Project Tau: Five Worlds, #1

By Jude Austin

Part of the multi-award-winning Five Worlds series. Contains strong language.

 

Kalin Taylor is on the path to success. He's just won a scholarship to the prestigious Sanderson College of Arts and Science to study medicine. He's also about to do something very, very stupid in the name of becoming one of the 'in' kids at college. 

It sounded simple at the time. Sneak into a branch of the top-secret, interstellar scientific company GenTech, take a photo of the genetically engineered creature Project Tau that's supposedly inside, and sneak back out again. Cue membership of the college frat house, cue popularity and an improved lifestyle, right?

Unfortunately for Kalin, simple doesn't mean easy. Now he's facing a life of slavery, assuming GenTech's 'training' doesn't kill him first, and if he doesn't find a way to escape soon, it'll be too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jude Austin
• Release date: Oct 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781386057062

Jude Austin

Jude Austin (also known by the online handle JudasFm) has been writing online and offline for several years. She currently lives in Chiba, Japan, and spends her days studying movie production in Tokyo, teaching English to various people, working on her next three or four books and wandering around trying to have chance encounters with any member of the Japanese band Arashi. She is a staunch supporter of fanfic, never giving up, and squid.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

YOU WANT IN? THEN YOU'LL do it.

Kalin Taylor, chubby, spotty and almost blind without his owl glasses, blinked at the young man in front of him. Philip Lawson was head of the frat house at the Sanderson College of Arts and Sciences (SACAS for short) and consequently the most popular guy on campus. He was suave, sophisticated, cool, handsome—in short, everything Kalin wasn't and desperately wanted to be.

Kalin himself would be the first to admit that he was hardly frat material. Hell, he was technically too young to join up at all, having graduated high school early and only just turned seventeen, but hopefully, Philip wouldn't pry too deeply into that. Approaching the frat house in the first place had been an act of sheer desperation on Kalin's part. He was sick of everything that had gone on in high school, sick of having to make up stories of midnight conquests and girlfriends in order to avoid being thought of as uncool, and sick of being thought of as the loser who couldn't get a girl in a brothel. One of the main reasons he'd studied so hard to get into SACAS — apart from the prestige — was that it was on the planet Basarr, which was a long way from his homeworld of Trandellia and carried the least risk of bumping into someone from his past. It was also radically different; the bustling college town was far brighter and more chaotic than his family's bungalow in the country. He'd gotten lost four times already, and he'd only been there a week.

Since the status quo becomes the status quo for a reason, however, Kalin had found that it was just as hard to fit in on Basarr as it had been on Trandellia, which meant that the fraternity was his only chance. If he got in, he would be popular, he would be cool and, with a fair wind, he might even get a girlfriend.

There was just one tiny flaw in this plan.

"You want me to what?" Kalin said, just in case he'd misunderstood the first time.

Philip smirked, exchanging sidelong glances with his two friends in a way which said, I knew he was too chicken.

You heard, he said.

Yes, but I wasn't certain if I'd heard correctly.

You weren't certain if you'd heard correctly? Philip mimicked cruelly. "Will you listen to this guy?"

His two friends guffawed on cue, then stopped abruptly as Philip raised a hand. Tell you what. You go crawling back to your little books and your nerdy friends right now, and we won't mention this little humiliation to anyone. Sound good?

Kalin hesitated. For a moment, he thought about agreeing, about calling it off, then his determination to become one of the 'in' kids rose up in screaming protest, and he shook his head. No, I'll do it. Where do I start?

Philip spread his hands to the side, still smirking. "Not my problem. We all managed to get in and out by ourselves. Right, guys?"

The other two nodded assent. Not that that was much of a guarantee, Kalin thought sourly. Those two would probably agree with Philip if he claimed to be a bug-eating alien.

I'll do it, he said again.

Philip grinned broadly. Good! Remember, just one image, okay?

Kalin took a deep breath, hiccuped, blushed and then nodded determinedly. One image. You got it. He turned to go.

Oh, and Karen?

Kalin!

Whatever. Philip quirked an eyebrow at him. "Like I said, we've all done it ourselves. We know what Project Tau looks like. So don't try and screw us over, okay?"

Never crossed my mind, Kalin lied. He walked away, trying to appear cool and in control, and uncomfortably aware that he was failing miserably. As soon as he was out of sight of the frat house, he groaned out loud. How the hell was he going to pull this one off?

The thought occurred to him that Philip was most likely lying, that Project Tau was so heavily guarded in its GenTech-owned lab that it would be near impossible for one person to sneak in and capture an image, never mind an entire fraternity. But he couldn't afford to take that chance.

He made his way back to his dorm room, sat down at his laptop and ran a search for Project Tau. The details were sketchy at best, and Kalin thought that even his hacking skills wouldn't be enough to get him into GenTech's secret files.

The calm, sensible part of him said he should take Philip's advice and let the whole thing drop. The dare couldn't have been a serious one. If he got caught, he'd be facing expulsion at the very least. SACAS took its reputation extremely seriously and was fine with kicking out students who got into serious trouble. There were plenty of other students begging for the chance to attend the most prestigious college ever to have existed; SACAS would replace him before he'd even finished packing.

The hot-headed, emotional part of him wanted to know just where he'd gotten in life by being calm and sensible. Well...

...into SACAS, obviously, which was a good thing, but it had also garnered him a reputation as the world's biggest geek and loser with no sense of fun, and the kind of person that nobody at school wanted to be caught dead with. If he was going to reinvent himself, then he needed to do something radical. Something extreme.

Besides, what was the worst that could really happen if GenTech caught him? They'd throw him out, sure, but if he kept his mouth shut about belonging to SACAS, there was no reason for the college to get involved at all.

Deep down, he knew that he was being an idiot to even consider such a thing, but he'd spent the whole of his school life as an outcast. He wasn't sure he could handle being one at college too.

The bedroom door banged open, and his roommate, Lisa, blew through it in a cloud of perfume and sweat — the first odor never quite managed to cover the second, and the resulting sweet-sour smell made Kalin's throat itch — and flopped down onto her bed, pulling her t-shirt up to mop her face with one hand and tugging off her running shoes with the other.

"God, I'm tired! That bridge is a killer on the legs."

So why do it? Kalin asked, not looking up from his screen.

I don't know. I guess I'm just a masochist. And Sarah's parents wanted to spend the day with her before they go back to Akkhen, and I don't know anyone else here who can give me a decent workout at tennis. If I don't get at least an hour's exercise every day, I swear I'll go crazy. God knows what I'll do when classes actually start around here. Lisa leaned forward, stretching out to touch her extended toes, making it look as easy as picking something off a shelf, Kalin thought rather bitterly. He wondered if his father had had any say in his roommate. There was no doubt that the old man would have considered it hilarious to pair up his fucking lardass of a son — his words, not Kalin's — with someone who thought nothing of running two miles in the morning, swimming three in the afternoon and finishing up with a cutthroat whack-and-smash game of tennis in the evening.

That said, he had to admit that Lisa was a pretty good roommate. She kept her side of the room fairly tidy and wasn't often there, meaning Kalin had the place to himself most days. Unlike his half of the room, which was bare apart from his laptop, communication device and charger, Lisa's was plastered with posters and images of various Recca champions — the sport was just as popular here as it had been on Kalin's world, although at least here it wasn't compulsory — and her bed was covered by a thick, patchwork-style quilt she'd picked up at some Basarrian market or other. Geometric patterns were a huge thing on Basarr, where many people outside of SACAS were too poor to buy new clothes and so would recycle two or three t-shirts into one new one.

What are you researching? Lisa asked.

Project Tau. That was a problem: Lisa loved to talk. Not just to him either; he'd heard her giving a pep talk to her tennis racket just before a game.

Oh, right, you want to get into all that, don't you? Lisa shivered and changed legs, then flexed both of them, slid off the bed and bounced on her toes a little before coming to peer over his shoulder. Doesn't the thought make you nervous? What if you work with a Project and it ends up killing you?

Kalin shook his head, clicking through another news article. Projects are fine as long as they've been properly trained. Anyway, there are handlers to control them in the labs.

Lisa shrugged, linking the fingers of both hands and stretching up to the ceiling. If you say so. I don't know much about them. Are you going to apply for an internship at Project Tau's lab, then?

That was a dizzying thought. GenTech rarely gave interns access to its precious Project labs; most internships happened in the organ cloning departments. Then again, Kalin had scored the highest percentage on the entrance exam, even winning himself a full academic scholarship, so maybe GenTech would be more favorably impressed by him. Maybe he could even work with Project Tau itself, teach it to obey a new order or at least see the training happen firsthand.

I'd like to.

So? Do it.

Kalin spared her a smile that verged on condescending. Seriously? What do you think the chances are of GenTech letting a freshman like me into its secret lab?

Good question, Lisa said, now stretching her arms out in front of her and causing Kalin to duck out of the way. "Let me ask you one: if you don't apply, what are the chances of GenTech contacting you completely at random and saying, hey, we don't know who you are, but come visit our lab? Want to come for a swim later?"

No, thanks. Exercising was painful enough. Exercising semi-naked in a public space, where he was sure everyone was secretly staring at him, was torture. You go ahead.

Okay, but you don't know what you're missing. They got this really amazing water slide!

I don't like slides. That wasn't strictly true, but last time Kalin had attempted to go down a water slide, he'd gotten stuck. The resulting humiliation as the pool staff had to shut the slide down while they attempted to lever him out of it still made him feel hot and sick, even four years on.

Lisa shrugged. Suit yourself. I'm going to grab a muffin or something. Want to join me?

I've eaten. That also wasn't true, but he figured he could afford to skip a meal or two.

Another shrug. Okay. Guess I'll see you later, then.

Sure. Kalin waited until Lisa had left before breathing a sigh of relief. Holding a conversation with Lisa was a workout in itself. Unfortunately, private rooms were only available to juniors and above, meaning he was stuck with a roomie for the next two years.

He told himself there was nothing wrong with looking up Project Tau on the net, not when he himself was hoping to branch into Project creation after graduation. There was no crime in researching the laboratory behind Project Tau on the net either. It was housed on the Sanderson station, which orbited Basarr, so there was certainly nothing stupid about hopping onto the transport shuttle in question to go to the space station and check the place out. It was only a forty-minute flight from SACAS to Sanderson, after all. Besides, like most space stations, Sanderson had numerous entertainment and shopping facilities, and Kalin knew he wasn't the only student who went to the thirty-screen cinema there from time to time. There was nothing illegal about watching a movie, for Christ's sake!

Once the movie was over, he wandered over to the area that housed Project Tau. Not because of anything Philip had said, of course. He just wanted to take a look at it and see where he might be doing his own internship.

Unlike the rest of the station, which used holographic projectors to create the illusion of attractive wall and floor coverings, the entrance was bare steel. There were no guards, but there were signs on both sides of the entrance. One of them read, CAUTION: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING A HIGHLY RESTRICTED SCIENTIFIC FACILITY. ALL UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL WILL BE ARRESTED. THIS MEANS YOU!

The other sign was exactly the same, only at the bottom of it, someone had added a pretty good drawing of Donald Duck armed with a machine gun.

Were there cameras? Kalin couldn't see any, but that didn't necessarily prove anything. What if he just captured an image of the corridor to prove he'd gone to the facility, then left and came up with some kind of creative design? He could claim the scientists had altered Project Tau. Things like that were always happening when a client decided they wanted a commissioned Project to have a tail or wings or something.

Kalin looked over his shoulder. No one was watching. Good. He took a deep breath and ducked into the corridor.

He'd gotten all of three steps when the doors on either side of him slammed open, and he found himself between two clusters of assault rifles.

Who let you in? one of the guards demanded.

N-nobody. Kalin heard the tremor in his voice, despised himself for it, but standing a millimeter away from people with not only the inclination but also the tools to spray your brains all over the opposite wall didn't do much for your peace of mind. I just—I was curious.

Curious, the guard echoed, in a tone of voice which suggested curiosity was the worst sin a human being could commit. "You were curious. I see."

I was. Kalin moistened his lips and glanced over his shoulder, more out of instinct than any serious thought of running.

Name?

Kalin Taylor. I just—I wanted an image of Project Tau. For a frat stunt.

There. He'd said it. And it sounded even more pathetic now than it had coming out of Philip's mouth earlier.

A frat stunt. There was no inflection in the man's voice. Kalin might have been listening to a machine. You broke into a top-secret, highly classified scientific research base for a frat stunt.

Kalin stared at his toes again, every word stealing a little more of his sudden confidence. Yes, sir.

Who put you up to this?

Kalin writhed in an agony of indecision. You didn't snitch on your friends. Even when the friends in question thought you were the biggest joke in campus history and made no bones about telling you so, you still didn't snitch on them.

One of the frat boys, sir, he said eventually, when the intimidating jerk of an assault rifle told him that silence wasn't an acceptable answer. I don't know all their names. Well, that was true enough.

Tell me— and now the man's voice dripped with sarcasm— did this mystery man also happen to mention what would happen if you failed?

Uh. Kalin tried a smile to lighten the situation. Well, for one thing, I doubt I'd make it into their club.

The attempt at humor failed; the atmosphere remained as dark and heavy as it had before, perhaps even more so.

Think this is funny, kid? another guard demanded.

Kalin swallowed, all levity gone. No, sir.

Good answer. The man seized him by the collar and shoved him, not out of the corridor as Kalin had expected, but further down it. Get moving!

A gun jabbed him from behind, and Kalin decided not to argue. At least, not yet. Maybe when he got to whoever they were taking him to see, he could explain, pay the fine or whatever and slink back to campus. Forget being popular, forget the frat house, just get back and return to his normal life. He could probably forget about any internship here as well. He'd just have to apply somewhere further afield.

The group marched Kalin through the corridors so fast that he was very soon panting for breath.

My rights— he began.

"Your rights— the guard spat the word— were forfeited the instant you set foot onto GenTech soil, kid. Your ass belongs to us now, until Mason decides what to do with you. Keep moving."

With five rifles aimed at varying points of his anatomy, Kalin didn't really think he had much of a choice, although his body had been vehemently protesting against this unusual exertion for the last ten minutes. He was dimly aware that people at the surrounding workstations were watching, staring at him openly as though he was some kind of freak show.

I just— he began. This time the assault rifle slammed between his shoulder blades, almost knocking him down.

Zip it, kid. You'll get your chance to talk later.

Later? A new concern nudged Kalin's mind. How much later? The fall semester's just about to start, and—

Another shove with the rifle, this one hard enough to send him to his hands and knees in the corridor. I said, zip it!

Kalin zipped it. He knew better than to push his luck. He'd have to rely on this Mason person, whoever he or she was.

It was with a feeling of blessed, exhausted relief that Kalin stopped outside an open door in response to the guard's curt command. Unlike other doors they'd passed on the way up, this one was fully thirty centimeters thick, and pure metal.

In, one of the guards said brusquely, then shoved Kalin hard before he had a chance to either obey or resist, sending him sprawling into the room beyond.

Breathless as he was, Kalin still managed to get to his feet and turn around, just in time to see the guard slam the door on him. There was a clunk as he spun the wheel on the other side, sealing Kalin in.

"Hey! Hey! Kalin stumbled over to the door and pounded on it with his fists. The hell with Project Tau. Urban legends of missing kids were flashing through his mind, legends that didn't seem all that funny anymore. Hey, c'mon, let me out! I didn't do anything! The inaccuracy of this hit him about half a second after he'd said it, and he hastily changed it to, I didn't see anything! I'm sorry! Please let me out, I just want to go home!" He was dimly aware that he was sobbing now, babbling incoherently, saying things at random in the hopes that one of those things would have an effect on whichever impartial judge might be listening.

There was a hiss as the door cycled open again, and hope blossomed in Kalin. Scrambling back from whoever was coming in, he tripped over his own ankles and fell with a thud.

Are you alright?

Before Kalin had a chance to answer, a hand hooked itself under his arm and pulled him upright as though he was no more than a little child. Kalin fumbled about for his glasses, which had half fallen off his face, and replaced them, then he looked up at his rescuer and froze.

The person standing there was about Kalin's age, but handsome enough to walk into any modeling agency in the sector, with black hair — jet black, not just the dark brown that can pass for it in the right light — and calm gray eyes. Staring at him, Kalin felt woefully inadequate.

Are you alright? the newcomer repeated in exactly the same tone as before.

I'm fine. Kalin shook his head, trying to clear it. Where the hell did this guy work out? He was packed with muscles without being bulky, giving him the kind of dancer's body that girls were supposed to swoon over.

Do you want me to call for a medic?

"No," Kalin grated emphatically. That was all he needed: more people sniffing around him.

I was only asking. There was no hurt or irritation in the stranger's voice; it was the steady tone of one stating a fact.

Kalin took a deep breath. Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. It's just been one hell of a shitty day, that's all.

Shitty? The stranger rolled the word around in his mouth, frowning slightly. You mean bad?

Yeah. Bad. Sure. Kalin looked up at him and tried to inject a little levity into the conversation. So, what're you in for?

Lunch. Then training. You?

Kalin sat down on the room's single bed, which turned out to be only marginally softer than the floor. I don't know. I'm not supposed to be here. I was told to wait in this place by some of the guards, so I'm banking on them contacting the college or my family, getting me out of here. I only came here for a frat stunt.

Frat? the other echoed, a slight crease in his forehead.

Frat, fraternity, a group of assholes in college who perform fucked up hazing and initiation rites on anyone dumb enough to want to join. They hang out and pick on freshmen and—and why am I even bothering to explain this? Kalin moaned. It doesn't matter now anyway.

Assholes?

"Oh, for Christ's sake; I am not defining that one for you! It's an insult, okay?"

His companion nodded. Alright. What about 'fucked up?'

No! A nasty suspicion crept into Kalin's mind. Surely—no. No, it wasn't possible.

Who are you? he said suddenly.

Deep inside, he already knew the answer, had known it on a subconscious level when he'd first set eyes on such physical perfection. Something inside him kept pressing though, a need to hear it confirmed for himself.

What's your name? he persisted, when the stranger didn't answer immediately.

The young man's face cleared in that special way which only comes with sudden understanding. My name is Project Tau.

Even though part of Kalin had expected it, the answer was still a shock.

"But you're human," he blurted.

"I look human, Tau corrected him. I'm a Project."

You— Kalin shook his head. Project Tau was human? That didn't make sense. Well, no, it did — Projects were modified human clones, after all — but their creation was still very much in its infancy and there were only about fifteen in existence. He'd never seen one up close and hadn't been prepared for it to look and sound quite so natural. Shouldn't it have waxy skin or a brand or be talking in grunts or—well, or something?

"You're human," he said again.

I look human. I'm a Project.

Kalin, realizing this sparkling conversation was likely to go on indefinitely, changed tactics. "That's what I meant. You look like a human. A real human."

Tau frowned. Is there any other kind?

I wonder, Kalin thought grimly, then the door slid open and put a halt to his thoughts, revealing a man who could only be a scientist. Even if you took away the lab coat and security ID, the salt-and-pepper hair and thin mustache both pointed to someone who spent too much time analyzing data.

Kalin Taylor?

Kalin rose to his feet. Yes, sir.

I'm Dr. Dennison. I've been sent to escort you up to Mason's office.

Kalin hesitated, not entirely sure this was a good thing. Guests may have escorts, but so did prisoners.

I see you've met Project Tau, Dennison added.

Next to Kalin, Tau nodded. Yes, doctor. I've already learned several new terms.

Really? Dennison eyed Kalin with open suspicion. Which new terms would those be?

Shitty frat assholes fucked up, Tau said in one breath.

Damn straight, Kalin thought grimly.

Indeed. Frost hung off Dennison's every word. But that's not acceptable language in today's society.

Tau swallowed. Understood.

I doubt there's been any lasting damage done, Dennison added to Kalin, but you shouldn't say such things. We try to avoid profanity around here; Project Tau has a very simple, childish mind. We don't want it polluted.

Kalin frowned slightly — Tau didn't strike him as either simple or childish — then shrugged and nodded. He wasn't in any position to criticize, after all.

Excellent. Dennison unbent enough to give him a thin-lipped smile. Follow me.

Where are we going? Kalin asked as he obediently fell into step beside the man.

To see the head of the facility. You're in a heap of trouble.

There was no real answer to that, and so Kalin kept quiet for the remainder of the journey, barely even taking in their surroundings until Dennison tapped in an access code and a set of imposing double doors slid open to reveal a large, semicircular room inside, a room that seemed to be mostly desk. The man sitting behind the desk had a definite military air about him, but something didn't quite fit. He looked more like a wannabe than an actual soldier.

Lighting up a krrsha cigar — the pungent Akkhenian herb that had long since been used as a healthier, non-carcinogenic alternative to tobacco — the man inhaled and blew smoke before saying, Well, son, it looks like we've had a bit of a misunderstanding.

Hope surged through Kalin, and he stood a little straighter. Does that mean I can go?

Mason — the guy behind the desk had to be him, Kalin decided — blew out a perfect smoke ring with the air of someone performing a trick they've been trying to master for some time.

Not yet. We feel we ought to do something to, ah, make an example out of you.

Kalin's blood turned to ice as the room began to swim around him.

What do you mean, sir? he said. He was quite surprised that his voice sounded so normal.

Mason waved the cigar, shedding ash all over the plush carpet. Oh, nothing too drastic. We're working on new medical treatments for people and need test subjects. I was wondering if we could count on your cooperation. Not for long, only a couple of weeks.

"A couple of weeks? Kalin's voice shot up a full octave. Sir, please, college starts tomorrow! I can't afford to miss class!"

You should have thought of that before you trespassed here. Mason set the cigar down in an ashtray and leaned forward, fixing Kalin with a look that was frighteningly intense. "I think you will agree that I am being very lenient with you. After what you've seen here, GenTech policy entitles — in fact, almost requires me — to shoot you and have your body sent back to your parents with the word TRAITOR branded into it."

A tiny flame flickered in Kalin at that. Trandellians were generally better at spotting bullshit than their cousins on other planets, and he was getting a strong whiff of that particular fragrance right now.

Executions are only legal after a clear warning, sir, he pointed out. Those signs outside your lab say that trespassers will be arrested, not slaughtered. And I only saw what I saw because your own people brought me in here, when they could have just escorted me out again. When Mason opened his mouth again, Kalin played his trump card. "And I'm Trandellian."

Mason raised his eyebrows. Do you think that impresses anyone?

Doesn't it, sir? You'd have to prove I was guilty of a capital offense under Trandellian law if you wanted to stop Core Central from seeking retribution for unlawful execution. And if you know anything about us, you'll know that Core Central is rather uncomplicated when it comes to such things.

Of course, knowing that Core Central — the Trandellian government, for want of a better word — would avenge his death wouldn't be much consolation to Kalin if Mason did decide to have him shot, but the thought of it might at least give the man pause.

Mason's smile never reached his eyes. Impressive. You're quite right, of course. He held out a hand. ID?

Kalin rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, sorted through the myriad of cards until he located his student ID, and handed it to Mason.

Mason scanned it briefly and then set it down on the desk in front of him. It says here you're a freshman at SACAS, majoring in medical science. Is that correct?

Yes. Why? Out of the corner of his eye, Kalin noticed Dennison's raised eyebrows at the college name. Admittance to SACAS was the holy grail of any aspiring student; out of the hundreds of thousands who applied every year, only fifty would get into each major.

This branch of GenTech works rather closely with SACAS. Two of the doctors in this facility graduated from there, one of whom was Dr. Dennison here.

Kalin turned a startled look on Dennison, who nodded.

And? Kalin said, when it became obvious that Mason was waiting for an answer.

The smile crept a little closer to Mason's eyes. And how long do you think you'll be enrolled there if we register a formal complaint with the dean? You can give us two weeks of your time and this will all go away, or you can walk out that door, and I'll contact SACAS before you're on the shuttle. You'll not only be expelled, you'll be blacklisted throughout the scientific and medical industries.

Unlike Mason's melodramatic promise of execution, this threat wasn't an idle one, Kalin knew. GenTech was a corporation, not a government, but every scientific and medical facility — apart from those on the military planet Akkhen — was either owned by them or their shareholders.