The Immortal Crown

CHAPTER 10

Daphne Defines the Truth

Daphne held true to her word about signing a statement relinquishing any claim to Tessa’s life story. She wasted no time in getting started with the internship either, showing up at the house on the second day after Justin had left. Tessa faltered at the door when she answered it, remembering Justin’s admonishment about letting Daphne back in the house. Daphne hadn’t known about that, though, and neither did anyone else. So, while Tessa got some wary looks from Cynthia and Rufus as she led Daphne in that morning, nobody strictly prohibited the reporter being around.

“Let the school know you’re off doing field work today,” Daphne said, noticing Tessa’s uniform. “We’ve got a hot story to work on.”

“Do we?” asked Tessa, a bit startled.

“We’re interviewing someone today and need to finalize my research.” Daphne settled herself at the kitchen table, moving away empty breakfast plates and setting up a tablet on a small easel. “Grab your own tablet or use the living room screen. I need another set of eyes.”

Rufus, watching her with crossed arms, asked, “Don’t you have an office?”

“North Prime feels its reporters can work just fine without the physical constraints of an office,” she replied primly.

“Right, right,” said Rufus. “I forgot you’re freelance and not salaried.”

“You also forgot that you’re hired help,” snapped Daphne, angling her body toward Tessa. “Now, then. Let’s get started.”

Cynthia cleared the rest of the dishes and chased Quentin from the table. “What’s the story?” she asked, in a rare moment of curiosity.

Daphne’s eyes lit up. “A girl—sixteen—got pregnant over in Burnaby. Her parents claim the implant was faulty, but there’s evidence they belong to some weird religious group and might have purposely tampered with it.”

“Sixteen,” murmured Cynthia, looking appalled. “She’s a child.” Tessa had known plenty of girls having children that young back in Panama, but around here, where contraception was compulsory until age twenty, sixteen was unheard of. Daphne’s kohl-lined eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she studied Cynthia more closely. “Shocking, isn’t it?”

“Ghastly,” said Cynthia. “That poor girl. Her poor parents.” She glanced at the kitchen clock. “Time for Quentin and me to go. Have you seen where that praetorian went?”

“Pacing outside,” said Rufus. He’d made himself a sentry between the kitchen and living room.

Daphne watched as Cynthia left and then turned to Tessa. “Did you see her reaction to hearing about that girl? That’s what you want as a journalist—that deep, visceral response that sucks viewers in.”

“I thought journalists wanted facts,” said Tessa.

“Who says you can’t have both? Now, I’ve got to double check the timeline on when they reported that she was pregnant, and I need you to look up what you can on their religion.” Daphne skimmed her tablet. “Some god named Demeter. Find out if he’d be against fertility restrictions. Find out if their local chapter’s even still licensed. That’ll tell us right there how crazy this group is. Too bad your servitor skipped town on us. Even if the group’s licensed, the servitors always know more dirt.”

“Something tells me Justin wouldn’t be too excited to help us if he was here,” remarked Tessa wryly.

“Of course not,” said Daphne, rolling her eyes. “Why would he be troubled by something so mundane, when he could be off on glamorous trips with our next consul? How did he pull that off? Is it true they used to be roommates?”

Tessa thought back to Justin’s tone and expression whenever he’d spoken of the trip. Despite all his assurances that it would be safe and easy, Tessa hadn’t been able to shake the vibe he wasn’t actually looking forward to it. “I’m not sure he really pulled anything off,” she said at last.

“They were roommates,” confirmed Cynthia, returning with Quentin and her assigned praetorian-of-the-day. “Luck of the draw in the university housing system. I used to visit sometimes.”

“I bet that must’ve been a sight.” Daphne’s tone was light, but Tessa noticed a shrewd look in her eyes.

Cynthia shook her head in a mix of amusement and disapproval. “Typical college life, I guess. Especially for two guys. Their place was always a mess, and I swear they spent more time at parties than in class. Yet look at them now.”

“Did you ever think back then they’d end up in their current positions?” asked Daphne.

“I wouldn’t have imagined servitor exactly for Justin,” said Cynthia after a few moments of thought. “But I would’ve guessed something high profile that allows him to be an expert and spout his vast knowledge, whether it’s wanted or not. So I guess this fits.”

“And Senator Darling?” Daphne prompted. She almost seemed to be holding her breath in anticipation. “Was he politician material back then?”

“When do you guys have to go?” interrupted Tessa. There was something in Daphne’s line of questioning that she didn’t like. It was too eager, too calculated for casual curiosity.

Cynthia glanced at the time and grimaced. “Five minutes ago. See you later.”

She hurried her entourage out, and Daphne watched them with a frown. Tessa almost expected chastisement for scaring Cynthia away, but Daphne’s features soon smoothed as she returned to their task at hand. Despite her initial misgivings, Tessa found herself caught up in the work. Research on the vast Gemman media stream was something that Tessa actually liked and could have done just for fun. Daphne was right about there being no official government records on Demeter’s followers, but Tessa learned that Demeter was a goddess, not a god, and had strong ties to fertility. Tessa gathered all the pertinent information she could find and formatted it all in an organized way that allowed quick access and earned Daphne’s grudging approval.

“Damn,” she said. “I should’ve gotten an intern a long time ago.”

A couple hours later, they set out for Burnaby, with Rufus in tow, to make the scheduled interview. Daphne fell silent as they rode, rereading her notes and touching up her heavy makeup, which to Tessa’s eyes, hadn’t budged. When they got off at their station, they found a young man waiting for them with a camera case. Daphne introduced him as Felix and said that he’d be filming the interview for her.

The family they were visiting lived in a working class suburb, nice but not as affluent as Tessa’s. The mother was a petite, mousy woman who greeted them at the door and seemed surprised to find more than a lone reporter outside.

“My associates,” said Daphne breezily. She shook the other woman’s hand vigorously. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Lin and help you tell your side of the story. As soon as word of your lawsuit gets out, everyone will know what’s going on and start making all sorts of assumptions. Best to have the truth on the record.” Daphne gave a calculated pause. “You, uh, haven’t begun your lawsuit yet, have you? Gotten in touch with a lawyer?”

“We’ve spoken to a few,” said Mrs. Lin nervously. “But we haven’t contracted with one yet.”

Daphne’s smile broadened. “I’m so glad to hear that. For Helene’s sake. It means we have time.”

Tessa knew that Daphne was much gladder for her own sake, since no lawyer would’ve probably let the family speak with her. Mrs. Lin led them to a modestly furnished living room, introducing them to her husband and the aforementioned Helene. Mr. Lin looked as meek and mild as his wife, and Helene looked like any ordinary girl that Tessa might see at school. All looked uneasy. Daphne chatted away about light topics and tried to make them comfortable as she and Felix set up the living room. It turned out he’d brought two cameras, one that would stay unmanned and fixed on Daphne and another that he would control in order to get the best shots of the Lin family. Tessa, remembering this was all supposed to be a learning experience, stayed out of the way with Rufus and tried to pay attention.

Daphne began by getting the family’s backstory—what the parents did for a living, what Helene’s hobbies were, etc. Daphne then moved on to Helene’s relationship with a boy at her school. They’d been dating for six months, and no one seemed particularly surprised that sex had been an outcome. The pregnancy was the shocking part, and that was what Daphne soon honed in on.

“Why do you think you got pregnant?” asked Daphne.

Helene shot her parents a nervous look. “The implant was faulty.”

”They’re rated for ten years of use,” argued Daphne. “Have you had yours that long?”

“Four,” said Helene, flushing.

And then Daphne went in for the kill: “Is it or is it not true that you actually disabled your implant in tribute to your goddess Demeter and her cult of fertility?”

“No!” gasped Helene.

“Did your parents ask you to do it? Did your parents do it themselves?”

“Of course not,” exclaimed Mrs. Lin.

“Why don’t you tell me about your faith then,” said Daphne. “Describe it and your goddess in your own words.”

Mr. and Mrs. Lin, on the defensive now, attempted to paint a picture of their religion and did so in bits and pieces. A lot of it corroborated Tessa’s research, and it was almost impossible to talk about Demeter without mentioning fertility.

“But it’s not just about . . . babies,” explained an exasperated Mr. Lin, when Daphne pointed out the connections. “It’s fertility in a larger sense. Growth and new life of all things—plants, ideas, art. There’s a lot to it.”

Daphne fixed him with her dark gaze. “As a goddess who supports growth and new life, how does she feel about contraceptive implants?”

“I . . . I don’t know,” he said.

“Your church encourages removal of the implants when legally allowable at twenty, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think Demeter is pleased or displeased at news of your daughter’s pregnancy?” asked Daphne.

The family fell silent at that. When Daphne repeated it, Mrs. Lin said, “I’m sure she has better things to worry about than us.”

“She’s a great and powerful goddess,” said Daphne. “I’m sure she keeps track of all of her followers. Would she or would she not approve of Helene’s pregnancy?”

“I suppose . . . well, I suppose she’d approve,” said Mrs. Lin. “But—”

But Daphne had what she needed. Through that and a number of other tricky questions, even Tessa could tell that Daphne could edit together a segment where the family inadvertently implicated themselves. It made Tessa feel slightly queasy, but to Daphne, it was a triumph she couldn’t stop crowing about on the train ride back to Vancouver.

“I just wish I could get an interview with the boy too,” she said. “Get his reactions to being a pawn in a zealot family’s plans to breed children for their goddess. His family wouldn’t let him talk to me, though.”

Smart, thought Tessa. Out loud, she said, “Isn’t that a leap— breeding children for their goddess? They never said anything like that. You kind of just put it together from circumstantial evidence.”

“Of course they’re not going to say it,” said Daphne. “And if they’re truly innocent, I’m sure this’ll all settle out legally.”

“But your story gets attention in the meantime.”

Daphne grinned. “That’s how this business works. If it soothes your moral sensibilities, though, it is incredibly rare for contraceptive implants to fail.”

“Yeah, but is it easy for the average person to disable one?” asked Tessa.

“I don’t know. I’m no engineer.”

Tessa thought about that for several moments. “Why don’t you ask one? Get more facts for the story?”

“Because I need to edit and file this with North Prime while it’s still hot,” said Daphne. “I couldn’t get an expert to talk to me on such short notice.”

“What if I could?” asked Tessa. “I know someone—I mean, he’s more like Justin’s friend. He helps Justin out with cases. But his main job is at a contraceptive company. I bet he’d talk to us.”

Daphne’s earlier expression of smug triumph had transformed to razor sharp focus. “Justin’s friend? Is he local?”

“No . . . but recently, he’s been spending time up here. Normally he’s in Portland. But his company has offices in Vancouver, and he’s been doing other government contract work.”

“Fine,” declared Daphne magnanimously. “See if he’s around. If we can get in today, we can talk to him.”

Leo Chang was surprised when Tessa called but not unfriendly. He’d always been kind to Tessa, and so had his husband, Dominic. She hadn’t seen Dominic in a very long time, though. The few times they’d visited him in Portland in recent months, Dominic had always been away. It was around that same time that Leo, who’d sworn he was firmly entrenched in the countryside outside Portland, had begun venturing back up to his favorite city. Luck and chance found him in Vancouver today, at Estocorp’s downtown offices, and he agreed to talk to Tessa when she told him she needed help for a school project.

“You didn’t mention you were bringing a reporter,” Rufus remarked quietly to Tessa as they waited in the lobby to meet Leo. “One day with her, and you’re already getting selective about what information you give.”

Tessa blushed. “Leo’s not as paranoid as he used to be, but he sometimes reacts badly to strangers. Though it kind of depends on the type of stranger. He was always nice to me. Not so much to Mae. I don’t think he likes praetorians.”

“Praetorians are intimidating,” agreed Rufus. “But she’s pretty enough to put a lot of people at ease—especially men.”

“Leo has a husband,” Tessa pointed out.

Rufus chuckled at that. “Ah. Well, then, yes, I suppose she wouldn’t be so effective on him in that case. You’ve probably seen her turn on that charm with other men, though.”

“Not really.” Tessa reflected on her experience with Mae. “But I’ve never seen her around that many men, I guess. Just her friends. And Justin—but they always seem to be mad at each other. I’ve never heard her talk about a boyfriend or anything.”

“Praetorians are rarely lonely,” said Rufus, but he seemed pleased at Tessa’s response.

Leo, however, was not so pleased when he met them and found out what he’d gotten into. He led Tessa’s group into the elevator and took them up to a corporate lounge, saying bluntly, “I’ll answer whatever factual questions you have about birth control, but I’m not going to be filmed as part of your efforts to smear some poor family.”

Daphne, standing half a foot over slim and immaculately dressed Leo, beamed down. “Why would you think we’d want anything other than facts?”

And to Tessa’s pleasant surprise, Daphne did simply ask for facts once they were all seated. She verified the functioning stats of contraceptive implants and asked for Leo’s opinion on the brand of Helene’s, which turned out to be one of Estocorp’s competitors. Leo answered truthfully.

“It’s a decent product. We’ve all got to meet government standards, especially that ten year mark. Defects happen, though. Could’ve happened to them.”

“Is it possible the Lin family could have tampered with it?” asked Daphne.

“It’d be difficult,” he said. “They’d have to physically harm it, dig into the arm with a knife, maybe. That’d show up on the implant if they examine it, not to mention the girl.”

Daphne looked unhappy at not having clear-cut evidence to support her theory. “I’ve heard of people remotely programming implants.”

Leo smiled and shook his head. “Not a contraceptive one used by the average consumer. Military implants can be programmed remotely. Praetorians, for example, can have their implants’ instructions modified. Female praetorians have contraceptive functions rolled into their military ones, so yes, you could theoretically tamper with one remotely in that case, but I’m guessing your victim—I mean, interviewee—wasn’t in some secret junior praetorian program.”

Daphne nodded in acceptance. “Thank you, Mr. Chang. I’ll take this into consideration.” Tessa, however, doubted anything that didn’t back up Daphne’s sensational angle would ever see airtime.

“Happy to help my little friend here, even if she is keeping surprising company,” said Leo, giving Tessa a wry look. “Glad you’ve got a school you like, though.”

“How do you want to be credited if I do cite you?” asked Daphne, taking out her ego. “Tessa said you work here and for the government.”

“Government stuff’s freelance and unrelated,” said Leo. “Just use my Estocorp title—lead engineer.”

Daphne nodded and made a note. She then looked up at him with a sly smile. “If you have done work for SCI, I’d love to get your opinion on the religious nature of this.”

He held up his hands. “No way. I wouldn’t even dream of commenting on that stuff. Everything I’ve done for them has been in a technical capacity. I have no expertise on the rest. Badger Justin for that.”

Tessa hugged him and thanked him for his time. Daphne, eager to begin her editing and get the jump on any other reporters, accepted defeat in getting more out of Leo and waited impatiently at the door with Felix. “Well?” she asked Tessa. “Ready to see how editing makes magic?”

“Uh . . . sure,” said Tessa, quickly taking out her ego as she fell into step with the others. “I just need to send a message to Darius. I didn’t think we’d be out this long, and I’d told him I’d meet him for lunch.”

“Lunch was three hours ago,” Daphne pointed out.

Tessa smiled. “He’s working a weird shift at the senate today. So he has a weird lunch time.”

Daphne came to a halt by the elevator and gave Tessa a long, searching look. “Go on,” she told Felix moments later. “We’ll catch up later.” When he was gone, she turned back to Tessa. “Your castal friend works at the senate?”

“He has an internship,” said Tessa uneasily, not liking the shift in attention. “Justin helped him get it. Through Lucian.”

Daphne’s eyes narrowed. “He works for Senator Darling?”

“I don’t know who he works for exactly. I mean, probably not Lucian since Lucian’s not in the country.”

“But his work still carries on,” Daphne murmured. She stared off into space for several seconds, and Tessa could practically see the wheels of scheming in the other woman’s head. “Don’t cancel plans on my account. Keep your lunch date.”

“It’s not a date,” said Tessa quickly. “Not that kind of date.” Daphne continued as though Tessa hadn’t spoken. “And while you’re there, see if your friend’s come across one Dr. Nico Cassidy.” The name meant nothing to Tessa.

“Who’s he?”

“A person of interest,” said Daphne, after a bit of consideration. “Someone who spends an awful lot of time with Senator Darling’s political party.”

“Maybe he’s their doctor,” suggested Tessa.

“He’s not a medical doctor. He’s their wellness counselor—if you believe that.”

“Well, there you go. That’s why he spends so much time with their party.” Tessa might be getting more out of this internship than she’d expected, but jumping on board with every conspiracy theory still wasn’t her style. Part of the RUNA’s healthcare system required psychiatric evaluations every few years, along with citizens’ normal physicals. Those deemed to be in stressful or high profile professions— like the military or politics—received them more frequently, and unlike in Panama, mental health issues had less of a stigma here. A political party having its own therapist on hand to monitor members was standard practice.

Daphne clearly thought otherwise. “There’s something weird about this guy. I’ve tried to research him, and he’s been remarkably difficult. I had a source that suggested he might be involved with a religious group, but I haven’t been able to find any other leads.”

“Maybe there are none,” said Tessa. “Maybe your source was wrong. And besides, not everyone involved in religion is newsworthy.”

“They are if they’re advising a major political party,” Daphne countered. “Especially one that’s carrying the next consul. The people have a right to know the truth, and if you care anything about this country, you’ll use your inside connections to find out more about Dr. Cassidy.”

Tessa somehow doubted Daphne was as concerned about the country as her career. “Sorry. Unless he walks right up to me and tells me his story, you’re out of luck. There’s no way I’m going to make Darius abuse his position to get us a story. It’s wrong.”

Daphne shook her head in mock sympathy. “And here I thought you had the makings of a real journalist.”

Tessa tried to ignore the jab as she and Rufus made their way to the senate. She believed in the truth, but that didn’t mean taking the immoral routes Daphne always seemed to suggest.

“Darius can only sign in one guest,” Tessa told Rufus as they approached the senate steps. “Do you mind waiting? There are a few cafes around here.”

Rufus frowned. “I’m not supposed to leave you.”

“It’s just like leaving me at school,” she explained. “You trust their security. It’s probably better here.”

He paused and surveyed the line of black-uniformed praetorians standing guard out front. Tessa knew most of the actual security screening took place inside, but they were still a formidable array. “I suppose,” Rufus admitted gruffly. “Though at your school, I know I can come in at any time. Call me as soon as you’re ready to leave, and I’ll meet you back here.”

Tessa agreed and made her way into the senate alone, feeling surprisingly free, as though she were getting away with something after being shadowed these last few days. Darius met her at the main security checkpoint, where she was screened and checked for weapons before he was allowed to bring her in with a visitor’s pass.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” he told her, eyes shining. He was wearing a suit and tie that looked a little too big for him. “In just two days, I’ve learned so much.”

“That’s great,” she said, trying not to gape. Even in late afternoon, the senate was abuzz with activity. Tour groups viewed the public areas while lobbyists, politicians, and aides hurried back and forth through the crowded corridors, everyone intent on their destination. She couldn’t help but share a little of his awe at the wheels of the Gemman government turning around them. Darius gave her an informal tour of the building parts that were open to her and then led her to the cafeteria. “This is only one of them,” he clarified. “There’s another more exclusive one that the elected officials use, but a lot of them still come down here to eat with us workers. Isn’t that great?”

Tessa wondered if that was truly out of a desire to bond with ordinary people or was more for show. She then wondered at what point during her time in the RUNA she’d become so jaded.

She wasn’t that hungry but followed him into a serving line, one that advertised various grilled sandwiches. It was one of the longest lines, so presumably it was good. He happily chatted away about his day’s goings-on as they waited, and she found herself charmed, in spite of herself. Suddenly, he gasped and clutched her arm. “Do you know who we’re standing behind?” he whispered.

Tessa didn’t and shook her head. All she could see of the two men in front of her were their backs.

“That’s Magnus Mercado. He’s the chair of the Citizens’ Party.” She knew the name. It was hard not to. Lucian Darling might be

poised for greatness, but at the moment, Senator Mercado was the most powerful person in their party, elected by its members. Since Darius had gained his internship through Lucian, she knew his work here involved a lot of errands for that particular party, but she got the impression Darius rarely dealt with its high-ranking members. His starry eyed look confirmed as much.

Mercado glanced back just then, causing Darius to gulp. The senator was a striking man, handsome even in his early fifties, with a bit of silver almost artfully touching his black hair. He smiled a showman’s smile as his dark eyes fell on an awestruck Darius.

“Well, hello there. Demetrius, right?”

“Darius, sir. But I mean, you can call me D-Demetrius if you want, _sir.”

Mercado gave a great booming laugh. “Ah, I love a sense of humor. I hope you’re settling in nicely? Everyone’s treating you well?”

Darius, who clearly couldn’t believe the senator even knew he was alive, nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir. Very much, sir.”

“Good, good. We were just talking about the importance of today’s youth showing interest and involvement in our country.” Mercado turned his smile on Tessa. “Hopefully you’re recruiting more for the cause.”

Even Tessa couldn’t help but feel a little flustered under that powerful gaze. “I’m just visiting today, sir.” Hoping she wasn’t being too forward, she offered her hand. “Teresa Cruz.”

Mercado took it graciously. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cruz. Do you mind me asking where you’re from?”

She blushed, not from the attention so much as realizing that no matter how good her English was, she still hadn’t shaken her accent. “Panama, sir. A family friend helped me get a student visa, and I go to school at Creative Minds now.”

“Her friend knows Senator Darling,” piped in Darius. “He’s the one who helped get me here too.”

Mercado’s attention was on Tessa, though, and he nudged the man beside him. “You hear that? Creative Minds is a great school. It’s a long trip to there from the provinces. You’re living the Gemman dream, Miss Cruz.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Tessa uncertainly.

“You should have her come speak to your kids.” Mercado had turned his attention back to his companion. “I think it’d be highly informative for them.”

The man, who was younger than Mercado and had typically plebeian features, nodded in agreement and gave her a charismatic smile. “I think so too. They’re all enthusiastic, but I think it’s important for them to talk to others of different backgrounds.”

“Forgive me,” said Mercado. “I’m speaking over you. Tessa, Darius. This is our wellness counselor, Dr. Nico Cassidy. When he’s not listening to us bemoan our problems, he runs a youth group for those interested in politics. Secondary and tertiary aged. It’d be a great favor to us if you’d consider visiting it sometime. You too,” he added to Darius, clearly as an afterthought.

Tessa nearly dropped the empty tray she was carrying, and it had nothing to do with being extended a personal invitation by someone so powerful. Nico Cassidy. This was the man Daphne had told her about, the one who possibly had ties to a religion. Looking at him now, Tessa saw nothing particularly sinister about him. He might not be a politician, per se, but he had that same polished feel that everyone else in this field seemed to radiate.

“It would be an honor, sir,” exclaimed Darius. Then, seeming to realize Tessa and her exotic background were his ticket in, he glanced at her. “Right? Wouldn’t you like to go, Tessa?”

In truth? Not really. Tessa had too much on her plate with Daphne and school to take on some extracurricular activity. But the pleading in Darius’s voice was unmistakable. She also couldn’t shake Daphne’s reminders about her being a good journalist and the public’s right to know the truth. Even Tessa’s own words came back to haunt her, about how she wouldn’t use Darius to learn about Dr. Cassidy. Unless he walks right up to me and tells me his story, you’re out of luck.

Well, Tessa had technically walked up to him, but here he was, inviting her to learn more about him—and Darius seemed more than eager to help, though his motives were obviously different from hers. In fact, she didn’t even know what her motives were. She still wasn’t sure she bought Daphne’s conspiracy theory, but if ever there was a time to investigate, here it was.

“Tessa?” Darius prompted.

All three men watched her expectantly, and she mustered a brave smile. “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to.”