Free Diamonds in the Sky by Ed. Mike Brotherton Page A

460
everywhere
on the Venusian surface, like a planet-sized greenhouse, close enough to Mercury’s max, 420, to benefit from their high temp research. But we’re still struggling with the pressure.”

    Meyer sighed. “I suppose I’m to see Reege?”

    Meyer followed the medtech down a long hallway with several glass doors. Through one of them, green bodies hung lifeless. They resembled humans only in basic form; they looked more like foliage. “What are those?” Meyer asked, jabbing a finger at a door in passing.

    The medtech glanced back at Meyer, but didn’t slow down. “We call those the Martians. They’re experimental photosynthetic biobods, modeled after Earth plants, green from the chlorophyll, an attempt to grow a
fully
environment-adapted biobod, capable of breathing the Venusian atmo and withstanding the environment. The surface atmo is almost all carbon dioxide — add a little water, and you get photosynthesis. The problem is that there’s none on the surface, and it
never
rains.” She glanced back again and scowled. “They wouldn’t last very long down there without a healthy supply of water —
if
they could take the pressure, which they can’t.”

    Arriving at the end of the hallway, the medtech swung open a hand-carved wooden door — in stark contrast to the glass and steel everywhere else — and escorted Meyer inside. There at his desk, identical to the one on Mercury and Earth, sat a twin to Earth’s Reege.

    “Good to meet you, Meyer. Sit down, please. I have some questions for you.” Reege smiled pleasantly and indicated a chair opposite his desk.

    Meyer hesitated; he remained standing, ready to run if needed. “Before we get comfortable and someone jabs me in the neck with a hypo, let me ask
you
a question. Why am I here?”

    Venusian Reege’s smile faded. “An excellent question, Meyer. Why do you think you’re here?”

    Meyer relaxed and sat down. “First, I’m here to establish that you’re the real Benton Reege, using a simple question that you would answer in a specific way — which you’ve done. The rest I’m a little hazy on, now. When I left for Mercury — this morning, was it? — I thought there was an imposter Reege on one of the colonies, undermining the Reege empire from within, and I was supposed to find him. When I saw Reege on Mercury, I figured he was the imposter, and my job was done.”

    “But you’re no longer sure of this?” Reege steepled his fingers and looked gravely over them.

    Meyer hesitated and fiddled with a pen lying on the desk. “Mercurian Reege told me an interesting — and plausible — story about there
already
being bona fide Reeges on
all
of the colonies.”

    Fidgeting in his chair, Reege stared at his desk for a minute before looking up to answer. “That’s correct; there are ten of us.”

    Meyer cocked his head to one side. “Thus, my dilemma. If he’s not the imposter, why’d he drug me and send me here? If he
is
the imposter, why’d he send me here instead of just killing me or something?”

    “Let me be clear. That Reege should
not
have confided this information to you; but the fact that he did establishes his authenticity. The imposter would not have known this fact; the particular team involved in that one-time experiment are all fiercely loyal — and closely monitored.” Reege looked up and smiled, but he looked
past
Meyer. “Isn’t that right, Dolores?”

    Meyer realized too late that he hadn’t seen the redheaded medtech leave. Twisting violently, he tried to spin around and stand simultaneously, but she was quicker, and the hypo found its mark.

    “Fiercely loyal, Mr. Reege,” she said, smiling, as Meyer lost consciousness for the second time that day.

    * * *

    Squish.

    Meyer groggily opened his eyes after a few minutes. Even with the haze, he knew he was alone. Struggling to his feet, he lurched toward a door.

    A sumo wrestler biobod? Am I back on Mercury?

    The door swung open. A husky,