How's that injury?"
Sam nodded, put a hand on her side. "Healing, sir. The growth factors are doing their work. I should be fully fit for service in a week."
"Good," Becker said. "What did you think of the briefing?"
Sam shook her head. "There's a lot there. I wish I'd known the whole picture before the mission last night."
"Some of it was need-to-know, Sam. We didn't expect things to go the way they did last night."
Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Sir… I'm not sure that I'm the right person for the next phase of this mission."
Becker snorted. "Sam, you're the perfect person for this mission. You have more experience with Nexus than any field agent. And you have a great alias that fits the mission needs."
"I know. It's just…"
Becker waited a moment and then prompted, "The failure of your memory implants was a valuable lesson, Sam. We'll improve the implantation process from that. You'll be better prepared for a Nexus 5 connection than any agent who hasn't experienced it."
"That's not it, sir. It's that… It's that I… I enjoyed it, sir. I question my objectivity."
Becker chuckled. "If drugs weren't enjoyable, people wouldn't abuse them. There's nothing new there."
Sam looked down at her hands. How to get through to him? "Sir, when I was being held captive, and no longer part of the Nexus… connection that they'd established, I missed it. I wanted to be back in that loop. I wanted… something that goes against everything I stand for." Sam was faltering now.
"Agent Cataranes." Becker said it in a tone of command.
Sam snapped her eyes to him.
"Samantha, I know how you were raised. I know what happened to you and your family at Yucca Grove. I know about Communion virus and the things you were exposed to. It's exactly because of those experiences that I have complete faith in you. You, among all people, understand the dangers of this tech. I know you won't falter in your duty. You're going on this mission because you're the available field agent with the best relevant experience and positioning. You're going because I have one hundred percent confidence in you. And you're going because it's an order. Is that understood?"
Sam let go of the breath she was holding. "Yes, sir. Understood."
Becker smiled fractionally. "Good. Now, we have an additional briefing for you. Tell me what I haven't told Kaden Lane."
Sam turned her eyes back to the briefing room, where Kade and Holtzmann were finishing up. "At a guess… This mission isn't just to learn what we can from having someone close to Su-Yong Shu. If possible, you want more. You want her to try to turn Kade, with whatever techniques she's been using. So we can study them in depth."
Sam paused for a moment, then finished her thought. "Which means that Kade isn't just a spy," she said. "He's bait."
7
EXPLANATIONS
TRANSCRIPT: RANGAN SHANKARI, TECH BRIEFING, "NEXUS 5"
Sunday February 19th 2040 0951 hours
[NOTE: Subject should be considered hostile.]
INTERVIEWER: OK. Let's start again. Tell us about Nexus 5.
SHANKARI: [inaudible, likely profanity] Fine. Nexus 5 is Nexus, but with software layered on top.
INTERVIEWER: What does that mean?
SHANKARI: We found a way to program it. We found a way to get data in and out. To get instructions in and out.
INTERVIEWER: What kind of data?
SHANKARI: Neural data at first. We were using it as a way to measure neural firing in the motor cortex. Individual neurons, but millions of them at a time.
INTERVIEWER: This was for your research?
SHANKARI: Yeah. The goal was to get the data from the brain, decode it, and use it to control a robot arm.
INTERVIEWER: Systems like that already exist. Why the research?
SHANKARI: Existing systems get implanted surgically. That limits them. The procedures are long. You can get infections. And you can only tap into
Sam nodded, put a hand on her side. "Healing, sir. The growth factors are doing their work. I should be fully fit for service in a week."
"Good," Becker said. "What did you think of the briefing?"
Sam shook her head. "There's a lot there. I wish I'd known the whole picture before the mission last night."
"Some of it was need-to-know, Sam. We didn't expect things to go the way they did last night."
Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Sir… I'm not sure that I'm the right person for the next phase of this mission."
Becker snorted. "Sam, you're the perfect person for this mission. You have more experience with Nexus than any field agent. And you have a great alias that fits the mission needs."
"I know. It's just…"
Becker waited a moment and then prompted, "The failure of your memory implants was a valuable lesson, Sam. We'll improve the implantation process from that. You'll be better prepared for a Nexus 5 connection than any agent who hasn't experienced it."
"That's not it, sir. It's that… It's that I… I enjoyed it, sir. I question my objectivity."
Becker chuckled. "If drugs weren't enjoyable, people wouldn't abuse them. There's nothing new there."
Sam looked down at her hands. How to get through to him? "Sir, when I was being held captive, and no longer part of the Nexus… connection that they'd established, I missed it. I wanted to be back in that loop. I wanted… something that goes against everything I stand for." Sam was faltering now.
"Agent Cataranes." Becker said it in a tone of command.
Sam snapped her eyes to him.
"Samantha, I know how you were raised. I know what happened to you and your family at Yucca Grove. I know about Communion virus and the things you were exposed to. It's exactly because of those experiences that I have complete faith in you. You, among all people, understand the dangers of this tech. I know you won't falter in your duty. You're going on this mission because you're the available field agent with the best relevant experience and positioning. You're going because I have one hundred percent confidence in you. And you're going because it's an order. Is that understood?"
Sam let go of the breath she was holding. "Yes, sir. Understood."
Becker smiled fractionally. "Good. Now, we have an additional briefing for you. Tell me what I haven't told Kaden Lane."
Sam turned her eyes back to the briefing room, where Kade and Holtzmann were finishing up. "At a guess… This mission isn't just to learn what we can from having someone close to Su-Yong Shu. If possible, you want more. You want her to try to turn Kade, with whatever techniques she's been using. So we can study them in depth."
Sam paused for a moment, then finished her thought. "Which means that Kade isn't just a spy," she said. "He's bait."
7
EXPLANATIONS
TRANSCRIPT: RANGAN SHANKARI, TECH BRIEFING, "NEXUS 5"
Sunday February 19th 2040 0951 hours
[NOTE: Subject should be considered hostile.]
INTERVIEWER: OK. Let's start again. Tell us about Nexus 5.
SHANKARI: [inaudible, likely profanity] Fine. Nexus 5 is Nexus, but with software layered on top.
INTERVIEWER: What does that mean?
SHANKARI: We found a way to program it. We found a way to get data in and out. To get instructions in and out.
INTERVIEWER: What kind of data?
SHANKARI: Neural data at first. We were using it as a way to measure neural firing in the motor cortex. Individual neurons, but millions of them at a time.
INTERVIEWER: This was for your research?
SHANKARI: Yeah. The goal was to get the data from the brain, decode it, and use it to control a robot arm.
INTERVIEWER: Systems like that already exist. Why the research?
SHANKARI: Existing systems get implanted surgically. That limits them. The procedures are long. You can get infections. And you can only tap into
Similar Books
