Syn-En: Registration (21 page)

“Good to know.” Picking up another orange, Bei tossed it from hand to hand. An important person could be on site. If so, perhaps they wanted to see the Syn-En in action. His blood heated. Which meant, the Scraptors and their allies planned to harvest Earth.

And it was his fault.

Admiral?

Compression sensors flared inside Bei’s head. He stared at the orange pulp in his hand before licking the streams of juice running down his arm.
I need you to review my escape plans, Keyes.

Aye, Sir.
She tossed back her head and laughed at something Alfred said.
Have you heard of the civilian’s plans?

Hell no!
Bei turned toward the leader. “You have a plan?”

Gaze locked on the mashed orange, Job swallowed hard and nodded. “My people will carry your message to her. The men first, then the women. Each will take a turn, so the guards won’t suspect.”

Of course bug-ugly would suspect. Bei chewed half the pulp. Christ, the civilians were placing themselves in danger for him. No. Not him, for freedom.

Job stiffened. “We’ve done it before. After the Surlat strain hit, embassies emptied. A few folks at a time would head for them. They just wanted to live free.”

“What happened?”

“The first ones caught were returned. But some never were heard from again. Rumor has it, they made it. Soon folks abandoned ship like rats. It became an epidemic and effected quotas. After a while, those caught were killed. Their bodies dumped in front of the clans.”

“As a deterrent.” Earth had done similar things, but the Syn-En hadn’t been a party to the slaughter. Many of his superiors had argued that murder violated Syn-En programming and hinted at darker repercussions if the failsafe were overridden.

The Earth council had heeded the warning a little too well. Soon the Syn-En themselves had found themselves in the crosshairs.

Job nodded. “The deterrent worked for most, but…”

“But freedom is worth the risk and the price.” Nell’s words came out of Bei’s mouth. Perhaps, he could give the civilians a job without endangering them.

Admiral, what should I tell him? He’s becoming most insistent that I give him a message for you.
Keyes’s sandal heel tapped the stone floor. 

Tell him something innocuous.

Like he’ll believe that my words to you are the sky is blue.

He will if he thinks it’s code. These humans are used to carrying on plots in front of the bug-uglies
. And they had done something similar to him in the mines when Job planned to evict him from the clan.

Understood.

Bei dropped the remains of his orange on the table. “You want the first message?”

“Not me.” Job added a few grapes to his mounded plate. “Married folk aren’t supposed to talk to the breeders. As is our custom, the single folks are on the left and the spoken for on the right.”

Bei scanned the room. The groups had divided themselves according to marital status. Of course, the children under twelve didn’t abide the rules and the buffet tables were the exception.

“And speaking of custom, I’d better see to my wife.” Carrying his plate, Job turned away. “Since the bread, she’s wanted to jazz, morning and night.”

Bei doubted the man referred to the music.

“Ruth!” Job crossed the room. “That’s enough candy. Go play while there’s still time.”

The little girl’s shoulders slumped and she shuffled toward the corner where a broken ore cart and buckets waited. “Yes, sir.”

The leader’s wife met him halfway across the room, wrapped her arm around his waist, and whispered into his ear.

He flushed before hustling toward an open room.

Bei isolated the spurt of envy. He’d be with his own wife soon enough.
Have you checked the plan?

Aye. But I don’t like using ET’s relays to send a message to the fleet. ET’s security protocols could easily track the signal to our people.
Keyes lifted Alfred’s hand off her knee and carefully placed it on the bench.

We can send the message from the surface.
Bei’s skin absorbed the orange residue. Should he have one more piece or join the others?

The Scraptors have ears on the Skaperian embassy. Any message we send could be intercepted.
Keyes patted Alfred’s hand before he rose.

The clansman nodded. Instead of heading straight for Bei, Alfred walked toward the cluster of his comrades.

The civilians definitely had done this before. Bei scratched his upper lip to hide his smile.

Ruth stopped short of the play area in the corner. After checking over her shoulder, she skipped back to the dessert table and scraped off several handfuls of candy into her shirt.

Bei shifted his weight.
I don’t plan to use the Skaperian embassy to send a signal. We’ll use the
Icarus
. Given what the bug-uglies think of humans, I doubt they’ll look for our signal.

Keyes locked her gaze on him.
I am sorry about Nell, Admiral. She was…

Is. Nell isn’t dead.
He sent his communications officer the file of the deleted photos from
Icarus’s
supposed explosion. 

Even with my implants, I don’t think I’ll ever be as creative as your wife.

I’m sure Rome appreciates it.
God knew, some of the things Bei’s beloved wife did could strip the color off his synthetic hair.

Juggling her shirt full of candy, Ruth stopped in front of him. “I brought you some candy.”

She’s fond of you.

Ruth thinks my eyes are fascinating.

The little girl juggled her shirt’s contents. Chocolate smeared her lips. “You have to eat these. All of them, we can’t take any back to our house.” She popped one in her mouth and chewed. “They’re sooooo tasty.”

“Thank you.”
Nell would love these.
Bei picked up a lumpy candy. His sensors detected cocoa, vanilla, sugar and insects. Maybe not. “But aren’t you supposed to be playing?”

Her nose wrinkled. “It’s boring.”

“I’d like to see.” Crouching down, Bei held out his shirt for the candy. And he could use sweets dispersal to retrieve his secret message without arousing suspicion.

Frowning, Ruth transferred the candy. “I’m not sick like last time.”

“I can see that, but we can’t keep all the goodies to ourselves.” Instead of walking directly to the play corner, he veered to Alfred’s group.

You always had a way with the ladies.
Keyes stroked her belly before setting her hand at her side.

Bei’s hands dug into the coarse fabric.
Are you still?

Yep.
Keyes set her hand on her stomach.
I checked on the little bundle of cells, once I remembered who the hell I was.

With Ruth hovering near his elbow, Bei held out the candy to the group. “Would anyone like some?”

Alfred whispered into Dietrich’s ear.

Dietrich shifted to the front and picked out two pieces of chocolate. “Italy wasn’t built in a day.”

Bei blinked. That was Keyes’s message? Why hadn’t she just asked about her husband, Rome? “No, but it was built. Quickly.”

His words rippled over the group and charged the air.

Velma squeezed between Dietrich and Alfred. “Let me take some of these delicious candies to Kay. She’s new and I might be able to persuade her to join our clan.”

Ruth frowned at the small pile of candy left. “Can we go play now?”

“Sure.” Bei followed her to the corner. 

Adults smiled and nodded. One man shifted in his seat so he could see Keyes in his peripheral vision.

Four young boys scooped slag into buckets with a miniaturized shovel. Two girls sat against the wall, each cradled a larger boulder in their arms and rocked it. A toddler and a four-year-old girl stacked blocks into a pyramid.

Bei lowered himself to the ground, careful not to spill his chocolate. “Anyone want some candy?”

The four boys shook their heads and emptied their buckets into a smaller slag pile. The girls and toddlers surrounded him.

Ruth scowled at the diminishing hoard of goodies before snatching up two more. “Let’s play bucket brigade.”

The boys each raced for the two shovels. Four hands gripped each spade. “Let go. I got it first.”

“You let go. I was here first.” The four staggered back and forth in the tug of war for ownership.

Ruth clapped her hands. “Yens. Dieder. You are the diggers first. Once we move the pile over here.” She pointed to a clear spot near the adults. “You will switch. Come, Heidi. We’re diggers not builders.” She knocked the pyramid over and kicked the rocks toward the pile. “Olga and Sam, hand your children over to their clans. We have work to do. Our quota must be met.”

This was their idea of play? Earth children had dolls and building blocks. The Syn-En had games that didn’t require things—tag, hide and seek, and mother, may I? Bei rose on his knees, cast about for a place to set the candy. “Perhaps I could teach you another game?”

Ruth clucked her tongue. “No. We need the practice digging.”

Olga and Sam gulped down their last bite of food. They blinked up at him with sapphire blue eyes. Wet black braids wiggled over their slim shoulders. Twins. Identical twins.

He recorded the gold flecks in Olga’s eyes and the deeper dimple on Sam’s right cheek.

Sam held out her rock to him. “Would your clan accept our babies?”

“I’d be honored.” Keeping Keyes in his peripheral vision, Bei sank to the ground and held out his free arm.

Each girl placed warm boulders into his arms before shuffling over to the stack of buckets.

Ruth arranged the bucket brigade from tallest to shortest then took her place in line. “Alright, let’s see if we can move four tons of ore before the call to quarters.”

Oh, that’s horrible. Even on Earth, the children have some toys, not practice work.
Keyes plucked one candy from Velma and popped it into her mouth. Her nose wrinkled, her lips puckered and she stopped chewing.
Good Lord, that’s vile.

You didn’t like it on Earth, what made you think you’d like ET’s chocolate better?
Ducking his head, Bei positioned the rocks to provide cover then opened the compartment in his arm.

I’m trying to be friendly. What do you mean, quickly? Do you know where Rome is or not?
Shuddering, she swallowed and waved away another piece.

He shoved aside a few tracking supplies and replacement finger tools and neatly stacked the candy inside the compartment.
I mean that Rome should be here five hours after we leave. It’s up to you to reactivate him.

Bei shunted the isolation command override codes to her.

Why isolate him at all? His memories are bound to have returned.
Keyes shook hands with Dietrich.

The Scraptor leaned against the wall by the elevators. The rifle pointed to the ground and his bubble eyes shone white against his red armor.

Was the guard sleeping? Not that it mattered. Bei wouldn’t move from his position until he headed for the elevator.
I isolated your husband because I didn’t want him finding out where you are and what your assignment is.

So you let him worry because he couldn’t find me?
Keyes rose off her bench.

Dietrich stepped back.

No, I didn’t let him worry. I left a message that you’re okay and will be contacting him in a few hours.

Like he really cares.
Keyes set her hand on her stomach.

Bei snapped his arm compartment shut. No way would he tolerate these two at each other’s throats. Mission was critical.
He cares. Children do not come with manuals. Rome needs the rules and regulations, even if he likes to break them.

I know…
A smile softened her lips.
I just wish I knew how to help him.

An alarm blared before Bei answered. Doors opened and closed. Men and women left the private rooms, passed the buffet tables and picked out a few choice cuts on the way to the elevator.

Ruth dumped her bucket of rock onto the pile. They’d only moved two ‘tons’. “Nice job everyone. Let’s all get one last piece of candy before we leave.”

In a swarm of chatter, the children rushed the dessert table, grabbed handfuls and stuffed them in their mouths.

The Scraptor stomped over, pointing his rifle at Bei. “Time’s up.”

Sweeping his hand down his sleeve, Bei covered his arm compartment and rose. No chocolates remained behind.
We’ll talk more tonight during everyone’s sleep cycle.

Keyes cracked her knuckles.
I’ll ping you when I bring Rome to his senses.

Edging around the Scraptor, Bei joined Job and his family by the elevator.

The leader of the Deutche clan eyed the guard before standing shoulder to shoulder with Bei. “Our time in the pleasure rooms always toodles along so fast.”

Bei stepped into the elevator and moved to the back. “How often do you visit the rooms?”

“Once every seven to ten days.” Job joined him in the corner while his wife and Ruth stood in front. He opened his mouth and shut it.

A handful of other clansmen and women drifted inside.

Bug-ugly squeezed in last. He placed his hand against the biometric pad and the doors eased closed. Gears ground as the elevator dropped.

Bei stared at the glowing button. That was not the clan’s floor, or the level they’d mined an hour ago.

“Shit.” Job’s fists trembled at his side. He caught Bei’s eye. “Where are you taking us?”

“The top-hats found a rich vein and want it mined straight away.” The Scraptor flashed his sharp teeth.

Job wrapped his arm around his youngest daughter. “At least let us take the children back home. They need to sleep.”

“No. Everyone works.” Bug-ugly raised his rifle. “Ten tons before your next rest cycle.”

Bei’s fingers curled into fists. Ten tons. They’d needed a full twelve hours to move that much ore last time. He scanned the group in the elevator. Only a few would last a full shift before collapsing from exhaustion.