Bloodlines

It was strange and slightly creepy to be wandering around Port Lowell while everyone else was in the shelter of the control tower. Most of the systems had been shut down to protect them from any potential damage, so it was as dark and silent as any catacombs. With the ventilation system turned down to minimal, the air lay still and heavy. The flashlight I’d picked up from a maintenance station only seemed to make the shadows deeper and more oppressive. It was well past sunset, and the storm cut out any light that might have been reflected off of the moons.

The radiation meter I was carrying was almost silent: it showed nothing more than the regular background radiation you’d expect to find on Mars.

Walking along the main corridor connecting the control tower to the main dome, all I could hear were my soft footsteps on the floor and the somewhat muted howling of the wind outside. Occasionally a gust would send a particularly heavy wave of sand against the reinforced windows, but otherwise I was surrounded by silence. I’ve never been a fan of horror movies or books, but I did feel an almost child-like sense of dread as I made my way towards the main dome.

I slowed as I approached the last corner: there was a definite light spilling out into the corridor from inside the dome. Hugging the wall, I edged towards it, making as little sound as I could. I could just make out voices coming from the other side of the doorway, but they were too muffled to make out the words. Slowly edging closer, I risked poking my head around the doorframe to get a look at whoever it was.

Columbia and Legion stood surrounded by a large number of clones; a mixture of the Smith’s and Browns, as well as some new ones I’d never seen before. They were all dressed in crisp US military uniforms and carrying heavy weapons. I recognised some as the same stun-guns carried by S.I.U.’s non meta-human agents, while others looked like particle cannons and laser rifles. That was a lot of heavy firepower, more than you’d expect to need somewhere like Port Lowell.

A hand reached round and clamped over my mouth as I was yanked back into the corridor.

“What ever you do, don’t make a sound.” Charlotte whispered into my ear as she started to pull me back along the corridor until we rounded the first junction, “We have a problem.”

“No shit!” I hissed, glancing back down the corridor to make sure we weren’t being followed, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Following Columbia and Legion, just like you asked me to.” My ex-wife stood with her hands on her hips, “It’s not my fault that they’re not were you thought they’d be.”

“But what the hell are they doing?” I asked, more than a little worried.

“They’re armed American troops on someone else’s territory, what do you think their doing? Shopping for Duty Free?” Charlotte responded sarcastically, “It looks like an invasion to me.”

“Invading Port Lowell?” I blinked, “How? Why?”

“How would probably be one of the bulk freighters that make the Earth/Mars run, carrying supplies.” Charlotte pulled a data-pad from her pocket and called up a shipping schedule, “As for why; they American’s, why else do they invade somewhere? We have something they want and they don’t like the current administration that much. I personally think that that bitch is letting her name go to her head!”

“Exporting America’s own brand of freedom and democracy: one invasion at a time.” I shook my head in disbelief, “And people wonder why I don’t like America.”

“Just be glad that they seem to have given up their plans to make England the 51st State of the Union...” Charlotte looked intently at the data-pad for a moment, “Here we go: freighter Magellan. Left Earth orbit a month ago with 20,000-tons of cargo and two passengers: Columbia Goodheart and Legion.” She looked up at me, “Want to bet that the cargo included the goon-squad in there?”

“That’s the how, but not the why.” I shook my head, still not convinced, “Apart from those two rogue NSA Agents, what could they want with Port Lowell?”

“Mars: take Port Lowell and/or Ares Station, and you control Mars.” Charlotte looked round, almost as if she was expecting trouble, “Look, as much as I’d like to help you pull a Che Guevara or whatever it is you’re planning, those guys have every reason to want me dead, so I’m out of here!” she kissed me on the lips and disappeard in a flash of light.

So there I was, on Mars of all places, facing a small army, and the only other post-human of any note who wasn’t on the other side had just disappeared right before my eyes.

I took a moment to call Charlotte a few names under my breath, before reaching for the Omnicom I’d been given when I’d arrived: it looked like an oversized mobile phone, but it could also access the colony’s mainframe, and with the right security codes, the interplanetary transmitter on Ares Station.

But I only need to make a local call.

“Hundredaire.” My guide’s calm voice came over the link.

“Joe; it’s Nathan.” I looked round to make sure no one was within earshot, “Can you access the security mainframe?”

“You are kidding, right?” He sounded almost amused, “I don’t have anywhere near that kind of clearance.”

“Well then find someone who does, and have them lockdown the main dome and the surrounding area.” I started to make my way back towards the control tower, “Depressurise the corridors if you can: just seal off that area.”

“What are you talking about? Where the hell are you anyway?”

“I’m in the main coridor, just outside the machien-shops.”

“But that’s outside of the electromagnetic shielding!” Hundredaire almost shouted, “]Are you crazy?”

“There is no solar-flair: it’s just a ploy to get everyone in one place!” I hissed back, my temper growing shorter every second, “Columbia Goodheart is about to stage a military coup and take over Port Lowell! For all we know, they’ve already taken Ares Station.”

There was silence for a moment, “Shit...we lost contact with Ares Station an hour ago: we just put it down to interference from the flair.”

“Get Diana and get her out of here!” I started to run back towards the control tower, “I don’t care where you take her: just get her as far away from Port Lowell as you can. And warn Dr Witwer that he’s going to have about fifty armed post-humans to deal with in the very near future...”

“Going somewhere?” A voice came from directly behind me, cool and calm as anything, “We never did get a chance to see just who’s more powerful.”

“Legion...” I turned round, flicking off the Omnicom. The FBSS agent stood in the middle of the corridor less than six foot from me, “Been let off your leash?”

“Nathan, Nathan, Nathan: you just don’t understand.” He looked totally relaxed and in control, his slight frame hiding his true power, “Dear Miss Goodheart isn’t my keeper; she’s my subordinate.”

“You outrank here?” I shook my head, “Even the Conspiracy’s not that crazy.”

“A Conspiracy of One is as sane as its progenitor.” Legion smiled, “The time has come to pick a side: us, or the humans.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The true goal of the Conspiracy isn’t to take over the world for the United States, or any other single country. We’re paving the way for Homo Superior to take our rightful place. It is the natural order: evolution in action.”

“Well, as Captain Hobbs would tell you: I’ve never been good as following orders!” I threw the radiation meter at him as hard as I could; using the momentary distraction to dive backwards. I took to the air, sending myself fly down the corridor.

A hail of laser and particle beams chased after me, fired by the squad of clones who had managed to approach undetected while I was distracted with Legion. The air shimmered as my distortion field kicked in, stopping all of the weapons fire long before it reached me.

I could see the airlock doors ahead of me start to close, and redoubled my efforts to reach them before I was cut off. While I doubted that they would provide a serous obstacle to either Legion or myself I wanted to keep Port Lowell intact, and hoped that he felt the same. I passed through the doors just in time, and they closed with a reassuringly loud bang behind me.

Drifting back down to the floor, I looked round in a bid to orientate myself; I’d only seen a fraction of the colony, and I had no idea were my flight to apparent safety had taken me. All the walls around me were bare of any signs or markings, and I didn’t want to risk using my Omnicom to pull up a map in case the mainframe was being monitored.

The hiss of an opening airlock startled me, and I span round to find myself face to face with a space suited figure holding the biggest gun I’ve ever seen any one person carry.

“Come with me if you want to live...”

To Be Continued...