Rogue(105)

The gun had been recovered at scene. Investigators were working on it. That to me meant he’d left nothing they could trace and didn’t care about the gun. I was curious as to how he’d gotten that on Earth. Those were largely in test phase and not available. Had he looted a lab?

So what next?

From Peace Station over the Americas I took another AtmoSurf down to North America, landing in Virginia. I was very glad for the trank. This is where it had all started ten years, sixteen Earth years before.

Silver had left a message for me. I got my bag, took a slideway to another to a train station, from the train to an autocar to one of the megascrapers they’d rebuilt, to a slideway, an elevator, a level. The light gravity was helpful, but the polluted, thick air was not. I managed on medication over the nausea, pain and quivering panic I felt.

At the level nineteen plaza, she met me. She didn’t acknowledge, just paced me for a while, and moved in closer as I followed her directions. One hall contained a hotel, and the door ahead opened for her.

“Well, hi,” she said, coming alongside.

“Hello,” I returned smoothly. We assembled as a friendly pair, and proceeded to the room. She clicked the door, we went in, and I sat carefully on the bed. It was a smallish room, a bit stale, adequately clean and with sterile polymer furniture. It would do fine.

I was in pain from the exertion of walking, though somewhat improved. I wondered how his dislocated elbow felt. I’d hit it pretty hard. Still, he’d cut me thoroughly.

She said, “I got down about three hours ago. Are you okay?”

“Pain. Weakness. Nausea.” The room spun, and the air didn’t help. I appreciated the extra O2 Earth has, but the pressure and humidity were thick and irritating. It reminded me of last time. I’d started in a cheaper, but similar room.

“Rest a bit. I’m running news searches, but there are so many people there are so many targets.” She looked dejected.

“Just plan on tracking him when he does. It’s harder to get resources here. We spent a year building and developing. He’s got days and has only had hours.”

“I remember the report, but I welcome any first-hand intel,” she agreed.

The planet is different from the outer system. Space dwellers everywhere have a streak of independence and self-reliance. It comes with the nonnatural environment. Earth’s isn’t natural either, but is very carefully built to fit every human want.

So it felt different from the station. That had been bureaucratic and annoying. This was outright hostile. The propaganda machine of the news never stopped.

The word on Earth now was that the Freehold had collapsed, and was dependent on UN charity. So much for free markets, ha ha, look at the stupid peasants.

It pissed me off.

It wasn’t that it was untrue. It was propaganda. By definition it was untrue. It’s that they could have used that story from the word go, and we’d never have fought. It’s not as if anyone on Grainne really gives a crap what Earth thinks; as far as the Halo, as long as the bank drafts clear, they don’t care what anyone thinks. But ego and moral outrage on the part of Earth’s overlords had dictated we be a scapegoat.

The other pisser was that it was dangerously close to, “Look what you made me do!” I’ve never liked that argument. It’s a cop out. Earth’s billions of casualties were because my commander and I had decided they were a target in total war. My government had eventually concurred, and I was told to be the most vicious bastard in history. I had done so. I had done so well. They didn’t make us do it, we chose to do it as an object lesson, for right or wrong.

Nothing about this situation made me feel better.

Then it took a turn for the worse. My phone buzzed.

We both stared at it. I assumed a wrong code or a marketing call, and answered, audio only.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Dan. I have your phone code.”

Well, that was exciting. I pointed at Silver, pointed at the phone, and she went to work trying to get a trace. He was probably doing the same. Who had the better gear and training?

“You have one of my phone codes,” I said laconically. “I’m very impressed. You shall get a first mark on Electronic Intel Basic.”

“You seem to be popular on Earth now,” he said.

“Yeah, I spent all day getting photographed and tagging people,” I said. “I never really thought of myself as a war hero.”

“Hero,” he snorted. “You’re the one who ran away before we got hit, remember?”

“I was busy doing something that was mission critical at the time.”

“So, you left the three of them to die?”