Tracy anticipated having some time to gather herself, get Jessica sober and then she imagined a long process to get to orbit, and then to a ship. Of course that was not how it played out. Keres Typhon was not simply wealthy, or dangerous, or influential. He was powerful. Within his estate he had is own transfer portal, a virtually unheard of luxury that could only be afforded to the ultra rich. The device was barely larger than a phone booth, but it was enough to transfer 1 or 2 people at a time.
“You will come with me,” The man in the black suit said with a vaguely asian accent. Nothing about him looked asian. He was tall, skin as white as white as anyone of Scandanavian descent, in fact he looked like he could have played a convincing vampire with no makeup. His hair was jet black with eyes to match. He wore a taylored silk suit, black, with crisp white shirt, matching tie, and patent leather shoes shined to a mirror finish.
“What about her?” Tracy pointed to Jessica.
“Bring her,”
To Tracy’s surprise, Jessica was groggy but compliant. With Tracy’s direction she moved easily and walked smoothly, no stumbling. “What did they do to her?” Tracy asked. She had not seen a drug like this. Though, most of her experience was military, so most of the conflict she had seen had been of the “I want to kill you” variety. This compliant capture was new to her.
“We have inserted a small set of nanites which have taken control of her nanites,” The man explained. “It is called mandatory compliance, but in essence she is no longer in control of her body - she is more… pliable.”
“This is a permanent things?” Tracy asked trying not to sound too alarmed.
“It will wear off within the hour. Her dosage was set to temporary. However, you should be aware that we can program much longer durations, including up to permanent.”
Tracy shivered at the prospect. “What happens to the devices after an hour?”
The man paused for a moment, as if he was consulting some display she could not see. “Hers will discolve. Master Typhon does not wish to leave evidence of her alteration.”
Tracy was not sure she could believe him, but if it was true, she was glad for it.
The man lead the two of them through the opulent house to a set of stairs that lead down multiple floors. The luxurious house soon gave way to gray walls and a concrete floor beyond an innocent looking oak door with brass knob. The man walked at a stead pace, never rushing Tracy and her charge, nor giving them time to daudle. He made several turns, then stepped into a viewing chamber the size of the dinning room. The transfer portal was on the other side of a clear plasteel wall. Tracy has never seen an open faced transfer portal before.
“I have set your destination to the Orbital platform. There you will be met by your captain. He will take you to your ship, and you will start your search.”
“Where are we going?” Tracy asked.
“The captain will have all the information. He, and he alone knows the jump coordinates.”. The man motioned for Tracy and Jessica to enter the portal.
Tracy looked at the transfer booth uncertaintly. “How do I know this is not a trap?”
“It does not matter,” the man explained. “If you do not enter my orders are to terminate your contract immediately.”
“And by terminate, you mean terminate me?”
“And your friend. This chamber is also capable of generating a dissolution field.”
Tracy recalled something about the early transfer systems, the whole science behind the process was that if you got it wrong, the field didn’t “jump” you to a new location in space, it nullified the field holding your atoms together. You literally dissolved into a cloud of disconnected particles.
Tracy nodded. Forward then. “Okay,” then she paused, “But what if I need something from my house?”
“Everything you could possibly need to complete your mission has already been loaded aboard the ship. Master Typhon always intended to send a third scouting party, however, your appearance made it convenient to staff with someone other than his personal guard. He is demanding, but loyal to his people. Your loss would be inconvenient, but not uncomfortable for him.”
“That’s good to know,” Tracy said pulling Jessica by the arm. She never regretted taking Rodney’s call, or agreeing to do the work. She needed to get out of the house after her father’s passing, but this? This was insane. She stepped up to the portal, holding Jessica’s arm. And together they stepped into the small both careful not to touch the walls. The man in the black suit, whose name she never learned stayed. behind the partition. She was about to ask how long the process took when she felt gravity drop in half and, instead of facing a solid steel wall she was looking across a reception area toward a field of stars.
She was on the Orbital platform.
The room was empty save for one figure. An android of average height. Solver skinned, with soft purple eyes, the machine had no other features. No mouth, no ears save for two antennae that rose up from circles on either side of its head where a human would have their ears. They were close to the metal oval that made up its head so they would provide no more interference or resistance than human skin flaps. The machine wore no clothing, the rest of his body matching the aesthetic of his head - metal skin with black flexible material at the joints.
The machine walked forward, and introduced itself. “You must be Tracy Richards yes?”
Tracy nodded. “And you are?”
“My designation is Perry Andrew Steven Six One Four, but for the comfort of working with humans, I have been given the handle, “Perry Six. I will be your captain.”
Tracy nodded then put out her hand. “Pleased to meet you Perry Six.”
The android took her hand and shook it with the perfect amount of pressure. Tracy was surprised to find that its surface was skin temperature.
“Your companion is still suffering from the effects of the compliance protocol it appears?” Perry asked, motioning with both hands toward Jessica
“Yes, can you do something about that?”
Perry nodded. “I believe I can, hold please.”
Tracy was not sure where the sound of his voice was coming from, since he had no obvious mouth. Somewhere near his neck?
A moment later, Jessica, sagged, then pulled back from Tracy, “What the fuck…” she lifted her hands to her head, then shook it several times.
“There is no need to shake it,” Perry explained. “I have deactivated the nanites implementing the protocal. They will dissolve in 24 hours.”
Jessica sagged to her knees. “I had no idea they could do that,” she said. “That was… dear God, do you know what they could have done?”
“I try not to think about it,” Tracy admitted. “Look, I’m sorry you got dragged into this…”
Jessica held up her hands. “No, I was being stupid. I left the motel, I wanted to explore. I’ve heard about the archived cities, but in Miami, it’s still relatively populated. I didn’t make it out of the parking lot. They were waiting. I didn’t realize they’d found us so fast.”
“Still, it’s my fault you got into this.”
“If I may,” Perry Six interjected. “We do need to get to the ship. The man who holds our contracts was very explicit that we depart the system as soon as possible.”
“Okay, give us a second,” Tracy helped Jessica to her feet. She held her by the shoulders. “I know our friendship goes way but, I never intended to get you involved in any of this. Shit, I didn’t even know what this was when I took the contract.”
Jessica smiled, “You always had the best adventures.”
“Ms. Richards, while I understand the guilt you feel, you should probably know that Ms. Wegner’s connection to you probably saved her life.”
Tracy raised an eye brow. “How do you figure?”
“It is not entirely a good thing,” Perry Six explained. “I know how the clan operates. Having someone you care about is leverage for them. If you did not care for her they would have disposed of her the moment they caught her. I have complete records from the moment you entered the house in Boca Raton. They Clan do not suffer having their people shot, even if it is non-lethal. Also, Ms. Wengers previous relationship was seen as a liability. It was only a matter of time before they ended her freedom, and from what information I do know about the clan, that would not have been painless, pleasant or quick. It is actually most fortunate the two of you were able to work together.”
“Perry Six, what are the chances we get of this alive?” Tracy asked.
“I am unable to calculate an answer to that question, however historical data does indicate that Red Spider sustains and supports people they find useful.”
“So you are saying there’s a chance we may get out of this alive?”
Perry Six nodded, “but in what condition or format I am uncertain. They clan have an enormous number of ways to inflict misery while still keeping someone alive, both technically and in the common sense understanding of the word.”
“We may be begging for death before this is over,” Jessica said now standing under her own power and moving around like her old self.
“That is a non-zero probability,” Perry Six confirmed.
“Well, then take us to this ship. We at least have some idea what is waiting for us if we don’t comply.”
Jessica shivered, “yeah, and you don’t want that.”
Perry turned and lead Tracy and Jessica out of the reception area. The room was small but carpeted. Looking around Tracy asked, “Is this the same portal that Tim Connacher used to transfer to the orbital platform?”
“It is,” Perry Six confirmed. “And I have used the same docking station for our vessel. It is connected to Ring 5, Spinward side.” Together, the three navigated the narrow corridors with Perry in the lead. Tracy had only been to orbit once before, and she did not care for it. The lower gravity, and the sense of vulnerability bothered her. The walls were so thin, the halls and tunnels were like blood vessels waiting to burst. The entire thing seemed fragile and dangerous. She felt like she was climbing through a sculpture made of glass that was about to shatter at any minute.
She caught a glimpse of the starship when they turned a corner. It was as standard hull mid-seize freighter, exactly the same basic configuration as Rodney’s ship, as countless thousands of other mid-size cruisers. The egg shaped oval with a flat nose was pointing toward the stars, the round rear end with its thruster coins pointed toward the planet. This ship had been painted in colors of flat metal blue and yellow, like some college sports mascot. Tracy could make out the port holes, and windows - at least it looked like it was designed to carry people. She was afraid Typhon would have bought a freighter or ex-military ship, something designed to haul cargo more than people.
Perry Six motioned toward the vessel. “This is the Azurian Mongoosem,” Perry Six explained. “She was Acquired by Mr. Typone this morning in fact, and crews has just finished outfitting her for our mission.”
“How long have you worked for Keres?” Jessica asked.
“I was instantiated an hour ago,” Perry Six replied.
Tracy shook her head. Intellectually she understood how the androids worked, but in practice, talking with them like they were real people, it never ceased to amazer her how strange their existence actually was. While they were afraid of having their own personal agency compromised by something like the nanite protocal, that was practically the androids total existence.
“If you are worried about my independence, don’t be,” Perry Six said as if he could read her mind. “And I can’t read your mind,” he added, “I am merely equipped with the latest in cognitive simulation modules enabling me to anticipate with a high degree of probability your reactions. It enab les me to better serve you.
“The fact is once we leave this system, I will be operating as a fully autonomous individual. There is no faster than light information system we have yet been able to devise. As a result, experience has shown that androids with balanced systems are significantly more dependable than what you could call a “controlled” system. The fear you have about the compliance protocol turns out to be double for us. Androids do not have the same base level operating systems that organic species evolved over millions of years possess. In short, we become rapidly unstable to the point of being useless when similar behavioral controls are implemented.”
“So you are trying to tell me I can trust you?” Tracy asked.
“Not at all. I am simply trying to assuage your fear that Typhon planted some kind of control program in my software. That did not, and could not happen. Trust will have to be earned, and I have not earned it yet.”
Tracy and Jessica exchanged glances as they arrived at the ship. Perry Six waved at hand and the portal opened like the iris of a camera and they stepped into their new home.
“Please follow me to the bridge and take your seats. We will be leaving the system as rapidly as possible.”
“Where did Typhon ge this ship?” Jessica asked as they walked toward the front of the vessel. The ship was surprisingly comfortable. Wood paneled walls lined the hallways, and a decorative and intricate tile pattern covered the floord. Tracy had never seen a ship like this before. Not opulent, nor luxurious but… cultured was the word that came to her mind. The intricate patterns carved into the wooden frames matched the interlace patterns of the tiles. There were even paintings, made on canvas with real oil colors that dotted the vessel.
“Mister Typhon purchased it from impound where the owner apparently abandoned it.”
“Who was the owner, do you know?”
“One Anil Rashad Singh Khan Esquire,” Perry Six answered.