by Thomas Stone
Fagen’s voice came through Harry’s headset. “How does it feel, Harry?”
“Like driving a vintage Cadillac. A unique experience.”
“I’ll say,” said Bobbi, “look at this.” She backed away and jumped. Her feet went over her head as she flipped nearly three meters above the ground. Unfortunately, her landing was less than graceful and she ended up on her backside. She bounced up as if nothing had happened. “Oops.”
Minerva’s voice came over the sound feed. “Edward, may I show how to utilize some of our hidden features?”
The group of five turned to see a sixth simulcon standing in the doorway of the truck. It was Minerva. She waved at the group and Blane’s robot waved back. Blane had painted the helmet of his simulcon with a likeness of himself making him the only distinguishable team member. Minerva bounced to his side in the blink of an eye.
“First,” she said, “comm channels and network feeds are always open unless there’s an intrusion attempt, in that case all channels are shut down except for control which switches to an unbreakable code.”
“Any code can be broken,” interjected Blane.
Minerva’s simulcon placed a metallic hand upon Blane’s shoulder. “Yes sweetheart, you’re right, but the more difficult it is, the more time it takes. By my calculations, it would take years to break the emergency control code. My point is, intrusion attempts into my network are all but impossible.”
Harry listened with interest but somehow knew Minerva was wrong.
She continued. “You are outfitted with the best sensor technology available, including ground and air radar, both passive and active, pinpoint sound amplification, motion and tactile disturbances sensors; if something touches you, you’ll be aware of it. Your strength is greatly enhanced; suffice to say you can turn steel bars into pretzels. Your tactile appendages, your hands, can perform a multitude of functions from hammering to drilling to burning. Simply select the menu option on consoles. Go ahead, try it out.”
The team entertained one another by hammering rocks into dust and lighting fingertips into flame. For a short time, they lined up and played leapfrog, jumping over one another in great bounds, taking themselves over three meters at times, all the while laughing like children, even Harry.
Minerva called for order and gathered the others around again. “In the event you need to see what’s on the other side of a hill or maybe what’s in the next valley, you can send up a self-sustaining flying sensor capable of relaying images in either plain visual or infrared.” She punched a button on her mini-sleeve console and a small compartment on her wide shoulder slid open to reveal a tiny device sitting on a launching rail. Illustrating the delicacy with which the robotic hands could operate, Minerva removed the device and held it in her metallic palm for the others to see.
“We’re all outfitted with these. Activate here…” she pointed at the same tiny launch switch, “by sliding the switch forward and pressing once. Then launch by pressing again. Easy-peesy, Japaneesey.” Replacing the device, she stood away from the others and went through the routine, finally launching it high into the air with a barely audible buzz. “Once in the air, it can stay aloft for up to an hour before needing to re-charge. It’s so small it’s virtually invisible. Once aloft, images are relayed back to your individual monitor. As long as you’re connected to my net, the images can be shared. And don’t forget your zoom and pan controls; they’ll come in handy.”
She took a breath for effect, and changed subject. “The simulcons are not indestructible, but as close to it as lightweight alloys will allow. They will take a substantial beating and still function. Weapons are carried in the slots you see fashioned into your backs and along your right side. We’ll drag those out later and have a little target practice, but for now let’s just get accustomed to the controls. All right then, walk around, do your own thing. If you have any questions, just ask.”
The six simulcons looked at one another under a darkening sky. Harry turned and began walking up the nearest dune.
*
Red-headed Ted ran along at Jennings’ heels, as well as over half a dozen other men who peppered Jennings with questions. Where’d the Earthers go? Did you ask them for downloads of Earth news? When can I get my fuel-cell controller fixed? Is the kitzloc situation about to get worse? Do the Earthers have something to do with it? What about the murder last night?
Jennings turned and stopped the crowd. “All right, all right. We’ll get news downloads and much more, I promise, so don’t worry about that. I’ll arrange it. Now,
I moved the Earthers to the desert. It’s where they want to be anyway. Because of the incident last night I decided not to take a chance. I am working on the killing last night.”
“Got anybody in mind?”
Jennings looked at the same large man who had addressed him before at the Earthers’ arrival. His name was Luther Cross and he was the only man in Jennings Bank who stood close to Jennings’ height. Luther was one of the rancher colonists who had moved to town but now worked as a blacksmith and machinist. Although younger than Jennings, he had emerged as Jennings’ principal political adversary.
Jennings put his hands on hips. “I’ve got some ideas.”
“Care to share them?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” Luther crossed his arms. He was a large man with beefy forearms and ham hands with thick, white calluses outlining his palms and fingers.
Jennings shrugged. “Nothing solid yet. Don’t want to say something and give people the chance to go off half-cocked. I’m working on it.” He abruptly turned and began striding away, Ted in tow. “Make sure everybody turns in their lists,” he said over his shoulder.
The crowd continued to hound him but he managed to get to his office and shut them out, except for Ted because he was nearly walking on Gary’s heels anyway. As soon as the door clicked shut, Jennings turned on Ted.
“Where was the truck?”
“The truck?”
“Yes, you idiot. My simulcon truck. The one you told me was found!”
“Oh, yes. It was out in the Wasabu region close to the salt flat.”
“They covered a lot of ground. Tell me it was in good shape, nothing broken, nothing missing. Tell me the simulcons were intact.”
“Everything is fine,” said Ted with satisfaction. “There was enough petrol to make it back.”
“Who took it? I’ll have their asses for this.”
“Nobody was with the truck. It was open but nobody was there. Looked to be footprints for three people, two men and a woman. Tobias, George, and Lisa are nowhere to be found. Not at work, not at home, nobody’s seen them.”
“I might have known it was them. Had to be Tob’s idea and he probably talked George into it and then you know Lisa, always up for an adventure. Then they go off and turn up missing. This shit is getting a little too fast and frequent for comfort.”
Jennings went behind his desk and sat down heavily, chair creaking under his weight. “Where’s the truck?”
“In the big garage out back.”
“Good. Get it refueled and stocked with food and supplies for three. I’ll be down shortly to take a look for myself.”
Ted didn’t move. Jennings stared at him. Ted asked, “Now?”
“Now would be good, Ted.”
“Oh, okay.” He pushed back his chair and stood up.
Jennings looked at the maps cluttering his desk. There were maps on the wall too, if one cared to look. Some had different colored pins sticking out marking positions where people used to live. He picked up a magnifying glass and began studying a particular map in detail. Ted opened the door to leave. Without looking up, Jennings said, “Call Griswold and Randy Ellis, not his son, but Mr. Ellis, you got that?”
Ted nodded but Jennings never looked up.
“Tell them to come see me asap. Like right now, understand? If they argue with you, say I’ll pay just to have them come see me.”
“Okay,” s
aid Ted. He stepped from the room, closing the door behind.
Jennings bent closer to the map and studied a particular spot. The great desert was an unknown sea of sand and rock, a deathtrap for anyone unprepared. Over the years, there had been some exploration and over-flights, but few first-hand details. Jennings knew the creatures lived in the interior but exactly where was anybody’s guess. At a time before the Corporation ships stopped coming, he’d made a purchase of a large quantity of gammaflies, flying nanobots designed to be carried on the wind. Theoretically, it was possible for a pack of gammaflies to remain aloft for years, relaying visual data of everything it passed. Jennings had released small quantities over the years and allowed the nanobots to drift casually over the desert capturing hundreds of hours of pictures and video streams. In the process, he’d found what he was certain were entrances to several kitzloc lairs. Only two or three appeared to have any recent activity. Jennings considered a fact: for the number of hours he watched, he’d never caught one of the creatures on video. What were the odds, he wondered, of continually failing to see them? Unless they had extraordinary senses, so highly refined as to be beyond human understanding. Who could know what creatures like that could do?
He reached for a pencil and circled the spot he’d been looking at. A knock came from the door and he jerked up.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me,” said Ted.
“Well, come in.”
“I can’t, the door’s locked.”
“Good grief, what do you want?” Jennings crossed the room and unlocked the door.
“Ellis is here with his son.”
“Already? I just wanted to see him, not the boy.”
“Well, they’re both here. We didn’t have to look far, they were sitting on the steps outside.”
“Tell them to come in.”
Within moments, the man and his son stood before Jennings. Randy Ellis was an experienced tracker with plenty of desert time. He participated in several of the prior uneventful kitzloc hunts and it was generally agreed Ellis was a gifted tracker. He was also an extremely quiet man. When he and his son walked into the office, they hardly made a sound.
Jennings greeted them and had just started to explain what he needed when Ellis spoke in a quiet but sure voice. “Where’s the money?”
“Money?”
“Yes, Ted said you’d give us money if we came.”
Jennings sighed. “I’ll give you ten spots.” Jennings pointed at Randy Ellis, Jr. “He’s not part of the deal.”
“Where’s my ten?”
Jennings sighed again and opened a drawer at his desk. He reached inside and pulled out a wad of bills. Counting out ten ones, he handed them to Ellis. Ellis took the money and then turned to Ellis, Jr. “Let’s go, son.”
“No, wait,” said Jennings coming around the desk. “Don’t go, I didn’t mean to offend you, but there’s only room for three of us and I’m asking Griswold to come along.”
“Huh.” Ellis grunted and rubbed his stubbled chin. “Good man. Tougher’n anybody on the planet prob’ly.” Ellis leaned forward, cleared his throat. “You see, Jennings, me and my boy work together. He’s young but he knows how to handle himself. We have our own system of signals that coordinate our moves. To be honest, I wouldn’t feel comfortable going without him.”
Jennings turned his gaze on Ellis, Jr. The younger Ellis was taller than his father but leaner. Like his father, he had a quiet nature.
“Look,” said the older Ellis as he pulled a disk from a knapsack. “Got time for a vid, short and to the point?”
Jennings threw up his hands and took the disk. “What the hell,” he muttered as he went to his desk and slipped the disk into a reader. Immediately, the desk monitor came to life showing a desert scene and two camouflaged men, the Ellis men, crawling up the side of a dune and slowly positioning a telescope at the highest part. When it was in place, they backed away until they were at the bottom. The younger Ellis held a remote and watched a small viewscreen. He looked at the camera and whispered, “There it is.” The camera view moved until it was pointed at the remote viewscreen. The elder Ellis’ voice asked, “Where?”
“See that dark speck? Here, let me zoom in.” Young Ellis adjusted the picture and the dark speck suddenly grew larger, large enough for details to come to view.
“Moves like a lizard,” whispered the senior Ellis barely loud enough for the microphone to pick up.
Jennings watched the video play out with rapt attention. It only lasted a few more seconds as the creature disappeared from view behind a dune.
“We’ve got more video,” said Ellis.
Jennings leaned back and looked at Ellis’ son. “Okay, you’re in but it’s gonna make it tight. Why didn’t you bring these to me before?”
“We were hanging on to them…”
“To sell to the highest bidder?”
“Yes, well, there haven’t been any bidders at all. But now that the Earthers have returned…”
“Both of you get your gear and be back here in two hours with the rest of your video.”
Ellis shook his head. “Nobody sees more video without paying.”
“You’ll get paid,” said Jennings.
Another knock at the door preceded Ted. “Griswold is here.”
As the Ellises departed, another man stepped into the office nodding cordially to the departing man and his son.
Jennings shook the newcomer’s hand. “Glad you could make it on short notice, Griswold.”
*
Fagen’s team adjusted quickly to the capabilities of their simulcons. They acted like children with new toys, exploring the limits of the machines. Blane struggled to walk up the sandy dune. For every step he took, he slid back two.
“Use your hands,” said Fagen, “to sort of swim your way along as you walk.”
Blane did so and found he could make progress in that manner. He also located a light switch in his controls that he punched on. The hillside was immediately bathed in light, illuminating all the simulcons, stopping them all in their tracks. It was completely night and they’d been cavorting under the stars by the light of a sliver of moon but suddenly they all felt exposed and vulnerable. Blane switched off the high-intensity light.
Minerva’s voice floated across the commnet. “Try switching to infrared visuals.”
Blane found the visual control and selected infrared. As before, the hillside was suddenly bathed in light except this time it had a greenish cast. The other simulcons were fully recognizable in the new light. Bobbi and Edward raced one another from point to point to see who was the fastest. So far, it was a dead heat. Blane and Minerva climbed to the crest of the dune then turned and allowed themselves to slide back down like surfers on a giant wave. Harry disappeared over the top as Kathleen struggled to keep up with him. There was a lot of laughter and animated talk and, for a moment, each duo forgot about the others.
Harry slid down the dune on the far side and began climbing up the next one. By the time Kathleen crested the top of the first dune, Harry was halfway up the next. “Wait for me,” she said, but Harry kept going. She pushed her simulcon and began to catch up as he passed over the top again.
When she reached the summit, she expected to see Harry trudging up the next hill but he wasn’t there. She turned to the left and right and checked each of her monitors to no avail. Harry had disappeared. There was motion at her feet and she stared at the moving sand as it rippled and then rose. Covered with sand, Harry sat up.
“What are you doing?” Harry’s simulcon head looked at her.
“Hiding.”
“Yes, well, nice trick.” She sat on the sand beside him and gazed at the stars in the foreign sky. She switched to proximity comms only. “I’ll never get over looking at a new sky. There are more visible stars here than from Earth. It’s lighter at night here.”
“We’re closer to the center of the galaxy. Mirabel is much older than Earth.”
“Which makes t
he kitzloc…”
“Much, much older than humankind.”
“You’re feeling better, aren’t you? I mean, it’s obvious. You’re acting like yourself again.”
“I do feel better. I should be dead by now…”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. Without Minerva and Tringl, I’d have lost it completely, but…”
“But what?”
“It’s still there. I can feel it. It hasn’t gone away. We’ve just bought more time.” Harry lay back against the sandy incline. “All the same, you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m glad it’s happened. It’s my crowning achievement.”
“How can you say that? It’s nearly killed you. Turned you into a, into a…”
“Monster?”
“No, Harry, I’d never say that but things have happened.”
“You’re still thinking about last night, aren’t you?”
“I will until I have some answers.”
Harry sighed. “You know what’s wrong with these simulcon units?”
“What?”
“I can’t smell. It’s like I’ve lost my most useful sense. I can’t smell the air out here. Something could be on the other side of the next dune and I wouldn’t know it. I would be more effective without this robot.”
“Talk to me, Harry.”
“I am talking to you.”
“No, I mean about last night. It was you I saw, wasn’t it?””
“Not exactly. I never left the truck last night.”
“But I saw you.”
“It wasn’t me. It was a doppelganger – that’s the closest word I have for it. I wasn’t controlling it. It acted on its own. I was in my rack when I sensed you outside. I projected myself and followed you. When I saw you were in trouble, it split away from me like an illusion with its own agenda.”
“Why didn’t Minerva see it?”
“As near as I can figure, the kitzloc have an ability to operate on different quantum planes by projecting their consciousness. My doppelganger didn’t open the door to the truck, instead it created an illusion of exiting then re-entering the vehicle. There was actually nothing for Minerva to notice – what happened -- at least, the coming and going part -- did happen in this physical plane, but by using another dimension. I was asleep, Kath, but it happened as I dreamt it, not as I willed it.”
