Future Perfect - S2

by Fran Heckrotte

  "From what we've learned about Solaria, it could still be a problem. If people's reports are true, she may be able to alter her molecular structure. Personally, I think the likelihood is slim at best, but Hubots are so new, we don't know much about them. Assuming there is some truth to the rumor, we have to accept Primeris may be able to do the same. The ramifications would be unimaginable. On top of that, it's becoming more difficult to track them. Until we know the extent of their abilities, the Order must make every effort to keep them under surveillance."

  "Yes. We've lost Solaria again. I'm confident she will be located soon."

  "That's unfortunate. Every minute she is out of our sight, we lose valuable information regarding what she is capable of," Major Harlie said.

  "I've called in half of our European Brothers and Sisters to assist us. I'm sorry I have failed you, Sister."

  "This isn't your failure, Brother. Those who were watching her have failed us. They will be dealt with." Had she been talking to anyone but a Vitiate, her response wouldn't have been so mild. "I know our Brothers and Sisters are doing their best, but with Solaria, our best isn't enough. We must be diligent at all times. She is highly intelligent, more so than any human we've ever encountered. When she is found, double those monitoring her."

  "As you command. What do we do now?"

  "Inform the others of the situation. Find this woman, Chantelle, and learn what we can about her. If she is a threat, do what we can to eliminate it without harming her."

  "And if that's not possible?" Alexander asked.

  "I don't know yet. As of now you're on sick leave. Follow Primeris. She should be easy to track. Her assignment is to monitor the librarian. She's the only lead we have."

  Alexander nodded and stood.

  "I won't let you or the Order down."

  "I know, Brother. May you harm only the deserving," Major Harlie said.

  "May you harm only the deserving, Sister," Alexander replied, bowing his head slightly. Snapping to attention, he saluted his commanding officer and left.

  CHAPTER 15

  Manipulation

  FRUSTRATION! Like a small, nagging headache, it drains energy until the person is too exhausted to think. For the first time, Primeris understood the emotion. She was deliberately disobeying a direct order by searching for Chantelle. Her attempts had failed miserably; the woman had disappeared without a trace. Both the government and civilian databases were conspicuously absent of information about the woman. Primeris had exhausted all her resources in the search and was now left with only one choice, one she was reluctant to pursue.

  * * *

  "Jain... Jain."

  Rolling onto her side, Jain hugged her pillow tighter, hoping the persistent voice would go away.

  "Go away," she mumbled.

  "I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is a person at your door," the voice said.

  "What time is it, Phoebe?"

  "It is seven o'clock."

  "Damn! Who is it?" Jain asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

  "She identified herself as Primeris Wone."

  "Primeris? What the hell does she want at this hour?"

  "She wishes to speak to you."

  "Obviously. Let her in and I'll be out in a few minutes."

  "Certainly, Jain."

  * * *

  Wrapping her robe tightly around her plump body, Jain ignored the new self-claspers and tied the belt the old fashion way. Some things weren't meant to be improved.

  "Good morning, Primeris. Would you like a cup of Cafinet?" Jain asked, hoping the woman wouldn't be staying long.

  "No, I'm here on business," Primeris replied.

  "I didn't think it was a social call."

  Motioning for Primeris to sit, Jain walked into the kitchen and made herself a hot drink.

  You can just wait until I'm ready, she thought, stirring the liquid for a few seconds. Satisfied she had made her point, she rejoined Primeris in the living room.

  "Okay, go for it," Jain said, sitting down in her favorite chair.

  "Go for it?"

  "Yes, why are you here? I didn't think I'd be seeing you again."

  "I need to locate Chantelle. I haven't been able to find any trace of her."

  "She probably doesn't want to be found, especially by you. You're not exactly her favorite person, I'd say."

  "I didn't harm her, nor did we part on bad terms. There's no logical reason for her to avoid me," Primeris disagreed.

  "You were involved in the unit that kidnapped her. That's reason enough. I have no idea where she went. I only met her once before those assholes jumped us. When she left Solaria's place, she didn't say a word."

  "Where do you think she might have gone?"

  "I don't know the woman, Primeris. Other than her healing powers, I haven't a clue about her. Hell, I don't even know her last name. Do you?"

  "No."

  "And here I thought you ops people knew everything."

  "No one knows everything."

  "I was being facetious."

  "Oh. Of course," Primeris said. "Well, we would have no way of knowing whether you knew her or not since she isn't in any database."

  "I guess you have a problem then. You really don't think I'd help you find her after what you put us through?" Jain stood up and walked to the front door with every intention of telling Primeris to leave. "I'd say you've done enough damage already."

  "I had nothing to do with the kidnapping or the torture," Primeris said, sounding exasperated. "It's important that she believe that."

  Intrigued by Primeris' uncharacteristic display of emotion, Jain hesitated.

  "Why?"

  When Primeris didn't answer, Jain returned to her chair and sat down. Leaning forward, she repeated the question.

  "Why is it so important that she know that? Surely you don't care what she thinks."

  Primeris shook her head.

  "No..." she said hesitantly, and then changed her mind. "Yes. Not the way you mean. She needs to understand what I am so she can protect herself."

  "From you?"

  "I would never hurt her, but my commander thinks she may be a threat."

  Wow, Jain thought. This is really getting interesting.

  "Are you telling me you're willing to betray your unit for Chantelle's sake? That doesn't make sense... unless..." Jain stopped.

  I'm reading too much into her uncertainty. She isn't capable of love. Then again, she's no different than Betta and I know Betta loves Joanie... or at least, is almost there. Wouldn't it be funny if Primeris loved Chantelle? Three out of three female Hubots, lesbians. No nurture/nature argument here. Jain chuckled softly. I'll have to talk to Solaria about this. Maybe she has an explanation.

  Deciding now wasn't the time to dwell on Hubot sexuality, she turned her attention back to Primeris. The woman's concern intrigued her.

  "Listen, I honestly don't know where she is. I'll consider helping you if you can convince me this isn't a trap."

  "It's not a trap."

  Several seconds passed without either woman speaking.

  "That's it?" Jain asked.

  "I don't understand the question," Primeris replied. "I said it's not a trap. Isn't that what you wanted to know?"

  Are you really this naïve, or do you think I am, Jain thought.

  "I said convince me. You'd tell me that even if you were lying."

  "I don't lie," Primeris said.

  "Right! You're an agent working for a special ops unit that's involved in who knows what, and you always tell the truth."

  "I don't need to lie to be effective. If I were capable of lying, I'd be undependable, making me useless to the unit."

  It made sense. Jain knew that group cohesion was necessary to be successful, especially in the Special Forces. For the members to accept Primeris, everyone had to believe in her without reservation.

  "Okay, let's say I believe you. What about Solaria? Are you still trying to capture her?"

  "Those are my o
rders."

  "Then I'm definitely not helping you. Too bad — Solaria's your only chance to find Chantelle."

  "My orders don't specify a time frame," Primeris said.

  "Meaning, for the moment, you're willing to ignore them. Do you always manipulate your orders to suit your needs?"

  "If by manipulate you mean alter or change... yes. Literal interpretations are restrictive and could prevent me from completing my assignments. My programming gives me a great deal of latitude when necessary."

  "That's rather convenient. I need to think about this for a few days. Where can I contact you once I've decided what I'm going to do?" Jain asked.

  "I'll contact you in two days."

  Primeris stood and left without saying anything else.

  "Well, goodbye to you too," Jain mumbled. "Phoebe, call ILU69 and leave a message to get in touch with me... and please make sure it's secured."

  "Yes, Jain. Do you want to schedule a time for Solaria to call you back?"

  "No, she knows the best times."

  "The call is complete. Is there anything else you would like?" Phoebe asked.

  "Oh yeah," Jain replied. "But nothing you can help me with. Thank you."

  "You're welcome, Jain."

  Pushing up from the chair, Jain headed to the bathroom. Thinking of Solaria always made her hot.

  And wet!

  CHAPTER 16

  Wisdom

  CHANTELLE WASN'T happy. In fact, she was miserable. For the first time in her life, she had left a patient before completing her mission. She desperately needed the comfort and wisdom of Syblis.

  * * *

  "I don't understand any of this," Chantelle said, absently stirring the herbal brew with a spoon. "She isn't even human."

  "From everytheeng you've told me, she eez human enough," Syblis replied. "Deed she not try to seduce you?"

  "No... I mean, it wasn't a seduction... She thought I wanted sex."

  "And deed you?"

  "Certainly not! I was sleeping."

  Syblis' eyes twinkled with humor.

  "Eet's rather strange that she would theenk you wanted sex eef you were asleep."

  "Exactly!" Chantelle agreed. "I imagine it's part of her programming. You know, use sex to get the information you want."

  "Perhaps, yet she apologized when she thought she hurt you. Why would a machine be programmed to apologize for something like that? Nor would eet stop because of tears? Those are human responses."

  "I know. None of this makes sense. I got such mixed signals when we were together... and... and now, I'm confused."

  "About what?" Syblis asked. "About her or about your own feelings?"

  "Both, but mostly my feelings. I did want her. I wanted to feel her hands on my body. I wanted her inside of me, caressing me, stroking me... loving me," Chantelle confessed and began to stir the cooling liquid faster.

  Syblis reached over and clasped her friend's hand, stilling its movement.

  "I theenk you weel wear the spoon out before you ever dreenk that," she said softly. "There eez nothing to be embarrassed about, Cherié. Obviously, you are connected to thees woman een a way that can't be explained."

  "But it makes no sense. I know practically nothing about her. Not to mention, she's my patient. It's not right."

  "Not right? What eezn't right? We leeve long lives, Chantelle. Lonely lives. Eef we are fortunate enough to fall een love, what deeference does eet make? As long as the person eez worthy."

  "That's just it. She isn't worthy. She works for a corrupt organization that thinks nothing of torturing or killing. They are why we do what we do."

  "True, but eez that all there eez to her. What do you really know about thees Primeris? She does what she was made to do. Perhaps you weel change her. Show her what being human eez. Perhaps that eez your real mission."

  "You think I should go back, don't you?"

  "What I theenk eezn't important. You must do what you believe to be right."

  "You're right as usual. How did you get so wise, Syblis?"

  Syblis patted her hand and laughed.

  "Weezdom comes weeth age... and I have plenty of that, mon amie. Now, eef you have no more need of me, I must return home; I have been gone too long. Eet calls to me. I feel the homeseekness."

  "Thank you for coming on such short notice. You've always been there for me and I love you for that," Chantelle said.

  "Ah, so eet eezn't my good looks and brilliant mind that attract you, eh?"

  "That too. I will miss you."

  "I'm only a call away, Cherié."

  Both women stood and hugged, knowing that it would probably be a long time before they met again.

  CHAPTER 17

  The Hunt

  EVEN SOLARIA, for all of her knowledge and skills, was finding it difficult to locate Chantelle. It was inconceivable that nothing about her existed in the world databases.

  I'm missing something, she thought. But what? Everyone has a history.

  And yet she could find nothing about any Chantelle who fit the woman's profile, description or print scan, with the exception of an inquiry buried deep behind government firewalls. Solaria knew SU33 had some of the best hackers and trackers in the world. Their failure to find information on Chantelle was a compliment to her ability to remain invisible, but it only made Solaria more determined to uncover what she was hiding.

  Shutting down the computer, Solaria left the café, making sure no one followed her. She was confident her security measures were more than adequate to conceal her movements, but over-confidence could be disastrous. It was a human flaw she had no desire of achieving.

  * * *

  "Are you telling me Chantelle doesn't exist?" Jain asked, incredulously.

  "Of course she exists," Solaria replied. "Just not in any database or file."

  "Unbelievable! So what now?"

  "I keep searching. Showing her how to access Primeris' processors poses a threat to Hubots, especially if that information falls into the wrong hands."

  "I hadn't thought of that," Jain said and then gasped. "What if that's the real reason Primeris wants to contact her? Chantelle could be in more danger now than before."

  "Primeris doesn't know about the healing. There has to be another reason for her interest in Chantelle."

  "Like what?"

  "I don't know. If it's important enough for her to ignore her directives, though, it's important enough for us to find out why. Personally, I'd like to know more about Chantelle... especially how her singing works."

  "Yeah, me too. That was a little freaky," Jain confessed. "Where do we go from here?"

  "You don't go anywhere. Let me know when Primeris contacts you."

  Jain nodded and looked at her watch.

  "Well, time for me to get moving. You may not have to work, but I do."

  "I'm more than willing to transfer enough money into your account to keep you comfortable," Solaria offered.

  Jain laughed.

  "If I'm going to be a kept woman, I'd like all the fringe benefits besides money. Unfortunately, you can't provide them. Besides, I happen to like my job. Old books have a richness computers will never replace." Jain paused. "Hmmm, I wonder..."

  Solaria's eyebrows rose slowly as she looked at Jain questioningly.

  "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place for information. She called herself a healer. What if she meant something more than just a healer."

  "Such as?"

  "I don't know, but the library may have the answer. Meet me back here this evening."

  Getting up, Jain headed to work.

  * * *

  Jain's desk was covered with old books. Some dated back several hundred years, each page protected by a thin veneer of a clear polymer to keep oxidation and UV rays from destroying the fragile paper.

  "What are you looking for?" her assistant, Amy, asked. "Maybe I can help you find it?"

  "I'm trying to find something out about healers," Jain replied, seeing no reason for secrecy.


  "Oh. Okay. Ummm. Could you narrow it down a bit more? There's probably a few million references about healers. I take it you're not interested in doctors."

  "No. Something outside of the normal medical profession. Maybe a cult or secret society."

  "And can I ask why?"

  Jain gently placed the book she was holding onto a stack to her right and then picked up another book.

  "You can ask, but it wouldn't do you any good. I would appreciate your help, though." A loud sigh caused her to look up at her assistant. "Oh alright! A friend told me she was being treated by a woman who claimed to be able to heal by singing. Obviously it's quackery, so I thought I'd do the research just to make sure and then let her know."

  "Wow! It's amazing people still believe in that stuff." Amy snorted in disgust. "Singing, huh? I'll see what I can find."

  "Thanks," Jain said and then surprised Amy by snapping her fingers. "You've just given me an idea." Typing rapidly on her virtual keyboard, she entered several words into the library database and then leaned back in her chair as several references appeared on the monitor. "Amy, you're a genius," she declared happily. "It was so simple. Thanks."

  Glancing over Jain's shoulder, Amy read what her boss had entered into the search engine: healer healing singer singing cult secret society legends myths. One book referenced the word Singer Healers, 'The Tablets of Jiroft,' by Sheeva Zorayh, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Iran.

  "Glad I could help. That looks boring enough. Zorayh is a nutcase. I'd say you can pretty much tell your friend her healer is a fraud and to get a real doctor if he's the only source available," Amy advised.

  "I'll do that. Would you mind putting these books back on the shelves? I'd like to check his book out and see what it has to say. Then I can call her and tell her... you know... warn her about the fraud and everything."

  "Sure."

  * * *

  Solaria listened as Jain read the short chapter on Singer Healers.

  "I know it's not much," Jain said.

  "At least it's something. Good job."

  "Do you think they could still exist after all this time?"