Part 28 (1/2)

Her mother began to speak. 'Plans for the exploitation of planet Lucifer. Copy two of two. Cla.s.sification Most Secret: Eyes only. Overview. Overview begins.

'h.e.l.lo, Legion. As you are no doubt aware, the current status of Project Eden is somewhat less than ideal. With the political situation being what it is, I have... persuaded... the Board of Directors of the Holding Company to accede to my wish to return control of the Project to a commercial body; one which will be able to carry out the mission objectives without complications and without delays. I am pleased that your company picked up first refusal on the contract; IMC has a reputation for getting the job done at minimum cost, and we all know how important that is in today's marketplace.'

The image of Madrigal LaFayette smiled thinly. 'The Board has approved your plan to remove the planetary atmosphere to facilitate exploitation of the core. For details, see the file labelled ”Methodology”. Preliminary checks confirm our suspicions that the planetary core material is of a previously unknown, stable, high*atomic*weight element, and hence of incalculable commercial value. The placement of an IMC agent on Eden is approved, as is your suggestion to terminate employment of current staff. Nominal contractual obligations will have to be honoured, but these should not provide any of the staff with enough credit to book pa.s.sage with IMC back to Earth.'

Christine tried to quell the sick feeling welling up in her stomach. Her mother, her own mother, responsible for the deaths of her friends. The thought was appalling.

'Your a.s.sessment of the indigenous life forms, named Angels, as being non*intelligent and therefore unimportant is also confirmed. And of course,' she added, 'there will be a bonus, as discussed, when Psychologist Christine LaFayette is returned, unharmed, to my office. I invested too many adjusted ergs circ.u.mventing the Eugenics Lottery to have the result waste herself on a guilt trip for planet Earth. Oh, and one more thing. I am aware of the particular... problems... that your planet is facing at the moment. I trust you not to let it affect your judgement. Good day, Legion. Overview terminates.'

The screen darkened.

So that was how her mother saw her. A 'result'. She laughed with a mixture of loathing and contempt. Not a child, not a woman, not even a human being, but simply a result. An investment. A showpiece of her mother's corporate power.

'f.u.c.k you, mother,' she whispered softly. 'f.u.c.k you to h.e.l.l and back.'

She began to cry.

But she still accessed the file ent.i.tled 'METHODOLOGY'.

The Doctor stood up, extended a hand to Miles, and helped the Administrator to his feet. Miles stood, trembling, his face pale and sweaty.

Teal exchanged looks with Cheryl. 'I didn't think we were going to see him up and around again.'

Cheryl brought a finger to her lips. 'Shh!'

Miles was talking softly. 'Yonder in the north, there is singing on the lake. Cloud maidens dance on the sh.o.r.e. There we take our being.'

Teal frowned. 'I don't understand. What's he talking about?'

Cheryl hissed, 'It's part of the Tewa story of origin. The legend of how the tribe began. Paula told it to me once. Now shut up, it might be important.'

'Yonder in the north, cloud beings rise. They ascend unto cloud blossoms. There we take our being.'

The Doctor stared raptly at Miles, his eyes wide, drinking in the imagery. There were answers here, he was sure of it. Connections. His lips moved almost silently. 'Come on, Miles. Tell me the rest. Tell me it all.'

'Yonder in the north, rain stands over the land. Yonder in the north stands forth at twilight the arc of a rainbow. There we have our being.'

Ace forced Bernice at gun*point through the jury*rigged remains of the Base's main airlock. Only hours before, the IMC troops had hyperglued a temporary 'lock on the outside of the Base to hold air as they blasted their way inside. Bernice had admired the pragmatism, if not the intent. Forget about picking locks; just blow the d.a.m.n thing open.

Ace caught her glance, as she directed her through the new 'lock. 'It's quicker. Also there's the shock value. Always useful when you need immediate compliance. Here. Put this s.p.a.cesuit on.'

Bernice shuddered as she obeyed the girl's instruction. 'Of course, the psychological angle. I don't know why I didn't see it myself.'

'You're being sarcastic again, Bernice. Why do you hate me so much?'

'It's not you I hate, it's what you've become.'

Ace was silent for the few minutes it took them to walk across the broken surface of Belial to the parked IMC executive transporter. They climbed in through the airlock after Ace deactivated the security lasers. The hold behind them was already full of pa.s.sengers: high*spirited troopers and a disdainful Alex Bannen.

Dumping her suit as soon as she could, Bernice was forced to wait as Ace racked hers neatly before leading the way up to the control cabin.

'Take a seat,' Ace said.

Bernice settled into the co*pilot's couch as Ace prepared the executive transporter for take*off.

'What's Bannen doing here?' Bernice asked.

'He is Coordinator, now. I'm supposed to take him to Moloch Base after I've dropped you off on the Insider Trading Insider Trading. He could take the new Lift, of course, but the fat idiot just wants to throw his weight around.'

'So, we're going to the IMC flags.h.i.+p. Want to tell me why?'

Ace was silent.

'Ace, I asked you a question.'

'Don't push it, Bernice. I told you before not to confuse me. I have enough to deal with every time the Doctor opens his mouth.'

Savagely, she shoved her thumb down on the initiate sequence initiate sequence switch and the executive transporter's engines thundered briefly, lifting the craft clear of the moon. switch and the executive transporter's engines thundered briefly, lifting the craft clear of the moon.

'But you wouldn't be confused if you weren't travelling with the Doctor any more, would you?' Bernice said quietly.

Ace set the executive transporter on auto*control and swivelled in her chair to stare at Bernice. 'I wouldn't bank on it,' she whispered.

Bernice gazed through the executive transporter's viewscreen as the immense bulk of Lucifer slipped gradually higher above Belial's bleak horizon. Several hundred kilometres away, she knew, the IMC s.h.i.+ps were a.s.suming orbit, deploying for the best position. She strained her eyes, but the scarlet glare of Lucifer obscured any tiny glints of reflected sunlight from the fleet.

She looked sideways once more at Ace. 'Do you trust IMC any more than you trust the Doctor? Do you trust Legion?'

'Legion is my line officer. I trust it completely.' She turned back to the controls. 'I trust it with my life.'

Bernice shuddered at the change in Ace's voice. 'And everyone else's lives? Do you trust Legion with them as well?'

Ace did not reply.

Miles Engado slumped once again to the floor, his wave of verbosity apparently expended with the end of the Tewa story of origin.

The Doctor regarded him sadly, aware that the best thing he could do was simply to leave the man alone. At least he'd managed to convey the gist of his conversation with Paula, or rather, with the thing she had become.

'What now?' Cheryl whispered.

The door opened with a soft click.

'Aha! That'll be Bernice, and not before time, either.' The Doctor turned to the door with a smile, which faded when he found that it wasn't Bernice who was standing there, but Bishop. The smile came back full force when he saw the two troopers who were lying, either unconscious or dead, outside the room.