Revolution World (21 page)

Seth looked at Clio. "I never thought about that. Most of your work involves splicing food for starving people all over the world."

She shrugged. "That's why it's so hard to go home at the end of the day. How can I sleep when people are dying for me to finish?"

Seth squeezed her hand. "That is a good reason for all that time you spend at work."

"Mother? Isn't that kind of a gray area? Legally?" Kalliope interjected doubtfully. "I mean, while we aren't disobeying the letter of the law, the spirit of it seems to suggest we ought to at least notify the UN Gene Council."

Harmony was patting her hair and smoothing her jacket after Max's hug. "It should be fine. If we can't wander into gray areas for our friends, then what's the point of running our own splicer shop?" she asked. She looked a little flushed.

It was the most rebellious thing they'd ever heard their mother say. So of course the girls were on board.

Turning to Max, Harmony said, "We will need samples--blood, skin, etc. Can you work on that?" He nodded enthusiastically.

"Gloria sent out another update," cut in Seth. "It looks like she is ending lockdown. They don't think anything else aimed at us. The evidence points to attack by the local terrorists."

Everyone cheered.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"I
should stay here with Uncle Hester until the nurse returns," Max said. They said their goodbyes and began heading towards the exits. Harmony walked ahead and was outside before the other three even reached the stairs.

"Why would these Texas terrorists what to bomb us?" Seth asked his voice heavy with rage. "I don't understand it. But I will. I will leave no particle of information out of my search for these terrorists. I will explore every byte of data ever committed to digital memory and I will find them."

"I doubt it was the terrorists. Probably someone else just making the attack look like the terrorists," Clio replied quickly.

"It's possible I suppose, but why would someone do that?" he asked as they reached the doors, his voice heavy with righteous indignation. "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. But they made a mistake targeting us. I will root out these terrorists and make sure they can never attack people like this again."

"Still, you ought to seriously consider that whoever did this wants you to blame the terrorists," Clio said in a soothing voice. "Besides, if the US government can't find them, you probably won't be able to either."

Seth drew himself up. "I have resources the US government can only dream about," he declared. "I hacked into their satellite system six months ago and redirected their satellites so they don't fly over Ambrosia Springs any more. They still haven't even noticed. I can redirect India's defense system to shoot their nukes at anyone in the world. I can find these little terrorists and make them sorry they were ever born."

"Look, I'm telling you that it wasn't the terrorists," replied Clio, losing patience. "It was someone else. So don't go redirecting nukes at anyone until you figure that out."

"How would you know?" he laughed.

Clio was about to reply when Kalliope tripped her deliberately. Seth caught it out of the corner of his eye. Clio got up and yelled at her sister a bit while Seth frowned at them suspiciously.

"How would you know?" he asked, more seriously this time.

Clio looked at her feet. "I just know, alright? Let it go."

Seth gave her a hard look. "Are you in communication with these terrorists?"

Clio shrugged stubbornly. "The government calls them terrorists but they think of themselves as resistance fighters," she replied.

"Clio!" he cried, thoroughly scandalized. How could she risk herself like this? "What they think is not the point. You cannot have anything to do with these people. It is too dangerous."

"Your views on my friends do not concern me," she said mutinously.

Seth could almost hear his heart breaking when she said that. He tried to push his personal feelings aside and focus on the main issue here. He had to keep her safe. She was too important. After thinking for a minute, he countered, "I am in charge of Floracopia's security. How can I keep your business and your family safe if you associate with criminals?"

"Since when do you care whom I associate with?" she shot back.

"How can you ask that?" he replied, holding a hand to his forehead. "My head is still pounding from the bottle of tequila I drank last night after seeing you with that big oaf, Jason. If you won't spend time with me, I wish you would just stay in your lab where I know you are safe."

Clio wavered.

"You can trust me," he said lightly. Clio turned to him and her expression melted.

"No, she can't," said Kalliope, interrupting what was about to be a very tender scene. They both turned to look at her with shock. Seth had forgotten she was there.

"You guys were lying back there. I'm not totally sure about what, but I know you were lying," Kalliope continued, eyeing him beadily. "Max didn't answer when I asked him how many people have ZFD and you evaded Mom's question about the symptoms and side effects. What are you hiding?"

Seth was taken aback and floundered for an answer. While he groped for an answer, Kalliope grabbed her sister's hand and marched up the stairs.

"You be straight with us and we'll be straight with you. But for now, leave the terrorists alone," Kalliope called over her shoulder. "Come on, Clio. I'm betting there's a whole lot of people upstairs we need to talk to."

"Kalli, what the heck?" asked Clio.

"This is all too weird," Kalliope replied, dragging her through the rubble to the crowd waiting for them in the whirling lights of the police cars. "Tonight we should get out of here. Go home and think about all this. Don't make any decisions tonight."

Seth watched them go, standing in the shadows. Well-meaning friends and family surrounded Clio and Kalliope, hugging them tight. That was probably for the best. She should be with people who cared for her. He saw Jason appear in the crowd and wrap Clio in one of those blankets that they always seem to have so many of at emergency sites.

His chest tightened and he made himself unclench his jaw. Clio pulled away from Jason and turned to look for him, but Seth stepped deeper into the shadows. When she couldn't find him, he saw sadness pass over her face. Eventually she allowed Jason to lead her away.

Seth planned to linger in the shadows, feeling sorry for himself, but within minutes four joyfully yapping Pomeranians surrounded him. They were so proud that they found him. In their growling and stilted language, they gleefully boasted of their adventures through the rubble and insisted he reward them with liver treats immediately.

He sighed and patted his pockets, wishing they liked something less smelly. Then they announced that the other two dogs in Team Pom had captured a suspicious person in the woods with a funny box.
This could be the person controlling the truck bombs,
he thought. Quickly, Seth followed them into the brush.

It turned out to be that DARPA flunky, Stuart Littleman.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Seth as he rummaged through the box of surveillance equipment Stuart had with him. Stuart moved to stop him and got his hand nipped by a Pomeranian.

"I don't think the guy with vicious fluffballs should be casting aspersions on the pastimes of others. One of your guard dogs just piddled on my socks," sniffed Stuart, brushing dirt off his black ops uniform. It was made of that camouflage that projects the scene behind it. Even this close, Seth would have had a hard time finding Stuart if the Poms hadn't helpfully chewed holes in the fabric.

Seth didn't find anything in the box that would defeat the Omerta security system. "So DARPA is behind the bombing tonight?" Seth asked, seething.

"No! Are you kidding me?" cried Stuart. He looked more offended by the suggestion than anything else. "If we'd bombed your building, it would have stayed bombed. We wouldn't have just dented a corner like these amateurs."

"So what are you doing out here then?" asked Seth.

Stuart shrugged. "My job. Keeping an eye on you guys."

"You expect me to believe that?" replied Seth. He made a brief hand gesture and Team Pom advanced on Stuart, growling and slavering.

That seemed to shake Stuart's confidence. "It's true! Look, you guys have the coolest tech around. What better way to test our equipment than to try breaking into yours? I've been out here a dozen times just beyond your surveillance limits."

"This is not convincing me to let you go," Seth said. He was just so tired. He really didn't want to deal with this guy tonight.

"If it makes you feel better, nothing works. So far." Stuart said grudgingly.

It did make him feel better, but what was he supposed to do with this guy? Was he supposed to capture him and torture him? Make him spill his secrets. Kill him and hide the body so Stuart couldn't pass on his knowledge of Omerta and Team Pom? It all seemed so dire.

"You don't know the pressure we are under at DARPA. They don't take failure calmly," Stuart whined. "If I don't come up with something for them, the military will skin me alive. And that's a best case scenario."

"Did you see who did this, at least?" asked Seth.

"Unfortunately, no. I tried, though," said Stuart, shaking his head. "The trucks were remote controlled and came from pretty far off. Probably someone controlling them with satellite, but it happened too fast for me to track the signal."

Seth sighed deeply. He was pretty sure that if he had been out here casing someone else's compound, he would have been able to lock on the signal off the bomb truck.

"God, you depress me," Seth said as he turned and whistled to Team Pom. They fell in line behind him, but they barked at Stuart as they left. They wanted him to know he got off easy.

"You are going to let me go?" asked Stuart, scrabbling to his feet.

"I am too busy to deal with you tonight," replied Seth as he stalked off.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

F
or the next few weeks, Seth only saw Clio at the weekly martial arts classes. So much had happened during the bombing of Omerta and its aftermath. But Seth hadn't called Clio. He felt Clio was better off without him there to complicate her life.

Seth felt too weird, too damaged to try to pursue her and what could he say after the bizarre bombing experience? When she didn't call him, he took that as confirmation that she wanted nothing more to do with him after that night.

These altruistic ideas did not stop him from bitterly downing enough alcohol to put an elephant into a stupor. It got so bad even Max told him to cut back. Seth didn't, but he threw himself into his work so no one could say he wasn't meeting his responsibilities. And if he occasionally redirected a satellite to pass over Clio's house? He told himself that he was just checking up on her and no one would be the wiser.

At first, they did no more than glance at each other longingly during class. Seth told himself to stop being foolish. She was watching him because he scared and confused her. Then, after a few weeks, she tentatively asked him about a move they learned that day. He was so happy that she spoke to him that he almost started dancing. Catching himself in time, he calmly explained it to her and then left quickly.

Over the next few weeks, they began chatting after each lesson. They kept their conversation strictly neutral, never straying on to certain topics. It was only a little awkward. Seth told himself this was enough. They could be friends. At least he'd still be able to enjoy her company. It was for the best that they don't get involved. Too complicated for everyone. This was enough.

The conversations grew longer and longer until one night, they were standing in the parking lot alone for an hour after class. Finally, he couldn't take it any more. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" he blurted out.

Clio smiled wistfully and looked at her shoes.

"A nice boring date," Seth coaxed. Inside he was kicking himself. Things had been going so well and he'd screwed it up. But he couldn't seem to stop. "We'll have dinner and watch a movie. No monsters or crazy uncles or explosions. I'll bring boring food and a boring movie even."

Clio laughed. "Wow, how appealing. And what will we do when we get bored of the movie and the bland food?"

Oh, god. She thought he was trying to convince her to have a one-night stand. Seth was mortified. "Well, we could always just talk. We have so much to talk about," he floundered.

Clio nodded, the smile fading off her face. "You are right. We really should talk."

Seth sometimes wished conversations did not happen so rapidly. He really much preferred chatting digitally where he could collect his thoughts and take bathroom breaks during conversations. Now somehow he had invited her out to talk about all that stuff that they had been avoiding for months. There was no way he wanted to do that.

"Fine," she said at last. "Good. Great. Why don't we have dinner at my house? Can you pick something up and meet me? I want to get a shower first."

Seth agreed and sped off in his hovercar. When she was out of sight, he laughed triumphantly and turned up the music. He had a date with Clio. He sang at the top of his lungs all the way back to the Omerta compound.

He arrived at her house later with bags of food and the pack of Pomeranians. She laughed when she saw them.

"If I try to leave without them, they follow me. Or they sneak into my car. It's easier to just give them a lift," he said with a crooked smile. He watched the dogs hop off the porch, fan out, and disappear. They could hide in the tiniest of cracks.

"How is their language working out?" she asked as she poured them beers and began unpacking the food. She flashed him an approving grin when she saw that he had picked up barbeque and a strawberry pie from Bessie's.

He was glad she approved. "Pretty good. I'm getting the hang of their speech patterns. I've been walking with them in the woods around our building at night. Sometimes I feel like an early American explorer out of one of those cheesy old movies. The ones where the natives say things like '
How white man? Me name Tonto.
' That's how the dogs talk."