Variant: A science fiction thriller (The Predictive: Deep Space Fringe Wars Book 2)

by L. V. Lane

  We followed the sentry directions on past rows of tents nestled within the trees before arriving at the lake shore. It had been a month since my last visit, but I got the impression that there were a lot more than four hundred people here. Did Landon transfer some additional people in?

  “Not much of a survivalist then?” I asked Rachel. The shale and sand beach leading to the clear gray lake was bustling with people and industry as modern tents butted up against crude wooden shelters in a mishmash of old and new.

  “No, absolutely not,” Rachel said grinning. “Give me a snotty nose any day.”

  “I’m not much for snotty noses.” I could think of nothing worse. I didn’t enjoy being in proximity to someone with the flu, never mind getting up close and personal. Although Rachel was seeking a genetic level solution. Still, there had to be some snot analysis in there? “I’d rather wrangle a big cat, and that’s saying something.”

  “Yes, I heard about that,” she said knowingly. “You might want to put a little more practice in before you claim the wrangler status, though.”

  A choking noise escaped me. I’d bet a fish Marik had been charming her with tales of my misdeeds. “Marik?”

  She smirked. “Marik.”

  A welcoming committee emerged from a rough wooden structure centrally located within the substantive camp. I recognized the appointed base leader, who went by the name of Calen, but the rest were unknowns. All of them appeared to have the flu. Calen was a stocky woman with deep set eyes. She wasn’t going to win any beauty awards, but she knew how to organize a base.

  “No improvement then?” I indicated Calen’s puffy red nose.

  “We’ve had several rounds of the infection,” Calen said. “Hoping the doctor can help us.”

  Rachel stepped forward and formal introductions followed. I was impressed that she was prepared to shake their hands given how disgusting they looked. I didn’t offer pleasantries and maintained an acceptable distance.

  “I’ve limited resources, but new, native disease was always a possibility and it’s my area of expertise,” Rachel said. “With a predominance of infection here, I’m in the best place to find a solution. I will need a sample of people with and without symptoms.”

  “We transferred those without to the nearby camps, and any with illness in,” Calen said. “The Commander approved it.”

  “So, everyone here is infected?” I was already creeped out by the place, but was doubly so now. I was surprised Landon hadn’t mentioned the transfers, though.

  “They are. We still patrol around the nearby camps, but everyone here has suffered some form of illness… We’ve prepared a tent for you. A team will be at your disposal.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll settle in and begin straight away,” Rachel said.

  At the base leader’s indication, Rachel was escorted to her new home.

  “As you can see, despite the illness, our camp is running efficiently,” Calen said to me in a way that was clearly dismissive. “We’ve had very few animal attacks since we established the boundary, and food stocks are adequate.”

  I nodded. “Good.”

  “Will you be returning to the central base directly?” she asked pointedly.

  I’d intended to do exactly that, and yet Calen’s less than relaxed demeanor told me she wanted to get rid of me. Fuck knows what her game was. Probably getting all autonomous and power hungry having management of our second largest camp.

  “No, I’ll be here for a while. I know you’re supporting a few of the nearer satellite camps, but we are struggling with the rest. Transporting natural food has been problematic. Might be easier to start transitioning more people here.”

  A tic thumped in her jaw. Like some evil god was giving life a poke, she launched into a loud, wet sneeze that sprayed all over the area… And me. Grim! She lifted a hand to stem the fallout, but some of the microscopic bastards must have gotten through.

  “Apologies.” She reached into her utility pouch. Pulling out a rag, she noisily blew her nose… a disgusting sound that left me a little nauseous. “I’ll organize a team to show you around.”

  Huh? I didn’t need a damn guide. Bitch was probably hoping I’d get the flu as payback from my open disgust.

  My grin was all teeth. “No need. I can show myself around.”

  “As you wish. We’ve identified a number of animal lairs in the vicinity, but I’m sure you’ll spot them.” She inclined her head. Her joyless smile gave me the impression she thought I was an idiot for declining her escort, and further, expected me to imminently die.

  “The illness must be affecting their brains,” Gael, one of my team members, quipped.

  I grinned. “No, I’m confident our resident overseer has always been that way.”

  We made the rounds of the big sprawling camp. It had expanded since my last visit. It was strange to see real structures going up when the main base was still mostly using the tents and transports. After a brief talk to people seeking news on the rest of the colony, I was satisfied as I could be. There was still something weird about the place, but I’d seen more than enough… And the constant sneezing was making me feel itchy.

  We made a brief stop off at Rachel’s tent. She was deep into her work with equipment stacked around her. “Anything you need? We’re about to head off?” I asked.

  “No, I’ve a lot to do here. Plenty of test cases—I mean people.” She smiled.

  “I’ll send Marik to check in on you in a couple of weeks.” I winked.

  She laughed. “Please do. How else will I keep up on the gossip?”

  Leaving the camp, we took a broad loop of the surrounding area, meeting a few patrols, but otherwise finding the area to be quiet. I was about to call time on returning to the main base when I noticed a path leading north. “Any idea where that goes?”

  Gael consulted his map. “This is an unexplored area according to the records. But that’s too well trodden to be animals.”

  “Let’s see where it goes,” I said, my curiosity piqued.

  It led for a considerable distance. The light began to fade and the clicking insect song rose to a roar, and still no end came in sight. I was considering calling time and making camp for the night when it opened. Before us was a small clearing with a soaring rock formation, slit by a narrow cave entrance.

  There were two guards outside.

  “This is a restricted area,” the guard on duty said.

  I blinked a couple of times as that sank in. I frowned. “Restricted by who?”

  The guard stared stoically back, casually bringing his rifle round to bear.

  What the fuck?

  “Illness,” the second guard said, also bringing his weapon to bear. “No one is allowed in.”

  My eyes narrowed. “We should have our geneticist check them out, then.” I could sense my team shifting, subtly making moves to prepare.

  “No can do, sir.” The one on the left tapped on his wrist plate.

  The hairs on the back of my neck rose. The wrist plates had been good for nothing other than basic coordinates, but the way the guard used it, so confidently. Were they able to communicate within the trees?

  “Don’t touch that.” I launched myself at him, shoving the gun aside just in time to deflect the blast into a tree. I yanked the weapon from his hand as my team rushed and overpowered the second guard.

  “You’ll regret not walking away,” the guard I held in an arm lock sneered. “I called it in the moment I heard footsteps.”

  “Good for you,” I said, grabbing the man’s collar, turning him, and slamming him against the wall. “What’s really in there, asshole?”

  The man fought to turn and catch his companion’s eye.

  “Don’t look at him for answers!” I smacked him into the wall again for good measure.

  “You’re fucked, buddy,” he said. His grin was bloody where I’d slammed him into the wall. “You don’t have communication and there aren’t enough of them. You would have been better off runnin
g. But you’re too stupid to figure it out.”

  I dragged the guard away from the wall and threw him into the dark cave interior. He hit something with a muffled grunt as I switched my rifle flashlight on.

  Boxes?

  “Are you hiding rations?” I grabbed the man by the collar again and thrust him toward my team to hold on to before striding to the containers. “Component construction material?” I read.

  The guard started laughing.

  There was a smacking noise and the laughter died on a grunt of pain.

  Were they crazy? Hoarding anything in a colony was subject to corporal punishment. In extreme cases, death, if the person was shown to be distributing or profiting. This significant stash would see them the subject of Landon’s swift justice. Why would anyone take such a risk for construction material?

  Approaching the nearest container, I hit the plate. It popped open and I shone the flashlight down on to… lots of metallic circles.

  “What the fuck?” I cast a glance over my shoulder.

  One guard faced down, blood dripping from his nose. The other was grinning like a crazy person. “Should have run, fucker,” he said.

  Turning back to the crate, I picked one of the circles up, squinting at it under my rifle beam. They looked weirdly familiar, but I couldn’t work out why.

  “God help us,” Gael muttered behind me, snagging my attention. “That’s a Federation control collar.”

  The blood drained from my face. I dropped the collar and snapped the lid shut.

  The bastard was right, I should have fucking run.

  A shot blasted into the cave, taking out a soldier. “Inside now!” my cry reverberated off the walls and everyone sprang to action.

  “We are so fucked,” Gael said.

  I was inclined to agree.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Eva

  STILL REELING FROM the prediction, I headed over to the storage transport and began reviewing our diminishing supplies. Medical requests had arrived for three satellite camps, and I began pulling the orders together.

  In my mind, I kept seeing Brent’s face as he studied the data. I didn’t understand why I thought him too perfect, but he was too perfect, like the planet was too perfect, and not imperfect the way Riley was. Yet, despite this, I knew with every molecule of my being that Brent was Federation.

  Outwardly, I appeared calm. Inside, I was coming apart.

  I needed to talk to Landon, but Landon wasn’t here.

  Eric wasn’t here either.

  I’d chosen my time to visit Brent poorly it seemed, on reflection.

  Jax was the current person of authority in the camp, but while I respected his capability, I thought this matter was too momentous for anyone but Landon or Eric.

  The Federation had been here the whole time, nothing had happened yet, and it wouldn’t suddenly happen just because I knew. The burden of knowledge was still enough to make me feel physically sick. I thought about telling Riley. She was the only person who might have some insight. But more likely it would only traumatize her.

  So I sat on the prediction.

  I dragged another crate to one side so I could get to the medical supplies underneath. Depressing the lock, I opened it to find it empty. I rechecked my hand viewer. There was supposed to be stock left in this one. Great! Now I would fail my one and only job.

  Only this wasn’t my job. I was a predictive. It was time I got back to what I do. We have a terror within our midst—one we need to deal with.

  Closing the lid, I began searching for alternative supplies. I felt stupidly close to tears, and gravely concerned we might have no refills for the medical scanners.

  Riley had been a target for a long while. I wondered if that was anything to do with the Federation infiltration. There was no obvious prediction, and yet, it seemed likely they would view a deserter as a threat to their mission… whatever that mission was.

  Is she part of it? I froze mid-box shift, dropping the heavy crate to the floor in a way that made me wince for the contents. A tiny pink gecko had been hiding underneath. It reared its back and barked at me in displeasure before darting under another container. I sighed.

  No, Riley couldn’t be part of this. I must have utterly failed my predictions if she was. Yet dread bloomed in my chest, as I wondered again if my friendship had interfered with a prediction. I wasn’t infallible as Edson-46 had taught me.

  I needed to talk to someone. I couldn’t handle this on my own.

  Spying a box with the medical tag in the back corner gave me a distraction from my anxiety. We still needed medical supplies. I began shifting and tugging the surrounding storage containers out of the way. I hadn’t been in this far corner since we’d first arrived. Perhaps there were other useful supplies back here. I didn’t claim diligence at my storekeeping; it was a task I endured at best. Wedging my back against another box, I braced myself and used my feet to shove another box stack out the way. It gave in a rush and the whole column tumbled over.

  “Fuck!”

  I didn’t curse very often but today felt like a good time to start as I stared down at the mess I had made. A dull throb kicked off at the back of my neck, and I worked my fingers into it. What am I doing here, hiding in this store transport? I’m wasting time! Only I didn’t know what else to do.

  I tugged at the nearest box, trying to right it, but it was heavy and didn’t budge. Marik would arrive soon, expecting the supplies to be ready. I never had them ready on time, but for once, I wanted not to fail.

  Pushing at the nearest offending box, I somehow caught the release and it sprung open and the contents spilled out. Great!

  Muttering under my breath, I righted the box and proceeded to stuff the former contents back in. Lots and lots of metallic circles. The box label read ‘component construction material’. There were several such boxes that I had shoved to the back when we first arrived.

  When I lifted the final metal circle, I twisted it over in my hand. It was smooth with a circumference a little larger than the span of my hand. The metallic surface was surprisingly ornate. It resembled a curious type of jewelry. Nothing like construction material at all. There was a familiarity to it that stirred at my memory. Had I seen this before? My mind was blank to the item, yet I felt troubled by it.

  There was technology in it. As I studied the inside, I noticed a tiny panel with a print plate. I pressed my thumb against it, and it snapped open. It is meant to go around something. Experimenting I opened and closed it a few times wondering what it might go around.

  A conversation with Riley surfaced to my thoughts.

  “They claim we’re in the age of enlightenment, that they treat every caste with respect. That they have abolished control. They haven’t, not entirely. I’ve seen the collars kept as gruesome reminders of the past, displayed like trophies of war. Yes, they claim to have found enlightenment, but after the Mad Wars, none of them truly are.”

  I dropped it and scrambled back. Control collars? My eyes darted to the boxes at the back. So many labels stating component construction material, quite useless to us in our current predicament and I had wondered what fool had packed so many when we desperately needed other more obvious supplies. I skimmed over the stacks seeing how many more boxes bore that label.

  How many collars were here?

  I began to hyperventilate.

  How many collars did they need?

  Outside the storage transport, I could hear whistling approaching, and I almost came apart at the terror of discovery. It was Marik. He was early. Is he Federation? My mind whirled trying to decide quickly if he was. There was no notion he might be, but I’d been in a community where seventeen percent of the people were Technologists and I’d been blind.

  Stuffing the collar back into the box and slamming the lid shut was an act of mind over body when touching the hated device made me queasy. The soft clank of footsteps approaching up the ramp sent me screaming fear into overdrive.

  The whistling
stopped, the door opened, and Marik stepped inside.

  His eyes went from my stricken face to the box catastrophe taking place. “Thought I heard a bit of a racket. I know you hate your job and all, but there’s no need to take it out on innocent boxes.” He grinned, but it fell when I remained frozen. “No problem. Want me to help you put them back?”

  No, get out so I can think! I shook my head, trying to study his face for evidence of the fake perfection so apparent in Brent’s face. It was just Marik, but fear clouded my ability to be objective and his face was familiar enough that I could sense nothing beyond an easy acquaintance.

  “Feeling better?” The question sounded ridiculously random given the box chaos surrounding me.

  “Better? I never got ill.” He grinned again and patted his chest as he twisted the rifle slung over his shoulder back. “I might be fringe Aterran, but I swear my immune system is second to none.”

  It wasn’t a lie. I breathed a little easier. “Close the door.”

  His smile dropped again. He turned to lock the door. I was immediately comforted as the serious facade of a Marine both Eric and Landon respected slipped into place. Without asking, he set it to locked.

  “I need to show you something.”

  He nodded, solemn.

  My hands shook. It took two attempts to get the lid opened. Holding the collar in my hands was like holding a raw malevolent presence, like it might jump up and lodge itself about my throat simply from having it near. “Marik?”

  He stepped back and stared at it with wide, horrified eyes. “Yeah, I know what it is. What the fuck is it doing here?”

  I indicated the box, hidden from his view by the open lid.

  He looked at the box, looked at me, and then slowly stepped up to peer inside.

  Raising both arms, he squeezed his skull between his fingers, paced away, swore, paced back, and stopped in front of the box. His eyes searched mine. “Are you predicting, Eva?”

  I gave the tiniest of nods. “We need to fetch Jax.”

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” He began pacing again.

  “Marik,” I said softly. “We need to get Jax.”