by M. D. Cooper
“You wish to discuss a fraud allegation? I’m afraid you have arrived at the wrong department. I am sending you the—”
“No! My landlord is the one who committed the fraud, but I’m the one who lost my license. I just need to explain—”
“I understand. I am sending a form for you—”
The automaton cut out and froze. A beat later, an alarm sounded over the Link. Then an audible alarm blared out in the reception area.
The automaton returned to life. “I’m afraid we are experiencing an emergency. For your safety, please remain where you are and await further instructions.”
Something was going on downstairs. The rally had probably turned nasty and the security chief was putting the building on lockdown.
“Dammit,” said Isa as she realized what that meant. If I’m not careful….
She ran for the office’s door and reached it only just in time. As she pushed it open, she heard the locking mechanism engage. Unable to secure itself, the door tried to close. Isa resisted the pressure long enough to slip through the gap. Once through, the door slammed and sealed.
There was no way she was spending who knew how many hours trapped inside a room with an uncooperative automaton until the crisis was over. And if secessionists were the cause of the emergency, they just might be crazy enough to do something dangerous like try to blow the place up.
The elevators were not working, of course. Isa rushed around behind them to the stairwell. She began running down, taking the steps two at a time.
What a day!
First she’d received the news she was no longer in business, and now she’d narrowly escaped being caught in some stupid political conflict. Or she hoped she had. What a story she would have to tell Martin and Erin that evening.
Maybe they should give up on Troy, even if the secession didn’t go ahead. The marine safari park where Martin had been working was almost ready to open, and Erin would be finished with Messene Station in a couple of months. Maybe they should all move back to Carthage. She could open a gallery in Landfall; the rental would be more expensive, but she wouldn’t be living in fear of political unrest destroying all her efforts.
The Link alarm had ceased, but the audible alarm continued to blare, echoing down the stairwell.
Isa didn’t hear the footsteps above her, belonging to a man also running down the stairs, until he was only a couple of steps behind.
“You had the same idea,” he shouted over the alarm as he drew abreast of her.
“I did. I don’t want to be stuck in here.”
The man had slowed down and was taking the steps with her.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” she said.
“Oh, it’s OK. I was getting out of breath anyway.”
The man wasn’t out of breath at all. Isa wondered if he was staying with her in case the trouble going on down below was dangerous. That was sweet of him. He was wearing office clothes. She guessed he was probably a government worker, not a visitor like her.
“What department do you work for?” the man asked.
“I don’t. I only came here to speak to someone about my business license,” Isa told him.
They passed the door to the forty-third floor.
“No kidding,” the man said. “Name’s Curtis. My department deals with business licenses. What’s your problem?”
“Don’t worry about it. Now’s probably not a good time. I’m Isa, by the way.”
“This building has fifty-five floors. We’re going to be taking the stairs for a while yet. Tell me what you’re here for. Maybe I can help.”
Isa quickly gave the man the whole story, including her hunch that her landlord’s fraud could be responsible for the loss of her license.
The man was silent for a moment. “Hmm, yeah. Good guess. You’re right. Give me a second…. OK, it’s all done.”
“You reinstated my license?”
“Sure.”
“That’s great. Thanks a lot.”
“It’s the least I can do when you’ve been drawn into this stupid mess.”
“Do you know what’s going on down there? I noticed guards arriving earlier.”
“Oh, I forgot you aren’t on the official channel. It’s a coup.”
“A coup? By who?”
“Ha, who do you think? Damned Taranian secessionists. They didn’t get in at the last election and couldn’t build a majority government, so they’re trying to take over the government of Troy by force. We’d better be careful when we reach the bottom. It’s mayhem down there.”
They passed floor thirty-seven. Thirty-six. Thirty-five. Isa was getting tired. The alarm continued to sound, and the noise was hurting her ears. Around them, more people had joined the general exodus.
A military coup? That seems excessive.
Like the rest of New Canaan’s inhabited worlds, Troy was a democracy. If some of the people wanted the planet to secede, they could campaign for it through the regular channels.
Floor twenty-four. Twenty-three. Twenty-two.
“Are you a Trojan?” the man asked.
“No, I settled on Carthage first. I arrived here with my family a few months ago. Before that, I was Noctus, worked on the Hyperion and on Victoria for a while.”
“No kidding. You’re—”
“Short for a Noctus. I know.”
“Sorry. I guess you must hear that all the time.”
“Don’t worry about it. Are you from Troy?”
“Yeah, I was one of the first settlers. Came here directly out of stasis. I saw this place being built.”
“You’re a Trojan?” Isa couldn’t quite believe him.
“That’s what I said. Why? Does that seem strange?”
She almost said, ‘But you aren’t an asshole.’ Almost. “Do you like it here?”
Seventeen. Sixteen.
“It’s OK,” the man finally replied. “Though to be honest, I’ve been looking at the other planets lately.”
She stifled a smile.
Tanis’s visit clearly hadn’t done any good. Perhaps the fact that the invasion drill had taken place while she’d been visiting hadn’t helped matters. Isa doubted that Martin was the only one who was disgruntled about the mandatory drilling and all the disruption it had caused.
She could see why people were pissed off. Most New Canaanites weren’t like herself and the few other Noctus who had come with the colonists from the Kap. They didn’t appreciate what they had.
The Intrepid’s colonists had left Sol to get away from the spectre of war; they hadn’t signed up for living in a system that was under threat. None except a very few had even known the ship was carrying technology that would make the colony one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy to live. So Isa could appreciate their point of view. But there had to be a better way of reacting than through enacting a military takeover.
Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.
The alarm stopped.
Isa and the man from the TBLA had nearly reached the first floor. They rounded the corner that led to the final flight of stairs, only to meet a crowd who had arrived there before them. Forty or fifty people were clustered around the double exit and were backed up the stairs to the second floor. The report of weapons fire from the lobby was loud.
When Isa saw the lines of people who were also trying to leave the building, she muttered choice words under her breath. She’d hoped the fight would be going on in the debating chamber. That was where all the politicians were.
She checked the public news feed and found nothing except generic reports. Either no media representatives were present to report on the details of what was happening, or the government or secessionists had managed a media blackout. Either way, Isa didn’t know exactly what to expect if she tried to leave.
“Are you seeing anything on the official channel?” she asked her companion.
“Not much. ISF soldiers and security are fighting it out across most of the first floor. Seems like most of the securit
y guards have been bribed to take the secessionists’ side, and some soldiers have swapped too. Oh wait, There’s more. Holy shit! The legislature’s leader and several upper house members have been taken hostage. The secessionists are declaring they’ve formed a new government, and that Troy is now an independent republic.”
“Terrific,” Isa said. “So what you’re saying is, we could be in for a long wait. Is there any other way out of this place?”
“Not from here. If we could reach the basement, there’s an autocab park that exits onto the main road. It’s possible the fighting hasn’t spread that far.”
“How do we reach the basement?”
“The entrance to the lower stairwell is on the other side of the lobby. But we would have to make it across the space without being hit by stray rounds. I don’t think it’s worth the risk. It’s safer to stay here and hope to avoid becoming involved in the fight. Even if the secessionists win, they aren’t likely to be interested in us. We only need to stay out of the way until it’s all over.”
Isa was inclined to agree. She was regretting her decision to run from the licensing office. Fifty-five stories high above the danger zone, behind locked doors, had to be safer than where she was, one door away from the action.
“Maybe it would be best to go back upstairs.”
“I think you’re right.”
The man accompanied Isa as she began the climb to a higher, safer spot. She was glad that Martin and Jude were at the marine park and Erin was on her space station. All her family should be safe from danger.
Her experiences that day had made up her mind. The family should definitely leave Troy at the earliest opportunity. Aside from the general asshole problem, the planet was obviously not safe—not a good place to bring up a child.
Suddenly, Martin’s voice broke through her thoughts.
CHAPTER THIRTY
STELLAR DATE: 05.25.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Marine Park, Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
When Myrrdan’s agent arrived at the entrance to the marine safari park, several other visitors were already waiting. The tour guide was with the early arrivals, chatting about the park and what the men and women could expect to see. It was no wonder the seven tour participants were there fifteen minutes before they’d been asked to turn up: excitement over the opening of the marine safari had been building throughout Troy for several weeks. These people knew they were privileged to be among the first to see the place.
The agent was not concerned that these tourists would be present at the crucial moment. None of them were undercover security personnel. Apart from the extremely tall, bone-thin, odd-looking woman in tight-fitting scarlet clothes with brilliant green hair, the visitors looked very ordinary, though they had to occupy positions of some importance in Trojan society to receive a tour ticket. They would all die, of course, but so would all the New Canaanites, and then Myrrdan would be the sole possessor of picotech.
The agent gave the code for his ticket to the tour guide. She asked him to wait with the others and left to attend to other business. The agent ignored the friendly greetings of his fellow tourists. He was waiting for something. Time was slipping away. To arrive at the picotech deployment site while the module remained viable, the agent needed to enter the sea soon.
At one end of the entrance area, the mouth of a tunnel opened. Strung across the entrance was a sign stating ‘Staff Only’. The agent looked into the dark hole and then glanced around. The tour guide hadn’t returned. That was good. Of everyone present, the woman was most likely to notice a deviation from the proposed route. It would be preferable, though not essential, if she could be left behind.
Myrrdan’s agent returned his gaze to the tunnel. He was rewarded with the sight of a figure leaving it. Excellent. The mind-controlled park lab tech was working. The man approached the group and immediately recognized the agent. He acknowledged him with a nod.
“Come this way, ladies and gentlemen,” said the tech. “The tour’s about to start.” He walked to the nearest amphibian.
The vehicle’s door concertinaed open, and the tech climbed aboard.
“Isn’t it too early?” asked the strangely dressed woman. “I didn’t think the tour was set to leave for another ten minutes.”
“Maybe we’re only getting ready to leave,” a man in a hat told her. “He probably only wants us to take our seats so we can be on our way promptly.”
The man walked to the vehicle, followed by his wife, and mounted its steps. The other tour participants boarded the amphibian afterward.
The odd woman looked around. “What about the guide?” she asked the agent. “Shouldn’t she be here too?”
Myrrdan’s agent shrugged and left her to enter the vehicle himself. He sat at the front, next to the lab tech, who had settled into the driver’s seat.
It was time to leave.
The agent was about to tell the tech to drive the amphibian into the sea when the brightly dressed woman appeared at the door and walked up the steps. Her gaze roved the seats. She selected one on its own near the back of the vehicle and sat down.
The agent touched the control, and the door closed.
“Are we leaving already?” said the man who had spoken to the odd woman. “Don’t we have to wait for everyone else?”
Slightly alarmed murmurings came from the other passengers.
“There are two tours today,” said the tech. “This one leaves first.” He started up the engine and backed the amphibian out of its bay.
“I changed my mind,” said the strange woman. “I’ll take the next tour.” She walked along the narrow aisle between the seats, stooping to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, and gripping the seat backs to maintain her balance in the swaying vehicle.
The tech ignored her and drove the amphibian forward, toward the ramp that led into the waves.
“I said I want to get off,” the woman insisted. “Stop and open the door.”
“Sit down,” said the agent. “We’re on our way.”
“This is none of your business,” snapped the woman. She addressed the park employee tech. “Hey, stop this vehicle. I said I’ll take the next tour.”
“Sit down,” the agent repeated, rising to his feet.
“No need to get excited,” said the man in the hat. “This is supposed to be fun, right?”
The amphibian was traveling down the ramp. In another second, it hit the waves. The vehicle rocked, and the woman staggered.
“Better sit down,” the man in the hat said.
“This is crazy,” said the odd woman. “I only wanted to take the next tour. It’s like I’m being kidnapped.”
“It’s too late to leave now,” the man said with a shrug. “Does it matter which tour you take? Might as well return to your seat and relax.”
Looking deeply disgruntled, the woman wobbled along the aisle as the amphibian lurched in the swell. The propellers had kicked in, and the vehicle was sinking into the water.
The coral reef, which was the first stop on the itinerary, lay directly ahead. The tech drove the vehicle toward the marine structures, where fish in vivid colors swarmed. The tour participants were delighted and chattered happily.
Myrrdan’s agent guessed they were gazing through the windows and pointing, but he was looking straight ahead. The reef held no interest for him. He had to concentrate on controlling the tech so that he would guide the amphibian to the correct spot.
On one side of the view lay the complex that held the marine park laboratories. Movement there attracted the agent’s attention. Wide doors were opening. A submersible emerged through them.
Damn. Where is that vehicle going? Surely not near the site where the picotech is to be used?
The agent hadn’t factored interference of staff from the marine park labs into his plans. He cursed again. E
verything had been perfect, each step executed consummately, except for this.
But there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Only one member of the staff at the lab was under his control, and the agent was sitting right next to him. If another worker wandered into his path, he would have to deal with him or her decisively.
The agent watched the submersible, tracking its trajectory. The vessel didn’t seem to be traveling toward the picotech deployment site.
Good.
He hoped that wouldn’t change. He didn’t like the idea of another unexpected variable to account for in his plan.
The amphibian clipped the edge of the reef, shattering a section of coral. Fragments broke off and spun out before floating away. The fish panicked and were gone in a few flicks of their tails. The passengers gasped and uttered cries of dismay.
“Driver,” someone yelled, “watch what you’re doing.”
Another voice said, “I wish we’d waited for the second tour.”
The lab tech said nothing. An unhappy, troubled mood settled over the passengers of the amphibian. Their chatter melted to silence as the tech drove them away from the coral reef and out into deeper, darker water.
“What’s next on the itinerary?” the man in the hat asked in an apparent attempt to boost the mood.
“Sea mammals,” someone replied, her tone devoid of enthusiasm.
“Awesome,” said the man. “I love them. Wish we could get out and swim with them. But that’s not allowed, right?” The man appeared to be addressing the tech.
“No,” he replied.
“Haha, nevermind. I’m sure we’ll be back when the park’s properly open. We’ll have plenty of chances then.”
“I thought the sea mammals’ area was near the shore,” said the odd woman. “Are we going the right way?”
No one answered her.
The amphibian was driving deeper under the water, and the light was fading. Internal lights in the vessel flicked on, lending the passengers’ skin a pale, ghostly hue.
“I’m sure we’re going the wrong way,” the odd woman muttered.
