memory. I have no one my age to compare against.”
“Excellent,”
she replied. He’s a quick study.
“Seems
too easy,” he said.
“A
lot of military and scientific organizations want to question you, so they will
likely bring in several independent experts to confirm everything you say. Then
they’ll pull you back in after every testimony for more questions. That’s why
you have your own waiting room. Together, we’ll lead them by the nose.”
“Right. What time is lunch?”
She cocked her head. “You don’t
seem to be taking this seriously.”
Stu recited the six expert names
and fields, Onesemo among them, without looking at the list. “But I don’t know
why a plague expert from the US Army would be useful.”
“Mira Hollis found him. He started
at Fortune Enterprises but works finding cures for genetically altered
diseases. He’s one of the few men with clearance to examine your DNA.”
“Why is my DNA so classified? Even my mouth swab was handled like uranium. ”
“The decontamination pods on your
ship performed unsanctioned human modifications.”
“To save lives.”
“For which I am grateful, but there
are strict i nternational rules against
spreading untested genetically modified plants, animals, and diseases. I have a
two-year safety process to implement any splice I propose.”
“So
until Toby’s notes and processes are carefully examined, you’re going to treat
me like mutant Ebola capable of wiping out all life on this planet,” Stu
summarized.
She smiled. “If you use the
keywords on this paper, the search will narrow to the expert we want. The art
is to direct them without their being aware that the choice is rigged. It’s
kind of like search-engine optimization.”
He gazed at her with disconcerting
admiration. “I bet you never lose.”
“It’s rare, but it happens.” Sometimes
just having me on the team can induce the opposition to settle out of court. “If you get stuck, remind the jury that this whole exercise is about finding
the truth.”
A clerk knocked on the door.
“They’re ready for Mr. Llewellyn.”
“Could we have pizza for lunch?
I’ve never had it before, and it’s the one thing my mom missed most on Sanctuary ,
aside from her family.”
“Sure. For what we’re charging an
hour for defense, we can afford to give the condemned man a decent meal.”
“You’re the best!” he replied,
gripping her in a brief hug.
That one compliment made her feel
better than any teacher’s praise had. At the same time, her gut twisted when
she realized she would use that trust to betray him.
****
At three in the afternoon, the jury recessed. Laura scanned
the jurors through the open doors. Several of the women wanted to take Stu home
with them. The last one was in full-blown lust. No one was overtly adversarial
except the frustrated prosecutor. Even the bailiff waved good-bye jovially. Way
to work the room, Llewellyn.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you over dinner. We’re
done for the day.”
Laura raised her eyebrows.
“Already?”
“They have to fly in witnesses for
tomorrow. Let’s go. I want to see more of the city.”
She shook her head. “Too dangerous.
We have the waiting room until five. Why don’t we eat in there?” He seemed
reluctant, so she added, “I ordered three types of pizza from three different
restaurants so you could sample to your heart’s content.”
“You silver-tongued vixen,” Stu
said with a grin. “You win.”
Laura sent the rest of the team
home except for a few guards and Onesemo. No sense costing the company too much
in billable hours. Once they were nestled into the bug-proof room, Stu fetched
a plate and began filling it like a kid in a candy story.
“What’s this yellow triangle?” Stu
asked.
“Pineapple—from Hawaii. It’s
sweet.”
He popped a chunk into his mouth
and made a show of moaning with pleasure. “Tongue-gasm.”
“What?” she asked, puzzled by the
coarse
“Excellent,”
she replied. He’s a quick study.
“Seems
too easy,” he said.
“A
lot of military and scientific organizations want to question you, so they will
likely bring in several independent experts to confirm everything you say. Then
they’ll pull you back in after every testimony for more questions. That’s why
you have your own waiting room. Together, we’ll lead them by the nose.”
“Right. What time is lunch?”
She cocked her head. “You don’t
seem to be taking this seriously.”
Stu recited the six expert names
and fields, Onesemo among them, without looking at the list. “But I don’t know
why a plague expert from the US Army would be useful.”
“Mira Hollis found him. He started
at Fortune Enterprises but works finding cures for genetically altered
diseases. He’s one of the few men with clearance to examine your DNA.”
“Why is my DNA so classified? Even my mouth swab was handled like uranium. ”
“The decontamination pods on your
ship performed unsanctioned human modifications.”
“To save lives.”
“For which I am grateful, but there
are strict i nternational rules against
spreading untested genetically modified plants, animals, and diseases. I have a
two-year safety process to implement any splice I propose.”
“So
until Toby’s notes and processes are carefully examined, you’re going to treat
me like mutant Ebola capable of wiping out all life on this planet,” Stu
summarized.
She smiled. “If you use the
keywords on this paper, the search will narrow to the expert we want. The art
is to direct them without their being aware that the choice is rigged. It’s
kind of like search-engine optimization.”
He gazed at her with disconcerting
admiration. “I bet you never lose.”
“It’s rare, but it happens.” Sometimes
just having me on the team can induce the opposition to settle out of court. “If you get stuck, remind the jury that this whole exercise is about finding
the truth.”
A clerk knocked on the door.
“They’re ready for Mr. Llewellyn.”
“Could we have pizza for lunch?
I’ve never had it before, and it’s the one thing my mom missed most on Sanctuary ,
aside from her family.”
“Sure. For what we’re charging an
hour for defense, we can afford to give the condemned man a decent meal.”
“You’re the best!” he replied,
gripping her in a brief hug.
That one compliment made her feel
better than any teacher’s praise had. At the same time, her gut twisted when
she realized she would use that trust to betray him.
****
At three in the afternoon, the jury recessed. Laura scanned
the jurors through the open doors. Several of the women wanted to take Stu home
with them. The last one was in full-blown lust. No one was overtly adversarial
except the frustrated prosecutor. Even the bailiff waved good-bye jovially. Way
to work the room, Llewellyn.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you over dinner. We’re
done for the day.”
Laura raised her eyebrows.
“Already?”
“They have to fly in witnesses for
tomorrow. Let’s go. I want to see more of the city.”
She shook her head. “Too dangerous.
We have the waiting room until five. Why don’t we eat in there?” He seemed
reluctant, so she added, “I ordered three types of pizza from three different
restaurants so you could sample to your heart’s content.”
“You silver-tongued vixen,” Stu
said with a grin. “You win.”
Laura sent the rest of the team
home except for a few guards and Onesemo. No sense costing the company too much
in billable hours. Once they were nestled into the bug-proof room, Stu fetched
a plate and began filling it like a kid in a candy story.
“What’s this yellow triangle?” Stu
asked.
“Pineapple—from Hawaii. It’s
sweet.”
He popped a chunk into his mouth
and made a show of moaning with pleasure. “Tongue-gasm.”
“What?” she asked, puzzled by the
coarse
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