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Surprise Package
By Brian Sellnow
The crying was to be expected. The girls, after all, were only six years old and, despite their enhanced intelligence and
intensive training, were still emotionally immature. And identical siblings
often formed unusually strong bonds. In addition to leaving the only environment
they had ever known, they would also be away from each other for the first time
in their lives. Hilda, the eldest (by three minutes), looked once more through
the window that formed most of one wall in the Merchant Room. Two shuttles were
visible, floating in space near L-1. One was a lunar shuttle, obviously
incapable of atmospheric flight. The other was a wedge shape with stubby wings,
bearing the markings of the European Alliance, probably the one she would be
going to Earth on.
She looked around the Merchant Room again. Some of the larger orbitals had their own offices, other vendors had kiosks and some,
like the Crazy Hippies from the vegan O’Neill Colony, simply had their wares
floating around them in zero gee. Olaf, the Director, didn’t like the Hippies
because they were dirty, but if you wanted strawberries there was only one place
to get them. “So many things for sale,” thought Hilda. “Is that what’s happening
to us?” The thought of being sold, even though she knew it wasn’t true, brought
her close to crying again, so instead she grabbed the hand of the closest
sister, Celeste.
“Celeste, let’s trade places. You can go to Earth and I’ll go to the asteroid mines in your place.” “Oh, that trick never works,”
Celeste replied in exasperation. “Miss Bandi always knows who we are ‘cause she
can read our minds.” (Hilda could imagine the old lady’s voice. “Hilda
Pickwickle, please cease your childish games and return to your studies.”)
“’Sides,” continued Celeste, “I don’t wanna go to Earth. It’s all dirty and you
weigh full mass all the time.” Hilda pouted and was thinking of another argument
when Miss Bandi entered the room, followed by a fat man in Earth clothes. The
man moved clumsily in zero gee, using just his hands and trying to grab
everything near him. Miss Bandi discretely put out a hand to stop him when they
arrived. “Ladies,” said Miss Bandi, calling them over. A shared thought passed
between the girls and they arranged themselves so that none was oriented the
same as another. The fat man’s discomfort inceased visibly.
“Mr Fallsworth, may I present the Pickwickle sisters: Hilda, Maureen, Abigail, Celeste and Perigee. Ladies, this is Mr. Emilio
Fallsworth, director of Chabot.” Miss Bandi did not need to tell them what
Chabot was. The girls already knew that it was the largest mercantile
conglomerate in the European Alliance. “Hilda will be going to live with Mr.
Fallsworth as his daughter because he doesn’t have any children of his own.” She
placed a hand on Hilda’s shoulder. “They’re all so perfectly alike!” exclaimed
Mr. Fallsworth. “How can you tell them apart?” Hilda thought that was the
dumbest question she had ever heard. Miss Bandi smiled. “Oh, there are ways.”
She continued to introduce the sisters. “Maureen will be going to live with Mr.
Alard Corcoran, the president of the largest mining operation on the moon.
Perigee is going to the moon also. She’s being adopted by the Vice-Director of
Alpha City. Celeste will be going to Saturn. Her new father owns the Saturn
Rings Orbital and controls extensive mining operations in the asteroid belt.
Abigail will be staying here, in orbit, as the only daughter of HIro Watanabe.”
Mr Fallsworth’s eyes widened. Watanabe Enterprises had been a pioneer in orbital
manufacturing and was the first corporation whose wealth had been officially
declared as too great to measure. Miss Bandi nodded. “Now you realize how
fortunate you are in having a daughter such as Hilda. I hope you will treasure
her.” Mr. Fallsworth nodded.
(Nodded, thinking of this unexpected development, a daughter, which his wife desperately wanted, one who was genetically
engineered for hyper-intelligance, who would grow up beautiful (because it never
hurts to be beautiful, Mr. Fallsworth knew) and now to find that she would have
four sisters in positions of equal (at least!) wealth and power … Emilio
Fallsworth considered the possibilities.)
And the Pickwickle sisters listened, giggling silently. Mr. Fallsworth didn’t have thoughtspeech at all, didn’t even know
it existed, had no protection as Miss Bandi did. “Your ear itches,” thought
Hilda and Mr. Fallsworth reached up to scratch it. The girls smiled – this might
be more fun than they’d thought.
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