by Jacob Holo
“You did this?” Ryu asked.
“Not by choice,” Sachio said. “Though, yes, I was the one who performed the modification. It wasn’t very difficult. It’s the same technique I used to prevent her from lying. Caesar watched as I was forced to mutilate my wife’s mind. I think he enjoyed it.”
“And you didn’t try to take the restriction out?” Ryu asked.
“Absolutely not,” Sachio said. “Without boring you with technical details, it would be like carving a lobe off your brain. I can’t detach it once it’s part of her thought structure.”
“But you still knew Caesar lived,” Ryu said.
“So?” Sachio asked. “What if I had spoken up? No one would believe me. They would ask why Matriarch isn’t making these claims. After all, she’s the one that can’t lie, right? ‘Why is Matriarch silent?’ And then Caesar would use his influence to crush us. We would gain nothing and lose Europa.”
“But ... this time ...” Matriarch said, clutching her head. “We are ready.”
“You see, even in our defeat we had a plan,” Sachio said. “The star drive was the missing piece.”
“So what’s the plan?” Cat asked.
“We will escape,” Sachio said. “To another star system.”
“You must be joking,” Ryu said.
“Not at all,” Sachio said.
“You’re just going to take the star drive and run away?” Cat asked.
“Of course not,” Sachio said. “We’re taking Capitol City with us.”
Matriarch stood up and smoothed her kimono. She wiped the sweat from her brow. “Slowly over the last ten years, Capitol City has been modified with this goal in mind. The improvements to the shell. The enhancements to our water and air recyclers. The basic industries that have been moved within the city. Now the capitol can be converted into an interstellar ark with minimal effort.”
“The missing piece was a star drive to move the thing,” Sachio said.
“Unfortunately, I failed to design our own version,” Matriarch said.
“But Caesar solved that problem for us,” Sachio said.
Matriarch cringed.
“Sorry,” Sachio said.
“I can hardly believe this,” Ryu said, shaking his head. “First you tell me Caesar is alive and now you’re telling us we’re leaving the solar system?”
“You did want answers,” Sachio said.
“Yeah, I know,” Ryu said. “I just wasn’t expecting something like this.”
“Caesar’s influence will continue to spread,” Sachio said. “In another ten years, all of Earth may look like Bunker Zero. This is our counterstroke. This way, a portion of humanity will always be safe from his influence and free of his tyranny. It’s not an ideal solution, but it’s the best we can manage.”
“So you decided to run instead of fight?” Ryu asked.
“Caesar controls the Federacy,” Sachio said. “All we’ve ever done is nip at his heels. If he kicks us, we may never get up.”
“And the star drive can move something this big?” Ryu asked.
“Oh, yes,” Sachio said.
“So who’s going?” Cat asked. “You can’t fit all of Europa into Capitol City.”
“When the time is right,” Matriarch said. “I will put out a call and accept volunteers from the populace. Anyone who wishes to stay may do so. Even without Capitol City, Europa has enough infrastructure to remain self-sufficient.”
“Until Caesar decides to wipe us out,” Ryu said.
“I know it may seem cowardly,” Sachio said. “But we simply cannot stand against the Federacy in open conflict.”
“However, there are unexpected complications,” Matriarch said.
Ryu shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Utilizing the star drive requires mathematical preparation,” Matriarch said. “The distance travelled and size of the object influence the complexity of the math. The shape of the object is also a factor.”
“How long?” Ryu asked.
“I will need over a month to complete the calculations if I devote myself fully to the task.”
“And when will the Federacy fleet arrive?” Ryu asked.
“Two, maybe three weeks,” Sachio said. “Depending on how successful the cruise missiles are.”
Matriarch gestured to her side. Grainy images of sword-like Federacy warships appeared next to her hand.
“The seventh and twelfth task groups,” Matriarch said. “Including the battleships Stalwart and Invincible, the supercarrier Victory, over thirty escorts, and half a dozen fleet auxiliaries.”
“Damn,” Ryu breathed.
“In this image you can see a lamprey bunker attached to the Stalwart’s underbelly,” Matriarch said. “We believe all five thousand crusaders are on board.”
“Is there any chance of stopping them from reaching orbit?” Ryu asked.
“No,” Matriarch said.
“What about using the star drive offensively?” Ryu asked. “It could at least buy us some time.”
“Impossible. Take a look at the fleet’s formation,” Sachio said. Red cones and hemispheres expanded from each warship’s defensive weapons. “See how they interlock? They’re set up to cover threats inside their perimeter.”
“The risk to the star drive is too high,” Matriarch said. “If we lose it, we lose everything.”
“So they’re going to achieve orbit,” Ryu said.
“Yes,” Matriarch said.
“And they’re going to break through the ice.”
“The crusaders will see to that,” Matriarch said.
“Then our only hope is to delay them until Capitol City can move,” Ryu said.
“Yes, my son,” Matriarch said.
“All right.” Ryu clapped his hands together. “When do we tell everyone about the evacuation and Caesar?”
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Matriarch said. On her kimono, lightning pierced the sky. “The public will not react as calmly as you have.”
“Look, people are going to be fighting and dying to protect this city,” Ryu said. “They need to know why. They need to know that if they die, they’re doing something good and noble.”
“There are too many variables,” Matriarch said. “I cannot predict how they will react.”
“So what?” Ryu said. “People need to know about Caesar, even if most won’t listen. Maybe that inbound fleet is motivation enough, but people need to see a way out. They need to know they’re fighting for a victory, not just delaying defeat. And at the very least the people out there deserve the truth.”
“I think he has something here,” Sachio said to Matriarch. “So many years of secrecy are a hard habit to break, but I think—”
“No,” Matriarch said. Thick curtains of rain poured onto a raging ocean. The sky split with lightning. “It’s too early. They aren’t ready yet. They’ll panic. I need to break the news carefully.”
“People are stronger than you think,” Ryu said.
“I cannot agree with this,” Matriarch said.
“Listen to him, Mom,” Cat said.
“Catherine? You’re against me as well?”
“I believe in him. You should too.”
Ryu put his arm around Cat. She smiled back.
Matriarch lowered her head. The storm on her kimono slowly subsided to a light drizzle. She looked up.
“Very well,” Matriarch said. “I will announce what I can, though I still disagree with this course of action. Sachio will fill in details I cannot.”
Ryu bowed his head. “Thank you, Matriarch.”
“It’s the right choice,” Cat said.
“I pray you are correct,” Matriarch said. “Now before you leave, there is one more matter we should discuss. You recall the samples I had you retrieve?”
“You mean that cylinder out of the tank-spider and the thrall’s spine?” Ryu asked.
“Ah, yes,” Sachio said. “I had almost forgotten.”
“I didn�
��t,” Matriarch said.
“That’s only because you can’t,” Sachio said, grinning at her.
“So what did you find?” Ryu asked.
“The robots were controlled through TangleNet links,” Matriarch said. “There was also no evidence of artificial intelligence in either sample. Just some very basic programming.”
“Not even in the tank-spider?” Ryu asked.
“No,” Matriarch said. “Both were guided remotely.”
“Huh,” Ryu said. “I guess I had assumed the tank-spider was controlling the thralls. Anything else?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Sachio said.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“After careful examination of the TangleNet links,” Matriarch said. “I was able to locate the opposite end of the entangled pair.”
“You can do that?” Ryu asked.
“It is a very difficult procedure,” Matriarch said. “But, yes. I was able to determine the other end with some degree of accuracy. My findings show the link came from Earth orbit.”
“We had hoped to locate a base of operations,” Sachio said. “Maybe give us an avenue of attack. Instead we believe the other end of the link is acting as a communication relay and is not a permanent base.”
“Why is that?” Ryu asked.
“The link is moving towards Europa along with the Federacy fleet,” Matriarch said.
“Oh shit,” Ryu said.
“We don’t know which ship,” Sachio said. “But I think it’s safe to say the robots that boarded Apocalypse came from a Federacy ship, and they were controlled through a TangleNet link on that ship.”
“That’s just great,” Ryu said. “The Federacy, the crusaders, and now Caesar are all coming after us.”
Matriarch covered her ears. Her kimono flashed red.
“Err ... sorry,” Ryu said.
“It’s all right,” Matriarch said. “It’ll pass.”
“We never had high hopes for tracing the signal,” Sachio said. “But it was worth a try. At least now we know the Federacy fleet and the crusaders aren’t the only threat.”
“Yeah, I guess there’s that,” Ryu said. “Well, it sounds like we have a lot of work to do.”
“Indeed,” Sachio said. “I’ll let you know if we learn anything useful.”
“Sounds good,” Ryu said. “Cat, what do you say we get out of here?”
“Before we leave,” Cat said. “There’s one thing that’s been bugging me.”
“What is it?” Sachio asked.
“I’ve been wondering,” Cat said. “Who was Caesar? Before he became a quantum mind, I mean.”
“I think I’ll step away for this,” Matriarch said. “I need some time to recover.” Her hologram vanished.
“Oh, what’s his name?” Ryu said. “Paul something ... began with a T.”
“Paul Schneider,” Sachio said.
“You sure?” Ryu asked. “Because I thought it was—”
“Back about fifteen years,” Sachio said. “The Federacy started its own quantum mind program in an effort to duplicate Matriarch. He was the bureaucrat in charge. From what we know, he was a piece of work even then. The man was a career politician and high-ranking tax auditor in the FRS before getting the research post. Apparently, he had tons of dirt on other politicians and was able to strong arm his way in.”
“So he wasn’t supposed to be imprinted?” Cat asked.
“Even better,” Ryu said. “He killed the man slated to be the original template. And a few replacements after that.”
“The Federacy never confirmed the deaths as murder,” Sachio said. “But it’s possible given what we know now. A few people did have their brains turned to jelly by malfunctions. The research team eventually ran out of internal volunteers.”
“So then Paul volunteers and lucks out,” Ryu said. “His template transfers perfectly.”
“And they just let him try?” Cat asked.
“I think some people wanted him dead,” Sachio said. “He wasn’t a very likable man. They probably thought if he wanted to kill himself, why not let him?”
“Life certainly would be easier if he had died,” Ryu said. “No Caesar. No crusaders. No quantum mind paranoia.”
“No fleet heading here?” Sachio asked.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Ryu said.
* * *
Ryu revved his Saito’s engine and lifted off the parking deck. He flew away from Heart and ascended alongside one of the city’s six air recycling towers.
A military transport hovered halfway up the recycler, acting as a mobile scaffold. The three person crew guided pairs of robotic arms and attached diamoplast plates to the building’s windows and mesh to the vents. Another transport sat on the roof. Three people in orange utility suits with orange face paint stood around a new heavy caliber turret at the top of the tower. One of them used his pad to spin the turret around in circles. He tapped his pad again, raising the barrel to point straight up.
“Damn,” Ryu said. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I guess it’s good to be prepared.”
Ryu veered towards the city’s central column. He slowed down, letting two flatbed transports ascend past him. Both of them had bulky turrets strapped in place along with crates of ammunition. Once they were clear, he pulled in close to the column and ascended alongside it until he reached Seven’s sushi bar.
“What the hell?” Ryu muttered.
The restaurant bustled with activity, but not the relaxing kind. The holographic sign had been turned off, and the parking deck was full of vehicles, some of them military and hospital transports. People had queued up in front of the restaurant and were slowly filing in. Ryu found an empty space and set down. He put his driving glasses away and stepped out of the car.
A young man in a white-and-blue hospital coat broke off from a group of similarly dressed people. He walked over to Ryu, stuck a meditracker in his face, and ran it down his body.
“Okay?” Ryu said.
When he finished the scan, the doctor looked at the meditracker. The text on his white-and-blue face paint said he specialized in wetware surgery and normally worked at Tanaka Corporate Hospital.
“Holy shit!” the doctor said.
“What?” Ryu asked. “What did I do?”
“You want more implants?”
“What are you talking about? I came here for a drink.”
“The restaurant is closed. Please stop wasting my time. I’m very busy.”
The doctor spotted another car landing and ran over to greet the newcomer.
“Umm, okay?” Ryu said. “Just what exactly is going on here?”
“The restaurant is now a wetware clinic,” Seven said, walking through the tightly packed vehicles on the deck.
“Seven?” Ryu asked. “Wow, is that really you?”
“In the flesh,” Seven said. Instead of the bulging gut and second chin, the Martian now had a firm stomach, thick neck muscles, and a sharp-edged face. Powerful biceps bulged against his sleeves. He wore a smartskin cloak over his ballistic armor bodysuit and carried a JD-42 sniper rifle over his shoulder.
Ryu shook Seven’s hand. “You mind filling me in?” he asked.
“I’m a sergeant in the militia now,” Seven said. “We’re allowing civilians to come in for free combat wetware and weapons if they join the militia.”
“Really?” Ryu said, looking around. In the restaurant, a group of seven people stood at attention. They repeated a holographic oath scrolling in front of them in fat, luminous letters, and bowed when they finished. A militia soldier observed them and made notes on his pad. He signaled another soldier to bring a rack of assault rifles over.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Ryu asked. “Just handing out guns to anyone who walks in.”
“The weapons are code locked for now,” Seven said. “They get the implants first, then the gear and training. I know we’re rushing through it as fast as possible, but i
t’s better than nothing.”
“Hmm. By the way, you’re looking good. I hardly recognized you.”
“Thanks.”
“How did you pull that off?”
“My old implants can enforce accelerated muscle construction and calorie burns,” Seven said. “Matriarch was kind enough to turn them back on.”
“They’re not new?”
“I received quite a few upgrades when I worked for the Olympian Special Police,” Seven said. “Besides, this way I know I won’t have compatibility issues. My old implants are as stable as Martian bedrock.”
“No kidding?” Ryu said. “So you really are a spy?”
“Retired spy, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. I just never took you seriously.”
A doctor passed between them carrying a stack of transparent canisters. They were full of green preservative gel. Slender implants floated inside. They looked like fragile sea creatures with hundreds of hair-thin tendrils sprouting from central stalks.
“Matriarch just scheduled a big announcement at 20:00,” Seven said. “Any idea what it is?”
Ryu rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. I think I might know what’s coming.”
“You probably can’t say anything, but can you give a hint to a friend?”
“Make sure you sit down for this one. Trust me.”
“That big, huh?”
“I think it’s safe to say Europa will never be the same again.”
“Oh my.”
A teenager in swirling blue and gold body paint hurried out of the restaurant.
“Sorry!” he said. “But I don’t want you cutting me up! This was a bad idea!”
The kid jumped onto a dented motorcycle and lifted off. A young woman in line threw a plastic bottle at his bike and missed.
“Not very good aim on her,” Ryu said.
“The implants will fix that,” Seven said.
“I hope,” Ryu said. “Well, it was nice seeing you but I should head out.”
“No need to rush. We can have some drinks in the back if you like. The hospital staff has left my office mostly intact.”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I’m in the mood anymore.”
“All right,” Seven said. “Stop by any time.”
“Sure thing.”
Ryu hopped into his Saito and lifted off. He spun around and accelerated into a lane of traffic heading east. A lot of civilians were flying around, but Ryu saw plenty of utility flatbeds and military transports hauling personnel and equipment. He switched lanes, ascended to another level of traffic and flew into the old corporate sector. Ahead of him the Omnitech Building descended from Capitol City’s upper shell like a vertical oceanic wave, surrounded by more mundane towers.
