“In my view, she’s likely a Zeta just like Nari. One representing a faction opposed to his leadership. She’s trying to act sheep-like and sensitive so he’ll think she represents a different Federation species.
“Ultimately, she wants the same thing as Nari, for the Zetas to come out on top. But the harm you could do if you turned against them is easy to understand. The good you could do is nebulous at best, requiring blind faith in an AI. So she probably represents a faction that has given the AI the finger, deciding to ignore its edict to keep you alive.”
She shook her head. “Dead men tell no tales. And they don’t turn against the aliens who are busy manipulating them, either.”
“But now you’ve told me the ugly truth. So even if I escaped from Michelle, Nari would be forced to have me killed. Correct?”
“Not necessarily,” said Tessa. “If you remained in our hands, we could just erase your memory of this conversation. But if not, I’m afraid we couldn’t allow you to live.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, Jason. You aren’t all bad as far as Earthborn humans go. I’m sorry it’s come to this. But I can’t let you pit humanity against the Federation. We might be their lapdogs for a long, long time. But as I said, lapdogs thrive. Wolves go extinct. A perfect metaphor giving the wolf/sheep categories we’ve been putting intelligent species into.”
“You make it sound almost reasonable,” I said. “If you don’t take into account the advanced intelligent species innocently expanding into our neck of the woods that we’ll be destroying.”
“Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. In this case that means working with an ally who ultimately wants to turn us into slaves. So what? The quest for survival and domination makes strange bedfellows. We held our noses and allied with Russia in World War II.”
“Yes, but that was against Hitler. What you’re doing would be like us allying with Russia against England, our closest friend.”
“It’s too complex of a chess game for any metaphor to do it justice,” said Tessa. “And sometimes you have to put morals and ethics aside for more practical considerations. You have to look at the big picture.”
“You’re making a huge mistake,” I said.
“Sometimes there are no good options,” she responded. “Speaking of which, I’m afraid it’s time for our discussion to end.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I stared at her in silence while she ordered her nanites to allow our voices to once again leave the room.
“Bob Baga,” she called out. “It’s me. I’m willing to kill the force shield and deliver Jason Ramsey. Which will save you the trouble of having to come in and get us. You know how formidable we can be. But if I agree to bring you Jason wrapped up in a pretty bow, I want your assurances that you’ll let me go free, unharmed.”
“An intriguing proposal,” said the voice of the lieutenant through the comm relay he had left outside. “Give me some time to check with the boss.”
His voice returned less than a minute later. “Michelle says we have a deal. If you lower the shield, help escort Jason safely to the conference room, and bind him there—so he can have a holographic discussion with Michelle—you’re free to leave. After we’ve vacated the island. We don’t want you tempted to contact Nari while we’re still here.”
Tessa nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said. “We have an understanding.”
“Excellent. Michelle is monitoring a video feed showing the inside of the elevator you’ll need to take. Leave all of your weapons there and make your way topside. I’ll disengage the mines. And don’t try anything stupid. We’ll be expecting a double-cross, and we’re well aware of your capabilities. Try anything and you’re going to lose.”
“Understood,” said Tessa. “We’ll be outside within five minutes.”
She paused for several seconds and then turned to me. “The room is soundproofed again if you have any last words.”
I shook my head, more in sadness than in horror. “I can’t believe I loved you,” I said.
“I can. I’m a good actress. And you’re too nice of a guy. If this never happened, I planned to gradually get you to toughen up and get a backbone. Stop seeing the galaxy through rose-colored glasses. The galaxy is a tough place. Survival a tough ask, regardless of the technology.”
Tessa sighed. “For example, are you just going to let me escort you to your executioner? Just like that? Why not try to overpower me and escape on your own, instead of meekly letting me deliver you like a boxed pizza?”
“What are my chances if I do try to take you down?”
“Zero,” she replied. “I’ve had much longer to master the nanites, and I have superior skills, training, and experience.”
“Then why should I waste my time?” I said sadly. “Besides, at this point my heart isn’t in it.”
“Yeah, I’ve read where getting ditched by a lover can be pretty debilitating, sapping one’s will to live.”
“Is that what you think this is?” I said incredulously. “Getting ditched by a lover?”
“I’m sorry this feels like a betrayal. I’m sorry you developed such an irrational attachment to me, and put me on a pedestal. But at least I didn’t cheat on you. I hear that can be the roughest of all.”
“Are you kidding? Your entire existence was a cheat. Our entire relationship a sham.”
“It was all for the greater good. If you had lived, I think you’d eventually come to see that.”
“Not a chance in hell,” I replied in contempt.
36
Scores of men with automatic assault rifles and other lethal weaponry surrounded us as Tessa and I exited onto the surface and began the quarter-mile hike to the conference room. Four military attack helicopters swarmed overhead, just in case our escorts on the ground proved inadequate, which was hard to even imagine, since I counted at least thirty men. Thirty!
I had one or two hours to live, at most.