms. “Or are you just going to take out the entire cult by yourself?”
“We’re going to wait for as long as physically possible.” I grinned at him and thought about the best way forward. “We’ll keep an active link open, but when we create the aperture, it’s probably go time.”
Without additional resonators, my telemetry is only active to approximately one hundred meters, Michael. I won’t be useful to you here on the Corvus. I
should be with you.
“I thought you might feel that way, Anya.” I gave her a small nod. “But I think that strategy might be problematic.”
How so? She blinked, genuinely perplexed.
“Sovereign prerogatives have been activated.” I rocked back on my heels and met their gazes. “I’ve only had that happen to me once before in the Yucatán. Have any of you?”
“Once.” Rachel cleared her throat. “Years ago. Just like this, though, a Variance in Rationality was involved.”
“So then, Caduceus, what can the rest of the cadre expect to experience, should their sovereign prerogative neuralware actually engage?”
“Well.” Rachel winced a bit and skewed up her nose. “An active Variance in Rationality is one of the few Protocol Zero events that an Asset is likely to experience.”
I turned toward her with intent. “You used that term while I was in Istanbul with Gideon. What is it?”
“Protocol Zero?” I actually thought Rachel might blush. “It’s not a Facility approved term. It’s slang used by long-gear Caduceus class Assets.”
“That’s still not a definition.” Wyatt raised one eyebrow at her.
“All of the neuralware an Asset possesses is easily accessible by the axial node. This allows a Caduceus to repair packets or trigger system events that are well out of the control of an average Asset.”
Yes. Anya nodded, seemingly on familiar ground. There are Preceptor adjuncts that allow us similar control over the axial node, mostly for the modulation of viral mecha. She paused. We possess nowhere near the same degree of skill, however.
“So a Designate should have the capability to completely control an Asset’s actions.” She pointed at me. “Stinky here actually requested a Designate do just that on Dossier I88-1998.”
“Oh, yeah!” I grinned. “The Designate literally controlled my every move. The guy fought better than I did.” I chuckled. “Dude was a machine.”
“Well, that’s kind of a Protocol Zero event,” Rachel explained. “The Designates have the tools to drive us around like cars if that’s what they want.”
“Fucking spooky.” Wyatt grumbled as he shook his head.