Five Minds

by Guy Morpuss

  SIERRA

  DAY TWO

  18:00–21:00

  Endless messages from the others. Again. Why? Didn’t they realise that I had no interest at all in what they did with their time in my body? All I wanted was that it was there when I needed it.

  The longer this went on the more I realised I had made the wrong choice when I was seventeen. I should have chosen to be a hed. One short life to live in luxury. No need to work, no need to care about anyone else, and then it would all be over. No need to deal with people who had become more difficult to control as they got older.

  I was in a cheap motel near the centre of the park. Good. There were fifteen bars within a 500-metre walk. Nice forward planning, Ben.

  I chose one on the basis of proximity, not clientele. It was mostly empty that early in the evening. Most people don’t live a four-hour day.

  By 18:08 I was sitting in a booth with a glass of whisky in one hand, and some reconstituted sludge on a plate in front of me masquerading as breakfast. This wasn’t the sort of bar that did champagne. Besides, that’s a social drink. Whisky is for when you want to be on your own.

  After a couple of fingers of Scotch I began to feel well enough to start deleting everyone’s messages.

  Ben had sent one with high priority, which he insisted I read first. So I ignored it.

  Alex had sent me three messages. The first two were bleating about the fact that I had left him hungover in a champagne bar. He was threatening to try to get me put in stasis again. As if three months hadn’t been enough. I deleted his messages unfinished. I can’t be bothered to read things that criticise me.

  The third said that he had won the game I set up for him. Typical Alex. No gratitude. I had left him in a bar with a half-cut, oversexed hed with low self-esteem, and all he had done was kill her. And then he’d whined about it.

  There were a couple of messages from Mike about choosing the body for our next round. Boring. It could wait.

  An odd one from Kate saying that she had won us more than twenty years. That seemed unlikely, but it was there to see. Typical that she’d fallen on her feet again.

  Finally I got to Ben’s high-priority. It required two reads and another glass of whisky before I made much sense of it. Mike hadn’t checked in after his race, and Kate had been scared by an andi. Hardly reasons to panic. These things happen, although admittedly not usually with a time glitch on top. It was likely to all be fixed by next cycle. I didn’t see why I should be chasing after some andi just to keep Mike and Kate happy.

  Although Ben seemed to be taking it seriously. And he believed that there was a risk to me. Was he just trying to scare me into doing something? I pulled up the photo of the andi. She didn’t look dangerous, but if she had managed to wipe Mike and spook Kate then she must be. I like dangerous people. They tend to be interesting. But if Mike really had gone then I didn’t want to be next. It seemed so unlikely, though.

  All it required me to do was walk down the road to another bar, have a few drinks and ask about the andi.

  An hour later I was still sitting in the same place. In that time I had fended off the advances of two dandis and declined an invitation to watch a death match. Or maybe it had been to participate in one. I hadn’t been listening too closely.

  The whisky bottle was empty. Time to order more or move on. Which was it to be?

  The more I thought about it, the more Kate’s andi interested me. If she was a threat to me then I needed to know. If she wasn’t then maybe there was some fun to be had.

  I pushed myself up off the table and took a leisurely if not entirely straight course towards the door. I could have flushed the alcohol out of my body, but what would have been the fun in that?

  •

  The Death’s Head was less than five minutes’ walk away. It was about as seedy as a bar could get without being shut down. The fittings were old and broken. It was dark and stank of stale alcohol. It was packed. Busier than the last bar, with noise echoing off concrete walls. More up my street with a few drinks inside me.

  I found a seat on the end of a bench in a dark corner, ordered a bottle, and sat back. The bar was full of people who seemed to have given up on winning any more time, and who were here to use up their bodies as fast as possible. There were several obvious heds, still young enough to look good, but winding down fast with an air of panic. A few workers, old beyond their years, nothing to look forward to. Mostly they were huddled over, nursing their drinks and talking in low tones. No obvious andis, which was a shame, as that was what I wanted. Unlikely to be any schizos, as there are so few of us.

  The man next to me shifted along, bumping my elbow and spilling half my drink.

  ‘Hey, dickhead!’ I shouted. He muttered something and looked away.

  ‘What did you say?’ I asked.

  He ignored me. ‘Hey, have you gone deaf?’ I poked his shoulder.

  He turned back and looked me up and down. It seemed he’d already come off second-best in a recent fight. His right eye was swollen and half-closed. He held up his hands. ‘Sorry, too many people in here.’

  I nodded. No one wants to pick a fight with six foot of solid muscle.

  Not a great start, but perhaps he could tell me something. I turned to scan him.

  Nothing.

  He scowled. ‘What’s your problem? You know we don’t do that here.’ He squeezed past me and walked away.

  The red-headed woman who had been sitting next to him slid closer and leaned in. ‘Ignore him,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t like the idea of dying, so he’s too scared to play any games. I don’t know why we came to the park. It cost us two months just to get in and we haven’t won anything yet. He’s not happy that I want to play when he doesn’t. So he sits here and drinks instead.’ She looked around. ‘As do most of the others. What’s the point?’

  I topped up her glass from my bottle.

  ‘So what’s your story?’ she asked. ‘Have you had any luck in the games?’

  ‘I’m doing OK,’ I said. ‘I’ve played a few and won a few. That’s not why I’m here, though. I had a run-in with an andi last night and I know she comes here sometimes. I’m trying to find her to have a little chat. There might be some time in it for you if you know her. Have you been here much?’

  She looked interested. ‘I’ve not. But Karl has practically lived here for the last week.’ She glared over at the bar, where her partner was leaning, staring at us. ‘Why do you want to find this andi? Are you looking to buy from her?’ She leaned closer and said quietly. ‘You don’t need her for that. Karl and I can get you what you need. And we’ll guarantee to beat the andi’s price.’

  ‘I need the andi, not what she’s selling,’ I said.

  She shrugged. ‘Have it your way. Do you have a picture of her?’

  ‘I do,’ I said. ‘But you’ll have to open up to let me send it.’

  ‘No one here shows themselves,’ she said. ‘We’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.’ Eyes fixed on the bar, she reached across and held my hand. I sent over the picture of the andi that Kate had given me.

  She paused, then shook her head. ‘Means nothing to me. Wait, I’ll see if Karl knows. His desperate need for time will overcome his distaste for you.’ She looked across at him and inclined her head. There was a moment of silent communication.

  He stiffened, and set his drink down on the bar. His face went blank. He shook his head. But Karl was a terrible liar. The andi meant something to him.

  ‘No,’ said the woman. ‘He says he doesn’t know her.’

  Karl nodded towards the door. For a moment I thought that he was calling me out. I was halfway to my feet when I realised he was indicating to his girlfriend that they were going.

  ‘Sorry.’ She stood and squeezed past me. ‘Time for us to leave.’

  I nodded. ‘Thanks for trying.’

  One thing I am good at is reading people. I’ve told enough good lies to recognise a bad one. Karl knew the andi. The fact that I was
asking about her was of interest to someone, and Karl was busy selling me out. He wanted the two of them gone before any trouble started. He caught the woman’s elbow and pushed her ahead of him through the crowd.

  I hesitated over whether to follow them. But Karl was not going to lead me to anyone. He had done what he needed to and trouble was on its way here. I was sure that whatever was coming would be more entertaining than Karl and his girlfriend. All I had to do was wait.

  It didn’t take long. I was halfway through my next drink when I felt a change in the atmosphere. There was shuffling as the crowd moved aside.

  With good reason. The andi who pushed through them was at least six inches taller than me and half as wide again. It was all muscle. And he had a friend. They looked as though they had come out of the same vat, pre-cultured andis built for violence. No one got that way through training alone.

  They walked slowly over to where I sat and stopped, looming over me. The first one spoke, his voice a deep rumble. ‘Mr Guskov wants to speak to you.’

  ‘Do I have a choice?’ I asked. Knowing the answer.

  The giant’s thickset features contorted in what it took me a moment to realise was a smile. ‘There is always a choice, Ms Summers. You can walk with us to see the boss. Or Stas here can break your legs and carry you there. Which is it?’

  Well, I’d wanted information and excitement. The mysterious Mr Guskov might offer me both. I knocked back the last of my drink and stood. ‘Let’s go.’

  What troubled me more than meeting their boss was the fact that they knew who I was. I couldn’t scan them, so how did they know me?

  The first andi led the way, with Stas following. I was the meat in the middle. Instead of leaving the bar we headed deeper into it, coming to a door in the back wall marked PRIVATE. We passed through, into a dimly lit concrete passageway. The sounds of the bar faded away and we came to a stairwell.

  ‘Up,’ said the andi.

  We emerged in another passage, and stopped outside a wooden door. The andi paused, evidently communicating with someone. Then the door opened and he stepped through. Stas gestured for me to follow.

  Unlike the rest of the building, this room was smart and expensively furnished. The walls were wood-panelled. There was carpeting, and a large wooden desk in the centre, two leather armchairs in front. It looked like an executive’s office from some old-time movie. There was a large window opposite, but it was too dark to see much outside.

  Mr Guskov was dwarfed by the desk behind which he sat. He was a thin man, probably a good foot shorter than me. His hair was white and carefully combed to one side. He wore small gold-rimmed glasses, through which he squinted at me. The hair and the glasses were clearly affectations – he could have fixed them easily. Although I couldn’t scan him, he had to be a worker. He was too old for a hed or a schizo, and no one would make an andi as weak-looking as he was.

  ‘Sit.’ He gestured to the chairs in front of him.

  I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder. I could have snapped Guskov in half with one arm. But then I’d have needed to dispose of the andis standing either side of the door.

  I sat.

  He studied me for a moment, then nodded to the andis. ‘Stas, wait outside. Vincent, stay.’

  The andi left, halving the odds against me. Although I still didn’t fancy my chances of fighting my way out.

  ‘So, Ms Summers, I understand you are looking for me,’ Guskov said in a thin and raspy voice.

  ‘Not really,’ I said. ‘I was just asking around about an andi who had caused some trouble, and that seems to have led me to you.’

  ‘What’s she done?’

  ‘That’s something I need to discuss with her,’ I said. ‘If you can help me find her, great. If not, I’ll get out of your way.’

  He sat back, and blinked, looking at me reflectively.

  ‘I’m sure I could find her for you, but it’s really not my problem. I told you last time that my involvement is strictly limited. I’m not here to babysit you. I wanted to see you because I assumed there was something we needed to work out, that there was a problem with my merchandise. Is there? I have a reputation here. I always honour my deals. Everyone knows that my word is my bond. So if there is a problem I will sort it.’

  It was my turn to be puzzled. If I said yes I was going to have to explain, and I had no idea what we were talking about. What was the merchandise that he thought he had sold me?

  ‘Well, is there a problem?’ he asked again.

  ‘Not that I know of,’ I said.

  ‘Then why are you here?’

  ‘I didn’t ask to speak to you,’ I said. ‘All I’m trying to do is find this andi, Amy Bird. Let me show you.’ I leaned forward, half out of my seat, and offered my hand.

  He shrank back, and a pair of meaty hands seized my shoulders, pushing me back into the chair.

  ‘Stay away from me,’ Guskov rasped. ‘What game are you playing? If Bird’s causing trouble that’s not my problem. What were you doing, coming here and causing a scene? This isn’t how I do business.’

  ‘I’m not the one causing a scene,’ I said. ‘I just came here for a drink and you set your grunts on me.’ Vincent muttered something, but at a gesture from Guskov his grip relaxed.

  ‘I’ll be watching you,’ said Guskov, frowning. ‘Don’t cause me any more trouble. We had a deal. I expect you to keep your side of the bargain. Or there will be consequences.’

  ‘But—’ I began.

  He shook his head. ‘We’ll speak again when I need you. Good day, Ms Summers.’

  Vincent ushered me out of the door, and he and Stas escorted me back to the bar in silence.

  My bottle was where I had left it, untouched. It seemed that my association with Guskov – good or bad – was protection enough.

  I turned to the andis. ‘Fancy a drink, boys? Do you know where I can find Bird?’

  They ignored me and pushed their way through the crowd. I sat down, waving the bottle at their retreating backs. ‘Your loss.’

  A few faces turned towards me, but clearly decided I was safest left alone. No one returned to the table.

  I sat back.

  I had bought enough recreational highs in my time to know what Guskov’s merchandise was likely to be. And in the past few days one of us had been here and done a deal with him.

  Who, and why?

  There was no way it was Alex. Mr Square, who broke into a cold sweat jaywalking. Could Kate be a secret user? Dull, virtuous Kate. That seemed even less likely. Ben? Sometimes the quiet ones are the ones who surprise you. Maybe he was taking something for his anxiety. But Ben was the one who’d sent me here to investigate in the first place. So it seemed unlikely to be him. Mike would never put drugs in his hallowed body. Unless they were performance boosters. There were enough people competing for there to be a market. Mike had some big races lined up, which he had said he was confident of winning. But could he have decided to tip the odds in his favour? Was this connected in some way with his disappearance? And how was the andi linked to all this? Why had my questions about her triggered this reaction? Too many questions and no answers.

  Did I even care? What did it matter to me if Mike or Ben, or even Alex or Kate, was hooked on something illegal? I had put enough drugs into this body in the past and it was still working fine. Besides, it only needed to last another ten days, so it was the ideal time to be trying new things.

  Against that, what if Mike really had been wiped, and I was next? Guskov had seemed dangerous enough that I could believe that his andi might have done something to Mike.

  I needed to find out what he was selling. That would likely tell me who had been buying from him. While I didn’t much care if the others were convinced I had been buying drugs, there would be some satisfaction in telling smug Alex and Kate that this time it wasn’t my fault.

  Guskov wasn’t going to tell me what he was selling, but I knew someone who would. If I could find out where Karl had gone I had no doubt I c
ould beat the information out of him.

  I sobered up and left, ignoring the stares and muttered complaints as I pushed through the crowd.

  •

  I hadn’t thought that Karl and his girlfriend would go far from the Death’s Head, so my plan had been to search the local bars.

  There was no need.

  I was barely a minute’s walk from the bar when I heard a hissed, ‘Hey.’ I turned sharply, expecting trouble.

  It was Karl’s girlfriend, leaning against a broken wall in the shadows. She was alone. Now that I had left the bar I was no longer blocked. I scanned her: Vicky Earl, a hed days away from death. She had just under a week left. With that little time she was going to struggle to find anyone willing to play her, even if she wanted to. No one would think it worth the risk. I guessed that she and Karl were getting scraps of time from Guskov in return for dealing.

  I walked over to her.

  ‘What are you selling?’ I asked.

  Her eyes widened. ‘What? I didn’t come here to sell you anything. Karl wants to meet you.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You want to know about the andi. What’s it worth to you?’

  ‘What can you tell me?’

  ‘Not me,’ she said. ‘It’s Karl. But he needs to know it’s worth his while.’

  ‘You’ve got no time at all,’ I said. ‘Every day is a bonus for you. I might be able to give you a couple of days if Karl can tell me something useful.’

  ‘It’s worth more than that.’ She hesitated. ‘He wants at least a month.’

  ‘Fuck off. Nothing you can tell me about the andi is worth that.’ I turned to leave.

  ‘Wait,’ she said. ‘It’s not just the andi Karl can tell you about.’

  ‘What else?’

  ‘He says he knows things about you. Things you’ll want to know. That you need to know.’

  ‘Like what?’ I asked.

  She smiled. She thought she had me. ‘No. I’ve told you too much already. Karl says to meet him thirty minutes from now. Here.’ She held out her hand and I tapped it lightly to get the coordinates. ‘You pay him a month and he tells you.’