Cherryh, C J - Alliance-Union 08 (78 page)

"I want the tapes burned!"

"I'm sorry, not even we can get at them. They've gone into the Archive vault, under the mountain out there, and they're irretrievable as long as you're active in the House computer."

"You mean while I'm logged in?"

"No, as long as you're an active CIT-number in the files. As long as you live, dear. Which is going to be a long, long time, and then you won't care, will you, whether somebody has a tape of a twelve-year-old girl in her underwear?"

"You've seen those tapes!"

"No, I know the twelve-year-old, that's quite enough. The taping will shut down. Florian can verify it, if you like, and Florian can remove the unit himself, with, I trust, some reasonable care not to damage the rest of the system."

"Today."

"Today." Uncle Denys looked very worried. "Ari, I
am
sorry."

He was acting with her. Working her. The way he had been Working the whole situation and trying to get her to believe him. The way she Worked him.

He was probably good enough to spot that too. If Seely was ahead of Florian, uncle Denys was still ahead of her, she thought. Maybe.

But she could Work him right back by using her upset and letting it go on long enough to let him do the Shut on her, and do it a couple of times so he thought he Had her.

Then she could do what he was trying to get her to do and see where it led, without
being
led.

"I'm sorry, Ari."

She glared at him.

"Ari, this is a very bad time for this. I wish you'd come to me earlier."

Dammit, he wanted her to ask. She wanted to Work him to have to tell her whatever he was up to, but that would give it away for sure that she was onto him Working her. Which he might know anyway: you never knew how many layers there were with uncle Denys.

"You know there's a bill up to extend you the first Ari's Special status."

"I know."

"You know it's going to pass. There's not going to be any problem with it. There's no way the Centrists can stop it."

"That's nice, isn't it?"

"It was the one thing the Court didn't hand you with Ari's rights. The one thing they held back. So you'll have that. You'll have everything. You know Reseune is so proud of you."

Flattery, flattery, uncle Denys.

"You
are going
to be on your own in a few years. You'll leave this apartment and move to yours, and I won't be with you: I'll go back to being a fat old bachelor and see you mostly in and out of the offices and at parties."

Saying bad things on himself; humor; trying to get her to think about missing him.

She would. So you didn't let people Hook you, not when they were uncle Denys.

She didn't say a thing. She just let him go on.

"I worry, Ari. I really hope I've done all right with you."

Trying to scare her. Trying to talk like something was going to change. Another maman-event. Damn him anyway.

I
hope you
do
Disappear, uncle Denys.

That wasn't quite the truth, but it was a real low move uncle Denys was doing and she wasn't about to show how mad it made her.

"We get along all right," she said.

"I'm very fond of you."

God. He's really pushing it.

"Ari? Are you mad?"

"I sure am."

"I'm sorry, sweet. I really am. Someday I can tell you why we do these things. Not now."

Oh, that's a hook, isn't it?

"You know Amy's mother invited you and Florian and Catlin to come over this evening."

"I didn't know that. No."

"Well, she did. Why don't you?"

"Because I feel lousy. And Amy didn't say anything about it."

"It's a surprise."

The hell.

"I think you've been studying too hard. I think an evening out would do you a world of good."

"I don't want to go anywhere! I feel lousy! I want to go to bed!"

"I really think you should go to Amy's."

"I'm not going to Amy's!"

Uncle Denys didn't look happy at all, and began getting up. "I'll call Dr. Ivanov. I think maybe he
did
give you something that's bothering you. Maybe he can send you something."

"The hell he can! I don't want any more shots, I don't want any more blood tests, I don't want any more cameras in my bedroom, I don't want any more people messing with me!"

"All right, all right. No medicine. Nothing. I'll talk to Petros." He frowned. "I'm really upset about this, Ari."

"I don't care." She got up from the table. She was wobbly from anger. It was out of control. She was. She hated the feeling,
hated
whatever they did to her.

"I mean I'm worried," uncle Denys said. "Ari, —you're using the computer tonight, aren't you?"

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"Just—when you do—remember I love you."

That hit her. Uncle Denys saying
I
love you?
It was a Trap, for sure.

It hurt, because it was about the lowest try yet.

"Sure," she said shortly. "I'm going to my room, uncle Denys."

"Hormones," he said, as shortly. "It's hormones. Adolescence is a bitch. I'll be glad when you're through this. I really will."

She walked out, and shut the door between her hallway and the living room.

Florian and Catlin stepped put their door the instant she did.

Saying
What's the matter?
with their faces.

"I'm fine," she said. "Uncle Denys and I had a discussion about the taping. You're going to take the unit out first thing tomorrow."

"Good," Florian said in a vague, stunned way.

"I'm going to my room," she said. "I'm all right. Don't worry about me.

Everything's fine."

She walked past them.

She closed the door of her room.

She looked at the computer on the desk.

Exactly, she figured, what he wanted her to do. She should frustrate hell out of him. Make him worry. Not touch the thing for days.

Not smart. The best thing was find
out
what he was wanting. Then deal with it.

"Base One," she said. "Is there a message?"

"No message," Base One said through the Minder.

That
was not what she expected.

"Base One, what
is
in the system?"

The screen lit. She went over to it. There was only one item waiting for her.

The regular weekly update. Second week of April, 2290.

She sat down in front of the screen. Her hands were shaking. She clenched them, terrified, not sure why. But something was in it. Something Denys wanted was in that week, that year.

Second week of April.

Second week of April. Five years ago.

She had been at school. In the sandbox. She had started home.

"Selection one."

It came up. It started scrolling at the usual pace.

Olga Emory.

Deceased, April 13, 2290.

Ari senior had been at school. When her uncle Gregory had come to get her and break the news.

"Dammit!"
she screamed, and got up and grabbed the first thing she found and threw it. Pens scattered clear across the bed and the holder hit the wall. She grabbed a jar and threw it at the mirror, and both shattered and fell.

As Catlin and Florian came running in.

She sat down on her bed. And grabbed up Poo-thing and hugged him, stroked his shabby fur, and felt like she was going to throw up.

"Sera?" Florian said.

And he and Catlin came and knelt down by the side of the bed where she was sitting, both of them, even though she had been breaking things and they must think she was crazy. It was terribly scary for them; it was scary for her to have them come that close when she was already cornered. She knew how dangerous they were. And there was nothing she could trust.

"Sera?" Catlin said, and got up by her, just straightened up, solid muscle, and flowed onto the bed and touched her shoulder. "Sera, is there an Enemy?"

She could have taken Catlin with her elbow. She thought about it. She knew Catlin did. Florian put his hand on hers, on the edge of the bed. "Sera, are you hurt? Has something happened?"

She reached up with her other hand and touched Catlin's, on her shoulder. Florian edged up onto the bed on her other side, and she got her breath and got her arm behind Catlin and her hand locked onto Florian's and just sat there a moment. Poo-thing fell. She let him.

"They sent maman away," she said, "because Ari's mother died."

"What, sera?" Florian asked. "What do you mean? When did she die?"

"The same day. When Ari was the same age. Her uncle came to get her. Just like uncle Denys came for me." Tears ran out of her eyes and splashed onto her lap, but she wasn't crying, not feeling it, anyway; the tears just fell. "I'm a replicate. Not just genetic. I'm like you. I'm
exact."

"That's not so bad," Catlin said.

"They sent my maman away, they sent her on a long trip through jump, it made her sick and she
died,
Catlin, she
died,
because they wanted her to!"

Catlin tapped her shoulder, hard, leaned up to her ear and whispered: "Monitors."

She felt the shock of that reminder in her bones and caught her breath, trying to think.

The scrolling stopped on the screen in front of them.

"Ari, check Base One,"
the Minder said.

She made a second gasp after air. Like she was drowning. She held onto Florian and Catlin.

"Ari, check Base One."

Uncle Denys had known what would come up.

Uncle Denys hadn't wanted her to go on-line tonight. Go to Amy's, he had said.

Then
told
her to check the computer.

"Ari, check Base One."

"Base One, dammit!" She disentangled herself from Florian and Catlin and thought it was Unusual that uncle Denys and Seely hadn't tried to get in to see about her when the mirror broke. And then she thought that it wasn't Unusual at all.

Not with the room monitored.

She sat down at the terminal, in front of the monitor.

Ari,
it said.
This is Ari senior. By now you've gotten the update. By now you know some things you may not have figured out before. Are you upset?

"Of course not." She felt Florian beside her. She grabbed his arm and held it, hard. "Go on, Ari."

Your access is upgraded. You are no longer on time-lag. Data is available through April 13, 2295.

She grabbed Catlin's shoulder, on the other side of her.

"Go on, Ari."

That's when I was 12. Updates will still be weekly.

Good night, Ari.

She clenched down until her fingers hurt; and then she realized what she was doing and let up. "Log-off," she said. And sat there shaking.

Catlin patted her shoulder and gave her the handsigns they had made up for Tomorrow, Outside.

Florian signed: Tonight. Take-out Monitor.

She shook her head, and signed: Stay.

And took them each by a hand.

Knowing that five more years of data were in the files. But she had an idea what was in it.

Exactly what was in it.

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

Security was still taping. "Florian," she said, "Catlin, we
are
going to Security. Right now."

Catlin made the sign for Seely.

"They won't stop us. Get your stuff. Come on. We're going to go kill that thing.
Hear that, uncle Denys?"

He didn't answer. Of course not.

She went and washed her face while Florian was getting his small tool kit. While Catlin was getting whatever she thought she might need. Which probably included a length of fine wire.

They walked out into the living room. Uncle Denys was reading at the dining table beyond the arch. Like most evenings. He looked at her.

She said: "We're going down to Security, in case you missed it."

"I'll advise them," uncle Denys said.
"Don't
break anything, Florian." Seely was not in the room. Seely should have been. Maybe Seely was monitoring from the office.

She stood there and stared at uncle Denys a long, long while. "Like your maman," uncle Denys said, "I've tried to help you."

"They could kill you."

"Yes. I know that. You know that. You could do that anytime, if you put your mind to it. We have to take chances like that. Because I'm your friend. Not your uncle. Not really. I've been your friend for as long as you've lived."

"Which
how long?"

"As long as you've lived. You're Ari. One
is
the other. That's what this is about. Neither one of you betrayed the other one. You
are
the one who did all these things—in a very direct sense. Think about it."

"You're crazy! Everybody in this House is crazy!"

"No. Go see about Security. I'll tell them. Your accesses have upgraded considerably tonight. You
have
real authority in some things. You don't have to live here. You can take your apartment, if you want to. It'll be very large, for a young girl and two azi. But you have the key. If you want to go there, you can. Florian can access the Security system there, and vet it for you. Or you can come back here when you're through. Or you can go over to Amy's. Her mother won't ask any questions."

"Does everybody in Reseune know what I am?"

"Of course. Everybody knew the first Ari. And you began, at least on paper, the day after she died."

"Damn you."

"Same temper, too. But she learned to control it. Learned to
use
it, not let it use her. There's a lot of Cyteen history in those data files, too. A lot of Reseune history. A lot of things your education has just—avoided, until now. Once upon a time there was a man who could see the future. He began trying to change his life. But that
was
his future. Someday you'll access yours—as far as you want to. Think about it."

"I'm not doing anything you tell me from now on."

"Ask yourself why five years. Why not six? Why not four? Ask the computer what happened April 13, 2295."

"You
tell me."

"You can look it up. You have the access."