by Darrell Bain
She also wondered what had happened in Philadelphia. The newscast said it was “untenable". Had the whole city collapsed into anarchy? She shuddered at the thought of millions of people being displaced at once. If it did happen, she doubted that it would be shown to anyone. The government could control the news now that the satellites were no longer part of corporations on earth. They were owned by Moon City and charged heavily for their services, taking the pay in organic material they were always in need of. If Jake did find a truck, she decided to ask him not to make plans for driving toward the northeast part of the country.
* * * *
“Don't listen to the stories you may have heard about him Don,” Jake told his friend at the Space Immigration Office. “He's bound to be a top notch scientist, just judging by what he was doing. And I can personally attest to the fact that he's a survivor."
“I never bother with a person's personal problems. All we're interested in is whether he can be useful. And I can tell you for a fact that we need geneticists of any type for our agriculture. You said he had some ideas about growing animal tissue in veggies?"
“Uh huh. That's what he told me."
“Good. We need something like that. All beans and no bacon makes for a poor diet, not to mention that we don't like what's happening here on earth any better than you do. The sooner we make ourselves self-sufficient, the better. Now how about that altered woman he's supposed to be traveling with. Is she still with him?"
“Yes. Plus an enhanced cat that's learning to speak English."
“She's going to be a handicap. Not that we discriminate against altered humans, but you say she doesn't have any occupational skills. The cat is a plus though. The damn mice have gotten loose in the warrens and are hard to eradicate."
“So what do you think?"
“Ordinarily, he'd probably get a downcheck because of the woman he's with, but since it's you, I'll talk to him. When can he come in for an interview?"
“Best if you come to him given the circumstances. Come out to my place to talk to him and I'll turn my back while you rob me of a carton of real coffee beans, a grinder and two bottles of brandy."
The beginning of a frown on his friend's face turned quickly to a smile. “You do know how to get a man's attention. Would tomorrow be okay?"
“Sounds good to me."
“Okay, give me your address. I'm going to give them tentative places on the last shuttle out of here, the same one I'm leaving on. I'm not guaranteeing anything mind you. If he doesn't score high enough there's nothing I can do."
“I understand. And thanks, Don. You're a good man."
* * * *
Lea saw that Jake was whistling as he arrived back at the car. She took that to be good news.
“It's not a sure thing yet, but it looks good so far. That would take a load off my mind, giving the kids a chance to get off world and away from all this."
“Too bad we can't do the same."
“Yeah, but they aren't looking for truck drivers, nor floater pilots either, babe. I didn't even ask."
* * *
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Don't get your hopes up, but the odds look pretty good right now,” Jake said after telling Gary and Maria about the interview from a representative of the Space Immigration Service."
“Jake, I don't know how to thank you. That sounds great.” Gary felt his emotions surging with hope for a much brighter future than he had been envisioning. “Maria, Booger, what do you all think about going to Moon City?"
Maria was all smiles. “Do they really treat everyone the same there?"
“Trust me on that one,” Jake said. “I've got a number of friends in the Space Service. They all tell me the same thing. They want talent, not appearance."
“But ... but I don't have any talents!” Maria said, her smile dissolving and tears beginning to appear in the corner of her eyes.
Gary took her chin in his hand and made her look at him. “Yes you do, even if you haven't had a formal education. Besides, maybe I'll have enough for all of us.” He kissed her then turned to the cat. “How about you, Booger? Want to chase mice on the moon?"
“No bad men?"
“Not a one. Just plenty of mice."
Booger Bear began salivating. “Okay."
“When will your friend be here?” Gary asked.
“Tomorrow morning. I hope the interview is just a formality. He said he's already marked you down for a spot on the last shuttle leaving from the Dallas Spaceport before it closes."
“That's all great, but what about you and Lea? What are you going to do? Can you come with us?"
“Nope. We don't have the skills they want, and besides we're both past the age limit. But don't worry; we've got things all worked out. We're going to go into the trucking business together.” He didn't mention that it wasn't a certainty yet for fear of upsetting the younger couple.
“Wonderful,” Maria said. She was glad for them, glad for herself and Gary and glad for Booger Bear. She smoothed the thick black hair on the animal's back and thought of how fortunate she had been to meet up with them. And with Jake and Lea. It made all of her past life seem like a bad dream, one that was rapidly fading from her memory as remnants of dreams will do upon waking.
“Okay, now that we've got our futures settled, I hope you kids tried to fix something to eat rather than spend the day in bed.” He winked at them.
Gary and Maria looked at each other. His blush could be seen; hers was concealed by the down on her face. “Uh..."
Lea Laughed. “Never mind. We were young once. Come on Kitten, let's see what we can do about dinner while our cave men talk over the world situation."
“Actually, I need some help to unload my car,” Jake said.
Gary went out with him. His eyes widened with astonishment when he saw how the car was crammed with goods. “What on earth are you doing, Jake? Stocking up for the end of the world?"
Jake began handing out bundles. “Nope. Lea and I are planning on getting a big freight hauler. Some of this stuff is for us, some is trade supplies. What with the way things are going, I thought it would be a good idea."
“What kind of rig are you planning on buying?” Gary asked as they came back for a second load.
“That's up to Lea. She knows the business better than I do, but we did talk about it. I imagine we'll get something big enough for a couple of passengers, some freight, and still leave room for living quarters in case we have to camp out."
“Isn't trucking going to get really dangerous with so many refugees on the road? Not to mention all the altered humans that are going to be kicked out of the cities."
“Yeah, but it's a living. And the newer rigs come equipped with armor and solid, flame proof tires, as well as a front mounted gun big enough to clear roadblocks. Don't worry old Buddy. Once I let the option on the house go, I can afford the best."
“Great. It sounds almost idyllic in a way."
Jake gave him one of his lop sided grins. “Yeah, like in a book. But books are never like real life. It will work for a while, but we'll be looking for a safe place to settle down while we're traveling. I don't give the highways more than another five years, ten at the most, then all travel in the country will be by floater or river boats. Here, you grab this big box; you're younger than me."
* * * *
The next morning Gary waited anxiously for Jake's friend to show up. He was scared that something would happen to prevent them from leaving earth now that there was finally a chance for them to lead a normal life—or as normal as a life could be in the underground warrens of Moon City. At least he would have a job again rather than being a wanted felon on the run. And Maria was very intelligent. It would be easy to train her as a laboratory assistant despite her lack of formal education. He was still going over possibilities when the immigration agent arrived.
Don Fairbanks introduced himself then got immediately down to business, pausing only to sip appreciatively now and then from the cup of
freshly brewed coffee Jake set in front of him. The first thing he did was to verify Gary's identity and academic credentials. Many applicants lied about their accomplishments when applying for a position.
The interview consisted mainly of asking Gary questions and recording the answers into his computer. That took over an hour. After that he spent a few minutes with Maria and the same with Booger Bear. He was taken with the cat. Not many enhanced pets had gone into space so far. He seemed surprised at his intelligence and devotion to Gary and Maria.
The last part of the interview wasn't an interview at all but a DNA test of Gary to be sure he was the same person that national computers had in their registry, and then a lie detector test followed to make sure he wasn't exaggerating or deceiving his questioner. Part of that had already been conducted with questions asked in different ways or using different words, then sorted for truthfulness by the computer program. Fairbanks spent little time on the physical or psych tests after seeing those results.
After all the data was recorded he asked his computer for its score.
Gary had no idea what the numbers projected into the air meant, but Fairbanks appeared to be happy about them. “Your score, tied into having a dependant with none of the skills we're looking for, puts you right below the acceptable limit,” he announced. Seeing the disappointment in Gary's expression he added hastily, “But that doesn't take into account my recommendation. When I add that in, you're more than acceptable.” He held out his hand. “Congratulations. You'll be leaving six days from now. Here, take this and don't lose it."
Gary shook his hand and thanked him. Maria hugged and kissed him, much to his surprise. Booger Bear wasn't certain what all the excitement was about but he contributed his bit by rubbing against the spaceman's ankles and buzzing loudly.
Fairbanks had handed Gary a card to get into the loading area of the shuttles that was keyed to his thumbprint. When he touched his thumb to it, it blinked with the time and date when they were to appear.
“That's the latest time they'll let you into the waiting area, but I'd suggest that you arrive a day early and stay overnight there. Oh yes—plug your card into any home computer and it will give you your luggage limits and a list of what you should bring with you."
“Thanks again,” Gary said.
“No problem. Good to have you aboard. I'll be glad to get back to the rock myself. This damn gravity is a killer."
* * * *
Jake and Lea left early the next morning, Jake to try to sell or trade the option on his house, Lea to look at freight hauling rigs. On the way into the more congested part of the city, they began seeing more refugees, but this time many of them were heading out rather than in, and many of them were in private vehicles.
Jake pointed. “A lot of those are altered folks, leaving now before they get thrown out. Most of them probably think they have someplace safe to go."
She caught the tone of reservation in his voice. “But you don't think so?"
“I doubt it. Maybe they have relatives in the country; maybe they think smaller towns will accept them. I don't know what's on their minds love. I'm just glad I've got you with me. And while ordinarily I would love to have your face and hands the same color as the rest of you, it's a good thing that they aren't right now."
“It's reversible, you know."
“Really? I didn't know that."
“Uh huh. But if I decided to re-color my face and hands, I suspect I would need to get it done soon while there's still supplies and mammalian geneticists around."
“Yeah. Hey, maybe I can get the stuff and we'll get Gary to tell us how to use it. Then if we find a place where people care more for what's inside than outside a person's body, you can change back."
“Would you really like that?"
“Why not? Your skin is lovely. No reason the rest of you shouldn't match."
Seeing her hesitation, he patted her leg. “Hey, it's like when women used to use lipstick or facial makeup. Just a way to make a pretty woman prettier."
Seeing that he really did seem sincere, Lea thought she might consider it. She remembered how she had once looked and it was attractive—or at least more attractive than she was now, with no color on her hands or face. It was only that men didn't take it that way. That and the fact that she couldn't get good jobs with her face a glowing golden color, not after the bigotry against altered humans began to build. But Jake—Jake didn't give a damn what other people thought. He knew what was right and wrong and wouldn't compromise. She decided that if that's what he wanted, and if they could indeed find safety somewhere, she would reverse the changes she had begun. Just for him.
* * *
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Jake was surprised and Lea was even more surprised when they got to the brokerage houses and found that the value of homes in gated communities had almost doubled since the edicts from President Bradshaw came out, and that the value of rigs, new and used both, was sinking.
Two hours later they came away with a deal that got them an even better rig than Lea had been anticipating and had money left over. They took it in gold. Jake signed over the option and Lea drove off in the brand new freight and passenger hauler with Jake following in the car. He had decided to see if his neighbor wanted to buy the car; if not he could sell it to any number of altered humans seeking transportation to leave the city.
* * * *
Pluto perked up his ears, then began a soft growling.
Gary sat up from where he was relaxing with a drink from Jake's well stocked bar. Booger Bear jumped down from his lap and twitched his ears, as alert as his canine friend. There was a strange rumbling noise outside, muffled by the thickness of the walls. Gary reached for his gun and called for Maria to get out of sight. She ran for the bedroom but was back a second later with her gun, ready to fight if need be. He let loose with an epithet. She ignored it and came to stand by his side.
“What is it?"
Maria cocked her head, listening intently. “It sounds like a big truck of some kind."
The sound died away and a moment later the front door opened. Jake came inside and saw their drawn weapons. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Nothing like having my place well defended. Except it's not mine any more. Come see what we got in exchange."
“Wow! Gary exclaimed when he saw the big rig pulled up in the front of the house. It hadn't been able to fit into the garage by a big margin. He took in the size and newness of it with open-mouthed admiration. “What are you planning on hauling? Fusion reactors?"
“No, but damn near anything else. Including you for a little while. We've only got three days to vacate the house. Sorry you couldn't stay here until you were ready to go, but I couldn't pass the deal up."
Lea came in and stood at his side with a smile on her face almost as wide as the truck. “Isn't it beautiful? It's even got living quarters in it for four, besides room for freight and all our personal belongings. We're going to just live in it while we negotiate for our first load."
“That's great, Lea. I'm happy for both of you. And we're going to miss you, damn it."
Her face fell. “Yeah, there's that, but at least we'll know you're safe while we're on the road."
* * * *
The next three days passed in a blur of helping Jake pack what belongings in the house he wanted to keep and arranging them in the truck. Gary was amazed all over again the first time he carried a load into the cargo and living section. It looked even bigger from the inside than he had anticipated. He set the big box down where Jake directed, then had to let Lea show him the merits of her new toy.
“See, there's the room on either side here at the back with double beds, and a john up toward the cab. And there's ports inside the rooms that open if need be, for fresh air if the circulation unit fails for some reason, or even to shoot from in case of bad guys coming up from the rear. And there's an observer port on the little ledge up there above the rooms with a carbon glass port and another gun rack, just l
ike the two up in the cab."
“I think the factory that made it must have been anticipating conditions,” Gary observed.
“If that's so, they did a damn good job. This baby can go just about anywhere too. It's got impeller air jacks to get over real rough spots and hell, it's even air tight and has extendable stabilizers in case we want to float down a river sometime. Isn't it gorgeous?"
Gary had to agree that it was. And very utilitarian. He went back for another load.
* * * *
The last night before leaving, Jake laid out a spread of his best food and drink. He figured it would probably be the last time they would all be together with room to spread out and enjoy themselves. It was an almost bacchanalian farewell for them all.
Gary and Maria enjoyed themselves even more after they left Jake and Lea, knowing this was also most likely the last time they would have so much luxury and privacy in a bedroom. The love making rose to heights of pleasure that neither had dreamed was even possible, much less likely. Gary wanted it to never end and from the way Maria responded he was sure that she felt the same way. It made him wonder why the world had to be so dismayingly brutal and savage for so many innocent people not as lucky as they.
* * * *
While they were sleeping, other men were actively planning their demise. What Jake had feared had happened. The government executives were reported missing in Sacramento after they failed to arrive as scheduled. From there a tracer went back over the government net and picked up Jake's explanation. When no treatment facility could be found that had taken the three officials who supposedly had survived, other queries followed. Inevitably, the veracity of Jake's story began to be questioned.