The Machinery Of Light Part 17

"Like juggernauts, man. Their speeds are insane-"

"He'll send the L2 fleet out to do battle with them."

Lynx gestures. "And be ready to fire this thing's motors if that fleet gets shattered."

"They'll follow him to Mars," says Linehan.

"They'll have a lot to keep them busy in the meantime."

"But eventually-"

"What makes you think he'd stop at Mars? Mars? This thing's got some serious engines. He could go to ground in the rings of Saturn-or make a break for deep s.p.a.ce, try to run this all the way out. At least lead them on a good chase." This thing's got some serious engines. He could go to ground in the rings of Saturn-or make a break for deep s.p.a.ce, try to run this all the way out. At least lead them on a good chase."

"With a f.u.c.k-sized entourage keeping him company," says Linehan.

"And guess who gets to get in there and stop him."

We need to take control of this s.h.i.+p," says Jarvin.

"Precisely what we were thinking," says Sarmax.

"Sure," says Spencer, "but under what terms?"

Both men look at him. He shrugs.

"It's a fair question," he says. "Sarmax here is a member of Autumn Rain. And for all we know, you are, too-"

"I'm not," says Jarvin.

"You sure about that?"

"Anyone who's sure about anything is a fool. Same with all this member member bulls.h.i.+t you're on about. Like everyone in the Rain went to the same country club. So Sarmax was part of the prototype. So what? Whose side are you on now, Leo?" bulls.h.i.+t you're on about. Like everyone in the Rain went to the same country club. So Sarmax was part of the prototype. So what? Whose side are you on now, Leo?"

"Mine," says Sarmax.

"My kind of thinking," says Jarvin. "You guys up for a three-way partners.h.i.+p?"

"For sure," says Sarmax.

"So quick to agree." Jarvin looks amused. "You can always take me out when we've hit paydirt, huh?"

"I wasn't thinking-"

"Well, it's about time you started." Jarvin gestures at Spencer. "Maybe he and I will take you you out." out."

Sarmax laughs. "Give me a break-"

"Why should I? It's not like your track record for team-ups is the best. You and Carson and Lynx sure b.a.l.l.sed up the reunion, huh?"

"That was Carson," says Spencer. "He pulled the plug-"

"Shut up," up," says Sarmax. says Sarmax.

"I could have predicted that," says Jarvin. He turns to Sarmax: "You should should have predicted that." have predicted that."

"I thought he'd at least wait until we'd won before going for the big backstab."

Jarvin laughs. "Carson's got a knack for devising schemes so complex you can't even figure out what his angle is."

"How do you know so much about us?"

"He's got the file, doesn't he?" says Spencer.

There's a pause.

"And the one we took from you was bulls.h.i.+t?" asks Sarmax.

Jarvin smiles.

"And you still have the-"

"Of course I still have the real one."

"And we've got the fake one," says Sarmax. "f.u.c.k." "f.u.c.k."

Spencer shakes his head. "But those schematics of the Himalayan black base were real!"

"Which ought to tell you something," says Jarvin.

"It tells me you gave us the real scoop on the Eurasian base and the fake scoop on the Rain-"

"No," says Jarvin.

They look at him.

"I held back nothing."

Maschler's drawn a sidearm.

"What's that for?" asks the Operative.

"To encourage you not to do anything stupid."

"Why would I do that?"

"You've been known to around Claire."

"Just stay calm," says Haskell. It hadn't occurred to the Operative to be anything else, but maybe everyone's way ahead of him. "Let them do what they're here for," she adds.

"What the h.e.l.l's going on?" on?"

"Easy," says Maschler-a smooth, rea.s.suring cadence the Operative uses himself when he's about to kill someone. He's still in the doorway, about four meters from the Operative. Riley's on the other side of Haskell, punching b.u.t.tons on a console. The Operative feels his head starting to spin. He feels like he's having a stroke. He goes down on one knee.

"Carson," says Haskell. says Haskell.

He drops. He's kissing metal. Everything's gone black. All he can hear is Haskell now. Though he's not even sure about that. Just a faint voice he remembers from so long ago: "Carson," she says softly.

"Yeah," he replies.

"What are you seeing?"

The answer's nothing. Except- "You," he says.

"Because I'm inside your head," says Haskell.

"But I'm not in yours."

"And that's just fine by me."

I don't like this," says Linehan. don't like this," says Linehan.

"You don't have to like it," says Lynx.

"Talk about obsession. You're f.u.c.king crazy."

"What's crazy is thinking we can do anything else."

"We should be thinking about getting off this s.h.i.+p!"

"Got somewhere in mind?"

"Somewhere that's a little more solid than this fleet."

"Like the Moon?"

"We should never have left that f.u.c.king rock."

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda-who the f.u.c.k cares? We are where we are. This place is in lockdown. Szilard knows we're aboard, right? So now it's set up like the We are where we are. This place is in lockdown. Szilard knows we're aboard, right? So now it's set up like the Montana Montana was. Nothing's getting off." was. Nothing's getting off."

"Not even him?"

"Why would he want to leave?" asks Lynx.

"He knows rogue agents got aboard."

"So?"

"So why the h.e.l.l hasn't he bailed? Rig a shuttle and scram?"

Lynx laughs. "Sums up why you're taking taking orders and I'm orders and I'm giving giving them. Christ almighty, Linehan. This is a them. Christ almighty, Linehan. This is a big s.h.i.+p big s.h.i.+p. It's not like Szilard's in the next room. He's camped out somewhere in the rear of this b.i.t.c.h, inside two heavily guarded perimeters, and you'd have him just s.h.i.+t in his pants and run for a shuttle?" shuttle?"

"So he can set up shop somewhere safe-"

"Safe? He knows d.a.m.n well we'd be aboard that shuttle He knows d.a.m.n well we'd be aboard that shuttle waiting for him." waiting for him."

Linehan shakes his head. He looks around at all the sleepers-looks back at Lynx and the wires sprouting from his head.

"Two perimeters, huh."

"You know you want it."

So you didn't didn't crack the files," says Spencer. crack the files," says Spencer.

Jarvin looks at him strangely-as though he's just seeing him for the first time. He adjusts his major's insignia idly.

"Not the core of it," he says.

"All those G.o.dd.a.m.n languages," says Spencer.

Jarvin nods. "Sinclair's created a code that may be impossible to crack. Ironic, no? You've got what may be the master file on Autumn Rain right in front of your f.u.c.king eyes eyes, and you're still none the wiser."

"But I know they're records of the experiments," says Spencer.

"Yeah? What else?"

"That's as far as I've got-"

"Spencer," says Sarmax, "shut up- up-"

"Interesting," says Jarvin, and he sounds like he means it. "I got deeper than you. And here I was hoping it'd be the other way around. That you could help me."

"Like we'd do that," says Sarmax.

"Then you can hardly blame me for not returning the favor."

"What else is in that G.o.dd.a.m.n book?" asks Sarmax. "Dammit, we need to know-"

"Nothing," says Jarvin. "For now. How about we table the rest of it until we've taken over the c.o.c.kpit?"

"You're the boss," says Spencer.

"For now," says Sarmax.

"Nothing's forever," says Jarvin.

What the h.e.l.l's going on?" says the Operative-and says says nothing. His lips aren't moving. He can't even feel them. Nor can he feel anything else. He's out cold on the floor, aware only of Haskell's voice sounding in his head, a sound far more intimate than the wireless-enabled one-on-one: nothing. His lips aren't moving. He can't even feel them. Nor can he feel anything else. He's out cold on the floor, aware only of Haskell's voice sounding in his head, a sound far more intimate than the wireless-enabled one-on-one: "He's adjusting the controls on my console," she says.

She sends him the image, too: static, grainy. She's still flat on her back. Riley's got his gun trained on the p.r.o.ne figure of the Operative. Maschler's working the controls again.