Fallen Earth (First Colony Book 15), page 20
He nodded. “In time, but come on, let’s go,” he said, pulling her along after him.
Lauren grinned as they started to jog. She’d needed to move around, and her stiff muscles loosened after a few minutes. Maybe Isaac was right and she’d been pushing herself too hard—another family trait.
After breakfast, they took one of the vehicles that they’d designated as the mobile clinic and restocked it with basic medical supplies, essentially going on a tour of the city. There were new neighborhoods being built for all the refugees coming to the area. A significant portion of the influx came from spacers who’d been forced by the quarantine to survive in the solar system, but others were from smaller, remote settlements around the planet. Humanity was getting a chance to regroup, and the best way forward was for them to live in peace and harmony. These sentiments were what Lauren often heard from regional leaders, but it wasn’t trickling down. There was serious unrest, and she’d witnessed several brawls break out near the mobile clinic. They’d patch them up, but some of the vitriol was alarming.
The day went on, and they moved toward another section of the city, not far from where they’d begun that morning. They set up shop, and people visited with their list of ailments. She’d even convinced a few hybrids to give a blood sample for them to analyze.
“What good is this going to do? I’ve given samples like this before,” Greta said. She was an older woman, in her early seventies, and walked with a stooped posture.
Lauren packed the blood sample into a portable bio containment unit. “It’ll help us understand the extent of hybridization.”
Greta eyed her for a long moment. “Your heart is in the right place, but at this point, I doubt anyone will figure it out.”
She smiled a little. “Well, I haven’t given up yet,” she said and paused for a moment. “You’ve lived with it for a long time. Do you have any insights you can share?”
Greta’s gaze softened. “Sure, you take that young man over there and get married. Don’t look back or be worried about what anyone thinks.”
Lauren felt her cheeks redden and she grinned a little. “That’s not what I meant.”
Greta arched an eyebrow. “But is it what’s important?” She regarded Lauren for a moment. “Many people…doctors have tried to figure out how hybrids came to be. Some even tried to fix it, and over all my years, I’m not sure anything good came of it. I wish I could be more helpful, but that’s all I’ve got to offer.”
“You’ve been a big help, Geta. Maybe we’ll think of something that hasn’t been considered before.”
Greta rolled down her sleeve. “I hope so. With all the uproar out there, it reminds me of the Amtown uprising, except they were fighting about access to salvaged materials. Amtown proper—the old city—could process the materials for reuse, but the new Amtown was able to collect it with efficiency. This was about fifty years ago. I was just a young woman then, much like yourself.”
Lauren smiled. “What happened?”
“They got tired of trying to outdo each other and began to work together. They combined operations, and Amtown prospered because of it.” She eyed Lauren. “I served on the council that bridged the gap between the two. Things like this that’re going on out there will eventually pass.”
She sounded so sure that Lauren found herself agreeing with the older woman.
Greta stood up and gave Lauren a wink. “Remember what I said about that cutie you’ve got eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Lauren laughed, and Isaac glanced over at them from outside the exam area. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that, and if I was forty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.” Greta chuckled as she left.
Isaac finished with the person he’d been treating and walked over to her. “What’s that all about?”
Lauren raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
He frowned. “I felt like that older lady was sizing me up for a meal.”
Lauren laughed. “She was!”
Isaac’s eyes widened and he turned toward the street. “I can’t exactly argue with her taste in men.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of yourself.”
Isaac looked on the verge of replying but didn’t. His attention had been caught by a pair of black rovers driving toward them, the New Hope emblem showing proudly on the vehicle’s front.
The sidewalks were full of people going to and fro, but many stopped to watch the rovers.
The vehicles stopped and several armed enforcers exited. They wore the brown uniforms of New Hope’s law enforcement division, and they walked toward her and Isaac with a determined stride.
“Doctor Lauren Gates?” a man asked.
Isaac stepped a little ahead of her, shoulders back and his chin raised. “Who wants to know?”
Lauren saw that one of his hands moved toward the small of his back where he had his sidearm concealed.
The uniformed officer ignored him and stared at Lauren. “Doctor Lauren Gates?”
“I heard you,” Isaac said. “But you didn’t answer me.”
Several of the officers drew their weapons, sidearms of their own, while others held some kind of stunner.
“Step back and don’t interfere. I’m Captain Mitchel of New Hope Security. Doctor Gates, you need to come with us.”
Isaac barked out a laugh. “Like hell she does. You don’t have the authority to hold us.”
Lauren came to stand beside Isaac. “What’s this about?”
“It doesn’t matter what this is about, you’re not going with them. She’s not going with you.” Isaac pulled out his sidearm so quickly that Lauren wasn’t sure if she’d seen it happen. “Back off, now!” he bellowed to one of the approaching officers.
The officers swung their weapons toward Isaac. He was going to get himself killed if she didn’t do something.
“Captain Mitchel,” she said, “we’re part of the colonial diplomatic envoy. You need to tell us what’s going on.”
She glanced at Isaac. She’d seen him under pressure before with their lives in danger. While other people became angry and on edge, he became cold and calculating. It was a side of him she wasn’t accustomed to but had witnessed a few times.
Captain Mitchel sighed. “Doctor Gates, you’re wanted in connection with several murders that took place this morning.”
Lauren blinked a few times and frowned. “What? I haven’t killed anyone. We’ve been in the mobile clinic all day, going all over the city.”
“I have my orders, Doctor Gates. And they’re to bring you in for questioning.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Isaac said. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
The officers looked as if they were moments from taking action. Lauren moved in front of Isaac, cutting him off from the others.
“Think, Isaac. Think. You’re not going to kill anyone,” she said.
He somehow still had his sidearm pointed at the officers. “You’re right. Just a few leg wounds and we’ll get out of here.”
“And go where?” she asked, and Isaac frowned. “We can’t run from this. I can’t run from this.”
He glared at her. “I’m not letting them take you away.”
“You’re not. I’m going with them,” Lauren said. She reached toward his wrist and pulled his arm down. He resisted for a second and then relented.
“This is a mistake,” he whispered.
“I hope not,” she said and turned toward the officers. She raised her hands over her head. “I’ll come,” she said, walking toward them.
Captain Mitchel gestured toward one of his officers. “Take her in.”
An officer strode over to her and put metallic bindings around her wrists. As she was being led away, she glanced toward Isaac. He looked furious.
“Captain Mitchel,” Isaac said, “if anything happens to her, I’m coming for you first.”
Mitchel regarded him for a second. “Are you threatening me?”
Isaac shook his head. “Not a threat—a promise.”
Lauren used her wrist computer to send a message to the envoy. She hadn’t killed anyone and had no idea why anyone would suspect her of anything. This had to be a huge misunderstanding.
The officer opened the back of the rover and helped her climb inside, then sat next to her in the back while another came to the other side. A third sat across from her. She frowned. Who did they think she was?
21
Connor furrowed his brow as he tried to quickly review the messages waiting in his inbox on his wrist computer. The closed-door session with regional representatives of what would hopefully become the Earth Alliance Council had begun their afternoon meeting a short while ago.
Lenora walked over to the table of refreshments and poured herself a cup of water, and he watched her eye the platter filled with pastries. As if sensing his gaze, she turned toward him, arching her eyebrow, and tilted her head a little toward the platter. Though he was on the other side of the large room, she knew he could see her clearly, as if she’d been standing right in front of him. He’d never given up the military implants that enhanced his senses.
Connor nodded, and Lenora made a couple of sweet selections.
The people in the meeting were returning to their seats as their break was ending and it was time to resume.
Lenora smiled at him as she sat down.
He went to reach for one of the pastries, and she pulled it away. “Uh, these are mine. Yours are still on the platter over there,” she said, gesturing back the way she’d come.
Connor regarded her for a moment. “That really hurt my feelings.”
She laughed. “I’m sure. Here, have this one,” she said and gestured toward the one with orange frosting.
At the last second, Connor stole the one with the white frosting and quickly took a bite out of it to seal the deal.
Lenora narrowed her gaze and then shrugged. “I dropped that one on the floor, anyway.”
He’d been chewing and her comment made him laugh, so he began coughing. Clearing his throat, he took a sip of his water.
“You deserved that,” she said, eyes gleaming playfully.
“I can take it,” he replied and eyed her for a second, then leaned toward her. “You won’t know when I’ll exact my revenge, but know that I will.”
She grinned.
The meeting began again, and their momentary reprieve was done.
Claire Worthington brought up the next item on their agenda. She was a tall, dark-skinned woman. “The issue that keeps coming up is the subject of reparations.” She paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the colonial delegation.
Thomas Kessler cleared his throat. “That subject was addressed in the public town hall we had last week. I don’t think there’s a need to revisit it.”
“I understand that the subject was raised during the town hall, and since then my office has been getting regular inquiries about it. We need an official statement on this.”
Kessler glanced at Connor for a second and the two shared a look. Kessler was the mayor of the city of Prism. The city had one of the larger populations in the region, but Claire Worthington was also a mayor of a city whose population was enough to rival it in terms of resources and demand.
“An official statement as the Earth Alliance would be premature since we’re still in the process of forming it,” Kessler said.
Connor looked at Fabian Dumont, who looked on the verge of speaking.
“Our position in regard to reparations has not changed,” Dumont said.
Kessler lifted his hand, gesturing toward the colonial ambassador. “There, you see, Claire? I don’t understand the logic in raising this again.”
“The issue is that it’s been coming up in New Hope. We’ve taken in the largest group of refugees, and since then, ideas have spread. The concept of reparations is gaining traction.”
Connor leaned forward, clearing his throat. “So, the idea is gaining popularity. That doesn’t make it any more tangible than it was last week.”
“Excuse me,” Jalen Ibanez said. “I don’t mean to throw fuel on the fire, but I’ve been seeing the same thing in Amtown as well.”
A general statement of assent went around the room. Connor frowned, surprised by the speed at which this pathetic idea had taken root.
“You’re supposed to be leaders of your respective cities. That also means that sometimes it’s required of you to set the record straight,” Connor said.
Claire frowned in thought for a moment. “What if we were to change the messaging of the aid you’re providing? That could go a long way toward calming the rising tensions among the citizens.”
Connor blinked. “You’re proposing to give in to the whim of a mob? Is that what you’re really saying?”
Claire looked taken aback for a second. “No, of course not. I just want to avoid more civil unrest.”
“Then I suggest you stick with the truth,” Connor said, feeling a spike of irritation. He shook his head. “Someone is campaigning this nonsense through the cities.” He paused for a few seconds, looking at the others. He wasn’t seeing any shock or denial. Some of them looked uncomfortable, as if they were afraid. “What’s next? A lottery to define who qualifies for colonial assistance based on whose sob story gains the most traction with your voters?”
The seconds went by as a gathering tension filled the room. All Connor could think of was how disgusted he was with the situation.
Thomas Kessler began to speak and stopped to clear his throat. “I think we should table this discussion.”
“I don’t agree,” Lenora said. Connor turned toward his wife, shocked. “If we can’t discuss this among ourselves, how are we supposed to address it with our staff and other people?”
Connor considered that for a few moments and then nodded. “Maybe we shouldn’t be part of this discussion. Perhaps the envoy should recuse themselves from this meeting and let the representatives discuss it among themselves. Get a real consensus before we move forward at all.”
Lenora nodded.
Claire Worthington gave him an appraising look.
“Connor makes an excellent point,” Fabian Dumont said.
They all shared a look and stood.
“Wait,” Kessler said, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is like taking a step back when we should be moving forward.”
“It’s necessary,” Dumont said. “If the Earth Alliance is to have any kind of future, you’ll need to decide what issues are important. It’s essential to keep people’s concerns in mind, but I agree with Connor—you cannot give in to the whims of a mob. And it’s not appropriate for us to participate in whatever way forward you choose. However, it is my profound hope that you reach a reasonable consensus, keeping in mind the long-term implications of whatever decision is made here in this room.”
They left the conference room and received more than a few surprised looks from the people who were outside. Connor ignored them and led the others away.
They rounded a corner and Lenora spotted a small breakout room used for impromptu meetings. The three of them went inside and closed the door.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Lenora said.
“Neither did I,” Connor agreed.
Fabian shrugged. “I didn’t think we were free of it, but it looked as if some of the people in that room were seriously considering it.”
“Not Tom Kessler. He just wants to move forward,” Connor said.
“Nothing good will come of this,” Lenora said.
“That’s the whole point. Whoever is promoting these ideas wants us to be divided. This is a power grab.”
Fabian regarded him thoughtfully. “You obviously have someone in mind.”
Connor chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious? It has Pandu Mukhtar’s grubby little hands all over it.”
Lenora pursed her lips for a moment. “We can’t make accusations without supporting evidence.”
“You heard Worthington. She said New Hope has taken in the most spacers of all the cities.”
“This could get ugly really quickly,” Fabian said. He crossed his arms and rubbed the stubble of his beard for a moment. “We will push back on this, especially if the Earth Alliance pushes for it. All of this will add pressure to a challenging situation.”
“And,” Connor said, “it’ll distract from more important things.”
“We should be consistent with our stance, but it couldn’t hurt to remind people of what we’re trying to accomplish. Convince people that it’s in everyone’s best interest to work together instead of making demands that have no basis,” Lenora said.
Connor arched an eyebrow. “Use their own message against them. That could work—”
His and Lenora’s comlink chimed at the same time with a high-priority message.
Connor looked at the message and his brows pushed forward.
“What is this?” Lenora asked. “This can’t be right.”
Connor read the message. It had come through the CDF soldiers assigned to Lauren’s protective detail.
“What’s wrong?” Fabian asked.
Lenora looked at Connor in complete shock. He clenched his jaw and looked at Fabian. “Our daughter has been taken into custody.”
“What?” Fabian gasped. “What for?”
“They’re saying she murdered someone,” Connor said, and summoned his own security detail. “We’re going there right now.”
“Where?” Fabian asked.
Connor walked toward the door. “She’s being held in New Hope.”
Lenora followed him but turned back to Fabian. “You stay here.”
Fabian followed them out into the hall. “I can’t do that.”
Connor sent a quick message to Major Daniels to assemble two platoons to meet them at the base. He’d have three more meet them in New Hope.
“What are you going to do?” Fabian asked.
Connor closed his personal holoscreen. “I’m going to get my daughter.”
Fabian regarded them for a second. “Please wait.”
“For what?”
