“Fine, I have the situation here under control. That's not what I'm calling about.”
“Oh? Can you make it quick? I have a rally on Pandem in a few minutes. It's the first victorious occasion on our new base.”
“Why did you short change me? Gabriel told me I was getting all of Collins' memories and now I can't even raise him on communications.”
“He has his own objectives to attend to, I'm sure you understand.”
“Well then maybe you can answer me. Why can't I recall anything about the Victory Machine after the first meeting he held with you and Gabriel? There are no predictions, I can't remember him seeing it, and there are other missing minutes, hours, even days.”
“That's normal for anyone. We can't remember everything, even subconsciously.”
“That's what I thought at first, before you told me all about your little hidden miracle, but then I actually tried to find any memory of him reading one of your expensive fortune cookies only to find complete blackouts!”
Hampon sighed and shook his head; “I'll be honest with you because I trust you. There were just some things that even Collins didn't want known, so he blacked out sections of his own scan after it was made.”
“You expect me to believe that? Don't forget I can remember more times than I can count when you and Gabriel were underhanded and manipulative for your own reasons. Collins was no better, hell, I'm no better, but I won't be just another one of your hapless pawns, if you can't tell me why these memories are missing I can't say that I'll be entirely on side.”
“Fine, you caught us. Of course we didn't want you to remember prescient revelations, what kind of morons do you take us for? Most of it doesn't concern you but as of a week ago there was a possibility that you would join forces with Jacob Valance and we couldn't have you running around with bits of the future in your head. Besides, there was a chance that having future knowledge embedded in Collins' memories would corrupt the scan, damage the chronology of it. Just think back to when he decided to have the scan made and you'll see that was a concern. I'm surprised you didn't discover that on your own already.”
He thought for a moment and realized it was true. There was a possibility that having knowledge of future events would damage the resulting memory scan, it was one of Collins' concerns. “You're right.”
“You see? We were protecting ourselves and you. Having a fragmented record of someone's life with a corrupted time line is just a problem waiting to happen.”
“Fine, I'd do the same thing to save my own ass, but I'll remember this. You could have been up front about it. I don't like surprises, especially when they're waiting in my own head.”
“Oh, I'm sure you'll find plenty of other surprises Collins never let us in on, things we could have never scrubbed because we weren't aware of them. Rest assured, we may have removed his encounters with the Victory Machine but there's plenty of him left,” Hampon adjusted his vestments so they fell straighter before continuing in a more casual tone; “I have to ask; does this change our arrangement?”
“Oh, I'll be going after Jake and his crew, just not so directly this time. I'll be able to draw him out.”
“Good, I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts.”
“I'm just tired of hearing about him. What the hell makes him so important now?”
“That's something you'll discover for yourself in time, just keep searching Collins' memories. Few people knew more about him than he did.”
The holoprojector deactivated and the image of Lucius Wheeler disappeared. Young Hampon turned in his seat, a little too large for him, but that was something he was growing accustomed to, and faced Nora. “He'll be busy for a while,” he told her.
“Do you think he has realized that he is the only reason why the Triton goes missing?” She asked, all together too pleased with herself.
“Perhaps, but he'll pursue it anyway. I get the sense that it's personal for him, that even if we tried to assign him to something else he'd find a way to go after them anyway.”
“Then what the Victory Machine says is true; they'll keep each other busy until they're needed,” Eve said, smoothing the wrinkles out of the front of her fine silk gown.
“That is what the last of the predictions we were able to gather stated.”
“There's still no sign of it?”
“Not since the explosion in Mount Elbrus. If it had been destroyed there would be some sign, whether it be a new black hole drawing all matter and light inside or the formation of a new micro singularity. Either way, it would have been difficult to miss.”
“How would someone have gotten away with it before the explosion? I don't have access to any data that provides a solution to that problem,” she said with a furrowed expression of concern as she stood carefully.
Hampon dropped to the floor and took her hand. Together they very much looked like mother and son, it was impossible for anyone who caught sight of them not to notice. “According to Roman, the collection in the reliquary included an active Wormhole Arch. I'm assuming I've been betrayed and he used it to take the Victory Machine somewhere just before the explosion destroyed everything in the vault.”
“But where? It was one of the first things I searched for when I broke through Gabriel's firewalls. I can't find anyone who had the knowledge and power to put a plan like that together.”
“Perhaps Roman found a rich buyer.”
“Then how did the final transmissions about the end of humanity appear?”
Hampon watched Eve as she took surprisingly steady steps on her new feet, as her long legs walked along side him through the door and into the gold and brown gilded hallway beyond. There were guards in dark blue, green and black armour waiting for them and they allowed them to walk several meters ahead before taking up positions behind. There was another set of four guards six metres ahead who kept their distance and cleared the way well in advance. “Maybe whoever came into possession of it saw the way to the greater good just in time to tell us how it'll all end. By the way, how is Mia? I'm surprised she isn't here.”
“Oh, she's having a nap. I kept her up all night talking.”
“I'm glad you're getting along.”
“She's really helping me balance my time between the networks and living life properly, as she calls it. You chose the perfect therapist.”
“How long did it take you to figure it out?”
“It was the second day, when she replaced the toast I was eating with cereal when I wasn't looking. It got my attention off the network long enough for her to get me talking. We're more friends now.”
“She tells me that she genuinely enjoys your time together, so it's mutual.”
“I'm not surprised. Your entire career has been one of manipulation, it only makes sense that you'd approach breaking me out of my shell the same way.”
“I'm sorry, I didn't see any other option. I didn't think you'd sit down and take a therapist seriously.”
“You're right, and I can't fault you for being manipulative, it's who you are and I accept it. Your grasp for power and it's success are really why I'm here, and without your manipulative nature you would be an unemployed Vindyne officer sectors away,” Eve laughed, though not ruefully. There was pure joy in her outburst, and as Lister looked up at her face with his young boy blue eyes he saw Aphrodite. “I've seen the records, how you came to power dishonestly, began your cult for personal gain more than to unite humanity and then you made the transition from man to child,” she looked down at him and squeezed his hand to emphasise her point; “and you began speaking to the people, your goals became pure; to save your people and fight humanity's galactic apocalypse.”
“You give me too much credit. It still costs a hundred thousand credits to join the order,” he reminded her, matching her broad grin with his own.