Liberty Read online

‘I am, but that doesn’t stop me appreciating the aesthetics of a well-put-together male.’

  ‘I’m beginning to wonder about the wisdom of moving in here.’

  ‘Oh, come on,’ Cygnus said, ‘you lived here for a while before. You know you love it. Three girls, one big hunk of a guy… What could possibly go wrong?’

  30th January.

  It was quite something to see the willowy form of Cygnus lowering a half-sized container, normally seen on the back of a truck, to the ground outside the house. Once it was down, she followed, laying the thick cables she had been using to carry it down beside it.

  ‘That is pretty amazing,’ Jacob commented.

  ‘Yeah, well after that little stunt,’ Cygnus said, ‘I could use a coffee and a few minutes to catch my breath.’

  ‘Using super-strength does take it out of you.’

  ‘Sure does. Unless you’re Miss Liberty.’ Cygnus started for the door. ‘She doesn’t seem to slow down, even carrying an airliner on her back.’

  ‘She is a national avatar.’

  ‘Yeah, but there’s more to it than that.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Coffee’s on,’ June yelled from the lounge. She had been helping shift things at Jacob’s place and was dressed as Astraea. Jacob had not said anything.

  ‘Thanks, love,’ Cygnus called back. ‘Uh, you do know June is Astraea, right? We didn’t say anything, but we figured–’

  ‘I’m a detective and should figure things like that out?’ Jacob asked. ‘Yeah, I worked it out. I’d imagine most people who really know her will. A blonde wig and a mask doesn’t really hide what makes her June.’

  ‘Right. Anyway, Miss Liberty. I had my search radar running in Scottsdale. It’s designed to penetrate walls and such, so it obviously penetrates people to some extent too.’

  They had walked into the lounge by now; Andrea was sitting on a sofa with a magazine in her lap. ‘Yes, you heard that right,’ she said. ‘When Cygnus is on a search-and-rescue op, she sees everyone naked.’

  ‘I do not!’ Cygnus snapped back. ‘But Jacob does have a really nice ass.’ Before anyone could respond, she went on. ‘Miss Liberty has a really solid ass. A really solid body, in fact. My radar couldn’t differentiate anything past her skin. No bones, no organs. Either she has incredibly dense skin, or she’s not human.’

  ‘Or both,’ June suggested. She held out a mug to Cygnus, who gave her an adoring look as she took it.

  ‘Or both. I don’t know. She seemed pretty normal to me. What did you get from her?’

  ‘Uh, earnest. A little naïve. She likes you. Bit of a fangirl thing going there. I didn’t get any sense of… alienness about her.’

  ‘I guess she’ll have to remain a mystery for now then. Do you two have a plan for where everything is going?’

  ‘Sure,’ Jacob said.

  ‘And I told him it would never work,’ Andrea added.

  ‘Have faith,’ Jacob suggested, grinning.

  ‘Oh, I have faith. It’s just that I also have a capacity for critical analysis. We’ll get things roughly where we want them, and then we’ll decide the plan needs changing.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jacob conceded after a second of thought. ‘You’re probably right.’

  1st February.

  They were still reorganising things, as well as some thinking about things they should buy new, by Wednesday. They were, according to the evening news, not the only ones.

  ‘Speaking from her temporary residence on Andrews Air Force Base,’ the presenter on ACPN said, ‘President Hart announced a reorganisation of the federal law enforcement agencies.’ Jacob paused his eating and looked up at the screen just as the picture shifted over to show Hart at the podium in the press room. Yes, Andrea and Jacob had their own little apartment with a dining area, but it still felt more sociable to eat in the main lounge.

  ‘For some time now, there has been the assumption that Ultrahuman crimes should be investigated by specialists in the subject,’ Hart said. ‘Further, there was an outdated notion that Ultrahumans should not investigate such crimes. In practice, unpaid Ultras working under the Specialist Policing Act have been responsible for resolving over seventy-five percent of crimes committed by Ultrahumans.’ Jacob shrugged and nodded, conceding it was probably true. ‘The UID has proven itself not fit for purpose. Not only could they not operate without civilian support, but the policy of refusing to allow Ultras to join the agency has made it a sinkhole for those harbouring a prejudice against the Ultrahuman community.’

  Again, Jacob nodded. ‘But what do you plan to do about it?’ he asked the screen.

  ‘The intention of this administration is to put forward a reorganisation plan to be put before Congress this summer. This plan will allow for the recruitment of suitable Ultrahumans into the Secret Service, United States Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, allowing them to more readily fulfil their roles. As an additional measure, the bill will permanently close down the federal reserve in the DC area which was shut down by executive order by President Vanlaren last month. The Ultrahuman Investigations Division will be closed down. Its functions will be folded back into the FBI where appropriate, and passed down to local law enforcement agencies, again, where appropriate.’

  Hart looked out at her audience of reporters and camerapeople ‘Let me be clear. There are many fine agents within the UID. They have experience which the FBI currently lacks, and they will be able to transfer when the time comes. The FBI will not be accepting agents whose sole qualification for the job is a prejudice against Ultrahumans. By the end of my first term in office, I want to see all crime handled by our traditional federal and regional law enforcement organisations. It’s time we realised that Ultrahumans are still humans. They may need some specialist methods to deal with them, but those methods can be used by anyone.’

  ‘You could possibly get your old job back,’ Andrea said. ‘Well, sort of.’

  ‘I prefer the one I’ve got,’ Jacob replied. ‘I wonder if they’ll reform the registration system?’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Well, it’s a little like gun registration at the moment. Except worse. Except that gun registration isn’t universal.’

  Andrea stared at him. ‘That made no sense.’

  ‘No. I mean, pretty much anyone can buy a gun. Pretty much anyone can register and then go out there to fight crime. You know as well as I do that some of them should be locked up rather than given police powers.’

  ‘Yeah… I’ve never met one, but yeah. Talk to Cygnus.’

  Penny sat up and blinked. ‘Me? Why me?’

  ‘Because the president likes you. Mention it to her next time you’re having a chat. She can always come to Jacob to get his comments, but you could put the idea forward. It would probably stop people like Zap registering before they should.’

  ‘You know it wouldn’t stop the nuts from going out on the streets,’ Penny countered. ‘It would just criminalise them when they did. We’ll end up with more Blacklights.’

  ‘It would put some of them off,’ Jacob said. ‘If we could get them help when they’re caught, it might even do them some good.’ He lifted a hand to forestall the obvious reply. ‘I’m not stupid enough to think that’ll happen everywhere, but… This bill could do with regularising the use of Ultrahuman powers in crimes. If they did that, maybe there could be a federal programme to handle the vigilantes.’

  ‘Well, it would be a start. Maybe I will mention it to her. Not sure when I’ll get the chance but… Well, we’ll see.’

  Mars Orbit, 11th February.

  Madvedant Mareko stared at the image on the main screen, one finger tapping her lips. ‘It’s not perfect, but it’s a good base to work from.’

  ‘It’s got no atmosphere,’ Harrelant Boshelo said in reply.

  ‘We can fix that in relatively short order. Until then, we set up domes. Its gravity is lower than home. We would be able to fly down there.’

  ‘We’ll need radiati
on screening. And there is the matter of the third planet. They have spacecraft orbiting this world.’

  ‘Robots. Not even complex robots. They have not even colonised their own moon, which is large and likely a good source of minerals. We are far in advance of their technology. If they prove to be hostile, we can handle the matter. We need this, Captain Boshelo. We can’t keep wandering forever. Start getting the first wave out of stasis. We have resources to begin construction immediately.’

  ‘Might I suggest that we take some time to conduct a proper survey first?’

  Madvedant paused, considering. ‘That would be a worthwhile exercise. Yes. But begin the revival process. We could use the scientific staff and… I have a feeling about this, Captain. This is going to be our home.’

  Boshelo bowed his head in acknowledgement. ‘Yes, Guardian. We will begin immediately.’

  New Millennium City, MD, 14th February.

  ‘I am detecting a warp conduit terminal,’ Denny announced.

  ‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ June said, getting up from the sofa beside Cygnus.

  ‘I’ll get the door,’ Cygnus said.

  ‘I’ll… stay right where I am,’ Andrea announced, not lifting her head from the magazine she was reading.

  A few seconds later, Doctor Ultimate could be heard walking through toward the lounge. ‘… very exciting possibilities of development obviously something of technological exchange–’

  ‘Hugh!’ Cygnus and Brightstar chorused.

  ‘Sorry,’ Ultimate said as he walked into view. He was his usual, rumpled self: a fairly ordinary man in a wrinkled shirt and slacks, his brown hair dishevelled, but his eyes bright with excitement. ‘This really is a momentous discovery. Would you mind plugging this into one of Denny’s data ports?’ He produced a USB stick from a pocket.

  ‘Of course,’ Cygnus replied, taking the stick and immediately holding it out to Andrea.

  ‘Okay,’ Andrea said. Darkness swirled up around her, falling away after a second to leave an empty seat.

  ‘She’s faster,’ Cygnus said. Denny lived under the house, accessed via a hidden door in the floor of the kitchen area. Andrea could just slide down to the computer cavern without waiting for the door to open up.

  ‘There’s fresh coffee on,’ June said, ‘and I’ll make tea in a minute or two.’

  ‘The perfect hostess as always, June,’ Ultimate said, smiling. ‘We will be needing Astraea for this.’

  June glanced at Brightstar, the beautiful blonde spokeswoman of the Union of Ultrahumans, today in jeans and a cropped T-shirt. ‘I don’t mind Alison knowing, Hugh. I think she’d guess anyway.’

  ‘Thank you, June,’ Brightstar said. ‘Obviously, if asked, I have no idea that you’re Astraea.’

  ‘Obviously.’

  Andrea reappeared in a swirl of dense shadow just as Denny spoke. ‘Would you like me to display the images on this data device, Doctor?’

  ‘If you would, Denny,’ Ultimate replied. Up on screen, a collection of images appeared. They showed various views of a planet and space. ‘Show us image three, please. I believe that is the best view of the vessel.’

  ‘Spaceship,’ Andrea said. ‘I assume from the other images that it’s somewhere near Mars?’

  ‘In orbit. The Indians have a satellite out there too, the Mars Orbiter Mission. When this was spotted, it was re-tasked to get us some close-up pictures. I don’t suppose you recognise the type, Cygnus?’

  ‘It’s not one I’ve seen before,’ Cygnus replied. ‘Denny?’

  ‘The style is reminiscent of asharem construction,’ Denny said, ‘but this is not any design I have in my databases. I have scanned the other images and obtained comparisons with other objects. This ship is considerably larger than anything the asharem have ever built. However, my data may be out of date. I have not been near the Asharem Congress in more than a decade.’

  ‘Give us image twelve, Denny,’ Ultimate said. The new image showed several dome-like constructs on what looked like a flat desert. ‘They have managed to construct something on the surface already. These domes are within the Isidis Planitia, in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. Indications are that these aliens mean to stay.’

  ‘Well,’ Cygnus said, ‘Mars has the right sort of gravity for asharem. If I’m remembering this correctly anyway.’

  ‘It does. A little lower than their home planet, but not by an excessive factor. We could be dealing with asharem. That would likely be good news for our other refugee.’

  ‘However,’ Brightstar said, coffee mug already in hand, ‘the Security Council would like to know more about what is going on up there. They’re wigging out. We need Cygnus and Astraea to go do some recon work and, if appropriate, make contact.’

  ‘I’m afraid,’ Ultimate said, ‘that this will be something of a long trip. Even at Cygnus’s top speed, it will be two weeks to get to Mars with its current relative position to Earth.’ Cygnus shook her head. ‘No?’

  ‘I’m not spending two weeks flying through nothing. We’d need to carry a ridiculous amount of supplies. We’ll get up above the atmosphere and I’ll make a warp conduit out there. I’m sure Denny can calculate the necessary coordinates.’

  ‘I can, Cygnus,’ Denny said.

  ‘There we go. So, we warp out there, check out these aliens, and warp back in time for tea. It’s Valentine’s Day, Hugh. We’ve got plans.’

  Ultimate gave Cygnus a smile which was just a little mischievous. ‘I should imagine you do. So do I and thank you for reminding me. Now then, I suggest that June pours the tea and we sit down and hash out some sort of mission profile. Then you can be on your way and not miss out on your Valentine’s Day plans.’

  Mars Orbit.

  A small corner of the solar system did something it was not meant to, and two figures stepped out of some space which was doing really strange things.

  ‘Ha!’ Cygnus said. ‘Reality is my bitch!’ Her voice was transmitted to Astraea via their new, upgraded earpieces which used bone conduction to avoid the problem of sound transmitting really badly in a vacuum.

  ‘It certainly looks like Mars,’ Astraea agreed. ‘No sign of a big spaceship. Why did it take so long for you to set the portal up?’

  ‘I wanted to make sure we actually ended up here rather than, say, Jupiter. Or inside the sun. And the ship’s in orbit. It’s probably around the other side.’ Cygnus pursed her lips, squinting at the planet below them. ‘But I think that’s Isidis Planitia down there. It’s that little flat circle beside the big flat area, which is Utopia Planitia and more or less due north of that big hole in the uplands. The hole is Hellas Planitia and the uplands are Terra Sabaea.’

  ‘You’re just doing that to show off your astronomy.’

  ‘Maybe. My Mars geography sucks. I looked it up before we left. I think we go down and see what the new neighbours are like. It’s got to be easier to get into those domes than it will be with the ship.’

  ‘Aside from the obvious things, I don’t see an issue with that.’

  ‘Obvious things?’

  ‘Aliens with big guns?’

  ‘Oh, right.’

  Together, they flew down toward the planet’s surface. Mars has an atmosphere, but at somewhat less than a thousandth of the pressure on Earth, it did not seem to bother Astraea’s flight ability. She was effectively operating in space – where she was faster – all the way down.

  ‘No dust storms,’ Cygnus commented as they caught sight of the trio of domes. ‘Mars is noted for dust storms that can last for weeks.’

  ‘I knew that. I do pay attention when you’re watching those programmes on TV. Sometimes. Hey, didn’t that lander the British sent up here crash in this area?’

  ‘Uh… Oh, Beagle Two? I think you might be right. Maybe we should ask them if they want it fixed. But for right now… No one’s shooting at us.’

  It was daytime in the area they were heading for and the domes were now quite obviously geodesic domes made of some sort of material which
reflected little in the way of light. It looked like there was a metal framework with hexagonal panels and nothing that looked like a window. Each dome was maybe three hundred yards in diameter and a hundred and fifty in height, but they all seemed to be partially buried in the Martian soil.

  ‘They have to have sensors which can pick us up,’ Cygnus went on. ‘They must know we’re here. If they were hostile, I think they’d have decided to shoot at us by now.’

  ‘I think your optimism is showing,’ Astraea replied. ‘Maybe they want to capture us so they can torture us for information. Or maybe they’re fed up of pre-packaged food and they think we’d taste nice.’

  ‘You do taste nice. I think, if I were setting that structure up, I’d put the doors in the middle.’

  ‘I can’t see anything anywhere else.’

  They dropped toward the central area between the trio of domes and, sure enough, they found doors in two of them, facing in toward the ‘plaza’ in the middle. There was about a hundred and fifty feet between each dome and the others, giving plenty of room to drive vehicles in and out. One set of doors was huge, and it seemed likely that there was a garage behind them. The other entranceway was smaller, human-sized. As Cygnus’s and Astraea’s boots came down on the dusty ground, someone roughly human-sized walked out of one of those doors and stopped, pointedly looking at the visitors.

  She was not tall, maybe five-foot-five, and slim, maybe all of ninety pounds, on Earth. She was wearing a black bodysuit with patches of grey over the upper arms, some bright-blue trim over arms, thighs and torso, and a honeycomb pattern across the majority of the stomach. She was not, however, wearing a helmet, so they could see her face and that was purple with something of an iridescent quality. Her hair was a confusion of black, dark blue, and paler blue, cut back to the scalp on the left and swept over the right to hang almost to her shoulder and cover her right eye.

  ‘She’s an ashar,’ Cygnus said. ‘Do as I do.’ Stepping forward, Cygnus spread her arms wide, palms toward the ashar and fingers similarly spread wide. Not really knowing why, Astraea did the same and followed.

  Up close, the patches of almost camouflage-like marks were visible on the ashar’s face: splotches of darker purple. Her eyes were a purple-violet shade which matched her skin nicely. Like the ashar currently trying to adapt to Earth’s gravity in Antarctica, she had a forehead which sloped more than a typical human’s and quite a small nose: narrow and flat. Her lips were full and pursed in a determined sort of expression. She looked quite young, and quite determined to repel any threat. But why was there just one of them, and how was she breathing? The asharem were adapted to a thinner atmosphere than Earth’s, but not to vacuum.