Senescence (Jezebel's Ladder Book 5) (18 page)

“He
ordered me to do it!” Laura protested.

“He’s
betting you won’t explain that to the press.”

Tying
a scarf around her head, Oleander asked, “Speaking of the press, could you
create a distraction so Mama B and the boys can sneak me in?”

Laura
said, “My pleasure.”

When
they arrived, she climbed out first, greeting the crowd like a diva while
Oleander held Mama B’s arm and escorted her inside.

“We
heard Mori disowned you,” one reported shouted; she couldn’t tell which.

“Why
were you fired?”

“Why
are you moving all your possessions to the ambassador’s house in Brazil?”

“Are
you converting to Catholicism for your marriage?”

Laura
asked, “Marriage? What gave your that idea?”

A
reporter in front said, “You visited a jewelry store, reinstated your reproductive
rights, and scheduled plastic surgery to make yourself a virgin again.”

She
actually blushed when her mother stage-whispered, “Your grandfather must have disabled
my media scrambler earlier than I thought.”

Microphones
pointed at Kaguya. “Laura defied my father. When he revoked the recent proxy on
the conscience shares, they reverted to my daughter. Ambassador Llewellyn
impressed her with his integrity and vision while she worked on his defense
team. During their engagement, she grants him those voting rights to complete
his vital mission.”

Laura
was too dazed to speak.
Thank God Oleander hadn’t heard and the press had to
stop at the front doors of the church.

Inside,
the peaceful, cool, marble floor of the foyer gave Laura a chance to recover from
the unexpected news conference. Her mother had displayed her usual political
genius. Stu was at a school filled with eligible girls. The decent ones
wouldn’t go near an engaged man, and he wouldn’t tolerate the indecent ones. He
couldn’t deny the engagement without losing his financial support and voice in
Fortune Enterprises. In one swoop, her mother had prevented any other woman
from claiming Stu while Laura was away.

The
church tour guide interrupted Laura’s reverie to inform her that sitting on the
floor was not permitted.
Church people are mean and have strange rules.
Disgruntled,
Laura joined Mama B at the head of the line in front of a wood-framed staircase
wide enough for five people to stand abreast. A tour group flooded in soon
after, preventing Laura from going anywhere but forward.

The
church lady moved a silk rope out of the way, and Mama B knelt on the first
stair. “We say a prayer, kneeling on each step. The only way to climb this
staircase is on your knees.”

Oleander
raised her eyebrows when she estimated the dozens of stairs before them. None
of the visitors from the Ballbusters team knew how to say a rosary, but none of
them would be the first to give up.

Mama
B said, “If you want your miracles, you have to work for them.”

Laura
sighed.
Nice boys sure are a lot of work. He’d better be worth it.

Feigning
prayer gave her a long time for introspection. Halfway up, it occurred to her,
If
Stu was disappointed in me for
kissing
another man, how is Conrad Zeiss
going to feel if I meet him?
She prayed then, that her father might
overlook her faults.

Mama
B put an arm around her as the tears flowed.

At the customs desk of
Rio de Janeiro’s Jobim International Airport, the vice president of Brazil
greeted Stu enthusiastically. The politician had slicked-back, white-gray hair.
“Ambassador Llewellyn, your mother’s homeland has become the first nation on
Earth to ratify
Sanctuary’s
status as a country. We extend to you all
the benefits of a favored diplomat. Do not hesitate to ask for help
establishing an embassy here for your people. Our city has much to offer and
would make an excellent interstellar trade center.” After his prepared speech,
the vice president handed Stu a Brazilian diplomatic ID and posed next to him
for several photos.

Stu
said, “I don’t think Commander Zeiss would grant exclusive trading status to a
single country. Perhaps a nation-free zone at the border of several countries,
like Washington, DC in the US would be more fair.” The vice president didn’t
warm to the proposal until Stu added, “I’d leave you to negotiate the details
with other South American countries.”

Outside,
Stu gawked at mountains that were impossibly steep and breathtaking.
I could
live here.
Then he lowered his eyes to take in the crowds. Police held back
religious zealots who protested “the alien hoax.” They wanted to expose the
lies of the American Satan. Another group demanded he stop holding technology
captive for his own profit. Between these two extremes stood the biggest group,
surrounding a black limousine. They held a banner that welcomed Mercy
Llewellyn’s son to STEM University. The limo driver held up a card with Stu’s
name.

Hans
told Stu, “Go on. Enjoy your fame. The rest of us will rent a couple vans and
meet you at the university. Fortune Media, our parent company, has the
exclusive for this event. We’ll get footage from them if we need it.”

In
his good suit, Stu waved and the crowd around the limo went wild.
I could
get used to this.

Drones
filmed his arrival from the curb. Onesemo and the two Fortune guards kept
people back who reached arms past the police barricades.

As
Stu approached the limo, a red-haired man in his fifties stepped out. “Stewart,
my boy, so glad you could visit us.”

The
resemblance to his father was strong. “You’re a relative?”

“Your
father’s cousin. Call me Uncle Kieran, boy. Put it there.” The athletic man
shook his hand hard. When Stu tried to pull away, the man held fast and posed
him for the numerous cameras. “The child of the founders has come to see what’s
become of the seed they planted twenty years ago.” He spoke so clearly that the
drones were sure to get every word.

His
uncle ducked into the air-conditioned limo before the reporters could ask any
questions. After Stu climbed in, the driver closed the door behind him. Onesemo
rode up front.

Kieran
held out a dark glass bottle. “Guinness Extra Stout? Your father’s favorite.”

“Uh
… sure.” Stu accepted the bottle.
Why didn’t Dad ever mention this guy?

“Look
at you. Half the swagger, but twice the class of your old man.” Kieran popped a
second stout for himself and took a swig. “I’m head of the trust’s board of
directors and president of the school here in Rio. We’ll give you a wee tour on
the way in if you’re not too tired.”

“Those
were students in the street?”

“Yes,
some current and some former. They have the day off because I declared a school
holiday to celebrate your arrival—Founder’s Day. Oh, they love your mum around
here.”

“I’m
partial to her myself.” After what happened with the German beer, Stu took the
barest sip. “Ugh. Whoa.” The bitter taste was unexpected. “Herk brewed his
mellower.”

“Easy.
Have a bite of cheese, beef stick, and crackers till you get your legs.”

The
combination of food and the dark beer was more enjoyable. Soon, Stu was alternating
as he chatted. “So. Do I have an aunt here?”

“Ivy?
No. She lives in Cardiff with her lazy husband who claims to be a plumber. You
should see the gut on him.”

“I
meant, do you have a wife?”

Kieran
replied, “No, lad, none of them has caught me yet, though enough have tried.
You’ll see the lay of the land soon enough. Lay … hah! I slay myself. Think
you’d like to take in a game of football while you’re here? I was skeptical as
first, but they’re brilliant players. Not as good in a fight as our boys, but their
footwork is tremendous.”

Stu
concentrated on the beer and scenery.

The
university wasn’t far. The front gate had high walls and impressive security.
Guards gave Stu and Onesemo each a badge for campus access. “Your mum wanted
safety of the girls to be foremost. No one but a student or a vetted worker can
enter the campus.”

Soon,
his uncle pointed out various science buildings and pieces of art that had been
donated. “That scale model of
Ascension
is a memorial to your mum,
commissioned after we lost contact.” A six-meter hologram of Mercy Llewellyn,
the shuttle’s chief architect, hovered above it like an angel. The English
inscription called her an inventor, pioneer, and mother. “Everyone wore black
for a week—even their knickers.”

“What
do you teach?”

“I
don’t. I started in accounting with a specialization in not-for-profit
organizations. I helped turn that nest egg of your mum’s into a full-blown
aviary. Nowadays I greet the alums, fish for celebrity donations, and keep the
local government happy.” Kieran chuckled at his own jokes. Then he pointed out
to the numerous sails on Guanabara Bay. “I literally go fishing with them,
right out there on my yacht. The school takes care of itself. No one comes to
my office for a spanking … unless they want it.” His uncle winked.

Stu
faked a smile and crunched on the crackers to avoid speaking.
Next time we
meet, I should bring a hidden camera.

Girls
were everywhere—many of them in shorts and bikini tops. The variety of shapes
and sizes amazed him. None of them were ugly. Few were talents, though. Then he
noticed the walking. The wiggles, sways, and struts were captivating.

When
Stu missed a question, his uncle had to ask it again. “Bird watching never gets
old, does it? I have to pop up to my office to put on the old gown for the
assembly. You want to come up? I guarantee you’ll love the view.”

“I’m
easy. What’s the assembly for?”

Kieran
smiled. “To introduce my favorite nephew to the school. You just need to march
out and wave a bit like you did at the airport. Say ‘Hi’ with that accent of
yours. They’ll eat it up.”

I have a
Sanctuary
accent. Hah.
“As long as it’s televised.”

His
uncle wagged a finger. “You’re a politician in the making. I respect that.”

The
car stopped in front of a five-story office building with glass elevators on
the corners. They rode up to the penthouse suite in a private elevator on the
beach side. Kieran waltzed past his assistant in a lobby bigger than that of a
hotel where Stu had stayed. He nodded toward Mo. “Leave your guard out here. My
office is safer than a vault, bulletproof glass and everything.”

The
office was even bigger than the lobby. It had a bar, entertainment center, and
a bathroom with gold fixtures. When Kieran caught him staring, his uncle asked,
“Need to use the loo?”

“Maybe
to comb my hair.” Stu went in to survey the extent of the luxury. Roman
senators would have been embarrassed by this display. He adjusted his hair and
tie for the sake of formality.

Back
in the main room, his uncle had donned a chancellor’s robe. He gestured to a
magnified panel on one window. “Have a look.”

When
Stu stepped forward, he was shocked by the telescopic view. “They don’t have
tops on.”

“That’s
the way the girls sunbathe around here. No tan lines that way. They lay about
on every flat rooftop we have. Since the university is girls only, you get to
see some of their bottoms, too.” Kieran wiggled his eyebrows. He touched a
button at the bottom of the panel, and names and ID numbers appeared under the
women. “I have access to their schedules if you want to bump into any of them.
For you, they’re going to be fish in a barrel. Just pace yourself. No public
displays of affection. No acknowledgement. Like the old joke about the bull
says, ‘Take it slow, and you can fuck them all.’”

Stu
covered his mouth as he swallowed bile.

Kieran
offered him a small container of breath spray. “Have a spritz of this. It’s
also a pheromone blocker. Keeps you from getting tongue-tied around the real
lookers.”

“You
know. If this assembly is going to take a while, I might want to empty out that
beer.”

“Wise
man.”

In
the bathroom, running the water, Stu called the film crew. “Hans. I think I
know what the next exposé should be about.”

****

Stu had the event
planner hold his introduction so he could appear last and his crew could get
there with cameras. As heir to this trust, he wanted to replace Kieran with
someone more suitable. However, Stu couldn’t drop the hammer just yet. He
needed to document the abuses on the sly while he searched for a qualified
replacement.

The
auditorium was enormous, normally reserved for graduations, inductions, and
indoor sports. When Kieran introduced him, Stu took the microphone and paused
for a moment as he gazed out over the crowd. His chest constricted until he
focused on a single teacher in the front row. “You all have made this the
premier science university in the world—not just the best women’s school.
Through your hard work and your giving back, you have made my mother’s dream a
reality.”

The
cheering took over a minute to subside. During this time, he moved into another
spotlight, and the glare prevented him from seeing the enormous crowd.

“I
came here to say that space doesn’t come in blue for boys and pink for girls.
In the eyes of the Union of Souls, you are equal. The women actually survive
longer out there because they don’t think with their testosterone. Half the
people on the
Sanctuary
mission were competent women, not the quarter
you find in industry today. Fifty percent. And if the UN gets its head out of
its arse, you can be with us in space when you graduate.”

He
thought the rivets were going to pop out of the auditorium walls at the roar of
approval. Once the audience quieted, he shared with them about the dangers they
had discovered on the twenty-year mission, such as mental imbalances caused by
entering subspace. He gave them a preview of the radio message
Sanctuary
sent from Labyrinth, which Earth would receive in another ten years. He spoke
about life on another planet and how members of the
Sanctuary
crew could
become their faculty for new subjects like xenobiology and xenolinguistics.

Then
he shifted to the long journey back to Earth, keeping his listeners on the edge
of their seats. “
Collecting methane fuel at extreme gs, even Magi
engineering breaks down. The hull ceramics developed microfissures like broken
bones or teeth abused from grinding. We could smell the methane all over the
biosphere, so we knew there had to be a leak. Only two of us were qualified to
patch the damage. Risa fabricated some of the replacement parts out of
synthetic diamond, and Herk did the installs. Dad kept watch on the bridge
while I managed the gravity generators. We had to keep the power levels low to
conserve our leaking fuel, but high enough for the animals to have gravity.”
Stu told a war story about reshaping a fitting while Herk held an active Icarus
device in place above his head.

An
hour later, the audience was still rapt. No one moved or left. He walked the
aisles, addressing the older students based on their majors. He told them what
their jobs would be like in a few years and how their world would change if
Earth recognized
Sanctuary
.

Kieran
had to tap Stu on the shoulder to let him know that the ladies needed dinner.

Stu
wiped the sweat from his forehead and apologized. “Forgive me. I’ve kept you
long enough. Maybe I’ll get a chance to speak to you talented people again
sometime. Until then, may you find safety, dignity, and purpose.”

The
applause was deafening. Kieran held up Stu’s hand to pose next to him for the
photos that the girls were snapping.

Off
stage, Kieran said, “Guess you didn’t need that spray. You’re a master at this,
lad. They’ll do anything you want. You won’t even need alcohol. For the sake of
propriety, though, try to do them one at a time or people might talk.” This comment
puzzled Stu, but he couldn’t form a reply before his uncle asked, “What
restaurant would you like to go to tonight? The best one has every kind of meat
you can imagine on a skewer, and they bring each to your table and carve off as
much as you want. The whole thing is all you can eat.”

“Um
… I thought I’d try the cafeteria and rub elbows with the students.”

“Elbows.
That’s a good one.” Kieran tossed Stu a key. “That’s for my spare flat on the
fourth floor. Knock yourself out. You’re a Llewellyn through and through.”