CHAPTER TWO

 

The incessant beeping of his private comm-board made Senator Johnson roll his eyes. He sat behind his desk, ordered the music level lower and flicked on the vid-screen. “What is it, Barbury? You know I don’t like to be disturbed at home.”

“Yes, Senator. I understand. However, I felt this was rather urgent.”

“It’s always urgent,” the senator mumbled, taking in his aide’s flushed complexion and wide eyes. “Okay, what is it that couldn’t wait until a respectable hour?”

“We’ve intercepted a transmission from James Monroe to a Dr. Ti’ann Jones, a paleontologist on a dig just south of Gremblewreath.”

When his aide paused, the senator sighed. “And?”

“Well, the conversation concerned a discovery which Monroe showed great interest in.”

“I don’t see the importance of this yet, Barbury. Perhaps you’d like to clarify.”

“Of course, Senator.” The man shifted, pulling at his tie. “It’s that Monroe is, well, who he is, and we thought it suspicious that he had a sudden interest in the findings of a paleontologist, sir.”

“Isn’t Monroe a historian?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And wouldn’t it be entirely conceivable that he’d find something in the findings of a paleontologist interesting?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So then…”

“Sir, he was seen leaving the city just under an hour ago with four other individuals. His flight plan logs their destination as coordinates just south of Gremblewreath. And two of the four people accompanying him were individuals known to be associated with Monroe’s…other interests.”

The mention of people associated with Monroe’s “other interests” made the senator pause and consider. “Were any of them in the group?”

“I’m afraid our informants were outside detector range, sir. They couldn’t say for sure.”

The senator stood and paced behind his chair, his hands clasped behind him. He saw Barbury watching him from the vid-screen with wary eyes.

After a moment’s consideration, the senator said, “Since the disappearance of Kira Farseaker, Monroe has become the big fish in what was a little pond. But the pond she left behind has been getting bigger. It wouldn’t be prudent to allow Monroe’s movements to go unmonitored. Is there any reason to suspect this paleontologist’s findings are related to Monroe’s other interests?”

“Nothing concrete, Senator. She logged a call to a Dr. Joan Craynmar who in turn put her in touch with Monroe. But Craynmar is a physicist with no known affiliations to any terrorist groups outside of her acquaintance with Monroe. An acquaintance that started in academic circles some years ago. It’s entirely possible Monroe’s interest is genuinely to do with history.”

“But you don’t think so. Do you, Barbury?”

“No, sir. I don’t.”

“Very well. Send a small group to the site. Have them go in as a special government inspection team conducting a routine survey and inspection of all scientific research sites on Narava. If this Dr. Jones questions it, threaten her funding. That should keep her quiet and amenable.”

“Yes, sir. Any specific instructions for the team?”

“Make sure at least one of them knows something about science,” the senator drawled. “And tell them not to make any moves without consulting me first, through you. Is that understood?”

“Absolutely, sir.” Barbury’s face was now composed, business-like, the flush of panic and excitement contained. “I’ll see to it immediately.”

After his aide broke the transmission, the senator stared at his vid-screen for a long time. This entire issue was going to give him ulcers. It should never have come to this. Public debates in the Senate. Questions pertaining to the ethical nature of government policy. Things should never have gotten this far. If not for that ass Ennoren and his fuck up with his ex-wife, Kira Farseaker, this whole situation never would have come to the fore. Though, he had to admit, some of the blame had to go to Senator Rodriguez and that blasted David Cario.

Ennoren had done one good thing before his death—getting rid of Rodriquez. That act was the only thing he’d managed to get right, though. Cario and Farseaker should have joined Rodriguez in death.

The senator snarled. If either Cario or Farseaker were still on the planet, he had every intention of finding them and personally blasting them out of their skins.

Unfortunately, he was nearly positive they were no longer on planet. And Ennoren was beyond his revenge. Unpleasant, the feeling of frustration and helplessness. But if he could stop Monroe from making things worse, that was something. The Senate was divided. He still had time to swing the vote in the right direction.

He narrowed his eyes at the vid-screen as a perfect, and ironic, idea occurred to him. He smiled, just a little, and ordered a coded, private line. He’d cleared away his smile by the time the small, bug-eyed man answered the call.

“Dr. Ripley. How are you this evening?”

“Busy.”

The senator almost smiled again. These scientists weren’t big on social skills. Instead, he glowered at the screen until Dr. Ripley’s gaze shifted away.

“How is the experiment proceeding, doctor?”

“Fine. On schedule.”

“Is it capable of following specific instructions yet?”

“Of course. Very detailed instructions, as a matter of fact. This one’s far exceeded our expectations. It surpasses all of our previous experiments in both viability and longevity.”

“Is it ready for testing then?”

“What sort of test?” The man’s already huge eyes widened.

“A recognizance mission of sorts. To investigate a paleontology dig just south of Gremblewreath for any…controversial activity.”

“‘Controversial activity,’ huh? I’m sure it would be capable of such an exercise.”

The senator did smile this time. “Good. The instructions are this: search, gather information, report back to you. It is to do nothing without my explicit authorization. Understood? I don’t want to give away the nature of this work before the timing is appropriate.”

“Understandable. Nothing without your authorization.” Dr. Ripley’s narrowed his eyes and compressed his thin lips. “Nothing at all, Senator?”

“Well, killing Shifters is permissible, obviously.”

“Obviously. Though we could use a few new specimens.”

“Maybe at a later date. For now, make sure my orders are followed.”

“I’m sure it’ll live up to your expectations, senator.”

“I hope so, Ripley. It will make my job much simpler if it works.”

Senator Johnson broke transmission with a frown that quickly turned to a smile.

*****

“Here you are.”

Ti’ann looked up from where she sat hunched over a reader as Krin stalked into her tent. She was surprised by the scowl on his face until she remembered she was supposed to have met him in the imaging tent more than half an hour ago.

Before he could say another word, she launched into her apology. “I’m sorry. I got caught up in this search.” She waved the palm-sized pad at him. “Look at this. I think I found something that ties in with our mysterious new discovery. There was a paper published about fifteen years ago on the physiological degradation of Shifter cells after death. There’re some similarities to the anomaly.”

His eyes widened at her news, and she hid her smile, knowing she’d avoided a scolding by the skin of her teeth.

He dropped onto her cot beside her and took the proffered reader. She pointed at the name of the journal. “It went out of publication about a year after this paper. Arguments about the journal’s acceptance of papers using ‘unethical’ methods of data collection and research.”

He raised an eyebrow, his half-grin sardonic.

She smiled back. “Yeah, well, there’s no direct reference to Shifter Research Center. The authors of this paper claimed the specimens they studied were collected under ‘natural conditions’.”

Krin’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, I’d just love to know how they got ‘natural conditions’ past the referees without so much as an explanation. Considering how hard it is to find living Shifters in ‘natural conditions’ without a detector.”

“That exact point was raised in a rebuttal paper three months after this one came out. Without a detector—”

“Which was only just perfected and impossible to come by in the private sector fifteen years ago.”

She nodded. “The authors of the rebuttal paper claimed that Ripley and Hesh couldn’t have possibly encountered so many ‘dead’ Shifters. At any rate, the issue died after awhile, and so did this paper. I had to really dig to find it. Skim through it. Some of their results look incredible.”

She sat quietly as she waited for him to finish the article. He could speed read when the mood hit him, a talent she envied. After only a few minutes, he looked up and stared at her, mouth agape.

“Holy shit, Ti’ann. They’re talking about some really innovative genetic studies.”

“I know. But the part that really caught my eye was the section on the degradation of Shifter tissue after death. I mean, have you ever heard of an animal petrifying instantaneously at death without the aid of some natural disaster?”

“I always assumed they disintegrated.”

“Me, too.”

Krin grinned. “Do you think we’ve found the first Shifter graveyard?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ti’ann chuckled. “Won’t know until we’ve excavated. I don’t want to jump to any conclusion. With all the non-organic material, this could still be something else entirely. But the single shift in base-pairs that Ripley and Hesh reported sure does look like the DNA we’re seeing in that thing.”

Her stomach danced. This could turn out to be bigger than she’d expected. Evidence of an actual Shifter graveyard would have all kinds of implications. It would also give them numerous fossils to study. She was about to show Krin the other papers she’d dug up when the tent flap opened.

“One of the diggers told me where I’d find the two of you.”

They looked up simultaneously as Nathan Longfeather stepped inside.

Ti’ann sucked in a sharp breath as the weight of his gaze pinned her to the cot. The excitement of a moment ago quickly turned to dread. She wasn’t ready to see Nathan yet. She’d thrown herself into her research to forget about him. It had worked. Too well. Now, he was taking up too much of her tent, the air around her growing thick. She swallowed and dropped her gaze to the reader pad, pulling it away from Krin. Saving the papers she’d found was a good excuse to avoid looking at Nathan until she could control her thumping heartbeat. Why did the man have to be so damned handsome?

“What do you need?” Krin asked.

The wary look on his face at her abrupt change of mood didn’t go unnoticed by her. His voice wasn’t exactly hostile. In fact, if she hadn’t known him, she’d say he sounded perfectly professional and courteous. But she did know him.

As she worked on the reader, she considered how much trouble Krin might cause if she kept reacting strangely to Nathan. Krin knew she was awkward around men she didn’t know. Particularly very handsome men. He’d known her long enough to see her at her worse. But did he sense there was more to her behavior around Nathan than just her usual discomfort and insecurity? The last thing she needed was Krin acting righteously indignant on her behalf. Especially when he didn’t know the history between her and Nathan.

“I need to go over all the personnel on site,” Nathan said, “their jobs, their backgrounds, their personal lives. Any information you have about them. I’ll also need to know more about this group you have arriving this evening.”

Ti’ann’s head snapped around. Krin’s hand dropped to her arm before she could react.

“I told him Monroe and his people were coming, that they were expected. I thought he’d better know we’d called in other scientists to help with our newest discovery.”

She relaxed but only a little. Nathan’s scent—a strange mixture of spices she’d never smelled anywhere else—eased through the tent, filling her nostrils and fogging her mind. Her stomach tightened. The last time that smell had surrounded her, she’d been naked, sweating, and desperate to take everything Nathan was giving her. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from groaning aloud—a reaction neither Nathan nor Krin would understand.

“Mind if I sit?” Nathan nodded at a field seat to one side of the tent.

She shook her head. Watching him from under her lashes as he eased his long body onto the little seat, she worried the canvas and Stravex piping wouldn’t hold his weight. The chair creaked but held, and she let out the breath she’d been holding. When she glanced back at his face, he was smiling at her. She looked away.

“From my estimates, you have around twenty people on site,” Nathan began.

“Twenty-two,” Krin confirmed.

Ti’ann tried to follow the conversation but discomfort kept her on edge. Not all of that discomfort came from the fact that Nathan didn’t remember her. Her awareness of the raw, powerful maleness surrounding him had her nerves jumping. That energy had drawn her in three years ago without protest. She’d craved being near it and had run to him like a moepea bug flying into an exposed heating coil. The power radiating from Nathan still drew her. And that bone-deep lust embarrassed her more than the fact that he’d forgotten her. Especially because he’d forgotten her.

“I’ll need a list of names for your people and their jobs,” Nathan said, directing the comment to her.

“I’ll arrange it,” Krin answered.

“How about background information…family relationships, education, that sort of information?”

“We wouldn’t have anything like that.” Ti’ann spoke up before she could stop herself. “We don’t delve into the personal lives of the people working for us.”

Nathan gave her a look she couldn’t read. She saw Krin glance at her from the corner of her eye but he didn’t respond to her outburst.

“I presume you at least have past employment information,” Nathan said, his voice level. “Surely, you require credentials for the people you employed.”

“Of course. But that’s confidential.”

“Are we going to have this argument again?”

“What argument?” Her voice jumped up a notch.

“The one about how I need all the information you can give me or I won’t be able to do my job.”

“As I recall, I won that argument. Besides, breaking the confidentiality agreement with our workers isn’t information we can give you, Mr. Longfeather.”

He raised an impatient hand when she would have gone on. “Never mind. I just need their names. I can find out all I need to know without you having to violate your ethical difficulties.”

“Is that legal?” she squeaked.

“Ti’ann,” Krin murmured, touching her hand. “Let the man do his job.” To Nathan, Krin said, “We’ll try to give you as much information as we can, but as Dr. Jones pointed out, it does go against our agreement with our personnel to release information of a personal nature. Whatever you can find on your own, however, is your business. I’m assuming the background checks have to do with the way you’ll secure the site, knowing who you’re dealing with, that kind of thing?”

Nathan nodded but his gaze remained fixed on Ti’ann. She shifted on the cot and plucked at the edge of her t-shirt, anything to avoid looking directly at him.

They talked for another few minutes before Nathan excused himself to finish his survey of the site. She let out a loud breath the instant the tent flap closed, blocking her view of his retreating back. The sigh settled Krin’s questioning gaze on her.

She raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“You know ‘what’. What’s going on with you and Longfeather? Have you met him before?”

“Sort of. I… It was nothing. He doesn’t even remember me so…” She shrugged.

Krin’s frown deepened. “What does ‘sort of’ mean, Ti’ann? Did he hurt you or…?”

“No. No, Krin, it was nothing like that.” She tried a shaky smile. “Just… Well, you know how I am around handsome men.”

“Handsome, heterosexual men? Yeah, I know.”

His wry smile steadied her own grin.

He shook his head, turning serious again. “But I haven’t seen you this edgy in a long time. You’ve always been uncomfortable but since grad school you’ve managed to at least look most handsome men in the face for the length of a conversation. What gives?”

“It’s nothing. I swear. You don’t need to worry.”

He gave her an assessing look that made her squirm. She forced herself to sit still.

“I’m not so sure about that,” he said as he studied her.

She finally shifted so her body angled away from his, a vain attempt to hide her expression.

“You’re attracted to him,” Krin said, his expression widening. “That’s why you avoid looking at him. You want to look too much.”

She shook her head and opened her mouth, but Krin silenced her with a raised hand. “Don’t try denying it. We’ve been through this sort of thing before. But this Longfeather isn’t some staid professor or a young hotshot digger. This man is dangerous. He has a dangerous job, he lives with the real possibility of death every day, and he won’t settle into a quiet comfortable life with a paleontologist.”

“Krin, you’re jumping to conclusions. I’ll admit I find Mr. Longfeather attractive. What woman wouldn’t? But I have no illusions about him. Besides, he’s hardly attracted to me anyway.”

“Ti’Ann.” Krin sighed, slouching back against the tent wall. “How often am I gonna have to tell you you’re a beautiful woman and men are attracted to you?”

She gave him a level look. “You’re biased. And we both know you’re full of shit. Besides, you’re gay. How would you know if a heterosexual man found me attractive or not?”

She flinched when he cocked an eyebrow at her. They’d had this conversation before. But all of Krin’s assurances didn’t matter. She knew she wasn’t attractive to the opposite sex. Oh, she was smart—she was an excellent paleontologist. However, being a top scientific mind wasn’t the kind of thing that drew men like Nathan Longfeather. Her two very brief relationships and her even briefer fling with Nathan had proven that well enough. Men got bored with her quickly. They wanted beauty and seduction and she just didn’t fulfill that desire, even when she tried. She squirmed at the remembered humiliation from the time she had tried with the “staid” professor. That had been so embarrassing. Or her attempt to keep the “hotshot digger” interested by dying her hair blond. Not that it had helped.

She’d known from a very young age she’d have to use her intellect to get through life. Her parents had drilled that lesson into her. “Use your mind, Ann,” her father had said, again and again. “Don’t try relying on your looks. You’ll only be disappointed. You’re not like your mother.” Since her mother was gorgeous and had turned her looks into a hugely successful modeling career, Ti’ann knew her father was right. Her romantic history had only reinforced his prediction. So she accepted her fate—smart but alone—even if Krin couldn’t.

“Can we drop this?” She met Krin’s brooding expression. “We have work to do. I’ll eventually get used to Longfeather.”

One corner of his mouth crooked up and he rolled he eyes. “Okay. I’ll drop it. For now. But if he does anything, I mean anything at all to make you any more uncomfortable than you already are, let me know. I’ll take care of it for you.”

She grinned and nodded. They both knew full well she’d never tell him anything of the sort. But she felt better knowing Krin was there for her if she needed him.

Just as they left her tent and were on their way to the imaging tent, they heard the sounds of a ship landing.