A machine voice started whispering into her ear as she found herself short of breath, her body jerking a little as she tried to sync with the program, let it take over and show her what she needed to know.
She knew what the gauges were now, what that screen was, and this screen was, and why that set of readouts was so important.
A wash of tingling dismay made her lean forward, as she took in the whole of it, and understood what the assignment was they had given her. She sucked in a breath hard, feeling her heart beating like thunder as the lights dimmed and went to blue and a scenario started.
The consoles shifted and the two nearest to her changed to show controls her hands jerked back from as the voice whispered about metrics, and targets and the three dimensional spatial understanding that now flooded up into her conscious mind.
She felt like throwing up. This was wrong. This was dark, and cold and implacable.
But the program had her good and no matter how much she tried to pull her mind back from it the insidious comprehension pushed aside her doubts, spurring her body to obey the insistently whispered instructions as her hands moved, and her breathing slowly steadied and she lost herself to the rush of it.
Just lost her grip. Like the knowledge was water, flowing fast as it had in the old story she read, carrying her along to a destination of it’s own choosing.
There was no fighting it. The seduction of the knowledge pulled her forward after her brief struggle, as she could sense the opening up of corridor after corridor of new skills she knew were waiting for her.
As good as a narcotic to one of her kind. The one thing they all craved at least those who comprehended that much. To be given the skills that took them beyond a superficial mediocrity. This was that kind of program, she now understood.
It was tech. Deep tech. Really knowing things that mattered. Knowing people that mattered. Being a part of something truly important with the opportunity to do more than she’d ever dreamed of.
Did it really matter if it was dark? If she sensed it was going to be scary?
The whispered voice wound around her and took hold, and she felt her heartbeat settle as her body translated the understanding to a sensual level, as a trigger inside her released a jolt of pleasure into her awareness.
It felt good. The more she relaxed, and thought about the skills, the better it felt. The fear faded, and the sense of nausea with it, replaced instead with a tingling in her guts and a feeling of anticipation.
She drew in a breath and refocused her eyes on the screens, now nodding just a little as the voice started reporting what she was seeing, and her reflexes woke up, responding to the prompts as the scenario progressed.
She was sure it would turn out all right.
**
Stephen waited until they were halfway through dinner, with a half a liter down before he told her. Public space, he figured, with all the rest of ops around them would keep her from at least punching him in the face. “So that’s the deal.”
Jess leaned back and twirled the glass in her fingertips, watching him with an expressionless face. “Let me make sure I understand.” She said. “Some idiot decided it was a good idea to try making a bio alt into a tech ops agent?” She had kept her voice down. “Really?”
“Really.” Stephan said, encouraged by the calm response. “Frankly, Jess, I told him I thought it was crazy.”
“I see.”
“It’s become really political.” Stephan said. “The rest of the ops group lodging protests like that… so it got them embarrassed. You know how dangerous that is.”
Jess studied the liquid in the glass. “Despite what you think, I didn’t kickstart that.” She said. “Everyone’s just watching me and saying that could be them.” She looked up at him. “So their answer is to come up with the equivalent of me walking in front of a laser cannon? Cause that’s what it is. Never mind not trusting it at my back – the poor stupid critter will probably shoot me in it accidentally.”
Stephen frowned. “Jess, they said they were programming it to be able to do this.”
Jess rolled her eyes.
“Look, what do you want me to tell you? Tell them?”
“That they’re liars.” Jess said. “Because they are. They’re just looking to save face. Put that thing in here, we both get offed, everyone turns around and says, well, I guess the council knew better all the time, and should go on picking they way they always have. But look! We listened to them. We tried!” Her voice dripped with raspy sarcasm. “Rest of the group’s just relieved it wasn’t them.”
Stephen exhaled, an unhappy expression on his face. He’d known Jess for all the years of his life, had sat across a table from that tall, rangy form with it’s dark hair, and those light blue eyes many times, had fought many fights with her, and of all the agents in the group he trusted her the most.
Not because Jess was nice. She wasn’t. But she was honest and her focus was true and it killed him that it was her that Joshua had knifed because there were others who deserved it more. “It’s a political thing.” He repeated. “Not really a whole lot of choice in it, Jess.”
“What does that mean?”
They were both keeping their voices down, ostensibly just enjoying dinner together, in the uncrowded ops dining hall on level 3. There were six other people in the place, three pairs of two at the small tables and everyone else was making a show of pretending to ignore them.
“What does that mean, Stephan?” Jess repeated, slightly louder. “You know I’m not going to agree to this.”
He leaned forward. “Not sure you have a choice.”
Jess’s face went very still.
“Look.” He glanced around. “I told you this is political. Bricker has a lot on the line. He has debts to pay to the council. So it’s either we cooperate, or..”
“Or?” Jess repeated.
“Or he said there’s no place in the organization for people who didn’t.”
Jess’s expression got even more still. ‘So, let me see.” She said. “Either I agree to walk into fire, or I get booted out into the streets, since I don’t have enough years in to retire. Is that right?”
He couldn’t even look at her. “It’s political.” He muttered. “This whole thing got bigger than us.”
“Are those my choices, Stephen?”
He finally looked up. “That’s what Bricker said. Either you cooperate with the plan, or you’re out.” He said. “But Jess, listen, give it a chance, for Pete’s sake. You don’t know, maybe it’ll work.”
“It wont’ work.” Jess said, in a remote tone. “I’m not going to go out on a failure that also kills some poor beast that has no choice in the matter. Tell Bricker he can take his political ass and trash compact himself.”
“Jess, think about what you’re doing. “ Stephen urged her, keeping his voice low.
Jess put her glass down. “Screw yourself..” She said, standing abruptly. “Process my outpapers. I’ll go pack. Not that I‘ve got a lot to.” She tossed a chit down on the tray and turned, heading for the door to the hall.
Stephan was far too stunned to react until it was too late and she was gone. He stood up and started after her, aware of all the eyes on his back as he got to the door and went through it, looking quickly right and left.
The hallway beyond was empty however, only two cleaning staff were carefully vacuuming along the wall, their gray coveralls almost blending into it. Of Jess there was no sign, and he debated whether he should go to her quarters.
Go and try to talk her down? Stephen frowned. He started towards the bunkhouse but his comm unit chirped and he stopped as the soft bing and central comms voice sounded in his ear. “Commander Bock, to central ops, priority.”