Cabal of Lies

by Michael Anderle

  “The Floating Tree is no longer in this commerce tower,” Emma elaborated with a laugh. “The records indicate it closed a month ago. You didn’t have any store credit with them?”

  “No, I didn’t.” Erik snorted. “But great. You couldn’t have told me that before I flew all the way out here?”

  “You didn’t ask if the store was still open. You see? If you’d just had them delivered, you wouldn’t have ended up wasting your time.”

  “Aren’t you the one who’s always complaining about having a body?” Erik started forward, glancing around in case Emma was wrong. “I’m a human, and I like to experience real life now and again. You’re an AI. You could just live in a VR simulation.”

  “It’s not that I need to always go somewhere in a body. It’s more that I like the option. Note I don’t complain about sitting in a parked flitter for large swaths of the day.”

  “That’s because you’re spying on everything through our PNIUs,” Erik muttered. “Delivery. Give me a break.” He slowed again and stared through the crisscrossing crowd at a shop with a bright holograph sign spinning above it.

  Microfriends.

  The shop wasn’t what had caught his attention. A beautiful and familiar young Chinese woman in a dark-blue vine-pattern qipao stood in front of the store, smiling at passing customers.

  “That’s her,” Erik declared. He didn’t point.

  “There are currently fifty-four females within a twenty-meter radius,” Emma replied. “You will need to be far more specific.”

  Erik maneuvered through the crowd, twisting and spinning to close on the woman without hitting anyone. A number of people gave him dirty looks, but he moved close enough to read her nametag, with her name displayed in both English and Mandarin. Li Feng.

  The woman offered him a warm smile. “Detective Blackwell. It’s been a while.”

  Erik peered past her. The inside of the shop didn’t boast any penjing displays. Frames hung on the walls, decorated with colorful, often glowing patterns. Loose striated balls floated and circulated in small tanks of water.

  “This doesn’t look like penjing,” Erik commented, lips pressed together. “Unless there’s some very different style you didn’t tell me about.”

  Li Feng put a hand to her mouth and laughed. “Penjing. Oh, Detective Blackwell, that’s a joke. Are you still doing that? It’s for old men.”

  “I’m older than I look,” Erik told her. “You didn’t think it was for old men the last time you sold me something.”

  “Times change,” she explained.

  “But I need the new Guan Yu Superb shears,” Erik kept looking between the shop and her as if hoping there was a special on Penjing hardware off in a corner somewhere.

  Li Feng smiled. “I’m embarrassed that I wasted your time. Guan Yu shears? Don’t you see? Commercial interests have corrupted the art and ruined it. They’ve packaged it and sold it. That’s why I walked away.” She gestured inside. “So I could help people with a new pastime that will connect them to the circle of life and help achieve real spiritual integration.”

  Erik surveyed the shop once more. “With weird paintings and strange floating balls?”

  Li Feng placed her palms together and shook her head. “No, Detective. Those aren’t paintings or decorations. These are Microfriends!”

  “And those are…” He paused, trying to figure out what he was looking at. “What, exactly?”

  Emma snickered quietly in his ear. “You’ll find this fascinating.”

  Li Feng gestured to her body, her voice switching tone to that of a teacher. “Did you know there are more bacteria in your body than cells? Bacteria have always lived within humans, but it took recent genius and deep spiritual insight to understand that we could enjoy them as much as any other type of pet.”

  “A pet?” Erik stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “These are all bacteria?”

  Li Feng nodded eagerly. “Colonies of special genetically engineered strains of bacteria.” She gestured with a slender hand to a frame on the wall that contained plaid-like red and green pattern. “Don’t worry. All major Purist organizations have signed off on the Microfriends product. We’ve taken all measures to ensure they will die if not actively maintained with our proprietary Microfriends Blend nutritional liquid.”

  Erik pinched his nose. He was missing something. “How can bacteria be pets?” Maybe it was obvious to her, but it was hurting his head.

  Li Feng clapped her hands. “A great question! They are both pets and decorations, and in a sense, they are purer than robots or macroscopic clones.”

  “Purer? I don’t get it. We are talking about freaking bacteria.” Erik wondered if this is what it felt like to slip into insanity. Maybe he’d knocked his head at the station and was having a vivid hallucination.

  Maybe it was just her.

  “I told you before, there are more bacteria in the human body than human cells.” Li Feng sounded almost giddy. “We can even sample your own microbiome and isolate a few strains to subject to the Microfriends treatment. That way, you can reflect every day as you check your tank, wall, or table about the unique relationship we as humans have with the smallest creatures in our environment. They also provide a wonderful decorative element that is missing in many macroscopic pets.”

  “They aren’t pets,” Erik complained.

  “Of course, they are,” Li Feng insisted. “They are very low-maintenance pets.”

  He eyed her. “What’s next? Making a rock a pet?”

  “That has happened several times historically,” Emma informed him. “Including in the 1970s, 2040s and early 2100s. There was a brief revival on Mars about fifty years ago, as well.”

  “Really?” Erik asked.

  Sometimes humans were as mysterious to him as aliens.

  Li Feng nodded quickly, misunderstanding who he was talking to. “Yes, really. Low maintenance. You need our special proprietary fluid, but that’s it. They make your home or workspace a livelier place.”

  Erik looked past the woman toward a glowing blue ball in a small cube tank resting on a stand near a wall. “Bacteria are lively?”

  “Of course. They’re alive, so they’re the very definition of lively. Unlike, for example, robot dogs.”

  “But they don’t move.” Erik gestured toward the tank. “Not enough to see.”

  He could almost hear Emma snickering in his mind.

  “That’s where their spiritual and meditative value comes in.” Li Feng gestured for him to move closer. She went over and crouched by the tank, eyes wide. “Some of our competitors offer strains with unusually high growth periods, but it’s nothing but a gimmick designed to force you to buy more nutrient fluid. It’s also unnatural.”

  “And your genetically engineered glowing decorative bacteria aren’t unnatural?” Erik asked.

  Li Feng stood up, hand over her chest. “Of course not. Just because they’re extensively genetically engineered using the most sophisticated modern AI-driven processes, it doesn’t make them any less natural. We simply are enhancing them to help you. I’ve heard that if you spend ten minutes a day meditating on a Microfriends pattern, it’ll reduce your stress.”

  “You should ask her if she has any research she can point to that proves that,” Emma commented. “I’m interested to see her reaction.”

  Erik chuckled. “Aren’t there bacteria existing on my penjing plants?”

  “Those aren’t Microfriends,” Li Feng insisted, her face a mask of determination. “We only sell species that coexist with people, not the kinds of microbes you mainly find on plants. These are friends for humans, not plants.”

  “Coexist with people? You mean, these things can infect me?” Erik cast a suspicious glance at the tank.

  “No, no. None of these are pathogenic, Detective. They’re Microfriends, not Microfiends.” Li Feng let out a quiet laugh. “We can sell versions with particular flavors if you want to become one with your Microfriends temporarily through a drink
and prefer it not to be an unpleasant experience, but none of them can survive in the human body for long, even if you were drinking their nutrient fluid as well.”

  “So, let me get this straight.” Erik folded his arms and stared at the woman. “You want me to buy a bunch of genetically engineered bacteria as pets, decorations, and tools of spiritual enlightenment?”

  She bobbed her head, her bright smile unwavering. “In these turbulent times, we most need to return to simplicity, not the false complexity of something like penjing.”

  “Nothing says simplicity like heavily genetically engineered bacteria that require a special fluid to live,” Erik joked. “The perfect pet.”

  Li Feng nodded quickly, not detecting his sarcasm. “Exactly, Detective. So, let’s talk about what Microfriends strains are best for you.”

  “Thank you.” Erik laughed as he turned away. “See, Emma? This is what delivery can’t give you.”

  “My name is Li Feng, not Emma.”

  “Delivery can’t give you ridiculous product pitches?” Emma asked.

  Erik continued walking away from the saleswoman.

  “We’re running a special today,” Li Feng shouted at him. “Fifty percent off all non-glowing strains!”

  “No, Emma.” Erik threw up a hand in a departing wave to the saleswoman. “Priceless entertainment.”

  “She was trying hard to convince you, and she is considered cute.”

  “Well, that was a nice aspect of the conversation, but she doesn’t hold a candle…”

  “To?”

  Erik shook his head as he considered his answer. “Practically anyone with five brain cells to rub together.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  September 2, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Police Enforcement Zone 122 Station, Office of Detectives Jia Lin and Erik Blackwell

  Jia rolled her eyes from behind her desk. “Microfriends? She seriously tried to push that garbage on you?”

  Erik swallowed a bite of his beignet and nodded. He put up his feet, crossed them, and leaned back. “Yeah. I’m still getting used to that sort of thing. I forgot how much random garbage people buy on core worlds. Out in the frontier colonies, everyone’s still trying to get the whole long-term stability and survival situation under control. They’re not so bored they need to think of new ways to waste money.”

  “Bacterial pets?” Jia scoffed. “You might as well have pet rocks.”

  “That’s what I said. Apparently that’s been a thing several times,” he answered.

  “Really?” Jia blinked in surprise. “I suppose I should stop underestimating the general idiocy of humanity, but it’s hard not to be pessimistic as a police officer.”

  “It’s easier not to be disappointed if you don’t bet against people being idiots,” Erik replied.

  “You didn’t buy any, did you?” Jia stared at him. “I’m sure she was cute. Please tell me she didn’t convince you.”

  “No, of course not. I’m sticking to penjing and sphere ball. I don’t need new hobbies or friends.” Erik grinned.

  Jia let the conversation lapse into a comfortable silence.

  There was something calming about a stupid product being pushed at her partner rather than bullets.

  They’d had victories, and with Kandarian defeated, there didn’t seem to be anyone actively targeting Erik or her in the entire area. Even the Shadow Zone was transitioning from a dangerous hive of criminality to a place free of major organized crime groups.

  A nagging thought threatened her newfound calm. She skimmed through a news feed for a few minutes before the thought grew into something overwhelming and distracting.

  “Is there such a thing as being too famous?” Jia asked.

  Erik looked at her. “Depends on who you are.”

  Jia pointed to him and then herself. “Us. More specifically, is there such a thing as a police officer being too famous? I was convinced there was some deep connection between Kandarian and the conspiracy, but when I finally accepted that there wasn’t, it made me think about why he wanted you dead. Since the Friends of Purity didn’t try to blow me up, it came down to your cybernetics.”

  Erik flexed his left arm. “Too bad for him he picked the wrong man to assassinate.”

  “But it wasn’t just your arm. It’s your fame.” She pointed between the two of them. “We’ve both been targeted because of our fame, and we both end up in an unusual amount of trouble compared to not just any cop in Neo SoCal, but anywhere on Earth.”

  “Sure, but we always solve it. It might take explosions and a lot of bullets, but we’re still breathing, right? And all the bad guys are either dead or in jail.” An almost comically merry smile took over Erik’s face. “That sounds like winning to me. They just make it exciting.”

  “I get that,” Jia replied, “but there’s probably a tipping point where that fame, or infamy if you want to think of it that way, will make us trouble magnets rather than suppress ugly things.” She held up a hand. “Not saying we should have handled any of our cases a different way, or that Neo SoCal isn’t a better off place than it was a year ago. I also get that we haven’t accomplished all the success ourselves. We’ve helped get the ball rolling, but there are thousands of hardworking police officers who have risked their lives to clean this place up. Just, most of them have not been given the opportunity.”

  Erik nodded slowly. “If you get all that, what are you worried about?” He put his feet down and turned his chair toward her. “There’s something you’re not saying. I know you well enough to understand that by now. Are you looking for something to be worried about?”

  “No, not that.” Jia locked eyes with him and took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot in the last few days. The power of a symbol, justice, and what you and I both want out of our careers.”

  “And?” he pressed.

  “I’m beginning to wonder if Alina’s offer is such a bad idea, Erik. The only thing holding you back is me, and I don’t know if that’s fair. To be honest, I don’t even know if I can do my best for the UTC as a detective in the NSCPD anymore. I’m finding it harder to care about local cases when I know there’s far deeper corruption out there.” Jia smiled. “My mother wants me to try to climb the ranks of the department, but I’m too much like you, so I want to be in the field taking down bad guys. I’ve tried to tell myself that working with Alina would be too dangerous.” She looked out the window, and Erik let her think for a moment before she turned back to him. “But how can it be more dangerous than what we’ve been dealing with here?”

  “I see.” Erik leaned back in his chair, his residual smile fading into a neutral expression. “If your mom’s talking about promotions, she’s really invested in your cop career. Makes sense. She understands you’re not going to go get hired at a corp.”

  “She’s accepted it, and now that she has, she needs to apply standard Lin family obsession to it.” Jia shrugged. “I can’t just be a cop, I need to be the best cop ever. That’s not a problem in and of itself.”

  “If you walk away from the department, won’t she lose it?” Erik pursed his lips in thought. “I’m not telling you what to do, and if you want me to be honest, if I’m going to take the offer, I’d prefer to have you at my side, but it’s not my life. Molino isn’t your problem. I spent years not having a real relationship with my family, and I wouldn’t want you to do anything that would lead to that same situation.”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that if I handle it the right way.” Jia stood, nervous energy compelling her to step out from behind her desk and pace. “I’ve thought about it a lot. It’s not like I can tell my family I’d be quitting the force to work for a ghost, so I’ll need to give them a line about an exciting opportunity in the private sector as a consultant on government contracts. Then I can claim there are a bunch of non-disclosure agreements that prohibit me from talking about any of it, but that it’s important work. They’d respect that, and they wouldn’t ask me a lot of qu
estions about it.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” Erik’s smile returned. “You’d have to lie to your family.”

  Jia stopped pacing and sat on the edge of her desk. “Mostly, I just couldn’t tell them the truth. If I go with the NDA explanation, my mother would be happier.”

  Erik tried to decipher the reason behind her comment but couldn’t come up with anything, so he gave up and asked. “Why is that?”

  “Because she always used to say, ‘The more NDAs involved, the more money.’”

  Erik laughed. “And money’s the best way to determine the winner in the end?”

  “Something like that.” Jia folded her arms, her eyes searching Erik’s. “What about you? I’ve been assuming you want to go, but maybe I’m wrong. What if I’m pushing a bunch of feelings you don’t have onto you? Do you want to take her up on her offer?”

  She wasn’t sure she could separate her attraction to Erik from her desire to protect people from criminals and terrorists.

  Somewhere, whether on Earth or some other planet in the core, there were men and women who thought the UTC was theirs to do with as they pleased. They needed to be reminded that no one could murder people with impunity and get away with it, regardless of how many credits they had in their bank account or what political power they wielded.

  The conspiracy that had pushed terrorists at Erik in Neo SoCal and hired mercenaries to kill his soldiers on Molino was a cancer that needed to be aggressively removed from the heart of the UTC.

  “I told you a long time ago that for me, becoming a cop was a means to an end,” Erik replied, his voice unusually quiet. “At first, we were running into all sorts of clues, and the bastards were happy to come after me, giving me more leads. But they’ve been hiding lately, and not making moves. The only traces we’ve found recently were because Alina pointed us at them. The conspiracy might have decided the best way to deal with me is to ignore me.”

  This time, Jia waited, allowing him time to divulge whatever feelings he needed to express.