A Stand-In for Dying

by Rick Moskovitz

  Marcus had accessed Ray’s finances soon after the switch. He extrapolated back from the present, taking into account the value of the penthouse and their MELD chips along with the $50 million he assumed that Ray had paid for his part of the contract with Terra.

  “Around four and a half billion,” he concluded, “give or take $100 million or so. There’s around $4.3 billion left. We could give away most of that and still keep our home and our MELD chips.”

  “We don’t really need it,” Lena agreed. “It would be a weight off your mind. And we could do a lot of good. After all,” she added, her eyes suddenly watering, “we have no heirs.”

  Lena’s sadness unleashed a wave of emotion for Marcus. He, in fact, had an heir...Natasha, who was no longer part of his life. And he was aware that Ray and Lena were childless, presumably by Ray’s choice. Lena had put up with so many of Ray’s idiosyncrasies, including this one. But the pain of that decision lingered for her to this day.

  “I’m sorry…” Marcus began, but Lena waved him off before he could finish.

  “It’s OK, Ray,” she said. “I knew what I was getting into when I married you. And I chose to stay, even if it meant being childless.”

  A crazy thought struck Marcus. While he was making Ray’s reparations to the world, perhaps he could also make reparations to Lena. And if he was going to be stuck in Ray’s life, perhaps he could people it to his liking, including a child or two that he could love. Lena was now 45, which was once late to bear a healthy child. But with genetic engineering, women were now having children into their fifties and thriving.

  “Maybe it’s not too late,” he blurted out. “We could still have a child.”

  Lena looked at him wide-eyed, then dissolved in tears.

  “Don’t toy with me, Ray,” she sobbed. “I couldn’t stand to be disappointed again.”

  Marcus took her in his arms and stroked her head.

  “No, Lena,” he said softly, “I mean it. Let’s have a baby.” The enormity of the idea hadn’t fully dawned on him. That they would conceive a child that would be Ray’s biological heir and yet Marcus’s child, too. All the while that Ray was fathering Natasha and sleeping with Corinne.

  “Oh, Ray. I never imagined I would ever hear those words. Not from you,” she said. “Yes, let’s. Let’s make a baby.” She was sobbing and laughing all at the same time. Her body shook in his arms. He kissed her on her forehead, then on her eyes, kissing away the tears. If he were stuck in Ray’s life, he would make the best of it and bring joy to this good woman’s life.

  “But we can still give away the money,” he said when her tears had stopped. “That hasn’t changed. Our child wouldn’t want blood money. We can raise it just fine without a fortune.”

  They spent the next several hours plotting how to allocate the money. There were the families whose livelihoods were ruined...like Marcus Takana’s family. And those who were driven so deep into despair that one or more of their members wound up killing themselves.

  “Again,” thought Marcus, “like my father.”

  It was easy for Marcus to envision the most deeply aggrieved, because, after all, few had been hurt more deeply than him and his family. He’d worked hard to rise above the ruin and build a new life, only to have Ray snatch it away from him again in his prime. Now he was in a position to fix it for others, even if it was too late to save himself.

  When they’d finished drafting the plan, they looked at each other with satisfaction. They were fixing the world that Ray had once broken, now putting things right, making a world into which they could in good conscience bring a child who would not suffer the sins of the father.

  Lena walked behind him, draped her arms around his neck, and let her lips rest on his now shorn head. She felt waves of affection for this man, changed as he was in so many ways both physically and spiritually. If she’d stopped to think about it, the changes he’d made were so radical they defied reason. If she weren’t so enthralled by the outcome, she might have come to question how a man could change so drastically within so short s span of time.

  Her arms reached down inside his shirt across his newly toned and hairless chest to his now firm abdomen. He rose to embrace her, kissing her on the neck, then running his tongue around her ear, brushing his lips over her cheek, then to her lips. His powerful hands slid down over her buttocks, lifting her up, her legs wrapping around him as he carried her into the bedroom, all caution to the winds. Perhaps this would be the day they would make a baby.

  36

  DUSK WAS FALLING as Ray jogged alongside the creek. A gentle breeze blew and birds were singing in the trees, their disparate songs creating discordant chords. The run was primarily to clear his head and to create enough of a divide between the events of the day and home to keep his concerns from intruding upon his new family and risking exposure.

  Footsteps approached from behind, gaining on him fast. Given the recent attack in the park, his guard was up. He picked up his pace, but his pursuer continued to gain ground. Abruptly he stopped and whirled.

  “Hello, Ray,” said a familiar voice. “We need to talk.”

  Ray suddenly wished that this had been a mere assailant. That would have been so much simpler.

  “Hello, Terra,” said Ray. “I hadn’t expected to see you again so soon. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “You had a visit this morning from the Vice President,” said Terra. “What did she want?”

  “It was just a social visit,” lied Ray. “If you’ll recall, she was responsible for making Marcus Minister of Discovery. She was just keeping in touch.”

  Terra scrutinized his face. Neither Ray nor Marcus were skilled enough liars to defeat her well-honed skills.

  “No, Ray. Don’t lie to me. She was there on a mission. What did she want?”

  “She wanted to talk about her run for the Presidency,” said Ray, taking the lie in another direction.

  “And asking you to consider being her running mate?”

  Ray hadn’t planned the lie that far ahead, but seized on the opportunity to catch Terra off guard.

  “Yes. That was it. I told her I’d think about it, but I don’t think I’ll accept her offer.” Ray figured that this was just the situation Ganymede was hoping for.

  “Good,” said Terra. “We don’t think you should accept it either.”

  “Why not?” asked Ray, trying to conceal his surprise.

  “Because we have a better idea. We want you to run against her. We want you to declare your candidacy for President. You are immensely popular...or rather Marcus is. We have little doubt that you could win, especially with our help behind the scenes.”

  It was even worse than he’d imagined. They were going for the gold and he was now weighed down by secrets from both sides.

  “But how can I do that? The Vice President would see it as a huge betrayal.”

  “We can’t worry about her feelings. And you shouldn’t either. It’s just politics. People run against friends all the time.”

  “Can I have time to think about it? I should at least discuss it with Corinne. It will change her life, and Natasha’s. They should have a voice.”

  “You can talk with them about it, Ray, but you don’t have a choice in this. It’s not a request. It’s an order. We expect to see your announcement within the week.” With that, she turned and jogged away before Ray could say anything more.

  How would he explain this to Corinne? He would have to present it as his decision. He couldn’t reveal Terra’s role in suggesting it or the hold that she had over him that forced him to comply. And from what he knew about Corinne so far, he expected that she’d push back. She wasn’t fond of the limelight and wouldn’t want to put her family at risk.

  When Ray opened the front door, Natasha ran into his arms. He embraced her.

  “Hi, Daddy,” she said. “Dinner’s ready.”

  The savory aromas of Corinne’s cooking washed over him. The scent of Rosemary dominated a small symphony of h
erbs. For just a moment, he immersed himself in the ambience of Marcus’s home and forgot about Ganymede and Terra.

  “And after supper, we can read together before bed,” said Natasha. “I couldn’t wait for you to get home.”

  “How could I have ever deprived Lena of this pleasure,” Ray thought. This lovely child was melting his heart and unearthing deeply buried regrets. “We should have had children. It could have been wonderful. And I could have left a part of me behind.”

  The dining room was lit in candlelight. The flame of a candle flickered through the ruby red wine in the tall stemmed glass. A soft glow spotlit Corinne’s face within the darkness that surrounded it, making her look otherworldly.

  “Come sit, Marcus,” she said, “and have a sip of wine. Whatever went on at work today, let it go for now.”

  Ray wished that it were that simple. But this was not the time to broach his candidacy with Corinne. And he couldn’t let her in on any of the things that were really troubling him. Here in the bosom of the family that he’d risked everything to acquire, he now felt more alone than ever.

  When he’d finished reading Natasha to sleep and emerged from her room, Corinne stood before him in a diaphanous gown, extending a filled wine glass. He took it and sipped long enough to feel the warmth rise over his face. Intoxication was a welcome relief from the secrets that weighed him down.

  She led him into the bathroom. Steam rose from water in the tub, a luxury in which the Takanas had occasionally indulged once water became plentiful. A towel was warming on the rack nearby and a soft robe hung from a hook on the wall. The sound of native flutes echoed through the room. Corinne withdrew quietly and closed the door behind her.

  Ray stripped off his clothes and let his body sink into the warm water. His eyes closed. He breathed deeply, inhaling the fragrant scent of frangipani as he lingered for several minutes on the edge of sleep, the image of Corinne’s softly shrouded body floating across his field of vision, her angelic face capped with its slick crown, until it morphed into a cascade of red hair, arousing him from his reverie.

  He arose from the tub and entered the cleansing pod, enjoying the brisk jets of liquid on his body. These new sensations brought him back to the moment, again banishing the day’s travails. He ran his hands over the slickness of his body, wrapped himself in the robe, and emerged from the bathroom, leaving the flutes behind for the stirring sounds of Rachmaninoff.

  There she was again in the flesh, smiling and beckoning. They had yet to reconsummate their union, although Corinne was unaware of the significance of what was about to happen. Ray immersed himself in her presence as they fell into each other’s arms.

  When they were at last resting side by side, their hands entwined, the events of the day were just for the moment a distant memory. He sighed deeply. Corinne mirrored his sigh.

  “That was amazing, Marcus,” said Corinne, breaking the silence at last. “Different.”

  Ray took in a breath and held it.

  “Almost like the first time.” she added, pausing deep in thought. “It felt like this one other time before.”

  “When was that?” asked Ray.

  “It was the night before the mysterious redhead showed up. A magical night that ended oddly, followed by an even stranger morning.” Corinne laughed. “I sure hope she doesn’t show up again.”

  Ray shared her wish, but knew it was futile. Terra might as well already have been in the room with them. Her presence was inescapable.

  37

  “RAY! RAY! WAKE UP!”

  Marcus opened his eyes. Lena was holding him by the shoulders, shaking him, shouting at him, her face contorted. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His left arm reached out to her, but his right arm lay inert on the floor, as dead as a brick.

  “Ray! Your face. Something’s wrong with your face.”

  He felt saliva dribbling from the right corner of his mouth. His right eyelid obscured most of the vision in that eye.

  “I’m calling for help,” said Lena. “Whatever the risk, I don’t want to lose you. Don’t try to stop me.”

  There was nothing that Marcus could do. He stopped struggling and just lay on the floor while Lena broadcast the medical emergency. Within minutes, sirens could be heard in the street below. It only took seconds for the vertical pod to reach the penthouse. Three EMT’s rushed into the room and quickly assessed the situation.

  “CVA,” said a young woman. “Right hemiparesis. Aphasia. Looks like a left frontal.”

  “Anticoagulants?” said another.

  “Nope,” said the third. “Pupil’s blown. Looks like a bleed. Let’s give him a bolus of steroids to reduce the swelling.”

  Marcus’s head felt like it would explode. The intensity of the pain obscured all his other senses and his thoughts. Everything was dark. Only muffled sounds penetrated his consciousness.

  One of the EMT’s held a transdermal injector against his forearm and pulled the trigger, leaving a reddened disc of skin. The other two slid him onto a stretcher.

  “A bleed. Yes,” offered Lena. “He has aneurysms. This is his second stroke.” She followed them into the pod. When they loaded him into the ambulance, she climbed in beside him.

  The searing pain eased. He opened his left eye and could see Lena hovering over him, looking panicked. Voices became more distinct.

  The sirens sounded and the ambulance sped off. But after a few minutes it suddenly began to swerve.

  “What the hell?” exclaimed the driver. “Where’d that come from?”

  The vehicle’s forward motion stopped. It rocked, then rose into the air, suspended from some sort of aircraft. When it was lowered back to the ground, four hooded figures clad in sleek black wetsuits emerged from the aircraft and swarmed around the ambulance. They quickly subdued the emergency crew and extracted Marcus, leaving Lena locked inside.

  “Cor...rinne!” stuttered Marcus as they pushed the doors closed behind him.

  As the aircraft lifted off, one of the figures stood over him and pulled back her hood, releasing a cascade of flaming red hair.

  “T...t...t,” Marcus stuttered.

  “Shh,” said Terra, soothingly. “Try to relax. We’ve got this.” The face that he’d only known as imperious or at best impassive, was now softened. She looked caring, almost maternal. And he was relieved to see her.

  “They’ll be OK,” said Terra, anticipating his thoughts. “They’ll wake up after a while and will find their way home. Nobody’s been harmed.”

  A member of the team injected him with a painkiller. He felt a rush of euphoria. Then everything got blurry. He was aware of a glowing light surrounding his body. Then the only sensation was bone chilling coldness, a lot like the feeling he experienced when he first emerged into consciousness in Ray’s body. Except this time, it didn’t hurt. The effect of the painkiller felt as though his body was surrounded in a blanket of gauze, insulating him against any manner of suffering. He lingered on the edge of consciousness, then sank into a dreamless slumber.

  When Marcus awoke, Terra was still by his side. When he opened his eyes, he saw her smile for the first time since they’d met.

  “Welcome back,” said Terra. “Let’s take things slowly now.”

  He shook his head in agreement.

  “Can you smile for me?” she asked.

  He willed himself to smile as people did for old fashioned photos and felt both corners of his mouth go up.

  “Good. Now open your eyes wide.”

  He opened his eyes and saw the full, unobstructed field of vision.

  Terra held her index finger two feet directly in front of his nose.

  “Now touch my finger with your left hand.”

  He touched the tip of his index finger to the tip of hers.

  “Now with your right hand.”

  In one smooth movement, he touched her index finger with his.

  “Can you tell me your name?” she asked next.

  “Marcus,” he replied
. “Marcus Takana.”

  “And if anyone else were to ask?”

  “Raymond,” answered Marcus. “Raymond Mettler.”

  “Well, then,” Terra smiled. “Good as new.”

  “Not exactly,” said Marcus. “I want to go home.”

  “We’ll get you back there shortly. Lena will be waiting for you.”

  “No, Terra. Home! My home with Corinne and Natasha. I don’t belong here. You have to fix this.”

  “I’m so sorry. This isn’t what you signed up for. It was never supposed to go this way. I do wish I could put things back the way they were.”