SexedUp by Sally Painter Page B

gone.
    “Who is this? What do you want?” she asked.
Anger rushed through her.
    “All we want is for the truth to be told.”
    “Truth?”
    “I know what really happened to William.
I’ll explain more if you can meet me in an hour at Pier Shrimp House. You know
where it is?”
    “Yes.”
    “Come alone. You have nothing to fear from
me. I’ll recognize you.”
    * * * * *
    When she arrived at the restaurant, Randi
was ushered to a table in the back overlooking the ocean. She sat there
remembering how William had surprised her that night in the hot tub. The memory
darkened when pain rushed in, shoving the joyous thoughts aside with the brutal
memory of his cold body.
    She squared her shoulders. Just what kind
of information did the caller have? A nervous quivering had settled in her
stomach from the moment she’d received the call and hadn’t gone away.
    Tragedy had brought her full circle in her
career. Since there was no more DNA, at least no viable DNA, and certainly no
original samples on the black market, she was back to creating synthetic sex
replacements. Even if there had been more DNA and she’d managed to clone a
male, it wouldn’t have been William. He was gone forever. Maybe it was nature’s
way of keeping the dead dead.
    She’d been surprised how readily Ellen had
accepted that they could no longer pursue the mission to reintroduce human males
into society. Her boss had been changed by the destruction of the lab too.
She’d said something the day after William’s funeral—held in private and marked
with a stone plaque with the name William etched into the stone and no
dates—that still haunted Randi. “Perhaps it’s best to just let the world
continue on its collision course. This must be God’s will.”
    Did Ellen really feel that way? It was hard
to believe the CEO would give up so easily.
    Randi was grateful the press hadn’t picked
up on anything and no one outside the handful of Sexed Up employees knew about
the project and its horrid demise. The explosion was believed to be an
undiscovered underground arsenal that blew up. She knew Ellen had worked hard
to perpetuate the cover story and the world had believed it.
    “What can I get you?” the waitress asked.
    Randi looked over the hologram menu.
    “I’ll have the seafood platter and ice
tea.”
    “Maybe you would prefer something else, Dr.
Mayers,” the waitress smiled stiffly. “Like a generous helping of the truth?”
    Randi pursed her lips together and stared
up at the young woman. She was tall and thin and wore her red hair in a
ponytail.
    “This is the only way I could meet you
safely. Just pretend we’re discussing the menu. Now, what I’m about to tell you
is going to sound impossible, but I’m risking my life and the lives of
thousands by telling you this.”
    “What about the fettuccini—is it any good?”
Randi asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Thousands?”
    “Please don’t create a scene.”
    Randi nodded.
    “First of all, your company was responsible
for the explosion in the lab.”
    Randi tightened her hands in her lap and
gritted her teeth to keep from screaming her outrage over such a wild
accusation. She hardened her stare on the waitress.
    “Please look at the menu and try not to
show any emotion. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think you prefer
the truth over cover-ups.”
    “W-Why…” her voice broke off, “why would my
company do that? They were on a mission to—”
    “They were on a mission, only not the one
you thought.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, there are right-wingers in
disguise within Sexed Up. They never wanted men to be created. They espouse the
current government’s belief that the destruction of men was God’s will.”
    “I don’t believe you.”
    “I didn’t think you would. When I bring
your ticket at the end of the meal, it’ll have an address on it. Go there at
sunset and you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.”
    “I’m not going