by Tania Hutley
He must have been a very good friend of Edward’s if he knows his secrets. I’ll need to be extra careful not to give myself away.
My instinct when I look back at him is to say the man’s name or give him some kind of greeting, but whatever I say could be wrong. Instead I nod, trying to pretend I haven’t quite recovered from my coughing fit.
“What the hell is going on?” he demands. “You want to raise the minimum wage?”
I nod again. “That’s right.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” When he frowns, his eyes sink into the fleshiness of his face. Without eyebrows, the expression looks odd.
“No joke.”
“You think I still owe you something? I don’t. So cut the shit, Ed, because I won’t stand for it. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Wages in Old Triton are too low. The workers are suffering.”
“So?” His frown deepens.
“It needs to change.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Triton needs to change.”
“You’ve lost your mind.” His wide nostrils flare. “I won’t let you ruin what I’ve built. If you carry on this way, our history is over. You hear me? You break our agreement, we’ll come down hard. Are you ready to go to war with us? Is that what you want?” Spit flies from his mouth, vanishing as it reaches the edge of the hologram display.
I drag in a breath, fighting to keep my face expressionless. The rage in his voice makes me want to shift the projection away. His fury is so intense, it’s like a physical attack. If I were really standing in front of him, I’d be bracing for him to take a swing at me.
“I don’t want war, and I have no quarrel with you.” With an effort, I keep my tone calm. “But I’m going to improve the conditions in Old Triton.”
“Then you’re starting a war.”
“It’s time the citizens of Old Triton had some—”
“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but believe me, we’re not going to take it.”
“We?”
“The others are with me on this, as you must have known they would be. This is your only warning, Ed. You just signed up for more trouble than you can handle.” His face vanishes, the line disconnected.
I stare at the shimmer of my reflection in the window’s opaque glass, and a woman I barely recognise stares back. I guess this was what Sentin meant about unintended consequences. Could this Skin have made me so overconfident, I’ve managed to stumble into serious danger? Problem is, I’m feeling my way through the dark, living a stranger’s life, doing a job I know nothing about.
In fact, there’s only one thing I’m feeling certain about right now, and it’s that a war with the Beast is the last thing I need.
Five
“Do you want to see Ginger beg?” asks Felicity. “Watch this.”
She makes a hand gesture and her dog gets on its haunches, waving its front paws in the air. It cocks its head and its tongue lolls out of its partly-open mouth. It always looks like it’s smiling. Maybe real dogs do too, I’m not sure. I’ve only seen them on the holo.
“Clever,” I say, trying to sound enthusiastic.
I’m in Felicity’s toy room, sitting next to her on the floor with my high heels kicked off and my legs tucked under me. Morelle’s business suits mostly have fitted skirts, but they’ve been annoying me so much, I’ve only been wearing the few that have trousers. Cassandra’s organising some casual clothes and flat shoes. Maybe my change in wardrobe will make people suspicious, but I’ve been too uncomfortable to care.
“Ginger can talk.” Felicity’s eyes are bright. “Talk, Ginger.”
The dog barks, wagging its tail.
Felicity beams at me proudly, as though she taught the dog the trick instead of activating a pre-programmed command.
“Good dog.” I force a distracted smile. I’ve been trying to spend as much time as I can with Felicity, but I can’t stop worrying about the Beast, and Ma, and, well, everything.
“Hey.” Cale appears at the door.
I asked him to meet me here, and I knew he was on his way up, because I had to activate the elevator for him. Still, my heart leaps to see him, and my forced smile turns into a real one.
“I like your dog,” Cale says to Felicity. “What’s his name?”
“Ginger. She’s a girl. Want to see her talk? Talk, Ginger.” Felicity looks delighted to see Cale. As old as she is, she’d probably never met anyone new before Cale and Sentin started showing up. I can’t imagine how lonely it’s been for her with just a bunch of robots to talk to.
If I weren’t so busy, I’d spend more time with her. Sentin’s been helping run the Morelle Corporation, but it’s an enormous company. Cassandra’s managed to shoulder me with a ton of small decisions about things I don’t really understand, like production targets and supply chains. And there always seem to be dozens of people who want meetings I have to bluff my way through.
I push myself up off the floor. “I’m sorry, Felicity, but I need to talk to Cale now. I’ll come back later, if I get time.” Leaving my shoes off, I follow Cale to the living room where we sit together on the couch.
“Maybe I can find a better place for Felicity,” I muse aloud. “A real home with real people.”
“When I suggested it the other day, she seemed terrified of the idea. Moving her might cause more harm than good.”
I let out a sigh. “All I’ve been hearing for the last few days are reasons why I shouldn’t change things. When I became President Morelle, I thought I’d be able to do anything. But nothing’s that simple.”
Cale shoots me a sympathetic look. “Has Sentin been holding you back? Where is he?”
“Organizing our trip to Deiterra.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “Actually he’s almost as busy as you,” I say pointedly, because when I called Cale earlier, he was in a meeting with some other high-up Fist members, and couldn’t talk to me. “Sounds like you’re a big shot in the Fist now? Not that I’m surprised. You and Tori are cut from the same cloth.”
Cale is probably the only member from New Triton the Fist has ever had. The fact he’s made it to the top says a lot.
“Talking about Tori, I wanted to tell you the news in person.” His expression has turned serious. “She went through the breach in the wall, and crossed into Deiterra.”
“What?” A cold chill runs down my back. “Is she okay? Why would she do that?”
“You know some Fist members tried to get through and were killed? Well, after we managed to destroy so many Knight Skins, the breach wasn’t so well guarded and she must have seen an opportunity to make it through. Instead of asking someone else to risk their life, she wanted to try for herself.”
“Did she make it?” I turn my head to the large feature window, as though I’ll somehow be able to spot her running through the distant green fields of Deiterra.
“We think so.”
“Nobody’s heard from her?”
He shakes his head. “She’s not answering calls. But that doesn’t mean anything.” His voice is soft and his eyes are as light as I’ve ever seen them, full of sympathy. “I’m sure she’ll be okay.”
“What if she’s not?” I chew my lip, feeling sick.
“You’ll probably see her when you go to Deiterra, and she’ll bore you with stories about how much she loves it over there, and what a great time she’s been having.”
Weaving my fingers together on my lap, I tell myself he’s right. Tori’s a survivor. If anyone can make it in an unknown land, it’s her.
For the first time, my upcoming trip to Deiterra seems like a good idea. If she needs help, I’ll be there.
“Will you come with me?” I ask. “Help me look for her?”
His eyes widen. “To Deiterra? Did Sentin say I could—?”
“Not everything’s up to him.” It comes out blunter than I mean it to, and I soften my tone. “I’m sorry. It’s just frustrating.”
“Sentin’s making things that dif
ficult?”
“He doesn’t want me to make any changes until after the election, but I keep thinking about all the people I suffered with in the shelter. I’ve scaled back my plans to just a tiny wage increase and nothing else, and he’s still reluctant.”
He nods. “Those people need help. The sooner the better, at least, from their point of view.”
“See, you agree with me because you’ve spent time in Old Triton. Sentin hasn’t. As smart as he is, he has no idea what it’s really like. If he’d slept even one night in a shelter, he’d be on my side.”
“What if you don’t change anything, and then lose the election? You’ll have lost the opportunity.”
“Exactly. But Sentin made it sound like an extra fifteen credits a day for workers was going to destroy the whole infrastructure of Triton.” I realize I’m squeezing my hands too tightly, and force them apart. “And he’s not the only one. Have you heard of a factory owner called the Beast?”
Cale frowns. “Sure. But I can’t decide if he’s a real person or an urban legend. I don’t think he’s ever let himself be shown on the holo.”
“He’s real, and the rumors about him are true. He called a couple of days ago, and he’s as odd looking as everyone says.”
“What did he want?”
“To warn me not to break the agreement he had with Edward Morelle. Then he called again last night to inform me he’s not going to pay higher wages. He’s pretty angry.”
“He threatened you?” Cale leans toward me. For a moment I think he’s going to put his hand on my arm and my heart speeds up. But his fingers just hover in the air for a moment, before he pulls his hand away.
I shouldn’t let it bother me, especially with everything else that’s going on. Cale made it clear how he felt about this Skin, and I get it. If he were the one using this Skin, I probably wouldn’t want to touch him, either.
“I recorded last night’s conversation.” Finding the file on my band gives me something to look at other than Cale. When I start it playing, the Beast’s head projects above my wrist.
Cale draws in his breath. “He looks exactly how I imagined.”
The Beast glowers at me, and I switch the sound to broadcast so Cale can hear it. “It’s only because we’ve known each other a long time that I’m giving you one last chance,” the Beast snarls.
My voice plays, captured by the recording. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
The Beast’s teeth grind together. He looks like he’s only hanging onto his temper with a mighty effort. “By working together, we’ve made our fortunes. We trusted each other. You know what I’m talking about.”
I didn’t know last night, and the mystery hasn’t gotten any clearer since then. My voice plays again. “The increase isn’t a big one. You can afford it.”
“That’s not the point, and you know it. You give those workers a single credit more, they’ll think they can demand whatever they want.” He shakes his head, his thick lips screwed up in a snarl. “If you won’t listen to reason, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
“What are you going to do?” The defiance I was feeling is clear in my voice.
His eyes narrow, almost vanishing into his fleshy face. “Seventeen years ago, you profited more than anybody else. But you won’t always get to call the shots. Maybe you need to learn that the hard way.”
“What exactly are you—?”
The recording finishes, and the Beast’s head vanishes back into my band. He disconnected the call.
Cale’s eyes are wide. “Seventeen years ago was the Welcon disaster. Is that what he was talking about? Did Morelle profit from it more than anyone else?”
I think back, trying to work out how big the Morelle Corporation might have been before the Welcon disaster. The Welcon anti-cancer vaccine caused a massive baby boom, and second-child taxes were introduced so New Triton could be built. I suppose people must have made fortunes along the way, but the idea of people profiting off so much misery turns my stomach.
“My father died paying second-child taxes,” I say. “Welcon tore my family apart.”
He taps his chin, his eyes unfocused and aimed toward the ceiling. “I was only four when the Welcon disaster happened, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard something about Edward Morelle expanding his factories. With the building boom, and a desperate workforce who’d work long hours for low wages, he must have had it made.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to jump up and punch something. “If Morelle had anything to do with causing the disaster…”
“I don’t think there’s any way to know for sure. Besides, Edward Morelle is dead. He’s not getting richer anymore.” He twitches up one side of his mouth in a half-smile, and I can tell he’s trying to make me feel better. “The new President Morelle is going to raise wages, no matter what the Beast threatens.” Now he finally does put his hand on my arm, and the warmth of his touch drains my anger. “Just promise me you’ll stay safe, Milla. He’s a powerful man.”
“What can he do to me when I’m more powerful than he is? He’s only human, and this Skin is even stronger than my Leopard Skin.”
“Does that Skin have the same effect on your human body?” His brow creases, worry in his eyes. “When you get hurt in it, does your human body get injured?”
“I don’t know. Let’s hope I don’t find out.”
He drops his hand from my arm and I instantly miss his touch. “Where is your human body?” he asks.
“In Edward Morelle’s pod, hooked up to all the high-tech machines that kept him alive. Even if I get injured, those machines can heal any wound.” I wave a hand dismissively, not wanting to picture my body in the coffin-like pod with all its hoses and tubes. “Anyway, the reason I asked you to come up here was so you could arrange a meeting for me. I want to talk to the Fist.”
He blinks, frowning. “You what?”
“I know they won’t want to see me. But I’m going to need their help.”
His frown deepens. “I suppose I can set something up, but they’ll be suspicious.”
“I have food I want to distribute. New Triton food.” I lean forward on the couch, pushing all my worries aside. “The wage increase will take a little time, but feeding my workers is something I can do now. Especially if the Fist agrees to help.”
“You’re going to hand out food at your shelters?”
I nod. “Better food than the workers are used to. It usually goes to some high-end stores in New Triton, but seeing as I own the factory that makes it, I can send it to the shelters instead.” I study his face, hoping he likes my idea. After threats from the Beast, and worrying about both Ma and Tori, I really need something good to use up some of my energy on. “Ma and I used to pretend we were eating fancy dinners instead of the cheap sludge the dispensers spit out. Just for once, I want the workers not to have to pretend.”
“Does Sentin know you’re doing this?”
“I’m not going to tell him.” When Cale raises his eyebrows at me, I meet his gaze with my chin raised. “He’ll have a logical reason why I shouldn’t, and I don’t want to know what it is.”
A slow smile breaks over his face. “Fair enough.”
“You think I can convince the Fist to help? It’s not the kind of food I can put in the dispensers. I need people to hand it out.”
“I’ll call Spade and Keren. They trust me, but even so, it won’t be easy talking them into this. President Morelle isn’t their favorite person.” He grimaces. “In fact, they may only agree if they think it’ll give them a chance to kill you.”
My stomach tightens at the thought of my friends turning on me, but I can hardly blame them. “I guess I’ll have to take that chance.”
Six
“Ready?” asks Cale. We’re in my private office on the one hundred and ninety-sixth floor of the Morelle Corporation building, standing in front of the opaque windows that let in light while hiding the view.
I drag in a breath. “Ready.” Then I start the
recording function on my band.
“This is President Morelle,” I say in the New Triton accent that’s starting to become second nature. “I publicly and officially acknowledge that the Fist is not a terrorist organization. Its members played no part in the bombings that started the Deiterran war. They’ve committed no crimes.” Cale is holding up my speech, but I’m trying to sound natural and not like I’m reading it. “In fact, I hope to enlist the help of the Fist to make Old Triton safer. Therefore, I’m reaching out to key members, asking them to work with me to improve the lives of Old Tritoners. I want them to help me distribute food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities to Old Triton shelters.” I pause for dramatic effect. “Up until now, I haven’t had a good relationship with the Fist. The blame rests with me, and I sincerely hope they’ll give me a chance to prove that we can make things better if we work together.”
Cale gives me a thumbs up, and I cut off the recording.
“That was good,” he says.
“You think the Fist will believe I’m being honest?”
He snorts out a laugh, as though I made a joke. “Not a chance. But it’s a good start. I’ll upload it to b-Net and Sub Zero, and send it to Spade and Keren personally.”
“Thanks.” While he does that, I settle behind my desk and pull up the records for my food manufacturing company. Math isn’t something I’m good at, but if I ask Sentin for help, I’m pretty certain he’d try to stop me giving things away. So I’m the one who has to frown at pages of numbers, trying to work out the factory’s daily production, and how much I can funnel back to the workers without going out of business.
By the time Cale interrupts me again, my brain aches, but I’m close to figuring it all out.
“Good news,” he tells me. “Spade and Keren have agreed to talk. I’m amazed we’ve gotten this far with them already.”
He taps his band’s control panel to bring up his holo app, and two images are projected. Spade and Keren. I haven’t seen them since the battle with the knights, and it takes all my self-control not to break into a grin.