“All the more reason why we should speak with him and set things right. I do not want him to lose his job because of me.”
“Fin, he hates you."
“Most humans do.”
“Then why try to make things right? What do you have to gain?”
“Right and wrong are not matters of gain or loss, Nova.”
“Tell that to Ted Bailey.”
“I suppose his temporary promotion will end if Agent Clayborn comes back?"
“And I won’t have to be his lackey anymore. Do you know how many times I had to get coffee for that jerk today? I mean really? I’m not his little girl. I’m an agent.”
Shepherd interrupted, “So, Fin, how goes the clandestine investigation?”
Fin and Nova exchanged glances.
“Come, come,” said Shepherd. “I’ve been watching you, remember? I know you two have been working together on uncovering that mole. Esse tells me the amount of data Nova's been downloading was beginning to draw scrutiny from the network administrators. Fortunately for you, she has taken steps to remedy that. Now, tell me. What have you found so far?”
“Nothing really,” Nova replied. "Just a lot of dead ends."
“Thank God you’re not an actor, dear. You’re not a very convincing liar. Fin, would you care to enlighten me, please?”
“I will," said Fin, "but first I have a question for you but I am reluctant to ask it."
“Why?”
“Because I do not wish to offend you.”
“Offend me? Never. Son, I want you to speak freely with me at all times. Do you understand? Your honesty is very important to me.”
“Very well. Why did you send me to that Reconstitute factory?”
“That’s your question?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, the answer is simple. You needed a job.”
“With all due respect, sir, thank God you’re not an actor either.”
Shepherd became indignant. “What do you mean by that?”
“That factory is unsafe, sir. It is unsanitary. The air is toxic. There is no fresh water. There are no facilities. Only the humans are issued protective gear. Not one of the safety measures specified in the Cybernite implementation proposal—your proposal, sir—was ever put in place at any of the Reconstitute plants. Council’s cost-benefit analysis assigned a credit value to our lives and determined that it was cheaper to replace us than protect us.”
“Where did you read that?”
“In the minutes of closed-door Council sessions dating back to the time when Cybernites were first introduced.”
“Those records were sealed,” said Shepherd. “It is impossible for anyone to view them without a warrant, and I can’t imagine Council would issue you one.”
“You don’t seriously think that would stop Fin, do you?” said Nova.
“You do realize you have broken several laws here?” said Shepherd. "Recyclable offenses, I daresay.”
“But I am not the one guilty of mass murder,” Fin replied.
“I beg your pardon?”
“We have been poisoned from the beginning, Doctor, and it is not only the facilities that are toxic. Reconstitute itself is. They never installed the required purification equipment at any of the plants. That was why you insisted on special rations for me and human food for Nova. You were protecting us because you knew that Reconstitute is not the purified, elegant solution to feed the masses that it is made out to be. It is poison. Council knew that. You knew that. That makes them murderers and you an accessory to murder.”
Shepherd raised an eyebrow.
Fin continued, “The minutes cited studies showing that the shorter the lifespan, the less likely the Cybernite to rise up against its master. We were never meant to be their equals, Dr. Shepherd. These promises of rights, this dangling the carrot of a better future before us to keep us in line; they are lies. We are nothing to them. We are their slaves and will always be."
“And you knew all along, Doctor,” said Nova. "Tell him, Fin."
Fin said, “Your name was listed among those in attendance at the Council meetings, sir.”
Shepherd sighed. “I can see why you were reluctant to say anything. Yes, it’s true. I’m complicit. I knew.”
"For God's sake, Doctor, why?” Nova said.
“God had nothing to do with this, my dear.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I did. I spoke out against it at the time, but I was only one vote. If you read the minutes, you’d know that.”
“I’m talking about Fin. You knew and still you sent him to that place. You let him work there for weeks."
“I was banned from ever speaking of what Reconstitute really was. So Council decreed.”
“I don’t give a damn about what Council decreed. You sent him there. Fin could have died.”
“Don’t you think I know that!” Shepherd threw his wineglass against the wall. It shattered. He buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry. Esse, take care of that, would you?”
“Of course, Noah,” she replied.
“That’s all right,” said Nova. “The Homecom’s got it.”
A cleaning bot rolled across the floor toward the spill.
Shepherd’s eyes were filled with tears when he looked up at them again. “They don’t care that you’re intelligent, living creatures. It doesn’t matter that it was you who saved them. You're nothing but a line item on a balance sheet. And of course they want to keep you under their thumb. What slave owner wouldn’t? They don’t deserve you, and I’m no better. I let this happen. I accepted their decision to pervert my plan. I remained silent. I should have told you, Fin. I’m sorry I sent you to that awful place, but now that you've seen the truth for yourself, maybe you can understand my despair over just how far humanity has fallen into darkness.”
“Then bring them back, sir,” said Fin. “If anyone can do it, you can.”
“It’s too late for that. There’s no light bright enough to lead them back from where they’ve gone.”
“In The Word it says there is a time to kill and a time to heal. Maybe it is time to begin the healing.”
“It also says there is a time to sow and a time to reap. They have sown the crops of hatred. Now they will reap its rewards.”
“I cannot accept that, sir. There is always hope. Convince them to install the purifiers as a start, if not in all the plants then at least in one as an experiment. When they see the benefits of a healthier, more content workforce, perhaps they will finally understand that hatred and bigotry are not what holds a civilization together. Love is the glue that binds us.”
“Love? They know nothing of love. Why do you think you’re forced to live outside the Periculum shield? It’s certainly not out of love. And it has nothing to do with the cost of extending the damn thing. The shield protects them from their enemies, son. It protects them from you. You are the enemy, not the Eastern Bloc. They’re afraid of you, of what you would do if they set you free. That is why you will always be their slaves. Well, I’ve answered your one question. Now if you'll excuse me, it was long trip and nature is calling. I expect a full report on your findings when I return, boy.”
Shepherd refused help getting up. He hobbled into the bathroom, muttering to himself about judgment.
“I am worried about him, Esse," said Fin.
“Noah has been rather preoccupied of late," she replied.
“Preoccupied?” said Nova. "That was crazy talk.”
“Noah is not insane.”
“Come on. You heard him. He's losing it.”
“No,” said Fin. “This is something else.”
Shepherd returned from the bathroom. He sat down, smiled, and gave Fin a fatherly pat on the knee. “Now, son, back to the matter at hand, your matter that is. Tell me what you’ve discovered about this mole thus far, all the details, and don’t give me that nothing nonsense.”
Fin retrieved his computer from the bedroom, powered it up, and
linked it to one of the vidscreens. A grid came up on the display. In each block was a different diagram. “I was convinced there had to be a common thread that tied together the thefts," he said. “Why steal the identities of those particular agents? As far as I could tell, they were no more or less important than any other undercover agent. And why not steal them all at once? Why only a few at a time? Why take the chance on multiple break-ins when one would do? There had to be some explanation. I believe I have found it.”
Shepherd went over to the screen. “What am I looking at?”
Fin explained. “Computers store information in blocks. The size of the block can vary from system to system, but the principle is the same. It breaks the data file up into blocks of equal size and records them on a first-available basis, making storage of larger files more efficient. Each block of the file contains a pointer to the next piece so the file can be put back together again when retrieved.”
“I see, well more or less,” said Shepherd, “but what does that have to do with these diagrams?”
“Because a file’s actual size will rarely be an even multiple of blocks, there will invariably be some wasted space in the last block of every file. Under normal circumstances, that space contains either nothing or meaningless data left over from a previous read-write operation. But in the wasted space in the last block of each of the stolen agent files I found a curious similarity of data that indicated not just random bytes or leftover information but a pattern. It took my workstation three days to decrypt just one of those blocks. That was when I saw the first schematic and pointers to two of the other stolen files. Decoding each has been a slow process because I cannot use SIA’s cryptography server without attracting attention. That is most likely why the mole has only been stealing a few identities at a time. Like me, he does not have access to the SIA systems and has to decrypt each block on a less powerful machine before he learns the pointers to where the next pieces of the schematic are. What you see on the screen is incomplete. I have more to decrypt and there may be parts as yet not stolen, but taken together they appear to be the plans for some sort of electronic key.”
“Key to what?” Shepherd asked.
“I do not know. I have found no legend in the schematics or other explanation for the device’s purpose. I have been studying the circuitry trying to find similar devices, but so far I have found nothing in the Library of Council database that even comes close. This technology is complex beyond anything ever conceived by man.”
“So a little green man invented it?”
“A Green? That is impossible,” Fin said.
“He means an alien,” said Nova.
“There is no evidence of life beyond this planet," said Fin.
“But there’s no proof that there’s not," Shepherd countered.
Nova asked, “If it was an alien, why would he store the plans to a key in the SIA computers?”
“Why would anybody?” said Shepherd.
“If we knew its purpose, perhaps we could better determine that," said Fin.
“Well, surely you know something about it,” said Shepherd. “For example, how big is it? That might give us a clue.” He took out his pocket watch, flipped it open, rubbed its face, and said, “Oh my, look at time. We don't have anywhere to be, do we Esse?”
“Your schedule for this evening is clear, Noah,” she responded. “Are you tired?”
“No, no. I’m fine.” He rubbed the watch on his sleeve and when it shined to his liking, he put it away. “I’m sorry, son. What were you saying?"
“There is no indication of scale in the drawings,” said Fin. “So it is impossible to know the key’s size.”
“What about shape, color? You know: its outward appearance.”
“None of these diagrams seems to contain that information."
“Surely someone at the SIA must know something about this?”
“I do not believe they are even aware the schematics are there. There has been nothing in their internal communications to indicate that they see the identity thefts as any more than simple espionage."
“Interesting. So you think someone outside the agency hid this information in the SIA computers without their knowledge?”
“It would appear so.”
“Why hide it there?"
“Maybe because it’s the most secure computer network in the city," said Nova.
“Which makes it that much harder to get the information back,” Shepherd pointed out.
“I believe that was the point, sir,” said Fin.
“Come again?”
“Whoever put the data there does not want it retrieved, which implies that whoever is stealing it is not the same person as the one who put it there.”
“Another alien?” Shepherd laughed. “So now there are two aliens, one who put it there and the other who wants it back?"
“Wait. What?” said Nova. “The mole is an alien, too?"
“I’m sorry, dear,” said Shepherd. "I was making light of a serious situation. But the question remains, if this mole is only after information, why kill for it?"
“It is a fish,” Fin replied.
“A what?"
“A red herring,” said Nova, “to throw us off, just like all the other leads I tracked down that turned out to be dead ends. Whoever is behind this is one smart cookie.”
“And apparently quite ruthless," Fin added.
“Well,” said Shepherd, “it seems the SIA was a bit premature in firing you, my boy. Why didn’t you come to me with this sooner?”
“We didn’t want to involve you, Doctor,” said Nova.
“Ah, yes. Because you didn’t trust me.”
“OK. It was that, too, but what we’re committing here is treason. If the SIA discovers we’ve been poking around their systems, you could be named as an accessory. Worse, if the mole and whoever is behind him finds out that we’re on to him and they know you’re involved too, you could be in great danger.”
Shepherd smiled. “So, my choices are spend the rest of my life in prison or be murdered in my sleep? Well, I suppose that’s something, but it does beg the question why? Why are you still looking for this fellow? Why help Council? You know what they are. They don’t give a damn about you or anything but themselves and their bottom line.”
“It’s my job,” Nova replied, “and if I don’t show results soon, I’ll lose it.”
“Your job is with the devil himself, my dear. Hardly a position worth saving.”
“Doctor, maybe they’re bad people. I don't know, but if this key thing is as dangerous as Fin thinks, it could be the end of everything."
“Good riddance, I say.”
“Come on, Dr. Shepherd. You can’t mean that."
“Don't tell me what I can and cannot mean."
Nova apologized.
“What about you, son?” Shepherd said. “Why are you doing this?"
“Nova asked me to help her and I said I would.”
Shepherd winked at Nova. “There’s a good reason, now don’t you think, dear?”
“I already told you it’s not like that,” she insisted.
“Of course, it isn’t, my dear, and it isn’t why Fin continues to pursue this."
“I have to know the truth," Fin said.
“And there you have it. Knock and the door shall open, and all that. The truth must be told. It’s a shame humanity doesn’t share your sentiments. But what happens when you finally learn the truth? What then? What if this is some sort of doomsday device that will bring about the end of Periculum? Do you stop the mole from assembling it and save the murderous Council and their oppressive civilization? Or do you allow him to end this madness once and for all?”
Fin replied, “I cannot make that judgment yet.”
“Someday you'll have to, someday soon, I imagine.” Shepherd took a sip of the wine and remarked, “This is very nice. I’ll send over a full case. Remind me, won’t you, Esse?”
“Of course, Noah,” Esse replied.
“What’s wrong?” Fin asked.
“Nothing,” she replied, probing her chin gingerly.
“Well,” said Shepherd. “Shall we have dinner then? I took the liberty of bringing steaks for us, salad for Fin, and an excellent chef to prepare it all.”
They ate dinner. The conversation turned to more mundane things: the new addition to the Polyclonic complex, completion of the East Side subway branch line, the water shortage in Cytown, another bombing in Westend.
After Shepherd and Esse left and they were done straightening up in the kitchen, Nova said, “Do you want to catch the news?”
“The news is like the rain,” said Fin. “It never stops, never changes.”
“It helps me unwind.”
“The last of this wine would also do that,” he said, offering her the bottle.
“No, thanks. I think it's doing a number on this sore in my mouth. I didn’t want to say anything when Dr. Shepherd was here. He seemed to be having such a nice time, I mean after we got past that whole weird doomsday thing.”
“Strange. I used to have a problem with mouth sores and alcohol as well, but not with this particular wine. Are you sure you are all right?”
She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I had my check-in yesterday and bit my cheek. Can you believe it? I hate all those wires and things they hook me up to. I get so tensed up. I asked Francis to give me a muscle relaxant, but he said it would interfere with the download.”
She switched one of the vidscreens to the evening news. Fin downed the last of the wine. The alcohol was relaxing. He had almost forgotten about the mouth sores he used to get. He was glad they were gone and glad Dr. Shepherd had been right that they would subside eventually, but then Dr. Shepherd was always right.
“How is Francis?” he asked.
He had only half her attention and could see he was quickly losing the other half to the vid.
“Fine, I guess,” she replied. “He didn’t say much.”
“Really? He was always so talkative with me. I miss our conversations. Francis is a good person.”
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