Free Manifestations by David M. Henley Page B

goes?’ he asked.
     
    ‘No.’
     
    ‘Is there a contingency in case it does advance again?’ Pinter asked.
     
    ‘The mass hasn’t expanded since its initial appearance.’
     
    ‘That wasn’t the question. What is the strategy if it does?’
     
    ‘I don’t know, sir.’
     
    ‘Understood,’ Pinter said gravely. He twisted around to look at Crozier, who still wasn’t sure why he was there. ‘What would you do?’
     
    ‘Me?’
     
    ‘Pull back?’
     
    ‘Yes. Until we know more.’
     
    The Colonel fed his command into the strategy-matrix, or strat-mat, as it was usually shortened to. The commander’s primary role was to continuously build up and revise preset reactions for every event they could conceive of, just in case one eventuated, and then continually revise it as new information came to light or circumstances changed. He remembered it was like guessing the future.
     
    Campsey pointed out the notable defences as they began their return journey. ‘Mobile artillery and plasma tanks form a two-tier boundary. Overhead, the border is patrolled by ten drone squadrons of one hundred each. The same as the Cape cordon.’
     
    ‘And orbital coverage?’
     
    ‘Currently at forty per cent.’
     
    ‘I’ll ask Shreet to condense that. Anything else?’
     
    ‘We’ve constructed the viewing platform, as you requested.’ Lieutenant Campsey tried to shift the focus. Soon he would get to the end of his list where the Colonel would be shown to his sleeping quarters, and then he could report and hope to be returned to his former unit.
     
    ‘Then take me to it,’ the Colonel ordered him.
     
    The hover tilted and began driving up a ridge on the western side of Busan where it set down at the base of a high scaffold. Tall trees surrounded it and the platform floor sat just amongst the topmost branches, pushing out to give a view of the beast and the ocean behind it.
     
    If not for the enormous black mass, it would be a picture worth sharing. As it was, the graceful bay was interrupted by the sluggish beast. Arms, or tentacles — or whatever they were — lifted up into the air and then dropped back down. The distance made them look slow and languorous.
     
    ‘Are you sure it didn’t creep out of the sea?’ Pinter asked, not really expecting an answer. He watched for a while, forgetting the others were there. He had stood like this at the base of mountains, volcanos, the world’s tallest trees, trying to absorb their immensity.
     
    ‘Yes, I like this. Set me up here.’
     
    ‘Here, sir? This is just a viewing platform, your quarters are much better equipped.’
     
    ‘I have all the equipment I need, thank you, Lieutenant. But do fetch me some chairs and a table. And get a canopy over this, will you? I don’t intend to let my new skin go the same way as my old one.’
     
    ‘Yes, sir.’ Campsey inserted the new items on his to-do list.
     
    ‘Now, let’s see what your researchers have achieved. Crozier, get me some water while I immerse.’
     
    ~ * ~
     
    The Prime had ordered the best minds across various sciences to work on the problem around the clock and for the last eight hours the highest-ranked brains in the WU had had their streams in a permanent connection to a virtual common room.
     
    The first thing the Colonel noticed was the babble. There were a thousand experts tuned into the room, their thoughts and musings overlapping without inhibition.
     
    ‘Why hasn’t it touched the trees?’
     
    ‘How could it have grown this fast?’
     
    ‘Where does it draw energy from?’
     
    ‘What are its core functions?’
     
    Theories and epistles were written and dumped into the pool for factioning. The Colonel stood in the centre not engaging with the mess of inconclusive notions, just listened to them as they spoke over the top of each other.
     
    ‘Who is in charge here?’ he finally asked, prioritising his communications to interrupt everyone else’s.
     
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