I, Cassandra

11 | RYAN MADDOX

'They injected her with psychotropic drugs, and subjected her to psychic trauma among other things.' She looks away, her profile taut. 'She was only a child,' the general whispers, 'taken from her parents, forced to live in a glass room, without any comfort or privacy. Everyday, they strapped her to a table and tortured her, all in a sick quest to turn her into a weapon.'

I feel ill. I desperately want to punch something. My hands curl into fists. 'And did they?' I ask, tight.

The avatar of de Pommier nods, terse. 'They did. Once they found the right combination of drugs, she became highly susceptible to suggestion. They only needed state a location, type of disaster - say a hurricane, category five, and within minutes, it occurred.' She shrugs, elegant. 'For three years, because of Cassandra, we kept the UFF on the back foot. For once we were not forced to fight on a hundred fronts. In the wake of his success, the Prime Minister passed a bill to end elections, ensuring he would hold absolute authority until his death. No one dared question it, not even me.'

I say nothing. A wall of black surrounds me. I always believed we were the good guys—now doubt plagues me. I think of the targets I have neutralised. How they begged for mercy. I blank it out. Not now.

'But in all these tests, they found something else—she could also create other things. Cloud cover, rain, lightning,' she pauses and catches my eye, 'perfect for terraforming a planet.'

And there it is. The real reason I am bringing her back, to finish what was begun in 2070.

'So her retrieval has nothing to do with Genesis II,' I say, the pieces falling together, neat, like I prefer them, even though the picture is ugly. 'Major Akron has been given incorrect intel.'

'It is unfortunate the Major was caught up in this.' The general's avatar sighs again. She rubs her slim fingers across her eyebrows. 'A difficult situation. But we must think of our survival. In circumstances such as these, there is bound to be collateral damage.'

'I want him on my support team,' I say, desperate to buy him time. 'I need someone I can trust sitting at those screens when I go looking for her. Not those jacked-up technicians you have out there.'

'Those technicians are the cream of the Elite's intelligence forces,' she says, a hint of rebuke in her tone. 'He will be in the way.'

I hold her eyes, and my ground, stubborn.

'Genesis I's reactivation is above the Major's clearance,' she continues. 'If he becomes compromised there will be nothing I can do to protect him.'

'He won't find out.'

'Capitaine Maddox,' the avatar's eyes bore into mine, 'only one thousand people are destined for Mars. There are no exceptions. Imagine the riots we would face if people knew they were going to be left behind on a dying planet?'

'Like the ones in 2048 when we split society into haves and have-nothings?' I say without thinking. I catch her oblique look. 'Ma'am.' I duck my head, hoping she will let it slide. She does. She goes back to the desk and taps the screen. It flares back to life, dozens of blinking messages jockey for her attention.

'You may be surprised to know I am not on the list.' She glances up from the screen, its white light highlighting her smooth, even features. 'My skills will be of no use to a new human colony. So I will die here, too. However, I am determined to dispatch my duty with integrity and honour.'

A surge of respect hurtles through me. 'When do I leave?'

'As soon as you can be ready. Anything you need, it will be yours.'

'Ma'am.' I salute her and turn to leave.

'Ah, one more thing.'

I stop.

'You will go in alone. You have one chance. Do not fail me.' She looks back down to the screen, her fingers moving, swift over its interface. 'And do not deviate from the plan. We can shut you down just like this.' She snaps her fingers, the sound sharp and abrasive in the harsh, metal and glass-clad room. She looks up at me and tilts her head at the door. 'You are dismissed.'

Her eyes dull and the droid stiffens. I think that could be me, next. It won't happen. I'll get Blue for them, but after that, we'll see.