“We have to go forward,” he says.
“I know.”
When we reach Billy’s house, Uncle Zed pounces on the tablet. He paces back and forth in the small entryway, beads of sweat crowning his forehead as he scrolls through the pictures. The rest of us find places among the piles. I’m wedged between the edge of the sofa and a box of children’s pre-’Fault toys.
“Project Renascentia,” Uncle Zed mutters. “Project Renascentia.”
“PR,” Taro whispers. “Is that what it stands for?”
Billy nods. I feel like an idiot for thinking it stood for Public Relations. It shows how much Global has brainwashed me.
“What do you think it all means?” I ask. “Does it tie Maxwell to the League?”
Zed halts mid-stride, staring at me. “Morning Star, I have to investigate this. In Vex. Tomorrow. My storage site. There’s intel there for cross reference.” Zed continues to pace, flipping through the images on the tablet.
Taro tenses beside me. “I want to go with you,” he says. “To Daruuk’s, I mean.”
I frown. “Why?”
He scrubs a hand over his crew cut, not quite meeting my eyes. “Look, I know how important this is to you. I know you want to see him.” There’s an edge to his voice, but he doesn’t sound angry. “It would just make me feel better if I was there to watch your back. Your real-world back.”
This makes me feel mushy inside. Taro cares enough to help me, even if he doesn’t agree with my decision.
“Thank you,” I say. “I’d appreciate that.”
I catch Billy watching us. He looks away, but I know what he’s thinking: he’s wishing Hank would support him in the same way. I can’t help but wonder what’s ahead for my two friends.
***
We don’t stay much longer at Billy’s. Taro walks me home. I scan the homes around us, looking for signs of people, but the Village remains silent around us.
My mind flashes to the pictures on Maxwell’s tablet—all those dead people. What does it mean and how does it tie to the League? Does it even tie to the League?
I was hoping we’d find something we could take to Mr. Winn to prove Maxwell is the League mole. Instead, all I got was a head full of horrors and more questions.
It’s almost too much to process. My mind spins.
When we reach my house, I draw to a halt outside my bedroom window. The sliver of moonlight accentuates Taro’s chiseled features and dark, handsome face. When I look at him, the world around me feels stable. He’s the only thing solid in this bizarre, violent world. He’s my anchor.
I lean forward and rest against him. His heart beats, strong and steady, against my cheek. He holds me tight, resting his chin on my head.
“Do you think they’re going to be okay?” I ask.
“Who?”
“Hank and Billy.”
“I don’t know.”
“I guess neither of us knows much about relationships,” I mutter. Then I lean back, frowning up at Taro. “How many girlfriends have you had?”
His arms tighten around me. “I’ve never had a serious relationship. Merc girls are like merc guys, just with different anatomy.”
I laugh at that. Taro tips my chin back with his fingers and kisses me gently. I rise up onto my toes, cinching my arms around his neck. The kiss deepens as Taro grips me around my waist, his hands encircling my hips and the small of my back.
Someone clears his throat—loudly.
We turn in surprise. Dad stands there in the dark, fully dressed, yanking on his hair as he watches me and Taro.
I disentangle myself but stay close to Taro. I lace my fingers through his hand and look steadily at Dad, unashamed. Riska lands on my shoulder, tail swishing against my back.
For several tense seconds, Dad’s eyes flick from me to Taro. He sighs, hands tightening in his hair.
“Sulan, I need Riska.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Dad raises a hand. The words die on my lips as I see how exhausted he looks. There are dark circles under his eyes. His shoulders are hunched. At some point, it looks like he spilled coffee on his pants and didn’t bother to change.
I pull Riska into my arms and pass him to my father. Riska perches on his shoulder.
“Go inside, Sulan,” Dad says. “I’ll be home later. Taro, come with me.”
He turns away without another word. Taro’s eyes meet mine before he falls into step with my father. I watch them go.
Even though I itch to follow them and find out what’s going on, I don’t. Something in the way Dad looked at me has my feet anchored to the ground. I’ve never seen him look so tired, so beaten up.
“What’s going on in this place?” I whisper. I can only hope Taro is able to eavesdrop on them, or that Zed and I can learn something valuable in Vex tomorrow night.
40
Vex
TARO IS WAITING FOR ME the next morning when I step outside. Riska—who Dad returned to me last night after being gone almost an hour—swoops off my shoulder and lands on Taro’s.
“Hey.” I smile in greeting, feeling oddly shy.
His eyes are bright when he looks down at me. “Hey.” His smile warms me down to my toes. He bends down and kisses my nose, which makes me grin like an idiot.
I slip my hand into his as we start walking.
“What happened with our dads last night?” I keep my voice soft. There are many people out, most of them heading toward the cafeteria.
“They went into my dad’s room to talk and I couldn’t overhear anything.” Taro grimaces. “Dad was … put out with me, when he found out I’d snuck out to be with you.”
“Oh.” I take a moment to digest this. “He was mad because you were out with me, or because you were out with a girl?”
“My dad has this thing about looking out for Morning Star’s daughter. He was mad because—” Taro breaks off, making a face. “Let’s just say I got another lecture.” A scowl creeps onto his face. “He thinks that just because he did certain … stupid things as a teenager, I’m going to do them, too.”
I decide not to ask for details.
“I guess it’s better for him to think those things,” I say. “I mean, instead of really knowing what we were doing. I just wish I knew what our dads are up to.”
“Did you get a lecture last night?” Taro asks.
I shrug apologetically “I pretended to be asleep when he got home.”
We reach the cafeteria and join the buffet line.
“I’d sit somewhere else this morning, if I were you,” Daruuk says as he breezes by me with a plate piled high with food. He’s plumped up in the past few weeks since moving here. His cheeks are fuller and his eyes aren’t as deep-set as they used to be. “Simmons is in a mood. There’s always room at our table.”
I glance toward the table where Hank sits with Timmy, Billy, and Uncle Zed. She attacks her pancake, slicing at it with her knife as though it committed an unforgivable crime. Tense lines ring her mouth. Frustration oozes off her, even from this distance.
Timmy and Billy eat in silence, eyes fastened to their plates. Even Zed casts wary looks in Hank’s direction.
Great. Just great.
“Thanks, but we can’t abandon Billy and Zed,” I say.
Daruuk shrugs. “Suit yourself. Just don’t be late tonight. We start at 1 a.m. sharp. If you’re late, it’ll cut into your time.”
I sigh and nod, then grab a plate and proceed to fill it with food. Then I head to our table and plop right down next to Hank.
“You’re just as bad as the rest of them,” Hank snaps by way of greeting. “It’s not enough to risk everything by breaking into a mercenary’s house. Which I don’t want to know anything about, so don’t tell me. I suppose you’re also one of the idiots planning to go into Vex?”
I shrug and begin to eat. There’s no reason to deny anything.
“You’re all going to get in trouble,” she hisses. “Why risk what we have here? If Mr. Winn finds out, he could
throw every last one of you out.” Her eyes grow pained as she looks at Billy. “He insists on going to Daruuk’s tonight, too.”
Billy coughs and leans over his plate. His bangs create a shield between him and the rest of the table.
“You’re as stupid as the rest of them,” Hank says to me. She looks across the table at Taro. “You’re with me on this, aren’t you? You know what they’re doing is dangerous, right?”
Taro shrugs and starts eating. “If it’s important to Sulan, it’s important to me.”
Hank makes a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. “You know why she’s going, don’t you? She wants to see Gun.” Her look is nothing short of scathing when she turns to me. “I don’t know why you waste your time. It’s not like you’ll ever get to meet him in the real-world. He’s out of your life, Sulan. Deal with it.”
I stare at her coldly. “You’re going to have to face the fact that not everyone shares your worldview. Deal with that, Hank.”
She glares at me and stabs her pancake with a fork. I smile at her and cut into my pancake.
The rest of the meal passes in silence.
***
It’s after midnight when I crawl out of my window that night. I’m exhausted after a long day—three Vex appearances and another two hours with Kerry—but I’ve spent weeks waiting for a chance to get into Vex. Nothing short of a nuclear meltdown could keep me away.
Well, that or maybe Dad. Luckily he isn’t home from work yet. I’m sure he’ll check on me when he gets back. If I’m lucky, I’ll beat him home. If not … well, I’ll deal with the consequences, whatever they are.
Taro and Billy wait for me outside my bedroom. Uncle Zed paces in a circle ten feet away from them, muttering about commies.
Without a word, we head off to Daruuk’s house, Zed trailing along behind us. Hank’s absence is conspicuous, but none of us mentions it. Riska rides on my shoulder, ears pricked forward.
Daruuk lives one street over from me. His bedroom window is open, the room inside dark.
“Hey, Daruuk,” I say, boosting myself onto the ledge and jumping inside.
“Hom,” he says, looking up from the Vex modem he’s spent the last month cobbling together. It’s the size of a pre-’Fault book and looks nothing like any modem I’ve ever seen. Alexi Ivanov sits beside him, leaning over the modem and twisting a pair of wires together.
Daruuk shares a room with his younger sister, Asha. She’s sprawled across the bed on her stomach, peering over Daruuk’s shoulder as he works. Their bedroom is the same size as mine. Stuffed with two beds, two dressers, and two bedside tables, there’s barely room to move. Tools and spare parts are all over the bed and floor.
“Are these the Vex sets?” I squeeze onto the floor beside the boys and pick up what I assume is a Vex set. The goggles are mismatched and it lacks the sleek grace of a normal set. There are lots of different wires sticking out of the goggles, and the entire thing is attached to an old-fashioned hairband. The second one is attached to a sweatband.
“Don’t touch that.” Daruuk snatches it out of my hand. “It’s not ready yet.”
“Be nice,” I reply. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have access to the Fortress modem.”
“You’re getting your payment.” Daruuk still has not looked up from his work. “You’re going into Vex first, aren’t you? Long, close the curtains and turn on the lights, would you?”
Billy closes and locks the window, then pulls the heavy drape closed. Daruuk must have traded Zed for a pair of jeans. The jeans have been cut up and sewn to the back of the Global-issued curtain, making it thick enough to keep all light in the room.
Zed stands in one corner, his back to us. He mutters to the wall, twisting his fingers together. Asha stares at him, dark eyes wide.
Taro’s face is smooth, but when he sits down next to me, I see the worry in his eyes. I look away, pretending not to notice. Riska crawls into Taro’s lap, flicking his ears in my direction.
“All right.” Daruuk sits back and stares at his homemade modem. “Let’s see if this works.”
He flips a switch. After a moment, the modem hums to life.
“Yes,” Billy breathes.
“We’re not there yet, Long,” Daruuk says. “Let’s see if the Highjacker works.”
“It’ll work,” Billy says. He tilts his head, shaggy blond hair falling away to reveal one eye. “The code will camouflage itself and avoid detection.”
“So you say,” Daruuk mutters. “For the sake of my kingdom, I hope you’re correct.”
A soft tapping on the window makes us all jump. Daruuk swears.
“Who else did you invite?” Asha asks, jumping off the bed and moving toward the window.
“Who else could I have invited?” Daruuk retorts. He snatches the blanket off the bed and throws it over the Vex components. “No one else can fit in this baruken bedroom!”
Taro shifts beside me, the muscles along his forearm tensing. Riska growls.
Asha peeks around the heavy drape. After a tense moment, she sighs and shakes her head.
“It’s Hank,” she announces. “Should I send her away?”
“No,” Billy says, at the same time Daruuk says, “Yes.”
Daruuk scowls at Billy. “Your girlfriend better not make any trouble for us.”
“She won’t.” Billy practically leaps over us in his haste to get to the window. There’s a silly, happy grin on his face as he pulls Hank inside. She snuggles into his arms, then glares at the rest of us.
“Someone has to keep all of you out of trouble,” she announces.
Asha sniffs and secures the window. “We were doing just fine without you, Henrietta.”
Hank bristles. Billy gives her shoulder a squeeze. She scowls at all of us, displaying her general displeasure with our operation, but doesn’t say anything else.
Daruuk prods the modem with a small screwdriver. A few moments later, a blue light flares to life.
“That’s it!” Daruuk tosses the screwdriver aside and tilts his chin up in triumph. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have access to Vex!”
“Uncle.” Billy places his hands on Zed’s shoulders and rotates him so that he’s facing the room. “It’s time.”
“The dots.” Zed remains standing in the corner, refusing to take the Vex set when Billy hands it to him. “Project Renascentia has many dots. You have to connect them.”
“Uncle, you’ve been waiting for this.” Billy again tries to press the Vex set into Zed’s hands. “Collusion Underground. You bartered for first access—”
“You.” Zed pushes the Vex set back at Billy. “You connect the dots.” He closes his eyes, shaking his head and pressing his hands to his temples. Sweat makes a damp ring on the collar of his shirt. “You go. Watch Morning Star’s back. I’ll watch for commies. Watch both your backs.”
Billy takes in the lines of tension around his his uncle’s mouth and eyes. “Okay. I’ll go.” He settles onto the floor next to me. Hank stares at him, worry plain on her face, but Billy doesn’t look at her.
“Be safe,” Taro whispers to me. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“She’ll be fine,” Daruuk snaps. “What do I look like, an amateur? I’m the reigning emperor of Andala. One does not become emperor of Andala by being a moron.”
Taro stiffens.
“He wasn’t questioning your skills,” I tell Daruuk. “He just wants me to be safe in the general sense.”
I pick up the other Vex set. Before slipping it on, I look over at Taro. Apprehension lines his face. I lean over, brushing his lips with a soft kiss.
“I’ll be back in one hour,” I tell him.
“You two can get a room when you’re done,” Daruuk says. “Hurry up. The clock starts now.” He turns over an hourglass on his nightstand, which I hadn’t noticed before.
“Morning Star and Black Ice, back together again,” Zed mutters.
With one last look at Taro, I slide my set into place.
> ***
The familiar blue of Vex is sliced through with static. Daruuk’s modem must have a glitch, but I don’t care. As long as I get to see Gun, I can deal with static.
I glance across the swirling blue at Billy. He’s a Twig, a stick figure avatar that’s hairless and sexless. I’m also a Twig. Our VIs—Virtual Identities—aren’t connected to Daruuk’s homemade sets. Twigs are default avatars for anyone going into Vex without a VI.
“We need Ghost avatars.” The stick figure’s voice isn’t Billy’s; it’s an androgynous voice that’s more than a little creepy. “Follow me and I’ll get you one. Site: QT8N04FL-AO8P6.”
“Site,” I repeat. My voice has the same default androgyny. “QT8N04FL-AO8P6.”
Billy and I are deposited in a featureless black plain. The floor beneath our feet is black. There is no ceiling, no walls, just featureless black all around. Lances of silver static cut through the dark.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“A storage site for Axcents and tech,” Billy says. “Zed and I have a bunch of these. We keep them on Swiss servers that offer anonymous registration.” He glances at the static crackling around us. “Poor rendering. Daruuk’s connection isn’t great.”
He inserts his fingers into seemingly random points in the air. Small vortexes of light open beneath his touch. He moves his fingers in an intricate pattern. As he does, the points of light connect, becoming a larger and larger vortex. Soon there is a whirlpool of light about the size of a microwave. Billy sticks his hand inside and pulls out two leather satchels. The vortex closes as soon as he withdraws his arm.
He passes one satchel to me. “Here’s a Ghost for you. It has adult registration so you can get into the Cube.” The eyes on the Twig in front of me narrow. “Be careful with Gun. I’ll see you later.”
Before I can thank him, Billy says, “Site: Collusion Underground.” And then he disappears, leaving me alone in the storage site.
I reach into the satchel and pull out a red leather gorget. With a grimace, I cinch it around my neck.
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