Betrayal

Part 3

As he loped long strides down the corridors in the microgravity, David tried to come to terms with the decision. If Mac had seen that he couldn't do it, then he might as well admit to himself that he wouldn't. He was sorry for her, but ultimately it wasn't his problem. He shouldn't let it get him down. It wasn't his fault she had done stupid things in her life. It wasn't fair for her to expect him to rescue her.

He was coming up to Main Deck. It would be crowded with the admin workers coming off norm shift, and he would have to fight his way across to the res access corridors on the other side. On an impulse, David turned right out of the corridor, heading for the SPF area. There was a shortcut he knew from there.

If you're not going to help her, you might as well turn her in. The thought came unbidden. Shocking. And yet, why not? Couldn't he face the reality of his decision? Was he a child, to pretend that, by doing nothing, he wasn't having an effect? Maybe it was time he grew up, and showed his father that, despite their past differences, he was a responsible person, someone who knew where his duty lay. Maybe it was just this sort of thing that his father had been waiting for. In his mind's eye he could see his father, looking at him with pride and respect, as he stood there, calm and confident. He turned purposefully for the command block.

The sentry waved him through, and in moments he was standing in front of his father's desk. Gideon Sarved barely acknowledged his presence. David felt some of his resolve falter. "Dad, I have something to tell you. Something important."

"Just a second, David, this is important", said his father, as he turned back to his terminal. He brought a window forward, and moved some icons on the map. He checked the resulting changes on a continuous surface graph in another window. Seemingly satisfied, he turned to face David. "What can I do for you?"

Even as David started, he could hear how inadequate he sounded. He had to explain about the dome, and as he faltered and stammered, trying to sound more convincing, he saw his father's eyes glaze over. He thinks I'm trying to tell him about some stupid game. David was just about to do what he should have done from the first- cut to the chase, tell him about Mac- when the terminal chimed and said, "Major Sarved, I'm sorry to interrupt, an urgent SAAD call from General Alexander."

Instantly the Major was alert. "David, I'm sorry, but this is high priority. Please wait in the officers' lounge. I'll call you when I'm done."

David slumped on the couch in the lounge, despair in his heart. He should've known there was no way his father was suddenly going to change, suddenly see him differently. He might as well go home. It had been a stupid idea.

As he turned to go, his eye was caught by the enormous viewport. He crossed to stand in front of it, and looked up at Jupiter, filling the sky. The winds in the giant storm called the Great Red Spot were roiling the dark red clouds. The storm had been going on for centuries, since before humans even knew it existed. The entire planet seemed impassive, the activities of the puny humans beneath its concern or even notice. The billions of tons of gas that the miners had taken over the last fifty years had not caused the slightest visible change.

David suddenly felt that that was how he was to his father: irrelevant, an insignificant detail. His father was completely given over to SDF, and none of his attention was wasted on his son. David dropped his gaze, and noticed that his father had left his jacket on the couch under the port. He picked it up absently, fingering the medal ribbons. And something else.

Well, Dad, what if I were a threat? What if you, the great security expert, overlooked a threat in your own backyard? You sacrificed us to serve your duty. How can you blame me for striking back? You betrayed me a long time ago. I'm just returning the favour.

Later, after he had given it to Mac, and then turned away, feeling sick inside, and not elated, not even waiting to watch the hack, he walked home slowly through the thinning evening crowds of miners and pilots, freejacks and roustabouts. As he crossed Main Deck to get to the moving ladders, his attention was attracted by a commotion at the entrance to Docking Bay Five.

He drifted over to get a better look. A group of Marines was trying to restrain a diminutive figure in a miner's jumpsuit and helmet. As David got closer, two of them managed to wrestle her to the deck, while a third struggled with the helmet. With a sudden feeling of déjà vu, David knew almost before the helmet came off, that it was Mac. He almost gasped out loud.

From behind him came his father's voice, crisp in command. David's heart sank. He slipped backwards into the crowd just as Major Gideon Sarved stepped through into the circle. Instantly in command of the situation, he strode up to the ranking soldier. "How did she get this far before you picked her up?"

"Sir, she threw us off. We were expecting her to try to get on the Horn of Plenty over at Bay Twelve."

"Why?" the Major barked. The soldier swallowed once, but stood his ground. "The name we were given was on the Horn's manifest, sir. But she never showed up. I left the relief team in place and started an area sweep. We spotted her trying to get into Bay Five through the secured portal."

"Impossible. She'd need a combadge to do that. Why would she waste her time trying that?"

"Sir, she had a combadge. This one."

David's father stared at the badge for what felt like ages. David stood rooted to the spot, like a deer caught in headlight. Any second now, his father was going to turn, walk over to him... Instead his father was turning, walking over to Mac. "Where did you get this?" His voice was cold steel. A momentary reprieve, but here it came...

David held his breath as Mac turned her head to look up at his father, her gaze sweeping across his, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment. "Go to hell."

The Major instantly drove his right boot into her stomach. David winced as Mac gasped, then lay wheezing and fighting for breath on the deck. "Take her away. We'll talk some more in the morning." As the Major turned to go, he caught sight of David.

Hurrying to fall into step with his father, he said "Dad, what's happening?"

"All under control." His father strode on, not even glancing at David. An onlooker who couldn't hear what he was saying, would have said he was ignoring David completely. "Just a smuggler. We were tipped off that she was coming in this morning on a gas freighter. Seems she jumped ship just before they pulled in. Knew she'd turn up sooner or later."

In bed that night, David lay awake, thinking of the day's events. His father had no idea of his betrayal. But David had hardly done any better. Mac had played him for a complete fool. Everything she'd said had been a lie.

Still, she hadn't turned him in. And that stuff with the station system had looked real enough.

An idea suddenly occurred to him. He turned to his terminal and logged on. What was the code she'd given him? Oh, yes...

The green glow from the term illuminated his smiling face. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the cost of net access any more. He shut down the term and rolled over to sleep, still smiling.