The Ask and the Answer

by Patrick Ness

  "Bring me my horse, son," says the Mayor, "and we'll greet the new settlers side by side." He smiles at his son. "You'll be my prince."

  "He said that before," I say to Davy. "But not to you."

  "He's controlling you," Viola shouts. "He's using his Noise to--"

  "Please tell Viola to be quiet," the Mayor says. "Be quiet, Viola," Davy says, his voice soft, his eyes not blinking.

  "Davy!" I shout.

  "He's just trying to control you, David," the Mayor says, his voice rising. "Like he's done from the start."

  "What?" I say.

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  "From the start," Davy mumbles.

  "Who do you think's held you back from promotion, son?" the Mayor's saying it and he's saying it right into the middle of Davy's brain. "Who do you think tells me all the things you do wrong?"

  "Todd?" Davy says weakly.

  "He's lying," I say. "Look at me!"

  But Davy's overloading. He's just staring frozen at his pa, not moving at all.

  The Mayor gives a heavy sigh. "i see I have to do this myself."

  He comes forward, gesturing us back with his rifle. He grabs Viola and lifts her to her feet. She cries out from the pain in her ankles. I move automatically to help but he pushes her forward so she's right in front of him, his rifle at her back.

  i open my mouth to shout, to threaten, to damn him-But it's Davy who speaks first. "It's landing," he says quietly.

  We all turn eastward. The ship is taking a slow circle, flying around a hilltop east of town--

  Maybe even the one where the tower once stood-- It comes round again and hovers above the treetops-Before slowly starting to lower itself out of sight-I turn to Davy, too, see his eyes fogged and confused-But he ain't looking at his pa no more-He's looking at the ship-

  And then he's turning his head and looking at me-

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  "Todd?" he says, like he's just waking up-And his rifle is just there, just hanging from his hand-- And one more time-Forgive me.

  I lunge forward and snatch it from him. He don't even put up any resistance, just lets it go, lets it go right into my fingers and I'm already raising it and cocking it and pointing it at the Mayor.

  Who's already smiling, his gun still in Viola's back. "So it's a standoff, is it?" he says, grinning from ear to ear. "Let her go," I say.

  "Please take your gun back from Todd, David," the Mayor says, but he has to keep looking at me, watching me with the gun.

  "Don't you do no such thing, Davy."

  "Stop it!" Davy says, his voice thick, his Noise rising. I sense him putting his hands to the sides of his head. "Can't you both just effing stop it?"

  But the Mayor's still looking at me and I'm still looking at the Mayor.

  The sound of the ship landing screams over the city, over the Noise of the army marching its way back down the hill, over the distant booms of the Answer making its way up the road, and over the terrified, hidden of New

  Prentisstown all around us, not knowing that their whole future depends on this, right now, right this second, me and the Mayor with our rifles.

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  "Let her go," I say.

  "I don't think so, Todd." I hear a rumble of Noise coming from him.

  "My finger's on this trigger," I say. "You try to hit me with yer Noise and yer a dead man."

  The Mayor smiles. "Fair enough," he says. "But what you need to ask yourself, my dear friend Todd, is if, when you decide to finally pull that trigger, can you pull it fast enough so that I don't also pull my own? Will killing me kill your beloved Viola, too?" He lowers his chin. "Could you live with that?"

  "You'd be dead," I say.

  "So would she."

  "Do it, Todd," Viola says. "Don't let him win."

  "That ain't happening neither," I say. "Are you going to let him point a gun at your own father, David?" the Mayor asks.

  But he's still looking at me.

  "Times are changing, Davy," i say, eyes still on the Mayor. "This is where we all decide how it's gonna be. Including you."

  "Why's it have to be like this?" Davy asks. "We could all go together. We could all ride up on horseback and-"

  "No, David," says the Mayor. "No, that won't do at all."

  "Put the gun down," i say. "Put it down and end this."

  The Mayor's eyes flash and I know what's coming--

  "You stop that," I say, blinking furiously and looking over his shoulder.

  "You cannot win this," the Mayor says and I hear his voice twice over, three times, a legion of him inside my

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  head. "You cannot shoot me and guarantee her life, Todd. We all know you'd never risk that."

  He takes a step forward, pushing Viola along. She calls out at the pain in her ankles.

  But I find myself taking a step back.

  "Don't look in his eyes," she says.

  "I'm trying," I say, but even the sound of his voice is getting inside me.

  "This isn't a loss, Todd," the Mayor is saying, so loud in my head it feels like my brain's vibrating. "I wish for your death no more than I wish for my own. Everything I said earlier was true. I want you by my side. I want you as part of the future we're going to create here with whoever steps out of that ship."

  "Shut up," I say.

  But he's still stepping forward.

  I'm still stepping back.

  Till I'm behind even Davy.

  "I want no harm to come to Viola, either," the Mayor says. "All along I promised both of you a future. That promise still stands."

  Even without looking right at him, his voice is buzzing in my head, weighing it down, making it seem like it's easier just to--

  "Don't listen to him!" Viola shouts. "He's a liar."

  "Todd," says the Mayor. "I think of you as my son. I really do."

  And Davy turns to me, his Noise rising all hopeful, and he says, "C'mon, Todd, you hear that?"

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  And his Noise is reaching for me, too, eagerness and worry coming forward like fingers and hands, asking me, begging me to put the gun down, put it down and make everything all right, make it so all this stops--

  And he says, "We could be brothers--"

  And I cast my eyes to Davy's--

  And I see myself in them, see myself in his Noise, see the Mayor as my father and Davy as my brother and Viola as our sister-See the hopeful smile rising to Davy's lips--

  And for the third time, I have to ask-

  Forgive me.

  I point the rifle at Davy.

  "Let her go," I say to the Mayor, not quite able to look Davy in the face.

  "Todd?" Davy asks, his forehead furrowing.

  "Just do it!" I snap.

  "Or you'll what, Todd?" the Mayor teases. "You'll shoot him?"

  Davy's Noise is spilling over with more asking marks, with surprise and shock-

  With a betrayal that's rising-

  "Answer me, Todd," the Mayor says. "Or you'll what'?"

  "Todd?" Davy says again, his voice lower this time. I look him briefly in the eyes and look away again.

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  "Or I'll shoot Davy," I say. "I'll shoot yer son."

  Davy's Noise is pouring with disappointment, disappointment so thick it falls off him like mud. I don't even read no anger in his Noise, which makes it worse. He ain't even thinking of jumping me or punching me or wrestling the gun away.

  The only thing in his Noise is me holding a gun on him.

  His only friend holding a gun on him.

  "I'm sorry," I whisper.

  But he don't look like he hears.

  "I gave you yer book," he says. "I gave you back yer book."

  "You let Viola go!" I shout, looking away from Davy, anger at myself snapping my voice loud. "Or I swear to God-"

  "Go ahead then," the Mayor says. "Shoot him."

  Davy looks at the Mayor. "Pa?"

  "Never much use as a son anyway," the Mayor says, still pushing Viola forward with the rifle. "Why do you t
hink I sent him to the front line? I was at least hoping he'd die a Zero's death."

  There's pain on Viola's face still but it ain't all her ankles.

  "Never mastered his Noise," the Mayor continues, looking at Davy, whose Noise--

  I can't say what his Noise is like.

  "Never followed an order he couldn't get out of. Couldn't capture you. Couldn't take care of Viola. Only ever

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  showed improvement because of your influence, Todd."

  "Pa--" Davy starts. But his pa ignores him.

  "You are the son I want, Todd. Always you. Never this waste of space."

  And Davy's Noise-

  Oh, Jesus, Davy's Noise-

  "LET HER GO!" I shout so I don't have to hear it. "I'll

  shoot him, I'll do it!"

  "You won't," says the Mayor, smiling again. "Everyone

  knows you aren't a killer, Todd." He pushes Viola forward again-She calls out from the pain of it-Viola, I think- Viola-

  I grit my teeth and raise the rifle-- I cock it-

  And I say what's true-

  "I would kill to save her," I say.

  The Mayor stops edging forward. He looks twixt me and Davy and back again.

  "Pa?" says Davy. His face is twisted and crumpled.

  The Mayor looks back at me, reading my Noise.

  "You would, wouldn't you?" he says, almost under his breath. "You'd kill him. For her."

  Davy looks back at me, his eyes wet but anger rising there, too. "Don't, Todd. Don't do it."

  "Let her go," I say again. "Now."

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  The Mayor's still looking twixt me and Davy, seeing that I'm serious, seeing that I'd really do it.

  "Just put the gun down," I growl, not looking at Davy's eyes, not looking at his Noise. "This is over."

  The Mayor takes in a long breath and lets it out.

  "Very well, Todd," he says. "As you wish."

  He steps away from Viola.

  My shoulders relax.

  And he fires his gun.

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  42 END GAME

  ***

  (V iola)

  "TODD! " I shout, the sound of the rifle shot blasting past my ear, erasing everything but him, the whole world reduced to not knowing if he's all right or not, if he's been hit, if-

  But it's not him-

  He's still holding up his gun-

  Unfired-

  Standing next to Davy-Who falls to his knees-Sending up two small clouds of dust as he hits the rubble-

  "Pa?" he asks, his voice pleading, like a little kitten-And then he coughs, spilling blood down his lips-- "Davy?" Todd says, his Noise rising like he's the one that's been shot-

  And I see it-

  A hole high in Davy's chest, in the fabric of his uniform, just below the base of his throat-

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  And Todd runs to him, kneeling down beside him- "Davy!" he shouts-

  But Davy's Noise is staring at his father-Asking marks sent everywhere-His expression shocked-His hand reaching up to the wound-He coughs again-And gags-

  Todd's looking at the Mayor, too-

  His Noise railing-

  "What did you do?" he shouts-

  [TODD]

  "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I shout.

  "I removed him from the equation," the Mayor says calmly.

  "Pa?" Davy asks again, holding out a bloodied hand toward him-

  But his pa is only looking at me.

  "You were always the truer son, Todd," the Mayor says. "The one with the potential, the one with the power, the one I'd be proud to have serve by my side."

  Pa? Davy's Noise says--

  And he's hearing all of this--

  "You effing monster," I say. "I'll kill you-"

  "You'll join me," the Mayor says. "You know you will. It's only a matter of time. David was weak, an embarrassment--"

  "SHUT UP!" I shout.

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  Todd? I hear-I look down-

  Davy's looking up at me--

  His Noise swirling-

  Swirling with askings and confuzhun and fear-

  And Todd?-

  Todd?-

  I'm sorry-

  "Davy, don't-" I start to say-But his Noise is still swirling-And I see-I see-

  I see the truth-Here at the last-He's showing me the truth-The thing he's been hiding from me-About Ben-All in a messy rush-Pictures of Ben racing up the road toward Davy-Pictures of Davy's horse rearing-Pictures of Davy firing his gun as he falls-Pictures of the bullet hitting Ben in the chest-Pictures of Ben staggering out into the bushes-Davy too scared to go after him-Davy too scared to tell me the truth after-After I became his only friend--

  I didn't mean it , his Noise is saying-"Davy--" I say--

  I'm sorry, he thinks-

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  And that's the truth all over-He is sorry--

  For everything-For Prentisstown-

  For Viola-For Ben--

  For every failure and every wrong-For letting his pa down-

  And he's looking up at me-

  And he's begging merle's begging me-

  Like I'm the only one who can forgive him-

  Like it's only me who's got the power-

  Todd?-

  Please-

  And all I can say is "Davy-"

  And the fright and the terror in his Noise is too much

  It's too much--

  And then it stops.

  Davy slumps, eyes still open, eyes still staring back at me, eyes still asking (I swear) for me to forgive him. And he lies there, still. Davy Prentiss is dead.

  (V iola)

  "You're insane," I say to the Mayor behind me.

  "No," he says. "You've been right all along, both of you. Never love something so much it can be used to control you."

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  The sun is down now but the sky is still pink, the Noise of the town still ROARs there's another Boom! in the distance as the Answer approaches, and the ship must have landed by now. Its doors must be opening. Someone, probably Simone Watkin or Bradley Tench, people I know, people who know me, must be looking out, wondering what sort of place they've landed in.

  And Todd kneels over the body of Davy Prentiss. And then Todd looks up-

  His Noise is boiling and burning and I can hear the grief in it and the shame and the rage- And he gets to his feet-And he raises his rifle--

  I see myself in his Noise. I see the Mayor there, too, behind me, rifle pointed, eyes glinting with triumph.

  And I know exactly what Todd is going to do.

  "Do it," I say, my stomach dropping but it's right right right-

  And Todd raises the rifle to his eye- "Do it!"

  And the Mayor shoves me hard, sending lightnings of pain up my legs, and I can't help it and I scream out and fall forward, forward toward Todd, forward toward the ground-

  And the Mayor does it again-

  Uses me to control Todd-

  Because Todd can't help it either-

  He jumps to catch me-

  To catch me when I'm falling-

  And the Mayor attacks.

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  [TODD]

  My brain explodes, burning and raging with everything he fires at it and it ain't nothing like a slap at all, it's like fiery metal poked right into the center of who I am, and as I jump forward to catch Viola, it hits me so hard my head snaps back and here it comes again, the Mayor's voice but somehow my voice, too, somehow hers as well and all of 'em saying yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing--

  Our bodies are still moving together and I feel us tumble into one another, feel the top of her skull crack into my mouth, and yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing she falls into my chest and my fumbling arms and we twist down onto the rubble together, a siren ripping off the roof of my head yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing and I feel the rifle fall and bounce away and I feel the weight of her against me and I hear her as if from the other side of the moons and she's calling my name and yer nothing sh
e's saying "Todd" yer nothing yer nothing she's saying "Todd!" and it's as if I'm watching her from under water and I see her try to rise up on her hands to protect me but the Mayor's above her and swinging his rifle by the barrel and smacking her across the back of her head and she's falling to one side--

  And my brain is boiling-

  My brain is boiling--

  My brain is boiling-

  yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing--

  And I see her eyes as they're closing-

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  And I feel her against me-

  And I think Viola-

  I think VIOLA!

  I think VIOLA!!!!

  And the Mayor steps away from me like he's been stung.

  "Whoo," he says, shaking his head as I blink away the buzz still rocketing from my brain, as my eyes refocus and my thoughts are mine again. "Told you you had some power in you, boy."

  And his eyes are wide and bright and eager.

  And he hits me again with his Noise.

  I fling my hands up to my ears (not holding the gun, not holding the gun) as if that'll stop it but it ain't thru yer ears that you hear Noise and he's in there, inside my head, inside my self, invading it like I don't have any self at all yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing my own Noise swept up and hit against me, like I'm punching myself with my own fists yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing--

  Viola, I think but I'm disappearing, I'm falling deeper into it, I'm weaker and my brain is rattling--

  Viola--

  (Viola)

  Viola, I hear, as if from the bottom of a canyon. My head is aching and bleeding from the Mayor's blow and my face is in the dust and my eyes are half open but they aren't seeing anything-

  Viola, I hear again.

  I open my eyes wide.

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