I could still see the odd patch of blue sky through the clouds. In one of those patches, I saw a blip of light streaking its way across the blue. I followed with my eyes until the clouds blocked it from sight. Phobos was making one of its three daily trips around the planet. I shivered, unsettled. Then again, I’d felt unsettled about Phobos ever since my Euphoria crash. More so when Brody told me about One Gov’s requests for the Consortium’s geologists. It had gotten to the point where I avoided looking for it in the sky. Why did that tiny moon bother me so much? Was it possible to run a Tarot spread about the moon to figure out why? It couldn’t hurt. Maybe it would even help.
An impersonal hand took my arm and hustled me onward with a businesslike stride before I could consider it further. A minute later, I was brought inside to a small waiting area and promptly deposited in front of Alexei.
He wore a black suit that nicely emphasized his broad shoulders and a black shirt open at the collar. I could see the spider tattoo on his neck and the top of the crucifix on his chest. We looked like a matching set, all dressed in black. Apparently we were going to the same funeral.
“What’s the rush? Am I late?” I asked, looking around at the group of Consortium members. They averted their eyes in that unnerving way they used whenever Alexei was around, as if they didn’t have permission to look at me.
And Alexei…He was staring at my legs. It took a good while before his eyes made it to my face. When they did, I recognized the look, the one that said he needed me alone, all to himself. If he knew about the morning I’d spent with Brody, he wasn’t saying, and I pushed aside any guilt I felt. I belonged with Alexei. There was no place in my life for anyone but him.
“No, you’re right on time,” he said, pulling me into his arms before bending to kiss my cheek. Another kiss behind my ear. A third to my throat. “Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
“I can guess.”
“Then you’ll know I wish we were doing that instead of this,” he said, before pulling away enough to look down at me. “I’d hoped to escape the political drama when we left Earth, but it seems to have followed us here.”
“I know you don’t want me to, but can I say I ran the cards and I’m worried?”
“It would surprise me if they said anything else, but it’s nothing that can’t be handled.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked, thinking of Brody’s earlier comments. I ran my hands over his chest the way I did sometimes, just needing to feel his reassuring presence. “If something was really wrong, you’d tell me, right?”
He caught my hands and brought them to his mouth, brushing his lips against the insides of my wrists, the way he sometimes did. “Yes, I would tell you.”
There was no opportunity to say more. The quiet drone of the elevator’s engine picked up, growing louder. That meant the carrier would be arriving soon and, with it, its Consortium passengers.
With a final touch of my hair, Alexei let me go. I stood beside him, my arm brushing his as we watched the carrier descend and finally stop. It was a large metal rectangle, and from where we stood, all I could see were thick, windowless doors. The locking mechanism clicked into place, followed by a whoosh of displaced air that had me blinking back tears. I could feel the other Consortium members crowding behind, all vying for positions to greet those arriving. Frankly, I’d have traded spots with any of them, especially if it got me away from Belikov. But if Alexei wanted me there, I would endure this. I felt him take my right hand, squeezing it, though I wasn’t sure if it was for my benefit or his.
The carrier’s outer metal doors opened and chain-breakers exited. Hardly surprising given we were overrun by at least a dozen of our own, as if they were the ultimate Red Mafia accessory no one could leave home without. Then they cleared and we moved to the main event.
My experience with the Consortium on Earth had been limited, so I wasn’t sure what to expect of the parade of men and women that followed. Most were young, some with true youth and some with that hard look of “seen too much, done too much” around the eyes. However, some looked older, which I’d come to learn meant they were well into their second century.
Even with the most basic Renew treatments, the average person could live to one hundred and fifty or so. With more money and access to better treatments, living beyond two hundred wasn’t out of the question, though age started to show in lines around the eyes and mouth, less malleable skin, and a host of minor physical ailments. The Consortium had managed to surpass even that. If a person looked like they might be middle age—what once might have been fifty-five or sixty—that meant they were well into their third century. And if they looked older, it meant scary things indeed.
The first to approach was a blond-haired giant of a man. He barreled down the walkway with a grin, catching Alexei in a bear hug. Since Alexei hadn’t let me go, I got swept up in the crushing hug whether I wanted it or not. He bellowed something in Russian that made absolutely no sense when I translated it literally in my head, before Alexei asked him to speak English for my benefit.
“English, of course!” he boomed with a thick Russian accent after clapping him on the back. Then he gave Alexei a once-over with a critical eye. “Mars seems to agree with you. And is this the woman who caused such an uproar?”
I’d caused an uproar? I hadn’t known that. And the way he said “the woman” made it sound like it had extra significance, like I was The Woman, and there were no others. My free hand was plucked up in his beefy paws and brought to his lips. Eyebrows shot up at the ring.
“Stanis, it’s good to see you too,” Alexei said. Then he meaningfully pulled my hand from the big man’s. “Yes, this is Felicia.”
“Felicia, it is an honor to meet you. I look forward to making your acquaintance.”
“I wish I could say Alexei’s told me all about you, but I have a feeling he’s deliberately kept me in the dark.”
“Alexei, I’m crushed! How could you not tell her of our misspent youth? I’m sure Felicia would find it highly entertaining.” Stanis looked offended.
I grinned at Alexei. “I’m sure I would. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“It would bore you to sleep. Perhaps another time,” he said before turning back to Stanis. “I think you’ll find that once you’re settled, Mars is everything I promised.”
Stanis gave him a smug grin, and they exchanged a look I could only guess at. No doubt growing up together in the Consortium would give them experiences I would never understand.
Then Stanis moved off and I was treated to a dozen or so more introductions—some as enthusiastic as Stanis’s and some much cooler. I’d have to quiz Alexei later; I was usually great with names and faces, but rarely so many at once.
I was beginning to wonder where Belikov was when I was unexpectedly faced with a sandy-haired male with dark brown eyes, bowing stiffly over my hand. I frowned, recognizing him. Dr. Karol Rogov, the Consortium’s tech-med was rising from his bow and watching me with an anxious expression.
The last time I’d seen Karol, he was begging me to save his life. He’d been afraid Alexei would kill him because he’d let slip information about a Consortium project I was never to know about. When I’d learned the truth, it had caused such a rift between Alexei and me, I wouldn’t have cared then or now if Alexei had killed him.
“It’s good to see you, Ms. Sevigny.”
“I don’t know, Karol. Is it?” I answered coldly. I turned to Alexei. “Why didn’t you tell me you invited him?” My tone was surprisingly even, all things considered.
“He understands the scope of the Consortium’s neural interface. He will monitor the connections as we overwrite the CN-net’s coding” was the answer.
“And he’s the only Consortium tech-med you have on the payroll?”
In a quieter voice, Alexei said, “He made me. I need him to monitor me as well.”
I snapped my mouth shut, eyeing Karol with barely concealed loathing. “I’m glad you’re tak
ing precautions, but it doesn’t mean I like this.”
The man actually flinched. “I apologize again, Ms. Sevigny. Our history together may have been rocky, but that shouldn’t influence our future.”
Oh really? We’d see about that. I shot Alexei a look that said we would discuss this later. His said maybe we would, maybe we wouldn’t, and I let it go because I had to.
A hush settled over the group as everyone turned to see Konstantin Belikov make his way toward us. Or rather, be propelled toward us, because he was in a floating mobile-assist chair. I tried to remember when I’d last seen Belikov. It had been nine months ago, in Nairobi. Then, he’d had a nursemaid and his feet shuffled along the floor when he walked. His hair was pure white and flowed over his shoulders and his green eyes were milky with cataracts, which in itself was unusual. Then again, the man was nearly five hundred years old, and despite the Renew treatments, nobody lived forever.
He’d aged significantly since Nairobi. His shoulders and back were stooped and his skin looked translucent and paper-thin. His fingers were curled with signs of joint deterioration, and his hair was dull and limp though still as long as I remembered. I assumed his legs had failed him since he used a mobile-assist chair. They were covered with a dark gray blanket. He looked smaller now, thinner, shrunken, and frail. He had two nursemaids rather than one, and I might have felt some sympathy if they weren’t both busty, doe-eyed blondes.
Beside me, I felt Alexei stiffen. This new Belikov had caught him unawares. Seeing such drastic changes in someone he’d most likely thought would live forever was a shock I don’t think he was prepared to handle. He hadn’t seen death up close before. Not like this, at any rate. I supposed it was one thing to kill people and quite another to watch death slowly overtake them.
Belikov stopped his chair at the end of the ramp, eyeing the both of us. I knew the assembled crowd wanted to see what would happen. So far, everyone had come to Alexei and more or less kissed his ring—symbolically speaking—as if they were all swearing fealty. Would Alexei go to Belikov or would he make the old man come to him? Even I could see the power play at work, though I didn’t know what it meant in the Consortium hierarchy and who bowed to whom. All I knew was I wasn’t moving one sweet inch closer to Belikov than necessary.
After an amount of time that felt like a second shy of forever, Belikov powered his chair over to us. The nursemaids and a few chain-breakers followed in his wake. Alexei’s grip on my hand was just this side of painful. I tugged on his arm, letting him know he needed to either let go or ease up unless he wanted me writhing on the ground with a broken hand. Immediately, he released me. At the same time, Belikov stopped in front of us and held out a frail-looking hand for Alexei to take, which he did, grasping it in both of his.
“How are you?” he asked, bending down to him. “Are you well?”
“As well as can be expected,” Belikov replied, his voice as frail as his body. Though he didn’t have an accent, the words were mumbled. You had to bend closer to listen whether you wanted to or not. “It’s been difficult since you left, but I didn’t come all this way just to say such things to your face. I know everything you do furthers the Consortium’s aims.”
The way he said it sounded like a dig, but Alexei merely replied, “Moving to Mars has put us years ahead of the original timeline, but you will see that soon enough. We should have done this earlier rather than bogging ourselves down in Earth’s failings.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I look forward to seeing your progress.” Then Belikov turned his milky green eyes in my direction. “Hello, Felicia. I see you’re doing well on Mars.”
“Thank you, yes,” I said, fighting to keep the smile on my face. I leaned down to kiss his cheek in greeting, though gods help me, it took everything in me to make the gesture he seemed to expect. He smelled of smoke and some musty, druglike odor I vaguely recognized. I fought not to wrinkle my nose. “Hello, Konstantin. I hope you didn’t find the trip too difficult.”
“I would have preferred not to make it at all, but there’s nothing for it. I’m here now, and I suppose that’s all that matters.”
His tone had me cringing inside, as if implying that now that he was there, he had no intention of leaving. Ever. I kept on smiling because, gods help me, what else could I do? He would be staying with us—him, his nursemaids, and gods knew who else. I’d have to see this man every sol, a man who barely tolerated my existence, ass-gnat that I was. Yeah, it was hard to forget that particular insult.
His eyes narrowed as I pulled away, focusing on my hand when he caught sight of the ring. He reached out and grabbed my wrist with surprising strength, pulling me back in. I would have fallen if Alexei hadn’t slung an arm around my waist.
“What is this?” Belikov asked, looking from the ring, to me, up to Alexei. His tone was accusatory, as if someone had done something without his permission.
“I’ve asked Felicia to marry me. She’s agreed.”
The answer was matter-of-fact and to the point, and while I have to say I didn’t expect hearty congratulations, I certainly didn’t expect the gasps of outrage and horror around us.
“Of course she did,” Belikov said dismissively. “I would be unsurprised to learn otherwise since I’m sure she’s been angling for this since you first arrived.”
The fuck? Angling? Angling? I yanked my hand away from Belikov, furious. So furious I didn’t trust myself to speak. How dare he imply I’d manipulated Alexei into asking me to marry him! That it was a ploy on my part! How dare he!
Before I could blurt anything out, Alexei leaned in, his voice low when he spoke. “Don’t, Konstantin. I am marrying Felicia. I would have married her on Earth had you not interfered. If you speak against her in any way, you will discover what regret truly means.”
When he eased back, he pulled me with him until my back was pressed hard against his chest. When I risked a glance up at him, his expression was so cold, even I had chills, afraid of whatever threat he implied. At the same time, having him tell Belikov off was so hot, I wanted to get him out of his suit and do very bad things with him.
“I see. Then let me be among the first to offer my congratulations. I look forward to the nuptials,” Belikov said, glancing between us. Then his gaze drifted away, dismissing us like servants. “Tell me, where is the newest acquisition you’ve decided to exploit? I’m curious to know if he can perform as advertised and the benefits he’ll provide.”
“Exploit at your recommendation, I think you meant to say. He was not invited,” Alexei said, the words clipped. “He may work for us, but he is not Consortium.”
“Of course. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking,” Belikov replied, his gaze darting around the group. For a moment he looked anxious. It made me wonder what he hoped to see from those assembled.
I wasn’t sure how long the glad-handing might have continued if the sky hadn’t decided to rain. Though it was only a light misting, it had the potential to get worse. So much for my straight hair. Gods, if we could live on Mars, why couldn’t science come up with a hair product that could permanently combat frizz?
The rain got everyone scurrying to the waiting fleet of flight-limos. Alexei let go of me as he began ordering chain-breakers about and got everyone where they needed to be. Belikov’s mobile-assist chair led the way, and the rest followed behind.
I wasn’t sure why, because gods knew my hair was no fan of the rain, but I hung back. Something felt off. My gut was kicking me, urging me to stay where I was rather than follow Alexei and rush madly into the Consortium chaos. It didn’t care about rain or great hair or if I wore impractical high heels while standing in the middle of a growing storm. It only wanted the truth—whatever that was.
And that was when I saw it being unloaded. It had been stowed in back, out of sight so those of us waiting on the platform wouldn’t see it.
Two chain-breakers carried a box. It was rectangular-shaped, quite large, and black so I couldn’t see inside. In fact, it looked
like a coffin, easily big enough to transport a human body. Dr. Karol Rogov was with the chain-breakers, watching anxiously as if afraid they might drop some precious cargo. He looked up and saw me watching. Then he nodded imperceptibly. Once, twice—barely a movement of his head really, before he looked away. But it was enough. I knew what he was telling me just as I knew what was in that box.
I took a shaky breath and walked to the flight-limo where Alexei waited. The rain changed from sprinkle to downpour, soaking me to the skin. It felt oddly appropriate, washing away what was false to leave only the truth behind. And with that truth came a horrible, terrible dread.
Mr. Pennyworth was back.
I was quiet during the ride, thinking, probably traumatized too. Did Alexei know? Had he seen the box? He said he’d personally invited Karol to Mars. He had to know. Then why hadn’t he told me? Because he’d known it would upset me? Or maybe he didn’t know, and if he didn’t, that didn’t bode well either.
I watched him talk animatedly with Stanis and another Consortium member named Luka—another big, strapping male with a buzz cut so short I wasn’t sure of his actual hair color. These three seemed to share a closeness that spoke of growing up together. I didn’t know a lot about Alexei’s childhood; he didn’t like talking about it. But seeing him with Stanis and Luka made me wonder if all three were created in the same manner. Had the other two men also been given a chance to head the Consortium as well? It was something to think about, and I watched as they slipped between English and Russian so I could only follow half of what was said. If so, the Consortium certainly liked to breed their boys big and pretty. I decided I’d gotten the best of the three as I snuggled into Alexei, using his warmth to drive away the chill the rain had left behind.
Belikov was in another flight-limo—which I found strange. Why not ride with us? I assumed Alexei and Belikov communicated frequently via the CN-net, but now that they were face-to-face, wouldn’t they want to speak in person? Granted, there were issues with accommodating the mobile-assist chair, the nursemaids, and the guards. Alexei had also made it clear I wasn’t leaving his side. A single flight-limo couldn’t take all of us.
The Chaos of Luck Page 22