Paula couldn’t help the gentle smile on her face as she watched the very odd couple leave.
“Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” Hoshe said quietly.
“Only once in a very long lifetime, I’d say,” Paula replied. Her e-butler told her there was a call from Justine for herself and Nigel.
“I’ve made contact with Johansson,” Justine said. “He’s willing to help us track down the Starflyer, but there’s a problem.”
“Which is?” Nigel asked.
“He wants some proof that our offer isn’t an entrapment. After all, he has spent a hundred thirty years being pursued by the Serious Crimes Directorate, and now he’s about to face his target.”
“Will a personal guarantee from me swing it?” Nigel asked.
“He wants Paula to deliver the data Kazimir McFoster was carrying.”
“No.” The word came out before Paula even knew she’d said it. There was no analysis, no careful reasoning. She simply knew the answer.
“Why not?” Justine asked. “I know this is difficult for you, but the Guardians were right.”
“I accept that,” Paula backtracked. “Johansson had a perfect right to oppose the Starflyer, even though he should have used different methods. But Elvin is a mass murderer, a political terrorist of the worst kind. I cannot overlook that, no matter what.”
“You have to,” Nigel told her.
“You both know what I am. Therefore you know I cannot.”
Just for an instant, Nigel’s affable facade slipped. “I don’t get this; you of all people know what’s at stake here. Just take the data to them, forget your damn scruples for a minute. We can nab that little shit Elvin when this is over, because I assure you I certainly haven’t forgotten Abadan.”
“No,” Paula said.
“Shit!” Nigel glared at her. It would have made anybody else in the Commonwealth back down immediately; Paula seemed oblivious of his anger. “All right,” he snapped. “Justine, call them back. Negotiate. Find someone else they consider acceptable.”
Mellanie trailed after Qatux and Tiger Pansy as Nelson led them over to the security center. It wasn’t far from the exploratory division, a blank dome with a heavily guarded entrance. Cat’s Claws had been assigned the escort duty; wearing their bulky armor suits they looked formidable. Her inserts scanned them passively, showing her which one was Morton; otherwise she would never have known. He didn’t say anything to her. All of the squad were taking their duty very seriously.
“This way I get to stay in the game,” Morton had said contentedly when he and the others suited up. Nelson had given them the option of leaving, but they’d decided to stay on. Mellanie knew why Morton was doing it; this kept him close to the real players and, she hoped, her as well. The Cat and Rob just seemed to enjoy the whole idea of a fight.
Nelson had turned over a lecture theater for Qatux to use. Most of the seating had been removed, and the lighting dimmed. Various technicians were setting up equipment cabinets. They all stopped when the alien came in. Several applauded. Tiger Pansy giggled, and started doing introductions like some old-fashioned diplomatic interpreter.
Mellanie saw Dudley and the Bose motile lurking about near the big wall-mounted portal that presenters used to display their lecture data on. The Bose motile had three security guards standing close by. They all wore sharp business suits, and appeared perfectly friendly, but Mellanie’s scan located some inserts with a very high power density wetwired into their bodies. Their visible OCtattoos were green and red lines running in parallel along the rear of their cheeks.
Two of the Bose motile’s sensor stalks bent around to follow her as she walked over to them. “Hello, Mellanie,” it said. She saw it now had a slim modern handheld array hanging from a leather strap around one of its arm limbs.
“Hello,” she said pleasantly. “So are you Dudley one, or two? What have the pair of you decided?”
“We haven’t discussed that yet.”
Mellanie was amused to hear the array synthesizing Dudley’s voice perfectly. It obviously irked the human version, judging by his expression of distaste. She smiled brightly, and leaned forward to kiss him. Morton was over by the main door with The Cat, so she figured it would be easy enough. Amazingly, Dudley moved back before her lips touched him.
“Dudley?” She frowned at him.
“Ah, yes, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“Talk to me?”
“Yes. I’d just like to say that I am happy to stand aside now Morton has returned.”
“Stand aside?”
“That’s right. I know how much you feel for him. In view of that I think it’s for the best. Circumstances have changed for both of us, have they not?”
“Circumstances?” Mellanie desperately wanted to stop repeating things, but she was so surprised by Dudley her brain was refusing to come up with anything original. When she studied him she saw he’d actually shaved. The tiredness and perpetual worry were fading from his eyes. He’d even dressed in a stylish mauve shirt and black semiorganic trousers. For the first time, she could actually see his true age in that calm face that looked back unflinchingly at her.
“I believe even you would have to concede that our relative situations have altered substantially since we met,” Dudley said. “That calls for a serious reevaluation of our relationship.”
She just stared at him. This wasn’t even Dudley talking anymore; there wasn’t an illusion of reticence or caution. His voice was calm and measured, verging on patronizing.
“Of course, I’m enormously grateful for what we experienced and shared,” he said hurriedly. “Without you I would never be whole again. And I will never be able to thank you enough for that. I hope we can continue to be friends as well as colleagues in this endeavor.”
“You’re dumping me.”
“Mellanie, human beings are effectively immortal. I know this is your first life and everything is more intense for you, but believe me when I say nothing lasts forever. It is better this way. Honesty is the way forward for both of us.”
“You are dumping me?” Even from her own mouth it sounded terribly wrong.
“I am,” the Bose motile said. “It’s because I’m a complete asshole.”
Dudley glared at his alien twin. “I see you haven’t mastered tact yet.”
“Well, face it, where would I inherit that from?”
“After everything I’ve done for you?” Mellanie asked; it was as though she was questioning herself.
“Our hierarchal structure wasn’t entirely one-sided,” Dudley said in the kind of tone used to correct one of his students. “I believe you gained as much, if not more, from this relationship as I did. Look at where we are, deciding the future of humankind.”
“Oh, just fuck off.” She turned around and walked away, fast. At least there was no danger of tears—for a second, the image of Jaycee sinking to the ground clutching at his balls filled her mind—well, no tears in her eyes anyway. He’s not even worth that.
“Sorry,” Dudley Bose’s voice called out across the lecture theater.
Mellanie didn’t turn to check which one of them had said it. She already knew.
“You okay?” Tiger Pansy asked.
“Sure. I’m fine.” The original bounce-back girl, me.
“Hey, Mellanie, I gotta thank you,” Tiger Pansy said. She waved enthusiastically at Qatux, who was discussing sensorium interface technology with one of the CST technicians. The Raiel raised a tentacle in acknowledgment. “This is like the bestest gig ever.”
“I thought you’d like it. But, Tiger, remember, you really can’t tell anyone afterward. These people can’t be messed around.”
“I know that. I ain’t that stupid.”
“I know you’re not. Take care.”
“You going?”
“Yeah. There’s only one thing I want now, and it’s not here.”
“Well, I hope you find it.”
“Me, too.”
Nobody around the Raiel really noticed as she walked away. The last thing she wanted was to run over to Morton after what had happened, so she went toward a door on the opposite side of the lecture theater. Hoshe was sitting on one of the remaining audience chairs, suspiciously close to the door.
Mellanie gave him a fond smile, and sat beside him. Without warning, she darted forward and gave him a kiss.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Hoshe Finn, my very own guardian angel.”
“I didn’t think you were speaking to me after Isabella.”
“Humm, your halo did dim there for a minute. But once again you made sure no harm came to me.”
Hoshe glanced down at the two aliens who were now talking together. Dudley Bose was standing beside the Bose motile, trying to steer the conversation his way.
“One of your smarter moves,” Hoshe said. “You can do a lot better than him.”
She glanced at the trio of armor suits. “I thought you said you were married.”
Hoshe grinned. “I guess I deserved that. Shouldn’t pry into your private life.”
“There’s nothing much private about it. That’s my biggest problem. What about you? What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to Nelson. I have a favor to ask.”
“What’s that?”
“I need to get some people off Boongate. A Senate Security team was following a suspected Starflyer agent and got stuck there. My fault.”
“I doubt it. Do you want me to talk to Nigel about it? He has the final say on that.”
Hoshe gave her a surprised look. “You can do that?”
“For you, of course.”
