A Memory in the Black (The New Aeneid Cycle) (18 page)

She pushes his hand of her shoulder,
but it's the pain in her eyes that breaks his grip. "Get out, Malcom!"

He holds her gaze, wanting to plead with her for another chance.
"I—" is all she lets him say.

"Just get out!"

He throws the necklace against the wall and does as she asks, slamming the door behind him.

"Everything I saw in you was a lie."

The back of Michael's head was silhouetted against the purple sky out the window.
Diomedes considered the possibility that the kid was telling the truth.

It's another chance.

Another chance to be made a fool of.

Help him!

Kill him!

"Everything I saw in you was a lie."

The past, the present, the voices, he couldn't think with all the noise! Too much noise! Diomedes smashed the gun against the window beside him to clear it. Marc cursed. Michael jumped and spun around. Diomedes aimed for him instantly.

"Stop the car," he ordered.

A moment later, the tires had rumbled over the gravel and come to a stop. "Get out. Both of you. Leave the keys."

They did so.
Diomedes followed, gun still held on the kid.

Don't do it.

Do it!

He turned on Marc.
"Get on the shoulder. Next to him." The road was deserted. They were on the edge of a ravine. Michael, the one named Marc, and himself.

"What are we doing here, Diomedes?"
The kid was watching him. Tense. Alert.

Afraid.

No.

Yes!

Help them!

Diomedes
was alone in the car and driving back to Northgate when Fagles called.

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Begin report.

Expansion of the ESA zone of control into the large chamber discovered by CPO Levy and myself continues. On my order, scanning and defensive equipment have been moved into the chamber to create an ESA presence, though this order was given under ESA pressure. I believe that the recent "near-leak" caused by the hacker team has increased the urgency of ESA's timetable. I recommend that the AoA escalate to match.

Regarding the status of the chamber itself, at this time I believe it to be reasonably secured against any possible drone attack, though the quantity of unknown factors inside the chamber prohibit
a declaration of complete safety. Additionally, the communications bubble that hampered previous exploration is no longer active, having dropped shortly after the chamber's opening to space. The reasons behind this are, as yet, unknown.

It has been hypothesized that the apparent isolation of the black material within the chamber from
black material elsewhere in Paragon (as evidenced by a lack of function prior to our entrance and subsequent activation via the blue "touch pad") is due to the fact that the material in the chamber is of a separate and possibly self-contained system, akin to a terminal on an isolated network. Should this be the case, study of material in the chamber may yield information unattainable elsewhere. Evidence to test this hypothesis is insufficient at this time.

The remarkable field membrane that covers the ch
amber opening continues to hold. It allows the passage of solid objects while containing the interior atmosphere. The lack of any additional power output across the membrane has led ESA engineers to postulate that it is indeed a natural property of the black material found throughout the ship, though it is clearly in a state altered from what we have previously encountered. Detailed scans are attached to this message. Recommend analysis of how this may affect current attempts to replicate the material.

The pur
pose of the large device at the center of the chamber remains unknown.

We continue to be reliant on the membrane to re
tain atmosphere in the chamber. As such, crewmembers remain suited at all times as a precaution. All attempts to close the hatch on the opening have been unsuccessful. With the justification that such measures hinder working conditions, I have advised the Space Agency to provide materials to create an airlock large enough to accommodate the opening. As such materials are not currently available on-site at Omicron, their delivery will likely provide an opportunity for covert transfer of further AoA equipment and, if possible, personnel. In the interim, a rudimentary camouflage is in place to conceal the opening from extra-lunar surveillance.

ESA
's next objective will be to identify the purpose of the chamber. A direct, non-human interface with Omicron is being suggested to avoid further loss of life. I am unable to gauge the success of such an attempt, but must restate my previous position of advancing the takeover timeline.

Please advise on the complement of any incoming shipments or alterations of plan.
An update on the status of Agent Triton is also requested.

End report.

Clasped hands tapping her chin, Marette searched the report for items she might have omitted.
Events were swiftly moving to a head. She considered underscoring the need for a complete AoA takeover before things became uncontainable, but such a reemphasis was likely unnecessary. That she had said it twice was enough. Everything appeared complete.

She
examined the last line and frowned. Perhaps it was too complete. Marette erased the query about Marc and sent the report before she could reconsider.

Felix tipped the cab driver
, closed the door, and then turned to find Caitlin walking toward him as the cab crunched a retreat back down the gravel of her house's quarter-mile driveway. She wore a gentle smile that reassured Felix that, for the moment, nothing was
too
wrong.

Unless, he decided, she w
as hiding some unpleasant news for later. He took the few remaining steps toward her where they kissed a greeting a discreet distance from the door. His first goal was to make sure she was okay. If so, then he'd be eager to chase down the truth of what happened to Gideon.

"Hullo, Felix.
I'm glad you made it alright."

"It's good to see you
. He still here?"

She nodded.
"Inside."

"I'm
surprised you brought him here." He didn't have to point out what she herself had told him in the past: that her house was her sanctuary from the rigors of the city.

"I'm
a little surprised, myself. But it's more secluded than anywhere in Northgate. My landlord's is the closest house; that's half a mile away and he's on vacation. I couldn't just turn him away. I can't run from this, Felix. Not a second time."

"I wasn't second guessing you," Felix assured her with a smile.
He stopped short of confessing that he'd wished she'd waited for him to catch up before coming there. "You're doing alright, then?"

"As much as is to be expected.
I wanted to come out to see you alone before we went inside, but I don't feel threatened. Gideon's little more than confused and scared right now. He reminds me of last year when Drake had a hoof infection and the vet had to keep him off the ground in a harness. Both are strong creatures who don't completely understand what's happened to them. I'm treating him carefully."

"Think we should try feeding him some apples and sugar cubes?"

Caitlin rewarded the measly joke with a smile. "How did I know you'd say that, ducks?"

Before he could think of a good response, a brush at the side of Felix's leg momentarily sidetracked his attention to the black
cat sliding up against him. "Well hey, Lucifer," he said, kneeling to pet him.

"Oh, yes, you show for Felix but not for me?" Caitlin scolded affectionately.
"Furry little git."

"I'm getting popular tonight."
Lucifer allowed him a quick stroke before having enough and dashing back into the darkness. "Someone tried to follow me here. Gave him the slip midway, don't worry."

"I won't, then. Though I expect Gideon will need some assurance."

"Then he's still the same old Gideon? Enraged tirades against the violence and 'filth' in the city?"

"Honestly, Felix, that's one way he seems better.
He's confused, and yes, sometimes rather random, but those moments of rage are missing. At least that I've seen."

"What do you suppose that means?"

She shook her head. "I don't know." Caitlin began to stroll back toward the house, bringing Felix with her. "Marquand did something to him. He seems fairly certain that his sister was involved."

"His sister?"

"Ondrea. I thought I'd told you."

"Pretty sure I'd have remembered that."
It made sense though, somehow. Did that make things more or less complicated? "She offered to pay me if I told her where he was. Did he say what he thinks they did to him?"

They strode up the porch steps to Caitlin's
door. "If you come inside, I'll show you."

Inside, Felix examined the metal beneath the damaged synth-skin where the bullet had hit Gideon's back. Most people kept their kidneys there. What Gideon kept looked more like the interior of a cybernetic limb.

"Wow,"
Felix whispered. "I think you might be getting a little too much iron in your diet."

"You're making jokes?" Gideon asked.

"Unless you've been eating cybernetic chickens, yeah, I'm making jokes." Felix smiled as he glanced over at Caitlin. Concern clouded her face. "Sorry," he told Gideon, "it's what I do."

Felix returned his attention to the wound and the mystery. "There's a bit of sub
-dermal armor under here. I'm no expert but that had to be expensive, even without what you've got going on underneath." He replaced the shirt and moved in front of Gideon to join Caitlin where she leaned back against the edge of her kitchen table. "And you're not sure how much of your torso is like that?"

Gideon glanced at Caitlin and
then back to Felix. "No. Ondrea said my body was broken. As for how much, it doesn't mat—" He stopped and gave his head a tired shake. "I never thought to ask."

"And what Caitlin said about you not remembering me
or anything leading up to your, ah, injury?"

"All true."

Felix recalled the severity of the shot that had made them leave Gideon for dead. To say there'd been brain trauma was an understatement. It didn't add up. "I have to wonder if it's all like that. Underneath."

"You mean my whole torso."

"Actually, I mean your whole body. Toe to, well, to head, as incredible as that might sound."

"Are you
insane
?" Gideon burst before calming. "I am no robot."

"The
y have A.I.s."

"Felix," Caitlin began, "artificial intelligence in a box is one matter; you can't just drop one into something as complex as a human
body and have it work the same. To say nothing of his memories or emotions."

Gideon pointed vehemently to his head.
"Much of my body may be artificial, but what's in
here
is human! I can feel it."

Felix
spread his hands in apology. "Just thinking out loud. I understand it's a disturbing thought, but you were shot in the head, Gideon."

"How could yo
u understand?" Gideon challenged. "People have survived as much before."

Would
arguing serve any purpose beyond upsetting the man further? Yet if they were to get to the bottom of this. . . "Maybe," Felix said finally. "But it was pretty nasty. They can grow new hearts, lungs, livers; they can't re-grow someone's brain. Er, not that I've heard, anyway."

Gideon huffed dismissively and turned toward the kitchen window.
"The car that followed you, you are certain you lost it?"

"Someone out there?"
The driveway made its lengthy path from the main road through mostly open ground. Anyone approaching would be easy to spot in the moonlight, even without enhanced vision.

"No, not yet."

"I lost them. Don't worry. Had the cab pull off the highway in Winston and double back through the side roads until they dropped off. No sign of them for the rest of the drive."

"You're sure?
"

"Felix knows when he's being followed."

"I'm sure." For Gideon's sake Felix chose not to bring up his own policy of never being one hundred percent sure about anything. For all intents and purposes, he was sure.

And he hoped he was right.

For a moment no one spoke. Felix and Caitlin exchanged looks before they turned back to Gideon. "I have read of total cybernetic adaptation, I think it was," Caitlin offered.

"I can surmise what that means,
" Gideon said, "but I've not heard of it."

Felix smiled.
"Sister didn't like to talk shop much, hmm? A total adapt's rather new, very drastic, and from what I gather, extremely expensive. They take out the brain and a few other organic bits from the body and stick them in a machine. I suppose that makes 'total' a bit of a misnomer, but. . ."

"A machine?"

"A body or chassis of some sort. Depends on what it's for, I think. Deep-sea rigs that can breathe underwater and withstand pressure, military ones that equate to walking tanks, and the like. I heard about them when they were thinking about using them for haz-mat stuff or zero-g work in orbit, but they're pretty much still experimental."

"Frogs' balls. And they're stuck like that?"

"That's kind of why it's experimental." Felix smiled. Frogs' balls? "I'd heard about later transplanting the person back into a normal body, but the whole thing's pretty traumatic I'd think, both physically and psychologically. But who knows, maybe in the future people'll sign up for a few years in something like that and then go back to a normal life when their tour of duty's up. I'm sure CPMC would be thrilled to monitor
that
sort of thing."

"Undoubtedly what they did to me."

"You don't sound nearly as bothered by that," Felix said.

"The body is just a tool. A vehicle. My brain is what matters, and that's still there."

Truthfully, Felix found the total adapt
idea no less incredible than the idea that the Gideon in front of him was a complete robot, though Gideon's preference for the former kept him from expressing it so bluntly. Felix wrestled with how to find out more, since. . . "Hard to tell for sure from the outside."

"Well.
" Caitlin pulled a small flashlight from a drawer. "Gideon, open your mouth."

His eyes narrowed.
"Why?"

"I just want to have a peek in
your mouth and see if it looks like it ought."

Gideon frowned.
"It
feels
real." He opened regardless.

Caitlin shone the beam inside and Felix rushed to see.
"Looks right to me. Tongue, gums. That little dangly whatsit."

Gideon closed his mouth. "Then, normal?"

"So it would appear," Caitlin replied.

"As I said."

"Though keep in mind that your 'skin' looks real, too," Felix said. "Though you do seem to be breathing. I don't suppose you feel like seeing how long you can hold your breath?"

"You won't be content I'm real unless you can screw off the top of my head to see a brain inside, will you?" Gideon shot.

"I'm just trying to figure out a way to rule things out. I thought you wanted help."

"
Caitlin
is helping me. I've no memory of you before today. She says I can trust you, but stop insinuating that I'm inhuman! I know what I am. I know—I know
who
I am."

Caitlin stood.
"Gideon, three hours ago you told me you didn't trust your own sister and couldn't even be sure why. You said you needed to hide so you could recall the time that you lost. How can you be sure of anything? Felix is only trying to help."

Gideon's eyes unfocused as if looking through them both.
"I'm not. . . myself."

"What?"

He turned back to Caitlin. "If I'm not human, I'm not myself."

Even more interesting.
"The key to every man is his thought," Felix quoted.

"Ralph Waldo Emerson," Gideon whispered. "And he meant something different. A thinking computer is no less inhuman."

"Even so," said Felix. "And nice catch. I'm impressed."

"Three years at
Columbia."

"Hey, bonus.
Why only three?"

"Felix, I think perhaps we're rather getting off track," Caitlin warned.

"Right. Sorry. So how could we," he paused for a wording that wouldn't offend Gideon, ". . . verify anything here, I wonder?"

"Were I back in the labs
, I could try to find some sort of chart or terminal and see what I could find. But I won't return there until I know more."

"Then perhaps we could find some more sources on the adaptation procedure. Try to find some sort of determining factor," Caitlin suggested
. She made a dash for her laptop.

Felix grinned at the rush. "And she's on the trail! Do you remember where you read about it before?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. Do you?"

"Didn't read so much as overhear."

"
Electronic Journal of Cybernetics
should at least give a starting place," she suggested.

Felix enjoyed the sight of Caitlin's brow furrowing as her gaze focused on the screen. A thought occurred
that led him down further curious paths. Maybe it was a false trail, but. . . "Gideon," he asked, "when's the last time you shaved?"

"I don't know. A
while ago."

"So you've definitely got real, growing facial hair, then?"

Gideon began to speak, stopped, and then said, "Yes. I think so. I don't remember noting otherwise." He sat in concerned silence before Felix spoke again.

"You don't seem to
o sure about that."

"Are you a doctor, is that it?" Gideon burst.
"Everyone's asking questions, everyone needs to know things!" He frowned and took a deep breath. "I apologize. I'm trying to recall the last time I did shave, but I'm drawing a blank. But I
know
I've done it."