Carleton didn’t answer, just held out his arm. She picked up a second syringe and administered the serum to him.
“You can still have children if you want. I’d wait a decade more to let the full modifications become a permanent part of your DNA. It’s never been tested, but I think the longevity modifications will be passed along to any offspring Elsa organically carries in her uterus.”
“Do you fear for your life from those you work for, Sheena?” Carleton asked.
“No, and you shouldn’t worry about yours or Elsa’s. Both factions want the matchmaker illusion to continue for a while. My organization has different reasons for their compliance. If what I’ve done works, I’ve bought Angus and Erin a hundred and twenty years without harassment.”
Sheena carefully returned the now empty syringes to their carrying case.
“And I don’t think I said this to you before now, but thank you for all you did for Mom when she was dying. You’ve been the best castle keepers they ever had. You’re like family to me and Brianna.”
“You must certainly know the feeling is mutual,” Carleton said.
Sheena nodded. “I do. You’re my family as much as Bri is.”
“Are ya testing them too, lass? Ya know, one day yer going to have to work on those trust issues ya have. Family may give ya hell, but ya have to believe they want the best for ya.”
She’d forgotten they had a listening audience in the kitchen. Snorting, Sheena turned to Angus as he carried his tea to a chair and sat. “No. I wasn’t testing them. I was merely making sure Carleton and Elsa live longer and healthier lives. I’ll do the same for you and Erin one day.”
“Nate’s already extended us from what I understand,” Angus said, setting his tea down on the table by the chair. “More than a hundred years with O’Shea nagging me into sobriety may be pushing my limitations too far.”
“The poets say a hundred years is no more than a blink of an eye. Don’t you love her a hundred years worth, Angus?” Sheena asked.
“I love that fretting woman. She’s like the sun on a dreary day and I can’t imagine living without her now. Course she won’t marry me yet, but I think I’m wearing her down. I fancy a big kilted wedding at the castle with bagpipes playing with our every step,” Angus announced.
“I turned off the bagpipes just like you requested.”
“Well, ya can turn them back on, can’t ya?” Angus laughed when Carleton gave him an irritated look.
Watching the exchange, Sheena felt her throat suddenly clutch tight and her eyes start burning. Angus was so much like her dad sometimes that it hurt being around him. She blinked and rose to put the now empty syringes back into her bag.
“If you’ll excuse me for a bit, I need a nap. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Angus grinned when she looked at him again.
“Bri told us ya had yerself some unexpected company. Figured you’d have slept like a babe from her description of the man being so handsome and all.”
Sheena hung her head. “Bri and her damn gossip. Yes, Scott was handsome. Unfortunately, he turned out to be yet another lying bastard I let into my life. I’ll tell you what I told Nate when he came to visit this morning—I don’t share myself with men who can’t be honest with me.”
“Ya poor lass. I bet yar pent up something awful then. Want me and Erin to find ya an alien? They’re all honest to a fault from what I can tell.”
Despite her irritation—and Angus seemed to irritate everyone—Sheena laughed at the teasing offer. It chased the tears away. Sentimentality had never been her friend. Regrets about the past just made life harder to live.
“Hold that thought about the aliens, Angus. I’ll get back to you if I get desperate.”
“Ya do that, lass. Erin and I will always be there for ya. We live to serve.”
Sheena chuckled and went to lie down. She pulled covers over her that still smelled like Scott and tried really hard not to feel sorry for herself.
“Hello, Nathaniel. What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting any contact until my birthday next month.”
Nate put his hands behind his back, adopting a military-at-rest pose. His mother was too adept at reading him and his hands often gave away his mood. But he had to talk to her, no matter how much he wished to avoid it. The dream conversation he’d had with Sheena was too real to ignore.
“Sorry. I needed to talk to the Provost.”
“I see.”
Nate watched his mother shuffle some papers on her desk. He’d hurt her feelings by making this contact about business, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Okay. The Provost it is. What can I do for you, Admiral Tiberius?”
“Why did you send Carleton and Elsa to the AAS airship? You frightened them and got the matchmakers churned up.”
“I’m not at liberty to say why, but my actions were mostly to protect them. Brianna MacNamara still has trackers on her trail.”
“Novus Prime sent General Montgomery to retrieve Sheena. She refused to go back with him. The man didn’t stay long enough to be questioned. It’s time you told me what’s really going on. You can’t just keep sending people to the airship.”
“Sheena’s still there? Good. I’m glad you two are finally making up. Maybe I’ll get a grandchild out of your relationship this time around.”
Nate snorted. “She isn’t staying for me. She’s staying to protect Angus and Erin. She’s staying because of Carleton and Elsa. She’s staying because Novus Prime probably told her to stay.”
“Novus Prime would never ask her to do that. Staying for the castle keepers I can understand, but the clones? I’m surprised she cares about them at all.”
Nate dropped his stance and paced the conference room. “Sheena cares alright. She’s filed for ownership.”
His mother laughed, but not kindly. She’d always liked Sheena well enough, but hadn’t exactly mourned her loss after he and Sheena divorced. He’d always found that strange, but had never figured out why. Maybe it was because his mother hadn’t even acknowledged his other wives.
“Ownership. Well, I didn’t see that coming. Your father will not be pleased with her request. He thinks clones are inherently evil and should all be destroyed.”
Nodding, Nate paced the room. “I know. Why is Brianna MacNamara really here? Did you send her?”
“I made a suggestion which she could have refused at any time. But I suppose there’s no reason not to tell you what happened now that Brianna’s voluntarily in the AAS program. On her last assignment, Brianna witnessed a group execution. There are several criminal factions after her. The AAS program may truly be her last resort.”
“Execution of whom? Who died?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
Nate watched his mother shuffle papers again. “Mother, how often do you lie to me?”
“I never lie to you, Nathaniel. I tell you everything you need to know. However, you don’t need to know everything. You have one job and that’s to take care of the AAS airship.”
“Who determines what I need to know, Provost?” Nate asked. “Father? The Guardians? You?”
“Why all these tough questions today? You’ve never had them before. Haven’t you had an excellent career all these years?”
Had he? Nate was no longer so certain. His captain couldn’t handle a simple shuttle docking on his own. His mother assigned that man to his ship. Everything was suddenly suspect.
“Chaos has ruled my life lately. I’m trying to figure out why,” Nate said.
“Chaos’s name wouldn’t happen to be Sheena MacNamara, would it?”
Nate ignored the jab. “Are the new matchmakers at risk? Is someone trying to kill them?”
“No more than usual, but it never hurts to be cautious. Let’s hope the Guardians don’t have to make more clones of them. That work takes years.”
“You never answered my question, Mother.”
“The Provost doesn’t have to answer you, Admiral. W
e’re talking business. Remember?”
“I see,” Nate said, not really seeing at all, but he definitely heard an echo of his mother in his voice. Is that who’d he become? A selective liar? “So I’m worthy of protecting the aliens and their potential brides, but not worthy of knowing what’s going on outside this vessel. Is that what you’re telling me, Provost?”
“I’m not liking your rebellious tone, Nathaniel. Four generations of our family still directly serve the Guardians. You should be prouder of your birthright.”
Nate stared. “Birthright? I prefer to think I earned this role by being the best person to do it.”
“Stop being so sensitive. You did earn it. You were born and raised a Tiberius. It was inevitable that you would serve the greater good and not just as a lowly healer. Now enough of these rhetorical musings. How are the clones of the matchmakers doing?”
Nate couldn’t say why his mother’s lecture irritated him so badly, but it did. “They’ve asked to hold formal marriage ceremonies for the alien matches. They want to hold them at the castle. John has agreed to sponsor their request. I think he genuinely likes the idea.”
“John and the board of directors would like it if we let the aliens roam around all over. Some would be dead within a week and we’d be fighting off an intergalactic attack from their home planets. The Guardians will never agree to such a request.”
“Angus and Erin are very convincing.”
“No, their programming is convincing. They’re still clones no matter how sophisticated they seem, Admiral. Let’s not personify them too greatly. We can honest, you and I. It’s not like we have to deal with the originals any longer. Thank the stars. The original Angus was a giant pain in my ass.”
“He was a brilliant scientist and a talented futurist. The planet owes Angus MacNamara a huge debt, Mother. I will not forget that.”
“Look—I know the man was like a father to you. Your own father has been very busy, but he loves you as much as that old blow-hard ever did. He’s very proud of you.”
Nate snorted. “If Father is proud, he hasn’t told me. In fact, I haven’t seen the man in over fifty years. When was the last time you saw him?”
The stunned look on his mother’s face was priceless. She had no idea. She and his father were pretty much estranged and had been for over a hundred years. They just hadn’t made their break official. He decided letting her off that particular hook was prudent, so he asked an easier question.
“When can Carleton and Elsa go back to the castle?”
“Uncertain. The castle is being watched by two dangerous groups. Best you keep them on the airship for a while.”
“Are they any safer here? We both know that many are not honoring the world-wide peace agreements any longer. I’m not sure why the AAS airship hasn’t been attacked yet.”
“That’s my worry, Admiral, not yours. Your role is the same as it’s always been. Keep the matchmakers making matches, and see to it that the aliens are constrained. Your father and I have the rest covered. This is the best life I can give you, Nathaniel. Be grateful for it.”
“Speaking of aliens, I need to go check on things,” Nate said, looking for the end to this conversation.
“That’s my ever-diligent son. Goodbye, Nathaniel. Let’s try to see each other in person soon.”
And then she disconnected her com, not waiting for a proper good-bye from him. That was unusual, but he was too full of questions to puzzle it out.
Why had the Guardians chosen to keep the truth about the matchmaker abduction to only a select few? Hearing about their planned abduction from a mirror universe was the last time he’d spoken to his father, if you could call that angry, terse phone call any sort of genuine communication.
Nate still wasn’t sure why John and the council hadn’t told him about the retrievals. The truth of the new matchmaker origin was obviously not a secret with them. His father had acted resentful, which had seemed strange to him at the time, but the shocking news had kept him from dwelling on it.
Then the arrival of the first abducted version of Erin had claimed his attention.
Nate shook his head remembering, but it wasn’t as easy to shake off his growing unease. Sheena was probably right about others lying to him. His concern about her comments to him had obviously been enough to prompt that strange dream he had last night.
Maybe those lying to him included his mother, but how did her omissions change the job he’d signed on to do? The airship had to fly and the aliens had to be constrained to it.
How would this program even work if the aliens were kept somewhere like the castle? His mind just couldn’t wrap itself around the logistics.
His mother was right. The aliens wouldn’t be safe walking around free on New Earth soil.
Chapter Twelve
That evening after dinner, Sheena fetched a small round ball from the satchel in her room and set it on the table where their drinks rested. Angus and Erin leaned forward to study it.
When Bri reached out to pick it up, Sheena smacked her hand. “It’s activated and will shut down if anyone picks it up but me. For you, it’s nothing more than a decorative ball.”
“I can’t believe you became a geneticist when you can do stuff like this,” Bri said. She looked at Erin and Angus. “This device creates static noise so our conversation will be kept completely private, even from the sharp-eared aliens outside the door. If any recording is going on without our permission, all it will pick up is what this device creates.”
Erin stared at the ball on the table. “Ya know, no matter what I think I’ve learned, new things in this place always manage to surprise me. My mind can’t take anything more in. I think it’s full.”
Angus leaned back on the sofa. “Okay, lass. What do ya want to talk about that ya don’t want anyone to hear?”
Sheena sat in the chair across the table from Bri, and leaned close to Angus and Erin so she could talk low. “I found out you were abducted from another universe. I told Bri, so we both know the truth now.”
Angus leaned forward too. “That’s nothing but a relief to me and Erin. Neither of us liked keeping the truth from ya. We just didn’t know what would happen to the two of ya if we confessed.”
Sheena nodded. “The rest of the world thinks you’re sophisticated clones that the aliens helped us make. It’s in our best interests, and yours, to let them think that, at least for now. Most of the people on our planet aren’t ready to handle time travel or universe hopping. They’re still mentally dealing with the aliens.”
Erin nodded back. “I can certainly see that being the truth. I see the aliens every day and still don’t believe what we’re doing. Angus has adjusted to them much better than I have.”
Angus patted her knee. “I see the aliens as men like myself. Ya always see the good in their souls. That’s no small thing to see the best in all creatures. The aliens adore ya for it, Erin.”
Erin gripped the hand on her leg and squeezed. “Yer words are a balm to me, Angus.”
“Now that’s real romance and love. I want what they have,” Bri interjected, grinning at Sheena as she pointed to Angus and Erin.
Sheena grinned back. “I wish it was in my power to give it to you, Bri.”
“Tell me something, Sheena. Is Nate friend or foe to us?” Angus asked.
“Excellent question,” Sheena replied, looking away for a moment. When her gaze returned to Angus, she smiled. “Nate’s family is our real problem. He’s just… a tool.”
“Beg pardon? Nate’s a tool?” Erin repeated, covering her giggle with a hand.
“Not that kind of tool, luv. Sheena was being literal,” Angus said, chuckling at Erin’s amusement.
“I meant, Nate’s family is using him, and lying to him. He lies to us because… well, I don’t know why other than he has no real sense of family. But I think he’s mostly good inside—deep, deep inside—but the goodness is there. It comes out at times despite his strange dedication to this big hunk of meta
l.”
“Are ya still in love with him, lass?” Angus asked bluntly. “Because it sounds like ya are.”
Sheena looked at her sister, and then at her ancestors from another version of her world. Outside her parents, these people offered her the only real sense of acceptance of herself that she’d ever known. If she couldn’t tell them the truth, who could she ever confess it to?
“Unfortunately, I think I am still in love with him. Those feelings have no positive place to go, but that’s how it is between us.”
“What about the handsome man who came to visit ya last evening? The one Bri told us about?” Erin asked.
Sheena glared at her sister. “Bri talks too much.” She looked back at Erin. “I was Scott’s assignment. He came to check on me to see what I was doing on the AAS airship. I didn’t know that about our relationship until yesterday.”
“Are ya grieving his loss then?” Erin asked. “Seems like the good-looking ones always linger too long in yer heart and mind.” Erin gave Angus a pointed look and he laughed.
Shaking her head, Sheena laughed softly. “No. I was over Scott well before I came here. I just hadn’t broken it off. He’s married anyway. He’ll not miss me.”
“A married man?” Angus rolled his eyes. “Ya can do a lot better than the likes of him, Sheena. Even fecking Nate is better than that.”
Sheena laughed. “Agreed, but nothing with Nate is going to work out. I’ve given him chance after chance to tell me about you two. He never has and I don’t expect he ever will.”
“Huh,” Angus said. “How did ya find out about us then?”
Sheena gave her sister a warning look before meeting Angus’s curious gaze. Bri held up her hands in protest and rolled her eyes.
“Best not to ask me that question, Angus. Those blissfully ignorant can’t be accused of any wrongdoing.”
Angus laughed. “Would that be MacNamara logic?”
“No, something my mother used to tell me,” Sheena admitted. “So probably more O’Shea logic than MacNamara. My mother was a peace lover.”
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