Skyfall

by Anthony Eaton

  ‘Can I walk around?’ Lari asked.

  ‘If you want.’

  Lari crossed to the window at its westernmost extremity, starting where the inner wall bisected the clearcrete outer wall. From here, the view looked over the ocean. He’d heard stories of the ocean, of course, but like most kids his age he had never had cause to venture this far west across the city and had never seen it. From this height it seemed both massive and insignificant. Far below, sunlight wrinkled the surface of the sea, throwing a silver cast across the waves, which humped forward in slow motion.

  Following the window south, more and more of the city came into view. Other domes, most far below, were dotted across the watery landscape, sporadically at first, then with greater and greater density until the city proper began.

  ‘It’s spectacular, isn’t it?’ Lari whirled round, startled to find the Prelate standing behind him. Like the last time he’d met her, the first thing that struck him was her thin, pale skin. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of looking at it.’

  She moved to stand beside him, also peering out across the endless clusters of domes. The early afternoon light threw them into sharp relief, making them gleam and shimmer. ‘It’s hard to believe that something made by humans can be so beautiful, isn’t it?’

  ‘It’s not all beautiful.’ The words were out before Lari had stopped to think. The Prelate turned her pale blue gaze on him.

  ‘Whatever do you mean, Larinan?’

  Lari cursed inwardly. He’d been thinking about the broken-down dome, 87b, which Gregor had hijacked him to three months earlier.

  ‘Nothing, Madam Prelate. I was just thinking out loud.’

  ‘You should learn to guard your thoughts better, Larinan.’ The old woman turned and Lari followed her across to where his father and brother were still sitting in their armchairs.

  ‘Doctors Mann, I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long. Do come in.’

  The three followed the Prelate through a large doorway into an office instantly familiar as the scene of a thousand webcast addresses to the city. The Quarter Room, as it was known, was in fact more like a third of the entire floor. The view out to the north-east across the city was as spectacular as the view from the waiting area. The Prelate’s desk sat facing the door, the window behind it.

  ‘I face my desk towards the door, otherwise I’d never get any work done,’ she said. ‘Please, do sit down.’ She ushered them across to a set of low couches similar to those in the waiting area, deep and heavily upholstered. Lari and Janil sat on one, their father on another, and the Prelate lowered herself into an armchair between them.

  ‘Thank you all for coming. I know how busy you are at the moment.’

  ‘Not at all, Madam Prelate,’ said Dernan Mann. ‘Though I must admit to being intrigued at your summons.’

  The Prelate smiled. ‘Before we go any further, there’s somebody else I invited.’ She flipped open a small panel in the arm of her chair and pressed a button. ‘We’re ready.’

  A moment later another door slid aside and through it strolled a man Lari recognised.

  ‘Of course you all know Mr Jenx, my head of security.’

  The security agent seated himself beside their father. He threw a cold smile at Lari. ‘Good to see you again, Larinan. And in much nicer surroundings and circumstances this time.’

  ‘What is he doing here, Madam Prelate?’ His father kept his voice deliberately calm.

  ‘What we’re discussing this evening may well have an impact on the entire population of Port, Doctor, so I felt it only appropriate that my head of citywide security be here as well as the three of you.’ The Prelate sat back in her chair. ‘I’ve brought you here because I need to know what progress is being made with the girl.’

  Lari noticed his father and brother exchange a quick glance, before Dernan Mann said, in a carefully measured tone, ‘If you don’t mind me asking, progress in what area specifically?’

  ‘Are we any closer to discovering the genetic adaptations required to enable us to survive outside while maintaining viable fertility?’

  There was a long silence. Finally, Janil spoke. ‘Madam Prelate, may I speak frankly?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘It’s going to take years before we’re even close to locating the specific alterations that we need.’

  ‘Surely it can’t be that hard to find the gene that darkens skin tone?’ Jenx said.

  ‘What we’re looking for is far more intricate than that,’ Janil replied with studied courtesy. ‘We’re dealing with a thousand years of accelerated human evolution here; every aspect of the subject’s physiology has adapted to the outside environment, not just her skin.’

  ‘Explain, Janil.’

  ‘The skin is just one of thousands of differences between the Darklanders and ourselves, Madam Prelate. It goes much deeper. Their kidneys and liver have adapted to require less than a quarter of the water you or I need to survive, with about three times the efficiency. Their respiratory system can handle much higher levels of methane and carbon dioxide in the air than our systems are used to. Their muscle tissue is adapted for long periods of exertion – they can walk for days if necessary. Their eyes can handle the higher levels of ambient light and radiation without forming cataracts, their hearts …’

  The Prelate held up a hand. ‘So what you’re saying, Janil, is that there is no single factor responsible for their ability to survive in the external world?’

  ‘There might be. We’ve only had the girl three months. We’ve barely scratched the surface of her genetic coding. And on top of that, there are other differences, too, that we’ve not yet been able to even ascertain reasons for.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘The subject has a number of tiny but significant differences in the development of her brain. Her neurology seems far more advanced than ours in some areas, and is retarded in others. We have no idea what effect these differences have on her, or how they help in the day-to-day business of survival.’

  ‘So there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of us producing a viable population of people capable of surviving outside the confines of the city?’

  ‘Certainly not in the next twenty years, no.’

  ‘Doctor Mann, do you agree with your son’s assessment.’

  ‘Absolutely, Madam Prelate.’

  ‘Can we consider another possibility?’ Jenx interjected.

  ‘By all means.’ Dernan Mann’s tone was cold but still carefully polite.

  ‘I understand that your younger son here was born outside of reproduction protocols as some kind of control subject, in the unlikely event that this girl did in fact exist.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Is that right?’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘Then why aren’t you simply cross-breeding the two of them? Surely if you’re seeking to maintain our fertility with the Darklander’s resistance, then the simplest way is to—’

  Lari felt colour rising in his cheeks.

  Janil interrupted. ‘Naturally, Mister Jenx, we’ve already considered that option. As I said earlier, we simply don’t know how or why this girl works the way she does. We don’t have any idea what she’d pass on to a new generation. We don’t even know if we can viably cross-fertilise between us and them.’

  ‘It’s been done before.’

  And I’m sure we all remember what a success that turned out to be.’ For the first time in the conversation there was an edge to Dernan Mann’s voice, but Janil interrupted, addressing his answer to the Prelate.

  ‘It’s quite possible that we’ve become two completely separate species by this time. If we were to just randomly reproduce as Jenx suggests, then as likely as not we’d end up with a child with no environmental resistance and zero fertility.’

  ‘And besides,’ Dernan Mann added, ‘even if, for some reason, it worked perfectly this time, all we’d be left with would be one viable child. That’s not nearly enough to establish a genetically stable population. We need to ke
ep in mind a bigger picture. We need more time to unravel this girl’s DNA slowly and methodically. Just as we’ve been doing.’

  ‘Sadly, Doctor Mann, time is a luxury we no longer have.’

  The Prelate spoke in her usual soft voice. She considered all three of the Mann family, one by one, before continuing.

  ‘What you are about to learn must never leave the confines of this office. Do you understand?’

  ‘Of course.’ Their father spoke for the three of them.

  ‘Mr Jenx.’ The Prelate nodded at the security agent.

  ‘In the last three months, since the recovery of subject 45698F, the city has undergone a 230 percent rise in system failures. Unrest in the underworld and lower levels has increased to a level never experienced in the entire history of the city. Crime is up almost 300 percent and citywide productivity is down by 155 percent. This final figure would be higher if not for the increased enforcing of labour protocols by the security division.’

  ‘And you’re attributing this to the recovery of the girl?’ Dernan Mann’s tone was incredulous.

  ‘Not at all. These trends, I’m sad to say, are completely driven from within the city. In short, your “entropy scenario” is fast becoming reality.’

  Jenx’s words seemed to echo around the office. Dernan Mann stood up and crossed to the window, where he stared out at the vast, glittering city beyond.

  ‘There’s been nothing on the webs,’ Lari said.

  ‘Of course not,’ Jenx replied. ‘The last thing we want is panic. We’re having enough trouble holding the lower levels down, without spreading unrest into the middle and administrative levels.’

  ‘Are you certain?’ Janil, far from being pleased at this vindication of his ideas, simply looked stunned. ‘I mean, that’s even faster than I’d predicted.’

  ‘It’s accelerated, certainly, but its happening just as your mother theorised years ago, and as you reiterated in your report,’ Jenx answered. ‘Environmental system breakdowns are already endemic in the lower levels – water and protein recyclers, lift systems, filtration, power distribution, autotint; we’re having problems with all of them. Processing systems that haven’t showed so much as a logic fault in a thousand years are suddenly riddled with undiagnosable errors. And naturally, social unrest is following hard upon the heels of the systems breakdowns.’

  ‘Do we know what’s causing the acceleration? I mean, why now?’

  Jenx shrugged. ‘I have a theory as far as the social unrest goes, but you of all people should know that, in a system as vast and interrelated as a skycity, cause and effect are always going to be difficult to determine. It’s not just Port, either. The same thing is happening in New London, Haig, Jing and Addisab. All the skycities are having the same problems, and the Prelates are powerless to stop it.’

  ‘Why are you telling us this?’ Dernan Mann turned away from the window and returned to the group. ‘How does this affect the project?’

  ‘More than you know, Doctor Mann.’ The Prelate motioned their father to sit down again. ‘Mr Jenx, please tell us about the report you received earlier today.’

  Jenx looked surprised. ‘Madam Prelate, that information is highly—’

  ‘Now, please, Mr Jenx.’

  ‘Very well. Doctor Mann, it would appear that for some time now word of your little Darklander pet, and indeed of your entire agenda, has been circulating in the underworld.’

  ‘That’s impossible.’

  ‘Not at all, I’m afraid to say. We know for a fact that Ratz is completely informed as to the existence of subject 45698F, and of her containment at DGAP. More alarmingly, he knows the nature of and reasons behind your … investigations.’

  ‘Ratz?’ Lari asked. Jenx turned to him.

  ‘Forgive me, Larinan. I forgot that during our last chat you claimed not to know of him. Gregor Kravanratz, or simply “Ratz” as he’s known in the underworld. A political agitator, terrorist and former DGAP field agent. Current whereabouts unknown. We believe he’s the leader of a movement calling themselves “the Underground”. We know for a fact that this group was responsible for the deaths of one hundred and twenty-three citizens in the Port North Central explosions, and we suspect their involvement in at least twelve other acts of sabotage and vandalism. Are you still certain you don’t know the name, Larinan?’

  Lari’s face prickled as blood drained from it. ‘No.’

  ‘Are you all right? You look pale all of a sudden.’ The security man’s eyes bored into Lari.

  ‘I’m … fine. Could I have some water, please?’

  ‘Of course. In fact, I’m sure we could all use some refreshments.’ The Prelate touched a button on her armrest and almost immediately the door through which Jenx had emerged slid aside and a man entered bearing a tray with a jug and glasses. He deposited this on the table and left without a word.

  ‘Help yourself, Larinan.’ The Prelate turned back to her security chief. ‘Mr Jenx, continue.’

  ‘The bottom line is that Ratz knows about the girl and he knows about the entropy scenario, and the Underground are using that information to promote civil unrest. They’re provoking uprisings among the shifties and rioting throughout the lower levels. Ironically, Janil, he’s using his knowledge of your report on your mother’s entropy scenario to accelerate its progress. Just as you predicted.’

  ‘How did he find out?’ Janil asked. ‘DGAP is a secure facility and this program is protected by the highest level management protocols we have. How could this happen?’

  Jenx threw just the tiniest glance at Lari before answering. ‘The same way these things always happen, Janil. Somebody talked.’

  ‘Then we need to find out who.’

  ‘Naturally, we’re investigating. But in the meantime, to answer your original question, Doctor Mann, this information has several significant impacts upon your project.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘We all need to keep in mind that the very existence of that girl and all that she represents is the catalyst Ratz is using to provoke civil unrest.’

  Something in the tone of Jenx’s voice, in the careful way that he was selecting his words, sent a shiver of dread up Lari’s spine.

  ‘As long as she is here, as long as she is a prisoner in DGAP—’

  ‘She’s not a prisoner.’

  ‘Let’s not hide behind euphemisms, Larinan. That’s exactly what she is. She’s our prisoner, a prisoner of the city administration, and as long as she remains so, Ratz has ammunition to continue underming the fabric of our society.’

  ‘Don’t you feel you’re overstating the case somewhat?’ Dernan Mann suggested.

  ‘Not at all. That girl is more than just a subject now, she’s become a symbol. A symbol of everything corrupt about the decaying world that we’ve locked ourselves inside. She’s a symbol of impossible freedom. She’s a symbol of hope, or the lack of it. And, as a symbol, she’s become infinitely more important to a lot of people and groups, including the Underground, than she ever was as a scientific artefact.’

  ‘Don’t talk about her that way!’

  The vehemence in Lari’s tone took the four adults by surprise. They stared at him.

  ‘Like what, Larinan?’ his father asked.

  ‘As a “subject” or an “artefact”. She’s just a girl. A human, the same as us.’

  ‘Or not, as Janil so succinctly pointed out a few minutes ago.’ Jenx’s expression was smug. ‘And if you care about her so much, Larinan, then perhaps you should be a little more guarded about who you talk to.’

  ‘What are you implying?’ his father snapped.

  ‘Nothing at all, Doctor Mann. In any case, it’s a moot point now.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘As there seems little likelihood of your research into this subject actually achieving anything in the near future, and as her presence here in Port is proving to be a destabilising and dangerous influence on an already volatile population, I have recommended to the Prelate that your “
project” be wound up and that the subject be … removed from the sphere of influence.’

  Dernan Mann stared at the security chief. ‘Are you suggesting we—’

  ‘There really is no other choice, Doctor. The only conceivable reason for allowing the subject to remain in the custody of DGAP would be if there was a possibility that your scientific team might be able to determine the appropriate genetic adaptations to enable us to formulate a viable population colony outside the city. Your son pointed out earlier, and you agreed with him, that the chance of that happening in the time available to us is almost nil—’

  ‘Almost, but not entirely.’

  ‘… and therefore keeping her here simply adds further instability to an already dangerous situation. The only solution is the termination of both subject and project.’

  Dernan Mann stood abruptly and turned to the Prelate.

  ‘I cannot accept this, Madam Prelate. I must insist—’

  ‘You must what, Doctor Mann? Please do not forget your place.’

  Lari’s father took a deep breath. ‘We’re talking about the extinction of the human race here. You admit that the entropy scenario is a reality—’

  ‘Becoming a reality,’ interrupted Jenx.

  ‘And yet at the same time you’re willing to allow Jenx to throw away the one shred of hope that we have to thwart that fate? For the sake of what? Stability? Don’t you think getting rid of the girl now will only add fuel to Ratz’s fire?’

  ‘Without the girl, without her presence and all that it implies, Ratz’s position is severely weakened. As long as there is the possibility that he might get his hands on her and use her to—’

  ‘She’s being kept in the most secure room of one of the most secure buildings in the city. There’s no way he could—’

  ‘As long as she is in the city there’s always the possibility, however slim, that Ratz will release her. He’s already proved more dangerous and resourceful than we’ve given him credit for in the past. If we remove her and wind up DGAP, however, then it doesn’t matter. We prevent Ratz gaining further influence in the underworld, and we buy ourselves a little more time in which to search for other alternatives to extinction.’