The S.U. Space Station

Quarantine level

Nobody could go to the Ascension without a long stay in quarantine, the City-ship was in a precautionary lockdown. Moreover, Elizabeth and the others were exposed to a very high concentration of the virus while working with the patients, so even though the nanites were dealing with the infection, the virus was present in their bodies. As a result of that, they needed to travel to the new space station, into an isolated level Max prepared for just such an occasion. The field hospital they erected there was rudimentary, but still had a stationary AutoDoc and a few rooms.

“Hey beautiful,” Michael said as soon as he saw Elizabeth's eyes open, and she came to her senses. “How do you feel?”

She looked around herself and sighed, “Fine… but I guess I messed up… how could I be so gullible?”

“No, you were only trying to help; the situation was completely out of your control.”

“I remember a woman… and then… what happened?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “You were zapped with a very powerful stunner, and then kidnapped. Oh, and it looks like your kidnappers will soon be new citizens of the Solarian Union,” he said, with a resigned voice.

“What!” She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Well…” It took a few minutes to explain the entire bizarre situation to her, and in spite of the fact that she was a victim of it, Elizabeth could not help but laugh by the end of the story.

“So, let me get this straight,” she said, “I was kidnapped so a Chinese black ops team could lure you to follow them so… you could save them, and their families… what is that—a reversed Trojan horse strategy?”

Michael’s face turned into an apologetic grimace, “In a nutshell… yeah.”

“That has to be the most convoluted plan I have ever heard of,” she said. “They should all be subjected to psychological exams.”

Michael smiled, “It kind of worked, so… if it’s crazy and it works…”

She smirked, “…it is still crazy.”

“Hmm… you are right, dear.”

“Don’t you dear me, what about the people who gave the order for them to kidnap one of ours. I thought we were somewhat safe after dealing with the North Korean leader. Was the message we sent not clear enough?”

“Oh, that is even more twisted. The Chinese government had nothing to do with it, but a covert section of their Ministry of State Security, their version of the CIA. Apparently, the upper echelons of the agency thought up a plan that would make them even more powerful, and they did not ask for approval or authorizations from their superiors. Don’t worry about them, Max and I got it covered—they will be taken care off.” Michael said in a voice that spelled nothing good for the guilty party.

“Fine, but there is still work to be done, so many sick people on Earth need us, and I feel like I’m slacking by lying here.”

“Hold your horses, Calamity Jane, the doctors said you need to be here for one more day, so relax. Don’t worry, the team and I are going back very soon.”

That was the all alone time they had; in the next few minutes her room was filled with the others who wanted to say hello.

“Max, did you get all the information we need?” Michael asked the AI after he said goodbye to Elizabeth and exited the room.

“Yes, and it is more than we expected. You can go to the Excalibur and do it from there, it is parked on this level. I will use holograms to make it look as if you were in your office, but you will need to hurry. There is just enough time to go over the high points before your scheduled videoconference with the Chinese president.

The Ministry of State Security had excellent cybersecurity, hidden behind the Great Firewall of China; that meant very little when one was dealing with a devious AI. Max has sent a few of his nanite-drones and they managed to connect the Ministry’s servers with the rest of the world, without them being the wiser. It was child’s play after that to browse through all the data and copy every single thing they needed. Max went the extra mile and cleaned out the Minister’s personal files that were hidden in a house he maintained off the books—for his mistress. As well as a few secret accounts, that had magically emptied.

In the end, the disappearance of money that did not exist officially was not something they could complain about.

Michael looked through the collected files and was pleasantly surprised about the contents; it would make the next conversation much more interesting.

“Good afternoon, President Zhengsheng,” Michael said after the link was established. “Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice. The matter at hand is urgent and of a very sensitive nature.”

“You are welcome, Leader Freeman; how can the People's Republic of China be of assistance?”

Michael looked at the man, “I want to tell you in advance that it gives me no pleasure to say this, but…”

It took some time for Michael to explain the circumstances that led to this call. As his story progressed, the Chinese president grew angry and threatening.

“How dare you accuse us of such things, this is an insult to our honor!” He shouted, while his face turned into an unhealthy shade of red.

“Mister President, I have no doubt that your honor is untarnished in this entire affair, but some of your subordinates were obviously doing things behind your back. I do not want to make a big deal out of this, as it would do no good to anyone, and could only damage the relationship between the Solarian Union and the People's Republic of China. That being said, I would like for you to do me a favor. I have sent to your computer a few files copied from the personal systems of some high-ranking members of the Ministry of State Security. Can we continue this conversation after you have reviewed them?”

The man reluctantly agreed and hastily cut the connection.

Ten minutes later, he was back on the holo-screen, with an entirely different expression on his face. Michael could see in his eyes barely suppressed rage, which was not aimed at him.

“Leader Freeman,” President Zhengsheng politely began, giving a slight nod. “I must apologize for the conduct of those below me; what they did was unforgivable and they will be punished for their crimes—severely. May I count on your discretion that those files will not be released to the public?”

Michael nodded, “You have my word, Mister President, and you can consider those files as good as destroyed.”

The conversation ended after both of them expressed a few more pleasantries and reassurances of the future cooperation between their respective countries. The Chinese president did have some urgent matters to deal with.

Michael had no illusions that the man did not care one bit about one of the Solarian citizens being kidnapped by his country’s clandestine agency; it was not unprecedented, and such things could be considered an everyday occurrence. However, he cared a great deal about the content of some other files Max copied. Like the one about himself, with attached videos of the carnal acts he performed with his two mistresses. Also, it seems he was an aficionado of cosplay, which was rather embarrassing for a man in his position. Those within the agency had screwed the pooch with that one; they had filmed him, and even worse, failed to keep the files to themselves, making him lose face.

Michael did not doubt that the head of the Ministry and many of his subordinates, with any knowledge of the affair, would disappear in the following days. In the political game that the Chinese practiced, forgiveness was hard to come by and failures were never pardoned.

You did not get second chances—you were just gone.

***

The S.U. Space Station

Quarantine level

Michael was sitting in front of his housing unit with a cold beer in his hand, enjoying the shine of the holographic sun on the ceiling. He did not mind one bit that it was fake, it felt real. Or as Al scientifically explained it, “If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck..."

It has been six days since the rescue effort was concluded, but the four weeks before that was a true nightmare. He still saw the faces of dead children in his dreams, and Elizabeth had to wake him up twice in the last few days, for he was shouting in his sleep. He was not the only one, thousands of people from the Ascension had volunteered to help, from transporting the victims to taking care of them after they went through a quick AutoDoc procedure; none of them went through that ordeal unscarred.

What ultimately stopped the spread of the disease were not medical nanites or the AutoDocs, but the groups of joined virologists on the Ascension that worked tirelessly and managed to successfully synthesize a therapeutic antigen vaccine. It was a second one they produced to fight the viral spread and was far more important than the first.

The first one was a normal vaccine, if given to a healthy human being, it would provide immunization after two weeks—which were two weeks too long. Furthermore, it only worked in 80% of the cases. Which meant that two out of every ten people were out of luck; the original virus was designed purposely to prevent total immunization.

On the other hand, the therapeutic antigen vaccine dealt directly against the virus present in a body, by stimulating the body's immune system to fight the infection. It healed those that it was given to; a cure in a very literal sense.

It went into immediate production and distribution; nano-factories went into overdrive and produced millions of doses, which were immediately sent all over the world. The traditional recipe for its making was made available to everyone, so the individual countries or pharmaceutical industries could make it by themselves.

In the next few days, the number of patients who needed the AutoDoc treatments lessened, until it completely stopped.

Michael and the others did not rest for the entire time, making countless trips, transporting patients and carrying them to ISS2 and the AutoDocs. Elizabeth, Emma, and Anna joined them on the first day after Elizabeth was released from the hospital, and by the end, everybody was physically and emotionally exhausted.

The last hurdle all the volunteers had to endure was the quarantine. They were banned from going to the Ascension, even if the risk was minimal and the vaccine was there in case of the infection. Yet, all the epidemiologists agreed that the live viral strains should not be introduced into such a close environment that still had a number of people who refused to get the preventive vaccine. They were held up to some old ways, particularly the part of the population that came from Africa, and were still resisting modern medicine. The quarantine was set for one week, and they could use that time to completely sterilize every piece of the equipment, the transporters, and the ISS2 itself.

The same level, Elizabeth was earlier admitted to, went through some changes. It had basic living accommodations, created by strings of modular housing units, and it was completely isolated from the future residential level, which was slowly being converted into a green oasis. When he first saw their new temporary place of residence, Michael thought that the level looked like an overgrown trailer park, with basic square units that had beds, bathrooms, and small living rooms. All those tired people were towed to the station inside ISS2, or flown by transporters they were assigned to. Once the necessary decontamination protocols were over, they dragged themselves to their assigned quarters and collectively fell asleep.

The final tally of the contagion was more than fifty thousand deaths. A number that was shockingly high to Michael, yet all the doctors involved considered it to be a miracle. Without the AutoDocs, nano-patches, and a vaccine… it would have been in the millions, and that was an optimistic assessment.

The first day after the return, Michael and the others spent mostly sleeping. Not that surprising really, as the human mind did not evolve to be in a wakeful state for days at the time, and they all pushed their enhanced bodies to the very limits of their endurance.

He vaguely remembered the arrival at this level, how their clothes, battle-suits, and even their weapons had to be taken to the sterilization facility Max had set up. Their bodies went through similar treatment, a series of baths and showers, ending in a full immersion nanite-dip.

Every single step was completed with the purpose to make them virus-free. Only then, they were allowed to fall into their beds, and Michael had to carry Elizabeth to their assigned housing unit. She was completely comfortable sleeping in his arms while being carried in a princess carry. The only reason he managed to find their quarters is that he blindly followed the directions on his HUD.

“Hey boss, isn’t it a little early for that?” Al said, as he pulled a plastic garden chair and sat across Michael.

“No, it’s just the right time… somewhere in the world,” he answered, and looked at the man who was wearing a bright orange Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts.

“What’s with the costume?”

“Oh, I thought to brighten things up a little. Everybody so down lately, it’s downright depressing.”

Michael took another swig from his bottle and sighed contentedly.

“So… when will you tell the rest of us what the big plan is?” Al asked and grabbed himself a bottle of beer from a cooler beside the table.

“What big plan?” Michael asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“The one Max and you are cooking up, involving a tech trade with the Earthers, and asking for something big in return.”

Michael took another swig and asked resignedly. “Who else knows about it?”

“Well… everyone? That is why I am asking you, there is a betting pool going on, so if you give me the scoop, I’ll split it in half with you,” Al said with a brazen smile on his face.

Michael slowly shook his head. “You will find out when everyone else does. Besides, it is too early yet, and we need more time to iron out some wrinkles.”

“Damn…” Al replied, “If you change your mind you know where to find me. And half of the pot isn’t such a bad deal, maybe you can take that girl of yours on a fancy date with it.”

Before Michael could respond, Elizabeth showed up with Alice from the direction of the community canteen, it was the place all their meals came from.

“Why are you two drinking beer in the morning, and what was that I heard about a fancy date?” Elizabeth asked.

Michael gave Al an evil eye, but the supposed recipient was completely oblivious to it, as all his attention was focused on the pizza boxes the girls were carrying.

“Ah…” Michael tried to figure out what to say, while Al was busy helping the girls by taking the pies off their hands.

“Where did you get these?” Al excitedly asked while Elizabeth and Alice shared a meaningful look between them that Michael couldn’t decipher. It was always a mystery to him, that inborn ability of all women to have an entire conversation with a one shared look.

“Max brought a full transporter with them from the Ascension, it was by far the most requested food,” Alice replied.

In the next few minutes, Tyron and Pete appeared in front of Michael’s housing unit, as if summoned by the great spirit of pizza. They managed to clean every single slice and then watched Al as he started licking the boxes themselves, going after a few pieces of toppings that remained inside.

“Any plans for today?” Elizabeth asked Michael an hour later, their guests already gone after food and all of his beers were consumed.

“Yeah, I have a scheduled videoconference with President Garner, and then a small mountain of paperwork to go through,” Michael said with a yawn.

“Okay, I’ll see you in the afternoon,” Elizabeth said and then continued as she was getting up from the chair, “just don’t forget my fancy date.”

Michael weakly smiled, thinking of what he could do to get even with Al.

***

The S.U. Space Station

Aboard The Excalibur

“President Garner is on the line, he is waiting to talk to you,” Max informed him, a few hours later.

“Tell him I’ll be there in five minutes.”

He took off in the direction where the Excalibur was parked and was soon sitting in the comfortable pilot’s chair.

“All right, put him through,” he said, while running his fingers through his hair, to make himself look more presentable.

“Hi, Michael, how are you doing?” President Garner said informally, once his image appeared on a holo-screen in front of Michael.

“Hey Craig, not bad, I have to stay in quarantine for one more day, but that doesn’t mean I can escape the paperwork.”

The other man’s face showed an understanding frown, “I know what you mean, this whole thing was such an enormous mess, and I have piles of it to go through myself. I'm sorry it took me so long to call you back, but this biological attack showed how unprepared we were for such an event, so I have been in constant meetings—for days. We spent billions trying to protect ourselves from exactly such a scenario, only to see it fail miserably,” the President stated.

Michael could see the toll this crisis had on the man, a few more wrinkles on his forehead, and a hunched posture he acquired.

The President took a deep breath. “Okay, the official stuff first; as the head of the United States of America, I am using this opportunity to convey this country’s gratitude for all the help the Solarian Union provided during this tragedy. It would have been a million times worse if you did not get involved, and I hate to imagine the death toll we would have without the AutoDocs and the vaccine.”

“Craig, we couldn’t just sit on our heavenly perch and look as the horror unfolded.”

The President shook his head. “You couldn’t, but we both know there are many governments that promptly closed their borders, in vain beliefs that they could stop the spread of the virus… human stupidity, at its best.”

Michael didn’t know what to say to that, so he nodded.

“All right,” the President continued, “that was enough blowing smoke up your ass. Now we can go off the record. So, unofficially… what the hell did you do with those terrorists you released into our custody? It seems one had some unelected gelding amateur surgery done to him, and he cannot stop crying, so he has to be constantly sedated. The freaking leader of this atrocity is on a mental level of a two-year-old, cannot even feed himself, and he has a constant happy grin on his face. The rest of them are talking like crazy, and are terrified that some female evil spirit will come to castrate them. I have human rights advocates screaming of gross violations, demanding for your arrests. To tell you the truth, I’m of half a mind to throw them all in jail too, if it weren’t for political blowback.”

Michael smirked. “You know what they say about the accidents that occur when you’re not wearing your seatbelt; those gentlemen simply didn’t follow all the safety precautions.” He looked at the President, who was rolling his eyes. “All joking aside, they had it coming for the things they did; and if they got a few bumps while being captured and interrogated, boohoo. I’m not going to feel sorry for them or explain myself to some softhearted idiots. We did what we had to do since time was of the essence, and I would make the exact same choices again.”

The President lifted both of his hands; his palms turned toward Michael. “Hey, I’m not criticizing what you had to do, just know that everybody has an opinion of how they will do certain things after the fact. I am giving you a heads up about those goody two shoes that will try to portray you as monsters. Be prepared for it, so it doesn’t surprise you when it happens.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Michael answered.

The President of the United States paused and leaned toward the camera.

“My sister was in London… she caught the bug… had to go to ISS2. Thank you, Michael.” The older man quietly said. “If there’s anything I can do to show you my gratitude… just say the word.”

Corner of Michael’s mouth lifted slightly, this was the opening he was waiting for.

“Actually, there is one thing, and it’s a big one.”

The President showed his surprise that he would be taken up so quickly on his offer.

Michael felt a pang of guilt that he was using this situation to further their agenda, but he was now responsible for the well-being of an entire nation, and that had to take precedence over his personal desires.

“I need you to pull some strings and organize an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, in one month. Since everybody is after the Solarian Union to share our tech, well, I think it is the right time for us to do exactly that.”

President Garner looked at Michael while squinting his eyes. “What’s the catch? That has been on everyone’s agenda from the beginning, and you basically brushed everyone off. Now, spontaneously deciding to fulfill everyone’s wishes smells awfully funny to me.”

“Oh, we will play this with all our cards in the open, but the technology we have to offer will not be cheap. In fact, the compensation we will want in return may cause a few heart attacks.”

“I’m sure it will be quite a show, and I have a front row seat.” The President smiled. “Anyway, I have to go; this crazy schedule of late is seriously making me reconsider if I should run for another term.”

“Thanks for the warning, and I hope you stay where you are. God knows we need a friend in our corner.”

Michael said goodbye to the President and smiled to himself. The deal Max and he were preparing to make would make some people question his own sanity. Yet, all computer models Max made said the outcome had a very high probability to be favorable to the Solarian Union.

All they needed to do now is set the hook, and put some chum in the water.

He hoped the people of Earth would bite that hook with the alluring bait he planned to set.