Janet sat forward as Zeph sat back, “Da, but the crops—”
“Shush, Jan,” Montihan snapped.
“This’ll destroy us.”
“Our financial situation is already in the red.”
“Who will supply the Trentians?” Rylie asked before Janet erupted on their father. Netto looked back at Zeph, who sported a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips. A verbal contract. Another job completed.
The EPED needed something from Montihan, and Montihan needed something from them.
Thatsomethingwas off. Netto wasn’t sure if it had to do with Zeph or Montihan, but he had the urge to negate the verbal contract and to provide a Cyborg’s services pro-bono. He wanted to intervene and follow his instinct.
He couldn’t.
This was why he hated working for the government. One of the many reasons he had left the EPED in the first place.
“Tell us what you need,” Netto asked, finally speaking. There was only one way to find out.
“Nothing,” Rylie hissed.
Montihan got up and poured himself a drink. “Quiet, girls, and I’ll explain. The deal is set and to our benefit.”
“It’s true,” Zeph shrugged, catching Janet’s eye. “One Cyborg is worth a fortune alone, but two Cyborgs? Well, we could start a war. Could probably take out half the population of Kepler before the end of next week.” He sat back down, nonplussed, a fraction closer to the girl. Netto knew it was calculated.
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Janet taunted, eyeing Zeph, “Not you. Now two of him,” she tilted her head in Netto’s direction, “I’d believe.”
“Speak!” Netto growled, switching his attention back to the reason why he and Zeph were there at all.
“The crops have gone bad.” Montihan set down his glass. “At least in every agri-lot in the Eastern seaboard, and as of today, my daughters and I checked the lots closest to home.” He lifted a stone out of his shirt and handed it to Netto. Netto turned over the cloudy stone, what appeared to be a dirty piece of sea-glass, in his hand. He handed it to Zeph. “What was ripe last season is now as decayed as the lots that phased out farther from home.”
“When did this start?”
“Several years ago, some of the distant beds out in the ocean along our islands turned cloudy. We thought nothing at the time. Not all the homesteads had been affected, only some, so we noted it as an anomaly and ate the loss.” He sighed, “It only got worse. Each year the beds closer to home produced less, and it wasn’t just us anymore. It was everyone.”
“Was this during the nearby takeover or after?” Zeph asked.
“After. I don’t know if it’s related. I can’t see how. Charlene has suffered as much as the rest of us. And based on you guys coming out upon my request, I can only assume the EPED is concerned about the price increase.”
“We are concerned.”
Janet sighed audibly. “God forbid.”
“I would think so,” Zeph’s voice came out harsh. “Considering that stone reinforces the cases that contain bacteria that could wipe out mankind. That stone is used in every modern Earthian spaceship. I’m sure you wouldn’t like to see Kepler cut off from the rest of the universe. It would be a shame for you to never again have lavender grace your skin.” He brushed a finger over Janet’s arm.
“What about the water?” Netto interrupted, emboldened to solve the problem and not because every time he spoke, Rylie looked back at him. At him and not his partner. “Did it change?”
“Yes, but not much, the salt levels increased—”
“Which increased the temperature,” Netto stated, nodding.
“Only by a fraction of a degree, a minuscule amount that could have been caused by an intense warm season,” Montihan finished.
“We’ll take our own samples while we’re out.”
Netto glanced at Rylie as she sat forward, and she visibly wilted under everyone's stare. “There’ve been deaths, and our waterships have been tagged by bugs.”
“We discussed the bugs before you arrived,” Montihan interjected. “The deaths are concerning too.”
