ALEJO: Alejo pushes Manaaki back into his chair and then kicks the chair, assuming it’s on wheels, against the back wall, while watching the door behind us, in case the guard comes in. “We’re going to have a civil conversation, Director.”
STORY: “Oh, for christ’s sake.” He looks annoyed. “GUARD!” He stands and rushes you.
STORY: What do you do?
ALEJO: Alejo hits him in the forehead with the butt of the gun, to knock him out. Then he pivots to fire at the guard’s legs or torso, depending on how armed the guard is.
STORY: The guard enters, in the same body armor and with the taser the rest of them have. As you level the gun at him, a door behind you slides open, and Nikau Manaaki steps out, wiping his hands with a small towel. He surveys the scene with a furrowed brow, then sighs, shaking his head. “Complications, complications.”
STORY: “Hannigan, back into the hallway, please. You’ll be briefed later.”
MILLICENT: Millie groans. “He didn’t even kill you!”
STORY: This Other Manaaki puts his hands on his hips, looking disappointedly at the unconscious one in his office chair.
MILLICENT: “You have backups for your headaches?”
ALEJO: “I really hate your ex, Doc. Have I said that?”
Chapter 81
TUELLER: “So the plan is to put us in the system as new hires, go in, ace our interview, and then take the Director, some unspoken fifth step, and then, profit!”
ALEJO: “It’s been a while, but seems like one of our better plans, honestly.”
TUELLER: “One of the best plans we’ve come up with in at least 18 months.”
MILLICENT: “It has six steps!”
MILLICENT: “I’m optimistic!”
Chapter 80
TUELLER: “This is literally messianic, Millie.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
STORY: Calixta blows air out of her mouth.
TUELLER: “Except instead of saving the human race you’re now talking about saving the universe.”
MILLICENT: “I. I know it’s big.”
STORY: “I call the one with the sword.”
STORY: “The flaming sword? Right?”
STORY: “I always wanted a flaming sword.”
TUELLER: “The flaming sword was what was used to keep people out of Eden.”
MILLICENT: “Uriel.” Millie says absently.
STORY: “Well this time we’ll let them in with it, smarty pants.”
Chapter 79
MILLICENT: “We need a supercomputer. Well, we need a network of supercomputers. And they must be in the Sol system.”
RYO: Ryo nods and tilts his head thoughtfully, listening for the rest of the details.
MILLICENT: “And I doubt anyone who owns such an array in the Sol system will be amenable to the idea of Noma and myself commandeering their use so we can peer under the hood of the most advanced and crucial tech in the system.”
STORY: Calixta moves over to a console. “You mind?”
RYO: “Please.”
STORY: She pulls up a star chart.
STORY: Pointing at the current locations of the planets in the system, she explains. “Got a couple options. We can all become priests and use the Exodus supercomputer on Enceladus. We can break into Chandra’s base on Titan, good luck with that one, or, well, there’s Io.”
STORY: “But I suspect Esinam Ya’Makasi isn’t interested in letting us borrow some time on her rig.”
STORY: “So basically we’re fucked three ways.”
MILLICENT: “One of three ways.”
MILLICENT: “Now we must simply choose the manner of our fucking.”
RYO: Ryo nods in agreement. “Spoiled for choice.”
Chapter 78
STORY: “You and Tueller are known enemies. Why should we believe your testimony for a moment?”
STORY: Sergio smiles again, looking Tueller in the eye. “What have I got to lose? I’m receiving nothing for my testimony today, no deals made. I simply wish to see justice done.“
STORY: Becker shakes his head, looks back at Tueller.
STORY: “No further questions, your honors.” He sits next to Tueller, puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
TUELLER: “You’re worth every penny I spent on you.”
TUELLER: “And not one more.”
Chapter 77
STORY: You find the room relatively quickly. You can see a smallish man inside the machine, prone, not moving. It’s on.
STORY: A large glass window and a locked door bar your entry to this room.
RYO: Ryo is with Millie.
RYO: He looks for something to break through the glass.
STORY: Ryo, there’s a cart with some equipment on it nearby, about hip height, looks liftable.
MILLICENT: Millie points.
MILLICENT: At the room they need to get into.
RYO: Ryo dumps the equipment and heaves it through the glass.
STORY: The cart bounces off the glass and rattles on the floor, its contents scattering everywhere.
RYO: Ryo looks at it for a long moment. Then adjusts his glasses. He looks a Millie and shrugs. “Other ideas?”
Chapter 76
STORY: “Quantum duplication. Schroedinger’s cat.”
STORY: “Both cats.” Tux shakes his head.
STORY: He holds his head in his hands, still shaking. “Both cats are alive.”
ALEJO: “That the cat in the box that dies but doesn’t? I have no idea what that means. Never got it.” He tries to meet Tux’s eyes and smiles.
ALEJO: “What the hell does that mean?”
STORY: He grabs your hands, looking at you in a panic. “They’re both alive. Soto. They made copies of us.”
STORY: Then looks down at the paper. “And no one knows. Which means…”
STORY: “No one’s coming for us. Ever.”
Chapter 75
STORY: The Ryo lookalike throws himself against the real Ryo and they tussle on the floor for a moment.
STORY: Rolling, one flipping the other over.
RYO: The real Ryo tires to use his ring to knock the thing out!
TUELLER: Tueller tries to separate them, but, you know, I like a good doppelganger dividing set up.
STORY: Ryo, you get a good shot on him, and it really rings his bell, but before you know what’s happening you’re both standing up, both a little hazy from the combat, both ready to convince your friends you’re the real one.
RIGHT RYO: Ryo looks at you, Ryo.
LEFT RYO: Ryo looks back, adjusting his glasses.
RIGHT RYO: “That was bracing.”
MILLICENT: “Hmmm.”
LEFT RYO: The Ryo on the left dusts off his jacket, adjusts his glasses, and looks unhappily at his doppelganger. “Oh, come on.”
MILLICENT: Millie leans over to Tueller and stage whispers. “You know, it occurs to me that we don’t really have to make a choice here. We could just space them both.”
TUELLER: “That works for me.”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs.
Chapter 74
TUELLER: “I’ve reset our course for Io, by the way.”
TUELLER: “Esi’s there so we might as well go right there.”
RYO: Ryo just looks at him.
STORY: Figgan’s standing behind Tueller, just shaking her head disapprovingly. “I tried to stop him.”
STORY: “He’s so much bigger than me.”
TUELLER: “I am.”
STORY: “This is suicide, though.”
RYO: “He’s bigger than us all put together.”
TUELLER: “No, we’ll be fine.”
RYO: “But I agree that this isn’t a prudent path.”
MILLICENT: “Oh good, you have a plan?”
TUELLER: “No.’
MILLICENT: “I’m very interested to hear your-oh.”
MILLICENT: “I see.”
TUELLER: “We’ll figure something out.”
MILLICENT: “I’d like to address some concerns I have.”
Chapter 73
TUELLER: “Thank you Ryo. Your plan got us here. You got us in a room with her. My name couldn’t have done that without you.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “You’ve been far more capable than I’ve given you credit for.”
RYO: “Kind of you to say, Mr.,” he catches himself, “Tueller.” He nods, genuinely appreciatively. “But I don’t think that my part did all that much. I’m . . . so impressed by you.” He then looks at Millie. “Both.”
TUELLER: “Epaphus will also do, if you must call me Mr. Something.”
RYO: “Mr. Epaphus dem lo bin Sol.” He nods again.
TUELLER: “I prefer nicknames, though.”
TUELLER: “No need to go the full mouthful.”
RYO: “It’s actually growing on me.”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head. “I don’t know. It’s too long.”
MILLICENT: “Grandiose.”
RYO: “Precisely!”
RYO: Ryo beams.