The Seeds of Time Read Online Free PDF Page A

huh?”
    “Hey. I don’t mind. As pilot, I can tell them exactly what happened. They need me. Those other guys? Those retroids weren’t on the bridge, they weren’t
there
. So they spend all afternoon talking to every freeping crewmate except the man who knows the score. Ain’t that the bureaucracy for you?” He shook his head slowly at the palpable idiocy of the thing.
    Clio wasn’t listening. She concentrated on digesting the last of her stomach. Repeating her story to herself. Practicing surprise at the discussion of her missing blood sample.
But the doc can tell you, sir, we got a sample, all right. Must be there
. Blink innocently.
    “Plus, I can put in a good word for you, Clio, if things go bad in there.” Teeg glanced to see if he had her attention, pushed on anyway. “They’re always trying to pin shit on the pilots. I can tell them you did just fine.” He patted her knee. Looked up at her. Withdrew his hand.
    “Trouble with you Teeg?” Clio said. “You just don’tget how the Bureau works.” The pat on the knee had pushed her over the edge. “See, the Bureau doesn’t give a shit what happened, or who was at fault. That don’t mean null to them. What they care about is who’s the most expendable son of a bitch they can pin this on so they can get rid of some troublemaker, write up a nice report and get out of there before supper. And at your salary, might be you they’re ready to retire. Bring in some young hotshot willing to work for half your wage. Yeah, it’s probably you that’s gonna take the fall.”
    A deep frown creased Teeg’s forehead. “You bloody bitch. You think you don’t need anybody, Clio, but someday you’re going to need me. Then we’ll see how you do, Miss Red.”
    Clio hoped desperately that Teeg would now shut up. She needed time to worry. It was deep shit this time, no mistake. The Bureau was real touchy about the rules, and it was against the rules to get crew killed. But, damn, that was Russo’s fault, not hers. Truth was, she had pulled
Starhawk
out of the trouble she got it into, with only a dent in the side of the ship. But sending the mission out when there might be damage—bad damage as it turned out—that was on Russo or Biotime, no way you could blame the Dive pilot. Except that, as a side matter, they drew blood, and, oh, by the way, pilot, you’re busted.
    Illegal drugs. They would jump on that. The Bureau liked simple answers, they worked better in the press release.
    This was her first hearing at BTM. Could be her last. Here’s where her whole story, her whole life, could unravel. Pick a thread and pull. Start with a routine accident investigation, start probing her past, learn about Mom and Elsie, their crimes. And Clio’s crime. Get Social and Drug Enforcement on the case. Oh, there was enough to put her away a long, long time. Slam her in a quarry and forget she’s there. Her mother’s fate.
    Despite all the plans and the practice escapes, the quarries waited. Slap the queers and the druggies and the dyingin quarantine. Tuck in a few political undesirables. Keep them out of sight of the clean families.
    When the door opened, both Clio and Teeg snapped to.
    “Antoinette Speery-Hall.” Clio got to her feet. Shit. Nobody had called her that since she joined Biotime. No respect.
    Teeg looked up at her incredulously.
“Antoinette?”
    Clio threw him a dazzling smile. “As in the French queen, you know?”
    Teeg twisted around to watch her disappear through the door. “Didn’t they cut off her head?” But the door was already closing behind her.
    She entered a shadowy room, cavernous, high-ceilinged, and quiet. Along one wall, narrow, mullioned windows stretched to the ceiling, revealing a rare elm tree outside which was so massive its foliage permitted only a thin gruel of light to enter the room. As Clio moved forward, she saw that the committee sat at a lone table anchoring down a maroon Persian carpet of faded splendor. Over the table, a