"It isn"t!"
"Until that"s proved. . . "
He laid a hand on her shoulder, a gesture of protection or ownership, she wasn"t sure.
"Will the networks cancel the vidcast tonight?" he croaked. "I couldn"t stand it. I couldn"t bear to be set back so. The humiliation. . . "
"You"ve come through worse than this in the past," she cooed to him.
"But not failure on this scale."
"It"s not your your failure, Halcyon." failure, Halcyon."
"It"s Falsh"s failure!" He screwed up his face. "If he hadn"t stirred up the Preservers, destroying Carme like he did. . . "
"Falsh has ruined us both," said Sook suddenly.
Halcyon took his hand away from her shoulder. His voice was cold and quiet as the whisper of air from an opened freezer: "What did you say?"
But it was what she found herself saying next that really scared the h.e.l.l out of Sook.
117.
Chapter Fifteen.
Restoring wonder to the solar system had restored a measure of hubbub and wealth to old Callisto. The President had approved certain tax incentives to encourage industry back to the rejuvenated solar system, and Falsh had taken full advantage, insisting the head offices of several subsidiaries relocate there, sponsoring an urban regeneration programme. . . That in turn had brought other businesses setting up shop, and some serious Empire players among them. And of course, they would all take full advantage of FILOC-Ps to capitalise on the novelty of their location: a worn-out solar system, long-thought dead now made new.
His diary chimed. An hour and he would need to be s.p.a.ceborne again, ready for his meeting with the Agent.
"No more screw-ups," he rumbled, like he could force fate into a promise.
He"d got so used to saying something and it coming true.
Complacent.
Boy, was it ever coming back to bite him now.
Falsh looked out over the s.p.a.ceport, at the teeming ships and airbuses hovering over the dark granite concourse, at the domed skyline of hotels, bor-dellos and casinos. The air held the tang of ozone, as the mighty biosphere-generators fed artificial sunlight into the captured air.
The view was peaceful and blue through the soundproofed tinted gla.s.s of the executive lounge. People from all over the Empire and plenty of digni-taries from well outside it had gathered here to watch the sky-show tonight at the vast, brand-new Medicean Stadium. Turning south he could see its three towers, an imposing black and red, reaching up over the horizon. They looked like giant gun barrels, big enough to pick the moons out of the sky one by one if all else failed.
It couldn"t couldn"t fail. You didn"t pull the biggest crowd for a live event in centuries just to let them drift off home without a show. There were billions of dollars at risk in merchandise and advertising revenues. Hoon, efficient as ever, had already beamed over plunging stock forecast figures. Falsh wanted to weep at the sight of them. They fail. You didn"t pull the biggest crowd for a live event in centuries just to let them drift off home without a show. There were billions of dollars at risk in merchandise and advertising revenues. Hoon, efficient as ever, had already beamed over plunging stock forecast figures. Falsh wanted to weep at the sight of them. They had had to turn this around. to turn this around.
The Empire was expecting a show. Big bangs and fireworks. More than that artistic artistic big bangs and fireworks. big bangs and fireworks.
Not footage of a G.o.dd.a.m.ned slug.
119.
"Klimt, your bones are gonna rot in h.e.l.l," he muttered for the millionth time.
Falsh couldn"t afford to lose this one. Not when his plans for the Inst.i.tute had all come toppling down, when his fleet of FILOC-Ps was so advanced in construction. Those little babies weren"t for hire by cranks and naturalists.
They were for big businesses only. He had to recoup.
He needed needed this. this.
Tinya swayed through the thin crowds to join him by the window. "Still can"t get through to Halcyon. His ship"s docked direct at the stadium."
"Keep trying," he growled. "He"s not flaking out on me. That show is going ahead."
"I don"t see why we didn"t park at the stadium ourselves."
"Because I"m not through with the ship yet."
Tinya accepted this without question. "Well, maybe you can speak with him at the press-call at eleven," she suggested. "I"ve had these awesome awesome real wild animals shipped over from the Ganymede Zoo " real wild animals shipped over from the Ganymede Zoo "
"Wild animals?" Falsh narrowed his eyes. "I didn"t approve that."
Tinya faltered, pushed at her slick black hair demurely, her usual play-for-time gesture. "But it seemed such a good opportunity. We"re saying: remember old Earth"s biodiversity?"
Falsh mimed a creeping slug with his index finger. "Don"t you think we maybe have enough unwelcome biodiversity around here right now? Speaking of which. . . " He beamed some data from his wristpad to hers. "Nerren"s pulled together our Research and Development team. They"re preparing the results of the EBE tests as we speak."
"Without seeing one of these s.p.a.ce slugs first?" She frowned. "How will that convince anyone?"
"It won"t. Which is why you"ve got to get the team access to one."
"Me?"
"As of now, you handle their PR," he informed her coldly. "It"s down to you to make them seem like an independent scientific study group."
Tinya forced a smile. "Who do I need to speak to? Who"s leading the enquiry?"
"Military. According to Nerren, Pent Central have sent some hazard squad down there." He clenched his fists helplessly; Jeez, he felt old today. "They"ve converted a disused business unit into a base of operations. They"ll be inun-dated with requests for private a.n.a.lysis."
"And they"ll say no to them all."
"Except us." He advanced on Tinya almost menacingly. "We need to move fast. We need that access. Find out where Pent Central have set up and get our people in."
120.
Tinya considered. "The President must be feeling bad for her precious Halcyon. Perhaps she can pull some strings for us on his behalf."
"Yes, where is that son of a b.i.t.c.h? We have to get a hold of him!" Falsh mimed where he"d like to get a hold of him right around the throat.
"We"ll have the chance. My press-op at eleven." She smiled at him. "I told you it would be a fabulous opportunity. Just you wait."
Fitz had always wanted to play Shea Stadium. To look out over seas of ador-ing fans, playing soaring leads or tender acoustic numbers. . . Didn"t matter which; all anyone could hear were the hysterical screams of thousands of gorgeous teenagers.
Now Fitz was looking out at the deserted Medicean Stadium from its ma.s.sive, minimalist stage. He"d figured it was best just to stay out of everybody"s way for a while, so once the Rapier Rapier had nudged into land within an enormous hangar, he"d gone out for a walls. Wandered about in the bowels of the stadium, asked for directions, found a painted red line on the floor, followed it for half a mile or so, got lost, doubled back and somehow found himself here. had nudged into land within an enormous hangar, he"d gone out for a walls. Wandered about in the bowels of the stadium, asked for directions, found a painted red line on the floor, followed it for half a mile or so, got lost, doubled back and somehow found himself here.
Or in other words: Went out. Got lost. Made mistakes. Felt dwarfed. A typical Fitz Kreiner day.
The Medicean made Shea look more like a drill hall in Maida Vale. Coloured black and red, divided into dozens of tiered levels, it was beyond vast the far side was probably in a different time zone. And wide? Not many, Benny!
You could park a dozen starships end-to-end across the crimson turf of its centre-s.p.a.ce. The three towers, marking north, east and west of the stadium"s perimeter, seemed to stretch up endlessly.
He sighed. It was so quiet. The sky above was pristine blue, fake but beautiful. It felt like a spring morning. Sook had told him to wait here for her while she went to Halcyon.
He felt for her. It wasn"t easy, coping with crises of conscience. Finding yourself in a life cul-de-sac and realising the only way back out is littered with tintacks poised to pop your tyres.
He sat down on the stage and wondered what a capacity crowd would look like. Had everything gone to plan tonight, he would have seen for himself.
It was probably him. The big jinx.
Well, bad mood or not a million other things to deal with or not Fitz was going to d.a.m.n well go up to Falsh and make his day worse with a list of demands. So long as Falsh needed Halcyon, and Halcyon played ball. . .
"So here"s where you got to."
Fitz turned. Think of the devil: here was Sook now, a little red-faced and out of breath, like she"d run the whole honeycomb of corridors and dressing 121 rooms between here and the Rapier Rapier; the enormous loading bay alone had taken Fitz five minutes to cross in his usual scruffy stride.
"You"d better not be here at eleven," she went on. "Your old friend Tinya thinks she"s arranging a press-op for Halcyon here. I"m sure she"d love to see you again."
"It"s OK. Halcyon said I had his protection."
"Halcyon"s going to be very busy preparing for tonight."
"I thought tonight was off?"
Sook shrugged. "We"ve worked out some alternative plans. There are other kinds of spectacular."
"Such as?"
Sook stayed quiet for a while. "I probably don"t know what I"m doing," she admitted, looking down at her feet as she shuffled closer. "But when it came down to it, Kreiner, I couldn"t just burn my boats and bridges. . . Just leave him alone to flail about in this mess, like I was meant to. . . "
She laid her head on his shoulder.
"So what are you going to do?" he asked a touch nervously, craning his neck to look at her face: angular, flushed and sad-eyed. "And what are Gaws and Mildrid going to do to you you?"
Sook leaned up and kissed him.
It was nice, but incredibly uncomfortable for both of them. She sort of wriggled around for a better angle, he leaned back on his hands to accommodate her. Her hand crept up his chest. He bottled out of doing the same.
She broke off abruptly. Her eyes looked sad but sort of shiny.
"Sorry." she said. Then she scrambled up and almost ran across the stage, heading for the exit.
Fitz watched her leave. "I never know what"s going on," he called.
"You will," she threw back over her shoulder. "Try not to hate me. OK?"
The sky was still perfect blue, the spring freshness held in the air, and there was no breeze at all.
Still, as the taste of her lips faded on his own, he felt a little colder.
Trix and the Doctor were taking a turn about the decks. They"d left Torvin asleep, slumped in front of the TV and gently snoring.
"It"s so weird, when time travel throws up something like this," Trix reflected.
"In my time, heroin is seen as one of the great evils you know, one shot and you"re hooked, your life is over, your skin goes bad. Here, it"s not even illegal."
"Alcohol"s not illegal in your time. Nor are cigarettes. But neither are terribly good for you over a prolonged period."
122.
"No, Doctor," said Trix in a tone equally as patronising. "But we"re talking Cla.s.s A narcotics, here! Today, you can probably buy crack cocaine in Boots along with your inhaler."
"I doubt it. By this century, they"ve stopped selling medicine in Boots," remarked the Doctor.
"Oh?"
He grinned at her unexpectedly. "It kept dribbling out through the lace-holes."
She groaned.
"There are some things a pill can"t clear away," the Doctor added. Trix waited for a punchline, but this time it didn"t come. "A powerful narcotic will always dig its hooks in the cells and viscera, even if it can"t get a hold on the mind in the same way."
"Admittedly, Torvin doesn"t look the happiest camper on the block for someone flying so high."
"Don"t forget the stuff is very effective at relieving pain," he said distantly. "It also suppresses coughs. . . "
Trix tugged on his sleeve. "You"re thinking about that s.p.a.ce slug thing on the news, aren"t you?"
"Patently, it"s arrant nonsense."
"No, don"t hedge. What do you really think?"
"Leda"s environment is inimical to life. If a creature as evolutionarily advanced as a slug just happens to spring up there "
" or slither up there "
"There"s unquestionably trickery afoot. So who"s playing the tricks, Trix?"