The Proteus Bridge
Page 15
NESTING
STELLAR DATE: 06.15.2958 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Glorious Achievement District
REGION: Ceres, Anderson Collective, InnerSol
Fugia told him to stop gawking at everything, but Ngoba couldn’t help himself.
From the moment they left the plain corridors of the Visa Bureau, he was surrounded by new sights, sounds, smells, and people, which had him staring at something new every direction he looked. The people of the Anderson Collective might have liked to dress in boring monotones of brown, grey and black, but they surrounded themselves in color. Bright murals showing workers and families covered every public surface large enough to hold paint. Groups of uniformed children passed them, singing high-pitched anthems that seemed to have something to say about the bright future of the Collective.
When there weren’t kids around making noise, Tina availed them with the history of their current section of the Insi Ring, which had apparently been finished only two hundred years ago, making it relatively new. There were still remnants of the “bland corporatist” architecture left from the original construction, before Ceres declared independence from private control and Andersonia came into being.
Whenever Tina mentioned Andersonia, she pointed at the green-brown blur of the asteroid above them, which always occupied a central place in the sky. While Ngoba understood he was on a ring spinning around an asteroid, he couldn’t shake the idea that everything was going to fall into the sky at some point, or go spinning off into space.
“I’m confused,” Ngoba said finally. “Is it the ‘Anderson Collective’ or ‘Andersonia?’ Ceres is the place, right, just like Cruithne is an asteroid, but someone might live in the Lowspin section. Are there other parts of Ceres besides Andersonia?”
“That’s an excellent question,” Tina answered brightly. “You have such an observant partner, Fugia. You should be proud.”
“I certainly am.”
“Andersonia is the dream of what Ceres will become once we finish the grand terraforming project.” Tina joined her hands and pressed them against her breast. “Andersonia is the dream in every Andersonian’s heart, of the best place for all humanity to live—close to nature, free of the distractions and pollutions of technology.”
“So you’re Terran Absolutists?” Fugia said, sounding irritated by the whole conversation.
“Oh, no,” Tina said. “We acknowledge that humanity must spread beyond the Earth. Our goal is to spread the purity of humanity’s relationship with nature, as well. No one speaks of nature when they talk about progress.” She gave an exaggerated laugh. “At least, I haven’t read that part of the history books.”
“Who reads books anymore?” Fugia asked.
Ngoba shot her an irritated look of his own. Her obvious dislike of Tina was going to get them in trouble. He didn’t know what Fugia’s meeting was about, but he wanted her to get there so he could get his payout. He worried that he was going to have to make sure Fugia didn’t sabotage her own mission.
The commercial district was lined by tree-filled gardens that gradually became shared vegetable plots in the residential section, where Tina explained their apartments were located. “You’ll be staying in a very nice group division where they keep open living spaces just for families visiting Ceres.”
“You just called it Ceres again,” Ngoba said.
“Yes, silly. It’s still Ceres. There is no ‘Andersonia’ yet, only in the hearts and minds of the Collective.” She pushed his arm playfully. “You like to tease, don’t you?”
“Well, yes,” Ngoba said. “I wasn’t that time, though.”
“He’s a really silly boy,” Fugia said.
“You don’t seem to appreciate him much, if I must say so,” Tina said.
Fugia immediately put on a happy expression. “I meant that. He’s silly and loves to tease. I’m just tired. It’s been a long trip. You understand, don’t you?”
Tina softened slightly but still seemed displeased. “I understand. I hate traveling. I haven’t done much of it, but I do hate to leave home, even for short periods.”
“We appreciate you helping us,” Ngoba said.
Tina beamed at him, looking as pleased as before. “Of course!”
Trying to keep her in a happy frame of mind, he asked, “Did you grow up here?”
“Born and raised. I studied chemical engineering and now I work in the Air Quality Division. But I also serve in the Andersonian Defense Force. I’m a heavy weapons operator.” Tina flexed her arms, making her chest stand out even more.
Ngoba gave her a raised eyebrow in appreciation. “You have much need for a defense force?”
“Oh yes. Pirates are always going after our shipping lanes. We’re small, but we have plenty of quality materials flowing between us and the rest of Sol. We also export high-value defense tech and terraforming materials. The off-ring manufacturing facilities are able to leverage a zero-g environment with the limitless energy of our mini black hole. Ceres is the jewel of mid-Sol.”
“What else is there in mid-Sol except the asteroid belt?” Fugia asked.
“Exactly!” Tina said brightly. “We’re the oasis in the desert between Mars and Jupiter.”
Ngoba was worried Fugia was going to counter with another snide comment that would get them in trouble again, just after he’d gotten Tina in a good mood. But the small woman managed to maintain a civil conversation, asking about the murals and other art they passed, which seemed to genuinely interest her.
As Tina explained how collective groups came together to plan and paint the murals, Ngoba was thinking about what a waste of time it was when drones could do the work—until he realized that he hadn’t seen a drone since they left the transport from the Mars 1 Ring.
Everywhere he looked there were people, which was just like Cruithne, but these people were clean and well-dressed and seemed to enjoy being alive. He was amazed by the number of people who smiled at him, even after they gave him a surprised glance because he looked different. Flags with the symbol of the Anderson Collective hung everywhere, and once he recognized the colors of the flag—brown, green, and black—he realized everything followed that palette. Their clothes weren’t boring, they were all reinforcing the symbols of the government.
Glancing down at his bright red shipsuit, bought at a thrift store in Lowspin, he realized just how much he stood out from everything else around them. Even Fugia in her light blue suit stood out as a foreigner.
Why hadn’t he seen this sooner? He prided himself on being able to check a situation and respond, fit in or get out when necessary. He’d been too wowed by the new place, the open air and actual buildings. It was like walking into a holodisplay of Earth or High Terra, and he’d let himself feel wonder when he should have been scoping the scene for danger or opportunity.
“Hey, Tina,” he said, interrupting her explanation of how the city blocks were laid out. “Where can we get some clothes? I’m feeling a little out of place.”
She laughed. “Just figured that out? There will be clothes in the apartment, but you can visit a shop tomorrow if you want. Once you see Sharm tonight, you may want to stick with the ugly clothes you’re wearing! Everyone tries to look as foolish as possible during Sharm.” She leaned slightly closer to Ngoba. “Not that clothes stay on very long.”
The apartment assigned to them contained a single bedroom, with a small kitchen and living area, and a wide window that looked out on the communal garden, where several people were currently bent over vegetable rows.
Ngoba was worried Fugia would make a comment about the window, but she only stuck her head in the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and then went into the bedroom, leaving him alone with Tina.
“This is very nice,” he said. “Thanks again for your help.”
The front door was open, but Tina stepped closer to him rather than indicate she was leaving, close enough that he could smell a mint-like scent on her hair.
“I’ll be right next
door if you need anything,” she said, reaching up to rub the lapel of his shipsuit between two fingers.
Ngoba stiffened, glancing toward the bedroom, where Fugia was strangely occupied.
“I’ll be sure to remember that.”
“Wonderful,” Tina said, smiling brightly with moist lips. “Tonight, we’ll go to Sharm and have so much fun. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have you joining the Collective.”
“Me too,” Ngoba said, giving her a weak nod. “I can’t wait.”
Fugia walked out of the bedroom, and Tina bounced toward the front door.
“See you tonight!” Tina called, pulling the door closed behind her. She walked past the picture window, staring at Ngoba as she went, until she disappeared out of view.
“That girl wants to get in your pants,” Fugia said. “Or she wants you to get in hers.”
“I’m not interested in sharing pants with her.”
“That’s not what that saying means.”
“I’m here to do a job,” Ngoba said, turning to face her. “You seem set on screwing things up by being such a jerk. You need to at least act like we’re a couple.”
“How do you think couples act?” Fugia asked.
Ngoba spread his hands in frustration. “Usually they touch each other, but we don’t have to do that, I guess. We should be nice to each other, though, and I think I’m doing my best to be nice to you. We at least need to fake it until your meeting, right? When you were so mean to Riggs, I thought you two had something going on; now I’m starting to think that’s just how you are.”
Fugia stepped closer with a slight smile.
“What are you doing?” Ngoba asked, not trusting her.
Gazing up at him with surprisingly wide, dark eyes, Fugia tucked her hair behind an ear and then took his lapels in either hand. Rather than rub the fabric as Tina had done, Fugia stood on her tip-toes to pull him closer and kissed him. Her lips locked on his with startling force and heat, soft and insistent at the same time. It almost felt like passion.
Ngoba quailed for a second, not understanding what she was doing, then felt like he was melting as Fugia pressed herself into him, drawing him deeper into the kiss.
Just when he was placing his awkward hands in the small of her back to hold her in place, Fugia let go and pushed him away slightly.
Ngoba stumbled, legs feeling like jelly, and nearly fell over the back of a chair.
“What was that?” he gasped.
“A kiss,” Fugia said. “See, I can be affectionate when I want to be.”
She turned back toward the bedroom, twisting her hips in a way that showed off her ass, and left the room. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Heart pounding, Ngoba wondered if he was going to survive Sharm.
WRAPPING THE RIBBON
STELLAR DATE: 06.15.2958 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Glorious Achievement District
REGION: Ceres, Anderson Collective, InnerSol
Dressed in the flashiest brown leisure suit the Anderson Collective appeared capable of making, Ngoba walked with Fugia and Tina down a broad avenue full of revelers. Fugia had traded her blue business suit for a skin-tight black leotard with a frilly skirt that stuck out nearly horizontally from her waist. Tina wore a green dress with a neckline that hung off one shoulder, drawing attention to both her oversized biceps and generous bust.
The avenue was lined by vertical, multicolored poles with ribbons hanging from their tips. As people passed, they wrapped the trailing bits of ribbon around their arms and grabbed the person next to them and both twirled to encircle themselves in the ribbon, laughing or kissing or both.
“Sharm is the greatest fertility festival humanity has ever known,” Tina said. “During these five days, we remember our calling to populate the collective and spread our message of humanity to the galaxy and, ultimately, the universe. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Is this the only time of year anybody has sex?” Fugia asked.
“Oh, no,” Tina said, laughing. “We’re a lustful people. We have many passions.”
Ngoba couldn’t imagine anyone on Cruithne saying they were ‘lustful.’ That was like saying you were carrying hard currency—just inviting someone to take advantage of you.
Ever since Fugia had kissed him, he had been going back over his memories of her, trying to figure out if there had ever been a time when he thought she might be capable of that kind of sexiness. He still felt uncomfortable thinking about her, like all of a sudden he found himself attracted to a completely different person than he imagined. Or was it just her?
Fugia was a hacker: quick on her feet, foul-mouthed, and too smart for her own good. Her fingernails were usually filthy with dirt from network connection boxes. As he sorted through his recollections of her, he realized most of what he remembered was from when they were much younger. At fourteen, had he been much different than he remembered Fugia? Dirty all the time, getting in fights, never thinking about tomorrow.
Watching her walk from slightly behind, he couldn’t help appreciating the way the leotard displayed her body and the frilly skirt accentuated the sway of her hips. Realizing he was getting flushed, Ngoba wiped his face with a sweaty hand and tried to look away, finding instead two people wrapped in Sharm Pole ribbon and not much else.
“So, what’s the plan?” he asked rapidly. “Are we just going to wander around, or is there something going on? Can we check out a show or something?”
Ngoba glanced at Tina.
Ngoba looked around the street.
Ngoba did his best to listen carefully as he walked, not wanting to miss anything Fugia said. This was the first time since she offered him the job that she had gone into detail about the task. He had been too wowed by the idea of the Link, currency, and potential freedom from Cruithne to worry about the particulars before. Now that he was in a foreign land, surrounded by sex-hungry locals, the information had become much more necessary.
I need to get better at thinking things through, or it’s going to be my ass, he told himself.
Fugia shot him a dry smirk over her shoulder, her black hair flashing in the low streetlights.
Realizing tha
t Tina had been talking throughout their entire Link exchange, Ngoba tried to piece together what she had said. Something about sticky, sweet street food and a dance in a square, followed by some performance somewhere involving mystical fertility goats. Her enthusiasm for the festival seemed to go far beyond simply selling it to outsiders.
“Tina?” Ngoba asked suddenly. “Were you looking to hook up tonight? Are we getting in your way?”
“ ‘Hook up’?” she asked. “Oh, you mean wrap the ribbon? I don’t have a partner, which is why I was willing to volunteer for the Visa Bureau during such a special time.” She shrugged, making her green dress ripple. “Who knows, maybe I’ll find my special ribbon tonight or the next night. People love outsiders, so they’ll be drawn to us. They love coupled outsiders even more.”
For the next hour, they walked the streets of a new commercial and residential district, where people continued to dance with the Sharm poles, or sing songs and play music in small trios. People watched the street from balconies or rode through the crowd in slow-moving carts that anyone could jump on or off when they wished.
At first, Ngoba couldn’t stop checking the crowd for criminal activity—the kind of thing he would be doing if he weren’t following Fugia. He didn’t catch anyone watching the crowd or casing other groups of people, no one hiding weapons or pickpocketing as far as he could tell. It was a strange scene.
Is there no crime in the Anderson Collective?
He had seen several people in uniform who might have been police, as well as a whole group of ornately dressed guards who looked like they were on their way to a ceremony, but nothing that made the place seem like the police state he had heard it was. Scanning vantage points for surveillance devices—even the round tips of the Sharm poles—he saw nothing that indicated security.
When they stopped at a food booth to eat honeyed buns with bits of raisin, he asked Tina, “Where are all the police? I’ll be honest, one of the reasons I never thought of coming to Ceres was because I’d heard it’s a bit of a—well, a police state.”