Fallen Earth (First Colony Book 15), page 13
Ethan returned the smile and tipped his head to the side where Cynergy stood. “I see you sent out the big guns to get me here.”
Clip grinned. “I knew she’d get the job done.”
“How’d you know that I’d be back so soon?”
Clip scratched his chin and glanced at Cynergy for a second. “Call it a hunch. Regardless, you’re here. What I want to know is whether you’re able.”
Ethan frowned. “Able to do what?”
“We’ll get to that in a second. Cynergy tells me there’s something you want my input on.”
A message alert appeared on his internal HUD. The message header contained the CDF emblem. “Excuse me for a second,” Ethan said and stepped away from them.
He opened the message and quickly read it. Then, with a slight shake of his head, he turned back to the others.
Clip regarded him for a few moments. “More good news?”
Cynergy frowned. “What is it?”
“My request for resources to investigate what I found on Mars has been denied.”
Clip tilted his head to the side with pursed lips. “What’s this about Mars?”
Ethan told him about the mission and finding the hidden research base.
“Better Research, Better Tomorrow…” Clip said and considered it. “I’ve never heard of them.” He shrugged. “No one really keeps track of corporations from that long ago.”
Spacers had spent the better part of two centuries salvaging what they could from what the Vemus left behind. Why would they pay attention to the corporation names? He could see how those names would lose meaning as the decades went by.
“They destroyed the mine then?” Clip asked.
Ethan nodded and Clip looked as if he’d expected it.
“You can’t be that surprised, Ethan.”
“They could’ve waited. There was so much we could’ve learned from that site.”
A shuttle flew high above them, and Clip glanced up at it. Then he looked at Ethan and shrugged. “The priority is to rid the entire solar system of the Vemus. The site is marked for future reference as a potential place where resources can be found.”
“The Vemus were half dead already.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. They’re still dangerous, even if they were starving,” Clip said and gave a slight shake of his head. “It’s remarkable that they survived all this time.”
“I didn’t have time to consider it.”
Clip chuckled. “Point taken, Ethan.”
“So, what do you intend to do now?”
“The last communication to the research base indicated that they were moving Vemus research operations away from Earth. Other facilities had gone offline.”
Clip nodded. “Presuming they’d lost control of whatever experiment they were conducting, I’m afraid you’ve set no easy task for yourself. What I can’t figure out is why you would bother when there are so many other things that need to be done.”
Ethan inhaled a breath and thought about it. “It’s important for us to understand the origins of the Vemus.”
“That’s easy. Early records indicate it came from the Pacific Ocean,” Clip said.
“Suspected origins,” Ethan corrected.
Cynergy frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that there are no actual records indicating that we know where the origins were. The little we gleaned from their invasion fleet was that they first appeared in the Pacific Ocean and began attacking Asian Alliance territories.”
She nodded. “Leaving a search area of roughly half the planet. The thought of spending years aboard a submarine doesn’t appeal to me.”
He smiled. “Me either, but my point is that all we have are rumors. The records were lost when Earth was quarantined.”
“Not entirely,” Clip said. Ethan’s eyebrows raised. “There were many origin stories concerning the Vemus that occurred during the fall—so many that it became obvious that no one had any idea of where the origin actually was.”
Ethan held up his finger. “Or they were hiding it in plain sight. If they couldn’t contain the location of the Vemus origins, they could bury it amid a barrage of false leads, essentially squandering all attempts at finding it.”
Clip regarded him for a few moments. “I thought you were supposed to be a pilot.”
“I’m also a pilot.”
Clip arched an eyebrow.
“I spent most of my childhood chasing mysteries with my parents—Ovarrow, Krake, ryklars, and more.”
“I’m familiar with the Ovarrow, but those others I’ve never heard of. New Earth must really be something,” Clip said.
Ethan nodded, thinking about home. “I’ll tell you about it sometime, but do you understand why finding the Vemus origin is important?”
Clip’s expression became serious. “It depends on what you find.”
He glanced at Cynergy, and she looked serious as well. “Why?”
“Because, Ethan, whatever you eventually find could be used as justification for certain kinds of decisions that have no standing now.”
Ethan blinked. “I don’t understand.”
Clip glanced around, making sure they weren’t overheard. “The CDF still has no idea as to the identity of the aliens who moved your probes here. Correct?”
“No, they don’t. We just know that there is no natural occurrence that could explain it. There had to have been a third party involved with it, but we haven’t found any evidence to support it. They left no trace, and the probes were gone.”
Clip nodded. “We must then seriously consider that the Vemus are of extraterrestrial origin.”
“Wait. What?” Cynergy asked.
“It’s a theory,” Ethan said.
“More than a theory, I should think,” Clip said.
“Unless there is proof, it can only be a theory.”
Cynergy shook her head. “Wait a second. How could the Vemus be from aliens?”
Clip lifted his chin toward him, and Ethan nodded.
“First off, it’s a theory. The Vemus pathogen represents a symbiotic relationship between a virus and a bacteria, and it’s the viral portion that enables the bacteria to alter the DNA of the host. It spread itself among mammals, first in the ocean and then on land. Diseases that cross species aren’t common and are difficult to manufacture. That’s as much as I know about it. My sister is more of an expert on it and could explain it better.”
“I still don’t see how the extraterrestrial origin fits into all this,” Cynergy said.
“I don’t know that it does,” Ethan said.
“Indeed,” Clip said. “But it is a real possibility, and if we chase that possibility to its conclusion, it could cause even more of a division among us.”
Ethan shook his head. “You’re making a whole lot of assumptions.”
Clip shrugged.
“I’d rather know the truth.”
Cynergy stared at him. “Why? Why do you need to investigate this at all? It’s in the past.”
Ethan considered his reply for a few moments. “Because it could give us a clue about the aliens that transported the probes.”
She frowned and looked at the ground for a few seconds. “Are you worried about them? Is the CDF concerned about them?”
“They’re an unknown, and they’ve demonstrated that their technology—at least as far as traversing space is concerned—is superior to ours. If there’s a link between the Vemus and whoever these aliens are, it’s something we need to investigate.”
Cynergy looked as if she wasn’t sure whether to believe him. She glanced at Clip.
“Those are obviously valid concerns, but my concern is a bit closer to home. Finding this will cause divisions among us even more than there already are,” Clip said.
“Not investigating this could hurt us even more in the long run.”
“You both have made your points,” Cynergy said.
Ethan wanted to push further. “I don’t want to cause even more trouble for hybrids.”
“I know that,” Clip replied.
“Will you help me investigate it?”
Clip pressed his lips together. “I need some time to consider it. It’s not that I don’t want to help, but I only have so many resources available. Actually, that’s one of the reasons I had Cynergy bring you out here.”
Ethan shared a look with Cynergy. “Something about not having enough to do.”
Clip smiled. “More to the point, Ethan, I can use your help. If the CDF doesn’t want to use you, then I could.”
“What do you need my help with?”
“There have been reports of encounters with strange animals west of here. Cooper has gotten reports from hybrids of encounters with Vemus west of here also, but they don’t measure up to what we know about them.”
Ethan rubbed his chin and considered this for a few moments. “Why doesn’t Cooper bring this issue to the new alliance being proposed?”
Clip stared at him for a moment. “The new Earth Alliance hasn’t been formed yet. He’s concerned about the reactions to it, so he’s asked me to take a group to investigate.”
Ethan glanced around the camp. “Just hybrids?”
“It’ll be a mixed group, much like what I had up there,” Clip replied, gesturing toward the sky.
“I could try to get the CDF to put some people on it.”
Clip shook his head. “Not yet. They’re spread rather thin these days.”
He looked at both of them. They seemed to have expected this from him. “I need to think about it.”
Clip nodded. “I expected no less from you.”
Ethan smiled. “That’s good. I almost thought you were going to insist that I make a decision right now because you were about to leave.”
Clip chuckled. “No. No, that wouldn’t be fair. I can delay for a day, but not much more than that. I have some scouts yet to come in.”
Ethan looked around the camp and nodded.
Clip stepped toward him. “Look, if you help me with this, I promise to help you investigate the Vemus origin. Call it a trade. How does that sound?”
Ethan regarded him for a few moments. “It sounds good, but I still need to think about it. Make sure I’m not in violation of some kind of restriction.”
“They sidelined you, Ethan. They don’t know what to do with you.”
He didn’t like to be reminded that the CDF didn’t seem to know what to do with him, but that didn’t make what Clip was saying incorrect.
“I don’t get it, Clip. You’ve got lots of people available who would help with this sort of thing. Why are you so keen on getting me on board?”
Clip scratched his beard and then stretched his arms out in front of him for a second. “You’re right. I do have other people I can bring with me, but you’re good. Really good—one of the best I’ve ever worked with. You’ve got a good sense of things, and you don’t lose your head when things get tense. If all I needed was a couple of scouts with rifles to do the job, I wouldn’t be asking you for help. You know things. Both your training and your upbringing make you unique. If the people running the CDF are too stupid to put such an important resource to work, all the better for me.” He paused for a moment. “Plus, you’re one of us. We both know it. That doesn’t mean you’re not in the CDF or even a colonist, but still, you’ve got a stake in this.”
Ethan sighed. “A foothold in two worlds…” Clip frowned, and Cynergy stared at him, looking concerned. “It’s something Qenirian said to me. He’s the Ovarrow ambassador.”
“What did he say?” Cynergy asked.
“He said pretty much what Clip just said. I’m part of two worlds now,” Ethan said and paused for a moment. “I appreciate it, Clip. I just need a little bit of time.”
Clip smiled. “Good, because a little bit of time is all I can give you.”
Ethan and Cynergy walked back to the rover. It was a quiet ride back to the city.
“What are you going to do?” Ethan asked.
“Clip has me gathering some supplies. What are you going to do?” she asked.
Ethan couldn’t help but think that he’d somehow disappointed her. He reached out and covered her hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I’m going to weigh some options.”
She sucked in her bottom lip for a second. “Ethan, I know that being part of the CDF means the world to you. Okay, I know it. I respect it.”
He stared at her for a moment. “But?”
She covered his hand with hers. “That’s it. I just wanted you to know that I understand how caught in the middle you are. I’m with you no matter what you decide.”
Ethan leaned in and kissed her. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
He watched her for a few seconds as she drove away.
15
Ethan didn’t return to his quarters after Cynergy dropped him off. He went to a mobile workspace and began using one of the open workstations. It was a small office that was available to him, and he’d shut himself inside. He opened a holoscreen and stared at it for a few minutes, unable to decide what he should do first.
He thought about his conversation with Lauren. She seemed determined to find a way to reverse hybridization. He didn’t want to think of it as a cure. He didn’t know what it should be called, but referring to it as a cure put a lot of negative connotations on hybrids.
He opened a data session and scanned for nearby communications arrays. A network had been established between the major cities in the area, but Ethan knew of a small array that was dedicated to scanning for open communication sessions and cataloging the hits it received. There were satellites orbiting the planet that were in low-power mode. Power cores became depleted over time, but what they’d discovered was that during the quarantine of Earth, a general configuration update to communication systems put them into low-power mode to conserve the energy required to keep those systems running. Ethan didn’t think the people who’d executed those orders thought it would require those protocols to preserve functionality of those systems for over two centuries. Over the short time that the CDF had been here, it had built up a catalog of satellites and other communication systems that were still online, even if they were on standby.
Ethan configured his query to trace communication signals during a specific period within an acceptable window around the time the research station on Mars received the update. He assigned the query a medium priority so it wouldn’t impact the higher priority work that was already being done. He was hoping his query would avoid notice. If there was a discovery made, he’d have a decision to make.
He set up a separate data storage allocation and a check-in from his personal wrist computer. It was an added step, but it would also help him avoid attracting attention. His was just another query running among thousands of others at the same time. The system was available for him to use, so he wasn’t breaking any rules, but if he was discovered he could be ordered to stop.
He closed the data window and leaned back in his chair, staring at the holoscreen for a few moments and thinking. Then he opened the communications interface and paused. If he contacted his father, it would likely result in him being reassigned. His father could override a lot of bureaucracy because of his rank. But that assumed there was absolutely nothing wrong with Ethan. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with him that would make his performance unpredictable while on duty, but he didn’t want to make that call to his father. Technically, he was under General Sean Quinn’s battle group. Anyone who knew anything about General Quinn knew that he’d been a close family friend, and he’d been referred to as Uncle Sean growing up, despite having no actual familial relationship with him. At some point, Sean would be made aware of his current status and would make a decision. He just hated being sidelined when he was fully capable of carrying out his duties. He’d gone from leading a Talon V strike group to a glorified lab rat in the span of a few months, and he was getting tired of it. Also, he didn’t want to put his father in a position where he’d be inclined to give him special treatment. It was an unspoken rule between them. His father would never compromise himself like that, and Ethan would never position himself where it became an issue for either of them. Stubbornness was a family trait.
Ethan sighed, feeling a little isolated. There was one person he could contact who had no direct ties to the CDF, but he knew she was busy. He also knew she’d always take his call. He keyed in his mother’s comlink and she answered.
“Ethan! How wonderful to hear from you,” she said and frowned, glancing at the upper left corner of her screen. “What are you doing back planet side? I thought you’d been reassigned.”
News hadn’t traveled fast.
“Uh, I was, and now I’m back for further evaluation.”
He watched as his mother walked into a quiet room and sat down. “Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.”
He smiled. “It’s only been a day or so. Are you busy?”
She smiled. “Not for you, I’m not. If you’ve got some downtime, why don’t you come join us for dinner?”
Ethan frowned. He could arrange transport to them, but they were in another city and he didn’t want to leave Cynergy. “Mom, I can’t tonight. I need to work on something, but I could also use some advice.”
His mother’s eyebrows raised a little and she smiled. “Well, you’ve come to the right place.”
He blew out a long breath and smiled a little. “It seems like they don’t know what to do with me,” he began. “I can’t go into all the details, but I don’t know what to do. How long should I cooperate before I draw the line and start pushing back?”
She frowned. “Who doesn’t know what to do with you?”
“Sorry, I guess I came at you in mid thought. There’s a reason I’m calling you. I needed to speak to someone outside of the CDF, and…” He didn’t want to say someone who wasn’t a hybrid either, but he was sure his mother could guess.
She bobbed her head once. “I think I understand,” she said and paused for a moment, considering. Then she smiled at him. “You’re so much like him, you know.”
When Ethan reached a certain age, that was the one consistent thing that was said of him by close friends and family. The people who knew his father well often remarked on how Ethan reminded them of his father. It was something he’d learned to embrace and draw strength from.
