by Magus Tor
“But she gave me one on my first day at the hospital,” Aurelia protested.
“And did you have no side effects?” asked Nicholas.
“Well, I mean, I've been kind of tired and heavy for a day or so, but I've been working a lot, so it's normal, right?”
“Any cravings for another patch?”
Aurelia had been going to ask Elza for another patch earlier that day, but she hadn't been able to find her.
“I still don't understand why she would want to kill you,” Aurelia said.
Jonathon sighed. “Elza is a complicated person, Aurelia. You have to understand a few things. Firstly, well, if I'm being honest, she and I, we had something. Nothing serious, and it's long over. But she's always been a jealous woman.” He had the grace to blush at that. “But she's also had a very difficult job over the last few years. You know the role that she's played for the Resistance?”
“Sex,” answered Aurelia, shortly.
“Seduction,” corrected Jonathon. “It's a time-honoured method of getting information out of powerful men. And Elza was very good at it, though it wasn't something she particularly enjoyed doing. And then...” He paused for a second. “I don't think that Elza is behind all of this at all.”
“You don't?” asked both Nicholas and Aurelia in surprise.
Jonathon shook his head. “Look, Elza is med staff; she knows the dangers of addiction as much as anyone else. Also, when she gave the patch to Aurelia, she had no reason to want to hurt her in any way. Aurelia didn't even know about the Resistance at that point; she might not have passed our last security checks. No, I think that Elza has been given these patches by someone who wanted her to be easy to control. By the time she realised what was happening, if she has realised, it was too late. The drugs were making her more paranoid, edgier, less reasonable, and more dependent on them. Someone counted on the fact that this could be turned around to hurt me if necessary. Either physically hurt me, as she tried to do, or blackmail or even bad publicity. It's well known on Lunar that Elza and I have a close relationship and that I would place her on my cabinet once I'm president. The way she saw things tonight was that I was edging towards believing Nicholas, and she was protecting the secrets of the Resistance by any means necessary.”
“It's not a very reliable method of getting you killed,” Aurelia observed.
“But as it turns out, Nicholas wasn't a reliable method either, though statistically he really should have been,” pointed out Jonathon. “I think it was more a case of covering all the bases - if one didn't succeed, then the other might.”
“In which case, there could well be other people out there right now looking to assassinate you,” Nicholas said.
“Yep,” agreed Jonathon, and he grinned like he was enjoying a game.
Aurelia cleared her throat, afraid to ask the question but knowing that she had to. “So, what are we going to do with Elza, then?” she asked.
Jonathon looked at her, and his eyes were clouded. “I know what I should do, but I can't. I just can't.”
Aurelia had to smile a little. “Well, fortunately, you're sitting with the two people in Lunar who might just understand why you can't kill someone you're supposed to kill.”
“I truly don't think she's behind this. And…” He hesitated for a moment. “And I think she should be given a chance to speak for herself.”
“I agree,” said Aurelia. “And I have the beginnings of a plan.”
Whilst Elza was still unconscious, Nicholas and Aurelia moved her to the bed next door, Jonathon following them. Aurelia peeled the patch off her neck and asked Nicholas to find her something to tie Elza to the bed with.
“Is that really necessary?” asked Jonathon.
Aurelia nodded. “It's not just a matter of security. Once she begins to withdraw from the drug, I'm not sure what's going to happen. Many people have fits, so it's for her own safety.”
When Elza was properly restrained, Jonathon turned to Nicholas. “I think you and I need to talk.”
Silently, Nicholas walked back to the other room.
“You'll be okay here for a while?” Jonathon asked Aurelia quietly.
“Yes. I need to keep an eye on her, anyway.”
The two men were gone for over an hour. Aurelia watched over Elza carefully, monitoring her breathing and responses, but she didn't wake. When Jonathon finally re-entered the room, he looked drained. Aurelia stood up and stretched her aching back.
“I need to go to the hospital,” she said.
“There are some things we need to talk about, Aurelia.”
“I know, and I have every intention of coming back. But I've got to go and pick up some stuff so that I can treat both Elza and you, unless you're all three planning on letting me check you into the hospital?”
“You have to?”
She nodded. She went to him and slid her arms around his waist. “I have to. I'll be an hour or so, I guess.”
She could feel him tense a little and looked up into his face. “You do trust me, don't you?”
He pulled her tighter to him, resting his chin on her head. “I don't know who I can trust anymore, Aurelia. Not Elza, not Nicholas, not even myself. But you, you I believe. And I always will. You have my abject apologies for this afternoon. I should have taken your word for what happened.”
“No you shouldn't,” Aurelia said, her voice muffled by his shirt. “I needed to prove myself, and I have.” She moved her head so she could kiss him. “It better not happen again, though.”
She gave Nicholas strict instructions about how to monitor Elza's condition, and about what to do if she woke up, though she thought that was unlikely. Briefly she wondered if leaving Jonathon and Nicholas alone together was really a bright idea, but they seemed to have come to a polite detente, though they hadn't told her yet what they'd discussed while she was looking after Elza. Anyway, she didn't have a choice. She buckled herself into Jonathon's transport pod and bent over the central console. Unsurprisingly, the hospital was a pre-set destination, so she clicked on the icon and the pod began moving.
She had mixed feelings about Elza. That was putting it lightly. She had liked the woman and could even maybe understand the situation she was in. Whether letting her, what? Live, Aurelia supposed. Whether letting her live was a good idea or not, she wasn't sure. But then, she didn't know as much about Elza as Jonathon did. It didn't bother her that he'd had a fling with the older woman, but the fact that she had been so easily compromised did bother her. No, that wasn't really it. What bothered her was that it could have been herself. She thought back to how easily she had taken the patch from Elza, how easily she had accepted the explanation of what it was. This could have happened to her. That was why she was more sympathetic to Elza than she maybe should have been.
The twenty-minute journey stretched to seem like hours. The dome above was deep, dark blue, almost black, by the time the pod stopped at the back gate of the hospital. She slid out of the pod and made her way inside, preparing a mental list of the equipment and supplies that she'd need to pick up.
She was busily stocking a small pack in one of the exam rooms when Jason came in.
“What are you doing?” he asked, curiously.
Hmmm. How to explain this. “Nothing, don't worry - it's something for Elza.”
His face turned from curious to suspicious. “Are you taking drugs out of the hospital?”
“No, well, yes, but not in a bad way.” Crap. She hadn't banked on having to explain herself.
He was still standing in the doorway, looking indecisive.
“Look, Jason, trust me, okay? I'm doing this for Elza, and I'll explain everything later.” When I've cooked up a story that you'll believe, she thought.
His eyes narrowed, catching sight of something in the bag. “Those are stim patches,” he said, coming closer. “And...” He looked even more closely. “Aurelia, are you treating yourself?” His voice had a mixture of anger and concern.
“No!” she sai
d, shocked that he'd mentioned it.
“But you have everything that you need here to treat an addict.” He looked at her, his anger gone now, pure worry on his face. “Do you have a problem, Aurelia?”
When you don't know what to say, thought Aurelia, honesty is the best policy. Though maybe not complete honesty. “Not me,” she told him. “Elza. I'm helping her. But you can't tell anyone, okay?”
“Of course! Is there something that I can do?”
He had a sort of puppy dog enthusiasm that was very endearing. “Not right now,” she said. Then she considered her options. “Although, if you could check your intercom every now and again, I might need some help later. Someone to take over for a while so I can get some rest.”
“Sure, any time.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Just call me and I'll be right there. And good luck.”
She smiled, closed her pack and left him standing there shaking his head. Med staff were more prone to addictions than others, mostly because they were in closer proximity to drugs, so the story wasn't unbelievable. Besides, there was a fair chance that she might need help later; she had no idea how long it was going to take to get Elza clean.
The trip back seemed shorter, because Aurelia spent the time trying to come up with a treatment plan for Elza. When she arrived back at the Crematorium, she averted her eyes to avoid seeing the black hulk of the building. She was thankful when she got inside and found Jonathon and Nicholas waiting for her by Elza's bedside.
Her first priority was to treat Jonathon's arm, which she did quickly and efficiently. She then turned to Elza. Taking a stim patch out of her pack, she carefully cut it in half and stuck it on Elza's neck.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jonathon asked, catching her movement out of the corner of his eye.
“Listen, I'm the doctor, not you. I know exactly what I'm doing,” she said, continuing to work.
She explained that withdrawing Elza from the drug completely, all in one go, could very well kill her by putting her heart under too much strain. They needed to wean her off the drug. Aurelia then prepared a syringe with a formula that would bring Elza back to consciousness. She gave the injection, and they sat back to wait.
It took a couple of minutes for the woman to begin to wake, and when she opened her eyes she seemed relaxed. It took Jonathon a good while to recount what had happened to her, but she slowly retrieved her memories. Then she began to speak.
“I remember the first patch,” Elza said. “It was given to me at a party where I was the escort of a high-ranking Elite member. He too wore one, and I felt unable to decline. After a while, it became a regular part of my routine, and then a regular part of my work day.” She denied that she had ever been spoken to about Jonathon, though.
“How are we supposed to believe you?” Aurelia asked, their roles suddenly reversed.
Elza closed her eyes. “I'm willing to have my mind read,” she said, quietly. “I understand the implications of all this. I understand what I have done. And I understand what you feel you must do.” She looked at Jonathon.
“No, Elza,” he said. He patted her arm. “I'm not having you injected. I don't believe you're a traitor. I have to draw the line somewhere, and there are so few people that I can trust that I'm not willing to lose one of them. Especially someone as important as you.”
Her eyes showed how surprised she was. “But...”
“But nothing. We are going to figure this out.”
Leaving Nicholas with Elza, Jonathon took Aurelia to one side. “What are we going to do?” he asked.
Aurelia sighed. “It's going to take a while to clean her up, though she can probably work again in a couple of days. We'll taper off the dosage of the stim patches, and hopefully she'll be fine. Are you sure that we can let her, well, let her walk out of here?”
Jonathon nodded. “Yes. You don't understand Elza. I do. Maybe you will one day too. For now, yes I trust her.”
“Then I'm going to need help; I can't look after her on my own. I have a suggestion.”
“What's that?”
She explained about Jason. “If we can just get Elza back to her quarters at the hospital, then Jason can take over. He knows only that she has an addiction problem, and he is very willing to help out.”
Jonathon agreed.
“But right now she needs to rest for a little while. I'm going to take the patch off her and let her sleep for an hour.”
Once Elza was sleeping again, Aurelia turned to the two men. “So?” she said.
“We have come to an understanding of sorts,” said Nicholas, stiffly.
“And what's that, then?” Aurelia took herself over to the couch. She was dead tired, and her feet felt like rocks.
“I will not join forces with the Clones,” Jonathon said.
Aurelia raised an eyebrow. “You won't?” It was a stupid decision and one that she felt sure he would regret later. But she didn't argue with him. Now wasn't the time.
“I won't,” he affirmed. “I will not, however, close any doors.”
“It's to be a subject for later discussion,” Nicholas said, obviously unhappy with this fact but unable to do anything about it.
“I think you're being foolish,” Aurelia said, unable to stop herself.
“I will learn more,” was all that Jonathon said.
The room was quiet for a moment, and Aurelia could almost hear their hearts beating.
“And in the meantime, what about Nicholas?” she asked after a moment.
“That, we have not yet discussed,” said the Clone.
She turned to Jonathon. “We can't send him back to the Military, not after this.”
Jonathon pursed his lips. “What can we do, then?”
It was Nicholas who answered. “Arrest me,” he said.
“No, no.” Jonathon came to sit down opposite the Clone. “You misunderstand. I owe you my life, and I shall pay my debt. I have no intention of getting you arrested; I believe what you're saying.”
Nicholas smiled. “That wasn't what I was implying at all. But it's the obvious solution to the problem. Have me arrested.”
The more Aurelia thought about it, the more it made sense. “I agree,” she said to Jonathan. “Look, if we have Nicholas arrested, he will be in a safe place, right? We'll know where he is, which should calm your nerves a bit. And if you are the one who has him arrested, he'll be under your protection, correct?”
“Technically, yes.”
“And if you arrest him under suspicion of trying to assassinate you, it will make whoever is behind all this think that you've found them out and you're just biding your time until you release the information. You might scare them into doing something stupid and identifying themselves.”
“I could just as easily scare them into plotting the death of Nicholas to stop him from opening his mouth or bearing witness,” Jonathon added dryly.
“It's a risk I will take,” said Nicholas.
“It's unorthodox to hold Clones prisoner,” Jonathon said, thoughtfully. “Generally they're just injected. Though I suppose if he agrees to witness for my case, then that would be excuse enough. But there's still a problem.”
“What?” asked Aurelia.
“You can't just trust that a sec Worker isn't going to hurt him or be paid by another to hurt him,” said Jonathon. “You could be putting him in just as much danger by locking him up.”
She hadn't thought of that. But now that the problem had arisen, she found a solution. “There's a sec Worker I can trust,” she said. “Michael. The guy whose life I saved on the shuttle. He'll do it. And we won't put Nicholas in the general cells; we'll put him under house arrest.”
“Where?” asked Nicholas.
Aurelia looked at Jonathon and shrugged. “Any ideas?”
“At my house,” Jonathon said. “It's the only place that makes sense. Plus, he'll be under my eye at all times.”
“Does that clear up everything?” asked Aurelia.
“For now,”
said Jonathon. “Though we're going to need a far better long-term plan.”
“There'll be time to discuss that later,” Aurelia promised.
She looked at the two men. Both appeared tired, but that was to be expected. They also looked startlingly alike, with deep blue eyes and angular planes on their faces. But Nicholas had something softer there. Jonathon's face showed age, though he wasn't that old – experience, maybe. Nicholas still had the look of youth about him.
“Is there an intercom around?” she asked.
Jonathon pointed her in the right direction, and she went to make her call. Michael seemed surprised to hear from her, and guarded when she asked him to come to the Crematorium, but he agreed to meet her there. When he arrived, she met him at the door and led him in to see Jonathon and Nicholas. They explained the situation, ironed out a few details, and it was agreed.
“I can't take him here, though,” Michael warned them. “It would look suspicious, and it would also destroy the secrecy of what I presume is a secret place?”
“I'll report him in a moment,” Jonathon said. “You,” he said, nodding at Nicholas, “will leave now and meet Michael at an agreed-upon place.”
“Okay. Where?” said Nicholas.
Michael pulled out a screen and pointed out a location. “It's dark. There aren't many sec Workers, so there's less chance of anyone but me catching you, and,” here he smiled, “it's on my way home, so I can easily find you accidentally.”
Jonathon and Nicholas stood, and Jonathon reached out a hand. Nicholas shook it, both men looking uncomfortable.
“I shall see you in a few hours,” said Jonathon.
He left to make his call, and Aurelia walked Nicholas to the door leading out of the Crematorium.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” Nicholas said tightly.
She had a thought. “Are you going to make a run for it, or allow yourself to be caught?” She didn't ask in judgement; she knew that whatever he had decided, he was going to do. There was nothing she could do to stop him.
“Do you trust Jonathon's word?” he asked.
“Yes. Completely.”
