Michael Kube-McDowell - The Quiet Pools

Long moments later, the four reappeared in Entry, the soldiers looking more shaken than the staff. An angry Dryke ordered the women to sit on the floor, their faces to a wall, and then turned toward the nearest camera.

“Anna X, I assume that you can hear me—”

Anna X signaled to a technician with her hand. “You’re an impatient man, Mr. Dryke,” she interrupted. “Neither quality is a virtue here.”

“I want Christopher McCutcheon. It’s a simple thing. You have enough documentation to satisfy any conscience you may have. Are you going to give him to me?”

“Mr. McCutcheon is not a possession to be given away. He is a person. He petitioned for Shelter, which was granted. And Sanctuary has never given up a Sheltered person on the demand of any authority.”

“Then you must feel safer than you are,” Dryke answered. “Don’t make this a test of strength. I’m not leaving without him.”

Anna X’s back was up. “Do you think that Sanctuary is a huddle of helpless women? Do you think—”

“Is two enough to make a huddle? Because there are two women here with me who don’t seem particularly powerful at the moment. Two citizens of Sanctuary, I suspect—not visitors. I imagine you can play with the pressure and the lights and the heat and maybe even gas the whole section anytime you please. I just think you should know what will happen if you do. How often have you sacrificed Sanctuary citizens for a male criminal? Would you like to put that question to a plebiscite? I’ll be happy to wait.”

“I know how a community aspiring to your ethics would vote,” Anna X said. “Christopher doesn’t have to fear that from us.”

But looking at the faces around him, Christopher was less certain than Anna X sounded.

“Really. There’s only one reason I can think of that’d account for that—”

“Then you have a sadly stunted imagination.”

“—which is that he isn’t just a visitor, after all. Maybe he’s a friend. Hell, let’s think creatively—maybe he’s not even a he. What about that, Anna? Things aren’t always what they seem, are they? Should we come take a look in your records under Homeworld? Should we look in them for Jeremiah?”

“Off,” said Anna X tersely. “Self-important bastard—is the freighter ready?”

“Yes—on one-minute hold.”

“We’ll use it as a decoy. Send it toward Hanif. Then prepare boat 5 for launch to Horizon—”

“No,” Christopher said, stepping forward. “Stop.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“He won’t send the shuttle after the freighter. He’ll destroy it if he has a way. And he’ll have a way. He won’t have come up here without being ready to deal with me if I ran.”

“I don’t want to give you to him.”

“He doesn’t want that, either. I only just realized.”

“Explain.”

“I think he wants an excuse to come in here. He’d rather have a chance to ‘accidentally’ kill me, with pawing through your records as a bonus. That’s why he’s baiting you. This isn’t a negotiation.”

“Have you a suggestion? Or a choice?”

“We’re dealing with the wrong person.”

“Explain.”

“It would take too long. Let me talk to Dryke. I think I can get us better terms.”

She studied him skeptically, then vacated her seat for him, standing off to one side. “Are you ready?” He nodded. She stepped back, out of camera, and gave the signal.

Dryke had been having his own side conversation. When he looked up, a mild flicker of surprise crossed his face. “So you are here, after all,” he said.

“Shut up,” Christopher said. “I want to talk to the Director. Conference, three-way, full video. You, me, and her. You can arrange it, or we can put out the call on Aurora Freenet, all hundred thousand watts’ worth.” He saw Anna X’s eyes widen. “You decide. Thirty seconds.”

“No.”

“Bad choice. Because if I don’t talk to Sasaki, Freenet is going to start broadcasting everything we know about the Chi Sequence and Memphis . Which is quite a lot.”

Dryke’s expression did not change. “What the hell is that to me? Just come out, McCutcheon. It’ll be a lot easier to clean up around here if you do.”

Christopher tried to keep the surprise off his face. Dryke didn’t know. Dryke doesn’t know . For just that moment, Christopher’s confidence wavered. Mother of Gaea, if I’m wrong—

“You’d better check with the Director and see if she cares,” he said weakly.

“I’m not playing the game, McCutcheon. You’ve got nothing to bargain with.”

“You’re a chump, Dryke, d’you know that? A first-class no-brain chump. You don’t know what this is all about. You don’t know what you’re defending. You don’t even know what you’re fighting.”

“You’re not earning any points, McCutcheon.”

“You couldn’t keep count if I was,” Christopher said. “The hell with you. We’re taking it to the air.”

“We’re already on the air,” Anna X said.

Christopher shot her a surprised sideways glance, and then a pleased smile. “My name is Christopher McCutcheon,” he said, looking straight into the camera. “My father was Jeremiah, of the Homeworld. The first reason that I’m here is to tell you that he’s dead.”

He swallowed, dropped his eyes for a moment, and then drew in a breath to proceed. “He’s dead now, but I’m still learning from what he taught me. You have something to learn, too. That’s the other reason I’m here—to tell you a story. It’s a story about a great river and the animals who explored it. The river is called Time and Destiny and God. The animals have many names, including Man.

“So you’re part of the story, and so am I. It’s a story about where we came from and where we’re going. It’s all of our stories, from before the beginning of history, all wrapped in one. Because it’s the story of who we are. Some of you won’t like the ending—I’ll warn you about that now—”

“Christopher?” interrupted one of the women. “Someone heard you. It’s Hiroko Sasaki.”

“Switch,” he said. “Director? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, Christopher. I hope you can hear me, as well. Mikhail, are you listening?”

“Here, Director.” From his expression, he was eating his face off from the inside.

“Very well. Christopher, what is it that you want?”

“I want to see you. I want the truth about the Chi Sequence and Memphis .”

“Nothing more?”

His chest rose and fell with several breaths before he knew his answer. “There’s more, but it will keep until I see you.”

She nodded. “Mikhail.”

“Yes, Director.”

“If he ends his broadcast now, bring him to me.”

All eyes in the room were on Christopher. He sought out Deryn’s with his own.

“It’s a good beginning,” she said, answering the question in his look. “And I know how to finish it. If you can’t, I’ll tell the story, when the time is right.”

He nodded. That was enough. “I’d like a promise of safe conduct from Mr. Dryke,” he said to Sasaki.

A moment later, he had the promise. He hugged Deryn and thanked Anna X, then turned and left, his steps curiously light. Alone, he climbed up to Entry and walked out through the door of Shelter 24 with his shoulders straight and his head high. As he did, the two staff women rushed by him, escaping into the safety of Sanctuary.

“You don’t have it yet,” Dryke said, glaring across the room.

“Wrong,” Christopher said. “I always had it. I was just the last to know.”

Christopher did not try to talk to Dryke in the shuttle, not even to ask where they were headed. Instead, he thought about the questions he wanted to ask Sasaki. There were fewer than he would have expected. Confirmation, correction, validation— those he still needed. But the unknown detail was irrelevant. The synthesis embodied the detail. The general implied the specific.