by Chris Hechtl
She checked the sender, it was from the school, but that could be spoofed. Someone could be after her to steal her identity … she frowned thoughtfully. She checked with a couple casual school acquaintances who she still kept in touch with. They confirmed the same emails. So, they were legit she judged. Or someone had gotten a hold of the school's yearbook …
She checked the list of planned attendees and then pulled out her virtual yearbook to see how many of them she knew. She went through the names and faces; there were hundreds. Freckles, pimples … a few faces made her wince in sympathy. Some … most of the faces she admitted were a blur as she tried to remember them. She'd been so intent on her own career path; hell bent on getting into space. Her lips pursed in annoyance when she found Miss Coldwell's portrait. Her eyes narrowed. That damn woman, she'd done everything she could to steer Hannah away from space, to sabotage her … she shook her head and pushed the forward button before she got even further annoyed.
She checked the date on the reunion then frowned. It wasn't for a year, which was odd, why would they send out notices for a ten-year reunion asking for so much detail? She checked the contacts to ask and found Miss Coldwell's there at the top. That made her freeze. Finally she tapped out a request for more information in formal tones and sent it off. She wanted to twist the knife a bit, show the woman up by showing her how good she was doing despite her efforts. “Revenge is living well and letting your opponent know it,” she murmured. She grinned a bit and then got ready for her shift.
-*-*-^-*-*-
When she got a response back from Miss Coldwell, she immediately called Brandon. He was sleepy when he answered but smiled when he recognized her. “Hey, babe, what's up?”
“Did you ever go to your reunions?” she asked.
“Um … not following you. No, wait, um … reunions?”
She exhaled noisily then took a moment to fill him in. Finally he was awake enough to nod along, then he cleared her throat when she paused. “I don't see the problem. Showing people up is perfectly natural. This lady sounds like she had her heart in the right place; showing her you succeeded would let her know not to stand in the next guy or gal's way and stomp all over their dreams,” he said.
“True,” she said slowly.
“I think they use that to show the other people, but also to show the kids still in school. A, hey, this is what you can do sort of thing. You do have to be on the lookout for them wanting you to do alumni things though. I mean, if that's not your thing,” he said.
“It's not. I make pretty good money, most of it is banked or invested,” Hannah said, shrugging.
“Lucky lady!” He said, whistling. “I was going to offer you my treat but instead …”
“Hey! A gentlemen always treats a lady,” she said with a mock sniff.
“Really,” he said, moving so he was sitting Indian style in front of the camera. His shirt was off so she got a full view of his pecks. She realized he still worked out. She also realized it had been a looong time since she'd seen a hairless chest like that. At least one not attached to a patient.
“So … your rump still sore? Need me to rub some lotion on it?” he asked, leering. She chuckled.
“No, I'm fine. I got it all taken care of you letch,” she teased right back.
“Well, perhaps for you, babe,” he said. “I still remember what you looked like in a swim suit. Think they'll have an ocean or lake sometime on Mars? It'd be nice to see you in that tight gold number … or less,” he said.
She blew out an exasperated breath. Well! She knew what was on his mind now, she thought. Men, she thought, shaking her head mentally.
“What, too much too soon?” he asked, slightly subdued.
“No, just amused by your gender. You are subtler than I remember. Beating around the bush like that,” she said.
He smiled slightly. “So, how was your day?”
“The usual,” she said. When he raised an eyebrow, she put a check mark on her mental appreciation of him. He'd matured a bit; he was either willing to listen to her or feigning it. So, to test him she went in to a discussion about her day in the clinic.
“Wait, you work in the neo clinic?” he finally asked when she slipped about a fluke.
“Ah, you guessed!” She said. “See, you are paying attention!” she teased.
“Even though I seriously lack coffee,” he mock grumbled. “So, neodolphins. Wow. Cool, I'd love to meet them. I mean, I've seen them on the webcasts and in the media. I saw natural ones in the water parks … those were natural ones, right?”
“Oh yes. The Neos haven't visited the parks, at least as far as I know they haven't. Then again, I'm up here and they are down there,” she said.
“True,” Brandon replied. “I wonder what they think of seeing their kind caged up?” Forced to perform for audiences like clowns on parade?” he asked, voice stiffening a little in outrage.
“I'm … not sure,” Hannah said carefully. “I don't think I've ever thought about it; it hasn't been mentioned either. I know there are gen 1 and older … beings still around.”
“Where are they? You said around. But you haven't treated them?” he asked.
“No. I heard they are in one of the O’Neill habitats the company has in L-5 orbit.”
“Oh.”
“I guess it's sort of um, a retirement home,” Hannah said lamely, rubbing her arm.
He nodded. “So, chimps, gorillas, orangutans, dolphins … a whole menagerie there,” Brandon said, getting his tone and outrage under control. He shook himself, then stretched. She admired his six pack for a moment. The guy was still fit and trim.
“Bonobos too,” Hannah said softly.
“Um … not following,” Brandon said.
“The, um, smaller apes. The smallest ones that look a little like chimps. They are their own species.”
“Oh?”
“Look it up,” she said.
“I'll do that sometime,” he said.
“Yeah, they are right up your alley. They are um … horny,” she said uncomfortably. That got a snort then a chuckle out of him.
“Now I'm definitely going to have to look them up. Horny chimps? Who knew?” he asked with a teasing smile. “And you get to play doctor with them,” he teased even more maliciously.
“Oh god, don't start,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I am a doctor for future reference,” she said with as much authority and dignity as she could muster.
“Well, excuse me!” he drawled, then smiled again, eyes glittering. “Maybe you can play doctor with me sometime,” he said. “Like old times,” he said.
“You need a doctor all right. A psychiatrist to fit you for a straitjacket. And castration,” she said, shaking her head.
He winced. “Don't even joke about that, Hannah,” he said with a growl.
“What, oh, um …” he eyed her. “Snip snip?” she said, making a scissor motion.
“You are soooo going to get it lady,” he mock growled.
That made her laugh again. She shook her head.
“So, you work with that vet guy I think you said, right?”
“Doctor Timeki. Good guy. Older gent, nice. He was actually the doctor for um … the patient that …” she rubbed her rump. He chuckled. “He's been with the company for ages and ages.”
“Tell me about him,” Brandon said, settling himself in to listen.
“Are you sure …”
“I'm fine. I can't sleep anyway. I've got an hour and a half before I was going to get up anyway,” he said and then yawned. “Sorry. Go ahead,” he said.
She chatted about Doctor Timeki a bit, then a little about a few of the techs and then finally Aurelia. There was something about Brandon's eyes when she first mentioned Doctor Lagroose by name. A glitter, but she wasn't sure about it; he turned his head away fast.
“You sure are moving up in the world, rubbing elbows with royalty,” he finally said.
“It's … they aren't like that. Doctor Lagroose is brillian
t. Yes, she's my boss, and married to the boss of all bosses in the company,” Hannah said, smiling involuntarily at her quip. “But she's a person too. She's got a family, bright kids, a lot of stuff on her mind.”
“Do you get to go out to lunch with her?”
“From time to time,” she said, then the question registered on another level. She shook her head. “It's not like that!” she said. “Honestly! You men!” she accused.
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn't help it given your past with Isley,” he said. “I always wondered when you and I were together if you two got it on,” he said.
She snorted. “Or fantasized about it,” she teased. He grinned. “Or fantasized about walking in on us and having a threesome,” she accused, now eying him with scant favor. His grin widened. She exhaled, shaking her head mournfully. “Men, men, men. There ought to be a bounty.”
“Don't tell me you didn't think of it at least once,” he riposted. She blushed. “Ah! Ah hah! I know that Hannah blush anywhere! You did!”
“A lady has to have some secrets,” Hannah said, trying to recover her shredded dignity again.
“So, you rub elbows with royalty; you're her personal errand boy. Sorry, girl,” he corrected himself with an upraised hand. “I know you are working on all sorts of four footed … people. Ones you haven't mentioned …” his image froze then cut out.
“What the hell?” Hannah demanded, staring in surprise and dismay. “What just happened?” She asked in surprise as the blank image changed to the company seal.
“Miss Castill report to Security wing delta room 455,” a no nonsense voice said from the hidden overhead speakers in her room. She looked up in alarm.
“What the hell? What's going on?”
“Do you need an escort, Miss Castill?” the voice asked, now with a slight trace of menace.
“No, I can find my way. And it's Doctor Castill,” she said, getting to her feet. “Someone damn well better start telling me what is going on,” she muttered as she went to change.
“You do not need to change. You have ten seconds to move out.”
“You … are monitoring me?” she demanded, now looking up.
“You now have eight seconds,” the voice said.
“I'm going,” she said, shaken. She moved to the door and left the apartment.
Along the way to security, she remembered how a similar situation had happened with Jamey. She noted guards, some human, a few neo. One or two she recognized. Ellington looked sympathetic, but the others had on professional masks of disdain. She was directed by a bot to go to the “counseling room” right away. Tentatively she did so.
“You've had an interesting time, haven't you,” a voice said. She turned in outrage. “Sit,” the voice said. She sat in the chair opposite a desk. A figure came through another door and then sat opposite her. She examined the male. Human, Negro, with red curly hair cut in a flat top. He had a cold demeanor, one that said he was ex-military and not happy about the situation.
“Now, do you want to get the how dare you crap out of your system?” he asked, looking at her. “We can then can your ass on the spot and move on to the exit interview process. You'll save me a lot of time if you do,” he said coldly.
She sputtered.
“You're threatening to fire me? To beach me? For what? What did I do?” she asked, fighting to keep her voice level and her emotions under control. Part of her wanted to have a tantrum, another part wanted to break down into a sobbing fit. She was bewildered, confused, angry … She sucked in a deep breath and settled herself. She let it out slowly.
“Ah, that stage. Okay, let's start there,” he said. He held up a hand. “You have been having unauthorized conversations with a …” he paused to look at his tablet, then nodded. “A Miss Coldwell and a Brandon Simpson.”
“I wouldn't characterize them as unauthorized in the slightest. The last I checked we can talk to who we wish to do so.”
“That isn't true. You know this; it is in your agreement. And since I know you have an edict memory like your brother, why don't I pause so you can remember the specific passage and feel all mortified and embarrassed.” He cocked his head. “If you need a prompt, its passage IX through XI under the security clauses of your contract.”
She eyed him, now annoyed with him more than the situation. “I didn't speak with the media or … .”
He paused her with an upraised hand. “Okay, denial stage. This is where I explain how you aren't supposed to talk to people about your work except in general terms, no specifics, and certainly not with people outside the company. Nor are you supposed to feed others Intel, which was what you were doing.”
“I didn't …”
“Didn't know. That much I do believe,” he said. He checked the tablet in front of him then nodded. “I'm looking at your bio readings now, you are upset and angry, but based on your thermal profile and voice stress you are telling the truth.”
“How …” She sighed and shook her head. “Okay, look. Brandon is an old boyfriend from college. Miss Coldwell is a bitch from school. My old school counselor. She got herself on the reunion committee …”
“No, she didn't,” he said, cutting her off. She paused.
“She didn't?” she finally asked when he didn't elaborate further.
“No. She works for One Earth.”
“Oh. Um, I didn't know.”
“All the addresses in that email were to a catch all server which would have been directed to her … or someone simulating her. Possibly a bot, we aren't certain. We are looking into it however.”
“Um … thanks.”
“So. Start from the beginning,” he said.
“I don't know why you are bothering to ask me. You've clearly been listening in this whole time! You know you could have warned me!”
“We wanted to see how far it would go and if you were complicit. Instead, we're classifying you as naive.”
“Um … that's not a compliment,” she replied, clearly nettled.
“It wasn't meant to be one,” he said coldly.
“Your old boyfriend has been pumping you for information.”
“He …” she frowned thoughtful. “Okay, here is how it went from my perspective.” She settled herself and started from the beginning. She told him about the comment by Brandon about her brother and how she wanted to follow that up, but he had dodged the question. “We'd gotten distracted, you know, catching up.” He just stared at her. “Anyways …” she went on, and then frowned. “And you aren't listening to a word are you?” she asked when he seemed bored.
“I am. I am also reviewing your case files as well as how truthful you have been.”
“I've been this entire time! Why would I lie?”
“Why indeed? Some do it out of evasiveness to protect themselves once they know they have been caught or are in trouble. Others do it just because they resent authority. You, Miss … excuse me. Doctor, have been truthful.”
“Glad we've got that part straightened out,” she grumbled. “Can I go now?” she demanded.
“Just a moment. What you've fallen for is a variant of the mata hari. A male version with some distraction elements thrown in. Good old pillow talk with some flirting to keep you off balance. You deliberately stuck to the topic of work to keep from the uncomfortable sexual innuendo.”
“I … did.” she admitted.
“All part of the ploy. And you did keep most of what you said on the up and up. But he's digging.”
“He said he works for the company. Or will,” Hannah said.
The security officer made a note. “I'll look into it. Good day, Doctor.”
“Um, so am I out of trouble? Grounded or something?”
“Instructions. Ah, so you are back on mental balance. Good. You are to immediately cut off all contact with Mister Simpson as well as Miss Coldwell. We have already set up blocks on your communications to block all calls from them and like-minded individuals. This is a verbal warning of a violation of security pr
otocol. It will go on your record however,” he said. She nodded. “We will filter all e-mails from him or Miss Coldwell.”
“Okay …”
“Consider yourself very lucky. You have some security refresher material to go over. Call it a refresher course since you are apparently a target for information,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, getting to her feet. “Anything else?”
“Don't discuss this with anyone outside the company. That is all. Dismissed. Good luck complaining to Doctor Lagroose; she knows better than to pull rank,” he said as she opened her mouth. She closed it then turned. She didn't quite leave in a huff but close.
She grumbled, chastened and subdued but still annoyed as she walked away, head down. Annoyed at being used, annoyed at the world. The universe, she thought as she stomped her way back to her quarters. The worst thing was the security asshole hadn't even bothered to give her a name to complain about.
Brandon wasn't a spy! He couldn't be! Could he? She thought. That troubling question remained unresolved as she went into her quarters and flopped down onto her bed to stare at the ceiling. She glanced at the vid screen then back to the ceiling again. She had a lot to think about.
-*-*-^-*-*-
The next day Hannah talked with Aurelia about the situation, beating around the bush, unsure how to approach the subject. But the older woman seemed distracted so that made Hannah even more hesitant. She was also glowing, something twigged at Hannah's female radar making her pause to study her boss's profile and demeanor. Doctor Lagroose was excited, amused, frisky. She had a bounce, but there was that damned glow … It took her a moment to realize why; the woman was pregnant. She was delighted, grinning. “You are pregnant again?” she asked.
Aurelia blinked when she was accused out of the blue. She looked at her understudy and then blushed. “Don't tell Jack,” she said then looked away.
That was all the confirmation Hannah needed. Hannah held her hands up in surrender. “I won't. When? I mean, how far along are you? If I may ask.”
“Last week when my cycle peaked.” Aurelia looked away. She'd planned on waiting a bit longer. She'd had it scheduled to the month, one child every 3 years, but her last gynecology exam had told her she needed to step up her pace. She wasn't getting any younger despite all the treatments modern medicine offered. The good news was that her treatments were keeping menopause at bay still, but only barely. The other treatments … Oh they'd keep her young, or young looking, but they couldn't stop the march of time where procreation was concerned. Besides, she wanted to get it behind her so she could focus on her other work, she thought pensively.