Wings of Saturn

Part 5

Lunch continued around the table in the lighthouse, with little noise other than plates being adjusted. Sha hadn't said anything further, and Jenny wasn't going to volunteer anything. At least not until she'd had her fill. As she started to put together a third sandwich, Jenny felt like she might be able to stop in just a couple more.

However, Sha finally finished the small sandwich she had been nibbling on and cleared her throat again. "Let me start by asking you if you know any of these folks." Sha had a small image projected from the center of the table.

Jenny stopped eating. "I don't know any of them, but that uniform doesn't look like they are planning anything good."

In fact the image was from the far lock where Colonel Barza had just unloaded Unit Two. Unit One had been left behind at the original lock. Barza had managed to convince the "Great Balls" that if they monitored the lock, then his team could herd the escapees toward one or the other of them, and thus achieve their mission. Barza hoped he could actually nab the escapees himself, both for the credit and as an excuse to leave the "Great Balls" behind for a while.

"No," Sha continued at the table, "I can't imagine their intentions are in accordance with any of your plans."

"Still," Jenny continued thoughtfully, "I'm surprised they would have gone to the other lock. Aren't they usually placed on opposite sides of a dome?"

"Yes, and that's the case here. You're wondering why they wouldn't just drop down and nab you?" Sha sipped some tea and watched Jenny carefully.

"Something like that." Jenny admitted.

"Well, I believe I already mentioned this lighthouse is camouflaged?" Sha smiled a bit. "To any normal scanner it appears there is a barren island here. So, no doubt their initial scan suggested you weren't anywhere visible in the dome. I would imagine that they will do some scanning of the waters here next, and then when they still can't find you I will probably be contacted to ask how I would like to be reimbursed for the dome that accidently was destroyed when one of their shuttles crashed into it."

Jenny resumed eating, talking around her large bites. "You seem awfully calm for someone who seems to think we're about to be blown to bits in a few hours."

"And you seem to think that with enough food that you can outrun or outmaneuver anything else. Are you sure you trust your other side that much? No concern that it might turn on by itself, and then turn on you?" Sha's slight smile had been replaced by a stern countenance that didn't seem to fit such a young looking face.

"Would this 'other side' be why they keep chasing us?" Terri was now also looking at Jenny seriously.

Jenny's first instinct was to try and put them both off with some bluster and a joke. But she sensed that Sha was just looking for confirmation, and Jenny knew that Terri eventually had to know what she'd gotten herself into.

Taking a deep breath, Jenny began. "The Deus Ex Machina isn't so much another side to me as an alternate program. My brain pathways have been engineered so that in one situation they work as good ol' Jenny. In the right set of situations those same pathways run the other program which can detect any threat and immediately determine a way to neutralize it. It couldn't turn on me without my first having agreed to turn on since I have to consciously activate it. In fact making sure it wasn't remotely hackable was one of the first things my father's old firm tested."

The look on Terri's face seemed a mixture of sadness and shock. Jenny continued, "Yes Terri. This was around the time my dad's firm chose to sponsor us. I didn't quite realize what I was agreeing to, and I get the impression that dad would have lost his position as well as us not being signed on if I hadn't agreed."

"But why didn't you ever tell me?" Terri asked.

"Because what we're seeing outside was the promised response if I ever mentioned it to anyone. Supposedly this isn't something they can do with just anyone, so they wouldn't just make me disappear. But it was made clear they wouldn't stop at much else once I learned the real power of my alternate self." Jenny had stopped eating. Talking about this seemed to be a great way to kill her appetite.

"Thank you." Sha's demeanor returned to a calm state. "There are all sorts of rumors about what the Deus is and what it can do. I suspect there are those who are just as happy to keep the rumors flowing to deflect attention from the reality. Which leaves the one real question. What's in it for me to help you escape?"

Jenny couldn't tell if Sha meant that as a question, a threat, or something else. The look on Sha's face was so neutral, Jenny imagined she was purposely trying to keep Jenny from knowing. Or perhaps she was waiting to see which of those would color Jenny's response.

Jenny looked at Terri, and saw Terri looking back expectantly. Jenny knew her answer was likely going to commit Terri to the same action, regardless of the harm it might cause all of them. If it didn't turn out well, it would be one more disappointment that Jenny would have to live with, one more life she'd feel she was responsible for destroying. Jenny had been through a lot the last couple of years, but that didn't make this any easier.

Jenny thought a moment, and then decided.

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