Quiet Invasion (17 page)

Vee was debating over what to sample next, when she felt someone walking up to her side.

“Excuse me. Are you Dr. Veronica Hatch?”

Vee turned to face a sparsely built man with ruddy skin and tawny eyes. He was only a few centimeters taller than she was. He wore a blue baseball cap over his thick brown hair instead of a more fashionable brimless cap or half-turban. It made a pleasantly rebellious contrast to his formal gold-and-black tunic and trousers. Vee decided she liked him.

“That’s what they tell me,” Vee answered cheerfully and extended her hand. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He shook her hand with a good grip, which was also pleasant. Most people got a look at her long, thin hand and adjusted their greeting touch to something overly delicate. “I’m Joshua Kenyon. Josh.”

Ah.
His name rang memory chimes inside Vee and brought up the titles of several recently surveyed publications. “Vee. I’ve read you.”

He did not, to his credit, look at all surprised. Dr. Kenyon had about a gigabyte of published work on tracking particle flow and interaction in the Venusian atmosphere using realtime laser holography techniques. Vee’s job, before she got her first patent and turned to experiential holograms, was “time-resolved sequential holographic particle imaging velocimetry,” which was the official way of saying she took four-dimensional images of particles in dense plasmas. Most people didn’t know she’d done serious lab work. Some refused to believe it.

“Are you going to be leading the research on the laser?” Vee asked, as she picked up one of the blue pastries. “And do you know what these are?”

“That’s crab rangoon, dyed blue to preserve some of the mystery of life,” said Josh promptly. “And the research on the laser is actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” Vee arched her eyebrows. “Shall we get out of traffic?”

“Good idea.”

Vee paused to collect a small plate of blue things and followed Josh over to one of the little round tables covered with a white cloth that always seemed to spring up like mushrooms at these gatherings.

Vee sat and pushed the pastries toward Josh, who shook his head. Vee took one and nibbled the edge. Yep, crab.

A flash of orange in the clouds caught her eyes. A delicate flurry of sparks spiraled up through the mist, tiny petals of brightness scattered through the impenetrable fog.

“Star trails.” Vee smiled at the beauty of the small event. “We must be going over one of the volcanoes.”

Josh checked the position readout set in the floor. “Yeah, Xochiquetzal Mons. It went active, I guess twenty years ago now.”

“They’re beautiful.” As Vee watched, the clouds swallowed the sparks whole, but a fresh trail swept along the wind as if these new sparks wanted to follow their friends.

Josh nodded in thoughtful agreement. “Make me nervous, though.”

“Why?” Vee cocked her head at him.

A look of frank surprise crossed his face, followed by a sudden realization. “You didn’t get down to the surface last time you were here, did you?”

“No need.” Vee shook her head and nibbled another pastry. “I was just here for the clouds.”

Josh took off his cap and smoothed his hair down before replacing it. His face said he was considering some internal question. Then, apparently, he got his answer.

“Well,” he said, “you met Michael Lum, right?”

Vee nodded. In fact, she could see him through the crowd, pacing alongside Philip Bowerman talking about whatever spooks and spies talked about. Vee found herself wondering where Angela Cleary had gotten to. She did not seem to be in evidence anywhere.

“Michael’s a good guy,” Josh went on. “He’s a v-baby. Born here. His parents were almost the first people on the station when Helen opened it up. His father, Kyle Lum, was a climatologist, and he was out doing some surveys of the lower cloud layer when the scarab ran into a star trail.” He stared out at the sparks as they danced away into the clouds. “Sheered off one of the wing struts, dropped the entire scarab. They got their parachute out, fortunately, but they slammed into the side of one of the mountains. The rescue team dropped after them, within minutes, but when they got there”—Josh shook his head—“the hull had ruptured. There was nothing left.”

Vee glanced back at the fading sparks. A shiver ran up her spine. “I think I’m glad I didn’t know that when I was photographing them.”

Josh laughed a little. “Sorry. Not the best subject of conversation, especially with a newcomer.”

Vee waved his words away. “Don’t worry about me. So”—she brushed a few crumbs from her skirt—“what about the laser?”

Josh took off his cap again and smoothed his hair down once more. “It’s not actually about the laser,” he said. “It’s about getting a look at it.”

“How so?”

He blew out a sigh that puffed his cheeks, put his cap back on, and looked down at his fingertips as if to see his words written there. Vee waited.

“I work on Venera on a regular basis. I do my stints here for about nine months at a time and then go home and do the lecture and paper routine. I was on Earth when the news about the Discovery dropped into the stream. When I heard about the laser, I didn’t even think about it. I just got myself onto the next ship back. I assumed…” He shook his head and started again. “I assumed, since I was known and had a longtime affiliation with Venera, that I’d be able to get on the short list for a look at the thing, maybe even a chance to help in the analysis.” He lifted his gaze. “But, no, that’s not the way this is going to play. The laser is your territory for now, they’re telling me. After that, maybe we’ll see, but in the meantime, it’s just you.”

“I see,” said Vee, and she really thought she did. “And you think I can get you a piece of this?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But it seemed worth a shot.”

“Why the rush?” she asked breezily. “It’ll be there after I’m done with it.”

The look he gave her indicated his estimation of her mental acuity had just taken a header. Vee grinned. “Got it. You want to see what the aliens left too.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my work.” He tugged on his cap’s brim. “I always wanted to be out in space, but there are days when I’m very aware that I’m really just a glorified weatherman.” His eyes grew distant. “This is the stuff we’ve forgotten to dream about.”

Vee felt her grin widen.
Joshua Kenyon, you’re a romantic! I thought they’d put the last of your kind into zoos.
“I don’t see how there could be any problem with it. It’s not as if…” She cut herself off but glanced around the room. There was Troy, glad-handing yet another patient Veneran with Lindi trailing behind him. There was Julia at the buffet, being photographed by Terry, and there was Robert, staring straight at her while Isaac seemed to be occupied in keeping as many bodies between him and that window as possible.

“As if?” asked Josh.

One corner of Vee’s mouth turned up. “As if they’ve overloaded us with skilled workers. And I include myself in that.” She slumped backwards and stared at her plate with its blue bits of pastry. “I swear, I don’t know what they were thinking when they picked this bunch.”

Josh looked at her carefully. “You really want to know?”

Vee thought about it for a minute. “Yes,” she said.

Josh sighed, lifted his cap, smoothed his hair down, and replaced it. “Because you’re harmless.”

“What?” Vee straightened up slowly, uncertain that she’d really heard those words.

“I talked to some of the other atmosphere people about the U.N. team. I was wondering the same thing. Turns out that Grandma Helen pulled a whole set of strings to make sure whoever the U.N. sent up wouldn’t be able to do much in the way of actual investigation. She wanted all the glory, and all the publications and the money, to go to Venerans.”

Vee’s face flushed. Anger gathered in the back of her mind. The real work to the Venerans. That she understood. But there was plenty to go around. There had to be. Wanted to get a team that couldn’t do much…brought her up here not because they respected her skills, but because they suspected she lacked them. Just another pretty popularizer. Just another stupid face.

Vee’s jaw clamped down so hard her teeth started to ache. She stood.

“Vee…” began Josh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said without looking at him. Her gaze swept the room until it fastened on Helen Failia, who didn’t think she knew enough. Who didn’t think she could do this job and had her handpicked because of that.

Vee strode across the room, barely seeing where she was going.

Slow down, Vee. Slow down! This is not going to do anyone any good, especially you.
She stopped in her tracks. Her chest had tightened, and she was breathing way too hard.
Stop and think what you’re doing. You throw a fit now, and you’ll just be proving their point.

In the back of her mind she heard Rosa’s voice: “Be careful what you pretend to be.”

Vee turned away from Failia, hoping the woman hadn’t noticed her angry approach and abrupt change of plan. Evidently not. No one came up to her as she found an empty table and sat. The cameras were occupied; so were the other U.N. investigators, with each other and the cameras and with the whole wide cloudscape, and not one of them knew why they were here.

I’m gonna kill her.
Vee bowed her head into one hand.
I’m gonna kill myself. What was I thinking? I actually believed
—

“Dr. Hatch?”

Vee looked up. Terry Wray stood over her.

“If this little tableau turns up in-stream—”

“It’s off, it’s off,” Terry reassured her, lifting her hair out of the way so Vee could see the band was well and truly dark. “But are you okay?”

Vee pushed her veil back over her shoulders. “Not right now, but I will be.”

“Okay, good.” Terry smiled. “You’re one of my star attractions. I’d hate it if you stomped off or anything.”

“Oh no,” replied Vee sweetly. “They’re not getting rid of me that easily.” A thought struck her. “Terry, can I use you shamelessly for a minute?”

A whole variety of expressions crossed Terry’s face from amused curiosity to interested calculation. “As long as we stay in public, sure.”

Vee squeezed her hand. “Turn that thing back on, and when I start talking to Helen Failia, come up and start paying attention, okay?”

Terry looked down her snub nose at Vee. “Okay, but I get an extra interview for this.”

“Done.”

Vee rose, pasted her best sunny, vapid smile on her face, and slipped over to where Helen Failia stood talking with Philip. Vee waited for a pause in the conversation and then strode forward, timing her attack.

One, two, three, she pauses for breath and…

“Dr. Failia, good, you’re still here.”

Helen turned toward Vee, all solicitous. “What can I do for you, Dr. Hatch?”

“Well”—Vee folded her hands in front of her—“I hadn’t realized Dr. Kenyon was going to be on base. I thought he was still on his Earthside swing.”

Helen’s expression went slightly rigid as she held back some impolite emotion. “Ah, you know Dr. Kenyon?”

“By reputation. I’ve read his work.” She glanced across at Josh and let her smile grow even happier. “I’m so glad he’ll be with us. I don’t mind telling you.” Vee leaned forward confidentially. As she did, she saw Terry coming into range on the very edge of Helen’s field of view. “I’m excited about this opportunity, but my lab work was all done a long time ago. Without someone who’s in better practice, I’m afraid I might make a mess of things.” She laughed lightly. Dr. Failia looked gratifyingly disconcerted.

“I’m sorry.” Vee pulled back and blinked rapidly a few times. “He
is
coming down with us, isn’t he? His help would be utterly invaluable to me.”
Come on, there’s the camera, you see it. You aren’t going to admit you’re sending down a half-assed team, are you?

Helen Failia didn’t even hesitate. “If you feel Dr. Kenyon can be of assistance, of course he will be included in the investigative roster.” Only a slight darkness in Helen’s clear eyes told Vee that she did not think this was an excellent idea.

“Marvelous.” Vee beamed. “Thank you so much.” For good measure, she shook Dr. Failia’s hand before she turned away and strode out the door.

“That was pretty shameless,” murmured Terry behind her.

“You should see me when I’m trying.” Vee turned, and her smile was feral. “Thanks. Contact me when you’re ready for that interview.”

“Never fear.” Terry’s face grew thoughtful. “You should be careful about getting to like this too much, Dr. Hatch.”

“You know, I’ve got a friend back home who says the same thing.” Vee felt her face soften. “You’re probably both right too.”

Terry gave her one more thoughtful look
Sizing me up
, thought Vee.
For what?
“I’ve got to get back,” was all Terry said. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

Vee let her go and started walking down the corridor, suddenly both tired and frustrated.
Hope this doesn’t get you in any kind of trouble, Josh, but I was not, I was
not
, going to let her get away with this. You and I.
She paused before the elevator.
We’re going to make something of this, and Dr. Failia can just sit back and watch us.

Kevin Cusmanos hated accounting. Especially late at night after an evening spent smiling and chatting with a glass of wine in his hand when what he really wanted was a beer. He hated staring at the rows of figures in their little boxes and checking them on a split screen against the individual logs where everyone was supposed to enter all their individual orders and purchases but never did.

However, it came with the job. So he sat in his office with coffee steaming in a plastic mug, ancient Afro-Country playing over the speakers, and a burgeoning dislike of Shelby Kray, one of the new guys who could not seem to get the hang of keeping track of his money.

The door, which Kevin never locked, swished open. Kevin glanced up briefly and saw Derek framed in the threshold.

“Hey,” said Derek, a little tentatively. He still had his party clothes on—black slacks, red tunic, and cap.

Now’s not a great time, little brother,
thought Kevin, but all he said was, “Hey.”