Version Innocent

by Pete Molina

Chapter 32

  Terra wasn’t about to go to sleep. She was tired, but she had something she needed to check out first, something that she didn’t want everyone to know about. Sam and Jeff had already witnessed too many of her family’s secrets here on Mars, and this last one was also very private. Not even any of her staff or other family members knew about the secret garden.

  Terra entered her own rooms, which were more like a private apartment. She had luxuries here that almost no other Martian could own privately, including a small pool, which considering water prices, was an extravagant luxury. Fortunately, the water was completely recycled with almost a hundred percent efficiency so it needed very little upkeep. But the real luxury wasn’t the pool. The real luxury was hidden through a undetectable doorway at the back of the closet of Terra’s bedroom.

  The room had originally belonged to her grandfather who was known to love large spaces. He had had the special hidden room constructed as something else when the dome was first made and had managed to keep the whole place secret all these years. It had taken him years of his own time to automate the garden to keep the plants alive. There were a whole host of small robots that had been adapted to watching and cultivating the garden, just like those in the agricultural domes but on a smaller scale.

  Terra made her way to her bedroom and once there closed the door and had the large lock engaged. She keyed the system to let any outsider know that she was not to be disturbed. Then she made her way to the walk in closet that was off the side of the bath room with the pool. Once inside she quickly glanced at all her clothing hanging there. She was glad to have access to it again. It had been a rough couple of weeks on Earth where she had no time to shop and wouldn’t have wasted the money anyway to have clothing transported back here.

  When she reached the far end of the closet, Terra pushed a hidden button, that was keyed to her DNA only. It opened the far wall. The wall opened only a few feet wide, but it was wide enough and Terra slipped through. She found herself in a very small room that was perhaps four feet on a side. The wall slide shut behind her and lights came on. In the center of the floor was a ladder leading downward. Terra began to climb down. It was two stories of stairs before she reached her destination, a square opening through which the ladder continued. She climbed down through the opening into a room that was only dimly lit now, but she could smell the plants. It was her garden.

  At the bottom of the stairs she stopped and waited for her eyes to adjust. The garden was illuminated by natural lighting that was collected over a large section of the dome’s exterior and piped down through fiber optic cables. It provided a passive system of getting sunlight to the plants inside so that artificial light was not needed. However, for what she wanted to do, she required some additional light so she walked to a small pedestal that was only a few feet from the ladder and activated the garden computer system. The system let her change the artificial illumination setting for the room and she brought it up to daylight.

  All around her the garden suddenly became the green place of her memory. Terra surveyed the subterranean dome to see what had changed while she’d been away. The garden was about thirty meters across and ten meters high. It was filled with well landscaped trees, bushes and flowers. Where she stood was covered with lush grass and she saw several of the gardening bots wandering around doing whatever task it was they were supposed to be doing. All in all the place was still in fairly good shape. It was pretty amazing and a token to her grandfather’s abilities that the place was still in such good shape after a number of years of human neglect while her other version had been on hiatus.

  The garden consumed a large amount of water, and that was its real cost. Her grandfather had had a well drilled in secret to the aquifer that was ten kilometers below them tapping off the same reservoir that fed the city. Normally that water was metered and sold to the people by the UMG water offices but this well was the exception and it was probably the only truly private well in Olympia.

  The circular garden was divided into eight pie-sliced sections with a small circle of Kentucky blue grass in the center that was about ten meters in diameter. Each of the pie shaped sections was separated by stone and concrete walkways that radiated outward from a walkway that surrounded the grassy area. At the very perimeter of the garden the walkway again circled around the entire circumference. Each section had plants from a different region on the Earth, although all could survive in about the same climate. Terra made her way to the stone walkway and proceeded to section eight that had plants from the Pacific Northwest region of the US, for which her grandfather had had a particular fondness.

  She walked into a small copse of pine trees. They were very tall and slender, making their way all the way to the top of the dome. It was a shame that the dome wasn’t bigger so they could grow as tall as they willed, but they had to be maintained at their current height and no more. Otherwise they would damage the ceiling. Past the copse of trees was a small clearing, There was about the same amount of space here as in the grassy area at the garden’s center, but in the center of this clearing was a large boulder, flat on top with enough space for someone to lie on. It was a dusty red which marked its true origin. Terra made her way around the rock to the far side where there were a few other smaller rocks, and she knelt down.

  She lifted one of the rocks gently, its larger size no problem in the reduced gravity Mars provided, and set it to the side. Under the rock was a rectangular metal plate, on which Terra put her hand. It was not a plate, but a box that was also keyed to her DNA. Once she touched it with her hand, there was a small click and the box popped open revealing two items. The first item was a first edition copy of The Secret Garden that her grandfather had given her, preserved in a nitrogen filled storage case; the second was what Terra had been hoping to find, a memory card.

  Plato, can you access the card, please?

  Please place the card near your right ear, Plato responded. The memory card needed to be within a centimeter of her implant transceiver in order for it to read the card’s memory. Terra followed the instructions and saw in her display a status bar that showed the data being transferred.

  What type of data is on the card? Terra asked her companion.

  It appears to be a ocular overlay video file with full audio. I have finished the download, but the file is encrypted. It requires a passcode. Please provide the passcode now, Plato relayed. She supplied the passcode that she had used when she was a child, which she had never used as an adult with real responsibility. It was more than two hundred years old, before the sophisticated computer systems of the present day. It was just a little saying, but it was the one she would have used.

  We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz, Terra supplied to Plato.

  The file is now being decrypted. Shall I display it for you? Plato asked. Her other version had clearly been thinking along the same lines.

  Terra stood up to give her a clear field of view for the video. Please do. In an instant an image flickered and then a life size projection of herself, much older than she was now, appeared and made it seem as if her older self were really standing right in front of her. Her older self began to speak.

  “Terra, if you’re seeing this message, it means that my hiatus has been cut short because Sam Storm 6.7 has done whatever it was he intended to do when he got me to make your backup version. You are no doubt wondering what has been going on and why I decided to help Sam. And I’m sure you must also want an accounting of my actions in your absence,” the image of her former self began.

  “After your backup was made, Sam told me that he wanted the system to be different, so that Mars and the rest of the solar system wouldn’t fall under the tyranny of Earth any longer…and that the other nations on Earth would be freed from the shackles of controlled restoration technology. He never really explained to me how that would work, or what he would do, but he did ask me to do something. He ask
ed me to help him acquire a large quantity of antimatter. An amount in excess of a hundred kilograms.”

  “At first I thought that he wanted to use it as a weapon to destroy the restoration infrastructure, and with that much antimatter probably most of the eastern region of the US. That amount of antimatter, as I’m sure you know, would undoubtedly have global consequences on Earth. I told him this, but he replied to me that the antimatter would never be used as a weapon against anyone but as a power source for a project he was working on.”

  “I would still have refused, because as you know the task of getting that much antimatter undetected by the Fleet would take years of work and subterfuge to accomplish, not to mention it would mean I would have to take direct action to control Mars policy for quite some time.”

  “In return for this favor, Sam promised me something that would change the balance of power in the solar system forever. He never did say what this would be, but I had two suspicions. One is that he is constructing a new restoration system somewhere far from the prying eyes of Damon Harding and his government. The other is that he has access to some kind of nanotechnology, which he may have stolen from the LNRC. I don’t know why he would need that much antimatter, though. It would be enough to power a hundred fleet ships for a year, so your guess is as good as mine.”

  “I am about to go on hiatus for the next half century. I know that the news of this must have come as a shock to you, but I must confess it was the only way to ensure that you were the only version of me that could be restored.”

  “The promise that Sam made me about this technology that would break the system and give Mars and the solar system back some independence was enough to pique my interest, considering what I conceived might possibly be the reward. I had Sam thoroughly investigated by our sources, and I found out that he might have indeed taken some of the unlimited assemblers from the LNRC…and I don’t have to tell you what that might mean. Sam is a great nanotech engineer, and with the tools and the time I don’t doubt that he’ll be able to deliver on that promise.”

  “We both know that Sam was someone who could be trusted. He kept a number of my secrets over the years. So…with the knowledge that he could deliver some technology to Mars that could put us on an even footing with Earth in a few years, I decided to take the risk and to help him.”

  “I’ve spent the last eight years getting all the antimatter produced and put in Sam’s hands. I know that this entails great risk, but I also know that even if he used it as a weapon, it would not be against Mars. You probably can’t understand why I would do it…or maybe you can. You’re not that different from the person I was when I decided to help him.”

  “It took all my influence to keep the antimatter production a secret, I got a policy introduced that required that maintenance be done on at least ten percent of UMG controlled antimatter production facilities at all times. I used this excess capacity to produce Sam’s antimatter in twenty kilograms per year amounts. I don’t think this will stay secret forever. There are only a few loyal people on each of the stations that know what was going on.”

  “I received a message from Sam only last month and I have spent the time between then and today getting ready to leave Mars behind. Sam assured me he would not use the antimatter as a weapon, but I still today don’t know what it’s for. He did tell me that you would be restored in two years when his plans went in to action and that I needed to tell you how to find him. Or at least how to start to find him…you see, I don’t know where the antimatter really went. We figured that it would be better if I didn’t just in case I came under investigation. The only one who knows is Thurman Conrad, Sam’s contact on the Hyatain antimatter station. All our production was sent there and then some how smuggled off as a routine shipment.”

  “I don’t think the Fleet ever caught on to the operation because it was hidden behind the veil of regulations imposed by the US. It provided the perfect cover, so I funneled some money to make the regulation stick. Then I protested when it was established but went along with it. They really should be paying closer attention, but it seems that at least until now I’ve gotten away with it. It won’t stay that way forever which is why your backup was made when it was. You couldn’t have conceived of the plan at that point. You could pass any truth test to any degree, so you are clear of any charges. You may suffer a little, but hopefully when we get what Sam promised, what ever it is, that will exonerate you.”

  “Here’s a piece of advice. When you get what Sam’s promised, if it’s uncontrolled nanotechnology, keep it close and secret, if the Fleet finds out about it, they’ll mount a war that Mars is not prepared to fight. I’ve also alloated some funding for a classified project to design antimatter powered warships that will rival that of the Fleet. I have operatives placed in the Fleet to acquire as much of the weapons, computer, and ships systems technology as possible. The project should have been ongoing for five years if you are indeed awakened eight years out of date. I do this in preparation for the capability to rapidly produce these ships, which we will need because there will be war.”

  “If, on the other hand, Sam gives us a restoration machine, or the designs for one, you will be responsible for making sure it gets distributed to every nation in the solar system. If we are the only ones with it, the Fleet will come, but if every one has it, the balance of power will shift. Damon Harding and his government will lose their monopoly. Keep it secret. Don’t let anyone know where it came from, but distribute it widely.”

  “I don’t envy you the task you have before you…but get what Sam promised because we’ve paid for it in activity that will surely bring the Fleet and Earth down upon us. Get it and use it to do what we’ve always wanted, to put Mars in her rightful place. It will only cost me eight years; it will cost you a life time. Don’t give up, and I hope you understand why I’ve done what I have. Things need to change here, as the Newbies would undoubtedly agree. Good luck.”

  The image disappeared from Terra’s vision, a ghost from two years in the past and six years in her future. Terra sat down next to the open box and put her hands on her head. It hadn’t been easy to hear, and her head was still reeling from the implications. A hundred or more kilograms of antimatter could give Sam a weapon of mass destruction, a large one. She thought about Sam 6.7 who it seemed had only been around a few weeks. He was trustworthy, and he was a brilliant engineer, but she didn’t know if he was a homicidal maniac. Young Sam didn’t seem to be, but her other version was betting an awful lot of lives on that. She had no doubt Sam could deliver either of the prizes that her other version discussed. But was it worth the risk…her other version had decided for her and done what she didn’t know if she would have.

  But her other version was right. It would bring down the Fleet. And if Damon Harding suspected what she had done, or what Sam may have stolen from the LNRC, he would stop at nothing to keep them from succeeding. It was a very dangerous game Sam 6.7 and her other version were playing. She’d become a player without her consent, and her hand was dealt. She had to find Sam soon.

  Terra had Plato erase the memory card, making sure that everything was wiped irretrievably. She then put the card back in the lock box and closed it with a click, recovering it with the rock. That done, Terra made her way back to the center of the garden and took one last look around. This place is going to need some work when I get back. If I get back, she thought.

  Plato, is Thurman Conrad still working on the Hyatain station?

  UMG records indicate that he is currently on the station, Plato responded after querying the UMG intranet.

  Send a message to Ignus on the Express and let him know we’re going to need his services tomorrow. We’ll be ferried up to Phobos by the afternoon. Terra ordered. Then we’re going to need to get out of here fast. The Fleet was probably already on their tail.

  Message sent, Plato returned.

  Access the UMG Orbit Master’s system and
see if there are any Fleet ships that arrived within twenty four hours of our arrival, Terra instructed. Plato was silent for a moment and then returned.

  The Fleet Ship Powel arrived approximately twelve hours before you. No other ships fit within your window.

  Where did the Powel depart from, and when?

  The Powel departed from Earth within ten minutes of your own departure, Plato informed her.

  It can’t be coincidence that they left just after us and arrived ahead of us. They must have been thrusting hard to beat the Express. she thought. Terra could understand how they would know where the Express was going; it had to file a flight plan. But how could they have been ready to go so quickly unless they knew where the Express was going since they left the apartment. There were only a few explanations, and she didn’t like any of them. Either they were followed and the camouflage wasn’t as good as they had hoped or one of the contacts that set up their covert departure or their people had compromised them. She realized that they were being spied on somehow. Maybe they hadn’t disabled all the bugs with that EMP of Jeff’s. She’d have to check all of them in the morning for any signs of bugs.

  Terra tapped the control on the pedestal to return to natural lighting, and the garden faded away into the darkness. She walked to the ladder and began to climb upward until she returned to the small room and then reentered her bedroom. Still preoccupied, she made her way to the bathroom and had her large bath fill itself with hot water. It’d been a long time since she’d had a bath and right now she needed one. When the tub was full, she slipped in and luxuriated in the hot water and the steam that rolled off its surface.

  It was then that Plato interrupted the silence for an unwelcome announcement, Terra, I have a request for a secure voice link with Ariel Stoneman. Do you want me to accept it?

  Terra considered this for a moment. She imagined that Ariel wasn’t in the best of moods right now, not that even she was in that good of a mood. But she had won and it couldn’t hurt to talk with the woman briefly. Anyway, she would be leaving tomorro. Accept the link, Plato.

  “Oh Terra, glad you’re awake.” Ariel said sarcastically.

  “What do you want, Ariel? It’s been a long day?”

  “I just wanted to congratulate you on winning today,” Ariel offered insincerely.

  “Well, everything just seemed to go my way, and I didn’t encounter any real opposition,” she said, which was true it had all been a matter of timing. Terra could imagine Ariel grimacing; at that, she had expected some physical resistance that had never materialized.

  “You may have won today, but who knows what the future will bring? I’ve been investigating your previous version for a number of years now. Her strange behavior started a few months after your backup was made…isn’t that interesting?”

  “Oh, do go on. This should be most interesting. What are you going to try to pin on me now?” Terra really wasn’t in the mood for this, not tonight, not when she had other things to think about.

  “Oh, well, I certainly couldn’t pin anything on you specifically. After all, you’ve covered your tracks by having your version restored. Your certainly innocent of whatever your other version was up to. But if you knew anything, and if you continue anything that she did, I will find out. And when I know what she was up to, I’ll use it to destroy you both for good.”

  “You’re certainly welcome to try. As far as I know my other version went through some kind of trauma that caused her to see things differently than I would. I don’t know what that trauma might have been, but I’m sure she wasn’t up to anything. As for my version being the one to be restored, that wasn’t my fault as I’m sure you know. This version wasn’t supposed to be restored, and my other version’s hiatus was interrupted when that virus attacked the restoration data center.”

  “It is all rather convenient, don’t you think? That a virus sent by your one time acquaintance, Sam Storm 6.7, destroys your other backups, forcing your version to be restored. What were you up to with Storm, I wonder?”

  “I did know Sam Storm 6.7 once, but that was quite some time ago, I have no idea what happened in the last eight years that would cause him to do something like make that virus. He never seemed that kind of person to me. I hope they catch him.” Terra tried to make it sound like the truth. The link wasn’t hard to see at all and Ariel hadn’t missed it. But she hadn’t done anything or agreed to anything when her backup was made. Her hands were clean of her other versions wrongdoing, at least legally.

  “I don’t believe this innocent routine for a second. You know more than you’re letting on and I will be watching you,” Ariel snipped, her anger slipping through her cool façade.

  “Temper, temper, Ariel. It was always your temper that got you in to trouble. I know you’ll be watching, but as I’ve done nothing, I have nothing to fear. Have a pleasant evening.” She’d had enough of this, and she’d goaded Ariel enough to keep her burning mad for hours. Plato, break the link please. Plato did, and she had silence again. She laid back to relax in her warm tub and try to decide what to do next. Ariel likely wasn’t the only one who’d be watching her. The Powel was probably keeping tabs on them right now.