The Persistence of Memories - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (27 page)

“Someone like Vigil,” he said. “Maybe not
them, but someone of their caliber.”

She stopped herself before she could say
anything else.

“I'd be shutting down any non-entity level
spiritual link the armed forces could ever use,” he said. “I know,
it's shooting myself in the foot. But if Vigil can break into the
Tower's system, they must be able to hack into Tigua as well. And
if Vigil can do it, there must be other jackers out there who can
do it. Vigil was only the first.”

Nandahya looked at him nervously and took her
time answering. “Agreed,” she said. “But the final decision to
unplug rests between the both of us. We cannot decide alone. If one
says no, then it stays on.”

“Agreed,” Anton said. “The private recording
of this conversation seals that agreement.”

“Fine,” she answered. “Now I must ask you one
question, which may or may not be related to the subject at
hand.”

Anton frowned. “Sure, go ahead.”

Nandahya shifted in her seat again, this time
out of discomfort, and leaned back in her chair. “Have you any idea
what '
here lies fate
' means?”

“What?” he said, feeling a shiver down his
back. He'd remembered the graffiti from his visit to Moulding
Warehouse, but had completely forgotten about it after failing to
find anything on record about it.

“The graffiti,” she prompted. “I’m sure
you’ve seen it by now.”

“I know what you mean,” he said. “It was just
a surprise, hearing the question come from you. I've looked into
it. I called the DPW to see why their drones haven't cleaned them
yet. The only explanation I got from them is that it was a new
brand of smartpaint that they haven't been able to find a solvent
for. There’s also the fact it has been popping up faster than they
can find it and erase it.”

“Anything else?” she asked.

“Nothing I can think of,” he said, curious
about her prodding. “I haven't had the time to do any further
research on it.”

She nodded and pushed herself up out of the
chair. “Good enough answer,” she said with a forced smile. “For the
record, I've no idea what it might mean either. I'm just concerned.
On that note, I must return to my office. Apparently there are a
few Mendaihu out there who wish to ask me the same thing about the
graffiti. They may or may not know what it means, but they only
wish to talk to me right now. I'm sorry I can't include you in
that, you see, and that's why I brought it up. If there's anything
I can share with you, I will as soon as I can.”

Anton stood and bowed. “Certainly, Lieutenant
Governor. That would be much appreciated.”

He watched Nandahya leave. He then called out
to Mina, his secretary, and insisted he not be interrupted for the
next hour. He looked up into the air at the dropped ceiling tiles,
and exhaled slowly.

“Private recording end,” he said. “You can
come out now, Shirai.”

He heard the slight crackle of a holo bank
turning on. Shirai come into view in the chair directly across from
his desk. The effect was still jarring, even though he'd called her
here at least a dozen times over the past few weeks. She remained
the young professional she'd always been since her inception, with
long and sparkling black locks of digital hair that framed curious
eyes and a knowing smile.

“You're still concerned about the graffiti,”
she offered.

“Yes, I am.”

“I have not found any links between the
graffiti, its former use as a tag for the Spiral gang, and the
poetry of CNF Councillor Kelley James. It's all
circumstantial.”

“Someone's spraying it out there, and it's
becoming more and more frequent.”

“Copycat crimes?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “All the copycats so far have
used a lower grade paint which the DPW drones were able to wipe
away. This stuff is almost permanent. Do you think Nandahya's
guests this afternoon will have anything? Purely asking in
conversation, of course.”

“I can't say,” Shirai said. “The front desk
register gives their names as Saone Lehanna and Kryssyna Piramados.
Their records are readily available from my database if you're
interested.”

“No, thank you,” he said. “Quite all right.
If they have anything to say to Nandahya, I'm sure she'll confide
in me. That will be all, Shirai. Thanks for lending an ear.”

“You are welcome,” she said with a grin, and
blinked out of existence, leaving him completely alone in the
room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Alliance

Saone Lehanna rode the elevator up to the one
hundred tenth floor of the Mirades Tower with Kryssyna Piramados
beside her, knowing full well that her father could sense her
proximity. He was here in the building but remaining silent, and
that aggravated the hell out of her. In his own words, he’d
disowned her after the failed Ascension of the One of All Sacred.
He had caused its failure, she was sure of it, and had called him
on it. She’d been at the warehouse of her own volition, to prove to
him that she too could do the will of the Dahné Shenaihu nuhm’ndah.
The task he’d given her then had almost no chance of success. To
kidnap the Dearest One from an army of her Warriors and Protectors?
She would have had to disconnect her spirit from the world at every
point, focusing only on taking the young girl against her wishes,
to place her in the hands of her enemy. Could she have done that?
Given the opportunity, and given that edha Usarai’s Awakening
ritual had tainted her purity of Shenaihu spirit?

Could she have taken Denni Johnson against
her will?

Would her father have accepted her, impure as
she now was, if she’d succeeded?

She found the question impossible to
answer.

Kryssyna stood beside her, staring blankly at
the bronze runners of the elevator and kicking at the floor with
the tip of her boot. She felt just as nervous, partly because
Saone’s father had never liked her. He hadn't liked any of her
friends. Saone was the youngest of four daughters, and the black
sheep of the family. She hadn't been the spiritual prodigy her
older sisters were. Parisha, Kandilia, and Rini had all secured
high executive positions in joint Gharné-Meraladhza companies,
whereas Saone had chosen more low class programming positions.
Could she blame herself if she had chosen to follow her true
desires rather than a prepare herself for a legacy she hated? Would
her father have noticed that she had given herself a deeper
connection within the Mendaihu circles because of her menial
positions, that she had made herself a perfect sleeper agent for
his cause? Apparently not. He refused to care.

Well, now that she had been outcast, there
was little she could do now. She'd lost that programming job at
Swartz Design two days after the failed Ascension. That had to have
been his doing. He'd always done things like that, undermining her
plans and desires out of sheer spite. Pashyo — she'd been part of
the nuhm'ndah who'd stormed the warehouse, and her father had seen
it as beneath her station! Even now, when she had changed, had
accepted she was no longer truly a Shenaihu nuhm’ndah, he had
brushed her off as inconsequential.

She wanted to hate edha Usarai for making her
this way, but ultimately she found she couldn’t. Not after she had
come face to face with the One of All Sacred herself, and had her
life irrevocably changed in that one fateful moment.

Kryssyna reached out and touched her hand.
Just a quick, silent touch, a brush of a finger against hers. Saone
sensed it all, the sudden rush of pure protective love washing over
her, and she reveled in its comfort. Kryss cared for her deeply, as
a dearest friend and a cho-shadhisi. Their love was another thing
that her father frowned upon, but she didn't care anymore. Kryss
had remained by her side through it all, and that had meant
everything to her.

“I’m glad Emha Mirades will see us,” Saone
said, breaking the silence. “She knows my father. She never liked
him.”

Kryss hummed. “I'm surprised she gave us an
appointment.”

“She never judges by family. I met her once,
about six years ago. I'm surprised she had the time, given the
circumstances. She may ask proof that my father might be behind the
nuhm’ndah activity. Spiritual proof, yes. Physical evidence?
None.”

Kryss frowned at her. “There must be
something!”

“He’s far too clean.”

Kryss huffed in frustration. “He is a
bastard, isn't he?”

Saone nodded. “That he is.”

The elevator stopped and deposited them in a
center lobby. It was three levels high, revealing two mezzanine
walkways and a holographic dome above, showing the present weather.
Twelve outward spokes led to hallways, each with its own
color-coded sub-directories mounted beside them. Each tiered sector
was rented or owned by one company or another, or a conglomerate of
companies sharing the same real estate. EdenTree UniTech owned two
of these a few levels below. She'd grown up walking those hallways,
following her sisters around on the occasion that they had to live
onsite.

After a brief security check and two attempts
at understandable directions, Saone and Kryss made their way down
the northwestern hallway towards Nandahya Mirades' office. The
first fifty feet or so of the hallway also served as an automat,
with dispensers built into the wall for anything from snack food to
stationery. The first offices they passed were open break rooms,
each with a small number of cubicles for online work, all
occupied.

They came to the first intersection, another
hallway of doors, nameplates and no windows. They took a left, then
an immediate right down a new hallway, this one reaching the outer
offices. These luxury suites were for CEOs, officials, and
government. Saone most definitely remembered her father's office on
the same side of this building, its overindulging floor space, its
magnificent views, and its utter coldness.

They reached this last hallway, and stopped
with a sudden jolt. What could only be described as a ripple of
warmth fell through her entire body, head to toe.

“Body scan complete,” a young female voice
called out. “Security clearance confirmed.”

Kryss turned to her, equally confused.

“Good afternoon, emha Lehanna and Piramados.
I am Shirai, the artificial intelligence of the Mirades Tower. I
will guide you to Councillor Nandahya's office.”

Shirai?
Saone looked up at the
ceiling, skeptical. “
The
Shirai?” she asked.

“The only one in existence, emha
Lehanna.”

A giggle slipped out. The last thing she'd
expected was for the mythical Shirai, Goddess of AIs, to speak to
her directly. Shirai only spoke with heads of state or CEOs like
her father. “I apologize,” she said, even though she knew the
construct had no real feelings to hurt. “You surprised us.”

“It is I who must apologize,” Shirai said.
“First, I am not in holo form, thus you were unaware of my presence
until now. Second, I should have warned you about the security
clearance scan before I activated it.”

“No harm done,” Saone said. “I assume Kryss
and I are already on file from prior visits to my
fadayin
,
then?”

“That is correct.” She paused before
continuing, a purely un-AI mannerism. “It seems edha Natianos
Lehanna is inquiring about your presence, Saone. He was adamant
about getting an answer from you. He informs me that you are no
longer cleared to enter Sections 84a through 90f. While you are
certainly welcome at this level, I must follow his security
protocol. Are you aware of all of this?”

Saone gave Kryssyna a pained look and shook
her head. She wasn't the least bit surprised that he'd make good on
his word to such an extent. “Yes, Shirai, I am aware of this, thank
you for reminding me. I have no plans to re-enter those sections
without permission from the Dahné himself. Please tell him he has
no business with me, either.”

Kryss cringed at her use of his spiritual
title in this kind of company and glowered at her. Saone brushed it
off. If she were to reveal him as the Dahné Shenaihu nuhm'ndah to
the wrong people, so be it. The One of All Sacred would come to her
side. She was on her own now. She'd survive.

“I acknowledge your answer,” Shirai said. “I
have relayed your answer to him, and he has accepted your response.
Councillor Mirades is currently in her office. You can take the
next hallway to your right. The office is the fourth door on your
left.”

“Taftika, Shirai.”

“Good afternoon, emha Lehanna, emha
Piramados,” Councillor Mirades said, showing them into her inner
office. Saone noticed with some amusement that it had the same
exact set-up as her father’s, a long room with two couches near
each side wall, two chairs near the door, and two more chairs in
front of the wide desk at the far end. Councillor Mirades herself
stood behind her desk now, leaning slightly forward, palms flat
against its top. She smiled warmly at them, genuinely happy to see
them. “Please, call me Nandahya. What can I do for the two of
you?”

Saone let out a troubled breath, and looked
to Kryss, and took the plunge. “Emha, we need counsel. As a member
of the PGC, I'm aware that you have a busy schedule, but I feel I
must request your particular assistance.”

“I'll do what I can, Saone,” Nandahya said,
frowning. She took a seat behind her desk and placed her hands in
front of her. “You’re radiating a great amount of fear, emha, and
it worries me.”

Again, she took a deep breath. Again, she
looked to Kryss for help. Kryss reached out a hand and grasped
Saone's, squeezing it once as she did.
Strength,
she heard
her say from within.
I am here.

She glanced up at the ceiling, knowing that
Shirai may be listening in, in fact may be recording this whole
conversation. She also knew that her father was now planning a way
to be rid of her one way or another. She trembled slightly with the
knowledge she might not leave this building alive. She vowed not to
let that happen.