by Matt Verish
Cole looked up from the console, forgetting the AI had been with them the entire time. He nodded, suddenly feeling his insecurities. He thought of Lin and couldn’t shake the feeling she had pulled the proverbial rug out from underneath everyone involved in this job. He would not blame her if she had found herself an out. Wouldn’t I take the first opportunity to clear my name if it presented itself? He sighed. “Alright, Cain. Time to put our pirating skills to the test.”
~
“I never doubted your innocence for one second.”
Lin blushed and looked down at her hands. She hated to lie to him. She hated even more to involve him in matters of criminal enterprise. “Saras, I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you. I knew you would understand.”
Saras scowled. “The things the news claimed you did... Just because you’re lead engineer for a prototype cargo vessel doesn’t mean you should be associated with the likes of that gangster pilot.” He spat the last two words. “And to think an inspector and a high-profile executive would be involved. Unbelievable!”
“Former lead engineer,” Lin said. “I will never work for the likes of SolEx again. Or anyone, for that matter.” It was the truth, and she felt dirty for purposely leading him toward the next leg of the conversation.
“Former, my ass!” Saras punched his fist into the table. He rubbed his knuckles tenderly as he apologized. “I’ll make sure you are cleared of any wrongdoing, Lin. I promise you.”
His smile reminded Lin of better times. Saras was not an imposing figure by any means—short and fragile, in fact—though his incredible mind and thirst for success painted him the person most everyone desired. Everyone except her. His dark eyes were kind, despite the frustration they now harbored; his smooth, chestnut skin hid the lines she knew were there. He ran a nervous hand across his temple, where hints of silver were beginning to peak through his jet hair.
“I never thought I would escape from them,” Lin said. “Even after we were captured by SolEx, I was unable to evade them. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me—what you’re still doing for me....”
“What I’ll continue to do for you,” he added with conviction.
It was then Lin knew she had him firmly under her thumb. It made her sick. She looked away, ashamed. “You’re harboring a wanted criminal, and you have no evidence to acquit me of anything, much less acts of terrorism. How will you be able to accomplish such a feat?”
Saras presented his surroundings as though they would answer her questions. “I am the Administrator for Galactic Information Systems. UniSys entrusts me with the protection of the whole of mankind’s every piece of personal data. I know enough powerful people to not only clear your name but make you a hero.
“As a gesture of my faith in your innocence, I re-enabled your clearance while keeping your presence anonymous. Your access is infinite. Just as it was before.” He smiled. “You’re safe with me, and together we’ll see this through.”
Of that, she was certain. Since boarding the shuttle on the moon, she had never felt safer in her entire life. The quiet ride to the satellite station had put her at ease, gave her the time to gather her thoughts, and fill any holes in her story. Saras had not approached her until he had seen her safely inside the station and stashed away in his private quarters. A large part of her did not want to leave his company. She could start a new life and leave behind the tragedy awaiting her signal.
Saras sat down beside her, though he kept a modest space between them. “I’ve missed you every single day since you...left...and started your new life with SolEx. We worked so well together, you and me. Your brilliant ideas in the field of artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics, and nanobiotechnology helped revolutionize the internet and mass information storage. You practically paved my way into this position.”
He was flattering her, she knew. There was no denying his brilliance, and with or without her, he would have eventually ended up where he was now. His excessive praise was also a desperate act to woo her back into his arm. In the field of science and business, he was unrivaled. Matters of the heart were another story altogether. His awkward and overbearing nature was the main reason she left him. “Perhaps we can discuss us at a different time?”
She watched him swallow a lump in his throat and bite his lip in embarrassment. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He stood and began to pace around his office. “You only just escaped from an unimaginable situation. You’ll need time.” He nodded and smiled. “And you’ll get it: privacy and safety. Try not to misconstrue my next words. You’re my honored guest, and my place is yours to do as you wish.”
Saras walked to his desk and patted a pair of haptic gloves. “If you need to access to NuFi, I’ve given you free reign under the guise of complete anonymity. No one will know you are using the Ocunet, so contact your family and friends. You’ll be safe under my protection.”
It was all too easy. Lin had known it would take little convincing, but the great lengths at which Saras had gone to for her were unexpected and potentially devastating for him. His career would be ruined once she acted. That left one last question: could she do this to him?
“Thank you,” Lin told him. She was unable to stop herself from speaking her next thoughts. “I’m overwhelmed, though I’m not certain I deserve your outpouring of generosity. Not after what I did to you.” And will continue to do to you.
Saras waved off her comments with a firm hand. “I don’t dwell on the past.” His expression tightened, and he clenched his fist as he appeared to find resolve. “Fate has brought us together once more. And whether or not you choose to remain with me comes second to your safety. There will be time enough to discuss the future once I’ve cleared your name.”
Lin was at a loss for words, and Saras took her silence for compliance. “You’re exhausted. I can see it in your eyes.” He paused to admire her, and she blushed. “I’ll leave you to some peace and quiet. Remember, mine is yours. Anything you need, just ask.” He smiled like a child beholding a mountain of birthday presents before leaving Lin to herself in the heart of the UniSys information empire.
Lin waited until Saras left before she allowed her tears to flow unhindered. She let the guilt consume her, embraced the pain of her father’s death and betrayal, and purged what little remained of her compassion through her anguish. She wanted nothing more than to give herself over to Saras and his every whim. It would be so easy, and the life she would share with him could be satisfying.
But it would all be a terrible lie.
There was no turning back now, no time for unfulfilling love, no room for anyone who would stand in the way of her goal of achieving the Cosmic Particle. Denial was a warm blanket, and despite her father’s revelation regarding the ambitious project, she believed otherwise. She had to, or her entire life was a lie.
She was standing before the desk, her tearstained cheeks untouched. Pulling on the haptic gloves, Lin sat at Saras’s desk and entered the Ocunet. True to his word, she had free reign to do as she wished without fear of repercussion. Her Rook drew close and connected with the universe of knowledge.
“CAIN. I’m in.”
22
SMASHER
“She did it....”
Wide-eyed, Cole slowly turned toward Emmerich and Rig, sharing a look of disbelief. Not only had Lin managed to coax the administrator for Galactic Information Systems to willingly bring her into the heart of the heavily guarded UniSys operation, but she had performed the “impossible” infiltration faster than anyone could have ever anticipated. Never mind that no one had believed she would go through with the betrayal of her former lover. Against all odds, their mission was a go.
“Son of a bitch! Dr. Dartmouth is one devious little spy!” Cole meant the comment as praise, though even he was shaken by the efficiency with which Lin operated. He turned back toward
the console, a big, stupid grin on his face. “This might actually work. Cain! What’s your status?”
Cole bobbed his head back and forth. “Cocky. Less talk and more action, Cain. We’re not in the clear yet.”
Cole frowned. Was that clumsy AI sarcasm? “Not unless you’re going to directly download the schematics into my brain. I think you’re much more suited for the task.”
“Pussy.”
Cole flipped Rig off without facing him. “Care to share your views with me as well, Chrysanthemum?”
“Just my fist, Musgrave,” Emmerich said.
“No? Good,” Cole said, ignoring her. The satellite space station filled the whole of the viewport screen, inviting them to visit. Mars loomed in the distance as a bright red ball. “Take us away, Cain. The good doctor will be needing our assistance after we deliver the goods.”
“Can’t wait to see how little missy pulls that off,” Rig murmured.
Me too, Cole thought. There would be no time or feasible way to dock with the satellite station and allow her to board. Her only course of action would be to secure an EVA repair suit with magnetic boots and rendezvous in open space near the drop zone on the dish itself.
“Rig,” Cole said over his shoulder. “Did you properly unfasten that contraption thingy from its base? There’s no room for error when we activate the loading arm.”
“Nah, I added a few more two-by-fours to its frame and chained it to the wall,” Rig said.
Cole nodded. “Yep. It’s good to be the captain. I love my crew.”
The ICV-71 lifted from its stationary position on the moon Deimos and began its approach toward the satellite space station. The entirety of the mission was now in the control of Lin and her AI creation. Both had proven to be trustworthy thus far, but anticipating all levels of UniSys’s security was another matter. All five divisions of AMBER—Terracom included—had deep investments in the protection of the System’s digital information. Cole and the others hoped the return of a former lover would by the Achilles’s heel of the juggernaut.
~
The map on Lin’s Ocunet lens indicated she approach and take the lift. Maneuvering throughout the facility had proven effortless with unlimited clearance. No one had any cause to so much as glance in her direction. Regardless of her freedom, Lin steered clear of people. She was slightly concerned that she would come into contact with former colleagues. Saras no longer worked in the low-ranking labs where her career began, and she could count on one hand the number of people with whom she regularly associated. As a preventative measure, she unbound her bun, and allowed her hair to cascade over her shoulders. The act almost felt a scandalous affront to her modesty. Outside of Saras, no one would immediately recognize her, even with so simple a makeover.
As the lift carried her up to her next destination, Lin studied the map, checking to make sure Saras was not in her vicinity. An executive of his stature would be confined to boardrooms and offices. The locations of every other employee was indicated as pinpoints on her map as well; a quick focus of her retina would provide her with information of said targets. Having access to this vital intelligence added to her ease.
The lift door slid open, and she stepped into the narrow hallway which led to a single door. This was the level for manual access to the exterior portion of the main dish. As indicated on her lenses, there was no activity where she was headed. Nearly all maintenance was performed by AI-piloted drones, but there were occasions where EVA suits were fitted to address unexpected issues where human assistance was needed. Other than the routine materials inspection, Lin would be left to her own devices.
She entered the dressing room and nearly collapsed. Her ears were buzzing madly, stars and darkness filling her vision from subconsciously holding her breath on her trip through the station. She was not trained for stealthy infiltration. She was an engineer—radicalized, yes—but hardly the government spook Forester had paraded as. Dismantling the System’s top security hub was child’s play, but if one questioning glance was to come her way, her knees would wither like wheat after an ice storm.
The voice acknowledged her a third time, and Lin managed to stand and face the digital assistant. A hologram of a woman in a space suit holding a helmet was standing in the center of the room. It spoke a fourth time, and the words finally registered.
“Please step forward for body scan measurement.”
Lin did as was asked, though her knees struggled to cooperate. When she reached the appropriate spot, laser scanners from either side came to life and began collecting data for suit preparation. Each step she took led her toward an assembly line of waiting layers and equipment which were coaxed onto her body with the assistance of a series of “smart arms”. These smart arms were controlled by a computer attuned to her body specifications to quicken the suiting process. What would normally take over an hour—and several other people’s assistance—now took less than ten minutes. It was time well saved.
There was a door at the end of the assembly line, and she knew what awaited her. All during the process of suiting up, she had kept in contact with CAIN, who in turn kept her up to date with the status of the mission. There had been a small video feed of the ICV-71 aligning with the antenna feed beneath the electronics hood for the satellite dish. Safety was only a short jetpack ride away. Finally, she tucked her Rook into one of the suit’s many deep pockets.
As she stepped into the airlock, her world began to darken once more. For the first time in her life, she was about to step out into the merciless vacuum that was outer space. The room depressurized, and the final protective barrier unlocked, opened, and cleared her path to the stars. She stood on the threshold for a moment to gather her bearings, making sure to first sight her destination. The ICV-71 was visible, though much farther away than she thought.
Her trembling hands released the doorway, and she stepped out onto the platform leading to the dish. Her magnetic boots secured her to the metal surface, keeping her from accidentally drifting off into the abyss. It was not until she reached the edge of the platform that she gripped the two control sticks used to steer the manual jetpack. Once she lifted off, there would be no remote assistance from CAIN, no training from which she could benefit; she would be on her own.
Switching off her magnetic boots, Lin leaned forward and stood on the tips of her toes. She could not will herself to leap forward, so she fired her first thrust and hoped for the best.
She instantly regretted her decision.
~
“Are you sure we’re not being monitored this very second?”
Cole shrugged. He was getting tired of Emmerich’s nagging questions. “No. No, I can’t be entirely certain.” He pointed at the viewport screen to where it showed the loading arm guiding the cargo into place on the antenna feed on the satellite dish. “But seeing as Cain has been slowly aligning that thing into place for the past ten minutes while we are stationed in full view of any security cameras, I’d say we’ve yet to be spotted. But go ahead, keep asking. Maybe your wish’ll come true.”
Rig chortled.
Emmerich glowered at the mechanic. “And what exactly do we know about the cargo we were politely asked to deliver.”
Again, Cole shrugged. “It’s big.”
“It’s metal,” Rig added.
“And I honestly couldn’
t care less what it is or does,” Cole finished. “All that matters is we secure it according to my brother’s specifications, we collect Lin, and get the ever-loving f—”
Cole watched in shocked silence as the loading arm retracted into the ICV-71. The cargo had been attached as CAIN indicated, though nothing appeared to be happening. “Um... Is it live? Because if it isn’t, we should probably take it off.”
“Take it off?” Emmerich was beside herself. “Are you crazy? After everything we went through to bring it here? Now you’re going to grow a conscience?”
“We?” Cole asked. “Last I checked, Lin was the one risking her neck. Aren’t you even the slightest bit concerned with what we just did?” He was also aware that CAIN had not made an attempt to retract the Smasher.
“Sounds like we leveled the playin’ field,” said Rig in Emmerich’s stead. His grin was telling. “If what your computer friend says is true, it’ll be a hacker’s dream come true. The whole System’ll be ripe for the pickin’.”
“This coming from the guy who’s still at large and probably has no financial stability to speak of,” Cole said. “Aren’t you being a little shortsighted? Our entire economy could collapse and put us back five hundred years.”
