by J. A. Huss
But now I feel different. I understand a little better why some of the avians would want to risk banishment to have a native woman. I don’t condone how Aesin goes about it—taking them one after another as he sees fit. But I do understand his drive. And he rules this planet. He is the one in control here. He can, in fact, make up rules as he goes.
But all that comes with risk and the fact that Amelia exists, claims she was given a soul by Ea himself, when Aesin has specifically forbidden the making of simulated life while we’re here—well, this is a problem. Ea doesn’t live here, Ea doesn’t rule here, Ea should not be interfering with Aesin’s world.
And Crage is doing the same thing. Asking me to join them. Sending this woman to charm me and lead me to whomever this father of hers is. I have never liked to be manipulated, not even back on the home world. I came here of my own volition. I chose this life to create some wealth, take it back, settle into my career, my family, and my purpose in life.
But things are not going at all like I planned. I’ve been here years longer than I should. Commanded by Aesin to remain until the mining operations are finished. That’s decades away in Earth time. Perhaps even centuries.
We reach the quarter where Amelia’s home is located and I’m not surprised at where we end up. I figured as much when she said east side of town. Gibborum Plaza is where all the biotechnology occurs. Plant genetics being the most profitable, but the manipulation of the native genome to make stronger slaves is also a high priority. Gib must refer to the institute as a whole.
Her father is the institute.
I stop walking once the buildings come into view. “I’m going to watch you go home from here, Amelia. I won’t be talking to your father.” A visit to the institute in the night would send a message to my own father that I am conspiring. A message I’m certainly not going to send at this moment. I let go of her hand and pull back with a sigh. “Go. I’ll make sure you’re not bothered until you get to the gate.”
She begins walking away, not even calling out goodbye. As if she understands that I’m a coward. That I’m afraid of taking a stand just because I wish to return home and leave this hot, dry, dusty planet behind me.
She turns after walking several paces and smiles. “I’ll be at the river tonight.”
I say nothing.
She turns again and walks slowly and calmly to the gate where the guards open up for her like she’s a queen who needs no introduction.
Surely they must know what she is? Surely everyone here knows that this is against the laws?
I blow out a breath of air and realize the air is much hotter now. That means sunrise is upon us and I need to get to work.
Chapter Sixteen—TIER
Polar Friendly
The window showing the Seven Cylinder Seals blacks out, but the room erupts into a cacophony of questions. I hold up my hand to signal silence and my request is granted. The men fall silent. I point to Gideon. “Go.”
“So what is Junco’s job here?” I’m about to protest, but he clarifies. “Not the final order, fine, I can wait for that. But what’s going on, Tier?”
“Gideon, I’ve deduced who ya work for, I should be askin’ ya the same damn question. What’s going on? Why are ya here?”
“I’m her handler. I am the one who will give the final order.”
“What’s yer best understanding of that order? Guess, if ya don’t know. I need to understand this as well.”
“It’s a choice. Choose, human or avian. Is that not what it is?”
“I said it was, in a way,” I say, looking at him sideways. “That’s close, but not quite accurate. She will choose—death or death.”
Gideon is far more satisfied with that cryptic answer than he should be and this is a red flag for me. “And what should her choice be? I mean, I’m assuming we’re feeding her answers still? I’m supposed to give her an order, so I guess I should know going in which choice I should force her to make.”
I take a deep breath and picture that last moment in my head. Junco on the ground. Gideon kneeling over her, screaming. Screaming that order in her face. The time is so close now, this has to be truth that I’m seeing. Farsight isn’t always accurate. It’s temperamental until the final hours.
Those hours are upon us.
“Tomorrow is a good day to die, that’s just the facts.”
“Which choice, Tier?” Gideon growls at me. “I need to know this.”
“Why? So ya can take that information back to Inanna and she can fuck it all up again?”
“You have no idea what we’re doing, just as I have no idea what you’re doing.”
“Inanna knows. Lucan knows. Sera knows. These three do know what we’re doing. So if Inanna is conspiring, if Inanna is contradicting what I’m saying, if Inanna thinks she can execute her own plan by derailing ours, she is wrong. We will all die if we get this wrong. It’s precarious, every bit of this plan is precarious. And everything hinges on Junco. Do not,” I growl back with more anger, “do not even think to stop Junco from executing that final order. Do ya understand? No matter what it is, it must be carried out.”
I turn to Subjack and point. “Go.”
“Will she die?”
“No, Junco is High Order. She cannot die. She can be punished in a multitude of ways, but she is impervious to actual death. She is eternal now.”
“How can I help you, Tier?” Junco’s father asks.
It shocks me for a moment. His sadness. I feel it profoundly. “Your job is over, Subjack.”
He’s shaking his head as I speak. “No, I feel it. I have something I’m supposed to do yet. I know it.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not a part of yer final Destiny then. I have no more requirements for you.” I point to John Hando. “Go.”
“How will she get out of the Pillar?”
“I defer to Gideon for that.”
Everyone shifts to look at Gideon. “Sera. This was planned from the beginning. Of course, we were just going to corral Inanna for the duration. She’s our wild card as well, Tier. Sera ordered me to order Junco to dissipate her in there.”
“So ya take yer orders from a machine.”
He sucks in air at my insult. “Whoa there, Tier. That was uncalled for. Especially since you were babysitting Junco’s HOUSE for the past few days. Sera is so much more than an AI.”
“Gideon, my clutch mother was an AI. Don’t tell me what an insult is. Sera is a machine, as was Amelia—”
“Was,” Annun interrupts. “Was? Is Amelia—”
“Dead, Annun. Amelia is dead. The High Order came this morning. Lucan is gone, Amelia is dead. My brother Rikan is a hostage. This is where we’re at right now. This is real, folks. This is happening and it’s happening as we speak. My father is on trial and as soon as he’s pronounced guilty the war on Earth will begin. They will be looking for Junco and since she’s unavailable, this will get messy. The sooner she can be removed from that Pillar”—I shoot Gideon a look—“the better off Earth will be. Ashur is in charge of holding them at bay now that things are derailed, but he’s preoccupied with Selia and Ryse is preoccupied with Esta. So don’t expect our efforts to be heroic when it comes to humans. We’re out for ourselves, just like you are.”
I look to Annun. “You have questions, Annun? Last chance.”
“No, Captain. I’m good. I’m a point-and-shoot kinda guy. You tell me what you need, I’m there.”
I smile at him and put my hand on his shoulder. “You’re promoted, warrior. You are now 039-1. Congratulations.”
“What? But what about you? And Ashur?”
“Forget Ashur, and I’m retired. My job is not to lead, but to follow, and my orders come from Lucan. I know what I have ta do, but”—I look at each of them sternly—“I’m beggin’ ya, just make her do her job.”
They nod, our mood solemn now. “OK, my turn then.” I look at Gideon. “How soon can you get Junco out?”
“I expected her already, to be honest. Sera is in t
here, she’s in charge.”
“And the deals you have with Inanna? Will they prevent Junco from completing her mission?”
“No.” Gid shakes his head. “No, it’s not like that. Inanna might have her own reasons and her own ways of getting what she wants, but the part she plays will only help us.”
“In that case, I think we should go. You should evacuate your men from this tunnel. I’m not sure how those Punishments will escape, I’m not sure if this place will explode, or if they can somehow port, or what. I have no idea. I don’t even know what they are. They could be demons, they could be chemical weapons, they could be diseases to incapacitate the human populations. Hell, they could be carrying custom-designed vectors that will invade our DNA and fuck it all up again. Or maybe they’re all of those things. Lucan never shared the details. I was simply taught that the Seven Punishments were made to hurt Lucan. If Esta was here, we could make sense of them, but she’s not and she won’t be. She will come back when the Halo completes, which means the Punishments will be released before she can make it here. She’s unnecessary. It’s too bad none of us were on the same page before now. We’d all be clued in to what the others were doing. Life might’ve been easier.”
I wave my hand at Subjack, deferring to him to take charge. He waves us all towards the lift and we pile in to begin our ascent up the mountain shaft.
It’s a longer ride going up, about twice as long in fact, since we’re going half the speed. And this leaves far too much time to think. The silence is heavy and sad.
No one is going to win in the traditional sense. A sacrifice is required for all parties. Gain can only be obtained by risk and sacrifice. It’s an equation, a truth, a law of the universe just as much as any other physical law. Mass and energy is neither created nor destroyed, entropy is constant without input, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This is something I came to terms with a long time ago, since I’ve been in on the final details for years now. But it’s all new for the rest of my company.
When we reach the top I let everyone exit before me and then I grab Annun’s hand. “Take John Hando home. He should be with his women.”
“No,” John says from the hallway. “I said goodbye and I meant it. I’m not done yet either. I have something to say about this, about Junco, and Inanna. I’ve worked with her too,” he says, looking at Gideon. “You and I never met, and I’m sure you wanted to kick my ass once you found out who I was and how we were connected, but I have a role to play and I’m going to see it through.”
“What role?” Gideon snarls. “You hired her, a child, to kill for your mafia?”
“Yer one to talk, Gideon. Junco was killin’ since she was six, she told us.”
Gideon’s face turns to rage and all that goodwill we just established down below melts away. He catches it, tucks it down, breathes in deeply, and then snarls back at me. “You just remember who gives her the order when we’re saving your father’s ass, Beast.”
“My father is Earth’s father, Gid. You better come to terms with that quick.”
“Then Inanna is Earth’s mother. She is the rightful Guardian, not Lucan.”
“Which brings me to my point,” Hand interrupts. “There is one more critical person involved. And Inanna came to me just after Junco left for Peaks and gave me an order. Honestly, I was just gonna blow her off. I’ve done my part. I’ve fulfilled my end of the deal. But I’m wondering now if this is critical.”
“What was the order?” I ask.
“Secure Iliana and bring her to Peak City.”
“What?” Gideon and I ask together. Annun and Subjack just look at each other.
Hand throws up his arms. “I’m not sure, guys, I’m just repeating what I was told. Bring Iliana to Peak City.”
“By when?” I ask.
“There’s no specific time,” he says, shrugging with his hands.
“Well, where the fuck is she?”
Hand looks over to Gideon. “She said ask Gid. He knows where she is.”
“Well, Inanna never told me this shit, so I’m not sure I should give that info out.”
“Why?” I ask. “Because Inanna morphed her up into Junco and yer embarrassed that yer the one with the clone, not me?”
He ignores my accusation. “She’s incapacitated right now. In a tank. We’d need to wake her up and honestly, I think I should get back to Junco’s Pillar and wait her out. I must be there when she is dumped out, else things might not go well. There’s no telling what her state of mind will be at that point.”
I turn to Hand. “How certain are you that this is necessary?”
He shrugs. “I’m just saying, she gave me this last order and I wouldn’t mention it if I thought it was irrelevant.”
“I’ll take him,” Annun says. “I’ll go with Hand. I have Archer gifts, I’m in charge now, I’ll take him. Gideon, where’s she at?”
We all turn to look at Gideon. Who looks at Subjack.
“Tell them, son. Keep your focus on Junco.”
“The Sagitta Building. Your Sagitta Building down in Dallas.”
“Oh, fuck!” Hand says. “Why? Why the fuck did she put her there?”
I grasp John’s shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. “Because that’s where all Inanna’s cloning projects are from, Hand.” I look at Gideon for the last part. “And Iliana is in a tank for a reason, isn’t she, Gideon?”
He narrows his eyes at me then looks over at John. “One hundred tenth floor. Hando Corporation access only.”
I turn to Annun. “Change your fate—”
“—And meet your destiny. See ya.” And then Annun and John Hando are gone.
Chapter Seventeen—TIER
I look over at Subjack and Gideon. “I need to see Caleb right now. I have a very important message from Lucan.”
They give me the required once-over, then give up the pretenses and begin walking.
I follow them through the darkness, dreading the deal I will have to make with Caleb. We wind through a maze of tunnels, passing soldiers and all manner of personnel who are bustling to and fro, and then end up at what appears to be an office.
Junco’s mother is visible through the glass and she either hears us approach or feels it. Because she turns and her eyes search until they rest on me. She smiles. I do not.
“What’s this?” I ask Subjack. Gideon sighs, but Junco’s father answers. “My wife would like a word, if that’s not too much trouble. She has the coordinates for Caleb. He sanctioned this visit—in fact, he insisted on it in exchange for his location. You can say no, of course. We’ll still give you Caleb’s location. Things are far too precarious to play games. But you’d be doing me a personal favor if you’d give her five minutes.”
“Why would Caleb care if I talked to Junco’s mother?”
“You can ask him yourself once you get the coordinates.”
I look over at Gideon and he shrugs. “I’m going to Pillar Seven. I’ll keep you posted.” And then he disappears.
I look back at Subjack and wave him forward.
He shakes his head. “No, she said it was private.” And then the big man turns and walks off.
I take a breath and ask my vision screen to shunt some glucose to my brain to stave off a headache, then palm the door mechanism to make it open.
Junco’s mother stands. “Thank you for coming… Mr.—”
“Tier,” I growl, frustrated with this arrangement. I’m not ever in the mood to talk to people about private matters, and I’m even less in the mood to discuss such things with the woman who abandoned Junco. “Speak, I’m wasting time here.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tier. I’m in debt to you for saving my daughter and taking care of her.”
“Is this a joke?”
She squints her eyes at me. “Joke?”
I scrub my hands down my face and shake my head. “I never saved yer daughter, woman. I’m the last man you should be thankin’.”
“Well…�
� She smooths down her tunic. It’s silver, like her hair. And sort of institutional. Like her style. “I’d just like to extend my services for… afterward.”
“After—what?”
“After we win, of course. Johann—” She hesitates. “That’s Junco’s father’s name.” Like I didn’t know that. “Johann and I are available when you need us. We’re here. Or—” She shrugs a little, but it’s not a shrug of indifference, it’s the kind that you give when searching for the correct word. “Or… wherever it is we end up. I’m not sure about that, but please.” She reaches out and touches my arm. And even though I’m wearing the black armor of an Aves Commander, I feel her touch like I’m naked.
I shiver and she pulls back.
“Please,” she repeats. “Come to us. Do not hesitate.”
“I have no idea what yer talking about. I need Caleb’s location.” I hold out my hand and she reaches into her pocket and places a white envelope in my palm.
“It’s in there. And you don’t understand yet, but you will. And we’re here. Just keep it in the back of your mind and when it’s time you’ll know what to do with it.”
I tear the envelope open and input the location into my vision screen. Then laugh. “It figures.”
Carolinia Coot smiles at me. Like she knows. Like she knows everything.
And that scares me a little. She scares me a little.
I port to the coordinates and exit in the Rural Republic. My vision screen scans the air and finds the radiation comparable to flying at high altitude. I turn and look at the house that should not be here.
Junco’s house. White foundation with walls made almost entirely of glass, a large wraparound front porch that on a farmhouse house would look warm and inviting, but on this example of modern architecture, it looks like a warning. Like a moat that divides the outside from the in. Like a threshold not to be passed.
I look up at the dome that spans the roof. I can smell chlorine from here.
The massive double doors open and Caleb stands in a beam of stray sunlight.
