I walked into the common room for breakfast and immediately noticed the lack of people. This was the one time of the day when the place was usually crowded. Pete and Penny were sitting at one table, Krishna and one of his nurses, Jack, at another. Anna was eating by the panoramic window and Bill was cooking himself something.
That was everyone.
I joined Bill and made myself some toast, coffee and a bowl of muesli. We joined Anna.
‘Strangely quiet,’ I said.
‘Yes. Too quiet,’ said Anna.
Bill used his personal intercom, ‘Computer. Where is Doug?’
‘Doug is not in Moonbase, Bill,’ said the computer.
‘Computer, how many people are in Moonbase?’ I asked.
‘There are currently fifteen people in Moonbase, Mark’
‘There’s something going on,’ I said. ‘I’m going to the com dome.’
All three of us jumped up, hurrying out of the common room and into the com dome. Dave Morgan was at the console.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked.
‘The Marines are heading for the rille,’ he said. ‘Didn’t you know?’
‘No, we most certainly did not know!’ said Bill.
‘What’s happening? Tell us what you know,’ I said.
‘Doug and Mike were talking to Earth earlier and I heard them being authorised to carryout “Operation Free Minds”,’ said Dave. ‘They left and there was a lot of activity in the garage dome. About thirty minutes ago, all three buggies left. The open buggies were well overloaded, and the main buggy was towing a trailer with more Marines and what looked like weapons.’
‘Unbelievable,’ said Anna. ‘How dare they?’
‘I thought you knew, Mark. Sorry,’ said Dave.
‘Get me mission control,’ I said, and Dave busied himself with the transmitter controls.
‘That’s you connected, Mark.’
‘Sorry, Dave. Can we ask you to leave the com dome?’ asked Anna.
‘Yes. I’ll be in the common room,’ he said.
‘Thanks, Dave,’ said Bill.
‘Neil?’
‘Good morning, Mark.’
‘What the fuck is going on?’
‘Sorry, Mark. It was a strategic military decision,’ Neil said. ‘They would not allow me to even tell you.’
God. The communication delay was frustrating. ‘Explain,’ I said. ‘Why wasn’t I informed or even consulted?’
‘This wasn’t me, Mark. The generals took over mission control and gave the orders.’
‘What are the orders?’
‘To take the Asimov Rille and bring the infected back to Moonbase where they’ll be irradiated.’
I couldn’t believe it. ‘The symbiosis is incredible, Neil. They’ve even given us warp travel. Hurt them and we lose it all. They are no longer a threat. Haven’t the universities got back to you?’
‘Yes, but the military weren’t interested. Cambridge said the material was ground-breaking. Amherst’s scepticism had gone and they wanted to know more,’ said Neil.
‘This is crazy, Neil. It’s genocide!’ I exclaimed.
‘They don’t see it like that. They see these things as bugs or viruses, not intelligent beings.’
‘But they add to our intelligence exponentially. If they’re harmed it will be the world’s most stupid decision ever,’ I said.
‘NASA agrees with you to a degree and wanted to carry out the study you suggested, but we were overruled.’
‘Out, Neil,’ I said then tuned the console to channel sixteen.
‘Roy, come in, over,’ I said.
It was twenty or thirty seconds before there was a reply, ‘Hi, Mark. Roy here.’
‘You’re under attack or soon will be,’ I said.
‘Yes, we know,’ said Roy. ‘Some of them are in the airlock now. We’re not going to resist. Presumably they’ll irradiate us and then bring us back with them. We’ll play dead. Did you deal with Krishna?’
‘Yes, and both the nurses,’ I said.
‘What’s this about?’ asked Anna.
‘Okay, Mark. Don’t worry about us. The airlock is cycling, bye,’ Roy said, and the carrier wave dropped to silent.
‘What were you saying about Krishna and the nurses?’ asked Bill.
‘I was going to tell you over breakfast. I gave them the other entities from the box and sat with them until they stopped resisting and I could explain their symbiotic nature,’ I said.
‘And they went along with it?’ asked Anna.
‘They are with us now. Computer, where is Krishna?’ I said.
‘Krishna is in the surgery, Mark.’
‘NASA calling Moonbase, over,’ Neil’s voice came from the console.
‘Not in the mood for chitchat,’ I said to him.
‘We need to talk, Mark. I had no choice in this,’ said Neil.
‘Later, maybe. I’m busy right now… trying to prevent genocide! Mark out!’ I said angrily and cut the connection. ‘Come on,’ I said to Bill and Anna, ‘let’s go to the surgery.’
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
We stood in ward two with Krishna, Diana and Jack. I explained that an attack on the rille was in progress.
‘How are you getting on with your entities?’ asked Anna.
‘Amazing,’ said Jack. ‘I couldn’t believe Mark had infected us deliberately, but then it, he, showed me how the connection works.’
‘My entity says he is ready to divide,’ I said.
‘Mine too,’ said Bill.
We sat down and watched our hands as duplicates eased their way out of our flesh and collected on a kidney dish.
‘Computer, ask Pete to come to the surgery,’ I said.
‘Pete is being asked to come to the surgery, Mark,’ said the computer.
Krishna opened the ward door and said, ‘Alexei, when Pete arrives, will you bring him in here, please.’
A few minutes later, the door opened and they both came into ward two.
‘Please sit down,’ I said, and they sat on one of the couches.
‘Please don’t panic,’ I said and both men looked at me suspiciously.
Bill stood before them with the kidney dish and they saw what it contained. Alexei didn’t have time to react, but Pete did. He tried to knock the dish away, but his fight ceased as the entity brought him under control.
‘Sit still,’ I said, seeing the glazed eyes within their frightened expressions.
‘Release them,’ I said and watched as they returned to normal but looked at the rest of us in disbelief.
‘You’ve infected us. You bastards!’ shouted Pete.
‘Settle down. Relax,’ said Krishna. ‘Takeover it isn’t; symbiosis it is. Let your new friend show you its wonders. Offers nothing but good things, it does. Certainly, won’t hurt you.’
Now there were eight of us. If things went well, we’d reclaim control of Moonbase. We’d certainly crossed a line. There was no longer any turning back.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
I sat in the com dome watching the door close now that all the buggies were inside. Red stripes on Doug’s suit shoulders identified him as the senior officer. Mike’s insignia were blue as second in command.
They stood, with eight Marines guarding the prisoners as they exited the buggies. Four others were already vacuuming the outsides of the buggies. Then they were instructed to vacuum the prisoners’ and Marines’ suits. Procedures had to be followed, even in this bizarre scenario. The infected were lined up and the projectors used to irradiate them. All five fell to the ground as if dead. The Marines helped them to their feet.
‘You’ll have bad headaches for a while until we can get these things out of you in the surgery. Ah, here’s Diana,’ said Doug as the nurse entered the garage dome.
‘I know you’re hurting but come with me and we’ll soon have you back to normal,’ she said.
The prisoners, all holding their heads, followed the nurse out of the dome.
‘Right,’ said Doug, ‘I want this place and the inside of those buggies as dust free as a microchip factory, in double quick time!’
In the surgery, the augmented discontinued their feigned headaches and many more entities climbed out of their suits and into a storage flask.
‘Doug and Mike, please make your way to the surgery,’ said the computer.
I heard the message and knew we’d have two more recruits in quick order. By mid-afternoon we’d all be Selenites.