“Okay… Have you noticed anything different about his appearance? Does he still eat? Shower? Sleep?”
“Yeah. Everything like that’s still the same. He ignores me now. I mean, it’s not like he really ever spent that much time with me before, but now he acts like I don’t exist. He works a lot, but he always used to make some time for me… but now he doesn’t. We’d always go to the season opener for the Manglers, but he didn’t even come home that night.” The boy stared down at the floor; his lip quivered for a second, though he didn’t cry.
“Where’s your mother?” Nina frowned.
“Mom’s never home. She’s always at her boyfriend’s place. I’m ‘big enough to take care of myself’ so she doesn’t want to ‘baby me.’ She thinks Dad is watching me. Dad thinks Mom is with me. They don’t talk to each other.”
Okay, so the real Daniel Stirling starts the investigation. The ACC can’t have that, so they… replace him. The ACC’s terrified of dolls and synthetics, so it’s gotta be an agent with cosmetic work. Someone who isn’t familiar with minor details of life as a Stirling. He’d have focused on major aspects of Daniel’s life, not what mug the guy had a thing for.
Noah’s eyes reddened. His lip started to quiver but he composed himself. “I think Dad’s probably already dead somewhere and there’s an alien in the house. Are you gonna shoot it?”
“I want to make absolutely sure that he’s an alien first, and not maybe having some kind of brain tumor or something.” She looked him over. “Are you eating? You’re so thin.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I eat a lot. Mom always rages at me ’cause I can eat so much and stay skinny, but she’s just kidding.”
Nina smiled. “Okay, Noah. I need you to do me a very big favor.”
He swiped his pistol off the desk and held it up in both hands, pointed at the ceiling. “Can I be like a temporary cop?”
“First”―she grasped his hands and guided the gun back to the desk―”you’re not going to be using that. Second, what I need you to do is be brave. Act normal.”
“Normal? But he’s an alien in my Dad’s skin.”
Nina grasped his arms and looked him in the eye. “I believe you, Noah.” Maybe not the same kind of alien he’s thinking of, but technically the guy is an alien… “The problem is, there are other aliens around. If they find out that I know about your Dad, they might do something bad that could hurt a lot of people. For now, I need you to just keep going on like you’re going on until I can locate all of them. Once I do that, we’ll take care of all the aliens at the same time.”
He nodded. “I’m scared. What if they find out I told you? I don’t wanna die or wind up an alien too.”
“I won’t tell them how I found out.” She winked. “You shouldn’t tell him that I was here.”
“That’s something bad people ask kids to do… not tell.”
Nina smiled. “Very good, Noah, but this is like a stakeout. If the cops are watching criminals, waiting for them to do something bad, are they going to tell the criminals that they’re watching?”
“No.” He shook his head.
“It’s just like that. Do you have a NetMini?”
Noah looked at her like she’d just asked him if he had a third head. “Duh…”
“Go get it. I’ll give you my PID to contact if you get scared.”
He took a few steps backward, nodding. “Okay. Umm. You’re the cops that kill people right?”
Dammit, this kid is only ten and he’s already cynical. “Sometimes people who break the law have a lot of money, and the legal system doesn’t always work the way it should. When there’s someone doing very bad things and the police can’t find any other way to stop them… we sometimes need to do that, yes.”
Noah ceased slouching. “Thanks for being honest. You probably didn’t wanna tell a little kid that, but I guess you heard me in algebra, so you know I’m smart.”
She gave him a playful accusing look. “What makes you think I heard that?”
“You’re a doll.” He gestured at her.
A hot flash washed over her, similar to what happened when half her former Division 1 squad walked in on her after a hazing episode left her naked and duct-taped in the shower. How… I don’t look… I look normal. I… “You think I’m a doll?”
He grinned, showing teeth. “You’re Division 9. Aren’t they all dolls? And you came in alone.” Noah started to walk out, but spun back. “And if the government sent you to get rid of an alien, of course they’d send a doll. We don’t know how strong or tough the aliens could be.”
Relief fell on her like a cool shower on a sweltering day. “Right. Never know what to expect from aliens.”
Noah ran out, still smiling.
She sent an All-Seeing Eye soft into Stirling’s terminal, which embedded itself out of sight in a little-known-of bit of buffer memory attached to the I/O port meant for a physical display monitor no one used anymore. Anyone under the age of fourteen probably didn’t even know the purpose of the socket on the back of the terminal bar. The ASE got to work creating an exact copy of the terminal and all its files which it would send over to an empty GlobeNet site Division 9 used for receiving data. If anyone found and cracked open an ASE, it wouldn’t expose any internal network addresses or encryption keys. After the clone process, it would sit and function as a keylogger, allowing anyone at Division 9 to view the terminal in real time.
Nina unplugged and headed to the master bedroom long enough to collect a few hair samples from his brush. A dark orangey-brown nugget on the wall near a wastebasket appeared to be a flicked snot that had missed. That is disgusting, and it also doesn’t fit Stirling’s profile as a neat freak. She scavenged an empty pill bottle from the can and used it to scrape-collect the dried booger before stuffing the hair in after it. Noah ran in and held his NetMini up. She waved hers to exchange PIDs.
“If you get worried about your safety, call me at any time. Also, it might not be a bad idea if you went with your mother for a while.”
Noah shook his head. “If I ask that, the alien might know something’s wrong. You said act normal.” He pointed to the right. “Oh, if you’re trying to find DNA, check the guest bedroom. The alien brought another woman home last night, and she said he was throwing it everywhere.”
She winced. “I think I found enough. I doubt we’ll have this alien’s info in our system, but at least I’ll know if your father is still your father.”
“Okay.”
I shouldn’t leave this kid alone, but if I call Div 1 in here to get social services involved, Stirling, or whoever he is will know we’ve been snooping around. Dammit. “You shouldn’t be alone at your age, but I’m… kinda stuck here. I should refer your situation to social services.”
“I’m not alone that long.” He lifted his arms a little to the sides and let them flop down. “Mom should be back around three. It’s not like they leave me here for weeks by myself. Only a couple of hours. I gotta get back to class. I told Mr. Dominguez I thought someone was in the house. I’ll say the dog knocked something over downstairs.”
Nina patted him on the shoulder. “I’m very glad you called in to report the alien. You might’ve given me the last piece of a puzzle I’ve been working on.”
“Awesome.” Noah’s grin lasted all of two seconds before he looked ready to cry. “I mean… It’s not awesome that my Dad’s probably dead and stuff. Do you think he’s dead?”
Nina exhaled. “I don’t know. The aliens might’ve taken him alive, but…”
“Yeah, I know. Probably easier to kill him.” He hung his head. “Thanks for trying. It would be cool if you could get the aliens back for what they did.”
“That’s why I’m here.” She attempted a reassuring smile.
He gave her a quick hug before running off back to his bedroom.
Hardin’s going to rip someone’s head off. It would almost be easier to believe this guy’s a real alien than the ACC is just waltzing so many operatives pas
t our noses. She tucked the pill bottle in her coat pocket and hurried outside to her patrol craft. Data analytics hadn’t found any more operatives. If Hardin’s buddy in C-Branch can match a definite ACC name to the DNA in the hair/snot sample, that would put Stirling as the likely head of the serpent… at least inside.
She dropped into the driver’s seat and closed the door. “It’s almost time to go full mongoose.”
elting stones and driving wind rocked Kenny’s truck for the better part of an hour. Dirt covered the windshield and built up like snow against the flat window overlooking the bed. Hayley clung to him, chest-to-chest with her chin on his shoulder. Having his arms around her had calmed her enough to stop wailing, but she continued trembling. Each time the wind gusted, she flinched.
The last time he asked her what was wrong, she’d said, “I dunno. I’m just scared.”
Eldon had given him an accusatory look, mouthed ‘voodoo’ without lending it voice, and put his head back against the seat. The man had been asleep for at least half an hour despite the chaos raging outside.
Kathy and Alyssa chatted with the four Scrag children, answering their questions about what the modern world was like. At being told clothes were required and not just ‘something for when it got cold,’ Gato questioned how they’d ever be able to find enough and Cielo almost changed his mind about wanting to go. Luna latched on to the idea that she wouldn’t be the ‘last girl of her tribe,’ obligating her to become Halcón’s wife, and seemed thrilled. It took Kathy a good twenty minutes to convince Halcón his ancestors wouldn’t be angry with him if he failed to take a lifemate before his sixteenth year.
“Are storms like this common?” asked Nasir.
With Hayley’s head on his right shoulder, Kenny couldn’t twist around to look at the man, so he kept staring at the dirt-covered windshield. “Relatively.”
Something plastic clicked around in the back while Nasir mumbled.
“Figure out what went wrong with that thing?” Kenny ran his hand up and down Hayley’s back, not that she noticed with her armored vest.
“The e-mag is dead, but it should’ve had enough of a charge for another ninety hours at least. How long do you think this storm will last?”
Kenny chuckled. “Oh, I reckon it’ll last long enough for another pack of raiders or whatnot to find us.”
“Will you knock that shit off?” muttered Eldon.
“You talkin’ to me or the old man?” Kenny grinned.
Eldon opened one eye to stare at him. “Maybe both.”
Alyssa folded her arms over her belly and bounced. “Hope this storm stops soon, I gotta pee.”
“Yo también,” said Gato.
“Si.” Cielo stood and started to hike his t-shirt up. “Abre la ventana.”
Kathy grabbed his arm. “We do not pee out windows.”
Damn. She had to say pee. Kenny squirmed with need. “There a bottle or somethin’ floatin’ around?”
“Eww, Dad, no,” said Alyssa. “There’s no room back here and there’s nowhere to go without everyone watching.”
“Well, then hold it. Try not to think about it.” Kenny glanced left at the dirt pelting his window. Come on you old bastard, enough is enough.
“I wanna go home,” whispered Hayley.
“Me too, hon.” Kenny rocked her side to side. “Won’t be long.”
An hour dragged into another, and the fidgeting and whining in the back intensified. Eventually, the storm lost intensity, though a light dusting of particles continued scratching at the truck.
“Okay, I’m about ready to hang my ass out a window and piss,” said Kathy. “Looks like it’s eased up a bit… is it safe now?”
At the word ‘piss,’ everyone groaned and fidgeted. Cielo had spent the past forty some odd minutes holding himself with both hands.
Kenny squinted, trying to stare through the dirt on the glass. The wind remained strong, but he could at least see a fair distance. “Yeah. Looks passable. No one stray too far away from the truck.” He repeated the last instruction in Spanish, and got a chorus of agreement from the Scrags.
A gust of warm air laced with biting sand met his face when he opened the door. Kenny slipped to the ground, using his size to shield Hayley as he set her on her feet. Everyone got out and rushed off to find a little privacy, except for the Scrag kids who all stayed together and appeared unconcerned about who saw what. Though grit continued to fly on the breeze, the storm no longer made the idea of driving feel foolish.
After relieving himself, Kenny climbed into the truck bed and brushed dirt off his toolbox. When Hayley, Alyssa, and Kathy returned from their nature call, he handed the girls each a brush. They took them without protest, understanding the implied request.
Kathy folded her arms. “Anything I can do?”
“Get your rifle and keep an eye out.” He waved a pointing finger around in a circle. “’Less you wanna help me switch the gears.”
“Well.” Kathy walked a few steps to her right and opened the rear driver side door. “Maybe if you show me how to do it I’ll try.” She pulled her rifle out of the truck. “Guess I’ll pull guard duty.”
The girls got to clearing dirt off the windows, grille, and hood.
Kenny grinned. “Might take a bit of doin’, convincin’ Hayley to take another trip out here.”
She paused from brushing to shoot him a ‘you wouldn’t dare’ look.
He gave her a ‘just kidding’ wink, jumped to the ground, and crawled under the truck with the toolbox.
Switching from the modern e-motors inside the wheels to the biodiesel engine required turning a couple of nuts inside each wheel to disengage the drive gears from the magnetic stator. Once he had all four wheels set to ‘hard neutral,’ he’d add four mini drive shafts to connect the front and rear differentials.
He’d finished disengaging the second front wheel when Eldon crawled under. “Hey man.”
“Yo.” Kenny shimmied over to the back wheels. “Kath, there’s a box in the back. Orange with a white handle. Can ya grab that please?”
“Sure.” Kathy walked by.
Laughter came from the younger two Scrag kids while Halcón and Gato walked patrol around the truck with their bows at the ready.
“Somethin’ hit me,” said Eldon.
“Not too hard I hope.” Kenny grinned and socketed his ratchet on the first nut of the left driver side wheel.
“You’re a funny guy for a dude stranded out here.” Eldon shook his head. “Look, you ever consider Hayley might be psionic?”
“Not really… no why?” Kenny flicked a socket wrench back and forth in a blur. “She talk into your head or somethin’?”
“Naw man.” Eldon raised his voice over the ratcheting noise. “Just the way she’s all freaked out. Back in ’11, my unit went in on this covert op in Singapore. Was a cat-and-mouse thing with a Spetsnaz crew. They sent us in to basically help Singapore stay neutral.”
“Yeah, I’m sure your commanders didn’t hope they wanted to join the UCF.” Kenny grunted a laugh while forcing the second nut to start turning.
“Yeah, well. Lotta bad news in the tech district there. Some of the blackest of black tech come outta that place. Anyway… we got this psio with us right? Telepath to help us find these sumbitches. Dude wasn’t what I expected at all. Kinda normal just to look at, ya know? My unit went in there freaked out about him, but by the time we left, we respected him.” Eldon raised a hand. “Anyway, point of it is―”
“Oh, you have a point?” Kenny winked. After disengaging the third nut, he crawled to the last tire.
“Dad, we’re done clearing dirt,” said Alyssa. “Puttin’ the brushes away.”
Boots clonked and scuffed above him in the truck bed.
“Ha ha. Anyway, Valdez kept getting strange feelings ’round what he called ‘death sites.’ You think West City has a gang issue, you ain’t seen shit. Lotta places over there where we had twenty, thirty, fifty die in mass shootings couple times a wee
k. Bad territorial shit, man. Anyway, whenever we went near one o’ them places, Valdez would get all pale and shit. Sweatin’… buggy eyed. He’d get afraid o’ nothin’ for no reason, just like her.”
“She’s eleven, and hasn’t been out here before. She’s just seen people shooting at us… got a nice close look at those damn ’pedes in the mall. Shit… those are going to give me nightmares.” He stopped ratcheting, hung his head, and sighed. “I never should’ve brought her out here.”
“I don’t think it’s just that. She got edgy fifteen minutes out from the city.” Eldon pointed at him. “Nothing hap―”
Thunk.
An orange toolbox landed two feet away from Kenny’s face, spraying him with dust.
“That the one?” asked Kathy. “Shit that thing is heavy. What’s in it?”
“Drive shafts.” Kenny coughed and wiped sand off his face. “Yeah, babe. Thanks.”
Eldon backed out from under the truck. “Think on it, man. I ain’t happy to say this, but maybe all that voodoo you talkin’ is real, an’ she can feel it.”
Kenny stared at the box of short drive shafts and coughed again at a hitch of dry grit in his throat. The storm seemed to have worked out its frustration, reduced to little more than distant howls and a few wisps of sand blowing in whorls. He didn’t quite know what to make of the idea of psionics, but didn’t have the time to worry about it.
It took him about four minutes per shaft to connect each wheel to the differential, and once he checked and rechecked that it all looked right, he stowed the tools and empty box in the back and let out a loud whistle to collect the Scrags who had wandered a worrisome distance away.
They came running without protest, and soon everyone sat in the cab, staring at Kenny. Anticipation took the form of silence; not even the sound of breathing broke the stillness. He flexed and clenched his fingers over the button.
“Come on man.” Eldon nodded. “Hit that motherf… udging thing.”
Hayley sat stiff at the edge of the back seat, hands on her knees. “I think you’re allowed to say worse than fudge right now. If that button doesn’t work, we’re f―”
The Harmony Paradox Page 53
