To Escape From Gravity

Chapter Seven

For every job she got, Reed would receive a small pile of papers giving her the necessary details to complete the work. Sometimes it would lay out all the information to be found on the target, sometimes it would simply be a roughly sketched picture and a location.

Brisnick, a rarity of a friend and Reed's go-to connection for jobs, managed to get her a decent amount of intel on this target. The recipient of this package was the wife of an elect, which resulted in little surprise. According to Brisnick's notes, she was planning to attend some sort of party for the higher-ups of society. To get into the place, Reed would quickly flash an identity card that used to belong to Second Officer Elianor Mullen. It was the rank of someone who would have reason to attend such a party, but not notable enough that it would draw attention. The security at these things tended to be full of holes anyway. Something about sky people made them both incredibly paranoid of one another, yet too absorbed in their decadence to be alert. Reed didn't care, though. That very dichotomy is what allowed her to move with relative ease in the sky cities.

An officer at the door would look at the name on the front of the card, and as long as Reed carried herself with a blend of confidence and passiveness, they wouldn't be bothered to flip it and look at the picture on the back. Reed had managed to snatch some identity cards from people who bore a passing resemblance to her, but she hadn't managed to find a true doppelganger that held a military rank.

This party was being held at Tenamen's Hall, a venue famous in the sky cities for hosting lavish events. It was named after Rogal Tenamen, a diplomat that brokered a massive labor deal between Miasten and Wardor a hundred and ten years prior. The sky citizens lauded him as a hero, but to the grounders, they viewed his deal as the turning point when life on the earth became infused with harsh work and suffering. Reed was indifferent to him. The way she figured, life was harsh, no matter what elevation you resided at.

The streets of Miasten were laid out in a rigid grid system, so it didn't take long to navigate the few turns from the utility building to Tenamen's Hall. Reed could see from a distance the twinkling lights and the bustle of people that signaled the party was underway. It was time to earn her paycheck.

***

Lorilell Andory was always ready for a good party. The peers in her circle considered her to be a busy-body, always ready to spread gossip and talk someone's ear off. She used to be poised, elegant, and the epitome of decorum. But as her life progressed, her ambition fell and she took up less and less meaningful activities. She gradually stepped away from her involvement in various charities around the city, and the result was an abundance of self-indulgent freedom. Her hobbies then became spinning drama-infused tales and attending social events centered around eating. And as boredom drove her to become unproductive, selfishness had driven her to dabble in some substances her socialite friends offered.

The Lithian root resulted in the best two hours of her life, and from then on out, Lorilell quickly became dissatisfied with those dreary politically-driven events. Her husband was delighted by such balls and galas. But he was a boring man overall, in her eyes. He also greatly frowned upon the use of reality-altering substances. Again, quite the prude in her mind.

"Did you hear that a strapping young man was seen leaving the housing units down near Richmond Square two days ago? The door guard there, Jerenty, told me that he saw her coming down from the third floor. And there's only five units on that floor. Isn't that where Myalyn lives? I've heard some people mention that she gets at least two such visitors every week. Isn't that interesting?" Lorilell had a captive audience with Riscanda, and she wasn't wasting it. "And as Jerenty said, 'no one leaves at that early hour without wanting to be discreet.' "

Riscanda was listening intently, always eager to absorb the latest gossip. And when it centered around one of her political enemies, as Myalyn was, it pulled her in even more.

"Well..." she drew out her breath for dramatic effect, "...I heard that she was seen paying Counselor Aidman more than one visit. All I am saying is that no one would make that two-day journey for a mere house call. If I were to guess, I'd believe that they were conspiring to get her the next Council seat in Blaysner. They have a few people on their Council who are in a bad way, and why wouldn't Myalyn try to gain power in the same city that her 'secret' lover resides?"

The three other women in the circle all nodded their heads alongside Riscanda, chirping with affirmations and well-placed gasps to enhance her storytelling.

Lorilell, with a hand over her heart, smiled a sly grin. "Sun and stars, she has no morals, does she? My dear friend, we shall make sure the people know of her ulterior motives. They should be informed of who is vying for a Council seat, and they should know that you are the superior choice over that snake of a woman."

Miasten political parties were always filled with such interactions; vapid conversations between hollow political friendships. But Lorilell enjoyed being the driver of local gossip, and these types of gatherings always had the most delicious cuisine. Such parties fed into most of her vices. Excusing herself from the rumor fire she had just started, she made her way to the buffet tables along the outer wall. The annoying security man her husband hired trailed her from a few feet behind.

"Oh, heavens!" Lorilell exclaimed as she abruptly bumped into a younger woman. She had been so fixated on reaching the food, her gaze had not caught the lady standing in her path.

A red-haired woman smiled kindly at Lorilell. "My apologies, ma'am. I was too enamored by this delightful party, it was completely my error."

She brushed her hands over a velvety gray jacket. It sat well on her, with intricate stitched patterns down the ribs that accented a trim figure. "Are you okay? Some friends have told me I'm as dense as the Alerkin mountains."

The odd phrase rang in Lorilell's ears.

"What friends are saying such things?" she asked.

"My comrades from my time in the ground corp. They were relentless about my build." One look at the woman would leave no doubt for the military backstory, but Lorilell knew the target phrase for a delivery handoff. She played out the required scenario with practiced ease.

"The military? Who was your training commander?"

Another smile spread across the woman's tanned face, but never quite reached her eyes. "General Bris was the hard-nosed man that turned me into a soldier."

"General Bris? What a small world we truly live in, he was a dear friend of mine when I sat on the Council years ago," she feigned both surprise and delight, as if the history being regaled were true.

"He was a good general, and I'm sure an equally good friend." Her green eyes flitted to the blonde-haired guard that stood a few feet behind Lorilell. It was clear his attention was not on his mark, but bouncing between the food and the pretty women attending the party. The older woman knew what she was scouting out. Having a security guard see a handoff would raise unwanted suspicion.

Lorilell continued as soon as the younger woman met her eyes again. "That he is. In fact, last month we met at a bar on Quicken Street, called Desert Runes. He'd be delighted to know that we ran into each other."

With a quick look over her own shoulder to ensure Knopley was preoccupied, Lorilell extended a hand towards the woman. She momentarily grasped it, and they both moved in towards a brief hug. When close, Lorilell felt a small parcel being slipped into her hand, which she then quickly tucked into the folds of her flowing blouse. They pulled away from each other, and with a subtle nod, the woman melted back into the crowd. No one around them, much less Knopley, had given any attention to the quick interaction.

Now that she had something to look forward to, Lorilell returned to the festivities with a slight eagerness in her step. She didn't give another thought to the woman who had just provided her with her coveted Lithian root.