The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/Chapter 14/The long journey home

I watched the news on what people were calling 'Sneakernet'. Facebook was being watched, filtered, manipulated, and all other social networking was banned. People had taken to passing Memory sticks around. They had videos recorded on people's phones and robots. Messages encrypted for people.  I watched on the screen in the rooms I had in FiveDogs.

"This shows a huge disaster. A massive train derailed. Officially there is No mention of who did it. It wasn't the Shadow as he was engaging in what could only be called all out performance Art in Hedgehog at the time. Some believe another group in New Deli had figured out a way around the implants and have mounted this very sophisticated and carefully planned attack which needed split second timing to get away." I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that one " Some groups are saying it was an attack by a group called Zero-point-energy. People around the planet are coming together. This was brought to you my Anonymity: We never forget and we never forgive. "

I had sent them an encrypted message over sneakernet. These memory sticks were left everywhere. Passed from hand to hand and watched on headphones beyond surveillance. It was like spreading information in a virust it woudl be passed around and might just reach the target. Message by pigeons would be faster but more traceable.

I looked at the other un-news headlines. New collaborators spotted during the re-opening of the newly cleansed Martian Museum of Non degenerate art.' I flicked through that one ' A new general "Zackariea Kipperbatch" appears to have taken over after disgraced failure Dante Tyrell-Banks gets dumped by the Shadow as not even worth kidnapping. Good luck with that one'.

 No pictures of Catz. That was good. She was taking a huge risk. The train hit was based on her data.

I flicked through the other titles.

'Curious Non Break in At Martian Museum of Non degenerate art'

'Shadow I know we shouldn't speculate who: but was the ghost of Jenny Banks sent to save us?'

'Difficult news from Venus ( viewer discretion advised)'

'John 'the belt' Hanks' dies in Bentham's custody.

I flicked down to the encrypted files. 'Message for the Shadow'. Most of them were bits of information and questions on how to join. Kentro would respond. Well, when he was finished with his mysterious project in the mechanics areas. We were recruiting and training. There were the usual thanks ones and finally a message 'We miss you Shadow' that was from my parents. I couldn't help but wonder about the last time I had seen them.

SIX MONTHS PREVIOUSLY 1 week after landing

I walked down the pressurized tunnel to my parent's house from the dome. It looked like some copy of an antique Earth house. They were switches on the walls to switch the lights on. The front door didn't just recognize you and let you in like other people's houses it had a lock. It reminded me of the first night I had come. Like most Eye houses it was outside the dome and the magnetic shielding. So your house was generally buried under a few meters of martian soil. When you flew over a Martian city it looked like some planetary scarification artist had carved the design of a city into it. Like most Eye suburbs there was a pressurized connection tube, underground to each house. People would cycle or sometimes jog down them to the factories and offices or the nearest hyper loop stations. I stood at the door nervously. We didn't have a robot but Mom did let dad install a speaker phone. I pensively pressed the call button and mom had answered.

"Mom I don't know how to say this but I'm just going to come out and say it," I said.

"Say what?" said Mom over the poor connection.

"Get ready for a shock," I said.

The voice came over the speaker "Milli you loosing your key is not a shock any more" .