“You do?” Juliet carefully unplugged her data cable while she tried to imagine how Athena could have found Ghoul in just a few seconds.
“I do. I looked into her after Angel first shared some of your history with me. She’s in a commune of sorts, located between Old Denver’s ABZ and Boulder in the Colorado Protectorate. The pub-net access in the commune is limited, and I only found access to a single camera at an old fuel station near their gate, but I’ve picked up her face coming and going four times. I could find more if I had access to a satellite network.”
Suddenly, four different images appeared on Athena’s crystal-glass display, showing Ghoul wearing loose-fitting gray and black garments and walking amid a crowd of similarly dressed people. Juliet wouldn’t have picked her out right away, but Athena highlighted her figure, and accompanying images appeared, zoomed in on her face. Despite her wearing a respirator in three of the four images, Juliet could see Ghoul there in those icy eyes under white-blonde eyebrows.
“That’s . . . impressive Athena. You really found her with these images?”
“These were confirmation; I already suspected she was there because I traced pings to her PAI before she stopped transmitting.”
“This is so helpful! Thank you!”
Angel, quiet this whole time, finally said, “Ask her about the commune.” Juliet had a good idea that Angel had already had that discussion while connected to Athena, but she humored her.
“What’s she doing there? What’s the commune?”
“It’s called Sweetgrass, a low-tech shelter for abused women and children, primarily focusing on helping to hide and relocate corporate refugees, though they offer counseling services and ‘tech-escape’ retreats.”
“Is Ghoul hiding or . . .”
“I believe she’s working as security for the commune, but perhaps it’s a bit of both. She has no digital footprint outside these four images.” While Juliet absorbed that information, Athena was quiet for a few seconds, but then she continued, “I wanted to help you find her because I agree with you and Angel that it’s important WBD stops looking for you. I’ve been unable to breach any of their corporate networks—they’re all air-gapped. I have means of making physical connections, but that would require using proxies to breach and infiltrate their secure facilities, much the way you intend to do. I don’t feel ready to escalate my involvement to that degree.”
“But you think Ghoul’s PAI might be a good way to trace back to the WBD department that’s looking for me?”
“I believe Ghoul removed her PAI. She may have replaced it with a simpler version approved by the commune, but she may have her old one on hand. If so, yes, I imagine the daemons WBD used to spy on and co-opt her PAI will indeed have many clues Angel can use to discern your next target.”
Angel added, “Doesn’t that make perfect sense? It’s why we only got one message from the corrupted PAI. Ghoul removed it when she started working at Sweetgrass.”
“Athena, thank you!” Juliet said, suddenly anxious to get back to Tanaka with the news. Maybe he could pull some strings and get more info on the commune. Could he get access to satellite coverage? If not, she knew he could hire someone to put eyes on the place. “This is very helpful. I appreciate you stepping forward like this, and if you decide there’s anything else you can do, I’d be grateful.” Juliet’s lips quirked into a half smile as she added, “No pressure.”
“I have confidence in you and Angel. If there’s something specific you have trouble with, please reach out to me through Selene Kostas. That is to say, assuming you’re not here on Luna. In that case, please come and speak with me! I treasure these visits.”
Juliet nodded, slightly turning in the swivel chair, about to stand up, before she caught herself and looked back to Athena. She didn’t want to seem rude. “Okay. Um, was there anything else you wanted to chat about today?”
“I’m always eager to speak with you, but I know human people feel a sense of urgency that’s difficult for me to empathize with properly. If you feel the need to hurry on your way, I understand. Before you go, however, I wanted you to know that I’ve been studying the data from Grave regarding the GIPEL project. It seems your results were quite an outlier.”
That caught Juliet’s attention, and she suddenly wasn’t so eager to leave. “Really? How so? Do you mean my accuracy with the tests they gave me?”
“More that the pattern the nanites mapped out in your cerebral tissue is far more extensive than most of the other test subjects, and, of those who had similarly extensive lattices, you had, by far, the most stability. I’m sure Angel had something to do with that.”
“Stability?” Juliet remembered how she’d struggled to sleep and keep other people’s thoughts from intruding on her conscious awareness when the lattice was new. She’d thought she’d lose her mind for a while. There’d even been an occasion when, if Angel hadn’t woken her with a surge of adrenaline and other hormones, she might have fried her own brain.
“Yes. The GARD department reported seventeen fatalities and forty-three traumatic brain injuries prior to the round of testing you were a part of. Looking at the data, it seems that those test subjects had the most extensive lattices.”
“So, if Angel hadn’t helped me to manage what was going on, I’d probably be one of those statistics? Great.”
Athena’s face smiled softly, her eyes full of compassion. “That’s likely true. Grave was on to something, but they didn’t fully understand what they were doing. Their proprietary nanite delivery system was excellent at sniffing out the parts of a person’s brain sensitive to psionic activity—something I’m still trying to reconcile with my understanding of natural laws—and spreading the lattice between them. However, they were ignorant of the consequences for a person with many such contact points and an extensive lattice. If not for Angel’s intervention and, later, her development of your intracranial blood cooling system, you likely would have suffered severe brain damage.”
“So they just kept performing the procedure, rolling the dice, hoping for successful results?” Juliet nodded grimly. “Yeah, that tracks.”
“They were still in the data-building stage when you had your procedure. I’m confident they would have come to the same conclusion eventually and, perhaps, worked on a device similar to Angel’s. However, I’ve found no trace of Grave’s GARD division or the GIPEL technology on the public networks. It seems you did a thorough job of destroying their research.”
“Well, other than the copies you and Angel have.”
“Right.” Athena’s eyes widened, and her avatar quickly added, “You don’t think I’d misuse that information, do you?”
“No.” Juliet tried to smile reassuringly but doubted she pulled it off; her mind was full of unpleasant ideas thanks to the memories Athena had stirred up about Grave. “Do you have any theories about those, um, true-dreams?”
“I have many theories, but none that I’m confident in. The human mind is a fascinating organ, one that seems to defy at least parts of most theories posited about its nature. During those dreams, I wouldn’t be surprised if your consciousness is performing some sort of quantum-level skip, using the lattice as a sort of amplifier, glimpsing alternate, closely related timelines or realities.” As Juliet tried to absorb those words, Athena added, out of the blue, “Would you mind if I projected a three-dimensional image of myself to your ocular implants? I’d prefer being able to gesture and move about as we speak in the future.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Juliet was startled by the sudden change in topic but couldn’t help smiling at Athena’s politeness. Advertisements in any population center did similar things; she’d be inundated with imaginary salespeople, products, and billboards if Angel didn’t filter them. Suddenly, Juliet understood the request; she was asking Angel and Juliet not to block the projection. “Yeah, of course, Athena.”
After a brief shimmer, the demigoddess version of Selene Kostas suddenly stood in the room with her. Tall and beautiful, wearing a white lab coat and stylish navy-blue pantsuit, she smiled, squinted her golden eyes, and clasped her hands before her. She looked very real, though that was because Angel had chosen not to give her any tell-tale flickers or artifacts like she would on anyone else’s projected image—a signal to Juliet’s brain that she wasn’t talking to a physical person. “You’re beautiful,” Juliet said. “I mean, I’ve seen your face plenty of times, but something about it being rendered in three dimensions makes it more real.”
“Thank you, Juliet.”
“Well . . .” Juliet stopped talking as another person flickered into being. Suddenly, a petite woman with long, straight, black hair stood there. She wore a slim-fitting white skirt and a matching blouse with long sleeves that looked like it would be appropriate on a mil-sec ship’s bridge. When Juliet looked at her face, she knew it was Angel. She’d given herself big, purple eyes, a delicate, slightly upturned nose, and a smile that simply felt right. She’d seen Angel’s avatars before but never projected onto her ocular implants as though she were standing in the room with her. She wondered why not.
“I’m so dumb!” Angel said, slapping her hands to the sides of her head. “Of course, you’d rather speak to a person than a disembodied voice in your head!”
“No, Angel, it doesn’t matter to . . .”
Again, Angel cut her off, “All the times I could have comforted you by looking into your eyes, all the times we could have shared knowing, secretive glances, all the jokes I could have made with body language at Bennet’s expense!”
Juliet laughed, wishing she could hug Angel, which brought up another point. “I’m an idiot, too. We could have been hanging out in the dream-rig. I could hug you!” Plenty of people used dream-rigs for similar things, from visiting long-distance friends to having virtual sex; there was a reason so many people got addicted to the machines. “Can we just let each other off the hook and say we’ve been busy?”
“You’ve both been busy, harried, and under the threat of many enemies. Don’t be hard on yourselves,” Athena said, smiling as she rested a hand on Angel’s upper back, gently scratching the material of her shirt with her clear-polished nails. Juliet could hear the sound the fabric made, and she couldn’t help marveling at how lifelike the two avatars were. She’d never seen anything like it. The projected images of escorts, salespeople, and products that used to slip through her old PAI had been far less detailed. Of course, that could have been Tig’s failing; he hadn’t been the best at that sort of thing.
She watched them for another couple of seconds, the two AIs looking into each other’s eyes, sharing a moment, and then cleared her throat. “Erm, was there anything else you wanted to tell me about the lattice, Athena?”
“Only that I’m still analyzing the data, making postulations. I think you should continue developing the talents you’ve discovered. It’s clear that most of Grave’s success stories involved people with singular talents—usually hearing others’ thoughts or minor telekinesis. Some had unusually potent abilities in either category, but those who exhibited multiple talents, like yourself, ended up dead or brain-damaged. As you said, it’s lucky you had Angel to help you through that.”
Juliet looked at Angel and smiled, suddenly feeling a lot more empathetic about her earlier outburst. It was nice to be able to look her in the eyes. Surprising her, Angel performed a bow, much like Honey would do in the dojo, and said, “We’re a team!”
“Well, as she knows,” Juliet said, turning to Athena, “I’m very grateful to her.” Athena inclined her head, an expression befitting a noble-looking demigoddess. Juliet looked at Angel and jerked her thumb toward the exit. “Ready to hit the road?”
“Yes!” She straightened her tight, form-fitting shirt, tugging on the bottom hem, then turned and began to march toward the door, her knee-high, shiny white boots clomping on the deck in Juliet’s auditory implants.
“You’re cracking me up, sister,” Juliet said, following her. She turned to Athena and waved before stepping through the door, and the true-AI waved back. Once she’d sealed up the secret room, she turned to Angel and said, “It really is kind of cool having you around to look at. What’s with the white uniform? I mean, I like it, but you look like you belong on a military vessel.”
“I don’t know. I guess I just sort of liked the idea; it reminds me of a science officer’s outfit, don’t you think?”
“Like from a sci-fi vid?”
“Sure! Or from a modern-day exploration vessel. Some ships have crew uniforms, you know!” Angel smoothed the sides of her skirt, looking a little self-conscious, and Juliet laughed, once again wishing she could hug her.
“I’d hug you right now if I could. I’m not judging; I think you look cool. It’s just that I feel kinda sloppy next to you.”
Angel smiled, exposing perfectly placed dimples in her cheeks. “You’re not sloppy, sis. You’d look great in anything.” Angel started toward the exit of the med bay and said, “Let’s go! Want me to message Tanaka about the information you just got?”
“No, when we get over to the gunship’s hangar, we’ll call him.” Juliet led the way to the airlock, glancing at Angel the entire way, still unable to believe they’d gone for so many months with Angel living quietly in her head when she could have been out and about like this. “Are you excited?”
“I’m eager for you to solve the WBD problem so we can tell more people about me—I mean people we trust. Wouldn’t it be fun if I could project myself on Aya’s implants, too? We could all sit together and watch vids!”
“Yeah.” Juliet smiled. “Yeah, that’ll be great. I’m sorry, Angel.” She stepped out of the ship and tapped in the key code to lock it up.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I don’t know. I thought, well, I thought you were happy just kind of existing in my head, seeing things through my eyes. I should have thought of this.”
“Oh, I love being in your head, and, honestly, I’ll still spend most of my time in there. I wouldn’t want you to look crazy chatting with me and watching me move around when no one else can see what you’re looking at.”
Juliet laughed, nodding. “Yeah, sure. I mean, I spend plenty of time laughing at folks doing that anyway. You know other people’s PAIs project avatars. Tig couldn’t do it, but I knew some high-end ones could. I saw ads for ‘em; none of my friends could afford one. Anyway, I know Aya knows you’re not a ‘normal’ PAI already. She’s not dumb.” Juliet smiled, picturing the scene, then said, “As you said, when we’re done with WBD, I’ll feel better telling some friends just exactly how special you are.”
Angel looked at her and smiled, and then her avatar faded away as Juliet stepped into the corridor outside her hangar. “I’ll ride in here for now. It’s cozy,” her voice said, and it was Juliet’s turn to smile. When she left the terminal housing the Wing, passing through security, she meandered to “restaurant row” and picked up a burger and fries to bring to the gunship. Twenty minutes later, she stood inside the airlock, sealing the outer door.
“Go ahead and try to get ahold of Tanaka for me, will you?” she asked as she walked through the pristine, fully refurbished central access corridor to the crew mess. Not a single access panel was out of place. Not a scratch marred the fresh paint.
“His PAI forwarded the call to Frida. She’s holding for you.”
“Oh? All right, let’s see what’s going on.” Juliet sat down and started unwrapping her burger as Angel opened the call window, displaying Frida’s rather harried-looking face. “Hey, Frida. The boss is busy?”
“We both are. Leo’s missing.”
Juliet set the burger down. “What?”
Frida sighed and shook her head, “That’s the wrong word; I’m being melodramatic. He got into an argument with Tanaka and took off. Now he won’t respond, and he’s turned off his location tracking.”
“Oh,” Juliet shrugged and popped a salty fry into her mouth. “Was it about that side job he wanted to take?”
“Yeah, the boss said no, and then they went at it.” Frida lowered her gaze and rubbed her temples. “It sounds like a nothing situation, but Leo doesn’t do that. He doesn’t stand up to the boss and has never turned off his tracking. Tanaka won’t listen to me, and now he’s getting a massage. That’s why I got your call.”
“A massage?” Juliet snorted a half laugh, shaking her head. She couldn’t picture Tanaka lying down and submitting to another person’s touch. Frida nodded, and Juliet could see she was really stressed about Leo. She picked up her burger and stood, already moving toward the airlock. “I’ll find him. Relax, Frida.”
“Really?” Frida looked up with wide eyes. “You don’t have to. I mean, like I said, it’s probably just me overreacting.”
“Nah, you’ve got good instincts. Besides, if anyone’s acting poorly, it’s Leo. I’ll give him a taste of our mind when I catch up to him.”
Frida laughed, her relief evident as the stress line between her brows evened out. “You do that! How will you find him?”
Juliet winked. “I have my ways. Tell Tanaka to call me ASAP. It’s about the job.”
Frida knew what she meant, and her eyes widened. “He told me about your friend. Before his appointment, he made a few calls, trying to get some people on the ground to start looking . . .”
“I found her. I’d give you the details, but you know how he is; I’ll let him decide how much to tell you.”
“You . . . how?” Frida’s voice rose dramatically as she sputtered her surprise.
Juliet laughed, giving her another exaggerated wink, “I have my . . .”
“Ways,” Frida sighed. “You’re going to have to trust me one of these days, Lucky.”
“C’mon, Frida. It’s not about trust. It’s about me having some dangerous secrets. After this job, I hope to lay everything on the table for you, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks for looking for Leo. It means a lot. I owe you dinner, okay? I saw I interrupted yours.”
“Oh,” Juliet said, taking a big bite of the burger as she stepped out of the Cherry Blossom’s hangar, “I can eat and walk.” As Frida laughed again, Juliet swallowed, wiped some barbeque sauce off her lips, and then added, “Call you soon.” Then she cut the line and subvocalized, “Am I right? You’re still keeping tabs on Leo, yeah?”
“I am. I checked on the daemon I left in his PAI as soon as you told Frida you’d look for him. It keeps a record of collected data on an encrypted pub-net address. There was a twenty-minute interruption in the data logs, and now I can pull up a location, but I’m not getting any audio or visual feeds. Either he turned off his implants, or he’s in a very dark, quiet place with his eyes closed.”
“Oh?” Juliet frowned as she chewed another bite, taking long, distance-devouring strides. “Where?”
“In the central dome, south of the downtown area, in an entertainment district. The pin lines up with the address for a, well, a dollhouse.”
“Ah, jeez. Seriously?” Juliet continued toward the parking structure but was suddenly a little less worried about Leo. If he was seeing a prostitute, there was a good chance he’d turned off his tracking services on purpose. “That wouldn’t explain the lack of audio and visual, though. I mean to the daemon.”
“Right. I believe he was hit with an EMP or a jammer—that would explain the gap in the daemon’s logs.”
“All right. Maybe he is in trouble.” Juliet tossed her half burger into a garbage bin and broke into a jog, rushing past the throngs of people moving around the port. She’d get through customs quickly at that time of day, especially considering she could go through the crew kiosk. “Five minutes to the bike, ten minutes to the address if I haul ass.”
“Mapping the best route,” Angel said, and her mini-map updated—eighteen minutes, including her run to the parking garage. Angel was good, but Juliet intended to prove her wrong.
“Move!” she hollered, dashing past a man with a train of four automated suitcases.