by Gorman, K.
With it gone, she felt suddenly cold and exposed. And smelling like glycerin.
She scrunched up her nose. “Time for that shower.”
And sleep, Tia said. Lots of sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
She woke up more refreshed than she’d felt at any point in the past week.
Part of it probably had to do with Leisler’s bed. It was huge. Like she’d been sleeping in an ocean. And she’d had it all to herself, which made her feel a bit bad for Marc, but only a little.
Being alone had been…truly relaxing.
Soo-jin and her armor had vanished from the main part of the suite when she’d woken up, and her Centauri comms device had messages about both of them―the former had wandered back to the Nemina, and the latter had been sent for repairs.
Through the windows, their view of Earth had hit its sunny side.
She smiled, watching the clouds drift over what looked to be the western coast of South America.
From here, she could pinpoint the location of the Brazilian compound. But only because she’d studied the map on the way in and had needed to land there.
She dressed into a change of clothes from the Nemina, a simple tank top with cotton pants―if they had a uniform for her, she hadn’t found it yet―ran a brush through her hair and put it up, grabbed a quick breakfast from the kitchen, and left with a coffee pack in her hand.
Her ensemble caught a few looks in the Artemide’s halls, and even more stares on the bridge as she joined Tillerman in the command station.
“Don’t you sleep?” she asked the woman.
Tillerman grunted. “I did. I just got up earlier.”
She chuckled. Whatever else Tillerman was, she certainly wasn’t afraid of her. Cautious, yes, and wary. But not afraid to joke around.
She wondered if she’d been this much of a sass machine with Leisler.
Didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be in command for much longer.
She took a sip of her coffee and looked at the main holo. “Any word from Mars?”
“No. They’re still looking. They estimate that it will be a few days, but they promise to call the minute they find something.”
Six minutes actually, with the time delay.
The bridge was quiet. Peaceful. She counted about half the people manning it as there had been when she had first come aboard and they’d been in action, getting fired upon, and having all sorts of political crises happening.
The quiet was nice.
“Your nose is bleeding,” Tillerman said.
Karin wiped at it with a knuckle, then examined the red smear on her skin. “So it is.”
“Is it a side-effect of your power?”
“Probably.” She took another sip of her coffee, then shifted her weight and turned back for the door. “Either way, I’m going to find out.”
On her way to Med, Tillerman patched a call from Fallon to her comms device. General Ramesh greeted her, asked her how she was doing, gave a quick update, and bid her goodbye.
Fallon had been letting him interface with most of their calls, which she didn’t mind. She preferred him over Crane, and Kozawa was harder to read.
Down on the Med floor, she nodded to a few cyborg officers in the corridors―she’d have to get Tillerman drunk and ask her why the Centauri had so many of them. Most people didn’t want to just up and hack off their limbs on a whim. Was Centauri so dangerous that amputation was a regular occurrence?―then turned into the Med bay.
Both Takahashi and Tylanus glanced up from one of the beds when she walked in.
“Ah, Karin―is that a nose bleed? Are you all right?”
She ignored him, pulling a tissue from one of the receptacles on the wall. “Yes, Doctor, I get them all the time now. Tia thinks it may be due to the increase in blood pressure, though I’m not so sure. You got that crown on you?”
“Certainly.”
She sat down on the nearest bed and looked past him as he fitted the crown on her. Tylanus had a healthier appearance today. He looked like he’d slept, for one, and he wasn’t so pale. His face even looked younger.
Good. They would likely need his strength to deal with Corringham.
“Have you seen your mother?” she asked as the crown on her head beeped.
He nodded. “Yes. We spoke.”
“How is she?”
“Uncertain. She has doubts as to whether you are capable of defeating Bernard Corringham.”
Karin had doubts, too, but she wasn’t about to voice them. Logically, Bernard’s strength would rely on how many Programs he’d managed to get into his Cradle. She’d defeated Sasha fairly easily, but the woman hadn’t been expecting it, and she’d grabbed her by the throat.
She’d like to do the same with Corringham. That meant catching him by surprise.
She rubbed the side of her nose, feeling the bone of her orbital ridge.
Takahashi made a tutting sound. “Please try to stay still, Karin. The sensors aren’t all that advanced. We’re only three centuries out of MRI technology.”
“Sasha used an MRI on me in Macedonia once. It was weird. Like going into a maintenance tunnel while the cleaner’s running.”
“I can imagine.”
She stifled a yawn. “Did your mother say anything else?”
Like how to kill him?
“No.”
She grunted.
The crown on her head beeped again. Takahashi flipped open his netlink and scrolled through the results.
“Let me guess,” she said. “Fever?”
“It’s gone down, actually,” he said. “Only two degrees above normal.”
“Hooray.”
“Yes. Normally, I would recommend finding a stress-free environment, but…” A smile twitched his lips as he looked around, taking in her new Med bay. “Perhaps a command position suits your health.”
“I was built for it. Recently,” she said dryly. “Anything else?”
“There’s some heightened activity, and what looks like a headache. Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?”
“No.”
“Then perhaps Tia has learned to hide it.” The corner of his lips twitched again, but downward this time. “I do have to caution her―the mind is not a computer. It can only handle so much modification.”
Hear that? she asked Tia.
Yeah. He can fuck off, came the reply.
Okay, then.
“Well, hopefully, it’ll soon be over. Is Shinji around?”
“I believe he is on the Nemina with Cookie, fussing with his E-Emitter.”
Marc would be there, too. And, last she’d checked, Bella was practically living in the cybernetics lab.
She closed her eyes, thinking.
Fuck, I hate waiting.
I’m sure, with two fleets now under your command, you can find something to do in the interim.
True, but nothing that will move me toward my goal. Nothing matters except that.
I think both of those fleets and their commanding officers might disagree with you. Tia paused. A slight pressure pushed on the top of her mind as the doctor mulled over their options. What about Elliot? You could go kill him.
I could. She opened her eyes. Tylanus had switched his attention to a netlink, and Takahashi was still perusing the data he’d received from the crown.
“Are we done here?” she asked.
“Yes, the test is complete,” he answered. “If you have places to be, I can communicate the results and my feedback to your comms device. The medical officer here was very kind in assisting me to integrate with their technology.”
Huh. That was handy.
“We’ll have to use some of their fancy dance machines at some point.” She looked around, taking in the room. “I’m guessing they have way better technology for this thing.”
“Yes, they definitely do. I look forward to working with them.”
Her lips twitched. Yes, she imagined he would. It wasn’t every day that a Novan neurosurgeo
n gained access to Centauri medical tech. And a cyberized brain in a tank. And a person who embodied the ultimate example of genetic engineering prowess.
“What are your thoughts on Bernard Corringham?” she asked. “You worked with him, right?”
“’With’ is a bit of a misnomer. Although we both were on the Project, I was more of a consulting specialist than someone invested in its outcome.” Takahashi lowered the netlink, shifting his head to the side as he remembered. “He was an interesting individual. Much older than he looked, which was unusual for those of his generation―only the very rich could afford the extenders in his day.”
“Both he and Elliot got them.”
“Yes, they did.” Takahashi’s jaw worked for a moment. “I don’t know much about their history, but I suspect they came from wealth.”
They did, Tia confirmed. Their family owned one of the first commercial gate-crossing ship lines. Made crap tons of money. One of them literally bought a moon. Elliot told me about it once. Apparently, they still received royalties from its mining in his mother’s day.
“Rich men,” Karin mused aloud. “Did you ever operate on him?”
“No,” Takahashi said. “If he received brain surgery, he must have had someone else do it.”
Odd. Wouldn’t he want a Eurynome expert to perform any surgery?
No, Bernard was always very secretive. He just kept it away from his public face. Talking to him, you would never have even suspected that he’d be capable of the things he did―he was very open, on the surface, stern, but professionally agreeable. But he kept the important stuff hidden so meticulously, it felt like I was dealing with the double life of a crime syndicate boss. The things I found…Well, let’s just say that I only found them after my prognosis, when it was almost guaranteed that I wouldn’t make trouble.
Ah.
Perhaps he is a psychopath?
Who knows. Tia made a disgusted sound in her head. I certainly won’t be making the time to psychoanalyze him. I’m just going to lop his head off. He’s done too much, and he’s too much of a threat. And I’m just done with him.
“If you are wondering about his power level, you could always consult with my mother,” Tylanus said, not looking up from his netlink. “She’s been obsessing over it for years, after all.”
“And, with half a Cradle behind her, she does pack a punch.” She let out a breath. “There’s also his brother to think about.”
“Elliot? That’s right, you have his address, don’t you?”
“I don’t, but Kalinsky does. He’s somewhere in Japan. I bet he would know about his brother.”
Tia snorted. I wouldn’t be sure of that. Elliot was always a little dense when it came to reading people.
Speaking from experience?
Tia’s tone had had some bitterness to it. It had only been last night that she’d vented about him.
“Fuck it,” she said, pushing herself off the bed. “I’m doing nothing right now. Might as well go kill someone.”
Tylanus looked up. “You’re going?”
“Yes.” She glanced over. “Would you like to come with us?”
He rolled his netlink screen down and folded it into his pocket, pushing off of the bed. “Yes. I haven’t been to Japan before.”
“Good. It’ll be fun. And violent.” Reaching into her pocket, she opened her own comms device and plugged in Kalinsky’s quick-select code. “Kalinsky? Karin here. I’m going to need that address.”
Chapter Forty
Elliot Corringham lived in a small villa nestled into the mountains next to the Tokyo-Yokohama corridor. Thick forest surrounded it, a mix of conifers and deciduous trees with the odd groves and shoots of bamboo adding a lighter green into the mix. November made for late fall in Japan, but many of the trees still clung to leaves that were red and brown, and the villa was enjoying a warm share of sunlight. Above, thin slips of hazy cloud touched the sky.
They reminded her of the clouds she’d seen outside the temple in Tartarus.
The Nemina’s ramp clunked when she stepped down, and she blinked, turning her gaze to survey their surroundings.
The villa wasn’t a traditional Japanese building, not like she’d seen in pictures of the country, but it had a distinctly Japanese look to it. It was low-set, similar to Songbird Sanctuary back on Enlil, but with a landscaping that reminded her more of the face of Seirlin Genomics on Korikishiko. A covered concrete pathway led to a front door next to a small, pebbled garden that dipped into a pond full of koi. Bamboo stalks rose up its sides, growing thicker farther back. Inside the yard, a patch of sunlight shone on a lawn of short, carefully mowed grass. A gurgle around the side made her suspect that the water feature continued into a stream around the house.
To the side, an older model of Fint stood next to the trees, its once-gleaming expense worn, but still exquisite against the deep red and green of its backdrop. Its ramp was up, but four slender limbs secured the craft in place, making it look like an elegant, geometric bird. Parked at its side was a newer model of ground vehicle, a slip of recent mud visible near its wheel wells from travel.
Soo-jin joined her side, along with Marc, Baik, Tylanus, Takahashi, Reeve, and Lieutenant Seki and Specialist Malouf. Both Tylanus and Takahashi had come with her from the Med bay. Marc and Soo-jin, she’d found on the Nemina when she’d gone down, and they’d both insisted upon coming. Baik, too, had been nearby. Reeve was still on probation, but she needed him to pilot. And Tillerman had insisted on Seki and Malouf as a security escort.
It was an…interesting party.
She’d also left Nomiki behind. Her sister had been otherwise occupied, and Karin didn’t altogether trust her not to kill Elliot Corringham on sight.
With Tia inside her, she needed to make sure it was her hands that did it.
Yes, Tia replied, catching wind of her thoughts. I can’t wait.
Well, you’ll have to wait a little longer. I’d like to talk to him first.
She felt a little regret at not bringing Nomiki along―her sister would, she suspected, also like to speak with him.
But Nomiki would live. Especially if Karin presented her with Elliot’s head on a platter.
Shit, maybe they could cryo-freeze it then resurrect him inside a computer, just like he’d done with Tia. Then Nomiki could kill him again and again, in a variety of situations.
It wouldn’t be quite the same as killing him first-hand, in person, but he wouldn’t know the difference.
Actually, that had been one of Tia’s violent fantasies about him.
The doctor had been…creative.
What can I say? I had a lot of time to myself, and a lot of hate to feed.
The wind picked up, driving the late fall cold into her hair and skin, and she shrugged the collar of her jacket a little farther up. Already, she was missing her armor, but her old clothes, a simple jeans, sweater, and leather jacket combo from the Nemina, were comfortable and familiar.
Takahashi stepped forward, his expression poised and curious as he looked around.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Japan,” he said.
“You’ve never been?” she asked.
“No. Only to Narita Airport, en route to the launch pad in Singapore. It was an enjoyable airport. However, it was still an airport.” He paused, taking it in. Then, he moved to lead the way to the door. “Well, let’s start this, I suppose.”
An old, gnarled wisteria grew from the middle of the pathway. Like many of the plants, it had lost its leaves to winter hibernation, but its limbs and vines snaked and twisted through a trellis above the water, joined by the thorny branches of a large rosebush and another vine-y bush that sprung over the far corner like a wooden weed. Several koi lounging in the pond drifted toward them, breaking the surface with their snouts in a clear sign of wanting food.
Takahashi pressed a button on a monitor holo by the door. A screen flickered upward into a square with a few Japanese characters visible, and a comms tone sounded.
“Dr. Corringham?” Takahashi leaned forward toward the microphone. “I’m not sure if you remember me. My name is Soichiro Takahashi. We used to work together.”
There was a long pause.
“Sony?” he asked.
Takahashi’s nickname.
Inside, Tia was frowning.
That doesn’t sound like Elliot. His voice was lighter.
Maybe it changed? she replied. He is seventy years older. Gene mods and hormone treatments can have an effect on timbre.
Some of the Eurynome kids had experienced that firsthand.
“Yes, it’s me.” Takahashi injected a smile into his voice. “I apologize for not calling. I’m afraid we couldn’t find your contacts anymore.”
“I’ve had to keep a low profile. I think you understand. Actually, I’m surprised you did manage to find me.” There was another pause. “Why are you here?”
Takahashi hesitated. “It’s by request of one of your former patients. Karin Makos, Program Eos. She’s here with me. She’d like to speak with you.”
This time, the pause was longer. When the man spoke again, his tone had dropped.
Tia’s frown deepened.
“Yes, I remember her.” He sighed, the sound audible over the speaker, and Karin could hear his wince. “Yes, I suppose I owe her that much. Is her sister here?”
“No,” Takahashi said.
So, it was a good thing I left Nomiki behind.
Nerves racked through her, but the anxiety quickly abated, pushed under by the logical processes of her mind. She took a breath and closed her eyes, feeling the sensations running through her. When they finished, she opened them again.
The world had turned sharper again, and power fluctuated through her blood. Symptoms of Tia’s mood.
She released a breath and forced her tensed fists and shoulders to relax, letting it go.
We need to talk to him first.
There was a rustling sound on the speaker. “I see there are others with you?”
Yes, they’d brought quite a party.
