RIFT (The Rift Saga Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter 15

MARK

Mark Novak chewed his lip, pacing the room. This wasn’t going according to plan. In fact, this was the worst possible outcome. Ivanov had always been unpredictable. Worse, he had the ear of Head Servant Lunde. He looked at his guest. The young man sat in his lounge chair and seemed to be making an effort to remain calm.

“What do you want me to do?” Mark asked. Evan Hordvik stared back at him.

“What do you think? Counselor, you know she’s no traitor. But she must have seen something she wasn’t supposed to. You know what they do to people if they have, especially if they aren’t Moon blood.”

Mark nodded, though he had no illusions that Moon people would be exempt if someone like Ivanov found out they were a threat. So the question remained, should he write her off, or take a risk trying to save her?

“But what do you want
me
to do?” he repeated.

“I want you to go right now and stop this. Go to the First Janissary, or above him if necessary. If anyone can do it, sir, it’s you,” Hordvik said. Mark continued pacing. He knew the young man was right. Susan Atlas was too special to let go so easily.

“If you need a character witness, I’ll be more than willing,” Hordvik said. That made Mark chuckle.

“No, thank you, Head Tacticus. That would only put you on the spot with her. I do appreciate your concern, but please don’t do anything reckless.”

Mark stopped pacing. He suddenly knew what to do. It was a risky option, and it depended on finding out if blood really was thicker than water, something Mark wasn’t entirely certain of. Also, there were a lot of unknowns and even more guesswork. He couldn’t see any other options, though. He smiled at Hordvik.

“First of all, relax. She’s a known heroine, remember? The ceremony was broadcast all over the Covenant. They need to take that into consideration,” Mark said. The young man shook his head.

“That won’t save her,” he said. Mark nodded.

“You’re right, it won’t save her. But it will buy her some time.”

Mark saw the confusion in the younger man’s face. In fact, it was Mark and young Hordvik who needed time. Time to put Mark’s plan into effect.

“Your father has access to security level four, right?” he asked. Hordvik nodded. Of course. The Hordviks were a prominent family in the Covenant, had been since long before the Descent, and Evan’s father sat on the Luna Council, an advisory board that some thought had far too much influence over the head servant. Mark, though not a formal member of the Council due to his lack of Moon heritage, had often consulted with them, but as time went by, he tended to work more directly with the head servant, especially since Alexej Lunde trusted his advice and the two had developed a good working relationship.

“It is time for you and your father to reconcile your differences,” he said. Hordvik just stared at him.

“I don’t care what you have to do. But after all, you already took the first step coming here to Legacy. Now, all you have to do is reach out personally.”

“Why?” Hordvik asked. Mark furrowed his brows.

“Your father has a level-four security access. I do, as well, but I am monitored. Your father is in charge of all top-level security monitoring. I’m sure, if you showed an interest in intel and security work, you could manage to persuade him to let you into level three.”

“I could get level three easily without asking him for it,” Hordvik replied. “I already need that clearance in my current work, so I was planning on getting it from the personnel security office.”

Mark sat down next to him shaking his head.

“Even better, but don’t go to PS. Instead, go to your father and make up. Then, once you have gone through the motions, done all the crying and embracing and all that, you mention your work. He has level four; there is nothing you need to hide from him. Work, got it?” he said. Hordvik just stared in front of him, and Mark knew this had to be difficult. Father and son hadn’t spoken for many years, and now, he expected the young man to try and heal such a wound in what must seem like an instant.

“From there, you have to feel your way forward. When the timing is right, you complain that personnel security has given you an inadequate clearance. No bitching, just hint at not being able to do you job properly.” Hordvik turned toward Mark. It looked like he was beginning to grasp what he had in mind.

“So, instead of PS granting me level-three access, I circumvent them by going through my father. That way, I would get clearance immediately, and they wouldn’t even know I had it until he remembered to inform them.” Mark grinned, nodding eagerly.

“And even if he did it at once, with all the forms and the bureaucracy, it would easily take two to three days until monitoring took effect.” Mark leaned back. The young man was a good ally—intelligent, well trained—and he had very good connections. This could actually work.

“In that time, you can move undetected all over the level-three system, as long as you cloak your movements. And you will have time to hide your tracks afterward,” he said.

“Don’t you think my father would be monitoring me personally? You know how he can be,” Hordvik said.

“Sure, that can happen. But in that case, you will have to make up a story and stick with it. Curiosity, perhaps, or a more desperate need to know. But whatever you do, don’t let him see your connection to me, or to Miss Atlas. Remember, he wants to believe you’re back on track. And he might even help you hide some of your moves, as long as he believes your story.”

“So what is it you want me to do once I have access?” Hordvik asked. Mark walked over to his desk, and scribbled a note. He handed it over to the young man, who looked at it.

“An English name,” he said. Mark nodded.

“Level three includes certain drone footage from Warden territory. In at least one of those files, this person should be part of that footage. I want you to get me the location of that particular file and the key code for it.” He smiled. “You find that file, and I will take care of Miss Atlas.”

SUE

“Get on your feet,” the guard said as the door burst open. Sue jumped. She had been so lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed the buzz of the locks or the ping of the key.

“You’re lucky, Tacticus. Someone up high decided to give you a second chance. Probably since you’re a decorated hero. So let’s move it, shall we?”

Sue got up. She didn’t have any of her things here, and come to think of it, she didn’t own anything important, anyway. She exited her cell and saw there were two more guards outside. She let them lead on, and they all walked down the hall and into an elevator. Once the doors slid shut, one of the guards touched a panel, and the elevator began moving. Up, she noted.

Ping.

The doors opened, and she felt the breeze blow in, straight through her clothes. It was a cold day, and she wasn’t dressed for it. The chill felt good, though, after three days in a cell with no windows and no communication except for a few short phrases with the guards. First Janissary Ivanov hadn’t even come to gloat, which surprised her. She squinted in the harsh light and looked out at the skyline of Legacy, the capital city of the Covenant. The view, even from inside the elevator, was magnificent. The Moon people had built an empire out of the ashes, and if she hadn’t known of the cost, she would have been impressed. Now though, all she felt was disgust.

She took a few steps out of the elevator and saw the tethered airship off to the right. And a man in long robes standing beside the boarding cage. A man she had seen a few times before. The man who had sent orders for her to come to Legacy. She walked over to him, the guards two steps behind. Counselor Novak motioned for the guards to stand back, and they left her alone with him.

“Counselor,” she said, dipping her head slightly.

“Atlas,” he replied, his face grave.

“Some predicament you got yourself into,” he said. She didn’t know what to say, so she kept quiet.

“Luckily, I managed to persuade the head servant that neither imprisonment nor execution of a decorated heroine, whose reputation is known throughout the Covenant, would serve to please the public. So we found another solution.” A half-smile appeared on his face.

“Suffice to say, First Janissary Ivanov wasn’t pleased,” he said, and winked. She stared at him, forgetting the chill for a moment.

“Why did you do this for me?” Sue asked.

“Well, that’s a long story. But let me just say this: I think you have it in you to bring about change. A change for the better.” And she realized he must know.

“But what can I do? I’m not even a citizen? And if I ever get there, I will still be English,” she said. She met his eyes, old and wise, despite the ageless face.

“And the Moon blood rules, right?” he said quietly. She nodded. He turned and looked at the skyline, and she came and stood beside him, covering herself with her arms to keep the cold out. Novak spoke again, while staring out at the sprawling city.

“Sometimes, one has to take great risks in order to produce great change. By taking you out from under the murderous clutches of Ivanov, I took a great risk. Someday there will be payback. And a common friend of ours—you don’t need to know the name—has taken great risks as well in the past few days.” He turned to face her. “Now it’s your turn.” He turned and nodded to the airship.

“Once you get on that ship, your life is in dire peril,” he said. She looked at him, trying to read that look in his eyes. Concern? Determination? He was a hard man to read.

“If they were smart, they would shoot the airship down today. But they won’t because they think they have another way. A way that will look better in the eyes of the public. But it can happen at any time. So be ready.”

For what
, she was about to say, but an airman came out of the cage, and motioned for her to enter.

Counselor Novak leaned over and whispered in her ear before she stepped away.

“Remember, Susan. Bliss is ignorance. Not the other way around.”

Chapter 16

SUE

For the last hour, Sue had been blindfolded, and she squinted against the harsh sunlight when it was removed. The air felt warmer than back in Legacy, and for a moment, she feared that she had been sent back to Charlestown, kicked out of Service. Or worse, that she had been sent further south, to the Corpus, to slave under the whip until she wasted away.

Then she saw the uniforms. Not spit shine, disciplined like the Janissaries, but rather a loose resemblance binding individualistic bents together. She looked around. Some of the men wore beards, and many were laughing or chatting loudly. A large, bearded man in a colorful shirt stood waiting, but she noticed that even he wore elements of uniform than identified him as part of this outfit.

The Wardens.

“Welcome, Initiate Atlas,” the man said.

“Sorry about the rank, but our way is different. You’ll have to work your way up.” He grinned, a perfect set of teeth showing through his beard. And now that she looked closer, she saw that he was Moon blood, although the ruffled facade hid it well.

“Having read your résumé, I have no doubt you will excel here, as well. In fact, we have already decided on your specialization.” She looked at him quizzically.

“Why, you are a natural born ranger, of course. But let’s get you set up first.” He led her on, and they walked through the camp. The man talked and Sue listened. She was too stunned, realizing what lengths Counselor Novak must have gone to in order to get her transferred here instead of to the Corpus, or simply disappear.

“You will have a few days to learn the ropes. Then, the rangers will come pick you up. You will only become a full Warden once you have field experience. Unfortunately, Warden experience is the only thing that counts. We’re quite busy these days, though, so it shouldn’t take long.”

They reached a large building, red brick walls and few windows.

“All right then, here we are. A senior Warden will help you get settled in, and then you will spend the next few days with the other initiates. Just follow their lead, but don’t let these slackers drag you down with them.” He laughed.

“You see, most initiates from the last batch have already progressed to full Warden. Those who remain just didn’t make the cut yet. Oh, we will make Wardens of them still. Sometimes, it just takes a little more time,” he said. Sue smiled and was about to open the door when the man, who still hadn’t introduced himself, stopped her.

“And by the way, Atlas. I understand you have a friend here, Warden Wagner, right?” She nodded.

“He’s in the middle of his specialization and made full Warden just a few weeks ago. He is very busy, so please, just leave him be for now.”

Then he turned and walked away, without waiting for a reply. Sue watched him for a moment, wondering what his role could be, and decided he looked like someone she ought to listen to. His natural authority needed no rank, and the way he acted left no doubt that this guy held a very high rank—he just didn’t have a need to flash it around.

She entered the building, wondering what life here would be like. She wished she could start anew, but she remembered Counselor Mark Novak’s warning. She knew she had stepped too far, and it was only a matter of time before they made a move on her.

Inside, she was greeted by a senior Warden who took her to her room, empty for now. She sat down on the bed and sighed. There was no such thing as starting anew. Every human being was a product of their experiences, and hers had already paved a path from which there would be no return.

DAVE

He was scanning through the system, in search of something he knew should be there, somewhere. The file containing the drone footage would be located on level three or four, he was certain of it. But where?

Thankfully, his search shouldn’t raise suspicions. He was Tech after all, and searching for weaknesses in the system was one of his tasks. It was all part of his training. If he found the file, though, that was something else. Given that he managed to break the security on the file itself, what would they do if they discovered he’s seen the contents?

But he needed to know. A man had been killed, and Dave needed to find the murderer. Someone had done this, and that someone should be punished for the crime. It was a convenient way of doing it, shooting someone in the back, while most were occupied with the monsters.

Kirilov was a prime suspect, of course. But it could just as easily have been one of the other seniors. He never learned their names, but he figured if he found the file, it would be marked with a date and time. That should be enough to open up an investigation. Even if all the suspects were Moon blood, he didn’t think such evidence could be disregarded.

He sighed. There was always the possibility that the file had been deleted, in which case recovering it would be even more difficult. But not impossible. There was no way to completely erase every trace of data. There would always be bits and pieces that led to new bits and pieces. In time, he figured most of the file could be restored, even if the perpetrator had deleted it. He was better at this than any of them.

No way anyone should get away with it.

He stretched his back and looked at the clock on the wall behind him. Hasle had left two hours ago, to get some new wiring he needed. He’d probably gone to lunch while he was out. Dave’s stomach growled, telling him he should go as well.

He got up and stretched some more. Sitting in front of the screen, immersing himself in strings of data, sometimes made him lose track of time. He needed a break.

He walked outside. The sun was shining, and he considered going to sit for a while in the sun, a quick nap would feel wonderful right now. But his stomach growled again. He smiled.
All right
, he thought,
lunch then
.

There were several places to grab lunch, and while most chose the cafeteria in the center of camp, he preferred to grab something from the shop nearby and take his lunch outside. He walked over, and five minutes later, he stood by the counter to check out his pack of food. The old man behind the counter, probably a Warden veteran who had chosen to stay after Service, smiled at him, and he put his finger on the scanner. An upside down image appeared, and the man glanced quickly at it. Dave smiled at it all, knowing that he shopped here at least three or four times a week. He didn’t think the ID verification was really necessary. Not around here.

“Two and a half credits,” the man said. Dave nodded and tapped the green YES icon right below the image of his fingerprint. The old man nodded, and Dave walked out with his pack. He looked around, wondering if he should try a new spot today. For variation.

Then he saw her.

She looked different, walked differently, and she had this air of experience around her that told him she had been through things. Seen things. Done things.

But it was her all the same.

“Sue!” he shouted. She turned.

“Dave!” she said. She looked around, hesitating, before she walked over.

“I’m not supposed to disturb you…” she said.

“Disturb? Sue, what are you doing here?”

“Long story. You look good, Dave,” she said, smiling. He felt his cheeks flush.

“Sue, I never really got to thank you, back then,” he said. She had saved him, at Initiation Day, when he was about to be sent off to the Corpus. That was a debt he would never be able to pay back.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Maybe you can look out for me this time, since you’re a full Warden and all.”

“What, they made you an initiate?” he said, surprised. She nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll head out with the rangers in a few days, though. Soon as I get some field experience here, they will raise me to full Warden.” Dave cocked his head.

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t know what you did in the Janissaries, but I guess you’d be a natural ranger. So a few days, eh?”

“They will come pick me up. I have no idea where the rangers are.”

“Me, either. I have a friend with the rangers, Liz. Maybe you’ll run into her.”

“I might,” Sue said, looking around again.

“I’m sorry Dave, but I should get going. I hope to see you again before I go,” she said. Dave smiled.

“Well, let’s make sure of it. How about you come here for lunch tomorrow?” he said.

“Sorry, I have a class then. What about the day after?” she asked.

“It’s a date,” he replied, before he flushed again.

“Oh, I didn’t mean, like a date…” Sue laughed.

“Of course. Let’s just meet, okay? Day after tomorrow, lunch, right here,” she said. Dave smiled again.

“Okay.”

Sue walked off, and Dave stood for a moment, wondering what could have brought her here. But he was happy to see a friend from back home and looked forward to talking more with her. Day after tomorrow.

He walked toward his regular spot and sat down with his lunch. Soon his mind was elsewhere, coming up with ideas for how to find hidden files in a system set up with traps and some of the most advanced security the Covenant could muster. He had a few options, but it was like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. He sighed. It could take months, or even years. But he was not going to give up.

~

It was the day after he had met Sue, and it was getting late. Dave was thinking of her as he moved among the files, cloaking his movements from anyone tracking him, while rummaging around for traces that would lead to the files he was searching for. He had donned the VR headset, which made it easier to see unlikely traces, which deleted and moved files often left behind. Especially when the programmer was an amateur or in a hurry. Dave suspected the killer would be both.

He was following a particularly interesting trail when a purple sphere appeared in his peripheral vision. It looked insubstantial, but there was something inside it. He couldn’t tell what it was, though.

The sphere moved closer, and Dave cursed silently. He must have set off some kind of trap, drawing security protocols toward his location. He waited, hoping it would pass him by, that it was just some random algorithm or a disconnected program of sorts. When it kept moving straight toward him, he began to remove the VR headset.

“Please don’t,” a booming voice said. He stopped.

“Wagner, is it?” the sphere said, its voice softer now.

“Who is this?” Dave asked, curious and concerned at the same time. He had the perfect explanation for being here, with his Tech training and all, but he also knew the killer might be around. Or someone who’d react to his searching through files he wasn’t supposed to know of, instead of performing tasks set by Hasle, his superior.

“Wait just a second… There,” the voice said.
What was that about?
Dave thought. Then he noticed the transparent, almost invisible shimmer surrounding both him and the sphere.

“What the hell did you just do? Who are you? What do you want?” Dave rattled off the questions, angry now. Mostly because he didn’t understand how it was done. He looked at the sphere, and a figure slowly appeared inside it. A man. A face. A familiar face. A face he’d seen so many times, but always on screen, never for real.

“Counselor,” he said, still not moving. Too perplexed to move.

Counselor Mark Novak smiled briefly, but he didn’t waste time.

“So, have you found what you are looking for?” he asked. Dave shook his head, taken aback and unable to come up with a rational explanation. He realized Counselor Novak
knew
something.

“Perhaps I can help?” Novak continued, then shook his head.

“Horrible thing, what happened. Do you have a suspect?” he asked. Dave’s jaw dropped.

“How do you know?”

The counselor just smiled.

“All right… I believe it must have been Kirilov, or one of the other seniors…” he said, and Novak cut him off.

“Moon people. So, you are accusing Moon people of murder. That’s a serious accusation, Wagner.” The counselor let it hang in the air. This was too much. If Novak knew this much, he must know…

“Sir, how come you know so much? How do you know they were all Moon people? Kirilov, sure, the name gives him up. I never gave you the names of the others, though,” he said, a chill running down his spine.

Novak still smiled.

“Yes, how did I know…” Novak became completely solid, as if he was really there.

“A few days ago, something happened. You see, a common friend of ours has learned something not many people know. And I have really high hopes for this person, so much that I had to look for ways to save her, but gently, so as not to put myself in harm’s way.”

Sue
, Dave thought. Who else?

“So I had someone look for a file with you in it, since I knew you were her friend. I knew you would be willing to help her, especially when I found out about how she helped you once. And since I know more about the Wardens, more about the Covenant in fact, than most people alive, I knew where to find you. And I knew what else I would find…”

Dave waited for Novak to finish up and saw his face change from a smile into something else.