The Golden Circuit (The Smith Chronicles) (22 page)

09:01 - Tuesday, July 31, 2187 (TAPCON Towers, Muhaze, Tapi-36)

“I wanted to be tall, like Daddy!” sobbed Sempre, having one of his ‘moments’ and rocking backwards and forwards in his chair.

He was talking to his built-up shoes that he’d taken off and put on his desk.

“Mother was so sh-sh-sh-sh-” - he could hardly bring himself to say the word - “short! She was so small! Oh, Mother! Ohhhh, how I hate you! Had it not been for you, I would’ve been a giant! Well… not a giant, BUT AT LEAST 5’3”! Oh, shoes, I would’ve been so happy then! So happy! I know am cruel to her… but she deserves it! The tiny, little witch!!”

Sempre’s vox-com buzzed.

“Mr. Sempre,” said Flugg. “It’s Dr. Tamashito. Shall I put him through, sir?”

“Oh, yes, Flugg. Thank you. Yes. Please do,” said Sempre, quickly hurriedly away his tears and knocking his shoes off the desk.

Tamashito came on screen.

“Mr. Sempre, I have made a breakthrough, it is finally ready. I am now able to revive your mother. The technology is available to you, immediately, should you wish to use it.”

“Yes, yes, Doctor! But we must hurry. Father needs her to wake up. He wants rid of Jon-7!” Sempre blurted, his emotions beginning to consume him again.

“I will be there at 11:45am, Mr. Sempre,” replied Tamashito.

Sempre quickly went into the Cryonics System to tell Sashan the news.

In a few minutes he was standing there, in front of the dome.

“So-David
-nnmmmnn-
Tamashito
-nnmmmnn-
is-coming
-nnmmmnn-
That-is-wonderful!”

“He will be here at 11:45, father.”

Sashan blinked his nod of acceptance.

“David
-nnmmmnn-
I-know-I-have-not-got-long-left
-nnmmmnn-
Remember-that-I-need-you
-nnmmmnn-
to-complete-my-work
-nnmmmnn-
Tell-me-again-that-you-will-see-it-through
-nnmmmnn-
to-its-end?”

“Yes, of course, father, I will.”

“The-NITs-are-the-main-weapons
-nnmmmnn-
But-the-manual-contains-the-reasoning
-nnmmmnn-
the-philosophy
-nnmmmnn-
my-philosophy-David
-nnmmmnn-
You-must-follow-the-manual-exactly!”

Sempre had read the manual many, many times. It bored him.
Philosophy? What rot! When will I get to do things
my
way?!
He let his guard down and made an insolent nod and shrug. Sashan saw it immediately.

“You-must-do-as-I
-nnmmmnn-
say!” he scolded, from his dome.

“I AM!” shouted Sempre.

Sashan’s eyes emoted a flash of fire that reminded Sempre of his early youth. He cowered slightly, as he spoke. “I’m sorry father. I didn’t mean to shout.”

His attempt to mollify Sashan was unsuccessful.

“Leave-me-now-boy
-nnmmmnn-
I-need
-nnmmmnn-
peace”, Sashan said, irritably, then closed his eyes.

The dome dimmed, and Sempre sullenly left the systems room.

09:10 - Tuesday, July 31, 2187 (Starship Argon, nr. Reis-91)

There was a light knock at the cabin door. Mikita got up to answer it and found Zanthu standing there, looking sheepish.

“I think I owe you an apology, Miss Smith,” he began.

Mikita let out a small sigh of relief
, and said: “For what, Zanthu? And please, call me Mikita.”

“Yes, as you wish… Mikita.”

They looked at each other. She felt that same feeling she’d experienced in Florina’s car, when she saw Zanthu’s face for the first time on The Zip.

“Oh, come in, please,” she said, attempting to cover the moment.

“Thank you.” Relied Zanthu as entered the room and turned to face Mikita. “Yes, an apology. For the way I talked to you. I was cruel.”

“No, no.
” she replied. “How were you to know that I wasn’t really working for TAPCON? I mean, I was dressed like an agent, acted like an agent. There was no way you could possibly tell.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. But I am usually
so good with judging a person’s soul. Usually... But, with you, Mikita, it was hard. It was clouded somehow. I couldn’t see through my own anger. I am sorry.”

“Don’t be, please?
For me?”

Zanthu smiled.

Mikita looked at him. He was not handsome, not in the typical Earth-based way, at least. He was just so… unusual looking. The hair, his skin, the clothes. And such strong features - the high cheekbones, the violet eyes, animal-like in their sharpness. It was all she could do to stop from staring. Zanthu could sense this and took Mikita’s hand.

“I look strange to you
, yes?”

“Yes, um… No. I mean, you look, um… fine… great.”

“
Thank you, Mikita. And you look great too.” said Zanthu, with a laugh. “Really great, actually,” he said, seriously this time.

Mikita blushed, again. She’d blushed more in the last 24 hours than in her entire life
! She knew the reason why, but being aware of it all the time, being so self-conscious, only made things worse.

Zanthu
continued. “Mikita, you have the conducting gift, do you not? You can channel the Golden Circuit, yes?”

“Yes, Zanthu. I can. But, the control part - I’ve no skill. At least, not yet.”

“My brother, Leylaan, he was the same. Until they came. The Guardians. But, by this time, he was 19 of your Earth-based years. He started late. Almost too late, they said. When we were younger he nearly killed me several times, with his lack of control. And they have come for you? The Oort Cloud people? They have come, recently?”

“Yes, they came two days ago.”

“And what did you tell them, when they asked you to go to their planet?”

“I said
I could not go. That I had no choice but to stay in Muhaze.”

“But why? You must protect yourself from its power. It is so dangerous without the lessons.”

“My reasons… are difficult to explain. There is a lot about me that you don’t know, Zanthu. Things I’ve done. Things I regret. You see, I’m in trouble, with TAPCON. That’s why I’m here, to pay back for my sins.”

“Your sins?”

“Yes. The Golden Circuit, it came out wrong and I ended up… well -”

“Hurting someone? From TAPCON?”

“Yes.”

“The Circuit is to blame, Mikita. Not you. That much I know from Leylaan. He told me
: ‘The Circuit is indifferent, like the universe itself’. That is why you must go to Plaateux-5. Do not hesitate, Mikita. If something ever happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Mikita saw that Zanthu was upset at this. It touched her deeply. “But Zanthu, we hardly know each other, why would you feel like that?”

Zanthu was a Code. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was not good at hiding his emotions. “I know my feelings well, Mikita. When I first saw you, I knew that our futures were connected, somehow. Our destinies, they are as one.” He paused and laughed at his words. “I’m sorry, that may not make any sense to you.”

“No, Zanthu. It makes perfect sense. Perfect, perfect sense.”

Mikita stepped closer to Zanthu, and he, to her. Mikita’s legs shook as Zanthu bent forward, leaning in to her, closer to Mikita’s mouth. She trembled as their lips touched.

For a few brief seconds Mikita knew a happiness that she'd never experienced before. For a moment
, all her troubles vanished. And now, standing there, she felt a soft, golden glow within her heart and began to feel healed herself.

“I must go,” said Zanthu. “I must get back to Spoolu.”

“Yes, Zanthu, of course.”

“And you must think of what I said, Mikita. The Oort Cloud people… Plaateux-5… our destiny.”

“I will, Zanthu. I will, and thank you for the… information.”
Oh, Mikita.

Zanthu smiled as he left the cabin. “Goodbye, Mikita,” he said softly.

“Goodbye, Zanthu,” she replied.

For some reason, it felt like a real ‘goodbye’.

09:13 - Tuesday, July 31, 2187 (Starship Argon, nr. Reis-91)

“Satyagraha!!” boomed Jameson’s voice over the basecamp. “Satyagraha!!”

McGilvary had flipped the switch for the Argon’s outside speaker system and Jameson was going live to Reis-91.

The assumption that the Froome were not there appeared to be correct. A few guard-mutants came running out from the five-sided temporary build wondering what the noise was, but that was all they got for a welcoming committee. There was no Jon-7 or raucous Froome types, anywhere. And when the mutants heard the activator word, they all started smiling and shouting: “Welcome! Welcome, everyone! We help you! We help!”

“McGilvary, you’re in charge. Tell Ω, Hellius and Crim to
go and get the Pan working. Try and bring as many hostages back as possible. But don’t overload the Pan. It’s not flown for a few years.”

“Yes, sir. But Captain Jameson… Me? In charge?”

“Yes, McGilvary. You’re ready. Go. And, for Herra’s sake, take Lead-Out here with you. If I have to watch her moping about wishing it was her that was putting on the body armour for a second longer, I’ll combust.”

Lead-Out beamed from ear to ear: “Thank you, sir!”

“Don’t thank me, Corporal. Not yet. There may still be some hostile humans out there. We best to be on the safe side. Besides, I think we’ll need your people-skills with the Tamashito family, and there will be others... OK. Good luck. See you in Muhaze Parc, kids. Meet you by the electro-swings,” said Jameson, with a wink.

Within the hour, McGilvary and her small unit were on the surface of Reis-91. It was a bleak landscape; the surface being a dusty grey colour and mostly flat, with no real distinguishing features. The deadly atmosphere certainly didn’t help the feeling of hopelessness that permeated the moon, either. Knowing that the slightest tear in your suit would mean instant death, was not a comforting concept.

The mutants met them at the fence surrounding the base and opened the gates.

They drove straight in.

Hellius, Crim and Ω went on with one of the guards in a small lunar vehicle to find the Pan, while McGilvary and Lead-Out made their way to the dwellings entrance.

The Lieutenant used the activator, once again, for insurance. “‘Satyagraha’, my mutant friends,” she said.

“Oh
, yes, satyagraha, Lieutenant. How may help you, ma’am?” said one of them.

“Please, show us to the hostages… I mean, to the guests
, here at the camp. We have orders from TAPCON to take them back to Muhaze on the Starship Pan.”

“Yes, Pan is all ready, ma’am. We keep ready to fly. Nice and polished. Has fuel.”

Another joined in. “Sometimes we try fly it. Not far, ma’am. Just in hangar. Lift off - touch down - lift off - touch down. Very exciting!”

“Oh, OK,” said McGilvary, surprised. “That’s good to know… Now, please show us the guests, if you would be so kind?”

“Yes, ma’am. You follow.”

McGilvary and Lead-out went through into the five-sided central area. They removed their helmets and packs and looked around the facilities.

What they saw there shook them to the core.

Coming off the pentagonal hub
, were five long corridors, each with doors leading to small rooms that housed the families of the blackmailed TAPCON workers.

There were hundreds of people here.

Hundreds of people who belonged to a family somewhere back on Tapi-36, whose loved ones were being coerced by David Sempre into doing his dirty work for him.

They’d all come out of their rooms and were standing motionless, staring at McGilvary and Lead Out. Blank faces wondering whether they were in trouble. Wondering who the strange people were that had arrived. Strange people
, from somewhere they could not go, not now, not ever.

“Hello,” said McGilvary.

A quiet chorus of ‘hellos’ came back, in return. Meek, frightened voices echoing down the five hallways to where the two women stood in amazement.

McGilvary was so moved, she felt a lump in her throat and tears come to her eyes.
But, somehow, she found the capacity to speak. “We have come for you. We have come to take you home, back to Tapi-36. Back to your loved ones.”

Lead-Out could feel her heart breaking
, as she looked around the makeshift camp. Then, to her amazement, a little girl of about 9 years old ran down one of the hallways. Her black hair was in a bowl-shaped haircut and her dress looked like she'd been wearing it since she was 6. She stopped, and looked up at Lead-Out.

“Hi, there. And what’s your name?” Lead-Out asked.

“My name is Wind Tamashito. I’m 9 years old. How old are you, lady?”

“Oh, I’m old enough to know when someone is making fun of me,” she said, smiling at the pudding-haired child.

“Our father, he is here, now?” asked Wind.

“No, little one. No, he’s not. But he
is
on Tapi-36 waiting for you to come home. We’ve come to take you there.”

“But, Miss. This is our home. Reis-91 is our home. And I have school tomorrow. I will get in trouble if I miss it.”

“No, Reis-91 is your
old
home, and you’re going to go to a new school. You’re going to a place where you can go outside and breathe the air - and play with Daddy! How does that sound?”

The little girl spun round, excited. “Mother, we’re going to a new home, with Daddy! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Mary Tamashito slowly stepped out of her room and into the hall. She looked drawn and tired. “Is it true? Is it true you have come to take us back to Muhaze?”

“Yes. It is, ma’am. It’s true,” said McGilvary.

Mrs. Tamashito felt her legs give way beneath her. She began to weep with joy. “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

“Our pleasure, ma’am,” said Lead-out, tears welling up in her own eyes. She was glad to be back in the field - even though she was not yet firing a Pro-Cannon.

The Starship Pan
was stored in a hangar about 3 kms from the base. The road was well built and the journey only took a few minutes.

The
tarmac stopped at the front of the hangar. It went no further. The hangar and a small landing area were the only structures visible.

The Argonauts got out of the vehicle
, while the mutant went to open the hangar doors. He raised a hand-held to the locking mechanism, and the doors began to slowly move apart.

T
here, inside, was the Pan, shining like a pearl in its shell. It had been immaculately preserved by the mutants of Reis-91. They had lovingly cared for it over the years, even creating a daily rota of restorative works that needed to be carried out. It was a relic from a bygone age, but one that was fully working and in pristine condition.

“Well, drain me sideways,” said Gadget. “You fellas have really done the business on the old Pan, haven’t you? What a babe!”

“Yes, Pan is babe,” said the mutant. “We love Pan. Very much. Now you need take it?”

“Aye, pal,” said Crim, hardly containing her excitement. “We take, I’m sorry.”

“We sad.”

“Yep, it shame,” said Ω. “Bu
t orders are orders, my friend.