Synthetic Landscapes Science Fiction Anthology Volume 1

By K.J. McFadyen

The Thousand Faces of Buddha ~ Ed is more than a detective in the New Siahl Police Department. He is also the first human clone appointed to such a prestigious office. As such, he is the only officer compelled to look into the burnt remains of an unregistered clone discovered on the streets of the mega-city. But only the most powerful of fingers could restart a process deemed inhumane by the courts. And the last thing powerful people desire is an investigation by the least liked detective in the city.

The Affairs of Catherine Hill Incorporated~ Catherine Hill has a big problem. Brought before the judiciary council of the far-reaching Central Bank, she has been accused of the highest crime by one of the most influential corporations. Unfortunately, she is but a single woman in the presence of giants. With little worth and little support, how can one person plead for the value of their life amongst those whose daily trades concern millions?

Pasithea Reassembled~ Pointed shoulders. Frayed hair. Asymmetrical eyes. Pasithea is hideous. No other place is better to display her ugliness than the trendy Club Future. Here patrons are sculpted to perfection with the latest body mods. Pasithea would never be granted entrance if it were not for her sister. And she is there for only one reason: to serve as a guinea pig for the new street drug known simply as Pan-Em.

Eternal September~ It is a trying season for Hitomi. Her final examinations are coming. And everything is on the line for Hitomi to demonstrate her mastery of the Song. But her instructor is suspicious that she is not truly ready. For Hitomi has a secret that she cannot keep hidden from her mentor. It’s a secret that concerns a boy. And this secret could result in more terrible consequences than a mere failed exam.

Awaken, Hatshepsut! ~ What really awaits us after death? Kian Pious knows. He has an intimate relationship with the dead for he obtains their heads so that he may steal their memories. It’s a delicate operation made more complicated through the subtle damage caused by his victims’ cryopreservation. But the job is made more dangerous when Kian feels strange compulsions to return to the lives of his victims. Does Kian speak for the dead or do the dead speak through Kian?

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.J. McFadyen
• Release date: May 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781775313120

K.J. McFadyen

Kevin McFadyen is a world traveller, a poor eater, a happy napper and occasional writer. When not typing frivolously on a keyboard, he is forcing Kait to jump endlessly on her bum knees or attempting to sabotage Derek in the latest boardgame. He prefers Earl Gray to English Breakfast but has been considering whether or not he should adopt a crippling addiction to coffee instead.His love for stories started way back in his distant childhood when he enjoyed the classics: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robert Aspirin and Lynn Abbey, Ursula Le Guin, Stephen King, Piers Anthony, Clive Cussler, H.P. Lovecraft and a slew more that aren’t currently on the nearby bookshelf. While video and boardgames may have supplanted some of his reading time, Kevin has committed his life and sanity to the crafting of his own narratives.Having accumulated a number of short stories, this persistent scribbler has published his first book – a steampunk fantasy titled Thyre: City of Smoke and Shadow. His second full length novel – The Clockwork Caterpillar – is coming soon. Kevin continues to share his ideas on writing, media and life in the jointly own blog: Somewhere Post Culture (www.somewherepostculture.com).

Book preview

Synthetic Landscapes

Science Fiction Anthology

Volume 1

By

K.J. McFadyen

Between the Covers

Publishing

Synthetic Landscapes

Science Fiction Anthology

Volume 1

Copyright © 2018 by K.J. McFadyen and K.T. McFadyen

Cover designed by K.T. McFadyen

Published by Between the Covers at Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any number whatsoever without permission of the author, except in the case of quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or historic events is entirely coincidental.

http://kmcfadyen.com

ISBN: 978-1-7753131-2-0

Table of Contents

1. The Thousand Faces of Buddha

2. The Affairs of Catherine Hill Incorporated

3. Pasithea Reassembled

4. Eternal September

5. Demon Hungers by K.T. McFadyen

6. Awaken, Hatshepsut!

Thank You

About the Author

Other Works by K.J. McFadyen

1. The Thousand Faces of Buddha

//Location: Sunset Avenue //Time: 06:03

With stooped shoulders, gangly walk and a morose disposition, you would not think Ed was the Buddha. Of course, he wasn't. Not in any meaningful sense. He knew nothing about enlightenment or the nine fold path. He enjoyed eating meat and drinking alcohol. And he was completely ignorant of Siddhartha Gautama outside of his name.

The only reason he knew that long dead appellation was due to the number of times people called him by it.

Good morning, awakened one, Kunal said, waiting for the door to open before handing Ed a mug. It was brown and felt like pasted grit held together by wool. Ed needn't look at its side to know its advertised one hundred percent recycled fibre from other people's dirty, disposed cups. Excited for a thrilling day of murder, anarchy and lawlessness?

It's just another day, Ed replied.

Well, you should like this one if first response is to be trusted.

Ed drank his gift. It was the product of a company too busy trying to sell an ideal or a way of life than making good coffee. Its flavour of dried cardboard and sand no doubt reflected the gruelling hours and painstaking work of poor, disenfranchised bean farmers in the Pan-Brasilian Republic. Each spent cent clearly went to improving their lives and not their craft. Had he felt anything but exhaustion, Ed would have spat it out.

Instead, he took another sip as he climbed from his seat. The streetlamps, with their eerie white light, illuminated everything around them like phosphorescent roots planted in unerring lines at the feet of gigantic high-rises. If it were not for the distant orange tinge over the edges of concrete roofs, Ed would have never known the sun was rising.

He sipped, grabbed his PAD and fell in step with Kunal.

What've we got?

A wrapped gift with a card addressed specifically to you.

What do we actually have?

Why don't you project your spirit into the future and divine it from some old crone's tea leaves or something?

Ed sighed. He was not in the mood for this today. Not that he was ever in the mood. He had received nothing but jeers since joining the New Siahl Police Department. His colleagues made clear their opinions of him and his appointment. Ed had no desire to exacerbate things further, especially with so many officers decrying his promotion to homicide already.

A body, Ed said as they approached a tight knot of people. The vehicles were all parked to the side, forming neat lines which gave the impression of Ed and Kunal walking down a busy runway to a first class premier.

An award for our saviour, Kunal said. You'll like this one, though. You may even be the perfect man for the job.

The first thing Ed noticed was the smell. It assaulted the early morning air and the lingering perfume of the late-night street cleaners. He motioned towards the glowing poles.

We get anything off them?

Already in negotiations. But you know how protective those surveillance folk are. It'll take some time, but I doubt we'll have any difficulty in accessing the feeds. Probably cost the department a few rounds of beer at the next inter-division golf charity drive, though.

Ed cradled his drink against his chest as he tapped upon his PAD's screen. He flashed his credentials, waving away the bodies pinned around like a living shield protecting the find. His immediate reaction was to recoil.

Kunal laughed.

Just breathe in that early morning freshness.

Ed shook his head, motioning to one of the medical workers. Most of them had respirators clamped over their nose and mouth. Ed berated himself for not noticing earlier. If the odour had been strong on the approach, it was overwhelming standing next to the body. It was an understatement to say it was the most putrid burnt-meat smell Ed had ever experienced. The acrid stench that arose from the cooked mass upon the clean road made Ed retch. A mask was pressed into his hands and Ed savoured the sweet, forgiving dryness of filtered air. He gave a silent prayer of thanks, to no one in particular, that he hadn't vomited before his partner. Once the last vestiges of charcoal and sulphur were cleared of his nasal passage, he looked back at the unfortunate corpse.

Anyone you know? A brother perhaps? Kunal chuckled as he loped a lazy arm over Ed's shoulder.

He brushed his partner's false camaraderie aside, kneeling before the body.

The victim lay burnt and naked upon the ground. The burns were extensive, leaving no part free or untouched. It was hard to imagine a living thing in that bubbled mass. The first response had rolled it over, leaving just the vague form of a man peering emptily towards the hazy heavens. Ed extended a hand for a glove and an accommodating medical worker covered it with the blue sheath.

He was shocked to discover the body still warm to the touch. As Ed prodded, he realized the burns were near uniform across the skin. The head, however, appeared to suffer the most damage from whatever killed this individual. It would be hard to identify any distinguishing characteristics as every hair and feature was long scorched beyond recognition.

Ed nodded towards a worker, moving to the body's side. With help, he rolled the corpse, peering about the pavement. Dirt flecked the glistening skin and he noticed bits of flesh which tore and stuck to the ground as though the body had begun to fuse with the earth. But there was nothing beneath to offer any clues.

Ed gently lowered the body back to its original position and pulled the glove free of his fingers. Kunal waited a few feet away, arms crossed as he tapped his foot.

So, what's the enlightened verdict?

You're an ass, Ed thought. He shook his head.

No distinguishing features. No clothes or ID card. Face and body heavily mutilated. Appears someone went through a lot of trouble to make our victim as difficult to identify as possible. Likely, it'll be a direct connection between our victim and perpetrator, though it does leave the peculiar question of why leave the body in the middle of the street instead of properly disposing of it.

You're missing one important detail, Kunal said, his face contorting into a patronizing grin. Ed sighed as the man held out his PAD. First response did a DNA analysis. Database returned a positive.

Prior offender? Ed asked incredulous. An awful lot of work to mess someone up if it would only take a few seconds to uncover their identity. Who is it?

You.

Ed took the PAD and looked it over. Three images of a young man flickered before his eyes. His dimensions were given: slightly muscular and just over six feet. He had young, soft features pulled gently over a rounded but strong face. His hair was dark and long in one picture, short-cropped in the second and shaved clean in the third. The skin was light brown and accented the thin eyebrows which arched over bright eyes. It was a face instantly familiar for it was the one Ed saw in the mirror every morning.

A clone?

One and only, Kunal said. He paused as he grasped his PAD. Though, I guess that's the exact opposite of you, isn't it. I suppose he's one of thousands. His partner yanked the device rudely from Ed's fingers, flicking over its display.

Why would someone go through all the trouble to disfigure a clone?

Ed didn't expect Kunal to reply. His partner simply raised a brow on his dark face. He reached a languid finger to rub a long nose so straight it could have bridged the space between his slopping forehead and bony chin. The coroner should be arriving soon. Last I heard, Dr. Kee was somewhat an expert on clones so maybe you'll get your answers then.

Ed looked back at the body. The remains took on a chilly appearance now, so vastly different was it from the pictures in the database.

There were differences between them, of course. Despite all the jokes, despite all the denouncements from others, he was not the man upon the ground. Ed had come across others. The first few times were unsettling, as though he stood across from a living reflection. But that was not the case. Only a few minutes made that clear. Despite their physical similarities, there was far too much separating him from all the other copies.

Copies.

Ed shook his head. He was beginning to think like them.

He flicked his PAD, entering a search request for the location and status of all registered clones. It was pointless: whoever did all this work. Every known clone was monitored and recorded; their credentials and personal information was kept in a vast database updated monthly. Even Ed had to go through the routine examinations despite his status in law enforcement and any clone which missed a single inspection was immediately put under an intense three-and-a-half month surveillance. Knowing that one of them lay naked, dead and burned on the street made their work so much easier. It would be effortless to find the clone that had gone missing. The perpetrator would have been better served by burying the body and delaying the investigation a few weeks.

With the request filled, there was not much else for Ed to do other than await the coroner. He set about the immediate vicinity, poking around the alleyways and drainage systems. It was clear the incident took place well after the cleaners came through, so if they were lucky he could find some hastily discarded evidence. Kunal, in typical fashion, spent most of his time chatting with the young personnel. Ed would have complained if there was a sympathetic ear. But their chief was just as unhappy with his appointment as the rest of the department. They saw him as little more than a political manoeuvre motivated by the mayor's hope in garnering the humanitarian vote. It was election year, after all.

He looked over the long stretch of cleared pavement. Right down the centre ran thick dark lines for nearly seven feet towards the body. He reached down, touching the ground. Thin flakes of ruined rubber peeled off beneath his touch.

Kunal!

It took three attempts to get his partner's attention. The man pulled himself away from the female officer with practised reluctance. He scratched at that long nose.

This may come as a surprise, but I was in the middle of something.

This is more important.

Doubtful. But I wouldn't expect you to understand.

Do you see this? Ed asked, pointing at the lines.

Certainly. Looks like burnt rubber.

And yet I don't see any markers, Ed said. Could be linked to the case.

What? You think it's from tires? Kunal smiled.

That's exactly what I think, Ed said. I also think they're what brought our victim here.

Kunal followed Ed's finger as he drew the path from the street towards the body. But his partner shook his head.

That seems ludicrous. The driver would need to disengage his autopilot to use the brakes at a speed fast enough to leave marks. And that is ignoring the fact he'd have to cover his tires with rubber in the first place.

Not unless the driver owned an older model without autopilot or titanium-polystrene wheels, Ed said.

Kunal laughed. What, did he rob a museum before roasting one of your boys?

Ed stood, shouting towards one of the workers and motioning towards the marks. Can we get a record of these?

As the junior officers hurried to accommodate his request, a roar of an engine drew Ed's attention. A silver car, low and sleek to the ground, rolled on its narrow rims down the street. Its front lights dimmed with the brightening morning as the vehicle came to a gentle stop a safe distance from the workers. The door lifted and Dr. Kee pulled herself out before the vehicle automatically rolled back towards the nearest parking space.

Kunal pulled on his blue vest, hurrying to the doctor's side as she stepped towards the body.

Good morning, Aiya. A pleasure, as always, to see you.

She raised a black brow at Kunal's interception.

Is there a reason you're impeding my way?

How is that any way to greet a friend?

First, you're not a friend, Dr. Kee sighed. Second, I didn't wake early this morning so you could flirt with me. Third, it's Dr. Kee.

She brushed him aside as she made her way to the knot of workers. Despite her diminutive stature, Dr. Kee had a commanding presence as she ordered reports and equipment while kneeling over the body. She made a rudimentary inspection, getting the first response scrambling for their recordings as she pulled on a pair of her own sanitized gloves and optic sensors.

Ed moved across from her, watching the older woman work. She had been assisting NSPD longer than either Ed or Kunal though she hardly showed her age beyond a few persistent grey strips woven through her thick black mane. She could have easily had some gene therapy to get the hairs to grow proper and Ed wondered if it spoke of a spiritual devotion to her ancient ancestry and their reverence for the natural order.

Or maybe after a few years she'd given up on the necessities for vanity.

The doctor paid Ed no mind as she instructed a worker to assist with turning the body.

I didn't find anything either, Ed said as she lowered the corpse. Dr. Kee looked at him for a moment before snapping her gloves off and tossing them casually to the ground. She took the PAD held out for her and perused the report while she spoke. It appears, gentlemen, that we have a dead clone on our hands.

We know, Ed said. I've put a search on any missing individuals from the database.

You won't find any, Dr. Kee replied, walking towards the medical van. Ed followed.

What makes you say that?

It's not a third generation.

Ed looked at the body. It was impossible to judge his age with the amount of mutilation and Ed could not fathom how she was able to deduce it from a preliminary inspection.

I can't imagine him being older, Ed said. Not many of the first or second still live. Certainly none to my knowledge reside in the New Siahl region.

That's because it's not older, Dr. Kee replied. She motioned at the cup still clutched in Ed's hand and he hesitantly passed the coffee. She helped herself to a refreshing drink, scowling as she handed the drink back. Foul stuff.

If he's not first or second...

It's younger, she said. Though your scepticism is not misplaced. I can't be certain until I have it on my table but it measures shorter than a full grown adult of your disposition. I also noticed its limbs are lighter, suggesting to me the skeletal and muscular system is not yet fully formed. Finally, there’s the ears. They're the one part of the body that never stops growing. Those appear quite juvenile, as though they haven't had the time to develop into proper lengths.

Oh. That's quite an inspection.

The city doesn't appoint fools to its positions, Dr. Kee said. A short laugh nearby drew their attention as Kunal returned to his earlier engagement with the young officer. Dr. Kee sighed. They usually don’t.

So you're saying he's a new generation?

It's a preliminary assessment. Though it can never hurt to check the database, I suppose. Like I said, I'll have a better idea once I have it on my examination table.

Then we're looking at a new cloning regimen.

That would be the logical conclusion, yes. It would also explain the great lengths your perpetrator took to... damage the body. A DNA analysis would immediately identify the victim. Well, as far as it can. However, the burns were applied uniformly with the exception of the extreme damage to the head. Could possibly have been performed to hide scars. Her last words were spoken to herself and she turned to her PAD to punch out a few notes into the opened report.

Do you have any initial cause of death? Ed asked.

Dr. Kee slowly lowered the device. She looked at Ed, one of those dark brows inching up her forehead. She looked past him to the body.

If I had to guess, I’d say third degree burns. Ed frowned and Dr. Kee sighed. The body was peculiarly warm to the touch. I don't see how it hasn't cooled unless it was immolated on the spot. But then we should have evidence of carbon and searing on the ground. Instead, we have portions of its flesh peeling off against the pavement. Unless it was transported here in a furnace, I'm afraid the question of what caused the burns is in your capable hands, detective.

Ed scratched absently at the back of his head as he considered his options. His case was starting to look more complicated than he desired. Dr. Kee tapped her PAD before looking at Ed with curiosity. Do you have a habit of that?

Of what?

Scratching your head.

Ed paused, hand still poised at the upper bump between skull and neck. He hadn't given it much thought but his delay prompted Dr. Kee to snap for a fresh pair of gloves before she hurried back to the corpse. She jerked her head at Ed and, between the two, they rolled him on his side.

Right there, Dr. Kee said. She pressed the side of the sensors and a blue laser highlighted a portion of the man's scalp.

What of it?

The skin was waxy and white, peeling back like curling blossoms of a sickly flower. Pockets of deep black charcoal spotted the ridges, flaking off with the repeated shifting of the body. Dr. Kee reached down, prodding the leathery surface as it transitioned from its pearly glow to dark, veined brown streaks crawling into the ridges of the puckered flesh.

See this? she said. This damage right here?

Burns?

No, she replied. There is scarring inconsistent with burning. I wouldn't have thought much of it but...

She looked at Ed inquisitively. He gently laid the body down again, shaking his head.

Contrary to popular belief, doctor, I don't have any mystical connection with these people.

And yet you scratch the same spot.

It's probably a nervous tick, Ed shrugged.

But where did you get that tick?

She peered at him like a medical student leers at a lab specimen. It made Ed feel uncomfortable. He got to his feet, taking a step away from the body and the hawk-eyed doctor. He made his way from the scene and towards his car. There were other places he could be. He had reports to fill and searches to await.

But he didn't get far before he heard the pound of pursuing feet.

Ed, wait. It was strange to hear his name. You might want to take a look into Gene-Tech, Dr. Kee said as she pulled the sensors off her nose and folded them into her pocket. She tapped against her PAD and motioned towards Ed's. I've uploaded their business card.

Why would I take a look into them?

Dr. Kee looked over her shoulder as though to ensure the other workers weren't listening. None of the response team had any interest in keeping a close eye on Ed. In fact, they were politely ignoring him, going about their duties as if he had never arrived. It was a blessing and a curse. Though mostly it was a curse.

They're the largest corporation in the biomedical-engineering field, Dr. Kee said. If it is truly a new generation, they're likely the most culpable in its fabrication. If anyone maintains the technology for full-scale cloning, it would be the brand which started the whole industry. It's not like their current services have abandoned the field even if they've taken a different approach.

That's a lot of ifs, doctor, Ed said. And there are a couple of companies involved in the 'biomedical-engineering' industry. I don't see why Gene-Tech should stand out from the batch. Especially since all the international regulations banning the practice of cloning would ruin the company if they were ever involved in it again.

Let me put it plain, detective. I've been keeping an eye on Gene-Tech's conferences and they're up to more than just cloning organs and limbs for patients. The technology doesn't come cheap and Gene-Tech holds the patents on the most successful incubation capsules. A third rate Müller-Reichstein tank is not capable of supporting a fully developed clone. If there was anyone with the facilities—or the knowledge of who would possess the facilities—it would be them.

You're certain this is a fourth generation clone?

I will in time. Only a full autopsy can confirm that.

Alright, Ed said, raising his PAD in thanks. I'll take a look into it.

He moved towards his car. The vehicle started automatically as Ed drew within proximity. The engine purred and the door raised for its owner. He paused to look at the doctor still standing indecisive in the street. She clearly wished to speak more but said nothing as he took in a last breath of morning air.

Ed slumped in his chair, removing his mask and tossing his PAD to the neighbouring seat.

Headquarters, he spoke. A screen lit up, showing a map of the city and the plotted route. Already his PAD was filling with the reports filed from the scene. There was going to be lots of information to sort and the results of the database searches should return before any action was considered. Perhaps the doctor was wrong and it was just an old clone caught up in some bad gang politics.

Or perhaps she was right. He leaned over, expanding the Gene-Tech business card on the display. He didn't know much about the company. Perhaps it was some inbuilt aversion towards any place with connections to the old cloning practices. He had enough to deal with in his life without having to stare in the face the organizations responsible for his suffering.

He sighed. Gene-Tech Main Office.

The route changed and Ed sat back in his seat. With the course plotted, he confirmed the route and watched the city rolled by as the car pulled away from the crime. In the back of his mind, he hoped this was going to be a simple, uncomplicated case. The vehicle passed Kunal at a safe pace and his partner sneered towards the window.

Then again, perhaps a high profile arrest would be good for establishing Ed's authenticity. He could see himself making the news bulletins and knew that a clone heading such a high profile arrest would drive his colleagues mad. Kunal may even have to cut back on some of the Buddha jokes.

And that thought made Ed smile.

//Location: Palace Drive //Time: 08:04

The car parked before the monolithic headquarters of medical giant Gene-Tech. It was an impressive display of modern architecture with over sixty-two stories of tiered, glass offices gleaming like great mirrors in the daylight. There were five structures in total comprising the conglomerate. Four of them crammed against each other with angled roofs as though a great crystalline formation had been hacked into a respectable size.

Twisting and rising above the others was a magnificent spire. Thick iron wrenched about its form in a style meant to evoke the wrapping of a double helix. Despite the thick glass of its sides, the mighty trees and plants growing within were impossible to hide from public view. It was a structure meant to project strong symbols of life and growth. For Ed, all he could see was that twisted outline raised like a single finger in contempt towards the rest of the city sprawling around it.

The entrance was—just like the exterior—designed to impress. A curved boulevard approached the trellis lined pathway leading beneath sleek glass overhangs. Creepers grasped to thick, stained wood while fountains filled the spaces between with soft babbling waters desperate to drown out the sounds of urban living. Large shrubs and manicured trees rose on every side. Ed held his PAD close, passing well-dressed men and women who clattered along the walkway with their dark shoes. Though this was a research company, there was no misconstruing their ultimate purpose. Business suits reigned over the masses as arrangements were negotiated and services rendered.

A grand holographic projection of the company's name soared in enormous letters before the building. They twisting around the sides like a hungry vulture awaiting one of the sick to fall before its eyes. Ed made sure to load his credentials as he approached the entrance.

The partitions slid effortlessly aside but he could not ignore the bright glimmer of light catching the corner of his eye. Embedded sensors shifted from translucent to bright red as a scrolling holographic projection leaped before him. In