The Jovian Manifesto (The Formist Series Book 2)

by Matthew S Williams

Gathering her thoughts, she offered a simple appraisal.

  “Councilor Fionn is correct. I think someone else is responsible, and the last thing we should do is play into their hands.”

  A few of the Councilors looked at each other confusedly, murmuring softly. Elenko raised a hand for quiet. Gallego continued:

  “To put it briefly, the Children of Jove have nothing to gain from this attack. Such violence not only risks turning public opinion sharply against them, it’s also a complete departure from their modus operandi up until this point. But most importantly, the evidence against them is far too convenient to be anything other than fabricated.”

  “And you know this how?” asked Bertrand-Fischer. “Have you even reviewed the evidence?”

  “Yes, I have,” Gallego replied, somewhat irritated. “Before this meeting began, I had a chance to review the attack and look over the evidence collected by the Constabulary, and that included the footage of the assault. I’m sure you’d agree with me that the drone’s timing and position were rather opportune.”

  “I agree,” Batbayar offered. “But that alone doesn’t not help us much. Unless we know for certain who could have perpetrated the attack, we’re left with what’s in front of us. And that, I’m afraid, is an escalating situation.”

  “Perhaps. But perhaps Ms. Gallego isn’t quite finished with her point.”

  Gallego looked at Elenko, who she strongly suspected was enjoying this. Clearing her throat, Gallego continued to unpack her thoughts. She spoke slowly, as her mind needed time to crystallize them into a coherent theory.

  “The main issue here isn’t so much the circumstances surrounding the attack, but the timing of it. It comes on the heels of the Manifesto’s release. As I understand it, this has shifted the focus away from the Manifesto’s accusations and onto the extremely tense situation.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Gallego could see Fionn smiling. She had at least one supporter, and she was merely getting started. A good sign.

  “We tend to think that this attack was in response to the Manifesto, but what if it was intended to distract from it? What if, by committing a terrorist act, someone wanted to ensure that the situation in the Jovian system became unstable, and that the Solar Council felt no choice but to become involved? The Children of Jove didn’t stand to benefit, but someone else does.”

  Most of the Councilors were eyeing her guardedly. Fionn, however, wasn’t only smiling, but nodding approvingly.

  “Que bono,” he said. His face suddenly turned serious. He leaned forward in his seat and lowered his voice. “I should mention that prior to our meeting, I had a chance to speak directly to Doctor Emile Chandrasekhar. Amid offering my condolences over the loss of his grandfather, I also questioned him about recent events. This included the attack on Ganymede, and the incident involving his people on Titan.” Fionn looked around the circle. His lips tightened into a straight line. “I tell you this: the man is hiding something. I’m not about to dismiss the possibility that one is connected to the other.”

  Gallego surveyed the other Councilors to see where they stood. Batbayar appeared to be seriously considering everything she and Fionn were saying. Bertrand-Fischer, for his part, looked somewhat deflated. Apparently, he hadn’t expected Gallego’s thoughts to catch on and wasn’t too happy about it. Only Odawa still looked unconvinced and quickly voiced his doubts.

  “I’m sorry, are we seriously considering the possibility that Doctor Chandrasekhar was part of a plot to depopulate Callisto and Titan?”

  “Perhaps,” Elenko answered. “The authors of the Manifesto did threaten to publish evidence of his complicity. If anyone were to benefit from a distraction, it would be Doctor Chandrasekhar himself.”

  “Regardless,” said Bertrand-Fischer, sighing. “How do we proceed from here?”

  Elenko was the one to answer. “Our sole focus needs to be on diffusing the situation. If we can attack this problem at the source, we might be able to stop if before it has a chance to spiral completely out of control.”

  Bertrand-Fischer spread his hands wide. “And how do we do that?”

  Gallego spied Elenko looking at her again. She almost didn’t answer. But her thoughts on that question were too much for even her to ignore.

  “By finding the authors,” she volunteered. “If the Manifesto can be traced to its source, the veracity of its claims can be weighed, confirmed, or denied.”

  “Indeed!” Fionn proclaimed. “And in the meantime, we need to confirm that the Children of Jove weren’t behind the attack. The local Constabulary have their hands full trying to make sure another attack does not happen. Even if we can’t prove who was responsible, we at least need to present them with evidence that this wasn’t their doing.”

  “All well and good,” Odawa asserted. “But these tasks cannot be done from here. We’ll need eyes on the ground, not to mention someone to go to Ganymede and Europa to investigate these things directly.”

  “An official task force would never be accepted,” Batbayar opined. “The local authorities would see it as an attempt to usurp their authority. And the locals wouldn’t cooperate with members of Interpol. Not since the Manifesto’s release.”

  Gallego felt a cold ball in the pit of her stomach. Things were rapidly culminating with the Council, everyone suddenly in agreement and giving voice to an evolving plan. Why did she suddenly feel anxious about that fact? It was then that Elenko brought it all together for them.

  “So, it’s agreed. We need some hand-picked individuals to travel to the Jovian system. They’ll be responsible for liaising with the local authorities and, if possible, tracking down the Manifesto’s authors.”

  “Who might we send?” asked Bertrand-Fischer. His eyes widened and came to focus on her. It was only a nanosecond later that all eyes around the circle turned towards Gallego. Like her, they suddenly realized what her true purpose at the meeting was. Elenko noticed and smiled broadly.

  “Did I mention my colleague here is well-traveled and extremely skilled? I can think of no one who would be more suited to the task.”

  With so many sets of eyes on her, Gallego dared not swear aloud or show any outward signs of frustration. She also resisted the urge to turn to Elenko and glower. Putting on a false smile, she resorted to cursing Elenko in her heart, and blaming herself for not keeping her mouth shut.

  Dammit, she thought. I fell right into your trap.

  SEVEN

  THE RIDE HOME WAS RATHER tense. It wasn’t yet dusk, but the simulated Sun was sinking towards the horizon. Everywhere Houte looked, the houses and tenements of Niflheim were painted with a faint glow. Their angular edges cast long shadows. None of it was comforting for Houte, who already felt like he was being stalked by some ominous forces.

  Houte had never considered himself the paranoid sort, but given recent events, it didn’t feel unreasonable to suspect that he was being watched. Almost everyone on Callisto was at this juncture, and he had reason to suspect that people beyond their world were interested in him as well.

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and drew in another deep breath. He also cast a glance in the direction of the Constable who was standing up ahead. Their presence had become a regular feature aboard the transit lines. The reasoning being that when another terrorist attack came - treated like an inevitability at this point - it would likely target one of the Jovian mass transit systems.

  Jay noticed him staring at the man and called him on it. “Don’t look so guilty,” she whispered. “We’re trying to avoid being stopped and searched.”

  “Shush,” he whispered back. If he were in a talking mood, and not trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, he might have told her that their current situation was all her fault. It was she who had come to Callisto to find Constance, after all.

  The best he could manage was to stop staring directly at the constable. When their transit car finally came to its destination, he got up and proceeded to the nearest exit. Jay waited for a second and
then got up herself, moving to within a few steps of Houte’s back. The doors took their time opening. Eventually though, Houte was standing on the platform of his neighborhood’s transit stop and felt a little better.

  The rest of the journey was on foot. The skies were beginning to darken, and the bioluminescent lights were coming on. While this dispelled the long shadows, it didn’t improve the ominous mood that was in the air. The eerie glow cast by hundreds of lights created innumerable shadows. In each one, Houte was certain he could see a set of eyes staring in their direction.

  Houte didn’t begin to breathe easy again until after the front door was shut behind them. Jay removed her coat and the scarf that concealed her face. When she was finished, she looked up at him. Houte must have been scowling, because she immediately responded with a placating smile.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I promise this is worth it.”

  Houte looked cautiously into his living room and motioned to Jay to lead the way. She obliged and proceeded to Constance’s room. They found her, as always, reclined in her seat, her head back at steep angle, and her eyes directed to the ceiling. Around her, a series of old-fashioned two-dimensional monitors were arranged. These were all plugged into processors of various size and age, which in turn were also connected together.

  A massive cable bundle extended from these into the wall, eventually reaching out into the street and connecting with the district’s main power node. Houte had rigged up this assembly some time ago to keep his sister’s machinery working. It was no easy thing, siphoning enough power to keep her machines working without alerting the authorities - or the neighbors - but Houte had become rather skilled at it over the years. Some occasional adjustments, a few bribed inspectors, and those who oversaw Niflheim’s utilities never raised a fuss.

  Houte came to her side and put his hand on her forehead. Her skin felt clammy to the touch, as always, but he could feel a certain energy coming from her. Her eyes, while distant and hazy, also looked intently focused. She only rarely looked this way, and it was usually in response to something exciting.

  “Hey sis,” he whispered. “Your friend here tells me you’ve got something for me. Is this true?”

  Constance’s mouth opened. A flood of words burst out. Houte listened carefully, hoping to find the seeds distributed throughout the chaff.

  “Terrestrial planet, second from primary. Two-hundred and twenty-four-point seven-day orbital period. Capital, airborne. Akkadian goddess of love. Representatives, council meeting, extremist action, predicted consequences. Decisions made, inquiry to follow. Selection of agents. Proceedings witnessed and recorded.”

  Houte looked at Jay. He had absorbed enough to draw some preliminary conclusions. The rest, however, required a second opinion.

  “She’s talking about Venus? A council meeting?”

  “Yes,” Jay replied excitedly. “Constance got word from her contact, the Solar Council was meeting in Ishtar a few days ago. It appears that the Inner Worlds are as anxious about the recent attack as we’re.”

  Houte scoffed. “Somehow, I doubt that. But it’s good to know they’re at least concerned. So, what about the rest of it?”

  Jay looked down at Constance, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Her contact indicated that the Council decided to bring in some outside talent. A special freelancer or some such thing. Apparently, they want to send her to Ganymede to look into the attack.”

  Houte could sense where Jay was going with this. He had to grudgingly admit that this did rise to the level of being a big break. There were still many questions to ask, but Houte was more concerned about the one personality Jay kept mentioning.

  “We’re putting a lot of trust into this contact of hers,” he said. “So far, he’s been leading her around like a rat in a maze. How are we to even know he is who he says he is?”

  “Of course, he is,” Jay replied, somewhat angrily. “I knew him for years. I would know him anywhere. And right now, he’s one of the few allies we have. We need to listen to him and take his advice.”

  “We?” Houte shot back. “You may not have noticed this, but our agendas aren’t the same. You and my sister might agree on some things, but my priority is protecting her. Not advancing some revenge plot!”

  Jay’s expression went from mad to livid. She stopped herself from speaking. Then, taking a deep breath, she spoke in a conciliatory tone.

  “Franklin, I know you’re worried about your sister. I know that keeping her safe has been and is your only priority. But this isn’t about revenge. It’s about what’s right and stopping some people from doing something incredibly wrong. Need I remind you, these people killed a man you considered a friend?”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Houte replied. “But I listened to you before and I let my sister publish that bloody Manifesto, and a lot more people died as a result. Looks to me like all we did was make things worse.”

  Jay nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s true. People did die because of something we did. But we didn’t kill them. It’s important to remember that. The ones who did are the same people who want to see your world converted into a testing ground. They’re willing to murder people merely, so they can see their plans comes together. If we stop now, they win.”

  It was Houte’s turn to take a deep breath. He was far from convinced, and far from letting the matter drop. But rather than argue the morality of it all, he circled back to another salient point.

  “You said we need to take her contact’s advice. I take it, then, he has some suggestions as to what our next move should be?”

  Constance, who had been silent during their argument, suddenly spoke up.

  “Introductions. Direct neural stimulation, virtual environment. Contact waiting to be established, conveyance of information paramount.”

  Houte looked at Jay, who appeared somewhat confused. “I think she’s telling us she wants us to meet her contact, via the Survey. Neither of us can access that.”

  Houte grabbed one of his dreadlocks between his thumb and forefinger. Twisting at it, he shared the thought that was forming in his head.

  “I think we can,” he said finally. “I’ve got some DirectStim equipment in my shop. If we jack in, we’ll be able to access the network and interact with her there.”

  Jay looked intrigued. “You mean... we’ll actually get to meet her contact? And speak to Clio?”

  Houte smiled. He knew from experience that speaking to Constance’s digital alter ego was considerably different than interacting with her in person. In truth, it was the closest anyone could get to interacting with Constance as she used to be.

  “Yes, you’ll finally get to speak to Clio. I promise you, it’s quite the experience.”

  EIGHT

  IT FELT LIKE ETERNITY before they were alone again. Long after the meeting concluded, Elenko was saying goodbye to the other Councilors and engaging in protracted small talk. With every passing moment, Gallego felt her anger becoming more potent and foul. The longer she was forced to wait to share it in private, the more raging and intense it felt.

  Finally, the last dignitary departed, and the simulation ended. Left alone in the room, Gallego finally took the opportunity to unload on her former mentor. “What the hell was that about?”

  Elenko looked at her innocently. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

  “Don’t give me that nonsense, Xenia! I know you too well for you to pretend you didn’t plan things this way. You brought me into this meeting knowing full well the others would question my presence. You knew I would defend myself when pressed. And you knew that the other Councilors would be looking for someone to send out there to look into this Manifesto and the attack.”

  Elenko turned away and walked towards the door. Gallego followed close behind, waiting for the Councilwoman to retort. They were well into the hallway before she said anything in her defense.

  “Nika, need I remind you that you were the one who suggested that there was a connection between t
he two? None of the other Councilors were willing to entertain that possibility before you mentioned it.”

  “An idea that you put in my head!” Gallego protested.

  Elenko chuckled and kept walking. She was relatively unperturbed by Gallego’s emotional outburst. This only made Gallego madder. Were it not for the occasional person crossing their path, she would have continued tearing into her.

  Instead, they walked together in strained silence. After a few minutes, they finally reached a domed enclosure, which was presently vacant. Like other common areas in the city, a series of benches were arranged in semi-circles. The walls, which ordinarily looked out on the atmosphere, were currently opaque.

  Putting her hands together, Elenko made an official request for privacy. Behind them, and at all other points of entry, doors formed and sealed them in. The dome above them also became transparent, letting in the view of the sky. Only this view was enhanced to simulate the illusion of evening, the bright sky removed, and the Sun blotted out, which let in the light of distant stars.

  Such contrivances were necessary on a world where a single rotation on its axis took two-hundred and forty-three days, and a single day lasted as long as one-hundred and seventeen standard days.

  The effect was admittedly calming, which Gallego knew was the point. Now that they had privacy and a comforting view, Elenko sat down and looked Gallego in the eye.

  “There may be some truth to what you’re saying. And I do apologize if you felt like I used you in any way.” Elenko patted the seat the next to her, inviting Gallego to sit with her. Gallego huffed angrily but took the offer. “We haven’t talked in quite a while, and I suspected you wouldn’t take the offer unless I found a way to involve you in it. And there’s really no one else I would trust with a mission of this sensitivity.”

  Elenko placed her hand on Gallego’s leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. Gallego looked at it angrily for a second before replying.

  “So, what I’m hearing is, you tricked me into doing something because you were afraid I would say no. You respect me enough to give me an important task, but not so much that you would respect my wishes.”