by Karen Haber
“You can have your lab back, Eva. Here. Now.”
“And in return?”
“Nothing.”
“Hard to believe.”
“Then perhaps I understand you better than you do me,” he said. “I’m not above demanding business favors in return for my patronage. But they are business favors. Not personal.”
“I see.” Eva’s cheeks reddened. “Sorry.”
“You’d be on Aria Corp.’s payroll. Ostensibly, I’d be your boss.”
“And in reality?”
“You’d be a free agent. I won’t muck around with your research. If you go over budget, we might have to talk. But I assume we’d agree upon baseline funding that would more than provide for what you need.”
She leaned toward him. “And what about what you need, Ethan?”
“Is that a personal or professional query?”
“Both.”
He reached out and traced the line of her jaw with a gentle finger. She shivered but did not pull back.
“I thought you didn’t demand personal favors,” she said. Her voice was almost a whisper.
“I’m hardly demanding. As I said, you’re a free agent, Eva. And the last thing I want from you is a favor.”
The impulse to caress her further was strong. He fought it and pulled his hand away. She moved quickly, suddenly reaching out to place her hand over his. Her look was direct, almost unnerving. “Did I tell you I wanted you to stop?”
“No.”
Her lips curved in a tiny smile. “Then don’t, until I do.”
***
The shuttle docked smoothly at Hawkins’s Pavilion. As Julian came through the orange airlock he saw Rick, wearing a blue Aria Corp. stretch suit, waiting by the door. His brother looked well rested and content. Perhaps his fears for him had been phantoms after all.
They hugged briefly.
“That old twinsense,” Julian said. “I should have known you’d be waiting.”
Rick grinned. “Yeah. The hair on my neck stood up and I just had a feeling that you were on that shuttle. Although I’ve got to admit I’m surprised to see you. What brings you to space?”
“You.”
“Oh. I see.” Rick’s glance turned inward. He nodded shrewdly. “I guess it’s nice to be missed.”
There was a strange remote tone to his voice that rattled Julian. He grabbed Rick’s arm. Look at me, he thought. Don’t go away like that. “Oh, you’re missed all right,” he said, keeping his own voice light. “By Mom. And a few other people I won’t name. But I didn’t come to keep tabs. We’ve got to talk, Rick.”
His brother gestured broadly. “The floor is yours.”
“No. Not here.”
“Ah, you want privacy. Then step into my office.” Smiling oddly, Rick led Julian along the corridor, into the tube and up several levels, out onto another floor, and into a suite of rooms furnished with sturdy green wallcushions, low tables, and a brown jell sofa. They settled onto the sofa.
“Want a drink?” Rick said.
“Sure.”
Rick smiled his strange smile again and looked over at the mech unit by the wall. A door opened and an amber hypo levitated, drifted lazily like a floating jewel through the air, and came to rest nestled in Rick’s outstretched palm.
Julian stared from the hypo to his brother’s face. “So it’s true. You really have turned multi.”
“But it’s still a little surprising to see, isn’t it?” Rick’s expression was amused and sympathetic. “Congratulate me, Julian. I’m a new kind of mutant: Brand X. No powers for the first twenty-five years, but after that, watch out.”
“I don’t believe it.” Julian pressed the hypo against his arm and felt his muscles unkink as the alcohol moved through his bloodstream.
“Oh, believe it,” Rick said cheerfully.
“How do you feel?”
“Great.”
“No problem adjusting?”
Rick shrugged. “Not after the first shock wore off.”
“Everything is so strange,” Julian said. “So changed. Maybe it’s the effect of the earthquake. But even before that. In the lab I’ve been seeing the weirdest images lately while riding the flares. Nightmare scenes filled with people.”
“What’s strange about that? Isn’t that just the kind of thing you’ve been looking for?”
Julian turned to face him. “But I know these people, Rick.”
“Who are they?”
“You. Alanna. Skerry.”
“It’s a coincidence,” Rick said. “Or else your subconscious is playing tricks on you.”
“Rick, I’ve got the feeling something terrible is going to happen.”
“Worse than an earthquake?” His voice had a sharp edge to it. “Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Julian said. “I wish I did. What if these mental flares are the key to prophecy? I don’t know what to think. Why do I see the people I love, over and over again?”
“Good question,” Rick said. “Maybe something is going to happen.”
“Or maybe it already has.”
Rick looked at him in surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know who our biological father is.”
“You do?”
“Yes. And you’re not going to like it.”
“But the records were lost, I always thought.” Rick frowned. “How did you manage to find anything out?”
“It’s a long story,” Julian said. “Let it pass for now. Does his name interest you or doesn’t it?”
“I guess. Old bio-dad? Better late than never. Who is he?”
“Hold on to yourself, Rick. It’s Skerry.”
“Skerry? He’s our daddy?” Rick gave a rueful chuckle. “I should have known. Really, I should have seen it.” He took a sip of beer and shook his head.
Julian watched, mouth open in shock. “Don’t you care?”
“Not really. Should I?”
“I don’t believe you, Rick.” Julian sat up, cold sober. “Don’t you understand what this means? What are you going to tell Alanna?”
Rick’s glance hardened. “Tell Alanna? Nothing.”
“But she’s your—our—sister.”
“What difference does that make?” Rick’s tone was icy.
Julian squirmed. Why was his brother being so thick about this? “Well, it’s incest, isn’t it?”
“So what? The chief objection to incest is genetic.”
“Well, there’s cause for that. You don’t want to conserve genetic flaws by inbreeding.”
“Yeah, but what about conserving genetic superiority?” Rick said. “I mean, didn’t the pharaohs of Egypt marry their sisters all the time? And Egypt was the strongest power in the world for thousands of years. Besides, who says Alanna and I are going to have kids?”
“But even if you aren’t,” Julian said. “She’s your sister, Rick. There’s a cultural taboo against incest.”
“The hell she’s my sister. Only technically. We didn’t grow up together. I didn’t see her around the house. I don’t think of her as my sister.”
“She is, though. And she’s here with you, isn’t she? It might make a difference to her.”
“Not to me.”
Julian stood up. “If you don’t tell her, I will.”
“Will you?” Rick’s eyes glittered.
Suddenly Julian was lying on the floor and the weight of a world’s gravity was trying to press his ribs against his spine. Rick loomed above him, gigantic, terrifying. His mindspeech sent thunderous echoes rattling through Julian’s skull.
You won’t tell Alanna anything, Brother. She’s mine. No one will take her away from me. No one. So pack up your cultural taboos and genetic merde and vanish! Stay out of my sight and stay healthy. Understand?
Weakly, Julian nodded.
Good. Thanks for the chat. Give my regards to Mom and Dad and Dad.
The room began to dim out around the edges. Then everything was dark and silent.
Julian awoke. He was sitting on a wallcushion near the shuttle lock. His brother was nowhere to be seen.
For a moment he wondered if he had dreamed the entire encounter and was about to go tell Rick the bad news. But no. No, it wasn’t a dream. Rick knew the truth. Julian hadn’t been prepared for his reaction, but his twin had thoroughly demonstrated how he felt about the information. Julian leaned back against the cushion feeling suddenly weary and lonely. Rick was a free agent. If he chose not to tell Alanna, that was his business. But sooner or later, she would learn the truth. She had to. And Julian profoundly hoped that he would be on the other side of the Moon when it happened. He had fulfilled his role as a messenger. It was time to go back to Earth and figure out what he wanted to do next.
“Julian!” a warm female voice cried. “Is that you?”
It was Eva Seguy, hurrying down the hall toward him. She was wearing a yellow Aria Corp. stretch suit.
She gave him a ferocious hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Shouldn’t I ask you that question?” Julian stared at her in amazement. “You didn’t tell me you were going away to Hawkins’s Pavilion.”
“I thought you’d try to stop me.”
“Damn straight. Eva, I thought we had an understanding …”
She put her hand over his mouth playfully. “Let’s talk about that later. Right now, I want to show you something.”
She took him by the arm and tugged him down the corridor, into a tube, and down another hall before stopping in a room filled with holoscreens. Eva pressed a keypad and every screen lit with a three-dimensional image of a schematic room design.
“Voilà.”
Julian peered at blueprints. “It looks like our lab.”
“It is. Or, I should say, it can be.”
“But Dalheim’s reassigned that floor space to Henderson’s program.”
“What?”
“He came in after the quake—after you’d gone—and told me.”
“The bastard,” Eva said. “He never did feel comfortable with this program. And I suppose he just thinks it’s the efficient thing to do. We can’t use the space as things are now and I guess Henderson can. But forget about Berkeley, Julian. Ethan—the colonel—he’s going to build the lab up here. Twice as big. Isn’t it wonderful? We can continue the research.”
Julian looked at her, aghast. “As part of Hawkins’s private little industry? No thanks.”
“But, Julian …”
“I thought you were the one so concerned about being co-opted by private investors. Or did I dream that?”
“I’ve got to be practical, Julian.”
He grabbed her hands. “There are other ways to be practical,” he said sharply. “I’m going to get my doctorate at the end of this year, and—”
“Julian, you know how much I believe in this research. If there’s any way to continue this program, then I’ve just got to do it.”
Julian released her. Something had happened up here. Something he didn’t like. “I don’t believe you.”
“Julian, don’t you see, I’m convinced that this research has enormous implications? For mutants and nonmutants alike. I can’t just stand by and watch somebody else complete what I’ve started. That’s what will happen. If I don’t do this, Hawkins will hire somebody else.”
“Has he said that?”
“No. But I can tell.”
“Eva, I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“I guess things change.” Her voice was soft. “I’d hoped you’d join me here, Julian.”
He rounded on her. “As what, Eva? Your lap-dog assistant? Somebody you can pick up and then put down as the whim takes you?”
“You’re getting hysterical.”
“What’s wrong with that? Must I remain well behaved and rational even when the woman I love treats me like skrag?”
She closed her eyes. “I told you I had misgivings about our getting involved.”
So that was it. Julian’s stomach turned to lead. “Yes, and now you don’t want any of the blame to get on you, do you?”
“I’m not the saint you think I am!” Her eyes flashed. “Julian, be realistic. I care about you. Both personally and as a colleague.”
“Are you saying we should resume everything up here?”
“I’m telling you that there’s a marvelous opportunity here for you to advance professionally, with state-of-the-art equipment, doing the work you love.”
Julian stared at her. And as he did, the image of her in Hawkins’s arms came to him. But it wasn’t the echo of that old vision he’d seen so long ago in the lab. It was fresh, a recent memory. From Eva.
His mouth tightened. “I see things really have changed. You’re talking about professional concerns but not personal ones. Well, I don’t want to compete with Hawkins for you, Eva.”
“And I thought mutants respected telepathic privacy.”
He gave a sharp, angry laugh. “I didn’t spy on you. You were practically broadcasting. Loud and clear.” His fury left him cold, almost numb.
Eva’s cheeks were bright red. “Let’s try to leave personal considerations out of this for the time being. You’ve got to finish your dissertation. I’m still on faculty at UC. And I need your help.”
Julian could see that she desperately wanted him to say yes. Needed him aboard to keep the program moving. And not all of her motivations were purely professional. He sensed a deep ambivalence in her toward him. It only sharpened his desire to say no, tell her to go to hell. But what about his dissertation? If he quit now a whole year’s work was wasted.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll stay. But only until I finish my doctorate.”
***
The alarm went off sharply, three high beeps, three low.
Rick groaned and opened one eye. Purple twilight of an artificial dawn filled the room. Alanna sat up next to him in bed.
“Time for my shift,” she said, yawning.
He reached for her. “Don’t go. I can get you out of that, you know. I’ve got the pull.”
She gave him a half-disgusted look. “And then what would I do? Sit here and wait for you to come back from some meeting with Hawkins? Or to return from whatever private internal place you’ve been visiting? No thanks. I came up here to do more than sit around waiting for your attention.”
“You think I’m too busy?” He eyed her anxiously. “Am I neglecting you?”
“Maybe.” She eluded his hands, got out of bed, and disappeared into the bathroom.
He raised his voice so she could hear him over the running water—she had asked him not to use mind-speech with her before noon because it gave her a headache. “You know I’m trying to buy time for us, Alanna. To make the money now. Then we can go away.”
She walked out of the bathroom braiding her hair. “And so I should just put up and shut up?”
“No. No, I didn’t mean it that way.” He watched her dress, fighting the urge to draw her back to bed. “I just want you to understand.”
“Do you?” Clad in a black stretch suit, she faced him, hands on hips. “Understand what? Your changes? Forget it, Rick. I’ll never understand what’s happened to you. I don’t even want to try.” She paused by the door. “You scare me sometimes.”
“You’re the last person I want to scare,” he said. “Is it in bed? Am I too—”
“Oh, the sex is fine,” she said. “It’s the way you are out of bed. One minute you’re spaced out. The next, you’re laughing. I never know which Rick I’ll come back to when I get off shift.”
He held up his hands in helpless confusion. “But it’s the same me, Alanna. I really haven’t changed that much. I know I haven’t.”
“Sure,” she said. “Keep telling yourself that.” She shook her head. “Look, don’t worry about it. I’m late. See you this afternoon.”
“Yeah.” Rick watched the door slide closed behind her. She would come to understand. He would make her understand, somehow. He
rolled over in bed and sank back down into a light sleep.
There were men in buff-colored uniforms crawling over scrubby ground. They had enormous laser rifles and rows of disruptor grenades strung across their backs. Rick knew suddenly that this was not a dream. He was in Asia, possibly Korea, three years in the future. He tried to get a better focus, but the vision shifted to a massive tanker on its side, leaking fuel off the Gulf of Aqaba. And soon. The vision was sharp and repetitive, almost like a tape loop. Cutting through it like a rainstorm against stone was a loud, subliminal whisper.
you are the promised one. you are the link. you are our hope. you are the promised one. you will bring us back to the book. you are the link.
The message pounded Rick’s mind. Angrily, he subdued and ejected it. A repeating telepathic probe! Paula Byrne and her mutant witchery. It had to be. Where was she? He sent out a narrow-range scan that quickly located her three levels above him on the observation deck. She had been monitoring him.
Crazy old woman! Get out of my head!
But you must listen to me.
How would you like me to use my own version of subliminal suggestion on you? I could have you get on the next shuttle to the Moon and halfway there tell you to open the airlocks. You’d do it, too.
He amplified the message, showing her a vision of what he could do to her.
No, no. Please.
Her mindspeech was tinged with horror and fear.
Rick paused, taken aback by his own belligerence. He didn’t really mean what he had said just then. But his head hurt. Everybody was after him, wanting a piece of him.
I just want to be left alone, he thought. To figure out what and who I am now.
You are the next step …
Paula, if you don’t stop bugging me, I’ll toss you to Jupiter! Rick swore aloud. He almost meant it. Damnable, intrusive old woman. You’re lucky I’m tired, Paula. Getting you to commit suicide would take too much energy right now. So I suggest you leave under your own power. While you still can. And as a memento of our visit, I’m going to give you a little flare headache. It ought to clear up in an hour or two.
***
Paula Byrne lay back on her bunk, racked by blinding mental pain. She had been foolish, reckless even. In her eagerness and impatience, she’d gone too far. Young Akimura was far more difficult than she’d anticipated. Uncontrollable. Possibly dangerous.