“You’re late!”
“No, I’m right on time, you pin-feather sucking little …”
“You sure you want to finish that sentence?”
She didn’t recognize the name-calling voice, but she was pretty sure the other voice was Amith’s.
There were some sounds Mercury’s translator couldn’t interpret, then the second voice asked, “Anything exciting happen?”
“Just a Tsorian attack.”
“Did you catch them?”
“I never saw them, just the results.”
“Found themselves a snack, hmm? That’s going to make the boss happy.”
“Yeah, she’ll be ecstatic. If you don’t get out there and get to the check-in-point in time, neither one of us will be able to pay the rent this cycle,” Amith grumbled.
“Then can we go home?”
Amith made a sound somewhere between a growl and a chirp and Mercury heard a door swish open. A moment later the light glowing through the open doorway was blocked by a large Aeresian shape.
“Amith?” she asked tentatively.
“Oh, good, you’re awake. I know how we can find Buzz Phillips.”
“Find him? We just need to go back when he’s awake. Is it morning yet?”
“That won’t be for several of your Earth hours yet.”
Right, because a full day on this planet was the equivalent to a day and a half of the Earth standard day. She’d set her room lights to slowly increase the day cycle during the month it took to get here, but she apparently wasn’t fully adjusted yet. It felt like it should be morning. She sat up and stretched her shoulders. The Tsorian numbing chemical must have worn off. Her neck hurt.
“Can I stay here until then?”
“It won’t matter. He’s not there.”
“What do you mean he’s not there? He’s got to be there. Where could he have gone?” A disturbing thought struck her. “Do you think the Tsorians got him too?”
Amith stepped through the doorway enough that she could see his face. “What I mean is, he was never there. I went in and looked around. There was nothing. No clothes, no food, nothing. No one has stayed there in a cycle at least. I double checked the register.”
“But that’s impossible! He was there. He had a picture of William and a pretty vase from Polea and all my things are there. All of them, my clothes, my father’s book, my mother’s insignia.”
She lowered her head to hide the rare tears threatening to fall. She really didn’t have much to show for her twenty-four years. She only owned a couple of uniforms and two everyday tunics and leggings. She didn’t need more than that. She never went off the station and if she did go to the lounge, it was with her work friends right after work. The red outfit with the fitted pants and top and mid-thigh jacket she currently wore were the only things that were new. She’d bought them special to meet her father-in-law.
Amith’s hand fell on her shoulder. “It will be all right.”
She hadn’t even notice him move across the small room. He was right in front on her now, looking more curious than concerned, or maybe she was misinterpreting his look. He was right. They were just things. One day she’d die and she wouldn’t care anymore. She couldn’t believe both Mr. Phillips and her things had just disappeared though. There was probably a simple explanation. There had to be. She took a deep breath and forced a small smile.
“Sorry I interrupted. What was your idea?”
He dropped his hand from her shoulder while still watching her face closely. “There are only so many humans here. He can’t have just disappeared. I thought we could go through the resident photos and see if you recognize anyone.”
Her smile became real. “That would be great!”
He sat her down in front of a monitor in the other room and clicked through nearly the entire list before a face caught her eye. It didn’t look exactly like Mr. Phillips. The nose was smaller and the hair was light brown instead of dark with gray, but something about his eyes caught her attention. They were brown, not the intense blue of Mr. Phillips, but his left eyebrow had the same scar that caused some of the hairs to grow the wrong way. She’d noticed it when they were talking and wondered how he got it.
“That’s him.”
“I’ve seen him around here. His name isn’t Phillips and he definitely doesn’t live in 616. Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. He was in disguise, I think, but he had the same scar.” She touched the picture with her finger and the voice recording all the residents were required to make started playing. She closed her eyes and listened.
“His voice is different, higher, but the accent is the same. He could have just been talking lower, but why would he disguise himself?”
It made no sense. The man’s name was Bradley Stone and he lived in one of the big houses at the back of the resort. Why would he disguise himself and meet with her in one of the small houses and then drug her? A horrible suspicion began to form.
“I doubt it was him,” Amith said. “Let’s keep going.”
None of the other pictures looked remotely similar. She pictured Buzz Phillips in her mind again. She’d studied his face closely when she’d met him, trying to see the similarities between him and William. Other than the vibrant blue eyes and the dark hair, there hadn’t been much. William had a narrow face whereas Mr. Phillips’ face was square and wide. William’s chin had been smooth, but Mr. Phillips had a noticeable cleft. Maybe if she focused on the minor details, she could verify she’d picked the right man. She started flipping through the pictures again, focusing only on face shape and chins. There was one other man with a square face and a cleft chin, but he was so old, his voice shook. Buzz Phillips had a strong voice.
“It’s him unless there are others.”
“Here are the guests.”
He pulled the pictures up for her. Not a single one looked right. “It’s him. It has to be.”
“That man can’t be your father-in-law. He lives in one of the separate houses. I doubt you would have gotten the address that wrong.”
Ouch. He clearly thought she was forgetful or foolish.
“I’m not wrong. Buzz Phillips was in 616.”
He spun her chair around to face him so quickly that she momentarily felt space-sick.
“All right, Mercury, if that is your name, tell me why you are really here. Were you planning to rob or murder someone perhaps?”
“What? No! Why would you think that? I’m telling the truth.”
He glared at her with his big, hawk-like eyes, then released the arms of the chair with a little push and backed away. She took a relieved breath. She didn’t think he would bite her or scratch her, but his pointed teeth and nails did look sharp.
“Unless you are here to rent one of the resident houses, I’m going to have to turn you in.”
“I can’t afford the rent.”
She’d looked it up before she left. The rent on a small residence was 7200 credits a Llamerian cycle. She only had 1600 credits to her name and she was lucky to have that. Whoever had robbed her of her Wripad and the cute ankle bracelet she’d bought herself to go with her new outfit, hadn’t taken the necklace that looked like it was made by a child. Good thing she’d followed William’s suggestion to convert her digital credits to something tangible like coins. Also good Maude had taught her to be cautious when traveling else she would have lost the beads of precious metals she had too. She touched one of the clay-covered beads through her top. “Is there somewhere else I can stay?”
“The only other housing is for people who work here.”
“I’ll find a job then. Surely someone needs a nurse. It’s a retirement resort.”
“What about all that money you are supposed to get from your husband’s death?”
She’d forgotten about that. Unfortunately, all the credits were supposed to go into her account at the station and not until his employer investigated and verified William’s death. It might take months for them to appear in her account and without her Wripad she no longer had easy access to said account. What if whoever had taken her Wripad figured out how to access her account? Access did require blood verification, but they had taken her blood too. In fact, there was nothing stopping them from stealing her identity if they got past the laughable security on her ancient Wripad. She’d been foolish. She should have gotten an implant long ago, one that would self-destruct if it was removed.
“Is there a bank around here?”
“A bank?”
“A credit exchange. Some place people go to take care of their finances.”
“There’s a credit screen by the main office.”
“Can we go there please, I need to send a message.”
He squinted at her suspiciously, but nodded. “This way.”
The office wasn’t far at all, just up a short, paved path into the next building. She recognized where she was almost immediately. The teller screen was just down the hall from the clinic. She pushed the activate button and sat down on the chair that popped up out of the floor. “Hello, I am Mercury Hildax Sb368, account number 1765G4829JK0. My Wripad and perhaps my identity have been stolen. I request my account be locked to all withdrawals unless it can be verified by eye scan, blood, voice, visual, password, and identifying mark and that no other accounts can be opened without that information. Please send confirmation that my request has been received to this unit. Thank you.”
She swirled around on the swivel stool to find Amith looking very confused.
“Did you just lock your account?”
“Yes.”
“But now you won’t have any credits.”
“There are none there anyway. William’s credits haven’t been transferred yet. I checked right before we arrived.”
“How much were you expecting?”
What difference did it make if she told him? He hadn’t taken her Wripad, had he? She didn’t know who to trust any more.
“Not enough to stay here more than half a cycle.”
His mouth dropped open. “That’s all? You agreed to be someone’s mate for what, 4000 credits?”
“No. I married him because I wanted to get off the station and because he asked me. The credits were a bonus.”
Amith looked like he’d never heard of something so foolish. Maybe she had been a fool but there was nothing to do now but go forward.
“Can you take me to 616? I need to see it for myself.”
“Not now. I’m off duty. I need to file my report.”
“What about the other guard you were talking with?”
“No. He would make a mess of things. Besides, I locked the door when I stopped by earlier. I have to get permission from my supervisor.”
“How many Earth hours until your supervisor is here?”
“At least five.”
“Can I stay in the guard shack until then?”
He thought for a moment then shook his head. “Probably best if you come with me.”
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