Johann looked over his shoulder, andnowI could see the granite in his gaze. He could out-stubborn a mule, if he wanted to. Or a father who refused to bend. “To the laboratory,” he said. “I will be taking possession of the Trigeneris Sebastian has asked for. You see, Idohave the authority to give him stock from the lab. I have already arranged it.”
Even though I’d left the family, and the family business, I still kept up with the news of the pharmaceutical field. I’d read that my father had transferred a hefty dosage of control over Van Horn Biologics to my brother, since Johann would inherit the company when my father retired. By doing so, Johann could learn to run the business and labs while my father still retained ultimate control. What I hadn’t grasped, it seemed, was the true scope of the power my father had given over.
I’m not sure anyone could grasp the sheer mass of regret he felt right then. We just never foresaw power moves from Johann. He had a PhD in not rocking the boat. Until that day.
My father turned a spectacular shade of crimson. “You can’t do this.”
“It is already done,” Johann said, with inflectionless finality. “They are packing it up now. I have also asked them to release a statement to the press regarding a joint effort between Van Horn Biologics and the United States Army to move testing of Trigeneris to a new stage, beginning with saving the life of a brave soldier who lays dying on Mars.”
Holy shit, part two.
Johann glanced at me. “I left his name out of it, and I understated the severity of his condition. They can think the Trigeneris will fly out on a normal supply flight. Everyone loves a feel-good story about the troops. No one will question it, or wonder if you took a classified fast flight to Mars. There is one, small detail, though.”
“Okay, whatever it is, we can deal with it,” I said, too willing to agree in my excitement at getting my hands on that medication.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Johann said. “I’ve asked our lawyers to contact the Army’s legal division to arrange a contract for this. Our father isn’t entirely wrong in being concerned about the security of this formulation. The security breach before was- It was bad.”
“It wasn’t us.”
“No, but it’s a terrible precedent to forgive and forget.” He lifted the shoulder he looked over. “So I have asked them to include some security stipulations to ensure this goes smoothly. That includes a designated individual to administer the Trigeneris, monitor the patient’s outcome, and verify the security of the facility so we can resume offering it for testing there.”
Well, hell, that didn’t seem unreasonable at all. “That’s good thinking. I can give you the name of the doctor up there and-“
“No.” Johann put on the same smile he wore as a child when he was about to pummel me at Go Fish. “I’ve already given them a name. It’s you, Sebastian. You are our designated individual. Coming?”
Wait, what?
28ONE HELL OF A ROAD TRIP
My brother is an odd duck.He always has been. Quiet, reserved, neat, and with a poker face that would earn obscene money in Las Vegas if he ever decided to gamble. The “still waters run deep” adage was coined for Johann, because he could keep a secret or plan a mutiny without a ruffle in his smooth façade.
He’d dated the same woman since high school, a lovely person named Beth who screamed “femme-facing lesbian” to everyone but the willfully blind. Like my parents. She never looked less than perfect, she spoke with both intelligence and compassion, and my parents had raptures over her as a potential Missus Van Horn on Johann’s arm.
I had never seen them kiss. Or hold hands. Not once had he snuck his arm around her while we watched television as a family. My father called her “a modest young woman” and my brother a “proper gentleman”.
Me? I thought he’d set up a luxury resort in the closet. My parents should have stayed on my good side, since I, at least, was bisexual and wouldn’t have minded a woman for a spouse. Johann would never marry Beth, because they both could have marched in a Pride Parade alongside a “Look At How We’ve Snowed the Straight People!” float and no one would have batted an eye.
Johann had perfected the exact outward-facing appearance my parents demanded from us both. He could play the part and get an Oscar for his performance, and he kept up that Academy Award-winning act in front of his entire family – forever. Always. It never broke.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I’d exiled myself and earned freedom at a price. The price Johann paid seemed even harsher. Maybe my example would empower him to check out of Chez Closet and be who I suspected he always had been.
“Johann!” I called, dashing after him with two slices of bacon and a mounting surprise. “Johann, wait! I can’t administer the Trigeneris! Jackson is on Mars!”
Johann hadn’t stopped after he dropped that bomb. He’d walked on down the hall, figuring I’d catch up. “They have space ships, don’t they?” he asked. “That’s how the Trigeneris is getting to Mars. I’m positive they carry people.”
“But I’m not military anymore! They weren’t going to sendmeto Mars!” My father-in-law wasn’t military anymore, either, but he was Jackson’s father and his daughter was arranging the flight, so he could fudge it. Me? Not so much.
That did get him to pause. Johann looked over at me. “You were in the military?”
“Yes, but- Look, it’s a long story. The short version is that I wasn’t planned as a passenger on that flight.”
“You are now.” He looked away and started walking again. “Dad’s going to have conniptions at me, you realize. I will be surprised if he doesn’t disown me while he fends off Mom’s promised divorce. Can you believe she threatened to divorce him?”
“No. But- Johann, if you knew he would be that angry, why would you help me?” I needed to know. Johann was a Van Horn. His reasons could range from altruism to an awful corporate motive that would leave me feeling slimy.
Another sideways glance. “Because you’re my brother, idiot. I’m not going to let the man you love die.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “Thank you. Really. I just- Thank you.”