Age of X01 - Gameboard of the Gods (33 page)

“They’re a band. An awesome one. They’re playing outdoors at Westfield Plaza. A bunch of us are going, and I could pick you up and bring you.”

“Is this a date?” she asked. She felt blunt and stupid asking outright but figured this was a matter that required complete clarification.

He shuffled his feet and looked away. “I guess so. If you don’t want to—”

“I do,” she said. “That is, I just have to ask permission.” A concert like
he described would have been out of the question in Panama, and she was curious to go, even if she didn’t entirely understand what Vital Lucidity was. It couldn’t be too dangerous, especially if Poppy was going, but once more, her instincts wouldn’t let her go unchaperoned without permission. “I’ll let you know soon.”

That satisfied Dennis, and he gave her another smile. “Cool.”

They parted ways later, and Tessa walked back to the house with her mind full of questions. She hoped Justin wouldn’t be too late tonight, because she wanted to dissect what she’d seen at the church. He was as hip-deep in Gemman rhetoric as anyone else around here, but he was probably the only person who might be able to understand her observations.

He actually came home early for a change, shortly after dinner. “No travel,” he explained. “Just some local licenses. Only two more big trips left, and then hell if I know what’s going to happen.” That last part was more to himself, and Tessa was afraid to ask him to elaborate. She knew he was working on something a lot bigger than standard servitor work, something that he and Mae often spoke about in hushed tones. Whatever it was, it kept him away a lot, and although Tessa understood that was his job, she missed talking the way they used to.

He wandered off toward the study he’d claimed as his office, and she deliberated over whether to bother him about her church day or not. Finally, deciding he couldn’t complain about her exploring the society he’d brought her to, she followed. She heard voices when she reached his door and started to turn back, realizing he was on a call. Her curiosity was piqued when she recognized one of the voices as Dominic’s, and going against all her good breeding, she hovered just behind the ajar door and peered in.

Sure enough, Dominic’s face was displayed on Justin’s wall screen, looking irritated. “Leo’s in his workroom. I’ve got to take my portobello casserole out of the oven first, then I’ll get him. It dries out if it’s left in there for more than seventeen minutes.”

Justin groaned once Dominic disappeared and muttered to himself, “Man, he sucks.”

Leo appeared soon thereafter. “Here for your results?”

“You got the reports?”

“Yup.” Leo’s face broke out into a grin. “Looks like you owe Mae a drink. The victims all match. They were done by the same person, but she wasn’t. She doesn’t have the same signature.”

It was a rare moment of astonishment for Justin. “What does that mean? It’s not possible. She’s a nine from the right time period.”

“It means you were wrong. I know it must be a new experience for you. If it makes you feel better, I think there was a little gene manipulation going on with her.”

“How so?” Justin still looked dumbfounded.

“Her genes are outstanding,” Leo told her. “Too nice to be natural, in my opinion. They’re just not as nice as the victims’. Those are like…art.”

“So she has no connection to the case,” said Justin flatly.

“Not from what I can tell. Don’t sound so sad. She’s still a badass prætorian and all that.”

“I know.” Justin smiled fleetingly. “Did I ever tell you about this Apollo temple we were at? You would’ve loved it. This guy had subcutaneous microfilaments delivering ecstatic drugs. You should have seen his face when I sent Mae as a volunteer. She didn’t even twitch.”

Even Leo was amused at that. “She must’ve twitched a little.”

“No, the implant protected her.”

“Yeah, but it’d take a moment for it to identify and metabolize the drug.”

Justin was obstinate. “Well, I know what I saw.”

“And
I
know prætorians.”

“Well, do you know anything yet about mysteriously altered videos?” Justin shot back, not liking the contradiction.

Leo’s good mood dimmed. “No. But I got a good lead on an experiment for the video. I’ll keep you posted.” He disconnected.

Justin stared at the screen in silence for several moments before saying, “You can come in.”

Feeling foolish, Tessa entered the office. “Sorry. I was coming to talk to you.”

He waved it off as he sat in his chair and put his feet up on the desk.
“Tell me this, prodigy. Six patricians born within a year of each other, all with high scores, all showing signs of genetic manipulation done by the same person—except one. Why would that be?”

Tessa leaned against the wall. “Because the sixth one wasn’t done by the same person.”

Justin didn’t look appreciative. “Thanks for that. So it’s a coincidence?”

“I don’t know enough about it,” she said with a shrug. “Do numbers lie?”

“Not when Leo runs them.”

“Then it
is
a coincidence.”

He nodded, though his face still showed skepticism. “How about this. A bunch of plebeians die the same year some perfect patricians are conceived. Is that a coincidence?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know any of the context here either. Is this your case?”

“Yes. And don’t tell anyone we’re having this conversation.”

It didn’t sound like it had much to do with religion. “I guess you have to ask why that would happen. Why would plebeians die when patricians were conceived? If there’s a reason, then it’s not a coincidence. Sorry,” she added, realizing it wasn’t much of an answer. “Guess I’m not much of a prodigy tonight.”

“You’re good enough.” He straightened up in his chair. “So. What did you want to talk about?”

“I went to a church service today. Church of Humanity,” she clarified. “I thought it would be like a guide for moral living and human principles. But mostly it seemed like a way to enforce loyalty to the country’s policies.”

“They’re the same. That’s what religions do—a higher power tells people how to live. Only, this message comes from a reasonable set of humans, not a capricious made-up entity.”

“Religions give you a sense of purpose. They connect you with something bigger in the universe and help you understand why you’re here,” she argued.

He gave her a teasing smile. “Isn’t that what I just said?”

“No. I don’t think so.” She frowned. “If I find a church—a real one, like the one I went to back home—will you arrest me? Or will it get you in trouble?”

“Only if you attempt treason. There are two here in the city that are pretty good matches. Licensed and harmless. You can go if you want.”

She didn’t say anything, but she wondered just how much the RUNA’s idea of “licensed and harmless” would truly match the faith she’d been raised in. Instead, she told him, “Oh. I kind of have a date.”

That
snapped him to attention. “What? With who?”

“The guy I went to church with.” Tessa shifted uncomfortably. “Cynthia said it was okay when I asked earlier.”

“That’s because she was never a teenage boy,” he said. “Two weeks here, and you’re already giving me gray hairs. Give me his name so I can run a check and then make sure he comes by to meet me.”

Tessa couldn’t help but be a little surprised. Thus far, Justin hadn’t really seemed all that interested in her activities.

“I’m just going to a concert,” Tessa said, trying to reassure him. “I’m hoping it’ll give me some footage for my class.”

“Footage?”

“I’m in a media class now. Part of our project is to do a documentary, and I’m doing mine on Gemman culture from an outsider’s perspective.” Tessa was excited about the prospect, and not just because it freed her from inane Spanish lessons.

“Huh,” he said. “Budding reporter. I never saw that coming. Don’t record anything around here without asking me.”

“I know.”

He stared off thoughtfully. “There’s a lot of power with cameras and editing, you know. It lets you define the truth.”

“Isn’t that what you do?” she asked. “
Servitor veritatis
. ‘Servant of the truth.’ Don’t you define the truth too?”

That got her another laugh and a rueful head-shake. “Go to bed, prodigy. You’re too smart for your own good. And mine.”

CHAPTER 19

GRATEFUL TO BE IN THE FOLDS OF CIVILIZATION

Mae wasn’t thrilled that she and Justin were down to their last land-grant investigation: the Nordics. She had no desire to visit her homeland and secretly hoped he’d cancel the trip altogether since he was now caught up in the idea of a vengeful geneticist being behind the murders. He had inquiries out to the various castes, requesting records of any other “genetic indiscretions,” as they were officially called. Although he believed in the geneticist theory, she knew he wasn’t optimistic about getting results. Most patricians were conceived in vitro, meaning there was a wealth of fertility clinics out there that were always coming and going.

He’d also requested information from the various families about the victims’ conceptions but had received muddled answers. Some swore they hadn’t used in vitro. Others provided the names of doctors who didn’t seem to exist. Confusing things further was that many castals resented the RUNA’s prohibitions against genetic research, some of whom worked at high levels of castal government and could help cover up illegal clinics.

In the meantime, Justin still doggedly pursued his religious leads, though Mae suspected it was out of desperation. He kept up his overconfident persona, but she knew he was getting anxious about time. They were more than halfway through the month now, and each day that passed meant they were closer to another murder and his potential return to exile. He claimed he’d gotten a lead from Geraki’s tirade, which
surprised her since little of that madman’s ramblings had made sense. She was even more surprised when Justin said they’d be going to the RUNA’s borderlands.

The RUNA had spent a number of decades establishing itself and building its power. Once it felt secure, it had begun to slowly expand its territory on the continent. Some regions—such as the lands southwest of the RUNA—had transitioned more easily. They had formed a loose configuration of city-states after the Decline and eventually welcomed being annexed by their powerful neighbor.

Other regions weren’t so thrilled. The RUNA’s other neighbor, Arcadia, had formed when the southeastern region of the former United States had chosen not to band with the rest of the country and Canada because they opposed the harsh mandates. Mae was familiar enough with Arcadian culture to know that “chosen” wasn’t the word they used in their history. Arcadia claimed it had been abandoned because the early RUNA couldn’t maintain that much territory. The truth lay in the middle of those theories, and despite ravages by Mephistopheles and Cain, Arcadia had managed to pull itself up into a relatively stable country, due largely to an iron-fisted and religion-driven government.

Relations between the countries had been tense, especially because the RUNA had its eye on some of its neighbor’s resource-rich land. Gemman energy favored renewable resources, but oil and natural gas were still in demand. As a result, Arcadia’s western border was constantly in dispute as each country tried to stake its claim. The RUNA possessed superior technology and weapons, but the Arcadian military was vast and had been building up weapons that, while less sophisticated, were still problematic.

Justin’s destination wasn’t in an Arcadian borderland but was instead in a region that had been annexed only within the last five years. Although the Gemman government worked very quickly to bring its new territories into the uniform cultural fold of the rest of the nation, these new territories still had a reputation for recklessness and dissent—nuisances combatted by a very strong military presence.

Mae got the call from Leo about her test results on the way to Justin’s house. She wasn’t surprised to hear she wasn’t a match to the victims.
She’d expected that, no matter how much Justin advocated his conspiracy theory.

It was the
other
results Mae was interested in, the ones she hadn’t told Justin about. When Justin had left to answer a call during their Nipponese lunch, she’d taken a leap of faith and asked Leo for a favor. Their relationship had warmed up enough that it was worth the gamble. She’d handed over the lock of hair that Emil had given her, feeling both terrified and excited over what Leo might uncover. He’d promised discretion and hadn’t asked many questions.

“It’s a hit,” he told her when he called. “Definitely a relative of yours.”

Mae sat on the train, her ego pressed to her ear in voice-only mode. “How close?”

“Twenty-five percent match to you. That’s a grandparent, half sibling, niece or nephew, aunt or uncle.” He paused. “Double first cousins too.”

“I see.” She took a deep breath. “Can you tell which?”

“No, all I can go by is the number of genes that match. Send me some of your immediate family’s stats, and I could get a closer hit.”

Good luck with that.
Mae entertained a brief fantasy of stealthily cutting off a lock of her sister’s hair. “I don’t think that’ll be possible.”