Chapter Thirteen
After lunch Jordan and I headed back to the doctor's rooms. I had experienced no after-effects from the cat scan, no wooziness or nausea, as was often the case after a period of sedation back in my own time.
Jordan had showed me Anita's father's frantic message, and I too thought it simply looked like a concerned parent trying to determine their missing child's whereabouts. But after last night's kidnapping attempt, I told Jordan I thought he was just trying to make everything look more innocent than it was.
Someone was desperate for Anita to return to Earth, and it made me more nervous than ever. I had a feeling if we didn't get to the bottom of this soon, neither Jordan nor myself would be safe, no matter what part of Terron we ran to. I didn't say this out loud, but I could see from the concerned frown on Jordan's brow that he was thinking pretty much the same thing.
Such intrigue had never been a part of my staid and humdrum life, and I hoped neither of us were going to end up dead from our efforts to thwart the Rembrandts. Like Jordan I was convinced they were at the bottom of this. Anita's father could have been just as much a pawn as she was.
When Sam ushered us back into his lab, he had dimmed the lights, and the largest computer monitor was lit up like a movie screen with numerous wiggly brainwave tracks running across it. He pushed three chairs over to it and we all took our places.
"Well Anita, or should I now call you Ruth?" Sam began. Jordan and myself spun around to gape at him. "Yes, it seems you were right. Ruth Clarke took over when the mind of Anita DeBurgh died."
"Holleee Hell," Jordan gasped, sitting forward in his seat to regard Sam gravely. "So… so does that mean she really is from the past?"
"Where Ruth is from I cannot say, because it happened so suddenly… See how the brain waves change?" He motioned to the screen with a laser pointer. Each wave changed abruptly at a single point, as though someone had drawn a black line down the middle of the screen. Anita’s brainwaves had been jagged, erratic. But mine were smoother, rolling waves. But I didn’t like the way they were talking about me as though I wasn't even in the room.
"I'm exactly where I said I was from," I told Jordan, but he kept his gaze riveted on the screen. What was going through his mind now? I wondered. Was he wishing he'd let the thugs drag me onto their space craft last night, after all?
"What I'm more concerned about," Sam continued as though neither of us had spoken, "is why Anita died, and how the heck Ruth could take over once she was gone. Never in all my years as a mind practitioner have I seen anything quite like this. If I was an older, more superstitious person, I’d call it a soul transfer."
"You can record memories and you don't believe in time travel," I cried as he continued to sit there shaking his head in absolute wonderment.
"We won't get anywhere raking over that old ground," Jordan said. "Just show us exactly what you recorded, and we might get a better perspective on Anita's demise."
Sam shifted in his seat, but didn't touch his console. "I watched the first few minutes, just to ensure everything worked… I really don't think Ruth should see it…. I mean if she has no idea who Anita was, then I…"
"Why, what happened?" I demanded.
Sam continued to look uncomfortable.
"Samson," Jordan prompted.
He swallowed. "Anita was raped… "
I gasped, and Jordan swore in his own language. At least I assumed it had been a profanity, judging by his tone.
"By who?" Jordan croaked.
"There were two men, one after the other. An older man and a much younger one," Sam said, still unable to look either of us in the eye.
"Oh shit," Jordan swore again, this time in English.
"And I think I have a pretty good idea who they were," I added, as Jordan pulled Anita's tablet from his shirt pocket. He activated it, and lined up two pictures side by side; Ian and Oliver Rembrandt.
"Was it these two?" Jordan held it up for Sam to see.
The doctor nodded gravely.
"Fucking bastards!" Jordan slammed a fist against the armrest of his chair. "I am going to tear them limb from fucking limb."
I had never heard him speak with such violence before, but I could understand his impotent anger, since I longed to avenge Anita as well. The poor woman! To have that happen to her, and then to… lose her life like that.
"How about I play the rest of the recording and let you make up your minds at the end of it," Sam suggested. "I just hope there are no more scenes like that…" He shuddered visibly. "Coming from her own eyes, it's not like watching a movie, so things will appear a bit strange at first."
"Just get on with it, Samson." Jordan urged.
He nodded gravely and activated the recorder. Anita’s last memories began to appear on the big screen.
True to the doctor’s words her memories were strange to watch, but I very quickly got to feel for this courageous young woman. She had been pinned into a corner with no way out.
The rape took place after Oliver caught Anita reading some documents on his personal computer. She hadn't been snooping, she kept repeating hours later as she sobbed her heart out. She was hard to understand because she was lying face-down on a bed, her words muffled by the pillow and her tears. I caught a glimpse of one trembling hand. It had a leather belt tied around it. She had been bound hand and foot.
It had something to do with explosives they were building using Hytana oil.
"So that's where the extra shipments ended up," Jordan growled under his breath. "And I bet I know exactly what the explosives are for."
"Terron?" I ventured a fearful guess.
He nodded grimly, and then turned back to the screen.
"You tell anyone any of this and I'll have you killed," Oliver's oily voice hissed close to her ear. I saw his cruel lips out of the corner of Anita's eyes and shuddered, cold dread sliding like icicles down my own spine.
"I'd rather be dead than married to you," she sobbed into the pillow.
He backhanded her across the side of the head and she cried out in pain. I cringed in my seat, feeling sick.
"Wish I could damn well tie you up until the wedding day," he hissed. "But your father might get suspicious if you're not around for a couple of days… So, are you going to talk?" He yanked her hair for emphasis, and again I flinched, knowing the poor woman must be in a great deal of pain.
"No, I won't tell," she whispered tearfully.
"About the bombs or the fun you and I had with Dad?"
Anita shook her head. "No"
"Fun!" Jordan hissed. "I'll give that little shit fun."
I shushed him, but it wasn't really necessary. Nothing too interesting happened for a while, since her memories also included her sleeping, eating, and going about her daily routine.
Sam asked us if it was all right to skip through these events, and Jordan and I both nodded. It was always possible to backtrack and replay them later if necessary.
The next interesting event occurred when Anita was talking to a friend destined for her tour of duty to Terron. She wasn't one of the young women who had accompanied me here. Anita was asking her how she could get herself nominated, even though she was engaged.
"Most women are trying to get out of it," her friend snorted. "Why on earth do you want to go?"
"I can't tell you, Wanda, but it's important," Anita insisted.
"Look, if you want to call your engagement off, just do it. You don't have to go all the way to Terron in order to make a point," Wanda persisted.
"It's not that. Look, I can't really tell you why right now. Just tell me who I need to talk to."
"All right, if you insist," Wanda said dubiously, and began recording information into Anita's tablet.
We watched Anita talk to several government officials, visiting Mrs Jackson to organize a spot with her study group, and leaving her Sydney harbor-side mansion in the dead of night so her father wouldn't find out she had gone, letting herself out the front door on silent feet.
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Samson fast forwarded again, until I was looking at the space-port through Anita's eyes as she trailed after Mrs Jackson's group of giggling girlies. Suddenly her whole world tilted and slammed into blackness.
"And then you take over, Ruth," Sam said as the screen continued to remain blank. "I suppose you could try and get hold of the security footage to find out what caused her to suddenly black out like that."
"Someone must have found out she was trying to leave Earth," Jordan mused, still with his gaze fixed on the blank screen, "and wanted to stop her, making it look like an accident. It was probably a laser beam from a stolen Terron blaster."
"Set to kill,' Sam added for good measure. "Want me to play anymore?"
I shook my head. "Could the other reason she was coming to Terron be to warn you about what the Rembrandts were doing with the Hytana oil?"
"Could be," Jordan mused.
'So how well would these recordings stand up in a court of law?" I asked.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Jordan remarked.
"This might be new technology, but we already have a memory retrieval machine set up in the Law Enforcement Centre right here in this building," Sam explained. "The military will be getting theirs installed next week. It also looks like Earth's Central Government are interested in having one shipped to their main intelligence centre. Memory recordings might not have been used as evidence as yet, but because they are more accurate than any other memory retrieval system, I'm hoping they will become par for the course in all criminal cases."
"Just how is Earth governed these days?" I asked. "I mean you both know I'm Ruth now, right. So believe me when I tell you I'm from the past. We had no central Government then. Each country more or less governs itself."
"How the devil could that possibly have worked?" Samson asked with a frown. "Yes, each country has its own leaders, but they are still subject to international law, which covers all the planets in our Solar System."
"You mean there are other worlds involved in the Treaty?" I asked in awe.
"The Treaty only involves Earth and Terron. None of the other plants inhabitants are compatible…" Jordan shuddered, and glanced at Samson with a disgusted expression on his face. "Imaging mating with a Martian or a Lamborian!"
"Ugh," Sam grunted. "All those tentacles. But I suppose they could make it more interesting."
"You mean they found life on Mars?" I gasped totally enthralled now. How I wished my father was here. He would have loved all this!
"No, life found Mars and migrated there…" Sam began, and then glanced at one of his monitors. "I think we had better wrap this up and hand the evidence over to the chancellor. It's getting late, and my mate and I are going out to see a show tonight."
"Yes, and I'm sure he'll want to speak with us as soon as he's viewed the recording," Jordan added. "We will need to plan our next step, and send a message back to Anita's father, or perhaps even open up a two-way communication link to talk with him directly." He got to his feet, and extended his hand to me. "Come Anita, let's go and find the others. Or should I now call you Ruth?"
I didn't like the way he frowned down at me as I stood up and placed my hand in his. Since I had been known as Ruth all my life, I felt like telling him so. But I really liked the name Anita, and since we weren't done yet in sorting out her life, I thought it would be easier for everyone concerned if I remained Anita for the time being.
Besides, in this body I didn’t look like a Ruth.
"Anita," I said at last, and he nodded, giving my fingers a little squeeze. Did that mean he approved of my answer?
"In that case it would be best if you continue to also pretend you are her, at least until we get hold of those disgusting Rembrandts and make them pay for what they did to you… I mean Anita."
"So what do you want me to do about the recording?" Samson asked from behind us. "I mean it clearly shows a change in her brain activity at the space port."
Jordan looked worried. "Is there some other explanation you can come up for that?"
"I could erase it, and say that Anita couldn't cope with any more sedation. It happens sometimes with petite people, which is why it isn't used on children."
Jordan clapped him on the arm. "Thanks my man."
"Trying to explain Ruth and how she got here could make them suspect my new equipment isn't as reliable as I claim and refuse to use it as evidence, when it appears this is all the evidence we have against those bastards."
"Yes," I agreed. "I will do my best to keep to my role as Anita. I want to put them behind bars as much as you do."
"I was thinking more along the lines of a slow, painful death," Jordan spat. "I can't believe a father and son could stoop so low as to both…" He trailed off, shaking his head. Come, let's go and meet the others."
Once again we joined Logan, Mark, Brian, Dana and Derek for our evening meal, but after a while I started to feel claustrophobic, and asked if it was possible to go outside for a walk after we had finished our meal.
"It's not safe right now, Anita," Derek answered. "And we don't really have the manpower to protect you should they make another kidnap attempt. I'm sorry."
"I understand," I murmured.
"But we could go up to the roof," Dana suggested. "Remember how we used to go up there sometimes after we were first mated?"
"Ohhh, sex on the spindle," Mark teased.
Dana swatted him.
"Why don't you take her then," Jordan suggested to her. "I think I might hang with the boys for a little while tonight if that's all right with you, Anita." He glanced briefly at me, and I strongly suspected he was trying to avoid me now. He hadn't paid me much attention over dinner, preferring to converse with the other men. Whether it was because of what had happened to Anita, or because he now had to face up to the fact I wasn't her, I didn't know, and was surely tempted to ask him outright through our mind-link abilities. Neither of us had used it since our return, and I wondered if it was only possible while we were apart, or one of us was under a great deal of stress.
When the other men turned to me with the same expression on their faces, as though daring me to say no, I said; "All right, the girls will hang together tonight as well then."
So Dana and I caught the lift all the way to the top of the tower. I was surprised to find garden beds in full bloom lining a path interspaced with benches and umbrellas to shade amblers from the sun during the day. There didn't appear to be anyone else about, and I stepped up to the outer wall, gazing out across the city. I realized that Dana had been right, Great sections lay in darkness, evidence of a lack of habitation that had not been visible during the daylight hours.
"Are you happy here on Terron?" I asked Dana as she came to join me at the wall.
“I've been asked that many times over the years, and as time goes by, I can say with increasing certainty that I've never been happier. Apart from the fact you never have to worry about getting wrinkles, grey hair, or putting on weight, Derek still treats me like a princess, even after all these years."
"Yes, I get the feeling the women on Earth have been fed a lot of bulldust about Terron men," I conceded. "But I also get the feeling that Jordan isn't really happy with me right now."
"Heavens Anita! You've only been married a few days, and now you have this awful situation hanging over you both. He's beside himself with worry. That's why he wants some time out with the boys, not because he doesn't care about you anymore… Besides, these relationships need to be worked on just like any marriage on Earth. Just because it comes about so suddenly doesn't mean you aren't meant for each other. It's not like the arranged marriages of old. Those powerful Terron hormones pumping through their system know exactly which mate is their destiny."
"Even if we're Human and not Terron," I said softly, feeling like I'd been chastened like a small child.
"I thank God every day that we're even compatible. To let such a wonderful race of beings die out would be a disaster. There are still too many Terrons succ
umbing to the Aging, and not enough babies being born. Derek and I have only been able to have one child so far. We might be compatible hormone-wise, but it seems reproducing effectively still poses a bit more of a problem. Luckily the Terron genes always seem to come out on top. Our daughter is more Terron than Human, and she will only mate with another Terron because we won't allow her to travel to Earth. She might be physically stronger than Human men, but they wouldn't treat her well. There is still too much prejudice on our home planet."
She had got that part right. Prejudice against the aged, the dowdy, the disabled. anyone who wasn't perfect. But then it seemed Terron had the same problem, simply because there didn't appear to be any dowdy or disabled people around, not that I had seen anyway. "Don't you think there is any prejudice here?"
"I wouldn't use the word prejudice, probably more like resentment. They might appreciate Earth's efforts to keep the race alive, but in taking the Hytana, they have displaced a lot of people. Jordan and Logan run a Hytana farm. They used to work here in programming and design. Very little of that is happening now, because Earth is demanding so much oil. I just wish the Administration would recall all their scientists and specialists and get the Earth's Government to send Humans to run the farms instead. There are millions starving in Africa and the Middle East since all the fossil oils dried up. I don’t understand why they can't be brought here to work where there is more than enough perfectly good soil to grow crops along with the Hytana. They would also be well paid and looked after."
"Sounds like the Earth Government should put you in charge, Dana," I remarked, shocked to hear that children were still starving to death in Africa three hundred years later.
She laughed derisively. "As if! I'd put our fellows in charge if I could. These are some of the things they've been discussing over the years. But since they lost their jobs here in the Citadel, it's even harder to get heard."
I sighed, and turned around to regard my surroundings. I found my gaze drawn to the 'spindle', a large metal pole that pierced the night sky like a great big knitting needle. It seemed to be humming slightly, and emitting a soft glow of its own, so we could see our surroundings clearly.
"What's the point of this thing?" I motioned to the spindle, "Other than making this building look even pointier?" I giggled at the unintentional joke I’d made.
Dana turned and gazed up at it. "I don't really know. I suppose it serves some purpose. Most of the other really tall buildings have them too, except for the hotel of course - since it has a domed roof."
I cast my glance at the hotel, lit up like a Christmas tree. Had it only been one night since I had been there enjoying my honeymoon?
"There are more Humans in there than anywhere else on this planet. Which reminds me, I will probably be busy tomorrow since there's another contingent of young women coming for their tour of duty." Dana sighed. "I wish I could fall pregnant again, then not only could I take a break from all those reluctant brides, but I would get to hold another lovely newborn in my arms. Don't you long for such a thing?"
Since I'd thought all that behind me, I had long ago given up even thinking about motherhood. "I… ah…. Well, it's early days yet," I hedged, needing to get my head around this whole marriage and relationship thing before I could even begin to contemplate the baby thing.
"I think you and Jordan will do just fine. As soon as you're free to leave you can finish your honeymoon somewhere else. There are plenty of beautiful places on this planet."
Suddenly a cold gust of wind buffeted me and I shivered. Since I hadn't thought to bring a wrap or cardigan up with me, I rubbed my chilled arms. "Maybe we should head back inside."
"Yes, it can get cold at night sometimes. Another thing that Terron has going for it, a wonderfully mild climate. Well, at least half of the year."
"What part of Earth are you from?" I asked, since I couldn’t determine her accent.
"Same as you, Australia, but I lost my accent years ago. A good thing that. I much prefer the way the Terrons speak. So melodic."
"Yes, it seems you have really grown to love everything about this place."
"And so will you when you let go of your old attitudes and beliefs."
I hoped so, since there appeared to be no way of going back either as myself or Anita. And even though I didn't want to admit it to Dana just yet, I was also beginning to fall in love with the place, not to mention one very attractive man who was now stuck with me until death do us part.