"Good riddance," said the woman.
"Yeah. I heard we had some kind of new special weapon?" Nova said.
Once more the others stared at her, their gazes stern.
"You're in Special Forces and you don't know about Project Indigo?" said the woman.
"Like I said, I've been in the outer planets for quite a while. We don't get much word out there."
"Mind you, bloody Hunters nearly killed them all," said the dealer, turning back to his cards. "You know what that means."
"More gathering," said the woman.
"Bet I get put on that rotation again," said the man who had pulled over the chair for Nova.
"Gathering?" Nova asked.
"Yeah, for the project," the woman said, glaring at Nova. "They got a good haul from the Resources District last time I heard, they'll probably head there again."
"Oh," Nova said, nodding as if she understood. She daren't ask any more questions and returned to playing her hand. After ten seconds of silence the conversation reset itself and they started the same script they'd been repeating before Nova's questions.
"I think that's enough for me," she said. She'd managed to win a small profit; it was easy when the bets were predictable.
"Good to meet you," said the dealer.
Nova nodded and sidled back through the bar to Gus. Tyra and Aart were already there. Sitting next to them, she lifted Aart's glass to her mouth and took a long gulp.
"Weird huh?" Aart whispered.
Nova nodded but didn't say anything. She'd never seen anything so creepy in all her life. Every twitch, every facial expression, was repeated over and over again. Every person acted like a programmed computer.
She shivered.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Orion stumbled towards them from the darker corners of the room. His face glowed red and he wore a grin from ear to ear. He banged into a chair on his way towards their table and flew head-first into the metal floor. The onlookers laughed at him as he struggled back to his feet and resumed his shambling way.
Orion slumped down into a chair next to Nova and rolled his head around, looking at each of them in turn with a big grin.
"Man, now was really not the time to hit the sauce," said Aart.
"Nah don't worry about it," Orion said, the words coming clear from his lopsided head. "Got into a drinking game with some fellows. You know some guys just can't hold their alcohol inhibitor patches."
Orion followed his words by lifting his sleeve to reveal the clear patch on his arm. The alcohol inhibitor eliminated the effects of alcohol, but they sometimes had some nasty side-effects. They weren't very popular; after-all, who would want to drink and not feel anything? Orion slumped down in his chair, doing a tremendous job of playing the part.
"What did we all get?" Tyra said.
Orion leaned forward. "The guy I spoke to was real shut-mouth at first but after a few drinks he opened up like a supernova. Not that he was making much sense though, he did mention the Confidential zone, but kept talking about pens of people stretching out to the horizon. He was saying he hoped to have them one day, but that he wasn't at the right station yet."
"Cannibals," Nova whispered.
"No way, you don't think?" said Aart.
"Why else would they have pens of people?" Nova said.
"But why would the guy want to eat them?" Orion said, screwing up his nose.
"I don't know, but we have to find out," said Aart.
"I managed to get some rough directions to the core," said Tyra.
"Wow, how'd you manage that?" said Nova.
"Pretended I was maintenance on my first day. Luckily the guy wasn't the sharpest blade in the arsenal."
"Nice one," said Aart. "I pulled some info on the riots. Apparently they're still going. The Resources District is putting up a real fight. They're unhappy about all the disappearances. It's weird though, I haven't heard anything from my contacts there, not for days."
Nova stared at Aart, her mouth turned down at the corners. "Maybe there's a reason for that."
"No way," Aart said, shaking his head. "I know what you're suggesting and there's no way."
"You don't know that," Nova whispered, leaning across the table. "If there's been a lot of violence then people will have died, possibly including your people."
"Enough!" Aart hissed, glaring into Nova's eyes.
She leaned back in her chair and surveyed the room. The other patrons were still performing their timed dance. Now that she'd noticed it, it was impossible not to see the little patterns, the inhuman inconsistencies.
"Here's how I see it," Nova said, "We have to blow the core, that's priority number one. But I also think we need to investigate what else is going on here. What if it spreads to the rest of the Confederacy? Whatever it is."
Tyra bit her lip and glanced around the bar. "That's a lot of people."
Nova sighed and hugged her drink closer. "I know. But I don't think there's any other way that would let us be sure we'd stopped them."
"I agree," said Aart.
The others nodded.
"It's settled then," said Aart. "Nova and I will investigate, the rest of you head down to the core and get this thing going. Make sure you give us a heads up before you hit the go switch."
"Right," said Orion, standing up, suddenly stone sober. Tyra and Gus also stood and the three of them walked out of the bar into the empty streets.
"Let's get to it," Nova said as she and Aart left the bar.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
"How are we going to find out what's going on?" Aart said.
"I say we start with the big section labelled 'Confidential' and go on from there," Nova said.
The enclosed metal streets lay deserted. The buildings on either side rose like silent guards, their black, empty windows staring down at the pair of Hunters.
"According to the map it's past the keep out signs," Nova said, nodding her head to the left.
Down an alley between two tall buildings sat a thick metal door ringed with yellow and black tape. A large metal sign drilled into the centre of the door warned 'authorised personnel only allowed beyond this point. Trespassers will be shot'.
Aart nodded. "Do you have any ideas for making sure we don't get shot?"
"Tanguin is pretty confident that she's given us the highest level clearance. It should be a simple case of scanning our chips and we're home free."
Nova hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. They'd had no contact with Tanguin and Cal for hours; anything could have happened in that time. The highest level security Tanguin had given them was just what she could find on the base-level servers. There was every chance that the real security clearance details were kept on the internal servers.
Nova stepped up to the door and placed her wrist beneath the small scanner. A red line traced down from her palm to the middle of her forearm and then back again. The door dinged and a lock clicked inside the wall. She pushed and it swung open on silent hinges.
A dark hallway stretched out from the door. As soon as Nova stepped through, lights flicked on all the way down its length, illuminating the simple metal corridor. Aart stepped in behind and pushed the door shut behind them. Other doors led off to either side but they were marked with mundane names; storage lockers and the like.
Nova ignored the side-doors and marched down the main corridor. Aart stayed at her side and the sound of his breathing combined with hers created a gentle rhythm. Their footsteps echoed along the empty corridor which got colder the further they went. Nova's skin rose in tiny bumps and she rubbed her hands along her upper arms.
"Why would they have the cooling system on down here?" Aart said, looking around.
"I don't know, but I hope we find out soon. Much more of this and I'm going to lose a few fingers," said Nova.
"Hey, Aart, I found that restaurant you were talking about," Tyra's voice came over their communicators. The coded message informed them that the other three had found the wa
y down to the central core.
"It's quite a walk though, you could have warned me," Tyra continued. They would take a while to get there.
"I know, I know," Aart replied. "But it's worth it, trust me. Nova and I are going for a walk today as well."
"Well you kids have fun," said Tyra and the communicator clicked off.
Aart and Nova glanced at one another. So far so good.
They walked on down the freezing corridor, their teeth chattering and their muscles contracting involuntarily. Nova hoped they didn't come across any trouble; her hands quaked so badly that she doubted she'd be able to get her gun out of its holster.
"What the—" Aart said as they reached the door at the very end of the corridor.
Warning signs covered its surface, broken only by a small window set in at head height. A thin layer of frost covered the glass but it was clear enough to see through. Aart pressed his nose against the glass and stared into the room beyond.
"Aart, if someone sees you doing that I can guarantee we'll be sent to oblivion faster than you can blink," Nova said.
"Just look," Aart said, pulling away from the door with an open mouth.
Nova frowned and stepped forward. She leaned against the glass and icy tendrils wrapped around her cheeks and ears, making her shiver. The room on the other side of the glass looked coated in a layer of ice.
She pushed herself to look past the cold and into the room beyond. It took a while for her eyes to gain focus and make sense of what she was seeing. Massive metal arms swung across the room carrying large metal cases. More cases stacked against the walls and rose in tiers from the ground. Lifts travelled between the tiers while people in white coats walked along the platforms holding screens. The people looked tiny in comparison to the giant metal cases.
Pipes and electrical wires weaved across the walls, disappearing into the cases along with taps the size of Nova's arm. The people in white coats wore thick gloves and what looked like temperature control suits.
Nova's eyebrows drew together.
A big metal arm dragged a case past the window. Dials and screens covered most of the black metal box but the centre had a round window much like the one she was looking through. Past the window, trapped inside the metal box, stood a man who wasn't a man. Boils and growths covered his skin and his bruised eyes had swollen shut.
"What the hell," Nova whispered.
"We have to find out what's going on," Aart said, his lips blue. "That's the area marked confidential."
"If we go in there we'll be noticed," Nova said, gesturing to her shivering body.
"Ah, but I've found the perfect disguise," Aart said, indicating a door set into the left side of the corridor.
Nova followed his hand. The door led to a simple storage room, complete with temperature control suits and white coats. She smiled at Aart. Together they pulled on the temp-suits, strapping their guns onto the outside. Warmth covered Nova like a hot blanket and stopped her violent shivering. Her teeth stopped chattering and she could think clearly again.
Next they pulled on the white laboratory coats, which hid their guns from sight. The gloves came next and finally the portable computer screens. The screens weighed almost nothing and rested easily in Nova's palm.
She led the way back to the secured door and slid her hand under the scanner. It traced up and down her arm three times and with each sweep Nova's heart leapt further up her throat. Her hand clenched around the portable screen, ready to toss it and run if things went bad.
On the third scan the door beeped and unlocked, swinging open onto a metal platform that looked out over the massive room.
Aart followed close behind and they stood side-by-side at the railing. The room was even bigger than it had looked from the outside. Tiers of metal cases extended not just up, but also down below their current level, deeper into the bowels of the station. The metal arms, like cranes, lodged firmly into the walls as they carried the cases. The metal platform on which they stood had stairs leading both down and up. A metal disk with a small control panel sat in front of them.
"Transporter lift," whispered Aart. "It's even better than in the pictures."
"Here goes," said Nova as she rolled her eyes.
She stepped forward onto the transporter and Aart got on next to her. They gazed at the control panel, not knowing what to press. In the end, Nova slammed her finger down onto the number forty-two. The transporter lifted up and shot across the empty space. Aart stumbled at the sudden lurch and would have gone careening off the side if not for the energy shield that surrounded the lift. He bounced off the invisible barrier, legs wobbling and snatched hold of Nova's arm for balance.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
The lift carried them up and over, past the centre of the room. They gazed over the edge of the transporter and Nova's stomach churned. The drop would kill her three times over before she reached the bottom.
They stopped at a platform five tiers above. Metal boxes lined the walkway on one side and a railing overlooked the massive drop on the other.
"May I help you?" said a small man as he came scurrying up to them from further along the platform. His shoes clicked against the grated floor.
"Yes," said Aart.
"We're here for the regular service personnel informational screening session," Nova said, blurting the words out as they came to her.
"What? I've been working here for twenty years and I've never had one of those. How can it be regular?"
"This is the first," Nova said, glancing at Aart, "But rest assured that from now it will be regular."
"I see," said the man, glancing between them. "I'm sure you won't mind if I ask to see some ID?"
"Of course not," Nova said, turning to Aart. "Take note, question one passed."
Aart nodded back and made a note on the screen in his hand. They both held out their wrists. The small man's face flushed red as he pulled the scanner from his waist. He held it over Nova's wrist and the red bar swept over her arm. The machine beeped and the small man lifted the scanner to read the tiny screen.
Nova's heart fluttered in her throat as she bit her tongue. Her feet itched to start running but she stayed her ground, shoulders back and chin up.
His face went white as he looked from Nova to Aart. "Why didn't you say you were Special Forces? Here I am treating you like common trespassers!"
"No need to apologise," Nova said, holding up her hand.
"I-I'll get Mister Orland."
Before Nova could reply the man scurried down the platform and disappeared behind a thick door. Muffled voices came from inside and then the door burst open and another man in a white coat strode out, his face flushed. The badge on the front of his coat said Orland.
Orland tugged at his collar and glared at the other man as he scurried away. "Sorry about the delay."
Nova nodded. "Just answer our questions and we'll be on our way."
"Of course," he said.
"So, Orland, why don't you tell us about these," Nova said, nodding towards a metal case where a woman with growths that looked like horns sprouting from her face, stood trapped with her eyes closed, possibly sleeping.
"These are the out-takes from Project Indigo," Orland said. "We keep them for monitoring for a while and if they don't improve, we send them for incineration."
Nova strode off along the walkway. Orland scurried to keep up.
"And what do you know about Project Indigo?" she said. She kept her tone light, disinterested, but her ears strained for every answer.
"I'm sure you've read my file. I designed Project Indigo," Orland said, his voice shaking.
"Of course I've read your file," Nova snapped, glaring down at him. "I want you to tell me what you know."
The man cowered away from her, his mouth and hands shaking as his wide eyes stared up at her.
"Of course, I'm sorry," he said, shaking like a leaf. "Project Indigo uses the riff-raff of society to create super-soldiers for the Confederacy. We've had some suc
cessful trials so far but none of them have been perfect."
"How many have you sold to the other Confederacy divisions?" Aart asked.
"What? None of course. The other divisions haven't accepted the Project, some kind of ethical conundrum. I'm sure they'll come around though," Orland said.
Nova inwardly sighed with relief. The super soldiers that had almost destroyed The Jagged Maw were at least confined to Quadrant Two. She turned away from Orland and kept walking. "Tell me about the failings of the project."
"Well, um, at first it was everything. The subjects died during processing, a few actually exploded right inside the cases. That was messy," Orland said. He stared at the ground and shook his head. "Subjects are hard to come by, as I'm sure you can appreciate, so we hated to waste them."
"Where are you getting your subjects?" Nova asked.
"I don't like to ask too many questions. That's your people's department of course," Orland said.
"Where do you think they come from?" Nova said, changing her line of questioning.
"The Resources District mostly. They all have the origin tattoos and with all the rioting…" Orland trailed off as he glanced up at them.
Nova nodded and pretended to make a note on her portable screen. "Tell me more about the failings."
"As I said, at first there was complete failure. We have better success rates now, but some of them just don't take to the treatment." Orland lifted his hand towards the woman in the case closest to them. "They go mad or are so deformed that they can't work."
"I see," said Nova.
"But even the ones that do go through processing without problems aren't perfect. There's something about them, it's like they have an expiry date. They will be fully functioning for about four weeks and then they just start to fall apart," Orland said.
Aart raised an eyebrow. "Fall apart?"
"Yes, I can show you if you want, the newest batch started going down yesterday." Orland waved them back onto the transporter disk.
Junkie Page 13
