Against Gravity

"The helicopters are there for your own protection,"

Draeger replied. "You have only a few hours left before your launch window closes. I'm offering my own security services as a protection against interference."

Kendrick bent forward towards the screen. "What do you want now, Draeger?"

Draeger smiled tightly. "Were you aware that a squadron of Los Muertos-piloted fighter jets is currently flying north-west from Panama to blow you out of the water?"

Kendrick blinked. "I don't have any reason to believe you."

Draeger shrugged. "In that case, maybe you should wait until they arrive."

Sabak put a hand on Kendrick's shoulder but he shrugged it off. "Stop fucking around," he said to the screen, "and just tell us what you want."

"If you agree to carry a selection of my own men on board the Archimedes, I will guarantee to use all my available resources to prevent any hostile attacks on your ship and facility during and after the launch itself."

Sabak motioned silently to Kendrick and they stepped away from die screen.

Sabak spoke in a low voice. "You're supposed to know the guy inside out. That's what Buddy told me. Is he telling the truth?"

"Probably, but no guarantees. He's likely bluffing us at the same time."

"You're going to have to explain that to me."

"I don't believe for one moment that he'd just stand by and let us be wiped out by those supposed jets if we refused his help. We're his only ticket on board the Archimedes. If we wait long enough, I'm sure he'll give us protection regardless of whether or not we accept his offer, even to have the slimmest chance of persuading us to help him get on board."

"What if we accept his offer anyway?"

"Remember who this is," Kendrick said. "This is Max Draeger. We don't have any proof that those fighter jets even exist – or, if they do, that they aren't his."

"Shit." Sabak stared into space, thinking hard, then shook his head. "Look, assuming he's telling the truth about those fighter jets, then turning him down still means taking an enormous risk, whether or not he's bluffing. If he really did stand by while we came under attack, then hundreds of lives that myself and Captain Arnheim are supposed to be responsible for would be put at risk. No." He shook his head again. "I'm not taking any more chances if I can possibly help it."

Kendrick felt a wave of defeat wash over him. "If we come to any agreement with him, we're going to be sucked into something we're going to regret. We're dealing with the devil here."

"Look, I need all the advice I can get, I admit. But if there's any truth in what he's saying I don't have any choice but to agree to his terms."

Kendrick shook his head angrily, fighting to keep his temper. "That's your decision," he said tightly. "Just remember, he's as responsible for Caroline Vincenzo's death as if he'd put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger."

"I know that," Sabak said. "Just don't make the mistake of thinking that I like this any more than you do."

Sabak stepped hack over to the monitor and addressed Draeger. "We're going to need evidence before we accept anything whatsoever from you. Can you prove any of what you've told us?"

An icon flashed on the screen below Draeger's image. "I'm uploading the information you need right now," Draeger stated.

Buddy leant over Sabak and tapped the icon. "This is a live satellite feed," he explained. He nodded at Draeger's image. "Can he hear us?"

Sabak tapped another icon. "Not now, he can't."

"Look, this is the same kind of sat-recon info and telemetry we used to get back in my army days. Live feeds of plane and ship movements and likely intercept points."

"I know about these things just as well as you do," said Sabak. "They can be faked."

Buddy shook his head. "No, not these. Look at the satellite ident information. That's coming straight from pre-war orbital platforms that can't be hacked into. You'll never, ever get those idents on any kind of civilian GPS networks. At the most, Draeger might have hacked into a transmission from one of the sats in order to siphon off this information, but it's legit all the same."

"So you're saying we have to take this stuff seriously."

Buddy nodded emphatically. "I am, yes."

Numbers scrolled up on the screen as Kendrick watched. Latitudes and longitudes, air speed and distance. Buddy tapped a finger on a series of tabled figures. "And if this is anything to go by, those fighter jets will get here just about the time we're due to launch."

Sabak put out a finger, letting it hover over the voice icon for several moments before touching it. "Mr Draeger, you believe that you can't get on board the Archimedes without us. Correct?"

"Every salvage expedition carried out by myself – or by others – has always ended in disaster. That's a matter of public record."

"What makes you so sure that you'll succeed with our help, then?"

"I know about the Bright, Mr Sabak. Indeed, I know as much about what is happening here as you do, except I haven't shared the… experiences that you and the other Augments have. Besides, once I get on board the station I will require only a limited amount of time to extract the information that interests me. It's my belief that I have a much greater chance of success if I accompany those with whom the Bright clearly share a powerful affinity."

"What's on the Archimedes that you want so badly?"

"I created the Bright, therefore I should be the one to communicate with them. There is certain information on board the station that is wired to my direct command, meaning that it can only be accessed by me in person. I wish to retrieve it." Draeger paused. "The benefit to humanity of the knowledge harvested by the Bright may be immeasurable. That alone justifies my participation in this expedition."

Draeger turned his attention to Kendrick next. "Mr Gallmon, do you remember when you left Los Angeles and came under fire? Do you remember the aerial drones that attacked your pursuers?"

"So that was you," Kendrick heard Buddy behind him.

Draeger nodded. "Think of it as a goodwill gesture. If not for that, neither of you would be here today."

"Is this true?" asked Sabak, addressing both of them.

"We did come under fire as we left LA," Buddy confirmed. "Something got in the way of the 'copters chasing us."

"Remember, without me you won't get off the ground," Draeger stated. "Will you accept my offer?"

"We'll be back in touch," Sabak replied. Then he looked around at the others. Nobody said anything, so he reached out and touched the screen. Draeger faded to black.

"Now that is one slippery bastard," said Sabak. But he sounded impressed.

"There's something about Draeger actually saving our lives that makes me feel ill," muttered Veliz. "He doesn't even try to deny he's manipulating us to get his own way."

"We don't have long now before we go up," Buddy reminded them. "This late in the game, I don't know if we have any choice but to accept his terms." Sabak nodded his agreement at this.

Kendrick felt a cold horror creeping into his belly. This was wrong, all wrong. "Don't ever make the mistake of taking him at his word. Once we're up there, that'll be another matter entirely. If he tries anything, it'll be him against us. But we're Labrats – We'll still have that advantage."

Kendrick found his way to the deck, unable to remain in the comms room while Sabak contacted Draeger to agree to his terms. He wondered if Draeger intended to return to Earth with whatever information he gained. Or was it possible that he believed he could travel through the wormhole to the Omega along with the rest of the Labrats?

Once Kendrick was out in the open the sea air made him feel light-headed. The waters, as expected, were calm: if it had been otherwise the launch would have been disastrously delayed. The sky was cloud-free, the ocean in front of him disappearing into limpid blue depths as clear and smooth as crystal.