by Gian Bordin
"Yes, even more. Please, take it."
"It makes me look taller." She turned some more. "All right. I take it."
They also bought suitable clothing for Atun, and wristunits for the 26-standard-hour, 7 minutes and 31 seconds Andromatis day, divided into 24 Andromatis hours. Although the Old Earth calendar did not really fit, the Andromatis year consisted of 413 days, divided into 14 months, alternating 29 and 30 days and exactly 59 weeks. Every sixth year the last day of the second month was dropped to adjust for drift. They had landed on Monday, the 23rd of the fifth month.
Back at the hotel, he suggested that she should shave her underarms and legs — she had already noticed that people seemed to remove their hair there — and he insisted that she have her hair and fingernails done in the hotel hair salon before dinner. Hair styling was still seen as an art and therefore done by humans. Yuen-mong declined to have her hair died or to get one of the elaborate towers that were the current fashion and opted for a conservative French bun that enhanced her aristocratic features.
They dined in the hotel restaurant on the top floor, both wearing their new evening clothes. She could literally feel all eyes turned on her as they were shown to their table at a window. For the first time she also became aware of her slight limp and tried to compensate for her shorter right leg.
Atun was beaming and she could see his love for her in his eyes. She enjoyed the dinner, although neither the food nor the wine did come up to the meal they had on Old Earth, but it was compensated by the spectacular view over the night lights of the city.
They were barely inside their room, when he took her into his arms, kissing her fervently, while trying to open the zipper at the back of her dress. When he succeeded, he peeled off the top, and she let the dress slowly slip to the ground, standing there only in her black briefs, while raising her arms to undo the French bun of her hair and then letting it fall loosely over her shoulders.
"Oh woman, you drive me crazy with desire," he murmured.
She loved his delight in her and started undressing him too, but while in love play, she surprised herself wondering how it would feel to make love to Syd Twan.
12
Next morning, Tuesday, Yuen-mong convinced Atun to accompany her to the gym. The instructor looked curiously at their tight craw skin pants and tops, and asked her: "When have you last visited a gym?"
"Never," she answered
"I see, you’re new to this,"
"Yes."
"One usually warms up first. Say, walk ten minutes on this treadmill."
"We had something similar on the ship."
"Fine." He adjusted it to a speed of 4 km and a slight incline.
As Atun expected, she immediately pressed the button to increase the speed. It gradually rose to 9 km.
"Lady, that’s more than enough to begin with," the instructor shouted.
"Just leave her," interjected Atun.
The speed continued to rise to 20 km, and she settled into her loping run. "That’s better," she said smiling.
"Man, you’ll get yourself a heart attack. I’ll not be responsible, I warned you."
He kept standing there, watching her.
"You’re in for a long wait," remarked Atun, as he got ready on the adjacent treadmill, selecting a speed of only 15 km.
After ten minutes, the guy gave up and walked back to his desk, shaking his head. Atun was amused to see him periodically come back and check on her. While he worked out on several devices, she kept running for an hour. When she stopped, her breathing was hardly faster than when she had started.
"Thank you. I needed that," she said to the instructor as they left.
"You a marathon runner or something?" he called after her.
"What did he ask?" she questioned Atun in the elevator.
"Whether you were a marathon runner. It’s a competitive sport where people run a distance of 42 kilometers. The top men make it in just under two hours."
"That’s something I must try once too."
"Yes, and you might even win, but I won’t join you for that."
* * *
Their room ICE comunit showed a message from Miss Blacey, notifying Yuen-mong that her DNA test was scheduled for ten o’clock that morning. It asked her to drop by at the office at 9:30 and inquired whether she and Atun would be free in the evening to dine with Dr. Twan.
In the afternoon, he filed the recovery report on Vishnu and sent an official resignation notice to the Palo Exploration Company, his former employer. It felt good to sever all old ties. He could not see himself going back to his previous life, not while Yuen-mong was willing to share hers.
Afterward they hired one of the driverless viewcabs — an electric vehicle offering 360 degree vision, and selected one of the shorter sightseeing tours. The cab briefly stopped next to one of the Sanctum entry gates. The voice explained that access was either by automatic eye scan for entry by vehicle or by presenting a fingertip to the fingerprint reader.
Syd Twan took them to the exclusive, rotating restaurant on top of the tallest structure in Androma, up 184 storeys. Yuen-mong was again wearing the black dress. Atun noticed that Syd could not keep his eyes off her and that she responded to him animatedly. He became aware of a feeling of unease. Would this man become a rival?
Syd wanted to know about life on Aros. Atun was surprised that she did not mention the crippling effect of Aros’ magnetic field on all electronic equipment or give any details on how they were able to escape the planet, nor did she talk about how she dominated the savages and his own experiences, although she gave graphic descriptions of all the other dangers, such as the night scavengers, the craws, the sudden storms, and the raids between the clans of savages.
When he questioned her later on, she explained that she did not want Aros to be ravaged by mineral exploitation, that as long as nobody really knew why Aros was the planet of no return, it would remain safe. He reminded himself that one day she might wish to return there.
* * *
On Wednesday afternoon, Miss Blacey notified them that the DNA test had confirmed Yuen-mong’s origin and that Dr. Twan would now initiate the inheritance recovery process, which this could take three days to be completed. She also said that Atun’s account had been credited with 586,130 credits.
"You are rich," Yuen-mong laughed.
"Richer than I ever was. But this belongs to you too."
"I will let you pay for a few more things until I’m rich too, and then it will become serious."
In fact, she already felt restless. Syd Twan’s remark about rumors that her parent had been sent to the planet of no return had stirred up her mind. Why rumors? Had the fact that they were sent there been suppressed, kept secret? If so, it confirmed their suspicions that somebody wanted them to disappear and the only plausible reason for that was her father’s instant communication research breakthrough. She would not rule out anybody from her list of potential guilty and she also added Syd Twan to it. She could think of a motive to get rid of her father: to gain her mother, except that if he had instigated it, he had failed since he also killed the person he had wanted.
Although she told herself that a few days up or down mattered nothing — revenge had waited for twenty years — she wanted action, even if only in a small way.
"Atun, how about exploring the Sanctum today?"
"But we can’t get in!" She sensed his sudden alarm. "Yuen-mong, this isn’t Aros, not even Old Earth. We’ll be arrested if we try to get in illegally."
"What happens if one gets arrested?"
"That depends on the crime. For very serious crimes you undergo rehab —"
"— that’s when they alter your mind?"
"Yes. You might as well be dead. In fact, your personality is dead."
"Is illegal entry into the Sanctum a serious crime?"
"No. I guess you are caught more than once, you could be deported to one of the new settlement planets."
"They would not dare to send one of the
ir own."
"But we wouldn’t even get in."
"Yes, we will." She fetched her amulet that she had not worn since their ship had left the orbit around Aros and took out her mother’s thumb tip. She fitted it to her right thumb. "This will get us in. My mother will not be officially declared dead for another few days."
"But it’s crazy. It’s still an illegal entry. Why jeopardize things now?"
"Because I’m restless."
"Yuen-mong, when I wanted to get back to my lander on my second day on Aros, you said that survival always came first."
She smiled and said: "But didn’t you just tell me that this wasn’t Aros?"
"I give up. You are the most stubborn woman I know… Yuen-mong, it’s not worth the risk. Let’s do something else. Make a trip into the mountains."
"Atun, I’m unfair to you. I should not have asked you to come along. I will go alone… Do you still love me?" She went to him, searching his eyes, felt him melt and take her into his arms. She rubbed her cheek against his.
"Yes, love, I do. Why do you want to go into the Sanctum?"
"I have to get the feel for it, to sense it from the inside."
"But why can’t this wait three more days."
"Because then I will do it in the company of Syd Twan and it won’t be the same, and I won’t be prepared when I have to face my relatives for the first time. Being prepared is part of ensuring survival."
He looked at her thoughtfully. She let go, searching his eyes.
"If you still want me, I’ll come along."
She decided to wear her mother’s pant suit. The shawl they bought with the black dress would hide that it was not the latest fashion, but it looked respectable. They dismissed the cab on the square in front of the gate and walked across to it. She could feel Atun’s trepidation and took his hand.
At the gate, she presented the tip of the thumb to the reader, purposely avoiding the eye scanner. It took a few seconds and the steel door opened. They passed through under the watchful eye of an attendant.
In a matter-of-fact tone, she said: "He is my guest."
The attendant asked Atun to place his right hand on the reader, face the eye scanner, and pronounce his full name for future record. They walked up the path through a park in the shadows of the trees. What struck her immediately was the informality of the landscaping — irregular shaped beds, winding paths, rock garden, cascading water, secluded grassy areas and an ubiquitous mixture of trees, bushes and flowers — a complete contrast from the few small rigid parks they had seen in the BD.
In the distance, she saw a dozen or so children in one of the grass areas. "Let’s go and see them," she said. "I have not seen any yet. I would like to know if they are different from the children of the savages."
She expected to hear happy voices, calling, laughing, even crying. But no noises reached her, except the silent sounds of their minds — suppressed fear of failure in some, vicious competitiveness in others, bored hatred in a few. As they came closer, she guessed that they were six or seven years old. All but two were moving in fixed patterns while the other two roamed around freely, trying to snatch a place whenever a gap opened inadvertently. The only words she heard were "you are out" whenever that happened, spoken in a measured adult tone. Two adults were watching from a raised position, occasionally marking something down on an electronic organizer. Their emanations were bored disapproval.
Yuen-mong’s heart contracted. She wanted to cry out, to shatter the shackles that kept these children prisoners. "Let’s go," she murmured and walked quickly away. When they were out of hearing, she said: "These poor children."
"Why poor? They were playing a game of roam and catch."
"Didn’t you see how repressed and unhappy they were?"
"Yes, now that you mention it, they were awfully quiet. When I played that as a kid, there was always a lot of shouting and laughing."
"What kind of adults will they grow into if they are suppressed at this young age? It makes me shudder." Is this the upbringing that my relatives got? Is this what my mother rebelled against when she married my father? Was this any different from what the savages did? Fighting and jostling for who would be headman, enslaving their women, raiding the property of other clans? And she was going to ask for admission to that? A shudder went up her spine, and she had a first tinge of doubt.
Vaguely she heard Atun’s reply: "Oh, I guess they’ll get over that. I had a nasty teacher in my third year at school. I still remember her vividly."
See, you still remember, but she said nothing.
Leaving the park, they entered a pedestrian area, lined with attractive shops of all kinds, as well as several restaurants, all looking expensive, none of the automated fast-food kind so common in BD. The shops continued into a huge shopping mall covered by a dome, consisting of smaller half globes, each displaying of a series of stained glass designs.
"Ah, this is the famous hall of the Foundation Families, I read about once," Atun pointed out. "Look, each picture depicts the history of one of the original Foundation Families. Let’s see whether we find the one for the Youngs."
She was not really interested. It was the people milling around that aroused her curiosity. There was none of the outrageous garb they had seen in the BD. The dress style was different from her parents’ wardrobe, but she found it elegant and tasteful, if a bit on the conservative side. But what fascinated her even more was the mental state of the people. There was anxious correctness and insecurity, usually from immaculately dressed women, outright fear by those that looked like domestics, except for the occasional older woman who seemed secure of her place. The few men present gave mainly signals of impatience. She also noticed that everybody always gave way or moved aside when they encountered one of these men. She would have to ask Atun about that. She could not see a person who looked under twenty, except for a few domestics. Maybe that was due to the time of the day. There was an occasional small child.
She had the feeling of being constantly watched, not by the people who all seemed to ignore each other, except for the occasional polite nod, but by something that seemed to be removed from the place. The constant movement of a small object, like a big eye, placed about ten meters up a side wall, drew her attention. She noticed that there were three, evenly spaced on each side of the mall.
"What are those?" she asked Atun, pointing at one.
"Don’t point," he whispered. "They’re surveillance cameras."
"You mean that we are constantly being watched? Why? I thought access to the Sanctum was strictly controlled?" Glints of amusement danced in her eyes.
"The population of the Sanctum triples during the daytime when all the domestics and service people enter each morning."
"Don’t they screen those carefully before they get access?"
"Yes, but I guess even so there may be the occasional trouble."
"What happens when there is trouble?"
"They send out their security."
They did some window shopping. A few fashion shops had actual mannequins, displaying clothing; others showed only life-size, animated holoscreens. "I must say that the things they display here are more tasteful than what we saw in BD."
"Yes, but they’re also several times the price."
"How do you know? I see no prices."
"That’s just it. No prices means high prices."
"Let’s leave and look into the residential area."
"We’ll look more suspicious there."
"Just behave like a domestic or worker … with a purpose, and slump a bit, keep your eyes to the ground when we meet people, and nobody will even take notice of you. Haven’t you seen how domestics and service personnel are treated as if they didn’t exist?"
On the other side of the shopping complex was a small park with a sculptured fountain in its middle, opening into a square, enclosed on three sides by impressive buildings. A plaque heralded it as the Foundation Plaza.
"What is this?" she asked, pointi
ng with her head toward the building in front.
"It’s a church; in fact, it looks like a cathedral in the Old-Earth style."
"My mother told me about churches. I’m curious to see the inside —" she sensed Atun’s rising anxiety and added: "but it can wait."
The one on the right — a neoclassical structure with a broad staircase leading up to a portal supported by a row of thirty-foot high solid stone columns — showed ‘Foundation Concert Hall’ in gold lettering above the portal, while the matching four-storey building on the other side of the square was the Foundation Center. Atun explained that it was the administrative seat of the Foundation.
They took the tree-lined street uphill, past the church and caught glimpses of villas and mansions behind living fences, ornate iron gates, or up driveways, each with its own little park. Atun remarked that it all reminded him of scenes from historical movies of Old Earth, including the square with the church.
"Maybe that’s what they are trying to recreate," she replied.
"True. The Foundation Charter states that one of their aims is to preserve and further refine the aristocratic traditions of Old Earth."
They encountered a few chauffeured vehicles, but no people. After an initial incline, the street looped down toward the lake. They stopped at a viewpoint on a small bluff, which protruded into the lake, and looked around. Below them were the secluded grounds of a residence partially hidden by trees. The small villa was set back from the walled lake shore by a lawn. Something looked familiar. Then it came to her — her mother’s house, the one that she had seen in the video-cube.
"Look, Atun," she exclaimed, grabbing his arm, barely able to hold back her excitement. "My mother’s house." After a while she added: "This is mine! One day we will live in there."
"I think I could handle that, but then there’s this old saying from Old Earth: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch."
"You are a pessimist. It is mine." She continued looking down to it. "Was there not a sculpture of a woman in the video-cube, close to the water?"
"Yes, there was."
