"Your superior?"
My superior? Hadn't they all already been obliterated by the Antimatter Bomb?
In the dimly lit meeting room, Yang Ming came face-to-face with three men and women dressed in Sherman Empire military uniforms.
Yang Ming hadn't been idle during his three days in solitary confinement. Using Hanton's memories and the books he could get his hands on, he'd crammed in a great deal of basic knowledge.
For instance, he recognized the ranks of the three Imperial soldiers before him at a glance.
The middle-aged man in the center was a Lieutenant Colonel, presumably the leader of the group.
The young woman on the left was a Lieutenant. She held a notebook-like Network Terminal and was in charge of taking notes.
The Major on the far right didn't stand out much and was probably a deputy or something similar.
"Hello, Captain Hanton," the Lieutenant Colonel said first, extending his right hand.
Yang Ming gave a crisp military salute, then shook his hand lightly.
"Please, sit down, Hanton."
The Lieutenant Colonel gestured, and the prison guards politely withdrew from the meeting room.
The female Lieutenant took out an oval device and pressed a few buttons. A pale blue plasma screen enveloped the four of them, blocking outside eavesdroppers.
Impressive technology.
The Lieutenant Colonel lowered his voice. "Hanton, we're a little late. I hope you don't mind. The military gave this a great deal of careful thought before deciding to let you bear the blame this time. You performed very well at the interrogation hearing."
"Sir, it was my duty."
"You may have to endure some hardship from here on," the Lieutenant Colonel said. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I work for Military Intelligence Department Twelve. You don't need to know my name. Officially, I'm a technical officer."
"Understood, sir."
Yang Ming nodded. "Does the Empire need me to do anything?"
His performance was flawless.
"Yes, Hanton." The Lieutenant Colonel's expression turned serious. "You must not plead guilty. That would deal an unprecedented blow to the Empire's reputation. We have to publicly deny the existence of Professor Gigrov and the War God Program—or, rather, claim they never existed."
Yang Ming nodded to show he understood.
"Don't worry, Hanton. No matter what verdict the Interstellar Court reaches, we'll get you back within two or three years. You'll be treated as a hero. You may not be able to appear in public, but you and your family will receive all the benefits afforded to a hero's family."
Yang Ming filled his eyes with longing, while inwardly cursing under his breath.
The meeting lasted about five minutes.
The Imperial Lieutenant Colonel offered him some encouragement and instructions. Essentially, Yang Ming was to deny the existence of the War God Program in court.
This was probably part of the Sherman Empire's interstellar public-relations war. Otherwise, Military Intelligence Department Twelve wouldn't have come to see him, a discarded pawn.
As for whether anyone would care about poor Hanton after the next hearing...
Yang Ming had no illusions about that.
He might as well think about how to break out of prison. At least that seemed more realistic.
Every three days, the prisoners were given a chance to take exercise together, going in rotation by floor to the rooftop deck garden. The fifth floor's exercise period was from three to five in the afternoon.
Yang Ming planned to use today's exercise period to study the prison's layout carefully and come up with an escape plan as soon as possible.
Getting out of the prison itself wouldn't be too difficult. The real challenge was getting hold of a ship capable of making a jump—and figuring out how to fly the thing.
But after lunch, something Yang Ming hadn't expected happened...
"No. 0639, Hanton."
Chief Guard Gulipa frowned at Hanton, holding a square glass device.
A hint of confusion showed in the Chief Guard's eyes, but he still read out the information he'd just received.
"Meeting Room No. 10. Your superior is waiting for you again."
Hm?
Had those three forgotten to tell him something and come back?
Wasn't the prison rule that visits were limited to one a week?
Then again, rules like that were made for powerful political entities to trample all over.
Escorted by the guards, Yang Ming arrived at the meeting room. He'd barely opened the door when he froze.
Two men and a woman, still wearing Imperial military uniforms. The same ranks: Lieutenant Colonel, Major, and Lieutenant.
But they weren't the three who'd visited before lunch.
What was going on?
Yang Ming did his best to suppress his confusion. He saluted, shook hands, and sat down as before. The other party took out a square device and spread a pink shield of light around them.
"Captain Hanton," the Lieutenant Colonel said, "I work for Military Intelligence Department Twelve. You don't need to know my name. That's our policy."
"Sir," Yang Ming said, keeping his expression neutral, "is there something you need to tell me?"
"Yes, Captain." The Lieutenant Colonel sighed. "The public-relations situation is very unfavorable for us right now. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting here so long. We'll get you out as soon as we can."
Yang Ming looked grateful.
The Lieutenant Colonel considered his words for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"As you know, Hanton, every country is conducting genetic fusion experiments. Gigrov was somewhat radical, but he was still a scholar we respected.
"We invested a great deal of money in the Valkyrie Project. Now all we have to show for it is some fragments of fragments."
Yang Ming asked, "Was there no remote backup of the experimental data?"
"Unfortunately, no," the Lieutenant Colonel replied. "It was a basic mistake, but Professor Geglov had always refused to share his research with other departments, and he refused to make a backup."
Yang Ming nearly cheered aloud.
In a low voice, Yang Ming said, "I wasn't directly involved in the experiments, and I don't have any experimental materials. I was a technical Third Mate responsible for repairing the fire-suppression pipes... You should know that."
The Lieutenant Colonel's face immediately fell.
He soon pulled himself together and asked about Yang Ming's life there, promising to bring him back to the Empire as soon as possible.
Yang Ming asked about his "companions." The Lieutenant Colonel answered fluently, accurately naming the Administrative Planets where several researchers had been placed to recuperate.
The meeting lasted about six minutes.
Back in his cell, Yang Ming couldn't stop the questions bubbling up inside him.
Two batches of Military Intelligence Department Twelve officials?
What was going on?
One real and one fake? Or were they both fake?
This was getting confusing. Yang Ming felt he needed to sort it out carefully.
"What's wrong, Hanton?"
His elderly roommate asked cautiously, "You look like you've run into some trouble. You've been restless lately."
Yang Ming sighed. "Maybe being locked up for so long is getting to me. It's hard to take. I didn't even do anything wrong."
"That's right, Hanton. None of us did anything wrong. The world is what's wrong," Roommate A said with a smile.
Yang Ming nodded. His roommate seemed to have lost interest in talking, too.
About two hours later, that familiar sound of footsteps came again.
Again?
Yang Ming frowned and looked toward the cell door. The Chief Guard was approaching, holding the square glass device. It was a Network Terminal, similar to a phone.
"No. 0639, Hanton."
Chief Guard Gulipa's voice carried a note of hesitation. He looked at Hanton, then carefully compared him with the information on his terminal.
The Chief Guard's attitude had changed somewhat.
"Meeting Room No. 11. Your supe—how many superiors do you have?"
Yang Ming shrugged. "I'd like to know that myself."
Yang Ming hadn't expected anyone he knew to be among the third group of "superiors" he met.
Dr. Lina.
She'd changed into a white blouse and a dark green skirt suit. Her long golden hair was tied back, and her slender figure curved into a startling silhouette. She radiated the distinctive charm of a mature woman.
Yang Ming glanced at the other man and woman. The Lieutenant Colonel in the center and the female Captain beside him gave Yang Ming the impression of being "Imperial soldiers through and through."
The female Captain took out a hexagonal device and spread a pale gold shield of light around the four of them.
"Hanton, are you doing all right?" Dr. Lina asked softly, unable to hide the concern in her eyes.
"I'm doing fine," Yang Ming replied with a smile.
"Hello, Hanton. I work for Military Intelligence Department Twelve." The Lieutenant Colonel in the center stood and shook Yang Ming's hand. "I'm sorry we could only come see you now. We had a lot of paperwork to sort out."
Yang Ming gave a slight nod and let out a quiet breath.
"You're the third group," he said. "The third batch of Military Intelligence Department Twelve officials."
All three looked startled.
The Lieutenant Colonel frowned. "The first two groups must have been New Federation and United States of Freedom intelligence agents. Damn it, they got here before us."
Dr. Lina hurriedly asked, "Did you tell them anything?"
Yang Ming shook his head. "I was just the ship's Third Mate, responsible for repairing the fire-suppression pipes. Isn't that right, Doctor?"
"That's right, exactly." Lina's lips curved into a charming smile. "Good thing you were cautious, Hanton. They must have been after the Research Ship's findings."
Yang Ming said, "They were all obliterated in the Antimatter Bomb."
The Lieutenant Colonel spoke in a measured voice. "Don't worry, Hanton. We'll bring you back as soon as possible. I know you're a loyal soldier, and the Empire won't forget your service."
"Thank you," Yang Ming said sincerely.
Lina took a medicine bottle from the bag beside her and placed it in Yang Ming's hand.
"This medicine has been approved by the prison authorities," she said. "You can keep it with you at all times. Take one capsule every three days, or whenever you feel unwell. It should ease your depression symptoms."
"Oh, thank you so much, Doctor."
Yang Ming clutched the bottle tightly, gazing at Lina.
"We'll get you out of here as soon as we can, Hanton."
Dr. Lina said that just before she left.
Yang Ming's eyes grew slightly moist. He nodded, his hand still clutching the bottle as the guards put him in handcuffs and led him back to his cell.
Once he was lying facing the wall, his expression quickly turned cold.
Yang Ming opened the bottle and found a number of pale yellow, transparent capsules inside.
Was this really a genetic stabilizer?
Should he trust Lina?
Three groups of Military Intelligence Department Twelve officials...
Which group really represented the Sherman Empire? And whom should he trust?
Yang Ming tried to detach himself from the situation and calmly sort through the information.
Before long, he had reached a rough conclusion.
His reasoning had convinced him that Lina wouldn't harm him for the time being. So he took out a capsule and swallowed it, then tucked the bottle away on his person.
Yang Ming keenly sensed his body becoming more docile. The risk of losing control had temporarily passed, which at least partly confirmed his reasoning.
A guard's whistle sounded outside.
The once-every-three-days exercise period had officially begun.
Before you continue