The impostor from Halifax R&D delivered a tinny laugh easily mistaken for a teenager. Her feline blue eyes sparkled with a manufactured youth.

  “Trust me, Minister, I speak for almost no one. I grew up on an isolated farm surrounded by a virtual wasteland and only three neighbors. No. I participated in a robotics consortium a year ago at Aires Beach. I met a pair of former pilgrims. Or so they claimed.”

  Rosa nudged a half-smile.

  “We take pride in what was given to us. The smaller designs force us to live humble lives with no social hierarchy.”

  Danny resisted a chuckle at the hypocrisy which every pilgrim discovered. Aeterna’s hierarchy couldn’t be more rigid.

  “A wonderful attitude, Minister. I am so eager to visit the market and begin stocking up. It’s glorious.”

  “Perfect. What a genuine pleasure to meet you, Anyssa. Questions before I take my leave?”

  The pilgrim tapped fingers over her lips as she scanned the furnished home.

  “I’m sure I’ll have a few hundred, but none for now.”

  “Whatever you need, Daniel will see to it. As Bridge Advisor, he is your primary contact day or night.”

  Danny said with a robust cheer:

  “All over it, Minister. I’ll show this amazing young lady the most productive three months of her life.”

  “See that you do, Daniel.”

  Rosa eyed him with a skepticism that said she didn’t expect his outstanding job performance to last much longer. She hated how much of a straight arrow he’d been since the Shoan fiasco. Danny relished those moments when she scrounged for a compliment.

  The new pilgrim enveloped Rosa.

  “My gracious. I still can’t believe I’m standing on a different planet. Thank you, thank you, thank you for accepting my application.”

  “Welcome to Genoa, and best of luck.” Rosa pulled from the hug. “I’ll leave you and Daniel to it.”

  Danny set his tablet on top of the last trunk and waited until Rosa exited, the door slipping shut behind her.

  “Nice job,” he said. “She’s not the touchy-feely type. She’ll steer clear. You’re nothing like I expected, Dr. Latin.”

  The impostor’s cheery grin dimmed.

  “Never call me that name again. Understood?”

  She seemed to age ten years in a blink.

  “We’re alone,” Danny said.

  “Not the point. You have no idea what I sacrificed for this role.”

  He studied her features and realized what bothered him from the instant she walked off the Scramjet.

  “Shit. They put you through recon surgery. Yeah?”

  She nodded.

  “Among other things. If I had known the extent of the terms, I doubt we’d be standing here, Daniel.”

  “Eh. Call me Danny. More friendly.”

  She pooh-poohed the gesture.

  “I am playing a woman half my age, Daniel. A woman whose identity Halifax thought the need to steal, right down to her dialect and exasperatingly bubbly persona.”

  You’re an actor. Big fucking deal.

  “Sorry you had to go the extra kay, but our vetting is picky as fuck. We would’ve tracked you back to Halifax. Gotta say, you play the part well.”

  “My superiors have a high stake in this operation. They expect a full return on their investment.”

  Danny heard ‘without exception’ in her tone. Perhaps her adopted surname would not be ironic, after all.

  Tread with care, Dan-o.

  “Gotcha, Prof. Strong. How’s that sound?”

  “Always use the honorific in public. Now, tell me the plan.”

  Danny glanced at the four trunks.

  “OK then. Let’s unpack your shit and get this place good to go. Then we’ll tour the city. I’ll introduce you to all the key players. We’ll zip into City Admin to square away the credit link to your autobank. Can’t stock the kitchen until them UCVs are flowing. After that, we’re off to Medcenter. You’ll see Doc Majihurun.”

  The last bit stopped her short.

  “The doctor. Why?”

  “You’ll have to give blood and a genetic sample. She’ll insert your tracking beacon. It’s all in your contract.”

  Anyssa shaded her eyes. Danny saw a sudden burst of worry.

  “Yeah, OK. I know that angsty glare. No worries. They ain’t trying to double verify who the fuck you are. Customs cleared you. It’s for protection in case you get hurt or sick or ... disappear. And no, we’ve never lost track of a pilgrim. For long, anyway. Plus, our gravity is a little heavier than Earth. Affects people differently.”

  She took a deep breath and released.

  “Yes. Of course. What a fool. I have felt about ten pounds heavier since I landed.”

  “No headaches?”

  Anyssa waved him off.

  “I’m good. Let’s unpack my shit, as you so unartfully deemed it.”

  As trade partners went, Danny would’ve preferred one with a more amenable attitude. Then again, the woman sacrificed her face for Halifax’s bottom line. He supposed that might make anyone a tad ornery.

  To his surprise, only one of the four trunks contained any scientific equipment, most of which she’d transfer to her office in the agronomy compound at Genoa’s northern edge. That one remained locked, which didn’t bother Danny. He knew nothing about the inner workings of agridrones or other robotic farm tools and had no desire to learn more. The Customs inventory listed each part, all scanned after Prof. Strong’s ship landed on ADF Cruiser Beaufort.

  Clothes proved to be a different concern; closet space ran out.

  “How many damn ensembles did you bring?” He said, examining the five three-piecers she had yet to hang.

  “A superstition of mine. I do not wear the same clothes more than once in a standard month.”

  “Would I be rude to ask why?”

  “No, but I’d tell you to mind your own business.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll order an extra closet.”

  Hands on hips, she studied the homier environment.

  “This will do. Thank you for your help. Should we head out?”

  Logical question, but Danny hedged.

  “Been thinking of something you said earlier. Your bosses having a huge stake in the operation. Works both ways.”

  Anyssa chuckled.

  “You want a taste of the prize.”

  “Pretty much. Just so I know this shit’s on the up and up.”

  She grabbed a golden pom from her waist pocket and flipped it open with a flourish.

  “Predictable.”

  Her fingers wriggled through the device’s small holographic options until she tossed one out. Danny beheld what he thought resembled a beating black heart inside a gray, swirling pulp.

  “I call it the Instinct Module. It’s the primary differentiator from a standard wormhole drive. I won’t explain the science because it’s light-years beyond your capacity. In simple terms: This module penetrates black substrata to a level that detects cross-currents. It can map realms of subspace heretofore uncharted.”

  He understood enough.

  “Including paths into other universes?”

  “The barriers between Alpha Universe and the other eight do not exist where the Instinct Module penetrates. Just as a standard drive maps a route between any two points on the Galactic Plane Navigation Model, the IM distinguishes between the currents which flow in our universe and those beyond. When we understand which currents belong to which universes, all doors open. In time, interversal travel becomes routine.”

  Alyssa shut her pom and tossed it into her pocket.

  Dreams can come true. Fuck me!

  “Can we engineer this into a practical drive?”

  “With guidance, time, and more than a little subterfuge. Whoever did such a thing would violate interstellar law.”

  “I ain’t worried about that shit. You brought everything to make it happen?” She nodded. “I reckon it’s in the fourth trunk because there’s no way an industrial program that massive could fit on a pom. You showed me a demo sample.”

  She patted Danny on the arm and strolled past.

  “You know what we need. My benefactor has granted you a six-day window to demonstrate your good faith.”

  “Yeah, that. The Jewel data. I ...”

  “Six days, Daniel. No data, no trans-wormhole drive for you. Why don’t you lead me around town? I want to learn everything about my temporary home.”

  She topped off her ensemble with a safari hat and turned down the brim on one side.

  “And now, to join the locals: Effervescent, young Prof. Anyssa Strong of Aires Beach of the South American Consortium.” The impostor resumed her new dialect and persona. “I am so excited. I can’t wait to start this incredible adventure! Lead the way, Daniel.”

  “With pleasure,” he said with an awkward touch.

  Danny thought of Exeter’s rejection.

  Six days. How in ten hells can I make this work?

  He found a way by the end of the tour. That evening, he told Maren to expect him an hour late for dinner. Danny stepped through a Walker Station straight into chilly, snowy Lumen. His brother-in-law, Amadi Lasaviette, waited for him in the designated pub. They found a corner table to talk.

  “Straight up, Amadi: You still eager to clear your family debts?”

  They hadn’t spoken since Danny won their last game with a nine-flush and proposed an alliance. Amadi nodded.

  “If it’s legitimate. I’m underwater, Dan.”

  “How does a hundred thousand UCVs sound?”

  “Life-saving.”

  “Perfect. So, I know how to make this work, but there’s a catch. Before I explain the objective, we’ll have to clear it with the boss.”

  Amadi frowned.

  “Boss?”

  Thirty minutes later, they stood together in the kitchen while Grace prepared little Mikey’s dinner.

  “A second job?” She asked Amadi. “You have your classes.”

  “I spend as much time doodling and writing amateur poems as I do teaching. Not that you’ve ever bothered to ask.”

  She stopped mid-stream and raised her hands as stop signs.

  “Amadi, I ... hold on. I ask about your classes every day.”

  “Oh, yes. That would be the rote question when we sit down to eat. ‘How was your day, hun?’ You can’t look me in the eye when you say it.”

  Grace cleared her throat, withheld a retort, and turned to Danny.

  “You’re behind this?”

  Time to defuse the tension, Dan-o.

  “Look, sis, I happened to mention we had some openings in Genoa on account of the pilgrim flights, and Amadi confided his discontent. I put the pieces together. You know me, sis. I like to make people fucking happy.”

  Tongue in cheek, Grace stared down at Mikey’s dinner tray.

  “When you’re not begging for their forgiveness.”

  “Ouch. Cuts deep, sis. Truly unfair.”

  Amadi piled on with a sneer.

  “He’s your elder brother, Grace. Dan deserves respect.”

  She resumed her work.

  “Amadi. Honey. We have plenty of credits. Why Genoa? The travel alone is ... you’d have to take an intercon Scram because you can’t use a Walker without an Aeternan escort. And you know how they are about that sort of thing.”

  Amadi snapped back.

  “Cooper-Pynns have permission. You could take me through in the morning, and Dan will return me in the evening.”

  He hit upon one of the major complaints of the Cooper-Pynn spouses. The Walker frame network only recognized Aeternans or designated citizens (Michael Cooper’s blood descendants) with an installed Occip. The Promise Council limited escort privileges to emergencies. Despite a few appeals, the Council refused to bend the rule, fearing a dangerous precedent.

  “We could,” Grace mumbled. “But what happens when people realize you’re receiving special treatment?”

  “Other pilgrims would understand my family is lending a hand.”

  “I’m not worried about the pilgrims. My mother pleaded for extended privileges, but the Council refused. They see the Walker frames as a privilege for natives only. If Danny and I abuse it, they might withdraw the escort option.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Pile on the excuses. You create them in your sleep.”

  Danny thought Amadi’s shot was unfair.

  “Whoa, my friend. Chill your biscuit. Look, sis. The new job only needs three days a week. Amadi blocks off two for classes, and that leaves one to be a homebody. He’ll make a couple hundred credits more a week, and it’s interesting work.”

  “Interesting, you say.” Grace turned sharp eyes to her husband. “An assistant for the agricultural compound. Amadi, sweet, I love you, but you don’t like being outdoors.”

  Danny grabbed Amadi before he launched into a diatribe about his disdain for Lumen.

  “Sis, it’s actually all about high tech. Mostly robotics. Could be the start of a whole new career.”

  She tossed a handful of sliced carrots on the tray.

  “The intercon Scrams aren’t free. Will his pay offset the travel?”

  “I’ll make sure the Pilgrim Project covers.”

  “And what about childcare, hun? If you’re out of Lumen for long stretches, I’ll have to make arrangements. Unlike Genoa, we don’t have a childcare center.”

  Amadi tensed his shoulders.

  “Among other things. He’s your pet. Take Michael to City Admin like usual. When you’re not propping him in a corner somewhere, foist him off on other advisors or the Aeternans.”

  Water gelled in her eyes.

  “What has gotten into you?”

  She took Mikey’s meal to the table and called him over to eat. As she propped him in the chair, Grace added:

  “I don’t know why you bothered to ask. You already said yes.”

  Amadi rubbed at his thin beard and muttered under his breath.

  Danny grabbed him before the evening imploded and spoke to Amadi outside. Their breaths turned to mist.

  “That could’ve gone better, dude. Look, about you two. Uh. I been getting some bad vibes lately.”

  Amadi shivered.

  “None of your cudfrucking business. When do I start?”

  “I’ll push through the forms tonight. You got any classes scheduled for tomorrow?”

  “Not if I’m in Genoa.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Take the morning intercon. You’ll have to pay on your own credit, but I’ll reimburse. And look, I didn’t want to bring it up, but the flight is ninety minutes each way. If you’d rather stay in Genoa for three days straight, I can work out a deal for guest lodging. Bring a few personals, just in case.”

  Amadi’s wry grin said he appreciated the idea.

  “And maybe some cards and tokens.”

  “Nice. So, we good?”

  “Except for one thing. The objective. How in ten hells am I going to make a hundred big assisting a robotics professor?”

  Details, fucking details. Not yet.

  Danny wanted to leave Amadi hanging. To add intrigue, he said:

  “Tell me, dude. How good are you at five-fingered magic?”

  12

  ADF Battle Cruiser Lioness

  FOUR DAYS,” EXETER SAID, examining the holos which hovered above the operations center’s light table. “In four days, it’s covered a third of the surface area.” The mysterious synthetic protein confirmed by the ground teams advanced in a radial pattern, with the chasm as epicenter.

  “If the velocity continues to increase at the current rate, how long before it’s everywhere?”

  Spec. Esme Traut had been running the numbers which exobiologist Jarvis Pellem relayed from the exploratory teams.

  “Four days and eight hours, Commander.”

  Exeter spoke to Jarvis, who reported from a research Scram on the outskirts of Nero, the westernmost satellite city.

  “Jarvis, do you still maintain we’re not looking at a virus?”

  “N-no guarantees, Commander.” Jarvis’s stutter felt more apparent on a vid feed than in person. “Of course, we can’t determine with cer-certainty while the protein is ... is impenetrable. The good news is we detect no change in any lifeforms in the affected zone, even nearby to the chasm.”

  The holographics captured four days of tracking the protein’s advance. Researchers from each of the six outposts surrounding the chasm expanded their global search in fifty-kilometer increments, landing to conduct quick field tests for evidence of the protein. Positive results extended four hundred kilometers from the chasm before turning negative on day one. By the end of day two, the positive range extended to nine hundred kay. After three days, to fifteen hundred kay.

  “This is critical, Jarvis. It’s about to come alive in Nero. I need to be certain: Should I order an evacuation and set off a panic?”

  “No, Commander. I am convinced. The Jewels are not implanting the pro-protein. It has been there all along. They are allowing us to see it. If they meant harm, they c-could have done this in quiet.”

  Exeter turned to Adm. Kane, who shook his head.

  “Disagree, Rafa?” Exeter asked.

  “You’re both right. I can’t believe the Jewels intend to hurt us. If we displace four thousand people through the Walkers, we’ll have to answer difficult questions.”

  Exeter nodded. “I hear the first two already. How long before it reaches our city? How do you intend to stop it?”

  “It’s your call, X.”

  I was so looking forward to retirement.

  “Jarvis, what about your teams? Has anyone tested positive for the protein?”

  “Not as of ten minutes ago. I am receiving constant results from the outposts.”

  Spec. Harland Cress, who had focused on the subterranean scans of the rivers surrounding the chasm, interjected himself.

  “Commander, if the Jewels are revealing the protein strategically, perhaps we are meant to be the last.”

  The thought had occurred.

  “It’s logical, given how illogical the rest has been. Do you concur, Jarvis?”

  “Yes, this is possible. I wish to hypothesize a differ ... a counter to the Specialist. If this protein is part of the Jewels’ terraform matrix, perhaps we cannot absorb it into our bloodstream.”

  “Could be. If Spec. Traut’s calculations are correct, we’ll have a better idea in about four days.” Exeter held onto Shoan’s repeated advice in deciding. “I believe fear is the wrong response. We will not evacuate Nero. But if you see any anomalies in the test patterns, contact me at once, Jarvis.”