Chapter 9

Cletus awoke with an aching back and hair in his face. Someone else's hair.

He brushed the red-golden strands aside and pulled a few more stray hairs from his mouth where they must have ended by accident.

Glancing at the clock he realized that it was half-past eight and thus pretty early for Elysian standards, but he doubted he'd be able to get back to sleep. Already the electronic blinds were starting to very slowly let more light into the room to allow a leisurely start into the day.

Next to him, Goal was stirring, but she kept her eyes closed for now. A grin was tugging at his mouth. He made it! After spending the night with him, Goal would hardly dump him suddenly, would she?

Sharing a bed with her may have been anything but comfortable, but she had reacted with a blank look when he asked her to sleep on the couch. At least he had bought a rather wide bed when moving here since Poisonous liked sleeping close to him. And Goal may be considerably taller but she was also much less prickly.

Cletus got out of bed and wandered into his bathroom. He couldn't say whether it was due to last night but taking a shower felt especially good today. He hummed to himself as he shaved and got ready.

When he returned to Goal she was sitting in his bed wide awake and smiled as she saw him. "Good morning. I hope you slept well." She held out a hand as he was about to answer. "No, don't tell me. I know you don't like sharing your bed. How about your other stuff though? I thought your slip was pretty cute. Would you-?"

"It wouldn't look half as good on you as it looks on me," Cletus interrupted her. "Besides, you already talked me into lending my pajamas to you."

"Well, you didn't want to carry my luggage yesterday evening and left it in the storage compartment near the transit station."

"Yes, nevermind." To be honest his silk pajamas looked very good on her. Especially because it was rather tight around the chest and her bottom which became even more visible as she got up and sauntered towards him.

"You never told me you had a birthmark," she said as if having a pretty, brown spot on one of your butt cheeks was something truly remarkable.

Which it actually was, Cletus agreed. Why wouldn't anyone be proud of such a beauty mark? "Don't you think it looks somewhat like a crown?" he asked.

Goal chuckled. "It reminds me more of a wombat."

He tried hard not to look all that hurt, but he was actually very tempted to kick her out. What had he seen in her? She obviously didn't know what she was talking about. A wombat! How dare she?

She laughed again, put her arm around his shoulders and brushed his ear with her lips. "I like wombats," she breathed.

What a woman! Cletus felt his face grow hot and his heart beat faster. She was perfect and one day he'd marry her!

He looked up at her and their lips got close when her morning breath wafted towards his nose. He managed to mask his disgust with a forced smile as he pulled back. "Goal, honey, why don't you go and brush your teeth first?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're so romantic," she said in a sarcastic tone, but thankfully she obliged and made her way to the bathroom.

He watched her go before remembering something most important and rushing after her. "But don't you use my toothbrush!"

"You have to work? Today? You can't be serious, Cletus!"

Cletus suppressed a yawn. He had seen Goal angrier than this and didn't take her moods as seriously as he used to. "Don't make a scene, please. If you want to succeed, you just have to show your commitment to the job."

Goal snorted. "You're starting to sound like my father."

"I take that as a compliment."

"Then I must have worded it wrong," Goal retorted. "I've hardly seen you during the last months. You are almost obsessed with your work. And if you're not on duty for a change, you don't feel like going out. You've never been all that active, but lately, it makes me die of boredom. It's hard to really experience anything new on Elysium as it is. And now-"

"But we do go out for dinner every other day!" Cletus interjected. "Do you think someone is simply handing me the money for that?"

"Oh, please. You spend more money on beauty products and lingerie than me. Seems like there's always enough for that."

Cletus bit his lip. Unfortunately, she was right about that. In fact, he earned enough to afford everything he needed and have a good time with Goal. But he also had plans that went beyond that. One day, he wanted to propose to her and if he was to have a chance with her, he had to be able to offer more than this. For starters, getting a bigger apartment wasn't possible with his income. And the demands of the Prime Controller's daughter surely went beyond that.

But he couldn't tell her about that. At least not yet.

"What kind of grand things do you want to experience anyway?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

She sighed. "You don't really want to know. I have tried talking to you about my dreams before, but all I got in return was condescending remarks."

He stopped short. "You cannot refer to your absurd idea of exploring Deponia. Don't tell me you were serious about that."

She glared at him, her hands on her hips. "You're doing it again. But whatever, I had actually been planning for us to visit the theater or the Floating Gardens. But you don't even have time for that."

"We can do that some other day."

Goal stared at him so intently he began feeling rather uneasy. "So you really forgot. And I thought this would mean more to you."

Just as he was contemplating whether asking what she was talking about would make matters worse, she stomped into the next room and soon returned with a nicely packaged box. Cletus frowned and still was at a loss where this was going as Goal shoved the box into his hands and said with bitter voice: "Happy Anniversary, Cletus."

Darn. Was it really a year since she had arrived at his apartment unannounced and asked him out for a date? He calculated the date in his head but it looked as of she was right. "Oh. That… I… Thank you."

"Open it!" she demanded.

Obediently, he unwrapped the box and neatly folded the gift wrapper before setting it aside. Then he opened the box and found a pair of shoes. White, with a thick sole and an elegant design, just as he liked them. He could imagine her making a real effort to find something that pleased him. "Goal, you… Those are great. Thank you."

"You're welcome, idiot." His embarrassment seemed to pacify her. "I thought you had a better memory than this but this is probably something men are just not good at. Oh well. In any case you'll agree now that you can't spend today at work, don't you?"

He pondered whether she'd get madder when he replied with "Why?" or with "I don't agree with anything.", but apparently his expression and hesitation was answer enough for Goal.

"Fine," she hissed angrily. "I can see you are already married to your job. In that case you don't need me anymore. Sometimes I really think the only reason I'm still with you is so my father doesn't think he was right after all." With that she marched outside and would have slammed the door behind her if it didn't slide shut automatically.

Cletus considered running after her but given her mood that might even make things worse. He could only console himself with the knowledge that she'd one day realize she was wrong.

The "White Star" was of high standing amidst the Elysian upper class. It was only open for some chosen few, it's furniture noble and elegant, the food exquisite and expensive. Besides, this club could afford to hire human servers – no clones – instead of the usual service bots.

Cletus had never been inside. Goal had been here for dinner often enough, but she had never asked him to take her. She may not be privy to how exactly his financial situation looked but she could probably guess they wouldn't let him enter this place.

It was almost ironic that today his work made it possible to get in after all, instead of taking Goal out to dinner as she wanted.

Cletus did his best to keep from gaping at all the splendor. But he couldn't keep his heart from beating faster. If only he could belong to these people. If only Goal wasn't being so difficult. If only he was married to the Prime Controller's daughter he'd surely gain a foothold in the upper class.

"Cletus?" A familiar voice startled him. "What are you doing here?"

"Lucia!" he replied with equal amazement. He hadn't seen her since their failed camping trip. Arron had tried to contact him several times but he had been too busy to even spend much time with Goal. That's why he wondered now what he might have missed and whether she had managed to regain the elder's favor. But as he was pondering this he noticed her outfit. She obviously was here to work just like him. But at least his job had a certain prestige to it while she was nothing but a glorified server. "Are you trying to supplement your research funds?"

She brushed aside a black strand of hair and put one hand on her hip. "Yes, I guess you could call it that. And you? Who did you suck up to, to get in here?"

He made a face and held out the clipboard he was supposed to note his findings on.

"I see," she said and smiled without mirth. "Well, looks like we are in the same boat then. But that will probably bother you more than it does me."

Cletus snorted. "Don't tell me you aren't frustrated that you don't belong to them anymore. Weren't you proud of your connection to the Council of Elders? And now look at you. You didn't get very far, I'm afraid."

Lucia shook her head. "The thing that actually frustrates me is how little my scientific work is being valued. But I don't think you'd understand that. Just like you don't understand why someone would stand up for their ideals." She turned to leave. "I have work to do. And so do you. See you later, Cletus."

He frowned as he watched her leave. He could really do without her self-righteous histrionics. But then he pulled himself together and started ticking off items on his list.

Most of the things he had to check were only routine and soon he hardly noticed his surroundings and focused just on the configuration of pipes, electric installations and whether there were enough emergency signs. Finally, all that was left was to check the cables and he could do that in passing while scanning with his multi-tool.

One table made him pause, though. In the spot where the cable left the ground and went upwards attached to a table leg he was detecting a heightened current density. He scratched his head and came closer, his eyes on his multi-tool.

"Well, well, well. Who have we here? It's the end of the line model!"

Cletus almost dropped his multi-tool. He had managed to evade Hawk for so long now he had almost forgotten he existed. But now as he appeared out of thin air in front of him not even the blond beard Hawk had grown could hide who he was.

Cletus stepped back hastily and collided with a server carrying a full tray who only managed to stay upright with some difficulty. But Hawk made no move to attack him and only grinned when he saw his fear.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Cletus recited the text Inspector Jennick had taught him in case someone bothered him while he was working and cursed himself silently for how high and strained his voice was. "I have work to do. If you prefer a smooth process, please let me pass and soon you can enjoy your evening again."

Hawk laughed and moved out of the way. Cletus hoped his submissive approach had not felt like an attack on Hawk's status and he wouldn't give him any more grief. But when he approached the table, Hawk stepped behind him and got so close Cletus was trapped between the table and the taller man.

"You probably feel safe, now that you managed to become Goal's pet. Well, that was more clever than I had expected of you. But she won't protect you forever. I saw her several times during the last weeks with some friends here in the 'Star'. But there was no sign of you. Believe me, kiddo, she'll soon grow tired of you. And then she'll push you back into the nothingness you came from. I'll wait." With that Hawk let go of him and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs next to the table. "Well, you better get your work done now. After all, this is my usual table. So do it well."

Cletus grabbed hold of the table's edge as he knelt down. His legs were shaking so badly he feared he might lose his balance otherwise and look even weaker. He crawled forward a bit and switched on the light on his multi-tool. Down here he was at least alone with the table leg… and Hawk's feet.

He tried to calm down his wildly beating heart. Goal wouldn't break up with him. Or would she? She had been in a pretty bad mood today. But even if she did he had gotten a lot better at self-defense, thanks to all these hours of Shai-Hulu training he had signed up for and didn't get around to attend.

The small display on his multi-tool blinked red and got him to focus on the present again. Obviously someone had messed up while laying the cable or an idiot like Hawk had kept kicking the table leg in exactly the wrong spot. In any case the wire inside was so damaged it was about to break. This was pretty dangerous because once it did there could fault arcs hot enough to meld the cable coating. And he doubted the table or the carpet were fireproof.

At least he'd get the satisfaction of having the restaurant close down for the time being so the damage could be repaired. Then Hawk wouldn't be able to use his beloved table for a while and-

Wait a moment. Cletus scowled at Hawk's feet and contemplated his options.

What if he hadn't spotted the damage? If he'd simply leave things be and the ground beneath Hawk's feet started burning unexpectedly? Wouldn't that be "tragic"?

On the other hand it could take a while until that happened. Cletus frowned then he prodded the cable with his screwdriver, wedged it under it and gave a little tug. There. The wire was broken. He pushed the cable back the way it was before so the wire ends were close enough to each other that the current was still on.

Then he hesitated again. He had vowed to himself to always be exact and diligent. To make Elysium safe and make a name for himself with his capabilities. But then again he hated Hawk more than anything else.

He reached a decision, switched off the multi-tool and crawled from beneath the table. He hurried to get back on his feet and heard Hawk make some mocking remark but his own blood was thundering in his ears so he didn't quite understand what he was saying. He scurried to the management bot that supervised the club today.

"Everything is working just fine," he heard himself say. "I'll send a more detailed report later on." And with that he rushed out of the door.

"Mr. Cletus! Wake up, Sir!"

Cletus opened his eyes with an unwilling groan and looked up at his house bot. Did its programming go haywire to make the stupid tin can wake him up like this? "What? Is? It?!" he growled.

"Mr. Cletus! They sent for you. An inquiry board wants to see you. This very morning!" Cletus had never heard the robot sound so upset. Which was the only reason why he sat up in bed instead of sending the bot to get itself checked for malfunctions.

"An inquiry board?" Cletus rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What are you talking about? What in the world is going on here?"

"A fire!" The house bot was beginning to sound more and more panicky. "Last night! There was a terrible fire in the 'White Star'!"

"Oh," Cletus replied and tried to suppress a smile half-heartedly. "Were there any casualties?"

"Yes, several persons were severely injured. Luckily, no one died."

Darnit.

"But the damage to property was immense," the house bot continued. "The fire almost flashed over to other areas and all of Elysium could have been destroyed. That's why the elders decided to have an inquiry board. And since you inspected the 'White Star' only yesterday, you were summoned urgently to a hearing."

Oh fuck!

Cletus felt his stomach clench. This couldn't be happening! Why hadn't he thought of this possibility yesterday? If only Hawk had croaked. Now Cletus may lose his career, his chances with Goal and everything that ever meant something to him for absolutely no gain.

He was trembling as he got ready and didn't manage to swallow a single bite of the breakfast the house bot had prepared for him. His thoughts were stuck on the catastrophe that had befallen him so unexpectedly and he almost got lost on his way to the central inspectors' offices in the administrative complex below the chamber of the Council of Elders.

But when he found his way he arrived quicker than he had hoped for and was ushered into a conference room. He recognized Prime Inspector Elgon, Inspector Jennick and, to his horror, next to some other high-ranking inspectors, Elder Un.

Cold sweat gathered against his nape. Should he greet them with a smile? Should he pretend to be worried about the wounded? Or would they use that against him? In the end he settled for a hopefully neutral expression and sat down at the only empty place next to a singular table facing the others.

"Inspector Cletus," Elgon began. "I assume you were informed about the reason for this hearing? About the fire in the 'White Star'?"

"I, uhm, well, my house bot told me about it this morning. And then I came here as fast as I could."

Elgon glanced at Jennick in annoyance. "Wasn't Inspector Verlet supposed to alert him last night?"

Jennick only sighed. She had dark rings under her eyes and looked like they hadn't failed to alert her during the night. Maybe she had even helped coordinate the firefighters.

Elgon didn't look satisfied but apparently decided to drop the subject. "Well, however that may be. In any case, the worst case of conflagration in the history of Elysium happened last night and our dear fellow Elysians expect us to find out its cause as soon as possible so we may prevent something like this from ever happening again. You were on location yesterday, Cletus. I know you probably didn't have time to write your report yet, but as the management bot informed us you didn't find any problems. Do you have an explanation for what might have happened?"

They didn't know yet what caused the fire! It made Cletus take heart. "No, Sir, I'm afraid I can't say what could have caused this," he tried faking ignorance. "When I checked the locale yesterday, everything was in top shape."

He could only hope they wouldn't examine the "White Star"'s ruin too closely and maybe file this whole case as a mysterious cause of spontaneous combustion. Unfortunately, Elgon didn't look as if he was about to treat this with his usual indifference. "How very unlike you, Cletus. Even Inspector Jennick insisted that you usually aren't negligent in your work."

"I'm not negligent!" Cletus protested before he could stop himself.

"Then I expect a better explanation," Elgon said icily.

Cletus stared down at his white gloves. If he had just spent the evening with Goal nothing of this would have happened. But now there was no going back and he could only hope… An idea came to him all of a sudden and he clenched his fists. This might be his way out!

"Well, if you put it like this," he began with fake hesitation. "I did notice something, but… I really don't want to insinuate anything. I simply met an old schoolmate who I know is involved with… well… ideologies that are directed against the noble institution of the Council of Elders. Her name is Lucia, daughter of Narcius."

There was much murmuring among his audience and he saw Elder Un lean over to Elgon and whisper agitatedly.

Finally Elgon addressed him again. "Inspector Cletus. Are you suggesting this Lucia person might have set the 'White Star' on fire?"

Cletus raised his hands defensively. "I'm not suggesting anything. I'm merely saying that someone who has demonstrated a grudge against the ruling class was present. And shortly after that the building was on fire."

The murmuring started again and Elgon hectically called two of his adjutants to him and sent them forth after giving them instructions. Cletus hid a smile behind his folded hands. He was sure he had managed to get out of trouble yet again.

When Elgon dismissed him he had to fight to not to get up too enthusiastically. He was halfway to the door when another voice asked him to wait a moment. He was surprised to see Elder Un had stood up and was approaching him.

"Inspector Cletus," the elder said. "I have to say I'm very impressed by your courage and voraciousness. It must have been hard to reveal all this to us and yet you showed true strength of character. My colleagues and I have been looking for someone to entrust with a special mission for a while now. And I believe we have finally found the right man."