The Man between my crosshairs (girl X assassin)

Chapter 27/The last tree

After breakfast the theatre of investment continued. A little later Zoe found her self in a ground transport with Harry Styles. They were leading a small file of cars over the prairie. Styles was, what he insisted on calling 'driving', which was a new word for Zoe. By 'driving' he meant piloting the land vehicle. It was hard to look at such a young looking man and it was easy to forget at this was someone who had grown up without self driving cars, robots, Orbital habitats, wormhole drives, insertable computers, or even the benefits of electric toasters. It was tempting to sit there and ask questions of such eternals like 'What was it like living on one planet? I'm sure if I was trapped doomed to spend until the end of my life on one world I'd go mad'. It was tempting but lacked sophistication. Styles had been claiming when he grew up everyone 'drove'. Zoe doubted this. What about the old, the blind or children? It reminded her she hadn't done much history at the academy. Between unarmed combat, tactics and sniper practice there wasn't much space left for the arts.

"I love this planet," said Styles. "I've liked it since the first day my wife and I got off the colony ship. See the hippragolds over there?"

Zoe looked out. In the distance she noticed low yellow plants hugging the ground.

"They evolved here after the, you know what came here and seeded it." Styles said casually. He meant that the Artificial Intelligences (AIs) exiled from earth had passed this way and seeded life on the planet a long time ago. Life could not have evolved naturally on this world, not given the lack of oceans. Life was the AI's gift of apology. The AI's who had enslaved Earth then were defeated by the resistance lead by the revolutionary hero Jenny Banks. The AI's had left gifts like this ecosystem on their journey to the centre of the galaxy. Everyone was a little bit worried. No one trusted the machines they used their gifts with caution.

"I met her, you know that?" Styles said. His eyes concentrated on the plains ahead.

"Her Who ? Her Banks Her ?" Said Zoe.

"The girl herself. She was a slave back then. Like I was." Styles said thoughtfully. Everyone back then was a slave, a sleeper or a collaborator. He wanted to establish he wasn't a collaborator even now the shame was to great.

"Your kidding!" Zoe said looking at Styles. Could anyone be that old.

"No ,it was a long time ago. The winds of time didn't hold me there. Sometimes. sometimes you know It feels like the memory of someone else you know?" Styles said then smiled, mostly to himself. "I remember taking the slave collar off for the first time. Life never feels better than that I can tell you. That was the daughter's doing though I guess. I never met her."

Styles turned and dropped his best smile on Zoe.

"Now in a minute, we will see the blue bells." Styles added. "they prefer the local acidic soil."

Sure enough over the next knoll, a blanket of low blue and white flowers spilled out. Beyond it lay a crystal box on the horizon.

"You seem to know your plants," Zoe said.

Styles shrugged "It's a hobby. One day I would like a garden. Proper garden. I've done almost everything else. There is something about roots in rich dark soil.".

Zoe wondered if this was some ancient earth seduction line which no one got any more.

"I'm not sure how long this due diligence is going to take," Styles said he turned and smiled "but I'm really pleased to your the one doing it."

"You don't like our methods," said Zoe.

"I might not," said Styles "but I like you. Which reminds me. It's a bit of a tradition in our group. Tomorrow Will be when the D orbit burn takes place. You see we like to Watch it on the big screen and have a little party about it. I like to invite Close friends and colleagues Plus a few.