“Go ahead and ask your questions,” Pribadium encourages. She’s a good liar,
so he can ask whatever he wants, it doesn’t mean he will get the answers he
expects.
“How many like you are there out there?” Sora asks as if it’s a complete
thought.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pribadium says. “Asset managers,
or Chief Asset Managers? I’m the only CAM. There are a few other asset
managers below me. There are other chiefs. Would you like me to list them?”
“I’m not talking about chiefs or asset managers!” Sora cries. “I want to
know how many immortals there are! Stop dancing around the subject! I know
what you are!”
Pribadium is confused. “How many immortals? Billions, I guess. I don’t have
the numbers. Did you check the aggregate records? Those stats are probably
in there.”
Sora shakes his head, growing even more frustrated. “Not people who became
that way through life extension consciousness digitization. I’m talking
about real, totally unkillable immortals who can survive being thrown into
the air by a pyrotornado, and later falling several kilometers down a giant
chasm in the planet.”
Pribadium stares at him. She has no clue what he’s going on about. “That’s
not possible. No substrate is strong enough to survive what you’re
describing.”
“Well, I saw it happen.” He sighs, seemingly working through a debate in his
own head. “Tertius. Does the name Tertius mean anything to you, or Aeterna?”
“I have never heard of them. Are they bands, errr...?”
“Quit joking, and quit lying,” Sora whines. “They’re real immortals. They
survived the impossible. I know you know them. I heard them whispering about
you in the north dome. They said that survivors of Proxima Doma would end up
here, and that you would be able to help. They acted like they knew you, and
now here we are on Gatewood.”
She continues to stare. She isn’t lying. She genuinely doesn’t know who that
is. The number of people in the timeline who have temporal abilities is a
low fraction compared to the total population, but it’s still too many for
everyone to know everyone. She has never cared to meet more. “Maybe they
knew me, but I didn’t reciprocate.”
Sora buries his face in his palms. “You have to help us. You have to fix
this.”
Before Pribadium can ask exactly what she wants him to fix, one of the other
hostage-takers bursts into the room. “Shimizu. A Teaguardian is here.”
Sora’s eyes widen. He stands up, and paces frantically. “Shit. Get everyone
to the tunnels. Hide. If they can’t find you, they can’t make you leave.
I’ll watch the prisoner.”
A soldier suddenly teleports into the room. “Chief Asset Manager Pribadium
Delgado? I’m here to rescue you.” She raises her gun when Sora moves a
single muscle.
“Wait!” Pribadium orders. “I need him alive. He’s undigitized. In my domain,
killing him would be a crime. We had a deal with Teagarden. You shouldn’t be
here.”
“I just go where I’m told, CAM Delgado. We need to leave now.” They are
about to glass this planet.
“That is not necessary,” Pribadium starts to explain. “We’re already doing
it.”
“We know, but my superiors believe that there is not enough time for that.
They’re going to do it the hard way. It will recoalesce, but that won’t help
these people.”
Pribadium actively stops the soldier from teleporting her out of the room.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not done here yet. And you gotta go.” She pushes the
soldier into a portal, then turns back to Sora. “You can either come with
me, or go with her. Your choice.”
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