“Yes and yes.”
“My distaste for the Neo-Luddites increases…”
“How about you keep an eye on Squee? She can keep you company.”
“Very well. Though my discussions with Squee aren’t as intellectually stimulating as with you.”
#
If not for the knowledge of the things the Neo-Luddites had done, and what they would have done if they’d not been stopped, Lex would have felt inclined to pity them. Even though they were on the planet’s surface, the atmosphere was so low in oxygen and had such low pressure that they may as well have been in space. It wasn’t instant death to be exposed to the surface, but spending more than a few minutes outside would take some serious conditioning to shrug off. The facility itself had the rickety feel of something that was only ever intended to be in operation for a few months and was now decades into its tour of duty. The walls of the vehicle bay they guided him to visibly buckled outward as they pressurized it. Light was provided by ancient, moonlight-blue LEDs that had faded significantly over the years. Everything had the stink of sealant and machine oil.
Lex climbed down from the cockpit of the SOB and helped Michella. “Stay in touch, Coal. Let me know if they try to pull anything while we’re gone. I’ll have my slidepad on,” he said.
“Please clarify why we are confident they aren’t going to murder the two of you at the first opportunity,” Coal said.
“Because Michella’s crew would rat them out.”
“Couldn’t they kill you and then move somewhere else?”
“Tell you what, Coal. How about you keep a real close eye on them, and if they look like they’re going to try to kill us, intervene.”
“That would be far more achievable with a fusion device. They cannot kill you if I kill you first.”
Lex clicked the cockpit shut and turned to the door. “Not that I don’t love your lateral thinking, but let’s keep this one fun, huh?”
“That would be preferable. I shall prepare a contingency plan.”
Lex and Michella walked toward the door that led deeper into the facility. Two seasoned soldiers with the telltale scars and prosthetics of far too many battles stood watch. They each held weapons with more exposed wiring than one would typically accept in a proper sidearm. The pair, a man and a woman, regarded Lex and Michella with a stone-faced glare that was almost more threatening than their weapons.
“This way,” rumbled the woman.
They separated. The man tapped out a code on a panel by the door. There was something poetic about a tech-obsessed pseudocult having internal security that was either older or lower bid than the stuff that could be found at the average fast-food restaurant.
A short walk down a hallway that in no way changed their opinion of the facility took them to a large, empty room with three chairs set up in the center. Six more soldiers were standing at the ready behind the man who had been communicating with them during their arrival.
He looked worn down. Aged beyond his years. Whereas lingering evidence of injuries both fresh and old were a staple of the Neo-Luddites, this man seemed to be wholly intact, at least at first glance. But the look in his eyes suggested scars of a far deeper variety.
“Sit,” he said.
Michella flipped open her notebook and took her pen in hand. “Let’s start with—” she said.
“Shut it. I’ll brief you. When I’m through, you can ask questions, but I make no promises about answers. I will not endanger the lives and freedom of my soldiers.”
“I’m willing to begin by listening,” Michella said.
She marked something at the top of her page. Major Green held out a hand. One of his underlings presented a datapad.
“Six months ago, we received a message from a site formerly occupied by our forces. I will not tell you what site. The message was text only but utilized the current encryption protocols and security clearance at the time. We interpreted it as a message from an operative in the area. Our present location was requested, but when the individual in contact failed to provide the proper response to security challenges, we ceased communication and rotated protocols. Three weeks later, we discovered a second contact had been made. This one targeted a single individual. Attempts to filter messages from the source were followed with literally trillions of messages hammering our systems.”
“Sounds familiar,” Lex said.
“The individual targeted was not wholly of sound mind. Despite attempts to prevent further contact, some of the messages reached said individual, and against security policy, a reply was made. Four days later, a supply ship arrived. One that was requested via a known safe contact. When it entered the range of our internal network, all security within the facility failed. Power was rerouted. Doors were locked. Service crews were able to manually override the doors, but not before an automated medical platform secured the targeted individual.”
He handed the slidepad back. “We have no additional information. Part of the attack included a purge of associated security systems, meaning we have no footage of the attack. None of my soldiers observed any enemy forces during the attack. All we know is that they had sophisticated network-penetration capabilities and, presumably, an extensive information network. We have nothing more for you.”
“You have at least one more thing for me,” Michella said. “You didn’t tell me who they were after.”
“That is irrelevant.”
“Major Green, it is everything. It is the motivation, and as the acquisition was successful, it indicates future actions.”
“I have agreed to this discussion in order to give my soldiers the chance at continued freedom. Any greater specificity would defeat that purpose.”
Lex leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the ceiling. His expression was distant and thoughtful.
“Hold on…” he said. “If you’re so secretive, this must be a super high-level person. And if they were disabled… we’re talking about Commander Purcell, aren’t we?”
“Commander Purcell was killed by you,” Major Green said quickly.
“Technically, it was Ma, while in control of my ship. And not killed, just whipped at ridiculous velocity into deep space while wearing an emergency EVA suit,” Lex said. “And I happen to know she definitely survived.”
Michella gave Lex a sideways glance. Years of receiving such glances had expanded the subtle twitch of her eyebrow into a full paragraph. This one meant, “I don’t know where you got that information, but you’d better be right, because I’m going to double down on your bluff.”
“I did say we were interested in the truth, Major Green. I won’t get into how we attained the information indicating Commander Purcell’s survival, but if you continue to deny it, I am going to have to assume that you’ve withheld or falsified additional information that will make me question the value of working with you on this matter.”
“Commander Purcell was killed,” Major Green said firmly.
“Killed?” Lex said. “Or maybe she was just paralyzed below the waist. And maybe a little extra nutty thanks to prolonged oxygen deprivation, so that she’s unhinged even by the fairly extreme standards of the Neo-Luddites.”
Major Green looked Lex in the eye. He didn’t flinch, but he was taking the statement far more seriously than someone who thought it was bogus.
“We have our sources,” Michella said, smelling blood in the water. “This has been a test, Major Green, and I must say, you haven’t earned very high marks yet. I will remind you, we aren’t here for you. We are here to find out who was responsible for the massive cyberattack. But I’m not walking away without a story. So either you give me something that can lead me to this Eric person you mentioned, or I’m just going to have to find something else to write about.”
“It was Commander Purcell,” Major Green allowed. “And she had been somewhat more unstable following her rescue. We had secured her here for treatment, as we felt she’d accessed too much sensit
ive information in her role as commander to be allowed to be captured by the authorities or treated at a civilian hospital. Purcell was the one who answered the message. It is possible that she specifically requested to be removed from the facility. She was very focused on certain classified missions, which she felt confident were the only way to ensure the eventual victory of our greatly diminished force.”
“And what were those missions?”
“That is where I draw the line. This is a matter of safety not only for my soldiers but for civilization. I firmly believe that our reliance on antiquated technology has rendered us too weak to face the threats ahead, but Purcell would purposely unleash those threats. I can’t allow even the suggestion of such a—”
“So we’re talking about the GenMechs,” Michella said.
The major’s already stern face became downright dour.
“I’ve had my run-ins with the GenMechs,” Lex said. “We both have. You should know that. It’s not like you’re letting the cat out of the bag with this one. What did Purcell know about them?”
“… Everything. Their history. Their purpose. The nature of their threat. Ever since her near death, she’d become obsessed with them. She was constantly demanding that we stir them to action. It was under her direction that we took what we believed to be a measured risk of seeking the single separate one during what would turn out to be our last significant operation.”
Lex shut his eyes and crossed his arms. “And now she’s been sprung by someone with serious technology expertise. Bad, bad, bad, bad…”
“This is certainly a bigger story.” Michella’s unmasked excitement at something that presented a genuine existential threat to humanity was a bit shameless. “I need everything you might have about this Eric person.”
“There isn’t much. The messages were all demands for access to Purcell personally. Some additionally contained references to ‘securing the target,’ with the implication that Purcell was a secondary objective.”
“Was there any mention of Trevor?” Michella asked.
“No.”
“Did you save any of the messages?”
“It was a network penetration attack. We completely purged all system data that was even accessible from the message system for a full seven days surrounding the event.”
“Do you have anything else about Eric?”
“The only remaining thing that bears mentioning is the spelling. E-h-r-i-c.”
Michella made a note of it. “Germanic, perhaps?”
“And in all instances that it was written, it was capitalized with the exception of the letter C.”
“Valuable information. Thank you. Possibly some sort of handle. Relatively unique,” Michella said.
Lex’s slidepad chirped. “Lex, I’m bored. Is it time to break things yet?”
“Not yet, Coal.”
“There’s a person in here staring at me. He took a picture.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Coal.”
“These walls are light duty. I’m relatively certain I could cause a catastrophic depressurization event while maintaining plausible deniability of guilt.”
“Not when you just come right out and say it.”
“My sensors are detecting the distinct power readings of a magnetic antimatter containment apparatus in the neighboring facility. I suspect they have access to tactical and strategic explosives. Do you think they would permit me to acquire one if I asked nicely?”
“No.”
“Perhaps if I ask aggressively?”
“No antimatter weapons, Coal.” Lex looked up. “Do you have antimatter weapons?”
“The power needs for this settlement are provided by a seventh-generation antimatter generator,” Major Green said. “It is the future of power generation, and the rest of society would be well advised to—”
“Save the sales pitch. Coal, could it be an antimatter power generator?”
“It could be, if the people here are self-destructively dedicated to novelty. Antimatter generators are profoundly sensitive to power interruption and fail catastrophically in the event of containment failure. Utilizing an antimatter power generation system for a planet is akin to powering your civilization with a bomb. Of course, to a degree, this is so of all technologies of all generations. Even solar energy is—”
“Coal, if I didn’t want a sales pitch, I certainly don’t want a physics lesson. The point is, ‘self-destructively dedicated to novelty’ is pretty much the short description of the Neo-Luddites.” Lex glanced at the major. “You said whoever came here messed with power?”
“They did.”
“But they didn’t end up blowing this whole planet to rubble in the process,” Lex said.
“Evidence that they either aren’t interested in violence or aren’t concerned about covering their own tracks,” Michella said.
“But why would anyone want a former terrorist leader if they weren’t interested in violence?”
“Perhaps they’re interested in justice. A vigilante.” Michella shut her notes. “I think we are through here.”
She and Lex stood.
“Major, I am a woman of my word. So long as you remain inactive, I am willing to direct my investigative focus to EHRIc and his plans. But if my sources indicate that there is any motion from the Neo-Luddites that might threaten innocent lives, or if any action is taken against me, Lex, or our associates, I assure you, your location will be provided to any and all relevant authorities. Your anonymity remains only so long as you remain peaceful. Understood?”
“I am unaccustomed to taking ultimatums from the press,” Major Green said.
“Think of it as a truce with a warring faction. Everyone else seems to look at the press that way,” she said.
#
The hostility was palpable as they were led back to the hangar. Over the course of the last few minutes, presumably thanks to the less than harmless inclinations of the ship’s AI, a growing number of soldiers had accumulated around the SOB to keep an eye on it. Coal, never one to let an opportunity to plumb the depths of the human condition slip by, was having a one-sided discussion with them via the ship’s exterior speakers.
“If you are as dedicated to inadvisable technology as you appear, another topic that might interest you is hyperdense solid-state batteries. Karter abandoned research into them after a promising start because dendrite formation inevitably caused catastrophic discharge events. The presence of the word ‘catastrophic,’ when run through my decision heuristics, marked this as a topic of high interest for the Neo-Luddites.”
“Coal, do me a favor and don’t give them any ideas. At least, not until after we’re clear of the potential blast radius,” Lex said.
He popped the hatch and was instantly assaulted by the ballistic affection of his pet funk. Though Squee had only had to endure a few minutes alone, she’d managed to build herself into a full frenzy upon his return.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Lex said as Michella awkwardly climbed into the SOB’s rear seat. “You ready? You ready? Go get Mitch.”
Squee yipped ecstatically and coiled herself. A single prodigious leap delivered herself squarely into Michella’s waiting arms. Lex hurried to get back inside before Squee decided to do the return trip. The moment he was inside, the soldiers cleared away. Pumps flipped on and the walls groaned as the pressure was gradually reduced.
“Are we secure?” Michella said. “Do we have privacy?”
“You are audio and radio isolated. I will tint the windows to prevent lip-reading,” Coal said.
The hatch became opaque.
“Trev, how did you know about Purcell?” she demanded.
“Lucky guess.”
“Saying her name is a lucky guess. The paralysis and mental-degradation thing is foreknowledge. Have you been holding out on me?”
“You know that trip to the future that you seem to only halfway believe I took and that I’ve been coy about?”
“Oh, I am quite aware.”
“Commander Purcell was there. She was absolutely nuts, grizzled as could be, and hooked into this crazy souped-up mobility device.”
“But you said that was an alternate future. The bad version of the future.”
“True. But the only difference between this moment in history for that future and the present is that I wasn’t around at this point in the bad version. So if Purcell was alive in that future, she must be alive in this present.” He shrugged. “I mean, I guess. The logic of this stuff gets a little metaphysical, and I usually try not to think about it too hard.”
He took the controls and started to prepare for departure. “Though I suppose we’re going to have to start thinking about it now…”
Michella nodded. “We’ve got some very solid directions to continue searching. I think we’re going to have to split up. I’m going to need a more consistent network connection than you can provide with these off-the-grid jumps. Now that Purcell is confirmed to be a part of this, I can start tugging old strings from back when she was a part of an active investigation. And I’ll need to hit my usual sources about this EHRIc person. Or maybe they’re a group… The point is, I’ll need you to drop me off anywhere civilized. I’ll work on finding my own way home.”
The hangar doors finally opened, and Lex pivoted the ship to begin its exit vector. “Fine. That’ll take you some time. Maybe I can at least get back to Operlo long enough to run the race.”
“Trev, the former leader of an organization that existed almost specifically to make your life a living hell is now confirmed to be on the loose again.”
“Not to contradict you,” Coal said. “But VectorCorp was the organization focused on actions catered to the detriment of Lex’s life for a number of years. The Neo-Luddites were incidentally crossing paths with him due to his network of connections in the paramilitary and research-and-development worlds.”
“It doesn’t really improve the situation at all,” Michella said.
“No, but it is at least a more accurate assessment.”
“Look, the point is, Trev, you can’t just ignore what’s going on.”
Nova Igniter Page 8
