The Gaia Project

by Claire Buss

  'But, Sir!' Jed protested. 'If this is about me not finding a new partner, I will, I promise. I just haven't found anyone yet. It's been... difficult.'

  'It's been difficult for all of us, Jenkins,' the chief spoke gruffly. In their own way, both men still mourned the loss of Detective Pete Barnes. 'But it doesn't change what needs to be done. I have detectives I can use on local crime. You I need on the other side. You are being promoted to Captain of the City Guard and will be in charge of a team of specialist operatives who will look to the safety of our citizens, our city and be responsible for any future exploration.'

  'Future exploration? Isn't that Agent Devereaux's department?' asked Jed.

  'Devereaux is on assignment in City 15 but his department has been downsized. Part of these new changes. All the agents have been reassigned elsewhere - another reason why I want you to head up this new division. I need someone with a level head, someone who knows the law, who cares about the city. We can't have a hothead in charge.'

  'Do we need a city militia, Sir?' Jed was surprised at such an aggressive move, it wasn't the sort of thing he'd come to expect from Martha's governorship.

  'It may seem extreme now Jenkins, but I remember the City 15 riots and the violent backlash from Corporation. If we want to protect our independence then we need the appropriate defenders and having you in charge puts my mind at ease.'

  'You don't think Corporation still have a standing military, do you?' Jed had never considered the possibility before.

  'I wouldn't put anything past them. The fact that we haven't heard anything from Corporation makes me nervous.' Chief Minkov tapped his badge. 'Force has always been a separate entity, we've always stood for truth and justice, working with whatever government has been in place yet our hands were tied without us even knowing thanks to Corporation lies. It's our job to protect City 42's freedom, Jenkins.'

  'Yes, Sir. Of course but, but... I'm still Force, aren't I?'

  'Yes, but you report directly to Governor Hamble. Think of me as your counter part on civilian matters.' The chief watched closely to see how Jed would react. He thought it was a good idea to split Force, while he still had the power to implement change and could choose the right man for the job. Everything was in too much flux to continue with the old methodology. There had to be the capability for a greater show of force and indeed protection in case Corporation retaliated in some way. It was a distinct possibility that they would. The severe repercussions that happened in City 15 when they tried to shake off Corporation rule had been swift and brutal. It might seem quiet here in City 42 now but it didn't mean things were going to stay that way.

  Jed didn't need to think about it, he wanted a change. 'Thank you, Sir. I accept.'

  The chief held out his hand. 'Good man, you've made the right decision.' They shook. 'You need to report to Governor Hamble's office and get your briefing notes. That new fella, Sean Macinwotsit, should have all the details, but don't let him boss you around - you don't work for him and you certainly don't report to him. Did you get that background check in for him?'

  Jed fished his handheld out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. 'Yes, Sir. Apparently he spent some time studying in 15 before he and his parents moved here from City 9.' Jed had been surprised by that, he didn't think anyone had ever chosen to come to City 42 from City 9. He continued reading. 'Strong family ties with Corporation that go back several decades but since being here he hasn't shown any loyalty to Corp.' He looked up at the chief. 'Martha says he's fantastic at his job, she doesn't know what she'd do without him. He could be a runaway?'

  'Hmm.' The chief didn't look convinced. 'Keep an eye on him, Jenkins.'

  'Yes, Sir. Will I still be based here, Sir? In my new role?'

  'Yes, for now. It makes sense to keep all the equipment and men together but we can hash out the particulars later. I expect there will be some sort of official ceremony, after all this is a new role with more responsibility to take on.'

  'Yes, Sir. I have a city meeting up at Hamble HQ now anyway so I can pick up the details while I'm there.'

  The chief agreed and dismissed him. Thinking to himself, Jed walked slowly out of the building. He felt strange, all his career he'd worked towards becoming a detective. Being partnered with Pete had felt like it was always meant to be. Since his friend had died, he had felt lost and adrift, unsure exactly of what his next move would be. He'd even considered leaving Force completely and retraining to do something else. Unusual but not unheard of. Now though, he felt like he had a purpose again. Being in charge of a city militia - it was different but it felt like something he could get behind. Since cutting ties with Corporation, the city was alone and vulnerable. Jed needed to be in a position to help protect it and now he was. He strode off confidently to Hamble HQ, as the governor offices were affectionately known, to find out what his first assignment would be. He hoped there wouldn't be too much additional paperwork with this new role. That had always been something he had never been too keen on.

  It was a short walk from Force to Hamble HQ. After the destruction of Corp Tech and the discontinuation of lab grown babies, Martha had decided to take over Collection Towers and base her government there. She had made sure that a representative from each area of the city had at least an office, if not an entire floor. Jed wove through the protesters who had started to gather in Main Square. It was peaceful at the moment but he made a mental note to ensure all operatives had their riot gear, just in case.

  'ID.' One of the new security guards held out his hand for Jed's ident. It flashed green when scanned and the guard waved him through. Jed didn't recognise him or the woman stationed further in the foyer. They must both be new civilian recruits he thought as he took the stairs up to Martha's offices. He was met by yet more security checks, this time he knew the staff and spent a few moments chatting with them. Everyone had lost someone in the terrorist attack on Corp Tech so it had created a bond between those who'd worked the disaster site and those who'd come forward to work in the new government.

  A quick look at Martha's office showed the door was firmly shut, keyed red for do not disturb so Jed tried his luck next door where Sean MacIntyre, Martha's aide, could usually be found. He was sitting at his desk frowning and looked up in alarm as Jed entered the room. His brow quickly cleared and he swiped his screen blank.

  'Everything alright?' asked Jed, nodding towards the desk.

  'What? Oh that, yes, yes, nothing to worry about. What can I do for you, Detective? The city meeting isn't for another half an hour or so.'

  'It's Captain now, Sean. I understand you have my briefing notes, for the City Guard?'

  'Oh, oh right, I see. They made you, I mean you're the new... huh, I'd never have thought.' Sean scratched his head and then began opening drawers in his desk until he found the info jack he was looking for. 'Everything is on here,' he said passing the jack over. 'Congratulations I guess. Hmm?'

  'You seem surprised, Sean,' said Jed, bemused by the man's reaction.

  'Yes! I mean, no. Of course not. It's just, you're a detective. Were a detective. And there were other candidates who were less... reactive. But you don't want to hear about that.' Sean pulled himself together and smiled at Jed. 'It will be great working with you, I'm sure.'

  'U huh. What's my first assignment - do you know?'

  'No. Well, maybe. I think it's straight in at the deep end to be honest. Governor Hamble will let you know soon, I'm sure. For now get your team sorted out, be ready for anything, that sort of thing. You've got all the gear and everything. All the details about the City Guard's responsibilities are on that jack. If there's nothing else?' Sean had risen out of his seat and begun to usher Jed out of the office.

  'I guess not. Thanks.' Jed looked at Martha's door again on his way past but it was still closed. It would have been nice to get his new assignment from the governor directly but he supposed she was busy getting ready for the city meeting. He'd go back to his old desk later and download the informa
tion he'd been given. He might even be able to wangle a new desk now. With half an hour to wait before the meeting was due to start, he got out his handheld to tell Kira the good news and noticed the sweeps had already got there. They never missed a trick.

  ANON17: Who voted on city militia? I didn't!

  FORCE: ***Official Announcement***

  Detective Jed Jenkins has been promoted to Captain and will run the new City Guard.

  GOVHAM: Congratulations to Captain Jenkins and the new City Guard. Together we're looking after City 42.

  ANON40: Security Guards & Force City Guard. Overkill much?

  C42N: Captain Jenkins is the new face of City 42's safety. Read more online!

  Chapter 3

  C42N: Government meeting today. What should be the priority? Join the virtual conversation in social hub beta.

  MSCHILD: How do we know they're not still selling babies behind our backs? Why won't they bring back Collection?

  ANON17: More food! More food!

  GOVHAM: We will release a city-wide update later today. Together we're looking after City 42.

  ANON40: Bring back the force-field. Make us feel safe again.

  CORPTECH2: Why is Corp Tech still closed? We need our jobs! We need our tech!

  Martha's head hurt. The lack of sleep and the general weariness that came with being a new parent plus the brain numbing exhaustion of running City 42 was relentless. Trying to figure out the answers to problems she didn't even know existed until they were dumped on her desk. Like the first chilling discovery they had made after taking over from Corporation. The previous administration had been growing additional babies in the baby lab and selling them, elsewhere. With the collapse of the computer systems, Martha's team had yet to discover where and why the babies were being sold. It had shocked them all and of course the details had been leaked on the sweeps. There had been near riots but somehow Force had managed to contain the citizens anger, funnelling it towards clearing the debris from Corp Tech and establishing the new sewerage system. But finding out Corporation policies like that only added to her fears that she wasn't helping the people of her city enough, that she was letting them down when they needed her most.

  It never stopped. Even when she did manage to get out of the office, her work followed her home, invading her attempts at privacy. Everyone knew where the new governor of City 42 lived. And no-one seemed to have any qualms about passing by to give their opinion on something, or complain about something or more often than not, have a gawp at Lucas, her natural baby.

  Martha sifted through the urgent memos on her handheld. She was pleased to see Chief Minkov had made Jed's new role official. A memo reporting no new natural pregnancies caught her eye, despite the contaminated water supply having been replaced, the number of confirmed natural pregnancies had not exploded as expected. She moved that one to her recycle bin. In a way, no pregnancies was a good thing, considering the limitations of the city's food and medical resources. Martha cast an eye over the crop report from Camp Eden. They were growing food but they couldn't supply the entire city overnight and anyway, she thought ruefully, many citizens distrusted the natural, organic food, preferring to use their food hydrators and dried sachets. Filing that report under Food she felt a twinge of panic, those packets wouldn't last forever and supplies were running low. They needed to find a solution.

  Rhythmic pounding joined the simmering ache in Martha's head. How could they have run so low? When Corporation had been in charge, the citizens of City 42 had never run out of vital medical supplies or food sachets. But there was no-one left to ask about supply and demand. The mob had lynched the Corporation board members six months ago and despite their best efforts to sift through the records left behind it wasn't clear exactly how re-supply occurred. When the board members had attempted to leave the city, they'd set their computer files to self-destruct and because the whole Corporation system was linked it had wiped out Martha's father's files as well. It was a disaster.

  Martha's calendar pinged. At least the power was still running strong - everything was solar powered so they shouldn't have any issues with that. It wasn't like the sun was about to fall out of the sky. Martha sighed. She had a meeting with her advisors in five minutes. Among other things, Martha had requested a complete report on medical supplies and any potential issues, as well as ideas on how to solve those problems. After all the facts and the problems were coming from the people working in the medical centres, they should know what they needed as a priority and surely someone would come forward with information on how it was done in the past.

  Medicine didn't magically appear, it had to have been delivered one way or another. Martha rubbed her little blue Gaia statue for luck before heading out of the relative safety of her office and into the jaws of yet another meeting. They would get to the bottom of the supply issue, one way or another.

  Entering the room Martha was pleased to see everyone was already there - Jed in his new role as Captain of the City Guard and as a representative from Force, Ruth as representative for Academy and supplying notes from Archive, and the Surgeon General of Med Centre, Dr William Lee. The Force chief didn't attend unless there was a vote and Ben Jenkins, the ex-Anti-Corp representative, had been sidelined to work as Martha's unofficial eyes and ears. He was happier reporting to her without an audience. Which meant the only absence was Agent Devereaux who was meant to be on assignment in City 15. Martha took her chair and smiled at Sean, as he handed her a cup of synth-caf. Martha tapped her handheld, ready to start the session but before she could speak the Surgeon General opened the meeting without any preamble.

  'We've figured out why we aren't getting resupplied.'

  Martha liked him immensely, no nonsense, straight to the point. She gestured for him to continue.

  'There's a transporter pod in the basement, bloody alarm has been going off for weeks but no-one knew what it was for.' He glanced around the table apologetically. 'Turns out this pod is used to move supplies between Corporation cities. All we need to do is enter the authorisation code and input our request.'

  'Fantastic,' said Martha, feeling like things were finally going their way.

  'Yes, well, it would be - if we knew what the authorisation code is.'

  'What do you mean, you don't know? Someone must know it?' Ruth looked as knackered as Martha felt and had apparently forgotten to brush her hair that morning, luckily her unruly curls hid most of the damage.

  'Turns out the code changed regularly and was given to the Med-Techs via Dr Basjere's office over in Science Division. We can't ask him because, well, because he's dead. None of the Med-Techs know where the code originated from. We've checked the computers but with no access passes we're completely locked out.'

  'How bad are supplies getting?' Martha wasn't sure she wanted to know.

  'We've got about another week, for patching up minor injuries. Thankfully no-one requires any kind of surgery at the moment because we are running low on things like plasma.' The Surgeon General looked down at the handheld in front of him to steady his nerves before continuing. 'I think we should turn all the diagnosis pods off. We don't have the necessary drugs to treat every little complaint and we can't cope with hysterical patients demanding treatment for conditions that only have the potential to manifest. It's a waste of what limited resources we do have left.'

  'I agree,' said Jed. 'Force has been stretched thin keeping the peace...'

  He was interrupted by Sean. 'Surely the Security Guards can help monitor the situation?' He inclined his head at Jed.

  'Let's hope so, but we can do without unnecessary disturbances at Medical,' snapped Jed.

  'How will you switch off the diagnostic pods without access to the Corporation mainframe?' Ruth narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Dr Lee.

  'We have the kill code for the pods. One of the Med-Techs kept scrupulous records, surprisingly this is one code that still works. We tested it in the outlying pods in East Sector.'

  Martha nodded. 'Okay, do
it. Terminate the diagnostic pods. I'll send out a sweep informing citizens that we're diverting resources elsewhere, hopefully it won't cause too much panic.'

  'It should help, but it doesn't solve our main problem,' replied Dr Lee.

  'I know but...' Martha was interrupted.

  'I'm sorry Ma'am, but I don't think you do. Without a resupply in the next week or so, citizens will potentially start falling ill and I won't be able to do anything about it. Then we will have mass panic to deal with.' Dr Lee looked around the room. 'We've got to do something.'

  'Did City 15 respond to any of our communiques yet, Jed?' Martha asked.

  'No, we've had nothing back. Agent Devereaux hasn't reported back yet either. We've had no confirmation that the original messages have even got through to them.'

  'I think we have to send a full exploration team out there. Not just an emissary from our city but some scientists and an archivist as well, plus security of course.' Martha felt a flicker of worry. She didn't care for Devereaux very much but she certainly didn't want anything to happen to him, especially when he was meant to be on a fact finding mission for her government.

  'That would be my recommendation as well,' Jed said. 'We don't even know if Devereaux got to City 15 safely, one man travelling on his own... anything could've happened.' He opened a file on his handheld and sent it to the main screen to display the map from City 42 to City 15 to the others. 'If you look at the terrain, we'd have to cross a dead zone but overall it's not far. We know the transporters aren't working between the cities so it could be that the people of 15 are wondering what's happening over here. We might even run into an envoy from them as we head out over there.'