Page 47 of Breaking Point
The whole ship wasangry.Hostile.
For the next few days, Brice monitored the Forum with sharp attention.
The tension existed beyond the Forum.Brice hadn’t noticed it because he had been too deeply focused upon his own concerns.It seemed to hang like a pall over the entire ship.In the Aventine market, at lunchtime, people snapped at each other.Customers shouted at vendors.No one stopped to listen to the musicians, or applauded their music, and the players would hit sour notes, as if they weren’t engaged with the performance either.
No one came up to Brice and babbled at him about tankball.No one.A few people would nod at him and give a brusque “Falcon,” as they hurried by.
In the evenings, it felt as though the entire ship was on the Forum, all speaking at once.The conversations blended, became a sound wall, a text-based scream.The fury over Devar’s prescribed fate was almost palpable.
The comments and messages were all variations of a single theme.Punish Devar for rigging a game, and killing people, sure.Execute him?That’s not what we do on this ship.That’s not the Endurance way.None of us deserves to live if he dies.
Brice grew aware of the beat of his heart, running faster than usual, all through the day, as if his instincts were braced and waiting for something to happen.
Three days after he spoke to Devar on the Bridge, Brice walked from the Palatine hub to the Aventine, and realized just how long it was since he had taken an extended walk.He realized why; walking the length of the Artery meant passing the Capitol, and Luciana’s house sitting within sight of the rail line.
He had recovered his composure by the time he reached the office.As soon as he arrived, Cathi hurried up to him.“Bronson would like you to stop by.He asked me to watch out for you.”
“He’s here already?”It was early for Bronson.
“In his office.”Cathi bit her lip and hurried away.It was another odd note.Cathi normally hovered to check if he needed anything else.
Brice made his way to Bronson’s big office, leaning heavily on the cane.He had taxed the bad leg with the walk from the Palatine.He would pay for that today.He should have kept up the walking.
He knocked and stepped into Bronson’s office.
Jenny was sitting in one of the comfortable visitor chairs in front of Bronson’s desk, leaning over with her face in her hands, while Bronson ineffectively patted her shoulder.Bronson looked relieved to see Brice.
Jenny looked up.Her face was red and puffy, most of the loveliness disguised.
“What’s happened?”Brice asked.
Bronson sighed.“She’s been assigned a child.”
Jenny jumped to her feet and hurried over to Brice.“The other parent isn’t Marianne!”She threw her arms around Brice’s neck and sobbed.
Brice held her while she cried and soothed her with gentle pats.“Who is the other parent?”
“Some guy,” Bronson said, with another sigh.“He’s just as unhappy.He’s got a partner, too.”
“I didn’t think we’d ever get a baby,” Jenny said into Brice’s shoulder.“We don’t fit the parent profile.I can’t refuse a child!”
More of Lakewood’s typecasting and value judgements.Brice was beginning to dislike the man.“The accouchement AIs know what they’re doing,” he said.“They can’t pay attention to who is living with whom.They’d never keep up.”
Jenny had stopped crying.Now she gave another hiccupping sob.Bronson winced.
Brice lifted Jenny’s face, so she was looking at him.“There’s an easy fix for this, you know.”
Jenny sniffed.“There is?”
He nodded.“You should read more history.It’s right there on the Forum.The dress designer, Liya Cassel.Her partner was assigned a child, and the other parent was also in a committed relationship.So the four of them set up a house and raised the child together.”
Jenny’s mouth dropped open.
Bronson said, “I think one of them was a Skinwalker, too.”
“Cassel’s partner, the parent.It was a scandal at the time, because Skinwalkers were an extremely high-risk profession,” Brice said.“Yet having three other parents off-set even that factor.”
Jenny twisted her hands together.“That…might work,” she whispered.Hope soared in her eyes.“I’ve been sick since I got the message from the Institute.I didn’t want to give up the baby.Especially now, when the ship needs children so badly.”She drew in a breath and gave another great sniff.“I need to talk to Marianne.And Neil…”
