great enough.”
Sara didn’t miss Simon’s glance
in Rainer’s direction. Rainer stared at the viewer.
“This society’s need to
preserve its genes has been its greatest weakness. You might say it’s like a curse .
Not so different from my infected cell sweepers.” He stood straight again,
but Sara didn’t miss the worried shadow that crossed his eyes.
“I think it’s time you
understood what it’s like to have your future threatened.”
“What more could you
possibly do to me?”
“I had hoped it wouldn’t
come to this, but your antics on the magnoramp today show me your disobedience
is inevitable, so I’m taking your immortality by hijacking your
lineage.”
“How? Would you really stoop
to raping me?” An iciness crept down her spine.
“Don’t be crass. While you
were still unconscious from the grafting, I had the doctor implant dormant
irradicae cells on your ovaries.”
The revelation was a cender blast
to her psyche. Irradicae had been used to fight the most virulent diseases back
on the worldships. It was used on citizens today only in extreme circumstances
and after they had conceived at least one child because the supercharge to
one’s immune system had many side effects, the most devastating of which was
sterility.
The scent of spiced wood drifted
on Simon’s breath. “You lift my curse, ambasadora, I lift yours.”
Sara’s cheeks felt cold as the
blood drained from her face. Anxiety flooded her system. Then near panic. Then….
No hallucinations. Not now.
She kept the semblance of calm,
not even blinking as she jammed her thumbnail under the seat’s metal lip. The
sudden rise in respiration and her accelerated heartbeat provided quite a show
as her bio-lights pulsed and twinkled.
She pushed her thumbnail against
the metal edge until it started to pull away from the skin. The sharp pain
stayed with her.
On the viewer Solimar Robbins
paced and rubbed her mocha-colored arms as though she were cold. Sara would
gladly exchange places with her. David, the fragger in hiding, said something
to Solimar that prompted her to sit once again, then he put an arm around her
as if to ward off her chill, or her fear.
The endearment, the protective
gesture made Sara’s throat dry and her eyes threaten to well up. In a society
where affection was openly shared, she had no one. For months, all she wanted
was the caring touch of another person, a reassurance that she hadn’t been
forgotten. She ventured a glance at Rainer’s unreadable visage. Maybe if she
had looked like Solimar Robbins, or like Dahlia, he would have protected her,
consoled her.
She sat up straighter and lifted
her head a little higher. The hardened experiences of her modification made it
quite clear that the only person who could save Sara Mendoza was Sara Mendoza.
She was truly alone. And, she needed to take back some control.
“You were right,” she
said with a calm she didn’t feel. “Charming him definitely won’t be
unpleasant. Nice body, thick hair, great profile.” She received the
surprised look from Rainer that she had hoped for.
“Glad to see you’ve changed
your mind,” Simon said. “Isn’t that a good thing, Contractor
Varden?”
Rainer took a moment before
answering. “Just so she doesn’t get too distracted from her task.”
What a terrible task it was. Sara
contemplated David Anlow’s image on the viewer. Could she manipulate someone,
kill someone, to save her lineage? If he were guilty, yes. And if he were
innocent? She feared it might still be the same answer. If David were a
fragger, he was just as bad as Simon in her eyes.
THIRTEEN
“How far is it, Navigational
Leader Anlow?” Sara couldn’t take the lonely whir of the roadway transport
any longer.
“That’s a long title. Let’s
stick to David.” His pleasant demeanor helped her to relax, but made her
job here more difficult. “The Bard ‘s berth is only a kilometer out.
We should be there soon.”
Given an opening, David
Sara didn’t miss Simon’s glance
in Rainer’s direction. Rainer stared at the viewer.
“This society’s need to
preserve its genes has been its greatest weakness. You might say it’s like a curse .
Not so different from my infected cell sweepers.” He stood straight again,
but Sara didn’t miss the worried shadow that crossed his eyes.
“I think it’s time you
understood what it’s like to have your future threatened.”
“What more could you
possibly do to me?”
“I had hoped it wouldn’t
come to this, but your antics on the magnoramp today show me your disobedience
is inevitable, so I’m taking your immortality by hijacking your
lineage.”
“How? Would you really stoop
to raping me?” An iciness crept down her spine.
“Don’t be crass. While you
were still unconscious from the grafting, I had the doctor implant dormant
irradicae cells on your ovaries.”
The revelation was a cender blast
to her psyche. Irradicae had been used to fight the most virulent diseases back
on the worldships. It was used on citizens today only in extreme circumstances
and after they had conceived at least one child because the supercharge to
one’s immune system had many side effects, the most devastating of which was
sterility.
The scent of spiced wood drifted
on Simon’s breath. “You lift my curse, ambasadora, I lift yours.”
Sara’s cheeks felt cold as the
blood drained from her face. Anxiety flooded her system. Then near panic. Then….
No hallucinations. Not now.
She kept the semblance of calm,
not even blinking as she jammed her thumbnail under the seat’s metal lip. The
sudden rise in respiration and her accelerated heartbeat provided quite a show
as her bio-lights pulsed and twinkled.
She pushed her thumbnail against
the metal edge until it started to pull away from the skin. The sharp pain
stayed with her.
On the viewer Solimar Robbins
paced and rubbed her mocha-colored arms as though she were cold. Sara would
gladly exchange places with her. David, the fragger in hiding, said something
to Solimar that prompted her to sit once again, then he put an arm around her
as if to ward off her chill, or her fear.
The endearment, the protective
gesture made Sara’s throat dry and her eyes threaten to well up. In a society
where affection was openly shared, she had no one. For months, all she wanted
was the caring touch of another person, a reassurance that she hadn’t been
forgotten. She ventured a glance at Rainer’s unreadable visage. Maybe if she
had looked like Solimar Robbins, or like Dahlia, he would have protected her,
consoled her.
She sat up straighter and lifted
her head a little higher. The hardened experiences of her modification made it
quite clear that the only person who could save Sara Mendoza was Sara Mendoza.
She was truly alone. And, she needed to take back some control.
“You were right,” she
said with a calm she didn’t feel. “Charming him definitely won’t be
unpleasant. Nice body, thick hair, great profile.” She received the
surprised look from Rainer that she had hoped for.
“Glad to see you’ve changed
your mind,” Simon said. “Isn’t that a good thing, Contractor
Varden?”
Rainer took a moment before
answering. “Just so she doesn’t get too distracted from her task.”
What a terrible task it was. Sara
contemplated David Anlow’s image on the viewer. Could she manipulate someone,
kill someone, to save her lineage? If he were guilty, yes. And if he were
innocent? She feared it might still be the same answer. If David were a
fragger, he was just as bad as Simon in her eyes.
THIRTEEN
“How far is it, Navigational
Leader Anlow?” Sara couldn’t take the lonely whir of the roadway transport
any longer.
“That’s a long title. Let’s
stick to David.” His pleasant demeanor helped her to relax, but made her
job here more difficult. “The Bard ‘s berth is only a kilometer out.
We should be there soon.”
Given an opening, David
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