by RS McCoy
“But you couldn’t go back.” Dasia knew her too well. Mable never returned to the surface, not because it was forbidden or prohibited or criminal, but because she didn’t deserve it. She could never live the Scholar life. Not anymore. She couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t carried her son inside her.
“Arrenstein sent him to live with my brother on a colony.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“Filmore terminated the colony. They’re gone.”
“Mable, look at me. That’s not your fault. You had nothing to do with that.”
Mable’s hands went still in her lap a moment before Dasia covered them with her own. “Look at me. Mable. That wasn’t your fault. Don’t even pretend like it was.”
“But I—”
“You’re going to get through this just like all the other shit you’ve been through. Except this time, you have me and Theo.”
Mable looked up at Dasia and let herself smile. “I’ve created a monster,” she said with a laugh.
“Are you going to tell me what happened with Theo?” Dasia asked.
Mable didn’t even know if she could put it to words. But this wasn’t Arrenstein she could blow off. This was Dasia. And she had a right to know.
“I think it’s pretty serious.” Mable shrugged and tried to think of a better explanation.
“You think? Did you see the look on that boy’s face? He’s definitely serious.”
Mable rolled her head back and laughed. “Yeah, he is.” Theo Kaufman was nothing if not serious. “He said he loved me,” she blurted out.
“Did you say you love him back?” Even without looking, Mable could hear the edge in her voice.
She squinted as she looked up and answered, “Yeah. I did.”
“Are you freaking out?”
Mable started to answer then stopped, not really sure what the answer was.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Dasia said with a laugh. “Since he invited me here, and is playing sexy music in our ears, I’m assuming he’s cool with us?”
She never would have believed it until it happened, and even then, she still wasn’t sure. It was too surreal. Too impossible. But the evidence was mounting in his favor.
“Is that what you want?” Dasia asked more quietly.
“Yes, I want you. Of course I do.”
She smiled. “I mean, do you want both of us?”
“I don’t deserve both of you.” Mable wasn’t sure she deserved even one of them.
“I didn’t ask that. I asked if you wanted us. Is that what will make you happy?”
Mable nodded.
“Then who gives a fuck about the rest of it?”
Dasia’s hand appeared at the back of Mable’s head and pulled her into a crushing, heart-bursting kiss. Mable felt a tear slip down her cheek, but she refused to make a move against it. Her hands were too busy clutching at Dasia’s flesh.
Mable straddled Dasia’s hips and let her hands rove all over. Her lips sucked at her neck as hard as she dared. Beneath her, Dasia bucked and protested until at last, Mable found herself flipped on her back, hands pinned above her head.
Her breath ragged, Dasia said, “You know, at first, I thought this would be fun. I’d come over and see you and have something fun to do. Experiment a little. Get Cole out of my head for a few hours.” Dasia used her free hand to stroke the side of Mable’s neck, her thumb pulling at her earlobe.
“You’re not having fun anymore?” Mable asked, more than a little confused about the sudden flashback.
Dasia smirked and shook her head. “I just never imagined we’d end up here. You with Theo. Me with Osip. You and me stronger than ever. I thought it would be fun, a fling at best. I had no idea what you would do to me.”
It was one of the hottest things Mable had ever seen, yet alone experienced. Helpless, pinned to the bed as Dasia gushed in full intensity above her. Drumbeats raced in her ear. Her breath quickened with each passing word.
Within moments, Mable fully gave in. She could no longer hear the music over the racing of her own heartbeat.
AIDA
LRF-FIC
SEPTEMBER 17, 2232
A sharp pain started in the back of her neck and radiated through her shoulders. A bright light shone overhead, so that even as she blinked, she could see vivid blue spots. Her back was pressed to an unforgiving metal surface.
Aida hurt everywhere.
Along the back of her neck, the pain crept into her head like a worm made of broken glass. It shredded everything it touched until she had to slam her eyes shut again. She pressed fingertips to her temples. After a few seconds, the pain receded.
Then, there was screaming. “Oh my god. Aida—”
The voice was familiar, Calvin—no, Vince—but it was shrill and damaged in a way she’d never heard from him.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt? Can you hear me?” he continued in rapid-fire.
Aida felt hands all over her—on her wrists, on her shoulders, on her forehead. When she blinked open her eyes, she was prepared for the pain, but this time, there was only the stark light of the clinic.
Vince stood silhouetted above her. His green eyes were darker than she’d ever seen.
“Since when do you believe in God?” she asked.
His frown faded into a smile, then unapologetic laughter. “Since you scared the shit out of me,” he said between laughs.
Tired and aching against the metal table, Aida pushed herself to sitting and swung her legs over the side.
“Hey, take it easy. Go slow,” he told her, refusing to let go of her hand.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. We need to do a full evaluation and see what happened. You—”
“What happened?” she asked as she pulled her hand from his.
Vince set his jaw. “What do you remember?”
Aida thought back and tried to piece it together. “Your name is Vince. You’re an agent of Dr. Arrenstein’s. He asked to put an alien bug in my brain, and I said yes. I saw Maggie pull them out of people, their ears and eyes and mouth. Some she had to cut open. I remember a noise, like a scream but different.”
“That’s probably for the best. You only missed the really horrible parts.”
“What horrible parts?”
“The part where you got infected and then didn’t wake up for more than a day. The part where you made us think you’d never wake up.”
“Did it work?”
Vince nodded and smiled a little. “You put in the code on the first try.”
“How is that possible?”
“The bugs wanted you to do it, I guess. They interact with your neurons. The Slight can manipulate memories. It’s possible you knew the code, but the memory was damaged, or that you never knew it, so the Slight supplied it. Either way, you had it.”
Aida wrinkled her nose. It felt dirty to be used as a puppet that way.
“Do you want me to tell you what it was?”
“What what was?”
“The code.”
Aida couldn’t think of a single reason why it would matter, but clearly he thought she should know. “Sure. What was it?”
Vince held up his tablet and showed her the display. On it she read: 6624519003-27.
“That was it? That was the access code Sal used?”
“Yes. I’m sure you recognized the first ten.”
“Of course. They’re my ID sequence.”
“What’s the 27 for?” Vince set the tablet in her lap and looked up at her as he waited for the answer.
“It’s for 2227.”
“The year you got married?”
Aida nodded. “It doesn’t make any sense. Sal wasn’t sentimental. He didn’t care about me that way. Why would he use—”
“Because he was. He cared about you as much as a Scholar could. As much as he thought he was allowed. And he had a bug in his brain manipulating him. Who knows what he would have been like on his own?”
�
�Bugs can’t change people that much. They’re still who they are.” Aida wouldn’t give the bugs credit for Sal’s shortcomings. He had been that way all his life. He’d been that way the day she married him. It was a disservice to him to think otherwise.
Vince pulled the acrylic cube from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I could always tell when you were infected. You’d tell me that you didn’t think the research mattered anymore. That you wanted to go back to Earth and start a family. You pressured Sal for a while, and I guess the bugs eventually thought it was best if you went. You were all set to go through with it.”
In her hand, encased in acrylic, was the only piece of Sal that remained. A single cell with his genetic code, a fine one at that.
“It’s not fair,” she said aloud. “He wanted this, too. He should be here. It’s not fair.”
“No. It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair that you did all that work and found a planet only to be forced to give it up. It isn’t fair you had a bug in your head over and over and over again. None of it is fair.” Vince held her hand between both of his and leaned down to kiss her wrist. Then, without warning he stood and walked away.
“Where are you going?” she called out as he reached the door.
“To pack my things. As it turns out, I’m grossly underqualified for my position.”
“But I need you.”
Vince shook his head. “You don’t need me. You’re brilliant, and you’ll have a team of the best researchers available.” He smiled and added, “I have complete faith in you.”
“Vince, wait.” Aida slid down from the table but had to clutch its edge. The room seemed to tilt as she stood.
He came back over to her, but only to help steady her. “I know what I did, Aida. I know that I lied and deceived you in every way possible. It was my job to be a Scholar, but I chose the rest. I made the decision to get close to you, and you have every right to hate me for that.”
“Vince—” she protested, but he was already gone.
Sal was gone, and now Vince, too. It was probably for the best. She could start over—start fresh with a new team and a new list of potential planets. Aida looked at the cube in her hand. It was for the best.
THEO
LRF CORRIDOR
SEPTEMBER 17, 2232
Three hours at FIC had been his fill. Theo set to meandering around the expansive corridors of the LRF. He couldn’t sit and watch Aida any more. And he couldn’t go back to his apartment. He wouldn’t risk interrupting Mable and Dasia.
So Theo walked. Round and round the facility he walked. Like an apparition, floating from department to department, never going in, never engaging, only watching.
Then he came upon a large viewing port. The Earth happened to be passing by, enlarged by the telescoping lenses of the port.
It was the blast craters that gave him pause. Europe was speckled with the brown and black scars of dome attacks. Dozens of cities damaged or erased entirely. Stockholm, Madrid, even Berlin.
Berlin hurt his heart most. It had survived so many wars, stood resilient in the face of nuclear war and Nazis. He’d kissed Mable in a hotel bathroom before their first international extraction.
And now the whole city was gone. Nothing more than a crater in the ground.
“This used to be one of my favorite views,” offered a deep voice.
Theo turned to see Director Filmore. His yellow beard was a stark contrast to the coal tone of his skin. He wore a pressed and fitted suit that gave him an air of prestige that rivaled Dr. Arrenstein.
“Good afternoon, Director.”
“Good afternoon, Dr. Kaufman. Though I suppose that isn’t your name, is it?” Director Filmore let his intimidating glare fade into a warm smile.
“I’m Theo Kaufman, but I’m not a doctor. I didn’t even last a day at the Academy.” Theo put both his hands on the railing and gazed out at the scarred planet.
“It used to be lovely. It was a beautiful blue planet once. Not all this brown and orange, but a bright, deep turquoise with indigos and cerulean. The sky was pale blue, and the forests were dense and green.”
Theo turned to look at the director. His eyes were distant as they stared out the viewing port.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t figure it out sooner.”
Director Filmore settled against the railing beside Theo. “It’s not your fault. The Earth was ruined centuries ago. It’s been dying since before you and I were born. It was dying before the war. Humans are terrible guests.”
“You think that’s why they did all this? To keep us from ruining their planet?”
The director nodded and explained, “Of course. They’ve seen what we did to our own world. They’ve seen our penchant for waste and possession. We’ve killed every species that didn’t directly contribute to our stomach, and even those are struggling. We can’t go on much longer like this, but the rest of the cosmos is under no obligation to host us until we figure it out.”
Theo couldn’t deny the ugly truth of it. There was too much evidence. The bugs had worked too hard to keep humans away. He couldn’t really blame them.
“Now we just have to figure out what we’re going to do.” Director Filmore tapped his palms against the metal railing.
Theo looked down and tried to think of what to say. One of the most powerful men alive reduced to nothing more than doubts and nostalgia. Theo didn’t know how to help him.
Then, his wristlet vibrated. On the screen, he read, CALVIN HILL: AIDA AWAKE.
He reread the words several times to be sure he had them right before he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been too worried, but it was good to know she was all right.
Director Filmore’s tablet beeped with ecomm notification as Theo’s wristlet vibrated again.
SILAS ARRENSTEIN: MEETING IN FILMORE’S OFFICE.
“Apparently I have been summoned to a meeting in my own office,” the director said as he read his message.
“Yeah, me, too.”
“He’s really impossible, isn’t he?”
Theo laughed. “Dr. Arrenstein? Pretty much.”
They arrived at the director’s office less than five minutes later. Dr. Arrenstein sat in one of the plush office chairs and stood when they entered.
“What’s going on?” Director Filmore asked. He walked around the desk and sat in his office chair.
“Dr. Perkins is awake. There have been no reports of further attacks on Earth or its colonies. I think it’s time we discuss the roles of my agents going forward.”
Filmore sighed and pressed his fingertips together. “Abby stays.”
“Agreed.”
“I don’t have any opinion one way or another about the others. They’ve hid here long enough. They’re clearly capable. If you need them elsewhere, we can fill their positions. I’m sure there will be plenty of Scholars in need of new research opportunities.”
“We’ll leave it up to them, then.” Dr. Arrenstein turned and looked at Theo. “What do you want to do?”
For once, Theo knew what his answer was. He knew exactly how he would spend the rest of his life. It was the easiest question. “I want to go where Mable goes.”
Dr. Arrenstein rolled his eyes. “She got you good, Kaufman.”
“That’s fine with me.” He laughed and shrugged. There were worse things.
“Get her in here, then. Let’s get it figured out so I can make the arrangements.”
“Uh, well, she’s kind of busy at the moment.”
“She’s busy?” Dr. Arrenstein put his hands on his hips. “Fine, send an ecomm to Dasia.”
Theo laughed so hard he had to cover his mouth. “She’s busy, too.”
Dr. Arrenstein fumed until the realization settled over his face. “You knew?”
“Of course. I’ve spent more time with her than anyone else.”
“Fine, how about Vince? Or is he busy, too?”
Theo entered the message into his wristlet and sent it off. When his wristlet vi
brated again, he thought it would be the response from Vince, but instead he read, MAGGIE KAUFMAN: WHERE ARE YOU?
“Hey, so I would love to stay for this, but—”
Dr. Arrenstein only laughed. “Get out of here. And send her in when you’re done.”
SILAS
LRF-AQ
SEPTEMBER 18, 2232
“I can’t convince you to stay?”
Vince shook his head. “Just tell me where you’re setting up the new facility. I’m sure you’ll need help getting started.”
“Well, that’s the thing, Vince. If the bugs are really gone, if they pose no further threat, then we don’t have need of a facility. Masry will give us something small to make sure there isn’t a flare up, but CPI is done.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I have a few things in mind,” he admitted. “I think you should stay. They’ll need your help and Dr. Perkins—”
“Wants nothing to do with me, and rightfully so. I told you, she’s smart. She’s smart enough to know I’m not good for her.” Vince hung his head.
Silas recognized a resolve in him that wouldn’t waver. Vince had never been the sort to do anything halfway. If he had made up his mind, there was nothing else to do.
“I’m headed back to Earth on the shuttle tomorrow afternoon. They set up a temporary terminal out of Charleston. We’ll start there. I’ll send you specs when I have everything ready.”
“Thanks.” Vince headed out. He nearly hit Dasia as he passed through the door.
“Hey Dasia.” Silas smiled. He never would have thought Dasia to be the one to figure it out and save them all. But she had. And Silas had scarcely been more proud of anyone.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah, come on in.” Silas offered her one of the chairs in front of Filmore’s desk. Thankfully, Filmore had slithered off to be with Abby, so he could at least talk to Dasia alone. “I’ve been talking with all the agents. New York is gone. CPI is gone. Without a bug threat, there’s no reason to institute the program again. So we have a few options. I can guess what you’d like, but I want to hear it from you.”
