by Tony Batton
Bern ran a hand through his hair. "Can I speak candidly?"
"It's your ship."
He nodded. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened last year."
"You're sorry?" Tom almost choked. "You have to be kidding. Do you think sorry really covers it?"
Bern sighed. "Please keep your voice down. And it was a difficult time. I wasn't thinking clearly."
"You oversaw projects that messed with my brain. Twice. I think you knew exactly what you were doing."
Bern shook his head. "You were such an incredible success story, you have to admit. The things you could do were... well, we never anticipated how the Interface would develop, but on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say you were a 14."
"You never asked me. You just did it."
"And I'm sorry. I've had a lot of time to think over the last year: to reflect on what I've done. There are so many things I want to talk to you about. I want you to trust me."
"And you thought sending Croft to abduct me was a good way of achieving that?"
"I needed to save you."
"By injecting me with dark nano. And again you didn't ask."
Bern raised an eyebrow. "Wherever did you get that name?"
"Lentz ran some tests on me when my abilities started going... wrong." Tom hesitated. "The first time I was injected was back in Peru. That was your team there too, I guess."
"We were trying to acquire you before the CIA could."
"They didn't seem like they had my interests at heart."
"When you hire mercenaries in South America, the people with the right field skills don't always have the right people skills. We had to move fast and you've been pretty difficult to find, you know."
"I was threatened at gun point several times."
"If they'd told you the truth, would you have believed them?"
"I don't know who to believe any more. There's no one I can trust."
"Then let me tell you what the dark nanites do. They actively seek out intelligent nano particles, and attach themselves, then they neutralise them. It's not unlike how a virus works."
"That's kind of what Dominique said."
Bern gave a snort. "To the extent she could possibly have understood it. This is technology she has not been involved with, although she does have a habit of refusing to admit she doesn't understand something."
"She might be the smartest person I've ever met."
"Perhaps, but are you really sure you can trust her? She does work for Stephanie Reems. And I think we're in agreement that we can't trust her."
"What gives you the remotest idea that I trust you?"
"Fair point. And I need to prove myself by permanently removing your problem."
"We had this conversation a year ago. I told you I didn't want it out."
"Yes, but then you didn't know it was going to kill you."
Tom blinked. "What?"
"I'm sure you haven't been feeling well. That's because your Tantalus nanites haven't stopped evolving." Bern closed his eyes. "We've been able to apply a temporary fix, but we don't know what will happen longer term. The dark nano, as you call it, could become detached from the Tantalus nano or degrade in performance. Or it could start to malfunction."
"So I'd get my abilities back?"
"Not like you knew them. There would be side effects that we couldn't predict. Almost certainly harmful ones."
"So you've just made things worse."
"No, it's just we've only done half the treatment. We can cure you, but we have to take the nanites out - and the dark nano makes it possible. We need to transfuse your blood, while applying a targeted filter. We have to draw them all out."
"You think that will work?"
"It's our best shot."
"And it won't hurt me?"
"We don't know, but we have to try."
"Dominique said my nervous system might struggle with the sudden removal of the nanites."
"You know, she used to be a great scientist, but these days I think she's just making things up as she goes along. That is, at best, a wild guess."
"And I'll really be free?"
"That's the plan." Bern placed his hands on Tom's shoulders. "I need things to end differently this time. Give me a chance to save my only son."
Tom stared at his father, trying to decide what to do. He couldn't feel anything - electronic or human. But as he searched inside himself for some kind of sign, he swore he could feel the dark nano eating him away. And the only thing he did somehow know, with absolute certainty, was that if he wasn't treated, he was going to die.
"OK," he said finally. "I'm going to trust you. Let's do this."
Ninety-Seven
THE TECHNICIANS RETURNED, AND WERE joined by a doctor. A hospital bed was wheeled in and Tom lay down on it. "Can I get this suit off?" he asked. "It itches like anything."
Bern smiled as he leaned over Tom to help, but the zip refused to budge. "It's stuck. Let's get this done, then we'll cut you out of it and find you a fine new set of clothes."
Tom was about to reply, but a technician used a knife to quickly cut a hole in his sleeve, then jabbed an IV needle into his arm, smiling as she did it. "Mr Faraday, it's important that you relax." She inserted a second needle in his arm, no less roughly, then placed an unconvincing hand on his forehead. "Try to visualise the nanites leaving your system."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You mustn't exert any residual control over the nanites or they will fight to remain in you."
"But I thought they were neutralised."
"Restrained is a better term. They're still linked to your neural network. If you try to fight this procedure, it won't work."
There was the sound of a table being hit and a set of pliers clattered to the floor. Everyone spun at the noise, but there was nothing to explain it.
"The boat must have shifted," said the technician, stooping to pick the tools up. "I think we're ready to start."
Out of the corner of his eye, Tom saw one of the computer screens scrolling through some data. There was nobody in front of it. Then he blinked. Was there a slight shimmer in the air? He was distracted by Bern's hand resting gently on his shoulder.
"This will change everything," Bern said. "I promise."
"You'll let me leave?"
"If that's what you want."
"And you'll trust me not to turn you in?"
"I've asked you to trust me and trust should always go both ways."
"Then let's do this."
Bern nodded to the technician, who pressed a button. Blood started to cycle through the tubing attached to the IV.
Tom leaned back and cleared his thoughts. "This is an impressive set up you have here. An invisible, movable research facility. They'll never find you again."
"That's the plan."
"But why take the Accumulator when this ship already has a nuclear reactor."
"It has two, but neither is what you'd call portable. Some of our experimental technology needs that functionality. It's all about mobile these days."
Tom nodded. Everyone was watching him. Nobody was noticing the computer screen flicking between files behind them. "Well, you certainly plan ahead."
"I've had my fair share of luck," Bern said. "Although the more I plan, the luckier I seem to get."
The screen flickered and showed a technical document, headed 'Nanite Augmentation'.
"Is it working?" asked Bern, turning to the technician.
She looked at her laptop. "38% complete."
"Everything you've done," Tom said, "has been for a reason. Once you set your mind to something, you don't let anything get in your way."
"Right now," Bern said, "I'm setting my mind on getting these nanites out of you and making sure you're OK."
"Ah, but that's only half-right," said a woman's voice. Everybody turned to see Dominique Lentz materialising in front of the computer screen. She wore a grey bodysuit that shimmered in the artificial light. In her hand
she held a sophisticated automatic rifle.
"You!" Bern said, stepping backwards.
"William," she smiled, aiming the rifle at him. "It's been a while."
Ninety-Eight
TOM WATCHED THE BLOOD STILL cycling through the tubing in his arm. Other than the soft beep from the medical equipment, and the distant rumble of the turbines, everything was silent.
"What do you want, Dominique?" Bern said.
"I want you to stop this process before you kill Tom." Lentz nodded at the screen. "I've just been reading the specifications of your dark nano."
"We're trying to help him."
Lentz hefted the rifle. "It's clear from this that the main purpose--"
"Do it!" Bern shouted. Two guards burst into the room, holding handguns.
She glanced at them warily. "How did you warn them?"
"Concealed comms system in my suit," Bern said. He nodded and both guards fired.
Lentz blinked in surprise as the bullets hit her. But she continued standing. The guards looked at her, dumbfounded, and fired again. There was a dull, flat sound like the bullets had hit concrete. The two men looked at their guns as if they had been deceived.
"OK, my turn now," Lentz let go of her gun, which was slung round her neck on a strap. She pulled two tasers from her belt and fired at the guards. They jerked backwards and collapsed. The technicians shrunk as far back as the wall would allow, but Bern strode towards Lentz. Smoothly, she grabbed and raised her gun again. He stopped.
"My suit has some features that yours doesn't," she said.
"You'll never get off this ship."
"Let me worry about that. Now shut off the filtration."
Bern shook his head. "It's saving his life."
"No, it's killing him. You're not neutralising the nanites: you're stealing them." Lentz nodded at the screen. "It's all in the specs. The dark nano are some form of communication and control mechanism, taking over the existing nanites, boosting their output."
"To do what?"
"I don't know that part," Lentz said. "But they are not designed to shut your original nanites off. Quite the reverse."
"Then why can't I feel my nanites anymore?"
"Because the control part is holding them frozen. I'd wager that the pain you feel is their increased power output."
Tom looked at the blood flowing in and out of his arm. "But don't I want to get them out of me even more now?"
Lentz tapped the screen and a medical risks analysis was displayed. It showed his name. In red, bold text it stated: 'CONSIDERABLE HEALTH RISK TO SUBJECT. NEURAL FAILURE HIGHLY LIKELY.' "It's obvious," she said, "that even if Tom lives, you won't be letting him go. You've gone to so much trouble to hide the fact that you're still alive, there's no way you would take the risk."
"But why," Tom asked, "would he bother with this whole charade about helping me if he was just going to take what he needed and dump me?"
"You remember they asked you to cooperate with the process," Lentz said. "If you resist, they can't remove the nanites. As you once said, they're your nanites Tom." She turned to the technician. "How far are we progressed?"
The woman edged closer to the screen, glancing warily at Lentz. "76%."
Tom looked at Bern. "Is what she's saying true? Is what's in that report true?"
"I asked you to trust me, Tom. If I'd wanted you dead, I could have killed you long ago. The only thing that is sure is that you need these awful things out of you. That's what you should focus on."
"83%," muttered the technician.
Tom ground his teeth.
"You need to decide who you believe in a hurry, Tom," Lentz said. "Once that reaches 100% I don't think there's any going back."
Tom closed his eyes. He could faintly feel the nanites: the deserting army that he had ordered away. But, other than that base level of awareness, he was getting nothing from them. He needed something to change. His eyes flicked open. "I'm not angry enough. I know I should be, but after everything that's happened, I'm just too tired."
"You have to fight, Tom. Or you're lost."
"89%," said the technician.
Bern laughed. "Give up, Dominique. This is over."
Lentz pointed at Bern. "You can't let him win. The father who abandoned you, then nearly killed you. And it wasn't just you he wronged. I'm sure there are things about your mother he didn't tell you."
Tom blinked. "Like what?"
"Kate did what you asked. And she uncovered files in the archives. Amelia used to work at CERUS. Then she was fired, just before you were born."
"They got rid of her?" Tom jerked. "Because she was pregnant?"
"Your mother had her own agenda," Bern replied. "The real reason she was..." he cut himself off. "It doesn't matter."
Tom's jaw grew hard. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything. She worked at CERUS. It was how we met. So what?"
Lentz banged her hand on the desk. "It was far more than that. Kate found that your mother changed her identity. A full professional set-up. It could only have been done by a government agency."
Bern shrugged. "You're making this up. But even if you aren't, whatever else Amelia did, I don't know anything about it."
Tom heard the words. And he knew they were a lie. He struggled to sit up. "What are you hiding, William?"
"94%," whispered the technician.
"What's in the past is gone. Live with it."
Behind them another large computer display flickered into life. An image of a computer folder appeared. On it was the name 'Amelia Faraday'.
Bern narrowed his eyes. "Is that you, Dominique? What are you playing at now?"
Lentz raised her hands. "Not guilty."
Tom sat further up. "That's the file I found when I hacked CERUS Tower last year. But it was empty."
The folder opened to reveal a document. It showed a detailed log of Amelia's movements: prior to, during, and after her time at CERUS.
Lentz moved closer, her eyes scanning the display. "She wasn't just an employee. You targeted her! What was this all about?"
"Lies," Bern shouted. "I don't know who put this here, but it's a complete fabrication--"
The document vanished and a video started playing. It showed Bern arriving at a restaurant. He was led to a table where a woman with grey-brown hair was already sitting. The woman took off her glasses. Her face looked old and tired. But there was no doubting who it was: Amelia, Tom's mother.
Bern's face darkened. "So we had dinner. So what--?"
"This wasn't when you were having the affair," Lentz cried. "Look at that newspaper on the table. This was less than four years ago."
"This has been doctored--" Bern shouted.
"No it hasn't," Tom cried. "Why did you meet?"
"She told me she was sick."
"Did she ask for your help?" Tom said with a glare. "Was that why she wanted to meet? Maybe to treat her cancer? Because I know you hold that out as a carrot."
"You need to trust me, Tom." Bern shrugged. "I said we had nothing that could help her."
Tom nodded. "I believe you said that. But was it correct?"
"Yes."
Tom heard the word, and he knew it was a lie. He growled. His eyes slammed shut and he reached out. He could feel the nanites. He could feel the block around them: an almost impenetrable barrier. Almost. It would need a great deal of effort to prise the nano apart. Tom shaped his thoughts like a chisel, channelling his anger, his frustration. Then he struck at the barrier.
"97%," said the technician, "Wait. Something's happening."
"Shut it off," Bern shouted. "97% will have to do."
Tom heard the words and he knew. Without any doubt. What Bern really wanted was not to help him, but to help himself. His anger blossomed.
"83%," said the technician, sounding alarmed. "It's not responding to my commands to close the process."
Tom felt the rush as the nanites opened to him. They were familiar, yet different, as if their volume c
ontrol had been turned up to eleven. Or more. They were telling him things, but it was almost too loud and painful to register. His mind reached out into the systems in the room, to the computer that had displayed the report and the video. It was a discrete system but encrypted, and yet his mind overwhelmed its defences in moments. Then he was reading reports and secure messages. The lights flickered repeatedly. Tom's eyes shot open. "You bastard. You just need the code from my nanites. That's all you ever wanted. Everything else you said was a lie."
"52%," said the technician. "And it's speeding up."
"Dammit, cut the cables," Bern shouted.
"Move and I shoot you," Lentz said. "In fact, why don't you back away from the computer, William, so neither of us gets tempted to do anything rash?"
Tom was filtering through the information, making connections. He was distracted by two more guards bursting into the room.
"Sir, we're reporting fluctuations in the reactor--" they froze as they saw Lentz, then brought their weapons up.
She turned to face them. "Tom, if you have any tricks up your sleeve, now would be the time to play them."
Tom looked up at Bern, suddenly knowing it was too late for any tricks, and knowing what was about to happen. His father held up a remote control and pressed something on it.
"They might be your nanites," Bern said, "but it's my suit. I didn't leave it on you without reason."
The itching changed as every part of his skin touching the suit exploded in pain. He grabbed his head and screamed.
Ninety-Nine
"OK, NOW WE CAN STOP the pretence that I've become nice," Bern said, turning to Lentz. He pointed the device at her and pressed a button.
She froze. Her suit felt like it was made out of concrete.
"Impressed?" Bern asked. "The same control routines that are in the dark nano are also in the Resurface code. I can control your suit, even with all the many interesting upgrades you've made to it."
"13%," said the technician.
"Whatever," Bern said. "We have what we need." He walked over to Tom, who was quivering and muttering, his eyes closed. "I might have been lying, son. But Dominique here was wrong. You did want those things out of you. Removing them might be fatal, but keeping them will kill you."
