“Anything else?” asked Keung.
“No sir,” said the android, then returned to take his seat.
Chao rose. “Does anyone else believe as Damien does?” Everyone, including Karishma, raised their hands and Chao smiled. “I begin to see why Charlotte wanted me for this role. I believe the scenario I’ve chosen is the only one that will get us into orbit with every member of this crew alive and functioning.” He pointed to Damien, “You said we should trust our chief engineer and I completely agree. However, Karishma never said that singularity gates were constrained by surrounding materials.”
“Uh, sir,” began Patel, “I hate to contradict you, but actually I did tell Captain Omandi that I was surrounded by too much rock for the singularity gate to reliably function.”
Keung shook his head. “No, Karishma. I reviewed the video logs. You said that Howard said there was too much rock.”
The engineer shrugged. “I don’t see the difference.”
Chao smiled. “Do you have a lot of experience with singularity gates, Lt. Commander?”
She frowned, “Virtually none, sir. In fact, I didn’t even believe they would work. The physics surrounding them is exceptionally dodgy.”
“Then why would someone, with virtually no experience with such a gate, say so emphatically that it could not work through rock? Don’t these gates use incredibly dense dark matter to literally warp space-time across vast distances?” She nodded. “And you think such a capability would get stumped by a bit of iron ore, quartz, and a few other random minerals?”
“Well, no, not necessarily,” said Karishma, then frowned. “In fact it—”
“Sounds ludicrous?” completed Chao, and smiled at the engineer. “No, don’t feel bad, Karishma. You likely weren’t paying much attention when Howard-Prime mentioned it and were sleep deprived when Omandi asked. Beyond that, why would it even occur to you that Howard had been lying about gate constraints?”
“Doctor Howard does not lie,” said Misha, then stood to face Chao. “No, don’t look at me like that,” she growled. “You didn’t know him. I did. He was no angel, not by a long shot, but he never lied.”
“I’m afraid, that’s not true, Lieutenant,” said Damien.
Sokolov turned to face the android. “What are you talking about? Your opinion is invalid. That clockwork brain of yours has more holes than a block of swiss cheese.”
“Perhaps,” replied Damien, “but I have many clear memories from decades earlier where Doctor Howard lied with wild abandon. While it is true he never advanced a personal agenda by lying to those he loved, he also never hesitated to lie if doing so kept them safe.” The android locked his eyes on Keung, then said, “In addition, Howard-Prime never had a problem lying to the general populace when doing so advanced what he believed was the greater good.”
Chao pulled out his hand terminal, tapped several times, then swiped toward the large display. The screen shifted to show Karishma on one side and a still image of Howard-Prime on the other. “That’s a vid file from Doctor Howard. It was sent to me, two days ago, after the daemon made contact with Omandi.” Chao tapped once more and the video began to move.
Howard-Prime smiled out at them and said, Chao Keung it is really good to see you. Well, I’m not really seeing you, so perhaps I should say it’s really good for you to see me. Howard laughed. You are probably wondering why you are receiving a vid-mail from a dead man. Well, there is a good reason. Something important has happened and something even more important is about to happen. You are about to try and rescue Charlotte Omandi.
The video-Howard pointed at them all and said, I bet you are wondering how I knew that. The short answer is I didn’t. I’ve recorded hundreds of these little video clips based on a string of possible events that Coleman dreamed up. Don’t try asking him about them, because those memories have been deleted. No sense having him worry about things that didn’t happen, am I right?
He laughed again. So, if you are watching this particular video, then my daemon has unlocked it because you are about to try and retrieve Omandi from some dark hole in which she’s been thrown. I’m betting it was a permanent member of the U.N.’s Security Council that snatched her…probably China…could be Russia. I just hope it wasn’t the United States, but if it was, fuck them, because they should know better. Anyway, here’s the thing, and this is important, I can’t tell you what to do.
He waved his hands in a vaguely negating fashion. It’s not that I wouldn’t tell you what to do, because I absolutely would. I literally can’t tell you, and I can’t for two very good reasons. First, by this time, most of the world’s governments will have their panties in a twist, and there is the real possibility that any of my communications could be intercepted. Second, I’m dead, and no one listens to dead people. So, Chao, I need you to intuit the best path forward because it won’t necessarily be obvious to the others. It should be obvious to you, after this video, because your intuition is lightyears ahead of the average bear’s.
The vid-Howard walked out of the frame, several clinks could be heard, then he returned holding a glass. By-the-way, have you found the bar I put in Ice Station Zebra’s canteen? It’s got great stuff in it, unless Misha drank all the vodka. He shook his head, Speaking of Misha, you’ll have to make my apologies to her. She’s going to be pissed. She has a loyalty streak that’s a mile wide and expects the same in return. She’ll also view what I’m about to share as a betrayal.
Keung saw Misha tense. All eyes turned toward her, but Chao kept his focus on the screen as Howard continued, You know I love Doctor Who, right Commander? I mean you should know, but I want to make it perfectly clear. I love Doctor Who. That’s why I made sure every one of my children had access to Doctor Who’s best years.
Howard smiled wistfully from the screen, then continued, 2005 to 2018 were just magic weren’t they? He shook his head. Even after all these years, I don’t know what they were thinking with 2019 and 2020. I just try to block it out. Anyway, I digress. Sometimes I fancy myself a bit like the Doctor. I’ve lived a long time, gotten into interesting scrapes, tried to do some good, and valued my companions more than myself. But Chao, do you know one truth about the Doctor that is equally true about me?
Howard bent toward the camera and said very slowly, The Doctor lies. He leaned back, took a sip of his drink, and raised it in salute. The Doctor lies! Keep that in mind when planning your rescue, Command Keung. The Doctor. Lies.
An instant later, the video ended and Chao Keung turned to face his crew. “Singularity gates don’t work through rock. The Doctor lies.” His gaze swept the room and he said again, “Singularity gates don’t work through rock.”
“The Doctor lies,” said Damien softly.
“The Doctor lies,” said everyone but Misha.
Sokolov remained silent for several heartbeats, then stood to face Chao. “The Doctor lies and Howard is a fucking asshole.” She pointed to Karishma and said, “We need to get our Captain. Can you make those magic gates work through rock, sir?”
“Are you sure the Doctor lies?” asked the engineer.
Misha then looked at Chao. “You’re the one steering this bus. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he said without a moment’s hesitation.
Karishma nodded, and her face took on a cast of grim determination. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I will not be the weak link in our chain. You tell me when, and I’ll make sure that gate opens.”
“Gates, not gate,” corrected Chao. “Karishma, when the daemon receives Omandi’s signal, I want you to open a singularity gate from the ISZ command deck to her location. Damien, Misha, and I will go through, then I want you to open a second gate to your location. James, Annchi, Rick, and Linnea will join you and begin to familiarize themselves with Bladerunner. I want them prepped for whatever Omandi may decide to do once we’ve affected her escape. We will traverse the Kansas-to-ISZ gate then the ISZ-to-Bladerunner gate.”
“What if they fol
low you through?” asked Patel
“We’ll handle them if they do,” replied Chao, then paused thoughtfully, “but if we don’t make it, and only hostile forces make it through, I want you to collapse the gates and take command of Bladerunner.” Karishma paled visibly at the implication, but gave him a curt nod. Keung returned it, then asked, “Any other questions?”
Annchi stood, and Chao arched an eyebrow at her. “Not a question, more of a statement. I will be joining you in Kansas, Father.”
He snorted, “No, you will be going with the others to Karishma.”
Annchi extended a fist and slowly opened her hand. Rick tensed. “What are you doing?” asked the doctor.
She answered him with a quiet intensity. “I am demonstrating what I’ve learned while you six have been training these past few days.” What looked like a cloud of golden mist formed around her outstretched hand then twisted in on itself. She flicked her hand and the cloud dispersed.
Chao shook his head, “I don’t see why that little display would convince me to—”
“Oh no,” said Rick.
“Darkness,” said Annchi, and the command deck’s lights wavered once, then went out.
Misha slipped a tactical light from one hip lashing and clicked it on. She pointed it at her face and chuckled, “Annchi means peaceful angel, right? Well, Commander, I think your peaceful angel might have been better named warrior angel.” The lights came back on. Misha looked at the young woman and then her father. The security officer shrugged at Annchi. “He doesn’t seem convinced.”
Annchi shook her head. “He tends to be recalcitrant. Mother usually had to disassemble his arguments one component at a time. I’m not as patient as she, so I’ll try a more dramatic disassembly.” She glanced at Misha’s still illuminated flashlight and murmured something no one could hear.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” shouted Branson as he met Misha’s astonished gaze.
“That really is quite impressive,” said Damien.
“Father,” began Annchi, then added, “remember, if you fail, I will die with the rest of humanity.”
Chao Keung stared at the dozens of component parts that had comprised Misha’s tactical light as they floated amidst a roiling cloud of nanites. He sighed. “You may come, daughter.”
She smiled. “Excellent.”
“Yeah, excellent,” grumbled Sokolov, “but Mulan, what the fuck are you going to do about my light?”
“Assemble,” said Annchi, and the cloud constricted for several seconds, then Misha’s fully functional light fell into her outstretched hand.
“Huh,” grunted Misha. She snapped her light back into its lashing and pointed at Annchi. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
“No shite,” chuckled Branson, and before anyone else could comment, Karishma’s image slid to the side to make room on the screen for Howard’s daemon. Its red eyes swept the room, as it had done many times before, but this time it also seemed to convey emotion.
“Commander Keung,” it said, “I have received Captain Omandi’s extraction signal.”
Karishma’s hands were already moving and everyone took a step back as the air several paces in front of them began to warp.
“This is it people,” said Chao. “Game faces on. We are going into the belly of the beast to get our captain.”
Misha’s face split in a feral grin. “Damn straight. Hitch your tits and pucker up, it’s time to peel the paint!”
Chapter 40
Security Council
Charlotte stared at the conference room's massive display and shook her head while trying to decide how best to respond. The screen had been divided into six equal squares. The first five areas were occupied by the men and women who led the UN Security Council’s permanent member countries, while the sixth mirrored the room in which she sat. Omandi exhaled and said, “President Xi, while I appreciate your concern, it is my considered opinion that Doctor Howard was of very sound mind at the time of his death. As I understand it, the telomeres within his DNA were exceptionally long due to a random mutation.” She smiled, then added, “Given that you, at ninety-one years of age, are still in command of both your faculties and the People’s Republic of China, I assumed you wouldn’t prejudge based solely on age.” Silence hung in the air as she watched the other leaders glance to wherever Xi’s image was on their respective monitors.
After several seconds, the Chinese leader inclined his head and said, “Proceed, Ms. Omandi.”
“As I was saying, it is beyond dispute that Doctor Howard had access to technologies of an extraterrestrial nature and held the sincere belief that humanity faced an existential threat. What you must decide is whether that belief was based on delusion or reality. In making that decision, I would invite you to consider Occam’s Razor, the problem solving principle which states that the simplest solution is most likely the right one.” She glanced at Ramsey and gestured, “May I?” He nodded. Charlotte stood, then circled around to the front of the long table. She stared directly into the video conferencing camera. “You have two scenarios. Scenario one, Doctor Howard discovered an alien message that detailed the threat and associated technology, then spent the remainder of his life preparing humanity to face that threat. Scenario two, Doctor Howard discovered alien technology at the exact same time he lost control of his mind and spent the next forty-one years preparing for a threat that did not exist.” Charlotte set her hand terminal on the shelf next to the video camera and returned to her seat. “I ask you, as the men and women leading Earth’s most powerful countries, which of these two scenarios is the simplest?”
Omandi sat and rested her hands quietly on the table. After several seconds, the President of France addressed her fellow leaders. “If we let Ms. Omandi go and Howard was mad, we lose nothing. If we continue to hold her and there truly is an alien-sponsored extinction event triggered by the Trinity nuclear test, we lose everything. I am inclined to vote in favor of release.”
Xi nodded as well, but the president of Russia raised a hand. “What of the more than twenty-trillion dollars that continue to elude this body’s control? It is not in Russia’s interest to allow Omandi free access to those funds.”
“How much would you require to release me?” asked Charlotte.
President Kamenev shot her a patronizing sneer. “Why don’t we just say, half?”
“Done,” answered Omandi, and barely controlled her expression as the five reacted in stunned silence.
“You would do this?” asked Kamenev.
“I have already stated so,” said Charlotte with a shrug. “I have no need of those funds beyond accomplishing a mission that, as I’ve mentioned multiple times today, I never wanted.”
Kamenev nodded. “Then Russia will vote in the affirmative as well.”
“What about your space ship?” asked the President of The United States, and Charlotte noted how Secretary Ramsey’s jaw tightened. “You named it after someone. I forget who. Copernicus?”
“Galileo, Mr. President,” said Charlotte, “as in the Italian physicist and engineer who’s considered the father of observational astronomy.”
“All right,” drawled the President, “then what about your ship, the Galileo. We can’t have you controlling that kind of weapon.”
“Galileo is not a weapon,” said Charlotte evenly.
“It destroyed two U.S. shuttles and three F-45 War Eagles, Miss Omandi. I’d call that a weapon.”
“My people were defending themselves and you may not have the Galileo. I need it to ensure our mission is successful.”
President Taylor shrugged, “Then the United States reserves the right to veto your release, Miss Omandi.”
Charlotte saw the looks of surprise that flashed across several of the other leaders' faces and took a calming breath. “Mr. President,” she began, “what if I agree to create five crafts identical to Galileo and make each available to members of this Council?”
“Out of your own resources?” asked Kamenev.
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“Of course,” replied Charlotte with a smile, “I thought that went without saying.” The Russian nodded.
“No, I’m afraid that won’t do,” said President Taylor. “This Galileo is simply too dangerous for you to be swinging it about like a nuclear powered battering ram. The best I can do is allow you to keep your shuttle until after July 16, but with the understanding that it will be secured by United States Marines during that time.” The president smiled, “You and yours would be allowed to remain onboard of course, just under the command of our Marines.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said Omandi, “that is something to which I cannot agree.”
“That’s fine. That’s just fine,” he replied, “then I do believe we are done here. I think we’ve made some progress. Why don’t we reconvene in a couple days and revisit the sticking points? Is everyone all right with that?”
The other leaders looked a bit stunned and Charlotte leaned forward with both hands on the table. “Mr. President, please be reasonable. I need time with my crew to prepare, and we are, literally, seven days from the one-hundredth anniversary of the Trinity nuclear test.”
“Then let me have that ship,” said Taylor, icily.
Charlotte sighed, “Is that your final word, Mr. President?”
He smiled, but it did not touch his eyes. “It is, Miss Omandi. It very much is.”
Charlotte nodded, then said, “Siri, resume playback, local output.”
Instantly, the sixth square of the display was replaced by a movie scene in progress. What looked like a room-sized computer with multiple flashing lights and the letters WOPR appeared on the screen.
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