Saving Mars (26 page)

So, when her nephew stormed into her room three hours before she’d requested the Tibetan bells, she at first assumed she was having a bad dream. Pavel and his parents often featured in her nightmares. She supposed the bad dreams were a sort of punishment for what she’d done. If so, the nightmares were another trade-off she found acceptable for what her actions had bought her.

But this dream was a little
too
real. Lucca sat up in bed and realized Pavel was actually in her room. Was actually shouting at her.

“…
no
excuse,” he said. “And I won’t go along with it. I won’t. I’ll volunteer for work as a satellite harvester.”

Oh
, thought Lucca.
We’re having the conversation now
. She frowned, stretched her long white arms over her head and addressed her nephew. “Who, pray tell, am I to dismiss without references for letting you in at this hour?”

“No one. I used the passageway you set up when I was little.”

“Hmm,” she said, adding
passage closure
to a mental to-do list. “How did your exam go?”

“Exactly the way you set it up,” said Pavel, crossing his arms.

Things tended to go the way she arranged them, Lucca thought, allowing herself a small smile.

“It’s unfair to others, it’s illegal, and I won’t go along with it,” he said.

Lucca took a calming breath, reached for a drink of artesian well-water. “Pavel, you’re eighteen. It’s time you stopped acting like a child.” She let the barb sink in. “I’ve made certain provisions for your future. When you’ve heard them, I’m sure you’ll agree that I’ve been most generous.”

“I don’t want your generosity,” he said. “I want justice. That exam was a farce. Allow me to retake it, properly, or I swear I’ll volunteer to sort space junk.”

Lucca smiled. It was not a friendly smile. “
I
will pretend you’re not making threats you are powerless to act upon.
You
will listen to what’s going to happen. I’ve ensured you a career that millions would
kill
for. I’ve done so not because you are my nephew, but because, according to the surgeons and physicians who have worked alongside you, you are one of the most naturally gifted individuals they’ve encountered.”

Pavel looked down. He’d grown accustomed to remarks like this in the past years.

“In fact, it was the current Head of Global Consciousness Transfer who suggested to me that we treat you as a unique case. That it would be depriving Earth’s citizens to simply re-body you according to ordinary protocol. You are a prodigy. Like Mozart or Tsing.”

Pavel’s eyes flicked up. A hundred years ago, Tsing’s government had refused to allow her to be re-bodied because of her musical genius. A war had very nearly ensued, but in the end, Tsing had fled to a neighboring country where she insisted upon being properly re-bodied rather than become the cause of global conflict.

Lucca continued. “In your case, as in Tsing’s, to separate your mind from your body would be a crime against humanity.”

“Tsing re-bodied,” said Pavel. “It was the right thing to do then and it’s the right thing to do now.”

“Oh, grow up, Pavel. Of course Tsing wasn’t permitted to re-body. There are times when exceptions must be made. Without Tsing in her original body, there would be no
International Anthem to Peace
.”

“Wait,” said Pavel, his mind jumping like a malfunctioning hopcraft. “Rosenfeldt wrote the
International Anthem to Peace.
Are you telling me Rosenfeldt was actually
Tsing
?”

“Of course she was Tsing. The new name was a necessary concession to keep the peace. These things must be handled discretely.”

“These
things
are illegal!” roared Pavel. “I will
not
break the very law that’s kept peace on Earth for—”

Lucca interrupted. “
I
keep the peace on Earth. The system only works because my government makes certain it works. Behind the scenes when necessary. You have no idea what costs must be paid to
keep peace
as you call it.”

Pavel, caught between shock and outrage, recoiled as he admitted to himself several uncomfortable truths about his aunt. All his life thus far, he’d seen what he chose to see: a woman who loved the law enough to pursue an exhausting career as a politician. But if Pavel had been honest with himself, he would have admitted it was power she loved and not the law. It had simply been more convenient for him to hide from this truth. Until now.

His aunt was speaking again. “You will remain in your own body until such a time as age begins to affect your ability to treat patients. According to official record, you will be re-bodied. However, in actuality, your apprenticeship begins this afternoon. At New Kelen. Where you will pass yourself off as a fourbody who is very keen on volunteer work.”

“No,” said Pavel.

“I’m sorry, were you under the impression you could refuse this generous offer?” Lucca’s voice was icy, her smile lupine. She crossed to sit at a marble counter before a large mirror and began making up her face.

“Of course I refuse,” said Pavel. “There’s
nothing
you can say to convince me. It’s wrong.”

“I wouldn’t bother with the ‘I’d rather die’ part of your speech, if I were you. You don’t want to know what I’ll do to make sure I get my way on this one, Pavel.”

“I’ll denounce you,” he said softly.

Lucca chose a blood-red lipstick and applied it to her lower lip. “It’s good of you to let me know what you’ve got up your sleeve. I really must return the favor.”

She drew the line of red across her upper lip and reached for a blotting tissue. Leaving the impression of her lips upon the cloth, she dropped it casually to the floor where it reminded Pavel of an ugly gaping wound. He’d always hated his aunt’s habit of placing messes upon the floor for the staff to clean.

“Pick that up for me,” she said.

He saw the action with new eyes now—she meant all who surrounded her to be reminded of their place: at her feet, in a posture of groveling.

“No,” he said.

She smiled.

“It doesn’t matter, you see, whether you pick it up or not. Someone will, in the end.” She paused to let the idea sink in. Pavel was bright and would understand. “However, if I mention to Zussman that Talia has been shirking and leaving messes on the floor, he’ll dismiss her.”

“You’re going to fire Talia if I—”

Lucca’s laughter, harsh, cut Pavel off. “They told me you were a lot smarter than the average first-body. This isn’t about
Talia
, foolish boy.” Lucca paused, admiring her reflection. “No, I’m simply pointing out that when I convey information to someone, that information is always acted upon. What if, for example, I were to discover that the two hundred twenty-four firsties who took their exams this morning
cheated
? Tell me, my law-loving nephew, what would the punishment be for that?”

Pavel’s face blanched. “Automatic sentencing to geriatric D-class bodies. Manual labor sentences.”

“How lucky for you to have taken the exam in a separate room. Good thing
you
didn’t cheat.”

“You can’t do that to them,” said Pavel, his voice a whisper.

Lucca turned, her face powdered white and her mouth like a bloody gash. Meeting her nephew’s eye, she spoke. “I can do anything I like.”

He was trapped.

“Pavel, my dear, dear boy,” said Lucca, her voice suddenly warm. “I’m only doing this for your own good. You
like
to help people. You like to prevent suffering. It’s who you are.” She held her hands out, as if inviting him to take them.

He stepped back and kept his own arms crossed tightly over his heart.

“Well,” she said, “I can see I’ve upset you. I’m sorry, my dear. You can see that this is all for the best, though, can’t you? Humanity benefits, you benefit, over two hundred students benefit … It’s a win-win.”

Win-win
, thought Pavel. That was his aunt’s campaign platform for re-election. Was this the way she ran her office? He felt sick.

“Think it over, dear boy,” said Lucca.

He turned quickly, exiting the way he’d come in. In the years since he’d used the secret corridor to seek comfort from a bad dream, he’d grown large. The narrow passageway pressed upon him, his elbows grazing against one side and then the other as he hurried along the curving route.

Arriving back in his room, he pulled the sheets from his bed, in part because it was an act that felt destructive (and he wanted deeply to destroy something just now) but also because it was a kindness he could perform on poor Talia’s behalf.

Echoes of Lucca’s threats, the obvious ones and the veiled ones, replayed in his mind.
It doesn’t matter, you see, whether you pick it up or not. Someone will, in the end.
Clearly, it didn’t matter to her purposes whether or not Pavel agreed to become the next Head of Global Consciousness Transfer. Lucca would select (and use according to her purposes) the successor for the position, even if Pavel refused the job.

He thought of her other threat: to condemn an entire test-group to manual labor sentences if he chose to refuse her. It was criminal. Unthinkable. How could he have so blinded himself to her character? Pavel felt suddenly exhausted. He sank into a squashy and dilapidated armchair he’d kept from his first home. He remembered his father reading stories to him in this chair. Stories where there were good guys and bad guys and no confusion as to which was which. But Pavel felt confused. And hungry. And tired.

His thoughts drifted back to the girl with red hair. Where was she now?

It didn’t matter. He couldn’t help her. Lucca had him trapped.

His mind retraced the same dead-end paths over and over.
You’ll think better with something in your stomach
, he told himself at last. He’d skipped breakfast and lunch and hadn’t eaten much last night, either. And he’d skipped sleeping, mostly. Well, he wanted the chance to say goodbye and thank you to Talia. Rising, he crossed to a wall-screen and keyed in an order for food.

A few minutes later, Pavel heard Zussman’s obsequious knock at his door. Opening it, Pavel asked where Talia was.

“I’m afraid I had to let her go,” said Zussman.

“Why?” demanded Pavel.

“I don’t like to say, sir,” said Zussman. “Shall we leave it at … didn’t live up to expectations, sir?”

Pavel stared at the platter of eggs, cold ham and cheeses spread before him. “Thank you, Zuss. I’m sorry I troubled you. I could have come down if I’d known …”

“Not at all, sir,” said the butler. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Yes.”

Dark thoughts clouded Pavel’s mind as Zussman closed the door silently.

“She fired Talia for no reason,” he murmured, pressing one hand against his forehead.

But he knew the reason. Knew it with certainty. His aunt had fired Talia as a way of showing Pavel that she would follow through on her other threat as well. He stared at the platter of food and found he no longer felt hungry.

Pavel would let Lucca think she’d won, but only until he could come up with a way to outwit her. Gathering the tray, he carried it downstairs where Lucca was completing a conversation—an
angry
conversation—by conference call.

Pavel placed the tray upon the counter, carefully putting away every item himself, waiting for his aunt to remark that the work was beneath him. But she’d evidently decided against engaging in further arguments.

“I’ll go to the hospital,” he said.

She smiled, but the expression just missed her cold eyes. “There’s my bright boy. Doctor Suleiman will be expecting us.”

“I’ll go
alone
,” he said.

Lucca pressed her thin lips together. “Very well.”

“And I want you to make sure Talia finds another job. A
good
job. It’s important to me that we start this new portion of my life on the right footing.”

“Easily done,” said his aunt. “You’ll find, Pavel, I can be very reasonable. So long as you are reasonable.”

Her words sent a chill whispering across the back of his neck as he turned to go.

“Make me proud,” she said. The words sounded simple. Pavel knew they weren’t. He anticipated her follow-up words before he heard them.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” she said.

And I on you
, thought Pavel.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

AN EXPERIENCED PHYSICIAN

Jessamyn awoke to a mechanical buzzing sound. After a bleary moment of thinking herself in her snug Galleon quarters, she jolted upright. How long had she slept? As she struggled to read her chrono-tattoo, cold terror filled her belly. She’d lost thirteen hours! She shook her head to the side.

“Ethan!” The earpiece reported the same whirs and beeps as before.

“We’re finally awake, are we?” asked a new nurse, bustling into the room. “You slept right through the other times I buzzed your door. Let’s just see that arm, shall we?”

Gently, the nurse turned Jessamyn’s cocooned arm and pointed to a soft green light. “Monitor says your cast is ready to come off.” She smiled brightly, as though this were exceptional news.

“Good,” murmured Jessamyn, certain it wasn’t at all good.

“Doctor will be here in a minute. Would you like pain medication for the removal?” asked the nurse. “It tends to grab every little hair on your arms when it comes off.”

“No,” said Jessamyn sharply. “No meds.” She needed her wits about her.

“It’s the middle of the night,” said the nurse. “You’re not going to get an experienced doctor on this shift. I strongly suggest an analgesic.”

Jessamyn wondered if she could buy some time. “In that case, I’ll wait for an experienced physician.”

The nurse gave Jessamyn a half-smile. “I’m sorry. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but once Security gets involved …” She shook her head. “From their perspective, it looks highly suspicious, your having no identification, unable to recall your physician’s name, no relatives who can vouch for your identity. In this kind of climate, security gets to scan you as soon as it is medically possible.”

Jess felt her stomach lurch. She wasn’t ready—she hadn’t worked out a plan yet.