Visisonor's blog

Chapter 8

— Almost forgot, — Linda said, pulling out Constantin’s pistols, which were still tucked under her belt.
— Keep them, — he shook his head and gestured with a hand. — As a token of gratitude for saving my life.
— But I didn’t…
— You were fighting till the end, that’s what counts. Besides, you wield them better than I ever did.

Constantin turned to syncons when the door closed behind Linda:

— I don’t feel like sleeping right now.
— We still need to show you your room, — Tess pointed to the corridor.

They walked in silence for a while, until Rick broke it:
— You probably have more questions for us.
— I bet you have more questions for me.
— A fair observation, — interjected Tess. — You did not tell what you have found on the laptop.
— It’s not a question.
— It is not, — she nodded. — We have noticed you worrying that revealing it to Linda can cause her harm.

Constantin stopped, looking at her pensively.
— That’s… How did you put it? A fair observation.
— Such prudence is definitely appreciated, — Rick said approvingly.
— However, we need to know what you are shielding her from, — continued Tess. — To find a way to minimize risks when she does learn it.
— How badly is it damaged? The laptop, — Constantin asked, resuming the walk.
— Most of the storage is recoverable, — admitted Rick.
— But encrypted, — added Tess.

— Linda, can we talk for a minute?

It’s been a week since Linda and Constantin arrived. They were gradually adjusting to the life at syncon base: Linda spent a lot of time with Tomoko and Leliana, having found in them the friends she lacked for the most of her life; Constantin seemed obsessed with various details of operating the base, its local network and schematics accessible through it — though Linda kept pace with him when it came to data about human forces and war proceedings.

Most of this information came from the network which humans tried in vain to secure against hacking attempts from syncons. This perpetual struggle involved finding and patching vulnerabilities, but also heavily relied on physical access and compromised hardware at certain points. Humans strove to counter these attempts of course, resetting and replacing infected routers, so it was imperative for syncons to slice into network junctions from time to time and create more points of access.

Most of such hubs were deep within human territory where syncon presence would be detected soon. So only a human agent could reliably finish such task. And it was common to go out in a pair with a syncon who would stay further behind and provide cover. Neither Linda nor Constantin were considered ready for such operation. It was Leliana’s turn to carry out a routine mission, together with Rick, while Tomoko and Tess remained in control center. Constantin and Linda stayed beside them to watch and learn.

Linda left the control room, surprised by urgency of Constantin’s voice.

— This is our chance! — he whispered excitedly.
— What chance?
— To get out of here. Come on.
— What do you mean… — she followed him, feeling confused.

— Look, I couldn’t discuss it openly. Assumed they were listening and watching constantly. I don’t know, maybe they are. Doesn’t matter now.
— Wait. You’ve been planning to leave all this time?
— Of course. You would too, if you knew what I know.
— And what is that?
— There is a computer in the vehicle, I’ll show you there.

But Linda halted in the middle of the corridor, forcing him to stop and turn to her.

— I’d prefer to get to the point sooner.
— All right, — Constantin hesitated. — It can knock you out, you know.
— Like you, back then in the alley?
— This, actually, is the first important point, — he gestured frantically. — When they said how our brains were wired… Haven’t you wondered why?
— I assumed it had something to do with training we go through.
— No. The training is not the reason, it’s a consequence. Field agents are genetically altered humans.
— Genetically altered humans? — she repeated, surprised.
— Ian though we might be different enough to not even be humans anymore. I don’t know what to think of it. It’s not important right now.
— All right, suppose we are altered… — Linda felt her head spin suddenly. — What does it change?
— Our genetic samples originated from here. From syncons. Human scientists probably thought it was a sequence for super soldiers or something, I don’t know. They clone us from these samples in hopes of gaining an edge in the war. But it’s a trap! A Trojan Horse! Agents inevitably defect to syncons, to fight against humans!

A wave of vertigo hit in full force: Linda was barely able to remain on her feet, but it eased off almost instantly.

— But we did not defect to fight against humans, — she objected in a strained voice. — We were betrayed!
— It happened by mistake, — argued Constantin. — And we will fix it when we get back with priceless intelligence.
— Wait… — she finally realized what all that was about. — You want to reveal the location of this base.
— Exactly! And everything else we’ve learned here.

The sense of dizziness intensified again. Linda almost fell, but Constantin caught her.

They stood like that for a few seconds, then Linda regained her balance and freed herself from his arms.
— What about Leliana? Tomoko? Tess? Rick?

— The girls are indoctrinated, — Constantin said with a heavy sigh. — Too late for them, they are on the opposing side.
— They are not our enemies! — she shouted desperately. Then added in a more quiet and resigned voice. — They are not my enemies. I can’t let you do it, Costa.

Constantin stared at her intently with a strange expression, as if it was the first time he saw her.
— It would have been much too late to set things in motion now, — he said finally. — I did it hours ago.
— Hours ago? What did you do? — Linda tensed. — Something with Leliana’s ATV?
— Correct. I’ve attached a transmitter to it. Once the vehicle stops moving, it’ll start broadcasting.
— But we don’t even know our coordinates! — her voice got stronger from the sliver of hope. — Positioning satellites have been defunct for ages!
— The transmission will include ATV’s track in reverse.
— Oh, — the hope faded out. — And the signal itself will point to the ATV’s location.
— Obviously.
— Fuck! They have stopped already!

Linda crumbled on her knees, holding her head in hands.

— Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! — she groaned, looking at Constantin with tears in her eyes. — What have you done?!

He started to say something, but his answer was drowned in the sound of alarm.