Chapter 30

As he exited the rocket shuttle, the hostess gave him a glowing smile. “I hope you enjoyed your flight, sir,” she said, showing off her dimples as much as possible.

“Yes, thank you,” Solomon assured her. “It was very pleasant.”

Disappointed, the hostess watched him walk away. He wasn’t good looking with a scintillating personality, but it wasn’t often a celebrity of his magnitude took a public shuttle, even in the highest Astral Class section. Each President had their own shuttle, of course, and each Zaibatsu also had a couple of shuttles available to Level 2s and 3s. On the rare occasion she had seen a Level 3 on her flight, they were wrapped up on the ‘screen in important business calls virtually the entire flight. They rarely paid any attention to her beauty and sexy charm, which is why she had been selected to entertain the high Level business people who normally flew Astral Class on the intercontinental shuttles.

But none of those people before had the star status of Solomon Barnaby Smith. Moreover, he had been extremely polite and pleasant towards her. That was a great change from most of the elite passengers, who either treated her like an airborne servant or made crude sexual advances. In this case, she had tried to be as inviting as possible, wanting a story to ‘one up’ her fellow hostesses when they bragged about spending an evening with one of their prestigious passengers. Not to mention the potential for becoming a consort for a few years to such an important person. Although she was sure he had read her signals, and had seemed at the least flattered by her attentions, he had been politely but firmly unreceptive to her sensual invitations. She sighed with resignation as he disappeared into the lobby where only the common passengers normally walked. Oh, well. She could only hope she would have another such opportunity in the relatively short period she would enjoy in this Assignment. If so, she was determined to go to any lengths to be more successful.

Before he had even reached the end of the corridor, Solomon had totally forgotten about the woman. There was only one woman for whom he had any thoughts, and that was Aimee Keiko Saito.

Seeing her again had done more than flood back his old feelings of comfort and enjoyment when in her presence. It had aroused emotions he had not even realized he had for her. Or, to be more honest with himself, perhaps he had only suppressed them in his total quest to achieve his goal. Now, having succeeded in his life’s work, perhaps he could allow himself to have other interests, to indulge his more human feelings and not restrict himself to the austere life of a ‘man on a mission’. Somehow, knowing Aimee had conceived a child where he had remained celibate only increased his interests in her, reinforcing his awareness of her as a woman rather than as just another engineer.

There was an official greeting party waiting for him as he reached the end of the corridor. The masses had been pushed away to give them room, and many people on the fringes of the crowd stared curiously to see whom this obviously important welcoming committee could be waiting to greet. Solomon grimaced as he came into view, both on seeing the officials bowing low before him and on hearing the excited swell of the crowd as his name was passed excitedly from lip to lip. His only consolation was that not one of his official greeters was taller than himself. In spite of his irritation, he returned the bow politely, wishing he could have just jumped into a flitcab and gone directly to Aimee’s office. Instead, he knew there would be a formal limocraft waiting outside to whisk the group to a very hastily arranged yet ultra-formal reception. Only there would he find Aimee waiting for him ... if it was really him she was waiting for, as opposed to Solomon Barnaby Smith, current darling of the world.

Unfortunately, it had to be this way. There could be no more clandestine meetings between himself and the Regional Engineer of Nippon. Solomon had been extremely lucky to not have been discovered the first time. He no longer felt it was worth the risk as they obviously could not discover anything useful about the building they needed to penetrate. He wasn’t here to spy this time, only to ... to what? To reminisce with an old friend? To woo the woman of his boyhood dreams?

He certainly wasn’t here to confer with his ‘colleagues’ about the energy source for the TDM, which had been his excuse to request this sudden visit. It had been the only thing he could think of to instantly get himself back to the city where the Centre for Advanced Research was located. The city where Aimee Keiko Saito lived. Because he had been forced to go through official channels to return openly to visit her, he was also forced to put up with all of the pomp and circumstance that accompanied his public visit. After all, he couldn’t just show up at her apartment and say he had dropped in courtesy of the Temporal Displacement Mechanism which he had not officially yet perfected, could he? So Solomon sighed soundlessly and accepted his officious fate.

The babble only receded once the door to the limocraft slid shut. The huge, luxurious craft slipped silently away from the shuttle port. Its powerful anti-grav unit was capable of carrying it over any terrain or obstacle, and such vehicles had absolute right of way in the computerized skyways. Solomon was at least certain their trip would be as brief and direct as possible.

The welcoming committee had obviously been hastily assembled and therefore contained no truly high-ranking officials. They were consequently just as silent as himself, afraid to say something that might offend such an important guest. The big shots would be at the reception. Solomon was thankful he had no need to conduct polite conversation with pompous representatives of the Zaibatsu, and took the opportunity to close his eyes and recline in his comfortable seat. The others, assuming he was tired from his trip, were grateful for the lack of opportunity to make fools of themselves by any stupid thing they might accidentally say. They sat stonily on the edges on their seats in case the great visitor changed his mind and demanded their attention.

Solomon’s mood brightened a bit as he remembered his recent conversation with ‘himself’. He had placed a call to the Solomon Barnaby Smith of this moment, who was working at the Institute in New York. Solomon had not said a word as his twin studied his features for several seconds.

“So, it became necessary for you to visit this Time/Space Continuum in spite of my existence.”

“Yes,” Solomon confirmed. “You know I wouldn’t have chanced it unless I believed it was critical. And I won’t tell you the reasons, just in case – there are any inquiries.”

“I understand,” his twin agreed immediately. “So what is it you want me to do that necessitated this call?”

Solomon briefly explained that he intended to visit Aimee, but would have to do so on ‘official business’. His doppelganger merely raised his eyebrows at this news. Solomon asked him if he would stay quietly in the apartment until the visit was over, assuring him it would be no more than a couple of days.

“Naturally, I will do as you wish,” his counterpart said. “As you know, that will not be any great sacrifice. However, I will certainly look forward to discovering why you are visiting Aimee Keiko Saito.”

The two had smiled at each other for a moment. Then Solomon had cut the connection.

More from the change in air pressure than any audible sound, Solomon’s eyes snapped open as the door to the limocraft slid open. They had arrived at his welcoming party. The committee members again bowed low as he exited the vehicle, although his mind was on someone else, and he hardly noticed.

“Solomon Barnaby Smith!” boomed the voice of Yukio Honda Mishima, Group Leader of the Kichigai Conglomerate, the largest in the Nippon Region. The President of the Region could not clear his schedule so quickly to greet him. None of the other Level 2s had been deemed appropriate, and Aimee had requested to stay in the background due to her lack of ‘political significance’ in the Region. In fact, she had simply not wanted to formally greet Solomon in front of hundreds of people, as well as the millions watching the event on TV. As the most prominent Level 3, then, it had fallen to Mishima to play the primary greeter of their honored guest. An ambitious sort, Mishima was certainly not loath to take the role. “It is indeed an honor to receive such an important scientist to our humble city.”

Mishima gave a deep bow, then stepped forward to shake Solomon’s hand in the Western style. Solomon returned the bow graciously. Before his hand could be grasped by the larger man, however, he said, “Yuroshiku, onagai shimasu.” He had felt the macho handshakes of such men before, and did not care to have his hand aching for half an hour.

The businessman stopped, surprised to hear this formal greeting from his guest. Then he reviewed the information he had gained from having quickly reviewed Smith’s bio. The man had spent nearly a year and a half at the Centre for Advanced Research, which was located only a couple of dozen kilometers away. Smith must be familiar with their customs as well as their language. He abruptly bowed again and said, “Hai! Yuroshiku, onagai shimasu.”

“And would you do me the honor of introducing these other distinguished Citizens?” Solomon asked smoothly, avoiding the possibility of the handshake.

“It is my great pleasure,” Mishima responded formally. As protocol demanded, he started with the highest ranking Level. “May I please present...”

“Aimee Keiko Saito!” Solomon said warmly. Unable to contain himself any longer, he stepped forward and actually took both of her hands in his.

“Solomon Barnaby Smith,” Aimee gave a bow, slightly blushing at the warm greeting. Although she was a Level 2 and he a Level 3, he was nevertheless the famous scientist, the darling of their society. She knew the impact such a personal greeting would have on the rest of her colleagues.

“Ah,” Mishima was greatly confused. “Perhaps you two are aware of each other’s great accomplishments professionally?”

Solomon was too wrapped up in Aimee’s presence to hear the question. Aimee, much more politically aware, looked at Mishima briefly.

“Of course,” she said, withdrawing her hands gently from Solomon’s. “However, Citizen Smith and I also attended the same school before Advanced Training,” she added as though that explained everything.

“I – I see,” Mishima lied, not seeing anything at all. He wracked his brain, trying to call up any such fact from Smith’s bio. Not remembering any mention of it, he decided the situation could not be an embarrassment to him. He would just proceed with the introductions as if everything were going as it should.

“And now, Citizen Smith, I am pleased to present to you ... uh, Citizen Smith? Citizen?”

Mishima sighed. It was his task to see that Solomon Barnaby Smith mingled with all of the important guests at this reception. Yet the man obviously had eyes for only one person in the crowd. This was going to be a disaster.

“That was really exciting.”

Aimee glanced at Solomon from the corner of her eye as they left the swank reception area. If it had been anyone else, she would have sworn the remark had been intended sarcastically. Coming from Solomon, she couldn’t be sure. Had he developed a sense of humor as he had grown older? It was usually the other way around. She finally decided to ignore the comment and concentrate on more important things. Such as his intentions.

“It seems you must be somewhat frustrated with the progress of your project to visit the Centre so abruptly,” she ventured cautiously. “I wasn’t aware they had done any work that would significantly contribute to your own.”

“They haven’t,” he confirmed, turning to face her. “That was merely an excuse to come and see you, Aimee.”

“To see me,” she repeated with no hint of either doubt or coyness.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking a lot about you since ... since we last met. I was wondering if you had been thinking about me at all.”

At least his directness had not changed. And he had used her first name only! Much to her surprise, she felt her heart beating just a little more rapidly, and her ears felt a tiny flush of warmth. Did that spark still linger from their many years at school, from studying together and fending off the insults and threats of the bullies?

But they were not children any more. Thinking of children, Aimee’s thoughts flew to her son. Obviously Solomon knew she had a child. What could that possibly mean to this potential relationship? In her pragmatic engineer’s approach, she decided to put it to the test right away.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about you somewhat since that meeting,” she said mildly, still wildly curious to learn what that had all been about. “If you have no other obligations this evening, perhaps you would honor my humble abode with your company. We could reminisce about old times, and perhaps share our current activities.”

“I’d love to!’

“I must warn you, however, that my son lives with me.”

“Yes. I believe his name is Junko. I would be pleased to meet him.”

He knew her son’s name! And he wanted to meet him! Perhaps there might be some promise to this meeting after all, she thought as they stepped into a flitcab.

“This is my son, Junko Hiroshi Saito.” Although the words were said calmly, Solomon could hear the pride and love in that simple sentence. “Junko, I would like to introduce you to Solomon Barnaby Smith.”

The boy was even smaller and perhaps even prettier than his holo had made him seem. He definitely had his mother’s delicate features, flawless skin, and large, almond eyes. His chin was a little more manly, and his ears were the usual oversized shells, giving him a slight hint of a cartoon character. Yet the solemn look on his face somehow detracted from the childlike charm, giving hint of the man he would someday be.

Solomon saw the boy’s eyes grow wide. “I am truly honored to meet you, Citizen Solomon Barnaby Smith,” the boy said with a well-modulated voice, as he bowed low in the ancient Japanese manner. “Your accomplishments are an inspiration to us all.”

“Thank you,” Solomon replied politely. “Are you also interested in the sciences?”

“Yes, Citizen Smith,” the boy said fervently. “Not to compare myself with either my mother or yourself, of course. I hope to someday contribute in some small way to better living for all people.”

Solomon studied the boy closely. He could sense an internal quivering, a passion that was merely being controlled on the surface. Yet this child was keeping himself as contained in his emotions and his wording as could possibly be expected. It was obvious the boy was sincere, while trying hard to restrain his excitement, perhaps even hero worship. Solomon’s admiration for Aimee’s accomplishments rose even further. Either the boy was remarkable, or she had done a remarkable job of raising him! Or perhaps both.

“That’s a very noble goal,” he confirmed, not wanting to flatter any of the three by elaborating on the point.

“Would you care to sit, Solomon Smith?” Aimee asked. “I will get us all some refreshment. Would you prefer wine or tea?”

“Tea, please! I had more than enough wine at that reception.”

Aimee nodded slightly, although she was sure he had not even finished the glass of champagne that had been thrust into his hand. Still, she was grateful he chose not to drink alcohol in front of her son without food being present. She waited until both males were seated before she went to prepare the tea. Although she could have summoned her housekeeper, she wanted to do the serving herself. If nothing else, it would give Solomon and Junko a few moments alone, and she wanted to see how Solomon reacted to such an abrupt, unexpected situation.

When she returned the two were politely but pleasantly discussing what Junko might expect in a little less than a year, when he entered school. The topic tugged at Aimee’s heart. She kept her face serene as she put the tray on the table in front of the two, but couldn’t help feel a twinge of something – perhaps trepidation, certainly a little sadness – that her little boy would soon be going off to school.

He would continue to live with her until he was ten, of course. Still, she knew that even during the few years of basic education she would feel slightly jealous that others would share the company of her child. In certain ways, she had tried to keep this small bit of herself private, completely under her own gentle, beneficent control. Government schooling was not harsh, of course, she hastened to add silently to her thoughts. However, there would be encounters with other children who didn’t love him as she did, with instructors who were not nearly as patient and understanding as she was, who would inevitably impact his sweet and innocent personality. The experience would help to prepare him to face the world, of course. It was certainly not totally negative. Nevertheless, the thought did make her a little sad. But she truly dreaded the day when he would be Selected, at which time she would have no choice but to watch him leave for some Advanced Training school. That would mean virtually total separation. She would still be able to see him on school holidays, but it would be nothing like having him with her.

She still remembered the pain she and her own mother had gone through during the same periods in her life. They still spoke occasionally, although her mother had stopped her visits when Junko had been born. The pain of their partings, and the enforced isolation, had driven her mother to cast off her emotions as much as possible. Their relationship had never recovered, especially as her mother had been Assigned to the Northern America Region, while her own Assignment had eventually taken her to her mother’s homeland, Japan. Aimee found that in itself very ironic.

She poured the tea and tried to put away such unworthy feelings. The Zaibatsu decreed this was the way it must be, and what was right for one was right for all. Look at her situation now; how could she possibly complain?