Project Charon 1

by Patty Jansen

  Seriously, how dumb was that? They might have erased her name from the employee list, but they left her retina scan on the system.

  The screen displayed the program where the woman had been entering information about Tina and her ship. All of Tina's information was still displayed on the screen, including what she had told the woman today.

  In the assessment window down at the very bottom, it said, Possibly dangerous. May be enticed to work against the Federacy and in particular the Perseus Agency. Has detailed knowledge about the working of Project Charon. Should be handled with care. Contact Jake Monterra.

  Sure enough. This was Jake’s doing.

  No way would she talk to Jake. She did not want to accept his job offer, or let him anywhere near her research results or her data from the project or her cactuses.

  The computer wouldn’t let her past the displayed form, insisting that she enter a station employer ID. If this was like all other systems, any attempts at guessing would be blocked after a few tries.

  This was going to require a few interesting tactics. She preferred just to break out of the room the old-fashioned way. She went to the door again, and tried with a bit more force to open it. But it was definitely locked.

  Then she looked around the room trying to find if she was being monitored. She found a small hole near the ceiling. She took a piece of rag out of her pocket and stuffed it inside. She also hung another rag over the air vent.

  She listened at the door.

  It was completely quiet in the hallway, with just the faintest sound of voices drifting from the main room.

  The door looked much too solid to be bashed down, so she would have to be smart about this. But her pockets did not include anything that she could use to open doors. Maybe she could use something from the room.

  There was only the computer, and the furniture. The desk did not have a drawer, and there were no cupboards or shelves in the room.

  She did have a pair of pliers, but not the type that would cut anything.

  With the pliers she managed to pull the computer’s lead out of the wall. But there was no thread inside that she could pull out and use, so she put it back. She would have to unlock the door electronically, but that would leave evidence in the system.

  The computer didn’t like having been turned off.

  It came up with a menu that said Confirm your identity.

  What? No backup batteries? She again stared at the screen.

  Crap.

  She tried looking at the screen again, and was told the entry was incorrect. Then she tried her false identity Louise Metvier access code, but it was incorrect, too. She hesitated about whether this was worth revealing her third identity, but her hesitation was brief. Rex was alone and she needed to get back to him and the ship, and then she needed to get the hell out of here. With or without permit.

  Then she’d worry about what to do next.

  She pulled out her third identity number, and when she tried it, the screen unlocked.

  It said, A possible security breach has been recorded. Do you want to check the room or unlock it. She remembered this part of station or ship protocol. It did this so that people would never be locked inside their rooms in an emergency.

  Tina chose unlock it.

  A click sounded inside the door. She tried the handle, and it moved aside.

  But now she was faced with the next problem: how to get past the people in the office? Especially since someone there was likely to be armed. And as soon as she revealed her gun, all hell would break loose.

  She checked the hallway. It was empty. The sound of voices drifted in from the far side.

  She turned left in the direction of the main office. Her hand was in the bag, clutching the handgrip of the gun.

  At the door, she hesitated and peeked inside. There were so many people in there. She couldn’t see the woman who had shut the door on her, but a number of security people stood at the entrance to the waiting area, waiting for authorities to turn up to arrest her, no doubt.

  Tina couldn’t see their weapons, but they would be armed. She would have to be quick or bold.

  She stepped into the room. A young man turned around, and before he could ask what she was doing there, she said, “I need to check on the Charon files." Total nonsense, of course.

  Without waiting for his reaction, she walked through, slipped to the other side of the counter and left the office past the security guards who were chatting with a man.

  It was only when she was a bit further down the passage that she heard a shout.

  “Hey, ma’am, stop.”

  Nope. Definitely not.

  Tina walked away as quickly as she dared without running. That was still drummed into her. Don’t run. Never run, or your guilt will be assumed.

  But she ducked into the first side passage. Then she ran. And turned right, and ran down that passage as well, until she was out of breath. It was a long time ago since she had done any running.

  Crap, that was close.

  Now she had a few more things to do, and she hoped she could do them before the ticking time bomb exploded.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Being an ex-military officer, Finn turned out to be much more of a morning person than Rex was. There were no proper days in space and Rex hated getting up when it was still dark.

  She met Finn in the foyer of the place where he was staying, much fancier than her own accommodation.

  His mouth fell open when she told him about her plan. “You want to—what?”

  “I’m offering you free passage to Olympus.”

  “Yes, but I might as well kill myself now, because this will destroy all opportunity for me to ever work in the Force, or in any official position, again.”

  “Do you want to? Serving in the Force doesn’t tend to suit people with strong ideas.”

  It was true and he knew it, even if he said nothing in reply.

  Tina continued. “Your career in the military is ruined, like mine. It’s a reality. They will never re-employ us, because even if we’re ‘honourably discharged’, everyone will know there was nothing honourable about it.”

  “But I don’t want to be considered a danger to the Force.”

  “We’re not.”

  “Are you kidding? If you pull this stunt, every form of law enforcement is going to be after us.”

  “The Federacy Force is not law enforcement, and besides, they’re too busy with pirates.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Take it or leave it. I could use an engineer. I’m leaving as soon as I can get a few other jobs done. The only people after me are the station authorities and I have proof that they’ve been infiltrated by pirates. I’m going to present that evidence to the Federacy Assembly, if anyone out there is still listening.”

  “Wait, wait. You’re saying that this station is run by pirates?”

  “People affiliated with pirates at the very least. They’re after me and my research. They’ve tried offering me jobs and money and tried scaring me, breaking into my property. I have the information they want. I’m going to take it to Olympus.”

  And then she told him about the multiple break-ins to her shop, the letter and strange meeting with Jake Monterra, and the skin condition that spread from the alien material that Dexter and Jake spread to the pirates.

  Finn’s eyes were wide. “You mean people get grey warty skin and their fingers look short and stubby and their nails grow into claws?”

  “Yes. Have you seen people like that?”

  “On this station, yes. I assumed it was a local disease caused by exposure to the weird plant life down on the planet.”

  “It’s not.” She also told him about her research from fifteen years back and how Vasily’s message had put all the facts together for her.

  “So you’re saying these pirates are taking over space with an army of monsters?”

  “Something like that.”

  “But if it�
��s just a disease, then they’re not all pirates.”

  “No, but it’s a disease that renders people into shells of their former selves. They’re likely to be unsuited for duty, after which the pirates only need to come along, promise them something, and they’re ripe for the picking.”

  He nodded slowly.

  “And they want my research on cactuses for some reason I don’t yet understand.”

  “Are you sure? They could be after your work for the agency.”

  “They don’t need me for that. They have Jake and Dexter. Those know far more than I do. Vasily, too. Also, I put everything I knew in a locker on the station where someone from the Federacy could retrieve it.”

  He nodded. “I’m familiar with the system.”

  “And they never looked at it. The package sat in the box untouched for fifteen years.”

  “Did you tell them about it back then?”

  “I did.”

  “What does that mean for your plan to go to the Assembly? Do you think they’re going to take any action now?”

  Tina shrugged. “Any other ideas for what to do? I’m listening.”

  “I have some relatives who might be able to help.”

  “Any that you’re not in conflict with?”

  Finn sighed. “There is that.”

  “Any who are not involved in pharmaceutical companies who might have been interested in the alien material and the stuff they call God’s putty?”

  He gave her a sharp look.

  “Don’t tell me they weren’t interested.”

  His cheeks coloured. “My father was. My uncle said it was dangerous. My father said it could ruin us if we didn’t get involved. I think everyone did, ourselves and all our competitors. I don’t know that my family ever received anything. I was only a teenager back then and my relationship with my father has never been good.”

  Did she believe that? “We have to try to set the record straight and uncover anything illegal done by companies or the Force.”

  “Yes. We do.”

  They were silent for a while, and then Tina said, “I wonder what happened to Vasily.”

  He’d said he’d probably be dead in his message. But then again, if he’d been followed and hadn’t made it, how would his message have ended up in her document box?

  That was a strange mystery.

  Finn looked up Vasily Demetrov. “There are no entries about him in the last ten years.”

  “And before that?”

  “Very limited. It says he was employed as ship medic on the SS Faroe, but nothing after that.”

  “What sort of ship is that?”

  “It’s a communication hub.”

  That also made sense to Tina. As medic, Vasily wouldn’t have been in the know about how these document boxes worked, but on that ship, people would deal with them all the time.

  “He seems to have fallen off the records at that time. No word about how or why he left the Force and where he is now.”

  Unusual, at the very least. “That means he’s either still there or he’s dead.”

  “There would be a record of his death,” Finn said. “Especially if it happened on the ship.”

  True. “He might be imprisoned for treason.”

  She shuddered. Ten years of prison for telling the truth? Surely there was another explanation.

  Somewhere in the passage outside the hotel’s lobby, a shop owner opened a door with a loud rattle of metal.

  Tina checked the time. The ship would be almost in the refuel queue. “I have a few other jobs to do. You know what I’m doing and why. Get ready, take your possessions and meet me in the main hall.”

  She left him sitting at the table. He said he’d be there, but she also sensed a lot of hesitation. Defying your rich family to sign up for the Force was one thing, but working against them another.

  It remained to be seen if he would be there. It was time for the final part of her plan.

  Chapter Thirty

  Tina came back to the accommodation early in the morning shift.

  Rex was still asleep, and she barged into the room with the words, “Get all your stuff. We’re getting out of here.”

  Rex turned around in bed and mumbled, and Tina went through the usual ritual of getting him ready and putting him in the harness.

  He made a show of collecting some of his things, but Tina was much quicker.

  "Where are we going?" he asked. He sounded grumpy. He was not a morning person. “What’s the hurry? You haven’t sold the ship. I don’t want to go home yet.”

  “I’m not selling.”

  Rex stared at her, a deep frown on his face. “You—what? Don’t you need the money for the shop?”

  “It’s all a ruse. The shop is not safe anymore. I was never meant to return. They want me for their evil operations.”

  “Hang on. Who is ‘they’?”

  “Come on, I’ll explain later. It's getting hot in here. "

  "What do you mean? I don't think it’s hot at all."

  "It’s a way of speaking. It means that I want to get out of here as soon as we can. There are things afoot which I don't like at all."

  She turned around and he let out a surprise squeak. "Mum, how did you get that gun?”

  “I confiscated it in the name of the Federacy.”

  “From the pawn shop?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “You mean you forced that guy to give it up."

  "That's pretty much the same thing, isn't it? He was not supposed to have it in the first place.”

  “You stole it?”

  “Confiscated it.” Frankly, she was a bit annoyed with this sudden concern for the shop owner. They had much more pressing things to worry about.

  "Listen, this is a Federacy gun.” She tapped the barrel. “I have no idea what happened to the owner, but the pawn shop has no right to sell it.”

  "Don't want you to go and find the owner?”

  “Not now. Right now, I want to get out. If you have a death wish, you can go and find him. Come on, I’ve got the ship waiting to be refuelled and made ready.”

  “You—what?”

  “We’re leaving. I paid the hotel. When you’re done questioning, come with me. There is something that I need you for.”

  Finally, they were out the door, dragging their bags.

  Tina was keen to get out before the hotel owner found that her credit bounced.

  Rex was still grumbling about having to get up so early while they walked along the passageway. It was not yet late enough for most of the shops to be open, but the shop managers were arriving and turning on the lights inside.

  Rex’s eyes opened wide when they came to the exercise and body enhancement shop where the black and red harness was no longer in the window display. "It's gone," he said, his voice sad. He looked around as if he would see someone walking around in that magnificent thing in the passageway.

  "Come on," Tina said. She led the way into the shop.

  Rex looked sideways at her.

  "Come on."

  He followed her through the shop in between the exercise equipment where a woman, who ran like crazy, raised her eyebrows at Rex as he came past.

  She wouldn't be so dismissive when he came back.

  The shop manager showed Tina and Rex and into the studio at the back.

  In the middle of the room stood the black and red harness. The shop attendant had undone the joints of the arms, and they lay on the table against the wall.

  “Go ahead. It’s almost ready for you. Make yourself comfortable. Do you want some tea?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I’ll arrange that. Wait here.” He walked to the door.

  “Mum," Rex said.

  The shop owner left the room and shut the door to the studio.

  Rex said again, “Mum, we can't afford this. You said it yourself.”

  "I know. But I'll tell you about all of it later."

  “You’re not going to do anything illega
l?”

  “No. I’ll tell you later. Honest.”

  “But I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

  “Honestly, the last few days I’ve felt ashamed for letting you walk around in that old thing. I should have done something about it much sooner.”

  “But you said the parts would be hard to get.”

  “Not that hard. I was just stupid. I just tried too hard to keep you my little boy, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

  “Who says I would ever leave you?”

  “I know you want to. No, don’t say anything. You want to and you should step into the world, not hide in some backwater with inferior technology, and I should stop putting obstacles in your way. Being independent means going where you want.”

  “Mum, I don’t want to leave you.” His eyes glittered.

  “Aren’t you lucky that everyone is coming, then?”

  “Everyone?”

  “You and me and Finn.”

  His eyes widened. “Really? He’s coming?”

  The door opened again and the shop owner returned with a young man. "Let my employee take your measurements, and he will adapt it for you."

  The shop attendant took Rex to a bench at the back of the room, and Tina sat down to drink her tea.

  Then she wandered through the exercise centre.

  It wasn't busy. Tina walked past the treadmills and bikes and a row of contraptions with weights. Gym visits were essential to staying healthy in space, and she had detested them. It was a little better if you had a private ship and didn’t need to share a cramped room with other smelly people, but Tina hated the gym culture, the types that usually hung around and preened themselves in the mirror.

  She spent some time looking at the displays of fit, beautiful people on the walls, and then the cabinet with bottles of supplements for sale.

  Some sort of commotion seemed to be going on outside.

  A lot of people were walking past in the same direction, and some of them were military people. She hadn’t thought any were still on the station after the Stavanger left.

  She hoped Finn had found his way to the dock hall and hadn’t gotten caught up in whatever military operation was going. She’d checked his name and he hadn’t been taken off the staff list yet. She knew this could take a couple of days and hoped she was right to trust him.