Beyond Asimios: Book One

by Martin Fossum

  As Austin Hapern made his way through Skyresh Axis and the tall windows that currently faced the darkened hemisphere of Mars, he stopped by the concierge’s desk to see if there was anything waiting for him. The concierge went into a back room and returned with a small package. Halpern thanked the man and took it, and as he crossed the center floor he noticed Clive Werg perched under a waxy, green palm. Clive caught sight of Halpern and started moving his hover chair in the ESCOM manager’s direction.

  —Halpern! Clive called. He was gyrating his pincer-like hand as he skimmed across the floor.

  Halpern stood for a moment, weighing silently this unwanted diversion, and then he shot Clive a modest smile as the disfigured lump of a human approached.

  —How are you Clive? Halpern said. He was avoiding eye contact and inspecting the writing on his package.

  —Something’s going on, Clive said, slurring his words as he opened and closed his claw with excitement. I know somefing’s up!

  —What are you talking about Clive? Halpern said as he ran his fingers distractedly over the fold in the envelope. You have to be more specific.

  Clive Werg was a fixture on Phobos…the sole survivor of an accident that occurred during a set of pioneering studies in quantum psychology (a branch of quantum physics that explores the psycho-neurological relationship to spatial displacement…i.e. how a wormhole affects the mind, and vise versa) that LINGLING Global had been conducting on Deimos, Mars’s more distant and smaller moon. Werg had suffered what would later be called Tanthov’s Syndrome, named after the doctor tasked with administering to Clive and his distinct physical deformation. Just after the accident, Dr. Tanthov anticipated a quick decline in Werg’s health—death within weeks—but under medical care on Mars, the hapless scientist persevered. His condition stabilized, and as the weeks and months passed, he was permitted to contemplate a limited, yet somewhat hopeful future. Werg was called a hero by the Martian press who saw him as collateral damage of a transnational system interested only in profit and expansion, while others considered him a prophet, a transcendent being who “had seen the other side”…someone who had glimpsed a universality that made transnational hegemony irrelevant. Over time, Werg’s writings had become ubiquitous in the Nexus—strange screeds of indecipherable ruminations and postulates—but understanding what Werg was saying became less and less important that the symbol Clive Werg had become. To LINGLING Global’s consternation, Clive resolved never to live on either Mars or Earth. After extended rehabilitation, he opted for self-exile on Phobos. Once there, he refused to leave. Finally, LINGLING Global (LINGLING was later purchased by ESCOM) let him be. He became an insignificant dot on a ledger sheet of incalculable size. ESCOM allowed him to do as he pleased.

  —Things are unusual, Clive continued. He then lowered his head and peered up at Halpern from under his brow. Drainage tubes were connected to the loose flesh of his face. Parts of Clive’s jaw were visible through translucent synthskin, and he was having trouble controlling the muscles and tendons in his neck. His head jerked and spasmed, making Halpern uneasy.

  —What do you mean by “unusual?” Halpern asked.

  —There’s a lot of traffic going back to Earth. High encryption. Security transmissions. It’s all terribly interesting.

  —How would you know about that, Clive?

  Clive smiled deviously. He straightened out one of his deformed stumps—it looked like a swollen leg of a teddy bear—and he slurped up the spit on the side of his mouth as he stroked one of the tubes that disappeared behind his chair to some unseen collection tank. Then he sighed deeply.

  —Care to meet for a drink later, Austin? Clive’s eyes were wide.

  —Sorry, but I can’t this evening. Maybe some other time.

  At this Clive began to cackle.

  —I’ll talk to you later, Clive, Halpern said as he turned to go, and Clive’s shrill laughter carried over the marble floor and turned curious heads as it echoed throughout the large room.

  Austin Halpern considered his accommodations on Phobos’s Skyresh Axis as “comfortable.” His elite ESCOM status provided him his large office and sleeping quarters near the top of the axis, and a desk that had an amazing view of Mars’s trailing circumference; the perpetual flow of the Red Planet’s inexorable rotation. The ample space in this minimally decorated interior was ideal for long stretches of focused work, or for entertaining small parties, and the nano fiber dark green carpet was particularly pleasing to the naked foot. Apart from the main entrance, there were two doors in the quarters: one led to the bathroom; the other led to the bedroom. In his bedroom was a sizable walk-in closet where most of the ESCOM project manager’s clothes hung (most of Halpern’s clothes were black, or dark, by preference), a foldout mattress (for short naps and occasions when he had company) and a sleep cylinder for the times when a deep, rejuvenating sleep was needed. Through the bathroom door was a toilet, a sink, a shower, and a medium-sized Jacuzzi, a luxury he never felt comfortable enjoying alone.

  This apartment had been his home away from home for the five years ESCOM had its main space headquarters on Phobos. After the pullout from Asimios and the developments with the wormhole, he wondered if his comfortable days here were numbered.

  Once in his office, Halpern raised his assistant, Vikkie, on his VI and requested that dinner be brought to him. Then he sat down in the high-backed chair and opened the envelope the concierge had given him and removed the smaller package it contained. Then he carefully peeled away the folds of the inner package and the contents were revealed.

  It was a watch, an analog Swiss wristwatch from the twentieth century. It was the genuine article and something that had been in his family for a very long time. He held the crystal up to his VI, and under magnification admired the craftsmanship of its golden hands and its elegantly detailed dial. There were few people who could service a timepiece of this vintage, but to Halpern’s surprise, a renowned watchmaker (one of the last) was living right in his neighborhood. Albrecht Vink, Maritian resident and reclusive horologist, received the watch three standard months ago. Now Halpern was pleased to have it back; cleaned, adjusted, and with polished face. He wound it up and listened to the purr and then he clasped the leather band snuggly around his wrist and tucked his sleeve over it. There was someone at the door…it was Vikkie and she had his food, and he let her in to set his meal tray on his desk while Halpern shifted his focus and decided to riffle through the messages that had been waiting for him.

  —Thank you, Vikkie, he said.

  —You’re welcome, sir.

  Halpern removed the lid from the plate and underneath was a piece of pink salmon on a bed of brown rice with sides of asparagus and red potatoes. All Martian, except the fish meat. That was grown right here on Phobos.

  As Halpern picked through his food he sorted through his messages, separating the important from the unimportant. In his haste, he nearly removed Esther’s message, a text packet that came through earlier today, and with a dark impulse he took a bite of salmon, opened the file and began to read. It was November on Earth, a colder than normal month from all reports, and the news from his wife was fitting. According to Esther, Interpol had put a Red Notice out for their daughter, Nava, for “organization and participation” in violent protests in Berlin last week. When found, she would be arrested, Esther wrote, most likely by the German police. Either way, Nava, was in deep trouble and all Esther could suggest was that she get an excellent attorney and hope for the best. If Nava will come willingly and cooperate, Esther wrote, then maybe this can get sorted out. It’s all so sad, she said. So sad…

  Halpern chewed on his food while he reread the message, glancing every now and then at his watch to make sure it was keeping accurate time, before he was alerted to a new packet that came up on the local net. It was the detention center in Lagado Axis. Dr. Berdinka and Paul Ness were ready for questioning, it said. Halpern ate what he could of his cooling food, then wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and n
otified Vikkie that he was finished. He removed a compact rail pistol from the desk’s lower right drawer and placed it in a thin briefcase. He took the briefcase with him as he left his office. On his way through the Skyresh main lobby, he noticed that Clive had attached himself to a new victim, some weary fellow held captive by Clive’s inquisitional fang, and Halpern jogged quietly by, en route to the lower levels of Skyresh Axis where he would catch a shuttle to the detention center.

  Dr. Susanna Berdinka had been in detention for four days since their arrival on Phobos. Tired and disgusted with her treatment, she was becoming an increasingly difficult detainee. For this reason, Halpern decided to go easy on her. He needed some information about what had happened with Avery Graf back on Asimios. There was a high-level ESCOM conference coming up and Halpern wanted to make sure all the stories would withstand scrutiny. When Halpern entered the room, Dr. Berdinka was already seated. The guard slipped out the door and left them alone. The cell was softly lit and comfortable. Dr. Berdinka had a cup of tea clasped between her hands.

  —Thank you, Dr. Berdinka, for agreeing to meet with me, Halpern said as he pulled out a chair, swept the seat clear with his hand and then sat down. He set his thin black briefcase in front of him and looked up and to the side as he quickly typed a note on his V-pad before he snapped open the thumb locks on the briefcase and removed a pad of paper and pen. I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did, he said as he tested the pen by making a few squiggles on the paper. It was never my intention to be put in this position. But for reasons of security, you have been placed in custody until we can get a clearer picture of the role you played in Dr. Graf’s insubordination.

  Dr. Berdinka leaned forward and took a sip from her tea.

  —You understand, that by ESCOM proxy I have the legal right, under UN sanction and the Organization of Martian Communes, to conduct legal proceedings and to act as an officer of the law on Phobos.

  —I don’t give a shit.

  —You are also being informed that this interview is being recorded, and that anything you say can be used against you in further proceedings?

  —Fuck you.

  —So, with this understood…

  —There’s no law here, Berdinka said. Save all the bullshit and get to the point.

  —Dr. Berdinka, I want to know what you did with Dr. Graf and I want to know why you did it. That’s all.

  —You want to know what I did? I implanted a non-traceable VI in Avery. It was a special little implant, no way for scanners to pick it up…as long as the original stamped VI was active, he could do whatever he wanted.

  —Did you design this VI?

  Dr. Berdinka shook her head.

  —Then who did?

  —I don’t know.

  —Did Paul Ness design the VI?

  —I don’t know. Perhaps. That wasn’t my concern.

  —You know that all personnel undergoing transmitter implant surgeries have to be reported to ESCOM security, don’t you? These regulations were clearly stated in your training.

  —I guess I must have missed that lecture.

  —And yet you proceeded to implant this VI in Dr. Graf under the full knowledge that he would be able to elude security scans and operate illegally?

  —For god’s sake, Dr. Berdinka said as she leaned back in her chair and lowered a scowl at Halpern. He was a broken man, Austin, she said. He was finished. Everything he’d done in his life was put into Asimios Station, and ESCOM was about to take it all away. Have pity on him. What I did was what any good friend would do. I granted him a final wish. He stayed behind to reconcile his grief for losing Asimios Station and with Julie’s death. His home was on Asimios. You can’t ask a man to give up his home, can you?

  Austin Halpern scratched a few notes on his pad of paper and then took a quick look at his watch. He was enjoying this new habit.

  —You realize that your actions could be considered sabotage under ESCOM law. By conducting unsanctioned surgery you committed an act of treason. You could be taken by any UN member state and be put under indefinite detention.

  —I could tell you, Austin, how much you disgust me. I could tell you how offended I am at being treated this way and I could tell you how utterly disappointed I am at ESCOM and the lack of respect I’ve received for years of loyal service to Asimios Station and everyone there. But I won’t. I don’t have the energy or the interest. Take your dog and pony show and shove it up your you know where.

  Halpern leaned back in his chair.

  —How long had he been planning this deception? Halpern asked. You must have been in on it from the beginning?

  Dr. Berdinka pushed aside her tea and leaned forward.

  —There was a time when I considered you a good friend, dear Austin, but that time has passed. We’ve all watched your ascent at ESCOM. We’ve all been witness to the slow destruction of the person you once were to the insect you’ve become. To think that it’s come to this, your treatment of me as a criminal. I once held a place in my heart for you—I considered you a friend—but now that place is cold and empty.

  Halpern brought his right arm in a long arc and struck Dr. Berdinka with his hand so that she fell from her chair and crumpled to the floor. Halpern then stood up and straightened his shirt while he looked down at her.

  —You should try to treat me with respect, Susanna. While it is obvious that you held feelings for Avery, aiding in his insubordination was inadmissible.

  Stunned, Dr. Berdinka got slowly to her feet. She stood there, swaying slightly, testing her jaw for tenderness as the guard reentered the room.

  —This interview is terminated, Halpern said. I wish you could understand the pressure I was under to make sure the Asimios extraction was uneventful. Goodbye.

  Halpern collected his things and took his briefcase and waved to the guard to take her back into custody. As he left the room and walked down the hall, he passed three guards as they hurried to the interview room. At the main office Halpern ordered that Dr. Berdinka be detained for six more hours, after which, he said, she should be released. There is a flight leaving Phobos for Earth in three days, he said. She has the option of boarding that flight or descending to Mars. She should be encouraged to leave Phobos as soon as is possible. As he turned to leave, Halpern looked down at his free hand and noticed it was trembling. He started walking away and then stopped and returned to the warden’s desk.

  —I have another interview to conduct here with Paul Ness, he said. Can you bring him to the interview room in thirty minutes?

  The warden said that Ness would be there. Then Halpern took a short walk to the restroom and meandered around the main level of Lagado Axis. He sat down and made a few notations on his V-pad and then returned to the detention center. In the interview room, Paul was already seated at the table. He looked clean and presentable but he combed his hand nervously over his mustache as Halpern sat down across from him.

  —I’m sorry Paul for this mess, Halpern said as he leaned his thin briefcase against the leg of the table. It wasn’t my intention that you should have been detained for this long. It’s just that with the severity of the breach, that Dr. Graf acted illegally and stayed behind, there were certain formalities that had to be adhered to before we could start to straighten things out.

  Paul nodded and stroked his mustache and swallowed hard. He had suffered under his detention, it was clear. He wasn’t used to intimidation and forced isolation and he was rattled and concerned about what was going to happen to him.

  —Dr. Berdinka said you were involved in the design of Dr. Graf’s VI, Halpern said as he leaned back slightly. We know this, and that’s not the immediate thing I want to address. I’ve read your report, and while we both understand that you were acting under classified instructions to gather intelligence, I want to be clear on what, if anything, you learned on Asimios: what kind of irregular or suspect sensor data you were able to identify or what kind of evidence you might have discovered regarding any non ESCOM-sanctio
ned activity on Asimos.

  Paul rubbed his mustache and cleared his throat.

  —Like I said in my report; there was nothing, to my mind, that would have been considered unusual or out of the ordinary. I accessed all central command surface radar data and all the ground imaging tech, but nothing raised any flags. Other than unsubstantiated reports of UFO sightings from personnel—light aberrations and reflectivity phenomena, that kind of thing—it was quiet. Are you going to tell me what you were after?

  Halpern took a quick note down on his V-pad and looked back up at Paul.

  —So, in your report you considered Dr. Graf of sound mind, and that he was acting rationally, even though staying behind meant certain death? But there were no other reasons that you could make out why he wanted to stay behind? He didn’t give you any more complete explanation?