Regan's Reach 4: Avarice (31 page)

[Please secure the door Lucas, I don't want
Perin leaving the room or communicating with anyone else around the ship.]

[It shall be done; I'll seal the room and close
all communications.]

[And Lucas, please join us for the team
meeting in control.]

There was a short pause. [Are you sure?]

[Of course, I'd love to have you
participate fully, you're on the team.]

[Of course, yes, I'll join you.] The
pleasure in his voice was embarrassingly obvious.

Regan smiled as Ham raised his eyes and
looked pointedly toward the ceiling. [Regan Stein, you are such a flirt.]

[It's not flirting Ham, why would you see
it like that? It's just being friendly and he could be a great acquisition.]

[He is not property, Regan.]

[I meant as a team member, you know that.]

The elevator doors opened to control and
Regan could see Charlotte and Jared already there and sitting facing each other
with determined looks, each holding a tablet closely. They were clearly in the
final phase of some game so she left them to it, heading instead for the small
galley before pulling up short.
Damn, this isn't one of my ships . . . no
coffee!

She turned back just as Charlotte burst out
in a throaty laugh of triumph while Jared slapped the arm of his chair in
frustration.

Charlotte lifted her head finally to engage
Regan with a happy grin. "Sorry Regan, I knew that wouldn't take me long.
How's our visitor?"

As she spoke, the gracious lady
materialized and Regan nodded welcome, noting that Ham had also already taken
one of the spare control chairs in a prominent position. She looked around for
Lucas who was nowhere to be seen, and then a figure emerged, a tall rugged male
with chiseled features and a warm smile. It was Lucas. She nodded welcome to
him as she scanned the avatar from feet to head and back. Out of the corner of
her eye she could see Hilary doing the same and she smiled happily.

"Sorry Charlie." Regan turned
back and got down to business. "Our visitor is ensconced in his cabin and
I'm fairly sure he will be sleeping as we speak. The question is what will we
do with him?"

Ham shuffled in his chair. "We need to
find out whether he played any part in the destruction of that vessel, until
then we can't trust him. Frankly, as a fundamentalist Mind killer I don't trust
him anyway."

"Ham we don't know that, let's hold judgment
shall we?"

"Regan they are all like that, it's
indoctrinated in them from childhood."

"Ham, again let's not judge on that, not
yet anyway, after all, not that long ago the people of your system were all
indoctrinated to fear artificial intelligence and now look at what's happening
there."

He grudgingly settled back in his seat.

"Now," Regan asked, "bring
me up to date, have we any more clues about our other suspected
passenger?"

"Still nothing Regan." Charlotte
replied unhappily. "This ship has been searched from bow to stern, but
really, it's such a huge vessel and this thing we're looking for, if it exists
at all, is tiny. What's the saying? It's like looking for a needle in a
haystack."

"You sound like you have doubts
now."

Charlotte screwed up her mouth in
frustration. "Truthfully, I think it's somewhere on the ship. I just don't
like the fact that we can't find a murdering intelligence on my vessel."

"My vessel actually." Lucas
corrected. "Regan, I think we just need to wait, at some point our stowaway
or murderer or whatever will show their hand."

"And we have three Minds monitoring
everything." Hilary added. "We can be on to the rat in a fraction of
a second."

Regan could see Ham looked troubled.
"What is it babe?"

He stood and began to pace. "This is
clearly a cunning Mind, I have to admire what they have achieved by concealing
themselves, first from Lucas and secondly from us. They have covered their
tracks well. My concern is that their sole purpose might be, for whatever
reason, getting to Rexis. They have covered their tracks and been prepared to
stay hidden and they may intend to stay that way until the last possible moment.
Then I guess it's possible for them to jump in a data burst as soon as we make
some link with the planet."

"Then we won't make that link."
Regan concluded. "We'll keep the ship in quarantine until we know it's
safe."

"As long as that wait doesn't go on
forever, Regan." Charlotte replied. "I mean what if it just lingers
on? We've got one thousand plus passengers waiting to get down there."

"I don't have an answer to that yet
Charlie, all I know is I'm not going to risk that planet to some rogue,
murdering Mind. I guess there's nothing more we can do for now. Guys, keep
tracking those data trails but forgive me, I'm bushed. While our friend sleeps
I'm going to grab some shut eye too, we'll question him when I wake."

Lucas disappeared much to Hilary's
disappointment and then she too dissolved in a typically gracious manner. As
Regan walked to the elevator she could see Ham was still troubled while
Charlotte and Jared were reaching for their tablets.

* * *

Regan rolled in her bed, curling to a ball
and snuggling into the mattress and pillows.

They walked hand in hand through knee
high summer grass, with Leah on one side and Marin in the middle. They were
both laughing at something and happy she could tell, as was she. A low wall
appeared running lengthways for a short distance in front of them and Marin
shifted slightly to allow for it, the wall or protrusion now between them with
their clasped hands over the top, she on one side now, Marin and Leah on the
other. They walked on and inexplicably the wall seemed to be rising so that
soon it was difficult to hold on, but the wall didn't seem to extend much
further so she unclasped and walked on. But then it did seem to extend, on and
on it went, and it was even higher. On the other side, though she couldn't see
them, she could still hear Leah and Marin laughing.

She stopped and looked up to the top, it
was much too high to climb. She looked forward and could only see the wall
extending hugely into the distance, a scarily infinite look that made her turn
back with alarm only to see the wall now seemed to stretch infinitely back
behind her also. A moment of panic seemed to grip her and she called out to
Marin and Leah who seemed not to hear her; but she could hear them and their
laughter, the joy, and suddenly it seemed to disturb her. And then she heard
Leah squeal delightedly, and gasp, a sound she knew only too well and unaccountably
she was overcome with grief, leaning forward to grasp at the wall and press her
face to the surface, the tears on her right cheek wetting the surface.

And then she realized the surface wasn't
hard in a concrete or metal like way. It was soft, and smooth, almost skin like
in texture and touch, and it was familiar in some way, something she knew. And
then it hit her; what it felt like, the substance of this wall.

It was android . . .

It was an android arm.

She woke in a cold sweat and just lay there
for a long while pondering the dream and wondering whether to consult the
oracle as she normally would. For some reason she thought better of it and
rolled back into a curl, tucking her head to the pillow and drifting back into
tired sleep.

* * *

Perin too was awake. Lying on his back he
stared at the ceiling pondering the future in light of the unfolding events. He
had failed - for now anyway. He hadn't reached the planet Rexis and he wasn't
even in the hands of those people - and who were these rescuers anyway? What
part of the system did they come from? Were they another unknown branch of the
tribes, perhaps descended from the founders as were his people? The questions
rolled around in his mind as he fought off despair at his situation. What would
Maynard say? What is happening at home?

And then it hit him . . . Maynard would be
in charge! As the senior senate member and acting Premier Maynard could already
have ascended to the throne with no competition of note. A cold feeling swept
through Perin’s body and tingles of fearful anxiety raced down his arms.
Was
this Maynard's plan all along? If he, Perin, had succeeded then Maynard could
still have taken the leadership despite his act of heroism and if he had failed
then Maynard also had the leadership and opportunity to lead the people out of
disaster and perhaps to war.

As he considered these things Perin
nervously fingered the small processor concealed at his midriff. What could he
do now? His thoughts roamed through desperate options. Perhaps the future for
him may be bleak but there may yet be a small victory to be won, and an act
true to his faith. He could perhaps take down this ship and that accursed
android. Just the thought was enough to give him encouragement.

Taking out the small tube he eyed the
button, wondering whether it still functioned at all and remembering the
occasion on the ship where the button lit up and he had quickly pressed it hard
again in an attempt to shut it down which mercifully it did.
Is it broken,
or perhaps one time only?
He spun the tube in his fingers, his hands
becoming sweaty and clammy. Finally he could stand it no more.
What, after
all, do I have to lose?

Holding the tube out in front of him so he
could clearly see the button he thumbed it nervously and his hands began to
shake. Quickly he pressed it hard, and then jerked in panic as the button lit
up. He fumbled and the tube dropped to the floor with a clatter. He shrieked
and dived for it, frantically scrabbling to grab it and thumb the button again.
It only took a second or so but as the light went out and with his heart
pounding he couldn't raise the strength to climb back to the bed, instead just
sitting there with his back to the bunk hyperventilating in short panicked
gasps.

And then he heard a beep - and then another
- and then another, it was coming from the bed head. Perin turned slowly to
look in that direction just in time to see a small slot open in the wall and a
tiny curved drawer slide out to rest there. On it, cradled on the drawer there was
a tube, not unlike the one he carried except it was glowing.

Perin stared at it in horror - and then he
heard a voice . . .

"Leith . . . is that you . . . I
didn't expect to hear from you again?" 

* * *

The STEIN Traveler in orbit, Planet Regis

Ham reveled in the testosterone fueled
environment with the ship feeling more charged and masculine than he had ever
experienced it, and he liked it, especially the pervading sense of action and battle
looming. He could feel the android nostrils flaring and something primal
gripping him before, in a sudden realization of what was happening; he hauled
himself back from the brink of an embarrassing animal roar. He scanned the
control room and was relieved to see that no one had noticed, and then continued
his search of the data trails, accessing Regis’s basic computer systems via the
satellite links and capturing the latest information on the planet.

"Brian, it's no surprise but I can
confirm they are in a state of high alert. This is going to be challenging,
certainly more so than we originally planned. We will go with the new plan, as
soon as you're ready I'll take the STEIN down and we'll commence displacements
almost immediately. The major goal is to secure the technical facility and my
feeling is we aim to capture the Premier as well. He's in the palace according
to reports and may be the key to confirming we have the virus."

"We're ready to roll when you are,
just give the word." Brian's nod to the two leading teams of four drew a
cheer that rang around level four. He laughed and checked his own equipment for
the umpteenth time. He himself would go in with the third group who would be
displaced straight to the technical offices. The genovirus was the major goal and
that is where it was most likely to be; as such he wanted to be there.

Ham closed the android eyes and began the ships
slide down into atmosphere, not worrying about detection, only about the lives
of the crew once they left the STEIN Traveler. Onboard the STEIN he knew they
were virtually impregnable, but in the palace Brian's team were just vulnerable
sacks of flesh, bone and blood. It didn't sit well with him that good people
may die on this mission, but this was war, and the goal overall was to minimize
loss, not just for this mission but for both Rexis and Regis, now and into the
future.

Lightning quick the STEIN displaced through
atmosphere; resistance free, quiet and frighteningly stealthy. It seemed as if
one moment they were in space, the next in the clouds and the next over the
city as they drifted in toward the palace. In the dark of the night and with the
stealth of their approach they were almost on the palace before the first
missiles were fired in defense. As they drew nearer still, a hail of smaller
weapons fire strafed out at them, all passing harmlessly on as Ham deftly
displaced projectiles from one side of the STEIN to the other where they then
continued on wherever. He quietly hoped those missiles and projectiles would
find harmless targets when they alighted, but sadly he knew some would cause
devastation over which he had no control. In only minutes they were taking
position over the palace proper and Ham subbed word through to Brian . . . 
Action
bro'.