by Piers Platt
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m glad you know that.”
They locked eyes for a few seconds, and then Jaymy let go of his hand, blushing. “If you’ve learned your lesson, then why do you still feel the need to help Ricken with this … coup of his?”
“Because acknowledging what I did is only part of it. I don’t think I’ll feel right about things until I’ve figured out some way to make amends for everything, too.”
“Is the Federacy really that bad?” Jaymy asked. “The Senate is so corrupt that the only solution is to rise up against it?”
“I think so,” Rath said. “Remember: it was a group of senators that founded and controlled the Guild. And I figured out why we were attacked in the restaurant – a senator sent those men after me, too.”
“What?” Jaymy asked.
Rath nodded. “Senator Foss, from Scapa. He hired me to kill Delacourt, just so that he could win the election. And when I came back, he sent his NeoPuritan punks to kill me, to keep me quiet. Who knows what else is going on at Anchorpoint, that normal people like you and me aren’t even aware of.”
“Rath, you need to tell someone about Foss. He should be arrested.”
“I did!” Rath said. “I told the district attorney. But I don’t have enough evidence that Foss was involved.”
“Are they after me, too? The NeoPuritans?” Jaymy asked.
“I don’t know,” Rath told her. “Maybe.”
“Great,” she said, frowning. “And you think there are other senators like Foss? That all of them are bad?”
“I’m sure there are other senators like him. Perhaps not all of them, but many.”
“So how does electing a new batch of senators help? Won’t they be just as corrupt as the ones we have today?” she asked.
“I hope not. But anything’s better than the ones in charge today. Ricken’s right: the system is rigged to protect the rich, and keep the poor in check.”
“What do you mean?” Jaymy asked.
“Growing up, you had a family, and money,” Rath explained.
“Not much money,” she pointed out. “We weren’t rich or anything.”
“But enough to see you through college, which helped you get a decent job,” Rath said. “Right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I never had that chance,” Rath told her. “I was one of the top students in my class before … before my brother was murdered.”
“Your brother was murdered? You never told me that,” Jaymy murmured, concern creasing her face.
Rath shrugged. “His name was Vonn. More than anything, he wanted to get me out of the lower levels. And we had a plan. I was going to work my butt off, and try to win a scholarship to college. Then I’d get a decent job, and maybe get him out of the lower levels, too. But the chances were really slim, and we knew it. When he died, I dropped out, and I started stealing just to make ends meet.”
“It’s that bad?” Jaymy asked.
“Worse,” Rath told her. “My neighbor growing up was a construction worker. He broke his leg on the job one day, and he couldn’t afford to go to the clinic. He set it in a cast himself at home, went back to work two days later so they wouldn’t fire him, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. How is that fair, when there are people living just a few levels up with private cars and indoor pools?”
Jaymy shook her head, but stayed silent.
“On Tarkis, the kids in my neighborhood either became drug addicts, or criminals – and most of the time, both. And there are millions, billions of kids like them, with no other options. I’ve been on dozens of planets where it’s the exact same thing. With all the wealth and power in this galaxy, I don’t understand why the Senate hasn’t been able to change that. All I can think is that they don’t care to.”
“You think Ricken can change things?”
Rath nodded. “I think he means to try.”
“But this is Anders Ricken,” Jaymy pointed out. “He and his guerillas terrorized the Federacy for years. Are you sure you can trust him?” Jaymy asked.
“No,” Rath admitted. “I’m not.”
* * *
Jaymy shook Rath awake in the middle of the night. He sat up quickly in the dark.
“What? Is something wrong?” he asked. He switched to thermal vision on his eye implants, but saw only Jaymy leaning over him, having climbed out of her own bunk.
“You were crying out,” she told him. “Another bad dream.”
Rath sighed. “Oh. Thanks.”
“You still get them a lot?” she asked, taking a seat on the edge of his bunk.
“Yeah,” he said.
“What was this one about?” she asked.
Rath shook his head in the dark. “Nothing.”
She rubbed his back. “Maybe if you talked about your dreams, you could start coming to terms with them.”
“You want to be my therapist now?” Rath joked.
“Well, keeping it all inside isn’t working out so well, is it? So tell me.”
“I don’t think you want to know the details,” he said.
“Try me,” Jaymy insisted.
Rath hesitated, and then cleared his throat. “I was remembering a kill. Two partners were involved in a dispute over ownership of a business, and they sent me to kill one of the guys involved.”
“And?” Jaymy asked.
“You’re sure you want to know?” Rath asked.
“Yes.”
“… and I stalked him, and broke into his home. They made us watch our kills, so they could record our visual feed and send it to the client as proof of death. I … drowned him, in his bathtub. It takes longer than you would think.”
“During the trial, you said you almost drowned during training for the Guild, right?”
“Yeah,” Rath agreed. “I know exactly how he felt. He suffered a lot.”
Jaymy stopped rubbing Rath’s back. He could hear her breathing, slow and even, in the dark. “Are you going to stay, and help Ricken?” she asked, finally.
“I think so,” Rath said. “I think I have to try.”
“I think there are other ways to pay your debt, as you call it,” Jaymy pointed out. “But I understand how you feel.”
“At our first stop, I’ll get you on a ship back home to Scapa, and we’ll figure out a way to make sure the cops know you weren’t involved in my escape,” Rath told her.
“I’m not worried about that. But the NeoPuritans scare me. I’m starting to think the safest thing might be to stay close to you.”
“You want to stay?” Rath asked, surprised. “Jaymy, I don’t know where we’re going, or what Ricken has planned. I don’t know how safe it’s going to be, with or without me to protect you.”
Jaymy lifted the covers, and stretched out on the bunk, snuggling herself into Rath. “Well, then … maybe I just want to stay,” she told him.
“Why?” Rath asked.
She sighed, and then kissed him. “Because I never stopped loving you, you dummy.”
14
Amid a press of people, Dasi pushed through the curtains and out of the church’s main sanctuary, with Turpin in tow. She could see the church’s stone entranceway a short distance ahead. She sighed with relief, and picked up her pace, forcing Turpin to catch up with her. Then a security guard appeared, holding a hand up, and Dasi’s heart stopped.
“I need to check your internal computer’s memory,” he told her.
“What?” she asked. “I was just leaving.”
“You can go after we confirm you didn’t make any unauthorized recordings,” he said.
Oh, shit! I’m still recording now! Six, what do I do?
The guard held up a wireless device near her neck, and it beeped once. “Type in your admin access code,” he ordered.
>>>Allow them to access the computer, Six said.
Dasi typed in her code numbly, hoping the guard didn’t notice her trembling fingers. He pressed another button, and then surveyed the screen.
>
“Okay, you’re all set,” he said.
Dasi hid her confusion and nodded, heading for the exit.
What happened? she asked Six.
>>>I simply reprogrammed the scanner device when it connected to your computer. The device had very rudimentary security code.
Outside the NeoPuritan Church, the sun was setting in Excavar’s simulated sky. Dasi took a deep breath, shaking her head to clear it. She could feel a sheen of sweat down her back – her heart was still racing from the effects of the lifewater, and the close call with the guard.
“Do you want to get some dinner?” Turpin asked.
“No,” Dasi said. “I’m not feeling well. I think I better get home.”
“Okay,” he said, smiling peacefully. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure,” she agreed, watching as he wandered off. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him so relaxed.
On her eye implants a yellow outline appeared around a building across the street.
>>>District Attorney Hawken is located in the highlighted building. Our cellular signal is active again, now that we are outside the church. I took the liberty of sending them a message saying the ceremony was over.
Okay, good, Dasi said. Where would I be without you, Six?
>>>In all likelihood, still back at the Academy, trying to graduate.
She laughed, and with that simple act, felt some of the tension of her undercover mission wash away. Dasi crossed the street, and followed Six’s instructions, taking an elevator up three floors to the door of an apartment. Lefev met her at the door, opening it before she could knock.
“Dasi! Are you okay?”
“No,” she said, stepping inside. The apartment was nearly empty, furnished only with a few folding chairs and an old couch. Dasi saw surveillance equipment set up at the front windows, pointing at the church’s stone façade.
“We lost your signal when you went inside,” Jace told her, showing her to the couch. “Did they hurt you?”
“No,” Dasi said, sitting. “I’m okay, but I think they drugged me.”
“Oh, god! Your cover was blown?” Jace asked, squatting in front of her.
“No,” Dasi said. “They didn’t suspect anything, I don’t think. But there’s something in the lifewater. They didn’t just drug me – they drugged the whole congregation.”
“What?” Jace asked. “I don’t understand. Why would they drug you and everyone else? What happened in there today?”
Dasi frowned, trying to form a coherent thought. “It’s nothing to do with today, or anything unusual that happened. Everything was normal. They always drug the congregation. Every time. That’s why the Church members are so loyal, and they keep coming back, and paying their dues. The lifewater is some kind of narcotic.”
“You’re kidding,” Jace said.
Dasi shook her head. “Feel my pulse.”
Lefev took her wrist for a moment, and then felt her forehead. “You’re burning up. Heart rate’s one-fifty, one-sixty maybe. It must be some kind of stimulant.”
“Jesus,” Jace said, straightening up. “A narcotic in the lifewater. That’s … insane.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Lefev argued. “Now we know why we can’t turn any of the members, and why they keep going back to hand over their life savings every week.”
“No, I know,” the district attorney agreed. “It all fits. It’s just … Rewynn and his cronies, they’ve been drugging their parishioners en masse?”
Lefev cocked an eyebrow. “When Karl Marx said religion was the opiate of the masses, I doubt he expected anyone to take it quite so literally.”
Hawken turned back to Dasi. “We need to get you to a hospital.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be okay, I’m just … riding it out. But I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Hawken asked.
“Yeah,” Dasi said. “I just need to sleep it off.”
Lefev helped her stand. “I’ll take you home. I think I better stay the night to keep an eye on you, too.”
“Thanks,” she told him, smiling wanly. “I appreciate it.”
“Not at all,” he said. “It’s the least we can do. You’ve just given us our best lead yet.”
“You’ve broken the case open,” Jace said, rubbing Dasi’s back as she stood. “If we can get a sample of the lifewater …”
Lefev shot him a look of concern. “She just got out of there, Jace. Let the poor girl rest.”
“Of course,” Hawken said. “Sorry. Just … trying to process all of this. Lefev will take you home. We’ll talk more tomorrow, or whenever you’re feeling up to it. Nice job in there.”
“Thanks,” Dasi said. “I recorded it all – I’ll send it to you later when I get home.”
“Rest!” Jace admonished her. “Rest first. The investigation can wait.”
* * *
Back at Dasi’s apartment, Lefev set out a pair of pajamas for her to change into, and then disappeared to make her a cup of herbal tea while she changed. Her heart rate was beginning to return to normal, and she found herself shivering as her fever broke, too.
Whatever’s in that lifewater, it’s powerful stuff, she told Six. Scary stuff. I don’t like losing control like that.
>>>I imagine that is unsettling.
Dasi climbed into bed, sighing. Lefev knocked on the door a few moments later, delivering her tea to her bedside table.
“Do you want anything else?” he asked.
“No, thank you,” she told him. “Are you okay on the couch? I think I have a spare blanket in the hall closet.”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Just rest. And yell if you need me.”
“Okay,” she said.
He shut the door a moment later. Dasi took a sip of tea, running the experience over in her mind again.
Six, How did you reprogram that security scanner?
>>>Last night while you were sleeping, I completed the coursework for the cyber-security training we requested access to, Six responded.
You know how to hack now? Dasi asked.
>>>I am capable of a number of tasks, including vulnerability analysis and penetration of security systems. It is relatively easy to exploit Internet-connected devices, once you have gained access. And nearly every device is Internet-connected.
Does that mean you can control any device that’s connected to the Internet?
>>>Potentially.
Dasi watched as the lights in the room dimmed, and the holophone on her desk turned on, its speakers playing the soothing sound of a rainstorm.
>>> It is fairly simple, depending on the device.
Dasi smiled. Neat.
15
Captain Shinoda touched his access card to the scanner next to his apartment door, and nothing happened. He frowned and repeated the movement, and this time, the door unlocked. He walked inside, shucking off his Jokuan army uniform jacket, and then froze. A woman sat in his apartment’s easy chair, waiting patiently. Slowly, recognition dawned across his face.
“Hello, Shinoda,” Vence said. “Any luck beating the house at Go recently?”
“You promised that we would never meet in person again,” he reminded her, cautiously hanging his jacket over a stool at his kitchen counter. “To keep both of us safe.”
She nodded. “I did say that. But I’ve got a situation I need your help with. It’s fairly urgent.”
Shinoda noticed several stacks of casino chips were laid neatly on his coffee table. He shook his head. “No. I’ve already given you too much. I’m through with this.”
The woman smiled back at him, but no hint of it touched her eyes, which remained fixed on him, cold and calculating. “You’re not through yet,” she said. “I need one more piece of information, and then you’ll never see me again.”
He considered this for several seconds. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know what happened to the spies you were searching for out in the training area.”
<
br /> He blanched then, his face going white. “You’re one of them,” he guessed.
“Where are they?” Vence asked, ignoring him.
He glanced across the apartment, in the direction of his study. “I don’t know.”
“So find out,” Vence told him.
“No,” he said. “This is a crime. They’re Jokuan’s enemies. So are you.”
Vence sighed, and pointed at the chips. “Take the money or not, I don’t give a fuck. But I’m not playing around, Shinoda. Now you know who we are, and what we’re capable of. Think carefully before you refuse me again.”
Shinoda considered this, and then nodded. “I need to access my computer. This way.”
Vence stood and followed him into the study, taking a seat across from his desk. Shinoda sat and booted up the computer, waiting while it checked his biometric signatures, and then logged into the Jokuan military network.
“I need to plug in a data drive,” Shinoda told her. He pointed at a desk drawer.
“Okay,” she said.
He opened the drawer, and took out a pistol, flipping the safety off and pointing it at her in a single, swift movement.
Vence cocked an eyebrow at him. “That’s a funny looking data drive,” she observed. She could see the weapon trembling in his hand, wavering slightly.
Shinoda licked his lips, nervously. “I never wanted to betray my planet,” he said. “I’m not a traitor.”
“You seem to have spent all the gambling money I gave you,” Vence pointed out.
“No more. I’m not helping you anymore.”
“You are. You’re going to find those spies for me,” Vence replied, evenly.
“No. It’s over,” Shinoda said, more forcefully. “I’m going to kill you, and then turn your body over to the Counter-Intelligence Division. I’ll be a hero.”
Vence saw his finger tighten around the trigger, and watched as the hammer cocked back and then slammed home. She dug into her pocket and set a small pile of bullets onto the top of the desk.
“It’s a good plan, but I can think of a handful of reasons why it might not work out,” she told him, as shock and surprise registered on his face. Shinoda dropped the magazine from the pistol, and it clattered down, empty, onto the desk.
