Who Am I? Part 04
Dirk slumped on Buck's bed; "I hate this." He groaned, "We're locked up like prisoners and we haven't done anything wrong."
"It's not like we have anywhere else to go." Buck said as he leaned against the door.
"Yeah, maybe. But I still feel like I'm a prisoner. What's worse is the fact that if the Imperiam Agents really want us dead then it isn't like those two will be able to stop them."
"If anyone gets past our guards they'll have to deal with me. Besides, just because we know about those two doesn't mean they're the only ones guarding us."
Dirk sat up and stared at Buck, "That's it! I'm so stupid sometimes. They're using us as bait. Well I'm not going to just sit here and wait until some Imperiam death squad over runs our guards. " Dirk said as he stood and walked out of the door. Before it could close he caught it and looked back, "If you want you can come with me, if you don't I'll understand."
Buck smiled, "You don't think I'm going to let you go off on a little holiday without me do you? You go collect whatever I left in the other room while I get changed."
Buck quickly emptied all of his belongings from the storage areas onto his bed. He only had the large duffel bag to try and fit everything into. He knew there was only one way he could pull it off. He stripped off his shorts and sandals and pulled on the armor pants and boots. He stood and stretched a bit getting used to the feel before pulling on the armor vest. Next he slipped into the shoulder harness and unlocked the ammo box. He carefully loaded his revolvers alternating between rubber stun bullets and soft metal kill shots. "Not exactly an even match against blasters but at least I won't blow a hole in the station" He thought as he snapped the revolvers into their sheaths. Then he pulled out his punch daggers clipping them to his belt and buckling the lower strap to his leg.
Buck bounced twice to be sure everything had settled into place and then began re-packing his bag. Once everything he owned was inside he pulled the blankets and sheets off the bed. It was a tight fit but he got everything into the bag. As he sat it outside his cubicle he noticed Dirk staring at him. Buck smirked and walked past him to the Shower area. He pulled a towel from the dispenser and cut it into four nearly even strips. He tied two of the strips together and re-entered his room. He placed the long tied strip at the end of the foam mattress and rolled it as tightly as he could. He then sat with the mattress roll between his legs and tied one side with one of the short towel strips before climbing off and tying the other side. Finally he tied the ends of the strip that ran through the center and slung the mattress over his shoulder.
As he started to turn he noticed a small business card that had been hidden under the mattress. He quickly picked it up and shoved it in a pocket figuring whatever it was he'd deal with it later. Once he was out of his room he noticed that Dirk was missing, however instead of the single duffel bag that he had set out there were now two. The bag Dirk had arrived with earlier, now bulging to the point where Buck was unsure if the zipper would hold much longer was resting on the top of them.
Within seconds Dirk emerged from his room with a mattress roll of his own, "You know I'd have never thought of taking the mattress. But considering where we're heading it is a really good idea. Of course we're going to be fined no end for doing this. Oh and I found this under the mattress." Dirk said as he handed a card to Buck, "I don't know if it's important or not but I figured it would be best if we leave nothing behind."
Buck took the card and slid it into the same pocket as the card he found in his own room.
"Now we just have to get past the guards." Dirk said as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, the belt crossing his chest the same as the towel strip holding his mattress.
"Leave that to me." Buck said as he followed Dirks example with his larger bag.
Dirk gaped at the rabbit as he grunted to lift the identical bag he had found in his room.
Buck pulled one of the pistols from its holster and held it in his left hand as he yanked the door open. Their human guard fell backwards into the room and lay on the floor staring up at the gun pointed at his forehead.
"Uh, is there something you wanted?" He asked.
Buck clicked his tongue, "Leaning against the door, you really should have known better even if you hadn't expected an attack from inside the room. Now as you may have guessed Dirk and I have decided that we want to get out for a while. Do you have a problem with that?"
"But my orders were to keep you two safe."
"Don't worry we'll be safe enough. I know this station better than any Imperiam agent ever could." Dirk said as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. I'll meet you at the time and place I've written on this. If I'm not there at that time then move to the alternate meeting time and place. Now all you and your partner have to do is get us across the street to the lift safely. After that no one will find us. Except of course when we want to be found."
"But . . ." The officer didn't say another word, as Buck cocked his pistol, he just nodded and slowly got to his feet.
* * *
Dirk stopped to catch his breath. They had been wandering through the forgotten corridors of levels 397 and up. Buck had volunteered to take the heavy bag that Dirk had been carrying two hours earlier but Dirk had insisted he could handle it. Only half an hour later Buck insisted and Dirk couldn't refuse. He couldn't believe that Buck had been in a coma a little over a day earlier. It was obvious his species was able to recover far faster then humans.
"This is the last flight of stairs and then we'll be on floor four hundred, the official top floor for the central ring."
"Official?" Buck said as he continued up the stairs.
"Yeah, we've still got another half flight of stairs to climb." Dirk sighed and then trudged to the top where Buck was waiting for him. They walked for nearly ten minutes in silence.
"I know it seems like this is taking forever but we have to be sure that no one can follow us." Dirk said as they climbed the last set of stairs, "I suggest you turn away. The light is really harsh after being in the dark for so long."
Buck turned his back as Dirk pulled a sliding panel door open. Light flooded the area where they had been standing and Buck gasped. The stairs led down to a large two-story hall. Small abandoned shops lined the sides on both levels and two large ceiling fans hung barely seven-foot above the floor. A third rested on the lobby floor its power source completely depleted.
"Not much to look at. A couple of the shops still have power connected to them. Fortunately the public toilets also still have power as well as a full robotic cleaning team. The only other point of interest out here is that one of the shops was a bookstore. I spent a lot of my childhood with those books."
"Really? What sort of books?"
"Just about every kind of book you can imagine. Very few people have been in this area for several thousand years."
"So all the books are pre-Imperiam?" Buck asked as he scanned the shops trying to figure out which one was the bookstore.
"Strangely enough no, from what I've been able to figure out every few decades someone finds this place and uses it to store rare or banned books. I'm proud to say that when I was younger I personally added to the collection, mostly medical textbooks, that I 'borrowed' from the central archive. But also any book that I could find that the Imperiam had banned."
"So you've spent a lot of time here?"
"I grew up here."
"Then why would you ever want to leave? I mean earlier you said that you didn't have a place to live."
"I haven't lived here since . . . well since I became an adult. Yeah this place is nice but it isn't exactly a great place to live. Oh sure it has plenty of room and privacy, not to mention a great view, but it isn't part of the grid anymore. The most basic problem is the fact that there is no food and there are only two ways to solve that problem. Either one has to steal it or one has to be a part of the grid."
"I see."
"Right, anyway as I was saying this place has a wonderful view. Now that our eyes adjusted do you want to come out and see what I'm talking about?" Dirk said as he pulled open the transparent door and walked out into the park.
"Oh my God!" Buck said as he finished climbing the stairs and walked out into the park.
"Welcome to Coyote Park; fresh air, running water and a spectacular view of the stars both night and day." Dirk said as he spread his arms wide.
"It . . . It's almost like being on a planet." Buck said after he had inhaled a deep breath of the fresh, unfiltered air. "I could easily live here and be happy." He thought as he started toward the hut in the center of the park.
"Wait, where are you going?" Dirk asked as he jogged to catch Buck.
"To the hut, that is where we're staying isn't it?"
"Ah, no. That is a shrine to the Kah-Har God Coyote. We'll be staying at my old place back here among the trees."
Buck looked at the hut suspiciously before shrugging his shoulders and following Dirk into the trees at the edge of the park. After several minutes they reached a wall that had been painted to blend in with the forest. Dirk ran his hand over one of the fake trees until he heard a faint click. Then he pushed the wall and it swung inward.
"I know it isn't much but I'm sure we'll be safe here."
After the lobby and the park Buck felt rather under whelmed. The room was roughly ten-foot wide and twenty long. The floor was covered with a worn green carpet with several square patches that were darker. Obviously some sort of equipment had been removed long after the carpet had faded. Dark green cabinets lined the side walls wrapping around at the corners and running a short way along the back wall. The faux stone countertops, like the carpet, were stained and worn except in places where some sort of equipment had been removed. The walls were painted light blue right up to where the wall touched the transparent dome.
Buck dropped the bags and his mattress. "I've been in worse places." He thought as he opened one of the cabinets.
"As far as I can figure this used to be a break room for the park security people. There us an office and locker room through the back door. There are also five security cells, an old non-functioning lift, and stairs that lead out to the lobby."
"An office? Does it have power?"
"Yeah but anything of value has already been looted." Dirk said as he pushed the back door open until it locked in the open position.
Buck followed him through and guessed the space was the same as the outer room. The small security cells were obviously just meant as a temporary holding place until the prisoner could be moved to the primary security area. Dirk entered the locker room but Buck headed straight into the office. A bank of twelve security screens was built into one wall and Buck figured they had been used to monitor the park and lobby. A large control console ran along the bottom of the wall. Buck turned the power on and the monitors lit up but only displayed static. Likely the cameras had been removed. Buck smiled and ran back to the bags. He unzipped the bag that Dirk had carried part way and pulled out a long silver box before running back to the office.
When Dirk finally entered the office he found Buck on the floor with his head and one shoulder jammed into the inner workings of the security cabinet. "What are you doing?"
"O'm frfin nif hing. Geh yo pah ang pu eh en."
"What?"
Suddenly Buck's fur stood on end, "Daca!" He yelled.
Dirk noticed that a small light had fallen into the mess of wiring.
"I said 'I'm fixing this thing. Get your pad and plug it in.' Now were did I drop my light?"
Dirk grabbed the light and held it where Buck could get to it.
"Thanks, now go get your pad. I think I've fixed problem with the jack so you should be able to access the grid now. Oh and while you're at it there is a large square box in my bag, the one that is open, that has a red handle. I'll need you to bring that in as well." Buck said before putting the light back in his mouth and going back to work on the wiring.
Dirk shook his head and left to get the items that Buck had requested. When he returned he was surprised to find that Buck had somehow squeezed his other arm into the small opening. "All right I've got the items you wanted and I'm about to plug my pad into the jack."
"No wait, just a minute. There is a key in my pocket get it and open the box."
Dirk shook his head and slid his hand into Buck's pocket.
"Now don't get any ideas I've just finished stripping the insulation off several live wires and if I move around at all I'll likely kill both of us."
Dirk carefully removed the key and unlocked the box.
"Right, if you got the right box you'll find six foam trays. The top one should contain five small square devices."
"There are four, and room for a fifth."
"Good, carefully remove the trays until you get to one that has only one device. I want you to take it out and plug your pad into it."
"All right now what? The screen just changed to the logo that was on the bag."
"Tap the very end of the thorn as though you were pricking your finger. That should bring up a box that requires a code. Type in F-I-N-D-E-R and then choose initialize. Then very carefully give me the device. Be sure that you don't remove the link to your pad."
Dirk slid the device along Buck's chest. When it touched his chin he picked it up, turned it over, rotated a black plate on the bottom, and pressed it against the inner panel of the console. It stuck in place and Buck pushed several wires into the unit. There was a slight fizzle as the unit automatically fused the wires in place.
"There, now what does your pad say?"
"Initialization complete and there is a menu of options."
"Great, select the find and link option. While that is running I need one each of the four other types of devices starting with the crescent shaped one."
Dirk passed the crescent device to Buck, "So how do you know what you're doing? Is this like how you know how to fight?"
Buck was silent for a minute as he worked on the wires, "No, I probably should have told you before we left my rooms. Now I need one of the round ones."
Dirk passed him the requested component.
"There is no easy way to say this. My memory returned when that guard mentioned that my former owner, Thorne White, was dead. He isn't by the way since I'm Thorne White. Right, now I need the square security scrambler. At least most of my memory returned. I still don't remember any of my time here on the station. That is probably an effect of the same virtual reality lag that you're experiencing."
"How can you be Thorne White? Only a human can own a fur."
"Yeah, that is an explanation that will have to wait until I've worked through the lag. So has the network engaged yet?"
"What?"
"On your pad, does it say that the network is secure and functioning normally?"
"Oh, yeah everything is normal. Network security is secure. However there is a box here that is asking if you want to make this your primary station or secondary."
"Primary, as you said before this location is much more secure."
"Done, wait the screen just went blank."
"That's because the network locked out the direct connection." Buck said as he wriggled out of the console. He repacked both his tool case and his networking kit and slipped the key back in his pocket.
"There you go we are once again connected to the grid. However we can't be tracked through the grid."
"So just who are you and how do you know how to do all this?" Dirk asked motioning to the security monitors that now displayed images from various locations around the station including, Dirk was a bit horrified to see, the same view as from the Imperiam camera that had recorded the fight."
"Yeah, I guess you do deserve an answer. I'll tell you what I can but you have to understand that there are some things that I'm not allowed to tell anyone. Let's go and roll out our beds and get comfortable this could take a while."
* * *
Buck sighed as he stared up at the stars. The lights in the room had dimmed for the night rotation, but there was still plenty of pale blue illumination from the central hub planetoid and from the stars. He finally knew who and what he was but what was he going to tell Dirk? Most of the things he could remember he couldn't tell anyone else.
"So who are you; really?" Dirk asked as he sat on his bed.
"Whiteheart Briarspike Buck Thorne Finder is my full name."
"That's a long name but that's not what I asked."
Buck sighed again, "Right, you have to understand that there are a lot of things that I can't tell you even if I wanted to. As you've seen I have a lot of training in things that the average fur wouldn't be allowed to know. That is because I'm a special agent for a group who . . . let's just say they are interested in finding special people."
"I think I understand. You'll answer my questions as best you can but you don't want to risk exposing any secrets about the group you're working for right?"
"Yes, but there is also the problem that if I say to much your life will be at risk as well."
Dirk rolled onto his back and was quiet for several minutes, "I guess asking you where you are from is out of the question then. So how did you get your memory back?"
"I didn't exactly loose my memory. Part of my training included the ability to suppress my memory in the event that I was captured. That way even if tortured I wouldn't be able to reveal any secrets. The key to unlocking that memory was the name Thorne White."
"How can you be both Thorne White and Whiteheart Briarspike? Thorne had to be human in order to be your owner."
Buck got up and slowly paced around the room while Dirk watched him. Every once in a while he would look directly at Dirk as if he wanted to answer but would then start pacing again.
He wanted to tell Dirk the truth but if he did he might have to kill him. His senses told him that Dirk was the type of person that he was supposed to find but without his memories of the time on the station he couldn't be sure.
"I guess that was one of the questions you can't answer huh?" Dirk asked.
Buck continued pacing as though he hadn't heard the question. Sure there was the memory of being in the VR chamber but that wasn't proof enough. After all, the creature he had seen was an extremely rare form. So rare in fact, that they didn't have a clan on Shendria. He looked at the young man again. He loved him and he was sure that he could be trusted but the conditioning was strong. If he told him would he be able to keep from killing him? Buck chewed on his lower lip and continued pacing. Damn the Imperiam, it had to be their fault that the VR simulation was interrupted and the cause of the VR lag. Finally he stopped next to his bed with his back to Dirk.
"I'm about to show you something. No matter what happens don't make a sound; no one can ever know about this. Never ask me about it, don't even mention it." Buck said as he slowly undressed.
He stood with a halo of blue light shining off his silver fur. Dirk felt aroused by the sight but at the same time he was confused. He'd seen Buck naked before but as he watched something seemed to change the glow seemed to be disappearing. Dirk looked closer and noticed that it wasn't the light fading it was Buck's fur that was disappearing. Within seconds a young man stood where Buck had been. His body was covered in scar tissue as though he had been severely beaten. Dirk bit his lips together to keep from gasping. He recognized many of the scars as the ones he had mended when Buck arrived at Benson's infirmary.
Dirk blinked as he suddenly realized that Buck had returned to the form that he was used to. But as he continued to watch Buck began to change again. This time he seemed to shrink and in the same amount of time as the change to human form Dirk found himself staring at the back of a normal rabbit.
"So that's what he meant by finding 'special people'. The group he works for must all be like him. And the VR scam must have been a way for him to test the people that he thought might be that way." Dirk thought as Buck returned to his median form.
Buck slipped under his covers with his back still to Dirk. They were both silent for some time.
"If . . . can I ask two more questions?"
Buck flinched at Dirks voice, he had his arms tightly crossed across his chest trying not to move or even think. "What have I done" was the only thought that kept running through his head in an infinite loop. "G-g-go ahead." He stammered.
"Why me?"
Buck began to shake, "Because I know that you are special. A-and because I love you."
"Where do we go from here?" Dirk barely whispered, not know whether he really wanted an answer.
"I-I don't know."