Tracing the case back to the facility where he’d been housed with a mostly xeno population, they found out why. A note from the administrator had been placed in his file. Burk was a federal agent on a secret mission, his placement inside the prison system part of a deep-cover operation, and his release was not to be arranged without the express permission of the FBI.
So it was no surprise he’d been left alone. Once they understood how the administrator had arranged to keep his songbird in the system, it was apparent they’d have to repurpose their undercover team. They would be FBI agents this time, which kept them away from the facility. Elim and Sam set up a temporary ‘field office’ and got to work.
They contacted the warden and informed him their ‘agent’ was to be released. They agreed to send along all related documentation and credentials, by courier, and to inform the prisoner that he was to report to the field office. In the normal course of events, this should not have been possible. But then, the claim had been a fake to begin with. They simply used the same false verifications used when Burk was transferred out of xeno hands in the first place. This, too, would have sent up a red flag, had the prison administrator still been alive. Fortunately for them, his demise meant their success.
They had their man within forty-eight hours, and they struck the faux-office and left town, debriefing him on their way back to Liam.
LIAM RECEIVED A PRELIMINARY briefing from his operatives shortly before they arrived. He hoped there had been some miscommunication. The alternative was too horrifying to consider. He needed to hear it for himself, so he ordered his people to bring Charles Burk in as soon as they arrived.
“It’s true,” Burk said, before he’d even taken his seat, “all of it. I’m sorry.”
Liam examined his subject, looking for weakness, or at least some sense that he was capable of producing such intricate lies. Capable or not, though, this man had nothing to lose. No reason to make up outlandish stories that could put him in peril.
The former prisoner sat across from the xeno leader and waited.
“I know you’ve already explained everything to my people,” Liam began, “and I know it’s difficult, but I need for you to go over it once more.”
“All of it?” Burk asked. He looked tired and hungry, but Liam chose to ignore that.
Liam nodded apologetically. “Please. From the beginning, if you would.”
The prisoner slumped for a moment, breathing heavily, gathering his strength. Then he launched into the story of torture and coercion at the xeno prison, leaving nothing out, pausing only to make eye contact with Liam, make sure he was following. Then he explained how one of the detainees had a flash of connection, with a faceless oppressor behind two-way glass, and how his mind had opened up to the true plan in just a split second.
Liam found that part difficult to swallow. In all his experience with xeno telepathy, he’d never heard of a case of unintentional access. Liam nodded for Burk to press on.
Finally, Burk began describing the sentiments of his prisoner friend, how he’d agonized about what to do with the information. How he’d known beyond a shadow of a doubt that it needed to get out, just as surely as he knew whoever spoke of it would be a marked man. And then, true to his fears, the xeno who knew too much ended up dead, along with the administrator who was so intimately involved.
“...and anyone else who knows about it’ll go out the same way.”
Then Burk came to the part that had given Liam his first set of nightmares in as long as he could remember.
“They’ve developed a device,” Burk continued. “A kill switch. The Tera-Prime peace force has it, maybe the Americans, too. It’s been in development since early on in xeno history, designed by military minds afraid of a xeno takeover. When that never materialized, the project went dark, but the funding never stopped. Now they’ve decided to see it through.”
Liam put a hand up. “See it through? How do you mean?”
“I mean they’re done with the testing. The prison served it’s purpose. It’s live. And that means they can kill as many xenos as they want, anytime they want. Even all of you, if it came to that.”
The room went quiet. A clock on the wall ticked loudly enough to be noticeable, Enhancing the sense of deathly silence.
“Okay, I see,” Liam labored to find words, “so we know they have it.” He chose his next with caution, giving each a heavy note of importance. “We need to know if they’ll use it.”
Burk sighed. A depressed, anguished release of tension, from a man who’d been burdened with too much for too long.
“That was the part that xeno went mad about. The mind he touched, it didn’t just contain the secret. They were thinking about how best to test it, and they was thinking about testing it on that xeno he was torturing! That’s why their minds locked up so tight, something about the imminent danger just made ‘em both snap, I guess. But the prisoner was sure about what he’d learned. As sure as anyone would be if they knew their life was in danger.”
Liam could only nod. He knew all of this from the briefing, of course, but it was still a shock to hear it from a firsthand source.
“And the xeno holding the secret?”
“See, he didn’t know that part at first. He only learnt it later. Turns out some top brass had been touring the facility that day. Some of the most important people in Tera-Prime. That’s why these secrets were so accessible.”
“What do you mean, accessible?”
“From a xeno who knows everything, that’s what I mean. The mind that got touched, it was the first administrators.”
58.
Free Evolution Report
Broadcast Will Commence Momentarily
0:23
The report was brief this time. There wasn’t much to offer in the way of updates, and even less motivational enthusiasm for Liam to give. He had made his mark as a straight shooting, tell-it-like-it-is leader, and he refused to compromise for the sake of false hope. At the same time, he had no interest in projecting hopelessness. Or worse, weakness. A middle ground was called for, so he stuck to the plain facts.
First there was a summary of successful strikes and recent achievements. Admissions about setbacks and regrouping efforts were saved for the middle. Current locations and where to join up for the fight came last.
All of it took less than ten minutes to convey, and even that was a stretch. Liam resisted the urge to reiterate the news about their successes, not only because he was avoiding a tone of propaganda, but also because he was worried it might sound desperate. Only in his closing statement did Liam attempt to inject some upbeat commentary into the broadcast.
‘...and while the situation remains serious, and we’ve had our share of setbacks in these past months, we remain committed to the cause of a free evolution for all xeno-sapiens, and we will fight to every last xeno, in all corners of the globe. With your support, and with the efforts of freevos around the world, we will prevail. Our enemy is strong, but we are tenacious. Our cause is just, and we will prevail. We’ll update you again when the time is right. Until then — evolution continues.’
Behind him, the cadre of supporters applauded wildly. Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The grim circumstances hardly warranted such enthusiasm, though he knew they meant well. The camera did a quick pan across before fade out, a new method Sam had come up with, a way to visually demonstrate their strength in numbers. The clapping faded quickly after the live feed was broken. The monitors around the studio flipped back to the freevo logo, minus the part about commencing momentarily, and with the countdown stuck on 0:00. They always decided upon a date and time for the next broadcast within hours, or a couple of days at the most, but they held off on publication until twenty-four hours prior — just enough time to get a buzz going, but not enough to lend any actionable intelligence to the enemy.
CAIN AND ANDRW MET in an especially seedy establishment this time. Seeded around the place were a number of criminals, from the looks of the
m, selling their wares and looking for marks. Andrw cast about in search of danger. Cain paid them no attention at all.
“What have you got for me?” Cain demanded.
Andrw sighed and handed over a data collector. Then he found his voice.
“This is getting too dangerous. Liam caught me slinking around the scheduling desk. I don’t belong there. I don’t belong in Freedom H.Q. at all, really, except for meeting times. You understand.”
“But you managed,” Cain replied, fingering the collector. “This what I think it is?”
“Yeah,” Andrw admitted. “All the scheduled times for the report are on that collector, okay? Now you’ve got to let me off the hook.”
Cain smiled. “You took the words right out of my mouth, as a matter of fact.”
Andrw stopped short. “Seriously?”
“You’ve done well. And you’ve taken on considerable risk. Tera-Prime appreciates your cooperation. And you’re right, it is getting too dangerous.
Andrw’s jaw dropped slightly.
“Now,” Cain continued, “I suggest you disassociate yourself from that gang and go find the straight and narrow. You get me?”
Andrw nodded, in confused shock from the sudden burst of kindness.
“That’s it then? You mean I can go?”
“You go right ahead. I’m going to stay for a while longer. Enjoy the music.”
Andrw nodded and stood.
“One more thing, son,” Cain said, grabbing Andrw’s limb. He lowered his voice and said, “No going around talking about our little arrangement here, you got that? Not to anyone, ever.”
Andrw tried to pull away, but the grip was too tight. He was only able to get free when Cain let go, and then he practically ran for the exit.
Cain sat casually for a minute longer, then made eye contact with one of the splice dealers and motioned him over.
“You saw the one I was sitting with?” Cain confirmed.
The dealer nodded. “One who just beat it out o’ here?”
“That’s the one. Take this.” Cain held out a wad of currency, which made the splice dealer’s eyes light up for the briefest moment. “Make sure he gets a sample first. No hot dose until you’re sure he’ll use it. Got it?”
The splice dealer nodded, grabbed the cash, and headed out the door to find Andrw. Cain waited until he was well gone before leaving out the opposite door.
59.
5 Months Prior...
It’d been two days since Alixs and Liam had parted ways at the Florida state line, and Alixs was feeling vulnerable in a way he’d never known before. Making his way on foot through the back country, he’d been assigned a specified route, with support along the way. All the freevos coming up from the south were being watched for and assisted, through various support networks. Following the launch disaster, their networks had diminished considerably, but they still had allies. Those who continued to aid and assist were doing so at great personal risk, and Alixs appreciated the help of such brave individuals. But they weren’t friends, and he had little chance to talk with them. They would arrange for a power supply, and some kind of modest shelter — then he would be left alone. It was a lonely time, as well as a fearful one.
The first night, Alixs had camped out on his own, having missed the appointed rendezvous in a stupid series of navigation errors. By the time he’d arrived at the second checkpoint he was just about drained. Seeing his condition, the farmer-ally ran back to his house and returned with a portable power supply. Barely able to speak in his exhaustion, he connected up, and allowed the man to help him into the barn, just about blacked out before the charge began to take.
It wasn’t an ideal accommodation, but it was large and remote, so he would be safe, and reasonably comfortable. The smell was surprising in its ferocity though. He considered dulling his olfactory system for the night, but thought better of it. Any missteps in the sequence and he’d be down a sense, which was no small matter.
He thanked the farmer profusely, insisting that ‘no, it’s perfectly adequate’, and ‘we appreciate all you’ve done for us’, before urging the man to return to his family and wait out the night. Alixs had hardly charged up at all but, given the hour, decided to sleep, in an effort to recharge more quickly and be ready for the strenuous days to come. It wasn’t entirely necessary, but xenos did sleep from time to time. Climbing up into the loft, he was surprised to find a rather comfortable mini-apartment up there, complete with a bed and a small kitchenette and bathroom. He couldn’t help but wonder what use it was in the normal run of things. But that being none of his business, he pushed the contemplation aside and climbed straight into bed.
DREAMS WERE NOT UNCOMMON, when xeno-sapiens chose to sleep, though they were usually mundane in comparison to the fanciful tales told by human dreamers. Recaps of the day, reconstruction of problems, examining solutions to mathematical puzzles; lots of logic and stuff of the left brain. But that night, in the loft, the dream was entirely different.
At first sleeping so deeply that he was dead to the world, something startled him awake, with just the vaguest inkling that his mind might have been occupied. Reaching out to take notice of his vitals, he was surprised to realize he’d almost fully charged in the short time he was asleep. Or was it a short time? He couldn’t say for sure. His mobile was across the room, itself charging up, and the loft had no timepiece. Some of the freevos boasted internals that kept near-perfect time, but Alixs’ never had.
Still exhausted, he nonetheless had trouble falling back to sleep, and when he finally got there it wasn’t deep or restful. He kept thrashing and unconsciously fighting. Then came the voice, like a warm whisper in his mind.
Alixs, you’re needed elsewhere.
He tossed again, rolling over and almost falling off the narrow bed.
We’ve determined your best course of action.
At that point, Alixs tried to open his eyes, sure that the voice must be coming from somewhere inside the barn. But his lids remained shut. Attempts to force them made him exhausted again, and he stopped fighting.
You need only follow my instructions.
Alixs felt himself becoming alert enough to speak, but just like his eyes, his mouth was disordered, and he remained mute. He’d even forgotten how to think inwardly, it seemed. But he felt as though the voice in his head might understand, just the same. He attempted to convey a sense of confusion.
I will speak with you directly, but only with your permission.
He wasn’t sure how that might work, but he sensed that he need only convey his willingness in order to satisfy it, whatever ‘it’ was. Yes. He felt himself express the affirmative, though not in a word. He was able to convey willingness, without expressly saying it. How will I know how to find it, though? he wondered. He realized it was the first cogent thought he’d—
Fear not. I will contact you soon.
He realized with an odd sense of disconnect that he’d still not spoken aloud, and yet somehow he knew that it had understood him. Is it reading my mind? he wondered, realizing at the same time his inner dialogue had come back full force. Hello? What instructions? Needed where?
He waited, straining to hear the voice again, but the whisper was gone now, and with it the warmth. He awoke with a terrible start, sitting bolt upright, feeling hot perspiration run down the back of his neck and turn cold on his damp collar. His eyes flew open, and he immediately noticed a soft, blue-white glow coming from the other side of the room.
BREATHING HEAVILY, Alixs attempted to calm his panic-infused system. The dream had been so vivid. Not a nightmare per se, but upsetting all the same. It was disconcerting, right through him and into his very soul. If machines have a soul, he thought with some amusement, falling back on the same dark humor he always used when untenable human terms were the only option.
As he willed himself to relax, he stared at the glow, realizing it was being cast by his mobile. A broken backlight? He wondered. It seemed odd, coming so vividly out of th
e small device. He’d never noticed a torch feature on the unit before. The hovering display was designed to eliminate glare, not cause it. It cast no significant light, or it wasn’t supposed to.
The color scheme was off, too. It might have been an emergency alert of some kind, those often looked much different that the norm, but even that didn’t make much sense under the circumstances. He was out of range, and his device hadn’t been linked in to the network since before leaving Florida. He had disabled it just after the disaster, just like all the rest of the freevos had done.
He threw off the blanket, which felt wet and heavy (How long was I dreaming?), and swung his limbs over the bed and onto the floor. As he sat there, still on edge, he was struck with the oddest sensation. It took him several minutes for it to register that he had cottonmouth, and a few minutes more to realize this was related to a raging thirst. This was not only out of the ordinary, it shouldn’t even have been possible. With a flash of concern, he wondered if all this was related to some deeper malfunction that he just wasn’t processing. But he didn’t feel sick or injured, save for the urgent thirst.
Giving up on his worries for the moment, he stood and felt his way to the bathroom. If not for the eerie glow from the mobile, the room would have been pitch black. Even with the glow it wasn’t easy to make out details. He found the facilities, pulled on the old fashioned light switch after the third swing, and staggered for the sink. He poured water over his digits and scooped it greedily into his mouth, amazed at how wonderful a sensation it was. Again, this entire process was impossible, but he felt the satisfaction anyway and drank more than his fill, until his stomach cramped from it.
He spied a bleach-white towel in the mirror and turned to grab it, noticing the glow from inside the bedroom once more as he did so. Toweling off slowly and methodically, he crept back out into the room, more slowly than before, staring at his suddenly alien-looking device. Fully charged, it had shut itself down, and the glow wasn’t emitting from the blank basescreen at all. Instead, the light was spilling out of cracks along the side of the thing, as if it were filled with some etherial sort of radiation.
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