John Barnes - Daybreak Zero

Dan. Steve, and now Dan. Arnie’s knives flew from their sheathes in a cross-draw; Aaron, laughing, fell back on the bed, letting the blades whistle over his head, and kicked Arnie with both feet, full in the chest. He was flung backward, but he braced himself on the wall—

“Knives down. Knives down. Think about your position. You are already in very, very far with me. Think about what you did to Steve Ecco. As far as we know Samson is alive and will come back. Think of what he’ll say when he knows that it was you who betrayed your friend… think of what Allie will say when you are once again the sort of chump who throws away opportunities…”

Arnie thought for a long breath that he might continue the attack, press home his knives, shut Aaron up forever.

Aaron did not move, but he said, “Doctor Yang, you are about to become truly doctus, sir, you are indeed, because one of those questions that you have been trying to ask, and I have always evaded, is about to be answered. You are going to learn how Daybreak migrates from mind to mind, and reinforces itself, without the aid of those little plaztatic computer gizmos that some people seem to miss so very much. All your questions, about to be answered. Now put those silly knives away, you don’t want to miss this, it’s why you started to talk to me in the first place.”

I might need to boil the sheets. They stank, there were stains, and Arnie felt, more than he could see by lamplight, little things jumping from them. He had dragged them off the bed and stuffed them into a canvas duffle, and was trying to think what he’d tell the nice lady that did the wash when she came around. Could’ve been worse, he could’ve taken all his clothes off, his skin has to be even worse than his rags. Jesus, plenty of hot water in the tank from the solar collector; he could have taken a bath, even rinsed out his clothes, he didn’t even want to be clean.

I’m getting a bath as soon as I have clean sheets on the bed to fall into. And I don’t know how I’ll ever get rid of all the bugs that came off that…

It should have been funny. He’d been about to think lousy bastard when he realized how accurate it was.

He felt under his mattress, found his notebooks, heard the little whispers in his mind urge him to tear them up, give them to Aaron, throw them away, and had a thought; he pulled the current one out and scrawled down the page,

The Deeper It Goes The Less Daybreak Can Do To It.

The more it is part of you

the more it’s who you think you are

the more it’s you

the less Daybreak can change it,

the less it bends to follow Daybreak

the less Daybreak pwns it

I am a scientist, I record things I record things I record things Daybreak

can’t stop that because it’s deep it’s deep that I record things I record

things I record things There’s something Daybreak can’t do it can’t stop

me can’t stop me can’t stop can’t stop I record things I record things. I

am I am

I am a fucking bag of shit

I don’t matter

we don’t matter

FUCK PEOPLE

That last consumed the bottom half of the page in a huge child’s scrawl. He forced his hands to close the notebook and rammed it back into its hiding place.

He had just made his last neat hospital corner and was really looking forward to that shower when there was a knock at the door. He froze only for an instant; it wouldn’t be Aaron. He wouldn’t knock. He set the pen and ink in their standard spot on his desk.

At the door, two militiamen waited for him. Oh, God, I’m busted. My notebooks—

“Doctor Yang? Heather O’Grainne asked us to come and bring you. It’s urgent. I’m to take you to her right away. She said to bring a blank notepad. Her orders are that I’m not to answer any questions.”

He didn’t seem to be a prisoner, but then what was he?

In Heather’s office, he found her head down on the desk, as if she had been praying or crying. But she sat up, ran a hand across her face, thanked the militiamen, and waited for the door to close and their footsteps to go away.

“Arnie,” she said, “in a way, this is good news. We’ve got a captured Daybreaker who was in deep cover for you to interrogate. You need to start tonight, while the shock of arrest is still fresh.” He had a tenth of a second to hope it was Aaron, but Heather went on talking; Arnie missed most of it, in his horror at realizing why Aaron had been so suddenly informative, earlier tonight.

Leslie was trying to talk to herself. Got to face things. I don’t know why I’m accused, but I’m accused of…

There was a glow on the floor, coming from beneath the door. It opened.

She felt better seeing that it was Arnie Yang—pleasant, sensible, dorkish, slightly sad Arnie, who you could always have a beer with, always so desperate for human company; not exactly her friend, but she trusted his honesty, and she couldn’t imagine him treating her, or anyone, harshly.

He squatted down so as not to stand over her. “Are you being welltreated?”

“I guess. It’s clean. Nobody hits me or yells at me.” Humiliatingly, she began to cry; it was such a relief that someone seemed to care. She wiped at her eyes. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“You know my job is to hear all about it.”

“I didn’t do anything, I didn’t tell anyone anything, I’m as loyal as you are.”

He sighed. “I can’t imagine how you could have done it, but the evidence Heather showed me—”

“That’s part of it, Doctor Yang, I can’t even imagine how there could be any evidence—”

“Were you so careful?”

“No, I mean I didn’t do anything, so—”

He raised his hands gently, and spoke quietly and kindly. “Leslie, a moment ago you were talking about the evidence.”

“How could it possibly—”

“Leslie, I really want to believe you. But you’ll have to put it all in my hands. I’m going to ask you about things going back a decade or more, and some of them won’t have any apparent connection to this situation. You know that you and I both want to clear you. If there is evidence anywhere that will clear you, if you tell me everything, hold nothing back, I can find my way to that evidence, Leslie. I couldn’t tell you why, but I believe somehow you’re innocent, and if you’ll help me, I can find the path to the truth. But you’ve got to cooperate; answer my questions, no matter how personal, even if I just ask you to ramble on. Withhold nothing, object to nothing, just give me what I ask for. Will you promise to help me try?”

She wiped her face with the little piece of toweling they’d given him. “With you all the way, Doctor Yang.”

“Arnie. If we weren’t before, we’re going to be friends.” He leaned forward and said, “Now, as much as you remember, had you ever heard the word ‘Daybreak’ in any kind of political or environmental context, any time before October 28th, 2024?”

This is not going to be easy. Heather looked down at the notes she had scrawled minutes ago, after her quick conference with Arnie. Leslie Antonowicz had been no more forthcoming this morning, refusing to answer any questions, saying only that she was innocent, which is kind of what you’d expect, isn’t it?

She looked up; both delegations were silent, either watching her or working over notes. Probably they both already know. It’s not like we’re hard to penetrate or anything. Her own sarcasm was bitter brass in her brain.