Breakaway: A Cassandra Kresnov Novel (v1.1) (25 page)

Ari placed a leather-bound binder on the table beside the plant frond arrangement. It looked familiar. Sandy frowned and picked it up. It flicked open to reveal her CSA badge-shield, ID signature, photo, everything. She read the seal with her own auto-scan ... it uplinked and came back clean from CSA HQ itself. It was genuine.

"Happy Holi, Christmas, Ramadan or whatever's closest," Ari offered.

"Devali, I think."

"That too. I'll give you the other item later." Her gun, he meant. She turned her frown upon him.

"Where did you get this?"

"Admin, where does anyone get ID from?" Popped a complimentary fruit piece into his mouth.

"Who authorised it?" With forced patience.

Ari shrugged. "I did," he said around the mouthful. "I need you. It's just for show, you understand, you're technically suspended ... It's just that overriding imperatives have led me to exercise my discretionary powers to more fully utilise your abilities ..." With a sardonic smile at his own use of bureaucratic jargon. ". . . in which case you'll need the badge to get you places and operate in the field, obviously." Sandy stared at him, utterly unblinking. Ari stopped chewing. "What?"

"What if the SIB find out?"

"Better that they don't."

"What if anyone finds out? What if someone traces back my ID, checks my status with CSA oper ..."

"Can't." He smiled, lazy as a cat on a sunlit windowsill. "Emergency legislation, no one checks our operational files, not even the SIB. Full operational security, full non-disclosure. Why'd you think the SIBs are so pissed? You're a CSA agent because we say you are, and there's no evidence to contradict us."

"Because you won't let them have it."

"Exactly." And took another piece of fruit.

"This is how things work in a civilian democratic system?"

"Sandy ..." He leaned forward, with some deliberation, "the system isn't like the military. You take what it gives you, and what you can get away with when you need it. That's what Ibrahim's brought us the last six years he's been in charge-we're concerned with results, the SIBs are concerned with procedure. Now, like I said, I need you, and Ibrahim agrees, so ..."

"Ibrahim approved this?"

"Sandy, nothing that happens to you within the CSA happens without Ibrahim's approval, trust me." She continued staring. Not knowing whether to be relieved or wary. It felt nice to have her badge back. What she was being asked to do in return ... that was another question. "You realise you haven't blinked in the last sixty seconds? Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"It's a reflex I get when something requires my very full attention." Holding his gaze without a millimetre's deviation. "Or when I think someone's determined to get me into trouble."

"Sandy, we're all in trouble. That's our job."

"I'm noticing. So why do you need me?"

At that moment lunch arrived, and they waited while a pair of plates were placed before them, with extra salad, bread and dip. Interesting Indian-Italian combination, she pondered, tandoori spices plus green salad, olive oils, bread ... The only thing missing was the wine, Ari had ordered fruit juice instead. A pity ... she liked wine, and, of course, it had absolutely no effect on her mental function at all.

"I need you," said Ari when the waiter had left, cutting into his lasagna as a breeze gusted in from the river, cool in the bright sun, "because I think you might be useful finding the person I'm looking for." Took a rich, cheese-smothered mouthful.

"Who?" Taking a mouthful of tandoori chicken. Delicious, as it always was.

"Name's Sal Va. Vietnamese name, I don't know if he is or not. He's a big-time hacker, worked for a long time in illegal VR, arranged all kinds of data transfers and copies, tape-teach, memory enhancement, the whole underground range. The guy's a dataform wizard, he's got more translation codes accumulated than most law enforcement databases."

"What'd he do?" Washing down the chicken with a bite of salad and a sip of drink.

"He broke into Lexi Incorporated, stole a big chunk of mainframe data. Itineraries included, travel plans, meetings, that kind of thing."

Sandy blinked, considering that. Lexi Incorporated? They'd been on the boat last night when Jurgen Chavinski and the Human Reclamation Project had tried to blow them out of the water. And she made the next obvious connection.

"You think Sai Va gave the HRP the schedule for Lexi's boating cruise?"

"It definitely looks that way."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Word is Sai Va's latest employer was the Hornsvaag Four-they're GGs, goodtime gangs, mafia by any other namethere's six leaders, don't know where they got the "Four" from. Good thing about Tanusha, you can make the most money by doing things legally, so the cream of the genius tends to avoid the mafia." He shrugged theatrically. "Anyhow, as you know, GGs are a big part of the League infiltration network in Tanusha, they'll take anyone's business for enough money. You heard about the new lemmings at Gordon Airport last night? The ones who took so long to get through?"

"Sure." Frowning as she swallowed her next mouthful. "They were still stuck out there just before the bomb went off, after that I wasn't watching. Who were they?"

"League delegation." The cup froze halfway to Sandy's lips, her eyes locked hard onto Ari's. Ari's return gaze was calmly thoughtful, even curious. The cup continued to her lips, and she took a long, considered sip. "Big one," Ari added. "Word is there were GIs in the group arriving. Officially registered, full documentation." Sandy nearly swore. "Apparently it's not illegal, there's nothing in the regulations prohibiting the League from appointing GIs as official security under the relevant diplomatic articles that govern these things. So long as they stay at the Embassy, it's all covered by diplomatic immunity. That's what the hold-up was about, some immigration officials made a fuss but got overruled."

And just now Neiland wanted to talk to her about likely positions the League would take regarding Dali's impending testimony? She took a deep breath to cover the surge of frustration. Neiland was under no obligation to share such information with her. Neiland would have been breaching protocols to tell her precisely why now, of all times, she needed a League-side opinion of League-side attitudes toward the present crisis. What would the new League Administration think? What would they want? Damn sure it mattered now, the new Administration just sent a delegation to Tanusha, doubtless to partake in ... whatever they thought worth partaking in. She was no expert on what the new Administration would want. It all seemed like chaos over there right now.

It certainly made more sense of the timing of Ambassador Yao's message to her-he had just received the information himself, because it had just arrived on those League ships with the new delegation. So were the League here to talk, or to listen? Or worse, to make "constructive headway"? And then she thought back, with an unpleasantly cold feeling in her gut, to Ari's initial point.

"So what does this have to do with Sal Va and hacking into Lexi Incorporated? And why would any mafia group want to help get Lexi blown up, anyway?"

"Exactly-they don't. It's bad for business. They get quite a lot of work from minor biotech people, tracking down various black market tech for study. Everyone knows the corporations are the biggest buyers on the black market, why attack your own best client?" Ari stabbed a piece of salad with his fork, and pointed it at her with emphasis. "The thing is that Sai Va's a dedicated anarchist in the truest of underground traditions, he'd only take the Lexi job to cause trouble. The GGs were stupid to hire him, but then that's GGs-too many stim implants, too few functioning brain cells left in the cerebral cortex. And, of course, it's not the GGs' idea, it's just that some fool comes along from their old League contacts and offers them a huge pile of credit to arrange it, and their beady little eyes light up like Holi decorations and they go searching for the most qualified person they can find with that money, without giving a second thought to whether he's reliable or not ..

"The League paid this mafia gang to employ Sai Va to hack Lexi?" With some incredulity, realising how silly it sounded all compressed into one sentence. Ari nodded, eyebrows raised somewhat glumly. Ate the salad piece off his fork, and went to work on the lasagna again. "What did the League want with Lexi?"

"Who knows?" Shovelling another forkful into his mouth. "Lexi's big, they're one of the most influential corporates on Callay, biotech or otherwise. Their opinion gets listened to in the corridors of power, they lobby like a six hundred kilo krais dragon with a toothache, and they know everyone ... and their bank account details. So if the League could get their info, find out who they're talking to, find out all kinds of things about where the whole corporate scene's at regarding Article 42, and therefore where the League's best plays lie ... And where the vulnerable angles are. Who knows, maybe there's still some unfinished business there from the whole thing you were involved in. Maybe the League still has contacts there."

"Old League, you mean? Not the new Administration?"

Ari gazed at her. "There's a difference?"

"Isn't there?"

Ari shrugged. "New bottle, old wine. Or maybe not. We just don't know yet what their foreign policy will be."

"Self-interested self interest," Sandy muttered.

"Sure. But implemented how? The old regime did things the nasty, sneaky way, tying up with their worst enemies in the FIA when it suited them. These new guys might look at a breakaway Callay as a potential new ally. Wouldn't surprise me if they start acting real nice and cooperative all of a sudden."

"That'd put them at odds with their old FIA contacts," Sandy pointed out. "With the whole old League Intel network here, like the people who instructed Sai Va to hack Lexi. If it's really changed, we could be looking at a local League civil war between old regime and new regime operatives here."

Ari smiled at her, pleasantly surprised. "That's amazing, you're a natural at this stuff."

"I'm a natural cynic, if that's a compliment. I always count on League dark ops trying to screw everything up."

"They've certainly been trying," Ari agreed.

"Only Sai Va's an anarchist lunatic who doesn't care which big organisation he screws," she ventured, "and so a few buddies in the fellow lunatic scene ask him if he knows anyone big they could try and blow up, and he offers them Lexi."

Ari nodded, chewing contentedly. As if further pleased she was doing so well.

"It's certainly the only way that bunch of amateurs could draw a bead on Lexi," he agreed. "So now the GGs have put two and two together ... and made five, incidentally ... and they're after Sai Va." Sandy raised her eyebrows. "His main hideout's been ransacked, I was just there this morning, and the GGs might just have enough favours to call in from enough people to put him in real hot water, because, of course, they don't want to get the blame for blowing up Lexi ... So Sai Va's gone to ground before they can extract revenge one toe at a time."

"And now the League's here," Sandy added. Ari nodded, speechless for a moment with a mouthful. "And you just know they're going to want to clean up their mess ..." She didn't feel at all happy about it. Ari nodded again, reluctantly conceding. ". . . with GIs."

He smiled, finally swallowing. "And that's why I invited you along. Even up the odds a bit."

Sandy gave him a very flat, dark look.

"Gee, Ari, you really know how to make an invitation to lunch into such a romantic occasion."

Art shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just a romantic, dashing, handsome kind of guy."

ri hadn't chosen Zaiko just for the view. Clustered, busy urbanity crowded thick and close to the river bend. Ari led Sandy along a roadway busy with midday traffic holding to centrally governed speeds. The pedestrian traffic was mostly office workers, clustered into cafes and restaurants along the stretch, crowding streetside tables beneath rows of towering neon signage. And beneath gleaming towers soaring higher still against the clear blue sky.

They crossed at a ped-crossing, into the mouth of a huge, open mall flanked by holographic displays, the awning-style ceiling stretching over them many storeys overhead. Everything in this place, Sandy noted as they walked, was tech. Other regions of Tanusha had many stores with traditional clothes, ethnic restaurants, chic fashion, books, ornaments, traditional medicines and others. Downtown Zaiko, it seemed, was all rad-tech fashion. Clothes stores sported displays of wild hair, neon colours and body piercings. Tech stores abounded-display sets, interlink modules, vehicular upgrades, net intel appliances, plus all manner and range of gizmos and generally useless yet trendy junk ... which accounted for a good half of the Federation consumer tech market, she recalled hearing one economist saying on TV. A particularly plushlooking shopfront advertised an upstairs surgery with "the latest advances in sensory enhancement technology." And another announced a special package deal to "get a visual and audio upgrade, we'll upgrade your net interface to a VX-1800 for free!"