Part 28 (1/2)
”No,” says Szilard. He looks thoughtful. ”And yet I think that man died inside many years back.”
”Because of Indigo Velasquez?”
”Indeed.”
”She's still alive.”
”You a.s.sert that with such confidence.”
”Because I saw her.”
”Along with who else?”
”She's part of Sinclair's team up at L5.”
”And what about Sinclair's team down here?”
Pause. ”I've seen nothing.”
”You hesitate.”
”I was thinking it over,” she says.
”I think you're only seeing what he wants you to see.”
”Possibly.”
”That's his M.O., isn't it? All the way from the start, right? He put you and Marlowe alongside each other to keep you preoccupied, keep you distracted while-”
”He's not invincible. Look at how Morat played him-”
”And now Morat's dead.”
”Maybe.”
Szilard c.o.c.ks his head. ”What's that supposed to mean?”
”Morat appeared to me when Montrose was interrogating me.”
Pause. ”Montrose was using his image.”
”I'm not so sure,” she says. ”His presence felt ... real.”
”Well, of course it would-”
”And Sinclair appeared soon after, and he was was real. That tank Montrose was holding me in had leaks. Maybe more than one. For all I know, Morat's out there playing his own game. Or is back in the saddle with Sinclair-” real. That tank Montrose was holding me in had leaks. Maybe more than one. For all I know, Morat's out there playing his own game. Or is back in the saddle with Sinclair-”
”But I thought you you were the one to kill Morat.” were the one to kill Morat.”
”I killed a robot. The original might have been elsewhere. Or somebody might have created more.”
”Well,” says Szilard, ”one more reason for me to take my precautions.”
”It won't save you.”
Szilard grins ruefully. ”I doubt anyone thought I'd be the one to harness you either. Sinclair and Harrison cut me out of the loop from the start. They thought I was just one more nonent.i.ty. Harrison tried to take me out, and I took him instead. The Rain tried to play me, and I s.p.a.ced their hit squad. Montrose tried to make me second fiddle, and now she's a frozen husk. Because I do my homework, just like I've done with you. Everyone else just rushed in and got what they deserved. You're something you don't f.u.c.k with. You mind envelops anything that tries to control it. Your brain uses whatever tries to use you-you escalate automatically beyond the ability of any interrogator to reach. Montrose thought she'd cracked you, and all she'd done was undermine her own defenses.”
”What about Carson?”
”What about him?”
”Back on Harrison's s.h.i.+p. He knew what he was doing-”
”Thought he did, sure. He had Sinclair's backing, but Sinclair gave him only part of the data. The old man wasn't stupid enough to allow your full powers into the hands of any of his minions. 'Cause suddenly the minion starts thinking they can be the master, right?” he did, sure. He had Sinclair's backing, but Sinclair gave him only part of the data. The old man wasn't stupid enough to allow your full powers into the hands of any of his minions. 'Cause suddenly the minion starts thinking they can be the master, right?”
”Just like you're doing now.”
”And I'm not going into the lion's den without some serious hardware. These last two days have been quite the journey, Claire. Quite the haul. The sequencing on your incubation. The diagrams of your mind's metaprocesses, the way you run zone-I've got them now. I'll be able to get past the hurdles that tripped up Montrose. All that's left is one more step.”
”a.s.suming Sarmax comes through for you.”
”Let's find out, shall we?”
Two marines step into the gazebo with them. The floor begins to descend.
A shudder pa.s.ses through the shuttle as it docks with the dreadnaught shudder pa.s.ses through the shuttle as it docks with the dreadnaught Lexington Lexington. Exterior hatches swing open. Everybody gets up and starts heading for the exit-or nearly everybody, anyway. Five people stay behind. Maschler and Riley look befuddled. Everyone else looks amused. The pilot appears in the c.o.c.kpit doorway.
”End of the line,” he says.
”Not for us,” says the Operative.
”What's your problem?”
”Check your schedule,” says Lynx.
”I already did,” says the pilot.
”So check it again,” says the Operative. There's something in his tone that makes the pilot do just that-accessing screens within his head-looking bemused- ”I don't understand,” he says.
”Last-minute update,” says Lynx.
”You guys intel or something?”
”Something,” says the Operative.
”And we haven't got all day,” says Linehan, getting out of his seat. He's twice the size of the pilot. The pilot re-enters the c.o.c.kpit, the door to that chamber starts to slide shut- ”You can leave that open,” says Lynx.
The door slides back open. The pilot works the controls. Exterior hatches shut; engines rumble into life as the shuttle pushes back once more. The Operative hears the one-on-one start up within his head.
”You'd better be right about this,” says Lynx.