The Gaia Effect

by Claire Buss

  Kira was sat on the floor deep in thought while Grace entertained herself with various rattles and soft toys. Martha and Dina joined her.

  'Anything wrong K?' Dina asked.

  'That was Jed,' Kira said, pointing at the vid comm. 'He said Pete had huge news and they are all coming round here for dinner. Ingrid included. He's just getting in touch with Ben now.'

  Dina gasped and Kira looked at her in concern.

  'He said the whole gang needed to be here. I thought you two...'

  'It doesn't matter. He can come. I don't mind.'

  'You do not suppose Pete is going to...perhaps...propose?' Martha asked.

  Kira burst out laughing, then stopped as she realised there was no other reason for them to all get together.

  'He can't be, can he? Not after the run around Ingrid gave him.'

  Yet the more she thought about it, it seemed the only explanation there could be.

  'What about Ruth?' Martha said.

  'Jed wants Ruth here too, but he couldn't get through to her. I tried her ear comm just now - it's nothing but static.'

  Dina nodded.

  'Sounds about right. She's probably off grid.' She stood up. 'I'll go round if you like, I need to speak to her about my placement, anyway.'

  'You sure?' Kira asked.

  'I've got to keep busy, Kira, otherwise,' and she trailed off, her eyes filling.

  Martha reached up and squeezed her hand.

  'It is okay, we understand, Dina. Whatever you need.'

  Dina took a deep breath, and pushed her grief back down.

  'I'll be back in time for the big announcement,' she said, blowing kisses at a gurgly Grace as she left.

  'Do you think she is alright?' Kira asked.

  Martha fiddled with a cushion.

  'I think she is finding her own way of coping with the unbelievable. As we all are.'

  Kira nodded.

  'But she has been spending a lot of time with Ruth talking about the latest approved Anti Corp campaigns.'

  'I know. She feels let down, and despite everything we've been doing, I think she feels abandoned. It can't be easy going through what's she going through without her parents.' Then realising what she said, Kira stammered. 'I... I... I... mean - you've got the same, I mean, it's tough and there's a lot going on and,' Kira trailed off as she realised Martha was laughing, then joined in.

  'Oh, you know what I mean.'

  'Yes, I know what you mean Kira.' Martha looked down at the happy baby. 'I still can't quite grasp the fact that I am growing one of these all by myself, without a lab.' Martha held her stomach and continued in a softer voice. 'Even if it was not my choice.'

  Kira was teasing Grace with one of her soft toys, making her grab for the bunny ears.

  'Have you thought any more about your father's offer of medical intervention?'

  'Remove the baby? Do you believe that is the course of action I should take?'

  'No!' Kira looked up at Martha in shock. 'I'd never suggest that Ma.'

  'It is something I have considered. Taking the memory pain wipe helped but I still know I was raped, I just do not have any emotional feelings attached to what happened. Not knowing who the father of my child is – and the fact that I never asked for it – it makes me feel unclean on the inside. As if this baby is unclean.'

  'Oh Ma,' Kira's eyes filled with tears. 'It's just an innocent baby, it never did anything wrong.' She looked at Grace playing happily. 'You're not ... I mean you wouldn't...' Kira choked off, unable to keep talking.

  'No Kira, I am not going to remove it,' Martha said with a distant look on her face.

  'That's good Ma, I know it's the right thing to do,' Kira said, wiping her face dry.

  'I do have a Med Check appointment today though,' Martha continued in a faraway voice. 'I have told them to come to the apartment. I do not want to be poked and prodded at Med Centre.'

  'Seems fair enough.'

  'Yes,' Martha said, refocusing on Kira and Grace in front of her. 'I refuse to be a Corporation pin cushion. Do not misunderstand me, I want to get through this as safely as possible but women coped with pregnancy for centuries without being hooked up 24/7 to machines. Speaking of which, did you manage to get the materials I asked for at Archive?'

  Kira shook her head.

  'No, not yet but the request has gone through, so it shouldn't be a problem. We just need to wait for the repro and then you'll have all the texts you could possibly want. It is kinda exciting isn't it?'

  Martha nodded, smiling back at her friend whilst at the same time panic butterflies fluttered madly around her chest.

  Dina banged on the door again, she could hear movement inside. Ruth opened the door a crack.

  'It's me. Ruth? What are you doing? Let me in.'

  Dina tried to push the door wider.

  'Dina, please, this isn't a great time.'

  But Dina ignored her and pushed harder on the door. Ruth gave in and let her through.

  'What do you want?' Ruth asked, not looking at Dina.

  Dina looked around, expecting Ruth to have a visitor but realised no-one was there.

  'Why wouldn't you let me in? What's going on?'

  'Stuff,' Ruth said.

  Dina coloured but carried on talking.

  'Jed and Pete have called a family meeting. And they want you there too.'

  Ruth looked up and raised her eyebrows.

  'Me?'

  'Yep. The whole gang. We tried to reach you, but no-one could get through.'

  They both looked at the black screen of Ruth's vidcom. It was turned off.

  'Why would you disconnect? Are you okay?' Dina asked, concern in her voice.

  Ruth's bottom lip began to tremble.

  'Hey, it's okay. I'm here Ruthie.'

  Dina gave her friend a hug. Ruth clung to her and began to speak.

  'It's all my fault - the news sweep leaks - everything. And I can't tell anyone because then you won't want anything to do with me anymore, and you guys are my only family. I just want him back, I just want him back.'

  She choked off, incoherent with sobs.

  'Want who back sweetie?' Dina asked.

  They separated, and Ruth gestured for Dina to join her on the rug.

  After a few moments to calm down, Ruth explained about her late husband's dealings with Anti-Corp, and how she had been putting candidates forward to join Anti-Corp and spy for them.

  'Candidates?' Dina asked. 'Like me? You wanted me to spy for Anti-Corp? When were you going to ask me about that?'

  Ruth wiped her nose on her sleeve.

  'They backed me into a corner Dina, I had to do it. It was the only way to pay Quentin's debt, and get him back.'

  Dina said nothing. The two women stared at each other in silence before Dina puffed out her cheeks.

  'Frag's sake Ruth. Why didn't you tell anyone? Jed could've, I don't know, done something.'

  Ruth looked back at Dina, her nose running, eyes red and puffy. She sniffed.

  'I couldn't at first, I didn't know anyone well enough, and then when I did I'd already been helping Anti-Corp for a few years.'

  'So you kept quiet, hoping it would go away?'

  Ruth bristled, then gave in.

  'More or less,' she agreed, her voice small.

  'Well.' Dina stood. 'We have to get over to Kira's, so go sort yourself out.' She held out her hand to help Ruth up. 'We can hear what Pete and Jed have to say and then we can tell everyone together.'

  Ruth's eyes widened.

  'I don't think that's a great idea.'

  'We're family, Ruth. And family helps each other, even when they make mistakes.'

  Ruth still looked unsure, but Dina refused to hear another word. Now that Dina had people she cared for and who cared for her, she wasn't going to let anything bad happen.

  To any of them.

  By the time Ruth and Dina got back to Kira's, everyone else had arrived.

  'Where's Grace?' Dina asked.

  'Asl
eep in the bedroom. No distractions that way,' Kira explained.

  Dina went and sat by Ben. Their relationship had cooled, both trying to come to terms with the miscarriage. But they were still friends. Ruth lingered near the front door, unsure where to sit, and not wanting to be there at all. Kira grabbed Ruth by the arm and pulled her into the loose circle that had formed in the centre of the lounge.

  'You have the floor boys,' Kira said, smiling up at her husband.

  Jed turned to look at Pete who stood up and took a handheld scanner from his pocket.

  'Before we begin, this is a bug catcher. I'm not saying anyone here can't be trusted.'

  Pete paused and looked at Ruth. Ruth looked down at her hands, avoiding looking at anyone. Kira, Martha and Dina all looked at each other in confusion. This didn't sound like a proposal.

  Pete continued.

  'But something bigger than us is happening, and I for one want to get to the bottom of it without Corporation breathing down my neck.'

  Ingrid frowned, but said nothing. Pete began the scanning with Jed. Kira leant over to Dina.

  'What took you so long?'

  Before Dina had a chance to reply the scanner beeped at Ingrid who reddened, flustered.

  'It's my clearance chip. I forgot,' she said. 'Let me deactivate – sorry.'

  She flicked her wrist, opening her internal screen. Despite many of them not wanting the invasiveness of top line Corp technology, they watched with interest. It was fascinating to see it in action.

  'All done,' Ingrid said.

  Pete smiled down at her, then realised the others were watching and quickly moved on through the group. Ruth was the last to be scanned. Another beep. They all looked at her in surprise.

  'I didn't expect you to have tech,' Ingrid commented.

  'It's not mine. It's Anti-Corps.'

  Pete's face hardened as he put away the scanner

  'So, we've found our mole.'

  Dina jumped up. 'It's not like that Pete. Listen to what Ruth has to say.'

  'Not until that bug has been removed.'

  'Easy partner,' Jed intervened. 'Kira love, can you get the med kit please?'

  Kira scrambled off the floor and went to the kitchen, her head buzzing with a hundred questions, but she kept quiet, got the med kit and passed it to her husband. Jed knelt down beside Ruth, and took her left hand.

  'Ruthie, this is going to hurt.'

  Tears rolled down her face.

  'Do it,' Pete said fiercely.

  Everyone watched as Jed applied a numbing spray to Ruth's wrist and used the medical kit laser to slice open her arm. He deftly plucked the bug out and before her arm had chance to bleed, he had applied a coagulation foam and used invisible stitching to pull the flesh back together. Jed worked quickly, he was used to removing bugs from Anti-Corp activists. As he finished the group let out a collective breath, and Ruth cradled her arm.

  'Talk,' Pete demanded.

  FORMAL MEETING OF CORPORATION

  BOARD FOR CITY FORTY-TWO

  DATE: 2nd JULY 2215

  VIRTUAL PRESENCE: R HAMBLE, J NICKS, Y ASWAD and P BASJERE

  AGENDA

  1. UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES

  2. CONTAINMENT

  3. CONTROL

  4. FILE 0

  MINUTES

  1. TWO PREGNANCIES AND ONE MISCARRIAGE HAVE BEEN REPORTED. MEDICAL HAVE NO EXPLANATIONS. SCIENCE DIVISION TO BEGIN INVESTIGATIONS ASAP.

  2. SWEEPS WILL BE MONITORED. NON DISCLOSURES WILL BE SENT TO THE FAMILIES INVOLVED. MEMORY WIPES AT MED CENTRE HAVE BEEN ACTIONED.

  3. R HAMBLE CONFIRMS PREGNANCY A AND MISCARRIAGE ARE CONTAINED. THEY WILL SUBMIT TO MED CHECKS AT HOME AND SAMPLES WILL BE SENT TO SCIENCE DIVISION. MD OF CORP TECH CONFIRMS PREGNANCY B IS CONTAINED AND WILL SUBMIT TO ALL CORP MED REQUIREMENTS.

  4. IT WAS DECIDED NOT TO DISCUSS FILE 0 AT THIS TIME.

  ANY OTHER BUSINESS – NONE

  Chapter Ten

  SCID: Intern places now open at Science Division. Register your interest, limited places.

  No-one spoke. Dina was holding Ruth's hand and the others were shaken by what Ruth had told them.

  'Ruth.' Jed broke the silence. 'Now that your recorder has been removed – can we trust you?'

  Ingrid's mouth twisted, but she held her tongue.

  'I won't say anything to anyone,' Ruth said. 'But..'

  'But what?' Pete demanded.

  'But they'll know sooner or later the chip has been removed. So what do I tell them?'

  'We could always arrest you.' Pete smiled grimly.

  'Pete!' Kira wasn't impressed.

  'No he's right, love.' Jed pointed at the deactivated bug on the floor. 'That way we'd have a legitimate reason for removing it. We're always doing Anti-Corp sweeps. Ruth can just say she got caught up in one.'

  Kira still didn't look too pleased about the idea, but Ruth was nodding. Ben cleared his throat.

  'If this wasn't the big reveal, why exactly were we all gathered here?' he said.

  Pete and Ingrid looked at each other.

  'We're having a baby,' Ingrid said.

  Martha gasped, Dina looked shocked, and Kira's mouth simply hung open.

  'I'm going to be a Dad!' Pete was grinning from ear to ear.

  Ingrid looked less happy about their news and shook off the various attempts at congratulations.

  'There are issues,' she said. 'My employer has been quite firm about my compliance with Corp Medical and my silence about the whole affair. But Pete...'

  'Pete wanted his friends to know,' Pete said, still beaming.

  'There is a more serious side to this as well,' Jed said. 'The Force is unofficially investigating why these pregnancies are happening. Only Pete and I are working the case - we are, after all, uniquely motivated to get answers.'

  'That makes perfect sense to me,' Martha said, nodding.

  Dina looked pensive. 'So, what's the plan?'

  'I think Ruth's confession has actually helped us fill in some of the gaps,' Jed replied looking at Pete for confirmation. Pete reluctantly nodded.

  'Ruth,' Jed continued. 'You told us that Anti-Corp wants to place someone in Science Division.' He looked at Dina. 'Do you think you would be up for that?'

  'Now wait a minute,' Kira broke in, but Dina hushed her.

  'Yes, I mean, I've got the right qualifications,' she said. 'If Ruth can help me get through selection.'

  Ruth's face fell.

  'Are you sure D?' she said. 'I mean, you'd be answering directly to Anti-Corp and they are definitely getting more and more aggressive.'

  Dina lifted her chin slightly. 'I can do this. I want to know why my baby ... why I lost ... why this thing happened to me. And Martha and Ingrid. We all deserve an answer.'

  'Okay Dina,' Jed said. 'Ruth, you organise getting Dina in at Science.' He paused, realising both women looked worried. 'Don't worry - I'll be your handler at this end. I'll get you set up with some top of the range surveillance gear and we'll plan all possible exit strategies.'

  'What's a handler?' Dina asked.

  'Exit strategies?' Ben said. 'What kind of danger do you think Dina is going to be in?'

  'A handler is just a name for the person on the outside who looks after the people on the inside,' Jed explained. 'It's old world spy slang, but we still use it in field work. As for danger.' Jed glanced at Pete. 'It's hard to say.'

  'Hard to say?' Ben exploded. 'What the frag does that mean? Just because Dina lost our baby doesn't make her expendable, you know.'

  'Ben! Calm down.' Dina blushed. 'Not here.'

  Jed went over to his cousin and put both hands on his shoulders.

  'Ben - we're family. I would never willingly put you, or Dina, in a position of danger. That's why we are going to cover every angle. So nothing surprises us. Okay?'

  Ben stared at Jed for a few moments, before reluctantly nodding.

  'Anyone else got any objections?' When no-one replied Jed moved on. 'Based on Ruth's revelation that Anti-Corp wanted
schematics of Corp Tech, Pete and I will put extra surveillance on Ingrid's building in case of terrorist attack. I doubt they'll be able to get through the security on that place, but again, we leave nothing to chance.'

  'They know me there,' Pete added. 'So it won't look unusual if I drop by more regularly.'

  Jed looked at his wristplant.

  'We'd better get you processed Ruth, if you want to be out by the morning.'

  'Is it really necessary to arrest her?' Kira spoke up again but Ruth put out an arm, forestalling any more discussion.

  'Let's get it done,' she said. 'We don't have long before the recorder will attempt an auto info dump. It'll be okay K.'

  Kira muttered under her breath and helped her friend get her things together. Before they were all about to leave, Kira hugged her husband and whispered, 'Look after her please.'

  'I will,' Jed promised. 'We'll come straight back once it's all over.'

  FORCE: Another successful bug sweep removed illegal software from Anti-Corp sympathisers. We remind citizens that bugs will not be tolerated.

  Ingrid was looking for her coat when Martha decided to try and talk to her.

  'Would you like to stay for a while? We could talk.'

  'About what?' replied Ingrid, her expression blank.

  Martha coloured, a little embarrassed.

  'About the babies, our babies.'

  'Oh, I haven't had time to think about it, to be honest. I ought to tell my mother first,' said Ingrid.

  'Yes of course, I quite understand. If you ever do want to talk about them, I'm more than happy to,' Martha offered. 'Kira is getting some materials from Archives - you could look through them with me if you want to.'

  'Perhaps,' Ingrid said. 'But Corp Medical are going to be keeping a close eye on me, so I'm sure there will be nothing to concern myself about. Are you going for your regular check ups?'

  'I do not want to be constantly poked, prodded and monitored.'

  Ingrid shrugged.

  'I'm sure it's no different to normal medicals. Corporation will look after us you know.'

  Martha smiled faintly, trying to ignore the look of incredulity she could see out of the corner of her eye on Kira's face.

  Dina watched the exchange in silence. She would have avoided Corp Medical like Martha only now it didn't matter. Her tiny miracle no longer existed. She didn't blame Ben for getting upset - they hadn't talked about the loss in any detail. She didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to say either so they reverted to that safe place in dying relationships where you said nothing.