“I’ve been used?” Julia asked quietly.
Suzi tried to tell herself she wasn’t bothered by the icecool tone. But Julia had a way of speaking direct into the brain. And hearing her angry like this was daunting. All that power, safely bottled away by Julia’s stuffy conventions and convictions, but what that woman could do if she ever lashed out…
“Yes, you,” Greg said lightly. “And me, and Suzi, Victor, Clifford. The Dolgoprudnensky loaded our programs, and we jerked about like cyborgs. The only one who didn’t was Jason Whitehurst.”
Julia’s face was perfectly composed, staring out of the window, swallowed by thought.
“The synopsis Greg suggests does seem to plug in to the profile we’ve been assembling on Mutizen,” one of Julia’s screen images said. “We were unable to find any reference to atomic structuring technology prior to two days ago. There have been no funds allocated to physics research teams, they don’t employ any scientists capable of doing that kind of work. Your original assessment that they had obtained the data from someone else is the most logical solution.”
“Humm,” Julia turned to Greg. “Is he still alive?”
“You know I can’t answer that, but-” Greg’s face went all slack. “I don’t get any bad vibes about carrying on the search. Maybe it’ll be worthwhile. Tell you, I’m going to keep going.” He fixed Suzi with a bleary gaze. “How about you?”
“New London next stop,” she said levelly. Then Leol Reiger.
“I didn’t say I was going to stop.” Julia spiked Greg with a vexed glare.
“Good,” he said. “New London is a big place, and the Dolgoprudnensky agents wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“And you do?” Julia asked.
“No. But Charlotte does. How about it? Will you come with us, Charlotte? Identify the priest for us?”
Charlotte gave a cautious nod. “Yes. If you think I can help.”
“Thank you, Charlotte.” Julia showed her a warm smile. The girl’s tension seemed to flake away.
“Are you sure New London is the source?” Victor asked. He struck Suzi as the only one round the table who wasn’t entirely convinced abut Royan and the alien. Which was strange, he’d seen Greg’s psi at work before.
“Only lead we’ve got,” Greg said. “Unless the SETI team has found anything at Jupiter?”
“Sorry, not a thing,” Rick said. “I’ve been updating this morning. There have been no detectable electromagnetic signals. Something might turn up on the visual search, but it’s early days yet.”
Victor gave a dispassionate grunt. Definitely some tension there, Suzi thought.
“I want my hardliners with me,” Suzi told Julia. “We came out of yesterday looking like shit. If we’d had some decent fire-power it would’ve been another fucking story. And if the Dolgoprudnensky have got some people up in New London, you can be sure they’re carrying.”
“New London is a dormitory town and tourist resort,” Julia said. “I’m not having you take a private army up there.”
“Take the crash team with you,” Victor said smoothly. “You know they’re good, yes? And Julia’s right. We really can’t permit armed tekmercs in New London, no matter how loyal to you or well disciplined they are. Highest bid, Suzi.”
She grinned. “Sold. It sounds fluid enough.” The crash team would be OK; she’d been talking to them, putting on the old-time pro routine, surprising what’d kicked free.
“I hope you’ll allow me to accompany Greg and the security team up to New London,” Rick Parnell said.
Suzi hadn’t paid him much attention, a hunk in a bad suit. University man, who looked for aliens in the stars, his talk would be in the stratosphere. He’d been very keen to sit next to Julia.
“I want the Jupiter search supervised properly,” Julia said.
“It will be,” Rick insisted. “But I’m not an astronomer. I couldn’t contribute to that. You always say put the experts in charge. And I’d be best employed in contacting the alien. It’s going to have a very strange psychology. I’m not saying I’ll understand its motivational behaviour patterns, but, well, the SETI department has initiated some studies into-”
“All right,” Julia cut in. “If Greg doesn’t object to you tagging along.”
“No.”
Rick let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Victor, you chase up Royan’s next memory package,” Julia said. “It ought to be at the North Sea Farm company.”
“We’ve already accessed every memory core at the Farm,” said one of the screen Julias. “They’re clean.”
“All the more reason for Victor to go in person,” Julia said. He can find what you’re missing.” She looked round the table. “Right, well if that’s it, we’ll start. Greg, your spacePlane will be here in an hour.”
“Are you coming to New London with us?” Suzi asked.
“Not initially, first I’m going to try and sort out the atomic structuring situation with the kombinates and Clifford. But as soon as you locate the Celestial priest, I’ll follow you up.”
“Right.” Suzi stood up. There wasn’t even the slightest tweak of pain from her knee. The clinic’s bioware bracing was the best she’d ever seen.
What about the Dolgoprudnensky?” Fabian asked.
“Fabian-” Charlotte began warningly.
“No,” the boy said stubbornly. “I won’t be quiet. The Dolgoprudnensky started all this, they got you all fighting each other. And that’s why my father is dead.” He turned to face Julia Evans, eyes accusing. “Why aren’t you going to do anything about them?”
“I am going to do something about them, but this situation requires my full attention right now. They’ll still be there in a week, after this is all over. And you’ll be a big part of their demise, Fabian. We can pass on everything you know about their timber operation to the Russian Justice Ministry.” She gave him a modest smile. “Good enough?”
He hunched his shoulders, looking belligerent. “Yes. All right.”
“Thank you, Fabian. I know it’s hard for you right now.”
“Can I go up to New London with Charlotte?”
“I don’t think so. You’ll be a lot safer here. Charlotte will be back in a couple of days.”
Fabian’s sullen expression darkened, but he didn’t push it. Charlotte’s arm had slipped round him, giving him a reassuring hug.
Suzi felt like cheering the kid on, someone who wasn’t totally intimidated by Julia. Fuck knows, there were few enough in the world.
CHAPTER 27
The sun hadn’t quite risen high enough to burn the dew off Wilholm’s lawns. Julia’s Pegasus sent the pale grey and silver droplets scurrying in vast interference patterns as it landed.
She walked down the stairs from the belly hatch to be greeted with kisses and shouts from her animated children. Brutus barked at her, then started sniffing round her feet.
“You’ve been gone all night.”
“Where did you go?”
“Was it with Uncle Greg?”
“Do you know where Daddy is yet?”
She put her arms around both of them, hugging tight. They started to walk towards the manor together, Daniella skipping.
Julia took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I had to rush off. It was Listoel. Yes. And, I think we might now.” She laughed at Matthew, his jaw had dropped as he tried to match answers to questions.
“Where do you think Daddy is?” Daniella asked.
“New London. Your Uncle Greg is going up there today to find out if he truly is. We should know by tonight. I might have to leave again.”