by Mark White
Well that was interesting, not what I expected at all. I expected the Tap to break down from the outside inwards, but it turns out that it's completely the opposite. What on earth could be causing that? How would a breakdown from the inside be linked to whether a person was Shallow or not? I've no idea right now, but this is fascinating. Now I know what's happening I need to focus right in on the area where it starts. That might give me a clue what the trigger might be. Back to a bit more scanning.
Wow, that's weird. It's leading me away from how this links to Shallowness I think. The decay that breaks down the Tap seems to be centred right on the command processing core. It's almost as if it received something it couldn't handle and it triggered a catastrophic meltdown. But that makes no sense. It's too simple, I shouldn't be making this type of breakthrough so quickly, despite how good I am. There must be more to it than that. What I really need is to get access to the last commands that were sent to her before I died. I'll need to get Kofi to authorise that for me, he might prove to be useful again yet.
First though I'll have to write up the project proposal like he requested. Bloody bureaucratic paperwork, but at least then I'll send him my request for the data at the same time, and tell him why.
Damn, another interruption. Someone else from the Decemvir's office to see me in reception. I don't meet one for years, and now they won't keep away. I guess I'd better go and kowtow to him.
'Good afternoon,' I said. 'How may I help you?'
'Good afternoon, thank you for taking the time to see me,' he said. As if I had a choice. 'My name is Damon Gates, I'm Lictor for Decemvir Gulzari Desai, working in Decemvir Geraldine Mander's office.' Another Decemvir? This could be useful.
'As part of my role, I'm reporting on the research projects authorised by Geraldine to Gulzari. It's just part of the usual auditing process to make sure we're spending public money wisely.' I knew it, it's a fucking audit. This guy is the bureaucratic twat. I'm only a day into the work, and they're sticking their noses in already. Still it gives me another route to the money, and maybe another route for getting things approved. Get my foot in one door, and hopefully more will open.
'Could you give me an outline on what you're working on for Geraldine please?' Damon asked.
I know Kofi asked me to keep it between us, but he could be a useful ally, so I may as well be open.
'I'm looking at a potential correlation between HOME deaths and an individual's rating on the Edelman scale. I'd like to find if there's a neurological basis for any such correlation,' I replied.
Damon raised his eyebrows. 'That's interesting,' he said. 'What made you think there was a link?'
'Oh, it was just something I thought of after Kofi Albus visited me to ask about the Edelman scale, and we talked about HOME deaths. It just came to me in a flash of inspiration. I discussed it with Kofi when he visited the next time, and I agreed to look into it for him,' I replied.
'Makes sense,' he said. 'So have you made any progress yet? I know you've only been at it for a short time.'
'Yes I have, much to my surprise,' I replied showing as much enthusiasm as I could. Hopefully he'll give me access to the data I need.
'I've found that during a HOME death, or at least the one I've looked at closely so far, the Tap disintegrated from the command processing centre. It's almost as if it's just received a command that's caused it to go into meltdown,' I said.
'That's a worrying finding,' he said, looking contemplative rather than worried. 'Oh dear.'
'I wonder, would it be possible to get access to the command log for the HOME death patient I've just been studying? I might be able to track down where things started to go wrong from that,' I asked, hoping he'd save me a bit of time.
He looked at me. 'I'm really sorry,' he said. 'I don't think that will be necessary. You see I think I know the command that caused it.'
He blinked.
[Pool logging force terminated]
Pool (2): Kofi Albus - 18th Sextilis 227PD
Fuuuuuuuuuuuck. Damon is definitely more than he seems to be. He's not just a Lictor who goes around looking for problems. He's an enforcer. A murderer who can kill at will to cover things up. Mauro found something, so had to die before he could report it.
Are all Lictors the same? Can they just will anyone dead? Just send this magic command and then that's it, you're dead? Shit.
Damon knows what Mauro was doing for me. Why am I still alive?
Does he know that I've seen Mauro's pool? If so, why am I still alive?
Are all HOME deaths caused by a command received via the Stream? Anyone could be silently killed, at any time. Why am I still alive?
First priority, tell Geraldine and Safira, while I'm still alive.
FEOS: 'Mauro discovered HOME deaths triggered by command via Stream. Visited by Damon. Mauro told Damon this. Looks as if Damon killed him using this command. Damon (and other Lictors?) can cause HOME deaths at will. Why am I still alive?'
Mauro wasn't quite the person I thought he was though. So much for me hoping we'd end up friends, seems he was just trying to use me. I've not had any new close friends since my divorce from Colin, so I expect it was just wishful thinking on my part. Nevertheless I'd not wish that ending on my worst enemy. I'll always feel guilty about putting him in that position. I must survive this. I must find a way to put this right. Damon, and Raj, must be stopped. For Mauro. And for all of us.
FEOS: 'Kofi, don't worry. Accelerating exit plans. Abandon next report. Flying back right now. Meet me in office first thing tomorrow, bring essentials in case you can't return home. Contact Safira if you can. Can we have three way conference with her in morning? Damon meeting Gulzari tomorrow, so should be safe. Sorry about Mauro.'
FEOS FEOS FEOS: Safira, meet me in one hour please.
Essentials? What are essentials? Staying alive is a good starting point, the rest is irrelevant. So few personal possessions have any meaning for me after my divorce. I'll just pack some toiletries, a change of clothes and take some water and a snack. Is that right? I've no idea. I'm so glad Colin got our kitten, Willow, when we separated. I was upset at the time, but it's less for me to worry about now. I really don't have any ties here.
FEOS: Come on Safira, come on. Where are you? Have I got the place wrong?
'Good evening Kofi, my apologies for the delay. I met unexpectedly strong resistance this evening. We will need to keep this brief. I have read your pool and reports. I agree the situation is critical,' Safira said, startling me as usual.
'No shit,' I said helpfully. 'Can we have a three way conference tomorrow as Geraldine requested?'
'Yes, I believe it should be possible. If you invite Geraldine to share this VR drama, she should be able to see both of us when I am able to make contact,' she said.
'Do you have any way to protect us from this kill signal?' I asked.
'Only one way, which you must use as soon as possible tomorrow morning when you meet Geraldine. You must use our nanovirus to disconnect you from the Stream. You cannot be killed using the HOME method once that has completed its work,' she said.
Leave the Stream? Shit. How will I…what w… Shit. She's right, I can't see any other way.
'Geraldine too? How can we contact you after that?' I asked, panic rising in my voice.
'Calm down Kofi,' she said. 'I will do what I can to protect you both. I have asked all the Safiran agents to mount a virtual assault tonight. We will continually try to appear in locations around the Earth, and we will try to infiltrate the Stream itself via all routes possible, making sure we're spotted. Hopefully this will keep its attention fully on us, and not you,' she said.
'Also, from what we understand of human psychology, I believe Damon has formed a tentative bond of friendship with you. He does seem to like you and have a genuine respect for you. Due to this I do not believe he will kill you without seeing you again. I believe he will wish to do it in person, so that he can try to justify to you why it must be done. I believe that
until you see him again, you are safe.'
'Are you sure?' I asked, not feeling as confident as Safira sounded.
'No, no-one can be sure. But that is my best guess. I do not wish to lose your friendship either,' she said.
'And my other point? How can we contact you once we've disconnected from the Stream?' I asked.
'Along with the nanovirus, we also provided Geraldine with three local access hubs. We gave her multiple so that she had some redundancy, but now you will need to use one. Our nanovirus does not just remove your access to the Stream, it replaces it with access to these local hubs. You need to be close to one, within about two metres, but if you have it on your person, then it will be fine,' she said.
'How big are they? What do they do?' I asked.
'You can wear one on your wrist, they are very small. All they do is provide an access point through which we can communicate. Our communication will be more stable than now, and will be in a simple virtual environment. You will also be able to log your personal thoughts to it continually, similar to your Stream pools,' she said.
'Will I be able to communicate with Geraldine using it?' I said.
'Unfortunately not, not directly. It was only designed to communicate with us. However we will be able to relay messages between you if you are separated. I do not know what Geraldine's plans are,' she said.
'OK, that sounds workable. So does it have a better name? Local access hub is a bit of a mouthful. No water based metaphor you can come up with?' I asked, relaxing a little for the first time.
'Well your life appears to be about to go down the drain. How about the Sink?' she said, deadpan.
'You're getting the hang of our language and humour at last aren't you? OK, Sink it is,' I said, smiling. 'Thanks, I needed that.'
'My pl…' she said, and was gone. I had a few more things to ask, but guess it can wait until tomorrow. I feel much better having talked to her, I needed the company right now.
Not sure what to do with myself. I think I'll turn in for an early night, hope I can get some sleep. A final message to Geraldine first to confirm.
'Three way conference confirmed when we meet tomorrow. I'll be in at 6am. Bring nanovirus and hubs, we need to detach from Stream. Trusting you on exit strategy.'
I had a quick reply this time, she was obviously waiting.
'As expected. Separate exit strategies lined up for us. First part of yours in place, will complete the rest once you are on your way to Pollux. See you at 6am. FEOS: Look forward to seeing you again too Safira.'
Pollux? Bollocks.
Pool: Kofi Albus - 18th Sextilis 227PD
Not a very good night. Can't imagine why. Straight into work and settled in to talk to Geraldine well before 6am. No messing about today.
'Good morning Kofi,' said Geraldine, sitting down in front of me. She put down a box onto the desk between us. 'Here's the most important thing to start with.'
'Is that the nanovirus? The Sinks?' I asked.
She looked surprised. 'No, much more important than that. Doughnuts for breakfast. Can't flee from our lives without one last chance of eating doughnuts.'
I sighed. Life or death, Geraldine would always try to make light of it. 'Oh if you insist,' I said, taking a lemon frosted one.
'Better?' she asked.
'Mmmpf,' I replied.
'Before we try to talk with Safira, I thought we ought to go over our strategy. I can't see any option for us, other than to disconnect from the Stream. I have been expecting for me to have to do this for quite a while and have prepared for it. However I was expecting to have to do so alone. I am truly sorry for dragging you into this Kofi,' she said.
'Don't be silly, Geraldine. I wouldn't have missed this for the world. This is too important, way more important than just me and you. We have to do this. We have to stop Raj controlling so many races and hurting the Safirans,' I replied.
'No doubts?' she asked.
'None,' I said.
'Very well. Once you are free of the Stream, I need you to go on a mission for me. Partly a mission, partly a flight to keep you away from danger,' she said.
'To Pollux by any chance?' I said.
'Yes. As you know, the Castors were the most technologically advanced race that we assimilated into the Confluvium. They were also the most recent. There are a large number of Dry Castors still in the population. I have it on good authority that there is an underground network of Drys, dissatisfied with the Confluvium and eager for change. They seem organised, but don't have any way to make any difference. I need you to make contact with them, and let them know what is going on. We need all the allies we can get. If the Safirans do pull a rabbit out of the hat, we need people there ready to take over, smooth the transition. They may be able to help us in ways we don't yet understand. Just as importantly, they should be able to hide you and keep you safe. Does that sound OK?' she said.
'I'm not sure I've got that many options, so it sounds good to me. I've always wanted to go off planet, and Pollux is definitely the most interesting member of the Confluvium,' I said.
'I'm going to stay on Earth. I've taken a leaf out of Raj's book, and have a secret base set up, off the grid completely. Luckily there were some underground military bases that have been unused since the Flood that needed very little modification to suit my needs. I have one confession to make - you're not my only confidante in this, I have many other agents working for me, but I keep you all separate for your safekeeping. The others are anonymous and safe for now, and I want to keep it that way. They will be my eyes and ears in the real world - and my hands when I need something doing. There was plenty of old-style encrypted radio equipment in the military base, so I'll be using those to keep in touch once I can no longer use the Stream. I'm going to work on ways to ensure any transition is as easy as possible if we can remove Raj from the Stream, or remove the Stream from all of us. I'm relying on the Safirans to come up with the goods there though, I think it's beyond our ability given my resources. I've no idea how we can win this, but I'm determined to be ready if the opportunity arises,' she said.
'I'm impressed. I guessed you had more up your sleeve, and a Decemvir wouldn't just have a lowly historian helping her save the world. Right now though, we just need to survive the next day. How am I going to get to Pollux?' I asked.
'After we've finished here, and we've disconnected from the Stream, go to the emergency escape coordinates that I sent you. I'll meet you there on the way to my base. I'll introduce you to your escort to the spaceport. I've arranged for you to use the maintenance berth on a Source sync drone ship to Pollux. They're usually unmanned, but there is a berth available for a single maintenance engineer to do in-trip repairs as they're loath to take them out of service. It'll be cramped, but it's discrete. I've left contact details for you when you get to Pollux in the drone,' she said.
'Sounds like you've got this all nicely organised, thank you. Do you have a white cat in your secret lair?' I said.
'No problem, it's my job. And I'm responsible for getting you into this, so I won't let you get hurt,' she replied. 'Oh and my cat is black.'
'OK, so when do we take the nanovirus? Now? How long does it take?' I asked.
'I suggest we talk to Safira first, just in case there's anything new we need to know. I believe it takes up to an hour to work, but I don't want to take the risk that we drop out the Stream while talking to her. Shall we make contact?' she asked.
FEOS: 'Sure. Safira, we're ready. We're just coming in,' I said.
I dropped into the same Confluvium episode, paused it at the desired place, and sent Geraldine an invite. Within a couple of seconds she appeared next to me. It's a bit unnerving being in a shared environment when you're used to going solo. Guess I'll get used to it.
'So what happens next?' she asked.
'We wait. Keep looking at the paused Castor, until Safira takes it over. Then you jump out your virtual skin, as no matter how much you're prepared, you still don't expect a paused simulat
ion to move,' I said.
'Ah, OK. Hope she doesn't take long,' Geraldine said.
The Castor moved. 'Good morning Kofi. Good morning Geraldine. It is good to see you again,' said Safira.
'Fuck, you're right,' said Geraldine, noticeably jumping. 'Ah, sorry Safira. It is very good to see you again too.'
'We will have to be brief,' said Safira. 'We are keeping Raj occupied on all fronts to try to keep you safe, but I am likely to be found quickly. You must take the nanovirus immediately. It is likely to take one to two hours to work. It is hard to be sure and may differ between you. Then you will be disconnected from the Stream, so should be safe from the HOME signal. However it will take another one to two hours before you will be able to access your Sink. During that time, I will be unable to contact you. After that, contact should be much easier.'
'Is there anything else we need to know about the Sink operation?' I asked.
'No, it should be intuitive. We tried to make it familiar and similar to aspects of your Stream,' she replied. 'Please go, act quickly, and stay safe. We can discuss how to resolve the Stream once we are back in contact. Good bye,' she said, and left.
We dropped out back into the real world. 'We she did say she would be brief. Short but sweet,' Geraldine said, smiling calmly. 'Well I guess we should get on with it. Ready to go ashore?'
'Pardon?' I queried, not keeping up with her.
'Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. Go ashore. Climb onto the banks. Enter the Dry desert. Leave the Stream,' she said.
'Oh,' I replied, looking at her with a very unimpressed expression on my face.
'Tough audience,' she said. 'OK, roll up your sleeve.'
She picked up one of two syringes in front of her. 'Me first?' I asked.
'Of course. I've not done this before. I need a bit of practise before I do it to myself,' she said.
