“What?” Andrew asked, confused. The woman shook her head.
“Kids these days...”
“I’m older than you are,” he countered. “And I know tech already. Hell, I built a microprocessor in elementary.”
“Then explain to me why rerouting a security system when breaking into a noble’s house is a bad thing.”
“Uh, it’s not,” he told her, astounded. “You bypass the security system, nothing goes off when you’re inside. Piece of cake.”
“Except the history is still recorded, including when an external system bypasses the main router. It won’t trigger an alarm, but it will alert the authorities a bypass has been made when – not if – they look for it,” she told him. “Money breeds paranoia, and these people have both in spades. I bet their chief of security checks for something like this on an hourly basis. Now tell me, Mister Moneybags, how does Darius break into a house and plant the bug?”
“He...doesn’t,” Andrew paused for a moment before smiling. “He doesn’t need to. He just needs to get inside, and an invite is much more likely.”
“And easier,” the techie nodded. “The tough part is using what’s available on hand to build what you need. A microprocessor is easy to smuggle in, but why risk detection or suspicion by bringing in other items as well? Find what’s on hand, use it, and then leave when the party or meeting is over. Use your surroundings and adapt, not vice versa. Ingenuity is just the first step to having the proper mindset of a covert intelligence officer...”
#
“So, what’s it like?” Gan asked, three weeks later.
Andrew shrugged. “I feel as though I’m not me. I’m Darius Hastings. I know I’m Darius. Somewhere deep inside, though, is Andrew Espinoza.”
“Good,” Gan nodded. “What do you think of your assignment?”
“It’s...different,” Andrew said. “I’m nervous though.”
“What about?”
“What if someone more qualified than me applies for the job?” he asked. “I mean, my father took care of my mother after I was born, but when they both died...”
“He recognized you right before he died,” Gan smiled. “I’m glad you’re thinking like Darius, though. The interview process is a formality, really. The McCarroll’s have been looking at your family for a long time, ever since word got out last year the Hastings had but one bastard son remaining. No political clout, but still a valuable asset to have financially. It’s all about prestige to them.”
“So what happened to the real Darius?” Andrew asked, curious. Gan chuckled.
“Died as an infant,” Gan replied. “His mother, for tax purposes, kept saying he was alive. When she died we saw a potential opportunity and scrubbed the info. Nobody’s seen the boy since birth, so it’s hard to discount him. Hastings claimed him, possibly to help out the mother financially without pissing off his former wife, before he died last year. Plus, time changes everyone. Now you have a passing resemblance to the Hastings clan.”
“What about Dame Hastings?” Andrew wondered, his mind on the grand matriarch, the only surviving Hastings.
“Incapacitated. She’s not a political force, and since she’s but a minor noble, nobody’s worried about who the successor is – which is you, by the way. Better hope she doesn’t die before your mission is over.”
“I feel somewhat bad, misleading her so,” Andrew said, unconsciously slipping into the role of Darius. He rubbed his face with his hand, missing Gan’s subtle smile.
“She’d go along with it, if she were able,” Gan reassured him once more. “She was loyal to the Dominion first, which is more than I can say for the house you’re about to infiltrate.”
“I hope I can do this,” Andrew whispered to himself.
“As do I,” said Gan.
Chapter Four
Gabriel had been to the Roystav launch terminal many times before, most recently two months before, when he had traveled with Sophie to say goodbye. It had been heart-wrenching for both of them, though they knew they would be reunited in a few months. That lone fact had enabled Gabriel to keep his sanity while Sophie had been on the trip to Ptolemy, along with the occasional vid messages she would send through the transport shuttles. They had kept him going, kept him strong for the ensuing months. She was scheduled to reach Ptolemy that evening, while he was boarding his own shuttle for the long journey. And what, he thought as he set down his bag and scanned the terminal, was a few months when compared to the rest of our lives?
Though he had seen it before, the sprawling launch terminal in Marigold City was still an impressive sight. His gaze wandered across the ancient and weathered stone facade which was the foundation of the massive complex, where travelers waiting for their trip to the orbital station passed the time with family members and other passengers. Over thirty meters in height, the structure more resembled some ancient castle than the center of transportation for Belleza Sutil and the eastern half of the empire. Imposing in a traditional sense, yet designed with aesthetical grace and beauty, the Marigold Transport Terminal was something from an entirely ancient age.
Ivy crawled up the façade of the terminal walls, the dark green of the plant a stark contrast to the pale, rain-washed grey stone. A few trees dotted around the building, offering shade to the many who passed through its doors. Around the terminal was open grassland, a pleasant surprise in the industrialized city. The skyscrapers in the distance, however, easily reminded everyone just how important Belleza Sutil and Marigold City were to trade and commerce for the eastern fringe of the Dominion.
Gabriel whistled under his breath as he thought of the simple enormity that had gone into the task of constructing the behemoth. He quickly checked his personal datapad and was slightly surprised. He still had a few hours to wait until the flush process began for his preflight, so he decided to wander around the terminal. He pocketed the miniature device with a voiceless sigh. He had missed quite a bit of the atmosphere of the area the last time he had been there and wanted to get a lasting impression of the entire terminal. It might very well be, he figured as he picked his bag up and walked inside the massive structure, the last time I see the terminal in this lifetime.
His goodbyes to his parents had been short and sweet, with his mother promising to visit them on Ptolemy within a few years. His father had wisely kept his mouth shut through the tearful hugs of his mother. Gabriel had managed to hug his father without getting too choked up, both of them knowing it might be more than a few years before they could visit. His father had accepted it with his usual stoic manner, though his body was tense and nervous. Gabriel understood the nervousness and wished he could be as reasonable as his father was. He shook the memory away as he looked around the interior of the building.
The inside was rather crowded, a far cry from his previous visit. The open ceiling design allowed the natural sunlight to spill through, an attempt to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Natural plants grew in maintained areas, and in the center of the open area was a large fountain. It seemed to Gabriel this fountain was the de facto meeting place for those departing and the relative few waiting for arrivals. Families waited in small groups, sharing their final tearful farewells. Those waiting for their loved ones to arrive were easy to spot; their anxious faces were easily discernable when compared to the rest of the people near the fountain. He moved to one of the ticket counters set up off to the side of the manicured garden. He stopped just before he reached the counter, his stomach turning cold as he looked closer at the woman working the station. He recognized her, even from the distance, for what she was. What she represented and what he could, or rather would, eventually become. He repressed a shudder and drew closer, albeit reluctantly.
She’s an Imperfect, he thought as he rested a hand on the countertop. Like me. Well, kind of, he amended.
Gabriel’s flawed genetics were hidden from view and were only discovered through modern genetic testing. It was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it allowed him to move through
throngs of people without a second look. It made him appear Perfect, like the majority of the people in the terminal and on Belleza Sutil as a whole. On the other hand, it was psychologically overwhelming to know he was fine now, with only the possibility of being deformed looming in the distant future. To know his genes were not perfect; to suffer through the knowledge he would be forbidden by law to have children or even marry. All the well-paying, distinguished employment positions were off limits to him, and the military would only commission officers who were Perfects. To have his curse hidden from view was a double-edged sword, though. He could still blend with Perfects. The woman working the counter of the transport station, however, was forced to wear her flaws out in the open for the entire universe to see. And the universe, Gabriel knew, was a very unkind place for anyone who was not a Perfect.
Her face drooped slightly on one side, enough to draw unwanted attention from curious onlookers. One eye remained half-closed, her face partially frozen on one side. Her lips, when she spoke, only moved on the side where her face seemed normal. The other half seemed to be in a permanent frown. Despite his revulsion, Gabriel looked her in the eye and tried his best to smile. It was too forced, he thought an instant later. He knew he had already begun to fail.
“Hi,” he said as pleasantly as he could manage. He wondered what sort of response he would get from the disfigured creature. No, she’s a woman, he mentally chided himself.
“Good afternoon, sir,” she said courteously, a slight slur in her voice. She cocked her head towards him. He struggled to keep the revulsion from his face. “Traveling alone today?”
“I have a transport scheduled for Ptolemy, via the Orbital Station,” he said and tried his best not to look at the disfigurement of her face. He withdrew his datapad from his pocket and held it next to the scanner placed on the countertop. She looked down at the digital monitor Gabriel knew was hidden behind the counter edge and nodded slowly as his lift and personal information appeared.
“You have a few hours until you have to begin the flush process,” she observed, scratching her chin thoughtfully as she continued to read the information Gabriel’s datapad had transmitted to her screen. Gabriel repressed a sudden urge to vomit as her hand, withered and slightly deformed, touched her chin. He tried to look away, to not stare at the deformity. She lowered her hand back behind the counter as she caught his stare. How any company could let someone who was so obviously an Imperfect work in a public place was beyond Gabriel’s comprehension. Her demeanor towards him changed subtly when she spoke again, her voice more than a little colder than previously. “Would you like your confirmation ticket now?”
“Please,” Gabriel managed in a calm, controlled voice. He coughed slightly and felt slightly ashamed as he glanced back at the woman’s face. It had gotten colder, angrier. Gabriel felt his embarrassment rising with each and every second that passed. He swallowed nervously. “Thank you.”
The air between them was practically glacial as he waited for her to continue. Wordlessly she punched on the screen forcefully and the confirmation note appeared on the face of his datapad. Gabriel tried to ignore her obvious anger as he pocketed his datapad. Sighing internally, Gabriel looked away from the woman. He glanced around at the terminal, anything to avoid the angry stare of the Imperfect before him.
“You all aren’t better than us, you know,” she hissed through tightly clenched teeth. Gabriel looked back, slightly confused. Her eyes narrowed, and the paralyzed half of her face managed to look even more terrifying than it had minutes before when she had smiled at him.
“Excuse me?” Gabriel asked.
“Nothing, sir,” she said in a toneless voice. “You have yourself a perfect flight.”
“Um, sure,” Gabriel said with a jerky nod of his head. He turned and began to walk away as fast as he could, unwilling to admit to her what he was; that he was just as cursed as she was, though not in such an obvious way.
How could I tell anybody what I truly am, Gabriel asked as he walked towards a darker part of the terminal. He managed to avoid most of the curious looks from those who had caught the tail end of the counter clerk’s quiet tirade. His cheeks were burning in embarrassment and shame as he found one partially secluded spot behind the miniature garden to hide. He sat down on the stone bench.
Gabriel replayed the scene with the ticket agent in his head. He knew, had he been a Perfect, he could have the woman arrested for her rudeness. She would, most likely, lose her job and be penalized on her record. If she were able to find another job again, Gabriel knew from experience, it would be a minor miracle.
Would I have reported her? He wondered as he stared at the floor. Before I found out, would I?
It was difficult for him to imagine he would have, given the way he was raised. On the other hand, he knew his behavior towards the woman – despite his own condition – was one born of years of prejudice. His experience with them off the family farm was almost nil. Imperfects did not attend school, and other than a few trips to Marigold City as a child with his father, Gabriel’s only other long-term trip from home was when he attended university.
Imperfects were such a rarity on Belleza Sutil it was hard not to stare when they were as hideously marked as she had been, he justified to himself. He had never before seen such hatred from any Imperfect he had run across, especially the laborers who often worked on his father’s farm during the harvest. They usually were happy to have their jobs, and Gabriel’s father always treated them well enough. The absolute malice the woman had shown him was something he had never thought they were capable of.
Was this the rest of my life? He wondered. His own denial at what he was, what he represented? He shivered as the image of people shunning him like he had the woman at the counter ran through his head. Could he live like that? Would she be willing to live with him if people treated him like that?
“Of course she would,” he muttered to himself as he leaned back against a giant planter and closed his eyes. Sophie was above such pettiness, he knew from long experience. Gabriel knew that staring at physical imperfections like the woman was a bad thing. Sophie would have smacked him for being insensitive. He wondered if he could ever hope to be that selfless.
Two hours later, Gabriel found himself lying down in the most uncomfortable position imaginable. His feet propped up on stirrups, his legs were spread slightly apart as an attendant stood between them. A protective cloth gown, thin and nearly transparent, was all that stood between Gabriel and the complete loss of dignity. The man’s sudden smile made Gabriel cringe internally. Once more he wondered if he would die of embarrassment right then and there.
“Does everybody have to go through this?” he asked as the attendant smeared some sort of jelly-like substance onto a thin tube. The man looked at him with a crooked grin.
“Unless you can afford a private shuttle up to the Orbital Station,” the man replied as he eyed Gabriel’s nether regions. The man glanced back at the thin tube and grinned. He nodded to himself. “Yep, this is as good a size as any.”
“What do you–” Gabriel began to ask before he felt something cold and slimy rub somewhere very private. His face paled and he could feel sweat forming on his upper lip. He suddenly felt a strong desire to run from the private room, screaming at the top of his lungs, pride be damned. He shifted tactics in an effort to keep from running. “You’ve done this before?”
“In theory,” the man answered sadistically before he slid the tube inside Gabriel’s most private of places. Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock and horror as he tried to look back at the attendant.
“Ah!” Gabriel yelped slightly as a non-lubricated part of the tube rubbed against a particularly sensitive spot. The young man wondered if anyone had ever bolted from the room before with the plastic tube still dangling out of their ass and quickly decided he did not want to know. Lack of knowledge and the fear of being tackled while half-naked forced him to remain lying still on his stomach. The attendant chuckled and stepped ba
ck. Gabriel sighed and tried to conjure up mental images to distract him from the extreme amount of discomfort he was in.
“Ten, fifteen minutes tops and we’re done here,” the attendant commented. He looked away from Gabriel and consulted a screen. “You took that like a champ.”
Gabriel ignored him and continued to think about what life on Ptolemy would be like when he arrived. Only six more weeks, he struggled to reassure himself as a strange and particular sensation began to stir in his stomach. He wondered what it was for a half second before recognizing the flush. His head spun slightly as he thought of something, anything else, to let him overlook what the gentle water pulses were doing in his intestines.
Six more weeks. He coughed and nearly vomited as a familiar smell hit his nose. This had better be fucking worth it.
#
The Megiddo Orbital Station was in a state of chaotic disarray when he arrived.
Gabriel grabbed his large travel bag and stepped through the airlock, pushing his way through the throngs of people disembarking from the shuttle. It often helped that while he was normal height, the heavy work on his family’s farm had given him extra bulk. He used that to his advantage as he worked his way through the last group of people off the shuttle. He looked around in wonder. It was the first time he had ever been on the orbital station.
There was an indescribable tension in the thin air of the station, something Gabriel had not expected. Something bad has happened, he thought worriedly as he walked around one of the many air recycling stands located throughout the station. Many of the people were whispering amongst themselves with fear-filled faces. Gabriel did his best to ignore them, to ignore everybody. The less attention he drew to himself, the better off he would be.
He walked to the transfer terminal and looked up at the digital screen. His jump to Ptolemy was supposed to leave the Orbital Station less than five hours after his arrival. He had scheduled for the jump to take place as soon as possible after he arrived, to eliminate any potential problems with any DIB agents. While he trusted his father, a little paranoia had never killed anyone, he had reasoned while making his itinerary.
Wraithkin (The Kin Wars Saga Book 1) Page 6
