said, then turned and wheeled away. The crowd followed, the reporters taking pictures of my shocked face, the diplomats pissing themselves and consulting their etiquette guides, and the General fuming. The medics wheeled Steve away, alive, as one of the eight BlackShirts ringing the tour, a real prick named McCloud, stomped over and ripped the report from my shocked hand and boot-stepped off after the General. And then we were alone.
I coughed to keep my voice from shaking, then said, pointing with each name, "Juan, Grim, back to quarters, R&R for the rest of the day. Ann-Marie, Zazlu, two hours for rest and clean up."
As the privates slumped out of earshot, Zazlu looked up at me. "Just two hours?"
"Yep. Then we've got a spider to talk to."
***
***
FLEET INTER-SERVICE COMMUNICATION: PRIORITY 7C
FROM: UN HIGH COMMAND, DEPGENSEC, SWITZERLAND
TO: GENERAL OAKLEY, COMEARTHFOR, ANGIE'S STAR II
RE: ORDERS FOR THE CAPTURED ENEMY
MESSAGE:
YOUR RECENT MESSAGE ABOUT THE LIVE SPIDER CAPTURE WAS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION IN THE OFFICE. IT IS QUITE A HISTORIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. YOU ARE HEREBY PROMOTED TO THREE-STAR GENERAL, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
AS FOR ORDERS REGARDING THE PRISONER, DEPENEMYINTELL CONCURS WITH YOUR TESTING PLAN, WITH THE CHANGE THAT DISEMBOWELMENT FOLLOWS BREAKING OF THE SPINE, NOT PRECEDES IT. YOU MAY BEGIN IMMEDIATELY.
AS BEFITTING YOUR NEW RANK, WE ARE MOBILIZING TWO MORE SQUADS OF INFANTRY TO DEPLOY TO YOUR COMMAND, TO BE SENT WITHIN THREE SCHEDULED WORMGATE SHIPMENTS. A SERGEANT MAJOR HUGHES WILL ACCOMPANY THEM AND MAY PROVE HELPFUL IN THE MORALE PROBLEM YOU HAVE CITED IN PREVIOUS MESSAGES.
SGMAJ HUGHES IS AN EXPERT IN TRAINING WILLFUL OFFICERS TO FALL IN LINE, AND WITH THE EXTRA MANPOWER, DISOBEDIENT PERSONNEL OR LARGE PORTIONS OF SQUADS CAN BE DEACTIVATED FOR RETRAINING WITHOUT AFFECTING YOUR OPERATION SCHEDULE.
KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK.
END MESSAGE
***
Chapter Four
"Are we sure this is a wise idea?" Zazlu asked, pulling at his clean uniform. "Couldn't he just psychically melt our brains or something?"
I stopped with my hand on the doorknob to the Holding room. I hadn't thought of that. I looked over at Ann-Marie, also in a newly cleaned and pressed uniform.
She shrugged. "They wouldn't have claws if they could."
I looked back at Zazlu. "She has a point," he agreed.
I nodded, then asked Ann-Marie, "How long for you to disable the cameras in there?"
She pulled out her smartphone and hit two buttons. "Done."
When Zazlu and I just kept looking at her in shock, she added, "What? Where did you two go to Counter-Intelligence school?"
"The wrong place, obviously," I said, opening the door.
The Hell-Spider was sitting there like before, all eight legs tucked underneath it, in a serene pose. And just like before, it did not react when I walked in, or even when Zazlu and Ann-Marie followed me in on eggshells, like the bulletproof glass wasn't there.
"It's okay," I said. "I've seen this before. It won't react until it recognizes me." I turned to the glass, tapped it gently. "Hello, it's me again. From before? The Halon tank?"
The spider was looking exactly a foot over my shoulder, at a blank wall.
"Hello! The mountain? You told me how to avoid your hunting parties on the Night Hunting Grounds?"
"You are different," he said, snapping to look at us.
"Fuck," Ann-Marie said, grabbing her head.
"Fuck!" Zazlu said, grabbing for his sidearm.
"No, it's okay! That's how it feels!" I said, grabbing his arm. "It's not mind control, just words! You get used to it." Zazlu was slowly backing off his sidearm. I turned back to the spider.
"Yes. Different. I have brought new people. These are my-"
"No. YOU are different," the gravelly voice in my head said. "YOU have changed."
"You have resurrected since you saw him last," Zazlu whispered.
"But into the same cloned body," Ann-Marie whispered back. "You're saying he can tell the clones apart?"
I shook my head. "That'd be
I coughed to keep my voice from shaking, then said, pointing with each name, "Juan, Grim, back to quarters, R&R for the rest of the day. Ann-Marie, Zazlu, two hours for rest and clean up."
As the privates slumped out of earshot, Zazlu looked up at me. "Just two hours?"
"Yep. Then we've got a spider to talk to."
***
***
FLEET INTER-SERVICE COMMUNICATION: PRIORITY 7C
FROM: UN HIGH COMMAND, DEPGENSEC, SWITZERLAND
TO: GENERAL OAKLEY, COMEARTHFOR, ANGIE'S STAR II
RE: ORDERS FOR THE CAPTURED ENEMY
MESSAGE:
YOUR RECENT MESSAGE ABOUT THE LIVE SPIDER CAPTURE WAS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION IN THE OFFICE. IT IS QUITE A HISTORIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. YOU ARE HEREBY PROMOTED TO THREE-STAR GENERAL, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
AS FOR ORDERS REGARDING THE PRISONER, DEPENEMYINTELL CONCURS WITH YOUR TESTING PLAN, WITH THE CHANGE THAT DISEMBOWELMENT FOLLOWS BREAKING OF THE SPINE, NOT PRECEDES IT. YOU MAY BEGIN IMMEDIATELY.
AS BEFITTING YOUR NEW RANK, WE ARE MOBILIZING TWO MORE SQUADS OF INFANTRY TO DEPLOY TO YOUR COMMAND, TO BE SENT WITHIN THREE SCHEDULED WORMGATE SHIPMENTS. A SERGEANT MAJOR HUGHES WILL ACCOMPANY THEM AND MAY PROVE HELPFUL IN THE MORALE PROBLEM YOU HAVE CITED IN PREVIOUS MESSAGES.
SGMAJ HUGHES IS AN EXPERT IN TRAINING WILLFUL OFFICERS TO FALL IN LINE, AND WITH THE EXTRA MANPOWER, DISOBEDIENT PERSONNEL OR LARGE PORTIONS OF SQUADS CAN BE DEACTIVATED FOR RETRAINING WITHOUT AFFECTING YOUR OPERATION SCHEDULE.
KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK.
END MESSAGE
***
Chapter Four
"Are we sure this is a wise idea?" Zazlu asked, pulling at his clean uniform. "Couldn't he just psychically melt our brains or something?"
I stopped with my hand on the doorknob to the Holding room. I hadn't thought of that. I looked over at Ann-Marie, also in a newly cleaned and pressed uniform.
She shrugged. "They wouldn't have claws if they could."
I looked back at Zazlu. "She has a point," he agreed.
I nodded, then asked Ann-Marie, "How long for you to disable the cameras in there?"
She pulled out her smartphone and hit two buttons. "Done."
When Zazlu and I just kept looking at her in shock, she added, "What? Where did you two go to Counter-Intelligence school?"
"The wrong place, obviously," I said, opening the door.
The Hell-Spider was sitting there like before, all eight legs tucked underneath it, in a serene pose. And just like before, it did not react when I walked in, or even when Zazlu and Ann-Marie followed me in on eggshells, like the bulletproof glass wasn't there.
"It's okay," I said. "I've seen this before. It won't react until it recognizes me." I turned to the glass, tapped it gently. "Hello, it's me again. From before? The Halon tank?"
The spider was looking exactly a foot over my shoulder, at a blank wall.
"Hello! The mountain? You told me how to avoid your hunting parties on the Night Hunting Grounds?"
"You are different," he said, snapping to look at us.
"Fuck," Ann-Marie said, grabbing her head.
"Fuck!" Zazlu said, grabbing for his sidearm.
"No, it's okay! That's how it feels!" I said, grabbing his arm. "It's not mind control, just words! You get used to it." Zazlu was slowly backing off his sidearm. I turned back to the spider.
"Yes. Different. I have brought new people. These are my-"
"No. YOU are different," the gravelly voice in my head said. "YOU have changed."
"You have resurrected since you saw him last," Zazlu whispered.
"But into the same cloned body," Ann-Marie whispered back. "You're saying he can tell the clones apart?"
I shook my head. "That'd be
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