Agent mother other, p.13
Agent. Mother. Other., page 13
Serena was on the ground, yelling at us. ‘You bitch! Let me go! You’ll never get out of here without me! You have no idea what you’re doing—’ Her words were cut short as Peter grabbed her in a choke hold. Desperate to get free and unable to use her arms, her high heels thrashed at the ground. I stood there listening as her thrashing slowly settled, until finally stopping completely as her body went limp from the lack of oxygen, rendering her unconscious.
With shaking limbs, Peter stood and walked over to the masked figure. He bent down and pulled off the putrid flesh mask, revealing a skinny man with a nose too small and pointed for his face. His skin was slick with a shiny, acidic-smelling sweat. The hair was tousled, but carefully cut, and the top of an expensive shirt collar poked out from beneath their black robes. Something about the sweep of his high cheekbones and the thick-set eyebrows reminded me of someone. Someone I had seen recently, possibly in a photograph. Peter stared at the figure in silence. After a strained pause, he spat on the figure before shuffling off to look for a med kit.
I stared at the figure. Peter shouldn’t have spat on him. He was better than that, but I also couldn’t muster up any sympathy for the sycophantic vile creature laying before me. I watched Peter’s saliva drip off the tip of the figure’s nose. A thought suddenly twigged and started gnawing at me.
‘He looks familiar somehow,’ I murmured. I walked over to the unconscious Serena and riffled through her pockets until I found what I was after. Moving back to the now un-masked figure, I found an exposed point on his neck and pressed in the intel-wrench to extract a blood sample. Sucking the blood back into itself, the intel-wrench started automatically whirring and processing his DNA sequence. After a few moments, the device pinged, and I pushed the results up onto its holo-projector to read them out.
‘His name is Velor Closman. His father is Maxim Closman, CEO of La Panta Corporation.’
‘Shit.’
‘Yep. That’s why he’s familiar. We saw him in that Closman family photo the analysts sent us. He’s twenty-seven years old and the youngest of five sons. Works in Client Management. And that’s all it says. The rest is redacted.’
‘Stupid, spoilt, messed-up rich kid.’ Peter wiped away the blood dripping down his forehead. ‘How long do you reckon daddy’s been covering up for this piece of shit?’
I didn’t bother answering as my brain flooded with thoughts and the tips of my fingers tingled with an electrical buzz. A memory suddenly burst into my mind.
Miles stood in front of me. I sat in the corner of a large laboratory, leaning forward on a hard chair, engrossed by what Miles was saying. We hadn’t started any procedures yet. It was just an information session. A holo-screen with a presentation on it was behind him as he excitedly described his proposed process to change me. To give me an edge no one else could have. I was excited. The promise of power and his enthusiasm were intoxicating.
I looked at my hands, remembering that initial information session all those years ago that had promised so much. I had never seen those promises come to fruition. But maybe something had changed. I could feel a hum throughout my body. Mile’s dream might finally be reality. My hands shook as these thoughts rocked me to my core, but I needed to keep moving and keep taking the next step. Sam needed me.
I strode over to the holo-kit and, on reflex, reached a shaking hand out towards it and closed my eyes. A pent-up torrent of energy burst out of me and into the capsule, forging a seamless connection that pulled me into the tech-capsule’s system, and further out into the connected world of data.
I could see it all. Every connection, every file. An endless stream of data that pulsed through the closed La Panta network. The data circulated the planet, reaching into every La Panta node across every city on Tir-na, and it pulled me along with it at frightening speed. As I sped through the network, I saw tiny data leaks dripping through weak security walls. My heart pounded, and I was overwhelmed by the volume of information. I could feel myself disappearing into the electromagnetic connections. With a huge amount of willpower I stopped, took a deep calming breath and pulled myself back. There I found my peace, and I found myself again, or at least the construct I believed was me. I opened my eyes and, with a sharp focus, sifted through the data deluge and found the security video footage I was after. I pulled it up on the tech-capsule’s holo-projector so Peter could see it.
‘Here. Look at this. They took Sam through the loading docks and loaded him into an e-vehic. The ID is 3679FD4. The company tracking system shows it is currently travelling full speed on the Connector, heading towards the Grove. They’re approximately two hours ahead of us. There is also a comm that was sent to an end point in the Grove. It just says Package is being shipped. ETA eleven hours.’ I paused, blinking as my focus softened, and turned to Peter, who was now standing next to me. ‘Did you get the vehicle ID number?’ I asked him.
‘Rach…what just happened?’ Peter’s voice was both concerned and hesitant.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Your eyes. They…they were blue, and…shiny.’
‘What are you talking about? We need to move,’ I said, giving Peter no chance to think about things too deeply. ‘We need to get to our e-vehic and get after them. Follow me and we’ll get there safely. I know the way.’
With a pull on the electrical energy, I unlocked the door, and we tentatively peered into the corridor. It was silent. We moved out into the corridor and started snaking our way through the corridors along the path I knew we needed to follow. We paused at every corner to ensure we didn’t run into anyone until we found a sign that pointed to the loading dock. The door to the loading dock was a dull grey sliding door that I opened with a small electrical pull on its locking mechanism before scurrying inside. It was quiet in the dock, apart from two guards who sat near the e-vehic entry point chatting amongst themselves. Shiny company e-vehics sat parked around the room. I closed my eyes and felt for the communications console near the guard’s station. Finding its waiting energy, I pulled and sounded the comms alert. One guard walked over to the console and we used the moment of distraction to duck behind the parked e-vehics. The large roller door began rising with a groan and a pair of e-vehic headlights flooded the dock. In a panic, we ducked back behind the nearest parked vehicle. The e-vehic swooped past our hiding place without seeing us. Noticing a singular opportunity while both guards were distracted, I pulled on Peter’s arm and stealthily ran to the closing roller door. We ducked under the lowering door and ran out into the fresh air. I did a quick mental calibration of our location, then led us on the most direct path to our e-vehic, cutting across automated traffic and groups of business workers scheming in the street. We spotted our vehicle and sprinted towards it, throwing ourselves through the doors that had opened on a command from Peter’s wrist-comm. Without a glance behind us, we powered up and sped away through the canopied streets of the business district. We drove past the sprawling gardens that littered the community hub, through another residential zone where multiple domed dwellings raced past us, until finally reaching the Connector, which led straight out of town. And straight after Sam.
The trip along the Connector felt long and endless. Dense thick trees in straight rows, surrounded by springy shrubs, spiky grasses and colourful fungi, flashed past as the AI that controlled all e-vehics on the Connector rushed us along at frightening speed. The trip to the Grove would take us eleven hours, including periodic stops, so we could relieve ourselves. So, with our e-vehic in the AI’s capable hands, I activated recline mode, rearranging the vehicle’s seats into beds and repositioning them around the outside of the cabin. Then, I set about patching up Peter. His condition had started deteriorating as soon as his natural adrenaline wore off, which was when he had gone silent and still. He stared at the window, unspeaking and blank-faced as blood trickled down his forehead from the perfect rectangular wound where a strip of his skin had been pulled away. My stomach churned at the sight, but, determined to help, I plastered a neutral expression on my face and got to work. I grabbed a pain blocker and injected it into Peter’s leg, the sharp point puncturing through his pants and skin to release a soothing cocktail of drugs that would block the pain and relax his muscles. He flinched on impact, but as the medication began doing its job, his tension dropped away. I wrapped Peter in a blanket and encouraged him to lie down on the reclined seat at the front of the e-vehic. Peter’s distant eyes slowly closed as I disinfected his wound and applied a healing strip. By the time I had finished, Peter was solidly asleep, so I left him to rest and laid down on the opposite seat.
I watched trees surrounded by tangled beds of ferns and spindly plants flash by. Random plants that I assumed some scientist once decided were optimal for producing oxygen and supporting tree growth. Without them, life here wouldn’t even be possible. Everything I have, and everything I have lost, would never have been possible. I couldn’t help but wonder if everything in my life had been worth it. I could see every decision I had ever made falling out behind me, with it all forging an inevitable path that led me to this situation. It was my fault Sam was gone. It was my fault Miles was killed. I had tried to turn my back on it all and run, but things have a way of circling around on you. I had already tasted the bitterness of something you love turning foul in your mouth. Something you idolised and adored suddenly appearing before you, covered in filth and exposed as the hideous monstrosity it truly is. I had loved my life working at the Agency. Once, it had been my one and only dream. But it had betrayed me. At the precise moment when I felt I had more than I had ever hoped for, it was all ripped away. That experience had taught me never to trust again. Never to believe things could remain as good as they were. Sam had been my saviour throughout it all. My one beacon of light and love. He forced me to disregard my own circumstances and focus instead on making sure he was okay. But I even failed at that task. Saving Sam on my own was beyond my abilities. So, I needed Peter, but trusting him and everything he stood for didn’t sit well with me.
I looked over at Peter sleeping peacefully. With the mixture of medications pumping through his system, he would be out for hours. I pushed away my thoughts of who I had been and who I was now and instead began searching for that strange blue flicker. The flicker Miles had painstakingly worked to create, foster and inflame. I had smothered it after he had died, as it was too painful to think about it without him. But now, as I closed my eyes, there it was. It was small, but it shimmered brightly, like an ember waiting to be fuelled. I had agreed to this. I had wanted this. But what had I really done all those years ago? I reached for the spark roiling in my core. It came easily to me, and I let myself dive into it. The world suddenly expanded beyond my comprehension. Reverberations were everywhere, and I could feel the engines speeding us along, controlled by the precise Connector AI. I reached into that controlling connection and found the electromagnetic wave that handled the data flow to adjust our speed. I urged it to let us move faster, encouraging the code to change a few numbers. The e-vehic lurched forwards in response, picking up speed and beginning to gain ground on the other e-vehics on the Connector. The AI was still carefully guiding us safely down the road, but it now let us travel faster than the standard enforced speed. I opened my eyes, releasing my connection to the data. Our e-vehic continued at its increased speed. Sweat beads dripped from my temples, creeping down the nape of my neck. Had I really done that? A tingle fizzed up and down my limbs. I felt heavy and jittery, and my mind was like mush. Exhaustion washed over me as I blinked my eyes closed and happily let them stay shut as I was pulled into a heavy sleep.
My eyes sprang open. Trees were still speeding past the e-vehic, but they had changed. They no longer looked like the large, gnarled and greying trees we passed near Crayn. These trees were paler and thinner, owing to their younger age. Their branches were straighter and reached upwards instead of twisting outwards like the Crayn trees, that had to compete each other for sunlight. Thin grass covered the ground, with small wiry ferns popping out randomly. It took my brain a while to remember where we were and what we were doing. It flooded back in a shuddering wave that threatened to consume and drown my core. Tears welled. I sucked in a sharp breath and sat up to shake off the wave of feelings, rubbing my face to soothe my emotions.
‘You alright?’ said Peter, breaking the constant hum of the e-vehic’s engine.
I took a moment to orient myself. I didn’t know what to say. What was the right answer to that? Sure, I was alive, but was I actually okay? Definitely not. I chose to just ignore his question.
‘How’s your head?’ I asked.
‘Sore. The healing strip helps. Thanks for that.’
Silence fell over us like a wet blanket. Heavy and uncomfortable.
‘You hungry?’ Peter asked.
‘Yes, actually.’
‘Great, ‘cause we have the choice of reconstituted bio-meat, or reconstituted veg-mix.’ Peter held out two silver squishy packs and shook them in a mock attempt to make them look enticing.
‘Veg-mix. Always the veg-mix for me. Who knows what scraps of bio-meat they put in those packs, and I’d rather stomach a veggie cocktail than—’
‘Miscellaneous artificial meat?’ Peter offered. ‘Yeah, I remember.’ We smiled. The familiarity and brief reminiscing was comforting. ‘How many times do you think we’ve shared food packs like these?’
‘More than I can remember,’ I replied. ‘You really should opt for the veg-mix sometimes.’
‘And you should try the bio-meat mix. You really do get used to it.’
We ate in silence, sucking in as many nutrients and energy as we could, while ignoring the terrible flavour.
‘Imagine how many of these we would have shared if you hadn’t left,’ said Peter, shattering the comfortable quiet that had fallen between us.
‘I imagine you’ve had a lot, having never left.’
‘You know, the Agency has changed a lot since you left. A lot less…what did you use to call them? Oh yeah, back-slapping dickwads.’
‘Well, that’s good to hear. You managing to stay there the entire time makes more sense.’
‘You mean I’m not a dickwad, so staying was easier without them around? Or you think I am a dickwad, and I’m just a relic that slipped through the cracks but enjoyed being the only dickwad around?’
I smirked at the potential trap of a question. ‘I guess you’ll never really know.’
‘I’m going to take the first option. Better for my ego,’ said Peter with an air of fake self-importance that made me laugh. We settled into silence again that started out comfortable, but as the seconds ticked away became stretched and unnerving.
‘Hey Rach,’ said Peter, breaking the silence. ‘What is it these people are after? They mentioned you already have something they want. Is it something you don’t want to tell me about, like some sort of cool object you’ve had hidden away all this time?’ I raised an eyebrow at his last remark. ‘What? I don’t know. You left in such a rush and simply disappeared, so my mind couldn’t help but wander and come up with theories. You were the subject of some hot gossip at the Agency for ages after you left.’
‘Really? What were some of the best theories?’
‘One was that you stole a priceless object that you were supposed to retrieve on a mission. One was that you were in an awkward love triangle with the high-ups, and you were made to leave when it got too messy.’
I couldn’t keep the shock off my face at the last one. ‘They were all a million years old! I do have standards.’
‘Don’t blame me. I’m just telling you what other people were saying.’
I took a shaky deep breath and felt fear bristle inside me. It had been a long time since I had spoken honestly about my past, and it scared me. ‘You already know the crux of what happened, Peter. You were there. I remember you gave me your coat when I walked up those stairs. After all of it, I realised I had to prioritise raising my child, and I couldn’t do that and work at the Agency. So, I left. I also didn’t feel safe there anymore, not after what happened to Miles. The Agency had promised to protect him, and they failed. I knew I would be better off keeping myself and my son safe on my own, in a new life. And that’s what I did.’
Peter nodded, looking like the memories of that night were playing through his mind. ‘You just left, though,’ he said in a quiet voice. ‘After I visited you in the med-ward, you just disappeared.’
‘I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. I needed to leave quickly and quietly. The Head knew the Agency had fucked up that day. Miles was a valuable asset, so there should have been a protection detail already with us, but there had been no one there. I could have died that day. I have never felt so scared and so vulnerable in my life, and there was no one to help me. I couldn’t trust the Agency anymore, so I needed to get out, and the Head offered me a onetime deal to help me do it. He helped set up a new life for me as compensation for everything, provided I never talked about what happened to Miles. He acted like his generous offer could somehow fix it, but I couldn’t say no. So, I left for my new life, and tried to never look back.’
Peter stared at me with a neutral expression, his elbows resting on his knees. He leaned forward and rubbed his hands through his hair before leaning back and looking out the window. I could see him thinking, like he was trying to decipher what to say. I left him to his thoughts and turned to look out my own window. The spindly ash and green trees continued to whip by as we overtook other e-vehics at our increased speed, and I noticed the trees getting younger as we raced towards the Grove. It was like a trip through time, racing forwards towards today.
