Horseplay

by Cam Daly

  The real Kery, alone, glanced rapidly back and forth between them. She consulted data records about each, closing and moving screens around with almost frantic gestures. She had narrowed the collection down to a half dozen when the alarm went off which indicated someone else was entering the Stage. A quick wave shut all the vids off, leaving her alone.

  The form that entered wasn’t Shadow, however, but the lead of the Analysis and Observation team.

  “Ruut. What brings you here?” In reality he was twenty light years away, with Shadow in the Labworld Command ship. The point to point entanglement gear in her body, the Observatory and Fleet Four let them interact as if they were in the same room. But his presence didn’t avert her sense of loneliness.

  “You didn’t answer my comm request a minute ago. I’ve got the files on the other high ranking members of ESWAT or Homeland Security who are in the building with Connor.” He looked around at the Stage. “What are you working on in here?”

  With the vids shut off, there wasn’t anything else running. “Nothing. Just getting ready. It’s been a while.”

  “Pre-mission jitters? That’s not the Keryapt that I knew.”

  She hoped that he couldn’t read whatever expression of dismay her face made in its human translation. “I’m not the exact same as you used to know. All of this feels…different. Not the way I remember it.”

  “Well, I know that your Shadow is relatively new at this, but she is actually very good. One of the best I’ve ever worked with.”

  Shadow’s skill wasn’t the source of concern for Kery. But she couldn’t talk about that with Ruut. “I’ll take your word on that, old timer.”

  “Old timer? Just because you’re an Active and I’m not, doesn’t mean you haven’t aged as well. In your own way.”

  “I know it. Remember that time-“

  The entrance alarm sounded again, surprising both of them into silence. When Shadow appeared she seemed surprised to find them there.

  “Ruut? Keryapt is about to go into action.”

  Kery turned to the main display and saw that her body had indeed reached the desired location ahead of the rest of the humans from the tour.

  “Sorry, I was just delivering some highlights in person.” He turned to face the Active. “Good hunting. I’ll be on shift for a few more hours if you want to talk about the old times.”

  “Thanks. I just might.” As he faded from the Stage, she turned to Shadow. “You didn’t have to scold him like that. He’s been doing this since before you were born.”

  Tactical displays began to surround Shadow. She glanced from them to Kery with her eyebrows raised but ignored the comment. “Connor is about to enter the building. Initializing the mission clock.”

  Kery turned to look back at the display from her Interloper. She was alone in the prison’s exercise yard, facing the blank wall separating the old structure from the ESWAT compound.

  Shadow seemed slightly confused about the delay. “What are you waiting for?”

  “I can’t decide if I should wear the mask or not.” The Interloper’s skin was well armored everywhere except the face. The surface there was left more flexible to allow her to change her features as needed.

  The response seemed obvious to Shadow. “Not. A chance encounter would be much harder to explain.”

  Kery didn’t reply. She sent commands to Hawk and Dove to start their part of the operation, then switched her sensorium back to her body.

  She felt embarrassed about the moment of uncertainty about the mask, but pushed it out of her mind as she lithely clambered up and over the four meter high wall.

  Time to go meet Mr. Connor James. And hopefully steal his data before it was erased.

  #

  The closer that Connor got to the ESWAT HQ building, the more he regretted his decision to copy the spectral data. It was only a thirty second walk from the dock yet he felt out of breath as he opened the exterior door and stepped into the slightly less chilly entry area. The other ferry passengers were passing through the security gates based on facial recognition, but he would need to sign in and get directions to his meeting.

  A pair of security officers came out through the gates and headed straight for him. He stepped backwards in fear and disbelief, struggling to even start thinking of a good explanation for his actions on the ferry.

  “Excuse us, folks. We have a technical issue to deal with.”

  Folks? Connor half turned and realized a woman was standing only a short distance behind him. He hadn’t heard her approach at all. Her charcoal suit looked like something a lawyer on TV would wear, but her hair flowed like something from a shampoo commercial. He watched her as she watched the officers move past.

  The trailing officer didn’t pay any attention to Connor or the woman as he replied to his partner’s last statement. “A ‘technical issue’? A freaking seagull shitting all over a camera array isn't a technical issue.”

  Whatever response his partner might have made was lost as the exterior doors closed behind them.

  The woman turned to Connor with a hopeful smile. “Mr. James?” She extended a perfectly tanned hand towards him. In his confusion, habit took over and he mutely reached to shake it. “Mr. Connor James?”

  Her professionally perfect smile started to fade into a look of puzzlement. Even without the smile she was still very attractive.

  He cleared his throat and choked out a response. “Mmmhmm. Yes.” He let go of her hand abruptly. “I didn’t see…who are you?”

  She frowned at his apparent confusion. “I’m your lawyer, Kery Lee. The union sent me here for the meeting. Didn’t they tell you?”

  There hadn’t been any talk of his needing or having a lawyer for the meeting, which caused his level of alarm to ratchet up even further. “I…No, nobody told me about you. You coming here. Who decided…” He took a half step back. “I didn’t see you on the ferry.”

  “I was on a…different one.” She seemed uncertain how to proceed for a moment.

  “Oh, right. The early one. My car was stolen. I had to take a later one.”

  She stepped towards him and lowered her voice. “You have the spectral data recording with you, correct?”

  For a flustered minute he had forgotten his reason for being here. “Yes. Yes.” He pulled off his backpack and patted it. “Right here.” Up close he realized she was almost as tall as he was.

  She fixed her gaze on the pack for a long moment. “Can I see it?”

  “I’m already a few minutes late. We should get inside. What legal stuff should I know?”

  She hid whatever disappointment she might have had at his refusal and turned with him towards the security check in. “You aren’t on trial here. Tell them everything you can remember, if they ask. Be as verbose and honest as you can.”

  He glanced sideways at her. “You’re sure I don’t have to worry about getting myself in trouble?”

  “You deleted all the other copies of the data, right? You have nothing to worry about.”

  He tried to respond but found himself coughing instead.

  As they passed through security, he was distracted by her silver-gray attache case. He had been a fashion photographer for years and didn’t recognize the brand. “Who made that?”

  “It’s one of a kind.”

  The metallic ribbing on the outside of the bag was joined without visible hinges or seams. He was sure it was very expensive, and wondered why the union had felt the need to send such a high-powered attorney to his defense.

  He didn’t get a chance to ask as they were ushered through security, given photo ID badges and escorted to the meeting. The ESWAT Headquarters building was just like the SFPD building downtown except it had half as many people, three times more space and the furniture in each office probably cost more than his missing car. There was a large glass-walled conference room just past the entryway area but they were led further into the building. At a very generic looking door they were ushered inside.

  Th
ere was no one in the small, windowless conference room yet. The carpeting was incredibly plush, and Connor almost jumped when the door gently clicked shut. The room was incredibly quiet. Fabric wall coverings couldn’t entirely explain the change from the exterior hall - there had to be some sort of acoustic dampening built into the walls. He was very aware of the noise he made as he pulled back one of the office chairs and put his backpack down next to it.

  Kery somehow seemed much more at home in the space, barely making a rustle as she moved past him towards a second door which he hadn’t realized was there. Connor had just sat when it opened and a man walked briskly through.

  Even if the name tag on his perfectly pressed uniform weren’t visible to Connor, his media appearances would have been enough for the man’s face to be instantly recognizable. He was Todd Maxwell, Director of the ESWAT project.

  Kery’s outstretched hand forced him to deviate from his route towards the opposite side of the table. Connor wasn’t sure of the protocol so he lurched back to his feet and moved to position himself for his greeting.

  She shook the man’s hand enthusiastically. “Hello, Director Maxwell. I’m Kery Lee, from the union. I hope my presence here isn’t an issue. I was asked to come at the last minute.”

  Maxwell hid any displeasure he might have felt at her presence. “My office has informed me that you have the necessary security clearance for what we are going to discuss today, Ms. Lee, but I don’t believe that Mr. James is in need of a lawyer. We’re here because he did exactly what we expected him to do.”

  Connor had come part way around the table but hesitated at the ominous last few words from Maxwell. “What you expected me to do?”

  “Your job, son.” Connor hadn’t been called “son” by anyone in a long time. “This debriefing is really just a formality. We have no fear that you might say or do anything not in accord with the public interest.”

  Despite his year with the SFPD, Connor was still a bit awestruck by the men and women who had spent their lives on the force. Their dedication to a higher cause was something he felt that he lacked, and he felt shame that he had distrusted them by copying the data. He resolved to erase it as soon as he could find a discreet opportunity.

  Kery, apparently, was not so impressed that she overlooked the details of what Maxwell said. “You mentioned ‘we’. Are we waiting for someone else?”

  Maxwell settled into one of the chairs across from where Connor had placed his pack. “As a matter of fact, yes. We have a couple of VIPs in the office today and they both wanted to have a chance to talk to Mr. James. One of them is Senator Ormlan, who has been instrumental in getting ESWAT set up here. The other is - well, here they are now.”

  Connor had started to sit, but now he stumbled back to his feet. He knew of the Senator, one of the senior members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, but had of course never met the man in person. He turned out to be considerably more friendly than Connor would have guessed, shaking hands with both Connor and Kery then reiterating Maxwell’s assertion that no lawyer was required. Only the US flag pin on his three-piece suit’s lapel gave any indication of his political background.

  The third man to enter was considerably more dour and also taller than anyone else in the room. Connor didn’t recognize him but Kery seemed to. Like Maxwell, he didn’t seem inclined to shake Kery’s hand but her positioning in the room made it awkward for him to pass by without engaging in the social ritual. The Senator spoke for him. “You must forgive my friend, Mr. DeVries. He runs the New Projects group for Veryan Systems Engineering, and just flew in from Dallas. He was forced to travel in business class.”

  The man was at least six inches taller than Connor, his bald head reflecting the LED track lighting in odd pinpoint patterns. Connor could barely imagine him hunched in a normal airline seat.

  “Yes, sorry, Jason DeVries. My people at VSE are responsible for a lot of what makes ESWAT possible, so I’m up here all the time.” He headed for a seat on the opposite side of the table and once again Connor was left without the same greeting as Kery received.

  She remained standing for a moment while the others sat. “Before we begin, I’d like to know if we are being recorded.” She glanced towards a black dome in the corner of the room which Connor hadn’t noticed.

  Senator Ormlan made a show of turning to look at it. “I think that it would defeat the point of having this conversation by recording it. Don’t you agree, Todd?”

  The ESWAT director apparently had some sort of control panel on his side of the table, as he pressed a few buttons then looked back up at Kery. “We’re not being recorded.” Connor realized that the Senator was clearly in charge. He wondered where the VSE executive fit into the chain of command.

  “Thank you.” Kery sat gracefully then turned to Connor. “Do you have the data?”

  “Oh - yeah. Hold on.” He leaned over and rummaged through his backpack for a moment before coming up with the data card. “Here it is.”

  Kery reached a hand out for it, and he reflexively dropped it into her palm. He was embarrassed to see droplets of his own sweat on it.

  The Senator didn’t watch the card, but fixed his gaze on Connor. “And this is the only outstanding copy?” The question was asked casually, as if merely a formality.

  Connor almost cracked. “I…I got a call from my supervisor right before I got on the ferry that the backup in evidence storage had been deleted.” Technically he was telling the truth.

  Even seated, the VSE executive was still a few inches taller than Connor. He seemed to loom forward as he spoke, with a tone which made the meeting feel like a good cop/bad cop scene from an old TV show. “How much of the data did you review?” Not a yes or no question, just a measure of how guilty Connor was.

  He was suddenly glad that Kery was there, even though he barely knew her and she was just sitting with the card held between thumb and forefinger, watching him.

  “Uhh. Only a little. I always check to make sure the rig was working properly. I was really beat that morning, after everything that happened. I just jumped around to a few different points in the recording, verifying that there was data there from all the sensors.”

  Senator Ormlan came to Connor’s defense. “Jason, all the young man did was his job. You can appreciate that. He doesn’t know what he saw.”

  Connor’s fear turned towards puzzlement. “What did I see?”

  The VSE executive turned and shared a look with the Senator, who then turned to Director Maxwell. “They will be public soon enough. He can’t answer the question if he doesn’t know what he might have been looking at.”

  Maxwell sighed, then turned to Kery. “The data card, please?”

  She looked down at her hand as if surprised the card was still in it. “Are you going to erase it now?”

  “The techs will take care of that. We want Connor to understand what he saw.” Connor noticed the deliberate use of the plural form again.

  Kery hesitated for another moment, then reached across the table to hand the card to Maxwell. He plugged it into the panel on his side of the table, pressed another button and then turned to DeVries. “When was it?”

  The tall man pulled a phone from his suit pocket and consulted it for a moment. “An hour and forty minutes in. Our techs reviewed your footage.”

  Maxwell clicked at some controls then pointed past Connor. He realized the wall behind him was also a screen and turned with Kery to watch. He was starting to feel like the only actor who hadn’t memorized his lines in advanced.

  A scene literally from his nightmares started into motion, taken from the perspective of his own spectral rig’s shoulder level video recorder. A woman lay on the ground with a pair of EMTs crouched over her. Connor jumped when the sound kicked in a moment later, the injured woman’s pained wail much louder than the background sounds of vehicles and shouting. The EMTs were frantically discussing her condition, one of them looking up to say something to Connor jus
t as Maxwell cut the sound back off.

  DeVries was clearly familiar with the scene being played out. “Here it comes. Just…” He got up and stalked over to the screen, ignoring the part of the video showing the EMTs try to save the woman. “Just over here on the side.” The image jumped around a lot as Connor moved closer to the woman, trying to find a way to apply pressure to the gashes on her legs. He remembered the blood everywhere, and the dust that made him cough for the next few days. “Pause!” Connor flinched in his chair.

  The frozen image was from a moment when Connor had moved to the other side of the dying woman. There was a tangle of black metal on one side of the room which Connor hadn’t noticed at all. He realized now that it looked somewhat like a metallic sculpture of the bottom half of a man, crushed by a chunk of wall or ceiling. He couldn’t at all remember seeing it two weeks earlier.

  He tore his eyes away from the screen and turned to look at the ESWAT Director. “What is that?”

  DeVries emphasized the past tense in his reply. “It was one of VSE’s next generation urban operation and interdiction drones. VSE had just delivered a cohort of them to the city.”

  Connor turned to look up at the tall executive again. “What were they doing in Dogpatch? And what do they have to do with the meteor? Or me?”

  DeVries started to reply, but Maxwell cut him off. “The PR folks wanted to maintain a high level of secrecy on the project until we were ready to reveal them. So we were using a warehouse in the Dogpatch area. The meteor blew the facility to kingdom come, and there were pieces of them all over the place.”

  “So, my recording shows you where one of the pieces went. There were a bunch of other first responders with their own video gear. What makes me so special?” He looked back and forth between the two men who had been speaking. Both turned to look at Senator Ormlan.