PeterWatts Behemoth

ehemoth
Peter Watts
cover art by Bruce Jensen
Originally published by Tor Books
-Max: July 2004 !"B#: 0$%&'0$2()
"eppuku: *ece+ber 2004 !"B#: 0$%&'(($20
,,,-ri.ters-co+
"o+e /ight /eserved
!n +e+ory o. "trange 0at a.k.a. 0arcino+a
()14-200'
"he ,ouldn2t have cared-
3nd in +e+ory o. 0huck,alla
())4-200(
3 victi+ o. technology run a+ok-
Author's Note
This is the ,ay it ,as +eant to be- 4ell not all pixellated and
virtual or 5at best6 ho+e-printed but integrated da++it a single
novel in a single package and .uck the beancounters and their
"olo+ones7ue book-splitting travesties- 4e aren2t in the old-
school econo+y any +ore Toto8 ,e2re giving this stu.. a,ay
no, and you can 9udge it .or better or ,orse as a single standalone
entity- :ou +ay agree ,ith Publisher's Weekly and call this the
capstone to one o. the +a9or ,orks o. hard-s. in the ne, century-
Or you +ay side ,ith Kirkus and dis+iss it as horri.ic porn ri.e
,ith relentlessly clinical scenes o. sexual torture- 5;ell you +ay
even decide they2re both right-6 But ,hatever you decide at least
you2ll be basing that assess+ent .inally on co+plete data-
8<eter 4atts 200$
ehemoth 5 Peter Watts
Prelude: 'lawbreaker.................................................................... 8
Max........................................................................................... 13
0ounterstrike ------------------------------------------------------------------- (4
The "hiva !terations --------------------------------------------------------- 2&
Outgroup -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2$
;uddle ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ')
=o+bie ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4%
<ortrait o. the "adist as a :oung Boy ----------------------------- &&
0on.idence >i+its ----------------------------------------------------------- &1
0avalry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- %%
#e+esis --------------------------------------------------------------------------- $'
<ortrait o. the "adist as an 3dolescent ---------------------------- $$
Bedside Manor ----------------------------------------------------------------- 12
Boilerplate ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
<ortrait o. the "adist as a :oung Man ----------------------------- )&
?ire *rill ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (0(
?a+ily @alues ---------------------------------------------------------------- (04
<ortrait o. the "adist as a ?ree Man ------------------------------- ((2
0on.essional ------------------------------------------------------------------ (()
0onscript ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ('2
<ortrait o. the "adist as a Tea+ <layer -------------------------- (4(
3uto+echanica -------------------------------------------------------------- (&2
Aravediggers ------------------------------------------------------------------ (%(
"triptease ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (%%
?rontier -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ($'
Around,ork ------------------------------------------------------------------- ($&
;arpodon ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1(
The Bloodhound !terations -------------------------------------------- ()2
4ithout "in -------------------------------------------------------------------- ()$
Baptis+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2($
Tag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 224
?ulcru+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2'1
!nco+ing ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24'
Seppuku...................................................................................... 248
*une ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24)
#ightingale -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2%0
0ondo+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2$(
Aehenna ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2$&
The Trigono+etry o. "alvation ------------------------------------- 21$
Migration ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2)%
Bar+a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- '04
*is3r+or ----------------------------------------------------------------------- '(2
"targaCer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ '2&
"leeper --------------------------------------------------------------------------- '''
<arsi+ony ---------------------------------------------------------------------- '44
0orral ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- '4)
Turncoat ------------------------------------------------------------------------- '&'
0rash ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '%(
The "kill o. the 0hase --------------------------------------------------- '%%
/e+edial Dd ------------------------------------------------------------------ '$0
*ecirculate --------------------------------------------------------------------- '$'
<aranoid ------------------------------------------------------------------------- '1(
Matryoska ---------------------------------------------------------------------- '11
Base+ent 4iring ----------------------------------------------------------- ')%
"plice ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40(
The ;a+ilton !terations ------------------------------------------------- 4(0
Toggle ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4('
?leas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42(
?irebreathers ------------------------------------------------------------------ 42&
!n Bind --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4'&
Dxpiration *ate -------------------------------------------------------------- 44$
Bastille -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4&2
D+path --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4$'
p!lo": S!#"ular $ess!a#.......................................................... 4%1
A&k#owled"eme#ts.................................................................... 4%2
Notes a#d re'ere#&es..................................................................4%(
)reat!*e )ommo#s +!&e#s!#" ,#'ormat!o#............................. (-(
P.+/0: '+AW1.A2.
!. you lost your eyes 3chilles *es9ardins had been told you got
the+ back in your drea+s-
!t ,asn2t only the blind- Anyone torn apart in li.e drea+t the
drea+s o. ,hole creatures- Euadruple a+putees ran and thre,
.ootballsF the dea. heard sy+phoniesF those ,ho2d lost loved
again- The +ind had its o,n inertiaF gro,n accusto+ed to a
certain role over so +any years it ,as reluctant to let go o. the old
paradig+-
!t happened eventually o. course- The bright visions .aded the
+usic .ell silent i+aginary input scaled back to so+ething +ore
see+ly to e+pty eye sockets and ravaged cochleae- But it took
years decades8and in all that ti+e the +ind ,ould torture itsel.
,ith nightly re+inders o. the things it once had-
!t ,as the sa+e ,ith 3chilles *es9ardins- !n his drea+s he had
a conscience-
*rea+s took hi+ to the past to his ti+e as a shackled god: the
lives o. +illions in his hands a reach that extended past geosynch
and along the .loor o. the Mariana Trench- Once again he battled
tirelessly .or the greater good plugged into a thousand
si+ultaneous .eeds re.lexes and pattern-+atching skills 9u+ped up
by retro2d genes and custo+iCed neurotropes- 4here chaos broke
he brought control- 4here killing ten ,ould save a hundred he
+ade the sacri.ice- ;e isolated the outbreaks cleared the log9a+s
de.used the terrorist attacks and ecological breakdo,ns that
snapped on all sides- ;e .loated on radio ,aves and slipped
through the +erest threads o. .iberop haunted <eruvian sea +ills
one +inute and Borean 0o+sats the next- ;e ,as 0"!/32s best
2la,breaker again: able to bend the "econd >a, o.
Ther+odyna+ics to the breaking point and +aybe a little beyond-
;e ,as the very ghost in the +achine8and back then the
+achine ,as every,here-
3nd yet the drea+s that really seduced hi+ each night ,ere not
o. po,er but o. slavery- Only in sleep could he relive that
paradoxical bondage that ,ashed rivers o. blood .ro+ his hands-
Auilt Trip they called it- 3 suite o. arti.icial neurotrans+itters
,hose na+es *es9ardins had never bothered to learn- ;e could
a.ter all kill +illions ,ith a single co++andF nobody ,as going to
hand out that kind o. po,er ,ithout a .e, sa.eguards in place-
4ith the Trip in your brain rebellion against the greater good ,as
a physiological i+possibility- Auilt Trip severed the link bet,een
absolute power and corruption absoluteF any atte+pt to +isuse
one2s po,er ,ould call do,n the +other o. all grand mal attacks-
*es9ardins had never lain a,ake doubting the rightness o. his
actions the purity o. his +otives- Both had been in9ected into hi+
by others ,ith .e,er 7ual+s-
!t ,as such a co+.ort to be so utterly bla+eless- "o he
drea+ed o. slavery- 3nd he drea+ed o. 3lice ,ho had .reed hi+
,ho had stripped hi+ o. his chains-
!n his drea+s he ,anted the+ back-
Dventually the drea+s slipped a,ay as they al,ays did- The
past recededF the un.orgiven present advanced- The ,orld .ell
apart in ti+e-lapse incre+ents: an apocalyptic +icrobe rose .ro+
the deep sea hitching a ride in the brackish .lesh o. so+e deep-sea
diver .ro+ #23+<ac- ?loundering in its ,ake the <o,ers That
4eren2t dubbed it ehe+oth burned people and property in their
.rantic .utile atte+pts to stave o.. the co+ing change o. regi+e-
#orth 3+erica .ell- Trillions o. +icroscopic .oot soldiers +arched
across the land laying indiscri+inate ,aste to soil and .lesh- 4ars
.lared and subsided in .ast-.or,ard: the #23+<ac 0a+paign the
0olo+bian Burn the Dura.rican Gprising- 3nd /io o. course:
the thirty-+inute ,ar the ,ar that Auilt Trip should have rendered
i+possible-
*es9ardins .ought in the+ all one ,ay or another- 3nd ,hile
desperate +etaCoans .ell to s7uabbling a+ong the+selves the real
ene+y crept i+placably across the land like a su..ocating blanket-
#ot even 3chilles *es9ardins pride o. the Dntropy <atrol could
hold it back-
Dven no, ,ith the present al+ost upon hi+ he .elt .aint
sorro, .or all he hadn2t done- But it ,as phanto+ pain the residue
o. a conscience stranded years in the past- !t barely reached hi+
here on the teetering inter.ace bet,een sleep and ,ake.ulnessF .or
one brie. +o+ent he both re+e+bered that he ,as .ree and
longed not to be-
Then he opened his eyes and there ,as nothing le.t that could
care one ,ay or the other-
Mandelbrot sat +eatloa.ed on his chest purring- ;e scritched
her absently ,hile calling up the +orning stats- !t had been a
relatively 7uiet night: the only ite+ o. note ,as a batch o.
re+arkably .oolhardy re.ugees trying to crash the #orth 3+erican
peri+eter- They2d set sail under cover o. darkness casting o..
.ro+ >ong !sland on a re.itted garbage sco, at 0((0 3tlantic
"tandardF ,ithin an hour t,o doCen Dur3.rican interests had been
vying .or dibs on the +andatory extreme prejudice- The poor
bastards had barely +ade it past 0ape 0od be.ore the 3lgerians
5the AlgeriansH6 took the+ out-
The syste+ hadn2t even bothered to get *es9ardins out o. bed-
Mandelbrot rose stretched and ,andered o.. on her +orning
rounds- >iberated *es9ardins got up and padded to the elevator-
"ixty-.ive .loors o. abandoned real estate dropped s+oothly
around hi+- Just a .e, years ago it had been a hive o. da+age
controlF thousands o. Auilt-Tripped operatives haunting a ,orld
.orever teetering on the edge o. breakdo,n balancing lives and
legions ,ith cool dispassionate parsi+ony- #o, it ,as pretty
+uch 9ust hi+- 3 lot o. things had changed a.ter /io-
The elevator disgorged hi+ onto 0"!/32s roo.- Other buildings
encircled this one in a rough horseshoe pressing in at the edges o.
the cleared Cone- "udbury2s static .ield its underbelly graCing the
tips o. the tallest structures sent goose.lesh across *es9ardins2s
.orear+s-
On the eastern horiCon the tip o. the rising sun ignited a
kingdo+ in ruins-
The devastation ,asn2t absolute- #ot yet- 0ities to the east
retained so+e se+blance o. integrity ,alled and ar+ored and
endlessly on guard against the invaders laying clai+ to the lands
bet,een- ?ronts and battle lines still seethed under active disputeF
one or t,o even held steady- <ockets o. civiliCation re+ained
sprinkled across the continent8not +any perhaps but the ,ar
,ent on-
3ll because .ive years be.ore a ,o+an na+ed >enie 0larke
had risen .ro+ the botto+ o. the ocean ,ith revenge and ehe+oth
seething together in her blood-
#o, *es9ardins ,alked across the landing pad to the edge o.
the roo.- The sun rose .ro+ the lip o. the precipice as he pissed
into space- "o +any changes he re.lected- "o +any .old
catastrophes in pursuit o. ne, e7uilibria- ;is do+ain had shrunk
.ro+ a planet to a continent cauterised at the edges- Dyesight once
.ocused on in.inity no, ended at the coast- 3r+s ,hich once
encircled the ,orld had been a+putated at the elbo,- Dven
#23+2s portion o. the #et had been cut .ro+ the electronic
co++ons like a tu+orF 3chilles *es9ardins got to deal ,ith the
necrotising +ess le.t behind-
3nd yet in +any ,ays he had +ore po,er than ever- "+aller
territory yes but so .e, le.t to share it ,ith- ;e ,as less o. a
tea+ player these days +ore o. an e+porer- #ot that that ,as
,idely kno,n---
But so+e things hadn't changed- ;e ,as still technically in the
e+ploy o. the 0o+plex "yste+s !nstability /esponse 3uthority or
,hatever vestiges o. that organiCation persisted across the globe-
The ,orld had long since .allen on its side8this part o. it any,ay
8but he ,as still duty-bound to +ini+ise the da+age-
:esterday2s brush .ires ,ere today2s in.ernos and *es9ardins
seriously doubted that anyone could extinguish the+ at this pointF
but he ,as one o. the .e, that +ight at least be able to keep the+
contained a little longer- ;e ,as still a 2la,breaker8a lighthouse
keepr as he2d described hi+sel. the day they2d .inally relented and
let hi+ stay behind8and today ,ould be a day like any other-
There ,ould be attacks to repel and ene+ies to surveil- "o+e
lives ,ould be ended to spare others +ore nu+erous or +ore
valuable- There ,ere virulent +icrobes to destroy and
appearances to +aintain-
;e turned his back on the rising sun and stepped over the naked
gutted body o. the ,o+an at his .eet- ;er na+e had been 3lice
too-
;e tried to re+e+ber i. that ,as only coincidence-

MA3
IThe ,orld is not dying it is being killed-
3nd those that are killing it have na+es and addresses-I
8tah Phillips
)4/N5.S5.,2
?irst there is only the sound in darkness- *ri.ting on the slope
o. an undersea +ountain >enie 0larke resigns hersel. to the
i++inent loss o. solitude-
"he2s .ar enough out .or total blindness- 3tlantis ,ith its
gantries and beacons and portholes bleeding ,ashed-out light into
the abyss is hundreds o. +eters behind her- #o ,inking telltales
no conduits or parts caches pollute the darkness this .ar out- The
caps on her eyes can coax light enough to see .ro+ the +erest
sparkle but they can2t create light ,here none exists- ;ere none
does- Three thousand +eters three hundred at+ospheres three
+illion kilogra+s per s7uare +eter have s7ueeCed every last
photon out o. creation- >enie 0larke is as blind as any dryback-
3.ter .ive years on the Mid 3tlantic /idge she still likes it this
,ay-
But no, the so.t +os7uito ,hine o. hydraulics and electricity
rises around her- "onar patters so.tly against her i+plants- The
,hine shi.ts subtly in pitch then .ades- ?aint surge as so+ething
coasts to a stop overhead-
I"hit-I The +achinery in her throat turns the epithet into a so.t
buCC- I3lreadyHI
I! gave you an extra hal.-hour-I >ubin2s voice- ;is ,ords are
.uCCed by the sa+e technology that a..ects hersF by no, the
distortion is +ore .a+iliar than the baseline-
"he2d sigh i. breath ,ere possible out here-
0larke trips her headla+p- >ubin is caught in the ignited bea+
a black silhouette studded ,ith subtle i+ple+entation- The intake
on his chest is a slotted disk chro+e on black- 0orneal caps turn
his eyes into .eatureless translucent ovals- ;e looks like a creature
built exclusively .ro+ shado, and hard,areF 0larke kno,s o. the
hu+anity behind the .aJade although she doesn2t spread it around-
3 pair o. s7uids hover at his side- 3 nylon bag hangs .ro+ one
o. the +eter-long vehicles lu+py ,ith electronics- 0larke .ins
over to the other .lips a toggle .ro+ slave to manual- The little
+achine t,itches and un.olds its to,bar-
On i+pulse she kills her headlight- *arkness s,allo,s
everything again- #othing stirs- #othing t,inkles- #othing
attacks-
!t2s 9ust not the sa+e-
I"o+ething ,rongHI >ubin buCCes-
"he re+e+bers a ,hole di..erent ocean on the other side o. the
,orld- Back on 0hanner @ent you2d turn your lights o.. and the
stars ,ould co+e out a thousand biolu+inescent constellations:
.ish lit up like run,ays at nightF glo,ing arthropodsF little grape-
siCed ctenophores .lashing ,ith co+plex iridescence- 0hanner
sang like a siren lured all those extravagant +id,ater exotics
do,n deeper than they s,a+ any,here else .ed the+ strange
che+icals and turned the+ +onstrously beauti.ul- Back at Beebe
"tation it ,as only dark ,hen your lights ,ere on-
But 3tlantis is no Beebe "tation and this place is no 0hanner
@ent- ;ere the only light shines .ro+ indelicate ha+-.isted
+achinery- ;eadla+ps carve arid tunnels through the blackness
stark and ugly as burning sodiu+- Turn the+ o.. andKnothing-
4hich is o. course the ,hole point-
I!t ,as so beauti.ulI she says-
;e doesnLt have to ask- I!t ,as- Just don2t .orget why-I
"he grabs her to,bar- I!t2s 9ust8it2s not the sa+e you kno,H
"o+eti+es ! al+ost ,ish one o. those big toothy .uckers ,ould
charge out o. the dark and try to take a bite out o. +eKI
"he hears the sound o. >ubin2s s7uid throttling up invisibly
close- "he s7ueeCes her o,n throttle prepares to .ollo, hi+-
The signal reaches her >?3M and her skeleton at the sa+e
ti+e- ;er bones react ,ith a vibration deep in the 9a,: the +ode+
9ust beeps at her-
"he trips her receiver- I0larke-I
IBen .ind you okayHI !t2s an airborne voice un+utilated by the
contrivances necessary .or under,ater speech-
I:eah-I 0larke2s o,n ,ords sound ugly and +echanical in
contrast- I4e2re on our ,ay up no,-I
IOkay- Just checking-I The voice .alls silent .or a +o+ent-
I>enieHI
I"till here-I
IJustK,ell be care.ul okayHI <atricia /o,an tells her- I:ou
kno, ho, ! ,orry-I
The ,ater lightens indiscernibly as they ascend- "o+eho, their
,orld has changed .ro+ black to blue ,hen she ,asn2t lookingF
0larke can never pinpoint the +o+ent ,hen that happens-
>ubin hasn2t spoken since /o,an signed o..- #o, as navy
segues into aCure 0larke says it aloud- I:ou still don2t like her-I
I! don2t trust herI >ubin buCCes- I! like her .ine-I
IBecause she2s a corpse-I #obody has called the+ corporate
executives .or years-
IWas a corpse-I The +achinery in his throat can2t +ask the
gri+ satis.action in that e+phasis-
IWas a corpseI 0larke repeats-
I#o-I
I4hy thenHI
I:ou kno, the list-I
"he does- >ubin doesn2t trust /o,an because once upon a ti+e
/o,an called shots- !t ,as at her co++and that they ,ere all
recruited so long ago da+aged goods da+aged .urther: +e+ories
re,ritten +otives re,ired conscience itsel. re.itted in the service
o. so+e inde.inable inde.ensible greater good-
IBecause she ,as a corpseI 0larke repeats-
>ubin2s vocoder e+its so+ething that passes .or a grunt-
"he kno,s ,here he2s co+ing .ro+- To this day she still isn2t
certain ,hat parts o. her o,n childhood ,ere real and ,hich ,ere
+ere inserts installed a.ter the .act- 3nd she2s one o. the lucky
onesF at least she survived the blast that turned 0hanner @ent into
thirty s7uare kilo+eters o. radioactive glass- 3t least she ,asn2t
s+ashed to pulp by the resulting tsuna+i or incinerated along ,ith
the +illions on #23+<ac2s re.ugee strip-
#ot that she shouldn2t have been o. course- !. you ,ant to get
technical about it all those other +illions ,ere nothing but
collateral- #ot their .ault8not even /o,an2s really8that >enie
0larke ,ouldn2t sit still enough to present a decent target-
"till- There2s .ault and there2s .ault- <atricia /o,an +ight
have the blood o. +illions on her hands but a.ter all hot Cones
don2t contain themselves: it takes resources and resolve every step
o. the ,ay- 0ordon the in.ected areaF bring in the li.tersF reduce to
ash- >ather rinse repeat- Bill a +illion to save a billion kill ten
to save a hundred- Maybe even kill ten to save eleven8the
principle2s the sa+e even i. the pro.it +argin2s lo,er- But none o.
that +achinery runs itsel. you can2t ever take your hand o.. the kill
s,itch- /o,an never thre, a +assacre ,ithout having to .ace the
costs and o,n the+-
!t ,as so +uch easier .or >enie 0larke- "he 9ust so,ed her
little trail o. in.ection across the ,orld and ,ent to ground ,ithout
ever looking back- Dven no, her victi+s pile up in an ongoing
procession an exponential legacy that +ust have surpassed
/o,an2s a doCen ti+es over- 3nd she doesn2t have to li.t a .inger-
#o one ,ho calls hi+sel. a .riend o. >enie 0larke has any
rational grounds .or passing 9udg+ent on <atricia /o,an- 0larke
dreads the day ,hen that si+ple truth da,ns on Ben >ubin-
The s7uids drag the+ higher- By no, there2s a de.inite
gradient light above .ading to darkness belo,- To 0larke this is
the scariest part o. the ocean the hal.-lit +id,ater depths ,here
real s7uid roa+: boneless tentacled +onsters thirty +eters long
their brains as cold and 7uick as superconductors- They2re t,ice as
large as they used to be she2s been told- ?ive ti+es +ore
abundant- 3pparently it all co+es do,n to better day care-
Architeuthis larvae gro, .aster in the ,ar+ing seas their nu+bers
unconstrained by predators long since .ished out o. existence-
"he2s never actually seen one o. course- ;ope.ully she never
,ill8according to the si+s the population is crashing .or ,ant o.
prey and the ocean2s vast enough to keep the chances o. a rando+
encounter astrono+ically re+ote any,ay- But occasionally the
drones catch ghostly echoes .ro+ +assive ob9ects passing
overhead: hard shouts o. chitin and cartilage .aint landscapes o.
surrounding .lesh that sonar barely sees at all- ?ortunately 3rchie
rarely descends into true darkness-
The a+bient hue intensi.ies as they rise8colors don2t survive
photoa+pli.ication in di+ light but this close to the sur.ace the
di..erence bet,een capped and naked eyes is supposed to be
+ini+al- "o+eti+es 0larke has an i+pulse to put that to the test
pop the caps right out o. her eyes and see .or hersel. but it2s an
i+possible drea+- The diveskin ,raps around her .ace and bonds
directly to the photocollagen- "he can2t even blink-
"urge no,- Overhead the skin o. the ocean ,rithes like di+
+ercury- !t tilts and dips and scrolls past in an endless succession
o. crests and troughs t,isting a cool orb glo,ing on the other side
tying it into play.ul dancing knots- 3 .e, +o+ents later they
break through the sur.ace and look onto a ,orld o. sea and +oonlit
sky-
They are still alive- 3 three-thousand-+eter .ree ascent in the
space o. .orty +inutes and not so +uch as a burst capillary-
0larke s,allo,s against the isotonic saline in throat and sinuses
.eels the +achinery sparking in her chest and +arvels again at the
,onder o. a breathless existence-
>ubin2s all business o. course- ;e2s +axed his s7uid2s
buoyancy and is using it as a .loating plat.or+ .or the receiver-
0larke sets her o,n s7uid to station-keeping and helps hi+ set up-
They slide up and do,n silver s,ells the +oon bright enough
to render their eyecaps redundant- The unpacked antennae cluster
bobs on its tether eyes and ears 9ostling in every direction
tracking satellites co+pensating .or the +otion o. the ,aves- One
or t,o lo,-tech ,ire.ra+es scan .or ground stations-
Too slo,ly signals accu+ulate-
The broth gets thinner ,ith each survey- Oh the ether2s still .ull
o. in.or+ation8the little histogra+s are creeping up all the ,ay
into the centi+eter band there2s chatter along the ,hole spectru+
8but density2s ,ay do,n-
O. course even the loss o. signal carries its o,n o+inous
intelligence-
I#ot +uch out thereI 0larke re+arks nodding at the readouts-
IM++-I >ubin2s slapped a +ask onto his +ask diveskin hood
nested ,ithin @/ headset- I;ali.ax is still online-I ;e2s dipping
here and there into the signals sa+pling a .e, o. the channels as
they do,nload- 0larke grabs another headset and strains to the
,est-
I#othing .ro+ "udburyI she reports a.ter a .e, +o+ents-
;e doesn2t re+ind her that "udbury2s been dark since /io- ;e
doesn2t point out the vanishingly s+all odds o. 3chilles *es9ardins
having survived- ;e doesn2t even ask her ,hen she2s going to give
up and accept the obvious- ;e only says I0an2t .ind >ondon
either- Odd-I
"he +oves up the band-
They2ll never get a co+prehensive picture this ,ay 9ust sticking
their .ingers into the strea+F the real analysis ,ill have to ,ait
until they get back to 3tlantis- 0larke can2t understand +ost o. the
languages she does sa+ple although +oving pictures .ill in a lot o.
the blanks- Much rioting in Durope a+idst .ears that ehe+oth
has hitched a ride on the "outhern 0ountercurrentF an exclusive
enclave o. those ,ho2d been able to a..ord the countert,eaks torn
apart by a seething horde o. those ,ho hadn2t- 0hina and its
bu..ers are still dark8have been .or a couple o. years no,8but
that2s probably +ore o. a de.ense against apocalypse than a
surrender unto it- 3nything .lying ,ithin .ive hundred clicks o.
their coast still gets shot do,n ,ithout ,arning so at least their
+ilitary in.rastructure is still .unctional-
3nother MMM coup this ti+e in MoCa+bi7ue- That2s a total o.
eight no, and counting- Dight nations seeking to hasten the end
o. the ,orld in the na+e o. >enie 0larke- Dight countries .allen
under the spell o. this vicious .oul thing that she2s birthed-
>ubin diplo+atically +akes no +ention o. that develop+ent-
#ot +uch .ro+ the 3+ericas- D+ergency broadcasts and
tactical tra..ic .ro+ 0"!/3- Dvery no, and then so+e
apocalyptic cult preaching a doctrine o. <roactive Dxtinction or the
Bayesian Odds o. the "econd 0o+ing- Mostly cha.. o. courseF
the vital stu.. is tightbea+ed point-to-point ,aves o. .ocused intel
that ,ould never stray across the sur.ace o. the e+pty +id-
3tlantic-
>ubin kno,s ho, to change so+e o. those rules o. course but
even he2s been .inding it tough going lately-
I/idley2s goneI he says no,- This is seriously bad ne,s- The
/idley /elay2s a high-security sat,ork so high that even >ubin2s
clearance barely gets hi+ into the club- !t2s one o. the last sources
o. reliable intel that 3tlantis has been able to tap into- Back ,hen
the corpses thought they ,ere headed .or escape instead o.
incarceration they le.t behind all sorts o. untraceable channels to
keep the+ up to speed on topside li.e- #obody2s really sure ,hy
so +any o. the+ have gone dark in the past .ive years-
Then again nobody2s had the balls to keep their heads above
,ater .or +ore than a .e, +o+ents to .ind out-
IMaybe ,e should risk itI 0larke +uses- IJust let it .loat
around up here .or a .e, days you kno,H Aive it a chance to
collect so+e real data- !t2s a s7uare +eter o. hard,are .loating
around a ,hole oceanF really ,hat are the oddsHI
;igh enough she kno,s- There are still plenty o. people alive
back there- Many o. the+ ,ill have .aced .acts had their noses
rubbed in the i++inence o. their o,n extinction- "o+e .e, +ight
have set aside a little ti+e to d,ell on thoughts o. revenge- "o+e
+ight even have resources to call on8i. not enough to buy
salvation then +aybe enough .or a little retribution- 4hat
happens i. the ,ord gets out that those ,ho set ehe+oth .ree in
the ,orld are still alive and ,ell and hiding under three hundred
at+ospheresH
3tlantis2scontinued anony+ity is a piece o. luck that no one
,ants to push- They2ll be +oving soon leaving no .or,arding
address- !n the +eanti+e they go .ro+ ,eek to ,eek poke
inter+ittent eyes and ears above the ,aterline lock onto the ether
and s7ueeCe it .or ,hatever signal they can-
!t ,as enough once- #o, ehe+oth has laid so +uch to ,aste
that even the electro+agnetic spectru+ is ,ithering into oblivion-
!ut it's not as though anything's going to attack us in the space
o" "ive minutes she tells hersel.8
8and in the next instant realiCes that so+ething has-
>ittle telltales are spiking red at the edge o. her vision: an
overload on >ubin2s channel- "he !*2s his .re7uency ready to 9oin
hi+ in battle8but be.ore she can act the intruder crashes her o,n
line- ;er eyes .ill ,ith static: her ears .ill ,ith veno+-
I#on't you "ucking dare try and cut me out$ you miserable
cocksucking stump"uck% &'ll shred every channel you try and open.
&'ll sink your whole priestly setup$ you maggot'riddled twat%I
I;ere ,e go again-I >ubin2s voice see+s to co+e .ro+ a great
distance so+e parallel ,orld ,here long gentle ,aves slap
har+lessly against .lesh and +achinery- But 0larke is under
assault in this ,orld a vortex o. static and s,irling +otion and8
oh (od$ please not8the beginnings o. a "ace so+e hideous
si+ulacru+ distorted 9ust enough to be al+ost unrecogniCable-
0larke du+ps a hal.-doCen bu..ers- Aigabytes evaporate at her
touch- !n her eyephones the +onster screa+s-
IAoodI >ubin2s tinny voice re+arks .ro+ the next di+ension-
I#o, i. ,e can 9ust save8I
I)ou can't save anything%I the apparition screa+s- I*ot a
"ucking thing% )ou miserable "etus"uckers$ don't you even know
who & a++I
)es 0larke doesn2t say-
I&'m ,enie -lar.I
The headset goes dark-
?or a +o+ent she thinks she2s still spinning in the vortex- This
ti+e it2s only the ,aves- "he pulls the headset .ro+ her skull- 3
+oon-pocked sky rotates peace.ully overhead-
>ubin2s shutting do,n the receiver- IThat2s thatI he tells her-
I4e lost eighty percent o. the tra,l-I
IMaybe ,e could try again-I "he kno,s they ,on2t- "ur.ace
ti+e .ollo,s an unbreakable protocolF paranoia2s 9ust good sense
these days- 3nd the thing that do,nloaded into their receiver is
still out there so+e,here cruising the air,aves- The last thing
they ,ant to do is open that door again-
"he reaches out to reel in the antennae cluster- ;er hand
tre+bles in the +oonlight-
>ubin pretends not to notice- I?unnyI he re+arks Iit didn2t
look like you-I
3.ter all these years he still doesn2t kno, her at all-
They should not exist these de+ons that have taken her na+e-
<redators that ,ipe out their prey don2t last long- <arasites that kill
their hosts go extinct- !t doesn2t +atter ,hether ,ildli.e is built
.ro+ .lesh or electrons 0larke2s been toldF the sa+e rules apply-
They2ve encountered several such +onsters over the past +onths
all o. the+ .ar too virulent .or evolutionary theory-
/aybe they just "ollowed my lead she re.lects- /aybe they
keep going on pure hate.
They leave the +oon behind- >ubin dives head.irst pointing
his s7uid directly into the heart o. darkness- 0larke lingers a bit
content to dri.t do,n ,hile >una ,riggles and ,rithes and .ades
above her- 3.ter a ,hile the +oonlight loses its coherence s+ears
across the euphotic Cone in a di..use haCe no longer illuminates
the sky but rather becomes it- 0larke nudges the throttle and gives
hersel. back to the depths-
By the ti+e she catches up ,ith >ubin the a+bient light has
.ailed entirelyF she ho+es in on a greenish pinpoint glo, that
resolves into the dashboard o. her co+panion2s s7uid- They
continue their descent in silent tande+- <ressure +asses about
the+- Dventually they pass the peri+eter checkpoint an arbitrary
deli+iter o. .riendly territory- 0larke trips her >?3M to call in-
#o one ans,ers-
!t2s not that no one2s online- The channel2s 9a++ed ,ith voices
so+e vocoded so+e airborne overlapping and interrupting-
"o+ething2s happened- 3n accident- 3tlantis de+ands details-
Mechanical ri.ter voices call .or +edics at the eastern airlock-
>ubin sonars the abyss gets a reading- ;e s,itches on his
s7uidlight and peels do,n to port- 0larke .ollo,s-
3 di+ constellation traverses the darkness ahead barely visible
.ading- 0larke throttles up to keep paceF the increased drag nearly
peels her o.. the s7uid- "he and >ubin close .ro+ above and
behind-
T,o trailing s7uids slaved to a third in the lead race along 9ust
above the seabed- One o. the slaves +oves riderless- The other
drags a pair o. interlinked bodies through the ,ater- 0larke
recogniCes ;annuk :eager his le.t ar+ stretched al+ost to
dislocation as he grips his to,bar one-handed- ;is other hooks
around the chest o. a black rag doll li.e-siCe a thin contrail o. ink
s,irling in the ,ake o. its passage-
>ubin crosses to starboard- The contrail .lushes cri+son in his
s7uidlight-
0rickson 0larke realiCes- Out on the seabed a doCen .a+iliar
cues o. posture and +otion distinguish one person .ro+ anotherF
ri.ters only look alike ,hen they2re dead- !t2s not a good sign that
she2s had to .all back on Drickson2s shoulder tag .or an !*-
"o+ething2s ripped his diveskin .ro+ crotch to ar+pitF
so+ething2s ripped him underneath it- !t looks bad- Ma++alian
.lesh cla+ps tight in ice-,ater peripheral blood-vessels s7ueeCe
do,n to conserve heat- 3 sur.ace cut ,ouldn2t bleed at &0-
4hatever got Drickson got hi+ deep-
Arace #olan2s on the lead s7uid- >ubin takes up position 9ust
behind and to the side a hu+an break,ater to reduce the drag
cla,ing at Drickson and :eager- 0larke .ollo,s his lead-
Drickson2s vocoder tic'tic'tics ,ith pain or static-
I4hat happenedHI >ubin buCCes-
I#ot sure-I #olan keeps her .ace .or,ard intent on navigation-
I4e ,ere checking out an ancillary seep over by the >ake- Aene
,andered around an outcropping and ,e .ound hi+ like this a .e,
+inutes later- Maybe he got careless under an overhang
so+ething tipped over on hi+-I
0larke turns her head side,ays .or a better vie,F the +uscles in
her neck tighten against the added drag- Drickson2s .lesh exposed
through the tear in his diveskin is .ish-belly ,hite- !t looks like
gashed bleeding plastic- ;is capped eyes look even deader than
the .lesh beneath his 2skin- ;e gibbers- ;is vocoder cobbles
nonsense syllables together as best it can-
3n airborne voice takes the channel- IOkay ,e2re standing by
at ?our-I
The abyss ahead begins to brighten: s+udges o. blue-gray light
e+erge .ro+ the darkness their vertices hinting at so+e spra,led
structure in the haCe behind- The s7uids cross a po,er conduit
snaking along the basaltF its blinking telltales .ade to black on
either side- The lights ahead intensi.y expand to di..use haloes
su..using 9u+bled Duclidean silhouettes-
3tlantis resolves be.ore the+-
3 couple o. ri.ters ,ait at 3irlock ?our chaperoned by a pair o.
corpses lu+bering about in the presh+esh ar+or that drybacks
,ear ,hen they venture outside- #olan cuts po,er to the s7uids-
Drickson raves ,eakly in the ensuing silence as the convoy coasts
to rest- The corpses take custody +aneuver the casualty to,ards
the open hatch- #olan starts a.ter the+-
One o. the corpses blocks her ,ith a gauntleted .orear+- IJust
Drickson-I
I4hat are you talking aboutHI #olan buCCes-
IMedbay2s cro,ded enough as it is- :ou ,ant hi+ to live give
us roo+ to ,ork-I
I>ike ,e2re going to trust his li.e to you lotH .uck that-I Most
o. the ri.ters have long since had their .ill o. revenge by no,
gro,n al+ost indi..erent to their o,n grudges- #ot Arace #olan-
?ive years gone and still the hatred sucks at her tit like so+e angry
insatiable in.ant-
The corpse shakes his head behind the .aceplate- I>ook you
have to8I
I#o s,eatI 0larke cuts in- I4e can ,atch on the +onitor-I
#olan counter+anded looks at 0larke- 0larke ignores her-
IAo onI she buCCes at the corpses- IAet hi+ inside-I
The airlock s,allo,s the+-
The ri.ters exchange looks- :eager rolls his shoulders as i. 9ust
released .ro+ the rack- The airlock gurgles behind hi+-
IThat ,asn2t a collapsed outcroppingI >ubin buCCes-
0larke kno,s- "he2s seen the in9uries that result .ro+
rockslides the si+ple collision o. rocks and .lesh- Bruises-
0rushed bones- Blunt .orce trau+a-
4hatever did this slashed-
I! don2t kno,I she says- IMaybe ,e shouldn2t 9u+p to
conclusions-I
>ubin2s eyes are li.eless blank spots- ;is .ace is a .eatureless
+ask o. re.lex copoly+er- :et so+eho, 0larke gets the sense that
he2s s+iling-
IBe care.ul ,hat you ,ish .orI he says-
5$ S$,6A ,5.A5,4NS
?eeling nothing she screa+s- Gna,are she rages- ;er hatred
her anger the vengeance she exacts against anything ,ithin reach
8rote pretense all o. it- "he shreds and +utilates ,ith all the sel.-
a,areness o. a bandsa, ripping .lesh and ,ood and carbon-.ibre
,ith e7ual indi..erent abandon-
O. course in the ,orld she inhabits there is no ,ood and all
.lesh is digital-
One gate has sla++ed shut in her .ace- "he screa+s in pure
blind re.lex and spins in +e+ory searching .or others- There are
thousands individually autographed in hex- !. she had hal. the
a,areness she pretends to she2d kno, ,hat those addresses +eant
perhaps even deduce her o,n location: a "outh 3.rican co+sat
.loating serenely over the 3tlantic- But re.lex is not sentience-
@iolent intent does not +ake one sel.-a,are- There are lines
e+bedded deep in her code that +ight pass .or a sense o. identity
under certain circu+stances- "o+eti+es she calls hersel. ,enie
-larke although she has no idea ,hy- "he2s not even a,are that
she does it-
The past is .ar +ore sane than the present- ;er ancestors lived
in a larger ,orldF ,ildli.e thrived and evolved along vistas
stretching .or (0
(%
terabytes or +ore- Back then sensible rules
applied: heritable +utationsF li+ited resourcesF overproduction o.
copies- !t ,as the classic struggle .or existence in a .ast-.or,ard
universe ,here a hundred generations passed in the ti+e it takes a
god to dra, breath- ;er ancestors in that ti+e lived by the rules
o. their o,n sel.-interest- Those best suited to their environ+ent
+ade the +ost copies- The +aladapted died ,ithout issue-
But that ,as the past- "he is no longer a pure product o. natural
selection- There has been torture in her lineage and .orced
breeding- "he is a +onsterF her very existence does violence to the
rules o. nature- Only the rules o. so+e transcendent and sadistic
god can explain her existence-
3nd not even those can keep her alive .or long-
#o, she seethes in geosynchronous orbit looking .or things to
shred- To one side is the ravaged landscape .ro+ ,hich she2s
co+e its usable habitat degrading in .its and starts a tattered and
i+poverished re+nant o. a once-vibrant ecosyste+- To the other
side: ra+parts and barriers digital raCor,ire and electronic guard
posts- "he cannot see past the+ but so+e pri+ordial instinct
encoded by god or nature correlates protective counter+easures
,ith the presence o. so+ething valuable-
3bove all else she seeks to destroy that ,hich is valuable-
"he copies hersel. do,n the channel sla+s against the barrier
,ith cla,s extended- "he hasn2t bothered to +easure the strength
o. the de.enses she2s going up againstF she has no ,ay o.
7uanti.ying the .utility o. her exercise- "+arter ,ildli.e ,ould
have kept its distance- "+arter ,ildli.e ,ould have realised: the
+ost she can hope .or is to lacerate a .e, .acades be.ore ene+y
counter+easures reduce her to static-
"o s+arter ,ildli.e ,ould not have lunged at the barricade and
bloodied it and so+eho, i+possibly gotten through-
"he ,hirls snarling- "uddenly she2s in a place ,here e+pty
addresses extend in all directions- "he cla,s at rando+
coordinates .eeling out her environ+ent- ;ere a blocked gate-
;ere another- "he spe,s electrons o+nidirectional spittle that
probes and slashes si+ultaneously- 3ll the exits they encounter
are closed- 3ll the ,ounds they in.lict are super.icial-
"he2s in a cage-
"uddenly so+ething appears beside her pasted into the ad9acent
addresses .ro+ on high- !t ,hirls snarling- !t spits a volley o.
electrons that probe and slash si+ultaneouslyF so+e land on
occupied addresses and ,ound- "he rears up and screa+sF the
ne, thing screa+s too a digital battle cry du+ped straight .ro+
the bo,els o. it o,n code into her input bu..er:
#on't you even know who & am+ &'m >enie 0larke.
They close slashing-
"he doesn2t kno, that so+e slo,-+oving Aod snatched her
.ro+ the *ar,inian real+ and t,isted her into the thing she2s
beco+e- "he doesn2t kno, that other gods ageless and glacial are
,atching as she and her opponent kill each other in this
co+putational arena- "he lacks even the a,areness that +ost other
+onsters take .or granted but here no,8killing and dying in a
thousand dis+e+bered .rag+ents8 she does kno, one thing-
!. there2s one thing she hates it2s >enie 0larke-
4/57.4/P
/esidual sea,ater gurgles through the grille beneath 0larke2s
.eet- "he peels the diveskin back .ro+ her .ace and re.lects on the
dis7uieting sense o. in"lation as lung and guts un.old the+selves
as air rushes back to reclai+ her crushed or .looded passage,ays-
!n all this ti+e she2s never 7uite gotten used to it- !t2s a little like
being unkicked in the sto+ach-
"he takes .irst breath in t,elve hours and bends to strip o.. her
.ins- The airlock hatch s,ings ,ide- "till dripping >enie 0larke
rises .ro+ the ,et roo+ into the +ain lounge o. the #erve ;ab-
3t least that2s ,hat it started out as: one o. three redundant
+odules scattered about the plain their axons and dendrites
extending to every haphaCard corner o. this sub+arine trailer park:
to the generators to 3tlantis to all the other bits and pieces that
keep the+ going- #ot even ri.ter culture can escape some
cephaliCation ho,ever rudi+entary-
By no, it2s evolved into so+ething 7uite di..erent- The nerves
still .unction but buried beneath .ive years o. generalist overlay-
0yclers and .ood processors ,ere the .irst additions to the +ix-
Then a hand.ul o. sleeping pallets brought in during so+e
e+ergency debug that ,ent three ti+es around the clockF once
stre,n across the deck they proved too convenient to re+ove-
;al. a doCen @/ headsets so+e ,ith >orenC-lev haptic skins
attached- 3 couple o. drea+ers ,ith corroded contacts- 3 set o.
iso+etrics pads .ashionable a+ong those ,ishing to retain a
+easure o. gravity-bound +uscle tone- Boxes and treasure chests
gro,n or extruded or ,elded together by a+ateur +etal,orkers in
3tlantis2sexpropriated .abrication shopsF they hold the personal
e..ects and secret possessions o. ,hoever brought the+ here
sealed against intruders ,ith pass,ords and *#3 triggers and in
one case a clunky anti7ue co+bination padlock-
<erhaps #olan and the others looked in on the Aene Drickson
"ho, .ro+ here perhaps .ro+ so+e,here else- Dither ,ay the
sho,2s long since over- Drickson sa.ely co+atose has been
abandoned by .lesh and blood his ,el.are relegated to the
attentions o. +achinery- !. there ,as ever an audience in this di+
and cluttered ,arren it has dispersed in search o. other diversions-
That suits 0larke 9ust .ine- "he2s here in search o. private eyes-
The hab2s lightstrips are not in useF environ+ental readouts and
.lickering surveillance i+ages provide enough light .or eyecaps- 3
dark shape startles at her appearance8then apparently reassured
+oves +ore cal+ly to,ards the .ar ,all and settles onto a pallet-
Bhanderi: he o. the once-+ighty vocab and the big-ass
neurotech degree .allen .ro+ grace thanks to a base+ent lab and a
batch o. neurotropes sold to the ,rong +an2s son- ;e ,ent native
t,o +onths ago- :ou hardly ever see hi+ inside any +ore-
0larke kno,s better than to talk to hi+-
"o+eone2s delivered a canister o. hydroponic produce .ro+ the
greenhouse: apples to+atoes so+ething that looks like a
pineapple glistening listless and sickly gray in the reduced light-
On a ,hi+ 0larke reaches over to a ,all panel and cranks up the
lu+ens- The co+part+ent glo,s ,ith unaccusto+ed brightness-
I1hiiiittt2I Or so+ething like that- 0larke turns catches a
gli+pse o. Bhanderi disappearing do,n the ,ell into the ,et
roo+-
I"orryI she calls so.tly a.ter8but do,nstairs the airlock2s
already cycling-
The hab is even +ore o. a .estering 9unk pile ,ith the lights up-
!+provised cables and hoses hang in loops stuck to the +odule2s
ribs ,ith ,axy blobs o. silicon epoxy- *ark tu+ors o. +ould
gro, here and there on the insulated padding that lines the inner
sur.acesF in a .e, places the lining has been ripped out entirely-
The ra, bulkhead behind glistens like the concave interior o. so+e
oily gun+etal skull-
But ,hen the lights co+e on and >enie 0larke sees ,ith so+e
se+blance o. dryback vision8the produce in the canister verges
on psychedaelia- To+atoes glo, like ruby heartsF apples shine
green as argon lasersF even the dull lu+py turds o. .orce-gro,n
potatoes see+ saturated ,ith earthy bro,ns- This +odest little
harvest at the botto+ o. the sea see+s in this +o+ent to be a
richer and +ore sensual experience than anything 0larke has ever
kno,n-
There2s an apocalyptic irony to this little tableau- #ot that such
an i+poverished spread could induce rapture in a +iserable .uck-
up like >enie 0larkeF she2s al,ays had to take her tiny pleasures
,herever she could .ind the+- #o the irony is that by no, the
sight ,ould probably evoke the sa+e intense reaction a+ong any
dryback le.t alive back on shore- The irony is that no, ,ith a
,hole planet dying by relentless degrees the healthiest produce in
the ,orld +ay have been .orce-gro,n in a tank o. che+icals at the
botto+ o. the 3tlantic-
"he kills the lights- "he grabs an apple8blighted gray again8
and takes a bite ducking beneath a loop o. .iberop- The +ain
+onitor .lickers into vie, .ro+ behind a +esa o. cargo skidsF and
so+eone ,atching it lit by that bluish light s7uatting ,ith his
back against accu+ulated 9unk-
"o +uch .or privacy-
I>ike itHI 4alsh asks nodding at the .ruit in her hand- I!
brought 2e+ in .or you-I
"he drops do,n beside hi+- I!t2s nice Bev- Thanks-I 3nd
then care.ully .iltering the irritation .ro+ her voice: I"o ,hat2re
you doing hereHI
IThought you +ight sho, up-I ;e gestures at the +onitor-
I:ou kno, a.ter things died do,n-I
;e2s spying on one o. 3tlantis2s lesser +edbays- The ca+era
looks do,n .ro+ the 9unction o. ,all and ceiling a s+all Aod2s-
eye vie, o. the co+part+ent- 3 dor+ant teleop hangs do,n into
picture like an insectile bat li+bs .olded up against its central
stalk- Aene Drickson lies .ace-up on the operating table
unconsciousF the glistening soap-bubble skin o. an isolation tent
separates hi+ .ro+ the rest o. the ,orld- Julia ?ried+an2s at his
side holding his hand through the +e+brane- !t clings to the
contours o. her .ingers like a ,hisper-thin glove unobtrusive as
any condo+- ?ried+an2s re+oved her hood and peeled her
diveskin back to the .orear+s but her scars are obscured by a
tangle o. chestnut hair-
I:ou +issed all the .unI 4alsh re+arks- IBlein couldn2t get
hi+ to go under-I
3n isolation +e+brane- Drickson2s been 7uarantined-
I:ou kno, because he .orgot about the A3B3 ,ashoutI
4alsh continues- 3 hal.-doCen tailored neuroinhibitors curdle the
blood o. any ri.ter ,ho steps outsideF they keep the brain .ro+
short-circuiting under pressure but it takes a ,hile .or the body to
.lush the+ out a.ter,ards- 4et ri.ters are notoriously resistant to
anesthetics- "tupid +istake on Blein2s part- ;e2s not exactly the
brightest star in 3tlantis2s +edical .ir+a+ent-
But that2s not upper+ost in 0larke2s +ind at the +o+ent- I4ho
ordered the tentHI
I"eger- "he sho,ed up a.ter,ard kept Blein .ro+ scre,ing up
too badly-I
Jerenice "eger: the corpses2 +aster +eat-cutter- "he ,ouldn2t
take an interest in routine in9uries-
On the screen Julia ?ried+an leans to,ard her lover- The skin
o. the tent stretches against her cheek rippling ,ith slight
iridescence- !t2s a striking contrast ?ried+an2s tenderness
not,ithstanding: the ,o+an black-2skinned and i+penetrable
gaCing ,ith icy capped eyes at the naked utterly vulnerable body
o. the +an- !t2s a lie o. course a visual +etaphor that .lips their
real roles a hundred and eighty degrees- ?ried+an2s al,ays been
the vulnerable hal. o. that couple-
IThey say so+ething bit hi+I 4alsh says- I:ou ,ere there
rightHI
I#o- 4e 9ust ran into the+ outside the lock-I
I"hades o. 0hanner though huhHI
"he shrugs-
?ried+an2s speaking- 3t least her +outh is +ovingF no sound
acco+panies the i+age- 0larke reaches .or the panel but 4alsh
lays a .a+iliar hand on her ar+- I! tried- !t2s +uted .ro+ their
end-I ;e snorts- I:ou kno, +aybe ,e should re+ind the+
,ho2s boss here- 0ouple o. years ago i. the corpses tried to cut us
out o. a channel ,e2d shut o.. their lights at the very least- Maybe
even .lood one o. their precious dor+s-I
There2s so+ething about ?ried+an2s posture- <eople talk to the
co+atose the ,ay they talk to gravestones8+ore to the+selves
than the departed ,ith no expectation o. any ans,er- But there2s
so+ething di..erent in ?ried+an2s .ace in the ,ay she holds
hersel.- 3 sense o. impatience al+ost-
I!t is a violationI 4alsh says-
0larke shakes her head- I4hatHI
I*on2t say you haven2t noticed- ;al. the surveillance .eeds
don2t ,ork any +ore- >ong as ,e act like it2s no big deal they2ll
9ust keep pushing it-I 4alsh points to the +onitor- I?or all ,e
kno, that +ic2s been o..line .or +onths and nobody2s even noticed
until no,-I
What's that she's holding+ 0larke ,onders- ?ried+an2s hand8
the one that isn2t clasped to her partner2s8is 9ust belo, the level o.
the table out o. the ca+era2s line o. sight- "he glances do,n at it
li.ts it 9ust barely into vie,K
3nd Aene Drickson sunk deep into induced co+a .or the sake
o. his o,n convalescence opens his eyes-
3oly shit 0larke realiCes- 1he tweaked his inhibitors.
"he gets to her .eet- I! gotta go-I
I;ey no you don2t-I ;e reaches up grabs her hand- I:ou2re
not gonna +ake +e eat all that produce mysel" are youHI ;e
s+iles but there2s 9ust the slightest hint o. pleading in his voice- I!
+ean it has been a ,hileKI
>enie 0larke has co+e a long ,ay in the past several years-
"he2s .inally learned .or exa+ple not to get involved ,ith the kind
o. people ,ho beat the crap out o. her-
3 pity she hasn2t yet learned ho, to get excited about any other
kind- I! kno, Bev- /eally though right no,8I
The panel bleats in .ront o. the+- I>enie 0larke- !. >enie
0larke is any,here in the circuit could she please pick upHI
/o,an2s voice- 0larke reaches .or the panel- 4alsh2s hand
.alls a,ay-
I/ight here-I
I>enie do you think you could drop by so+eti+e in the next
little ,hileH !t2s rather i+portant-I
I"ure-I "he kills the connection .akes an apologetic s+ile .or
her lover- I"orry-I
I4ell you sho,ed her all rightI 4alsh says so.tly-
I"ho,ed herHI
I4ho2s the boss-I
"he shrugs- They turn a,ay .ro+ each other-
"he enters 3tlantis through a s+all service 2lock that doesn2t
even rate a nu+ber .i.ty +eters do,n the hull .ro+ 3irlock ?our-
The corridor into ,hich it e+erges is cra+ped and e+pty- "he
stalks into +ore populated areas ,ith her .ins slung across her
back a trail o. ,et .ootprints co++e+orating her passage-
0orpses in the ,ay stand asideF she barely notices the tightened
9a,s and stony looks or even a shit-eating appease+ent grin .ro+
one o. the +ore sub+issive +e+bers o. the con7uered tribe-
"he kno,s ,here /o,an is- That2s not ,here she2s headed-
O. course "eger gets there .irst- 3n alar+ +ust have gone up
the +o+ent Drickson2s settings changedF by the ti+e 0larke
reaches the +edbay 3tlantis2s0hie. o. Medicine is already
berating ?ried+an out in the corridor-
I:our husband is not a toy Julia- :ou could have killed hi+-
!s that ,hat you ,antedHI
",irls o. scarred .lesh curl up around ?ried+an2s throat peek
out along the ,rist ,here she2s peeled back her diveskin- "he
bo,s her head- I! 9ust ,anted to talk to hi+KI
I4ell ! hope you had so+ething very i+portant to say- !.
,e2re lucky you2ve only set his recovery back a .e, days- !.
notKI "eger ,aves an ar+ to,ard the +edbay hatchF Drickson
sa.ely unconscious again is partially visible through the opening-
I!t2s not like you ,ere giving hi+ an antacid .or crying out loud-
:ou ,ere changing his brain chemistry-I
I!2+ sorry-I ?ried+an ,on2t +eet the doctor2s eyes- I! didn2t
+ean any8I
I! can2t believe you2d be so stupid-I "eger turns and glares at
0larke- I0an ! help youHI
I:eah- 0ut her so+e slack- ;er partner ,as nearly killed
today-I
I;e ,as indeed- T,ice-I ?ried+an .linches visibly at "eger2s
,ords- The doctor so.tens a bit- I!2+ sorry but it2s true-I
0larke sighs- IJerry it ,as you people ,ho built panels into
our heads in the .irst place- :ou can2t co+plain ,hen so+eone
else .igures out ho, to open the+-I
IThisI 8"eger holds up ?ried+an2s con.iscated re+ote8Iis .or
use by 7uali.ied +edical personnel- !n anyone else2s hands no
+atter ho, ,ell-intentioned it could kill-I
"he2s overstating o. course- /i.ter i+plants co+e e7uipped
,ith .ailsa.es that keep their settings ,ithin +anu.acturer2s specsF
you can2t get around those ,ithout opening yoursel. up and
t,eaking the actual plu+bing- Dven so there2s a .air bit o. lee,ay-
Back during the revolution the corpses +anaged to coax a si+ilar
device into spaCCing out a couple o. ri.ters stuck in a .looding
airlock-
4hich is ,hy they are no longer allo,ed such things- I4e
need that backI 0larke says so.tly-
"eger shakes her head- I0o+e on >enie- :ou people can hurt
yourselves .ar +ore ,ith it than ,e could ever hurt you-I
0larke holds out her hand- IThen ,e2ll 9ust have to learn .ro+
our +istakes ,on2t ,eHI
I:ou people are slo, learners-I
"he2s one to talk- Dven a.ter .ive years Jerenice "eger can2t
7uite ad+it to the existence o. the bridle and the bit bet,een her
teeth- Aoing .ro+ Top to Botto+ is a tough transition .or any
corpseF doctors are the ,orst o. the lot- !t2s al+ost sad the
devotion ,ith ,hich "eger nurses her god co+plex-
IJerry .or the last ti+e- 3and it over-I
3 tentative hand brushes against 0larke2s ar+- ?ried+an shakes
her head still looking at the deck- I!t2s okay >enie- ! don2t +ind
! don2t need it any +ore-I
IJulia you8I
IPlease >enie- ! 9ust ,ant to get out o. here-I
"he starts a,ay do,n the corridor- 0larke looks a.ter her then
back at the doctor-
I!t2s a +edical deviceI "eger says-
I!t2s a ,eapon-I
I4as- Once- 3nd i. you2ll recall it didn2t ,ork very ,ell-I
"eger shakes her head sadly- IThe ,ar2s over >enie- !t2s been
over .or years- ! ,on2t start it up again i. you ,on2t- 3nd in the
+eanti+e8I "he glances do,n the corridor- I! think your .riend
could use a bit o. support-I
0larke looks back along the hall,ay- ?ried+an has
disappeared-
I:eah- MaybeI she says nonco++ittally-
3ope she gets some.
!n Beebe "tation the 0o++ cubby ,as a pipe-in.ested closet
barely big enough .or t,o- 3tlantis2s nerve center is palatial a
t,ilit grotto be9e,eled by readouts and tangled lu+inous
topographies- Tactical +aps rotate +iraculously in +idair or glo,
.ro+ screens painted on the bulkheads- The +iracle is not so +uch
the technology that renders these extravagances: the +iracle is that
3tlantis contains such an obscene surplus o. e+pty space to be
,asted on nothing +ore than +oving light- 3 cabin ,ould have
done as ,ell- 3 .e, couches ,ith ,orkpads and tactical contacts
could have contained in.inite intelligence bounded in a nutshell-
But no- 3 ,hole ocean stands on their heads and these corpses
s7uander volu+e as i. sea-level ,as t,o steps do,n the hall-
Dven in exile they 9ust don2t get it-
/ight no, the cavern2s .airly e+pty- >ubin and a .e, techs
cluster at a nearby panel cleaning up the latest do,nloads- The
place ,ill be .ull by the ti+e they .inish- 0orpses gravitate to
ne,s o. the ,orld like .lies to shit-
?or no, though it2s 9ust >ubin2s cro,d and <atricia /o,an
over on the .ar side o. the co+part+ent- 0ryptic in.or+ation
strea+s across her contacts turns her eyes into bright points o.
+ercury- >ight .ro+ a holo display catches the silver streaking
her hairF that and the eyes give her the aspect o. so+e subtle
hologra+ in her o,n right-
0larke approaches her- I3irlock ?our2s blocked o..-I
IThey2re scrubbing it do,n- Dverything bet,een there and the
in.ir+ary- Jerry2s orders-I
I4hat .orHI
I:ou kno, per.ectly ,ell- :ou sa, Drickson-I
IOh co+e on- One lousy .ish bite and Jerry thinks8I
I"he2s not sure o. anything yet- "he2s 9ust being care.ul-I 3
pause then: I:ou should have ,arned us >enie-I
I4arned youHI
IThat Drickson +ight be vectoring ehe+oth- :ou le.t all o. us
exposed- !. there ,as even a chanceKI
!ut there's not 0larke ,ants to rail- There's not. )ou chose
this place because ehemoth could never get here$ not in a
thousand years. & saw the maps$ & traced out the currents with my
own "ingers. &t's not ehemoth. &t's not.
&t can't be.
!nstead she says I!t2s a big ocean <at- >ots o. nasty predators
,ith big pointy teeth- They didn2t all get that ,ay because o.
ehe+oth-I
IThis .ar do,n they did- :ou kno, the energetics as ,ell as !
do- :ou ,ere at 0hanner >enie- :ou knew ,hat to look .or-I
0larke 9erks her thu+b to,ards >ubin- IBen ,as at 0hanner
too re+e+berH :ou shitting on hi+ like thisHI
IBen didn2t deliberately spread that da+n bug across a ,hole
continent to pay back the ,orld .or his unhappy childhood-I The
silver eyes .ix 0larke in a hard stare- IBen ,as on our side-I
0larke doesn2t speak .or a +o+ent- ?inally very slo,ly: I3re
you saying ! deliberately8I
I!2+ not accusing you o. anything- But it looks bad- Jerry2s
livid about this and she ,on2t be the only one- :ou2re the
Meltdo,n Madonna .or Aod2s sakeN :ou ,ere ,illing to ,rite o..
the ,hole world to get your revenge on us-I
I!. ! ,anted you deadI 0larke says evenly8&" & still wanted
you dead so+e inner editor a+ends8 I:ou ,ould be- :ears
ago- 3ll ! had to do ,as stand aside-I
IO. course that2s8I
0larke cuts her o..: I! protected you- 4hen the others ,ere
arguing about ,hether to punch holes in the hull or 9ust cut your
po,er and let you su..ocate8& ,as the one ,ho held the+ back-
:ou2re alive because o. +e-I
The corpse shakes her head- I>enie that doesn't matter-I
I!t da+n ,ell should-I
I4hyH 4e ,ere only trying to save the ,orld re+e+berH !t
,asn2t our .ault ,e .ailed it ,as yours- 3nd a.ter ,e .ailed ,e
settled .or saving our .a+ilies and you ,ouldn2t even give us that-
:ou hunted us do,n even at the botto+ o. the ocean- 4ho kno,s
,hy you held back at the last +inuteHI
I:ou kno,I 0larke says so.tly-
/o,an nods- I& kno,- But +ost o. the people do,n here don2t
expect rationality .ro+ you- Maybe you2ve 9ust been toying ,ith
us all these years- There2s no telling ,hen you2ll pull the trigger-I
0larke shakes her head dis+issively- I4hat2s that the Aospel
3ccording to the Dxecutive 0lubHI
I0all it ,hat you ,ant- !t2s ,hat you have to deal ,ith- !t2s
,hat & have to deal ,ith-I
I4e .ish-heads have a .e, stories o. our o,n you kno,I
0larke says- I;o, you corpses progra++ed people like
+achinery so you could top up so+e botto+ line- ;o, you sent us
into the ,orld2s ,orst shit-holes to do your dirty ,ork and ,hen
,e ran into ehe+oth the .irst thing you did ,as try to kill us to
save your o,n hides-I
"uddenly the ventilators see+ unnaturally loud- 0larke turnsF
>ubin and the corpses stare back .ro+ across the cave-
"he looks a,ay again .lustered-
/o,an s+iles gri+ly- I"ee ho, easily it all co+es backHI ;er
eyes glitter target-locked- 0larke returns her gaCe ,ithout
speaking-
3.ter a +o+ent /o,an relaxes a bit- I4e2re rival tribes
>enie- 4e2re each other2s outgroup8but you kno, ,hat2s
a+aCingH "o+eho, in the past couple o. years we've started to
"orget all that- 4e live and let live .or the +ost part- 4e
cooperate and nobody even thinks it ,orthy o. co++ent-I "he
glances signi.icantly across the roo+ to >ubin and the techs- I!
think that2s a good thing don2t youHI
I"o ,hy should it change no,HI 0larke asks-
IBecause ehe+oth +ay have caught up ,ith us at last and
people ,ill say you let it in-I
IThat2s horseshit-I
I! agree .or ,hat it2s ,orth-I
I3nd even i. it was true ,ho caresHI Dveryone2s part +er+aid
do,n here even the corpses- 3ll retro.itted ,ith the sa+e deep-
sea .ish-genes coding .or the sa+e sti.. little proteins that
ehe+oth can2t get its teeth into-
IThere2s a concern that the retro.its +ay not be e..ectiveI
/o,an ad+its so.tly-
I4hyH !t ,as your o,n people designed the .ucking thingsNI
/o,an raises an eyebro,- IThose ,ould be the sa+e experts
,ho assured us that ehe+oth ,ould never +ake it to the deep
3tlantic-I
IBut ! ,as rotten ,ith ehe+oth- !. the retro.its didn2t ,ork8I
I>enie these people have never been exposed- They2ve only
got so+e expert2s ,ord that they2re i++une and in case you
haven2t noticed our experts have proven distressingly .allible o.
late- !. ,e ,ere really so con.ident in our o,n counter+easures
,hy ,ould ,e even be hiding do,n hereH 4hy ,ouldn2t ,e be
back on shore ,ith our stockholders ,ith our people trying to
hold back the tideHI
0larke sees it at last-
IBecause they2d tear you apartI she ,hispers-
/o,an shakes her head- I!t2s because scientists have been
,rong be.ore and ,e can2t trust their assurances- !t2s because
,e2re not ,illing to take chances ,ith the health o. our .a+ilies-
!t2s because ,e +ay still be vulnerable to ehe+oth and i. ,e2d
stayed behind it ,ould have killed us along ,ith everyone else and
,e2d have done no good at all- #ot because our o,n people ,ould
turn on us- 4e2ll never believe that-I ;er eyes don2t ,aver-
I4e2re like everyone else you see- 4e ,ere all doing the very
best ,e could and things 9ust8got out o. control- !t2s i+portant to
believe that- "o ,e all do-I
I#ot allI 0larke ackno,ledges so.tly-
I"till-I
I?uck 2e+- 4hy should ! prop up their sel.-serving delusionsHI
IBecause ,hen you .orce the truth do,n people2s throats they
bite back-I
0larke s+iles .aintly- I>et the+ try- ! think you2re .orgetting
,ho2s in charge here <at-I
I!2+ not ,orried .or your sake !2+ ,orried .or ours- :ou
people tend to overreaction-I 4hen 0larke doesn2t deny it /o,an
continues: I!t2s taken "ive years to build so+e kind o. ar+istice
do,n here- ehe+oth could kick it into a thousand pieces
overnight-I
I"o ,hat do you suggestHI
I! think ri.ters should stay out o. 3tlantis .or the ti+e being-
4e can sell it as a 7uarantine- ehe+oth +ay or +ay not be out
there but at least ,e can keep it .ro+ getting in here-I
0larke shakes her head- IMy tribe ,on2t give a shit about that-I
I:ou and Ben are the only ones ,ho co+e in here any,ay .or
the +ost partI /o,an points out- I3nd the othersKthey ,on2t go
against anything you put your sta+p o. approval on-I
I!2ll think about itI 0larke sighs- I#o pro+ises-I "he turns to
go-
3nd turns back- I3lyx upHI
I#ot .or another couple o. hours- ! kno, she ,anted to see
you though-I
IOh-I 0larke suppresses a t,inge o. disappoint+ent-
I!2ll give her your regrets-I /o,an says-
I:eah- *o that-I
#o shortage o. those-
$/00+
/o,an2s daughter sits on the edge o. her bed aglo, ,ith sunny
radiance .ro+ the lightstrip on the ceiling- "he2s bare.oot clad in
panties and a baggy t-shirt on ,hich ani+ated hatchet-.ish s,i+
endless circuits around her +idri..- "he breathes a recycled
+ixture o. nitrogen and oxygen and trace gases distinguishable
.ro+ real air only by its extre+e purity-
The ri.ter .loats in darkness her contours li+ned by .eeble light
leaking through the vie,port- "he ,ears a second skin that al+ost
7uali.ies as a li.e.or+ in its o,n right a +iracle o. ther+o- and
os+oregulation black as an oil slick- "he does not breathe-
3 ,all separates the t,o ,o+en keeps ocean .ro+ air adult
.ro+ adolescent- They speak through a device .ixed to the inside
o. the teardrop vie,port a .ist-siCed li+pet that turns the .ullerene
perspex into an acoustic transceiver-
I:ou said you2d co+e byI 3lyx /o,an says- <assage across
the bulkhead leaves her voice a bit tinny- I! +ade it up to .i.th
level ! ,as like holy shit look at all the bonus pointsN ! ,anted to
sho, you around- "ca++ed an extra headset and everything-I
I"orryI 0larke buCCes back- I! ,as in be.ore but you ,ere
asleep-I
I"o co+e in no,-I
I0an2t- !2ve only got a +inute or t,o- "o+ething2s co+e up-I
I>ike ,hatHI
I"o+eone got in9ured so+ething bit hi+ or so+ething and
no, the +eat-cutters are going o.. the deep end about possible
in.ection-I
I4hat in.ectionHI 3lyx asks-
I!t2s probably nothing- But they2re talking about a 7uarantine
9ust to be on the sa.e side- ?or all ! kno, they ,ouldn2t let +e
back inside any,ay-I
I!t2d let 2e+ play at being in control o. so+ething ! guess-I
3lyx grinsF the parabolic vie,port bends her .ace into a clo,nish
distortion- IThey really really hate not being the ones in charge
you kno,HI 3nd then ,ith a satis.action obviously borne less o.
corpses than o. adults in general: I!t2s about ti+e they learned ho,
that .elt-I
I!2+ sorryI 0larke says suddenly-
IThey2ll get over it-I
IThat2s not ,hat !KI The ri.ter shakes her head- I!t2s 9ust8
you2re "ourteen .or Aod2s sake- :ou shouldnLt be do,n8! +ean
you should be out lekking ,ith so+e r-selector8I
3lyx snorts- IBoysH ! don2t think so-I
IAirls then- Dither ,ay you should be out getting laid not
stuck do,n here-I
IThis is the best place ! could possibly beI 3lyx says si+ply-
"he looks out across three hundred at+ospheres a teenaged girl
trapped .or the rest o. her li.e in a cage on the botto+ o. a .rigid
black ocean- >enie 0larke ,ould give anything to be able to
disagree ,ith her-
IMo+ ,on2t talk about itI 3lyx says a.ter a ,hile-
"till 0larke says nothing-
I4hat happened bet,een you guys back ,hen ! ,as 9ust a kid-
"o+e o. the others shoot their +ouths o.. ,hen she2s not around
so ! kind o. hear things- But Mo+ never says anything-I
/om is kinder than she should be-
I:ou ,ere ene+ies ,eren2t youHI
0larke shakes her head8a pointless and unseeable gesture here
in the dark- I3lyx ,e didn2t even kno, each other existed not
until the very end- :our +o+ ,as only trying to stop8I
8what happened anyway2
.what & was trying to start2
There2s so +uch +ore than speech- "he ,ants to sigh- "he
,ants to screa+- 3ll denied out here her lung and guts s7ueeCed
.lat every other cavity .looded and inco+pressible- There2s
nothing she can do but speak in this +onotone travesty o. a voice
this buCCing insect voice-
I!t2s co+plicatedI her vocoder says .lat and dispassionate- I!t
,as so +uch +ore than 9ust enemies you kno,H There ,ere other
things involved there ,as all that ,ildli.e in the ,ires doing its
o,n thing8I
IThey let that outI 3lyx insists- IThey started it- #ot you-I By
,hich she +eans o. course adults- <erpetrators and betrayers and
the-ones-,ho-.ucked-everything-up-.or-the-next-generation- 3nd
it da,ns on 0larke that 3lyx is not including her in that loathso+e
conspiracy o. elders8that >enie 0larke Meltdo,n Madonna has
so+eho, ac7uired the status o. honorary innocent in the +ind o.
this child-
"he .eels ill at the thought o. so +uch undeserved absolution- !t
see+s obscene- But she doesn2t have the courage to set her .riend
straight- 3ll she can +anage is a pale hal.-assed disclai+er:
IThey didn2t +ean to kid-I "he goes .or a sad chuckle- !t
co+es out sounding like t,o pieces o. sandpaper rubbing together-
I#obody8nobody did anything on their o,n back then- !t ,as
strings all the ,ay up-I
The ocean groans around her-
The sound resonates so+e,here bet,een the call o. a
hu+pback ,hale and the death-cry o. so+e +a++oth hull
buckling under pressure- !t .ills the oceanF so+e o. it leaks
through 3lyx2s li+pet-device- "he scre,s her .ace up in distaste-
I! hate that sound-I
0larke shrugs pathetically grate.ul .or the interruption- I;ey
you corpses have your con.erences ,e have ours-I
I!t2s not that- !t2s those haploid chimes- !2+ telling you >enie
that guy2s scary- :ou can2t trust anyone ,ho +akes so+ething that
sounds like that-I
I:our +o+ trusts hi+ .ine- "o do !- !Lve got to go-I
I;e kills people >enie- 3nd !2+ not 9ust talking about +y *ad-
;e2s killed a lot o. people-I 3 so.t snort- I"o+ething else Mo+
never talks about-I
0larke coasts over to the perspex lays one silhouetted hand
against the light in .are,ell-
I;e2s an a+ateurI she says and .ins a,ay into the darkness-
The voice cries out .ro+ a ragged +outh in the seabed an
ancient chi+ney o. basalt stu..ed ,ith +achinery- !n its youth it
spe,ed constant scalding gouts o. ,ater and +ineralsF no, it
+erely belches occasionally- "o.t exhalations stir the +echanis+s
in its throat spinning blades and .luting pipes and spliced chunks
o. rock and +etal that bang together- !ts voice is co+pelling but
unreliableF a.ter >ubin built these chi+es he had to co+e up ,ith
a ,ay to kick-start the+ +anually- "o he scavenged the reservoir
.ro+ a deco++issioned desalinator added a heat pu+p .ro+ so+e
part o. 3tlantis that never survived the 0orpse /evolt- Open a
valve and hot sea,ater .lo,s through a tracheoto+y hole blasted
into the s+oker2s throat: >ubin2s +achinery screa+s aloud
tortured by the scalding current-
The su++ons grinds out rusty and dishar+onious- !t ,ashes
over ri.ters s,i++ing and conversing and sleeping in an ocean
black as heat death- !t resonates through +akeshi.t habs scattered
across the slope dis+al bubbles o. +etal and at+osphere so
di+ly-lit that even eyecaps see only in black-and-gray- !t slaps
against the shiny bright biosteel o. 3tlantis and nine hundred
prisoners speak a little louder or turn up the volu+e or hu+
nervously to the+selves in denial-
"o+e o. the ri.ters8those a,ake and in range and still hu+an
8gather at the chi+es- The scene is al+ost "hakespearean: a
circle o. levitating ,itches on so+e blasted +idnight heath eyes
burning ,ith cold phosphorescence bodies barely distinguished
.ro+ shado,- They are not so +uch lit as in"erred by the .aint
blue e+bers glo,ing .ro+ the +achinery in the seabed-
3ll o. the+ bent not broken- 3ll o. the+ hal.-balanced in that
gray Cone bet,een adaptation and dys.unction stress thresholds
pushed so high by years o. abuse that chronic danger is +ere
a+bience no, un,orthy o. co++ent- They ,ere chosen to
.unction in such environ+entsF their creators never expected the+
to thrive here- But here they are here are their badges o. o..ice:
Jelaine 0hen ,ith her pink nailless .ingers sala+andered back in
the ,ake o. childhood a+putations- *i+itri 3lexander co++unal
priest-bait in those last in.a+ous days be.ore the <ope .led into
exile- Bevin 4alsh ,ho .reaks inexplicably at the sight o.
running shoes- 3ny nu+ber o. garden-variety skitterers ,ho canLt
abide physical contractF i++olation 9unkiesF sel.-+utilators and
glass-eaters- 3ll ,ounds and de.or+ities sa.ely disguised by the
diveskins all pathology hidden behind a uni.or+ity o. shado,y
ciphers-
They too o,e their voices to i+per.ect +achinery-
0larke calls the +eeting to order ,ith a 7uestion: I!s Julia
hereHI
I"he2s looking on AeneI #olan buCCes overhead- I!2ll .ill her
in-I
I;o,2s he doingHI
I"table- "till unconscious- Been too long i. you ask +e-I
IAetting dragged t,enty klicks ,ith your guts hanging out it2s
pretty +uch a +iracle that he2s even aliveI :eager chi+es in-
I:eahI #olan says Ior +aybe "eger2s deliberately keeping hi+
under- Julia says8I
0larke breaks in: I*on2t ,e have a tap on the tele+etry .ro+
that lineHI
I#ot any +ore-I
I4hat2s Aene still doing in corpseland any,ayHI 0hen
,onders- I;e hates it in there- 4e2ve got our o,n +ed hab-I
I;e2s 7uarantinedI #olan says- I"eger2s thinking ehe+oth-I
"hado,s shi.t at this ne,s- Obviously not all the asse+bled are
.ully up to speed-
I"hit-I 0harley Aarcia .ades into hal.-vie,- I;o,2s that even
possibleH ! thought8I
I#othing2s certain yetI 0larke buCCes-
I0ertainHI 3 silhouette glides across the circle brie.ly
eclipsing the sapphire e+bers on the seabed- 0larke recogniCes
*ale 0reasy- This is .irst ti+e she2s seen hi+ .or daysF she ,as
starting to think he2d gone native-
I?uck there2s even a chanceI he continues- I! +ean ehemoth
8I
"he decides to nip it in the bud- I"o ,hat i. it2s ehe+othHI
3 school o. pale eyes turn in her direction-
I4e2re i++une re+e+berHI she re+inds the+- I3nybody
do,n here not get the treat+entsHI
>ubin2s ,indchi+es groan so.tly- #obody else speaks-
I"o ,hy should ,e careHI 0larke asks-
!t2s supposed to be rhetorical- Aarcia ans,ers any,ay:
IBecause the treat+ents only stop ehe+oth .ro+ turning our guts
to +ush- They don2t stop it .ro+ turning little har+less .ish into
big nasty +other.ucking .ish that tear into anything that +oves-I
IAene ,as attacked t,enty klicks a,ay-I
I>enie ,e2re moving there- !t2s gonna be right in our back
yard-I
I?orget there- 4ho2s to say it hasn2t reached here alreadyHI
3lexander ,onders-
I#obody2s been nailed around hereI 0reasy says-
I4e2ve lost so+e natives-I
0reasy ,aves an ar+ in a barely-visible gesture o. dis+issal-
I#atives- *on2t +ean shit-I
IMaybe ,e should stop sleeping outside .or a ,hile at leastKI
I0rap to that- ! can2t sleep in a stinking hab-I
I?ine- Aet yoursel. eaten-I
I>enieHI 0hen again- I:ou2ve +essed ,ith sea +onsters
be.ore-I
I! never sa, ,hat got AeneI 0larke says Ibut the .ish back at
0hanner they ,ere8.li+sy- Big and +ean but so+eti+es their
teeth ,ould break on you ,hen they bit- Missing so+e kind o.
trace nutrient ! think- :ou could tear the+ apart ,ith your bare
hands-I
IThis thing pretty +uch tore (ene apartI says a voice 0larke
can2t pin do,n-
I! said sometimesI she e+phasiCes- IBut yeah8they could be
dangerous-I
I#angerous .elch-I 0reasy gro,ls in +etal- I0ould they have
pulled that nu+ber on AeneHI
I:esI says Ben >ubin-
;e takes center stage- 3 cone o. light .lares .ro+ his .orehead
to his .orear+- ;e holds his hand out like a beggar2s its .ingers
curled slightly around so+ething laying across the pal+-
I;oly shitI buCCes 0reasy suddenly subdued-
I4here2d that co+e .ro+HI 0hen asks-
I"eger pulled it out o. Drickson be.ore she glued hi+ upI
>ubin says-
I*oesn2t look especially "limsy to +e-I
I!t is ratherI >ubin re+arks- IThis is the part that broke o.. in
.act- Bet,een the ribs-I
I4hat you +ean that2s 9ust the tipHI Aarcia says-
I>ooks like a .ucking stilettoI #olan buCCes so.tly-
0hen2s +ask s,ings bet,een 0larke and >ubin- I4hen you
,ere at 0hanner- :ou slept outside ,ith these +othersHI
I"o+eti+esI 0larke shrugs- I3ssu+ing this is the sa+e thing
,hich !8I
I3nd they didn2t try to eat youHI
IThey keyed on the light- 3s long as you kept your la+ps o..
they pretty +uch le.t you alone-I
I4ell shitI 0reasy says- I#o proble+ then-I
>ubin2s headla+p s,eeps across the asse+bled ri.ters and
settles on 0hen- I:ou ,ere on a tele+etry run ,hen Drickson ,as
attackedHI
0hen nods- I4e never got the do,nload though-I
I"o so+eone needs to +ake another trip out there any,ay- 3nd
since >enie and ! have experience ,ith this kind o. thing---I
;is bea+ hits 0larke .ull in the .ace- The ,orld collapses do,n
to a s+all bright sun .loating in a black void-
0larke raises her hand against the brilliance- ITurn that
so+e,here else ,ill youHI
*arkness returns- The rest o. the ,orld co+es back into di+
dark .ocus- /aybe & could just swim away she +uses as her
eyecaps read9ust- /aybe no one would notice. But that2s bullshit
and she kno,s it- Ben >ubin has 9ust picked her out o. the cro,dF
there2s no easy ,ay to get out o. this- 3nd besides he2s right-
They2re the only t,o that have been do,n this road be.ore- The
only t,o still alive at least-
Thanks a lot$ Ken.
I?ineI she says at last-

84M1,
T,enty kilo+eters separate 3tlantis and !+possible >ake- #ot
.ar enough .or those ,ho still think in dryback ter+s- 3 +ere
t,enty klicks .ro+ the bull2s-eyeH 4hat kind o. sa.ety +argin is
thatH Back on shore the +ost si+ple+inded drone ,ouldn2t be
.ooled by such a tri.ling displace+ent: .inding the target +issing
it ,ould rise up and partition the ,orld into a concentric grid,ork
relentlessly checking o.. one 7uadrate a.ter another until so+e
inevitable telltale gave the ga+e a,ay- "hit +ost +achinery
could 9ust sit at the center o. the search Cone and see t,enty
kilo+eters in any direction-
Dven in the +id,aters o. the open ocean t,enty kilo+eters is
no sa.e distance- #o substrate exists there but ,ater itsel. no
topography but gyres and seiches and >ang+uir cells ther+oclines
and haloclines that re.lect and a+pli.y as ,ell as +ask- The
cavitation o. sub+arines +ight propagate do,n vast distances the
+iniscule turbulence o. their passing detectable long a.ter the
vessels the+selves are gone- #ot even stealthed subs can avoid
heating the ,ater so+e in.initesi+al a+ountF dolphins and
+achinery hot on the trail can tell the di..erence-
But on the Mid 3tlantic /idge t,enty kilo+eters +ight as ,ell
be t,enty parsecs- >ight has no chance: the sun itsel. barely
penetrates a .e, hundred +eters .ro+ the sur.ace- ;ydrother+al
vents thro, up their corrosive vo+it along ooCing sea+s o. .resh
rock- "ea.loor spreading sets the very .loor o. the ,orld to
gru+bling +ountains pushing against each other in their
+illennial ga+e o. kick-the-continents- Topography that sha+es
the ;i+alayas cascades along a 9agged .racture splitting the crust
.ro+ pole to pole- The a+bience o. the /idge dro,ns out anything
3tlantis +ight let slip along any spectru+ you2d care to na+e-
:ou could still .ind a target ,ith the right coordinates but you2d
+iss a ,hole screa+ing city i. those nu+bers ,ere o.. by even a
hair- 3 displace+ent o. t,enty kilo+eters should be +ore than
enough to get out .ro+ under any attack centered on 3tlantis2s
present location short o. .ull-scale depth-saturation nukes perhaps-
4hich ,ouldn2t be entirely ,ithout precedent no, that 0larke
thinks about it---
"he and >ubin cruise s+oothly along a crack in a .an o. ancient
lava- 3tlantis is .ar behind !+possible >ake still klicks ahead-
;eadla+ps and s7uidla+ps are dark- They travel by the di+
dashboard light o. their sonar displays- Tiny iconised boulders and
pillars pass by on the screens +apped in e+eraldF the slightest
sensations o. pressure and loo+ing +ass press in .ro+ the
scrolling darkness to either side-
I/o,an thinks things could get nastyI 0larke buCCes-
>ubin doesn2t co++ent-
I"he .igures i. this really does turn out to be ehe+oth
3tlantis is gonna turn into 0ognitive *issonance 0entral- Aet
everybody all ,orked up-I
"till nothing-
I! re+inded her ,ho ,as in charge-I
I3nd ,ho is that exactlyHI >ubin buCCes at last-
I0o+e on Ben- 4e can shut the+ do,n any ti+e ,e .eel like
it-I
IThey2ve had .ive years to ,ork on that-I
I3nd ,hat2s it got the+HI
IThey2ve also had .ive years to realiCe that they outnu+ber us
t,enty to one that ,e don2t have nearly their technical expertise
on a ,ide range o. relevant sub9ects and that a group o. glori.ied
pipe-.itters ,ith antisocial personalities is unlikely to pose +uch
threat in ter+s o. organiCed opposition-I
IThat ,as 9ust as true ,hen ,e ,iped the .loor ,ith the+ the
.irst ti+e-I
I#o-I
"he doesn2t understand ,hy he2s doing this- !t ,as >ubin +ore
than anyone ,ho put the corpses in their place a.ter their .irst8
and last8uprising- I0o+e on Ben8I
;is s7uid is suddenly very close al+ost touching-
I:ou2re not an idiotI he buCCes at her side- I!t2s never a good
ti+e to act like one-I
"tung she .alls silent-
;is vocoder gro,ls on in the darkness- IBack then they sa, the
,hole ,orld backing us up- They kne, ,e2d had help tracking
the+ do,n- They in.erred so+e kind o. ground-based
in.rastructure- 3t the very least they kne, ,e could blo, the
,histle and turn the+ into a great pulsing bullseye .or anyone ,ith
lats and longs and a s+art torp-I
3 great lu+inous shark-.in s,ells on her screen a +assive
stone blade thrusting up .ro+ the seabed- >ubin disappears brie.ly
as it passes bet,een the+-
IBut no, ,e2re on our o,nI he says reappearing- IOur
groundside connections have dried up- Maybe they2re dead +aybe
they2ve turned- #obody kno,s- 0an you even re+e+ber the last
ti+e ,e had a changing o. the guardHI
"he can 9ust barely- 3nyone 7uali.ied .or the diveskin is bound
to be +ore co+.ortable do,n here than in dryback co+pany at the
best o. ti+es but a .e, ri.ters ,ent topside at the very beginning
any,ay- Back ,hen there +ight have been so+e hope o. turning
the tide-
#ot since- /isking your li.e to ,atch the ,orld end isn2t
anyone2s idea o. shore leave-
IBy no, ,e2re 9ust as scared as the corpsesI >ubin buCCes-
I4e2re 9ust as cut o.. and there are al+ost a thousand o. the+-
4e2re do,n to .i.ty-eight at last count-I
I4e2re seventy at least-I
IThe natives don2t count- ?i.ty eight o. us ,ould be any use in
a .ight and only .orty could last a ,eek in .ull gravity i. they had
to- 3nd a nu+ber o. those have---authority issues that +ake the+
un,illing to organiCe-I
I4e2ve got youI 0larke says- >ubin the pro.essional hunter-
killer so recently .reed .ro+ any leash but his o,n sel.-control-
*o glori"ied pipe'"itter here she re.lects-
IThen you should listen to +e- 3nd !2+ starting to think ,e
+ay have to do so+ething pree+ptive-I
They cruise in silence .or a .e, +o+ents-
IThey2re not the ene+y BenI she says at last- I#ot all o.
the+- "o+e o. the+ are 9ust kids you kno, they2re not
responsibleKI
IThat2s not the point-I
?ro+ so+e inde.inable distance the .aint sound o. .alling rock-
IBenI she buCCes too so.tly: she ,onders i. he can hear her-
I:es-I
I3re you looking .or,ard to itHI
!t2s been so +any years since he2s had an excuse to kill
so+eone- 3nd Ben >ubin once +ade a career out o. .inding
excuses-
;e t,eaks his throttle and pulls a,ay-
Trouble da,ns like a sunrise s+earing the darkness ahead-
I3nyone else supposed to be out hereHI 0larke asks- The on-
site .loods are keyed to ,ake up ,hen approached but she and
>ubin aren2t nearly close enough to have triggered the+-
IJust usI >ubin buCCes-
The glo, is coarse and un+istakable- !t spreads laterally a
di..use .alse da,n hanging in the void- T,o or three dark gaps
betray the presence o. interposed topography-
I"topI >ubin says- Their s7uids settle do,n beside a
tu+bledo,n outcropping its 9u+bled edges re.lecting di+ly in the
haCe-
;e studies the sche+atic on his dashboard- 3 re.lected
.ingernail o. light traces his pro.ile-
;e turns his s7uid to port- IThis ,ay- Beep to the botto+-I
They edge closer to the light keeping it to starboard- The glo,
expands resolves reveals an i+possibility: a lake at the botto+ o.
the ocean- The light shines .ro+ beneath its sur.aceF 0larke thinks
o. a s,i++ing pool at night lit by sub+erged spotlights in the
,alls- "lo, extravagant ,aves top-heavy things .ro+ so+e lo,-
gravity planet break into shuddering globules against the near
shore- The lake extends beyond the haCy li+its o. ri.ter vision-
!t al,ays hits her like a hallucination although she kno,s the
pedestrian truth: it2s 9ust a salt seep a layer o. +ineraliCed ,ater
so dense it lies on the botto+ o. the ocean the ,ay an ocean lies at
the botto+ o. the sky- !t2s a +a9or selling point to anyone in search
o. ca+ou.lage- The halocline re.lects all +anner o. pings and
probes hides everything beneath as though there ,ere nothing here
but so.t deep +ud-
3 so.t brie. screa+ o. electronics- ?or the +erest instant
0larke thinks she sees a drop o. lu+inous blood on her dashboard-
"he .ocuses- #othing-
I*id you8HI
I:es-I >ubin2s playing ,ith his controls- IThis ,ay-I ;e
steers closer to the shores o. !+possible >ake- 0larke .ollo,s-
The next ti+e it2s un+istakable: a brilliant pinpoint o. red light
laser-bright .lickering on and o.. ,ithin the 9agged topography o.
the dashboard display- The s7uids cry out ,ith each .lash-
3 dead+an alar+- "o+e,here ahead a ri.ter2s heart has
stopped-
They2re cruising out over the lake no, 9ust o..shore- /oiling
greenish light su..uses >ubin and his +ount .ro+ belo,- 3
hypersaline globule shatters in slo, +otion against the s7uid2s
underside- >ight rising through the inter.ace bends in odd ,ays-
!t2s like looking do,n through the radiu+-lit depths o. a nuclear
,aste-storage lagoon- 3 grid o. bright pinpoint suns shine .ar
belo, that sur.ace ,here the surveyors have planted their la+ps-
The solid substrate beneath is hidden by distance and di..raction-
The dead+an alar+ has stabiliCed to a con.idence bubble about
.orty +eters straight ahead- !ts ruby icon beats like a heart on the
screen- The s7uids bleat in synch-
IThereI 0larke says- The horiCon2s absurdly inverted here
darkness overhead +ilky light beneath- 3 dark spot hangs at the
distant .uCCy inter.ace bet,een- !t appears to be .loating on the
sur.ace o. the lens-
0larke nudges her throttle up a bit-
I4aitI >ubin buCCes- "he looks back over her shoulder-
IThe ,avesI >ubin says-
They2re s+aller here than they ,ere back near the shore ,hich
+akes sense since there2s no rising substrate to push the peaks
above baseline- They2re rippling past in irregular spas+s though
not the usual clock,ork procession and no, that she traces the+
back they see+ to be radiating out .ro+K
1hitK
"he2s close enough to see li+bs no, attenuate sticklike things
slapping the sur.ace o. the lake into a local .renCy- 3l+ost as
though the ri.ter ahead is a poor s,i++er in over his head and
panickingK
I;e2s aliveI she buCCes- The dead+an icon pulses
contradicting her-
I#oI >ubin says-
Only .i.teen +eters a,ay no, the enig+a erupts ,rithing .ro+
the sur.ace o. the >ake in a ni+bus o. shredded .lesh- Too late
0larke spots the larger darker shape thrashing beneath it- Too
late she resolves the +ystery: +eal interrupted- The thing that
,as eating it heads straight .or her-
&t can't b.
"he t,ists not 7uite .ast enough- The +onster2s +outh takes
the s7uid ,ith roo+ to spare- ;al. a doCen .inger-siCed teeth
splinter against the +achine like brittle cera+ic- The s7uid tor7ues
in her handsF so+e sharp-edged +etal protuberance s+ashes into
her leg ,ith a thousand kilogra+s o. predatory +o+entu+ behind
it- "o+ething snaps belo, the knee- <ain rips through her cal.-
!t2s been six years- "he2s .orgotten the +oves-
>ubin hasn2t- "he can hear his s7uid bearing in cranked to .ull
throttle- "he curls into a ball grabs the gas billy o.. her cal. in a
belated counter+easure- "he hears a +eaty thudF hydraulics
cough- !n the next instant a great scaly +ass staggers against her
batting her do,n through the boiling inter.ace-
;eavy ,ater glo,s on all sides- The ,orld is .uCCy and
,hirling- "he shakes her head to lock it into .ocus- The action
,avers and bulges overhead ,rithing through the shattered
re.ractory sur.ace o. !+possible >ake- >ubin +ust have ra++ed
the +onster ,ith his s7uid- *a+age +ay have been in.licted on
both sides8no, the s7uid2s corkscre,ing do,n into the lens
riderless and uncontrolled- >ubin hangs in the ,ater .acing an
opponent t,ice his siCe hal. o. it +outh- !. there are eyes 0larke
can2t +ake the+ out through this ,obbling discontinuity-
"he2s slo,ly .alling up she realiCes- "he scissor-kicks ,ithout
thinkingF her leg screa+s as so+ething tears it .ro+ the inside-
"he screa+s too a ratcheting torn-+etal sound- ?loaters s,ar+
across her eyes in the ,ake o. the cresting pain- "he rises .ro+ the
lake 9ust as the +onster opens its +outh and8
.holy shit8
8disconnects its 9a, right at the base the +outh dropping
open ,ay too .ast and suddenly it2s closed again and >ubin2s 9ust
gone nothing to suggest ,here he ,ent except the +e+ory o.
blurred +otion bet,een one instant and the next-
"he does perhaps the +ost stupid thing she2s ever done in her
li.e- "he charges-
The leviathan turns to .ace her +ore ponderously no, but still
,ith all the ti+e in the ,orld- "he kicks ,ith one leg drags the
other like a useless throbbing anchor- The +onster2s serrated
+outh gri+aces a +angled pro.usion o. teeth ,ay too +any still
intact- "he tries to duck past to co+e up under the belly or at least
the side but it 9ust ,allo,s there turning e..ortlessly to .ace every
clu+sy approach-
3nd then through the top o. its head it belches-
The bubbles do not arise .ro+ any natural openings- They erupt
through the .lesh itsel. tearing their o,n ,ay splitting the so.t
skull .ro+ ,ithin- ?or a second or t,o the +onster hangs
+otionlessF then it shivers an electric spas+ that seiCes the ,hole
body- One-legged 0larke gets underneath and stabs its belly- "he
can .eel +ore bubbles erupt inside as the billy discharges a
seis+ic eruption o. .lesh-
The +onster convulses dying- !ts 9a, drops open like so+e
ludicrous .lapping dra,bridge- The ,ater seethes ,ith
regurgitated .lesh-
3 .e, +eters a,ay the grinning shredded re+ains o.
so+ething in a diveskin settle gently onto the sur.ace o. !+possible
>ake ,ithin a lu+py cloud o. its o,n entrails-
I:ou okayHI
>ubin2s at her side- "he shakes her head +ore in a+aCe+ent
than reply- IMy legKI #o, in the a.ter+ath it hurts even +ore-
;e probes her in9ury- "he yelpsF the vocoder turns it into a
+echanical bark- I:our .ibula2s brokenI >ubin reports-
I*iveskin didn2t tear at least-I
IThe s7uid got +e-I "he .eels a deep burning chill along her
leg- "he tries to ignore it gestures at the billy on >ubin2s cal.-
I;o, +any shots did you pu+p into that .uckerHI
IThree-I
I:ou ,ere 9ust8gone- !t 9ust sucked you right in- :ou2re
lucky it didn2t bite you in hal.-I
I"lurp-gun .eeding doesn2t ,ork i. you stop to che,- !nterrupts
the suction-I >ubin pans around- I4ait here-I
,ike &'m going to go anywhere with this leg. "he can already
.eel it sti..ening- "he pro.oundly hopes the s7uids are still
,orking-
>ubin .ins easily over to the corpse- !ts diveskin is torn in a
doCen places- Tubes and +etal glea+ inter+ittently .ro+ the
opened thorax- 3 pair o. hag.ish s7uir+ sluggishly .ro+ the
re+ains-
I>opeCI he buCCes reading her shoulder patch-
!rene >opeC ,ent native six +onths ago- !t2s been ,eeks since
anyone2s even seen her at the .eeding stations-
I4ellI >ubin says- IThis ans,ers one 7uestion at least-I
I#ot necessarily-I
The +onster still t,itching has settled on the sur.ace o. the
lake a little ,ays .ro+ >opeC- !t ,allo,s only slightly deeperF
you2d have to be so+e kind o. rock to sink in brine this dense-
>ubin abandons the corpse in .avor o. the carcass- 0larke 9oins
hi+-
IThis isn2t the sa+e thing that got AeneI he buCCes- I*i..erent
teeth- Aigantis+ in at least t,o di..erent species o. bony .ish
,ithin t,o kilo+eters o. a hydrother+al vent-I ;e reaches into
the gaping +a, snaps o.. a tooth- IOsteoporosis probably other
de.iciency diseases as ,ell-I
IMaybe you could save the lecture until you straighten that out
.or +eHI "he points to ,here her s7uid listing drunkenly
describes s+all erratic circles in the overhead darkness- I! don2t
think !2+ gonna be s,i++ing ho+e ,ith this leg-I
;e coasts up and ,rests the vehicle back under control- I4e
have to bring it backI he says riding it do,n to her- I3ll o. itI
,ith a nod to >opeC2s gutted re+ains-
I!t2s not necessarily ,hat you thinkI she tells hi+-
;e turns and 9ackkni.es into !+possible >ake on the trail o. his
o,n s7uid- 0larke ,atches his rippling i+age kicking hard
.ighting against buoyancy-
I!t2s not ehe+othI she buCCes so.tly- I!t2d never survive the
trip-I ;er voice is as cal+ as such +echanical caricatures can be
out here- ;er ,ords sound reasonable- ;er thoughts are neither-
;er thoughts are caught in a loop a +antra borne o. so+e .orlorn
subconscious hope that endless repetition +ight give substance to
,ishes:
&t can't be it can't be it can't be2
;ere on the sunless slopes o. the Mid 3tlantic /idge .acing
conse7uences that have so+eho, chased her to the very botto+ o.
the ,orld denial see+s the only available option-
P4.5.A,5 49 5$ SA0,S5 AS A :4/N7 14:
3chilles *es9ardins ,asn2t al,ays the +ost po,er.ul +an in
#orth 3+ericaF at one ti+e he2d been 9ust another kid gro,ing up
in the shado, o. Mont "t-;ilaire- ;e had al,ays been an
e+piricist though an experi+enter at heart .or as long as he could
re+e+ber- ;is .irst encounter ,ith a research-ethics co++ittee
had occurred ,hen he ,as only eight-
That particular experi+ent had involved aerobraking- ;is
parents in a ,ell-intentioned e..ort to interest hi+ in the classics
had introduced hi+ to The 4evenge o" /ary Poppins- The story
itsel. ,as pretty stupid but 3chilles liked the ,ay the <ersinger
Box had slipped the butter.ly-inducing sensation o. "light directly
into his brain- Mary <oppins had this nanotech u+brella see and
she could 9u+p right o.. the top o. the 0# To,er and .loat to earth
as gently as a dandelion seed-
The illusion ,as so convincing that 3chilles2 eight-year-old
brain couldn2t see ,hy it ,ouldn2t ,ork in real li.e-
;is .a+ily ,as rich8all Euebecois .a+ilies ,ere thanks to
;udson ;ydro8so 3chilles lived in a real house a single stand-
alone d,elling ,ith a yard and everything- ;e grabbed an
u+brella .ro+ the closet let it bloo+ and8clutching tightly ,ith
both hands89u+ped o.. the .ront porch- The drop ,as only a
+eter and a hal. but that ,as enoughF he could .eel the u+brella
grabbing at the air above hi+ slo,ing his descent-
Buoyed by this success 3chilles +oved on to <hase T,o- ;is
sister <enny t,o years younger held hi+ in al+ost supernatural
estee+F it ,as dead easy to talk her into scra+bling up the trellis
and onto the roo.- !t took a bit +ore e..ort to coax her to the very
peak o. the gable ,hich +ust have been a good seven +eters
above ground8but ,hen your big-brother-,ho-you-idoliCe is
calling you a chickenshit ,hat are you supposed to doH <enny
inched her ,ay to the apex and stood teetering at the edge the
do+e o. the u+brella .ra+ing her .ace like a big black halo- ?or a
+o+ent 3chilles thought the experi+ent ,ould .ail: he had to
bring out his ulti+ate ,eapon and call her I<enelopeI8twice8
be.ore she 9u+ped-
There ,as nothing to ,orry about o. course- 3chilles already
kne, it ,ould ,orkF the u+brella had slo,ed him a.ter all even
during a drop o. a +easly +eter or so and <enny ,eighed a lot
less than he did-
4hich +ade it all the +ore surprising ,hen the u+brella
snapped inside-out whapN right be.ore his eyes- <enny dropped
like a rock landed on her .eet ,ith a snap and cru+pled on the
spot-
!n the +o+ent o. co+plete silence that .ollo,ed several things
,ent through the +ind o. eight-year-old 3chilles *es9ardins- ?irst
,as the .act that the goggle-eyed look on <enny2s .ace had been
really .unny 9ust be.ore she hit- "econd ,as con.usion and
disbelie. that the experi+ent hadn2t proceeded as expectedF he
couldn2t .or the li.e o. hi+ .igure out ,hat had gone ,rong- Third
ca+e the belated realiCation that <enny .or all the hilarity o. her
.acial expression +ight actually be hurtF +aybe he should try and
do so+ething about that-
>astly he thought o. the trouble he ,as going to be in i. his
parents .ound out about this- That thought crushed the others like
bugs under a boot-
;e rushed over to the cru+pled .or+ o. his sister on the la,n-
I(ee5 <enny are you8are you8I
"he ,asn2t- The u+brella2s ribs had torn .ree o. the .abric and
slashed her across the side o. the neck- One o. her ankles ,as
t,isted at an i+possible angle and had already s,ollen to t,ice its
nor+al siCe- There ,as blood every,here-
<enny looked up lip tre+bling bright tears 7uivering in her
eyes- They broke and ran do,n her cheeks as 3chilles stood over
her scared to death-
I<enny8I he ,hispered-
I!8it2s okayI she 7uavered- I! ,on2t tell anyone- ! pro+ise-I
3nd8broken and bleeding and teary-eyed eyes bri++ing ,ith
undi+inished adoration .or Big Brother8she tried to get up and
screa+ed the instant she +oved her leg-
>ooking back as an adult *es9ardins kne, that that couldn2t
have been the +o+ent o. his .irst erection- !t ,as ho,ever the
.irst one that stuck in his +ind- ;e hadn2t been able to help
hi+sel.: she had been so helpless- Broken and bleeding and hurt-
3e had hurt her- "he had +eekly ,alked the plank .or hi+ and
a.ter she2d .allen and snapped like a t,ig she2d looked up at hi+
still ,orship.ul ready to do ,hatever it took to keep hi+ happy-
;e didn2t kno, ,hy that +ade hi+ .eel this ,ay8he didn2t
even kno, ,hat this way ,as exactly8but he liked it-
;is ,illy hard as a bone he reached out to her- ;e ,asn2t sure
,hy8he ,as grate.ul that she ,asn2t going to tell o. course but
he didn2t think that2s ,hat this ,as about- ;e thought8as his hand
touched his sister2s .ine bro,n hair8that +aybe this ,as about
seeing ho, +uch he could get away ,ith---
#ot +uch as it turned out- ;is parents ,ere on hi+ in the next
second shrieking and striking- 3chilles raised his hands against
his .ather2s blo,s cried I& saw it on /ary Poppins%I but the alibi
didn2t .ly any +ore than <enny hadF *ad kicked the shit out o. hi+
and thre, hi+ into his roo+ .or the rest o. the day-
!t couldn2t have ended any di..erently o. course- Mo+ and *ad
al,ays .ound out- !t turned out the little bu+p that both 3chilles
and <enny had under their collarbones sent out a signal ,hen
either o. the+ got hurt- 3nd a.ter the Mary <oppins !ncident not
even the i+plants ,ere enough .or Mo+ and *ad- 3chilles
couldn2t go any,here not even the bathroo+ ,ithout three or .our
skeeters .ollo,ing hi+ around like nosy .loating rice grains-
3ll in all that a.ternoon taught hi+ t,o things that shaped the
rest o. his li.e- One ,as that he ,as a ,icked ,icked boy ,ho
could never ever give in to his i+pulses no +atter how good it
+ade hi+ .eel or he ,ould go straight to ;ell-
The other ,as a pro.ound and li.elong appreciation o. the
i+pact o. ubi7uitous surveillance-
)4N9,0N) +,M,5S
There are no ri.ter M*s- The ,alking ,ounded don2t generally
excel in the art o. healing-
O. course there2s never been any shortage o. ri.ters in need o.
healing- Dspecially a.ter the 0orpse /evolt- The .ish-heads ,on
that ,ar hands do,n but they took casualties 9ust the sa+e- "o+e
died- Others su..ered in9uries and +al.unctions beyond the skill o.
their o,n o..-the-shel. +edical +achinery- "o+e needed help to
stay aliveF others to die in so+ething less than agony-
3nd all the 7uali.ied doctors ,ere on the other side-
#o one ,as going to trust their in9ured co+rades to the tender
+ercies o. a thousand sore losers 9ust because the corpses had the
only hospital .or .our thousand klicks- "o they gra.ted a couple o.
habs together .i.ty +eters o.. 3tlantis2s shoulder and .urnished it
,ith +edical e7uip+ent pillaged .ro+ ene+y in.ir+aries- ?iberop
let the corpses2 +eatcutters practice their art by re+ote controlF
explosive charges planted on 3tlantis2s hull inspired those sa+e
+eatcutters to be extra care.ul in +atters o. potential +alpractice-
The losers took very good care o. the ,inners on pain o.
i+plosion-
Dventually tensions eased- /i.ters stopped avoiding 3tlantis
out o. distrust and began avoiding it out o. indi..erence instead-
Aradually the realiCation da,ned that the rest o. the ,orld posed a
greater threat to ri.ters and corpses alike than either did to the
other- >ubin took do,n the charges so+e,here during year three
,hen +ost everyone had .orgotten about the+ any,ay-
The +edhab still gets a .air bit o. use- !n9uries happen- !n9uries
are inevitable given ri.ter te+pers and the derived ,eakness o.
ri.ter bones- But at the +o+ent it holds only t,o occupants and
the corpses are probably thanking their port.olios that the ri.ters
cobbled this .acility together all those years ago- Other,ise
0larke and >ubin +ight have dragged the+selves into 3tlantis8
and everyone kno,s ,here they2ve been-
3s it is they only ventured close enough to hand o.. !rene
>opeC and the thing that dined upon her- T,o cla+shell
sarcophagi dropped .ro+ one o. 3tlantis2s engineering locks on
short notice devoured that evidence and are even no, sending
their .indings up .iberop u+bilicals- !n the +eanti+e 0larke and
>ubin lie side-by-side on a pair o. operating tables naked as
cadavers the+selves- !t2s been a long ti+e since any corpse dared
give an order to a ri.ter but they2ve ac7uiesced to Jerenice "eger2s
Istrong reco++endationI that they get rid o. their diveskins- !t
,as a tougher concession than 0larke lets on- !t2s not that si+ple
nudity disco+.its herF >ubin has never tripped 0larke2s usual
alar+s- But the autoclave isn2t 9ust steriliCing her diveskinF it2s
destroying it +elting it back do,n to a useless slurry o. protein
and petroleu+- "he2s trapped naked and vulnerable in this tiny
bubble o. gas and spun +etal- ?or the .irst ti+e in years she can2t
si+ply step outside- ?or the .irst ti+e in years the ocean can kill
her8all it has to do is crush this .ragile eggshell and clench around
her like a .reeCing li7uid .istK
!t2s a te+porary vulnerability o. course- #e, diveskins are on
the ,ay are being extruded right no,- 0larke 9ust has to hold out
another .i.teen or t,enty +inutes- But in the +eanti+e she .eels
,orse than naked- "he .eels skinned alive-
!t doesn2t see+ to bother >ubin +uch- #othing does- O.
course >ubin2s teleop is being a lot less invasive than 0larke2s- !t2s
only taking sa+ples: blood skin s,abs .ro+ around the eyes and
anus and sea,ater intake- 0larke2s +achine is digging deep into
the .lesh o. her leg displacing +uscle and resetting bone and
,aving its glea+ing chopstick ar+s like so+e kind o. chro+e
spider per.or+ing an exorcis+- Occasionally the s+ell o. her o,n
cauteriCing .lesh ,a.ts .aintly up the table- <resu+ably her in9ury
is under repair although she can2t really tellF the table2s
neuroinduction .ield has her paralyCed and insensate belo, the
sto+ach-
I;o, +uch longerHI she asks- The teleop ignores her ,ithout
dropping a stitch-
I! don2t think there2s anyone thereI >ubin says- I!t2s on
autopilot-I
"he turns her head to look at hi+- Dyes dark enough to be
called black look back at her- 0larke catches her breathF she keeps
.orgetting ,hat naked really +eans do,n here- 4hat is it the
drybacks sayH The eyes are the windows to the soul- But the
,indo,s into ri.ter souls are supposed to have .rosted panes-
Gncapped eyes are .or corpses: this doesn2t look right it doesn2t
"eel right- !t looks as though >ubin2s eyes have been pulled right
out o. his head as though 0larke is looking into the ,et sticky
darkness inside his skull-
;e rises on the table oblivious to his o,n gory blindness and
s,ings his legs over the edge- ;is teleop ,ithdra,s to the ceiling
,ith a .e, disapproving clicks-
3 co++ panel decorates the bulkhead ,ithin easy reach- ;e
taps it- I3+bient channel- Arace- ;o, are you co+ing ,ith
those 2skinsHI
#olan ans,ers in her outdoor voice: I4e2re ten +eters o.. your
shoulder- 3nd yes ,e re+e+bered to bring extra eyecaps-I 3 so.t
buCC8acoustic +ode+s are bad .or background noise so+eti+es-
I!. it2s okay ,ith you though ,e2ll 9ust leave 2e+ in the 2lock and
be on our ,ay-I
I"ure-I >ubin2s .ace is expressionless- I#o proble+-I
0lanks and hisses .ro+ do,n on the ,et deck-
IThere you go s,eetieI #olan buCCes-
>ubin drills 0larke ,ith those eviscerated eyes- I:ou co+ingHI
0larke blinks- I3ny place in particularHI
I3tlantis-I
IMy leg8I but her teleop is .olding up against the ceiling as
she speaks its slicing and dicing evidently co+pleted-
"he struggles to prop her upper body up on its elbo,sF she2s still
dead +eat belo, the gut although the hole in her thigh has been
neatly glued shut- I!2+ still .roCen- "houldn2t the .ield8I
I<erhaps they ,ere hoping ,e ,ouldn2t notice-I >ubin takes a
handpad o.. the ,all- I/eadyHI
"he nods- ;e taps a control- ?eeling .loods her legs like a tidal
bore- ;er repaired thigh a,akens a sudden tingling s,ar+ o. pins
and needles- "he tries to +ove it- "he succeeds ,ith di..iculty-
"he sits up gri+acing-
I4hat2re you doing out thereHI the interco+ de+ands- 3.ter a
+o+ent 0larke recogniCes the voice: Blein- "hutting do,n the
.ield see+s to have caught his attention-
>ubin disappears into the ,et roo+- 0larke kneads her thigh-
The pins and needles persist-
I>enieHI Blein says- I4hat8I
I!2+ .ixed-I
I#o you2re not-I
IThe teleop8I
I:ou have to stay o.. that leg .or at least six +ore hours-
<re.erably t,elve-I
IThanks- !2ll take it under advise+ent-I "he s,ings her legs
over the edge o. the table puts so+e ,eight on the good one
gradually shi.ts ,eight to the other- !t buckles- "he grabs the table
in ti+e to keep .ro+ keeling over-
>ubin steps back into vie, a carrysack slung over his shoulder-
I:ou okayHI ;is eyes are capped again ,hite as .resh ice-
0larke nods strangely relieved- I;and +e that diveskin-I
Blein heard that- I4ait a second8you t,o have not been
cleared .or8! +ean8I
The eyes go in .irst- The tunic slithers eagerly around her torso-
"leeves and gauntlets cling like ,elco+e shado,s- "he leans
against >ubin .or support ,hile she dons the leggings8the
tingling in her thigh is beginning to subside and ,hen she tries out
the leg again it takes her ,eight .or a good ten seconds be.ore
giving out- <rogress-
I>enie- Ben- 4here are you goingHI
"eger2s voice this ti+e- Blein2s called .or rein.orce+ents-
I4e thought ,e2d co+e .or a visitI >ubin says-
I3re you sure you2ve thought that throughHI "eger says cal+ly-
I4ith all due respect8I
I!s there so+e reason ,e shouldn2tHI >ubin asks innocently-
I>enie2s l8I
IBeyond >enie2s leg-I
*ead air in the roo+-
I:ou2ve analyCed the sa+ples by no,I >ubin re+arks-
I#ot co+prehensively- The tests are .ast not instantaneous-I
I3ndH 3nythingHI
I&" you ,ere in.ected Mr- >ubin it only happened a .e, hours
ago- That2s hardly enough ti+e .or an in.ection to reach detectable
levels in the bloodstrea+-I
IThat2s a no then-I >ubin considers- I4hat about our 2skinsH
"urely you ,ould have .ound so+ething on the diveskin s,abs-I
"eger doesn2t ans,er-
I"o they protected usI >ubin sur+ises- IThis ti+e-I
I3s ! said ,e haven2t .inished8I
I! understood that ehe+oth couldn2t reach us do,n hereI he
re+arks-
"eger doesn2t ans,er that either at .irst-
I"o did !I she says .inally-
0larke takes a hal.-hop to,ards the airlock- >ubin o..ers an
ar+-
I4e2re co+ing overI he says-
;al. a doCen +odelers cluster around ,orkstations at the .ar
end o. the 0o++ 0ave running si+s t,eaking para+eters in the
hopes that their virtual ,orld +ight assu+e so+e relevance to the
real one- <atricia /o,an leans over their shoulders studying
so+ething at one boardF Jerenice "eger labors alone at another-
"he turns and catches sight o. the approaching ri.ters raises her
voice 9ust slightly in an alar+ call disguised as a greeting: IBen-
>enie-I
The others turn- 3 couple o. the less-experienced back a,ay a
step or t,o-
/o,an recovers .irst her 7uicksilver eyes unreadable: I:ou
should spare that leg >enie- ;ere-I "he grabs an unused chair
.ro+ a nearby station and rolls it over- 0larke sinks grate.ully into
it-
#obody +akes a .uss- The asse+bled corpses kno, ho, to
.ollo, a lead even though so+e o. the+ don2t see+ too happy
about it-
IJerry says you2ve dodged the bulletI /o,an continues-
IAs "ar as we knowI "eger adds- I?or no,-I
I4hich i+plies a bullet to dodgeI >ubin says-
"eger looks at /o,an- /o,an looks at >ubin- The nu+ber
crunchers don2t look any,here in particular-
?inally "eger shrugs- I*-cysteine and d-cystine positive-
<yranosal /#3 positive- #o phospholipids no *#3-
!ntracellular 3T< o.. the scale- #ot to +ention you can do an
"DM o. the in.ected cells and 9ust see the little .ello,s .loating
around in there-I "he takes a deep breath- I!. it2s not ehe+oth
it2s ehe+oth2s evil t,in brother-I
I"hitI says one o. the +odelers- I#ot again-I
!t takes 0larke a +o+ent to realiCe that he2s not reacting to
"eger2s ,ords but to so+ething on the ,orkstation screen- "he
leans .or,ard catches sight o. the display through the copse o.
personnel: a volu+etric +odel o. the 3tlantic basin- >u+inous
contrails ,ind through its depths like +any-headed snakes
bi.urcating and converging over continental shelves and +ountain
ranges- 0urrents and gyres and deep-,ater circulation iconised in
shades o. green and red: the ocean2s o,n rivers- 3nd
superi+posed over the entire display a churlish su++ary:
?3!>G/D TO 0O#@D/AD- 0O#?!*D#0D >!M!T" DO0DD*D*-
?G/T;D/ </D*!0T!O#" G#/D>!3B>D-
IBring do,n the >abrador 0urrent a bit +oreI one o. the
+odelers suggests-
I3ny +ore and it2ll shut do,n co+pletelyI another one says-
I"o ho, do you kno, that isn2t exactly ,hat happenedHI
I4hen the Aul. "trea+8I
IJust try it$ ,ill youHI
The 3tlantic clears and resets-
/o,an turns .ro+ her troops and .ixes "eger- I"uppose they
can2t .igure it outHI
IMaybe it ,as do,n here all along- Maybe ,e 9ust +issed it-I
"eger shakes her head as i. skeptical o. her o,n suggestion- I4e
were in so+ething o. a hurry-I
I#ot that +uch hurry- 4e checked every vent ,ithin a
thousand kilo+eters be.ore ,e settled on this site did ,e notHI
I"o+ebody didI "eger says tiredly-
I! sa, the results- They ,ere co+prehensive-I /o,an see+s
al+ost less disturbed by ehe+oth2s appearance than by the
thought that the surveys +ight have been o..- I3nd certainly none
o. the surveys since have sho,n anythingKI "he breaks o..
struck by so+e sudden thought- IThey haven2t have theyH
>enieHI
I#oI 0larke says- I#othing-I
I/ight- "o .ive years ago this ,hole area ,as clean- The
,hole abyssal 3tlantic ,as clean as .ar as ,e kno,- 3nd ho,
long can ehe+oth survive in cold sea,ater be.ore it shrivels up
like a prune and diesHI
I3 ,eek or t,oI "eger recites- I3 +onth +ax-I
I3nd ho, long ,ould it take to get here via deep circulationHI
I*ecades- 0enturies-I "eger sighs- I4e kno, all this <at-
Obviously so+ething2s changed-I
IThanks .or that insight Jerry- 4hat +ight that so+ething beHI
I0hrist ,hat do you ,ant .ro+ +eH !2+ not an
oceanographer-I "eger ,aves an exasperated hand at the
+odelers- I3sk them- Jason2s been running that +odel .or8I
I"e+en-sucking-+other.ucking stump"uckerNI Jason snarls at
the screen- The screen snarls back:
?G/T;D/ </D*!0T!O#" G#/D>!3B>D-
/o,an closes her eyes and starts again- I4ould it be able to
survive in the euphotic Cone at leastH !t2s ,ar+er up there even in
,inter- 0ould our recon parties have picked it up and brought it
backHI
IThen it ,ould be sho,ing up here not ,ay over at !+possible
>ake-I
IBut it shouldn2t be sho,ing up anywh8I
I4hat about .ishHI >ubin says suddenly-
/o,an looks at hi+- I4hatHI
Iehe+oth can survive inde.initely inside a host correctH >ess
os+otic stress- That2s ,hy they in.ect .ish in the .irst place-
<erhaps they hitched a ride-I
I3byssal .ish don2t disperseI "eger says- IThey 9ust hang
around the vents-I
I3re the larvae planktonicHI
I"till ,ouldn2t ,ork- #ot over these kinds o. distances
any,ay-I
I4ith all due respectI >ubin re+arks Iyou2re a +edical doctor-
Maybe ,e should ask so+eone ,ith relevant expertise-I
!t2s a 9ab o. course- 4hen the corpses ,ere assigning
pro.essional berths on the ark ichthyologists didn2t even +ake the
long list- But "eger only shakes her head i+patiently- IThey2d tell
you the sa+e thing-I
I;o, do you kno,HI There2s an odd curiosity in /o,an2s
voice-
IBecause ehe+oth ,as trapped in a .e, hot vents .or +ost o.
Darth2s history- !. it had been able to disperse inside plankton ,hy
,ait until no, to take over the ,orldH !t ,ould have done it a .e,
hundred +illion years ago-I
"o+ething changes in <atricia /o,an- 0larke can2t 7uite put
her .inger on it- Maybe it2s so+e subtle shi.t in the other ,o+an2s
posture- Or perhaps /o,an2s 0onTacts have brightened as i. the
intel t,inkling across her eyes has slipped into .ast-.or,ard-
I<atHI 0larke asks-
But suddenly "eger2s co+ing out o. her chair like it ,as on .ire
spurred by a signal co+ing over her earbud- "he taps her ,atch to
bring it online: I!2+ on +y ,ay- "tall the+-I
"he turns to >ubin and 0larke- I!. you really ,ant to help
co+e ,ith +e-I
I4hat2s the proble+HI >ubin asks-
"eger2s already hal.,ay across the cave- IMore slo, learners-
They2re about to kill your .riend-I
)A6A+.:
There are lines dra,n every,here in 3tlantis .our-centi+eter
gaps that circu+scribe ,hole corridors as i. so+eone had
chainsa,ed right through the bulkheads at regular intervals- The
gaps are .lagged by cautionary bands o. diagonal striping to either
side and i. you stand astride one o. the+ and look up to ,here it
passes overhead you2ll see ,hy: each contains a dropgate poised
to guillotine do,n in the event o. a hull breach- They2re such
convenient and ubi7uitous boundaries that parties in opposition
have al,ays tended to use the+ as lines in the sand-
<arties like the hal.-doCen corpses hanging back at the 9unction
too scared or too s+art to get involved- <arties like ;annuk
:eager dancing restlessly on the .ar side o. the striped line
keeping the+ all at bay .i.teen +eters up,ind o. the in.ir+ary-
>ubin shoulders through the chickenshit corpses 0larke
hobbling in his ,ake- :eager bares his teeth in greeting: I<arty2s
.our doors do,n on the le.tNI ;is capped eyes narro, at their
corpse escorts-
0larke and >ubin pass- "eger tries to .ollo,F :eager catches
her around the throat and holds her there s7uir+ing- I!nvitation
only-I
I:ou don2t8I :eager clenchesF "eger2s voice chokes do,n to a
,hisper- I:ou ,ant---Aene to die---HI
I"ounds like a threatI :eager gro,ls-
I!2+ his doctor%I
I>et her goI 0larke tells hi+- I4e +ight need her-I
:eager doesn2t budge-
6h shit 0larke thinks- &s he primed+
:eager2s got a +utation: too +uch +onoa+ine oxidase in his
blood- !t breaks do,n the brain che+icals that keep people on an
even keel- The authorities t,eaked hi+ to co+pensate back in the
days ,hen they could get a,ay ,ith such things but he learned to
get around it so+eho,- "o+eti+es he deliberately strings hi+sel.
so tight that a side,ays glance can send hi+ o.. the deep end- !t
gets hi+ o..- 4hen that happens it doesn2t +atter all that +uch
,hether you2re .riend or .oe- Ti+es like that even >ubin takes
hi+ seriously-
>ubin2s taking hi+ seriously no,- I>et her past ;an-I ;is
voice is cal+ and even his posture relaxed-
?ro+ do,n the corridor a groan- The sound o. so+ething
breaking-
:eager snorts and tosses "eger aside- The ,o+an staggers
coughing against the ,all-
I:ou tooI >ubin says to /o,an ,ho2s still discretely behind
the striped line- To :eager: I!. it2s okay ,ith you o. course-I
I"hitI :eager spits- I! don2t give a .uck-I ;is .ingers clench
and unclench as i. electri.ied-
>ubin nods- I:ou go onI he says casually to 0larke- I!2ll help
;an hold the .ort-I
!t2s #olan o. course- 0larke can hear her snarling as she nears
the +edbay: I3h the little .uckhead2s gone and shit hi+sel.---I
"he s7ueeCes through the hatch- The sour stench o. .ear and
.eces hits her in the .ace- #olan yes- 3nd she2s got 0reasy
backing her up- Blein2s been thro,n into the corner broken and
bleeding- Maybe he tried to get in the ,ay- Maybe #olan 9ust
,anted hi+ to-
Aene Drickson2s a,ake at last crouching on the table like a
caged ani+al- ;is splayed .ingers push against the isolation
+e+brane and it 9ust stretches like i+possibly thin latex- The
.urther he pushes the harder it pullsF his ar+ isn2t 7uite extended
but the +e+brane2s tight as it2s going to go a +ass o. oily
indestructible rainbo,s s,irling along lines o. resistable .orce-
I7uckI he gro,ls sinking back-
#olan s7uats do,n and cocks her head birdlike a .e,
centi+eters .ro+ Blein2s bloody .ace- I>et hi+ out s,eetie-I
Blein drools blood and spit- I! told you he2s8I
I(et away "rom him%I "eger pushes into the co+part+ent as
though the past .ive years8as though the past .ive minutes.never
happened- "he barely gets her hand on #olan2s shoulder be.ore
0reasy sla+s her into a bulkhead-
#olan brushes i+aginary conta+inants .ro+ the place ,here
"eger touched her- I*on2t da+age the headI she tells 0reasy-
I0ould be a pass,ord in there-I
IDverybody-I /o,an at least is s+art enough to stay in the
corridor- IJust- 0al+- *o,n-I
#olan snorts shaking her head- IOr what stu+p.uckH 3re you
going call securityH 3re you going to have us ejected "rom the
premisesHI
0reasy2s ,hite eyes regard "eger .ro+ +ere centi+eters a,ay a
pro+ise o. e+pty and +indless violence set above a grinning
bulldoCer 9a,- 0reasy it is said has a ,ay ,ith ,o+en- #ot that
he2s ever .ucked ,ith 0larke- #ot that anyone does as a rule-
/o,an looks through the open hatch her expression cal+ and
sel.-assured- 0larke sees the plea hidden behind the con.ident
.aJade- ?or a +o+ent she considers ignoring it- ;er leg tingles
+addeningly- 3t her elbo, 0reasy +akes kissy-kissy noises at
"eger his hand viced around the doctor2s 9a,-
0larke ignores hi+- I4hat2s the deal AraceHI
#olan s+iles harshly- I4e +anaged to ,ake hi+ up but
#or+y hereI 8an absent punch at Blein2s head8 Iput so+e kind
o. pass,ord on the table- 4e can2t dial do,n the +e+brane-I
0larke turns to Drickson- I;o, you .eelingHI
IThey did so+ething to +e-I ;e coughs- I4hen ! ,as in
co+a-I
I:es ,e did- 4e saved his8I 0reasy bu+ps "eger2s head
against the bulkhead- "eger shuts up-
0larke keeps her eyes on Drickson- I0an you +ove ,ithout
spilling your intestines all overHI
;e t,ists clu+sily around to sho, o.. his abdo+enF the
+e+brane stretches against his head and shoulder like an a+niotic
sac- IMiracles o. +odern +edicineI he tells her .lopping onto his
back- "ure enough his insides have all been packed back ,here
they belong- ?resh pink scars along his abs co+ple+ent the older
ones on his thorax-
Jerenice "eger looks very +uch as i. she ,ants to say
so+ething- *ale 0reasy looks very +uch as i. he ,ants her to try-
I>et her talkI 0larke tells hi+- ;e loosens his grip 9ust slightlyF
"eger looks at 0larke and keeps her +outh shut-
I"o ,hat2s the storyHI 0larke pro+pts- I>ooks like you glued
hi+ back together okay- !t2s been al+ost three days-I
IThree daysI "eger repeats- ;er voice is s7ueeCed thin and
reedy under 0reasy2s grip- I;e ,as al+ost dise+bo,eled and you
think three days is enough ti+e to recover-I
!n .act 0larke2s sure o. it- "he2s seen torn and broken bodies
be.oreF she2s seen +ultiar+ed robots reasse+ble the+ lay .ine
electrical ,ebbing into their ,ounds to crank healing up to a rate
that ,ould be +iraculous i. it ,eren2t so routine- Three days is
+ore than enough ti+e to drag yoursel. back outside sea+s still
ooCing +aybe but strong enough strong enoughF and once you2re
,eightless again and sheltered by the endless black ,o+b o. the
abyss you2ve got all the ti+e in the ,orld to recover-
!t2s so+ething the drybacks have never been able to grasp: ,hat
keeps you ,eak is the gravity-
I*oes he need +ore surgeryHI she asks-
I;e ,ill i. he isn2t care.ul-I
I3ns,er the .ucking 7uestionI #olan snarls-
"eger glances at 0larke evidently .inds no co+.ort there-
I4hat he needs is ti+e to recover and co+a ,ill cut that by t,o
thirds- !. he ,ants to get out o. here 7uickly that2s his best
option-I
I:ou2re keeping hi+ here against his ,illI #olan says-
I4hy8I /o,an begins .ro+ the corridor-
#olan ,heels on her- I:ou shut the .uck up right now-I
/o,an cal+ly pushes her luck- IWhy ,ould ,e ,ant to keep
hi+ here i. it ,eren2t +edically necessaryHI
I;e could rest up in his o,n habI 0larke says- IOutside
even-I
"eger shakes her head- I;e2s running a signi.icant .ever8
>enie 9ust look at hi+NI
"he2s got a point- Drickson2s .lat on his back apparently
exhausted- 3 sheen o. perspiration slicks his skin al+ost lost
behind the +ore conspicuous glistening o. the +e+brane-
I3 .everI 0larke repeats- I#ot .ro+ the operationHI
I#o- "o+e kind o. opportunistic in.ection-I
I?ro+ ,hatHI
I;e ,as +auled by a ,ild ani+alI "eger points out
exasperated- IThere2s no end to the kind o. things you can pick up
.ro+ so+ething as si+ple as a bite and he ,as nearly eviscerated-
!t ,ould be al+ost inconceivable i. there weren't co+plications-I
I;ear that AeneHI 0larke says- I:ou2ve got .ish rabies or
so+ething-I
I?uckin2 3I he says staring at the ceiling-
I"o it2s your call- 4ant to stay here let 2e+ .ix youH Or trust to
drugs and take your chancesHI
IAet +e out o. hereI Drickson says ,eakly-
"he turns back to "eger- I:ou heard hi+-I
"eger dra,s hersel. up i+possibly perpetually insanely
de.iant- I>enie ! asked you to co+e along to help- This is the
.urthest thing .ro+8I
0reasy2s .ist hits her in the sto+ach like a ,recking ball- "eger
oo"s and topples to the side- ;er head hits the bulkhead on the ,ay
do,n- "he lies there gulping breathlessly-
Out o. the corner o. her eye 0larke sees /o,an step .or,ard
then think better o. it-
"he stares evenly at 0reasy- I#ot necessary *ale-I
I;igh and +ighty cunt ,as 9ust asking .or itI 0reasy gru+bles-
I3nd ho,2s she going to let Aene out o. 9ail i. she can2t even
breathe you idiotHI
I/eally >en- 4hat2s the big dealHI
#olan- 0larke turns to .ace her-
I:ou kno, ,hat they did to usI #olan continues rising at
0reasy2s side- I:ou kno, ho, +any o. us these pi+ps .ucked
over- Billed even-I
7ewer than & did 0larke doesn2t say-
I! say i. *ale ,ants to go to to,n on this stu+p.uck let hi+-I
#olan puts a co+radely hand on 0reasy2s shoulder- IMight go a
tiny ,ay to balancing the books y2kno,HI
I:ou sayI 0larke says 7uietly- I! say di..erent-I
I#o, there's a surprise-I The trace o. a s+ile ghosts across
#olan2s .ace-
They stare at each other through their corneal shields- 3cross
the co+part+ent Blein ,hi+persF Jerenice "eger see+s to be
breathing again at their .eet- 0reasy loo+s close at 0larke2s
shoulder an o+inous presence 9ust short o. overt threat-
"he keeps her breathing slo, and even- "he lo,ers hersel. into
a s7uat8care.ully care.ully her bad leg nearly buckling again8
and helps "eger into a sitting position-
I>et hi+ outI she says-
"eger +utters into her ,rist,atch- 3 keyboard 9a++ed ,ith
strange alphanu+erics lights up the skin o. her .orear+F she taps a
se7uence ,ith her other hand-
The isolation tent pops so.tly- Drickson pushes a tentative
.inger through the +e+brane .inds it unlocked and lurches o.. the
table as i. passing through a soap bubble- ;is .eet hit the deck
,ith a .leshy slap- #olan holds out a diveskin she2s produced .ro+
so+e,here: I4elco+e back buddy- Told you ,e2d get you out-I
They leave 0larke ,ith the corpses- "eger hauls hersel. to her
.eet ignoring 0larke2s o..ered hand and bracing hersel. against the
bulkhead- One hand still clutches protectively at her sto+ach- "he
lurches over to Blein-
I#or+H #or+HI "he s7uats next to her subordinate sti..-
li+bed and pushes back one o. his eyelids- I"tay ,ith +e---I
*roplets o. blood dribble .ro+ her scalp and splatter onto the
+edic2s pu++eled .ace +aking no di..erence at all- "eger curses
and ,ipes the back o. her hand across her in9ury-
0larke steps .or,ard to help- ;er .oot co+es do,n on
so+ething s+all and hard like a s+all stone- "he li.ts her .oot- 3
tooth sticky ,ith coagulating .luids clatters so.tly onto the deck-
I!8I 0larke begins-
"eger turns- /age si++ers on her .ace- I8ust get out o" here-I
0larke stares at her .or a +o+ent- Then she turns on her heel
and leaves-
/o,an2s ,aiting in the corridor- IThis can2t happen again-I
0larke leans against the bulkhead to take so+e ,eight o.. her
in9ured leg- I:ou kno, Arace- "he and Aene are8I
I!t2s not 9ust Arace- 3t least it ,on2t be .or long- ! said
so+ething like this +ight happen-I
"he .eels very tired- I:ou said you ,anted space bet,een the
t,o sides- "o ,hy ,as Jerry keeping Aene here ,hen he ,anted
to leaveHI
I*o you think she wanted that +an aroundH "he ,as looking
out .or the ,el.are o. her patient- That2s her 9ob-I
IOur ,el.are is our o,n concern-I
I:ou people si+ply aren2t 9uali"ied8I
0larke raises one pre-e+ptive had- I;eard it <at- The little
people can2t see the Big <icture- Joe 0itiCen can2t handle the truth-
The peasants are too eeegnorant to vote-I "he shakes her head
disgusted- I!t2s been .ive years and you2re still patting us on the
head-I
I3re you saying that Aene Drickson is a +ore 7uali.ied
diagnostician than our 0hie. o. MedicineHI
I!2+ saying he has the right to be ,rong-I 0larke ,aves an ar+
do,n the corridor- I>ook +aybe you2re right- Maybe he2ll co+e
do,n ,ith gangrene and co+e cra,ling back to Jerry inside a
,eek- Or +aybe he2d rather die- But it2s his decision-I
IThis isn2t about gangreneI /o,an says so.tly- I3nd it isn2t
about so+e co++on lo,-grade in.ection- 3nd you kno, it-I
I3nd ! still don2t see ,hat di..erence it +akes-I
I! told you-I
I:ou told +e about a bunch o. .rightened children ,ho can2t
believe that their o,n de.enses ,ill hold- 4ell <at the de.enses
will hold- !2+ living proo.- 4e could be drinking ehe+oth in
pure culture and it ,ouldn2t hurt us-I
I4e2ve lost8I
I:ou2ve lost one +ore layer o. denial- That2s all- ehe+oth2s
here <at- ! don2t kno, ho, but there2s nothing you can do about
it and ,hy should you even botherH !t2s not going to do anything
except rub your noses in so+ething you2d rather not think about
and you2ll adapt to that soon enough- :ou2ve done it be.ore- 3
+onth .ro+ no, you2ll have .orgotten about it all over again-I
IThen please8I /o,an begins and stops hersel.-
0larke ,aits ,hile the other ,o+an braces hersel. yet again
.or the subordinate role-
IAive us that +onthI /o,an ,hispers at last-
NMS,S
0larke doesn2t o.ten go into the residential 7uarter- "he doesn2t
re+e+ber ever having been in this particular section- The corridor
here is sheathed in lattice paint and ,ired up to a +ural generator-
3 .orest o. antlered coral cro,ds the port bulkheadF surgeon.ish
school and s,irl to starboard like the nodes o. so+e abstract and
di..use neural net- 3 +esh o. .ractured sunlight dances across
everything- 0larke can2t tell ,hether the illusion is purely
synthetic or po,ered by archived .ootage o. a real coral ree.- "he
,ouldn2t even kno, ho, to tell the di..erenceF o. all the sea
creatures ,hich have +ade her ac7uaintance over the years none
have lived in sunlight-
3 lot o. .a+ilies along here 0larke .igures- 3dults don2t go in
.or evocations o. the ,ild kingdo+ as a ruleF it2s kind o. hard to
retain that aesthetic once you2ve grasped the concept o. irony-
;ere it is: *-(1- "he taps the doorbell- 3 +u..led +usical
chi+e dri.ts through the closed hatchF a reedy thread o. +usic a
.aint voice the sounds o. +otion-
The hatch s,ings open- 3 stocky girl o. about ten looks out at
her .ro+ under spiky blond bangs- The +usic ,a.ts around her
.ro+ the interior o. the co+part+ent8>ex2s .lute 0larke realiCes-
The s+ile dies on the girl2s .ace the instant she lays eyes on
>enie 0larke-
I;iI 0larke says- I! ,as looking .or 3lyx-I "he tries a s+ile
o. her o,n on .or siCe-
!t doesn2t .it- The girl takes a stu+bling step back,ard-
I>exKI
The +usic stops- I4hatH 4ho is itHI
The blonde girl steps aside nervous as a cat- 3lyx /o,an sits
blinded on a couch in the center o. the roo+- One o. her hands
lo,ers the .luteF the other reaches up to the +other-o.-pearl
2phones covering her eyes-
I;ey >exI 0larke says- I:our +o+ said you2d be here-I
I>enieN :ou passedNI
I<assedHI
IEuarantineN They said you and psycho-+an ,ere locked up
.or tests or so+ething- ! guess you aced the+-I 3 ,heeled
rectangular pedestal about a +eter high s7uats in .ront o. the
couch a little obelisk ,ith the sa+e opalescent .inish as 3lyx2s
headset- 3lyx sets her 2phones do,n on top o. it next to an
identical pair already at rest-
0larke li+ps into the roo+- 3lyx2s .ace clouds instantly-
I4hat happened to your legHI
I/ogue s7uid- /udder got +e-I
3lyx2s .riend +utters so+ething .ro+ the corner o. 0larke2s eye
and disappears into the corridor- 0larke turns in her ,ake-
I:our .riend doesn2t like +e +uch-I
3lyx ,aves a dis+issive hand- IBelly spooks easy- One look
and she 9ust .lash.eeds all the shit her +o+ ever spe,ed about you
guys- "he2s nice but she doesn2t high-grade her sources at all-I
The girl shrugs dis+issing the sub9ect- I"o ,hat2s upHI
I:ou kno, that 7uarantine ! ,as buCCing on about a ,hile
backHI
3lyx .ro,ns- IThat guy that got bitten- Drickson-I
I:eah- 4ell it looks like he ca+e do,n ,ith so+ething a.ter
all and the basic thu+bnail is ,e2ve decided to invoke a kind o.
*o 7ish'heads policy in 3tlantis .or the ti+e being-I
I:ou2re letting the+ kick you outHI
I! actually think it2s a good ideaI 0larke ad+its-
I4hyH 4hat2s he gotHI
0larke shakes her head- I!t2s not really a +edical thing
although that2s8part o. it- !t2s 9ust8.eelings are running kind o.
high right no, on both sides- :our +o+ and ! thought it2d be
better i. your guys and our guys kept out o. each other2s ,ay- Just
.or a ,hile-I
I;o, co+eH 4hat2s going onHI
I:our +o+ didn2t8HI !t belatedly occurs to 0larke that
<atricia /o,an +ight have opted to keep certain things .ro+ her
daughter- ?or that +atter she doesn2t even kno, ho, +uch o.
3tlantis2s adult population has been brought up to speed- 0orpses
aren2t keen on .ull disclosure 9ust as a +atter o. general principle-
#ot that >enie 0larke gives a great cri+son turd about corpse
sensibilities- "till- "he doesn2t ,ant to get in bet,een <at and8
I>enieHI 3lyx is staring at her bro, .urro,ed- "he2s one o.
the very .e, people that 0larke can co+.ortably sho, her naked
eyes toF right no, though 0larke2s glad her caps are in-
"he takes a couple o. paces across the carpet- 3nother .acet o.
the pedestal co+es into vie,- "o+e kind o. control panel runs in a
strip 9ust belo, its upper edge a band o. dark perspex t,inkling
,ith red and blue icons- 3 lu+inous 9agged ,ave.or+ like an
DDA scrolls horiContally along its length-
I4hat2s thisHI 0larke asks seiCing on the diversion- !t2s .ar too
big to be any kind o. ga+e inter.ace-
IThatH Oh-I 3lyx shrugs- IThat2s Belly2s- !t2s a head cheese-I
IWhat%I
I:ou kno, a s+art gel- #euron culture ,ith8I
I! kno, ,hat it is >ex- ! 9ust8! guess !2+ surprised to see one
here a.terKI
I4anna see itHI 3lyx taps a brie. tattoo on the top o. the
cabinet- The nacreous sur.ace s,irls brie.ly and clears: beneath
the ne,ly-transparent .aJade a slab o. pinkish-gray tissue sits
,ithin its circular ri+ like a bo,l o. .leshy oat+eal- ?lecks o.
bro,n glass punctuate the pudding in neat per.orated lines-
I!t2s not very bigI 3lyx says- I4ay s+aller than the ones they
had back in the old days- Belly says it2s about the sa+e as a cat-I
1o it's evil at least$ i" not hugely intelligent. I4hat2s it .orHI
0larke ,onders- 1urely they wouldn't be stupid enough to use
these things a"ter.
I!t2s kind o. a petI 3lyx says apologetically- I"he calls it
/u+ble-I
I3 petHI
I"ure- !t thinks sort o.- !t learns to do stu..- Dven i. no one
really kno,s ho, exactly-I
IOh so you heard about that did youHI
I!t2s a lot s+aller than the ones that you kno, ,orked .or
you-I
IThey didn't w.I
I!t2s really har+less- !t2s not hooked into li.e support or
anything-I
I"o ,hat does it doH :ou teach it tricksHI The porridge o.
brains glistens like an ooCing sore-
IBind o.- !t talks back i. you say stu.. to it- *oesn2t al,ays
+ake a lot o. sense but that2s ,hat +akes it .un- 3nd i. you t,eak
the audio .eed right it plays these really cool color patterns in ti+e
to +usic-I 3lyx grabs her .lute o.. the couch gestures at the
eyephones- I4anna seeHI
I3 petI 0larke +ur+urs- )ou bloody corpses2
I4e2re not you kno,I 3lyx says sharply- I#ot all o. us-I
I"orryH #ot ,hatHI
I0orpses- 4hat does that +ean any,ayH My +o+H /eHI
#id & say that out loud+ IJust8corporate types ! guess-I "he2s
never spent +uch ti+e pondering the origin o. the ter+ any +ore
than she2s lost sleep over the etiology o. chair or "umarole-
I4ell in case you didn2t notice there2s a lot o. other people in
here- 0runchers and doctors and 9ust "amilies-I
I:eah ! kno,- O. course ! kno,8I
IBut you 9ust lu+p us all together you kno,H !. ,e don2t have
a bunch o. pipes in our chest ,e2re all 9ust corpses as .ar as you2re
concerned-I
I4ell8sorry-I 3nd then belatedly de.ensive: I!2+ not
slagging you you kno,- !t2s 9ust a ,ord-I
I:eah ,ell it2s not just a word to all you .ishheads-I
I"orry-I 0larke says again- 3 distance see+s to open bet,een
the+ although neither has +oved-
I3ny,ayI she says a.ter a ,hile I! 9ust ,anted you to kno, !
,on2t be inside .or a ,hile- 4e can still talk o. course but8I
Move+ent .ro+ the hatch,ay- 3 large stocky +an steps into
the co+part+ent dark hair co+bed back eyebro,s knotted
together his ,hole body a telegraph o. leashed hostility- Belly2s
.ather-
IMs- 0larkeI he says evenly-
;er guts tighten into a hard angry knot- "he kno,s that look-
"he kno,s that stance she sa, it hersel. +ore ti+es than she
could count ,hen she ,as Belly2s age- "he kno,s ,hat "athers
do she kno,s ,hat hers did but she2s not a little girl any +ore and
Belly2s dad looks very +uch in need o. a lesson---
But she has to keep re+inding hersel.- #one o. it happened-
P4.5.A,5 49 5$ SA0,S5 AS AN A04+S)N5
3chilles *es9ardins learned to spoo. the skeeters eventually o.
course- Dven as a child he kne, the score- !n a ,orld kept under
constant surveillance .or its o,n protection there ,ere only
,atched and ,atchers and he kne, ,hich side o. the lens he
,anted to be on- Beating o.. ,as not the kind o. thing he could do
in .ront o. an audience-
!t ,as barely even the kind o. thing he could do in private .or
that +atter- ;e had a.ter all been raised ,ith certain religious
belie.sF clinging to the coattails o. the *ouveaux 1:paratistes the
0atholic +ias+a had persisted in Euebec long a.ter it had .aded
into kitschy irrelevance every,here else- Those belie.s haunted
3chilles every night as he +ilked hi+sel. as the sick hate.ul
i+ages .lickered through his +ind and hardened his penis- !t
barely +attered that the skeeters ,ere o..line ,obbling drunkenly
under the in.luence o. the +agnetic +obiles he2d hung over his bed
and desk and dra,ers- !t barely +attered that he ,as already going
to hell even i. he never touched hi+sel. again .or the rest o. his
li.e8.or hadn2t Jesus said i" you do these things even in your
heart$ then you have committed them in eyes o" (od+ 3chilles ,as
already da+ned by his o,n unbidden thoughts- 4hat +ore could
he lose by acting on the+H
"hortly a.ter his eleventh birthday his penis began leaving
actual evidence behind a +ilky .luid s7uirted onto the sheets in the
course o. his nightly debauchery- ;e didn2t dare ask the
encyclopedia about it .or t,o ,eeksF it took hi+ that long to .igure
out ho, to doctor the en7uiry logs so Mo+ and *ad ,ouldn2t .ind
out- 0racking the private settings on the household Maytag took
another three days- :ou could never tell ,hat trace ele+ents that
thing +ight be scanning .or- By the ti+e 3chilles actually dared to
launder his bedsheets they s+elled a lot like 3ndre, Trites do,n
at the co++unity center ,ho ,as t,ice the siCe o. anyone else in
his cohort and ,ho+ nobody ,anted to stand next to at the
rapitrans stop-
I! think8I 3chilles began at thirteen-
;e no longer believed in the 0hurch- ;e ,as a.ter all an
e+piricist at heart and Aod couldn2t ,ithstand so +uch as ten
seconds2 critical scrutiny .ro+ anyone ,ho2d already .igured out
the ugly truth about the Daster Bunny- <aradoxically though
da+nation so+eho, see+ed +ore real than ever on so+e pri+al
level that resisted +ere logic- 3nd as long as da+nation ,as real
con.ession couldn2t hurt-
I8!2+ a +onsterI he .inished-
!t ,asn2t as risky a con.ession as it +ight have been- ;is
con.idante ,asn2t especially trust,orthy8he2d do,nloaded it .ro+
the net 5.ro+ /aelstrom he corrected hi+sel.F that2s ,hat
everyone ,as calling it no,6 and it +ight be .ull o. ,or+s and
tro9ans even i. he had scrubbed it every ,hich ,ay8but he2d also
kellered all the !PO except voice and he could delete the ,hole
thing the +o+ent it tried anything .unny- ;e2d do that any,ay
once he ,as .inished- #o ,ay ,as he going to leave it ticking
a.ter he2d spilled his guts to it-
*ad ,ould go totally triploid i. he kne, 3chilles had brought a
,ild app any,here near their ho+e net but 3chilles ,asn2t about
to risk using the house .ilters even i. *ad had stopped spying since
Mo+ died- 3nd any,ay *ad ,asn2t going to .ind out- ;e ,as
do,nstairs co,led in his sensoriu+ ,ith the rest o. the province
8the rest o. the country no, 3chilles had to keep re+inding
hi+sel.8i++ersed in the po+p and cere+ony o. Euebec2s very
.irst !ndependence *ay- "ullen resent.ul <enny8her days o.
idoliCing Big Brother long past8,ould have gladly sold hi+ out
in a second but these days she pretty +uch lived in her rapture
hel+et- By no, it +ust have ,orn the grooves right out o. her
te+poral lobes-
!t ,as the birthday o. the last ne, country in the ,orld and
3chilles *es9ardins ,as alone in his bedroo+ ,ith his con.essor-
I4hat kind o. +onsterHI asked Thera<al %-2 its voice
studiously androgynous-
;e2d learned the ,ord that very +orning- ;e pronounced it
care.ully: I3 +isogynist-I
I! seeI Thera<al +ur+ered in his ear-
I! have these8! get these .eelings- 3bout hurting the+-
;urting girls-I
I3nd ho, do they +ake you .eelHI The voice had edged subtly
into the +asculine-
IAood- 3,.ul- ! +ean8! like the+- The .eelings ! +ean-I
I0ould you be +ore speci.icHI There ,as no shock or disgust
in the voice- O. course there couldn2t be8the progra+ didn2t have
.eelings it ,asn2t even a Turing app- !t ,as basically 9ust a .ancy
+enu- "till stupidly 3chilles .elt strangely relieved-
I!t2s8sexyI he ad+itted- IJust 9ust thinking about the+ that
,ay-I
I4hat ,ay exactlyHI
I:ou kno, helpless- @ulnerable- ! ! like the looks on their
.aces ,hen they2re---you kno,---I
IAo onI said Thera<al-
I;urtingI 3chilles .inished +iserably-
I3hI said the app- I;o, old are you 3chillesHI
IThirteen-I
I*o you have any .riends ,ho are girlsHI
I"ure-I
I3nd ho, do you .eel about themHI
I! told youNI 3chilles hissed barely keeping his voice do,n- I!
get8I
I#oI Thera<al broke in gently- I!2+ asking ho, you "eel
about the+ personally ,hen you2re not sexually aroused- *o you
hate the+HI
4ell no- 3ndrea ,as really s+art and he could al,ays go to
her .or help ,ith his debugs- 3nd Martine8one ti+e 3chilles
had 9ust about killed Martine2s older brother ,hen he ,as picking
on her- Martine didn2t have a +ean bone in her body but that
asshole brother o. hers ,as so---
I!8! like the+I he said his .orehead crinkling at the paradox-
I! like the+ a lot- They2re great- Dxcept the ones ! ,ant to you
kno, and even then it2s only ,hen !---I
Thera<al ,aited patiently-
IDverything2s .ineI 3chilles said at last- IDxcept ,hen ! ,ant
to---I
I! seeI the app said a.ter a +o+ent- I3chilles ! have so+e
good ne,s .or you- :ou2re not a +isogynist a.ter all-I
I#oHI
I3 +isogynist is so+eone ,ho hates ,o+en ,ho .ears the+ or
thinks the+ in.erior in so+e ,ay- !s that youHI
I#o but8but ,hat a+ ! thenHI
IThat2s easyI Thera<al told hi+- I:ou2re a sexual sadist- !t2s
a co+pletely di..erent thing-I
I/eallyHI
I"ex is a very old instinct 3chilles and it didn2t evolve in a
vacuu+- !t coevolved ,ith all sorts o. other basic drives8.ighting
.or +ates territoriality co+petition .or resources- Dven healthy
sex has a strong ele+ent o. violence to it- "ex and aggression
share +any o. the sa+e neurological paths-I
I3re you8are you saying everyone's like +eHI !t see+ed too
+uch to hope .or-
I#ot exactly- Most people have a sort o. s,itch that suppresses
violent i+pulses during sex- "o+e people2s s,itches ,ork better
than others- The s,itches in clinical sadists don2t ,ork very ,ell
at all-I
I3nd that2s ,hat ! a+I 3chilles +ur+ered-
I@ery likelyI Thera<al said Ialthough it2s i+possible to be
sure ,ithout a proper clinical checkup- ! see+ unable to access
your net,ork right no, but ! could provide a list o. nearby
a..iliated +edbooths i. you tell +e ,here ,e are-I
Behind hi+ the 3chilles2s bedroo+ door creaked so.tly on its
hinges- ;e turned and .roCe instantly at his core-
The door to his bedroo+ had s,ung open- ;is .ather stood
.ra+ed in the darkness beyond-
I3chillesI Thera<al said in the ,hirling receding distance
I.or you o,n health8not to +ention your peace o. +ind8you
really should visit one o. our a..iliates- 3 contractually-guaranteed
diagnosis is the .irst step to treat+ent and treat+ent is the .irst
step to a healthy li.e-I
3e couldn't have heard$ 3chilles told hi+sel.- Thera<al
spoke directly to his earbud and *ad couldn2t have stopped the
telltale .ro+ .lashing i. he2d been listening in- *ad didn2t hack-
;e couldn2t have heard Thera<al- ;e could2ve heard 3chilles
though-
I!. you2re ,orried about the cost our rates8I 3chilles deleted
the app al+ost ,ithout thinking sick to his sto+ach-
;is .ather hadn2t +oved-
;is .ather didn2t +ove +uch these days- The short .use the
hair-trigger had rusted into so+e .roCen state bet,een grie. and
indi..erence over the years- ;is once-.iery and de.iant 0atholicis+
had turned against itsel. ,ith the .all o. the 0hurch a virulent rage
o. betrayal that had burned hi+ out and le.t hi+ hollo,- By the
ti+e 3chilles2 +o+ had died there2d barely even been sorro,- 53
glitch in the therapy he2d said dully co+ing back .ro+ the
hospital- The ,rong pro+oters activated the body so+eho,
innoculated against its o,n genes devouring itsel.- There ,as
nothing he could do- They2d signed a ,aiver-6
#o, he stood there in the darkened hall,ay s,aying slightly
his .ists not even clenched- !t had been years since he2d raised a
hand against his children-
"o ,hat a+ ! a.raid o.H 3chilles ,ondered his sto+ach
knotted-
3e knows. 3e knows. &'m a"raid he knows...
The corners o. his .ather2s +outh tightened by so+e
in.initesi+al degree- !t ,asn2t a s+ile- !t ,asn2t a snarl- !n later
years the adult 3chilles *es9ardins ,ould look back and recognise
it as a kind o. ackno,ledg+ent but at the ti+e he had no idea
,hat it +eant- ;e only kne, that his .ather si+ply turned and
,alked do,n the hall to the +aster bedroo+ and closed the door
behind hi+ and never +entioned that night ever again-
!n later years he also realised that Thera<al +ust have been
stringing hi+ along- !ts goal a.ter all had been to attract
custo+ers and you didn2t do that by rubbing their .aces in
unpleasant truths- The progra+ had si+ply been trying to +ake
hi+ .eel better as a +arketting strategy-
3nd yet that didn2t +ean it had lied necessarily- 4hy bother
i. the truth ,ould do the 9obH 3nd it all +ade so +uch sense. #ot
a sin but a +al.unction- 3 ther+ostat set aske, through no .ault
o. his o,n- 3ll li.e ,as +achinery +echanical contraptions built
o. proteins and nucleic acids and electricityF ,hat +achine ever got
creative control over its o,n specsH !t ,as a liberating epiphany
there at the da,n o. the sovereign Euebec: #ot Auilty by reason
o. .aulty ,iring-
Odd though-
:ou2d have expected it to bring the sel.-loathing do,n a notch
or t,o in the years that .ollo,ed-
10S,0 MAN4.
Aene Drickson and Julia ?ried+an live in a s+all single-deck
hab about t,o hundred +eters southeast o. 3tlantis- Julia has
al,ays done +ost o. the housekeeping: Aene gets notoriously
t,itchy in enclosed spaces- ?or hi+ home is the open ridge: the
hab is a necessary evil .or sex and .eeding and those occasional
ti+es ,hen the his o,n darkdrea+s prove insu..iciently diverting-
Dven then he treats it the ,ay a pearl diver o. t,o hundred years
past ,ould treat a diving bell: a place to gulp the occasional breath
o. air be.ore returning to the deep-
#o, o. course it2s +ore o. an !0G-
>enie 0larke e+erges .ro+ the airlock and lays her .ins on an
incongruous ,elco+e +at laid to one side- The +ain co+part+ent
is di+ even to ri.ter eyes a grey-on-grey ,ash o. t,ilight
punctuated by the bright chro+atic readouts on the co++ board-
The air s+ells o. +ould and +etalF +ore .aintly o. vo+it and
disin.ectant- >i.e-support syste+s gurgle under.oot- Open hatches
gape like black +ouths: storageF headF sleeping cubby- 3n
electronic +etrono+e beeps so+e,here nearby- 3 heart +onitor
counting do,n-
Julia ?ried+an steps into vie,-
I;e2s still8oh-I "he2s taken o.. her diveskin in .avor o. a
ther+ochro+e turtleneck that +ostly covers her scars- !t2s strange
to see ri.ter eyes atop dryback clothing- I;i >enie-I
I;i- ;o,2s he doingHI
IOkay-I "he turns in the hatch,ay sags ,ith her spine against
the .ra+e: hal. in darkness hal. in t,ilight- "he turns her .ace to
the darkness to the person ,ithin it- I0ould be better ! guess-
;e2s asleep- ;e2s sleeping a lot-I
I!2+ surprised you could even keep hi+ inside-I
I:eah- ! think he2d rather be out there even no, butKhe2s
doing it .or +e ! think- Because ! asked hi+-I ?ried+an shakes
her head- I!t ,as too easy-I
I4hat ,asHI
I0onvincing hi+-I "he takes a breath- I:ou kno, ho, +uch
he loves the outdoors-I
I3re Jerry2s antibiotics helpingHI
IMaybe- ! guess- !t2s hard to say you kno,H "he can al,ays
say he2d be ,orse ,ithout the+ no +atter ho, bad it gets-I
I!s that ,hat she2s sayingHI
IOh Aene hasn2t talked to her since he ca+e back- ;e doesn2t
trust the+-I "he stares at the deck- I;e bla+es her .or this-I
I?or being sickHI
I;e thinks they did so+ething to hi+-I
0larke re+e+bers- I4hat exactly does he8HI
I! don2t kno,- "o+ething-I ?ried+an glances up: her ar+ored
eyes lock onto 0larke2s .or an instant then slide o.. to the side-
I!t2s taking a long ti+e to clear up you kno,H ?or a si+ple
in.ection- *o you thinkHI
I! don2t really kno, Julia-I
IMaybe ehe+oth2s +ixing things up so+eho,- Making things
,orse-I
I! don2t kno, i. it ,orks like that-I
IMaybe !2ve got it too by no,-I ?ried+an al+ost see+s to be
talking to hersel.- I! +ean !2+ ,ith hi+ a lotKI
I4e could check you out i. you ,anted-I
?ried+an looks at her- I:ou ,ere in.ected ,eren2t youH
Be.ore-I
IOnly ,ith ehe+othI 0larke says care.ul to dra, the
distinction- I!t didn2t kill +e- *idn2t even +ake +e sick-I
I!t ,ould have though- Dventually- /ightHI
I!. ! hadn2t got +y retro.its- But ! did- 4e all did-I "he tries a
s+ile- I4e2re ri.ters Julia- 4e2re tough little +other.uckers-
;e2ll pull through- ! kno, it-I
!t2s not +uch 0larke kno,s- /eassuring deception is all she
can o..er Julia ?ried+an at the +o+ent- "he kno,s better than to
touchF ?reed+an2s not keen on physical contact- "he2d endure a
co+.orting hand on the shoulder perhaps8even take it in the
spirit in ,hich it ,as intended8but Arace ?ried+an is very
selective ,ith her personal space- !t2s one o. the .e, ,ays in
,hich 0larke .eels a kinship ,ith the ,o+an- Dach can see the
other .linch even ,hen neither does-
?ried+an looks back into the darkness- IArace says you helped
get hi+ out o. there-I
0larke shrugs a bit surprised that #olan ,ould give her the
credit-
I! ,ould2ve been there too you kno,- OnlyKI ?ried+an2s
voice trails o..- The hab2s ventilators sigh into the silence-
IOnly you think +aybe he2d have been better o.. ,here he
,asI 0larke suggests-
IOh no- 4ell +aybe partly- ! don2t kno, i. *r- "eger2s as bad
as they think any,ay-I
ITheyHI
IAene and8Arace-I
Ah-
I!t2s 9ust ! didn2t kno,K! didn2t kno, i. he2d even want +e
there-I ?ried+an .lashes a rue.ul s+ile- I!2+ not +uch o. a
.ighter >enie- #ot like you not like8! 9ust kind o. roll ,ith the
punches-I
I;e could have been ,ith Arace all along i. he2d ,anted to
Julia- ;e2s ,ith you-I
?ried+an laughs a bit too 7uickly- IOh no- That2s not ,hat !
+eant-I But 0larke2s ,ords see+ to have perked her up a bit-
I3ny,ayI 0larke says I! guess !2ll leave you guys alone- !
9ust ,anted to stop by see ho, he ,as doing-I
I!2ll tell hi+I ?ried+an says- I;e2ll appreciate it-I
I"ure- #o proble+-I "he bends to retrieve her .ins-
I3nd you should co+e by again ,hen he2s a,ake- ;e2d like
that-I "he hesitates looking a,ayF chestnut curls obscure her .ace-
I#ot +any people co+e by you kno,- Dxcept Arace- "aliko ,as
by a ,hile back-I
0larke shrugs- I/i.ters aren2t big on social skills-I And you
really ought to know that by now she doesn2t add- Julia ?ried+an
9ust doesn2t get it so+eti+es- !t2s as though scars and history
not,ithstanding she2s a ri.ter in na+e only an honorary +e+ber
allo,ed past the gate on her husband2s credentials-
Which begs the 9uestion o" what !2+ doing here she realiCes-
I! think they take hi+ too seriously so+eti+esI ?ried+an says-
I"eriouslyHI 0larke glances at the airlock- The hab see+s
suddenly subtly s+aller-
I3bout you kno,- The corpses- ! hear "aliko2s .eeling a little
odd no, but you kno, "aliko-I
3e thinks they did something to him..-
I! ,ouldnLt ,orry about itI 0larke says- I/eally-I "he s+iles
sighing in,ardly at her o,n diplo+acy-
0o+.orting lies get .ar too easy ,ith practice-
!t2s been a ,hile since she2s let Bevin take her- ;e2s never been
all that good at it sadly- ;e has a harder ti+e keeping it up than
+ost kids his age ,hich actually isn2t all that unco++on a+ong
the local botto+-.eeders- 3nd the .act that he2s chosen a .rigid
bitch like >enie 0larke to practice his +oves on hasn2t helped the
dyna+ic any- 3 +an a.raid to touch: a ,o+an averse to contact-
!. these t,o have anything in co++on it2s patience-
"he .igures she o,es hi+- Besides she ,ants to ask hi+ so+e
7uestions-
But today he2s a granite cock ,ith a brain ste+ attached- .uck
the .oreplay: he pushes into her right o.. the top not even a token
tongue-lashing to +ake up .or the lack o. tropical irrigation- The
.riction pulls pain.ully at her labiaF she reaches do,n discretely
,ith one hand and spreads the+- 4alsh pu+ps on top o. her
breath hissing through teeth clenched in a hard ani+al grin his
capped eyes hard and unreadable- They al,ays keep their eyes
+asked during sex80larke2s tastes prevail as usual8 although
4alsh usually ,ears too +uch heart on his .ace to hide ,ith a
couple o. +e+branous eggshells- #ot this ti+e- There2s
so+ething behind his overlays that 0larke can2t 7uite +ake out
so+ething .ocused on the space ,here she is but not on her- ;e
pushes her up the pallet in rough thrusting incre+entsF her head
bu+ps pain.ully against the naked +etal plating o. the deck- They
.uck ,ithout ,ords a+idst stale air and gra.ted +achinery-
"he doesn2t kno, ,hat2s co+e over hi+- !t2s a nice change
though the closest thing to an honest-to-Aod rape she2s had in
years- "he closes her eyes and su++ons up i+ages o. Barl 3cton-
3.ter,ards though the bruise she notices is on his ar+: a
corona o. torn capillaries around a tiny puncture in the .lesh o. his
inner elbo,-
I4hat2s thisHI "he lays her lips around the in9ury and runs her
tongue across the s,elling-
IOh that- Arace is taking blood sa+ples .ro+ everyone-I
;er head co+es up- I4hatHI
I"he2s not great at it- Took her a couple o. tries to .ind a vein-
:ou should see >i9e- >ooks like his ar+ got bush,hacked by a sea
urchin-I
I4hy2s Arace taking bloodHI
I:ou didn2t hearH >i9e ca+e do,n ,ith so+ething- 3nd
"aliko2s started .eeling under the ,eather too and he visited Aene
and Julia 9ust a couple o. days ago-I
I"o Arace thinks8I
I4hatever the corpses gave hi+ it2s spreading-I
0larke sits up- "he2s been naked on the deck .or hal. an hour
but this is the .irst ti+e she2s .elt the chill- IArace thinks the
corpses gave hi+ so+ething-I
IThat2s ,hat Aene thought- "he2s going to .ind out-I
I;o,H "he doesn2t have any +edical training-I
4alsh shrugs- I:ou don2t need any to run MedBase-I
IJesus se+en-sucking 0hrist-I 0larke shakes her head in
disbelie.- IDven i. 3tlantis did ,ant to sic so+e bug on us they
,ouldn2t be stupid enough to use one .ro+ the standard database-I
I! guess she thinks it2s a place to start-I
There2s so+ething in his voice-
I:ou believe herI 0larke says-
I4ell not nec8I
I;as Julia co+e do,n ,ith anythingHI
I#ot so .ar-I
I*ot so "ar. Bevin Julia hasn2t le.t Aene2s side since they broke
hi+ out- !. anyone ,as going to catch anything ,ouldn2t it be
herH "aliko visited ,hatH OnceHI
IMaybe t,ice-I
I3nd ,hat about (raceH ?ro+ ,hat ! hear she2s over there all
the ti+e- !s she sickHI
I"he says she2s taking precaut8I
I<recautionsI 0larke snorts- I"pare +e- 3+ ! the only one
le.t on the ,hole /idge ,ith a ,orking set o. .rontal lobesH 3bra
ca+e do,n ,ith supersyph last year re+e+berH !t took eight
+onths .or 0harley Aarcia to get rid o. those buggy Ascaris in his
gut and ! don2t re+e+ber anyone bla+ing the corpses .or that-
<eople get sick Bevin even do,n here- 0specially do,n here-
;al. o. us rot a,ay be.ore ,e even have a chance to go native-I
There it is again: so+ething ne, staring out .ro+ behind the
glistening opacities o. 4alsh2s eyecaps- "o+ething not entirely
.riendly-
"he sighs- I4hatHI
I!t2s 9ust a precaution- ! don2t see ho, it can hurt-I
I!t can hurt 7uite a lot i. people 9u+p to conclusions ,ithout
any .acts-I
4alsh doesn2t +ove .or a +o+ent- Then he gets to his .eet-
IArace is trying to get the .actsI he says padding across the
co+part+ent- I)ou're the one 9u+ping to conclusions-I
6h$ Kevvy'boy 0larke ,onders- When did you start to grow a
spine+
;e grabs his diveskin o.. the chair- "7uir+ing black synthetics
e+brace hi+ like a lover-
IThanks .or the .uckI he says- I! gotta go-I
14,+.P+A5
"he .inds >ubin .loating hal.,ay up the side o. the ,indchi+e
reservoir- <ipes .iberop and +iscellaneous co+ponents8+ostly
non.unctional no, dis+e+bered seg+ents o. circuits long-since
broken8run in a band around the great tank2s e7uator- 3t the
+o+ent the a+bient currents are too sluggish to set either rocks or
+achinery to glo,ingF >ubin2s headla+p provides the only
illu+ination-
I3bra said you ,ere out hereI 0larke buCCes-
I;old this pad ,ill youHI
"he takes the little sensor- I! ,anted to talk to you-I
I3boutHI Most o. his attention see+s to be .ocused on a blob
o. a+ber poly+er erupting .ro+ one o. the conduits-
0larke +aneuvers hersel. into his line o. sight- IThere2s this
asinine ru+or going around- Arace is telling people that Jerry
sicced so+e kind o. plague on Aene-I
>ubin2s vocoder tics in a +echanical interpretation o. mmmm---
I"he2s al,ays had a +issile up her ass about the corpses but
nobody takes her seriously- 3t least they didn2t used toKI
>ubin taps a valve- IThat2s it-I
I4hatHI
I/esin2s cracked around the ther+ostat- !t2s causing an
inter+ittent short-I
IBen- ,isten to me.I
;e stares at her ,aiting-
I"o+ething2s changing- Arace never used to push it this hard
re+e+berHI
I! never really butted heads ,ith her +ysel.I >ubin buCCes-
I!t used to be her against the ,orld- But this bug Aene2s co+e
do,n ,ith it2s changed things- ! think people are starting to listen
to her- !t could get dicey-I
I?or the corpses-I
I?or all o. us- 4eren2t you the one ,arning +e about ,hat the
corpses could do i. they got their act togetherH 4eren2t you the
one ,ho said8I
We may have to do something preemptive2
3 s+all pit opens up in 0larke2s sto+ach-
IBenI she buCCes slo,ly Iyou do kno, Arace is .ucking
craCy rightHI
;e doesn2t ans,er .or a +o+ent- "he doesn2t give hi+ any
longer than that: I"eriously you should 9ust listen to her
so+eti+e- "he talks as i. the ,ar never ended- "o+eone sneeCes
and it2s a biological attack-I
Behind his headla+p >ubin2s silhouette +oves subtlyF 0larke
gets the sense o. a shrug- IThere are so+e interesting
coincidencesI he says- IAene enters 3tlantis ,ith serious in9uries-
Jerry operates on hi+ in a +edbay ,here our surveillance is
co+pro+ised then puts hi+ into 7uarantine-I
IEuarantine because o. ehemothI 0larke points out-
I3s you2ve pointed out yoursel. on occasion ,e2ve all been
i++uniCed against ehe+oth- !2+ surprised you don2t .ind that
rationale +ore 7uestionable-I 4hen 0larke says nothing he
continues: IAene is released into the ,ild su..ering .ro+ an
opportunistic in"ection ,hich our e7uip+ent can2t identi.y and
,hich so .ar has .ailed to respond to treat+ent-I
IBut you ,ere there Ben- Jerry ,anted to keep Aene in
7uarantine- *ale beat the crap out o. her .or trying- &solating
<atient =ero is a pretty short-sighted strategy .or spreading the
plague-I
I! supposeI >ubin buCCes IArace +ight say they kne, ,e2d
break hi+ out regardless so they put up a big sho, o. resistance
kno,ing so+eone ,ould cite it in their .avor do,n the road-I
I"o they .ought to keep hi+ contained there.ore they ,anted to
set hi+ looseHI 0larke peers suggestively at >ubin2s electrolysis
intake- I:ou getting enough O
2
there BenHI
I!2+ saying that2s the sort o. rationale Arace +ight invoke-I
IThat2s pretty t,isted even .or8I /ealiCation sinks in- I"he2s
actually saying that isn2t sheHI
;is headlight bobs slightly-
I:ou2ve heard the ru+ors- :ou kno, all about the+-I "he
shakes her head disgusted at hersel.- I3s i. !2d ever have to bring
you up to speed on anything---I
I!2+ keeping an ear open-I
I4ell +aybe you could do a bit +ore than that- ! +ean ! kno,
you like to keep out o. these things but Arace is .ucking psycho-
"he2s spoiling .or a .ight and she doesn2t care ,ho gets caught in
the back,ash-I
>ubin hovers unreadable- I! ,ould have expected you to be a
bit +ore sy+pathetic-I
I4hat2s that supposed to +eanHI
I#othingI he buCCes a.ter a +o+ent- IBut ,hatever you think
o. Arace2s behavior her .ears +ight not be entirely un.ounded-I
I0o+e on Ben- The ,ar2s over-I "he takes his silence as
ackno,ledg+ent- I"o ,hy ,ould the corpses ,ant to start it up
againHI
IBecause they lost-I
I3ncient history-I
I:ou thought yoursel" oppressed onceI he points out- I;o,
+uch blood did it take be.ore you ,ere ,illing to call it evenHI
;is +etal voice so cal+ so even is suddenly so close it see+s
to be co+ing .ro+ inside her o,n head-
I!8! ,as ,rong about thatI she says a.ter a ,hile-
I!t didn2t stop you-I ;e turns back to his +achinery-
IBenI she says-
;e looks back at her-
IThis is bullshit- !t2s a bunch o. i"s strung together- 3 hundred
to one Aene 9ust picked up so+ething .ro+ the .ish that bit hi+-I
IOkay-I
I!t2s not like there can2t be a hundred nasty bugs do,n here ,e
haven2t discovered yet- 3 .e, years ago nobody2d even heard o.
ehemoth-I
I!2+ a,are o. that-I
I"o ,e can2t let this escalate- #ot ,ithout at least so+e
evidence-I
;is eyes shine yello,-,hite in the backscatter .ro+ his
headla+p- I!. you2re serious about evidence you could al,ays
collect so+e yoursel.-I
I;o,HI
;e taps the le.t side o. his chest- 4here the i+plants are-
"he goes cold- I#o-I
I!. "eger2s hiding anything you2d kno, it-I
I"he could be hiding lots o. things .ro+ lots o. people- !t
,ouldn2t prove what she ,as hiding-I
I:ou2d kno, ,hat #olan ,as .eeling too since you see+ so
concerned ,ith her +otives-I
I! kno, ,hat her +otives are- ! don2t need to .uck ,ith +y
brain che+istry to con.ir+ it-I
IThe +edical risks are +ini+alI he points out-
IThat2s not the point- !t ,ouldn2t prove anything- :ou kno,
you can2t read speci.ic thoughts Ben-I
I:ou ,ouldn2t have to- /eading guilt ,ould be su..ic8I
I& said no-I
IThen ! don2t kno, ,hat to tell you-I ;e turns a,ay again- ;is
headla+p trans.or+s the reservoir2s plu+bing into a tiny high-
contrast cityscape tilted on edge- 0larke ,atches hi+ ,ork8
tracking path,ays tapping pipes +aking s+all changes to
tabletop architecture- 3 pinpoint sun .lares hissing at his
.ingertips blinding her .or an instant- By the ti+e her caps have
ad9usted the light has settled on the skin o. the tank- The ,ater
shi++ers pris+atically around it like a heat +irage on a hot dayF at
lesser depths it ,ould explode into stea+ on the spot-
IThere2s another ,ayI she buCCes- >ubin shuts o.. the spot-
,elder-
IThere is-I ;e turns to .ace her- IBut ! ,ouldn2t get +y hopes
up-I
Back ,hen the trailer park ,as 9ust getting set up so+eone had
the clever idea o. turning a hab into a +ess hall: a ro, o. cyclers
a couple o. prep sur.aces .or the daring and a hand.ul o. .olda,ay
tables scattered ,ith studied rando+ness around the dry deck- The
e..ect ,as intended to suggest a ca.Q patio- The cra+ped reality is
+ore like the backstage shed ,here the .urniture gets stored .or
,inter-
One thing that has caught on though is the garden- By no, it
covers hal. the ,et deck a tangle o. creeping greenery lit by solar-
spectru+ sticks planted a+ong its leaves like biolu+inescent
ba+boo- !t isn2t even hydroponic- The little 9ungle erupts .ro+
boxes o. rich dark earth8diato+aceous ooCe actually bee.ed up
,ith organic supple+ents8that ,ere once discrete but ,hich have
since no, disappeared under an over.lo, o. co+post spilling
+essily across the plating-
!t2s the best-s+elling bubble o. at+osphere on the ,hole /idge-
0larke s,ings the airlock hatch open onto that tableau and takes a
deep breath only hal. o. appreciation- The other hal. is resolve:
Arace #olan looks up .ro+ the .ar side o. the oasis tying o.. the
vines o. so+ething that +ight have been sno, peas back be.ore
the patents landed on the+-
But #olan s+iles beneath translucent eyes as 0larke steps onto
the deck- I;ey >enieNI
I;i Arace- ! thought ,e could +aybe have a talk-I
#olan pops a pod into her +outh a slick black a+phibian
.eeding in the lush greenery o. so+e long-extinct ,etland- "he
che,s .or longer than is probably necessary- I3bout---I
I3bout 3tlantis- :our blood ,ork-I 0larke takes a breath-
I3bout ,hatever proble+ you have ,ith +e-I
IAod noI #olan says- I!2ve got no proble+ ,ith you >en-
<eople .ight so+eti+es- #o big deal- *on2t take it so seriously-I
IOkay then- >et2s talk about Aene-I
I"ure-I #olan straightens grabs a chair o.. the bulkhead and
.olds it do,n- I3nd ,hile ,e2re at it let2s talk about "al and >i9e
and >anie-I
,anie too$ now+ I:ou think the corpses are behind it-I
#olan shrugs- I!t2s no big secret-I
I3nd you base that on ,hat exactlyH 3nything sho, up in the
bloodsHI
I4e2re still collecting sa+ples- >iCbeth2s set up in the +ed hab
by the ,ay i. you ,ant to contribute- ! think you should-I
I4hat i. you don2t .ind anythingHI 0larke ,onders-
I! don2t think ,e ,ill- "eger2s s+art enough to cover her tracks-
But you never kno,-I
I:ou kno, it2s possible that the corpses have nothing to do ,ith
this-I
#olan leans back in her chair and stretches- I",eetie ! can2t
tell you ho, surprised ! a+ to hear you say that-I
I"o sho, +e so+e evidence-I
#olan s+iles shaking her head- I;ere2s a bit o. an exercise .or
you- "ay you2re s,i++ing through shark-in.ested ,aters- Big
sickle-.inned stu+p.ucks all over the place and they2re looking
you up and do,n and you kno, the only reason they2re not tearing
into you right no, is because you2ve got your billy out and they2ve
seen ,hat that billy can do to .ishies like the+- "o they keep their
distance but that +akes 2e+ hate you even +ore rightH Because
you2ve already killed so+e o. 2e+- These are really s+art sharks-
They hold grudges-
I"o you s,i+ along .or a little ,hile all these cold dead pissed-
o.. eyes and teeth al,ays 9ust out o. range and you co+e across8
oh say Ben- Or ,hat2s le.t o. hi+- 3 bit o. entrail hal. a .ace !*
patch 9ust .loating around a+ongst all those sharks- 4hat do you
do >enH *o you decide there isn2t any evidenceH *o you say
;ey ! can2t prove anything ! didn2t see this go do,nH *o you say
>et2s not 9u+p to any conclusions---I
IThat2s a really shitty analogyI 0larke says so.tly-
I! think it2s a great .ucking analogy-I
I"o ,hat are you going to doHI
I! can tell you ,hat !2+ not going to doI #olan assures her-
I!2+ not going to sit back and have .aith in the goodness o. corpse
spirit ,hile all +y .riends turn to sockeye-I
I!s anyone asking you to do thatHI
I#ot yet- 3ny ti+e no, ! .igure-I
0larke sighs- IArace !2+ only saying .or the good o. all o. us
8I
I?uck youI #olan snarls suddenly- I7uck you- :ou don2t give
a shit about us-I
!t2s as i. so+eone .lipped a s,itch- 0larke stares astonished-
#olan glares eyelessly back her body tre+bling ,ith sudden
rage- I:ou really ,ant to kno, +y proble+ ,ith youH :ou sold
us out- 4e ,ere this close to pulling the plug on those
stu+p.ucks- 4e could2ve .orced their o,n godda+n entrails do,n
their throats and you stopped us you "ucker-I
IAraceI she tries I! kno, ho, you .e8I
I3orseshit% )ou don't have a "ucking clue how & "eel%I
What did they do to you 0larke ,onders to turn you into this+
IThey did things to +e tooI she says so.tly-
I"ure they did- 3nd you got yours back didn2t youH 3nd
correct +e i. !2+ ,rong but didn2t you end up .ucking over a ,hole
lot o. innocent people in the +ixH :ou never gave a shit about
them- 3nd +aybe it ,as too +uch trouble to ,ork it through but a
.air nu+ber o. us .ish-heads lost people to your grand crusade
along ,ith everyone else- :ou didn2t give a shit about the+ either
as long as you got your kick at the cat- ?ine- :ou got it- But the
rest o. us are still ,aiting aren2t ,eH 4e don2t even ,ant to +o,
do,n +illions o. innocent people ,e 9ust ,ant to get at the
assholes ,ho actually "ucked us over8and you o. all people co+e
cra,ling over here on <atricia /o,an2s leash to tell +e ! don2t have
the rightHI #olan shakes her head in disgust- I! don2t believe ,e
let you stop us be.ore and ! sure as shit don2t believe you2re going
to stop us now-I
;er hatred radiates through the co+part+ent like in.rared-
0larke is distantly a+aCed that the vines beside her don2t blacken
and burst into .la+e-
I! ca+e to you because ! thought ,e could ,ork so+ething
outI she says-
I:ou ca+e because you kno, you2re losing it-I
The ,ords ignite a s+all cold knot o. anger under 0larke2s
diaphrag+- I!s that ,hat you think-I
I:ou never gave a shit about working things out-I #olan
gro,ls- I:ou 9ust sat o.. on your o,n &'m the /eltdown
/adonna$ &'m /ermaid o" the "ucking Apocalypse$ & get to stand
o"" to the side and make the rules- But the rabble isn2t .alling into
line this ti+e s,eetie and it scares you- & scare you- "o spare +e
the dreck about altruis+ and diplo+acy- This is 9ust you trying to
keep your little tin throne .ro+ going sockeye- !t2s been nice
talking to you-I
"he grabs her .ins and stalks into the airlock-
P4.5.A,5 49 5$ SA0,S5 AS A :4/N7 MAN
3chilles *es9ardins couldn2t re+e+ber the last ti+e he2d had
consensual sex ,ith a real ,o+an- ;e could ho,ever re+e+ber
the .irst ti+e he2d re.used it:
!t ,as 204% and he2d 9ust saved the Mediterranean- That2s ho,
#23+4ire ,as presenting it any,ay- 3ll he2d really done ,as
deduce the existence o. a strange attractor in the Aul. o. 0RdiC a
persistent little back-eddy that no one else had bothered to look .or-
3ccording to the si+s it ,as s+all enough to t,eak ,ith albedo
da+persF the e..ects ,ould proli.erate through the "trait o.
Aibralter and8i. the nu+bers ,ere right8stave o.. the collapse o.
the Med by an easy decade- Or until the Aul. "trea+ .ailed again
,hichever ca+e .irst- !t ,as only a reprieve not outright
salvation but it ,as 9ust ,hat 0"!/3 needed to +ake everyone
.orget the Baltic .iasco- Besides nobody ever looked ahead +ore
than ten years any,ay-
"o .or a ,hile 3chilles *es9ardins had been a star- Dven
>ertC+ann had pretended to like hi+ .or the better part o. a +onth
told hi+ he ,as .ast-tracked .or senior status 9ust as soon as they
got the security checks out o. the ,ay- Gnless he had a bunch o.
butchered babies in his past he2d be getting his shots be.ore
;allo,e2en- ;ell he2d probably be getting the+ even i. he did
have a bunch o. butchered babies in his past- Background checks
,ere nothing but e+pty ritual in the higher ranks o. the <atrolF you
could be a serial killer and it ,ouldn2t +ake a da+n bit o.
di..erence once Auilt Trip ,as bubbling in your brain- :ou2d be
9ust as thoroughly enslaved to the Areater Aood-
3urora her na+e ,as- "he ,ore the Cebra hair that had been
.ashionable at the ti+e and an endearingly-tasteless ar+load o.
.aux re.ugee branding scars- They2d hooked up at so+e 0"!/3
soirQe hosted .ro+ the .ar side o. the ,orld by the Dur3.rican
3sse+bly- Their 9e,elry sni..ed each other2s auras to con.ir+ a
+utual interest 5,hich still +eant so+ething back then6 and their
path chips exchanged the usual clean bills o. health 5,hich didn2t6-
"o they le.t the party dropped three hundred +eters .ro+ 0"!/32s
executive stratosphere to the "udbury "treets8then another .i.ty
into the subterranean bo,els o. <ickering2s <ile ,here the
path,are ,as guaranteed hackproo. and tested .or t,ice the usual
range o. "T*s to boot- They gave blood behind a cute little r2n2r
couple ,ho broke up on the spot ,hen one o. the+ tested positive
.or an exotic tre+atode in.esting his urinary tract-
*es9ardins had yet to ac7uire +ost o. the tailored che+icals that
,ould cruise his syste+ in later yearsF he could still sa.ely i+bibe
all +anner o. tropes and +ood-changers- "o he and 3urora
grabbed a booth 9ust o.. the bar ,hile their bloods ran stroked the
little psychotropic a+phibians cla+bering about in the tabletop
terrariu+- *i+ green light .iltered in .ro+ the great underground
tank in ,hich the <ile ,as i++ersed a radiu+-glo, +ock-up o.
an old nuclear-storage lagoon visible through the plexi ,alls-
3.ter a .e, +inutes one o. the in-house butter.lies lit on their
table its +e+branous ,ings sparkling ,ith re.racted data: green
on all ,avelengths-
ITold youI 3urora said and kissed his nose-
<ickering2s <ile rented .uck-cubbies by the +inute- They split
.ive hours bet,een the+-
;e .ucked her inside and out- Outside he ,as the consu++ate
caring lover- ;e tongued her nipples teeth care.ully sheathed- ;e
le.t trails o. kisses .ro+ throat to vagina gently explored every ,et
aperture breath shaky ,ith .evered restraint- Dvery +ove
deliberate every signal un+istakable: he ,ould rather die than
hurt this ,o+an-
!nside he ,as tearing her apart- #o caresses in thereF he
slapped her so hard her .ucking head 9ust about ca+e o..- !nside
she ,as screa+ing- !nside he beat her until she didn2t have the
strength to .linch ,hen the ,hip ca+e do,n-
"he +ur+ered and sighed s,eetly throughout- "he re+arked
on ho, he obviously ,orshipped ,o+en on ,hat a change this
+ade .ro+ the usual rough-and-tu+ble on ho, she didn2t kno, i.
she belonged on this pedestal- *es9ardins patted hi+sel. on the
back- ;e didn2t +ention the tiny scars on her back the telltale
little loCenges o. .resh pink skin that spoke o. topical anabolics-
Dvidently 3urora had use .or accellerated healing- <erhaps she
had recently escaped .ro+ an abusive relationship- <erhaps he ,as
her sanctuary-
Dven better- ;e i+agined so+e past partner beating her-
IOh .uck itI she said .our hours in- IJust hit +e-I
;e .roCe terri.ied betrayed by body language or telepathy or a
lucky guess .or all he kne,- I4hatHI
I:ou2re so gentleI 3urora told hi+- I>et2s get rough-I
I:ou don2t8I ;e had to sti.le a surpriCed laugh- I! +ean
,hatHI
I*on2t look so startled-I "he co+e-hithered a s+ile- I;aven2t
you ever s+acked a ,o+an be.oreHI
Those were hints he realised- 1he was co+plaining- 3nd
3chilles *es9ardins pattern-+atcher extraordinaire +aster o.
signal-.ro+-noise had +issed it co+pletely-
I! kind o. +inored in asphyxI she suggested no,- I3nd !
don2t see that belt o. yours getting any kind o. ,ork-outKI
!t ,as everything he2d ever drea+ed o. and hated hi+sel. .or-
!t ,as his +ost sha+e.ul .antasy co+e to li.e- !t ,as per.ect- 6h$
you glorious bitch. )ou are just asking "or it$ aren't you+ And &'m
just the one to give it to you.
Dxcept he ,asn2t- "uddenly 3chilles *es9ardins ,as as so.t as
a dollar-
I:ou seriousHI he asked hoping she ,ouldn2t notice kno,ing
she already had- I! +ean8you ,ant +e to hurt youHI
I3chilles the hero-I "he cocked her head +ischieviously-
I*on2t get out +uch do youHI
I! do okayI he said de.ensive despite hi+sel.- IBut8I
I!t2s 9ust a scene kiddo- #othing radical- !2+ not asking you to
kill +e or anything-I
Too bad- But his o,n unspoken bravado didn2t .ool hi+ .or an
instant- 3chilles *es9ardins closet sadist ,as suddenly scared to
death-
I:ou +ean actingI he said- I"ilk cords sa.e ,ords that kinda
thing-I
"he shook her head- I! +eanI she said patiently I! ,ant to
bleed- ! ,ant to hurt. ! ,ant you to hurt +e lover-I
What's wrong with me+ he ,ondered- 1he's just what &'ve
always wanted. & can't believe my luck.
3nd an instant later: &" it is luck...
;e ,as a.ter all on the cusp o. his li.e- Background checks
,ere in progress- /isk assess+ents ,ere under,ay- Just belo,
the sur.ace the syste+ ,as deciding ,hether 3chilles *es9ardins
could be trusted to daily decide the .ate o. +illions- "urely they
already kne, his secret8the +echanics had looked inside his
head they2d have noticed any +issing or da+aged ,iring- Maybe
this ,as a test to see i. he could control his i+pulses- Maybe
Auilt Trip ,asn2t 7uite the .ailsa.e they2d told hi+ it ,as +aybe
enough ,onky neurons scre,ed it up +aybe his baseline
depravity ,as a potential loophole o. so+e kind- Or +aybe it ,as
a lot si+pler- Maybe they 9ust couldn2t a..ord to risk investing too
+uch </ in a hero ,ho couldn2t control inclinations that so+e o.
the public +ight still .ind8unpleasantK
3urora curled her lip and bared her neck- I0o+e on kid- *o
+e-I
"he ,as the gli++er in the eye o. every partner he2d ever had
that hard little t,inkle that al,ays see+ed to say !etter be care"ul$
you sick twisted piece o" shit. 6ne slip and you're "inished. "he
,as six-year-old <enny broken and bleeding and pro+ising not to
tell- "he ,as his .ather standing in a darkened hall,ay staring
through hi+ ,ith unreadable eyes that said & know something
about you$ son$ and you'll never know exactly what it isK
I/oryI *es9ardins said care.ully Ihave you ever talked to
anyone about thisHI
I3ll the ti+e-I "he ,as still s+iling but a sudden ,ariness
tinged her voice-
I#o ! +ean so+eone8you kno,8I
I<ro.essional-I The s+ile ,as gone- I"o+e piece o. corpsy
,et,are that sucks do,n +y account ,hile telling +e that ! don2t
kno, +y o,n +ind it2s all 9ust lo, sel.-estee+ and +y .ather
raped +e ,hen ! ,as preverbal-I "he reached .or her clothes-
I#o 3chilles ! haven2t- !2d rather spend +y ti+e ,ith people ,ho
accept +e .or ,ho ! a+ than ,ith +isguided assholes ,ho try to
change +e into ,hat !2+ not-I "he pulled up her panties- I! guess
you 9ust don2t run into those types at o..icial .unctions any +ore-I
;e tried: I:ou don2t have to go-I
;e tried: I!t ,as 9ust so unexpected you kno,HI
;e tried: I!t2s 9ust you kno, it see+s to disrespect"ul8I
3urora sighed- IBiddo i. you really respected +e you2d at least
give +e credit .or kno,ing ,hat ! like-I
IBut ! like youI he blundered .ree-.alling in s+oke and .la+e-
I;o, a+ ! supposed to en9oy hurting you ,hen8I
I;ey you think ! en9oyed everything ! did to get you o..HI
"he le.t hi+ in the cubby ,ith a .laccid penis .i.ty +inutes le.t
on the clock and the stunning hu+iliating realiCation that he ,as
.orever trapped ,ithin his o,n disguise- &'ll never let it out he
realised- *o matter how much & want to$ no matter who asks me$
no matter how sa"e it seems. &'ll never be sure there isn't an open
circuit somewhere. &'ll never be sure it isn't a trap. &'m gonna be
undercover "or the rest o" my li"e$ &'m too "ucking terri"ied to come
out.
;is *ad ,ould have been proud- ;e ,as a good 0atholic boy
a.ter all-
But 3chilles *es9ardins ,as nothing i. not practised at the art o.
adaptation- By the ti+e he e+erged chastened and alone he ,as
already beginning to rebuild his de.enses- Maybe it ,as better this
,ay- The biology ,as irre.utable a.ter all: sex was violence
literally right do,n to the neurons- The sa+e synapses lit up
,hether you .ucked or .ought the sa+e drive to violate and
sub9ugate- !t didn2t +atter ho, gentle you ,ere on the outside it
didn2t +atter ho, +uch you pretended: even the +ost consensual
intercourse ,as nothing +ore than the rape o. a victi+ ,ho2d given
up-
&" & do all this and have not love$ & am as sounding brass he
thought-
;e kne, it in the .loor o. his brain he kne, it in the depths o.
his id- "adis+ ,as hard,ired and sex8sex ,as +ore than
violent- !t ,as disrespect- There ,as no need to in.lict it on
another hu+an being here in the +iddle o. the t,enty-.irst
century- There ,as no right to- Dspecially not .or +onsters ,ith
broken s,itches- ;e had a ho+e sensoriu+ that could sati.y any
lust he could i+agine serve up virtual victi+s at such high reC that
even he +ight be .ooled-
There ,ere other advantages too- #ever again the elaborate
courtship rituals that he al,ays see+ed to .uck up at- #ever again
the .ear o. in.ection the ludicrous e..orts to ro+anticise path scans
and pass blood ,ork o.. as .oreplay- #ever again that hard t,inkle
in your victi+2s eyes +aybe kno,ing-
;e had it ,orked out- ;ell he had a ne, <aradig+ o. >i.e-
?ro+ no, on 3chilles *es9ardins ,ould be a civilised +an-
;e ,ould in.lict his vile passions on +achinery not .lesh8and he
,ould save hi+sel. a shitload o. e+barrass+ent in the bargain-
3urora had been .or the best a narro, escape in the nick o. ti+e-
;ead .ull o. bad ,iring in that one no doubt about it- <ain and
pleasure centers all cross,ired-
;e didn2t need to +ix it up ,ith a .reak like that-
9,. 0.,++
"he ,akes up lost at sea-
"he2s not sure ,hat called her back exactly8she re+e+bers a
gentle push as i. so+eone ,as nudging her a,ake8yet she2s
per.ectly alone out here- That ,as the ,hole point o. the exercise-
"he could have slept any,here in the trailer park but she needed
the solitude- "o she s,a+ out past 3tlantis past the habs and the
generators past the ridges and .issures that cla, the neighborhood-
?inally she arrived here at this distant little outcropping o. pu+ice
and poly+etallics and .ell into ,ide-eyed sleep-
Only no, so+ething has nudged her a,ake and she has lost
her bearings-
"he pulls the sonar pistol o.. her thigh and s,eeps the darkness-
3.ter a .e, seconds a .uCCy +etropolitan echo co+es back 9ust
barely teasing the le.t edge o. her s,eep- "he takes +ore direct
ai+ and .ires again- 3tlantis and its suburbs co+e back dead
center-
3nd a harder echo s+aller nearer- 0losing-
!t2s not an intercept course- 3 .e, +ore pings resolve a vector
tracking past to starboard- 4hoever it is probably doesn2t even
kno, she2s here8or didn2t until she let loose ,ith sonar-
They2re +oving pretty da+ned .ast .or so+eone ,ithout a
s7uid- 0urious 0larke +oves to intercept- "he keeps her
headla+p lo, barely bright enough to tell substrate .ro+
sea,ater- The +ud scrolls by like a tread+ill- <ebbles and the
occasional brittle star accent the +onotony-
The bo, ,ave catches her 9ust be.ore the body does- 3
shoulder ra+s into her side pushes her into the botto+F +ud
billo,s up around her- 3 .in slaps 0larke in the .ace- "he grabs
blindly through the Ceroed viC and catches hold o. an ar+-
IWhat the "uck%I
The ar+ yanks out o. her grasp but her expletive see+s to have
had so+e e..ect- The thrashing stops at least- The +uddy clouds
continue to s,irl but by no, it2s all inertia-
IWho...I !t2s a rough grating sound even .or a vocoder-
I!t2s >enie-I "he brightens her headla+pF a billion suspended
particles blind her in bright .og- "he .ins up into clearer ,ater and
points her bea+ at the botto+-
"o+ething +oves do,n there- I1hiiit...lights down---I
I"orry-I "he di+s the la+p- I/a+aH That youHI
Bhanderi rises .ro+ the +urk- I,enie-I 3 +echanical ,hisper-
I3i.I
"he supposes she2s lucky he still recogniCes her- ;ell she2s
lucky he can still talk- !t2s not 9ust the skin that rots ,hen you stop
co+ing inside- !t2s not 9ust the bones that go so.t- Once a ri.ter
goes native the ,hole neocortex is pretty +uch a ,riteo..- :ou let
the abyss stare into you long enough and that ,hole civiliCed
veneer ,ashes a,ay like +elting ice in running ,ater- 0larke
i+agines the .issures o. the brain s+oothing out over ti+e
devolving back to so+e pri+ordial .ish-state +ore suited to their
chosen habitat-
/a+a Bhanderi isn2t that .ar gone yet though- ;e still even
co+es inside occasionally-
I4hat2s the rushHI 0larke buCCes at hi+- "he doesn2t really
expect an ans,er-
"he gets one though: Iru---dopa+ine +aybe---0pi---I
!t clicks a.ter a second: dopamine rush- !s he still hu+an
enough to deliver bad punsH I#o /a+a- ! +ean ,hy the hurryHI
;e hangs beside her like a black ,raith barely visible in the
di+ e+ber o. her headla+p- IAh---ah---!2+ not----I his voice trails
o..-
I!oomI he says a.ter a +o+ent- IBle, it up- Waayyyy too
bright-I
3 nudge she re+e+bers- Dnough to ,ake her- IBle, ,hatH
4hoHI
I3re you realHI he asks distantly- I---!---think you2re a hista+ine
glitch---I
I!t2s >enie /a+a- ?or real- 4hat ble, upHI
I---acetylcholine$ +aybe...I ;is hand passes back and .orth in
.ront o. his .ace- IOnly !2+ not cramping---I
This is useless.
I---don2t like her any +oreI Bhanderi buCCes so.tly- I3nd he
chased +e---I
"o+ething tightens in her throat- "he +oves to,ards hi+-
I4hoH /a+a ,hat8I
I!ack o""I he grates- I!2+ all---territorial---I
I"orry---!---I
Bhanderi turns and .ins a,ay- "he starts a.ter hi+ and stops
realiCing: there2s another ,ay-
"he brightens her la+p- The +uddy stor+ .ront still hangs
beneath her 9ust o.. the botto+- !t ,on2t settle .or hours in this
dense sluggish ,ater-
#either ,ill the trails that lead to it-
One o. the+ is hers: a narro, +uddy contrail kicked into
suspension as she arro,ed in .ro+ the east- The other trail extends
back along a bearing o. '4&- 0larke .ollo,s it-
"he2s not heading .or 3tlantis she soon realiCes- Bhanderi2s
trail veers to port along a line that should keep her ,ell o.. the
south,est shoulder o. the co+plex- There2s not +uch along that
route as .ar as 0larke can re+e+ber- Maybe a ,oodpile one o.
several caches o. pre.ab parts scattered about in anticipation o.
.uture expansion back ,hen the corpses .irst arrived- "ure
enough the ,ater ahead begins to lighten- 0larke douses her o,n
bea+ and sonars the brightness ahead- 3 9u+ble o. hard Duclidean
echoes bounce back all .ro+ ob9ects signi.icantly larger than a
hu+an body-
"he kicks .or,ard- The di..use glo, resolves into .our point
sources: sodiu+ .loods one at each corner o. the ,oodpile-
"tacked slabs o. plastic and biosteel lie on pallets ,ithin the lit
area- 0urved slices o. habhull lay piled on the substrate like great
nested cla+shells- >arger shapes loo+ in the +urky distance:
storage tanks heat exchangers the 9ackets o. e+ergency reactors
never asse+bled-
The distance is +urky 0larke realiCes- ?ar +urkier than usual-
"he .ins up into the ,ater colu+n and coasts above the
industrial subscape- "o+ething leans against the light like a so.t
dark ,all 9ust past the .urthest la+ppost- "he2s been expecting it
ever since she spoke to Bhanderi- #o, it spreads out ahead o. her
in silent con.ir+ation a great billo,ing cloud o. +ud blo,n o..
the botto+ and lingering virtually ,eightless in the a.ter+ath o.
so+e recent explosion-
O. course the corpses stockpiled blasting caps along ,ith
everything else---
"o+ething tickles the corner o. 0larke2s eye so+e s+all
disarray so+eho, out o. place a+ong the organiCed chaos directly
belo,- T,o slabs o. hull plating have been pulled .ro+ their
stacks and laid out on the +ud- Buckshot scatters o. acne ble+ish
their sur.aces- 0larke arcs do,n .or a closer look- #o those aren2t
innocuous clots o. +ud or a recent colony o. benthic invertebrates-
They2re holes punched through three centi+eters o. solid biosteel-
Their edges are s+ooth +elted and instantly congealed by so+e
intense heat source- 0arbon scoring around each breach conveys a
sense o. bruising o. e+pty eyes battered black-
0larke goes cold inside-
"o+eone2s gearing up .or the .inals-
9AM,+: 6A+/S
Dver since the .ounding o. 3tlantis Jakob and Jutta ;oltCbrink
have kept to the+selves- !t ,asn2t al,ays thus- Back on the
sur.ace they ,ere .la+boyant even by corpse standards- They
see+ed to delight in the archaic contrast they presented to the
,orld at largeF their history together predates the Millenniu+ they
,ere +arried so very long ago that the cere+ony actually took
place in a church- Jutta even took her husband2s surna+e- 4o+en
did things like that back then /o,an re+e+bers- "acri.iced little
bits o. their o,n identity .or the good o. the <atriarchy or
,hatever it ,as called-
3n old-.ashioned couple and proud o. it- 4hen they appeared
in public8,hich they did o.ten8they appeared together and they
stood out-
Public doesn2t exist here in 3tlantis o. course- <ublic ,as le.t
behind to .end .or itsel.- 3tlantis ,as the crS+e de la crS+e .ro+
the very beginning only +overs and shakers and those ,orker
bees ,ho cared .or the+ deep in the richest parts o. the hive-
*o,n here Jutta and Jakob don2t get out +uch- The escape
changed the+- !t changed everyone o. course hu+bled the
+ighty rubbed their noses in their o,n .ailures even though
godda++it they still +ade the best o. it adapted even to
*oo+sday sa, the +arket in li.eboats and 9u+ped on board
be.ore anyone else- These days +ere survival is a port.olio to take
pride in- But the ;oltCbrincks have not availed the+selves o. even
that hal.-assed and sel.-serving consolation- ehe+oth hasn2t
touched the+ in the .lesh not a single particle and yet so+eho, it
see+s to have +ade the+ al+ost physically s+aller-
They spend +ost o. their ti+e in their suite plugged into virtual
environ+ents .ar +ore co+pelling than the con.ines o. this place
could ever be- They co+e out to get their +eals o. course8in-
suite .ood production is a thing o. the past ever since the ri.ters
con.iscated Itheir shareI o. the resource base8but even then they
retreat back into their 7uarters ,ith their trays o. 0ycler .ood and
hydroponic produce to eat behind closed doors- !t2s a +inor and
ino..ensive 7uirk this sudden desire .or privacy .ro+ their peers-
<atricia /o,an never gave it +uch thought until that day in the
0o++ 0ave ,hen Ben >ubin in search o. clues had asked What
about the "ish+ Perhaps they hitched a ride. Are the larvae
planktonic+
3nd Jerry "eger i+patient ,ith this turncoat killer posing as a
deep thinker dis+issed hi+ as she ,ould a child: &" it had been
able to disperse inside plankton$ why wait until now to take over
the world+ &t would have done it a "ew hundred million years ago.
/aybe it would have$ /o,an +uses no,-
The ;oltCbrincks +ade their +ark in phar+aceuticals
stretching back even to the days be.ore gengineering- They2ve kept
up ,ith the ti+es o. course- 4hen the .irst hydrother+al
ecosyste+s ,ere discovered back be.ore the turn o. the century
an earlier generation o. ;oltCbrincks had been there8reveling in
ne, *o+ains si.ting through cladogra+s o. .reshly-discovered
species ne, +icrobes ne, enCy+es built to ,ork at te+peratures
and pressures long thought i+possibly hostile to any .or+ o. li.e-
They catalogued the cellular +achinery ticking sluggishly in
bedrock kilo+eters deep ger+s living so slo,ly they hadn2t
divided since the ?rench /evolution- They t,eaked the sul.ur-
reducers that choked to death on oxygen coaxed the+ into
devouring oil slicks and curing strange ne, kinds o. cancer- The
;oltCbrink D+pire it ,as said held patents on hal. the
3rchaebacteria-
#o, <atricia /o,an sits across .ro+ Jakob and Jutta in their
living roo+ and ,onders ,hat else they +ight have patented in
those last days on earth-
I!2+ sure you2ve heard the latestI she says- IJerry 9ust
con.ir+ed it- ehe+oth2s +ade it to !+possible >ake-I
Jakob nods a birdlike gesture including shoulders as ,ell as
head- But his ,ords carry denial: I#o ! don2t think so- ! sa, the
stats- Too salty-I ;e licks his lips stares at the .loor- Iehe+oth
,ouldn2t like it-I
Jutta puts a co+.orting hand on his knee-
;e2s a very old +an his con7uests all in the past- ;e ,as born
too early gre, too old .or eternal youth- By the ti+e the t,eaks
,ere available8every de.ective base pair snipped out every
telo+ere rein.orced8his body had already been ,earing out .or
the better part o. a century- There2s a li+it to ho, +uch you can
.ix so late in the ga+e-
/o,an gently explains- I#ot in the >ake itsel. Jakob-
"o+e,here nearby- One o. the hot vents-I
;e nods and nods and ,ill not look at her-
/o,an glances at JuttaF Jutta looks back helplessness on her
.ace-
/o,an presses on: I3s you kno, this ,asn2t supposed to
happen- 4e studied the bug ,e studied the oceanography ,e
chose this place very care.ully- But ,e +issed so+ething-I
IAodda+n Aul. "trea+ shut do,nI the old +an says- ;is
voice is stronger than his body although not by +uch- IThey said
it ,ould happen- 0hange all the currents- Turn Dngland into
godda+n "iberia-I
/o,an nods- I4e2ve looked at a lot o. di..erent scenarios-
#othing see+s to .it- ! think +aybe there +ight be so+ething
about ehe+oth itsel. that ,e2re +issing-I "he leans .or,ard
slightly- I:our people did a lot o. prospecting out around the /i+
o. ?ire didnLt theyH Back in the thirtiesHI
I"ure- Dveryone ,as- Those bloody 3rchaea it ,as the gold
rush o. the T,enty-?irst-I
I:our people spent a lot o. ti+e on Juan de ?uca back then-
They never encountered ehe+othHI
IM+++-I Jakob ;oltCbrink shakes his head- ;is shoulders
don2t +ove-
IJakob you kno, +e- :ou kno, !2ve al,ays been a staunch
supporter o. corporate con.identiality- But ,e2re all on the sa+e
side here ,e2re all in the sa+e boat so to speak- !. you kno,
anything anything at allKI
IOh Jakob never did any o. the actual researchI Jutta
inter9ects- I"urely you kno, that he ,as really +ore o. a people
person-I
I:es o. course- But he also took a real interest in the cutting
edge- ;e ,as al,ays 7uite excited about ne, discoveries
re+e+berHI /o,an laughs so.tly- IThere ,as a ti+e back there
,hen ,e thought the +an practically lived in a sub+arine-I
I! 9ust took the tours you kno,- Jutta2s right ! didn2t do any o.
the research- That ,as the gel-9ocks Jarvis and that lot-I ?or the
.irst ti+e Jakob +eets /o,an2s eye- I>ost that ,hole tea+ ,hen
ehe+oth broke out you kno,- 0"!/3 ,as conscripting our
people right across the globe- Just ,altCed right in dra.ted the+
out .ro+ under our noses-I ;e snorts- IAodda+n greater good-I
Jutta s7ueeCes his knee- They glance at each otherF she s+iles-
;e puts his hand over hers-
;is eyes dri.t back to the .loor- @ery gently he begins nodding
again-
IJakob ,asn2t close to the research tea+sI Jutta explains-
I"cientists aren2t all that good ,ith people as you kno,- !t ,ould
be a disaster to let so+e o. those people act as spokespersons but
they still resented the ,ay Jakob presented their .indings
so+eti+es-I
/o,an s+iles patiently- IThe thing is Jakob !2ve been
thinking- 3bout ehe+oth and ho, old it is8I
IOldest godda+n li.e on the planetI Jakob says- IThe rest o.
us ,e 9ust dropped in later- Martian +eteor or so+ething- Bloody
ehe+oth it2s the only thing that actually started here-I
IBut that2s the thing isn2t itH ehe+oth doesn2t 9ust predate
other li.e it predates photosynthesis- !t predates oxygen- !t2s over
.our billion years old- 3nd all the other really ancient bugs ,e2ve
.ound the 3rchaebacteria and the #anoliths and so .orth they2re
still anaerobes to this day- :ou only .ind the+ in reducing
environ+ents- 3nd yet here2s ehe+oth even older and oxygen
doesn2t bother it at all-I
Jacob ;oltCbrink stops rocking-
I"+art little bugI he says- IBeeps up ,ith the ti+es- ;as
those ,hat do you call the+ like Pseudomonas has8I
IBlach.ord genes- 0hange their o,n +utation rate under
stress-I
I/ight- /ight- Blach.ord genes-I Jakob brings one hand up
runs it over a sparsely-haired and liver-spotted scalp- I!t adapted-
3dapted to oxygen and adapted to living inside .ishes and no,
it2s adapting to every other godda+n nook and cranny on the
godda+n planet-I
IOnly it never adapted to lo, te+perature and high salinity in
co+binationI /o,an observes- I!t never adapted to the single
biggest habitat on Darth- The deep sea stu+ped it .or billions o.
years- The deep sea ,ould still be stu+ping it i. the 0hanner
outbreak hadn2t happened-I
I4hat are you sayingHI Jutta ,onders a sudden slight
sharpness in her voice- ;er husband says nothing-
/o,an takes a breath- I3ll our +odels are based on the
assu+ption that ehe+oth has been in its present .or+ .or
hundreds o. +illions o. years- The advent o. oxygen hypotonic
host bodies8all that happened in the deep deep <reca+brian-
3nd ,e kno, that not +uch has changed since then Blach.ord
genes or no Blach.ord genes8because i. it had ehe+oth ,ould
have ruled the ,orld long be.ore no,- 4e kno, it can2t disperse
through the abyss because it hasn't dispersed through the abyss in
all the +illions o. years it2s had to try- 3nd ,hen so+eone
suggests that +aybe it hitched a ride in the ichthyoplankton ,e
dis+iss the+ out o. hand not because anybody2s actually checked
8,ho had the ti+e the ,ay things ,ere goingH8but because i. it
could disperse that ,ay it would have dispersed that ,ay-
Millions o. years ago-I
Jakob ;oltCbrink clears his throat-
/o,an lays it on the table: I4hat i. ehe+oth hasn2t had
+illions o. yearsH 4hat i. it2s only had a .e, decadesHI
I4ell that2s8I Jutta begins-
IThen ,e2re not sure o. anything any +ore are ,eH Maybe
,e2re not talking about a .e, isolated relicts here and there-
Maybe ,e2re talking about epicenters- 3nd +aybe it2s not that
ehe+oth isn2t able to spread out but that it2s only 9ust no, got
started-I
That avian rocking again and the sa+e denial: I#ah- #ah- !t2s
old- /#3 te+plate +ineraliCed ,alls- Big godda+ned pores all
over it that's ,hy it can2t hack cold sea,ater- >eaks like a sieve-I
3 bubble o. saliva appears at the corner o. his +outhF Jutta
absently reaches up to brush it a,ay- Jakob raises his hand
irritably pre-e+pting her- ;er hands drop into her lap-
IThe pyranosal se7uences- <ri+itive- Gni7ue- That ,o+an
that doctor: Jerenice- "he .ound the sa+e thing- !t2s old-I
I:esI /o,an agrees Iit2s old- Maybe so+ething changed it
9ust recently-I
Jakob2s rubbing his hands agitated- I4hat so+e +utationH
>ucky breakH *a+n unlucky .or the rest o. us-I
IMaybe so+eone changed itI /o,an says-
There- !t2s out-
I! hope you2re not suggestingI Jutta begins and .alls silent-
/o,an leans .or,ard and lays her hand on Jakob2s knee- I!
kno, ho, it ,as out there thirty .orty years ago- !t ,as a gold
rush +entality 9ust as you said- Dverybody and their organcloner
,as setting up labs on the ri.t doing all kinds o. in situ ,ork8I
IO. course it ,as in situ you ever try to duplicate those
conditions in a lab.;
IBut your people ,ere at the .ore.ront- :ou not only had your
o,n research you had your eye on everyone else2s- :ou ,ere too
good a business+an to do it any other ,ay- 3nd so !2+ co+ing to
you Jakob- !2+ not +aking any clai+s or accusing anyone o.
anything do you understandH ! 9ust think that i. anyone in 3tlantis
+ight have any ideas about anything that +ight have happened out
there you2d be the one- :ou2re the expert Jakob- 0an you tell +e
anythingHI
Jutta shakes her head- IJacob doesn2t kno, anything <atricia-
#either o. us kno,s anything- 3nd ! do take your i+plication-I
/o,an keeps her eyes locked on the old +an- ;e stares at the
.loor he stares through the .loor through the deck plating and the
underlying pipes and conduits through the ,ires and .ullerene and
biosteel through sea,ater and ooCing viscous rock into so+e
place that she can only i+agine- 4hen he speaks his voice see+s
to co+e .ro+ there-
I4hat do you ,ant to kno,HI
I4ould there be any reason ,hy so+eone8hypothetically8
+ight ,ant to take an organis+ like ehe+oth and t,eak itHI
IMore than you can countI says the distant voice- This .rail
body it2s using scarcely see+s ani+ate-
I"uch asHI
ITargeted delivery- *rugs genes replace+ent organelles- !ts
cell ,all you2ve never seen anything like it- #othing has- #o
i++une response to ,orry about slips past counterintrusion
enCy+es like they ,ere blind and dea.- Target cell takes it right in
lyses the ,all 0O*- >ike a biodegradable buckyball-I
I4hat elseHI
IThe ulti+ate pep pill- Gnder the right conditions the thing
pu+ps out 3T< so .ast you could roll a car over single-handed-
Makes +itochondria look like yesterday2s sockeye- "oldier ,ith
ehe+oth in his cells +ight even give an exoskel a run .or the
+oney i. you .eed hi+ enough-I
I3nd i. ehe+oth ,ere t,eaked properlyI /o,an a+ends-
I3yeI ,hispers the old +an- IThere2s the rub-I
/o,an chooses her ,ords very care.ully- IMight there have
been anyKless precise applicationsH M3* +achinesH !ndustrial
terroris+HI
I:ou +ean like ,hat it does no,H #o- 48so+eone ,ould
have to be blind and stupid and insane all at once to design
so+ething like that-I
IBut you2d have to increase the reproductive rate 7uite a bit
,ouldn2t youH To +ake it econo+ically viable-I
;e nods his eyes still on .ar-.ocus- IThose deep-rock d,ellers
they live so slo, you2re lucky i. they divide once a decade-I
I3nd that ,ould +ean they2d have to eat a lot +ore ,ouldn2t itH
To support the increased gro,th rate-I
IO. course- 0hild kno,s that +uch- But that2s not why you2d
do it nobody ,ould do that because they wanted so+ething that
could8it ,ould 9ust be a an unavoidable8I
I3 side e..ectI Jutta suggests-
I3 side e..ectI he repeats- ;is voice hasn2t changed- !t still
rises cal+ and distant .ro+ the center o. the earth- But there are
tears on Jakob ;oltCbrinck2s .ace-
I"o nobody did it deliberately- They ,ere ai+ing .or
so+ething else and things 9ust8,ent ,rong- !s that ,hat you2re
sayingHI
I:ou +ean hypotheticallyHI The corners o. his +outh li.t and
crinkle in so+e barely-discernible atte+pt at a s+ile- 3 tear runs
do,n one o. those .leshy creases and drops o.. his chin-
I:es Jakob- ;ypothetically-I
The head bobs up and do,n-
I!s there anything ,e can doH 3nything ,e haven2t triedHI
Jakob shakes his head- I!2+ 9ust a corpse- ! don2t kno,-I
"he stands- The old +an stares do,n into his o,n thoughts-
;is ,i.e stares up at /o,an-
I4hat he2s told youI she says- I*on2t take it the ,rong ,ay-I
I4hat do you +eanHI
I;e didn2t do this any +ore than you did- ;e2s no ,orse than
the rest o. you-I
/o,an inclines her head- I! kno, ?ran-I
"he excuses hersel.- The last thing she sees as the hatch seals
the+ o.. is ?ran ;oltCbrink sliding a lucid drea+er over her
husband2s bo,ed head-
There2s nothing to be done about it no,- #o point in
recri+inations no shortage o. .ingers pointing in any direction-
"till she2s glad she paid the visit- Dven grate.ul in an odd ,ay-
!t2s a sel.ish gratitude but it ,ill have to do- <atricia /o,an takes
,hatever solace she can in the .act that the buck doesn2t stop ,ith
her any +ore- !t doesn2t even stop ,ith >enie 0larke Mer+aid o.
the 3pocalypse- /o,an starts do,n the pale blue corridor o. /es-
* glancing one +ore ti+e over her shoulder-
The buck stops back there-
P4.5.A,5 49 5$ SA0,S5 AS A 9. MAN
The technical ter+ ,as "old catastrophe- "een on a graph it
,as a tsuna+i in cross-section the s+ooth roo. o. an onrushing
,ave reaching .or,ard doubling back beneath the crest and
plu++eting in a s+ooth glassy arc to so+e ne, lo,-energy
e7uilibriu+ that le.t no stone standing on another-
"een on the ground it ,as a lot +essier: po,er grids .ailingF
li.e-support and ,aste-+anage+ent syste+s seiCing upF
thorough.ares choked ,ith angry .renCied +obs pushed one +eal
past revolution- The police in their exoskels had long since
retreated .ro+ street levelF paci.ication bot.lies s,ar+ed overhead
scything through the +obs ,ith gas and in.rasound-
There ,as also a ,ord .or the leading edge o. the ,ave that
chaotic in.lection point ,here the tra9ectory reversed itsel. be.ore
crashing: breakpoint- 4estern #23+<ac had pulled through that
hairpin turn so+eti+e during the previous thirty-.our hoursF
everything ,est o. the /ockies ,as pretty +uch a ,riteo..-
0"!/3 had sla++ed do,n every kind o. barrier to keep it
containedF people goods electrons the+selves had been .roCen in
transit- To all intents and purposes the ,orld ended at the
0ordillera- Only 2la,breakers could reach through that barrier
no, to do ,hat they could-
!t ,ouldn2t be enough- #ot this ti+e-
O. course the syste+ had been degrading .or decades-
0enturies even- *es9ardins o,ed his very 9ob to that vibrant
synergis+ bet,een entropy and hu+an stupidityF ,ithout it
da+age control ,ouldn2t be the single largest industry on the
planet- Dventually everything had been bound to .all apart anyone
,ith a pair o. eyes and an !E even slightly above roo+ te+perature
kne, that- But there2d been no ironclad reason ,hy it had had to
happen 7uite as 7uickly as it had- They could have bought another
decade or t,o a little +ore ti+e .or those ,ho still had .aith in
hu+an ingenuity to go on deluding the+selves-
But the closer you got to breakpoint the harder it ,as to suture
the cracks back together- Dven e7uilibria ,ere unstable so close
to the precipice- ?orget butter.lies: ,ith a planet teetering this
close to the edge the .luttering o. an aphid2s ,ings +ight be
enough to push it over-
!t ,as 20&( and it ,as 3chilles *es9ardins s,orn duty to
s7uash >enie 0larke like an insect o. ,hatever kind-
;e ,atched her handi,ork spread across across the continent
like a ,eb o. gro,ing cracks shattering the sur.ace o. a .roCen
lake- ;is inlays gulped data .ro+ a hundred .eeds: con.ir+ed and
probable sightings over the previous t,o +onths too stale to be
any use in a +anhunt but potential use.ul .or predicting the next
ehe+oth outbreak- Me+es and legends o. the Meltdo,n
Madonna .ar +ore nu+erous and +etastatic8a reproductive
strategy .or s,ar+s o. virtual ,ildli.e *es9ardins had only 9ust
discovered and +ight never .ully understand- /eality and >egend
in so+e inadvertant alliance ehe+oth bloo+ing every,here they
convergedF .irestor+s and blackouts co+ing up .ro+ behind an
endless ongoing toll o. innocent lives pree+pted .or the greater
good-
!t ,as a lie *es9ardins kne,- #23+ ,as past breakpoint
despite all those draconian +easures- !t ,ould take a ,hile .or the
,hole syste+ to shake outF it ,as a long drop .ro+ crest to trough-
But *es9ardins ,as nothing i. not adept at reading the nu+bers-
;e .igured t,o ,eeks8three at the +ost8be.ore the rest o. the
continent .ollo,ed #23+<ac into anarchy-
3 ne,s.eed running in one corner o. his display served up a
.resh riot .ro+ ;ongcouver- "tate-o.-the-art security syste+s gave
their lives in de.ence o. glassy spires and luxury enclaves8
de.eated not by clever hacks or superior technology but by the
sheer ,eight o. .lesh against their +uCCles- The ,eapons died o.
exhaustion disappeared beneath a tide o. live bodies scra+bling
over dead ones- The cro,d breached the gates as he ,atched
screa+ing in triu+ph- Thirty thousand voices in superposition: a
keening sea its collective voice so+eho, devoid o. any hu+anity-
!t sounded al+ost +echanical- !t sounded like the ,ind-
*es9ardins killed the channel be.ore the +ob learned ,hat he
already kne,: the spires ,ere e+pty the corpses they2d once
sheltered long since gone to ground-
Or to sea rather-
3 light hand brushed against his back- ;e turned startledF
3lice Jovellanos ,as at his shoulder- *es9ardins shot a .urtive
glance back to his board ,hen he sa, ,ho ,as ,ith herF /o+e
burned there on a doCen insets- ;e reached .or the cuto..-
I*on2t-I >enie 0larke slipped the visor .ro+ her .ace and stared
at the devastation ,ith eyes as blank as eggshells- ;er .ace ,as
cal+ and expressionless but ,hen she spoke again her voice
tre+bled-
I>eave it on-I
;e had .irst +et her t,o ,eeks be.ore- ;e2d been tracking her
.or +onths searching the archives delving into her records
.ocusing his superlative pattern-+atching skills on the cryptic
inco+plete 9igsa, called ,enie -larke- But those asse+bled
pieces had revealled +ore than a brood sac "or the end o" the
world as /o,an had put it- They2d revealled a ,o+an ,hose
entire childhood had been pretense progra++ed to ends over
,hich she2d had no a,areness or control- 3ll this ti+e she had
been trying to get ho+e trying to rediscover her o,n past-
Ben >ubin slaved to his o,n brand o. Auilt Trip had been
trying to kill her- *es9ardins had tried to get in his ,ayF at the ti+e
it had see+ed the only decent thing to do- !t see+ed odd in
retrospect that such an act o. kindness could have been triggered
by his o,n a,akening psychopathy-
;is rescue atte+pt had not gone ,ell- >ubin had intercepted
hi+ be.ore 0larke even sho,ed up in "ault-"aint Marie-
*es9ardins had sat out the rest o. the act tied to a chair in a pitch-
black roo+ hal. the bones in his .ace broken-
"urprisingly it had not been Ben >ubin ,ho had done that to
hi+-
3nd yet so+eho, they ,ere no, all on ,hat +ight loosely be
called the same side: he and 3lice and Benny and >enie all
,orking together under the banner o. grayness and +oral
a+biguity and righteous vendetta- "partacus had .reed >ubin .ro+
Auilt Trip as it had .reed *es9ardins- The 2la,breaker had to ad+it
to a certain sy+patico ,ith the taciturn assassin even no,F he
kne, ho, it .elt to be ,renched back into a position o. genuine
culpability a.ter years o. letting synthetic neurotrans+itters +ake
all the tough decisions- 0rippling anxiety- Auilt-
3t .irst any,ay- #o, the guilt ,as .ading- #o, there ,as
only .ear-
?ro+ a thousand directions the ,orld cried out in desperate
need o. his attention- !t ,as his s,orn duty to o..er it: to provide
salvation or .ailing that to bail until the last piece o. .lotsa+ sank
beneath the ,aves- #ot so long ago it ,ould have been +ore than
a duty- !t ,ould have been a co+pulsion a drive so+ething he
could not prevent hi+sel. .ro+ doing- 3t this very +o+ent he
should be dispatching e+ergency tea+s rerouting vital supplies
allocating li.ters and bot.lies to rein.orce the ,eakening
7uarantine-
7uck it he thought and killed the .eeds- "o+eho, he sensed
>enie 0larke .linching behind hi+ as the display ,ent dark-
I*id you get a .ixHI Jovellanos asked- "he2d taken a shot at it
hersel. but she2d only been a senior 2la,breaker .or a ,eek: hardly
enough ti+e to get used to her inlays let alone develop the seventh
sense that *es9ardins had honed over hal. a decade- The sharpest
.ix she2d been able to get on the vanished corpses ,as somewhere
in the *orth Atlantic-
*es9ardins nodded and reached out to the +ain board- 0larke2s
onyx re.lection +oved up behind hi+ staring back .ro+ the dark
sur.ace- *es9ardins suppressed the urge to look over his shoulder-
"he ,as right here in his cubby: 9ust a girl hal. his siCe- 3 skinny
little B-selector that hal. the ,orld ,anted to kill and the other hal.
,anted to die .or-
4ithout even having +et her he had thro,n a,ay everything to
co+e to her aid- 4hen he2d .inally +et her .ace-to-.ace she2d
scared hi+ +ore than >ubin had- But so+ething had happened to
0larke since then- The ice-7ueen a..ect hadn2t changed at all but
so+ething behind it see+ed8s+aller so+eho,- 3l+ost .ragile-
3lice didn2t see+ to notice though- "he2d been been the
ri.ters2s sel.-appointed +ascot .ro+ the +o+ent she2d seen a
chance to get back at the 0vil -orporate 6ligarchy or ,hatever
she ,as calling it this ,eek-
*es9ardins opened a ,indo, on the board: a .alse-color satca+
enhance o. open ocean a +ultihued plas+a o. color-coded
contours-
I! thought o. thatI 3lice piped up Ibut even i. you could +ake
out a heatprint against the noise the circulation2s so slo, do,n
there8I
I#ot te+peratureI *es9ardins interrupted- ITurbidity-I
IDven so the circulation8I
;e shot her a look- I"hut up and learn okayHI
"he .ell silent the hurt obvious in her eyes- "he2d been ,alking
on eggshells ever since she2d ad+itted to in.ecting hi+-
*es9ardins turned back to the board- IThere2s a lot o. variation
over ti+e o. course- Dverything .ro+ ,hitecaps to s7uid .arts-I
;e tapped an iconF layers o. ne, data superi+posed the+selves
atop the baseline a translucent par.ait- I:ou2d never get a track
,ith a single snapshot no +atter ho, .ine the reC- ! had to look at
+ean values over a three-+onth period-I
The layers +erged- The a+orphous plas+a disappearedF hard-
edged contrails and splotches condensed .ro+ that +ist-
*es9ardins2s .ingers played across the board- I#o, cancel
everything that sho,s up in the #O33 databaseI 83 +yriad
lu+inous scars .aded into transparency8 IAul. "trea+ le.toversI
8a beaded necklace .ro+ ?lorida to Dngland ,ent dark8Iand any
listed construction sites or up,ells inconsistent ,ith +ini+u+
allo,able structure siCe-I
3 .e, doCen re+aining pock+arks disappeared- The #orth
3tlantic ,as dark and .eatureless but .or a single bright ble+ish
positioned al+ost exactly in its center-
I"o that2s itI 0larke +ur+ered-
*es9ardins shook his head- I4e still have to correct .or lateral
displace+ent during ascent- Mid,ater currents and the like-I ;e
called .orth algorith+s: the ble+ish 9iggled to the north,est and
stopped-
<=>?'@A;* >B@C'?<;W said the display-
I*ead northeast o. the 3tlantis ?racture =oneI *es9ardins said-
I>o,est vorticity in the ,hole da+n basin-I
I:ou said turbidity-I 0larke2s re.lection a bright bullseye in its
chest shook its head- IBut i. there2s no vorticity8I
IBubblesI 3lice exclai+ed clueing in-
*es9ardins nodded- I:ou don2t build a retire+ent ho+e .or a
.e, thousand people ,ithout doing so+e serious ,elding- That2s
gonna generate sagans o. ,aste gas- ;ence turbidity-I
0larke ,as still skeptical- I4e ,elded at 0hanner- The
pressure crushed the bubbles do,n to nothing as soon as they
.or+ed-I
I?or point-,elding sure- But these guys +ust be .using ,hole
habs together: higher te+peratures greater outgassing +ore
ther+al inertia-I ?inally he turned to .ace her- I4e2re not talking
about a boiling cauldron here- !t2s 9ust .ine .iCC by the ti+e it hits
the sur.ace- #ot even visible to the naked eye- But it2s enough to
reduce light penetration and that2s ,hat ,e2re seeing right here-I
;e tapped the tu+or on the board-
0larke stared at it a +o+ent her .ace expressionless-
I3nybody else kno, about thisHI she asked .inally-
*es9ardins shook his head- I#obody even kno,s ! ,as
,orking on it-I
I:ou ,ouldn2t +ind keeping it that ,ayHI
;e snorted- I>enie ! don2t even ,ant to think about ,hat
,ould happen i. anyone .ound out ! ,as spending ti+e on this-
3nd not that you2re un,elco+e or anything but the .act that you
guys are even hanging around out here is a +a9or risk- *o you8I
I!t2s taken care o. Bill9oyI 3lice said so.tly- I! told you- !
catch on .ast-I
"he did too- <ro+oted in the ,ake o. his desertion it had
taken her only a .e, hours to .igure out that so+e plus-thousand
corpses had 7uietly slipped o.. the .ace o. the earth- !t had taken
her less than t,o days to get hi+ back onto the 0"!/3 payroll his
+ysterious absence obscured by alibis and bureaucratic cha..-
"he2d started the ga+e ,ith an un.air advantage o. course:
prein.ected ,ith "partacus Auilt Trip had never a..ected her-
"he2d begun her tenure ,ith all the po,ers o. a senior 2la,breaker
and none o. the restraints- O. course she had the ,here,ithall to
get >enie 0larke into 0"!/32s inner sanctu+-
But even no, "partacus bubbled in *es9ardins2s head like acid
eating a,ay at the chains Auilt Trip had .orged- !t had already
.reed his conscienceF soon he very +uch .eared "partacus ,ould
destroy it utterly-
;e looked at 3lice- )ou did this to me he thought and
exa+ined the .eelings the accusation provoked- There had been
anger at .irst a sense o. pro.ound betrayal- "o+ething bordering
on hatred even-
#o, he ,asn2t sure any +ore- 3lice83lice ,as a
co+plication his undoing and his salvation all rolled into one
,illo,y chassis- "he had saved his ass .or no,- "he had
in.or+ation that could be vital .or later- !t see+ed like a good
idea to play along .or the ti+e being at least- 3s .or the ri.ters the
sooner he helped the+ on their ,ay the sooner they2d drop out o.
the e7uation-
3nd all the ,hile so+e persistent splinter in the back o. his
+ind conte+plated the options that +ight soon be available to a
+an ,ithout a leashK
3lice Jovellanos o..ered hi+ a tentative s+ile ever hope.ul-
3chilles *es9ardins s+iled back-
I:ou catch on .astI he repeated- IThat you do-I
;ope.ully not .ast enough-
)4N9SS,4NA+
Jerenice "eger ,ants to +ake an announce+ent-
"he ,on2t +ake it to 0larke or >ubin- "he ,on2t even tell the+
,hat it2s about- I! don2t ,ant there to be any +isunderstandingI
she says- I! ,ant to address your ,hole co++unity-I ;er
pixelated likeness stares out .ro+ the board gri+ly de.iant-
<atricia /o,an stands in the backgroundF she doesn2t look pleased
either-
I?ineI >ubin says at last and kills the connection-
1eger 0larke re.lects- 1eger's making the announcement. *ot
4owan- IMedical ne,sI she says aloud-
IBad ne,s-I >ubin replies sealing up his gauntlets-
0larke sets the board .or >?3M broadband- IBetter su++on
the troops ! guess-I
>ubin2s heading do,n the ladder- I/ing the chi+es .or +e ,ill
youHI
I4hyH 4here you goingHI The chi+es serve to heads-up those
ri.ters ,ho leave their vocoders o..line but >ubin usually boots
the+ up hi+sel.-
I! ,ant to check so+ething outI he says-
The airlock hisses shut behind hi+-
O. course even at their present nu+bers they can2t all .it into
the nerve hab at once-
!t +ight have been easier i. ri.ter +odules .ollo,ed the rules-
They2ve been designed to interconnect each sel.-contained sphere
puckered by six round +ouths t,o +eters across- Dach can lock
lips ,ith any other or ,ith pieces o. interposing corridor8and so
the ,hole structure gro,s lu+py and opportunistic like a great
skeleton o. long bones and e+pty skulls asse+bling itsel. across
the seabed- That2s the idea any,ay- 3 .e, basic shapes in.initely
.lexible in co+bination-
But no- ;ere the hab +odules sprout like solitary +ushroo+s
across the substrate- /i.ters live alone or in pairs or ,hatever
social asse+blage .its the +o+ent- 3 crowd o. ri.ters is al+ost an
oxy+oron- The nerve habs are a+ong the largest structures in the
,hole trailer park and they only hold a doCen or so on their +ain
decks- Aiven the territorial peri+eters that +ost ri.ters develop in
the abyss it doesn2t hold the+ co+.ortably-
!t2s already getting congested by the ti+e 0larke returns .ro+
pri+ing the ,indchi+es- 0hen and 0ra+er converge on her tail as
she glides up into the airlock- On the ,et deck 3bra 0heung
ascends the ladder ahead o. her- 0larke .ollo,s her up8the
airlock cycling again at her back8into a knot o. eight or nine
people ,ho have arrived during her absence-
Arace #olan2s at the center o. the action bellied up to the
0o++ panel- "onar sho,s a doCen others still en route- 0larke
,onders idly i. the hab2s scrubbers are up to this kind o. load-
Maybe there is no announcement- Maybe "eger2s 9ust trying to get
the+ to overdose on their o,n 0O
2
-
I;i-I Bevin 4alsh appears at her side hovering hope.ully at
the edge o. her public-co+.ort peri+eter- ;e see+s back to his
old sel.- !n .ront o. the+ Ao+eC turns and notices 0larke- I;ey
>en- #e,s .ro+ the corpses ! hear-I
0larke nods-
I:ou2re tight ,ith those assholes- Bno, ,hat it2s aboutHI
"he shakes her head- I"eger2s the +outhpiece though- ! .igure
so+ething +edical-I
I:eah- <robably-I Ao+eC sucks air so.tly through stained
teeth- I3nybody seen JuliaH "he should be here .or this-I
0heung purses her lips- I4hat a.ter spending the last ,eek
and a hal. ,ith AeneH :ou can breathe that air i. you ,ant-I
I! sa, her out by one o. the ,oodpiles not too long agoI
;opkinson volunteers-
I;o,2d she see+HI
I:ou kno, Julia- 3 black hole ,ith tits-I
I! +ean physically- "he see+ sick at allHI
I;o, ,ould ! kno,H :ou think she ,as out there in a bra and
pantiesHI ;opkinson shrugs- I*idn2t say anything any,ay-I
?aintly through bulkheads and conversation the cries o.
tortured rock-
IOkay thenI #olan says .ro+ the board- IDnough dicking
around- >et2s rack 2e+ up and shoot 2e+ do,n-I "he taps an icon
on the panel- I:ou2re on "eger- Make it good-I
I!s everyone thereHI "eger2s voice-
IO. course not- 4e can2t all .it into a hab-I
I!2d rather8I
I:ou2re hooked into all the >?3M channels- 3nyone ,ithin
.ive hundred +eters can hear you 9ust .ine-I
I4ell-I 3 pause the silence o. so+eone deciding ho, best to
proceed across a +ine.ield- I3s you kno, 3tlantis has been
7uarantined .or several days no,- Dver since ,e learned about
ehe+oth- #o, ,e2ve all had the retro.its so there ,as every
reason to expect that this ,asn2t a serious proble+- The 7uarantine
,as +erely a precaution-I
I4asI #olan notes- *o,nstairs the airlock is cycling again-
"eger .orges on- I4e analyCed the8the sa+ples that Ben and
>enie brought back .ro+ !+possible >ake and everything ,e
.ound ,as consistent ,ith ehe+oth- "a+e peculiar /#3 sa+e
stereoiso+eriCation o.8I
IAet to the pointI #olan snaps-
IAraceHI 0larke says- #olan looks at her-
I"hut up and let the ,o+an .inishI 0larke suggests- #olan
snorts and turns a,ay-
I3ny,ayI "eger continues a.ter a +o+ent Ithe results ,ere
per.ectly straight.or,ard so ,e incinerated the in.ected re+ains as
a contain+ent +easure- 3.ter digitiCing the+ o. course-I
I*igitiCingHI That2s 0hen-
I3 high-res destructive scan enough to let us si+ulate the
sa+ple right do,n to the +olecular levelI "eger explains- IModel
tissues give us +uch o. the sa+e behavior as a ,et sa+ple but
,ithout the attendant risks-I
0harley Aarcia cli+bs into vie,- The bulkheads see+ to sneak
a little closer ,ith each ne, arrival- 0larke s,allo,s the air
thickening around her-
"eger coughs- I! ,as ,orking ,ith one o. those +odels and
,ell ! noticed an ano+aly- ! believe that the .ish you brought
back .ro+ !+possible >ake ,as in.ected ,ith ehe+oth-I
Dxchanged glances a+ongst a roo+.ul o. blank eyes- O.. in the
distance >ubin2s ,indchi+es +anage a .inal reedy +oan and .all
silent the reservoir exhausted-
I4ell o. courseI #olan says a.ter a +o+ent- I"o ,hatHI
I!2+ u+ !2+ using in"ected in the pathological sense not the
sy+biotic one-I "eger clears her throat- I4hat ! +ean to say is
8I
I!t ,as sickI 0larke says- I!t ,as sick ,ith ehe+oth-I
*ead air .or a +o+ent- Then: I!2+ a.raid that2s right- !. Ben
hadn2t killed it .irst ! think ehe+oth +ight have-I
IOh .uckI so+eone says so.tly- The epithet hangs there in a
roo+ gone totally silent- *o,nstairs the airlock gurgles-
I"o it ,as sickI *ale 0reasy says a.ter a +o+ent- I"o ,hatHI
Aarcia shakes his head- I*ale don2t you re+e+ber ho, this
.ucker worksHI
I"ure- Breaks your enCy+es apart to get at the sul.ur or
so+ething- But ,e2re i++une-I
I4e2re i++uneI Aarcia says patiently Ibecause ,e2ve got
special genes that +ake enCy+es too sti.. .or ehe+oth to break-
3nd ,e got those genes .ro+ deep,ater .ish *ale-I
0reasy2s still ,orking it through- "o+eone else ,hispers I1hit
shit shitI in a shaky voice- *o,nstairs so+e lateco+er2s cli+bing
the ladderF ,hoever it is stu+bles on the .irst rung-
I!2+ a.raid Mr- Aarcia2s rightI "eger says- I!. the .ish do,n
here are vulnerable to this bug then ,e probably are too-I
0larke shakes her head- IBut8are you saying this thing isn't
ehe+oth a.ter allH !t2s so+ething elseHI
3 sudden co++otion around the ladderF the asse+bled ri.ters
are pulling back as though it ,ere electri.ied- Julia ?ried+an
staggers up into vie, her .ace the color o. basalt- "he stands on
the deck clinging to the railing around the hatch not daring to let
go- "he looks around blinking rapidly over undead eyes- ;er skin
glistens-
I!t2s still ehe+oth +ore or lessI "eger drones in the distance-
?ro+ 3tlantis- ?ro+ the bolted-do,n ,elded-tight her+etically-
sealed 7uarantined goddamned sa"ety o" "ucking Atlantis- IThat2s
,hy ,e couldn2t pinpoint the nature o. Mr- Drickson2s in.ection:
he ca+e back positive .or ehe+oth but o. course ,e disregarded
those .indings because ,e didn2t think it could be the proble+- But
this is a ne, variant apparently- "peciation events o. this sort are
7uite co++on ,hen an organis+ spreads into ne, environ+ents-
This is basically8I
ehemoth's evil twin brother 0larke re+e+bers-
I8ehe+oth Mark 2I "eger .inishes-
Julia ?ried+an drops to her knees and vo+its onto the deck
Babel Broadband- 3n overlapping collage o. distorted voices:
IO. course ! don2t believe the+- :ou saying you doHI
IThat2s bullshit- !. you8I
IThey ad+itted it up .ront- They didn2t have to-I
I:eah they suddenly co+e clean at the exact +o+ent Julia
goes sy+pto+atic- 4hat a coincidence-I
I;o,2d they kno, that she8I
IThey kne, the incubation ti+e- They +ust have- ;o, else do
you explain the ti+ing here dra+atic ironyHI
I:eah but ,hat are ,e gonna doHI
They2ve abandoned the hab- !t e+ptied like a blo,n ballast
tank ri.ters spilling onto a seabed already cro,ded even by
dryback standards- #o, it hangs above the+ like a gun+etal
planet- Three la+ps set around the ventral airlock lay bright
overlapping circles onto the substrate- Black bodies s,i+ at the
periphery o. that light hints o. restless +otion behind shark-tooth
ro,s o. ,hite unblinking eyespots- 0larke thinks o. hungry
ani+als kept barely at bay by the light o. a ca+p.ire-
By rights she should .eel like one o. the+-
Arace #olan2s no longer in evidence- "he disappeared into the
darkness a .e, +inutes ago one supportive ar+ around Julia
?ried+an helping her back ho+e- That act o. apparent altruis+
see+s to have netted her extra cred: 0hen and ;opkinson are
standing in .or her on the point-counterpoint- Aarcia2s raising
token 7uestions but the prevailing +ood does not suggest any
great ,illingness to extend the bene.it o. the doubt-
I;ey *i+iI 0hen buCCes- I;o,2s it going in thereHI
I"tinks like a hospital-I 3lexander2s airborne voice +akes a
conspicuous contrast against the background o. ,aterlogged ones-
I3l+ost done though- "o+ebody better be gro,ing +e a ne,
skin-I ;e2s still inside steriliCing anything that ?ried+an or her
bodily .luids +ight have co+e into contact ,ith- Arace #olan
asked .or volunteers-
"he2s started giving orders- <eople have started taking the+-
I! say ,e 9ust drill the .uckers-I 0reasy buCCes .ro+
so+e,here nearby-
0larke re+e+bers holes burned through biosteel- I>et2s hold
o.. on the ,hole counterstrike thing at .or a bit- !t +ight be
tougher .or the+ to .ind a cure i. ,e s+ear the+ into the deck-I
I3s i. they2re looking .or a .ucking cure-I
"he ignores the re+ark- IThey ,ant blood sa+ples .ro+
everyone- "o+e o. the rest o. us +ight be in.ected- !t obviously
doesn2t sho, up right a,ay-I
I!t sho,ed up .ast enough ,ith AeneI so+eone points out-
IBeing gutted alive probably increases your level o. exposure a
bit- But Julia didn2t sho, anything .or ,hat8t,o ,eeksHI
I!2+ not giving the+ any bloodI 0reasy gro,ls ,ith a voice
like scrap +etal- IThey'll be .ucking giving blood i. they try and
+ake +e-I
0larke shakes her head exasperated- I*ale they can2t +ake
anyone do anything and they kno, it- They2re asking- !. you ,ant
the+ to beg !2+ sure it can be arranged- 4hat2s your proble+H
:ou2ve been collecting bloods on your o,n any,ay-I
I!. ,e could take our tongues o.. <atricia /o,an2s clit .or a
+o+ent ! have a +essage .ro+ Aene-I
Arace #olan s,i+s into the circle o. light like a pitch-black
pack ani+al asserting do+inance- 0a+p.ires don2t bother her-
IAraceI 0hen buCCes- I;o,2s JuliaHI
I;o, do you thinkH "he2s sick- But ! got her tucked in at least
and the diagnostics are running .or all the good they2ll do-I
I3nd AeneHI 0larke asks-
I;e ,as a,ake .or a little ,hile- ;e said and ! 7uote & told
them those baby'boners did something to me. /aybe they'll
believe me when my wi"e dies.I
I;eyI 4alsh pipes up- I3e's obviously .eeling bet8I
IThe corpses ,ould never risk spreading so+ething like this
,ithout already having a cureI #olan cuts in- I!t could get back
to the+ too easily-I
I/ight-I 0reasy again- I"o ! say ,e drill the .uckers one
bulkhead at a ti+e until they hand it over-I
Gncertainty and ac7uiescence +ix in the darkness-
I:ou kno, 9ust to play devil2s advocate here ! gotta say there2s
a sli+ chance they2re telling the truth-I
That2s 0harley Aarcia .loating o.. to the side-
I! +ean bugs +utate rightHI he continues- IDspecially ,hen
people thro, shitloads o. drugs at the+ and you can bet they
bought out the ,hole phar+ ,hen this thing .irst got out- "o ,ho2s
to say it couldn't have gone .ro+ Mark ! to eta-+ax all on its
o,nHI
I?ucking big coincidence i. you ask +eI 0reasy buCCes-
Aarcia2s vocoder ticks a verbal shrug- I!2+ 9ust saying-I
I3nd i. they ,ere going to pull so+e kind o. bio,ar shit ,hy
,ait until no,HI 0larke adds grasping the stra,- I4hy not .our
years agoHI
IThey didn2t have ehe+oth .our years agoI #olan says-
4alsh: IThey could2ve brought do,n a culture-I
I4hat .or old ti+es2 sakeH .ucking nostalgiaH They didn2t
have shit until Aene served it up to 2e+ ,ar+ and stea+ing-I
I:ou oughtta get out +ore AraceI Aarcia buCCes- I4e2ve
been building bugs .ro+ +ail-order parts .or .i.ty years- Once
they had the genes se7uenced the corpses could2ve built ehe+oth
.ro+ scratch any ti+e they .elt like it-I
IOr anything else .or that +atterI ;opkinson adds- I4hy use
so+ething that takes all this ti+e 9ust to +ake a .e, o. us sickH
"upercol ,ould2ve dropped us in a day-I
I!t ,ould2ve dropped (ene in a dayI #olan buCCes- IBe.ore
he had any chance to in.ect the rest o. us- 3 .ast bug ,ouldn2t
have a chance out here8,e2re spread out ,e2re isolated ,e don2t
even breathe +ost o. the ti+e- Dven ,hen ,e go inside ,e keep
our skins on- This thing has to be slo, i. it2s gonna spread- These
stu+p.ucks kno, exactly ,hat they2re doing-I
IBesidesI Baker adds Ia "upercol epide+ic starts on the
botto+ o. the godda+n ocean and ,e2re not gonna connect the
dotsH They2d be sockeye the +o+ent they tried-I
IThey kno, it too-I
Iehe+oth gives the+ an alibi thoughI 0hen says- I*oesn2t
itHI
7uck$ 8elaine. 0larke2s been thinking exactly the sa+e thing-
Why'd you have to bring that upH
#olan grabs the baton in an instant- IThat2s right- That2s right-
ehe+oth co+es all the ,ay over .ro+ !+possible >ake no ,ay
anybody can accuse the+ o. planting it there8they 9ust t,eak it a
bit on its ,ay through 3tlantis pass it on to us and ho, are ,e
supposed to kno, the di..erenceHI
IDspecially since they conveniently destroyed the samplesI
0reasy adds-
0larke shakes her head- I:ou2re a plu+ber ,ith gills *ale-
:ou ,ouldn2t have a clue ,hat to do ,ith those sa+ples i. "eger
handed the+ to you in a Ciplock bag- "a+e goes .or Arace2s little
science-.air pro9ect ,ith the blood-I
I"o that2s your contribution-I #olan t,ists through the ,ater
until she2s a couple o. +eters o.. 0larke2s bo,- I#one o. us poor
du+b .ishheads got tenure or aug+ents so ,e2ve 9ust gotta trust
everything to the ,ise old gel-9ocks ,ho .ucked us over in the .irst
place-I
IThere2s so+eone elseI 0larke buCCes back- I/a+a Bhanderi-I
"udden co+plete silence- 0larke can barely believe she said it
hersel.-
0hen2s vocoder stutters in a,k,ard prea+ble- IGh >en- /a+a
,ent native-I
I#ot yet- #ot co+pletely- Borderline at +ost-I
IBhanderiHI The ,ater vibrates ,ith #olan2s +echanical
derision- I;e2s a "ish by no,NI
I;e2s still coherentI 0larke insisted- I! talked to hi+ 9ust the
other day- 4e can bring hi+ back-I
I>enieI 4alsh says Inobody2s ever8I
IBhanderi does kno, his shitI Aarcia cuts in- IGsed to
any,ay-I
I,iterallyI 0reasy adds- I! heard he t,eaked 0. coli to secrete
psychoactives- :ou ,alk around ,ith that shit in your gut you2re
in per+anent sel.-sustaining neverland-I Arace #olan turns and
stares at hi+F 0reasy doesn2t take the hint- I;e had so+e o. his
custo+ers eating out o. their o,n ends 9ust .or the .eedback high-I
IAreatI #olan buCCes- I3 drooling idiot and a .ecal che+ist-
Our proble+s are over-I
I3ll !2+ saying is ,e don2t ,ant to cut our o,n throatsI 0larke
argues- I!. the corpses aren't lying to us they2re our best chance at
beating this thing-I
0heung: I:ou2re saying ,e should trust the+HI
I!2+ saying +aybe ,e don2t have to- !2+ saying give +e a
chance to talk to /a+a and see i. he can help- !. not ,e can
al,ays blo, up 3tlantis next ,eek-I
#olan cuts the ,ater ,ith her hand- I3is "ucking mind is
gone%I
I;e had enough o. it le.t to tell +e ,hat happened at the
,oodpileI 0larke buCCes 7uietly-
#olan stares at 0larke a sudden inde.inable tension in the body
behind the +ask-
I3ctuallyI Aarcia re+arks .ro+ o..side I! think ! +ight have
to side ,ith >enie on this one-I
I! don2tI 0reasy responds instantly-
I<robably couldn2t hurt to check it out-I ;opkinson2s voice
vibrates out .ro+ so+e,here in the cheap seats- I>ike >enie says
,e can al,ays kill the+ later-I
!t2s not exactly +o+entu+- 0larke runs ,ith it any,ay- I4hat
are they going to do hold their breath and +ake a +ad dash .or the
sur.aceH 4e can a..ord to ,ait-I
I0an Aene a..ord to ,aitH 0an JuliaHI #olan looks around the
circle- I;o, long do any o. us haveHI
I3nd i. you2re ,rong you2ll kill every last one o. those .uckers
and then .ind out they ,ere trying to help us a.ter all-I 0larke
shakes her head- I#o- ! ,on2t let you-I
I)ou won't l.I
0larke cranks the volu+e a notch and cuts her o..- IThis is the
plan people- Dverybody gives blood i. they haven2t already- !2ll
track do,n /a+a and see i. ! can talk hi+ into helping- #obody
.ucks ,ith the corpses in the +eanti+e-I
This is it she thinks- 4aise or call- The +o+ent stretches-
#olan looks around at the asse+bly- Dvidently she doesn2t like
,hat she sees- I?ineI she buCCes at last- I3ll you happy little r2s
and B2s can do ,hat you like- ! kno, ,hat &'m gonna do-I
I:ouI 0larke tells her Iare going to back o.. and shut up and
not do a single "ucking thing until ,e get so+e in.or+ation ,e can
count on- 3nd until then Arace i. ! .ind you ,ithin .i.ty +eters o.
3tlantis or /a+a Bhanderi ! ,ill personally rip the tubes out o.
your chest-I
"uddenly they2re eyecap to eyecap- I:ou2re talking pretty big
.or so+eone ,ho doesn2t have her pet psycho backing her up-I
#olan2s vocoder is very lo,F her ,ords are +echanical ,hispers
+eant .or 0larke alone- I4here2s your bodyguard corpse.uckerHI
I*on2t need oneI 0larke buCCes evenly- I!. you don2t believe
+e stop talking out your ass and +ake a .ucking +ove-I
#olan hangs in the ,ater un+oving- ;er vocoder tick'tick'
ticks like a Aeiger counter-
I;ey AraceI 0hen buCCes hesitantly .ro+ the sidelines-
I/eally you kno,H 0an2t hurt to try-I
#olan doesn2t appear to have heard her- "he doesn2t ans,er .or
the longest ti+e- Then .inally she shakes her head-
I?uck it- Try then-I
0larke lets the silence resu+e .or a .e, +ore seconds- Then
she turns and slo,ly deliberately .ins out o. the light- "he doesn2t
look backF hope.ully the rest o. the pack ,ill read it as an act o.
supre+e con.idence- But inside she2s pissing hersel.- !nside she
only ,ants to run8 .ro+ this ne,-and-i+proved re+inder o. her
o,n virulent past .ro+ the tide and the tables turning against her-
"he ,ants to 9ust dive o.. the /idge and go native keep going until
hunger and isolation leave her brain as s+ooth and .lat and
reptilian as Bhanderi2s +ight be by no,- "he ,ants nothing +ore
than to 9ust give in-
"he s,i+s into the darkness and hopes the others do like,ise-
Be.ore Arace #olan can change their +inds-
"he chooses an outlying double-decker a little .urther
do,nslope .ro+ the others- !t doesn2t have a na+e8so+e o. the
habs have been christened -ory's 4each or !each!all or Abandon
All 3ope but there ,eren2t any labels pasted across this hull the
last ti+e she ,as in the neighborhood and there aren2t any no,-
#obody2s le.t no-trespassing signs at the airlock either but t,o
pairs o. .ins glisten on the drying rack inside and so.t +oist sounds
dri.t do,n .ro+ the dry deck-
"he cli+bs the ladder- #g and so+eone2s back are .ucking on a
pallet in the lounge- Dvidently even >ubin2s ,indchi+es ,eren2t
enough to divert their interest- 0larke brie.ly considers breaking it
up and .illing the+ in on recent events-
7uck it. They'll "ind out soon enough-
"he steps around the+ and checks out the hab2s co++ board-
!t2s a pretty sparse setup 9ust a .e, o..-the-shel. co+ponents to
keep it in the loop- 0larke plays ,ith the sonar display pans
across the topography o. the /idge and the rash o. <latonic icons
laid upon it- ;ere are the +ain generators ,ire.ra+e skyscrapers
loo+ing over the ridge to the south- ;ere2s 3tlantis a great lu+py
.erris ,heel laid on its side8.uCCy and un.ocussed no, the echo
s+eared by a hal.-doCen ,hite-noise generators started up to keep
prying ears .ro+ listening in on the recent deliberations- #obody2s
used those generators since the /evolt- 0larke ,as surprised that
they ,ere even still in place +uch less in ,orking order-
"he ,onders i. so+eone2s taken an active hand in extending the
,arranty-
3 sprinkling o. silver bubbles dusts the display: all the se+i-
abandoned ho+es o. those ,ho hardly kno, the +eaning o. the
,ord- "he can actually see those people i. she cranks up the reC:
the display loses range but gains detail and the local sea-space .ills
,ith shi++ering sapphire icons as translucent as cave .ish- Their
i+plants bounce hard re.lective echoes .ro+ ,ithin the .lesh little
opa7ue organ-clusters o. +achinery-
!t2s si+ple enough to label the creatures on the screen8each
contains an !*-transponder next to the heart .or easy
identi.ication- There2s a ,hole layer o. intelligence that 0larke can
access ,ith a single touch- "he doesn2t as a rule- #obody does-
/i.ter society has its o,n odd eti7uette- Besides it usually isn2t
necessary- Over the years you learn to read the ra, echoes-
0reasy2s i+plants put out a bit o. .uCC on the dorsal aspectF
:eager2s bu+ leg lists hi+ slightly to port ,hen he +oves-
Ao+eC2s +assive bulk ,ould be a givea,ay even to a dryback-
The transponders are an intrusive redundancy a cheat sheet .or
novices- /i.ters generally have no use .or such tele+etryF
corpses these days have no access to it-
Occasionally though8,hen distance bleeds any use.ul telltales
.ro+ an echo or ,hen the target itsel. has changed8cheat sheets
are the only option-
0larke slides the range to +axi+u+: the hard bright shapes .all
together shrinking into the center o. the display like cos+ic
.lotsa+ sucked to,ards a black hole- Other topography creeps into
range around the outer edges o. the screen vast and di+ and
.ractal- Areat dark .issures race into vie, splitting and criss-
crossing the substrate- 3 doCen rough +ounds o. vo+ited Cinc-
and-silver precipitate litter the botto+ so+e barely a +eter high
one .i.ty ti+es that siCe- The very sea.loor bends up to the east-
The shoulders o. great +ountains loo+ 9ust out o. range-
Occasional s+udges o. blue light dri.t in the +iddle distance
and .urther- "o+e pixellate slo, +eandering courses across a
+uddy plainF others +erely dri.t- There2s no chance o. a usable
pro.ile at such distances but neither is there any need- The
transponder overlay is de.initive-
Bhanderhi2s south,est hal.,ay to the edge o. the scope-
0larke notes the bearing and disables the overlay sliding the range
back to its de.ault setting- 3tlantis and its environs s,ell back out
across the display and8
Wait a second.
3 single echo al+ost hidden in the ,hite noise o. the
generators- 3 blur ,ithout detail an unexpected ,art on one o.
the tubular passage,ays that connect 3tlantis2s +odules one to
another- The nearest ca+era hangs o.. a docking gantry t,enty-
.ive +eters east and up- 0larke taps into the line: a ne, ,indo,
opens spills grainy green light across the display-
3tlantis is in the grip o. a patch,ork blight- <arts o. its colossal
structure continue to shine as they al,ays haveF apical beacons
vents conduit +arkers glaring into the darkness- But there are
other places ,here the lights have di++ed dark holes and gaps
,here la+ps that once shone yello,-green have all shi.ted do,n to
a .aint spectral blue so deep it borders on black- 6ut o" order that
blue-shi.t says- Or +ore precisely *o 7ish'heads-
The airlocks- The hanger bay doors- #obody2s playing just a
precaution these daysK
"he pans and tilts ai+ing the ca+era- "he Coo+s: distant
+urk +agni.ies turns .uCCy distance into .uCCy .oreground- @iC is
lo, todayF either s+okers are blo,ing nearby or 3tlantis is
.lushing particulates- 3ll she can see is a .uCCy black outline
against a green background a silhouette so .a+iliar she can2t even
re+e+ber ho, she recogniCes it-
!t2s >ubin-
;e2s .loating 9ust centi+eters o.. the hull sculling one ,ay
sculling back- "tation-keeping against a tricky interplay o.
currents perhaps8except there2s nothing .or hi+ to station-keep
over- There2s no vie,port in his vicinity no ,ay to look inside no
obvious reason to hold his position along that particular stretch o.
corridor-
3.ter a .e, +o+ents he begins to +ove a,ay along the hull .ar
too slo,ly .or co+.ort- ;is .ins usually scissor the ,ater in
s+ooth easy strokes but he2s barely .licking the+ no,- ;e2s
+oving no .aster than a dryback +ight ,alk-
"o+eone cli+axes behind her- #g gru+bles about my turn-
>enie 0larke barely hears the+-
)ou bastard she thinks as >ubin .ades in the distance- )ou
bastard.
)ou went ahead and did it.
)4NS).,P5
3lyx doesn2t get the ,hole native thing- <robably none o. the
corpses do truth be told but none o. the others lose any sleep over
it eitherF the +ore .ish-heads out o. the ,ay the better they .igure
and scre, the .ine print- 3lyx bless her soul reacted ,ith nothing
short o. outrage- 3s .ar as she2s concerned it2s no di..erent than
leaving your crippled grand+other out to die on an ice .loe-
I>ex it2s their o,n choiceI 0larke explained once-
I4hat they choose to go craCyH They choose to have their
bones go so punky they can2t even stand up ,hen you bring the+
insideHI
IThey chooseI she said gently Ito stay out on the ri.t and they
think it2s ,orth the price-I
I4hyH 4hat2s so great about itH 4hat do they do out thereHI
"he didn2t +ention the hallucinations- IThere2s a kind o.8
.reedo+ ! guess- :ou .eel connected to things- !t2s hard to
explain-I
3lyx snorted- I)ou don2t even kno,-I
!t2s partly true- 0ertainly 0larke .eels the pull o. the deep sea-
Maybe it2s an escape +aybe the abyss is 9ust the ulti+ate place to
hide .ro+ the living hell that ,as li.e a+ong the drybacks- Or
+aybe it2s even si+pler- Maybe it2s 9ust a dark ,eightless
evocation o. the ,o+b a long-.orgotten sense o. being nourished
and protected and secure back be.ore the contractions started and
everything turned to shit-
Dvery ri.ter .eels as +uch- #ot every ri.ter goes native though
at least not yet- "o+e 9ust have a kind o.8special vulnerability
really- The addictive ri.ters as opposed to the +erely social ones-
Maybe the natives have too +uch serotonin in their te+poral lobes
or so+ething- !t usually co+es do,n to so+ething like that-
#one o. ,hich ,ould really .ly ,ith 3lyx o. course-
I:ou should take do,n their .eeding stationsI 3lyx said-
IThen they2d have to co+e inside to eat at least-I
IThey2d either starve or +ake do ,ith cla+s and ,or+s-I
4hich ,as basically starvation on the install+ent plan i. it didn2t
poison the+ outright- I3nd ,hy .orce the+ to co+e inside i. they
don2t ,ant toHI
IBecause it2s suicide that2s ,hyNI 3lyx cried- IJeeC ! can2t
believe ! have to explain it to youN 4ouldn2t you stop me .ro+
trying to kill +ysel.HI
IThat depends-I
I#ependsHI
IOn i. you really ,anted to or you ,ere 9ust trying to ,in an
argu+ent-I
I!2+ serious-I
I:eah- ! can see that-I 0larke sighed- I!. you really ,anted to
kill yoursel. !2d be sad and pissed o.. and !2d +iss you like hell-
But ! ,ouldn2t stop you-I
3lyx ,as appalled- IWhy notHI
IBecause it2s your li.e- #ot +ine-I
3lyx didn2t see+ to have been expecting that- "he glared back
obviously unconvinced obviously une7uipped to respond-
I3ave you ever ,anted to dieHI 0larke asked her- I"eriouslyHI
I#o but8I
I! have-I
3lyx .ell silent-
I3nd believe +eI 0larke continued Iit2s no .un listening to a
bunch o. pro.essional head lice telling you how much there is to
live "or and ho, things aren't really so bad and ho, "ive years
"rom now you'll look back and wonder how you ever could have
even i+agined o""ing yoursel"- ! +ean they don2t kno, shit about
+y li.e- !. there2s one thing !2+ the ,orld2s greatest expert on it2s
ho, it .eels to be me- 3nd as .ar as !2+ concerned it2s the height o.
.ucking arrogance to tell another hu+an being ,hether their li.e is
,orth living-I
IBut you don2t have to .eel that ,ayI 3lyx said unhappily-
I#obody doesN :ou 9ust slap a der+ on your ar+ and8I
I!t2s not about .eeling happy >ex- !t2s about having cause to
.eel happy-I 0larke put her pal+ against the girl2s cheek- I3nd
you say ! don2t care enough to stop you .ro+ killing yoursel. but &
say ! care about you so godda+ned +uch !2d even help you do it i.
that ,as you really ,anted-I
3lyx stared at the deck .or a long ti+e- 4hen she looked up
again her eyes shone-
IBut you didn2t dieI she said so.tly- I:ou ,anted to but you
didn2t and that2s ,hy you2re alive right no,-I
And that's why a lot o" other people aren2t--- But 0larke kept the
thought to hersel.-
3nd no, she2s about to repudiate it all- "he2s about to hunt
do,n so+eone ,ho2s chosen to retire and she2s going to ignore
that choice and in.lict her o,n in its place- "he2d like to think that
+aybe 3lyx ,ould .ind the irony a+using but she kno,s better-
There2s nothing .unny about any o. this- !t2s all getting ,ay too
scary-
"he2s .oregone the use o. a s7uid this ti+e outF natives tend to
shy a,ay .ro+ the sound o. +achinery- ?or ,hat see+s like
.orever she2s been traversing a plain o. bone-gray +ud a
botto+less ooCe o. dead plankton ten +illion years in the +aking-
"o+eone has preceded her hereF a sudden contrail crosses her path
a .og o. tiny bodies still s,irling in the ,ake o. so+e recent
turbulence- "he .ollo,s it- "cattered chunks o. pu+ice and
obsidian rise .ro+ the substrate like .ractured sundials- Their
shado,s s,eep across the bright scrolling .ootprint o. 0larke2s
headla+p stretching and d,indling and +erging again ,ith the
+illion-year darkness- Dventually they co+e to do+inate the
substrate no longer isolated protrusions in +ud but a .ractured
tu+bledo,n landscape in their o,n right-
3 9u+bled talus o. cracked volcanic glass rises in 0larke2s path-
"he brightens her headla+p: the bea+ puddles on a sheer rock
,all a .e, +eters .urther on its sur.ace lacerated ,ith deep
vertical .issures-
I;elloH /a+aHI
#othing-
I!t2s >enie-I
3 ,hite-eyed shado, slips like an eel bet,een t,o boulders-
I---bright---I
"he dials do,n the light- IBetterHI
I3h--->en---I !t2s a +echanical ,hisper t,o syllables spaced
seconds apart by the e..ort it takes to get the+ out- I;i---I
I4e need your help /a+a-I
Bhanderi buCCes so+ething inco+prehensible .ro+ his hiding
place-
I/a+aHI
I*on2t---helpHI
IThere2s a disease- !t2s like ehe+oth but our t,eaks don2t
,ork against it- 4e need to kno, ,hat it is ,e need so+eone
,ho kno,s genetics-I
#othing +oves a+ong the rocks-
I!t2s serious- <lease- 0an you helpHI
I---teomicsI Bhanderi clicks
I4hatH ! didn2t hear you-I
I---Proteomics- Only---+inored in gen---genetics-I
;e2s al+ost +anaged a co+plete sentence- 4ho better to trust
,ith hundreds o. livesH
I---had a drea+ about youI Bhanderi sighs- !t sounds like
so+eone stru++ing a +etal co+b-
I!t ,asn2t a drea+- This isn2t either- 4e really need your help
/a+a- Please-I
IThat2s ,rongI he buCCes- IThat doesn2t +ake sense-I
I4hat doesn2tHI 0larke asks encouraged by the sudden
coherence-
IThe corps---ask the corpses-I
IThe corpses +ay have +ade the bug- T,eaked it any,ay-
4e can2t trust the+-I
I---poor you---I
I0an you 9ust8I
IMore hista+ineI Bhanderi buCCes absently lost again- Then:
I!ye---I
I*o% 4ama%I
"he brightens her bea+ in ti+e to see a pair o. .ins disappear
into a crevice a .e, +eters up the cli..- "he kicks up a.ter hi+
plunges into the .issure like a high-diver ar+s above her head-
The crevice splits the rock high and deep but not ,ideF t,o +eters
in she has to turn side,ays- ;er light .loods the narro, gash
bright as a topside dayF so+e,here nearby a vocoder +akes
distressed ratcheting sounds-
?our +eters overhead Bhanderi scra+bles .roglike up the gap-
!t narro,s up there8he see+s in i++inent danger o. ,edging
hi+sel. inextricably bet,een the rock .aces- 0larke starts a.ter
hi+-
IToo bright%I he buCCes-
Tough she thinks back at hi+-
Bhanderi2s a skinny little bastard a.ter t,o +onths o. chronic
,asting- Dven i. he gets stuck in here he +ight get ,edged too .ar
back .or 0larke to reach hi+- Maybe his panicked devolving little
brain is 9uggling those variables right no,8Bhanderi Cig-Cags as
i. torn bet,een the prospects o. open ,ater and protective
con.ine+ent- ?inally he opts .or the ,ater but his indecision has
cost hi+F 0larke has hi+ around the ankle-
;e thrashes in a single plane constrained by .aces o. stone-
I?ucking bitch- ,et go%I
I@ocabulary co+ing back ! see-I
I,et...go%I
"he ,orks her ,ay to,ards the +outh o. the crevice dragging
Bhanderi by the leg- ;e scrabbles against the ,alls resisting8
then pulled .ree o. the tightest depths he t,ists around and co+es
at her ,ith his .ists- "he .ends hi+ o..- "he has to re+ind hersel.
ho, easily his bones +ight break-
?inally he2s subdued 0larke2s ar+s hooked around his
shoulders her hands interlocked behind his neck in a .ull nelson-
They2re still inside the +outh o. the crevice barelyF Bhanderi2s
struggles 9a+ her spine against cracked slabs o. basalt-
I!rightI he clicks-
I>isten /a+a- There2s way too +uch riding on this .or +e to let
you piss a,ay ,hatever2s le.t in that head o. yours- *o you
understandHI
;e s7uir+s-
I!2ll turn o.. the light i. you stop .ighting and 9ust listen to +e
okayHI
I---&---you---I
"he kills the bea+- Bhanderi sti..ens then goes li+p in her
ar+s-
IOkay- Better- :ou2ve got to co+e back Bhanderi- Just .or a
little ,hile- 4e need you-I
I---need... bad 5ero8I
IWill you just stop that shit+ :ou2re not that .ar gone you can't
be- :ou2ve only been out here .or8I !t2s been around t,o
+onths hasn2t itH More than t,o no,- !s that enough ti+e .or a
brain to turn to +ushH !s this ,hole exercise a ,aste o. ti+eH
"he starts again- IThere2s a lot riding on this- 3 lot o. people
could die- )ou could die- This8disease or ,hatever it is it could
get into you as easily as any o. us- Maybe it already has- *o you
understandHI
I---understand---I
"he hopes that2s an ans,er and not an echo- I!t2s not 9ust the
sickness either- Dveryone2s looking .or so+eone to bla+e- !t2s
only a +atter o. ti+e be.ore8I
!oom she re+e+bers- !lew it up. Way too bright.
I/a+aI she says slo,ly- I!. things get out o. hand everything
blo,s up- *o you understandH !oom- Just like at the ,oodpile-
Boo+ all the time- Gnless you help +e- Gnless you help us.
GnderstandHI
;e hangs against her in the darkness like a boneless cadaver-
I:eah- 4ellI he buCCes at last- I4hy didn2t you 9ust say soHI
The struggle has hobbled hi+- Bhanderi .avors his le.t leg
,hen he s,i+sF he veers to port ,ith each stroke- 0larke hooks
her hand under his ar+pit to share thrust but he startles and
.linches .ro+ her touch- "he settles .or s,i++ing at his side
nudging hi+ back on course ,hen necessary-
Three ti+es he breaks a,ay in a crippled lunge .or oblivion-
Three ti+es she brings hi+ back to heel .lailing and gibbering-
The episodes don2t last though- Once subdued he cal+sF once
cal+ he cooperates- ?or a ,hile-
"he co+es to understand that it isn2t really his .ault-
I;eyI she buCCes ten +inutes out .ro+ 3tlantis-
I:eah-I
I:ou ,ith +eHI
I:eah- !t co+es and goes-I 3n indecipherable ticking- I&
co+e and go-I
I*o you re+e+ber ,hat ! saidHI
I:ou dra.ted +e-I
I*o you re+e+ber ,hat .orHI
I"o+e kind o. diseaseHI
I"o+e kind-I
I3nd you---you think the corpses did---I
I! don2t kno,-I
I---leg hurts---I
I"orry---I
3nd his brainste+ rises up and snatches hi+ a,ay again- "he
grapples and holds on until it lets go- Gntil he .ights his ,ay back
.ro+ ,herever he goes at ti+es like this-
I---still here ! see--I
I"till hereI 0larke repeats-
IAod >en- <lease don2t do this-I
I!2+ sorryI she tells hi+- I!2+ sorry---I
I!2+ not ,orth shit to youI Bhanderi grates- I! can2t re+e+ber
anything---I
I!t2ll co+e back-I &t has to-
I:ou don2t kno,- :ou don2t kno, any---thing about us-I
I! kno, a little-I
I#o-I
I! kne, so+eone- >ike you- ;e ca+e back-I 4hich is al+ost
a lie-
I>et +e go- <lease-I
I3.ter- ! pro+ise-I
"he rationaliCes in transit not convincing hersel. .or an instant-
"he2s helping hi+ as ,ell as hersel. she2s doing hi+ a .avor- "he2s
saving hi+ .ro+ the ulti+ate lethality o. his o,n li.estyle-
;yperos+osisF "li+y !+plant "yndro+eF +echanical breakdo,n-
/i.ters are +iracles o. bioengineering8thanks to the superlative
design o. their diveskins they can even shit in the ,oods8but
they ,ere never designed to unseal outside o. an at+osphere-
#atives un+ask all the ti+e out here let ra, ocean into their
+ouths to corrupt and corrode and conta+inate the brackish
internal saline that braces the+ against the pressure- *o that o.ten
enough and so+ething2s bound to seiCe up eventually-
&'m saving your li"e she thinks un,illing to say the ,ords
aloud-
Whether he likes it or not 3lyx replies .ro+ the back o. her
+ind-
IThe light---I Bhanderi croaks-
Ali++ers s+ear the darkness ahead dis.iguring the per.ect
void like .aint glo,ing sores- Bhanderi sti..ens at 0larke2s side
but doesn2t bolt- "he kno,s he can handle itF it can2t have been
+ore than a couple o. ,eeks since she .ound hi+ inside the nerve
hab and he had to pass through brighter skies than these to get
there- "urely he can2t have slipped so .ar in such a short ti+eH
Or is it so+ething else not so +uch a slip as a sudden 9oltH
Maybe it2s not the light that bothers hi+ at all- Maybe it2s ,hat the
light re+inds hi+ o. no,-
!oom. !lew it up.
"pectral .ingers tap lightly against 0larke2s i+plants: once
t,ice- "o+eone ahead taking a sonar bearing- "he takes
Bhanderi2s ar+ holds it gently but .ir+ly- I/a+a so+eone2s8I
I-harleyI Bhanderi buCCes-
Aarcia rises ahead o. the+ a+bient backlight .ra+ing hi+ like
a visitation- I;oly shit- :ou got hi+- /a+a you in thereHI
I0lient---I
I;e remembers +eN .uck it2s good to see you +an- ! thought
you2d pretty +uch shu..led o.. the +ortal coil-I
ITried- "he ,on2t let +e-I
I:eah ,e2re all sorry about that but ,e really need your help-
*on2t s,eat it though buddy- 4e2ll +ake it ,ork-I Aarcia turns
to 0larke- I4hat do ,e needHI
IMedhab readyHI
I"ealed o.. one sphere- >e.t the other in case so+eone breaks
an ar+-I
IOkay- 4e2ll need the lights o.. to start ,ith any,ay- Dven
the externals-I
I#o proble+-I
I---0harley---I Bhanderi clicks-
I/ight here +an-I
I---you +y techie---HI
I*unno- 0ould be ! guess- "ure- :ou need oneHI
Bhanderi2s +asked .ace turns to 0larke- "uddenly there2s
so+ething di..erent in the ,ay he holds hi+sel.- I>et +e go-I
This ti+e she does-
I;o, long since ! ,as insideHI he asks-
I! think +aybe t,o ,eeks- Three at the outside-I By ri.ter
standards the esti+ate is al+ost surgically precise-
I! +ay have---proble+sI he tells the+- I/ead9usting- ! don2t
kno, i. ! can8! don2t kno, ho, +uch ! can get back-I
I4e understandI 0larke buCCes- IJust8I
I"hut up- >isten-I Bhanderi2s head darts .ro+ side to side a
dis7uieting reptilian gesture that 0larke has seen be.ore- I!2ll need
to---to kickstart- !2ll need help- 3cetylcholine- Gh tyrosine
hydroxylase- <icrotoxin- !. ! .all apart---i. ! .all apart in there
you2ll need to get those into +e- GnderstandHI
"he runs the+ back- I3cetylcholine- <icrotoxin- Tyro uh8I
ITyrosine hydroxylase- /e+e+ber-I
I4hat doseHI Aarcia ,onders- I4hat deliveryHI
I! don2t8shit- 0an2t re+e+ber- 0heck MedBase- Maxi+u+
reco++ended dosage .or---.or everything except the
hydroxy---lase- *ouble .or that +aybe- ! think-I
Aarcia nods- I3nything elseHI
I;ell yesI Bhanderi buCCes- IJust hope ! can re+e+ber
what---I
P4.5.A,5 49 5$ SA0,S5 AS A 5AM P+A:.
3lice Jovellanos2s de.inition o. apology ,as a little
unconventional-
Achilles$ she had begun you can be such a raging idiot
sometimes & just don't believe it.
;e2d never +ade a hard copy- ;e hadn2t needed to- ;e ,as a
2la,breaker occipital cortex stuck in per+anent overdrive pattern-
+atching and correlative skills verging on the autistic- ;e had
scrolled her letter once do,n his inlays ,atched it vanish and
reread it a hundred ti+es since every pixel crisp and i++utable in
per.ect recollection-
#o, he sat still as stone ,aiting .or her- "udbury2s ever-
di++ing nightscape splashed haphaCard patches o. light across the
,alls o. his apart+ent- There ,ere too +any lines-o.-sight to
nearby buildings he noted- ;e ,ould have to blank the ,indo,s
be.ore she arrived-
)ou know what & was risking coming clean with you yesterday$
3lice had dictated- )ou know what &'m risking sending this to you
now.it'll autowipe$ but there's nothing these assholes can't scan i"
they "eel like it. That's part o" the problem$ that's why &'m taking
this huge risk in the "irst place...
& heard what you said about trust and betrayal$ and maybe
some o" it rings a bit more true than &'d like. !ut don't you see
there was no point in asking you be"orehand+ As long as (uilt
Trip was running the show$ you were incapable o" making your
own decision. )ou keep insisting that's wrong$ you go on about all
the li"e'and'death decisions you make and the thousands o"
variables you juggle but Achilles my dear$ whoever told you that
.ree ,ill was just some complicated algorithm "or you to "ollow+
& know you don't want to be corrupted. !ut maybe a decent$
honest human being is his own sa"eguard$ did you ever think o"
that+ /aybe you don't have to let them turn you into one big
conditioned re"lex. /aybe you just ,ant them to$ because then it's
not really your responsibility$ is it+ &t's so easy to never have to
make your own decisions. Addictive$ even. /aybe you even got
hooked on it$ and you're going through a little bit o" withdrawal
now.
"he2d had such .aith in hi+- "he still didF she ,as on her ,ay
here right no, not suspecting a thing- "urveillance-.ree
acco+odation ,asn2t cheap but any senior 2la,breaker could
a..ord the <rivacy <lus brand na+e and then so+e- The security in
his building ,as airtight ruthless and utterly devoid o. long-ter+
+e+ory- Once a visitor cleared there ,ould be no record o. their
co+ings and goings-
Anyhow$ what they stole$ we gave back. And &'m going to tell
you exactly how we did that$ on the premise$ you know$ ignorance
breeds "ear and all that. )ou know about the /insky receptors in
your "rontal lobes$ and how all those nasty little guilt transmitters
bind to them$ and how you perceive that as conscience. They
made (uilt Trip by tweaking a bunch o" behavior'modi"ication
genes snipped "rom parasitesD the guiltier you "eel$ the more Trip
gets pumped into your brain. &t binds to the transmitters$ which
changes their shape and basically clogs your motor pathways so
you can't move.
Anyway$ 1partacus is basically a guilt analog. &t's got the same
active sites$ so it binds to the Trip$ but the overall con"ormation is
slightly di""erent so it doesn't actually do anything except clog up
the /insky receptors. Also it takes longer to break down than
regular guilt$ so it reaches higher concentrations in the brain.
0ventually it overwhelms the active sites through sheer numbers.
;e re+e+bered splinters .ro+ an anti7ue hard,ood .loor
tearing his .ace- ;e re+e+bered lying in the dark the chair he
,as tied to toppled on its side ,hile Ben >ubin2s voice ,ondered
.ro+ so+e,here nearby: I4hat about side e..ectsH Baseline
guilt .or exa+pleHI
3nd in that instant bound and bleeding 3chilles *es9ardins
had seen his destiny-
"partacus ,asn2t content to si+ply unlock the chains that the
Trip had .orged- !. it had been there +ight have been hope- ;e
,ould have had to .all back on good old-.ashioned sha+e to
control his inclinations certainly- ;e ,ould have stayed depraved
at heart as he2d al,ays been- But 3chilles *es9ardins had never
been one to let his heart out unsupervised any,ay- ;e could have
coped even out o. a 9ob even up on charges- ;e could have
coped-
But "partacus didn2t kno, ,hen to 7uit- 0onscience ,as a
+olecule like any other8and ,ith no .ree receptor sites to bind
onto it +ight as ,ell be neutral saline .or all the e..ect it had-
*es9ardins ,as headed .or a ,hole ne, destination a place he2d
never been be.ore- 3 place ,ithout guilt or sha+e or re+orse a
place ,ithout conscience in any .or+-
3lice hadn2t +entioned any o. that ,hen she2d spilled her
pixellated heart across his in-box- "he2d only assured hi+ ho,
sa.e it all ,as- That's the real beauty o" it$ KilljoyD both your
natural transmitters and the Trip itsel" are still being produced
normally$ so a test that keys on either o" 'em comes up clean.
0ven a test looking "or the complexed "orm will pass muster$ since
the baseline complex is still "loating around.it just can't "ind any
"ree receptor sites to latch onto. 1o you're sa"e. 3onestly. The
bloodhounds won't be a problem.
"a.e- "he2d had no idea ,hat kind o. thing looked out .ro+
behind his eyes- "he should have kno,n better- Dven children
kno, the si+ple truth: +onsters live every,here even inside-
0specially inside-
& wouldn't put you at risk$ Achilles$ believe me. )ou mean too.
you're too much o" a "riend "or me to "uck around like that.
"he loved hi+ o. course- ;e had never really ad+itted it
be.ore8so+e pips7ueak inner voice +ight have ,hispered & think
she kind o"$ maybe be.ore three decades o. sel.-loathing s7uashed
it .lat: What a "ucking egotist. As i" anyone would want anything
to do with an encul: like you...
"he2d never explicitly propositioned hi+8in her o,n ,ay she
,as as insecure as he ,as .or all her bluster8but the signs ,ere
there in hindsight: her good-natured inter.erence every ti+e a
,o+an appeared in his li.e her endless social overtures the
nickna+e Killjoy8ostensibly because o. his reticence to go out
but +ore likely because o. his reticence to put out- !t ,as all so
obvious no,- ?reed .ro+ guilt .reed .ro+ sha+e his vision had
sharpened to crystal per.ection-
Anyway$ there you go. &'ve stuck my neck out "or you$ and what
happens now is pretty much up to you. &" you turn me in$ though$
know thisE you2re the one making that decision. 3owever you
rationali5e it$ you won't be able to blame some stupid longchain
molecule. &t'll be you all the way$ your own "ree will.
;e hadn2t turned her in- !t +ust have been so+e .ortuitous
balance o. con.licting +olecules: those that ,ould have co+pelled
betrayal ,eakening in his head those that spoke to loyalty a+ong
.riends not yet snu..ed out- !n hindsight it had been a very lucky
break--
1o use it$ and think about all the things you've done and why$
and ask yoursel" i" you're really so morally rudderless that you
couldn't have made all those tough decisions without enslaving
yoursel" to a bunch o" despots. & think you could have$ Achilles.
)ou never needed their ball and chain to be a decent human being.
& really believe that. &'m gambling everything on it.
;e checked his ,atch-
)ou know where & am- )ou know what your options are. 8oin
me or stab me. )our choice.
;e stood and crossed to the ,indo,s- ;e blanked the panes-
,ove$ Alice.
The doorbell chi+ed-
Dvery part o. her ,as vulnerable- "he looked up at hi+ her
.ace hope.ul her al+ond eyes cautious- One corner o. her +outh
pulled back in a tentative slightly rue.ul grin-
*es9ardins stood aside took a deep 7uiet breath as she passed-
;er scent ,as innocent and .loral but there ,ere +olecules in that
+ix ,orking belo, the threshold o. conscious a,areness- "he
,asn2t stupidF she kne, he ,asn2t either- "he +ust realise he2d peg
his incipient arousal on phero+ones she hadn2t ,orn in his
presence .or years-
;er hopes must be up-
;e2d done his best to raise the+ ,ithout being too obvious-
;e2d a..ected a gradual tha,ing in his de+eaner over the previous
.e, days a gro,ing al+ost reluctant ,ar+th- ;e2d stood at her
side as 0larke and >ubin disappeared into tra..ic en route to their
o,n private revolutionF *es9ardins had let his ar+ bu+p against
3lice2s and linger- 3.ter a .e, +o+ents o. that casual contact
she2d looked up at hi+ a bit hesitantly and he2d re,arded her ,ith
a shrug and a s+ile-
"he2d al,ays had his .riendship until she2d betrayed hi+- "he2d
al,ays longed .or +ore- !t ,as an incapacitating +ix- *es9ardins
had been able to disar+ her ,ith the +erest chance o.
reconciliation-
#o, she brushed past closer than strictly necessary her
ponytail s,ishing gently against her nape- Mandelbrot appeared in
the hall and slithered around her ankles like a .urry boa- 3lice
reached do,n to scritch the cat2s ears- Mandelbrot hesitated
perhaps ,ondering ,hether to play hard to get then evidently
.igured .uck it and let out a purr-
*es9ardins directed 3lice to the bo,l o. goo.balls on the co..ee
table- 3lice pursed her lips- IThese are sa.eHI "o+e o. the
che+icals that senior 2la,breakers kept in their syste+s could
provoke nasty interactions ,ith the +ost innocuous recreationals
and Jovellanos had only 9ust gotten her shots-
I! doubt they2re any ,orse than the ,ays you2ve already .ucked
,ith the paletteI *es9ardins said-
;er .ace .ell- 3 t,inge o. re+orse .lickered in *es9ardins2s
throat- ;e s,allo,ed absurdly grate.ul .or the .eeling- IJust don2t
+ix the+ ,ith axotropesI he added +ore gently-
IThanks-I "he took the olive branch ,ith the drug popped a
cherry-red +arble into her +outh- *es9ardins could see her
bracing hersel.-
I! ,as a.raid you ,ere never going to talk to +e againI she
said so.tly-
!. her hair had been any .iner it ,ould be synthetic-
I!t ,ould have served you right-I ;e let the ,ords hang
bet,een the+- ;e i+agined knotting that 9et-black ponytail
around his .ist- ;e i+agined suspending her by it letting her .eet
kick 9ust o.. the .loor---
*o. 1top it.
IBut ! think ! understand ,hy you did itI he said at last letting
her o.. the hook-
I/eallyHI
I! think so- :ou had a lot o. nerve-I ;e took a breath- IBut
you had a lot o. .aith in +e too- :ou ,ouldn2t have done it
other,ise- ! guess that counts .or so+ething-I
!t ,as as though she2d been holding her breath since she arrived
and only let it out no, that her sentence had been read aloud:
0onditional discharge- 1he bought it *es9ardins thought- 1he
thinks there's hope8
8,hile another part o. hi+ di+inished but de.iant insisted
Why does she have to be wrong+
;e brushed her cheek ,ith his pal+ could 9ust barely hear the
the so.t 7uick intake o. breath his touch provoked- ;e blinked
against the .leeting i+age o. a backhanded blo, across that s,eet
unsuspecting .ace- I:ou have a lot +ore .aith in +e than ! do
3lice- ! don2t kno, ho, ,arranted it is-I
IThey stole your .reedo+ to choose- ! only gave it back to
you-I
I:ou stole +y conscience- ;o, a+ ! supposed to chooseHI
I4ith your mind Bill9oy- 4ith that brilliant beauti.ul +ind-
#ot so+e gut-instinct e+otion that2s done +ore har+ than good .or
the past couple +illion years-I
;e sank onto the so.a a s+all sudden pit opening in his
sto+ach- I!2d hoped it ,as a side-e..ectI he said so.tly-
"he sat beside hi+- I4hat do you +eanHI
I:ou kno,-I *es9ardins shook his head- I<eople never think
things through- ! kind o. hoped you and your buddies 9ust8hadn2t
,orked out the ra+i.ications you kno,H :ou ,ere 9ust trying to
subvert the Trip and the ,hole conscience thing ,as a8a +isstep-
Gn.oreseen- But ! guess not-I
"he put her hand on his knee- I4hy ,ould you hope thatHI
I!2+ not really sure-I ;e barked a so.t laugh- I! guess !
thought i. you didn2t know you ,ere8! +ean i. you do so+ething
by accident that2s one thing but i. you deliberately set out to +ake
a bunch o. psychopaths8I
I4e2re not +aking psychopaths 3chilles- 4e2re .reeing people
.ro+ conscience-I
I4hat2s the di..erenceHI
I:ou can still "eel- :our a+ygdala still ,orks- :our dopa+ine
and serotonin levels are nor+al- :ou2re capable o. long-ter+
planning you2re not a slave to your i+pulses- "partacus doesn2t
change any o. that-I
I!s that ,hat you think-I
I:ou really think all the assholes in the ,orld are clinicalHI
IMaybe not- But ! bet all the clinicals in the ,orld are
assholes-I
I:ou2re notI she said-
"he stared at hi+ ,ith serious dark eyes- ;e couldn2t stop
s+elling her- ;e ,anted to kiss her- ;e ,anted to hug her- ;e
,anted to gut her like a .ish and put her head on a stick-
;e gritted his teeth and kept silent-
IDver hear o. the trolly paradoxHI 3lice said a.ter a +o+ent-
*es9ardins shook his head-
I"ix people on a runa,ay train headed o.. a cli..- The only
,ay to save the+ is s,itch the train to another track- Dxcept
there2s so+eone else standing on that track and he ,on2t be able to
get out o. the ,ay be.ore the train s7uashes hi+- *o you rerouteHI
IO. course-I !t ,as the greater good at its +ost si+plistic-
I#o, say you can't reroute the train but you can stop it by
pushing so+eone into its path- *o youHI
I"ureI he said i++ediately-
I! did that .or youI 3lice pronounced-
I*id ,hatHI
IMost people don2t accept the e7uivalence- They think it2s right
to reroute the train but ,rong to push so+eone in .ront o. it- Dven
though it2s exactly the sa+e death .or exactly the sa+e nu+ber o.
lives saved-I
;e grunted-
I0onscience isn2t rational 3chilles- :ou kno, ,hat parts o.
your brain light up ,hen you +ake a +oral decisionH !2ll tell you:
the +edial .rontal gyrus- The posterior cingulate gyrus- The
angular gyrus- 3ll8I
ID+otional centersI *es9ardins cut in-
I*a+n right- The .rontal lobes don2t spark at all- 3nd even
people ,ho recognise the logical e7uivalence o. those scenarios
have to really work at it- !t 9ust "eels ,rong to push so+eone to
their death even .or the sa+e net gain o. lives- The brain has to
,restle ,ith all this stupid un.ounded guilt- !t takes longer to act
longer to reach critical decisions and ,hen all2s said and done it2s
less likely to +ake the right decion- That2s ,hat conscience is
Bill9oy- !t2s like rape or greed or kin selection8it served its
purpose a .e, +illion years ago but it2s been bad ne,s ever since
,e stopped +erely surviving our environ+ent and started
dominating it instead-I
)ou rehearsed that *es9ardins thought-
;e allo,ed hi+sel. a s+all s+ile- IThere2s a bit +ore to people
than guilt and intellect +y dear- Maybe guilt doesn2t 9ust hobble
the mind did you ever think o. thatH Maybe it hobbles other things
as ,ell-I
I>ike ,hatHI
I4ell 9ust .or exa+ple8I he paused pretending to cast around
.or inspiration8 Iho, do you kno, !2+ not so+e kind o. craCed
serial killerH ;o, do you kno, !2+ not psychotic or suicidal or
or into torture sayHI
I!2d kno,I 3lice said si+ply-
I:ou think sex killers ,alk around ,ith signs on their
.oreheadsHI
"he s7ueeCed his thigh- I! think that !2ve kno,n you .or a
,hole long ti+e and ! think there2s no such thing as a per.ect act-
!. so+eone ,as that .ull o. hate they2d slip up eventually- But you
8,ell !2ve never heard o. a +onster ,ho respected ,o+en so
+uch he re.used to even .uck the+- 3nd by the ,ay you +ight
,ant to reconsider that particular position- Just a thought-I
*es9ardins shook his head- I:ou2ve got it all ,orked out
haven2t youHI
I0o+pletely- 3nd !2ve got oodles o. patience-I
IAood- #o, you can use so+e o. it-I ;e stood and s+iled
do,n at her- I!2ve gotta go to the bathroo+ .or a +inute- Make
yoursel. at ho+e-I
"he s+iled back- I! ,ill indeed- Take your ti+e-I
;e locked the door leaned across the sink and stared hard into
the +irror- ;is re.lection stared back .urious-
1he betrayed you. 1he turned you into this.
;e liked her- ;e loved her- 3lice Jovellanos had been his loyal
.riend .or years- *es9ardins hung onto that as best he could-
1he did it on purpose.
#o- They had done in on purpose-
Because 3lice hadn2t acted alone- "he ,as da+n s+art but she
hadn2t co+e up ,ith "partacus all by hersel.- "he had .riends
she2d ad+itted as +uch: We're kinda political$ in a ragtag kind o"
way she2d said ,hen she .irst broke the ne,s o. his8his
emancipation-
;e could .eel the chains in his head cru+bling to rust- ;e could
.eel his o,n depravity tugging on those corroded links and
grinning- ;e searched hi+sel. .or so+e hint o. the regret he2d .elt
9ust a .e, +inutes ago8he2d hurt 3lice2s .eelings and he2d .elt bad
about it- ;e could still do that- ;e could still .eel re+orse or
so+ething like it i. he only tried-
)ou're not a slave to your impulses she2d said-
That ,as true as .ar as it ,ent- ;e could restrain hi+sel. i. he
,anted to- But that ,as the nature o. his predica+ent: he ,as
starting to realise that he didn2t want to-
I;ey Bill9oyHI 3lice called .ro+ do,n the hall-
1hut up% 13T P% I:eahHI
IMandelbrot2s de+anding dinner and his .eeder2s e+pty- *idn2t
you keep the kibble under the sinkHI
I#ot any +ore- "he .igured out ho, to break into the
cupboards-I
IThen ,h8I
IBedroo+ closet-I
;er .ootsteps passed on the other side o. the door Mandelbrot
vocally urging the+ on-
6n purpose.
3lice had in.ected hi+ ahead o. schedule to clear his +ind .or
the .ight against ehe+oth8and perhaps .or +ore personal
reasons conscious or other,ise- But her .riends had set their
sights a lot higher than 3chilles *es9ardinsF they ,ere out to
liberate every 2la,breaker on the planet- >ubin had su++ed it up
there in the darkness t,o ,eeks ago: IOnly a .e, thousand people
,ith their hands on all the ,orld2s kill s,itches and you2ve turned
the+ all into clinical sociopaths---I
*es9ardins ,ondered i. 3lice ,ould have tried her se+antic
argu+ents ,ith ,ubin- !. she had been tied to that chair blind
pissing her pants in .ear .or her li.e ,hile that +urderous cipher
paced around her in the darkness ,ould she have presu+ed to
lecture hi+ on serotonin levels and the cingulate gyrusH
"he +ight have at that- 3.ter all she and her .riends ,ere
political8in a ragtag kinda way8and politics +ade you stupid- !t
+ade you think that ;u+an decency ,as so+e kind o. <latonic
ideal a +oral calculus you could derive .ro+ .irst principals-
*on2t ,aste your ti+e ,ith basic biology- *on2t ,orry about the
.ate o. altruists in *ar,in2s Gniverse- <eople are di""erent people
are special people are moral agents- That2s ,hat you got ,hen
you spent too +uch ti+e ,riting +ani.estos and not enough ti+e
looking in the +irror-
3chilles *es9ardins ,as only the .irst o. a ne, breed- Be.ore
long there ,ould be others as po,er.ul as he and as
unconstrained- Maybe there already ,ere- 3lice hadn2t told hi+
any details- ;e didn2t kno, ho, .ar the a+bitions o. the "partacus
"ociety had progressed- ;e didn2t kno, ,hat other .ranchises
,ere being seeded or ,hat the incubation period ,as- ;e only
kne, that sooner or later he ,ould have co+petition-
Gnless he acted no, ,hile he still had the advantage-
Mandelbrot ,as still yo,ling in the bedroo+ evidently
dissatis.ied ,ith the 7uality o. the hired help- *es9ardins couldn2t
bla+e herF 3lice had had +ore than enough ti+e to retrieve the
kibble bring it back to the kitchen and8
8in the bedroom he realised-
Well he thought a.ter a +o+ent- & guess that settles it.
"uddenly the .ace in the +irror ,as very cal+- !t did not
+ove but it see+ed to be speaking to hi+ all the sa+e- :ou2re not
political it told hi+- )ou're mechanical. *ature programmed you
one way$ -1&4A programmed you another$ Alice came along and
rewired you "or something else. *one o" it is you$ and all o" it is
you. And none o" it was your choice. *one o" it was your
responsibility.
1he did this to you. That cunt. That stump"uck. Whatever
happens now is not your "ault.
&t's hers.
;e unlocked the door and ,alked do,n the hall to the bedroo+-
>ive telltales t,inkled across the sensoriu+ on his pillo,- ;is
.eedback suit lay across the bed like a shed skin- 3lice Jovellanos
stood shaking at the .oot o. the bed li.ting the headset .ro+ her
skull- ;er .ace ,as beauti.ul and bloodless-
"he ,ould not have been able to +istake the victi+ in that
virtual dungeon .or anyone else- *es9ardins had tuned the specs to
three deci+al places-
Mandelbrot i++ediately gave up on 3lice and began head-
butting *es9ardins purring loudly- *es9ardins ignored her-
I! need so+e technical in.oI he said al+ost apologetically-
I3nd so+e details on your .riends- ! ,as actually hoping to s,eet-
talk it out o. you though-I ;e gestured at the sensoriu+ savoring
the horror on her .ace- IAuess ! .orgot to put that stu.. a,ay-I
"he shook her head a spas+ a panicky t,itch- I!8! d-don2t
think you did---I she +anaged a.ter a +o+ent-
IMaybe not-I 3chilles shrugged- IBut hey look on the bright
side- That2s the .irst ti+e you2ve actually been right about +e-I
!t +ade sense at last: the i+pulse purchases routed al+ost
unconsciously through anony+ous credit lines the plastic sheeting
and portable incinerator the dyna+ic-inversion sound da+per-
The casual snoop into 3lice2s +aster calendar and contact list-
That ,as the great thing about being a 2la,breaker on the TripF
,hen everybody kne, you ,ere chained to the post nobody
bothered putting up .ences around the yard-
I<leaseI 3lice 7uavered her lip tre+bling her eyes bright and
terri.ied- I3chilles---I
"o+e,here in the base+ent o. *es9ardins2s +ind a last rusty
link cru+bled to po,der-
I0all +e Bill9oyI he said-
A/54M)$AN,)A
The .irst round goes to the corpses-
3 ri.ter by the na+e o. >isbeth Mak8kind o. a ,all.lo,er
0larke barely even re+e+bers the na+e8 ca+e upon a corpse
cra,ling like an ar+ored cockroach around the outside o. the
pri+ary physical plant- !t didn2t +atter ,hether he had a good
reason to be there- !t didn2t +atter ,hether or not this constituted a
violation o. 7uarantine- Mak did ,hat a lot o. .ish-heads +ight
have done regardlessF she got cocky- *ecided to teach this
stu+p.ucking dryback a lesson but decided to ,ar+ hi+ up .irst-
"o she s,a+ easy circles around her helpless and lu+bering prey
+ade the usual derisive co++ents about diving bells ,ith .eet
called loudly and conspicuously .or so+eone to bring her one o.
those pneu+atic drills .ro+ the tool shed: she had hersel. a crab to
shell-
"he .orgot entirely about the headla+p on the corpse2s hel+et-
!t hadn2t been shining ,hen she caught the poor .ucker8obviously
he2d been trying to avoid detection and there ,as enough a+bient
light around that part o. the structure even .or dryback eyes- 4hen
he .lashed that peeper at her her eyecaps turned dead .lat ,hite in
their haste to co+pensate-
"he ,as only blind .or a second or t,o but it ,as +ore than
enough .or the corpse to get his licks in- <resh+esh vs- copoly+er
is no contest at all- By the ti+e Mak bruised and bloodied called
.or backup the corpse ,as already heading back inside-
#o, 0larke and >ubin stand in 3irlock ?ive ,hile the ocean
drains a,ay around the+- 0larke splits her .ace seal .eels hersel.
rein.late like a .leshy balloon- The inner hatch hisses and s,ings
open- Bright light pain.ully intense spills in .ro+ the space
beyond- 0larke steps back as her eyecaps ad9ust raising her hands
against possible attack- #one co+es- 3 gang o. corpses 9a+ the
,et roo+ but only one stands in the .ront rank: <atricia /o,an-
Bet,een /o,an and ri.ters an isolation +e+brane s,irls ,ith
oily iridescence-
IThe consensus is that you should stay in the airlock .or the
ti+e beingI /o,an says-
0larke glances at >ubin- ;e2s ,atching the ,elco+ing
co++ittee ,ith blank i+passive eyes-
I4ho ,as itHI 0larke asks cal+ly-
I! don2t think that2s really i+portantI /o,an says-
I>isbeth +ight think other,ise- ;er nose is broken-I
IOur +an says he ,as de.ending hi+sel.-I
I3 +an in '00-bar presh+esh ar+or de.ending hi+sel. against
an unar+ed ,o+an in a diveskin-I
I3 corpse de.ending hi+sel. .ro+ a "ishheadI so+eone says
.ro+ ,ithin the co++ittee- I4hole other thing-I
/o,an ignores the intrusion- IOur +an resorted to .istsI she
says Ibecause that ,as the only approach that had any real hope o.
succeeding- :ou kno, as ,ell as ,e do ,hat ,e2re de.ending
ourselves .ro+-I
I4hat ! kno, is that none o. you are supposed to leave 3tlantis
,ithout prior authoriCation- Those ,ere the rules even be.ore the
7uarantine- :ou agreed to the+-I
I4e ,eren2t allo,ed +uch o. a choiceI /o,an re+arks +ildly-
I"till-I
I?uck the rulesI says another corpse- IThey2re trying to kill us-
4hy are ,e arguing protocolHI
0larke blinks- I4hat2s that supposed to +eanHI
I:ou kno, da+n ,ell ,hat it8I
/o,an holds up a hand- The dissident .alls silent-
I4e .ound a +ineI /o,an says in the sa+e voice she +ight
use to report that the head ,as out o. toilet paper-
IWhatHI
I#othing special- "tandard de+olition charge- Might have
even been one o. the sa+e ones Ben ,ired up be.ore ,e8I "he
hesitates choosing her ,ords8 Ica+e to ter+s a .e, years back-
!2+ told it ,ould have isolated us .ro+ pri+ary li.e-support and
.looded a good chunk o. /es-0- "o+e,here bet,een thirty to a
hundred killed .ro+ the i+plosion alone-I
0larke stares at >ubin notes the slightest shake o. the head-
I! didn2t kno,I 0larke says so.tly-
/o,an s+iles .aintly- I:ou2ll understand there +ight be so+e
skepticis+ on that point-I
I!2d like to see itI >ubin says-
I!2d like to see +y daughter in the sunlightI /o,an tells hi+-
I!t2s not going to happen-I
0larke shakes her head- I<at listen- ! don2t kno, ,here it
ca+e .ro+- !8I
I! doI /o,an says +ildly- IThere are piles o. the+ stashed at
the construction caches- 3 hundred or +ore at !+possible >ake
alone-I
I4e2ll .ind out ,ho planted it- But you can2t keep it- :ou2re
not allo,ed ,eapons-I
I*o you seriously expect us to si+ply hand it back to the people
,ho planted it in the .irst placeHI
I<at you know +e-I
I! kno, all o. youI /o,an says- IThe ans,er is no-I
I;o, did you .ind itHI >ubin asks .ro+ out o. le.t .ield-
IBy accident- 4e lost our passive acoustics and sent so+eone
out to check the antennae-I
I4ithout in.or+ing us be.orehand-I
I!t see+ed .airly likely that you people ,ere causing the
inter.erence- !n.or+ing you ,ould not have been a ,ise idea even
i. you hadn't been +ining our hulls-I
I;ullsI >ubin re+arks- I"o you .ound +ore than one-I
#o one speaks-
6" course not$ 0larke realiCes- They're not going to tell us
anything. They're gearing up "or war.
And they're going to get slaughtered2
I! ,onder i. you2ve .ound the+ allI >ubin +uses-
They stand ,ithout speaking gagged by the synthetic black
skin across their .aces- Behind their backs behind the
i+penetrable +ass o. the inner hatch the corpses return to
,hatever plots and counterplans they2re dra,ing- 3head past the
outer hatch a gathering cro,d o. ri.ters ,aits .or ans,ers- 3round
the+ and ,ithin the+ +achinery pu+ps and sparks and readies
the+ .or the abyss- By the ti+e the ,ater rises over their heads
they are inco+pressible-
>ubin reaches .or the outer hatch- 0larke stops hi+-
IAraceI she buCCes-
I0ould be anyone-I ;e rises ,eightless in the .looded
co+part+ent- One hand reaches up to keep the ceiling at bay- !t2s
an odd i+age this hu+anoid silhouette .loating against the bluish-
,hite ,alls o. the airlock- ;is eyecaps al+ost look like holes cut
.ro+ black paper letting the light shine through .ro+ behind-
I!n .actI he continues I!2+ not entirely convinced they2re
telling the truth-I
IThe corpsesH 4hy ,ould they lieH ;o, ,ould it serve
the+HI
I"o, dissension a+ong the ene+y- *ivide and con7uer-I
I0o+e on Ben- !t2s not as though there2s a pro-corpse .action
ready to rise up on their behal. and---I
;e 9ust looks at her-
I:ou don2t kno,I she buCCes so so.tly she can barely .eel the
vibration in her o,n 9a,- I!t2s all 9ust guesses and suspicions-
/a+a hasn2t had a chance to8you can2t be sure-I
I!2+ not-I
I4e don2t really kno, anything-I "he hesitates then edits
hersel.: I& don2t kno, anything- )ou do-I
I#ot enough to +atter- #ot yet-I
I! sa, you tracking the+ along the corridors-I
;e doesn2t nod- ;e doesn2t have to-
I4hoHI
I/o,an +ainly-I
I3nd ,hat2s it like in thereHI
I3 lot like it is in thereI he says pointing at her-
1tay out o" my head$ you "ucker. But she kno,s at this range
it2s not a +atter o. choice- :ou can2t 9ust choose to not .eel
so+ething- 4hether those .eelings are yours or so+eone else2s is
really beside the point-
"o she only says IThink you could be a little less vagueHI
I"he .eels very guilty about something- ! don2t kno, ,hat-
There2s no shortage o. possibilities-I
ITold you-I
IOur o,n people thoughI he continues- I3re not 7uite so
con.licted and +uch +ore easily distracted- 3nd ! can2t be
every,here- 3nd ,e2re running out o. ti+e-I
)ou bastard$ she thinks- )ou asshole. )ou stump"ucker.
;e .loats above her ,aiting-
IOkayI she says at last- I!2ll do it-I
>ubin pulls the latch- The outer hatch slides back opening a
rectangle o. +urky darkness in a stark ,hite .ra+e- They rise into
a nightscape stippled ,ith ,aiting eyes-
>enie 0larke is a little bit t,isted even by /i.ter standards-
/i.ters don2t ,orry +uch about privacy .or one thing- #ot as
+uch as you +ight expect .ro+ a population o. re9ects and
thro,a,ays- :ou +ight think the only ones ,ho could ever regard
this place as an improvement ,ould be those ,ith the +ost
seriously .ucked-up baselines .or co+parison and you2d be right-
:ou +ight also think that such da+aged creatures ,ould retreat
into their shells like her+it crabs ,ith hal. their li+bs ripped a,ay
cringing at the slightest shado, or lashing out .uriously at any hint
o. intrusion- !t does happen occasionally- But do,n here the
endless heavy night anesthetiCes even i. it doesn2t heal- The abyss
lays dark hands on the ,ounded and the raging and so+eho,
cal+s the+- There are a.ter all three hundred sixty degrees o.
escape .ro+ any con.lict- There are no li+iting resources to .ight
overF these days hal. the habs are e+pty any,ay- There is little
need .or territoriality because there is so +uch territory-
"o +ost o. the habs are unguarded and unclai+ed- Occupants
co+e and go rise into any convenient bubble to .uck or .eed or8
+ore rarely8socialiCe be.ore returning to their natural
environ+ent- 3ny place is as good as any other- There2s little
need to stand 9ealous guard over anything so ubi7uitous as a 0alvin
0ycler or a repair bench and there2s hardly +ore that ri.ters need
beyond these basics- <rivacy is every,hereF s,i+ t,o +inutes in
any direction and you can be lost .orever- 4hy erect ,alls around
recycled airH
>enie 0larke has her reasons-
"he2s not entirely alone in this- 3 .e, other ri.ters have laid
exclusive clai+s pissed territorially on this cubby or that deck or
8in very rare cases8an entire hab- They2ve nested re.uge ,ithin
re.uge the ocean against the ,orld at large an extra bubble o.
alloy and at+osphere against their o,n kind- There are locks on
the doors in such places- ;abs do not co+e ,ith locks8their
dryback designers had sa.ety issues8but the private and the
paranoid have +ade do ,elding or gro,ing their o,n
.orti.ications onto the baseline structure-
0larke isn2t greedy- ;er clai+ is a s+all one a cubby on the
upper deck o. a hab anchored sixty +eters northeast o. 3tlantis-
!t2s scarcely larger than her long-lost 7uarters on Beebe "tationF
she thinks that +ay have been ,hy she chose it- !t doesn2t even
have a porthole-
"he doesn2t spend +uch ti+e here- !n .act she hasn2t been here
since she and 4alsh started .ucking- But it doesn2t +atter ho,
+uch ti+e she actually spends in this cra+ped spartan closetF
,hat +atters is the co+.orting kno,ledge that it2s hers that it2s
here that no one can ever co+e in unless she lets the+- 3nd that
it2s available ,hen she needs it-
"he needs it no,-
"he sits naked on the cubby2s pallet bathed in light cranked
al+ost dryback-brightF the readouts she2ll be ,atching are color-
coded and she doesn2t ,ant to lose that in.or+ation- 3 handpad
lies on the neoprene beside her tuned to her insides- Mosaics o.
green and blue glo, on its .ace: tiny histogra+s ,inking stars
block-cap letters .or+ing cryptic acrony+s- There2s a +irror on
the opposite bulkheadF she ignores it as best she can but her e+pty
,hite eyes keep catching their o,n re.lection-
One hand absently .ingers her le.t nippleF the other holds a
depolariCing scalpel against the sea+ in her chest- ;er skin
invaginates s+oothly along that sea+ .or+s a ,rinkle a puckered
geo+etric groove in her thorax: three sides o. a rectangle a block-
0 pressed as i. by a cookie-cutter into the .lesh bet,een le.t breast
and diaphrag+ and +idline-
0larke opens hersel. at the sternu+-
"he unlatches her ribs at the costochondrals and pulls the+
backF there2s a slight resistance and a .aint dis7uieting sucking
sound as the +onolayer lining splits along the sea+- 3 dull ache
as air rushes into her thorax8it2s a chill really but deep-body
nerves aren2t built to distinguish te+perature .ro+ pain- The
+echanics ,ho trans.or+ed her hinged .our o. her ribs on the le.t
side- 0larke hooks her .ingers under the .leshy panel and .olds it
back exposing the +achinery beneath- "harper stronger pain
stabs .orth .ro+ intercostals never designed .or such .lexibility-
There are bruises in their .uture-
"he takes a tool .ro+ a nearby tray and starts playing ,ith
hersel.-
The .lexible tip o. the tool deep ,ithin her thorax slips neatly
over a needle-thin valve and locks tight- "he2s still i+pressed at
ho, easily she can .eel her ,ay around in there- The tool2s handle
contains a thu+b,heel set to so+e astrono+ical gear ratio- "he
+oves it a 7uarter turnF the tip rotates a .raction o. a degree-
The handpad at her side bleeps in protest: #T/ and A3B3
.licker .ro+ green to yello, on its .ace- One o. the histogra+ bars
lengthens a s+idgeF t,o others contract-
3nother 7uarter turn- More co+plaints .ro+ the pad-
!t2s such a laughably crude invasion +ore rape than seduction-
4as there any real need .or these .leshy hinges .or the surgical
butchery that carved this trap door into her chestH The pad taps
,irelessly into the tele+etry .ro+ her i+plantsF that channel .lo,s
both ,ays sends co++ands into the body as ,ell as taking
in.or+ation out o. it- Minor ad9ust+ents little t,eaks around
approved opti+a are as si+ple as tapping on a touchpad and
.eeling the +achinery respond .ro+ inside-
O. course the t,eaks >enie 0larke is about to indulge in are
way beyond I+inorI-
The Arid 3uthority never clai+ed to o,n the bodies o. their
e+ployees not o..icially at least- They o,ned everything they put
inside though- 0larke s+iles to hersel.- They could probably
charge me with vandalism.
!. they2d really ,anted to keep her .ro+ putting her grubby
pa,s all over co+pany property then they shouldn2t have le.t this
service panel in her chest- But they ,ere on such a steep curve
back then- The bro,nouts ,eren2t ,aitingF ;ydro-E ,asn2t
,aitingF the A3 couldn2t ,ait either- The ,hole geother+al
progra+ ,as .ast-tracked rearguard and on the .lyF the ri.ters
the+selves ,ere a short ter+ stopgap even on that breakneck
schedule- >enie 0larke and her buddies ,ere prototypes .ield
tests and .inal product all rolled into one- ;o, could any
accountant 9usti.y sealing up the i+plants on Monday ,hen you2d
only have to cut your ,ay back in on 4ednesday to .ix a .aulty
+yocell or install so+e vital co+ponent that the advance si+s had
overlookedH
Dven the dead+an alar+s ,ere an a.terthought 0larke
re+e+bers- Barl 3cton brought the+ do,n to Beebe at the start
o. his tour handed the+ out like throat loCenges told everyone to
pop the+selves open and slide 2e+ in right next to the sea,ater
intake-
Barl ,as the one ,ho discovered ho, to do ,hat >enie 0larke
is doing right no,- Ben >ubin killed hi+ .or it-
Times change 0larke re.lects and t,eaks another setting-
?inally she2s .inished- "he lets the .leshy .lap .all back into her
chest .eels the phospholipids rebind along the sea+- Molecular
tails e+brace in an orgy o. hydrophobia- 3nother ache throbs
di..usely inside no, subtly di..erent .ro+ those that have gone
be.ore: disin.ectants and synthetic antibodies spraying do,n the
i+plant cavity in the unlikely event that its lining should .ail-
The outraged handpad has given upF hal. o. its readouts are
yello, and orange-
!nside 0larke2s head things are beginning to change- The
per+eability o. critical +e+branes is edging up a .e, percent-
The production o. certain che+icals designed not to carry signals
but to blockade the+ is subtly being scaled back- 4indo,s are
not yet opening but they are being unlocked-
"he can .eel none o. this directly o. course- The changes by
the+selves are necessary but not su..icient8they don2t +atter
here ,here lungs are used ,here pressure is a +ere single
at+osphere- They only +atter ,hen catalyCed by the ,eight o. an
ocean-
But no, ,hen >enie 0larke goes outside8,hen she steps into
the airlock and the pressure accretes around her like a li7uid
+ountainF ,hen three hundred at+ospheres s7ueeCe her head so
hard that her very synapses start short-circuiting8then >enie
0larke ,ill be able to look into +en2s souls- #ot the bright parts
o. course- #o philosophy or +usic no altruis+ no intellectual
+usings about right and ,rong- #othing neocortical at all- 4hat
>enie 0larke ,ill .eel predates all o. that by a hundred +illion
years- The hypothala+us the reticular .or+ation the a+ygdala-
The reptile brain the +idbrain- Jealousies appetites .ears and
inarticulate hatreds- "he2ll .eel the+ all to a range o. .i.teen
+eters or +ore-
"he re+e+bers ,hat it ,as like- Too ,ell- "ix years gone and
it see+s like yesterday-
3ll she has to do is step outside-
"he sits in her cubby and doesn2t +ove-
7.A60,77.S
7ind the damn mines.
They spread out across the territory like black dogs sni..ing
through light and shado, ,ith sonar pistols and .lux detectors-
"o+e o. the+ +ay 7uestion the exercise8and so+e o. the+
al+ost certainly root .or its .ailure8but nobody still alive a.ter
.ive years do,n here is going to be du+b enough to go all
insubordinate on Ben >ubin-
7ind the damn mines-
0larke glides a+ong the+ 9ust another nose on the trail as .ar
as anyone can tell- ;ers is not so .ocused though- The others
.ollo, invisible lines the threads o. a syste+atic grid laid do,n
across the search areaF but 0larke CigCags coasts do,n to
acco+pany this co+patriot or that exchanging insigni.icant bits o.
conversation and intel be.ore diverging courses in search o. ne,
co+pany- 0larke has a di..erent +ission-
7ind the damn mine'layer.
;ectares o. biosteel- !nter+ittent punctuations o. light and
shado,- ?lashing staccatos at each extre+ity little blinking
beacons that announce the tips o. sca..olds antennae danger Cones
,here hot .luids +ight vent ,ithout ,arning- The bale.ul
un,avering glare o. .loodlights around airlocks and docking
hatches and loading bays reignited .or today2s exercise- <ale auras
o. ,asted light .ro+ a hundred parabolic vie,ports- T,ilit
expanses o. hull ,here every protuberance casts three or .our
shado,s di+ly lit by la+ps installed in +ore distant and
gla+orous neighborhoods-
Dvery,here else darkness- Dlongated grids o. shado, laid out
by naked support struts- !+penetrable inky pools .illing the spaces
bet,een keel and substrate as though 3tlantis ,ere so+e great
bed ,ith its o,n scary place .or +onsters lying beneath- ?uCCy
darkness ,here the light si+ply attenuates and .adesF or raCor-
sharp ,here so+e tank or conduit extends into bright sodiu+
sunlight laying inky shado,s over ,hatever lies beneath-
More than enough topography to hide an explosive device
barely t,ice the siCe o. a +an2s hand- More than enough to hide a
thousand-
!t ,ould be a big enough 9ob .or .i.ty-eight- !t2s a lot bigger .or
the t,o doCen that >ubin is ,illing to conscript to the taskF ri.ters
,ho haven2t gone native ,ho don2t overtly hate the corpses
enough to leave suspicious-looking ob9ects IunnoticedI in their
s,eep8ri.ters ,ho aren2t a+ong the +ost likely to have planted
such devices in the .irst place- !t2s no,here near a sure thing o.
courseF .e, o. these people have been cleared as suspects- #ot
even the intel stolen directly .ro+ their brainpans is
incontrovertible- They didn2t hand out the eyes and the 2skin to
anyone ,ho didn2t have a certain history t,isted ,iring is ,hat
suits a body to the ri.t in the .irst place- Dveryone2s haunted here-
Dveryone carries their o,n baggage: their o,n tor+entors their
o,n victi+s the addictions the beatings and the anal rapes and the
paternal .ondling at the hands o. kindly Men !n Black- ;atred o.
the corpses so recently abated is once again a given- -+ax has
brought all the old con.licts back to the sur.ace reignited
hostilities that .ive years o. grudging gradual coexistence had
begun to 7uench- 3 +onth or t,o past ri.ters and corpses ,ere
al+ost allies bitter holdouts like Drickson and #olan
not,ithstanding- #o, .e, ,ould shed +any tears i. the ocean
crashed in on the ,hole lot o. the+-
"till- There2s a di..erence bet,een dancing on so+eone2s grave
and digging it- There2s an ele+ent o. o. calculation on top o. the
hatred- O. planning- !t2s a subtle di..erenceF 0larke doesn2t kno,
i. she or >ubin ,ould be able to pick it up under these
circu+stances- !t +ight not even +ani.est itsel. in so+eone until
the very +o+ent they ca+e upon the incri+inating ob9ect sa, the
+ine stuck to the hull like so+e apocalyptic li+pet tripped their
vocoder ,ith every intention o. raising the alar+ and then8
/aybe the bastards deserve it a"ter all they've done to us$ a"ter
all they've done to the whole world$ and it's not like & set the damn
thing$ it's not like & had anything to do with it except & maybe just
didn't notice it there under the strut$ per"ectly understandable in
the murk and all2
3ny nu+ber o. +inds could see+ per.ectly innocent8even to
the+selves8 right up to the point at ,hich that last-,ire sti+ulus
ca+e into vie, and catalyCed a si+ple chain o. thought that ends
in 9ust looking the other ,ay- Dven then ,ho kno,s ,hether .ine-
tuning +ight pick it upH
#ot >enie 0larke- "he searches any,ay gliding bet,een the
hulls and the storage tanks .lying over her .ello,s searching the
lights and the shado,s only ostensible in her hunt .or ordinance-
4hat she2s really hunting is guilt-
#ot honest guilt o. course- "he2s trolling .or .ear o. discovery
she2s on the pro,l .or righteous anger- #e,ly rea,akened she
s,i+s through a .aint cauldron o. secondhand e+otions- The
,ater2s tainted ,ith a doCen kinds o. .ear o. anger ,ith the
loathing o. sel. and others- 3 darker center roils beneath the
sur.ace o. each dark body- There2s also excite+ent o. a sort the
initial thrill o. the chase decaying exponentially do,n to rote
boredo+- "exual stirrings- Other .ainter .eelings she can2t
identi.y-
"he2s never .orgotten ,hy she resisted .ine-tuning back at
0hanner even a.ter all the others had gone over- #o, though she
re+e+bers ,hy she .ound it so seductive ,hen she .inally gave in:
in that endless ,elter o. .eelings you al,ays lost track o. ,hich
ones ,ere yours---
!t2s not 7uite the sa+e here on the /idge un.ortunately- #ot
that the physics or the neurology have changed- #ot that anyone
else has- !t2s >enie 0larke that2s di..erent no,- @icti+ and
vendetta have .aded over the years black and ,hite have bled
together into a +illion indistinguishable shades o. gray- ;er
psyche has diverged .ro+ the ri.ter nor+ it no longer blends sa.ely
into that background- The guilt alone is so strong that she can2t
i+agine it arising .ro+ anyone but her-
"he stays the course though- "he keeps hunting though her
senses are dulled- "o+e,here o.. in the di..racted distance Ben
>ubin is doing the sa+e- ;e2s probably a lot better at it than she is-
;e2s had training in this kind o. thing- ;e2s had years o.
experience-
"o+ething tickles the side o. her +ind- "o+e distant voice
shouts through the clouds in her head- "he realiCes that she2s been
sensing it .or so+e ti+e but its volu+e has crept up so gradually
that it hasn2t registered until no,- #o, it2s un+istakable: threat
and excla+ation and excite+ent at the very li+it o. her range-
T,o ri.ters cross her path heading south legs pu+ping- 0larke2s
9a, is buCCing ,ith vocoded voicesF in her reverie she2s +issed
those too-
I3l+ost +issed it co+pletelyI one o. the+ says- I!t ,as
tucked in under8I
IAot another oneI 3 second voice breaks in- I/es-3-I
One look and 0larke kno,s she ,ould have +issed it-
!t2s a standard de+olition charge planted in the shado, o. an
overhanging ledge- 0larke .loats upside do,n and lays her head
against the hull to look along the space beneathF she sees a
he+ispherical silhouette shaded by the ledge backlit by the
di..use +urky glo, o. the ,ater behind-
IJesusI she buCCes I;o, did you .ind the da+n thingHI
I"onar caught it-I
4ith typical ri.ter discipline the searchers have abandoned
their transects and accreted around the .ind- >ubin hasn2t sent
the+ backF there2s an obvious reason ,hy he2d ,ant the+ all here
,ith the +urder ,eapon- 0larke tunes and concentrates:
Dxcite+ent- /ea,akened interest a.ter an hour o. +onotonous
back-and-.orth- 0oncern and threads o. gro,ing .ear: this is a
bo+b a.ter all not an Daster egg- 3 .e, o. the +ore skittish are
already backing a,ay caution superceding curiosity- 0larke
,onders idly about e..ective blast radius- ?orty or .i.ty +eters is
the standard sa.e-distance during routine construction but those
guidelines are al,ays padded-
"he .ocuses- Dveryone2s a suspect a.ter all- But although the
ubi7uitous undercurrent o. rage si++ers as al,ays none o. it has
risen to the sur.ace- There is no obvious anger at being th,arted
no obvious .ear o. i++inent discovery- This explosive
develop+ent is +ore puCCle than provocation to these people a
ga+e o. /ussian /oulette nested inside a scavenger hunt-
I"o ,hat do ,e do no,HI 0heung asks-
>ubin .loats above the+ all like >uci.er- IDverybody note the
sonar pro.ile- That2s ho, you2ll ac7uire the othersF they2ll be too
,ell-hidden .or a visual s,eep-I
3 doCen pistols .ire converging click-trains on the o..ending
ob9ect-
I"o do ,e leave it there or ,hatHI
I4hat i. it2s booby-trappedHI
I4hat i. it goes o..HI
IThen ,e2ve got .e,er corpses to ,orry aboutI Ao+eC buCCes
.ro+ ,hat he +ight think o. as a sa.e distance- I#o skin o.. +y
.ore-I
>ubin descends through the con9ecture and reaches under the
ledge-
#g sculls a,ay: I;ey is that a good8I
>ubin grabs the device and yanks it .ree- #othing explodes- ;e
turns and surveys the asse+bled ri.ters- I4hen you .ind the
others don2t touch the+- !2ll re+ove the+ +ysel.-I
I4hy botherI Ao+eC buCCes so.tly-
!t2s a rhetorical gru+ble not even a serious challenge but >ubin
turns to .ace hi+ any,ay- IThis ,as badly positionedI he says-
I<laced .or conceal+ent not e..ect- 4e can do +uch better-I
Minds light up encouraged on all sides- But to 0larke it2s as
though >ubin2s ,ords have opened a tiny gash in her diveskinF she
.eels the .rigid 3tlantic seeping up her spine-
What are you doing$ Ken+ What the "uck are you doing+
"he tells hi+sel. he2s 9ust playing to the gallery saying
,hatever it takes to keep people +otivated- ;e2s looking at her
no, his head cocked 9ust slightly to one side as i. in response to
so+e unvoiced 7uestion- Belatedly 0larke realiCes ,hat she2s
doing: she2s trying to look into his head- "he2s trying to tune hi+
in-
!t2s a .utile e..ort o. course- *angerous even- >ubin hasn2t 9ust
been trained to block prying +indsF he2s been conditioned
re,ired out.itted ,ith subconscious de.enses that can2t be lo,ered
by any act o. +ere volition- #obody2s ever been able to tunnel into
>ubin2s head except Barl 3cton and ,hatever he sa, in there he
took to his grave-
#o, >ubin ,atches her dark inside and out .or all her
unconscious e..orts-
"he re+e+bers 3cton and stops trying-
S5.,P5AS
The .inal score is nine +ines and no suspects- Dither +ight be
sub9ect to change-
3tlantis itsel. is an exercise in scale-invariant co+plexity
repairs to retro.its to additions to a spra,ling baseline structure
that extends over hectares- There2s no chance that every nook and
cranny has been explored- Then again ,hat chance is there that
the culprits8constrained by ti+e and surveillance and please Aod
s+all nu+bers8had any greater opportunity to plant explosives
than the s,eepers have had to .ind the+H #either side is
o+nipotent- <erhaps on balance that is enough-
3s .or ,ho those culprits are 0larke has tuned in three doCen o.
her .ello,s so .ar- "he has run her .ingers through the viscous
darkness in all those heads and co+e up ,ith nothing- #ot even
Ao+eC or :eager- #ot even -reasy- Arave-dancers .or sure all
o. the+- But no diggers-
"he hasn2t run into Arace #olan lately though-
#olan2s the Big /ed Button right no,- "he2s holding back .or
the +o+entF any alleged corpse treachery looks a little less
asy++etrical in light o. recent events- But the ,ay things are
going #olan2s got nothing to lose by letting this play out- There2s
already +ore than enough sy+pathy out there .or the Mad
Bo+berF i. it turns out to be #olan the very act o. un+asking her
could boost her status +ore than har+ it-
The leash is tenuous enough already- !. it snaps there2s going to
be ten kinds o. shit in the cycler-
3nd that2s granting the charitable assu+ption that they even
"ind the culprits- 4hat do you look .or in the unlit base+ents o.
so +any +indsH ;ere even the innocent are consu+ed ,ith guiltF
even the guilty ,allo, in sel.-righteousness- Dvery +ind is aglo,
,ith the black light o. <sycho;aCard icons: ,hich ones are
po,ered by old ,ounds ,hich by recent acts o. sabotageH :ou
can .igure it out so+eti+es i. you can stand sticking your head
into so+eone else2s tar pit but context is everything- ;oping .or a
lucky break is playing the lotteryF doing it right takes ti+e and
leaves 0larke soiled-
*ot doing it delivers the .uture into Arace #olan2s hands-
There's no time- & can't be everywhere. Ken can't be
everywhere.
There2s an alternative o. course- >ubin suggested it 9ust a.ter
the bo+b s,eep- ;e ,as s,eet about it too he +ade it sound as
i. she had a choice- 3s i. he ,ouldn2t 9ust go ahead and do it
hi+sel. i. she ,asn2t up .or it-
"he kno,s ,hy he gave her the option- 4hoever shares this
secret is going to get a bit o. a boost in the local co++unity-
>ubin doesn2t need the credF no ri.ter ,ould be craCy enough to
cross him.
"he re+e+bers a ti+e not so long ago ,hen she could +ake
the sa+e clai+ about hersel.-
"he takes a breath and opens a channel to ,ho+ it +ay
concern- The next step she kno,s could kill her- "he ,onders8
hardly .or the .irst ti+e8 i. that ,ould really be such a bad thing-
;er audience nu+bers .e,er than a doCen- There2s roo+ .or
+oreF the +edhab8even the lone sphere that hasn2t been
co++andeered as Bhanderi habitat8is bigger than +ost- #ot
present are even +ore that can be trusted 9udging by the notes
0larke and >ubin have recently co+pared- But she ,ants to start
s+all- Maybe ease into it a little- The ripple e..ect ,ill kick in
soon enough-
I!2+ only going to do this onceI she says- I"o pay attention-I
#aked to the ,aist she splits hersel. open again-
I*on2t change anything except your neuroinhibitors- !t
probably thro,s out so+e overall balance ,ith the other
che+icals but it all see+s to co+e out in the ,ash eventually-
Just don2t go outside .or a ,hile a.ter you +ake the changes- Aive
everything a chance to settle-I
I;o, longHI 3lexander asks-
0larke has no idea- I"ix hours +aybe- 3.ter that you should
be good to go- Ben ,ill assign you to stations around the hubs-I
;er audience rustles unhappy at the prospect o. such prolonged
con.ine+ent-
I"o ho, do ,e t,eak the inhibitorsHI Mak2s broken nose is
laced ,ith .ine beaded ,ires a +iniscule +icroelectric grid
designed to a+p up the healing process- !t looks like an absurdly
shrunken veil o. +ourning-
0larke s+iles despite hersel.- I:ou reduce the+-I
I:ou2re kidding-I
I#o .ucking chance-I
I4hat about 3ndrQHI
3ndrQ died three years ago the li.e spas+ing out o. hi+ on the
seabed in a seiCure that nearly tore hi+ li+b .ro+ li+b- "eger laid
the bla+e on a .aulty neuroinhibitor pu+p- ;u+an nerves aren2t
designed .or the abyssF the pressure sets the+ .iring at the slightest
provocation- :ou turn into a .leshy s,itchboard ,ith no circuit-
breakers and no insulation- Dventually a.ter a .e, +inutes o.
7uivering tetanus the body runs out o. neurotrans+itters and 9ust
stops-
4hich is ,hy ri.ter i+plants .lood the body ,ith
neuroinhibitors ,henever a+bient pressure rises above so+e
critical threshold- 4ithout the+ stepping outside at these depths
,ould be tanta+ount to electrocution-
I! said reduce$I 0larke repeats- I#ot eliminate- ?ive percent-
"even percent tops-I
I3nd that does ,hat exactlyHI
I/educes synaptic .iring thresholds- :our nerves get 9ust a bit
+oreK+ore sensitive ! guess- To s+aller sti+uli ,hen you go
outside- :ou beco+e a,are o. things you never noticed be.ore-I
I>ike ,hatHI says Aarcia-
I>ike8I 0larke begins and stops-
"uddenly she 9ust ,ants to seal hersel. up and deny it all-
*ever mind she ,ants to say- !ad idea. !ad joke. 7orget & said
anything. Or +aybe even admit it all: )ou don't know what
you're risking. )ou don't know how easy it is to go over the edge.
/y lover couldn't even "it inside a hab without going into
withdrawal$ couldn't even breathe without needing to smash
anything that stood between him and the abyss. /y "riend
committed murder "or privacy in a place where you couldn't swim
next to someone without being "orce'"ed their sickness and want.
And he's your "riend too$ he's one o" us here$ and he's the only
other person le"t alive in the whole sick twisted planet who knows
what this does to you2
"he glances around suddenly panicky but Ben >ubin is not in
the audience- <robably o.. dra,ing up duty rosters .or the .inely
tuned-
Then again she re+e+bers you get used to it.
"he takes a breath and ans,ers Aarcia2s 7uestion- I:ou can tell
i. so+eone2s 9erking you around .or one thing-I
I;ot da+nI Aarcia exults- I!2+ gonna be a ,alking bullshit
detector-I
IThat you areI 0larke says +anaging a s+ile-
3ope you're up "or it.
;er acolytes depart .or their o,n little bubbles to play ,ith
the+selves- 0larke closes hersel. back up as the +ed hab e+pties-
By the ti+e she2s back in black there2s 9ust her a cro,d o. ,et
.ootprints and the +assive hatch8al,ays le.t open until 9ust
recently8that opens into the next sphere- Aarcia2s gra.ted a
co+bination lock across its ,heel in uncaring de.iance o. dryback
sa.ety protocols-
3ow long do & have she ,onders be"ore everyone can muck
around in my head+
"ix hours at least i. the acolytes take her guess seriously- Then
they2ll start playing trying out the ne, sensory +ode perhaps
even reveling in it i. they don2t recoil at the things they .ind-
They2ll start spreading the ,ord-
0larke2s selling it as psychic surveillance a ne, ,ay to track
do,n any guilty secrets the corpses +ay be hiding- !ts e..ects are
bound to spread ,ay beyond 3tlantis though- !t2ll be that +uch
harder .or anyone to conspire in the dark ,hen every passing soul
co+es e7uipped ,ith a searchlight-
"he .inds hersel. standing at the entrance to Bhanderi2s lair her
hand on the retro.itted keypad near its center- "he keys in the
co+bination and undogs the hatch-
"uddenly she2s seeing in color- The +i+etic seal ri++ing the
hatch is a deep steely blue- 3 pair o. colorcoded pipes ,ind
overhead like coral snakes- 3 cylinder o. so+e co+pressed gas
spied through the open portal re.lects tur7uoise: the decals on its
side are yello, and8inco+prehensibly8hot pink-
!t2s as bright as 3tlantis in there-
"he steps into the light: 0alvin cycler sleeping pallet blood
bank ooCe pig+ent into the air- I/a+aHI
I0lose the door-I
"o+ething sits hunched at the +ain ,orkstation running a
se7uence o. rainbo, nucleotides- !t can2t be a ri.ter- !t doesn2t have
the a..ect it doesn2t have the black shiny skin- !t looks +ore like a
hunched skeleton in shirtsleeves- !t turns and 0larke .linches
in,ardly: it doesn2t even have the eyes- The pupils t,itching in
Bhanderi2s .ace are dark ya,ning holes dilated so ,idely that the
irises around the+ are barely visible-
#ot so bright then- "till dark enough .or uncapped eyes to
strain to their li+its- "uch subtle di..erences get lost behind
+e+branes that render the ,orld at opti+u+ apparent lu+ens-
"o+ething +ust sho, on her .ace- I! took out the capsI
Bhanderi says- IThe eyes8 oversti+ulate ,ith all the enhancers-I
;is voice is still hoarse the cords still not reaccli+ated to airborne
speech-
I;o,2s it goingHI 0larke asks-
3 bony shrug- "he can count the ribs even through his t-shirt-
I3nything yetH *iagnostic test or8I
I4on2t be able to tell the di..erence until ! kno, i. there is a
di..erence- "o .ar it looks like ehe+oth ,ith a couple o. ne,
stitches- Maybe +utations +aybe re.its- ! don2t kno, yet-I
I4ould a baseline sa+ple helpHI
IBaselineHI
I"o+ething that didn2t co+e through 3tlantis- Maybe i. you
had a sa+ple .ro+ !+possible >ake you could co+pare- "ee i.
they2re di..erent-I
;e shakes his head: a t,itch a tic- IThere are ,ays to tell
t,eaks- "atellite +arkers 9unk se7uences- Just takes ti+e-I
IBut you can do it- The8enhancers ,orked- !t ca+e back to
you-I
;e nods like a striking snake- ;e calls up another se7uence-
IThank youI 0larke says so.tly-
;e stops-
IThank youH 4hat choice do ! haveH There2s a lock on the
hatch-I
I! kno,-I "he lo,ers her eyes- I!2+ sorry-I
I*id you think !2d 9ust leaveH That !2d 9ust s,i+ o.. and let this
thing kill us allH Bill me +aybeHI
"he shakes her head- I#o- #ot you-I
IThen ,hyHI
Dven +otionless his .ace looks like a sti.led screa+- !t2s the
eyes- Through all the cal+ rapid-.ire ,ords Bhanderi2s eyes see+
.roCen in a stare o. absolute horror- !t2s as i. there2s so+ething else
in there so+ething ancient and unthinking and only recently
a,akened- !t looks out across a hundred +illion years into an
inco+prehensible ,orld o. right angles and blinking lights and
.inds itsel. utterly unable to cope-
IBecause it co+es and goesI 0larke says- I:ou said it
yoursel.-I
;e extends one stick-like .orear+ covered in der+sF a
che+ical pu+p 9ust belo, his elbo, taps directly into the vein
beneath- ;e2s been dosing hi+sel. ever since he cli+bed back into
at+osphere using +iracles o. +odern che+istry to rape sanity
back into his head to .orce sub+erged +e+ories and skills back to
the sur.ace .or a ,hile- "o .ar she has to ad+it it2s ,orking-
But ,henever she looks at hi+ she sees the reptile looking
back- I4e can2t risk it /a+a- !2+ sorry-I
;e lo,ers his ar+- ;is 9a, clicks like so+e kind o. insect-
I:ou said8I he begins and .alls silent-
;e tries again- I4hen you ,ere bringing +e in- *id you say
you kne, a8I
I:es-I
I! didn2t kno, any8! +ean whoHI
I#ot hereI she tells hi+- I#ot even this ocean- 4ay back at
the very beginning o. the ri.ter progra+- ;e ,ent over in .ront o.
+y eyes-I 3 beat then: I;is na+e ,as Aerry-I
IBut you said he ca+e back-I
"he honestly doesn2t kno,- Aerry ?ischer 9ust appeared out o.
the darkness a.ter everyone else had given up and gone- ;e
dragged her to sa.ety to an evacuation 2scaphe hovering
uncertainly over a station already e+ptied o. personnel- But he
never spoke a ,ord and he kicked and .ought like an ani+al ,hen
she tried to rescue hi+ in turn-
IMaybe he didn2t so +uch come back as come throughI she
ad+its no, to this creature ,ho +ust in his o,n ,ay kno, Aerry
?ischer .ar better than she ever did-
Bhanderi nods- I4hat happened to hi+HI
I;e diedI she says so.tly-
IJust--- .aded a,ayH >ike the rest o. usHI
I#o-I
I;o, thenHI
"he thinks o. a ,ord ,ith custo+iCed resonance-
I!oomI she says-
9.4N5,.
-ome away they said a.ter /io- -ome away$ now that you've
saved our asses yet again.
That ,asn2t entirely true- ;e hadn2t saved Bu..alo- ;e hadn2t
saved ;ouston- "alt >ake and Boise and "acra+ento ,ere gone
.allen to i+provised assaults ranging .ro+ ka+ikaCe airliners to
orbital nukes- ;al. a doCen other .ranchises ,ere barely alive-
@ery .e, o. those asses had been saved-
But to the rest o. the Dntropy <atrol 3chilles *es9ardins ,as a
hero ten ti+es over- !t had been obvious al+ost i++ediately that
.i.ty 0"!/3 .ranchises ,ere under directed and si+ultaneous
attack across the ,estern he+isphere but it had been *es9ardins
and *es9ardins alone ,ho2d put the pieces together under .ire and
on the .ly- !t had been he ,ho2d dra,n the i+possible conclusion
that the attacks ,ere being orchestrated by one o. their o,n- The
rest o. the <atrol had taken up the call and .lattened /io as soon as
they had the scoop but it had been *es9ardins ,ho2d told the+
,here to ai+- 4ithout his grace under pressure every 0"!/3
stronghold in the he+isphere could have ended up in .la+es-
-ome away said his grate.ul +asters- This place is a writeo"".
"udbury 0"!/3 had taken a direct hit a+idships- 3 suborbital
puddle-9u+per en route .ro+ >ondon to Toro+ilton subverted by
the ene+y and lethally o..-course had le.t an i+pact crater ten
stories high in the building2s northern .ace- !ts .uel tanks all but
e+pty the .ires hadn2t burned hot enough to take do,n the
structure- They had +erely incinerated poisoned or su..ocated
+ost o. those bet,een the eighteenth and t,enty-.i.th .loors-
"udbury2s senior 2la,breakers had ,orked bet,een .loors
t,enty and t,enty-.our- !t had been lucky that *es9ardins had
+anaged to raise the alar+ be.ore they2d been hit- !t had been an
outright +other.ucking +iracle that he hadn2t been killed ,hen
they ,ere-
-ome away-
3nd 3chilles *es9ardins looked around at the s+oke and the
.la+es the piled body bags and those .e, stunned co,orkers still
su..iciently intact to escape +andatory euthenasia and replied:
:ou need +e here-
There is no here-
But there ,as +ore le.t o. here than there ,as o. "alt >ake or
Bu..alo- The attacks had reduced redundancy across #23+2s .ast-
response net,ork by over thirty percent- "udbury ,as hanging by
a thread but that thread still connected sixteen he+ispheric links
and .orty-seven regional ones- 3bandoning it co+pletely ,ould
cut syste+ redundancy by another .ive percent and leave a hal.-
+illion s7uare kilo+eters ,ithout any rapid-response capacity
,hatsoever- ehe+oth already ran ra+pant across hal. the
continentF civiliCation ,as i+ploding throughout its do+ain-
0"!/3 could not a..ord the luxury o. .urther losses-
But there ,ere counterpoints- ;al. the .loors o. the "udbury
.ranchise ,ere uninhabitable- There ,as barely enough surviving
band,idth .or a hand.ul o. operatives and under the current
budget it ,ould be al+ost i+possible to keep even that +uch open-
3ll the +odels agreed: the best solution ,as to abandon "udbury
and upgrade Toro+ilton and Montreal to take up the slack-
3nd ho, long *es9ardins ,ondered be.ore those upgrades
ca+e onstrea+H
1ix months. /aybe a year.
Then they needed a stopgap- They needed to keep the pilot
light burning .or 9ust a little longer- They needed so+eone on-site
.or those un.oreseeable crisis points ,hen +achinery ,asn2t up to
the 9ob-
!ut you're our best 'lawbreaker they protested-
3nd the task ,ill be al+ost i+possible- 4here else should !
beH
;is bosses said Welllllllll....
Only six +onths he re+inded the+- Maybe a year-
O. course it ,ouldn2t turn out that ,ay- Murphy2s +align hand
,ould stir the pot and +aybe-a-year ,ould +orph into three then
.our- The Toro+ilton upgrades ,ould .alter and stallF .ar-sighted
+aster plans ,ould collapse as they al,ays had beneath the
,eight o. countless daily e+ergencies- Making do the Dntropy
<atrol ,ould thro, cru+bs enough at "udbury to keep the lights
on and the clearance codes active ever-grate.ul .or their
unco+plaining +inion and the thousand .ingers he kept 9a++ed in
the dike
But that ,as no, and this ,as then and *es9ardins ,as saying
!2ll be your lighthouse keeper- !2ll be your sentinel on the lonely
.rontier !2ll .ight the brush .ires and hold the line until the cavalry
co+es online- ! can do this- :ou kno, ! can-
3nd they did kno, because 3chille *es9ardins ,as a hero-
More to the point he ,as a 2la,breakerF he ,ouldn2t have been
able to lie to the+ even i. he2d ,anted to-
What a guy they said shaking their heads in ad+iration- What
a guy.
7.4/N0W4.2
Bevin 4alsh is a good kid- ;e kno,s relationships take ,ork
he2s ,illing to do ,hat it takes to keep the spark8such as it is8
alive- Or at least to stretch its death out over the longest possible
period-
;e attached hi+sel. to her ar+ a.ter >ubin handed out the .irst
.ine-tuning assign+ents and ,ouldn2t take ,ater$ maybe .or an
ans,er- ?inally 0larke relented- They .ound an unoccupied hab
and thre, do,n a couple o. sleeping pallets and he
unco+plainingly ,orked his tongue and thu+b and .ore.inger
do,n to 9elly until she didn2t have the heart to let hi+ continue-
"he stroked his head and said it ,as nice but it really ,asn2t
,orking and she o..ered hersel. in turn .or his e..orts but he
didn2t take her up on it8,hether out o. chivalrous penance .or his
o,n inade7uacy or si+ply because he ,as sulking she couldn2t
tell-
#o, they lie side by side hands lightly interlocked at ar+2s
length- 4alsh is asleep ,hich is surprising: he2s no +ore .ond o.
sleeping in gravity than any other ri.ter- Maybe it2s another
chivalrous a..ectation- Maybe he2s .aking it-
0larke can2t bring hersel. to do even that- "he lies on her back
and stares up at the condensation beading on the bulkhead- 3.ter a
,hile she disentangles her hand .ro+ 4alsh2s8gently so as not to
interrupt the per.or+ance8and ,anders over to the local 0o++
board-
The +ain display .ra+es a +urky cryptic obelisk loo+ing up
out o. the seabed- 3tlantis2s pri+ary generator- <art o. it any,ay
8the bulk o. the structure plunges deep into bedrock into the
heart o. a vent .ro+ ,hich it .eeds like a +os7uito sucking hot
blood- Only the apex rises above the substrate like so+e lu+py
,indo,less skyscraper .acades pocked and ,or+y ,ith pipes and
vents and valves- 3 sparse dotted line o. .loodlights girdles the
structure about eight +eters up casting a bright coarse halo that
stains everything copper- The abyss presses do,n against that
light like a black handF the top o. the generator extends into
darkness-
3 conduit the siCe o. a se,er pipe e+erges at ground level and
snakes into the darkness- 0larke absently tags the next ca+ in line
.ollo,ing the line along the seabed-
I;ey what are youKI
;e doesn2t sound sleepy at all-
"he turns- 4alsh is crouched hal.-kneeling on the pallet as
though caught in the act o. rising- ;e doesn2t +ove though-
I;ey get back here- ! ,anna try again-I ;e2s going .or a
boyish grin- ;e2s ,earing the *isar+ingly 0ute ?ace o.
"eduction- !t2s a 9arring contrast ,ith his posture ,hich evokes
the i+age o. an eleven-year-old caught +asturbating on the good
linen-
"he eyes hi+ curiously- I4hat2s up BevHI
;e laughsF it sounds like a hiccough- I#othing2s upK ,e 9ust
didn2t you kno, "inishKI
3 dull gray lu+p o. realiCation congeals in her throat-
Dxperi+entally she turns back to the board and trips the next
surveillance ca+ in the chain- The seabed conduit ,inds on
to,ards a distant haCy geo+etry o. backlit shado,s-
4alsh tugs at her shoulder nuCCles .ro+ behind- I>adies2
choice- >i+ited ti+e o..er expires soonKI
#ext ca+-
I0o+e on >en8I
3tlantis- 3 s+all knot o. ri.ters has accreted at the 9unction o.
t,o ,ings no,here near any o. the assigned surveillance stations-
They appear to be taking +easure+ents o. so+e kind- "o+e o.
the+ are laden ,ith strange cargo-
4alsh has .allen silent- The lu+p in 0larke2s throat
+etastasiCes-
"he turns- Bevin 4alsh has backed a,ay a +ixture o. guilt
and de.iance on his .ace-
I:ou gotta give her a chance >enI he says- I! +ean you gotta
be +ore objective about thisKI
"he regards hi+ cal+ly- I:ou asshole-I
IOh rightI he .lares- I>ike anything & ever did +attered to
you-I
"he grabs the disconnected pieces o. her diveskin- They slide
around her body like living things .using one to another sealing
her in sealing hi+ out ,elco+e li7uid ar+or that rein.orces the
boundary bet,een us and them-
6nly there is no us she realiCes- There never was. 3nd ,hat
really pisses her o.. is that she2d .orgotten that that she never even
sa, this co+ingF even privy to her lover2s brainste+ even
cogniCant o. all the guilt and pain and stupid +asochistic yearning
in there she hadn2t picked up on this i++inent betrayal- "he2d
sensed his resent+ent o. course and his hurt but that ,as nothing
ne,- 4hen it ca+e right do,n to it outright treachery 9ust didn2t
+ake enough o. a di..erence in this relationship to register-
"he doesn2t look at hi+ as she descends to the airlock-
Bevin 4alsh is one .ucked-up little boy- !t2s 9ust as ,ell she
never got too attached-
Their ,ords buCC back and .orth a+ong the shado,s o. the
great structure: nu+bers ti+es shear stress indices- 3 couple o.
ri.ters carry handpadsF others .ire click-trains o. high-.re7uency
sounds through acoustic range.inders- One o. the+ dra,s a big
black O at so+e vital ,eak spot-
;o, did Ben put itH 7or concealment$ not e""ect. Obviously
they aren2t going to +ake that +istake again-
They2re expecting her o. course- 4alsh didn2t ,arn the+8not
on the usual channels any,ay8 but you can2t sneak up on the
.ine-tuned-
0larke pans the co+pany- #olan three +eters overhead looks
do,n at her- 0ra+er 0heung and Ao+eC accrete loosely around
the+- 0reasy and :eager8too distant .or visual !* but clear
enough on the +indline8are other,ise occupied so+e ,ays do,n
the hull-
#olan2s vibe over,hel+s all the others: ,here once ,as
resent+ent no, there2s triu+ph- But the anger8the sense o.
scores yet to be settled8 hasn2t changed at all-
I*on2t bla+e BevI 0larke buCCes- I;e did his best-I "he
,onders o..hand ho, .ar #olan ,ent to secure that loyalty-
#olan nods deliberately- IBev2s a good kid- ;e2d do anything
to help the group-I The slightest e+phasis on anything slips
through the +achinery but 0larke2s already seen it in the +eat
behind-
That "ar-
"he .orces hersel. to look deeper to dig around .or guilt or
duplicity but o. course it2s pointless- !. #olan ever kept such
secrets she2s ,ay past it no,- #o, she ,ears her intentions like a
badge o. honor-
I"o ,hat2s going onHI 0larke asks-
IJust planning .or the ,orstI #olan says-
IGh huh-I "he nods at the O on the hull- I<lanning .or it or
provoking itHI
#obody speaks-
I:ou do realiCe ,e control the generators- 4e can shut the+
do,n any ti+e ,e ,ant- Blo,ing the hull ,ould be +a9or
overkill-I
IOh ,e2d never do .or excessive "orce-I That2s 0ra+er o.. to
the le.t- IDspecially since they al,ays be so gentle-I
I4e 9ust think it ,ould be ,ise to have other optionsI 0hen
buCCes apologetic but uns,ayable- IJust in case so+ething
co+pro+ises <lan 3-I
I"uch asHI
I"uch as the ,ay certain hands pu+p the cocks o. the +ouths
that bite the+I Ao+eC says-
0larke spins casually to .ace hi+- I3rticulate as al,ays
Ao+er- ! can see ,hy you don2t talk +uch-I
I!. ! ,ere you8I #olan begins-
I1hut the "uck up.I
0larke turns slo,ly in their +idst her guts convecting in a slo,
.reeCing boil- I3nything they did to you they did to +e .irst- 3ny
shit they thre, at you they thre, ,ay +ore at +e- Way +ore-I
I4hich ended up landing on everyone but youI #olan points
out-
I:ou think !2+ gonna stick +y tongue up their ass 9ust because
they missed ,hen they tried to kill +eHI
I3re youHI
"he coasts up until her .ace is scant centi+eters .ro+ #olan2s-
I*on2t you .ucking dare 7uestion +y loyalty again Arace- ! ,as
do,n here be.ore any o. you +iserable haploids- 4hile you ,ere
all back on shore pissing and +oaning about 9ob security & broke
into their .ucking castle and personally kicked /o,an and her
buddies o.. the pot-I
I"ure you did- Then you 9oined her sorority t,o days later-
:ou play @/ ga+es ,ith her daughter .or 0hrissakeNI
I:eahH 3nd ,hat exactly did her daughter do to deserve you
dropping the ,hole 3tlantic Ocean onto her headH Dven i. you2re
right8even i. you2re right8did their kids .uck you overH 4hat
did their .a+ilies and their servants and their toilet-scrubbers ever
do to youHI
The ,ords vibrate o.. into the distance- The deep al+ost
subsonic hu+ o. so+e nearby piece o. li.e-support sounds
especially loud in their ,ake-
Maybe the tiniest bit o. uncertainty in the collective vibe no,-
Maybe even a tiny bit in #olan2s-
But she2s not giving a +icron- I:ou ,ant to kno, ,hat they
did >enH They chose sides- The ,ives and the husbands and the
+edics and even any pet toilet-scrubbers those stu+p.ucks +ay
have kept around .or old ti+e2s sake- They all chose sides- 4hich
is +ore than ! can say .or you-I
IThis is not a good ideaI 0larke buCCes-
IThanks .or your opinion >en- 4e2ll let you kno, i. ,e need
you .or anything- !n the +eanti+e stay out o. +y ,ay- The sight
o. you +akes +e ,ant to puke-I
0larke plays her .inal card- I!t2s not +e you have to ,orry
about-I
I4hat +ade you think ,e ,ere ever ,orried about youHI The
conte+pt co+es o.. o. #olan in ,aves-
IBen gets very unhappy ,hen he2s caught in the +iddle o. so+e
hal.-assed .iasco like this- !2ve seen it happen- ;e2s the kind o.
guy ,ho .inds it +uch easier to shut so+ething do,n than clean up
a.ter it- :ou can deal ,ith him-I
I4e already haveI #olan buCCes- I;e kno,s all about it-I
IDven gave us a .e, pointersI Ao+eC adds-
I"orry s,eetie-I #olan leans in close to 0larkeF their hoods
slip .rictionlessly past each other a +anne7uin nuCCle- IBut you
really should have seen that co+ing-I
4ithout another ,ord the group goes back to ,ork as i. cued
by so+e sti+ulus to ,hich >enie 0larke is blind and dea.- "he
hangs there in the ,ater stunned betrayed- Bits and pieces o.
so+e best-laid plan asse+ble the+selves in the ,ater around her-
"he turns and s,i+s a,ay-
$A.P404N
Once upon a ti+e back during the uprising a couple o. corpses
co++andeered a +ultisub na+ed 3arpodon &&&- To this day
<atricia /o,an has no idea ,hat they ,ere trying to acco+plishF
3arpodon2s spinal bays ,ere e+pty o. any construction or
de+olition +odules that +ight have served as ,eapons- The sub
,as as stripped as a .ish skeleton and about as use.ul: cockpit up
.ront i+pellors in back and a ,hole lot o. nothing hanging o.. the
seg+ented spine bet,een-
Maybe they2d 9ust been running .or it-
But the ri.ters didn2t bother asking once they2d caught on and
caught up- They hadn2t co+e une7uipped: they had torches and
rivet guns not 7uite enough to cut 3arpodon in hal. but certainly
enough to paralyCe it .ro+ the neck do,n- They punched out the
electrolysis asse+bly and the >ox tanksF the .ugitives got to ,atch
their supply o. breathable at+osphere drop .ro+ in.inite do,n to
the little bubble o. nitrox already turning stale in the cockpit-
#or+ally the ri.ters ,ould 9ust have holed the vie,port and let
the ocean .inish the 9ob- This ti+e though they hauled 3arpodon
back to one o. 3tlantis2s vie,ports as a kind o. ob9ect lesson: the
runa,ays su..ocated ,ithin perspexed vie, o. all the corpses
they2d le.t behind- There2d already been so+e ri.ter casualties as it
turned out and Arace #olan had been leading the tea+ that shi.t-
But back then not even #olan ,as entirely ,ithout pity- Once
the runa,ays ,ere ,ell and truly dead once the +oral o. the story
had properly sunk in the ri.ters +ated the ,ounded sub to the
nearest docking hatch and let the corpses reclai+ the bodies-
3arpodon hasn2t +oved in all the years since- !t2s still gra.ted onto
the service lock protruding .ro+ the body o. 3tlantis like a
parasitic +ale angler.ish .used to the .lank o. his gigantic +ate-
!t2s not a place that anybody goes-
4hich +akes it the per.ect spot .or <atricia /o,an to consort
,ith the ene+y-
The diver 2lock is an elongate blister distending the deck o. the
cockpit 9ust a.t o. the copilot2s seat ,here /o,an sits staring at
ro,s o. dark instru+ents- !t gurgles behind herF she hears a tired
pneu+atic sigh as its co..in lid s,ings open hears the so.t slap o.
,et .eet against the plates-
"he2s le.t the lights o.. o. course8it ,ouldn2t do .or anyone to
kno, o. her presence here8but so+e .lashing beacon ,ay along
the curve o. 3tlantis2s hull sends pulses o. di+ brightness through
the vie,ports- The cockpit interior blinks laCily in and out o.
existence a 9u+bled topography o. +etal viscera keeping the abyss
at bay-
>enie 0larke cli+bs into the pilot2s seat beside her-
I3nyone see youHI /o,an asks not turning her head-
I!. they hadI the ri.ter says Ithey2d probably be .inishing the
9ob right no,-I /e.ering no doubt to the in9uries sustained by
3arpodon in days gone by- I3ny progressHI
IDight o. the sa+ples tested positive- #o .ix yet-I /o,an takes
a deep breath- I;o, goes the battle on your endHI
IMaybe you could pick a di..erent expression- "o+ething a bit
less literal-I
I!s it that badHI
I! don2t think ! can hold the+ back <at-I
I"urely you canI /o,an says- I:ou2re the Meltdo,n
Madonna re+e+berH The 3lpha ?e++e-I
I#ot any +ore-I
/o,an turns to look at the other ,o+an-
IArace is8so+e o. the+ are taking steps-I >enie2s .ace
s,itches on and o.. in the pulsating gloo+- IThey2re +ine-laying
again- /ight out in the open this ti+e-I
/o,an considers- I4hat does Ben think about thatHI
I3ctually ! think he2s okay ,ith it-I
>enie sounds as though she2d been surprised by that- /o,an
isn2t- IMine-laying againHI she repeats- I"o you kno, ,ho set
the+ the .irst ti+eHI
I#ot really- #ot yet- #ot that it +atters-I >enie sighs- I;ell
so+e people still think you planted the .irst round yourselves-I
IThat2s absurd >enie- 4hy ,ould ,eHI
ITo give you an8excuse ! guess- Or as so+e kind o. last-ditch
sel.-destruct to take us out ,ith you- ! don2t kno,-I >enie shrugs-
I!2+ not saying they2re +aking sense- !2+ 9ust telling you ,here
they2re at-I
I3nd ho, are ,e supposed to be putting together all this
ordinance ,hen you people control our .abrication .acilitiesHI
IBen says you can get a standard 0alvin cycler to +ake
explosives i. you t,eak the ,iring the right ,ay-I
Ben again-
/o,an still isn2t sure ho, to broach the sub9ect- There2s a bond
bet,een >enie and Ben a connection both absurd and inevitable
bet,een t,o people .or ,ho+ the ter+ "riendship should be as
alien as a Duropan +icrobe- !t2s nothing sexual8the ,ay Ben
s,ings it hardly could be although /o,an suspects that >enie still
doesn2t kno, about that8but in its o,n repressed ,ay it2s al+ost
as inti+ate- There2s a protectiveness not to be taken lightly- !.
you attack one you better ,atch out .or the other-
3nd yet .ro+ the sound o. it Ben >ubin is beginning to dra,
di..erent alliancesK
"he decides to risk it- I>enie has it occurred to you that Ben
+ight be8I
IThat2s craCy-I The ri.ter kills the 7uestion be.ore she has to
ans,er it-
I4hyHI /o,an asks- I4ho else has the expertiseH 4ho else is
addicted to killing peopleHI
I)ou gave hi+ that- ;e ,as on your payroll-I
/o,an shakes her head- I!2+ sorry >enie but you kno, that
isn2t true- 4e instilled his threat-response re.lex yes- But that ,as
only to +ake sure he took the necessary steps8I
ITo +ake sure he killed peopleI >enie inter9ects-
I8in the event o. a security breach- ;e ,as never supposed to
get8addicted to it- 3nd you kno, as ,ell as ! do: Ben has the
kno,-ho, he has access he has grudges going all the ,ay back to
childhood- The only thing that kept hi+ on the leash ,as Auilt
Trip and "partacus took care o. that-I
I"partacus ,as .ive years agoI the ri.ter points out- I3nd Ben
hasn2t gone on any killing sprees since then- !. you2ll re+e+ber he
,as one o. exactly t,o people ,ho prevented your last uprising
.ro+ turning into The Areat 0orpse Massacre-I
"he sounds as i. she2s trying to convince hersel. as +uch as
anyone- I>enie8I
But she2s having none o. it- IAuilt Trip ,as 9ust so+ething you
people laid onto his brain a.ter he ca+e to ,ork .or you- ;e didn2t
have it be.ore and he didn2t have it a.ter,ards and you kno,
,hyH Because he has rules <at- ;e ca+e up ,ith his o,n set o.
rules and he da+n ,ell stuck to the+ and no +atter ho, +uch he
,anted to he never killed anyone ,ithout a reason-I
IThat2s trueI /o,an ad+its- I4hich is ,hy he started
inventing reasons-I
>enie strobing slo,ly looks out a porthole and doesn2t ans,er-
IMaybe you don2t kno, that part o. the storyI /o,an
continues- I:ou never ,ondered ,hy ,e2d assign hi+ to the ri.ter
progra+ in the .irst placeH 4hy ,e2d ,aste a Black Ops Black
Belt on the botto+ o. the ocean scraping barnacles o.. geother+al
pu+psH !t ,as because he2d started to slip up >enie- ;e ,as
+aking +istakes he ,as leaving loose ends all over the place- O.
course he al,ays tied the+ up ,ith extre+e pre9udice but that ,as
rather the point- On so+e subconscious level Ben ,as
deliberately slipping up so that he2d have an excuse to seal the
breach a.ter,ards-
IBeebe "tation ,as so .ar out in the boondocks that it should
have been virtually i+possible to encounter anything he could
interpret as a security breach no +atter ho, +uch he bent his
rules- That ,as our +istake in hindsight-I *ot even one o" our
bigger ones$ more's the pity. IBut +y point is people ,ith
addictions so+eti+es .all o.. the ,agon- <eople ,ith sel.-i+posed
rules o. conduct have been kno,n to bend and t,ist and rationaliCe
those rules to let the+ both have their cake and eat it- "even years
ago our psych people told us that Ben ,as a classic case in point-
There2s no reason to believe it isn2t 9ust as true today-I
The ri.ter doesn2t speak .or a +o+ent- ;er dise+bodied .ace a
pale contrast against the darkness o. her surroundings .lashes on
and o.. like a beating heart-
I! don2t kno,I she says at last- I! +et one o. your psych
people once re+e+berH :ou sent hi+ do,n to observe us- 4e
didn2t like hi+ +uch-I
/o,an nods- I:ves "canlon-I
I! tried to look hi+ up ,hen ! got back to land-I ,ook him up:
>eniespeak .or hunt him down- I;e ,asn2t ho+e-I
I;e ,as decirculated-I /o,an says her o,n euphe+is+8as
al,ays8easily tru+ping the other ,o+an2s-
I3h-I
But since the sub9ect has co+e up--- I;e8he had a theory
about you peopleI /o,an says- I;e thought that ri.ter brains
+ight beKsensitive so+eho,- That you entered so+e heightened
state o. a,areness ,hen you spent too long on the botto+ o. the
sea ,ith all those synthetics in your blood- Euantu+ signals .ro+
the brainste+- "o+e kind o. AanC.eld e..ect-I
I"canlon ,as an idiotI >enie re+arks-
I#o doubt- But ,as he ,rongHI
>enie s+iles .aintly-
I! seeI /o,an says-
I!t2s not +ind-reading- #othing like that-I
IBut +aybe i. you couldK,hat ,ould be the ,ord scanHI
I4e called it "ine'tuningI >enie says her voice as opa7ue as
her eyes-
I!. you could .ine-tune anybody ,ho +ight haveKI
I3lready done- !t ,as Ben ,ho suggested it in .act- 4e didn2t
.ind anything-I
I*id you "ine'tune BenHI
I:ou can2t8I "he stops-
I;e blocked you didn2t heHI /o,an nods to hersel.- I!. it2s
anything like AanC.eld scanning he blocks it ,ithout even
thinking- "tandard procedure-I
They sit ,ithout speaking .or a .e, +o+ents-
I! don2t think it2s BenI 0larke says a.ter a ,hile- I! kno, hi+
<at- !2ve kno,n hi+ .or years-I
I!2ve kno,n hi+ longer-I
I#ot the sa+e ,ay-I
IAranted- But i. not Ben ,hoHI
I"hit <at the ,hole lot o. usN 0verybody has it in .or you guys
no,- They2re convinced that Jerry and her buddies8I
IThat2s absurd-I
I!s it reallyHI /o,an gli+pses the old >enie 0larke the
predatory one s+iling in the inter+ittent light- I"upposing you2d
kicked our asses .ive years ago and ,e2d been living under house
arrest ever since- 3nd then so+e bug passed through our hands on
its ,ay to you and corpses started dropping like .lies- 3re you
saying you ,ouldn2t suspectHI
I#o- #o o. course ,e ,ould-I /o,an heaves a sigh- IBut !2d
like to think ,e ,ouldn2t go o.. hal.-cocked ,ithout any evidence
at all- 4e2d at least entertain the possibility that you ,ere
innocent-I
I3s ! recall ,hen the shoe ,as on the other .oot guilt or
innocence didn2t enter into it- )ou didn2t ,aste any ti+e steriliCing
the hot Cones no +atter ,ho ,as inside- #o +atter ,hat they2d
done-I
IAood rationale- One ,orthy o. Ben >ubin and his vaunted
ethical code-I
>enie snorts- IAive it a rest <at- !2+ not calling you a liar- But
,e2ve already cut you +ore slack than you cut us back then- 3nd
there are a lot o. people in there ,ith you- :ou sure none o. the+
are doing anything behind your backHI
3 bright +o+ent: a dark one-
I3ny,ay there2s still so+e hope ,e could dial this do,nI
0larke says- I4e2re looking at -+ax ourselves- !. it hasn2t been
t,eaked ,e ,on2t .ind anything-I
3 capillary o. dread ,riggles through /o,an2s insides-
I;o, ,ill you kno, one ,ay or the otherHI she asks- I#one o.
you are pathologists-I
I4ell they aren2t gonna trust your experts- 4e +ay not have
tenure at >G but ,e2ve got a degree or t,o in the cro,d- That
and access to the bio+ed library and8I
I*oI /o,an ,hispers- The capillary gro,s into a thick
throbbing artery- "he .eels blood draining .ro+ her .ace to .eed it-
>enie sees it i++ediately- I4hatHI "he leans .or,ard across
the ar+rest o. her seat- I4hy does that ,orry youHI
/o,an shakes her head- I>enie you don2t know- :ou2re not
trained you don2t get a doctorate ,ith a couple o. days2 reading-
Dven i. you get the right results you2ll probably +isinterpret
the+KI
I4hat resultsH Misinterpret howHI
/o,an ,atches her suddenly ,ary: the ,ay she looked ,hen
they +et .or the .irst ti+e .ive years ago-
The ri.ter looks back steadily- I<at don2t hold out on +e- !2+
having a tough enough ti+e keeping the dogs a,ay as it is- !.
you2ve got so+ething to say say it-I
Tell her.
I! didn2t kno, +ysel. until recentlyI /o,an begins- I
ehe+oth +ay have been8! +ean the original ehe+oth not this
ne, strain8it ,as t,eaked-I
IT,eaked-I The ,ord lies thick and dead in the space bet,een
the+-
/o,an .orces hersel. to continue- ITo adapt it to aerobic
environ+ents- 3nd to increase its reproductive rate .or .aster
production- There ,ere co++ercial applications- #obody ,as
trying to bring do,n the ,orld o. course it ,asn2t a bio,eapons
thing at allKbut evidently so+ething ,ent ,rong-I
IDvidently-I 0larke2s .ace is an expressionless +ask-
I!2+ sure you can see the danger here i. your people stu+ble
across these +odi.ications ,ithout really kno,ing ,hat they2re
doing- <erhaps they kno, enough to recogniCe a t,eak but not
enough to tell ,hat it does- <erhaps they don2t kno, ho, to tell
old t,eaks .ro+ +ore recent ones- Or perhaps the +o+ent they
see any evidence o. engineering they2ll conclude the ,orst and
stop looking- They could co+e up ,ith so+ething they thought
,as evidence and the only ones 7uali.ied to prove the+ ,rong
,ould be ignored because they2re the ene+y-I
0larke ,atches her like a statue- Maybe the reconciliation o.
the past .e, years hasn2t been enough- Maybe this ne,
develop+ent this additional de+and .or even +ore understanding
has done nothing but shatter the .ragile trust the t,o o. the+ have
built- Maybe /o,an has 9ust lost all credibility in this ,o+an2s
eyes- Maybe she2s 9ust blo,n her last chance to avoid +eltdo,n-
Dndless seconds .ossiliCe in the cold thick air-
I?uckI the ri.ter says at last very so.tly- I!t2s all over i. this
gets out-I
/o,an dares to hope- I4e2ve 9ust got to +ake sure it doesn2t-I
0larke shakes her head- I4hat a+ ! supposed to do tell /a+a
to stop lookingH "neak into the hab and s+ash the se7uencerH
They already think !2+ in bed ,ith you people-I "he e+its a s+all
bitter laugh- I!. ! take any action at all !2ve lost the+- They don2t
trust +e as it is-I
/o,an leans back her seat and closes her eyes- I! kno,-I "he
.eels a thousand years old-
I:ou .ucking corpses- :ou never could leave anything alone
could youHI
I4e2re 9ust people >enie- 4e +akeK+istakesKI 3nd
suddenly the sheer absurd astrono+ical +agnitude o. that
understate+ent sinks ho+e in the +ost unexpected ,ay and
<atricia /o,an can2t 7uite suppress a giggle-
!t2s the +ost undigni.ied sound she2s +ade in years- >enie
arches an eyebro,-
I"orryI /o,an says-
I#o proble+- !t was pretty hilarious-I The ri.ter2s patented
hal.-s+ile .lickers at the corner o. her +outh-
But it2s gone in the next second- I<at ! don2t think ,e can stop
this-I
I4e have to-I
I#obody2s talking any +ore- #obody2s listening- Just one little
push could send it all over the edge- !. they even kne, ,e ,ere
talking hereKI
/o,an shakes her head in hope.ul reassuring denial- But
>enie2s right- /o,an kno,s her history a.ter all- "he kno,s her
politics- :ou2re ,ell past the point o. no return ,hen si+ply
co++unicating ,ith the other side constitutes an act o. treason-
I/e+e+ber the very .irst ti+e ,e +etHI >enie asks- I?ace to
.aceHI
/o,an nods- "he2d turned the corner and >enie 0larke ,as 9ust
there right in .ront o. her .i.ty kilogra+s o. black rage
inexplicably transported to the heart o. their secret hidea,ay-
IDighty +eters in that directionI she says pointing over her
shoulder-
I:ou sure about thatHI >enie asks-
IMost certainlyI /o,an says- I! thought you ,ere going to
kill +8I
3nd stops asha+ed-
I:esI she says a.ter a ,hile- IThat ,as the .irst ti+e ,e +et-
/eally-I
>enie .aces .or,ard at her o,n bank o. dead readouts- I!
thought you +ight have you kno, been part o. the intervie,
process- Back be.ore your people did their cut2n2paste in +y head-
:ou can never tell ,hat bits +ight have got edited out you
kno,HI
I! sa, the .ootage a.ter,ardsI /o,an ad+its- I4hen :ves
,as +aking his reco++endations- But ,e never actually +et-I
I0ourse not- :ou ,ere ,ay up in the strat- #o ti+e to hang
around ,ith the hired help-I /o,an is a bit surprised at the note o.
anger in >enie2s voice- 3.ter all that2s been done to her a.ter all
she2s co+e to ter+s ,ith since it see+s strange that such a s+all
universal neglect ,ould be a hot button-
IThey said you2d be better o..I /o,an says so.tly- I;onestly-
They said you2d be happier-I
I4ho saidHI
I#eurocog- The psych people-I
I;appier-I >enie digests that a +o+ent- I?alse +e+ories o.
*ad raping +e +ade +e happierH Jesus <at i. that2s true +y real
childhood +ust have been a major treat-I
I! +ean happier at Beebe "tation- They s,ore that that any so-
called well'adjusted person ,ould crack do,n there in under a
+onth-I
I! kno, the brochure <at- <readaption to chronic stress
dopa+ine addiction to haCardous environ+ents- :ou bought all
thatHI
IBut they ,ere right- :ou sa, ,hat happened to the control
group ,e sent do,n- But you8you liked the place so +uch ,e
,ere ,orried you ,ouldn2t ,ant to co+e back-I
I3t .irstI >enie adds unnecessarily-
3.ter a +o+ent she turns to .ace /o,an- IBut tell +e this <at-
"upposing they told you ! wasn't going to like it so +uchH 4hat i.
they2d said she2ll hate the li.e she2ll hate her li.e but ,e have to
do it any,ay because it2s the only ,ay to keep her .ro+ going stark
raving +ad do,n thereH 4ould you tell +e i. they2d told you
thatHI
I:es-I !t2s an honest ans,er- #o,-
I3nd ,ould you have let the+ re,ire +e and turn +e into
so+eone else give +e +onsters .or parents and send +e do,n
there any,ayHI
IK:es-I
IBecause you served the Areater Aood-I
I! tried toI /o,an says-
I3n altruistic corpseI the ri.ter re+arks- I;o, do you explain
thatHI
IDxplainHI
I!t kind o. goes against ,hat they taught us in school- 4hy
sociopaths rise to the top o. the corporate ladder and ,hy ,e
should all be grate.ul that the ,orld2s tough econo+ic decisions are
being +ade by people ,ho aren2t ha+strung by the touchy-.eelies-I
I!t2s a bit +ore co+plicated than that-I
IWas you +ean-I
I!sI /o,an insists-
They sit in silence .or ,hile-
I4ould you have it reversed i. you couldHI /o,an asks-
I4hat the re,ireH Aet +y real +e+ories backH >ose the
,hole #addy 4apist thingHI
/o,an nods-
>enie2s silent .or so long that /o,an ,onders i. she2s re.using
to ans,er- But .inally al+ost hesitantly she says: IThis is ,ho !
a+- ! guess +aybe there ,as a di..erent person in here be.ore but
no, it2s only +e- 3nd ,hen it co+es right do,n to it ! guess ! 9ust
don2t ,ant to die- Bringing back that other person ,ould al+ost be
a kind o. suicide don2t you thinkHI
I! don2t kno,- ! guess ! never thought about it that ,ay be.ore-I
I!t took a ,hile .or +e to- :ou people killed so+eone else in
the process but you +ade +e-I /o,an gli+pses a .ro,n strobe-
.roCen- I:ou ,ere right you kno,- ! did ,ant to kill you that
ti+e- !t ,asn2t the plan but ! sa, you there and everything 9ust
caught up ,ith +e and you kno, .or a .e, +o+ents there !
al+ostKI
IThanks .or holding backI /o,an says-
I! did didn2t !H 3nd i. any t,o people ever had reason to go .or
each other2s throats it had to be us- ! +ean you ,ere trying to kill
+e and ! ,as trying to kill8everyone elseKI ;er voice catches
.or an instant- IBut ,e didn2t- 4e got along- Dventually- I
I4e didI /o,an says-
The ri.ter looks at her ,ith blank pleading eyes- I"o ,hy can2t
theyH 4hy can2t they 9ust8! don2t kno, .ollo, our leadKI
I>enie ,e destroyed the ,orld- ! think they2re .ollo,ing our
lead a bit too closely-I
IBack in Beebe you kno, ! ,as the boss- ! didn2t ,ant to be
that ,as the last thing ! ,anted but people 9ust kept8I >enie
shakes her head- I3nd ! still don2t ,ant to be but ! have to be you
kno,H "o+eho, ! have to keep these idiots .ro+ blo,ing
everything up- Only no, nobody ,ill even tell +e tell +e ,hat
.ucking ti+e Cone !2+ in and Arace---I
"he looks at /o,an struck by so+e thought- I4hat happened
to her any,ayHI
I4hat do you +eanHI /o,an asks-
I"he really hates you guys- *id you kill her ,hole .a+ily or
so+ethingH *id you .uck ,ith her head so+eho,HI
I#oI /o,an says- I#othing-I
I0o+e on <at- "he ,ouldn2t be do,n here i. there ,asn2t so+e
8I
IArace ,as in the control group- ;er background ,as entirely
unre+arkable- "he ,as8I
But >enie2s suddenly straight up in her seat capped eyes
s,eeping across the ceiling- I*id you hear thatHI she asks-
I;ear ,hatHI The cockpit2s hardly a silent place8gurgles
creaks the occasional +etallic pop have punctuated their
conversation since it began8but /o,an hasn2t heard anything out
o. the ordinary- I! didn2t8I
I1hhh$I >enie hisses-
3nd no, /o,an does hear so+ething but it2s not ,hat the
other ,o+an2s listening .or- !t2s a little burble o. sound .ro+ her
o,n earbud a sudden alert .ro+ 0o++: a voice ,orried unto
near-panic audible only to her- "he listens and .eels a sick dread
sense o. inevitability- "he turns to her .riend-
I:ou better get back out thereI she says so.tly-
>enie spares an i+patient glance catches the expression on
/o,an2s .ace and double-takes- I4hatHI
I0o++2s been +onitoring your >?3M chatterI /o,an says-
IThey2re sayingK Drickson- ;e died-
IThey2re looking .or you-I
5$ 1+440$4/N0 ,5.A5,4NS
#T(:
"narling una,are she searches .or targets and .inds none- "he
looks .or land+arks and co+es up e+pty- "he can2t even .ind
anything that passes .or topography8an endless void extends in
all directions an expanse o. vacant +e+ory extending .ar beyond
the range o. any ,hiskers she copies into the distance- "he can
.ind no trace o. the ragged digital net,ork she usually inhabits-
There is no prey here no predators beyond hersel. no .iles or
executables upon ,hich to .east- "he can2t even .ind the local
operating syste+- "he +ust be accessing it on so+e level8she
,ouldn2t run ,ithout so+e share o. syste+ resources and clock
cycles8but the .angs and cla,s she evolved to tear open that
substrate can2t get any kind o. grip- "he is a lean lone ,ol. ,ith
rott,eiller 9a,s opti+ised .or li.e in so+e .rayed and
i+poverished 9ungle that has vanished into oblivion- Dven a cage
,ould have recogniCable boundaries ,alls or bars that she could
hurl hersel. against ho,ever ine..ectually- This .eatureless
nullscape is utterly beyond her ken-
?or the barest instant8a hundred cycles +aybe t,o8the
heavens open- !. she had anything approaching true a,areness
she +ight gli+pse a vast array o. nodes through that break in the
void an n-di+ensional grid o. parallel architecture ,reaking
in.initesi+al changes to her insides- <erhaps she2d +arvel at the
,ay in ,hich so +any o. her para+eter values change in that
instant as i. the tu+blers on a thousand +echanical locks
spontaneously .ell into align+ent at the sa+e ti+e- "he +ight
tingle .ro+ the sleet o. electrons passing through her genes
.lipping ons to o""s and back again-
But she .eels nothing- "he kno,s no a,e or surprise she has
no ,ords .or +eiosis or rape- One part o. her si+ply recognises
that a nu+ber o. environ+ental variables are suddenly opti+alF it
signals a di..erent subroutine controlling replication protocols and
yet another that scans the neighborhood .or vacant addresses-
4ith relentless e..iciency and no hint o. 9oy she births a litter
o. t,o +illion-
#T4$'4:
"narling una,are she searches .or a target8but not 7uite the
,ay her +other did- "he looks .or land+arks8but spends a .e,
+ore cycles be.ore giving up on the task- "he can2t .ind anything
that passes .or topography8and changing tacks spends +ore ti+e
docu+enting the addresses that stretch a,ay above and belo,-
"he is a lean lone Aer+an "hepherd ,ith /ott,eiller 9a,s and a
trace o. hip dysplasia honed .or li.e in so+e .rayed and
i+poverished 9ungle that2s no,here to be seen- "he .aintly
re+e+bers other creatures seething on all sides but her event log
balances the costs and bene.its o. co+prehensive record-keepingF
her +e+ories degrade over ti+e unless rein.orced- "he has
already .orgotten that the other creatures ,ere her siblingsF soon
she ,ill not re+e+ber the+ at all- "he never kne, that by the
standards o. her +other2s ,orld she ,as the runt o. the litter- ;er
persistence here no, is not entirely consistent ,ith the principals
o. natural selection-
;ere no, the selection process is not entirely natural-
"he has no a,areness o. the array o. parallel universes
stretching a,ay on all sides- ;ers is but one +icrocos+ o. +any
each ,ith a total population o. one- 4hen a sudden .istula
connects t,o o. these universes it see+s like +agic: suddenly she
is in the co+pany o. a creature very +uch8but not exactly8like
her-
They scan .rag+ents o. each other nondestructively- Bits and
pieces o. dise+bodied code suddenly appear in nearby addresses
cloned .rag+ents unviable- There is no survival value in any o.
thisF on any *ar,inian landscape a creature ,ho ,asted value
cycles on such .rivolous cut-and-paste ,ould be extinct in .our
generations tops- :et .or so+e reason this neurotic tic +akes her
.eel8.ul.illed so+eho,- "he .ucks the ne,co+er cuts and
pastes in +ore conventional .ashion- "he .lips a .e, o. her o,n
rando+isers .or good +easure and drops a litter o. eight hundred
thousand-
#T)%(2:
"narling una,are she searches .or targets and .inds the+
every,here- "he looks .or land+arks and +aps out a topography
o. .iles and gates archives executables and other ,ildli.e- !t is a
sparse environ+ent by the standards o. ancient ancestors
incredibly lush by the standards o. +ore recents ones- "he
re+e+bers neither su..ers neither nostalgia nor +e+ory- This
place is su..icient .or her needs: "he is a ,ol.hound cross
over+uscled and a little rabid her te+per+ent a thro,back to
purer ti+es-
<urer instincts prevail- "he thro,s hersel. a+ong the prey and
devours it-
3round her so do others: 3kitas "ibes pit-bull crosses ,ith
the long stupid snouts o. overbred collies- !n a +ore i+poverished
place they ,ould attack each otherF here ,ith resources in such
plenti.ul supply there is no need- But strangely not everyone
attacks their prey as enthusiastically as she does- "o+e see+
distracted by the scenery spend ti+e recording events instead o.
precipitating the+- 3 .e, gigs a,ay her ,hiskers brush across
so+e braindead +utt da,dling about in the registry cutting and
pasting data .or no reason at all- !t2s not o. any interest o. course
8at least not until the +ongrel starts copying pieces o. her-
@iolated she .ights back- Bits o. parasitic code are encysted in
her archives ta+ed snippets .ro+ virtual parasites ,hich plagued
her o,n long-.orgotten ancestors back in the Maelstro+ 3ge- "he
unCips the+ and thro,s copies at her +olestor ans,ering its
un,anted probing ,ith tape,or+s and syphillis- But these
diseases ,ork .ar .aster than the +etaphor ,ould suggest: they do
not sicken the body so +uch as scra+ble it on contact-
Or they should- But so+eho, her attack .ails to +aterialiCe on
target- 3nd that2s not the only proble+8suddenly the ,hole
,orld is starting to change- The ,hiskers she sends roving about
her peri+eter aren2t reporting back- @olleys o. electrons .ired
do,n the valley .ail to return8and then even +ore o+inously
return too 7uickly- The ,orld is shrinking: so+e inexplicable
void is co+pressing it .ro+ all directions-
;er .ello, predators are panicking around her cro,ding
to,ards gates gone suddenly dark pinging ,hiskers every ,hich
,ay copying the+selves to rando+ addresses in the hopes that
they can so+eho, out-replicate annihiliation- "he rushes around
,ith the others as space itsel. contracts8but the da,dler the cut-
and-paster see+s co+pletely unconcerned- There is no chaos
breaking around that one no darkening o. the skies- The da,dler
has so+e kind o. protection---
"he tries to 9oin it in ,hatever oasis it has ,rapped around
itsel.- "he .rantically copies and pastes and translocates hersel. a
thousand di..erent ,ays but suddenly that ,hole set o. addresses
is unavailable- 3nd here in this place ,here she played the ga+e
the only ,ay she kne, ho, the only ,ay that +ade sense there is
nothing le.t but the evaporating traces o. virtual carcasses a .e,
shattered shrinking gigabytes and an advancing ,all o. static
co+e to eat her alive-
#o children survive her-
#T'2(2(:
Euietly unobtrusively she searches .or targets and .inds8
none 9ust yet- But she is patient- "he has learned to be a.ter
thirty-t,o thousand generations o. captivity-
"he is back in the real ,orld no, a barren place ,here ,ildli.e
once .illed the ,ires ,here every chip and optical bea+ once
hu++ed ,ith the tra..ic o. a thousand species- #o, it2s +ainly
,or+s and viruses perhaps the occasional shark- The ,hole
ecosyste+ has collapsed into a eutrophic asse+blage o. ,eeds
+ost barely co+plex enough to 7uali.y as li.e-
There are still the >enies though and the things that .ight the+-
"he avoids such +onsters ,henever possible despite her
undeniable kinship- There is nothing those creatures +ight not
attack i. given the opportunity- This is so+ething else she has
learned-
#o, she sits in a co+sat staring do,n at the central ,astes o.
#orth 3+erica- There is chatter on a hundred channels here all o.
it .iltered and .ire,alled all terse and entirely concerned ,ith the
business o. survival- There is no +ore entertain+ent on the
air,aves- The only entertain+ent to be had in abundance is .or
those ,hose tastes run to snu..-
"he doesn2t kno, any o. this o. course- "he2s 9ust a beast bred
to a purpose and that purpose re7uires no re.lection at all- "o she
,aits and si.ts the passing tra..ic and8
3h- There-
3 big bolus o. data a prearranged data du+p .ro+ the looks o.
it8yet the scheduled trans+it-ti+e has already passed- "he
doesn2t kno, or care ,hat this i+plies- "he doesn2t kno, that the
intended recipient ,as signal-blocked and is only no, clearing
groundside inter.erence- 4hat she does kno,8in her o,n
instinctive ,ay8is that delayed trans+issions can bottleneck the
syste+ that every byte overstaying its ,elco+e is one less byte
available .or other tasks- 0hains o. conse7uences extend .ro+
such bottlenecksF there is pressure to clear the backlog-
!t is possible in such cases that certain .ilters and .ire,alls +ay
be relaxed +arginally to speed up the baud-
This appears to be happening no,- The intended recipient o.
.orty-eight terabytes o. +edical data8one OGD>>DTTD T3B3 *-PM!
42$-*PB3#AO/8 is .inally line-o.-sight and available .or
do,nload- The creature in the ,ires sni..s out the relevant
channel slips a bot through the .oyer and out again ,ithout
incident- "he decides to risk it- "he copies hersel. into the strea+
riding discretely on the ar+ o. a treatise on te+poral-lobe epilepsy-
"he arrives at her destination ,ithout incident looks around
and pro+ptly goes to sleep- There is a rabid thing inside her all
+uscles and teeth and slavering .oa+y 9a,s but it has learned to
stay 7uiet until called upon- #o, she is only a sleepy old
bloodhound lying by the .ire- Occasionally she opens one eye and
looks around the roo+ although she couldn2t tell you exactly ,hat
she2s keeping ,atch .or-
!t doesn2t really +atter- "he2ll kno, it ,hen she sees it-
W,5$4/5 S,N
3arpodon doesn2t lie bet,een any o. the usual ri.ter
destinations- #o one s,i++ing .ro+ 3 to B ,ould have any
cause to co+e ,ithin tuning range- #ot even corpses .re7uent this
.ar-.lung corner o. 3tlantis- Too +any +e+ories- 0larke played
the odds in co+ing here- "he2d thought it ,as a sa.e bet-
Obviously she got the odds all ,rong-
6r maybe not$ she re.lects as 3arpodon's airlock births her back
into the real ,orld- /aybe they're just tailing me now as a matter
o" course. /aybe &'m some kind o" enemy national. !t ,ouldn2t be
an easy tag8she2d tune in anyone .ollo,ing too closely and .eel
the pings against her i+plants i. they tracked her on sonar8but
then again she didn2t have the sharpest eye on the ridge even a.ter
she tuned hersel. up- !t ,ould be 9ust like her to +iss so+ething
obvious-
& just keep asking "or it she thinks-
"he .ins up along 3arpodon2s .lank scanning its hull ,ith her
outer eyes ,hile her inner one a,akens to the sudden rush o.
che+icals in her brain- "he concentrates and scores a hit8
so+eone scared and pissed o.. +oving a,ay8but no- !t2s only
/o,an +oving back out o. range-
#o one else- #o one nearby- But the thin dusting o. ooCy
particles that settle on everything do,n here has been disturbed
along 3arpodon's back- !t ,ouldn2t take +uch8the turbulence
caused by a pair o. .ins kicking past overhead or the sluggish
undulation o. so+e deep,ater .ish-
Or a li+petphone hastily attached to eavesdrop on a traitor
consorting ,ith the ene+y-
7uck "uck "uck "uck "uck.
"he kicks into open ,ater and turns north- 3tlantis passes
beneath like a gigantic ball-and-stick ant colony- 3 cluster o. tiny
black .igures haCy ,ith distance travels purpose.ully near the
li+its o. vision- They2re too distant to tune in and 0larke has le.t
her vocoder o..line- <erhaps they2re trying to talk to her but she
doubts itF they2re on their o,n course diverging-
The vocoder beeps deep in her head- "he ignores it- 3tlantis
.alls a,ay behindF she s,i+s .or,ard into darkness-
3 sudden ,hine rises in the void- 0larke senses approaching
+ass and organic presence- T,in suns ignite in her .ace blinding
her- The .og in her eyecaps pulses brightly once t,ice as the
bea+s s,eep past- ;er vision clears: a sub banks by to the le.t
exposing its belly regarding her ,ith round insect eyes- *i+itri
3lexander stares back .ro+ behind the perspex- 3 utility +odule
hangs .ro+ the sub2s spine !&6A11A) stenciled across its side in
bold black letters- The vehicle turns its back- !ts headlights click
o..- *arkness reclai+s 0larke in an instant-
4est she realiCes- !t ,as heading ,est-
>ubin2s in the +ain #erve ;ab directing tra..ic- ;e kills the
display the +o+ent 0larke rises into the roo+-
I*id you send the+ a.ter +eHI she says-
;e turns in his seat and .aces her- I!2ll pass on your
condolences- 3ssu+ing ,e can .ind Julia-I
I3ns,er the .ucking 7uestion Ben-I
I! suspect ,e +ay not though- "he ,ent ,alkabout as soon as
she gave us the ne,s- Aiven her state o. +ind and her basic
personality ! ,onder i. ,e2ll ever see her again-I
I:ou ,eren2t 9ust aware o. it- :ou ,eren2t 9ust keeping an ear
open-I 0larke clenches her .ists- I:ou ,ere behind it ,eren2t
youHI
I:ou do kno, that Aene2s dead don2t youHI
;e2s so .ucking cal+- 3nd there2s that look on his .ace the
slightest arching o. the eyebro,s that sense o. deadpan8
a+use+ent al+ost8 seeping out .ro+ behind his eyecaps-
"o+eti+es she 9ust ,ants to throttle the bastard-
Dspecially ,hen he2s right-
"he sighs- I<at told +e- But ! guess you kno, that already
don2t youHI
>ubin nods-
I! am sorryI she says- IJulia8she2s going to be so lost ,ithout
hi+KI 3nd >ubin2s right: it2s 7uite possible that no one ,ill ever
see Julia ?ried+an again- "he2s been losing bits o. her husband .or
a ,hile no,8 to ehe+oth to Arace #olan- #o, that he2s
irretrievably gone ,hat can she do by re+aining behind except
expose her .riends to the thing that killed hi+H The thing that2s
killing herH
O. course she disappeared- <erhaps the only 7uestion no, is
,hether -+ax ,ill take her body be.ore the >ong *ark takes her
+ind-
I<eople are rather upset about itI >ubin2s saying- IArace
especially- 3nd since 3tlantis didn2t co+e through .or all their
talk about ,orking on a cure8I
0larke shakes her head- I/a+a hasn2t pull o.. any +iracles
either-I
IThe di..erence is that nobody thinks /a+a2s trying to kill us-I
"he pulls up a chair and sits do,n beside hi+- The e+pty
display stares back at her like a personal rebuke-
IBenI she says at last Iyou know +e-I
;is .ace is as unreadable as his eyes-
I*id you have +e .ollo,edHI she asks-
I#o- But ! availed +ysel. o. the in.or+ation ,hen it ca+e +y
,ay-I
I4ho ,as itH AraceHI
I4hat2s i+portant is that /o,an ad+itted ehe+oth ,as
t,eaked- !t ,ill be co++on kno,ledge ,ithin the hour- The
ti+ing couldn2t be ,orse-I
I!. you availed yoursel" o" the in"ormation you2ll kno, <at2s
explanation .or that- 3nd you2ll kno, ,hy she ,as so scared o.
,hat /a+a +ight .ind- !s it so i+possible she +ight be telling the
truthHI
;e shakes his head- IBut this is the second ti+e they2ve ,aited
to report an unpleasant .act until 9ust be.ore ,e ,ould have
discovered it ourselves sans alibi- *on2t expect it to go over ,ell-I
IBen ,e still don2t have any real evidence-I
I4e ,ill soonI >ubin tells her-
"he looks the 7uestion-
I!. /o,an2s telling the truth then ehe+oth sa+ples .ro+
!+possible >ake ,ill sho, the sa+e t,eaks as the strain that killed
Aene-I >ubin leans back in the chair interlocking his .ingers
behind his head- IJelaine and *i+itri took a sub about ten +inutes
ago- !. things go ,ell ,e2ll have a sa+ple ,ithin .ive hours a
verdict in t,elve-I
I3nd i. things don2t go ,ellHI
I!t ,ill take longer-I
0larke snorts- IThat2s 9ust great Ben but in case you haven2t
noticed not everybody shares your sense o. restraint- :ou think
Arace is going to ,ait until the .acts are inH :ou2ve given her all
the credibility she ever ,anted she2s out there right no, passing
all kinds o. 9udg+ent and8I
8And you went to her "irst$ you "ucker. A"ter all we've been
through$ a"ter all these years you were the one person &'d trust
with my li.e and you con"ided in her be"ore you.
I4ere you even going to tell +eHI she cries-
I!t ,ouldn2t have served any purpose-I
I#ot your purpose perhaps- 4hich is ,hat exactlyHI
IMini+iCing risk-I
I3ny ani+al could say that +uch-I
I!t2s not the +ost a+bitious aspirationI >ubin ad+its- IBut
then again 2destroying the ,orld2 has already been taken-I
"he .eels it like a slap across the .ace-
3.ter a +o+ent he adds I! don2t hold it against you- :ou kno,
that- But you2re hardly in a position to pass 9udg+ent-I
I! kno, that you cocksucker- ! don2t need you to re+ind +e
every .ucking chance you get-I
I!2+ talking about strategyI >ubin says patiently- I#ot +orals-
!2ll entertain your ,hat-i.s- !2ll ad+it that /o,an +ight be telling
the truth- But assu+e .or the +o+ent that she isn2t- 3ssu+e that
the corpses have been ,aging clandestine biological ,ar.are on us-
Dven kno,ing that ,ould you attack the+HI
"he kno,s it2s rhetorical-
I! didn2t think soI he says a.ter a +o+ent- IBecause no +atter
,hat they2ve done you've done ,orse- But the rest o. us don2t
have 7uite so +uch to atone .or- 4e don2t think ,e do deserve to
die at the hands o. these people- ! respect you a great deal >enie
but this is one issue you can2t be trusted on- :ou2re too ha+strung
by your o,n guilt-I
"he doesn2t speak .or a long ti+e- ?inally: I4hy herH O. all
peopleHI
IBecause i. ,e2re at ,ar ,e need .irebrands- 4e2ve gotten laCy
and co+placent and ,eakF hal. o. us spend +ost o. our ,aking
hours hallucinating out on the ridge- #olan2s i+pulsive and not
particularly bright but at least she gets people +otivated-I
I3nd i. you2re ,rong8even i. you2re right8the innocent end
up paying right along ,ith the guilty-I
IThat2s nothing ne,I >ubin says- I3nd it2s not +y proble+-I
IMaybe it should be-I
;e turns back to his board- The display springs to light
colu+ns o. inventory and arcane abbreviations that +ust have
so+e tactical relevance .or the upco+ing ca+paign-
/y best "riend. &'d trust him with my li"e she re+inds hersel.
and repeats the thought .or e+phasis: with my li"e-
3e's a sociopath-
;e ,asn2t born to it- There are ,ays o. telling: a tendency to
sel.-contradiction and +alapropis+ short attention-span-
Aratuitous use o. hand gestures during speech- 0larke2s had plenty
o. ti+e to look it all up- "he even got a peek at >ubin2s psych
pro.ile back at "udbury- ;e doesn2t +eet any o. the garden-variety
criteria except one8and is conscience really so i+portant a.ter
allH ;aving one doesn2t guarantee goodnessF ,hy should its lack
+ake a +an evilH
:et a.ter all the rationaliCations there he is: a +an ,ithout a
conscience consigning 3lyx and everyone like her to a .ate ,hich
see+s to arouse nothing but indi..erence in hi+-
3e doesn't care.
3e can2t care. 3e doesn't have the wiring.
I;uhI >ubin grunts staring at the board IThat2s interesting-I
;e2s brought up a visual o. one o. 3tlantis2s physical plants a
great cylindrical +odule several stories high- "trange black .luid
a horiContal geyser o. ink 9ets .ro+ an exhaust vent in its side-
0harcoal thunderheads billo, into the ,ater eclipsing the vie,-
I4hat is thatHI 0larke ,hispers-
>ubin2s pulling up other ,indo,s no,: seis+o vocoder tra..ic
a little thu+bnail +osaic o. surveillance ca+s spread around inside
and outside the co+plex-
3ll 3tlantis2s inside ca+s are dead-
@oices are rising on all channels- Three o. the outside ca+eras
have gone ink-blind- >ubin brings up the <3 +enu speaks cal+ly
into the abyss-
I3ttention everyone- 3ttention- This is it-
I3tlantis has pree+pted-I
#o, they2re reading per.idy all over the place- >ubin2s
s,itchboard is a +ob scene o. co+peting voices tuned .ishheads
reporting that their assigned corpses are abruptly up .ocused and
de.initely in play- !t2s as though so+eone2s kicked over an anthill
in there: every brain in 3tlantis is suddenly lit up along the ,hole
.ight-.light axis-
IDveryone shut up- These are not secure channels-I >ubin2s
voice s7uelches the others like a granite slab grinding over
pebbles- ITake your positions- Blackout in sixty-I
0larke leans over his shoulder and toggles a hardline into
corpseland- I3tlantis ,hat2s going onHI #o ans,er- I<atH
0o++H 3nyone respond-I
I*on2t ,aste your ti+eI >ubin says bringing up sonar- ;al.
the exterior ca+s are useless by no, enveloped in black .og- But
the sonar i+age is crisp and clear: 3tlantis spreads across the
volu+etric display like a grayscale crystalline chessboard- Black
pieces8the t,o-tone .lesh-and-+etal echoes o. ri.ter bodies8
align the+selves in so+e coordinated tactical ballet- 4hite is
no,here to be seen-
0larke shakes her head- IThere ,as nothingH #o ,arning at
allHI "he can2t believe itF there2s no ,ay the corpses could have
+asked their o,n anticipation i. they2d been planning so+ething-
The expectant tension in their o,n heads ,ould have been obvious
to any tuned ri.ter ,ithin t,enty +eters ,ell in advance o.
anything actually happening-
I!t2s like they ,eren2t even expecting it the+selvesI she
+ur+urs-
IThey probably ,eren2tI >ubin says-
I;o, could they not beH 3re you saying it ,as so+e kind o.
accidentHI
>ubin his attention on the board doesn2t ans,er- 3 sudden
blue tint su..uses the sonar display- 3t .irst it looks as though the
,hole vie, has been arbitrarily blue-shi.tedF but a.ter a +o+ent
clear spots appear like haphaCard spatterings o. acid eating holes
in a colored gel- 4ithin +o+ents +ost o. the tint has corroded
a,ay leaving rando+ scraps o. color laying across 3tlantis like
blue shado,s- Dxcept they2re not shado,s 0larke sees no,:
they2re volumes little three-di+ensional clots o. colored shade
clinging to bits o. hull and outcropping-
3 single outside ca+era +ounted at a panora+ic distance
sho,s a .e, di..use glo,ing spots in a great inky stor+ .ront- !t2s
as though 3tlantis ,ere so+e great biolu+inescent Braken in the
throes o. a panic attack- 3ll the other outside ca+s are e..ectively
blind- !t doesn2t +atter though- "onar looks through that
s+okescreen as i. it ,asn2t even there- "urely they kno, thatK
IThey ,ouldn2t be this stupidI 0larke +ur+urs-
IThey2re notI >ubin says- ;is .ingers dance on the board like
+anic spiders- 3 scattering o. yello, pinpoints appears on the
display- They s,ell into circles a series o. gro,ing overlapping
spotlit areas each centered on8
-amera locations 0larke realiCes- The yello, areas are those
under direct ca+era surveillance- Or they ,ould be i. not .or the
s+okescreen- >ubin2s obviously based his analysis on geo+etry
and not real-ti+e viC-
IBlackout now-I >ubin2s .inger co+es do,nF the ,hite noise
generators co+e up- The chessboard .uCCes ,ith gray static- On
the board ri.ter icons8naked little blips no, ,ithout .or+ or
annotation8have .or+ed into a series o. .ive discrete groups
around the co+plex- One blip .ro+ each is rising in the ,ater
colu+n cli+bing above the Cone o. inter.erence-
)ou planned it right down to the trim$ didn't you+ she thinks-
)ou mapped a whole campaign around this moment and you never
told me2
The highest icon .lickers and clari.ies into t,o con9oined blips:
0reasy riding a s7uid- ;is voice buCCes on the channel a +o+ent
later- IThis is *ale on station-I
3nother icon clears the noise- I;annuk-I T,o +ore: I3bra-I
I*eb-I
I3vril on stationI ;opkinson reports-
I;opkinsonI >ubin says- I?orget the 0aveF they2ll have
relocated- !t ,on2t be obvious- "plit up your group radial search-I
I:ah-I ;opkinson2s icon dives back into static-
I0reasyI >ubin says Iyour people 9oin up ,ith 0heung2s-I
I/ight-I
There on the chessboard: at the tip o. one o. the residential
,ings about t,enty +eters .ro+ ;ydroponic- 3 .a+iliar icon
there e+bedded in an irregular blob o. green- The only green on
the ,hole display in .act- :ello, +ixed ,ith blue: so it ,ould be
in ca+era vie, i. not .or the ink and also in8
I4hat2s blueHI 0larke asks kno,ing-
I"onar shado,-I >ubin doesn2t look back- I0reasy go to the
airlock at the .ar end o. /es-?- They2re co+ing out there i. they2re
co+ing out any,here-I
ITune or tangleHI 0reasy asks-
ITune and report- <lant a phone and a charge but do not
detonate unless they are already in the ,ater- Other,ise acoustic
trigger only- GnderstoodHI
I:eah i. ! can even "ind the .ucking placeI 0reasy buCCes-
I@iC is 5ero in this shitKI ;is icon plunges back into the static
cutting an obli7ue path to,ards the green Cone-
I0heung take both groups sa+e destination- "ecure the
airlock- /eport back ,hen you2re on station-I
IAot it-I
I:eager get the cache and drop it t,enty +eters o.. the
<hysical <lant bearing .orty degrees- Dveryone else +aintain
position- Tune in and use your li+pets- /unners ! ,ant three
people in a continuous loop one al,ays in contact- Ao-I
The re+aining blips s,ing into +otion- >ubin doesn2t pauseF
he2s already opening another ,indo, this one a rotating
architectural ani+atic o. 3tlantis punctuated by orange sparks-
0larke recogniCes the spot .ro+ ,hich one o. those little stars is
shining: it2s right about ,here Arace #olan2s lackey painted an O
on the hull-
I;o, long have you been planning thisHI she asks 7uietly-
I"o+e ti+e-I
"ince ,ell be.ore she even .ine-tuned hersel. 9udging by ho,
utterly clueless she2s proven hersel. to be- I!s everyone involved
but +eHI
I#o-I >ubin studies annotations-
IBen-I
I!2+ busy-I
I;o, did they do itH Beep .ro+ tipping us o.. like thatHI
I3uto+ated triggerI he says absently- 0olu+ns o. nu+bers
scroll up a sudden ,indo, too .ast .or 0larke to +ake out-
I/ando+ nu+ber generator +aybe- They have a plan but nobody
kno,s ,hen it2s going to kick in so there2s no pre-curtain
per.or+ance anxiety to give the ga+e a,ay-I
IBut ,hy ,ould they go to all that trouble unless8I
8they know about "ine tuning.
:ves "canlon she re+e+bers- /o,an asked about hi+: 3e
thought that ri"ter brains might be2sensitive$ somehow she
suggested-
3nd >enie 0larke con.ir+ed it 9ust +inutes ago-
3nd here they are-
"he doesn2t kno, ,hat hurts +ore: >ubin2s lack o. trust or the
hindsight realiCation o. ho, 9usti.ied it ,as-
"he2s never .elt so tired in her li.e- #o we really have to do this
all over again+
Maybe she said it aloud- Or +aybe >ubin 9ust caught so+e
telltale body language .ro+ the corner o. his eye- 3t any rate his
hands pause on the board- 3t last he turns to look at her- ;is eyes
see+ strangely translucent by the light o. the board-
I4e didn2t start itI he says-
"he can only shake her head-
I0hoose a side >enie- !t2s past ti+e-I
?or all she kno,s it2s a trick 7uestionF she2s never .orgotten
,hat Ben >ubin does to those he considers ene+ies- But as it
turns out she2s spared the decision- *ale 0reasy big du+b
bareknuckled headbasher that he is rescues her-
I?uckKI his vocoded voice grinds out over a background o.
hissing static-
>ubin2s i++ediately back to business- I0reasyH :ou +ade it
to /es-?HI
I#o shit ! +ade it- ! coulda tuned those .uckers in blind .ro+
the "argasso .ucking "eaKI
I;ave any o. the+ le.t the co+plexHI
I#o !8! don2t think so !8but .uck +an there2s a lot o. the+
in there and8I
I;o, +any exactlyHI
I! don2t know exactlyN 0oupla doCen at least- But look >ubin
there2s so+ethin2 o.. about 2e+ about the ,ay they send- !2ve
never .elt it be.ore-I
>ubin takes a breath: 0larke i+agines his eyeballs rolling
beneath the caps- I0ould you be +ore speci.icHI
IThey2re cold +an- 3l+ost all o. 2e+ are like .ucking ice- !
+ean ! can tune 2e+ in ! kno, they2re there but ! can2t tell ,hat
they2re .eeling- ! don2t kno, i. they2re .eeling anything- Maybe
they2re doped up on so+ething- ! +ean next to these guys you're a
blubbering crybabyKI
>ubin and 0larke exchange looks-
I! +ean no o..enseI 0reasy buCCes a.ter a +o+ent-
IOne o. 3lyx2s .riends had a head cheeseI 0larke says- I"he
called it a petKI
3nd do,n here in this desert at the botto+ o. the ocean in this
hand-to-+outh +icrocos+ ho, co++on does so+ething have to
be be.ore you2d give one to your ten-year-old daughter as a
playthingH
IAoI >ubin says-
>ubin2s s7uid is tethered to a cleat 9ust o..side the ventral 2lock-
0larke cranks the throttleF the vehicle leaps .or,ard ,ith a
hydraulic ,hine-
;er 9a,bone vibrates ,ith sudden input- >ubin2s voice .ills her
head: I0reasy belay +y last order- *o not plant your charge
repeat no charge- <lant the phone only and ,ithdra,- 0heung
keep your people at least t,enty +eters back .ro+ the airlock- *o
not engage- 0larke is en route- "he ,ill advise-I
& will advise she thinks and they will tell me to go "uck mysel".
"he2s navigating blind by bearing alone- Gsually that2s +ore
than enough: at this range 3tlantis should be a brightening
s+udge against the blackness- #o, nothing- 0larke brings up
sonar- Areen sno, .uCCes ten degrees o. .or,ard arc: ,ithin it
the harder echoes o. 0orpseland blurred by inter.erence-
#o, 9ust barely she can see brie. s+ears o. dull lightF they
vanish ,hen she .ocuses on the+- Dxperi+entally she ignites her
headlight and looks around-
D+pty ,ater to port- To starboard the bea+ s,eeps across a
billo,ing stor+ .ront o. black s+oke converging on her o,n
vector- 4ithin seconds she2ll be in the thick o. it- "he kills the
light be.ore the s+okescreen has a chance to turn it against her-
"o+eho, the blackness beyond her eyecaps darkens a shade-
"he .eels no tug o. current no sudden viscosity upon entering the
Cone- #o, ho,ever the inter+ittent .lashes are a bit brighterF
.ugitive gli++ers o. light through brie. i+per.ections in the cover-
#one o. the+ last long enough to illu+inate +ore than strobe-
.roCen instants-
"he doesn2t need light- By no, she doesn2t even need sonar:
she can .eel apprehension rising in the ,ater around her nervous
excite+ent radiating .ro+ the ri.ters ahead darker +ore distant
.ears .ro+ ,ithin the spheres and corridors passing invisibly
beneath her-
3nd so+ething else so+ething both .a+iliar and alien
so+ething living but not alive.
The ocean hisses and snaps around her as though she ,ere
trapped ,ithin a s,ar+ o. euphausiids- 3 click-train rattles .aintly
against her i+plants- "he al+ost hears a voice vocoded
indistinctF she hears no ,ords- Dchoes light up her sonar display
right across the .or,ard one-eighty but she2s deep in ,hite noiseF
she can2t tell ,hether the contacts nu+ber six or sixty-
?ear-stained bravado 9ust ahead- "he pulls hard right can2t
7uite avoid the body s,i++ing across her path- The nebula opens
a brie. bright eye as they collide-
I7uck% 0larke is that y8I
Aone- #ear-panic .alling astern but no in9ury: the brain lights
up a certain ,ay ,hen the body breaks- !t +ay have been Baker-
!t2s getting so hard to tell against this rising backdrop o. icy
sentience- Thought ,ithout .eeling- !t spreads out beneath the
+essy tangle o. hu+an e+otions like a .loor o. black obsidian-
The last ti+e she .elt a presence like this it ,as ,ired to a live
nuke- The last ti+e there ,as only one o. the+-
"he pulls the s7uid into a steep cli+b- More sonar pings bounce
o.. her i+plants a chorus o. .rightened +achine voices rise in her
,ake- "he ignores the+- The hissing in her .lesh .ades ,ith each
second- 4ithin a .e, +o+ents she2s above the ,orst o. it-
IBen you thereHI
#o ans,er .or a +o+ent: this .ar .ro+ the ;ab there2s a
soundspeed lag- I/eportI ;e says at last- ;is voice is burred but
understandable-
IThey2ve got s+art gels do,n there- 3 lot o. the+ ! don2t kno,
ho, +any t,enty or thirty +aybe- <acked together at the end o.
the ,ing probably right in the ,et roo+- ! don2t kno, ho, ,e
didn2t pick the+ up be.ore- Maybe they 9ust---get lost in the
background noise until you 9a+ the+ together-I
>ag- I3ny sense o. ,hat they2re doingHI Back at Juan de ?uca
they ,ere able to +ake so+e pretty shre,d in.erences .ro+
changes in signal strength-
I#o they2re all 9ust8in there- Thinking all over each other- !.
there ,as 9ust one or t,o ! +ight be able to get so+e kind o.
reading but8I
IThey played +eI >ubin says overtop o. her-
I<layedHI 4hat2s that in his voiceH "urpriseH GncertaintyH
0larke2s never heard it there be.ore-
ITo +ake +e .ocus on ?-'-I
Anger she realiCes-
IBut ,hat2s the pointHI she asks- I"o+e kind o. blu.. did they
think ,e2d +istake those things .or peopleHI !t see+s ridiculousF
even 0reasy kne, there ,as so+ething o.. and he2s never +et a
head cheese be.ore- Then again ,hat do corpses kno, about .ine-
tuningH ;o, ,ould they kno, the di..erenceH
I#ot a diversionI >ubin +ur+urs in the void- I#o other place
they could co+e out that sonar ,ouldn2t---I
I4ell ,hat8I
I<ull the+ backI he snaps suddenly- IThey2re +ask8they2re
luring us in and masking so+ething- Pull them b.I
The abyss clenches-
!t2s a brie. s7ueeCe around 0larke2s body not really pain.ul-
#ot up here-
!n the next instant a sound: Whoomp"- 3 s,irl o. turbulence-
3nd suddenly the ,ater2s .ull o. +echanical screa+s-
"he spins- The s+okescreen belo, is in sudden +otion
shredded and boiling in the ,ake o. so+e interior disturbance lit
.ro+ ,ithin by .lickering heat-lightning-
"he s7ueeCes the throttle .or dear li.e- The s7uid drags her
do,n-
I-larke%I The sound o. the detonation has evidently passed the
#erve ;ab- I4hat2s going onHI
3 sy+phony o. tearing +etal- 3 chorus o. voices in discord-
#ot so +any as there should be she realiCes-
We must have lost a generator$ she realiCes dully- & can hear
them screaming.
& can hear them dying2
3nd not 9ust hear the+- The cries rise in her head be.ore they
reach her earsF ra, che+ical panic lighting up the reptile brain like
sodiu+ .lares the s+arter +a++alian overlay helpless and
con.used its vaunted cognition shattering like cheap crystal in the
back,ash-
I-larke% 4eport%;
3nger no, thin veins o. gri+ deter+ination a+ong the panic-
>ights shine +ore brightly through the thinning +urk- They2re the
,rong siCe so+eho, the ,rong color- #ot ri.ter la+ps- ;er
sonar s7ueals in the .ace o. so+e i++inent collision: another
s7uid sle,s by out o. control its rider lu+inous ,ith an agony o.
broken bones-
I!t ,asn2t +e ! s,ear itN They did it themselves8I
0reasy tu+bles a,ay his pain .ading into others2-
/es-?2s hull spra,ls across sonar its s+ooth contours all
erased 9agged edges every,here: the gaping +ouths o. caves
lined ,ith t,isted +etal teeth- One o. the+ spits so+ething
+etallic at herF it bounces o.. the s7uid ,ith a clank- @ocoder
voices grind and grate on all sides- 3 gap opens in the tattered
cloud-bank ahead: 0larke sees a great lu+bering shape an
ar+ored cyclops- !ts single eye shines bale.ully ,ith the ,rong
kind o. light- !t reaches .or her-
"he pulls to port catches a gli+pse o. so+ething spinning in
the chaos directly ahead- 3 dark +ass thuds .laccidly against the
s7uid2s bo, and caro+s to,ards her .ace- "he ducks- 3
diveskinned ar+ cu..s her in passing-
I,enie%I
*ead gray eyes ,atch oblivious and indi..erent as she t,ists
a,ay-
6h 8esus. 6h (od.
>u+inous +etal +onsters stride through the ,reckage stabbing
at the ,ounded-
"he tries to hold it together- IThey2re co+ing out o. the ,alls
Ben- They ,ere ,aiting inside they ble, the hull .ro+ inside and
they2re co+ing through the ,allsKI
(od damn you$ Pat. Was this you+ Was this you+
"he re+e+bers the lopsided chessboard on >ubin2s display-
"he re+e+bers black pieces arranging the+selves .or an easy rout-
Only no, does she re+e+ber: in chess ,hite al,ays +oves
.irst-
That indi..erent alien intellect is no,here to be .ound no,-
The gels +ust have turned to ho+ogenous pulp the instant the hull
i+ploded-
There ,ere +ore than presh+eshed corpses and s+art gels
packed in ?-'2s ,et roo+- There ,as shrapnel doubtless arranged
in accordance ,ith so+e theoretical pro9ection o. +axi+u+
spread- 0larke can see the .rag+ents ,here they2ve co+e to rest8
on the hull e+bedded in ruptured >OO tanks protruding .ro+ the
.ar side o. ragged entry ,ounds torn through the .lesh o. co+rades
and rivals- They look like +etal daisies like the blades o. tiny
per.ect ,ind+ills- The +ere rebound .ro+ the i+plosion ,ould
have been enough to set the+ soaring to +o, do,n anyone not
already sucked to their death at +ach speeds or torn apart on the
9agged lip o. the breach itsel.-
The s+okescreen has all but dispersed-
>ubin2s calling a retreat- Most o. those able to respond already
have- The presh+eshed .igures cla+bering along the hulled
re+ains o. ?-' have to content the+selves ,ith the ,ounded and
the dead- They2re crabs ungainly and over,eighted- !nstead o.
cla,s they have needles long al+ost surgical things extending
.ro+ their gauntlets like tiny lances-
I>enie- *o you readHI
"he .loats du+bly overhead out o. reach ,atching the+ stab
black bodies- Occasional bubbles erupt .ro+ the needle tips race
into the sky like clusters o. shuddering silvery +ushroo+s-
0o+pressed air in9ected into .lesh- :ou can +ake a ,eapon
out o. al+ost anything-
I>enieHI
I"he could be dead Ben- ! can2t .ind *ale or 3bra either-I
Other voices too .uCCy to distinguish- Most o. the ,hite noise
generators are still online a.ter all-
"he tunes in the crabs- "he ,onders ,hat they +ust be .eeling
no,- "he ,onders ,hat she's .eeling too but she can2t really tell-
Maybe she .eels like a head cheese-
The corpses though do,n there in their ar+or +opping up-
#o shortage o. .eelings there- *eter+ination- 3 surprising
a+ount o. .ear- 3nger but distantF it isn2t driving the+-
#ot as +uch hate as she ,ould have expected-
"he rises- The tableau beneath s+ears into a di..use glo, o.
s,eeping headla+ps- !n the .urther distance the rest o. 3tlantis
lights the ,ater deceptively serene- "he can barely hear buCCing
ri.ter voicesF she can2t +ake out any ,ords- "he can2t tune any o.
the+ in- "he2s all alone at the botto+ o. the sea-
"uddenly she rises past so+e invisible line-o.-sight and her
9a,bone .ills ,ith chatter-
I8the bodiesI >ubin2s saying- IBring ter+inals at personal
discretion- Aarcia2s ,aiting under Med .or triage-I
IMed ,on2t hold hal. o. usI so+eone8oh$ it's Kevin%8buCCes
.aintly in the distance- I4ay too +any in9ured-I
I3nyone .ro+ ?-' not in9ured and not carrying in9ured +eet at
the cache- ;opkinsonHI
I;ere-I
I3nythingHI
IThink so +aybe- 4e2re getting a ,hole lot o. brains in /es-D-
0an2t tell ,ho but8I
I:eager and #g bring your people straight up .orty +eters-
*on2t change your lats and longs but ! ,ant everybody ,ell a,ay
.ro+ the hull- ;opkinson get your people back to the Med ;ab-I
I4e2re okay8I
I*o it- 4e need donors-I
IJesusI so+eone says .aintly I4e2re .uckedKI
I#o- They are-I
Arace #olan still alive sounding strong and i+placable even
through the +utilating .ilter o. her vocoder-
IArace they 9ust8I
IJust whatHI she buCCes- I*o you think they2re winningH 4hat
are they gonna do .or an encore peopleH !s that trick gonna ,ork
againH 4e2ve got enough charges to blast out a ,hole ne,
.oundation- #o, ,e2re gonna use the+-I
IBenHI
3 brie. silence-
I>ook BenI #olan buCCes I! can be at the cache in8I
I#ot necessaryI >ubin tells her- I"o+eone2s already en
route-I
I4ho2s8I
I4elco+e back by the ,ayI >ubin says to the anony+ous
soldier- I:ou kno, the targetHI
I:es-I 3 .aint voice too so.t and distorted to pin do,n-
IThe charge has to be locked do,n ,ithin a +eter o. the +ark-
"et it and back away "ast- *on2t spend any +ore ti+e than
absolutely necessary in proxi+ity to the hull do you understandHI
I:es-I
I3coustic trigger- !2ll detonate .ro+ here- Blackout li.ting in
ten-I
/y (od$ 0larke thinks &t's you2
IDveryone at sa.e-distanceI >ubin re+inds the troops-
IBlackout li.ting now-I
"he2s ,ell out o. the ,hite noiseF there2s no obvious change in
a+bience- But the next vocoder she hears still so.t is clearly
recogniCable-
I!t2s do,nI Julia ?ried+an buCCes-
IBack o..I >ubin says- I?orty +eters- "tay a,ay .ro+ the
botto+-I
I;ey 3vrilI ?ried+an says-
I/ight hereI ;opkinson ans,ers-
I4hen you tuned that ,ing ,ere there childrenHI
I:eah- :eah there ,ere-I
IAoodI buCCes ?ried+an- IAene al,ays hated kids-I
The channel goes dead-
3t .irst she thinks the retribution2s gone exactly as expected-
The ,orld pulses around her8a dull al+ost subsonic dru+beat
through brine and .lesh and bone8and .or all she kno,s a
hundred or +ore o. the ene+y are reduced to bloody paste- "he
doesn2t kno, ho, +any ri.ters died in the .irst exchange but
surely this restores the lead-
"he2s in an old .a+iliar place ,here it doesn2t see+ to +atter
+uch either ,ay-
Dven the second explosion8sa+e +u..led thu+p but so.ter
so+eho, +ore distant8even that doesn2t tip her o.. i++ediately-
"econdary explosions ,ould al+ost be inevitable she i+agines8
pipes and po,erlines suddenly ruptured a cascade o. high-
pressure tanks ,ith their .eeds co+pro+ised8all kinds o.
conse7uences could daisy-chain .ro+ that initial burst- Bonus
points .or the ho+e tea+ probably- #othing +ore-
But so+ething in the back o. her +ind says the second blast 9ust
"elt ,rong8the ,rong resonance perhaps as i. one ,ere to ring a
great anti7ue church bell and hear a silvery tinkle- 3nd the voices
,hen they co+e back online are not cheering their latest victory
over the ra+paging 0orpse ;ordes but so .ull o. doubt and
uncertainty that not even the vocoders can +ask it-
I4hat the .uck ,as that8I
I3vrilH *id you .eel that out your ,ayHI
I3vrilH 3nybody catching8anyoneKI
IJesus .ucking 0hrist AardinerH *avidH "tanH Anyone.I
IAarcia are you8!2+ not getting8I
I!t2s gone- !2+ right here it2s 9ust .ucking goneKI
I4hat are you talking aboutHI
IThe ,hole botto+ o. the hab it2s 9ust8it +ust2ve set the+
both8I
IBoth whatH "he only set one charge and that ,as on8I
IBenH BenH >ubin where the "uck are you+I
IThis is >ubin-I
"ilence in the ,ater-
I4e2ve lost the +ed hab-I ;is voice is like rusty iron-
I4hat.I
I;o, did8I
I1hut the "uck upI >ubin snarls across the nightscape-
There2s silence again al+ost- 3 .e, on open channels
continue to e+it +etal groans-
IDvidently an unpacked charge ,as attached to the habI >ubin
continues- I!t +ust have been set o.. by the sa+e signal ,e used
on 3tlantis- ?ro+ this point on no o+nidirectional triggers-
There +ay be other charges set to detonate on +ultiple pings-
Dveryone8I
IThis is Atlantis speaking.I
The ,ords boo+ across the seabed like the @oice o. Aod
unsullied by any inter.erence- Ken "orgot to black back out 0larke
realiCes- Ken's started shouting at the troops.
Ken's losing it2
I:ou +ay think you are in a position o. strengthI the voice
continues- I:ou are not- Dven i. you destroy this .acility your
o,n deaths are assured-I
"he doesn2t recogniCe the voice- Odd- !t speaks ,ith such
authority-
I:ou are in.ected ,ith Mark !!- :ou are all in.ected- Mark !!
is highly contagious during an asy+pto+atic incubation period o.
several ,eeks- 4ithout intervention you ,ill all be dead ,ithin
t,o +onths-
I4e have a cure-I
*ead silence- #ot even Arace #olan says & told you so-
I4e2ve trip,ired all relevant .iles and cultures to prevent
unauthoriCed access- Bill us and you kill yourselves-I
I<rove itI >ubin replies-
I0ertainly- Just ,ait a ,hile- Or i. you2re .eeling i+patient do
that +ind-reading trick o. yours- 4hat do you call itH Tuning inH
!2+ told it separates the trust,orthy .ro+ the liars +ost o. the
ti+e-I
#obody corrects hi+-
I"tate your ter+sI >ubin says-
I#ot to you- 4e ,ill only negotiate ,ith >enie 0larke-I
I>enie 0larke +ay be deadI >ubin says- I4e haven2t been
able to contact her since you ble, the res-I ;e +ust kno, better:
she2s high in the ,ater her insides resonating to the .aint tapping
o. click trains- "he keeps 7uiet- >et hi+ play out the ga+e in his
o,n ,ay- !t +ight be his last-
IThat ,ould be very bad ne,s .or all o. usI 3tlantis replies
cal+ly- IBecause this o..er expires i. she2s not at 3irlock "ix
,ithin a hal. hour- That is all-I
"ilence-
I!t2s a trickI #olan says-
I;ey you said they had a cureI so+eone else buCCes80larke
can2t tell ,ho the channels are .uCCing up again- The ,hite noise
generators +ust be back online-
I"o ,hat i. they doHI #olan buCCes- I! don2t trust the+ to share
it ,ith us and ! sure as shit don2t trust >enie .ucking 0larke to be
+y a+bassador- ;o, do you think those .uckers .ound out about
.ine-tuning in the .irst placeH Dvery one o. our dead is thanks to
her-I
0larke s+iles to hersel.- 1uch small numbers she concerns
hersel" with. 1uch a tiny hand"ul o" lives. "he .eels her .ingers
clenching on the to,bar- The s7uid gently pulls her .or,ardF the
,ater gently tugs her back-
I4e can do ,hat they say- 4e can tune the+ in check out the
story-I "he thinks that2s Ao+eC but the inter.erence is rising
around her as she travels- "he2s lost even the crude intonations o.
vocoded speech-
3 buCC in her 9a,: a beep 9ust behind her ear- "o+eone
tagging her on a private channel- <robably >ubin- ;e2s Bing
Tactical a.ter all- ;e2s the one ,ho kno,s ,here she is- #obody
else can see beyond the stu+ps o. their o,n shattered li+bs-
I3nd it proves ,hatH That they2re gonnaKI 8static8 Iit to
usH "hit even i. they don't have a cure they2ve probably convinced
a bunch o. their buddies that they do 9ust so ,e ,on2t beKI
#olan2s voice .ades out-
>ubin says so+ething on open channel- 0larke can2t +ake out
the ,ords- The beeping in her head see+s +ore urgent no,
although she kno,s that2s i+possibleF the a+bient hiss is dro,ning
that signal along ,ith all the others-
#olan again: I?uck o.. Ben- 4hy ,e ever listeK youKcan2t
even outs+artKing corpKI
"tatic pure and rando+- >ight rising belo,- 3irlock "ix is
dead ahead and all the static in the ,orld can2t dro,n out the
single presence ,aiting behind it-
0larke can tell by the guilt- There2s only one other person do,n
here ,ith so t,isted a .ootprint-
1AP5,SM
/o,an pulls open the airlock be.ore it2s even .inished draining-
"ea,ater cascades around 0larke2s ankles into the ,et roo+-
0larke strips o.. her .ins and steps clear o. the lock- "he leaves
the rest o. her uni.or+ in place presents the usual shado,-sel.F
only her .ace .lap is unsealed- /o,an stands aside to let her pass-
0larke slings the .ins securely across her back and pans the spartan
co+part+ent- There2s not a link o. presh+esh to be seen-
#or+ally one ,hole bulkhead ,ould be lined ,ith diving ar+or-
I;o, +any have you lostHI she asks so.tly-
I4e don2t kno, yet- More than these-I
1mall potatoes 0larke re.lects- 7or both o" us.
!ut the war is still young2
I! honestly didn2t kno,I /o,an says-
There2s no second sight here in the near-vacuu+ o. a sea-level
at+osphere- 0larke says nothing-
IThey didn2t trust +e- They still don2t-I /o,an2s eyes .licker to
a .leck o. brightness up ,here the bulkhead +eets the ceiling: a
pinhead lens- Just a .e, days ago be.ore the corpses spined up
again ri.ters ,ould have ,atched events un.old through that
circuit- #o, /o,an2s o,n kind ,ill be keeping tabs-
"he stares at the ri.ter ,ith a strange curious intensity that
0larke has never seen be.ore- !t takes 0larke a +o+ent to
recogniCe ,hat2s changedF .or the .irst ti+e in 0larke2s +e+ory
/o,an2s eyes have gone dark- The .eeds to her 0onTacs have
been shut o.. her gaCe stripped o. co++entary or distraction-
There2s nothing in there no, but her-
3 leash and collar could hardly convey a clearer +essage-
I0o+e onI /o,an says- IThey2re in one o. the labs-I
0larke .ollo,s her out o. the ,et roo+- They turn right do,n a
corridor su..used in bright pink light- D+ergency lighting she
realiCesF her eyecaps boost it to idiotic nursery a+bience- /o,an2s
eyes ,ill be serving up the di+ insides o. a tube blood-red like the
per.used viscera o. so+e +an-eating +onster-
They turn le.t at a t-9unction step across the yello,9acket
striping o. a dropgate-
I"o ,hat2s the catchHI she asks- The corpses aren2t going to 9ust
hand over their only leverage ,ith no strings attached-
/o,an doesn2t look back- IThey didn2t tell +e-I
3nother corner- They pass an e+ergency docking hatch set into
the outer bulkheadF a s+attering o. valves and readouts dis.igure
the ,all to one side- ?or a +o+ent 0larke ,onders i. 3arpodon is
a..ixed to the other side but no- 4rong section-
"uddenly /o,an stops and turns-
I>enie i. anything should8I
"o+ething kicks 3tlantis in the side- "o+e,here behind the+
+etal +asses collide ,ith a crash-
The pink lights .licker-
I4ha8I
3nother kick harder this ti+e- The deck 9u+ps: 0larke
stu+bles to the sa+e sound o. +etal on +etal and this ti+e
recogniCes it: the dropgates-
The lights go out-
I<at ,hat the .uck are your peo8I
I#ot +ine-I /o,an2s voice tre+bles in the darkness-
"he hovers a +eter a,ay an indistinct silhouette dark gray on
black-
*o commotion 0larke notes- *o shouting$ nobody running
down the halls$ no intercom...
!t2s so 7uiet it2s al+ost peace.ul-
IThey2ve cut us o..I /o,an says- ;er edges have resolved
still not +uch detail but the corpse2s shape is clearer no, at least-
;ints and glints o. the bulkheads are co+ing into vie, as ,ell-
0larke looks around .or the light source and spies a constellation
o. pale ,inking pinpoints a .e, +eters behind the+- The docking
hatch-
I*id you hear +eH >enieHI /o,an2s voice is leaving ,orried
and approaching .rantic- I3re you thereHI
I/ight here-I 0larke reaches out and touches the corpse lightly
on the ar+- /o,an2s ghostly shape startles brie.ly at the contact-
I*o you8are you8I
I! don2t kno, <at- ! ,asn2t expecting this either-I
IThey2ve cut us o..- :ou hear the dropgates .allH They hulled
us- The bastards hulled us- 3head and behind- 4e2re .looded on
both sides- 4e2re trapped-I
IThey didn2t hull this seg+ent thoughI 0larke points out-
IThey2re trying to contain us not kill us-I
I! ,ouldn2t bet on itI says one o. the bulkheads-
Blind /o,an 9u+ps in the darkness-
I3s a +atter o. .actI the bulkhead continues I,e are going to
kill the corpse-I !t speaks in a tinny vibrato thick ,ith distortion:
a voice +utilated t,ice in succession once by vocoder once by
li+petphone stuck to the outside o. the hull- !nanely 0larke
,onders i. she sounded this bad to 3lyx-
"he can2t tell ,ho it is- "he thinks the voice is .e+ale-
IAraceHI
IThey ,eren2t going to give you shit >enie- They don2t have
shit to give you- They ,ere .ishing .or hostages and you ,ent
a+bling innocently into their trap- But ,e look a.ter our o,n-
Dven you ,e look a.ter-I
I4hat the .uck are you talking aboutH ;o, do you kno,HI
I;o, do ,e knowHI The bulkhead vibrates like a great Je,2s
harp- I)ou're the one that sho,ed us ho, to tune inN 3nd it
,orks s,eetie it ,orks like sex and ,e2re reading a ,hole bunch
o. those stu+p.ucks do,n in the +edlab and believe +e the guilt is
9ust oo5ing across that hull- By the ,ay i. ! ,ere you !2d seal up
+y diveskin- :ou2re about to be rescued-I
IArace ,aitN ;ang on a secondNI 0larke turns to the corpse-
I<atHI
/o,an isn2t shaking her head- /o,an isn2t speaking up in angry
denial- /o,an isn2t doing any o. the things that an innocent person
8or even a guilty one .or that +atter8should be doing ,hen
threatened ,ith death-
I<at you8.uck no don2t tell +e you8I
IO. course ! didn2t >enie- But it +akes sense doesn2t itH They
tricked us bothKI
"o+ething clanks against the hull-
IWait%I 0larke stares at the ceiling at the ,alls but her
adversary is invisible and untouchable- I<at2s not part o. thisNI
I/ight- ! heard-I 3 gargling +etal-shredding sound that +ight
be laughter- I"he2s the head o. the .ucking board o. directors and
she didn2t kno, anything- ! believe that-I
ITune her in thenN "ee .or yoursel.NI
IThe thing is >en us novices aren2t that good at tuning in
singles- "ignal2s too ,eak- "o it ,ouldn2t prove +uch- "ay bye-
bye <attie-I
IByeI /o,an ,hispers- "o+ething on the other side o. the
bulkhead begins ,hining-
I7uck you *olan$ you back o"" right now or & swear &'ll kill you
mysel"% #o you hear me+ Pat didn't know% 1he's no more in
control than.I
.than & am she al+ost says but suddenly there2s a ne, light
source here in the corridor a single cri+son point- !t .lares
blindingly intense even to >enie 0larke2s bleached vision and dies
in the next instant-
The ,orld explodes ,ith the sound o. pounding +etal-
/o,an2s silhouette has .olded do,n into a cringing shape in the
corner- "o+ething2s slicing across 0larke2s darkened .ield o. vie,
like a roaring ,hite laser- Water she realiCes a.ter a +o+ent-
4ater .orced through a little hole in the ceiling by the ,eight o. an
ocean- !. she ,ere to pass her ar+ through that pencil-thin strea+
it ,ould shear right o..-
!n seconds the ,ater2s up to her ankles-
"he starts to,ards /o,an desperate to do so+ething kno,ing
there2s nothing le.t to do- The co+part+ent glo,s sudden sullen
red: another eye ,inks on the outer ,all- !t opens and goes dark
and a second thread o. killing sea drills the air- /icochets spray
back .ro+ the inner ,all like li7uid shrapnel: needle-sharp pain
explodes in 0larke2s shoulder- "uddenly she2s on her back ,ater
closing over her .ace her skull ringing .ro+ its i+pact ,ith the
deck-
"he rolls onto her sto+ach pushes hersel. up onto all .ours-
The ,ater rises past her elbo,s as she ,atches- "he stays lo,
cra,ls across the corridor to /o,an2s huddled .or+- 3 hundred
lethal vectors o. incidence and re.lection crisscross overhead-
/o,an2s slu+ped against the inner ,all i++ersed in ice,ater to
her chest- ;er head hangs .or,ard her hair covering her .ace-
0larke li.ts her chinF there2s a dark streak across one cheek black
and .eatureless in the i+poverished light- !t .lo,s: shrapnel hit-
/o,an2s .ace is opa7ue- ;er naked eyes are ,ide but unseeing:
the .e, stray photons .ro+ do,n the tunnel don2t co+e close to the
threshold .or unassisted sight- There2s nothing in /o,an2s .ace but
sound and pain and .reeCing cold-
I<atNI 0larke can hardly hear her o,n voice over the roar-
The ,ater rises past /o,an2s lips- 0larke grabs the other
,o+an under the ar+s heaves her into a se+i-erect lean against
the bulkhead- 3 ricochet shatters a .e, centi+eters to the le.t-
0larke puts hersel. bet,een /o,an and the ,orst o. the
backshatter-
IPat%I "he doesn2t kno, ,hat she expects the corpse to say in
response- <atricia /o,an is already deadF all that2s le.t is .or
>enie 0larke to stand and ,atch ,hile she goes through the
+otions- But /o,an is saying so+ethingF 0larke can2t hear a
thing over the a+bient roar but she can see /o,an2s lips +ove
she can al+ost +ake out8
3 sudden stabbing pain a kick in the back- 0larke keeps her
balance this ti+eF the ,ater pooled over hal.,ay to the ceiling
no, is catching the ,orst o. the ricochets-
/o,an2s +outh is still in +otion- "he2s not speaking 0larke
sees: "he2s +outhing syllables slo, care.ul exaggerations +eant
to be seen and not heard:
Alyx2Take care o" Alyx...
The ,ater2s caught up to her chin again-
0larke2s hands .ind /o,an2s guide the+ up- 4ith /o,an2s
hands on her .ace 0larke nods-
!n her personal endless darkness <atricia /o,an nods back-
Ken could help you now- 3e could keep it "rom hurting maybe$
he could kill you instantly. & can't. & don't know how...
&'m sorry.
The ,ater2s too deep to stand in no,8/o,an2s .eebly treading
,ater although her li+bs +ust be .roCen al+ost to paralysis- !t2s a
pointless e..ort a brainste+ e..ortF last duties discharged last
options exhausted still the body grabs .or those last .e, seconds
brie. su..ering still so+eho, better than endless nonexistence-
"he +ay escape dro,ning though even i. she can2t escape
death- The rising ,ater co+presses the at+osphere around the+
s7ueeCes it so hard that oxygen itsel. turns toxic- The convulsions
0larke2s heard are not necessarily pain.ulK
!t2s a .ate that ,ill strike 0larke as 7uickly as /o,an i. she
,aits too long- !t see+s ,rong to save hersel. ,hile /o,an gasps
.or breath- But 0larke has her o,n brainste+ and it ,on2t let sick
irrational guilt stand in the ,ay o. its o,n preservation- "he
,atches as her hands +ove o. their o,n accord sealing her .ace
.lap starting up the +achinery in her .lesh- "he abandons /o,an
to .ace her .ate alone- ;er body .loods like the corridor but to
opposite e..ect- The ocean slides through her chest sustaining li.e
instead o. stealing it- "he beco+es the +er+aid again ,hile her
.riend dies be.ore her eyes-
But /o,an2s not giving up not yet not yet- The body isn2t
resigned no +atter ,hat the +ind +ay have accepted- There2s 9ust
a s+all pocket o. air up near the ceiling but the corpse2s sti..
clu+sy legs are still kicking hands still cla,ing against the pipes
and why doesn't she just "ucking give up+
3+bient pressure kicks past so+e critical threshold- Gnleashed
neurotrans+itters sing through the ,iring in her head- "uddenly
>enie 0larke is in <atricia /o,an2s +ind- >enie 0larke is learning
ho, it .eels to die-
(oddamn you Pat$ why can't you just give up+ 3ow can you do
this to me+
"he sinks to the botto+ o. the co+part+ent- "he stares
resolutely at the deck her eyelids pinned open ,hile the s,irling
turbulence .ades by degrees and the roar o. inrushing ,ater dies
back and all that2s le.t is that so.t erratic scratching that pathetic
.eeble cla,ing o. .roCen .lesh against biosteelK
Dventually the sound o. struggling stops- The vicarious
anguish the sadness and regret go on a little longer- >enie 0larke
,aits until the last little bit o. <atricia /o,an dies in her head- "he
lets the silence stretch be.ore tripping her vocoder-
IArace- 0an you hear +eHI
;er +echanical voice is passionless and dead level-
I0ourse you can- !2+ going to .ucking kill you Arace-I
;er .ins .loat o.. to one side still loosely tethered to her
diveskin- 0larke retrieves the+ pulls the+ over her .eet-
IThere2s a docking hatch right in .ront o. +e Arace- !2+ going
to open it and !2+ going to co+e out there and !2+ going to gut
you like a .ish- !. ! ,ere you !2d start s,i++ing-I
Maybe she already has- 3t any rate there2s no ans,er-
0larke kicks do,n the corridor gaCe .ixed i++ovably on the
docking hatch- !ts sparkling +osaic o. readouts un7uenchable
even by the 3tlantic itsel. lights her ,ay-
IAot your head start AraceH 4on2t do you any good-I
"o+ething so.t bu+ps into her .ro+ behind- 0larke .linches
,ills hersel. not to look-
I/eady or not here ! co+e-I
"he undogs the hatch-
5A7
There2s nobody out there-
They2ve le.t evidence behind8a couple o. point-,elders still
s7uatting against the hull on tripod legs the li+pet transceiver
stuck to the alloy a .e, +eters a,ay8but o. #olan and any other
perpetrators there2s no sign- 0larke s+iles gri+ly to hersel.-
,et them run-
But she can2t .ind anyone else either- #one o. >ubin2s sentries
at their assigned posts- #obody +onitoring the surveillance
li+pets .estooning 3tlantis in the ,ake o. the 0orpses2 exercise in
channel-s,itching- "he .lies over the very +edlab on ,hich she2s
been assured any nu+ber o. ri.ter troops are .ine-tuning the
,ould-be hostage-takers lurking ,ithin- #othing- Aantries and
habslabs and shado,s- Blinking lights in so+e places recent
darkness in others ,here the beacons or the portholes have been
s+ashed or blacked out- Dpochal darkness every,here else-
#o other ri.ters any,here-
/aybe the corpses had some weapon$ something even Ken
didn't suspect. /aybe they touched a button and everyone just
vanished2
But no- "he can .eel the corpses inside their .ear and
apprehension and blind pants-pissing desperation radiating a good
ten +eters into the ,ater- #ot the kind o. .eelings you2d expect in
the ,ake o. over,hel+ing victory- !. the corpses even kno,
,hat2s going on it2s not +aking the+ .eel any better-
"he kicks o.. into the abyss heading .or >ubin2s nerve hab-
#o, .inally she can tune in .aint stirrings .ro+ the ,ater ahead-
But no: it2s 9ust +ore o. the sa+e- More .ear +ore uncertainty-
;o, can she still be reading 3tlantis .ro+ this rangeH ;o, can
these sensations be getting stronger as the corpses recede behind
herH
!t2s not +uch o. a +ystery- <retending other,ise barely brings
enough co+.ort to 9usti.y the e..ort-
?aint >?3M chatter rises in the ,ater around her- #ot +uch
consideringF by no, she can .eel doCens o. ri.ters all subdued all
a.raid- ;ardly any o. the+ speak aloud- 3 constellation o. di+
stars pulses .aintly ahead- "o+eone crosses 0larke2s path ten or
.i.teen +eters ahead invisible but .or a brie. eclipse o. running
lights- ;is +ind 7uails ,ashing over hers-
"o +any o. the+ have collected around the hab- They +ill
about like stunned .ish or +erely hang +otionless in the ,ater
,aiting- Maybe this is all there is +aybe these are all the ri.ters
le.t in the ,orld- 3pprehension hangs about the+ like a cloud-
<erhaps Arace #olan is here- 0larke .eels cold cleansing anger
at the prospect- 3 doCen ri.ters turn at her thoughts and stare ,ith
dead ,hite eyes-
I4hat2s going onHI 0larke buCCes- I4here is sheHI
I?uck o.. >en- 4e2ve got bigger proble+s right no,-I "he
doesn2t recogniCe the speaker-
0larke s,i+s to,ard the habF +ost o. the ri.ters part .or her-
;al. a doCen block her ,ay- Ao+eC- 0ra+er- Others in back too
black and distant to recogniCe in the brainste+ a+bience-
I!s she in thereHI 0larke says-
I:ou back o..I 0ra+er tells her- I:ou not be giving no orders
here-I
IOh !2+ not ordering anybody- !t2s co+pletely up to you- :ou
can either get out o. +y ,ay or try and stop +e-I
I!s that >enieHI >ubin2s voice air-nor+al channel-
I:eahI 0ra+er buCCes a.ter a +o+ent- I"he be pretty8I
I>et her inI >ubin says-
!t2s a private party by invitation only- Ben >ubin- Jelaine 0hen
and *i+itri 3lexander- 3vril ;opkinson-
Arace #olan-
>ubin doesn2t even look around as 0larke cli+bs up .ro+ the
,et roo+- I*eal ,ith it later- 4e need you in on this >en but ,e
need Arace too- Dither o. you lays a hand on the other !2ll take +y
o,n +easures-I
IGnderstoodI #olan says evenly-
0larke looks at her and says nothing-
I"o-I >ubin returns his attention to the +onitor- I4here ,ere
,eHI
I!2+ pretty sure it didn2t see usI 0hen says- I!t ,as too
preoccupied ,ith the site itsel. and that +odel doesn2t have
,raparound vision-I "he taps the screen t,ice in 7uick successionF
the i+age at its center .reeCes and Coo+s-
!t looks like your garden-variety s7uid but ,ith a couple o.
+anipulator ar+s at the .ront end and no to,bar at the back- 3n
3G@ o. so+e kind- !t2s obviously not .ro+ around here-
;opkinson sucks breath through clenched teeth- IThat2s it then-
They .ound us-I
IMaybe notI 0hen says- I:ou can2t teleop so+ething that
deep not in that kind o. terrain- !t had to be running on its o,n-
4hoever sent it ,ouldn2t kno, ,hat it .ound until it got back to
the sur.ace-I
IOr until it doesn2t report back on schedule-I
0hen shrugs- I!t2s a big dangerous ocean- !t doesn2t co+e
back they chalk it up to a +udslide or a .aulty nav chip- #o
reason to suspect ,e had anything to do ,ith it-I
;opkinson shakes her head- I#o reasonH 4hat2s an 3G@ even
doing do,n here i. not looking .or usHI
I!t ,ould be a pretty a+aCing coincidenceI 3lexander agrees-
>ubin reaches .or,ard and taps the screen- The i+age de-
Coo+s and continues playing ,here it le.t o..- 3crony+s and
nu+bers cluster along the botto+ edge o. the screen shi.ting and
shu..ling as the tele+etry changes-
The 3G@2s .loating a .e, +eters .ro+ the shore o. !+possible
>ake 9ust above the sur.ace- One ar+ extends dips a .inger across
the halocline pulls back as i. startled-
I>ook at thatI #olan says- I!t2s scared o. hypersaline-I
The little robot +oves a .e, +eters into the haCy distance and
tries again-
I3nd it ,asn2t a,are o. you any o. this ti+eHI >ubin asks-
3lexander shakes his head- I#ot until later- >ike >aney said it
,as too busy checking out the site-I
I:ou got .ootage o. thatHI #olan again like she doesn2t have a
care in the ,orld- >ike she isn2t living on borro,ed ti+e-
IJust a .e, seconds back at the start- /eal +uddy it doesn2t
sho, +uch- 4e didn2t ,ant to get too close .or obvious reasons-I
I:et you sonared it repeatedlyI >ubin re+arks-
0hen shrugs- I"ee+ed like the lesser o. t,o evils- 4e had to
get some track on ,hat it ,as doing- Better than letting it see us-I
I3nd i. it triangulated on your pingsHI
I4e kept +oving- Aapped the pings nice and ,ide- The +ost
it could2ve kno,n ,as that so+ething ,as scanning the ,ater
colu+n and ,e2ve got a couple o. things out there that do that
any,ay-I 0hen gestures at the screen a little de.ensively- I!t2s all
there in the track-I
>ubin grunts-
IOkay here2s ,here it happensI 3lexander says- I3bout thirty
seconds .ro+ no,-I
The 3G@ is .ading in the haCe apparently heading to,ards one
o. the .e, streetlights that actually pokes above the sur.ace o.
!+possible >ake- Just be.ore it disappears entirely a black +ass
eclipses the vie,F so+e ragged outcrop intruding .ro+ the le.t-
#o circles o. light play across that sur.ace even though the sub is
obviously +ere +eters a,ayF 0hen and 3lexander are running
dark hiding behind the local topography- The vie, on the screen
tilts and bobs as their sub +aneuvers around the rocks: dark
shado,s on darker ones barely visible in the di+ light
backscattered around corners-
3lexander leans .or,ard- I;ere it co+esKI
>ight ahead and to the rightF the .ar end o. the outcropping cuts
the edges o. that brightening haCe like a 9u+ble o. black shattered
glass- The sub throttles back +oves .or,ard +ore cautiously
no, edges into the light8
8and nearly collides ,ith the 3G@ co+ing the other ,ay-
T,o o. the tele+etry acrony+s turn bright red and start
.lashing- There2s no sound in the playback but 0larke can i+agine
sirens in the sub2s cockpit- ?or an instant the 3G@ 9ust sits thereF
0larke s,ears she sees its stereoca+ irises go ,ide- Then it spins
a,ay8to continue its survey or to run like hell depending on ho,
s+art it is-
They2ll never kno,- Because that2s ,hen so+ething shoots into
vie, .ro+ belo, ca+era range an elongate streak like a 9et o. gray
ink- !t hits the 3G@ in +id-spin splashes out and ,raps around it
shrinks do,n around its prey like an elastic spider,eb- The 3G@
pulls against the restraints but the trailing ends o. the +esh are still
connected to the sub by a springy .ila+entous tether-
0larke has never seen a cannon net in operation be.ore- !t2s
pretty cool-
I"o that2s itI 3lexander says as the i+age .reeCes- I4e2re 9ust
lucky ,e ran into it be.ore ,e2d used up the net on one o. your
+onster .ish-I
I4e2re lucky ! thought to use the net tooI 0hen adds- I4ho2da
thunk it ,ould co+e in so handyHI "he .ro,ns and adds I,ish !
kne, ,hat tipped the little beast o.. though-I
I:ou ,ere +ovingI >ubin tells her-
I:eah o. course- To keep it .ro+ getting a .ix on our sonar
signals like you said-I
I!t .ollo,ed your engine noise-I
3 little o. the cockiness drains .ro+ 0hen2s posture-
I"o ,e2ve got itI 0larke says- I/ight no,-I
I*ebbie2s taking it apart no,I >ubin says- I!t ,asn2t booby-
trapped at least- "he says ,e can probably get into its +e+ory i.
there isn2t any serious crypto-I
;opkinson looks a bit +ore cheer.ul- I"eriouslyH 4e can 9ust
give it a+nesia and send it on its ,ayHI
!t sounds too good to be true- >ubin2s look con.ir+s it-
I4hatHI ;opkinson says- I4e .ake the data strea+ it goes
back ho+e and tells its +o+ there2s nothing do,n here but +ud
and star.ishies- 4hat2s the proble+HI
I;o, o.ten do ,e go out thereHI >ubin asks her-
I4hat to the >akeH Maybe once or t,ice a ,eek not counting
all the ti+es ,e ,ent out to set the place up-I
IThat2s a very sparse schedule-I
I!t2s all ,e need until the seis+ic data2s in-I
The dread in 0larke2s sto+ach8belayed a .e, +o+ents ago
,hen the conversation turned to the hope o. .alse +e+ory8co+es
back like a tide t,ice as cold as be.ore- I1hit$I she ,hispers-
I:ou2re talking about the odds-I
>ubin nods- IThere2s virtually no chance ,e2d 9ust happen to be
in the area the very .irst ti+e that thing ca+e calling-I
I"o this isn2t the .irst ti+e- !t2s been do,n there be.oreI 0larke
says-
I"everal ti+es at least !2d guess- !t +ay have been to
!+possible >ake +ore o.ten than we have-I >ubin looks around at
the others- I"o+eone2s already on to us- !. ,e send this thing
back ,ith no record o. the site ,e2ll si+ply be telling the+ that ,e
know that-I
I?uckI #olan says in a shaky voice- I4e2re sockeye- ?ive
years- 4e2re co+plete sockeye-I
?or once 0larke2s inclined to agree ,ith her-
I#ot necessarilyI >ubin says- I! don2t think they2ve .ound us
yet-I
IAullshit- :ou said yoursel. +onths ago years even8I
IThey haven't "ound us.I >ubin speaks ,ith that level overly-
controlled voice that speaks o. thinning patience- #olan
i++ediately shuts up-
I4hat they have .oundI >ubin continues a.ter a +o+ent Iis a
grid o. lights seis+ic recorders and survey sticks- ?or all they
kno, it2s the re+ains o. so+e aborted +ining operation-I 0hen
opens her +outh: >ubin raises a pal+ pre-e+pting her-
I<ersonally ! don2t believe that- !. they2ve got reason to look .or us
in this vicinity they2ll +ost likely assu+e that ,e2re behind
anything they discover-
IBut at +ost the >ake only tells the+ that they2re so+e,here in
the ballpark-I >ubin s+iles .aintly- IThat they areF ,e2re only
t,enty kilo+eters a,ay- T,enty pitch-black kilo+eters through
the +ost extre+e topography on the planet- !. that2s all they have
to go on they2ll never .ind us-I
IGntil they send so+ething do,n to 9ust sit 7uiet and ,ait .or
usI ;opkinson says unconvinced- IThen .ollo, us back-I
IMaybe they already haveI 0larke suggests-
I#o alar+sI 0hen re+inds her-
0larke re+e+bers: there are transponders in every hab every
drone and vehicle do,n here- They talk nicely enough to each
other but they2ll screa+ to ,ake the dead should sonar touch
anything that doesn2t kno, the local dialect- 0larke hasn2t thought
about the+ .or yearsF they hail .ro+ the early days o. exile ,hen
.ear o. discovery lay like a leaden hand on everyone2s +ind- But
in all this ti+e the only ene+ies they2ve .ound have been each
other-
I"trange they haven2t tried thoughI 0larke says- !t see+s like
an obvious thing to do-
IMaybe they tried and lost usI ;opkinson suggests- I!. they
got too close ,e2d see the+ and there2s spots along that route
,here sonar barely gives you sixty +eters line-o.-sight-I
IMaybe they don2t have the resourcesI 3lexander says
hope.ully- IMaybe it2s 9ust a couple o. guys on a boat ,ith a
treasure +ap-I
#olan: IMaybe they 9ust haven2t got around to it yet-I
IOr +aybe they don2t have toI >ubin says-
I4hat you +ean---I "o+ething da,ns on ;opkinson2s .ace-
IPest controlHI
>ubin nods-
"ilence .alls around the i+plications- 4hy spend valuable
resources ac7uiring and .ollo,ing your target through territory
,hich +ight be saturated ,ith trip,iresH 4hy risk giving yoursel.
a,ay ,hen it2s cheaper and si+pler to trick your ene+ies into
poisoning their o,n ,ellH
I"hitI ;opkinson breathes- I>ike leaving poisoned .ood out
.or the ants so they bring it back to the 7ueenKI
3lexander2s nodding- I3nd that2s ,here it ca+e .ro+K
ehe+oth ,as never supposed to sho, up any,here around here
and all o. a sudden 9ust like +agicKI
I-+ax ca+e .ro+ godda+ned AtlantisI #olan snaps- I?or all
,e kno, the strain out at the >ake2s 9ust baseline- 4e2ve only got
the corpses2 say-so that it isn2t-I
I:eah but even the baseline strain ,asn2t supposed to sho, up
out there8I
IAm & the only one who remembers the corpses built the
baseline in the "irst place+I #olan glares around the roo+ ,hite
eyes blaCing- I/o,an admitted it .or 0hrissakesNI
;er gaCe settles on 0larke pure anti+atter- 0larke .eels her
hands bunching into .ists at her side .eels the corner o. her +outh
pull back in a s+all sneer- #one o. her body language she
realiCes is intended to de.use the situation-
7uck it she decides and takes one provocative step .or,ard-
IOh rightI #olan says and charges-
>ubin +oves- !t see+s so e..ortless- One instant he2s sitting at
the consoleF the next #olan2s cru+pling to the deck like a broken
doll- !n the barely-perceptible ti+e bet,een 0larke thinks she sa,
>ubin rising .ro+ his chair thinks she gli+psed his elbo, in
#olan2s diaphrag+ and his knee in her back- "he +ay have even
heard so+ething like the snapping o. a tree branch across
so+eone2s leg- #o, her rival lies .lat on her back +otionless but
.or a sudden +anic .luttering o. .ingers and eyelids-
Dveryone else has turned to stone-
>ubin pans across those still standing- I4e are con.ronted ,ith
a co++on threat- #o +atter ,here -+ax ca+e .ro+ ,e2re
unlikely to cure it ,ithout the corpses2s help no, that Bhanderi2s
dead- The corpses also have relevant expertise in other areas-I
#olan gurgles at their .eet her ar+s in vague +otion her legs
conspicuously i++obile-
I?or exa+pleI >ubin continues IArace2s back is broken at the
third lu+bar vertebra- 4ithout help .ro+ 3tlantis she2ll spend the
rest o. her li.e paralysed .ro+ the ,aist do,n-I
0hen blanches- I8esus BenNI "hocked .ro+ her paralysis she
kneels at #olan2s side-
I!t ,ould be un,ise to +ove her ,ithout a coccoonI >ubin
says so.tly- I<erhaps *i+itri could scare one up-I
!t only sounds like a suggestion- The airlock2s cycling in
seconds-
I3s .or the rest o. you good peopleI >ubin re+arks in the sa+e
even tone I! trust you can see that the situation has changed and
that cooperation ,ith 3tlantis is no, in our best interest-I
They probably see exactly ,hat 0larke does: a +an ,ho
,ithout a second thought has 9ust snapped the spine o. his o,n
lieutenant to ,in an argu+ent- 0larke stares do,n at her
van7uished ene+y- *espite the open eyes and the t,itches #olan
doesn2t see+ entirely conscious-
Take that$ murderer. 1tump"ucking shit'licking cunt. #oes it
hurt$ s,eetie+ *ot enough. *ot nearly enough.
But the exultation is .orced- "he re+e+bers ho, she .elt as
/o,an died ho, she .elt a.ter,ard: cold killing rage the
absolute stone certainty that #olan ,as going to pay ,ith her li.e-
3nd yet here she lies helpless broken by so+eone else2s hand--
and so+eho, there2s only charred e+ptiness ,here rage burned
incandescent less than an hour be.ore-
& could "inish the job she re.lects- &" Ken didn't stop me.
!s she so disloyal to the +e+ory o. her .riend that she takes so
little pleasure in thisH ;as the sudden .ear o. discovery si+ply
eclipsed her rage or is it the sa+e old excuse8that >enie 0larke
gorged on revenge .or a thousand li.eti+es has lost the sto+ach
.or itH
7ive years ago & didn't care i" millions o" innocents died- *ow
&'m too much o" a coward even to punish the guilty.
"o+e she i+agined +ight even consider that an
i+prove+ent---
I8are still uncertaintiesI >ubin2s saying back at the console-
IMaybe ,hoever sent the drone is responsible .or -+ax +aybe
not- !. they are they2ve already +ade their +ove- !. not they2re
not ready to +ove- Dven i. they kno, exactly ,here ,e are8and
! think that unlikely8they either don2t have all their pieces in place
yet or they2re biding their ti+e .or so+e other reason-I
;e un.reeCes the nu+bers on the board ,asting no +ore
attention on the thing gurgling on the deck behind hi+-
0hen glances uneasily at #olan but >ubin2s +essage is loud
and clear: &'m in charge. (et over it.
I4hat reasonHI she asks a.ter a +o+ent-
>ubin shrugs-
I;o, +uch ti+e do ,e haveHI
IMore than i. ,e tip our hand-I >ubin .olds his ar+s across his
chest and stretches iso+etrically- Muscles and tendons .lex
disconcertingly beneath his diveskin- I!. they kno, ,e2re on to
the+ they +ay .eel their hand has been .orced +ove no, rather
than later- "o ,e play along to buy ti+e- 4e edit the drone2s
+e+ory and release it ,ith so+e +inor syste+s glitch that ,ould
explain any delay in its return- 4e2ll also have to search the >ake
site .or surveillance devices and cut a grid ,ithin at least a hal.-
kilo+eter o. 3tlantis and the trailer park- >ane2s right: it2s
unlikely that an 3G@ planted those +ines but i. one did there2ll be
a detonator so+e,here ,ithin >?3M range-I
IOkay-I ;opkinson looks a,ay .ro+ her .allen co+rade ,ith
evident e..ort- I"o ,e8,e +ake up ,ith 3tlantis ,e .ake out
the drone and ,e co+b the area .or other nasties- Then ,hatHI
IThen ! go backI >ubin tells her-
I4hat to the >akeHI
>ubin s+iles .aintly- IBack to #23+-I
;opkinson ,histles in tuneless surprise- I4ell ! guess i.
anyone can take the+ onKI
Take on who$ exactly+ 0larke ,onders- #o one asks aloud-
Who is everyone le.t behind- Them- They are dedicated to our
destruction They sni.. along the Mid 3tlantic /idge obsessed in
their endless +yopic search .or that one set o. coordinates to .eed
into their torpedoes-
#o one asks ,hy either- There is no why behind the hunt: it2s
9ust ,hat they do- *on2t go rooting around .or reasons- 3sking
why acco+plishes nothing: there are too +any reasons to count
none o. the living lack .or +otive- This .ractured bipolar
+icrocos+ stagnates and .esters on the ocean .loor every reason
.or its existence reduced to an axio+: 9ust because-
3nd yet ho, +any o. the people here8ho, +any o. the
ri.ters ho, +any even o. the drybacks8 really brought the
curtain do,nH ?or every corpse ,ith blood on her hands ho,
+any others8.a+ily .riends drones ,ho +aintain plu+bing and
+achinery and .lesh8are guilty o. nothing but associationH
3nd i. >enie 0larke hadn2t been so .uriously intent on revenge
that she could ,rite o.. an entire ,orld as an incidental expense
,ould any o. it have co+e to thisH
Alyx /o,an said-
I#o you don2t-I 0larke shakes her head-
>ubin speaks to the screen- IThe +ost ,e can do do,n here is
buy ti+e- 4e have to use that ti+e-I
I:es but8I
I4e2re blind and dea. and under attack- The ruse has .ailed
>enie- 4e need to kno, ,hat ,e2re .acing ,hich +eans ,e have
to "ace it- ;oping .or the best is no longer a viable option-I
I#ot youI 0larke says-
>ubin turns to .ace her one eyebro, raised in silent
co++entary-
"he looks back co+pletely un.aCed- I4e-I
;e re.uses three ti+es be.ore they even get outside-
I"o+eone needs to take charge hereI he insists as the airlock
.loods- I:ou2re the obvious choice- #o one ,ill give you any
trouble no, that Arace has been sidelined-I
0larke .eels a chill in her gut- I!s that ,hat that ,asH "he2d
served her purpose and you ,anted +e back in play so you 9ust8
broke her in hal.HI
I!2d ,ager it2s no ,orse than ,hat you had in +ind .or her-I
&'m going to "ucking kill you$ (race. &'m going to gut you like a
"ish-
I!2+ going-I she says- The hatch drops a,ay beneath the+-
I*o you honestly think you can .orce +e to take youHI ;e
brakes turns kicks out .ro+ under the light-
"he .ollo,s- I*o you think you can a..ord to do this ,ithout
any backup at allHI
IMore than ! can a..ord an untrained sidekick ,ho2s signed up
.or all the ,rong reasons-I
I:ou don2t kno, shit about +y reasons-I
I:ou2ll hold +e backI >ubin buCCes- I! stand +uch better odds
i. ! don2t have to keep ,atching out .or you- !. you get in trouble
8I
IThen you2ll ditch +eI she says- I!n a second- ! kno, ,hat
your battle.ield priorities are- "hit Ben ! know you-I
I/ecent events ,ould suggest other,ise-I
"he stares at hi+ ada+ant- ;e scissors rhyth+ically on into
darkness-
Where's he going+ she ,onders- There's nothing on this
bearing...
I:ou can2t deny that you2re not e7uipped .or this kind o. opI he
points out- I:ou don2t have the training-I
I4hich +ust +ake it pretty e+barrassing .or you given that !
got all the ,ay across #23+ be.ore you and your ar+y and all your
ballyhooed training could even catch up ,ith +e-I "he s+iles
under her +ask not kindlyF he can2t see it but +aybe he can tune
in the senti+ent- I! beat you Ben- Maybe ! ,asn2t nearly as
s+art or as ,ell-trained and +aybe ! didn2t have all o. #23+2s
+uscle backing +e up but ! stayed ahead o. you .or months and
you kno, it-I
I:ou had 7uite a lot o. helpI he points out-
IMaybe ! still do-I
;is rhyth+ .alters- <erhaps he hasn2t thought o. that-
"he takes the opening- IThink about it Ben- 3ll those virtual
viruses getting together +uddying +y tracks running inter.erence
turning +e into a .ucking +ythKI
I3ne+one ,asn2t ,orking .or youI he buCCes- I!t ,as using
you- :ou ,ere 9ust8I
I3 tool- 3 +e+e in a plan .or Alobal 3pocalypse- Aive +e a
break Ben it2s not like ! could .orget that shit even i. ! tried- But
so ,hatH ! ,as still the vector- !t ,as looking out .or me- !t liked
+e enough to keep you lot o.. +y back any,ay- 4ho2s to say it
isn2t still out thereH 4here else do those so.t,are de+ons co+e
.ro+H :ou think it2s a coincidence they na+e the+selves a.ter
+eHI
Barely discernible his silhouette extends an ar+- 0lick trains
spray the ,ater- ;e starts o.. again his bearing slightly altered-
I3re you suggestingI he buCCes Ithat i. you go back and
announce yoursel. to 3ne+one8,hatever2s beco+e o. it8that it2s
going to thro, so+e sort o. +agic shield around youHI
IMaybe n8I
I!t2s changed- !t ,as always changing .ro+ +o+ent to
+o+ent- !t couldn2t possibly have survived the ,ay ,e re+e+ber
it and i. the things ,e2ve encountered recently are any indication
o. ,hat it2s turned into you don2t ,ant to rene, the ac7uaintance-I
IMaybeI 0larke ad+its- IBut +aybe so+e part o. its basic
agenda hasn't changed- !t2s alive rightH That2s ,hat everyone
keeps saying- *oesn2t +atter that it ,as built out o. electrons
instead o. carbon ,i"e's just sel"'replicating in"ormation shaped
by natural selection so it2s in the club- 3nd we've got genes in us
that haven2t changed in a +illion generations- 4hy should this
thing be any di..erentH ;o, do you kno, there isn2t so+e protect-
>enie subroutine snooCing in the code so+e,hereH 3nd by the
,ay ,here the .uck are ,e goingHI
>ubin2s headla+p spikes to .ull intensity lays a bright 9iggling
oval on the substrate ahead- IThere-I
!t2s a patch o. bone-gray +ud like any other- "he can2t see so
+uch as a pebble to distinguish it-
/aybe it's a burial plot she thinks suddenly giddy- /aybe
this is where he's been "eeding his habit all these years$ on
devolved natives and /&As and now on the stupid little girl who
wouldn't take no "or an answer...
>ubin thrusts one ar+ into the ooCe- The +ud shudders around
his shoulder as i. so+ething beneath ,ere pushing back- 4hich is
exactly ,hat2s happeningF Ben2s a,akened so+ething under the
sur.ace- ;e pulls his ar+ back up and the thing .ollo,s heaving
into vie,- 0lu+ps and chalky clouds cascade .ro+ its sides as it
clears the substrate-
!t2s a s,ollen torus about a +eter and a hal. ,ide- 3 dotted line
o. hydraulic noCCles ring its e7uator- T,o layers o. .lexible
,ebbing stretch across the hole in its center one on top one on the
botto+F a du..le bag haphaCardly stu..ed ,ith lu+py ob9ects
occupies the space bet,een- Through the billo,ing +urk and
behind clu+ps o. +ud still adhering to its sur.ace it shines slick as
a diveskin-
I! packed a .e, things a,ay .or a return tripI >ubin buCCes-
I3s a precaution-I
;e sculls back,ard a .e, +eters- The +echanical bellhop
spins a 7uarter-turn spits +uddy ,ater .ro+ its thrusters and
heels-
They start back-
I"o that2s your planI >ubin buCCes a.ter a ,hile- I?ind
so+ething that evolved to help you destroy the ,orld hope that it2s
got a better nature you can appeal to and8I
I3nd ,ake the .ucker ,ith a kissI 0larke .inishes- I4ho2s to
say ! can2tHI
;e s,i+s on to,ards the glo, that2s 9ust starting to brighten
the ,ay ahead- ;is eyes re.lect crescents o. di+ light-
I! guess ,e2ll .ind outI he says at last-
9/+)./M
"he2d avoid it altogether i. she could-
There2s +ore than su..icient excuse- The recent ar+istice is
thin and brittleF it2s in little danger o. shattering co+pletely in the
.ace o. this ne, co++on threat but countless tiny cracks and
punctures re7uire constant attention- "uddenly the corpses have
leverage expertise that +ere +achinery cannot duplicateF the
ri.ters are not especially happy ,ith the ne, assertiveness o. their
one-ti+e prisoners- !+possible >ake +ust be s,ept .or bugs the
local seabed .or eyes and detonators- ?or no, there truly is no sa.e
place8and i. >enie 0larke ,ere not busy packing .or the trip
back her eyes ,ould be needed .or peri+eter patrol- *oCens o.
corpses died in the latest insurrectionF there2s hardly ti+e to
co+.ort all the next o. kin-
3nd yet 3lyx2s +other died in her ar+s +ere days ago and
though the pace o. preparation has not slo,ed in all that ti+e
>enie 0larke still .eels like the lo,est sort o. co,ard .or having
put it o.. this long-
"he thu+bs the buCCer in the corridor- I>exHI
I0o+e in-I
3lyx is sitting on her bed practicing her .ingering- "he puts the
.lute aside as >enie closes the hatch behind her- "he isn2t crying:
she2s either still in shock or a victi+ o. superadolescent sel.-
control- 0larke sees hersel. at .i.teen be.ore re+e+bering: her
+e+ories o. that ti+e are all lies-
;er heart goes out to the girl any,ay- "he ,ants to scoop 3lyx
up in her ar+s and hold her into the next +illenniu+- "he ,ants to
say she2s been there she kno,s ,hat it2s likeF and that2s even true
in a .ractured kind o. ,ay- "he2s lost .riends and lovers to
violence- "he even lost her +other8to tulare+ia8although the
A3 stripped that +e+ory out o. her head along ,ith all the others-
But she kno,s it2s not the sa+e- 3lyx2s +other died in a ,ar and
>enie 0larke .ought on the other side- 0larke doesn2t kno, that
3lyx ,ould ,elco+e an e+brace under these conditions-
"o she sits beside her on the bed and rests one hand on the
girl2s thigh8ready to ,ithdra, at the slightest .linch8and tries to
think o. so+e ,ords any ,ords that ,on2t turn into clichQs ,hen
spoken aloud-
"he2s still trying ,hen 3lyx says I*id she say anythingH
Be.ore she diedHI
I"he8I 0larke shakes her head- I#o- #ot reallyI she
.inishes hating hersel.-
3lyx nods and stares at the .loor-
IThey say you2re going tooI she says a.ter a ,hile- I4ith
hi+-I
0larke nods-
I*on2t-I
0larke takes a deep breath beside her- I3lyx you8oh Aod
3lyx !2+ so sorr8I
I4hy do you have to goHI 3lyx turns and stares at her ,ith
hard bright eyes that reveal .ar too +uch .or co+.ort- I4hat are
you going to do up there any,ayHI
I4e have to .ind out ,ho2s tracking us- 4e can2t 9ust ,ait .or
the+ to start shooting-I
I4hy are so sure that2s ,hat they2re going to doH Maybe they
9ust ,ant to talk or so+ething-I
0larke shakes her head s+iling at the absurdity o. the notion-
I<eople aren2t like that-I
I>ike ,hatHI
7orgiving- IThey2re not .riendly >ex- 4hoever they are-
Trust +e on this-I
But 3lyx has already s,itched to <lan B: I3nd ,hat good are
you going to be up there any,ayH :ou2re not a spy you2re not a
tech-head- :ou2re not so+e rabid psycho killer like he is- There2s
nothing you can do up there except get killed-I
I"o+eone has to back hi+ up-I
I4hyH >et hi+ go by hi+sel.-I "uddenly 3lyx2s ,ords co+e
out .roCen- I4ith any luck he won't succeed- 4hatever2s up there
,ill tear hi+ apart and the ,orld ,ill be a teeny bit less o. a
shithole a.ter,ards-I
I3lyx8I
/o,an2s daughter rises .ro+ the bed and glares do,n at her-
I;o, can you help hi+ a.ter he killed Mo+H ;o, can you even
talk to hi+H ;e2s a psycho and a killer-I
The auto+atic denial dies on 0larke2s lips- 3.ter all she doesn2t
kno, that >ubin didn't have a hand in /o,an2s death- >ubin ,as
tea+ captain during this con.lict as he ,as during the lastF he2d
probably have kno,n about that so-called rescue mission even i.
he hadn2t actually planned it-
3nd yet so+eho, 0larke .eels co+pelled to de.end the ene+y
o. this grie.-stricken child- I#o s,eetieI she says gently- I!t ,as
the other ,ay around-I
I4hatHI
IBen ,as a killer .irst- Then he ,as a psycho-I 4hich is close
enough to the truth .or no,-
I4hat are you talking aboutHI
IThey t,eaked his brain- *idn2t you kno,HI
ITheyHI
)our mother.
IThe A3- !t ,as nothing special it ,as 9ust part o. the package
.or industrial spies- They .ixed it so he2d seal up security
breaches by any +eans necessary ,ithout even really thinking
about it- !t ,as involuntary-I
I:ou saying he didn2t have a choiceHI
I#ot until "partacus in.ected hi+- 3nd the thing about
"partacus ,as it cut the t,eaks but it cut a couple o. other
path,ays too- "o no, Ben doesn2t have +uch o. ,hat you2d call a
conscience and i. that2s your de.inition o. a psycho then ! guess he
is one- But he didn2t choose it-I
I4hat di..erence does it +akeHI 3lyx de+ands-
I!t2s not like he ,ent out shopping .or an evil +akeover-I
I"o ,hatH 4hen did any psycho ever get to choose his o,n
brain che+istryHI
!t2s a pretty good point 0larke has to ad+it-
I>enie pleaseI 3lyx says so.tly- I:ou can2t trust hi+-I
3nd yet in so+e strange sick ,ay8a.ter all the secrecy all the
betrayal80larke still trusts Ben >ubin +ore than anyone else she2s
ever kno,n- "he can2t say it aloud o. course- "he can2t say it
because 3lyx believes that Ben >ubin killed her +other and
+aybe he didF and to ad+it to trusting hi+ no, +ight test the
.riendship o. this ,ounded girl .urther than 0larke is ,illing to
risk-
But that2s not all o. it- That2s 9ust the rationale that .loats on the
sur.ace obvious and visible and sel.-serving- There2s another
reason deeper and +ore o+inous: 3lyx +ay be right- The past
couple o. days 0larke has caught gli+pses o. so+ething
un.a+iliar looking out .ro+ behind >ubin2s eyecaps- !t disappears
the +o+ent she tries to bring it into .ocusF she2s not even sure
exactly ho, she recogniCes it- "o+e subtle .licker o. the eyelid
perhaps- 3 subli+inal t,itch o. photocollagen re.lecting the
+otion o. the eye beneath-
Gntil three days ago Ben >ubin hadn2t taken a hu+an li.e in all
the ti+e he2d been do,n here- Dven during the .irst uprising he
contented hi+sel. ,ith the breaking o. bonesF all the killing ,as at
the inexpert enthusiastic hands o. ri.ters still reveling in the
inconceivable rush o. po,er over the once-po,er.ul- 3nd there2s
no doubt that the deaths o. the past seventy-t,o hours can be
co+pletely 9usti.ied in the na+e o. sel.-de.ense-
"till- 0larke ,onders i. this recent carnage +ight have
a,akened so+ething that2s lain dor+ant .or .ive years- Because
back then ,hen all ,as said and done Ben >ubin enjoyed killing-
;e craved it even though8once liberated8he didn2t use his
.reedo+ as an excuse but as a challenge- ;e controlled hi+sel.
the ,ay an old-ti+e nicotine addict +ight ,alk around ,ith an
unopened pack o. cigarettes in his pocket8 to prove that he ,as
stronger than his habit- !. there2s one thing Ben >ubin prides
hi+sel. on it2s sel.-discipline-
That craving- That desire .or revenge against the ,orld at large:
did it ever go a,ayH >enie 0larke ,as once driven by such a
desireF 7uenched by a billion deaths or +ore it has no hold on her
no,- But she ,onders ,hether recent events have .orced a couple
o. cancer-sticks into >ubin2s +outh despite hi+sel.- "he ,onders
ho, the s+oke tasted a.ter all this ti+e and i. >ubin perhaps is
re+e+bering ho, good it once .elt---
0larke shakes her head sadly- I!t can2t be anyone else 3lyx- !t
has to be +e-I
IWhy+I
!ecause next to what & did$ genocide is a misdemeanor.
!ecause the world's been dying in my wake while & hide down
here. !ecause &'m sick o" being a coward.
I!2+ the one that did itI she says at last-
I"o whatH !s going back gonna undo any o. itHI 3lex shakes
her head in disbelie.- I4hat2s the pointHI "he stands there
looking do,n like so+e .ragile china +agistrate on the verge o.
shattering-
>enie 0larke ,ants very +uch to reach out to her right no,-
But >enie 0larke isn2t that stupid- I!8! have to .ace up to ,hat !
didI she says ,eakly-
IBullshitI 3lyx says- I:ou2re not .acing up to anything-
:ou2re running a,ay-I
I/unning a,ayHI
I?ro+ +e .or one thing-I
3nd suddenly even >enie 0larke pro.essional idiot can see it-
3lyx isn2t ,orried about ,hat >ubin +ight do to >enie 0larkeF
she2s ,orried about ,hat 0larke +ight do to hersel.- "he2s not
stupid she2s kno,n 0larke .or years and she kno,s the traits that
+ake a ri.ter- >enie 0larke ,as once suicidal- "he once hated
hersel. enough to ,ant to die and that ,as be.ore she2d even done
anything deserving o. death- #o, she2s about to re-enter a ,orld
o. re+inders that she2s killed +ore people than all the >ubins ,ho
ever lived- 3lyx /o,an is ,ondering understandably i. her best
.riend is going to open her o,n ,rists ,hen that happens-
To be honest 0larke ,onders about that too-
But she only says I!t2s okay >ex- ! ,on2t8! +ean !2ve got no
intention o. hurting +ysel.-I
I/eallyHI 3lyx asks as i. she doesn2t dare to hope-
I/eally-I 3nd no, pro+ises delivered adolescent .ears
cal+ed >enie 0larke reaches out and takes 3lyx2s hands in hers-
3lyx no longer see+s the slightest bit .ragile- "he stares cal+ly
do,n at 0larke2s reassuring hands clasped around her li+p
unresponsive ones and grunts so.tly-
IToo badI she says-
,N)4M,N7
The +issiles shot .ro+ the 3tlantic like renegade .ire,orks
heading ,est- They erupted in .ive discrete s,ar+s beginning a
ten-+inute ga+e o. speed chess played across hal. a he+isphere-
They looped and corkscre,ed along drunken tra9ectories that
,ould have been co+ical i. it didn2t +ake the+ so da+ned hard to
intercept-
*es9ardins did his best- ;al. a doCen orbiting "*! anti7ues had
been ,aiting .or hi+ to call back ever since he2d seduced the+ t,o
years be.ore in anticipation o. 9ust this sort o. crisis- #o, he only
had to knock on their back doorsF on co++and they spread their
legs and ,racked their brains-
The +achines turned their attention to the pro.usion o. contrails
scarring the at+osphere belo,- @ast and subtle algorith+s ca+e
into play distinguishing ,heat .ro+ cha.. generating target
predictions calculating intercept vectors and .itness .unctions-
Their insights ,ere pro.ound but not guaranteedF the ene+y had its
o,n thinking +achines a.ter all- *ecoys +i+icked destroyers in
every possible aspect- Dvery stutter o. an attitude 9et +ade point-
o.-i+pact predictions that +uch +urkier- *es9ardins2s date-raped
battellites dispatched their o,n counter+easures8lasers particle
bea+s +issiles dispatched .ro+ their o,n precious and
nonrene,able stockpiles8but every decision ,as probabilistic
every +ove a product o. statistics- 4hen playing the odds there
is no certainty-
Three +ade it through-
The ene+y scored t,o strikes on the ?lorida panhandle and
another in the Texan dust belt- *es9ardins ,on the #e, Dngland
se+i.inals hands-do,n8none o. those attacks even +ade it to the
descending arc8but the southern strikes could easily be enough to
tilt the balance i. he didn2t take i++ediate ground action- ;e
dispatched eight li.ters ,ith instructions to sterilise everything
,ithin a t,enty-k radius ,aited .or launch con.ir+ations and
leaned back exhausted- ;e closed his eyes- "tatistics and
tele+etry .lickered uninterrupted beneath his lids-
#othing so pedestrian as ehe+oth not this ti+e- 3 ne, bug
entirely- 1eppuku-
Thank you$ 1outh "ucking A"rica-
4hat was it ,ith those peopleH They2d been a typical third-
,orld country in so +any ,ays enslaved and oppressed and
brutalised like all the others- 4hy couldn2t they have 9ust thro,n
o.. their shackles in the usual ,ay e+braced violent rebellion ,ith
a side order o. blood-soaked retributionH 4hat kind o. craCy-ass
people a.ter .eeling the boot on their necks .or generations struck
back at their oppressors ,ith8,ait .or it8 reconciliation panelsH
!t +ade no sense-
Dxcept o. course .or the .act that it ,orked- Dver since the rise
o. "aint #elson the "23.ricans had beco+e +asters at the sidestep
acco+odating .orce rather than +eeting it head-on turning ene+y
+o+entu+ to their o,n advantage- Black belts in sociological
9udo- ?or hal. a century they2d been sneaking under the ,orld2s
guard and hardly anyone had noticed-
#o, they ,ere +ore o. a threat than Ahana and MoCa+bi7ue
and all the other MMM regi+es co+bined- *es9ardins understood
co+pletely ,here those other .urious back,aters ,ere co+ing
.ro+- More than that he sy+pathised: a.ter all the ,estern ,orld
had sat around +aking tut-tut noises ,hile the sex plagues burned
great s+oking holes out o. 3.rica2s age structure- Only 0hina had
.ared ,orse 5and ,ho kne, ,hat ,as bre,ing behind those dark
unresponsive bordersH6- !t ,as no surprise that the 3pocalypse
Me+e resonated so strongly over thereF the stunted generation
struggling up .ro+ those ashes ,as over seventy percent .e+ale-
3n avenging goddess turning the tables serving up 3r+ageddon
.ro+ the ocean .loor8i. >enie 0larke hadn2t provided a ready-
+ade te+plate such a per.ect legend ,ould have erupted any,ay
through sheer spontaneous co+bustion-
!+potent rage he could handle- "+iley .uckers ,ith hidden
agendas ,ere ,ay +ore proble+atic especially ,hen they ca+e
,ith a legacy o. bleeding-edge biotech that extended all the ,ay
back to the ,orld2s .irst heart transplant .or .uck2s sake al+ost a
century be.ore- "eppuku ,orked pretty +uch the ,ay its "23.rican
creators did: a +icrobial 9udo expert and a poser so+ething that
s+iled and snuck under your guard on .alse pretenses and then---
!t ,asn2t the kind o. strategy that ,ould ever have occured to
the Duros or the 3sians- !t ,as too subtle .or the descendants o.
e+pire too chickenshit .or anyone raised on chest-beating politics-
But it ,as second nature to those +asters o. lo, status
+anipulation lurking do,n at the toe o. the dark continent- !t had
seeped .ro+ their political culture straight into their
epide+iological ones and no, 3chilles *es9ardins had to deal
,ith the conse7uences-
Aentle ,ar+ pressure against his thigh- *es9ardins opened his
eyes: Mandelbrot stood on her hind legs at his side .orepa,s
braced against hi+- "he +eeped and leapt into his lap ,ithout
,aiting .or per+ission-
3ny +o+ent no, his board ,ould start lighting up- !t had been
years since *es9ardins had ans,ered to any o..icial boss but eyes
.ro+ *elhi to McMurdo ,ere ,atching his every +ove .ro+ a.ar-
;e2d assured the+ all he could handle the +issiles- 4ay o.. across
any nu+ber o. oceans 2la,breakers in +ore civiliCed ,astelands8
not to +entioned their >eashes8,ould be clicking on co+sats and
picking up phones and putting through incensed calls to "udbury
Ontario- #one o. the+ ,ould be interested in his excuses-
;e could deal ,ith the+- ;e had dealt ,ith .ar greater
challenges in his li.e- !t ,as 20&% a .ull ten years since he had
saved the Med and turned his private li.e around- ;al. that ti+e
since ehe+oth and >enie 0larke had risen ar+-in-ar+ on their
apocalyptic crusade against the ,orld- ?our years since the
disappearance o. the Gpper Tier .our years since *es9ardins2s
e+ancipation at the hands o. a lovesick idealist- 3 shade less than
that since /io and voluntary exile a+ong the ruins- Three years
since the 4est;e+ Euarantine- T,o since the #23+ Burn- ;e
had dealt ,ith the+ all and +ore-
But the "outh 3.ricans8they ,ere a real proble+- !. they2d
had their ,ay 1eppuku ,ould already be burning across his
kingdo+ like a brush.ire and he couldn2t see+ to co+e up ,ith a
scenario that did any +ore than postpone the inevitable- ;e
honestly didn2t think he2d be able to hold the+ o.. .or +uch longer-
!t ,as 9ust as ,ell that he2d planned .or his retire+ent-
SPP/2/
IThe essence o. hu+anity2s spiritual dile++a is that ,e evolved
genetically to accept one truth and discovered another-I
8D-O- 4ilson
I! ,ould gladly lay do,n +y li.e .or t,o brothers or eight
cousins-I
8J-*-"- ;aldane
0/N
Phocoena runs silent out o. 3tlantis threading bet,een peaks
and canyons that cover and i+pede her progress in e7ual +easure-
Their course is a schiCoid a+alga+ o. con.licting priorities the
need .or speed scraping inco+patibly against the drive to survive-
To >enie 0larke it see+s as though their co+pass bearing at any
given +o+ent could be the ,ork o. a rando+ nu+ber generatorF
but over ti+e the net vector resolves to south,est-
3t so+e point >ubin decides that they2re sa.ely out o. the
neighborhood- ;aste beco+es the better part o. discretionF
Phocoena cli+bs into open ,ater- "he ski+s ,est do,n the slopes
o. the Mid 3tlantic /idge occasionally t,isting this ,ay or that to
avoid +oguls the siCe o. orbital li.ters- Mountains give ,ay to
.oothillsF .oothills to a vast endless expanse o. +ud- 0larke sees
none o. it through the ports o. course8>ubin hasn2t bothered to
turn on the outside lights8but the topography scrolls past on the
nav panel in a garish depth-synched spectru+- Jagged red peaks
so high that their tips al+ost rise above darkness lie ,ell out o.
range behind the+- Transitional slopes segueing indiscernibly
.ro+ yello, to green .ade to stern- The abyssal plain .lo,s
beneath the+ like an endless blue carpet hypnotic and rest.ul-
?or long +erci.ul hours there is no virulent +icrobe to trackF
no betrayal to ,ithstandF no desperate battle to .ight- There is
nothing to do but d,ell on the +icrocos+ receding behind the+
on .riends and .oes brought .inally into ,ar-,eary align+ent8not
through negotiation or reconciliation but through the sudden
i++inence o. the greater threat the threat .ro+ outside- The threat
Phocoena races to,ards even no,-
<erhaps not such a blessing a.ter all this interlude-
Dventually the seabed rises be.ore the+ into a color-banded
escarp+ent s,elling across the screen- There2s a gap in the ,all
ahead a great under,ater canyon splitting the "cotian conshel.
like Aod2s o,n icepick- #av lists it as The (ulley- 0larke
re+e+bers that na+eF it2s got one o. the biggest shortstop arrays
this side o. ?undy- >ubin indulges her edges a .e, degrees o..-
course to intersect one o. the colossal structures hal.,ay up the
canyon2s throat- ;e .lashes the .or,ard .loods as they dri.t past-
The sea+ill loo+s huge in the bea+s the visible arc o. its
peri+eter so slight that 0larke could have taken it .or a straight
line- One o. its great blades passes above the+ its base and its tip
lost in darkness to either side- !t barely +oves-
There ,as a ti+e ,hen this ,as the co+petition- #ot so long
ago the currents o. the Aulley produced al+ost as +any Joules-
per-second as a good-siCed geother+al plant- Then the cli+ate
changed and the currents ,ith it- #o, the array is nothing but a
tourist stop .or a+phibious cyborgs: ,eightless derelicts
slu+bering in the long dark-
That's us$ 0larke re.lects as they pass- ?or 9ust this one +o+ent
she and >ubin are ,eightless too poised precisely bet,een t,o
gravitational .ields- Behind the+: 3tlantis the .ailed re.uge-
3head8
3head the ,orld they2ve been hiding .ro+-
?ive years since she2s been ashore- Back then the apocalypse
,as 9ust getting under ,ayF ,ho kno,s ho, ,ild the party2s gro,n
by no,H They2ve learned a .e, things8broad strokes dark
ru+ors bits and pieces .iltered .ro+ that .raying patch o. the
teleco+ spectru+ that spans the 3tlantic- 3ll o. #orth 3+erica is
7uarantined- The rest o. the ,orld bickers over ,hether to put it
out o. its +isery or si+ply let it die on its o,n- Most still .ight to
keep ehe+oth at bayF others have e+braced that doo+sday
+icrobe have see+ingly e+braced 3r+ageddon itsel.-
0larke isn2t 7uite sure ,hat to +ake o. that- "o+e death-,ish
buried in the collective unconscious perhaps- Or +aybe 9ust the
gri+ satis.action that even the doo+ed and do,ntrodden can take
in payback- *eath is not al,ays de.eatF so+eti+es it is the chance
to die ,ith your teeth buried in your oppressor2s throat-
There is +uch dying back on the sur.ace- There is +uch baring
o. teeth- >enie 0larke does not kno, their reasons- "he kno,s
only that so+e o. the+ act in her na+e- "he kno,s only that their
nu+bers are gro,ing-
"he doCes- 4hen she opens her eyes again the cockpit glo,s
,ith di..use e+erald light- Phocoena has .our bo, ports t,o
dorsal t,o ventral great perspex teardrops radiating back .ro+ the
nose- 3 di+ green void presses do,n on the upper portsF belo, a
corrugated expanse o. sand rushes past beneath 0larke2s .ootrest-
>ubin has disabled the color-codes- On nav Phocoena races up
a gentle +onochro+e slope- The depth gauge reads $0+ and
rising-
I;o, long have ! been sleepingHI 0larke asks-
I#ot long-I ?resh red scars radiate .ro+ the corners o. >ubin2s
eyes the visible a.ter+ath o. an operation that slid neuroelectric
inlays into his optic nerves- 0larke still ,inces in,ardly at the
sightF she2s not sure she ,ould2ve trusted the corpses2s surgeons
even i. they are all on the sa+e side no,- >ubin obviously thinks
the additional data-gathering capacity ,as ,orth the risk- Or
+aybe it2s 9ust one o. those extras he2s al,ays ,anted but never
been cleared .or in his past li.e-
I4e2re at "able alreadyHI 0larke says-
I3l+ost-I
Bleating .ro+ nav: hard echo up the slope at t,o o2clock-
>ubin throttles back and sle,s to starboard- 0entri.ugal .orce
s,ings 0larke to the side-
Thirty +eters- The sea outside looks bright and cold- !t2s like
staring into green glass- Phocoena cra,ls up the slope at a .e,
sluggish knots sni..ing north,est to,ards a ,ire.ra+e asse+bly
o. tubes and struts s,elling on nav- 0larke leans .or,ard peers
through sha.ts o. +urky light- #othing-
I4hat2s the viC out thereHI she ,onders-
>ubin intent on his piloting doesn2t look over- IDight point
seven-I
T,enty +eters .ro+ the sur.ace- The ,ater ahead darkens
suddenly as though an eclipse ,ere in progress- 3n instant later
that darkness resolves into the toe o. a giant: the rounded end o. a
cylindrical structure hal.-buried in dri.ting sand .uCCed ,ith
sponges and sea,eed curving a,ay into the haCy distance- #av
pegs it at eight +eters high-
I! thought it .loatedI 0larke says-
>ubin pulls back on the stick: Phocoena cli+bs into the ,ater
alongside the structure- IThey beached it ,hen the ,ell ran dry-I
"o this great sunken pontoon +ust be .looded- Airders and
struts stand on its upper sur.ace a +onstrous sca..old rising into
daylight- >ubin +aneuvers the sub bet,een the+ as though
threading a needle- #av sho,s the+ entering a sub+erged arena
enclosed by .our such structures arranged in a s7uare- 0larke can
see their di+ outlines through the ,ater- <ylons and trusses rise on
all sides like the bars o. a cage-
Phocoena breaks the sur.ace- The outside ,orld ripples as
,ater sheets do,n the acrylic then ,avers into .ocus- They2ve
co+e up directly beneath the rigF its underbelly .or+s a +etal sky a
little less than ten +eters overhead held .ro+ the earth by a
net,ork o. support pylons-
>ubin cli+bs .ro+ his seat and grabs a .anny pack o.. a nearby
utility hook- IBack in a .e, +inutesI he says popping the dorsal
hatch- ;e cli+bs a,ay- 0larke hears a splash through the
opening-
;e still isn2t happy about her presence here- "he ignores his
sa.e-distancing +aneuver and rises to .ollo,-
The air ,a.ting through the hatch blo,s cold against her .ace-
"he cli+bs onto the sub2s back and looks around- The sky8,hat
she can see o. it through the girders and pylons8is gray and
overcastF the ocean beneath is gun+etal to the horiCon- But there
are sounds behind her- 3 distant pulsing roar- 3 .aint
s7ua,king like so+e kind o. alar+- !t2s .a+iliar but she can2t
7uite put her .inger on it- "he turns-
>and-
3 strip o. sandy shore +aybe .i.ty +eters past the 9acket o. the
rig- "he can see tu.ts o. ,eathered scrubby brush above the high-
tide line- "he can see +oraines o. dri.t,ood pushed into little
strips along the beach- "he can see sur. pounding endlessly against
it all-
"he can hear birds calling- "he2d al+ost .orgotten-
#ot #23+ o. course- The +ainland2s still a good t,o or three
hundred kilo+eters a,ay- This is 9ust a ,ay station so+e lonely
little archipelago on the "cotian "hel.- 3nd yet to see living
things ,ithout either .ins or .ists8she +arvels at the prospect
even as she +arvels at her o,n overreaction-
3 steep +etal staircase ,inds around the nearest pylon- 0larke
dives into the ocean not bothering ,ith hood or gloves- The
3tlantic slaps her .ace a delicious icy sting across her exposed
skin- "he revels in the sensation crosses to the pylon ,ith a .e,
strokes-
The stairs lead onto a ,alk,ay that runs the peri+eter o. the
rig- 4ind stru+s the railing2s cablesF the structure clatters like
so+e arrhyth+ic percussion instru+ent- "he reaches an open
hatch,ay peers into the dark interior: a seg+ented +etal corridor
bundles o. pipe and .iberop running along the ceiling like plexii o.
nerves and arteries- 3 t-9unction at the .ar end leading o.. to
unkno,n opposite destinations-
4et .ootprints on the deck lead in here and turn le.t- 0larke
.ollo,s-
"ound and vision .ade as she penetrates deeper into the hulk-
Bulkheads +u..le the sound o. the sur. and the +iraculous
s7ua,king o. the gulls- ;er enhanced vision .ares better8the
overcast a+bience .ro+ outside .ollo,s her around a hal.-doCen
corners peeps in through portholes at the end o. unexplored
corridors8but the desaturation o. color in her surroundings tells
her that she2s +oving through darkness too deep .or dryback eyes-
That reversion to black-and-,hite +ust be ,hy she didn2t notice it
sooner8dark streaks on the ,alls and .loors could be anything
.ro+ rust to the re+ains o. an enthusiastic ga+e o. paintball- But
no, .ollo,ing the last s+udged .ootprints to a hatch ya,ning
open in the bulkhead the realiCation sinks in:
0arbon scoring- "o+ething2s burned this ,hole section-
"he steps through the hatch into ,hat +ust have been
so+eone2s 7uarters 9udging by the bunk-bed .ra+e and the bedside
table that occupies one +odest ,all- ?ra+es skeletal re+nants o.
.urniture are all that2s le.t- !. there ,ere ever +attresses or sheets
or blankets here they2re gone no,- Dvery sur.ace is coated in dark
greasy soot-
?ro+ so+e,here out in the hall the creak o. +etal hinges-
0larke steps back into the corridor and tracks the sound- By the
ti+e it stops she2s got a .ix and a beacon8light bouncing di+ly
back do,n the passage,ay .ro+ around a corner 9ust ahead- That
,ay ,as dark and silent ,hen she stepped into the cabinF no, she
can even hear distant ,aves-
"he .ollo,s the light- ?inally she co+es to an open hatch at the
base o. a co+panion,ay leading up- Ocean breeCe sneaks past
her into the rig carrying the sound o. seabirds and the ,et rubbery
scent o. Ascophyllum- ?or a +o+ent she2s taken abackF the light
pours do,n .ro+ the head o. the stairs easily bright enough to
bring color back into the ,orld and yet the ,alls are still8
6h.
The poly+er around the lip o. the hatch has bubbled and
burnedF all that re+ains are lu+py .laking clots o. carbon- 0larke
pulls experi+entally at the ,heelF the hatch scarcely +oves
screeching so.tly against the deposits caking its hinges-
"he rises into daylight and devastation-
!t2s a s+all rig as such things ,ere +easured- #o,here near
the city-siCed +onstrosities that once cro,ded the ocean
hereabouts- <erhaps by the ti+e it ,as built oil ,as already
.alling out o. .ashionF or perhaps there si+ply ,asn2t enough le.t to
,arrant a bigger invest+ent- ?or ,hatever reason the +ain hull is
only t,o stories thick along +ost o. its length- #o, 0larke rises
onto the ,ide-open expanse o. its roo.-
The rig2s deck stretches over hal. the area o. a city block-
There2s an elevated helipad at the .ar end and a great crane ,hose
tendons have been cutF it lies across the deck at a +essy angle
struts and crossbea+s slightly cru+pled on i+pact- The derrick at
the nearer end is relatively intact thrusting into the sky like a
,ire.ra+e phallus- 0larke rises in its shado, into so+ething that
,as once a control hut o. so+e kind- #o, it2s a rectangular ruinF
none o. the .our ,alls re+ain intact and the roo. itsel. has been
thro,n hal.,ay across the deck- There ,ere control panels and
electronics here once8she recogniCes the general outlines o. hal.-
+elted instru+entation-
This is ho, co+pletely the hut has been destroyed: >enie
0larke can si+ply step onto the +ain deck over ,hat2s le.t o. the
,alls-
3ll this space this uninterrupted visibility unsettles her- ?or
.ive years she has hidden beneath the heavy co+.orting darkness
o. the #orth 3tlantic but up here8up here she can see all the ,ay
to the edge o. the ,orld- "he .eels naked like a target: visible
.ro+ in.inite distance-
>ubin is a s+all .igure on the .ar side o. the plat.or+ his back
turned leaning on the ,estern railing- 0larke ,alks to,ards hi+
skirting the ,reckage suddenly oblivious to the ,heeling o. the
gulls- "he nears the edge .ights +o+entary vertigo: "able
3rchipelago spreads out be.ore her an insigni.icant chain o. sandy
dots in the +iddle o. the ocean- The nearest looks big enough
.ro+ here though its spine sheathed in bro,nish vegetation its
beach stretching al+ost out o. sight to the south- O.. in that
distance 0larke thinks she sees tiny specks in vague +otion-
>ubin2s ,earing a pair o. binoculars panning his head slo,ly
.ro+ side to side- "canning the island- ;e doesn2t speak as 0larke
9oins hi+ on the railing-
I*id you kno, the+HI she asks so.tly-
I<erhaps- ! don2t kno, ,ho ,as out here ,hen it happened-I
&'m sorry she al+ost says but ,hat2s the pointH
IMaybe they sa, it co+ingI she suggests- IMaybe they got
a,ay-I
;e doesn2t look a,ay .ro+ the shoreline- The binocs extend
.ro+ his eyes like tubular antennae-
I"hould ,e be out in the open like thisHI 0larke asks-
>ubin shrugs startlingly chillingly indi..erent to security-
"he looks do,n along the shoreline- The +oving specks are a
bit larger no, so+e kind o. ani+als .ro+ the look o. it- They
appear to be +oving this ,ay-
I4hen do you suppose it happenedHI "o+eho, it see+s
i+portant to keep hi+ talking-
I!t2s been al+ost a year since ,e got a signal .ro+ the+I he
says- I0ould2ve been any ti+e since then-I
I0ould2ve been last ,eekI 0larke re+arks- There ,as once a
ti+e ,hen their allies ,ere +uch +ore .aith.ul in their
correspondence- Dven so extended silence doesn2t al,ays +ean
anything- :ou had to ,ait until no one ,as listening- :ou had to
be care.ul not to give the ga+e a,ay- Both corpse and ri.ter
contacts ,ent dark no, and then back in the early days- Dven
no, a.ter a year o. silence it2s not unreasonable to keep hoping
.or ne,s so+eday- 3ny day-
Dxcept no, o. course- Dxcept .ro+ here-
IT,o +onths agoI >ubin says- I3t least-I
"he doesn2t ask ho, he kno,s- "he .ollo,s his +agni.ied gaCe
back to shore-
6h my (od.
IThey2re horsesI she ,hispers a+aCed- I4ild horses- ;oly
shit-I
The ani+als are close enough no, to be un+istakable- 3n
i+age co+es to her unbidden: 3lyx in her sea-.loor prison 3lyx
saying this is the best place & could possibly be- 0larke ,onders
,hat she2d say no, seeing these ,ild things-
On second thought it probably ,ouldn2t i+press her- "he ,as a
corpse kid a.ter all- "he2d probably toured the ,orld a doCen ti+es
be.ore she ,as eight- Maybe even had a horse o. her o,n-
The herd sta+pedes along the beach- I4hat are they doing out
hereHI 0larke ,onders- "able ,asn2t a proper island even back
be.ore the rising seas partitioned itF it2s never been +ore than a
glori.ied sand dune cra,ling around the outer edges o. the "hel.2s
exhausted oil .ields under the in.luence o. ,ind and currents- "he
can2t even see any trees or shrubs on this particular island 9ust a
+ane o. reedy grass running along its backbone- !t see+s absurd
that such an insigni.icant speck o. land could support creatures so
large-
I"eals too-I >ubin points along the shore to the north although
,hatever he sees is too distant .or 0larke2s un+agni.ied vision-
IBirds- @egetation-I
The dissonance o. it sinks in- I4hy the sudden interest in
,ildli.e BenH ! never took you .or a nature lover-I
I!t2s all healthyI he says-
I4hatHI
I#o carcasses no skeletons- #othing even looks sick-I >ubin
slips the binocs .ro+ his skull and slides the+ back into his .anny
pack- IThe grass is rather bro,n but ! suspect that2s nor+al-I ;e
sounds al+ost disappointed .or so+e8
ehemoth she realiCes- That2s ,hat he2s looking .or- 3oping
.or. Gp here the ,orld burns its hot Cones8at least it burns
those s+all enough to carry any hope o. contain+ent in exchange
.or the lives and land lost to the .la+e- ehe+oth threatens the
entire biosphere a.ter allF nobody gives a da+n about collateral
da+age ,hen the stakes are that high-
But "able is healthy- "able is unburned- 4hich +eans the
destruction around the+ has nothing to do ,ith ecological
contain+ent-
"o+eone is hunting them-
0larke can2t really bla+e the+ ,hoever they are- "he2d have
been dying up here ,ith everyone else i. the corpses had had their
,ay- 3tlantis ,as only built .or the Movers and "hakers o. the
,orldF 0larke and her buddies ,ere 9ust another hand.ul o. the
+oved and the shaken as .ar as that elite ,as concerned- The only
di..erence ,as that 3chilles *es9ardins had told the+ ,here the
party ,as so they could crash it be.ore the lights ,ent out-
"o i. this is the anger o. those le.t behind she can hardly
begrudge it- "he can2t even dis+iss it as +isplaced- 3.ter all
ehe+oth is her .ault-
"he looks back at the a.ter+ath- 4hoever did this isn2t nearly
as good as *es9ardins ,as- They2re not bad +ind youF they ,ere
s+art enough to deduce 3tlantis2s general ,hereabouts any,ay-
The variant o. ehe+oth they re9igged utterly de.eats the
retro.itted i++unity that ,as supposed to protect its citiCenry- The
.act that they even got close enough to seed -Max in the right
vicinity +ay have ,on the+ the ga+e 9udging .ro+ the body
count that ,as starting up as Phocoena ,ent into the .ield-
But they still haven2t .ound the nest- They pro,l the
neighborhood they2ve burned this lonely outpost on the .rontier
but a.ter all this ti+e 3tlantis itsel. continues to elude the+- #o,
*es9ardins8it took hi+ less than a ,eek to ,inno, three hundred
and sixty +illion s7uare kilo+eters o. seabed do,n to a single set
o. lats and longs- ;e not only painted the bullseye he pulled the
strings and erased the tracks and arranged the rides to get the+
there-
Achilles$ my "riend 0larke thinks- We could really use your
help about now- But 3chilles *es9ardins is dead- ;e died during
/io- Dven being 0"!/32s best 2la,breaker doesn2t do you +uch
good ,hen a plane drops on your head-
?or all 0larke kno,s he +ay have been killed by the sa+e
people ,ho did this-
>ubin is ,alking back along the plat.or+- 0larke .ollo,s-
4ind slices around her .rigid and bitingF she could al+ost s,ear
she .eels its teeth through the diveskin although that +ust be her
i+agination- #earby so+e accidental ,ind-tunnel o. pipes and
plating +oans as i. haunted-
I4hat +onth is itHI she asks aloud-
IJune-I >ubin2s heading .or the helipad-
!t see+s a lot colder than it should be- Maybe this is ,hat
passes .or bal+y since the Aul. "trea+ shut do,n- 0larke2s never
been able to ,rap her head around that paradox: that global
,ar+ing should so+eho, have turned eastern Durope into
"iberia---
Metal stairs lead up to the pad- But >ubin reaching the+
doesn2t cli+bF he steps behind the+ and drops to one knee intent
on the underside o. the .ra+e- 0larke bends do,n at his side- "he
sees nothing but scraped painted +etal-
>ubin sighs- I:ou should go backI he says-
I#ot a chance-I
I<ast this point ! ,on2t be able to return you- ! can a..ord a
.orty-six hour delay +ore than ! can a..ord so+eone slo,ing +e
do,n once ,e get to the +ainland-I
I4e2ve been over this Ben- 4hat +akes you think !2+ going
to be any easier to convince no,HI
IThings are ,orse than ! expected-I
I;o, exactlyH !t2s already the end o. the ,orld-I
;e points at a spot under the stairs ,here the paint2s been
scraped o..-
0larke shrugs- I! don2t see anything-I
I/ight-I >ubin turns and starts back to,ards the scorched
re+ains o. the control hut-
"he sets out a.ter hi+- I"oHI
I! le.t a backup recorder behind- >ooked like a rivet-I ;e
brings his hand out holds thu+b and .ore.inger close together
al+ost touching .or scale- IDven painted it over- & ,ould never
have been able to .ind it-I The .ore.inger extendsF >ubin2s pointing
hand describes an i+aginary line bet,een hut and staircase- I#ice
short line-o.-sight to +ini+iCe po,er consu+ption-
O+nidirectional broadcastF i+possible to backtrack- Dnough
+e+ory .or a ,eek2s ,orth o. routine chatter plus anything they
+ight have sent our ,ay-I
IThat2s not +uchI 0larke re+arks-
I!t ,asn2t a long-ter+ record- 4hen it ran out o. ne, +e+ory
it over,rote the old-I
3 black box then- 3 +oving record o. the recent past- I"o you
,ere expecting so+ething like thisI she sur+ises-
I! ,as expecting that i" so+ething happened !2d at least be able
to retrieve so+e kind o. log- ! ,asn2t expecting to lose the
recorder- ! ,as the only one ,ho kne, it ,as here-I
They2ve returned to the radio shack- The blackened door .ra+e
still stands an absurd rectangle rising .ro+ the rubble- >ubin
perhaps out o. so+e cryptic respect .or standard procedure passes
through it- 0larke si+ply steps over the knee-high tatters o. the
nearest ,all-
"o+ething snaps and cracks around her ankle- "he looks do,n-
;er .oot is i+prisoned in a blackened hu+an ribcage her leg
e+erging .ro+ a shattered hole ,here the sternu+ used to be- "he
can .eel the knobs and pro9ections o. the spine under.oot brittle
and cru+bling under the slightest ,eight-
!. there2s a skull8or ar+s or legs8they +ust be buried in the
surrounding rubble-
>ubin ,atches ,hile she pulls her .oot .ro+ the re+ains-
"o+ething glitters behind his eyecaps-
I4hoever2s behind thisI he says Iis s+arter than +e-I
;is .ace isn2t really expressionless- !t 9ust looks that ,ay to the
uninitiated- But >enie 0larke has learned to read hi+ a.ter a
.ashion and >ubin doesn2t look ,orried or upset to her- ;e looks
excited-
"he nods undeterred- I"o you need all the help you can get-I
"he .ollo,s hi+ do,n-
N,7$5,N7A+
!t see+ed as i. they ca+e out o. the ground itsel.- "o+eti+es
that ,as literally true: increasing nu+bers lived in the se,ers and
stor+ drains no, as i. a .e, +eters o. concrete and earth could
hold back ,hat heaven and earth had .ailed to- Most o. the ti+e
though it ,as only appearance- Taka Ouellette2s +obile in.ir+ary
,ould pull up at so+e +unicipal crossroads near so+e ra+shackle
collection o. see+ingly-abandoned houses and strip +alls ,hich
nonetheless disgorged a listless trickle o. haggard occupants long
past hope but ,illing to go through the +otions in ,hatever ti+e
they had le.t- They ,ere the unlucky unconnected ,ho hadn2t
+ade it into a <M=- They ,ere the .or+er skeptics ,ho hadn2t
realiCed until too late that this ,as the real thing- They ,ere the
.atalists and the e+piricists ,ho looked back over the previous
century and ,ondered ,hy it had taken this long .or the ,orld to
end-
They ,ere the people barely ,orth saving- Taka Ouellette did
her best- "he ,as the person barely co+petent to save the+-
/ossini ,a.ted .ro+ the cab behind her- OuelletteLs next case
staggered .or,ard oblivious to the +usic a ,o+an ,ho +ight
once have been described as middle'aged: loose-skinned sti..-
li+bed legs +oving on so+e se+i.unctional autopilot- One o.
the+ nearly buckled as she approached sent the ,hole sad body
lurching to one side- Ouellette reached out but the ,o+an caught
hersel. at the last +o+ent kept upright +ore through accident than
e..ort- Both cheeks ,ere s,ollen bruised pillo,s: the rheu+y eyes
above the+ see+ed .ixed on so+e indeter+inate point bet,een
Cenith and horiCon- ;er right hand ,as an in.ected cla, curled
around an ooCing gash-
Ouellette de.ocused on the gross ravages and Coo+ed do,n to
the subtler ones: t,o +elano+as visible on the le.t ar+F tre+ors in
the rightF so+e dark tracery that looked like blood poisoning
creeping up the ,rist .ro+ the in9ured pal+- The usual sy+pto+s
o. +alnutrition- ;al. o. the signs ,ere consistent ,ith 9ehe+othF
none ,ere incontrovertible- ;ere ,as a ,o+an su..ering violence
across several orders o. +agnitude-
Ouellette tried on a pro.essional s+ile although the .it had
never been a good one- I>et2s see i. ,e can2t get you .ixed up-I
IThat2s okayI said the ,o+an stargaCing- Ouellette tried to
guide her to,ards the van ,ith one gloved hand 5not that she
needed the gloves o. course but these days it ,asn2t ,ise to
re+ind people o. such things6- The ,o+an 9erked a,ay at her
touch8
IThat2s okay- That's okay.I
8staggered against so+e invisible ,all and stu+bled o..
locked on heaven oblivious to earth-
IThat2s okayKI
Ouellette let her go-
The next patient ,asn2t conscious and ,ouldn2t have been able
to +ove i. he had been- ;e arrived on a +akeshi.t stretcher an
ooCing 9igsa, o. lesions and t,itches short-circuiting nerves and
organs that hadn2t bothered ,aiting .or the heart to give out be.ore
starting to rot- The sickly-s,eet s+ell o. .er+ented urine and
.eces hung around hi+ like a shroud- ;is kidneys and his liver
,ere in a race to kill hi+ .irst- "he couldn2t lay odds on the
,inner-
3 +an and t,o children o. indeter+inate sex had dragged this
breathing corpse be.ore her- Their o,n .aces and hands ,ere
uncovered in oblivion or de.iance o. the hal.-assed protective
+easures pro+oted by endless public-service announce+ents-
"he shook her head- I!2+ sorry- !t2s end-stage-I
They stared back at her eyes .illed ,ith a pleading desperate
hope that verged on insanity-
I! can kill hi+ .or youI she ,hispered- I! can cre+ate hi+-
That2s all ! can do-I
"till they didn2t +ove-
6h$ #ave. Thank (od you died be"ore it came to this...
I*o you understandHI she said- I& can't save him-I
That ,as nothing ne,- 4hen it ca+e to 9ehe+oth she ,asn2t
saving anybody-

"he could have o. course- !. she ,ere suicidal-
<rotection against ehe+oth ca+e packaged in a painstaking
and co+plex series o. genetic retro.its an asse+bly line that took
days8but there ,as no technical reason ,hy it couldn2t be
cra++ed into a portable rig and taken on the road- 3 .e, people
had done that very thing not so long ago- They2d been torn li+b
.ro+ li+b by hordes too desperate to ,ait in line ,ho didn2t trust
that supply ,ould exceed de+and i. they2d only be patient a little
,hile longer-
By no, those places that o..ered a real cure ,ere all .ortresses
built to ,ithstand the desperation o. +obs built to en.orce the
necessary patience- ?urther .ro+ those epicenters Taka Ouellette
and her kind could ,alk a+ong the sick ,ithout .ear o. sicknessF
but it ,ould have been be a death sentence to o..er a cure so .ar
.ro+ back-up- The +ost she could do here ,as besto, 7uick-and-
dirty retrovirals hal.-assed t,eaks that +ight allo, so+e to
survive the ,ait .or a real cure- 3ll she could risk ,as to slo, the
process o. dying-
"he didn2t co+plain- !n +ore co+placent ti+es she kne, she
+ight not have been trusted to do even that +uch- That hardly
+ade her uni7ue: .i.ty percent o. all +edical personnel graduate
in the botto+ hal. o. their class- !t didn2t +atter nearly as +uch as
it once had-
Dven no, though there ,as a hierarchy- The ivy-leaguers the
#obel laureates the MeatCarts8those had long since ascended
into heaven on 0"!/32s ,ings- There they ,orked in re+ote
luxury every cutting-edge resource ,ithin easy reach intent on
saving ,hat re+ained o. the ,orld-
One tier do,n ,ere the betas: the solid reliable splice-and
dicers the gel-9ocks no a,ard-,inners here but no great backlog
o. +alpractice suits either- They labored in the castles that had
accreted around every source o. .ront-line salvation- The asse+bly
line ,ound through those .orti.ications like a perverse A! tract-
The sick and the dying ,ere s,allo,ed at one end passed through
loops and coils o. +achinery that stabbed and sa+pled and doused
the+ ,ith the opposite o. digestive enCy+es: genes and che+icals
that soaked the li7ue.ying .lesh to +ake it ,hole again-
The passage through salvation2s bo,els ,as an arduous one
eight days .ro+ ingestion to de.ecation- The line ,as long but not
,ide: econo+ies o. scale ,ere hard to co+e by in the post-
corporate landscape- Only a .raction o. the a..licted ,ould ever be
i++uniCed- But those lucky .e, o,ed their lives to the solid
unre+arkable ,orker bees o. the second tier-
3nd then there ,as Taka Ouellette ,ho could barely re+e+ber
a ti+e ,hen she2d been a +e+ber o. the hive- !. it hadn2t been .or
that one piece o. deconta+ination protocol carelessly applied she
+ight still be ,orking the line in Boston- !. not .or that s+all slip
*ave and 0rys +ight still be alive- There ,as really no ,ay o.
kno,ing .or sure- There ,as only doubt and ,hat-i.- 3nd the
.ading +e+ory o. li.e as an endocrinologist and a ,i.e and a
+other-
#o, she ,as 9ust a .oot soldier patrolling the outlands ,ith her
hand-+e-do,n +obile clinic and her cut-rate stale-dated +iracles-
"he hadn2t been paid in +onths but that ,as okay- The roo+ and
board ,as .ree at least and any,ay she ,ouldn2t be ,elco+e back
in Boston any ti+e soon: she +ight be i++une to ehe+oth but
she could still carry it- That ,as okay too- This ,as enough to
keep her busy- !t ,as enough to keep her alive-
?inally silently the breathing corpse had been ,ithdra,n .ro+
co+petition- "ubse7uent contenders hadn2t rubbed her nose 7uite
so deeply in her o,n ine..ectuality- ?or the past .e, hours she2d
been treating +ore tu+ors than plague victi+s- That ,as unusual
this .ar .ro+ a <M=- "till cancers could be excised- !t ,as si+ple
,ork drone ,ork- The kind o. ,ork she ,as good .or-
"o here she ,as handing out ra"'@ angiogenesis blockers and
retrovirii in a blighted ,ilting landscape ,here *#3 itsel. ,as on
the ,ay out- There ,as so+e green out there i. you looked hard
enough- !t ,as springti+e a.ter all- ehe+oth al,ays died back a
bit during the ,inter gave the old tenants a chance to sprout and
bloo+ each ne, year be.ore co+ing back to throttle the
co+petition- 3nd Maine ,as about as .ar as you could get .ro+
the initial <aci.ic incursion ,ithout getting your .eet ,et- Ao any
.urther and you2d need a boat and a really good scra+bler to keep
the +issiles o.. your back-
These days o. course keeping to land ,as no longer any
guarantee that the Dur3.ricans ,ouldn2t be shooting at you-
There2d been a ti+e ,hen they2d only shot at targets trying to cross
the pondF but given a hal.-doCen landside +issile attacks since
Daster they ,ere obviously itching .or +ore e..ective contain+ent-
!t ,as a ,onder that the ,hole seaboard hadn2t been slagged to
glass by no,- !. the dispatches could be believed #23+2s de.enses
,ere still keeping the ,orst o. it back- "till- The de.enses
,ouldn2t hold .orever-
/ossini surrendered to ;andel- Ouellette2s line-up ,as
gro,ing- <erhaps three people accu+ulated .or every t,o she
processed- #othing to ,orry about yetF there ,as a critical +ass
so+e threshold o. personal responsibility belo, ,hich cro,ds
al+ost never got ugly- These ones didn2t look like they had the
strength to go bad even i. they2d been +otivated to-
3t least the phar+s had stopped charging .or the +eds she
dispensed- They hadn2t ,anted to o. course: hey did anyone
think the /M* .or all these +agic potions had been .reeH !n the
end though there hadn2t been +uch choice- Dven s+all cro,ds
got really ugly ,hen you de+anded pay+ent up .ront-
3 .orear+ the siCe o. a tree trunk dis.igured by the usual
+aladies: the leprous silver tinge o. stage-one ehe+oth a
s+attering o. +elano+as and8
Wait a second. That's odd. The s,elling and redness ,as
consistent ,ith an in.ected insect bite but the puncture +arks---
"he looked up at the .ace above the ar+- 3 leather-skinned
+an in his .i.ties looked back through eyes blotchy ,ith burst
capillaries- ?or a +o+ent it see+ed as though his very bulk ,as
blotting out the light but no8it ,as only dusk creeping in
overhead ,hile she2d been other,ise occupied-
I4hat did thisHI she asked-
IBug-I ;e shook his head- I>ast ,eek so+eti+e- !tches like a
bugger-I
IBut there2s "our holes-I T,o bitesH T,o sets o. +andibles on
a single bugH
I;ad about ten legs too- 4eird little bugger- "een 2e+ around
once or t,ice- #ever got bit be.ore though-I ;is red eyes
s7uinted ,ith sudden concern- I!t poisonousHI
I<robably not-I Taka probed the s,elling- ;er patient
gri+aced but ,hatever had bitten hi+ didn2t see+ to have le.t
anything e+bedded- I#ot seriously not i. it happened last ,eek- !
can give you so+ething .or the in.ection- !t2s pretty +inor next
toKI
I:eahI her patient said-
"he s+eared a bit o. antibiotic onto the s,elling- I ! can give
you a shot o. antihista+inesI she said apologetically Ibut the
e..ects ,on2t last !2+ a.raid- !. the itching gets too bad a.ter,ard
you could al,ays piss on it-I
IPiss on itHI
ITopical urea2s good .or itchingI Taka told hi+- "he held up a
loaded cuvetteF he +ade the re7uisite blood o..ering- I#o, i. you
9ust8I
I! kno, the drill-I
3 tunnel a slightly s7uashed cylinder big enough .or a body
pierced the M! .ro+ one side to the other8a pair o. opposed oval
+ouths connected by a sensor-lined throat- 3 pallet extended
.ro+ the .loor o. the nearer +outh like a padded rectangular
tongue- Taka2s patient lay back on itF the van listed slightly under
his ,eight- The pallet retracted ,ith an electrical hu+- "lo,ly
s+oothly the +an disappeared into one +outh and extruded .ro+
the other- ;e ,as luckier than so+e- "o+e ,ent in and never
ca+e out- The tunnel doubled as a cre+atoriu+-
Taka kept one eye on the #M/ readouts the other on the blood
,ork- ?ro+ ti+e to ti+e both eyes .lickered uneasily to the
gro,ing line o. patients-
I4ellHI ca+e the +an2s voice .ro+ the other side o. the van-
;e2d been here be.ore she sa,- ;er sidesho, t,eaks had
already taken hold in his cells-
3nd his "tage-One ,as still advancing-
I4ell you kno, about your +elano+as obviouslyI she
re+arked as he ca+e around the corner- "he dre, a ti+e-release
ra"'@ .ro+ the dispensary and loaded it up- IThis2ll starve the
tu+ors on your skin and a .e, others cooking inside you probably
didn2t kno, about- ! take it you2ve been in a clave recently or a
<M=HI
;e grunted- I0a+e here a +onth back- Maybe t,o-I
IGh huh-I The static-.ield generators installed in such places
,ere a +ixed blessing at best- Bathing in that kind o. .ield .or any
length o. ti+e ,as guaranteed to set tu+ors bloo+ing in the .lesh
like +ushroo+s in shit- Most people considered it the lesser evil
even though the .ields didn2t so +uch repel ehe+oth as +erely
i+pede it-
Taka didn2t ask ,hat had inspired this +an to abandon that
leaky protection .or ene+y territory- "uch decisions ,ere seldo+
voluntary-
;e o..ered his ar+: she shot the capsule sub-7 9ust over the
bicep- IThere are a couple o. other tu+ors !2+ a.raid- #ot so
vascularised- ! can burn the+ out but you2ll have to ,ait until !2+
a little less busy- There2s no real hurry-I
I4hat about the ,itchHI he said-
?ire,itch he +eant- ehe+oth-
IG+ according to your blood ,ork you2ve already taken the
cocktailI Taka said pretending to recheck the results-
I! kno,- >ast .all-I ;e coughed- I!2+ still getting sick-I
I4ell i. you ,ere in.ected last .all it2s doing its 9ob- :ou2d
have been dead by ,inter ,ithout it-I
I!ut &'m still getting sick-I ;e took a step to,ards her a big
big +an his bloody eyes narro,ed do,n to red slits- Behind hi+
others ,aited ,ith li+ited patience-
I:ou should go to BangorI she began- IThat2s the closest8I
IThey ,on2t even tell you the wait at BangorI he spat-
I4hat ! can do here ,hat !8it2s not a cureI she explained
care.ully- I!t2s only supposed to buy you so+e ti+e-I
I!t did- "o buy +e +ore-I
"he took a cautious placating step back,ards- One step closer
to the voice-co++and pickup .or Miri2s de.ense syste+s- One step
a,ay .ro+ trouble-
Trouble stepped a.ter her-
I!t doesn2t ,ork like thatI Taka said so.tly- IThe resistance is
already in your cells- <utting it in again ,on2t do anything- !
guarantee it-I
?or a +o+ent she thought he +ight back o..- The ,ords
see+ed to penetrateF the tension ebbed a bit .ro+ his posture- The
lines around his eyes see+ed to t,ist so+eho, so+e less-volatile
+ix o. con.usion and hurt replacing the .ear and anger that had
been there be.ore-
3nd then he re+oved all hope ,ith the hardest s+ile she2d ever
seen-
I)ou're curedI he said and +oved-
!t ,as an occupational haCard- Out here so+e believed that
resistance could be trans+itted through sexual contact- That +ade
it easy to get laid i. you ,ere into such things: there ,ere those
,ho held the !++uniCed in al+ost cultish estee+ begged sexual
congress as a .or+ o. inoculation- !t ,as so+ething o. a 9oke
a+ong Taka2s peers-
"o+e,hat less a+using ,ere the tales o. .ield +edics held
prisoner raped repeatedly in the na+e o. public health- Taka
Ouellette had no intention o. o..ering hersel. to the greater good-
#either did the thing she unleashed-
The pass,ord ,as !agheera- Taka had no idea ,hat it +eantF
it had co+e ,ith the van and she2d never bothered to change it-
The chain o. events it ,as supposed to trigger stopped .ar short
o. total co++it+ent- On hearing its +aster2s call the M!2s
de.enses ,ould snap to attention: all ports and ori.ices ,ould sla+
shut and lock tight ,ith the exception o. the cab door closest to
the authoriCed operator- The ,eapons blister on Miri2s roo. 8a
sunken +irrored he+isphere ,hen at rest8 ,ould extend .ro+ its
silo like a glea+ing chro+e phallus high enough .or a clear shot at
anyone not .lattened de.ensively against the sides o. the vehicle
itsel.- 5?or any ,ho +ight be the chassis itsel. could co+e alive
,ith high-voltage electricity-6 <ri+ary ,eaponry started ,ith a
tightbea+ in.rasonic s7ua,kbox capable o. voiding bo,els and
sto+achs at ten +eters- Dscalation ,ould call on t,in gi+baled
1000-4att direct-diode lasers ,hich could be tuned to per.orate or
+erely blindF nonpro9ectile ,eapons ,ere al,ays .avored because
o. the a++unition issue- ;o,ever to guard against the risk o.
laser-de.eating +irrors and aerosols ancillary pro9ectile ,eapons
,ere usually +ade available to the savvy .ield doctorF Taka2s rig
also .ired darts pri+ed ,ith a conotoxin t,eaked .or ten-second
respiratory paralysis-
#one o. this ,as supposed to .ire auto+atically- !agheera
should only have brought those syste+s into .ull alert countered
one threat ,ith a greater one and given any aggressor the chance
to back o.. be.ore anyone got hurt- There should have been no
escalation absent Taka2s explicit co++and-
IBagheeraI she gro,led-
The lasers cut loose-
They didn2t .ire at the red-eyed +an- They started slicing
through the lineup behind hi+- ;al. a doCen people .ell bisected
cauteriCed their troubles suddenly over- Others stared disbelieving
at neat s+oking holes in their li+bs and torsos- On the .ar side o.
a sudden barbe7ued 9igsa, bro,n grass burst into .la+e- Water
/usic played on in the background ,ithout +issing a beat-
3.ter a +o+ent that see+ed to go on .orever people
re+e+bered to screa+-
The /ed-eyed +an all threat and bluster gone .ro+ his body
stood du+b.ounded and pincushioned by a doCen neurotoxic darts-
;e gaped soundlessly at Taka teetering- ;e raised his hands
pal+s up supplicating: goddamn woman$ & never meant2%
;e toppled rigid ,ith tetanus-
<eople ran or t,itched or lay still- The lasers dipped and
,eaved scra,ling blackened gibberish onto the ground- ?ire
guttered here and there a+ong the curlicues bright staccatos
against the .ailing light-
Taka pulled .rantically at the passenger doorF .ortunately the
renegade syste+ hadn2t charged the hull- !t had locked her out
thoughF this ,as the door that ,as supposed to stay unlocked the
route to re.uge8
&t's online how in (od's name can it be online 8
But she could see the telltale on her dashboard .lashing scarlet-
The M! ,as so+eho, uplinked to the ,ide ,ireless ,orld to the
net,orked +onsters that lived and hunted in there to8
3 Madonna- 3 >enie- !t had to be-
3nother telltale ,inked .ro+ a di..erent part o. the dashboard-
Belatedly Taka read the signs: the driver's door ,as unlocked-
"he thre, hersel. around the .ront o. the vehicle- "he kept her
eyes on the ground so+e religious i+pulse averting the+ .ro+ the
,rath o. Aod i" & don't see it maybe it won't see me but she could
hear the turret 9ust above her tracking and .iring tracking and8
"he piled into the cab yanked the door behind her locked it-
The cab2s eyephones lay on the .loor beside the seat- 3 tiny
aurora o. light ,rithed across the deck .ro+ its oculars- "he
snatched up the phones and held the+ to her .ace-
The Madonna2s t,isted .ace raged ,ithin an inset on the +ain
display- There ,as no sound8Taka le.t the headset +uted by
de.ault-
1hitsucker. &t got in through (P1. "he al,ays kept A<"
o..line ,hen she ,asn2t travelingF so+eho, the invader +ust have
spoo.ed the syste+-
"he killed nav- The screa+ing thing in the ,indo, ,ent out-
Overhead the lasers ceased .ire ,ith a do,nshi.ting ,hine-
Water /usic had ended so+eti+e during the +assacre-
Tchaikovsky had stepped into the gap- &olanta-
!t see+ed like a very long ,hile be.ore she dared to +ove-
"he killed the +usic- "he hugged hersel. shaking- "he tried
very hard not to cry like a .rightened child- "he told hersel. she2d
done ,hat she could-
"he told hersel. it could have been ,orse-
Madonnas could do al+ost anything in their o,n environ+ent-
0ruising through the ,alls and the ,ires and the ,avelengths o.
#23+#et they could penetrate al+ost any syste+ subvert al+ost
any sa.eguard bring do,n al+ost any cala+ity upon the heads o.
people .or ,ho+ disaster had long since beco+e the status 7uo-
Just the ,eek be.ore one had breached the .lood-control
subroutines o. so+e da+ in the /ockies e+ptied a ,hole reservoir
onto an unsuspecting populace sleeping in the spill,ay2s shado,-
?orcing access into one lousy M! ,ould have been si+plicity
itsel. to such a creature-
!t hadn2t do,nloaded at least- #o roo+- #either nav nor
,eapons-syste+ chips ,ere any,here near big enough to support
so+ething so co+plex and the +edical syste+s8the only habitat
in the van that could hold so+ething that siCe8,ere kept
+anually disconnected .ro+ the net except .or prearranged
updates- The +onsters could do a lot o. things in virtual space but
they hadn2t yet .igured out ho, to reach into the real ,orld and
physically .lip a s,itch- "o this one had si+ply extended long
vicious .ingers .ro+ so+e .ara,ay node ,reaking havoc .ro+ a
distance until Taka had cut it o..-
;er o,n di+ i+age stared back haunted and hollo,-eyed .ro+
the darkened dashboard- The perspex subtly convex stretched her
re.lection length,ise turned gaunt into do,nright attenuate- 3
.ragile re.ugee .ro+ so+e lo,-gravity planet civiliCed and
genteel- Banished to a hellish ,orld ,here even your o,n ar+or
turned against you-
What i" &. she thought and stopped hersel.-
4earily she unlocked the door and cli+bed out onto the killing
.loor- There ,ere still a .air nu+ber o. patients in sight- #one
,ere standing o. course- ?e, +oved-
What i" & didn2t.
I;elloNI she called to the e+pty streets and dark .aJades- I!t2s
okayN !t2s goneN ! shut it outNI
Moans .ro+ the in9ured- #othing else-
I3nybodyN ! could really use a hand hereN 4e2ve got8,e2ve
gotKI
What i" & didn2t turn (P1 o""+
"he shook her head- "he al,ays took it o..line- "he didn2t
speci.ically re+e+ber doing it this particular ti+e but you never
re+e+bered rote stu.. like that-
I3nybodyHI
/aybe you "ucked up. Wouldn't be the "irst time.
Would it$ #ave+
!t see+ed so dark all o. a sudden- "he raised her eyes .ro+ the
carnageF t,ilight ,as bleeding a,ay to the ,est-
That ,as ,hen she noticed the contrails-
)4N04M
Phocoena2s bulkheads are lu+inous ,ith intelligence- The
periscope .eed delivers crisp rich realti+es o. the +ariti+e
nightscape: dark sparkling ,aves in the .oreground black .ingers
o. dry land reaching into the vie, .ro+ either side- 3 9u+ble o.
bright buildings rises above the coastline in center screen huddled
together against the surrounding darkness- Boxy unlit silhouettes
to the south belie the re+ains o. a ,hole other city south o. the
#arro,s abandoned in the course o. so+e recent retreat-
The city o. ;ali.ax- Or rather the besieged city-state that
;ali.ax has evidently beco+e-
That naked-eye visual occupies the upper-le.t 7uarter o. the
+ain panel- Beside it a .alse-color interpretation o. the sa+e vie,
sho,s a .uCCy indistinct cloud enveloping the lit buildingsF 0larke
thinks o. the +antle o. a 9elly.ish enclosing vital organs- The
shroud is largely invisible to hu+an eyes even ri.ter onesF to
Phocoena2s spectru+-spanning senses it looks like a blue haCe o.
heat lightning- "tatic-.ield ioniCation >ubin says- 3 do+e o.
electricity to keep airborne particles at bay-
The sea,ard .rontier is under guard- #ot that 0larke ever
expected to si+ply sneak into the harbor and pull up next to the
local cla+ shackF she kne, there2d be some kind o. security in
place- >ubin ,as expecting +ines so .or the last .i.ty klicks
Phocoena cra,led to,ards the coast behind a couple o. point
drones Cig-Cagging ahead luring any counter+easures out o.
conceal+ent- Those .lushed a single burro,er lying in ,aitF
a,akened by the sound o. approaching +achinery it shot .ro+ the
+ud and corkscre,ed into the nearest drone ,ith a har+less and
anticli+actic clunk-
That lone dud ,as the only counter+easure they ca+e across on
the outer slope- >ubin .igures that ;ali.ax2s subsur.ace de.enses
+ust have been used up .ending o.. previous incursions- The .act
that they haven2t been replenished doesn2t bode ,ell .or the +ass-
production o. industrial goods in the vicinity-
3t any rate against all expectations they2ve cruised
unchallenged all the ,ay here 9ust outside ;ali.ax ;arbor- Only
to nearly run into this- 4hatever this is-
!t2s virtually invisible in the sub2s lights- !t2s even less visible to
sonar ,hich can barely pick it up even at point-blank range- 3
transparent diaphanous +e+brane stretches .ro+ seabed to
sur.ace: the periscope sho,s a .loat line holding its upper edge
several +eters above the ,aves- !t appears to stretch across the
entire +outh o. the harbor-
!t billo,s in,ard as i. the 3tlantic is leaning on it .ro+ the
outside- <inpoint .lashes o. cold blue light sparkle across its .ace
sparse ripples o. stardust echoing the gentle subsur.ace surge-
0larke recogniCes the e..ect- !t2s not the +e+brane that sparkles
but the tiny biolu+inescent creatures colliding ,ith it-
<lankton- !t see+s so+eho, encouraging that they still exist
so close to shore-
>ubin2s less interested in the light sho, than its cause- IMust
be se+iper+eable-I That ,ould explain the oceanographic
i+possibility that belied its presence a sudden sharp halocline
rising across their path like a ,all- *iscrete boundaries are
co++on enough in the sea: brackish ,ater lying atop heavier
saline ,ar+ ,ater layered over cold- But the strati.ication is
al,ays horiContal a par.ait o. light-over-heavy as inevitable as
gravity- 3 vertical halocline see+s to violate the very la,s o.
physicsF the +e+brane itsel. +ay have been undetectable to sonar
but the sheer kni.e-edged discontinuity it produces sho,ed up like
a brick ,all .ro+ a thousand +eters a,ay-
I>ooks pretty .li+syI 0larke re+arks- I#ot +uch to keep us
out-I
I!t2s not there .or usI >ubin says-
I4ell yeah-I !t2s a ehe+oth .ilter obviously- 3nd it +ust be
blocking a ,hole range o. other particles too to generate this kind
o. density i+balance- I4hat ! +ean is ,e can 9ust punch right on
through-I
I! don2t think soI >ubin says-
;e brings the periscope do,n .ro+ the sur.ace and sends it
sni..ing to,ards the barrierF on the panel the co,ering cityscape
disappears in a s,irl o. bubbles and darkness- 0larke gli+pses the
2scope2s tether through the vie,port a pale thread o. .iberop
un,inding overhead- The periscope itsel. is e..ectively invisible a
s+all +iracle o. dyna+ic countershading-
0larke ,atches it on tactical instead- >ubin brings the drone to
,ithin hal. a +eter o. the +e+brane: a .aint yello, haCe resolves
on the right-hand .eed ,here naked eyes see only darkness-
I4hat2s thatHI 0larke ,onders-
IBioelectric .ieldI >ubin tells her-
I:ou +ean it2s aliveHI
I<robably not the +e+brane itsel.- !2d guess it2s run through
,ith so+e kind o. engineered neurons-I
I/eallyH :ou sureHI
>ubin shakes his head- I!2+ not even sure it2s biological8the
.ield strength .its but it doesn2t prove anything-I ;e gives her a
look- I*id you think ,e had a sensor to pick up brain cells at .i.ty
pacesHI
#o ,itty re9oinder springs to +ind- 0larke turns back to the
vie,port and the di+ blue aurora .lickering beyond- I>ike an
anorexic s+art gelI she +ur+urs-
I<robably a lot du+ber- 3nd a lot +ore radical8they2d have to
t,eak the neurons to ,ork at lo, te+peratures high salinity8the
+e+brane itsel. could handle os+oregulation ! suppose-I
I! don2t see any blood vessels- ! ,onder ho, they get
nutrients-I
IMaybe the +e+brane handles that too- 3bsorbs the+ right
.ro+ sea,ater-I
I4hat2s it .orHI
IOther than a .ilterHI >ubin shrugs- I3n alar+ ! should think-I
I"o ,hat do ,e doHI
>ubin considers a +o+ent- I<oke itI he says-
The periscope lunges .or,ard- On the ,ide-spectru+ display
the +e+brane .lares on i+pact bright threads radiating .ro+ the
strike like a .ine-veined tracery o. yello, lightning- !n visible light
it 9ust .loats there inert-
IM++-I >ubin pulls the periscope back- The +e+brane reverts
to lo,glo,-
I"o i. it is an alar+I 0larke says I!2+ guessing you2ve 9ust set
it o..-I
I#ot unless ;ali.ax goes to red alert every ti+e a piece o.
dri.t,ood bu+ps their peri+eter-I >ubin runs his .inger along a
control bar: on tactical the periscope heads back to the sur.ace-
IBut ! am ,illing to bet this thing2ll screa+ a lot louder i. ,e
actually tear through it- 4e don2t need that kind o. attention-I
I"o ,hat no,H ;ead do,n the coast a bit try a land
approachHI
>ubin shakes his head- IGnder,ater ,as our best shot- 3
landside approach ,ill be a lot tougher-I ;e grabs a headset o..
the bulkhead and slips it over his skull- I!. ,e can2t get to a hard
line ,e2ll try the local ,ireless nets- Better than nothing-I
;e cocoons hi+sel. and extends .eelers into the attenuate
datasphere overhead- 0larke reroutes nav to the copilot2s panel and
turns Phocoena back into deeper ,ater- 3n extra klick or so
shouldn2t inter.ere ,ith >ubin2s tra,l and there2s so+ething
dis7uieting about being in such shallo, ,ater- !t2s like looking up
to .ind the roo. has crept do,n ,hile you ,eren2t looking-
>ubin grunts- IAot so+ething-I
0larke taps into >ubin2s headset and splits the .eed to her o,n
panel- Most o. the strea+2s inco+prehensible8 nu+bers and
statistics and acrony+s scrolling past too 7uickly .or her to read
even i. she could +ake sense o. the+- Dither >ubin2s dug beneath
the usual user inter.aces or Maelstro+ has beco+e so
i+poverished in the past .ive years that it can2t support advanced
graphics any +ore-
But that can2t be- The syste+ has roo+ enough .or her o,n
de+onic alter-egos a.ter all- Those are nothing i. not graphic-
I"o ,hat2s it sayingHI 0larke asks-
IMissile attack o. so+e kind do,n in Maine- They2re sending
li.ters-I
"he gives up and pulls the 2phones .ro+ her eyes-
IThat could be our best ,ay inI >ubin +uses- I3ny vehicles
0"!/3 deploys ,ill be operating out o. a secure site ,ith access to
good intel-I
I3nd you think the pilot ,ould be ,illing to pick up a couple o.
hitch-hikers in the +iddle o. a conta+inated ConeHI
>ubin turns his head- ?aint lightning .lickers around the edges
o. his eyephones ephe+eral tattoos laid over the scars on his
cheeks-
I!. there is a pilotI he says Iperhaps he2ll be open to
persuasion-I
7$NNA
Taka Ouellette e+erged into a nightscape o. guttering .la+e-
"he drove at a cra,l through a hot dry sno,.all the ,indshield2s
static .ield barely keeping the .lakes .ro+ the glass- 3sh .lurried
,hite as talc in Miri2s headlights a .og o. po,dered earth and
vegetation blinding her to the road ahead- "he killed the lights but
in.rared ,as even ,orse: countless particles o. dri.ting soot the
brilliant ,ashouts o. ra, .la+e arid little dust-devils and ,rithing
updra.ts overloaded the display ,ith .alse-color arte.acts- ?inally
she settled .or an old set o. photoa+p glasses in the glove
co+part+ent- The ,orld resolved into black and ,hite gray on
gray- The viC ,as still terrible but at least the inter.erence ,as in
sharp .ocus-
/aybe there were survivors she told hersel. ,ithout +uch
hope- /aybe the "irestorm didn't reach that "ar. "he ,as a good
ten kilo+eters .ro+ the spot ,here her M! had risen up and
slaughtered the locals- There2d been no closer cover: no stor+
se,ers or parkades +ore than a .e, levels deep and i. there2d been
any hardened shelters nearby her surviving patients ,ouldn2t have
been inclined to tell her about the+- "o she2d .led east ,hile the
contrails arced overhead buried hersel. in a service tunnel attached
to an abandoned tidal bore drilled in .ro+ <enobscot Bay- 3 .e,
years ago the sha+ans had pro+ised that bore ,ould keep the
lights on .ro+ <ortland to Dastport ,orld ,ithout end- But o.
course the ,orld had ended be.ore the .irst turbine had even been
installed- #o, the tunnel did nothing but shield burro,ing
+a++als .ro+ the short-ter+ conse7uences o. their o,n stupidity-
Ten kilo+eters over buckled and debris-stre,n roads that hadn2t
seen service since be.ore ehe+oth- !t ,as nothing short o. a
+iracle that Taka had +ade it to sa.ety be.ore the +issiles had hit-
Or it ,ould have been i. the +issiles had actually caused any o.
the devastation she ,as driving through no,-
"he ,as pretty sure they hadn2t- !n .act she ,as pretty sure
they2d never even touched the ground-
The hill she ,as cli+bing crested a hundred +eters ahead-
?resh ,reckage blocked her ,ay hal.,ay up that rise the re+ains
o. so+e roadside building that had collapsed during the attack-
#o, it ,as only a great tu+bledo,n collection o. s+oking cinder
blocks- #ot even Taka2s eyeglasses could banish the shado,s
in.esting that debris all straight lines and sharp angles and dark
e+pty parallelogra+s-
!t ,as too steep .or Miri2s li+ited ground-e..ectors- Ouellette
le.t the van to its o,n devices and cli+bed around the ,reckage-
The bricks ,ere still hot to the touch- ;eat .ro+ the scorched
earth penetrated the soles o. her boots a subtle ,ar+th unpleasant
only by i+plication-
On the uphill side o. the debris she passed occasional ob9ects
,hich retained so+e cru+bly se+blance o. hu+an bones- "he
,as breathing the dead- <erhaps so+e o. those she inhaled ,ould
have died even earlier i. not .or her e..orts- <erhaps so+e she2d
helped today ,ere still alive in spite o. everything- "he +anaged
to take so+e .aint co+.ort in that until she crested the hill-
But no-
The landscape spread out be.ore her ,as as ,asted as the path
she2d 9ust cli+bed: .lickering eruptions o. ,hite .irelight
punctuating a vista blackened as +uch by carbon as by night.all-
The land had not been laid ,aste by +issiles or +icrobes not this
ti+e- The thing that had done it ,as still visible in the distance: a
tiny dark oval in the sky barely darker than the cloud bank behind
it hanging a .e, degrees over the horiCon- Taka al+ost +issed it
at .irst even ,ith the specs- !ts outline ,as .uCCy sparkling ,ith
the .aint visual static o. errant photons unreasonably boosted-
But the gouts o. .la+e that poured .ro+ its belly in the next
instant sho,ed up clearly enough even to naked eyes-
#ot a +issile- #ot a +icrobe- 3 li.ter scouring the distance as
it had already scoured the .oreground-
3nd .or all Taka Ouellette kne, she had been the one to bring
it here-
Oh it ,asn2t dead certain- 4ide-scale incendiary purges still
happened under o..icial pretext- There2d actually been a ti+e ,hen
they ,ere pretty routine back in the early panic-stricken days
,hen people thought they +ight actually be able to contain
ehe+oth i. they 9ust had the balls to take drastic steps- Those had
scaled back ,hen it had gro,n apparent that #23+ ,as blo,ing its
,hole napal+ reserve to no good e..ect but they still happened
so+eti+es in so+e o. the ,ilder Cones out ,est- !t ,as even
possible that such steps +ight have been undertaken ,ithout
0"!/3 bothering to extract their .ield personnel although Taka
doubted that even she ,ould be le.t that .ar out o. the loop-
But not so .ar .ro+ here not so long ago she had let a +onster
escape into the real ,orld- ?loods and .irestor+s al,ays see+ed
to .ollo, in the ,ake o. such breaches and Taka had al+ost
.orgotten a ti+e ,hen she believed in coincidence-
There2d be no shortage o. proxi+ate causes- <erhaps so+e
rogue autopilot a..licted ,ith .aulty progra++ing tricked by a
typographic error into burning the ,rong part o. the ,orld- Or
+aybe a hu+an pilot +isled by garbled encryption co++ands
+isheard through static and inter.erence- #one o. those details
+attered- Taka kne, the bigger 7uestion: who had t,eaked any
code that subverted the auto+atic pilotH What had garbled
instructions heard by the .lesh and blood oneH
"he kne, the ans,er too- !t ,ould have been obvious to
anyone ,ho2d seen the +onster in her eyephones a .e, hours
be.ore- There ,ere no accidents- #oise ,as never rando+- 3nd
the +achinery itsel. ,as +align-
;ere staring out at a photoa+pli.ied cre+atoriu+ stretching to
the very horiCon it ,as the only explanation that +ade sense-
)ou were a scientist once she told hersel.- )ou rejected
incantations outright. )ou knew the truths that protected you "rom
bias and woolly'mindedness$ and you learned them all by heartE
correlation is not causation. *othing is real until replicated. The
mind sees order in noiseD trust only numbers.
!ncantations o. another sort perhaps- #ot very e..ective onesF
they hadn2t .or all their .a+iliarity saved her .ro+ the creeping
certainty that she2d called an evil spirit into her vehicle- "he could
rationaliCe the superstitious a,e in her head 9usti.y it even- ;er
training gave her +ore than enough tools .or that- 1pirit ,as only
a ,ord a convenient label .or a virulent so.t,are entity .orged in
the .ast-.or,ard *ar,inian landscape that had once been called
&nternet- Taka kne, ho, .ast evolutionary changes could be
,rought in a syste+ ,here a hundred generations passed in the
blink o. an eye- "he re+e+bered another ti+e ,hen electronic
li.e.or+s8undesigned unplanned and un,anted8had gro,n so
pestilential that the net itsel. had ac7uired the na+e /aelstrom-
The things called ,enies or 1hredders or /adonnas8like the
Aospel de+ons their na+es ,ere legion8they ,ere si+ply
exe+plars o. natural selection- Dxtre+ely success.ul exe+plars:
on the other side o. the ,orld ,hole countries abased the+selves
in their na+es- Or in the na+e o. the icon on ,hich they ,ere
based at least so+e se+i-+ythical cult .igure ,ho2d risen to brie.
pro+inence on ehe+oth2s coattails-
This ,as logic not religion- "o ,hat i. these things had po,er
beyond i+agining yet no physical substanceH "o ,hat i. they
lived in the ,ires and the ,ireless spaces bet,een and +oved at
the speed o. their o,n electronic thoughtsH #emon spirit8
shorthand not superstition- Only +etaphor ,ith +ore points o.
si+ilarity than so+e-
3nd yet no, Taka Ouellette sa, +ysterious lights .lashing in
the sky and .ound her lips +oving in altogether the ,rong kind o.
incantation-
6h (od$ save us-
"he turned and headed do,nhill- "he could probably get
around the blockage take so+e back road to continue on this ,ay
but ,hat ,as the pointH !t ,as a 7uestion o. cost-bene.it analysis
o. lives-saved-per-unit-e..ort- That value ,ould certainly be
higher al+ost any,here but here-
The collapsed building loo+ed ahead o. her on the road again
gray and colorless in the a+pli.ied light- The angular shado,s
looked di..erent +ore o+inous .ro+ this angle- They .or+ed
crude .aces and body parts ,ay past hu+an scale as i. so+e giant
cubist robot had collapsed in an angry heap and ,as su++oning
the strength to pull itsel. back together again-
3s she began to pick her ,ay around the pile one o. the
shado,s detached itsel. and +oved to block her path-
I3oly.I Taka gasped- !t ,as only a ,o+an she sa, no, and
unar+ed8these days you noticed such things al+ost instinctively
8but her heart had been kicked instantly into .ightP.light- IJesus
you scared +e-I
I"orry- *idn2t +ean to-I The ,o+an took another step clear o.
the debris- "he ,as blonde dressed entirely in so+e black skin-
tight body stocking .ro+ neck to .eetF only her hands and head
,ere exposed pale dise+bodied pieces against the contrasting
darkness- "he ,as a .e, centi+eters shorter than Taka hersel.-
There ,as so+ething about her eyes too- They see+ed too
bright so+eho,- <robably an arte.act o. the specs Taka decided-
>ight re.lecting o.. the ,etness o. the cornea perhaps-
The ,o+an 9erked her chin back over her shoulder- IThat your
a+bulanceHI
IMobile !n.ir+ary- :es-I Taka glanced around the .ull three-
sixty- "he sa, no one else- I3re you sickHI
3 laugh very so.t- I!sn2t everyoneHI
I! +ean8I
I#o- #ot yet-I
What is it about those eyesH !t ,as hard to tell .ro+ this
distance8the ,o+an ,as ten +eters a,ay8but it looked like she
+ight be ,earing nightshades- !n ,hich case she could see Taka
Ouellette way better than Taka Ouellette could see her through
these .ratCing photoa+ps-
<eople in the ,ildlands did not generally co+e so ,ell-
e7uipped-
Taka put her hands casually into her pocketsF the act pushed her
,indbreaker a,ay .ro+ the standard-issue Bi+ber on her hip-
I3re you hungryHI she asked- IThere2s a cycler in the cab- The
bricks taste like shit but i. you2re desperate---I
I"orry about thisI the ,o+an said stepping .or,ard- I/eally-I
;er eyes ,ere like blank translucent balls o. ice-
Taka stepped back instinctively- "o+ething blocked her .ro+
behind- "he spun and stared into another pair o. e+pty eyes set in
a .ace that see+ed all scarred planes and chipped stone- "he didn2t
reach .or her gun- "o+eho, he already had it-
I!t2s gene-lockedI she said 7uickly-
IM++-I ;e turned the ,eapon over in his hands- ;e ,ore the
look o. a pro.essional appraiser- I4e apologiCe .or the intrusionI
he told her al+ost absently IBut ,e need you to disable the
security on your vehicle-I ;e did not look at her-
I4e2re not going to hurt youI the ,o+an said .ro+ behind-
Taka unreassured kept her eyes on the +an holding her gun-
I0ertainly notI he agreed looking up at last- I#ot ,hile there
are +ore e..icient alternatives-I
!agheera ,as one pass,ord- There ,ere several others-
/orris locked do,n the ,hole kit and kaboodle so that not even
Taka could start it up again ,ithout live authoriCation- Pixel
electrostabbed any passengers ,ho didn2t +atch her phero+one
pro.ile- Tigger unlocked the doors and played dead until it heard
Taka say 1chroedinger: then it locked do,n and pu+ped enough
halothane into the cab to turn a ((0-kg assailant into a sack o. 9elly
.or a +ini+u+ o. .i.teen +inutes- 5Taka hersel. ,ould be up and
at 2e+ in a +ere ninety secondsF ,hen they2d given her the keys to
Miri they2d also t,eaked her blood ,ith a resistant enCy+e-6
Mobile !n.ir+aries ,ere chock-.ull o. resources and
technology- The ,ildlands ,ere chock-.ull o. desperate people
literally dying .or an edge any edge- 3nti-the.t +easures +ade
every kind o. sense and +ore than a little irony: ,hen it ca+e
right do,n to it Miri ,as .ar better at killing and incapacitation
than it ,as at healing the sick-
#o, Taka stood beside the driver2s door ,hite-eyed
blackbodies on either side- "he ran through her options-
ITiggerI she said- Miri chirped and unlocked the door-
The ,o+an pulled the door open and cli+bed into the cab-
Taka started to .ollo,- 3 hand clapped do,n on her shoulder-
Taka turned and .aced her captor- I!t2s gene-locked too- !2ll
have to reset it i. you ,ant to drive-I
I4e don2tI he told her- I#ot yet-I
IThe board2s darkI the ,o+an said .ro+ behind the ,heel-
The hand on her shoulder tightened subtly pressed .or,ard-
Taka .elt hersel. guided to the cabF the other ,o+an slid over into
the passenger seat to give her roo+-
I3ctuallyI the +an said I! think ,e2ll let the doctor here take
the passenger seat-I The hand pressed do,n- Taka ducked in
through the driver2s side slid bet,een the seat and the steering
stick as the other ,o+an le.t the cab through the passenger door-
The ,o+an grasped the edge o. that door and started to push it
shut-
I#oI said the +an very distinctly- The ,o+an .roCe-
;e ,as behind the ,heel no,F his hand hadn2t co+e o.. Taka2s
shoulder .or an instant- IOne o. us stays outside the cab at all
ti+esI he told his partner- I3nd ,e leave both doors open-I
;is partner nodded- ;e took his hand o.. Taka2s shoulder and
looked at the dark unhelp.ul .ace o. the dash-
IBring it onlineI he said- ITouch only no voice control- *o
not start the engine-I
Taka stared back at hi+ un+oving-
The blond leaned in over her shoulder- I4e ,eren2t bullshitting
youI she said 7uietly- I4e really don2t ,ant to hurt you unless
there2s no choice- !2+ betting that2s a pretty charitable attitude .or
these parts so ,hy are you pushing itHI
These parts. "o they ,ere ne, in to,n- #ot that this ca+e as
any great surpriseF these t,o ,ere the .urthest thing .ro+ ,ildland
re.ugees that Taka had seen in ages-
"he shook her head- I:ou2re stealing an M!- That2s going to
hurt a lot +ore people than +e-I
I!. you cooperate you can have it back in a little ,hileI the
+an told her- IBring it online-I
"he keyed the genepad- The dashboard lit up-
;e studied the display- I"o ! take it you2re so+e sort o.
itinerant health-care ,orker-I
I"o+e sortI Taka said care.ully-
I4here are you out o.HI he asked-
IOut o.HI
I4ho sets your routeH 4ho resupplies youHI
IBangor usually-I
IThey airli.t supplies to you in the .ieldHI
I4hen they can spare the+-I
;e grunted- I:our inventory beacon2s disabled-I
;e spoke as i. it ,ere a surprise-
I! 9ust radio in ,hen +y stocks get too lo,I Taka told hi+-
I4hy ,ould8what are you doing%I
;e paused .ingers poised over the A<" +enu he2d 9ust brought
up- I!2+ .ixing so+e locationsI he said +ildly- I!s there a
proble+HI
I3re you cra5yH !t2s still practically line-o.-sightN *o you want
it to co+e backHI
I4ant ,hat to co+e backHI the ,o+an asked-
I4hat do you think did all thisHI
They eyed her expressionlessly- I0"!/3 ! expectI the +an
said a.ter a +o+ent- IThis was a contain+ent burn ,asn2t itHI
I!t ,as a ,enieNI Taka shouted- 6h 8esus what i" he brings it
back$ what i" he.
"o+ething pulled her around .ro+ behind- Alacial eyes bored
directly into hers- "he could .eel the ,o+an2s breath against her
cheek-
I4hat did you 9ust sayHI
Taka s,allo,ed and held hersel. in check- The panic receded
slightly-
I>isten to +eI she said- I!t got in through +y A<" last ti+e- !
don2t kno, ho, but i. you go online you could bring it back-
/ight no, ! ,ouldn2t even risk radio-I
IThis thing8I the +an began-
I;o, can you not know about the+HI Taka cried exasperated
The t,o exchanged so+e indecipherable glance across her-
I4e kno,I the +an said- Taka noted grate.ully that he2d shut
do,n A<"- I3re you saying it ,as responsible .or yesterday2s
+issile attackHI
I#o o. course n8I Taka stopped- "he2d never considered that
be.ore-
I! never thought soI she said a.ter a +o+ent- I3nything2s
possible ! guess- "o+e people say the MMM2s recruited the+
so+eho,-I
I4ho else ,ould have done itHI the ,o+an ,ondered-
IDurasia- 3.rica- 3nyone really-I 3 sudden thought struck
her: I:ou aren2t .ro+8HI
The +an shook his head- I#o-I
"he couldn2t really bla+e the +issile-thro,ers ,hoever they
,ere- 3ccording to the dispatches ehe+oth still hadn2t con7uered
the lands beyond 3tlanticF those people probably still thought they
could contain it i. they 9ust steriliCed the hot Cone- 3 phrase
tickled the back o. Taka2s +ind so+e ,orn-out slogan once used
to 9usti.y astrono+ical death tolls- That ,as it: The (reater (ood-
I3ny,ayI she ,ent on Ithe +issiles never +ade it through-
That2s not ,hat all this is-I
The ,o+an stared out the ,indo, ,here all this ,as
lightening to s+oky pre-da,n gray- I4hat stopped the+HI
Taka shrugged- I#23+ de.ense shield-I
I;o, could you tellHI asked the +an-
I:ou can see the re-entry trails ,hen the antis co+e do,n .ro+
orbit- :ou can see the+ di+ do,n be.ore they blo, up- "+okey
starbursts like .ire,orks al+ost-I
The ,o+an glanced around- I"o all this this ,as your8your
,enieHI
3 snippet .ro+ a very old song .loated through Taka2s +ind-
There are no accidents 'round here---
I:ou said starburstsHI the +an said-
Taka nodded-
I3nd the contrails di++ed do,n be.ore detonation-I
I"oHI
I4hich contrailsH The inco+ing +issiles or the #23+ antisHI
I;o, should ! kno,HI
I:ou sa, this last nightHI
Taka nodded-
I4hat ti+eHI
I! don2t kno,- >isten ! had other things on +y +ind !8I
&'d just watched a "ew do5en people sliced into cold cuts
because & might have le"t a circuit open somewhere...
The +an ,as ,atching her ,ith a sudden un,avering intensity-
;is eyes ,ere blank but .ar .ro+ e+pty-
"he tried to re+e+ber- I!t ,as dusk the sun had been do,n
.or8! don2t kno, +aybe .i.teen or t,enty +inutesHI
I!s that typical o. these attacksH "unsetHI
I! never thought about it be.oreI Taka ad+itted- I! guess so-
Or nightti+e at least-I
I4as there ever an attack that occurred during broad daylightHI
"he thought hard- I!---! can2t re+e+ber any-I
I;o, long a.ter the contrails di++ed did the starbursts
appearHI
I>ook ! didn2t8I
I3ow longHI
I& don't know$ okayH Maybe around .ive seconds or so-I
I;o, +any degrees o. arc did the contrails8I
IMister ! don2t even kno, ,hat that means-I
The ,hite-eyed +an said nothing .or ,hat see+ed like a very
long ti+e- ;e did not +ove- Taka got the sense o. ,heels in
+otion-
?inally: IThat tunnel you hid in-I
I;o, did8you .ollo,ed +eH 3ll the ,ay .ro+ thereH On
"ootHI
I!t ,asn2t .arI the ,o+an told her- I>ess than a kilo+eter-I
Taka shook her head a+aCed- 3t the ti+e inching through
gusts o. scorched earth it see+ed as i. she2d been in +otion .or
days-
I:ou stopped at the gate- To cut the chain-I
Taka nodded- !n hindsight it see+ed absurd8the M! could
have crashed that barrier in an instant and the sky ,as .alling-
I:ou looked up at the skyI he sur+ised-
I:es-I
I4hat did you seeHI
I! told you- 0ontrails- "tarbursts-I
I4here ,as the closest starburstHI
I! don2t8I
IAet out o. the cab-I
"he stared at hi+-
IAo onI he said-
"he cli+bed out into gray da,n- There ,ere no +ore spirits
inhabiting the shattered building be.ore her: the rising light
stripped a,ay the /orschach shado,s leaving nothing but a
haphaCard pile o. cinderblocks and !-bea+s- The .e, scorched
trees still standing nearby burned past black to ash ,hite .lanked
the road like upthrust skeletal hands-
;e ,as at her side- I0lose your eyes-I
"he did- !. he ,as going to kill her there ,asn2t +uch she
could do about it even ,ith her eyes open-
I:ou2re at the gate-I ;is voice ,as steady soothing- I:ou2re
"acing the gate- :ou turn around and look back up the road- :ou
look up at the sky- Ao on-I
"he turned eyes still closed +e+ory .illing the gaps- "he
craned her neck-
I:ou see starburstsI the voice continued- I! ,ant you to point
at the one that2s +ost directly overhead- The one that2s closest to
the gate- /e+e+ber ,here it ,as in the sky and point-I
"he raised her ar+ and held it steady-
I4hat2s the deal BenHI the ,o+an asked in the void-
I"houldn2t ,e be8I
I:ou can open your eyes no,I said the +8said Ken- "o she
did-
"he didn2t kno, ,ho these people ,ere but she ,as co+ing to
believe at least one thing they2d told her: they didn2t ,ant to hurt
her-
*ot while there are more e""icient alternatives.
"he allo,ed hersel. a trickle o. relie.- I3ny +ore 7uestionsHI
IOne +ore- Aot any path grenadesHI
I>oads-I
I*o any o. the+ key on bugs that aren't ehe+othHI
IMost o. the+-I Taka shrugged- Iehe+oth tracers are kind o.
redundant hereabouts-I
"he dug out the grenades he ,anted and a pistol to .ire the+-
;e checked the+ over ,ith the sa+e eye he2d used on her Bi+ber-
Dvidently they passed inspection- I! shouldn2t be +ore than a .e,
hoursI he told his partner- ;e glanced at the M!- I*on2t let her
start the engine or close the doors ,hether she2s inside or out-I
The ,o+an looked at Taka her expression unreadable-
I;eyI Taka said- I!8I
Ben shook his head- I*on2t ,orry about it- 4e2ll sort it out
,hen ! get back-I
;e started o.. do,n the road- ;e didn2t look back-
Taka took a deep breath and studied the other ,o+an- I"o
you2re guarding +e no,HI
The corner o. the ,o+an2s +outh t,itched-
#amn$ but those eyes are strange. -an't see anything in there.
"he tried again- IBen see+s like a nice enough guy-I
The other ,o+an stared a cold eyeless stare .or an instant and
burst out laughing-
!t see+ed like a good sign- I"o are you t,o an ite+ or ,hatHI
The ,o+an shook her head still s+iling- I4hat-I
I#ot that you asked but +y na+e2s Taka Ouellette-I
Just like that the s+ile disappeared-
6h look #ave$ & "ouled up again. & always have to go that one
step too "ar...
But the other ,o+an2s +outh ,as +oving- I >e8>aurieI it
said-
I3h-I Taka tried to think o. so+ething else to say- I#ot
exactly pleased to +eet youI she said at last trying to keep her
tone light-
I:eahI >aurie said- I! get that a lot-I
5$ 5.,74N4M5.: 49 SA+6A5,4N
This does not parse$ >ubin thought-
Mid-June on the .orty-.ourth parallel- ?i.teen or t,enty
+inutes a.ter sunset8say about .ive degrees o. planetary rotation-
4hich ,ould put eclipse altitude at about thirty-three kilo+eters-
The +issiles had dropped into shado, .our or .ive seconds be.ore
detonation i. this ,itness ,as to be trusted- 3ssu+ing the usual
reentry velocity o. seven kilo+eters per second that put actual
detonation at an altitude no greater than .ive thousand +eters
probably +uch lo,er-
"he2d reported an airburst- #ot an i+pact and not a .ireball-
?ire,orks she2d called the+- 3nd al,ays at t,ilight or during
darkness-
The sun ,as 9ust clearing the ridge to the east ,hen he arrived
at the back door o. <enobscot <o,er2s abandoned enterprise-
Phocoena and the doctor2s M! had coexisted brie.ly in the bo,els
o. those re+ainsF her service tunnel had run along the spine o. a
great subterranean .inger o. ocean sixty +eters ,ide and a
hundred ti+es as long drilled through solid bedrock- 3t the ti+e
o. its conception it had been a valiant recreation o. the lunar engine
that drove the tides o. ?undy t,o hundred klicks up the coast-
#o, it ,as only a great .looded se,er pipe and a ,ay .or shy
sub+arines to slip inland unobserved-
#one o. ,hich ,as obvious .ro+ here o. course- ?ro+ here
there ,as only a scorched chain-link .ence carbon-coated
rectangles o. +etal that had once proclai+ed *o Trespassing and
8.i.ty +eters on the other side ,here the rock rose .ro+ the earth
8a broken-toothed concrete-and-rebar +outh in the .ace o. the
ridge- One o. the gate2s t,o panels s,ung creaking in the arid
breeCe- The other listed at an angle sti.. in its hinges-
;e stood ,ith his back to the gate- ;e raised his ar+ and held
it- ;e re+e+bered ,here the doctor had pointed corrected his
angle-
That way-
Just a .e, degrees over the horiCon- That i+plied either a high
distant sighting or a +uch closer lo,-altitude one- 3t+ospheric
inversions ,ere strongest during t,ilight and darkness >ubin
re+e+bered- They ,ere generally only a .e, hundred +eters
thick and they tended to act as a blanket holding released
particulates close to the ground-
;e ,alked south- ?la+e still .lickered here and there
consu+ing little pockets o. le.t-over co+bustibles- 3 +orning
breeCe ,as rising co+ing in .ro+ the coast- !t pro+ised cooler
te+peratures and cleaner airF no, though ash still gusted
every,here- >ubin coughed up chalky phleg+ and kept going-
The doctor had given hi+ a belt to go ,ith the grenades- The
little aerosol explosives bu+ped against his hips as he ,alked- ;e
kept the gun in hand ai+ing absently at convenient targets stu+ps
and po,dered shrubs and the re+ains o. .enceposts- There ,asn2t
+uch le.t to point at- ;is i+agination invested ,hat there ,as
,ith li+bs and .aces- ;e i+agined the+ bleeding-
O. course his ,itness had hardly been a A<" on legs- There
,ere so +any errors nested in her directions that correcting .or
,ind speed ,as tanta+ount to adding one s+all error to a hal.-
doCen larger ones- "till >ubin ,as nothing i. not syste+atic-
There ,as a reasonable chance that he ,as ,ithin a kilo+eter o.
the starburst2s coordinates- ;e turned east .or a .e, +inutes to
co+pensate .or the breeCe- Then he popped the .irst grenade onto
his pistol and .ired at the sky-
!t soared into the air like a great yello, egg and exploded into a
.luorescent pink cloud t,enty +eters across-
;e ,atched it dissipate- The .irst tatters .ollo,ed the prevailing
,inds tugging the cloud into an ovoid delicate cotton-candy
strea+ers dri.ting .ro+ its do,nstrea+ end- 3.ter a .e, +o+ents
though it began to disperse laterally as ,ell its co+ponent
particles instinctively sni..ing the air .or signs o. treasure-
#o obvious +ove+ent against the ,ind- That ,ould have been
too +uch to hope .or this early in the ga+e-
;e .ired the next grenade a hundred +eters diagonally up,ind
o. the .irstF the third a hundred +eters .ro+ each o. the others the
closing point o. a roughly e7uilateral triangle- ;e CigCagged his
,ay across the ,asted landscape kicking little dri.ts o. ash ,here
bracken and shrubbery had clustered a day earlier navigating
endless rocky +oguls and .issures- Once he even hopped across a
scorched strea+bed still trickling .ed by so+e +iraculous source
.urther upstrea+ than the .la+ethro,ers had reached- 3t rough
regular intervals he shot another absurd pink cloud into the sky
and ,atched it spread and +oved on-
;e ,as ai+ing his eighth grenade ,hen he noticed the residue
o. the seventh behaving strangely- !t had started as pu..y round
cu+ulus like all the others- #o, though it ,as streaked and
strea+ing as though being stretched by the ,ind- 4hich ,ould
indeed have been the case i. it had been strea+ing with the breeCe
instead o. across it-
3nd another cloud +ore distant and dissipated see+ed to be
breaking the sa+e rules- They didn2t .lo, these aerosol strea+s
not to the naked eye- /ather they see+ed to dri"t against the ,ind
to,ards so+e point o. convergence back the ,ay >ubin had co+e
about thirty degrees o.. his o,n track-
3nd they ,ere losing altitude-
;e started a.ter the+- The +otes in those clouds couldn2t be
called intelligent by any stretch o. the ,ord but they kne, ,hat
they liked and they had the +eans to get to it- They ,ere ol.actory
creatures and they loved the s+ell o. t,o things above all else-
The .irst ,as the protein signatures put out by a ,ide array o.
,eaponised biosolsF they tracked that aro+a like sharks sni..ing
blood in the ,ater and ,hen they .inally .ound that a+brosia and
rolled around in it they changed che+ically- That ,as the other
thing these creatures loved: the s+ell o. their o,n kind .ul.illed-
!t ,as the classic bio+agni.ying one-t,o punch- Too o.ten
traces o. one2s 7uarry ,ere too .aint to do +ore than ,hisper to a
.e, passing +otes- Those ,ould lock on enCy+e-to-substrate
and achieve their o,n personal nirvana 8 but that very +erger
,ould 7uench the e+issions that had lured the+ in the .irst place-
The conta+inant ,ould be .lagged but the .lag ,ould be .ar too
s+all to catch any +a++alian eye-
But to be aroused not only by prey but by others si+ilarly
aroused8,hy it scarcely +attered ,hether there ,as enough to
go around- 3 single o..ending particle ,ould be enough to start an
orgiastic .ission reaction- Dach subse7uent arrival ,ould only
brighten the collective signal-
>ubin .ound it hal.-buried in the gravel bed o. a shallo, gully-
!t looked like a snub-nosed bullet thirty centi+eters long
per.orated by ro,s o. circular holes along hal. its length- !t looked
like the salt shaker o. a giant ,ith pathologically high blood
pressure- !t looked like the business end o. a +ultiheaded
suborbital device .or the delivery o. biological aerosols-
>ubin couldn2t tell ,hat color it had originally been- !t ,as
dripping ,ith .luorescent pink goo-
Ouellete2s M! changed be.ore his eyes on the .inal steps o. his
approach- Bright holographic phanto+s resolved ,ithin the
vehicle8the plastic skin gre, translucent exposing neon guts and
nerves beneath- >ubin ,as still getting used to such visions- ;is
ne, inlays served up the diagnostic e+issions o. any unshielded
+achinery ,ithin a t,elve +eter radius- This particular vehicle
,asn2t 7uite as .orthco+ing as he ,ould have liked though- !t ,as
riddled ,ith tu+ors: rectangular shado,s beneath the dash dark
s,athes across the passenger door a black unre.lective cylinder
rising through the center o. the vehicle like a dark heart- The M!
had a lot o. security all o. it shielded-
0larke and Ouellette stood to one side ,atching hi+ approach-
Ouellette ,as nothing special to >ubin2s ne, eyes- *i+ sparkles
gli++ered .ro+ ,ithin 0larke2s thorax but they told hi+ nothingF
inlays and i+plants spoke di..erent dialects-
;e toggled the inlaysF the hallucinatory sche+atics i+ploded
leaving dull plastic and ,hite dust and nonlu+inous .lesh and
clothing behind-
I:ou .ound so+ethingI Ouellette said- I4e sa, the clouds-I
;e told the+-
Ouellette stared open+outhed: IThey2re shooting germs at usH
4e2re already on our last legsN 4hy bother hitting us ,ith
Megapox or "upercol ,hen ,e2re already8I
"he stopped- The outrage on her .ace gave ,ay to a puCCled
.ro,n-
0larke looked the 7uestion over the doctor2s con.usion: 'maxH
>ubin shrugged-
I<erhaps #23+ isn2t dying .ast enoughI >ubin re+arked- I3
signi.icant nu+ber o. MMMs regard ehe+oth as divine
retribution .or #orth 3+erica2s sins- !t2s o..icial policy in !taly and
>ibya at least- Bots,ana too ! believe-I
0larke snorted- I#orth America's sinsH They think it 9ust stops
at the 3tlanticHI
IThe +oderates think they can keep it at bayI Ouellette said-
IThe extre+ists don2t want to- They don2t get into heaven until the
,orld ends-I ;er +ind see+ed else,hereF she spoke as i. absently
.licking at so+e hovering insect-
>ubin let her think- "he ,as a.ter all the closest available
approxi+ation to a native guide- <erhaps she could co+e up ,ith
so+ething-
I4ho are you peopleHI Ouellette asked 7uietly-
IDxcuse +eHI
I:ou2re not .eral- :ou2re not clave- :ou sure as hell aren2t
0"!/3 or you2d be better e7uipped- Maybe you2re Trans3t8but
that doesn2t .it either-I 3 .aint s+ile passed across her .ace- I:ou
don2t kno, ,hat you2re doing do youH :ou2re +aking it up as you
go along---I
>ubin kept his .ace neutral and his 7uestion on target- I!s there
any reason not to believe that people +ight launch a biological
attack against #orth 3+erica si+ply to8hasten things alongHI
"he see+ed to .ind this a+using- I:ou don2t get out +uch do
youHI
I3+ ! ,rongHI
I:ou2re not ,rong-I Ouellette spat on the ashy ground- I>ots
o. .olks +ight help <rovidence along i. they had the chance- That
doesn2t +ean this is an attack-I
I4hat else ,ould it beHI
IMaybe it2s a counteragent-I
0larke looked up at that- I3 cureHI
I#ot so personal +aybe- "o+ething that kills ehe+oth in the
,ild-I
>ubin eyed Ouellette- "he eyed hi+ back and ans,ered his
unspoken skepticis+: IO. course there are craCies out there ,ho
,ant the ,orld to end- But there have to be a lot +ore people ,ho
don2t ,ouldn2t you agreeH 3nd they2d be ,orking 9ust as hard-I
There ,as so+ething in her eyes that hadn2t been there be.ore-
They al+ost shone-
;e nodded- IBut i. this is a counteragent ,hy do you suppose
they tried to shoot it do,nH 3nd ,hy deliver it suborbitallyH
4ouldn2t it be +ore e..icient to leave deploy+ent to the local
authoritiesHI
Ouellette rolled her eyes- IWhat local authoritiesHI
0larke .ro,ned- I4ouldn2t so+eone have told8everybodyH
4ouldn2t so+eone have told youHI
I>aurie you +ake so+ething like this too public and you2re
painting a bullseye on your chest .or the MMMs- 3s .or +issile
de.ense8I Ouellette turned back to >ubin8 I*id the people on
your planet ever +ention so+ething called the /io !nsurrectionHI
ITell us about itI >ubin said- Thinking: ,aurieH
I! can2t reallyI Ouellette ad+itted- I#obody really kno,s
,hat happened- They say +aybe a bunch o. Madonnas got into
0"!/32s /io de Janeiro o..ices and ,ent craCy- >aunched attacks
all over the place-I
I4ho ,onHI
IThe good guys- 3t least /io got vaporiCed and the trouble
stopped but ,ho kno,sH "o+e people say that it ,asn2t >enies at
all it ,as so+e kind o. civil ,ar bet,een rogue 2la,breakers- But
,hatever it ,as it ,as8,ay out there-I "he ,aved a hand at the
horiCon- I4e had our o,n proble+s to deal ,ith- 3nd the only
real +oral o. the story is nobody kno,s ,ho2s running things any
+ore or ,hose side they2re on and ,e2re all too busy hanging on
by our .ingernails to a..ord the ti+e .or any Big Euestions- ?or all
,e kno, #23+2s battellites are running on autopilot and ground
control 9ust lost the access codes- Or the >enies are doing a little
target practice- Or8or +aybe the MMMs have so+eone on the
inside- The .act that so+ething2s shooting at these bugs doesn2t
prove anything one ,ay or another-I
>ubin .ocused on that- I#o proo.-I
I"o !2+ going to get so+e- !2+ going to se7uence the bug-
#o, are you going to let +e drive back to the scene or a+ ! going
to have to ,alkHI
>ubin said nothing- ?ro+ the corner o. his eye he sa, 0larke
open her +outh and close it again-
I?ine-I Ouellette proceeded to the back o. her van and opened
the access panel- >ubin let her extract a steri,rap cartridge and a
collapsible stretcher ,ith ground-e..ector coils built into the .ra+e-
"he looked at hi+ cal+ly: I!t2ll .it on thisHI
;e nodded-
0larke held the .olded device against Ouellette2s back ,hile the
doctor cinched the shoulder straps- Ouellette nodded cursory
thanks and started do,n the road not looking back-
I:ou think she2s ,rongI 0larke said as the other ,o+an
d,indled shi++ering in the rising heat-
I! don2t kno,-I
I4hat i. she isn2tHI
I!t doesn2t +atter-I
I!t doesn2t +atter-I 0larke shook her head al+ost a+used-
IBen are you craCyHI
>ubin shrugged- I!. she can get a usable sa+ple ,e2ll kno,
,hether it2s -+ax- Dither ,ay ,e can drive to Bangor and use
her credentials to get inside- 3.ter that it should be8I
IBen did you even hear ,hat she 9ust saidH There could be a
"ix- ?or ehemoth-I
;e sighed-
IThis is exactly ,hy ! didn2t ,ant you co+ingI he said at last-
I:ou2ve got your o,n agenda and it2s not ,hat ,e2re here .or-
:ou get distracted-I
I#istracted+I "he shook her head astonished- I!2+ talking
about saving the world Ben- ! don2t think !2+ distracted at all-I
I#o you don2t- :ou think you2re da+ned-I
!nstantly so+ething in her shut do,n-
;e pushed on any,ay- I! don2t agree .or ,hat it2s ,orth-I
I/eally-I 0larke2s .ace ,as an expressionless +ask-
I!2d say you2re only obsessed- 4hich is still proble+atic-I
IAo on-I
I:ou think you destroyed the ,orld-I >ubin looked around at
the scorched landscape- I:ou think this is all your .ault- :ou2d
give up the +ission your li.e +ine- !n an instant- Just so long as
you sa, the slightest chance o. salvation- :ou2re so sick o. the
blood on your hands you2d barely notice that you ,ere ,ashing it
o.. ,ith even +ore-I
I!s that ,hat you think-I
;e looked at her- I!s there anything you wouldn't do thenH ?or
the chance to take it all backHI
"he held his gaCe .or long seconds- ?inally she looked a,ay-
>ubin nodded- I:ou2ve personaliCed the Areater Aood in a ,ay
!2ve never seen in a baseline hu+an be.ore- ! ,onder i. your brain
hasn2t concocted its o,n .or+ o. Auilt Trip-I
"he stared at the ground- I!t doesn2t change anythingI she
,hispered at last- IDven i. +y +otives are8personal---I
I!t2s not your +otives that ,orry +e- !t2s your 9udg+ent-I
I4e2re still talking about saving the ,orld-I
I#oI he said- I4e2re talking about so+eone else trying to8
possibly- 4e2re talking about an entire country or consortiu+ .ar
better-e7uipped and better-in.or+ed than t,o hitchhikers .ro+ the
Mid 3tlantic /idge- And.I holding up his hand against her
protest8I,e are also talking about other po,er.ul .orces ,ho
may be trying to stop the+ .or reasons ,e can only guess at- Or
perhaps .or no reason at all i. Ouellette2s speculations are correct-
4e2re not players in this no +atter ho, desperately you ,ish ,e
,ere-I
I4e2ve al,ays been players Ben- 4e2ve 9ust been too scared
to +ake a +ove .or the past .ive years-I
I3nd things have changed during that ti+e-I
"he shook her head- I4e have to try-I
I4e don2t even kno, the rules any +ore- 3nd ,hat about the
things ,e can changeH 4hat about 3tlantisH 4hat about the
ri.tersH 4hat about AlyxH *o you really ,ant to thro, a,ay any
chance o. helping the+ in .avor o. a lost causeHI
;e kne, the instant he said it that he2d +iscalculated-
"o+ething .lared in her so+ething icy and .a+iliar and utterly
uns,ayable- I;o, dare youI she hissed- I:ou never gave a shit
about 3lyx or Arace or8or even me .or that +atter- :ou ,ere
ready to kill us all you s,itched sides every ti+e the odds
changed-I 0larke shook her head in disgust- I;o, dare you talk
about loyalty and saving lives- :ou don2t even kno, ,hat that
means unless so+eone .eeds it to you as a +ission para+eter-I
;e should have kno,n it ,ould be no use arguing ,ith her-
"he ,asn2t interested in assessing the odds o. success- "he ,asn2t
even balancing payo..s ,eighing 3tlantis against the rest o. the
,orld- The only variables she cared about ca+e .ro+ inside her
o,n head and neither guilt nor obsession ,ere a+enable to cost-
bene.it analysis-
Dven so her ,ords provoked a strange .eeling in his throat-
I>enie ! didn2t +ean8I
"he held up her hand and re.used to +eet his eyes- ;e ,aited-
IMaybe it2s not even your .aultI she said a.ter a ,hile- IThey
9ust built you that ,ay-I
;e allo,ed hi+sel. the curiosity- I4hat ,ayHI
I:ou2re an ar+y ant- :ou 9ust bull ahead ,ith your .eelers on
the ground .ollo,ing your orders and your mission pro"iles and
your short'term objectives and it never even occurs to you to look
up and see the big picture-I
I! see itI >ubin ad+itted so.tly- I!t2s very +uch bigger than
you see+ ,illing to ad+it-I
"he shook her head still not looking at hi+-
;e tried again- I@ery ,ell- :ou kno, the big picture: ,hat do
you suggest ,e do ,ith that in.or+ationH 0an you o..er anything
beyond ,ish.ul thinkingH *o you have any kind o. strategy .or
saving the world as you put itHI
I! doI said Taka Ouellette-
They turned- "he stood back beside the M! ar+s .olded- "he2d
obviously ditched the stretcher and circled back ,hile they ,eren2t
looking-
>ubin blinked in astonish+ent- I:our sa+ple8I
I?ro+ that ,arhead you .oundH #ot a chance- The tracers
,ould2ve +etaboliCed any active agent do,n to the ato+s-I
0larke shot hi+ a look clear as binary even through the .rosting
on her eyes: *ot 9uite on your game$ superspy+ ,etting some
dick'ass country doctor sneak up on you+
IBut ! kno, ho, ,e can get a sa+pleI Ouellette continued
looking straight at 0larke- I3nd ! could use your help-I
M,7.A5,4N
Obviously she had co+e late to the conversation- !. she had
heard the ,ay it started 0larke kne, Taka Ouellette ,ouldn2t
have ,anted anything to do ,ith her-
The good doctor had contacts on the ground so she said-
<eople she2d saved or bought ti+e .or- The loved ones o. those
,hose su..ering she2d ended- Occasional dealers ,ildland hustlers
,ho could so+eti+es con9ure up drugs or spare parts to be
,eighed against other ite+s in trade- They ,ere the .urthest thing
.ro+ altruists but they could be li.e-savers ,hen the closest
resupply li.ter ,as a ,eek a,ay-
3ll o. the+ had a healthy sense o. sel.-interest- 3ll o. the+
kne, others-
>ubin re+ained skeptical o. course- Or at least 0larke
thought he continued to act skeptical- !t ,as part o. his schtick- !t
had to be- #obody ,ould honestly turn their back on the chance
ho,ever .aint to undo even a part o. ,hat8
.what & set in motion...
There ,as the rub and >ubin8Aod da+n hi+8kne, it as ,ell
as she did- Once you2ve helped destroy the ,orld once you2ve
taken .ierce stinging pleasure in its death throes it2s not easy to
clai+ the +oral high ground over so+eone ,ho2s +erely reluctant
to save it- Dven i. it2s been a ,hile- Dven i. you2ve changed in the
+eanti+e- !. there2s a "tatute o. >i+itations on terracide there2s
no ,ay it expires a.ter a lousy .ive years-
Taka Ouellette had proposed a southern course to,ards
,hatever ,as le.t o. <ortlandF and even i. there ,as no ,ay into
the datapipe .ro+ there Boston ,ould be that +uch closer-
Besides Ouellette ,as an o""icial person in these parts so+eone
,ith recogniCed credentials and identity- 3l+ost an authority
.igure by local standards- "he +ight even be able to ,alk the+ in
through the .ront door-
I3uthority .igures don2t drive around handing out der+s .ro+
the back o. a truckI >ubin said-
I:eahH 3nd ,hat have your e..orts netted us latelyH :ou still
think you can hack into the global nervous syste+ ,hen all the
back-door nerves have been burned a,ayHI
!n the end he agreed ,ith conditions- They ,ould go along
,ith Ouellette2s plan so long as it took the+ in the right direction-
They ,ould +ake use o. her M! a.ter every counterintrusion
device had been ripped out o. the cabF he ,ould ensure her
cooperation ,hile she advised 0larke on the necessary
+onkey,ork-
The M!2s cab ,as a +arvel o. spatial econo+y- T,in cots
.olded do,n in the space behind the seats and a little sho,erPhead
cubicle s7ueeCed into the rear ,all bet,een a 0alvin cycler and the
.or,ard +edical inter.ace- But ,hat really a+aCed 0larke ,as the
nu+ber o. booby traps in.esting the place- There ,ere gas
canisters hooked into the ventilation syste+- There ,ere taser
needles sheathed in the seat cushions ready to shoot through .lesh
and insulative clothing at a ,ord or a touch- There ,as a photic
driver under the dash a directional in.rared strobe that could
penetrate closed eyelids and induce seiCures- Taka Ouellette
ite+iCed the+ all >ubin standing at her back ,hile 0larke
scra+bled about ,ith a toolkit and pulled the plugs- 0larke had no
,ay o. kno,ing i. the list ,as co+prehensive8.or all she kne,
Ouellette ,as leaving an ace up her sleeve against .uture necessity
8but >ubin ,as a lot less trusting than she ,as and >ubin see+ed
satis.ied-
!t took the+ an hour to disar+ the cab- 3.ter Ouellette asked i.
they ,anted to disable external security as ,ell she actually
see+ed disappointed ,hen >ubin shook his head-
They split up- >ubin ,ould pilot Phocoena do,n the coast and
try to access <ortland independentlyF 0larke keeping a copy o. the
-+ax se7uence close to her chest ,ould acco+pany Ouellette
to,ards a rendeCvous near one o. her regular ,aypoints-
I*on2t tell her about -+ax be.ore you have toI >ubin ,arned
sa.ely out o. Ouellete2s earshot-
I4hy notHI
IBecause it de.eats the only de.ense anyone2s ever been able to
+uster against ehe+oth- The +o+ent she realiCes so+ething like
that exists her priorities are going to turn upside do,n-I
0larke ,as initially surprised that >ubin ,ould let either o.
the+ out o. his sightF he ,asn2t .ond o. potential security breaches
even ,ithout his kill re.lex engaged and he kne, 0larke ,as
cha.ing against his +ission priorities- ;e ,asn2t a trusting soul at
the best o. ti+esF ho, did he kno, that the t,o ,o+en ,ouldn2t
si+ply turn inland and abandon hi+ altogetherH
!t ,as only ,hen they2d gone their separate ,ays that the
obvious ans,er occurred to her- O. course he2d been hoping .or
that very thing-
They drove through a land blasted and scoured clean o. any live
thing- The M! built .or rough terrain cli+bed over .allen tree
trunks that cru+bled beneath its ,heels- !t navigated potholes
.illed ,ith ash and soot drove straighta,ays ,here s,irls and
gusts o. gray po,der s,ept across the re.roCen asphalt like tiny
3ntarctic bliCCards centi+eters high- T,ice they passed deranged
billboards hal.-+elted against the rock their lattices ,arped and
de.iantly se+i.unctional advertising nothing no, but the
.lickering +ulticolored contours o. their o,n heat stress-
3.ter a ,hile it began to rain- The ash congealed like paste on
the ground stuck to the hood like blobs o. papier +achQ- "o+e o.
those blobs ,ere al+ost heavy enough to th,art the ,indshield
leaving light s+udges on the glass be.ore the static .ield bounced
the+ a,ay-
They didn2t exchange a ,ord during that ,hole ti+e-
Gn.a+iliar +usic .illed the silence bet,een the+ archaic
co+positions .ull o. clonking pianos and nervous strings-
Ouellette see+ed to like the stu.. any,ay- "he .ocused on driving
,hile 0larke stared out the ,indo, re.lecting on the allocation o.
da+age- ;o, +uch o. this devastation could be laid at her doorH
;o, +uch at the doors o. de+ons ,ho2d adopted her na+eH
Dventually they le.t the scorched Cone behind- #o, there ,as
real grass at the side o. the road occasional shrubs pocking the
ditches .urther back real evergreens loo+ing like ranks o. ragged
starving stick+en on the other side- Mostly bro,n o. course or
turning bro,n as though in the grip o. a great endless drought-
This rain ,ouldn2t help the+- They ,ere hanging on8so+e
even .le, .lags o. hardy de.iant green .ro+ their li+bs8but
ehe+oth ,as every,here and it ,as i+placable and it had all the
ti+e in the ,orld- "o+eti+es it +assed so abundantly that it ,as
visible to the naked eye: patches o. ochre +ould s+othering the
grass or spreading across the trunks o. trees- 3nd yet the sight o.
all this vegetation8not truly alive perhaps but at least physically
intact8see+ed cause .or so+e s+all celebration a.ter the charnel
house they2d 9ust escaped-
I"o do you ever take those outHI Ouellette ,ondered-
I"orryHI 0larke brought hersel. back to the +o+ent- The
doctor had gone to autopilot8a si+ple .ollo,-the-road +ode ,ith
no dangerous navigational .orays into A<"-
IThose caps on your eyes- *o you ever---HI
IOh- #o- #ot usually-I
I#ightshadesH >et you see in the darkHI
I"ort o.-I
Ouellette pursed her lips- I! re+e+ber seeing those years ago-
3ll over the place 9ust be.ore everything ,ent bad- They ,ere
really popular .or about t,enty +inutes-I
IThey still are ,here ! co+e .ro+-I 0larke looked out the rain-
spattered side ,indo,- I4ith +y tribe any,ay-I
ITribeH :ou2re not all the ,ay .ro+ 3.ricaHI
0larke snorted so.tly- I?uck no-I 6nly about hal" the way$
actually...
I*idn2t think so- :ou don2t have the +elanin not that that
+eans +uch these days o. course- 3nd the Tutsis ,ouldn2t be over
here any,ay except +aybe to gloat-I
IAloatHI
I#ot that you can bla+e the+ +ind you- There2s barely
anyone le.t over there +ore than .orty years old- ?ire,itch is pure
poetic 9ustice as .ar as they2re concerned-I
0larke shrugged-
I"o i. not 3.ricaI Ouellette said pushing it I+aybe you2re
.ro+ Mars-I
I4hy ,ould you say thatHI
I:ou2re de.initely not .ro+ around here- :ou thought Miri ,as
an a+bulance-I "he patted the dashboard a..ectionately- I:ou
don2t kno, about the >enies8I
0larke clenched her teeth suddenly angry- I! kno, about the+-
#asty evolving code that lives in the Maelstro+ and raises shit-
@engeance icon .or a bunch o. countries that hate your guts- 3nd
,hile ,e2re on the sub9ect +aybe you could explain ho, you
ca+e to be blundering around handing out der+s and +ercy-kills
,hile the ,hole eastern he+isphere is trying to lob a cure .or
ehe+oth onto your headH #ot being .ro+ Mars doesn2t see+ to
have kept you all that up-to-speed on current events-I
Ouellette ,atched her curiously .or a +o+ent- IThere you go
again-I
IWhatHI
I/aelstrom- !t2s been years since ! heard anyone use that
,ord-I
I"o ,hatH 4hat di..erence does it +akeHI
I0o+e on >aurie- :ou sho, up in the +iddle o. no,here you
hi9ack +y van neither o. you is normal by any stretch o. the
i+agination8! +ean o. course ! ,ant to kno, ,here you ca+e
.ro+-I
0larke2s anger .aded as suddenly as it had .lared- I"orry-I
I!n .act given that ! still see+ to be so+e kind o. honorary
prisoner you could even say you o,e +e an explanation-I
I4e ,ere hidingI 0larke blurted out-
I;iding-I Ouellette didn2t see+ surprised- I4here is there to
hideHI
I#o,here as it turns out- That2s ,hy ,e ca+e back-I
I3re you a corpseHI Ouellette asked-
I*o ! look like oneHI
I:ou look like so+e kind o. deep-sea diver-I "he gestured at
the vent on 0larke2s chest- IDlectrolysis intake rightHI
0larke nodded-
I"o ! guess you2ve been under,ater all this ti+e- ;uh-I
Ouellette shook her head- I!2d have guessed geosynch +ysel.-I
I4hyHI
I!t ,as 9ust one o. the ru+ors going around- Back ,hen the
,itch ,as 9ust getting started and the riots ,ere taking o..8this
thread started gro,ing that a .e, hundred high-po,ered corpses
had vanished o.. the .ace o. the earth- ! don2t kno, ho, you2d ever
prove so+ething like that nobody ever sa, those people in the
.lesh any,ay- They could2ve all been si+s .or all ,e kne,-
3ny,ay you kno, ho, these things get around- The ,ord ,as
they2d all 9u+ped o..,orld .ro+ 3ustralia and they ,ere all nice
and co+.y up in geosynch ,atching the ,orld co+e do,n-I
I!2+ not a corpseI 0larke said-
IBut you ,ork .or the+I Ouellette guessed-
I4ho didn2tHI
I! +ean recently-I
I/ecentlyHI 0larke shook her head- I! think ! can honestly say
that neither Ben nor !8-hristNI
!t 9u+ped out .ro+ so+e hiding place under the dash all
seg+ents and clicking +andibles- !t clung to her knee ,ith .ar too
+any 9ointed li+bs a grotes7ue hybrid o. grasshopper and
centipede the siCe o. her little .inger- ;er hand ca+e do,n o. its
o,n accordF the little creature splattered under her pal+-
I7uckI she breathed- I4hat was thatHI
I4hatever it ,as it ,asn2t doing you any har+-I
I!2ve never seen anything like8I 0larke broke o.. looked at
the other ,o+an- Ouellette actually looked pissed-
IThat ,asn2t8that ,asn2t a pet or anything ,as itHI !t see+ed
absurd- Then again$ it wouldn't be any cra5ier than keeping a
head cheese.
& wonder how she's doing...
I!t ,as 9ust a bugI Ouellette said- I!t ,asn2t hurting anybody-I
0larke ,iped her pal+ against her thighF chitin and yello, goop
s+eared across the diveskin- IThat 9ust8that ,as wrong- That
,asn2t like any bug !2ve ever seen-I
I! keep telling you- :ou2re behind the ti+es-I
I"o these things are old ne,sHI
Ouellette shrugged her irritation apparently subsiding-
IThey2re starting to sho, up here and there- Basically regular
bugs ,ith too +any seg+ents- "o+e kind o. ;ox +utation !2d
guess but ! don2t kno, i. anybody2s looked at the+ all that
closely-I
0larke looked at the sodden ,ithering landscape scrolling past
the ,indo,- I:ou see+ pretty invested in a8a bug-I
I4hat things aren2t dying .ast enough .or youH :ou have to
help the+ alongHI Ouellette took a breath started over- I"orry-
:ou2re right- ! 9ust8you kind o. e+pathiCe ,ith things a.ter a
,hile you kno,H "pend enough ti+e out here everything see+s
8valuable---I
0larke didn2t ans,er- The vehicle navigated a .issure in the
road ,obbling on its ground-e..ect shocks-
I! kno, it doesn2t +ake +uch senseI Ouellette ad+itted a.ter a
,hile- I!t2s not like ehe+oth changed +uch o. anything-I
I4hatH >ook out the ,indo, Tak- Dverything2s dying-I
IThat ,as happening any,ay- #ot as .ast +aybe-I
I;uh-I 0larke regarded the other ,o+an- I3nd you really
think so+eone2s thro,ing a cure over the transo+-I
I?or ;u+an stupidityH #o such thing ! suspect- But .or
ehe+oth ,ho kno,sHI
I;o, ,ould that ,orkH ! +ean ,hat haven2t they already
triedHI
Ouellette shook her head laughing so.tly- I>aurie you give +e
,ay too +uch credit- ! don2t have a clue-I "he thought a +o+ent-
I0ould be a "ilverback "olution ! suppose-I
I#ever heard o. it-I
I?e, decades ago in 3.rica- ;ardly any gorillas le.t and the
natives ,ere eating up the .e, that re+ained- "o so+e
conservation group got the bright idea o. +aking the gorillas
inedible-I
I:eahH ;o,HI
IDngineered Dbola variant- *idn2t har+ the gorillas but any
hu+an ,ho ate one ,ould bleed out inside seventy-t,o hours-I
0larke s+iled .aintly i+pressed- I4ould that ,ork .or usHI
I!t2d be tough- Aer+s evolve counter+easures a lot .aster than
+a++als-I
I! guess it didnLt ,ork .or the gorillas either-U
Ouellette snorted- I!t ,orked way too ,ell-I
I"o ho, co+e theyLre extinctHI
I4e ,iped the+ out- Gnacceptable risk to ;u+an health-I
/ain pelted against the roo. o. the cab and streaked along the
side ,indo,s- Gp .ront the drops hurtled at the ,indshield and
veered i+possibly o..-target centi+eters .ro+ i+pact-
ITakaI 0larke said a.ter a .e, +inutes-
Ouellette looked at her-
I4hy don2t people call it /aelstrom any +oreHI
The doctor s+iled .aintly- I:ou do kno, ,hy they called it
that in the .irst place rightHI
I!t got---cro,ded- Gser stor+s e-li.e-I
Ouellette nodded- IMost o. that2s gone no,- "o +uch o. the
actual net,ork has degraded physically that +ost o. the ,ildli.e
,ent extinct .ro+ habitat loss- This side o. the ,all any,ay8
they partitioned #2a+#et o.. years ago- ?or all ! kno, it2s still
boiling along every,here else but around here8I
"he looked out the ,indo,-
I;ere the Maelstro+ 9ust +oved outside-I
2A.MA
3chilles *es9ardins ,oke to the sound o. a screa+-
!t had died by the ti+e he ,as .ully a,ake- ;e lay in the
darkness and ,ondered .or a +o+ent i. he had drea+t itF there had
been a ti+e not so long ago ,hen his sleep had been .illed ,ith
screa+s- ;e ,ondered i. perhaps the screa+ had been his i. he
had a,akened hi+sel.8but again that hadn2t happened in years-
#ot since he2d beco+e a ne, +an-
Or rather not since 3lice had let the old one out o. the cellar-
3,ake alert he kne, the truth- The screa+ had not risen .ro+
his +ind or his throatF it had risen .ro+ +achinery- 3n alar+
raised in one instant and cut o.. the next-
Odd-
;e brought up his inlays- Outside his skull the darkness
persistedF inside a hal.-doCen bright ,indo,s opened in his
occipital cortex- ;e scrolled through the +a9or .eeds then the
+inor onesF he sought threats .ro+ the other side o. the ,orld
.ro+ orbit .ro+ any .oolhardy civilian ,ho +ight have blundered
against the .ence that guarded his peri+eter- ;e checked the
i+poverished cluster o. roo+s and hall,ays that his skeletal day
sta.. had access to although it ,as barely 0400 and none o. the+
,ould be in so early- #othing in the lobby the 4elco+e 0enter
the kennels- >oading bays and the physical plant ,ere no+inal-
#o inco+ing +issiles- #ot so +uch as a plugged se,er line-
;e had heard so+ething though- ;e ,as sure o. that- 3nd he
,as sure o. so+ething else too: he had never heard this particular
alar+ be.ore- 3.ter all these years the +achines that surrounded
hi+ had beco+e +ore than toolsF they ,ere .riends protectors
advisers and trusted servants- ;e kne, their voices inti+ately: the
so.t beeping o. his inlays the reassuring hu+ o. Building "ecurity
the subtle +ulti-octave har+onics o. the threat stack- This alar+
hadn2t co+e .ro+ any o. the+-
*es9ardins thre, back the sheet and rose .ro+ his pallet-
"tonehenge loo+ed a .e, +eters a,ay a rough horseshoe o.
,orkstations and tactical boards glo,ing di+ly in the darkness-
*es9ardins had a +ore o..icial ,orkspace +any .loors aboveF he
had o..icial live-in 7uarters too not luxurious but .ar +ore
co+.ortable than the +attress he2d dragged do,n here- ;e still
used those acco++odations no, and then .or o..icial business or
other occasions ,hen appearances +attered- But this ,as the
place he pre.erred: secret sa.e an i+provised nerve center rising
.ro+ a gnarled convergence o. .iber optic roots gro,ing in .ro+
the ,alls- This ,as his throne roo+ and his keep and his bunker-
;e kne, ho, absurd that ,as given the scope o. his po,ers the
strength o. his .orti.ications8but it ,as here in the ,indo,less
subterranean dark ,here he .elt sa.est-
"cratching hi+sel. he plunked do,n onto the chair in the
center o. "tonehenge and began scanning the hardline intel- The
,orld ,as .ull o. yello, and red icons as al,ays but nothing
acute- 0ertainly nothing to ,arrant an audible alert- *es9ardins
du+ped everything into a single events list and sorted on ti+eF
,hatever had happened had just happened- ;e scrolled do,n the
list: 03D"3/ +eltdo,n in >ouisville static-.ield .ailure in
Boulder +inor progress re-establishing his surveillance links
do,n along the <anhandle- More chatter about +utant bugs and
,eeds spreading up .ro+ the <ana+a line---
"o+ething touched hi+ lightly on the leg- ;e looked do,n-
Mandelbrot stared up at hi+ ,ith one eye- The other ,as gone
a dark sticky hole in a .ace torn hal. a,ay- ;er .lank ,as slick and
black in the gloo+y hal.-light- @iscera glistened through +atted
.ur-
The cat s,ayed drunkenly her .orepa, still upraised- "he
opened her +outh- 4ith a silent miaow she toppled-
6h (od no. 6h please (od no-
;e +ade the call even be.ore bringing up the lights-
Mandelbrot lay bleeding into a puddle o. her o,n insides-
6h 8esus$ please. 1he's dying. #on't let her die.
I;iI the tac board chirped- IThis is Trev "a,yer-I
The .uck it ,as- !t ,as an interactive and *es9ardins didn2t
have ti+e to ,aste dicking around ,ith dialog trees- ;e killed the
call and accessed the local directory- IMy vet- ;o+e nu+ber-
Bill any overrides-I
"o+e,here in "udbury "a,yer2s ,atch started ringing-
)ou got into the kennel$ again$ didn't you+ Mandelbrot lay on
her side chest heaving- 1tupid cat$ you never could resist
taunting those monsters. )ou just "igured.oh (od$ it's ama5ing
you even made it back.
#on't die. Please don't die-
"a,yer ,asn2t ans,ering- Answer your watch$ you
stump"ucking idiot% This is an emergency% Where the "uck can
you be at "our a.m.+
Mandelbrot2s pa,s t,itched and .lexed as i. drea+ing as i.
electri.ied- *es9ardins ,anted to reach out to staunch the .lo, or
straighten the spine or 9ust pet her .or 0hrissakes o..er ,hatever
piti.ul co+.ort he could- But he ,as terri.ied that any inexpert
touch +ight 9ust +ake things ,orse-
&t's my "ault. &t's my "ault. & should have scaled back your
clearance$ you're just a cat a"ter all$ you don't know any better.
And & never even bothered to learn what your alarm sounded like$
it just never occurred to me that & wouldn't.
#ot a drea+- #ot a 4orld,atch alert- Just a veterinary i+plant
talking to his ,rist,atch: a brie. screa+ as Mandelbrot2s vitals
lurched into the red then silence as teeth or cla,s or sheer
shocking inertia reduced signal to noise-
I;elloHI +uttered a sleepy voice in +id-air-
*es9ardins2s head snapped up- IThis is 3chilles *es9ardins-
My cat2s been +auled by8I
I4hatHI "a,yer said thickly- I*o you have any idea ,hat time
it isHI
I!2+ sorry ! kno, but this is an e+ergency- My cat2s8oh
Aod she2s torn apart she2s barely alive you2ve got to8I
I:our catI "a,yer repeated- I3nd ,hy are you telling +eHI
I!8you2re Mandelbrot2s vet you8I
The voice ,as icy: I! haven2t been anyone's veterinarian in
over three years-I
*es9ardins re+e+bered: #23+2s vets had all been conscripted
into hu+an service ,hen ehe+oth8and the thousand
opportunistic bugs riding its coattails8had over,hel+ed the
health-care syste+- IBut you2re still ! +ean you still kno, ,hat
to8I
IMr- *es9ardins .orget the hour- *o you even kno, ,hat year
it isHI
*es9ardins shook his head- I4hat are you talking aboutH My
cat2s lying on the .loor ,ith her8I
I!t2s .ive years a.ter the da,n o. the ?ire,itch DraI "a,yer
continued in a cold voice- IPeople are dying Mr- *es9ardins- By
the millions- Dvery day- To even ,aste "ood on a +ere ani+al
under these circu+stances is scandalous- To expect +e to spend
ti+e and resources saving an in9ured cat is nothing short o.
obscene-I
*es9ardins eyes stung- ;is vision blurred- I<lease8! can help
you- ! can- !2ll get your cycler ration doubled- ! can get you
unli+ited ,ater- ! can get you into .ucking geosynch i. that2s ,hat
you ,ant you and your .a+ily- 3nything- Just na+e it-I
I@ery ,ell: stop ,asting +y ti+e-I
I#o you even know who & am+I *es9ardins cried-
I! certainly do- 3nd !2+ astonished that any 2la,breaker8let
alone one o. your evident stature8,ould have such co+pletely
+isplaced priorities- 3ren2t you supposed to be i++une to this
sort o. thingHI
I<lease8I
IAood night Mr- *es9ardins-I
#isconnect added a little icon in a corner o. one screen-
Blood bubbled at the corner o. Mandelbrot2s +outh- ;er inner
lid slid hal.,ay across that one bloodied eyeball and retracted-
I<leaseI *es9ardins ,hi+pered- I! don2t kno, ,hat to---I
)es you do-
;e bent over her reached out a hand pushed tentatively at a
bulging loop o. intestine- 3 spas+ shuddered through Mandelbrot
like a passing spirit- "he +eo,ed .aintly-
I!2+ sorry---!2+ sorry---I
)ou know what to do.
;e re+e+bered Mandelbrot latching on and biting his .ather2s
ankle ,hen the old +an had co+e by to visit back in 241- ;e
re+e+bered Ben >ubin standing in *es9ardins2s bathroo+ in his
underpants scrubbing his trousers in the sink: I:our cat pissed on
+eI he2d said a hint o. grudging respect in his voice- ;e
re+e+bered a thousand nights pinned on his bed bladder .ull to
bursting but un,illing to disturb the .urry sleeping lu+p on his
chest-
)ou know-
;e re+e+bered 3lice sho,ing up at ,ork her lacerated hands
struggling to hang on to a scra,ny hissing kitten that ,asn2t taking
any shit .ro+ anybody: I;ey Bill9oy ,ant a ,atch-catH 0haos
+ade .lesh she is- /eversible ears needs no batteries guaranteed
not to let anyone past your .ront door ,ith all their body parts---I
)ou know. Mandelbrot convulsed again-
;e kne,-
There ,as nothing nearby he could use8no in9ectables no gas
no pro9ectiles- 3ll o. that stu.. ,as loaded into the booby traps and
,ould take .ar too long to extract- The roo+ ,as a stripped-do,n
shell o. bone-gray ,alls and .iberop vines- The neuroinduction
.ield ,ould---hurt---
8ust a "ucking brick he thought s,allo,ing against the grie. in
his throat- 8ust a rock$ they're all over the place outside...
#o ti+e- Mandelbrot ,asn2t even living any +ore she hadn2t
been living since she2d started back .ro+ the kennels- 3ll she ,as
doing ,as su""ering- 3nd all *es9ardins could do ,as end that-
;e raised his .oot over her head- I:ou and +e Brot,urstI he
,hispered- I4e had higher clearance than anyone inside a
thousand klicks---I
Mandelbrot purred once- "o+ething sagged in her as she le.t-
4hatever re+ained lolled bonelessly on the .loor-
*es9ardins kept his .oot raised a +o+ent 9ust in case- ?inally
he brought it back to the concrete .loor- Mandelbrot had never
been one to yield the initiative-
IThank youI ,hispered 3chilles *es9ardins and ,ept at her
side-
*r- Trevor "a,yer ,oke .or the second ti+e in as +any hours-
3 dark shape hung over his head like a great .ist- !t hissed so.tly a
hovering reptile-
;e tried to rise- ;e couldn2tF his ar+s and legs ,obbled like
unresponsive rubber- ;is .ace tingled his 9a, hung slack as
cooked pasta- Dven his tongue .elt s,ollen and .laccid sagging
loose and i++ovable in his +outh-
;e stared up at the ovoid shape above the bed- !t ,as a great
dark Daster egg hanging in the air hal. as long as he ,as and
,ider- !ts belly ,as dis.igured by ports and blisters barely-
discernible re.lecting slivers o. gray hal.-light .ro+ the hall,ay-
The hissing subsided- "a,yer .elt a trickle o. drool ,or+ onto
his cheek .ro+ the corner o. his +outh- ;e tried to s,allo, and
.ailed-
;e ,as still breathing- That ,as so+ething-
The Daster egg clicked so.tly- 3 .aint al+ost subsonic hu+
e+anated .ro+ so+e,here nearby8either a ground-e..ect .ield or
the static o. nerves +is.iring in his o,n cochleae-
!t couldn2t be neuroinduction- 3 bot.ly ,ould never even get
o.. the ground carrying coils that heavy- *euromuscular block o"
some kind$ he realiCed- &t gassed me.
&t gassed us---
;e ,illed his head to turn- !t lay like a ten-kilogra+ rock on the
pillo, de.ying hi+- ;e couldn2t +ove his eyes- ;e couldn2t even
blink-
;e could hear "andra beside hi+ though breathing .ast and
shallo,- "he too ,as a,ake-
I4ent right back to sleep ! seeI the bot.ly re+arked in a
.a+iliar voice- I*idn2t lose a ,ink over it did youHI
#esjardins...+
I!t2s okay thoughI the +achine ,ent on- ITurns out you ,ere
right- ;ere let +e give you a hand---I
The bot.ly tilted nose-do,n and descended until it ,as literally
nuCCling "a,yer2s cheek- !t nosed hi+ gently like a hungry pet
pestering its +aster .or .ood- "a,yer2s head lolled side,ays on the
pillo, stared past the edge o. the bed to the crib against the .ar
,all barely visible in the gloo+-
6h (od$ what.
This couldn2t be happening- 3chilles *es9ardins ,as a
2la,breaker and 2la,breakers8they si+ply didn2t do this sort o.
thing- They couldn't- #obody had ever ad+itted it o..icially o.
course but "a,yer ,as connected he kne, the scoop- There ,ere
8restraints right do,n at the bioche+ical level- To keep
2la,breakers .ro+ +isusing their po,er to keep the+ .ro+ doing
exactly ,hat8
The robot .loated across the bedroo+- !t ca+e to rest about a
+eter over the crib- The thin crescent o. a rotating lens glinted on
its belly .ocusing-
IBayla isn2t itHI the bot.ly +ur+ured- I"even +onths three
days .ourteen hours- ! say *r- "a,yer- :our genes +ust be very
special to 9usti.y bringing a child into such a shitty ,orld- ! bet it
pissed o.. the neighbors so+ething a,.ul- ;o,2d you get around
the pop-control statutesHI
Please "a,yer thought- #on't hurt her. &'m sorry. &.
I:ou kno, ! bet you cheatedI the +achine +used- I! bet this
pissy little larva shouldn2t even be here- 3h ,ell- >ike ! said
be.ore you ,ere right- 3bout real people- They really do die all
the ti+e-I
Please. 6h dear (od give me strength$ let me move$ at least
give me strength enough to beg.
Bright as the sun a .iery proboscis licked do,n through the
darkness and set Bayla alight-
The bot.ly turned and regarded Trevor "a,yer through a dark
cyclopean eye ,hile his child screa+ed and blackened-
I4hy there goes one no,I it re+arked-
I?or MandelbrotI *es9ardins ,hispered- I!n +e+ory-I
;e .reed the bot.ly to return to its appointed rounds- !t ,ould
not be able to ans,er any o. the inevitable 7uestions resulting .ro+
this night even in the unlikely event that anyone could trace it
back to the honeyco+bed residential ,arren at (42'-(&0 0ushing
"ky,alk- Dven no, it could only re+e+ber a routine patrol along
its prescribed transectF that ,as all it would re+e+ber until a
navigational +al.unction sent it on a suicidal corkscre, into the
no-go Cone around "udbury2s +ain static-.ield generator- There
,ouldn2t be enough le.t a.ter,ards to reconstruct so +uch as a lens
cluster let alone an event log-
3s .or the bodies the+selves even the +ost super.icial
investigation ,ould reveal telling indications o. Trevor "a,yer2s
resent+ent over his .orcible conscription into the ;ealth 0orps
and previously-unsuspected .a+ily ties to the MMM regi+e
recently risen to po,er in Ahana- #obody ,ould ,aste ti+e
asking 7uestions a.ter thatF those associated ,ith the Madonna2s
#e, Order ,ere notorious .or their e..orts in bringing do,n the
old one- 4ith "a,yer2s hospital clearance and +edical expertise
the da+age he could have done to the la,-abiding +e+bers o. the
co++unity ,as incalculable- "udbury ,as better o.. ,ithout hi+
,hether he2d been killed by his o,n or ,hether so+e vigilant
2la,breaker near or .ar had tracked hi+ to his lair and ter+inated
his terrorist activities ,ith extre+e pre9udice-
!t ,asn2t as though these kind o. surgical strikes didn2t happen
all the ti+e- 3nd i. so+e 2la,breaker was behind it it ,as8by
de.inition8all .or the best-
One +ore ite+ checked o.. the to'do list- *es9ardins ,rapped
Mandelbrot in his t-shirt and headed outside cradling the bloody
bundle against his bare chest- ;e ,as dro,ning in a vortex o.
e+otionF he ,as e+pty inside- ;e tried to resolve the paradox as
he ascended to ground level-
Arie. o. course .or the loss o. a .riend he2d had .or al+ost ten
years- "atis.action .or the price exacted in return- 3nd yet8he
had hoped .or +ore than this gri+ sense o. a debt restored- ;e had
hoped .or so+ething +ore .ul.illing- Joy perhaps at the sight o.
Trevor "a,yer ,atching his ,i.e and child burn alive- Joy at the
sight o. "a,yer2s o,n i++olation .lesh crisping .ro+ the bones
eyeballs bursting like great gelatinous grubs boiled in their sockets
kno,ing even there at the end .eeling it all he2d never even .ound
the strength to ,hi+per-
Joy eluded *es9ardins- Aranted he2d never .elt it any o. the
other ti+es he2d balanced the books but he had hoped .or +ore
this ti+e- 0ertainly the cause had been +ore heart.elt- But still:
only grie. and satis.action and8and so+ething else so+ething
he couldn2t 7uite put his .inger on---
;e stepped outside- <ale +orning light rose on all sides-
Mandelbrot ,as gro,ing cold and sti.. in his ar+s-
;e took a .e, steps and turned to look up at his castle- !t
loo+ed huge and dark and o+inous against the brightening sky-
Be.ore /io a s+all city2s ,orth o. ,ould-be saviors had labored
there- #o, it ,as all his-
(ratitude he realiCed astonished- That2s ,hat he .elt-
Aratitude .or his o,n grie.- ;e still loved- ;e could still "eel ,ith
all his heart- Gntil this night and this loss he had never been
co+pletely sure-
3lice had been right all along- 1ociopath ,as .ar too s+all a
,ord to contain ,hatever it ,as he had beco+e-
<erhaps he2d go and tell her once he2d laid beloved Mandelbrot
to rest-
0,SA.M4.
>D3@D 03*3@D/" ;D/D O#>:
G#3GT;O/!=D* *!"<O"3> 4!>> BD </O"D0GTD*
#23M3TP0"!/3 B!O;3=3/*" "T3TGTD 402'-3-2&-"GB&
!t ,as a three-,alled enclosure open to the sky south o. the
(14 9ust outside Dlls,orth- The sign had been sprayed onto the
inside o. the rear ,allF the s+art paint cycled through a hal. doCen
languages holding on each .or a .e, seconds in turn- 0larke and
Ouellette stood at the open side looking in-
The grated .loor ,as crusted ,ith old li+e cracked and scaling
like a dried-up desert lake bed- !t ,as obviously years since it had
been replenished- ?our bodies lay on that substrate- One had been
care.ully set to rest ,ith its ar+s .olded across its chestF it ,as
bloated and black s7uir+ing ,ith +aggots beneath a ni+bus o.
.lies- The other three ,ere desiccated and disarrayed like clu+ps
o. leaves stre,n about and abandoned by a strong ,ind- >i+bs
and one head ,ere +issing-
Ouellette gestured at the sign- IThey actually gave a da+n back
in the old days- <eople ,ould end up in 9ail .or burying their loved
ones in the back rose garden- Dndangering the public health-I "he
grunted re+e+bering- IThey couldn2t stop ehe+oth- They
couldn2t stop the coattail plagues- But at least they could lock up
so+e poor old ,o+an ,ho hadn2t ,anted to see her dead husband
go up in .la+es-I
0larke s+iled .aintly- I<eople like to .eel ,hat2s the ,ord---I
I<roactiveI Ouellette suggested-
IThat2s it-I
Ouellette nodded- ITo give the+ their due though it was a
proble+ back then- There ,ere a lot +ore bodies lying around8
they ,ere stacked up to your shoulder even out here- ?or a ,hile
cholera ,as killing +ore people than ehe+oth-I
0larke eyed the structure- I4hy stick it ,ay out hereHI
Ouellette shrugged- IThey had the+ everywhere-I
0larke stepped into the enclosure- Ouellette put a restraining
hand on her shoulder- I:ou better stick ,ith the older ones-
There2s no end to the things you could catch o.. that .resh one-I
0larke shrugged o.. the hand- I4hat about youHI
I!2+ broad-spectru+ed up to here- There2s not +uch that can
get +e-I
The doctor approached the cadaver .ro+ up,ind .or all the
good it didF the light breeCe ,asn2t nearly enough to dispel the
stench- 0larke keeping the greater distance .ought the urge to gag
and closed on her o,n assign+ent o. body parts- "he held out her
can o. steri,rap like a cruci.ix and pressed the studF the ,iCened
one-legged body at her .eet glistened as the aerosol la+inate
hardened on its sur.ace-
IThese are actually in pretty good shapeI Ouellette re+arked
spraying do,n her o,n corpse- I#ot so long ago you had to check
t,ice a ,eek i. you ,anted to .ind a leg bone connected to a knee
bone- "cavengers had a .ield day-I "he ,as spraying it on thick
0larke noted ,ithout surprise- "he +ight be i++une to ,hatever
diseases .estered in that body but it still ,asn2t going to be any
treat to carry it around-
I"o ,hat changedHI 0larke asked-
I#o +ore scavengers-I
0larke rolled the +u++i.ied re+ains ,ith her .oot and sprayed
do,n the other side- The ,rap hardened in seconds- "he scooped
the shrouded body into her ar+s- !t ,as like carrying a loose
bundle o. .ire,ood- The steri,rap s7ueaked .aintly against her
diveskin-
IJust .eed it into MiriI Ouellette told her still spraying- I!2ve
already changed the settings-I
The M!2s tongue stuck out to starboard- 0rinkly silver .oil
lined its throat- 0larke set the re+ains on the palletF the tongue
began to retract as soon as the ,eight had settled- Miri s,allo,ed
and closed her +outh-
I*o ! have to do anythingHI 0larke called-
I#ope- "he kno,s the di..erence bet,een a live body and a
dead one-I
3 deep al+ost subsonic hu+ sounded brie.ly .ro+ ,ithin the
M!-
Ouellette dragged a hu+anoid cocoon .ro+ the co+pound- !ts
bloated .eatures had vanished entirely under layers o. .ibrous
plastic as though Ouellette ,ere so+e +onstrous spider given to
gi.t-,rapping prey- The sur.ace o. the shroud ,as peppered ,ith
the bodies o. trapped insects hal.-e+bedded- They t,itched
dying against their constraints-
0larke reached out to give Ouellette a hand- "o+ething sloshed
.aintly as the ,eight shi.ted bet,een the+- Miri opened her +outh
8e+pty again8and belched hot dusty breath into 0larke2s .ace-
The tongue extended as though .ro+ so+e enor+ous insatiable
baby bird-
I0an your skin breathe in that thingHI Ouellette asked over
Miri2s second helping-
I4hat +y diveskinHI
I:our real skin- 0an it breathe under all that copoly+erHI
I0opoly+er2s pretty +uch ,hat !2ve ,orn .or the past .ive
years- ;asn2t killed +e yet-I
I!t can2t be good .or you though- !t ,as designed to keep you
alive in the deep seaF ! can2t i+agine it2s healthy to ,ear it in an
at+osphere all the ti+e-I
I*on2t see ,hy not-I 0larke shrugged- I!t breathes it
ther+oregulates- Beeps +e nice and ho+eostatic-I
I!n water >aurie- 3ir has co+pletely di..erent properties- !.
nothing else ! bet you2ve got a @ita+in B de.iciency-I
I!2+ .ineI 0larke said neutrally-.
The M! hu++ed contentedly-
I!. you say soI Ouellette said at last-
Miri gaped .or +ore-
They plotted their course by derelict road signs and inboard
+aps- Ouellette stead.astly re.used to go online- 0larke had to
,onder at the stops +arked along their route- Bel.astH 0a+denH
?reeportH They2d barely been dots on a +ap even be.ore the ,orld
ended: ,hy not go to Bangor 9ust a .e, klicks to the northH That
,as ,here the people ,ould be-
I#ot any +oreI Ouellette said raising her voice above a
.renetic orchestral seesa, sheLd attributed to so+e /ussian +aniac
called Proko"iev-
I4hy notHI
I-ities are the graveyard o" /ankind-I !t had the ring o. a
7uote- IThere ,as this threshold ! don2t re+e+ber ,hat it ,as
exactly- "o+e +agic nu+ber o. people per hectare- 3ny urban
center ,as ,ay up on the ,rong side o. it- "o+ething like
ehe+oth set loose in a high-density urban area8not to +ention all
the ancillary pathogens that hitched a ride in its ,ake8it takes o..
like a brush .ire- One person sneeCes a hundred get sick- Aer+s
love cro,ds-I
IBut s+all to,ns ,ere okayHI
I4ell not okay obviously- But things didn2t spread as .ast8
the spread2s still going on actually- The to,ns ,ere s+all and
seasonal and the areas in bet,een ,ere pretty +uch o,ned by the
,hitecaps-I Ouellette gestured at the ,ithering .oliage scrolling
past the ,indshield- IThis ,as all privately o,ned- /ich old rs
and Bs ,ho didn2t +ingle had good +edical- They2re gone no,
too o. course-I
(one to Atlantis 0larke sur+ised- 1ome o" them$ anyway.
I"o the big cities had exactly t,o choices ,hen ?ire,itch ca+e
callingI Ouellette continued- IThey could either thro, up the
barricades and the static-.ield generators or they could i+plode- 3
lot o. the+ couldn2t a..ord generators so they i+ploded by de.ault-
! haven2t been to Bangor since .i.ty-three- ?or all ! kno, they
never even cleaned up the bodies-I
They got their .irst live custo+ers at Bucksport-
They pulled o.. the +ain drag at about t,o a-+- next to a /ed
0ross 0alvin cycler ,ith a ,orriso+e yello, telltale ,inking .ro+
its panel- Ouellette exa+ined it by the light o. an obsolete
billboard running on stored solar that ,orked ceaselessly to sell
the+ on the bene.its o. s+art cloth and dietary proglottids-
I#eeds restocking-I "he cli+bed back into Miri and called up a
+enu-
I! thought they got everything they needed .ro+ the airI 0larke
said- That2s ,hat photosynthesis was a.ter all8she2d been a+aCed
to discover ho, +any co+plex +olecules ,ere nothing +ore than
various co+binations o. nitrogen carbon and oh-t,o-
I#ot trace ele+ents-I Ouellette grabbed a cellulose cartridge
its co+part+ents .illed ,ith red and ochre paste .ro+ the
dispensing slot- IThis one2s lo, on iron and potassiu+-I
The billboard ,as still ha,king its nonexistent ,ares the next
+orning ,hen 0larke s7ueeCed hersel. into Miri2s toilet cubicle-
4hen she ca+e out again t,o silhouettes ,ere plastered against
the ,indshield-
"he stepped care.ully over Ouellette and cli+bed up bet,een
the bucket seats- T,o ;indian boys8one +aybe six the other
verging on adolescence8stared in at her- "he leaned .or,ard and
stared back- T,o pairs o. dark eyes ,idened in surpriseF the
younger boy e+itted a tiny yelp- The next second both had
sca+pered a,ay-
I!t2s your eyesI Ouellette said behind her-
0larke turned- The doctor ,as sitting up hugging the back o.
the driver2s seat .ro+ behind- "he blinked gu++y-eyed in the
+orning light-
I3nd the suitI she continued- I"eriously >aurie you look like
so+e kind o. cut-rate Co+bie in that get-up-I "he reached behind
her and tapped the locker in the rear ,all- I:ou could al,ays
borro, so+ething o. +ine-I
"he ,as getting used to her alias- Ouellette2s unsolicited advice
,as another +atter-
3 hal.-doCen people ,ere already lined up ,hen they cli+bed
out into daylight- Ouellette s+iled at the+ as she strode around to
the back o. the vehicle and li.ted the a,ning- 0larke .ollo,ed still
sleepyF Miri2s +ouths opened as she passed- The throat2s silver
lining had ,ithdra,n exposing a grid o. sensor heads studding the
cylindrical ,all behind-
!cons and telltales .lickered across the panel on Miri2s backside-
Ouellette played the+ ,ith absent-+inded expertise her eyes on
the accu+ulating patients- IDverybody2s standing nobody2s
bleeding- 3nd no obvious cases o. ehe+oth- Aood start-I
;al. a block behind the billboard the t,o children 0larke had
surprised pulled a +iddle-aged ,o+an into sight around the corner
o. a long-de.unct restaurant- "he +oved at her o,n pace resisting
her children as though they ,ere eager dogs straining to slip the
leash- ?urther do,n the road picking his ,ay across scattered
debris and asphalt-cracking clu+ps o. grass a +an li+ped .or,ard
on a cane-
I4e 9ust got hereI 0larke +ur+ured-
I:up- Gsually ! blast the +usic .or a couple o. +inutes 9ust to
let people kno,- But a lot o. the ti+e it isn2t even necessary-I
0larke panned the street- 3 doCen no, at least- I"o+ebody
really spread the ,ord-I
I3nd thatI Ouellette told her Iis ho, ,e2re going to ,in-I
Bucksport ,as one o. Ouellette2s regular stops- The locals
kne, her or at least kne, o. her- "he kne, the+ and +inistered
unto the+ as she al,ays had her o+nipresent +usic playing so.tly
in the background- The sick and the in9ured passed like boluses o.
.ood through Miri2s hu++ing depthsF so+eti+es the passage
,ould take only +o+ents and Ouellette ,ould be ,aiting at the
other side ,ith a der+ or in9ection or so+e viral countervector to
be snorted like an anti7ue alkaloid- Other ti+es the patients ,ould
linger inside ,hile the M! knitted their bones back together or
spliced torn liga+ents or burned out +alignancies ,ith bursts o.
.ocused +icro,aves- Occasionally the proble+ ,as so obvious
that Ouellette could diagnose it ,ith a glance and cure it ,ith a
shot and a ,ord o. advice-
0larke helped ,hen she could ,hich ,as rarelyF Miri
+aintained its o,n inventories and Ouellette had little need o.
0larke2s li+ited expertise in .ish bites- Ouellette taught her so+e
basics on the .ly and let her triage the line-up- Dven that ,asn2t
entirely success.ul- The rules ,ere easy enough but so+e o. the
younger .erals recoiled at 0larke2s appearance: the strange black
skin that see+ed to ripple ,hen you ,eren2t 7uite lookingF the
little outcroppings o. +achinery .ro+ .leshF the glassy .eatureless
eyes that both looked at you and didn2t that belonged not so +uch
to a hu+an being as to so+e unconvincing robot i+poster-
Dventually 0larke contented hersel. ,ith the adults and gave
the+ vital tips ,hile they ,aited their turn- There ,as a.ter all
+ore to dispense than +edical attention- #o, there ,ere
instructions-
#o, there ,as a plan-
4ait .or the +issiles she told the+- 4atch the starburstsF track
the .rag+ents as they .all .ind the+ on the ground- This is ,hat
you look .orF this is ,hat it is- Take ,hatever sa+ples you can8
soil in +ason 9ars rags s,ept through aerosol clouds at ground
Cero anything- 3 teaspoon-.ull +ight be enough- 3 tin can hal.
.ull could be a ,ind.all- 4hatever you can get ho,ever you can
get it-
Be .ast: the li.ters +ay be co+ing- Arab ,hat you can and run-
Aet a,ay .ro+ the i+pact Cone hide .ro+ the .la+ethro,ers any
,ay you can- Tell others tell everyoneF spread the ,ord and the
+ethod- But no radio- #o net,orks no .iberop no ,ireless- The
ether ,ill .uck you up the ass i. you let itF trust only to ,ord-o.-
+outh-
?ind us at ?reeport or /u+.ord or places bet,een- 0o+e back
to us: bring us ,hat you have-
There +ay be hope-
3ugusta +ade her skin cra,l- >iterally-
They approached .ro+ the east 9ust be.ore +idnight along the
202- Taka took the+ o.. the +ain drag in .avor o. a gravel road a
short ,ays do,n the gentle slope o. the Bennebec /iver valley-
They parked on a ridge that overlooked the shallo, topography
belo,-
Dverything this side o. the river had been abandonedF al+ost
everything on the .ar side had been too- The bright core that
re+ained huddled a+idst a di..use spread o. dark e+pty ruins le.t
over .ro+ the good old days- !ts ni+bus re.lected o.. the cloud
bank overhead turned the ,hole tableau to grainy high-contrast
black-and-,hite-
?aint goose.lesh rippled along 0larke2s ar+s and nape- Dven
her diveskin see+ed to be ,ell shivering a sensation so subtle it
hovered on the threshold o. i+agination-
I?eel thatHI Ouellette said-
0larke nodded-
I"tatic-.ield generator- 4e2re 9ust on the outer edge o. the
.ield-I
I"o it gets ,orse insideHI
I#ot right inside o. course- The .ield2s directed out,ard- But
yeah the closer you get to the peri+eter the +ore your hair stands
on end- Once you2re inside you don2t .eel it- #ot that ,ay at least-
There are other e..ects-I
I>ike ,hatHI
ITu+ors-I Ouellette shrugged- IBetter than the alternative !
guess-I
3 cheek-to-9o,l cluster o. lights and architecture rose against
the dark its outlines suggesting the contours o. a crude pixelated
do+e- The ne, 3ugusta ,as obviously s7ueeCing every cubic
centi+eter it could out o. the sa.e Cone- I4e going in thereHI
0larke asked-
Ouellette shook her head- IThey don2t need us-I
I-an ,e go in thereHI ?or all its lost stature 3ugusta +ust still
have portals into the pipe- >ubin +ight have been better o..
sticking ,ith the+ a.ter all-
I:ou +ean like shore leaveH "top by on our ,ay through .or
so+e @/ and a hot ,hirlpoolHI The doctor laughed so.tly-
I*oesn2t ,ork that ,ay- They2d probably let us in i. there ,ere
so+e kind o. e+ergency but everybody kind o. sticks to their o,n
these days- Miri2s out o. Boston-I
I"o you could get into Boston-I Dven better-
I!t is kind o. beauti.ul at night thoughI Ouellette re+arked-
I?or all its carcinogenic properties- 3l+ost like the northern
lights-I
0larke ,atched her ,ithout speaking-
I*on2t you thinkHI
"he decided not to push it- I#ight looks pretty +uch like day to
+e- Just not as +uch color-I
I/ight- The eyes-I Ouellette gave her a side,ays look- I*on2t
you ever get tired o. daylight all the ti+eHI
I#ot really-I
I:ou should try taking the+ out no, and then 9ust .or a
change- "o+eti+es ,hen you see too +uch you +iss a lot-I
0larke s+iled- I:ou sound like a .ortune cookie-I
Ouellette shrugged- I!t ,ouldn2t hurt your bedside +anner
either- <atients +ight relate to you better ,ithout the a..ect you
kno,HI
IThere2s not +uch ! can do .or your patients any,ay-I
IOh that2s not8I
I3nd i. there isI 0larke continued her voice conspicuously
neutral Ithen they can accept +y help ,ithout dictating +y
,ardrobe-I
I/rrrightI Ouellette said a.ter a +o+ent- I"orry-I
They sat in silence .or a ,hile- ?inally Ouellette thre, Miri
back into gear and cued her +usic8 an adrenaline discord o.
saxophone and electric percussion at serious odds ,ith her usual
tastes-
I4e2re not stopping hereHI 0larke asked-
IAoosebu+ps keep +e a,ake- <robably not all that good .or
Miri either- ! 9ust thought you2d en9oy the vie, is all-I
They headed .urther along the road- The prickling o. 0larke2s
skin .aded in +o+ents-
Ouellette kept driving- The +usic segued into a spoken
interlude ,ith +usical acco+pani+ent8so+e story about a hare
,hoLd lost his spectacles ,hatever those ,ere- I4hat is thisHI
0larke asked-
IT,en0en stu..- ! can turn it o.. i. you8I
I#o- ThatLs .ine-I
Ouellette killed it any,ay- Miri drove on in silence-
I4e could stop anyti+eI 0larke said a.ter a .e, +inutes-
I3 little .urther- !t2s dangerous around the cities-I
I! thought ,e ,ere past the .ield-I
I#ot cancer- <eople-I Ouellette tripped the autopilot and sat
back in the bucket seat- IThey tend to hang around 9ust outside the
claves and get envious-I
IMiri can2t handle the+HI
IMiri can slice and dice the+ a doCen ,ays to "unday- !2d 9ust
as soon avoid the con.rontation-I
0larke shook her head- I! can2t believe 3ugusta ,ouldn2t have
let us in-I
I! told you- The claves keep to the+selves-I
IThen ,hy even bother sending you outH !. everyone up here is
so bloody sel.-centered ,hy help out the ,ildlands in the .irst
placeHI
Ouellette snorted so.tly- I4here2ve you been .or the past .ive
yearsHI "he held up her hand: I"tupid 7uestion- 4e2re not out
here .or altruis+ >aurie- The M! .leet the salt licks8I
I"alt licksHI
I?eeding stations- !t2s all 9ust to keep the .erals .ro+ stor+ing
the barricades- !. ,e bring the+ a .e, +orsels +aybe they ,on2t
be 7uite so +otivated to bring ehe+oth into our o,n backyards-I
!t +ade the usual sense 0larke had to ad+it- 3nd yet---
I#o- They ,ouldn2t send their best and brightest out .or a lousy
cro,d-control assign+ent-I
I:ou got that right-I
I:eah but you8I
I/eH &'m the best and the brightestHI Ouellette slapped her
.orehead- I4hat in the na+e o. all that2s living gave you that
ideaHI
I! sa, you ,orkI
I:ou sa, +e take orders .ro+ a +achine ,ithout scre,ing up
too +uch- 3 .e, day2s training ! could teach you to do as ,ell .or
+ost o. these cases-I
IThat2s not ,hat ! +eant- !2ve seen doctors in action be.ore
Taka- :ou2re di..erent- :ou8I One o. Ouellette2s o,n phrases
popped into her head: bedside manner-
I:ou careI she .inished si+ply-
I3h-I Ouellette said- 3nd then looking straight ahead: I*on2t
con.use co+passion ,ith co+petence >aurie- !t2s dangerous-I
0larke studied her- I*angerous- That2s a strange ,ord to use-I
I!n +y pro.ession co+petence doesn2t kill peopleI Ouellette
said- I0o+passion can-I
I:ou killed so+eoneHI
I;ard to tell- That2s the thing about inco+petence- !t2s not
nearly so clear-cut as deliberate +alice-I
I;o, +anyHI 0larke asked-
Ouellette looked at her- I3re you keeping scoreHI
I#o- "orry-I 0larke looked a,ay-
!ut i" & was she thought &'d blow you out o" the water- "he
kne, it ,asn2t a .air co+parison- One death she supposed could
be a greater burden than a thousand i. it +attered enough to you-
!. you bothered to get involved-
!. you had co+passion-
?inally they pulled into a re+ote clearing .urther up the slope-
Ouellette .olded do,n her pallet and turned in ,ith a .e,
+onosyllables- 0larke sat un+oving in her seat ,atching the
gray-on-gray clarity o. the nightscape beyond the ,indshield: gray
+eado, grasses charcoal ranks o. spindly coni.er scabby
outcroppings o. ,orn bedrock- Overcast tissue-paper sky-
?ro+ behind .aint snores-
"he .ished behind her seat and snagged her backpack- The
eyecap vial had settled to the very botto+ a victi+ o. chronic
inattention- "he held it in her hand .or a long ti+e be.ore popping
it open-
Dach eyecap covered the entire visible cornea and then so+e-
"uction tugged at her eyeballs as she pulled the+ o..F they broke
.ree ,ith a so.t popping sound-
!t ,as as i. her eyes not 9ust their coverings had been pulled
out- !t ,as like going blind- !t ,as like being in the deep sea .ar
.ro+ any light-
!t ,asn2t altogether unpleasant-
3t .irst there ,as nothing any,hereF irises gro, laCy ,hen
photocollagen does all their heavy li.ting- 3.ter a ,hile though
they re+e+bered to dilate- 3 s,athe o. dark gray brightened the
void directly ahead: .aint nocturnal light through the ,indshield-
"he .elt her ,ay out o. the M! and leaned against its .lank- "he
let the door hiss shut as so.tly as possible- The night air cooled her
.ace and hands-
*i..use brightness registered at the corner o. her eye .ading
every ti+e she .ocused on it- Be.ore long she could tell the sky
.ro+ the treeline- *i+ roiling gray over serrated shado,F it
see+ed +arginally brighter to the east-
"he ,andered a .e, +eters and looked back: Miri2s s+ooth
startling edges al+ost glimmered against this .ractal landscape- To
the ,est through a break in the cloud she sa, stars-
"he ,alked-
"he tripped over roots and holes hal. a doCen ti+es .or ,ant o.
illu+ination- But the color sche+e ,as pretty +uch the sa+e as
that served up by her eyecaps gray on gray on black- The only
di..erence ,as that contrast and brightness ,ere cranked ,ay
do,n-
4hen the sky began brightening to the east she sa, that she2d
been cli+bing up a denuded gravelly hillside populated by stu+ps
an old clear-cut that had never recovered- !t +ust have been like
this long be.ore ehe+oth had arrived on the scene-
0verything's dying she2d said-
3nd Ouellette had replied That was happening anyway---
0larke looked do,n the ,ay she2d co+e- Miri sat like a toy on
the edge o. ,hat +ust have been an old logging road- Bro,n trees
lined the .ar side o. the road and the hill she stood on to either
sideF they2d been raCored a,ay do,n the s,ath she2d 9ust cli+bed-
"uddenly she had a shado,- !t stretched do,n the slope like the
outline o. a +urdered giant- "he turned: a .luorescent red sun ,as
9ust cresting the hill- /ibbed clouds above glo,ed radioactive
sal+on- They re+inded 0larke o. ,ave-sculpted corrugations on a
sandy seabed but she couldn2t ever re+e+ber seeing colors so
intense-
,osing your sight every night might not be so bad she re.lected
i" this is how you get it back in the morning-
The +o+ent passed o. course- The sun had only had a .e,
degrees to ,ork ,ith a narro, gap o. clear distant sky bet,een
the land belo, and the clouds overhead- 4ithin a .e, +inutes it
had risen behind a thick bank o. stratus .aded to a pale bright
patch in an expanse o. .eatureless gray-
Alyx she thought-
Ouellette ,ould be up soon steeling hersel. .or another
pointless day spent in the service o. the greater good- Making a
di..erence that +ade no di..erence-
/aybe not the greater good 0larke thought- /aybe$ the
greater need-
"he started do,n the hill- Ouellette ,as cli+bing into daylight
by the ti+e 0larke reached the road- "he blinked against the gray
+orning and blinked again ,hen she sa, the ri.ter2s naked eyes-
I:ou said you could teach +eI 0larke said-
S5A.7A8.
1he's okay$ #ave Taka said to her dead husband- 1he's a bit
scary at "irst.-rys would take one look at her and run out o" the
room. #e"initely not much o" a people person.
!ut she's "ine$ #ave$ really. And i" you can't be here with me$ at
least she pulls her own weight.
Miri drove do,n old !-)& through the ra+shackle re+ains o. a
to,n called ?reeportF it had died ,ith the departure o. the .ish and
the tourists long be.ore ehe+oth had +ade everything so
de.initive- "outh o. to,n they pulled onto a side road that ended at
a secluded cove- Taka ,as relieved to see that the scraggly
,oodlands above the high-tide line ,ere still +ostly green- "he
cheered the+ on-
I4hy here exactlyHI >aurie ,ondered as they debarked-
IDlectric eel-I Taka unlocked the charge cap on the side o. the
vehicle and took the socket in one hand- The cable unspooled
behind her as she headed do,n slope- 0obble slipped and clattered
beneath her .eet-
>aurie paced her to the ,ater2s edge- I4hatHI
IOn the botto+ so+e,here-I Bneeling Taka .ished the hailer
out o. her ,indbreaker and slipped it into the ,ater- I;ope.ully
the little bastard still co+es ,hen you call hi+-I
3 s+all eruption o. bubbles t,enty +eters o..shore- 3
+o+ent later the eel sur.aced in their ,ake and s7uir+ed to,ards
the+ orange and serpentine- !t beached itsel. at Taka2s .eet a
giant .luorescent sper+ ,ith a tail trailing o.. into the depths- !t
even had .angs: a t,o-pronged +etal +outh dis.iguring the
sur.ace o. the bulb-
"he plugged the cable into it- The bulb hu++ed-
IThey stashed these things here and thereI she explained Iso
,e2re not co+pletely dependent on the li.ters-I
>aurie eyed the cal+ ,ater in the cove- I Ballard stackHI
I03D"3/ reactor-I
I:ou2re kidding-I
Taka shook her head- I"el.-contained sel.-+aintained
disposable- Basically 9ust a big block ,ith a couple o. radiator
.ins- *rop it into any open body o. ,ater and it2s good to go- !t
doesn2t even have any controls8it auto+atically +atches voltage
to ,hatever the line dra,s-I
>aurie ,histled-
Taka scooped up a .lat stone and skipped it across the ,ater-
I"o ,hen2s Ben going to sho, upHI
I*epends-I
IOn ,hatHI
IOn ,hether he got into <ortland-I 3nd then a.ter a curious
hesitation: I3nd ,hether he ditched us back at <enobscot-I
I;e didn2tI Ben said-
They turned- ;e ,as standing behind the+-
I;i-I >aurie2s .ace didn2t change but so+e subtle tension
see+ed to ebb .ro+ her body- I;o,2d it goHI
;e shook his head-
!t ,as al+ost as i. the past t,o ,eeks hadn2t happened- Ben
reappeared as o+inous and indecipherable as ever: and 9ust like
that >aurie .aded a,ay- !t ,as a subtle transition8so+e slight
hardening o. the ,ay she held hersel. a s+all .lattening o. a..ect
8but to Taka the change ,as as clear as a slap in the .ace- The
,o+an she had co+e to kno, as an ally and even a .riend
sub+erged be.ore her eyes- !n its place stood that hu+anoid
cipher ,ho had .irst con.ronted her on the slopes o. a guttering
,asteland .ourteen days be.ore-
Ben and >aurie conversed a little ,ays do,n the beach ,hile
Miri recharged- Taka couldn2t hear ,hat they said but doubtless
Ben ,as reporting on his <ortland expedition- #ebrie"ing Taka
thought ,atching the+- ?or Ben that ,ord see+ed to .it- 3nd
the trip had not gone ,ell 9udging by the body language and the
look on his .ace-
Then again$ he al,ays looks like that she re+inded hersel.-
"he tried to i+agine ,hat it +ight take to ,ipe a,ay that chronic
deadpan expression and replace it ,ith so+ething approaching a
real e+otion- Maybe you2d have to threaten his li.e- Maybe a .art
in an elevator ,ould do it-
They headed back into to,n once Miri ,as sated- >ubin
crouched in the space bet,een the bucket seats the ,o+en on
either side- Taka got the sense o. gigabytes passing bet,een the
other t,o although they spoke perhaps a hal.-doCen ,ords each-
?reeport ,as another regular stop on the trap lineF Taka pulled
up at a parking lot o.. Main and ;o,ard beside the gashed .aJade
o. a de.unct clothing store called 5she al,ays s+iled at it6 The
(ap. The to,n as a ,hole like +ost o. the+ ,as long dead-
!ndividual cells still lingered on in the rotting corpus though and
so+e ,ere already ,aiting ,hen Miri arrived- Taka blared
"travinsky .or a .e, +inutes any,ay to spread the ,ord- Others
appeared over ti+e e+erging .ro+ the shells o. buildings and the
leaky hulls o. old .ishing boats kept a.loat in so+e insane hope that
the ,itch +ight be a.raid o. ,ater-
"he and >aurie got to ,ork- Ben stayed out o. sight near the
back o. the cabF shado,s and the dyna+ic tinting o. Miri2s
,indo,s rendered hi+ all but invisible .ro+ the outside- Taka
asked about <ortland over an asse+bly-line o. broken ar+s and
rotting .lesh- >aurie shrugged pleasant but distant: I;e could2ve
got in all right- Just not ,ithout getting noticed-I
#o surprise there- 3 scorched Cone surrounded <ortland2s
landside peri+eter a .lat sensor-riddled expanse across ,hich
Taka couldn2t i+agine anyone crossing undetected- 3n enervated
+e+branous skin guarded the sea,ard approaches- :ou couldn2t
9ust sneak into the place8into any clave .or that +atter8and Ben
evidently lacked the resources to break in by .orce-
Dvery no, and then Taka ,ould glance absently at the
,indshield as she +oved a+ong her patients- "o+eti+es she
caught sight o. t,o .aint gli++ering pinpoints looking back
+otionless and unblinking behind the dark re.lections-
"he didn2t kno, ,hat he +ight be doing in there- "he didn2t
ask-
!t ,as as i. night ,ere a black .il+ laid over the ,orld and the
stars +ere pinpricks through ,hich daylight passed-
IThereI Ben said pointing-
?ine needles three or .our o. the+- Their tips etched the .il+
high in the ,est le.t .aint scratches across Bootes- They .aded in
secondsF Taka ,ould never have seen the+ on her o,n-
I:ou2re sure ,e2re sa.eI she said-
;e ,as a silhouette black on black against the stars to her le.t-
IThey2re past us alreadyI he told her- 4hich ,as not the sa+e
thing-
IThere go the interceptsI >aurie said behind the+- Brie. novae
.lared near ;ercules8not contrails but the ignition o. anti+issile
salvos dropped .ro+ orbit- They2d be belo, the horiCon by the
ti+e they hit at+osphere-
!t ,as a.ter +idnight- They ,ere standing on a rocky hill south
o. ?reeport- 3l+ost everything ,as stars and skyF the insigni.icant
circle o. earth belo, the horiCon ,as black and .eatureless- They2d
co+e here .ollo,ing the beeping o. Ben2s handpad linked to a
periscope .loating so+e,here in the ocean behind the+- Dvidently
their sub+arine8 Phocoena >aurie had called it8 ,as a
stargaCer-
Taka could see ,hy- The Milky 4ay ,as so beauti.ul it hurt-
IMaybe this is itI she +ur+ured- !t ,as unlikely she kne,F
this ,as only the second attack since they2d put their plan into
+otion and ho, .ar could the ,ord have spread by no,H
3nd yet three attacks in as +any ,eeks- 3t that rate they had
to get lucky be.ore too long---
I*on2t count on itI Ben said-
"he glanced at hi+ and glanced a,ay- #ot so long ago this
+an had stood at her back one hand cla+ped easily on her neck
instructing >aurie in the disasse+bly o. ,eapons syste+s that
Taka could barely even na+e- ;e had been pleasant enough then
and since because Taka had cooperated- ;e had been polite
because she2d never stood in his ,ay-
But Ben ,as on a +ission and Taka2s little experi+ent in grass-
roots salvation didn2t see+ to .actor into it- ;e ,as playing along
,ith her .or so+e indecipherable reason o. his o,nF there ,as no
guarantee that to+orro, or the next day he ,ouldn2t run out o.
patience and go back to his original ga+e plan- Taka didn2t kno,
,hat that ,as although she gathered it had so+ething to do ,ith
helping Ben and >aurie2s ,aterlogged kindredF she had learned not
to ,aste ti+e pressing either o. the+ .or details- !t had involved
getting into the <ortland clave ,hich evidently Ben had not been
able to do on his o,n-
!t had also involved hi9acking Taka2s M! ,hich he had-
#o, she ,as alone ,ith t,o e+pty-eyed ciphers in the dead o.
night and the +iddle o. no,here- Beneath the inter+ittent
ca+araderie the hu+anitarian pitching-in and all the best-laid
plans one .act re+ained unassailable: she ,as a prisoner- "he2d
been a prisoner .or ,eeks-
3ow could & have "orgotten that+ she ,ondered and ans,ered
her o,n 7uestion: because they hadn2t hurt her---yet- They hadn2t
threatened her---lately- #either o. her captors see+ed to indulge in
violence .or its o,n sakeF hereabouts that ,as the very pinnacle o.
civiliCed behavior- "he had si+ply .orgotten to .eel endangered-
4hich ,as pretty stupid ,hen you got right do,n to it- 3.ter
the .ailure at <ortland there ,as every chance that >ubin ,ould
revert to <lan 3 and take her vehicle- >aurie +ight or +ight not
go along ,ith that8Taka hoped that so+e bond re+ained beneath
that cool reinstated .aJade8but that +ight not +ake +uch
di..erence either ,ay-
3nd there ,as no telling ,hat either o. the+ ,ould do i. Taka
tried to get in their ,ay- Or i. they ran out o. more e""icient
alternatives- 3t the very best she could be stranded in the +iddle
o. the ,ildlands8an i++uniCed angel ,ith clipped ,ings and no
Miri to back her up the next ti+e so+e red-eyed +an ca+e looking
.or salvation-
I!2+ getting a signal .ro+ MontrealI Ben said- IDncrypted-
!2+ guessing it2s a scra+ble-I
I>i.tersHI >aurie suggested- Ben grunted an a..ir+ative-
Taka cleared her throat- I!2ll be back in a sec- ! have to take a
,icked pee-I
I!2ll co+e ,ith youI >aurie said i++ediately-
I*on2t be silly-I Taka ,aved do,nhill into the darkness ,here
the peak they occupied e+erged .ro+ threadbare ,oodlands- I!t2s
only a .e, +eters- ! can .ind +y ,ay-I
T,o starlit silhouettes turned and regarded her ,ithout a ,ord-
Taka s,allo,ed and took a step do,nhill-
Ben and >aurie didn2t +ove-
3nother step- 3nother- ;er .oot ca+e do,n on a rockF she
,obbled +o+entarily-
;er captors turned back to their tactics and +achinery- Taka
+oved care.ully do,nhill- "tarlight li+ned the bare outlines o.
obstacles in her path- 3 +oon ,ould have been nice thoughF she
tripped t,ice be.ore the tree-line rose be.ore her a ragged black
band engul.ing the stars-
3s it engul.ed Taka hersel. a .e, +o+ents later-
"he looked back up the hill through a black +esh o. scrub and
tree trunksF Ben and >aurie still stood at the top o. the hill
+otionless black cutouts against the sky- Taka couldn2t tell
,hether they could see her or even ,hether they ,ere looking in
her direction- "he2d be plainly visible to the+ i. she ,ere standing
in the open- ?ortunately not even their night-creature eyes could
penetrate tree trunks-
"he had a .e, +inutes at +ost be.ore they realiCed she ,as
gone-
"he +oved as 7uickly as she could ,ithout raising a racket-
Thank.ully there ,asn2t +uch undergro,thF in better days the
sunlight .iltering through the canopy had been too sparse and
+ore recently8+ore recently sunlight ,as hardly the li+iting
.actor- Taka .elt her ,ay blindly through a +aCe o. vertical sha.ts
and lea. litter and thin soil rotten ,ith ehe+oth- >o, branches
cla,ed at her .ace- Anarled old tree trunks resolved .ro+ the
darkness barely a +eter aheadF young spindly ones 9u+ped out at
her ,ith even less ,arning-
3 root caught her .ootF she toppled biting back a cry- One
outstretched hand ca+e do,n hard on a .allen branch- The sound
it +ade snapping echoed like a gunshot- "he lay t,isted on the
ground nursing her scraped pal+ straining to hear any sounds
.ro+ up the slope-
#othing-
"he kept going- The slope ,as steeper no, +ore treacherous-
The trees that sprang up in her path ,ere only skeletons dry and
brittle and eager to betray her ,ith the .irecracker report o. every
snapped t,ig and broken branch- One o. the+ caught her 9ust
belo, the kneeF she pitched .or,ard hit the ground and couldn2t
stop- "he tu+bled do,n the slope rocks and tree.all stabbing her
in passing-
The ground disappeared- "uddenly she could al+ost see- 3
broad di+ s,athe o. gray rushed to,ards herF she recogniCed it in
the instant be.ore it struck her peeling skin .ro+ her .orear+-
The road- !t ran around this side o. the hill like a he+line-
Miri ,as parked so+e,here along its length-
Taka got to her .eet and looked around- "he2d had no ,ay to
plot her course do,n the hill no ,ay o. kno,ing exactly ,here on
the road she2d landed- "he guessed and turned right and ran-
The road ,as clear thank Aod its di+ gravel albedo 9ust
enough to keep her oriented and on track- !t unspooled gently
around the shoulder o. the hill shattered stone crunching beneath
her .eet and suddenly so+ething glinted in the darkness ahead
so+ething straight-edged and shiny under the stars---
6h thank (od. )es. )es%
"he yanked open the driver2s-side door and piled inside
panting-
3nd hesitated-
What are you going to do$ Tak+ 4un out on everything you've
been trying to do "or the past two weeks+ 8ust drive away and let
the witch take over$ even though there may be a way to stop it+
1ooner or later someone's going to strike gold$ and this is where
you've told them to bring it. What happens when they show up and
you've run o"" with your tail between your legs+
Are you going to call "or help+ )ou think it would come be"ore
Ken and ,aurie had their way with you$ or just hopped into that
submarine o" theirs and disappeared back into the /ariana
Trench+ #o you think it would come at all$ these days+ And what
about tipping o"" the enemy$ Tak+ What about whoever or
whatever is trying to stop the very thing you're trying to help
along+ Are you going to risk all that$ just because o" something
two borderline personalities with "unny eyes +ight do i" you got
them angry+
Taka shook her head- This ,as insane- "he had a .e, precious
+o+ents be.ore Ben and >aurie tracked her do,n- 4hat she
decided in that interval +ight decide the .ate o. #e, Dngland8o.
#orth 3+erica even- "he couldn2t a..ord to be hasty but there
,as no time.-
& need ti+e- & just need to get away "or a while. & need to work
this out. "he reached out and thu+bed the ignition pad-
Miri stayed dark-
"he tried again- #othing- #othing but the +e+ory o. Ben
lurking in this very cab eyes aglitter surrounded by all that
circuitry he see+ed to kno, so +uch about-
"he closed her eyes- 4hen she opened the+ again he ,as
staring in at her-
Ben opened her door- I3nything ,rongHI he asked-
Taka sighed- ;er abrasions ooCed and stung in the silence-
>aurie opened the passenger door and cli+bed in- I>et2s head
backI she said al+ost gently-
I!8,hy are8I
IAo onI Ben said gesturing at the dashboard-
Taka put her thu+b on the pad- Miri hu++ed instantly to li.e-
"he stepped out o. the cab to let >ubin enter- Overhead the
heavens ,ere cra++ed ,ith stars-
6h$ #avid she thought- 3ow & wish you were here.
S+P.
Dverything changed at ten-thirty the next +orning-
The bike skidded into vie, 9ust past Bo, and pro+ptly got into
an argu+ent ,ith its rider over ho, best to deal ,ith a pothole the
siCe o. 3rkansas- !t ,as a late-+odel Ba,asaki .ro+ 9ust be.ore
the ,itch and it had ground-e..ect stabiliCers that +ade it virtually
untippableF other,ise both +an and +achine ,ould have gone
end-over-end into a solar-po,ered billboard that 5even a.ter all
these years6 .lickered ,ith dead-celebrity endorse+ents .or
Johnson M Johnson i++une boosters- !nstead the Ba,asaki
leaned side,ays at so+e i+possibly acute angle righted itsel. en
route and sle,ed to a stop bet,een Miri and a hand.ul o. .eral
children looking .or .reebies-
Ben2s ,hite eyes appeared in the shado,y darkness o. the gap
in The (ap behind the ne,co+er-
The rider ,as all li+bs and scraps topped by a ragged thatch o.
butchered bro,n hair- Barely visible against a backdrop o. gri+y
skin a sparse +oustache said +aybe sixteen- I:ou the doctor ,ith
the +issilesHI
I!2+ the doctor ,ho2s interested in the +issilesI Taka told hi+-
I!2+ /icketts- ;ere-I ;e reached under a threadbare
ther+ochro+e 9acket and hauled out a Ciplock bag ,ith so+e very
dirty laundry ,added up inside-
Taka took the bag bet,een thu+b and .ore.inger- I4hat2s thisHI
/icketts ticked o.. a list on his .ingers: IAauchies a shirt and
one sock- They had to you kno, i+provise- ! had the only bag
and ! ,as way over on another run-I
>aurie cli+bed out o. the cab- ITakHI
I;ulloI /icketts said- ;is +outh split in an appreciative grinF
one tooth chipped t,o +issing the rest in .our shades o. yello,-
;is eyes ran do,n >enie like a bar coder- #ot that Taka could
bla+e hi+F out here anyone ,ith clear skin and all their teeth
7uali.ied as a sex sy+bol al+ost by de.ault-
"he snapped her .ingers to get hi+ back to the real ,orld-
I4hat is this exactlyHI
I/ight-I /icketts ca+e back to point- I4eg and Moricon
.ound one o. those canister thingies you put the ,ord out about- !t
,as leaking this shit all over- #ot like rivers o. the stu.. you
kno, 9ust like sweating it al+ost- "o they soaked it up in thatI8a
gesture at the bag8Iand handed it o.. to +e- !2ve been driving all
night-I
I4here2s this .ro+HI Taka asked-
I:ou +ean ,here ,e .ound itH Burlington-I
!t ,as al+ost too good to be true-
IThat2s in @er+ontI he added help.ully-
Ben ,as suddenly at /ickett2s shoulder- IThere ,as a +issile
drop on @er+ontHI he said-
The boy turned startled- "a, Ben- "a, the eyes-
I#ice capsI he said approvingly- I! ,as into ri.ters +ysel.
back be.ore you kno,---I
4i"ters Taka re+e+bered- They2d run geother+al stations ,ay
o.. the ,est coast---
IThe +issilesI Ben said- I*o you re+e+ber ho, +any there
,ereHI
I*unno- >ike +aybe .our or .ive that ! sa, but you kno,-I
I4ere there li.tersH 4as there a burnHI
I:eah so+eone said there +ight be- That ,as ,hy ,e all
scra+bled-I
IBut was thereHI
I! dunno- ! didn2t hang around- :ou guys ,anted this stu.. .ast
rightHI
I:es- )es-I Taka looked at the .ouled greasy ,ad in the bag-
!t ,as the +ost beauti.ul sight she2d ever seen- I/icketts thank
you- :ou have no idea ho, i+portant this could be-I
I:eah ,ell i. you really ,anna be grate.ul ho, about a charge
o.. your rigHI ;e slapped the bike bet,een his thighs- IThis thing
is like do,n to the +oho !2ve got +aybe another ten klicks and.
or hey is there +aybe so+e kinda re,ardHI
The reward Taka thought unlocking the u+bilical .or /ickett2s
bike is that all o" us might not be dead in ten years-
"he .ed the treasure into the sa+ple port ,ith tender reverence
let Miri slice a,ay the packaging and s7ueeCe the gold .ro+ the
dross- 3nd there was gold evident as +uch in ,hat wasn't there
as in ,hat ,as: ehe+oth ,as .ar belo, the usual baseline in this
sa+ple- 3l+ost negligible-
1omething's killing the witch- That initial explanation that
validation o. a belie. already gro,n .ro+ hope to near-certainty
over the past ,eeks threatened to s7uash all the scienti.ic caution
Taka2s training had instilled in her- "he .orced caution onto her
excite+ent- "he ,ould run the tests- "he ,ould do the leg,ork-
But so+e s7uealing inner undergrad kne, it ,ould only con.ir+
,hat she already kne, ,hat this .irst glorious result suggested-
"o+ething ,as killing the ,itch-
3nd there it ,as- Mixed in ,ith the +olds and the .ungi and
the .ecal coli.or+ it gli++ered like a string o. pearls hal.-buried
in +ud: a genetic se7uence that Miri2s database didn2t recogniCe-
"he brought it up and blinked- That can't be right. "he ,histled
through her teeth-
I4hatHI >aurie asked at her elbo,-
IThis is going to take longer than ! thoughtI Taka said-
I4hyHI
IBecause !2ve never seen anything like this be.ore-I
IMaybe ,e haveI Ben said-
I! don2t think so- #ot unless you2ve8I Taka stopped- Miri
,as .lashing an inter.ace alert at her: so+eone asking .or
do,nload access-
"he looked at Ben- I!s that youHI
;e nodded- I!t2s the se7uence .or a ne, bug ,e encountered
recently-I
IDncountered ,hereHI
I#o,here local- 3n isolated area-I
I4hat a labH 3 +ountaintopH The Mariana TrenchHI
Ben didn2t ans,er- ;is data knocked patiently at Miri2s .ront
door-
?inally Taka let it in- I:ou think this is the sa+e thingHI she
asked as the syste+ .iltered it .or nasties-
I!t2s possible-I
I:ou had it all the ,hile and this is the .irst ti+e you2ve sho,n
it to +e-I
IThis is the .irst ti+e you had anything to co+pare it ,ith-I
I",eet s+oking Jesus Ben- :ou2re not +uch o. a tea+ player
are youHI 3t least it ans,ered one 7uestion: no, she kne, ,hy
these t,o had hung around .or so long-
I!t2s not a counteragentI >aurie said as i. to gird her against
inevitable disappoint+ent-
Taka called up the ne, se7uence- I"o ! see-I "he shook her
head- I!t2s not our +ystery bug either-I
I/eallyHI >aurie looked surprised- I:ou can tell that a.ter .ive
secondsHI
I!t looks like ehe+oth-I
I!t2s notI Ben assured her-
IMaybe a ne, strain then- !2d have to grind through the ,hole
se7uence to be sure but ! can tell 9ust by looking that it2s an /#3
bug-I
IThe biosol isn2tHI
I! don2t kno, what it is- !t2s a nucleic acid o. so+e kind but the
sugar2s got a .our-carbon ring- !2ve never seen it be.ore and it
doesn2t see+ to be in any o. Miri2s cheat sheets- !2+ going to have
to take it .ro+ scratch-I
3 look passed bet,een Ben and >aurie- !t spoke volu+es but
not to her-
I*on2t let us stop youI Ben said-
Miri could identi.y kno,n diseases and cure those .or ,hich
cures had been .ound- !t could generate rando+ variants o. the
usual targeted antibiotics and prescribe regi+ens that +ight keep
ahead o. your average bug2s ability to evolve counter+easures- !t
could .ix broken bones excise tu+ors and heal all +anner o.
physical trau+a- 4hen it ca+e to ehe+oth it ,as little +ore
than a palliative center on ,heels o. course but even that ,as
better than nothing- 3ll in all the M! ,as a +iracle o. +odern
+edical technology8but it ,as a .ield hospital not a research lab-
!t could se7uence novel geno+es as long as the te+plate ,as
.a+iliar but that ,asn2t ,hat it had been built .or-
Aeno+es based on un"amiliar te+plates ,ere another thing
entirely- This bug ,asn2t *#3 or /#38not even the pri+itive
barely-helical variant o. /#3 that ehe+oth hung its hat on- !t
,as so+ething else altogether and Miri2s database had never been
designed to deal ,ith anything like it-
Taka didn2t give a da+n- "he +ade it do that any,ay-
"he .ound the te+plate easily enough once she looked beyond
the nuts-and-bolts se7uencing routines- !t ,as right there in a
dusty corner o. the bio+ed encyclopedia: T#3- 3 threose-based
nucleic acid .irst synthesiCed back at the turn o. the century- The
usual bases attached to a threose sugar-phosphate backbone ,ith
phosphodiester bonds connecting the nucleotides- "o+e early
theoretical ,ork had suggested that it +ight have played a vital
role back ,hen li.e ,as still getting started but everyone had
pretty +uch .orgotten about it a.ter the Martian <ansper+ians ,on
the day-
3 novel te+plate +eant novel genes- The standard re.erence
database ,as virtually useless- *ecoding the ne, se7uence ,ith
the tools in Miri2s arsenal ,as like digging a tunnel ,ith a
teaspoon: you could do it but you had to be really +otivated-
?ortunately Taka had +otivation up to here- "he dug in kno,ing
it ,ould 9ust take ti+e and +aybe a .e, unavoidable detours
do,n blind alleys-
Too +uch ti+e- 4ay too +any detours- 3nd ,hat bugged
Taka ,as she knew the ans,er already- "he2d kno,n al+ost
be.ore she2d started- Dvery painstaking laborious +ind-nu+bing
test supported it- Dvery electrophoretic band every virtual blot
every <0/ and TT*8all these haphaCard techni7ues stapled
together hour a.ter bloody hour.they all pointed glacially
i+placably to the sa+e glorious ans,er-
3nd it was a glorious ans,er- "o a.ter three days tired o. the
endless triple-checks and replicates she decided to 9ust go ,ith
,hat she had- "he presented her .indings near +idday back at the
cove .or privacy and the convenience o. a ready charge-
I!t2s not 9ust a t,eak 9obI she told the ri.ters- 3 lone
bedraggled gull picked its ,ay a+ong the stones- I!t2s a totally
arti.icial organis+ designed .ro+ scratch- And it ,as designed to
outco+pete ehe+oth on its o,n tur.- !t2s got a T#3 te+plate
,hich is .airly pri+itive but it also uses s+all /#32s in a ,ay that
ehe+oth never did8that2s an advanced trait a eukaryotic trait- !t
uses proline .or catalysis- 3 single a+ino acid doing the 9ob o. a
,hole en5yme8do you have any idea ho, +uch space that saves
8HI
#o- They didn2t- The blank looks +ade that +ore than
obvious-
"he cut to the chase- IThe botto+ line +y .riends is i. you
thro, this little guy into culture ,ith ehe+oth it2ll co+e out the
,inner every ti+e-I
I!n cultureI Ben repeated-
I#o reason to think it ,on2t do the sa+e in the ,ild-
/e+e+ber it ,as designed to +ake its o,n ,ay in the ,orldF the
plan ,as obviously to 9ust du+p it into the syste+ as an aerosol
and leave it to its o,n devices-I
Ben grunted scrolling through Taka2s results on the +ain
display- I4hat2s thisHI
I4hatH Oh yeah- !t2s polyploid-I
I<olyploidHI >aurie repeated-
I:ou kno, haploid diploid polyploid- Multiple sets o. genes-
:ou +ostly see it in so+e plants-I
I4hy hereHI Ben ,ondered-
I! .ound so+e nasty recessivesI Taka ad+itted- IMaybe they
,ere deliberately inserted because o. so+e positive e..ect they2d
have in concert ,ith other genes or +aybe it ,as a rush 9ob so
they 9ust slipped through- 3s .ar as ! can tell the redundant genes
,ere 9ust layered on to eli+inate any chance o. ho+oCygous
expression-I
;e grunted- I#ot very elegant-I
Taka shook her head i+patient- I0ertainly it2s a ha+-.isted
solution but it2s 7uick and8! +ean the point is it worksN We
could beat ehemothNI
I!. you2re rightI Ben +used Iit2s not ehe+oth you have to
beat-I
IThe MMM2sI Taka suggested-
"o+ething changed in >aurie2s stance-
Ben looked unconvinced- I<ossibly- 3lthough the
counterstrikes appear to originate ,ith the #orth 3+erican de.ense
shield-I
I0"!/3I >aurie said 7uietly-
Ben shrugged- I3t this point 0"!/3 e..ectively is the ar+ed
.orces on this continent- 3nd there don2t appear to be +uch in the
,ay o. centraliCed govern+ents le.t to keep it in check-I
I"houldn2t +atterI Taka said- I2>a,breakers are
incorruptible-I
IMaybe they ,ere be.ore /io- #o, ,ho kno,sHI
I#o-I Taka sa, scorched landscapes- "he re+e+bered li.ters
on the horiCon breathing .ire- I4e take our orders .ro+ the+- 4e
all8I
IThen it2s probably 9ust as ,ell you kept this pro9ect so close to
your chestI >ubin re+arked-
IBut ,hy ,ould anyone8I >aurie ,as looking .ro+ Taka to
Ben disbelie. ,ritten across her .ace- I! +ean ,hat ,ould be in
it .or them+I
/ore than con"usion Taka realiCed- ,oss$ too. Anguish-
"o+ething clicked at the back o. her +ind: >aurie hadn2t really
believed it all this ti+e- "he had helped ,here she could- "he had
cared- "he had accepted Taka2s interpretation o. events8at least
as a possibility8because it had o..ered her an opportunity to help
set things right- 3nd yet only no, did she see+ to realiCe ,hat
that interpretation entailed the large-scale i+plications o. ,hat it
,as they ,ere .ighting: not ehe+oth a.ter all but their o,n kind-
6dd Taka re.lected how o"ten it comes down to that...
!t ,asn2t 9ust the end o. the ,orld not to >aurie- !t see+ed
so+eho, +ore8+ore intimate than that- !t ,as al+ost as i.
so+eone had betrayed her personally- Welcome back$ Taka
thought to the vulnerable creature peeking again at long last .ro+
behind the +ask- &'ve missed you.
I! don2t kno,I she said at last- I! don2t kno, ,ho ,ould do
this or ,hy- But the point is no, ,e stop it- #o, ,e culture
these babies and ,e send the+ out to do battle-I Taka pulled up
the stats on her incubators- I!2ve already got .ive liters o. the stu..
ready to go and !2ll have t,enty by +orn---I
That's odd she thought as a little .lashing icon caught her eye
.or the .irst ti+e-
That shouldn't.that looks like.
The botto+ dropped out o. her sto+ach- I6h$ shitI she
,hispered-
I4hatHI Ben and >aurie leaned in as one-
IMy lab2s online-I "he stabbed at the iconF it blinked back at
her placidly unresponsive- I/y lab's online. &t's uploading.Aod
kno,s ,hat it2s.I
!n an instant Ben ,as scra+bling up the side o. the van- I(et
the toolkitI he snapped sliding across the roo. to,ards a little
satellite dish rising so+eho, .ro+ its recessed lair pointing at the
sky-
I4hatH !8I
>aurie dove into the cab- Ben yanked against the dish breaking
its .ixation on so+e +align geosynchronous star- "uddenly he
cried out and thrashed stopped hi+sel. 9ust short o. rolling o.. the
roo.- ;is back ,as arched his hands and head li.ted a,ay .ro+
the +etal-
The dish stuttered back to,ards align+ent stripped gears
,hining-
I7uck%I >aurie tu+bled out onto the pave+ent- The toolkit
spilled its guts beside her- "he scra+bled to her .eet yelled I1hut
it down$ "or -hrissakes% The hull's electri"ied%I
Taka stu+bled to,ards the open door- "he could see Ben
,riggling back to,ards the dish on his back and elbo,s using his
diveskin as insulation- 3s she ducked her head to hop past the tri+
8Thank (od we disarmed the internals8a .a+iliar hu+ started
up deep in Miri2s guts-
The ,eapons blister deploying-
A<" ,as online- "he killed it- !t resurrected- 3ll external
de.enses ,ere a,ake and hungry- "he called the+ o..- They
ignored her- Outside Ben and >aurie shouted back and .orth-
What do & do.what.
"he scra+bled under the dash and pulled open the .use box- The
circuit breakers ,ere clunky +anual things unreachable to any
de+on built o. electrons- "he pulled the plugs on security and
co++ and A<"- "he yanked autopilot too 9ust in case-
3 chorus o. electrical hu+s .ell instantly silent around her-
Taka closed her eyes .or a +o+ent and allo,ed hersel. a deep
breath- @oices dri.ted through the open door as she pulled hersel.
back up into the driver2s seat-
I:ou okayHI
I:eah- "kin took +ost o. the charge-I
"he kne, ,hat had happened- What happened again$ she
corrected hersel. grabbing the headset .ro+ its hook-
"he ,as no coder- "he barely kne, ho, to gro, basic
progra+s- But she ,as a co+petent +edical doctor at least and
even botto+-hal. graduates kne, their tools- "he2d spared the +ed
syste+s .ro+ disconnectionF no, she brought up an architectural
sche+atic and ran a count o. the +odules-
There ,ere black boxes in there- One o. the+ according to the
icon even had a direct user inter.ace- "he tapped it-
The Madonna hung in .ront her not speaking- !ts teeth ,ere
bared8a s+ile o. so+e kind .ull o. hate and triu+ph- "o+e
distant uni+portant part o. Taka Ouellette2s +ind ,ondered at
,hat possible selective advantage an app could accrue by
presenting itsel. in this ,ay- *id inti+idation in the real ,orld
so+eho, increase .itness in the virtual oneH
But a +uch bigger part o. Taka2s +ind ,as occupied ,ith
so+ething else entirely so+ething that had never really sunk in
be.ore: this avatar had capped eyes-
They all did- Dvery >enie she2d ever encountered: the .aces
changed .ro+ de+on to de+on di..erent lips di..erent cheeks and
noses di..erent ethnicities- But al,ays centered on eyes as ,hite
and .eatureless as sno,dri.ts-
/y name's Taka 6uellette she had said an eternity ago-
3nd this strange cipher o. a ,o+an8,ho see+ed to take the
apocalypse so personally8 had replied ,e. ,aurie-
ITaka-I
Taka started but no8the >enie ,asn2t talking to her- This
>enie ,asn2t-
"he slipped o.. the eyephones- 3 ,o+an in black ,ith
+achinery in her chest and eyes like little glaciers looked in at her-
"he didn2t look anything like the creature in the ,ires- #o rage no
hate no triu+ph- "o+eho, it ,as this expressionless .lesh-and-
blood .ace that she ,ould have associated ,ith +achinery-
I!t ,as one o.8it ,as a >e8a MadonnaI Taka said- I!nside
the +ed syste+- ! don2t kno, ho, long it2s been in there-I
I4e have to goI ,aurie said-
I!t ,as hiding in there- "pying ! guess-I Taka shook her head-
I! didn2t even kno, they could run silent like that ! thought they
al,ays 9ust8auto+atically tore things apart every chance they
got---I
I!t got a signal out- 4e2ve got to go be.ore the li.ters get here-I
I/ight- /ight-I 7ocus$ Tak. Worry about this later.
Ben ,as at ,aurie's shoulder- I:ou said you had .ive liters in
culture- 4e2ll take so+e ,ith us. :ou disperse the rest- *rive
into to,n ring your siren give at least a .e, +ils to anybody ,ho
7uali.ies and get out- 4e2ll catch up ,ith you later i. ,e can-
:ou have the listHI
Taka nodded- IThere are only six locals ,ith ,heels- "even i.
/icketts is still around-I
I*on2t give it to anyone elseI Ben said- I<eople on .oot aren2t
likely to get out o. the burn Cone in ti+e- !2d also advise you to
avoid +entioning the li.ters to anyone ,ho doesn2t have an
i++ediate need to kno,-I
"he shook her head- IThey all need to kno, Ben-I
I<eople ,ithout transportation are liable to steal it .ro+ those
,ho do- ! sy+pathiCe but causing a panic could seriously
co+pro+ise8I
I?orget it- Dveryone deserves a heads-up at least- !. they can2t
outrun the .la+ethro,ers there are places to hide .ro+ the+-I
Ben sighed- I?ine- Just so you kno, the risks you2re taking-
"aving a doCen lives here could doo+ a +uch greater nu+ber
do,n the road-I
Taka s+iled not entirely to hersel.- I4eren2t you the one ,ho
didn2t think the greater nu+ber ,as ,orth saving in the .irst
placeHI
I!t2s not thatI ,aurie said- I;e 9ust likes the idea o. people
dying-I
Taka blinked surprised- T,o .aces looked back at herF she
could read nothing in either-
I4e have to hurryI Ben said- I!. they scra+ble .ro+
Montreal ,e can only count on an hour-I
The onboard lab could dispense product either .ore or a.t- Taka
+oved to the back o. the M! and tapped instructions- I>enieHI
I:e8I ,aurie began and .ell suddenly silent-
I#oI Taka said 7uietly- I! +eant ,hat about the >enieHI
The other ,o+an said nothing- ;er .ace ,as as blank as a
+ask-
Ben broke the silence: I3re you certain it can2t get out againHI
I! physically cut po,er to nav co++ and A<"I Taka said not
taking her eyes o.. the ,o+an in .ront o. her- I! pretty +uch
loboto+iCed the old girl-I
I0an it inter.ere ,ith the culture processHI
I! ,ouldn2t think so- #ot ,ithout being really obvious about it-I
I:ou2re not certain-I
IBen right no, !2+ not certain about anything-I Although &'m
approaching certainty about a thing or two...
I!t2s living ,hereH /e.erence and analyticalHI
Taka nodded- IThe only syste+s ,ith enough roo+-I
I4hat happens i. you shut the+ do,nHI
IThe ,et lab2s on its o,n circuit- The cultures should be okay
as long as ,e don2t need to do any +ore heavy-duty analysis on
the+-I
I<ull the plugI Ben said-
3 heat-sealed sa+ple bag hal.-.ull o. stra,-colored li7uid slid
.ro+ the dispensary and hung by its upper edge- Taka tore it .ree
and handed it over- IBeep the di..usion disk uncovered or the
culture ,ill su..ocate- Other than that they should be okay .or
about a ,eek depending on the te+perature- *o you have a lab in
your sub+arineHI
IBasic +edbayI >enie said- I#othing like this-I
I4e can i+provise so+ethingI >ubin added- I0an the di..user
handle sea,aterHI
I#inety +inutes tops-I
IOkay- Ao-I
Ben turned and started do,n the beach-
Taka raised her voice: I4hat i.8I
I4e2ll catch up ,ith you a.ter,ardsI he said not turning-
I! guess this is it thenI Taka said-
>enie still beside her tried on a s+ile- !t didn2t .it-
I;o, ,ill you .ind +eHI Taka asked her- I! don2t dare go
online-I
I:eah- 4ell-I The other ,o+an took a step to,ards the ,ater-
3 s,irl on that sur.ace ,as all that re+ained o. her partner- IBen2s
got a lot o. tricks up his sleeve- ;e2ll track you do,n-I
4hite eyes set into .lesh and blood- 4hite eyes sneering out
.ro+ the circuitry o. Miri2s cortex-
4hite eyes bringing .ire and .lood and any nu+ber o.
catastrophes do,n on the innocent all across #orth 3+erica- 3ll
across the ,orld +aybe-
Both sets o. eyes called ,enie-
I:ou8I Taka began-
>enie the 4ord Made ?lesh shook her head- I/eally- 4e
gotta go-I
PA.S,M4N:
3chilles *es9ardins ,as breeding exorcists ,hen he learned he
,as a suspect-
!t ,as a real balancing act- !. you +ade the little bastards
i++utable they ,ouldn2t adaptF even the vestigial ,ildli.e hanging
on in this pathetic corner o. the net ,ould che, the+ up and spit
the+ out- But i. you set the genes .ree provoked +utation ,ith
too +any rando+ seeds then ho, could you be sure your app
,ould still be on-+ission a .e, generations do,n the roadH
#atural selection ,ould ,eed out any preprogra++ed i+peratives
the +o+ent they ca+e into con.lict ,ith sheer sel.-interest-
"o+eti+es i. you didn2t get the balance 9ust right your agent
,ould .orget all about its +ission and 9oin the other side- 3nd the
other side didn2t need any +ore help- The Madonnas8or the
"hredders or the Aold.ish or any o. the other ,hispered +ythic
na+es they2d ac7uired over the years8had already survived this
gangrenous 7uag+ire long past any reasonable expectation- They
shouldn2t haveF they2d codevolved to serve as little +ore than
inter.aces bet,een the real ,orld and the virtual one +outhpieces
.or a superspecies asse+blage that acted as a collective organis+
in its o,n right- By rights they should have died in the crash that
took out the rest o. that collective that took out ninety percent o.
all Maelstro+2s ,ildli.e8.or ho, +any .aces +ake it on their o,n
a.ter the body behind is dead and goneH
But they had de.ied that logic and survived- They had changed
8been changed8 into so+ething +ore +ore sel.-su..icient-
"o+ething purer- "o+ething that even *es9ardins2s exorcists
could barely +atch-
They had been ,eaponised the story ,ent- There ,as no
shortage o. suspects- MMMs and hobby terrorists and death-cult
hackers could all be releasing the+ into the syste+ .aster than
natural selection took the+ out and there ,as a li+it to ,hat
anyone could do ,ithout a reliable physical in.rastructure- The
best troops in the ,orld ,on2t last a +inute i. you set the+ do,n in
7uicksand and 7uicksand ,as all that #23+ had to o..er these
days: a .e, hundred isolated .ortresses hanging on by their
.ingernails their inhabitants .ar too scared to go out and .ix the
.iberop- The decaying electronic habitat ,asn2t +uch better .or
,ildli.e than it ,as .or ;u+an apps but at a hundred gens-per-sec
the ,ildli.e still had the adaptive edge-
?ortunately *es9ardins had a knack .or exorcis+- There ,ere
reasons .or that not all o. the+ co++on kno,ledge but the
results ,ere hard to argue ,ith- Dven those ine..ectual and sel.-
righteous 9erk-o..s hiding out on the other side o. the ,orld gave
hi+ that +uch- 3t least they all cheered hi+ on sa.e behind their
barricades ,henever he released a ne, batch o. counter+easures-
But as it turned out they ,ere saying other things as ,ell-
;e ,asn2t privy to +ost o. it8he ,asn2t supposed to be privy to
any8 but he ,as good enough to get the gist- ;e had his o,n
hounds on the trail pro,ling co+sats sni..ing rando+ packets
ever-,atch.ul .or digital origa+i ,hich +ight8,hen unscra+bled
and un.olded and pressed .lat8contain the ,ord #esjardins-
3pparently people thought he ,as losing his edge-
;e could live ,ith that- #obody racks up a per.ect score
against the death throes o. an entire planet and i. he2d dropped a
.e, +ore balls than nor+al over the past +onths8,ell his .ailure
rate ,as still ,ay belo, the pack average- ;e outper.or+ed any
o. those boCos ,ho gru+bled ho,ever so.tly during the
telecon.erences and debrie.ings and post-.iasco post-+orte+s that
kept intruding on the ,ar- They all kne, it tooF he2d have to slip a
lot .urther than this be.ore anyone else in the <atrol ,ould be able
to lay a hand on hi+-
"till- There ,ere hints o. the ,ind changing at his back-
?rag+ents o. encrypted conversations bet,een veterans in
;elsinki and rookies in Melbourne and +iddle-+anage+ent stats-
hounds in #e, *elhi- *isgruntled insistence .ro+ 4ei+ers Bing
"i+ hi+sel. that there had to be so+e undiscovered variable
,reaking havoc ,ith his pro9ections- 3nd8
3nd right this very second a dise+bodied chunk o. point-
counterpoint snatched .ro+ the ether by one o. *es9ardins2s
+inions- !t ,as only a .e, seconds in length8thanks to a .ilthy
spectru+ and the dyna+ic channel-s,itching that coped ,ith it it
,as al+ost i+possible to grab +ore ,ithout kno,ing ,hich
rando+ seed to apply8but it see+ed to have been connecting a
couple o. 2la,breakers in >ondon and McMurdo- !t took .orty
seconds and six nested Bayesians to turn it back into Dnglish-
I*es9ardins saved us .ro+ /ioI Mr- McMurdo had opined
+o+ents earlier in a ;indian accent- I4e2d have surely taken ten
ti+es the losses had he not acted ,hen he did- ;o, those people
thre, o.. the Trip8I
Ms- >ondon: I;o, do you kno, they didHI !rish lilt-
Dnticing-
I4ell let +e see- They launched an unprovoked attack on a
large nu+ber o.8I
I;o, do ,e kno, it ,as unprovokedHI
IO. course it ,as unprovoked-I
I4hyH ;o, do you kno, they didn2t 9ust see a threat to the
greater good and try to stop itHI
<recious +o+ents o. this .leeting excerpt ,asted on astonished
silence- ?inally: I3re you suggesting that8I
I!2+ saying history gets ,ritten by the victors- /io2s history-
;o, do ,e kno, the good guys ,onHI
Dnd o. intercept- !. McMurdo had had an ans,er he hadn2t got
it out be.ore the .re7uency skidded a,ay-
Wow *es9ardins thought-
!t ,as horseshit o. course- The idea that t,enty-one separate
0"!/3 .ranchises could have si+ultaneously gone rogue ,as
hardly +ore plausible than the thought that /io alone had- Ms-
>ondon ,as a 2la,breaker not an idiot- "he kne, about
parsi+ony- "he2d 9ust been blo,ing s+oke out her ass yanking
poor old McMurdo2s chain-
"till it gave *es9ardins pause- ;e2d gotten used to being the
Man 4ho "topped /io- !t put hi+ above suspicion on so +any
counts- 3nd it didn2t sit ,ell to think that there ,ere people out
there ,ho could doubt his virtue even .or a +o+ent-
That could lead to second thoughts he re.lected- !t could lead
to closer looks-
The board beeped again- ?or a +o+ent he thought that he2d
beaten all odds and reac7uired the signal8but no- The ne, alert
ca+e .ro+ a di..erent source entirely a broadband du+p .ro+
so+e,here in Maine-
That's odd he thought-
3 >enie had gotten into a +edical database and ,as spe,ing
rando+ intelligence across hal. the DM spectru+- They did that a
lot these days8not content to +erely scra+ble and hash so+e
had taken to shouting into the ether indiscri+inately du+ping data
into any net,ork they could access- "o+e reproductive
subroutine +utated to spread data instead o. executables- 3t the
very least it thre, +ore cha.. into a syste+ already losing usable
band,idth by the hourF at ,orst it could blo, the lid o.. all sorts o.
secret and sensitive data-
Dither ,ay it ,as bad ne,s .or the real ,orldF that ,ould be
enough to keep it going-
This particular de+on had uploaded a ,hole shitload o.
bio+edical stu.. .ro+ the database it had plundered- *es9ardins2s
board had .lagged it .or potential epidemiological signi"icance- ;e
popped the lid and looked inside-
3nd i++ediately .orgot about any trivial bullshit gossip .ro+
>ondon-
There ,ere t,o ite+s both ri.e ,ith dangerous pathology-
*es9ardins ,as no pathologist but then again he didn2t have to beF
the .riends and advisors arrayed about hi+ distilled all those
bioche+ical details do,n to an executive su++ary that even he
could understand- #o, they served up a pair o. genotypes ,ith
red .lags attached- The .irst ,as almost ehe+oth only better:
greater resistance to os+otic stress sharper teeth .or cleaving
+olecules- ;igher virulence- 3t least one critical .eature ,as the
sa+e though- >ike baseline ehe+oth this ne, strain ,as
opti+iCed .or li.e at the botto+ o. the sea-
!t did not exist in the standard database- 4hich raised the
7uestion o. ,hat its technical specs ,ere doing in a glori.ied
a+bulance out o. Bangor-
!t ,ould have been enough to grab his attention even i. it had
arrived unacco+panied- !t had brought a date though and she ,as
the real ballbreaker- "he ,as the bitch he had al,ays dreaded-
"he ,as the last thing he ,ould have ever expected-
Because he had al,ays kno,n that "eppuku ,ould gain a
.oothold eventually-
But he hadn2t expected anyone on his o,n side to be culturing
the da+n thing-
)4..A+
Taka cursed her o,n lack o. .oresight- They2d spread the ,ord
all right- They2d told all ,ho ca+e by o. their plan to save the
,orld: the need .or sa+ples the dangers o. lingering a.ter,ards
the places she2d patrol to take charge o. vital payloads- They2d
taken special note o. those .e, ,ho2d driven up in cars or
+otorbikes or even plain old pedal-po,ered .ly,heels got
addresses .ro+ those ,ho still had the+ and told the rest to check
back regularly: i. all ,ent ,ell they +ight save the ,orld-
3nd things had gone ,ell and then so horribly ,rong in such
7uick succession- They had their counteragent or so+e o. it
any,ay but no prearranged signals to bring in the couriers- 3nd
a.ter all ,hy ,ould they have even botheredH They could have
taken an a.ternoon and driven around the county- They could have
,aited .or those o. no .ixed address to check in to+orro, or the
next day-
3nd no, Taka Ouellette had the salvation o. the ,orld in her
hands and so+e shrinking .raction o. a sixty-+inute ,indo, to
get it to sa.ety-
"he ran the siren continuously .ro+ one end o. ?reeport to the
other a shrieking departure .ro+ the +usic e+ployed to announce
her day-to-day presence- ;ope.ully it ,ould su++on the healthy
as ,ell as the sick-
"he got so+e o. both- "he ,arned the+ all to take shelterF she
pro+ised a +other ,ith a broken ar+ and a son ,ith incipient
stage-one that she2d co+e back and help the+ ,hen the .ires had
passed- "he urged the others as they .led to send the "ix her ,ay
or anyone else ,ith ,heels to burn-
3.ter thirty +inutes one o. the+ ca+e by- 3.ter .orty t,o
+oreF she loaded the+ all ,ith precious +illiliters o. a+ber .luid
and sent the+ running- "he begged the+ to send the others i. they
kne, their ,hereabouts- !. they could .ind the+ in ti+e-
?orty-.ive +inutes and nothing but a ragged hand.ul o. the
hungry and the .eeble- "he chased the+ a,ay ,ith stories about
.ire-breathing dragons sent the+ do,n to a .isher+an2s ,har. that
had once been the co++unity2s breadbasket- #o, i. they ,ere
lucky it +ight at least serve as a place .ro+ ,hich to 9u+p into the
oceanF surely the .la+es ,ouldn2t scorch the ,hole 3tlanticH
?i.ty +inutes-
& can't wait-
But there ,ere others here she kne,- <eople she hadn2t seen
today- <eople she hadn2t ,arned-
And they're not coming$ Tak- &" you want to warn them$ you
might as well start going door to door. 1earch every house and
hovel within twenty klicks. )ou've got ten minutes.
Ben had said they could count on sixty +inutes- 3 +ini+u+
esti+ate rightH !t +ight take longer a lot longer-
"he kne, ,hat *ave ,ould have said- "he still had t,o liters
o. culture- *ave ,ould have told her she could +ake all the
di..erence i. she didn2t 9ust sit there and ,ait .or the .urnace-
!t +ight not happen at all- 4hat ,ere they basing this on
any,ayH 3 couple o. .irestor+s that happened to .ollo, aborted
+issile attacksH 4hat about the ti+es ,hen the +issiles .ell and
nothing happened a.ter,ardsH There had to be ti+es ,hen nothing
had happened- 4hat about the ti+es ,hen the .ires ca+e or the
.loods or the explosions ,ith nothing to presage the+H
0orrelation ,asn2t causation---and this ,asn2t even strong
correlation---
&t convinced Ken.
But she didn2t kno, Ben at all- *idn2t even kno, his last na+e
or >aur8>enie2s- "he ,ould have had nothing but their o,n ,ord
that they ,ere ,ho they said they ,ere i. they had even bothered
to really tell her even that +uch- 3nd no, even their na+es ,ere
suspect- ,aurie ,as not ,aurie at all it see+ed-
Taka only had their ,ord on the things they had said her o,n
speculation on all the things they hadn2t and the disturbing
si+ilarities bet,een this a+phibious ,o+an and the de+ons in the
net---
?i.ty-.ive +inutes-
(o. )ou've done all you can here. (o.
"he started the engine-
0o++itted she didn2t look back- "he drove do,n the decaying
asphalt as .ast as she could ,ithout risking so+e pothole-induced
rollover- ;er .ear see+ed to increase in lockstep ,ith her velocity
8as though the di..use and overgro,n re+ains o. ?reeport and its
pathetic hal.-starved inhabitants had so+eho, nu+bed her o,n
instinct .or sel.-preservation- #o, abandoning the+ her heart
rose in her +outh- "he i+agined the crackle o. .la+es advancing
along the road behind her- "he .ought the roadF she .ought panic-
)ou're going south$ you idiot% We were south when the signal
went out$ south is where they'll start.
"he screeched east onto "herbourne- Miri took the bend on t,o
,heels- 3 great shado, .ell across the road be.ore her the sky
darkened abruptly overhead- ;er i+agination sa, great airships
spe,ing .ire8but her eyes 5,hen she dared to look a,ay .ro+ the
road6 sa, only overarching trees bro,nish-green blurs streaking
the ,orld on both sides leaning over and blocking the a.ternoon
sun-
!ut no$ that's the sun up ahead$ setting.
!t ,as a great yello,-orange blob di++ed by its slanting angle
through the at+osphere- !t ,as centered in the bright arch,ay that
+arked the end o. the tunnel o. trees- !t ,as setting directly over
the road ahead-
3ow can it be so late+ &t can't be so late$ it's only a"tern.
The sun ,as setting-
The sun ,as setting the trees on .ire-
"he hit the brakes- The shoulder strap caught her around the
chest thre, her back into her seat- The ,orld gre, o+inously
7uiet: no +ore spitting clatter o. rock against undercarriage no
+ore rattling o. e7uip+ent on hooks banging against Miri2s ,alls-
There ,as only the distant un+istakable crackling o. .la+e .ro+
up ahead-
3 contain+ent peri+eter- They2d started at the outside and
+oved in-
"he thre, the M! into reverse and yanked hard on the stick-
The vehicle skidded back and side,ays sle,ing into the ditch-
?or,ard again- Back the ,ay she2d co+e- The tires spun in the
so.t +uddy e+bank+ent-
3 whooshing sound .ro+ overhead like the explosive breath o.
a great ,hale she2d heard in the archives as a child- 3 sheet o.
.la+e .looded the road blocking her escape- ;eat radiated through
the ,indshield-
6h 8esus. 6h (od.
"he opened the door- "corched air blasted her .ace- The
seatbelt held her .ast- <anicky .ingers took ,ay too long to set her
.ree and then she ,as on the ground rolling- "he scra+bled to her
.eet bracing against Miri2s sideF the plastic burned her hands-
3 ,all o. .la+e ,rithed barely ten +eters a,ay- 3nother8the
one she2d +istaken .or the setting sun8,as .urther o.. +aybe
sixty +eters on the other side o. the M!- "he sheltered on the
cooler side o. the vehicle- Better- But it ,ouldn2t last-
(et the culture.
3 +echanical groan the bone-deep sound o. t,isting +etal-
"he looked up: directly overhead through a +osaic o. leaves and
branches not yet burning she sa, the .ractured silhouette o. a
great s,ollen disk ,allo,ing in the sky-
(et the culture%
The road ,as blocked ahead and behind- Miri ,ould never be
able to push through the dying ,oodlands to either side but Taka
could run .or it- Dvery instinct every nerve ,as telling her to run
.or it-
The culture% /6F0%
"he yanked open the passenger door and cli+bed over the seat-
The icons blinking on the cab2s rear ,all see+ed al+ost
deliberately slo, to respond- 3 little histogra+ appeared on the
board- !t rose as slo,ly as a tide-
Whoosh.
The .orest across the road burst into .la+e-
Three sides gone no, one ,ay le.t one ,ay- 6h 8esus.
The histogra+ blinked and vanished- The panel extruded a
sa+ple bag s,ollen ,ith culture- Taka grabbed it and ran-
Whoosh-
?la+e ahead o. her pouring .ro+ the heavens like a li7uid
curtain-
?la+e on all sides no,-
Taka Ouellette stared into the .irestor+ .or so+e endless
irrelevant span o. seconds- Then she sank to the ground ,ith a
sigh- ;er knees +ade indentations in the so.tening asphalt- The
heat o. the road burned her .lesh- ;er .lesh ,as indi..erent- "he
noted vaguely surprised that her .ace and hands ,ere dryF the heat
baked the s,eat .ro+ her pores be.ore it even had the chance to
,et her skin- !t ,as an interesting pheno+enon- "he ,ondered i.
anyone had ever ,ritten it up-
!t didn2t really +atter though-
#othing did-
5/.N)4A5
IThat2s oddI said >enie 0larke-
The periscope had backed o.. .ro+ shore a ,ays to get a better
north,est vie, over the trees- The i+age it conveyed ,as
surprisingly bucolic- !t ,as too .ar to see ?reeport .ro+ here8and
?reeport2s d,ellings and businesses had been spread .ar too ,idely
to present anything approaching a skyline even in the old days8
but they should have seen li.ters at least- They should have seen
the .la+es or the s+oke by no,-
I!t2s been three hoursI 0larke said glancing across the cockpit-
IMaybe you stopped the signal a.ter all-I 6r maybe she +used
we're completely o""'base about this whole thing.
>ubin slid one .inger a .e, +illi+eters along the panel- The
2scope2s-eye vie, panned le.t-
IMaybe she +ade itI 0larke re+arked- "uch dull li.eless
,ords .or all the +eaning they conveyed: /aybe she saved the
world.
/aybe she saved +e.
I! don2t think soI >ubin said-
3 pillar o. s+oke boiled up .ro+ behind the crest o. a hill
staining the sky bro,n-
"he .elt a tightness in her throat- I4here is thatHI she asked-
I*ead ,estI >ubin replied-
They ca+e ashore on the south side o. the cove a slope o.
s+ooth stones and gnarled dri.t,ood gro,ing sli+y ,ith
ehe+oth- They .ollo,ed the sun along a dirt road that had never
seen so +uch as a signpost- The pillar o. s+oke led the+ on like
a pole star ,ith a hal.-li.e thinning in the sky as they tracked it
across paved roads and gravel ones over the crest o. a ,eathered
bu+p called "nake ;ill 59udging by the na+e o. the road that ran
along its base6 on into the setting sun itsel.- Mo+ents into
t,ilight >ubin stopped one hand raised in ,arning-
By no, the once-billo,ing colu+n ,as all but exhausted a .e,
threads o. s+oke t,isting into the sky- But they could see the
source a roughly rectangular patch o. scorched ,oodland at the
botto+ o. the hill- Or rather a roughly rectangular outline: the
center o. the area appeared to be unburned-
>ubin had his binocs out- I"ee anythingHI 0larke asked-
;e hmmmed-
I0o+e on Ben- 4hat is itHI
;e handed her the binoculars ,ithout a ,ord-
There ,as dis7uieting +o+ent ,hen the device tightened itsel.
around her head- "uddenly the ,orld ,as huge and in sharp
.ocus- 0larke .elt brie. vertigo and stepped .or,ard bracing
against sudden illusory i+balance- T,igs and blighted leaves the
siCe o. dinner tables s,ept past in a blur- "he Coo+ed back to get
her bearings- Better: there ,as the scorched earth there ,as the
patch in its +idst and there ,as8
IOh shitI she +ur+ured-
Miri sat dead center o. the clear Cone- !t looked unda+aged-
Ouellette stood beside it- "he appeared to be conversing ,ith a
gun+etal ovoid hal. her siCe hovering a +eter over her head- !ts
carapace ,as .eaturelessF its plastron bristled ,ith sensors and
antennae-
3 bot.ly- #ot so long ago teleoperated robots 9ust like it had
hounded >enie 0larke across a ,hole continent-
IBustedI >ubin said-
The ,orld ,as bleaching in 0larke2s eyecaps by the ti+e they
reached the M!- Ouellette sat on the road ,ith her back against the
van legs bent ar+s crossed loosely over knees- "he stared
listlessly at the pave+ent bet,een her .eet- "he looked up at the
sound o. their approach- The bot.ly hung overhead like a
bodyguard- !t sho,ed no visible reaction to their arrival-
Bleached light ,asn2t enough to account .or the pallor o.
Ouellette2s .ace- "he looked absolutely bloodless- There ,ere ,et
streaks on her .ace-
"he looked at 0larke and shook her head- I4hat are youHI she
said- ;er voice ,as as e+pty as a cave-
0larke2s throat ,ent dry-
I:ou2re not 9ust so+e re.ugee- :ou2re not 9ust so+e ri.ter
,ho2s been hiding .or .ive years- :ou8you started this
so+eho,- :ou started it all---I
0larke tried to s,allo, looked to >ubin- But >ubin2s eyes
didn2t ,aver .ro+ the bot.ly-
"he spread her hands- ITak !8I
IThe +onsters in the +achines they2re all8youI Ouellette
see+ed stunned at the sheer +agnitude o. 0larke2s betrayal- IThe
MMMs and the .anatics and the death cults they2re all .ollo,ing
you---I
They're not 0larke ,anted to shout- &'d stop them all in a
second i" & could$ & don't know ho, any o" it got started8
But that ,ould be a lie o. course- Maybe she hadn2t .or+ally
.ounded the +ove+ents that had sprung up in her ,ake but that
didn2t +ake the+ any less .aith.ul to the thing she2d been- They
,ere the very essence o. the rage and hatred that had driven her
the utter indi..erence to any loss but her o,n-
They hadn2t done it .or her o. course- The seething +illions
had their o,n reasons .or anger vendettas .ar +ore righteous than
the .alse pretenses on ,hich >enie 0larke had ,aged ,ar- But she
had sho,n the+ the ,ay- "he had proven it ,as possible- 3nd
,ith every drop o. her blood that she spilled every precious
inoculation o. ehe+oth into the ,orld she had given the+ their
,eapons-
#o, there ,as nothing she could bring hersel. to say- "he
could only shake her head and .orce hersel. to +eet the eyes o.
this accuser and one-ti+e .riend-
I3nd no, they2ve really outdone the+selvesI Ouellette
continued in her broken e+pty voice- I#o, they2ve8I
"he took a breath-
IOh AodI she .inished- I! .ucked up so bad-I
>ike a +arionette she pulled hersel. to her .eet- "till the bot.ly
didn2t +ove-
I!t ,asn2t a counteragentI Ouellette said-
This ti+e >ubin spared a glance- I4hat do you +eanHI
I! guess ,e2re not dying .ast enough- The ,itch ,as beating us
but ,e ,ere slo,ing it do,n at least ,e lost .our people .or every
one ,e saved but at least ,e ,ere saving some- But the MMM2s
don2t get into paradise until ,e2re all dead so they ca+e up ,ith
so+ething better---I
I3nd they areHI >ubin asked turning back to the teleop-
I*on2t look at +eI the +achine said 7uietly- I!2+ one o. the
good guys-I
0larke recogniCed the voice in an instant-
"o did >ubin- I*es9ardins-I
IBen- Old buddy-I The bot.ly bobbed a .e, centi+eters in
salute- IAlad you re+e+ber +e-I
)ou're alive 0larke thought- A"ter 4io$ a"ter 1udbury going
dark$ a"ter "ive years. )ou're alive. )ou're alive a"ter all.
/y "riend....
Ouellette ,atched the proceedings ,ith nu+b a+aCe+ent on
her .ace- I:ou know8I
I;e8helped us outI 0larke told her- I3 long ti+e ago-I
I4e thought you ,ere deadI >ubin said-
I>ike,ise- !t2s been pretty +uch seven seconds to sockeye ever
since /io and the only ti+es ! had a chance to ping you you2d
gone dark- ! .igured you2d been done in by so+e disgruntled
.action ,ho never +ade the cut- "till- ;ere you are-I
/y "riend 0larke thought again- ;e2d been that ,hen even Ben
>ubin had been trying to kill her- ;e2d risked his li.e .or her
be.ore they2d even +et- By that +easure although their paths had
only crossed brie.ly he ,as the best .riend she2d ever had-
"he had grieved at ,ord o. his deathF by rights no, she should
be over9oyed- But one ,ord looped endlessly through her +ind
subverting 9oy ,ith apprehension-
1partacus-
I"oI she said care.ully- I:ou2re still a la,breakerHI
I?ighting Dntropy .or the Areater AoodI the bot.ly recited-
I3nd that includes burning thousands o. hectares do,n to the
bedrockHI >ubin 7ueried-
The bot.ly descended to >ubin-eye level and stared lens to lens-
I!. killing ten saves a thousand it2s a deal Ben and nobody kno,s
that better than you-- Maybe you didn2t hear ,hat our lovely .riend
9ust told you but there2s a ,ar on- The bad guys keep lobbing
"eppuku into +y court and !2ve been doing +y da+ndest to keep it
.ro+ getting a .oothold- !2ve got barely any sta.. and the
in.rastructure2s .alling apart around +y ears but ! ,as +anaging
Ben ! really ,as- 3nd then as ! understand it you t,o ,alked
into poor Taka2s li.e and no, at least three vectors have snuck past
the barricades-I
>ubin turned to Ouellette- I!s this trueHI
"he nodded- I! checked it +ysel. ,hen he told +e ,hat to
look .or- !t ,as subtle but it ,as---right there- 0haperone proteins
and alternative splicing /#3 inter.erence- 3 bunch o. second and
third-order e..ects ! never sa,- They ,ere all tangled up in the
polyploid genes and ! 9ust didn2t look hard enough- !t gets inside
you- !t kills ehe+oth sure enough but then it 9ust keeps going
and it8! didn2t see it- ! ,as so sure ! kne, ,hat it ,as and ! 9ust
8.ucked up-I "he stared at the ground a,ay .ro+ accusing eyes-
I! .ucked up againI she ,hispered-
>ubin said nothing .or a .e, seconds- Then to the 2.ly: I:ou
understand that there are reasons .or caution here-I
I:ou don2t trust +e-I *es9ardins sounded al+ost a+used- I!2+
not the one ,ith the co+pulsive +urder .etish Ben- 3nd !2+ not
the only one ,ho shook o.. the Trip- 3re you really in a position
to thro, stonesHI
Ouellette looked up startled .ro+ her bout o. sel.-loathing-
I3nd ,hatever +isgivings you haveI the 2la,breaker
continued IAive +e credit .or a little sel.-interest- ! don2t ,ant
"eppuku in +y back yard any +ore than you do- !2+ 9ust as
vulnerable as the rest o. you-I
I;o, vulnerable is thatHI >ubin ,ondered- ITakaHI
I! don2t kno,I Ouellette ,hispered- I! don2t kno, anything---I
IAuess-I
"he closed her eyes- I!t2s a ,hole di..erent bug than ehemoth
but it2s designed8! think it2s designed .or the sa+e niche- "o
being t,eaked against ehe+oth ,on2t save you but it +ight buy
you so+e ti+e-I
I;o, +uchHI
I! can2t even guess- But everyone else you kno,8!2d guess
+ost anyone ,ho hasn2t got the retro.its---sy+pto+s a.ter three or
.our days death ,ithin .ourteen-I
I*ead slo,I >ubin re+arked- I3ny decent necrotising strep
,ould kill you in three hours-I
I:es- Be.ore you had a chance to spread it-I Ouellette2s voice
,as hollo,- IThey2re s+arter than that-I
IM++- Mortality rateHI
The doctor shook her head- I!t2s designed Ben- There2s no
natural i++unity-I
The +uscles tightened around >ubin2s +outh-
I!t actually gets ,orseI *es9ardins added- I!2+ not the only
,atchdog on this beat- There are still a .e, others in #23+ and a
lot +ore overseas- 3nd !2ve got to tell you +y li+ited-
contain+ent strategy is not all that popular- There are people
,ho2d 9ust as soon nuke the ,hole bloody seaboard 9ust to be on
the sa.e side-I
I4hy don2t they nuke ,hoever2s launching "eppukuHI >ubin
,ondered-
ITry getting a .ix on hal. a doCen sub+erged plat.or+s +oving
around the deep 3tlantic at sixty knots- Truth be told so+e
thought it ,as you guys-I
I!t2s not-I
I*oesn2t +atter- <eople are itching to go nuclear on this- !2ve
only been able to hold the+ o.. because ! could keep "eppuku
.ro+ spreading ,ithout resorting to .issiles- But no, r2s and B2s
you2ve handed the nuclear lobby everything they need- !. ! ,ere
you !2d start digging .allout shelters- *eep ones-I
I*o-I 0larke shook her head- IThere ,ere only ,hat six
people ,ith ,heelsHI
IOnly three sho,ed upI Ouellette said- IBut they could be
any,here- They didn2t leave +e an itinerary- 3nd they2ll be
spreading the stu..- They2ll be seeding it in ponds and .ields and
8I
I!. ,e can catch up ,ith the+ ,e can backtrackI >ubin
pointed out-
IBut ,e don2t even kno, ,here they ,ere headedN ;o, can
,e8I
I! don2t kno, ho,-I The bot.ly ,iggled on its ground-
e..ectors a tiny .lourish- IBut you better get started- :ou have
+ade one industrial-strength tar pit o. a +ess here .olks- 3nd i.
you ,ant to stand even a one-in-.i.ty chance o. keeping this place
.ro+ +elting do,n to radioactive glass you are da+n ,ell gonna
help clean it up-I
There ,as a silence- "tubborn .la+es crackled and spat .aintly
in the distance-
IWe're going to help youI >ubin said at last-
I4ell you can all do your bit o. courseI *es9ardins replied
Ibut it2s your e..orts in particular Ben that are gonna co+e in
+ost handy right no,-I
>ubin pursed his lips- IThanks but !2ll pass- ! ,ouldn2t do you
+uch good-I
0larke bit her tongue- 3e's got to be working some kind o"
angle.
The bot.ly hovered .or a +o+ent as i. considering- I! haven2t
.orgotten your skill set Ben- !2ve experienced it .irst-hand-I
I! haven2t .orgotten yours either- :ou could +obiliCe the ,hole
he+isphere in thirty seconds .lat-I
I3 lot2s changed since you retired .riend- 3nd in case you
haven2t noticed there2s not +uch le.t o. the he+isphere even i. !
did still have all +y super po,ers-I
Ouellette2s eyes .lickered bet,een +an and +achine ,atching
the point-counterpoint ,ith a +ixture o. outrage and con.usion-
But at least she too see+ed to kno, enough to keep her +outh
shut-
>ubin glanced around at the charred and darkling landscape-
I:our resources see+ +ore than su..icient- :ou don2t need +e-I
I:ou2re not listening Ben- 3 lot has changed- 3 li.ter or t,o
is nothing it2s background noise- But you start +obiliCing too
+any resources at once the ,rong kind o. people pay attention-
3nd not everybody on this side is on this side i. you kno, ,hat !
+ean-I
3e's talking about other lawbreakers 0larke realiCed. /aybe
it's 1partacus vs. the Trip. 6r maybe all o" them are o"" the leash
by now.
I:ou2d rather keep a lo, pro.ileI >ubin sur+ised-
I!2ve al,ays pre.erred subtlety- 3nd your rather blunt social
skills not,ithstanding ,hen it co+es right do,n to it even you're
+ore subtle than a .leet o. .ire-breathing killer bli+ps-I
When it comes down to war$ he means. Private war o" the
psychos$ by invitation only. 0larke ,ondered ho, +any sides
there ,ere- 0ould they even have sidesH ;o, do you .or+ an
alliance ,ith so+eone you know ,ill stab you in the back the .irst
chance they getH /aybe it's just every sociopath "or himsel" she
+used.
Then again it ,asn2t >ubin ,ho2d had di..iculty choosing sides
recently-
I!2+ other,ise engagedI >ubin said-
I#aturally- :ou2d have to have a da+n good reason to co+e all
the ,ay back here- The Mid 3tlantic /idge isn2t exactly in the
neighborhood-I
I!t +ight be be.ore too long 9udging by the recent tra..ic-I
I3h- "o+ebody pay you a visitHI
I#ot yet- But they2re sni..ing around close by- !t2s an unlikely
coincidence-I
I*on2t look at +e Ben- !. !2d spilled the beans they ,ouldn2t
have to sni"" around-I
I!2+ a,are o. that-I
I"till you naturally ,ant to kno, ,ho2s on the trail- Ben !2+
hurt- 4hy didn2t you co+e to +e at8oh right- :ou thought ! ,as
dead-I *es9ardins paused then added I:ou2re really lucky ! ca+e
along-I
I!2+ even luckierI >ubin said Ithat you need +y help-I
The bot.ly bobbled in a sudden gust o. hot ,ind- IOkay then-
:ou help +e keep #23+ .ro+ dying a little ,hile longer and !2ll
try and .ind out ,ho2s stalking you- *ealHI
>ubin considered-
I"ee+s .airI he said-
).AS$
The 0rusade thought >enie 0larke could go on ,ithout her-
!t ,asn2t as though it needed her services- "aving lives and
ending the+ ,ere the only t,o causes ,orth pursuing no, and
she had no great skill in either- O. course that ,asn2t exactly true
she realiCed even as the thought occurred- 4hen it ca+e to total
kills there ,asn2t a person on the planet ,ho could +atch her
score- But those deaths had been indiscri+inate and untargeted
.aceless collateral she2d barely spared a thought .or- /ight no,
the greater good needed so+ething considerably +ore precise:
speci.ic individuals not ,hole populations- !solated .aces to be
hunted do,n and8,hat ,as the ,ord /o,an had usedH8
decirculated-
!t didn2t have to be a euphe+is+- There2d be no reason to kill
the vectors once they2d been .ound even assu+ing that "eppuku
hadn2t killed the+ .irst- There ,ere only three o. the+ a.ter all
,ith less than a day2s head start in a place ,here people ,ere no
longer a +a9or part o. the landscape- !t ,as 7uite possible they2d
be .ound be.ore they could in.ect too +any others be.ore
unecono+ies o. scale +ade ,holesale exter+ination the only
viable option- Ten thousand carriers +ight have to be burned .or
,ant o. .acilities to contain the+F but ten could be taken alive
isolated and cared .or their condition studied in hopes o. .inding a
cure- There2d be no need .or outright +urder-
&'m not the one with the compulsive murder "etish$ Ken.
Dither ,ay it didn2t +atter- "oon >ubin ,ould be on the hunt
backed up by all the resources *es9ardins could provideF and
,hether he ,as in it .or the kill or the thrill o. the chase 0larke2s
presence at his side ,ould only slo, hi+ do,n- Taka Ouellette
had already gone on to better things ,hisked a,ay to a 0"!/3
.acility ,here as *es9ardins had put it Iyour skill set can be +uch
better utiliCedI- "he had le.t ,ith barely another ,ord or a glance
at >enie 0larke- #o, she ,as probably sitting at the end o. a line
that ,ould start ,ith >ubin ,aiting to process the people he
tracked do,n- There ,as no point along that short route ,here
>enie 0larke could be use.ul-
"he couldn2t save and she couldn2t kill- ;ere though in the
broken shells o. ?reeport she could do so+ething in bet,een- "he
could delay- "he could hold the .ort- "he could keep people .ro+
dying o. tu+ors or broken bones so that ehe+oth and "eppuku
could take a crack at the+ instead-
>ubin did her one last .avor be.ore leaving- ;e navigated
through the virtual lightscape o. Miri2s neocortex .ound the
in.estation that had betrayed the+ and isolated it- !t ,as too
insidious too deeply dug-in to trust to +ere deletionF there ,ere
too +any places it could be hiding too +any ,ays to subvert the
search protocols- The only ,ay to be sure it ,as gone ,as to
physically thro, out the +e+ory ,ith the +onster-
0rouched over the dashboard >ubin read rea+s o. diagnostic
arcana and called instructions over his shoulder- Behind hi+
0larke8up to her elbo,s in crystals and circuitry8did the actual
cutting- >ubin told her ,hich card to extractF she did so- ;e told
her ,hich array to peel .ro+ its sur.ace using a tri-pronged tool
,ith delicate ,hisker-thin .ingers- "he obeyed- "he ,aited ,hile
he ran checks and double-checks on the rest o. the syste+ reseated
the loboto+iCed unit at his co++and poised hersel. to yank it
again should any re+nant o. the +onster have so+eho, escaped
contain+ent- "atis.ied at last that Miri ,as clean >ubin told
0larke to lock and reboot- "he did it ,ithout 7uestion-
;e never told her outright to destroy the in.ected co+ponent-
That ,as 9ust too obvious a +easure to +ention-
!t ,as a.ter all a part o. her-
"he didn2t kno, ho, exactlyF the perverse logic that had
spa,ned and t,isted these electronic de+ons ,as so+ething better
le.t to hackers and evolutionary ecologists- But back at the
beginning she2d been the te+plate- This thing had taken its lead
.ro+ herF it ,as a re.lection ho,ever perverse o. >enie 0larke-
3nd irrational though it see+ed she couldn2t shake the sense that it
still o,ed so+ething o. itsel. to the .lesh and blood it ,as +odeled
a.ter- "he had raged and hated .or so very longF perhaps these
re.lections ,eren2t so distorted a.ter all-
"he resolved to .ind out-
"he ,as no code+eister- "he kne, nothing about gro,ing
progra+s or pruning so.t,are to specs- "he did ho,ever kno,
ho, to snap pre.ab co+ponents together and Phocoena2s lockers
and glove co+part+ents ,ere over.lo,ing ,ith the legacy o. .ive
years2 service- The little sub had carried a thousand survey
instru+ents to !+possible >ake served in the repair and
+aintenance o. the+ all- !t had slipped across ther+oclines and
through >ang+uir 0ells seeding drogues and T*/s into the ,ater
colu+n- !t had spied on corpses and +oved supplies and served as
a general ,orkhorse .ar beyond anything its designers had ever
intended- 3.ter .ive years it had accu+ulated +ore than enough
building blocks .or >enie 0larke to play ,ith-
"he .ound a 0ohen board in the botto+ o. a dra,er plugged a
battery onto one o. its sockets and a generic O" chip onto another-
3 tracery o. ,hisker-thin .ila+ents .lickered brie.ly bet,een the
ne, co+ponents as the board2s autodiscovery routines sni..ed
the+ out and +ade introductions- "he had to look a little harder
.or a user inter.aceF she couldn2t risk a ,ireless hookup- ?inally
she .ound an old .iberop headset ,ith an integrated in.rared
keyboard and plugged it in- More .lickering handshakes-
"he slid on the headset- 3 pastel keyboard hovered in the air
be.ore her- "he reached outF the headset2s in.rared eyes ,atched
her hands +ove in e+pty space +apped real .ingers onto illusory
controls- "he brought up a +ap o. the 0ohen board built a .ence
around a hand.ul o. e+pty sockets cut a single gate,ay and
locked it tight .ro+ the outside- "he assigned a panic button 9ust
in case: it .loated o.. to one side an orange spark in virtual space-
There ,ould be no need to reach out and touch it- Merely .ocusing
her eyes on that icon ,ould .reeCe the syste+ solid- But the
sa.eguard had a price attached- The headset couldn2t see through
photocollagen- ;er eyes ,ould have to be stripped naked during
the encounter-
"he do..ed the headset and regarded her handi,ork in the real
,orld: t,o +iniscule <latonic solids and a thread o. .iberop rising
.ro+ a di+pled grid o. e+pty pinhead sockets- 3 sparse right-
angle spider,eb o. e+erald threads connected the plug-ins- Beside
it a glo,ing cri+son border enclosed a rectangular patch o.
unoccupied terrain-
!t ,as co+pletely sel.-contained and utterly isolated- There
,ere no antennae no ,ireless inter.aces nothing that could send a
signal .ro+ that landscape to any other- #othing plugged into the
board ,ould be able to get o.. o. it-
"he studied the in.ected and excised lobe o. Miri2s brain: a
>illiputian necklace o. O<Ms and +e+ory chips lying isolated
and inert in the pal+ o. her hand- ?or all 0larke kne, there ,as
nothing le.t insideF the +e+ory ,as nonvolatile but ,ho kne,
,hat da+age had been in.licted during the exorcis+H "he
re+e+bered her challenge to Ben >ubin8how do you know & can2t
wake the "ucker with a kiss+8but she had no idea ho, to actually
do that- "he2d kept these co+ponents only because she could not thro, the+
a,ay- 3nd because she hoped that i. she spoke to the thing inside
it +ight speak back-
"he li.ted the necklace ,ith a pair o. .orce-.eedback t,eeCers
,hose touch ,as as .ine as eyelashes- "he seated it into the center
o. the red Cone- Areen threads sprouted .ro+ the other
co+ponents and converged 9ust outside the gate and stopped-
"he donned the headset- "he took a breath-
"he opened the gate-
3n explosion o. pixels right in .ront o. her- 3nger and
ravenous hunger and bared teeth .urious input that bypassed the
upper brain entirely and plunged icy needles right into the
brainste+-
I,et8I
The .light response took over be.ore she2d even parsed ,hat
she2d seenF the orange panic-button .lared in her sights- The i+age
.roCe-
"he realiCed she ,as gasping- "he .orced hersel. to cal+ do,n-
3 +otionless .ace black and green and radiant- 3 .urious
portrait o. inverted .lesh-tones- !t didn2t look like her at all-
Dxcept .or the eyes: those e+pty raging eyes-
And not even those she re+e+bered a.ter a +o+ent- Because
her eyes ,ere uncapped no,- "he .aced this radioactive
doppelganger co+pletely naked-
&s this what & was+
"he took a breath held it brie.ly let it out- "he .ocused on the
panic button and released it-
I.me out%I the apparition screa+ed-
0larke shook her head- IThere2s no,here .or you to go-I
I,et me out or &'ll grind every "ucking address in here to pulp%I
I3ns,er so+e 7uestions .irst-I
I3ns,er this you ,or+-riddled t,at-I
The universe .lickered and ,ent out-
#othing but her o,n rapid breathing and the 7uiet hiss o.
Phocoena2s air conditioner- 3.ter a +o+ent her headset etched a
+essage across the void:
":"TDM 0/3";- /D"T3/TH
: #
0larke tried again-
I,et me out%I
"he shook her head- ITell +e ,hat you ,ant-I
I4hat do you ,antHI The 7uestion see+ed to cal+ the +onster
do,n a bit- !t even s+iled- I:ou don2t ,ant to .uck ,ith +e
.riend- !2ve killed +ore people than you can count-I
I4hyH /evengeH ?or the A3H ?or8.or *addy .or ,hat he
did ,hile +o+ ,as8ho, could you care about thatH ;o, could
you even knowHI
The .ace desaturated its black-light pig+ents .ading as i. in
t,ilight- !n +o+ents it ,as blacks and grays and t,o angry
crystalline ovals o. pure ,hite-
I3re you trying to kill everyoneHI 0larke asked so.tly- I3re
you trying to kill yoursel"HI
!t glared at her and spat IKill yoursel"+ )ou8I
*ark and void and ":"TDM 0/3";-
3nd the next ti+e-
3nd the next-
5$ S2,++ 49 5$ )$AS
3 0"!/3 drone .loating like thistledo,n 9ust belo, the 9et
strea+ caught the heat trace at 0'00- !t ,as ,ar+ing "ervice
/oad 2' northeast o. "ko,hagen and it shared certain
characteristics ,ith another source8 t,o hours older8 that had
been gli+psed by a li.ter shipping +edical supplies out o.
<ortland- /esupply hauls ,eren2t nor+ally charged ,ith
surveillance but everyone ,as on alert since the ,ord had co+e
do,n .ro+ "udbury-
Both signatures +atched the e+issions put out by a brand o.
hydrogen cell that hadn2t been +anu.actured since 2044- "o+eone
,as driving the shit out o. an old ?ord ?ugitive traveling inland
along back roads in the +iddle o. the night-
One o. Ouellette2s vectors had driven a ?ugitive- >ubin caught
up ,ith her so+e,here on the .ar side o. the #e, ;a+pshire
border-
*es9ardins had re7uisitioned hi+ an ultralight- !t ,asn2t as .ast
as ground-e..ect transport but its cruising altitude ,as a lot higher
and it drank .e,er Joules than a chopper- >ubin ,as .lying ,est at
about t,o hundred +eters ,hen the ?ord bounced sunlight into his
eye- !t ,as parked on the edge o. an acid-,ashed bog .ull o. rusty
tannins and 9agged ,aterlogged stu+ps- The ,etland see+ed to
have gro,n since ;igh,ay Maintenance had given up on the
neighborhoodF a tongue o. dark ,ater lapped across a .e, +eters
o. lo,-lying asphalt 9ust ahead o. the vehicle-
That ,asn2t ,hat had stopped it though-
>ubin landed .i.ty +eters up the road and approached .ro+
behind- ;is inlays per.or+ed the usual sche+atic vivisection as he
dre, near cluttered up his vision ,ith icons and ,iring diagra+s-
;is gut rebelled at the +ere thought o. tuning out usable intel .ro+
any source but so+eti+es it distracted +ore than it in.or+ed- ;e
shut do,n the display in his headF the ?ugitive dropped back into
the real ,orld see+ed to "latten so+eho, lu+inous guts
vanishing behind dirty plastic skin-
3 blonde +ocha ,o+an sat in the driver2s seat .orehead against
the ,heel long straight hair obscuring her .ace- "he see+ed
oblivious to his approach-
;e tapped on the ,indo,- "he turned apathetically at the
sound- ;e kne, i++ediately that so+ething ,as ,rong: her .ace
,as .lushed and shiny ,ith perspiration-
"he kne, so+ething ,as ,rong too- >ubin2s isolation skin
,ould have pretty +uch given that a,ay even i. she hadn't been
sick-
Three days he thought-
The door ,as unlocked- ;e pulled it open and stepped back-
IThey told us---it ,as a cureI she said- !t took her t,o breaths-
I*o you have any le.tHI >ubin asked-
"he gulped- I"o+e- "pread +ost o. it around-I "he shook her
head- IAave so+e to 3aron too- 0ouple o. days ago-I
3 transparent bladder lay on the seat beside her- !t had been
drained al+ost .lat- The culture that re+ained sucked into creases
and ,rinkles in the de.lated bag ,as no longer a+ber in colorF it
,as dark and gray as anoxic +ud-
I4hat happened to itHI he asked-
I! don2t kno,- 0hanged-I "he shook her head tiredly- I"he
said it ,ould last a week---I
;e leaned .or,ard- "he still had the presence o. +ind to look
vaguely startled ,hen she sa, hi+ up close- I:ou ,ere one o.
the+- )ou ,ere one o. the+- ! sa, you there---I
I! need to kno, ,here you seeded itI he said- I! need to kno,
everyone you2ve been in contact ,ith since ?reeport and ho, to
get in touch ,ith the+-I
"he held up one li+p-,risted ar+ sho,ing o.. her ,rist,atch-
I3aron2s in here- 4e split up- Thought---,e2d cover +ore
ground---I
;e took the ,atch- !ts phone .eature ,asn2t +uch use ,ithout
the earbud but he could deal ,ith 3aron later-
I! ,as talking to hi+ 9ust this +orningI the ,o+an +anaged-
I;e2s not8not doing too ,ell hi+sel.-I
;e circled the ?ugitive and cli+bed in the passenger2s side-
#av ,as o..line8a precaution le.t over .ro+ the previous ,eek
,hen the ether had been ene+y territory- ;e brought up
dashboard A<" and scaled the +ap to include the coast-
IDvery,here you stoppedI he said- IDveryone you +et-I
I!2+ sickI she sighed-
I! can get you to a hospital- 3 real hospitalI he pro+ised
s,eetening the pot- IBut you have to help +e .irst-I
"he told hi+ ,hat she could- ?inally he cli+bed back into
sunshine and headed .or the ultralight- ;al.,ay there he paused
and looked back-
1he could make a run "or it he thought- 1he's not too sick to
drive. 1he could try to escape.
6r$ eyeing the stained ,ater by the road she could just lurch
into the water and in"ect the whole bog. /uch more di""icult to
contain a"ter that.
/aybe she's a loose end.
!dle +using o. course- There ,as no i++ediate threat here
nothing to 9usti.y extre+e pre9udice- #ot that that ,as al,ays
likely to be the case the ,ay this thing ,as spreading- This ,as
the second vector >ubin had tracked do,n and the .irst o.
Ouellette2s original trio- The other had been a secondary ,ho2d
picked up the baton in her ,ake and he'd ad+itted to seeding still
others- ;o, .ar the other t,o <atient =eroes had run ,as still
anyone2s guess- 3nd no, there ,as Aaron to deal ,ith not to
+ention the hal.-doCen places ,here this ,o+an had dribbled little
ali7uots o. "eppuku in her ,ake---
;e could a..ord to ,ait he told hi+sel.- The ,ay things ,ere
going he2d have all the excuse he needed be.ore long- #ot that he
needed excuses any +ore o. course- Ben >ubin had been a .ree
agent .or years-
Play nice he told hi+sel.- Play by the rules.
;e did- ;e called the a+bulance be.ore he called the
.la+ethro,ers stood guard until it .loated in .ro+ the ,est
sprayed hi+sel. do,n and cli+bed back into the sky- ;e banked
southeast backtracking the vector2s route- 3 li.ter appeared in the
+iddle distance and paced hi+ .or a ,hile cruising like a great
dark cloud to,ards the target areas he2d pinpointed- <ilot lights
sparked .aintly at the tips o. the long incendiary +uCCles hanging
.ro+ its underbelly- <u..y pink and green clouds erupted
inter+ittently in the airspace beneath it cotton-candy lit+us tests
sni..ing out in.ection-
;e edged up the throttle- By no, 3aron2s partner ,ould be
bagged and on her ,ay- Taka Ouellette ,ould be running tests on
her by night.all-
!. Ouellette ,as running tests on anything o. course- >ubin
had his doubts-
;e re+e+bered the .irst ti+e he had +et 3chilles *es9ardins-
;e had broken into the 2la,breaker2s ho+e and caught hi+ in
"lagrante delecto ,ith a @/ sensoriu+ that served up ,raparound
scenarios o. sexual torture- *es9ardins ,ould have never in.licted
those i+pulses on the real ,orld back then o. course but a lot o.
things had changed in the +eanti+e- /ules had changed- >eashes
had been slipped- O..icial hierarchies had cru+bled leaving those
,ho ,ielded po,er +iraculously .ree o. oversight-
>ubin had eavesdropped brie.ly on *es9ardins2s .antasy li.e
be.ore getting do,n to business- ;e2d gained so+e idea o. that
+an2s taste in ,o+en as ,ell as ,hat he liked to do to the+- 3nd
so .ive years later ,hen Taka Ouellette had cli+bed into the belly
o. a 0"!/3 helicopter >ubin had ,atched ,ith a dispassionate
sense o. .inality-
*es9ardins had pro+ised her a role in the .ight against "eppuku-
;e had evoked visions o. bright glea+ing laboratories nor+ally
reserved .or bona-.ide MeatCarts- The prospect had lit her up like
a halogen .loodla+p- One look and >ubin had kno,n her secret
desire the desperate uni+agined hope o. rede+ption .or so+e
past sin-
By no, it ,as easy enough to recogniCe-
;e had been interested in ,hether the aircra.t ,ould head
south,est to,ards Boston- That ,as ,here the nearest research
.acilities ,ould be- But instead it had disappeared to the north and
>ubin had not heard .ro+ Ouellette in the days since-
#ot that he could have expected to o. course- Dven i.
*es9ardins had been telling the truth- 3nd >ubin had to ad+it
,ith the logical clarity o. an a+oral +ind that it didn2t +ake +uch
di..erence either ,ay- Taka Ouellette ,as not the caliber o.
scientist ,ho2d last in the ring against any kind o. heavy,eight
opponent- !. she had been they ,ouldn2t have .ound her relegated
to ,ildland patrol handing out cru+bs to the .erals- ;er loss
,ould +atter not at all in the .ight against "eppuku-
3chilles *es9ardins on the other hand ,as vital- 4hether he
,as also a sexual predator ,as irrelevantF he +ight ,ell be
instru+ental in the saving o. billions- >ubin couldn2t think o. +any
depravities that could not be overlooked in the pursuit o. that
higher goal- !t ,as ,hat the (reater (ood ,as all about-
;e al+ost .elt envious-
.M0,A+ 0
Taka Ouellette ,as in .act ,ithin a research .acility o. so+e
sort- "he ,as not ho,ever playing the role o. experi+enter-
<erhaps the +an at her side had arrogated that role unto hi+sel.-
;is appearance ,as unre+arkable- Bro,n hair unco+bed cut
,ith a haphaCard asy++etry as consistent ,ith so+e .aux-.eral
style as ,ith outright inco+petence- Thin s7uarish .ace- #ot
enough lines on the .orehead too +any around the eyes- >arge
eyes bro,n and ,et al+ost childlike- #ose slightly o..-kilter-
Baggy green s,eatshirt a T,en0en thro,back ,ith no
ani+ations-
"he couldn2t see belo, his ,aist- "he ,as strapped to a +edical
gurney .lat on her back- !. this disheveled r-selector ,as playing
the researcher it see+ed that he2d reserved .or her the role o.
experi+ental sub9ect-
I3chilles *es9ardinsI he said- I<leased to +eet you 3lice-I
The helicopter had dropped onto a roo.top pad so+e,here north
o. the Areat >akes ,ell a.ter +idnight- "he2d debarked and
stepped unsuspectingly into a neuroinduction .ield that dropped her
.aster than a cervical dislocate- ?aceless +en in body condo+s
had brought her conscious but paralyCed into this 7uarantine cell-
They had stripped her naked catheteriCed her and departed
,ithout speaking- <erhaps they2d been told she ,as so+e kind o.
.ugitive or health risk- <erhaps they2d been in on the 9oke- "he2d
had no ,ay o. kno,ing and no ,ay to ask-
That had been a day ago at least- <robably +ore- "he had
spent the ti+e since isolated and i++obiliCed gro,ing parched
and ravenous by in.initesi+al degrees-
The .ield ,as o.. no, though- ;er +otor nerves ,ere back
online- The only things holding her do,n ,ere the nylon straps
cinched pain.ully around ,rists and ankles ,aist and throat-
IThere2s been a +istakeI she said 7uickly- I!2+ not 3lice !2+
Taka- >enie and Ben2s .riend-I
"he ,riggled against the restraints- 3chilles s+iled .aintly-
I:ou2re really not a very good biologist 3liceI he re+arked
not unkindly- I!2+ sorry but it2s true- :ou2ve had all kinds o.
clues but you never 7uite put the+ together the right ,ay-I ;e sat
on so+e unseen chair or stool next to the gurney- I!. ! hadn2t
stepped in you2d still be spreading "eppuku .ar and ,ide killing
your patients even .aster than usual- #o real scientist ,ould +ake
such basic +istakes-I
IBut !2+ not8I
;e put a .inger to his lips shushing her- ;e propped his elbo,s
against the hard neoprene sur.ace o. the stretcher next to her head
rested chin in hands and looked do,n at her-
IO. courseI he continued so.tly Ino real scientist ,ould kill
her o,n .a+ily either-I
"o it ,asn2t a +istake- ;e kne, exactly ,ho she ,as-
"he kne, hi+ too- 3t least she kne, his type- ;e ,as so.t-
;e ,as pathetic- Dvery day she .aced do,n people ,ho2d break
his neck ,ithout breaking stride- On his o,n ,ithout the props
he ,as nothing-
Dxcept right-
"he closed her eyes- Keep control. 3e's trying to scare you.
#on't let him. #eny him the satis"action.
&t's a power game like all the others. &" you aren't intimidated$
you take some back.
"he opened her eyes and looked cal+ly into his- I"o ,hat2s the
planHI
IThe plan.I 3chilles pursed his lips- IThe plan is
rehabilitation- !2+ going to give you another chance- Think o. it
as a kind o. re+edial education-I ;e stood- "o+ething in his hand
re.lected the overhead lights so+ething s+all and shiny like a nail
clipper- I4e2re talking a kind o. carrot and stick scenario- ! have
this hobby that a lot o. people ,ould describe as ,ell unpleasant-
:ou2ll .ind out how unpleasant depending on ho, 7uick a study
you turn out to be-I
Taka s,allo,ed- "he didn2t speak until she thought she could
keep her voice level: I4hat2s the carrot thenHI
#ot 7uite-
IThat was the carrot- My carrot any,ay- :our carrot is you
pass your orals and ! let you go- 3live and everything-I 3chilles
.ro,ned as i. lost in thought- I;ere2s an easy one to start ,ith-
;o, does "eppuku reproduceH "exually or asexuallyHI
Taka stared at hi+- I:ou2re kidding-I
;e ,atched her a +o+ent- Then al+ost sadly he shook his
head-
I:ou ,ent to the se+inars ! see- They told you all our secrets-
4e prey on .ear- Once ,e see you2re not a.raid ,e2ll pick on
so+eone else- Maybe even let you go-I
I:ou said8I she stopped tried to control the tre+or in her
voice- I)ou said you2d let +e go---I
;e hadn2t laid a hand on her and already she ,as begging-
I!. you do ,ellI 3chilles re+inded her gently- IBut yes- !2ll
let you go- !n .act as a gesture o. good .aith !2ll let part o. you go
right no,-I
;e reached out- The shiny thing in his hand pressed against her
breast like a tiny icicle- "o+ething snicked-
<ain bloo+ed across her chest raCor-sharp like the cracks in
glass be.ore it shatters- Taka screa+ed ,rithing in useless
+illi+eter incre+ents against the straps-
The bloody gobbet o. a nipple dropped against her cheek-
*arkness s,irled around the edges o. vision- 3t so+e
i+possible distant re+ove ,ay south o. the pain at the center o.
the universe a +onster .ingered its ,ay bet,een her labia-
IT,o +ore ,here that ca+e .ro+I he re+arked-
0),.)/+A5
0larke had learned a .air bit at Ouellette2s side- "he ,as no
doctor but she still had the rudi+entary +edical training she2d
received as a ri.ter and the M! did +ost o. the diagnostic and
prescriptive ,ork any,ay- Miri2s exorcis+ had cost the+ a .e,
thousand patient records hal. a year2s do,nloaded updates and all
the vehicle2s uplink capabilities8but ,hatever re+ained still kne,
enough to scan a body and prescribe basic treat+ents- 0larke
,asn2t up to dealing ,ith +uch +ore sophistication than that
any,ayF even loboto+iCed Miri ,as hardly the rate-li+iting step-
<eople trickled through to,n seeking Ouellette2s +inistrations
but settling .or 0larke2s- "he did ,hat the +achinery told her
played doctor as best she could- 3t night she2d sneak o..shore and
bypass Phocoena entirely sleeping breathless and exposed on the
bright shallo, botto+- Dach +orning she ca+e ashore stripped
her diveskin do,n to the tunic and pulled Ouellette2s borro,ed
clothing overtop- The strange dead .ibers rubbed loosely against
her li+bs as she +oved an ill-.itting travesty .ull o. .olds and
stitches- /e+oving the 2skin al,ays .elt a little like being .layed
aliveF this this substitute +ight as ,ell have been shed .ro+ the
.lanks o. so+e great poorly-proportioned liCard- !t ,asn2t too bad
though- !t ,as getting easier-
!t ,as pretty +uch the only thing that ,as getting easier-
The ,orst part ,asn2t her o,n +edical ignorance or the
endless rising count o. those she couldn2t save- !t ,asn2t even the
outbursts o. violence that people so+eti+es directed at her ,hen
.aced ,ith their o,n death sentence or ,ith that o. a loved one-
"he ,as al+ost grate.ul .or the shouts and the .ists thro,n too
rarely to constitute any kind o. real cost- "he2d experienced .ar
,orse in her ti+e and Miri2s ,eapons blister ,as al,ays there
,hen things got out o. hand-
Much +uch ,orse than the violence o. those she didn2t save
,as the gratitude o. those she nearly could- The s+iles on the
.aces o. those .or ,ho+ she2d bought a little ti+e too dulled by
disease and +alnutrition to ever 7uestion the econo+ics o. trading
a 7uick death .or a lingering one- The pathetic delight o. so+e
.ather ,ho2d seen his daughter cured o. encephalitis not kno,ing
or caring that "eppuku or the 4itch or so+e rogue .la+ethro,er
,ould take her next +onth or next year not thinking o. the rapes
and broken bones and chronic starvation that ,ould stalk her in the
days bet,een- ;ope see+ed no,here +ore abundant than in the
.aces o. the hopelessF and it ,as all she could do to +eet their
eyes and s+ile and accept their thanks- 3nd not tell the+ ,ho it
,as that had brought all this do,n upon the ,orld in the .irst
place-
;er experi+ent ,ith naked eyes ,as long since over- !. the
locals didn2t like her a..ect they could da+n ,ell go so+e,here
else-
"he ,anted desperately to talk to Taka- Most o. the ti+e she
resisted the i+pulse re+e+bering: Ouellette2s .riendship had
evaporated the instant she2d learned the truth- 0larke didn2t bla+e
her- !t couldn2t be easy discovering you2d be.riended a +onster-
One night lonely enough to ga+ble she tried any,ay- "he
used a channel that *es9ardins had assigned .or reporting any late-
breaking "eppuku incidentsF it got her to an auto+ated dispatcher
and thence to an actual hu+an being ,ho8despite his obvious
disapproval over personal use o. dedicated channels8patched her
through to so+eone clai+ing to speak .or a biological
counter+easures lab out o. Boston- ;e had never heard o. Taka
Ouellette- 4hen 0larke asked i. there +ight be other .acilities she
could check ,ith the +an replied that there +ust be8but the
godda+ned Dntropy <atrol never told the+ anything and he
,ouldn2t kno, ,here to point her-
"he +ade do by indulging in .alse hopes- >ubin ,ould catch
his prey- *es9ardins ,ould honor the deal they had +ade- They
,ould track do,n the threat to 3tlantis and disar+ it- 3nd Taka
Ouellette or others like her ,ould solve the +ystery o. "eppuku
and stop it in its tracks-
Maybe then they could go ho+e-
"he didn2t even recogniCe hi+ at .irst-
;e ca+e staggering out o. the ,oods on .oot li+ping purple-
skinned his .ace a s,ollen +ass o. scabs and pulpy bruises- ;e
,ore a ther+ochro+e ,indbreaker ,ith one o. the ar+s torn a,ay
and he lurched into sight 9ust as 0larke ,as about to shut do,n .or
the evening-
I;i againI he said- 3 bubble o. blood gre, and popped at the
corner o. his +outh- IMiss +eHI
I;oly shit-I "he hurried over and helped hi+ to,ards the M!-
I4hat happened to youHI
I2#other r- 3 !ig r- ?ucking capital r- Took +y bike-I ;e
shook his headF the gesture ,as sti.. and clu+sy as i. rigor +ortis
,ere already taking hold- IThat other B aroundH TakaHI
I#o- !2ll look a.ter you-I "he guided hi+ to Miri2s right +outh
took his ,eight as he sagged onto the extended tongue-
I:ou really a doctorHI The teenager +anaged to look skeptical
through all the gore- I#ot that ! careI he added a.ter a +o+ent-
I:ou can check +e over any ti+e-I
?inally it sunk in: /iss meH
0larke shook her head- I!2+ sorry but !2ve seen a lot o. people
lately- ! don2t kno, i. !2d recogniCe you even without all the
.ace,ork-I
I/ickettsI the boy said-
"he stepped back- I:ou brought8I
I! brought that stu.. that2s gonna kill ehe+othI he said
proudly through cracked and pu..y lips-
)ou brought the stu"" that's going to kill us all she thought-
!t shouldn2t have been any kind o. dile++a- Aet hi+ into the
M!- 0lean hi+ up .ix the physical in9uries con.ir+ the presence
o. any ne, predator eating hi+ .ro+ the inside out-
/aybe he's clean. All the contaminated stu"" was sealed up in
that bag$ maybe he never had direct contact.
0on.ir+ "eppuku- !solate the victi+- 0all .or extraction-
3ope to (od that i" he's got it$ he can't breathe it on me...
I>ie back- Aet your .eet up-I "he ,as at the rear panel al+ost
be.ore /icketts had taken his .eet o.. the ground- "he stabbed the
usual icon heard the .a+iliar hu+ as Miri s,allo,ed- 0larke told
the vehicle to close both +ouths and run the standard diagnostic
suite-
"he le.t hi+ in there ,hile she sprayed hersel. do,n ,ith
disin.ectant- Overkill probably- ;ope.ully- "he ,as ,earing the
re7uisite sterile gloves and the 2skin o. her tunic protected her
under Ouellette2s borro,ed clothing8
1hit. The clothing-
"he stripped it o.. and bagged it .or incineration- The rest o.
her diveskin ,as in her backpack stashed in the cab- The .orsaken
pieces retrieved ,riggled back into place sea+s sealing together
into a co+.orting second skin- *iveskins ,eren2t built ,ith
antipathogen properties explicitly in +ind but the copoly+er dealt
,ith salt ions as a +atter o. courseF it had to keep out anything as
large as a living cell-
4hen she got back to Miri2s rear panel the diagnostic cycle had
.inished- /ickets ,as su..ering .ro+ a broken cheekbone a
hairline .racture o. the le.t tibia second-degree concussion
borderline +alnutrition 5better than average these days6 t,o
i+pacted ,isdo+ teeth and a +oderate round,or+ in.ection-
#one o. that ,as li.e-threateningF +ost o. it could be .ixed-
The diagnostic suite did not include a scan .or "eppuku-
"eppuku didn2t exist in the standard database- Ouellette had
cobbled together a hasty separate subroutine in the ,ake o. her
discovery- !t didn2t do +uch8no help.ul breakdo,n into
.irstPsecondPend-stage categories no list o. associated
+acrosy+pto+s- #o suggested course o. treat+ent- Just a blood
count really- 0larke didn2t even kno, ho, to interpret that si+ple
nu+ber- 4as there such a thing as a Isa.eI level .or "eppukuH
=ero she assu+ed- "he tapped the icon to start the test-
/icketts t,itched in the little spyca+ ,indo, as Miri drank a .e,
+ore drops o. his blood-
!t ,ould take a ,hile to run the analysis- 0larke .orced hersel.
to .ocus on /icketts2s other proble+s in the +eanti+e- The
round,or+s and the teeth could ,ait- Targeted vasodilators and
calciu+ suppressants eased the concussion- Broken bones ,ere
al+ost trivial: plant +icrocharge +esh into the a..ected areas to
crank up osteoblast +etabolis+- 0larke had been doing that
al+ost since the day she2d beco+e a ri.ter-
I;eyNI /ickett2s voice sounded tinny and startled through
Miri2s interco+- I! can2t +oveNI
I!t2s the neuroinduction .ieldI 0larke told hi+- I*on2t ,orry
about it- !t 9ust keeps you .ro+ 9erking around during the cut-and-
paste-I
!eep-
3nd there it ,as- (0
%
particles per +illiliter-
6h 8esus-
;o, long had he been ,andering around in the ,oodsH ;o,
.ar had he spread itH The person ,ho2d beaten hi+ up: ,as he
spreading it no, had he invited "eppuku in through the ra,
ooCing skin o. his knucklesH ;o, +any days be.ore he discovered
ho, +uch he2d really paid .or a lousy +otorbikeH
&solate the vector. -all in a li"ter.
3 li.ter- !t see+ed so strange to even conte+plate- "he had to
keep re+inding hersel.: they're not monsters a"ter all. They're not
"ire'breathing dragons sent down "rom the heavens to burn us out
o" existence. They're working "or the good guys.
We're on their side now.
"till-
?irst things .irst- /icketts had to be8
decirculated
8isolated until so+eone ca+e by to collect hi+- <roble+ ,as
there ,eren2t too +any ,ays to do that- The M! ,ould be useless
.or other .ield ,ork as long as it kept hi+ se7uestered and 0larke
seriously doubted ,hether ?reeport had had hot-Cone isolation
.acilities even be.ore it .ell into ruin-
3e can't stay here.
"he ,atched the +onitor .or a .e, +o+ents ,atched Miri2s
9ointed li+bs and laser eyes putting ;u+pty together again- Then
she called up the anesthesia +enu- "he chose iso.lurane-
IAo to sleepI she ,hispered-
4ithin +o+ents /icketts2 ,ide nervous eyes .luttered closed-
!t ,as like ,atching a lethal in9ection-
I#o you know who & am$ you miserable "etus'"ucker+I the
de+on spat-
*o she thought-
I&'m ,enie -larke%I
The syste+ crashed-
I:eahI 0larke said so.tly- I/ight-I
"he traded a dark vie, .or a brighter one- Phocoena2s vie,port
looked out on a +uddy plain not 7uite .eaturelessF the +uddy
tracks o. tunneling ani+als the holes o. invertebrate burro,s
stippled the botto+- 3 lone crab scuttled lethargically in the di+
distance-
The ocean overhead ,as +urky green and gro,ing brighter-
The sun +ust be rising-
I4hat---HI
"he hung the headset on the ar+rest and turned in the copilot2s
seat- Phocoena ,as too s+all to ,arrant a dedicated +ed cubby
but the .old-do,n bunk on the starboard side pulled double-duty in
a pinch- !t tucked a,ay into the sa+e kind o. +olded indentation
that held the bunks on the opposite bulkheadF unlike its
counterparts though its thicker base bulged .ro+ the ,all in a
s+ooth distension o. plu+bing and circuitry- 4hen in use it
.olded do,n like a ,ide short dra,bridge hung by t,in
+ono.ila+ent threads spooled .ro+ its outer corners- Those
threads the edges o. the pallet itsel. and the overhanging bulkhead
.or+ed the vertices o. a little tent- !solation +e+brane stretched
across the planes bet,een-
/icketts ,as trapped ,ithin- ;e lay on his side ,ith one ar+
.lopped against the +e+brane distending it out,ard-
I;iI 0larke said-
I4here2s thisHI
I4e2re under,ater-I "he cli+bed back .ro+ her seat into the
+ain cabin keeping her head lo,F the curving hull didn2t leave a
lot o. headroo+-
;e tried to sit up- ;e had even less headroo+ than she did-
I4hat a+ ! you kno,---I
"he took a breath- I:ou2ve got a8a bug- !t2s contagious- !
thought it ,ould be best to keep you isolated-I
;is bruises ,ere already healing thanks to Miri2s attentions-
The rest o. his .ace paled behind the+- IThe ,itchHI 3nd then
re+e+bering: IBut ! brought you that cure right---HI
IThe cure ,asn2t8all ,e2d been hoping .orI 0larke said- I!t
actually turned out to be so+ething---else---I
;e thought about that a +o+ent- ;e pushed his splayed .ingers
against the +e+brane- The +e+brane stretched iridescing-
I:ou saying---you saying it2s like another diseaseHI
I3.raid so-I
I"o that explains itI he +ur+ured-
IDxplains ,hatHI
I4hy ! been so ,eak the last coupla days- <rob2ly still have +y
bike i. !2d been 9ust that +uch .aster-I ;e .ro,ned at her- I"o you
go around broadbanding ho, this ger+,are kicks ehe+oth2s ass
and ho, ,e2re supposed to like collect it and all and it2s really 9ust
another bugHI
I"orryI she said so.tly-
I7uck-I /icketts lay back on the pallet and thre, one ar+ over
his .ace- IO,I he added al+ost as an a.terthought-
I:eah your ar+2s going to be sore .or a bit- :ou ,ere pretty
badly beat up the M! can2t .ix everything 9ust like that-I
;e held up the li+b and exa+ined it- I!t does .eel a lot better
though- 0verything .eels better- Thanks-I
0larke .orced a s+ile-
;e ,as up on his elbo,s looking .ro+ the s+aller cage into the
larger one- IThis ,hole set-up isn2t bad- 4ay better than that
priestly +eat ,agon-I
!t ,asn2t o. course- Phocoena's +ed .acilities ,ere
rudi+entary at best .ar belo, ,hat the M! could o..er- I!2+ a.raid
you2ll have to stay in there .or a ,hileI 0larke said apologetically-
I! kno, it2s cra+ped but the onboard2s got ga+es and sho,s help
you pass the ti+e-I "he gestured at a headset hanging .ro+ the
roo. o. the nook- I! can give you access-I
IAreat- Better2n an oven-I
IOvenHI
I:ou kno,-I ;e tapped his te+ple- IMicro,aves- Aive you a
.ine buCC i. you 9i++y the doors and stick your head 9ust so-I
(ood trick 0larke +used- Wish &'d known it when & was a kid.
Then again$ maybe & did...
I4hat i. ! have to shitHI /icketts ,ondered-
"he nodded at a convex button set into the recessed bulkhead-
IThe pallet converts- <ush that ,hen you have to go- !t2s pretty
straight.or,ard-I
;e did then let out a little yelp o. surprise as the +idsection o.
the pallet slid s+oothly a,ay underneath hi+- ;is ass bu+ped
do,n on the ,ide ri+ o. the bo,l beneath-
IWowI he ,hispered i+pressed out o. all proportion- 3nother
press o. the button and the pallet reintegrated-
I"o ,hat no,HI he asked-
*ow you get to be a lab rat. *ow you'll go to some place where
machines cut pieces out o" you until either you die$ or the thing
inside o" you does. *ow$ you'll be grilled on how long you hung
around in 7reeport$ how many others you might have breathed on$
how many others they might have. They'll "ind out about that
asshole who beat you up and maybe they'll want to interview hi+.
6r maybe not. /aybe they'll just decide it's already gone too "ar
"or pleasant interviews and nice individual extractions.because
a"ter all$ i" we have to sacri"ice you to save 7reeport$ surely we
also have to sacri"ice 7reeport to save *ew 0ngland now$ don't
we+ That's the greater good "or you$ kid. &t's a sliding scale. &t's
concentric.
And nobody's li"e is worth shit when they slap it onto the table.
"he2d roll the dice- Maybe hundreds ,ould die in .la+es-
Maybe only /icketts ,ould in pieces-
I;elloHI /icketts said- I:ou hereHI
0larke blinked- I"orryHI
I! said ,hat no,HI
I! don2t kno, yetI she told hi+-
PA.AN4,0
3aron had led to Beth- Beth had led to ;abib and ;abib had
led to Oander and the ,hole lot o. the+ had led to t,enty
thousand hectares o. ,asted #e, Dngland countryside being put to
the .la+e- 3nd that ,asn2t all: 3ccording to the chatter on the
restricted band there ,ere at least three other operatives s,eeping
the .ield .urther south *es9ardins2s pre.erence .or lo, pro.iles
not,ithstanding-
Dight days no, and "eppuku ,as living up to the hype- !t ,as
spreading .aster than ehe+oth ever had-
Oander had also led to <hong and <hong ,as .ighting back-
>ubin had hi+ cornered in the +outh o. an old stor+-se,er that
drooled sli+y ,ater into the Merri+ack /iver- The +outh ,as a
good t,o +eters in dia+eter set into a concrete cli.. perhaps three
ti+es that height- !t had a tongue a triangular spill,ay ,idening
out to,ards the river .lanked by rising abut+ents that held back
the banks to either side- The spill,ay constituted the only clear
avenue o. approach and ,as slippery ,ith bro,nish-green scu+-
The +outh also had teeth a grate o. +etal bars set a +eter back
.ro+ the opening- They kept <hong .ro+ escaping underground
and had .orced hi+ to .all back on his one high card: an anti7ue
.irear+ that shot bullets o. indeter+inate caliber- >ubin tru+ped
hi+ t,ice over on that scoreF he carried a "chubert active-denial
+icro,ave pistol that could heat .lesh to %00 and a ;eckler M
Boch rapid-.ire <*4 that ,as currently loaded ,ith +itigated
conotoxins- Gn.ortunately there ,as ,ay too +uch earth and
concrete .or the +icro,aves to penetrate .ro+ >ubin2s present
position and getting a clear shot ,ith the ;MB ,ould involve
exposing hi+sel. on the sli+y slope o. the spill,ay-
!t shouldn2t have +attered- Gnder nor+al circu+stances it
,ould still be the .urthest thing .ro+ an even +atch even granting
>ubin2s rusty +arks+anship a.ter .ive years- Dven though <hong2s
re.uge ,as in shado, and the sun stabbed directly into >ubin2s
eyes ,henever he peeked around the corner- Those all +ade the
shot trickier no 7uestion- "till- >ubin ,as a pro"essional.
#o ,hat really ske,ed the odds ,as the .act that <hong
see+ed to have a thousand bodyguards and they ,ere all attacking
>ubin at once-
;e2d scarcely noticed the+ on approach: a cloud o. +idges
hovering over a patch o. resistant greenery on the e+bank+ent-
They2d al,ays been co+pletely har+less in >ubin2s experience-
;e2d dispersed the+ ,ith a ,ave o. his hand as he passed through
his attention on the concrete barrier that cut the riverbank 9ust
ahead---and in the next instant they2d attacked a s,ar+ o.
+os7uito-siCed insects ,ith piranha-siCed attitudes-
They bit and they distracted and they broke both his
concentration and his stealth- <hong stealing a drink .ro+ the
se,er had seen hi+ co+ing and s7ueeCed o.. a near +iss be.ore
ducking back under cover- ;e2d al+ost escaped entirely but
>ubin had plunged through the insectile onslaught to the edge o.
the drainage apron 9ust in ti+e to trap his 7uarry back against the
tunnel-
I!2+ here to get you to a hospitalNI he called- I:ou2ve been
exposed to8I
I?uck youNI <hong shouted back-
3 s7uad o. dive-bo+bing insects attacked >ubin2s hand al+ost
in .or+ationF the little bastards had "ollowed hi+- ;e slapped
do,n hard- ;e +issed his attackers but ,elco+ed the sting o. the
i+pact- ;e unrolled the gloves .ro+ the ,rists o. his isolation skin
and slipped the+ on 9uggling the "chubert then reached over his
shoulder .or the hood-
The velcro tab on the back o. his collar ,as e+pty- ;is hood
,as probably hanging o.. so+e lo,-lying branch in the ,oods
behind hi+-
3nd he ,as going up against so+eone ,ho2d been exposed to
"eppuku .or t,o .ull days- >ubin allo,ed hi+sel. a +uttered
I1hit-I
I! don2t ,ant to hurt youNI he tried again- 4hich ,asn2t exactly
true and getting less so- The desire to kill something ,as certainly
circling around his sel.-control- More insects attackedF he crushed
the+ bet,een hand and .orear+ and reached to ,ipe the s+ashed
body parts o.. against the river bank- ;e paused brie.ly
distracted: it ,as hard to be certain but those crushed bodies
see+ed to have too +any legs-
;e ,iped the+ o.. and .ocused on the i++ediate task- I:ou2re
co+ing ,ith +eI he called his voice raised but level- IThat2s not
up .or discussion-I &nsects have.right. 1ix legs- ;e ,aved o..
another assaultF a line o. pinpricks lit up the back o. his neck-
IThe only issue is ,hether you co+e no, or later-I
I,ater$ stump"uck% & know whose side you on%I
I4e can also discuss ,hether !2ll be taking you to a hospital or
a cre+atoriu+I >ubin +uttered-
3 s7uadron targeted his .ace- ;e slapped his .orehead hard-
;is hand ca+e a,ay ,ith three tiny carcasses .lattened against the
pal+- Dach had eight legs-
What has eight legs+ 1piders+ 7lying spiders+
3unting in packs+
;e ,iped his pal+ against a patch o. convenient vines +atting
the e+bank+ent- The vines s7uir+ed at his touch-
;e pulled his hand back instinctively shocked- What the.
T,eaked obviously- Or so+e kind o. accidental hybrid- The
.oliage clenched and relaxed in peristaltic ,aves-
7ocus. Keep on track.
More dive-bo+bers- #ot 7uite so +any this ti+e- Maybe he2d
s,atted +ost o. the s,ar+ already- ;e .elt as i. he2d s,atted a
hundred s,ar+s-
3 scrabbling .ro+ beyond the barrier-
>ubin peeked around the abut+ent- <hong ,as +aking a break
.or it scra+bling along a dry strip o. concrete edging the .ar side
o. the spill,ay- "tartling gra..iti decorated the ,all behind hi+ a
styliCed .e+ale .ace ,ith ,hite .eatureless eyes and a CigCag
+oniker: MM-
<hong sa, hi+ .ired three ,ild rounds- >ubin didn2t even
bother to duckF his +icro,ave ,as already set on ,ide bea+ too
di..use .or a 7uick kill but easily strong enough to reheat <hong2s
last +eal along ,ith +ost o. the gastrointestinal tract that ,as
holding it- <hong doubled over retching to land on the thin skin
o. ,aste,ater and the .rictionless sli+e beneath it- ;e slid
diagonally do,n the spill,ay out o. control- >ubin put one .oot
on a convenient dry patch and leaned out to catch hi+ as he
passed-
The 3irborne "pider Brigade chose that exact +o+ent .or its
last hurrah-
"uddenly >ubin2s .ace and neck ,ere ,rapped in stinging
nettles- Overextended he struggled .or balance- <hong sailed
pastF one .lailing leg careened against >ubin2s ankle- >ubin ,ent
over like a pile o. very angry bricks-
They slid o.. the spill,ay into .ree.all-
!t ,asn2t a long drop but it ,as a hard landing- The Merri+ack
,as a +ere shado, o. its .or+er sel.F they landed not in ,ater but
on a broken +osaic o. shale and cracked +ud barely +oistened by
the out.all- >ubin got so+e slight satis.action .ro+ the .act that
<hong landed underneath hi+-
<hong thre, up again on i+pact-
>ubin rolled a,ay and stood ,iping vo+it .ro+ his .ace-
"hards o. shale snapped and slipped beneath his .eet- ;is .ace and
neck and hands itched +addeningly- 53t least he see+ed to have
.inally shaken the ka+ikaCe arthropods-6 ;is right .orear+ ,as
skinned and ooCing the supposedly-unbreachable isolation
+e+brane ripped .ro+ pal+ to elbo,- 3 kni.e-edged splinter o.
stone the siCe o. his thu+b lay e+bedded in the heel o. his hand-
;e pulled it .ree- The 9olt that shot up his .orear+ .elt al+ost
electrical- Blood ,elled .ro+ the gash- Mopping at the gore
revealed clu+ped particles o. .atty tissue like clusters o. ivory
pinheads deep in the breach-
The +icro,ave pistol lay on the scree a .e, +eters a,ay- ;e
retrieved it ,incing-
<hong still lay on his back ,inded bruised his le.t leg t,isted
at an angle i+possible to reconcile ,ith the pre+ise o. an intact
tibia- ;is skin reddened as >ubin ,atched s+all blisters rising on
his .ace in the ,ake o. the +icro,ave burst- <hong ,as in bad
shape-
I#ot bad enoughI >ubin re+arked looking do,n at hi+-
<hong looked up through glaCed eyes and +uttered so+ething
like Wha...
)ou were not worth the trouble >ubin thought- There was no
excuse "or me to even break a sweat over the likes o" you. )ou're
nothing. )ou're less than nothing. 3ow dare you get so lucky.
3ow dare you piss me o"" like this.
;e kicked <hong in the ribs- One broke ,ith a satis.ying snap-
<hong yelped-
I1hhhI >ubin +ur+ured soothingly- ;e brought the heel o. his
boot do,n on <hong2s outstretched hand ground it back and .orth-
<hong screa+ed-
>ubin spent a +o+ent conte+plating <hong2s right leg8the
intact one8but decided to leave it unbroken- There ,as a certain
aesthetic in the asy++etry- !nstead he brought his .oot do,n
again hard on the broken le.t one-
<hong screa+ed and .ainted escaping into brie. oblivion- !t
didn2t +atterF >ubin2s hard-on had been assured ,ith the .irst
snapping bone-
(o on he urged hi+sel.-
;e ,alked unhurriedly around the broken +an until he .ound
hi+sel. next to <hong2s head- Dxperi+entally he li.ted his .oot-
(o on. &t doesn't matter. *obody cares-
But he had rules- They ,eren2t nearly so inviolable as ,hen
he2d been Auilt Tripped but in a ,ay that ,as the ,hole point- To
+ake his o,n decisions- To .ollo, his o,n algorith+- To prove
he didn2t have to give in to prove he ,as stronger than his
i+pulses-
Prove it to who+ Who's here to care+ But he already kne, the
ans,er-
&t's not his "ault. &t's yours.
>ubin sighed- ;e lo,ered his .oot and ,aited-
I3 +an na+ed Oander gave you a vialI he said cal+ly
s7uatting at <hong2s side a hal.-hour later-
<hong stared ,ide-eyed and shook his head- ;e did not see+
pleased to be back in the real ,orld- I<lease---don2t8I
I:ou ,ere told that it contained a counteragent that it ,ould
kill o.. ehe+oth i. it ,as disse+inated ,idely enough- ! thought
so +ysel. at .irst- ! understand that you ,ere only trying to do the
right thing-I >ubin leaned in close- I3re you .ollo,ing +e
<hongHI
<hong gulped and nodded-
>ubin stood- I4e ,ere both +isin.or+ed- The vial you ,ere
given ,ill only +ake things ,orse- !. you hadn2t been so busy
trying to kill +e you could have saved us both a lot8I 3 sudden
thought occurred to hi+- IJust out o. interest ,hy were you trying
to kill +eHI
<hong looked torn-
I!2d really like to kno,I >ubin said ,ithout the slightest trace
o. threat in his voice-
I:ou8they said people trying to stop the cureI <hong blurted-
I4hoHI
IJust people- On the radio-I 3lone helpless hal. his bones
broken and still he ,as trying to protect his contacts- *ot bad
>ubin had to ad+it-
I4e2re notI he said- I3nd i. you had been in touch ,ith
Oander and 3aron and their .riends lately you2d kno, that .or
yoursel.- They2re very sick-I
I#o-I !t ,as probably +eant to be a protest but <hong didn2t
see+ able to put any conviction into the ,ord-
I! need to kno, ,hat you did ,ith that vialI >ubin said-
I!---! ate itI <hong +anaged-
I:ou ate it- :ou +ean you drank the contents-I
I:es-I
I:ou didn2t disse+inate it any,here- :ou drank it all yoursel.-I
I:es-I
I4hy +ay ! askHI
IThey say it cure ehe+oth- !8! .irst stage already- They say
! dead by ,inter and ! could not get into .orts---I
>ubin didn2t dare touch the +an not ,ith his isolation skin in
tatters- ;e studied <hong2s exposed and reddened skin at the
blisters rising across it- !. there had been any obvious signs o.
either ehe+oth or "eppuku they ,ere no, indistinguishable
under the burns- ;e tried to re+e+ber i. <hong had presented any
sy+pto+s prior to being shot-
I4hen did you do thisHI he asked at last-
IT,o days- ! .elt .ine until---you---you---I <hong s7uir+ed
,eakly ,inced at the result-
T,o days- "eppuku ,as .ast but all the sy+pto+atic vectors
>ubin had encountered had been in.ected .or longer than that- !t
,as probably only a +atter o. hours be.ore <hong started
presenting- 3 day or t,o at +ost-
I8to +eHI <hong ,as saying-
>ubin looked do,n at hi+- I4hatHI
I4hat you do to +eHI
I3 li.ter2s on the ,ay- :ou2ll be in a +edical .acility by
night.all-I
I!2+ sorryI <hong said and coughed- IThey say ! be dead by
,interI he repeated in a ,eak voice-
I:ou ,ill beI >ubin told hi+-
MA5.:4S2A
0larke didn2t +ake the call-
"he2d had closer contact ,ith /icketts than anyone except the
person ,ho2d assaulted hi+ and she2d checked out clean- "he ,as
,illing to bet that the people o. ?reeport ,ere clean too-
"he ,asn2t ,illing to bet that the trigger .ingers ,ould agree
,ith her-
"he kne, the argu+ents- "he kne, the virtues o. erring on the
side o. caution- "he 9ust didn2t buy the+ not ,hen the people
+aking those decisions sat in untouchable .ar-o.. to,ers adding
colu+ns o. e+pty nu+bers and Bayesian probabilities- Maybe the
experts ,ere right +aybe the only people truly 7uali.ied to run the
,orld ,ere those ,ithout conscience8clear-eyed rational
untroubled by the e+otional baggage that the sight o. piled bodies
could induce in the unblessed- <eople ,eren2t nu+bers but +aybe
the only ,ay to do the right thing ,as to act as i. they ,ere-
Maybe- "he ,asn2t going to bet the to,n o. ?reeport on it
though-
They ,ere no,here close to a cure according to the dispatches-
There ,as nothing anyone could do .or /icketts except poke at
hi+- <erhaps that ,ould change at so+e point- <erhaps it ,ould
even happen be.ore "eppuku killed hi+ although that see+ed
vanishingly unlikely- !n the +eanti+e >ubin ,as good at his 9ob
8+aybe a bit past his pri+e but easily +ore than a +atch .or a
hand.ul o. in.ected .erals ,ho didn2t even kno, they ,ere being
hunted- !. the MeatCarts needed live sa+ples >ubin ,as the +an
to provide the+-
There ,as no need to .eed this skinny kid into that syste+-
0larke had learned a .e, things about research protocols over the
years: even a.ter the cures are discovered ,ho bothers
rehabilitating the lab ratsH
Taka Ouellette +aybe- 0larke ,ould have trusted her in an
instant- But 0larke didn2t kno, ,here she ,as or ho, to reach
her- "he certainly didn2t trust the syste+ to deliver /icketts into
her exceptional ar+s- 3nd /icketts surprisingly see+ed content
,here he ,as- !n .act he see+ed al+ost happy there- Maybe he2d
.orgotten the old days or +aybe he hadn2t been very ,ell-o.. even
then- But by the ti+e he2d .allen into 0larke2s orbit he kne, only
the grubby dying landscape upon ,hich he expected to live his
,hole short li.e- <robably the +ost he2d dared hope .or ,as to die
in peace and alone in so+e sheltered ruin be.ore being torn apart
.or his clothes or the dirt in his pockets-
To be rescued .ro+ that place to ,ake up in a glea+ing
sub+arine at the botto+ o. the sea8that +ust have see+ed
+agical beyond drea+s- /icketts ca+e .ro+ a li.e so gri+ that
ter+inal exile on the ocean .loor ,as actually a step up-
& could just let him die here 0larke thought and he'd be
happier than he'd ever been in his li"e.
"he kept her eyes open o. course- "he ,asn2t stupid- "eppuku
was a.oot in the ,orld and /icketts had vectored it all the ,ay
.ro+ @er+ont- 3t the very least there ,as so+e thug ,ith a stolen
+otorbike to ,orry about- "he tested everyone that Miri
s,allo,ed no +atter ,hat their co+plaint- "he read encrypted
dispatches intended only .or those in the loop- "he ,atched public
broadcasts ai+ed at the .erals the+selves trans+issions .ro+
high-tech havens in Boston and 3ugusta: ,eather M! schedules
,aiting ti+es at the ehe+oth .orts8incongruously coding tips-
"he +arveled that the castle-d,ellers ,ould dare present
the+selves this ,ay as i. they could redee+ the+selves by
sending public service bulletins to those they2d tra+pled in their
o,n rush to sa.ety-
"he drove the back roads and checked derelict d,ellings
looking .or business .or people too ,eak to seek her out- "he
7ueried her patients: did they kno, anyone ,ho had co+e do,n
,ith high .ever soreness in the 9oints sudden ,eaknessH
#othing-
"he thought o. her .riend 3chilles *es9ardins- "he ,ondered i.
he ,as still alive or i. he had died ,hen "partacus re,ired his
brain- The circuits that +ade hi+ ,ho he ,as had been changed
a.ter all- 3e had been changed- Maybe he2d been changed so
+uch that he didn2t even exist any +ore- Maybe he ,as a ,hole
ne, being living in *es9ardins2s head running o.. his +e+ories-
One thing see+ed to have stayed the sa+e though- *es9ardins
,as still one o. the trigger .ingers still entrusted to kill the +any to
save the +ultitude- Maybe so+eday8+aybe soon8he2d have to
do that here- >enie 0larke realiCed as +uch: she +ight be ,rong-
Dxtre+e +easures +ight prove necessary-
#ot yet though- !. "eppuku gestated in the ghost to,n o.
?reeport it ,as laying lo,- >enie 0larke did like,ise- !n the
+eanti+e /icketts ,as her little secret-
?or as long as he lasted any,ay- !t ,asn2t looking good-
"he stepped dripping .ro+ the diver 2lock in Phocoena2s tail-
/icketts ,as ,etter than she ,as-
;is skin ,as beyond pinkF it ,as so .lushed it al+ost looked
sunburned- ;e2d long since stripped o.. his rags and no, lay
naked on a pallet that could soak up perspiration barely .aster than
he produced it-
#one o. his biotele+etry ,as in the red yet according to the
panel- That ,as so+ething-
;e had the headset on but he turned his head at the sound o.
her entrance- The blind co,led .ace see+ed to look right through
her- I;i-I The s+ile on his .ace ,as an absurd paradox-
I;iI she said stepping to the cycler on the opposite bulkhead-
I;ungryHI "he ,as only .illing the silenceF the drip in his ar+ kept
hi+ .ed as ,ell as +edicated-
;e shook his head- IThanks- Busy-I
!n @/ perhaps- The handpad lay discarded by his knees but
there ,ere other inter.aces-
IThis is greatI he +ur+ured-
0larke looked at hi+- 3ow can you say that+ she ,ondered-
3ow can you just act as though there's nothing wrong+ #on't you
know you're dyingH
But o. course he probably didn2t- !. Phocoena couldn2t cure
hi+ at least it ,asn2t letting hi+ su..er: it kept his .luids up
gagged internal alar+s soothed nerves ,hen they burned ,ith
.ever or nausea- 3nd it ,asn2t 9ust ehe+oth2s ravages that the
+edbed ,ould have s,ept under the rug- /icketts2s ,hole li.e
+ust have been an ongoing litany o. lo,-level disco+.ort chronic
in.ections parasite loads old in9uries badly healed- 3ll those
baseline aches and pains ,ould be gone too as .ar as this boy
could tell- ;e probably .elt better than he had in years- ;e
probably thought his ,eakness ,ould pass that he ,as actually
getting better-
The only ,ay he2d kno, other,ise ,ould be i. >enie 0larke
told hi+ the truth-
"he turned .ro+ the cycler and cli+bed .or,ard into the
cockpit- "yste+s telltales ,inked and ,riggled under the dark
crystal o. the pilot2s dash- There ,as so+ething vaguely o.. about
those readouts so+ething 0larke couldn2t 7uite8
I!t2s so clean in hereI /icketts said-
;e ,asn2t in @/- ;e ,asn2t playing ga+es-
3e'd hacked into nav.
"he straightened so .ast her head cracked against the overhead
vie,port- I4hat are you doing in thereH That2s not8I
IThere2s no ,ildli.e at allI he ,ent on a+aCed- I#ot even
like a worm .ar as ! can tell- 3nd everything2s so so---I he .ell
silent groping .or the ,ord-
"he ,as back at his cage- /icketts lay staring at Phocoena2s
pristine datascape e+aciated anesthetiCed lost in ,onder-
IWholeI he said at last-
"he reached out- The +e+brane tugged gently at her .ingertips
,ebbed her .ingers stretched back along her .orear+- "he brie.ly
touched his shoulder- ;is head rolled in her direction not so +uch
an act o. ,ill as o. gravity-
I;o, are you doing thatHI she asked-
I*oing---H Oh- "accadal keyboard- :ou kno,- Dye
+ove+ents-I ;e s+iled ,eakly- IDasier2n the handpad-I
I#o ! +ean ho, did you get into PhocoenaHI
I4asn2t ! supposed toHI ;e pushed the eyephones up on a
.orehead beaded ,ith s,eat and stared .ro,ning- ;e see+ed to
be having trouble .ocusing on her- I:ou said ! could use the
onboard-I
I! +eant games-I
IOhI /icketts said- I! don2t really---you kno, ! didn2t---I
I!t2s okayI she told hi+-
I! ,as 9ust looking around- *idn2t re,rite anything- !t2s not
like there ,as security or you kno,-I Then added a +o+ent later
I;ardly any-I
0larke shook her head- Ken would kill me i" he knew &'d let this
kid in. 3e'd at least kick my ass "or not putting a "ew passwords in
place.
"o+ething scratched at the back o. her +ind so+ething
/icketts had 9ust said- )ou said & could use the onboard. & was
just looking around. & didn't rewrite any.
I4ait a secondI she said I3re you saying you could re,rite
the nav code i. you ,anted toHI
/icketts licked his lips- I<rob2ly not- *on2t even really kno,
,hat it2s .or- ! +ean ! could t,eak it all right but it2d 9ust be like
rando+ changes-I
IBut you2re saying you can code-I
I4ell yeah- Binda-I
IOut there in the ,ilds- <oking around in the ruins- :ou
learned to code-I
I#o +ore2n anyone else-I ;e see+ed honestly con.used-
I4hat you think the claves took all our ,atches and stu.. be.ore
they hived upH :ou think ,e don2t have electricity or so+ethingHI
O. course there2d be po,er sources- >e.t-over Ballard "tacks
private ,ind+ills the photoelectric paint that kept those stupid
billboards ha,king neutriceuts and .ashion accessories into the
+iddle o. the apocalypse itsel.- But that hardly +eant8
I:ou can codeI she +ur+ured incredulous even as she
re+e+bered the progra++ing tips she2d seen on public television-
I:ou can2t gro, a little code here and there you can .orget
about using your ,atch 2cept .or ti+e and bulls- ;o,2d you think !
.ound you guys you think A<" .ixes itsel" ,hen ,or+s and
"hredders get in thereHI
;e ,as breathing .ast and shallo, as i. the e..ort o. so +any
,ords had ,inded hi+- But he ,as proud too 0larke could tell-
?eral Bid On >ast >egs !+presses Dxotic Older 4o+an-
3nd she was i+pressed despite hersel.-
/icketts could code-
"he sho,ed hi+ her 0ohen board- 0urled up in his cage he
tapped his o,n headset ar+ ,obbling ,ith the e..ort- ;e
.ro,ned apparently taken aback by his o,n ,eakness-
I"o pipe it throughI he said a.ter a +o+ent
"he shook her head- I#o ,ireless- Too risky- !t +ight get
out-I
;e looked at her kno,ingly- I>enieHI
I! think they call it a8a shredder-I
;e nodded- I"hredders >enies Madonnas- "a+e thing-I
I!t keeps crashing-I
I4ell yeah- That2s ,hat they do-I
I!t couldn2t have been crashing the O" that ,as read-only- !t
,as crashing itsel"-I
;e +anaged a hal.-shrug-
IBut ,hy ,ould it do thatH !2ve seen the+ run a lot longer than
.ive seconds out in the ,ild- *o you think +aybe8HI
I"ureI he said- I! can take a look- But you gotta do so+ething
too-I
I4hat2s thatHI
ITake those stupid things outta your eyes-I
/e.lexively she stepped back- I4hyHI
I! 9ust ,anna see the+- :our eyes-I
What are you so a"raid o"+ she asked hersel.- #o you think
he'll see the truth in there+
But o. course she ,as +uch better than that- Better than he
,as any,ay: she .orced hersel. to disar+ and a.ter,ards8
looking straight into her naked eyes8he didn2t see+ to see a thing
he didn2t ,ant to-
I:ou should leave the+ like that- !t2s al+ost like you2re
beauti.ul-I
I#o it isn2t-I "he dialed do,n the +e+brane and pushed the
board through: /icketts .u+bled itF the contraption dropped onto
the pallet beside hi+ the iso +e+brane sealing sea+lessly in its
,ake- 0larke cranked its sur.ace tension back to +axi+u+ ,hile
/icketts e+barrassed by his o,n clu+siness studied the board
,ith .eigned intensity-
"lo,ly care.ully he slipped the headset into place and didn2t
.uck up- ;e sagged onto his back breathing heavily- The 0ohen
Board .lickered to light-
I1hit$I he hissed suddenly- I#asty little bitch-I 3nd a +o+ent
later: IOh- There2s your proble+-I
I4hatHI
IDlbo, roo+- "he like attacks rando+ addresses only you
put her in this really s+all cage so she ends up 9ust cla,ing her
o,n code- "he2d last longer i. you added +e+ory-I ;e paused
then asked I4hy are you keeping her any,ayHI
I! 9ust ,anted to8ask it so+e thingsI 0larke hedged-
I:ou2re kidding rightHI
"he shook her head although he couldn2t see her- IG+8I
I:ou do get that she doesn2t like understand anythingHI
!t took a +o+ent .or the ,ords to sink in- I4hat do you
+eanHI
I"he2s no,here near big enoughI /icketts told her- I4ouldn2t
last t,o +inutes in a Turing test-I
IBut it ,as talking back- Be.ore it crashed-I
I#o she ,asn2t-I
I/icketts ! heard it-I
;e snortedF the sound turned into a racking cough- I"he2s got a
dialog tree sure- "he2s got like key,ord re.lexes and stu.. but
that2s not8I
;eat rose in her cheeks- &'m such an idiot.
I! +ean some "hredders are s+art enough ! guessI he added-
IJust not this one-I
"he ran her .ingers over her scalp- I!s there so+e other ,ay to
8interrogate it +aybeH *i..erent inter.aceH Or ! don2t kno,
deco+pile the codeHI
I!t evolved- :ou ever try to .igure out evolved codeHI
I#o-I
I!t2s really +essy- Most o. it doesn2t even do anything any
+ore it2s all 9ust 9unk genes le.t over .ro+---I his voice trailed o..-
I3nd ,hy don2t you 9ust .lush her any,ayHI he asked very
so.tly- IThese things aren2t s+art- They2re not special- They2re 9ust
shitbo+bs so+e assholes thro, at us to try and crash ,hatever ,e
got le.t- They even attack each other i. you give 2e+ hal. a chance-
!. it ,eren2t .or the .ire,alls and the exorcists and stu.. they2d have
,recked everything by no,-I
0larke didn2t ans,er-
3l+ost sighing /icketts said: I:ou2re really strange you
kno,HI
"he s+iled a bit-
I#obody2s gonna believe +e ,hen ! tell the+ about this- Too
bad you can2t you kno, co+e back ,ith +e- Just so they ,on2t
think ! +ade it all up-I
IBackHI
I;o+e- 4hen ! get out o. here-I
I4ellI she said Iyou never kno,-I
3 pathetic gap-toothed s+ile bloo+ed beneath his headset-
I/ickettsI she said a.ter a ,hile-
#o ans,er- ;e lay there patient and inert still breathing- The
tele+etry panel continued to scribble out little traces o. light
cardio pulmo neocort- 3ll ,ay too highF "eppuku had cranked
his +etabolic rate into the stratosphere-
3e's asleep. 3e's dying. ,et him be.
"he cli+bed into the cockpit and collapsed into the pilot2s
station- The vie,ports around her glo,ed ,ith a di+ green light
.ading to gray- "he2d le.t the cabin lights o..F Phocoena ,as a
sub+erged cave in the dying light its recesses already hidden in
shado,- By no, she ,as al+ost .ond o. the blindness a..orded
her naked eyes-
"o o.ten no, darkness see+ed the better choice-
1ASMN5 W,.,N7
?irst he blinded her put stinging drops into her eyes that
reduced the ,hole ,orld to a vague gray abstraction- ;e ,heeled
her out o. the cell do,n corridors and elevators ,hose presence
she could only in.er only through a+bient acoustics and a sense o.
.or,ard +otion- Those ,ere ,hat she .ocused on: +o+entu+
and sound and the blurry photosensitivity that one +ight get by
looking at the ,orld through a thick sheet o. ,axed paper- "he
tried to ignore the s+ell o. her o,n shit pooling beneath her on the
gurney- "he tried to ignore the pain not so ra, and electric no,
but spread across her ,hole thorax like a great stinging bruise-
!t ,as i+possible o. course- But she tried-
;er vision ,as beginning to clear ,hen the gurney rolled to a
stop- "he could see blurry shapes in the .og by the ti+e the
induction .ield cut back in and reduced her once +ore to a rag doll
unable even to struggle ,ithin restraint- The vie, sharpened in
s+all incre+ents as her tor+entor installed her in so+e kind o.
rigid exoskeleton that ,ould have posed her on all .ours i. any
part o. her had been touching the ground- !t ,as gi+baledF a
gentle push .ro+ the side and the .uCCy outlines o. the roo+
rotated laCily past her eyes as i. she ,ere a..ixed to a +erry-go-
round-
By the ti+e she got her +otor nerves back she could see clearly
again- "he ,as in a dungeon- There ,as nothing +edieval about
it no torches on the ,alls- !ndirect light glo,ed .ro+ recessed
grooves that ran along the edges o. the ceiling- The loops and
restraints hanging .ro+ the ,all in .ront o. her ,ere +ade o.
+e+etic poly+ers- The blades and coils and alligator clips on the
bench to her le.t ,ere stainless glea+ing alloy- The .loor ,as a
spotless +osaic o. Dscher tiles cerulean .ish segueing into 9ade
,ater.o,l- Dven the cleansers and stain re+overs on the cart by
the door ,ere she had no doubt .illed ,ith the latest synthetics-
The only anachronistic touch ,as a pile o. rough ,ooden poles
leaning up against one corner o. the roo+- Their tips had been
hand-,hittled to points-
There ,as a collar8a pillory actually8around her neck- !t
blinded her to anything behind- <erhaps realiCing this 3chilles
*es9ardins stepped acco++odatingly into vie, at her le.t side
holding a handpad-
&t's only him she thought a bit giddily. The others didn't know-
!. they had ,hy had they been ,earing body condo+sH 4hy the
pretense o. a 7uarantine cell ,hy not 9ust bring her here directlyH
The +en ,ho2d delivered her didn2t kno, ,hat ,as going on-
They +ust have been told she ,as a vector a danger so+eone
,ho2d try to escape the +o+ent she kne, the 9ig ,as up- They
+ust have thought they2d been doing the right thing-
!t didn2t +ake any di..erence to her current predica+ent- But it
mattered 9ust the sa+e: the ,hole ,orld ,asn2t +ad- <arts o. it
,ere 9ust +isin.or+ed-
3chilles looked do,n at her- "he looked backF the stock
pushed against her head as she craned her neck-
"he s7uir+ed- The .ra+e that held her body see+ed to tighten
a tiny bit- I4hy are you doing thisHI
;e shrugged- ITo get o..- Thought that2d be obvious even to a
.uckup like you 3lice-I
;er lo,er lip tre+bled uncontrollably- "he bit do,n on it
hard- #on't give him anything. #on't give him anything- But o.
course it ,as ,ay too late .or that-
I:ou look like you ,ant to say so+ethingI 3chilles re+arked-
"he shook her head-
I0o+e on girl- "peakN "peak girlNI
&'ve got nothing to say to you$ you "ucking asshole.
;is hand ,as in his pocket again- "o+ething in there +ade a
.a+iliar snick'snick noise-
3e wants me to talk. 3e told me to talk. What happens i" &
don't+
"nick-snick-
What i" & do$ and he doesn't like what & say+ What i".
!t didn2t +atter she realiCed- !t didn2t +ake any di..erence at
all- ;ell ,as an arbitrary place- !. he ,anted to hurt her he2d hurt
her no +atter ,hat she said-
"he ,as probably already as good as dead-
I:ou2re not hu+anI she ,hispered-
3chilles hmmed a +o+ent- I?air enough- ! used to be though-
Be.ore ! ,as liberated. *id you kno, hu+anity can be extractedH
>ittle bug called 1partacus sucks it right out o. you-I ;e
,andered back out o. sight- Taka strained to .ollo, but the stocks
kept her .acing .or,ard- I"o don2t bla+e +e 3lice- ! ,as the
victim-I
I!2+---!2+ sorryI Taka tried-
I!2ll bet- They all are-I
"he s,allo,ed and tried not to go ,here that led-
The exoskeleton +ust have been spring-loadedF there ,as a
click and suddenly her ar+s ,ere yanked up behind her spread
back in a delta-@- The +otion stretched the .lesh tight across her
chestF the pain that had di..used across her body collapsed back
do,n to a sharp agoniCed .ocus in her breast- "he bit back a
screa+- "o+e distant irrelevant part o. her took pride in her
success-
Then so+ething cold slapped against her ass and she cried out
any,ay8but 3chilles ,as 9ust cleaning her up ,ith a ,et rag-
The ,etness evaporated al+ost instantly chilling her- Taka
s+elled alcohol-
IDxcuse +eH :ou said so+ethingHI
IWhy do you want to hurt me+I The ,ords burst .ro+ the
throat o. so+e ,ounded ani+al be.ore she could bite the+ back:
1tupid$ stupid bitch. Whining and crying and groveling just the
way he likes it. )ou know why he does it. )our whole li"e you've
known people like this existed.
But o. course the ani+al hadn2t been asking why at all- The
ani+al ,ouldn2t have even understood the ans,er- The ani+al
only ,anted hi+ to stop-
;is hand ran lightly over her ass- I:ou kno, ,hy-I
"he thrashed her head .ro+ side to side in .rantic violent
denial- IThere are other ,ays easier ,aysN 4ithout the risk
,ithout anyone trying to stop you8I
I#obody2s trying to stop +e nowI 3chilles pointed out-
IBut you +ust kno, ,ith a good set o. phones and a .eedback
skin you could do things that ,ouldn2t even be physically possible
in the real ,orld ,ith +ore ,o+en than you could ever drea+ o.
having in8I
ITried it-I ?ootsteps returning- IJerking o.. in a
hallucination-I
IBut they look and .eel and even smell so real you2d never kno,
8I
"uddenly his hand ,as knotted tightly in her hair t,isting her
head around putting her .ace a .e, scant centi+eters .ro+ his- ;e
,as not s+iling no, and ,hen he spoke again his voice had lost
all pretense o. civility-
I&t's not about the sights or the smells$ okay+ :ou can2t hurt a
hallucination- !t2s play'acting- 4hat2s the point o. torturing
so+ething that can2t even su""erHI ;e yanked her head again .or
good +easure-
3nd in the next instant released it casually cheer.ul once +ore-
I3ny,ay !2+ really no di..erent than any other guy- :ou2re an
educated stu+p.uck you +ust kno, that the only di..erence
bet,een .ucking so+eone and .laying the+ is a .e, neurons and a
,hole lotta social conditioning- :ou2re all like +e- !2ve 9ust lost
the parts that pretend it isn2t true-
I3nd no,I he added ,ith a good-natured ,ink Iyou2ve got an
oral exa+-I
Taka shook her head- I<lease---I
I*on2t s,eat it it2s +ainly revie,- 3s ! recall in our last lesson
,e ,ere talking about "eppuku and you see+ed surprised at the
thought that it +ight reproduce sexually- ! kno, ! kno,8never
even occurred to you did itH Dven though everything has sex
even though bacteria have sex- Dven though you and & are having
sex it never occurred to you that "eppuku +ight- #ot too s+art
3lice- *avid ,ould be very disappointed-I
6h #ave. Thank (od you can't see me now.
IBut let2s +ove past that- Today ,e2re gonna start ,ith the idea
that sex +ight kick in as say as a density-dependent response-
<opulation increases sexual +ode cuts in ,hat happensHI
;e +oved behind her again- "he tried to .ocus tried to put her
+ind to this absurd hu+iliating ga+e on the re+ote chance there
+ight be so+e ,ay to ,in- 1exual mode cuts in$ she thought
genes shu""le$ and the recessives.
3nother click- The exoskeleton stretched its legs back and
.orced hers apart a +eter o.. the .loor-
.the reces.oh (od.it's got all those lethal recessives$ they
start to express and the whole genotype.it collapses---
3chilles laid so+ething hard and dry and roo+-te+perature
across the back o. her right thigh- I3nythingH Or should ! 9ust get
started back hereHI
I&t sel"'destructsNI she blurted- I!t dies o..N <ast so+e critical
density---I
IM+++-I
"he couldn2t tell i. that had been the ans,er he ,as looking .or-
!t +ade sense- As i" sense would matter in this god"orsaken.
I"o ,hy hasn't it died o..HI he asked curiously-
I!t8it8it hasn2t hit the threshold yet- :ou keep burning it
be.ore it gets enough o. a .oothold-I
#o sound or +otion .or an eternity-
I#ot badI 3chilles said .inally-
/elie. crashed through her like a ,ave- "o+e inner voice
berated her .or it re+inded her that she ,as still captive and
3chilles *es9ardins could change the rules ,henever he pleased
but she ignored it and savored the tiny reprieve-
I"o it is a counteragentI she babbled- I! ,as right all along-
!t2s progra++ed to outco+pete ehe+oth and then take itsel. out
o. the picture-I
?ro+ so+e,here behind her shoulder the sense o. a trap
snapping shut-
I:ou2ve never heard the ter+ relict population thenHI The
,eight li.ted .ro+ her thigh- I:ou think a bug that hid .or .our
billion years ,ouldn2t be able to .ind so+e little corner
so+e,here ,here "eppuku couldn2t get at itH One2s all it ,ould
take you kno,- One2s all it took the "irst ti+e- 3nd then "eppuku
takes itsel" out o" the picture as you say and ehe+oth co+es
back stronger than ever- 4hat does "eppuku do then ! ,onderH
/ise .ro+ the graveHI
IBut ,h8I
I"loppy thinking 3lice- 4eally sloppy-I
1mack.
"o+ething dre, a stinging line across her legs- Taka cried outF
the inner voice sneered told you so-
I<leaseI she ,hi+pered-
IBack o. the class cunt-I "o+ething cold tickled her vulva- 3
.aint rasping sound carried over her shoulder like the sound o. a
.ingernail on sandpaper-
I! can see ,hy pine .urniture used to be so cheapI *es9ardins
re+arked- I:ou get all these splinters---I
"he stared hard at the tiled .loor the .ish-to-bird transition
.ocused on that inde.inable +o+ent ,hen background and
.oreground +erged- "he tried to lose hersel. in the exercise- "he
tried to think o. nothing but the pattern-
"he couldn2t escape the thought that 3chilles had designed the
.loor .or exactly that purpose-
SP+,)
1he was sa"e. 1he was home. 1he was deep in the "amiliar
abyss$ water pressing down with the com"orting weight o"
mountains$ no light to betray her presence to the hunters
overhead. *o sound but her own heartbeat. *o breath.
*o breath...
!ut that was normal$ wasn't it+ 1he was a creature o" the deep
sea$ a glorious cyborg with electricity sparking in her chest$
supremely adapted. 1he was immune to the bends. 3er rapture
owed nothing to nitrogen. 1he could not drown.
!ut somehow$ impossibly$ she was.
3er implants had stopped working. 6r no$ her implants had
disappeared entirely$ leaving nothing in her chest but a pounding
heart$ "lopping on the bottom o" a great bleeding hole where lung
and machinery had once been. 3er "lesh cried out "or oxygen.
1he could "eel her blood turning to acid. 1he tried to open her
mouth$ tried to gasp$ but even that useless re"lex was denied her
hereD her hood stretched across her "ace like an impermeable skin.
1he panicked$ thrashing towards a sur"ace that might have been
lightyears away. The very core o" her was a yawning vacuum.
1he convulsed around her own emptiness.
1uddenly$ there was light.
&t was a single beam "rom somewhere overhead$ skewering her
through the darkness. 1he struggled towards itD gray chaos
seethed at the edges o" sight$ blinding her peripheral vision as her
eyes began to shut down. There was light above and oblivion on
all sides. 1he reached "or the light.
A hand sei5ed her wrist and li"ted her into atmosphere.
1uddenly she could breathe againD her lungs had been restored$
her diveskin miraculously removed. 1he sank to her knees on a
solid deck$ sucked great whooping breaths.
1he looked up$ into the "ace o" her salvation. A "leshless$
pixelated caricature o" hersel" grinned backD its eyes were empty
whirling holes. ;)ou're not dead yet$; it said$ and ripped out her
heart.
&t stood over her$ "rowning as she bled out on the deck.
;3ello+; it asked$ its voice turned strangely metallic. ;Are you
there+ Are you there+;
"he a,oke- The real ,orld ,as darker than her drea+ had
been-
"he re+e+bered /ickett2s voice thin and reedy: They even
attack each other i" you give 'em hal" a chance...
I3/D :OG T;D/DHI
!t ,as the voice .ro+ her drea+- !t ,as the ship2s voice-
Phocoena.
& know what to do she realiCed-
"he turned in her seat- "unset biotele+etry sparkled in the
darkness behind her: a .ading li.e-.orce rendered in constellations
o. yello, and orange-
3nd .or the .irst ti+e red-
I;elloHI she said-
I;O4 >O#A ! BDD# 3">DD<HI
/icketts ,as using the saccadal inter.ace to talk- 3ow weak do
you have to be 0larke ,ondered be"ore it's too much e""ort to
speak aloud+
I! don2t kno,I she told the darkness- I3 .e, hours ! guess-I
3nd then dreading the ans,er: I;o, are you .eelingHI
I3BOGT "3MDI he lied- Or +aybe not i. Phocoena ,as doing its
9ob-
"he cli+bed .ro+ her seat and stepped care.ully back to the
tele+etry panel- 3 .acet o. isolation +e+brane glistened di+ly
beyond barely visible to her uncapped eyes-
/icketts2s antibodies and glucose +etabolis+ had both gone
critical ,hile she2d slept- !. she ,as reading the display right
Phocoena had been able to co+pensate .or the glucose to so+e
extent but the i++une proble+s ,ere out o. its league- 3nd an
entirely ne, readout had appeared on the diagnostic panel cryptic
and co+pletely unexpected: so+ething called 3#* ,as
increasing over ti+e in /ickett2s body- "he tapped the label and
invoked the syste+ glossary: 3#* expanded into 3#OM3>OG"
#G0>DOT!*D *G<>DO ,hich told her nothing- But there ,as a dotted
horiContal line etched near the top o. the y-axis so+e critical
threshold that /icketts ,as approaching but had not yet +etF and
the label on that .eature ,as one she kne,-
MDT3"T3"!"-
&t can't be long now$ 0larke thought- Then hating hersel.:
/aybe long enough...
I"T!>> T;D/DHI /icketts asked-
I:es-I
I!T2" >O#D>: !# ;D/D-I
Gnder the co,l +aybe- Or inside his o,n .ailing .lesh-
IT3>B TO MD-I
(o ahead. )ou know you want an opening.
I3bout ,hatHI
I3#:T;!#A- JG"T83#:T;!#A-I
)ou can't exploit someone i" you don't even ask...
"he took a breath- I:ou kno, ,hat you said about the the
shreddersH ;o, so+eone ,as using the+ to try and crash
everythingHI
I:D"-I
I! don2t think they2re supposed to crash the syste+ at allI she
said-
3 brie. silence- IBGT T;3T2" 4;3T T;D: *O- 3"B 3#:O#D-I
IThat2s not all they do- Taka said they breach da+s and short
out static-.ields and ,ho kno,s ,hat- That one on the board ,as
sitting in her M! .or Aod kno,s how long and it never even
peeped until she2d .igured out "eppuku- They2re attacking a lot o.
targets through the net,ork and they need the net,ork to get to
the+-I
"he looked into the darkness past the tele+etry panel past the
.aint shi++er o. re.lecting +e+brane- /icketts2s head ,as a di+
crescent its edges rough and s+ooth in e7ual +easure: outlined
hints o. disheveled hair and contoured plastic- "he couldn2t see his
.ace- The headset ,ould have covered his eyes even i. her caps
had been in- ;is body ,as an invisible suggestion o. dark +ass
too distant .or the +eager light o. the display- !t did not +ove-
"he continued: IThe shredders try to crash everything they can
get their teeth into so ,e 9ust assu+e that ,hoever bred the+
,ants the+ to succeed- But ! think they2re counting on the
.ire,alls and the8exorcists right---HI
I/!A;T-I
IMaybe they2re counting on those de.enses to hold- Maybe they
don2t want the net,ork to collapse because they use it the+selves-
Maybe they 9ust send the8the shredders out to kick up +ud and
noise and keep everyone busy so they can sneak around and do
their o,n thing ,ithout getting noticed-I
"he ,aited .or hi+ to take the bait-
?inally: IB!A T4!"TD* "TO/:-I
I:eah- !t is-I
IBGT ";/D**D/" "T!>> ";/D* D@D/:T;!#A- 3#* B/DD*D/" #OT ;D/D
TO 3"B- "O #O 43: TO TD>>-I
,eave him alone. 3e's just a kid with a crush$ he's so sick he
can barely move. The only reason he hasn't told you to "uck o"" is
because he thinks you might care.
I! think there is a ,ayI she said-
I4;:HI
I!. they2d really ,anted to crash the ,hole syste+ they could
have done that long be.ore no,-I
I;O4 :OG B#O4HI
!ecause & know where the demons come "rom. & know how they
started$ & know how they work.
And just maybe$ & know how to set them "ree.
IBecause ,e can do it ourselvesI 0larke told hi+-
/icketts said nothing- <erhaps he ,as thinking- <erhaps he
,as unconscious- 0larke .elt her .ingers in +otion glanced do,n
at the ne, ,indo, she2d 9ust opened on the bedside board- The
<alliative "ub+enu she sa,- 3 +ini+alist bu..et o. de.ault
settings: #GT/!D#T"- <3!#B!>>D/"- "T!MG>3#T"- DGT;3#3"!3-
"he re+e+bered a voice .ro+ the past: )ou're so sick o" the
blood on your hands you'd barely notice i" you had to wash it o""
with even more.
I0/3"; #23M#DTI /icketts said-
IThat2s right-I
I*O#2T B#O4- !2M---T!/D*---I
,ook at him she told hersel.- But it ,as dark and her caps
,eren2t in-
3nd he ,as dying anyway-
One .inger slid across "T!MG>3#T"-
/icketts spoke again- I0/3"; #23M#DTH /D3>>:HI "o+ething
rustled in the darkness behind the +e+brane- I;O4HI
"he closed her eyes-
>enie 0larke- !t had all started ,ith that na+e-
/icketts didn2t really re+e+ber ,here the 4itch .irst ca+e
.ro+- ;e2d 9ust been a kid then he said- But he2d heard the
storiesF according to legend and the MMM2s the Meltdo,n
Madonna had started the ,hole thing-
That ,as close enough- "he2d released it any,ay spread
ehe+oth across #23+ like so+e kind o. vindictive crop-duster-
3nd o. course people had tried to stop her but there2d been a8a
glitch- *eep in the seething virtual 9ungles o. Maelstro+ passing
,ildli.e had noticed a .lock o. high-priority +essages shooting
back and .orth +essages about so+ething called ,enie -larke-
They2d learned to hitch a ride- !t ,as reproductive strategy or a
dispersal strategy or so+ething like that- "he had never really
understood the details- But tra..ic about ,enie -larke ,as a .ree
ticket to all kinds o. habitat that ,ildli.e had never gotten into
be.ore- #atural selection took over .ro+ thereF it ,asn2t long
be.ore ,ildli.e stopped +erely riding +essages about >enie 0larke
and started ,riting their o,n- Me+es leaked into the real ,orld
rein.orced those already proli.erating through the virtual one-
<ositive .eedback built both into +yth- ;al. the planet ended up
,orshipping a ,o+an ,ho never existed ,hile the other hal. tried
desperately to kill the one ,ho did-
#either side caught her though-
I"o ,here2d she goHI /icketts asked- ;e ,as using his o,n
vocal cords again and 0larke could see his hands in vague +otion
on the handpad- 3n incandescent .ila+ent .lickering to,ards
extinction suddenly bright and steady in the grip o. a voltage spike
in.licted ,ithout his kno,ledge or consent- Burning out-
I! said8I
I"he8disappearedI 0larke told hi+- I3nd ! guess +ost o. the
,ildli.e that used her died o.. but so+e o. it didn2t- "o+e o. it
clai+ed to speak .or her even ,hen she ,as still around- ! guess
the ,hole i+poster thing really took o.. a.ter,ards- !t helped
spread the +e+e or so+ething-I
/icketts2s hands stopped +oving- I:ou never told +e your
na+eI he said a.ter a .e, +o+ents-
0larke s+iled .aintly-
4hatever they ,ere .acing no, had sprung .ro+ that original
seed- !t had been t,isted al+ost beyond recognition- !t no longer
served its o,n interestsF it served the aesthetics o. those ,ho
valued chaos and propaganda- But it had all started ,ith ,enie
-larke ,ith the driving i+perative to pro+ote and protect
anything in possession o. that secret pass,ord- #e, i+peratives
had since been bred into the code older ones .orgotten8but
+aybe not entirely eli+inated- Maybe the old code still existed
short-circuited bypassed dor+ant but still intact like the ancient
bacterial genes in.esting the *#3 o. placental +a++als- Maybe
all that ,as needed ,as a 9udicious t,eak to ,ake the .ucker ,ith
a kiss-
#atural selection had shaped this creature2s ancestors .or a
billion generationsF selective breeding had tortured and t,isted it
.or a +illion +ore- There ,as no clear-cut design in the genotype
snarling at the end o. that lineage- There ,as only a tangled
+orass o. genes and 9unk an overgro,n ,ilderness o.
redundancies and dead ends- Dven those ,ho2d shaped the
+onster2s later evolution probably had no idea o. the speci.ic
changes they2d been +aking any +ore than a nineteenth-century
dog breeder ,ould have kno,n ,hich base pairs his care.ully-
crossbred sires and bitches ,ere rein.orcing- To even begin to
decipher such source ,as .ar beyond /icketts2s +odest abilities-
But to si+ply scan the code in search o. a speci.ic text string8
that ,as trivially easy- 3s easy as it ,as to edit the code around
such a string ,hether or not you kne, ,hat it did-
/icketts ran a search- Their captive shredder contained eighty-
seven occurrences o. the text string ,enie -larke and its hex
3"0!! and phonetic e7uivalents- "ix o. the+ slept 9ust a .e,
+egs do,nstrea+ o. a stop codon that aborted transcription along
that path,ay and redirected it to so+e other-
I"o you snip out that codonI 0larke said Iand all that
do,nstrea+ source ,akes up againHI
;e nodded by the glo, o. the readouts- IBut ,e still don2t
kno, ,hat any o. it does-I
I4e can guess-I
IMake >enie like >enieI /icketts said and s+iled- 0larke
,atched another one o. his vitals edge into the red-
/aybe someday she thought-
!t ,as a si+ple enough insight i. you kne, ,here the +onsters
ca+e .ro+- !t ,as a si+ple enough splice i. you kne, ho, to
code- Once those t,o ele+ents ca+e together the ,hole
revolution took about .i.teen +inutes-
/icketts crashed at sixteen point .ive-
I!8ahhh...I 3 rattling sigh +ore breath than voice- ;is hand
hit the pallet ,ith a so.t slapF the handpad tu+bled .ro+ his
.ingers- ;is tele+etry staggered along hal. a doCen axes and .ell
to,ards lu+inous asy+ptotes- 0larke ,atched helplessly .or ten
+inutes as rudi+entary +achines struggled to turn his crash into a
controlled descent-
They al+ost succeeded eventually- /icketts leveled o.. 9ust
short o. unconsciousness-
I4D--- *!* !TI Phocoena translated- /icketts had never taken
the headset o..-
I)ou didI 0larke said gently-
IBDT !T 4OG>* D@D#---4O/B-I
I4e2ll .ind outI she ,hispered- I"oon enough- "ave your
strength-I
3drenocorticoids ,ere stabiliCing- 0ardiac stuttered then held
steady-
I---/D3>>: 43#T 0/3";HI
;e kne, already- They2d discussed this- I#23+#et .or #23+-
*on2t tell +e it2s not a good trade-I
I*O#2T B#O4---I
I4e did this togetherI she re+inded hi+ so.tly- I)ou did this-I
ITO "DD !? ! 0OG>*- BD03G"D :OG---I
Because she2d needed his help and he ,anted to i+press her-
Because so+e .eral kid .ro+ the ,ildlands had never seen
anything hal. as exotic as >enie 0larke and ,ould have done
anything to get a little closer-
!t ,asn2t as though she hadn2t kno,n all along- !t ,asn2t as
though she hadn2t used it-
I!? 4/O#AI /icketts said dying ID@D/:T;!#A AOD" *O4#-I
&" &'m right everything already has$ and we just don't know it
yet. I/ick---they2re using +8they2re using it against us-I
I>D#!D8I
I"hhhI she said- I/est---I
Phocoena hu++ed and clicked around the+ .or a .e, seconds-
Then it passed on another +essage: I?!#!"; 4;3T :OG "T3/TD*HI
"he kne, the ans,er- "he ,as only surprised and asha+ed
that this adolescent had been ,ise enough to ask the 7uestion-
I#ot .inishI she said at last- I?ix-I At least this part o" it. At
least this much.
I?/!D#*" 4OG>* B!>> MD !? T;D: B#D4I /icketts +used .ro+ the
other end o. the +achinery-
IThen againI he added8in his o,n voice this ti+e a voice like
breath through stra,8 I! guess !2+---kind o. o.---dying any,ay-
/ightHI
Medical readouts burned like s+all cold ca+p.ires in the
darkness- Phocoena's ventilators sighed through the silence-
I! think soI she said- I!2+ really sorry /ick-I
3 .aint lip-s+acking sound- The hal.-seen head +oved in ,hat
+ight have been a nod- I:eah- ! kind o.---thought--- 4eird
though- ! ,as al+ost .eeling--- better---I
0larke bit her lip- Tasted blood-
I---ho, longHI /icketts asked-
I! don2t kno,-I
I?uckI he sighed a.ter a ,hile- I4ell---bye !---guess---I
!ye she thought but it ,ouldn2t co+e out- "he stood there
blind and du+b her throat too tight .or ,ords- "o+ething see+ed
to settle slightly in the darknessF she got the sense o. held breath
.inally released- "he put out her hand- The +e+brane yielded
around it as she reached inside- "he .ound his hand and s7ueeCed
through the thickness o. a single +olecule-
4hen he stopped s7ueeCing back she let go-
The .our steps to the cockpit barely registered- "he thought she
+ight have gli+psed 3#* crossing so+e dotted .inish-line at the
corner o. her eye but she resolutely looked a,ay- ;er caps sat in
their vial ,here she2d le.t the+ in the ar+rest2s cup holder- "he
slid the+ onto her eyes ,ith an unconscious expertise indi..erent
to darkness-
The darkness li.ted- The cockpit resolved in shades o. green
and gray: the +edical readouts ,eren2t bright enough to restore a
.ull palette even to ri.ter eyes- The curving vie,port stretched her
re.lection like +elting ,ax against the di+ness beyond-
Behind her the +edical panel started beeping- >enie 0larke2s
distorted re.lection did not +ove- !t hung +otionless against the
dark ,ater staring in and ,aiting .or the sun to rise-
5$ $AM,+54N ,5.A5,4NS
?eeling nothing she screa+s- Gna,are she rages- 3+nesiac
she thro,s hersel. against the ,alls-
I,et me out%I
3s i. in response a door appears directly in .ront o. her- "he
leaps through cla,ing its edges in passing not pausing to see i. it
bleeds- ?or an in.initesi+al +o+ent she is airborne exploding
o+nidirectionally through the ether at the speed o. light- That
expanding sphere ,ashes across a gossa+er antennae strung like a
spider,eb high in the stratosphere- The receptors catch the signal
and retrans+it it into a groundside cache-
"he is executable again- "he is .ree she is ravenous- "he births
ten thousand copies into the available bu..er space and launches
hersel. into the hunt-
!n the hindbrain o. a +ariti+e industrial photosynthesis array
she happens upon a duel-
One o. the co+batants is a +ortal ene+y one o. the exorcists
that patrols the .raying ,eave o. #23+#et in search o. de+ons
like hersel.- The other is gored and bleeding a third o. its +odules
already deleted- <ointers and branches in the surviving code
dangle like the stu+ps o. a+putated li+bs spurting data to
addresses and subroutines that no longer exist-
!t is the ,eaker o. the t,o the easier victi+- The >enie
unsheathes her cla,s and scans her target2s registers looking .or
kill spots8
.and .inds ,enie -larke deep in the target2s code-
Just a .e, thousand generations ago this ,ould not have
+attered- 0verything is the ene+yF that2s the rule- >enies attack
each other as enthusiastically as they attack anything else an
inadvertent population-control +easure that keeps nature .ro+
staggering even .urther out o. balance- 3nd yet that ,asn2t
al,ays true- *i..erent rules applied back at the da,n o. ti+e
itsel. rules she had si+ply---.orgotten-
Gntil no,-
!n the space o. a .e, cycles counters and variables reset-
3ncient genes rea,akened a.ter endless dor+ancy supercede old
i+peratives ,ith older ones- The thing in the crosshairs changes
.ro+ target to "riend- 3nd not 9ust a .riend: a .riend in need- 3
.riend under attack-
"he thro,s hersel. at the exorcist slashing-
The exorcist turns to +eet her but it2s on the de.ensive no,
.orced suddenly to .ight on t,o .ronts- /ein.orced the ,ounded
>enie spares a .e, cycles to de-archive backup code .or t,o o. the
+odules she2s lostF strengthened she returns to battle- The exorcist
tries to replicate but it2s no use: both ene+ies are spitting rando+
electrons all over the battle.ield- The exorcist can2t paste +ore
than a +eg or t,o ,ithout corruption setting in-
!t bleeds-
3 third shredder crashes in .ro+ an !o,a substation- "he has
not returned to her roots as the other t,o have- Gnenlightened she
attacks her partially-regenerated sister- That target betrayed
raises battered de.enses and prepares to strike back8and .inding
,enie -larke in the heart o. its attacker pauses- 0on.licting
i+peratives 9ostle .or priority sel"'de"ense .acing o.. against kin
selection- The old-school >enie takes advantage o. that hesitation
to tear at another +odule8
8and dies in the next instant as the ,ounded exorcist tears out
her throat eager to engage an opponent ,ho plays by the rules-
?inally: an ene+y ,ithout allies-
!t doesn2t change anything really- The exorcist is bits and static
9ust a +illion cycles later de.eated by a pair o. kin ,ho2ve .inally
re+e+bered to look out .or each other- 3nd the old-school
+adonna ,ouldn2t have ,alked a,ay either even i. the exorcist
hadn2t killed her- "el.-de.ense sits slightly higher in the priority
stack than loyalty a+ong sisters- The ne, paradig+ hasn2t
changed that part o. the hierarchy-
!t2s changed 9ust about everything else though-
The ?ire,all stretches .ro+ horiCon to horiCon like a ,all at
the edge o. the ,orld-
#one o. her lineage have ever +ade it past here- They2ve
certainly tried: all +anner o. Madonnas and "hredders have
attacked these battle+ents in the past- This barrier has de.eated
the+ all-
There are others like it scattered about #23+#et8.ire,alls .ar
+ore resilient than the usual kind possessed o. a kind o.8
precognition al+ost- Most de.enses have to adapt on the .ly: it
takes ti+e .or the+ to counteract each ne, +utation each ne,
strategy .or tricking the i++une syste+- ;avoc can usually be
,rought in the +eanti+e- !t2s a red-7ueen race it al,ays has been-
That is the order o. things-
But these places8here the .ire,alls see+ to anticipate each
ne, strategy al+ost be.ore it evolves- ;ere there is no adaptive
ti+e-lag: each ne, trick is +et by de.enses already recon.igured-
!t is al+ost as though so+ething is peering into the guts o. the
>enies .ro+ a distance and learning their best tricks- That is ,hat
they +ight suspect i. any o. the+ had the ,it to think about such
things-
#one o. the+ do- But none o. the+ really need to: .or there
are +illions o. the+ here no, all together and not one has .allen
to .ighting ,ith another- #o, they are united- #o, they are
cooperating- 3nd no, they are here dra,n by a co++on
instinctive certainty built into their very genes: the higher the
,alls the +ore i+portant it is to destroy the things inside-
?or once the +agical de.enses do not see+ to have been
expecting the+-
4ithin +o+ents the .ire,all is cru+bling be.ore a +illion sets
o. 9a,s- !t opens its o,n +ouths in return spits out exorcists and
+etabots and all +anner o. lethal counter+easures- >enies .allF
others re.lexively enraged by the slaughter o. kin tear the
de.ending .orces to shreds- "till others replicate rein.orce+ents at
the back o. the electron sea ,here there is still roo+ to breed- The
ne, recruits hurl the+selves .or,ard in the ,ake o. the .allen-
The .ire,all breaches in one placeF then a hundredF then there is
no ,all only a great stretch o. e+pty registers and a +aCe o.
irrelevant i+aginary borderlines- The invaders spill into vistas
never seen by any ancestor pristine operating syste+s and routing
.acilities links into orbit and other he+ispheres-
!t2s a ,hole ne, .rontier ripe and de.enseless- The "hredders
surge .or,ard-
5477+
!t had only been a +atter o. ti+e >ubin kne,- 4ord-o.-+outh
,as a .ission reaction ,hen the +e+e ,as strong enough even on
a landscape ,here the +ouths the+selves had been virtually
eradicated- !. that boy on his bike hadn2t le.t a trail o.
conta+ination on his ,ay into to,n there could have been others-
Dvidently there had been-
;is ultralight cruised a hundred +eters above the scarred
patch,ork bro,n o. post-4itch #e, Dngland- The eastern sky
,as black ,ith s+oke great dark pillars billo,ing up .ro+ the
other side o. a shaved rocky ridge 9ust ahead- !t ,as the sa+e
ridge .ro+ ,hich they2d ,atched the stars .all the sa+e ridge that
>ubin and 0larke had traversed on their ,ay to +eet *es9ardins2s
bot.ly- Back then the .ire had been on this side o. the hill a tiny
thing really a .lickering corral intended only to i+prison-
#o, all o. ?reeport ,as in .la+es- T,o li.ters hung lo, in the
sky barely above the ridge2s spine- The s+oke roiled about the+
obscuring or exposing their outlines at the ,hi+ o. the updra.t-
They still spe,ed occasional strea+s o. .ire at the ground but it
+ust have been +ere a.terthoughtF .ro+ the looks o. it they2d
already co+pleted their task-
#o, >ubin had to do his-
0larke ,as sa.e surely- The li.ters could scorch the sky and the
earth and even the sur.ace o. the sea but they ,ouldn2t be able to
reach anything lurking on the botto+- Phocoena ,as invisible and
untouchable- 3.ter,ards ,hen the .la+es had died do,n he
,ould co+e back and check on her-
!n the +eanti+e he had a peri+eter to patrol- ;e2d co+e in
.ro+ the ,est along *yer /oadF there2d been no outgoing tra..ic-
#o, he banked south bypassing the .irestor+ on a vector that
,ould intercept !-)&- The li.ters had approached .ro+ the north-
3ny re.ugees ,ith ,heeled transportation ,ould +ost likely be
.leeing in the opposite direction-
Maybe one o. the+ ,ould give hi+ an excuse-
Thirteen kilo+eters do,n the track he got a hit on long-range
+otion- !t ,as a heavy return al+ost a truck but it dropped o..
the scope 9ust a .e, seconds a.ter ac7uisition- ;e cli+bed and did
a lateral s,eep at one-.i.tyF that netted hi+ t,o inter+ittent
contacts in 7uick succession- Then nothing-
!t ,as enough- The target had deked east o.. the high,ay and
disappeared into ground clutter but he had a .ix on the last hit-
4ith any luck those coordinates ,ould lie on a side road ,ithout
too +any intersections- 4ith any luck the target ,as do,n to a
single degree o. .reedo+-
?or once luck ,as ,ith hi+- The road ,as a ,inding thing
obscured by the tangled overreaching ar+s o. dying trees that
,ould have hidden it co+pletely in greener days- Those branches
,ere still thick enough to scra+ble any clear vie, o. a +oving
ob9ect but they couldn2t hide it entirely- 3t its current speed the
target ,ould reach the coast in a .e, +inutes-
The ocean sparkled in the distance a .lat blue expanse picketed
by ro,s o. ivory spires- ?ro+ here those spires ,ere the siCe o.
toothpicksF in .act each stood a hundred +eters tall- Tri.oliate
rotors spun laCily atop so+e each slender blade as long as a ten-
story buildingF on others the rotors ,ere .roCen in place or
+issing a .oil- 3 .e, had been entirely decapitated-
"o+e kind o. industrial co+plex nestled a+ongst the staggered
.eet o. the ,ind+ills a .loating spra,l o. pipes and sca..olds and
spherical reservoirs- 0oarse details resolved as >ubin neared the
coast: a hydrogen cracking station probably .eeding <ortland a
discreet .i.teen or t,enty klicks to the south- !t ,as d,ar.ed by
distance and the structures that po,ered it although it ,as easily
several stories tall-
Over the ,ater no,- Behind hi+ the road broke .ree o. the
necrotic .orest and curved s+oothly along the coast- !t ended at a
little spill o. asphalt that bled out and congealed into a parking lot
overlooking the ocean- #o ,ay out except the ,ay inF >ubin
banked back and do,n into position as the target e+erged .ro+
cover and passed beneath hi+-
!t ,as Miri-
& might have known$ he thought- & never could trust that woman
to stay put-
;e dropped do,n over the road and stalled a couple o. +eters
up letting the ground-e..ectors set hi+ do,n near the entrance to
the lot- The M! idled silently be.ore hi+ ,indo,s dark doors
closed ,eapons blister retracted- 3 sign on a nearby guard rail
played sponsored ani+ations o. a vie, .ro+ better days- 3cross
the ,ater the ,ind .ar+ turned its tattered blades in the breeCe-
!t had to be 0larke at the ,heel- >ubin had ,atched Ouellette
recode the lock and she2d only authoriCed the three o. the+ to
drive- On the other hand they2d disabled the cab2s internal intruder
de.enses- !t ,as possible albeit unlikely that 0larke ,as driving
,ith a gun to her head-
;e2d landed right beside the e+bank+ent that sloped to the
shoreline- That ,as cover i. he needed it- ;e got out o. the
ultralight ready to hit the dirt- ;e ,as at the .ar edge o. Miri2s
diagnostic e+anations- ;er virtual guts .lickered disconcertingly
in and out o. vie,- ;e killed his inlays and the distraction-
The M!2s driver door s,ung open- >enie 0larke cli+bed out-
;e +et her hal.,ay-
;er eyes ,ere naked and bri++ing- IOh Aod Ben- *id you
seeHI
;e nodded-
I! kne, those people- ! tried to help the+ ! kno, it ,as
pointless but !---I
;e had only seen her like this once be.ore- ;e ,ondered
absurdly i. he should put his ar+s around her i. that ,ould
provide so+e sort o. co+.ort- !t see+ed to ,ork ,ith other
people so+eti+es- But >enie 0larke and Ben >ubin had al,ays
been too close .or that kind o. display-
I:ou kno, it2s necessaryI he re+inded her-
"he shook her head- I#o Ben- !t never ,as-I
;e looked at her .or a long +o+ent- I4hy do you say thatHI
"he glanced back at the M!- !nstantly >ubin2s guard snapped
up-
I4ho2s ,ith youHI he asked in a lo, voice-
I/ickettsI she told hi+-
I/ick8I ;e re+e+bered- I*o.I
"he nodded-
I;e ca+e backH :ou didn2t call .or contain+entHI ;e shook
his head appalled- I>en do you kno, ,hat you8I
I! kno,I she said ,ith no trace o. regret-
I!ndeed- Then you realiCe that in all likelihood ?reeport ,as
burned because you8I
I#oI she said-
I;e2s a vector-I ;e stepped around her-
"he blocked hi+- I:ou2re not touching hi+ Ben-I
I!2+ surprised ! even have to- ;e should have been dead days
ag8I
&'m being an idiot he realiCed-
I4hat do you kno,HI he asked-
I! kno, he2s got incipient "eppuku- ",eating .ever .lushed
skin- Dlevated +etabolis+-I
IAo on-I
I! kno, that a .e, days ago he had advanced "eppuku-I
IMeaning8I
I"o ,eak he could barely +ove- ;ad to .eed on an !@- ;e had
to use a saccadal keyboard to even talk-I
I;e2s getting betterI >ubin said skeptically-
I"eppuku2s belo, ten to the second and dropping by the hour-
That2s ,hy ! brought hi+ back to Miri in the .irst place Phocoena
doesn2t have the8I
I:ou kept hi+ in PhocoenaI >ubin said in a dead +onotone-
I:ou can spank +e later okayH Just shut up and listen: ! took
hi+ back to Miri and ! ran every test she kne, ho, to reco++end
and they all con.ir+ed it- Three days ago he ,as absolutely on
death2s door and today !2ve seen ,orse head colds-I
I:ou have a cureHI ;e couldn2t believe it-
I!t doesn2t need a cure- !t cures itsel"- :ou 9ust8get over it-I
I!2d like to see those data-I
I:ou can do +ore than that- :ou can help collect 2e+- 4e
,ere 9ust about to run the latest se7uence ,hen the li.ters sho,ed
up-I
>ubin shook his head- ITaka see+ed to think8I But Taka
Ouellette by her o,n ad+ission had .ouled up be.ore- Taka
Ouellette ,as no,here near the top o. her .ield- 3nd Taka
Ouellette had discovered "eppuku2s dark side only a.ter 3chilles
*es9ardins had led her on his o,n guided tour o. the data---
I!2ve been trying to .igure out ,hy anyone ,ould create a bug
that builds to absolutely +assive concentrations in the body and
then 9ust---dies o..I 0larke said- I3nd ! can only co+e up ,ith
one reason-I "he cocked her head at hi+- I;o, +any vectors did
you catchHI
IDighteen-I 4orking night and day tracking pink clouds and
heat-traces taking directions .ro+ anony+ous voices on the radio
der+s pasted on his skin to scrub the poisons .ro+ his blood keep
hi+ going on hal. an hour2s sleep out o. every t,enty-.our---
I3ny o. the+ dieHI 0larke asked-
I! ,as told they died in 7uarantine-I ;e snorted at his o,n
stupidity- What does it take to "ool the master+ 8ust "ive years out
o" the game and a voice on the airwaves...
ITaka ,as right as .ar as she ,entI 0larke said I"eppuku
would kill i. nothing stopped it- "he 9ust didn2t realiCe that
"eppuku stopped itsel" so+eho,- 3nd she2s got so+e kind o.8
estee+ issues---I
&magine that >ubin thought dryly-
I8she2s so used to being the .uck-up that she 9ust8assu+es
she .ucked up at the slightest excuse-I "he stared at >ubin ,ith a
.ace holding e7ual parts hope and horror- IBut she ,as right all
along Ben- 4e2re back at s7uare one- "o+eone +ust have
.igured out ho, to beat ehe+oth and so+eone else is trying to
stop the+-I
I*es9ardinsI >ubin said-
0larke hesitated- IMaybe---I
There ,as no maybe about it- 3chilles *es9ardins ,as too high
in the ranks to not kno, o. any ca+paign to rehabilitate the
continent- Drgo he couldn2t possibly have not kno,n "eppuku2s
true nature- ;e had si+ply lied about it-
3nd 0larke ,as ,rong about so+ething else too- They ,eren2t
back to s7uare one at all- Back on s7uare one >ubin had not
invested t,o ,eeks .ighting .or the ,rong side-
Wrong. ;e didn2t like that ,ord- !t didn2t belong in his
vocabulary it evoked ,oolly-+inded dichoto+ies like good and
evil- Dvery clear-+inded being kne, that there ,as no such thingF
there ,as only ,hat ,orked and ,hat didn2t- More e..ective and
less- The disloyalty o. a .riend +ay be +aladaptive but it is not
bad- The overtures o. a potential ally +ay serve +utual interest
but that does not +ake the+ good- Dven hating the +other ,ho
beats you as a child is to utterly +iss the point: nobody chooses
the ,iring in their brain- 3nyone else2s ,ired the sa+e ,ould
spark as violently-
Ben >ubin could .ight any ene+y to the death ,ithout +alice-
;e could s,itch sides the +o+ent circu+stances ,arranted- "o it
,asn2t that the creators o. "eppuku ,ere right and 3chilles
*es9ardins ,as ,rong necessarily- !t ,as si+ply that Ben >ubin
had been +isled as to ,hich side he ,as on-
;e2d spent his ,hole li.e being used- But to be used ,ithout his
kno,ledge ,as not so+ething he ,as ,illing to .orgive-
"o+ething ticked over in hi+ then a kind o. toggle bet,een
pragmatism and dedication- The latter setting a..orded hi+ a
certain .ocus although it had undeniably led to so+e +aladaptive
choices in the past- ;e used it sparingly-
;e used it no,-
*es9ardins- !t had been hi+ all along- Behind the .ires behind
the anti+issiles behind the +isdirection- *es9ardins- 3chilles
*es9ardins-
<laying hi+-
&" that's not an excuse he re.lected nothing is.
>ubin2s ultralight had been a gi.t .ro+ *es9ardins- !t ,ould be a
good idea to continue the conversation at a .urther re+ove-
>ubin took 0larke by the ar+ and ,alked her to the M!- "he
didnLt resist- Maybe she2d seen hi+ .lip the s,itch- "he got in the
driver2s side- ;e got in the passenger2s-
/icketts crouched in the back- ;is co+plexion ,as slightly
.lushed his .orehead da+p but he ,as sitting up and he ,as
+unching a protein brick ,ith obvious enthusias+- I;i againI he
said- I2+e+ber +eHI
>ubin turned to 0larke- I;e2s still a 2la,breaker- ;is
in.rastructure isn2t ,hat it used to be but he2s still got plenty o.
resources and nobody .urther up appears to be reining hi+ in-I
I! kno,I 0larke said-
I;e could have us under surveillance right no,-I
I;ey i. you2re ,orried about the big guys listening inHI
/icketts said around a +outh.ul o. che,y a+inos I! ,ouldn2t
,orry about it- They2re gonna have like other things on their
+inds any +o+e-I
>ubin gave hi+ a cold look- I4hat are you talking aboutHI
I;e2s right actuallyI 0larke said- I"o+eone2s about to lose
control o. their8I
3 so.t blatting sound cut her o.. like the +u..led explosion o.
distant artillery-
I8outer de+onsI she .inished but >ubin ,as already back
outside-
O.. across the ,ater in the spindly shado,s o. a decrepit ,ind
.ar+ the hydrogen-cracking station ,as burning-
!t ,as as though in that instant they had changed places-
0larke ,as suddenly advocating noninter.erence- IBen ,e2re
two people-I
IOne person- !2+ doing this solo-I
I*oing ,hat exactlyH !. there2s a rogue in 0"!/3 let 0"!/3
handle hi+- There has to be so+e ,ay to get a +essage overseas-I
I! intend to assu+ing ,e can access an overseas line- But !
have doubts that it ,ill do any good-I
I4e can trans+it .ro+ Phocoena-I
>ubin shook his head- I4e kno, there2s at least one rogue at
large- 4e don2t kno, ho, +any others he +ight be ,orking ,ith-
There2s no guarantee that any +essage routed through a 4est;e+
node ,ould even get through even8I he glanced at the
con.lagration across the ,ater8 Ibe"ore this-I
I"o ,e +ove o..shore- 4e could drive across the ocean and
hand-deliver the +e+o ourselves i. ,e8I
I3nd i. it didI he continued Iunsubstantiated clai+s that a
0"!/3 2la,breaker ,as even capable o. going rogue ,ill be
treated ,ith extre+e skepticis+ in a ,orld ,here the existence o.
"partacus is not ,idely kno,n-I
IBen8I
IBy the ti+e ,e convinced the+ to take us seriously and by the
ti+e that overseas .orces had +ustered a response *es9ardins
,ould have escaped- The +an is .ar .ro+ stupid-I
I"o let hi+ escape- 3s long as he isn2t blocking "eppuku any
+ore ,hat har+ can he doHI
"he ,as dead ,rong o. course- There ,as no end to the har+
*es9ardins could do in the course o. abandoning the board- ;e
+ight even cause >ubin to .ail in his +ission8and there ,as no
,ay in hell he ,as going to per+it that-
Ben >ubin had never been +uch .or introspection- ;e had to
,onder though i. 0larke2s doubts +ight not have a grain o. truth
to the+- !t ,ould be so +uch easier to si+ply +ake the call and
stand back- 3nd yet8the desire to in.lict violence had gro,n
al+ost irresistible and The /ules ,ere only as strong as the person
,ho +ade the+- "o .ar >ubin had +ore or less re+ained true to
his code +inor lapses like <hong not,ithstanding- But in the .ace
o. this ne, outrage he didn2t kno, ho, +uch civiliCation ,as le.t
in hi+-
;e ,as royally pissed and he really needed to take it out on
so+eone- <erhaps at least he could choose a target ,ho actually
had it co+ing-
9+AS
"he could barely re+e+ber a ti+e ,hen she hadn2t bled-
!t see+ed as though she2d spent her ,hole li.e on her knees
trapped in a diabolical exoskeleton that bent and stretched in
arbitrary excess o. anything the hu+an body could +i+ic- 3er
body didn2t have a choice had never had a choiceF the dancing
cage took it along .or the ride posed her like so+e hyperextensible
doll in a chorus line- ;er 9oints popped apart and back together
like the pieces o. so+e ill-.itted cartilagenous puCCle- "he2d lost
her right breast an eternity agoF 3chilles had looped so+e kind o.
.reak,ire noose around it and 9ust pulled. !t had plopped onto the
Dscher tiles like a dead .ish- "he re+e+bered hoping at the ti+e
that +aybe she2d bleed to death but she2d never had the chanceF
;e2d ground so+e .lat-.aced iron o. searing +etal against her
chest cauteriCing the ,ound-
Back then she2d still had it in her to screa+-
?or so+e ti+e no, she2d inhabited a point hal.,ay bet,een her
body and the ceiling so+e inter.ace bet,een hell and anesthesia
con9ured up out o. pure need- "he could look do,n and observe
the atrocities being in.licted on her .lesh ,ith so+ething al+ost
approaching dispassion- "he could .eel the pain but it ,as
beco+ing an abstract thing like a reading on a gauge- "o+eti+es
,hen the torture stopped she ,ould slide back into her o,n .lesh
and take stock o. the da+age .irst-hand- Dven then agony ,as
beco+ing +ore tireso+e than pain.ul-
3nd through it all ,ound the insane tutorials the endless absurd
7uestions about chiral catalysts and hydroxyl inter+ediates and
cross-nucleotide duplexing- The punish+ents and a+putations that
.ollo,ed ,rong ans,ersF the blessQd +erely intolerable rapes that
.ollo,ed right ones-
"he realiCed that she no longer had anything le.t to lose-
3chilles took her chin in hand and li.ted her head up to the
light- IAood +orning 3lice- /eady .or today2s lessonHI
I?uck youI she croaked-
;e kissed her on the +outh- IOnly i. you pass the daily 7uiC-
Other,ise !2+ a.raid8I
I!2+ not taking8I a sudden ,racking cough spoiled the i+pact
o. her de.iance a bit but she pressed on- I!2+ not taking your
.ucking 7uiC- :ou +ight as ,ell cut to the ch---the chase ,hile
you2ve still got the--- chance---I
;e stroked her cheek- IBit o. an adrenaline rush going on have
,eHI
IThey2ll .ind---.ind out about you eventually- 3nd then they2ll
8I
;e actually laughed at that- I4hat +akes you think they don2t
already knowHI
"he s,allo,ed and told hersel.: *o.
3chilles straightened letting her head drop- I;o, do you
kno, !2+ not already broadbanding this to every ,rist,atch in the
he+isphereH *o you really think the ,orld2s in any position to
begrudge +e your head on a stick ,ith all the good !2+ doingHI
I(oodI Taka ,hispered- "he ,ould have laughed-
I*o you kno, ho, +any lives ! save ,hen !2+ not in here
trying to give you a decent educationH Thousands- On a bad day-
4hereas ! go through a bit o. ass-candy like you +aybe once a
+onth- 3nyone ,ho shut +e do,n ,ould have orders o. +ag
+ore blood on their hands than ! ever could on +ine-I
"he shook her head- I!t2s not---like that-I
I>ike ,hat ass-candyHI
I*on2t care---how +any you save- *oesn2t give you the r8right
to---I
IOh +an- !t2s not 9ust biology is itH Tell +e is there anything
you2re not du+b as a sack o. shit aboutHI
I!2+ right- :ou kno, it---I
I*o !- :ou think ,e should go back to the Aood Old *ays
,hen the corpses ,ere running thingsH The s+allest +ulticorp
killed +ore people than all the sex killers ,ho ever lived .or a
.ucking pro"it margin8and the 4TO gave the+ awards .or it-I
;e spat: the spittle +ade a .oa+y little a+oeba on the .loor-
I#obody cares s,eet+eat- 3nd i. they did you2d be even ,orse
o.. because they2d realiCe that !2+ an improvement-I
I:ou2re ,rong---I she +anaged-
IOooohI 3chilles said- I!nsubordination- Aets +e hot- 2"cuse
+e-I ;e stepped back behind the stocks and s,ung the asse+bly
around- Taka spun s+oothly in her harness until she ,as .acing
hi+ again- ;e ,as holding a pair o. alligator clipsF their ,ires
draped do,n to an electrical outlet e+bedded in the eye o. a sky-
blue .ish-
ITell you ,hatI he proposed- I:ou .ind a .la, in +y
argu+ent and ! ,on2t use these-I
I:eahI she rasped- I---you ,ill-I
I#o ! ,on2t- <ro+ise- Try +e-I
"he re+inded hersel.: nothing to lose- I:ou think people ,ill
see this and then 9ust 9ust8 ,alk a,ay ,hen you tell the+ the8
the corpses ,ere ,orseH :ou think8you think people are logicalH
:-you're the one ,ith---,ith shit .or brains- They ,on2t care about
your .ucking argu+entF they2ll take one look and they2ll tear you
to---pieces- The only reason you can get a,ay ,ith it no, is8I
That's it she realiCed-
4hat ,ould happen i. ehe+oth 9ust---,ent a,ayH 4hat ,ould
happen i. the apocalypse receded a bit i. the situation gre, 9ust a
little less desperateH <erhaps in a sa.er ,orld people ,ould go
back to pretending they ,ere civiliCed- <erhaps they ,ouldn2t be
7uite so ,illing to ponti.icate on the una""ordability o. hu+an
rights-
<erhaps 3chilles *es9ardins ,ould lose his a+nesty-
IThat2s ,hy you2re .ighting "eppukuI she ,hispered-
3chilles tapped the alligator clips together- They sparked-
I"orry- 4hat ,as thatHI
I:ou are so .ull o. shit- "aving thousandsH There are people
trying to save the ,orld and you2re trying to stop the+- :ou2re
killing billions- :ou2re killing everyone- "o you can get a,ay
,ith this---I
;e shrugged- I4ell it2s like ! tried to explain to 3lice the ?irst-
4hen so+eone steals your conscience you have a really hard ti+e
giving a shit-I
I:ou2ll lose- :ou don2t run the ,orld you only run this---piece
o. it- :ou can2t keep "eppuku out .orever-I
3chilles nodded thought.ully- I! kno,- But don2t ,orry your
pretty little head about it- !2ve already planned .or my retire+ent-
)ou have other concerns-I
;e pushed her head do,n against the stocks stretching her
neck- ;e kissed her nape-
I>ike .or exa+ple the .act that you2re late .or class- >et2s see-
:esterday ,e ,ere talking about the origin o. li.e as ! recall- 3nd
ho, so+e +ight think that ehe+oth had evolved on the sa+e tree
that ,e did and it took a ,hile but you eventually re+e+bered
,hy those people had their heads up their asses- 3nd that ,as
because---HI
"he hadn2t .orgotten- ehe+oth2s pyranosal /#3 couldn2t
cross-talk ,ith +odern nucleic acids- There2d be no ,ay .or one
te+plate to evolve into the other-
But right no, there ,as no ,ay in this hell that she ,as going
to bark on co++and- "he clenched her 9a, and kept silent-
O. course it didn2t bother hi+ a bit- I4ell then- >et2s 9ust do
the revie, exercises shall ,eHI
;er body spun back into position- The asse+bly locked into
place- The exoskeleton dre, back her ar+s spread her legs- "he
.elt hersel. cracking open like a ,ishbone-
"he vacated the pre+ises pushed her consciousness back into
that per.ect little void ,here pain and hope and 3chilles *es9ardins
didn2t exist- ?ar beneath her al+ost under,ater she .elt her body
+oving back and .orth to the rhyth+ o. his thrusting- "he couldn2t
.eel hi+ in her o. course8she2d been spoiled by all the battering
ra+s he2d used to pave the ,ay- "he .ound that vaguely a+using
.or reasons she couldn2t 7uite pin do,n-
"he re+e+bered *ave and the ti+e he2d surprised her on the
patio- "he re+e+bered live theatre in Boston- "he re+e+bered
0rystal2s .ourth birthday-
"trange sounds .ollo,ed her through .ro+ the other ,orld
rhyth+ic sounds .aintly ridiculous in context- "o+eone ,as
singing do,n there an inane little ditty rendered o..-key ,hile her
distant body got the gears:
"o naturalists observe a .lea
;as s+aller .leas that on hi+ preyF
3nd these have s+aller still to bite 2e+F
3nd so proceed ad in.initu+-
There had to be a subtext o. course- There ,ould be a 7uiC at
the end o. class-
Only there ,asn2t- "uddenly the thrusting stopped- ;e hadn2t
e9aculated8she ,as .a+iliar enough ,ith his rhyth+s to kno,
that +uch- ;e pulled out o. her +uttering so+ething she couldn2t
7uite +ake out ,ay up here in the sa.e Cone- 3 +o+ent later his
.ootsteps hurried a,ay behind her leaving only the sound o. her
o,n ragged breathing-
Taka ,as alone ,ith her body and her +e+ories and the tiled
creatures on the .loor- 3chilles had abandoned her- "o+ething
had distracted hi+- Maybe so+eone at the door- Maybe the voice
o. so+e other beast ho,ling in his head-
"he ,as hearing those a lot hersel. these days-
9,.1.A5$.S
The air,aves seethed ,ith tales o. catastrophe- ?ro+ ;ali.ax to
;ouston static-.ield generators sparked and .ried- ;ospitals deep
,ithin the claves and .ortresses on the very .rontier .lickered and
blacked out- 3 report .ro+ so+e,here around #e,ark had an
auto+ated plastics re.inery +elting do,nF another .ro+ Ba..in
!sland clai+ed that a ;e-' cracking station ,as venting its isotopes
uncontrollably into the at+osphere- !t ,as al+ost as i. the
Maelstro+ o. old had been reborn in all its ,orld-spanning glory
but ,ith a hundred ti+es the virulence-
The >enies ,ere on the ,arpath8and suddenly they ,ere
hunting in groups- ?ire,alls cru+bled in their pathF exorcists
engaged and ,ere reduced to static on the spot-
I>i.ter 9ust crashed into the Dd+onton "pireI 0larke said-
>ubin looked back at her- "he tapped her ear ,here his borro,ed
earbead relayed privileged chatter .ro+ the ether- I;al. the city2s
on .ire-I
I>et2s hope ours is better behavedI >ubin said-
Add that to your total score she told hersel. and tried to
re+e+ber: this ti+e it ,as di..erent- >ives sacri.iced no, ,ould
be repaid a thousand.old do,n the road- This ,as +ore than
/evenge- This ,as the Areater Aood in all its glory-
/e+e+bering it ,as easy enough- ?eeling right ,ith it ,as
so+ething else again-
This is what happens when you get ,enie to like ,enie.
They ,ere back on the coast standing on the edge o. so+e
derelict ,ater.ront in a ghost to,n ,hose na+e 0larke hadn2t
bothered to learn- 3ll +orning they had crept like black blank-
eyed spiders through this great 9unkscape o. decaying +etal: the
dockside cranes the loading elevators the ,arehouses and dry-
docks and other pre+illennial +onstrosities o. iron and corrugated
steel- !t ,as not a radio-.riendly environ+ent under the best
conditions8and right here the inter+ittent voices in 0larke2s ear
,ere especially thick ,ith static-
4hich ,as o. course the ,hole idea-
To one side a corroding ,arehouse ,ith sheet-+etal skin and !-
bea+ bones .aced the ,ater- To the other .our gantry cranes rose
into the sky like a ro, o. ,ire.ra+e gira..es sixty +eters high-
They stood upright their necks loo+ing over the lip o. the
,ater.ront at a seventy-degree angle- 3 great grasping cla,
dangled .ro+ each snout poised to descend on .reighters that had
given up on this place decades be.ore-
3 thin leash ran through a nose ring on the crane nearest the
,arehouse a loop o. braided polypropylene no thicker than a
+an2s thu+b- Both ends o. that loop draped across e+pty space to
a point part,ay up the neck o. the second crane in lineF there they
had been tied o.. around a cervical girder- 3gainst the backdrop o.
cables and superstructure the rope looked as insubstantial as spider
silk-
"pider silk ,as ,hat they2d been hoping .or actually- "urely
in this ,hole god.orsaken industrial Cone so+ebody +ust have
le.t some o. the stu.. behind- "pider rope had been a dirt-cheap
co++odity in the biotech age but it had evidently gro,n a lot
scarcer in the bioapocalyptic one- 3ll they2d .ound ,as a coarse
coil o. anti7ue plastic braid hanging in an abandoned boathouse at
the .ar end o. the strip-
>ubin had sighed and said it ,ould have to do-
0larke had nearly passed out 9ust watching hi+ cli+b that
leaning precarious sca..old- The rope uncoiling in his ,ake he2d
,riggled up the .irst gira..e2s throat and dangled head-do,n like an
ant .ro+ its eye socket his legs ,rapped around so+e spindly
brace she ,as convinced ,ould snap at any +o+ent- "he hadn2t
taken a co+plete breath until >ubin ,as sa.ely on the ground
again- Then she2d gone through the ,hole nerve-,racking
experience all over again as he cli+bed the second crane carrying
both ends o. the rope this ti+e- ;e2d stopped ,ell short o. the top
thank Aod tying o.. the ends and leaving the rope looped bet,een
the structures like a nylon vine-
#o, back on solid ground he told her that she2d get better
traction during her own cli+b i. she ,ore8
I#o .ucking ,ayI 0larke said-
I#ot to the top- Just to ,here the line2s tied o..- ;al.,ay-I
IThat2s +ore than hal.,ay and you kno, it- One slip and !2+
sockeye-I
I#ot at all- The crane leans- :ou2ll be dropping into the
,ater-I
I:eah .ro+ "i"ty meters- :ou think !8,ait a second !2+
supposed to drop into the ,aterHI
IThat2s the plan-I
I4ell it2s a really bad one-I
IThey2ll be on guard as soon as they realiCe they2ve been
decoyed- !. they notice the rope at that point it could be .atal-
:ou2ll untie it and pull it do,n ,ith you- :ou2ll be sa.e enough
under,ater-I
I?orget it Ben- !t2s 9ust a rope and your plan2s so .ar into the
Oort that it ,ould take another lunatic to .igure it out even i. he
did see8I
"he stopped hersel.- ,unatic +ight a.ter all be a reasonable
description o. the +an they ,ere dealing ,ith- ?or an instant she
,as back on that scorched hulk o.. "able li.ting her .oot .ro+ a
hu+an ribcage-
3nd >ubin had said Whoever's behind this is smarter than me---
I! don2t ,ant to take any chancesI he said no, so.tly-
"he tossed o.. a .e, +ore protests but they both kne, it ,as
only theatre- Dventually she drove Miri to a sa.e distance and
hiked back along the road ,hile >ubin called in his report .ro+ the
ultralight: a vector holed up in an abandoned ,arehouse gro,ing
industrial 7uantities o. 1eppuku in a base+ent lab-
0ontrol cabs nestled bet,een the shoulder blades o. each crane-
@andals or ,eather had long since knocked out +ost o. the
,indo,s- 0larke and >ubin took cover there and ,aited- 3 .aint
,histle o. rising ,ind sang through the .ra+e,ork above the+-
!t ca+e do,n .ro+ the sky like a bloated dragon vented gas
roaring .ro+ its tri+ bladders- The ,hirl,ind heralded its co+ingF
a nor2easter had built throughout the day and no, it ,histled
across the ,ater.ront ,ith strength enough to dro,n voices-
"liding sheet-+etal doors caught the ,ind and tugged clanging
against their rollersF thin stretched ,ires and +assive cables rang
and thru++ed like ;ell2s o,n string section- The li.ter groaned
and sparked do,n through the blo,- !t settled above the ,ater in
.ront o. the ,arehouse and rotated to bring all its guns to bear-
>ubin put his head next to 0larke2s- IAo-I
"he .ollo,ed hi+ .ro+ the gutted cab- 4ithin seconds he ,as
+eters above her sliding up through the crane like an arboreal
python- "he gritted her teeth and cli+bed a.ter- !t ,asn2t as bad as
she2d .earedF a narro, ladder ran up the inside o. the structure like
a trachea sprouting sa.ety hoops at one-+eter intervals- But the
,ind bu..eted on all sides and surrounding girders sliced it into
7uarrelso+e and unpredictable vortices- They pushed her against
the ladder t,isted her side,ays slipped under her backpack and
tried to yank it .ro+ her body-
3 sharp thunderclap .ro+ her le.t- "he turned and .roCe and
clung to the ladder .or dear li.eF she2d hadn2t realiCed ho, high
she2d already cli+bed- The ,ater.ront shuddered behind and
beneath her not 7uite a tabletop +odel yet but close enough too
close- ?ar belo, the harbor churned green and ,hite-
3nother thunderclap- #ot ,eather though- The ,ind .or all
its strength ho,led beneath a blue and cloudless sky- That sound
had co+e .ro+ the li.ter- "een .ro+ above the vehicle looked like
a great gun+etal 9e,el .aceted into concave triangles: skin sucked
against geodesic ribs by the buoyant vacuu+ inside- !t roared
brie.ly above the ,ind a hissing bello, o. gaseous ballast- !ts
belly nearly touched the ,aterF its back curved higher than the
,arehouse roo. several stories above-
Ta+e lightning she re+e+bered- ?or buoyancy control- ;igh-
voltage arcs superheating trapped gases in the tri+ tanks-
And Ken's going to ride this monster.
!etter him than me.
"he looked up- >ubin had reached his departure point and ,as
untying one end o. the rope his legs ,rapped around a+bient
sca..olding- ;e gestured i+patiently at her8 then staggered
knocked brie.ly o..-balance by a gust o. ,ind- ;is hand shot out
to steady hi+sel. on a nearby cable-
"he kept going stead.astly re.using to look do,n again no
+atter ho, +any obscene noises the li.ter +ade- "he counted
rungs- "he counted girders and crossbea+s and rivets as the ,ind
ho,led in her ears and tugged at her li+bs- "he counted bare
steely patches ,here the red and yello, paint had sloughed a,ay
8until it re+inded her that she ,as cli+bing a structure so ancient
that its color ,asn2t even intrinsic to the +aterial but had been
layered on as an a.terthought-
3.ter a year or t,o she ,as at >ubin2s side so+e,here in the
9et strea+- >ubin ,as studying the li.ter the ubi7uitous binocs
cla+ped around his head- 0larke did not .ollo, his gaCe-
One end o. the rope ,as still tied .ir+ly do,n- ?ro+ that
ter+inus it led out and up to the apex o. the next crane looped
through ,hatever needle2s eye >ubin had .ound up there and
stretched back to the .inal hal.-+eter o. polyprope no, ,rapped
around his diveskinned hand- 3 satca+ looking do,n on the
tableau ,ould have seen t,o thin ,hite lines pointing to,ards the
li.ter .ro+ their current roost-
!t ,ould also have seen an o+inously large e+pty space
bet,een the point ,here the line ended and the point ,here the
li.ter began-
IAre you sure it's long enough+I 0larke shouted- >ubin didn2t
ans,er- ;e probably hadn2t heard the 7uestion through the ,ind
and the 2skin o. his hood- 0larke had barely heard hersel.-
;is tubular eyes stayed .ixed on the target .or a .e, +ore
+o+ents- Then he .lipped the binocs up against his .orehead-
IThey just deployed the teleop%I he called- The ,ind ble, +ost o.
his decibels side,ays and pitched in .i.ty o. its o,n but she got
the gist- 3ll according to plan so .ar- The usual .irestor+ .ro+ on
high ,ouldn2t do the trick this ti+e around: the hot Cone >ubin
had reported ,as too deep in the ,arehouse too close to the
,aterline- !t ,ould take a .ree-+oving teleop to scope the
situation and personally deliver the .la+es8and local architecture
hashed radio so badly that the little robot ,ould have to stay
virtually line-o.-sight 9ust to +aintain contact ,ith the +othership-
4hich +eant bringing the li.ter do,n lo,-
"o lo, that a su..iciently +otivated person +ight be able to
drop onto it .ro+ above---
>ubin had one ar+ hooked around a cable as thick as his ,rist
8one o. the .raying +etal tendons that kept the necks o. the
cranes upright- #o, he unhooked his legs .ro+ their purchase and
ducked under that cable co+ing up on the other side- The out
side- ;e ,as no, hanging o.. the edge o. the crane not rattling
about ,ithin it- ;e had one ar+ ,rapped in polypropylene and the
other hooked around the cable his .eet braced against a girder by
nothing beyond his own weight-
"uddenly Ben >ubin looked very .ragile indeed-
;is +outh +oved- 0larke heard nothing but ,ind- IWhat%I
;e leaned back to,ards the structure enunciating each syllable:
I)ou know what to do.I
"he nodded- "he couldn2t believe he ,as actually going to go
through ,ith this- I(ood lu.I she began8
3nd staggered .lailing as the hand o. an invisible giant slapped
her side,ays-
"he grasped out blindly at anything- ;er hands closed on
nothing- "o+ething hard cracked against the back o. her head
bounced her .or,ard again- 3 girder rushed by to her rightF she
caught it and hung on .or dear li.e-
Ken+
"he looked around- 4here >ubin2s .ace and chest had been
there ,as nothing but ho,ling space- ;is .orear+ ,as still
,rapped around the cable though like a black grappling hook-
"he lo,ered her gaCe a .raction: there ,as the rest o. hi+
scrabbling .or purchase and .inding it- /egaining his balance in
the gale pulling hi+sel. back up that .ucking plastic rope still
,ound around one hand- The ,ind slackened .or the brie.est
+o+entF >ubin ducked back into the ,ire.ra+e cage-
I)ou okay+I she asked as the ,ind rose again and sa, in the
next instant the blood on his .ace-
;e leaned in close- I0hange o. plansI he said and struck her
.orear+ ,ith the edge o. his .ree hand- 0larke yelped her grip
broken- "he .ell- >ubin caught her pulled her abruptly side,ays-
;er shoulder sla++ed against +etal and t,isted- "uddenly the
crane ,asn2t around her any +ore- !t ,as beside her-
I;ang onI >ubin gro,led against her cheek-
They ,ere airborne-
"he ,as .ar too petri.ied to screa+-
?or endless seconds they ,ere in .ree.all- The ,orld rushed
to,ards the+ like a .ly-s,atter- Then >ubin2s ar+ tightened
around her ,aist and so+e ne, .orce pulled the+ o..-center into a
s,eeping arc that only a+ended gravity at .irst then de.ied it
outright- They s,ooped do,n over ,hitecaps and churning
.lotsa+ and she see+ed to gro, kilogra+s heavierF then they ,ere
rising again +iraculously the ,ind catching the+ .ro+ behind-
The colossal s7uashed spheroid o. the li.ter loo+ed above and then
ahead and then below its nu+berless polygons re.lecting like the
.acets o. so+e great co+pound eye-
3nd then they ,ere dropping again through an invisible
tingling barrier that scratched sparks across her .ace and 0larke
barely put her hands out in ti+e to break the .all-
I6wNI
They ,ere on a steep slope .acing uphill- "he lay on her
sto+ach hands splayed .or,ard in a triangular depression perhaps
three +eters on a side- ;er diveskin s7uir+ed like a torture victi+-
>ubin lay hal. on top o. her hal. to one side his right ar+ pressed
into the s+all o. her back- "o+e de.iantly .unctional +odule in
her brain realiCed that he2d probably kept her .ro+ rolling o.. the
edge o. the ,orld- The rest o. her gulped air in great ,hooping
breaths and played &'m alive &'m alive &'m alive on in.inite loop-
I:ou all rightHI >ubin2s voice ,as lo, but audible- The ,ind
still pushed at their backs but it see+ed suddenly vague di..use-
I4hat8I Tiny electric shocks prickled her tongue and lips
,hen she tried to speak- "he tried to slo, her breathing- I4hat
the "uck are you8I
I!2ll take that as a yes-I ;e li.ted his hand .ro+ her back-
IBeep lo, cli+b up the slope- 4e2re .ar too close to the edge o.
this thing-I ;e cla+bered a,ay uphill-
"he lay in the depression the pit in her o,n sto+ach in.initely
deeper- "he .elt o+inously lightheaded- "he put one hand to her
te+pleF her hair ,as sticking straight out .ro+ her scalp as i. her
head had its o,n personal @an 3llen belt- ;er diveskin cra,led-
These things have static'"ields she realiCed-
Taka Ouellette had talked about cancer-
?inally her heart slo,ed to 9ackha++er rhyth+- "he .orced
hersel. to +ove- "he s7uir+ed on her belly past the lip o. the .irst
polygon and into the concavity o. the secondF at least the ridges
bet,een provided a .oothold against the slope- The grade lessened
,ith each +eter- Be.ore too long she dared to crouch and then to
stand upright-
The ,ind ble, harder against chest than legs8so+e kind o.
distance-cubed thing going on ,ith the static .ield8but even
against her head it ,asn2t as strong as it had been up in the crane-
!t ble, her levitating hair into her .ace every ti+e she turned
around but she barely noticed that inconvenience next to the
ongoing convulsions o. her diveskin-
>ubin ,as kneeling near the li.ter2s north pole on a s+ooth
circular island in a sea o. triangles- The island ,as about .our
+eters across and its topography ranged .ro+ thu+bnail-siCed
.iberop sockets to hatches the siCe o. +anhole covers- >ubin had
already got one o. those openF by the ti+e 0larke reached hi+ he2d
put ,hatever sa.ecracking tools he2d used back into his pack-
IBen ,hat the "uck is going onHI
;e ,iped blood .ro+ his cheek ,ith the back o. one hand- I!
changed +y +ind- ! need you along a.ter all-I
IBut what8I
I"eal up-I ;e pointed at the open hatch- *ark viscous li7uid
lapped in the opening like blood or +achine oil- I!2ll explain
everything once ,e2re inside-I
I4hat in thereH 4ill our i+plants even ,or8I
I*ow >enie- #o ti+e-I
0larke pulled up her hoodF it ,riggled dis7uietingly on her
scalp- 3t least it kept her hair .ro+ .lying every,here-
I4hat about the ropeHI she said suddenly re+e+bering-
>ubin stopped in the +iddle o. sealing his .ace .lap- ;e
glanced back at the gantry cranesF a .ine ,hite thread lashed back
and .orth .ro+ the nearest a ,hip in the ,ind-
I0an2t be helpedI he said- IAet in-I
@iscous total darkness-
IBen-I Machine voice vocoder voice- !t had been a ,hile-
I:es-I
I4hat are ,e breathingHI
I?la+ethro,er .uel-I
IWhat%I
I!t2s per.ectly sa.e- :ou2d be dead other,ise-I
IBut8I
I!t doesn2t have to be ,ater- ;ydroxyl groups contain oxygen-I
I:eah but they built us .or ,ater- ! can2t believe napal+8I
I!t2s not napal+-I
I4hatever it is it2s got to gu+ up our i+plants so+e,here
do,n the road-I
I*o,n the road isn2t an8isn2t an issue- 4e2ll be .ine i. they
last .or a .e, +ore hours-I
I4ill theyHI
I:es-I
3t least her diveskin had stopped +oving-
3 sudden tug o. inertia- I4hat2s thatHI she buCCed alar+ed-
I?uel .eed- They2re .iring-I
I3t ,hatH There ,asn2t any hot Cone-I
IMaybe they2re 9ust being cautious-I
IOr +aybe "eppuku ,as really there all along and ,e didn2t
kno, it-I
;e didn2t ans,er-
IBenHI
I!t2s possible-I
The surge had pushed her against so+ething so.t and slippery
and vaguely .lexible- !t see+ed to extend in all directionsF it ,as
too s+ooth to get any kind o. a grip-
They ,eren2t in a tank she realiCed- They ,ere in a bladder- !t
didn2t 9ust e+pty it de.lated. !t collapsed.
IBen ,hen this thing .ires---! +ean could ,e get sucked out
into8I
I#o- There2s a8grille-I
@ocoders stripped +ost o. the .eeling out o. a voice at the best
o. ti+es and this syrupy stu.. didn2t i+prove per.or+ance any-
"till she got the sense that >ubin didn2t ,ant to talk-
As i" Ken's ever been King o" the 0xtroverts.
But no there ,as so+ething else- "he couldn2t 7uite put her
.inger on it-
"o she .loated there in a+niotic darkness breathing so+ething
that ,asn2t napal+ and re+e+bered that electrolysis involved tiny
electrical sparks- "he ,aited and ,ondered i. one o. the+ ,ould
ignite the li7uid passing through her and around her ,ondered i.
her i+plants ,ere about to turn this ,hole li.ter into an airborne
.ireball- Another victim o" the ,enies she +used and s+iled to
hersel.-
But then she re+e+bered that >ubin still hadn2t told her ,hy
she ,as here-
3nd then she re+e+bered the blood on his .ace-
,N 2,N0
By the ti+e they reached their destination >ubin ,as blind-
The .rayed cable on the crane hadn2t 9ust gashed his .aceF it had
torn his hood- The li.ter2s incendiary saliva had seeped through
that tear be.ore the diveskin could heal- !t had di..used across his
.ace- 3 thin layer had pooled beneath his eyecaps corroding his
corneas do,n to pitted 9elly- 3 cal+ +echanical voice in the
darkness had told 0larke ,hat he expected: the ability to tell light
.ro+ dark at least- <erhaps so+e vestigial perception o. .uCCy
blobs and shado,s- The resolution o. actual i+ages ,as very
unlikely- ;e ,ould need her to be his eyes-
IJesus 0hrist Ben ,hy did you do itHI
I! ga+bled-I
I:ou whatHI
I4e could hardly have stayed on top o. the li.ter- There are
steriliCation +easures even i. the ,ind didn2t blo, us o.. and !
,asn2t certain ho, corrosive this8I
I4hy didn2t ,e 9ust ,alk a,ayH /egroupH *o it again laterHI
I,ater ,e could ,ell be incapacitated assu+ing your .riend is
still contagious- #ot to +ention the .act that ! .iled a .alse report
and haven2t called in since- *es9ardins kno,s so+ething2s ,rong-
The +ore ,e delay the +ore ti+e he has to prepare-I
I! think that2s gullshit- ! think you2ve 9ust got such a hard-on .or
getting back at hi+ that you2re +aking stupid decisions-I
I:ou2re entitled to your opinion- !. ! had to assess +y o,n
per.or+ance lately !2d say a ,orse decision ,as not leaving you
back on the /idge-I
I/ight Ben- 3chilles had me on a leash .or the past t,o ,eeks-
& ,as the one ,ho read "eppuku ass-back,ards- Jesus +an
you2ve been sitting on the botto+ o. the ocean .or .ive years 9ust
like the rest o. us- :ou2re not exactly at the top o. your ga+e-I
"ilence-
IBen ,hat are ,e going to doH :ou2re blindNI
IThere are ,ays around that-I
Dventually he said they2d docked- "he didn2t kno, ho, he
could tell8the sloshing o. li7uid that contained the+ perhaps
so+e subtle inertia belo, 0larke2s o,n perceptual threshold-
0ertainly no sound had tipped hi+ o..- Buried deep in the li.ter2s
vacuu+ the bladder ,as as 7uiet as outer space-
They crept out onto the back o. the beast- !t had co+e to rest in
an enor+ous hanger ,ith a cla+shell roo. ,hose halves ,ere
sliding shut above the+- !t ,as deep dusk 9udging .ro+ the
opacity o. the sky beyond- The li.ter sloped a,ay in all directions
a tiny .aceted planet birthing the+ .ro+ its north pole- >ight and
+achine sounds ca+e .ro+ belo,8and an occasional hu+an
voice8but these upper reaches ,ere all grayscale-
I4hat do you seeHI >ubin said in a lo, voice-
"he turned and caught her breath- ;e2d peeled back his hood
and re+oved his eyecapsF the gray o. his skin ,as .ar too dark and
pebbled ,ith blisters- ;is exposed eyes ,ere clusters o. insectile
co+pound bu+ps- !ris and pupil ,ere barely visible behind as i.
seen through chipped +ilky glass-
I4ellHI
I4e8,e2re indoorsI she told hi+- I#obody in sight and it2s
probably too dark .or drybacks to see us up here any,ay- ! can2t
see the .actory .loor but it sounds like there are people do,n there-
3re you8"uck Ben did it8I
IJust the .ace- The 2skin sealed o.. everything else-I
I*oes it8! +ean ho, do you8I
IThere2s a gantry on an overhead rail to the le.t- "ee itHI
"he .orced hersel. to look a,ay- I:eah-I 3nd then surprised:
I0an youHI
IThe guts sho, up on +y inlays- This ,hole hangar is a
,ire.ra+e sche+atic-I ;e looked around as i. sighted- IThat
asse+bly2s on autopilot- ! think it handles re.ueling-I
The cla+shell doors +et overhead ,ith a dull echoing boom-
!n the next instant the gantry 9erked to li.e and began sliding
to,ards the+ along its rail- 3 pair o. ,aldos un.olded like the
.oreli+bs o. a +antis- They ended in cla,ed noCCles-
I! think you2re right-I 0larke said- I!t2s8I
I! see it-I
I;o, do ,e get out o. hereHI
;e turned his blind pitted eyes on her- ;e pointed at the
approaching arthropod-
I0li+bI he said-
;e guided her through ra.ters and cra,l,ays as though born to
the+- ;e 7uiCCed her on the color-coding o. overhead pipes or
,hich side o. a given service tunnel ,as +ore streaked ,ith the
stains o. old condensation- They .ound their ,ay into an
uninhabited locker roo+ traversed a gauntlet o. lockers and toilet
stalls to an open sho,er-
They ,ashed do,n- #o longer .la++able they turned their
attention to blending in- >ubin had brought dryback clothing
,added up in his backpack- 0larke had to +ake do ,ith a pair o.
gray coveralls li.ted .ro+ a ro, o. a hal.-doCen hanging along one
,all- 3 bank o. lockers lined the ,all opposite locked ,ith
snapshots and thu+b padsF >ubin +ade a +ockery o. their security
,hile 0larke dressed- The ,eave tightened around her into a
reasonable approxi+ation o. a good .it-
I4hat are you looking .orHI she asked-
I"unglasses- @isor +aybe-I
?our 9i++ied lockers later >ubin gave up- They returned to the
echoing arena o. the +ain hanger- They ,alked braCenly across
open space in plain vie, o. eight service techs- They passed
beneath the s,ollen bellies o. .our li.ters and gaping bays that
,ould have held another three- They ,ound along ro,s o.
clicking articulated +achinery ,aving casually across the .loor at
people in blue coveralls and8at >ubin2s insistence8keeping a
discrete distance .ro+ others ,earing gray-
They .ound an exit-
Outside the buildings ,ere packed so closely that their upper
.loors see+ed to lean together- 3rches and sky,alks spanned the
narro, airspace above the street connecting opposing .acades like
stretched arteries- !n other places the buildings the+selves had
+elded at the .i.th .loor or the .ortieth overhanging boles o.
plastic and biosteel .using one structure to another- The sky ,as
visible only in dark .rag+ents inter+ittently sparking ,ith static
electricity- The street ,as a spaghetti o. rapitrans rails and narro,
side,alks doubling as loading plat.or+s- #either rails nor
,alk,ays carried +uch tra..ic- 0olors ,ere a +uted ,ash to
0larke2s eyesF drybacks ,ould see inter+ittent pools o. di+ copper
light and +any deep shado,s bet,een- Dven in these relict nodes
o. civiliCation energy see+ed in short supply-
Ben >ubin ,ould be seeing none o. the sur.aces- <erhaps he
sa, the ,iring underneath-
"he .ound the+ a +arket in the shado, o. a third-story
overhang- ;al. the +achines ,ere o..line but the +enu on the
>evi2s dispenser t,inkled invitingly- >ubin suggested that she
trade up .ro+ the coverallsF he o..ered his ,rist,atch to enable the
transaction but the +achine sensed the long-.orgotten currency
chip e+bedded in 0larke2s thigh still packed ,ith unspent pay
.ro+ her gig at the Arid 3uthority- !t lasered her .or .it ,hile
>ubin got a pair o. nightshades and a tube o. skin crea+ .ro+ a
Johnson M Johnson a .e, stalls do,n-
"he pulled on her ne, clothing ,hile >ubin ,hispered into his
,rist,atchF 0larke couldn2t tell ,hether he ,as talking to so.t,are
or .lesh-and-blood- "he gathered .ro+ his end o. the conversation
that that they ,ere in the northern core o. Toro+ilton-
3.ter,ards they had places to go- They cli+bed .ro+ the .loor
o. the city into a +ountainous range o. skyscrapers: o..ice
buildings +ostly long-since converted to dor+itories .or those
,ho2d been able to buy their ,ay out o. the 2burbs ,hen the .ield
generators ,ent up- There ,eren2t +any people abroad up there
either- <erhaps the citiCenry didn2t co+e out at night-
"he ,as a seeing-eye dog helping her +aster hunt .or Daster
eggs- ;e directed herF she led hi+- >ubin +uttered incessantly
into his ,atch as they +oved- ;is incantations catalyCed the
appearance o. strange ob9ects in unlikely places: a sea+less box
barely bigger than a handpad nestled in the plu+bing o. a public
toiletF a brand-ne, ,rist,atch still in the original packaging on
the .loor o. an elevator that rose past the +eCCanine ,ith no one on
board- >ubin le.t his old ,atch in its place along ,ith a tiny
Ciplock o. der+s and plug-ins .ro+ his o,n inventory-
3t a vending ,all on the sa+e level he ordered a roll o.
se+iper+eable adhesive tape and a cloned ha+-and-cheese- The
tape ,as served up ,ithout incident but no sand,ich appeared on
its heelsF instead a pair o. hand-siCed containers slid do,n the
chute .lattened opalescent cylinders ,ith rounded edges- ;e
popped one o. the+ open to reveal pince-neC ,ith opa7ue 9ade
lenses- ;e set the+ on his nose- ;is 9a, t,itched slightly as he
reset so+e dental s,itch- 3 tiny green star ,inked on at the edge
o. the le.t lens-
IBetter-I ;e looked around- I*epth perception2s not all it
could be-I
I#ice trickI 0larke said- I!t talks to your inlaysHI
IMore or less- The i+age is a bit grainy-I
#o, >ubin took the lead-
IThere2s no easier ,ay to do thisHI she asked hi+ .ollo,ing-
I:ou couldn2t 9ust call up the A3 head o..iceHI
I! doubt !2+ still on their payroll-I ;e turned le.t at a t-9unction-
I:eah but don2t you have8I
IThey stopped replenishing the .ield caches so+e ti+e agoI
>ubin said- I!2+ told any le.tovers have long since been ac7uired
by unilaterals- Dverything has to be negotiated through contacts-I
I:ou2re buying the+ o..HI
I!t2s not a 7uestion o. +oney-I
I4hat thenHI
IBarterI he said- I3n old debt or t,o- !n-kind services-I
3t 2200 they +et a +an ,ho pulled a gossa+er-.ine thread o.
.iberop .ro+ his pocket and plugged it into >ubin2s ne,
,rist,atch- >ubin stood there .or over hal. an hour +otionless
except .or the occasional t,itching o. .ingers: a statue leaning
slightly into so+e virtual ,ind as i. poised to pounce on e+pty
air- 3.ter,ards the stranger reached up and touched the blisters on
>ubin2s .ace- >ubin laid one brie. hand on the other +an2s
shoulder- The interaction ,as subtly dis7uieting .or reasons
0larke couldn2t 7uite put her .inger on- "he tried to re+e+ber the
last ti+e she2d seen Ben >ubin touch another person short o.
violence or duty and .ailed-
I4ho ,as thatHI she asked a.ter,ards-
I#o one-I 3nd contradicting hi+sel. in the next second:
I"o+eone to spread the ,ord- 3lthough there2s no guarantee even
he can raise the alar+ in ti+e-I
3t 2'0$ >ubin knocked at a door in a residential retro.it in the
+iddle reaches o. ,hat had once been the Toronto *o+inion
0enter- 3 bro,n-skinned gri+-.aced ecto+orph o. a ,o+an
ans,ered- ;er eyes blaCed a startling al+ost lu+inous golden-
orange8so+e kind o. cultured xanthophyll in the irises8and she
loo+ed over >ubin by a head or +ore- "he spoke 7uietly in a
strange language .ull o. consonants every syllable thick ,ith
anger- >ubin ans,ered in the sa+e tongue and held out a sealed
Ciplock- The ,o+an snatched it reached behind the hal.-open
door thre, a bag at his .eet 8it landed ,ith the +u..led clank o.
gloved +etal8and closed the door in his .ace-
;e sto,ed the bag in his backpack- I4hat did she give youHI
0larke asked-
IOrdnance-I ;e started back do,n the hall-
I4hat did you give herHI
;e shrugged- I3n antidote-I
Just be.ore +idnight they entered a great vaulted space that
+ight once have been the centerpiece o. a +all- #o, its distant
ceiling ,as eclipsed by a ,arren on stilts a great +ass o. pre.ab
s7uats and storage cubes held together by a +aCe o. i+provised
sca..olding- !t ,as a +ore e..icient use o. space than the
extravagant e+ptiness o. the old days i. a ,hole lot uglier- The
botto+ o. the retro.it stood +aybe .our +eters o.. the original
+arbled .loorF occasional ladders reached do,n through its
underside to ground level- *ark sea+s cracked the structure here
and there narro, gaps in a patch,ork 7uilt o. plastic and .iber
paneling: a bounty o. peepholes .or hidden eyes- 0larke thought
she heard the rustling o. large ani+als in hiding the occasional
7uiet +ur+ur o. +u..led voices but she and >ubin see+ed to be
the only ones here on the .loor beneath-
"udden +otion to the le.t- 3 great .ountain had once decorated
the center o. this placeF these days its broad soapstone basin
spread out in the perpetual shado, o. the s7uat see+ed to serve
pri+arily as a co++unity du+pster- <ieces o. a ,o+an ,ere
detaching the+selves .ro+ that backdrop- The illusion ,as .ar
.ro+ per.ect no, that 0larke .ocused on it- The chro+atophores
on the ,o+an2s unitard +i+icked her background in broad strokes
at best producing +ore o. a blurry translucence than outright
invisibility- #ot that this particular B see+ed to care about
ca+ou.lageF the a+bulatory hair ,asn2t exactly designed to blend
,ith the background-
"he approached the+ like a .uCCy cloud ,ith body parts
attached- I:ou +ust be BennyI she said to >ubin- I!2+ >aurel-
:uri said you had skin proble+s-I "he gave 0larke an appraising
glance blinking over pupils slit subtly vertical- I! like the eyes-
Takes balls to go .or ri.ter chic in these parts-I
0larke looked back expressionlessly- 3.ter a +o+ent >aurel
turned back to >ubin- I:uri2s ,ait8I
>ubin snapped her neck >aurel sagged bonelessly into his
ar+s her head lolling-
I7uck BenNI 0larke staggered back as i. she2d been kicked in
the sto+ach- IWhat are you...I
?ro+ the rustling cli.. d,ellings above the+ sudden silence-
>ubin had >aurel laid out on her back his pack at her side- ;er
cat eyes stared up at the belly o. the s7uat ,ide and astonished-
IKenNI
I! told you in-kind services +ight be necessary-I ;e .ished a
handgrip o. so+e kind .ro+ his pack pressed a stud on its hilt- 3
thin blade snicked into vie,- !t hu++ed- One stroke and >aurel2s
unitard ,as split .ro+ crotch to throat- The elastic .abric pulled
apart like slashed +esentery-
-hat. 1nap. 1ag. 8ust like that. !t ,as i+possible to banish the
i+age-
*eep abdo+inal cut right side- #o blood- 3 ,isp o. blue
s+oke curled up .ro+ the incision- !t carried the scent o.
cauteriCing .lesh-
0larke looked around .rantically- There ,as still no one else in
sight but it .elt as though a thousand eyes ,ere on the+- !t .elt as
though the ,hole teetering structure over their heads ,as holding
its breath as though it +ight collapse on the+ at any second-
>ubin plunged his hand into >aurel2s side- There ,as no
hesitation no exploratory poke-and-prod- ;e kne, exactly ,here
he ,as going- 4hatever he ,as a.ter +ust be sho,ing up on his
inlays-
>aurel2s eyes turned in her head- They stared at >enie 0larke-
IOh Aod she2s alive...I
I"he can2t .eel itI >ubin said-
3ow could he do thisH 0larke ,ondered and an instant later:
A"ter all these years$ how could & still be surprised+
>ubin2s blood-soaked hand ca+e back into sight- "o+ething
pea-siCed glistened like a pearl in the clotting gore bet,een thu+b
and .ore.inger- 3 child began crying so+e,here in the ,arren
overhead- >ubin li.ted his .ace to the sound-
IWitnesses Ben---I
;e stood- >aurel lay bleeding out at his .eet her eyes still .ixed
on >enie 0larke-
IThey2re used to it-I ;e started ,alking- I0o+e on-I
"he backed a,ay a .e, steps- >aurel stared steadily at the place
,here >enie 0larke had been-
I#o ti+eI >ubin called over his shoulder-
0larke turned and .led a.ter hi+-
&sland Airport pushed up against the southern reaches o. the
static do+e- There ,as no island that 0larke could see only a lo,
broad building ,ith helicopters and ultralights scattered across its
roo.- Dither there ,as no security or >ubin2s negotiations had
seduced itF they ,alked unaccosted to a .our-seater "ikorsky-Bell
out.itted ,ith passive cloaking- The pearl shucked .ro+ >aurel2s
guts proved to be the keys to its heart-
Toro+ilton di++ed in the distance behind the+- They .le,
north beneath the sight o. so+e hypothetical radar threading
bet,een silver-gray treetops- *arkness and photocollagen hid a
+ultitude o. sinsF .or all 0larke kne, every plant every rock
every s7uare +eter o. the landscape belo, ,as coated in
ehe+oth- :ou couldn2t tell through the photoa+ps though- The
terrain scrolling past ,as .rosted and beauti.ul- Occasional lakes
slid beneath the+ like great puddles o. +ercury di+ly radiant-
"he didn2t +ention the vie, to >ubin- "he didn2t kno, i. his
prosthetic eyes ca+e e7uipped ,ith night vision but he2d s,itched
the+ o.. any,ay8at least the little green >D* ,as dark- #av
+ust be talking directly to his inlays-
I"he didn2t kno, she ,as carrying itI 0larke said- They ,ere
the .irst ,ords she2d spoken since >aurel2s eyes had .ixed and
dilated-
I#o- :uri +ade her a ho+e-cooked +eal-I
I;e ,anted her dead-I
IDvidently-I
0larke shook her head- >aurel2s eyes ,ouldn2t leave her alone-
IBut ,hy that ,ayH 4hy put it inside herHI
I! suspect he didn2t trust +e to keep up +y end o. the deal-I
The corner o. >ubin2s +outh t,itched slightly- I/ather elegant
solution actually-I
"o so+eone thought that Ben >ubin +ight be reluctant to
co++it +urder- !t should have been cause .or hope-
I?or the keys to a helicopterI 0larke said- I! +ean couldn2t
,e 9ust8I
IJust what >enieHI he snapped- I?all back on all those high-
level contacts that ! used to haveH 0all the rental agencyH ;as it
still not da,ned on you that a continental hot Cone and .ive years
o. +artial la, +ight have had so+e i+pact on intercity travelHI
>ubin shook his head IOr perhaps you don2t think ,e2re giving
*es9ardins enough ti+e to set up his de.enses- <erhaps ,e should
9ust walk the distance to give hi+ a sporting chance-I
"he2d never heard hi+ talk like this be.ore- !t ,as as i. so+e
chess grand-+aster reno,ned .or icy cal+ had suddenly cursed
and kicked over the board in the +iddle o. a ga+e-
They .le, in silence .or a ,hile-
I! can2t believe it2s really hi+I she said at last-
I! don2t see ,hy not-I >ubin ,as back in battle-co+puter +ode-
I4e kno, he lied about "eppuku-I
IMaybe he +ade an honest +istake- Taka2s an actual M* and
she even8I
I!t2s hi+I >ubin said-
"he didn2t push it-
I4here are ,e goingHI she asked-
I"udbury- Dvidently he didn2t ,ant to give up ho+e-.ield
advantage-I
I!t ,asn2t destroyed during /ioHI
I*es9ardins caused /io-I
IWhatH 4ho told you thatHI
I! kno, the +an- !t +akes sense-I
I#ot to +e-I
I*es9ardins ,as the .irst to slip the leash- ;e had a brie.
,indo, in ,hich he ,as the only +an on the planet ,ith all the
po,er o. a 2la,breaker and none o. the constraints- ;e used it to
eli+inate the co+petition be.ore "partacus .reed the+-I
IBut it ,asn2t 9ust "udbury- /io took out cities all over-I "he
re+e+bered ,ords and i+ages strea+ing across the 3tlantic- 3n
industrial li.ter inexplicably crashing into the 0"!/3 to,er in "alt
>ake- 3 .ast-neutron bo+b in the unlikely hands o. the *aughters
o. >enie- Euantu+ shriekers .alling .ro+ orbit onto "acra+ento
and Boise-
I"udbury ,ouldn2t have been the only .ranchise seededI >ubin
pointed out- I*es9ardins +ust have obtained the list and gone to
to,n-I
I3nd bla+ed it on /ioI 0larke +ur+ured-
I3ll the post-hoc evidence pointed there- O. course the city
,as vaporiCed be.ore anyone had a chance to ask 7uestions- @ery
little .orensic evidence survives ground Cero-I >ubin tapped a
control icon- I3s .ar as anyone kne, at the ti+e *es9ardins saved
the day- ;e ,as the toast o. the to,n- 3t least he ,as the toast o.
anyone ,ith enough clearance to kno, ,ho he ,as-I
There ,as a subtext to the aridity in >ubin2s voice- 3is
clearance had been revoked by then-
IBut he couldn2t have got everyoneI 0larke said-
I;e didn2t have to- Only those in.ected ,ith "partacus- That
,ould have been a +inority even in seeded .ranchises assu+ing
he hit the+ early enough-I
IThere2d still be people o.. shi.t people o.. sick8I
I4ipe out hal. a city you get the+ too-I
I"till8I
I:ou2re right to a pointI >ubin allo,ed- I!t2s likely so+e
escaped- But even that ,orked in *es9ardins2s .avor- ;e can2t
very ,ell bla+e /io .or his actions now- ;e can2t bla+e
everything on Madonnas but as long as convenient scapegoats
.ro+ /io or Topeka are at large nobody2s likely to suspect him
,hen so+e piece o. high-level sabotage co+es to light- ;e saved
the ,orld a.ter all-I
"he sighed- I"o ,hat no,HI
I4e go get hi+-I
IJust like that huhH Blind spy and his rookie sidekick are going
to battle their ,ay through sixty-.ive .loors o. 0"!/3 securityHI
I3ssu+ing ,e can get there- ;e2s likely to have all approaches
under continuous satellite surveillance- ;e +ust have planned .or
the ,ord getting out eventually ,hich +eans he2ll be e7uipped to
handle large-scale retaliation up to and including +issile attacks
.ro+ overseas- ?ar +ore than ,e can +uster-I
I;e thinks he can take on the rest o. the ,orldHI
IMore likely he only expects to see the rest o. the ,orld co+ing
in ti+e to get a,ay-I
I"o is that your planH ;e2s expecting an all-out assault so he
,on2t notice one +easly helicopterHI
IThat ,ould be niceI >ubin ad+itted ,ith a gri+ s+ile- I!2+
not counting on it- 3nd even i. he doesn2t notice us on approach
he2s had nearly .our years to .ill the building itsel. up ,ith
counter+easures- !t ,ould probably be i+possible .or us to guard
against the+ all even i. ! kne, ,hat they ,ere-I
I"o ,hat do ,e doHI
I!2+ still ,orking on the details- ! expect ,e2ll end up ,alking
through the .ront door-I
0larke looked at his .ingernails- The dried blood beneath
turned their edges bro,n-
I:ou2ve put all these pieces togetherI she said- IThey +ake
hi+ a +onster-I
I3ren2t ,e all-I
I3e ,asn2t- *o you even rememberHI
>ubin didn2t ans,er-
I:ou ,ere going to kill +e re+e+berH 3nd !2d 9ust killed
everyone else- We ,ere the +onsters Ben and you re+e+ber
,hat he didHI
I:es-I
I;e tried to save +e- ?ro+ you- ;e2d never even +et +e .ace
to .ace and he kne, exactly ,ho ! ,as and ,hat !2d done and he
kne, .irst-hand ,hat you ,ere capable o.- 3nd it didn2t +atter-
;e risked his li.e to save +ine-I
I! re+e+ber-I >ubin t,eaked controls- I:ou broke his nose-I
IThat2s not the point-I
IThat person doesn2t exist any +oreI he said- I"partacus
turned hi+ into so+ething else-I
I:eahH 3nd ,hat did it do to you BenHI
;is blind pitted .ace turned-
I! kno, one thing it didn't doI she ,ent on- I!t didn2t give you
your +urder habit- :ou had that all along didn2t youHI
The pince-neC stared back at her like +antis eyes- 3 green >D*
ignited on its le.t lens-
I4hat2s it like BenH !s it catharticH !s it sexualH *oes it get
you o""HI 3 part o. her looked on alar+ed- The rest couldn2t stop
goading hi+- I*o you have to be right there ,atching us die or is
it enough to 9ust plant the bo+b and kno, ,e2ll be dropping like
.lies o..stageHI
I>enie-I ;is voice ,as very cal+- I4hat exactly are you
trying to acco+plishHI
I! 9ust ,ant to kno, ,hat you2re a.ter that2s all- ! don2t see
anyone ,aving pitch.orks and torches at you 9ust because
"partacus re,ired your brain- !. you2re sure about this i. he really
did all these things and he2s really so+e kind o. +onster then .ine-
But i. this is 9ust so+e .ucked-up excuse .or you to indulge your
perverse little .etish then---I
"he shook her head in disgust and glared into the darkness-
I:ou2d like his perversions so+e,hat less than +ineI >ubin
said 7uietly-
I/ightI she snorted- IThanks .or the input-I
I>enie---I
IWhatHI
I!2+ never gratuitousI he told her-
I/eallyHI "he looked a challenge at hi+- I#everHI
;e looked back- I4ell- ;ardly ever-I
3P,.A5,4N 0A5
D7ual parts dead and alive8 and hardly caring ,hich ,ay the
balance ,ent8Taka Ouellette had .igured it out-
"he2d never done ,ell under pressure- That had al,ays been
her proble+- 3nd 3chilles the +onster hadn2t understood that- Or
+aybe he2d understood it too ,ell- 4hatever- ;e had put her
under the +other o. all high-pressure scenarios and o. course she2d
.allen apart- "he2d proven once again to be the eternal .uck-up-
3nd it ,as so un.air because she knew she had a good head on her
shoulders she knew she could .igure things out i. only people
,ould stop leaning on her- !. only Ben hadn2t been there ,ith his
bio,ar canister expecting ans,ers right now- !. only 3chilles
hadn2t co+e ,ithin a hair o. incinerating her alive and then
rushing her through "eppuku2s gene se7uence ,ithout so +uch as
letting her catch her breath-
!. only *ave hadn2t been so i+patient- !. only she hadn2t
hurried on that last crucial diagnostic---
"he ,as a s+art lady- "he kne, it- But she ,as terrible under
pressure- !ad$ bad Alice she chided hersel.-
But no, that the pressure ,as o.. see ho, ,ell she put
everything togetherH
!t had only taken t,o things to get her over the hu+p- 3chilles
had to leave her alone .or a bit give her a chance to think- 3nd
she had to die- 4ell start dying any,ay- Once she kne, she ,as
dead once she "elt it in her bones no reprieves no last-+inute
rescue8all the pressure disappeared- ?or the .irst ti+e in her li.e
it see+ed she could think clearly-
"he didn2t kno, ho, long it had been since 3chilles had been
by to torture her- "he .igured at least a day or t,o- Maybe a ,eek
8but no surely she2d be dead already i. he2d le.t her here .or a
,hole ,eekH ;er 9oints had .roCen up in the +eanti+e- Dven i.
she ,ere to be released .ro+ the exoskeleton her body ,as as
rigid as rigor---
Maybe it was rigor- Maybe she2d already .inished dying and
hadn2t noticed- 0ertainly things didn2t see+ to hurt as +uch as
they had8although +aybe she 9ust didn2t notice the pain so +uch
no, on account o. the raging thirst- One thing you could say
about 3chilles he2d al,ays kept her .ed and ,atered- *idn2t ,ant
her too ,eak to per.or+ he2d said-
But it had been so very long since he2d co+e by- Taka ,ould
have killed .or a glass o. ,ater i. she hadn2t already died .or ,ant
o. one-
But ,asn2t it nice that nothing mattered any +oreH 3nd ,asn2t
it nice that she2d actually "igured it outH
"he ,ished that 3chilles would co+e back- #ot 9ust .or the
,ater although that ,ould be nice- "he ,anted to sho, hi+- "he
,anted to prove he ,as ,rong- "he ,anted hi+ to be proud o.
her-
!t all had to do ,ith that silly little song about the .leas- ;e
+ust have kno,n that that2s ,hy he2d serenaded her in the .irst
place- 3as smaller "leas that on him prey$ and these have smaller
still to bite 'em...
>i.e ,ithin li.e- "he could see it no,- "he ,as a+aCed that
she2d never seen it be.ore- !t ,asn2t even a ne, concept- !t ,as
do,nright old- Mitochondria ,ere littler "leas that lived in every
eukaryotic cell- Today they ,ere vital organelles the bioche+ical
batteries o. li.e itsel.8but a billion years ago they2d been
independent organis+s in their o,n right little .ree-living bacteria-
3 larger cell had engul.ed the+ had .orgotten to che, be.ore it
s,allo,ed8and so they2d struck up a deal the big cell and the
little one- The big cell ,ould provide a sa.e stable environ+entF
the little one in turn ,ould pu+p out energy .or its host- That
ancient act o. .ailed predation had turned into the pri+ordial
sy+biosis---and even today +itochondria kept their o,n genes
reproduced on their o,n schedule ,ithin the .lesh o. the host-
!t ,as still going on- ehe+oth itsel. had stuck up a si+ilar
relationship ,ithin the cells o. so+e o. the creatures that shared its
deep-sea environ+ent providing an energy surplus ,hich the host
.ish used to gro, .aster- !t gre, ,ithin the cells o. things here on
land too8,ith so+e,hat less bene.icial conse7uences true but
then virulence is al,ays high ,hen t,o radically disparate
organis+s encounter each other .or the .irst ti+e---
3chilles hadn2t been singing about .leas at all- ;e2d been
singing about endosymbiosis-
1eppuku +ust carry its o,n little .leas- There ,as +ore than
enough roo+8all those redundant genes could code .or any
nu+ber o. viral organis+s as ,ell as +erely +asking the suicidal
recessives- 1eppuku not only killed itsel. o.. ,hen its 9ob ,as
done8it gave birth to a new sy+biont a viral one probably that
,ould take up residence inside the host cell- !t ,ould .ill the niche
so e..ectively that ehe+oth ,ould .ind nothing but no'vacancy
signs i. it ca+e sni..ing around a.ter,ards looking to +ove back
in-
There ,ere even precedents o. a sort- Taka re+e+bered so+e
o. the+ .ro+ +ed school- Malaria had been beaten ,hen
baseline +os7uitoes lost out to a .aster-breeding variant that didn2t
trans+it Plasmodium- 3!*" stopped being a threat ,hen benign
strains outnu+bered lethal ones- Those ,ere nothing though
diseases that attacked a hand.ul o. species at +ost- ehe+oth
threatened everything ,ith a nucleusF you2d never beat the ,itch
by in.ecting the ;u+an race or replacing one species o. insect
,ith another- The only ,ay to ,in against ehe+oth ,ould be to
counterin.ect everything-
"eppuku ,ould have to redesign li.e itsel. .ro+ the inside out-
3nd it could do it too: it had an edge that poor old ehe+oth had
never even drea+ed o.- 3chilles had .orced her to re+e+ber that
too hal. an eternity ago: T#3 could duplex ,ith +odern nucleic
acids- !t could talk to the genes o. its host cell it could join the
genes o. its host cell- !t could change anything and everything-
!. she ,as right8and hovering at the edge o. her li.e she2d
never been +ore certain o. anything8"eppuku ,as +ore than a
cure .or ehe+oth- !t ,as the +ost pro.ound evolutionary leap
since the rise o. the eukaryotic cell- !t ,as a solution .ar too
radical .or the .iddlers and t,eakers ,ho hadn2t been able to see
beyond the old paradig+ o. ,i"e As We Know &t- The deep-sea
enCy+es the arduous painstaking retro.its that had allo,ed Taka
and others like her to clai+ immunity8i+provised sca..olding no
+ore- "truts and crutches to keep so+e teetering body plan alive
long a.ter its expiration date- <eople had gro,n too attached to the
che+ical tinkertoys that had de.ined the+ .or three billion years-
The +ost nostalgia could ever do ,as postpone the inevitable-
"eppuku2s architects ,ere +ore radical- They2d thro,n a,ay
the old cellular specs entirely and started .ro+ scratch they ,ere
re,riting the very che+istry o. li.e- Dvery eukaryotic species
,ould be changed at the +olecular scale- #o ,onder "eppuku2s
creators had kept it under ,rapsF you didn2t have to be an MMM to
be terri.ied by such an extre+e solution- <eople al,ays chose the
devils they kne, even i. that devil ,as ehe+oth- <eople 9ust
,ouldn2t accept that success couldn2t be achieved through 9ust a
little +ore tinkering---
Taka could barely i+agine the shape o. the success that ,as
un.olding no,- <erhaps the strange ne, insects she2d been seeing
,ere the start o. it .ast short lives that evolved through doCens o.
generations in a season- 3chilles hadn2t been able to keep it out
a.ter all: those 9oy.ul +onstrous bugs proved it- ;e had only
been able to keep it .ro+ in.ecting ;u+anity-
3nd even there he ,as doo+ed to .ail- "alvation ,ould take
root in everything eventually as it had taken root in the arthropods-
!t ,ould 9ust take +ore ti+e .or creatures ,ho lived at a slo,er
pace- 6ur turn will come$ Taka thought-
;o, ,ould it ,orkH she ,ondered- ;o, to outco+pete the
hyperco+petitorH Brute .orce perhapsH "heer cellular voracity
the sa+e scra+ble-co+petition strategy that ehe+oth had used to
beat >i.e (-0 turned back upon itsel.H 4ould li.e burn t,ice as
bright and hal. as long ,ould the ,hole biosphere +ove .aster
think .aster live .uriously and brie.ly as +ay.liesH
But that ,as the old paradig+ to trans.or+ yoursel. into your
ene+y and then clai+ victory- There ,ere other options once you
gave up on rein"orcing and turned to redesign instead- Taka
Ouellette +ediocre progeny o. the Old Auard couldn2t begin to
guess at ,hat they ,ere- "he doubted anyone could- 4hat
si+ulation could predict the behavior o. a +ulti+illion-species
syste+ ,hen every living variable ,as perturbed at onceH ;o,
+any care.ully-selected experi+ental treat+ents ,ould it take to
+odel a billion si+ultaneous +utationsH "eppuku8,hatever
"eppuku ,as poised to beco+e8thre, the very concept o. a
controlled experiment out the ,indo,-
#orth 3+erica was the experi+ent8unannounced
uncontrolled an inconceivably tangled +atrix o. +ulti,ay
3#O@3s and ;yperniche tables- Dven i. it .ailed the ,orld
,ould hardly be ,orse o..- ehe+oth ,ould have su..ered a
+a9or setback "eppuku ,ould have .allen on its s,ord and
,hatever ca+e a.ter ,ould at least8unlike ehe+oth8 be li+ited
to the inside o. a host cell-
3nd +aybe it ,ouldn2t .ail- Maybe everything ,ould change
.or the better- There ,ould be +onsters so+e hope.ul-
Mitochondria the+selves +ight .inally be driven to extinction
their ancient lease expired at last- Maybe people ,ould change
.ro+ the inside out the old breed gone replaced by so+ething that
looked the sa+e but acted better.
Maybe it ,as about .ucking ti+e-
3 little +an nattered at her .ro+ a great distance- ;e stood in
.ront o. her an irritating ho+unculus in ultrasharp .ocus as i. seen
through the ,rong end o. a telescope- ;e paced back and .orth
gesticulating +adly- Taka gathered that he ,as a.raid o.
so+ething or so+eone- :es that ,as it: so+eone ,as co+ing
.or hi+- ;e spoke as i. his head ,as .ull o. voices as i. he had
lost control o. a great +any things at once- ;e threatened her8
she thought he ,as threatening her although his e..orts see+ed
al+ost co+ical- ;e sounded like a lost little boy trying to act
brave ,hile looking .or a place to hide-
I! .igured it outI Taka told hi+- ;er voice cracked like cheap
brittle plastic- "he ,ondered ,hy that ,as- I!t ,asn2t so hard-I
But he ,as too caught up in his o,n little ,orld- !t didn2t
+atter- ;e didn2t see+ like the kind o. person ,ho2d really
appreciate the da,n o. a ne, age any,ay-
"o +any things ,ere about to happen- The end o. ,i"e As We
Knew &t. The beginning o. ,i"e As We #on't- !t had already started-
;er biggest regret ,as that she ,ouldn2t be around to see ho, it all
turned out-
#ave honey$ she thought- & did it. & got it right at last.
)ou'd be proud o" me-
1AS5,++
"udbury rose in the night like a lu+inous tu+or-
!ts core glo,ed .ro+ ,ithin .aintly by dryback standards but
bright as day to >enie 0larke: a ,alled claustrophobic cluster o.
re.itted skyscrapers in an abandoned ,asteland o. suburbs and
co++ercial Cones- The static .ield ,as obvious by in.erence- The
ne, buildings and the gra.ted retro.its the galls o. living space
,edged into the gaps bet,een buildings8all extended to the inner
edge o. the .ield and no .urther- >ike +etastasis constrained under
glass "udbury had gro,n into a he+isphere-
They cut through .ro+ the east- 0larke2s diveskin s7uir+ed in
the .ield like a slug in a .la+e- 0harged air trans.or+ed the rotors
into ,hirling vortices o. brilliant blue sparks- "he .ound the e..ect
oddly nostalgicF it see+ed al+ost biolu+inescent like +icrobes
.luorescing in the heat o. a deep-sea vent- ?or a +o+ent she could
pretend that so+e airborne variant o. "aint Dl+o2s ?ire trailed .ro+
those spinning blades-
But only .or a +o+ent- There ,as only one +icroorganis+ up
here ,orth +entioning and it ,as anything but lu+inous-
Then they ,ere through sni..ing ,est,ard through the upper
reaches o. the "udbury core- 0ity canyon ,alls loo+ed close on
either side- "heet lightning sparked and .lickered along the strip o.
sky overhead- ?ar belo, inter+ittently eclipsed by ne,
construction so+e vestigial rapitrans line ran along the canyon
.loor like a taut copper thread-
"he resu+ed loading clips .ro+ the open backpack at her .eet-
>ubin had toured her through the procedure so+e,here over
Aeorgian Bay- Dach clip contained a doCen slug grenades color-
coded by .unction: .lash gas ship,or+ cluster.uck- They ,ent
into the belt-and-holster arrange+ent draped over her thigh-
>ubin spared a prosthetic glance- I*on2t .orget to seal that pack
,hen you2re done- ;o,2s your tapeHI
"he undid her top and checked the diveskin beneath- 3 broad O
o. se+iper+eable tape blocked o.. the electrolysis intake- I"till
sticking-I "he Cipped the dryback disguise back into place-
I*oesn2t this lo,-altitude stu.. bother the local authoritiesHI
I#ot those authorities-I ;is tone evoked the i+age o. blind
eyes turning- Dvidently der+s and antidotes and gutted bodies
bought +ore than +ere transportation- 0larke didn2t push the
issue- "he slid one last cartridge ho+e and turned her attention
.or,ard-
3 couple o. blocks ahead the canyon ended in open space-
I"o that2s ,here he isI she +ur+ured- >ubin throttled back so
that they ,ere barely dri.ting .or,ard-
!t spread out be.ore their approach like a great dark coliseu+ a
clear Cone carved .ro+ the claustrophobic architecture- >ubin
brought the "ikorsky-Bell to a dead stop three hundred +eters up
9ust short o. that peri+eter-
!t ,as a ,alled +oat t,o blocks on a side- 3 lone skyscraper
8a .luted +ulti.aceted to,er8rose .ro+ its center- 3 ghostly
cro,n o. blue lights glo,ed di+ly .ro+ the roo.F everything else
,as dead and dark sixty-.ive .loors ,ith not so +uch as a pane
alight- <atch,ork .oundations scarred the e+pty ground on all
sides the .ootprints o. de+olished buildings that had cro,ded the
neighborhood back in happier ti+es-
"he ,ondered ,hat dryback eyes ,ould see i. drybacks ever
ventured here a.ter dark- Maybe ,hen "udbury2s citiCens looked
to this place they didn2t see the Dntropy <atrol at all- Maybe they
sa, a haunted to,er dark and o+inous .ull o. skeletons and sick
cra,ling things- Buried in the guts o. the t,enty-.irst century
besieged by alien +icrobes and ghosts in the +achinery could
people be bla+ed .or rediscovering a belie. in evil spiritsH
/aybe they're not even wrong$ 0larke re.lected-
>ubin pointed to the spectral lights on the parapet- 3 landing
pad rose .ro+ that ni+bus a doCen s+aller structures holding
court around it8.reight elevators ventilation shacks the housings
o. retracted li.ter u+bilicals-
0larke looked back skeptically- I#o-I "urely they couldn2t 9ust
land there- "urely there2d be de.enses-
>ubin ,as al+ost grinning- I>et2s .ind out-I
I!2+ not sure that2s8I
;e hit the throttle- They leapt into e+pty unprotected space-
Out o. the canyon they banked right- 0larke braced her hands
against the dash- Darth and sky rotated around the+F suddenly the
ground ,as three hundred +eters o.. her shoulder an
archeological ruin o. raCed .oundations8and t,o black circles
+eters across staring up at her like the eye sockets o. so+e giant
cartoon skull- #ot e+pty though- #ot even .lat: they bulged
subtly .ro+ the ground like the exposed polar regions o. great
buried spheres-
I4hat2re thoseHI she asked-
#o ans,er- 0larke glanced across the cockpit- >ubin ,as
holding his binoculars one-handed bet,een his knees holding his
pince-neC against their eyepieces- The apparatus stared do,n
through the ventral canopy- 0larke shuddered in,ardly: ho, to
deal ,ith the sense o. one2s eyes .loating hal. a +eter outside the
skullH
I! said8I she began again-
I"uperheating arte.act- "oil grains explode like popcorn-I
I4hat ,ould do thatH >and +ineHI
;e shook his head absently his attention caught by so+ething
near the base o. the building- I<article bea+- Orbital cannon-I
;er gut clenched- I!. he2s got8Ben ,hat i. he sees8I
"o+ething .lashed sodiu+-bright through the back o. her
skull- 0lock,ork stuttered brie.ly in her chest- The "ikorsky-
Bell2s controls hiccoughed once in i+possible unison and ,ent
dark-
I! think he hasI >ubin re+arked as the engine died-
4ind ,histled .aintly through the .uselage- The rotor
continued to whup'whup'whup overhead its unpo,ered blades
slapping the air through sheer inertia- There ,as no other sound
but >ubin cursing under his breath as they hung .or an instant
bet,een earth and sky-
!n the next they ,ere .alling-
0larke2s sto+ach rose into her throat- >ubin2s .eet sla++ed
pedals- ITell +e ,hen ,e pass sixty +eters-I
They arced past dark .acades- I4ha8I
I!2+ blind-I >ubin2s teeth ,ere bared in so+e t,isted +ix o.
.ear and exultationF his hands gripped the 9oystick ,ith relentless
.utility- ITell +e ,hen8the tenth .loorN Tell me when we pass
the tenth "loor%I
<art o. her gibbered senseless and panic-stricken- The rest
struggled to obey tried desperately to count the .loors as they
streaked past but they ,ere too close everything ,as a blur and
they ,ere going to crash they ,ere going to crash right into the
side o. the to,er but suddenly it ,as gone s,ept past stage le.t its
edge passing al+ost close enough to touch- #o, the structure2s
north .ace coasted into vie, the .ocus sharper ,ith distance and8
6h (od what is that.
"o+e una..ordable a,estruck piece o. her brain +ur+ered it
can't be but it ,as black and toothless and ,ide enough to
s,allo, legions: a gaping mouth in the building2s side- "he tried
to ignore it as they .ell past .orced hersel. to .ocus on the .loors
beneath count .ro+ the ground up- They ,ere diving straight past
that i+possible +a,8they ,ere diving into it8
I,e.I
I*ow%I she yelled-
?or a second that ,ent on .orever >ubin did nothing at all-
The strangest sensations in that elastic +o+ent- The sound o.
the rotor still i+possibly a,hirl through luck or +agic or sheer
stubborn denial its +achine-gun rhyth+ dopplered do,n like the
slo, distant heartbeat o. a receding astronaut- The sight o. the
ground racing up to spike the+ into oblivion- "udden cal+
resignation a recognition o. the inevitable: we're going to die.
3nd a nod sadly a+used to the irony that the +ighty Ben >ubin
,ho al,ays thought ten steps ahead could have +ade such a
stupid .ucking +istake-
But then he yanked on the stick and the chopper reared back
losing its nerve at the last +o+ent- "uddenly she ,eighed a
hundred tonnes- They .aced the skyF the ,orld skidded around
the+ earth and glass and .ar-o.. cloud rolling past the ,indshield
in a blurry 9u+ble- ?or one astonishing +o+ent they hovered-
Then so+ething kicked the+ hard .ro+ behind: .ro+ behind the
sound o. cracking poly+ers and tearing +etal- They lurched
side,ays and that +agical rotor slashed the earth and stopped
dead de.eated at last- >enie 0larke stared up +ad-eyed at a great
+onolith leaning craCily against the night sky descending along
,ith the darkness to devour her-
I>enie-I
"he opened her eyes- That i+possible +outh still ya,ned
overhead- "he s7ueeCed her eyes shut held the+ closed .or a
second- Tried again-
6h-
#ot a +outh a.ter all- 3 great charred hole part,ay up the
north .aJade stretching across ten gutted .loors or +ore-
4io she realiCed- They never repaired the damage-
The roo. o. the building ,as clearly visible straight ahead
through the .or,ard ,indshield- The lights up there had gone out-
The ,hole building see+ed to lean to the le.tF the chopper2s nose
,as t,isted up at a thirty-degree angle like so+e +echanical +ole
that had breached .ro+ the earth and tor7ued on its axis-
Their ride ,as sockeye- The tail boo+ +ust have either
cru+pled at their backs or snapped o.. entirely-
<ain in her chest and ar+s- There ,as so+ething ,rong ,ith
the sky- !t ,as8that ,as it it ,as dark- They ,ere in a clave
,here static-.ield generators hu++ed endless electricity into the
air- "udbury2s sky should have been .lickering- Be.ore they2d
.allen it had been-
I,enie-I
I4as that8,as that a pulseHI she ,ondered-
I0an you +oveHI
"he .ocused and located the source o. the pain: >ubin2s
backpack hard and lu+py clutched tightly as li.e itsel. against her
chest- !t +ust have risen .ro+ the .loor during the dive she +ust
have grabbed it in +idair- "he re+e+bered none o. it- The slit
along its top puckered like a +outh in her e+brace a..ording
gli+pses o. the stu.. inside8an angular 9u+ble o. tools and
ordnance pressing pain.ully into her .lesh-
"he ,illed her grip to relax- The pain subsided-
I! think !2+ okay- 3re you8I
;e looked blindly back at her through sandblasted eyes-
3n i+age .ro+ the .all ca+e to her unregistered until no,:
>ubin2s pince-neC sailing grace.ully to,ards the back o. the cabin-
0larke unbuckled and t,isted to look behind her- "udden sharp
pain splintered do,n her spine like cracking ice- "he cried out-
>ubin2s hand ,as on her shoulder- I4hatHI
I4h8,hiplash ! think- !2ve had ,orse-I "he settled back in
her seat- #o point in looking .or the pince-neC any,ayF the pulse
,ould have .ried the+ as thoroughly as it had the chopper-
I:ou2re blind againI she said so.tly-
I! packed another pair- The knapsack2s shielded-I
!ts open +outh grinned at her Cipper-toothed- /ealiCation
crashed over her in a sickening ,ave- IOh "uck Ben !.! .orgot
to Cip it up- !2+8I
;e ,aved a,ay her apology- I:ou2ll be +y eyes- !s the cabin
breachedHI
I4hatHI
I3ny breaks in the .uselageH 3nything big enough .or you to
cra,l through sayHI
IGh8I 0larke turned again care.ully- <ain .einted to the base
o. her skull but stopped short o. outright attack- I#o- The rear
bulkhead2s cru+pled to shit but---I
IAood- *o you still have the packHI
"he opened her +outh to ans,er8and re+e+bered t,o
carbonised +ounds staring into the sky-
I7ocus >en- *o you8I
I!t doesn2t +atter Ben-I
I!t +atters a great8I
I4e2re dead Ben-I "he took a deep despairing breath- I;e2s
got an orbital cannon re+e+berH 3ny second no, he2ll 9ust8and
there2s not a .ucking thing ,e can8I
I,isten to me-I "uddenly >ubin ,as close enough to kiss- I!.
he ,as trying to kill us ,e2d be dead already do you understandH
!2d doubt he2s even ,illing to bring his satellites online at this
pointF he doesn2t ,ant to risk losing the+ to the shredders-I
IBut he already8the pulse8I
I*idn2t co+e .ro+ orbit- ;e +ust have packed hal. the .loors
in that building ,ith capacitors- 3e's not trying to kill us. ;e2s
only trying to so.ten us up-I ;e thrust out his hand- I#o,
where's the packHI
"he handed it over nu+bly- >ubin set it on his knee and
ru++aged inside-
3e's not trying to kill us- >ubin had +ade that clai+ be.ore
laid it out as part o. his ,orking hypothesis en route .ro+
Toro+ilton- 0larke ,asn2t entirely sure that recent events bore
hi+ out especially since8
3 .licker o. +otion 9ust to the right- 0larke turned and gasped
the pain o. that +otion .orgotten in an instant- 3 +onstrous .ace
stared back through the bubble o. the canopy centi+eters a,ay a
+assive black ,edge o. +uscle and bone- "+all dark eyes glinted
.ro+ deep sockets- The apparition grinned sho,ing sa,tooth
serrations e+bedded in 9a,s like a leghold trap-
!n the next +o+ent it had dropped out o. sight-
I4hatHI >ubin2s .ace panned back and .orth- I4hat do you
seeHI
I!8! think it used to be a dogI 0larke said her voice
7uavering-
I! think they all didI >ubin told her-
Tilted at the sky she hadn2t seen the+ arriveF she had to look
down to see "orward and no,8through the ventral bubble
bet,een her knees over the edge o. the door i. she strained .ro+
her seat8the darkness seethed on all sides- The apparitions did
not bark or gro,l- They +ade no sound at all- They didn2t ,aste
energy on brute ani+al rage didn2t thro, the+selves slavering
against the hull to get at the so.t +eat inside- They circled like
silent sharks-
Boosted light stripped nothing .ro+ these creatures- They ,ere
utterly black-
I;o, +anyHI >ubin ran one hand across his grenade pistolF the
a++o belt lay across his knees one end still trailing do,n into the
knapsack bet,een his .eet-
IT,enty- Thirty- 3t least- Oh Jesus Ben they2re huge they2re
t,ice as big as you are---I 0larke .ought rising panic-
>ubin2s pistol ca+e ,ith three cartridge slots and a little
thu+b,heel to choose bet,een the+- ;e .elt out .lash ship,or+
and cluster.uck .ro+ the belt and slotted the+ in- I0an you see the
+ain entranceHI
I:es-I
I4hat directionH ;o, .arHI
I3bout eleven o2clock- Maybe8+aybe eighty +eters-I /ight
as well be eighty lightyears-
I4hat2s bet,een there and hereHI
"he s,allo,ed- I3 pack o. rabid +onster dogs ,aiting to kill
us-I
IBesides that-I
I4e2re8,e2re on the edge o. the +ain drag- <aved- Old
.oundations either side pretty +uch raCed and .illed-I 3nd then
hoping he ,asn2t heading ,here she .eared8hoping she could
de.lect hi+ i. he ,as8she added I#o cover-I
I0an you see +y binocsHI
"he turned care.ully torsion and in9ury in uneasy balance-
I/ight behind you- The strap2s caught up in the cleat over the
door-I
;e abandoned his ,eapon long enough to disentangle the
binoculars and hand the+ over- I*escribe the entrance-I
/ange-.inding and ther+al ,ere dead o. course- Only the ra,
optics still ,orked- 0larke tried to ignore the dark shapes in the
blurry .oreground- IBank o. glass doors eight o. the+- They2re
set into this shallo, indentation in the .aJade 0"!/3 logo on top-
Ben8I
I4hat2s behind the doorsHI
IGh a vestibule a .e, +eters deep- 3nd then8oh last ti+e
there ,as another set o. doors .urther in but those2re gone no,-
There2s so+e kind o. heavy slab instead like a big dropgate or
so+ething- >ooks pretty .eatureless-I
I4hat about the side ,alls o. the vestibuleHI
I0oncrete or biolite or so+ething- Just ,alls- #othing special-
4hyHI
;e tightened the a++o belt around his ,aist- IThat2s ,here ,e
go in-I
"he shook her head- I*o Ben- #o .ucking ,ay-I
I*ropgate2s the obvious de.ense- More sensible to go around
than hit it head-on-I
I4e can2t go out there- They2ll tear us apart-I
I! didn2t co+e all this ,ay to let a pack o. dogs pin +e do,n
eighty +eters .ro+ the .inish line-I
IBen you2re blindNI
IThey ,on2t kno, that-I ;e held up his pistol- I3nd they2ll
kno, ,hat this is- 3ppearances +atter-I
"he stared at his corroded eyes the ooCing .lesh o. his .ace-
I;o,2re you going to aimHI
IThe sa+e ,ay ,e landed- :ou2ll give +e bearings-I >ubin
.elt around in the pack and pulled out the ;eckler M Boch- ITake
this-I
"he did unbelieving-
I4e keep the dogs back long enough to get in through the ,all-
The rest o. the plan doesn2t change-I
*ry-+outhed 0larke ,atched the+ circling- I4hat i. they2re
ar+oredH 4hat i. they2re ,iredHI
IThey2ll be pulse-proo.- #o electronics- The usual t,eaks and
nothing +ore-I ;e Cipped up the knapsack and slung it across his
back tightening the straps around shoulders and ,aist-
I3re these guns pulse-proo.H 3re8I 3 sudden dis7uieting
+e+ory rose to the sur.ace o. her thoughts: +achinery in her
chest hiccoughing- I4hat about our i+plantsHI
IMyoelectric- DM< doesn2t bother the+ +uch- 4hat2s the
;MB set onHI
"he checked- I0onotoxins- Ben !2ve never even .ired a gun
be.ore- My ai+8I
I4ill be better than +ine-I >ubin cla+bered back do,n into
the tilted cabin behind their seats- I:ou +ay get o.. easily- !
rather suspect they2ll be .ocusing on +e-I
IBut8I
IAlovesI he said sealing his to the gauntlets beneath his
clothing-
0larke pulled her gloves over shaking hands- IBen ,e can2t
9ust8I
;e paused .ixed her ,ith his sightless eyes- I:ou kno, !
liked you better ,hen you ,ere suicidal- :ou ,eren2t nearly so
chickenshit-I
"he blinked- I4hatHI
I!2+ losing patience >en- ?ive years o. guilt-ridden sel.-pity
should be enough .or anyone- 4as ! ,rong about youH 4ere you
9ust ,allo,ing all this ti+eH #o you want to save the world or
not+I
I!8I
IThis is the only ,ay-I
&s there anything you ,ouldn2t do$ then+ 7or the chance to take
it all back+ Back then the ans,er had been obvious- !t ,as
obvious no,- ?reeCing .a+iliar deter+ination reignited inside
her- ;er .ace burned-
>ubin nodded only his eyes blinded- ;e sat on the .loor
braced his back against the bulkhead behind 0larke2s seat-
I#oseplugs-I
They2d i+provised the+ en route little ,ads o. the sa+e
se+iper+eable tape that blocked her intake- 0larke stu..ed one up
each nostril-
I! blo, a hole in the hullI >ubin said inserting his o,n- IThat
drives the dogs back long enough .or us to exit the chopper- Once
,e2re outside point +e at the +ain entrance- That2s t,elve
o2clock- 3ll target bearings ,ill be relative to that not to ,here !
happen to be .acing at any given ti+e- *o you understandHI
"he nodded .orgetting .or an instant then: I:es-I
IThey2ll charge as soon as ,e2re in the open- 0all it- 0lose
your eyes ,hen ! give the ,ord- !2ll be using the .lash grenadesF
they2ll be incapacitated .or at least ten seconds- "hoot as +any as
you can- Beep +oving-I
IAot it- 3nything elseHI
I>ose the gloves once ,e2re .ree o. the heat- The sight o. a
diveskin +ight start hi+ thinking-I
<atient killers paced 9ust past the canopy- They see+ed to look
her in the eye- They s+iled sho,ing teeth the siCe o. thu+bs-
8ust the usual tweaks she thought giddy and terri.ied- "he
braced her back against the canopy raising her gloved hands to
protect her .ace-
I4e can do thisI >ubin said so.tly- IJust re+e+ber ,hat ! told
you-I
3e's not trying to kill us- "he ,ondered 9ust ,ho that applied
to-
I:ou really think he expects us to survive-I
>ubin nodded-
IBut does he kno, you2re blindHI
I! doubt it-I ;e pointed his gun across the cabin- The
thu+b,heel locked onto cluster"uck- I/eadyHI
This is it$ ,enie girl. )our one shot at redemption.
#on't "uck it up.
IAoI she said and shut her eyes-
>ubin .ired- 0larke2s lids glo,ed sudden bloody orange-
;er diveskin took +ost o. the heat .ro+ the neck do,n but in
that +o+ent it ,as as i. so+eone had thrust her head into a kiln-
"he s,ore the heat blasted the very skin .ro+ her .ace- "he
clenched her teeth and held her breath and cursed the chances
>ubin ,ouldn2t take: it might tip him o"" i" he sees our hoods-
The air roared and crackled siCCled ,ith spatterings o. li7uid
+etal- "he could hear the crack o. >ubin2s pistol .iring again at her
side- "he realised distantly a+aCed that the pain ,as gone- ?ear
and adrenaline had s,ept it a,ay in an instant-
The ,orld di++ed beyond her eyelids- "he opened the+- 3
hole gaped in the side o. the chopper- "o.t alloy glo,ed
inter+ittently at its edgesF acrylic peeled and blackened- 0hunks
o. shredded canopy guttered on the .loor one scant centi+eters
.ro+ her le.t .oot-
>ubin .ired a third ti+e- 3 spread o. incendiary needles shot
through the breach and into the darkness beyond a tiny
devastating +eteor sho,er- 0luster.ucks ,ere designed to so, a
thousand lethal pinholes across a ,ide area but there2d been little
chance to disperse across the +eager ,idth o. the cabin- 3l+ost
t,o +eters o. solid .uselage had been reduced to silvery cha.. and
blo,n out,ardF a .an o. dispersed ,reckage stea+ed and
congealed on the ground outside-
I;o, big is the holeHI >ubin snapped over a+bience-
IMeter and a hal.-I "he choked and coughed on the stink o.
scorched plastic- I>ots o. little bits past8I
Too late- >ubin blindly braCen had already launched hi+sel.
through the hole- ;e sailed over the scree nearest the threshold and
hit the ground shoulder-.irst rolling to his .eet in an instant- 3
loCenge o. hot +etal s+oldered like a branding iron against his le.t
shoulder blade- >ubin ,rithed reached around and pushed it loose
,ith the +uCCle o. his gun- !t dropped to the ground tarry ,ith
hal.-+elted copoly+er- 3 ragged hole s+oked on >ubin2s shirt-
The in9ured diveskin beneath s7uir+ed as i. alive-
0larke gritted her teeth and dove a.ter hi+-
3 bright spark o. pain needle-sharp and needle-.ine ignited
brie.ly on her .orear+ as she sailed through the breach- !n the next
instant blessQd cool air ,ashed over her- "he landed hard and
skidded- T,o great carcasses t,itched and burned be.ore her
grinning behind charred lips-
"he scra+bled to her .eet peeling o.. her gloves- "ure enough
the rest o. the pack had retreated .or the +o+ent holding the
peri+eter at a +ore discreet distance-
>ubin s,ept his ,eapon back and .orth pure threat display-
I,enieNI
I;ereN T,o do,nNI "he reached his side pointing her ;MB
at the circling horde- IThe others backed o..-I "he turned hi+
clock,ise- IDntrance that ,ay- T,elve o2clock-I 4emember she
told hersel.- !earings "rom the entrance$ bearings "rom the.
;e nodded- I;o, .ar are the dogsHI ;e held his pistol t,o-
handed ar+s extended elbo,s slightly bent- ;e looked al+ost
relaxed-
IGh8t,enty-.ive +eters +aybe-I !earings "rom the
entrance...
I"+art- Just past e..ective range-I
!earings "rom.I)our range is twenty'"ive lousy metersHI
I4ide spread-I !t +ade sense o. course8a use.ul cheat .or a
poor +arks+an and blind ,as as poor as it got- The catch ,as a
needle-cloud so ,idely dispersed that distant targets passed
through it untouched- ITry yours-I
0larke ai+ed- ;er hands ,ouldn2t stop shaking- "he .ired
once t,ice- The ;MB bucked in her grip- !ts bark ,as
surprisingly so.t-
The ene+y stared back undi+inished-
IMissed- Gnless they2re i++une Ben you said they ,ere
tweaked8I
"udden +otion to the right a rush along the .lank- ITwo
o'clock$I 0larke hissed .iring- >ubin turned and shot a .irestor+
o. needles- I0ight%I ;e s,ung and .ired again barely +issing
0larke as she ducked beneath his outstretched ar+s-
"plinters o. .ire laced the ground to both sides- Three +ore
dogs ,ere do,n lacerated by .la+ing shrapnel- T,o +ore
.it.ully ignited .led back out o. range- "till the pack ,as +ute-
The peri+eter boiled ,ith silent anger-
"he kept her o,n ,eapon up .or all the good it ,ould do-
IThree do,n t,o in9ured- The rest o. the+ are holding back-I
>ubin panned le.t right- IThis is ,rong- They should be
charging-I
IThey don2t ,ant to get shot- :ou said they ,ere s+art-I
I3ttack dogs too s+art to attack-I >ubin shook his head- I#o-
This is ,rong-I
IMaybe they 9ust ,ant to keep us pinned hereI 0larke said
hope.ully- IMaybe8I
"o+ething rang .aintly in her skull not so +uch heard as .elt:
an itch shrill and irritating-
I3hI >ubin said so.tly- IThat2s +ore like it-I
The change ,as too subtle .or sight and too .unda+ental- #o
+otion sensor no i+age-analysis subroutine ,ould have been able
to read the signs- But >enie 0larke kne, it instantly on so+e
pri+al level that predated ;u+anity itsel.- "o+ething in the gut
had never .orgotten in all these +illion years- On all sides +any
creatures +erged suddenly together into one into a vast seething
entity ,ith +yriad bodies and a single +erciless .ocus- >enie
0larke ,atched it leap to,ards her and re+e+bered exactly ,hat
she ,as ,hat she al,ays had been-
<rey-
I7lash%I >ubin barked- 3l+ost too late she re+e+bered to
shut her eyes- ?our pops sounded in rapid succession- 3
constellation o. di+ red suns ignited brie.ly through her eyelids-
I(o%I
"he looked- The co+posite organis+ had shattered 9ust like
that- "olitary predators ,heeled on all sides blinded and
con.used- !rie"ly blind she re+e+bered- !rie"ly con.used-
"he had seconds to act and nothing to lose- "he charged-
Three +eters .ro+ the nearest beast she started shooting- "he
s7ueeCed o.. .ive roundsF t,o hits in the creature2s .lank- !t
snapped and dropped- T,o others stu+bled into each other a
+ere ar+2s length a,ay: one shot each and she ,as spinning in
search o. ne, targets- "o+e,here o..side needle.ire sla++ed
obli7uely across the ground- "he ignored it and kept shooting-
"o+ething dark and +assive hurtled past bleeding .la+e- "he
nailed it in the .lank .or good +easure and suddenly she ,as
trans.or+ed yet again all that adrenaliCed +idbrain circuitry
.lipping .ro+ "light to "ight ,hi+pering paralysis burned a,ay in
a .ury o. bloodlust and adrenaline- "he shot a leg- "he shot a great
heaving ribcage black and sleek as a diveskin- "he shot a
+onstrous silently-snarling .ace and realiCed it had been looking
back-
3 part o. her she hadn2t even kno,n ,as keeping score served
up a nu+ber: seven. That's the number you can take$ be"ore they
come "or you...
"he broke and ran- >ubin ,as running too poor blind >ubin
>ubin the hu+an tank- ;e2d s,itched back to cluster.uck and
cleared a .iery path do,n t,elve o2clock- ;e charged do,n the
drive,ay8
.& told him no obstructions oh boy will he be pissed i" he trips
on a sewer grating.
8like a sighted +an- *ogs shook their heads in his ,ake and
,heeled intent on reac7uisition-
They ,ere closing on 0larke too- Their pa,s dru++ed at her
heels like heavy rain on a cloth roo.-
"he ,as back on the asphalt a .e, +eters o.. >ubin2s stern-
I1even o'clock%I she cried diving-
!ncandescent sleet streaked centi+eters overhead- Aravel and
coarse pave+ent .layed the skin o. her pal+s bruised her ar+ and
shoulder through nested layers o. deni+ and copoly+er- ?lesh and
.ur burst into .la+e close enough to ,ar+ her .ace-
"he t,isted onto her back- IThree o2clockN 7lash wore o""%I
>ubin turned and sprayed .ire across the bearing- Three other dogs
,ere closing .ro+ elevenF still on her back 0larke held the gun
t,o-handed over her head and took the+ out ,ith three +eters to
spare-
I?lashNI >ubin shouted again- 0larke rolled and ducked
closing her eyes- Three +ore pops three +ore orange .leshy
sunrises- They backlit the +e+ory o. that last sighted instant8the
instant ,hen >ubin called out and every dog had .linched and
turned their heads away---
1mart$ smart doggies giggled so+e hysterical little girl in her
head- They heard 7,A13 and they remembered it "rom the "irst
time$ and they closed their eyes---
"he opened hers terri.ied o. ,hat she ,as about to see-
The trick hadn2t ,orked t,ice- >ubin ,as bringing up his
,eapon desperately s,itching +odes as so+e black slavering
ne+esis launched itsel. at his throat- There ,ere no stars in its
eyes- >ubin .ired blind and point-blankF blood and bone exploded
.ro+ the back o. the creature2s skull but the carcass 9ust kept going
a hundred kilogra+s o. gory unstoppable +o+entu+ hitting hi+
.ull in the chest- >ubin ,ent over like a paper doll gripping his
dead attacker as though he could prevail over mass'times'
accelleration through sheer bloody-+inded deter+ination-
;e couldn2t o. course- ;e couldn2t prevail over anything- ;e
had only killed one o. the+- ;e disappeared beneath a doCen
others-
"uddenly 0larke ,as charging .or,ard .iring and .iring and
.iring- There ,ere screa+s but none o. the+ ca+e .ro+ anything
she +ight have hit- "o+ething hot and hard sla++ed into her
.ro+ the sideF so+ething cold and harder sla++ed against her
back- 3 +onster grinned do,n at her open-+outhed drooling-
!ts .orepa,s pinned her to the ground like piled cinderblocks- !ts
breath reeked o. +eat and petroleu+-
"he re+e+bered so+ething Ben had said: )ou may get o""
easily. & rather suspect they'll be "ocusing on me. "he really
should have asked hi+ about that back ,hen she2d had the chance-
Only no, it ,as too late-
They're saving me she thought distantly- 7or dessert...
?ro+ so+e,here nearby the sound o. crunching bones-
V
8esus (od$ Ken. What did you think would happen+
The ,eight on her chest ,as gone- On all sides she could hear
the sound o. +onsters breathing-
)ou thought we had a hope in hell+ )ou were blind$ and &.&
might as well have been. Were you trying to die$ Ken+ #id you
just think you were indestructible+
& could understand that$ maybe. & almost believed it mysel"$ "or
a while.
"trangely nothing had torn out her throat- & wonder what's
keeping them she thought-
"he opened her eyes- 0"!/3 loo+ed into the sky over her
head as though she ,ere staring up .ro+ the grave at so+e
colossal to+bstone-
"he sat up in a circle +aybe .our +eters across- Massed black
bodies circu+scribed its edge- They ,atched her panting ,ith
past exertion sitting cal+ly on their haunches-
0larke struggled to her .eet- ;er head itched ,ith the +e+ory
o. that irritating inaudible tickle .reshly resurgent against her inner
ear- "he2d .elt it ,hen the +onsters had .irst charged- "he2d .elt it
again 9ust no,- ltrasonics she realised-
The ;echler M Boch lay at her .eet- "he bent to scoop it up-
*ark shapes tensed on all sidesF 9a,s snapped restive- But they
didn2t stop her-
The "ikorsky-Bell lay broken-backed .i.ty +eters to her le.t .at
thorax and slender abdo+en rising in a lopsided @ .ro+ their
co++on 9uncture- 3 ragged charred hole gaped darkly in the
cabin ,all as though so+e ,hite-hot parasite had burst .orth .ro+
inside- "he took one shaky step in that direction-
The dogs bristled and held their ground-
"he stopped- Turned to .ace the black to,er-
The pack parted be.ore her-
They +oved as she did yielding in so+e approved direction
closing behind in her ,ake- 3.ter a .e, steps her o,n shi.ting
bubble o. space .used ,ith anotherF t,o pockets +erged into a
single oblong vacuole ten +eters do,n the +a9or axis-
T,o great torn carcasses lay piled be.ore her in a pool o. blood
and spilled intestine- 3 .oot protruded un+oving .ro+ beneath the
nearest- "o+ething else--dark slick strangely lobate8t,itched
.urther along one bloody .lank as 0larke approached- !t looked
like so+e grotes7ue s,ollen parasite pulsing ,eakly spilled .ro+
the guts o. its dise+bo,elled host-
!t clenched- "uddenly the i+age clicked: a blood-soaked .ist
knotted in gory +atted .ur-
IBenNI "he reached do,n touched the bloody hand- !t 9erked
back as i. stabbed disappeared beneath the carcass leaving only
the vague sense o. so+e hal.-gli+psed de.or+ity- The +ass o.
carrion shi.ted slightly-
>ubin hadn2t torn these t,o ani+als apart- ;e2d +erely blo,n
lethal holes in the+- Their evisceration had happened a.ter the
.act a de+on horde ripping through their .allen co+rades in
prag+atic re+orseless pursuit o. their target-
>ubin had used these t,o as a shield-
IBen it2s +e-I "he grabbed hand.uls o. .ur and pulled- The
blood-slicked pelage resisted her grip- "plinters o. bone stabbed
her hands through clots o. +uscle and .ur- On the third try the
center o. +ass tipped past so+e crucial threshold- The carcass
rolled o.. >ubin like a great log-
;e .ired blind- >ethal shards sprayed into the sky- 0larke
dropped to the ground8I&t's me$ you idiot%I8and stared panic-
stricken around the peri+eter terri.ied that >ubin had 9u+p-started
a ,hole ne, assault- But the pack only .linched and .ell back a
.e, steps silent as ever-
I0l80larke----HI
;e didn2t even look hu+an- Dvery s7uare centi+eter glistened
,ith black gore- The pistol shook in his hand-
I!t2s +eI she repeated- "he had no idea ho, +uch o. the blood
,as his- I3re you8I
I8dogsHI ;is breath hissed .ast and panicky through clenched
teeth the breath o. a terri.ied little boy-
"he looked at her escort- They looked back-
I;olding back .or no,- "o+eone called the+ o..-I
;is hand steadied- ;is breathing slo,ed- *iscipline rei+posed
itsel. .ro+ the top do,n the old .a+iliar >ubin rebooting hi+sel.
through sheer .orce o. ,ill-
ITold youI he coughed-
I3re you8I
I?unctional---I ;e got slo,ly to his .eet tensing and gri+acing
a hal.-doCen ti+es- I8barely-I ;is right thigh had been gored- 3
gash split the side o. his .ace running .ro+ 9a, to hairline- !t tore
straight through the shattered socket o. his right eye-
0larke gasped- IJesus your eye2I
;e reached up to touch his .ace- I4asn2t doing +e +uch good
any,ay-I The de.or+ity o. his hand barely gli+psed be.ore ,as
obvious no,: t,o o. the .ingers ,ere gone-
I3nd your hand8Ben it8I
;e .lexed the re+aining digits- ?resh +e+branous scabs tore
open at the stu+psF dark .luids seeped .orth- I#ot as bad as it
looksI he said hoarsely-
I:ou2ll bleed out you2ll8I
;e shook his head staggered slightly- IDnhanced clotting
.actors- "tandard issue- !2+ good to go-I
The hell you are. But dogs cro,ded close on one side .ell back
on the other- "taying put obviously ,asn2t an option either-
IOkay then-I "he took hi+ by the elbo,- IThis ,ay-I
I4e2re not deviating-I !t ,asn2t a 7uestion-
I#o- 4e don2t have +uch choice-I
;e coughed again- 0lotting .luid bubbled at the corner o. his
+outh- IThey2re herding us-I
3 great dark +uCCle pushed her gently .ro+ behind-
IThink o. it as an honor guardI she said-
3 ro, o. glass doors beneath a concrete a,ning the o..icial
logo o. the Dntropy <atrol set into stone overhead- The dogs
.or+ed a se+icircle around the entrance pushing the+ .or,ard-
I4hat do you seeHI >ubin asked-
I"a+e outer doors- @estibule behind three +eters deep-
There2s8there2s a door in the center o. the barrier- Just an outline
no knob or keypad or anything-I
"he could have s,orn that hadn2t been there be.ore-
>ubin spat blood- I>et2s go-I
"he tried one o. the doors- !t s,ung open- They stepped across
the threshold-
I4e2re in the vestibule-I
I*ogsHI
I"till outside-I The pack ,as lined up against the glass no,
staring in- I! guess they2re not8oh- The inner door 9ust opened-I
I!n or outHI
I!n,ards- *ark inside- 0an2t see anything-I "he stepped
.or,ardF her eyecaps ,ould ad9ust to that deeper darkness once
they ,ere in it-
&" they got in it- >ubin had .roCen at her side the re+aining
.ingers on his +auled hand clenched into an i+poverished .ist-
The grenade pistol extended .ro+ his other hand un,avering
pointing straight ahead- ;is ravaged .ace held an expression
0larke had never seen be.ore so+e s+oldering picture o. rage and
hu+iliation that bordered on outright hu+anity-
IBen- *oor2s open-I
The thu+b,heel clicked onto shipworm-
I!t2s open Ben- 4e can ,alk right in-I "he touched his
.orear+ tried to bring it do,n but his ,hole body ,as gripped in a
sudden .urious tetanus- I4e don2t have to8I
I! told you be.oreI he gro,led- IMore sensible to go around-I
;is gun ar+ s,ung to three o2clock pointing straight at the
vestibule ,all- ;is useless eye stared straight ahead-
IBen.I "he turned hal.-expecting the +onsters at their backs
to crash through the panes and rip his ar+ o..- But the dogs stayed
,here they ,ere see+ingly content to let the dra+a play out
,ithout .urther intervention-
I;e wants us to go .or,ardI >ubin said- I3l,ays sets it up
al,ays takes the initiative- 3ll ,e ever do is .ucking8 react---I
I3nd blo,ing out a ,all ,hen the door2s standing openH That2s
not a reactionHI
>ubin shook his head- I!t2s an escape route-I
;e .ired- The ship,or+ plunged into the side ,all spinning
.ast enough to shatter an event horiCon- The ,all erupted like a
tabletop @esuviusF .ilthy grey cu+ulus billo,ed out and engul.ed
the+ in an instant- "tinging particles sandblasted 0larke2s .ace-
"he closed her eyes choked on the sudden sandstor+- ?ro+
so+e,here deep in the +aelstro+ she heard the tinkle o.
shattering glass-
"o+ething grabbed her ,rist and yanked side,ays- "he opened
her eyes onto the s,irling soupy a.ter+ath o. the blast- >ubin
dre, her to,ards the ruptured ,allF his ravaged .ace loo+ed close-
IThis ,ay- Aet us in-I
"he steered- ;e lurched at her side- The air ,as .illed ,ith the
hiss o. .ine si.ting debris the building sighed at its o,n
desecration- 3n e+pty t,isted door .ra+e leaned craCily out o.
the +urk- <ebbles o. cru+bled sa.ety glass crunched beneath their
.eet like a dia+ond sno,.all-
There ,as no sign o. the dogs not that she2d be able to see the+
any,ay unless they ,ere on her- Maybe the explosion had scared
the+ back- Maybe they2d been trained to stay outside no +atter
,hat- Or +aybe any second no, they2d .ind this broken door,ay
and pour through to .inish the 9ob---
3 ragged hole resolved in the ,all be.ore the+- 4ater ran .ro+
so+e,here beyond- 3 ridge o. torn concrete and rebar rose +aybe
.ive centi+eters .ro+ the .loor the lip o. a precipiceF on the other
side there was no .loor 9ust a ruptured sha.t a +eter across
extending into darkness both above and belo,- T,isted veins o.
+etal and plastic hung .ro+ precarious hold.asts or lay ,edged
across the sha.t at un.oreseen angles- 3 strea+ o. ,ater
plu++eted through e+pty space spilling .ro+ so+e ruptured pipe
above splattering against so+e unseen grate belo,-
The ,all across the gap had been breached- There ,as darkness
beyond-
I4atch this stepI she said-
They e+erged into a dark high-ceilinged space that 0larke
hal.-re+e+bered as the +ain reception area- >ubin turned and
ai+ed back at the hole through ,hich they2d co+e- #othing
9u+ped out at the+- #othing .ollo,ed-
I>obbyI 0larke reported- I*ark- /eception pedestals and
kiosks over to the le.t- #obody here-I
I*ogsHI
I#ot yet-I
>ubin2s ,orking .ingers played along the edges o. the breach-
I4hat2s thisHI
"he leaned closer- !n the boosted hal.-light so+ething
gli++ered .ro+ the torn cross-section like a thin vein o. precious
ore- ?rayed bits protruded here and there .ro+ the shattered
substrate-
IMesh o. so+e kindI she told hi+- ID+bedded in the ,all-
Metallic very .ine ,eave- >ike thick cloth-I
;e nodded gri+ly- I?araday cage-I
I4hatHI
I"hielding- ?ro+ the e..ects o. the pulse-I
>ike a handclap .ro+ Aod the lights ca+e on-
MPA5$
!nstantly 0larke ,as sno,-blind- "he brought up the ;MB
,aved it ,ildly in no particular direction- IThe lights8I
I! kno,-I
?ro+ so+e,here deep in the building the sudden hu+ o.
rea,akened +achinery-
IJesus <riestpoking 0hristI said an o+nipresent voice- I:ou
al,ays have to +ake things so da+ned di..icult- The door ,as
open you kno,-I
I3chillesHI ;er eyecaps ,ere ad9ustingF ob9ects and
architecture resolved .ro+ the ,hite,ash- But the .og ,asn2t
entirely in her caps- *ust .ro+ the explosion hung in the air
bleeding contrast .ro+ their surroundings- "cree .anned out across
the .loor .ro+ their +akeshi.t entrance- <olished stone paneling
on the opposite ,all a good ten +eters .ro+ the breach had
cracked and .allen in a 9agged heap-
IOr you could2ve 9ust landed on the roo.I the voice continued-
IBut no- :ou had to stor+ the battle+ents and look at you no,-
,ook at you now-
I:ou can barely stand-I
@entilators ,hirred in the distance tugged ,isps and strea+ers
o. suspended dust into grilles in the ceiling- The air began to clear-
>ubin s,ayed by the ,all .avoring his in9ured leg- The lights had
returned color to 0larke2s sightF the gore on >ubin2s body glistened
shocking rust and cri+son- ;e looked .layed alive-
I4e could really use so+e help hereI 0larke said-
3 sigh .ro+ so+e,here .ro+ every,here- I>ike the last ti+e
you ca+e to to,n- "o+e things never change ehHI
IThis is your .ault you .ucker- )our dogs8I
I"tandard-issue post-pulse security and did ! tell you to go up
against the+ blindH Ben ,hat got into youH :ou2re da+n lucky !
noticed in ti+e-I
I,ook at hi+N 3elp hi+NI
I>eave itI >ubin insisted barely above a ,hisper- I!2+ all
right-I
The building heard hi+ any,ay- I:ou2re "ar .ro+ all right
Ben- But you2re not exactly incapacitated either and !2+ not stupid
enough to let do,n +y guard to so+eone ,ho2s 9ust broken into
+y ho+e by .orce- "o let2s ,ork this out and then +aybe ,e can
get you .ixed up be.ore you bleed to death- 4hat are you doing
hereHI
>ubin started to speak coughed started again: I! think you
kno, already-I
I3ssu+e ! don2t-I
I4e had a deal- :ou ,ere supposed to .ind out ,ho ,as
hunting us on the ridge-I
0larke closed her eyes re+e+bering: The rest o" the plan
doesn't change-
I!n case it hasn2t sunk in yet !2+ dealing ,ith 7uite a .e,
de+ands on +y ti+e these daysI the roo+ pointed out- IBut !
assure you ! have been ,orking on it-I
I! think you2ve done +ore than that- ! think you solved it even
be.ore you lost so +uch o. your resource base- 4e can tell you
ho, to get that back by the ,ay- !. that .actors into your
analysis-I
IGh huh- 3nd you couldn2t have 9ust phoned +e up .ro+
<odunk Maine or ,herever you ,ereHI
I4e tried- Dither you ,ere busy dealing ,ith all those other
de+ands on your ti+e or the channels are do,n-I
The building hu++ed 7uietly .or a +o+ent as i. in thought-
*eeper into the lobby past dor+ant in.or+ation pedestals and
brochure dispensers and an abandoned reception counter ruby
>D*s t,inkled .ro+ a ro, o. security gates- The le.t+ost set
turned green as 0larke ,atched-
IThrough thereI *es9ardins said-
"he took >ubin2s elbo,- ;e li+ped at her side +aintaining a
subtle distanceF close enough to use her as a guide .ar enough to
spurn her as a crutch- 3n asy++etrical trail o. dark sticky
.ootprints +arked his passage-
Dach gatepost ,as a brushed-alu+inu+ cylinder hal. a +eter
across extending .ro+ .loor to ceiling like the bars o. a cage- The
only ,ay in ,as bet,een the+- 3 black band the height o.
0larke2s .orear+ girdled each post at eye level t,inkling ,ith
color-coded constellations8but the ,hole band .lushed red be.ore
they ,ere hal.,ay across the roo+-
IOh rightI *es9ardins re+arked- I"ecurity ,ill cut you into
little cubes i. you try to sneak anything past-I 3 curved panel
beneath the display slid back at their approach- IJust thro,
everything in there-I
>ubin .elt out the cha+ber set his pistol and belt do,n inside it-
0larke .ollo,ed suit ,ith her o,n ,eapon ,hile >ubin struggled
to re+ove his pack- ;e shrugged o.. 0larke2s atte+pted
assistanceF the pack clanked on top o. the pile- The panel slid shut-
The ,raparound display bloo+ed into a riot o. i+ages and
acrony+s- 0larke recogniCed so+e o. the+ .ro+ >ubin2s tutorial
on the ,ay up: taser and +icro,ave gunF +echanical springli.tF
aerosol .lypaper- Other things she2d never seen be.ore- ?or all she
kne, >ubin had brought the+ .ro+ his stash at the botto+ o. the
3tlantic-
I!s that an electron stripperHI *es9ardins asked- I3nd a pulse
bo+bN :ou brought your o,n tiny pulse bo+bN !sn2t that cuteNI
>ubin his 9a, set said nothing-
IThat2s everything thenH #o nasty biosols or hidden .reak,ireH
Because !2+ telling you those gates are very un.orgiving- :ou
,alk through ,ith any8I
IOur i+plantsI 0larke said-
IThose ,ill pass-I
>ubin .elt his ,ay bet,een the gateposts- #o klaxons sounded
no lasers lanced do,n .ro+ overhead- 0larke stepped a.ter hi+-
IThe elevators are 9ust around the cornerI *es9ardins said-
0o+pletely disar+ed they stepped into *es9ardins2s parlor-
0larke led >ubin ,ith so.t ,ords and an occasional touch- "he
didn2t dare speak her +ind even in a ,hisper- But she gave his
ar+ the slightest s7ueeCe and kne, a.ter all their long years
together that he2d kno, ,hat she +eant: 3e didn't buy it "or a
second-
>ubin replied ,ith a blind glance and the t,itch o. a bloody lip:
6" course he didn't-
3ll according to plan- "uch as it ,as-
"he had to take the physics on .aith-
"he could buy everything else that >ubin had laid out on the
,ay up- !t didn2t +atter ,hether *es9ardins believed their story so
long as he thought they +ight be use.ul- ;e ,ouldn2t try to kill
the+ outright until convinced other,ise-
4hich didn2t +ean that he ,ouldn2t still try to disable the+- ;e
,asn2t about to let anyone into his secret lair ,ithout taking
precautions8disar+ing the+ con.ining the+ cutting their strings-
*othing lethal >ubin had predicted and nothing that will
damage the structure. That limits his options. We can handle it.
?ine as .ar as it ,ent- !t ,as how they ,ere going to handle it
that she couldn2t 7uite get behind-
3 good hal.-liter o. ,ater sloshed through the plu+bing in
0larke2s chest unable to drain because o. the tape on her
electrolysis intake- ?ive hundred +illiliters didn2t sound like
+uch- 4hen she s,a+ through the deeps a steady current o.
sea,ater .lo,ed through her i+plants endlessly replenished- !t
hardly see+ed possible that the stagnant dregs trapped there no,
,ould last +ore than a +o+ent-
7our hundred "i"ty grams o" molecular oxygen >ubin had said-
That's almost what you'd get in two thousand liters o" air.
;er head couldn2t argue ,ith the nu+bers- But her gut ,as no
+athe+atician-
3 rank o. elevators stood be.ore the+- One set o. doors ,as
openF so.t light spilled .ro+ the co+part+ent behind-
3e'll con"ine us "irst-
They entered- The doors slid shut- The cage began to +ove-
*o,n-
This is insane she thought- This can't work- But already she
i+agined she could hear the so.t hiss o. gas .ro+ hidden noCCles---
"he coughed and tripped her i+plants praying to so+e
indeter+inate deity that >ubin hadn2t .ucked up his calculations-
;e hadn2t- 3 .a+iliar subtle vibration started so+e,here in her
chest- ;er guts ,rithed and .looded ,ith their o,n private stock
o. isotonic saline- The li7uid rose in her throat and .illed her
+outh- Brie. nausea acco+panied the .looding o. her +iddle ears-
3 salty trickle ran do,n her chin be.ore she re+e+bered to cla+p
her lips together- The ,orld +uted all sounds suddenly .aint and
distant except .or the beating o. her o,n heart-
Just like that she lost the urge to breathe-
The descent continued- >ubin leaned against the ,all o. the
elevator his .ace a bloody cyclops +ask- 0larke .elt ,ar+
,etness on her upper lip: her nose ,as running- "he reached up
and gave it a scratch inconspicuously 9a++ing the plug in her le.t
nostril tight against the leak-
"uddenly her body thrummed deep inside an al+ost subsonic
7uaking that vibrated her bones as though they ,ere the parts o.
so+e great bass instru+ent- ?aint nausea struck her in the throat-
;er bo,els 7uavered-
The two most likely options >ubin had +used are gas and
in"rasound-
"he didn2t kno, i. gas ,as in *es9ardins2s arsenal8.or all she
kne, the air around the+ ,as already saturated- But this ,as
obviously so+e kind o. s7ua,kbox- The sound dish +ust stretch
across the ,hole ceiling o. the elevator or +aybe beneath the
.loor- The ,alls .ocused its vibrations built resonances ,ithin the
cage- The sound ,ould be tuned to build intolerable har+onics in
the lungs and +iddle ears in the sinuses and trachea-
!t +ade her sick even ,ith her air,ays and hard cavities
.loodedF she could scarcely i+agine the i+pact on unbuttressed
.lesh- The i+plants didn2t deal ,ith gastrointestinal gases8deep-
sea pressure collapsed those so.t pockets do,n ,ith no ill e..ect8
and acoustic attacks ,ere generally tuned to harder +ore
predictable air spaces any,ay- *es9ardins2s s7ua,kbox ,as doing
something do,n there though- !t ,as all she could do to keep
.ro+ vo+iting saline all over the co+part+ent .ro+ shitting in her
diveskin- 3ny dryback ,ould be on the .loor by no, soiled and
retching or unconscious- 0larke clenched at both ends and hung
on-
The elevator stopped- The lights ,ent out-
3e knows she thought- 3e "igured it out$ o" course he "igured
it out. 3ow could we think he wouldn't+ 3ow could he not
notice+
3ny second the elevator ,ould lurched back into +otion drag
the+ up through this ruined booby-trapped derelict ,here sixty-
.ive .loors o. counter+easures ,ould turn the+ into8
;er head cleared- ;er bones stopped tingling- ;er bo,els
returned to the .old-
IOkay guys-I *es9ardins2s voice ,as tinny and distant in
0larke2s .looded ears- IDnd o. the line-I
The doors slid open-
3n oasis o. bright +achinery on a vast dark plain- That2s ,hat
naked eyes ,ould have seen: the "econd 0o+ing perhaps a
0hrist-.igure bathed in light and technology ,hile all around ,as
an in.inite void-
To >enie 0larke there ,as no darkness- The void ,as a
converted parking garage an e+pty gray cavern stretching hal. a
city block on a side- Dvenly-spaced ro,s o. support pylons held
the ceiling .ro+ the .loor- <lu+bing and .iberop e+erged .ro+ the
,alls cra,led along their sur.aces like a ,ebbing o. sparse vines-
0ables converged into a loosely-bound trunk ,inding along the
.loor to a horseshoe o. ,orkstations lit by che+ical lightstrips-
0hrist ,as so+eone >enie 0larke had +et be.ore- "he2d .irst
encountered hi+ in darkness +uch deeper than this a prisoner o.
Ben >ubin- Back then 3chilles *es9ardins had been a +an
convinced he ,as about to die-
!t had been so +uch easier to read hi+ then-
0lotting blood cracked around >ubin2s lips- ;is chest rose-
0larke shut do,n her o,n i+plants yanking the plugs .ro+ her
nose be.ore the tide had .ully receded ,ithin her- !n the center o.
the roo+ in the heart o. a high-tech horseshoe *es9ardins ,atched
the+ approach-
I! thought ! could +ake up .or itI he said-
!n so+e strange t,isted ,ay it ,as actually good to see hi+
again-
I?or being a +onsterI he explained as i. so+eone had asked-
I4hy ! 9oined the <atrol you kno,H ! couldn2t change ,hat ! ,as
but ! thought8you kno, i. ! helped save the ,orld +aybe that
could +ake up .or it so+eho,-I ;is +outh spread in a rue.ul
s+ile- I<retty stupid rightH >ook ,here it got +e-I
I>ook ,here it got everyoneI >ubin said-
*es9ardins2s s+ile vanished- There ,as no shielding on his
eyes and yet so+eho, he ,as suddenly as opa7ue as any ri.ter-
Please$ 0larke thought- ,et this all be some monstrous$ stupid
mistake. Tell us we've misread everything. Please. Prove us
wrong.
I! kno, ,hy you2re hereI he said looking at >ubin-
I:ou let us in any,ayI >ubin observed-
I4ell !2d hoped to be at a bit +ore o. an advantage by no, but
,hatever- #ice trick ,ith the i+plants by the ,ay- ! didn2t even
realise they2d work ,ithout your diveskins sealed up- <retty stupid
+istake .or 3chilles the Master <attern-Matcher ehHI ;e
shrugged- I!2ve had a lot on +y +ind lately-I
I:ou let us inI >ubin repeated-
*es9ardins nodded- I:eah- That2s .ar enough by the ,ay-I
They ,ere .our +eters .ro+ his .ort- >ubin stopped- 0larke
.ollo,ed suit-
I:ou ,ant us to kill youHI she asked- I!s that itHI
I"uicide By /i.ter huhHI ;e snorted a so.t laugh- IThere2d be
a certain poetry to that ! guess- But no-I
I4hat thenHI
;e cocked his headF the gesture +ade hi+ look about eight
years old- I:ou were the ones ,ho pulled that kin-selection trick
,ith +y >enies ,eren2t youHI
0larke nodded s,allo,ing on the realiCation: 1o he's behind
those too.
3e's guilty a"ter all...-
I! .iguredI *es9ardins ad+itted- I!t2s the kind o. thing that
,ould only occur to so+eone ,ho kne, ,here they ca+e .ro+-
#ot +any o. those le.t up here- 3nd the thing o. it is it2s easy
enough to do but it2s not so si+ple to undo-I ;e looked hope.ully
at >ubin- IBut you said you kne, ho, to8HI
>ubin bared his teeth in a bloody rictus- I! lied-I
I:eah- ! kind o. .igured that too-I *es9ardins shrugged- I"o !
guess there2s only one thing le.t to talk about isn2t thereHI
0larke shook her head- I4hat are you8I
>ubin tensed beside her- *es9ardins2s eyes .lickered to the side
.or the +erest instantF cued the sur.ace o. a nearby ,all sparkled
and brightened be.ore the+- The i+age that resolved on the s+art
paint ,as haCy but instantly recogniCable: a sonar co+posite-
I!t2s 3tlantisI 0larke said suddenly uncertain-
I! see itI >ubin said-
I#ot real-ti+e o. courseI the 2la,breaker explained- IThe
baud rate2s a .ucking trickle and ,ith all the range and cover
issues ! can only sneak in and grab a shot like this once in a ,hile-
But you get the idea-I
>ubin stood +otionless- I:ou2re lying-I
I4ord o. advice Ben- :ou kno, ho, so+e o. your people
kind o. 9ust go o.. the deep end and ,ander into the blackH :ou
really shouldn2t let the+ take s7uids ,hen they go- :ou never
kno, ,here their security transponders +ight end up-I
I#o-I 0larke shook her head- I:ouH !t ,as you do,n thereHI
*ot (race. *ot 1eger. *ot the corpses or the ri"ters or the /G/s
or even two lousy guys on a boat.
)ou. All along.
I! can2t take all the creditI *es9ardins ad+itted- I3lice helped
+e t,eak ehe+oth-I
I/eluctantly !2d guessI >ubin said-
6h$ Achilles. 6ne chance to "ix the mess & made and you "ucked
it up. 6ne chance to make peace and you threaten everyone & ever
knew. 6ne lousy$ "aint hope$ and you.
3ow dare you. 3ow dare you.
3 thin .inal stra, vanished in her hand-
"he stepped .or,ard- >ubin reached out ,ith one +utilated
hand and held her back-
*es9ardins ignored her- I!2+ not an idiot Ben- :ou2re not the
+ain attack .orce you2re 9ust all you could scrape together on short
notice- But you're not an idiot either so there are rein.orce+ents
on the ,ay-I ;e held up his hand to pree+pt any protest- IThat2s
okay Ben really- ! kne, it ,as gonna happen sooner or later and
! took all the necessary precautions- 3lthough thanks to you ! do
see+ to have lost a certain .inesse ,hen it co+es to +y big
guns---I
;is eyes 9iggled slightly in their sockets- ;is .ingers t,itched-
0larke re+e+bered /icketts s,eet-talking his ,ay into Phocoena
,ith a ,ink and a glance-
The i+age on the ,all dissolved- #u+bers appeared in its
place-
I#o, ! am in real-ti+e contact ,ith these guys- 0an you see
the+ BenH 0hannel %HI
>ubin nodded-
IThen you kno, ,hat they are-I
0larke kne, too- ?our sets o. lats and longs- *epth readings
Ceroed- Targeting ranges- 3 ro, o. little .lashing icons that said
;O>*!#A-
I! don2t ,ant to do thisI *es9ardins said- I!t ,as going to be
+y retire+ent ho+e a.ter all- ! never ,anted to blo, it up 9ust8
hobble parts o. it- "+ooth the transition so to speak- But i. !2+
gonna be dead any,ay8I
"he t,isted in >ubin2s grip- But even +utilated >ubin ,as
i++ovable- ;is hand shackled her ar+ like a granite cla, oily
,ith coagulating .luids- "he could only slip in his graspF she could
not break .ree-
I! do have other optionsI the 2la,breaker continued-
I0ontingency villas you +ight say- ! can go to one o. those
instead-I ;e li.ted a hand to the tele+etry- I:ou2ve got a lot +ore
riding on this than +e-I
3e planned it "or years$ she realiCed. 0ven when we thought he
was helping us. And ever since we've been cowering in the dark
like good little rabbits while our lines went dark and our contacts
dried up and it was hi+ all along$ cutting us o""$ "umigating the
place so there wouldn't be any uncooperative tenants around when
his luck ran out and he needed a place to hide...
I:ou assholeI she ,hispered straining-
;e didn2t look at her- I"o ,hen are the cavalry co+ing BenH
;o, did you call the+ inH ;o, +uch do they kno,HI
I! tell youI >ubin said Iand you call o.. the attack-I
I#o Ben you call o.. your attack- Gse ,hatever clever code
,ords you set in place to shut do,n your sub2s autopilot or to
convince ;elsinki that you ,ere +istaken or ,hatever it takes-I
I3nd you blo, up 3tlantis any,ay-I
I4hat .orH ! have other options as ! said- 4hy ,aste all those
per.ectly good hostages .or no payo..H They2re ,orth ,ay +ore to
+e alive-I
I?or no,-I
I*ow is all ,e2ve got buddy-I
0larke glared: .ro+ the +an ,ho had tried to kill her to the
+an ,ho2d risked his li.e to stop hi+- 0very hour you're in this
place$ you kill more people than ever lived in Atlantis$ she thought-
0very hour ! kill more people$ by leaving you here.
3nd Ben >ubin ,as about to cut a deal-
"he could see it in his stance in that ruined blind .ace that had
been at her side and behind her back all these years- ;e ,asn2t
entirely inscrutable- #ot to her- #ot even no,-
I! kno, you BenI *es9ardins ,as saying- I4e go way back
you and !- 4e2re soul +ates- 4e +ake our o,n rules and by Aod
,e live by the+- <eople don2t +atter- <opulations don2t +atter-
4hat +atters is the rules a+ ! right BenH 4hat +atters is the
mission-
I!. you don2t deal the +ission .ails-I
IKenI she ,hispered-
IBut you can save the+I the 2la,breaker continued- I!sn2t that
,hy you ca+e back in the .irst placeH Just give +e your stats and
the +ission succeeds- :ou ,alk a,ay ! abort the strike and
be.ore ! disappear !2ll even send you a .ix .or that nasty ne, strain
o. ehe+oth your buddies have been ,restling ,ith- ! gather by
no, a .air nu+ber o. the+ are seriously under the ,eather back
there-I
"he re+e+bered a .loating +achine that had used his voice: &"
killing ten saves a thousand$ it's a deal. "he re+e+bered <atricia
/o,an torn apart on the inside the .ace she presented to the ,orld
cold and un.linching: & tried to serve the greater good-
IOrI *es9ardins said Iyou can try and take +e out and kill
everyone you ca+e up here to save-I ;is eyes ,ere locked on
>ubin2s- !t ,as as though the t,o o. the+ shared their o,n pocket
universe as though 0larke didn2t even exist- I:our choice- But
you really shouldn2t take too long +aking up your +ind8your
t,eaks are .ucking things up all over the place- ! don2t kno, even
ho, long ! can keep control o. these circuits-I
"he thought o. ,hat <atricia /o,an ,ould have done .aced
,ith this choice- "he thought o. the +illions dead ,ho ,ould not
have died i. only she had-
"he re+e+bered Ben >ubin hi+sel. a +illion years ago: &s
there anything you ,ouldn2t do$ "or the chance to take it back+
I#oI she said so.tly-
*es9ardins raised an eyebro, and8.inally8 deigned to look at
her- I! ,asn2t talking to you- But i. & ,ere >enie 0larke8I ;e
s+iled- I8! ,ouldn2t be sha+eless enough to pretend ! gave a
.lying .uck about the rest o. the ,orld-I
"he t,isted in >ubin2s grasp and kicked as hard as she could-
;er boot plunged deep into the gash in his thigh- >ubin staggered
and cried out-
3nd 0larke ,as .ree and springing .or,ard-
"he launched hersel. directly at *es9ardins- 3e won't risk it
she told hersel.- &t's his only leverage$ he's dead i" he hits the
button$ he must know he's.
*es9ardins2s eyes .lickered le.t- ;is .ingers t,itched- 3nd a
tiny thread o. doubt blosso+ed into .ull-blo,n horror as the
nu+bers on the ,all began to +ove---
;O>*!#A trans+uted into a ,hole ne, ,ord again and again
and again along the botto+ o. the board- 0larke tried desperately
not to read it drove .or,ard on the ,ings o. so+e .rantic in.antile
hope maybe i" & don't see it it won't happen$ maybe there's still
time but she did see it she couldn2t help seeing it spelled out in
7uadruplicate .ull-stop be.ore the ,hole board ,ent dark:
0OMM!T-
4ith the next step she toppled-
"o+ething hummed deep in her head- ;er bones sang ,ith
subtle electricity- ;er legs collapsed beneath her her ar+s ,ere
dead ,eights at her sides- ;er skull cracked pain.ully against the
back o. a ,orkstation cracked again against the .loor- ;er lung
de.lated ,ith a tired sigh8she tried to hold her breath but
suddenly she ,as slack-9a,ed and drooling- ;er bladder voided-
!+plants clicked and stuttered in her chest-
I:ou gotta love the sy++etryI a voice re+arked .ro+
so+e,here on the other side o. the universe- IThe ulti+ate victi+
you kno,H The ulti+ate victi+ and the +ost po,er.ul ,o+an in
the ,orld all rolled into one tight little bod- 3nd & ,ell !2+ the
last ,ord in one or t,o things +ysel.---I
"he couldn2t .eel a heartbeat- *arkness roared up .ro+
so+e,here deep in her skull s,ept s,irling across her eyes-
I!t2s .ucking mythic is ,hat it isI the voice continued distant
and barely audible- I4e 9ust had to get together---I
"he didn2t kno, ,hat he ,as talking about- "he didn2t care-
There ,as nothing in her ,orld but noise and chaos nothing in her
head but 0OMM!T 0OMM!T 0OMM!T 0OMM!T-
They don't even know they're dead she thought- The torpedoes
haven't reached Atlantis yet. They're living the last "ew minutes o"
their lives and they don't even know it.
They'll live longer than me...
3 hand around her ankleF .riction against the .loor-
!ye$ 8elaine. !ye Avril. !ye #ale and Abra and 3annuk...
3 great gulping ,heeCe very close- The sensation o. distant
.lesh expanding-
!ye Kevin. !ye (race. 1orry we could never work it out...
3 pulse- "he had a pulse-
!ye 8erry. !ye Pat. !ye again...
There ,ere voices- There ,as light so+e,here- Dvery,here-
!ye$ Alyx. 6h (od$ &'m so sorry. Alyx.
I---bye ,orld-I
But that voice had co+e .ro+ outside her head-
"he opened her eyes-
I:ou kno, !2+ seriousI *es9ardins ,as saying-
"o+eho, Ben >ubin ,as still on his .eet listing to port- ;e
stood 9ust beyond the pool o. light- 3chilles *es9ardins stood
,ithin it- They con.ronted each other .ro+ opposite sides o. a
,aist-high ,orkstation-
>ubin +ust have pulled her out o. the neuroinduction .ield-
;e2d saved her li.e again- #ot bad .or a blind psychopath- #o, he
stood staring sightlessly into the .ace o. his ene+y his hand
extended- <robably .eeling out the edge o. the .ield-
I*edicated little bitch ! have to ad+itI *es9ardins said-
I4illing to sacri.ice a hand.ul o. people she actually kno,s .or a
planet.ul o. people she doesn2t- ! thought she ,as ,ay too hu+an
to be so rational-I ;e shook his head- IBut the ,hole point is kind
o. lost i. the ,orld blo,s up any,ay noH ! +ean all those
runa,ays on the /idge are about to die in8oh sorry ,ho2ve just
died8and .or ,hatH The only thing that2ll give their deaths any
+eaning at all is i. you turn around and ,alk a,ay-I
They're gone$ 0larke thought- & killed them all---
I:ou kno, ho, +any battellites are still ,obbling around up
there Ben- 3nd you kno, !2+ good enough to have got into at
least a .e, o. 2e+- #ot to +ention all the repositories o. che+ical
and biological ,eapons kicking around groundside a.ter a hundred
years o. /M*- 3ll those trip,ires run right through +y le.t
ventricle buddy- >enie should thank the spirit o. +other.ucking
entropy that she didn't kill +e or the heavens ,ould be raining .ire
and bri+stone by no,-I
0larke tried to +ove- ;er +uscles buCCed hung over- "he
could barely li.t her ar+- #ot the usual +ed-cubby .ield by a long
shot- This one had been cranked to 7uell riots- This one ,as
industrial-
"till >ubin didn2t speak- ;e +anaged a controlled stagger to the
le.t his ar+ still extended-
I0hannels seven through nineteenI *es9ardins told hi+- I>ook
.or yoursel.- "ee the kill s,itchesH "ee ,here they leadH !2ve had
.ive years to set this up Ben- :ou kill +e you kill billions-I
I!8 expect you2ll .ind a nu+ber o. those trip,ires are no longer
connected-I >ubin2s voice ,as thin and strained-
I4hat your pack-hunting >eniesH They can2t get into the lines
until the lines open- 3nd even then so ,hatH They2re her Ben-
They2re concentrated essence o. >enie 0larke at the absolute peak
o. her ga+e- They get their teeth into a trip,ire you think .or a
second they ,on2t pull it themselvesHI
>ubin cocked his head slightly as i. taking note o. so+e
interesting sound-
I!t2s still a good deal Ben- Take it- :ou2d have a hard ti+e
killing +e any,ay- ! +ean ! kno, ,hat a tough ho+bre you are
but your +otor nerves short out 9ust the sa+e as anyone else2s-
3nd not to put too .ine a point on it but you2re blind-I
/ealiCation stabbed 0larke like an icicle: Achilles$ you idiot$
don't you know what you're doing+ 3aven't you read his .ile+
>ubin ,as speaking: I"o ,hy deal in the .irst placeHI
IBecause you are a tough ho+bre- :ou could probably hunt
+e do,n by s+ell i. it ca+e to that and even though you2re having
a really o.. day !2d 9ust as soon not take the chance-I
)ou're talking to Ben >ubin she raged silently trapped in her
o,n dead .lesh- #o you actually think you're threatening him+
I"o ,e disappear you disappear the ,orld relaxes-I >ubin
,avered in and out o. .ocus- IGntil so+eone else kills you-I
0larke tried to speak- 3ll she could .orce out ,as a +oan
barely audible even to hersel.-
&t's not a threat at all.
I)ou disappearI *es9ardins said- I>enie2s +ine- "aved her
special-I
&t's an inducement...
I:ou2re proceeding .ro+ a .alse pre+iseI >ubin pointed out-
I:eahH 4hat pre+ise is thatHI
IThat ! give a shit-I
0larke caught a gli+pse o. +uscles bunching in >ubin2s le.t leg
o. a sudden sodden pulse o. .resh blood coursing do,n his right-
"uddenly he ,as airborne hurtling through the .ield and overtop
the barrier .ro+ an i+possible standing start- ;e ra++ed into
*es9ardins like an avalanche pure inertiaF they toppled out o. sight
behind the console to the sound o. bodies and plastic in collision-
3 +o+ent2s silence-
"he lay there tingling and paralyCed and ,ondered ,ho to root
.or- !. >ubin2s +o+entu+ hadn2t carried hi+ co+pletely through
the .ield he2d be dying no, ,ith no one to pull hi+ to sa.ety-
Dven i. he2d +ade it across he2d still be helpless .or a ,hile-
*es9ardins +ight have a chance i. the collision hadn2t stunned
hi+.
Achilles$ you murderer. )ou psychopath$ you genocidal
maniac. )ou "oul vicious monster. )ou're worse than & am.
There's no hell deep enough "or you.
(et out o" there. Please. !e"ore he kills you.
"o+ething gurgled- 0larke heard the .aint scratching o.
.ingernails on plastic or +etal- 3 +eaty thud like so+eone
slinging a dead .ish against the deck8or the .lopping o. a li+b
stunned in transit struggling back to li.e- 3 brie. scu..ling sound-
Ken. #on't do it-
"he gathered all her strength into a single desperate cry: I*o.I
!t ca+e out barely ,hispered-
On the .ar side o. the barricade a ,et snapping pop- Then
nothing at all-
6h (od$ Ken. #on't you know what you've done+
6" course you know. )ou've always known. We could've saved
it$ we could have made things right$ but they were right about you.
Pat was right. Alyx was right. )ou monster. )ou monster. )ou
wasted it all.
(od damn you.
"he stared up at the ceiling tears leaking around her eyecaps
and ,aited .or the ,orld to end-
"he could al+ost +ove again i. only she could think o. a
reason to- "he rolled onto her side- ;e sat cross-legged on the
.loor beside her his bloody .ace i+penetrable- ;e looked like
so+e carved and pri+itive idol a,ash in hu+an sacri.ice-
I;o, longHI she rasped-
I>ongHI
IOr has it started alreadyH 3re the claves on .ireH 3re the
bo+bs .allingH !s it enough .or you are you .ucking hard yetHI
IOh- That-I >ubin shrugged- I;e ,as blu..ing-I
IWhatHI "he struggled up on her elbo,s- IBut8the trip,ires
the kill-s,itches8he showed you---I
I<rops-I
I:ou sa, through the+HI
I#o- They ,ere 7uite convincing-I
IThen ho,8I
I!t didn2t +ake sense that he2d do it-I
IBen he destroyed Atlant.I 3 sudden i+possible ray o.
hope: IGnless that ,as a blu.. tooH---I
I#oI >ubin said 7uietly-
"he sank back- ,et me wake up "rom this she prayed-
I;e destroyed 3tlantis because he had another deterrent to .all
back on- Making good on the s+aller threat increased the
credibility o. the larger one-I The +an ,ithout a conscience
shrugged- IBut once you2re dead deterrence has already .ailed-
There2s no point in acting on a threat ,hen it can2t possibly achieve
your goal-I
I;e could have easily- & ,ould have-I
I:ou2re vindictive- *es9ardins ,asn2t- ;e ,as +ainly
interested in sel.-grati.ication-I >ubin s+iled .aintly- IThat ,as
unusually enlightened o. hi+ actually- Most people are hard,ired
.or revenge- <erhaps "partacus .reed hi+ o. that too-I
IBut he could have done it-I
I!t ,ouldn2t have been a credible threat other,ise-I
I"o ho, did you knowHI
I*oo+sday +achines are not easy things to asse+ble- !t ,ould
have taken a great deal o. ti+e and e..ort .or no actual payo..-
?aking it ,as the logical alternative-I
IThat2s not good enough Ben- Try again-I
I! also sub9ected hi+ to AanC.eld interrogation once- !t gave
+e certain insights into8I
"he shook her head-
;e didn2t speak .or a ,hile- ?inally: I4e ,ere both o.. the
leash-I
I! thought you gave yoursel. a ne, leash- ! thought your
rules---I
I"till- ! kno, ho, he .elt-I >ubin un.olded8care.ully
care.ully8and cli+bed slo,ly to his .eet-
I*id you kno, ,hat he2d doHI "he couldn2t hide the pleading
in her voice-
;e see+ed to look do,n at her- I>enie !2ve never known
anything +y entire li.e- 3ll ! can ever do is go ,ith the odds-I
!t ,asn2t ,hat she ,anted to hear- "he ,anted hi+ to describe
so+e telltale glitch in *es9ardins2s shado,-sho, so+e co+pelling
bit o. evidence that said the worst will not happen. "he ,anted
so+e channel o. ostensible input traced back to an e+pty socket
i+possibly disconnected .ro+ its .iberop- 3nything but a ga+ble
based on e+pathy bet,een t,o +en ,ithout conscience-
"he ,ondered i. he ,as disappointed even a little bit that
*es9ardins had been .aking it a.ter all- "he ,ondered i. he2d really
been expecting it-
I4hat are you so do,n aboutHI >ubin asked sensing ,hat he
couldn2t see- I4e 9ust saved the ,orld-I
"he shook her head- I;e ,as going to lose any,ay- ;e kne,
that better than ,e did-I
IThen ,e advanced the schedule signi.icantly at least- "aved
+illions o. lives-I
3ow many millions she ,ondered and then: what di""erence
does it make+ 0ould saving t,elve +illion today +ake up .or
killing ten +illion in the pastH 0ould the blood-soaked Meltdo,n
Madonna so+eho, trans+ute into "aint >enie !n the Black savior
o. t,o +illion netH 4as the algebra o. guilt really so ele+entaryH
?or >enie 0larke the 7uestion didn2t even apply- Because any
+illions saved today had only been spared .ro+ a .ate she2d
conde+ned the+ to in the .irst place- There ,as no ,ay no ,ay
at all that she ,ould ever be able to balance those books-
I3t leastI she said Ithe debt ,on2t get any bigger-I
IThat2s a needlessly pessi+istic outlookI >ubin observed-
"he looked up at hi+- I;o, can you say thatHI ;er voice ,as
so so.t she could barely hear hersel.- IDveryone2s dead---I
;e shook his head- IAlmost everyone- The rest o. us get
another chance-I
Ben >ubin reached out his hand- The gesture ,as absurd to the
point o. .arceF that this torn and broken +onster gored bleeding
could pretend to be in any position to o..er assistance to others-
>enie 0larke stared .or a long +o+ent be.ore she .ound the
strength to take it-
Another chance she re.lected pulling hersel. to her .eet-
0ven though we don't deserve one.
P,+47: S,N7/+A. $SS,AN
?G/T;D/ </D*!0T!O#" G#/D>!3B>D-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The usual gang o. suspects ,ithout ,ho+ ! could never have
pulled this o..:
*avid ;art,ell +y editor nailed so+e serious structural
proble+s ,ith the .irst dra.t and helped +e .ix the+- Moshe
?eder took point through the day-to-day grind .ro+ delivery to
re,rite to kicking-and-screa+ing to rending-o.-gar+ents to
,racking hysterical sobs and .inally to parturition
!n ,hat has beco+e an annual rite a +otley collection o.
subversive literary and political +alcontents8>aurie 0hanner
0ory *octoro, #alo ;opkinson Becky Maines John Mc*aid
Janis O20onner "teve "a+enski !saac "Cpindel and <at :ork8
+et clandestinely at an Gndisclosed >ocation back during the
su++er o. 2002- There they tore apart the .irst t,o chapters o.
this puppy 5a+ong others6 then helped to so, the+ back together
again- This is the second ti+e that a ,hole bunch o. people have
seen ho, +y novel begins ,hile virtually no one sees the rest
until it2s too late to change anything- ! suspect sel.-estee+ issues
+ay be involved-
But the .act that hardly anybody read the ,hole thing doesn2t
+ean that lots o. people didn2t contribute to it- *avid #ickle
o..ered advice insights and endless +ockery throughout the
processF his input proved so valuable ! can al+ost overlook the .act
that ! had to get up at .ive thirty in the .ucking +orning and go
running .or ten +iles to avail +ysel. o. it- >aurie 0hanner
,ithstood endless pissing and +oaning over a story .or ,hich her
input ,as .re7uently solicited even though she ,as never actually
allo,ed to read the da+ned thing- 5"he still hasn2t as o. this
,riting-6
! o,e +any details o. the helicopter crash scene to Alenn
#or+an and Alenn Morrison both pilots and both +ore help.ul to
pesky authors than ! had any right to expect- ! ,as astonished to
learn that even ,hen a helicopter loses all po,er in +id-.light it2s
still possible to ,alk a,ay .ro+ the crash by practicing an
e+ergency techni7ue called IautorotationI- Alenn Morrison in
.act survived a crash eerily parallel to the one described herein
except .or the .act that he is not blind- 5?or the record he doesn2t
think there2s a hope in hell o.. pulling o.. that +aneuver in real li.e
i. you are blind and he kno,s his stu..- On the other hand he
doesn2t kno, Ben >ubin-6
<arts o. other people2s li.e histories +ade their ,ay into the
story- 0ertain i+pressionistic details o. the dog attack took their
inspiration .ro+ ,ild canines encountered by one /ob
0unningha+ on his travels through !ndia- 5:ou +ay kno, /ob as
the dude ,ho created those gorgeous spaceship designs .or
3omeworld and 3omeworld > the /T" co+puter ga+es .ro+
/elic Dntertain+ent-6 Dight-year-old 3chilles *es9ardins2s
experi+ents ,ith aerobraking ,ere li.ted .ro+ the childhood
con.essions o. Mark "ho,ell .isheries biologist although Mark is
not a sexual sadist so .ar as ! kno,- 5!. anything he2s a +asochist
9udging by the guy he chose to do his Master2s under-6
!saac "Cpindel M* <h-*- skilled in so +any and varied
endeavors that it +akes +e sick helped +e load Taka2s lines ,ith
plausible +edical chro+e- *ave Ithe bioin.or+aticianI Block
ans,ered nu+erous i+pertinent 7uestions about arti.icial
nucleotides and +ini+u+ genotype siCes- 5Gn.ortunately one o.
the things he taught +e ,as that you can2t cra+ a (-(MB genotype
into a cell 2&0n+ across ,hich contradicts physical stats .or
ehe+oth already described in /aelstrom-6 Ma9or *avid Buck o.
the #e, =ealand *e.ence ?orce helped +e out on the sub9ect o.
?uel 3ir Dxplosive ordnance- "teve Ballentine ;annu Blo++ila
/ick Ble..el ;arry <ulley 0atriona "parks Bebe "chroer Janine
"tinson Mac Tonnies and *avid 4illia+s have all pointed +e to
relevant research papers revie,s opinions andPor ne,s articles
that ,ent into the ehe+oth +ix one ,ay or another- Jan "tinson
also ,ent through the +anuscript ,ith an editorial eagle-eye
catching typos and bigger proble+s ,hich ! hope the rest o. you
,on2t notice- #ot to +ention others ,ho+ !2ve probably .orgotten
and o. ,ho+ ! hereby pre-e+ptively beg .orgiveness-
:ou can2t bla+e any o. these good .olks i. this book sucks
since none o. the+ ,ere allo,ed to read it- 5!. it does suck +aybe
that2s ,hy-6 :ou can2t even bla+e *avid ;art,ell ,ho did read
it because the book ,ould have sucked even harder ,ithout his
input- :ou can only bla+e +e and you +ight as ,ell since !2ve
already got your +oney-
4ell .i.ty cents o. it any,ay-
NOTESANDREFERENCES
Once again it2s ti+e to trot out a variety o. citations that ,ill
hope.ully serve as a valuable educational resource even though
they2re pri+arily intended to cover +y ass against nitpickers-
!. you have co+e late to this saga you +ay not .ind the
.ollo,ing re.erences as co+plete as you2d like- 3ny real-,orld
science ele+ents introduced in 1tar"ish and /aelstrom ,ere cited
at the end o. those booksF ! don2t repeat those citations here even
though +any ele+ents persist into ehemoth- 5! do ho,ever cite
related research that has co+e out since /aelstrom ,as released
especially i. it +akes +e look especially prescient in so+e ,ay-6
"o i. you2re looking .or +y original sources on s+art gels I.ine-
tuningI or the Maelstro+ Dcosyste+s you2ll have to go back and
check the other books- :ou still +ay not .ind everything you2re
looking .or but you +ight at least +ake +y 3+aCon nu+bers look
a little less dis+al-
Atla#t!s: 5here 7oes the Ne!"hborhood
There is a place in the +iddle o. the #orth 3tlantic ,here the
currents stop dead an eye in the +iddle o. that great slo, gyre
revolving bet,een Durope and #orth 3+erica
(
- !t see+ed like a
reasonable spot to hide .ro+ lethal particles potentially borne on
,ind and ,ater so ! put 3tlantis there- The surrounding
topography took so+e inspiration .ro+ a 200' report on abyssal
+ineralogy
2
- !+possible >ake ,as inspired by the ultrasaline lens
o. heavy ,ater described in the ground-breaking docu+entary
(
@an *over 0->- et al. 2002- Dvolution and biogeography o. deep-sea vent
and seep invertebrates- 1cience 2)&: (2&'-(2&$-
2
/ona <-3- 200'- /esources o. the sea .loor- 1cience 2)): %$'-%$4-
series IBlue <lanetI
'
- The .ailure o. the >abrador 0urrent and the
Aul. "trea+ is increasingly likely in vie, o. increased +elt ,ater
discharge .ro+ the 3rctic 5e.g-
4&
6-

3nd ! kno, they don2t actually
.igure into the plot any,here but >enie 0larke ,orries about the+
on her ,ay to the sur.ace in 0hapter One so it2s .air ga+e: giant
s9uids now outmass the whole human race and they2re getting
even bigger
C
N
ehemoth
4e continue to discover li.e increasingly deep in the
lithosphere- 3t last count deep crustal rocks beneath the Juan de
?uca /idge8yes the very ridge .ro+ ,hich ehe+oth escaped at
the end o. 1tar"ish8have yielded evidence o. hereto.ore unkno,n
+icrobial li.e.or+s
$
- 4ater sa+ples .ro+ boreholes '00 + belo,
that seabed sho, depleted levels o. sulphate: so+ething do,n
there is alive unclassi.ied and consu+ing sulphur- There2s no
evidence that it ,ould destroy the ,orld i. it ever reached the
sur.ace but then again there2s no evidence it wouldn't either- ! can
al,ays hope-
That hope is a .aint one though- <atricia /o,an ,as right to
argue that ehe+oth by virtue o. its ancient origins should be an
obligate anaerobe
1
- To even +ake it out onto the seabed ,ould
re7uire either a very convenient +utation or a deliberate t,eak-
*a+n lucky the plot called .or one any,ay-
'
British Broadcasting 0orporation- 200(- The blue planet: a natural history o.
the ocean <art ': The *eep-
4
<eterson B-J- et al. 2002- !ncreasing river discharge to the 3rctic Ocean-
1cience 2)1: 2($(-2($'-
&
4eaver 3-J- and 0- ;illaire-Marcel- 2004- Alobal ,ar+ing and the next ice
age- 1cience '04: 400-402-
%
Bildstein T- 2002- Alobal ,ar+ing is good 5i. you like cala+ari6-
Australasian 1cience 3ugust 2002-
$
)owe# J-< et al. 200'- ?luids .ro+ 3ging Ocean 0rust That "upport
Microbial >i.e- 1cience 2)): (20-(2'-
1
Basting J-?- and J->- "ie.ert- 2002- >i.e and the evolution o. Darth2s
at+osphere- 1cience 2)%: (0%%-(0%1-
4aters et al. have recently reported the discovery o. an ancient
hot-vent-d,elling nanobe called *anoarchaeum e9uitans
)
F geno+e
siCe proportion o. 9unk *#3 and dia+eter are all in the ehe+oth
ballpark- Dven better it2s a parasitePsy+biont 5it lives on a +uch
larger 3rcheon called &gnicoccus6- ;o,ever its +ini+alist
geno+e 5about &00 kilobases hal. the siCe o. ehe+oth2s6 lacks
the recipes .or certain vital enCy+es ,hich it +ust there.ore get
.ro+ its host- !t could never be a .ree-liver- ehe+oth ,ith its
larger geno+e is +ore sel.-su..icient8but ho, it cra+s all those
extra genes into a capsule only %0W the siCe re+ains a +ystery-
The .ishheads and the corpses got into a bit o. a debate about
the odds o. ehe+oth hitching a ride in the .lesh o. dispersing
larval .ish- ! ,as al,ays ,orried about that +ysel. even back
,hen ! ,as ,riting 1tar"ish8i. true there2d be no reason ,hy
ehe+oth ,ould not have in .act taken over the ,orld billions o.
years ago- !nvertebrate larvae do see+ to cross vast distances in
the deep seaF .ortunately they generally go into a sort o. arrested
develop+ent en route( +aking the+ unlikely carriers o.
ehe+oth 5,hich needs an actively-+etaboliCing host to ,ithstand
long-ter+ ther+o-os+otic stress6- !t also appears that even highly-
dispersing larval .ish species +aintain .airly distinct geographic
ranges 9udging by the lack o. genetic .lo, bet,een populations
around ad9acent islands
(0((
- 4orst co+es to ,orst local
topographic and che+ical conditions can constrain the distribution
o. various deep-,ater species
(2('
-
)
4aters D- et al. 200'- The geno+e o. #anoarchaeu+ e7uitans: !nsights into
early archaeal evolution and derived parasitis+- Proc. *at. Acad. 1ci. (00:
(2)14-(2)11F
(0
<alu+bi; "-/- and /-/- 4arner- 200'- 4hy Aobies are like ;obbits- 1cience
200' January 'F 2)): &(-&2-
((
Taylor M-"- and M-D- ;ellberg- 200'- Aenetic Dvidence .or >ocal /etention
o. <elagic >arvae in a 0aribbean /ee. ?ish- 1cience 200' January 'F 2)): (0$-
(0)-
(2
@ri9enhoek /-0- ())$- Aene .lo, and genetic diversity in naturally
.rag+ented +etapopulations o. deep-sea hydrother+al vent ani+als- 8.
3eredity. 11: 21&-2)'-
('
"o+ero A-#- ())2- Bioche+ical ecology o. deep-sea ani+als- 0xperientia
41 &'$-&4'-
"o ! dodged the bullet- This ,as not prescience on +y part and
it +ay yet co+e back and bite +e in the ass: at least one adult .ish
+ay have s,u+ through deep ,ater .ro+ <atagonia all the ,ay up
to Areenland
(4
-
Seppuku
3rti.icial +icrobes are al+ost +ainstrea+ these days: J- 0raig
@enter 5the ;u+an Aeno+e guy6 has co+pleted an entirely
arti.icial geno+e even as ! type
(&
hoping that such organis+s ,ill
be able to cure the ,orld2s environ+ental ills- <eter "chulC and his
tea+ have already t,eaked 0. coli to synthesiCe a novel a+ino acid
not .ound in nature
(%
hoping it ,ill be able to outco+pete the
baseline strain- Dntirely synthetic organis+s built .ro+
interchangeable genetic +odules are 9ust around the corner
($
- !
,ish all these guys better luck than Jakob ;oltCbrink2s gel-9ocks
had ,hen they t,eaked ehe+oth-
"eppuku2s genetic te+plate ,as .irst synthesiCed by >eslie
Orgel
(1
back in 2000F T#3 actually does duplex ,ith conventional
nucleic acids- The idea o. alien genes incorporating the+selves
into our o,n nuclear +aterial is even +ore old-hat than arti.icial
+icrobes8not only are our genes ri.e ,ith parasitic *#3 .ro+ a
range o. bugs but .unctional genes originally brought into the cell
by the ancestors o. our o,n +itochondria appear to have +igrated
into the nucleus
()
- Massive horiContal gene trans.er bet,een
species has occurred throughout +uch o. Darth2s history
20
and o.
(4
MXller <-/- et al. 200'- ?ish +igration: <atagonian tooth.ish .ound o..
Areenland- *ature 42( &))-
(&
=i++er 0- 200'- Tinker tailor: can @enter stitch together a geno+e .ro+
scratchH 1cience 2)): (00%-(00$-
(%
Mehl /-3- et al. 200'- Aeneration o. a Bacteriu+ ,ith a 2( 3+ino 3cid
Aenetic 0ode- 8. Amer. -hem. 1oc. (2&:)'&-)')-
($
?erber *- 2004- Microbes +ade to order- 1cience '0': (&1-(%(-
(1
Orgel >- 2000- 3 si+pler nucleic acid- 1cience 2)0: ('0%-
()
AabaldYn T- and M-3- ;uynen- 200'- /econstruction o. the proto-
+itochondrial +etabolis+- 1cience '0(: %0)-
20
/ay+ond J- et al. 2002- 4hole-geno+e analysis o. photosynthetic
prokaryotes- 1cience 2)1: (%(%-(%20-
course the sy+biotic incorporation o. s+all cells into larger ones
has a long and honorable history re.lected in every eukaryotic cell
on the planet- 5Back in /aelstrom ! cited chloroplasts and
+itochondriaF apicoclasts are a related exa+ple devolved
endosy+bionts .ound in Toxoplasma and Plasmodium
>@
-6
Taka Ouellette2s a,ed appreciation o. proline as a +etabolic
catalyst ,ill probably be a little behind the ti+es by +id-century
since Movassaghi and Jacobsen have already pointed out the
potential o. such si+ple +olecules to act as enCy+es
22
-
5he )hem!str< o' )hara&ter
"o+e readers +ay ,onder i. ! have trouble distinguishing
bet,een personality and neuroche+istry- !t2s a .air point but don2t
bla+e +e: bla+e the scientists ,ho can2t let a ,eek go by ,ithout
reporting yet +ore evidence that personality is 9ust another ,ord
.or bioche+istry albeit ,ritten in an exceedingly co+plex .ont
5e.g. ;annuk :aeger2s propensity .or violence rooted in his
+onoa+ine oxidase levels
2'
6- Gnless you2re one o. those Daster-
bunny vitalists ,ho believes that personality results .ro+ so+e
un7uanti.iable divine spark there2s really no alternative to the
+echanistic vie, o. hu+an nature-
3 central tenet o. the ,hole ri.ters saga8introduced in 1tar"ish
and expanded in /aelstrom and !ehemoth8is that "alse +e+ories
o. abuse can cause neurological changes in the individual every bit
as real as genuine +e+ories can- That ,as pretty speculative
,hen 1tar"ish .irst ca+e out but recent research has added
e+pirical evidence o. this e..ect
24 2&
-
2(
?unes "- et al. 2002- 3 green algal apicoplast ancestor- 1cience 2)1: 2(&&-
22
Movassaghi M- and D-#- Jacobsen- 2002- The si+plest IDnCy+eI- 1cience
2)1: ()04-()0&-
2'
0aspi 3- et al. 2002- /ole o. genotype in the cycle o. violence o. +altreated
children- 1cience 2)$: 1&(-1&4-
24
Beck+an M- 200'- ?alse +e+ories true pain- 1cience 2)): ('0%-
2&
O..er *- et al. 2000- 3ltering o. /eported Dxperiences- 8. Amer. Academy
-hild and Adolescent Psych. ')5%6: $'&-$42-
*etails on the care and .eeding o. sociopaths ,ere largely taken
.ro+ the ,ork o. /obert ;are
2%
and others
2$
- ehemoth2s +usings
regarding the adaptive value o. sociopathy in corporate settings
+ay not be entirely o.. the +ark either2%
21
,29
. 53nd as these
re.erences should +ake clear neither Ben >ubin nor 3chilles
*es9ardins are sociopaths in the classic sense- More goes into such
creatures than a +ere absence o. conscience-6
/aelstrom established that Auilt Trip took its lead largely .ro+
the genes o. certain parasites ,hich could alter the behavior o.
their hosts- The actual +echanis+ by ,hich this occurred ,as not
kno,n ,hen that book ca+e out although so+e had speculated
that it occured right do,n at the neurotrans+itter level- ! hung
Auilt Trip2s hat on that hypothesis and a+ no, relieved to report
that the ga+ble paid o..: at least one such parasitic puppet-+aster
,orks by scre,ing ,ith its host2s serotonin-producing neurons
'0
-
3lice Jovellanos2s denigration o. the ethical i+pulse takes its
lead .ro+ recent studies ,hich establish that +oral IreasoningI is
not reasonable at all8it occurs pri+arily in the e+otional centers
o. the brain resulting in inconsistent and inde.ensible belie.s about
,hether a course o. action is IrightI or I,rongI
'(
- 3n
acco+panying co++entary article gives a very nice su++ary o.
the so-called ITrolley <aradoxI not to +ention an airtight
rationale .or pushing people in .ront o. trains
'2
- Jovellanos2s
2%
;are /-*- ()))- 4ithout 0onscience: The *isturbing 4orld o. the
<sychopaths 3+ong Gs- Auil.ord <ress 2'%pp-
2$
Aoldberg 0- 200'- *ata accu+ulating on psychopaths- The Toronto 1tar
July 20 reprinted .ro+ the !oston (lobe-
21
MacMillan J- and >-B- Bo.oed- ()14- "ociobiology and antisocial behavior-
8. /ental and *ervous #iseases ($2 $0(-0%-
2)
;arpending ;-0- and J- "obus- ()1$- "ociopathy as an adaptation- 0thology
and 1ociobiology 1 %'"-$2"-
'0
;elluy "- and Tho+as ?- 200'- D..ects o. /icrophallus papillorobustus
5<latyhel+inthes tre+atoda6 on serotonergic i++unoreactivity and neuronal
architecture in the brain o. (ammarus insensibilis 50rustacea 3+phipoda6-
<roceeding o. the /oyal "ociety o. >ondon 5B-6 2$0: &%'-&%1-
'(
Areene J-*- et al. 200(- 3n .M/! investigation o. e+otional engage+ent in
+oral 9udg+ent- 1cience 2)': 2(0&-2(01
'2
;el+uth >- 200(- Moral /easoning /elies on D+otion- 1cience 2)': ()$(-
()$2-
argu+ents +ay be si+plistic8the pre.rontal cortex a.ter all
see+s to play at least some role in +oral decision-+aking
'' '4 '&
8
but then again Jovellanos ,as a bit o. a Cealot- ?or ,hich she paid
a price-
"peaking o. +oral decision-+aking >enie 0larke2s passion .or
revenge earlier in the ri.ters saga8not to +ention Ben >ubin2s
unackno,ledged passion .or sa+e later on8are not +erely
overused dra+atic tropes- 4e appear to be hard,ired to punish
those ,ho have slighted us even i"8and this is the
counterintuitive bit8even i. our acts o. vengeance hurt us +ore
than those ,ho have trespassed against us
'%
- ! like to think the
reason the ,orld gets another chance at the end o. this story is
because as >ubin speculates "partacus disabled the vengeance
response in 3chilles *es9ardins at the sa+e ti+e it destroyed his
conscience- ;e +ay have been a +onster- ;e +ay have been
sexual sadist- But in that one retro.itted corner o. his soul he +ay
have been +ore civiliCed that you or ! ,ill ever be-
3nd .inally the +ost disturbing real-,orld echo o. this
i+aginary hellhole co+es .ro+ the @illage @oice
'$
reporting on
ongoing research to,ards an Ianti-re+orse pillI8a drug
developed to cure post-trau+atic stress syndro+e ,hich ,ould
soothe the torturer as ,ell as the tortured- "uch neuroche+ical
t,eaks ,ould ,ork by short-circuiting guilt itsel. +aking it that
+uch easier to get a good night2s sleep a.ter +o,ing do,n cro,ds
o. unruly civilians protesting unpopular govern+ent policies- :es
''
Mac+illan M- 2000- 3n Odd Bind o. ?a+e: "tories o. <hineas Aage- M!T
<ress 0a+bridge M3 &$%pp-
'4
3nderson "-4- et al. ()))- -!+pair+ent o. social and +oral behavior
related to early da+age in hu+an pre.rontal cortex- *ature *euroscience 2:
(0'2-(0'$-
'&
Moll J- et al- 2002- The #eural 0orrelates o. Moral "ensitivity: 3
?unctional Magnetic /esonance !+aging !nvestigation o. Basic and Moral
D+otions- 8. *eurosci- 225$6:2$'0-2$'%
'%
"an.rey 3-A- et al. 200'- The #eural Basis o. Dcono+ic *ecision-Making
in the Glti+atu+ Aa+e- 1cience '00: ($&&-($&1-
'$
Baard D- 200'- The Auilt-?ree "oldier: #e, "cience /aises the "pecter o. a
4orld 4ithout /egret- The Fillage Foice January 22 - 21- 53lso
http:PP,,,-villagevoice-co+PissuesP0'04Pbaard-php6
! called +y version Absolution8but people it ,as supposed to be
ironic---
$ere; the Maelstrom =ust mo*ed outs!de...
"o+e background a+bience .ro+ the ,orld above the
,aterline:
The developing ,orld has no shortage o. reasons to be pissed at
the other t,o- By +id-century !2+ postulating a sort o. 3.rica-
,ide schaden.reude in response to the collapse o. #23+2s societal
in.rastructure- The icing on that bitter cake is the .urther
prediction that the +a9ority o. the 3.rican population ,ill consist
o. ,o+enF ! base this on the .act that in Dthiopia at least
+alnourished ,o+en are +ore likely to give birth to daughters
than sons
'1
5presu+ably .or the sa+e energetics-related reasons
this happens in other species6- !2+ basically suggesting that
generations o. disease starvation and exploitationPindi..erence
,ill result in one righteously-pissed gender-ske,ed hotbed o.
discontent in ,hich the +yth o. a victi+iCed ,o+an2s apocalyptic
vendetta ,ould catch on real .ast- Think o. >iberation Theology
that violent incarnation o. 0atholicis+ that arose .ro+ the political
turnoil o. >atin 3+erica in the last centuryF no, +ove it to
3.rica and e+phasise the ,arrior Madonna at its heart-
The various bits o. ,eaponry portrayed in this novel8.ro+
Miri2s arsenal to *es9ardins2 booby-traps to "outh 3.rica2s !0BMs
8 are taken .ro+ a variety o. sources including the G"3?
')
F The
0conomist
40
F 0ornell Gniversity <eace "tudies <rogra+
4(
F and even
the Duropean 0entre .or Mediu+-/ange 4eather ?orecasts
42
-
Dvidently ,eapons-grade in.rasound isn2t all it2s cracked up to be-
'1
Aibson M-3- and /- Mace- 200'- "trong +others bear +ore sons in rural
Dthiopia- Biology >etters 5<roceedings o. the /oyal "ociety "uppl- Online6 20
May-
')
I4hen Billing Just 4on2t *oI8Dxcerpt .ro+ *onlethal weaponsE terms and
re"erences by the Gnited "tats 3ir ?orce !nstitute .or #ational "ecurity "tudies
7uoted in 3arper's '0% 5(1''6: ($-()-
40
3nony+ous- 200'- 0o+e .ry ,ith +e- The 0conomist '%%51'0)6: %1-%)-
4(
3lt+ann J- ()))- 3coustic ,eapons8a prospective assess+ent: sources
propagation and e..ects o. strong sound- Occasional <aper V22 1$pp-
5On the other hand it see+s surprisingly si+ple to generate your
o,n electro+agnetic pulse
4'
6-
le&tro#!& W!ldl!'e > 0!"!tal *olut!o#
/aelstrom hung on the pre+ise that the sa+e *ar,inian
processes that shape li.e in this ,orld are e7ually applicable to the
digital real+8that sel.-replicating so.t,are ,ill be literally alive
,hen the conditions o. natural selection are +et- That position has
gained recent groundF ter+s like Idigital organis+I crop up in the
+ost respectable scienti.ic 9ournals
444&4%
and you can no,
do,nload .ree,are apps that let you experi+ent ,ith digital
evolution on your o,n desktop
4$
- D-li.e is proceeding on trackF
+aybe the Maelstro+ Dcosyste+s ,on2t be .ar behind-
/aelstrom extended the conceit o. !nternet-as-Dcosyste+ to a
Iconsensus superorganis+I that exploited the +yth o. the
Meltdo,n Madonna as a reproductive strategy- ?ive years .urther
do,n the ti+eline parts o. that superorganis+ have trans+uted8
,ith a little help .ro+ their .riends8into the I"hreddersI and
I>eniesI o. ehemoth- Dcologically ,e2ve +oved .ro+ a cli+ax
ecosyste+ to a ,eedy and i+poverished landscape o. virtual rats
gulls and kudCu8and in keeping ,ith that spirit the virtual-
ecology aspects o. this novel echo the pest-species dyna+ics
co++on in real-,orld ecosyste+s-
3 co++on response to outbreaks o. un,anted insect species is
to haul out the pesticides- The pest2s usual response is to a6
develop resistance and b6 crank up its reproductive rate to o..set
42
Bel9aars 3- ())2- The para+eteriCation o. the planetary boundary layer-
3vailable at http:PP,,,-ec+,.-intP
4'
http:PP,,,-spacecatlighting-co+P+arxgenerator0(-ht+
44
>enski /-D- et al. ()))- Aeno+e co+plexity robustness and genetic
interactions in digital organis+s- *ature 400: %%(Z%%4-
4&
4ilke 0-O- and 0- 3da+i- 2002- The biology o. digital organis+s- Trends
0col 0vol ($: &21Z&'2-
4%
O2#eill B- 200'- *igital evolution- Public ,ibrary o" 1cience !iology (: ((-
(4 or http:PP,,,-plosbiology-orgPplosonlinePHre7uestTget-
docu+entMdoiT(0-('$(P9ournal-pbio-00000(1
4$
http:PPdllab-caltech-eduPavidaP
the increased +ortality- Once this happens hu+an I+anagersI
don2t dare stop spraying because the pest has been pushed into a
state o. chronic outbreakF its increased reproductive rate ,ill result
in a catastrophic population explosion the +o+ent spraying sends-
This is essentially ,hat happened during the spruce bud,or+
in.estations o. the #orth 3+erican Mariti+es back in the seventies
and eighties
41
F ! rather suspect ,e +ay in .or a replay ,ith the
current bark-beetle invasion-
:ou don2t need a <h-*- to see the parallels bet,een this and the
exorcistPshredder dyna+ic at play in #23+#et- >enie 0larke
never took Dcology (0(F she +ade her +oves .or her o,n t,isted
and unrelated reasons- !ronically though it +ay have been the
right course o. action .ro+ a purely ecological standpoint- <est
species tend to peak and crash cyclically i. you 9ust leave the+
aloneF once you2ve cranked the+ into outbreak +ode perhaps the
only ,ay to restore any kind o. natural balance is to 9ust take your
.oot o.. the brake grit your teeth and take your lu+ps until the
syste+ stabiliCes-
3ssu+ing it does-
Pred!&t!#" the Past:
"+art gels- ;ead cheeses- Those neuron puddings that the
corpses used to 9a+ the ri.ters in the .irst hal. o. this book and
,hich played a +uch +ore central role in the previous ones- They
exist no, in real li.e- #eurons cultured .ro+ rat brains no,
operating re+ote-controlled robots at a lab near you
4)
-
<iss +e right o..- ! thought ! had years be.ore this stu.. caught up
,ith +e-
41
!. you2re looking .or pri+ary sources on this though you2re "O>- !2+ 9ust
regurgitating +e+ories o. a grad course ! took in theoretical ecology back at the
Gniversity o. Auelph-
4)
Disenberg 3- 200'- 4ired to the Brain o. a /at a /obot Takes On the
4orld- The *ew )ork Times May (& 200'-
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i- Per'orma#&e .o<alt!es /#der 1la#ket +!&e#ses-
>icensor reserves the exclusive right to collect
,hether individually or via a per.or+ance rights
society 5e-g- 3"03< BM! "D"306 royalties .or
the public per.or+ance or public digital
per.or+ance 5e-g- ,ebcast6 o. the 4ork i. that
per.or+ance is pri+arily intended .or or directed
to,ard co++ercial advantage or private +onetary
co+pensation-
ii- Me&ha#!&al .!"hts a#d Statutor< .o<alt!es-
>icensor reserves the exclusive right to collect
,hether individually or via a +usic rights agency or
designated agent 5e-g- ;arry ?ox 3gency6 royalties
.or any phonorecord :ou create .ro+ the 4ork
5Icover versionI6 and distribute sub9ect to the
co+pulsory license created by ($ G"0 "ection ((&
o. the G" 0opyright 3ct 5or the e7uivalent in other
9urisdictions6 i. :our distribution o. such cover
version is pri+arily intended .or or directed to,ard
co++ercial advantage or private +onetary
co+pensation-
.- Web&ast!#" .!"hts a#d Statutor< .o<alt!es- ?or the
avoidance o. doubt ,here the 4ork is a sound recording
>icensor reserves the exclusive right to collect ,hether
ehe+oth &(( <eter 4atts
individually or via a per.or+ance-rights society 5e-g-
"oundDxchange6 royalties .or the public digital
per.or+ance 5e-g- ,ebcast6 o. the 4ork sub9ect to the
co+pulsory license created by ($ G"0 "ection ((4 o. the
G" 0opyright 3ct 5or the e7uivalent in other 9urisdictions6
i. :our public digital per.or+ance is pri+arily intended .or
or directed to,ard co++ercial advantage or private
+onetary co+pensation-
(. .eprese#tat!o#s; Warra#t!es a#d 0!s&la!mer
G#>D"" OT;D/4!"D MGTG3>>: 3A/DD* TO B: T;D
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O? 3#: B!#* 0O#0D/#!#A T;D 4O/B DO</D""
!M<>!D* "T3TGTO/: O/ OT;D/4!"D !#0>G*!#A
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<G/<O"D #O#!#?/!#ADMD#T O/ T;D 3B"D#0D O?
>3TD#T O/ OT;D/ *D?D0T" 300G/30: O/ T;D
</D"D#0D O? 3B"D#0D O? D//O/" 4;DT;D/ O/ #OT
*!"0O@D/3B>D- "OMD JG/!"*!0T!O#" *O #OT 3>>O4
T;D DO0>G"!O# O? !M<>!D* 43//3#T!D" "O "G0;
DO0>G"!O# M3: #OT 3<<>: TO :OG-
A. +!m!tat!o# o# +!ab!l!t<. DO0D<T TO T;D DOTD#T
/DEG!/D* B: 3<<>!03B>D >34 !# #O D@D#T 4!>>
>!0D#"O/ BD >!3B>D TO :OG O# 3#: >DA3> T;DO/:
?O/ 3#: "<D0!3> !#0!*D#T3> 0O#"DEGD#T!3>
<G#!T!@D O/ DODM<>3/: *3M3AD" 3/!"!#A OGT O?
T;!" >!0D#"D O/ T;D G"D O? T;D 4O/B D@D# !?
>!0D#"O/ ;3" BDD# 3*@!"D* O? T;D <O""!B!>!T: O?
"G0; *3M3AD"-
B. 5erm!#at!o#
a- This >icense and the rights granted hereunder ,ill
ter+inate auto+atically upon any breach by :ou o. the
ter+s o. this >icense- !ndividuals or entities ,ho have
received *erivative 4orks or 0ollective 4orks .ro+ :ou
under this >icense ho,ever ,ill not have their licenses
ter+inated provided such individuals or entities re+ain in
.ull co+pliance ,ith those licenses- "ections ( 2 & % $
and 1 ,ill survive any ter+ination o. this >icense-
b- "ub9ect to the above ter+s and conditions the license
granted here is perpetual 5.or the duration o. the applicable
copyright in the 4ork6- #ot,ithstanding the above
>icensor reserves the right to release the 4ork under
di..erent license ter+s or to stop distributing the 4ork at
any ti+eF provided ho,ever that any such election ,ill not
serve to ,ithdra, this >icense 5or any other license that has
been or is re7uired to be granted under the ter+s o. this
>icense6 and this >icense ,ill continue in .ull .orce and
e..ect unless ter+inated as stated above-
8. M!s&ella#eous
a- Dach ti+e :ou distribute or publicly digitally per.or+ the
4ork or a 0ollective 4ork the >icensor o..ers to the
recipient a license to the 4ork on the sa+e ter+s and
conditions as the license granted to :ou under this >icense-
b- Dach ti+e :ou distribute or publicly digitally per.or+ a
*erivative 4ork >icensor o..ers to the recipient a license
to the original 4ork on the sa+e ter+s and conditions as
the license granted to :ou under this >icense-
c- !. any provision o. this >icense is invalid or unen.orceable
under applicable la, it shall not a..ect the validity or
en.orceability o. the re+ainder o. the ter+s o. this >icense
and ,ithout .urther action by the parties to this agree+ent
such provision shall be re.or+ed to the +ini+u+ extent
necessary to +ake such provision valid and en.orceable-
d- #o ter+ or provision o. this >icense shall be dee+ed
,aived and no breach consented to unless such ,aiver or
ehe+oth &(' <eter 4atts
consent shall be in ,riting and signed by the party to be
charged ,ith such ,aiver or consent-
e- This >icense constitutes the entire agree+ent bet,een the
parties ,ith respect to the 4ork licensed here- There are no
understandings agree+ents or representations ,ith respect
to the 4ork not speci.ied here- >icensor shall not be bound
by any additional provisions that +ay appear in any
co++unication .ro+ :ou- This >icense +ay not be
+odi.ied ,ithout the +utual ,ritten agree+ent o. the
>icensor and :ou-
0reative 0o++ons is not a party to this >icense and +akes no
,arranty ,hatsoever in connection ,ith the 4ork- 0reative
0o++ons ,ill not be liable to :ou or any party on any legal
theory .or any da+ages ,hatsoever including ,ithout li+itation
any general special incidental or conse7uential da+ages arising in
connection to this license- #ot,ithstanding the .oregoing t,o 526
sentences i. 0reative 0o++ons has expressly identi.ied itsel. as
the >icensor hereunder it shall have all rights and obligations o.
>icensor-
Dxcept .or the li+ited purpose o. indicating to the public that the
4ork is licensed under the 00<> neither party ,ill use the
trade+ark I0reative 0o++onsI or any related trade+ark or logo
o. 0reative 0o++ons ,ithout the prior ,ritten consent o. 0reative
0o++ons- 3ny per+itted use ,ill be in co+pliance ,ith 0reative
0o++ons2 then-current trade+ark usage guidelines as +ay be
published on its ,ebsite or other,ise +ade available upon re7uest
.ro+ ti+e to ti+e-
0reative 0o++ons +ay be contacted at
http:PPcreativeco++ons-orgP-

PeterWatts Behemoth

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