Scene 9
Anna rolled past downtown New York in a cab around 3 pm, as the pale autumn light filtered down to the streets through the Superscrapers, thin bars of luminescence that penetrated the skyline and mingled with the honey glow of light reflected off the mirror-like windows of the towers, diffused and refracted in the dust and smog near street level. She'd opted for the more conventional form of travel for the novelty and the fact that getting an open portal to the Big Apple at this time of day usually involved waiting so long that it was often faster to take a portal to New Jersey and a cab from there. She wasn't going into the center anyways, just passing by it on the way up north a little to the Bronx, where the Fen Tech research center was.
Her adolescent contact in London had indicated west for the location of this Dr. Marshall, which could mean a FenTech center in either New York or Seattle, so she'd called up Gorn and had him poke around with HAL to figure out which it was. Dr. Marshall, it turned out, worked in the R&D department of FenTech's commercial wing, i.e. their products considered harmless enough for public sale. Anna had contacted him via phone with the pretext of wanting to learn more about getting some performance enhancers for her team, in order to set up this meeting.
The cab left behind the Superscrapers of Manhattan and took the Rooftop Bypass, a quick route to the upper Bronx that avoided the congested, dirty, and dangerous streets of lower Bronx. A few minutes and several turns later, the cab stopped near a gate in an impressive Meteorite wall, and Anna hopped out without a word, having paid the computer-controlled vehicle before the ride, the norm these days. It was proven psychology: people were more tempted to stiff a machine than a real cabbie.
As Anna turned to head towards the gate/portal, she was surprised to see a familiar figure appear from it, sporting the always-present shades and walking a touch unsteadily. Of course Malcom would come here for his weekly chemical treatments (that must explain the stagger too); it was just an interesting coincidence running into him. He turned away from her and the gate and walked the other way, appearing not to have noticed the presence of another person. Anna shrugged and stepped up to the Matcher, identifying herself. She was greeted by a resonant synthesized male voice that said ¨Welcome to FenTech, Anna. Please step through the gate.¨ She cast a disparaging eye on the creepily bright and perfect garden on the other side of the portal, then headed through it.
She blinked her eyes and saw a circular modern styled lobby - bright lighting, a domed soft white ceiling, some rather large jungle plants tucked up against the walls, and very expensive shiny surfaces everywhere. A lone semicircular desk occupied the center of the room, complete with overly perky middle-aged receptionist. ¨Hello, how can I help you?¨ she asked in a voice so full of fake cheer it made Anna wince.
¨Uh, yeah, I'm here to see Dr. Marshall about getting some stims for Tournament use? My name's Anna.¨
¨Oh, well you'll be wanting to talk to Dr. Harvey in the Advanced Products wing, won't you? I'll just get you set up…¨
¨Actually, we'd prefer not to use the advanced products without a fully sponsored treatment. Too many nasty side effects for screwing up the doses. Can I see Dr. Marshall? I called ahead of time…name's Anna…¨
The receptionist paused, bewildered by a request that didn't fit within Standard Procedure. She recovered and announced, ¨Well, let's see if your name is in the system here… ah, yes, there it is. If you'll just step over here…?¨ she indicated a circular plate on the floor in front of the desk - ¨I'll send you right to his office.¨ Anna nodded vaguely and complied, impressed by the security of the place. It was decorated like to look like any old office complex, but anyone not supposed to be there would have an extremely hard time getting in.
The world flipped inside out for a moment as she was translocated, and she found herself in a long, plain hallway, standing just outside a door with the nameplate ¨Doctor K.S. Marshall.¨ She knocked lightly on the solid wooden surface, and was answered by an amiable ¨come in!¨ from the other side.
Doctor Marshall was a festively plump Asian man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, pretty young for the position he held. He had long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and a warm smile that invaded deep into the territory of his chubby, lightly-freckled cheeks. Remove thirty pounds and he'd probably be quite a handsome guy, Anna thought. That kind of body modification was child's play these days, but there had recently been a social backlash against the increasingly ridiculous popular standards for physical beauty. She suspected that the doctor might be one of these self-proclaimed ¨imperfectionists.¨ He stood up to shake her hand, and gestured at a chair to the side of his simple black work console. ¨Please, sit down. You must be Anna. And as you have doubtless already deduced, I am Dr. Marshall. I've heard about you, you know. Seems you rejected quite a promising career in the military.¨
¨Yeah, it turned out to be incompatible with my ten-year plan.¨ She laughed bitterly. ¨Interesting that you know about it, though. I thought the NEG Bureau of Media Control kept the whole fiasco pretty well under wraps.¨
¨Yes, well let's just say I know some people that were affected by the incident.¨ He gave her a meaningful look.
¨Family?¨
¨As a matter of fact, yes.¨
¨They ok?¨ Anna couldn't manage to keep the emotion out of her voice.
¨Yes,¨ said Marshall, taking a deep breath and studying his hands for a moment, ¨yes, they are. Now is there anything at all I can do to help you?¨ He gave her another meaningful stare.
For an answer, Anna gave him a questioning look and then glanced around the room, tapping her ear with a finger. Marshall shook his head. ¨This is a private conversation. The NEG has the authority to review recorded security media from here, and well, there are certain things that FenTech doesn't want just anyone listening to.¨
¨Cool. Hey, I supposed it has occurred to you by now that I must have a darn good reason to be here at FenTech, considering my history with them.¨
¨Yes, it certainly has. Plus, gladiators generally opt for the higher-end stims. Theoretically, I could help you get access to some of the brand new public-release products that haven't hit the retail market yet, but why go to the effort to get next year's mineral water when you can get this year's cognac?¨ He smiled. ¨Am I right? So then, why would you come to me specifically? Well, maybe you guys don't have much money, but considering the circumstances between us, I would be happy to help you get a real sponsorship package, if that's what your team is interested in…¨
She cut him off with a hand gesture and an emphatic negative head shake. ¨It isn't. We win on meat and potatoes… well, and the occasional Nali fruit. But not everybody does. Come to think of it, does that seem fair to you?¨
Marshall gave her an ironic smile. ¨I might remind you that you're talking to someone who makes physical enhancers for a living.¨
¨Yes,¨ she replied, ¨and pardon me if this is too presumptuous, but you clearly don't use them. Why not?¨
¨Let's just say that they've recently started to seem a lot less appealing to me,¨ he said, looking down at his hands somewhat evasively.
¨But you have no problem working here.¨
¨Look,¨ he said, exasperated, ¨are you going to tell me what it is you want?¨
Anna paused a moment, then laid it straight out. ¨We're going to face Thunder Crash next week in the Tournament TDM championship. I take it you've heard of them? Well, my teammate Gorn believes that the stims their captain Malcom is on are impairing his performance somehow, that there's some basic irregularity to his play. We want to find out what it is, so we can use it to beat them.¨
¨Heh.¨ Marshall rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¨And how do you propose to learn this by coming to me?¨
¨You're a start. Also, I'm not quite sure why you still work here, because if I were you I wouldn't be too happy with FenTech as an employer. However, if you'd like to help me put some sugar in their gas tank, this is a good opportunity.¨
Marshall sighed unhappily, his eyes returning to his hands folded on the desk. ¨I'm sorry Anna, but you have no idea of the size of this thing you're asking about. Malcom is just a pawn; actually I feel a little sorry for him. You're prying at the lid of Pandora's box, and believe me, beating him in a Tournament match is not worth the other things you're going to find inside.¨ He looked up and was disconcerted to see the mischievous grin that was creeping onto her face. ¨Hey, are you listening to me?¨
¨Sounds like that kind of big bad secret that could do some serious damage to FenTech.¨
¨It will do some serious damage to you first, Anna…. In fact, it already has.¨
¨If you're referring to the way my career in the most brutal and unscrupulous division of the armed forces terminated, I would thank FenTech for the favor. That is, of course,¨ she added through her teeth, ¨If I hadn't sworn to pay them back for every drop of innocent blood that was spilled in their name.¨
¨For the last time,¨ Marshall said, pleading now, ¨please do not get mixed up more in this. There is really nothing you can do. You want to know the real reason I haven't left FenTech? I can't, that's why, because I know too much; they'd have to eliminate me.¨
Anna raised her eyebrows, impressed. ¨This really is something big, isn't it? Hey man, don't worry. I can't promise to stay away from this, but I won't ask you anything more if it puts you in danger, all right?¨
Marshall nodded morosely. ¨Do what you want, and I'll wish you the best of luck. I apologize for not being any….¨ he trailed off as something occurred to him. ¨Well, actually, wait a minute,¨ he said as Anna was getting up to leave. ¨There's one little tip I can give you for the match versus the Thunder Crash.¨
¨Yes?¨ she smiled.
¨Review the video files of the Deck 16 match and watch closely for Gorn's position where Malcom screws up. Once you know what to look for, it's pretty obvious.¨
Anna just nodded at him and gave a friendly goodbye salute, touching two fingers to her forehead. Marshall caught the whisper ¨they'll get theirs,¨ that she left floating in the air as the door closed.