The Owners

by Tara Basi

  Jugger’s machine swung around to attack again and he struck Eva in the side with a mighty blow. A frantic Battery Boy pummelled the arm clutching Tress. The Nurses slashed at her thighs with surgical lasers.

  None of it seemed to have any effect. Her invisible body armour deflected their blows or absorbed the impact. Only her cloak was being damaged. Eva raised her free hand to her face and stroked her cheek. She studied the splatter of blood on her fingers as though she had never seen her own blood before. Eva staggered. She threw Tress away sending her crashing into a far wall and whipped out a short sword from under her cloak.

  In seconds she had dispatched the nurses and dismembered the Crushers. Mina stared fixedly at the screen unable to believe what she had seen. No one could move that fast. No sword could cut through Crusher armour like it was smoke. Only Pinkie’s wails and the crashing open of the bunker door made Mina tear her eyes away from the scene of devastation in the conference room. Pinkie was going to get herself killed. Mina chased after the screaming girl who had drawn her pistol and was racing away. She only caught up with Pinkie at an emergency door that had sealed the corridor leading to the conference room. Pinkie was hammering on the door with the butt of her gun and screaming.

  “Pinkie, you need a respirator, the area’s still toxic,” Mina pleaded.

  The girl ignored her. Mina had to drag Pinkie away and force her to don a mask before they both returned. A new Nurse Trinity joined them.

  A desperate Pinkie yelled, “Open this bloody door Trinity.”

  Trinity squeezed between Pinkie and the door. “Let me go first. I can always get another body. Stand well back.”

  Mina wasn’t about to argue. She dragged Pinkie away and collided with Stuff who had followed after them. Mina threw the boy a mask and gestured for him to keep his distance and stay quiet.

  Trinity slowly cracked the emergency door and paused. Mina half expected Eva to crash through the flimsy barrier and slice and dice Trinity before the little robot could react. Then they’d be next. Nothing happened. Trinity swung the door open and vanished inside.

  Pinkie tore free of Mina and followed after the robot, Glock at the ready. With Stuff at her back Mina trailed behind. When she reached what was left of the conference room it resembled a junk yard.

  Bits of Crushers, robot Nurses and smashed view screens littered the floor. The larger segments smouldered, crackled and sparked with electricity. Tress lay unmoving, slumped against a wall. Nurse Trinity dashed towards one of the mutilated Crushers. Pinkie threw herself at the other.

  Eva hadn’t seemed to notice their entrance. She was standing in the middle of the room staring blankly ahead and gently swaying like a stalk of corn in a light breeze. Abruptly she shook her head and locked her gaze on Mina. “Your idea? Stupid hen. You nearly ruined everything… again.”

  Mina was incensed, Unthinking she ran forward and struck Eva in the chest with her fist. “You bitch.”

  Eva raised her sword and then suddenly lurched backwards to crash into a wall. It was like watching a great redwood being felled. Eva slid down the wall to come to rest on her haunches. Her huge legs were spread wide and her beefy arms hung limply by her side with her chin resting on her massive chest.

  Mina stared at her aching fist in disbelief. It felt like she’d punched an anvil.

  “It’s the gas wonder woman,” Trinity said.

  Mina turned around to see Pinkie assisting Jugger out of his Crusher cage. Trinity was helping Battery Boy to his feet. Eva had sliced off the Crushers’ legs and arms but the operators’ cages were untouched. Both boys looked stunned and bruised but otherwise unhurt.

  A horrible croaking sound drew Mina’s attention. It was Tress. She was coughing and massaging her badly bruised throat as she tentatively approached Eva. “Evil bitch,” Tress whispered and then grimaced in pain.

  The motionless alien didn’t respond. Tress took another step closer and gently nudged the sole of Eva’s boot. Eva didn’t react. Tress kicked Eva’s foot. Satisfied, Tress turned to the others and gave a big smile.

  Mina couldn’t believe their luck. Pinkie was shaking with relief. Stuff was trying not to cry and comfort Pinkie at the same time. A recovered Jugger and Battery Boy were already busy securing Eva down to heavy-duty bolts they’d installed in the floor the previous night. They were using tethers designed to anchor a giant transport in a gale. Now if Eva tried using her Block magic to disappear she’d risk leaving at least a couple of limbs behind. The two boys left the room and returned with a pair of turrets each and arranged them in an arc around Eva. As soon as they were activated their red dot sights freckled her cheeks, one of which was still bleeding.

  “Get out of here,” Trinity shouted.

  No further encouragement was necessary. They all stumbled out and made their way back to the relative safety of their bunker leaving Trinity alone with Eva.

  Battery Boy, the last to arrive, closed and locked the armoured door. Not that it would offer much defence against a rampant Eva but it was at least a placebo of protection. When Mina looked at her screen she could see that Nurse Trinity was busy searching Eva for weapons. Under the cloak she seemed to be wearing nothing but a silver leotard. The only weapon Trinity could find was the sword she’d dropped when she’d collapsed. Trinity moved it well out of her reach. It had all happened so quickly Mina was still startled. They’d done it. Eva was at their mercy. If they could get past her invisible armour. Mina positioned her right hand close to the turret fire control. “Everyone’s back Trinity. Bunker’s secure. Wake her up when you’re ready.”

  Mina watched as Trinity’s dainty little fingers broke a capsule under Eva’s nose. The effect was instant. Eva’s eyes snapped open. They burned with fury. With a great effort she somehow lifted her head and glared at Trinity and growled, “What have you done?”

  Dribble was running down her chin. She didn’t look like a Boss or a god now. The little red dots of the turrets stayed fixed on her face. Mina opened the link. “There’s things you’re not telling us Eva. So, our little robot is going to start damaging your precious body unless you convince us we should trust you.”

  Eva bellowed something Mina couldn’t understand but guessed it was an obscenity. Her eyes took in her restraints and then darted around the room as though assessing her situation. Finally, Eva turned her attention back to Mina, “Idiots, you can’t get past my armour. Untie me or a swarm of janitors will descend on this place and seal you all up in Rung One globes forever.”

  Mina remembered that Rung One was the punishment Harder had sought for Tress. It didn’t seem to have done her any harm, quite the contrary. Thinking about how much she had aged in the last year she was tempted to take up Eva’s offer but guessed there was bound to be a downside. “But we can get past your armour. Trinity has many more corrosive and toxic gases it can flood the area with.”

  Eva spat at Trinity and roared, “My armour has re calibrated. Harmful toxins will be ineffective.”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Trinity said and pointed at Eva’s still bleeding cheek. “I’m sure your armour will adapt but you seem to have forgotten to wear a head covering. Did it clash with your outfit? Of course little me could be wrong. Shall I try cutting off your nose?”

  Eva roared in frustration. “If you damage this body it’ll be a catastrophe for both of us.”

  Much to her relief Mina concluded that Trinity had to be right. In her haste to accept Tress’s surrender she’d neglected some part of her defences. The invincible Eva was vulnerable. “Every turret is aimed at your face. We all have triggers and they’ll fire automatically if you make any sudden movement. Tell us the truth. Or we will damage you.”

  “I can’t die. I’ve told you the truth.”

  “Then you haven’t told us everything. We don’t trust you.”

  Eva started to laugh and then seemed to choke. “You cannot understand the whole truth. It is beyond your capacity to comprehend and the limitations of this crude lang
uage to explain.”

  “Try Eva, or you’ll lose your precious body. Start by telling us who you really are.”

  Eva’s frozen blue eyes skewered Mina. Even a paralysed Eva was terrifying. “I will try. I am not a powerful figure in my society. My position isn’t comparable to that of Harder or Truculent. I am a gambler with great debts and my existence in this realm is my punishment. I tell you this so you’ll understand that the Shard will sacrifice me in an instant if access to the Channels or the Three is threatened.”

  Mina was taken aback; their fate was in the hands of a crazy gambler? She’d assumed Eva was some powerful emissary of her race, not a bankrupt. “Go on.”

  “As I told you I am alone here. Something like this,” Eva looked down at her trussed up body, “or an accident could damage this body at any time. It was always too big a risk for my handlers so there is a contingency plan.”

  Pinkie intervened before Mina could react, “I knew you were hiding something. Tell us.”

  “If this body is incapacitated and no functioning farm has been established, Reference has instructions to recreate the conditions in the Crimson factory that Truculent took.”

  “Spit it out Eva, tell us everything,” Pinkie yelled.

  “The Yard will be remade and Control established.”

  The effect on the others at the mention of the Yard and Control was immediate and palpable.

  “She’s going to bring back the Bands,” Tress croaked.

  Mina was sorely tempted to hit the fire control for the turrets. “You said you couldn’t do that. You didn’t have the knowledge. That’s why you needed us. You were lying.”

  “I don’t and it’s not the preference of myself or my handlers, but Reference knows how to recreate the Yard and everything else that is inside Truculent’s Crimson factory. It’s also identified tens of thousands of suitable bosses in the remaining population. It can all be up and running inside of a year. Reference thinks Jugger would be an ideal Boss if he could rid himself of the emotional attachment to Pinkie and the child.”

  Jugger leant across Mina and brought his face very close to the screen so that it was the only thing Eva could see. “I’ll cut your head off before that’ll ever happen.”

  Eva didn’t even blink. “As I said, Reference has identified thousands of suitable candidates. And many suitable brain-dead hosts for a Tuned.”

  “What is a Tuned and where are your handlers?”

  Eva emitted a strange noise that Mina could only liken to an angry purr. “Nowhere, in this realm. We… debtors reside here in certain brain-dead bodies, the Tuned, and observe. Usually, nothing more. When the Vigilance Priests, like Truculent, are drunk on HIQ we can induce crude visions, to try and influence their decisions. This body is unique in its ability to do so much more. Another like it may never be found again. If you kill it, I will be resurrected in a paralysed brain-dead cabbage chosen by my handlers. Probably the one accompanying Truculent or a new one located by Reference and I will do what I can. Until my debts are repaid I cannot go home. As a paralysed Tuned it will take centuries.”

  Mina didn’t actually understand everything Eva was saying but there was a small part of her that felt some sympathy for Eva’s predicament. It sounded horrible if she wasn’t lying.

  Pinkie had no sympathy for Eva. She was furious, “So it was all a lie, you were going to Band us either way. We might as well cut you up you lying old hag.”

  Eva rolled her eyes, “You’re not listening. I told you what would happen if you kill this body. Reference will take control. That doesn’t have to happen. I want you to be happy and live free. Why? Because I’m sorry for what the Vigilance have done to you? Because I’ve grown fond of you? Nonsense. If Truculent compared you to chickens, then you’re less than bacteria to the Shard. It’s all to do with Crimson quality. Your formula for the Three will produce unparalleled results if you’re farmed in the Vigilance style, for HIQ. We’re not interested in HIQ, only the actual moment of Channel birthing. Handler simulations show the birthing would be far beyond anything we have seen before if we used the Vigilance techniques. But, if you are allowed to live freely and donate freely the Shard would have access to a birthing quality that was previously unimaginable. And I will repay my debts within a decade and be free.”

  Pinkie was unconvinced, “How do you know what makes us happy? You’re a monster. You know nothing about us.”

  “And you’re a disease, stupid girl. It’s all in the data Reference collected. The blood from children who reached puberty in the schools outside the factory was exceptional. As soon as they were placed in the Yard it deteriorated rapidly.”

  Mina turned away from the screen, “Is that true Tress, were the kids in those Block schools really happy?”

  Stuff piped up before Tress could answer, “Sure, school was great.” Stuff’s grin immediately turned sour, “We didn’t know any better.”

  With obvious distaste Tress only nodded in agreement.

  “I loved my school before that bastard Worry stole me away,” Pinkie added.

  Mina looked to Battery Boy who only dipped his head as though it was a happiness he was ashamed to acknowledge.

  Jugger approached the screen and spoke directly to Eva, “We were happy enough. Till we got Banded and learned what they did. Anything like that’s going to turn our blood sour. You understand?”

  “Of course I understand. I understand everything. You understand nothing. Or you wouldn’t have risked everything by attacking me. If I’d been wearing my head protection you’d all be dead by now and I’d be left with only Anton to guide me.”

  Mina shuddered at the bloody images that Eva’s words conjured up. She pushed them away and carried on with her questions. “Letting us go completely, when we get to the new planet in five years, is that true.”

  Eva scowled and fixed Mina with a fierce stare. “Yes, you will be free to go. I have nothing more to say and I won’t answer any more questions. I have my pride I will not barter with… germs. Make your choice. Kill me or let me go.”

  “What about your handlers? They might change their minds. Are you speaking for them as well?”

  Eva pointedly closed her eyes and stayed silent. Mina turned off the communication link to Eva. “Anton, what do you think?”

  “I believe her. It makes sense as far as anything she says makes any sense. I can maybe understand this HIQ stuff but how can the birthing itself have any intrinsic value?”

  “What about this happy blood crap?” Pinkie asked.

  Anton shrugged. “We believed it about the animals we farmed. If they were reared in a natural environment and allowed to roam freely they would… taste better.”

  Pinkie screwed up her face.

  Mina turned to the others, “Well?”

  Jugger stroked his chin. Something was obviously still bothering him. “Why can’t we keep her drugged and trussed up till we’re sure?”

  Mina shook her head, “I wish we could. We need her to operate Reference. You heard Trinity, we won’t get anywhere on our own.”

  Pinkie said what they were all thinking, “We’ll never be able to trust her. We just maybe understand her a bit better. It’s enough. But, me, Jugger and Junior are never going to the Yard. We’re never being Banded. I’d rather die.”

  Jugger didn’t have to say anything, Mina knew he agreed with Pinkie. Battery Boy and Tress looked at each other. They didn’t speak either, only nodded.

  “If the new Block’s like school it could be great,” Stuff said.

  Battery Boy looked at Stuff and shook his head, “School was a lie Stuff. It’d better not be like school.”

  Anton coughed to get their attention. “Look, this is going to be hard and I don’t want you all blaming Mina if it doesn’t work out. You’re all in this together.”

  Mina was thankful for Anton’s intervention. This time she wasn’t going to take all the responsibility on herself. Mina disarmed the turrets and opened the communications link to Eva. �
��We’ll go with you to this new planet and help you create a functioning… happy society. But, you’re not our Boss and you’re not our god. Trinity, pump in the antidote.”

  Eva didn’t answer, she just scowled at them. It took only moments till she recovered control of her limbs. She ripped away the tethers as if they were cotton threads and stood up. Before Eva disappeared she looked directly at Mina and delivered a final chilling message. “This has been very… educational. To seal our agreement a factory transport will be sent to collect your first blood donations, at sunrise.”

  Mina was shocked. It had begun. No one said anything.

  The groan of the bunker door opening alerted her to Trinity’s arrival. “Sunrise is only a few hours away. There’s plenty of blood in the medical centre. You won’t have to donate, for a while. I’ll take care of it till then.”

  Mina smiled, her creation was alright. Now she needed to sleep. Looking at the others they felt exactly the same. The exhausted group disbanded. Tomorrow the next phase would start: getting ready to leave Earth.

  Chapter 17 - Leaving Home

  In just a few weeks they accomplished far more than Mina thought possible. Stuff had christened the Iowa Block “the Ark” and the planet that was to be their new home, “Eden.” The names stuck. Their finished Ark design had twenty-two habitable floors. Five had a copy of the iconic core of some of the world’s major cities: New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Beijing. The boring bits, the endless suburbs, were omitted. Another five floors held facsimiles of a multitude of smaller towns and villages from around the globe. Ten were laid out in mirror images of high yield farmland. One floor was dedicated to industrial production. It contained vast warehouses designed to hold everything they planned to loot from the Earth before they left; technology, vehicles of all kinds; medical supplies; weapons and a vast range of robots, military and industrial; seed banks; the preserved DNA of every organism known to mankind. Everything they could possibly need for the colonisation of Eden. The last habitable floor was landscaped as a natural park taking in a smorgasbord of some the world’s most beautiful scenery, avoiding anything over half a kilometre high. Power, raw materials, air, water and gravity were to be supplied by the Ark.