After several more minutes of passing through small towns and crop fields, the buildings increased in number; they were approaching Helix Station at the southern hub. As the transport slowed to a stop, the bodyguard stood from his seat and took up position near the door. She hadn’t seen the need for a bodyguard, but it had been a requirement of her newly appointed position as Luóxuán CEO.
The door slid open and he gave a cursory check outside before turning to her and nodding.
She stood and walked to the door, “Thank you, Toby.”
“The press are here,” he said, “I’d advise keeping it brief.”
Raven stepped out onto the platform and began walking toward the exit. Ahead she could see a small gathering of people. Several of them were holding up recubes, but there was also a camera drone hovering over the shoulder of one reporter. Her heart sank when she saw who it was.
“Miss Meznic,” Trudy Brightman stepped forward holding an additional recube on a short stick, “Congratulations on your appointment!”
“Thank you,” Raven managed to produce a genuine-looking smile.
“Many people consider you the embodiment of genetic diversity,” Trudy flattered her, “How do you respond to the claims that you’ll be using Luóxuán’s resources to prioritise the needs of your kind above normal humans?”
Although she was surprised by the speed at which Trudy had segued into her loaded question, the question itself was one she’d been prepared for.
“We’re all the same kind, Trudy,” she didn’t break her stride, “The genetic differences involved are no greater than having blue or brown eyes, black or white skin. We’re all the same species. We’re all normal humans.”
“The so-called Noah’s Ark proclamation?” Trudy kept pace with her.
Raven hadn’t heard the term before, but she understood enough to read the context of the reporter’s linguistic manoeuvring. She stopped walking and waited for the hovering camera drone to settle into place.
“Trudy, this is my first day here,” she glanced up at the Luóxuán Biotech building, “but I continue to believe in the same guiding principle as every other decent person aboard the Eridanus. Beyond the Earth, equal rights for all.”
Trudy was nodding.
“Indeed,” she said, “with our imminent arrival at Eri, I hope we’ll all have equal right to choose our own destiny.”
It seemed that the conversation was being steered in a new direction but before she could respond, Toby grabbed Raven and pulled her aside.
“Gene-freak bitch!” a man was rushing towards her, his fists raised.
Toby stepped into the man’s path and, after blocking his first swing, punched him squarely in the face. The man staggered back but Toby followed through with a second blow, sending the bloodied man toppling to the ground.
“Move!” Toby pushed her away from the cameras and pointed at the building, “Main entrance. Now!”
Suddenly she was running; an instinctive reaction to the instruction, rather than a genuine fear for her own safety; she knew she could probably have dodged anything that the man was capable of. She cleared the doorway into the lobby, followed by Toby a second later.
Turning to look through the glass, she saw that a small crowd had gathered near Helix Station’s exit. The camera drone was circling the fallen man, while the reporter spoke animatedly to her recube.
She now realised how all this would look to anyone watching the news. There was nothing ‘equal rights’ about the events that had just unfolded on Luóxuán’s doorstep. She turned to face her bodyguard.
“What did you do?”
“What I’m paid to do,” he said, unapologetically.
Flashing red and blue lights drew her attention outside; a first aid fabricator drone had now arrived on the scene.
Perhaps out of anxiety, she found herself holding onto the pendant around her neck; her fingers pressing at each of its corners.
•
LocationUpdated[BiomagID#2048]
InitSecurityScan[LuóxuánEnt1]
…
LegacyDeviceFound[CryotraceBlake.M]
SeekConnect[Fail]
EscalateInquiry
RescanSys
…
•
Devon Kohlner took a deep breath and opened the door into the main lobby. He could see Raven and Toby quietly waiting on the oak bench at the centre. A small oak tree had been felled during the construction of the building, but he’d requested that its wood be used to commemorate its former location. If nothing else, the natural feature was a great contrast to the giant steel helix that wound around the glazed lobby interior.
He walked across the polished floor and straightened his shirt cuffs.
“Miss Meznic,” he greeted her, “Welcome to Luóxuán Biotech. I heard about the disturbance, I do hope you’re OK?”
She stood and shook hands.
“I’m fine,” she glanced at Toby standing at her side, “Just a little surprised, that’s all.”
“Mr. Dwight doing his job?” he turned to face Toby.
“Yes,” she rubbed at her forehead, “I just hope the man’s going to be OK.”
“As do I. I’m afraid it’s not the first time that a troubled person has attacked one of our employees,” he then glanced at Toby, “We will of course make sure that he is taken care of.”
Raven nodded, “Perhaps we should begin?”
“Straight to business,” he smiled, “I like that. Please, follow me.”
Retracing his steps, he left the lobby and began walking down the long corridor.
“No doubt you’ll want to make your own exploration of the facility, but if I escort you to your office then I’m sure that Fai will be able to assist you.”
“My office?” she said.
“I know Dr. Chen worked from his home, but as our CEO he had an office here. It’s all yours.”
He tried to keep his voice as cheerful as usual; she didn’t need to know that he’d been forced to vacate the prime location.
“I don’t know if you can tell,” he continued, “But this corridor is one of the few internal spaces where the cylindrical nature of the Eridanus is visible to the human eye. If you look carefully into the distance, you’ll be able to see that the ceiling above our heads disappears out of view behind its own curvature.”
They walked on, occasionally passing other people as they moved between departments. Although people gave him nods of acknowledgement, some didn’t react to Raven in the same way. It was something he found quite satisfying; they perhaps saw her as a visiting guest.
“I’m sure you’ll want to learn about Luóxuán’s various assets,” he slowed his walk, “Biotech, Genetics and Cryo units have all been informed to expect your call. If you wish, I can attend any meetings, until you’re up to speed. So, Miss Meznic, here’s your office.”
He stopped outside the door.
“I’ll leave you to get settled in. If you need anything, I’ll be in the next office along.”
Raven seemed to stare at the door, “Thank you, Mr. Kohlner.”
“Mr. Dwight,” he turned to Toby, “do you have a moment to brief me on the station events?”
“Yes, sir,” Toby walked to his side.
Together they waited for her to enter her new office. After exchanging another round of smiles, she went inside and closed the door behind her.
“So how was the journey to the southern hub?” Devon led the way to his office.
“Uneventful,” Toby followed him through the door and closed it.
Devon walked past the clocks and trinkets that stood on top of his packing crates. His move out of Chen’s office had been swift, but he’d made time to ensure that the mechanical showpieces remained on display in this somewhat more cramped space. When he was sure that the office surveillance was deactivated, he wheeled around and stared at Toby.
“What the hell happened?”
“Don’t give me that shit!” Toby stood his ground, “Yo
ur guy actually took a swing at her! That’s what happened! He was s’pposed to get close and shout his mouth off, not try to deck her for fuck’s sake!”
“So your first thought was to entertain the public with a street fight?”
“Bodyguard,” Toby pointed at his own face, “What else was I supposed to do? Look, your ‘humans first’ nut-job took things too far, but it still worked didn’t it?”
Devon knew he had to concede the point. As far as Raven was concerned, she would now believe that the bodyguard was there for her protection. Although things hadn’t gone exactly as planned, the outcome was probably better than he’d hoped for. He’d need to appease Toby, so he adapted his language accordingly.
“You know you put that stupid shit in hospital?” he smiled.
“So send him a fruit basket,” Toby shrugged, “or a pack of happy pills. I know you wanted to control stuff, but he was the wrong man for the job. You gotta let me handle this shit.”
With a pacifying nod, Devon turned to watch the small display on the wall.
The events outside Luóxuán were trending, so Trudy’s interview was filling most of the screen. As luck would have it, the scuffle had happened just as Trudy had again raised the issue of destiny and choice.
Since the probes had first launched, she’d been running opinion pieces centred on whether people should stay aboard the Eridanus or go to the planet. Thanks to her, there was now a growing movement who wanted their voices heard about the matter.
On screen now was shaky footage of Toby’s expertly delivered punch, horrified crowds and a bloodied civilian writhing on the ground. Underneath the images were scrolling headlines that read ‘Freedom of choice under threat…’, ‘Compulsory Eri evacuation for all?’
All things considered, the juxtaposition was superb. Whatever he was paying Trudy, it probably wasn’t enough.
•
RescanSysComplete
CorrelationFound[BlackboxArchive]
NavigateFolder:[Wild.R]
NavigateFolder:[CryotraceBackup]
LoadFile[Blake.M]
SequenceException[DeviceNotPresent]
EscalateInquiry
…
•
Raven closed the door and turned to face Chen Tai’s old office.
For a moment, she had a feeling of extreme vertigo; a sensation that was quite unusual for her. She hadn’t expected the room to feature a transparent roof.
Overhead, through the wide expanse of glass, was the glow of the bright sun and distant landscape. However, both were joined together by the cylinder’s massive end disk. She could very clearly see where the axial sun ran into the pivot point of her entire world. Looking away to the far end of the cylinder, she saw the small circle of black where the various vessels might depart for Eri. From this office, the only world she’d ever known was visible all at once.
“Good afternoon, Raven,” said Fai.
She drew a fast breath, surprised by the sudden sound.
“Hello Fai,” she recovered, “I was just taking in the view through the roof.”
There was a slight pause.
“The view is a composite image of the Eridanus interior displayed on the ceiling’s planar screen. Your specific perspective is being created by extrapolating eye-position data from my sensors around the room.”
The slight motion sickness she’d had a moment ago now made sense.
The room contained a fairly plain desk, but there was no monitor screen or keyboard on it. Looking at the similarly plain walls, she made an educated guess.
“Fai, is this technology present in the walls too?”
“Yes, it is similar to the technology used by one of my earlier iterations at the Icelandic Discovery centre. Would you like me to demonstrate the projection capabilities?”
“No thank you,” she thought she’d acclimatise herself to the current view before experiencing any more, “but would you be able to help me with something?”
“Yes.”
“Earlier, Trudy Brightman mentioned the phrase ‘Noah’s Ark proclamation’, what did she mean?”
Ahead of her, a small section of wall lit up, displaying a man’s photo.
“The Noah’s Ark proclamation,” Fai spoke, “refers to a speech made by Noah Broadstone in twenty-one thirty, at the relaunch of Luóxuán Biotech.”
Raven watched as Fai presented several screens of information about the events that had led up to the speech.
Following the global crash caused by Siva, the Luóxuán corporation had survived by trading painkillers and basic medicines. With the help of an earlier version of Fai, Noah had apparently restored Luóxuán’s archived Z-bank program along with hundreds of DNA templates; templates that were later distributed between the Vega, Andromeda and Eridanus vessels. Noah’s pioneering later work in biotechnology and neural-interface prostheses had underpinned the relaunch of Luóxuán Biotech as a humanitarian organisation.
Using another wall screen, Fai began playback of the 2130 speech.
“For the first time,” Noah looked out from a podium, “we have both the knowledge and the means to alter what it is to be human. A process previously governed by nature alone.”
Noah sighed and looked around the room.
“Over my considerable lifespan, I’ve experienced the depths of fear and witnessed the heights of courage that we are capable of…”
He appeared momentarily lost in thought.
“As we evolve as a species,” he studied the audience, “a species that will one day board space-faring arks that move beyond the Earth… it will become ever more important to focus on our similarities, rather than our genetic differences.”
He faced the Luóxuán Biotech logo behind him.
“Our double helix is a symbol that, regardless of race, colour or creed, we are all equal in structure.”
The speech paused.
The ‘Noah’s Ark proclamation’ now made more sense to Raven: the speech had later been used to form the basis of the Eridanus constitution. Luóxuán’s goals had been noble but Raven knew that Broadstone’s utopian vision hadn’t quite come to pass. Human nature was stubborn.
“Do you require more information on this subject?”
“No, that’s alright,” she sat down at the desk.
“May I ask for your assistance?”
Even when Raven had been living with Lana and Ivan at the family home, Fai had never once asked for help with anything. The request seemed odd.
“OK… I guess.”
“I conducted a passive device scan when you entered the building. A standard Biomag location check.”
Raven instinctively reached for her Biomag belt, “Is everything OK?”
“Your Biomag is functioning perfectly,” Fai responded, “but I was unable to connect to the secondary device you are carrying.”
Fai’s services throughout the Eridanus were so ubiquitous that she’d never felt the need to carry other devices. Today she wasn’t even carrying the backpack she’d worked on with Dr. Chen.
“Fai,” she frowned, “the Biomag is the only thing on me.”
“You are in error.”
A display panel popped up on the wall opposite the desk. Next to a diagram that looked vaguely like an Egyptian sarcophagus, she saw a black hexagon appear labelled with the word ‘Cryotrace’.
Another display opened featuring a freeze-frame of Raven, taken from the recent news footage.
“Studying this video image,” Fai superimposed a line-drawn hexagon, “I surmise the device is held within the pendant you are wearing.”
She found herself gripping the pendant tightly; the only possession that her birth mother had left her.
“What is this… thing?” she struggled.
“The Cryotrace was an electroencephalographic imprint taken during the calibration routine of a candidate’s cryo unit prior to -”
“Stop, just… stop.”
Raven looked at her pendant.
She’d always
assumed that its simple purpose was to give her a message of courage. She’d never remotely considered that it might be an electronic device.
In her youth she’d worn it a lot, but as she’d grown older she’d tended to wear it only when she’d felt the need for encouragement. Days like today.
She realised this discovery had only been made because two unique conditions had been met: Fai’s scanning tech had been slowly advancing over the last 17 years, and she’d been wearing the pendant in the one place capable of detecting it.
“Fai,” she held up the pendant, “What’s on here?”
The wall display updated to show a connection point on the cryotrace.
“As stated, I cannot access the device remotely. It must be physically connected via the embedded port.”
She could see the metallic edges were tightly wrapped around all six sides, with no visible means of sliding out its cargo. It would have to be prised out.
She’d never had particularly long fingernails, but she forced one underneath an edge.
“Whatever this is,” she pulled against the thin metal, “it’s gotta be as old as me.”
“Older.”
“Will you still be able to read it, after all this time?”
“Yes.”
A panel within the surface of the desk slid open, exposing a complex surface of metal terminals and tiny robotic appendages that moved rapidly back and forth. She’d seen larger versions of fabricators before, during the construction of the Greenwich Hub, but not one as tiny as this.
“Utilising the records of Robert Wild,” Fai reported, “I began constructing an appropriate device reader.”
“When?”
“Six minutes, twenty-one seconds ago, when you entered the room.”
Raven stared at the rapid, weaving activity at the centre of the desk. It was a little unsettling to see something so spider-like moving with such purposeful intelligence. Abruptly, the creation process terminated and the surrounding supports folded back to expose the newly constructed item.
The Bridge Page 30
