Out
A series about Mars
by Daniel
E. Machado
Chapter 6
In the hour since their appointment began
F section’s main common has erupted into a swirl of humans all with hurried
places to reach. Tucking a index finger up into one of Blade’s jumper pockets
Roselene takes in her waist high view of the flat round cavern of commotion.
This place isn’t at all like when
Roselene goes on shopping trips with her Grandma to the Galleria. At the
Galleria people all walk and talk and stop and look. No one ever seems
in much of a hurry. This place crawls with people all with places to go
and apparently no time left at all to get there.
Stepping out into the section common
the tiny girl looks back over her shoulder at TransOrbital’s main entrance.
Erect concrete arches fashioned like the two soaring contrails of orbital
transports. The fashioned concrete's multicolor relief arches high above
a giant mural of California's coast from low Earth orbit. Roselene didn't
like the mean TransOrbital lady sitting behind the shiny blue desk. Her
mother still seems upset. But, after storming nearly half way across the
common Blade slows to a stroll.
"You want to tell me what just went
on in there?" Fred demands, his anger barely repressed, both fists still
tight balls.
"We got our Family quarters, that’s
what." Blade slows to a stop. Her shoulders sag as she turns to face him.
The three become like rocks in a flowing stream as the busy commotion swirls
on around avoiding them.
"Look, Fred. I know this has all been
kind of sudden."
"No shit." He looks down at her then
quickly away, afraid to show his barely suppressed rage.
"This arrangement is still
voluntary, you know."
"I know it is. I know." Fred tries
to smile. "It’s just that… Man! She was really pissin’ me off."
"She was trying too to piss you off.
I’m pretty sure TransOrbital was testing us." Blade smiles up at Fred’s
disbelieving squint. "They don’t have much time to make a decision and
it’s too late to test us formally. They probably wanted to see how we'd
react under applied pressure, archive us in case something wierd happens
on the way out and some lawyer starts hitting them with negligence."
"I think the old bag's just a sadistic
bitter old bitch." Fred grumbles.
"I'm sure you're right. Either way,
we still got Family quarters." Blade squints up. "That is, if I really
can
trust you. I can; can’t I?"
"You remember your cousin Amber?"
Fred cocks an eyebrow at her.
Blade nods back of course. Poor Amber would fuck anything
and anybody; one of the most tragically horny female to ever grace the
planet. Which seems all the more tragic because even in this day of generic
cosmological perfection, Amber possesses incredible natural beauty.
"Yah, well one night I took your cousin
Amber home after this party. Drunk on her ass."
"You sure you want to tell this story
in front of my daughter?"
"I took off her shoes. Tucked her
warm and cozy into her bed. Kissed her on the forehead, and locked the
door on my way out."
"Truth?" Blade looks back disbelieving.
"Truth," Fred nods.
"Well then, you’re either stupid or
gay." She shakes her head. "Amber knows things about things I couldn’t
even imagine."
"I guess I’ll have to be stupid then."
Fred smiles. "Although next morning she live linked to call me a True Blue."
"Shit!" Blade’s vibrating wristcom
sends a shock up her arm. Her breath hissing through clinched teeth Blade
stares at her wrist.
"Fred?" Blade’s voice holds sudden
concern. "Could you…? Look, I’ve got a shift to pull up in cargo, and that
stupid woman took twice as long as she should have. Can you do me a favor
and take Roselene up to the learning center?"
"Sure, I guess." Fred smiles both
amused and confused. "My day's still pretty much open."
"Thanks." Blade’s eyes sparkle with
pleasant appreciation leaving Fred suddenly in a much better frame of mind.
"Now, Sweety." Blade kneels down next
to her daughter. "I need you to be good for your cousin Fred, and go to
class; okay?"
"I want to go see Ms. Thomas." Roselene
whines.
"I know, Sweety. But, I’m afraid not
this time." Blade smoothes back Roselene’s unmussed hair. "I'll tell you
what. I’ll ask your new instructor to let you livelink to Ms Thomas from
class; okay? I’m sure she and the kids are all just sitting around waiting
for your post."
"Okay, Mommy." The solemn Roselene
nods.
"You sure you’re okay with this?"
Blade questions up at Fred.
"Yah, sure. It’s an extended-family
contract; right? I guess now is just as good a time as any to get a feel
for the job. Which learning center?’
"Up two in D section. Here." Blade
pulls Fred’s handtablet from his thigh pocket then mounts it to hers. After
several taps of her fingertip Blade transfers Roselene’s learning center
data and the necessary legal guardian security files. As she offers the
tablet back Blade holds on to it.
"This is clearance for both drop-off
and pick-up privileges for my child. You know what that means; right?"
"Yes. It means that should any harm
befall little Rosie while she’s in my care, that both you and the rest
of the world will hunt me down and kill me."
"Pray the world finds you first, cousin."
Blade’s solemnly stare holds his eyes before releasing the tablet. Fred
nods back at her with equal earnest, then kneels down next to both Blade
and her unsmiling child.
"What do you say, squirt? Want to
take a little ride up to D section and go play with all the boys and girls?"
After looking over suspiciously at her mother for reassurance
Roselene slowly nods back at Fred.
"Good." Fred grins at her with his
friendliest grin. "Now…" Twisting his tablet around to look at it upside-down
and then sideways. "How do I find this place? I never can figure these
things out."
"Here!" Roselene sticks out her tiny
school tablet. "Give it to me. I’ll show you."
Smiling over at Blade he downloads the learning center's
address into Roselene’s learning handtablet.
"Think I can trust her?" Fred winks.
"Think you can keep up?" Blade hugs
Roselene good-by with a kiss. "Now, you go with cousin Fredy up to class;
okay? You be a good girl and pay attention." Both mother and daughter recite
the final two words together.
"Yes, Mommy. Will you pick me up after
work?"
"Yes I will. Now, hurry and go before
I’m late for my first shift." Kissing Roselene’s cheek once again Blade
stands then quickly walks away. Roselene looks over at Fred still kneeling
there next to her.
I wonder what he’d do if I ran? Roselene
turns to dart away toward the elevators just as a quick strong hand grasps
her arm and jolts her to a stop.
"Don’t even think about it, little
girl." Fred smiles at the tiny girl with good-natured certainty. "I knew
your mother when she was your age and trust me, little one, I’ve seen everything
you’ve got and more." Fred wraps her small fingers around his index finger,
then encircles the girl’s tiny wrist with his thumb and middle finger.
With his other thumb Fred locks Roselene’s personal locator address into
his handtablet.
Let’s see, a one meter wrist vibrator alarm ought to
be enough. Fred nods down at the display.
"Okay, little girl, lead on. But,
remember." Fred stands to follow the girl’s lead across the section common.
"I’ve been down here for almost two weeks now, and I know how to get to
block 12 section D." Slowing her seemingly urgent pace Roselene looks up
at him.
"Can we go to the arcade first?" The
tiny girl glances a slight pout up at him.
Got her mother’s knack for manipulation, that’s for sure.
Fred smiles. Probably genetic.
"Tell you what. Your mom gets off
at 19:00. I’ll call her on her lunch break and ask for authorization to
pick you up at 17:30 and meet us both in the arcade. Does that sound fair?"
"I guess." Roselene answers. "But,
can I still pick the way up to class?"
"Sure." Fred grins, amazed by the
sudden complexity of this bright little girl. "What you got in mind?"
"Well," Roselene’s grins turns mischievous.
"I want to go up in one of the service lifts. I hear they’re really really
big!"
"That they are." Fred laughs. "Well,
lead on then."