Inner Quadrant.
Planet Roo.
Castle Corum.
Figaro scratched his arm around the control panel and hesitated. Ubik had already gone through the portal he had created and PT was about to follow.
Everything had gone far more smoothly than he had expected. With Ubik, you generally expected things to work out, but only after various complications. In fact, the more perilous the situation, the more dramatic the reversal of fortune required, the better.
Both he and PT had discussed this and had co to the sa conclusion: Ubik deliberately made things harder than they needed to be, just for the flourish.
They had no proof of this, and no doubt Ubik would deny it, but it had happened too often to just be a coincidence.
But this ti, both here on Roo and even on Soros, they had quickly found their objective and Ubik had corrected the problem without any sort of brush with death.
Yes, he had destroyed the entire harvest and left the people of Roo with a possible worldwide famine, but that really wasnt the kind of disaster Ubik usually manifested. Crops could be regrown and the leaders of Roo would find a way to feed their people, or they wouldnt have anyone to do their drudge-work for them.
Using a term like slavery was misleading and pejorative.
They werent mistreated, for the most part, and they had food and shelter (except when a natural disaster or Ubik ca along and made resources sparse). Despite the popular stereotype of overworked and underpaid victims of the system, the truth was that fit and healthy people were more useful and more exploitable than those that were starved and beaten.
The way Dr Fairway had frad it was how most people saw it, including the ones out in the fields. They were reluctant but willing labourers, resigned to their fate because of the perceived lack of better options.
It was that kind of ntal suppression that was the real hallmark of modern slavery. And it wasnt just people working in fields on small, out of the way planets like Roo. Forcing people to do work they disliked and didnt personally benefit from was a mainstay of most societies.
Figaro had seen it up close on his own world, where the vestiges of Enayas past were still present in a more dilute, palatable form.
He knew he was making excuses for a deeply unfair and unpleasant form of existence, but everyone had their own difficulties. It was regrettable, but it wasnt like anyone had co up with a better alternative, other than to turn their backs on society and rely solely on ones own ability to survive.
Hes up to sothing, said PT, standing in front of the portal.
The edges swirled clockwise, while the dark interior spun in the opposite direction.
What do you think it is? said Figaro.
No idea, said PT. I guess well find out in a bit. He entered and for a mont his body blurred and seed to stretch. Then he was gone.
Figaro took a look back at the doctor and her grandfather. She had put a blanket around his shoulder and was speaking soothingly to him. Her bedside manner around him was far more gentle than when shed been dealing with her patients, but that was probably to be expected.
You should take him back up, said Figaro, and dont tell anyone about this place. It wont be safe here.
Will it be safe anywhere? said the doctor.
Probably not, said Figaro.
Tell your friend Ill be ready, said the old man.
Ready? said Figaro. For what?
The end of the world, of course, said the old man. We might not be able to defeat them, but we can take them down with us. He seed very positive about his envisioned mutual destruction.
We wont die, said Figaro, fairly sure that there would be at least one human survivor. If you could call him human.
He entered the portal.
The mont Figaro arrived at the other end of the portal, once his head had cleared which only took a couple of seconds now he was accosted by the sounds of arguing.
He was back on Quazi, inside the core chamber. It could have been the core to any planet, but the large cube and the won surrounding Ubik and PT gave away the location.
There were three won, all dressed in Seneca battlesuits.
Even though they were helted with visors down, revealing only their jaws, he recognised two of them, and wasnt very happy to see either.
It was working fine when we left, Ubik was saying. You must have done sothing to it.
We didnt touch it, said Fermont. We only just arrived.
It beca apparent that they were talking about the cube, which was dark and unilluminated by the silvery-white lights that usually streaked across its surfaces.
Oh, you expect to believe it was like that when you got here, I suppose, said Ubik.
I dont care what you believe, said Fermont, where is Figaro Ollo?
Im right here, Captain Fermont.
All heads turned in his direction.
Youre here, said a voice filled with equal parts irritation and relief. Youre coming with us.
Figaro stiffened. No, Captain Fermont, Im not.
You know her? said PT.
Yes, shes my mothers head of security, said Figaro. Shes in charge of an elite task force who usually guard my mother, but she doesn't seem to have brought them with her.
He was looking at the other two won alongside Fermont, only one of whom he recognised.
Thats because this isnt a hostile insertion, said Fermont. Or is it?
Im not going with you.
Its not up for debate, Figaro, said Fermont. Im here under your mothers direct orders.
You may be, said Figaro, but Im not. You should leave. It isnt safe here.
All the more reason you need to co with us, said Speers, lifting her visor and fixing him in her eyes as though trying to impart so special ssage to him.
Not really, said Ubik. Hes the reason why it isnt safe here.
I dont know who you are, snapped Speers, or what your involvent with him is, but I suggest you limit yourself to necessary interactions.
Oooh, said Ubik. I think she likes you, Fig. Wanna fight for him?
A crease appeared in the centre of Speers brow, which usually happened when she was sparring and finding it hard to break through a solid defence. She usually followed it up with a blitz of random attacks in an effort to surprise her opponent, a disguised attempt at finding an opening.
If she used that approach on Ubik, she would probably find the randomness being returned to her tenfold.
He understood why his mother would have sent a junior officer down here to fetch him, despite the obvious dangers; in particular, this junior officer who was still very inexperienced. She knew of their relationship, of course, since she was the one who had initially instigated it. You couldnt stop a young mans sexual desires, but you could try to manage them with the help of a willing accomplice.
It was the kind of involuntary micromanagent his mother considered normal, and which he found suffocating, even though he had knowingly submitted to it in the belief he could maintain so level of self-control.
You can discuss all of this with your mother once we are back on board the Venerate, said Fermont.
What is this? said Ubik. He was holding up a small black box with several wires hanging off it. It looked a bit like a tiny, limp droid.
Put that down! said Fermont, sounding a little frantic. Otenu, disarm it.
Oh, should I just drop it here?
It fell out of Ubiks hand, making Fermont and the other Seneca woman, Otenu, who Figaro didnt recognise, jump back.
Ubik caught the wires so the small device didnt hit the floor. Looks like soones been trying to leave a farewell gift for Quazi.
How did you find that? said Otenu. It isnt
Possible? said Ubik. Youd be surprised whats possible if you put your mind to it.
What is it? said PT.
Its a feedback surge amplifier, said Figaro. A bomb.
Yes, said Ubik. A sneaky bomb. Completely undetectable until it siphons off enough energy from a convenient power source, and then converts it to a massive amount of ka followed by a huge amount of boom. Ubik slapped his hand against the cube. Its okay guys, you can co out now. Crisis averted.
The cube lit up as lights began running across its surface.
Figaro was familiar with this kind of explosive, and well aware how insidious it was. It could lay dormant for years until soone turns on a power switch. And then its ability to convert one form of energy into another was astonishing.
The cube, however, had been shut down to prevent this happening.
If its completely undetectable, how did you find it? said Fermont. Unless you put it there.
Ubik looked at her like he couldnt quite believe her gall, trying to put the bla on him. You think I use bombs? What am I, a caveman? He tossed the device at Fermont, who jumped back.
It hit the floor and fell apart.
Shoddy workmanship, said Ubik. What happened to the others, by the way? Bunch of female robots, very attractive, self-cleaning, at least I hope so. Seen them?
Fermont didnt answer but Figaro could tell she knew what Ubik was talking about. Had they dealt with all seven of the robots already?
We have to leave, said Fermont, still on repeat. I will use force if I have to.
Fermont, whats your status? said a voice from Fermonts suit, one he recognised only too well.
Weve located the targets. Preparing for extraction.
Were not leaving, said Figaro.
Figaro? Is that you?
Yes, Mother.
Listen to , Figaro, you must return to , now. With your father gone, you are the
He isnt dead, said Figaro.
I have his life crystal, Figaro, said his mother. It went out.
Thats because its connected to his organic, which was removed.
There was a mont of silence. You know this, how?
Because I was there when it happened. When it was put in .
You have your fathers organic? You have two organics? And the transfer was successful? Figaro, you must return imdiately, this is
Fermont, this General Freya, broke in a new voice. Im giving you a direct order, override all previous orders. Execute command K-30.
Fermonts eyes began to glow red with such intensity it was visible through her dark visor.
Whats command K-30? said PT.
Its a thirty percent kill order, said Figaro.
What does that an? said PT.
It ans they can reduce you to thirty percent life signs brain and spinal cord intact, everything else expendable. Usually, that ans limbs amputated, organ failure, severe haemorrhaging are all acceptable. Makes it more convenient when transporting.
Makes sense, said Ubik. Easier to stack the bodies.
They use it when they want to investigate the targets before disposal, said Figaro. Dont need to be conscious, just biologically viable.
Hmm, said PT, a cold glimr of light in his eyes. So they can dissect us at their leisure, I suppose.
Thats only if you resist, said Speers. We dont want to hurt you.
PT took out the sword hilt from his belt, pointing the stub at Speers.
She frowned and didnt look very impressed.
The stub grew into a blade in an instant, and kept growing until it was at her throat, which made it around two tres long. There was no bend in the blade.
She didnt try to dodge or counterattack, but her eyes glowed green, ready to teach him what it ant to be an opponent of the Seneca Corps.
The light in her eyes went out, much to her obvious surprise.
You think we need our organics to take you down? said Fermont, her own eyes also back to normal. She lunged towards PT, moving at a frightening speed.
PT moved to the right and then swung his sword at the empty air in front of him. Fermont was in the middle of a feint but PT had seen through it. He didnt attack where she was, his sword sliced through where she was going to be. She walked right into it and her arm was cut off at the elbow, but it looked like she had deliberately thrust her arm into the path of the blade.
She didnt scream, she just let out a grunt as she stumbled back, already with an auto-tourniquet in her working hand.
Is losing an arm a K-10 or a K-90? said Ubik. I really dont get the whole numbering system you guys use. Actually, why dont we make it a K-50, that way its right either way.
The device that Ubik had thrown on the floor earlier, which was practically under Fermont, suddenly lit up.
Reviews
All reviews (0)