Nona took her hand and they shook. “I don’t know if you remember me . . .”
“Of course I do. Marcelle Hall’s daughter. Pleased to see you again.”
Nona winced.
The Biologist went on, “Is the robot here?”
“No,” Nona said, remembering why she hadn’t liked her much as a teacher. “No, my friend Chrystal was taken somewhere else. But she was captured when we were.”
The Futurist deepened his dolorous look. “This doesn’t bode well.”
The Biologist frowned at him and stalked off, demanding a glass of water from a kitchen-bot even though there was already water on a sideboard.
Nona had the sense they would all be arguing if it weren’t for the guards who still stood there, holding weapons, and almost certainly listening to everything they said.
A serving-bot emerged from the suite’s kitchen with a tray of simple sandwiches and flavored waters. The captives descended on the food as if they hadn’t eaten in a week.
Sometime later, sleeping people littered the soft carpet. A few of them tossed and turned and moaned from time to time, probably not sleeping at all.
Nona was too worried about Chrystal to sleep. She must feel terribly alone, and Nona couldn’t imagine they’d taken her for anything good. She wanted to see Chrystal again, tell her she was still her best and oldest friend in spite of everything. She had never said that; she had assumed Chrystal knew.
She took a spot on the floor and leaned against a wall. Dr. Nevening came over to sit by her, and stayed quiet. In spite of his high standing, he looked as frightened and tired as she felt.
“Do you know this Vadim?” Nona asked him in a whisper.
“I know of him. He’s had a reputation as a rebel for a long time. He’s rumored to have been associated with two changes in government—a mutiny on a ship and a coup on a small station. Do you remember the Aurora station?”
“Vaguely. Something about kicking out a Headman for stealing taxes?”
“That’s the one. Vadim’s never done more than throw insults at the Deep though, not as far as I know.”
“Do you think he set the bomb?”
Dr. Nevening shrugged. “That could have been almost anybody. I’m not at all surprised about this—I even tried to warn people in this morning’s meeting.”
“The one with us?” She didn’t remember that.
“No. We meet together every morning. All of the Councilors. Not for long, just to have a cup of stim and breakfast and argue about the day’s news.”
“I had no idea.” Nona shifted position, trying to get more comfortable on the hard floor. “So what did you warn them about?”
“That this is the biggest threat we’ve ever faced. Ever.” He hesitated, and smiled. “Since we came here and landed on Lym anyway. The Next could wipe us all back to a far more primitive existence. A lot of people might die. It could also change us all, transform the whole way we look at the world. Maybe good, maybe bad. But we could become so different that you won’t recognize yourself.”
Two new guards came in, replacing the others. Nona and Dr. Nevening were both silent during the change. After, Nona whispered, “You sound like the Futurist.”
“The difference between the Historian and the Futurist is just which direction we’re looking.”
“Hiram seems worried.”
“He should be.” He patted her shoulder. “Rest some. Even historians know when to think about the moment.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHARLIE
Yi brought them into the long-term Port Authority docking station so smoothly that Charlie barely felt the final coupling. Charlie couldn’t have done so well, and yet Yi didn’t even look like he was piloting the ship. He and Jason were batting a silly golden ball of light through the air in some sort of virtual game.
Charlie sent a message to Nona, telling her which berth he’d parked the Star Ghost in. He added, I’m back home and the crew is safe. Thank you for the loan of your ship. Hugs.
The little robot followed them through the lock, carrying three small backpacks plus its own repair kit. They all left their suits on and carried their helmets.
They’d had to pay a premium to keep the Ghost anywhere for long. Charlie turned down two offers to buy her, one of which would have doubled Nona’s initial investment.
The station corridors were chaotic. People hurried through them in all directions. Here and there a single person or a family stood looking lost, creating an island others had to flow around. No one looked askance at any of the robots as he led them all toward the debarkation lounges where they could wait for the Verdant Sun. Every once in a while, Jason drew interested looks from women.
To Charlie’s surprise, Jean Paul himself leaned on a wall just inside the door to the busy lounges.
They embraced. Jean Paul smelled of home, and of fresh air, and of the wild. Eventually, Charlie held Jean Paul at arm’s length. “You’ve lost weight.”
“And you’ve gained some.”
Charlie laughed. “It isn’t as much work to be in space.”
“The food must be good.”
“Not as good as here.”
A serious look crossed Jean Paul’s face. “Let’s not draw too much attention. Follow me.”
He led them to one of the exits and made for the far right-hand customs line. “Here. Let me go first.”
The line moved slowly as a uniformed customs agent questioned each person in detail.
Charlie fretted.
Jason and Yi kept up a conversation, sounding very human. Charlie couldn’t tell if they looked wrong, since he had grown so accustomed to them.
When their turn came, Jean Paul spoke to the customs agent, his words inaudible given the background noise. The agent hesitated for a moment, and then waved them through.
Jean Paul led them to the correct docking facility and they climbed aboard the Verdant Sun. Kyle Glass, an ex-ranger whom Charlie hadn’t seen in three years sat in the pilot seat. “Good to see you, boss.”
“You, too. There are no words for how good it is to be home.”
Kyle grinned. “Well, strap in and let’s go.” Kyle glanced at the two soulbots, and Charlie caught both fear and worry in his eyes.
“It’ll be okay,” he assured his old friend.
“Hope so. Let’s be away before we get caught.”
The Verdant Sun was about a tenth the size of the Star Ghost, and mostly engine and cargo bay.
Based on the apprehension on Kyle’s face, Charlie decided to keep the robots acting as human as possible. “Yi, Jason, stay suited and strap in.”
They nodded and complied. In the pilot’s seat, Kyle’s hands flew over a glassy control surface. The shuttle whined and shuddered and then pulled away.
Five minutes later, Jean Paul relaxed visibly. “We’re safe. There’s tons of news. These are Jason and Yi, right?”
Jason said, “I’m Jason.”
“I’ve seen pictures. Welcome, both of you.”
Kyle asked, “Did you know that the Diamond Deep is under attack?”
“From the Next?” Charlie tensed. Nona must be there. “Are they winning?”
“It’s not the Next. Not yet. There’s a group that wants to fight the Next—the Shining Revolution or some such thing. They’ve attacked the Deep and two other stations, but the Deep is the big one.”
That explained why the Free Men hadn’t followed them to Lym. They were never its target in the first place. “I can’t tell how big the attack is, not yet. There’s more news though. The Deep’s leaders have disappeared and there’s apparently fighting inside that doesn’t have anything to do with the Shining Revolution.”
Yi leaned as far forward as the straps allowed him to, his face a study in fierce worry. “What about Chrystal?”
“She’s disappeared from the news. There’s a rumor she’s on one of the Shining Revolution ships. There’s a counter-rumor that she’s dead and another that she’s with the leader
s from the Deep, and a fourth rumor says she’s in hiding.”
Jason reached for Yi’s hand.
“So no one knows anything,” Charlie whispered. “What about Nona?”
“Nothing,” Jean Paul said.
Yi looked at Charlie, his eyes almost unreadable. “Do we have your permission to take the Star Ghost to the Deep?”
“Now?” Surely Yi knew better.
“The Deep is not in Lym’s orbit,” Jean Paul explained. “It’s not really near us at all right now, and it will be getting even further away for the next few months.”
Yi surely didn’t need an explanation of orbital mechanics. In spite of that, he said, “We need to go back for Chrystal.”
Jean Paul shook his head. “We can’t turn around. This ship doesn’t work that way—it’s got full thrust now for Lym. We’d probably just burn out across the top of the atmosphere if we tried. You couldn’t re-dock. We don’t have papers. I also don’t have another bribe big enough to get you past security.”
Yi clenched the fist of his free hand around a railing and it bent.
“Take it easy,” Kyle said, his eyes wide.
“Sorry.”
“I wasn’t entirely sure you were robots.” Kyle’s eyes had rounded and his voice shook. “Not until I saw that.”
Yi let go of Jason’s hand and bent the railing back. “We should never have left Chrystal.”
“There’s nothing we can do about the Deep,” Charlie said, “Not right now.” He looked at Jean Paul. “What’s happening at home?”
“Nothing good.”
“Is Cricket okay?”
“She’ll be a lot better when she sees you. She keeps prowling around the house, looking in corners.”
Yi said, “There was a Shining Revolution chapter on the High Sweet Home, before. . . . They came and gave lectures, did some stuff to help the poor. I never paid much attention.”
Jason said, “I met one once. A woman. She wanted me to come to dinner, and I might have gone except that she felt too intense, maybe even a little bit crazy.”
“Anybody that attacks the Deep is crazy,” Charlie said. “It’s huge. How’s Manny?”
Kyle said, “He’s holding on, but barely. Amara is with him. Pi and Bonnie took the kids to their cabin away from town.”
That startled Charlie. “So people really are threatening him?”
Jean Paul said, “Yes.”
“What about the gleaners? Did any more die?”
“Yes to that, too.” Jean Paul looked sideways at Charlie, as if testing him. “There’s one staying at the ranger station. She wants to talk to you.”
“Who?”
“Amfi. That’s all she’ll give me for a name. I think you should meet with her.”
“Okay. What else do we need to know?”
Kyle said, “Jason and Yi won’t be safe in town. Maybe not even here. Three household robots have been dragged out into streets and shot up in the last week.”
“Really?”
“Look. People are stupid when they’re scared. It’s all fear.” Kyle glanced at the readouts. “It’s time to strap back in. Ten minutes until we enter the atmosphere.”
This time Jason and Yi just sat without being strapped in, which irritated Charlie. He glanced over at Kyle, who mouthed, “Creepy,” at him.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHRYSTAL
After they left the train, armed guards pushed Chrystal behind Vadim and Nayli for so long she memorized the tattoos on the back of Vadim’s bare arms: a sun, a spaceship, stars, and two women—one that had to be dark-haired and silver-eyed Nayli and one with blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The letters “y Free a,” arced across his neck. She presumed they represented the middle of the slogan of the Shining Revolution: Humanity Free and Clear. She’d found it in a dark corner of the socwebs, as well as growing support for the revolutionaries.
They passed through a lock and down a corridor and through another lock. Immediately after the second lock door closed, Chrystal’s captors relaxed in every way except for their attention to her. Whoops and hand-claps spilled the tension from the group: a river of elation. Other people met them, screaming congratulations and relief.
With no obvious cue from Vadim, engines thrummed to life.
They were on a ship.
A few people came up to stare at her. “She looks real.”
A snarly voice suggested, “Could be a sex-bot, right? Not a Next at all, just a toy.”
She turned toward the voice to find a large red-haired man with a broken nose behind her. “She doesn’t look like she has sex-parts.” His touched her between her legs and she stiffened in spite of herself. “She reacts. Maybe she likes it.”
Chrystal wanted to kick him. She settled for stepping back. She recorded the size of the dingy room, the banged-up walls, the position of the lockers, the slogans and safety signs stuck to the wall.
Definitely Shining Revolution.
She tried to count her enemies. There were too many, twenty or thirty just here in this room. She looked for doors and found three, including the one they’d come in through.
“I thought they’d be scarier.”
Someone touched her neck. “Her skin’s warm!”
She couldn’t see either speaker. She schooled her face into a calm expression, refusing to show fear. These people were afraid of her—fear sparked in their eyes and showed in the ways they moved: staying close to each other, touching weapons, keeping a meter or so away from her.
A woman’s voice asked, “Is her hair real?”
She felt a growing anger, as well as a touch of shame. The shame made her angry with herself. She wished yet again for the calming feeling of a deep breath and vowed to find some equivalent habit.
A man came up to her and held both of her hands, pulling her in toward him, and demanding, “Give me a kiss.” He stank of stale beer.
Nayli noticed the altercation and snapped, “Back off. She’s valuable. Don’t degrade her.”
“She’s a machine!” This statement came from a short man who looked too normal to be so cruel.
Nayli didn’t reply to him.
Vadim glanced from Chrystal to Nayli. “Let them look. We control a lot of what we came for, and more than I thought we’d be able to win. They deserve to understand why they’re risking their lives.”
Two guards were still pointing guns at Chrystal. Although people stopped touching her, they didn’t stop talking about her as if she were a thing and staring. They smelled of sweat and fear and arousal all at once.
She stood as still as possible and pasted the dumb robot look onto her face. She considered attempting to talk her way from derision to sympathy, but decided that would work better in a smaller group. Maybe Nayli could be reached.
If they were here, Yi would be talking. Jason would be fighting, and someone would have shot him by now.
Katherine might have charmed them all.
After ten minutes and twenty-seven seconds of cruel scrutiny, Vadim gestured and his men led her away. She felt relieved to leave the small mob behind her.
Luckily, the anger and shame they brought up in her had been her new-normal dulled version of feelings. The Next had been good designers. She had never before considered that there could be excellent reasons for her emotions to feel like they had been stuffed with gauze. She was faster and stronger than humans. She could do real damage quickly if her decisions were driven by the heat of her old angers.
She returned to counting doors and looking for hatches and memorizing the layout of the ship.
They stopped in an office with Vadim, Nayli, and another couple. All four of the humans were so well muscled that they had to be addicted to high-g workouts. The two new people were blond and brown-skinned. Both had short hair and silver-blue eyes that reminded Chrystal of the color of water.
The woman looked her up and down, appearing disappointed. “From a distance I wouldn’t even know you’re a machine. You’re supposed to be t
he new super-race?”
Any answer felt fraught with danger. Chrystal spoke softly. “I was just like you until the Next put me into this body after the High Sweet Home. I feel like I have always felt.”
The woman’s lips thinned, which gave her a mean look. “How strong are you?”
Not a question she wanted to answer. “I’ve always been strong.”
The woman frowned. “Will you show us how strong you are now?”
They were already frightened. She smelled it in their sweat and heard it in the edges of their voices. If they knew what she could do they’d be so much more so. “No.”
Vadim came in closer to her than he had, as if the presence of the other two emboldened him. He practically spit in her face. “There are laws about your kind. You’re an abomination.”
“I did not choose to have this happen to me,” she said. “It was done to me.”
Vadim raised an eyebrow. “So you disapprove?”
“Of course.”
The woman with eyes the color of water suddenly looked more interested. “Would you fight the Next? Do you know how to help us do that?”
Nayli watched the exchange, looking thoughtful.
“I wouldn’t advise fighting the Next. They are far more powerful than I am. Or than you are.”
The interest faded from the woman’s eyes. Apparently she didn’t want to hear the truth. Chrystal tried again. “If you choose to fight them, you’ll die.”
The woman who had asked her spit on the ground. “I didn’t think you were a real girl.”
The echo of her mother’s words stung. All she had done was spoken the truth. She should never have left Jason and Yi. Never. If she ever saw them again, she’d never leave their sides. She asked, “What do you intend to do with me?”
Vadim shook his head at her. “We’re going to treat you far better than you deserve. In honor of being right here near the Deep and all. We’re going to put you on trial.”
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