Genesis (11 page)

Time passed slowly. She had a headache from hunger and closed her eyes against the glare from outside. It was very quiet and soon she felt herself nodding off again. She jerked awake and tried sitting up straighter. Her heart felt as though it was beating too fast and she put her head in hands.

Suddenly, a loud beeping filled the room. Startled, she looked up to see the scientists strolling to a door marked Disembarkation Area: Personnel Only.

She went to the window and peered up at the sky. A faint white trail of vapour was streaking down. The shuttle had made planetfall. A wave of relief struck her.

Before long she could make out the streamlined shape of the shuttle, dropping to Earth in a controlled fall.

She watched it stow its solar sails and invert, powering up the ion thrusters to land. She could feel the rumbling vibration through the floor as it settled on the dock. A blast of enviro scrubbers burst up from the dock as it touched down to capture any hazardous particles.

She anxiously watched the exit tunnel extend from the waiting area and connect with the hatch. There were no windows on the tunnel, so she couldn’t tell when the hatch opened or if anyone was coming out. She moved towards the door marked Disembarkation and waited.

After a few minutes she heard voices on the other side, the door slid back and six people came out. Among them was a woman with short, black spiky hair wearing dark green pants and a tight, black tank top.

Rosie’s heart lifted. Her aunt spotted her and smiled, waving.

“Hey!” Aunt Essie dodged past the rest of the crew. “How long have you–” Her smiled faded. “You’re a mess, kid. What the hell have you been doing?”

She placed her hands on Rosie’s shoulders. She smelled familiar, of frangipani and spice, and her tiny diamond nose stud gleamed in the light. Rosie felt tears starting to gather behind her eyes.

“Can we go?” she said. She didn’t want to start bawling in public.

Aunt Essie’s hands tightened. “Sure. You okay?”

Rosie shook her head and her aunt put an arm around her.

“Okay, right.” She began steering her towards the exit. “I’ll make tea and you can tell me what’s going on.”

Aunt Essie’s apartment was on the sixth floor of one of Orbitcorp’s scientific complexes. It had pale green walls, one bedroom, a lounge room adjoining a white kitchen and a tiny balcony with a view over a garden. It also had a com room decked out with bio computers and shelves of gadgets and research materials.

Rosie sat in the very corner of the big cream-coloured sofa while Aunt Essie made tea. On the coffee table a miniature model of Genesis glowed softly under a dome of glass, flakes of red Martian dust flitting around the tiny representation of the colony.

“How did you get in?” Aunt Essie called from the kitchen. “I found out they’d brought in new security rules on my way back. You’re supposed to have a pass and I couldn’t get hold of you to tell you.”

“A man helped me.” Rosie took the cup of tea her aunt offered.

“What man?” asked Aunt Essie, as she sat beside her.

“I don’t know.”

“What did he look like?”

“Um …” Rosie stared at her cup. “Black hair, tall.”

“I wonder who that was.” Her aunt frowned, sipping her tea for a moment then shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll find out later. First, what happened to you, kid? You look terrible. Should I call your dad?”

Rosie put her tea down. Her hand shook and the cup almost tipped as it met the tabletop.

“Rosie,” her aunt grabbed the cup, “what’s going on?”

“Dad’s gone. Some men took him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She covered her face with her hands.

“Rosie?” Aunt Essie’s voice was sharp.

Rosie shook her head, unable to meet her eyes. “I found this box of stuff and–” She faltered, gripped by a terrible feeling that once she told her aunt, everything would be true. Juli would really be dead, her father really gone. Just like her mum.

Aunt Essie took a long breath. “Rosie,” she said. “Just tell me.”

She told her. About the box, about everything that had happened since she’d found it. The words came out stiff, washed with an overwhelming feeling of guilt, but she didn’t cry and she was glad for that.

Aunt Essie didn’t speak for a long moment. “It’s not your fault. All right?” she said finally.

Rosie could only nod but she found it hard to believe. If she hadn’t found the box, none of this would have happened.

“Okay, so Adam’s been taken by these men and this guy Riley has the stuff you found?”

“Yes.”

Her aunt was staring out of the window.

“Do you think he’s still–” Rosie wasn’t able to form the words.

“Alive?” Aunt Essie finished. “If they wanted him dead, they would have just killed him in the flat – it’s not like anyone there would have stopped them. Bunch of cowards.”

“Riley didn’t want me to go to the Senate,” Rosie said. “He thought they would have people waiting there to get me.”

“He thinks the people who took your dad have infiltrated the Senate guards?” Her aunt looked thoughtful. “It’s possible, I guess, but … he might be saying that to confuse you. This guy, Riley, could be behind the whole thing.”

“That’s what I thought, but he has the box now,” Rosie said. “Why would he take Dad, and why did he want Pip to take me somewhere safe?”

“To scare you, so he knows where you are. Plus your dad was taken before you met him and then you went straight to him after, didn’t you?”

Rosie nodded. But if she hadn’t run away from Pip, she’d have been there before. Maybe her dad wouldn’t have been taken then. Or maybe she just wouldn’t have found out until later. She didn’t know what think. Why were the diary and key so important?

“Riley could be wanted by the Senate,” Aunt Essie was saying. “I’ve got a friend, I could contact him, ask him to check the database – get some help.”

Rosie felt confused. Was Riley involved? He’d been so certain of who had taken her dad. But she didn’t know if she should disagree with her aunt. She’d been in the Senate Elite for two years before she joined Orbitcorp. The Elite was the force the Senate sent to work for the United Earth Commission’s Earth Peace Alliance and helped keep the peace both on- and off-world. She must know something.

“Rosie, tell me again what the message said when you put the key in the comnet.”

“
Shore beacon activated. Code entered. Target acquired. Searching …
” she replied. “Why?”

Her aunt was frowning. “There’s something familiar about the name, Shore.” She went to her com room and activated her holo drive and began searching. “Ha! Look here.” She pointed to an icon hovering within the parameters of the controls square that had appeared in the air in front of the back wall. Her aunt selected the icon and the control panel disappeared and a block of green text appeared. “I knew I’d seen that name.”

Rosie read the news wave sample her aunt had recorded.

Mars report: The Genesis colony has been temporarily closed due to the recent explosion of a research laboratory. Officials have still not released the cause of the explosion but are calling it an accident. Twenty-three people were killed and hundreds injured by the explosion which destroyed a main medical research laboratory on Genesis. Among the dead were renowned geneticists, Drs Margaret and Ethan Shore, who had been working on a cure for the recently discovered generation-X strain of malaria, known as the MalX, which it is feared will decimate the highly populated poorer areas of Earth
.

Next to it was an image of the destroyed lab.

“They were looking for a cure?” Rosie said.

Aunt Essie hesitated then said carefully, “Yeah, kid. I know. I remember when it happened. This wave is ten years old – you would have only been six. It was huge. Everyone had to be evacuated because the domes were damaged. I was with the Elite then and we were sent up to oversee the evacuation.” She shook her head, staring at the image. “It was a mess. Everything was destroyed. All their research lost – it really set them back. That was one of the reasons I went to work for Orbitcorp, to help with the rebuilding. Me and your mum fought over that. Who knew–” She stopped and Rosie felt a tight band of pain grip her. She wanted Aunt Essie to tell her more, but at the same time she didn’t want to hear it.

“Why would their name be in that message?” Rosie said. “Shore beacon. What does it mean?”

“No idea.” Aunt Essie swiped a hand over the information and the projection vanished. “But I bet that Riley guy does. We’ve got to get to my friend in the Senate.”

Rosie wasn’t sure if that was the best idea but what else could they do? She fingered the pendant under her shirt.

“Jesus, kid, you’ve been all alone,” Aunt Essie said as she went towards the kitchen. “Why didn’t you contact me?”

“I couldn’t,” Rosie said, following her aunt. “They took my com when they trashed the flat.” Then Rosie had another frightening thought. “But that’s not how they found me,” she said. “I looked you up on the Grid when I was at Juli’s.”

Aunt Essie halted and turned to stare at her. “What? Why didn’t you tell me? Christ, Rosie, they’ll know where I live. Orbitcorp security is good, but there’s no way we’re safe here. They’re probably watching, trying to figure a way in – or waiting for us to come out.” She glanced at the timer on her wrist. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do: get you cleaned up, get some food and gear, and get out of here.”

“Right, yeah.”

Her heart racing again, Rosie ran to the bathroom. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Of course they’d track down her aunt’s address.

Stripping off her clothes, she got under the hot shower, trying not to think of how the same men who had taken her dad could be coming for her now. When was she going to stop making stupid mistakes?

When she came out wrapped in a towel, a backpack was sitting on the kitchen counter.

“Put these on.” Aunt Essie handed her a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt. “The jeans might be a bit long but you can roll them up. Take the jacket on the bench as well.”

“Where are we going?” Rosie took the clothes.

“Firstly, out of Orbitcorp.” She handed Rosie a protein bar. “Eat this. We’ll get a proper meal later. I’m going to erase my computer files – in case.”

Apprehension running through her, Rosie ate as she dressed, then swung on her backpack and followed her aunt from the apartment.

The corridor was empty, and bright sunlight bounced off the beige walls, filling the air with warmth.

They turned right, heading away from the lifts. Before they had gone more than a few steps though, one of the lift doors opened with a soft ping, and a voice called, “Miss Black?”

Rosie’s insides leaped as she recognised the man in the purple suit.

“Mr Yuang.” Aunt Essie’s smile was forced and she put a hand on Rosie’s shoulder as he strode towards them.

“I see the young lady found you,” Mr Yuang said. “I assume she told you she had some trouble getting in this morning.”

“So it was you who helped her. Thanks. I was just taking her out for something to eat.”

“I see.” He smiled and his gaze went to the bags they both carried.

“I have to run some errands,” Aunt Essie said. “After being in space for so long, things pile up – washing et cetera.”

“Certainly.”

Rosie couldn’t help staring at how white his teeth were against the caramel colour of his skin. The lift pinged again and a black-suited Senate guard stepped out. The man looked straight at them and Aunt Essie’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

“I’m sorry, Mr Yuang, we really have to–”

“Yes, you must get to your errands.” He walked slowly backwards towards the guard as he talked. “I won’t keep you. Well done on your last mission, Miss Black.” His eyes went once more to Rosie, before he turned. “You there,” he called to the guard. “I have a job for you. Follow me.”

“Come on,” Aunt Essie whispered, pulling her away. They hurried to the end of the corridor and Rosie glanced back as they turned the corner, and saw Mr Yuang following the guard into the lift. He winked at her then disappeared behind the doors.

Aunt Essie urged her into a jog.

“You know him?” Rosie said.

“Not really. He’s on contract to Orbitcorp. It’s weird that he helped you this morning.”

“Why?”

“I wouldn’t have thought he would need to use the main entrance, that’s all.”

“What does he do?”

“Not sure. He deals with Genesis and the outer planet programs.” Her lips tightened. “He’s a big fish though. I’ve never seen him around the living quarters before. This way.” She stopped and pushed open a door with “Stairs” stencilled on it. Their footsteps echoed in the stairwell as they ran down.

“Do you think he was really looking out for me? Checking that you found me?” Rosie said.

“Doubt it. I hardly know him. I piloted for him once – the last time I went to Genesis. He was checking on some lab stuff. It’s not like we said more than two words to each other.”

Rosie was worried. Something felt weird. Why would he help some kid get into Orbitcorp? And what had that wink meant?

“Keep up, Rosie.” Her aunt pushed open the exit to the ground floor.