Part 4 (1/2)
I cleared my throat.
”A psionic, yes?” he said happily, almost dancing as he paced around me. ”One that slipped through the cracks.”
I nodded, struck dumb by the onslaught.
”And he took limited control over Dawson and Hallier and forced them to act contrary to standing order 778 concerning legal representatives of a legally recognized religion-a religion that has a lot of members, and thus, a lot of influence. Mr. Cates, what you and Mr. Gatz did was very, very bad for us.”
His manic grin made him seem almost happy about this. As I stared up, his expression switched off again, and he leaned down, putting his hands on the table in front of me.
”Dawson and Hallier are the worst of the SSF, Mr. Cates. They're ignorant and arrogant and too willing to hurt people. But I don't care about them. What I care about, Mr. Cates, is the reason you were found by these two a.s.sholes in the first place. What you saw the night Officer Alvarez was killed.” The grin came back, exactly as it had been. ”I tried to get to you first, but those a.s.sholes had nothing better to do.”
Suddenly he straightened up and stared over at the corner for a full six beats of my straining heart. Then it was back to me again. The motherf.u.c.ker was crazy.
”Let me tell you what you saw,” he said cheerfully, standing up. The lights dimmed suddenly, and one of the gray walls bloomed into bright light, a Vid. It hurt my eyes at first, but I welcomed the change of scenery.
”You saw a Monk recruiting a new member by killing him. The Monk shot him and would have had the corpse retrieved within moments. The victim would have reappeared the next day as a Monk-happy, content, and complete with cover story concerning his epiphany. This is how the Electric Church operates.”
The screen flickered and a chart appeared, boring cubes and gridlines.
”The Electric Church is the fastest-growing organization in the world. It is growing so quickly, Mr. Cates, that it is currently estimated that it will be the world's largest religion in five years. In eight years, it will be the world's only only religion.” religion.”
I blinked, almost got my mouth open before he whirled back to me, his skin pale in the gloom, his gla.s.ses pitch black. ”I know. know. A religion that did not exist seven years ago, subsuming the world in ten. Unbelievable! Is it because the idea of salvation through eternity is so seductive? No, Mr. Cates. The Electric Church is growing so quickly because it forcibly recruits new members. They murder their new members, they perform surgery on their new members, and they control their new members postprocess via hardwired circuitry.” A religion that did not exist seven years ago, subsuming the world in ten. Unbelievable! Is it because the idea of salvation through eternity is so seductive? No, Mr. Cates. The Electric Church is growing so quickly because it forcibly recruits new members. They murder their new members, they perform surgery on their new members, and they control their new members postprocess via hardwired circuitry.”
Suddenly he was right on top of me again, leaning down. ”In other words, Cates, I believe that inside most of those Monks is a horrified, tortured human mind that is used like a puppet, with a gibbering ineffectual terror. I think that Dennis Squalor is possibly the worst ma.s.s murderer in the history of the human race. Worse,” he leaned back again, smiling. ”Worse, Mr. Cates, I think that if action isn't taken soon, the Electric Church may soon be beyond the authority of the SSF. Beyond my my authority. And that doesn't sit well with me.” authority. And that doesn't sit well with me.”
I cleared my throat. ”Dennis-” I managed, and d.i.c.k Marin animated again, leaping up as the Vid wall clicked, and a picture, old and grainy, shot from some distance, appeared in place of the chart.
”Dennis Squalor,” Marin said briskly, pacing up and down, ”Founder and chief prophet of the Electric Church. He reminds me of you, Mr. Cates. Not a lot of information on him past the age of twenty-three, which is when Unification was achieved and he disappeared, returning-on various paper trails, at least-only when the Electric Church applied for formal religion status within the System. The Electric Church enjoys protected status as a religion, and it isolates Squalor pretty effectively. Of course, I know more about him. I know everything, but it's need-to-know and you . . . don't need to know.”
He spun and almost threw himself at me. ”Imagine, Mr. Cates-you were there, it shouldn't be a problem-imagine, you're walking home late at night. A Monk appears and the next thing you remember is waking up, trapped inside a metal and silicon body, with your higher brain functions looped through a container circuit. You try to move, but nothing happens. You try to speak, but the words that emerge from your mouth are not your own. Your brain has been kept intact merely to pa.s.s all known identification systems. Your brain has been kept intact merely to pa.s.s all known identification systems. Think on that, Mr. Cates.” Think on that, Mr. Cates.”
I didn't want to. Instead, I thought about getting out of the Blank Room, getting back to a world where there was color and nuance. I cleared my throat, and when that did not start the madman jumping around again, I ventured to try my luck at a sentence.
”What is it, exactly, exactly, you want from me, Mr. Marin? I appear to be a little bit below your level.” you want from me, Mr. Marin? I appear to be a little bit below your level.”
Marin nodded. ”What do I want with you? Mr. Cates, I want to hire you.”
I blinked. The motherf.u.c.ker was insane. insane. The whole world was being run by this insane little s.h.i.+t. ”You want me to Gun for you?” The whole world was being run by this insane little s.h.i.+t. ”You want me to Gun for you?”
”Of course not, Mr. Cates. You would be voluntarily choosing to do a few things, which will in turn have some unexpected benefits for you, which might, after an exhaustive and death-defying investigation, be traced back to the SSF. Not to me, me, mind you, but to the System Security Force in general. You'll do this because it'll be lucrative, and because I can have you killed just by letting your case proceed. You're a cop-killer, Mr. Cates. I am all that stands between you and execution. Take this on, and not only will your involvement in the deaths of officers Janet Hense, Jack Hallier, and Miguel Alvarez remain secret, you'll get paid, too.” mind you, but to the System Security Force in general. You'll do this because it'll be lucrative, and because I can have you killed just by letting your case proceed. You're a cop-killer, Mr. Cates. I am all that stands between you and execution. Take this on, and not only will your involvement in the deaths of officers Janet Hense, Jack Hallier, and Miguel Alvarez remain secret, you'll get paid, too.”
He stopped, and just grinned at me. f.u.c.k the Blank Room, this c.o.c.ksucker's grin grin was freaking me out. I knew I'd break in no time if he just sat there and grinned at me, his head c.o.c.ked to one side like a f.u.c.king ventriloquist's dummy. I felt an almost-irresistible urge to grin back, and I knew if I did I'd never be able to stop. was freaking me out. I knew I'd break in no time if he just sat there and grinned at me, his head c.o.c.ked to one side like a f.u.c.king ventriloquist's dummy. I felt an almost-irresistible urge to grin back, and I knew if I did I'd never be able to stop.
”You'll clear me on three dead cops?”
Marin s.h.i.+vered, s.h.i.+vered, a subtle vibration that rippled through his whole body in a second. ”Collateral damage, Mr. Cates. I could not possibly care less about three dead cops, if you pull this off.” a subtle vibration that rippled through his whole body in a second. ”Collateral damage, Mr. Cates. I could not possibly care less about three dead cops, if you pull this off.”
I licked my lips, and he spun away again. ”Actually, I've already hired others to do this job. There are a lot lot of Gunners out there, Mr. Cates, and I've hired quite a few in the last few months. Most with much better skill-sets than you, I think. They are all dead now-a.s.sumed to be, in some cases, as no body has yet turned up. I've been forced to s.h.i.+ft down to the second tier, and there you are-you have a rep for being very good, physically, and smarter than most. I've reviewed your arrest file.” of Gunners out there, Mr. Cates, and I've hired quite a few in the last few months. Most with much better skill-sets than you, I think. They are all dead now-a.s.sumed to be, in some cases, as no body has yet turned up. I've been forced to s.h.i.+ft down to the second tier, and there you are-you have a rep for being very good, physically, and smarter than most. I've reviewed your arrest file.”
Behind him the screen lit up with a quick flicker of my various busts, fifteen years of my life told in progressive mug shots.
”You're smart, Mr. Cates, but something's holding you back, yes? You fulfill your contracts and play by rules-you're trusted out there. Which is rare, these days. Criminals fear each other, they respect force, but very rarely do we find a criminal who is trusted. trusted.” He whirled to grin at me again. ”You're unique, Mr. Cates: a thinking killer. I hope maybe your approach will be more effective.”
”So you're hiring me because I'm a mediocre Gunner,” I croaked. This sounded interesting. My day was improving. ”How rich?”
Marin nodded, once, curtly, and produced a slip of paper from one pocket, which I was amazed to think he'd had waiting for this moment, ready. I took it from his cold fingers and stared down at the unusually large sum written upon it. I thought at first it must be one of those imaginary numbers I'd heard about in school.
”Deposited into a secure account under any name you wish, within two hours of proof of completion. Do we have a deal?”
I kept staring at the number. ”I have one requirement.”
Marin was silent, but I could feel that f.u.c.king grin on the top of my head like heat from a sun. ”A requirement, Mr. Cates?”
”Gatz,” I said, looking up and squinting into his smile. ”I need Kev Gatz. He gets out with me, and he gets a cleared file, too.”
d.i.c.k Marin laughed, a single bark of noise. ”I see, see, Mr. Cates! A reasonable request. We have a deal?” Mr. Cates! A reasonable request. We have a deal?”
I didn't answer right away, and then frowned. ”Wait a sec-who am I supposed to kill?”
Marin might have blinked behind his gla.s.ses, I couldn't tell. ”Why, Mr. Cates . . . I want you to a.s.sa.s.sinate Dennis Squalor. Of course.”
I blinked. ”Jesus f.u.c.ked, why why?”
Marin didn't answer right away. He stared just over my head for a moment, once again listening to something only he could hear. Finally the King Worm s.h.i.+vered and returned his attention to me.
”Why? Mr. Cates, haven't you been listening? The Electric Church is using its status as a religion as a cover. cover. Dennis Squalor is not converting fanatics, he is aggressively acquiring slaves. If I do nothing, within the decade we're all working for him-and digitally prevented from doing anything about it, or even complaining. Time is short. I have no evidence, which restricts my options, and he's got the political ac.u.men to make trouble for me if I act without evidence-highly unusual for me, and highly inconvenient. I have got to go through back channels. Buried channels. Dennis Squalor is not converting fanatics, he is aggressively acquiring slaves. If I do nothing, within the decade we're all working for him-and digitally prevented from doing anything about it, or even complaining. Time is short. I have no evidence, which restricts my options, and he's got the political ac.u.men to make trouble for me if I act without evidence-highly unusual for me, and highly inconvenient. I have got to go through back channels. Buried channels. Nonexistent Nonexistent channels. I am seeking a loophole. If Dennis Squalor goes down, the resulting confusion will give me the leverage to order a full investigation, temporarily suspend the EC's exempted status-don't worry over channels. I am seeking a loophole. If Dennis Squalor goes down, the resulting confusion will give me the leverage to order a full investigation, temporarily suspend the EC's exempted status-don't worry over how. how. You just do your part. Kill the high priest. You just do your part. Kill the high priest.
”Let's be clear.” He was suddenly calmed and relaxed, orienting on me as if really noting my presence for the first time, his manner suddenly fluid and focused. ”There is nothing official about this. You will be denied. I can offer you no help. On the other hand, you are free to act. I am not concerned with collateral damage. If SSF officers take notice of you, I will do whatever I can to help you. But a man like you knows how to avoid the cops when necessary, doesn't he? And if you succeed, Mr. Cates, all will be forgiven, no matter how messy.”
I shrugged, trying to smile back at him. ”I'm here, though, right? Is that how you keep things secret, by sending a G.o.dd.a.m.ned hover to scoop me up in the middle of the street?”
In the face of that s.h.i.+ning sun beaming from Marin, my own grin felt weak and brittle, and quickly faded away.
”Colonel Moje is . . . overly enthusiastic, sometimes, I admit. But no one knows, or would believe, that SSFDIA Marin is behind this, Mr. Cates. SSF officers often disparage the use of uniformed officers-what do you call them? Crushers?-to acquire a.s.sets, and misuse hovers and Stormers like that just to make an impression. To overawe the population, you see. A show of force is very effective for that. As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, Mr. Cates, you were picked up for questioning concerning the Dawson and Hallier incident, and released.” the population, you see. A show of force is very effective for that. As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, Mr. Cates, you were picked up for questioning concerning the Dawson and Hallier incident, and released.”
I thought about pointing out the sheer implausibility of this story, since the Pigs hardly ever released anyone, but didn't want to tempt this madman into going for a more realistic approach. Like beating me within an inch of my life, just for effect.
Marin leaped up and the door snicked snicked open again. ”We have a deal, then, Mr. Cates?” open again. ”We have a deal, then, Mr. Cates?”
He was walking briskly to the door. ”I'll need start-up costs!” I shouted.
And he was out the door, which snicked shut again. I waited a moment to see what would happen, but nothing did. I glanced down. My coffee had gone cold.
VIII.
They May Not Believe They'll Survive 01110.
”So, what's the deal?”