Great North Road

  ‘Karizma, I need active sensors on the ground, too. Is that within our microfacture capability?’

  ‘I think so, yes,’ said Karizma Wadhai, the camp’s microfacture chief. ‘Once we’ve tweaked the template for this environment my team can churn out enough microwave radar and laser trips to ring the perimeter. Might take a day or two for that many.’

  ‘I want two rings,’ Vance said. ‘An inner one for the tents and buildings. That has to be functional for tonight. Then get the camp perimeter covered by tomorrow. After that we’ll talk about extending coverage outside, to see if we can catch the things coming.’

  ‘No problem.’

  ‘I also want everyone issued with protective armour vests. There’s enough in store. I know it’s hot, but they are to be worn without exception and at all times. This thing goes for the heart each time.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Doctor, did you get anything from her smartcells?’

  ‘No, I’m afraid I couldn’t,’ Dr Coniff said. ‘Something ripped the software in all of them. All higher functions were glitched. Frankly it’s a miracle her bodymesh called for help, but that functionality is hardwired in. Very hard to disrupt.’

  ‘So there’s no way we can see what attacked her?’

  ‘No. The visual memory cache was empty.’

  ‘Okay, well that just reinforces what we already know. The aliens understand our technology.’ Then he told them the good news, that reinforcements were on the way. That there wouldn’t be any more sampling missions. ‘Basically we spend the rest of the week sitting tight and maintaining our own security. I believe we’re more than capable of that.’ He felt like ending the briefing in a prayer, but reluctantly declined, knowing the upset that might cause. He needed the department heads to believe in him, which given their backgrounds would only come if they had confidence in visible ability and strong leadership.

  As soon as the briefing finished, Marvin Trambi called him over to where the mobile biolabs were parked. ‘We may have a bigger problem,’ he said, indicating the door of biolab-1.

  Vance looked at the long scratches in the bodywork around the door handle. ‘Oh my good Lord preserve us,’ he muttered softly.

  ‘How did it know?’ Marvin asked. ‘How did that thing know what was in here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Vance admitted. ‘But Antrinell and I were asking the same question back at the MTJ crash site.’ A whole new universe of worry was opening up: that the aliens had infiltrated HDA, that they had been studying humans for the Lord alone knew how many years – decades even. ‘Maybe Iyel said something. We never did find him.’

  ‘Iyel didn’t know about this part of the mission.’

  ‘He was smart. He could have worked it out. I suspect most of the xenobiology team has. After all, the missiles take up quite a bit of volume in the lab.’

  ‘Not visibly, but yeah, you may have a point. The xenobiology team all know the vehicle’s basic layout, they know we’re missing some volume.’

  ‘Is there any chance it can get in?’

  Marvin shook his head. ‘Not by hitting the door with its spiky flint axe, no. This baby was designed to be Zanth-proof. You could let off a tactical nuke a kilometre away and all that’d happen would be a few blisters in the paintwork. You need the access codes and the right biometrics.’

  ‘It disabled the net. It has more than a spiky axe.’

  ‘Maybe it does, but think on this, even if it got in and acquired the warheads, what’s it going to shoot them at? They’re only effective here. It’d be killing itself and its own planet.’

  ‘Alternatively, it would be stopping us from using them.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Marvin agreed grudgingly. ‘But HDA will just send another batch through. If it knows anything about us, it knows that. We wouldn’t have any choice. Remember, we can’t fight another species – we can’t afford it. The Zanth is our enemy. It takes everything we’ve got.’

  And all we can do is run from it. ‘What does the biolab log show?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Marvin said. ‘Something ripped the external smart-dust.’

  Vance reached up and touched the biolab, moving his fingertips gently, almost reverently, over the scratches in the metalloceramic bodywork, feeling the roughness under his skin. He didn’t like to think of the force needed just to create such hairline marks. ‘This is their target,’ he decided. ‘We provoked them bringing this here.’

  ‘Provoked them? They slaughtered a whole bunch of us. They’re still doing that.’

  ‘We invaded their planet.’

  ‘I can’t believe you just said that. If there was any sign of sentient life, this whole world would have been quarantined immediately.’

  ‘Then we didn’t look hard enough,’ Vance said. He was rather enjoying how calm he was, how rational. He was close to meeting another child of God, how could he not be enraptured by that?

  ‘We need deployment authority,’ Marvin said. ‘Just in case. Have you spoken to Vermekia?’

  ‘No. Not yet. But Passam is causing a small problem.’

  ‘What kind of problem?’

  ‘She’s deflecting the blame back onto Angela. My guess is the Commissioner is rather worried about the evidence the police have been turning up back in Newcastle. To them it looks like a North family fight. I admit, I was thinking the same thing myself until last night.’

  ‘That moron bitch. Has she tried asking Esther her opinion?’

  ‘I’m sure Passam will come round eventually. In the meantime, I’ll call Vermekia. But we have to direct our resources on securing this camp. The MTJ crash has left us very short on Legionnaires. Convenient, that.’

  ‘Oh hell. We’ve really been caught out, haven’t we?’

  ‘Understandably. There is no evidence that any animal sentient evolved here. But then, it’s hard to see how the plants evolved here, as well.’

  ‘So . . . you think they’re not indigenous?’

  ‘I’ve always questioned that. But I suspect we’ll get the chance to find out soon enough now.’

  *

  Actually, standing behind the canteen counter in the mess hall was a pretty reasonable viewpoint. Rebka could watch a lot of the activity going on outside. The Legionnaires going from tent to tent, waving their guns around as they went in to see if an alien monster was lurking in the shadows. The AAV crew prepping an Owl for flight. The microfacture team vanishing into their office to begin work on the sensors that Elston had ordered. Then the colonel himself, suddenly hurrying off towards the vehicle compound. She couldn’t see him directly, the clinic and administration Qwik-Kabins were in the way, but last seen he was heading for the end where the biolabs were parked.

  As Wukang’s net rebooted it was soon handling dozens of links as everyone started analysing their situation. Bandwidth along the e-Ray relay to Abellia was reaching capacity limits as people called family and friends.

  Rebka’s e-i called Madeleine’s ‘father’. ‘Hi, Dad,’ she said as soon as he came online.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Clayton 2North asked.

  ‘Really bad. Someone was killed last night. They think it was an alien that did it.’

  ‘That’s horrible. Are you okay?’

  ‘Yeah. The Legionnaires protected us all night. We’re safe now, and more Legionnaires are on their way; they told us this morning.’

  ‘How about your friend? Is she safe?’

  ‘Yes. I saw her this morning. She’s still alive.’

  ‘That’s good. Was she anywhere near the killing?’

  ‘No, Dad, she didn’t see anything. She wasn’t close enough.’

  ‘So are they going to bring you all home?’

  ‘Not just yet, no. We’ll be here for a while, I think. They’re starting to issue us with protective gear just in case.’

  ‘Smart of them. Make sure you wrap up well with some of your own clothes.’

  ‘Don’t fuss, Dad, I know how to take care of myself. How’s your new job?’ r />
  ‘I’ve fitting in just fine. They’re a good team.’

  ‘I’m glad. Has Aunt Jane turned up yet?’

  ‘No. But we’re very close to finding out where she went. I’m expecting some good news in the next few days. The police have been really helpful with that.’

  ‘I’m sure Grandpa will be pleased to know.’

  ‘He is. He’s proud of you, too. He asked me to say that.’

  ‘I’ll be back soon. I’m going to bring you all presents when I come.’

  ‘Love you, darling.’

  ‘You too, Dad. Bye.’ The link ended, and Rebka collected another tray of breakfast packets from the kitchen. Lulu was taking the rubbish bins out to the compactor. Her eyes had the tell-tale purple speckles of swarine spore infection, but Rebka could see the poor girl had been crying as well. She sat down next to Lulu and put her arm round the frightened girl.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting this,’ Lulu said weakly. ‘Everybody’s getting killed. I thought the Jeep accident was bad, like, but this. I can’t hack it. I thought I could, but I can’t. Something evil is out in the jungle. It’s going to get into the camp again. I know it is. It’ll come for us. I’m really scared, Madeleine. I want to go home.’

  ‘Hey,’ Rebka squeezed her gently. ‘We know it’s there now. The Legionnaires won’t let it come through again.’

  ‘Aye, pet,’ Lulu said, and rubbed at her eyes. ‘Do you think?’

  ‘Put it this way, love, do you really think Omar’s going to let anything dangerous get close to you?’ Rebka had spent a month now watching Private Omar Mihambo flirt with, then blatantly entreat before finally begging Lulu to go take a walk into the jungle with him one night.

  ‘We didn’t, you know,’ Lulu said regretfully. ‘Just snogged, like. I’ve got a boyfriend back in Benwell.’

  ‘Yes.’ Martyn, who Rebka now knew more about than she did Raul back home on Jupiter. Lulu never could shut up about him. ‘But Omar’s sweet on you. He’ll make sure you’re safe. So try not to worry, okay?’

  ‘Aye.’ Lulu sniffed loudly. ‘Look at us two, like, on another planet with a killer alien running round, and all we can do is chat about the fellas.’

  ‘That’s what keeps people going,’ Rebka said. She felt so sorry for the terrified girl. Keeping cover in the face of such blatant human distress, not offering out-of-character assurances, was turning out to be the hardest part of the mission. She hadn’t been expecting that. In a way she almost envied Angela – keeping her own myth going for over twenty years. That level of resolution was inhuman. A thought which made her snort in amusement.

  ‘What?’ Lulu asked.

  ‘I was just thinking, pet, the fellas are probably talking about us, too.’

  ‘Aye. That Chris on the Owl team, he fancies you something rotten, you know.’

  ‘I noticed.’ Weeks of not understanding the unsubtle hints and deflecting endless cliché lines had brought her close to smacking the stupid remote pilot. ‘Look, they’re going to hand out the armour vests soon. Promise me something. I know they’re going to be really hot, but wear it. All the time, pet, not just when we’re dishing out crud in the mess tent, okay? For me? I want to know you’re safe.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Luther Katzen came bustling out of the kitchen tent. ‘There you are. Come on girls, we’re not paying you to sit around moping. I’ve got another dozen meals ready to go front of shop. Please!’

  Rebka gave him her best stone face. ‘You’re not paying us to be targeted by a killer alien, either, yet here we are.’ She walked past him, ignoring the startled look on his face. Lulu followed, carefully keeping her eyes averted from the supervisor while grinning sheepishly.

  Rebka was busy handing out breakfast packages to the subdued medical staff when the news about the sunspots flashed along the e-Ray relay. Her immediate – and dumb – reaction was to glance up at the burning glare point that was now well above the horizon. She immediately had to blink away the pink afterimage smears.

  Wukang was a few degrees east of Highcastle, so their dawn arrived earlier than it did in the planet’s capital city. Not that anyone on the expedition would be bothering to check the star, she thought. From the few reports slipping into the transnet it seemed to be pure chance that Rozak Ueu had spotted them at all. His real interest was in the orbital dynamics of the outer ring shepherd moons, which he was studying at sunrise. He only noticed the sunspots because there were so many of them. Sirius was a potent star, but ever since the Norths had opened the gateway, sunspots had been minimal. Rebka wondered what the new outburst would do to the solar wind; active regions which accompanied sunspots on Sol were the source of flares which shot vast quantities of high-energy particles into space. They used to practise flare emergencies in the Jupiter habitat.

  *

  She’d been twelve going on thirty when they had their first flaredown party. That was what the children called it. To the adults, it was just another rad-haz downtime drill.

  She’d been swimming with her brother Raul and their friends Jenna and Ibiqu in a shallow lake near her home when the eerie siren wail sounded across the habitat. The light bracelets around the axial spindle shifted to a strong red tint, and began to pulsate. Rebka stared up at the signal in rebellious annoyance. Her personal interface, in the form of a cute blue and green bead necklace, was lying on the shore next to her towel and clothes. Nobody could call her directly to urge her along to the shelter hall. No one would know if she spent another ten minutes in the water. It was such fun splashing around, diving down to the artificially sculpted lake bed with its freshwater coral growths. The fish were all large, colourful, and curious about the interlopers in their aquatic world.

  ‘Come on,’ Raul called. He was treading water three metres away, beckoning her on.

  ‘I think I’ll just stay here for a bit,’ Rebka said.

  Jenna and Ibiqu stopped swimming and stared at her in a mix of shock and surprise.

  ‘It’s a flare warning,’ Raul said, as if that should explain everything.

  ‘It’s a practice. And anyway, even if it was real, the particle storm wouldn’t reach us for another couple of hours. And even then it wouldn’t affect this habitat. Our shell has arb molecule shielding. It’s only the original sections where it’s a problem.’ As if to emphasize the point, she duckdived smoothly, swimming down to the sandy lake bed with big easy strokes. The once familiar topography was now different and mysterious in the dusky red light. Long sluggish ribbons of weed wiggled round her as she slipped between the coral bulbs, tickling her skin. Fish darted about, vanishing into fissures. She played grab at them with her fingers.

  A hand closed tightly round her ankle, and she twisted in surprise. Raul was there, cheeks all puffed out, pointing vigorously at the surface. Rebka spread her arms wide in a theatrical surrender, and kicked lazily for the surface.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ Raul stormed when they were back on top. All big brother protective and angry.

  ‘You’re so government,’ she taunted as they headed back to shore where Jenna and Ibiqu were already getting out. ‘You should join the GE Commission. They love ordering people about.’

  ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he grumbled back. ‘You listen to your lessons, but you don’t understand them.’

  She ignored him as they quickly towelled down. He was being equally stubborn, pretending she didn’t exist. Jenna went over to him. Rebka watched as the girl put her arms round her brother’s shoulders. A tender touch, as if she could ease away his frustration and upset.

  Some instinctive unease made Rebka realize she wasn’t going to be tagging along with Raul much more. He preferred hanging out with friends his own age these days. She resented that; Raul had been such fun since she arrived home from the hospital. Exciting, protective big brother, rampaging through the habitat, getting into trouble together. Laughing together. Daring each other on. Sharing punishments when they inevitably got caught.

 
Perhaps that was why she was so hard on him these days. She’d always known this time would arrive . . .

  The shelter hall wasn’t exactly a hardship. A long windowless structure of thick arb-coated metal with corridors branching into igloo-like communal chambers. There was food and games and a little theatre show in the evening for the kids.

  Rebka sat through the amateur ‘all-join-in’ sing-along production of Snow White with a sullen sulk, refusing to open her mouth at even the most jolly of songs. She didn’t sleep much that night in the girls’ dormitory, preferring to play the most aggressive games her interface could access – and she knew some good work-round routines to get at the 18+ section of the habitat entertainment net. Thank you Krista – now that was somebody who knew how to be a proper elder sibling.

  She was expecting the full censure and smart talking to from her parents when they went home the following morning. But they knew her moods and responses better than she realized.

  It wasn’t until four days later that her mother sat down with her on the broad patio area, under the shade of the burgeoning palm trees that were now overwhelming the house.

  ‘So what was wrong with the shelter hall?’

  Rebka sighed long and hard. She might have known it wasn’t going to be overlooked. ‘Nothing was wrong with it. I was just having a nice time in the lake. I was coming anyway, you know. Raul is just such a panic-merchant.’

  ‘Actually, Raul is quite remarkably sensible for a teenager. I was expecting him to be the troublesome one.’

  ‘Meaning what? Meaning I am? Well why don’t you just send me back, then, if I’m so much trouble?’ Arms folded stubbornly, pouting as far as her lips would stretch.

  ‘Send you back?’ her mother said in a clear tone that made Rebka realize she might just be overdoing the drama.

  ‘Well, come on. I’m not stupid.’

  ‘No. Just obstinate. That’s what I like about you.’

  ‘Mum!’ She held up her hand. ‘Difference. Yeah?’

  ‘Certainly is. So?’

  ‘You’re about as black as possible; Dad was born in India; and my skin’s so white you’d think I was covered in snow.’