Titanborn (16 page)

“Oh, them. They're the kids from the assignment I messaged you about.”

“I figured as much. How's Aria?”

I checked to make sure the water in the bathroom was still running and then replied: “She'll be fine, Maz. She's stronger than she looks.”

Mazrah grinned, and maybe it was the alcohol in my blood, but it was exactly what I needed to see. She had the kind of smile that could make a man forget everything he stood for. “Oh, trust me, I know that. I met her, remember? Still, it's not an easy thing sometimes to do one's job.”

“I doubt it was for me at that age, either.” I shrugged. “I can't really remember.”

“That probably doesn't help,” she jested. She didn't point, but I could tell her gaze had shifted to look straight at the bottle pinned between my lap and my stomach.

I smirked as I lifted it to my lips and took another swig. Mazrah rolled her eyes, but given how good our connection was she couldn't hide her snicker, subtle as it was.

“She'll come around,” I decided. “She always does.”

“Well, if she doesn't soon, you bring her over to me and I'll make sure to tell her about all her father's ‘finer' qualities.”

“I'll keep that in mind if I ever come back there. You know I can't stand the cold.”

“You'll be back,” she said, her trademark confidence oozing into her tone. “We'll make it warm enough for you together.”

“Seeing you this clearly is going to make it hard to stay away.”

“I'll be sure to start some trouble to get you back quickly, then.”

“Fine by me. Just nothing too bad or I'll have to lock you up.”

“Oh, I'll think of something.” She put on a wicked grin for a moment, then her lips straightened. “Now go. Talk to her before you lose her and worry about me later.”

I sighed. The shower had turned off anyway so I knew I didn't have long before I'd have no choice.

“You're right. Bye, Maz. We'll talk soon.” I wasn't sure if I should smile and nod or blow her a kiss, so I settled on something in the middle. I can only imagine how ridiculous I probably looked to her. I really never was very good with women beyond the first night.

Her expression told me that she was doing her damnedest not to laugh. “Bye, Mal. Don't keep me waiting here too long.”

The sound of the door to the bathroom coming open with a whoosh stole my attention and caused me to miss how she handled the farewell before the transmission cut out.

Aria walked out, wrapped in a plush towel as white as she was. Her skin was clean, but her lips continued to tremble as they had since the moment I shot Elios.

“Was that Mazrah?” she asked, her voice brittle. She didn't even look at me when she spoke. Her eyes stared forward blankly, as if she had watched a gory scene from an old horror movie over and over again until it made her numb.

“Yeah,” I replied. “She gives her best.”

“Good…I like her. For you, I mean.” It was obvious she was just trying to make small talk to try to avoid the situation. I was perfectly fine with it. Aria had never known her mother, so she was constantly trying to push me to meet someone. Hell, the way she'd looked at Mazrah the first time they met was half the reason I was willing to give her a real shot.

“Me, too,” I admitted.

Aria took a seat on a couch across the room, her hand quaking as she used it to brace herself so she didn't fall. She stared out through the room's viewport and we both sat there wordlessly until the silence made me itch.

“You feel any better?” I finally mustered the willpower to ask.

“No,” she mumbled, still unable to look at me.

I raised my bottle to my lips and took another sip. “You will.”

“I won't!” she said, bristling. This time she stared daggers in my direction. And it wasn't merely the kind of look that every daughter gives her father when she's upset. Aria meant it.

I returned an icy glare. I knew I'd done what I had to under the circumstances. She had to know it, too. If she'd told me what was really going on maybe I wouldn't have pulled the trigger. Secrets always have their price.

“Are you going to hold this against me forever?” I asked. “Two weeks you disappeared with that man. Of course I thought something went wrong.”

“Like it would have made any difference? I'm not a child anymore. I took care of the job my own way.”

“Your way is dangerous. Fugitives will say anything to survive, Aria. You can't believe a word he said to you.”

I could see tears beginning to well in the corner of her eyes again as she stared toward the floor. “We could've loved each other…I know it.”

I pointed at her with the head of my bottle and then took another sip. “There's no room for that in the life of a collector. You've learned a valuable lesson.”

“What about you and Mazrah?” she snapped.

“That's different. She's not my target.”

Aria remained silent at first. She turned her head and gazed back through the room's viewport, her whole body trembling as if she were ready to explode.

“I was only trying to protect you,” I said before she could think of anything.

“That's all you've ever been trying to do!” She sprang to her feet. I heard the two boys on the bed roll over to see what was going on. “Ever since I was a girl. You remember that Departure on Earth? When you left me alone on a roof for hours to
keep me safe.
I couldn't even see my hands it was so dark when you got back.” She took a deep breath and fell back into her seat. “What's the point of being safe if you're alone?”

“Alone? I brought you with me everywhere! Do you know what would happen if Pervenio Corp found out about that?”

“I never asked you to.”

“And I never had a choice. Not every collector has an illegitimate daughter handed off to him. Would you rather I left you with the USF in the hope they'd match you with some worthless clan-family? Girls your age dream about seeing the things you've seen—about walking down dark streets and knowing they can handle anything that comes at them.”

She opened her mouth to respond and then stopped herself. I could see the roll of her throat as she swallowed hard. She sat back down on the couch and returned to gazing through the viewport. “And I thank you for that, but I'm done.”

I was lifting the bottle when her words sank in. I froze. “What?” I questioned.

“I'm done,” she repeated. Her voice may have sounded calm, but her eyes were glazed over and bloodshot. “You're right. I've spent my whole life traveling around Sol with you, and for what? I don't want to be a collector. I never have. I only wanted to make you happy.”

I put down the bottle, got up, and walked over to her. I figured she was just acting impulsively because of what had happened. That she needed some time to cool down. I tried to place my hand on her slender shoulder, but she turned her whole body toward the window to avoid me.

“You do.” I sighed. “Now get some sleep. When you wake up I'll even help you find Elios's children a proper home and we'll put all this behind us.”

She turned her head toward me, and for the first time in my life I saw in her face a girl who was completely shattered. The job had broken many before me, but I never thought it'd get to Aria. If I wasn't already drunk the sight might've made my stomach turn over.

“You will,” she whispered sharply. “I won't. I can't. I'm not going to hold you back anymore.”

“Aria—” I began. She silenced me.

“No, I'm done. This was my last mission either way. I sent an application to be a nurse at the new Venta Co hospital going up here before I ever met Elios. If they accept me I'm taking the job. If not, I'm going to keep looking. You won't have to worry about keeping me a secret anymore. I know how to get around off the grid.”

My mouth fell open. I stumbled backward, unable to believe the words I was hearing. Venta Co had been Pervenio Corp's foremost rival since before I was born. I never cared about what'd caused it, but after years on one side of the enmity I naturally found myself bitter toward the other.

“Venta?” I mouthed. “You don't just go behind my back, but right to our rival?”

For a moment Aria's anger with me fell to the wayside and she grew defensive. “I didn't go behind anything!” she said. “Pervenio doesn't have a hospital here on Mars. I'm trying to help the best that I can.”

“No.” I shook my head in disbelief. “No. I won't allow it! You're too damn good at this! A few more jobs and Director Sodervall won't be able to deny you're worth taking officially into training when I tell him all that you've done. You'll be set up for life.”

She jumped back to her feet and one of her arms accidentally slapped my pistol off the couch's end table. She glared straight into my eyes, her cheeks flushed with indignation. “Sure,” she said, “as long as there are more of us offworlders to put down.”

I was incensed, unable to control myself as I raised the back of my hand to smack her. I stopped before I actually did it, but it was too late. She'd seen the motion and that was all she needed to see. She didn't even wince, as if she'd expected me to do it. She just pursed her lips and then stormed over to the bed. I didn't hear what she whispered to the terrified twins, but she got them up and dragged them out of the room without looking back, not even caring that she was wearing nothing but a towel.

I didn't watch her leave, either. I cleared my throat as I knelt to place my pistol back safely on the table. Then I shuffled back to the bed, snatched up my bottle of God knows what, and held it against my lips until it was empty.

I never did find out whether or not she got that job. I didn't have the stomach to ask during one of the few occasions we exchanged messages after that day before even that stopped, but it was hard to imagine her doing anything else but helping people. She always had a propensity for it, even if I was too blind to realize it at the time.

The memory made my chest sting far more than any other ever could. A part of me always wished that I'd gone after her, but I was too damn proud. It was the last mistake I'd ever get a chance to make with her.

I suppose that was why I lost contact with Mazrah afterward. I knew she'd always remind me of that day and so did she. But it was time to get over it. We didn't have the best history, but I had little doubt I might be able to convince her to help for the right price. She was an information broker first and foremost. If it meant beating Zhaff to a lead, then it was worth finding out.

“Malcolm?” Zhaff said.

I shook my head and glanced at him. He was leaning in close and analyzing my face with his eye-lens. The bright overhead lights of the interrogation room drew my gaze to the mottled skin around the scar across the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, what was that?” I asked.

“I said, if you have described her accurately, we should pursue her. It is a sound strategy. Otherwise we must begin investigating every incoming ship and every hangar throughout the Ring after interrogating the rest of the
Piccolo
's crew.”

“I'd rather eat a bullet.” I exhaled slowly. “Fine, I'll contact her. Hopefully she hasn't changed too much over the years.”

I took out my hand-terminal and searched for the last bit of contact information I'd used to communicate with her. It'd been roughly six years so I wasn't even sure it would work. I typed out a message anyway.

MAZ…I'M NOT SURE IF YOU STILL USE THIS LINE. SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG. I'VE RECOVERED A DEVICE I THINK YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT. I CAN BRING IT TO YOU ASAP. WE CAN DISCUSS PAYMENT LATER, BUT I PROMISE IT'LL BE WORTH YOUR WHILE…MALCOLM

I stared at the screen for a few seconds, swallowed, and then hit
SEND.
“There,” I said. “Now we better get down to Titan so we don't keep her waiting if she answers. The director can handle the survivors from here.”

“Agreed,” Zhaff said. “I will tell him to prepare a shuttle for us as soon as possible.”

I feigned a grin and nodded to him. Whether or not it was my own fault, the mission that had started all the way back in New London was dredging up pieces of my past I would've rather left buried. As I watched Zhaff stroll calmly out of the room, all I could hope for was that getting it done right would be worth the trouble.

We were only halfway back to our quarters when Mazrah answered and it was too late to turn back.

I'M INTERESTED. COME MEET ME, SAME PLACE WHERE WE USED TO. DON'T KEEP ME WAITING AGAIN…MAZ

Following the
Piccolo
incident, it was going to take a few hours for Director Sodervall to prepare a ship down to Titan that wouldn't draw attention to us. When it came to meeting with Mazrah I wanted to avoid making a scene. I didn't mind the short break, but as essentially a base of operations for gas harvesting, Pervenio station had little in the way of amenities. There were a few places to get a drink near the docks, sure, but tired laborers weren't the best company, especially ones who were afraid the Ringer members of their crews were going to try to space them if they got the chance.

When shifts finally ended that evening, we were to be stuffed onto a public shuttle headed to Darien, Titan. Director Sodervall led us to the hangar early, a host of officers surrounding him. He wasn't planning on taking any chances with the populace he oversaw, it seemed, even on his own station.

“Here you are,” the director said as we stopped outside our shuttle's hangar. “Do what you have to, Graves, but try not to start a full-scale rebellion while you're down there. I've got enough of a mess up here to deal with already.”

I smirked and shook his hand. “As always, I'll try not to cause too much of a stir. We'll keep you in the loop.”

“Good.”

“And let us know if you get any more out of the harvester's crew.”

The director grinned mischievously. “I'll take good care of them. If the crew knows anything else about this Kale Drayton character or what happened, I'll get it out of them. Dealing with Ringers is what I get paid to do.”

“Handsomely I'll bet.”

He chuckled. “Good luck, Graves.” He turned and nodded firmly in Zhaff's direction. It was the most warmhearted acknowledgment he'd offered the Cogent since we'd arrived at the Ring. He even waited for Zhaff to salute before walking away.

Zhaff and I made our way into the hangar. My legs were starting to feel reinvigorated after the workout I'd gotten on the
Piccolo.
I decided I'd have to try to rub that in his face when the Cogent glanced down at his hand-terminal and stopped.

“This way,” he said. He yanked my arm and directed me back outside the hangar toward a tram line.

I shrugged him off me. “Hangar's right here,” I said, confused.

“We are early. Luxarn Pervenio would like to meet with you before we go down. We will not be left behind.”

The words came out of Zhaff's mouth as though he'd just spoken an ordinary sentence. My mouth fell open and my throat went dry. That was a request I never thought I'd hear.

“You're joking?” I asked.

“I am not. He arrived late last evening to oversee the efforts being taken to pacify the Ring.”

“What could he possibly want with me?”

I immediately thought the worst. I figured Zhaff's report had finally made it to him, which had likely broken down our entire day on Earth piece by piece, stressing every point where I ignored his advice. Director Sodervall may have been content with moving on after the
Piccolo,
but Luxarn Pervenio was a completely different animal. In thirty years as a collector I'd never even been within a hundred meters of him, though I couldn't recall having botched such a significant job, let alone two in a row if I counted Undina. My fears over forced retirement resurfaced.

“He did not inform me,” Zhaff replied as again he reached out to pull me toward the tram.

I was too distracted to fight him. Zhaff specifically said
he,
and he was always specific about his words. That meant this time Luxarn had messaged him directly while my hand-terminal remained quiet. It seemed at every turn since our introduction I'd completely underestimated the Cogent Initiative and what it meant to my employer.

We rode the tram a short distance across the station. I asked Zhaff what he thought Luxarn might want more times than I can remember, but he didn't offer any information. We arrived at a private suite of rooms all strung together by ample hallways with portions of the walls trimmed with real wood. Not the faux shit you see on most of the colonies throughout Sol, either. The real thing. I could tell because it gave off a pleasant, earthy aroma that I'd only ever experienced in the Pervenio-owned tree farms back on Earth. Very few places existed in Sol that displayed authentic wood like it was meant for decoration.

Heavily armed Pervenio officers were posted everywhere, and there were dozens of adjacent hangars being used to test military equipment and various other technologies. Zhaff led me to a set of towering doors clad entirely with mahogany. Two officers stood outside, but they didn't say or do anything besides stare straight ahead.

A retinal scanner was built into one of the doors. Zhaff placed his eye-lens against it and the doors swung open without delay.

“I will wait here,” he said, stepping aside.

I took short, wary strides inside, until the door sealed shut behind me. The inside of Luxarn Pervenio's office was much like the rest of his compound—pearly metals everywhere with even more wood trimming. There was even a wooden molding wrapping the ceiling that was hand-sculpted with the images of fruits and vines, some of which were long extinct. An assortment of old-world relics lined the walls, from faded paintings to marble statues that may have been missing limbs but remained remarkably life-like.

The opposite end of the room had a wide viewport extending along an angled portion of the floor. Through it floated Saturn, the planet's icy Rings slashing like a sickle blade through the blackness. A desk fashioned out of mahogany like the door was centered in front of it. Luxarn sat at it, facing away from me toward the translucency.

“Do you realize how vast our solar system is?” he said. His smooth voice teemed with the eloquence of a man raised among the highest echelon of Earthers.

I assumed he was waiting for a response since he stopped speaking, but I was too much in disbelief of where I was standing to come up with anything snappy. I waited quietly until he continued speaking on his own.

“Millions upon millions of kilometers of dark, empty space and here we men are, longing to fill it all.” He rotated his chair to face me. “Truly remarkable, isn't it, Mr. Graves?”

His face had a peculiar look, one that never showed on any of the hundreds of newscasts I'd seen him on. It wasn't immediately obvious like cheap cosmetic surgeries were, but there was an undeniable artificial quality to him. He had the bone structure of a middle-aged man, but stretched over the top of it was smooth, handsome skin that looked like it belonged to someone not beyond his mid-twenties. His combed, brown hair didn't have even a touch of gray to it, and his hazel eyes still bore the insatiable hunger of youth. Despite all of that, I knew he was actually older than I was, considering that according to recordings he was already a teenager when his father first sent crewed transports to Saturn before the Great Reunion.

“It is—” I froze. I wasn't even sure what to call him…Mr. Pervenio, or boss, or sir. He was the wealthiest man in all of Sol, and arguably the most powerful if one subscribed to the idea that the USF was merely a figurehead like I did. I settled on: “Sir.”

“There is no need to be coy, Mr. Graves,” he replied. “I've heard tales about your sharp tongue. I wouldn't want you to restrain it on my account. Come, sit.” He beckoned me to the chair opposite his. He was as stately in his gestures as Zhaff was robotic. Even the manner in which the loose sleeves of his exquisite, crimson tunic drooped seemed intentional.

“How many stories?” I countered, not wanting to disappoint. I stepped forward and took a seat, though not without checking my peripheries to ensure we were completely alone. The situation was too unusual for me to feel at ease.

“Enough of them. I keep track of all my collectors. I have a great deal of respect for what you do for me.”

“And yet, somehow, I have a hard time believing you've invited me here to congratulate me on a job well done.”

“I suppose not,” he said, amused. “Are you thirsty?”

“Always.” If we were about to discuss retirement plans I wasn't about to deny an opportunity to drink with Luxarn Pervenio, or anybody to be honest. That was another lesson I'd have to teach Zhaff. Never turn down a free drink.

Luxarn looked away from me. “Bot, can you retrieve the barrel-aged whiskey, 2284 vintage?”

“Yes, sir,” an automated voice with a soothing accent responded.

Something zoomed by my head so quickly I ducked and nearly fell from my chair. When I was able to look again, I saw a metal sphere hovering near a counter built into the wall. Its tiny anti-grav engine sounded like a vacuum and left behind a trail of distortion from its underside. Delicate appendages extended from all over its bulbous body. One lifted a bottle of whiskey with a tag I didn't recognize and poured it into two glasses being held by others.

“Remarkable prototype, isn't it?” Luxarn asked. “I haven't thought of a name yet, but one day households throughout Sol will be able to own one of their own.”

“A personal bartender,” I said. “Not bad.”

“
The Pervenio Service Bot will help with all of your everyday needs,
” he pronounced as if he were quoting somebody. “Or something like that. I pay a large sum for people to think of better slogans than me.”

“I got into the wrong line of business.”

The bot placed two orbs of ice into each glass before soaring back over to us. On the front side, or what I had to assume was it, was a large, circular, yellow-hued lens. The way it rotated and focused reminded me of Zhaff's eye-lens. As it grew nearer I could distinguish all of the mobile panels of its metal shell, which likely concealed other useful arms. One probably had a screwdriver, and I had no question that one day another would wield a pistol. With humanity's focus on expansion, robotics was one field that had fallen to the wayside. It seemed I might live long enough to see Mr. Pervenio change that.

It stopped by the edge of the table, wavering a bit, and placed our glasses down harder than expected. The clank echoed. Luxarn's glass nearly spilled, but he was able to catch it.

“Still working out a few kinks,” he groused before raising his drink. “This whiskey is from the year we made contact with the Ring. Most men wouldn't appreciate it. I'm sure you will.”

I nodded and returned the gesture. Then we each took a swig without saying anything else. I preferred the bite of something cheaper to wake me up, but it went down smoother than any drink I'd ever had the pleasure of tasting.

I wiped my tingling lips and went to speak, then noticed the yellow glare of the bot. I was exhausted with the color. “Sir, would you mind?”

Luxarn swallowed a mouthful of whiskey and laughed. He patted his mouth with a folded napkin sitting on his desk. “Bot, please go and wait by the counter.”

“Yes sir.” It hummed away, finally allowing me to focus.

“So why did you invite me here, sir?” I asked. “Zhaff and I are about to head down to Titan and catch the smugglers you're after.”

“Straight to the point,” Luxarn said. “I like that. You'd have made a shrewd businessman.”

“I'll add it to my list of occupations to consider after I retire.”

“Retire?” His brow furrowed. “I hope not yet. Especially not after what you and Zhaff were able to accomplish on the
Piccolo.
I remain in dire need of your services. You see, my father risked all his wealth backing the efforts to send colony transports to Saturn and reunite with our lost kin. Now Ringers like the one you encountered on Earth and saw on that horrific recording are threatening to shatter the fragile alliance I have spent half a century cultivating here.”

I did my best to conceal my relief. I had a feeling I'd gained a bit of rope in my job security after the
Piccolo,
but it was still nice to hear it out loud. “To be honest, sir, after Zhaff's report about what happened on Earth I never thought I'd be here,” I said.

“Yes. I saw every excruciating detail of that report. How is your new partner, by the way?”

“Excruciating.” I downed my whiskey and set the glass on the table. “But he's good at what he does and I can respect that.”

Luxarn suppressed a chuckle. “Trust me, Cogents definitely have their uses, but Zhaff wouldn't have gotten anything out of that Ringer anyway. I doubt he knew anything other than where to place the bomb. According to Director Sodervall, dozens of the Ringers responsible for inciting recent riots on Titan have been detained and none of them seem to have any reason other than distaste for people like you and me. Someone somewhere told them to do something awful, and they listened without asking who. These Children of Titan are a new sort of enemy. No structured leadership, and yet incredibly precise.”

“Yeah, Zhaff and I have already gotten a taste of that. But we've got our assignment, sir, so what exactly are you asking?”

“I invited you here because I know you're not stupid. A little too rash perhaps, but in thirty years you've only managed to serve my company loyally. As I said, I do pay attention. There isn't a single collector I know of who's been on the job as long as you have without calling it quits or winding up dead. So either you're lucky, or you're exceptionally good at what you do.”

“A little bit of both if you ask me. More unlucky than not lately it seems.”

“Perhaps, but your tiny failures have given you a greater glimpse at the kind of fanatics we're dealing with. That, and despite everything Zhaff noted about your inability to take his advice on Earth, he also informed me that you were the one who got a lead on the bomber and managed to save his life on the
Piccolo.
”

“Did he?” I asked, completely shocked.

“He did. And even he missed the fact that the explosion in New London was merely a distraction, which is why you are here now. I've never seen him work well with anybody else.”