Startled by the sanctimony of David’s scathing accusations, Aria didn’t answer either.
“We’re not contributing anything,” David continued. “We’re living off old money. Collectively, our current lives aren’t worth a single one of those we’re stealing, much less the tens and hundreds and thousands that we’d eventually have sacrificed. And for what?”
Again David paused.
Again neither answered.
“Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why we deserve to be immortal? Why we should be at the apex of human evolution? Look at us. Look at what we’re doing. We’re contributing nothing.” He brought his fist down, rocking the table as at long last he let a little of his rage release.
“It’s not a question of deserving,” Pierce said, his own anger barely in check. “We’re doing what people always do, and have always done. All people, throughout all of history. We’re seizing an opportunity.”
“Yes, we are. Is it making you happy, Pierce? Aria?” David swiveled his head like a tank turret as he released the verbal barrage. “Are you in better spirits than you were before I put Eos in your veins? Is that additional glee enough to outweigh the joy you took from the world when you replaced a fellow human being?”
As he studied their stunned faces, David got the impression that he might be breaking through. That his pointed questions and perfect logic stood a chance of hitting home.
“We don’t have to keep replacing people. We could go with the less secure solution, if that’s what this is all about,” Pierce said, practically spitting the words. “I don’t remember you taking a mighty moral stance before the big vote—when it would have been productive.”
“I do,” Aria said, her voice now soft with shock. “Three times David tried to dissuade us, but it was eight to one. So he gave in, and went along.”
“Better you had fought us then, in the open, than snipe at us now, in secret,” Pierce said. “You’re a coward.”
David took a deep breath, and willed his blood pressure down. He exhaled slowly, then spoke in a calm voice. “Immortality was a great experiment. But the data is in. We have twenty years’ worth. We were the best of society going in. Hard working, highly educated, well intentioned, Mensa members. Honest, forthright, and ambitious. Then we gained the ultimate prize. What happened? We stopped contributing to society and morphed into murderers.”
Pierce’s face faded from red to pale.
Aria started streaming tears. “You’re the killer. You killed Allison and Lisa and Camilla. Felix and Ries and even Eric, your best friend. You killed your best friend, David. First of all.”
Pierce hopped in before David could respond, his voice on the verge of hysteria. “The replacements are almost complete. Why now? Why not wait another twenty years? By then we’d all have lived average lifespans, more or less.”
David bowed his head. “I was afraid I’d weaken if I waited. Talking myself into taking your selfish attitude would be the easiest thing in the world. The day we voted in favor of replacements, I knew what I had to do. I’d brought this scourge on the planet, so it was up to me to eradicate it. I didn’t want to kill. I don’t want to die. But what I want is insignificant compared to the collective need. That’s what every hero understands.”
Aria gasped. “You think you’re a hero?”
“I think I have a lot to make amends for. Like Oppenheimer and Nobel. But even knowing that, I struggled. I procrastinated by devising elaborate plans, so everyone could pass painlessly while happy, rather than crouched in a corner hiding from a gun.”
“Why didn’t you just set off a bomb at the last meeting?” Pierce asked. “I’m sure you know how to build one of those.”
David turned to face the financier. “I considered it. In fact, that was my first impulse—albeit with something more elegant. But as I thought it through, I realized how important it was to spread our deaths around. A mass killing of affluent people like us would lead to an extensive investigation, increasing the odds that our special status would be discovered and our research ultimately replicated. Then some other group would be back where we started, endangering the planet. And we’d have died in vain.”
He turned to Aria. “As for Eric, I killed him first so I wouldn’t lose my nerve. I knew that if I murdered my best friend, I’d never go back—and the planet would be safe. So I did my homework, then secretly repacked his parachutes.
“Camilla was next. She inhaled a dose of anesthetic, and passed away in her sleep. And so on. You know the details.”
Rather than respond with words, Aria conjured up a gun. She probably had it strapped to the bottom of the table. That explained the name cards.
She pointed it at his chest with a practiced grip. “Pierce and I will be keeping your philosophical ramblings in mind—for the next thousand years.”
David noted her stance, then studied the black mouth of the unwavering barrel. The safety was off, and a little red flag indicated a chambered round. He wondered when she’d acquired shooting skills.
Aria read his mind. “All that practice with paper targets, but until this moment, I didn’t know if I’d have the courage to shoot a person when the time came. Now I know that I needn’t have worried. As I point this gun at your heart, the only thing I’m feeling is relief.”
69
Stellar
LESLEY HAD NOT REPLIED by the time Skylar and I returned to our room after dinner. We’d dined on seafood instead of Chinese, selecting a trendy beachfront restaurant with beautiful views and a vibrant atmosphere instead of grabbing takeout. All successfully charged to Tory’s Amex seconds before we skedaddled out the door.
While I was eager to hear if the CIA’s cached internet search would shed light on Aria and her island, the slow response was probably a blessing. Our day had been very long and incredibly momentous. It was time to get some sleep.
I wanted to climb beneath the covers beside Skylar, but hesitated to assume. And since our love-making tension-releasing sessions had been in her bed, I couldn’t climb into mine and let her decide. Hers was the de facto shared bed.
I decided to punt. “You can use the bathroom first. I’ll do a bit of research. Look into yacht charters.”
“I was thinking about a bath,” Skylar replied.
“Sure. Take your time.”
I heard the water start running and then the brushing of teeth, but the door didn’t close when the water turned off, and I didn’t detect the sound of Skylar settling into the tub. I looked over to see her standing in the bathroom door, wearing only a grin. “I was hoping you’d join me.”
I experienced an immediate capillary reaction. Before I knew it, I was kicking my shorts across the bathroom floor.
Refueled by our delicious dinner and once again unhindered by clothes, we kissed with the extreme enthusiasm of kids who’d never locked lips before, hands stroking and heads weaving and bodies bumping about. The first time I came up for breath, I lifted Skylar’s naked body onto the bathroom counter. It was scant and slippery but proved just the right height for joining bodies in a second location.
Our third act of love came to a swift conclusion. I wasn’t sure if it was practice or just my body signaling that the hour was too late to dillydally.
With her long legs still wrapped around my waist, I carried Skylar into the tub where I slowly dropped to my knees. That went well enough, but I ended up sloshing a wet wave onto the floor as I lowered us into a prone position, drenching our discarded clothes in the process.
While we attempted to get comfortable in the tiny tub, I looked into her eyes. “You’re beautiful.”
“You’re athletic.” She winked, and I laughed.