by Shéa MacLeod
“According to Parbati, and based on what I saw of the body, yes. He arrived shortly after the sect settled here, claiming his ship had been damaged and asking for shelter.”
“You think he was telling the truth? That his ship was damaged?”
Zala shrugged. “Hard to say, and I’m not sure it matters. What we do know is he stayed the night. In the morning he was gone, and one of the women—Rani—was dead.”
“Same as the others?”
Zala nodded. “Same manner of death. Same slashing marks on the torso. She had implants, too.”
He frowned. “That a thing with them sect people?”
“Not as far as I can tell. Parbati told me the victim was a late convert to the sect. Likely had the implants done before.” The odd thing was they hadn’t been sex worker implants. They’d been soldier implants. The woman wrapped in the white shroud had once been in the military, serving one of the Syndicate Houses. Impossible to tell which, as her implants had been wiped and deactivated. Odd, because all the other women Tannen killed had active implants. Crime of opportunity, perhaps? Desperate enough to settle for a woman close enough to fit the bill? Or perhaps Rani had been his goal all along. The reason he’d come to Bharati. Did he have some sort of hit list made up of women with nano enhancements?
She needed help. This was so far beyond her experience that she was running out of ideas, and Tannen was incredibly dangerous. Syndicate military personnel were among the highest trained in the known worlds. That Tannen had been able to take one of them out, even without active implants, was scary as Hades.
“Audley, set course for the Library.”
He blinked. “You sure ‘bout that?”
She gave him a long look, wanting to tell him she was sorry, that she knew it was a risk if he was discovered, but she only said, “Yes.”
Audley nodded. She could count on him. She could always count on him. His fingers flew over the console.
“Preparing for hyper drive, Captain.” Zala buckled herself in. “Three, two, one....”
The ship lurched as it surged into the space between their reality and the next. Stars streamed in a thousand colors, painting the viewscreen with wild brush strokes. Her stomach slid sideways, as though trying to escape along with her lunch. She closed her eyes against the queasiness.
Then it was over, and in front of them was a massive hulk of twisted, meteor-blasted metal, spinning eternally in its loop around the dead, gray planet below.
The Library.
THE LIBRARY WAS ONE of many space stations in a network that spanned galaxies. In addition to acting as ports and trading posts, they contained the collective information of the Syndicate Houses, the stuff not available on her ship’s computer. Stuff so deep she’d have to plug directly into a mainframe to find it. Audley wasn’t the only one at risk in the Library.
If she was discovered, there’d be an embarrassing trial followed by the removal of her implants and a very long term in prison. Her mother would be embarrassed and probably disown her. If the Syndicate discovered Audley, that one of his kind was still alive—one of those they’d tried to hard to eradicate—there’d be no trial. Just immediate termination. In other words: death.
Once upon a time, the Syndicate in its infinite wisdom had decided genetic manipulation of human genes was the way to go when it came to establishing a foothold on other planets. Water world? Give ‘em gills. Desert world? Create humans that needed less water and could withstand more heat. Need to win a war? Create genetically enhanced super soldiers to do it for you.
Problem with creating beings stronger, faster, and smarter than you was they didn’t to get upset when you tried to enslave them. The resulting uprising nearly wiped out the Syndicate, so the gens had been wiped out and genetic mods banned. Being a child at the time and practically a member of the family, Zala’s mother had hidden Audley from the Syndicate. He’d survived and was one of the few gen mods left. Maybe the only one. But he spent his life hiding his true nature.
Leaving him safely aboard, Zala exited the ship and took one of the gliders from the docking bay to the main concourse. Like any other space station, the Library had a central concourse running through the middle of a great tube lined with shops, restaurants, and offices. The walkway was interspersed with fountains, kiosks, and mini parks surrounded by benches for relaxing and socializing. On a second level above the shops were several mezzanines. These contained living quarters, higher-end shops and restaurants, and the occasional park-like area. The very top levels were reserved for Syndicate House offices, living quarters, and recreational units. At the opposite end of the docking bay was the Library. Even from a distance, she could see the glimmer of its massive gold doors.
Zala hopped onto the glider headed in that direction. It moved along smoothly at a slightly faster speed than a person walking. It gave her a chance to familiarize herself with her surroundings.
She passed a pawn shop on her right, bracketed by gaming and sex worker saloons.. So after you lost, or spent, all your hard earned money, you could pawn your sidearm or your grandfather’s watch. Nothing changed.
On her left was a law enforcement kiosk. The marshals for the Syndicate had a reputation for brutality. The last thing she needed was their attention. What she was about to do wasn’t exactly illegal, but it wasn’t entirely legit either, and the less they knew about Audley, the better.
The glider stopped, and she walked the last few dozen yards to her destination. The Library rose above the concourse, taking up all twenty stories of the station. Its facade looked like something from old Earth, complete with massive columns, thick oak doors etched with gold, and a wide, sweeping marble staircase. It was all real, too. No plascrete or fake wood for the Syndicate. One way to make your enemies cower was to flaunt your wealth. At least that’s what the Old Guard said. Zala’s mother thought they were idiots. It was one of the few things she and her mother agreed on.
Her booted feet thudded on the marble floor as she entered the hushed inner sanctum of the Library. There were no books, not a single one. Just rows of desks with comps and vid screens for calling up information and a ceiling that soared so high, she could barely make it out. A few uniformed low-level Syndicate drones—the insignias on their shoulders marking their House designations—sat among the desks, lost in concentration as they studied whatever portion of the archives was required by their bosses. She continued through the sea of desks. What she needed wouldn’t be found here.
At the very end of the aisle was a sealed door with a bio lock. It was marked Clearance Black, which meant she hadn’t a hope in Hades of getting through it on her own. She tapped her comm. “Ready?”
“Ready.” Audley’s voice was a comforting affirmative in her ear.
She knew the instant the new code downloaded to her implants. She literally felt it shifting things inside her. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling.
“Good to go,” Audley said.
“Roger that. Out.” She shut off her comm. She didn’t want anyone tracing the signal back to the ship, should they be inclined to try.
She stepped up to the door, and a red ray scanned her from top to toe. “Welcome, Matriarch Lei,” a mechanical voice said.
Zala’s lip twitched. Her mother would be furious.
“Please place your palm on the reader.”
A panel slid out of the bio lock, the outline of a hand lighting up in white. Zala placed her right hand palm down on the reader and held her breath. The hand outline turned green and a gentle chime sounded.
“Thank you. Please place your eye in front of the scanner.”
She did so, and again the light turned green and a chime sounded. Almost done
.
“Thank you. Enter your code.”
Every House had its own code, as did every House scion and every Matriarch or Patriarch. She dredged up the memory of her mother’s delicate fingers flying over a code pad and punched in the numbers. There was a pause during which Zala forced h
erself not to fidget.
“Identity confirmed. Please enjoy your visit, Matriarch Lei.”
The door slid open with a whoosh of air, and Zala almost wilted with relief. The first part of her plan was going swimmingly. She couldn’t believe Audley had been able to hack her mother’s bio signature and use it to override her own, but if anyone could do it, he could.
She stepped through the open doorway into a cool, dim room about the size of a comfortable jail cell. Once again, she tried not to fidget. Her mother would never fidget. The door slid shut behind her, and the air filters sucked out moisture and dust and whatever else was in the air. A panel slid open, and she stepped through it into wonderland.
Books lined every wall, filling hundreds of shelves marching across the massive room. So many books. Real ones made of paper. She reached out to touch one but started when a person appeared in front of her out of nowhere.
“Greetings, Matriarch Lei,” the person said serenely. “I am X38. I will be your guide today.”
She blinked. While clearly human-like, the person lacked any indicators of gender, status, or race. The face was bland, the eyes colorless, the skin and hair a pale blue that was like nothing seen on a human. It was not an android like Bob but shimmered as if made of light. “You’re a hologram.”
“Indeed. How can I assist you today?”
Fragdammit. She’d been hoping to get in and get out without anyone being the wiser. She’d had no idea the place was guarded by a drakking hologram. What now?
She cleared her throat. “I’m researching histories and ancient customs of various Houses.”
“Excellent. If you will follow me?” The hologram glided between the never-ending shelves of books with Zala hot on its heels. “Is there a particular time period which interests you?”
Here went nothing. “Old Earth.”
The hologram paused, and Zala knew it was accessing her—or rather her mother’s—security clearance. Old Earth files were strictly off limits to all but the most powerful. Fortunately, her mother was just such a person.
“Welcome to the Cage. You have been cleared for access to those files.” It stopped in front of what looked like a glass cage. “Here we are. You will find all you require. Please coat your hands with the provided plas-gloves for the safety of the documents. If you prefer electronic copies, you will find them on the comp inside. You will not be able to upload material or copy any information.”
“I understand. You won’t be assisting me?”
“The documents in The Cage are classified. I am not allowed within the confines of the Cage.”
Great. Even the holo called it a cage. Still, it was a relief to know it wouldn’t be looking over her shoulder. “Very well. Thank you for your assistance.”
“You are most welcome, Matriarch Lei. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to call.” The holo blinked out as the door slid open.
Inside it smelled of old books. It was surprisingly pleasant. If the air outside the Cage had been filtered, it was nothing compared to the stark cleanliness of the air inside. The door slid shut behind her, and she heard the lock engage. She tried not to squirm at the thought that any minute all the air could be sucked out, and she would die. She ignored the siren’s call of the old books and went straight to the comp. She needed to download as much as possible as quickly as possible. Although she had an almost obsessive interest in Old Earth, that wasn’t her goal today. If she had time, she’d grab what she could, but she had other skalbats to fry.
The holo had claimed downloading was impossible. They’d just see about that. She placed her right wrist in front of the computer’s data port and tapped her comm. “Now.”
“Roger that.”
She tapped the comm off and felt an almost electric surge as Audley juiced her implant with a booster from the Infinite Justice. She couldn’t see it, but in her mind’s eye she imagined the signal from her implant linking with the comp’s supposedly non-functional data port. She visualized her implant searching for the right information and downloading it into the backups for her implants, where it would wait to link with the ship.
Numbers flashed across her vision. Sure enough, data was downloading at a mind-blowing rate. She tried to skim the information, find what she was looking for, but there was too much. A name flashed by, and she slowed the stream. That was what she’d come for. She increased the speed again, until she had everything she needed. Then, like a naughty child in a candy store, she snagged every classified document on Old Earth she could cram into her backups. When the system was full, she shut it down.
Now to get out of here without being caught. Since this comp wasn’t linked to the Syndicate mainframe, there would be a slight lag before the computer reported her activity, but only slight. At any moment someone could discover her theft of classified information. The holo would be informed, it would notify the marshals, they would discover she’d been impersonating her mother, and she would be toast, Syndicate captain or not.
She moved to the door, which slid open silently, and exited the Cage. She went through the rigmarole of re-pressurization and reentered the black room. She wanted to run like Hades, but she had to maintain decorum. For the moment, she was her mother as far as the holo was concerned. A House matriarch would never go running through a library.
Zala practically jumped out of her skin as the holo reappeared in front of her.
“Matriarch Lei, I hope your visit was a pleasant one, and you obtained the information you required.”
“Yes, thank you, X38. It was a most pleasant and informative visit.”
“Then I wish you a blessed day.” The holo gestured toward the exit. She was being dismissed.
She approached the pressure-sealed doors to the main body of the Library and they hissed open. She reversed her steps until she was back in the sea of desks and comps. Almost done.
She was halfway across the main room when a siren screeched, red lights flashed, and panicked voices shouted behind her. Time was up.
Zala ran.
Chapter Six
ZALA SPED TO THE LIBRARY doors, her boots thudding heavily on marble floors. The giant blast doors were rolling down over the massive oak and gold doors. Once they were down, everyone would be sealed inside the Library, and she’d be a sitting gooseduck.
She sent a quick order to her implants. Immediately her speed was boosted beyond that of an ordinary human. Confused faces blurred as she raced past. The blast doors were two feet from the ground. Zala hit the marble floor flat on her back and skidded the last few feet, slamming through the swinging doors and tumbling down the wide front steps. Several yards down the concourse, uniformed marshals rushed toward her, shouting. She couldn’t let them get a good look at her. The tech Audley had given her to hide her identity from the cameras wouldn’t work on the naked eye.
She scrambled to her feet and darted aside, keeping her head tilted so her hair hid her face and tattoo. She pushed open a door on the concourse marked Authorized Personnel Only and found herself on a second concourse. Although it ran parallel to the one on the other side of the door, the similarities ended there.
Instead of a wide, faux-marble floor, she was on a narrow, grated catwalk that ran the length of the station. To the left was the back wall of the main concourse. To the right was a sheer drop thousands of feet to the bowels of the station. Beyond that was the outer wall. A railing kept people from plunging over the edge. Overhead, dozens of other catwalks allowed maintenance workers to access upper levels. Cables and pipes snaked everywhere. The air was filled with the metallic tang and steady hum of the station’s engines.
Zala pounded along the metal walkway, the sound echoing in the vast chamber. She tapped on her comms. “Aud, we got a problem.”
“Already on it. There’s an emergency hatch midway down the concourse. You’ll see a catwalk across about two levels down from where you are now. Can you make it?”
“Of course.”
“Meet you t
here.” He clicked off.
Behind her she heard shouts and curses. Fragdammit. She boosted her speed a little more. She saw the midway point and walkway, though how she was going to get down to it was another matter.
Something streaked by, stinging her cheek and blasting a hole in a nearby ventilation pipe. Air hissed, blasting her hair into a wild tangle. They were shooting at her! Bastards.
She lifted her blaster and put an even bigger hole in the pipe. Another hiss of steamy air blasted out, filling the area with thick fog. That ought to put off their aim a bit.
She reached the area above the walkway. How to get two stories down without breaking her neck? That walkway was narrow. If she missed...
Another blast whistled by, too close for comfort. She climbed over the railing and lowered herself so she was directly over the walkway below. Footsteps pounded to a stop. Faces peered over the ledge. She dropped.
She hit the walkway hard enough to make it wobble. Without a backward glance, Zala ran hell bent for leather to the sealed portal. Blast after blast hit the walkway behind her, rocking the narrow bridge until she was staggering like a drunk. One blast came so close, she nearly went over the railing. Flailing her arms, she managed to right herself and run on.
“Audley, you better be there,” she shouted into her comm as she reached the door. It had a manual opening, a giant wheel that had to be turned. Shiyat.
“In position, Captain.”
Grasping the wheel, she twisted it counter-clockwise. It turned slow and stiff. She had to use another jolt of juice from her implants to boost her strength. An amber light flashed in the corner of her vision. She’d taxed them to the limit. She needed to get out of here stat.
With a last wrench of the wheel, she flung open the door and dashed through, slamming it behind her as a barrage of plasma blasts hit the spot where she’d stood. As quick as she could, she cranked the wheel clockwise. The instant it latched, a green light flashed, and the portal door behind her popped open. Audley stuck his head in.