A Wilderness of Mirrors

by R J Johnson

  Then the machine spun down and the table began to adjust so that she was standing upright.

  A short squat man wearing a sweater vest was standing in front of her as the table tilted forward, a worried expression on his face.

  “My sincerest apologies Ms. Hunan,” the man said reaching for the straps on the table. “Are you all right?”

  The portly little man began snapping at Tate. “Get this woman some clothing now. I don’t want to repeat myself.”

  Tate shuffled away retreating to the back of the lab while the professor began working on the straps holding Emeline down to the table. She stared up at the balding man with horn-rimmed glasses who was breathlessly apologizing to her.

  “I’m can’t tell you how embarrassed I am. Because of your initial…” he paused searching for the right words, “…deception to our friend Mr. Tate, we were completely unaware of your real identity. That is, until I saw your face.”

  The profess finished unstrapping her and she stepped down from the table, rubbing her hands and wrists. She looked around the laboratory she was in, eying the equipment with skepticism.

  “You were about to kill me,” she said matter-of-factly, as if she were commenting on the weather.

  “No, no,” the man said hesitating. “Maim perhaps, but our recent experiments have had a 96% success rate in reattaching lost limbs.”

  “Oh, that’s comforting,” she said, rubbing her wrists where the straps had been fastened tight.

  “My wife can be… ahh… overzealous when it comes to her research. I’m afraid I sometimes indulge her worst instincts. You happened to have been caught up in her latest invention. A tool we’re quite proud of, in fact.”

  “You know who I am?” she said, searching the man’s eager face which brightened at her question.

  “Of course,” he said, beaming at her. “You’re Emeline Hunan, the hero of Rosetta.”

  Emeline’s face turned red, embarrassed by her fame. “That was mostly Meade. I was only along for the ride.”

  “And yet, he said in multiple interviews that you were indispensable in saving the Homeworld,” the professor said.

  “It’s not something we brag about,” she said. “A lot of good people died.”

  “But you saved so many more,” he said, his eyes shining. “And now I have the pleasure of finally meeting you in person. What a day!”

  Tate shuffled forward, handing her some blue scrubs that she quickly put on. She looked around, brushing her hair back after pulling the shirt over her body.

  “Where am I?” she asked, looking around. “Who are you people?”

  “Of course,” the man said, looking eager. “Where are my manners? My name is Professor Alex Benson and you’ve been brought to our happy little settlement outside of the Lid we call Shangri-La.”

  He took the bottle of water out of Tate’s other hand and handed it to her. “Have you heard of our little colony?”

  His voice sounded hopeful. She took the glass from his and took a sip. The water was clear, and quite good, a change from the rusty, dirty stuff they got back on E-Block.

  “I haven’t no,” she said. She took another drink from the glass, feeling thirstier than she’d been in years.

  He watched her drink with a small smile on his face as if waiting for her approval.

  “Good stuff isn’t it? A far cry from the over-processed gunk you get in New Plymouth.” The professor watched Emeline drink the rest of the water. “The teleportation tends to dry you out, a bug we’re working to correct.”

  “What was that experiment she was about to conduct on me?” Emeline asked, looking for the woman whose voice she had heard over the loudspeaker.

  “That’s something she’s better prepared to answer,” he said. “Come, allow me to introduce you to my wife. I’m sure she wants a chance to apologize as well.”

  The professor moved to the door at the lab and looked back at Emeline, motioning at her to join him. She hesitated following, but what else was she going to do?

  Emeline followed the professor through the door of the lab into the adjoining office next door. A petite blonde woman with a short bob was staring into her computer screen, pausing to make notes on the projected screen coming out of her armbar fastened to her left forearm.

  “I hope you’re happy,” the woman said without looking back at the professor and Emeline. “Without a subject to test the machine, we’ll have to wait twelve hours before attempting another transport.”

  Emeline looked at the professor in shock, whose red face brightened a bit at his wife’s admonition. She looked at them both now understanding how she had arrived at the professor’s lab. The bright flash of light she had encountered in Tate’s hotel room before passing out had been her being teleported out of the city.

  That rocked her world to the core. If this man and his wife had somehow developed teleportation technology, then this was a far more serious than mere kidnapping.

  “Teleportation?” Emeline croaked in barely concealed amazement. “Isn’t that kind of thing illegal?”

  The professor looked back at her and grinned. “That’s what’s so amazing about living in the Martian Outback. There’s no one around to tell you ‘no.’”

  The professor touched his wife on her shoulder who continued to ignore him. “I’d like you to meet my wife, Dr. Julie Hahn.”

  “Yes, it’s nice to meet you,” the woman said absently, still staring down at the data on her display.

  Emeline found it odd trying to have a polite conversation with a woman who was only a few minutes removed from treating her like a lab rat.

  “It’s my pleasure,” she said sarcastically. “So, you were about to teleport my arm away huh?”

  The doctor looked back at Emeline, her eyebrow arched. “And bring it back. You wouldn’t have missed a thing.”

  “That’s… encouraging,” she managed after a moment.

  The professor leaned forward, whispering in his wife’s ear. “This is Emeline Hunan. She was one of the heroes who prevented Rosetta from crashing into the Homeworld a few years ago.”

  Dr. Hahn examined Emeline for a moment. “The asteroid crashing into the Homeworld would have been a net-negative for the system. I thank you for your part in saving us.”

  She didn’t sound grateful, but Emeline decided to take the win.

  “Uhh… yeah, you’re welcome,” she said.

  “Now, now dear,” the professor said, wringing his hands. “You’re embarrassing her.”

  He turned to her, standing up straight. It struck Emeline that the professor was incredibly nervous around her, even intimidated. She thought for a moment that was because of her beauty. She knew the effect she had on men, but that’s not what the professor was dealing with now. Her gut said it was more like it was important for him to impress her.

  “Ms. Hunan we are honored by your presence here at Shangri-La,” the professor said.

  “Great,” Emeline said sharply. “You can start by explaining my kidnapping and then you can let me call my people to come pick me up.”

  The professor’s face fell. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You’ve arrived at the worst possible time.”

  She shot him a look and his face colored.

  “I know it’s our fault you’re here now, but due to a…” he struggled for the right words, “security issue, we’re maintaining a state of radio silence.”

  “What do you mean?” she demanded. “A security situation?”

  “A small matter I’m more than happy to explain,” he said, looking eager. Then, an alarm sounded on his armbar and he glanced down, his face looking concerned.

  Emeline looked at him, curious. “What is it?”

  He looked back at her, distracted, but then brightened up. “Nothing at all. But it is something that requires my immediate attention.”

  He beckoned at Tate, who obediently moved to the professor’s side. “Yes professor?”

  “Kelso, would you mind bringing Ms. H
unan to one of our suites in the High Tower and setting her up with anything she might need while I address a few things?”

  “Of course, professor,” Tate said, his voice flat.

  “Thank you,” the professor turned back to Emeline. “Kelso will help you. I shall ping you at a time where we can sit down and discuss our situation.”

  Emeline looked around and realized she really didn’t have a choice in the matter.

  “Certainly,” she said. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  “Ms. Hunan, I can assure you, this is the beginning of a great relationship – for the both of us,” the professor said.

  She nodded.

  He clicked his heels and bowed slightly, exiting out into the hallway.

  Tate reached out for the door and held it open for Emeline. “If you would follow me, I can take you to your room.”

  He gestured to the open door to the hallway and after a moment, she exited the laboratory, wondering what other insanity awaited her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Search Party

  Meade sent Kansas a message asking his friend to meet him at the gates of the Lid to the Martian Outback. There wasn’t much outside the protective dome that protected New Plymouth besides a few hypertrain tracks that connected the five megacities on Mars. No sane individuals tried going it alone in the Outback.

  While waiting for Kansas to meet him at the outskirts of town, he used the opportunity to browse the wireless to learn everything there was to know about Shangri-La.

  The settlement located in the middle of the Martian outback had developed something of a mysterious reputation among the residents on Mars. In fact, the only thing Meade found on the wireless were rumors and innuendo. Without the protection of the extensive dome that New Plymouth citizens had dubbed the ‘Lid’, living anywhere else on the Red Planet was viewed as suicidal.

  The Lid was responsible for generating the pressurized atmosphere that kept Martian citizens alive with the thick clear dome protecting several hundred kilometers of land from radiation, windstorms and the many other problems of homesteading on Mars.

  Kansas pulled up on his massive aerocycle and dismounted to join Meade at the gate.

  “You sure about this?” the old man asked, looking down at the gate to the Martian Outback below. Kansas’s face was as it usually was – totally inscrutable. But the tone in his voice made it clear he thought his strategy to be a mistake.

  “You bring the gear?” Meade asked in return, ignoring his mentor’s question. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t entirely confident. But nothing mattered until Emeline was safe.

  “I brought us some rebreather suits and plenty of extra cans in case we get stuck out there,” he said, handing the items over to Meade.

  He began putting on the suit. Without the protection of the Lid, the suits were necessary to keep him alive and protect him from the elements.

  Kansas pulled the hood of the rebreather suit he was wearing over his head.

  “Each can should be good for at least twenty-four hours. I’ve got enough for us to get through the next week or so,” Kansas said handing them over to him. “I don’t recommend pushing our mission much beyond that. Hypoxia can be a helluva thing.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Meade replied, the memory of struggling to breathe in a failing rebreather suit suddenly coming to mind.

  “Good, you ready?” Kanas asked him, his voice muffled by rebreather suit that had appeared around his face.

  Meade activated his suit, “As if I had a choice?”

  They turned to the gate leading out to the Martian outback and pulled up to the entrance. He typed a quick command on his armbar and the airlock opened, the sound of air hissing loudly.

  The pair pulled forward, into the waiting airlock and paused, waiting for the massive door to close behind them. Once it was done, he swallowed and typed a second command on his armbar. The door to the Martian outback opened, revealing the vast empty terrain in front of them.

  Meade gunned the aerocycle’s engine and they took off into the desert, following a path through the desert that would lead them to Emeline.

  “Hang on baby,” he whispered.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Shangri-La

  The trip to Shangri-La took Meade and Kansas more than half the day. They rode there in silence, leaving each other alone with their thoughts. There wasn’t much to say that hadn’t already been said. Besides, Kansas was a man of few words and he respected that.

  For his part, Meade couldn’t stop thinking about where Emeline might be and whether she was safe. She could take care of herself of course, he knew that. But someone he cared about was missing, and there was little else he could focus on.

  Ever since they hooked up five years ago, he’d forgotten what life was like before she was in it. He didn’t know how he would handle it if he lost her and everything they had built. Between their relationship and the Martian Independence Movement, he finally felt like he belonged to something bigger than himself.

  And for a runabout like him, that was about as close to paradise as you could get.

  The panel in front of him beeped, letting him know they were approaching their destination. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the mission.

  They slowed the aerocycles as they drew closer to the outpost. Meade clicked his radio, signaling to Kansas. His friend glanced over at him and waved toward a rock outcropping that overlooked a large canyon. He angled his aerocycle to meet him over by the rocks.

  Kansas reached the top of the overlook first and dismounted. He stood there for a moment, looking at the view beyond the canyon, a low whistle crackling over the wireless.

  “What is it?” Meade asked. He dismounted his ride, joining his friend at the summit of the overlook to look at what he was seeing. His jaw dropped in amazement once he reached the top.

  The outpost was enormous. Tiny domed enclosures with multiple arrays of solar panels laid out on their roofs in a geodesic pattern seemed to stretch on forever.

  He adjusted the heads-up display in his helmet, zooming in on the colony to get a better look at the setup below them.

  The glass tiles making up the pressurized dome of the outpost appeared to be as advanced (if not more so) than those back on New Plymouth. The Lid over this colony was smaller and form fitting, allowing it to spread out in a way New Plymouth could not.

  Whatever this city was, it was unlike anything else that had been built on Mars so far and he marveled at the fact the place had stayed a secret for as long as it had.

  But after a few minutes scanning the complex and its various security system, something quickly became clear: the place was a fortress, not a colony.

  Dozens of security guards patrolled the area each in teams randomly assorted along the wall. Meade counted dozens of turrets positioned around the complex and shook his head. The facility was locked down tight and Meade was having a hard time seeing where there was a soft spot in the system.

  Meade walked back down the overlook back to Kansas, worried that they may have already been spotted by Shangri-La’s impressive security system.

  “What’s the rundown?” Kansas asked, looking at him.

  “They’ve got security guards, drones, cameras, turrets...” Meade trailed off. “Should I go on?”

  Kansas nodded. “I figured on them having a lot of artillery out here, but that sounds like far more than I expected.”

  “Why would they need all that hardware?” Meade wondered.

  “There are Barbarians out here,” Kansas said, looking around the terrain.

  “Barbarians?” Meade snorted. “Thought those were a myth.”

  Kansas shook his head. “Wish they were. Men and women give up their souls far too easy in the outback. Barbarians believe humanity should’ve gone extinct with the Last War.”

  Meade grunted. “That seems to be a popular opinion with crazy people.”

  “Sometimes the only
thing that brings people hope is the thought that someone else has it worse than you,” Kansas said. “Barbarians give up everything humanity has built over the years in exchange for a chance to tear it down.”

  “Whatever the Barbarians are capable of, that city down there looks like they’re more than ready to take them on,” He turned to Kansas. “I’ve seen security at Coalition outposts that weren’t as tight as this place. I don’t see any other option other than a full-on blitz attack – which I don’t like our chances of surviving.”

  “I’m open to ideas,” Kansas said, stroking his beard.

  Meade called up a 3D outline of the complex on his armbar and had the computer run simulations on how they might infiltrate the colony.

  “We’ve got Emeline’s hacking program to work with,” Meade said, mulling their situation over. “Their systems are likely built on the Coalition’s base computer language. I’m betting we could use Em’s virus to shut down their security, or at least slow it down long enough to give you a chance to penetrate the system from within.”

  Kansas mulled it over. “That could work, but the second I try hacking that thing, they’ll zero on in me pretty quick. I’ll need a distraction.”

  “Where do you figure on getting one of those when it’s just the two of us?” Meade asked.

  Kansas smiled. “I’ve got an idea.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  High Life

  The professor told Emeline that Tate was taking her to one of their best suites in colony, but that didn’t prepare her for what awaited her.

  Tate opened the door to the suite on the 55th floor of Shangri-La’s High Tower and she gasped in disbelief. It was easily the nicest apartment she had ever stepped foot in. She moved through the enormous living room until she reached the balcony that looked out over the blinking lights of the colony. From this altitude, Shangri-La took on an otherworldly, almost surreal look.

  The three-bedroom condo was better equipped than many of the priciest places found back on New Plymouth and easily rivaled anything found back on the orbital cities that hovered above the Homeworld.