Started with Errors (Relative Industries Series Book 2)

by Joanna Beaumont

  “If Alex isn’t lying about the embryos being government assets, the government knows about it, and they’ve probably classified the transfer Top Secret like they did with the scale of the infertility crisis. But what if Alex needed the changes to the HFEA Act to facilitate the transfer of the embryos so he could complete his escape plan to another planet?”

  She knew Paige must have been influential in those negotiations, and Paige wanted Lana to go to Ascension Island. Did Alex strike a deal with Paige? Was it pillow talk?

  Callum looked over her shoulder at the screen. “See, they must be government assets.”

  “Are you not bothered that the embryos were transferred without donor consent?”

  “Desperate times. Isn’t that what Alex said? Considering the current situation, no, I don’t care.”

  Lana opened an internet browser and entered g equals; the first auto-suggestion returned by the search engine was g equals in physics. She selected it.

  “Of course it is. I hadn’t realised before because it’s out of context—g is gravity. They’re growing pigs under different amounts of gravity. Beth said Alex wants to go off-planet. I think he’ll take the embryos he has inside the Deceleration Zone off-planet, and he’s kindly left us with two thousand.”

  “He’s not a completely heartless bastard then.” Callum touched the screen and zoomed-in on the transfer dates. “Yes, embryos were transferred a few days before we received the letter, but why wouldn’t they be? That’s a huge leap, Lana.”

  “They’ve had six years in Zone 12 since the HFEA Act was passed and done nothing with the embryos? It makes no sense. What if I’m right? And what about Howard with his seed bank and the Martian soil testing?”

  “What, he’s going to Mars?”

  “I don’t know, do I?”

  “You think Alex is building seed-ships with deceleration pods and flat packed wombs. That sounds like a science fiction novel.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, an Arthur C. Clarke novel—only the sun isn’t going nova.”

  “If it was the end of the world, that might be different, and I could stomach him taking the embryos. He could black hole us!” she said.

  “Too risky. It could suck him in before he gets off Earth. And why would he leave us with two thousand embryos? If he’s going to black hole us, he may as well take them all.” With a mocking tone, he said, “I bet a team of engineers are in here making quantum drives to generate infinite energy from the space vacuum.”

  “I didn’t know you were into science fiction.”

  He scratched his arm impatiently. “Yeah, it’s science fiction, not science fact. The implant I got back home is crazy itchy.” He lifted his T-shirt sleeve. “I might be having a reaction.”

  She glanced at the inflamed red lump on his hard bicep. His body was obviously rejecting it, and it did look sore.

  “Ugh…So you don’t believe me?” she asked.

  “I believe the embryos are government assets. But I don’t believe Alex will steal them and take them off-planet.” He pulled his sleeve down.

  “How else would he start a human colony? What’s the point in space exploration if you’re not thinking about colonisation?”

  “To boldly go where no man or woman has been before. It’s human nature to explore.”

  “I’ve seen sci-fi movies where the explorers go off colonising other planets, and do you know what they always have with them—a stash of human embryos. They pull them out like a seedy man selling fake watches from inside his coat sleeve. Come look, look what I’ve got, anyone you like, check out my assortment of human embryos. And no crew member ever asks where they came from.”

  Her impression of a crooked-backed seedy man selling fake watches made Callum laugh.

  “You should’ve done musical theatre; you’d have made a good Fagin,” he said.

  Lana laughed. “Come with me inside Zone 0 and ask Alex for the legal documents,” she said.

  He stopped laughing. “I’m not asking him. We’ll get kicked out. I’m not pissing Alex off now. This is what we’ve worked for. I’m not going back home.”

  “Okay then, let’s go and find the quantum-drive engines.”

  “You’re mad! Maybe you should have a few days off. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got too much work to do.” He padded his trouser pocket. “And now that I’ve got the code to the embryo storage safe we can use the embryos—today.”

  Lana stepped towards him, her bottom lip sticking out like a grumpy kid. He didn’t move even when her lips were an inch away from his. She slid her hand in his pocket, whipped out the code and ran.

  “You’re right. I am mad. I’ll go ask Alex myself!”

  “What?” He slid a hand inside his pocket. “For fucks sake.”

  She slammed the control room door open.

  He jerked into life and sprinted after her. “Lana, wait!”

  Over her shoulder, Lana saw the distance between her and Callum widen, and she changed her pace down the street to a fast walk.

  She opened the door to time adjustment with her pass, headed to a seat and pulled down the harness. Moments later, Callum sat down next to her with a thud.

  “Time adjustment in one minute,” said the announcer.

  “Twenty minutes in Zone 0 is five days in Zone 12. We have to be quick, okay,” He shook his head at her. “If I didn’t—”

  “Does it really not matter to you the embryos were transferred here without parental consent?”

  He held his hand out, palm up. “If it matters to you, then it matters to me. Can I have the code back?”

  She placed the piece of paper on his open, flat palm. He clenched his fist around it.

  “Thank you,” he said with relief.

  “Time adjustment in five seconds,” said the announcer.

  He pushed the paper inside his pocket.

  “What were you going to say? If I didn’t what?” she asked.

  Callum rubbed a hand over his buzz cut, and then, as if she should know it, he said, “If I didn’t love you.”

  Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she glanced away. “I love you too.”

  “Why are we still playing games then? What are you hiding?”

  She met his gaze. “Hiding? I’m not hiding anything.”

  “Why do you always wear a scarf? What’s on your neck? I want to see it.” He didn’t touch her.

  The time adjustment process ended. A few seats away from them a woman rose then hurried to the exit. She let the waiting bus in.

  Callum and Lana pushed up their harnesses.

  Walking side by side, Callum pleaded with Lana, “Let me in. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  They boarded the bus and found seats.

  He held out his hand, and she took it.

  The thought of telling him had made her nauseous, but she didn’t want to lie to him anymore.

  “Okay, after we’ve seen Alex,” she said.

  At the West point, Lana and Callum passed the unmanned guards’ station and climbed the open staircase next to it.

  Callum lagged a few steps behind. She clutched the handrail and felt the vibrations from his reluctant footsteps through her arm. She hoped he wouldn’t back out. She turned to him and gave a reassuring smile. His face had turned sickly pale.

  Lana looked through Alex’s office windows. Alex and Meda were looking at a large screen with thick red routes drawn on a star map.

  Alex was leaning casually against his desk, dressed in black-sheened trousers and a white polo shirt like he was off to play golf and score an intergalactic hole-in-one.

  Lana nudged Callum and nodded at the screen.

  “Do we have to?” Callum whispered.

  Lana had never seen Callum anxious before. She nodded at him then knocked on the office door.

  Alex didn’t take his eyes from his star maps. “Come in.”

  Lana pushed the door open.

  Alex turned around and hit a button on his desk, blanking the scr
een.

  Not bothering to look at her, he wiped invisible dust from his trousers and said, “How can I help you?”

  “It’s about the embryos.” Lana glanced at Callum. She’d have to be the spokesperson. Callum looked ill, but at least he was still by her side. “We want to see the legal documents declaring them government assets.”

  Lana watched Alex.

  Alex finally considered her. “Legal documents? I didn’t think you would be worried about working legally, Lana. Or is it Lucy?”

  Shit. Alex knew. He’d known all along. Had Paige told him? That’s why Paige was confident she’d get the security clearance. Alex had fixed it so she did.

  “What is he talking about?” Callum asked Lana.

  Her stomach sank. Their relationship could be over before it started. She should have told him sooner.

  Alex smiled. “Ah…He doesn’t know. Shame, and things were just getting cosy between you too. Not revealing your true self is hard work. I admire your commitment, Lana.”

  Meda nodded enthusiastically, in sincere agreement.

  “What’s going on, Lana?” Callum asked.

  Lana glared at Alex. How the hell did he know things were getting cosy? Was he spying on them? Smug prick.

  Lana turned to Callum. “Let’s go outside.”

  Lana took Callum’s hand, noticing how large it felt in hers. It could be the last time she held it. Her last chance to be near him. To be so close to love and lose it felt worse than she had ever imagined. She guided him outside Alex’s office.

  “I was going to tell you,” she whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

  “Tell me what?”

  “My name is Lucy Green, not Lana Underwood. I’m Paige Green’s sister.”

  First, he was confused and then there was something else—betrayal? He stepped back from her, forcing her to release his hand.

  “Lucy Green…Paige Green…the Youth Party leader?”

  She’d wanted to tell him but not like this. Alex had set her up, and he’d revelled in it like one of his growing pigs might one day hope to revel in mud.

  She stared at Alex through the window. His star maps were back on the screen. He was drawing on another thick red escape route, connecting dots like a kid’s dot-to-dot puzzle.

  Lana’s attention returned to Callum. Callum shook his finger loosely at her as if he’d remembered something.

  “Yes, after her sister died in a fire she condemned the actions of the terrorists, turned legitimate and became a politician.”

  She pulled her scarf down and showed him her neck. “I didn’t die. But I wanted out. Paige and I both wanted out. I promise I was going to tell you.”

  He stepped towards her and touched her scarred skin.

  “This is what you’ve been hiding?”

  Other than the doctors no one had touched her scars. She stepped back from his gentle touch and smoothed the scarf back.

  “It still hurts?” he asked her.

  “Yes, a little.”

  “You should have told me.” His tone was soft with accusation.

  “I didn’t want you to think badly of me. It was out of control, and I felt responsible—Paige and I both did. We thought it would be the only way to stop it, and it’s not the first time in history terrorists have become politicians. We thought it might work.”

  “Terrorists? I don’t know you at all, do I? I can’t believe you’ve lied all this time. You don’t know me either if you thought I wouldn’t understand…I can’t handle this.” He turned and walked away.

  Her mouth opened to call his name, to plead with him to stay. But he hadn’t wanted to confront Alex anyway, so maybe she’d given him the excuse he needed to walk away. She listened to his heavy footsteps thud down the staircase and out of her life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lana slammed open the door into Alex’s office and pointed at his screen. “What’s that?”

  “The Cygnus constellation. Home to Earth’s cousin, Kepler 452b. A planet similar to ours, in the habitable zone of a sun similar to ours and 1400 light years away. That might be a later stop.”

  Lana scowled at the star map.

  “If we could travel at the speed of light, the journey there would take fourteen hundred years. But if we travelled in a decelerated reference frame of one day per light year it would take fourteen hundred days. We could tweak that to ten light years in one day or even a hundred light years in one day. Subjectively, we could arrive in fourteen days. Days, not years! And during the journey we wouldn’t be confined to a pod either. The interior of any spaceship could be configured as a deceleration zone with bedrooms, restaurants, social areas.

  “Of course we can’t travel at the speed of light, but you get the picture.” He swiped the screen away and revealed another map with more planets and routes. “There are so many candidates to choose from.”

  He’s leaving Earth, taking the embryos, and she and Paige helped him do it, knowingly or not. Children would grow up never knowing their parents. She knew what that was like. She could barely remember her parents’ love.

  He might take them all. When did he plan to leave? Millions were transferred from all over the world. She’d seen the documentation. She searched the floor for answers. Think. Think.

  She couldn’t let him take them. Children deserved parents that loved them. Human embryos were not commodities for governments to trade.

  “This is all very entertaining, Alex, but I want to see the legal documents and get back to work,” Lana said.

  “You’ll be happy working with the embryos if you’re sure it’s legal?” he asked.

  Very clever, Alex. Meda and Alex watched her.

  They knew she was made an orphan and grew up without parents. Her grandparents had tried their best to bring up two young energetic girls, but she knew she’d missed out. But to grow up without grandparents or parents—that was unthinkable.

  “Yes of course.” Lana smiled. Because what is legal is always ethical, isn’t it?

  “Okay, come with me. I’ll show you the documents. Back shortly, Meda.”

  Meda straightened up and smiled at Lana. Lana frowned at her. She was either complicit or a complete moron.

  Alex took a gentle hold of Lana’s elbow. She jerked away from him.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  Alex laughed. They moved outside his office and descended the staircase to the ground floor.

  “Do you find it difficult to trust, Lana?”

  “I can’t trust you, can I?” she retorted.

  “That’s ironic! You say you can’t trust me but didn’t you just tell Callum the truth?”

  She stayed quiet. Let him have his moment.

  At the bottom of the staircase, three four-seater electric vehicles like over-engineered golf buggies were parked alongside the wall opposite the guard’s station. He climbed inside the one parked at the front.

  Before getting in she dipped her head and looked at Alex. “Where’s the documentation?”

  “It’s with the embryos.”

  “Inside the Deceleration Zone?”

  “That is correct.” He smiled.

  She dropped in the front passenger seat next to him. He touched the DZ button on the driver’s panel, and the vehicle set off down the walkway.

  “How do you think the embryos were transferred here if it wasn’t legal?”

  “You won’t mind showing me then, will you?”

  Alex put his foot down heavily. The vehicle accelerated. Auto-override flashed on the dashboard. As they whizzed by, curious employees stopped to rubber neck.

  She had no idea what she’d do after she’d seen consent. Was it better to destroy them than have them taken away to another planet? The first generation born might be brought up by an AI. And how could an AI meet the needs of a human child? Deprived of human love throughout their childhood, they would likely have emotional development problems. Humans needed human love and nurture. Children needed parents.

  The
car turned into the branch and continued through the tunnel towards the Deceleration Zone. The white domed building loomed up ahead. She was in way over her head. This problem was too big for her. How could she possibly stop him?

  “My father bought your father’s engineering company and now you work for me; isn’t that strange?”

  Lana looked straight ahead. “Your family’s companies have dominated the science and engineering sector for years, so no, not really.”

  “You are like him.”

  Surprised he knew her father, she wanted to know more, but she was acutely aware he might be trying to soften her. And however curious she was, she would not be fooled into dropping her guard. “You can remember him?”

  “Yes, I met him when I accompanied my father during negotiations. I remember he was uncompromising, dogged even.”

  Lana looked at him. She knew her father would have thought he was an arrogant pig too. He stared straight ahead. He wasn’t giving anything away. She wouldn’t be side-tracked again, so she stayed quiet.

  The vehicle stopped in front of the Deceleration Zone. Alex strode to the entrance and held the door open. He signalled for her to join him.

  She climbed out and followed him into the small entry room, home to a set of locked doors leading inside the building.

  At the side of the doors, he punched numbers on a pin pad, and the door unlocked.

  “Wait…How will time be affected in here?” Lana asked.

  “It would be unworkable to have an entire Deceleration Zone. Only the embryo storage room and the pods use time deceleration.”

  Alex pushed the door open into an airy, stretching hallway, not a circular one like she’d expected. The stark white hallway, interrupted by the intermittent red from fire extinguisher points, split the domed building in two halves, and unevenly spaced doors sprouted off along its length.

  As they walked further inside, more overhead lights turned on and each echoing footstep on the ceramic tiles heightened her unease. She wished Callum hadn’t walked away. Subconsciously, she must have known he’d react badly. Anytime she’d rationalised telling him her gut had always said no.