“You may regret that.”
“Is that a threat?”
“An observation.”
Jacobsen placed her palms against the table and stood up. “Save your observations for the investigation, Senator. Now if you’ll excuse us.” She moved away from the table. Andie followed gratefully.
In the corridor, Andie took a deep breath and let it out noisily. “He’s certainly annoying.”
Jacobsen nodded. “I tried to keep him off this trip, but he’s got clout. And I can only push so hard before there’s a leak. The media vampires would love to get ahold of this kind of thing.”
“Do you think he’ll cause more trouble?”
“No. But I’ll be relieved when we’re back in Washington. Have you had any luck at the library?”
“Nada. The official line is: What golden eyes? Oh, those? They’re contact lenses.”
Jacobsen smiled wanly. “Well, keep trying.”
“I’m going back there this afternoon.”
“Perhaps the clinics at Jacarepaguá will give us some better leads than we’ve found so far.”
Andie considered telling the senator about the meeting with Skerry. But what if Jacobsen didn’t believe her? Even with the memorypak? Skerry had warned her not to reveal it until they were back home. A mechmaid rolled down the hall past them, blue lights blinking, sensors beeping. Andie felt a chill. Skerry had said that Jacobsen was being watched, perhaps by machines as well as people. She’d have to wait to reveal what she’d learned until they were back home. Safe.
“What was it you wanted to discuss, Andie?”
“Oh, I…I just wanted to find out how you felt about Ribeiros.”
Jacobsen’s eyebrows arched in confusion. “I thought I covered that. He’s very cool. Appears to be cooperating, but I wonder about appearances.”
“So you’re suspicious?”
“Yes. And with nothing to go on.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll turn up something soon.” Andie hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.
“If there’s anything to turn up at all.” Jacobsen gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder. “Come on. I’ll give you a lift to the clinic.”
Two hours later, the amber letters and figures on population movement rippled across the screen in blurry columns. Andie rubbed her eyes and decided to see if Karim had learned anything new. Maybe he’d discovered a pod of supermutants sitting in a jacaranda tree. Or driving every taxi in Rio. Anything.
She found him in the garden talking to some patients wearing head bandages. Some of them were wrist-linked to radar headsets, for their own eyes were bandaged against light. The door swung open with a mechanical whine as Andie approached it. Karim looked up and smiled. He excused himself and walked to meet her.
“I didn’t know you could gain access to the patients here.” Andie looked around the room, admiring the flowering bromeliads, lush, potted plants, and artificial brook.
“Well, I didn’t exactly ask permission,” Karim said, smiling. “I just took a walk to see what I could find.”
Andie chuckled. “You mean you snooped around and waited until the place was deserted, then snuck in here.”
“I thought that was what I said. What’s up? Did you find something?”
The middle of her back prickled as though somebody was staring at her. She took him by the arm and peered over her shoulder, but the corridor was empty.
“Let’s get out of here for a while,” she said. “Want to take a walk along the beach?”
“Sounds good. We can borrow Craddick’s skimmer and driver. The senators are in another endless meeting with Ribeiros. They won’t be finished talking with him for hours. Shall we?” He motioned toward the exit.
“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Andie said as she strode across the asphalt parking lot. She could almost see the heat shimmering in waves, caught by the ferocious midafternoon sunlight. If she squinted her eyes, she wondered if she’d see Skerry between the shimmers.
“Well, whatever it is, I don’t think they’ll get any answers out of Ribeiros. That guy is smoother than a samba.” Karim waited for her to climb into the back of the sleek, scarlet skimmer and got in after her.
“To the hotel,” he told the driver. They sped away, nimbly dodging other skimmers, weaving through traffic at high velocity. Andie restrained the urge to shut her eyes. The chauffeur glanced back at them through the rearview mirror; he was wearing mirrored sunglasses. She wondered what color his eyes were.
Fifteen minutes later, they were both walking along the water line at Copacabana, comfortable in the minuscule bathing garb favored by the cariocas. Around them, bathers frolicked in the water, splashing, laughing, and shrieking as each wave hit.
“So what have you learned?” Andie asked.
He shrugged. “Not much. It’s certainly not a genetics lab. That clinic specializes in plastic surgery. Ribeiros made his fortune that way; a tuck here, a tuck there, and now every rich woman in Rio wants him to fix her nose, breasts, or behind.”
“What about eyes?”
“Ribeiros seems to do a lot of eye surgery, doesn’t he? And now that I think about it, that doesn’t make sense for a plastic surgeon.”
“Of course, he could bring a specialist in. Those patients we saw might have just had their crow’s feet removed. From what I’ve heard, new skin is terribly light sensitive, and regenerative drugs only make it worse.”
“Well, that probably accounts for the bandages.”
“Unless the reason they’re in there is to change the color of their eyes.” There, she’d said it.
“What?”
Andie pressed on. “I mean, if they wanted to change their eye color to, say, gold, maybe they could have Ribeiros or one of his associates do it.”
“Gold, as in mutant gold?”
“That’s right.”
Karim shook his head. “Assuming they could, why would they want to do that?”
“To pretend they’re mutants. To fit in with the coming master race.”
“Master race? The mutants?” He stared at her for a long moment. “Andie, I think you’ve been spending too much time out in the Brazilian sun. You’ve got visions of supermutants dancing in your head just because you think you saw a beach vendor with golden eyes.”
“You can laugh, but I saw him, and I know what I felt. And since we’ve been here, I’ve noticed people all over whose eyes seem to catch the light in odd ways.”
“I know. You’ve hardly talked about anything else.”
“Well, it all seems very suspicious to me. This city gives me the creeps. It’s certainly not what I’d expected. Don’t you think it’s strange that Rio is so quiet? Didn’t you expect to find it an all-night, all-day party?”
“Now that you mention it, aside from the traffic, it is much quieter here than I thought it would be. A couple of discos are open, but it’s no more lively than Georgetown on a Saturday night.”
“Almost as though something is controlling things.”
“Maybe.” Karim kicked at a piece of dark-red seaweed. “Just because the nightlife’s dead and you think you’ve seen some oddly colored eyes doesn’t convince me that a bunch of invisible, so-called supermutants have staged a coup here. You can’t even convince me that they exist. Half the time I have to work at believing in regular, garden-variety mutants. Like your boss.”
Andie shook her head. “Don’t you wonder why Dr. Ribeiros never takes off his dark glasses? Even indoors? We’ve never seen the color of his eyes.”
“So now you think Ribeiros is a mutant?” Andie could hear the pent-up laughter in Karim’s voice. “If he is, couldn’t Jacobsen tell?”
“I don’t know.” She felt a pang of doubt. Maybe she was wasting her time looking for plots and conspiracies. Hadn’t Jacobsen told her she doubted the existence of the supermutant? Who would know better than she? What if Skerry was wrong, just a renegade mutant looking to make trouble? But what if he was right?
“Okay, Karim, you’ve made your point. But once and for all, I’d really like to find out if the supermutant exists.”
“You and the Congress of the United States.” Karim stopped walking, put his hand on her shoulder and drew her toward him. “What you need is a little r-’n’-r.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Let’s take forty-eight hours in Teresópolis. Go see the summer palace. It’s cooler up there. Get our minds off mutants and senators. We’ll be back in Washington by Thursday.” His gaze was frankly seductive. Andie admired his lean, tanned body. His small red bikini. Her pulse quickened.
“That sounds nice. But can we get away?”
“Why not? Your boss is no hard-ass, and mine certainly believes in vacations.”
“For himself, maybe. But what about loyal aides?” She disengaged her hand from his.
“He’s been positively benevolent ever since we got here. In fact, everybody looks like they’ve spent the afternoon at a tea party after an hour or two with Ribeiros.”
“Except for my boss.” The image of Jacobsen, pale and tired, flashed before her. As if she was under some sort of strain and not even aware of it. Andie pondered the image. Something was wrong. If only she knew what it was. Supermutants? Paranoia? The longer she was in Rio, the more confused she felt. A weekend in the hills might clear her head.
“I can be ready to go by six. I’ll leave a message on Jacobsen’s screen. She’s been so preoccupied, she’ll hardly notice I’m gone.”
Michael watched Kelly get into the skimmer. She was wearing a sleeveless purple tunic cut low in front and back. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders in graceful waves. Lavender crystals glittered at her ears. She leaned over as she clambered in and kissed him gently. As she pulled back, he saw that she was wearing very little beneath the tunic.
“Very nice,” he said, smiling.
She gave him a sly look. “Well, it is graduation week.”
“Yeah, although you’d hardly know it since they stopped having graduation ceremonies in ninety-eight.”
“There were too many bomb threats back then.”
“Not anymore. But I guess it saves them money. Cheap, this younger generation.”
Kelly jabbed him in the ribs. “Well, ‘old man,’ where are we going tonight?”
“Isn’t your friend Diane throwing a party?”
“Yeah, but that’s later, after the clubs close.”
“Then why don’t we go to the Hardwired, then check out Club Centauri?”
Kelly looked puzzled. “I thought your cousin had invited us to a party.”
“My cousin?”
“Jena Thornton. Remember?”
Silently, Michael cursed. Why had he told Kelly about that invitation?
“It’s just mutants. You won’t enjoy it.”
“How do you know?”
“Believe me, I just know.”
“Michael, that’s not fair. How will I ever meet your family?”
“This wouldn’t be a good time.” He set his lips in a thin, determined line.
“Why not?”
“Dammit, Kelly, won’t you listen to me! This is an all-mutant party.”
“Are you ashamed of being seen with me?”
“No!”
“Then let’s go to Jena’s.”
Michael sighed. “As you wish. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Furious, he backed the skimmer out of the driveway. The last thing he wanted to do was take Kelly to a mutant party. But he couldn’t turn back now without a real fight. He did a quick mental chant to regain his composure and turned the skimmer in the direction of his cousin’s house.
Traffic was light. In twenty minutes, he was parking the skimmer along the curb near the house.
Jena answered the door. She was wearing a shimmering, skintight blouse almost the color of her hair, with leggings and boots to match. A quick look of surprise flitted across her face and was gone. She smiled brightly.
“Michael! And Kelly, is it? Glad you could come. Everybody’s back in the den. Come in.”
The room was filled with mutants and the sound of mutant pleasure chants. In the corner, two couples sat locked in mental rapport, arms linked. Expressions flickered across their faces; humor, surprise, ecstasy. Nearby, two boys in black jumpsuits floated near the ceiling, passing a glowing glass ball back and forth without touching it. A girl with red hair twisted into loops and coils leaped up and joined them. Near the couches where mutant couples flirted and teased, trays of food floated above each armrest.
Michael reached for Kelly’s hand. The chants faded. Every golden eye in the room was trained upon the new arrivals, silently assessing. Condemning.
He moved forward, wordlessly daring anybody in the room to make a rude gesture, an unkind comment. He nodded coolly at his clan members. His cousins returned his salute and returned to their play.
Michael felt a warm hand on his arm. Jena had walked up beside him. Around her neck she wore a golden choker: a necklace of unity pins linked by a chain. He inhaled the scent she wore; something pleasantly musky. What a beautiful girl, he thought. A guilty prickle of desire warmed his loins. What was he doing here?
“Michael, let me show Kelly the house. I’ll bet she’s never been in an actual mutant’s house before,” Jena said, putting an arm around Kelly. “Would you like to see the sanctuary where my father chants?”
Kelly nodded, but Michael thought she looked confused and a bit doubtful.
“I’ll come along,” he said.
“Oh, you’ll just be bored,” Jena said, waving a hand in dismissal. “Besides, you’ve seen the house before.”
Michael didn’t like her insinuating tone, but he couldn’t protest further without making a scene. Helplessly, he watched Jena lead Kelly away.
“Dating a normal, Ryton?” Stevam Shrader asked.
Michael eyed Shrader with dislike, irritated by his condescending tone. Shrader always stumbled over the group chants at clan meetings. He was a dull, muscle-bound clod. What could Jena see in him?
“Yes,” he said coldly. “I’m dating Kelly McLeod.”
Vala Abben joined them, silver crystals glittering in her dark hair. “Aren’t you worried about censure?” she asked. With her sharp chin and inquisitive manner, she reminded Michael of a carnivorous rodent sniffing around for fresh meat. “And isn’t she kind of, well, boring? Limited?”
“She’s refreshing,” he said, snagging a choybar as it floated past. “She’s bright. Funny. And attractive.”
Shrader nodded. “Yeah, she’s not bad. Might be interesting to screw. But she’s not mutant.”
“Thank God for that,” Michael said, and turned away angrily, If they’d been anywhere else, he’d have put Shrader through the wall for that comment. But this wasn’t his house, or his party. He went to find Kelly and Jena.
“And these are the chant sticks which we use on special days,” Jena said. She floated one toward Kelly.
The teak wand was richly colored, its surface rubbed to the consistency of silk from long handling. Kelly stroked it gently.
“Interesting,” she said, and placed on the table by the window. Jena was being nice to her, but it made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe Michael was right. She didn’t belong here.
“Come out and see our deck,” Jena said. The iridescent glass door slid back smoothly, although she hadn’t touched it.
Kelly gazed out into the dark, green lushness of the backyard.
“I’ve always thought my cousin Michael was killer sexy,” Jena said, her voice a throaty whisper, inviting confidences.
“Oh. Really?” Kelly’s tone was heavy with irony; Jena’s interest in Michael was more than a little obvious.
Jena moved toward her. “Yes. Don’t you think so? Have you ever slept with a mutant before? How is he?”
You’d love to know, wouldn’t you, Kelly thought. Well, get ’waved. I’ve had enough of this strange party, especially your curiosity. Kelly started to tell her that
she had a hell of a nerve when Jena touched the side of her face. It could have been a caressing movement, but there was a firmness to it that almost had the feel of an assault. Kelly wanted to protest, but she was rooted to the spot, head pounding. Was she fainting? Yes, and Jena was holding her to keep her from falling. Good Jena. Kind Jena. She was really her friend. Of course she’d tell her about Michael.…
“What’s going on here?”
Michael stood in the doorway, his face hard with anger. Kelly felt herself being pulled from Jena’s grasp by invisible forces. In a moment, Michael’s arms closed protectively around her. She shook her head to clear it.
“Nothing, Michael. Kelly started to feel dizzy and I was telling her to lean on me,” Jena said. “That was a nice little telekinetic display of possessiveness, though.”
“Save it, Jena.” Michael looked at Kelly. She seemed disoriented. “We’re leaving.” He half led her out of the room. Jena followed them to the door.
“Sorry you can’t stay. We were just getting set to play some party games; mind strip and search. I’m sure Kelly would have enjoyed them.” She stared at Michael for a moment. “See you later.”
Michael turned away, walking swiftly, Kelly in tow. Behind him, he could almost feel the cold winds of mutant season howling.
Jena watched the skimmer’s taillights disappear around the corner. She felt disappointed and elated. She’d barely had time to get a glimpse into Kelly’s head, but what she’d learned had been instructive. Kelly and Michael had been intimate. Very intimate. And Michael’s parents didn’t know it. Yet.
“Did you tell Michael to leave?” Vala asked, floating almost at eye level.
“No, silly,” Jena said. She turned from the window, a false smile covering her frustration. “Why should I do that?”
“Well, he brought that normal with him. Why’d he bother?”
“He likes her.” Jena’s voice sounded shrill, even to her own ears. Control yourself, she thought. You’ve got time to deal with this. “What kind of hostess tells a guest to leave just because his date is inappropriate?”
Vala smiled sharply. “Just as well he did leave, if he’s going to date a normal.”
Jena didn’t have to look around the room to know that every head was nodding in agreement.
The Mutant Season Page 10
