Master wu, p.29
Master Wu, page 29
With the help of Portia Guise’s face bots, Jayne healed quickly.
She was well enough to attend a high-level meeting with HUB Central and the WP. Her testimony gave them the legal right to investigate Biome 13 down to, and within, the bedrock. Nothing could be hidden. The asteroid was scanned to its very core, and all installations were discovered and investigated. The result was a complete takeover of the biome. The owners were charged with crimes against humanity, for they found evidence of hundreds of children who had grown to the age of 12 years. They were blanks. Their minds were empty. Their bodies were kept alive in specialized units that fed and exercised them. The research labs had made several attempts to transfer connectome scanned minds to the bodies. All had failed and resulted in the death of the recipient children. The research was about to take a new path. Before the remainder of the unused blanks could be destroyed, the WP raided the biome and made the grisly discovery. The biome administration had cut all power to the life support units that contained the blanks; the mindless children were slowly starving to death. The WG decided to try to save the ones who remained alive. The decision resulted in a surge of outrage. The Nwebbies were filled with articles condemning the government’s actions of keeping the brain dead alive, as well as the opposite opinion that perhaps they could be saved. They might become citizens of the planet. After all, these bodies were genetically prime. The consensus was to keep them alive for some time to see if they could be saved.
The uproar soon faded until a crew of T-Rex fanatics tried to storm the facility that held the brain-dead children. The result was an explosion and a dozen dead T-Rex cult members. There was also a resurgence of concern from many other cults that these children were devil spawn and would soon be inhabited by the beast. If they were ever released, they would wreak havoc on the world. This theme was seized by the Nwebbie Right and brought out every time something concerning the blank children came to the fore.
It was decided that Biome 13 would be sent out in the direction of the approaching Swarm. It was calculated it could reach a key area of the Swarm in time to alter the course of enough of the meteors that Earth might survive. It would be outfitted with the latest manufacturing equipment. It would build anti-gravity probes while it traveled. These probes could be accurately targeted at the face of the Swarm. The naysayers calculated a possible success rate at less than 1% while those involved with the design gave it 13%. Even if it fell somewhere between the two, most figured it was worth it.
Others saw the biome as a way more of the citizens of Earth could be saved. They wanted a lottery to choose the passengers. In the end, it was decided that the biome would be used to send out deflection probes.
The owners of the private biome seemed to vanish into dust. There were a series of legal actions that hid all the actual perpetrators of the horrors that occurred on Biome 13. There were a few administrators, scientists, and low-level investors that were charged and convicted of the crimes committed. The political affiliations went so high that even the top investigators had to stop looking. Enough people were charged and convicted to satisfy the WP. It was easy to create enough monsters to satisfy the blood lust of the populace.
Months passed. Jayne healed slowly. The surveillance on Biome 7 watched. Thurston had gone underground. All communication with Pierce ceased. Jayne tried to get in contact with him, but he had disappeared in the wake of the investigation of Biome 13. It seemed as if the entire criminal element wanted to avoid getting caught up in the Biome 13 fiasco. Even the Consortium was quiet. Anyone that had supplied materials, tech or manpower to the biome was suspect.
Everything seemed to settle down for Jayne and the members of the Greenway Group. Jayne became Winter Bancroft II full-time. She took a hiatus from her job at HUB Central and focused on learning to be the neuroscientist her identity demanded. The Greenway Group waited and watched. A meeting was called by Pincet after they noticed a ship orbiting Biome 7. It never came close enough to set off any alarms, but it was noticed. It was the same class previously used by Thurston. The entire group of Jun, Chloe, Spike, Rose, Rafferty, and Jayne were present. This was the first meeting since Jayne’s accident. Everyone was sitting around the large table when Jayne entered.
“Hello all,” Jayne said as she entered the room. She wiggled her fingers and quickly sat down.
“Don’t think you are going to get away with a finger wiggle,” said Jun. He stood up and went to her. “Stand up and give me a hug.” Jayne laughed and stood and hugged him.
Chloe hesitantly acknowledged Jayne and smiled a controlled smile.
Both Spike and Rafferty stared at her and then at each other as they notice the other staring.
Jayne smiled and then slapped her hands on the surface of the table. “Welcome, everyone. I would like to get my life back. This sitting around, pretending to be someone I am not, in the hopes that we catch this bastard, has to stop. I understand from Dr. Pincet that Thurston might have been detected snooping around one of the biomes. I think it is time I put out some bait and see if he will bite.”
“I agree with everything except the ‘I’ part,” Rafferty challenged. “We need to do this. I think everyone will agree that we do not want to risk you putting yourself in danger again. Wasn’t last time enough for you?”
Jayne raised both her hands in surrender. “Alright. We. But you understand that I am the primary player in Thurston’s little plan. Without me as bait, you have zero chance of capturing him. He is as slippery as they come. You can bet he has stayed underground in case he became associated with the Omega Group and was discovered.”
Spike stood, placed his palms on the table and said, “The Omega Group aka the Forevers have suffered a huge setback. There will not be time to start a new biome. That leaves infiltration of the other 12 biomes. I suspect some of those have already been compromised. So we are still dealing with them and Thurston. My sources in HUB Central suggest that the Consortium has increased its activity. The latest commodity is information, specifically information about undocumented biome structures. Whenever a construction project as big as the biomes is underway, some subprojects are started and left unfinished due to some change in the architecture. I have started to track these information transfers.”
“Can you see the actual information they are sending?” asked Chloe.
“The only way to get the information is to take it from the receiver after it is delivered. The encryption is insane. I am tracking who puts out a request to the Consortium in the hopes of discovering what they want to know. I want to intercept these requests and perhaps expose these people. We might set up a system where bogus information is delivered—for a huge fee, of course. The higher the price tag, the more likely those buyers will value it. We could finance a sophisticated operation.” He paused. “All I need is the go-ahead.” He looked at Jayne expectantly.
Pincet spoke up. “It sounds like a start. We have nothing to lose if it doesn’t pan out. I’m all for it.”
“How are these people contacted?” asked Chloe.
“That is the beauty of it. We don’t contact them. We simply let it be known that we have some valuable information and want to sell it. It is an old ploy, but it might work at least a couple of times.”
“I agree,” said Jayne. She had not been listening to Spike. She had been lost in the possibility of catching Thurston. She turned to Pincet. “Tell me more about the ship you mentioned in the notes you sent.”
“Well, it was just that, a small ship of the class and type he used last time. It was behaving suspiciously. What I didn’t mention was the fact that we detected some sophisticated scanning fields being used. I’d bet…” he paused, “something valuable, that it was him.”
“What should we do?” asked Jun. “We should have a plan! You guys think of a plan, and I will go get some snacks. I have noticed that my presence results in better plans.” He grinned and left the room.
Everyone else looked at each other. No one spoke.
Finally, Jayne cleared her throat and started. “I do not have a plan, but I want us to consider what we are dealing with. This man can change bodies any time he wants. If we capture someone, we think is him, we have to make sure. The only way to make sure is for me to contact him. That means that I have to be bait. I already have him believing that I am the old Winter. I think he has an obsession about Winter joining him because she is the only person that really understands him and wants the same things as he wants.”
“And what is that?” asked Jun, entering with a tray of food.
“To live forever. He thinks he has transferred two brilliant minds successfully into new, young bodies. Himself and yours truly. He will want to find a way to ride into the future on one of the twelve original biomes now that Biome 13 is no longer a possibility. His plans probably start with getting a seat on the biome of his choice. The only way to guarantee that is to take over someone already assigned. So he has to find a victim. Before he transfers his mind into this new body, he must have the required tech in place. It must be secret with easy access from the biome proper. He will need to use it every time he requires a new host. If it takes 800 years to traverse the space to the new planet, he will need quite a few victims.”
“Why does he want Winter?” asked Chloe.
“I don’t think he wants to be alone. He and Winter had something going on in the romance department when they were young. He would like to continue that romance. And besides, everyone—even a truly warped mind like Thurston’s—needs a companion they can trust. So to catch him, he has to trust me.”
“And just how do you intend to make sure that he trusts you?” asked Rafferty.
“I have no idea,” responded Jayne. “That is something we are going to have to play by ear.”
Pincet, who had been staring down at the table, looked up. “I suppose you can contact him. I am very concerned about keeping you safe. You know that if Greenway were alive, he would blow a gasket hearing this plan. So, how do you think we can assure your safety?”
“To be honest, you can’t. I am willing to take the risk. You can give some thought to specialized tools I might need, but the rest is really up to me. I have some skills and more than my share of luck. I am sure I will survive. I have survived so far, haven’t I?” Jayne looked around the table. “I have made up my mind. I will seek out Dr. William Thurston and capture him.”
The two men at the end of the table glanced at each other. They both stood together as if they were thinking the same thought and yelled in unison, “The frack you will.”
Spike continued, “I have to come with you. I can be your aide or whatever. Winter likes virile young men, so it would appear to be normal for her.”
A smirk slid over Rafferty’s face. “Well, I guess that rules you out and puts me in.”
Spike turned. He pushed Rafferty down into his chair. “Don’t be an ass and shut the frack up.”
Rafferty was on his feet without blinking. The two men stood red face to red face. Their chests swelled out, nearly touching. Both were at a loss for words. Their emotions were barely in check.
Jun stood and stepped up to them and eased them apart. “Guys, cool it. This is not helping.”
He reached for the tray of snacks and set it down in front of the two men. “Have a bite. The rice crackers with those salty curled-up brown things are quite good.”
“Smoked oysters,” clarified Chloe, “and they are disgusting.”
Jayne stepped away from the table and spoke, trying to ignore what had just happened. “All of you must continue to track him. For all we know, he may have a secret lair on one of the biomes. You have to discover where it is and let me know. That will give me some ammunition to use against him when I find him. I am going to get mentally and physically prepared. Let me know what things I should have with me, for safety’s sake.” She walked out of the room.
Everyone sat open-mouthed.
Jayne heard Pincet utter some final words, “Well, gentlemen, that was quite the display. Everyone, we have work to do, so let’s get to it.”
CHAPTER 38
Plans
The Partelli Clothing company had its roots in the Italian suit design business circa 1930. It had remained cutting edge for at least 150 years of men’s styles. The discovery of the Swarm and the formation of the World Government changed the need for clothing. Stylish suits were rarely worn. The company had to change or go under. It had started to produce work uniforms for the WG, WP, and the HUBs. It branched out, incorporating safety tech into the suits. They very soon became the go-to clothing company for everything, from coveralls to sophisticated space suits. The ultimate suit was created by their top designer, a scion of the founding family who was also a world-renowned engineer. His name was Sergio Partelli. The ultimate suit carried his name. There were only a few created each year. They could not be bought in the normal way you might think. They were designed specifically for one owner and given to him or her free of charge. There had been only one exception. A suit was constructed for Porthos Greenway, but he convinced Partelli to create the suit for a very special thirteen-year-old girl. Partelli never knew the girl. The request from Greenway was enough.
Rose slipped into Jayne’s quarters in the underwater facility. She was carrying a large package. Jayne was lying down on her bed, squeezing a small ball in her right hand. Her face had healed thanks to the new version of facebots. Her fingers were nearly back to prime form. She looked up at Rose.
“How are you feeling?” said Rose as she dropped the package on the bed.
“Great,” said Jayne, and she jumped off of the bed. She grabbed her VID and opened up the facebot makeup program. She sat in front of her makeup table and applied the bandage material to the main areas to be altered. She initiated the program. Rose watched as Jayne’s face was transformed into the new face of Winter Bancroft II. “I will have to use this face until this is over, so I might as well get used to it.”
Rose opened the parcel on the bed. “Here,” she said, “This is an updated Sergio Partelli. Put it on. And don’t take it off unless you have to. It has a new communication package. There are thousands of entangled connections built-in. They connect to this.” She held up a hand-held device. “This will interface with just about anything. I will know where you are at all times, even if you end up on the other side of the universe. But, I beg you, don’t go to the other side of the universe.” She laughed.
“I will try not to,” said Jayne. “What else do you have for me?”
“Not much. We did equip the suit with the latest spacesuit package. If you get shot into space again, it will keep you alive for at least two days. It can also deploy a light-seeking energy sail when the power starts to fail. If it can find a light source, it can maintain life support for a lot longer.
What have you decided to take?”
“Nothing, except this.” She held up a small hand-held device that looked like a mini barbell with round balls on either end instead of weights. There were four buttons inset on the grip that held the two ends.
“What the frack is that?”
“It is the latest in sling tech. I have loaded it with sticky burrs, splats, stingers, smokies, and even a few knockout gas globes. I am going to pass it off as an exercise device to improve my hand strength. Watch,” she said and squeezed the device. Both of the end globes slowly changed color and glowed. “The harder I squeeze, the brighter the balls get. According to my back story, when I damaged my face, I also hurt my hand and it needs rehab.”
“How does it work?”
“I press a specific sequence of buttons and…” She swung the device around by flicking her wrist. A wire came out of one of the balls. It had an object on the end.
Rose turned as she heard an object hit the wall beside her.
“That is a burr. It will stick to just about anything. That one contains a transmitter.” Jayne took out her VID and presented it to Rose. “The burr is recording every sound in the room.”
“What kind of range does it have?”
Before Jayne could continue with the overview of her new sling, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” said Jayne.
Chloe opened the door. She looked at Rose. “Sorry, I will come back later,” she said and turned to leave.
Jayne looked at Rose and Rose took the hint.
“I will see you before you go,” Rose said. “I have some things to prepare.” She stepped past Chloe and left the room.
Chloe turned back to Jayne. “I am heading back to SoCal. I have some jobs lined up. I wanted to give this to you.” She held out her hand and gave Jayne a data chip. “I ran an analytical algorithm I developed on all the data available on actual biome construction. The data included all the contractors who worked on the biomes over the many years of development. I focused on any contract that did not come to fruition. That is, some aspect of the biome that was slated for construction but never finished. Reasons for this varied but it was usually due to changes in tech that made some projects obsolete. The contractors would simply walk away and leave whatever was half-finished. The next contractors would just cover it over or wall it in or whatever was the cheapest.
“What did you discover?” asked Jayne.
“Some interesting stuff. There are thousands of projects left incomplete. Hundreds of these involve underground caverns and pockets in the bedrock. A good many of these still exist. There are plans to fill them all with concrete foam before launch day, but it is not a high priority. I bet Thurston has started to set up shop in some of these.” She smiled an uncomfortable smile. “I just thought you might be able to use this information, that’s all.”
