Pathogen Protocol (Anghazi Book 2)

by Darren Beyer

  She had told him nothing in return.

  A thud on the hatch preceded its opening. A man, her interrogator, entered, carrying a packet of water and two squeeze tubes of what passed as food onboard this ship. During their previous sessions, Mandi had studied every wrinkle on his worn face, his discerning eyes, and his speech idioms. She’d deduced his Middle Eastern heritage, but beyond that he was a closed book.

  He gently pushed the food and water toward her, then rotated and closed the hatch behind him. Mandi pulled in the water packet, flipped open the cap, and sucked in a sip. A small droplet escaped her mouth, forming into a perfect sphere as it floated away, only to touch the wall and disappear as it spread along the surface. Mandi watched for another second then turned her head toward the man.

  “What do you want to talk about now?” She closed the water cap and picked up one of the food tubes. “I’m guessing you want to start with my name.”

  The interrogator shrugged.

  “Shoshanna Rosen.” Mandi’s tone was defiant.

  As he did every time she gave that answer, the interrogator grinned. “We both know you are lying. Why do you continue to give the same answer day after day?”

  “Why do you continue asking when you know I can’t tell you? I have no idea who you are, and until I do, nothing will change.”

  “Well, let us start there. Who do you think we are?”

  Mandi crossed her arms and set her jaw.

  The interrogator shook his head. “Surely something as innocuous as that cannot be a secret.”

  Mandi didn’t change her demeanor.

  The interrogator sighed. “Let me start. According to your comm identity, you are Shoshanna Rosen—the same Shoshanna Rosen who was to meet with members of the Nashira Brigade on Ouricsen. Only something went wrong. You met with someone else instead—someone who intended you harm. Then, through some miracle, you escaped, made it to a launch ship, and sent out a distress call. Does that seem to encapsulate the story?”

  Mandi shrugged.

  “I will take that as a yes. So then, as to who we are, there can be only three possibilities. One: we are the people who chased you off Ouricsen. Two: we are the people you were to meet. Three: we are some third party who just happened into the middle of this mess. Do you see any other possibility?”

  Again, Mandi shrugged.

  “Neither do I.” The interrogator smiled. “For the first time, we are in agreement. An agreement denotes some modicum of trust, and trust is the basis for any relationship. Now, one of the options we can discount immediately. If we were some unaligned third party, how would we know about your meeting? And if we did, why would we take the risk of getting involved? Either we are the people you came to meet, or the people who chased you.”

  “I came to the same conclusion shortly after you brought me here.”

  “Good!” The interrogator clapped his hands together and smiled broadly. “Another agreement. Now, could we look at this from our side?”

  “Why not?”

  “You are either the person that was chased off Ouricsen, or you are someone else who took her place. Were we the ones who had done the chasing, we would know you as the former, and our purpose would be to get as much information from you as possible. But if we are those whom you were to meet, then the question of who you are is quite important, would you not agree?”

  Mandi tentatively nodded.

  “One thing concerns me. You were picked up in an orbit different from the one that was designated.”

  “There was a hole in the side of the ship. It couldn’t make it all the way.”

  “True. But consider, the only people who can vouch for your identity are either dead or missing. The damaged launch vehicle makes a convenient reason for not knowing all the necessary details—such as the orbital parameters.”

  “I see your point.”

  “So you’re ready to share what you know?”

  “Not yet. I need to think about this some more.” The interrogator’s face went grim.

  “Think quickly. We will reach our destination soon. There, my people will take a more… direct approach.”

  Chapter 34: Eridani

  Andrews ignored Erik as he read a message on the holo screen on his office desk. For an uncomfortably long time, he continued working, acting as if Erik wasn’t present. Finally, he closed the screen, turned, and placed his elbows on the desk, lacing his fingers together.

  “We have a bit of a problem on our hands.” He gave Erik his trademark stare of dissatisfaction.

  “The political situation on Earth?”

  Andrews nodded.

  “The last of the hyperium stores from the Sol system are either in transit or already here on our space station. Once we have it all secured, and the fleet is gone, any problems coming from Earth will cease being a concern.”

  “Yes, well, our esteemed president has half a brain cell more than I’ve given him credit for. I was able to sell him on the hyperium move easily enough, but it seems he doesn’t fully trust me.” Andrews raised his chin and took in a deep breath. “I anticipated he would leave some of the fleet here, but a few destroyers at most. Instead, the cruisers Halifax and Northampton, as well as six destroyers, have left the rest of the fleet and will take up a station of a more permanent nature in extended orbit around Eridani. It’s enough force that it makes it somewhat difficult to do anything the Coalition doesn’t want us to do.”

  “And you need options.”

  “I don’t need options, I need a solution,” Andrews snapped. “And not just for the ships. They’re leaving troops on the planet, including a goddamned armored unit. If these assembly hearings go too far, or more of the story leaks, we can’t have them here.”

  Erik tilted his head back and pretended to think through possibilities. After a suitable time had passed, he returned his focus to Andrews.

  “It should not surprise you that I have developed a number of possible plans for this eventuality. The problem is, they all take time to execute. If events overtake us, something more… drastic may need to be done.”

  “If events ‘overtake us’—that’s a good way to put it. You’re supposed to keep them from overtaking us.” Andrews shook his head in frustration, then turned to look out the large office windows. “How drastic are we talking here?”

  “It would be at a level that, if discovered, would likely result in additional hearings and further action. But, while I could not guarantee success, the chance of such would be high.”

  Andrews closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Do what you have to.”

  Erik nodded and left the office. As the door closed behind him, he opened his comm interface.

  “Call Karis.”

  “Yes, Mister Hallerson.”

  “We are ready to move Pathogen to the next phase. Release our sick friends into the general population.”

  Chapter 35: Eridani

  C00l mountain breezes blew across Grae’s face. The sun warmed him and gave that blissful feeling one can only get by being in nature. He imagined the peaks of the Sierra Nevada surrounding him, the smell of pine refreshing his senses.

  Grae’s chair creaked, and Ivey tapped him on the shoulder, pulling him from his daydream.

  “I think I’m ready.”

  “What?” Grae opened his eyes and blinked a few times at the ceiling of the ops base to clear the cobwebs. “You couldn’t give me a few more minutes?”

  “No. Now watch the display.”

  Ivey worked her holo screen as Grae turned his attention to his screen. A 3D map of the area surrounding Hallerson’s facility rotated, and a yellow line grew within, depicting the flight path they’d taken to get there.

  “We detected intermittent active sensor signals,” Ivey said. “Here.” A flashing sphere appeared over one of the yellow tracks. “And here.” Another appeared. “Does that qualify as ‘nails’?”

  “That counts.” Grae scrutinized the map. “It’s a lot of security for a facility
that far out. And what the hell is Hallerson doing there?”

  “You don’t think he really knew we were there, do you? He was a kilometer away—at least.”

  “One point three kilometers, and no, I don’t think he saw us. If he even had an inkling there was someone on that ridge, he’d have checked it out in person, yet we got out clean. Still, I swear that guy isn’t human. On Earth, he had this way of showing up at just the wrong time. It’s like he has a sixth sense or something. Anyway, the question I have is, why build there? It’s hundreds of klicks from New Reyk, and aside from being a good hiding spot, there’s nothing special about it.”

  “I found only one possible reason, but it’s obscure,” Ivey said. Grae twisted in his chair. “According to the AIC geologic survey database, the facility sits right on top of a large deposit of platinum.”

  Grae furrowed his brow. “Okay… but why this one? There have to be dozens that AIC found on Eridani.”

  “And better ones, too. This one’s low on the priority list for mining, due to a high concentration of something called osmium. I guess it makes the cost of purification too high.”

  “Well.” Grae scratched his head. “This whole thing gets more and more intriguing. Something caused a comm unit I used to send an unauthorized message to a hidden enemy facility. That facility has a fusion power plant big enough to power a city, and it’s sitting on a big platinum deposit that’s not valuable because of something called osmium.”

  “And let’s not forget about the microscopic killer robots— technology decades ahead of their time.” Ivey turned toward Grae. “So, what do we do?”

  Grae leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and closed his eyes.

  “Right now, I’m going to take a hike in the Sonora Pass in the Sierras—then nap for a few minutes.”

  “Haven’t you slept enough?” Ivey said.

  “No, I haven’t. Besides, we’re not doing anything during daylight. When it’s dark, we’ll go back, and find out what the hell is going on at the facility.”

  “We saw what, eight people guide in that cargo lifter?”

  Grae nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

  “I’m guessing they weren’t the only ones there.”

  “Probably true.”

  “You’re the soldier, not me. How the hell are we supposed to get into that facility, find out what’s going on, and get the hell out? Especially when we don’t know how many people are there?”

  Grae didn’t open his eyes. “I don’t know.”

  “Am I missing something?” Ivey asked. Her voice took on a frustrated tone.

  “The facility is in a valley,” Grae said, opening his eyes to see Ivey glaring at him, hands on her hips.

  “You have a gift of stating the obvious,” she said.

  “At the end where we approached, it’s more of a canyon—a pretty deep canyon.”

  “So?”

  “We went there looking for a communications repeater.”

  Ivey shrugged. “And?”

  “And, where is it? We stopped looking because you picked up local signals from the facility. But there’s no way the microwave signal from our repeater directly hit that facility—not way down at the bottom of that canyon.”

  Ivey’s eyes lit up. “There must be a repeater—and close.”

  “It has to be on the same ridgeline we were on. We don’t need to get into the facility. Maybe we can turn the tables on Hallerson and use his communication system against him, like he used ours against us. Maybe we sniff the traffic and send copies back.” Again, Grae closed his eyes. “I don’t know. That’s why you will come along.”

  “Maybe I could do one better,” Ivey said. “It’s probably not just a repeater—they’re only effective for burst traffic. A facility of the size they’re putting together would have to be networked. Either they’re shooting straight up to a satellite, or the ‘repeater’ we were looking for is a network node connected back to New Reyk. All the satellites were fried when Jans cut loose his Mace virus, and they haven’t had time to bring in new ones. And I’m betting they don’t want to use the military channels.”

  Ivey paused, and Grae opened one eye to see her holding an elbow with one hand and resting her chin on the other, staring at the floor.

  She glanced toward him. “It has to be a network node. If I’m physically there, I can bypass the encryption boards—then we’re not just sniffing their communications traffic, we’re on the inside. The Mace virus obliterated the entire AIC network, and TSI has had to put in a whole new one. You don’t do that at the scale needed without leaving holes—not in the time they’ve had.”

  Grae opened both eyes and cocked his head.

  Ivey grinned. “Find me that thing, and I’ll not only hack that facility—I’ll hack their whole goddamn network.”

  Chapter 36: Location Unknown

  The padded couch shook as the ship’s engines executed a high-g burn. Mandi struggled to find a position where some part of her back didn’t hurt. During her time on Dauntless, she’d experienced extended three-g burns, but always with adequate seating. This burn was lower g, yet far more uncomfortable.

  Eventually the forces ebbed, then died away completely, leaving Mandi floating in zero g. She rubbed her neck with one hand and steadied herself with the other. A strong engine burn usually indicated an orbital entry, and that increased her anxiety about what was to come next.

  She had little to do but worry for the next few hours. She felt a few brief, low-thrust maneuvers, which did little to assuage her unease. When a thud echoed from the hatch, it was almost a relief. Anything but the interminable wait.

  The hatch swung open, and the interrogator entered.

  “This is where you tell me I have one last chance to cooperate,” Mandi said. She did her best to project confidence.

  The interrogator frowned in annoyance. “Come with me.”

  “Where are we going?” Mandi felt her façade of confidence waver, and she slowly pushed herself backward.

  “Please don’t force me to drag you through the ship. I would take no pleasure in it.”

  Mandi considered her options—and quickly concluded she had none. Pushing herself off of the bulkhead behind her, she floated toward the hatch. The interrogator backed away, allowing Mandi to pull herself out of her cell.

  She was in a long shaft, ringed by a set of four hatches every few meters. Grated platforms, shaped like donuts, were mounted near each set of hatches, and a long ladder ran through the donut holes. Everything showed signs of wear. Mandi had never been inside a modular cargo transport, but she’d seen enough news footage depicting them to know she was aboard one now—a very old one.

  The interrogator gestured in the direction he wanted Mandi to move. Pulling herself along the ladder, she passed two grates before pausing at a level with a hatch ringed in orange stripes. Next to a covered button, a worn placard read, “Caution: Hatch must be clear prior to lifeboat launch.” For a moment, Mandi considered the possibility of escape, but she quickly pushed the thought away.

  The interrogator tugged on her pants leg. “Please.”

  Mandi looked down at him, glanced at the lifeboat hatch once more, then continued up the shaft. When she reached the end, marked by another hatch, she stopped, and the interrogator floated up next to her. He handed her a comm unit.

  “What’s this for?”

  “It’s your comm unit.”

  “I know it’s my comm unit.” Agitated, Mandi pressed her lips together. “Why are you giving it to me?”

  Without answering, he keyed a code into the control panel beside the hatch. Its panels rotated outward with a pneumatic hiss, revealing what was evidently the ship’s bridge. But far from the orderly bridge on Dauntless, this one looked entirely haphazard. Equipment was bolted on the outsides of consoles, or connected with wiring and conduit running along exterior surfaces. It looked more like a science experiment than the bridge of a starship.

  A young man who looked to Mandi like he cou
ld have been her interrogator’s son floated above one of three command seats. He turned to face his two visitors. Behind him, five small, thick windows gave a view of the pure black of empty space, the stars washed out by the bridge’s bright lights.

  A voice emanated from the bridge’s speakers. “Welcome, Mandi Rosen.”

  Though the voice belonged to an artificially intelligent program within a computer, Mandi almost cried at hearing it.

  “OLIVER?”

  “Yes, Miss Rosen. It is good to see you again.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  It was the interrogator who answered. “Our people downloaded all the system data from the launch ship we took you from. We transferred a copy when we moved you to this ship.”

  “It took some time,” the younger man interjected. “We just put in a new communication and transponder system, and it’s not quite compatible with our main computer. But piloting a ship gives me a lot of down time. I was able to hardwire him in so we can interact.” He seemed quite proud of his accomplishment.

  The interrogator cleared his throat, and the younger man shrank away. “OLIVER, please state where you first encountered the person currently in possession of the comm unit assigned to Shoshanna Rosen.”

  “She prefers to be addressed as Mandi Rosen.”

  “OLIVER,” the interrogator repeated. “Please respond to my request.”

  “I first met Miss Rosen in cargo lock seventeen at Ouricsen Station.”

  “Was she alone?”

  “No. Miss Rosen was accompanied by David Marks. Mister Marks appeared quite interested in my construction.”

  “Was that the last time you encountered the two of them?”

  “No. One day later, at the request of Governor Ennis, I transported Miss Rosen, Mister Marks, and one other person they referred to as Hatim, from cargo lock seventeen to launch ship Alpha Two Zero, situated twenty-one point three kilometers away from the station.”