Starfire

by B. V. Larson

  There were cheery images of crossed whalebones, igloos and polar bears painted around the sign. The polar bears were smiling, but she didn’t find herself cheered.

  The passengers were separated into two groups by a man in a uniform. His wide-brimmed hat reminded her of one worn by park rangers, and the big gun on his hip rattled when he moved.

  “People headed for the lab over here, please,” he said.

  Almost everyone moved to his left, where he’d indicated they should line up. Two natives shuffled off in the other direction and met relatives.

  After sorting out their luggage, which was brought in by hand and thrown onto a stack against the far wall, the uniformed man led the larger group of perhaps twelve people out the far door.

  There was a gravel street of sorts, and a vehicle that looked like a cross between a snow plow and a tractor. “Okay,” the security man said. “I can’t take you all at once. This is a big cat, but it will only hold six people tops, including me. The rest of you will have to wait for the next cat. I’ve got a list here…”

  He dug out a scrap of paper and called out names. Yuki was surprised that her name was on the list.

  “You people have priority,” said the man. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m nobody,” Edwin said in her ear.

  Startled, she turned to find him looming over her.

  “You must be important,” he said.

  “Yes—well, no. I don’t know. I’m not sure what I’m doing here, actually. I was just assigned here.”

  Edwin gave her an odd look. “An afterthought then,” he said. “Lower priority than I thought. Doesn’t matter.”

  “Exactly who are you, Edwin?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Just a country doctor. Nobody important. I screen people for places like the labs. Medical screening, that is.”

  Yuki nodded, but she was surprised. He wasn’t anything like the typical M.D. she was used to.

  Edwin moved off to talk to others, and she frowned after him. What had all that been about?

  She boarded the snow cat when her name was called. She didn’t have much luggage, for which the driver professed his heartfelt thanks. As it was, they had to put most of the bags on the roof rack. People clutched smaller items to their chests as they climbed into the odd machine and tried to make themselves comfortable.

  The cat made a huge racket as it lurched into gear and the driver immediately left town, heading along the shoreline eastward.

  Yuki looked out at the bleak landscape and wondered how the twists and turns of her life had brought her to this strange moment. She’d been happy back at Livermore, tinkering with her bots and making them swim. They were like her children, in a way, and she felt a pang of loss because she’d left them behind.

  Her cat, Newt, had been abandoned as well. The strange agent, Sandeep, had assured her that arrangements would be made for the animal, but she didn’t trust him. Instead, she’d texted a friend who had a key and asked her to watch over the cat.

  Lost in her own thoughts with her eyes directed out the cloudy window, she barely noticed when the snow cat left the well-worn set of tracks it had been following and set off into an open field. One of the others aboard, an elderly man with a leathery face and sharp eyes, spoke up.

  “Hey there, driver? Why are we heading north? There’s nothing up there but the sea, man.”

  “New route for security reasons,” the driver said briskly.

  “I haven’t heard anything about that,” the hawkish man said. “Look there! That’s the shore dead ahead. Are you crazy?”

  “Sorry sir,” said the driver. “What was your name?”

  “I’m Belish. The new security supervisor. Your new supervisor.”

  This seemed to get the driver’s attention at last. “Right,” he said. He stopped the snow cat, letting the engine idle. Heaving a sigh, he turned around and looked unhappy.

  “What are you doing?” Belish demanded. “What’s your badge number?”

  The driver seemed to come to a decision. He drew his pistol and shot Belish in the forehead.

  For a split-second, everyone was too stunned to react other than to shout and gasp. The cab filled with the stink of gunpowder. The sound of the shot rang in their ears painfully.

  All at once, the stunned passengers scrambled for the exits. The person in the passenger seat next to the security man grabbed for the gun, but was easily overpowered and elbowed away.

  Another booming shot rang out before Yuki could get her door unlatched. She half-fell out of the cab and into the snow. Tripping over the treads in her haste, she pitched forward onto her face. She climbed to her feet again and tried to run.

  Two more shots rang out behind her. Sobbing raggedly, she looked for an escape. Her eyes swung wildly over the landscape. It was nearly blank, but there was a hump of snow to her right. She headed that way.

  Maybe this madman hadn’t seen her get out. Maybe he’d forget about her, or lose count somehow—it was a slim hope, but it was all she had.

  Her shoes had been exchanged for boots along the way, but they weren’t made for this kind of terrain. They threatened to be sucked from her feet with each pumping step she took in the foot-deep snow.

  Another shot cracked. There had only been four people in the cab besides herself and the driver. Had he gotten them all?

  She heard the driver’s door swing open behind her. It squeaked and rasped with crunching frost.

  “Stop!” the driver shouted.

  Yuki didn’t stop. The gun boomed a fifth time.

  She felt a sting in her left shoulder and she spun around as she fell. She lay in the snow, gasping.

  Should she get up? No, she thought. I’m playing dead.

  Silence reigned on the snow banks. Only the rumbling engine of the snow cat broke the perfect, tuneless whisper of the arctic winds.

  For perhaps a dozen seconds, Yuki waited to die. Her hearing was excruciatingly enhanced. She expected any moment to hear the crunch of the man’s boots as he stepped up to her to finish the job.

  Instead, she heard the snow cat rev up, and she dared to hope. Was he driving away? The urge to look was almost overwhelming, as was the urge to staunch the blood that trickled over her blouse and caked on her bra strap. But she didn’t move a muscle.

  The sound of the snow cat died away. She kept playing opossum, unable to believe her luck.

  Her joy was short-lived. Crunching footsteps approached.

  “I suspected you were still alive,” said the driver. “I could see your breath. You warm-weather types wouldn’t think of that, would you?”

  Yuki opened her eyes. She stared up at the gun muzzle in her face. “What do you want?” she asked.

  The man shrugged. “Money, mostly. You wouldn’t believe how much money you eggheads are worth. You’re like solid gold, each and every one of you.”

  Yuki glared at the man, becoming angry in her final moments. “You’re a traitor to your country. You’re helping Russia win the next war. Do you even know that?”

  The man looked suspicious. “Bullshit. You guys are studying the water. Global warming crap.”

  “Who do you think pays you so much to kill us?”

  “I don’t know, actually. It’s been appearing in a safety deposit box for months. After this move, it’s all over for me at the lab. But I don’t care. I’ve got enough banked to check out.”

  “You can’t hope to get away with this. They’ll find you within hours.”

  “Nah. I’ll show you.”

  He hauled her to her feet. She cried out in pain and gritted her teeth. He pointed, and she looked toward the sea.

  The snow cat was just bumping along, driving by itself. The bodies were all in there, with their luggage. She could make out slumped shapes. As she watched, the cat tipped over the end of the land and fell into the sea.

  “Let’s go for a little walk,” the man said, smiling. He dragged her along and she staggered at his side.

  His plan
was clear. He was going to walk her up to that cliff, shoot her and let her fall into the ocean. The polar bears would do the rest.

  The snow was so cold that her feet were already becoming numb. Or was that the effect of blood loss? She didn’t know.

  “There’s nothing waiting for you in that safety deposit box,” she told the man who dragged her toward the sea.

  He chuckled. “What do you know about it?”

  “You think I’m a loose end, right?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what you are.”

  “Well? What do you think you are to them?”

  The man stopped and looked at her, his face troubled. This made Yuki feel a spark of vengeful pleasure. He might be about to kill her, but he would spend the rest of the day worried. It was the best she could do.

  “What’s your name?” she asked him.

  “Roy,” he said.

  “I’m Yuki Tanaka,” she said, deliberately leaving off any reference to being a doctor. She had him talking. Maybe, that would make this harder for him. She had to keep him talking.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said with a snort. “Come on.”

  He tugged on her shoulder. Fortunately, it wasn’t the one with the bullet in it. His grip was like a vice. She was dragged along like a child. She hated that feeling.

  “You don’t seem like a psychotic killer, Roy,” she said.

  “I’m not. I’m a man without options.”

  “That’s why they picked you, right?”

  He stopped and turned toward her. His demeanor had suddenly changed. Instead of amused, his face was red with barely controlled anger. “Shut up!” he shouted, giving her a shake.

  Yuki realized he had to be a psychotic killer or at least unbalanced. She was quiet for a few more stumbling steps but didn’t stay that way for long. Talking was her only hope.

  “Do you take meds, Roy?” she asked.

  That was it for Roy. He pistol-whipped her with his free arm. She went down on her back. He loomed over her, lifting the gun. She tried to get up and run, but her arms weren’t obeying her right now. She felt woozy.

  A gun cracked distantly. Roy gave a little jump, and staggered.

  She stared up at him, bewildered. He hadn’t fired his weapon.

  Another crack. Someone was shooting at them. She couldn’t believe her luck.

  Rolling onto her stomach and forcing her arms to push her up into a crawling position, she inched away from Roy.

  Crunching footsteps sounded behind her. Panting breath, too.

  “Dr. Tanaka? I had to fire. I saw him with a gun on you. I had to fire. You’re a witness, right?”

  She looked over her shoulder at the man, eyes bulging. She registered surprise and confusion. It wasn’t Roy looming over her. It was that annoying bar-fly from the plane. He had a rifle in his hands.

  “Edwin?” she asked.

  “What the hell happened out here?” he asked, scanning the horizon with the rifle at his shoulder.

  “Help me up, Edwin.”

  He got her to her feet and she stood, swaying. She took in gulps of cold air.

  “You’re shot,” he said in surprise, touching her shoulder. I’ve got to get pressure on that. Wait a second—I didn’t do that, did it? I’m so sorry—”

  “No Edwin,” she said. “No. Roy shot me.”

  “Did he go crazy?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Where are the rest of them? Where’s the cat?”

  Yuki explained, and Edwin looked around. He followed the tracks to where the cat went over a low cliff. There was no sign of it in the frosty ocean. It had sunk to the bottom.

  “This is insane,” he said. “They’re all dead? Are you sure? My boss was on that cat.”

  “Let me guess, his name was Belish, right?”

  “Yes. He’s the new security manager.”

  “I thought you said you were a doctor working a contract.”

  Edwin shrugged. “I am, sort of. Contract security. I screen people for medical. I was an army doc, so I have a list of clearances.”

  She looked at him. “You don’t look like a mercenary.”

  “I’m not. This is a real job. Besides, what are mercenaries supposed to look like?”

  She shook her head. She felt dizzy. “Can you hold me up, Edwin? Please?”

  “Sure.”

  Together, they made their way back toward the main route.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to get out here,” he said. “I took the second cat, and I saw the first one’s tracks left the road. The driver didn’t want to, but I got him to stop and let me off. I thought you might need help. Up north, you’ve got to look out for each other, you know?”

  “Edwin, you don’t ever have to apologize to me again,” she said. “Not as long as you live. Okay?”

  “That’s a pretty good deal from a lady,” he said. “I’ll take you up on that.”

  They kept walking, and Yuki had a sudden thought.

  “What the hell am I doing? I’ve got a cellphone.”

  She got it out and pulled off one glove with her teeth. She began tapping at it—but there was no signal.

  Edwin watched her and gave her a shake of his head. “Roy took us outside the range of the local towers. There’s no service in most of this state, anyway.”

  “Oh—right.” She let her hands drop, defeated. She wasn’t used to the wilds. She’d never liked camping, not even as a kid.

  “Put your glove back on,” he told her. “We’ve got to walk a ways.”

  “How far?”

  “I don’t know. Five miles? We might get a signal from the lab repeater by then.”

  She felt sick. She leaned on him more heavily, but he didn’t seem to mind. Whatever Edwin was, he wasn’t weak.

  Edwin stopped her and dug out a small first aid kit from his massive parka. Without even asking, he pushed back her jacket and went to work on her shoulder, patching it with a bandage. At least the blood had stopped flowing.

  “Don’t worry,” he said as he worked. “I’d say you’ve lost a pint, but you won’t bleed out. I watched men walk a hundred miles with a wound like this when I served in Iran.”

  Yuki felt almost embarrassed she’d written him off when they’d first met. She’d found him odd and annoying. Now, he was life itself. It was funny how a few bullets could change one’s perspective.

  Chapter 16

  U. S. Highway 101, California

  Dawn

  Dr. Jackie Linscott actually managed to fall asleep for a few moments as they bounced along quiet, lonely roads. But then they came to larger roads near the town of Morgan Hill and had to make the dash across 101. Even in the middle of the night, there was traffic. Highway 101 was the major artery between Monterey and San Jose.

  “If we can get into the trees again we’ll be good,” Detective Perez said.

  “Can we stop in this town somewhere?” Jackie asked. “I need to go.”

  He looked at her. “Normally, I’d say ‘of course’. But you look pretty banged up—someone might notice. We’ll have to bypass the town and stick to the woods.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  He sighed. “Look, it’s you and that hard drive in your pocket they’re after. If you want to chance it, I guess I’ll go along.”

  She thought about that, and shook her head. “Just keep following these winding little roads. How much longer?”

  “A few hours.”

  “Great. That gives you time to explain that bloody worm-like thing you dug out of that guy after the crash.”

  He glanced at her, then looked away. “It’s secret tech. I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

  “Come on,” she said. “You’re out of the service. This information might help me to survive. I’m more important than secrecy right now.”

  “All right,” Perez said thoughtfully. “Just don’t tell anyone where you heard about it. Implants are in a lot of people these days, mostly agents from major powers.”

/>   “So that means the guy was a Russian?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. We have them too.”

  Jackie was disgusted. “Okay, what the hell do they do?”

  Perez shrugged. “They work like black boxes in aircraft. They live inside your body—”

  “It was organic then. I thought it was.”

  “Right. An implant sits inside the body, usually somewhere near the brain. They’re specially grown with tissues the body won’t reject. By tapping into the nervous system, it can read and record audio and visual input. They’re living flesh, so they don’t show up easily on scans.”

  Jackie’s eyes were squinting and her lips had curled from her teeth in disgust. “Are you telling me these things can record whatever your eyes and ears sense?”

  “Exactly. When an agent dies or is incapacitated, the implant can be retrieved and the data reviewed.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “You’re the doctor, not me.”

  “I’m not an M. D,” she said, but already her mind was racing with possibilities. The human body read data from the outside world and transmitted it using nerves, after all. This process was similar to the way computers transmitted signals over a wire. Biological technology had been improving lately. She could conceive of such an advancement—but it still seemed creepy.

  “Did you say something about the implant still recording after death?” she asked.

  “Yeah. That’s one of its most useful features. The nerves are still there, even if the brain has died. As long as part of the host is still functioning, the implant can stimulate the nerves and get the input. Sometimes they continue recording for ten minutes or more after death.”

  “That is so wrong,” she said. “Why haven’t I heard about these implants?”

  Perez shrugged. “There are lots of things that remain secret. Originally, radar, computers and even jet aircraft were all highly classified government projects. Over time, injectable implant seeds will probably become available for purchase at your local pharmacy.”

  Jackie shuddered at the thought and let the topic drop.

  They drove onward. From the mountains she could see the cities far below, bright lights that threw an orange glow up onto low hanging clouds overhead. They reached the labs just before dawn. The guards at the gates had their rifles cradled in their arms. Their faces were grim when they came to inspect the damaged pickup.