by Bob Blink
Dale had met Mattie who worked at the cafeteria where they always ate in the first weeks during their time here. In her late thirties, she was considerably older than Dale's new incarnation of himself, but mentally they were of an age and had connected during their first weeks here. Rao had not made such a connection, nor had he made many friends. He was clearly still very much a foreigner, and somewhat shy. He also had memories of his Mina, but now realized those would never be anything more than that. Mina was long lost to him.
They were passing by one of the nodes as they entered the Ring area. The Command Center was just a short distance ahead, the three-story structure nearly as large as one of the buildings that housed a node. The Command Center was actually bigger than it appeared, as three levels were hidden underground, and that was where Rao and Dale spent their days.
"I can try," Dale said, worried that he might be exposing the woman to an undefined danger. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to invite Harry over for a couple of beers and see if I can start a friendship with him. He is a bit like us in many ways, and I am thinking he might be open to being approached. I'm not socially so skillful, but unless we expand those with whom we interact, I fear we are far too vulnerable. He works in maintenance, and might have a broader view of what is happening here than we could. I also have a couple of modifications I want to explore. I think it might prove useful if something I have in mind can be implemented."
"Do you think they might do away with us?" Dale asked nervously, recalling Rao's early concern.
"For the moment I believe they need us, but once they are confident our modifications are solid and they know how to operate without us, I am thinking we might very well follow in the footsteps of our predecessor. Why else all the secrecy? What we have done is very much in conflict with the original planning for the system."
They had drawn close to the Command Center, and it was time to be careful what they spoke of. Dropping the conversation and switching to something innocuous, they entered the building and made their way down the three levels of stairs to the nearly deserted work area they called their office.
"Tell me about Director Walker," Dale asked Mattie that evening. They had gone to one of the nicer dining facilities, although the food was basically the same, but Mattie didn't have to feel uncomfortable dating him around those she worked with every day. They had walked from her apartment to the southern district, where the higher-ranking individuals lived and dined. Here they were left alone, which was important tonight because of the questions in Dale's mind. He had checked carefully for any sign of someone he might need to be concerned about, and had chosen a back corner well away from anyone else. He hoped Mattie felt he'd done it so that they might be alone together. They were finishing up their meal and had just retrieved dessert when he asked.
Pushing aside a strand of reddish hair, Mattie hesitated, then asked, "Why do you ask?"
Trying to sound nonchalant, Dale replied, "I don't know. I work for the guy on this special project. Recently there have been some things that seem odd."
"Like what?" she asked, clearly curious.
"You know I can't talk about it," Dale replied guiltily. "Director Walker made that very clear from the beginning."
"I don't like secrets," she said with a sigh. "But it fits."
"What do you mean?"
"Walker has changed the last couple of years?" she replied. "Cindy says she can see the difference since his cloning."
"Who is Cindy?"
"One of the senior women at the dining hall where I work. She remembers Glenn Walker from before, and she says he's distracted lately, and focused on something, whereas before he was generally a pretty easy-going guy. Others had noted the same kind of thing. I don't really recall, because my last cloning was only a year or two before his."
"What about this guy Joe?"
"Yeah, Joe was always one of his close friends. But some of the other people that he seems close to now are a change from before."
"Mark, and the big guy, Bill?" Dale asked.
Mattie nodded.
"From what I have been told they were never in the picture before. Both are former farmers, and a bit on the rough side. Cindy has wondered why they suddenly became part of Walker's inner circle."
"Any theories why the changes?"
Mattie shook her head.
"None at all. And in another ten years or so, it won't matter. Everyone will be cycled through, and everyone who recalls the old days will be replaced by a new version of themselves, and those memories will be gone. That's one of the strange things about this place. There are no long memories that linger."
They talked around the matter for a while, but Dale quickly realized he wasn't going to learn much from Mattie. She'd already told him about all she knew.
"Hey, do you think your buddy Rao would be interested in meeting someone?" she asked suddenly. "I have a friend in communications who asked me about him the other day. She's a bit older than him, of course. Almost everyone is, because you were so recently cloned, but she looks pretty good."
Normally Dale would have put aside the request, knowing the natural shyness of his friend, but recalling the Indian's words earlier in the day about growing their circle of friends and sources of information, he replied much differently.
"I'll ask him," he said. "I think he might be."
Chapter 4
Sequoia Facility
Glenn Walker drove the electric vehicle slowly west from his dwelling, paralleling the southernmost edge of the residential district, his mind focused on the pair of meetings he was heading to. As always, several people waved as he drove past, but today his attention was entirely on the people he was going to meet, the summaries of their history with the project running through his mind, hoping that Joe was right about the man he'd selected from the maintenance division. He really hoped Joe's suggestion to enlist the man would work out, or an accident might be necessary, although the more important aspect of the recruitment was how this individual might aid in the DC project he wanted to start laying the ground work for. Time would tell how it played out. The second potential recruit he had far less concerns about. An established acquaintance of Bill, he was much more of a known quantity.
Nearly a week and a half had passed since the raid in Washington, D.C., and there had been no major repercussions from the killing. Zack had checked the situation carefully, but equally important was the fact none of the regular staff had even picked up on the event. That told him more than anything else that their raid had been successful, and they could now proceed with the plan he and Joe had carefully worked out over the past year.
"You should get rid of those two outsiders," Joe had pressed again the night before when they had met to discuss today's events. "They've accomplished what you brought them here for. Get rid of them and all the records of what they were doing." He'd been making similar suggestions for over a week now.
"Not yet," Glenn had protested. "I want to be certain there are no glitches as we move ahead. Besides, there would be too much speculation if both were to disappear so soon after arriving. Especially after you did away with Charlie earlier in the year. We have to be careful how we manage this, or it could turn sour. Besides, there is something I have them working on that would be very useful if they can work it out. For now we will just keep them as isolated as possible."
"They are dangerous," argued Joe. "They've seen too much."
"Whom can they go to even if they become suspicious?" Glenn asked. "I head the whole facility. Also, they don't have many acquaintances here, so it should be relatively easy to contain anything they might attempt to do."
"I still don't like it," Joe had said.
Glenn just needed a few more months, and then the engineers could be dealt with. He had a complicated idea that might allow them to safely replace the two with versions of themselves that wouldn't recall the damaging information that worried Joe. He'd have to have a sit down with Dr. Ho soon and s
ee if his understanding of her procedure was correct. A subtle solution would serve them better than Joe's more direct, outright elimination.
"I think we should take them to the old tunnel and let them see what happens to those who speak out of turn," Joe had suggested menacingly. "Charlie would make a powerful argument for them to stay in line."
Glenn turned north at the western limit of the cavern. Power Plant #2 was located almost directly opposite the "T" intersection. The fusion plant was one of three along the western extremity of the facility. The other two were located at the north and south ends of the cavern respectively, each functioning smoothly after so many years. The lack of trouble from the critical power generators was due to a combination of the triple redundancy design and the dedicated staff that oversaw the daily operations of the all-important power stations. A maze of pipes and interconnecting towers, the direct conversion design allowed for a minimum of waste, and provided both power and heat for the five thousand plus humans living here. Beyond the reactor itself, Glenn could see the small farm of special tanks that held the fuel supply for the generator.
The heavy power distribution lines ran north and south along the western wall behind the power generating facilities. The output of the three reactors were combined in two distribution centers, one located midway between PP#1 and PP#2, and the other farther south midway between PP#2 and PP#3.
Roughly two miles farther north he came to a second "T" intersection. Continuing straight would take him along the farmlands and eventually to the large cavern in the northwest corner that was their primary spare parts repository. A dozen large buildings on either side of the single roadway, held the precious inventory. An inventory that was badly in need of replenishment in some areas. While estimates had been conservative for some parts, in others the breakage had significantly exceeded expectations.
Today, Glenn turned left, heading west into the largest offshoot cavern from the main area. The manufacturing and maintenance industrial area was located here. Passing the first half dozen buildings, he spotted the scrunched looking structure that had been wedged into the back of the area, the size of the building limited by the sloping roof of the cave that dipped quickly toward the floor in this area. As he pulled into one of the three slots set aside for vehicles like his, he spotted Joe and a bear-like individual heading his way.
"Glenn, this is Kurt Gunner," Joe said, making the introductions.
Face to face, Glenn could see how strong Gunner was. Just under six feet tall, he had to weigh close to two hundred and forty pounds, and none of it looked to be fat. Powerful arms bulged out of the short sleeve shirt, accenting a massive chest, and surprisingly trim waist. According to the summary he'd read, Gunner was forty-two years of age. His hair was already salt and peppery, the black giving way pre-maturely to gray. That wasn't all that unusual down here.
Gunner held out a massive paw, but was respectful and made no attempt to demonstrate his strength when they clasped hands.
"My pleasure, Director Walker," Gunner said.
Walker examined the dark brown eyes, recalling that this man had a history, going back to the last cloning cycle, of objecting to the approach used to staff the facility. That was what had brought him to Joe's attention, and after a couple of months of careful cultivation, they had decided it was time to see if this was a man they could use. Glenn was surprised someone with Gunner's views had passed the original screening and was assigned here, but that screw-up could well work in their favor.
"Let's walk around while we talk," Joe suggested, pointing toward one of the distant structures, following the script he and Glenn had discussed earlier. If they sensed any reluctance to accept the plan that Glenn would be proposing, Joe would use the small gas-triggered hypo he carried concealed in his vest. The result would be an unfortunate heart attack. Glenn hoped they wouldn't need to use it, for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the need to expand their action team. At first glance, Gunner looked like the kind of person the team could use.
Gunner nodded. He wasn't sure exactly what this was about, but ever since Joe had made an effort to bond with him, he suspected something had to be behind it. Savvy, with a sixth sense about such things, he had expected that Joe's motivation had involved something outside the usual rules, and even though he'd known that Joe was linked to the Director, he was surprised a couple of days earlier when Joe had indicated Walker wished to speak with him. He still wasn't certain what they wanted with him, but he'd already decided he wanted in. This might be a chance to better his lot, and he was aware of the faint scuttlebutt claiming that these days the Director was different somehow.
The three men walked along the roadway, seemingly involved in a discussion of the facilities along the narrow roadway, but by the time they had returned to the parked vehicle, Gunner had been told what they wanted of him. Glenn had monitored the man with the hidden medical scanner, and was certain that the man's responses were truthful when he agreed to what had been outlined. He was convinced they had a viable recruit.
"Joe will bring you to the Resort this weekend," Walker explained. "He will show you how our setup works, and afterwards we will meet in a special gathering center we have set up. Remember, discuss this with no one."
"Yes sir," Gunner said formally. "I understand. I think you are doing the right thing, sir."
They clasped hands again to seal the deal, and Joe climbed into the car next to Glenn.
"Noon, right here," Joe reminded Gunner as he and Walker backed away from the structure, then turned and drove back toward the main cavern.
"I like him for the team," Glenn said when they were well away. "His answers were truthful, so I think we can trust him. Where's he from originally? That could be important later."
"Denver," Joe explained, and Glenn nodded in approval. Denver wouldn't be limiting for their needs.
Most of their plan could be pursued at a leisurely pace. That meant a gradual selection and careful watching was possible of those brought into the group. But the removal of a list of some twenty-three individuals Glenn felt needed to be completed by the end of this year now that they had started down the path of eliminating people. That meant augmenting their team rather quickly, with the associated risks of selecting someone who wasn't going to work out.
"Not only is he a fighter, but he has knowledge and access to many areas that we will find useful. No one would comment on his appearing anywhere. Mark will keep an eye on him until this weekend," Joe added. "Kurt doesn't know Mark, who is very adept at not being spotted. We'll know if he talks or does anything that we wouldn't approve of."
"Good!" Glenn replied. "Now, let's go see this friend of Bill's. With luck, by the end of the day, we will be halfway toward the four additional men we decided are needed. I hope Gunner works out for another reason. I want a couple of people in manufacturing to join us. There are items we will need at some point, and that will require unpublicized access to the hardware printers. This Gunner fellow might be able to help us find someone."
For the next half hour they followed the single lane road that continued north around the perimeter of the farmlands, noting the change in the crops. Men could be spotted in the fields, riding on the robotic tractors and harvesters. The crops in this area were being gathered in, so the farmers were busier than usual. Even with all the advances in technology, farming was hard work, Glenn decided. For a time he'd wondered why the task hadn't been mechanized, and given over to robot labor, but he'd been told that there was far more to the art of growing food than he realized. The all-important task was too important to be trusted to machines.
At the northern end of the main cavern, they followed the road as it turned east, continuing the full four miles along the northern perimeter, stopping only when they were within sight of the stockyards, the ripe smells of the animal enclosures acrid even from this distance.
Stopping alongside one of the fences that kept the small herd of cattle contained, they walked along the uneven dirt
path. Bill was smiling as they approached. Dressed as if he belonged here, their friend pointed to a man that was doing something with one of the cows.
"There's Luke Morales," Bill said. "I think you'll find him a perfect fit for our plan."
Chapter 5
Sequoia Facility
August
Glenn rolled over, awake without the benefit of an alarm at a time that had become automatic, whether he wished to wake up at that established hour or not. Today was one of the "not" days, although in truth it was best that he had woken up early because there was much to be done today. Turning and rolling slightly to his left, he checked on his bed partner, who still appeared to be very much asleep. He couldn't help admiring the view.
Jessica was absolutely stunning. The covers were pushed down almost to her waist, which after a couple of weeks together he'd come to realize wasn't an uncommon situation. Sleeping on her back, her toned figure and a pair of smallish, but exquisitely shaped, pink-tipped breasts were very much on display. For a moment he seriously considered snuggling up and seeing if he could initiate another go at some of the most talented lovemaking he had ever experienced. She never failed to amaze him in that regard. Weighing the benefits and disadvantages, he reluctantly decided that if they started up again, he would almost certainly end up late, something he couldn't afford to let happen.
Contrary to his expectations, Jessica had sought him out upon return from her vacation, and they had quickly fallen into a routine where they ended up either at his or her place every night. No commitments had been made, which wasn't unusual in the caverns, but the three weeks together on an exclusive basis was the longest he could recall since he'd been married.