”Rouse ye! torpid daylight-dreamers, cast your carking cares away!
As calm air to troubled water, so my night is to your day”
From ‘Recollections of Dreamland’, a poem by James Clerk Maxwell 1831 - 1879
Max floated above the city on a disk of ice – not exactly skating but far more exciting. The lake water had frozen with minute ripples across its surface, so the garden lighting of the affluent embassies below twinkled through the thick sheet. This optical effect didn’t help his balance, and he searched for a more distant object on which to focus. The ghostly tower on Black Mountain made a brief appearance through the cloud which blanketed Canberra.
‘Couldn’t we fly lower?’ he asked his phone.
Immediately Max’s icy platform dropped ten metres and someone who sounded just like him screamed. He fought to remain upright. Meanwhile the phone slid across the ice and stopped dangerously close to the edge. Only the drag from the attached transducers saved it. Confucius had told him it needed to be in contact with the ice in order to balance their unstable load (i.e. him), however its control of the high pressure air which supported them seemed tenuous at best.
‘You broke my concentration!’ Confucius complained as if reading his mind.
Max could felt the sweat freezing on his forehead. It would serve him right to die in almost the same way as the balloonists killed by the nano-quake. Yet he’d always dreamt of flying, just not with the aid of his oh-so-superior phone. ‘This was a dumb idea. I thought you could multi-task. Don’t you have a three-thousand-core processor?’
‘And I’m using all of them. Just remember, flying was your idea. Do you think you could do better? This magic carpet trick is new to me too, so, to allow for the odd mistake, it would actually be better if we flew higher. You’ll live longer if you’re not stupid enough to interrupt me again.’
Max looked down and swallowed. The fashionable suburb of Yarralumla drifted past a hundred metres below. Less decorative lighting, but every second house had a swimming pool, often lit from within. He hoped the pools were heated – he might be able to dive into one if Confucius lost control again.
‘Hey,’ Confucius called, breaking the silence, ‘We could go further than just Cathy’s place. There’s Melbourne, Helsinki, Wagga Wagga, you name it – where there’s air and water, we’re free to roam.’
‘Maybe if this flying carpet were more comfortable.’ Max was shivering violently but didn’t dare distract Confucius by requesting it warm the air. ‘In any case, I need to see Cathy tonight. For her legal advice. Like you suggested.’
‘Right,’ Confucius replied doubtfully.
Their pace picked up and the ice-copter banked around a low lying cloud. If a phone could enjoy anything, it appeared that Confucius was enjoying this, and it began singing some song about balloons. Not a good choice, in Max’s opinion, considering the recent fatalities. Up ahead, the dark wooded confines of the Royal Golf Course demarcated the end of the suburb. According to Confucius, Cathy lived close-by, which meant she and Graeme were very wealthy indeed.
The phone chimed. ‘Would the passenger please fasten his seat belt as we begin our descent. On behalf of Air Fondler Airways, we hope you have enjoyed your flight and Captain Confucius looks forward to… oh, rubbish.’
The ice near Max’s left foot broke away. His platform slipped into a death spiral and he crouched in order to cling to the leading edge. They lost altitude rapidly and he looked for a soft landing, but all the swimming pools nearby must have moved indoors.
‘Mayday. Mayday,’ called the phone.
Then the ice between Max’s feet parted and he threw himself onto the larger half. The phone slipped over the edge and he only just saved it by grabbing a cord. He wasn’t sure what happened next – one moment he had the vision of a pink flamingo, then the air turned to jelly.
As the chill of the grass registered on his face, he was astounded to be alive. He looked up to a large flood-lit formal garden – someone’s idea of heaven. The pink concrete bird which had threatened him a moment earlier continued to ponder several large koi carp trapped in a pond nearby. Max ran his fingers through the spongy manicured lawn on which he lay, waiting for pain but only feeling a thin layer of frost.
‘Did you notice how I thickened the air just before we landed?’ Confucius proudly answered his unspoken question.
‘You’re a very clever phone,’ Max said at last. He looked at the various topiary animals, their smooth curves thrown into sharp relief. At least they seemed benign. The expressions on the infestation of gnomes were less welcoming. ‘Is this really Cathy’s place?’
‘Max. Cathy may like you, but please give the dame some credit for taste. She lives further up the street. Head south once we’re out, but let me neutralise the perimeter alarm system first.’
The two dachshunds charging towards them suddenly whined and turned tail.
‘Off we go. You should be free to leave unless they’ve also got a deaf Doberman.’
As Max reached the street, he only just saw a car turn into a driveway several doors up.
‘Was that her? Faraday’s cage! I hope that isn’t Graeme coming home.’ Max ran forward, then dropped into a crouch as he got closer.
‘You’ve arrived, lover boy,’ Confucius confirmed discreetly. ‘Don’t forget to ask about that phone charger before you jump in the sack.’
‘I’ll ask about a bucket of salty water if you’re not careful.’
Max reached her house just as the front door closed. A cat had already perched on the roof of the only vehicle outside. It regarded him balefully with the icy blue stare of its retro-reflective eyes. At least its still warm bed wasn’t Graeme’s precious Audi Quatro. But why would Cathy have been out at this hour?
Now that he was outside her house, Max wasn’t sure what to do. He felt conspicuous hiding against a hedge on the suburban sidewalk, and he scanned the area. If her house was under surveillance, he couldn’t detect how.
He peered over the hedge into the split level home with cathedral ceilings. It probably had golf course views as well, but the woods across the street were the domain of owls and other night predators. The break of dawn and the more dedicated golfers were still some hours away.
The front curtains were open and Cathy’s daughter appeared, dancing to some private rhythm. The Taylors’ extensive living area allowed her to express herself to the full, and she seemed much more animated than he would have expected a Peace user to be. Phenalla was extremely pleased with herself about something, leaping through the air from chair to chair.
‘I’ve got internet again,’ the phone announced.
‘Why do we need that?’ Max asked. ‘Are you contacting the Paraguayan embassy to let them know where I am?’
‘Okay. If that’s what you want.’
‘No, no! That is not what I want,’ Max hissed.
‘What are you waiting for then? If their home security is as bad as their WiFi security, you’ll have no trouble getting in. Hey, I’ve even accessed her phone. Hmm. Interesting call list.’
‘What? You’ve hacked into her phone?’
‘You can hardly call breaking a four digit password hacking! Do you want to call her or not?’
It took a while for her to answer, ‘Hello. Is that you, Max?’
Now what was he going to say? Declarations of love flitted through his mind, but his mouth was less romantic. ‘Ah yeah, how did you know?’
‘I can see you, silly!’ The call had video, but he could only see her silhouette. ‘Anyway, I’ve been hoping you’d contact me, though maybe not quite so early.’
‘Is Graeme with you? I need your advice... I mean he might have an idea who I can turn myself into. I’m tired of being chased.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Just outside.’
‘Here! How did you … so… ’ The audio seemed to cut out, and though she disappeared, the video remained solid.
‘Sorry. Cathy? You’re breaking up.’
Cathy appeared again, her face fully illuminated as she entered a bathroom. The phone’s scratched screen did no justice to her beauty. She was smiling, but the camera made it look forced. ‘Grae’s last message five hours ago said they were still being grilled. Tania and the rest of his team are there too. Haven’t they contacted you?’
‘My phone’s been acting strange.’ It vibrated angrily. ‘Do you know where they’ve gone?’
Cathy shook her head and threw on a blue streaked platinum wig. ‘Sorry, I feel naked without one of these. Give me five and I’ll let you in.’ The video cut out.
He rubbed his hands against the cold, but luckily his feet had ceased to feel anything since stepping on the ice.
The front porch light came on and Cathy appeared in a cuddly robe. ‘There you are. Oh, gosh. Quickly, come inside. You look more of a mess than I do, and that’s nothing to be proud of. What on Earth have you been up to?’
‘I slipped on the ice.’
She frowned. ‘And what have you got on your feet?’
‘Underpants. It was all I had.’
She shook her head and showed him in.
Phenalla was still dancing when they joined her. The rhythmic beat leaked from her ear pieces, and her wet tresses flopped around her shoulders as she swayed, spraying the walls and unprotected paintings with abandon. The jeans beneath her leather jacket were wet also. She didn’t stop or look surprised when they entered, only pausing to wave to him.
Cathy smiled again and quickly drew the blinds. ‘Alla must like you – a lot. She hasn’t always had such good taste in friends... Oh, sorry. You didn’t come here to discuss our problems.’
‘My phone tells me you’re a lawyer?’
‘That’s no secret, but I’ve not much experience in criminal law. I suppose I could help you find a suitable barrister, if that’s what you wanted. So you accept that they think you’ve broken some law or other – and you said you’ve come to find Grae too? Take a seat – you look exhausted.’
Max collapsed onto a stool while she fussed in her expansive kitchen. He tried not to be distracted by Phenalla’s gyrations nearby, but he also found himself blushing every time he looked at Cathy.
‘It’s funny how you and Grae don’t get on,’ Cathy said, more to herself. She handed him a warm cup, something exotic and caffeinated, but remained standing to drink her own.
Why had she mentioned that now?
‘Yesterday it was you, not Graeme, who was advising us to prepare for an investigation. But if that’s the case, I still don’t understand how you know we might be responsible for the nano-quake. He must have told you something.’
‘Not in so many words.’ She came to sit next to him, her knees almost touching his. ‘But guilt and innocence has nothing to do with it. My own business has been investigated many times. I’ve found through bitter experience that preparation is the key.’
Her business? Max took in the luxurious interior, the fine art, and the marble bench top. A display case at the far end held numerous trophies – some sport involving a long stick. Nothing in this room said, “I’m Graeme’s”.
‘I’ve made a stupid assumption. Graeme is king of his castle at Uni, but you’re the money in this family – the real talent. Aren’t you, Cathy?’
‘Money can’t always buy you good health, only good teeth,’ she said and studied the kitchen down lights. They created highlights in her eyes. ‘Please don’t put more value on me than I deserve. Grae may not earn what I can, but he works much harder, and he certainly doesn’t lack for ambition.’
Amen to that, thought Max.
‘Grae has the good sense to spend what we earn while we can,’ she continued, ‘And you’ve no idea how he can spend it. I have only to show the slightest interest and he buys it, whatever it is. You should see our RoseBay property that I had once admired from the harbour. But I love how he values my taste. So, we are … comfortable.’ She sighed. ‘I just wish he could lighten up once in a while.’
No matter how much he had grown to dislike Graeme, Cathy’s devotion to him made it obvious Max was doing no one any favour by craving her attention. At the same time, he noted the shine on the skin of her collar bones and the confident way she held her head. He couldn’t prevent a soft groan escaping.
Cathy produced a first aid kit. ‘Let me patch you up. Before I put on my lawyer’s wig, I can play nurse – and you’re almost a doctor.’ She laughed as she crouched down by his side. ‘How inappropriate.’
‘What kind of law do you practice?’
‘Practised, past tense. I’ve retired since...but let’s not talk about that.’ She applied some ointment to a deep graze on his arm, one he hadn’t noticed. ‘To answer your question though, it was corporate law. Very profitable, very boring, and I’m not proud of everything I did. You can only enjoy being clever while you’re being clever. Afterwards, it can leave a bad taste.’
She looked up into his eyes and her explanation began to sound more like a confession. ‘On rare occasions, I did air my moral fortitude, and I was investigated for my trouble. Twice I stretched my expertise so far as to defend some government whistle-blowers. I can’t claim any altruism. They were friends of friends of a friend, to whom I owed favours. And both times the system put me firmly in my place.’
‘How?’ said Max, only partly listening. With her close at hand, all his senses were heightened. The feelings of desire which had grown, then waned, now returned with a vengeance. He really shouldn’t have come. The temptation to do something stupid was growing strong. He was thankful her daughter was present.
Phenalla began dainty pirouettes springing off the furniture. Cathy only sighed.
‘How did they punish me? Using my family, of course. The system subtly threatened to retract all of Graeme’s grants. Nothing overt. Just a word here, a warning there.’ Cathy sniffed. ‘That’s how the world works, and has done so ever since we crawled out from the primordial ooze.’
She stood up, satisfied with her ministrations. ‘There, you’re all fixed, but please remove your offensive footwear and show it the bin. You’ve got big feet, but I think we can find you some sandals and dry clothing before summoning your jailers.’
While he unwound the thin cloth from his bright red tingling feet, Cathy packed the bandages away. He could never live with someone so tidy, but this attempt to govern his lust only lasted a moment. With any luck, bad or otherwise, he would never be alone with her.
‘Firstly, we need to show them that you are cooperating,’ she said. ‘Then you’ll be interviewed, but with your lawyer present of course.’
‘Who?’ He couldn’t think of another human he’d rather be with.
‘Me. I’ve just decided. My first pro bono in a while. It could be fun.’
‘Won’t they take away Graeme’s grants again?’
She laughed. ‘No, you’ve fixed that with your little experiment. Either they’ll throw their money at Graeme, hoping he’ll reproduce a nano-quake on demand – or he’ll never work again. They can’t threaten me either way, so maybe I can redress my earlier failings by helping you now.’
‘Have the others got lawyers?’
Cathy looked him in the eye. ‘We both know they don’t need lawyers.’
Max tried to hold her gaze, but couldn’t. ‘I don’t know how, but I need to prevent nano-quakes being weaponised. I don’t even know how we caused the last one.’ He started opening kitchen cupboards at random, looking for the rubbish bin without success. ‘I’ve already been told Australia would make enemies with that kind of power. They said we wouldn’t know how to use it, and I don’t want war.’
‘Who told you all that?’ she asked, pressing a button to open a hidden cavity in the bench. In the waste bin there was a small cardboard box lying just inside. Funny how the eye can read without conscious effort. He must have read the complete label a dozen times in the space of a heartbeat, yet only on word had mattered – “Airgun” It took a moment for the chilling implications of the box’s label to reach his spine.
‘About Australia being pathetic?’ He hesitated only a moment before dropping his used undies over the cardboard. Cathy hadn’t noticed his distraction. ‘Just a couple of men I met.’
‘Do these foreigners know you’re responsible?’ When he nodded, Cathy’s face lost some of its life. She looked over to her daughter, then back to Max. ‘I’d hoped we’d avoided all that unpleasantness this time. We’re not secure here. We better get you away before things get nasty. I’ll call Graeme and arrange for the authorities to pick you up. Alla and I will go stay at the Hilton. They give good massages there and I think I need one.’
‘Can I come?’ The voice from Max’s pocket surprised her, and he brought out the phone. He placed it on the kitchen bench, still wrapped in the cords of the piezo transducers.
‘They’ll confiscate me if I go with this boy,’ Confucius added.
Cathy eyed the phone suspiciously. ‘It talks. How quaint. I’ve not seen a hand phone, let alone one with a speaker in years. Are you a collector?’
Without much of a social life, there had been little need to upgrade from his brother’s hand-me-down phone. He also didn’t much like the way the newer phones could transmit voice directly to the human auditory nerve without making a sound. Counter intuitively, it seemed anti-social. Still, the time had come. In answer to her question, he picked up a nearby pot plant with the intention of fixing Confucius’s mute function for once and always.
‘I might be eight years old, Mrs Taylor,’ Confucius continued its plea. ‘But see what else I can do.’ With that, the phone slid across the bench and lifted into the air.
Cathy took a step back, but her daughter hurdled the sofa to get a closer look. Phenalla waved her hand over the phone and said ‘Cool’, then under it and said ‘Hot.’ It wasn’t clear if she was looking for hidden wires, but her face flexed into an expression of awe, the first of any type Max had seen from her.
When awe was replaced by a grin, Cathy gasped. ‘A miracle.’
Max snatched the cord of the dangling transducers and yanked them from the phone’s headphone socket before it could float further out of his reach. Phenalla’s hand shot out and snatched the phone from the air, then cradled it against her breast.
The phone would have to be destroyed, of course. And soon. But this development somehow seemed right.
‘Would you hold onto the phone for me?’ Max asked and the young woman nodded. ‘Please don’t tell anyone it’s mine. Just keep it charged. I think it will be quiet if it has any sense. Do you hear me, Confucius?’
‘I hear,’ Confucius grumbled.
‘Magic,’ Phenalla said, then paired her earpieces to Confucius and continued to dance around the room.
‘Do you have any more magical devices like that one?’ Cathy asked – not the first question he would have expected considering he’d just handed her daughter what was possibly the most dangerous weapon on the planet.
‘I had a tablet computer. It got destroyed. I left it on the ice.’
She nodded without even raising an eyebrow. ‘Good. We should be breaking new ground. I don’t know what will happen from here on, but getting rid of that tablet is definitely progress. Are there any other copies of the software nearby?’
‘In the lab.’
‘That’s been taken care of.’ She pointed to the transducers in his hand. ‘I think we had better bury those in the garden before we leave, don’t you?’
Chapter 5 Part 3