by Karen Haber
“Please!” Saiken tried once again to make herself heard. But her voice was hoarse from shouting, and nobody was listening. It was no use. No one believed her. No one cared. Rick would catch them all unprepared.
“You’ll be sorry,” she said. “I tried.” Shaking her head in anger and sorrow, she left the speaker’s platform and hurried from the room. The echoes of the mutants’ laughter rang in the hallway behind her.
One person, however, was not laughing.
“Hey, Rita. Wait! Wait a minute.”
She turned to see a tall, muscular man with a gray beard and hair caught back in a ponytail hurrying after her.
Skerry.
“You are his father,” she said.
“I know. I know. Listen, are you serious about him being uncontrollable?”
“Yes. Paula Byrne went to see him.”
“That nutty Book Keeper from San Diego?”
Saiken flashed him a look of anger. “Sister Paula has much to share.”
“I’ll bet.” He paused. “Sorry. What the hell was she doing with him?”
“She thought he might be the promised one.”
“The promised one?”
“The True Host of the Book believes that an enhanced mutant will emerge to lead us and—”
“Okay, I get it. Mutant messiah. You think my son’s the mutant messiah.” Skerry started laughing. “How did Paula Byrne decide that?”
“I told her he might be the one. She confirmed it after attempting to examine him.”
“Right. You got a call from Ethan Hawkins and sent Paula Byrne up to tend Rick. So what did he do, give her a mental hotfoot?”
“Well, in a manner of speaking—”
“It’s exactly what I would have done.” Skerry nodded. “Listen, Rita, I think he’s just bluffing you. You fell for his tricks. But I’ll go talk to him.”
“You should not go alone.”
“To see my baby boy?” Skerry’s voice was harsh. “You think I need to bring along a mutant cavalry? Guns? Maybe some horses?”
Saiken shook her head. “Do what you wish. But for your own safety, you should not go alone.”
“I always work alone.” Skerry’s eyes glittered. “But thanks for the tip.” He faded slowly from view until Rita Saiken stood by herself in the empty corridor.
***
Have you taken leave of what’s left of your senses?” Narlydda asked. “Rita Saiken tells us your son is one step away from becoming the Antichrist, and you decide to go visit him? No, absolutely not. I forbid it, Skerry!”
“Back off, Lydda. Nobody forbids me anything. Or have you forgotten?”
“I know you’re upset about Alanna—”
“Damn straight I am. And if she’s up there floating around on Hawkins’s pleasure dome while Rick starts to develop horns and cloven hooves, don’t you think somebody should try to go and fetch her?”
“I thought Julian went to do just that.”
“Yeah,” Skerry said. “But he must have liked the accommodations. He stayed. It’s been two weeks. No sign of Alanna. Meanwhile, Melanie tells me that Julian and Rick had a run-in. I’d say it’s time for me to go up there.”
Narlydda laughed harshly. “Next you’ll be telling me you believe in the supermutant myth.”
His eyes flashed. “I don’t believe in anything, and you know it. But I told you there was something strange about Rick. Strange and powerful. I just thought he was an angry, violent kid. But maybe I was wrong.”
“Oh, come on, Skerry. You sound as crazy as Rita Saiken.”
“Don’t laugh, Lydda. If there’s even a hint of truth to Saiken’s story, we’ve got to consider it. Our daughter is up there. And my—son.” Skerry paused. “I let Julian go to break the news, hoping Alanna would turn tail and run. Now I see that I may have to make a little visit to Hawkins’s Pavilion and check things out for myself. Besides, Saiken’s little proposal for a telepathic concert gives me the creeps. I don’t think anybody knows what’s really going on with Rick.”
“If he’s dangerous, he must be stopped.”
“Maybe so. But one multitalent against twenty-five telepaths? It’s bad odds.”
“Especially when that one happens to be your son.”
In silence, they walked up the path toward their skimmer.
Narlydda turned, eyes glittering. “Aren’t you getting a little old for this kind of thing?”
Skerry met her gaze firmly. “Spare me the insults, Lydda. What if Rick is some kind of fluky enhanced mutant? An evolved mutant, if you will. I don’t really believe it, but I don’t know what’s going on. A null turning into a multitalent—that’s pretty wild. Yeah, I know he might be dangerous. And I’m partially responsible. Whether I like it or not.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go racing off into space because of a prank you pulled years ago. Who the hell do you think you are? Sir Galahad?”
“Some prank,” Skerry said. “If what Rita Saiken says is true, I contributed to the creation of an enhanced mutant. Which puts the entire mutant community at risk. Maybe more. Ha-ha. Tell me something else that’s funny.”
“So you really do believe it.”
“I’m beginning to, yeah. I have to find out what he is. And I’m going to try and save those kids from themselves before it’s too late.”
Narlydda sighed. “You’ve got some kind of hero complex, Skerry. Are you sure this isn’t just an excuse to get up out of your floatchair?”
He opened the skimmer door and got in. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a hero complex, Lydda. I’d call it a bad ease of fatherhood. A real bad case.”
.
******************
14
Julian ate well on Hawkins’s pavilion, and he slept as well as he could without the comfort of Eva beside him. But he was slowly growing accustomed to their new status as ex-lovers and colleagues. There was plenty of distraction to help. Work absorbed him. And each time he looked out the window there was a star show, the cold white face of the Moon peering back at him, or the lovely blue curve of Earth.
The Flare Program was shuffling along, thanks to the crude equipment Eva had set up. And the lab was taking shape around them. Another two weeks and they would be ready to run full shifts. Julian was grateful for the demanding pace.
He sat up now, released from the most recent flare ride. He had seen little: a few wheeled vehicles crawling over the surface of a red sand landscape. Mars, most likely. Julian logged his ride and left the lab, intent on lunch.
Only two people stood in the mechteria line. One was a mutant man with gray hair and a mustache. He wore an orange shuttle pressure suit with pilot insignia at the shoulder. Behind him was a woman clad in a blue stretch suit. Julian admired her thin, graceful figure and long, dark hair. She looked familiar. As she turned toward the tables, he got a glimpse of her face. High cheekbones. Celadon skin. Alanna. She looked up and her golden eyes widened with surprise.
“Julian,” she said. “What are you doing on Hawkins’s Pavilion? I thought you were down at Berkeley getting your doctorate.”
“I’m working on it here, on a research project that Colonel Hawkins is sponsoring.”
“Really? I’m working for him, too. Engineering.” She smiled tiredly. There were dark circles under her eyes. “Come keep me company. We can talk while we eat.”
Julian followed her to a table. “Have you heard from your folks?”
“Not lately. I don’t think they’re really thrilled that I’m living with Rick.” She gave Julian a suspicious look. “Does Rick know you’re here?”
“Well, not exactly.” Julian hadn’t seen his brother since the day he arrived. “Don’t tell him you’ve seen me. We had a kind of falling-out.”
Her gaze went right through him. “I’m sorry. He’s been … sort of touchy lately.”
“I know about the changes, Alanna.”
She closed her eyes and slumped in relief. “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure if I should say anythin
g.”
“Has it been rough on you?”
“Not exactly.” She smiled. There was just a touch of sadness in her eyes. “He’s gotten, well, distant. Different. He’s so ambitious now that I hardly recognize him.”
“Ambitious about what?”
“Stuff. He wants to make lots of money and buy a big house. Wants us to get married.”
Married! Julian tried to keep his voice level. “How do you feel about that?”
Alanna shrugged. “I guess I want to. I used to complain that he didn’t have any plan for his life. But I sort of miss the guy he was before he started developing all these fancy mutant skills.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Julian paused. Should he tell her the truth? Rick obviously had not. But how to say it? Casually? Take a sip of coffee and say, by the way, did you know you’re my half sister? So you can’t marry Rick.
Alanna looked up. “Here comes Rick now.”
Julian turned and saw his brother striding toward them. There was a tightness to his features that Julian recognized as fear.
“I thought you were long gone, Julian,” Rick said. “Alanna, what are you doing with him?”
She stared at him in surprise. “Having lunch. Is there a law against it?”
“As of now. A personal Akimura law. I don’t want to see you two together.”
Julian stood up. “Wait a minute, Rick—”
“Alanna, I’ll see you in our room.”
“What?” She pushed back her chair and jumped to her feet.
“Now.”
“Rick, if you think that you can talk to me like—”
Alanna’s voice faded to a whisper, practically inaudible. She wavered as though a stiff breeze were blowing right through her. For a moment, Julian could see the back wall of the mechteria through Alanna’s blue tunic. Then she vanished entirely.
“Rick,” he said. “What have you done to her?”
His brother smiled grimly. “Don’t sweat. She’s all right. I just t-jumped her out of here. Did you tell her anything?”
“No,” Julian said. “And you haven’t, either, have you? For God’s sake, Rick. Be reasonable. She’s got to be told. How long do you think this can go on?”
“As long as I want it to,” Rick said. “Besides, I thought I told you to leave. What are you doing here?”
“Working for Hawkins on the fourth level.”
“No wonder I haven’t seen you before this. But it’s still no good. You’re too much of a threat. Maybe I should t-jump you, too. Down to Berkeley, say. Or up to Venus. I just might do it, too, if you don’t stay away from Alanna.”
“From our sister?” Julian emphasized the word. “Sure, Rick. How long do you intend to keep threatening me?”
“As long as I have to.”
Rick glared at him with such anger that Julian began to feel afraid.
“Julian, who’s your friend?” Eva Seguy set her tray down on the table next to them. Both men ignored her. “I said, who is your friend?”
Julian wrenched around to face her. “Meet my brother, Rick.”
“The other twin? I didn’t know he was here, too.”
Rick looked Eva Seguy over slowly. He smiled, suddenly all charm. “Julian’s the younger, by eight and a half minutes,” he said. “I’m working for Hawkins. House telepath at your service.”
“Telepath? But I thought you were a null—”
“No longer.”
“You’re joking.”
“Not even close.”
“How marvelous! I had no idea this could happen.” Eva turned to Julian. “You must be so happy for him.”
“Overwhelmed,” Julian said.
“Rick, how would you like to work with us in the lab?”
“Taking flare rides into the future?” Rick laughed. “I don’t need a flare to see the future, Doctor.”
Eva’s chin came up defensively. “I wasn’t offering you a joyride. I’m serious. We could use another talented telepath in the program. Speed up results.”
Julian expected Rick to sneer and withdraw. Instead, he sat down, a smile of amusement on his face.
“Okay,” he said after a moment. “Yeah, sure. Anything to help my brother.” His tone was light but his gaze as he regarded Julian was cool.
“Eva, we should talk about this,” Julian said.
“Later, Julian,” Eva said. “Rick, when do you want to start?”
“After lunch.” Rick leaned over and helped himself to a choba roll from her plate. “I hate to visit the future on an empty stomach.”
***
Alanna awoke on the bed, stretched, and yawned. What time was it? She’d be late for her shift in the hydroponics lab. Then she remembered and sat bolt upright.
I was in the mechteria, she thought. Talking to Julian. Then Rick came in. And … how did I get here?
A confused jumble of images made her head ache. Somehow, Rick had brought her back to their room. Had she collapsed? Or had he knocked her out?
What’s happening to him? I don’t understand.
For a brief moment she longed to talk to her father or mother. To somebody who might be able to explain Rick’s strangeness.
She stood up. The only person who could give her any answers was Rick. She would go find him and demand to know what he’d done. What was happening to him. He had no right to keep secrets from her.
The door to the room was locked. She pressed the doorpad. There was a faint buzz but otherwise no response. How odd, Alanna thought. She sent a slender telekinetic pulse into the lock and probed. It was unresponsive. She boosted the probe. Still no response. With an irritated nod she unleashed a t-bolt, shattered the lock into a dozen pieces, and pushed the door open.
Rick’s responsible for that, she thought. He tried to lock me in. Well, he’s got some explaining to do. And he had better do a good job of it or he might find himself sleeping alone. With a toss of her head she set off down the hall in search of answers.
***
Rick gazed uneasily around the half-built laboratory. All these wires and exotic headsets. Eva Seguy was cute, but she got a funny look in her eye when it came to science. Still, this was diverting. And the expression on Julian’s face when he had agreed to Eva’s proposal was worth the indignity of being strapped in like a lab animal.
“Ready, Rick?” Eva’s voice was tinny over the crude headset.
Beside him, the sleeper, Marcus Schueller, lay snoring on a cot. “Uh, yeah,” Rick said. “I think so. You sure he’ll stay asleep? I won’t feel the flares?”
“He’ll be fine. And you won’t feel a thing.”
“Okay, then. Let her rip.”
Rick could see his brother standing behind Eva near the door. I’ll settle with you later, he thought. Got to get you off the Pavilion. Soon.
Rick forged the telepathic link with Schueller and descended into a hail of colored light, the pathway into the flare. Rick wanted to swat at the bursts of color. Annoying. The fireworks faded to white and an image emerged slowly as though it was moving toward him through a blinding snowstorm.
A young woman with dark hair and golden eyes was dancing onstage in some smoke-filled club. Strange. She looked like a younger version of his mother. Yes. She had to be. Rick started to sweat. This was embarrassing. His mother was doing a strip tease. She was practically naked. He felt a strange sensation, halfway between arousal and revulsion. Young Melanie finished her dance, left the stage, put on a wrapper. Rick relaxed. But wait. That crazy guy was sneaking up behind her. Turn around, Mom. The crazy grabbed her and started to strangle her. Helplessly, Rick watched the struggle. Fight, Mom, he thought. Isn’t anybody going to help her? Someone he didn’t recognize, a man with dark hair and an olive complexion, pulled the lunatic away. Good. Melanie went home with her savior. Stayed there. But then she was running, desperate to get away from her deliverer. What had happened? Look at her kick him! Rick knew his mother had always been reticent about her past. Now he could see why. Run, he tho
ught. Get away from that creep. Rick wished he could make a t-jump through time. He would take care of that bastard for her. Maybe he could find him now and …
“Rick, are you all right?” Eva Seguy’s voice jarred him back to the present. The vision faded. “Your autonomic readings were getting pretty wild.”
“Yeah, fine. Just saw a pretty girl in a G-string,” he said. “Does it to me every time.”
“Is that all you saw?”
“Yeah, and wait, here comes another vision.”
Now he was watching his brother, Julian, presiding over some kind of meeting in a huge hall. Had Julian become a Book Keeper? Wouldn’t that be just like him. But the scene was shifting to show someone very familiar. He looked a bit like Skerry. Rick almost sat bolt upright. It wasn’t Skerry. It was him. Rick. Older, broader. He looked robust, successful. He was wearing a black silk stretch suit and sitting at a desk just like the one Ethan Hawkins had in his private office. Through the window, Rick could see the blue and white face of the Earth. Rick, sitting at the helm of Aria Corp. So it would happen just as he planned.
“All right!” Rick sat up and tore the headset off.
“What did you see?” Eva Seguy said.
“The key to my future,” Rick said. “Thanks, Eva.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
He grinned. “Got to get started. The future won’t wait.” He t-jumped from the lab to Hawkins’s office. Nobody was there and the holoscreens were dark. He used a telekinetic bolt to seal the door and a probe field to warn him of Hawkins’s approach.
Rick shielded himself so he could not be seen. “Leporello,” he said in Hawkins’s bass rumble.
“Yes, Colonel?”
“Show me the ownership documentation on Aria Corp.”
“The entire file?”
“Yes.”
A green, glowing page emerged above the holoscreen. Rick scanned it and turned to the next. It took him fifteen pages before he found the transfer of trusteeship.
He froze the page onscreen and read it with interest. In case of Hawkins’s death, the colonel had split trusteeship of Aria Corp. between his mother and Jasper Saladin. There was even a chunk of the corporation set aside for the benefit of the space program. Well, not much longer.