Conspiracy Read online

  Kira smiled when she saw Kaen. “I was surprised when you offered to get me a new suit yourself, sir. Recent moments have made me especially grateful for someone who offers help in a way that doesn’t involve drawing blood or sticking something in me.”

  A playful look passed between Kira and Leon, and she smirked. “Well, maybe it’s not all bad,” she added quietly.

  “If you want a treatment for this condition, then this is a necessary part of the process,” Elric said, having missed the innuendo.

  Kaen could feel Nox’s annoyance with the banter.

  “This shipsuit is a little larger size and should accommodate a transformation.” Kaen-Nox handed the garment to Kira.

  “Thank you, Colonel.” Kira paused. “I know I’m under quarantine, but I’d like permission to speak with Major Sandren.”

  Kaen-Nox tensed. “Why?”

  “I just want to keep him in the loop, sir. My team will be wondering where I am.”

  “Yes, of course.” Kaen-Nox nodded.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I should get going on this analysis,” Leon said in the ensuing silence.

  “As should I. Try to stay calm and relaxed,” Elric advised.

  Kira eyed the restraints next to the bed. “Yeah, I’ll try.” She ran her hands over the shipsuit. “I need to get dressed first.”

  “I’ll secure you after you change,” Kaen-Nox told her. “Please proceed with your tests,” he addressed Leon and the doctor.

  “Yes, sir.” Elric nodded and left.

  “I’ll come back to check on you soon.” Leon squeezed Kira’s hand.

  “See you then.” She rose from the bed and headed for the washroom.

  Kaen-Nox waited for her with his hands clasped behind his back.

  “You and your frail forms. So many precautions needed to keep you safe,” Nox commented.

  “At least we have our own bodies.”

  “But isn’t it more evolved to be able to be anywhere or in anything?”

  Kaen didn’t have a good response to that. Maybe the being inside him was more advanced, but that didn’t give it the right to take over the body of another sentient individual.

  Kira emerged from the washroom wearing the new shipsuit, carrying the ripped old one. “Well, sir, the outer layer is a little bigger than regulation specs,” she tugged on the loose fabric at her stomach, “but it’ll get the job done.”

  “We must always be prepared.”

  “Yes, sir.” She paused. “Sir, may I speak freely?”

  “Granted.” Nox made the metal equivalent of an eyeroll.

  “You’ve seen people go through war and come out the other side as someone different,” Kira continued. “How do you define your identity when you change like that, needing to become a different person acting in a different role?”

  “If only she knew how apt of a question that was for us,” Nox commented.

  “I don’t think of it as going from one person to another, but rather as two facets of the same person,” Kaen recited at Nox’s direction. “I know you’re wrestling with some significant physical changes that most people would never experience, but you’re still you. Is it really so different when you transform from soldier into lover? Or captain into daughter? Those parts of us exist at all times, but we filter our surroundings based on the context of whatever role we’re playing in a given moment.”

  Kira nodded. “Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  Kaen had to admit, Nox answered better than what he would have said himself.

  Nox continued feeding Kaen words to speak, “I can’t imagine what it would be like to become something else after so many years in one form—”

  “Yeah, right,” Kaen quipped to Nox in his mind.

  “—but I do appreciate what it’s like to have your responsibilities change. I worked my way up in my career just like everyone else, and I’ve gone from being one soldier among many to being part of a small group of senior officers. With each advancement came a new sense of identity.”

  Kaen-Nox looked Kira in her eyes. “You, Kira, are now advancing, as well. You have been gifted for your whole life, and you’ve used those gifts to help the Guard accomplish what few others could have done. Now, you’ll have even more skills to bring to bear. I am confident you will master these new attributes and be truly one of a kind.”

  Kira shifted on the bed. “I appreciate that, sir, but I don’t know if I’d keep these abilities, if given the choice. I know there are benefits, but there are also risks.”

  “You must keep them.”

  Kira frowned and inched back on the bed. “May I ask why, sir?”

  Kaen-Nox softened and smiled, realizing the statement had been too forceful. “Rather, you should take some time to evaluate your new skills before you decide to permanently dismiss them, assuming the nanites can be removed. It’s only been, what, half an hour? That’s not enough time to consider the pros and cons of the situation.”

  “I guess it’s not.”

  “Get some rest, Captain. Leon and Doctor Elric will be able to tell you more about your options soon.”

  “Right.” Kira swung her legs up onto the bed and reclined, placing her hands at her sides. “I hope they can tell me how to stop random transformations more definitively than just stay calm.”

  “You’ll gain control. I have no doubts.” Kaen-Nox cinched the bed’s restraint cuffs around her wrists.

  “I thought you’d be more concerned about me being a potential security risk.”

  “You’re plenty secure now.”

  “But what about my telepathic abilities? How might that interact with the Robus nanotech?” Kira asked.

  Kaen-Nox smiled. “We’ll wait and see.”

  — — —

  Kira watched Colonel Kaen leave the room. Something about him seemed different from the man she’d known before the mission to Valta. She couldn’t place what exactly, but it seemed unlikely the security-conscious officer she’d known would be content to leave her with only a couple of restraints in the middle of a Guard base. After all, she was carrying unknown nanotech inside her, and that could do anything.

  Kira expected him to have flipped his shite when he learned about her condition but, instead, he seemed calm. But not just calm, almost… pleased.

  That’s not possible, Kira dismissed with a shake of her head. Right?

  She couldn’t think of a reason that might explain his behavior. More likely, he was acting normally and it was her perception that was off.

  She squirmed around on her bed to get comfortable, but there was no way she was going to feel at ease while strapped down. Moreover, there were too many uncertain thoughts running through her head.

  I trust Leon to figure out what’s going on with me, but maybe Kaen is right. Maybe this is something for me to embrace rather than run from. Kira hated the idea of such a fundamental life change being thrust upon her with no warning, but it wasn’t like she’d planned on having telepathic abilities, either. She was shocked, and then she adapted.

  With special skills came the likelihood she would be used—just like the people on her home of Valta wanted her to become a Reader, and just like the Guard used her now for their covert investigations.

  She was a willing participant in the latter, but how many new ‘special assignments’ would she get if she were a telepath and a super-soldier?

  The team dynamic would change, that was for sure. But her team was her family. She wanted to stay with them and to work together—it’s what made her work fulfilling. Losing that companionship was the last thing she wanted to change.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the plexiglass window looking out into the hall. She looked over to see Doctor Elric holding up a handwritten sign.

  Why the fok would he be writing something out on a dry erase board rather than typing it? In true doctor fashion, his handwriting was almost indecipherable. She squinted at the script to make it out: ‘Kaen isn’t wh
o he seems.’

  Kira’s heart dropped. She shook her head with confusion.

  Elric erased the message on the whiteboard and wrote another: ‘Play along.’

  Before she could question him, the doctor departed.

  What in the stars was that about? Kira released a long sigh and nestled into her pillow. If the colonel was indeed not who he seemed, then things would be getting very uncomfortable, fast. He was a senior officer, and not a lot of people in the Guard would have the authority to detain him on suspicions alone. The doctor had better have some sort of evidence to support the odd behavior of handwritten notes.

  Kira groaned. And the day had gotten off to such a good start.

  CHAPTER 3

  Leon’s lab setup in Orion Station’s science wing was a far cry from his previous arrangement at MTech, but he hadn’t exactly had time to do any customizing yet. Colonel Kaen had indicated that Leon would have a budget to purchase anything he might need to continue MTech’s nanotech and genetics research in a more civilized and ethical fashion, but having a budget meant little without also having the time to acquire those materials.

  He looked over the equipment at his disposal and frowned. This won’t get the job done.

  The lab had also come with two assistants, who’d been pulled off related research assignments with medical applications. They watched Leon from their chairs on the other side of the room.

  “Something wrong?” Jack asked.

  “You don’t have a sequencer,” Leon replied. “How am I supposed to run any sort of analysis without a sequencer?”

  “Well, we sorta do,” Tess countered. “It’s just not the type you’re used to.” She rose from her chair and crossed the seven-meter-wide space to a console along the wall near Leon. She opened a door in the console and produced a fifty-centimeter-square box.

  “And that is…?” Leon prompted.

  “The old-fashioned way of doing things,” Tess replied. “Breaks everything down and tells you how it ticks.”

  “Organic analysis? I didn’t realize the Taran Empire still did things this way.”

  “Well, most labs don’t,” Jack responded, “but this kind of research hasn’t historically been a part of the Guard. This equipment is old.”

  Leon groaned. “Using this, we’ll have to translate the components to their digital representations to create an expression model.”

  “Unless you know of another sequencer, then this is what we have to work with,” Tess replied with a shrug.

  “I know exactly where we can get one, but I don’t know if they’ll allow it.” Leon crossed his arms.

  “Where?” questioned Jack.

  “The MTech lab on Valta.”

  Tess screwed up her face. “Wasn’t that place condemned after your op?”

  “It wasn’t my op, it—” He shook his head. “Never mind. Yes, it was condemned, but that was to keep the locals out. Lots of debris and equipment where a person could get hurt. But if you know your way around, there’s lots of good tech to be obtained.”

  Jack frowned. “That’s private MTech property.”

  “Yes, which is why I said the Guard might not allow it.”

  Tess pursed her lips. “Even with transit time to the Elvar Trinary, we’d still save time versus an organic analysis.”

  “My thoughts, too,” Leon agreed. “If I can get permission to go.”

  “Give it a shot,” Jack said. “We’ll get going on the organic sampling in case you can’t swing it.”

  “Maybe I can find us some other goodies, too.” Leon smiled. “By the way, thanks for jumping in to help with this.”

  Jack shrugged. “The chance to study genuine alien tech? That’s not something any sane scientist would pass up.”

  Leon’s eyes narrowed the slightest measure. “Remember, this tech is connected to a person, and I happen to care about her very much. Her name is Kira, and she’s not just a subject.”

  Tess grinned. “Ooo, I see what kind of assignment this is! We’re not just here for science, but we have to save the love of our boss’ life.”

  Jack chuckled. “That’s a nice little bit of motivation.”

  Leon sighed. “She’s not…” No, he wouldn’t kid himself—not after the years he’d tried to forget Kira and pretend that his career was enough to fulfill him. Some bonds were too strong and ran too deep. They’d been lucky to meet each other young, but it was before they knew what it meant to be a partner to someone, and they’d tossed it away. Now, they were back together, and he wouldn’t let her go again. He saw in Kira’s eyes, even when they were crazy Robus orange, that she felt the same way. Leon had to do everything he could to either make Kira’s new condition bearable for her or find a way to reverse it.

  He looked to his team members. “Yes, she means a lot to me. More than science, I’m here as someone who wants her to have the best future she can. I hope you’ll help me give her that.”

  Tess nodded. “Stars, I’d have done it for just the science. But I’m a sucker for a love story.”

  “As long as I get an equipment upgrade at the end of this, I’m game for whatever,” Jack said.

  Leon smiled with satisfaction. “Then I have an MTech lab to raid.”

  — — —

  The voice in Kaen’s head had been quiet since the chat with Kira, following the revelation in the supply closest when everything had become so clear. Now knowing his part in the recent Guard security breach, Kaen reevaluated everything he thought he’d learned during the investigation. He felt a twang of remorse for the fates the other Guard members would suffer as a result of his actions.

  But Nox had a vision, and Kaen was powerless to deviate from that plan. It had all been explained to Kaen with such conviction that he almost believed it was the best course. Almost. Kaen was determined to resist, despite being relegated to backstage in his own body and mind.

  From deep within himself, he sensed his body returning to his office—a place that was as much his home as any residence he’d ever had as a child. He looked around the place with new eyes, absorbing the details for what was now an unrestricted control room from which to orchestrate plans with civilization-scale impacts.

  “It’s so impersonal,” Nox commented, looking over the unadorned desktop and walls. “Then again, you are a loner.”

  “You already know everything that’s in my mind, yet you still comment and ask questions,” Kaen replied.

  “Come now, Terence. What did I say before? We are to be the best of friends.”

  “Then tell me,” Kaen demanded, “how many others have I subverted?”

  Nox gave him a mental tsk. “I can’t give away all my secrets, can I?”

  “So, you probably won’t tell me how many others there are like you.”

  “There are… enough.”

  “What are you after?” Kaen asked.

  “We are hungry.”

  “For what?”

  “In time, it will become clear,” was Nox’s only response.

  Kaen-Nox turned his attention to catching up on communications that had stacked up while he was gone. He scanned through the list of electronic messages, mostly copies of memos to keep him in the loop rather than anything requiring direct action.

  One particular message, though, caught his eye. It was from the alias account he’d used for his written correspondence with the Elusian president: >>Chancellor Hale may not be herself. Possible connection to the subversions within the Guard. Investigate immediately.<<<br />
  “Oh, can’t let anyone else see rumors like that!” Nox said.

  “How long has the chancellor been subverted?” Kaen tried to ask, but the presence controlling him suppressed the thought.

  “Don’t worry yourself. You’ll be in good company soon.”

  Kaen watched his hand select the message, send a generic acknowledgment, and then delete the original.

  “See? It’s nothing at all,” Nox said. “Now, what else do we have?”

  The next mess
age that caught Kaen-Nox’s eye was a follow-up communication regarding the sentencing for the three individuals who had violated security. It grated on Kaen’s conscience that he had been the one to subvert them and that they were now being punished because of it.

  The lieutenant and captain both had motivations Kaen-Nox had been able to exploit through subtle telepathic prodding, and some mysterious helpers behind the scenes made sure those promises related to outside had been delivered. With Alan, though, Kaen-Nox had simply implanted a command for the unlucky communication tech to do his bidding and then to forget anything had been done. The part of Kaen that was still himself hated the abuse, but he was overpowered by Nox’s pleasure.

  All the other messages could wait for another time. There was a more pressing matter.

  Nox’s presence filled Kaen’s mind. “You must guide Kira in her new abilities. Prepare her for us.”

  — — —

  Major Lucas Sandren had lost good soldiers over the years, but having one transformed into a new type of being was a novel experience. He scowled as Colonel Kaen relayed the news about Kira’s uncertain condition to him in his office.

  The colonel was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, so maybe it wasn’t as big of a deal as it sounded. But Sandren knew Kira, and he was certain that no matter how calm she might appear on the outside, she’d be filled with uncertainty and concern over what this change meant for her.

  “I’d like to talk with Kira,” Sandren requested when Kaen finished his explanation.

  “She already asked to speak with you,” Kaen assented. “I think she wanted you to fill in her team.”

  “Oh, right. Not looking forward to that conversation.”

  “She’s alive and doesn’t appear to be in any immediate danger. I look at this as an opportunity,” Kaen stated.

  Sandren was taken aback. “Sir, our people aren’t commodities. I suspect Kira didn’t want this. We have to do what’s best for her.”

  “Oh, of course. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

  “Well, I’ll check in on Kira and see how she’s doing,” Sandren stated. “But, sir, I do recognize that her telepathy is a unique asset to this organization and that having additional augmentations would make her that much more valuable.”