by M. R. Forbes
The trees whipped past them on both sides, shaking violently from the force of the jet. The Screamer shook slightly as it clipped a branch, but Katherine held it steady, lowering it gently until the wheels screeched against the pavement.
The ride got really rough then, as they bounced along an uneven road. Katherine fought to slow the craft, adjusting braking and repulsor levels and using her feet to keep them headed in a straight line. They were tossed like a boat on rough seas, and it felt to Mitchell like they could wind up veering off the road and into a tree or a ditch at any moment.
They didn't. Katherine kept them on the path, and they finally rolled to a stop only a few meters from the drive leading up to the distillery.
She looked over at him then, smiling with relief.
"Nice flying, ace," Mitchell said.
"I think I wet myself."
"Let's get this thing parked. We don't have any time to waste. If Watson is setting his slaves on innocents, I can only imagine what he'd like to do to us."
"Roger that." She worked the throttle again, pushing the plane along and turning it into the driveway.
Mitchell wondered if any of the nearby farms had noticed the jet landing in their backyard. There were hundreds of acres between them, so it wasn't a given. How long would it take the police to arrive on scene in response to a call like that?
Considering other current events, probably a while.
They brought the Screamer up to the front of the farmhouse at the same time the Schism was sliding out from the open barn. The aircraft didn't go far, landing in the open field beside the jet. There was no point in keeping it hidden now. It would only delay any escape they might need to make.
Katherine opened the hatch and unbuckled herself from the pilot's seat. Mitchell could tell she was eager to reunite with Kathy.
They hopped from the plane to the ground. Verma joined them from the Schism a moment later.
"Colonel," the pilot said, bowing to him.
"Captain," Mitchell replied, returning it. Then they straightened up and met as friends, embracing warmly. "Thanks for getting as many of us home safe as you could."
"I wish I had returned everyone," he replied, his expression dark.
"Riggers never quit."
"No, sir."
"Colonel."
Mitchell turned at the sound of Kathy's voice, feeling the smile creeping into the corner of his mouth. By the time he was facing her, she was already being smothered by Katherine.
"Colonel." Michael was beside him, hand outstretched.
"Michael," Mitchell said, grabbing him and pulling him into an awkward hug. He noticed the silvery metal man over the engineer's shoulder. "Is that?"
"The Core," Michael said, clapping Mitchell on the back a couple of times before pulling away. "Yes."
Kathy was free of Katherine, and she took his hand in hers. "Father. I want to tell you again that I'm sorry."
Mitchell held her hand and then reached out to take the other one. She was superior to him in so many ways, but at the same time; he still saw the girl he had rescued from Liberty.
"We all do the best we can. Nothing more. Nothing less."
She nodded, and he hugged her.
"We must return to our work," the Core said. "Welcome back, Katherine and Mitchell."
"Let's go inside," Mitchell said. "We have a war to plan."
41
Mitchell assembled most of the Riggers in the dining room, at a long concrete table with enough chairs for all of them. Johanson, Kerr, and McRory were the only ones not present, having been sent out to monitor their surroundings, armed and ready to raise an alarm.
"I don't want to take up too much time on this," he said. "People are dying while we speak, and Watson is preparing for whatever comes next. The way I see it, we have three goals that need to be accomplished, but speak up if you see it a different way.
"One: we need to find Watson's core and do our best to capture it. That was already one of our priority missions, so nothing has changed there.
"Two: we have to protect the Goliath. Watson's made it clear that he's willing to sacrifice whatever future plans he had. Destroying the ship is an unknown variable. If she doesn't launch and prove the hyperdrive technology, it could be hundreds of years before humankind spreads to the stars, which is going to put a severe dent in the recursing Tetron's goals. Not to mention, it's going to alter the timeline in a completely unpredictable way. Will I ever be born? Will the Creator?
"Three: we lost our best hope of improving the T-virus, meaning that even if we do capture Watson's core, we can't infect it and transfer it to the other Tetron the way we had hoped, at least not without identifying someone in the future who may be able to help us overcome the biomechanical limitations of our existing construct. Secondary to that, without the T-virus we can't destroy the configurations that are already here on Earth.
"Does that about sum it up?"
"An impressively accurate assessment, Colonel," the Core said.
"That's the same conclusion we came to," Kathy agreed. "Of course, we had been expecting to have more time to determine how to resolve those goals."
"The first one is easy," Lyle said. "We've got one of Watson's control modules intact. According to the Core, we can use it to track the signal back to the source, which is highly likely to be Watson's core."
"There is a ninety-six percent probability," the Core said.
"Just because we can find Watson, doesn't mean we can take Watson," Katherine said. "He's sure to have himself strongly fortified."
"Sergeant Damon was there when the Core explained how we could locate him," Kathy said. "We have to assume Watson was listening in, which means he'll know we're going to come for him."
"He is also a full Tetron," the Core said. "While he doesn't have the power supply needed to reach complete operational capacity, he is still a formidable opponent on his own. His defenses will not only consist of controlled humans or configurations."
"So how do we get to him then?" Lyle said. "Whatever he has, I we have to assume it's greater than anything we have."
"Not necessarily," Mitchell said. "He may be a Tetron, but his emotions make him unstable, and that instability makes him beatable. We might not be able to match him directly on firepower, but if we can use those emotions against him like we did in Antarctica, we may be able to overcome those odds."
"It's a nice thought, Colonel," Lyle said. "But you can't say that telling him jokes or pissing him off is going to do a damn thing against another handful of those mechs he sent after Kathy."
Mitchell paused to consider. He knew what Lyle was saying was true. They needed more firepower than they could get from their small arms. A mech of their own, or maybe a fighter jet like the one that attacked them in Japan.
Or something else entirely.
"I know something that might help us with that," he said. "But it isn't a sure bet."
"What are you thinking, Colonel?" Katherine asked.
He looked at Kathy. "When we arrived here twenty years ago, I was ejected from the S-17, while Origin landed it somewhere and produced a human configuration to hide her data stack in."
"Yes. And?"
"Watson was trying to recreate the amoebics."
Kathy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Father. I don't know what you are suggesting."
"If he was working on making his own amoebics, it means he didn't capture the generators that were on the S-17."
Her eyes lit up as she caught on. "You think he never found the ship?"
"That's exactly what I think."
"If we find the fighter and repair it," the Core said, "it will help balance the advantage."
"Immensely," Mitchell agreed.
"So how do we find it?" Katherine asked.
"Satellite imagery," the Core said. "It may reveal clues that will lead us to the crash site."
"We also know it has to be somewhere near St. Louis," Mitchell said. "Origin ran to me when her configurat
ion was complete. It couldn't have been far from there."
"Why do you think Watson never found it?" Lyle asked.
"He may not have ever looked," Kathy said. "Without Origin or an eternal engine on board, the fighter was useless to him."
"Except for the amoebics."
"He didn't value them at the time," Mitchell said. "At least, his configurations didn't. We have to try to find it. The potential is too great to ignore it."
"I'm not arguing with you on that," Lyle said. "We've got limited resources. I want to make sure we allocate them in the right way."
"You sound like an engineer," Michael said. "Even if we can get to Watson's core, that still leaves two other problems."
"I think we can solve both of them," Kathy said, glancing over at Lyle. "With the proper allocation of resources. I've protected the Goliath from Watson before, and Michael, you wrote the launch module, among other things."
"So?"
"Watson's actions have already changed this timeline's history to something never previously experienced. This is dangerous territory for us as much as it is for him."
"Because we've been planning on a war that we can predict, at least to some degree," Michael said, picking up on her line of thought. "We know when and where the Tetron will arrive. We also know what will be available when that happens. The Goliath for one, but also an entire fleet of starships."
"My brother, Steven, and his fleet for one," Mitchell said.
"But that only comes to pass if the Goliath launches and proves the hyperspace engines work, and humankind goes on to build many, many more starships. If that happens, it's almost assured. If it doesn't, there's a chance it won't ever take place."
"Exactly," Kathy agreed. "If we allow Watson's actions to move us too far off course from our original intentions, we increase the variability, which has an overall negative impact on our chance of success."
"Basically starting over?" Michael said.
"This war has been going on for far too long to start over," Mitchell replied. "So we're going to capture Watson's core, and then we're going to launch the Goliath."
"Four months early?" Michael said.
"Yes."
"The launch module hasn't been tested."
"It will be."
"How are we going to get away with that? I mean, Watson's already making a mess of everything. How do we turn around and launch the Dove, and nobody thinks anything of it? If you're trying to reduce the variables, I mean?"
"Watson already gave us the perfect excuse," Lyle said. "To protect the safety of the Dove, and to ensure the future of humankind. His whole AIT bullshit stance is to keep us on this planet because it may be dangerous out there. Once the Dove goes into space, that argument is automatically lost."
"I didn't think of that," Michael said, smiling.
"What about the third problem?" Katherine said.
"You'll have to find an alternate in the future who can expand the virus," Kathy said. "With Watson captive, you should have the time you need. Johanson, Kerr, and McRory are only three of my agents here. There are others we can call on if needed. They can deal with the configurations who are left behind. I never wanted to have to wake them, but if there is no choice, then there is no choice."
"You can count me in on that, too," Lyle said.
"And me," Verma agreed.
"There's no guarantee this will work," Mitchell said. "But nothing is guaranteed. The future isn't immutable. That's why we keep fighting. We all do our best, and we die or walk away proud of what we tried to accomplish. We do it as a team. We do it as Riggers."
"Riiiggg-ahhh," Kathy said, in a tone and inflection that brought Mitchell back to the hangar of the original Schism, standing beside Millie before their mission to Liberty.
The rest of the assembled crew joined her when she repeated it.
"Riiiggg-ahhh."
42
Time passed in a blur following the impromptu meeting. Michael and the Core set about updating Watson's control module to be able to track it back to the source, while Kathy assisted Mitchell and Katherine in obtaining civilian satellite imagery and pouring over it for signs of the S-17.
It was a frustrating experience for Mitchell. Thanks to Watson, he could remember so many of the details of the night he had arrived in this timeline. His run-in with the Watson configurations, his ill-fated decision to use the self-destruct on the ejected cockpit. Origin's subsequent capture. So many sordid details and the one thing he couldn't remember was the thing he needed to remember the most.
The location.
"Bravo, this is Alfa," he said, opening a channel to the Schism. "Sitrep."
"Sensors are showing all clear, Colonel," Verma said.
"Affirmative. Alfa out."
He had been making the same request every few minutes, checking in with Mazerat to keep abreast of the situation. True, the pilot would knock him as soon as he did register anything, but he found comfort in asking.
"Mitchell, is there anything you can remember about the site that might help us narrow it down?" Katherine asked.
"I told you everything. I would think an explosion would have left a mark on the area."
"It probably did for a while, but it's been twenty years," she said. "Plenty of time for that wound to heal."
Kathy ran her hand along the surface of the tablet they were looking at, scrolling the imagery. "Do you remember anything after? You were dropped in St. Louis. Do you remember anything about a road?"
Mitchell rubbed at his chin, closing his eyes. He tried to walk through the series of events he had relived only in his nightmares over the last few weeks. He had never been able to continue past the point where Watson had captured him.
"There must still be a block on my memories," he said. "Can you remove it?"
"I can't," Kathy said. "The Core may be able to."
"The Core needs to finish its current job," Mitchell said, resting his head in his hand. "Why can't I remember?"
"Relax, Mitch," Katherine said. "The harder you try, the harder it will be."
"You're right. I know you are. Okay."
He leaned back, closing his eyes again. Slow. Steady. He focused on his breathing. Let it come. Steady. He eased into his meditation, trying to keep his mind on the memory. It was hard to relive it and stay calm, but he forced himself to do it. They were all counting on him, and he had let enough people down already.
In his head, he reached the darkness again, the point where Watson put him under to implant his controls. He made himself stay with it now, to remain at that moment in his mind. Everything in him told him to open his eyes, to escape, to quit. He had to refuse. To stay strong and steady.
He felt a soft, warm hand on his. Kathy's or Katherine's? Did it matter? They were lending their support. He breathed in calmly, staying within himself. Staying with the darkness. His arms began to tingle, the pain of the burns making itself known. He pushed that aside, too.
In his head, the darkness began to clear. He was being carried through the trees by his hands and feet. Everything was fuzzy. They emerged from the trees. There was a road. A truck was waiting for them, and he was lifted and thrown into the back of it.
"I'm going to leave you in St. Louis," Watson said. "I'll see you again when the time comes."
Laughter. He lifted his head and tried to speak, but couldn't. He could see out the back of the truck. A bend in the road ahead of him, and a small yellow sign to his left. It read, "134."
He opened his eyes. It was Katherine's hand on his. He looked at her and smiled. "There's a bend in the road and a distance marker. One thirty-four."
"I knew you could do it," Katherine said.
Kathy was already moving the map, looking for the bend. She stopped at one, drilling into the street view and searching for the marker. Not finding it, she went to another part of the road and did the same. It took nearly twenty tries, but then she looked up.
"I found it. Pere Marquette State Park. Scenic Drive. N
orth of St. Louis."
"Origin must have left the S-17 in the park," Katherine said.
"Yes," Kathy agreed. "But where?"
"It would have to be within a close radius from the road. A few kilometers at most."
"A few kilometers can take days for one person to search."
"How quickly can the Core search it?"
"Very."
"Then we'll leave as soon as we can. Let's go check on Michael and the Core's progress."
Mitchell stood and headed out of the kitchen, down the stairs to the wine cellar. Michael and the Core were there, hunched over Watson's control module. They had laid it out on a flat, white cloth, and the Core was delicately manipulating one of the hundreds of fibrous strands that sprouted from it. As he touched one, lines of code would appear on Michael's monitor, and he would review it quickly before grunting for the Core to move on.
"How are you progressing?" Mitchell asked.
Michael looked up. He smiled when he saw Kathy. "We've eliminated most of the connections. Once we've identified the correct ones, we can edit the source and try it out on Detective Lyle."
"How much longer do you need?"
Michael glanced at the Core. "An hour?"
The Core nodded.
"An hour," he said.
Mitchell considered it. "Can you do it any faster than that?"
"The biggest problem is that I can only scan the code so quickly, or I might miss something."
"I can help you," Kathy said. "We've completed our research, and narrowed down the location of the S-17 to a six-kilometer radius. The Core will-"
"Teegin," the Core said, interrupting.
"What?" Kathy asked.
"I would appreciate if you would refer to me as Teegin. It is awkward to be addressed as a common noun. Teegin is a phonetic contraction of Tio, Kathy, and Origin."
"What about Watson?"
Teegin smiled. It was a disconcerting expression on the Primitive. "As you might say, frig Watson."
They all laughed at that.
"Teegin will help Mitchell search the area near where he was caught by Watson for signs of the starfighter. I believe you have some tools that will speed up the process?"
