by D. Brumbley
“It’s the nicest place we’re likely to see for some time.” He seemed quite positive and upbeat about it. He smiled at her as they moved into a row of seats to get settled, but something a few rows away caught his eye as he followed Jessie. He hadn’t seen her at the airstrip, or on board the shuttle, but there had been over two hundred people all jostling about, so missing just a few was hardly surprising. He stopped when he saw her, and watched her eyes as they moved constantly around the room to take in her surroundings and the other people who were filtering in quickly. It was only a matter of moments before she would keep scanning and see him. He briefly considered turning away and letting her miss him, since he kept himself as nondescript as possible, but instead he just waited for her to meet his eyes. She had to have known he would be there, just as he had known she would be.
Aiko froze when her eyes crossed over Gordon, and when his eyes met hers, her stomach sank. Aiko reached over to her brother subtly and poked his side so that he would look as well. She knew that he would be here, but seeing him was another thing entirely.
Kazuo looked up when she poked him, and when she didn’t look away from whatever had her transfixed, he followed her eyes and froze himself. He was quiet for a moment, but moved to hold his sister’s hand just to let her know she wasn’t alone with the guy so close by. “I was hoping he wouldn’t show up.” He whispered, half in Japanese, half in a growl.
“We knew he would.” She whispered back in Japanese, and he could feel her hand shaking slightly as he held onto her hand. “He wouldn’t miss this. Not now.”
Kazuo’s grip on her hand tightened when Gordon had the audacity to actually smile back at them on his way down the row toward a seat. Once the man sat down, Kazuo finally let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to force himself to be calm, for his sister’s sake. “He can’t hurt you here. He can’t risk it.”
Aiko watched Gordon for a little while longer and then she forced herself to look away. “I was never as worried about getting hurt by him as I was about other things.” She shook her head slowly and then looked into her brother’s eyes. “Let’s sit down. Here. Away from him.”
Kazuo kept glaring at the back of the man’s head, even though he never turned around to look at them again once he was seated. Kazuo just kept tapping his fingers on his knee as they waited and the room filled up, watching Gordon and the others who were filling in on the stage. Part of the broad windows looking out on Earth turned opaque at a few gestures from some of those up on the stage, and the logo of the Jannah Initiative came up in beautiful detail. All Kazuo could think of as the screens came on was what could possibly be put up on there. Their matches among them. His fingers clenched as he looked over at Gordon again. If they tried to match Aiko with Gordon…he closed his eyes and shook his head. That wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let that happen.
Orion and Mercury were some of the last to enter the room, floating in with long, easy strides to go find seats for themselves where they could see those up on the stage. A group of other pilots trailed in behind them, people lingering in the docks to make sure everyone had disembarked before coming down to join the gathering itself. It was clear the room was well shy of its originally-anticipated capacity, and empty seats abounded. “If there was this much movement against us even picking people up from the surface, the Consortium should’ve known about it before they sent the shuttles down. I don’t know why we weren’t given more of a security detail for this if they expected to run into resistance.”
Mercury didn’t say anything until after they sat down, but she slid her hand into his. “If they knew about it, they didn’t want the rest of the world to know there was that much resistance. Or they wanted to do it regardless of threat. I don’t know.” She looked around carefully before she held tighter to Orion’s hand. “I’m worried. And scared.”
He pulled her hand up to his and kissed her knuckles before he put his arm around her. “You already know I’m gonna take care of you no matter what.” He kissed her cheek and leaned his head against hers, taking in the scent of her and attempting to let go of the stress of the day so far. “There’s still a better world out there. And I still want to see you smiling on it by the end of this. We’ll get there.”
She nodded as officials started coming out onto the stage, but she didn’t look away from him or move her forehead away from his. Orion had become so important to her in such a short time that she just wanted to be close to him as often and as long as possible. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mercury.” It was still a little strange to say such a thing to someone he’d known for such a brief time, but he didn’t feel the worry about it that he had always thought he would when telling someone he loved them. He had imagined he would have reservations, doubts, always be holding something back. He didn’t want to hold back with Mercury. He wanted everything.
“Please take your seats, friends.” The speaker at the front of the stage suddenly said, his voice rumbling pleasantly from every corner of the room at once. “And we’ll begin.”
23
Director Vance stood in full uniform, looking over the assembled group, several stragglers still working their way to their seats under the gaze of his dark eyes. He waited for everyone to be seated and settled before he continued, but he didn’t move away from the edge of the stage while he waited. His presence was like a weight hanging on the collective attention of the crowd, lifted only when he finally began to speak again into the silence.
“We have lost, at my most recent information, seventy-four brothers and sisters today.” He let the heaviness of that number sink in for everyone, and looked down at the stage for a moment, bowing under the pressure of the deaths the day had seen, before he looked back at everyone resolutely. “They were not the first to give their lives for this project, and all of us gathered here know that they will not be the last. Shuttle Nineteen touched down outside of Bombay this morning and was permitted to load its full complement of passengers. During take-off, a sabotage device ignited in its fuel compartments, ripping the shuttle to pieces and killing all on board. This afternoon, threats were made to seven other shuttles out of the twenty-eight that were sent to Earth today. Shuttle Six was permitted to touch down in Cairo and was destroyed during passenger processing. Twenty-six people were injured, but none have been pronounced dead as of this time. In Moscow, Johannesburg, Boston, and Lima, credible threats were issued and investigated. The shuttles in Johannesburg and Lima have since been able to review their passenger manifest and run thorough checks before taking off. They are en route. Moscow and Boston are still grounded until we can send additional security teams to verify their status and secure the passengers’ safety. Shuttle Thirteen, in central North America, had some of its personnel attacked just prior to take-off, one of whom is now in critical condition. Further, they discovered an imposter on board, who has been detained pending interrogation. It is our hope that Moscow and Boston will be in the air within the next twenty-four hours, and all members of this Initiative will be present on this station, ready to begin work.” He sighed after the long report, looking around the room to meet each and every eye in the audience as he was able. “We do not, at this time, have firm information on the identity of the saboteurs and attackers at each of these sites. What we have are many of the same conjectures and theories that many of you already have. The Home Alliance, the Earth First Coalition, these are likely candidates for accusation. We will not report, however, until we know for certain who is responsible. They will be found, and they will be brought to justice for the pain they have caused.”
A woman moved to stand next to Director Vance and while her face was just as somber, something about her walk up to stand next to him said everything it needed to say about her confidence and determination. She was clearly Vance’s second-in-command, and he looked pleased to have her standing next to him. “We don’t have all the answers we want or need, but we do have all of you here.” For those
who didn’t recognize or know the woman, her name flashed on the giant screen behind her. Victoria Gehrig, Junior Director of the Jannah Initiative. She was older, with grey hair and eyes that were such a light blue they blended in with the silver strands that framed her face. “Our hearts break and we mourn for those we have lost. But they would want us to press onward toward Jannah, and we cannot let those who would destroy us have the power to stop progress.” She turned from side to side slowly as she surveyed the crowd. “We have a lot to prepare, a lot to learn, and honestly, not that much time to do so before we launch.” The screen changed to show the projected timeline of events, and despite what had happened that day, the timeline was not altered. Clearly they meant business about getting to Jannah and letting nothing get in the way. Not even death.
“We’re still waiting for some of our friends to arrive, and we need time to recover, certainly. The next few days will allow for that. Matches have been adjusted and established based on the people still involved with the project. This is a time to get to know each other, socialize, mourn together, and develop relationships. Look around. You’re all going to Jannah. It’s important that you hold on to each other and value the faces around you. The success of Jannah depends on all of you.”
Two more faces stepped forward from the back of the stage to look over the crowd, both a great deal younger than Vance or Gehrig. Their names and faces appeared on the screens to introduce them to the audience, along with their titles. Stephen Kaplan, Manager of Operations, and Maria Santos, Chief Medical Officer. It was Stephen who spoke, in a vaguely Australian accent.
“We know the next few days are going to be filled with a lot of adjustments for everyone, even those of you who have lived in orbit for most of your lives. As Vice-Director Gehrig said, now is the time to start up the relationships we’re going to take with us across the galaxy. No pressure.” He gave the crowd a tentative smile, obviously one of the more light-hearted of the bunch, though his clean-cut appearance and clear-eyed stare didn’t hold the warmth that his voice was trying to showcase.
“To help everyone get started on that, there are two pieces of information that we want to give you all in this meeting before we let you all get settled in your quarters and start getting ready to jump into the real work next week. First, each and every one of you has been assigned a department and a position within that department. Keep in mind, these positions are tentative, every last one of them. They’ve been assigned based on your strengths and the application materials we received from you, and it is likely that they will change at some point in the next few months as we see different strengths and weaknesses from all of you. This group, this room, together with those of our friends we’re still waiting on, is going to begin civilization on a new planet. That’s no easy or simple task, and it depends on all of us working together as well as we’re able, where we are best able to do so. That’s the first piece. The second piece is the match that was just mentioned as well. That was discussed at length in pretty much every information session that took place down on the planet and up here in orbit, so if any of you had any misgivings or worries about that, I assume they’ve all been dealt with by now, or else you wouldn’t be sitting here listening to me jabber on like this.” He gave everyone another attempt at a smile, and did manage to get a few chuckles from around the room, but only a few.
“Rest assured that everything has been taken into careful consideration.” Dr. Santos replied after Kaplan spoke. “We want everyone to be as happy as possible, to lead fulfilling and productive lives, here and on Jannah. The Match program has had decades of data poured into it, and has been wildly successful, especially in recent years. The positions have been assigned with the same kind of consideration. We ask that even if you disagree with either aspect that you give it time, that you put forth an effort, and that you look toward the bigger picture and the biggest reward. We all want a full and productive life on Jannah. The Initiative has built this entire structure to make it happen. These are the last stages of truly centuries of work to get to Jannah, and you will be the ones to finally reap that reward.” She smiled brighter than anyone else as she looked around, the smile of someone who believed in what she was saying. “By now, your questions should have been answered. If they have not, there will be time for all of you to approach an Initiative official after the matching and position placement has concluded. Also, each of you has already been assigned a communicator. All of our contact information is there at your fingertips, and you are more than welcome to contact us directly.”
Orion wasn’t completely comforted by the speeches that had been given, but he was still trying to be optimistic about the entire process, so as the leaders on the stage got the screens ready to start going through people, he looked down at Mercury. “Maybe they’ll decide you’d be better suited as Medical Director than Santos up there. She looks like she’s about sixteen.”
“And I don’t look sixteen?” Mercury teased, but she was feeling too uneasy to keep up the banter. “She’s very well-known in the field of psychiatry. One of the most-often referenced and researched in her field. She’s almost thirty, actually.”
“I see.” Orion still sounded like he didn’t quite believe her, but he shook his head and looked back up at the stage. They were discussing the way the rest of the meeting would go, with people’s names, faces, and future assignments up on the screen opposite the picture and information of the person with whom they were going to be matched. The leadership was talking about living arrangements, the fact that they were all being given the option of having private quarters to themselves or immediately moving in with their match. “Looks like they’ve thought all this out pretty thoroughly. More than I can say for their travel plans earlier today.”
Mercury just stared up at the screen and without saying anything she got up from her own seat and moved to sit in his lap, though the seats really weren’t wide enough to accommodate it. She closed her eyes and turned her attention solely onto Orion even while the leadership continued speaking on stage. “My stomach is all twisted in knots. What if they re-match us?”
“We talked about this.” He hugged her against him tightly and kissed her shoulder as they waited. “Whoever’s genetics end up whichever direction, all that matters is that I’m yours and you’re mine. That’s for life.”
Mercury nodded but it was hard not to feel worried or scared. Her life had been built on trusting and utilizing the Consortium and the systems within it, but it was hard to remember that when fear weighed heavily on her mind. They could put another man’s sperm in her, but she didn’t want that. She wanted her husband. Only Orion. “For life.” She repeated the words just to give herself some kind of comfort, but it wasn’t really working. “I can’t pay attention. I don’t want to.”
The four heads of the Initiative took turns reading off names as the process got started, looking around the room for each of them as they did. “Francis Adebayo. Security officer. Misha Angou, Communications.” Orion looked up at the mention of the man who’d been on his security detail earlier that day, and actually smiled as the man stood up and found the woman he’d been matched with across the room. She was from Earth, which Orion thought was interesting, but he didn’t have long to dwell on it before they moved on to the next name, and then the next, and the next.
Aiko, in the middle of the room, just clutched her small bag of personal items as she waited to hear her name. She was hoping to hear Gordon’s first to set her more at ease, but hers came up early on. Too early. She stood up as soon as her name was called, and then she glanced down at her brother. It took all her energy to stop herself from rushing to the bathroom just to keep herself from throwing up in public. She was afraid of being matched with Gordon, afraid of being matched with someone who would mistreat her or someone she couldn’t protect herself against without exposing herself and her secrets. Aiko pleaded silently with the gods that would listen that she would get a good man.
“Carlos Espinoza.” Va
nce said, as the face of one of the guards she had seen earlier that day came up on the screen, with the title of Security Officer under it. “Ms. Tanaka, as of just a few moments ago, we’ve been informed that Mr. Espinoza is out of surgery and expected to make a full recovery. He’ll be informed of being matched with you once he wakes up.”
She stared up at the screen, since she was surprised, but the man had seemed nice enough, even though he was easily three times her size. How did that make sense? Aiko nodded and continued staring at the screen until her picture and Carl’s disappeared. Was he a good man? She didn’t know, but he had been working to keep them all safe when he was injured. That had to mean something, even if the match itself was confusing.
More names came and went on the screen, people from every part of the world and every station in the sky getting matched with each other. People took up the pattern of standing and moving to sit with the person they were matched with after their names were read, or at least most people did. Some of them were obviously more reluctant than others to be matched, and some people refused to even stand up, though they were obviously there in the crowd. “Dr. Barry Woods, Medical Unit, Pediatric Director.” Kaplan read out as the young pediatrician’s face came up on the screen, and he smiled down into the crowd as he continued. “And Erebi Woods, Data Support.”
Mercury looked back at the screen as soon as she heard Barry’s name, since she considered him an ally in her field, and she felt a rush of relief when she saw that he was matched with his wife. “Oh, that’s so good. I’m so happy for them.”
