Paradigm 2045- Trinity's Children

by Robert W. Ross

  “He was also almost one hundred seventy years old, Captain. Maybe he just made a mistake.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “Not likely, especially when he mentioned having several recordings that were dynamically edited by that daemon of his. No, something else is afoot here and it’s just bugging me.”

  “I think you are worrying about nothing, but if by you worrying it means I don’t have to, please continue.”

  She glared at him and said, “Resume playback.”

  Doctor Howard walked over to one of the medical bays and sat down on its edge. “I know you are probably pissed off about my having locked you out of information on the Bladerunner. However, I trust you’ll come to appreciate my wisdom. Then again, if you don’t—” the old man shrugged, “I don’t really give a shit. I’m dead after all, I should have very few shits to give in my condition. If I’m being honest, my original plan was for the Bladerunner to be quartered here along with Galileo. Unfortunately, I miscalculated some of the engineering problems Karishma and I needed to solve.” He shrugged. “Anyway, it didn’t quite work out the way I planned so I decided it would be best for you to use Ice Station Zebra as a staging area until Bladerunner was ready.”

  The old man paused, then looked directly into the camera. It gave Charlotte the same odd sensation she had the first time the recording played. Doctor Howard’s intense stare held her in thrall and he cleared his throat. “So, Charlotte, the time has come for you to give my alter ego a real body. If he’s going to be a member of your crew, he needs that physicality. In addition, holographic projectors are wonderful, but they aren’t everywhere and are prone to failure. You can’t risk having your science officer just dissolve in a time of crisis, now, can you?”

  Doctor Howard laughed. “Oh, I do wish I could be there to see the look on my young Damien’s face right now. Of course, I kept this little bit from him. I do love a good surprise, so figured he would too.”

  Damien shook his head and frowned. “No, I don’t like it any more this time than the first time we watched this message.” Howard-Prime began repeating the technical details that would enable Damien’s memories and personality to be implanted in what he termed a cybernetic humanoid simulacrum. “Terminate playback,” said Damien and he turned to Omandi. “Captain, I don’t see any reason for us to listen to all the steps needed to do something we certainly are not going to do.”

  She smiled. “Aren’t we? I think your other self—”

  “He’s not my other self. I’m me.”

  “Exactly,” said Omandi pointing. “He’s not your other self, he’s Doctor Howard, and he’s referred to all of us as his children on multiple occasions. It goes to follow that he wants the best for you…for us.”

  “Who knows what his motivations are?” murmured Damien. “I don’t have most of his memories, but I have enough to know that the man was no saint.”

  “Oh stop,” said Charlotte. “He doesn’t have to be a saint to want what’s best for you. Ever heard the verse that says, ‘Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?’”

  “Aw, no, Captain,” moaned Damien, “please don’t start quoting Bible verses to me. It’s bad enough that Doctor Howard was raised Catholic, so I have much of that rolling around inside my head. I really don’t need my Captain proselytizing as well.”

  She raised her hands in submission. “Very well, Lieutenant, I will keep my quotes secular unless absolutely necessary.”

  “Much appreciated,” he said.

  Omandi shot him a sly smile. “In return, you will respond to this situation logically and explain to me why Doctor Howard’s points were not well founded. If we have the ability to leverage Nerr’ath’s technology to give you physical form, why shouldn’t we?” Damien opened his mouth to reply. Closed it, then hung his head in apparent submission. Charlotte smiled warmly. “I take that to mean you couldn’t come up with any reasons we shouldn’t proceed.”

  “No,” he snarked, “I came up with several, but none of them were very good. In fact, the best reason had to do with my liking the ability to travel at will within any available holographic projection system.” He frowned. “I just don’t think I’m going to like walking.”

  “Poor baby,” cooed Omandi, “now project yourself onto that first medical bay, like old-man Howard described, and I’ll start working through the checklist he provided.”

  Chapter 19

  Shadows of Past Selves

  James, Misha, and Linnea all looked up as Charlotte and Damien entered the well appointed canteen. Misha rose from her chair and motioned for Omandi to sit. “We saved you some, Captain. It’s actually pretty damn good, should still be hot, too.”

  Charlotte quickly scanned the room and whistled softly. “Looks like we won’t be slumming, that’s for sure. Linnea, what’s that you’re fiddling with?”

  The young Norwegian woman shot Omandi a broad smile and said, “It is quite possibly the most advanced coffee machine I’ve ever seen.”

  “I made mine Irish,” offered James. “There’s a really well stocked liquor cabinet over there.” He pointed to a somewhat anachronistic wooden cabinet that took up half of a wall to their left. “Must be at least twenty-thousand dollars worth of spirits in there.”

  “More like a hundred-thousand,” corrected Misha, “I saw some of the invoices for this place. Doctor Howard didn’t plan on dying and that man knew his booze.” She gave Omandi a sly look and added, “He also knew you pretty well, Captain, if you don’t mind my saying.”

  “Would it matter if I did mind?” sighed Charlotte.

  “It might,” chuckled Misha, “if you made it an order.”

  Omandi shook her head and sat in the offered chair. She looked at the large rectangular serving tray. “Is that lasagna? I love lasagna.”

  Coleman materialized just beyond the far end of the table. “Hello Captain. Yes, you will find that Ice Station Zebra has been optimized for our entire crew as well as those who I’ve estimated will join us in the future. Since it is everyone’s first day here and you are the captain, I suggested that we prepare what I knew to be one of your favorite foods.”

  For her part, Charlotte merely grunted something vaguely affirming as she shoveled another forkful of the fragrant tomato and ricotta dish into her mouth. She hadn’t realized how desperately hungry she’d become and decided not to distract from the meal by trying to figure out when she’d last eaten.

  Linnea sat down to Omandi’s right with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of dark red wine in the other. She held out the wine and Charlotte arched an eyebrow, questioningly. Linnea nodded. “I may not be Italian, but I do know what wine goes well with Italian food.” She blushed, then added, “I’m a bit of a sommelier.”

  Misha snorted. “Captain, that’s Barbie-speak, for someone who likes wine.”

  “I’ve told you to stop calling me that,” said Linnea. “I’m warning you, Misha, you may be stronger than me physically but—”

  The security officer circled around Omandi’s chair toward Linnea and stared down at the younger woman. “You don’t get to call me, Misha. I’m Lieutenant to you, Ensign. Is that clear?”

  Linnea leaned back until the front legs of her chair lifted off the floor and rolled her eyes, completely nonplussed by the Russian’s aggressive posture. “Don’t try and threaten me, Lieutenant, you have no idea what I’ve been through or what I’m capable of.”

  The security officer sniffed. “Well, let’s find out then.”

  “Misha,” said Omandi in a deliberately warning tone.

  “I won’t hurt her, Captain, but she needs to learn her place, before not knowing it gets one of us killed.”

  Charlotte took a sip of wine and tilted the glass toward Linnea, “Mmm, you’re right this is delicious.” Her eyes met those of Damien and she said, “Would you mind?”

  The science officer interposed himself between Misha and Linnea. “Of course,
Captain, happy to oblige.”

  Sokolov sputtered. “What the heck are you going to do, Mr. Holographic-Sparkles?” then moved to walk through Damien. Misha rocked back by the force of his open palm on her chest. “Wha!” she cried, then grabbed his wrist, twisted, and struck him hard in the solar plexus.

  Damien let out a whoosh of air as he flew backward at least six feet and got tangled up amidst several chairs at the next table. He struggled to his feet, and his face darkened with anger, but Charlotte waggled a finger at him. The science officer sucked in a breath, twisted a chair to face backward and straddled it.

  Misha rounded on Omandi and pointed. “What the fuck is that! He’s real? What did you do in that med-bay, Captain?”

  “Damien was real before, Lieutenant Sokolov, but you appear to have had a hard time seeing past his lack of physicality. To answer your question, Howard-Prime met us in the med-bay via one of his patented world-bending holo-videos. After ninety minutes, two hundred kilos of amino acid sludge, and an electrical setup that would shame Victor Frankenstein…” Omandi toasted her science officer, then drained the remaining wine. “I give you the new, improved, Damien. He’s now as real physically as he was mentally.”

  “I think that’s awesome,” cheered Linnea, as she stood and tried to make her way over to Damien.

  Misha held out an arm, barring her progress. “Is it awesome, Barbie? Really?”

  Sorenson lifted a hand, reflexively, toward the security officer’s temple but stopped, then shot a guilty look toward Omandi. She felt the captain’s gaze bore into her along with a familiar sense of vertigo. The young woman froze in place as words flowed from the captain’s mind to her own.

  I know you don’t want to do it, Linnea, but I need my crew to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Do it…

  The communications officer faltered as she looked from Misha to Omandi. The former confused. The latter resolute. “But Captain, I don’t think I should. I mean, I’ve promised myself—”

  Do it, projected Omandi, that’s an order, Ensign.

  Linnea felt a rush of purpose and clarity. She lifted her hand and touched Misha on the side of her head. Sokolov’s eyes widened in shock, then her entire body became rigid as Linnea completed the link. Ribbons of multicolored light danced in Misha’s mind and swirls of darkness carried her backward and down. She tried to move but found her body would not obey. She tried to scream but could not form even the faintest sound. Panic gripped the security officer as she continued to fall into darkness. Her mind railed against the reality of what was happening. She was always the strongest and the fastest. She was Misha Sokolov. She knew her directed anger had, quite literally, caused Russian Oligarchs to wet themselves. She knew something else as the darkness became absolute. Misha Sokolov knew she was terrified.

  Shadows began to form in the darkness and Misha rubbed at her eyes. Despite having exceptional low-light vision, she couldn’t pierce the gloom. Misha strained, hoping for any hint of light. If there were shadows, there must be light. Her mind raced as it searched for traction within its new environment. Shadows cannot exist without light, she thought. I just need to reach those shadows, then I can figure what that little Barbie-bitch did to me. Misha started running forward but before she had taken even a few steps, light blazed around her. She locked eyes with a young brown-haired woman of perhaps sixteen and a cry escaped from Misha’s lips.

  “Tatiana? Tatiana is that you?”

  The girl didn’t speak or move, but another light blossomed beside her and Misha felt rage fill her. She reached for Linnea Sorenson’s throat but found her outstretched hand could not move.

  The young Norwegian gestured and Misha’s hand lowered. “You are not the strongest or fastest in here,” whispered Linnea, then added, “I am.”

  “Why did you bring my sister here?” yelled Misha, “Why!”

  “I did no such thing. I brought you here. I also suggested that you bring with you whatever baggage is causing you to hate me so much. Apparently, that baggage is your sister.”

  Misha felt her face contort with suppressed rage. “Let me out of here! The Captain is going to skin you alive.”

  Linnea sighed. “The captain is the one who told me to do this.”

  “Bullshit!” yelled Misha.

  Sorenson shrugged. “Believe what you want, but do you think I would have mentally attacked one of her crew on, what, my second day among you?” Misha didn’t respond and Linnea continued. “Or, do you think it more likely that I would just wait for everyone to let their guard down, and then make a break for it?”

  “Yeah, that does sound more like you,” said Sokolov in a low voice.

  “Which just proves how little you know me at all, but that’s about to change Lieutenant and I’m sorry. I swore I’d never do this again, but despite your assumptions about me, I wouldn’t have run. I am an exceptionally good judge of character…apparently just one of the unrequested gifts I received from Doctor Howard. You don’t believe it yet, but I would run through a hail of gunfire for any one of you, especially Captain Omandi.”

  “After knowing us less than two days? You’re right, I don’t believe you,” growled Misha, “as for the captain, trust me when I say, I’ll be asking that she dump you in favor of one of Howard-Prime’s back up comm officers.”

  “Well, you should believe me,” said Linnea as she circled close to the brown-haired girl. “Omandi engenders loyalty just as you engender fear. Whatever Howard-Prime did to her also prevents me from reading her emotions. That’s why I couldn’t sense her intent at the casino. She can also project her thoughts to me without my seeking them. It could be some kind of pheromonal enhancement.” Linnea shrugged, “I’m no endocrinologist, but I’ve consulted with them about my own abilities, so I know more than nothing.” The communications officer locked eyes with Misha. “As for Howard-Primes’s other candidates, Lisa and Michael are both dead.”

  “That’s impossible,” scoffed Misha, “Doctor Howard would have—”

  The younger woman rounded on Sokolov and anger clouded her face. “God damnit, Misha, Doctor Howard isn’t omniscient! Lisa was killed almost a year ago. The Chinese government replaced her with a doppelgänger, just like the Russian mob replaced me. Only Michael and I knew Lisa was dead. We knew because the three of us were connected ever since we were children. Our parents thought we just had vivid imaginations and that we would grow out of playing with imaginary friends.” Linnea let out a breath and smiled sadly. “They were partly right. We did grow out of having invisible playmates, but only because we came to realize that each of us was real. Doctor Howard never knew. He never even anticipated that his three telepaths might have spontaneously formed mental connections with each other.”

  Linnea looked down and tears welled in her eyes. “Michael died last month, along with my foster parents, punishment for my having failed my handlers.” She sniffed. “Well, they called themselves handlers, but they were my masters. I did what they told me so they wouldn’t hurt the people I loved. I failed to successfully complete something for them recently. It was an assassination job, someone they really wanted dead. I was supposed to lead them to the person, but didn’t. Apparently, they thought I wasn’t properly motivated, so killed my parents. Michael felt my distress and fear. I pleaded with him to stay away. I was the strongest of the three of us and I couldn’t escape. I knew he would fail, but he came anyway. He got close. We were both almost free when they caught us. They would never have killed him. Michael was far too valuable. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they realized he was just like me.” Linnea paused and pinched her nose, then shook her head. “He forced their hand, rained nightmares on them all and they shot him.” Sorenson locked eyes with Misha who swallowed at the younger woman’s torn expression. “I loved him. He was the voice inside my head ever since I could remember and now that voice is silent. I never knew what it was to truly be alone until that night.”

  Misha found she could move an
d, while sparing a quick glance toward Tatiana, closed the distance between herself and Linnea. “I didn’t know,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. If Doctor Howard had known, he would have sent me to get you.”

  “And you would have died,” said Linnea so softly that were there a breeze it would have carried the words away.

  “I’m not so easy to kill,” replied Misha. Her words were gentle and without guile.

  Sorenson just shook her head sadly and said, “You didn’t ask who they were?”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t ask who forced me to use my abilities on their behalf. Don’t their tactics seem familiar?” Sokolov stared back without comprehension and Linnea smiled. “Intuitive leaps are not your strong suit, I see. Misha, they were the same Russian oligarchs who tried to control you. The same ones who trafficked your sister, Tatiana. That’s why she’s here. That’s why you brought her here. Your unconscious mind reveals what your conscious mind rejects.”

  Misha stumbled back and held both hands to her face. She stared frantically at her sister’s still form, then back to Linnea. “You knew my sister?”

  Sorenson took Misha’s hands in her own and said, “I was there when she died. I saw what you did to try and save her. It wasn’t your fault. There isn’t anyone who could have gotten to her…to us.”

  Sokolov turned red rimmed eyes on the younger woman and growled, “I’m not just anyone.”

  “And you are not invincible, either. The man who held us, Issac Kimetrev, he practically had an army between you and his safe room. I saw the whole thing on his monitor, Misha. You were shot half a dozen times and you had none of Howard-Prime’s alien toys yet either.”

  Sokolov grabbed Linnea by the shoulders and shook her. “That man, Kimetrev, he stabbed her. The bastard stabbed my baby sister and he made me watch her die on one of those fucking displays. She died scared and alone because I failed her.”

  “She died,” whispered Linnea, “loving you and in my arms. Tatiana may not have had our gifts, but she was special. She knew about me and made me promise two things while I held her.” Misha’s eyes widened in surprise and she stared at her sister’s still figure for a long moment then back to Linnea who said, “She made me promise to never let them find you. Tatiana had overheard Issac talking about how you must be like me, gifted, and he screamed about wanting you for himself. Kimetrev used me to try and find you, but I never let them. Despite my best efforts there were a few times when they got too close. I figured if you were the battle hardened version of myself, you would have an enhanced ability to detect threats, so I projected them.” Misha unconsciously raised her hand and rubbed the back of her neck. Linnea smiled. “I’m guessing the hairs stand up back there?”