“Come here.”
It was the last thing Kate wanted to do with him in this strange mood, but she had always fought her fear. She stepped toward him, and stopped a pace from his still reclining figure. Close up, he still looked the same. She laughed silently. What had she expected to see, an unshaven ogre?
Stone watched her unblinking. “I did nothing to you except show you the truth.”
Kate felt her face heat with anger. “Whose truth, yours?”
“Mine, the Colonel’s, the Regiment’s…” he shrugged. “Yours too now.”
“I want to know why I agreed to be enhanced. I want to know why I keep saying things that sound retro when I never have before. I want to… understand.”
Stone laughed, but the sound was bitter. “Understanding, who doesn’t want that? I could have used some on Bethany… we all could. Do you know how many ghosts walk beside me and the Colonel and the others?” He shook his head. “Of course you don’t. How could you? I am two hundred and twenty nine years old—two hundred and thirty in a week. Two hundred years of killing. You think you’re a killer now? Wait a few centuries and you’ll know different.” He stared bleakly into the distance at nothing. “I see them all. My fine and strong platoon of vipers, my first one, going into the fire, and only two of us coming back broken and bloody. My second, and only I came back, my third and three of us survived, my fourth…” he closed his eyes, but when he opened them again they were hard. “I bet you remember every kill, not so?”
“It is so,” Kate agreed.
“Vipers can’t forget, Richmond. They never told us that when they made us. Nothing I can drink, or smoke, or inject can ever give me peace. Our bots won’t allow it. Senility was a curse for millennia, now it’s rare, but even that won’t save me. We remember everything, forever and ever and ever… until the end of time for all we know. Ghosts… but ghosts of comrades are still comrades. My victims now, they’re worse.”
“You don’t have victims, Sergeant. You’re a killer like me, but you fight in the open. I take them down in the dark from behind. I like it, and I’m good at it.”
Stone smiled grimly. “I knew that about you the moment I laid eyes on you. If looks could kill, Hiller and Whitby would have been stabbed to death that day on the concourse. Stabbed in the back, repeatedly.” He laughed. “I have victims, believe me I do. A school full of kids is one instance, but there are others. They come to me you know, those children. Not often, but more of late—since the download.”
Kate nodded, thankful for the turn the conversation had taken. “That download is what I came to talk about. It changed me; you changed me.”
“Not so. The download let you see the truth. The truth is what changed you. Not that I believe you’ve changed very much. You’re seeing things more clearly now. Maybe this is the first time you’ve ever seen clearly. You know Bethany was built on lies, built by liars. You know—”
“I know what you want me to know,” Kate said. “That sim could be a lie.”
“You know it wasn’t. You were me. You did what I did, saw what I did…” Stone broke off staring over her shoulder at nothing. “And what I didn’t do.”
“I went in hating cyborgs, and came out wanting to be one. How can you say you haven’t done something to me, to my mind?”
“I say it because it’s true. You want to know how I knew what to do?”
“You’re damn right I do.”
“Remember your first day of testing, the questionnaire?”
Kate nodded but frowned. There had been a lot of questions on that thing. Some had seemed irrelevant; others had been obvious in their aims to weasel out her secrets. She had sneered at the so obvious attempt to get inside her head. She answered the questions on military matters with truth, and the prying ones with creative fantasy designed to pass the psych eval.
“You told me how, Richmond. Or rather you told the psychs, and they told me.”
“I was careful,” Kate protested.
“Psych evals can’t be fooled. If they could, they would be useless. Why do you think there were so many different questions that seemed to ask the same thing, but with different words?”
“What did they find?”
“Your brother. Your weakness was clear to the psychs. They checked into your background thoroughly to find the source. They found it. I had exactly what I needed to hit you harder than you had ever been hit before. I knew that if you could overcome that weakness by ignoring the children, knowing that doing so would sentence them to death, you would be what we needed. We are the same. I am you, you are me. The download proved it.”
“I’m me!”
“You are you,” Stone agreed with a sharp nod. “But you think like me. Kill thousands of children, save the world. Simple decision wasn’t it?” he said bitterly.
“Anyone with sense would have made the same choice,” Kate protested.
“Not anyone. Some would have, and we’ll be trying to recruit all we can find, but most would have ignored the drone to save the kids hoping that someone else would launch it. You saw the Colonel in pieces outside. That happened. You lost a leg and a hand, so did I. You kept going, so did I. You’re already a viper in your head, Richmond. The uniform just warns people.”
Was he right? Was that why she had felt right as a viper in the sim? She had played her part as if born one. She had known it was a sim all the way through, yet she had been at home with her abilities, and had enjoyed using them.
“I want… need to talk about my brother. He’s why I joined ISS in the first place.”
Stone nodded. “That was my guess from the moment I read the psych eval. It gave you the freedom to search for him. How did it go, do the mission in a day instead of two and use the time saved for your own mission?”
“Something like that.”
“Thought so. Didn’t work though, did it?”
Kate shook her head.
“I can tell you why if you want to hear it?”
“I need to.”
“Your own people were actively working to stop you,” at her confused frown he went on, “I don’t mean Bethanites. I mean ISS. Your data came from contacts you made through your missions for them. They were all ISS assets before you came along, Richmond.”
“I knew that,” she said derisively. “As you say, that’s how I met them in the first place. Why would they give me false info?”
“Because they were ordered to do that. Look Richmond, you seem to think that ISS are the good guys in this. They aren’t, not by a long way. You did read the report I gave you?”
She flushed. “Of course I did.”
“If you read between the lines it’s obvious that ISS knew all along where your brother was keeping himself, and that he worked for your government among others. They were shielding him from you for reasons they must feel are good ones.”
“Yeah? He isn’t like me at all, Stone. He’s not a spook, or a fighter of any kind. What good is he to them? And besides, I wanted to know he was alright, not hurt him!”
“He’s a merc, Richmond. He works for the highest bidder.”
“He’s not a merc.”
Stone sighed. “You won’t see it because to you he’s still your brother. Why do you think he was there on Thurston meeting with the leader of the Freedom Movement? I’ll tell you. He was delivering an arms shipment to them.”
“So he delivered a cargo. Doesn’t mean he knew what the cargo was. He’s just a crewman on a ship.”
“You don’t seriously believe that, Richmond. Who sends a mere crewman to meet with a buyer like that? Come on, think it through.”
Kate shook her head.
“You have to let him go. You have a new life now, and so does he.”
“Whitby won’t have my brother. You don’t know what they did to us. I can’t leave it.”
“You’ll have to.”
“I can’t!”
“Listen to me, Recruit. You will let this go, because if you don’t and you go of
f on your own, the General will brand you a rogue and have you scrapped. Is that clear enough for you?”
Kate shivered. “But he’s my brother. I thought you would help me.”
“I give you my word that I will help you see your brother again, but first you have to get the enhancement out of the way. We have to get this done by official means.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out. I always do.”
Kate looked Stone in the eyes and nodded slowly. He had already gone out of his way to recruit her, and he hadn’t informed his superiors about her hacks into the comm system back at HQ… at least she didn’t think he had. They wouldn’t have recruited her if they had known about that. He had gone above and beyond to shield her already. She trusted him when he said he would find a way.
“So,” she said, slumping into the couch with a sigh. “Why do I keep saying things in retro?”
Stone grinned. “It will wear off. I’m old. You just picked up my idioms.”
“How long?”
“Don’t know. A year or two… maybe.”
“You’re shitting me,” Kate yelled and spluttered over his laughter.
“I ain’t shitting yer bitch girl. Don’t worry about it. One day you won’t even notice.”
She shook her head at the familiar sound of more retro spilling from his mouth. It shouldn’t have been familiar, but it was god help her. “That’s what worries me.”
Kate climbed back to her feet.
“One more thing before you go, Recruit,” Stone said all business now. “If you mention one word about the download, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Kate said with a grin that wilted the moment he told her.
“I’ll kill you,” he said, his eyes glittering malevolently.
Kate snapped to attention and saluted. “Understood, sir.”
* * *
Chapter 13
Snakeholme (NGC 1513-4962)
Officially, the system had a number not a name, but for nearly two hundred years NGC 1513-4962 has been the home system of the 501st infantry regiment; more precisely, the fourth planet of that system including its two moons. The world came to be known variously as Base, Home, or more popularly Snakeholme. The larger moon came to be called Gabriel, or light of God, named for the spectacular display its reflected light caused upon Snakeholme’s ring system. The smaller moon was called Uriel by General George Burgton, named for the station that was constructed upon its surface. In Paradise Lost, Milton described the archangel Uriel as: the sharpest sighted spirit of all in heaven. Burgton thought the name appropriate to the station’s purpose of keeping watch upon his system’s approaches.
Milton’s work is still a particular favourite of his.
Snakeholme’s catalogue number still exists in the Alliance database, but the interesting thing is what does not appear there. Six planets huddle around the warmth of Snakeholme’s sun, but according to the Alliance database, there are none. General Burgton wanted it that way. If General Burgton wanted a thing, that thing happened one way or another. Call it a whim, or call it foresight of things to come, but a few years after the war ended he said: it would be really nice if people left us alone here.
He said it to a certain Daniel Flowers as they breathed the invigorating, but slightly chill, evening air from the porch of his residence. They were admiring the glory overhead that was Snakeholme’s sky at night. Snakeholme’s ring system was the remnants of its third satellite, smashed by Gabriel millennia ago. It was spectacularly beautiful as it shone silver in the moon’s reflected light.
No one came here. No one knew there was a here to come to. Rather, only vipers came here. That was how the General, and hence the entire 501st, wanted it.
Gina stood upon the parade ground staring at the beauty, nay, the sheer grandeur of her new home. The snow capped mountains and tree covered slopes a few klicks to the north were breathtaking. Petruso Base was built on the smaller northernmost continent of Snakeholme to take advantage of the climate. Although the weather was sometimes a little unpredictable, it couldn’t be called extreme. It was perhaps a little breezier than she was used to, a tiny bit more chill in the mornings and evenings, but by no stretch of the imagination could it be called a hardship. The winds were caused by the proximity of both the mountains to the north, and the ocean to the west, but of course it was the 1.29 gravity that shouldered most of the blame.
Gina covered her ears and watched as another heavily armed transport took off and headed west. Dozens like it flew to and from the base every day. She watched until she lost it to distance, and wondered where it was going. It was probably destined for one of the island chains that the regiment used for training ops. The Colonel hadn’t been kidding when he said there was a lot to learn. As soon as the first enhanced recruits had come online, the flights had begun and they hadn’t stopped since.
Gina faced into the blustery wind, and tried to relax tight shoulders, but it was hard. She was scheduled for surgery later today and she was tense. In one way, she was looking forward to her enhancement. She longed to join the others on those speeding transports, and put what she had learned in the classroom into practice. Seeing the others receive their enhancements, and later board those transports without her, was hard. But worse than that, was watching people she had come to know leave the barracks, and return days later, changed. The changes weren’t just physical, and that scared her. She didn’t like being left behind, but the thought of her own enhancement was scary.
“What do you think?” Richmond asked.
“Yip!” Gina jumped almost a metre straight up in surprise despite the gravity, but her reflexes were good. She landed facing Richmond in a fighting crouch.
“Whoa,” Richmond cried capping her right hand with her left to make a T. “Time out, time out. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Gina scowled. “Sorry, I’m a bit jumpy.”
“I noticed,” Richmond said dryly.
“It’s my turn onto the table. They just told me.”
Richmond’s grin wilted. “Oh… you worried?”
Gina snorted. “Me? Not me… yeah, scared shitless.”
Richmond shook her head. “No you’re not. That’s not fear you’re feeling, it’s excitement.”
“You think so?”
“I know so, Gina my girl,” Richmond said, and clapped her on the shoulder. “No, you’re not scared. It’s the waiting, the anticipation of knowing what’s coming and being unable to prepare yourself anymore than you already have. It happened to me too, but here I am—a whole new woman.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Gina muttered.
She was more nervous now that she knew what to expect, than she had been on the ship that brought her to Snakeholme. For one thing, Richmond had come out of enhancement only a few days ago, and it was obvious how different she was now. Richmond had been the hardest-eyed killer Gina had ever met before she went under the lasers. Now she was the most outgoing joker among the recruits. What had happened to the self-centred bitch they all knew and loved?
“Kate…” Gina hesitated. “Are you still… you know, you?”
Richmond smiled crookedly. “What a peculiar thing to say. Of course I’m me. Who do you think lives in here?” she said thumping her chest.
“It’s just that you seem so different. Back at HQ you were… I mean before you went into enhancement you were…” Gina sighed. “Look, don’t take this wrong, but I thought you were a cold-hearted bitch.”
“Yeah I know. A cold-eyed kill anything sniper bitch, that’s me. Hey, I’m still in here. It’s just… how can I tell you?” Richmond frowned. “Okay, it’s like this: On Bethany, the Families run everything. That means if you’re not one of them, you are owned by one of them. Clear so far?”
“I guess,” Gina said wondering where this was going.
“The name Richmond is nothing on Bethany. Literally nothing. If you’re not one of the Ten, then you’re less than dirt to th
ose people. The only way out is the military, but even then you find yourself commanded by know-nothing arseholes who belong to one of the Families.” Richmond’s face blanked of all emotion, and Gina shivered. The cold-eyed killer was back. “I hated them all,” Richmond said in a deadly voice. “I still do, but I’ve outfoxed them. I’ve outrun their reach, Gina. A viper you are, and a viper you will always be. The Colonel said that, and he’s right. They have no hold on me any longer. I’m free! And not only that, I’m going to outlive them all.”
Gina laughed.
“Does that help?” Richmond said.
“Yeah, I think it does.”
“Well… good!” Richmond draped an arm around Gina’s shoulders as they slowly wandered the parade ground. “What do you think of Snakeholme and the rest?”
“It surprised the hell out of me.”
And it did. The world was a beautiful place, but what was surprising was the number of people to be found here. Already the recruits had learned of the General’s skulduggery, and approved of it. The 501st had saved the Alliance. The survivors of the Merki War deserved a place of their own, especially when public opinion turned against them. No one but 501st were allowed here.
NO ONE.
Petruso Base was mostly empty of people, and had been since the regiment was annihilated during the Merki War. The facilities, including supplies and equipment, were all intact though—ready and waiting for more recruits. Colonel Stanbridge was even now looking at the next possible group to be tested and once the orders went out for them to report in, another round of testing at HQ would begin.
“The city was a surprise,” she said. “Nice layout, but where did all the people come from?”
“I found out some of it by pumping Stone.”
“Pumping—”
“Not that kind.” Richmond blushed. “Though I tell you, Gina, I wouldn’t mind if he asked.”
“He won’t. Not until our training is done at least. Sex in the ranks is one thing, but you know what they’d say if it went on between a drill sergeant and someone subordinate to him.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But I’ll tell you something, the 501st is different in a lot of ways.”
Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour Page 19
