Julie answered the door to her apartment to find Rufus Oladepo outside. His tall, lithe body and muscular build made him look as impressive as ever, as he stood in the corridor with the sense of calm authority he always seemed to carry.
“Hello, Julie,” he said.
“Rufus! I suppose I should thank you for getting me released. Although, seeing as it was you who had me detained in the first place, I’m not sure that is appropriate.”
“Indeed,” he said. “Can I come in?”
Julie shrugged. She could hardly see how she could stop him. She left the door open and went into the kitchenette as he followed her in and closed the door behind him.
“Would you like some water?” she said, standing at the dispenser. “But, unfortunately, I only have one glass left because I dropped and smashed the other one. So, on reflection, I think I’ll just get one for myself.”
Julie filled her last remaining engraved glass and took it over to the sofa. Rufus stood patiently and waited for her to sit down before he sat next to her.
“I came to offer an apology,” he said.
“You’re sorry that you had me detained because, on reflection, it would have been better for me to have delivered my evidence before the Terraforming Committee, rather than have a crazed man extract a confession out of Bard Hunter and nearly kill him in the process. Am I right?”
He smiled. “I wasn’t going to put it exactly like that…”
“Apology accepted,” said Julie. “If you promise to do something for me.”
He looked a little taken aback, but maintained his calm confidence. “Depends what it is.”
“Kareem.”
“If you’re going to ask me to pardon him, I don’t think even I have the power to do that. He lured Bard Hunter to the rover depot – almost to his death. He can’t stay on Mars.”
“He didn’t know that was what he was doing.”
Rufus merely responded with a doubtful look.
Julie took a sip of water to hide her discomfort and watched the pattern of tiny rainbows on her hand caused by light refracting in the cut glass. “He thought Luka was just going to ask him some questions. He didn’t know he was going to suck out the air.”
“In an airlock?” said Rufus.
Julie was going to have trouble getting round his use of logic. “All I’m saying is, he’s not the villain of the piece. Don’t treat him like a criminal, Mars needs men like him.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Thank you.”
“If you consider something for me.”
“Ah,” said Julie. “I knew it couldn’t just be an apology you came round for. You’re after something.”
“I need you to keep quiet about your asteroid investigation.”
Julie, who was about to take another drink of water, almost spilled it over herself. “After Bard’s confession was broadcast all over ICN? What’s the point?”
“I believe they call it plausible deniability.”
“You can deny it all you like, but CrediCor doing a secret deal with Ecoline behind everyone’s back seems very plausible to me.”
“Be that as it may, at the moment we have a confession extracted under duress. Without supporting evidence, Bard can claim that he only said what he said to save his own life.”
“But I have the supporting evidence. It’s in my report.”
“Which has been filed with the Terraforming Committee and will be available for general scrutiny when the archives become public.”
“In twenty years, Rufus! What good is it going to do after twenty years? We need to act now. Corporations have come to this planet and are running roughshod around the law, the Committee and the people who believe in the terraforming project. Don’t let them get away with it, Rufus. Don’t become part of it. Just look at what you did to me – detaining me is a slippery slope to individualized police forces per each organization! They’re not separate countries with separate laws – we’re supposed to be working together.”
She couldn’t stop. She continued, “Look what they’ve done to Earth. Luka may be a ‘crazed man’, as you put it, but he wasn’t wrong about what happened in the Rhine Valley Disaster. I looked it up to remind myself. Corruption doesn’t belong on Mars, and you should be making sure it doesn’t get a foothold.”
“There are more ways to skin a cat, Julie.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if I allow – indeed, encourage – Bard Hunter to be made the scapegoat for this whole sorry business, what happens then? He steps down from CrediCor and someone takes his place who I have no leverage over. Much better to keep Bard there where I can make sure he dances to my tune. At the moment, he’s out there trying to atone for his sins after his dice with death, and that makes him a valuable commodity. Plus, of course, he has a personal fortune which he’s currently plowing into his pet terraforming projects and I cannot deny that the Committee finds this rather useful.”
“So, because he’s rich, he can get away with it. Is that what you’re saying?”
Rufus shifted position on Julie’s sofa and, for once, seemed to lose his composure. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
It was Julie’s turn to respond with a doubtful look.
“The point is, I’ve decided not to press charges against you and I would like to keep it that way, but on condition that you stay out of this whole asteroid conspiracy mess.”
“What if I refuse?”
“You go to back to Earth, and likely to jail. The same for Kareem… it’s not a course of action I would recommend.”
Julie breathed deep, then drained her glass. It gave her a moment to decide what she was going to do. Not that she really had a choice. Rufus, the sly politician that he was, knew that he had the upper hand. “OK,” she said, averting her gaze from him so she didn’t have to see the glint of victory in his eyes.
“Excellent!” declared Rufus. He stood up and clapped his hands together like it was mission accomplished.
“I still have my own copy of that report,” said Julie. “In a safe place, naturally.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he replied.
“If I think that your alternative way of skinning a cat is bad for Mars, I won’t hesitate to go public – and damn the consequences.”
Rufus smiled. “Julie, that’s what I like about you. You’re a woman with integrity.”
“I like to think so.”
“Then we’re agreed.”
“So it would seem.”
Julie stood and showed Rufus to the door.
“What are you planning to do now?” he asked.
“I was thinking about taking a walk around the Oasis. Enjoy a little taste of freedom after my incarceration.”
“I rather meant more long term. Are you going to stay with UNMI and generate more of those fluro-whatsitsnames you’re so keen on?”
“Perfluorocarbons,” said Julie. “Super greenhouse gases.”
“Yes, those things. Why does everything in science have such long and complicated names?”
“To confuse the non-scientists.”
He laughed. “You could be right there. But you haven’t answered my question.”
“I don’t know, Rufus.” She opened the door and stepped aside to allow him to leave. “I’m going to think it over.”
•••
Kareem opened the door to his apartment and a look of astonishment formed on his face. He clearly wasn’t expecting company because his shirt was unbuttoned and inside out like he had hastily thrown it on.
“Julie!” he exclaimed.
“Hello, Kareem,” she said, calmly.
He stepped into the corridor and flung his arms around her. His masculine scent filled her nostrils as he squeezed her tight for a long and, if she was honest, slightly uncomfortable moment. She had to admit it was good to see him and gave him a hug in return.
They separated and he stepped back again. “I didn’t know they’d let you out.”
“Last night,” she said. “I should have sent you a message before coming over, I’m sorry. I can come back another time.”
“You absolutely can’t! Come in, come in!” he waved her in and shut the door. “Sorry about the mess.”
Julie had seen much messier apartments over the years. Kareem’s place, by contrast, looked more lived in than unkept. His accommodation was basically the same design as hers, but crammed into a smaller space and without the kitchenette. The sofa was smaller and the window was smaller, but it was reasonably furnished for a single man and was much more comfortable than some of the places where the newer migrants were being housed.
Kareem went to button up his shirt, realized the problem, and had to take it off and put it on again. But it wasn’t the only clothing anomaly in the room. There was also a bundle of clothes on the sofa which were too small to fit him and looked like they belonged to a woman. He bundled them up and dumped them on the table to free up space on the sofa.
“So,” said Kareem, as he sat where the clothes had been. “Tell me what happened.”
Julie took the seat next to him. “I was housebound for several days where I watched a lot of ICN and read a couple of books. There’s not much to tell.”
“I meant, why did they let you out?”
“I think they believe I’ll be more likely to cooperate that way. But that’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh?”
The door to Kareem’s bathroom opened and they both turned to see a woman emerge. She wore only a long robe cinched tight at the waist. It was the same woman Julie had met briefly at the restaurant. She wore no makeup, had tied her sleek, black hair up into a messy bundle at the back of her head and had the same deep brown, engaging eyes that Julie remembered.
She stopped as still as a statue and gaped when she saw Julie.
“Julie, you remember Areesha?” said Kareem.
“Yes,” said Julie, not sure if she was more embarrassed for herself for intruding. “Hello again.”
“Areesha, you remember my boss, don’t you?” said Kareem.
“Julie Outerbridge, yes.” Her face flushed red. “I’m going to, um… I’m going to get dressed.”
She avoided Julie’s gaze as she hurried into the bedroom.
“You should have said you had company,” said Julie, when they were alone again.
“Oh, Areesha doesn’t mind.”
Julie glanced over to the bedroom door and suspected that she probably minded quite a bit, but decided not to get involved.
“What is it you wanted to talk about?” asked Kareem.
Julie took her time and chose her words carefully. “How would you like to run UNMI in the future?”
“Run UNMI?” Kareem shrugged. He thought. He blinked. “Well, yeah. Who doesn’t want a promotion? In the future – sure! What’s going to happen to you? Are they going to charge you with something?”
Julie shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I’m thinking about going home.”
“Home? Earth home?”
“Yeah. Mom’s all alone since Dad died and I have a nephew I haven’t seen – plus another on the way. I’m not too old that I can’t make another life for myself back there. I think it’s time.”
“I’d like to say I’d be happy to take over, but I’ve got this Bard Hunter thing hanging over me,” said Kareem.
“I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“You didn’t hear the threats the CrediCor people shouted at me when they came to rescue him. I thought the rover depot would be a quiet, secluded place to question him and I knew I had the perfect excuse to get Bard Hunter there. What I didn’t know was what Luka had planned. I feel stupid and embarrassed, but it’s true.”
“I believe you,” said Julie. “As I say, I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Kareem looked suspiciously at her. “You’ve done something, haven’t you? Don’t think you have to put yourself out to protect me. I made my own foolish mistake, I’m prepared to take the consequences.”
“Kareem.” She leaned over, took his hand and clasped it between her two palms. As she looked into his eyes to convince him she was serious, she remembered this was the same gesture Bard had used with her when they had first met. “The things that I do are up to me. If it means that one of the most talented and enthusiastic men on Mars can lead the United Nations Mars Initiative onto greater things, then that’s all that matters.”
Kareem slowly pulled his hand away and she let it go. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Accept the promotion you deserve. It’s not strictly up to me, but I still have some sway with the UN on Earth. They’ll realize there’s no one better. It won’t be for a while, anyway. They advise months of preparation before someone who’s been on Mars for as long as I have goes back to Earth. My body hasn’t had to cope with that gravity level for a long time.”
“I’ll be sorry to see you go, Julie.”
“Me too.”
A silence fell between them. One that was broken by the bleep of her WristTab.
“That’s one thing I’m not going to miss,” she grumbled. “This wretched thing going off all the time.”
“I guess that’s something I’ll have to get used to,” said Kareem.
“Yeah.” She glanced down to dismiss the notification, but paused with surprise when she saw who it was from. “Bard Hunter has sent me a message.”
“What does he want?”
Julie opened the message and read it out to him. “Dear Julie, I’m delighted to say that the Terraforming Committee has approved my plan to bring Deimos down. You were the first person on Mars who I told about what I was planning to do and, I remember, even though you thought it was a bad idea, you still sat with me and held my hand while I was trapped under the rover, and I shall be forever grateful. I would be delighted if you could join me as my personal guest to watch the amazing spectacle on a date to be arranged. Yours most sincerely, Bard.”
“Wow,” said Kareem. “Do you think he has an ulterior motive?”
“I don’t know,” said Julie, still looking at the words of the message. “I suppose the only way to find out is to accept his invitation.”