“The Special Forces ships,” Jared said.
“We figured the Special Forces would be more vulnerable to their BrainPals locking up. All of you have never been without it, whereas regular CDF would still be able to function. And it turned out to be correct. You eventually recover, but the initial shock gave us lots of time to work with. We brought them here and tried to convince them to be carriers. First we asked, and then we insisted. Not one cracked. That’s discipline.”
“Where are they now?” Jared asked.
“They’re dead,” Boutin said. “The way the Obin insist is pretty forceful. I should amend that, though. Some of them survived and I’ve been using them for consciousness studies. They’re alive, as much as brains in a jar can be.”
Jared felt sick. “Fuck you, Boutin,” he said.
“They should have volunteered,” Boutin said.
“I’m glad they disappointed you,” Jared said. “I’ll be doing the same.”
“I don’t think so,” Boutin said. “What makes you different, Dirac, is that none of them had my brain and my consciousness already in their heads. And you do.”
“Even with both, I’m not you,” Jared said. “You said it yourself.”
“I said you’re someone else for now,” Boutin said. “I don’t suppose you know what would happen to you if I transferred the consciousness that’s in here”—Boutin tapped his temple—“and put it in your head, do you?”
Jared remembered his conversation with Cainen and Harry Wilson, when they suggested overlaying the recorded Boutin consciousness upon his own, and felt himself go cold. “It’ll wipe out the consciousness that’s already there.”
“Yes,” Boutin said.
“You’ll kill me,” Jared said.
“Well, yes,” Boutin said. “But I did just make a recording of your consciousness, because I need to fine-tune my own transfer. It’s everything you are as of five minutes ago. So you’ll only be mostly dead.”
“You son of a bitch,” Jared said.
“And when I’ve uploaded my consciousness into your body, I’ll serve as the carrier for the virus. It won’t affect me, of course. But everyone else will get its full strength. Then I’ll have your squad mates shot, and then Zo? and I will head back to Colonial Union space in that capture pod you’ve so thoughtfully provided. I’ll tell them that Charles Boutin is dead, and the Obin will lie low until the BrainPal virus strikes. Then they’ll move in and force the Colonial Union to surrender. And just like that, you and I will have saved humanity.”
“Don’t put this on me,” Jared said. “I have nothing to do with this.”
“Don’t you?” Boutin said, amused. “Listen, Dirac. The Colonial Union is not going to see me as the instrument of its demise. I’ll already be dead. They’re going to see you, and you alone. Oh, you’ll be a part of this, my friend. You don’t have a choice.”
FOURTEEN
“The more I think about this plan the less I like it,” Harvey said to Sagan. They and Seaborg crouched at the line of the forest edging the science station.
“Try not to think so much,” Sagan said.
“That should be easy for you, Harvey,” Seaborg said. He was trying to lighten the mood and doing a poor job of it.
Sagan glanced down at Seaborg’s leg. “Are you going to be able to do this?” she asked. “Your limp’s gotten worse.”
“I’ll be fine,” Seaborg said. “I’m not going to sit here like a turd while you two are completing the mission.”
“I’m not saying that,” Sagan said. “I’m saying that you and Harvey could switch roles.”
“I’m fine,” Seaborg repeated. “And anyway, Harvey would kill me if I took his gig.”
“Goddamn right,” Harvey said. “This shit is what I’m good at.”
“My leg hurts, but I can walk on it and run on it,” Seaborg said. “I’ll be fine. But let’s not just sit here and talk about this anymore. My leg’s going to tighten up.”
Sagan nodded and turned her gaze back to the science station, which was a rather modest collection of buildings. On the north end of the compound were the Obin barracks, which were surprisingly compact; the Obin either did not want or need anything approaching privacy. Like humans the Obin collected together at mealtimes; many of them would be in the mess hall adjacent to the barracks. Harvey’s job was to create a distraction there and draw attention to himself, leading the Obin in other parts of the station toward him.