Andrew Mackay - Infinity Claws

“No,” Wool said, “I can’t argue with that. She can’t have helped.”

“So, how much trouble are we in?” Emily rubbed Jamie’s knee, signing that she had everything under control. “Just so you know, we intend to get representation in court. We can’t be held responsible—”

“—in court?” Maar asked, confused. “Why would you need a lawyer?”

“Well, because of all this. You’re suing us, aren’t you?”

Maar and Dimitri looked at each other, realizing that the woman had gotten the wrong end of the stick. Maar spoke slowly, intending to correct her.

“Uh, no… we’re not planning to sue you.”

“No?”

“No. Actually, we want to use Jelly. We consider her to be the winner in all this.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Jamie’s ears pricked up. He felt an internal whirl of delight. “You mean Jelly won?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Tripp looked at Emily and threw her a smile. “Bisoubisou can’t go. But Jelly can, if you allow it.”

Emily shook her head instinctively. She didn’t want to hear another word.

“No, no, no, you don’t get to do this to us. To Jelly. No, a thousand times no.”

“How about two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand times yes ?” Dimitri tried.

“You can’t seriously be suggesting that Jelly take Bisoubisou’s place?”

“That is what we’re suggesting,” Dimitri glanced over at his colleagues. “Jelly, here, proved a number of things. One, she’s the best candidate for the task. Two, she technically beat the competition. It’s just a shame that the results were announced before—”

Emily slammed the table, her emotions get the better of her. Jelly growled in her cage as she felt the impact.

“You forced our cat to attack her. She had no choice. Jelly was defending herself. How dare you suggest she’s a killer.”

“We didn’t say she was,” Maar said. “All we’re saying is that, technically, she won.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Emilly grabbed her son’s hand and the handle on Jelly’s carry case. “We’re leaving. Let us out.”

She marched Jamie toward the door, leaving a thoroughly disappointed USARIC team behind her.

Just one, last baiting technique was left to be dealt by Maar. “Of course, if Jelly won, which she did, then that also means her family won the prize money.”

Emily stopped before the door and closed her eyes. “What?”

Maar rose from his seat. “Perhaps my colleague wasn’t clear enough a moment ago. The two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollar final prize,” Maar grinned behind her back, much to Dimitri’s amusement. “It’s all yours. You won.”

Emily paused for a second longer and thoroughly digested this new dilemma. She had two options available to her.

1: Uphold her and her family’s dignity and walk away. Sure, they’d be broke. Jamie wouldn’t get out of Chrome Valley and lead a life worth living. Back to a life of obscurity. Or…

2: She could accept. The money would at least go some way to dampen the effect of the issues raised on point one. It might afford them opportunities in life.

Of course, Emily settled on the latter of the two options. But some caveats she’d yet to think of would need to be put in place.

Emily turned around and made sure they saw her displeased reaction. “The money?”

“That’s right, Emily ,” Maar said. “It’s yours.”

“Right.”

She walked back to the conference desk with Jamie.

“Mom, what are we doing?”

“Be quiet, poppet,” she said, sitting into her seat and pressing her hands together. “I will allow Jelly to take part on two conditions.”

“We are all ears,” Dimitri said, suppressing the urge to smile at USARIC’s impending victory.

“The money. Half of it is to be transferred directly into a secure fund for my son when he reaches eighteen.”

“Mom?”

“Hush, poppet.” She turned to Maar and Dimitri for an answer.

“Of course, as you wish.”

“Okay,” Emily continued, “Two. You go out there right now and tell that poor family what happened to their pet.”

This is a condition USARIC did not want to entertain. Maar leaned forward and pleaded with her. “The Gagarin family are under the impression Bisoubisou is alive and well and a part of the Opera Beta mission.”

“I don’t care. Do you understand?” Emily said, defiantly, “If you want Jelly, you will go out there and tell that little Russian boy that his cat died because of you… and us.”

“Are you out of your tiny English mind?” Dimitri yelped. “Emily, I beg you to reconsider.”

“And stop calling me Emily ,” she fumed, wondering why the men in the room weren’t using formal address. “You don’t know me. We’re not on first-name terms.”

“I’m sorry if I offended you, but—”

“—Stop talking. I don’t want your apologies.”

Emily took a moment to catch her breath and calm down, much to the consternation of those in the room.

“That’s the offer,” she said. “I want proof of them having been told. I can be there with you if you like, but I need to know you did it.”

“One moment, please,” Maar said.

He and Dimitri whispered to each other, holding their hands over their mouths.

Emily tried to catch on to what they were saying, but their conversation was surreptitious to a fault.

Wool and Tripp looked away from Emily and, instead, smiled at Jamie.

“Looking at my son won’t do any good, mate,” she said to Tripp. “This condition isn’t up for negotiation.”

Wool tried for a smile. “You do know that if Jelly joins us on the mission to Saturn, she’ll be an instrumental part in deciphering the first extra-terrestrial message we’ve ever received. It could be a life changing event.”

“Saturn?” Jamie blurted. “She’s going to Saturn?”

“I’m sure it will be a life-changing event,” Emily smiled back at her, though somewhat angrily. “Let’s hope your bosses make the right decision.”

Maar and Dimitri adjusted their ties and cleared their throats. “We have decided on a compromise.”

“It’d better be good.”

“We will inform Remy and his family of what happened to his cat. But we would rather keep this update hidden from the public.”

“Fine by me. I don’t care about the public,” Emily said, somewhat satisfied. “All I care about is them being told.”

“Relations right now between our two countries are not exactly strong, despite our confederacy,” Dimitri said. “We are trying to strengthen our relationship and abide by the 2085 Bering Treaty. If word gets out that a Russian citizen died during this process, it could start a second cold war.”

“So, you’ll tell them?”

“Yes,” Maar said, “And as far as everyone is concerned, Bisoubisou is alive and well and a member of the crew of Space Opera Beta. No one will know that Jelly took her place. We pay the Gagarin family for their silence, and pay you for your participation—”

“—and everybody is happy,” Dimitri finished.

A sense of satisfaction settled across the table.

Emily looked through the bars of Jelly’s carry case. The cat looked back at her and licked her mouth.

“I suppose that suits us,” Emily said, taking a final glance at the team. “It looks like you’ve got yourselves your first cat in space.”

“I guess that’s excellent,” Maar said. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Everyone stood up from their chairs and tucked them under the table. Business had been conducted, and USARIC and the Anderson family were happy.

“Mom?”

“What, poppet?”