by Eliza Green
He turned back and knocked on the desk. ‘There’s something more going on with the GS humans and I want to know what.’
‘You got it. And Caldwell?’
Bill looked at an eager Ben. ‘Consider this your first assignment. I want you to monitor every piece of chatter that mentions his name. It’s an alias for Harvey Buchanan, so check for that one too.’
Ben nodded. ‘Don’t worry. I’m very good at finding out stuff.’
Bill slapped him on the back. ‘I guess we’ll find out.’
31
Simon wasn’t sure how he’d managed it. Tanya’s lead doctor had left his bag unattended in the staging room. In it was a DPad that most likely contained information on the changes to the Elite. Tanya must have asked Dr Jameson to bring the data with him. The information rarely left the New London clinic. When it did, the doctors used an encrypted channel and an isolated monitor to access the information on site via the lab area across from the staging room.
Simon stood in the Elite’s room alongside Dr Jameson where he discussed Tanya’s idea to use hosts.
To Simon’s relief, Tanya said, ‘Not until we’ve exhausted the grid’s power and the machine’s usefulness. I would prefer to try transcendence in my body first.’
Jameson frowned. ‘You might not be strong enough to cope with that.’
‘That’s my decision.’ She nodded to Simon. ‘Simon will reprogram the cable to take more power today, isn’t that right?’
He nodded when both Tanya and Jameson stared at him.
‘And if he can’t get it?’ said Jameson.
‘Then we’ll discuss hosting again.’
Her eyes flickered to him briefly but it was long enough to send a shiver down his spine. Tanya’s thoughts were quiet today; he put that down to her preoccupation with the human doctor. She was on her best behaviour. Good behaviour or not, Simon still didn’t want her taking up residence in his head.
‘There’s no reason why he won’t get it, is there?’ Tanya said.
Tanya glanced at him and he responded with a shake of his head. To be honest, he had no idea if Buchanan would even show. He’d contacted the man last night, had said he had data and would trade it for protection from a few of his men. Simon wasn’t buying protection so much as immunity from attacks.
‘I need to examine you, but,’ Jameson glanced at Simon, ‘somewhere more private?’
‘In the laboratory, then. Simon, don’t go far, we won’t be long and I want to discuss with you the limits on how much power we can mine.’
Simon nodded, keeping close to the doctor’s bag, which lay on the floor.
Jameson strode over to his bag. ‘Hold on. I forgot something.’
Simon cursed silently at the doctor’s remembrance. He expected him to take the bag and when Jameson reached in and grabbed what looked like a medical scanner, he held his breath. Jameson closed the bag, tucked it under one bed and left the room with Tanya.
Simon huffed out, and turned around in the empty space. Should he take the bag to the tech room, try to access what was on the doctor’s DPad there?
He knelt down and pulled the bag out from under the bed. As quietly as he could, he opened the zipper. The instant he did, he heard Tanya’s thoughts becoming more alert, until the doctor distracted her with something.
Simon lifted the DPad out of the bag and hid it up the wide sleeve of his robe. He closed the bag and returned it to its hiding place.
He had just minutes, maybe, to copy whatever he could. He ran to the tech room and hooked the DPad up to the monitor. He was right about his assumptions: The DPad contained a wealth of information on the Elite’s tests. But there was too much to copy. He settled for a small file to copy, something to appease Harvey in exchange for his protection.
The copy process took too long. Simon willed it to hurry up. When it finished, he settled his racing heart and disconnected the DPad. Then he raced back to the room. It was still empty.
But Tanya’s thoughts became more active and he knew they were on their way back. With his heart in his mouth, Simon slid the bag out and slipped the DPad back in. The door opened just after Simon had pushed the still open bag back in place and stood up.
Tanya’s gaze lingered on him and he worked hard to neutralise his expression.
‘All appears to be normal, Tanya,’ said Dr Jameson. ‘But you’re still too weak to proceed with transcendence.’
‘Yes, yes. Nothing I don’t know already. Simon will sort it though.’
She glanced at him. He nodded and slipped the micro file with the copied data into the pocket of his robe.
Jameson retrieved his bag from under Tanya’s bed to slip the scanner back into it. He paused and frowned at the open bag.
The doctor’s fingers grazed the pulling tab. ‘Did you leave this room unattended?’
‘No, it was just me,’ said Simon.
Jameson glanced between him and the bag. He did a quick check of its contents and rubbed his chin. ‘I must be forgetting things in my old age.’
‘Maybe we should get you inside the machine,’ joked Tanya.
‘The power from the Nexus isn’t compatible with humans. It would kill him,’ Simon said flatly.
‘It was a joke, Simon.’ She rolled her eyes for Jameson’s benefit. She tried too hard to impress the doctors. ‘He’s far too serious sometimes.’
The unsmiling doctor nodded. ‘I’d better get back to the clinic. We have a bunch of schoolchildren coming in for their inoculations.’
‘Inoculations?’
‘This planet has different bacteria, different soil. Even native-born children aren’t immune from diseases that occur naturally here.’
Tanya nodded. ‘Thank you, Jameson.’
‘Call me when you’ve used the machine again.’ Jameson picked up his bag. ‘Then I’ll examine you and make my final assessment on your viability to transcend in your current body. I’ll see myself out.’
‘I don’t want you to leave the caves, Jameson.’
The doctor paused. ‘I have to get back to the clinic. You know the arrangement. I split my time between here and there. The clinic work is refining the work I do here.’
Tanya waved her hand. ‘Go, and keep using the secret tunnel, but return later. From now until transcendence, I want you to remain on site. Remember who signed off on your work privileges.’
Jameson pursed his lips. ‘Of course, Elite One.’
The doctor left Tanya and Simon alone.
‘What time are you scheduled to visit the site?’ she asked.
Tanya thought Simon just went out and fiddled with the cable a bit. He hadn’t told her about his payment for protection, or that the process of reprogramming the cable to accommodate more power safely took time.
‘In an hour.’
Tanya nodded. ‘I want all the power you can take. Can your machine handle it?’
‘Yes,’ Simon lied.
If he told her the machine had possibly reached its potential, she might proceed with Jameson’s recommendations. He’d do what he could to stall Tanya.
‘Good. See you soon.’
☼
Simon met Harvey Buchanan about a mile out from the power station. He wasn’t surprised to see Ollie Patterson hadn’t come with him. Harvey leaned against the black vehicle, hands in pockets.
Simon walked up to him and wasted no time. ‘I need to take more power. Do I have your men for protection?’
‘How much power?’ said Buchanan.
‘What does it matter?’
Buchanan smiled. ‘I want to know how long I’ll be without my men.’
‘An hour, tops.’
Harvey pulled out one hand and held it out. ‘Payment first. This had better be good.’
Simon fished the micro file out from his pocket. ‘I got this.’
Harvey stepped forward and plucked the black coin from Simon’s hand. ‘What’s on it?’
‘Information on the Elite tests. I could only get some,
it was short notice, but with time I might get more.’
Harvey spun the disc on the top of his finger, then pocketed it.
‘Do we have a deal?’ said Simon.
Harvey smiled. ‘I need to check what’s on the disc first. You could be giving me crap data on the Conditioned tests again.’
Simon didn’t have time for this. ‘I’m expected back soon. I need to do this today.’
Harvey leaned against the car once more, glancing back at the power station in the distance. ‘Sure, we have a deal.’
‘Great, let’s get going—’
‘There’s just one problem.’
Simon clenched his fists at the delay. ‘What?’
‘There’s a new force field around the site where your cable connects to the main feed. How long will that take to get through?’
‘Since when?’
‘Since this morning.’
That was a problem.
He couldn’t return to Tanya empty handed. ‘I’ll figure it out when I get there.’
Harvey pushed off from the car. ‘Figure a way through it, then call me. That will give me time to check what’s on the disc. Okay?’
‘No, that’s not okay. I need to do this now!’
Harvey shrugged. ‘I can’t guarantee men for this job until I know how long it will take. You said an hour, but that was before the force-field issue.’ He opened the door and climbed in. ‘Talk to you in a few days.’
Before Simon could react, the car was driving away and with it his only leverage with Harvey Buchanan. He had to risk going out to the site alone. It could be a trap, but he couldn’t go back to Tanya empty handed.
It took him five minutes to reach the site of the exposed main feed connector and his intelligent cable. He felt the sting of electricity surrounding the area before he reached the spot. It stretched about a mile out from the site. A localised force field, which meant something close by had to be powering it. He searched the perimeter of the field and spotted the black box just inside it.
‘Shit.’
Simon touched the field but yanked his hand back when the power bit him.
He shook his hand out.
The sound of wolves baying in the distance accompanied him on his walk back. Hunting had appealed to him in the beginning, but no longer. At Tanya’s insistence, all the Conditioned used synthesised protein injections for sustenance. Simon hadn’t eaten the old-fashioned way for some time. While he walked around the perimeter again, his mind juggled through options. One man, the biggest meat eater he knew, popped into his mind.
The solution was less than ideal, but he had to try something. First, Simon needed a change of clothes.
Simon ran west to a set of houses that were part of the new build just beyond New London’s city limits. He stole round back of one occupied property and yanked a set of clothes off the line. The house, without owners present or an active Light Box alarm, made it easy for him to steal a backpack from the hall closet. He rolled up his robe and tucked it into the bag. He needed to look like his old self where he was headed.
Simon crossed the city boundary and walked the twenty miles to Whitehall and the glass block containing the ITF offices.
A security guard stopped him inside the lobby. ‘What’s your business here?’
‘I need to see Bill Taggart.’
‘He’s not in,’ snapped the guard.
The man was lying. Simon sensed Bill on the premises.
‘I know he’s here. Tell him his old boss wants to see him.’
The guard looked him up and down. Simon knew that with the right attire, he looked close enough to human again. His skin was pale after the alterations, not translucent like the Indigenes’ skin. It was mostly his mind that had altered, not his appearance.
‘Wait in there.’
The man pointed to a room just before the security scanner. Simon could bypass their security if he wanted, but he followed the man’s instructions. He entered the windowless room. It held a table and two chairs. He stood in one corner, one hand on the stolen satchel containing the robes that he’d need for when he returned to the caves.
Outside, the guard spoke to someone. ‘Says he knows him.’
A few minutes later, Simon heard the lift open and the recognisable heavy foot of Bill Taggart.
‘Where is he?’ Bill said.
‘In there,’ replied the guard.
Bill entered the room and closed the door.
His voice a low hiss, he said, ‘Simon, you’re the last person I expected to see here.’
Simon nodded. ‘I didn’t have a choice. I need to speak with you.’
Bill frowned. ‘Does Tanya know you’re here?’
‘No, and she never can.’
‘What’s this about?’
‘My life is in danger. I’ve tried to put off the inevitable but without power, I can’t.’
Bill smiled and nodded. ‘Ah, so you discovered our little force field? I’m sure you’ll find a way around it, in time.’
Simon was desperate. ‘I don’t have time for games, Bill. I’m here to ask you for a favour.’
Bill’s smile became a smirk. ‘What favour?’
‘Drop the force field and let me take as much power as I need.’
‘In exchange for what?’
‘For everything I know about Tanya’s plans for the Elite.’
32
Laura waited with Arianna in Anton’s lab following her time in the Nexus. Arianna had asked for her help to test Anton’s neurosensor. There wasn’t much Laura wouldn’t do for the Indigene whom she thought of as her sister. Serena didn’t join them, saying she had “elder” things to discuss with Stephen. She’d rolled her eyes at the word, causing Laura to giggle.
‘When this is all over, I’m changing that term for something that better fits my youthful appearance.’
Laura couldn’t agree more. From her stunning, blue eyes to her gentle, oval face and lithe body, the term didn’t suit her.
Arianna stood next to her with clasped hands while Anton bustled around the lab with the energy of a young wolf. Stephen, Laura had observed, was quieter in general than Anton. Serena’s calm energy tempered his more serious side. Arianna gave off a lighter vibe that Laura liked. It offset Anton’s energy perfectly.
On occasion, Anton would look up and smile at the pair.
‘He loves an audience,’ said Arianna. ‘Especially when he has some new tech to try out.’
Anton moved faster than her old vision could ever have detected. But her improved Indigene vision turned the motion into one long, steady exposure.
Anton picked up a small, black box and carried it over to them like it was about to explode. Laura stepped back.
‘It’s not delicate,’ said Anton, handing the box to Arianna. ‘I get like this with all my inventions. Just ask Arianna.’
She nodded. A ritual.
Anton removed a small, round, glossy disc from the box. He popped it into a casing that appeared to be malleable, like it was made of silicone.
‘For better adhesion,’ said Anton.
‘Where does it go?’ said Laura.
‘Here.’ Anton tapped the side of his head. ‘To enhance the neural pathways so we can improve our reach.’
He lunged at Laura with the disc covered in silicone and pressed it firmly to the side of her head.
‘Does it remap the neural pathways?’ she said.
‘That’s the idea.’
She stiffened at the thought of losing more of herself. ‘Permanently?’
Anton smiled. ‘No, you won’t lose more of yourself.’ Damn him and his ability to read her thoughts. She felt herself blush as he added, ‘It’s only temporary.’
She felt Arianna push gently against her defensive wall.
Keen to move the focus off her and to stop Arianna from probing her thoughts, she said, ‘So what do I do?’
‘The idea is that the neurosensor will allow you to break through the barrier protecting ot
hers’ thoughts. And since we know you’re not particularly good at keeping us out...’ Anton stood in front of her and puffed out his chest. ‘Test on me. Try to read my thoughts.’
Laura lifted both brows. ‘How?’
‘Concentrate on my mind and try to read it. I’ve cleared my thoughts and I have only one thing on my mind.’
Laura took a wild guess. ‘Arianna?’
‘She’s good.’ He rolled his eyes at Arianna. ‘No, too easy for you. This one will require some digging.’ Anton closed his eyes. ‘Okay, go.’
Laura did the same and made contact with Anton in the same way she’d done with those in the Nexus. She found his connection; it felt like a small prickle in her own. Some basic thoughts were easy to find, like those of open-minded Evolvers. But with age came the ability to hide their thoughts. Laura couldn’t read the minds of Evolvers older than ten years old.
She followed the path Anton wanted her to take—the one of least resistance. But something pulled her off the path to a different location. When Laura tried to take a new route, she met with an invisible barrier. She sensed where she needed to go, but the barrier stopped her from crossing.
‘I can feel you trying to cross,’ said Anton. ‘Allow the neurosensor to do the work for you.’
Laura frowned and concentrated on the barrier. She had never been good at reading minds. It was her least favourite thing—to snoop in the minds of others.
‘Concentrate on me,’ said Anton.
‘Sorry.’
She switched her focus back to the barrier to see she’d drifted away from it. She resumed her new path and felt the resistance build again. She drew in a deep breath and tried to open her mind to the neurosensor.
The barrier yielded a little when she pushed against it. Without the neurosensor, it felt like cycling a bike up a hill. With it, hands pushed her up that same hill. She rode the feeling and pressed further into Anton’s mind. The barrier yielded to her and she heard Anton grunt.
She backed out a little until Anton said, ‘Keep going.’
