Jaguar

by C. A. Gray

  She nodded. “Because Brian disappeared.”

  My brow creased. “Did you ever meet Brian?”

  Val shook her head. “The first round of our relationship wasn’t serious enough for me to meet his family. Once Brian was gone, and Liam left General Specs, and had a falling out with his dad, though, he sent me a comm again out of nowhere. I know now that he was just lonely. When I met up with him that second time, he reminded me a little of the kids I work with… he was so wounded, and I’m an empathizer. It’s what I’m best at. We were so close then. He even talked about marriage a few times.”

  My intestines twisted, but I willed my face to remain neutral, and nodded.

  “But, as he got more into the conspiracy theories about what happened to Brian and found his new purpose, he didn’t need empathy anymore, and I was at a loss,” she went on. “We had less and less to talk about, even though I tried to fit into his new life. He broke up with me again then, because he said he couldn’t see himself marrying me after all, and he knew that’s what I wanted. I told him I didn’t want that, that I’d be content to just date him indefinitely, but… that was a lie, and we both knew it. The only reason I’d have kept dating him would have been to hang on to the hope that he’d change his mind.” She shook her head. “I was such a masochist, though. I wouldn’t just let him walk away. I made him tell me exactly what he was looking for that I didn’t have. He tried hard not to, but I begged him. I told him it would help me understand and move on. He said…” she sighed, and looked at me wistfully. “He said he wants a girl who is interested in more than just him and his interests.”

  “But you have your own interests!” I insisted, a little indignant for her. “You’re totally passionate about the kids you work with, aren’t you?”

  She shrugged and gave a little chuckle. “That’s what I said. But he told me I never talked to him about that stuff, nor anything else, really. I was all about him. We did what he wanted to do, we talked about what interested him… he never said this, but I realized after the fact that I’d been trying way too hard. I bored him.”

  I bit my lip, feeling a pang of sympathy. That had basically been what he’d said, too. “Did you move on after that?”

  “I tried,” she conceded. “I dated a lot of other guys, but never got past the second date. After all, you can’t be with one person while you’re still pining for someone else, can you?”

  I thought of Andy—that was exactly the excuse I’d used to never date anyone else while I’d pined for him.

  “After he left,” Val went on, “I spent months analyzing what I’d done wrong, planning what I’d do differently if I ever had another chance. I’d be me, the next time. Unapologetically. Only problem was, I didn’t know who ‘me’ was.” The moonlight caught the sad glint in her eyes. “Because he was right: he had become my whole world. So I figured out that I was really into cooking. And making things pretty…”

  “I thought Liam had taught you to cook while you guys were dating?”

  Val shook her head. “Nope. He did all the cooking when we were together. And I let him, because he was so good at it. Far be it for me to assert myself and ask to learn!” She laughed, rueful.

  “So that’s why you were always in the kitchen at the compound, then.”

  She nodded. “I was trying to impress him. Isn’t that stupid?”

  “It’s not stupid at all,” I said softly.

  She sniffed, and added, “Even though I was obviously too late. I’ll bet he broke up with me that second time because he’d already met you. He was just kind enough not to mention your name when I begged him for a reason.”

  I’d slightly wondered about this too, given the timing. But there was no way Liam had liked me that much even back then, with no encouragement. He wasn’t the type to pine, like Val and I obviously were. What I said aloud was, “Liam and I were barely even friends until we went to San Jose together. He’s probably dated lots of girls in the years I’ve known him. I never even asked. I thought he was annoying back then, actually.”

  Val laughed. “And he probably found that irresistible. He always did love a challenge. If only I’d been capable of playing hard to get. But, thats’s not me,” she sighed.

  “I don’t think that’s anybody,” I argued. “‘Hard to get’ probably only works if it’s not a game. If you’re really into somebody, I can’t imagine believably pretending you’re not.”

  “Unless you’re pretending to yourself, too. Right?” she asked me pointedly, one eyebrow raised.

  My lips twitched. “You might have a point there,” I conceded.

  At some point on the boat, we both drifted off to sleep. I woke with a jolt, but had no idea where we were, or how far from Great Exuma. Madeline had a satellite clock on her, so I powered her up while Val still slumbered.

  “What time is it?” I whispered to her.

  “Two thirty-four,” she whispered back.

  “Oh!” I jumped with a sudden jolt of adrenaline—that meant we should be arriving in half an hour or less. I shook Val awake, and she blinked at me, bleary.

  “What?” she said thickly.

  “I have to change your face. Sit up.”

  She obeyed me, her eyes still closed, as I went to work. I scooped Madeline up onto the bench beside me, and she turned on little spotlights just above her eyes to illuminate Val’s face as I worked.

  “See?” she enthused. “Look how useful I am!”

  I suppressed a smile and planted a little kiss on her cold forehead. “You certainly are,” I told her.

  I set out my prosthetic makeup and stage makeup on the bench beside Madeline, and set to work, lengthening and sharpening Val’s delicate snub nose. Then I brought out her otherwise slightly receded forehead such that her brows became far more prominent over her eyes. The prosthetics didn’t quite blend with her skin tone, so I applied a fairly heavy layer of stage makeup on top. Once I’d done that, I’d completely erased the bloom from her cheeks—she looked washed out and a little sickly. I added it back with rouge. Since the whole point was to fool the cameras, I didn’t bother with lipstick or eyeshadow. That wouldn’t change the facial recognition software at all.

  When I’d finished, Madeline piped, “Mirror?” Her chest compartments rearranged, and she produced a mirror for Val to examine my handiwork.

  “Wow,” Val blinked at herself. “Well… I certainly look… different.”

  “That’s the goal,” I said. She was certainly less attractive now. I knew that’s what she was trying not to say—instead of soft and girlish, she now looked shrewd and a bit harsh. But that was not my intention, I told myself. It would keep her alive, anyway.

  Next, with the help of Madeline’s mirror and spotlight, I enhanced my own cheekbones and gave myself a pointier chin. Then I covered the prosthetics with stage makeup as well. I kind of looked prettier when I was done than I had to start—like a film star.

  But that wasn’t because I was trying to make myself look prettier than Val while meeting Liam’s mom. Of course not.

  We boarded the Quantum Track on Great Exuma around three thirty in the morning, and arrived in London by dawn. Val promptly fell back asleep once we were in the sleek compartment skimming over the surface of the ocean. I tried, but at best I slept in fits and starts. I checked my netscreen—no frantic messages from Mom yet, as we’d left after everyone went to bed. She probably had yet to discover our absence. But no reply from Liam either. Had he gotten it? Would he still be going to General Specs today? Was there any other way to contact him? I felt a sudden spike of panic—should we go to General Specs before visiting his mom, in hopes of intercepting him?

  “Cathy lives near Greenwich, so we can just get a hovercar there,” Val announced when we arrived at the station. “I didn’t memorize her address, but once I’m there I’ll know the way.”

  I nodded, hoisting my overstuffed backpack off the seat beside me and followed her onto the platform. />
  When the hovercar touched down at the entrance to the gardens, Val led the way to a fancy gated community nearby. When the guard bot at the gate asked her name, she cast a concerned glance back at me, and I knew she was wondering whether or not to give her real name. Finally she said in a low voice, “Tell her Valerie Hamilton is here to see her. She’ll remember me.”

  We could tell from the bot’s vacant expression that he was sending a comm. A second later, he said as the gate swung open, “Go on in, miss. She is expecting you.”

  I was proud of Val for reining in her emotions—all she said was “Thank you,” her face still impassive. But she grabbed my hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

  She really must have visited Cathy a lot, I marveled, as Val wound her way through the streets inside the community by memory. But then I realized that she was headed to the mansion on the hill—you couldn’t miss it. Yet another wrought iron gate stood open at the entrance, and we trekked uphill to the ornate double french doors.

  Once we reached the porch, the doors swung open, and an attractive lady with a dark bob cut wearing trendy country club attire stepped out to greet us, arms thrown wide. She wore a grin at first, which faltered when she saw Val. She blinked doubtfully.

  “Val? Is that… really you? My! How you’ve… changed!”

  Val grinned back at her and rushed into her arms, and I felt another twinge of envy as I watched their embrace. Val was practically part of the family, apparently.

  “I had a little work done,” Val giggled, lowering her voice and gesturing at me. “Can my friend and I come inside? We’ll explain everything.”

  Chapter 7: Rebecca

  Cathy ushered Val and me into her sitting room, furnished with ornate cherry furniture and what looked like very expensive Turkish rugs from the Second Age over mahogany floors. Her enormous bay windows overlooked some of the wealthiest parts of London: from there we could see the Thames, the London Eye, Parliament, and Big Ben in an incredible panorama. Her companion bot Elsie brought us tea and scones with cream, and a little dog named Dixon yapped at our feet, begging for crumbs. Diamonds on Cathy’s wrists and fingers twinkled in the sleek modern lighting as she plied the little creature with chunks from her plate.

  “So Val,” she grinned at us both, revealing deep dimples. I recognized Liam’s sea blue eyes and defined cheekbones—she was a striking woman for her age. “Who’s your friend, and why in the world did you make any alterations to that adorable face of yours?”

  I could tell even under the makeup that Val blushed. She gestured at me. “This is Rebecca. She worked with Liam in Dublin.”

  Cathy whipped toward me, a flicker of worry crossing her face. “Worked? Past tense?”

  I cleared my throat. “He and I… both left there a few months ago.”

  I could almost see the wheels turning in Cathy’s mind, trying to put the pieces together. She looked back at Val. “Are you and Liam back together, then?”

  Val blushed even harder. “No,” she said, not bothering to mask the regret in her voice. “But we did run into each other on accident maybe a month ago, in Kansas City. That’s when I got mixed up in all of this.”

  “Kansas City?” Cathy echoed, more confused than ever. “Mixed up in what? I haven’t heard from Liam in months. I’ve sent him a few comms but Liam gets so absorbed in his work that he forgets to answer. He’s much like his father in that way.” She looked at me again, so I took over the story from there. I filled Cathy in on Liam’s locus where he’d announced everything he found out against the Silver Six, and how it had been taken down (“that boy never did know when to keep his mouth shut,” she muttered), his promise to help me find out what had happened to my father, and our trek to San Jose, where I met the other Renegades.

  “Don’t tell me he’s still involved with those Renegades,” Cathy rolled her eyes. “Is he ever going to grow up?”

  “Um… we’re involved with them too,” Val said, glancing at me sheepishly. “Rebecca’s mom is… kind of their leader.”

  Cathy looked like she’d hit an internal reset button: her expression cleared, as if she’d swallowed her tongue in an effort at politeness. “I see. Excuse me. Ah—go on.”

  I felt a little off balance now, caught somewhere between wanting Cathy to like me, and unsure whether I liked her. So I slightly enjoyed dropping the next several bombs, as her eyes grew wider and wider: I told her that Halpert and the Silver Six were humanoid bots who had tried to kill Liam—and nearly succeeded. She gasped at this, a sparkling hand flying to her chest, and I interrupted, “That’s fine now. He was shot but recovered very well. We had medical bots with us.” I told her about the underground compound, our strategies to tell the world, and Val interjected to explain how Liam had run into her and she’d shouted his name on the streets, at which point he had to bring her back to the compound too, to protect her. Then I explained, with Val’s occasional interjection, how Liam had found out that his brother Brian was still alive at the same time that we learned that General Specs had developed Jaguar. Cathy went pale then, averting her gaze abruptly.

  “Brian is dead,” she said, so softly I could barely hear her. “He has to be. We’ve scoured the earth, hired every private investigator—he just vanished. Without a trace!”

  “You never found him because he wasn’t on earth,” I said, matching her tone. “He became a test subject, and was sent to the moon.”

  Her sea glass eyes met mine now, and I recognized their angry glint, having seen the same expression often enough in her son’s eyes. “How can you possibly know that?” she demanded.

  “Because of Giovanni,” Val cut in, as Cathy turned to her and then back to me for explanation.

  “Giovanni was one of the original creators of the first generation of humanoid bots,” I said. “He told us about a database, listing what the Silver Six do with their prisoners. Liam looked up Brian, and he found out they’d sent him to the moon.”

  I waited for her to process this. In the ensuing silence, Val moved across the room to sit next to Cathy, placing a hand on top of her limp, bejeweled one. Cathy looked at Val, helpless.

  “I want to hear it from you,” she whispered. “Is this true?”

  Val nodded and said gently, “It is.”

  Cathy slumped, staring blankly at her floor. I could see that she believed us—or at least she believed Val. After all, they had a history.

  “There’s more,” said Val softly. “Can we keep going?” She spoke as if to one of her foster children. After a long pause, Cathy nodded, swallowing hard. I saw her set her jaw, as if determined to bear the worst. Val nodded to me, and I went on, hesitating at this part.

  “At the same time, we found out that one of our number had betrayed us to the Silver Six. They were on their way, probably to destroy us. Liam felt like he’d run out of time, so even though he knew he’d be recognized as a traitor if he went back out into society, he decided that he needed his dad to understand the risk Jaguar posed, to convince him to destroy her. He thought maybe the knowledge that the Silver Six had turned Brian into a test subject might be enough to make him see that he was fighting on the wrong team, and also that maybe Mr. Kelly could use whatever influence he might have to try to bring Brian home. So… Liam went to speak to him.”

  Cathy’s eyes sharpened upon mine. “He’s here? In London? Right now?”

  “I’m afraid he might be headed to General Specs as we speak,” I bit my lip. “I sent him a message telling him not to go, but I don’t think he received it.”

  “But the Silver Six see all of us as a threat, especially Liam,” Val cut in. “I’m sure he’ll go in a disguise, just as we did—this is stage makeup, by the way,” she gestured at her face, and then at mine. “Rebecca’s done a lot of theater.”

  “But if he gets caught—” I began.

  “—they’ll kill him,” Cathy finished weakly. We both nodded, and she buried her face in her hands. Val and I exchanged a look, w
aiting for Cathy to process this. When she finally did, she looked up at us and murmured, “So you came… to me?”

  “We hoped if you got a message to Liam Senior saying everything Liam intended to say, he wouldn’t have to go,” I explained, my tone almost pleading.

  Cathy bit her lip. “Liam’s father and I don’t talk. Ever,” she murmured, an edge of bitterness creeping into her voice.

  “I know,” Val murmured sympathetically, rubbing her hand.

  “I assume he’s still with that woman…?”

  “To… my knowledge, he’s single,” Val ventured, eyes wide as she glanced back at me to confirm this. I shrugged.

  “I honestly don’t know. I doubt Liam would even know—he and his dad have been estranged for years over Brian and the whole Renegade issue.”

  Cathy blinked, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. “How do you know my son again?”

  “We… worked together,” I repeated, but I could feel heat building in my cheeks beneath the makeup.

  Cathy looked from Val to me and back again. “You’re both in love with him,” she said. It was not a question. Before either of us could reply, she added to herself, “Of course you are. Why else would you both be here, risking your necks for him?”

  Val stared at her feet and said nothing, which was as good as an admission. I willed my blush away, and said through clenched teeth, “I lost my father to this cause. I’m not about to lose Liam, too.”

  “So… you’re rivals then,” Cathy guessed.

  “We’re friends now,” Val said softly, casting me a tentative glance.

  Cathy patted Val’s knee. “Only because you’re such an angel, my dear.” Then suddenly her expression changed, and she snapped her fingers. “That gave me an idea! Thinking of Val being an angel, and the great contrast between her and myself…”

  “An idea for what?” I asked, grateful for the subject change.

  “What to say to Senior,” Cathy said, arching one eyebrow with a gleam in her eye, infusing his derogatory nickname with all the venom she could muster. “Val might have told you already, but our divorce was… not pretty, let’s just say. I tried to take him for every penny and every stock option I could get. But truthfully, I couldn’t care less about his money, or his company. I just knew he cared about them, and I wanted him to writhe. In agony.” She waved a glittering hand in the air, adding, “I’m sure he said all kinds of colorful things about me at his office, as well. Doubtless, I have a bit of a reputation. Sooo… I’ll call his private secretary and tell her that I heard about Jaguar. I heard the share prices of General Specs are soaring, and I want my cut.” She rubbed her fingers and thumb together, arching an eyebrow at us significantly. “I can insist that he come to see me right away, or else I’ll call my attorney. He’ll come,” she added, smug. “He doesn’t want to see me in court again, I can guarantee you that.”