Psion Delta (Psion series #3)

by Jacob Gowans

  Even though it was Sunday, he put in forty minutes of hard cardio-centric exercise. Then he sat in the Instructor for half an hour to review some information, and ended the morning with a short fighting unit in the sims. It was, in essence, a microcosm of a typical day at headquarters, and it would be his final chance to do so in the building that he had called home for the last year and a half.

  He showered and met up with his friends in the cafeteria for lunch. Rumors floated around that there would be an epic party thrown for Sammy after the ceremony, the likes of which had never been seen at Beta. Antonio Otravelli swore up and down that Major Tawhiri would allow them to have alcohol for one night only. Strawberry insisted they were going to be allowed to stay up late. Natalia said she’d heard from Rosa that several Alphas, such as Al, Marie, and Gregor, would be attending to celebrate with Sammy.

  Whether or not the rumors were true, Sammy didn’t really care. He was worried about the speech he had to give. What was he going to say? He’d never spoken in public. All of his time and effort before today had been spent hanging out with his friends and preparing to leave. Major Tawhiri said Sammy was welcome to take between five and ten minutes. The way things were looking at the moment, five or ten seconds seemed much more plausible.

  However, the minutes on the clock kept ticking until the time when Sammy had to go change into something more formal for the ceremony. Jeffie squeezed his hand and said, “You’ll be great. Stop fretting.”

  “And even if you suck, it won’t matter,” Brickert reminded him. “You won’t have to see us for three years!”

  Natalia smacked Brickert on the chest and scolded him for being insensitive. Sammy thought the comment was funny. By the time he returned from his dorm, now wearing a seamless suit and tie with matching shoes (all picked out for him by Jeffie at the mall), the number of people in the cafeteria had more than tripled.

  Brickert found him through the crowd. “Dang, Sammy, I’ve never seen so many people present for a graduation ceremony. Natalia’s pretty sure every member of Command is here. Plus your whole squadron. Plus a bunch of other Alphas. Plus—”

  “Okay, I get it. You’re making me more nervous.”

  A soft bell sounded through the speakers, the sign that it was time to head to the fifth floor. Sim room one was filled with chairs. A hologram of a small stage appeared at one end with more seats and a podium on it. An elderly man with grayish-white hair and a matching mustache occupied one of the chairs onstage. The skin around his eyes sagged heavily, reducing them to little more than slits. He wore a uniform unlike anything Sammy had ever seen, and with all the decorations on it, Sammy guessed he must be very important.

  “Who is that?” he asked his friends as they walked down the center aisle.

  “No idea,” Natalia said. “I’ve never seen him at a graduation before.”

  To the left of the man sitting behind the podium was a quarter-circle of six chairs. Off to the right of him were five more, making twelve in total forming a half-circle. Major Tawhiri found Sammy in the crowd and led him up to the stage. “You’ll sit here,” he said, pointing to the middle chair on the right side of the stage.

  As soon as Sammy sat down, the old man in the lone chair stood and came over. “Hello, young man.” He had a heavy Asian accent. He offered a hand which Sammy took. The grip was firm between them. “I am General Wu.”

  Sammy jumped to his feet. “Hello, sir, it’s an honor to meet you.”

  “As it is for me. This is the first graduation ceremony I have attended . . . among any of the Beta programs.”

  “Thank you, General.” Sammy saluted his superior with great respect. “I’m honored you came.”

  Soon, people began taking their seats. Commander Byron took the empty chair next to the general. All five members of Psion Command sat together in the five seats to the general’s left. On Sammy’s right sat Anna Lukic, who looked freshly healed and fully recovered from her mission injuries. She and Sammy exchanged brief pleasantries during which she congratulated him on his mission award and on graduating. On her right sat Major Tawhiri. The two seats on Sammy’s left remained vacant.

  Major Tawhiri conducted the ceremony. It opened with the singing of the NWG anthem, From Every Corner of the Land, and a moment of silence for all the fallen warriors of the NWG. Sammy glanced often at his group of friends and his new squadron, then reminded himself that he still hadn’t prepared his speech. However, it was very difficult to construct a cohesive string of thoughts together amidst the constant clapping, singing, and speaking.

  The first speaker was Major Tawhiri. He began with an anecdote about his wife’s garden, and how she had cultivated it for many years. He mentioned how some plants grow faster than others around them, which can be detrimental to smaller plants because the tall ones blocked sunlight, horded the nutrients, and stunted others’ growth. In order to nourish the rest of the garden, these particular plants needed to be repotted and cared for in a garden with similar qualities.

  Overall, it was an energetic speech, and Sammy appreciated the analogy. Tawhiri wrapped up the speech by saying how close of friends he and Sammy had become, and how he expected Sammy to become a redwood tree within the ranks of the Psions. The speech was followed by loud applause, especially among the Alphas and Command. Major Tawhiri then introduced Commander Byron. When Byron stood, the Betas gave him a standing ovation that lasted a little longer than was necessary. Sammy forced himself not to smirk at his friends, who cheered and clapped the loudest.

  “Thank you for that warm welcome,” Byron warmly told his pupils. “I miss being here. I miss the Betas. Teaching and training you was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I remember back to February of last year. I had finished putting together the latest class of recruits: Brickert, Jeffie, Natalia, and Kawai. It seemed a bit weighted toward girls, but I figured the boys at headquarters would not mind too much. Then I got an alert of an unusual report from the police in Johannesburg. Some juvenile delinquent had mysteriously knocked unconscious several of the local police officers. I thought I had better investigate, so I took a team of Elite with me in case we were dealing with a very dangerous person, and we tracked this fugitive through town. Knowing there was a church ahead in his path, and knowing this fugitive must be awfully tired, I donned one of my more elaborate disguises and waited for him. I admit I was well-armed and ready to subdue him if necessary, but instead, I found something unexpected.”

  Byron briefly glanced over in Sammy’s direction. “I found a very lost boy. He seemed to be on the verge of delving into a lifetime of crime and misery. I offered him a choice between serving his fellow man and serving prison sentences. It took great courage to make the decision he made because he did not know me. He had no reason to trust me. Every adult in his life had either been taken from him or had treated him like a criminal . . . which he happened to be.” Commander Byron looked knowingly at Sammy.

  “I watched Sammy go through some very difficult growing pains over the following months, but I was hesitant to step in because Sammy has a great mind. I wanted him to figure things out for himself. And he did. He has grown to be the person I hoped he would. He has met the great expectations I set for him against odds which were staggering, to say the least. He has risen time and time again with as much fortitude as I have ever seen, even in many of our finest. I attribute this to the power of his loving parents. We have placed two empty chairs next to him in honor and remembrance of them.

  “Now, it is customary at these meetings to show a series of highlights of the graduating Beta. I know many of you look forward to these videos because they are far more interesting than we who are the speakers. However, Sammy’s greatest highlights are not his many victories in the Arena or even his fabled defeats of my best-planned sim units. It would be an insult to him if I were to show these. Instead, I want to mention a few things that are, in my mind, Sammy’s greatest triumphs.

  “The first of these highlights occurred the da
y a bunch of my Betas decided to organize a slam-dunk contest in the recreation area. Perhaps I should have put a stop to it, but I admit it intrigued me to see who would win. That was the first taste I got of Jeffie’s proficient basketball skills. When she went to perform her final dunk, it became obvious to me, even on camera, that she had badly misjudged her jump. Sammy realized this and tried to catch her, but did not reach her in time. I remember watching him scoop her up and carry her to the cafeteria while I called Doctor Rosmir to come quickly. Sammy even held a garbage can for her while she threw up.”

  Sammy grinned sheepishly at Jeffie, who returned the expression as she wiped her eyes.

  “The second highlight occurred in Rio de Janeiro. During the middle of that disastrous affair, Sammy and Kobe were trapped by the enemy, waiting desperately for help to arrive. Both of my—my Betas fought valiantly despite being outnumbered. Kobe took a bullet to the arm but kept fighting. Then he took a second and fell. He later told me how he remembered seeing Sammy, wounded and bleeding, standing above him, shielding for them both while trying to fend off the attacks of the Thirteens until help arrived.”

  Kobe and Sammy met eyes. Kobe placed his fist over his heart and nodded solemnly to Sammy. Sammy nodded back at him.

  “The last one I want to mention is when Sammy—” The commander paused and gripped the podium in front of him tightly. “—saved my son. Despite—again—impossible odds—” Byron’s eyes stared downward and his words seemed to come with great difficulty. “—Sammy not only subdued two enemies while bound to a chair, but he managed to free himself so he could pull a bullet out of my son’s chest as it worked its way toward Albert’s . . . heart. I have no idea what limits, if any, there are to what Sammy can and will do . . . but I thank God for the day he decided to knock down those six police officers because it was the start of many miracles that I have witnessed.”

  Commander Byron turned to Sammy. Sammy’s face turned red and it took great willpower to meet his commander’s gaze. The piercing blue eyes both haunted and touched him.

  “Thank you, Samuel.”

  The commander stepped back from the podium to sit, and every person in the room, save Sammy, stood and clapped. Major Tawhiri leaned across Anna and said, “Your turn, my friend. Take your time and say whatever you want.”

  Sammy swallowed hard, noticing the dryness in his mouth and throat. The podium suddenly seemed awfully far away, but reaching it took only a few steps. The clapping didn’t stop until he’d been standing there for several seconds. He stared at the back wall, searching for words to say, but someone had scrubbed his brain with a giant eraser. His hands leaked sweat and his armpits dripped it.

  Wow, this sucks, he thought to himself as the clapping died down. He dried his hands on his pants and put them back on the podium. Deep breath. His body obeyed the command. That’s better.

  “Um . . . thank you. Major. Commander. Thank you for those remarks.” Sammy dared to look at the crowd and saw Brickert smiling at him, cheering him on. “I don’t really have much to say because I—well—I didn’t prepare a speech.”

  Chuckles came from the crowd, but they did nothing to help Sammy’s nerves.

  “I’ve never spoken before in front of anyone except a couple of judges, and—and—and for some reason I’m more nervous now than I was then. So . . . I want to say one thing. When Byron recruited me, and I accepted his deal, I stood alongside Brickert, Natalia, Kawai, and Jeffie. Together, we swore an oath. And that’s the thing that—that,” Sammy searched his mind for the right words, “propels me. I want to be here with my friends. But I am a servant of the people, not my friends. My life is not my own. It belongs to the people. I choose to give my mind, my strength, and my heart to the service of the government, so long as the government serves the interest of the people. I choose justice to be my strength. While I look forward to rekindling my friendships in a few years, and right now that seems like an eternity, I know that I’m doing the right thing by saying goodbye. I’ll survive, I hope. And if not, my life will still be given for the service of my people and protecting their rights and liberties. And, well, I guess that’s not such a bad way to die. Thank you.”

  * * * * *

  Seconds after the ceremony ended, Commander Byron’s com began to buzz. Not wanting to appear tacky during the ceremony, he had stowed the device in his pocket. Quickly, he fished it out, and put it on.

  “Byron here.”

  “Good afternoon, Commander. This is Khani Nguyen at Tensai Research—”

  “Hello, Khani. How can I help you?”

  “Our team has finished the project we discussed on our last visit in July. If you have some time today, you are welcome to come down and see the results.”

  Commander Byron glanced around at the crowd, searching for Samuel in it. “Can you send the data to me?”

  “Yes, I suppose I could, but who is going to explain to you what it means? I hadn’t heard about your Ph.D. in computer analytics or—”

  “I will be there as soon as possible. Thank you.”

  “You’re—”

  Byron ended the call and went directly to General Wu, who was chatting with Commanders Havelbert and Zahn. After relaying the information, he pushed through the crowd toward Samuel. Byron had to reach in between several Betas to tap Samuel’s shoulder.

  “Just a sec, guys,” Samuel said when he saw Byron.

  “I have to leave on some urgent business,” the commander told his former pupil. “I doubt I can make it back for any of your celebration, so I wanted to tell you congratulations. And that you gave a wonderful speech.”

  Samuel stepped out from his friends and hugged the commander. It took Byron off guard for a moment, but then he hugged him back. “Thanks for your words, sir.”

  Byron patted Samuel on the back. “You earned them. Enjoy your party.”

  “I will.”

  “I look forward to working with you again.”

  Byron hurried to the roof and took his personal cruiser to Alpha headquarters, landing on the roof of the TRC. It wasn’t as difficult to find Khani’s office the second time. However, her workspace was much more crowded today with other members of the team gathered around computer monitors and holo-screens.

  “Good afternoon again, Commander. We’re discussing the findings of the tunnel flooder. That’s the nickname we’ve given to the program we designed to track all the movement of Commander Wrobel within the system. Please join us.”

  Commander Byron realized he was in over his head when the team began explaining their theories using words he had never heard before. He glanced at the clock and sighed. “How about we start with what you know, and please explain it to me as simply as possible.”

  One of the team members started to speak, but Khani cut him off. “We’ve traced use of the tunnel back almost two years. That is an enormous amount of time that the CAG had to undermine our systems. We estimate—”

  Half of her team immediately cut her off with fresh arguments.

  “—I estimate,” she raised her voice to say, “that there is a very good chance that NWG may have to completely wipe itself clean and start over. We can do some data transfers for essential programs and failsafes, but even those will have to be thoroughly screened before being reinserted into our fields of operation. The level of infiltration we’ve found is—”

  “Scary as the pits of hell themselves,” one man inserted.

  “Theologically speaking, yes,” Khani conceded. “We have footprints of Wrobel accessing virtually every minor and major database and program. Even stuff he wasn’t allowed access to. And if he was in here, there’s a very good chance—”

  “We already know it, Khani, just tell him.”

  “It’s almost certain that this has still been going on even after Wrobel’s capture. We can’t pinpoint the last dates that the tunnels were used exactly, because we have to analyze more of the footprints the tunnels leave behind, but I’d say with ninety-seven, maybe even ninety-eight pe
rcent certainty that CAG cyber operatives have been using the tunnels in the last three months. Possibly even the last three days.”

  “Can they still access them now?”

  “Not without us immediately knowing about it. And at that point we can shut down the tunnel and try to back trace it.”

  Commander Byron leaned back in his chair and locked his fingers. “Okay. Start from the most secure places we know they’ve accessed and move down the list.”

  * * * * *

  The party was underway at Beta headquarters. As Sammy had predicted, most of the rumors were false. No one had alcohol, though several Betas seemed to be drunk by the way they were acting with all the caffeine in their bloodstreams. The Alphas had only stayed for an hour or so, then politely bowed out. Major Tawhiri did not celebrate with them, although he did announce that for one night the cameras were off, the curfew alarm was silent, and they were free to have a responsible, but enjoyable party so long as they completed full schedules the next day. That received cheers from everyone. Anna told Sammy before she left that he would be picked up in the late morning to relocate permanently into his new Alpha living unit.

  For one last night Sammy enjoyed the music, tasted all the food, and played any games with his friends that they wanted. Every Beta stayed up. It was too rare an opportunity to miss. Most of them solemnly swore to pull an all-nighter, even if they had to crawl through the motions like zombies the next day. Kobe upped the ante by declaring the first Beta to fall asleep got a pie in the face. Then he stared down poor Gabriel and said, “My bet is on YOU!”

  At about 0200, Sammy announced that he had to go downstairs and get some more party supplies. In reality, he had stashed over twenty presents in his dorm room, one for each Beta. He’d bought them using the stipend money he’d collected after returning to headquarters. Six months worth of stipends was a lot of cash to burn. Now that he was going to be getting paid as an Alpha, he could easily afford the presents. He carried half the gifts up the stairs, then returned to get the other half.