“Indeed, I went up wearing a very nice suit and it made me an oddity who stood out in the corridors,” Pierre said. “I had some things made to blend in such as this shirt. I expected Joel to harass me about it since he sternly ordered me to forego a tie. But he has ignored it.”
“I thought it very becoming,” Joel protested with hurt innocence.
“And that I don’t need to run through any software either,” Bellinger said.
“Amen,” April agreed.
* * *
“I’m sorry. That all came pouring out unexpectedly,” Eileen said, wiping her face with the damp washcloth Alice brought her. “I didn’t really know that was all bottled up inside. I’m such a coward. I was afraid you would decide to tell me everything you have been through and was dreading it.”
“That’s OK, I don’t really want to tell my story. I’d rather write it down. If you want to read it later when I’m done that’s up to you. But Vic went out to split wood as soon as you started crying and it’s almost sundown. He must be tired by now if he isn’t frozen. Let’s start some supper and see if we can coax him back inside,” Alice said.
* * *
The last bite of caramelized honey brûlée was eaten, or in April’s case pushed away half eaten in defeat. That was so difficult to achieve even Jeff noticed.
Joel invited them back to the library for an after dinner drink.
“If you will pardon me, I need to run along home and pack some things for our lift tomorrow,” Bellinger said.
“Go, and sin no more,” Joel said with an odd gesture like he was flipping something off his fingers. April looked a question at Jeff and he just shrugged. She wanted to look it up in her spex but given the controversy over them, she was afraid a prolonged search would be seen for what it was and offend.
Frederick was waiting for them in the library. He spoke quietly with Mylène and came over to April.
“I’ve had far more wine than I am used to and am stuffed. If you have some Coca-Cola that would be a treat I don’t often get, over ice please.”
“Of course,” he agreed and moved on to the men.
“The scotch like before,” Jeff said.
“The same,” Joel told Fredrick.
“You like that?” he asked Jeff.
“It’s good, it’s interesting, and I like bourbon too, but haven’t had a wide enough variety of either to form firm opinions. I’ve been trying to make our own whiskey and it hasn’t been a huge success so far. I got some expert help on the matter, a master distiller. It will be six or seven years before we know if his advice helped. He was totally uninterested in staying on the Moon or Home and living, as Mylène says, in little boxes. He did say that whatever we end up with it won’t be a copy of any Earth whiskey but something unique of our own.”
“Frederick, what is Mr. Singh’s scotch?” Joel called out.
“It’s Macallan, sir. Just the twelve-year, nothing particularly exotic.”
“If you have an unopened bottle send it off with him,” Joel ordered.
“I’m sure we do, I’ll package it up for safe traveling,” Fredrick promised.
“That’s kind of you. If we ever manage something of which we aren’t ashamed I’ll send you some,” Jeff said.
“You’ll have to export,” Henri said. “People want novelty even if it’s odd. Sometimes because it is odd.”
“And limit supply to enhance the novelty,” Jeff agreed.
“Irwin, you pay attention to those fellows I brought you. I assume you didn’t leave them at the hotel?” April demanded.
“No, they were being entertained with Joel’s security, much like us but with a lot less alcohol. I’m off to Brussels tomorrow and I’ll see how much I can pick up from when I was so rudely interrupted.”
“Their gear seemed to have my fellow’s interest,” Joel said.
“It’s new to the point of being experimental,” Jeff said.
“I believe you better walk April upstairs before you have to carry her,” Joel said.
“Huh?” April said, eyes popping back open at her name.
“I too need to get home while my family still recognizes me,” Henri said.
Pierre rose too, not saying anything but finishing his drink with finality.
“I didn’t mean to kill the party,” April apologized.
“Nonsense, it was a natural death after a full and good life,” Joel said. “I’m well past an age to stay up to greet the sun, and I’ll be much more amusing over breakfast.”
“Not going to happen,” April vowed. “I’m never going to eat again.”
* * *
April woke slowly with no alarm. The overhead looked weird until she remembered where she was. The bright yellow light streaming in the window like a searchlight was unnatural – to her.
Jeff was nowhere to be seen, but she heard running water so that must be him showering. She wondered how long they could lounge around before their hosts came looking to make sure they were well and alive?
“House, are you aware?” she said aloud.
“I listen. Questions of awareness and philosophy my owner will tell you are beyond me. But if you need services or communications I can set them in motion.”
“Are the Durands up and about? Has anyone had their breakfast yet?” April asked.
“The Durands are awake and asked to be told when you were both awake. I’ve now notified him you are both awake and he’s told the kitchen to have cold items available in the Sun Room in a half hour and hot breakfasts with a chef to do omelets and waffles by an hour. Does that work for you or shall I ask the Master to delay on your behalf?” the house asked.
“That works splendidly,” April said. The house, whatever its limits and abilities somehow managed not to be irritating like so many of her friend’s avatars.
“Finally, I’ve been waiting on the bathroom,” April said when Jeff emerged.
“I heard you talking to the house so don’t try to tell me that stuff. It couldn’t have been much more than a minute. Anyway, there’s the twin of the bathroom on the other side,” Jeff said pointing at another door opposite.
“A bedroom with two baths?” April said, incredulous. “You know I don’t care for planets, but the shower is civilization. This is an area in which we need to catch up.”
“I think you will be just fine with planets if we just have our own planet,” Jeff said. “They are pleasantly roomy and we can have a bath for each day of the week if you fancy it.”
“Maybe have them on a carousel,” April said, making a swirling motion with her hand. “If you open the door and it’s green you know it’s Monday, blue and it’s Tuesday, etcetera.”
“I’m a man of simple tastes,” Jeff declared. “Plain white is fine if it is self-cleaning.”
“You heard, we are to breakfast in the Sun Room?” April asked.
“Yes, I’m sure there will be a guide at the bottom of the stairs. Why don’t you get cleaned up and forego most of the jewelry this morning? I’d think breakfast will be informal.”
“Ask the house. It seems smarter than average.”
“House, is breakfast a formal affair here?” Jeff asked.
“Meals are rarely a dress affair in this Home unless it is a state dinner,” the house said.
“What constitutes ‘dress’?” Jeff asked.
“Black tie is the norm in the evening. Suits are acceptable but more often tuxedos or evening coats. Dinner jackets should be black or colored as servers wear white. Frock coats are coming back but are considered a bit frumpy and usually worn by foreigners.
“Breakfast is rather casual and a dinner jacket isn’t needed. If one wishes to wear a simple blazer or sports jacket that is acceptable. If you wish, I can ask your host what is expected for today.”
“Please do so,” Jeff requested. There was a pause of dead air. The house didn’t let them hear it putting the question to their hosts.
“Mssr. Durand says these people are from Home. Tell them
to wear pants, avoid scary weapons that would frighten the help, and that will suffice.”
“You’re right,” Jeff told April. “We have a reputation.”
Chapter 24
If she forgot her sleepy words, nobody was unkind enough to remind April she was never going to eat again. The chef was delighted and amused that she agreed an omelet would be nice and instructed him, “Just toss everything in it.”
“Have you had an opportunity to read the news channels this morning?” Joel asked.
“Ugh, no. Why would I want to spoil a lovely day as early as possible?” April asked. “I have alerts set for friends and things that must be dealt with right away, good or bad.”
“The Republic of Texas and Hawaii have announced a joint committee to explore a free trade agreement and free travel between them without visas,” Joel said. “By the most amusing coincidence, Texas also announced they have placed points of inspection to interdict traffic on all the north-south highways across New Mexico and to the west across Arizona north of Flagstaff.”
“I have to look at the maps,” April said. “I can be kind of hazy on North American geography and I just don’t think about roads very much.”
Joel patiently piled fruit on his waffle while April tilted her head and stared at the ceiling as a blank background for her spex overlay.
“They keep surprising me,” April admitted. “I expected them to push to the east and try to reach the Atlantic. My man, Chen, will probably be able to explain why they didn’t or more likely couldn’t. When they pushed from the Pearl River to the Apalachicola River it looked to me on a map like it would be hard to hold such a long thin strip of land from being cut back off, but he explained the realities of the geography and supply from the Gulf. Now I do remember the North Americans took their own bridge down at the Apalachicola. I didn’t do that. So they wanted to draw a line there.”
“Do I know this Chen?” Joel asked.
“A private… researcher, my bad for saying his name out loud,” April admitted.
Joel’s software weighed ‘researcher’ way down the list as a near falsehood. It was the least truthful thing April said so far but Joel let it go.
“This wasn’t something you were orchestrating behind the scenes?” Joel demanded.
“Not at all,” April said absolutely. The verification software wasn’t going to read any hedging in that at all.
“I’ve never set any of this up just to favor Texas. It was just incidental to my own purposes. Now, if it made the impact of what I did greater that’s fine. But I never consulted with the Texans or told them ahead about what I was going to do so they could take advantage. I never asked for any reward either. I didn’t want to muddy the waters about getting Irwin released by giving them Texas as an issue to raise with me,” April insisted.”
“But I noticed that you didn’t correct Bellinger when he concluded it was Texans who intervened in your assassination,” Joel said.
April considered. There was no way she could dance around this without the software showing she was hiding something. She didn’t want to look evasive.
“Yeah, it was a Texas Ranger that took the assassin down. We didn’t know who or what he was until after he acted, and he didn’t want credit or public thanks. We tried to respect that. That’s why we avoided showing his face or the unique badge those guys wear. If you have no real reason to out him I’d appreciate you keeping quiet. From my view, you had it backward. I’m not helping Texas, the Texans are helping me.
“Notice that I’m not doing anything to help them in the west. In fact, I’m not sure what I could do to help them grab New Mexico or Arizona. I have my doubts they can cut off North America from Mexico. California is in chaos still and my guys said there is still a large North American military presence at San Diego. I have no reason to mess with them there.”
Joel didn’t insult her by acknowledging the software confirmed what she said.
“I believe, just as I had some reversed suppositions, you may too,” Joel said.
“Oh yeah? What?” April asked in sincere innocence.
“I believe Texas may be driving to the west to prevent Mexico from coming north.”
“Oh… You think North America has lost its grip on them?” April asked.
“We don’t see them pressuring Texas across the border on behalf of North Americas, do we? It looks like they have them surrounded on a map but as your friend told you that can be deceiving, I believe attacking Texas from the south would be suicidal. At this point, they’d have to retake a considerable territory just to reach the former border. On the other hand, California is drastically depopulated and much easier to consider seizing. San Diego will be a problem that can’t just be bypassed and allowed to remain at their back if they try.”
“That could get complicated,” April said considering all sorts of new ideas.
“That, my dear, is an understatement,” Joel said. It didn’t seem to spoil his breakfast.
* * *
April saw no need for an escort to the port. Joel informed her that just wasn’t how things were done. If they received a formal welcome they would be given an equally formal goodbye. To do otherwise would signal there had been some sort of rift.
When they were ready to walk down to leave, April got a priority message buzz on her pad the same time as Jeff. It was Irwin and he was brief.
Attacked outside our hotel in Brussels. Nobody is hurt. On route right now to an alternate hotel at my security team’s insistence. I will send more and video when we stop rolling. – Irwin
“We better go down and tell Joel,” Jeff said.
Instead, when they opened the door Joel was standing right there looking concerned.
“You heard already,” April said.
“Yes, we’re changing plans to take you to the port,” Joel said. “No leisurely drive in a limo. We have an armored fan platform and armed escort setting down in the street. Local police are closing it off at the cross streets and we’ll set down beside your ship at the port.”
“You might tell your guys there we’re expecting Bellinger. I bet they have everything closed down so tight they won’t let him near the ship,” April worried.
“I was already told he has been there since dawn and he’s sitting in a port authority car with his luggage. I think he was scared he’d miss your lift,” Joel said.
The fan platform didn’t just sit down in the street. It sat down inside the wall right on the front walk barely clearing the bushes. The fast movers sat in the street and as they came out the door a couple more passed overhead with a total disregard for noise abatement.
They were hustled in the troop carrier interior and pushed towards seats. Two kitted up soldiers were strapped in already and a hard-faced officer strapped Joel in yanking the straps extra tight. When he turned he was visibly surprised Jeff and April were both strapped in without help.
“Helmet please!” April shouted over the rising pitch.
The fellow looked blank.
“Casques s'il vous plait,” Joel said.
The man reached over them and pulled helmets from some recess. More importantly, he plugged them into ports over their shoulders. Unfortunately, they were tied right in the command channel and none of them could talk without interfering with the flight crew.
The officer threw himself in a seat opposite them, pulled a lap belt on, and said, “VA!”
April was suddenly very heavy, whipped sideways one way, then the opposite and watch in fascination as the officer opposite calmly pulled his shoulder straps tight like they were still sitting parked on the ground.
When they leveled out April waved to get his attention. He lifted his head to show he was paying attention. April tapped the side of her helmet and held up three fingers.
He nodded, unplugged his own helmet cord and plugged it in a different port, flipping some recessed switches in a little control board. The pilot chatter disappeared and the engine noise was different.
&nbs
p; “You guys hear me now?” April asked. Jeff and Joel confirmed.
“Under the circumstances, I ordered Mylène to stay home,” Joel apologized.
“I think you’re nuts to come along,” April said, “Though that may appear ungrateful.”
“Well at least everyone is in agreement,” Joel said. “The Captain here informed me I was both crazy and a tremendous pain in the butt to make them guard me under protest and unnecessarily difficult circumstances. Mylène was not nearly so polite.”
“Just because somebody went after Irwin doesn’t mean it is a general attack or will be coordinated in any way,” Jeff said. “But I’ll be happy to be off-planet.”
“I suspected you might,” Joel said. “That’s why I didn’t suggest a change of plans and a move to a safer location. We have an abundance of bunkers, after all.”
“Irwin, have you stopped moving? Can you talk to me?” April shouted in her phone.
“Yes, I can. Where are you calling from, the inside of a running garbage disposal?”
“A fan platform, taking us to our ship,” April said.
“First of all, Otis says your armor is… Let’s just say good. He expressed in a much saltier format. He’s been speaking to Mackay and relayed that the fellow who shot at him was asked by the police why he shot at me and looked confused and said, “Who?” It appears he opened fire on Mackay and Otis because he saw them all armored up and recognized they were Spacers. He didn’t even perceive they were guarding the inoffensive little fellow behind them. He was babbling on about an invasion of immortal Homies and the plague.”
“Oh Dear God,” April said.
“Yeah, he was mentioned in there somewhere too. This really doesn’t look like an organized action. I’m pretty sure you guys are clear. Want to see the video?”
“Sure, run it,” April invited. By this time Jeff had his pad out sharing with Joel.
The helmet camera was Otis’ because he looked down the sidewalk to his right then panned past the hotel entry and looked to his left at Mackay. Mackay had his armor set to a very dark blue with a clear visor. For an instant when he looked to the left Irwin could be seen in the left rear view overlay and the edge of his front view too.
All in Good Time Page 37
