Child of Lies

by Eric Kent Edstrom

  “It’s the senator. Move!”

  Summer’s mouth parted with fear as she leaned into a sprint.

  The beat of the helicopter blades grew behind them, but Jacey didn’t spare a glance. They burst into the cover of the scraper machine’s shed, not stopping until they collided with the rear wall. Panting and exchanging terrified glances, they crouched behind the road machine and listened to the roar of the helicopter as it passed overhead.

  Summer clung to Jacey’s arm. “Did it see me?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so”

  The sound faded to the east.

  Jacey waited, hoping it didn’t return. But would they bother to circle back even if they had seen two girls running? They couldn’t know Summer was missing yet. Jacey didn’t know how much space a helicopter needed to land, but a quick look outside showed her several relatively open spaces.

  The pilot and passengers might have seen them. She had to assume they had. And once they discovered Summer missing, they’d remember.

  “Now we really can’t stay here,” she said.

  Summer nodded, then cast about, looking for something. Eyes flashing, she crawled under a workbench and pulled out a small, dented bucket. “Perfect.”

  “What is that for?”

  “To bail out the skiff.”

  Jacey smiled and tried to offer understanding. “That’s a good idea, but we just don’t have time.”

  “It won’t take that long.”

  “We can’t risk it. We need to search for what supplies we can find, and then get moving. I want to be five kilometers from here before they realize we’re not on campus.”

  “But—”

  Jacey smacked her hands together. “Don’t argue with me!”

  Summer’s face paled and her nostrils flared.

  Jacey calmed herself. She had only been the leader of her Nine for a few days. She hadn’t encountered a discipline issue like this before. “Trust me, Summer. You go out in that boat, the helicopter will spot you in two seconds.” She didn’t wait for agreement. “There’s a smaller shack over there that might have something we can use. Come with me.”

  She strode out of the machine shed and headed to the shack.

  Soft steps trailed after her and caught up. Jacey adjusted her pace so that Summer could walk beside her.

  I need to change the mood.

  “The senator told Humphrey she’d arrive in twelve hours. Apparently she lied.”

  “And this person,” Summer said, “this Senator Bentilius—she’s . . . me?” Gone was the cuteness in her eyes, replaced by a hunted look.

  “No.” Anger at their situation flamed in Jacey’s gut. “Your body may be the same, but that doesn’t mean you are her.” Her hand went to the back of Summer’s head and stroked it gently. “What’s in here is unique. That’s why we’re doing this.”

  Summer grimaced and slipped her head away from Jacey’s touch.

  “It’s okay to be scared,” Jacey said. “Fear will keep you alive.”

  13

  Shaped Like a Dagger

  Humphrey slammed his hands on the desk. “No more, Mr. Justin. I’m sick of going through this.” The butler had been feeding him facts about Senator Bentilius for the past half-hour, and it was all too much to remember. “I don’t have Jacey’s ability to memorize everything.”

  Mr. Justin stood impassively, hands clasped behind him. The smile crinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed. “I just wanted to impress upon you, Humphrey, that the tiniest slip will jeopardize not only your encounter with Senator Bentilius, but possibly the future of the Scion School. If she realizes that you’re not Dr. Carlhagen, you can be sure she will summon a force to take control of the school.”

  “I just don’t see why I need to talk to her that much. If the woman is sick, she should go to the medical ward.” He snapped his fingers. “Yes! That’s perfect. We’ll keep her there.”

  “Oh, no. That won’t do,” Mr. Justin said, picking an invisible piece of lint from his sleeve. “The senator will be staying here at the hacienda, and you will be having a nice quiet dinner with her this evening.”

  “But why? If it’s so risky for me to talk to her, isn’t it smarter to keep me away from her?”

  “That’s not how client relationships work. You don’t understand how business in the outside world is conducted. When a customer visits, you entertain them. It’s called schmoozing, and Dr. Carlhagen was a master at it. You would only insult the senator if you avoided her. And believe me, she is not to be trifled with.”

  Humphrey tugged at his hateful bow tie, wishing he could rip it off and destroy it. “Damn thing is suffocating me.”

  “A few more hours and you can remove it.”

  “Fine.” Humphrey tried to buck himself up by remembering that he’d endured Dr. Carlhagen’s unbelievably uncomfortable dinner parties at the hacienda before. How much worse could this be?

  “Just don’t make me drink wine,” he said.

  Mr. Justin arched an eyebrow. “It would hardly be believable that Dr. Carlhagen wouldn’t drink some. Anyone who knows him well would find it odd if he turned it down.”

  Humphrey shrugged. “Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf. You know, to keep my new, young body healthy.”

  Mr. Justin nodded thoughtfully, and Humphrey thought he was going to concede the point, but then he pursed his lips and said, “The Scions’ whole purpose is to allow one to live without consequences. You won’t have to drink much, but I caution you to do nothing that will raise suspicion.”

  “I understand,” Humphrey said through gritted teeth, putting as much disgust into it as he could muster.

  The thumping sound of a helicopter beat against the hacienda and drew his eyes to the window.

  “She’s early,” he said.

  Mr. Justin looked very pale all of a sudden. “Are you ready?”

  “Does it matter?”

  ° ° °

  At Mr. Justin’s suggestion, Humphrey declared a lockdown for Senator Bentilius’s arrival. By the time the roar of the helicopter’s arrival grew loud enough to draw attention, the Scions were all inside their residence halls. Humphrey stood at the edge of the quad as the flying machine circled the campus and hovered over the quad like a monstrous mechanical insect before coming to rest on its skids in the grass.

  A hatch on the side, hinged at the bottom, folded open. Up popped a short ramp of stairs. Four men in dark fatigues and sunglasses descended. They wore sidearms on their waists, but their hands were empty.

  Good, Humphrey thought. They’re being cautious, but at least they’re not expecting trouble from the start.

  They dispersed and formed a perimeter around the helicopter and Humphrey.

  A colossus of a woman appeared at the top of the steps. She had a narrow face, bony, as if carved from stone, her grim expression a blend of anger, suspicion, and hatred. She, too, wore black fatigues, sleeves rolled up to expose bulging biceps. She hopped down, ignoring the steps, then turned a slow circle, studying the quad. Her eyes barely registered Humphrey’s existence. Satisfied that Humphrey and Mr. Justin were no threat, she reached back toward the door with a black-gloved hand.

  A lily-white hand materialized from darkness and took it. Senator Bentilius emerged, blinking, into sunlight. Humphrey was instantly struck by how frail she looked. Much worse than she’d appeared on the holovid.

  No wonder she’s insisting on transferring now. A strong wind might blow her away.

  The enormous bodyguard held the senator’s hand as she descended to the grass.

  Putting on his best Dr. Carlhagen smile, Humphrey spread his hands wide. “Welcome to the Scion School, Senator Bentilius!”

  The senator’s face resembled Summer’s somewhat, despite their difference in age—which Humphrey judged to be at least 60 years. The senator wore her hair short, dyed a shocking red, which made the sickly pallor of her skin even more pale. She had the same huge eyes as Summer, and they widened further when
she locked eyes with Humphrey.

  “Christof,” she said, thrusting forward both hands. He took them, awkwardly, and held them, barely keeping the smile painted on his face at the feel of her papery skin. She seemed so different than she had on the holovid.

  “Ah, Maxine, so nice to see you.” Humphrey was glad that Mr. Justin had told him the senator’s first name.

  Another individual emerged from the chopper. She wore an ill-fitting jacket and narrow skirt that stopped just below her knees. Dark glasses made her eyes a mystery, but judging by her black hair and skin, she was no relative of Senator Bentilius’.

  “You remember Miss Dayspring, my nurse, don’t you?” She turned to the huge captain of her bodyguards. “And Alice.”

  Humphrey smiled and withdrew his hands from the senator’s so that he could extend one to the nurse. “Of course, welcome.”

  The woman clasped his hand for a second. Her weak grip left behind a film of sweat, which he surreptitiously wiped on his slacks.

  Miss Dayspring held her head low, as if she might smack it on the helicopter blades, as impossible as that would be. She stood two hands shorter than her boss.

  Alice barked, “We must take the senator somewhere she can rest. The travel has exhausted her.”

  “Of course. Of course,” Humphrey said. He turned to Alice. “I welcome you and your men. They can bunk down in the medical ward. I’ve instructed the AI to admit them.”

  Which wasn’t really true. Mr. Justin had taken care of that.

  “And isn’t that where we’re going?” Miss Dayspring asked, voice tremulous and squeaky. “We must conduct the transfer immediately.”

  Mr. Justin had prepared Humphrey for this. But rather than address the nurse, he turned to the senator. “For your sake, Maxine, I recommend you have a full night’s sleep before we transfer. Things will go much smoother. And the chances for success will be much higher. Surely you can wait another twelve hours. Mr. Justin has planned a wondrous meal for us.”

  Miss Dayspring’s lips twisted with disapproval, and Alice’s jaw muscles twitched as she grimaced. Alice’s head turned side to side in three precise and very quick movements. “There must be no delay.”

  Humphrey pressed, still addressing the senator. “I invented this technology. If you won’t trust my recommendation to delay your transfer into a Scion who is too young, at least take my advice in this. You are obviously well enough to wait another day. Please understand, the transfer will deconstruct your brain in whatever state it’s in. Wouldn’t it be best to wait until you’re rested so that nothing important is lost in the transfer?”

  Miss Dayspring tried to squeeze between Humphrey and the senator, but the old woman put a pasty hand on the nurse’s chest and pushed her back. “I’m fine, Miss Dayspring. And I quite agree with Christof. As eager as I am to get this over with, I do need to psych myself up for it. A quiet dinner and good night’s rest would do wonders for me.”

  Mr. Justin had told Humphrey that the senator was aggressive, assertive, but nobody’s fool. She had built a powerful political career on her negotiation skills, always cinching deals that made it look like she was winning even when she had conceded major points.

  “I apologize that our Jeep isn’t available to drive us up to the hacienda,” Humphrey said, “but it’s a pleasant walk.” He turned, and began to lead the senator toward the path to the hacienda. The guards followed. “Surely you don’t need all of your guards. Mr. Justin has not prepared meals for them.”

  Without looking, the senator ordered, “Alice, tell the others to stand down.”

  Alice made the barest head tilt, and her men faded back to the helicopter and started tossing down duffle bags.

  Alice and Miss Dayspring followed after Humphrey and the senator. “Dr. Carlhagen,” Alice said, “I would like to secure the senator’s Scion immediately. Where will I find her?”

  Thinking quickly, Humphrey waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, leave her to her routine. She’s not expecting the senator to arrive, and with you barging in, all of the Scions will be thrown into a tizzy.”

  “I insist.”

  “It’s fine, Alice,” Senator Bentilius said. “Leave the Scion for later.” She put a hand on Humphrey’s shoulder. “Now that it’s come to it, I am rather glad we can wait until morning. I’m so tired from the travel. Miss Dayspring, you go with the guards to the medical ward.”

  “Madam Senator,” Miss Dayspring said, shuffling sideways alongside her, “I must come with you. If you have another one of your spells—”

  “I’ll be with one of the finest doctors in the world. Now run along and do as I say.”

  Senator Bentilius hooked elbows with Humphrey and together they walked up the path. Having never seen the woman before, Humphrey didn’t know whether she looked better or worse than usual, but she certainly didn’t look well. A deep crease cut between her eyebrows, as if she struggled to bear through a tremendous headache. Though she was shorter than he expected, the way she wore her hair, like flames jutting from her skull, gave her an imperious presence.

  “Lovely flowers,” she said, as they passed one of Dr. Carlhagen’s bougainvillea hedges. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Alice kept pace with them a few meters behind. “And never mind Alice. She’s overprotective. She once broke a sixteen-year-old boy’s arm when he asked me to sign a photo at a campaign rope-line.”

  “His pen was shaped like a dagger,” Alice said. From the sound of her voice, Humphrey wondered if she was capable of parting her teeth when she spoke.

  “It was a gag pen,” Senator Bentilius said with a giggle that sounded so much like Summer that Humphrey did a double-take. Despite the awkwardness of pretending to be Dr. Carlhagen, he thought he preferred entertaining the senator to spending the same dinner with Summer. The girl was a shameless flirt, and had not given Humphrey a moment’s peace for several months.

  Alice picked up her pace to stride next to the senator. “I won’t let you be injured again, Madam. Absolutely will not allow it. You are too important. The world needs you.”

  The senator giggled again. “A lot of good I’ll be able to do the world as a fourteen-year-old girl.”

  “Better than dead, eh?” Humphrey said, trying to inject some humor into the conversation.

  The senator grinned, exposing yellow teeth marred with lipstick. “You have a definite point there, Christof.”

  “I still say we should do the transfer immediately, before you have another one of your spells,” Alice said.

  Why won’t that woman just shut up?

  It took all of Humphrey’s will to keep his jovial smile in place. “The senator will live the rest of her life based upon the quality of that transfer. A solid night’s sleep can account for as much as five percent greater memory and skill retention post-transfer. I agree that Madam Senator is truly too important to let die, but please let’s preserve everything we can.”

  The senator stopped and tugged on Humphrey’s arm, forcing him to face her. “I thought my Scion was supposed to be even better than me.”

  “Oh, she is. She is,” Humphrey said. “Or at least, she would have been if we could give her a few years to develop.”

  “I don’t like this,” Alice said.

  “I don’t either,” the senator said. “But I don’t see what other choice I have.”

  They walked the rest of the way to the hacienda in silence. By the sound of her huffing and puffing, the uphill trek was taking a toll on the old woman.

  Mr. Justin met them at the door, giving the senator a deep bow and offering to guide them to the room he’d prepared for her.

  “Of course, you’ll be dining with me this evening,” Humphrey said, as he stopped in her doorway. “Mr. Justin has planned something delicious.” He turned to go, but stopped, snapping his fingers. “Is there a particular wine you prefer?”

  “Oh, you know me, Christof. If it’s red, I’ll drink it.”

  Mr. Justin offered a room to Alice, but she decline
d with a grunt. “I’ll sleep there.” She pointed at an armchair next to the senator’s bed.

  “Until six o’clock, then.” Humphrey gave a curt bow and walked away, wishing the dinner were already over.

  14

  Like a Bratty Lizard

  Jacey sniffed at the musty air inside the shack. Little more than a metal-sided pavilion, its walls didn’t even reach the ceiling, leaving a ten-centimeter gap open to the outside all the way around. According to Summer, it was designed to allow wind to pass through rather than blowing the shack over during the hurricanes.

  A filthy lighting fixture dangled from chains off the ceiling. Jacey flicked a switch by the door and the two long white florescent tubes flickered to life. They buzzed and hummed disagreeably, as if irritated to have been awakened from their long nap. They cast a bluish glow over the dirty concrete floor.

  Jacey ran a fingertip across a hose slung over a hook on one wall. It came away black with grime.

  Several slender poles leaned in the corner. They must have been there for a decade to collect so many cobwebs. Summer pulled one free and held it to the light. She twisted the crank handle on a reel of greenish filament. “A fishing pole.” She squinted at the mechanism. “Interesting.”

  Jacey agreed, but not for the same reason as Summer. The girl’s head for mechanical things didn’t necessarily make her practical-minded. “Do you think you could make it work? We need to eat something, and fish would be great.”

  “It needs bait.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Another fish?”

  “Let’s keep looking.”

  A few bare wooden shelves held rusty bolts, a broken bottle, and a dish filled with ash and little white half-burned cylinders. They had foamy ends and they stank.

  “We need to get moving,” Jacey said.

  “We’ll hear the helicopter coming,” Summer said, no hint of concern in her voice. She continued to fiddle with the pole, wiping off the dust and studying a hook dangling from the line.