Murder in the Multiverse

by R E McLean

  Mike shrugged. “Most people over there move between buildings inside the Hive. I guess security works differently.”

  Monique scratched her nose. “Maybe so. Well done, Alex. Nice work. Sorry it’s no use to us.”

  Monique folded her arms. “Now get lost, the both of you. I need to think.”

  Mike stood up. “So we can jump?” he asked.

  Monique frowned. She tapped her desk with her fingernails. Alex winced.

  “Not yet. I need to consider the ramifications. I need to get someone to talk to Sean’s next of kin.”

  Alex hesitated. “But what if—”

  Monique glared at her. “Didn’t you hear me?”

  Alex nodded. She followed Mike toward the door.

  “Thanks,” she whispered. He shrugged.

  Sarita was approaching beyond the glass. Alex stiffened; what now?

  Mike opened the door. Sarita pushed past him, glaring at Alex.

  “Is it true?” she hissed at Alex. She glanced at Monique, who was opening up her laptop.

  “Is what true?” asked Alex.

  “You talked Madonna into giving you an earpiece. You went into the Hive.”

  Alex looked back at Monique, then shook her head at Sarita; not here.

  Sarita licked her lips then looked from Alex to Monique and back again. Her face was damp with sweat and her hair, normally piled impressively on top of her head, was slipping to one side. Had she sprinted up here?

  She grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled her outside.

  “Do you know how risky that was?” she muttered. “You might have died. Or worse.”

  “What’s worse than dying?”

  Sarita gave her a look. “Not just you dying. Who’s to say if it could have affected Mike, or the MOO guys, or any of us?”

  “I checked it out,” replied Alex, trying to keep calm. “I asked Madonna to check that there isn’t another me over there.”

  “So?”

  Alex frowned. “Surely you know that it’s only people with a Hive doppelgänger who can’t go in? Something about confusing the system with duplicates.”

  Sarita glared at her. “You’re a fool, Alex. I should tell Monique.”

  “Er, guys,” muttered Mike.

  Alex spun round.

  “Tell Monique what?”

  Alex felt her muscles slacken. Monique was standing in the doorway to her office, watching.

  “Hi,” said Alex, trying to sound nonchalant. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough. What the hell did I recruit you for, Strand?”

  “I got results. I found Sean. I used my initiative. A few minutes ago, you were pleased with me.”

  “A few minutes ago, I didn’t know you’d broken the first rule of MIU.”

  ‘I thought you said the first rule of MIU was to—”

  Monique held up her hand. “Stop. Right now, before you dig a hole so big you’ll come out in Madagascar.”

  Alex bit her tongue. She tasted metal. Now, on top of everything, she felt like she was going to puke again. This was turning into an occupational hazard.

  “Sorry.”

  Monique tapped her foot. “It’s not good enough.”

  “I’m really sorry?”

  “Don’t push it. I’m taking you off the case.”

  “What? But we were just—”

  “You were just nothing. You’ve broken the three biggest rules of MIU.”

  “I thought it was just t—”

  “Are you dumb as well as stupid, Alex?”

  Alex decided not to inform Monique that the two words meant the same thing. “No. Sorry.”

  “I’m sending you back to Berkeley. We’ll have to find someone else.”

  Alex swallowed. “Can I pick up my stuff from downstairs, first?”

  Monique raised an eyebrow. “Mike will escort you.”

  “Right.”

  Alex sidled back to the MIU, her tail so firmly between her legs she could be mistaken for a dog. Not a cat, of course; a cat would never appear contrite.

  She thought of Schrödinger in the Hive; had it been him, or a figment of her imagination? Had the sneaky ginger so-and-so found a way to travel between universes? Was that the key to the Cheshire Cat experiment?

  Nemesis was hunched over a console, muttering something about bacon sandwiches. Alex peered around, hoping to see Madge. If she could talk Madonna into giving her an earpiece, maybe she could do something similar with her alter ego.

  “Bye, Nemesis,” she called. He waved a hand in dismissal. Had Sarita told him?

  She turned for the doors to the parking lot. Mike hovered next to her.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I thought we were onto something.”

  “Yeah.” An awkward pause. “I hope you solve the case. Keep Claire safe over there, yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  He shook her hand and closed the doors. She walked away, blinking back tears. She thought of her desk at Berkeley, the numbers waiting for her. Maybe she should just go back to Scotland and find another job. She could teach Science to snotty school kids.

  Outside, she hesitated. She couldn’t face the BART, not yet. She checked her watch; it was gone four, too late to get back to work anyway.

  She needed to catch her breath.

  She walked for a few blocks then slid into a diner. She could smell bacon frying. Bacon, pancakes and maple syrup. That would help, at least.

  She sat down and browsed the menu. She wasn’t hungry.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  Alex looked up to see Sarita sliding onto the bench opposite. “How did you find me?”

  “You left the building as I was on my way back down. I followed you.”

  Alex blushed. “Oh.”

  “Is it good here?” Sarita picked up a menu.

  “No idea.”

  They stared at their menus in silence. The waitress arrived and poured coffees. She waited for them to order but when she got nothing she walked away with a huff.

  “Sarita, can I ask you something?”

  “You can ask. You may not get an answer.”

  “Do you report to Monique?”

  Sarita scoffed. “Of course not.”

  “Nemesis or Madge, then?”

  Sarita laughed. “No!”

  “Well, who?”

  Sarita waved her menu. “Are you eating, then? That waitress is giving us dirty looks.”

  Alex leaned back, knowing better than to push Sarita. If there was one thing that working in the MIU had taught her, it was to wait until people were ready to divulge information.

  “No. Not hungry.”

  Sarita raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? I heard about your appetite. It’s legendary.”

  “Is it?” Alex blushed. Sure, she liked her food. Especially if it had no nutritional value whatever. But she didn’t consider her appetite legendary. She scowled. “I didn’t know my reputation preceded me.”

  “Sorry. I haven’t gone easy on you, have I?”

  Alex shrugged.

  “I like your outfit by the way.”

  Alex looked down to see that she was still dressed in her Hive clothes. In all the anger and recriminations, no one had noticed.

  “How can I make it up to you?” Sarita said.

  Alex met her gaze. “It’s OK. Don’t bother.”

  “No. I mean it. I want to fix things between us. I didn’t mean for Monique to overhear this afternoon, and I’m sorry you were taken off the case.”

  Alex slumped down, staring at her menu. Her eyes had glazed over and the words danced in front of her, bacon mixing with blueberry pie in her mind. She fought a wave of nausea. At least there would be no more of that.

  “So how can I help?” Sarita asked.

  Alex looked up. “Really. It’s OK. I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

  Sarita stood up and downed her coffee. Alex sniffed. The BART wasn’t far from here. A snuggle with Shrew on the couch and a few episodes o
f The Good Place were what she needed.

  “Come on.” Sarita put a hand on her shoulder. Alex shrugged it off.

  “I already told you. It’s OK. I just need to stew.”

  “No you don’t. You need to go back.”

  Alex perked up. “Sorry?”

  “You need to go back.”

  “I can’t. I’ve been taken off the case. Nemesis isn’t speaking to me, so I can’t exactly march back into the MIU and ask them to stick me in the Spinner.”

  “You said you thought Sean had jumped. He doesn’t have a Spinner, you know.”

  “How are you so sure?”

  “I would know. Trust me. So if you think he jumped, how?”

  “Huh?”

  “How did he jump? Is there another way to travel between universes? You’re the physicist.”

  Alex felt her jaw drop.

  “What? Something I said?”

  “You’re right.”

  Sarita smiled, waiting for her to continue.

  “There is another way. At least I think there is.”

  “And you’re going to try it?”

  “I am. I might need help though.”

  “Count me in.”

  “How good are you at building fortresses?”

  43

  Fortress

  Berkeley

  28 March, 5:58pm

  Schrödinger pretended not to watch Alex and Sarita as they built the structure in the center of Alex’s living room.

  They’d pushed the couch and assorted piles of physics books and pizza boxes to one side to make the most space they could in the cramped apartment. Alex wondered if there’d be more room at Sarita’s place but didn’t dare ask. She had no idea where Sarita lived anyway.

  They’d stopped off at the 7-11 and Alex had begged the guy behind the counter for the biggest cardboard boxes he could lay his hands on. At first he’d been reluctant, thinking it was some kind of prank, but Sarita had flirted with him, giving him looks Alex wished she was on the receiving end of. It worked; they’d emerged with five of the biggest cardboard boxes Alex had ever seen. One had been from the guy’s flat upstairs; it had held a TV. And another was for the computer monitor in the backroom office. The manager had been keeping it just in case, but their new ally was convinced he wouldn’t notice it missing. It was at least ten years old; the monitor was CRT.

  They’d spent the last half hour arranging the boxes, trying to keep them as intact as possible while combining them into a structure that would hold a human being.

  “Why aren’t you coming?” Alex asked Sarita as she sealed a joint with duck tape.

  “Too risky. I may have a doppelganger.”

  “May? You’d know, surely.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  Alex considered telling Sarita about her quest to find her family, then thought better of it. Sarita had agreed to help her because they were working on the case.

  “Should we fetch Mike?” Alex asked.

  “He’d have to tell Monique. Chain of command, and all that. This is just you.”

  Alex pushed down a cardboard flap that had bashed her in the face.

  “You OK doing this?” Sarita asked. “It’s a big risk.”

  “If Shrew can do it, so can I.” She eyed her cat, who stretched his front paw and yawned.

  She grabbed him and held him to her chest. “I’m taking you with me, boy. I think you know more about this than I do.”

  “Is that a good idea?’ asked Sarita. “A cat on a murder investigation?”

  “He’s not just any old cat. And he’s been to Silicon City before. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe that.”

  Sarita tugged at a join in the cardboard. “I think it’s ready.”

  Alex swallowed. “You sure?”

  “Alex, we’ve been taping up these joins for five minutes. They aren’t going to get any more secure than this.”

  “OK.” Here goes.

  Schrödinger lay in her arms, purring as she scratched under his chin. She held him tight as she lifted one leg and then the other to climb into the cardboard fortress.

  It was a structure worthy of any self-respecting five-year-old. It would even be at home in an episode of Community.

  She stared at Sarita, who was looking back at her. Sarita’s gaze traveled from Alex’s face, to the fortress, to Schrödinger, and back again.

  “It’s not working,” said Alex.

  “No.”

  Alex looked at Schrödinger’s favorite box, sitting on the kitchen counter. “I need to get fully inside. Can you close the lid?”

  “You sure?”

  Alex nodded, her heart pounding. How would this compare to the Spinner?

  She shuffled down into the cardboard structure, taking care to hold on to her cat.

  “Meow.”

  “Sorry boy. How do you do this, anyway?”

  He yawned in response.

  “You’re always asleep when you do it, aren’t you?”

  “You have to go to sleep?” asked Sarita. “How are you going to do that?”

  “Turn the lights off. The switch is over there. And close the lid. Maybe play my Cheeky Girls playlist.”

  “Cheeky Girls?”

  “It works.”

  Alex curled up at the bottom of the woman-sized cardboard box. She wrapped herself around her cat, whose breathing was already slowing. She had to follow him into sleep, fast.

  She closed her eyes as the dulcet tones of Hooray, Hooray, It’s a Cheeky Holiday started on her speakers. She smiled.

  She opened her eyes. “What will you do, while I’m gone?”

  “Not much, I imagine.”

  “I mean, will you wait here, or at the MIU?”

  “Let’s just see what happens, huh?”

  Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. Her skin felt cold. Schrödinger was fast asleep.

  She closed her eyes and followed him.

  44

  Stir-fry

  Silicon City

  28 March, 8:36pm

  Claire had finished work for the day. She was looking forward to a cuddle with Leo followed by a home-made stir fry and a movie.

  She extracted her earpiece and laid it on her desk. She rubbed her temples. She didn’t like doing business inside the Hive; it felt too much like personal interaction. But she had the authority to insist on no face-to-face contact. It was all done via virtual telephone. She liked telephones, the anonymity of them. Hers, in the Hive, was an old-fashioned Bakelite number, the kind her grandparents might have had. It made a pleasing ding when she hung up.

  There were problems in one of the Chinese factories that manufactured the Pearl. A labor dispute. The factory manager didn’t want to meet the workers’ demands; she knew it was good business to listen to them. She’d found a compromise that kept all parties happy. Production would be up and running within the hour.

  “Leo?” she called. “Mommy’s home.”

  She pushed open the door to her study, braced for the impact of him hurling himself at her. He hated it when she went into the Hive and would sulk in his basket until she re-emerged.

  She stood at the door to the hallway, puzzled. If Leo was awake, he would already be on top of her, attempting to push her to the ground and lick her face. She sniffed the air; he smelled different when he was asleep. Her well-trained, confined nose could sense him rousing. Then she gagged.

  The smell was new; sharp, heavy and metallic.

  She swallowed; heavy, thick bile. She held still for a moment and considered hiding in the bedroom until the air filtration system had cleaned it up. But there was her beloved dog to think about.

  The hallway was in darkness and there was no sign of movement. No Leo.

  A movement caught her eye. The drapes in the bedroom to her right were swaying. She placed her hand over her heart, willing herself to stay upright. Had someone been in here?

  45

  Cardboard

  Silicon City

 
28 March, 8:37pm

  Alex felt something wet and rough pushing at her face. She pushed it away, muttering.

  Then she remembered. She opened her eyes. Above her was the familiar cardboard box. And in her arms, struggling to escape her grasp, was Schrödinger.

  She kissed the top of his head. “You came with me.”

  “Meow.”

  He pulled out of her arms and disappeared through a gap in the cardboard.

  She sat up and threw the cardboard to one side. “Shrew! Come back!”

  But he’d gone.

  She rubbed her eyes and allowed them to adjust. She wasn’t in her apartment. She could smell the Bay, hear the faint hum of the electric shields she’d run into with Mike. She was in Silicon City.

  She allowed herself a muttered yes.

  Berkeley was a distance from Pacific Heights. She had to get moving.

  She climbed out of the box and pushed the flaps down carefully. She’d need this for the return journey.

  She was in a dark space, dim light in one direction at the end of what seemed like a tunnel. She tried to remember which way the box had been facing, back in her apartment.

  “Shrew? Where are you, you stupid cat?”

  Could she make it back without him? Looked like she was going to find out. But in the meantime…

  “So how do I get across the bridge in Silicon City?” she asked herself.

  “Hello, honey.”

  She stumbled backwards, almost flattening the cardboard box. “Dolores?”

  “That is my name.”

  “The same Dolores I was talking to earlier? The one obsessed with manners?”

  “Uh-uh. I’m Dolores Mark three-point-zero. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “How can you exist outside the Hive?”

  “I told you. I’m not that other one. She can only exist inside the Hive. And a damn good job, too.”

  Alex hadn’t considered that AIs could have personality clashes.

  “I must say that’s a very impressive edifice you came here in.”

  “Oh. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Dolores, did you see a large ginger cat?”