Expelled

by Ell Leigh Clarke

  Merry’s eyes widened in surprise as if she had just made a connection. “Son of a- . I’m going through these clusters of IP addresses to find our blackmailer’s voice.”

  “His voice…?”

  “Or her voice,” Merry corrected. “Every programmer has one that’s unique. It’s like handwriting. If I find the voice, then I can trace them on the shadow web. I’ve done some damage, but it can take a while.”

  Jayne shifted on the desk and bumped up against a large brown box. “What’s this?”

  “You notice the kava, but completely bypass the box…? I put that there,” she explained without interrupting her work.

  “Okay?”

  “It arrived first thing this morning. Open it.” Merry’s face brightened, but she didn’t turn away from her work. “I’m dying to know what you think.”

  As soon as she lifted the lid Jayne saw dark green satin. She felt a wave of dread crash through her stomach, balanced by a flutter of excitement. It had to be the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen.

  Merry chimed from across the room. “Go on. Take it out of the box, silly.”

  Slipping off the table, Jayne picked the dress up by the straps and held it in front of her. She noticed a tasteful lace inset in the deep V-neck, gentle corseting, and lace paneling in the full-length skirt. It was opulent, yet understated. Its old world elegance was subverted with a little wink of sex appeal. Jayne couldn’t take her eyes off it.

  Jayne took care of herself and stayed fit. She knew she looked good, but did she even look as good as this dress? “How did you…?”

  Merry shrugged, “Just think of me as your fairy godmother.”

  Jayne dropped the dress back in the box. “Merry…” She marched over. “I don’t see any woodland creatures who came in here and sewed me a dress during a show tune.”

  “It’s alright, I threw it on the company account.”

  The words brought Jayne back to reality. “Dammit, Merry.”

  Merry stopped what she was doing and stared blankly at Jayne. “It’s a work expense!”

  Jayne shifted her attention back to the gown. Jayne was tough, but arguing with Merry wasn’t worth it. Merry enjoyed it too much. As much as she was in awe of it, part of her wanted to find a flaw. The color was to die for and the cut looked perfect for a black-tie affair. Wrong size? There’s no way Merry would know her size, she thought, but nope. The tag said it was perfect. Crap. Whoever wore this thing really had to make it shine so the dress didn’t wear her, as the fashion sites said. Jayne knew she had a couple moments of hotness here and there, but she felt that elegance, class and putting on airs, as they say, was a waste of time.

  Jayne felt her energy drain to her feet and put the dress back in the box.

  “You like?” Merry asked expectantly.

  Jayne nodded.

  “Then why so glum, chum?”

  Jayne watched Merry continue to work. How did she pick up on that without looking up?

  “Probably still tired from last night. Hey, how much time do we have left?”

  Merry snorted, “Three whopping days to crack the case. You have one whole day till the Governor’s ball.”

  Jayne groaned.

  “You have tickets and you have a dress,” Merry told her, wagging one free finger at Jayne, while the other four on that hand kept typing away. “So don’t even think about getting out of it.”

  She shrugged as she put the lid back on the box. “I just don’t know which one I’m dreading more,” Jayne grumbled.

  +++

  Spencer’s Bar, L72, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros

  Jayne inhaled the comforting, earthy smell of sautéed mushrooms as the frosted glass doors slid open. Spencer’s had a modern elegance thanks to its gray and silver decor, save the soft purple back light that highlighted the drink shelves. This place had real blades of grass in brushed silver pots on the bar, not Holo-Plants. They had a security guard at the door just to make sure no one tried to steal the grass for themselves. Real plants were a status symbol. Jayne smoothed her form-fitting black sweater, thrust her shoulders back, and sauntered to the bar.

  The bartender gave a half smile and nodded in acknowledgement. “What can I get for you, miss?”

  Jayne looked down the bar, sizing up what others were drinking. “Let’s do something different. How’s that blue drink she has?”

  The bartender looked at a stately businesswoman across the bar and put down the glass he was cleaning. “That’s a Blue Monday.”

  “Then I’ll have one Blue Monday.

  The bartender laughed. It was almost sinister. He summoned the blank-faced artificial intelligence barkeep to his left. “You got it. One Blue Monday for the lady walking on the wild side.”

  The barkeep raised a digitally simulated eyebrow at the bartender. “She seems docile to me.”

  The bartender patted the barkeep on the back and turned to Jayne. “Would you like a menu, miss?”

  Jayne nodded and looked around. Spencer’s was about half full, most of the patrons in tailored business gear. Jayne looked down at her sweater and leggings, noticing the difference. “Pretty good crowd for lunch.”

  The barkeep handed Jayne her drink and responded, “We have lunch specials.”

  “What’s good?”

  “I… I don’t really eat…”

  “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot-.”

  The barkeep skulked away, muttering to itself. “You and everyone else.”

  The bartender handed Jayne a menu. “Don’t worry about that, it’ll be fine. Anyway, I like the ox burger and truffle fries.”

  Jayne’s eyes grazed the menu, ultimately focusing on the image of the man on her left, reflected in the nearest silver flower pot. “Hmmm… Can I get avocados on that?”

  The bartender widened his eyes. “Avocados. We are branching out. Okay. How do you like your burger?”

  She sipped her drink, instinctively puckering her lips at the taste. “Medium, please.”

  The bartender nodded and tapped the order into the bar top’s embedded tablet screen.

  Jayne took another covert gander at Mr. Flowerpot Reflection. He was at a table behind Jayne, legs crossed and alternating between looking like he was zoning out and scrolling and tapping on his tablet. The rumpled white shirt was a stark contrast to his impeccable pinstripe suit. He fidgeted a little on the silver, mini throne of a chair. Jayne was drawn to the suggestion of muscle definition through his pants. Yeah… “muscle” definition…

  Jayne rolled her shoulders repeatedly and did small torso twists on her stool, catching random snippets of conversation from the other end of the bar. The elegantly dressed businesswoman’s brow was knitted and she was frowning at her comm messages.

  Jayne went back to her drink but felt a gaze on the back of her shoulders. Her eyes flitted towards the flowerpot. She smiled to herself. Jayne became a bit more exaggerated with her movements as the knots loosened. The reflection appeared to get closer.

  “Maybe a chair would be more comfortable?” Jayne noticed his square jaw and subtle stubble.

  She sipped her drink to avoid too much eye contact. “They look mostly occupied,” she told him, without facing him.

  He gestured to his table and blushed slightly. “I mean, if you want.”

  She noticed the bartender raise an eyebrow and shrug.

  She glanced over her shoulder at his table. “Yeah, okay,” she said as she slipped off the bar stool, picked up her drink, and followed him back across the room.

  The man smiled politely as she sat down. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

  Jayne looked around the room. “Yeah, well, I was always curious about Spencer’s. I’ve heard good things. So what’s your name?”

  The man extended his hand. “Tyler. Tyler Jax.”

  Jayne shook his hand. “Jayne. Jayne Austin.”

  “Like the ancient writer?”

  “Ha! You like the ancients?”

  Tyler flushed and glanced
down at his hands resting clasped on the table. “Guilty, I guess. Just don’t tell anyone. I’ll lose my cred.”

  Jayne playfully raised an eyebrow at Tyler, only breaking eye contact to thank an AI waiter for bringing her burger over.

  “I lead a double life,” Tyler laughed.

  “Ooooh…A spy?”

  Tyler shook his head. “No, no. I’m not that cool. Try again.”

  Jayne studied Tyler’s raven black hair and green hazel eyes. “Hmmmm… I think you have a stuffy job.”

  “Is it the suit? It’s the suit isn’t it?” he chuckled, pulling at his lapels.

  Jayne cut into her burger with a fork and knife, letting the juice soak the bottom bun. “More like how you wear it,” she confessed. “It’s like you keep the shirt messy out of rebellion. You seem like you’re good with numbers and parameters, though.”

  “Oh? Tell me more.”

  Jayne felt eyes on the back of her head. She snuck a quick look at the ornamental flowerpot behind Tyler. Four figures, male, slightly bluish tint to their skin. “I’m a student, not a psychic. You tell me.”

  Tyler nodded and laughed, “Okay, you got me. I do contracts for the government.”

  “A lawyer?”

  “Yeah. I wanted to teach Ancient Literature, but my parents talked me into law school. I wanted to write.”

  “So now you write contracts.”

  Tyler bobbed his head and then took a swig of his iced tea. “It’s not exactly creative. In fact, it’s restrictive.”

  “Oh, c’mon,” Jayne teased. “What’s the worst that would happen if you submitted a trade deal in iambic pentameter?”

  “My head would roll.” He leaned forward, studying her, enjoying the moments of eye contact.

  Jayne polished off a third of her drink in one gulp. “They wouldn’t,” she argued. “I mean, they can’t, right? It’s against the rules in the handbook or something.”

  “Mmmm, they’d figure out how to make an exception. Government legislation can be very flexible when it comes to punishing those who bend them in the first place. Fate of the nation and all that.”

  “How could a rhyming contract create a national emergency?”

  “Depends on the contract. Imagine finding a rhyme for ‘trade legislations’.”

  Jayne mirrored his body language and leaned in. “Oh yeah, you have that Treaty stuff coming up. It’s all over the news…”

  He inhaled deeply. He looked like he was zoning out again. “Don’t remind me.” His eyes glanced behind her and he nodded in that direction. “Do you know those guys?”

  Jayne turned to see behind her. The four male figures at the table Tyler was looking at hastily started a conversation amongst themselves. “Can’t say I do,” she muttered, “why?”

  “Hmmm.” A smile spread over his lips. “Maybe they just have good taste.”

  Jayne returned the smile. “So, my friend’s cousin works for the government.”

  He helped himself to one of her fries. “What department?”

  “Gerald? Don’t know. He’s not one to talk about work, but I thought I heard something about him and the Treaty.”

  “Gerald who?”

  “Wilson, I think. I don’t know. My friend has a different last name.”

  Tyler continued to eye the table behind Jayne suspiciously. “Sounds familiar… Hey, they keep staring at you. It’s just odd…”

  Jayne took a quick look at them again. “I don’t see it. Anyway, is Gerald in Contracts too? My friend never really mentioned what he did.”

  “What are you studying, anyway?”

  She didn’t miss a beat. “Artificial Intelligence with a minor in Psychology.”

  Tyler shook his head and sighed before waving at three people, two male, one female, approaching him. “This would be the entire Contracts Department. Not a Gerald among us.”

  Jayne took several bites of her burger, making sure to savor every bit of this 20-credit meal. “He’s a bit of an urban legend to my friend and me. We made a bit of a joke about it.”

  The red-haired female approached and casually sat to Jayne’s left. “Who are we talking about?” she asked, smiling.

  Tyler pointed at each of them as he introduced them. “Jayne, Gina. Gina, Jayne. Jayne’s friends with Gerald’s cousin.”

  The older looking male with salt and pepper hair laughed as he sat down. “Gerald! Nice guy, but very private. I suppose you have to be, though, in his job. Scott, by the way.”

  Jayne shook his hand. “Jayne. So you guys are the Contracts Department?”

  “Nothing glamorous,” Scott responded, “but that’s us.”

  “I don’t know,” Jayne said, her eyes twinkling as she glanced briefly back at Tyler. “I think it sounds interesting.”

  Jayne spent the next twenty minutes listening to the Contracts Department talk about addendums and clauses. She felt her mind wandering aimlessly. Jayne took out her comm and texted Merry. “I’m sitting with the Gov’t Contracts Dept.”

  “Are we boring you, Jayne?” She looked up to see Tyler eyeing her.

  Jayne faked embarrassment when scanning the table. “No! No, not at all. I was just thinking that I needed to look up some of the things you guys were talking about. Running into a bunch of Gerald’s people has me curious. I just saw my friend at Tesla U. It’s a weird coincidence.”

  Gina took a sip of her ice water and snickered. “I think it’s weird that Gerald is a normal guy with a family. I thought they didn’t let careerists out of the cage.”

  Jayne cocked her head. “Careerists?”

  “Those of us who sold our souls for the job. The higher you go, the more careerists you find.” Gina gestured to the elegantly dressed businesswoman and her companions. “Those are his people.”

  Jayne looked in the direction Gina was waving. “You guys look more fun, ”she quipped smoothly.

  Tyler shifted in his seat, eyes back down at the table again.

  “Well, we’re a little lower on the totem pole,” Gina continued. “I don’t think they let Gerald think about much except the job.”

  Jayne fired off a text under the table. “G-Man checks out as a major player so far.”

  Scott took a swig of his drink and responded to Gina. “I don’t think he does much outside of work. He seems like one who’s in it for the right reasons. You can tell he believes in what he’s doing. It’s great he has the support of his family.”

  “Sounds important, especially with that Treaty stuff…”

  The table fell silent. All eyes landed firmly on Jayne. Tyler looked into his glass and swirled his drink.

  She scrambled. “I… I think the tariffs are a good idea.”

  The tension released and the Contracts folk went back to their office inside jokes, with the occasional Gerald story folded in for spice.

  Jayne breathed a discreet sigh of relief. That was close, she thought to herself.

  For the rest of their time in the bar, Tyler would sometimes flash Jayne a shy smile, which automatically raised her temperature. Jayne snuck some sideways glances at the woman and her coworkers at the end of the bar. Her lip reading wasn’t the greatest, but it looked like she said “and contact Wilson” or “Wilson is on it” a couple times.

  When the check came, Jayne reached for her purse.

  Tyler gently placed his hand on her arm. “My treat.”

  She briefly made eye contact with him. She felt giddy for a moment. “Thanks. Think I’ll see you here again?”

  “I hope so. If not, we’ll always have Contracts.”

  Jayne said her goodbyes and pretended to walk towards the restroom as the Contracts Department left the bar. She nonchalantly let her purse slip off her shoulder and fished around for it, moving towards the elegantly dressed woman.

  She bumped into her mark. “Oh! So sorry! I didn’t see you,” Jayne cooed.

  The woman looked stunned. Jayne’s gaze fell to her purse, which had spilled the contents of the woman’s designer satche
l when it landed on the floor.

  Jayne knelt to pick up the contents. “Here, let me…”

  The woman sheepishly looked at her colleagues and mumbled a couple words of gratitude. Jayne hurriedly shoved the woman’s belongings, except for her tablet, back in the satchel. Jayne placed her own tablet on top of the woman’s and put them both in her purse. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “Enjoy your lunch.”

  Tablet successfully hidden in her bag, she made a sharp exit towards the restroom and strode through the frosted glass doors to the powder room area. Jayne connected both tablets with a cable and commanded, “Copy all files with the word ‘Treaty’.”

  She placed her purse over the tablets and fixed her hair, watching for other guests. A few moments later the icon on her tablet indicated that all files were copied. Jayne disconnected the tablets and put hers in her purse as she strolled back to the bar. She waved the woman’s tablet as she approached Wilson’s compadres.

  “Excuse me, Ma’am? I picked up your tablet by mistake.”

  The woman looked worried as she took it out of Jayne’s hand.

  “I saw the case was different, so it must be yours.” Jayne made a couple more rushed apologies and scurried towards the door. She passed the table of the four solemn men who had been watching her, drawing their attention once again as she left.

  The tallest of the men nodded to a young woman who appeared to be passing by the restaurant. The woman nodded back and changed her course to follow Jayne.

  Jayne pretended to be too engrossed in what she was reading on her tablet to notice.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Theron Techcropolis Gateway Building, L45, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros

  Jayne’s jaw dropped when the industrial doors of the ISA slid open. A jittery Merry, surrounded by a small mountain range of extra-large kava cups, was tapping away at her laptop with one hand and scrolling on her tablet with the other.

  Jayne briefly imagined Merry had magnetic kava cup-shaped grooves in her hands. “How many times have you had to pee today?”