Mindguard (10 page)

Nevertheless,
Mac had come through for them in the end. He changed the company’s name from
Ross to Ayers-Ross, banking on the popularity of Kinsey Ayers and the emerging
talent of his grandson. He made Sheldon Ayers a partner, which strengthened
their friendship. Sheldon did not have many friends. There were few people in
the world whose company he appreciated or desired. He couldn’t even call Isabel
his friend, though he cherished and admired her to the highest level. Still,
with Mac, it was different. There was more there than just mutual respect,
there was an unspoken bond of loyalty that existed between the two, as if the
universe itself had granted them responsibility for each other’s lives.

Mac always
looked out for him like a big brother. When they were in the field, he seemed
to try to protect Sheldon more than anyone else. And Sheldon always guarded
Mac’s mind with special care. It was their nature to protect each other. For
that reason, Sheldon was now worried about him. He trusted Mac as much as Mac
trusted him,
and he had every confidence in the man’s
talent. Still, his behavior on this particular occasion, with this particular
client, had been more than peculiar.

Lost in thought,
Sheldon didn’t notice when Isabel paid for the meal. “It’s all right,
Sheldahn,” she said, when she saw his discomfort. “It is my pleasure. You
company is always exquisite. It is so refreshing, having you around.” She put
her hand on his and gently squeezed it.

“Exquisite?”
thought Sheldon. “Perhaps Mac is planting words in her mind after all.” He
smiled.

I thought I had
found something that would finally unite us. And yet, it has done nothing but
divide us even more. I dreamt of a discovery that would bring about peace but
all it has brought is unparalleled violence and complete anarchy. I thought we
were there, that we could handle with care this most prized and fragile
possession. I was wrong. I regret ever having stumbled upon this treasure, only
to have mankind turn it into a weapon.

Dr. Whitman Caine at
the emergency meeting of the United Governments of Earth, the day after the
assassination of First President Corey McGillian, 2064

“…and only
seventeen minutes late,” Ross said, when Sheldon and Isabel entered the
debriefing room arm in arm. Mac looked at Isabel, then at Sheldon,  Alex
and finally at White. Then he turned and looked at Sophie. “Sometimes I think I
should fire all these amateurs and just go ahead and buy a bunch of robots,” he
joked.

Sophie smiled
and Alex noticed that she had the most attractive way of smiling, with the tip
of her tongue touching her lower lip. The gesture had a very candid charm.

“Ms. Sophie
Gaumont,” Mac said with pathos, theatrically throwing his muscular right arm
towards Sheldon, “
this
is the famous Sheldon Ayers.”

The look on
Sheldon’s face suggested he did not appreciate the clowning around. The young
woman shot up from her chair and darted towards Sheldon, her arm outstretched.
The mindguard shook her hand with little enthusiasm.

“It is an honor
meeting you, Mr. Ayers,” the young woman said. “Your reputation precedes you.”

Sheldon finally
looked at her in a way that gave the impression his gaze had been moved there
by force. Alex simply stared in amazement, wondering if he felt more jealous of
Sheldon for getting the lovely woman’s enthusiastic attention, or of Sophie for
actually managing to make Sheldon Ayers look directly at her. He was sorry that
he wasn’t going to be on the team, but grateful that he had been permitted to
at least join in on the briefing.

“It’s nice
meeting you, Ms. Gaumont,” Sheldon said, sounding like he couldn’t care less
about making her acquaintance. He looked at Sophie’s left hand. “I can see you
are not married, yet your name is not Miller. Are you the Educator’s stepchild,
then?”

“You will have
to excuse Sheldon’s lack of manners, Sophie,” Ross intervened. “At mindguard
school they surgically remove the bone that makes you polite.” Sophie did not
react to Mac’s joke but she also didn’t seem offended by Sheldon. Her voice
remained friendly and professional.

“I chose to use
my mother’s maiden name,” she said.

“Because you are
ambitious and want to take full credit for your accomplishments.”

“Something like
that, Mr. Ayers.“ The way she pronounced Sheldon’s last name made Alex think
she was insinuating that he was taking advantage of his grandfather’s
reputation. Meanwhile, Isabel was following their interaction with great
interest.

 “And
this,” said Ross, looking to ease the tension, “is mindguard Isabel Mensah, who
will also be joining us on the mission.” Sophie shook Isabel’s hand with
noticeably less enthusiasm than before. The woman responded with a reserved
smile and a slight nod.

“You know,
Sheldon’s great for publicity and all, but she’s the capable one of the duo,”
White said. He was clearly bored and anxious to start the briefing.

“I see you’ve
had the pleasure of meeting Mr. White,” Sheldon said, looking at Sophie. “What
he lacks in humor, he more than makes up for in senility.” The old man
responded with a gesture of the hand that had lived on throughout the
centuries.

Sophie was
surprised by Sheldon’s joke. She chuckled, as the tension from before quickly
dissipated.  

“All right,
everyone shut up and take your seats, boss’s orders,” Mac said. Everyone in the
room complied. Alex always admired Mac’s authority. Maclaine Ross was an
easy-going guy with a strong sense of humor. You could tease him, bicker with
him and make fun of his tight outfits but you instinctively knew when you
needed to do what he says.

Sheldon looked
around and seemed to take notice of the holoprojector and the outdated
holopads. “You’re a prototech,” he said to Sophie, perhaps a bit abruptly. The
woman quickly got defensive: “Is that a problem, Mr. Ayers?”

“No,” Sheldon
said, obviously feeling no need to add anything else.

“Sheldon noticed
the equipment in the room,” Ross explained. “Usually, the briefing room is
empty, except for the table and chairs. We get all visual information on the
retinal insertions.”

“I see,” Sophie
said. She still sounded tense, like someone who was used to being persecuted
for her convictions.

“In fact,” Ross
continued, “Sheldon here is
also
a prototech.”

“Really?” The
woman seemed genuinely surprised, her eyes widened, giving her a childlike
appearance. Sheldon didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixated on the black
moradium table. He seemed lost in thought.

“All right,”
Ross said, signaling that it was time to focus on business, “Mr. White will
start the presentation. Go ahead Mr. White.”

 “It’s
about damn time,” the old man grunted. He got up and walked next to the
holoprojector. An enormous map of a galaxy materialized behind him, with
certain stars shining bright red.

“In two weeks
you will be leaving Anderra using the departure chamber at the office. You will
arrive in our privately owned departure chamber on planet Lusia. From there,
the more difficult part of the journey will begin. First, though, Ms. Gaumont,
I want to introduce you to the team and the strategy we have devised for the
transportation of information package AR16997418.”

Sophie paid
close attention, like a studious child in class, never taking her eyes off
White. Alex studied the features of her face. She was very attractive but also
sort of funny, the way she frowned when she concentrated. He looked at Sheldon
but the mindguard was just absently staring out the window. Still, Alex was
sure that Sheldon was not missing any part of what was being discussed.

“Transporting an
information package is mostly done via the mindguard-bodyguard system, which is
the most widely used and by far the safest. Lately, with the advancement of
artificial mindguards, alternative transportation methods have been developed.
Some artificial mindguards consist of nanobots that are released in the
carrier’s bloodstream. They work, but they offer no physical protection at all
and we all know a package can’t reach its destination if the carrier is dead.
In the mindguard-bodyguard system there are various structures that can be used
but we’ve found that
ours
works best. We know that because we’ve never
had a botched mission and we have only lost six bodyguards and one mindguard in
the company’s existence. That’s why we are the best.” He looked at Mac, then at
Sophie. “Let’s just say your daddy made a good choice,” he said. The young
woman laughed. She seemed to be warming up to the bad-tempered old man.
  

“Neurological
data protection works on two levels that are intertwined: bodyguards protect
the physical integrity of not only the carrier but also the mindguards who, in
turn, guard the information package by protecting the carrier’s mind and, to a
lesser extent, the minds of the bodyguards against telepathic aggression. It’s
symbiosis, it’s art - it’s beautiful.” White’s deadpan delivery drew a round of
laughter from everyone in the room, except for Sheldon, who seemed to be
studying the texture of the window frame.

“We call the
carrier and the two mindguards the ‘static elements’, while the bodyguards are
the ‘dynamic elements’, though I prefer the terms ‘smart elements’ and ‘dumb
elements.’” The bodyguards protested, acting offended, while White just winked
at Sophie.

“Two ‘dynamic
elements’ are assigned to each ‘static element’. In other words, two bodyguards
will be protecting the carrier and each mindguard. One mindguard will
exclusively guard the carrier’s mind, while the other is responsible for
protecting the minds of all bodyguards. Your mind, Ms. Gaumont, will be in the
very capable hands of Isabel Mensah, while Sheldon will be providing protection
for the rest of the team.”

“No!” 

Sophie’s
emphatic protest surprised everyone except Sheldon, who was looking at the
floor as if he hadn’t even noticed there were other people in the room.

“I want
Sheldon,” she said, looking directly at the mindguard, challenging him to meet
her gaze. After a few seconds, he finally did.

“It should be
Isabel,” he said indifferently. Ross was quick to offer an explanation:
“Sophie, Sheldon is partially retired. He hasn’t been on the field in a long
time. Given the nature of this mission and the dangers that come with it, the
information package should be protected by Isabel, who is an
active
mindguard.
It’s not a trivial aspect, it’s a matter of training and activity. Isabel is
simply in better mental conditioning, so to speak.”

Sophie was
unbending. “I want Sheldon,” she demanded. The veteran mindguard did not seem
at all flattered. He looked at her like an adult at a spoiled child.

“Now look, Ms.
Gaumont -” White started, but was immediately cut off by the woman: “My father
made no secret of the fact that he chose Ayers-Ross
specifically
for the
services of Sheldon Ayers.”

“And you are
getting his services,” Ross said.

“My father and I
want him to guard the information package, those are the conditions. Sheldon
Ayers guards
my
mind!” Her emphasis had an almost sexual connotation.
Everyone in the room looked at each other, not really knowing what to say, but
Sheldon was quick to react.

“So, even in his
absence, Educator Miller gets his way,” he said, with undisguised resentment.

“I’m sorry if
that disappoints you, Mr. Ayers,” the young woman answered, “but this is how
it’s going to be. Please, no offense intended, Ms. Mensah.” The gentle woman
nodded; no offence had been taken. It was clear that the client wanted Sheldon
to guard her mind and that she would not budge. White sighed and looked at Mac,
whose face betrayed no emotions. Alex knew, however, that his employer did not
like to be told how to do his job.  

 “All
right, let’s move on,” Ross said coldly.

“Good, fine,”
White muttered. “So, then Sheldon guards your mind Ms. Gaumont and Isabel will
be guarding the bodyguards. The bodyguards in question will be Maclaine Ross,
team leader, and Jason Ellden, who will be protecting the carrier, 
Francois Zola and Ray Manner assigned to Isabel and Simon Bayles and Luther
Brinks guarding ‘Popular Pete’ over there.”

“I’m sorry,”
Sheldon said abruptly, “but does the Educator run his business empire with the
same reckless foolishness he is displaying here?”

Mac’s face
turned blood red. “Sheldon!”

“I’m sorry, Mr.
Ayers,“ Sophie retorted, staring him down with the intensity of a prizefighter
measuring her opponent, ”but have you built
your
impressive reputation
on the boorish impertinence you are currently displaying?”

Alex was
shocked. First, that Sheldon had no reserve to flat out insult their client and
second, that their beautiful customer was not at all intimidated by the famous
mindguard. Instead, she was matching wits with the man, to the obvious chagrin
of Ross, who seemed ready to punch either of them in the face.

“Now listen,”
Ross thundered, “I will have no more of this crap in my briefing room. We will
finish this meeting in twenty minutes and I don’t want you two speaking to each
other anymore. In fact, I want you two to stop speaking without being spoken to
first, is that clear?”

“No, Mr. Ross.”
Sophie’s bold reply silenced the whole room. “Today this is not
your
debriefing room, it is
my father’s
. He owns this room for now and, as
per our contract, he owns
you
as well.”

Alex could not
believe his ears. He had never heard anybody talk to Maclaine Ross this way. In
the course of just a few minutes, the short girl with elven features had turned
into the embodiment of the ruthless and arrogant businesswoman. She was
certainly her father’s daughter. Alex didn’t know if he admired or resented
her. 

Mac was silent
for an uncomfortably long period of time. His icy stare remained fixated on his
client’s face. The quiet intensity of the moment and the giant man’s tacit
anger would have sent chills down the spine of a lesser woman, but Sophie was
as determined as she was beautiful. Seconds went by with no word spoken and
Francois cleared his throat, hoping to dissipate the uncomfortable silence. It
was to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity, Sophie spoke first, her
pleasant, melodious voice returning to its normal timbre.

“Look, Mac, I
mean no disrespect, and certainly neither does my father. This is a business
venture that is of
utmost importance
to him. I am here, acting as his
representative, to make sure that everything goes according to
our
best
interest. My father paid an enormous sum of money to your agency because the
information package I was authorized to carry is of great importance not only
to us, but to all of mankind. The knowledge I possess could very well change
the course of human history.”

The tension in
the room was palpable. There was the feeling of a ghostly presence, as if the
briefing room itself had suddenly come to life to witness this moment. No one
asked her anything, such was the policy of every thoughtprotection agency. The
young woman was obviously aware that she had aroused their curiosity.
Thoughtprotection agencies were allowed to know nothing about the nature of the
information they guarded. Sophie surely knew that, because she visibly enjoyed
this feeling of power over them.