by JM Guillen
No sooner had I toggled the settings then Rachel hit me with a link, Woah there, big guy. I’ve got your settings in hand while Wyatt dials up some boosts and destroys that armor, so why don’t you leave this to the adults?
Copy that, Caduceus. I leaned back against the column, closing my eyes against the dizziness. Thanks for covering my ass earlier, Rachel. I guess there’s a lot that I don’t consider.
Well, quit expecting it all the time. Her tone became wry, and I felt her attempt to lend her link some gruffness. Dammit, Bishop, I’m a doctor, not a psychotherapist.
What? Whatever she did to my system made me feel a touch groggy. I shook my head.
You don’t even know that one? You are truly a lost cause.
If you say so. I kept my eyes closed and smiled gently as sensation faded and I relaxed.
That blissful moment faded too soon however. A short time after Rachel tinkered with me and Wyatt’s algorithms had kicked in, Gideon Du’Marque linked the entire cadre. If you folks are ready, I have Stone on the line.
Cadre secure, Alpha. Anya sounded succinct as ever. Initiate briefing with Liaison Stone at your pleasure.
Copy that. I’ll patch him through now.
An uncomfortable jolt jarred my mind, the sensation of a gargantuan square peg being pounded into a petite round hole.
Kinda.
It’s difficult to describe the feeling of Crown’s handshake protocols. I suppose the closest comparison is when one has an entirely new idea—something one has never even come close to contemplating before. A stranger lurked in my thoughts, someone I suddenly felt quite intimate with. I knew Stone’s basic status; I could feel his personality in my mind.
It felt unnerving as all hell.
There was something to be said for first impressions, and as handshake protocols engaged, my first impression of Stone became crystalline in my mind.
He didn’t exactly seem like my kind of guy.
27
Good afternoon, Assets. The consciousness of Demetrius Stone purred like a great tiger nestled between my ears.
I squinted one eye as I felt the foreign presence and furrowed my brow. He felt strong, confident in ways that many men never quite find.
In the first half-second of linking with Stone, I came to know him as a leader, a person quite in control of himself and his surroundings. Stone was a perfectionist who liked every little thing in its place and who typically got his way.
I tended to be a little more on the fly, myself.
Good afternoon, Liaison Stone, Anya linked. Assets Bishop and Guthrie are here with me. We are system green and prepared to initiate extraction.
Understood, Preceptor Petrova. His link felt like warm, melted chocolate in my mind. It is certainly a pleasure to be working with you again.
Again? I glanced at Wyatt, and he raised one eyebrow.
Let’s all pull up the same blueprints, that way we can all be on the same page. The man’s link swam with the confidence of someone who simply expected his requests to be met.
Even as he asked us to pull up the blueprints, he patched us all a copy, porting it to memory so he would be certain we all looked at the exact same thing.
Good thing I had the resources for a memory patch. Wyatt groused to me only. He gave me a sideways glance and rolled his eyes.
I suppressed a grin.
Neither of us dealt with Liaisons often. The packet was only geared by an entirely separate Facility segment, a segment with an entirely different strategy and outlook on the Facility’s goals. Secrets, lies, and espionage comprised a Liaison’s entire life.
Like the Preceptor, the Liaison packet was a permanent install. These men and women lived their lives as natural politicians, con artists, and manipulators. Senators and parliament members and CEO’s must, after all, make the “correct” choices—at least as far as the Facility was concerned.
Even if they had to be deceived into doing so.
Therefore, while I might be castaway in distant realms, battling against some ravenous, many-eyed darkness from humanity’s nightmares, Liaison Stone might be assigned positions within a country’s government or asked to manipulate important corporate figures. Liaisons boozed and schmoozed and lied. They went to parties, gambled, and engaged in high stakes manipulation of elections. They seduced beautiful people, and used Facility tech to manipulate their memories.
Hardly fair, if you asked me.
Michael, Wyatt, I’m certain you’re aware that I’ve worked very intimately with Anya on multiple occasions. As a result, she has an idea of how my head wraps around an assignment like this one.
VERY intimately. Wyatt’s leering link came only to me.
So I thought I might take a moment and just introduce some quick ideas. I like thinking that we’re all in the know here.
That seems reasonable. I couldn’t help but feel a bit wary, no matter how reasonable this suggestion might be. A Liaison had the uncanniest way of making an Eskimo want to buy ice.
I could patch you everything that has happened to me, but I don’t think that’s fair. Though, hell, if I did, then things might go easier for me. Empathic bias would certainly help me get my points across regarding what we need to accomplish here.
True enough. Wyatt nodded, actually seeming a bit impressed. Then, he linked me. Classy.
I rolled my eyes.
Sure, empathic bias could play a role here. A very real tendency existed to “agree” with the perspectives of a large patch— after all, you were experiencing the data from that individual’s perspective. However Stone acknowledging the existence of something we all knew didn’t feel classy to me. It felt manipulative.
Instead, Stone went on, I’d like to give you the unbiased facts of our situation. My hope is that we either draw the same conclusions or that you bring some new ideas to the table.
I hated how naturally distrustful I felt—Stone truly hadn’t done anything to deserve that.
Still, I wondered at the term “unbiased.”
I swept away as much emotion as I could before I linked, That sounds like a good idea. I turned to Anya. I assume, since you have been working intimately with Anya, that she is in-the-know on these topics?
Yes, I mouthed the word “intimately” as I linked.
Yes, I looked at Anya.
Yes, Wyatt chortled.
No, I don’t know if Anya got it.
Negative, Michael. Stone’s patch felt grave in my mind. My dossier is classified under several different Designate specifications. What I will share with you today is information that no other Facility Assets know.
Anya nodded in understanding. Wyatt also gave a brief nod, his facial features solemn. As I nodded I couldn’t help but wonder how much he would share and how much would remain classified.
As I’m sure you’ve surmised from my latent signal, my extraction won’t be a simple one. You have a long way to go from your current location on floor thirty-two of Ryuu Tower, Stone began, in what seemed like the beginning of a vast lecture.
Wyatt nodded sagely at me and stroked his now-patchy beard.
I grinned.
While you’re to be commended on the vital pieces of intel you’ve already found, my intelligence is something a bit different than our typical acquisitions.
I wondered at that. I had honest curiosity. I mean, obviously, extraction of all Assets is vital. I glanced at Wyatt.
The large man nodded. Extraction and retrieval of all Facility Assets and equipment is the primary protocol.
Right. But from what I’ve gathered, this extraction is vital due to the intelligence you have gathered. I hesitated, placing my thoughts in order. I understand that you were tech adrift. Are we to assume that now you have offloaded all applicable intelligence over the Lattice?
You’re a sharp man, Michael. I felt Stone’s chuckle, felt the honesty in his opinion. That’s the crux of this whole thing. The answer is no.
Are you…? I looked at Anya, questioning. Withholding t
he intel? I don’t understand.
I possess more than simple intelligence, Michael. I hold something very dear to Sadhana—a cartridge of their power source for their conduit technology. I can’t exactly transmit a physical thing over the Lattice.
Of course not. As she spoke, Anya gave me a look that I might almost qualify as irritated.
I gained access to a key area of the Ryuu building. You are undoubtedly aware that the corporate leaders don’t keep their truly sensitive projects near the public areas.
Obviously. Anya nodded as she linked.
Those projects are held in an underground bunker, which is where I’ve spent the past thirty-five hours, tech adrift. There are only a very few means of accessing these levels, which is what will make my extraction difficult, even for the Facility’s top Assets
I couldn’t tell whether he being genuine or teasing us.
Understood, I frowned as I linked. Exactly what are we looking at?
Fortunately, you’ve already accessed the Chasm. As you’ve seen, that is the most efficient manner of moving from floor to floor while remaining somewhat incognito.
Yeah, Wyatt linked, we can easily use the stairwell in the Chasm, but I expect Sadhana operatives are crawling all over it. He paused. And it won’t be long before they get backup.
I’ll be assisting there, Gideon chimed in, his link somewhat distant, as if managing more than one conversation at a time. I have several Assets on hand at the Spire. I’ll send a Titan and a Gatekeeper-class Asset on a separate incursion near level forty of Ryuu Tower.
Gideon’s second cadre will cause significant damage, Stone butted in. The Titan will launch several dozen Tabula Rasa, which will draw Sadhana’s attention. They will remain as long as required before the Gatekeeper extracts them. He paused. Thanks to their expertise, you won’t have any problems making your way down the stairs.
I raised my eyebrows. The Tabula Rasa completely obliterated all matter within a certain radius. If a Titan came to Ryuu Tower equipped with those, it would certainly draw Sadhana’s attention. Fuck, one could decimate the building all by itself.
This is the latter half of the plan, however. Stone’s tone of command grated on my nerves. Before we send in that second incursion, you need the means to bypass the Seal. This alone will take some time, even for a team with your exceptional skills.
The Seal? Anya tilted her head. I’m showing nothing regarding that in my dossier.
Stone’s link shifted to solid seriousness. He clearly intended us to pay particular attention to his words, because each one felt quieter, each syllable crisper and more defined.
The Seal is the barrier between the main structure and the floors below ground level. When an individual wishes access to the top-secret laboratories, he or she must bypass Sadhana’s most intricate security. He outlined an elevator and then a descent through a long shaft, a rough three-dimensional rendering on the blueprints. After that, I saw a barrier of some kind.
The Seal, I supposed.
How do we accomplish that? Anya linked.
If I could reach my side of the Seal, it would be simple. His tone filled with regret.
How so? Wyatt linked.
There are switches on my side that will simply open the wall. He showed us a master switch on the far side of a solid iron wall. From your end, however, there are very specific parameters to be met before the door will open.
Ah. Yes, according to the data you provided… Gideon paused, as if perusing something in his Crown. The Seal requires an iris scan of a high-ranking Sadhana operative.
Correct. Every time that door is opened, it is done with the assistance of a man named Daisuke Ito, one of Sadhana’s most dangerous operatives. Accompanying this news came a brief profile of a man, along with statistics regarding his movements, accomplices, and Irrational capabilities.
I knew him, recognized him at least. The giant of a man had been in one of the pictures on Mr. Fukui’s wall.
So we need his iris scan. I looked to Wyatt. I think we can manage that.
The iris scan is actually the final item to be requisitioned. Stone’s link oozed smugness, as if he were purposefully giving his plan in reverse order to make us feel foolish. We’ll discuss a few different parameters, including a DNA sample, a numeric key, and the capability to manipulate basic axiomatic relativity.
I frowned. That…
Asset Guthrie can easily handle that last one. Stone’s link felt positively magnanimous as he chuckled. The others, however, will take some time to put into place. Of course you are already more than capable of handling the guards on both sides. He paused. Not to worry, Assets. I have a seven-step plan, which will give you these very things and assist you in gaining access to my present location.
Excellent. Anya nodded, as if all had been decided.
Um. I started to interrupt but didn’t quite know how to finish.
Yes, Michael?
You said that a switch on your side would simply open the thing, right?
It will. Stone paused. Unfortunately, I am in deep cover. I have the Façade geared currently, and if I flip that switch, then my cover is blown. I’ll have to argue with a few dozen bullets on my side of the Seal, and the tech will be lost.
Right. I peered at Wyatt, making certain he also realized the obvious. But I have the Spectre geared. Are you saying that there is some reason I shouldn’t just walk through that wall and throw the switch?
For a long moment, Stone fell silent. At first, I felt confusion, but then… Annoyance, just a bit. Not with me specifically, but perhaps because he hadn’t seen the obvious.
Feeling pressure to ease the silence I continued, I mean, I’m not trying to throw a wrench into your plans. Just, before we go trying to steal someone’s DNA, work out a numeric code, and commandeer a live eyeball—I glanced at Wyatt again as his grin grew larger—wouldn’t it just be easier for me to phase through the Seal and throw the lever?
It took a long moment for Stone to speak, but when he did, he held his emotions in tight rein.
I didn’t realize what you had geared, Michael. The Spectre isn’t something I have access to, so I didn’t consider it. He paused in reflection. It’s a more than reasonable plan. Quick, painless… inelegant, but it gets the job done. Good thinking, Michael!
Even as he linked, however, I felt the truth. My idea insulted him just a bit. He considered espionage and subtlety to be high art, and I had just suggested that maybe, just maybe, I could do just as well with crayons and poster board.
Mr. Demetrius Stone didn’t like that at all.
Okay. Wyatt had a placating tone, as if trying to stop a fight. So, Gideon, if I’m reading the scene clearly, we should make for the stairs. We’ll link you when we get there, and you’ll whip us up a distraction.
Copy that, Guthrie, our Alpha confirmed.
When we find the Seal, which shouldn’t be hard with Stone’s intel, Bishop will Spectre through. From there, it’s a matter of a rendezvous with Stone and an extraction.
I’m still working on intel regarding Delacruz, Stone interrupted, referring to the lost Gatekeeper Asset. I believe I have the beginnings of an understanding of her location, as well as a working means of extraction.
I glanced at Wyatt. That sounded like an entirely different deal. Already, getting to Stone had been a bit more than I’d bargained for. Another goal seemed a bit… optimistic.
Understood, Stone. Gideon felt more present, as if he had turned away from whatever else had divided his attention. If possible, that would be excellent, as we have not had a telemetry read on Delacruz since the incident. Therefore, cadre, your situation has become flexible. Your next goal is the extraction of Stone. After that, we will review the situation with Delacruz.
Is that to say, Alpha, that our situation is fluid? I grinned, knowing Gideon would feel it over the link.
Roger that, Bishop. Gideon grinned as well. Situation fluid. Consider the Seal as your current Locale One. Extract Stone. From there,
we will discuss whether an extraction of Delacruz is possible.
Seems fair. Wyatt cut in. We can be at the Chasm in less than ten minutes. Gideon, can you have our distraction ready on that timetable?
Roger that, Guthrie. Gideon paused, as if he checked something. I can have the second insertion ready in seven minutes.
My goodness. Stone hesitated, chuckling. You certainly are on top of things. I didn’t expect so advanced a timetable. Stone actually seemed somewhat taken aback. I will assemble what data I can and progress from there. Please alert me when you have made the elevator.
Will comply. I glanced at Wyatt, offering a grin as I linked, and gave a mocking half-salute.
Excellent. Stone sounded as if he had recovered his balance. I look forward to meeting you in person, Michael. Abruptly, but not rudely, Stone severed the link.
“This guy.” I turned to Anya. “The guy’s not a Designate.” It seemed almost offensive, as if the Liaison had claimed a command status over us, when we had been sent to extract him.
I’m certain he simply intended to be friendly. Anya literally didn’t seem to see the problem.
I glanced at Wyatt for backup and got a helpless shrug in return.
I understood what I wanted to convey but had a hard time clearly communicating it.
During a mission, we relied upon each other for our very survival. But every time Stone linked I wanted to tear out my own Crown. He just seemed so… superior, smug even. Add to that the fact that I couldn’t stop looking for hidden motives in everything he said…
It troubled me. A lot was stacked against us here—likely things that we never even considered. So far, every encounter with Sadhana’s operatives had shown nothing but consummate professionals.
These guys weren’t playing fuck-around. Sadhana had their shit together, and I saw no reason to expect that the extraction would get any simpler.
Stone’s arrogance complicated things.
I had never considered that in this Irrational, corporate madhouse, the one thing that I couldn’t overcome might just be my feelings about one of my own.