Senescence (Jezebel's Ladder Book 5) (7 page)

The judge cocked his head. “With
the armada of news bots outside, I have no doubt the media will keep him
honest. To ease your mind, I will allow one of your soldiers to accompany the
accused. Since Mr. Onesemo is the sole member of your team to express concern
for the safety of the suspect, he is the only soldier I will allow within fifty
yards of him outside this courtroom. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

A paramedic with a gurney appeared
at the door. The judge acknowledged her presence and tapped the gavel a final
time. “Dismissed. Suspect may be treated for his injuries.”

While the paramedic worked on Stu
and asked questions, the woman with the golden empath badge stepped from behind
the privacy shield and rushed to Stu’s side. She was so perfect that he stopped
breathing for a moment. “I’m Laura, the one in charge of your defense team.
You’re going to be okay. We won’t let them torture you anymore.” Her
captivating brown eyes were wide with concern. Soothing fingers stroked his
forehead.

On impulse, he held up his cuffed
hands to touch her. “Someone get these restraints off him!” she ordered.

Then, one of her soft, pale hands
clasped his. At the contact, her concern washed over him, causing him to
breathe faster. Gazing into her eyes this way was more arousing than a beach
full of bikinis had been.
I have to find out more about her and convince her
to like me before this grand jury distraction is over. She belongs in
Sanctuary
.

Laura stood at the young man’s side as a second paramedic arrived.
Onesemo provided the empty painkiller syringe. She used her phone to scan him
for weapons and discovered that as an interrogation specialist, his badge was
an active recording device.
That’s why the judge believed him.
A little
research informed her that while on duty, Onesemo couldn’t shut the recorder
off.
I can use this to lead the opposition wherever I want.

The paramedics read off symptoms
and the dosage to a doctor on the courthouse wall screen. Together they
counteracted the drug. The patient’s breathing eased, but he remained groggy.
The doctor said, “This man should be admitted overnight to the hospital for
observation.”

Laura said, “That’s a good idea. We
can collect evidence.”

“Of what?” asked Onesemo. “That he
was abused?”

“No, that he is who he claims,” she
explained. Over the wall link, she said, “We’d like a consultation with Dr.
Maurier.”

“I
doubt the head of the Active medicine section wants to be disturbed on a
weekend,” the doctor replied.

Laura
waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, she’s worked with me before. She’ll do this
as a favor.” She held up her Mori Biogenetics credentials and explained the
situation. The doctor restricted her to the passenger seat of the ambulance but
allowed her to ride along. From there, Laura could keep an eye on both the
ambassador and his new bodyguard.

Four
minutes later, as they sped toward the hospital, Lena Maurier phoned her. The
doctor wore gardening gloves and a lab coat inside an immaculate greenhouse.
Her short, sandy hair and melodic accent betrayed her Swedish origins. “Laura,
what do you need?”

“To
document the exact talents that this patient has. We could also use a
bone-density scan and any other test you can think of to prove Ambassador
Llewellyn has lived off-planet his entire life.”

The
doctor mused for a moment. “We could test for Cesium 137. That’s how scientists
validate wines bottled before the atomic bomb was dropped. While we examine
him, he should be kept in quarantine. We don’t know what mutations he has or
what might harm him.” She whispered to herself, “This is so exciting. I’ll be
able to write several papers on him.”

The
phone screen went dark except for the map to the hospital and the ETA counter.

Stu removed his oxygen mask. “They
have my badge from my spacesuit—cryptographically signed from
Ascension’s
security computer.”

Laura shrugged. “Over the last
twenty years, with advances in quantum computers, that could be forged. Maybe
that’s why you waited until now to appear, because that’s how long the key took
to crack.”

“The armor, too?”

“Fortune makes two of everything
before a big mission,” Onesemo explained. “You could have stolen the original
from the
Ascension
Museum in Wales before your splashdown.”

“Then why keep me in jail?”

Onesemo said, “Look,
you
obviously believe what you’re saying, but we can’t prove it yet. All I know for
certain is that you had astronaut training and know a lot about the crew.”

“My DNA will show who my parents
are.”

“However, that doesn’t mean you
were conceived in space,” Laura said, facing Onesemo’s badge so it could hear
every word. “Some of the astronauts had bio samples taken to a fertility clinic
at a UN base in Antarctica in case an accident in space killed them or made
them sterile. You could have been cooked up in a test tube at that lab.”

“I’m obligated to warn you that as
a law enforcement officer appointed by the court, anything you say in my
presence may be reported to the grand jury,” Onesemo said grimly.

I’m counting on it.
“These
are all theories that any prosecutor worth his salt would need to determine
this man’s true identity.”

“You make it sound like I could be
some huge hoax, twenty years in the making. Who could do that?”

“The head of Mori Electronics and
Biogenetics for one,” Laura replied. She took fiendish glee in implicating the
old bastard who had sent her.

Stu nodded. “I’ve heard of him. He
and his daughter tried to fry Zeiss’ brain.” When Laura narrowed her eyes in
puzzlement, he added, “The time they destroyed Sirius Academy.”

Onesemo nodded. “If anyone could pull
it off, Mori could. That prosecutor should tag any
Sanctuary
-related
files the old man has accessed since the astronauts landed.”

Receiving a call from Dr. Maurier,
the paramedic tore off Stu’s shirt.

“Hey!” Stu complained. “What is
this? Everywhere I go on this planet, people want my clothes.”

“Sorry, sir. Doc says we have to
bag your garments as biohazard and prep you for a sterile environment.”

Laura tried to calm the patient.
“Relax. They reek of vomit splatter. You’ll wear a fashionable gown for your
tests, and I’ll buy you a nice suit so you’ll be presentable in court
tomorrow.” Her gaze lingered on his muscles—strictly to gauge his measurements.

The moment the ambulance unloaded
at the hospital, Onesemo stepped aside to call someone on his sleeve.

Laura tried to accompany the
stretcher inside, but the paramedic stopped her. “Ma’am, since you’re not
related, we can’t allow you past this point. You’ll have to wait until visiting
hours.”

Stu said, “She’s my lawyer. I need
her.”

She held up a hand. “It’s fine. I
haven’t even unpacked my suitcases, and I have a lot of motions to file before
tonight. Plus, I have to tuck my mother in.”

“You take care of your mother?” Stu
said. “You’re such a good person. When this is all over, you’ll have to tell me
how I can thank you.”

Laura had a few ideas on that
topic. “Just get well. Farewell for now.” She kissed him on the forehead. The
mingling of their auras tingled pleasantly.
He likes me
.

She could feel his eyes on her as
she turned toward the curb to meet up with her security team.

****

At the corporate apartments, Laura dashed past her mother
and into her bedroom, where she stripped off her skirt and shoes. “Workout
clothes are in this closet, right?”

Her mother shut off the glasses
that were reading a book aloud to her. “Why not rest, Tsukiko?” That was
Laura’s pet name, what the moon goddess Kaguya of Japanese mythology had named
her own daughter. “I know you didn’t sleep well on the flight in.”

Laura shook her head, selecting
suitable martial-arts garb. Everything in this closet was her size, a duplicate
of clothing that she wore often in Tokyo. “I’ll stay up until eleven local
time. I need to adjust my internal clock. Could you find me a sparring
partner?”

“Certainly.” Her mother handed her
a sports bra. “What’s wrong?”

“Exercise helps me think,” Laura
replied. “Besides, this case is a dangerous one. We may have to defend
ourselves.”

“What did you think about the
Llewellyn boy?”

“He’s so sweet. He believes the
best of me,” Laura said, gazing wistfully out her balcony window as she
changed. “He has no clue who I am.”

“He
must
be from another
world. Play the innocent with him. Let him seduce you.”

Laura groaned. “He’ll take forever
to make his move. You heard those tapes about waiting till he’s married.”

“Hmph. The harder they are, the
sooner they fall. If he thinks it’s his idea, he’ll trust you unconditionally.”

Laura lowered her eyes. She wasn’t
sure if she wanted victory on those terms.
But if I don’t take a sample,
someone else will make him bleed. At least he’ll have a smile on his face when
I’m done.

Upstairs, after the legal team departed, a solidly-built man
wandered into the hall to speak to the nurse at the desk. With the short hair,
impeccable suit, and compulsive scanning of his surroundings, he could have
passed for Secret Service. Onesemo stiffened. “Heads up. This guy has
bone-conduction implants for comms, virtual-reality sunglasses, two smartgun
holsters, and high-end body armor concealed under his suit.”

Stu checked, and the visitor’s aura
wasn’t Active. “Chill. He’s not an Override. Why waste all that hardware on a
normal?”

“Management. Grunts like me wear
out fast. This guy had to be really good to compete, though, so don’t discount
him.”

After donning a surgical mask and
gloves, the armed man strode into the hospital room with the air of a party
host greeting guests. “Luca Maurier. I’m the head of Fortune security. My wife,
Lena, will be taking care of you this weekend. We’ve sealed off this ward
tighter than a gnat’s ass.”

Stu shook his hand. “That means I
can catch a nap before the trial.”

“The grand jury won’t convene until
Monday, but take advantage of the down time. Nobody will be making another
attempt on your life while I have anything to say about it.”

Looking younger than she had over
the link, his wife entered dressed in full surgical scrubs. She handed Onesemo
a pile of blue clothing and a bottle of soap. “We call this a bunny suit. It’s
sterile. The nurse will help you disinfect and dress. I don’t suppose you can
tell me why the CDC has forbidden me to analyze his blood?”

“No clue. The order came from the
Surgeon General about seven years ago. Any genetic samples from
Sanctuary
survivors are classified Cosmic Purple.”

“Hmm. Fortunately, I enjoy a
challenge. We’ll see what we can do through indirect means.” After chatting
with Stu for a few moments, she dismissed her husband with a gesture.

“Luca wasn’t in here to guarantee
my safety,” Stu guessed. “He was here for yours.”

The doctor smiled. “Fortune
Enterprises is very concerned about your well being, but I’ve been attacked by
delirious patients before. That’s how I met him … and why I specialize in
children now.”

Lena interviewed Stu for hours,
taking his medical history. Every time she went, “Hmm,” she signed another
piece of paper and gave it to a member of her staff.
They still use paper?

When his stomach growled, he said,
“Sorry. I lost the only food I’ve eaten in the last day.”

The doctor immediately had a stack
of sealed food containers delivered.

She verified all five of his
inherited talents, all related to starship control. When he mentioned his sixth
talent, for operating the escape pod, she said, “You truly are a marvel. What
side effects have you noticed?”

Stu scratched his head. “I dunno. I
don’t see warm colors as well anymore, but my blue discrimination is off the
charts. I can also see stress patterns in acrylic just like Risa does with her
special, polarized lenses.”

“Interesting. You’re taller than
your father. Is that related to the new Page you read?”

Stu shook his head. “We reduce the
gravity in the ship to conserve energy … sometimes. I work out a lot to
maintain bone integrity.”

“And an outstanding job you’ve
done,” she said with admiration. “I’d like to see more.”

Onesemo raised an eyebrow.

“Test results,” she added,
flustered. “I’ll order those next.”

Soon, Luca came back in, tapping
his watch. “We’ll be late for the fundraiser, dear.”

After the doctor left, Onesemo
whispered, “You shouldn’t flirt with married women.”

“I can’t help if compassionate,
older women want to take care of me.” Stu gestured to the heap of empty food
containers. “Besides, I didn’t see you turning down any of the perks.”

“Just saying, you don’t mess with
the wife of the guy who’s covering your back.”

“Well, now we can finally sleep,”
Stu said.

A male physician’s assistant who
had been bustling around a monitor said, “Not yet, sir. We have to wheel you
out for a few tests.”

Onesemo asked, “How many?”

The PA glanced at his computer pad.
He paged down and then repeated the action. “I’ve never even heard of some of
these.”

****

Sunday morning, bright and early, Stu dozed in the
quarantine room, waiting for the next hoop to jump through. After a nurse woke
him to take his blood pressure, he said to Onesemo, “Hey, could you be a bro
and get me a toothbrush? That cute lawyer could come back at any time, and I
don’t want my breath to smell like my sick.”

The guard shook his head. “You’re
on trial for your life, and you’re worried about getting lucky?”

“The trial is all a smoke screen.
The people of Earth are the ones really on trial. So far, only you and she have
passed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Stu ignored the question. “You
mentioned your dad was an Override. Was your mom the empath?”

“No,” Onesemo said casually. “That
would have made me a multi-talent male. Insurance doesn’t allow those anymore
because of the mortality rates.” Suddenly the guard frowned. “Shit fire. I’m
busted. How long have you known what I am?”

“Since the infirmary.”

“You’ve been yanking my chain ever
since.”

“How does it feel?” Stu asked.
“Tell you what: you don’t push my buttons, and I won’t push yours.”

“Deal.”

“Why don’t you have to wear the
yellow symbol like other empaths?”

Onesemo winced. “I could lose my
job if I answer that.”

“I won’t tell, and I’ll let you
stick around.”

His bodyguard left the room and
came back thirty minutes later with a new toothbrush. His badge was missing.
“My version of the talent only works on Actives. They don’t have protected
status.”

“Ouch. How did you acquire this
talent, some Homeland Security experiment?”

“No. My last field assignment was
protecting an ethics investigator at one of the lunar labs. There was an
accident. We lost a lot of people. I was injured badly enough to need almost a
year of rehab in Hawaii.”

“You saved the ethics officer,
though, right?” Stu guessed.

“Yeah. When she came to thank me,
she introduced me to her younger sister, Kelly, who worked at the hospital. She
tracks epidemics to their sources with a mix of Empathy and her dad’s detective
skills. Anyway, I was so depressed I didn’t want to talk to anyone. My dad went
on medical disability at age thirty-three and died at age forty. I was
twenty-six and burning out faster than he did. I couldn’t see a way out. Kelly
wouldn’t let me give up. She saved me.”

Mental talents can be sexually
transmitted.
“Some of her gift rubbed off on you?”

“Yeah. Turns out I was good at
making friends with people and picking up things in an interrogation. Her
sister finagled me a desk job working lie detectors for the investigative
branch.”

Stu didn’t see any rings on his
fingers. “You haven’t married Kelly yet?”

“Engaged. Actives need to get
special licenses and post medical bonds before marriage.”

“Then Kelly can be number three.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m handing out tickets to see
Sanctuary
,
first hand. We have limited seating. While I tour Earth, I’m inviting quality
people back to see my place.”

The Samoan’s mouth twitched into a
lopsided smile. “I guess that means I have to keep you in one piece until I can
collect on that. Will I get to meet Herk again?”

“If I have anything to do with it,
Officer Onesemo.”

“My friends call me Mo.”

****

At Stu’s 7:00 p.m. vitals check, Onesemo complained to the
nurse, “The itching in Stu’s leg is driving me crazy.”

The nurse nodded. “Come with me. We
have some psi-blocking masks down in admitting. They look a little like gel ski
masks. You’ll need to come with me to find one that fits.”

The moment the guard left, a woman
with pearl earrings entered the room in a lab coat. “Hi,” she said.

Stu sat up in surprise. “Am I
dreaming?”

“No,” said his Aunt Mary,
nervously.

“Mom showed me your picture. She
had a lab coat just like that.” Stu misted up a little.

His aunt ran forward to hug him. “I
was afraid you wouldn’t know me.”

He held her a foot away, grinning.
“You’re family. How did you get in?”

Mary said, “Lena is my physician of
record. Officially, I’m getting a checkup in her office. It also helps that I’m
Luca’s boss.” Sitting in the visitor’s chair, she asked, “How’s married life
treating Mercy?”

His smile vanished. “I can’t talk
about it.”

“She’s my sister, and I’m spending
my life covering for Mira. I deserve to know. Is Mercy alive?”

“Yes … It’s complicated.” Stu
slumped back against his propped pillows. “She and Dad can’t leave the ship
ever again. Come meet her yourself when I return to
Sanctuary
. Thanks
for the guards and the legal team.”

“Don’t mention it. Is there
anything else you need?”

“A trauma surgical team and
specialists in Active genetics,” Stu said. “Dr. Lena would be a great fit.”

“Why do you need a trauma team?”

“The surprise attack at the nexus
when we arrived tore Herk up bad.” Stu explained the synchrotron radiation and
the evidence left behind.

“E01. Sounds like Earth First could
have been responsible,” she deduced. “The
FBI
lists them as eco-terrorists. They’re a radical arm of a popular Green
political coalition.
Earth First
started out campaigning for vast roadless parks in every country. The coalition
also wants military spending to be redirected to species survival. Pesticide
companies hired scientists to say America’s ecology did fine without earthworms
and bees before Europeans landed. So Earth First saved the bees by bombing the
plant where the pesticide was made. Next, t
hey b
lew up bulldozers in Brazil to save the Amazon rainforest.”

“Why
would they have spacecraft or hackers?”

Mary
considered this. “I’ll have to investigate. They’re funded underground on the
dark web. The Green coalition halted most space research after the fallout from
the first orbital war. They’ve banned all nuclear materials in orbit and leaked
the truth about the Icarus field’s history.”

“Putting
that aside, how did they know when and where we were arriving?”

Mary
leaned close and lowered her voice. “The Red Giant Locator Page taught us how
to build a receiver the size of a football stadium. Initially, we thought the
device
was
the telescope. However, Jezebel Hollis figured out it really
intercepted images broadcast from the telescope already on
Sanctuary
.
Whenever your ship isn’t submerged under the hyperspace sheet, we see whatever
it does.”

“Holy
crap! That’s how they knew the escape pod was coming, too. I have to get word
to the others … But I’m being watched.”
He chewed his lip. “Can you meet
Oleander in the abandoned LA Zoo in Griffith Park?”

“I might not be able to because I’m
under intense scrutiny. However, I may have someone who can pass along the
message—Colonel Johann Dahlstrom.”

“Oleander’s brother?”

“I contacted him to consult on this
matter as soon as your escape pod hit the news.
How long are you staying on Earth?” Mary asked.

“Depends
on whether I can get our terms met. Part of my mission is to recruit another
seventy crew members. Ideally, we’re heading to a colony planet after we teach
Earth to make ships.”

“So
I’m never going to be free from this identity?”

“That’s above my pay grade.”

The expression reminded her of
something. “We just announced the stock payout for this quarter. Once your
identity is confirmed, you’ll be eligible for an income stream of about a
million dollars a day.”

“I didn’t come for the money.”

“I understand, but you can control
the funds and then vote Zeiss’ proxy as long as you’re here. Mori has used
those votes as a thorn in my side for twenty years. It’ll be nice to have them
in friendly hands for a while. However, too many people can see what you spend
that money on.” She handed him a white plastic rectangle. “If you need
untraceable money for an emergency, use this. It comes from my personal account
and is keyed to your thumbprint. No one else will see the expenditure. I’ll
send Oleander one as well.”

“That will come in handy for
exotic metals and old shuttle parts.”

Her wrist beeped an alert, and she
stood up. “Time to go. Don’t trust any of the Moris.”

“My new friends said the same
thing.” He kissed his aunt good-bye. “Do yo
u
want to come with me when I return to the ship?”

Mary
tilted her head. “That would be the trip of a lifetime. I’d love to.” She
hugged him and dashed away, slipping past Onesemo as he meandered back into the
room wearing his Empathy-blocking hood.

The
guard shook his head. “You’re getting another nurse’s phone number? Man, you
work fast.”

Changing
the subject, Stu joked, “You look like a jellyfish is eating your head.”

“Kid,
I feel like a jellyfish is sucking my brains out my ears, and not in a good
way. Let’s get some more shuteye while we can.”

“Yeah,”
Stu said, gazing fondly after his aunt.

“Tell
me you’re not in love with this one, too.”

“What
can I say? She’s a special lady.”

****

Shortly thereafter, Lena
Maurier visited Stu’s bedside while Onesemo was in the bathroom. “I’ll be
releasing you to your legal team soon. You’re a remarkable young man. Why
aren’t you dead?”