The Seeds of Time Read Free

down her sides as she let the thought sink in. God, oh God. Biotime would jerk her back so fast it’d make her head swim. She’d get her retirement real fast, the whole ex-Diver package, a lump sum and maybe a slot as a tech on Vanda Station, so she could hang out near the spacers and shoot the shit with the other old Divers. An unwelcome voice in her head summed it up:
It’s 2019, you’re twenty-seven years old, and you’re finished, sister
.
    Or if they weren’t feeling generous, she’d go Earthside, and she didn’t want to think about that, oh no.
    Then she noticed the bandage strip on her arm.
Jesus, a blood draw
. They’d taken her blood while she was passed out, a kind of medical rape. Anger stirred, propelling her off the pallet.
    She combed every square inch of the medlab cold hatches. No blood sample. She started to go through the hatches a third time, stopped herself, sat on the bunk, holding herself and trying to stop shaking.
    She punched up Hillis’ cabin on intercom. “Hill. I’m in medlab. I’m lonely.” In a tone of voice that said, I’m horny. You never knew who might be listening, so give them an earful, let them imagine Hillis and her together like a couple of rabbits. She had, many times.
    Hillis answered, “You OK?”
    “Come find out.”
    “On my way.”
    A few minutes later he swung into medlab, leaned against the door. He watched her, a half smile edging the side of his mouth. Hillis was lean without being thin, honed by a high-strung temperament. He was good-looking if you liked high foreheads, sharp features. Clio did. Built for speed was how she thought of Hillis. His wiry, light brown hair was cropped close, like all the crew’s, but still it was wavy, or maybe coiled. Bright blue eyes watching Clio with sardonic patience.
    “They took a sample. While I was asleep, goddamn it.”
    “What do you want me to do?’
    “Find it. It’s not in here. I looked.”
    He nodded. “OK, I’ll look around. Should be easy in all the confusion out there.”
    “What confusion?”
    “One of the launch bay doors is jammed.”
    Stomach beginning to shred, awash in acid. “Jammed?”
    “Dented from the collision, they figure.” Her face must have been easy to read. “Don’t worry, they’ll fix it.”
    Clio was shaking hard by now. He drew her into his arms. “Those pills are poison, Clio.”
    “It’s not the pills. Just scared to freeping death.”
    “I’ll find the sample. Don’t worry.”
    She called up a fairly steady smile. “Who’ll worry if I don’t?”
    “Nobody. Nobody does it better than you.” He turned to go.
    “I love you Hillis.”
    He paused at the door. “I love you too. I’d hate to see you kill yourself with that shit.”
    “I’m going to quit.”
    Hillis looked at her a few moments. “We’re both outlaws, you know.”
    “We’re only doing what we have to. I need Recon, Hill. I haven’t got anything else.”
    “Those pills aren’t going to pull you through. Nobody lasts this long, Clio. Nobody lasts fifty-five Dives.”
    “Shit. You’re counting too. Maybe I’m the exception, Hill, maybe I’ll last.” She flashed him a grin.
    He shrugged. “Maybe you will.” Then he was gone.
    Clio forced some food down and tried to sleep some more. She ended up lying on her bunk, eyes wide open, wondering how much trouble she was in and how to lie her way out.
    Before her watch—way before—came a sharp command over the intercom: “Lieutenant Finn to the bridge, ASAP.”
    Clio’s boots hit the deck. She tore out of her cabin, ran down the corridor, shaking the cobwebs out of her head, her heart pounding.
    The captain and Teeg were intent on the monitors, the bluish light from the panels making their faces look sickly.
    Russo’s voice was raspy. “
Babyhawk
’s turned around, Lieutenant. Aborting mission; we got casualties.”
    Casualties. God
. Clio slid into her chair.
    “Helm to you, Finn. Teeg, get off the bridge. You’re too damn tired.”
    He