by Magus Tor
“It's like this,” Jonathon began. “Firstly, there's the question of safety. This time, you got hurt by accident; but now that we've gone public and everyone knows who you are, it might not be long until you too become a target, and I won't let that happen.”
“And he's right,” added Elza. “Election time is coming closer, which means that if whoever this is is serious about taking Jonathon out of the running, then attempts to hurt him are going to get more serious, or more desperate.”
“If the election is getting closer, then it seems like the worst time to leave Lunar,” Aurelia pointed out.
“No, no, it's not,” said Jonathon. “I've explained this to you a little, but it's time now to put the plan into action. I want—no, I need the support of the Workers and the Clones to push my plans through. And what better place than on Earth to get that support?”
“But you also need the support of the Ruling Class to get elected in the first place,” Aurelia said.
“True. But I've got that already. And disappearing for a few weeks isn't going to make an awful lot of difference at this point. In fact, it might even work to my advantage. Once I'm gone, then other factions will argue and try and take my place, creating chaos and worry. When I come back, everyone will be so pleased to see me that they'll vote my way.”
Elza nodded at this. “I think he's right,” she told Aurelia. “There are a lot of benefits to going to Earth right now. But,” and here she looked at Jonathon. “It needs to be done secretly. Firstly so your enemies don't know where you are and can't hunt you down, but also so that you maintain a sense of mystery. If the Ruling Class know where you are, then they'll be suspicious and less likely to welcome you back.”
“Agreed,” Jonathon said. “Look, Aurelia, it's a risk, but it's one that we have to take, and one that I think will work out in the long run. This is the last chance that I'll have to persuade the Workers and Clones to follow me. Once I'm President, then I won't be able to sneak off and give speeches without the whole world knowing. I think that all of this is going to work in our favour.”
Aurelia put her head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, thinking. She ran over all they'd said in her mind, and she found that it made sense. It was a logical argument, but she was worried that she was letting emotion get in her way. More than anything right now, she wanted to be on Earth, to see her parents, to feel real air instead of filtered. Was she letting that decide things for her? No, she decided. Jonathon has a convincing argument. He’s right.
“Okay,” she said, lifting her head. “Let's do it.”
Jonathon gave her a grin. “I'll start making plans, then. There's some people I need to speak to.”
“And you,” said Elza to Aurelia, “will be staying here overnight. I need to keep an eye on you. As long as you don't get any fever, then you can go up to your own quarters in the morning.”
Aurelia groaned. “Really? You know these hospital beds are pretty damn uncomfortable.”
Jonathon laughed and bent to kiss her one more time before leaving. “You'd better be a good girl and do what the doctor tells you,” he said. “Or else I'll hear about it!”
She could still hear him laughing as he walked down the corridor outside.
Eventually Elza relented and let Aurelia sleep in her own bed, but she insisted on sleeping on the couch. Aurelia insisted that they have a coffee before bedtime.
“What about your family, Elza?” she asked, once they were in her sitting room with a hot mug each.
“What about them?”
Aurelia had become somewhat obsessed with the idea of family lately for a combination of reasons. Partly because she missed her own, partly because Jonathon was so mysterious about his parents. But also, if she was totally truthful, because the deeper in love she fell with Jonathon, the more she thought about marriage and children. If Jonathon did become President and push his reforms through, then family life as she had known it—as they all had known it growing up—would be substantially different.
Elza leaned back on the couch with a sigh. “I was a lot like you, I think,” she said. “I got along well with my parents, maintained contact even when I came up here to Lunar. They were given permission for a four after I left, so I have a little brother. I even visited them once.” Her eyes looked sad.
“And then?” Aurelia prompted.
“And then they were gone.” She looked down, collecting herself before continuing. “They were both chem Workers. There was an accident in the lab that they were working in. It happened three years after I transferred up here. That was it.”
Generally, the Empire didn't celebrate funerals in the Old Earth way. Once a person was gone, they were gone. The fact that the person would not be a drain on societal resources anymore was considered a positive thing, so death wasn't only a sad occasion. However, there were few who felt as close to their parents as Aurelia did and Elza had.
“I'm sorry,” said Aurelia softly, realising that her words didn't even begin to help Elza but not knowing what else to say.
Elza nodded and gave her a small smile.
“And what about your brother?” asked Aurelia.
The doctor shrugged. “He was young, only two. I tried to get him up here, but of course it wasn't allowed. He'll be in a children's home now, boarding in his school probably. I doubt he'll remember anything.”
“What was his name?”
“Mattias.”
The two women sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts. It was Elza who finally spoke.
“You should really get some rest. And you're off duty tomorrow; I can't let you work with that shoulder.”
Aurelia shook her head. “It's best if I keep busy, Elza. Really. I'll do diagnostics, so I won't need to use my arm. Promise. Besides, if I'm going to Earth, then Lunar Hospital is losing its head of trauma, so I should get as much done now as possible.”
Aurelia hadn't really thought about leaving her job, but she couldn't ask Elza to hold it for her while she was away for the Gods knew how long. And she had no deputy, not since her second in command, Jason, had been uncovered as a traitor and killed.
“You know,” said Elza, sitting forward. “I'm starting to think that we can't solve every problem.” She put her cup on the small coffee table.
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe it's time to leave some of these problems to others and concentrate on what's really important, that's all. And you, med Worker Cole, need to hop to it and get into bed.” Elza stood and stretched. “Don't make me force you; you won't like my methods.”
Aurelia laughed and stood too. “Alright, I'm going, I'm going. And thanks, Elza. For everything. I mean it.”
Aurelia slept like a baby and suspected that Elza might have put a sedative into her coffee before she’d retired. She didn't blame her, though; she felt a hundred times better after a good night's sleep. She woke to a knock on her bedroom door.
“It's me,” said Elza, sticking her head around the door. “I'm off to work, and you've got a visitor. He's been waiting for an hour; I wouldn't let him wake you.” She gave her a grin and disappeared.
“Feeling okay?” said Jonathon, coming in.
“Pretty good, actually,” said Aurelia.
“Great. Now, I've made some plans, and I think I can get us down to Earth undetected. I just need to figure out where we're going to go from there.”
He sat on the bed next to her and reached for her hand.
“You know all this is for the best, Aurelia, right?”
“I know,” she answered. “But I've got a condition.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What's that, then?”
“I want Nicholas to come.”
Jonathon pursed his lips as he thought, and he finally asked: “Why?”
“For a couple of reasons,” said Aurelia, who'd been thinking. “First, because he's safer on Earth, and we'd originally intended to send him there anyway. Second, because he's the ultimate body
guard. And third, because if you want Clone support, then he's going to be the one who'll need to speak.”
“But the majority of Clones are up here in Lunar,” said Jonathon.
“Yes, but there are a fair few down on Earth, he told me. And at a guess, I'd say that it will be a lot easier to persuade those Clones to join with our cause, since they're further away from Lunar influence. Plus, if you're going to persuade the Workers to join us, then proof of the Clone collaboration might go a long way towards making your point.”
“Hmmm.” His eyes looked speculative, and he squeezed her hand. “You know, if you weren't a med Worker, you could always sign on to become my campaign chief. I like the way you think. And you're right. Okay.” He looked at the time reader on his wrist. “I'll try and contact Bryn, see how long it will take to get Nicholas back here.”
“And I've got a job to do,” said Aurelia. “So get out of here so I can get dressed.”
He kissed her and got up to leave. “Oh, by the way, Tara said she was going to drop by and see you today. Is that okay?”
Aurelia had a soft spot for Jonathon's little sister, and she nodded. “It'll be nice to see her.”
“I'll let her know.”
The door slid shut. Aurelia stretched and then got up and began to get ready for her hospital shift.
It was close to lunchtime when Tara found her. A dark-skinned young med Worker showed her into Aurelia's office.
“Wow,” said Aurelia, looking up. “Nice hair.”
The last time she'd seen the young girl, she'd had a shock of bright purple hair, but now there was a long fuchsia ponytail streaming down her back.
“Fancied a change,” said Tara. “You really like it?”
“It's certainly different,” said Aurelia, thinking about her own dark hair and shuddering at the thought of colouring it pink. “But it suits you,” she relented.
“Thanks. Wanna grab some lunch?”
Aurelia checked the time and looked at the queue of files she needed to sign off on on her personal screen, then sighed. “Yeah, I'm starving. It's gotta be here at the canteen, though; I can't leave the hospital right now.”
“Sure,” Tara said. “I've never eaten in a hospital before; might be interesting.”
Aurelia feared that Tara wasn't going to find the food quite as interesting as the young male med Workers found Tara. The bright pink hair attracted more than a few admiring glances as they made their way to the canteen. Glances that Tara simply ignored. Probably used to it, thought Aurelia.
“So, to what do I owe the honour of this unexpected visit?” asked Aurelia when they were seated with plates of food.
“Er, what's this?” asked Tara, looking at a beige mush currently balanced on her fork.
“Synth mashed potatoes,” said Aurelia.
“Hmm, not bad,” said Tara, tasting it. “Well, I did come to check on you, of course.”
“Of course,” said Aurelia, raising an eyebrow and taking a mouthful of potatoes. “But you also came for something else, didn't you?” she said after she swallowed.
“Kinda,” said Tara, looking bashful. “The thing is, well, you know, I'm one of you now. Jonathon agreed, and I'm in.”
Aurelia knew that she was talking about being made a member of the Resistance and nodded.
“So, I think that I should be allowed to go with you to Earth.”
“Ah,” said Aurelia. “And what does Jonathon think about that?”
Tara grimaced and stirred her synth potatoes. “He's not exactly supportive.”
“Yeah, I didn't think so. But you hate Earth; you've told me before that I was crazy for wanting to go down there, so why do you want to go?”
“I don't want to miss the excitement. I don't want to be left at home like a little kid.” Tara pouted and looked an awful lot like the kid that she didn't want to be.
“I see your point,” Aurelia said carefully, thinking. “But you don't need to go to Earth to get excitement. In fact, there's a reason that I think Jonathon wants you here. I think he's got a job for you.”
Tara's eyes brightened, and she smiled. “You really think so?”
“Yep, and it's important too.”
“What is it?” The girl was practically bouncing up and down in her chair at the prospect of being given something to do.
Aurelia looked around her. The canteen was half full, so there was a buzz of conversation, but there was no one close enough to hear them. She was beginning to learn that this was the ideal situation to share secrets. “You know that there have been several attempts on your brother's life, right?”
“Sure,” nodded Tara. “That's how you got hurt.”
“Right,” agreed Aurelia. “And the thing is, we really need to know who's behind this. We know that assassins have been hired, but we don't know who's hiring them. That's where you come in.”
“Detective work?” Tara looked a little less excited.
“Who better?” said Aurelia, warming to the idea herself. “No one would suspect you; you look like a harmless Ruling Class kid. But you are Ruling Class, so you can get away with asking questions and going places that no one else can. I think you're exactly the right person for the job.” And the more that she thought about it, the more she truly did.
“Hmmm. I guess I could do that. It's important, right?”
“Er, Tara, someone is trying to kill your brother. I'd say that's pretty important, wouldn't you?”
“Yes,” said Tara, looking embarrassed. “It is.”
“You'll need to talk to Jonathon, see what he can tell you. As far as I know, the only information that we're certain of right now is that someone ordered Nicholas to kill him, and that the shooting at the party last night was not done by anyone on the floor of the restaurant. He might have more of an idea of where you can start, though.”
“Shooting?” asked Tara curiously. “I thought you were hurt with a stunner?”
“Nope,” said Aurelia. “It was a barb that was shot into my shoulder.”
“That seems a good place to start, then. Stunners are everywhere; barbs, on the other hand, are pretty unusual.”
“See? You're a natural,” laughed Aurelia.
By the time Aurelia had finished her day's work and cleared her desk, her shoulder was aching and she was exhausted. Her com buzzed, and absentmindedly she called out to answer it as she was rolling up her screen.
“It's me,” said Jonathon's voice over the com. “Thought you'd be tired, so I bought food. Meet you in your quarters?”
“Sure,” she answered, smiling.
She locked up her office and fled to the elevators, hoping that no one would stop her with diagnostic questions on her way. Luckily, the floor was deserted, and she made it to her quarters in record time.
“Smells good,” she said, opening the door.
“It should do,” said Jonathon, coming to kiss her cheek. “It's from one of the best restaurants in the city. Sit down, eat, and tell me about your day.”
He'd laid out the meal on the coffee table in the living pod, so Aurelia dropped to the floor, sitting cross-legged, and picked up her fork. She filled him in on her talk with Tara and saw from his face that he wasn't thrilled about what she'd done.
“Look,” she explained, “it's better than having her come down to Earth. She's perfect for the job, and someone needs to do it.”
“But she's so young,” he protested.
“And also one of us. It's not fair to leave her out of things. She has a lot to offer, something that you tend to forget because you're so busy thinking about her as your annoying little sister.”
He nodded. “I guess you're right. And starting by looking at the barb was a good idea. Maybe you're right about that too; she could be able to find out things that no one else can.”
“You'll need to talk to her,” said Aurelia. “She needs to know what you know, and most of all she needs to know that you're trusting her with this mission and that you believe she can do it.”
/>
Again he nodded, then took a drink of water. “I got into contact with Nicholas,” he said. “He'll be back here within the next couple of days. Bryn too. Then we can think about leaving.”
“Will Bryn come down with us?”
“I doubt it,” said Jonathon. “He's got enough to do up here. But I need his help to get us discretely to the shuttle bay. He'll be able to figure out the logistics; he knows more about sneaking around Lunar City than anyone else I know.”
“True,” said Aurelia.
She was about to ask what Nicholas had accomplished outside of the dome when there was a knock on the door. Getting up to open it, she found Elza there.
“Is Jonathon with you?” she asked.
Aurelia nodded and stood aside to let Elza in. Jonathon smiled and grabbed an extra plate. There was enough food to feed half the hospital on the table, after all.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, once Elza was eating.
Elza swallowed her mouthful and took a drink before answering. “I've come to a decision,” she said.
“And what's that?” asked Jonathon, with interest.
“Jonathon, it's time,” she said quietly.
He looked at her, sighed, then nodded. “Okay,” he said.
“Wait,” said Aurelia, confused. “Time for what?”
Elza smiled. “We've talked about this, and we knew that the time would come. The short answer to your question is that I'm coming with you.”
“To Earth?” asked Aurelia, almost choking on her mouthful. “But what about the hospital?”
“I'm resigning,” said Elza. “Just as you are. The time has come to devote our energies to Jonathon's presidency, and the work of the Resistance here on Lunar is almost over. I wouldn't be an awful lot of use up here, and I think that I can do more down on Earth with you.”
“And I agree,” put in Jonathon. “I've been asking Elza for some time to leave the hospital. Her work here is done. Her skills can be better used in other places now.”
Aurelia breathed out. “That's a big decision. But I suppose you know what you're doing.”
“I do,” said Elza, smiling at her. “I told you that maybe it was time to leave some of the problems to someone else, and I meant it. It's someone else's turn to run Lunar City Hospital. I need to concentrate my energies elsewhere.”