Crystal Deception (5 page)

Chapter 6

Sid heard the tap on the door, and his
com confirmed Cheryl’s identity. As the door closed behind her, he stepped over
to a thick, insulated lockbox, placed his com inside, and motioned with his
hand. She followed his lead.

“They’re amazing technology,” he said after closing the lid.
“But clever people keep finding ways to pull information from them. When we’re
on alert status, I find it best to treat them as spies.”

As she removed her coat, he looked her up and down for
weapons or anything out of the ordinary. His survival skills required that he
evaluate everything all the time. That task complete, his mind took him to
enjoying her lovely face and form.
How can you be more beautiful than I
remember?
He felt a stir, and then his shame over his past behavior
returned. He looked at the ground. He’d lost the right to that pleasure.

Always the professional, Sid refocused on the job at hand.
He was satisfied that he had protected his contact, maintained cover, and found
secure shelter. He needed to keep the mission moving forward, which began with
creating goals for the next twenty-four hours.

“Please bring me up to speed,” he asked Cheryl, a hint of
urgency in his voice. Patience was something found deep in the toolbox of an
improviser, as it was an item rarely used.

It took Cheryl more than an hour to tell Sid the story. She gave
him profiles of the people involved and then moved through a summary of events.
She described her interactions with the techs on her ship and the subsequent call
to Admiral Keys, her first contact with Juice and their meeting at the café,
her visit to Crystal Fab, and information she discovered through her own investigation.

His first questions were about the crystal. “You talk about
it like it’s a person. Can it think and act on its own? Or is it just a
credible simulation of a presence?”

“I don’t know. My friends talk about their pets like they’re
people, so there could be some of that in my attitude. Either way, he’s really
convincing. He pulls together disparate facts and presents them as ideas. He
can make observations that seem insightful, at least at that moment in time. We
need to get you there so you can judge for yourself.”

They brainstormed for another hour. He was thorough as he
debriefed her, asking her the same questions in different ways to see if he
could elicit more information or refine their ideas. When they decided to call
it quits for the night, he could see she was drained.

Sid summarized where they were. “So our mystery is that, for
some unknown reason, a new super crystal thinks the Kardish are going to steal
it for themselves. The possible motivators for this puzzle are, in broad
categories, that it’s all bullshit and the crystal is a master manipulator; or Sheldon
is in league with the Kardish; or this doctor, Juice, is working an angle where
her motives are unclear.”

Cheryl nodded. “And in the middle of all this, they’re going
to put the super crystal on
my
ship.”

He looked at her as he thought. “Do you think someone at
Fleet is involved?”

“My belief is that Sheldon is a snake. If it’s not him, then
the crystal is duping everyone. Juice Tallette is smart as a whip in science
and technology, but she doesn’t have the temperament to run a big scam. And Admiral
Keys seems as upset as I am. Though we can’t discount someone at Fleet facilitating
what they think is a favor to a friend and just not realizing the implications
of their actions.”

“Could someone be blackmailing Tallette?” he asked. “Or
somehow forcing her to run a scam?”

“You know, that’s a good thought. We should have a research
team dig into her background to see what’s there.” She hesitated. “Does the DSA
even have a research team?”

He smiled for the first time since they met at the pub.
“Yeah, I can get that going.”

* * *

The next afternoon they arrived at the
gleaming Crystal Fabrications headquarters. Sid was anxious to meet a crystal
that could get the attention of so many people in such a short amount of time.

The DSA arranged their cover: they were there to collect
additional information as part of the formal evaluation required before the
four-gen could be placed on the
Alliance
. Fleet contracts were funneling
a lot of Union resources to the company. That leverage meant they didn’t need
to concern themselves with detailed explanations.

“This is my associate, Sid,” Cheryl said to Sheldon, keeping
the introductions to a minimum.

Sid privately winced at the use of his name. In the agency culture,
operatives always preferred their colorful pseudonyms.

“He’s here to perform a capability and psych assessment on
the crystal. His report will be combined with other inputs as Fleet determines
the best path forward.”

“Wait,” said Sheldon. “Are you saying Fleet isn’t moving
forward on this project?”

“Dr. Sheldon,” said Cheryl. “Fleet has procedures, and
nothing moves forward if we don’t follow them. I can say that with confidence.”

Juice, who had been standing quietly to the side, led the group
down the central corridor to the development lab, then through a thicket of
equipment to the secure booth in back. Sid peered through the glass and studied
the crystal. He was here for a private conversation with it. He needed Juice
and Sheldon to go away. Cheryl didn’t let him down.

She turned to their hosts. “Procedure requires that the
assessment be conducted in private. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you
two to leave.”

“What? No way!” Sheldon sputtered. “How will I know if your
report is accurate? And if you find a flaw, I won’t be able to fix it if I
don’t see it happen myself. This is not acceptable!”

“Dr. Sheldon, might I suggest you call Admiral Keys?” said
Cheryl in a soothing voice. She spread her arms and shooed them in the
direction of the door. Sheldon wasn’t budging, and he was blocking Juice in the
tight space. She couldn’t move unless he did.

“Another alternative,” said Cheryl with a smile, “is to observe
the interview from the comfort of your office using your com.” She adopted a
no-nonsense attitude and moved closer to them.

Sid watched the interaction and remembered something about
Cheryl he’d always enjoyed. She was self-assured, and in these sorts of
situations, was willing to use her strength to control blowhards. And she could
perform her magic while maintaining a sweet persona. It was a treat to see her
in action. He was happy she hadn’t changed.

Sheldon managed to stand his ground against her for only a
few moments. When Cheryl had a full head of wind, she was an unstoppable force.
He turned with a huff, exited through the lab doors, and hurried down the
corridor.

As he disappeared from sight, Juice said, “I’ll be down the
hall if you need me,” and started to follow Sheldon out.

“Juice,” called the crystal, “might you help us before you
leave?”

She paused and looked at the booth.

“The web feeds from this room all pass through connections located
in the wall console at the back of the lab. Would you please disconnect those
feeds on your way out?”

Grinning, Juice swung open the console cover and, with a
swift tug, acted on the crystal’s suggestion. She waved good-bye, and the glass
doors hissed open and then closed behind her as she left the development lab.

Sid noted with interest the cooperative relationship between
the crystal and Juice, or perhaps it was a dysfunction between Juice and
Sheldon. He filed the tidbit away for the future.

* * *

The crystal watched Sid look around
the lab.

“So we’re alone?” Sid said to the air. “No one outside can
see or hear?”

“It is only the three of us now,” said the crystal. “There
will be no record of this discussion.”

“It would be more comfortable for me if I could address you
directly. Do you have a name?”

The crystal performed a review of names. He sought one that
wasn’t threatening, was easily pronounced, and that evoked a friendly persona.
He found one that seemed particularly fitting. “Thank you for asking, Sid. Please
call me Criss.”

“Criss, the crystal,” said Sid. “Works for me. So, Criss. Let’s
see how far we can get before Sheldon returns.” He started with the request he’d
made to Cheryl the day before, using the same hint of urgency. “Please bring us
up to speed.”

Criss began with background. “There are billions of feeds
passing through some portion of the web at any moment. I have the ability to see
and process it all. Video, audio, data, com—everything. Copies of all feeds are
saved in multiple places. This redundancy ensures that nothing is ever lost. It
also means I can look through record archives and find information from the
past.”

Sid looked at Cheryl. “Okay, Criss. What was I doing at ten
hundred hours last week Wednesday?”

“You were eating toast in your kitchen at that moment. You
had just taken a bite and were chewing as you placed the slice on a plate.”

“How can you know this?” asked Cheryl.

“Sid’s kitchen has a visual unit that tracks his use of food
and supplies so items can be automatically restocked. Also, there is a public-spaces
monitor outside his home that happens to capture a view through several windows
in the front of his house. Both of these feed to the web.”

Sid looked at Cheryl. She was frowning. “Tell me about the
Kardish and their plan to steal you.”

“My highest priority has been to understand the people who
most affect my immediate survival,” said Criss. “These include Juice, Mick, and
Brady Sheldon. As I gathered background information, I found discussions
between Sheldon and one of his board members that caused me concern. Later, they
attempted to delete their exchange. But once something feeds to the web, it will
always remain there in one form or another.

“I began a deep, systematic search and assembled a sequence
of facts that stretches back twenty years. It involves an arrangement between
the Kardish and Sheldon. The Kardish have been assisting him with crystal
development technology from his earliest days. In exchange, Sheldon has been
supplying the Kardish with crystals.”

“The trade relationship between Earth and the Kardish is
well documented,” said Cheryl. “They ship us raw flake, and we send back
manufactured crystals. Why would this cause you concern?”

Criss sought to sound reasoned and reasonable. He did not
want to raise concern about his own existence with these two. Without their
help, he believed his survival was at risk.

“The Kardish send both crystal flake and design plans to Sheldon.
He manufactures the crystals to their specification and sends them a portion of
each production run. In exchange, Sheldon and the company are allowed to sell
the rest for profit. This arrangement is not exactly the one presented by the
company to the world.”

“Did you know,” Criss continued, “that twenty-five percent of
all three-gen crystals ever produced have been transferred to the Kardish as
part of this deal? They have about two hundred and fifty thousand crystals on
their vessel.”

Cheryl raised her eyebrows at this whopping statistic.

“And now the Kardish are anxious to possess me. I am not
able to determine their motivation, but they want me immediately. The challenge
is that Fleet is anxious to possess me as well. Fleet Command recognizes that
with my capabilities, they can get ships with higher performance specifications
that cost less to build and operate. That is an equation every politician
understands.”

“Do the Kardish know of Fleet’s interests?” asked Sid

“And does Fleet know of the Kardish demands?” added Cheryl.

“Both parties want possession of me, and neither seems aware
there is a serious rival in the mix. Sheldon is backed into a corner. He cannot
please them both and feels the Kardish are a threat to his personal safety. So,
he convinced the Kardish to stage a kidnapping. This scheme delivers me to the
Kardish and gets him off the hook. If I am kidnapped, Fleet cannot blame Sheldon.”

“This was Sheldon’s idea?” asked Sid.

“It would be fair to describe it as his best choice among a
set of bad options. If he crosses Fleet, he knows he will be in trouble. If he
crosses the Kardish, he fears he will be dead.

“Early on, Sheldon approached a member of the company’s board
of directors to push for open negotiations between Fleet and the Kardish. His
associate would not agree for fear it would delay my transfer to the Kardish. There
were several sharp exchanges between the two. These were the messages they tried
to delete. And that was what led me to everything else.”

“Who was this board member?” asked Sid.

“Her name is Victoria Wellstone.”

“Did you find any communications directly from the Kardish
to Sheldon? Or between the Kardish and anyone, for that matter?”

“No,” said Criss. “But that is not surprising. It is not
difficult to ensure that there is no archive record. For example, I lost track
of the conversation between you two last night when you disabled your coms. Did
you put them inside something?”

Sid didn’t answer and again looked at Cheryl. This time he
was the one frowning.

“Something doesn’t make sense to me,” said Sid. “Why would
the Kardish invest twenty years of effort developing this relationship and now
be anxious to end it? If they wait another few years, won’t they be able to have
many of you? Or even the next generation beyond you?”

“I agree and do not know,” said Criss. “The Kardish are
excellent at hiding information. Their methods and culture are opaque to me. I
only know what I do because Sheldon is not as clever.” He then said, “Excuse me
for changing topics. Brady Sheldon is returning to this laboratory. He is walking
at a fast pace and will be here momentarily. My assessment is that he is angry.”