by S. J. Ryan
Carrot walked out. Matt bowed to the servants and followed. Carrot, her complexion ashen, was pacing in the courtyard.
"What do you know about this?" he asked.
"Why do you think I know anything?" she replied.
"You're upset."
"Is that what your Little Man tells you?"
"I don't need Ivan to tell me that."
"Nilla was bleeding, that's why I'm upset."
"You've seen worse in battle. You were concerned, but you didn't act upset until she told that story about the other girl.”
She seemed ready to stalk off, but then she gestured to the bench. They sat. She looked into his eyes and squeezed his arm a little too tight.
“My mother was killed the same way. Slashed to death.”
She had informed him that her parents were dead, but this was the first time he'd received details.
“You want to talk about it?”
“I see your look. Don't be troubled. It was years ago. I'm over it now.”
He doubted that. "Is it all right to ask what happened?"
"I was only a child. We were gathering flowers by – " She paused, as if to swallow words. "We were attacked. I have no memory of the incident. But I do remember the scent just before it happened. I thought for many years that it was only a trick of mind. Then . . . I smelled it coming from Boudica."
"Boudica?"
“Back in Britan, the day of the battle, when the battle was about to begin, I scouted ahead. The wind changed and I gained her scent. She looked directly at me. I have since learned that Boudica was no queen of Britan, that she was an agent of the Romans.”
“Have you smelled her since?”
“I'm getting to that. The other day, after you and I spoke, I was down by the waterfront – and it was the same scent! She's here! The Agent of the Romans – and Pandora!”
“Pandora? You mean, what we discussed, the name of the AI who controls the seeder probe.”
“Yes, I am sure of it. Pandora made me, who else could? And she made this creature too, who else could? And then Pandora sent the creature to kill my mother, and now it's after me. Here in Rome!”
Comprehension dawned. “And now you go out at night to hunt for the creature. Or Boudica. Or – what are you hunting for, Carrot?”
“You are right to wonder what, Matt, for I am sure that it can change its physical form. When I listened to Nilla's story, I knew instantly what happened. The creature rode with the carrier to the alley and killed him and took his form, then went back and got Zula to ride with it to the same alley, where it killed her too.”
“I think there's a logical leap in there. I don't know if shape shifting is even possible.”
“Your people did it long ago. Ivan showed me how they would turn into chimera and back.”
“Well, of course, but that's with machines and lots of nanotechnology. You're talking about someone who can shape shift on their own, at will. That's not science, it's magic. I mean, it's not possible.”
She said quietly, “I know it's possible, because I can do it too.”
“I've never seen you do it.”
“Because my mother warned me not to. She said it would change our souls as our bodies. That we would become evil. So she never did it and she made me swear I would never do it. But you've seen how my hair will change color when I lose control of my emotions.”
“Carrot, you've always given the impression you're a skeptic about things.”
“There's good reason for why I was, Matt. There were times when I was fighting in the Leaf, when I had a vision of a beast of claws and fangs who could kill ten men at once, and I felt if I said yes to this thing inside me, I would become that beast. It would help me defeat the Romans in battle, yes, it might help me defeat half a legion – but after, could I change back to human form, and even so, would my soul then be trapped in beast form? How do you cope with such thoughts, Matt? I told myself such things weren't true, they weren't possible. Then I met you and Ivan and – now I know it's all true, everything my mother warned, it's waiting inside me. All I have to do is say yes once – and my soul is lost.”
Matt stared across the courtyard at the roses. He remembered fearing that Carrot might be a monster in disguise. He had never considered that she feared the same thing.
She said in a lowered voice, “You knew about the hunting.”
“The other night, you ditched the knife but Ivan spotted the sheath.”
“Tell your Little Man that he is very clever.”
“Yeah, well, the ninja pajamas were a giveaway too.”
“The what? Oh, Matt, you and Ivan have to help me! It's been after me for years and now it's loose in the city and killing people. I find its scent in places, yet I cannot locate the creature itself. If Ivan could tell me why!”
“I'll ask, Carrot.”
Ivan soon reported, “Based on simulation studies of shape-shifter physiology conducted during the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries, it is possible that a shape shifter would have a unique scent when it is in its natural form, and a completely different scent when it is in a transformed state. It is possible that Carrot has smelled one but not the other.“
Carrot was watching Matt's face. “What is he saying?”
“Ivan says it's got more than one scent. One for natural state, one for transformations.”
“Of course! I have to wait until it transforms!”
“Carrot, in natural form this . . . being . . . probably looks just like an ordinary human. He or she could walk past you in Victory Square and you'd never know until it was too late. That's why you've got to stop hunting. You could easily end up being the hunted. You'd lose a confrontation before it began.”
“Tell it to stop hunting me! Tell it to stop hunting servant girls and rickshaw carriers. And what if it comes after you, or Gwinol, or Archimedes? It knows what I smell like, it's known ever since it killed my mother – so it knows to find me here, and it will goad me to come fight on its terms. Well, before that, I shall fight it on my terms!”
“Carrot, if it wanted to goad you, don't you think it would have done so by now? For whatever reason, it's keeping a low profile. And maybe you shouldn't provoke it.”
“One of the things we learned in the Leaf, Matt, is if the Romans aren't bothering you today, it's because they're readying to bother you tomorrow. How can you be so dense about how evil works in the world?”
With her scowl the ends of her hair turned orange. She saw it happen, and willed them brown. Then she burst into tears. Matt felt useless.
“Carrot, Ivan and I will help as much as we can. But what can we do?”
She wiped her eyes and pondered. Then she said, “The Sisters.”
“The Sisters of Wisdom?”
“You heard what Nilla said. I've had suspicions about them for a long time. No one seems to know much about them, yet everyone is afraid of them. They are so powerful, yet never seem to come out of that sealed temple. They have a reputation for healing, which is a mutant power and causes me to wonder what other powers they harbor. Matt, if they are mutants then Pandora made them – what if they are agents of Pandora? What if one of them is the creature? If we can just find out more about them! Can Ivan help? Could he see, perhaps, into their temple?”
Matt rubbed his forehead. “His ability to see through walls is not what it's cracked up to be.”
“Matt, the Sisters come and go from their temple in a sealed coach. I don't even know what they look like. If I knew the least bit about them, it would help so much. Don't you have anything that can observe them?”
“It sounds like what you want is a surveillance micro-drone, but I didn't bring one from Earth.”
“Can Ivan make one?”
“Ivan has printing abilities, but for human body tissue, not machines. We're experimenting with that, but we're a long way from printing drones.”
“Could you make one by hand?”
“Sorry, I'm good for telescopes and weathe
r stations, but microelectronics is outside my abilities at present.”
Her eyes widened. “The telescope!”
And then she was gone, storming up the steps. He hurried after, winded when he reached the roof. She was facing north and frowning at the higher building across the street.
“We can't see it from here.”
“See what?”
“Their island.”
“What island?”
“The Island of the Sisters of Wisdom.”
“The Sisters have an island?”
“How long have you been in this city? Yes, they have an island. It used to be a patrician resort called Cordant, but it is leased to the Sisters in some sort of secret treaty with the Emperor previous to Hadron. No one knows what the Sisters give in return, and no one among the Senate dares talk about it openly.”
“Then how do you know all this?”
“Servants everywhere tend to gossip.”
Herman had set, but Ivan dug up archive views of Rome and environs. Matt commented, “I see. It's north of the city, surrounded by high walls, like a fortress.”
“They claim it's been converted into a monastery, but few believe that. Its walls are high enough to fend off a siege, and its waters are patrolled more tightly than those of Palras.”
“That's interesting to know, Carrot. Let me ask about something else that would be interesting to know: Why are we here on the roof?”
“The dock at the island can be seen from the city. I was hoping we could use the telescope to make out a face of one of the Sisters.” She flung her arm at the looming wall on the far side of the narrow alley. “But that obstacle is in my way. How are we to see beyond the city when we can't even see over the next building?”
Matt tilted his head toward the nearest ledge, indicating a plank resting on the rooftop. “Well, I would use that.”
She walked over and picked up the plank. It was about four meters in length, twenty centimeters wide, ten centimeters thick. “It looks to be ordinary wood.”
“It is ordinary wood.”
“Then how does it enable one to see through walls?”
“I didn't say it does. It enables one to see beyond walls.”
She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “This is a wizard's trick I would like to watch.”
He picked up the plank and dragged it over to the ledge where Carrot stood. He balanced the plank vertically, then let it fall. It plopped across the alley chasm, landing across the gap on a building roof that was almost the same height as their roof. Matt hopped on top of the plank and walked across to the other side.
He nodded toward the aqueduct tower two streets over. “Archimedes wants me to check the aqueduct monitoring station every day, and this saves time. The aqueduct tower there happens to be the highest point in the city this side of Golden Street, the best view of the city and environs. Now, I know we can't bring the telescope, but at least you can get a good look at . . . . “
His voice trailed off as she sized up the telescope, wrapped her arms around the barrel, and grunted. She heaved and twisted, and it balanced precariously upon her back.
“Carrot, I can balance safely because Ivan has a laser gyro to keep my balance. I was going to hold your hand to help your balance, but if you carry the telescope – “
She kicked off her sandals and mounted the board, looking like a cross between a hermit crab and mobile artillery. She sized up the crossing and Matt hoped that she would change her mind. Then she took a step, then another. The board wobbled under the weight. She seemed to manage it but Matt felt ready to faint. He had a vision of Carrot and the telescope plummeting to the paving stones ten meters below, with no flying robots streaking to the rescue. Perhaps her superhuman strength and healing powers would enable her to survive the fall, but would the telescope? The Emperor still wanted it installed for public viewing, and if it broke – How much would Archimedes take from my allowance?
And then she was over the alley to his side.
“Lead the way,” she said. Puffing, she added, “Don't dawdle – this thing is heavy!”
Matt pulled the board over to the new roof, climbed up the rickety steps to the higher adjoining roof, walked over to the ledge overlooking the narrow street, and set the plank across. Carrot followed him over. Another makeshift bridge more, and they climbed over the aqueduct tower observation rail.
Carrot teetered the telescope onto the rail and sighted the island. “There!” She squinted through the eyepiece. “But all is a blur!”
Matt tweaked the focus adjustment knob.
“Perfect!” she exclaimed.
“Glad I'm useful for something,” he mumbled.
Without taking her eyes from the view, she said, “Matt, you built a device that can see stars and planets and faces from afar. To me that is far more amazing than an over-muscled farm girl carrying a load on her back.”
“A load that weighs as much as a cow.”
“It does not weigh as much as a cow.”
“And how would you know the weight of a cow?”
“From a book. In case you think I know by test, you are wrong. I could never lift a cow. It would upset the cow.”
He grinned in spite of himself, then leaned against the rail and propped his chin on his hands, enjoying the opportunity to admire her figure while she was preoccupied. Ivan may have been controlling his hormonal extremes, but just then Matt was being allowed to have a pleasant buzz.
All too soon, Carrot sighed and stood up, staring at the island with her own eyes. He read the expression on her lips and knew she hadn't seen what she had wanted to see.
“Sailors are off-loading a supply ship. That is all the activity at the dock.”
He watched a gentle breeze rustle her hair and said, “Maybe one of the Sisters will come out later. If you want, I suppose we can wait.”
She sat on the rail, facing outward, and dangled her feet over the street. “We shall.”
They waited.
“Carrot.”
“Yes, Matt.”
“Do you want to link? With Ivan, I mean.”
“For now I'd just like to enjoy the day.”
Sounds boring, he thought. But the sun was warm, the breeze was fresh, the city was a thousand things to watch. In particular, there were Carrot's ankles. She had pulled up her dress to reveal a good part of her calves almost to the kneecaps. By the standards of Britan, he recalled, that was scandalous.
He watched her swish her shins back and forth, and thought, Poor Britan.
Later:
“Matt.”
“Yes, Carrot?”
“Does it bother you that I am stronger than you?”
“No, of course not.” Matt wasn't sure that was true, but he knew it was the best thing to say.
“That's good. I was worried. You should not feel intimidated.”
“I don't.”
“You have many fine qualities as a man.”
“Thank you very much,” he muttered.
Later:
“Carrot.”
“Yes, Matt?”
“You said it was beyond you to heal Nilla's thumb, but Ivan says you could have.”
“Ivan reveals all my secrets, doesn't he?”
“Why did you say that you couldn't?”
“I wanted you to do it so that people would see you as I do and will like you, Matt. Sometimes you seem so distant.”
Comes from being born in another star system, he thought.
“Yes, well, I'll try to be more social.”
“I think the incident helped, did it not?”
“Yes, thank you.”
And then he thought, She almost admitted she likes me.
He noticed how fleecy the clouds were that afternoon.
Later:
“Matt.”
“Yes, Carrot?”
“Ivan knew about my strength and healing power because he scanned my DNA, right?”
“Yes.”
“Has he done
a complete analysis?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then – “ She leaned toward him, peered into his eyes, and waved. "Little Man – you in there! What other attributes of mine have you revealed to your boy?"
"Is she addressing me?" Ivan asked. "Should I respond?"
"No!" Matt said. He backed away and scowled. "Carrot, come on, it'll be dark soon. Maybe we should go back and have dinner.”
“I want to stay as long as there's light to see.” She smiled and resumed swishing. “You can go back. Don't worry about me, I won't need the plank to climb down if we can leave the telescope here for a while.”
He sighed. “I'll stay too.”
Later:
“Matt.”
“Yes, Carrot?”
“Do you think you might build one of your world's printers for Archimedes?”
“I'd have to build a computer first. And before that, I'd have to build integrated circuits. And before that, I'd have to build transistors. And before that . . . well, the short answer is, before I can build Archimedes a printer, he'll have to live a long time.”
“Gwinol says he's over a hundred. He doesn't look that old, does he?”
Matt translated into Earth years. “No, he doesn't.”
“But I am asking the wrong person. You come from a world where people live in eternal youth forever.”
“Nobody can live forever. Sooner or later an accident will get them.”
“But then their family and friends can print a new person to replace the old.”
“I . . . I didn't know you knew about that.”
“It wasn't hard to realize. The technology of your time can print everything else, why not the bodies of people? And from what I have learned about the brain in the videos that Ivan has shown me, it seems possible to save their memories and print them also.”
“Yes. It's been done.”
“Was it done to you?”
He paused. “I'm not sure I want to talk about this.”
“It was done, wasn't it? I thought as much.”
“And . . . why did you think as much?”
“It is so expensive and dangerous even for your people to travel between stars, they would want to preserve any traveler who was lost. Am I right? Did they save your memories and once they knew you were lost, print them in a new body?”
