by Sayuri Ueda
“Will that be enough?”
“If it’s not, the Rounds will die. The sooner you capture Karina, the better. She has the answers we’re looking for. She must be planning to use that information as a bargaining chip if she’s captured.”
“Understood,” said Shirosaki.
“In the meantime, I’ll collect some blood samples from infected Rounds and send them to the lab on Europa. Since they’re equipped for marine microbial research, they’ll be able to analyze the samples for us. They’re also the closest lab to Jupiter-I, so we can communicate with them in real time.”
“Yes, that’s good.”
Wagi switched on his wearable and proposed the idea to Kline.
But Kline, in turn, informed the doctor of the Martian government’s order to lock down the station and prohibit any contact with the outside.
“We’re not asking to move the patients there,” Wagi shouted. “We merely want to send the samples to the lab on Europa for analysis. If we simply listen to the Martian government, the Rounds will die. I recommend we send the samples to Europa.”
“But if the staff and the facilities on Europa become contaminated, we’ll be responsible for spreading the damage.”
“Then we store the samples in hermetically sealed containers and hand them off to Europa’s staff wearing protective gear,” Dr. Wagi said. “Europa has hazmat suits and the staff is used to handling hazardous materials.”
Kline bit her lip. There was no time to waste. But was involving the lab on Europa an acceptable risk? Even if the staff agreed to it, who would bear the responsibility if they were affected? This was a matter of life and death. If someone were to die, there was no taking responsibility for it.
There was also another concern to consider, and that was the risk of contaminating Europa’s ocean.
“I’ll discuss it with the director,” Kline answered curtly. “Switch your wearable to the common circuit. I’ll patch you in to the call.”
Kline opened a channel to the research station on Europa.
The face of Paul Weil, the director of the research station, appeared onscreen. “Kline, I heard the news. Terrible what’s happened.”
“Then you understand I haven’t much time.” Kline proceeded to briefly explain how the equipment on Jupiter-I was destroyed and how there was no way for them to ascertain whether the weapon was chemical or biological. “Dr. Wagi, our chief of medicine, is requesting the use of the research facilities on Europa. But we’re not about to put your staff at risk when we don’t even know the nature of the agent we’re dealing with.”
“I would think not,” replied Weil. “What do you have in mind?”
“What if your staff were to temporarily evacuate the research station?”
“Evacuate?”
“Yes, the entire staff would transfer to Jupiter-II near Ganymede by spacecraft. Then our bioscientists can go to Europa and analyze the substance themselves.”
“While sparing my staff from contamination. I see.”
“Once we know what this substance is we’ll be able to sterilize your research facilities and make certain that your staff returns only after the risk of contamination has been eliminated.”
“I guess we’ll have to put a hold on our experiments.”
“Yes, and I’m sorry about that. But I’m afraid I’m out of options,” Kline said.
“I have no objection to what you’re asking. We’ll be able to analyze our data just as well on Jupiter-II or at Ganymede’s research station. Since they’re researching the organisms inhabiting the ocean beneath Ganymede’s ice crust, their facilities are comparable to ours. We should be well-equipped at either lab. The problem is with the risk of contaminating Europa’s ocean. Regardless of how carefully you transport the substance here, if it leaks, the damage would be irreversible.”
“That’s my concern as well. And there’s no guarantee that we can contain it. After all, we have no idea what this thing is.”
“But if I say no, your staff and the Rounds may die.”
“Yes.”
Weil exhaled deeply and shook his head. “I don’t know. On the one hand, human life is precious, I realize. But on the other, so too are the organisms that humanity has discovered outside Earth. If they became extinct due to some foreign influence, the damage to Europa’s ecosystem could not be undone.”
“You’re right. That’s exactly what troubles me.”
“I’d like some time to discuss it with the others. This isn’t a decision I can make alone. I won’t keep you waiting long.”
“Please. And another thing. Would you check to see if Von Chaillot left behind any personal items there? You might be able to find something that might help us.”
“Of course.”
Kline ended the transmission, her face haggard as she slumped back in the chair.
Wagi chimed in on his wearable. “Thank you.”
“You were awfully quiet.”
“I didn’t feel it was my place to speak. Your passion overwhelmed me.”
“The lives of the staff and the Rounds or Europa’s ecosystem. Which would you choose?”
“As a doctor, my job is to save human lives,” Dr. Wagi said.
“Of course. I’m sorry for having even asked such an obvious question.”
“I regret I’ve put you in an untenable situation.”
6
KARINA AND LOBE moved down the maintenance shaft with Fortia, whose hands were still tied behind eir back. Having been knocked around mercilessly back at the residence, ey hobbled forward unsteadily but was in better shape than Album, who had been left behind.
Karina jabbed Fortia in the back with the barrel of the gun and prodded em to quicken eir pace.
Wolfren caught up to them several moments later. “It’s done,” he reported in virtual darkness. “It’s coming along as scheduled.”
“Good,” replied Karina.
“Now to get out of here. Do you plan to take Fortia with us?”
Recognizing Wolfren’s face, Fortia could not hide eir shock. “Tenebrae. So it was you that allowed these terrorists into the special district.”
“My name isn’t Tenebrae. It’s Barry Wolfren. You know that better than anyone.”
“How dare you betray us!”
“Consider it payback for not taking me seriously. I would never have done this if you and Kline had listened to what I had to say.”
“You can bicker about it later,” Karina interjected. “Dave, you and Wolfren get to a shuttlecraft. The rest is up to you.”
“You sure you want to separate here?” asked Lobe. “I don’t feel right leaving you. Have you secured a way out?”
“I’ll be fine,” Karina insisted. “Careful not to run into the security teams. They’ll shoot you on sight.”
“Then this is where we part ways.”
At the intersection, Karina watched Lobe and Wolfren disappear down the long and narrow path, and then began to walk in the opposite direction. She walked behind Fortia, pointing the flashlight strapped to her waist ahead of them.
“How much farther do you think you’ll get?” Fortia asked, gasping for air at the same time. “Splitting up won’t make any difference. There are security forces all over this station. You won’t escape.”
“Shut up and walk. That’s not for you to worry about.”
“If you think I’m of any value to you as a hostage, you’re wrong.”
“Valuable enough to take the first bullet.”
“They’ll shoot you along with me,” Fortia said.
“You may be right. Even the other Rounds abandoned you so they could escape. Is that the principle by which you Rounds operate—every Round for emself?”
“The Rounds exist as a collective entity. The lives of the many outweigh the life of an individual.”
“That’s a hell of a philosophy.”
“That’s the mindset necessary to survive in the frontier of space. To confront unexpected danger with the limited
resources and people available to us, it’s better the staff exists as a gigantic organism with one mind. Like a Portuguese Man o’ War capable of surviving even if a part of it is cut off. I’m not afraid to die as long as the others are safe.”
Karina laughed scornfully. “A convenient philosophy imposed upon you all by the station’s staff, I’m sure. How can you obey without thinking about what you want? Don’t you have a rebellious bone in your body? Why aren’t you the one to determine your own worth?”
“Shut up. I don’t need to hear this from you.”
Karina wrapped an arm around Fortia’s neck from behind and put em in a chokehold that nearly suspended em from the ground. Bringing her lips closer to Fortia’s ear, she whispered, “Don’t you have a will of your own? Is that your way? Does it make you proud to submit to your creators without so much as questioning the society into which you were born?”
“Better that than submit to the likes of you,” Fortia managed to gasp.
Karina threw Fortia down on the ground and dropped a knee against Fortia’s chest with the full weight of her body. Fortia’s face twisted in pain. Karina grabbed em by the hair and brought her face closer to eirs until they were nose to nose. “Seeing people like you makes me want to tear you all to shreds. If I were a man, I would rape you right now.”
“Too bad you’re a Monaural woman. You don’t have the necessary equipment.”
“But I am capable of ruining you.”
“Then do it.”
Karina smashed the butt of her gun in the pit of Fortia’s stomach. She watched Fortia writhe in pain and hit em again.
Fortia closed eir eyes, pale-faced, as Karina grabbed hold of eir tunic and ripped it down the middle with her knife.
The fabric fell away, revealing Fortia’s modest breasts. Eir pink nipples resembled those of Monaural women. Karina pulled off Fortia’s underwear, exposing eir pelvis. Outwardly, eir genital area looked much like a woman’s. Although she had heard as much from Kline, Karina could not hide her fascination with the real thing.
She slipped her fingers between Fortia’s legs to discover that the Round copulatory organ was not external. The penis was
stored in an urogenital slit. Like the male genitalia of many whales and dolphins, it became enlarged and protruded from the slit when blood rushed to it upon sexual arousal.
Karina also felt around for the female organ. So the penis and vagina aren’t arranged front to back but side by side. The penis on the right and vagina on the left.
An effective formation. With the reproductive organs arranged in this way, the Rounds can engage in the act facing each other with one’s penis inside the other’s vagina and the other’s penis inside one’s vagina. Very convenient!
For a while, Karina studied Fortia with a biologist’s eye. The urethral orifice was located toward the anterior and the anus located toward the posterior in relation to the reproductive organs. They’re arranged in a cross, Karina mused, a smile escaping her lips. No doubt, whoever was responsible for the Rounds’ genetic design was precision-oriented.
Fortia squirmed and opened eir eyes. Karina straddled em and pressed her lips against eirs. Gritting eir teeth, Fortia fought back. Curling her tongue like a feline, Karina slowly ran her tongue across Fortia’s lips. Then, she put her hand inside Fortia, as one would do with an intimate partner. Fortia screamed as if ey’d been branded with a hot iron. Ey tried to push Karina away with all eir might.
Pulling away, Karina asked, “Why so scared?”
Fortia trembled feverishly and glared up at Karina, silent.
“You’re a first-generation Round,” Karina continued. “I can imagine the humiliating treatment you must have endured in the name of science. Being subjected to experiments like a lab animal. It must have wounded you deeply.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You and your partner must have been under constant observation too. How did it feel to engage in the act in front of a camera?” Karina said. “To have your newborns taken from you for experiments before you’d had a chance to hold them?”
“As first-generation Rounds, that was our duty.”
“What does that have to do with anything? You could have refused if you wanted to. Dr. Tei resisted and became an intermediary.”
“I didn’t have that choice when I was the doctor’s age,” Fortia said, looking away. “You Monaurals enjoy a broad habitat range from Earth to Jupiter. You’re free to go wherever you please. Guaranteed the right of liberty, despite the disparity in your standard of living. We’re promised no such thing. The only habitats promised to us are the station, the special district, and uncharted space. Even if we were opposed to this existence, we would still be denied acceptance into Monaural society. The Round experiments were approved under the condition that none of the data would leave the station. If we forsake the special district or our duty to explore space, the only life left to us would be to spend the rest of our days in service to the station staff. I’d rather put my hopes on traveling to the edge of space. I don’t care if I have to be a Monaural lab experiment or a tool of space exploration. The excitement of seeing the undiscovered universe before anyone else is reason enough for living. And what about you? You came here on someone’s orders yourself. Have you even once questioned the ideology and actions of the organization that you work for?”
“I’m here as a mercenary. The Vessel of Life’s ideology is of no matter to me. Once I destroy the Rounds and the research facilities, my job is done.”
“Then what’s keeping you here when you can just kill me and escape?” Fortia said.
“The agent that’s been dispersed in the special district takes some time to take effect. The agreement was that I leave after I’ve seen the Rounds manifest the symptoms of the agent.” Karina let out a throaty laugh. “Now shall we go? Or would you rather I fondle you some more?”
Karina hacked into the security camera feed and observed the security units’ movements from her data goggles. She and Fortia continued down the maze of shafts, maintaining a safe distance from security all the while. Escape would only become more difficult the longer she stayed here, but getting Lobe and Wolfren out alive first was part of the agreement with the Vessel of Life.
Karina could hear Lobe’s signal from the implant in her ear. As long as the signal stayed constant, Lobe was on the move trying to secure an escape route. A change in pitch would signal an emergency. If the pinging in her ear stopped, that would tell her that Lobe had failed and died. A similar signal was also being sent from Karina to Lobe’s implant. The moment one of them failed, the other was to move on to another course of action.
Karina glanced at her watch.
Lobe should be approaching the emergency shuttle by now.
Karina stopped Fortia and left em waiting inside the maintenance shaft as she opened the hatch above them and popped her head out into the corridor. Propping her elbows on the floor of the station corridor, she aimed her gun with both hands and waited for the security officers displayed on her goggles to come around the corner. There were eight of them lurking in the immediate vicinity.
The security team appeared from around the corner. Karina shot at their legs. Several of the men instantly went down where they stood. Some raised their guns, but Karina ducked back into the shaft before they could return fire and began to run with Fortia in tow.
Nobody appeared to be tailing them. The injured men were probably calling in reinforcements to send into the maintenance shafts, just as Karina wanted. It was a ploy to keep the security teams on her tail and to draw as many of the guards away from the emergency shuttle as possible. Then the rest would be up to Lobe. If he could take down the remaining men guarding the shuttle, he and Wolfren would be able to escape.
Before Karina and Fortia got too far, the lights inside the maintenance shaft flickered to life. Karina quickened her pace and forced Fortia to do the same. Running wasn’t going to buy them much time. But it was be
tter than doing nothing.
7
THE CONTROL CENTER was busy tracking Karina’s present location based on the reports of the men she’d attacked. Harding and Arino had returned to the control room. Having allowed Karina to slip through his fingers in the special district, Harding was in a foul mood.
Shirosaki ordered tracking devices dropped inside the maintenance shafts from various access points. This would be the endgame. The terrorists had nowhere else to run.
The trackers were released inside the maintenance shafts and began to move at once toward a designated rendezvous point.
Miles stared intently at the monitor and, after a while, pointed. “Bingo. Found them.”
“How many?
“The trackers are picking up only two. We’re getting a visual lock on them now.”
Shirosaki peered into the monitor. “Fortia and Karina. Any others?”
“No visual confirmation of anybody else.”
“Not a lot of wiggle room down there. Maybe we can contain their movement with anesthetic gas. Ms. Kline, will using tear gas or an anesthetic agent pose a threat to Fortia?”
“Their components?”
“Halogen compounds and aerosolized synthetic narcotics.”
Kline called up Dr. Wagi on the computer terminal and urged Shirosaki to consult the chief of medicine directly.
After Shirosaki informed the doctor of the main components of the chemical agents, Wagi authorized their use.
“It won’t do any good if Karina has a mask,” said Miles.
“We have nothing to lose,” Shirosaki answered. “Even knocking out Fortia would help us. Karina won’t be able to easily drag around a hostage that’s dead weight. We’ll have an easier time of nabbing her with Fortia out of the picture.”
