Read Online Redwood: Servant of the State by Jaxon Reed - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jaxon Reed
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locations were eventually allowed to resume, so long as they could be carried out remotely from New Texas A and M. Special permission to visit them is given on occasion, when a human presence is deemed absolutely necessary, but the paperwork involved makes it a pain. Fortunately, one benefit of the paperwork is, it allows us to give Professor Kalinowski a heads up when someone plans to visit AES Three.”
He nodded at my raised eyebrows, answering my unspoken question.
“Yes, we do keep track of things. Several of us are … ‘accomplished hackers’ might be a good way to put it.
“ All contact with wildlife while visiting an AES on Redwood must be documented in an after visit report. Over time, the State began to figure out that not all wildlife on Redwood is dangerous, and the mid-forest primates are where the problems lie. Of course, we told them that early on, but bureaucrats rarely listen to those in the field.
“When the bans on research started coming down, several of us decided to continue despite the State’s edicts. With the approval of New Texas A and M, we found ways to return to Redwood, and resume our work. As the years went by, we picked up a few additional people that friends on New Texas smuggled to us. Dee Dee, for instance.”
I turned to look at her. She smiled back, flashing white teeth.
“And now you’re here. A person who has been infected off planet by one of our original researchers. As you can imagine, we are extremely interested in studying you. You have a unique link to Redwood.”
He stopped pacing again. I shifted the weight on my feet. The thought of being poked and prodded made me nervous. As if sensing my discomfort, the Professor raised his hand to fend off my worries.
“It’s true we are operating discreetly here. The State would say, ‘illegally’ if they knew about it. But, all our research on you would be carried out under guidelines established by our Internal Review Board back at the University.”
I stared at him with a blank look on my face. His wife, Mrs. Cruz, spoke up.
“That means we’re not going to hurt you, dear.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s good.”
A couple of light chuckles floated around the room.
“Our colleague Professor Kalinowski has filled us in on several of your capabilities, such as stealing quadcopters without getting caught. He evidently did not know you were hematophagous, and frankly I don’t blame you for not sharing that bit of knowledge. You fed during your time with him, as you’ve recounted, with hidden vials of blood. I don’t think you would have attacked him had you not had the blood, which is our real concern. It seems you haven’t attacked others in all your time hematophagous, finding mammalian substitutes for human blood when necessary. Professor Kalinowski vouches for your character, and I’ve argued for allowing you to stay. As a group, we’ve agreed to it.”
A long pause. He took a deep breath. He glanced around the room, probably at those who’d voted against me staying, I thought.
“I’ll be blunt. We’re operating a clandestine research mission completely off the State’s grid. They don’t know we’re here. We have no intention of letting them know we’re here. Should you jeopardize our mission, or seek to harm one of us, we’ll execute the State’s prerogative in that APB to eliminate you.”
I gulped. Well, there it is, I thought. They’re saying either get along with us or we’ll kill you.
A long pause. They seemed to be waiting for me to say something.
“I’ve got no love for the State. Happy to help your research any way I can.”
The Professor nodded.
“Very well. I don’t expect to have to take such drastic measures, but you need to understand what we’re dealing with, and why. We’re not going to let twenty years of research go down the drain. All of us have sacrificed deeply to be here. We’ve committed our lives to this. You’re essentially stuck here with us. We trust you, for
He nodded at my raised eyebrows, answering my unspoken question.
“Yes, we do keep track of things. Several of us are … ‘accomplished hackers’ might be a good way to put it.
“ All contact with wildlife while visiting an AES on Redwood must be documented in an after visit report. Over time, the State began to figure out that not all wildlife on Redwood is dangerous, and the mid-forest primates are where the problems lie. Of course, we told them that early on, but bureaucrats rarely listen to those in the field.
“When the bans on research started coming down, several of us decided to continue despite the State’s edicts. With the approval of New Texas A and M, we found ways to return to Redwood, and resume our work. As the years went by, we picked up a few additional people that friends on New Texas smuggled to us. Dee Dee, for instance.”
I turned to look at her. She smiled back, flashing white teeth.
“And now you’re here. A person who has been infected off planet by one of our original researchers. As you can imagine, we are extremely interested in studying you. You have a unique link to Redwood.”
He stopped pacing again. I shifted the weight on my feet. The thought of being poked and prodded made me nervous. As if sensing my discomfort, the Professor raised his hand to fend off my worries.
“It’s true we are operating discreetly here. The State would say, ‘illegally’ if they knew about it. But, all our research on you would be carried out under guidelines established by our Internal Review Board back at the University.”
I stared at him with a blank look on my face. His wife, Mrs. Cruz, spoke up.
“That means we’re not going to hurt you, dear.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s good.”
A couple of light chuckles floated around the room.
“Our colleague Professor Kalinowski has filled us in on several of your capabilities, such as stealing quadcopters without getting caught. He evidently did not know you were hematophagous, and frankly I don’t blame you for not sharing that bit of knowledge. You fed during your time with him, as you’ve recounted, with hidden vials of blood. I don’t think you would have attacked him had you not had the blood, which is our real concern. It seems you haven’t attacked others in all your time hematophagous, finding mammalian substitutes for human blood when necessary. Professor Kalinowski vouches for your character, and I’ve argued for allowing you to stay. As a group, we’ve agreed to it.”
A long pause. He took a deep breath. He glanced around the room, probably at those who’d voted against me staying, I thought.
“I’ll be blunt. We’re operating a clandestine research mission completely off the State’s grid. They don’t know we’re here. We have no intention of letting them know we’re here. Should you jeopardize our mission, or seek to harm one of us, we’ll execute the State’s prerogative in that APB to eliminate you.”
I gulped. Well, there it is, I thought. They’re saying either get along with us or we’ll kill you.
A long pause. They seemed to be waiting for me to say something.
“I’ve got no love for the State. Happy to help your research any way I can.”
The Professor nodded.
“Very well. I don’t expect to have to take such drastic measures, but you need to understand what we’re dealing with, and why. We’re not going to let twenty years of research go down the drain. All of us have sacrificed deeply to be here. We’ve committed our lives to this. You’re essentially stuck here with us. We trust you, for
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