Chapter Eight

Electra walked into the hangar where their mission vessel was housed, saw Clitus and Gilla speaking with one another, and slowly strode toward them. She nodded in acknowledgement when they noted her arrival.

“Good evening, Electra. Have you all the information on Charlotte?” Gilla asked.

She nodded. “I do. Charlotte Grayson is simply the most outstanding example of a human being I’ve ever run across. She’s won just about every contest or game in which she’s ever competed, and has amassed quite a few design awards.” Electra shook her head in wonder. “She holds several patents for mechanical procedures, she’s an accomplished swimmer, accomplished musician, and even plays a mean hand of poker when the occasion calls for it. All that’s on top of her career in aerospace design and mechanics. As to a criminal history, she doesn’t even have a damn traffic citation to her name. She’s as clean as the day she came into the world, perfect for this job in every way. I couldn’t have found anyone so faultless if my life depended on the outcome.”

“Well then…we’re all set,” Clitus announced. “There’s nothing about her in any Oceanus records, nor in any other database Gilla or I accessed when we did our own search.”

“There is one detail I should mention though it has nothing to do with her suitability,” Electra warned. “I… I…need to speak to the two of you about it. Knowing the details makes me feel as though I’ve pried into something I shouldn’t have. The girl is so full of life. So full of promise…” her voice trailed away.

“Please elucidate,” Gilla graciously requested. “What has you so disturbed? If she’s so accomplished and poses no threat to the mission then what could possibly be the matter?”

“I just don’t know how to say it,” Electra sadly told them. “I thought we had problems. But hers certainly puts things into perspective!”

Clitus and Gilla glanced at each other.

Electra slowly paced for a few moments, then faced them and brusquely blurted her news. “The girl is dying. Charlotte Grayson’s Earth file includes her medical history. As you know, anyone traveling off my home world nowadays has to have medical clearance. And while what she has isn’t contagious and wouldn’t negate legally travelling between planets, there’s no room for doubt. She has only a short time to live.”

Gilla shook his head. “From the Captain’s description, I understood this person to be healthy and robust. Most of these female pageant contestants are.”

“You’re right to tell us,” Clitus chimed in. “If there’s something about this woman that might keep her from doing her job safely or on schedule, we do need to know.”

Electra attempted to recite all the knowledge she’d gleaned from her hours of secretive computer research. “I don’t think that will be the case. Charlotte has something called Black Hole Syndrome. Like its namesake, scientists have been unable to figure out its elusive origins. It’s exceedingly rare and is caused by some unknown factor in the environment shortly after a child is born. It’s usually discovered when an infant is given its post-birth examination.” She helplessly shrugged. “No one knows why it happens except the baby has been exposed to something that invades its under-developed immune system.”

“And there is no other data?” Gilla asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Neither have I.” Clitus inserted.

“This is what is known,” Electra continued, “the victims never reach the age of thirty, the condition only occurs in one-in-ten million infants, and it can afflict any child of any species. Furthermore…doctors are able to tell, almost to the minute, when a young adult will succumb.”

“It sounds…insidious…and damned terrible that a person will know when they will die. I’ve been in dozens of battles and couldn’t begin to guess when I’ll take my last breath.” Clitus rubbed his brow. “I wouldn’t want to know.”

Electra glanced at them before telling the rest. “Until a baby inflicted with this malady gets to their late twenties, they’re totally asymptomatic. They live utterly normal existences. However…about two years before the victim dies, there’s a gradual buildup of an enzyme in the brain. It’s the same enzyme that diagnoses the disease from birth. But once this build-up of proteins begins, doctors can calculate when the brain function will cease. There will be a series of small convulsions in the last week prior to death. As I said, the victims never have any other symptoms besides these convulsions.”

“And then?” both men asked simultaneously.

“Once the brain ceases to function, the patient can obviously be kept alive by artificial means but…their gray matter is more like a sponge at that point. The parents of such infants outlive the child. They aren’t carriers. In fact, none of the parents giving birth to inflicted babies ever had any other children with the syndrome. The disorder isn’t communicable as I’ve said. Had that been the case Charlotte would have been quarantined and could never have left Earth.”

“She knows all this?” Clitus softly asked.

Electra nodded. “Of course she knows. She’s approximately eighteen months away from her first convulsion. She won’t be rational thereafter. It’ll be quick. Or so I’ve read.”

Gilla shook his head and sighed heavily. “Why hasn’t someone discovered the environmental agent for such a horrible disorder?”

“With only one-in-ten million infants ever contracting it, there’s not much motivation to study the damn thing,” Electra surmised. “Charlotte’s case is particularly tragic.”

“Is it her family?” Clitus asked. “They must have a dreadful time dealing with this situation. Don’t they want her home, back on Earth?”

“There’s no family. According to the records, her uncaring parents found out she had the disease shortly after birth and dumped her at an orphanage. An agreement was reached in which she could never learn who they were. Even I can’t find out since those records have been expunged.”

“No,” Gilla said as he and Clitus moved toward her. “Someone wouldn’t do that to a tiny baby.”

“That’s exactly what was done. She was raised by nuns in a Chicago diocese. Once she was old enough to understand her condition and be counseled about it, she started having behavioral issues—”

“I daresay,” Gilla interrupted. “Can you imagine being told such a thing?”

“That’s not the kind of issues I meant,” Electra corrected. “Charlotte Grayson did nothing really wrong. The sisters who raised and cared for her reported they had the very devil-of-a-time trying to keep her within four walls. She’d sneak out late at night and find any mechanical thing she could—from library servo-droids to wall computers, clocks, and toys—she’d take them apart. Then she’d put them back together again and draw intricate pictures or schematics about what she’d done.”

“How old was she when she found out?” Clitus asked.

“Twelve. Can you imagine?” Electra uttered as she blinked back tears.

“Why…telling a child of that age such a thing is…it’s…unconscionable,” Gilla whispered.

“As terrible as it seems it was probably for the best. Charlotte had to be informed so she could make life choices. The files indicate the sisters did it as delicately as they could. And this is all I know about that part of her history.” Electra sat down on a cargo crate and dragged a weary hand over her face. “I don’t even know her outside the Miss Milky Way judging reception and only in passing. I can’t critique her character by anything other than what I’ve read. But I can most certainly damn the people who walked away from a baby because she wasn’t perfect. That little girl has grown into a lovely, twenty-eight-year-old who’ll die alone. She has no real connection to anyone. She’s changed residences every few months of her adult life and doesn’t communicate with anyone from her past except the sisters at St. Ann’s Convent. In all other respects, her life has been a compendium of accolades.”

“What a wretched thing to happen to anyone!” Clitus muttered. “I don’t even know her and I feel such sorrow.”

“She is to be admired,” Gilla countered. “This woman hasn’t let her impending demise stop her from doing what most would never accomplish.”

“That being the case, I want Charlotte Grayson to work on this mission,” Electra declared. “As I’ve told you, she has eighteen months before being stricken. This isn’t a choice I make out of pity, but out of recognition. Her work ethic and her knowledge speak for themselves. She needs no defense from me. Or pity from anyone else.”

The two men stared at her.

“I’d like to think we were the ones who befriended her in these last months,” Electra added as she stared into the distance. “That’s the real reason I mentioned her health record at all. The common compassion we share for one another should be allocated to a fellow being as her life runs short. None of us moves through this existence alone, after all. Having inadvertently learned all this, I feel we might be among the last friends she makes.”

For a long moment, all of them sat in silence.

“What about Datron?” Gilla asked. “Should we tell him?”

Clitus stood while simultaneously shaking his head. “I say no. Datron Mann is as good a captain as any who have flown a starfighter. He’s an honest friend and has a great heart. I would trust him with my life a thousand times over, but I don’t see why he has to know about the woman’s health. Not unless he specifically asks.”

Gilla sighed as he glanced as the others. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Yes,” Clitus flatly stated. “That information was gleaned as part of a background check. Electra came to us because she is troubled by the facts as anyone with a conscience would be. This Charlotte Grayson is no security risk. We’ve ascertained this beyond any doubt. That should be all that matters.” He held out his hands in supplication. “Besides, what right do we have to pass on such information if it doesn’t have a bearing on our situation?”

Electra solemnly nodded. “We wouldn’t have known at all except for my powers to dig into Charlotte’s history. Still…since we know…I ask we befriend this woman and perhaps install some camaraderie in her life. Not out of sorrow or pity but for the sake of humanity. I, for one, believe there is much to be learned by a woman who’s so valiantly thrown herself into life.”

“Is it your intention to encourage companionship with her after we return from our mission?” Gilla asked.

“I hope you will join me in this endeavor.” Electra imploringly gazed at the two men. “How would any of us feel, knowing we are dying and with no close friends at hand? She’s really close to no one on Oceanus.”

“So be it,” Clitus agreed. “Captain Mann will only be told of any health problems if he specifically asks. Regulations stipulate this much. As for me…I will be included in Electra’s endeavor. We have a chance to embrace another friend. I can always use as many of those as possible,” he announced with a smile.

Gilla nodded energetically. “Point well made! Count me in.”

****

Datron sat on the back of the patrol hovercraft he’d requisitioned and gazed out at the ocean. He’d just finished three enormous vegetable burgers, an order of large curly fries, and a jumbo-sized chocolate milkshake. Charlie had ordered a smaller portion of the exact same meal, and like him, reclined on the folded-down aft section of their craft—facing the setting sun.

He watched as the light from the enormous orange body flashed across the blue-green of the sea, likening the color of the water to her eyes.

“Take-out was a very good idea, Charlie. I don’t remember enjoying a meal so much.” He turned to grin at her. “You know, you could have opted for a dining experience in any five-star restaurant. We could have been treated like royalty.”

“Yeah, but what about the view? We couldn’t get it anyplace else!” she countered.

“That’s true. The sun setting on an Oceanus sea is like nothing in this universe. On nights like this one, I’ve seen baby porpoises playing near the shore. The water splashes around them and creates phosphorescence that’s magical.”

She turned to him in excitement. “I didn’t know they had porpoises on Oceanus. Tell me more…what do they look like?”

He leaned back and put his hands behind his head, as the cool breeze blew over his torso. “They’re larger than those on Earth. And they’re purple with fins that glow in the dark. Very sentient, loveable creatures! I was mesmerized the first time I saw them. We have nothing like them on Valkyrie.”

“Can we hang around and watch?” she asked as she turned her gaze toward the sea.

“On one condition.”

She turned her head in his direction and lifted one brow. “What’s that?”

“Can I have the rest of your fries?”

She burst out laughing and handed the take-out bag to him. Then she took out the barrette holding back the front sections of her hair. The ocean breeze picked up the freed strands and lifted them around her shoulders. She pushed them back and out of her face, but then she laughed and tossed the barrette on the back seat of their transport.

Datron tried not to stare. The perfection of her features was magnified by the setting sun. The glow on her skin resembled candlelight on the purest, creamy fabric. It made the color of her eyes even more arresting.

“Um… not to be a nudge…but you said you wanted to make some kind of business proposal. What did you mean?”

“You want to talk business now? Here I am, a highly sexy Valkyrian…here you are, a bewitching little Earthling enchantress…we’re all alone on a balmy beach with a view to die for. The stars are about to come out and you want to discuss business?”

He told himself his words were only part of the act, but he really did need to get down to business. He also told himself he couldn’t rush this inquisitive woman or she’d question his motives.

In his gut, he wanted to talk about anything but the contract. He really just wanted the scenario to go on and on, and not mention one thing pertaining to work or duty.

She tilted her head and stared at him for a long moment.

He stared back, feeling like an object being scanned by a super computer.

“Whatever you’re doing, it won’t work.”

“What are you talking about?” Datron innocently asked.

“Why did you suggest we go out to eat when you’ve had something serious on your mind since I met you at the airfield?”

He raised one hand in pretended confusion. “Again… I don’t know what—”

“Don’t lie. You don’t do it well,” she interrupted. “I can tell when people around me don’t want to talk about something…something they know they should. This business deal you mentioned has you wound up. I can see it all over your face though you’re trying to pretend otherwise.”

Unnerved by her intuitive powers, he sat up and decided to address the situation as bluntly as he could. “I could have brought you here because you’re a beautiful woman and I wanted to get you alone in a stunning location.”

“You could be doing a lot of things, but you’ve got to get through with what’s bothering you first.”

He glanced away.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“All right…have it your way.” He sighed and turned to face her. “Okay, here it is… I need a good mechanic to get an interplanetary shuttle ready for a test flight in three days. No later.”

“That’s all you want?”

“That’s it. I happen to have a copy of the contract on a vid-card in my back pocket. It’s a standard agreement. But I thought I might offer it to you as opposed to some other mechanic.”

“Why not have one of your law enforcement engineers do the job? They’re good mechanics as well, and should be readily accessible. I must have seen a hundred of them on the airfield today.”

He tried to hide his shock at her perceptiveness. It took everything he had to speak normally, without stuttering or stammering out excuses. “With all the personnel on the field…how do you know who were mechanics?”

“Because I’m not stupid! Their uniform emblems clearly mark who they are, and they’re supposed to do that kind of work for your agency. To bring someone in from the outside would require all kinds of background checks that don’t make sense if you need the work done in three days.”

Damn her!

A sharp Ussarian blade had nothing on this little piece of work.

He tamped down feelings of stupefying amazement and outright admiration. Despite his annoyance with the question, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d have been disappointed had she not displayed such perception.

He put forth the only excuse he could make up on the spot, not having prepared himself for any kind of intuitive interrogation. “Protectorate mechanics are tied up on other vessels. This is a special job due to my crew being delinquent for their next shift in space. The squadrons we’re meant to replace are late getting into base. We have to find something useful to do with our time. Command has mandated we refurbish an old, Class C interplanetary shuttle that was sitting in a hangar, collecting dust. It’s as simple as that.”

“Hmmmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She tilted her head and stared at him harder. “Why is it so important you get this vessel flying in three days?”

“My superiors want us to be ready in case the ships out on patrol get back faster than predicted. When one patrol is late from deep space, it throws everyone else off for months. We have to be ready to go while still keeping busy on the ground.”

“And your superiors can’t find something better to do with your time…or their money…than fix up an old shuttle?”

“It’s something of a show piece…a vessel that’s to be used to impress dignitaries. I believe it was my superiors’ intention to do this for some time. They now have the opportunity. Besides,” he explained in a hurried fashion, “what do you care if you get offered a good contract?”

She pursed her lips and wouldn’t stop staring.

He felt like a flagellum under a subatomic microscope.

“Okay… I’ll play along. What about a background check? I have to have one to work for any law enforcement agency. Those are the rules for any world.”

“I am having your criminal history perused, though I should have waited for you to accept the job. If you say your past is in good order then I’ll believe it, Charlie. It’ll save time if we clear this up now. I won’t have to find you later tomorrow and offer the contract then. We can begin in the morning, bright and early.”

“I am qualified for such a position and my background is as clear as anyone’s, I can assure you! But what’s concerning me is that you began the process without even hinting I was being considered. And you’ve pushed this pretty damned fast.”

“I assume you’re a professional, and I didn’t think you’d mind the impromptu business opportunity given the remuneration you’d receive. Oceanus enforcement operates differently than what you might be used to on Earth. I have the right to run any investigation before approaching you.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “That’s bullshit! I don’t care who you work for or what planet we’re on, you had no business running any damn check on me if you didn’t know I’d even consider your contract.”

“To the contrary…I’m a law enforcement officer. I do background investigations all the time, on people I don’t even know! Now…do you want to see the proposal or not?” he brusquely countered.

She sighed heavily but held out her right hand, palm up. “Let me look the damn thing over. I may as well since you’ve already dug into my history.”

Datron reached for the vid-card in his left hip pocket.

Charlotte took the small, square computer screen from his hand and switched it on.

He watched the ocean as she read. The terms were public and standard, to the point of boredom. The reason for the contract however would remain a secret.

When she sat up straight and turned to him with a look of shock on her pretty face, he assumed she’d read the part about remuneration.

“There’s some mistake. Someone in your administrative branch got the amount wrong. They’ve probably mistranslated the Earth figures.”

He took the vid-card again and looked where she pointed. Then, he handed the computer square back. “No, that’s the correct amount.”

“It can’t be. You must be wrong!”

He sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. “I’m fully cognizant of Earth currency. The amount is correct.”

“It’s too much for the work you’ve described.”

“I told you, we do things differently on Oceanus,” he insisted. “I wanted a qualified mechanic. My superiors have authorized the funds to secure one. They want me kept busy working on this project. That’s all there is to it.”

“This vessel you want me to repair is either in extremely bad condition or there’s some catch.”

He took the vid-card from her hands. “If you don’t like the offer, I’ll get someone else. There are others being considered,” he lied.

He turned to ready the disc-shaped hovercraft for their trip back to the airfield when she put one hand on his bare arm and stopped him. Her soft, warm touch sent a jolt of energy through him causing his blood to heat. Datron illogically fantasized about what it would be like having an argument with her during the day, then taking her home to make up at night.

“Let me see it again. Give me a couple of minutes to think about it, all right?” she asked.

“Fine.” He handed the small computerized square back to her. “I’ll go for a swim.”

He unfastened his uniform belt and the front binding of his pants.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He lifted one brow as she stared up at him. A tinge of pink stained her face. Even the setting sun couldn’t hide her discomfort. “I just told you. I’m going for a swim.”

“Y-you can’t!” She quickly glanced around them before putting her attention back on him again. “Unless you have a swimsuit under your uniform, you can’t undress right here in front of God and everybody.”

He stopped fussing with the front of his pants. “Charlie, the only time in my entire life I ever wore a swimsuit was when I competed in that damnable beauty pageant two years ago. I swim as the Creator made me. And he certainly knows what I look like. Besides that, the beach is deserted. You must have noticed by now.”

“I’m sure as hell here.”

He grinned at her outraged, prudish expression. The woman’s gorgeous eyes were now wide as Oceanun mollusks. Perhaps she’d been with fewer men than he’d guessed. This assumption appealed to him in ways he could have never imagined. Feelings of protectiveness and possessiveness filled him.

“All right…turn your back if seeing me nude bothers you. Though I can’t think why it should. There are beings walking every street of Cetacea with appendages hanging out, and you’ve said nothing about that around me. And when you were judging those women the other night, they were displaying parts of their anatomy quite openly. I don’t think you ever balked.”

“Th-That’s different! Besides,” she quickly injected, “you need to wait for my answer about the contract.”

“Okay, I’ll just undress and stand here. How’s that?”

Her mouth fell open in response. Then she lifted one shoulder and let it fall nonchalantly. “Suit yourself. You’re an adult.”

Datron chivalrously waited for her to turn her back. Instead, much to his surprise, she crossed her arms over her chest and watched. Her chin lifted in a little show of belligerence, but then something in her eyes softened and heated as he began to unfasten his pants again.

Her steady, curious gaze caused his temperature to go from comfortably warm to hot.

Then, with no warning at all, Charlie walked right up to him and tilted her head back. Their gazes locked.

“You know what…if you want to strut your stuff, wing man, go right ahead. I don’t need to read the contract again. I’ll sign it!” She raised the small square up, scrolled to the electronic signature page, typed in her name on the small keypad, and hit the send button. “It’s a done deal. Now, you and I can get in the water…together. Let’s just call it our way of marking a more personal agreement.”

She deliberately stuck the computerized device back into his pants pocket. With the message sent, it was of no use any longer. The deal was done, but she apparently wasn’t.

He didn’t move a muscle when Charlie pulled her sweater off, shook her long, tawny hair back, and then dropped her hands to the front of her slacks.