by Mark Eller
"No showers and no cars and no holovision or radios or real hospitals."
"It's a lot to give up," Perk agreed. "I think being filthy rich will make up for a few of the inconveniences."
She had a point so Aaron reluctantly agreed to carry her over. She spent the next day shopping, and then formally called in and quit her job. The call turned out to be unnecessary since she had been fired two days earlier for not showing up to work for the last several days. Her former boss did have one specific request. He wanted his cab back. Wearing a faint smile, Perk promised to have it back to them in two days, just as soon as she finished having it washed and detailed.
Once Aaron emptied his apartment, Perk took him to her house where he shipped everything she pointed at. She did not want much, just her linens, her chairs and her waterbed. The waterbed took the most work since it had to be drained first. From the way Perk talked, Aaron gathered that the bed was her most prized possession. She told him that she understood refilling the thing would be a real chore, but that was all right because she was willing to fill it with a thimble if she had to. Personally, she thought there was nothing quite so fine as crawling into a warm waterbed on a cold winter night.
Aaron did not have the heart to remind her that waterbed heaters required electricity.
While they were looking over the last of her things Aaron heard a click from the front door. Alarmed, he automatically stumbled to the side and fell to the floor so the dart missed him by inches and thudded into Perk.
Empty dart gun in one hand, a small device held in his other, Aybarra watched him from the open doorway. "Turner, if you move you are dead. If I release this button a signal will be sent to a satellite. That satellite will send its signal to several others, and they will do the same. The lot of them will broadcast another signal that covers this entire continent, and that signal will blow the bomb implanted in your back no matter where you send yourself."
"Wow," Aaron commented. "That seems like a lot of bother just to invite me to the party. Why can't you people just leave me alone?"
Aybarra grimaced. "Orders. We have two hundred men out there looking for you. It's unfortunate that I'm the one who found you, but I did. Turner, the militia compound exploded when we raided it. The entire place was mined, so don't believe what you heard on the news. They blew themselves up, and they took out half a dozen of us when they did it. Nothing is left, and we have no idea who died and who escaped. Klein may not be back again, so you are the only access we have to that other world. We need to study you. We need to learn how to duplicate what you do, and then we will have new areas to expand into. There are too many people, Turner. This land won't support many more so we need a place where we can send our excess, our waste. Then we can grow again."
"W--won't be ssstudy if--kill him," Perk said, her voice drug blurred. She tried to pull herself up from the floor, hesitated when she halfway succeeded, and then fell heavily back.
"We will have his brain if he forces our hand," Aybarra said, "and we found some partial notes and prints for a machine that might copy what's in that brain. Cooperate, Turner, and we'll reconnect your neural transmitter. You'll be able to go back again. I'll see to it."
"And if I refuse?"
"You'll be declared a traitor," Aybarra said.
Smiling mirthlessly, Aaron readied himself as he slowly rose. "Well, I don't want that so I'm willing to work with you for as long as I stay on this world."
Aybarra stood transfixed a moment too long. It took half a second for Aaron's twisted arm to register with him, another half second for him to realize exactly what that twisted arm meant.
Aaron's smile turned crooked. "Time's up."
Aybarra's thumb reflexively released the dead man trigger, but he was too late.
Flicker
Chapter 27
Crash.
"Oomph--Arrgh." Thud.
"Next damn time, Turner," Perk cursed, "pick a smoother place to land."
Aaron grinned because her clear words showed that transferring defeated drugs. He flexed his shoulders experimentally and found that they moved quite freely. That meant he did not have a hole blown in his spine.
What an absolutely wonderful thing.
"Miss Perkins, there will be no future landings." He flicked on his pocket flash. The lower cellar was a shambles and not much else. Perk lay on the floor, a tipped over reclining chair across her legs. Her arm was caught in the drawer from the waterbed pedestal. Cursing again, she plucked the dart out of her trapped arm and tossed it away.
"Aaron, get off your lazy ass and get me out of here!"
After carefully picking his way slowly over to her, Aaron bent to lift the chair up. "Two mistakes in that sentence. First names are not used except under special conditions. Between men and women it means they are related, married or are considering marriage." He tried to open the drawer, only to find that it was jammed against her body. "Help me out here. Scoot over a few inches."
She managed to gain him enough room to open the drawer two full inches. He pulled her arm free and helped her stand.
"Second mistake is your use of profanity. That is considered very improper in this world. In fact, it's extremely rude. I've even seen one instance where it caused a duel with knives."
She looked shocked. "For swearing!"
Aaron guided her to the ladder. "This particular incident referred to a young woman's sexual practices. She took offense and declared a challenge. Fortunately, neither woman knew how to use weapons so both of them escaped with only a couple minor cuts. Up you go."
With the agility of good health and youth Perk quickly climbed the ladder, opened the trap door and was gone. Half-crippled, Aaron struggled against his slowly straightening arm as he reached for a rung, grimacing when the pain shot through his arm and shoulder. Since he would never go to Jefferson again, this was the absolute last time he would have to go through this ordeal.
By the time he climbed to the ice room, Perk had already made her way to the back room. "Somebody's out there."
Light flickered under the door to the main store.
Aaron shrugged. "Nothing to worry about. This is an honest town." He opened the door. Maybe Cathy and Sarah were waiting out there. God, he missed them both.
Kit sat on a chair beside the counter. A lantern flickered beside her, and one of Aaron's shotguns lay across her lap. When the door opened, she jerked her head around and grinned.
"Thank the Lord and the Lady. We thought you were going to stay forever." She peered behind him. "Miss Perkins, is that you?"
Perk pushed past Aaron. "Sure it is. I had to see what a real world looked like."
"Sarah said you were coming over, especially after some of the stuff we hauled out of there yesterday. Aaron, Sarah won't be around until tomorrow. The council has her pretty busy right now. A lot has happened while we were away, and we need to talk about Miss Ba--"
She rose as Aaron moved past her when he heard noise coming from Bayne's Reading Emporium. Smiling, he felt warmth run through him because Cathy was in there. She waited for him, and he no longer entertained doubts. He loved her. He really did love her. Their time apart had proven that.
"Aaron, wait a minute. There's something you need to--"
Quietly opening the connecting door, he saw Cathy kneeling on the floor, a box of books beside her. She was putting an armful of them on the shelf.
Aaron stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of her. She looked so damn good it made his gut ache. Young, fresh, vibrant, hair pulled back, baring her face. Never a classic beauty, she appeared striking in her blue and green dress. Eyes large with surprise, her full lips parted slightly when she saw him. Awkwardly dropping the books she held, Cathy turned more fully to him, clenched hands rising to press against her breast.
Gods, it was good to be home. She looked so damn lovely. Emotion filled him, rushed through him. Love. He wanted to weep for the joy of it. This woman standing before him was his girl, his woman child, his
beloved. He did love her, and he wanted her, and he wanted to cherish her for the rest of his life.
Slowly drawing in a shaky breath, Cathy released it with a shudder when Aaron dropped to his knees beside her. He pulled her to him and reached hungrily for her lips, touched them--for one brief moment he pressed his lips to the softness of hers.
And then Cathy jerked away.
She leaped out of his arms and stood with her back against the shelves, chest heaving, hands held protectively in front of her. Tears trickled from her eyes.
"Mister Turner--p--p--please I--don't. I--I'm so sorry. I can't--I can't love you. I've--somebody else."
Crying, she rushed to the front door, fumbled a moment at the lock, and ran into the night.
Stunned, Aaron remained on his knees. His stomach churned. His chest ached, and his face hardened into a mask.
The front door swung slowly closed on its hinges, clunked into the doorframe, and then gently swung back open.
Standing carefully, Aaron tottered woodenly to the door, pulled it to him. latched it shut.
Kit stood in the open connecting door. She looked stricken.
"Miss Hawks," he said with slow deliberation, "would you be so kind as to visit Steven Knight in the morning and inform him that our truce is ended? I will call him out within the next day or two."
She shook her head. "Mister Knight has nothing to do with this. Mistress Halfax told me that he tried to protect your interests while you were away. According to her, he tried to interfere and talk sense into Miss Bayne for several days. Mister Turner, what are you going to do?"
Watching Kit, Aaron felt totally lost and bemused. He looked slowly around the Emporium. The shelves were filled. The room was crowded with tables and chairs and carpets covered more than half the floor and woven baskets decorated the newly painted walls. He walked slowly to the table where two kerosene lanterns burned, blew one out, then the other. Turning in the suddenly dim room, he looked at Kit standing in the doorway.
"Could you take Miss Perkins to the Traveler's Rest, Miss Hawks? I am going to bed now."
Not waiting for her answer, he pushed past her and walked to the ladder of his loft. He climbed the ladder, found his bed and lay down while the sound of footsteps and the soft thunk of a closing door echoed beneath him.
Hours passed. He counted ten thousand sheep. After a long while he threw away the sheep and counted grains of sand, but he still could not sleep for the racing of his brain. His mind ran circles and more circles, and then he remembered turning circles to the sound of distant music, remembered the feel of Cathy in his arms while they did slow circles around the floor Cathy's voice murmuring "And one, and two." He remembered, and he hurt, and he remembered until his confused mind refused to remember any more, and then there was nothing left but restless sleep where he dreamed of heartache and betrayal until the wounded parts of him wanted to curl up like a salt covered slug.
* * *
Aaron skipped breakfast in the morning. Instead, he rummaged though his goods until he found a specific package, and then he carried it to the doctor's. Four minutes of hard knocking passed before the door opened. Blinking sleepily, Mistress Alda Gunther's brows creased with worry.
"Mister Turner. What is it?"
Aaron turned to look at the barely visible sun with his burning eyes and saw that it only peeked over the horizon. Maybe he had come a bit early. "Is the doctor available, Mistress Gunther? I need to speak with him."
"Is this important? He was up late last night. He really needs to--"
"I really need to see Mister Turner." Hair uncombed, shirt buttoned unevenly, Doctor Gunther looked over her shoulder. "A bad case you dropped in my lap, sir. The girl will not respond to anything. At the moment she is unconscious, breathing very shallow, and cold. What can you tell me about her condition that might help with her treatment?"
"She's addicted to drugs," Aaron said. "I don't know what kind. Right now her body is protesting because she quit taking them. Maybe I can help you out, Mister Gunther. I'm told that everyone has a Talent. Is this true in your case? Could you tell me what it is?"
The doctor looked at Aaron speculatively. "There must be a reason behind your request, Mister Turner. The direction of a person's Talents is usually considered too personal for idle conversation. Mine, naturally, is healing. Though not an especially strong Talent, it was strong enough to lead me to this career. I'm afraid that I barely get any help out of it at all--but sometimes--sometimes it gives me a hint or a hunch. To be honest, if not for my Talent I would have become a bricklayer like all three of my mothers and both my wives." He smiled ruefully. "I probably should have anyway. There is more honest labor in bricklaying, and bricklayers get paid for every job they do."
Aaron handed him the package. "Please open this when you are alone. Don't let anyone else touch it"
Missy waited for him at the store.
"Mister Turner, I haven't seen Cathy since yesterday. Did you see her? Was she here last night?"
Opening the store's door, Aaron guided her in. "Yes, I saw her. No, she was not here all night." He moved behind the counter and checked the cash box. It was full. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"Mistress Halfax doesn't want me or Ann working mornings or nights now that the Guard is here. She says our ears are too young to listen to them." Missy drew a deep breath. "Mister Turner, I'm so sorry about Cathy. I've told her that I think she's stupid. We've argued almost every night for weeks, but she insists that she loves him. How could she love him after she's been leading you along all this time? You are so good and strong and kind that I would never let you get away if you cared for me like you do her."
Aaron sighed sadly. The ache in his breast would not go away. "Sometimes people are just not right for each other, Missy. I wasn't sure how I truly felt about her until last night. I knew I liked her. I was infatuated with her, but I wasn't sure I loved her until it was too late. Can I blame her for being confused about her emotions when I had no idea what my own were? Missy, I am twenty-five. She is still a young girl."
"Well!" Missy stamped her foot. "She could have remembered that we would have starved last winter if not for you. She could have remembered that much!"
"I'm sure she does," Aaron said. "However, gratitude is nothing to base a relationship on. Look, I won't lie to you. This hurts. It hurts a lot, but I will get over the hurt, and I will still care for her."
Clapping sounded from the doorway.
"How noble," Perk said dryly. She moved into the store. "Now get your head out of your butt and smell the roses. The girl did you dirty. Did you know she is already married? She got married the day after you left. I heard that one while Sarah was treating me to breakfast. It's all the morning gossip along with the latest news on the war. Aaron, I want you to remember that some friends stay loyal, and I'm one of them. You want some butt kicked? I'll do it for you once we find out who the fellow is."
Astonished, Missy stared at Perk's piercings. "How do you get those stones to stay on the side of your nose?"
Perk ignored her. "Well?"
"Don't kick any butt for me," Aaron begged, "and don't go looking for a name. I don't want to know who she married. Not yet. Not until I'm ready. Until then, just stay my friend."
"Easy enough to do."
"Sure is," Missy agreed, "but I know who Cathy married, and if you ask me..."
"I don't want to know," Aaron repeated. He gave her a thin smile while jealousy clawed relentlessly at his gut. "Missy, as a favor to a friend, could you talk to Mister Sever for me? Tell him I want this connecting door removed and the wall put back up."
"Of course."
Missy left on the run, and then Aaron convinced Perk to watch the store for him while he visited the bank. Remembering his earlier visit, he slipped on an apron and put a revolver into its front pocket.
Mistress Banks was glad to see him and astounded by his requests. She readily searched her records for a medium sized home that was for sale,
and she even knew of an empty, overlarge farmhouse just outside of town that had plenty of rooms, though it needed plenty of work too. Afterward, she drew up the papers he requested and redrafted his will while he looked over the notes on the farmhouse.
He bought the farmhouse as well as a smaller, seven-room home on the north edge of Last Chance because it was more than past time he moved out of his loft. Finished, he left the bank and returned to the store.
When he walked through the door he found Perk trying to intimidate Cathy by her very physical presence while Kit exuded a wave of intense, disapproving cold over the girl. Mister Sever stood by, looking nervous.
Cathy was having none of it. Though younger and slighter than the weight lifter, she stood up to Perk with a defiant pride. Back straight, chin lifted, there was no give in her toward either of the women.
Aaron gestured to Sever. "Can you have that doorway sealed today?"
Sever nodded uncomfortably. "I can set one of my men onto it before the day is over. Don't see why he can't have a wall up for you by dark, although it will be a day or two before he can fix the seam so it won't show."
"That doesn't matter," Aaron said. "After he is done send him out to the old Dunham farm. I want the place put to rights, never mind the cost. I'll need four bunks set up in every bedroom except for the three smaller rooms where I want only a single double bed. Twenty-eight bunks altogether. Make sure there are dressers and closets to match. Sturdy furniture for the rest of the house."
Sever whistled. "That's a lot of work. I'll have to pull people off other projects. May I ask what is going on? The information might help me decide how to go about this."
Aaron walked over to him. "You may. I intend to open a house for homeless children. I will provide funds for their clothing and food as well as wages for four adults to care for them. While they are in my care they can plant crops and learn the benefits of work on a farm." He looked at the others in the room. "A lot of people have suffered because of me. It's time I made amends."
