Spark the Runner Ch. 02

"When I realized they were after your digital signature, I started looking for our likely points of intersection with anyone who could sample you, and of course, the first major one will be the Customs clearing station on Mars. Guess what... they're as dirty as they get. Easily a third of their agents have ties back to either the Blood Alliance or one of the mobs they control. And general law enforcement on Mars isn't much better. They're going to put you through a wringer."

Tonya smiled slightly and softly shook her head.

"Okay, you're smiling," Spark observed. "What's funny and why aren't you worried?"

"I love that you have come to think of me as human, Jamie," she told him. "You make me feel real... feel alive. But I am not truly human, and with this much advance warning, I can screw up their search. I have already altered my DNA a little, to aid in the change in my appearance. In a week, I can alter my DNA signature enough that it will confound any data collection system they may use."

"You can do that?" Spark was astounded.

"My love," she continued to smile, "do you remember the first time you jacked into me? How I was different people to you, changing as I wished? The little girl, the street samurai, the enchantress... I can do the same with my DNA as I can with my meta signature. It just takes longer and a lot more effort."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Spark was still trying to adjust to the idea of Tonya being able to change her DNA like she could change her meta.

"Keep Okami busy," Tonya laughed. "I will need to spend the time I am not working for Chief Schmidt, in the Mess, here in our quarters in a form of meditation. Okami has come to depend on us -- on me, primarily -- to keep her libido in check. In fact, I think you should consider adding her to our 'family' while we are on Mars. She can be very useful running the Plex anonymously, and sex with her is extraordinary, to say the least."

Spark regarded the beautiful woman before him. Okami hadn't been wrong when she characterized having sex with the bitch as being akin to a religious experience. In fact, the only other lover he'd had with as much intensity was Tonya. Living is a threesome with the two of them was going to tax him beyond belief. But... he had to smile... what a way to go!

"Okay, you do your thing, I'll take care of Okami," Spark told her. "But I think I'm going to throw some red herrings anyway."

"What have fish to do with evading capture?" Tonya asked and Spark was certain the naiveté was real.

"It means to do something intentionally misleading," he told her. "To send them in the wrong direction."

"Oh, you mean lozhnyy sled. A false trail, or clue," Tonya nodded her understanding. "Very well, husband, you go ahead and throw fish." She paused a moment, then wrinkled her nose at the taint a spacecraft picks up over time, no matter how good the air purification systems are. "Just not around here, please. It is bad enough as it is."

"There is one other thing you could turn your attention to, Jamie," she added thoughtfully. "We will need to change the biometrics on my ID to match whatever I end up with. I am not sure this ship will have the necessary equipment. We should probably find out before we try to pass through Customs."

"On it," he told her. "Ready to get some sleep?"

"Unless you need me in order to sleep, Jamie, I think I would rather get started on the necessary changes. Did you save the encrypted markers?"

"I did, and you can pick them up over our link," he told her. "I'm tired. I'm going for some toes-up time." He went ahead and sacked out while Tonya ran through his mind and found what she needed, then turned her concentration inward, to begin the tedious process of altering the most basic marker for carbon-based life.

* * * * *

Please don't be stupid, Ricardo, Spark thought as he carefully constructed a multileveled, encrypted message to an old buddy of his, still gainfully employed by the Interplanetary Defense Service as an ethical hacker... the guy who tested the IDS' new systems to find the holes, before they went live. Just see past the bullshit marriage announcement and figure out what I need you to do...

The need was to create an official looking trail that had someone matching Tonya's construct identification headed to VORS -- the Venus Orbital Research Station. Ricardo could do it, and he could do it on the down-low. He'd just have to remember that Jamie McLeod was one of Spark's aliases.

That message constructed and sent, he turned his attention back to a problem that had been nagging at him since liftoff. When he had been checking out the ship, he'd noted several control systems on the verge of collapse. Definitely a wounded bird, he'd thought. Any one of them going down would be a problem, but two of the thrusters used during landing were ready to fail and if they did, either on orbital insertion or actual descent and landing, it was going to be the end of the road for the entire ship and its crew. Ironically, the packing crates would probably survive.

After collecting as much in the way of diagnostics as he could, he packaged it up and waited for Okami to relieve him. Then he P-com'd Tonya that he was going to be late, because he wanted to see the Captain.

Since it was shift change and the XO was coming on while the Captain was coming off, he had to wait about fifteen minutes before the yeoman took him to the Flight Room and told him to wait. Five minutes later, the Captain entered and Spark stood up, mostly out of deference. The Captain nodded to him and told him "sit." Spark sat. She poured a cup of something from the sideboard and came over to sit across from Spark.

"I'm told you've got something important for me, Comm," she stated, opening the conversation.

"Yes, ma'am, Captain," he nodded. "We're going to crash and burn when we get to Mars unless we fix a couple of your thrusters. More specifically, their controls."

"Okay, you've got my attention," she told him. "Lay it out."

Spark pulled the data drive from his pocket and plugged it into the A/V display unit, throwing a schematic up on the flatscreen.

"You've got six primary thruster groups, separate from the maneuvering jets." He wasn't telling her anything new and she just looked at the screen impassively. "Numbers 1 and 5 are critical..." He adjusted the display to show the diagnostics, most crawling by in red. "If they go during orbital insertion or --"

"Descent and landing, we're toast," Captain Germaine interrupted him. "Both on one side. We're a meteor. I'm impressed. How did you find this? Everything was green for liftoff."

"I'm a wirehead, Captain, or was in a previous life," Spark decided to level. It was probably in his jacket anyway. "Makes me good at what I do. During pre-flight, I was jacked in, running your control systems. Most of this ship is cobbled together beyond belief. It's a miracle it flies. Something just didn't sit right for me with the thrusters. Navigation and Life Support, too, by the way. So in my bored out of my skull time, I started running diagnostics. Not the standard Flight Service Center stuff... some heavy duty, 'I want to know everything about you' stuff. And this is what I found."

"Can it be fixed?" A simple question with a complex answer.

"I don't know, ma'am," Spark started.

"Mike," she interrupted him. "In this room, I'm Mike. You've earned it. Tell me about I don't know."

"It depends on what kind of spare parts you've got onboard, Mike. Most freighters run lean and mean. More weight envelope for the cargo. I can tell you what needs replacing, but you'll have to have your Ops guys chase down the parts."

"If we don't have them?"

"Swap the control units around while we're in mid-flight so the failing ones are 3 and 4... the middle ones on each side. Then if they go, you still have a chance of controlling your descent. It'll be a hard landing, but you'd survive it."

"Works for me, Comm," she nodded. "Send the parts list to Grimm. She can shag the parts. So what kind of bonus do you want?" She'd apparently done these kinds of negotiations before.

"No bonus, Mike," Spark told her seriously and got a raised eyebrow. "Only thing I'm interested in is a Drexx 2KT or similar. I'd like to borrow some time on it, if you've got one." The Captain actually smiled.

"An encryptor," she told him. "Government issue for biometrics. Pretty rare outside the Gov..." She paused for a moment regarding him. "Is this going to come back to bite me in the ass?"

"No, ma'am," he shook his head. "Just gotta do some recalibration. I'm taking a chance that with the sensitive cargo you're hauling, you might have one."

"Well, actually, I might just have one tucked away somewhere," she told him with a slight smile. "Or something like it. For emergency purposes only, of course."

"Of course," Spark nodded, keeping it serious.

"When do you want it?"

"In about five or six days," Spark told her. "I'd rather recalibrate before we enter Mars' electromagnetic field."

"See me after shift change in five days," the Captain told him, rising. Spark stood with her. "I'll get you set up. And Comm?..."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Thanks. I'm sure you can see yourself out."

Spark took his leave and headed back for his quarters. Access to the encryptor was going to make fudging Tonya's IDs a whole lot easier. He'd probably have to fuck with its programming, but the physical functions of the machine would get him past the big hurdle.

* * * * *

"Can you do what you need to do within the next five days?"

Spark was back in their quarters, explaining to Tonya the Captain's quid pro quo.

"I will have to," she answered seriously. "Whatever I can get done, I will. Will you need my presence, or will a vial of my blood be sufficient?"

"A saliva swap would probably be sufficient," he told her. "That's mostly what they use at Customs, although we'll have a higher match with the blood. I don't think you need to be there. And raise less suspicion with whatever crew are in the area."

"I think the only suspicions circulating among the crew are that you probably had to blackmail me into marrying you," Tonya smiled. "I think I have won the hearts... and stomachs... of many of them."

"Pussy flavored quiche?" he asked, somewhat seriously.

"Not yet," she smiled. "Go ahead and get your rest. I will continue working on my changes. If Okami shows up after second shift, you two can take the bunk. I will simply sit over here and work on myself."

"Thank you," Spark smiled slightly. "You are probably saving my life."

"In what way, husband?"

"By taking yourself out of the sexual equation. The two of you together would kill me in short order."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," she reassured him. "Now go get some sleep."

Spark didn't need to be told twice. He slipped out of his flight suit and into the bunk, slipping off to sleep almost immediately -- a pattern that would be repeated until they reached Mars.

* * * * *

It turned out they didn't have the parts for the thruster control units, but they were able to swap them around so the middle two would be the failing ones. The word had gone out to the crew that it was going to be a hard landing and not to ignore any of the usual safety precautions. Five days after his meeting with the Captain, Spark was given access to a Drexx 2KM -- similar enough to the KT to do what he needed it to do -- and two hours later he had a new set of biometrics on Tonya's ID badge.

Tonya's changes to her DNA didn't reflect in her physical appearance. She'd managed to keep the same look while altering internal systems -- heart, lungs, musculature and so forth -- so that it wasn't apparent that anything had been altered.

Spark, as Jamie, got a congratulatory message back from IDS Captain Ricardo Sperry indicating he would definitely have to meet the woman capable of making Jamie renounce his confirmed bachelorship and assume a life of marital tyranny. The encrypted submessage simply said "done."

Feeling a whole lot better about getting through Mars Customs, Spark spent the last two days before orbital insertion going over the Nav and L-S systems, trying to shore them us as best he could. He also delivered a sealed envelope to the Captain, with instructions to open it after they had successfully landed and cleared Customs. Captain Mike didn't know it, but Tonya had provided written instructions on how to access an account on Earth, opened in the Captain's name and set up especially to fund the critical repairs to the Aquila. Tonya had figured a 5MCr donation would probably help.

The ship finally reached the Orbital Insertion Point and all hands went to General Quarters. The maneuvering thrusters worked flawlessly and they entered their routine glide with no mishaps. When they began their descent and the main thrusters came online, things got interesting.

Spark hated I told you so. Especially when it was two of the six main thrusters going belly up within minutes of each other. They were already without their artificial gravity because the Queron drives had been shutdown at the OIP. Now the ship was shaking like crazy as the remaining four thrusters tried to compensate.

Strapped in his station, jacked in and monitoring as many of the control systems as possible -- certainly all the critical ones -- Spark just had to wait out the ride. Even with only 40% of Earth's gravity, the landing was still going to be a rough bump. They had a fairly large pad to hit, and anything that didn't break off the ship would get towed to the pressurized hangar.

Any chiropractors on Mars, after this landing, are going to do a land office business, Spark thought wryly. Hopefully, Tonya and Okami are well braced. I'd rather walk through Customs than be carried through.

He had to admire Capt. Mike's skills. Watching their descent metrics, he could see they were going to hit their mark. The problem was, it would be somewhere between 10-15mps. And that was going to be one helluva bounce. The landing gear would probably get crushed, Spark mused, and the tow rig would have to fit them with roller jacks. Until they were secure in the hangar, he was stuck in his station.

The shaking got worse but Capt. Mike kept their attitude relatively steady. The impact warning lights and klaxons came on and probably annoyed the Captain as much as the crew, because she turned them off soon after.

"Brace for impact! Brace for impact!" blared out over the PA and then the annoying countdown. "...five... four... three... two... one..." KA-THUDDD!!! Spark felt like all his teeth had been jarred loose. But they weren't moving, they were alive and there weren't any hazard alarms going off. He listened to the whine of the thrusters powering down and thought, Mike, I'll fly with you any day...

He did a quick check-in with Tonya and Okami and found they were okay. Okami indicated she might need some kind of special medicinal massage later, though. Tonya's dry "I take it landings are not normally like this" got a chuckle. Spark started through his post-flight while the tow rig crew got out the ship and started hooking it up. His goal was to be able to walk off the ship the moment they were secure in the hangar and could debark. He didn't make it. Just as the hangar doors were closing and the pressure was coming up, the PA blared again.

"Comm to the bridge. Comm to the bridge." Well, fuck! Spark thought. Let's see what they want...

He P-com'd Tonya and Okami and told them where to meet him, asking Tonya to grab their gear. Then he made his way to the bridge. The Captain was waiting for him.

"Okay, Comm," she started. "One, thank you. We're down in one piece. Mostly. Two..." she pulled out the envelope. "Do you know what this is?" Spark could see that it had already been opened.

"A gift horse?" he ventured. "One whose mouth should not be inspected?"

"Is it going to bite me in the ass?" she asked. Same question as last time.

"Nope," he told her. "The new wife comes from a wealthy trust fund. She wanted to thank you. It's a blind account in your name, nothing to tie it to anyone. Spend it in good health."

The Captain looked at him again, longer this time. "Do you know how much is in here?"

"Yes, ma'am. We hope it helps. And if you don't mind, we'd really like to beat the rush through Customs." The Captain looked thoughtful before she finally nodded her head.

"Go on. Get out of here. Good luck with your honeymoon."

"Thanks... Mike." Spark gave her a tip of the hat, turned, and headed for his rendezvous as quickly as he could. They were still at 40% Earth normal gravity. The Blokhintsev Generators wouldn't kick in until they entered the terminal building proper, so he ended up bouncing rather than walking his way to Tonya and Okami. He was relieved to see them both there, with all their gear.

"Okay, we're doing the Customs walk the normal way," he told them, picking up his duffel and Tonya's. "ID's ready, we're just plain working folk, blah-blah-blah." The other two just shrugged. They'd been to this dance before. When they entered the Customs terminal, though, Spark hesitated a moment.

"Well, shit..." he intoned, slowing his walk but not stopping. "They've got the new fingerprint/DNA samplers. Nuts. Okay... I'll lead. Lizzie, you're with me. Okami, you can come with us or pick a different line. It won't matter."

"We are friends, Jamie," Okami told him. "I will go with you."

Together they made their way into one of the lines servicing the crews, rather than the tourists. When they got to the inspection station, Spark led.

"Anything to declare?" the bored agent asked, holding out his hand for Spark's ID badge.

"No, sir," Spark answered, with a tinge of friendly, as he handed over the ID.

"Hand on the scanner," the agent told him, not even looking up as he inserted Spark's badge into the reader.

"Sorry, that's not going to work," Spark told him and immediately got the agent's attention.

"What's that?" he asked, looking up and taking in Spark. "Why not?" Spark held up his hands.

"Insulation grafts," he explained. "I work with delicate electronics, so I had 'em grafted. The fingerprints won't read right." He ignored mentioning the DNA scan. Better if they thought he didn't know about it.

"Okay, say 'Ahhh', wise guy," the agent told him and when Spark did, he took a swab of his mouth. The agent pressed a button, then told Spark, "you go sit over there while we run this." He pointed to a bench just past the inspection station. "Next!" He definitely looked up as Tonya stepped forward and handed him her ID.

"Anything to declare?" he asked as he noticed the name on her ID.

"No, sir," she smiled.

"You related to him?" he asked, pointing at Spark.

"Husband," Tonya continued to smile. "Just."

"Hmm... you got a similar problem?" he asked, nodding in Spark's direction.

"No, sir," she smiled, holding up her hands. "He does the work. What do I do?"

"Place your hand on that sensor, ma'am," the agent softened a little. "It will scan your fingerprints and you'll feel a little tingle. Nothing to worry about." Tonya did as requested and the agent compared the scan to her badge's biometrics. Satisfied, he handed her back her ID. "You can go wait with him until he's cleared," the agent told her. "Next!" Tonya moved on as Okami stepped up.

"Oh, lovely..." the agent commented as he took Okami's ID. "You 'Lupes always have screwed up scans. Open wide..." Okami complied as they took a saliva swab and directed her to go wait with Spark and Tonya.

"Why do you have a problem with the scanner?" Tonya asked as Okami joined them. Okami held up her hand.