“What did you mean, she stopped talking to you?” He had the expression of someone going down Alice’s rabbit hole… and not liking the experience one bit. “When did this happen?”
Gyada looked thoughtful, her eyes flashing back and forth. “Twelve, maybe thirteen days after you captured me, I think.” Boris looked at Shen and Janna.
“That was when you got the Faraday cage up and running, right?” Boris asked.
Shen mutely nodded, and Janna answered, “Yes. It was also when the cursed whispering stopped, and I managed a good night’s sleep for the first time in more than three weeks.”
She looked at him, appraising his mood. “It’s got a fair amount of room inside, and a chair is already there…”
She cut off as Boris raised his hand. “No, love. This is my responsibility. Therefore, my risk. If someone has to go into the cage, it’ll be me.”
Gyada looked up sharply and asked, “What are you talking about? By the nine realms, what is a Faraday cage?”
Shen quirked an eyebrow, then answered. “It’s a metal net or lattice surrounding an object that has electricity running through it …”
Gyada finished for him “That blocks certain wavelengths of the Electromagnetic spectrum, yes, yes. I just hadn’t heard it called that befo...” and she stopped dead. “You mean it’s been communicating with me by radio waves all these centuries? And how come the signal wasn’t detected...” her eyes narrowed in thought “Must be a lot of metal ores in the cave walls, blocking the frequencies it uses.” she mused.
She’d come to the same conclusion in minutes that had taken an hour for Shen, Janna, and Boris to reach with just a couple of pieces of information.
It was a little odd to see her work through a problem. It was almost like a person was there just as a thesaurus, dictionary, and wall for her ideas to bounce off. “Well, I can tell you she won’t be happy. She doesn’t like boredom. That’s why she taught me so many things. Teaching a primitive like me was a challenge. I’d better go in with anyone that wants to try to talk to her.”
She looked at Boris and Janna. “How’s your Kurtherian?”
They glanced at each other and shrugged, “It’s not.” Boris answered for both of them. “We haven’t had time to learn a language since everything came unglued.”
“Well, Hel and Niflheim. I don’t know if you’re going to be able to talk to her then. She taught me that first up. She doesn’t like other languages.”
“She’ll need to learn Russian at least. Probably English as well. If she doesn't talk to Bethany Anne, the decision might be made to simply take her apart.”
Gyada frowned but slowly nodded. If the voice from her head wouldn’t associate with whoever was guarding it, the safest solution would be to simply dismantle the box that held her. Then she wouldn’t attract unwanted attention nor would she be a potential threat to her guardians.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Moscow, Chinese Intelligence Outpost, Russia.
Li Chen-Wu was an unhappy man. Werecat. Whatever. The elders of the plan had tasked him to find out where the Ghost Bear had relocated. To do that he had to possibly burn one of their best resources for information in Russia. One of the senior spies at this intelligence outpost.
Yes, the man was human, just another readily bribed Communist party member. But he was very effective at his job, more than willing to pass on information, and Li Chen-wu liked him. He also didn't like having to expend assets he actually personally got along with.
There weren't many of them after all.
"Bohai, what do you have for me? We gave you a name, and that he was likely involved in the recent disturbances inside Russia." Li asked somewhat impatiently. The shorter he kept this, the less risk there was to both him and Bohai. Li definitely didn't want to be in the Ghost Bear's reach while he was alone in Russia. If they could infiltrate forces to his location and stage an attack, that would be a different matter. Li didn't care how powerful a Were was, there was no chance that a single Were could hold off several of the clan's elites.
Bohai bowed deeply, and replied with, "It's good to see you too, Li. How's the family? Everything going well for your clan? It would be unfortunate if something would happen to you while you are so far from any help they could offer."
Li glared at Bohai. "You wouldn't dare. Besides, this may well be a case where you can gain prestige by setting one of the official enemies of the party against another."
"Yes, there is that," Bohai answered. "After all it is clear there are links between this Boris and the Bitch Queen that flattened those mountains in eastern China. But I just wanted to remind you, that payment is due." A vicious grin erupted on his face, and he continued, "I have reports of your clan’s weaknesses and now, I fear you less. Still, that is no reason we cannot work together. At least when our goals align. But you must think me a complete fool if I didn't do more research on your people considering everything that has happened."
Li nodded and hid an internal grimace.
The problem with truly effective agents was that they had to be intelligent. Otherwise, they weren't worth the effort to nurture and maintain. Bohai was one of the most intelligent agents. He'd always been cautious in his dealings with the Sacred Clan.
It had been as much fear as money that kept him in line. That the fear was now a reduced factor in his thinking was a problem. It was almost as if he expected to start shifting their arrangements, so it was of more benefit to him personally. Possibly turning the relationship into a detriment to the clans as a whole.
That was a problem for another day.
The issue could not be forgotten, but the bigger problem facing the clan was a possibility of not only the technology slipping through their fingers but landing in the hands of an enemy.
"You're fortunate that I have managed to suborn a member of the directorate of municipalities. It seems that one very unusual town has been set up very recently under the Siberian resettlement program." He raised an eyebrow at Li.
"Yes, yes I know, the program to expand Siberia's population base by resettling poor Russians and foreigners in Eastern Siberia. Adding to the population there and developing Russia's economy as a whole."
"Yes, well one of the new settlements under that program is in a very unusual location. Its name is also, shall we say, inpolitick in the current climate in Russia. New Romanovka." Bohai tapped a folder on the desk before he threw it to Li. “You never asked for this before, but considering what you're facing I thought it rude if nothing else not to give you all the information I had available on the individuals involved.”
The folder was titled 'Boris' and Li quickly started flipping through the voluminous data. When he reached a section dating to World War Two, he found something that confirmed Boris was who they were looking for.
Soviet Wartime records showing a codename 'Ghost Bear'. It seems that Boris had been responsible for disrupting David's influence over the Weres, whoever David was. He followed that to the footnote. 'David, supposedly a brother of Peter, supposed child of Michael.'
It seemed that the UnknownWorld was not as unknown as the Sacred Clan or, supposedly, Peter and Michael would have preferred.
"Where did you get this information, Bohai? If I didn't like you, this information would be a death sentence, one that I would have to carry out immediately." Li said in tones that showed his seriousness. "To keep my leaders happy I will have to find someone to kill for this information being available to you. Tell me."
"The intelligence directorate has always collected myths and legends. It's better to have a collection of them on hand in case they turn out to be true after all. I merely pieced together what was out there. So there is no one you need to kill, Li. You did not have access to the information, and I pieced together what you might be asking about.” He pointed at the folder, “Few in the directorate would risk writing a report like that. To rely on myths and legend, then transpose it across known facts, that is too far outside the box for the director
ate's leaders to find acceptable. This report was written on a private computer that has never been connected to the Internet. You do not have to worry about others seeing it. And I will still be useful to you."
Li ignored that and quickly moved forward, grasping Bohai by the neck. As he did, he felt the barrel of a shotgun pressed against his belly. "Let go or a load of silver shot will be where your chest is now. I told you I do my research. If I didn't believe we could come to an understanding, I wouldn't have turned up for this meeting. I believe we can. I even may have a way for you to infiltrate Clan members into Siberia. What they do from there is up to you and your leaders. But if I have to kill you then a lot of wasted effort has gone into this. And if you kill me you'll never get that information. I believe we are in what is classically called a ‘stand-off,’ old friend.”
Li started to tighten his grip on Bohai’s neck. He felt the man’s hand twitching and thought better of it. A double load of silver from any shotgun shell would probably be lethal.
That would leave two dead, one with a strange reaction to silver and a report on a third, in which there was a claim he was sensitive to silver. Oh, and a were-creature. That was not something he could leave the possibility of getting out there.
Especially in these circumstances.
Bohai looked into Li’s face and grinned when he saw the flicker of consequences flow through his eyes. He could afford to be cocky now. Once Li let him go, Bohai backed off and moved around the table in the room, keeping the shotgun pointed at Li. “Not to be rude, but I don’t like being choked. I was sure that you’d come round to the potential issues for you, though.”
Bohai shifted unconsciously. How fast Li moved had shaken him. He’d barely managed to get the sawn-off shotgun out and up in time.
“Now, I have made various arrangements that should aid you. Any attack I can arrange on an ally of the so-called Queen would be welcomed, I am sure.” Bohai said, a sober expression on his face. In his head, he added, ‘What I have arranged will be even more appreciated. Arranging a situation where we have two enemies hurting each other, even at the possible cost of some of the covert routes to supply these people weapons, will almost certainly give me a promotion.’
Bohai snorted, “I would suggest you don’t go after the civilian population, however. The… woman seems to have an extreme reaction whenever people do that. But, that is your choice. I wouldn’t want her any hotter on my trail than necessary.”
Li nodded to Bohai. Internally he sneered.
If there were Holy Objects or technology there, it wouldn’t matter what they did. She would be chasing them down relentlessly.
Fortunately, they had a plan for that. Unfortunately, it could only be used once. A one-use teleportation device keyed to his bloodline. And the object he stole would be his family’s from then on, increasing their prestige within The Sacred Clan. The teleportation device was not similar to any other technology the Clan had uncovered so far.
The two other samples, the one that had been used first, and the one that they had tried to deconstruct so they could replicate it, had given off massive energy bursts when they activated. But the first one had transported everything in it's immediate vicinity to where the devices had been originally found.
That was why his family had moved their ancestral home to where they had discovered the items.
Li considered this plan worth the risk, assuming he could get the Council of Elders to support it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Inside the Faraday Cage, Beast Caves, Russia
Janna was pacing. Boris knew it was because she didn't like the idea of Boris going inside the Faraday cage. The AI, EI, KI (Kurtherian intelligence) or whatever it might be would have him in its power. She was worried that it might be able to do more than simply talk to one of them.
She'd gone so far as to discuss it with TOM and ADAM. Their interim solution had been to supply a device that would transmit a Kurtherian to Russian and a Kurtherian to English dictionary for the computer and have her place it in the Faraday cage overnight before Gyada and Boris went in.
So, she had it done.
However, she still paced with worry. Neither TOM nor ADAM could tell her in any detail the abilities this computer might have. It was, to them, a blank book. A complete unknown.
They had placed the era of the ship to somewhere between three and five thousand years ago. Starships are an expensive proposition, though. Many continued to be used for as long as a millennium after the technology involved in the building was out of date. After all, they still worked, and generally speaking were still safe to use.
At least as safe anything operating in as dangerous a region as space could be.
Shen's examination of the computer, the speeds that it obviously processed at, and the simple fact that it had been used to assist in reconstructing species DNA, all pointed to it being far more powerful than a standard computer of those eras could be expected to be. It was something that had been custom-built by whoever had flown the ship, or perhaps one of the crewmembers.
That left it a Complete Fucking Unknown. Janna had worked in intelligence, she hated dealing with CFUs. Her job had been to make sure that there was nothing out there that was a CFU. And now she was forced to put someone she was fast coming to consider a friend as well as the first true love of her life in a cage with one.
This did not make her a happy camper, to say the least.
She was almost more frustrated with Boris’ insistence that he was the right choice to go in. Surely, with her experience as an intelligence asset, she was the more appropriate choice. But nothing could move Boris on his insistence that it was not the case this time.
If it was a full AI, then they needed someone with leadership responsibilities to communicate with it. Although she had some of those responsibilities, as Boris put it, the buck stopped with him.
He was senior to her, and if something did happen, between her, Paul and Danislav there was still a solid leadership cadre available. Throw in Shen and Alecta, and you had a Leadership Council for all aspects of the community that was being built.
Janna especially disliked that he was placing himself as the most expendable. However, she grudgingly stayed in the village well away from the cave when Boris and Gyada were to enter the Faraday cage. She would still be able to watch what was happening by video link, and communicate with Shen any concerns or requests for action. It had been decided that as Janna, Paul and Alecta were the only other known Wechselbalg derived from Gyada’s type of nanites, steps needed to be taken to protect them. It was possible that anything that might occur once the cage was opened could affect them as well.
Therefore, it would be best that they are kept at a safe distance.
Gyada was almost eager to enter the Faraday cage. It was as if she missed the contact she had with the intelligence that was contained within. Boris was significantly more cautious. At least with TOM's dictionary having had significant time to transmit and repeat its information, it should be possible to communicate with the intelligence more easily. Although he didn't show it outwardly, it was with some significant trepidation that he entered the Faraday cage.
They entered the Faraday cage, and nothing happened. At least not immediately. Slowly, Boris heard what seemed to be a louder version of the whisper from months before. Then he heard in a singsong tone in his head
He replied, "Boris, representative of Bethany Anne, Tzarina of my people, Savior of the White from forces bent on its destruction."
Boris blinked. The fact that it could make requests on something as significant, at least according to ADAM, as asking him to think the words rather than speak them, raised the probability that it was an AI rather than EI or higher. There was
still some argument as to whether it be called a KI of greater or lesser ability between TOM and ADAM last time they spoke.
Boris couldn't give a shit. AI and EI were terms better suited to the purpose he was here for today anyway.
Boris said, We wish to understand the history of how you ended up here. And of who you ended up here with. Also whether you and your companions encountered the nanites on other worlds first or here. What your purpose might have been in modifying humans so they could change into the form of a creature that had long been extinct on this planet.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Gyada next to him. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body shook with paroxysms, and whimpers of pain escaped her mouth. Boris looked at the box with fear, and anger. If it were going to torture her, to threaten or make an example to him of its power, he would have none of. He rose from the squat he'd been in and slowly moved towards the box hoping that it was unable to do the same thing to him either from the changes to his nanites programming that TOM had instituted or because it was too focused on Gyada.
Revelations (The Boris Chronicles Book 3) Page 8
