The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Author:Annalee Newitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

28

CYLINDRA’S OFFICE

From: Ronnie Drake

To: Misha

Subject: appointment with Emerald VP Cylindra

Date: May 5, 59,706

Origin: Verdance Corporation

Least-cost path: VD Hab Cartier (0.001), Turtle Wormhole (3.2), Tisdale Station (0.9), Sask-E Sat (0.05)

You’re scheduled for a sit-down this afternoon with Cylindra at her office in the Ziggurat penthouse. Details attached. Don’t be late. This is your chance to explain our plans to her and get buy-in. Cylindra can be difficult, but she knows the Verdance templates. Make sure she understands that there are no options other than trains because that will cut down on confusion.

Ace left early the next morning, but not before making sure Sulfur was utterly satisfied in private as well as in the packed bar.

“See you around, ranger.” They kissed the Archaean on the lips while they lay in bed, still exhausted. “Let me know if you’re back in the Emerald cities again.”

With that, they grabbed Sulfur’s hand and pressed it to an interface on their hip, probably intended for tuning up their legs. A string of numbers shot into Sulfur’s memory—Ace’s unique identifier, assigned by Emerald when they were slaved, which could sometimes be used to locate a person if Emerald’s admins permitted it.

“Here’s mine.” Sulfur passed Ace their public identifier, generated at Spider City along with a private identifier controlled by Sulfur alone. Ace’s private identifier was no doubt in the possession of Emerald. As they kissed one last time, Sulfur realized with a pang that it was almost impossible that they would ever see each other again, even with these numbers. Neither of them truly controlled their futures.

Restless with this thought, Sulfur tried to fall asleep again as the truck rumbled to life outside. But it was no use; they were anxious in a way that could only be dispelled with some exercise. Stepping into their work coveralls, Sulfur left the house and walked in the opposite direction from the ziggurat downtown. The path took them along the edges of agricultural zones and through clusters of drying trellises that looked like they would be mills one day. A group of parrots flew overhead, their voices lost in the wind. It was almost like they had left the city behind. And then they turned around and saw Lefthand’s skyline of unsteady megastructures, doomed to rot in a decade.

Today’s agenda, Misha explained later over breakfast, would be to meet with the top Emerald rep in town and ask her what she thought about public transit for the city.

“What?” Sulfur gulped their marshelder porridge too fast, and it became a knob in their throat. “I thought we were using Spider as our test case for dealing with local leadership?”

“Ronnie wants us to meet with Cylindra, who used to work with her. It’s good because Cylindra is familiar with the transit contract.” Misha took a final bite of porridge and wiped his mouth with the back of a hand. “She’s set our meeting for this afternoon.”

Sulfur was furious. “So now we’re not going to Spider, after all? You changed all our research plans while I was gone?”

Rocket sat down next to Sulfur at the table and fiddled with a spoon.

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