by L M Lacee
Janet nodded to a soldier who would take over for her and then stood next to Peyton, who smiled slightly and asked. ‘Ready?’
‘I don’t want to be, but yes.’
‘I know how you feel… I really do!’
Together they walked to the white front door, both of them hesitated before entering. Inside was a woman who may have betrayed them and placed them all in jeopardy. Peyton would never have thought it was possible for this woman to have done so. There had never been any indication she was unhappy, or that she disagreed with what they were doing.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded to Janet who pushed the door open, and they silently entered the small foyer. They could hear voices and laughter coming from behind the closed doors leading to the lounge, it appeared the women were in great spirits. Janet quietly pushed open one of the sliding doors to find the huge lounge had been converted into a dining room.
Only the sisters, Nina and Fern Jones actually lived here, the house over the months had become the communal meeting place and most of the upstairs bedrooms had been turned into computer and study rooms. Apart from the sisters the other scientists lived in houses throughout the town but it was no surprise to find thirty-five or so women here this morning.
Some wore dressing gowns, others were only in pajamas and still more in street clothes. Today was the first morning in weeks that they were able to relax and enjoy just sitting and talking, knowing they had fulfilled their duties to help everyone leave with as much information and equipment as possible. Darby had told Peyton that they had finished their assignments ahead of schedule and were all very excited about leaving.
All except one, she lived a lie, she had betrayed the women she worked and lived with. The very same women she professed to admire, the very same women she called friends. She had betrayed Darby who had vouched for her and had sworn she was trustworthy.
When the women noticed Peyton and Janet, they stopped talking and their faces reflected the instant concern that rippled through them all.
‘Good morning ladies. Lead Janet, hold your gun on Doctor Agnes Johnston please.’
The talented physicist and mathematician felt her heart thump in her chest, her face showed as much surprise as everyone else’s, but she remained seated in her chair and placed her hands on the table carefully.
Nina asked quietly. ‘Peyton, what is this?’
Peyton ignored her question and took a vacant chair at the opposite end of the scarred wooden table and stared at Agnes. While Janet stood a little behind and to the side of her, with her gun pulled from its holster and trained on the doctor.
‘Now Agnes, if you are thinking Janet will not shoot you, think again. She is a very good shot and will aim to wound and then you will still answer my questions. Are we clear?’
The other women all looked at Agnes as she slowly nodded, then they all returned their gazes to Peyton. This was not the affable, kind woman they were all used to, this woman was cold and carried death in her voice.
No one moved, and no one got up to leave. They all sat where they were around tables with the remnants of their breakfasts and knew they were witnessing a betrayal.
Why? Because they were very clever women.
Peyton looked down at the table then back up at Agnes, sadness making her voice husky. ‘I really liked you, believed like Darby you would be a fabulous asset to our new life, and that you wanted to help us build a new world. I thought like us you wanted a world with values and integrity, where everyone could eventually trust again. Somewhere we could all have a voice and discover a whole new way of life, not just for us but for generations to come.’
She sighed dispiritedly as she said looking at all the women present. ‘We sat in this room and discussed all those ideals over alcohol and good wholesome food. We laughed and quarreled; cried a few tears and raged against the unfairness of everything we had gone through. Mourned those we have all lost and all those we will have to leave behind.’
Several of the women smiled as they remembered the boisterous, fun filled evenings they had all indulged in. ‘I thought you, Agnes, were one of us. A decent human being.’
Peyton let her eyes travel over the women in the room again. Seeing their expressions go from shock to disgust and then dawning outrage as she asked the expressionless woman. ‘How could you do it, Agnes? How could you turn against us?’
Nina asked. ‘What have you done Agnes?’
Fern answered for her, contempt lacing her words.
‘She sold us out. Didn’t you?’
Still the Doctor remained silent, a slight sneer sat on her lips as her eyes held to Peyton’s.
Peyton mused. ‘I did wonder what they could have possibly promised you.’
Agnes went to answer and then snapped her mouth closed, making a tight line with her lips, almost like she wanted to make sure nothing spilled out.
Peyton shrugged as she looked the doctor up and down. ‘No… not willing to tell. Well okay, let me guess then. I should imagine they promised you, your own lab maybe even your own country to rule over. I want to say babies but it is more than likely it was credits and power. The biggest promise I am sure was the right to stay on Earth.’ She demanded sharply. ‘Which was it?’
Anger seemed to push the words from her mouth as Agnes spat. ‘All the above!’
Peyton nodded. ‘I see, all very tempting offers, after all they are so trustworthy. You probably never bothered to get it in writing. Sad for you!’
Agnes raised her eyebrows in the manner she used to indicate she was humoring the person she was talking to, as she said. ‘The offer was more than tempting!’
She smirked at Peyton as she stated. ‘And I did get it in writing!’ Then she looked at the others who were silently watching and condemning her. ‘Don’t you see? If I stay, I can find a cure and can reverse what has happened. You could all come back… Come home.’
‘So passionate.’ Peyton raised her eyebrows. ‘Tell me Agnes, were you this passionate when you told them I had subverted the Warriors?’
Agnes grimaced as she sneered. ‘You do have them under your control. Everyone knows that. They are no better than animals and need to be controlled. To be monitored, they are nothing but created robots. Thanikis said…’
SLAP!
Outraged Fern yelled in her face as she stood over her. ‘How dare you? The most gentle man… men I have ever... we have ever met, and you talk about them like that. You know nothing about what they have endured, what they have fought against. What those assholes like your precious Thanikis have done to them. They are honorable men, unlike you. You traitorous bitch, you are nothing but scum on the bottom of their shoes. You Whore!’ She turned from the shocked woman whose hand covered the deep red mark the slap had left.
Nina holding a visibly shaking Fern in her arms angrily told Peyton. ‘We knew nothing of this and feel as betrayed as you do?’
‘Probably more so, if Darby is any indication.’ Peyton returned, as she made sure to meet each of the women’s eyes, letting them see the betrayal she felt in her own eyes.
Nina looked once more at the disgraced doctor then quietly said. ‘Thank you, Peyton she has betrayed and placed us all in jeopardy.’
She looked at her sister and then the other women who stood with her, and at their nods, she quietly said. ‘Whatever your judgment is for this crime and it is a crime. Not just against us, her friends and colleagues, but the Warriors and everyone we are taking with us. Know we are behind you and support your decision, no matter what it is.’
Peyton inclined her head toward the women saying softly. ‘Thank you. I know you have finished all your projects and your containers are packed and ready to load. We have moved the schedule up, so if you could collect everything you need and want to take with you. I would feel better if you were transported to a ship today.’
Nina, without looking at Agnes, said. ‘We are mostly packed. We should be ready to go in an hour.’
Then she and her sister F
ern and the others all bowed, then silently left the room, closing the door behind them. Peyton shook her head slightly, it looked like they had all been getting etiquette lessons from the Warrior. She had a feeling, her status as Star Daughter was out of the bag, so to speak.
Agnes sat slumped in her chair. Janet moved to place her back against the wall, her gun still in her hand. Peyton helped herself to the coffee on the table, as she waited for the sounds of the women leaving the house to fade away.
She looked Agnes over and saw a woman with a trim figure who prided herself on having nice legs, which Peyton would admit she did. She also had thick red hair that had a tendency to curl if not straightened and as opposed to most redheads Agnes had light blue eyes.
Melody often referred to her as having a permanent snooty expression, because of her high cheek bones and a narrow nose and face. Peyton had never thought that until today, she did however see how Agnes would be Thanikis’s ideal bed partner.
When she was sure the women were gone except for Fern and Nina, who were upstairs. Peyton placed her cup on the table and told the doctor who sat looking mulishly at her own cup. ‘I was arrested yesterday, due I am sure to you passing along information to your lover. Now sadly, for them and probably you, they did not actually find out anything. Also they will be unable to come to Runnerdale again to search for the Warriors, which on the whole is good for us. Of course that leaves you in an untenable position, does it not?’
‘No, why would it?’
‘Ahh! Yeah, it does. See, while I was being questioned, I found out some information from the Ambassadors, well actually I got it from their computers?’ Not waiting for her to reply, she mused out loud. ‘It was very enlightening, but that would be just my word on it. So I think you should look for yourself. Take your tablet out Doctor and give it to me.’
Agnes reached over to her bag on the chair and pulled the tablet out and slid it across to Peyton, who flicked it open. ‘Password?’
‘Worldbuilder.’
Peyton shook her head. ‘Sadly, not now!’
Agnes’s eyes narrowed at Peyton’s words, she looked toward the impassive Janet and then let her eyes travel back over Peyton.
How? She wondered had Peyton St. Hill, a woman with no real redeeming qualities, apart from people liked her, even she kind of admired her. How had she managed to be in this position of power? The woman didn’t have one degree behind her name. Even that socially awkward Darby, who was a hundred if not a thousand times smarter than this woman deferred to her.
Agnes did not understand why all these intelligent, capable women seemed so dedicated to her. There was nothing special about Peyton St. Hill, or at least nothing she had witnessed. It was a puzzle that kept her awake at night, and one of the reasons she had agreed to spy for Thanikis, well that and her jealousy of Darby.
Unaware of Agnes’s thoughts, Peyton tapped the password into the tablet, connecting to the mainframe on the Warship. She sought and found the information she was looking for and directed it to Agnes’s tablet.
With her index finger, she opened the messages between the Ambassadors, then pushed the tablet closer to Agnes saying. ‘Please read.’
Agnes took the tablet back and started to read the conversations as Peyton sipped her coffee. In essence, it outlined the plan for Doctor Agnes Johnston to betray Peyton and the people of Runnerdale. Then it stated Agnes had identified the Warriors and suspected they were now living in the towns. She saw that Thanikis had documented everything she had passed along to him, and some things she had guessed at. He had listed every scientist she had told him was here and what their field of expertise was. She also read the information she had given him about raids on universities and laboratories.
There were details of the information he wished for her to obtain, one of those items was about women arriving at Runnerdale. The transmission to Ian White from Thanikis outlined his plan to intercept women and implant some of them with suggestions.
Peyton was not sure what that meant, but she understood the next part of the plan better. Darby and the other scientists would be implanted by Agnes with a locator chip. So if they somehow managed to get off the world which Thanikis seemed to think would be highly unlikely. But in the event they managed it, his hired enforcers could scoop the women up and take them to the planets that had paid for them. He confirmed to Ian White, the scientists like Darby had already been paid for, and delivery was to be by the end of the month.
Agnes read about his opinion on her lack of performance and his disappointment in her obvious false information. How Peyton did not have control of the Warriors which they ascertained from the meeting that morning. He agreed with Ian, that it was unlikely there were Warriors in the town.
Then he stated that as Doctor Johnston’s information was worthless, throwing doubt on everything she had passed along to him in the past. He found he had no further use for her or desire for her in his bed. He would accept the offer from a world that needed a physicist, unless Ian wanted her?
Ian White declined and asked what price a physicist and mathematician received nowadays. Thanikis quoted the figure he had received for her.
Agnes let one sob go as she finished reading her lovers cold transmissions. Then she straightened in her seat, anger and dismay sending a blush to her cheeks. ‘No, this cannot be, he promised I would have everything I wanted. I have it in writing!’ Her breathing quickened and sweat broke out on her body, closing her eyes she stated almost to herself. ‘I will not believe it, he promised. He said I was to be his and his alone. He is going to make me his Empress.’
Peyton shrugged and her voice when she spoke was devoid of warmth or pity. ‘The shock of it, he lied. Maybe you should have got that in writing!’
Agnes sent her a resentful look out of eyes swimming with tears, and started crying loud, noisy sobs as tears ran down her cheeks.
Janet watching was undecided if the tears were because she was remorseful or because her betrayal had been discovered. She wanted to believe it was because she was remorseful but her gut told her differently. Still, the woman was an educated and celebrated scientist, surely that had to mean something, didn’t it?
Peyton watched Agnes impassively for a while as she sipped her coffee. The fact she was instrumental in all the scientists including Darby, Peyton had in hiding being sold was an unforgivable sin as far as she was concerned. She had spent the better part of this morning trying to understand and find a reason to get past that fact. Nothing had come to mind, except her anger had surfaced, and she admitted to herself she was so very angry at Agnes’s betrayal. She could feel it eating away at the restraints she had placed on her temper years ago.
‘How you, an intelligent woman could believe him, amazes me. Did it not cross your mind just once, that if you were willing to betray us, they would eventually assume you’d betray them?’
Agnes shook her head.
Surprised that this woman could not work that out, especially someone as educated as Agnes, did nothing to ease her temper. Peyton asked again. ‘Not once… really?’
Again she shook her head.
Peyton just stared at her, she did not think Agnes was in love with the Ambassador. No, it was more than likely he was a means to an end, just as everyone in the town had been for her.
Agnes was irritated beyond belief at these stupid questions but more at Thanikis, as the full import of his duplicity came home to her. She hurriedly looked for a way out of the hole she had dug for herself as she wiped the tears from her face and sniffed indelicately.
‘Obviously I had no idea what he had planned. Why would I? Not that there was ever anything of importance to tell him, everyone is so secretive. No one has even said what day we are to leave. When I asked, all anyone would say, was soon! So I had to give him my best guess.’
Peyton asked. ‘Which was when?’
Agnes gave her a militant look, Peyton smiled without warmth. ‘Agnes, you may as well tell me. I will find out and right now it c
ould serve you well.’
Agnes narrowed her eyes again and shrugged thinking that maybe Peyton had a point, telling her may work in her favour. ‘I told him all indications pointed to four or five weeks.’
‘When did you tell him this?’
‘When I saw him last time. Four days ago.’
Peyton drummed her fingers on the table in thought, which was broken when Agnes asked. ‘So what will you do with me? Will you leave me behind, hand me over to them? Shun me or better still, make me work for free?’
She gave her hair a pat as she said. ‘I mean you may as well let me go with you. My family are all dead. I think I have a sister still alive somewhere, maybe!’ She shrugged carelessly as she let her eyes slide to Janet who stood impassively staring at her. The gleam of a smile entered her eyes when she thought she saw a glimmer of sorrow enter the soldier’s eyes. That was until she looked deeper and flinched from the condemnation she saw there.
She quickly returned her eyes to Peyton, watching for any reaction from the silent woman. After a few minutes when Peyton still had said nothing, she became impatient and sat up straighter, her voice becoming bored. ‘Listen Peyton, I am sure you know how amazingly intelligent I am and how I always get results. Things get done when I am in charge. I know of procedures even the formidable Darby doesn’t know. There may be other good physicist or mathematicians but no one near as brilliant as I am. You really cannot do this without me!’ She smirked as she finished speaking knowing she was right, they really had no choice but to take her with them.
Peyton raised her eyebrows. ‘So sure of your value and yet I know you already sold me and everyone else out and would do so again given half a chance. I know you would sell us to the lowest bidder if it served your own twisted logic. You have no honor as a woman, or even as a human being. Fern was right, you are the scum on the bottom of a shoe.’
Ashen now Agnes sat there with the dawning realization that she may have miscalculated the extent of her betrayal and who she had betrayed.
Without any expression Peyton told her. ‘Thankfully our fate is not reliant on your coming with us, it never was. You were part of the whole which will be filled by someone who is loyal to our endeavors. We do not need you. Your mistake was in thinking we did!’