Everything was so different now he’d found Arbor. The risk in this paled in comparison to how he felt when they were together. The excitement that used to charge the color in his world from such antics was now a dull gray. When this was all over, he was washing his hands of all of it. No more scams and schemes. He would even get rid of the Luxorian deck of cards.
Well, maybe not the deck of cards. They were worth a lot of currency—but the rest of it…for Arbor, yes.
Standing outside of the Forethought Industries building, he checked the time to make sure the night shift was in place. This site was closer to the city than he would like. Why had Costa insisted this business was the only one? Arbor’s research found three companies in the vicinity with similar android manufacture in progress, one of which was on the outskirts of everything. It was a much better target, but Costa required this particular laboratory. The risk was higher. If he hadn’t promised to help, Priest would walk away.
Costa talked a good game, but Priest could see the edge in his movements. The clean dosages of Calm Dr. Bosch gave him were doing a better job of keeping him under control, but there was no way Costa was cured. Nothing would make him happier than not having Arbor involved, but it became clear Costa wouldn’t be able to camouflage them and finish his task at the same time.
The sooner this was over, the better off they would all be. Costa would move on, and he and Arbor could figure out where they were going.
He walked up to the front door and rapped on the glass until the lone guard left his station and opened the door.
“Is there something I can help you with?” The heavy-set man looked suspicious as he laid eyes on Priest.
“I hope so, man. I’m so fucking lost.”
Priest pulled out the holo map he’d picked up from the station when they landed and activated it. The grid of the city expanded out, covering way more than it should, blocking the guard’s view.
“I know these things are supposed to be user-friendly”—Priest spun the map, the graphics a dizzying display—“but I can’t even figure out where I am on this thing.”
“Sir, I can’t see—”
“I know! See what I mean?”
Talking fast and frantic, Priest barely allowed the guard a chance to speak, let alone think. Three-dimensional versions of streets and avenues filled his vision, swirling at Priest’s slightest movement. It was enough to cause motion sickness in the strongest stomach.
From the corner of his eye, Priest watched Costa and Arbor override the lock on the side lobby door and sneak inside. He didn’t have to watch to know what would happen next. Arbor would go to the security guard’s terminal and hack the security feeds to go into an endless loop and show nothing going on, while his camouflage program kept the pair of them invisible from any scan.
It was a mite frightening how quickly Arbor did his part before he and Costa headed down the hallway behind the guard station. His man was a little too good at his task. As quick as it began, they disappeared from sight.
“Oh wait! I feel so stupid. I get it now.” Slapping his forehead with the butt of his hand, Priest collapsed the hologram and threw it into his backpack, and shook the guard’s hand. “Sorry to bug you. Thanks for your help!”
The guard snorted, looking baffled and a bit stunned. “I don’t know what I did, but you’re welcome. Have a good night.”
Waving to the guard, Priest went around the block, only to double back to a poorly lit rear entrance. The door slid open on cue, Costa and Arbor on the other side.
A flash of anxiety lit up Priest’s chest. “Lab’s on the top floor. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Fourteen
“YOU'RE SURE THEY won’t notice the lab being opened?” Priest peeked down the small corridor. A single set of dual doors were the only items of interest existing on the top floor. Heavy and reinforced, they were far beyond what one would think would be necessary on a nonmilitary installation.
Arbor nervously scanned his personal pad. “No. Everything is blind at the station right now. We’re clear. Can we get moving?”
“Unless you can recall the DNA ID off this man’s card, this would be much easier with quiet.” Costa sounded as impatient as Arbor.
Inserting the stolen key in the slot, the palm pad brightened. Priest and Arbor both held their breaths as Costa placed his hand on the panel. The status screen fluctuated as his brow creased. Priest crossed his fingers. The plan required Costa to manipulate the tech without alerting the system. It didn’t appear he was having an easy time of it.
“Access granted.”
Costa’s hands trembled as he released his breath and stepped back. The massive doors hissed open, breaking an airtight seal. Everyone exchanged glances as they inhaled and entered the darkened lab.
As the main doors closed, a series of light panels spontaneously charged to life. Banks of monitors booted up, and various manufacturing devices hummed in startup. The glow from a miniature reactor caught Priest’s attention from behind a thick Plexiglas safety door. What could the lab be doing where they required their own power source?
A row of workstations lined one side of the lab, containing the kind of tech Mac would wet himself over if he could get this close. Stacks of equipment and inventory formed hallways in the vast open space. The whole floor seemed dedicated to the laboratory. One of the workstations connected to the wall where an assembly line could be seen. There was something about this specific tech drawing everyone’s attention.
Above the keyboard and control panels, an expansive monitor held a schematic of what looked like the internal structure of a human body. Overlapping layers of random biological systems were highlighted in various colors for definition. In a side window, a pointer segregated the head on the body diagram. The callout held the specifications for a small circular device to be implanted at the base of the skull. The tag read, Pacifier Implant.
Arbor stepped close to the monitor, fixated on the display. “Why does this tech look so familiar?” After a long pause, he spun towards Costa. “Who owns Forethought Industries?”
Costa’s voice was cold and edged with venom. “A man by the name of Arthur Swaden, formerly of Earth.”
Arbor’s voice flattened. “Swaden. As in Anthony Swaden, architect of para-human containment?”
“His brother.”
“You knew this?” Priest couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“I did a great deal of research before placing Poll with Swaden. His brother, Arthur, migrated to the cluster after he couldn’t compete with Anthony’s success. It appears he stole copies of his brother’s designs to start his own version of the family business.”
This didn’t make any sense to Priest. “But the cluster doesn’t have a para-human problem.”
Arbor answered, saving Costa the explanation. “But if they decide they have one, Swaden is already in position to corner the market.”
A collective silence came over the trio as Costa stood tall, his regal posture humming with anger. “History always finds a curious way to repeat itself.”
Resisting the urge to scream, Priest raked his hand over his face. Costa’s agenda was bigger than he imagined when he signed on. Arbor stood frozen, his eyes wide and mouth agape, shock and disbelief etching their way across his face.
Priest was outraged. “Why didn’t you tell us about this when we asked you what was going on in sick bay?”
“I suppose while you fished information from me while I was compelled to answer you, you neglected to ask the right questions.” The haughty veneer Costa was famous for was back in abundance. All Priest wanted to do was smack it off his face as he stalked forward, crowding Costa.
“You were afraid we wouldn’t agree if we knew.”
“Other than an amount of extra knowledge, nothing has actually changed. You’ve come this far, you may as well see it through to the end.”
A quiet panic laced Arbor’s voice. “What do you mean to the end?”
“We’re goi
ng to destroy this facility. Everything I’ve learned points to all copies of the data and blueprints being here in this building. We’re going to finish what Poll started and ensure that what happened on Earth does not happen here as well.”
Priest didn’t even try to disguise his contempt. “No, Costa. You can’t expect us to follow through on that.”
Costa howled in return. “Oh, I see. Now you find your moral compass. Where was that conveniently located when my people were being slaughtered?”
“That’s not fair! I’ve only read about what happened on Earth. I grew up in the cluster.”
Costa snarled and poked Priest in the chest. “This bastard and his family enslaved and murdered tens of thousands of people because it was easier than living alongside them. Swaden will prepare his equipment and, when the time is right, he’ll sell these ghastly inventions to the World Governments. How can you sit back and do nothing when you can stop the horror from happening again?”
Priest slapped Costa’s hand away. “If you’d been honest with us from the start, I’d be on board. But you weren’t. I don’t know what you’ve been through, not really. I’m fine with helping you with Poll, but this is too much to ask.” Incensed, Priest walked in circles. In the back of his mind, he’d known there was some additional agenda for Costa, but he’d refused to admit it to himself. Now that he knew, he wished he’d never agreed to any part of this deal.
“This is called terrorist activity, Costa! If we help you and this whole thing goes to hell, we end up in prison! Forever! I’m not going to risk Arbor being sent back. Maybe you don’t care about that, but we do! You can’t ask that from either of us. You had your choices taken away from you a long time ago. How can you do the same thing to us? It doesn’t make you any better than Swaden and the rest of them. Or worse, it makes you look like you think you’re better than us regular people because you were born that way. And that’s pretty much what starts the whole thing, isn’t it? One side proving who’s stronger?”
Costa’s voice pitched into a roar. “You will help me!”
“Or what?” Priest shouted. “You’ll stick a pacifier on the back of my neck and tattoo my face to make me know my place? Just because you're doing this for the greater good doesn't make it right! I bet Swaden said exactly the same thing to himself when he put two bullets in you!”
Costa started and looked away. Both men stood unmoving, the tension eventually deflating as Costa’s posture lost its intensity. A twisted line crossed his brow and he chewed his lower lip. When he finally spoke, it was much softer and defeated.
“That was a cheap tactic, but I suppose you’re right.” Costa ground his teeth as he continued. The admission had to be grating. “It is a bit much to ask to put yourself at that level of risk. You’ve both helped me more than anyone else would have done in the same position. I hope you’re willing to forgive me.”
“I’m sorry too.” If Costa could admit his fault, Priest could at least throw him a rope. He stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on Costa’s shoulder. “Let’s do what we came here for and get the hell out of this place.”
Arbor looked only too eager to agree. “I have the lab pulled up. I think it’s down this way.”
With a hurried step, Arbor headed down the makeshift corridor along the workstations. They passed a few darkened offices, rounding a corner to an enclosure mounted onto the far wall of the building. A short platform sat walled into the alcove, surrounded by a series of monitors and hard-wired computers. On top of the platform, in its niche, was the android treasure they sought.
The height of an average man, the generic figure stood. Its skin was pink and waxy, the body devoid of gender. Small, colorless nipples stuck out from the flat chest and the groin was smooth. Not male, not female. There was something unnatural about how still it perched, a rubbery statue of sexless, synthetic flesh. Carefully, Priest stepped closer. The eyes were closed, and he prayed they wouldn’t snap open as he tried to hold down his revulsion. This was the breakthrough tech Costa was so excited about?
“This is kind of nasty.”
Costa strode over to the bank of monitors and read the display. “The appearance subroutines and synth-flesh are installed but not activated. This is the raw body template prior to features being established. We’re in luck they also haven’t had the opportunity to upload the AI. It’s a blank canvas waiting for programming.”
Priest brow wrinkled as he poked the pink doll. “This thing can’t be hidden easily.”
“Once we’re finished, we’ll need to wrap him until we can find a safer place to begin the startup sequence. You brought the container, correct?”
“Yeah, I got it.” Priest reached into Arbor’s bag and pulled out a flat, quarter-meter metal square. Tapping a few buttons, he unfolded the panel, reshaping it until it formed a long box. A shiver iced Priest’s spine at the sight of a metal coffin.
Arbor sidled close to Priest. “Your box is too tall to hide. How is that going to work?”
“It has a built-in anti-grav and it’s shielded to block scans. I’ve used it to bring a few things on board that weren’t on the manifest in the past.”
Arbor looked aghast. “You’ve smuggled things on board the ship?”
“Not anymore.” Priest winced at Arbor’s disapproval—just one more reason to get this over with and walk away. “Besides, now’s not the time to discuss this.”
Costa huffed. “Could the two of you take your juvenile nonsense elsewhere? We have important work to do and I am trying to concentrate.”
Priest cringed when Costa stepped up on the platform and placed his hands flat on the android’s chest. The weird skin creeped him right out. A tense quiet fell over the trio as the monitors flickered and Costa crushed his eyes closed. Sharp lines dug trenches along his features and a sheen burst out along his temples. Stamping down the urge to make sure Costa was all right was difficult. He didn’t need the distraction. The alcove hummed as the lights increased.
Priest wanted to hurl when the android's skin rippled.
The pink flesh swelled, urging shapes to push from underneath, filling out the frame with a natural musculature. The synth-flesh color darkened with all the subtle undertones, making it indistinguishable from the real thing. Genitals sprouted from the groin and the face lost its indistinct quality, sharpening and narrowing the cheek lines and features. Dark hair sprouted on the head and groin and, once it stopped, a beautiful, nude replica of Costa stood in its place.
The monitors calmed and Costa stepped back. The tremors in his hands and unsteady footing were pronounced.
“You’re struggling. Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine. I just need to gather myself before I take the next step.” Costa’s eyes glistened as he looked up at his doppelganger. “He’s exactly as I remember him, but taller.”
Even though Priest had seen Costa undressed on a number of occasions, there was something creepy about the unconscious naked male in front of him. He was compelled to avert his eyes. The fact the nerds programmed the android to be capable of having genitals was disturbing enough. Now it looked like a dead version—or even a sex-doll version—of Costa. They needed to finish.
“Are you sure you have the strength to do this?”
Costa’s trembling fingers graced the inert android’s cheek. “Strength was never the issue between Poll and me. I was always the stronger of us. Delicacy was always Poll’s forte. His skills had the finesse of a ballet dancer.”
Arbor’s eyes widened. “But Poll reached across the whole planet at once. How powerful are you?”
“I may be stronger than I once was, but currently I need a great deal more focus to keep from smashing my way through the door. Uploading Poll’s data into this artificial brain is not going to be a simple task in the least.”
“Maybe you should rest first.”
“I seriously doubt we have that kind of time.” Costa’s voice softened as he whispered to the android. “Please show me I’ve don
e the right thing, Poll.”
With a slow inhale, Costa’s back straightened and his eyes closed. The monitors flickered as he once again placed his hands on the android body. The minutes passed in an eternity as Priest was forced to sit back and watch. Sweat broke out, soaking Costa’s skin in a wave strong enough to erode the cosmetics covering his tattoos. The creases in his forehead were alarming as they grew in relation to the quake in his arms and legs. He stumbled as his skin paled and a line of blood spilled down his chin from his nose.
Something was wrong. Priest had seen Costa through withdrawal, watched his anguish mar his beauty. This was worse. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Costa’s back. The clothing was wet with perspiration, and the tremors under his hand were out of control.
“Costa! You have to stop this!”
Teeth gnashed tight, Costa hissed. “Don’t…not…bloody…finished…”
Priest jumped back when one of the monitors exploded in a bloom of sparks. The lights in the lab were beginning to strobe. The sounds of the manufacturing lab were becoming louder than what was safe. Nothing good ever came from these moments in Costa’s presence.
Shifting his foot, Costa tried to steady himself as he refused to quit. Hard-pulsing veins appeared along his temple and his hair clung to his face. A sick keen came from him, causing Priest to shudder. Tears and sweat lines were indistinguishable from one another on Costa’s face.
Without warning, Costa exhaled, and the room's discord abated. The noise retreated and the light and monitors stabilized. Costa’s shoulders sagged in relief and he panted.
“There… Poll’s saved.” There was nothing level about Costa’s thready voice.
Arbor checked the monitors next to the sleeping statue. “The AI’s installed. He’s in there.”
Costa shifted his weight and his legs crumbled beneath him. Sprawled upon the stage before the perfect copy of himself, he coughed, sending a spray of crimson across his cheek and jaw. Priest rushed in, kneeling and pulling Costa into his lap.
Priest and Pariahs Page 22
