Ragnarok (33 page)

“Easy day, I'll get right on it.”

“The day may be easy, but the months to follow will be a longer affair. You are to fly the Blackwing to Mars and leave it in the care of our Phobosian friends. You will not be able to use the thermobaric thruster again despite the speed with which you would reach Mars, as it would betray the illusion of its death. So you'll need to fly there on ramjet momentum and Hall thrusters, and fly home on mass transit.”

Veikko spoke up. “You're taking one member of our team for two months?”

“Yes, we are. We have work for the rest of you as well while you're a three-person team.”

“Oh God,” said Veikko, “not walrus duty….”

“Not walrus duty, though I don't think you'll be happy with what we need you to do. First however, Vibeke and Violet.”

Violet was suddenly afraid he'd be lecturing them about their kiss.

“Hashima,” announced Alf.

Violet's chest swelled with relief.

“We intend,” he continued, “to eradicate Wulfgar and whatever gang he's built. The first step to that end is a surveillance mission. Though Balder suggested a team of four would be best suited, a team of two has its advantages in such missions, and I thought you would appreciate this one and that perhaps you deserved it in light of that spectacular worm striking business in Presov. I trust you don't object?”

Violet and Vibeke both shook their heads emphatically. Alf saw Violet's actions as impressive, or so it seemed.

“Then lastly, Veikko.”

“Glad you didn't forget me.”

“You won't be shortly. The Geki visited us last night.”

Veikko gulped.

“The Geki hold Violet responsible for the nuclear explosion on UNEGA soil.”

Violet gulped.

“But primarily, they put the blame on you,” said Alf.

“They ‘blame' me for saving the planet from flooding over. I'll accept that blame.”

“They would like to speak with you.”

“I'd… like to avoid that.”

“You won't be able to. Balder and I have defended you vigorously to them and justified your actions 100 percent. In the end, the explosion has not done significant harm beyond what Zaibatsu is doing to itself, and it has destroyed a global threat. That is why you aren't burnt to a crisp already. But they're monitoring the effects for more fallouts than nuclear. Essentially, you'll be held responsible if the situation deteriorates as a direct result of the bomb but ignored if they're negligible.”

“That's fair.”

“I thought so.”

“And I don't,” said Balder. “Veikko, I'd like to speak with you in private. Shall we head to the gym?”

Veikko nodded with a clear lump in his throat. He stood up and left the library with Balder. Alf addressed the rest of the team.

“Varg, we'll need you to head out as soon as possible.”

“I can head out right now.”

“Very well, be sure to say farewell to Veikko as you run.”

Varg nodded, then turned to Vibeke and Violet. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he nodded again, smiled, and ran out of the room.

“As for you two lovebirds….”

Violet felt the lump move to her own chest. She didn't know how he would react to their public display of affection. Part of her feared the worst, that he'd order them onto other teams or simply order them to somehow fall out of love. If Vibeke loved her back at all. She'd been so distant since they kissed, she wondered if it really was all in her mind.

“There are no rules here beyond the treaty. So follow the treaty. As long as shit stays unfucked, you aren't required to stay unfucked yourselves. But tread cautiously. This sort of thing has ended teams and ended lives. Whatever happens, you have your next mission together. Consider it a test case.”

“Don't worry,” Vibeke jumped in, “it was really nothing.”

Violet's eyes widened. She felt like she'd just been slapped. Alf clearly picked up on her surprise.

“Ah, very well, then. I won't make much ado about it. Off to plan your scout for Hashima, then. I'll be playing the new Zelda if you need me.”

Vibeke walked out of the library. Violet stormed out after her. She jogged up behind Vibs, and as gently as possible, tapped her shoulder.

“Nothing, then?”

“Violet—”

“If it were nothing, then you wouldn't mind doing it again now, would you?”

She grabbed Vibeke by the arms and moved to kiss her.

“Stop!”

“Nothing?”

“I mean we're not… together. Romantically.”

“That's news to me.”

“Hardly, you know what I've said about this. One kiss because we saved the planet doesn't mean—”

“A peck on the cheek doesn't mean diddly, but that was a buck-naked tonsil massage of walrusine proportions, Vibs.”

“Well, it means the same thing as a peck on the cheek.”

“Not to me.”

“Then make it.”

Vibeke turned to walk away.

“Vibs, I swear to God, you know this is a good thing, and if Alf is okay with it, you have no damn excuse.”

“I don't need an excuse not to get romantically involved with anyone. It's my choice.”

“It's a daft choice. I should get a cerebral bore and—”

“See? This. This is the problem. You're threatening to bore my skull to change my mind. That's the problem, it—”

“For the love of Odin, Vibs, I was kidding.”

“Then it's my concern for it! You make me nervous now, Vi. I don't know what to expect from you, and everything we do is built on predicting each other. We need to end every ounce of this, right now. Nothing will happen. Agreed?”

Violet stood and stared at her, feeling a mixture of anger and lust that swarmed behind her sternum like bees. She wanted to hurt her, deeply but, at the same time, couldn't stand the thought of her hurting.

“I won't agree to anything that would hurt you,” Violet assured her.

“Oh you think you know what's best for me now.”

“Well, you clearly don't.”

“You want to play that game? Then I won't let you make an ass of yourself anymore. I won't let you keep on in the delusion anything can ever happen. I won't let you throw away your closest friend by trying to fuck her, and I won't ever, ever kiss you again like I did in med bay.”

“Yes, you will.”

“What the hell makes you think that?”

“Neither of us wants it your way. We both want it mine. It's inevitable.”

Vibeke couldn't think of any response.

“We're both stubborn as rocks, Vibs. But gravity's on my side. No matter how far up you push—”

“You'll still try to go down on me?”

“I was gonna say ‘love you,' but I'm up for whatever.”

Vibeke tried her hardest not to smile, then turned away before Violet could see her fail. She walked away so Violet wouldn't, deathly afraid and allured that Violet was absolutely right.

 

 

V
EIKKO
AND
Balder bowed. They circled each other in the dojo, and Balder spoke.

“What would you have done if the bomb were a dud?”

“What do you mean?”

“The bomb failed, the Darkness took it, it's in the open. What would you have done?”

Balder feinted to Veikko's left with a quick punch.

“Destroy our half.”

“That's what I thought.” Another feint. “So we've got a
problem.”

“What's the problem?” Veikko launched a kick, Balder adeptly avoided it.

“You'd turn on Valhalla to get your way.”

“My way? We're talking about saving the world!”

“There's always more than one solution to a problem. Alopex put our best solution at keeping the Ares here, researching a way to destroy the water component. Surely there were more.”

“We can't risk them! We had to end the threat. If both parts were here, every Cetacean in the seven seas would've been beating down our door.”

“Valhalla can survive such an attack indefinitely. But no, every
Cetacean would not have been at our door. Most Cetaceans are
peaceful people, they—”

Veikko kicked and connected with Balder's chest. They continued.

“I know them better than you ever will,” said Veikko. “They're not peaceful, and they're not people.”

“You're right, I've never met them. Not on one mission. Because we've never had a mission against their establishment. We've never needed to.”

“Until now.”

“What do you think power is for, Veikko? Valhalla has the power to rule the world. We don't. Because power isn't action, it's the potential for action. Companies rule because they have armies, not because they use them. If they used them, there would be no people left to govern.”

“Irrelevant.”

Balder slugged Veikko in the stomach and sent him to the ground. He quickly recovered.

“Not irrelevant, Veikko. Not irrelevant. GAUNE and UNEGA have the power to kill all the Cetaceans. Why haven't they?”

“Mystery to me, they should.”

“But they don't need to. They are subjugated. Why do you think the Fish wanted the Ares?”

“To kill us all! To flood the world!”

“No. Mutually assured destruction. It's ugly, Veikko, damn ugly, but it saved the planet before. Pelamus Pluturus has no reason to flood the globe.”

“Of course he does; he's a Fish!”

“He's not you, Veikko. No Cetacean has ever shown a hint of genocidal behavior, not even Pluturus.”

“But he tried to capture the damn Ares!”

“You don't understand. You just don't understand that a weapon can be for the threat of fatal self-defense.”

“You don't understand how Fish think. I grew up with them. I know them better than anyone else in this ravine. Pelamus would have killed us all. He'd have activated the Ares the second he took our ravine, and he would never stop until he took it. Don't forget that—we were sitting on half his prize. Even if he'd let the world be, he'd have killed
us
.”

“But you too would've destroyed Valhalla to destroy the Ares.”

“Yes.”

“You risked war to destroy the Ares.”

“Damn right.” He launched a series of hooks. “The world might be better crispy. We're the masters of warfare, the experts. If the world's at war, we're the most at home, the most free.”

“Your essay in
Håvamål
.”

Balder ducked the last throw and fought back with a sweep. Veikko dodged.

“Tell me I'm wrong.” Veikko aimed for Balder's arm and connected. Balder seemed unaffected.

“You're not wrong. You're a cruel bastard, but you're not wrong. About that.”

“Then what am I wrong about, exactly?”

“You would tempt the Geki.”

“I did, and it worked!”

“You may not think that when they come to visit. You know if they ask, I'll turn you over to them.”

“You won't have to turn me over. I'll go.”

“You would go with them willingly? To die? Or worse?”

“Everyone has to face their fears.”

“They go beyond fear. There's a reason they enforce that treaty.”

“Right, you know what they are and why they do what they do.”

“I have my theories. And some proof. I'd have told you if you ever asked.”

“Tell me.”

“One is owned by UNEGA, the other by GAUNE, they—”

“Wait, they're owned?”

“Do you think their technology comes free? They're the most advanced warriors on Earth. Of course they're company-funded.”

Veikko unleashed a barrage of punches in pure anger, none of them connected.

“Who watches the watchmen, Veikko?”

“We do!”

“And who watches us? We operate above the world, over it, beyond it. We're the force behind it that keeps it alive. Don't you think the world should have oversight of us?”

“No!”

“Then we would be monsters!”

“We are monsters!”

“Don't Fuck Shit Up! Don't you get it? The Geki are the ultimate check and balance, the final safeguards, the people's will over the secret kings.”

“How can you let Valhalla be controlled by company men?”

“We have no choice. The Geki are a superior force.”

“What are they? Robots? Ghosts?”

“They're human, what else would they be?”

“They're mortal.”

“Humans are.”

“We could kill them.”

Balder suddenly snapped into a series of hits that knocked Veikko down and pinned him in a stance so powerful Veikko couldn't even begin to fight it. Balder had been playing along the whole time. He could have beaten Veikko at any moment. That restraint had ended.

“You could try. And they could kill us all in a heartbeat. Let me make this clear to you: write all the angry letters in
Håvamål
you want, but if you threaten this ravine, if you threaten Valhalla, if you threaten
me,
I will erase you. Is that understood?”

Veikko choked to speak. “Yes.”

Balder stood and returned to a neutral pose. Veikko struggled to stand up.

“Then we have an understanding. Good job saving the planet. We meet the Geki tomorrow. Alf's Library at 0900.” He bowed. “Have a nice day.”

Veikko failed to bow. He was still coughing. He sat on the dojo floor and tried to breathe. He stirred, angry, furious. At the fish, at Balder, at himself. But above all at the Geki. They were owned men. They were no different from any other group Valhalla could trump, just a bit heavier in the purse and advanced in their weaponry. And whatever Balder said, they were human. They were mortal. They could be killed, and then Valhalla would truly rule the world.