The Girl and the Gate

By angerbda

"I'm sure he finds it funny to make us wait in this hovel!"
Sitting at a shabby table, the woman hardly glanced at her partner as she warily took on her surroundings. People gathered in this pub were not the most noble of the crowd. It wasn't a pub, either, rather a shack serving a really low quality rotgut watered down with whatever liquid came down the drain.

To say the woman was in a bad moon, no one would have contradict the verdict.

"Com on, Honey! Don't be sour. He'll join us shortly... I'm sure. Here, take a sip!"
The affectionate man looked as displaced as his companion. The couple was obviously not from the area. City dwellers enjoying a trip to the Gomorrah. The mining ports of Ceres were and would always remain the boondocks of the Solar System.

"Cut it, Mike. I am not in the mood!"

"Gotta love your Tigress, Mike!"

The voice accompanying those playful words hid in the shadows of the bar door. It couldn't hide from the woman's memory, however. The tall, red-haired, red-bearded man advancing toward their table had figured in many of her nightmares; and not the sleep-related ones.

"You're deigning showing your face finally, Pirate!"

"Down Girl!"

The newcomer settled on a rickety chair with an economy of movement clashing with the flourish of his persona.

"Okay, Magda. Redhook is here, now, so, pipe down, and let's get to business."

"Fine!" The woman reluctantly agreed. "But next time you want to talk to us, Redhook, maybe you can chose a better place. Like... I don't know... a quiet terrace on the Emerald planet..."

Mike and the other man looked at Magda. The former with exasperation. The latter with an amused smirk. The woman realized the green planet may not be estranged to the issue at hand.

"Magda! You are in the Service, for the Lady's sake! Will you learn to use your brain before talking?"

Mike—Hollister was his last name—was still baffled by the woman's naivete. He wondered, at times, how the big boss—who shared the same last name—could consider her one of the top of the service. He was saddled with a wide-eyed optimist working in a field where they met almost only the darker side of human nature.

The Intelligence Service department of the Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn—often referred as the IPU--, the main governing body on Earth since the big cataclysm, was tasked with suppressing the Pastafarian heretics. In short, their job was to apprehend pirates and stopping their pirating all over the Solar system.

No wonder Magda always felt uneasy dealing with Redhook. The tall, sarcastic man was none other than a Captain of high rank who devoted his faith to the Spaghetti Monster roaming the expanse of the Universe. A pirate.

"So, Red," Mike started the questions, "how about you tell us why we are here."

"Did you hear about the recent disappearances?" Nodding, the captain started his explanations.

He told a story about some of the pirates' cargo that never reached port. And it seemed always targeted to the same type of cargo.

"Wait a bit," Magda interrupted the convoluted explanation. "Do you mean you want us to get our nose in the Pirates' affairs?" The height of this absurd situation was not lost to the three around the table.

"I am not talking about the pirates' business but the Pirates' business, if you follow me. You know we are the main freighter you will find between Mercury and Farfarout. Even the Consortium contracts with us on a regular basis. We had some cargo stolen by independent contractors, but it is usually minimal and fair-game in this line of business." Redhook had a way with words, he could make an angel out of a demon. "No," he continued, "I am talking about freight that never reached the loading bay. Recently, we had to accept some mixed routes, and in involving the Gates transportation, we had issues."

The captain let the information sit there between them. He observed the man and the woman beside him. Mike had a knowing look in his eyes. Magda seemed to plow through what he had explained and light started to form in her mind.

"The Gates?" The woman turned toward her partner. "I thought it was used mainly for small cargo. They even started to operate for passengers..."

"The passenger operation is recent and still experimental," Mike added, "I heard... yes... there have been glitches in the program..."

"Wrong routing, people finding themselves on Mars while they were going to Ganymede. There as even been some ending up on Enceladus, while the Gate there shall be closed due to the recent seismic activity. Well... Let's say it's glitchy and insecure to the boot, but the Consortium denies any issue with its network of Gates. They are pushing for handling the traveling business with a new and almost untested teleportation technology."

Redhook went on with more details about the so-called small inconvenience with the operation of the Gates, the web of teleporters set in place by the consortium in all the major hubs in the Solar System. So far, no casualty had been recorded. A lot of mishaps, fright and frustration for the people who experienced it, but for some reason no call for public investigation and testing had been heard.

"It is maybe new, but the Gates are so convenient! And relatively secure anyway," Magda commented.

"It is new, that's a fact, and we have no idea how secure or insecure the Gates are," Mike retorted. "But it is not the problem here. Redhook," he nodded toward the pirate, "your disappearing cargo is lost, I assume. And no chance to be found."
The captain's gaze confirmed this assumption.

"And it is live cargo," Mike continued, convinced this is what the pirate needed from them. People had been disappearing for some reason. And no one had been looking for them.

"Displaced? Orphans? Humals?" Mike asked, referring to three types of people usually shunted by society. Displaced ones usually were sent to one or another planetoid in the Kuiper belt and beyond as cheap labor. Orphans were collected from all sorts of place to end up in mining camps where their small frames was convenient when excavating in narrow tunnels. Humals were an engineered species mixed from human and various animal DNA resulting in surprising and often unpleasant output. Of the three groups, Humals were the less visible in society, usually isolated so 'normal' people could forget the errors of science.

"Kids," Redhook sighed. "No one cares about the little ones."

"You're selling kids?" Magda started, quickly stopped by an angry-looking pirate.

"Sorry!" She knew there was more to the man than him standing on the other side of the IPU's law.

"Where did they got off-grid?"

***

The view on the main deck of the pirate ship was breathtaking. Magda always enjoyed the deep green lush of Cha T'sin Tao, the teapot shaped planet located at mid distance between Mars and Earth.

"I still don't get why the Aliens on the Emerald planet contracted you to get so many children." The woman had been asking the same question since Redhook gave them details on his cargo. "What are they doing with kids? Are they getting them to work on the tea plantations?"

"Let's not draw any conclusion now," Mike lifted his eyes from the stack of notes he was organizing. "There may be many reasons and they may not have any relation to the situation."

The spaceship fast approached the planet, the green hue diffusing through the atmosphere.

As the airlock released the three into the fragrant air of the planet, a group of lanky beings came to meet them. The inhabitant of Cha T'sin Tao did not hail from the Solar System. They were Aliens from another quadrant and referred to themselves as Russellans.

"Welcome to the Emerald, Mister Hollister, Mister Redhook, Miss. We have organized a lodging and workspace fro you. The persons you wanted to interview have been contacted. We are pleased to assist the distinguished agents of the Church and the renowned captain of the Pirates."

The shortest of the group, who was still as tall as Redhook, welcomed them.

"Please, follow me. I am Da Hong, and I will arrange for all your needs during your stay with us."

The Aliens on Cha T'sin Tao had a peculiar sense of hospitality. They always presented a refined and affable front while they kept control on everything and everyone that was not part of their own.

The investigation might require a touch of diplomacy the pirate was not known to have and Magda's tendency to blurt her every thoughts would negate.

Mike took the lead, walking besides Da Hong who presented the rest of his colleagues.

"Sen Cha, here on your right, will get you to see the Gates. He is our Gates specialist and can also answer any technical related questions."

Mike turned to his right, bowing to the man with his hands folded in front of him. No words were needed at that time, it would take a less ears surrounding them to ask all the questions.

The exchange took only a short breath. Da Hong pointed to another man, the tallest of the group.

"This is Shou Mei. He is in charge of our refuge for lost souls. The people we were expecting and who never reached our green terraces were to be helped by Shou Mei and his team."

With another bow and folded hands in the opposite direction, Mike observed the man who was in charge of handling orphaned children. Nothing of his thoughts transpired on his facial expression.

"Many thanks, sirs, for your kind welcome and your help in this matter." With a smile and polite words, the agent of the IPU acknowledge the three men.

"We will settle first and devise a work plan for the coming days."

An autodrive was awaiting the group as they exited the spaceport terminal. Da Hong and Shou Mei bid their farewell and while Sen Cha boarded the cab with the pirate and the two agents.

"It won't take long afore we reach your lodging."

"Are those the Gates, Mister Cha?" Magda was looking through the windshield when she spotted a cluster of small buildings and what looked like arches of various size. The structure seemed metallic, but it had a green shine that reminded some bioengineered giant tree form.

"You are right, Miss Magda. Would you want to step for a short time for a closer look?" Sen Cha proposed.

"Let's settle first," Mike cut in with a warning look toward the woman.

During all the exchanges since they had landed, Redhook maintained a paused and quiet expression, not interfering in the discussions or decisions taken, as if he was disinterested in the whole affair. He could not, however, avoid an amused smirk lighting his face when he saw Magda's enthusiasm. If one knew nothing about the woman, one would think she was a bit child-like in her view of the world.

The autodrive, a fancy word for a simple cab, few seats and no driver, arrived without delay at destination. Nestled in a haven of greenery, a one floor high ceiling abode opened its door to the group. Everything was green on this planet, a multitude of variation on the same color scheme that could be seen has monotonous to many, yet it felt calming and refreshing.

Magda, Redhook and Mike waited patiently for Sen Cha to introduce to them the serving boy who would assist them in their daily needs. Once the introduction completed, the tall man left, leaving the trio setting up some house rules.

"So. Massala... Is it your birth name?" Mike asked the boy. The young one seemed to hover between teenagehood and adulthood.

The boy did not answer directly. He was fascinated by the big red-haired, red-bearded pirate. Compared to his smaller stature, Redhook looked like a giant, and he seemed to be deciding between whether the giant was a threat or an ally.

"Massala is my name now, sir."

Direct and to the point. No other explanation given, the boy Massala was still focused on the pirate.

"Oh." Miked thought about how to approach questioning the boy. It looked like this one may have been coming from the 'Refuge for the Lost Souls', or whatever the aliens on Cha T'sin Tao called their orphanage. Maybe he knew something about the disappearances?

"Red? Why don't you see with Massala what we will need for tonight, and maybe for dinner?"

Mike hinted to Redhook to handle the kid. The pirate may learn something of interest to their case.

The boy and the pirate left the room, followed by the fading sound of their chit chat.

"Redhook seems to like children," Magda pondered.

"How about-" She started saying, but Mike shook briefly his head. He was looking with interest at the paintings on the wall. There were Huge canvas of scenic views of the planet. Painted terraces of tea bushes, drawn buildings hidden in lush vegetation, animated scenes of a merchant street, the walls showcased the beauty of Cha T'sin Tao. It also hid some secrets in the sconces. Here a miniature camera, there an almost invisible microphone.

"Come, Magda, I want to see the gardens. I heard they always have fountains and water play outside."

Mike took the woman by the hand, forcing her to follow him while ensuring she wouldn't ask questions.

Opening two large sliding doors, the sounds of Nature came to them. Leaves rustled by the wind, birds singing their freedom, water flowing down pebbles... all sorts of sound that made a stark contrast with the silence of Space and the bustle of the city. Nature's music was a quiet, entrancing tune, Though soft to the hears, it drowned all other noise to leave only soul-healing sound-waves.

This garden was a good place to discuss their case outside of prying ears and eyes.

***

"Massala is really a sweet boy," Redhook was telling Mike and Magda the next evening, strolling in the gardens.

"He doesn't look it, but he is already sixteen years old. His story is nothing out of the ordinary. An infant who was abandoned at birth, no traces of the parents, no information about his origin."

"The only thing is that he has no memory of anything before last year. An accident or something, he wasn't able to explain what happened to him. Some of his friends, he introduced me to, were not sure either, as they are all recently arrived on Cha T'sin Tao."
Redhook had a pensive look while he explained the circumstances of Massala.

"When did Massala arrived on Cha T'sin Tao?" Mike asked. He seemed to have some doubts about his situation.

"Oh, let me see," Redhook opened a small notebook.

"According to Shou Mei and some other older kids, Massala arrived on the planet around five years ago with another boy. Tika was his name. The two of them were in really bad shape it seemed. They had obviously lived a hard life that left permanent marks on their body and soul. Tika did not survive long and died a year after their arrival. Massala does not remember the other boy, so I couldn't get more information about the situation."

"So, let's see Massala situation," Mike tried to get some order in the story of the boy. They needed to decide whether they would spend more effort following a trail or it had no relation to the situation they were investigating.

"The boy arrived five years ago on the Emerald planet. His travel companion died a year later. And one year ago, Massala had an accident of sort that left him with blank memory. He has no idea of his past at all. Nothing..."

"Zero, zip, zilch. Nada!" Redhook confirmed with a bit too much emphasis. It brought a smile to Magda's shadowed face, but Mike was nonplussed.

"What certainty do you have about Massala's story?" Mike continued asking the pirate.

"You mean: do I believe what everyone seems to be telling and confirming each others?" Redhook retorted. "Well, I am a pirate after all. I don't believe anything I didn't steal," he added with a smirk.

"So, no, I am not hundred percent sure of anything. But I saw records of the cargo manifest of five years ago. A group of children had been shipped here by a Consortium freighter. Origin: somewhere around Eris, in one of the minor planetoid of Kuiper Belt. The travel had been long and they had suffered some technical issue that explained the situation with the crew and the cargo. Everyone was in bad shape and the captain passed away a couple of days after they docked on Cha T'sin Tao." Redhook turned some more pages of his notebook.

"I am not hundred percent sure about the story, but it is at least eighty percent believable. So," the pirate turned to Mike with questioning eyes, "shall I continue to confirm or infirm the remaining twenty percent?"

"Keep an eye open, but don't be too obvious or obnoxious. Let things come to you..." Mike paused in thought. "Maybe if you seem to let it go, some more information will surface from unexpected angles," he decided, "so, yes, keep an open eye but stop any related question. Just spend time with the boy as if you were visiting the area."

That night, no more information was shared between the three of them. Magda had just had a quick overview of the 'Refuge for Lost Souls' and a quick exchange with Shou Mei, as the latter wasn't available for longer than that. She was scheduled for a visit and discussion with the team of the refuge the next day. As for Mike, he had to fill in and submit many forms and paperwork before he could receive his habilitation to visit the Gates and talk with the operators.

The next morning, the trio of investigators went their own way, not knowing what the day would reap though expecting at least some information or clues to be harvested.

Redhook had a pleasant day strolling the merchant streets with Massala. Nothing of importance seemed to happen and they just enjoyed sharing the sights and the merchandise. Especially the various food and local delicacies.

Magda was seating in the refuge's director office with Shou Mei.

"We operate the refuge for the young ones for ten years now. Our main benefactor was the catalyst for the operation. He had been visiting some advanced mining outposts and realized numerous children were exploited. Although we all know we cannot welcome all the misery on the Solar System, we can at least do our part to lessen the burden on the children. After all, they are our future," Shou Mei continued describing the starting point of their operations. Their main benefactor was a big figure of the Consortium and had been able to organize a network of freighters and shelters for the orphans he encountered on his business trips in the shadiest parts of the system.

"We give a second chance to these children," he continued, "we provide them with a stable environment and teach them skills necessary to prosper in this life. We also teach them the Bái Bái of the Háo, the way to enjoyment in life through worship and compassion."

Magda realized, along her conversation with Shou Mei, that the children they welcomed were all destined to be part of their community, a mix of administration workers and monks of their main religion. The two were not mutually exclusive.

After the presentation and discussion in the director's office, Magda was treated with a tour of the facilities. She met young children and older ones. The first who had been rescued by the refuge helped the staff with the teaching of skills and the menial work around the buildings. They all had a serene look and a confident composure.

The day went on and Magda returned to their lodging with a head full of information, amazed yet still wondering about some elements. She had ample time before the nightly meeting in the gardens to sort all she learned that day and to put some light into her impressions.

"There is not much to be found here," Magda confirmed that night to Mike and Redhook after explaining her visit to the 'Refuge for the Lost Souls'. "All appears to be what they say it is. The rescue kids, teach them some skills and welcome them into their religion. The older ones are well integrated, the younger ones look happy. No traces of hardship, no signs of mistreatment."

As she was making her report, something still nagged at her mind. She needed some more time to process it before she could give a definite explanation to it.

"How was it at the Gates?" Magda asked Mike.

"Any gruesome discovery?" Redhook added, some derision in his words.

"All seemed clean and proper at the Gates. Sen Cha got me to see the site and ask questions to the technicians. The Gates here on Cha T'sin Tao handle freight and people. The older teleporter is about ten years old, one of the first prototype installed by the Consortium. At that time only small cargo was transferred this way. Most of the Gates are more recent generation, the bigger ones are five years old and used for the big inanimate cargo. The smaller ones for passengers are a year old."
"I thought the technology was more recent than that," Magda interrupted. "It is presented as brand new and the most advanced of the technology. 'Travel Safe and Far', they say in their ads."
"Any accident?" asked Redhook.

"That's the most interesting part," Mike continued, "they let me access the operational records and some of the technical logs. They had glitches with the older versions. Part of the cargo would disappear without leaving any trace. Not rerouted, just simply transformed into nothingness. It had to do with the way the substructure of the elements were recorded before the teleportation occurred," Mike sighed. "I guess this is were all the bad press about the Gates may have come from. The main idea is that it takes a sub-structural picture of what will pass through the teleporter and recreate it on the other side. Imagine the concept: be mapped, be disintegrated, be recreated. Who would want to go through that?"

"Is it the way it works?" Magda asked. The technology was not her forte.

"Not really," Mike explained. "We are more likely talking of a wormhole type of technology rather than a kill-clone machine."

"Hum..." Redhook joined some dots between his impressions and Mikes explanation about the Gates. "A kill-clone machine could have explained some of the glitches. There is something else. I was not too sure how pertinent it was to our case, but I found that Massala had some peculiar physical anomalies. He was breathing heavily today, seemed to feel some discomfort with the humidity level in the air. It appeared that the boy is missing a lung. He also runs on a unique kidney. He seems to think he was born this way but I somehow confirmed he lost them. I was told it was the result of the spaceship incident five years ago. Now, I wonder about another scenario..." Redhook added with a knowing look reflected in Mike's eyes.

"That may be it," Magda also seemed to have reached some conclusion about her nagging impression.

"What if..."

***

Magda, Mike and Redhook were on their way to Pluto.

They had gathered all possible information on Cha T'sin Tao and knew perfectly that they could not learn more, with the constant spying of Da Hong's men on all their movements. They had therefore reached the decision to look at the source.

Massala, the boy Redhook had befriended, had come to the Emerald planet on a Consortium freighter from Eris or somewhere near on Kuiper belt. They would start with that and would verify the veracity of the events. Pluto was the biggest hub in the area where the freight would most likely have docked for refill, at the minimum. Pluto was also the most likely location where cargo could have been shipped via the Gates, five years ago.

Magda had confirmed the various health issues with the younger children at the refuge. Many of them were missing some organ or another. Nothing that was life threatening to them. The fact that none of them was aware of the fact was also troubling.

Were the Russellans on Cha T'sin Tao responsible? Or was it the Consortium?

This reminded Mike about an older case on Ceres were a systematic killing of the miners had occurred. Supposedly a creature on the mines had feasted on the men, but some equipments found on site highlighted the possibility of some organization behind the situation. All this had happened way before he joined the Agency. Nonetheless, a bone extraction operation had been dismantled, at a time when calcium resources were at the lowest.

Not wanting to set on rushed conclusion, the trio had decided to gather more information on Pluto. The notion that someone was using the technology of the Gates to injure people unknowingly was frightening.

The travel to Pluto did not last the long months it would normally take taking the Consortium route. The pirates had their own wormhole network, shortcuts of sorts to all the main spaceports in the Solar system. Coupled with a new generation interceptor, Redhook had all it took to plunder fast and far, although his dealings in the shady side took a more business like approach than the pillaging of his ancestors on Earth's oceans.

"When we reach port, you let me handle the authorities," Redhook said to Mike, hoping the agent wouldn't intervene.

"I know, Red, it is your area and you know your business. I am cargo on this trip."

"It is just that recently the Consortium has been a bit grumpy in the area. They don't like much the IPU, so don't get offended if you see anyone spitting at your Hoofed Pink Lady," the pirate lectured the two agent for good measure.

"Down, Pirate!" Magda answered with a smile, "get to business and we'll follow."

The docking authorization, paperwork and gratuity were exchanged without trouble. Their arrival on Pluto did not stir any untoward attention.

Redhook booked them in a middle range hotel, nothing fancy. Not shady either. He had also bribed someone at the Gates here to access the records and logs.

Magda, Mike and the pirate planned for the next days. Redhook would check the freight manifests at the spaceport. Mike would go to the Gates. Magda had no specific assignation. She was to look for possible orphanage in the city.

The plan was simple as they needed first to get a layout of the place.

The night went fast and as the day started they left for their assignation.

Magda had no idea whether Mike or Redhook had any issue with finding the information they needed. Her search for orphanage was at a stall. She couldn't find anything so far. She couldn't even see any child in the city. No school. No family. Only isolated men or women going their ways.

She estimated it was around two in the afternoon when she stopped for some lunch. Seating for few minutes while she inhaled a bland sandwich was still to be enjoyed, after the hours roaming the streets ceaselessly.

The quiet did not last as long as she could have expected. The sandwich halfway down her throat, Magda had to answer a pressing call from Mike.

"Meet me at..."

***

When Magda arrived at the meeting point, she found Mike and Redhook livid, the eyes hard, stone-faced. Behind them a sign marked an otherwise unassuming facade in an isolated neighborhood. The sign read: "CLUB".

"Why is there a Consortium Lab here? I thought all bioengineering had stopped on Pluto decades ago." Magda was referring to the experimentation on tholins found on the surface of Pluto.

"Why is one question. The 'what' is more interesting, though," Mike answered.

The trio entered the abandoned building. The dust said much about the abandoned state of the premises. The layer may have taken a year or two to form under the local conditions. Offices after offices, some empty, some with locked file cabinets showed that the closing of the operations in this laboratory had not been planned.

Advancing deeper into the building, going down stairs and entering the basement, Magda felt a knot in her stomach.

"Come on, guys, why are you not saying anything? Is it so bad?"

"Depends on what you call bad," Redhook answered. "No bodies, anyway. At least, we didn't find any yet."

Shrugging an uncomfortable feeling, Magda continue to follow the two men in silence until they reached a room that had all the trappings of an operation theater. Surgical light, operation table, medical instruments; all was present. The most disturbing, however, was the big refrigerator door on one of the wall. This looked more like a cold storage room. Magda did not ask what it was for.

"What did you find in the cargo manifests, Redhook?" Magda asked to keep her mind off the settings of this cleanroom.

"A Consortium freighter was here with a cargo and passengers from Eris, at the period Massala was traveling, five years ago. Many freighters were on the Eris-Pluto route at the time," he confirmed. "But no departure for Cha T'sin Tao was registered."

"Mike? The Gates? Passenger freight through it?" Magda continued with few hope of a negative answer.

"Not officially," Mike sighed, "but cattle has been registered. Live cargo."

"So," Magda tried to form a complete picture. "Where does this all get us to?"

"On the travel arrangements, we have our confirmation the Gates have been used. With the wormhole technology-like used, it could explain the body and internal injuries from the kids and the crew. After all, there are always possible distortion expected on a wormhole travel, though how does it translate in the Gates situation, I have no idea." Redhook could only confirm the story of the spaceship mishap was a fraud.

"The thing we are sure about," Mike interrupted, "is that the kids sent from Eris ended up here. Some of the records have not been completely removed," he added, passing some files to Magda and Redhook.

The woman read through the first few pages. The picture drawn by the words was a gruesome image of forced experimentation.

"So, this is all it is about?" Redhook commented. "An old story of greed and mad science? Orphans are easy targets... Tholins and human genome? That's a frightening combination..."

"You mean," Magda was shaking her head, "that it may not be some illegal organ harvesting operation, but rather experimentation on the human genome with tholins to create something... something... Hurg! I don't even want to know!"

"What is the Russellans implication in all that?" Mike added. "They seem clean in this whole situation. It is just another Consortium little side operation and possibly some illegal profiting," he added, not convinced.

"Looks like I will have to chase some of the Consortium freighters and see where they procure their cargo," the pirate concluded. There was no way he would let them continue their shady business.

"So," Magda had a last question, "the Gates have nothing to do in this case? They are just a useful transportation mean? What about the kill-clone theory? What about the security issues and the glitches? What about..."

Mike and Redhook had no answers to her questions. Nothing was a certainty.

***

 On Cha T'sin Tao, Da Hong, Sen Cha and Shou Mei were gathered in an isolated garden, watching a group of young children playing and enjoying the moment.

"Any news on the replicator technology?" Da Hong asked Sen Cha. "It would be a useful addition to our network."

"The last tests have been conclusive. Any carbon base structure can be replicated with precision. It can be used for food supply. It can be used for..."

Sen Cha paused, distracted by the play of the children. With a smile he followed their game.

The children were similar.

They all looked like Massala...