Dominions

20-2

Paskia looked up, and for a moment Rodin thought her eyes found his. Her lips curved round words, and she looked across to her aunt as if asking a question. But Shae’s face was harsh, and it didn’t take much to lip-read her negative response. Paskia’s head dipped as she nodded, and they walked on, round the side of the cafe, disappearing from view.

Rodin sat a while longer, contemplating. He didn’t believe in coincidences, and the fact that Paskia’s aunt was somehow involved in Leopold was‌…‌troubling. But he couldn’t let it concern him. If things went well tonight, Terrell would be gone by the morning.

“How was your sojourn through our fine Dome this morning?” Sertio asked. Once more, he was eating, this time a light snack Rodin had prepared‌—‌pancakes, with syrup and fruit.

“Very pleasant indeed.” Rodin had already eaten one of the pancakes, and he’d feel bloated if he had another. Sertio was onto his fifth. “And I believe I saw Paskia, too. Just in passing, so we couldn’t share words.” Rodin saw the smile on Sertio’s face, and was going to protest, but let the man think what he would. “She was with an older woman, and I assume this was her aunt.”

Sertio nodded. “Miss Shae, yes. I believe she escorts the young woman just about everywhere, poor mite. As I understand it, our little session has been the only time dear Paskia has been out on her own.”

“Is her aunt harsh?”

“Harsh?” Sertio laughed. “She’s a strong-willed woman, but I found her very amenable. Maybe she keeps her niece on a tight leash, but if she does, I’m sure it’s for Paskia’s own good. From what I understand, that girl has gone through more than many can ever imagine. Maybe even more than you, my friend.”

Unlikely, Rodin thought. “This Shae did appear domineering, I have to say. She’s intriguing, though. I’d be interested to hear more about her.”

UnlikelyA familiar glint shone in Sertio’s eye. “Prefer a little more maturity, yes?” He laughed. “Sorry. That’s none of my business. But if you were seeking an amorous encounter, you could do far worse than Shae. She has‌…‌I was going to say ‘a reputation’, but that always sounds sordid. No, Shae is a woman who knows what she wants, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She’s been linked to many strong, fine men‌—‌and a few women‌—‌both here and elsewhere.”

That piqued Rodin’s interest. “She hasn’t always lived in First Dome?”

“You know, I’m not certain which Dome she officially calls home, although I believe she currently rents rooms on Forest Avenue, so she’s clearly doing well for herself! But she’s one of those rare individuals who travels the trains, as they say. Oh, it’s nothing nefarious‌—‌she’s a journalist, something of a celebrity. She’s been published in just about every major publication here, and I’m sure her writings litter the other Domes too.”

“And she has time to take responsibility for a young woman as well? That must be tough.”

“But so is Shae. Or maybe she’s going to use her experiences with our Miss Paskia in one of her articles. I don’t read her kind of stuff‌—‌too involved in its own arguments, if you ask me‌—‌but I gather she often writes about those who experience difficulties in our society. She even won an award, for a whole series following those undergoing Correction. I believe it was up in Ross, so maybe you even read it.”

“Possibly, although I haven’t been in Ross for many years,” said Rodin, quickly recalling Terrell’s history. “Her writings sound intriguing. Maybe I’ll spend the rest of this afternoon perusing them.”

Sertio smeared another pancake with syrup and placed a few slices of mango on it before rolling it up. He lifted it, syrup dripping, and took a bite, nodding as he swallowed. “I can’t fault your commitment to self-improvement, my friend. Working your mind this afternoon, and your body this morning. Whatever troubles you’ve been through, you set a wonderful example now.” He wiped his chin with his sleeve‌—‌Rodin made a mental note to soak that shirt later. “But tell me, what did you think of our magnificent park?”

Rodin let Terrell take over, using so many superlatives that his language bordered on pastiche. But maybe he’d judged it just right. Sertio interjected, and the conversation drifted off into the pleasures of walking.

Eventually, Sertio tired. Rodin cleared the plates away, then retired to his room and called up the Dome’s records.

As he scanned Shae’s articles, Rodin realised quite a few were familiar from the Half-way House‌—‌he simply hadn’t paid attention to her byline. But now he re-read a few of them, then read some others. He used a simple hack to dive deeper, pulling up articles that were made inaccessible to the general population. This included some files from other Domes.

Of course, they weren’t actually from those Domes. Each Dome worked on a different network, and there was apparently no way to connect them. But certain documents were copied across, probably on hard drives transported by the trains, so each Dome had some kind of record of the other Domes. It meant that Rodin couldn’t discover as much as he wanted, but he could further his knowledge a little.

The award-winning series Sertio had mentioned was in the articles, and Rodin skimmed through them all‌—‌there was too much to read in detail. The articles started with interviews of those who had recently been taken aside by Authority and deemed requiring of Correction‌—‌and this was the kind of language Authority itself used, so it was no surprise to find this mimicked in the articles. Some of the interviewees were already repentant, and most were accepting of their fate. A couple argued that they were innocent, that they had done nothing wrong. One in particular was close to violence, and Rodin felt he might have been at home in the districts.

Later articles followed these interviewees as they entered the Refuge, and at regular intervals throughout their Correction. Some emerged transformed after‌—‌Rodin checked the dates‌—‌a few years, and further interviews stressed the way they’d integrated themselves back into Society. Others remained in the Refuge for longer, and there were no release interviews‌—‌Rodin assumed they either came out after Shae had published the series, or they were still undergoing Correction.

But a few were not followed up. A couple had two, maybe three more interviews, and then there was nothing. And one‌—‌the borderline-violent fellow‌—‌were not heard from again.

Of course, someone must have heard from them. But Rodin found it telling that there were no more interviews. Either they had hidden themselves well‌—‌or been hidden by others‌—‌or Shae had been dissuaded from tracking them down.

But what Rodin found most intriguing was the tone of the pieces, especially the comments Shae added. Her words themselves followed what Rodin would have expected‌—‌that Correction was a means by which those who showed unsociable tendencies could be changed, making them productive members of Society. But the tone was almost mocking, as if Shae found it hard to believe her own words.

Paskia, he was certain, had undergone Correction. The individuals in the articles were not named, and Rodin wondered if Paskia was one of them. Maybe, as Sertio had said, Shae saw Paskia as a project.

Rodin wasn’t sure what he felt about that. But he couldn’t contemplate it further now. It wasn’t as if he’d need any of this information anyway‌—‌this was purely an exercise, a way of passing time.

Evening was fast approaching, and so Rodin powered down his screen. He showered, and prepared to remove his target.