Eros Descending: Book 3 of Tales of the Velvet Comet (17 page)

“What if he does attack us again? He's been doing it for months, and what good has it done him?”

“Are you saying that you
expect
him to break his bargain?”

“It's a possibility.”

“And yet you don't consider him a danger to us?” he demanded incredulously.

“Let me put it another way,” she said. “Where does your loyalty lie—to the
Comet
or to the Vainmill Syndicate?”

“They're the same thing.”

She shook her head vigorously. “They're
not
. Vainmill was all set to shut us down before Fiona Bradley took over. We're just a tiny cog in one of their many machines.”

“What are you getting at?” asked Attila, staring at her intently.

“I'm trying to tell you that Richard Constantine is a far greater threat to the
Velvet Comet
than that poor, guilt-ridden religious fanatic ever will be.”

“Constantine?” said Attila with a sarcastic laugh. “Who the hell do you think has been fighting Gold for us?”

“Only because it's a good career move at this point in time,” responded the Steel Butterfly. “It's his first assignment in Fiona Bradley's administration, and he wants to impress her. He'll have no compunction about cutting us loose the moment we become bothersome to him. He's so ambitious he makes Cassius look fat and full.”

“Even if you're right, that's all the more reason to get rid of Gold by using that disk.”

She shook her head again. “In his current mental and emotional state, he's the least effective foe we could have. Find some way to discredit him, and whoever replaces him will be far more formidable.”

“Let me get this straight,” said Attila. “You're telling me that you want Gold attacking us precisely because this obsession he's got for the faerie is driving him off the deep end?”

“That's right.” She paused. “There are lots of jobs for Security men—but once you've been the madam of the
Velvet Comet
, no other position is acceptable. I intend to do whatever it takes to make sure that my job doesn't disappear out from under me.”

He stared at her and sighed heavily. “And I thought
I
was a cold son of a bitch!”

She smiled patronizingly at him. “You're young yet. I still have hopes for you.”

Gold looked up from his computer when he heard Simon knocking at the door.

“Yes?”

“They're here,” said Simon.

“I'll be right out,” said Gold, deactivating the computer.

He stood up, took a few steps toward the door, and then hesitated.

“Simon?”

“Yes, Father?”

“I'm just finishing up some notes for one of my sermons. Tell them I'll be out in five minutes.”

“All right.”

Gold returned to the computer.

“Activate,” he said.

The computer hummed to life.

“Bring up the last image.”

A holograph of two nude female faeries, locked in a lesbian embrace, appeared directly above the computer.

He studied the image, his head beginning to throb again.

“Action.”

The frozen faeries came to life, kissing and caressing one another under the direction of an offstage tutor.

“Deactivate in four minutes,” said Gold, leaning forward and staring unblinking at the holograph.

The faeries rolled across their enormous bed, changing positions frequently, their actions more frenzied—and suddenly the computer shut down. “What happened?” demanded Gold.

FOUR MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED.

Gold read the printed response and shook his head vigorously.

“It couldn't have been more than 30 seconds!”

I HAVE JUST RECHECKED MY FUNCTIONS. THERE HAS BEEN NO ERROR.

“There must have been!”

I HAVE CHECKED MY FUNCTIONS YET AGAIN, AND THEY ARE ALL WORKING PROPERLY.

Gold took his timepiece from his wrist and laid it down next to the computer.

“Show me the same footage again,” he ordered.

The two faeries reappeared, passionately stroking and kissing each other precisely as they had done before.

Gold watched them intently, and even after the computer had deactivated he continued to stare at the empty space where they had appeared. As reality slowly impinged upon him, he sighed and leaned back on his chair, feeling mildly uncomfortable as the knotted muscles in his arms and legs began relaxing.

Suddenly he leaned forward and checked his timepiece.

Seven minutes had elapsed.

“Damn!” he muttered. “Activate.”

The computer came to life once more.

“Run it again.”

Once again the two faeries appeared, and this time Gold made sure to check the time every few seconds.

He was eighty-five seconds into the footage when Simon knocked on the door.

“What is it?” he snapped.

“Are you all right, Father?”

“Of course I'm all right! What do you want?”

“I thought you were coming out in five minutes. It's been almost fifteen.”

“Five, fifteen—what's the difference? I'm busy!”

“Can't it wait?” asked Simon.

“No, it can't!”

“How much longer will you be?” persisted Simon.

“As long as it takes. Now leave me alone!”

There was no reply, and Gold walked back to the computer, which was still running the scene.

“Start it again,” he commanded. “And put the running time above them.”

The computer instantly complied, and Gold stared at the scene before him with renewed intensity. Finally it flickered out of existence.

“All right,” he said grudgingly. “You were right. Deactivate.”

He stood up, paused a moment until his breathing became more normal, and then left his office and walked to the living room, where his son, daughter, and grandson were waiting for him.

“Christina!” he said, smiling. “How wonderful it is to see you again!” He looked down at Jeremy. “My goodness! You've grown another inch! Are you ready for a trip to the museum tomorrow?”

Jeremy assured him that he was looking forward to it, then ran off to the dining room to help Corinne set the table.

Christina surveyed her father critically. “You've been under quite a strain,” she remarked at last.

“Why should you think so?” asked Gold defensively. “I was just working on a sermon.”

“I wasn't talking about that,” she replied. “You've got to have lost fifteen pounds since the last time I was here.”

“Maybe two or three,” he said. “But hardly fifteen.”

“Have you seen a doctor?” she continued. “You really don't look well, Father.”

'I appreciate your concern, but I feel fine,” he said.

“Well, you don't look it.”

“I trust you intend to spend an equal amount of time nagging your mother about the weight she's gained,” said Gold.

“
She
looks healthy.
You
don't.”

“I told you—I'm fine.”

“Simon, do
you
think he's all right?” she asked her brother worriedly.

“It's none of Simon's business,” interrupted Gold.

“Besides, he's got more important things to do these days than spend his time playing nursemaid to a perfectly healthy man.”

“You mean his book?”

“That, too,” said Gold. “But I've been letting him handle a lot of the church's routine administrative duties for the past few weeks while I work on my sermons.” He paused. “I trust you heard the last two?”

“Of course.”

“Did they sound as if they were given by a doddering old man with one foot in the grave?”

“No,” she admitted. “But you must have used a lot of makeup and some very careful camera angles. You couldn't have lost all this weight since your last broadcast.”

“I told you—you're exaggerating.” He tried to change the subject again. “By the way, what did you think of them?”

“Them?”

“My sermons.”

“They were fine,” said Christina, deciding that any further discussion of her father's health would simply result in an argument. “Robert and I noticed that you haven't mentioned the Andricans at all for the past two weeks. Did Vainmill release them from their contracts?”

“No,” said Gold, suddenly uncomfortable. “I just thought I'd do better to focus on Fiona Bradley for a while. After all, the faeries are just the symptom; Bradley and Vainmill are the disease.”

“I suppose you're right,” she said. “But after that video special last week about how the
Comet
has had to adapt to their needs, I was sure you'd be concentrating on them again.”

“They've pretty much served their purpose,” said Gold. “We don't want the public getting tired of them.”

“You make this sound more like a political campaign than a moral crusade,” remarked Christina.

“To some extent it is precisely that,” interjected Simon. “If we get the Andricans released, Vainmill will still be in the business of doing evil. But if we can bring Vainmill down, the Andrican situation will be resolved simultaneously.”

“I never thought I'd hear Simon Gold equating politics and religion,” she said with a smile.

“I'm not,” said Simon stiffly. “But we're waging a battle to win men's souls, and it would be foolish not to use every weapon at our disposal.”

“Mother mentioned one of those weapons,” said Christina. “A man named Kozinsky, from the Declan system.”

“Then I trust she also mentioned that we had nothing to do with it,” answered Simon heatedly.

“She didn't
have
to mention it,” she replied. “I know my father.” She looked directly into Simon's eyes. “But I'll bet
you
had him condemned to eternal damnation before he had drawn his last breath.”

“He tried to take human lives,” said Simon.

“I notice you didn't say
innocent
human lives,” she remarked, amused.

“Innocent or guilty, it makes no difference. The Lord tells us that we must not kill.”

“I think that under the right circumstances, you could wipe out a regiment without turning a hair,” she said.

“Christina, you shouldn't say that about your brother,” said Gold. “He happens to be the most righteous man I've ever been privileged to know.”

“That's just the kind of man who will commit any crime without compunction if he's convinced he's right,” said Christina.

“I'm perfectly willing to be judged for my past and present sins,” said Simon irritably. “But if it's all the same to you, I don't feel like defending myself for sins as yet uncommitted and unconceived.”

“I didn't say you
would
, Simon,” replied his sister. “Just that you
could
.”

“Rubbish!”

“Not necessarily,” commented Gold. “I suspect that anyone could commit
any
sin under the proper circumstances.”

She shook her head. “Not you, Father,” she said firmly.

“Even me.”

“Thomas Gold? I doubt it.”

“Then allow me to thank you for your vote of confidence, even while I disagree with it,” he said ironically. “By the way, where's Robert?”

“He's arriving a few hours before your broadcast next Thursday evening.”

Gold turned to Simon. “This animosity between you and your brother-in-law has got to stop. We're supposed to be a family, and I'm getting sick and tired of seeing each of you only when the other is absent. You're both mature adults; it seems to me that you ought to be able to get along with each other for an evening without arguing.”

“I agree,” said Simon.

“Then when are the two of you going to make an effort?” persisted Gold.

“We already have,” replied Simon smugly. “In fact, I've been in contact with Robert twice within the past week.”

“And you didn't fight?”

“Certainly not.”

“I'm delighted to hear it,” said Gold. “Surprised, but delighted.”

“Robert's not totally unreasonable under the proper circumstances,” added Simon.

“I've been trying to tell you that for years,” said Christina.

“What's the cause of this new family harmony?” asked Gold.

“Your next broadcast, as a matter of fact,” replied Simon.

“I'm afraid I don't follow you.”

“I've got a surprise for you, Father,” said Simon, looking inordinately pleased with himself.

“Can you tell me now, or do I have to wait until Thursday evening?” asked Gold.

“The sooner you know, the better, since I have a feeling that you're going to want to change your sermon.”

“Change it?” repeated Gold. “What do you mean?”

“I assume you had planned to attack Fiona Bradley again?”

Gold nodded. “I'll be discussing Vainmill's abuse of aliens in the Bellermaine system.”

Simon smiled and shook his head. “No you won't.” He paused for dramatic effect. “You'll be talking about the Andricans.”

“No,” said Gold firmly. “I made them the subject of four broadcasts in a row. It's time to move to other things.”

“Not just yet,” said Simon, still smiling.

“I won't talk about the faeries again. I made a promise.”

“A promise?” asked Christina.

“To myself,” answered Gold hastily.

“Well, you're about to break it,” said Simon.

“No, I'm not,” said Gold decisively. “The subject is closed.” He paused. “Now, what's this surprise you've cooked up?”

“Robert is bringing two Andricans to Deluros with him,” said Simon.

“What?”

“I thought we ought to do something to counter any favorable impression that Constantine's documentary created. You know, bring the faeries out and let them stand on the stage with you, so people can see just how inoffensive and vulnerable they are, maybe even have them say a few words about how prostitution is unknown on their home planet and what a terrible fate has befallen the Andricans on the
Velvet Comet
.”

“Robert's bringing faeries to Deluros?” said Gold, blinking rapidly and trying to assimilate what he had just heard.

“He
is
an alien anthropologist, as well as an exobiologist,” answered Simon. “He's had contact with races all over the galaxy. So when I got the idea while watching the documentary, I contacted him to see if it was feasible. He had to contact their government to see if he could get two of them to agree to come to Deluros with him, which is why I didn't know that we could actually accomplish it until yesterday.” He paused. “I thought you'd figure it out when Christina showed up.”