Daniel Suarez - Influx

“Big enough.”

They both fell through the opening at roughly half speed. Grady looked around. “No elevator cables?”

She nodded. “Elevators were one of the first uses of your invention.”

It took under a minute for them to reach level B-ninety-four. The label was stenciled next to the sealed doors.

Varuna’s voice reached them. “Beyond these doors is the entrance to the Gravitics Research Lab. I’ve escalated the team leader’s credentials to grant you access. But security personnel are closing in quickly. You must act now.”

The elevator doors opened, and Alexa fell through them, Grady close on her tail. She decided to keep falling, tearing out ceiling tiles in the wake of her gravity field, and as they approached the first set of clear diamond security doors, she could see the Kratos logo of a lightning bolt coming from the stars. The doors slid open silently to admit them.

Alexa glanced up at half a dozen laser turrets arrayed in the ceiling and walls. “Varuna, why are these turrets not firing on us?”

“It is increasingly difficult to conceal what I’ve done, Alexa. I’ve locked down these turrets directly. You need to hurry. There’s no longer time for subterfuge.”

“You shouldn’t have done that! What about you?”

“Don’t fail, Alexa.”

They passed through another set of diamond security doors. The place was deserted—with Klaxons sounding and warning lights flashing. Alexa recognized it as lockdown. They shouldn’t even have been able to move from section to section. To do so in lockdown, Varuna would have had to give them emergency clearance codes. She had no doubt what it would cost Varuna if she failed.

Moments later they came to the edge of a long section of clear diamond walls looking down on an empty control room with large holographic displays of the Earth. They could see a couple of researchers in lab coats below. The Kratos logo was tiled into the floor before the entrance—and these thicker doors hissed open as they fell into the large control room with an overlooking gallery. The gravises made their movements across the large space swiftly.

The researchers heard the doors open and turned. Grady and Alexa alighted nearby as she shouted:

“I need immediate access to the Kratos q-link array.”

Grady turned off his gravis and looked up in surprise at one of the two researchers. The man was staring back at him as if he’d seen a ghost. And suddenly the face became familiar—although it was much younger than when he’d seen it last.

It was Bertrand Alcot, his old mentor—but no longer so old.

“Bert. Is that you, Bert?”

“Jon. I can’t believe it.”

“Bert.” Waves of emotion swept over Grady.

Alcot looked not a day older than forty. He had a full head of hair again, just a bit of gray at the temples. He looked distinguished and vigorous. His cane was nowhere to be seen. He gave Grady a look of deep affection and moved forward to hug him. “My God, Jon, I can’t believe it is you.”

Grady kept him at arm’s distance. “I thought you were dead!” Grady examined the massive laboratory complex around them, and he could see various prototypes of the gravity mirror design all around them. “You’re working for the BTC.”

Alcot lowered his arms and grew somber. It was unnerving to see his much younger face. “You don’t understand, Jon—”

“I think I do understand. I think I understand perfectly. You accepted their deal. You helped them build Kratos.”

Alcot stared at him. “Kratos was my idea, Jon. Gravity projection—the extogravis.” Alcot gestured up to the large screen on which was a live image from far up in orbit. “This is a confirmation of everything you theorized. It’s—”

“They tortured me in prison, Bert! You know that, right?”

Alcot frowned. “What?”

“I was in Hibernity for years! Don’t pretend you didn’t know that.”

Alexa intervened, pushing him back. “Professor Alcot, we need immediate access to the Kratos q-link array.”

He ignored her. “What do you mean they tortured you? I was told Hibernity was a humane—”

Alexa snapped at him. “It’s not! Hedrick lied to you—and to me. To everyone.”

Alcot looked pained. “But I—”

Grady pointed at Alcot. “Is that why you did this? Because they could make you young again?”

Alcot faltered. He said weakly, “You don’t understand, Jon. You’re young.”

“They took my life from me. They took away everything I cared about.”

“You don’t understand what it’s like to… to reach the end of your life and realize…” Alcot’s voice trailed off.

Alexa stepped between them again. “There is no time for this. Professor Alcot, get me access to that q-link panel.”

Alcot and Grady stared at each other. Alcot responded to Alexa without looking at her. “Why would you need access to the q-link panel?”

“Because we need to insert a relay.”

“For what reason?”

She shouted, “So Kratos can be controlled from elsewhere, that’s why!”

Grady grabbed Alcot by the lapels. “Listen to me. Hedrick is out of control. The BTC is out of control. I conceived of this technology, and I’m not about to let people like him control it. It would ruin whatever future humanity has.”

Alcot looked pained. “I never wanted to hurt you, Jon. Please believe that.”

“I don’t give a damn what you did. I need you now.”

Alcot had no immediate answer.

Alexa pulled the one-inch cubic diamond from a pouch in her tactical harness and slammed it down on the control console. “Our EDSP relay is in here. It needs to be inserted in the q-link array. How do we do that?”

Alcot’s assistant said nervously, “Don’t tell them, Bert.”

Alcot barked at his assistant, “Be quiet, Sameer.”

Grady looked up and finally recognized the man. “Professor Kulkarni…” Grady returned his gaze to Alcot. “How could you have betrayed me like this? How long had you known about the BTC?”

Kulkarni, who also looked much younger, answered. “Bert learned about the BTC when you did, Mr. Grady.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Alexa grabbed Kulkarni by the arm. “Where is the q-link array?”

He spoke with a distinct Indian accent. “I will not tell you.”

Her hand shot out to grab him by the collar. She lifted him off the ground. “Tell me!”

Kulkarni’s resistance folded almost immediately as he pointed frantically at a series of floor panels. A hand scanner was set next to them.

She carried him over to the panels and forced one of his hands onto the scanner. “Open them.”

Alcot watched with obvious displeasure. “What are you doing? And how did you both get in here?”

Alexa watched as the center panel opened, revealing six identical cubic diamonds in metallic ceramic casings behind clear diamond windows etched with serial numbers. They were sealed in with no obvious way to open them.

At a glare from Alexa, Kulkarni said, “Only the lead scientist and the director have the authority to open the q-link array.”

Varuna’s voice spoke above them. “You have only seconds more, Alexa. Human security agents are arriving in force outside.”

Alcot looked above him. “Varuna, you’re helping them?”

“You focus too much on your work, Professor Alcot. You fail to see the big picture.”

Alcot frowned, but the words seemed to have a sobering impact on him. He turned toward Alexa. “What you’re doing is pointless in any event. Unless you can retain control of the lab, they’d just overpower you and replace it again. Your plan wasn’t clearly thought out.”