Fading Control Read online

  Fading Control

  Dominions VII

  TW Iain

  Copyright © 2021 T.W.Iain. All rights reserved

  Cover designed by Deranged Doctor Designs www.derangeddoctordesign.com

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

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  - 1 -

  Genna swiped her screen to sleep and coughed. She looked around the circular table, meeting the eyes of each person present, starting at her left‌—‌Vanya, Rodin, Rannall, Leopold and Aleph.

  “I’m going to assume you’ve all read the reports,” she said, “but I’d like a quick summary. Rannall. Let’s start with the bigger picture.”

  At least the man had taken advantage of Genna’s hospitality since he arrived last night. He’d trimmed his beard and hair, and no longer wore what he called his stained and ripped ‘travel clothes’, instead wearing a shirt with the collar undone, tough trousers and boots.

  Rannall sat back. “There’s a lot to summarise. Unrest as always, but there’s an undercurrent, a feeling that something’s building. There’s talk of the warriors now, and the Dome, but too many rumours to list. Definitely more stability to the south, though‌—‌it almost feels like one big district. Your work’s paying off, Genna.”

  She accepted the compliment with a nod, said nothing, waited for him to continue.

  “There’s more movement into the wilds, especially to the far east. Guess some folks are ready to start over.”

  “Can’t say I blame them,” Genna said. “Thanks. Rodin. News from the Factory.”

  Rodin’s mouth twitched as he tapped his screen then pushed it aside. The man was a killer, had gone up against warriors on more than one occasion, but still grew nervous talking in these meetings.

  “Nothing much,” he said with a shrug. “Few questions about lower productivity, so they faked a failed rebellion, seemed to satisfy Authority.”

  “Daventree’s idea, right?” Genna saw Leopold’s eyes widen at the mention of another man from the Dome, a kindred spirit even though they had never met.

  “Or Kester. Pretty tight double-act, those two.”

  “Any news on the cure for the poison?”

  Genna glanced at Vanya, but didn’t catch any reaction. The warrior faced her reliance on the control with stoicism, just like Rodin did.

  “Ellya’s networked with other meditechs now. Says things are progressing, but nothing definite yet.”

  “Good to know others are on it,” Genna said, then turned to Vanya. “The control still coming through?”

  The woman nodded. “Set up a trade route across the estuary.”

  “Secure?”

  “Boats could go down. But nobody’s going to talk‌—‌we’re paying well.”

  Vanya glanced at Rodin as she said that, and Genna understood. Rodin’s funds were still high after the contract on Leopold, and he wasn’t the sort to waste money on luxuries. If anything, he seemed to be living a more austere life now.

  “Good to know,” she said, still facing Vanya. “What about the situation in Red?”

  “Not much to report. Don’t want to risk any of my team breaking through. Dephloren’s lost men, right? So we’ve been keeping an eye from a distance. Looks like Kharem’s army is biding their time. Still reckon the attacks are little more than exercises, maybe just a way to let his warriors burn off any frustrations.”

  “Shame they don’t do it somewhere else, though. Leopold. An update on our standing with our neighbours, please.”

  Leopold took a moment to look around the room, pulling in everyone’s attention. Genna reckoned he must have anticipated the question, and was about to give them a prepared speech.

  “Slow but steady,” he said. “Miolar is, through necessity, concentrating on Dephloren’s district, but we have regular communication. Most people in that district appear to accept the current situation and are willing to work with us‌—‌I mean, with you, Genna‌—‌in order to keep themselves safe. However, the situation is not as straightforward to the east. There is a forthright minority who remain loyal to Garrick, and many others who refuse to accept any kind of rule from above, no matter how benign and light that touch might be. We have guards and others deployed, and they are doing their utmost to convince these hold-outs of the need to unite in the face of Authority, but it is a slow, painful process.”

  “Any violence?” Vanya asked. “Aggressive reactions to our presence, that kind of thing? What strategies are in play?”

  “Naturally, we seek to avoid violence wherever possible,” Leopold said, with a dip of his head. “Our first call will be diplomacy, but if more aggressive tactics are required, we won’t flinch from doing what is necessary.”

  That brought a smile to Genna’s face. The ex-Councillor was becoming increasingly assimilated into the districts if he could talk of violence without flinching.

  “As we always do,” she said. “Anything from your contact under the glass?”

  Genna had only started mentioning this relationship in meetings after a long discussion with Leopold, and they’d agreed not to reveal any working details. Not that Genna knew much anyway, only that it involved some journalist and seemingly innocent messages filled with code words she couldn’t decipher.

  The question seemed to catch him off-guard, though, and his brow knotted as he tapped his screen.

  “Communication is becoming increasingly erratic, no doubt due to our current situation,” he said, which didn’t explain much of anything. “The last communique had nothing major to report, though. I believe we can assume that there are no changes worthy of our interest within the Dome.”

  “Thank you.” Genna forced a smile. When he said ‘worthy of our interest’, was that an offhand turn of phrase, or something with more meaning? It wasn’t like Leopold to hold back.

  Probably just the whole situation getting to her. When Authority seemed to be reaching into everything, it was easy to become paranoid.

  She turned to her right. “Aleph. How are our systems doing?”

  Aleph glanced up and ran one hand over the shaved half of her head. Genna wasn’t sure about the style, but Aleph said the process of shaving helped calm her down, and Genna couldn’t argue against that.

  There was a grin on her face she tapped her screen.

  “Ongoing, but I’m on top of things,” her screen said‌—‌actually spoke the words. But not in Aleph’s voice.

  Leopold frowned. Rodin didn’t show any emotion. Vanya turned to Genna with a questioning look. Only Rannall responded verbally.

  “She’s been recording you, Genna?” he said.

  Genna shook her head. “Not quite. Just something Aleph’s been working on in her own time‌—‌a bit of relief from other stuff. Some kind of synthetic voice.”

  Aleph tapped, and her screen spoke again. “Bit more complex than that.” This time, the voice had a metallic edge, but also sounded eerily like Rannall.

  “Works better with a larger sample,” Aleph said, by way of explanation. “Got far more recordings of Genna to work from.”

  Rannall looked amused. “Intriguing. Are you doing this purely for fun, or is there some practical purpose?”

  Aleph shrugged. “Just helps settle me, after trying to stop those bastards.”

  “So how’s that going?” Genna asked. “Still keeping one step ahead of them?”

  “You need to ask? Don’t want to get too technical‌—‌you want, I can throw together a report‌—‌but I’m detecting more attacks, plugging
holes when they appear. Constant work, though.”

  She gave off the usual blunt, don’t-bother-me attitude, but Genna knew Aleph well enough to hear the edge to her voice. But what could she do? Aleph wouldn’t work with anyone else on these tech issues, and even though Genna had encouraged her to step back if she ever felt overwhelmed, Aleph was far too driven to even consider that.

  “They have their best minds trying to infiltrate us, and you’re holding them back,” Genna said. “Appreciate it. Moving on‌—‌Miolar. Take it you’ve all read his report, but I’ll give a quick summary.” Always best to ensure everyone knew the basics. Genna wouldn’t put it past Aleph to skimp on reading yet more reports. “The army of warriors currently in Red walked from the western Factory without incident‌—‌no opposition, not even minor skirmishes. The implications are disturbing‌—‌if they had free passage, that’s a good indication of an arrangement between Authority and those in charge of the district.”

  Nods around the table, and Vanya was the first to mention the name. “The Paternas Brothers.”

  “Previous intelligence suggests they don’t have much influence over the district, so it’s likely Authority promised them greater control, with weapons and tech to sweeten the deal. But it might be something else. So, thoughts.”

  Leopold was the first to speak. “It seems to me that our best course of action would be to monitor but not interfere. So far, apart from those random, relatively minor attacks, the warriors in Red have not made any major move against us, so I would posit they have another plan. It would be foolish to directly antagonise Authority.”

  “We’re already antagonising them,” Vanya said. “Just by standing up to those little attacks, we’re making a statement. As far as the Brothers go‌—‌they’re small-time, got lucky. Not a nice pair. Can’t see too many people missing them if they met with an accident. Right, Rodin?”

  Rodin sighed. “What‌—‌because I’ve removed one of them I should remove the remaining two? That was a contract. I’ve done jobs for them, too.”

  “You don’t want them dead?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t see them as a threat at the moment.”

  “Even if they’ve made a deal with Authority?”

  “Doesn’t affect us directly. As Leopold said, their warriors aren’t making a concerted move on us.”

  “Not yet.”

  Genna held up a hand, watched Rodin. There was a tug at the corner of his mouth, something he wasn’t saying.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  The tug turned into a lopsided look, and he shrugged. “Possibilities, that’s all. Hundred warriors, right?”

  “From the Factory? That’s our best estimate. Why?”

  “Didn’t have anywhere near that in the northern Factory. Just thinking of space.”

  Vanya leaned back. “We had lots of room, though. Could’ve had twice our numbers and still been comfortable. Wouldn’t have been anywhere near a hundred, though.”

  “True. So they’ve changed the western Factory.”

  “Makes sense. You reckon they converted a workfloor into a training space?”

  “Need more than one.”

  Genna understood where this was going, but let Vanya and Rodin play their conversation out.

  “Still have to keep production up, though,” Vanya said. Her eyes narrowed. “Just had a thought. Kester said they keep on getting messages about production levels. You reckon they’re trying to compensate for lower levels at the western Factory? Might indicate they’ve got even more warriors there.”

  Rannall leaned in. “And if Authority has an understanding with the Paternas Brothers, then there’s nothing stopping these warriors reaching us.”

  The room fell silent. Genna took a breath, then another.

  “Conjecture,” she said. “There are too many possibilities.”

  “So we need to investigate,” Vanya said.

  “I could go,” Rodin said, nonchalantly‌—‌far too nonchalantly. “Not like I’m doing anything at the moment.”

  That wasn’t a surprise, but Genna shook her head. “You’re known to the Brothers. They spot you, it’ll cause more complications.”

  He shrugged. “That’s my problem.”

  “Not when you’re connected to me. They see you sneaking round, they’ll take it as a direct threat. That’s not going to help our situation. It’s something to think on, but for now we deal with more immediate concerns. Before Authority makes any kind of concerted move against us, we need to build up our strength‌—‌here, to the east, and in our relationship with our friends to the west. Any ideas, let’s hear them.”

  Genna sat back, opened up the floor. They were used to this by now, and it didn’t take long for words to start flowing. Genna listened, and once glanced across to Aleph. Her friend nodded, letting Genna know that she had recorders running, so nothing would be lost.

  Useful, especially when Genna struggled to keep up with the discussion. Her mind wouldn’t leave the western Factory and the Paternas Brothers. Hard people to work with, especially since they’d gone from a trio to a duo. Oh, Genna had made deals with them in the past, but she never trusted them. They weren’t smart enough to keep to their side of any bargain.

  Others treated them accordingly. Genna had been forced to get heavy at one point, sending in a couple of mercenaries to retrieve payment owed. They’d tried taking some of Borinoff’s business, and that had ended badly for them. They’d even tried dealing with Garrick, and had lost a great deal in that.

  Garrick had been their superior in both intelligence and craftiness. And Authority had still twisted him, using him to their own ends. If the Brothers were in bed with Authority, they didn’t stand a chance.

  Which meant Authority already had the district on the far side of Dephloren’s. And that wasn’t good.

  Genna glanced at Rodin. The man sat back, one hand resting on his stomach. His recent wound‌—‌why the man had taken on a warrior was beyond her, and it was only good fortune that Paskia was ready with a weapon‌—‌wasn’t bothering him much now, but he looked thinner than he used to. It might have been the light in this room, but she couldn’t ignore the impression that he was‌…‌less than he used to be.

  Maybe he needed to get out. And maybe that could be useful. She’d speak to Rodin later.

  - 2 -

  The office was Kharem’s, but only because it was the one that Viper‌—‌and, by extension, Authority‌—‌let him use. It gave him somewhere to organise the warriors, and somewhere Viper could intrude whenever he wanted. Like now.

  Viper sat across from Kharem, chair angled so that he could lay an arm on the desk between them, right leg resting on left knee. The pose of someone who knew where the power lay in this relationship.

  But he wasn’t happy. The man from Authority scowled as he stabbed a finger at the warrior by the door. “Do we have to have that thing in here?”

  Kharem glanced at Hornet. The warrior, in loose trousers and vest-top, gazed dispassionately into the middle of the room, didn’t even register that Viper had spoken. But Hornet was good. He listened to everything, and prepared for anything.

  “You encouraged me to protect myself,” Kharem said.

  “And you consider me a threat?” Viper’s face contorted into its familiar smarmy half-smile.

  “He’s also my chief liaison with our forces,” Kharem said, voice slow and steady.

  “You trust one of our creations? If he learns even a part of our plans, what’s to stop him taking that information to others?”

  “He knows I hold the key to his continued health.” He didn’t need to explain the warriors’ constant medication, warding against the side-effects of their alterations.

  “So you’re bribing him to stay loyal.” A shadow of a smile crept onto Viper’s lips.

  “We have, at the moment, a mutually beneficial arrangement. Much like ourselves, my friend.”

  It pained Kharem to use that last word, but
it had the effect he sought. Viper nodded, his stern look telling Kharem that he’d do well to remember exactly how their arrangement worked.

  “Which leads to the purpose of my visit today,” Viper said, puffing out his chest. “You’ve made it clear, in your somewhat sparse reports, that you believe our warriors sufficiently trained. I trust there’s no alteration in this state of affairs?”

  Kharem shook his head. “If anything, they’re over-ready. The diversions they’re causing only satisfy their need to act to a degree.” Inside, he cringed‌—‌he still couldn’t quite ape Viper’s manner of speech.

  The man from Authority’s fingers tapped on the desk. “Diversions,” he said, drawing the word out. “I gave you free hand in the utilisation of our weapons against our foe, and you dismiss these missions as diversions. You still refuse to view that woman as a threat?”

  Viper raised his eyebrows, and Kharem sighed.

  “Removing Genna at this juncture‌—‌even pushing close to that‌—‌would be a mistake, as I’ve said before. She’s focused on reforming her district, combining it with Garrick’s old domain, and working with Dephloren. She’s too busy to pay us any attention. She poses no major threat.”

  “And yet she has spies watching our district,” Viper said. “She also attempted to thwart our work over to the west.”

  “Attempted. She failed. And her spies will learn nothing.” Interesting how Viper referred to Red as their district, though. “I worked with Genna for years. I know how she thinks. She won’t be a threat to us while she’s looking after her people.”

  Slowly, Viper nodded. “I suppose I’ll have to accept your assessment of the situation. You do have intimate knowledge of this woman, don’t you?”

  Hard to tell if there was some hint in those words, but let the man believe that Kharem had shared Genna’s bed if he wanted.

  Not that Kharem would have done that. She was an attractive specimen, and there was some temptation in seeking post-coital manipulations‌—‌something Kharem had used in the past, on others. But Genna wasn’t weak enough to fall for something like that. Any intimacy with the woman would have been on her terms, and Kharem had no doubts that she’d get the better of him.