She didn’t want it on the Shawnet.
20
Tabby hugged him hard, squeezing him tightly as soon he opened the door. He returned it. He needed it, frankly. She whispered in his ear.
“Don’t say anything,” she said. “Give me your phone.”
She let go of him and he pulled his Shaw phone out of his pocket, handing it to her. She wordlessly took it into her bedroom. She returned a moment later, closing the door behind her.
“I don’t know if it matters, honestly,” said Tabby. “But I might as well.”
“You think they’re listening?” asked Jon.
“Yes,” said Tabby, quickly. “Actively? I don’t know. You’d have to have a lot of people on staff to listen to every device’s microphone around the clock. But maybe Shaw is crazy enough to do it.”
“I mean, if he really wanted, he could hide microphones and cameras in all the living spaces,” said Jon.
“I looked,” said Tabby. “Pretty extensively. Nothing that I could recognize as one. That doesn’t mean they’re not here, but I find it doubtful.”
“Won’t they find it suspicious that you’re hiding the phones and tablets in the house?” asked Jon.
“I’d rather them be suspicious and not know what we’re saying,” said Tabby. “I’m sorry. For all of this.”
“It’s not your fault,” said Jon.
“I know,” said Tabby. “I just wish—I wish I had met you anywhere else.”
“At least we’re safe down here,” said Jon. “Jesus Christ. Maybe I’m naïve, but I really didn’t think anyone would resort to nuclear weapons. God, Moscow. There has to be millions dead. And there will be more in Pakistan, probably exponentially more. There won’t be a Pakistan left—”
“Jon, there was no nuclear attack,” said Tabby.
“What?” asked Jon. “Have you not seen the news on Shawnet? God, the pictures—”
“It’s a lie, Jon,” said Tabby, her voice dry, and calm. “There was no attack.”
“How do you know that?” asked Jon. “Hell, Shaw told me himself—”
“That clinches it,” said Tabby. “There was no attack. Pakistan wouldn’t bomb Moscow.”
“Why not?” asked Jon. “I mean, I didn’t want to believe it, but it sounds plausible. From what I know, there’s some simmering resentment there—”
“Resentment, yes,” said Tabby. “But nothing to trigger nuclear war. And especially not over supply lines. Please. Pakistan is having the same trouble everyone is, but why would they target Moscow? Russia would wipe them off the map, and no matter how bad the casualties were, Russia is far too big to do any significant damage. You’d have to do dozens of strikes, which Pakistan doesn’t have the capability or will for.”
“Again, how do you know that?” asked Jon.
“My ex worked in the state department,” said Tabby. “Pakistan was one of his assignments. Believe me, I’ve heard more about Pakistani government and culture than I would want in ten lifetimes. But the way he talked about it, the Pakistanis would sooner eat their own tail than attack Russia, via conventional or nuclear war.”
“We’ve been down here for a while,” said Jon. “Maybe things changed.”
“That’s possible,” said Tabby. “But I don’t believe it, not for a second. I’m sure Shaw chose those two countries because he didn’t think anyone would question it. But after everything else he’s done, I don’t believe that it happened. Moscow is fine. I mean, they’re probably not fine, but they’re not nuked.”
Tabby’s face displayed only confidence.
“So another lie?” asked Jon. “But why?”
“Why any of the lies?” asked Tabby. “To help control us. To inspire fear and obedience. What did you feel when he told you?”
Jon paused. “Overwhelming sorrow,” said Jon. “I was just awash in it.”
“When did he tell you?” asked Tabby.
“Jesus, I forgot to tell you!” said Jon. “We were successful! A chimp regenerated an arm!”
“Congrats,” said Tabby. “Good work.” Her eyes showed something else, though.
“What’s wrong?” asked Jon.
Tabby looked away from him and then back. “I’m glad you’ve finally done it, Jon. But it only makes me more scared. Is that when he told you?”
“We had a meeting to discuss what’s next,” said Jon. “And he wants us to push the animals harder. Try and expand our results, so we can regenerate all trauma, in more varied situations. He told us to go to live testing.”
“On live chimps?” asked Tabby. “And all trauma?”
“Yes,” said Jon. “He mentioned all kinds of things. Car accidents, household mishaps, soldiers—”
“He mentioned soldiers?” asked Tabby.
“Yeah,” said Jon. “He said that it’s within our grasp to end combat trauma. Soldiers would just heal bullet and shrapnel wounds, quickly. There’d be no more amputees, or anyone hurt, at all.”
“Fucking hell,” said Tabby, and she got up now, and paced in the living room, staring at the floor.
“I knew it, I knew it,” said Tabby. “Jesus fucking Christ, I knew it, and I helped them anyway. Fuck!”
Jon stared at her. “What’s wrong?”
She stopped and breathed. “Sorry. Finish. Please. When did he tell you?”
“He told me at the end of the meeting,” said Jon. “I was—I wouldn’t say arguing with him, but I was certainly not happy with the idea of using live subjects. He tried to convince me with a really long spiel, and then told us at the end about the attack. Said we all need to hurry, because the world is ending, and we need to stop it.”
Tabby sat down next to him again. She squeezed his hand and started shaking, and Jon realized she was crying. He grabbed and held her. He held her until she stopped, reaching for a tissue and wiping away her tears.
“It’s my fault,” she said, finally. “It’s my fault.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Jon. “What’s your fault?”
“They showed me the weapon, Jon,” said Tabby. “They showed me what my battery is powering. I saw it work, for the first time.”
“What is it?” asked Jon.
“It shouldn’t exist,” said Tabby. “It’s some sort of plasma beam weapon. As a work of engineering, it’s nothing short of remarkable. I don’t know how it works, and I was afraid to ask. But my battery powers it. It wouldn’t work without—”
She cried again, but stopped herself, grabbing another tissue.
“It has phenomenal power demands,” said Tabby. “Even my battery can only give it a few charges. At least right now. But even one charge, my god, it’s power.”
“They showed you?” asked Jon, trying to focus her.
“Yeah,” said Tabby. “I guess they bought my playing along, because they were excited to show me it. Shaw had already seen a demonstration, but their lead thought I deserved one as well. Considering how instrumental I was. It’s no bigger than a normal rifle. But it has no bullets. It has internal laser and gas systems, but I didn’t see any of that. I only saw the damage it did.”
“What can it do?”
“I saw them test it on a cow,” said Tabby, swallowing. “A live one.”
“Christ,” said Jon. “Where are they keeping all these animals?”
“I assume there’s an animal habitation level, somewhere in here,” said Tabby. “But it was a cow. Docile. And we all wore dark goggles, like the kind you wear to look at the eclipse. Or for welders. We wore goggles, and they plugged in my battery, and the rifle charged. It was silent, almost completely. The only noise it makes is when it fires, and it’s just a really loud click. No louder than someone snapping their fingers. It clicks, and an incredibly bright light flashed. It hurt my eyes, even behind the goggles, and I blinked, because I wasn’t expecting it, and when I could see again, the cow was gone. Only—only parts were left.”