Journey of Rick Heiden Ch. 41-42

"Magnar believes the nano technicians have the best chance of helping them."

"People know that Amaré is incapacitated," I said. "Has the next person in line assumed the position of Prime?"

"I do not know, but the database lists Gabe as the next in line after Dmitry."

After having slept, I realized something about the memory enhancement. We process memories from our short-term memory to our long-term memory while we sleep. The memories held in the quantum lattice are no different in that regard. I must sleep to remember with it. After having rested, something nagged me. I didn't have enough sleep that night with Cadmar, and as the day wore on, my mind couldn't think at its best even with the afternoon nap. I had slept enough that morning to recognize that something seemed wrong. A few inconsistencies had popped up in my mind, and something told me to look again. I had a tough time figuring out the problem, and then I had a conversation with Venn.

In the light of day, and a modicum of rest, I felt the need to see Pearce. I recalled that I left my bike at the hospital before David flew us to the temple with his flight pack. So, rather than take the ship, I had Venn drive me, figuring I would ride the bike home. I wore the clothes cleaned from the previous evening, and they did need replacement. I would send the buttons to Svend for use on future garments and recycle the remains.

We had a warm, humid morning from the previous day's rain, and not a cloud in the sky. On the busy sidewalk that morning, I noted more than a few turned heads and surreptitious whispers as I stood at the lay-by waiting for Venn. The instant I sat in the transport, the windows created the roof to encapsulate me.

"You appear rested," said Venn, "and I'm pleased you need me this morning. If you hadn't, I would have contacted you. Do you have your communication link on?"

"Yes, but there's no reason to worry about that anymore."

"Please, humor me and turn it off," said Venn.

I did so. "What's the matter?"

"We have a problem."

"We have at least a dozen of those, Venn."

"No, this is a new problem," he said, "There was something wrong with Dmitry."

"Yes, I saw. After what he did, I think no one could doubt Dmitry had something wrong with him."

"Mason didn't know how to act last night, so he allowed me to listen in. As a linguist, you should understand what I will tell you. Dmitry had something different about him, not just his behavior, which I judge as abnormal. I have analyzed his voice and word usage. I have determined he had an 18% difference in his language and a 74% difference in his tone."

"Oh, how can you calculate that?" I found the notion particularly incredible.

"I beg you not to reveal this to anyone, but I remember everything spoken in the transports. It's not something I go out of my way to do; it's part of how I function and not much different than how your enhanced memory remembers things. Over the jears, I have carried Dmitry often, alone and with Amaré. Without exception, Dmitry has had a calm and peaceful demeanor. His tone last night did not mesh with any of the conversations I have overheard before. His word usage included phrases that I had never heard him say, Dmitry would never use the phrase 'the night wanes,' for example."

"I understand," I said. "Before last night, I had met Dmitry once, and even with the limited speech I had for reference, I thought he had something different about him. He didn't call me Mr. Heiden either, which seemed uncharacteristic. Of course, I've never understood why he and Amaré call me that, and Amaré had only recently begun calling me Rick on occasion."

"Dmitry and Amaré are reserved and respectful people," said Venn, "especially to people they trust and consider friends, of which they have a rare few. I would consider them exceptionally private. In secret, they have been a companion to one another for centuries. I know this because I have transported them together, and I can translate Japanese."

"Gabe told me that Amaré didn't trust Dmitry," I said.

"He is either mistaken or lying," said Venn.

"The story he wove hinged on it. Are you sure about their relationship?"

"I'm positive," said Venn.

"So, Gabe lied to me? How can I know you're not mistaken?"

"Amaré asked Dmitry to share his English with him," said Venn. "Does that sound like the actions of someone who doesn't trust Dmitry?"

I took a deep breath. "No, it doesn't," I said. "Then why did Dmitry do everything he did?"

"I've given that considerable thought over the last few hours," Venn said. "There is one answer that seems most probable; we have another Prime Sharer on Jiyū who made Dmitry do it. From your information, it sounds like Gabe. As the fourth oldest elder, he would have known Aurum like the other elders. He must have had the opportunity to become a Prime Sharer long ago, and he took it."

"Oh damn," I said, "what's his motive? And why me? Do I exude gullibility or something?"

"I do not know his motive," said Venn, "unless Dmitry gave us a clue last night. Gabe may want to stop Amaré's plan from continuing, as third in line, with Amaré and Dmitry out of the way, he becomes Prime. As for why he chose you, I think Dmitry said it last night. People like you, Rick. You engender trust. Your say-so has more power than you realize."

"I don't know about that," I said. "Do you know Amaré's plan?"

"No, I do not. Amaré may have told no one."

"Gabe must know it if he wants it stopped," I said. "I wish David hadn't left."

"I could contact Magnar, and the three of us could have a discussion."

"What would we say that Dmitry was 74% out of sorts and didn't call me Mr. Heiden? No, that's not enough. An analysis of Dmitry's temperament and word usage is no more evidence than the fact that Gabe lied while alone with me. It's my word against his, and Gabe did an excellent job making himself look like the hero protecting Amaré. He even stood by David, and I believed him when he said he was David's man. I don't get that. And, if Gabe possessed the Prime Sharer enhancement all this time, why did he wait so long to do anything?"

"We don't know that he waited," said Venn, "but you could ask Gabe."

"No, he'll just go into defense mode and deny everything," I said, "and I can't prove otherwise. Besides, it would give it away that I know. Something David told me repeatedly, do not give away your element of surprise. You and I know that Gabe is most likely guilty. For now, that will have to do. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"You're welcome," said Venn. "I must leave knowing when to act up to you. You're in more of a position to do so than me."

I saw my bike on the rack before I entered the hospital. Apollo greeted me upon entry, and after a few minutes in the waiting room, Klementina, the clinician in charge that morning, came to meet me. The pleasant, black-haired, black-eyed, pale-skinned woman had a Russian accent that had diminished from living on Jiyū for decades.

"Good news," she said, "Pearce has regained consciousness but is sleeping. He told us he wishes to speak with you when you visit, so come with me."

She led me to the trauma unit where Pearce would stay until the next day. I couldn't help but notice how much he contrasted the others. Medical personnel had wrapped his head in a bandage, covering his eyes, but even in his state of rest, his mouth moved occasionally, and he would adjust his body to find a comfortable position. I felt some relief seeing someone animated in a hospital bed.

"Good morning," I said.

He smiled and turned his head slightly in my direction. "I told you I would get us out of there," Pearce spoke in a quiet voice and sounded a little groggy. He held his hand out.

"Yes, you did." I held his hand. "Have they given you a prognosis?"

"The swelling around my visual cortex has blinded me," he said, "and I have one devil of a headache."

"I bet. Does Jiyū not believe in pain medications?"

"I've taken pain medication," he said.

"Ah, so either it's not effective, or you're one lucky man to have it."

"No, you're the lucky one," he said, smiling. "I bet you don't have a scratch on you."

I sighed. "All my wounds are internal, I'm afraid."

His smile vanished in the sober reality of the previous night's repercussions. "I heard about Maggie," he said, "I'm sorry."

"Maggie, of course, but you as well. I don't want to lose any of you."

"I don't remember the incident itself," he said, "I must assume you saved my life, so thank you."

"Anytime." I squeezed his hand.

Klementina came back to tell me Pearce needed to rest. I asked her about his sight before I left. "Since the problem is at the point of his visual cortex and not his eyes," I said, "can you restore his sight?"

"Yes, with synthetic connections. With the help of the nanos in Pearce's body, the swelling should go down quickly. A day or two, and then we'll know more."

"Can I keep my eyes," said Pearce, "or can't I?"

"That's hard to say," she said. "The brain has a certain level of plasticity and, therefore, can overcome many things. The connections to your eyes may be enough to allow normal vision, but there's only one way for certainty. You could have the full replacement, and it would work with no difficulty. We'll know what we're working with when the swelling has gone."

"Do you oppose having synthetic eyes?" I asked him.

"I fear they may frighten my son," he said, "but I want to watch him grow up."

"We will do whatever we can to keep your eyes," she said, "but we make no guarantees."

I told Pearce I would return the next day and left to visit Maggie, but I ran into Magnar on his way to see the Americans.

Magnar entered the hospital as I waited for the lift where he joined me. "I'm pleased to see you up and about," he said.

"Yes, I'm not one to sleep all day."

"That's good, no sense in letting your circadian rhythm become unsynchronized. Watch the sunset this evening; it will help. I presume you're here to see Maggie."

I nodded. "Have you come to see how our Phalin friends are faring?"

"Lopez is conscious and asking to speak to someone. I would appreciate it if you joined me. I want your input. Also, it seems that my voice upsets Mr. Greco."

"Really?" I tried not to sound sarcastic. Magnar's tone often sounded too matter-of-fact, and his voice, deep and gruff, so it wasn't surprising Greco's nerves couldn't cope with him.

"I would make a poor diplomat," said Magnar.

I looked at him. "You have a child to help raise. So, unless you intend to act as a dictator rather than a parent, you should work on those diplomacy skills."

We entered the lift. "Cadmar told you about that, did he?" he asked.

"Was it a secret?"

The Trust held the mercenaries from Phalin on the second floor. Magnar had placed two guards outside their door and one inside the room. Greco and Lopez were lying in their beds. They looked better. They appeared clean, and their skin was healing quickly. Lopez lay on his back, wearing a webbed, immobilizing body-cast that screwed on. It had holes all through it to allow the skin to breathe. He saw us as we entered the room.

"I hear you wish to speak with someone," said Magnar. "I'm listening."

"Are you the one in charge?" Lopez asked, glaring up and down at Magnar. "Oh, that's right. You don't have anyone in charge."

I didn't allow Magnar to respond. "Did you have something to say," I said to Lopez, "or did you just want to disrespect the culture of the people who saved your life?"

Greco had turned over in his bed when Magnar first spoke, facing us. "Ask them," he said to Lopez.

"Have you told our people what happened?" asked Lopez.

"No," said Magnar, "we're not exactly on speaking terms with the primitives."

I elbowed Magnar. "We don't know who we should contact, or for that matter, how much we should tell them."

"That's true," said Magnar. "Any information we give them would tell them what they want to know. It's better for us if they know nothing."

"Not even our families?" asked Lopez. "Wallen, Tourney, and Coulter have died. Their families should know."

"They will know, given time," said Magnar.

"Greco says that Coulter's body lay crushed on the machine," said Lopez. "Have you removed it and given him a burial?"

"No," said Magnar.

"No?" Lopez scowled.

"No?" I asked.

"No," said Magnar shaking his head, "and we won't."

"Why?" The furrow between Lopez's eyebrows deepened in anger.

"I owe you no explanation," said Magnar. "I will tell you that eventually, we will exhume the other bodies and return them to Earth where they belong."

Lopez looked at Magnar in disgust. "You leave a dead man's body exposed like that? Animals do that."

Magnar leaned over Lopez. "Unlike your own, we have a peaceful culture. I will point out that we've never bombed anyone, and if we ever resorted to such barbarity, we would never bomb civilians. With honesty, can your country say the same?" He looked at both men in their beds. "Have you asked all your questions? I have other things to attend to."

"What will you do with us?" asked Greco.

"For the moment, you are convalescing," said Magnar with as much sympathy as he could express. "Nothing will occur until the clinicians have declared you both well. For your peace of mind, Mr. Greco, at that point, we will not torture you, we will not imprison you, or send you to a concentration camp. One day, you will go home to your families, and until then, you will remain a guest on Jiyū for the duration. But...the same rule continually applies; your treatment will correlate with your behavior. We will meet kindness with kindness. We have respect for one another as one of our founding principles. I suggest that you both acquire some and that especially goes for you, Mr. Lopez."

"Do you have any other questions?" I asked.

They indicated they didn't, and with a nod to our Trust member guards, we left for the end of the hallway. Once we neared the lift, I pulled Magnar into a vacant room, and I made my inquiry.

"I've seen the body on the portal, why would we leave it there?

"I understand, no one wants to leave it," said Magnar, "including myself. It remains for an early warning signal. When they clear the portal site of stones in Japan, the portal will send the body back to Earth. Leaving it on the portal gives us an advantage."

"Can the garrison contact us to tell us of any change there?"

"As of this morning, yes. Cadmar took them a communication node," he said. "Before you hear it from anyone else, this morning, two members of the Trust and I searched for Aurum's vault. We made it to the fake vault door you told me about last night, but we saw no key in the wall and no hole."

"That can't be!"

"Don't worry," said Magnar, "I believe you, but someone has managed to conceal it again." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "As you're on your way to see Maggie, I should tell you that I also saw Aiden this morning. I told him what happened since you were resting. He didn't take it well."

I knew Aiden had fallen for Maggie, and I had both the pleasure and responsibility for his having done so. I cared about Aiden's friendship, and I loved him as much as I did, Maggie. I introduced them and gave them my approval of one another, and they took it from there. I could tell he loved her, but he hadn't realized the depth of that love until she lay beyond his reach. As is my nature, the pain of others affects me profoundly, especially when it's one of my friends. I hurt when they hurt, and I could think of little I wouldn't do to alleviate it for us both.

After having left Magnar, I stepped to the doorway of Maggie's fifth-floor room down the hall from the lift. They gave her a bright and colorful room in shades of purple and red. Aiden sat with his back to me in a chair at her bedside holding her hand, talking to her unresponsive body in his much-improved French. I heard his repeated plea for her not to leave him, and I couldn't bear it, so I left.

I rode my bike back to the penthouse, thinking, and crying on the way. I stopped crying once I had determined to do the most dangerous thing I had ever done, and after having met David, I had done some dangerous things.

With the earlier conversation with Venn still fresh in my mind, I relied upon bloody hope once again, tapping behind my ear. "Iris, I would like to speak with Gabe, please."

After the usual greeting, I gave him no time to say much else. "You don't have to say a word, Gabe. I want you to listen. You've won. You have the power as Prime to halt Amaré's plan. I know that's what you wanted. I also know that you're the one who created the NP device with the viral code. You're also smart enough to build into it a means to reverse it, and if you have, I beg you to release them. If you do, Amaré will retire. It won't take much convincing; he wanted to retire anyway. He will not get in your way. Dmitry's problem no one can fix, I realize that. He's done unforgivable things, even though you made him want to do them, and no, I cannot prove any of that. At this point, Gabe, I don't care. You have nothing to fear from me. You have won completely. But I swear on my honor that I will never mention this to anyone if you let them go. I can only hope that you will show mercy. Amaré did what he believed he should. That doesn't make him right; it makes him human. Maggie and Neal found themselves caught in the fallout; I understand that now. So, I give you my word, and if they awaken, I will know you have accepted my offer."

I kept peddling, listening for a response; anything that told me Gabe heard me and acknowledged my words in some manner, but I heard nothing, and then the communication ended on the other side. I deactivated my link with Iris. My mouth went dry, and I moved to the sidewalk as the blood had drained from my face. I felt nauseated and more than a little dizzy. I had a tough time trying to catch my breath. A cold numbness began as I started to sweat. I had gone a minute into what I recognized as a panic attack when the Berlioz landed on the road next to me, which drew the attention of more people on the sidewalk than my obvious distress had. I opened the hatch, and the bike slid into the ship at an angle. I buckled into the starboard jumpseat and asked the Attendant to take me back to the penthouse.

I had taken the chance of willingly wearing a bullseye, knowing I stood in the company of someone who had no reason not to shoot me. Did Gabe have a better nature? I knew that if my offer left him unsatisfied, he could eliminate me, and he would have solved his problem.