The Settlers (6 page)

Ships, she thought.
Ships like mine.
 

On that day, one hundred ships had set out for Ganymede.
In the next six weeks, those ships would return to the Earth, scoop up more passengers, and return to the space station.
 

Tasneem closed her eyes.

The first wave of settlers were away.

And then what happened?
 

My doctor contacted me -- I had called him earlier.
I didn't really know who to talk to -- I was panicked, I guess.
 

Did he come to the Upper Ward to meet you?
 

He did.
 

But he was too late.
 

We were all too late.
 

When you arrived, David Dewbury was already dead.
 

Yes.
 

Did your doctor -- Doctor Emil Widla, is that correct?
 

That's -- yes.
Doctor Widla.

Did he say how Mr.
Dewbury had died?
 

Objection.
Secondhand.

I'll rephrase.
Doctor Widla expressed an opinion about Mr.
Dewbury's cause of death, is that correct?

Yes.
 

And what did Dr.
Widla say?
 

He said -- he said that David had been given Amrita.

Amrita.
Not Soma?
 

No.
Not Soma.
 

Did you ask him what Amrita was?
 

I did.
 

And what did he say?
 

He said that Amrita was a biologically-corrupt strain of Soma.

Did you ask what that meant?
 

He told me.
I don't think I asked.

What did he say about it?
 

He said that Soma enhanced your DNA, but that Amrita was like white noise.
He said it scrambled your DNA.
 

Scrambled your DNA.

Yes.
That's what he said.

Ms.
Kyoh, did you see Mr.
Dewbury inside the residence?

Yes.
 

And what was his condition?

Please don't make me say.
 

Ms.
Kyoh, please answer the question.

I -- he -- goddammit.
He looked like something inside of him had exploded.
It was horrible.
 

Like some sort of bomb?

No.
Not like a bomb, not like with shrapnel or anything.
It was like -- it was like a dye pack had exploded inside of him.
 

How do you mean?

Just under his skin, all over his body, everything had turned an awful purple-black.
Like he had rotted inside, and you could almost see through his skin.
 

And how long did Dr.
Widla think he had been dead?
 

Objection.
Speculative.

Overruled.
Continue.

Let me ask again.
How long did Dr.
Emil Widla think that Mr.
Dewbury had been dead?

He said David had been dead for probably fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes.
And his condition, did that look recent to you?

Jesus.
He looked like -- it was like he had been dead for days.
It was so awful.

And can you tell us, while you were in the residence, did you see any sign of Mr.
Bogleman?
 

No.
It was like nobody lived there at all.
It was completely empty.

And the glass walls, were they transparent when you entered?

No.
They were opaque.
 

So it was dark inside.
 

Mostly, yes.
 

And you're sure you didn't see Mr.
Bogleman?

I'm positive.
It was just David.
 

What about Mrs.
Dewbury?
She wasn't present?
 

No.
Audra wasn't there.

But you saw her later?
 

They haven't allowed me to see her.

By they, you mean the hospital staff, correct?

Yes.
Nobody will let me see her.
She must be so scared.

And why is Mrs.
Dewbury in the hospital?

I don't know.

You were told something, though.

Yes.

What was it?

I was told that she had suffered a mental break.

Administrator Dewbury.

Yes.
 

And do you believe that to be true?
 

I don't know.
I can't see her.
She's a strong woman, but --

But?

If that had happened to my significant other, I probably would have had a mental break as well.

Ms.
Kyoh, one last question.
Do you still intend to have the treatment?
Do you still intend to take Soma?

I --
 

Please answer the question.

I do.
Yes, I do.

No more questions.
Thank you, Ms.
Kyoh.
 

The deposition is broadcast throughout the fleet -- not only on Aries, but on Ganymede and Cassiopeia, too.
Within minutes of its ending, Tasneem's wrist is vibrating ceaselessly.
She presses until the vibrations stop, and exhales slowly.
She's standing in a surprisingly quiet room on the eighth level of the attorney's office, looking down at the concourse below.
There's a small crowd, most of them journalists.
There are a few blogbots hovering at the edge of the gathering.
 

She'll wait a few minutes to see how many leave.
 

The lawyer who interviewed her leans into the room.
Tasneem, are you okay?
 

Tasneem turns.
Just taking a moment before I go outside.
There's not a back entrance or anything, is there?

I'm sorry, no.
I'm afraid I'll need this room in about ten minutes, unfortunately.
 

Tasneem says, Of course.

The lawyer nods and ducks out of the room again.

On the concourse she can see a few signs, but she's too high to read them.
There aren't enough people gathered to make a scene, but she's dreading the gauntlet anyway.
She's never been a person of interest to the media before, and she's reluctant to begin now.
 

She bows her head.
If only Audra was here with her now.
 

And poor, sad David.
 

She doesn't allow herself to cry.
 

Not in this room.
Not until she is home, in her quiet apartment with its quiet walls and its cool floors and pale light.
There, in her safest place, she will mourn her friend.

Blair is in the lobby, but she almost walks right by him.
 

Tasneem, he says, touching her hand.

She stops.
Oh.
Hey.
 

Hey.
You okay?
That was -- that seemed difficult.
 

You saw it?
 

I think everybody saw it.
David was pretty important to these people.

Tasneem looks past Blair to the crowd outside.
Yeah, she says.
 

You alright?
he asks again.
 

She shifts her focus to Blair.
Are you asking as a friend or as a journalist?

Well, not as a journalist.
Are we friends?

They don't look like they're going to be very nice to me, she says, nodding towards the reporters waiting outside.
 

Maybe not, Blair agrees.
They don't know you like I do.

You don't know me at all, Tasneem says.

Well,
yet
.
 

I don't know what that means, Tasneem says.
You're bothering me.

I can help get you through the crowd, if you like.

She eyes Blair suspiciously.
How?
 

There, Blair announces.
Pretty good, huh?
 

That snarky bitch, Tasneem says.
She lied to me.
 

Blair turns around in the doorway.
What?

Nothing.
The lawyer, Tasneem says.
She said there wasn't another exit.