Where We Go One, We Go All

by Robert Boren

  Nolan nodded. “I agree, Captain. They might be able to turn that adrenalin rush on themselves. Not that we can’t beat them, but they might hurt somebody or do damage to the ship.”

  “That’ll be up to the Chairman. Let’s get back to the bridge. Haney, if you need to leave your post, even for a moment, leave somebody here in your place, with a full suit on. Oh, and have somebody else here when it’s feeding time, too.”

  “Yes sir,” Haney said.

  We walked away.

  Butch, I want the brig kept under surveillance constantly. Don’t care which one of you is doing it, but I want those men watched every second.

  Not a problem, Trey. Consider it done.

  “Telling Butch to surveil them?” Nolan asked.

  “Yep. I don’t like having them on board either, but we might be able to get some info from them. After Vermillion is out of sick bay, I want Dr. Hazelton to do a detailed scan. I want to know how they’re being controlled.”

  Nolan smiled. “So we can develop countermeasures. Too bad we can’t hail the crew on their ship. We could get on the speaker system and say bad things about Simone. They might go crazy and attack each other.”

  “That’s another thing,” I said. “We need a detailed account of Simone’s coup attempt on Devonia Axxiom.”

  We entered the bridge. JJ and Vermillion were there, chatting with Tim and Izzy.

  “Up so soon?” I asked.

  “Once the coma Nanos wear off, they’re gone in a hurry,” JJ said. “How’d it go in the brig?”

  “Oh, that was interesting,” Nolan cracked.

  “Defiant, were they?” Vermillion asked.

  “If you insult Simone, they turn into rabid beasts,” I said. “Wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it. I want to find out how that works. It’s like flipping a switch, and it happened to all four of them.”

  Vermillion got up to pace. “That matches reports I heard about Simone’s forces during the attack on Devonia Axxiom. Her troops have been programmed somehow.”

  “We shouldn’t keep those men around too long,” Nolan said. “They’re dangerous.”

  “We need to chat with Drake about this,” Vermillion said. “JJ and I have been waiting for you. Let’s go to your stateroom and get him on the line.”

  “Yes sir.” I led the way, JJ and the Chairman following me back to the stateroom. We got inside, and I locked the door behind us, then got into the chair and fired up the holographic communicator. The Chairman and JJ sat at the table next to me.

  “A little tighter than your stateroom on the New Jersey,” Vermillion said.

  “It’s cozy,” JJ said.

  I tapped the pad under the chair’s arm, the holographic frame coming up, Drake’s robotic face showing up after a few seconds.

  Ah, Mr. Chairman, so good to see you up and around. How do you feel? None the worse for wear, I hope.

  “I’m good,” Vermillion said. “That was quite an experience. Thanks for sending the team after me.”

  I’m just glad everything worked so well. Did you make contact with our people at the Samson Corp facility?

  “I thought so, via the communicator you sent with me. That’s gone, by the way.”

  “No worries, it was in the facility when we blew it up.”

  “Oh, you blew it?” Vermillion asked. “I was wondering. Did our operatives survive?”

  We don’t know what happened to them, but obviously they were compromised, since the enemy was using the communications system. Somebody had to show them how to use it, and provide the security tokens.

  JJ’s brow furrowed. “Hope they weren’t still there when it blew.”

  Not to be insensitive, but dead is dead, JJ. Doesn’t matter when it happened. I’m glad we restricted the data for that facility. If we hadn’t done that, Simone would know a lot.

  “Simone can alter the behavior of her forces,” I said, describing the behavior of the four captives in the brig.

  That matches accounts our agents passed to us after the failed coup attempt.

  “Do we still have agents on Devonia Axxiom?” I asked.

  A few. We need to find out what happened to the other summit participants. Nobody can raise any of them.

  “Not even the Prime Minister?” Vermillion asked.

  I can no longer reach his aides using the back channel, but he’s apparently been out and around Devonia Axxiom, blaming the explosion on the Samson Corporation.

  Captain, I’m sorry to bother you. Something is going on downstairs.

  “What? Those prisoners didn’t break out, did they?”

  JJ shot me a worried glance.

  It’s Barney. He’s saying there are Clan members on the ship.

  { 2 }

  Adrenal Implants

  V ermillion looked over at me. “Those prisoners have Clan robotics. Did you check their eyes, by any chance?”

  I chuckled. “Those eye bits are hard to see. I tried to see them after we killed the Clan fighters on Valla Cappos. Their eyes looked normal to me.”

  You guys had better get down there. I’ll just leave you with this. It’s long been a theory that the robotic parts installed in Clan members do more than they appear to do. Talk to you soon.

  “Simone is working with the Clan,” JJ said. “The worst of all possible outcomes.”

  He’s gone.

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I saw him leave this time.”

  JJ looked at the empty holographic frame as I shut it down. “I missed it.”

  “Let’s go talk to Barney,” Vermillion said. We got up and left the stateroom, heading for Engineering.

  Deacon met us as we entered. “Heard you were coming. Barney’s pretty upset.”

  “He’s safe,” and we’re pretty sure we know what he’s hearing. Where is he?”

  “In the barracks with Deneuve.”

  “Thanks,” I said, leading the others there. Deneuve was at the door waiting for us.

  “Thanks for coming down, Captain.”

  “Hello, Captain,” Barney said. “Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize,” I said. “This is helpful.”

  Barney’s eyes got wide as he saw Vermillion. “It’s an honor to see you, sir.”

  “Great to see you, Barney,” Vermillion replied. “I’m hearing very good things about you.”

  “Thank you,” Barney said, glancing at Deneuve with a smile on his face.

  “We think we know who you’re hearing,” JJ said.

  “Yes, we’d like to take you there and make sure,” I said. “Don’t worry, they’re locked up, and they can’t hurt any of us.”

  Barney shot a nervous glance at Deneuve, then nodded to us.

  “Okay if I go along, Captain?” Deneuve asked.

  “Of course,” I said, leading them out of the barracks. We got to the bridge in less than a minute, Haney still guarding the door.

  “Something going on, Captain?” he asked. “Oh, hi, Barney.”

  “Hello, Josh.”

  “Open the door,” I said.

  Haney dictated into his PA, and the door clicked. I pulled it open. The men were sleeping, but Frakes stirred when the door opened.

  “There it is,” Barney said. “He’s with the Clan.”

  The other three men woke up, and Barney’s eyes got wide.

  “So are they, Captain. We should kill them before they hurt us.”

  “Yeah, better listen to your pet ape,” Frakes said. “Why don’t you leave? The girl can stay, though. She’d scream quite nicely.”

  JJ laughed.

  I grinned at her, then looked back at the prisoners. “You guys have Clan eye enhancements. Did you know that?”

  “We have eye enhancements, yes,” Renner said, “but they didn’t come from the Clan.”

  “Yes they did, I’d know that sound anywhere,” Barney said. “They’re lucky I don’t have my bow.”
r />   “Simone’s treachery won’t help her situation,” Vermillion said.

  All four men got to their feet, grabbing the bars of their cells. Barney growled.

  “Easy, Barney, they can’t do anything, and you could take them apart anyway,” Deneuve said.

  “Would you like me to?” Barney’s expression was two clicks past scary. JJ and Vermillion shot me a glance. Barney noticed. “They’ve killed people in my family, and now they’re threatening my new family.”

  “Oh, got a breeding program starting?” Frakes said, drool seeping out the corners of his mouth.

  “Yeah, we’re gonna let Barney at Simone,” I cracked. That was enough. The four men went wild, trying to break their way out of their cells. I dictated Varian Two Nanos and the prisoners crumpled onto the ground.

  “That’s the Nano technology, isn’t it?” Barney asked.

  “It is,” I said. “Seen enough, Mr. Chairman?”

  He was silent for a moment, thinking. “It’s possible that Simone reverse-engineered the technology. She might not be allied with the Clan.”

  “We need to study the Clan, to find out if their implants have this feature,” JJ said. “We’ve always suspected there was at least some level of mind-control going on, and their ground troops have a reputation for going crazy during battles, almost as if they were being driven by outside impulses. It’s all conjecture, though. I’ve heard intel folks deny that’s a proven fact.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of the controversy,” Vermillion said.

  “The Clan members who attacked us on Valla Cappos didn’t seem to be out of control to me,” I said. “They operated like modern commandos.”

  “They are savage if they hold an advantage,” Barney said. “They kill for fun. You can see it in their eyes.”

  “The stun lasts for about fifteen minutes, correct?” Vermillion asked.

  “It varies due to size,” I said. “That big moron on the far side came out of it a couple minutes before the others.”

  “Frakes,” Haney said. “I’ve been watching the video feed. Renner seems to be the leader, but he’s obviously scared of Frakes. So are the other two.”

  “Fascinating,” Vermillion said. “They’ve been checked for transmitters, correct?”

  “Of course, sir,” Haney said. “We did that before we loaded them on the Zephyrus.”

  “Good,” Vermillion said. “I don’t want to keep these folks very long, but I would like them to be scanned thoroughly. We might even want to remove the parts from one for inspection.”

  “That’s what I had in mind.”

  Butch, call Doctor Hazelton over here, and have her bring her scanning equipment. We’re going to take a good look at these guys.

  You only have 11.3 minutes until the big one wakes up.

  We’ll wait till they wake up and stun them again.

  “Asking Butch to send the doc?” Vermillion asked.

  “Yes sir. We’ll stun them again before she goes in.”

  “She’s trained,” JJ said, “and she’s wearing a full suit. Even if they woke up, she’d make short work of them.”

  “They’re a danger to Barney,” Deneuve said.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Barney replied. “They can’t beat me one on one, and I just saw you stun them in a split second. I’ll be fine.”

  “How much stronger is Barney than a human?” Vermillion asked.

  “Nearly twice as strong,” Deneuve said. “That creep on the end is pretty big, though, and he’s scary when he’s turned on.”

  Barney smiled. “You haven’t seen me mad yet. Not really.”

  Doctor Hazelton walked up, carrying a pan which held medical equipment. “Phew, those men smell bad.”

  JJ laughed. “I thought it was just me.”

  Doctor Hazelton snickered. “What’s the plan?”

  “When they wake up, we’ll stimulate them so you can see how they react,” I said. “Then we’ll stun them, which will give you just under fifteen minutes to scan one.”

  “Then I’ll lay out my equipment and have it ready to go. A med-scan takes about eight minutes.”

  “Perfect,” I said. We waited until Frakes stirred, sitting up and flashing the bewildered look at us again, as if he didn’t remember where he was. He was back to normal just as the others were stirring.

  “Oh, good, another woman to play with,” he said, eyeing Doctor Hazelton. “She’ll break nicely.”

  Doctor Hazelton laughed. “Oh, he’s a barrel of laughs, isn’t he? Maybe we should let him try to hurt me. I’d even enjoy it.”

  “Wait till they’re all awake before you turn them back on,” JJ said softly.

  “Aw, shucks,” she said.

  Vermillion chuckled. “You’re having way too much fun with our guests.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Chairman,” Doctor Hazelton said.

  Frakes’s eyes got wide. “That’s Chairman Vermillion?”

  I shot him a deadpan look, then turned to Doctor Hazelton. “Do you have procedures available to remove their implants?”

  “I can call them up,” she said, “but from what I’ve heard, there’s no way to get the eye implants out without damaging their eyes beyond repair.”

  “They won’t be needing their sight much longer anyway,” I said.

  “We have laws,” Renner said, standing up. “The Clovis Convention of 2210.”

  I laughed. “Does that cover stunning innocent people to death with their own PAs, I wonder? How about attacking legal business facilities with railguns?”

  All the men were fully awake, so I glanced at Doctor Hazelton. “Ready for the show?”

  “Can’t wait.”

  “Hey, Frakes, Simone is a puss-inflamed carbuncle on the ass of humanity.”

  Frakes got up at his bars, the drool seeping again.

  Vermillion chuckled. “He doesn’t understand what you just said, Captain. Better be a little more direct.”

  “We’re gonna tear Simone limb from limb for what she did to Earth.”

  “I’ll kill you!” shouted Frakes, hitting the bars full force, the others joining him, hissing and snarling, drool running down their chins.

  “That’s a good look,” Doctor Hazelton said. “Want me to stun them?”

  “Be my guest,” I said. We watched as she dictated the command, the Nanos showing on our displays, the prisoners crumpling to the floor.

  “The clock is running,” I said. “Haney, unlock the cell, please.”

  “Which one?” he asked.

  “Let’s do Renner first,” I said.

  The door clicked, and Doctor Hazelton went inside with her equipment, pulling the cell door shut. “Lock it, just in case.”

  Haney nodded, and the door clicked again. She got to work, all of us watching, the timer running in my display.

  “Do they really have something with the Clovis Convention comment?” JJ asked.

  Vermillion looked over at her. “No, these aren’t enemy combatants in a war. They’re criminals. The Overlords have no country, so they aren’t classified as foreign soldiers.”

  “This guy has the eye implants, and there is a match with what we have on file regarding the Clan devices,” Doctor Hazelton said. “They’ve also got two other devices.”

  “Other devices?” Vermillion asked.

  “Yep, one on each adrenal gland. That makes sense, given their behavior.”

  “Do they also match what the Clan is using?” I asked.

  “Yep, there’s a definite match. I don’t know if this is proof that Simone is allied with the Clan, but that’s who supplied the devices. They’ve even got serial numbers.”

  Vermillion got a worried look on his face. “That means they aren’t knock-offs. Simone had to deal with somebody in the Clan to get access to this hardware.”

  The Doctor turned towards me. “Oh, dear, these devices have communications capability. Both send and receive.”

  “Butch?”

  On speaker.
We are aware of their frequencies, and as I said earlier, no transmissions have been sent since they’ve been in custody.

  “Can you stop them if they do transmit?” Vermillion asked.

  Yes, we can stop any type of transmission, but if we just kick these guys out the airlock someplace, it’ll go off like a beacon when we get far enough away. I suggest we remove the devices and smash them in a press, like you did when you found the other Overlords transmitters.

  “Five minutes,” I said. “We need to wrap this up, or we need to be ready to stun them again.”

  “I’ll check another one to make sure he’s the same,” Doctor Hazelton said, Haney unlocking her cell door and opening the next one. She rushed in and did a quick scan, not bothering to close the cell door this time, then grabbed her equipment and left the cell, Haney closing and locking it.

  “Same?” Vermillion asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Let’s go back to your stateroom, Captain,” Vermillion said. “Maybe we can get Drake back on the line.”

  I nodded, then looked over at Barney. “Thank you for the info. You might have saved us, my friend.”

  Barney smiled proudly, Deneuve petting his shoulder.

  We left the brig, Haney locking it up tight as we walked away.

  Butch, can we use the Variant Three Nanos to disable the transmit capability of those Clan devices?

  Excellent question, Trey. I’ll check it out and get back to you.

  Thanks.

  JJ glanced at me, nodding in approval. Vermillion was next to her, asking what we were saying, so she whispered it to him.

  We got to the stateroom, and I fired up the holographic communicator.

  “Shall we put the AIs on speaker, sir?” I asked.

  “Please,” Vermillion said.

  Thank you.

  Yes, thank you. You gonna tell them?

  I’m getting to it. Yes, Trey, it looks like we can use the Variant Three Nanos to destroy devices within a living body. We’d need the power level turned up to maximum.

  “What do those do again?” Vermillion asked.

  “They disable robotics and other mechanisms,” I said. “Normally they just temporarily disable the devices.”

  “Why aren’t the Variant Three always set to destroy?” JJ asked.