“Look, Alex, you and I have known each other for a very long time and you know as well as I do that this was standard executive protection protocol until the HDDA. I am simply asking you to do something that we’ve done dozens of times before and you never had any problem with it then.”
“Yes, that is true. But since the HDDA was enacted, those things just aren’t done anymore—at least not publicly. Besides, she’ll be picked up again the minute she shows herself and as an illegal clone, she will have no rights whatsoever. The GSSA will be able to do whatever they want with her and there will be no courts to stand in their way.”
“As I said at the beginning. We will get her to Mars and she will never come back. Her life here is over. Do you think that Merkel will ever allow her to walk away from this? She brought her grandfather back from the dead for fuck’s sake and the story is already hitting the news feeds. Aubrey will be locked up for the rest of her life, only to be hauled out and put on display whenever the GSSA needs to remind people of the consequences of illegal cloning. She will lose everything and she will spend the rest of her life in some prison camp…and I can’t let that happen.”
Nearly a minute of silence passed before Alexei finally spoke.
“If I do this,” he said, “then whoever I send is going to need a new life. There can’t be any ties back to us and that is going to be very, very expensive my friend.”
“I already have that covered. You secure an engramic archive from your operative before informing him or her of the job. Once it’s done, I will ensure that they get a new face, a GFN registered identity and plenty of money to start a new life.”
“And what about you, Mister Wagner, where will you go?”
“I go where Aubrey goes. I promised an old friend that I would protect his family no matter what and I am not going to stop now.”
“You know, I always envied that about you, Bruce.”
“What?”
“Your dedication and sense of purpose in life. You have always been someone who knows exactly why you are here and what is expected of you. That is a great gift, my friend. I have learned the hard way that living a long life loses its luster when you lack purpose.”
“We all have a purpose, Alex.”
“That may be true but take me for example. Next month I will be one hundred and five years old and what do I have to show for it? More money than I can ever spend, more ex-wives than I can count and a circle of friends who I only hear from when they need something...present company included.”
“You know I’d call more if I could.”
“That’s not the point…besides, I told you I never wanted to hear from you again. Remember?”
“Alex, I…”
“The point is that my only purpose in life is to be available for those rare occasions when my erstwhile friends call asking for favors. Otherwise, I’m just bored out of my mind because I have nothing left to do that I haven’t already done.”
“Well, we…”
“Except!” Alex interrupted. “Except one thing.”
“Which is?”
“I want to be on the ship.”
“What ship?”
“Come now, Bruce, don’t be coy with me. The ship going to Alpha Centauri. The one that the Galileo Group is building in orbit above Ceres.”
“Adekunle Gbadamosi’s company?”
“The one and only.”
“What’s that have to do with me or my request?”
“Please, don’t insult me. Word is that Telogene has pumped hundreds of billions into that ship, and there can only be one reason you are so eager to get your asses to Mars, and you are taking me with you.”
“Now wait a minute, Alex. I don’t know where you are getting your information but you’ve got it wrong. There is no…”
“Stop! I don’t want to hear your lies! These are my terms. You want my help with Aubrey then you take me with you.”
“You got to believe me, Alexei, I know nothing about that ship beyond what we’ve all seen in the news. We are going to Mars so that Aubrey and Chen can find a solution for the mutation problem. That’s it.”
Alexei laughed hard. “Oh, that’s rich. Is it really possible that little Aubrey has not been completely honest with you? Can it be that you, her ever faithful friend and protector, has been excluded from her plan? I don’t believe it. The great Bruce Wagner—master of disguise, corporate espionage agent extraordinaire, terror of the courtroom and trusted adviser to the CEO of Telogene—doesn’t know anything he hasn’t seen on the news? I love it!”
He continued before Bruce could respond. “Well, I guess it’s only fair since you’ve hidden your true identity from her all these years. I wonder what she’d say if she found out that Geoff Wagner is really Bruce Wagner, her grandfather’s best friend and the designated guardian angel of his children and grandchildren?”
“You’re out of line, Alexei.”
“No sir, I am only stating the obvious. Either what I say is true, or you are lying to me...and I know when you are lying my friend—you are not lying. You really don’t know what her plans are, do you?”
“What I know is that she needs my help, and that is all I need to know. If what you say is true, then I am sure she will tell me when she’s ready. In the meantime, I need to hear you say you will help me. Will you help, Alex?”
“Yes, Bruce. I will help you. After all, you did save my life all those years ago and I would not be who I am without you. So yes, I will do as you ask but you must promise to get me on that ship.”
“I can’t promise to get you on a ship I know next to nothing about. But what I can promise is to find out what’s going on and share with you anything I learn, and, if there is a ship and if there is any chance at all to get you on it, I will do everything I can to get you a seat. Fair enough?”
“Well, I guess that will have to do, my friend. I will do as you have asked.”
“Thank you. I’ve always been able to count on you.”
“But after this, we are even. My debt to you is paid in full, understood?”
“Agreed. Goodbye, Alex.”
“No goodbyes. I will see you again soon my friend…on Mars!”
The display went dark, leaving Geoff—or Bruce, as he was once known—to ponder what Alexei had said.
That was unfortunate. I wonder how he found out?
He went downstairs and poured himself another drink before returning to his favorite balcony. The lights of downtown Zurich were glowing in the distance but he light of the stars above drew Bruce's gaze. He took another sip of his Scotch.
I wonder which one of those is Mars?
CHAPTER 14
APRIL 4, 2075 10:30 PM GST
Telogene Shuttle
Lunar Orbit Approach
“Doctor Feldman?”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry to interrupt, sir but can I speak with you outside, please?”
“Of course.”
Evan stood up from the conference table and excused himself. The young man who had just interrupted his meeting led him out into the hallway.
“How can I help you?” Evan asked.
“Doctor Feldman, I am Jakob Nielsen from the U.S. Embassy. I am sorry to pull you away but I need you to come with me immediately.”
“What is the problem, have I done something wrong?”
“No, sir. There has been an accident…a plane crash. One of your corporate jets went down in the Pacific.”
“Oh, my God. Is everyone alright?”
“No sir, I am afraid not. There is a search and rescue team on-site now but they haven't found any survivors.”
Evan's heart pounded so hard that he could barely hear what the man said next.
“Sir, I need you to come with me, please. There is a car waiting downstairs.”
Evan suddenly felt lightheaded, and he stumbled backward into the wall. Jacob caught him under his arms and held him up against the wall.
“Chr…Christina?” Evan
stammered out his wife's name. The tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his face.
Jacob steadied Evan and eased him off the wall. “I'm very sorry, sir.”
“Nooo!” Evan sobbed. “No, no, no...it's not possible.”
“Please, Doctor Feldman, not here. Let me take you someplace more private.”
“Christina!” Evan screamed as his knees gave out, almost taking Jacob down with him.
“Evan, are you alright?” Chen asked from across the aisle.
Evan opened his eyes and the white and blue interior of the shuttle replaced the hallway in Hong Kong. He had been dreaming.
“I'm fine, I was just dreaming.” He wiped his wet cheeks with the back of his hand.
“That sounded more like a nightmare to me…you called out Christina's name.”
“Yeah, it was the day she died. That's the first time I've dreamed since...”—Evan fumbled for the words—“…since you brought me back.”
“Is everything okay up there?” Yin called from behind him.
“Yes, I am fine, thank you. Just a bad dream,” Evan called back.
Chen rotated his pod so he could get a better look at Evan.
“That's a good sign,” he said. “Dreams mean that your brain is processing memories normally.”
“Great,” Evan said sarcastically, “I can think of a bunch of other things that I would rather dream about.”
“Not all memories are equal,” Chen said as he rotated his pod back to its rearward facing position. “It's not surprising that such a traumatic event is one of your strongest memories. I am sure that your brain allocated a great many neurons to store it.”
Evan turned off the music playing in his ears and adjusted his pod to a more upright position.
“Evan?” Chen called across the aisle.
“Yes?”
“I'm sorry. I know that was hard for you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”
Evan gave him a slight smile. “Thanks, Chen, I appreciate that. I'll be fine.”
A door slid open at the rear of the cabin and Evan watched as a platform carrying Elise and Talia descended slowly toward him. It stopped next to him and Elise asked if he needed anything. He said he was fine and explained that he had been dreaming.
“Yeah, I noticed your heart rate spike for a few minutes,” Talia said. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
“You're watching my heart rate?” Evan asked.
Elise responded. “Yes, your suit is continuously monitoring your physiology, and it notifies us when anything abnormal occurs.”
“Are you experiencing a headache?” Talia asked as she reached into the food and beverage cart.
“As a matter of fact, I am. It's been getting worse, but I figured it would go away once I got some rest.”
Chen rotated his pod again to face Evan.
“How long?” he asked.
“Well, pretty much all day but it’s worse now,” Evan replied.
“Here, take this.” Talia handed him a small pink pill and a pouch of water. “It's a mild analgesic and endorphin booster.”
Evan took the pill and handed her back the half-empty water pouch. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Talia smiled warmly.
“Do either of you need anything?” Elise asked Yin and Chen. “We are about to start our final deceleration into orbit so now is your last chance.”
“No, thank you,” Yin and Chen said in unison.
“Alright. We should be on the ground in about thirty minutes, which will put us in about an hour ahead of schedule.”
The platform continued to the front of the ship and Evan watched as Elise and Talia settled into their pods.
“Please keep an eye on those headaches, Evan,” Chen said. “You need to tell me if they get worse or if you start experiencing any disorientation or hallucinations. Those may be symptoms of a problem with your engramic transfer and we need to jump on it right away if that happens.”
Evan nodded. “What would you do if that happens?”
“Well, it depends on where we are and what equipment we have available.”
“Is it fatal?”
“Not usually. It just means that your brain is struggling to assimilate all of your memories and it needs a little help. More often than not, everything sorts itself out after a few days.”
“What happens if it doesn't?”
Chen paused for a second to consider his answer. “Let's cross that bridge when we get there. I oversaw the transfer personally and I am confident that you aren't going to have any problems.”
“If you say so.”
“But, please let me know immediately if you have any symptoms. There is no sense taking any chances.”
Evan smirked. “No worries, doc, I will let you know the minute I feel like I am going crazy.”
Captain Bauer's voice echoed in Evan's headrest. “Attention, please. We are about to start our final deceleration into Lunar orbit. We have been cleared to land and will be making a rapid descent to slide in front of a cargo freighter coming in from the Belt.”
Evan assumed correctly that “the Belt” referred to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The captain continued. “For those of you that haven't done this before we will be landing backward so your pods are going to stay as they are until we are on the Lunar surface. You can watch the whole thing on your holodisplay and you should get a glimpse of the Tycho mines and Clavius Base as we de-orbit, and pretty good views of Casatus City as we make our final approach to Klaproth.
“There may be a few little bumps here and there as we adjust our landing vector and rate of descent but nothing as severe as what you experienced during launch. Otherwise just sit back and enjoy the ride and we will have you down shortly.”
Elise's voice came over the sound system seconds after the captain finished.
“Our trip is just about over and we'd like to thank you all for your cooperation and patience. You were a fantastic group and we look forward to serving you on a future flight. The current time is 10:35 PM GST and we should be down in just about twenty minutes. We will be towed to the airlock after touch down, so please remain in your pod until the craft comes to a complete stop.
“Lunar gravity is one-sixth that of Earth so please exit your pods slowly and take a few minutes to acclimate yourself before you go bounding down the ramp. There are handrails along the entire length of the gangway and we encourage you to use them. Thank you again for flying with us today and welcome to Luna.”
A few seconds after Elise stopped talking the ship’s SABRE engines sprang to life. Evan felt his pod shake slightly as they added their thrust to that of the Hellfires to slow the craft down. Their speed had dropped below 20,000 kilometers per hour and they were slowing quickly. Evan's holodisplay showed they were orbiting Luna a little south of the equator and were just crossing the boundary between the light and dark sides.
The holodisplay flashed an “Area of Interest” message on the screen as it automatically zoomed in on the Sea of Tranquility. Soft music played and a male voice narrated as the display focused on key landmarks. First, the narrator gave some basic statistics about the Sea of Tranquility (also known as Mare Tranquillitatis, 542 kilometers in diameter, covered by lava, etc.), then it described the Apollo 11 landing site and Neil Armstrong's historic moon walk. The display showed a montage of old video clips and images including Armstrong descending the lunar excursion module ladder, giving his “One small step for man…” speech and planting the American flag.
A few minutes later, it did the same thing for the Apollo 16 landing site in the Descartes Highlands, followed in quick succession by narrations of the Apollo 12 and 14 sites, the Chinese research stations in the Kepler and Letronne craters and the helium-3 mine in the Grimaldi crater. As the craft rocketed across the boundary to the far side of Luna, the automated narrator highlighted the Mare Orientale basin and the large mining consortium that operated there
. Although there were dozens of mines on Luna, the Orientale Mine was by far the largest and it produced the vast majority of rare earth metals that the Luna colonists exported to Earth. The consortium also owned most of the helium-3 production facilities that supplied the Klaproth Spaceport and its orbital refueling station.
Luna's far side hosted several research stations and mining outposts but its most notable feature was the Mendeleev Deep Space Telescope. The Mendeleev radio telescope was actually an array of telescopes spread over nearly 320 kilometers of crater floor and was manned by an international team of scientists. Construction on the facility began in 2033, just one year after the end of the last world war and two years after the first colonists landed on Luna and took nearly five years to complete. The narration that accompanied the flyby video noted that the Mendeleev telescope had accumulated more information on deep space in the past thirty years than all other Earth and space-based telescopes combined.
The facility benefited from having an unobstructed view of space and next to zero interference from man-made radio signals. Its considerable list of accomplishments included having identified over 2000 Earth-type planets within the Milky Way, locating thousands of previously unknown asteroids and comets and performing the most complete observation of the Solar System to date—including the historic discovery of two planets orbiting beyond Pluto in the Oort Cloud, one of which was about the size of Mars and the other roughly the size of Uranus.
For obvious reasons, the space above the facility was restricted and Evan noted that their current track was taking them 800 kilometers south of the Mendeleev crater. The plot on the display showed that they would make a large arc around the pole before descending into the Klaproth Spaceport. As they approached the pole, a magnified view of the Cabeus Research Station appeared on Evan's holodisplay and the narrator explained the importance of this facility to the colonists.
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