by Tania Hutley
“We think so.”
“Nobody’s heard from her?”
He shakes his head. “She’s not answering calls. But that doesn’t mean anything.” His voice is soft and his eyes are as light as I’ve ever seen them, full of sympathy. “I’m sure she’ll be okay.”
“What if she’s not?” I chew my lip, feeling sick.
“You’ll probably see her when you go to Deiterra, and she’ll bore you with stories about how much she loves it over there, and what a great time she’s been having.”
Weaving my fingers together on my lap, I tell myself he’s right. Tori’s a survivor. If anyone can make it in an unknown land, it’s her.
For the first time, my upcoming trip to Deiterra seems like a good idea. If she needs help, I’ll be there.
“Will you come with me?” I ask. “Help me look for her?”
His eyes widen. “To Deiterra? Did Sentin say I could—?”
“Not everything’s up to him.” It comes out blunter than I mean it to, and I soften my tone. “I’m sorry. It’s just frustrating.”
“Sentin’s making things that difficult?”
“He doesn’t want me to make any changes until after the election, but I keep thinking about all the people I suffered with in the shelter. I’ve scaled back my plans to just a tiny wage increase and nothing else, and he’s still reluctant.”
He nods. “Those people need help. The sooner the better, at least, from their point of view.”
“See, you agree with me because you’ve spent time in Old Triton. Sentin hasn’t. As smart as he is, he has no idea what it’s really like. If he’d slept even one night in a shelter, he’d be on my side.”
“What if you don’t change anything, and then lose the election? You’ll have lost the opportunity.”
“Exactly. But Sentin made it sound like an extra fifteen credits a day for workers was going to destroy the whole infrastructure of Triton.” I realize I’m squeezing my hands too tightly, and force them apart. “And he’s not the only one. Have you heard of a factory owner called the Beast?”
Cale frowns. “Sure. But I can’t decide if he’s a real person or an urban legend. I don’t think he’s ever let himself be shown on the holo.”
“He’s real, and the rumors about him are true. He called a couple of days ago, and he’s as odd looking as everyone says.”
“What did he want?”
“To warn me not to break the agreement he had with Edward Morelle. Then he called again last night to inform me he’s not going to pay higher wages. He’s pretty angry.”
“He threatened you?” Cale leans toward me. For a moment I think he’s going to put his hand on my arm and my heart speeds up. But his fingers just hover in the air for a moment, before he pulls his hand away.
I shouldn’t let it bother me, especially with everything else that’s going on. Cale made it clear how he felt about this Skin, and I get it. If he were the one using this Skin, I probably wouldn’t want to touch him, either.
“I recorded last night’s conversation.” Finding the file on my band gives me something to look at other than Cale. When I start it playing, the Beast’s head projects above my wrist.
Cale draws in his breath. “He looks exactly how I imagined.”
The Beast glowers at me, and I switch the sound to broadcast so Cale can hear it. “It’s only because we’ve known each other a long time that I’m giving you one last chance,” the Beast snarls.
My voice plays, captured by the recording. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
The Beast’s teeth grind together. He looks like he’s only hanging onto his temper with a mighty effort. “By working together, we’ve made our fortunes. We trusted each other. You know what I’m talking about.”
I didn’t know last night, and the mystery hasn’t gotten any clearer since then. My voice plays again. “The increase isn’t a big one. You can afford it.”
“That’s not the point, and you know it. You give those workers a single credit more, they’ll think they can demand whatever they want.” He shakes his head, his thick lips screwed up in a snarl. “If you won’t listen to reason, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
“What are you going to do?” The defiance I was feeling is clear in my voice.
His eyes narrow, almost vanishing into his fleshy face. “Seventeen years ago, you profited more than anybody else. But you won’t always get to call the shots. Maybe you need to learn that the hard way.”
“What exactly are you—?”
The recording finishes, and the Beast’s head vanishes back into my band. He disconnected the call.
Cale’s eyes are wide. “Seventeen years ago was the Welcon disaster. Is that what he was talking about? Did Morelle profit from it more than anyone else?”
I think back, trying to work out how big the Morelle Corporation might have been before the Welcon disaster. The Welcon anti-cancer vaccine caused a massive baby boom, and second-child taxes were introduced so New Triton could be built. I suppose people must have made fortunes along the way, but the idea of people profiting off so much misery turns my stomach.
“My father died paying second-child taxes,” I say. “Welcon tore my family apart.”
He taps his chin, his eyes unfocused and aimed toward the ceiling. “I was only four when the Welcon disaster happened, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard something about Edward Morelle expanding his factories. With the building boom, and a desperate workforce who’d work long hours for low wages, he must have had it made.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to jump up and punch something. “If Morelle had anything to do with causing the disaster…”
“I don’t think there’s any way to know for sure. Besides, Edward Morelle is dead. He’s not getting richer anymore.” He twitches up one side of his mouth in a half-smile, and I can tell he’s trying to make me feel better. “The new President Morelle is going to raise wages, no matter what the Beast threatens.” Now he finally does put his hand on my arm, and the warmth of his touch drains my anger. “Just promise me you’ll stay safe, Milla. He’s a powerful man.”
“What can he do to me when I’m more powerful than he is? He’s only human, and this Skin is even stronger than my Leopard Skin.”
“Does that Skin have the same effect on your human body?” His brow creases, worry in his eyes. “When you get hurt in it, does your human body get injured?”
“I don’t know. Let’s hope I don’t find out.”
He drops his hand from my arm and I instantly miss his touch. “Where is your human body?” he asks.
“In Edward Morelle’s pod, hooked up to all the high-tech machines that kept him alive. Even if I get injured, those machines can heal any wound.” I wave a hand dismissively, not wanting to picture my body in the coffin-like pod with all its hoses and tubes. “Anyway, the reason I asked you to come up here was so you could arrange a meeting for me. I want to talk to the Fist.”
He blinks, frowning. “You what?”
“I know they won’t want to see me. But I’m going to need their help.”
His frown deepens. “I suppose I can set something up, but they’ll be suspicious.”
“I have food I want to distribute. New Triton food.” I lean forward on the couch, pushing all my worries aside. “The wage increase will take a little time, but feeding my workers is something I can do now. Especially if the Fist agrees to help.”
“You’re going to hand out food at your shelters?”
I nod. “Better food than the workers are used to. It usually goes to some high-end stores in New Triton, but seeing as I own the factory that makes it, I can send it to the shelters instead.” I study his face, hoping he likes my idea. After threats from the Beast, and worrying about both Ma and Tori, I really need something good to use up some of my energy on. “Ma and I used to pretend we were eating fancy dinners instead of the cheap sludge the dispensers spit out. Just for once, I want the workers not to have to pretend.”
“Does Sentin know you’re doing this?”
“I’m not going to tell him.” When Cale raises his eyebrows at me, I meet his gaze with my chin raised. “He’ll have a logical reason why I shouldn’t, and I don’t want to know what it is.”
A slow smile breaks over his face. “Fair enough.”
“You think I can convince the Fist to help? It’s not the kind of food I can put in the dispensers. I need people to hand it out.”
“I’ll call Spade and Keren. They trust me, but even so, it won’t be easy talking them into this. President Morelle isn’t their favorite person.” He grimaces. “In fact, they may only agree if they think it’ll give them a chance to kill you.”
My stomach tightens at the thought of my friends turning on me, but I can hardly blame them. “I guess I’ll have to take that chance.”
Chapter Six
“Ready?” asks Cale. We’re in my private office on the one hundred and ninety-sixth floor of the Morelle Corporation building, standing in front of the opaque windows that let in light while hiding the view.
I drag in a breath. “Ready.” Then I start the recording function on my band.
“This is President Morelle,” I say in the New Triton accent that’s starting to become second nature. “I publicly and officially acknowledge that the Fist is not a terrorist organization. Its members played no part in the bombings that started the Deiterran war. They’ve committed no crimes.” Cale is holding up my speech, but I’m trying to sound natural and not like I’m reading it. “In fact, I hope to enlist the help of the Fist to make Old Triton safer. Therefore, I’m reaching out to key members, asking them to work with me to improve the lives of Old Tritoners. I want them to help me distribute food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities to Old Triton shelters.” I pause for dramatic effect. “Up until now, I haven’t had a good relationship with the Fist. The blame rests with me, and I sincerely hope they’ll give me a chance to prove that we can make things better if we work together.”
Cale gives me a thumbs up, and I cut off the recording.
“That was good,” he says.
“You think the Fist will believe I’m being honest?”
He snorts out a laugh, as though I made a joke. “Not a chance. But it’s a good start. I’ll upload it to b-Net and Sub Zero, and send it to Spade and Keren personally.”
“Thanks.” While he does that, I settle behind my desk and pull up the records for my food manufacturing company. Math isn’t something I’m good at, but if I ask Sentin for help, I’m pretty certain he’d try to stop me giving things away. So I’m the one who has to frown at pages of numbers, trying to work out the factory’s daily production, and how much I can funnel back to the workers without going out of business.
By the time Cale interrupts me again, my brain aches, but I’m close to figuring it all out.
“Good news,” he tells me. “Spade and Keren have agreed to talk. I’m amazed we’ve gotten this far with them already.”
He taps his band’s control panel to bring up his holo app, and two images are projected. Spade and Keren. I haven’t seen them since the battle with the knights, and it takes all my self-control not to break into a grin.
They look pretty much the same, except Keren’s arm is strapped up. That’s right, she broke it in the battle. Spade’s still wearing the same lumpy, knitted hat as last time I saw him, but it’s even dirtier now. He’s lean, and looks skinnier when he stands next to Keren. She’s solid, with wide shoulders, and looks like she’s wearing every piece of clothing she owns.
Keeping my expression neutral, I give them a polite nod. “Thank you for speaking with me.”
“We saw your broadcast.” Keren’s eyes are narrowed, and she glares at me like she smells something bad.
“I want to distribute food to Old Tritoners,” I say. “But I know what goes on in the shelters. The strong take from the weak. If we hand out anything, we’ll need a way to make sure everyone gets their share, and help them keep it.”
“How do you expect to do that?” Keren demands.
“The first step will be to get people to accept what I’m offering. They don’t trust me, or the police force, or anyone who might be an obvious choice to help me. But they trust the Fist.”
“Why would you suddenly want to give out food?” Spade snarls. “You’ve never done anything like it before.” When he talks, I have to force myself to keep my gaze level and not stare at his mouth, at the dark spaces where his teeth are missing.
“Because I made a promise to Milla Scully,” I say.
“What?” Keren’s eyes go wide. “Where is she?”
“What have you done with her?” Spade hisses the question through gritted teeth and a muscle ticks in his jaw. As weird as this is, it’s nice to see how concerned he is for me.
“She’s busy doing me a favor.” Impulsively, I add, “Actually, she’s in Deiterra, with her friend Tori.”
They exchange puzzled frowns, and I can tell I’ve shocked them.
Karen recovers first. “How do we know you haven’t killed Milla? And Tori as well?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you any more than that.” Mentioning Tori hadn’t been part of the plan, and was probably a mistake. “They’re both safe, and will be back soon,” I add. When it comes to Tori, I sincerely hope that’s true.
“So you’re giving away free food in a shelter as some kind of payment to Milla?” Spade pushes his hat backward to scratch his greasy hair.
“That’s right.”
“How can we believe a word you say?” snaps Keren. “You executed four of our friends on stage in front of us.”
“Things have changed. I’m no longer a danger to you.”
“I’ll vouch for her,” Cale cuts in. “You can trust her.”
Spade and Keren exchange more frowns, their doubt radiating off them. I can guess what they must be thinking. They’re wondering what kind of pressure I’ve used on Cale to make him back me up, and whether I’m blackmailing or threating him. They’re probably convinced this is some elaborate ruse to wipe out the Fist.
I drag in a breath and glance at the numbers I was going through, still visible on the desk holo. I hadn’t intended to rush this plan quite so much, but if I’m ever going to convince them to help, I need to prove I’m serious. Besides, speeding things up is a good thing. I know what it’s like to go to bed hungry. I used to get so desperate for anything to make my mind off my stomach, I’d chew my fingernails until they bled.
“I’m going to hand out food at one of my shelters tomorrow,” I tell them, pretty certain I can make it happen. “If you come along, you can help me ensure everyone gets their fair share. But if the sharks operate unchecked…” I shrug. “Handing out food might do more harm than good.”
Keren shakes her head. “As soon as we turn up, the police will arrest us.”
“They won’t. I’ll come alone, with just a few guards. And with Cale.”
“And a squad of knights waiting to burst in and take us down?” Spade snorts. “You expect us to believe you’re for real?”
“How about if I invite the media, and independent reporters can broadcast the whole event live to the feed?” I ask. “After the announcement I made today, trying to arrest you would make me look bad. It’d be terrible for my image, and there’s an election coming up.”
They don’t look impressed, but it’s all I can offer.
“I’ll be there,” says Cale. “And I can promise you, she’s telling the truth.”
“We’ll think about it.” Keren disconnects the call.
I turn to Cale, trying not to let him see that I already regret being so impulsive. Now I’ve committed myself to taking food to the shelter when there’s a good chance the Fist won’t turn up. Trying to distribute food without them is sure to lead to trouble.
Cale shoots me a smile. “Cheer up. That went better than I thought it would. You were convincing.”
“Really? You think they’ll actually tur
n up at the shelter?”
“I’ll call them again later. Don’t worry, I’ll talk them into it.” He nods at the holo display. “You understand all those numbers?”
“Weirdly, I’ve figured out what they mean.” I lift a hand to flip through different spreadsheets. “This is a list of all the food we manufacture at the factory, with daily production totals. This one shows manufacturing costs, and here are the distribution details. I’ve been cross-referencing the numbers to work out what we can afford to give away.” I screw my nose up. “Sentin was worried I’d bankrupt the Morelle Corporation. I’d hate to prove him right.”
Cale blinks. “That’s a lot to figure out.”
“I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, but it hasn’t been as hard as I expected.” A flush of pride comes through in my voice. I’ve never done anything like it before.
Instead of looking impressed, Cale frowns. “The Skin must be affecting your brain. It’s changing the way you think.” The way he says it makes it obvious how much he hates the idea.
“Is it a bad thing if it makes me smarter?”
“How can you even ask that? What if it changes everything, and you lose who you are? What if you transfer back into your own body and you’re not Milla anymore?”
“I’m still me.”
He shakes his head, his jaw set. “It’s not worth the risk. Give the Skin up. I’m pretty sure Sentin will agree to take over.”
“Not until I’ve made Old Triton less of a hellhole.”
“Is it worth letting your brain be changed by that thing?”
“Yes.” I say it without hesitation, without even needing to think about it.
Cale stares at me a moment longer. Then he lets out a long breath. “I hope you’re right,” he mutters, turning toward the door.
I watch him leave with an uneasy feeling churning in my stomach. But as it turns out, organizing enough food to be delivered to the shelter so quickly keeps me busy enough that I don’t have time to worry about anything else. I spend hours arranging it, and by the time I get to the shelter the next day, all I can do is hope that I haven’t wasted my time. If Keren and Spade don’t show up, the sharks will gorge themselves.