Earth Legend (14 page)

But it was almost dead. There was no sign of
a blossom and I knew that there hadn't been for a long time. What
should have been lovely, soft greenery hung limply. It was well
cared for and normally that would have been enough but now, on the
Destiny, in the middle of deep space and in the strangeness of a
space ship, it needed something more. It needed me and the special
bond that my family has with green and growing things. To tell it
that things were all right. To get it past the fear of the unknown.
It had food and water but that hadn't been enough. Until now.

I took the violet and closed my eyes. Then I
did what I'd been trained to do, what I'd felt in me while a child
and that had been honed by both my family and my education. But I
did more. I did the exact opposite of what my family had taught me
to do. I brought that African violet back to life and health in
record time and I did it in front of an audience of non-believers.
I did it because my freedom… possibly my very life… and the lives
of the entire Destiny complement of people… depended on my doing
so.

When I opened my eyes, the violet was once
more a beautiful accessory with several colorful blossoms that the
Captain's wife put on a small table in a corner where it set off
the whole room in the lovely way. Her private smile said she liked
pretty things and enjoyed decorating her home. She was an
artist.

As her hands, with all those rings, left the
violet she turned to her husband. "She did what she said she'd do."
It was the first words she'd said. Her voice was low and husky and
somehow lovely. And lonely though I couldn't know what she was
lonely for.

"That's one plant. Not much of a
demonstration."

Cullen rose and pulled me up too. "Come to
the greenhouse. It's full of sick plants."

It wasn't far and the botanists didn't
appreciate an unannounced visit. But, as the head grower pointed
out, though the plants in the greenhouse were still sickly, the
rest of the crops on the Destiny were vibrant and so heavy with
abundance that the workers were having a hard time keeping up.

The Captain glanced at me. "How'd you guys do
it? How'd you cure whatever was wrong?"

The moment the head grower licked his lips
and wrung his hands to give himself time to come up with a
believable answer, the Captain knew they'd not saved the crops. I
had. But one African violet wasn't enough, he needed more proof.
"We're going to take a look around. None of you should come with
us. I'm sure you have things to do. Plants to grow. Experiments to
continue."

The scientists weren't happy. They suggested
we wait until they had the greenhouse back to normal before taking
our tour. They told us we'd be disappointed because they'd been too
busy outside the greenhouses to attend to the plants inside. They
said all kinds of things and the more they said the less the
Captain believed them.

"I feel like taking a couple of my friends
through the greenhouses and we're going now." The scientists melted
away as he walked through them, pulling Cullen and me along. Soon
we were back in the tomato house where Cullen once got his uniform
wet and where he'd found a sickly plant for me to revive. The whole
place looked awful. My heart sank as I surveyed the dead and dying
plants. I could help some of them, but there was no help for most
of them.

The Captain stopped as he took in the state
of the plants and sort of caught his breath. "Think you can do
something?"

At least he asked. He knew most were beyond
help. "Some of them can be saved."

He picked up a small plant that wasn't as bad
as most. "This one?"

"I think so."

He handed it to me and folded his arms.
"Okay. I'm waiting."

It was a nice plant, one of several hybrids
the scientists had been working on. As I closed my eyes and let my
mind drift to that place I access when near green things I realized
that they'd been on the right track. Given enough time they might
have developed strains that would grow in deep space. But there
hadn't been enough time.

When I opened my eyes the plant was healthy
again and there were several tiny, green tomatoes along the
branches. The Captain took it back and turned it over and over,
examining it closely. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd
never have believed it."

"This plant is a new kind. The scientists
were doing their best and they were close. They would have figured
it out eventually."

"In time to save our lives?"

"No."

He put the tomato plant back and led the way
to the other greenhouses. In each place, I brought one or more
plants back to health. By the time we'd gone through every
greenhouse and were finishing the circle that brought us back to
the offices, the Captain was a believer. "Cullen was right. We need
you."

"I promise to do my best."

Those grizzled eyebrows rose. "If?"

"You let me go free." My lips were stiff, it
was hard to speak but this was important.

"Then you're free."

For a long time I couldn't say a single word.
Then I said simply, "Thank you."

If we continued, we'd be back with the
scientists in moments but the Captain held out an arm to stop us.
"Free, but with conditions."

"Such as?" Any conditions at all, I almost
said, as long as they don't involve an airlock with me in it. But I
kept my head about me and asked what the conditions were and tried
to sound like I was negotiating terms when actually I was giving
thanks.

"You did stow away and that's a felony. There
were mitigating circumstances, I admit, you do happen to have an
essential ability… a trick… that we didn't know we needed. But we
do. So I'm glad you're aboard and I acknowledge your importance to
the continued health of the people under my charge.

But you missed out on the usual background
searches and psychological testing applicants were put through.
You're an unknown quantity and that could be a problem, not to
mention that all the colonists who did go through that rigorous
screening might resent you just waltzing on board and they might
not be as nice as I'm being right now. In fact, they might not be
nice at all. I've heard the gossip. There are people on board who
think those chosen as colonists are the best of the best and they
aren't shy about saying so and I've seen fights break out over
whose genes are the most superior.

"So. I want to know where you are and what
you're doing at all times and I'm charging Cullen with the task of
keeping track of you and keeping you safe."

Cullen nodded. "I'll get my best men on it.
She'll have someone with her twenty-four seven."

The Captain shook his head. "Not your best
men. You. I want you to keep her safe."

Cullen's mouth dropped open. "Me? Just me?
Twenty-four seven? How can I manage that?"

"That's your problem. Move her in with you.
Move in with her. Do what you have to do. Drag her along whenever
you go. Follow her everywhere. I don't care how you keep tabs on
her, just so long as you do and you do it yourself. No one else
will believe what we just saw so you're elected."

"I have a job."

"You're the most compulsively organized
person I know. Security runs like clockwork, thanks to you. Which
means that your presence isn't necessary."

Cullen had nothing to say except, "Yes
sir."

We were at the door to the main room. The
scientists were beyond, awaiting our return. Their faces were
anxious. I tugged at the Captain's sleeve. "If it's all right with
you, Sir, I'd rather as few people as possible know about my … er …
gift."

"Why?" His huge head hung over mine and his
eyes held the fierce gaze of an eagle.

"Because whenever people find out about us,
bad things happen."

"Like witches being burned?"

"And other things."

He nodded. "I understand. It'll be our little
secret." He thumped Cullen on the back. "You'll come up with some
story as to why you're stuck to her like glue."

Cullen wilted. "People will think we're
having an affair."

"Good idea. Simple and believable. In fact
it's perfect. Everyone has been wondering about you. No social
life, no girlfriend. There have been questions, believe me. Now
those questions will be answered." He thumped him again. "Even if
the answer is a lie."

He examined me again. "You're not a
bad-looking woman and you seem intelligent and I know you are
educated." Up and down, head to toe, with that eagle eye. "So, now
that I know your story, I'm wondering. Why go to all the trouble of
stowing away? Why didn't you just apply to be a colonist?"

I licked my lips and hoped my answer didn't
send me out that airlock after all. "We tired. Lots of us applied
but we were all turned down."

"You look healthy to me."

"Applicants were screened for genetic
diseases and abnormalities. Our genes are unusual. Different.
Abnormal. So our applications were refused."

"And it's that abnormality that gives you
your gift?"

"Yes."

He nodded that he understood and dropped his
hand from the door that separated us from the scientists who were
ready to pounce the instant they got me alone. He glared at Cullen.
"I don't want anything to happen to this young lady. She's unique,
one of a kind, and evidently we need her. So make sure everyone
thinks you two are having an affair or whatever you decide will do
the trick." Cullen's hand was on my arm, ready to propel me through
the door the instant it opened. The Captain took a step back,
examined the two of us and grimaced. "If an affair is to be your
cover, Cullen, you'd best do more than touch this young lady as if
she were an insect. You'd best work hard to convince everyone that
the two of you are lovers. Give them a reason to accept her and
make it good. If that's going to be your cover."

He pushed open the door to the scientists,
who were anxiously awaiting his comments on their greenhouses. He
didn't disappoint them, towering over them though physically he
wasn't taller as he said, "Pretty sad what I saw back there."

To a man, they cringed. "We were busy with
the crops in the fields. We planned to get around to the
greenhouses when we could."

The Captain pointed to me. "This lady has a
degree in botany. She isn't busy and you are. So I'm assigning her
to the greenhouses as soon as she can get out of her current
job."

"When will she be available?" The head grower
tried to look happy while sending daggers in my direction.

The Captain smiled so broadly that everyone
knew he'd caught that nasty look and was ignoring it because he
knew no one would dare flaunt his wishes. "How soon do you think,
Elle?" I was under his protection and they'd better not touch a
hair on my head.

"I have to give notice and train a
replacement." As if harvesting apples required lessons. But I was
determined to put off my employment in the greenhouses as long as
possible.

Once outside, we found the Captain's wife on
the sidewalk, all dressed up, young and lovely and in love with her
important husband. He groaned under his breath and said, "I forgot.
I promised to meet Darlene for lunch. Guess your little
demonstration sent everything else out of my mind." He waved to her
and she came close and tipped her head in question. "Yes, Darlene,
she's the real deal."

Darlene stared at me in awe and, propelled by
her husband who wanted to get her away from me and my abnormal
genes as soon as possible, they disappeared in the direction of one
of the more elegant restaurants in the government center, leaving
Cullen and me staring at each other.

He didn't know what to do. He gazed longingly
after the premier couple on the Destiny as he backed away a couple
of feet. Then he remembered that we were supposed to be lovers and
drew close again, tentatively putting an arm across my shoulders.
His fingers barely touched my shirt.

"If that's the best you can do no one will
believe we're lovers." The arm came around me more closely. "You
call that progress? I look like a prisoner." I shrugged until his
arm slid across my shoulder and his fingers touched my neck.

"I wish you were a prisoner. I know how to
deal with prisoners."

"Well I'm free. Captain's orders."

"I know." He sighed, a sound pulled from his
toes. He looked so woeful that I had the insane urge to soothe his
brow but I didn't. Instead, I remembered that we were supposed to
be lovers, so I reached up and stroked his forehead with a touch as
light as a feather. Then I planted a kiss on his cheek.

My gesture was clearly not sexual. But as my
fingers left his forehead and my lips left his cheek, I pulled
back, stunned by my body's reaction to that feather touch. I felt
splintered into a thousand pieces. I actually looked down to be
sure I was still there.

As for Cullen, he kind of cocked his head and
tried to pretend the kiss was okay. To smile, even, but I saw in
his face that it was hard for him not to brush me away like a pesky
fly.

Chapter Ten

I am paroled.

That got me angry. How dare he think of me as
an insect! My muscles tensed in preparation for slugging him as
hard as I knew how. Then I stopped. We were supposed to be lovers
so instead of slapping him across his face, I stood on my tiptoes
and kissed him again. And again, all the time knowing that no
matter how he hated what was happening, he'd not dare do anything
about it.

There were several people nearby, going about
their business. They paused to watch so, as Cullen loomed over me
and I made sure that our kiss lasted as long as possible I could
almost feel the rumors spread out from that sidewalk to the
farthest reaches of the Destiny, through every field and orchard
and nook and cranny and maybe beyond, into outer space. Cullen Vail
and Elle Olmstead were an item.