Part 4 (2/2)
Until she looked toward him. Ibrahim pushed back in his chair, studying her. In her dull SWAT-issue cargo pants and jacket, and standing perhaps middle height for a woman, she cut a less than immediately intimidating figure. She looked, in fact, incongruously young, with her wide, attractive features free from make-up, and her penetrating blue eyes framed by increasingly erratic blonde hair that fell loose about her brow. She could have been someone's kid daughter, Ibrahim thought, going through a rebellious streak against the more typical feminine glamour frequently found in Ta.n.u.sha. Only the military calm in her posture, and the almost inhuman, unwavering steadiness in her gaze, put the lie to that.
It challenged the mind of even the most perceptive person to comprehend precisely what she was. This middle-sized, broad-shouldered, attractive young woman with the mild demeanour was the most dangerous thing on two legs in all human s.p.a.ce. If she wanted any single individual within Ta.n.u.sha dead, with the possible exception of the President, Ibrahim doubted very greatly that it would be beyond her. And even the President could not be guaranteed. No wonder the SIBs were so frightened.
”You wanted to see me.” A flat, inexpressive tone. Her stance was more than pa.s.singly military, feet apart, hands clasped behind. Ibrahim sighed. Disliking this unasked-for bureaucrat's role even more, at that moment.
”Ca.s.sandra.” His eyes flicked briefly to the pair of waiting agents, and back again. ”These are Agents Bhaskaran and Muller, Special Investigatory Bureau.” Kresnov looked at him for a moment longer, eyes narrowing slightly. And looked at the SIBs.
”Ms. Kresnov,” said Bhaskaran, ”we've been sent here by our superiors because today-merely a matter of hours ago-you caused severe damage to a Special Investigatory Bureau data network, and in fact used a restricted, militarygrade attack barrier to a.s.sault an SIB cruiser. As a result you directly caused an in-flight emergency to be registered with Traffic Central, endangered the civilian skylanes and potentially placed lives in jeopardy. Do you agree that you did in fact do these things?”
”No,” said Kresnov, unblinking.
Bhaskaran frowned. ”You deny this?” Her brown features thoughtfully incredulous. It was a superior frown. Ibrahim disliked it.
”I deny that lives were placed at risk,” said Kresnov. ”I deny that civilian skylanes were endangered. I would correct you in saying that the SIB-since you say that it was the SIB, I had not known that until now-were the cause of any endangerment or damage, and have only themselves to blame. That's all.”
”You just said that there was no endangerment,” the agent named Muller said mildly. Thinking himself very clever, Ibrahim reckoned, with his semantic games. He disliked that too.
”Given the degree of SIB's incompetence I've witnessed so far,” Kresnov replied, ”anything's possible. But I can hardly take responsibility for other people's stupidity, can I?”
”What type of attack barrier was it that you used?” Bhaskaran continued, unperturbed.
”It was a Cross-X variant, a five-link series A.”
Bhaskaran blinked. ”I'm not a technician, Ms. Kresnov,” she said, ”but our own experts said they could not recognise it. They suspected it was in fact a League construction.”
”It was,” Sandy replied calmly.
”In which case, Ms. Kresnov, I am instructed to remind you that Section Five, Subsection A of official Security Act 91-that's the act by which you are now legally a citizen of Callay, you may rememberstates that your continued inclusion into the ranks of the Callayan citizenry is conditional upon you continuing to behave appropriately. And upon you continuing to refrain from using any of your so-called ”special skills” in any manner that may adversely affect Callay or its inst.i.tutions. This matter clearly qualifies. Given that the SIB and the CSA are indeed working together on this matter, I am here to lodge a formal procedure with Director Ibrahim directing you to hand over all controller functions for your active cerebral interface mechanisms. This incident clearly demonstrates that your continued possession of such potentially lethal League military-designed codes and code modulators is a danger to the security and wellbeing of everyone in Callay. Here is the request, we trust that it will be given your utmost attention.”
Bhaskaran produced an official plastic folder from her jacket pocket, and laid it open on the table. It contained a single paper sheet printed in official format, along with a storage chip in a separate pocket. Ibrahim looked at the paper, lips pursing with mild consideration. Looked back at Kresnov. Kresnov was gazing at some point beyond his head, out of the window. He doubted she was admiring the view.
”Ms. Kresnov,” Agent Muller said in Ibrahim's continuing silence, ”do you have any statement you'd like to make about this?”
Kresnov looked at him. It was not the kind of look that most straight humans enjoyed receiving from lethally capable combat GIs of any designation. Muller, to his credit, did not flinch.
”You want my codes?” she said mildly. ”Come and get them.”
For a long moment, Muller made no reply. He glanced at Ibrahim. Ibrahim leaned back in his big leather chair, steepled his fingers, and looked at Muller. He gave no sign of speaking. Muller looked back at Kresnov, hiding his disconcertedness with practised skill.
”Would you be making a threat, Ms. Kresnov?” he pressed.
”Not at all.” Her voice was calm and measured beyond her usual tones. The Kresnov cold temper. Ibrahim marvelled at it. Kresnov did not get angry. She got dangerous. ”You want my codes, you come and get them. You'll have to use a serious breaker, since my barrier elements are so tough. And you'll have to use a direct point of access, which means keeping me still while you jack me in. So you'll have to use drugs, and restraints. Which won't be pleasant for me, but don't let that stop you. Where are the troops? Waiting in the corridor?”
”There are no troops, Ms. Kresnov. Under the written act by which you are legally a member of the Callayan citizenry, you will be required to a ”I'm trying to protect the Callayan citizenry, you pointless w.a.n.ker,” she said coldly. ”I'm the main key in the ongoing investigations to break down the remnants of the League's undercover biotech ring in Ta.n.u.sha. You'll remember that-it was the biggest security breach this city's ever seen. It killed a hundred and thirty-two Ta.n.u.shans that we know of, and so long as the same systemic flaws remain, this entire planet remains vulnerable to further League infiltration.
”That's my job now. It's what I'm paid for. If anyone manages to knock me off, it'll be a big loss to Callayan security, because I can tell you, this place needs a lot of work yet. As such, I'm obliged to defend myself against possible personal security breaches. So imagine my reaction to finding an unidentified cruiser tailing me, hooked up to a sucker bug on the traffic network. If I'd left it alone, I would have been derelict in my duty to Callay, and then some other idiot from some other department would be over here screaming at me for failing to comply with the other bits of that security act.”
”You knew very well it was a government vehicle before you attacked it, didn't you?” countered Bhaskaran.
”Would you like me to list the number of ways government codes and facilities can be infiltrated?” Kresnov retorted. ”Did you guys learn anything from what happened a month ago? No government operative can afford to get into the habit of being tailed by people of unconfirmed ident.i.ty. It's a very bad precedent and it clearly interferes with my ability to do my duty to this planet, this city and its people. If you'd like to tail me, give me your ident.i.ties and location codes first, and I'll track you so I don't confuse you with the bad guys. But I a.s.sure you, if I get attacked, I am required by my obligation to the CSA to eliminate all direct threats. If you're tailing me with no ID, that'll include you.”
”Mr. Ibrahim,” said Bhaskaran, who had been attempting to ignore her for the last several sentences, ”can we expect your reply shortly?” Ibrahim looked at her. Fingers remained steepled. His lean, angular face conveyed a great authority. Bhaskaran waited, that being her only option.
”You might not like my reply,” Ibrahim said finally. ”My agents have standards to maintain. They must be allowed to maintain full security at all times.”
”Mr. Director,” Bhaskaran began. Took a deep breath. ”Ms. Kresnov has detection capabilities far exceeding the security norms of your other agents. We are not requesting that her security be degraded below the standard of others. Merely that it be equalised.”
Ibrahim looked at Kresnov. She stood fixed to her spot. Her rigid posture, and the set of her jaw, suggested contempt.
”Without my codes,” she said, with a dark, forced calm, ”I am vulnerable. I am entirely synthetic. My brain function allows a far greater bandwidth of interaction with any corn network than does organic brain function. I integrate at approximately a factor of seventeen beyond what an organic mind can achieve. I am more effective, but as such I am more vulnerable to infiltration. My enhanced capabilities are necessary to protect me from my enhanced vulnerabilities. If you remove them, my safety becomes severely jeopardised.”
”We are only talking about your attack barrier function, Ms. Kresnov,” Bhaskaran told her. ”Your defensive codes will remain entirely intact.”
Kresnov looked at Ibrahim. Jaw set and eyes hard, Ibrahim detected that she wished to speak to him. Alone.
”Thank you very much,” he said to the two SIB agents. ”I'll give due regard to your report and a.s.sessments. Good day.”
”Thank you, sir.” Bhaskaran turned and walked out, her junior partner in tow. Kresnov waited until the door had shut.
”This is nuts,” she said after the click. ”You're not going to take this seriously.”
Ibrahim blinked, very calmly. Kresnov was not p.r.o.ne to rash outbursts. This was as close as he'd seen her come. She was, he judged, severely agitated. By Kresnov's standards, anyhow.
”Ca.s.sandra,” he said after a moment, ”you knew the SIB had you under surveillance. I myself informed you, just twenty days ago, when you returned from vacation.” Her eyes darkened, imperceptibly. Perhaps it was the mention of her ”vacation,” and the memories it stirred. Ibrahim filed it away for later study.
”They're incompetent,” Kresnov said shortly. ”If they'd done it properly, I might not have noticed.”
”Ah,” said Ibrahim. Tapped his jaw with a forefinger, short bearded chin in his hand. ”So that's it. You fried them because they were incompetent, and a top flight professional like yourself could not tolerate the dent to your ego.”
”I fried them because they were violating my security perimeter,” she retorted. ”Not to have fried them would have been a”
”a a dereliction of duty on your part, I know.” Ibrahim held up a hand, waving the argument away. Scratched at an irritating beard itch. Looked back at her. ”You don't think you overdid it?”
”Blasting them from the sky would have been overdoing it. I felt I was being generous.”
Ibrahim sighed. ”Ca.s.sandra a I know you find it bothersome, this tailing business. But you should by now have learned enough to know the political necessity.” The jaw tightened again. So that was the soft spot.
”I'd had something more discreet in mind,” she said coldly. ”Some network checks, the occasional tracker a But anything that interferes with what I judge as my mission effectiveness, I'll eliminate, within good reason. If you were in my position, you'd do the same.”
”Ca.s.sandra, the SIB belong to a totally different command structure than the CSA. I have no authority over them, nor even ranking superiority. In some ways, they exist to investigate us, if necessary. They've always had priority in special Senate interests, and right now, whether you like it or not, that means you. The Senate is full of the President's enemies, and it's full of people who would be your natural enemies as well. And you cannot fight them, not with the weapons presently at your disposal.
”Instead, what you've just done is to start a brawl. Certain antibiotech senators will read this report and conclude some very negative things about yourself, and your place in this society. Right now they want your network codes. Tomorrow, and some new incident, and perhaps they'll demand limiting your freedoms. And although you don't like it, you're going to have to learn that within this system, aggres sive confrontation can frequently only exacerbate the problem. You have to be patient. I'm asking you to be.”
”You won't fight for me.” A flat statement. Her arms were folded, her eyes hard and unblinking.
”I did not say a”
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