Zero (46 page)

Pharos eyed him again. He tried to scream at her but the rage choked him.
“He won't talk. I knew this man. Stubborn doesn't begin to cover it.”

“
Oh, there are ways though, Ma'am.”

“
No,” cried Yoshida. “No interrogation. You'll ruin him. Admiral, please.”

Pharos rubbed her chin, her iron-coloured eyes never leaving his.
“Do you have a blade you can trust?”

Webb felt himself pale. Fitzroy smiled.
“Ariel can be here from Haven within a few hours, Ma’am.”

“
No, please, Admiral.” Yoshida came forward, clutching the panel and stammering. “You need him to stand tall and strong, he needs to look like a leader. We can't have him broken.”

“
But you can wipe his memory, yes?” the admiral asked coolly.

The medic swallowed.
“I believe so.”

“
Then we break him and start again. So long as the blade is issued instructions to avoid permanent damage, it is worth the extra time to try and retrieve something from this disaster. Call in your blade, Fitzroy. But do it quick. Our timing is crucial.”

“
Why?” Webb managed, though it came out as more a strangled choke. “Why me? Why him?”

Fitzroy looked at the admiral. Her jaw had hardened.
“You deluded fool. You who thought you were so clever, so canny. Didn't you ever wonder why the
Zero
was commissioned in the first place?”

“
To do your dirty work.”

The edge of something tugged at the corner of her month.
“An added bonus, nothing more. The
Zero
was commissioned for Webb... to keep him under my eye but out of the eye of the Service. The only person more deluded than he was is that idiot Luscombe. Or perhaps that arrogant fool, Hugo, turning the
Zero
into his own private chance to prove himself. No, Webb. The
Zero
was to keep the original you both watched and hidden.”

“
Who was he?” His voice sounded cracked and far away in his own ears.

“
Can't you guess?” Pharos growled. “Even now? Did we not train you better than this?”

Understanding slammed into his gut. He was left swaying and dizzy and bent over until his forehead touched his knees.

“He's got it,” Fitzroy muttered..

“
Good,” Pharos said, glancing at her wrist panel. “Maybe there's hope for his capacity for intelligence after all. Now I have to get back to the
Resolution
. Get it done.”

“
Yes, Ma'am,” Fitzroy said. “I won't let you down.”

“
You had better hope you don't.”

“
You know, Webb,” Fitzroy said into the silence that followed Pharos's departure. “You'd save us all a lot of time and you a lot of unpleasantness if you just told me everything now. You don't really want to protect all those you know about, do you? Remember, you don't even know them. You've never even met them. And tomorrow you won't remember them.”

“
Go to hell,” Webb croaked out.

Fitzroy sighed.
“Very well. You always did choose the hard way.”

“
And to think you call other people deluded,” Webb growled.

“
I see things far clearer than you do, my friend.”

“
Revolution's your answer is it?” Webb spat, sitting up. “After it worked so well the last time?”

Fitzroy regarded him levelly.
“Some things are bigger than the people involved. You should know that. The Orbit would be a very different place right now if Governor McCullough had succeeded.”

“
Yeah. There'd be more debris.”

Fitzroy's cool expression didn't falter.
“Do you want to know what deluded is, Webb? You've crawled through the sewers of this Strip and can't smell its shit.”

“
Well getting everyone in it killed is certainly one way to solve their problems.”

“
Nothing worth having comes without sacrifice,” Fitzroy barked. “I am willing to sacrifice. The Lunar people are willing to sacrifice.”

“
Are they?”

“
Yes. The Service is a cancer. It kills, slowly, from within, without you even seeing it. It strips you of your freedom and identity. It takes away who you are. You've been doing their work for the last fifteen years. You look me right in the eye now and tell me you don't agree.”

Webb narrowed his eyes at him.
“There's one thing you forgot to say about the Service, Fitzroy.”

“
What?

Webb felt a death's-head grin spread over his face.
“It's big. Fucking big. With a lot of guns. And ships. And men.”

“
So are we.”

“
You're insane.”

“
I'm saner than most. Sane enough to see that the only thing worse than a colony in the stranglehold of the Service is one they've left behind to rot.”

“
And the good admiral believes all this too, does she?”

“
Pharos believes in McCullough. In his vision, in the future he planned. The people believed in him too. As they will believe in you. Once we stand united, they won't take us down. Not again.” Fitzroy lifted his hands, smiling. “We've already won. We've got power. We've got faith. And we've got you. The Lunar State will be a reality again. You should be proud.”

Webb's anger blazed white hot and swamped anything more he could think of to say. Fitzroy's smile in his hairless face widened.
“Now...there is one more thing you can do for us in your current incarnation...”

“
Sir,” Yoshida finally found his voice and unpeeled himself from his spot in the corner.

“
No more protests, Doctor. I will allow you to be present to oversee the interrogation. But the information in that head is too valuable to wipe without looking at first.”

ɵ

One thing that was in Webb's head, apparently, was how to sink away from his physical awareness. Unfortunately, he also knew why he'd learnt this trick, but steered away from those memories and just concentrated on pulling in deep breaths and sinking himself into the feeling of the cold metal table under his bare back. The steel binders at his wrists and neck holding him down made him shiver but he wrapped himself in the chill, visualised it as an impenetrable blanket around him. Yoshida hovering in the corner, muttering to himself and the hiss of the door opening were only brushes at the edge of his awareness.

There was a figure moving around the room. He was talking. His voice was nasal. Whiny. There was a question but Webb just stared at the ceiling and breathed.

Somewhere, there was the prick of a needle and something crawled under his skin... like heat but sharper. It made his heart speed up and goosebumps rise on his skin but he just breathed and stared up, willing the white ceiling to blank out his mind.

A face came into view. A pale face. Thin lips, darting eyes. Short hair, neat and tidy and fair. So fair it didn't look real, especially set against what seemed like impossibly dark eyes.

The heat under his skin was strengthening and spreading, searing his body from the inside. It pulled him back from his protective place and made everything sharp and real. The very air felt heavy against him and the binders against his skin began to burn.

“
There now, are you with me?”

Webb breathed in and out through his teeth, every inch of his body crawling and scalding and stinging.

“That's better,” the pale man said. “Now. Some of my counterparts like to start with a relatively inconsequential issue and build their way up. There's some argument for the advantages of that process. But me, I like to start with something big and gauge the reaction. There are various schools of thought on the subject, you might be interested to know. But I've always had great success with this method. So...” he hesitated, a faint frown appearing between his white eyebrows. “What shall I call you?” He tapped his lips, staring unblinkingly down at him. “Let's just stick with Ezekiel for now, shall we? It's what you know, as I understand. It should keep you focused. And focus is a big part of this process. So, Ezekiel...” The man pressed his fingertips together, dark gaze boring into his eyes. “Special Commander Hugo. I believe you know... or your former incarnation knew... her son quite well. Let's see what you know that might be of interest. Any offers?”

“
Go screw yourself,” Webb hissed.

The man shook his head and tutted, pulling a scalpel from his breast pocket.
“Very well.” The first cut went down his ribs. Some part of him knew it was only shallow, but with his skin aflame from the inside, it felt like it was gouging right through to the bone. He clenched his teeth together and forced himself to keep from making any noise, shuddering with the effort. The slicing stopped but left a burning trail. The warm blood trickling down his rib cage felt like liquid fire, scalding and peeling away his skin.

“
Shall we try again? Captain Hugo. Let's start with some details of your little jaunt on Lunar 1.”

“
Fuck you.”

The man frowned again, looking hurt.
“Dear, dear. You surely understand how misplaced your loyalty is? I was given to understand you were quite the independent individual. I assure you this is the worst time you could choose to grow a sense of fidelity. Now. Again. Lunar 1. Was Hugo in the team that destroyed the apartment block? Hmm?”

Webb blinked at the ceiling, wishing his blood would cool on his skin. The blade sighed and bent with the scalpel again.

“Ariel...” Yoshida had stepped up twisting his fingers together. “Please be careful.”

“
I'm a professional, Doctor,” Ariel said as he sliced another blazing line down his ribs. Webb bit his tongue against the red waves of fire blazing through his chest but at no time did his awareness blur, no matter how much he willed it to. “There will be no permanent damage. Now, Ezekiel my friend. The good LIL Commanders may have given you to understand that they are on a deadline, but such things are of no matter to me. I have a reputation to consider, built on the quality of the information I obtain. Therefore it makes no difference at all to me if we're here ten minutes or ten days. So...” he bent close enough over Webb's face that he could feel his breath on his face. The scalpel hovered next to his eye. “Shall we try again?”

“He's around here somewhere, sir,” Rami mumbled as they kept their heads down and paced along the crew passage. “They disappeared from the camera feeds right around...”

Hugo had to back pedal to stop from slamming into Rami who had stopped still in the middle of the passage. Hugo followed her gaze through a window and felt his blood run cold.

“Quick,” he hissed. “Lieutenant, pull yourself together.”

Rami visibly gathered herself and Hugo moved past her and palmed the door control. There was a small man with a worried face in a lab coat in the corner. He looked their way almost hopefully as they came in. The very thin man in the gloves straightened from where he was bent over Webb's prone form, fair brows drawn together.

“Yes?”

“
Sir, Mr. Fitzroy needs you right away,” Hugo chanced.

“
He does?” the thin man narrowed his eyes. “Can you not tell him I'm occupied?”

“
He was rather insistent, sir,” Hugo said, keeping his hands clenched together behind his back and his gaze lowered. The man's dark eyes stayed on him for a second longer, then he sighed and placed the scalpel delicately on a metal tray and removed his gloves. “Very well. It's his credit he's wasting more than my time.”

He swept out and then only the little medic was left. Hugo was just considering pulling his gun when he trotted right up to Hugo, eyes round.
“Listen, soldier,” he muttered. “Could you get this man out of here?”

“
Sir?”

The medic, twisting his fingers, glanced behind him at Webb.
“Just... get him away from this room. Somewhere safe. I will smooth it over with command, I assure you. You won't incur any blame. If the interrogation continues I fear there will be damage that cannot be undone and then all is lost. I will find you when I can and take him back.”

“
Okay, sir,” Hugo managed and the doctor let out a shuddering sigh and smiled weakly at them.

“
Thank you,” he said, then scuttled off.

Rami drifted over to the table looking dazed.

“We need to move quickly, Lieutenant,” Hugo muttered. Rami nodded and started examining the table's binder controls whilst Hugo shed his coat. “Webb?” Hugo muttered. “Zeek, can you hear me?”

“
Hugo?” Webb's voice was thick, his eyes didn't seem to want to focus.

“
We're getting you out of here. Try and stay awake.”

Rami got the binders open and Hugo laid a hand on the commander's shoulder to help him sit up but Webb twisted away, whimpering and mumbling.

“Bastards…” Rami hissed.

“
What?”

Rami was staring at the vials on the tray next to the scalpel and a neat row of syringes.
“They've given him a neuro-enhancer.” She looked at the shallow cuts that ran down his ribs, over his chest and behind his ears and shook her head, going pale before turning back to the tray. “You'll have to wait, Captain.”

“
We need to move before the
Zero
shows up on their scans.”

“
We can't even touch him in this state,” Rami replied, looking through the vials. “They should have a suppressant... if they were planning to keep him alive, that is.”

Hugo glanced between Rami and Webb and the door, feeling seconds slip by.
“Hurry, Lieutenant.”

Rami found
a vial and filled a syringe. She hesitated with a hand over Webb's arm.

“
Do it,” Hugo snapped.

Hugo saw her swallow, grab Webb’s wrist to hold his arm down. He cried out and tried to pull away. Hugo helped her hold him down but every touch made the clone tremble and writhe. Rami went even paler but she managed to administer the injection and Webb gradually calmed.

“Zeek?” Hugo asked.

Webb blinked at the ceiling
, looking a little more focused.

“
Quick, Rami,” Hugo said and Rami helped him sit him up. He whimpered but Hugo managed to get the coat on him and cover most of the blood. “Webb, try and stand.”

“
That's not my name,” he mumbled, staring at his knees.

“
It is for now,” Hugo growled, pulling the slighter man’s arm over his shoulders, ignoring the responding shudders. “Rami, your hat.”

Rami pulled her cap off and placed it low on Webb's
shorn head to hide his face. He gazed blearily at her. “Anita?”

Rami swallowed, jaw tight.

“Lieutenant,” Hugo snapped. Rami shook herself, taking Webb's other arm and helping him to his feet. They shambled to the door. “You go first.”

Rami looked up and down the corridor then waved them out.

They made their way back through the corridors of the
Tide
, Rami guiding the way. They managed to shuffle out of sight around corners whenever someone came their way and Webb managed to take more of his weight as they got down to the level of the docking holds. These corridors were busier and they drew a few looks as they shuffled along, hands out to stop Webb stumbling.

“
We need to hurry,” Hugo said. “It won't be long before someone reports this.”

“
The dock is just around this corner, sir,” Rami said, checking her wrist panel. They came around a corner onto a more familiar hallway and ducked through an entryway into the wide, bright dock, busy with berthed fighters and flyers and a bustling tech crew.

“
Oh no,” Rami muttered, drawing up short. Hugo looked up and saw some of the engineers stood around
Son
, frowning at the reg code and at a computer panel.

“
They'll be checking the docking schedule,” Hugo muttered.

“
I got
Son
on it, sir,” Rami whispered, shifting a step forward to hide Webb from view. “But who knows how they work from day-to-day on here.”

“
Webb,” Hugo said. His head was hanging and Hugo was afraid for a minute he'd passed out. “Webb, you need to try and walk.”

The clone lifted his head. His eyes looked far away.
“What's the point?” he mumbled.

“
What?”

“
There's nowhere to run.”

“
What are you talking about?”

“
Sir,” Rami said, pointing. The dock workers were shrugging and moving on to the skiff berthed next to
Son
.

“
Webb, you have to try and stand.”

Webb shook his head but pulled some of his weight off Hugo. He swayed but Rami steadied him and he nodded. Hugo took a breath then stepped out onto the dock area and started walking over towards
Son
. He fell back to walk beside Webb, ready to grab him if he fell, and Rami paced just behind. One of the tech crew at the skiff paused to watch them approach. He consulted his panel again, frown deepening.

“
Quick,” Rami hissed, keying the cockpit control.

“
Hey,” the tech called.

Rami scrambled up the fighter then reached down.
“Zeek, quick,” she said, reaching for him. For one horrible moment Webb just stood and stared at her. Then he reached up grabbed her hand and allowed her to help him up into the squat space behind the pilot seat. There was another shout from the tech but Hugo was up and in the seat before he reached them. He fired the engine and the man fell back, staggering with the force of the thrusters.
Son
lifted from the floor then blasted out the drift shield into open space. A light on the control panel started blinking as the
Tide
tried to hail them.

“
More,” Hugo said, pushing the comm button. “Bring the
Zero
round and open the hold.”

“
Yes sir. What's your status?”

Hugo glanced over his shoulder. Webb was curled up against Rami, head on her shoulder with his eyes closed. She was holding him but her eyes were dry and angry.

“We've got him,” Hugo said.

“
Sir, the
Tide
is moving to engage you.”

“
I see it,” Hugo said, scowling at his instruments. “Just get to the rendezvous.”

The
Tide
's cannon fire seared past his wing but
Son
was far more manoeuvrable. He increased their speed and the bigger ship fell away behind. Fighters started to deploy but the
Zero
pulled into their path and Hugo manoeuvred them into the hold. “More, full thrusters,
now
.”

They felt the
Zero's
engines scream and they thundered away from the oncoming LIL fighters.

“
Webb, wake up,” Rami said as the hold pressurised around them and
Son
's cockpit opened. “Sir, can you help?”

Hugo swallowed and reached around the pilot's chair to try and help manoeuvre Webb out of the squat
space. Bolt and Sub came running up to the side of the fighter and helped hand him down.

“
Take him to the medbay,” Hugo said and they nodded and headed towards the ladder. “More,” Hugo said into his wrist panel as he followed. “Are we away?”

“
Out of the
Tide
's range now sir. Any heading?”

“
Anywhere away from here. And fast.”

“
No,” Webb croaked, pulling himself from Sub's grip and trying to turn and face him. “Hugo, no, we need to get out of Service space.”

“
What?”

“
Just -” Webb swayed and clutched his head.

“
Get him to medbay.”

“
Kaleb, get out of Service-controlled space. Trust me.”

Hugo stood frowning at him for a second, but through the bleariness and the pain he saw certainty haunting his eyes.
“More,” Hugo said again.

“
Sir?”

“
Take us out into neutral drift.”

A pause. “Sir?”

“
Just do it.”

“
Yes, sir.”

Sub and Bolt managed to help Webb up the ladder then Rami was ushering him through to medbay.

“It was LIL all along,” Hugo said as Webb was perched on the medbay bunk and Rami peeled off his jacket and cap.

“
How did you find out?” he murmured.

“
You were right to stay in Anton's good graces. He was the first one Evangeline tried to make a deal with when LIL issued the contract for your recapture. He knew about them using the
Tide
as their flagship, too.”

Webb just nodded in response, staring at the floor.

“Why did they interrogate you?”

“
Sir, he needs to rest,” Rami said.

“
Leave us for a minute, Lieutenant.”

“
Sir -”

“
It's okay, Anita,” Webb managed a weak smile. “Go help More. He's going to need a copilot once we hit the Belt.” She hesitated a moment longer, looking angry and confused, then put down her medkit and left. “Fitzroy ordered it,” Webb continued, reaching for some sterilising wipes and wincing as he cleaned some of the blood off his ribs. “He wanted information to use against the Service before they wiped it all out of my head.”

“
Wiped it?”

Webb nodded, throwing a bloody wipe on the floor and taking another.
“They never wanted another Webb. Not after he so obviously wouldn't play their game. They just wanted something that looked like him that would pass a DNA test.”

“
A DNA test?” Hugo frowned.

Webb looked up at him.
“Webb... the original Webb,” the clone managed a half-grin. “Governor McCullough's son.” Hugo stared at him. The clone's weak smile widened into something that looked like a leer. “Didn't see that one coming, huh? Though, to be fair, neither did Webb.”

Hugo stared at the face. His blood ran cold. This broken, bloody and defeated Webb
– not in a hundred years would he have associated him with the Governor McCullough from all the history reels. But the old Webb... his commander...? He thought of the determination, the fire, the energy.

He sat down heavily at the workstation.
“This is not possible.”

Webb shrugged.
“Apparently it is.”

“
Doll?”

Webb shook his head, not looking at Hugo.
“Doll's sterile. It was probably the result of some roll in the hay with some poor, bedazzled low-life on Lunar 1. Kind of explains why Doll did all she did for him,” he shook his head, looking pained. “He was her husband's son...”