Hindsight (13 page)

‘
Oui
, bad blood never dries, as
ma mère
always says. But obviously, that part is rubbish. Ben is a saint, as you say, and his blood is sweeter than honey. Who couldn’t love him?’

‘I’m straight and I’m tempted,’ Charlie said, ‘especially if he sees this lot and still pays for it.’

‘Ring it up,’ Ben said as he came in again. ‘Mate, it’s not even half the pile I was expecting.’

Ben’s tone was rushed, though. Excited. Or was it worried? The moment he’d paid and said his goodbyes to Gabby and Charlie, he grabbed her bags and drew Mira outside and around the corner into the cool afternoon shadows.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, then caught a faint scent of soap, sweat and gun oil.

‘Nothing, ma’am,’ replied a familiar male voice from deeper in the alley. ‘So long as nobody sees us meeting like this.’

M
ira backed against the alley wall, knowing there was no point trying to make a run from him. He was barely older than she was, and much fitter.

‘Private Lockman?’

‘It’s lance corporal now, ma’am, after that little incident with Colonel—’

‘Don’t,’ Ben warned. ‘She never wants to hear that name again.’

‘Hang on.
Little
incident?’ Mira said. ‘He
tortured
you! When he put me in the same cell, I felt the blood and welts all over you!’

‘I never did get a chance to thank you.’

‘For what? I lost control!’

‘You helped me out when the time came.’

‘Ha! You’d already escaped once. You went back in — under orders, wasn’t it, from General Garland? A spider in the web, I think you said, and I was just another fly caught up in it.’

‘Every job has crappy days,’ Lockman replied. ‘It was your hands on the colonel’s neck while I was busy with the others. You could have killed him.

Mira shrugged and relaxed a little. ‘He deserved to learn what it’s like to lose his freedom. Good riddance to him.’

‘That’s the spirit, ma’am.’

‘Stop calling me that and explain why you’ve come to dredge up my worst memories!’

‘Mira,’ Ben said, clasping her hand. ‘He has something for you.’

‘From the docs,’ Lockman said.

‘They’re here?’ She glanced about in reflex, but her world remained purple and uneventful.

‘For a lady who’s blind, you have the damndest reflexes, ma’am.’

‘Medication,’ Ben said. ‘It’s still messing with her senses.’

‘Then maybe this will help.’ Lockman nudged a small rectangular box into her hands.

‘What’s this?’ Mira could only tell that it was gift-wrapped with a paper ribbon. ‘I mean, why send a gift? The docs have already helped me as much as I could ever wish — far more than I can ever repay as it is.’

‘Housewarming present, I guess. They told me today would be your first day discharged from Serenity. They wanted to come themselves, naturally, but couldn’t get away, and I was coming this way anyhow for the Straddie Classic. No skin off my nose. I would have caught you sooner, except the restricted status of your house hasn’t been lifted yet after the incident.’

Mira frowned and held the box to her ear, causing Lockman to laugh.

‘Bombs rarely tick these days, ma’am, but if you’re that worried, I’d be happy to open it.’

Shaking her head, she tugged at the ribbon, determined not to show him any weakness or fear. ‘You’re here for the fishing competition?’ she asked suspiciously. ‘Sounds more like a cover story.’

‘Yeah, come clean,’ Ben said. ‘Are you still assigned to the docs’ security?’

‘I am, but they’re safe on base right now with the rest of my team.’

‘
Your
team?’ Ben asked.

‘Sounds strange to me, too. All part of the promotion — which I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for you, ma’am.’

‘That’s it, buster!’ Mira shoved the unopened box back at him. ‘I don’t want anything from the military. No gifts. No visitors, and absolutely no false pleasantries.’

‘False?’ He deflected the box gently back to her. ‘With respect, ma’am, you’ve got me all wrong. You’re one of the gutsiest people I’ve ever met, and I’ve fought alongside SAS in a war zone.
That
,’ he added with emphasis, ‘is a personal gift. I saw Dr Zhou design the contents, and Dr Van Danik wiring in the electrics — on their own time. Weird gift for someone who’s blind, if you ask me, but hey, I’m just security nowadays.’

‘And that’s it?’ Ben said. ‘That’s all they said?’

‘Not entirely.’ Lockman coughed and lowered his voice. ‘They wanted me to warn you that it’s still just a prototype — could have some wrinkles to work out. Supposed to help with your headaches somehow, and if you have any problems make a list and they’ll try to contact you in a month or two.’

Intrigued now, Mira couldn’t help but open it, and inside she found the sleek and unmistakable shape of wrap-around style eyeglasses, with two rolling knobs on the right-hand arm of the ear band. ‘Oh!’ she gasped. ‘They’re amazing! Do they …?’

‘Later,’ Ben said, snatching them off her. ‘Tell the docs thanks, and goodbye — to you too, Corporal. The longer you’re here, the less safe she feels. Last ferry leaves in three hours.’

‘I won’t be a problem,’ Lockman said. ‘I’m on holidays.’

‘But there are two MPs here,’ Ben whispered insistently. ‘They’ve been snooping around all week.’ He told Lockman their names and provided brief descriptions, which made them sound like Caucasian clones with brown hair and eyes, differing only in age, so Mira briefly filled in the more colourful blanks about their smells, boots and voices.

‘Probably bunking at the hotel,’ Ben warned, ‘and if they spot you — your physique and hair scream military — they’re bound to get the wrong idea about us, whether you’re on holidays or not.’

‘Can’t be MPs,’ Lockman said. ‘What MP doesn’t tell you their rank?’

‘They said they were crime-scene investigators.’

‘All MPs have ranks, from the top down to reservists, even when they’re borrowed from police ranks and private investigators. They’re all finished with your case now, anyhow. It’s airtight, and the colonel confessed.’

‘They came to my house this morning,’ Ben insisted. ‘You said yourself it’s still a restricted zone — and they’ve been bugging my mother all week.’

‘This morning? Do you mean that dark blue Landcruiser with dark windows and interstate plates?’

‘You saw them?’

‘I’ve been tailing you since Serenity. You left earlier than expected, but I passed you on the bridge. Saw you stop but by the time I could turn around on the far side, you were moving again.’

‘You’ve followed us that long?’ Mira flushed hot with frustration.

‘I’ve been trying to catch you alone and away from the house. Sounds like they were bugging the house more than your mother, though, mate — and interstate plates mean they weren’t us.’

Ben swore under his breath. ‘If not you, then who?’

‘Excellent question. Someone trying to get to the docs, is my guess. You’re the only two civilians who know about their latest research project. So I’ll have to inconvenience you a little longer, until I’ve neutralised any threat.’

Mira shivered, knowing that she and Ben weren’t the only two civilians who knew intimate details about the two medical scientists or their amazing gadget for interrogating the subconscious. Matron Sanchez had also witnessed one of Mira’s closed sessions with them — the one when they’d realised her subconscious was telling the truth about her visions from times past.

‘Neutralise?’ Mira asked. ‘Do you mean kill?’

‘Not necessarily. A quick visit from bug control should do the trick. More than likely, it’s nothing to worry about.’

‘Damn him!’ Ben whispered as he led Mira to the newsagent. ‘It’s hard not to look over my shoulder now.’

‘I’m glad he came,’ Mira replied. ‘I distrust the military now more than anybody but those two strange men were already here. Now they can be dealt with and gone by dark — hopefully.’

‘I doubt it. There may be two hours or so left in the sun, but it will take longer than that to mobilise Lockman’s team and get them over here — and that’s only if his report gets high enough priority, and if his superiors agree that his course of action is worth following up and —.’

‘Gabby’s right,’ Mira laughed. ‘You do worry too much sometimes over details.’

‘You two really hit it off?’

‘Aside from you, she’s one of the most intriguing people I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t trust her with my life like you do, but at least she didn’t sound like she was talking in half-truths, like Matron Sanchez and Corporal Lockman.’

‘Lockman, I can understand. We both picked up on his cover story, but Matron? What did she say to make you wary that she hasn’t been entirely straight with you? Today, I’m assuming?’

Mira nodded. ‘It’s not what she said. It’s the sounds she made while discussing other things. Who is she kidding? I knew you were signing to each other.’

‘Oh. I’m sorry.’ His voice wavered unexpectedly. ‘I was going to tell you, but …’

‘You knew I’d figure it out. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Ben. The only friend. Of course I could guess that we’d need friendship as the key ingredient before the matron would let me move in with you. No doubt she grilled you mercilessly to ensure you still felt the same way about me after ten days in hospital.’

‘Please don’t call me a friend, Mira. I’m more selfish than you know.’

‘You can’t be serious? You took a bullet for me!’

‘Actually, I consider this penance.’

‘For what?’

‘Failing you.’ He rubbed her hand. ‘Failing to save you, and your home and your trees and … and you think it’s all so noble of me, but it isn’t. It’s the complete opposite. I
need
you. Not just as a friend, and not just to score points to rebuild my career. I care about you so much, it hurts, but I need you for something else. Something far more complicated.’

‘More or less complicated than Van Danik’s formula for string theory?’

He chuckled. ‘Less, I guess. But it’s not fair of me to dump it on you now.’ He sighed and rubbed her shoulder. ‘Later, when the dust has settled from this latest mess with the MPs, I’ll explain everything. You can say
no
any time, of course, but in the meantime, I’ll try to make it up to you in advance.’

‘Okay, now you are worrying me. Can’t you give me a little hint?’

‘Not here. Someone’s coming.’

Mira noticed the other voices then too. Strange that she hadn’t heard them first, but from the doorstep of the newsagency, she could hear three laughing customers headed their way.

‘Ready to try the new shades?’ Ben asked.

‘Ready as ever, I guess. Are the docs’ glasses going to be dark enough to hide my eyes?’

‘Mostly. They look like Ray-Bans to me, except they have controls on the side. They seem to adjust the shade and intensity as well as colour. Not sure where the battery … oh, there it is; streamlined into the other sidearm. Ordinary button cell; plugs right in. Nice work, if it functions the way I think … Here, let me roll them as far as they go in one direction, and we can work up the spectrum.’

Placing them into her hands, he led her inside to the remotest corner of magazines.

She closed her eyes and explored them with her fingertips. ‘Hold my elbow please? Switching shades too fast can sometimes make me dizzy.’

‘I don’t doubt it. Here, let me hold your old pair.’ He took her by the elbow but leaned away briefly. ‘All clear of spectators,’ he said, tightening his grip on her. ‘I’ve got you.’

Mira opened her eyes.

Purple turned red.

Magazines vanished and Mira found herself encased in solid rock. Teeth as long as her face gaped at her — a mammoth shark fossilised and forever starving. She gasped, hands flying up to her mouth as she staggered back a step.

‘What’s wrong?’ Ben whispered urgently.

She flicked off the sunshades, keeping her eyes closed. ‘Wrong end of the spectrum. I know it’s just an illusion — slow light, still travelling and refracting and all that — but Point Lookout was much higher than it is now. It must have eroded.’

‘Oh, my bad.’ He snatched them off her. ‘I forgot red was prehistory. Here, let me. We’ll skip all the mid-centuries and start at coal-purple. See how close we can get to today, and work backwards.’

‘The nearer we get, the more it hurts,’ Mira reminded him.

‘I have painkillers in the car. You want to take one in advance? I can buy drinks at the counter. Orange juice or mineral water?’

‘Not yet. I’ve had my fill of meds. Even aspirin.’

She kept her eyes closed until he repositioned the sunshades, then blinked twice as her world turned dark violet.

‘Yeowch! That’s piercing, all right!’ Squinting, she pushed a finger firmly against her temple to help slow the throbbing ache. ‘Funky, though! I can see four days ago!’

‘You can tell that from monthly magazines?’

‘Lotto results.’ She pointed down the aisle to a corner desk where numbers were posted on the wall in squares, along with the date. She had a fair idea how a lotto worked from overhearing staff at Serenity choosing their numbers religiously, every week.

‘Try adjusting the second roller,’ Ben suggested. ‘Closest to your ear.’

Mira did and swayed dizzily as the purple fog morphed through several shades of days at once. Muddy purple, reddish purple then tinged by green and blue. Toggling the roller ball at ninety degrees also adjusted intensity from black to clear; more shades and tones of purple than Mira could process in so few seconds, each allowing her to glimpse a separate moment of day or night — store opening and closing — magazines and giftwares selling and restocking, staff and customers coming and going, and walking obliviously through her.

‘Wow, this is sensitive. Fantastic, but crazy sensitive. It’s going to take me some time getting used to it.’

‘How close can you get to me right here and now?’