Fate of Frailty Chapter 15
By Karen Hart
It was strangely quiet in Gaignun's office, the sensation made more poignant by the heavy machinery that could be seen not far from the base of the building. Soundproofing had its quirks.
A good two months had passed since Soze Kukai had been confirmed dead of a heart attack, at the age of sixty-three. Within a week Gaignun had taken control of his "father's" empire, quietly settling into his new role. It'd gone better than he'd thought, fully expecting resistance to the idea of an eighteen year old managing director.
He stood at the window, taking in the view that spread out before him. It was a world of metal and plastics, still bare in some places, yet teeming with life, apparent in the specks that raced about to complete their errands. It was the view of a city being born, slowly taking shape.
Turning about to face the desk, he regarded the last few flimsies in the "IN" tray with no small misgivings, before settling back down in the high backed office chair. With a barely audible sigh he returned to the task, dull though it was. Fortunately, they were few and turned out not to need his signature or feedback. Merely notices for things that he either already knew or shouldn't have had to deal with in the first place.
As soon as he'd read through the last flimsy his brother's voice impinged on his mind. chaos is here, Jr. said simply. There was no real need for him to elaborate; even if Gaignun had only met the young man once, it was difficult to forget the occasion.
Good timing, Gaignun responded coolly. I've only just finished up, here. Where are you?
The question was met with a mental shrug. Sector 14. You know, that park near the lake.
Gaignun nodded, the impression of understanding still conveyed through their mental link. I see.
So are you going to show up? Was that a note of impatience in Jr.'s voice? Amusement colored Gaignun's response to the affirmative.
Of course.
---
Shelley stared at the screen in mute shock and hope as name after name appeared on the screen. It seemed she and her sister had fairly popular names, though there were only a handful with her particular spelling. Clicking on one, she again held her breath, exhaling when she saw the date of birth, TC 4723. Too old. She clicked again. Again, too old. Another click. This time the age was far too young. She chose another instance of "Shelley Godwin".
The words "Date of Birth: May 22, 4745" all but leapt out at her, not quite enough for confirmation but enough to keep her from looking further. The most basic of physical statistics were listed, from blood type to eye and hair color. She paused uncertainly as she saw "black" under the lattermost subject, and gently fingered her own lavender hair. Yet the date was exactly right, as were the blood type and eye color.
Keeping the page open she narrowed her search for Mary by including her sister's birthyear, the results fewer this time. It didn't take long to find the most likely record, and again she found herself pausing, though this time it was from an increasing feeling of success. Linked with the record was the information on "Shelley Godwin" that she'd been looking at not a minute prior.
With some apprehension she scanned both records, searching for the word "Parents"—or at least something similar.
She found it.
---
"Do you need anything else?"
Mary looked up from her soft drink at the waitress's smiling face. Mayumi, again. Shaking her head, she murmured a quick "No thanks" and turned back to her soda. Silently she stirred the drink with the paper umbrella someone had thoughtfully included. She was the only twelve year old in the Ironman Bar and Grill at the moment, conspicuous among the adults enjoying their lunches.
Mayumi smiled. "You sure? You look like you could use someone to talk to."
The blonde shook her head. "I don't really want to bother…"
"Don't worry about it. It's pretty much my break time, anyway, maybe a couple minutes early," Mayumi assured her. The waitress hopped up onto the nearest barstool and turned to face Mary. "So, why the face?"
For a moment Mary remained silent, wondering whether or not she should confide in the woman sitting next to her. Taking a sip of her soda, she decided to go for it. "Well, it's…I just keep thinking about this guy." Inwardly she cringed at the admission, not noticing the shine in Mayumi's eyes or the slight smile that tugged on the waitress's lips.
"Oh?" Mayumi's expression was curious, but not invasive. She waited for Mary to continue.
Mary nodded. "Uh-huh. I don't know why, either. I mean, I've known him so long…"
"Is he cute?" The smile on Mayumi's face blossomed into a grin at the furious blushing on the young girl's face. Mary nodded, face still bright red. "First crush?"
Mary choked on her soda, in reaction to Mayumi's question. After a few good thumps to her back, she uttered a startled "What?" and looked at the woman with a startled expression on her face.
Mayumi grinned impishly. "You know, where you like a boy as more than just a friend or something. Look, how old are you?"
"I'm twelve, why?"
"Well, given your reaction to my question, and the fact that you're practically stammering all over the place, I'm guessing you don't have much experience with boys." Mayumi's expression turned gentle. "Don't worry to much about it. It's pretty normal for a twelve year old girl to have a crush on someone. Heck, I had one when I was ten."
Mary smiled at Mayumi's rambling, the expression returned. "Thanks."
"Hey, don't mention it." Mayumi looked up at the wall behind the bar and swore lightly. "Back to work for me."
---
Gingerly, Shelley held the thin flimsy between her fingers, staring at the information printed on them, though her eyes refused to make sense of the words. Instead she focused on the images.
They were standard dossier-style profiles, typical throughout the Federation from everything to education to employment. Near the top right of the flimsy an image of a youngish woman with black hair and lavender eyes stared out at Shelley, smile obviously forced. The girl stared back, searching for familiar features. The woman had Mary's round chin, and what reminded Shelley of her own slightly narrow eyes.
Absently Shelley shook her head, and placed the flimsy in the small bag she'd brought with her. Now that she'd found what she'd been looking for—or at least, she thought she had—she wondered how to proceed. Find out where they were? Reintroduce themselves? She shook her head again, deciding against any further action, at least not until she showed her findings to her sister.
She wondered how Mary would react.