by Lara Morgan
Move, Rosie Black. She ran. She was disorientated, unsteady on her feet. And the meaning of what she’d seen kept rushing through her mind.
The MalX as a means for population control. The whole thing about it being released on Earth accidentally wasn’t true. They’d been going to do it all along; but it had happened ahead of schedule, before they had the gate finished. No wonder Helios wanted the cure so badly. It was their personal safety net.
Rosie had not seen the list of what they deemed acceptable traits, but she could guess. Centrals would stay, Ferals and Bankers were expendable. Even Rim dwellers, if need be. She wasn’t surprised. This was Helios. Building a better world – just for them.
She kept running, forcing her aching body forwards. It seemed a lot further back to the iris than it should be. She passed another hallway and slowed. At its end was an iris, but not the one she needed. She stopped, her pulse vaulting. She’d gone the wrong way. The few closed doors along the passage were different: larger, and a golden wood colour rather than the pale green.
How could she have been so stupid? She whirled around to run then heard a voice coming from behind a door a few metres down the hall.
It was a man’s voice, impossible to decipher what he was saying, but it sounded familiar. She crept closer until she was right outside. The voice was deep and smooth with a careful inflection. Alpha.
She strained to hear what he was saying. “We have to … careful … plan.” A pause, then she clearly heard him say Sulawayo’s name and, “Yes. She keeps the girl in check.” Another pause. “No. She doesn’t suspect anything. We keep … forwards.” His voice became louder as if he’d moved closer to the door, his tone filled with satisfaction and she almost took off, but his next words stopped her. “I believe the boy will be caught soon. He will expose himself. It would be simpler if I captured him. We could start the immunity extraction right away. We should have the gate plans soon … All right, I see. I thought Shore was out of the picture. I suppose Sulawayo can still use the girl to draw him out. But we need to deal with the rest of the Pantheon. I’m positive their last locations must also be in that girl’s head. You said Riley found the codes? Shore must have found them when he found the rest. If only your men had caught him, we wouldn’t be in this mess … Of course he did. He was always so damn resourceful. I’m certain. Since the Mars base debacle made the rest of them scuttle like pathetic crabs into their holes, he tracked them and found them. It’s the kind of thing he’d do. Have you heard from any of them? We can’t have them moving against us. You know we’ve only got one option. The rest still control too much … That won’t be a problem. After we have what we need, we should get rid of the girl. Sulawayo could be useful for a time after, but don’t you think this rebellion fantasy has gone on long enough? Some of those pretending to be aligned to her cause are becoming restless … And what will you tell her when Sulawayo does see the Pantheon list of names and your name is on it, your real name – not a code name? She’ll work out you’ve been lying to her, that you already know their real names. I suggest you tell her Riley decoded all the names and placed … ” He moved further away from the door and Rosie lost the next few words, but then his voice rose in volume and she heard him say, “Right, I see. And how is Dark Star progressing? It must be close to completion now. The satellite system shielding is all done, isn’t it? And the delivery system, is it–? No, Jebediah, I only thought–”
Rosie started. Jebediah. Alpha must be talking to Dalton’s father. Her mind spun on the implications. Alpha and Jebediah making plans together and talking about Sulawayo as if she was expendable. The rebellion a sham. Getting rid of her. Rosie went cold with fear. So Dalton’s father was involved in the rebellion, just not in the way she’d thought. Jebediah was using Sulawayo, and he and Alpha were planning something together. But Jebediah was part of the Pantheon. Did Sulawayo know that? And why did he need to know the other Pantheon names and locations? Surely, he would know that already? He’d mentioned codes – code names. What did it mean? Were they the numbers she’d seen on her implant? And what was Dark Star? Did Sulawayo suspect of any of this?
She realised Alpha had stopped talking. Then his voice came again, changed this time, sharp and strident. “Yes, wake Hanto. Tell him to meet me at the surveillance main hub.”
Rosie’s heart vaulted. She spun and bolted down the corridor, the right way this time.
She checked the time on the stylus as she ran. Nine minutes, if by some miracle the surveillance was still suspended. Which now seemed really unlikely. She skidded around the corner and sprinted for the iris, praying operatives weren’t on the other side.
Nobody again, just the empty hall and beyond that the dark cafeteria. Relieved she dashed down the hall and past the tables. Up ahead was the vestibule, then the entrance to her wing. She was almost across when the iris to the dorms spiralled open. Rosie lunged for the servery too late. She saw the flash of black clothing as the operatives strode through the gap. She waited for the shout, but someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her across the floor and behind the bench. Rosie stumbled, hitting her elbow, and saw Gillian, dark eyes glinting, a broad grin on her face. She put a finger to her lips. Rosie stared in surprise. On the other side of the bench, the operatives pulled up short.
“Thought I saw something,” one said.
“Where?”
“Check the other iris.” They ran towards the other end of the cafeteria.
“Give me the stylus,” Gillian whispered.
“I don’t have–”Rosie started to say, but the other girl snatched it from her.
“Come on!” Gillian bounded out, dragging Rosie with her. They ran as quietly and as fast as they could, pelting across the short hall and jumping through the still open iris.
Gillian swerved hard left to the bathrooms and Rosie followed, but not before she heard the shout of an operative behind.
“Hurry!” Gillian was at the door, holding it open. She hauled Rosie in after her. The bathroom was empty, brightly lit. “I told you not to try for the cool storage,” Gillian said loudly.
Before Rosie could think what to make of that, the two male operatives burst in, pulling up short at the sight of them in their pyjamas, pressed back against the sinks.
“Evening, sirs,” Gillian said cheekily. “You busting for a leak?”
The tallest one glowered down at them. “What are you two doing?”
Gillian rolled her eyes. “So you seeing us in the caf wasn’t a good enough clue? Um, food, drinks, you know that stuff you ingest every day?” She pulled a bag of sugar-coated fruit balls from the front of her pyjamas pants. “If you wanted one so badly, you could have asked.”
The operative was not amused. “How did you get through the iris?”
“Wasn’t locked. One of you dumb arses must have forgot.” She shrugged. “Not my fault.”
The man’s eyes narrowed and he held out his hand. “Give it to me.”
“What?” She affected innocence.
“You know what.”
Making a face, Gillian pulled out the stylus and smacked it into his palm.
“Where did you get this?”
“Stole it. Been making you run all around the Enclave though, eh?”
Anger made his mouth tight. “Alpha will hear of this. Now get back to your beds, both of you.”
“Yes, sir!” Gillian saluted him and grabbed Rosie’s arm. “Come on, newbie.”
The operative snatched the bag of fruit snacks from her hand as they passed. “I’ll take that.”
“Party pooper,” Gillian said, but kept walking, her grip on Rosie’s arm harder than necessary, like she was scared Rosie was going to run off.
Rosie didn’t speak while they walked together back to their room. The operatives followed them out and watched them all the way. Gillian gave them a cheery wave as she closed the door behind her.
“Guess our adventure’s over,” she said for the surveillance.
“Um, yeah,” R
osie said. “Still hungry though.”
Gillian nodded, her grin gone, her gaze searching. “You and me both. Guess we’ll face the firing squad in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Rosie echoed.
Gillian mouthed at her. Tomorrow. They got into bed and Gillian switched off the lights, but Rosie lay awake in the dark, her heart still hammering. Gillian had covered for her. But why? Was she with Sulawayo or Alpha and Jebediah? Head aching, Rosie curled her knees up to her chest. She needed a plan and she needed one fast.
CHAPTER 6
Pip extracted the pump carefully from the child’s arm and stuck a paster on the injection point. A touch of dizziness made his head buzz, but he didn’t let it show. The little girl was breathing better. She was still hot and the MalX rash coloured her neck, but that would go as she recovered. He shoved the transfusion kit back in his coat pocket.
“Thank you.” The mother grabbed his hand tight, her sunburned cheeks were wet with tears. “I didn’t–” She stopped, pressing her lips together, squeezing his hand harder. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, no worries.” He extracted himself. “She’ll be okay; just give her a few days.”
The woman kneeled on the ground beside her child and he ducked out of the lean-to. Smoke from the Feral camp’s many fires drifted in the breeze off the river, swirling around between the shelters and making him cough. They were always lit. Smoke helped keep the MalX-carrying mosquitoes away.
It had been a fast trip down. The jumper Inja hired had been able to bring them within thirty kilometres of the outskirts of Newperth, dropping them off a bit after one in the morning. They’d spent the night in an abandoned town, then rode the bikes to the camp after breakfast. It had been a long morning of distributing his blood, and he was worn out.
He trudged back to the camp’s central fire where Inja and two other men waited for him. This Feral camp was only a small one, about twenty or so people. It was several kilometres downstream from Newperth, nearer the coast than the city and was prime MalX-breeding territory. Pip had tried to convince them to move further up river the last time he visited, but they wouldn’t. They felt safer here they said, deep in the ruins of the old city. Especially now he’d started coming. He rubbed the back of his neck. It was his own fault. The last two volunteers for the immunity trials had come from here, and despite their lack of success in finding a cure, he never let any of them die. Couldn’t. Always sent them back healed, immune with his blood coursing through them. Now they saw him as some kind of saviour. And word was spreading. One of the men at the fire was from another Feral camp further inland.
Pip sat on the end of a low crumbling wall.
“She good now?” The kid’s father fixed him with an expectant gaze.
“Yeah, she’ll be right.” Pip poked at the stones round the fire with the toe of his boot. “Any water, Inja?”
The warrior pulled a silver-coloured insulated sipper from under his coat. “Blood builder, from Cassie. Drink all of it.” He didn’t seem too happy with him. This was the third transfusion Pip had done today and Inja was taking it personally that he hadn’t listened when he said he should stop at two.
“Last one,” Inja said as Pip took the canister.
“Last one,” Pip echoed and the warrior narrowed his eyes, watching as Pip drained the sipper. It tasted like engineered lemon and rust. He hated lemon flavours and Cassie knew it. Typical, but he could feel it working already.
The man from the other camp started speaking. “We got five people at ours, infected bad. One of ’em’s only fifteen.” He leaned towards Pip across the fire and a stray breeze blew the stale unwashed stench of him into Pip’s face. “You got to take them all.” His yellowed eyes were wide. “We already lost two this year.”
Pip wiped his mouth. “We can only take three.”
“Three? What am I supposed to tell the rest? They’ll die.” The man stood and Inja made a low sound in the back of his throat.
“Fish.” The father of the kid he’d healed, put a restraining hand on the man’s sleeve. Fish looked at him, but the angry desperation hadn’t left his face as he said to Pip, “You heal them then; you can’t leave them like that.”
Pip’s guts clenched. This happened every time. And it broke a bit off inside him every time. There was just too many of them and not enough of him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Maybe–”
“No more healings today,” Inja cut him off, watching the man. Inja hadn’t moved but the threat was clear in the lines of his body and Fish seemed to shrink back in on himself. He rubbed the heel of his palm over one eye, and nodded.
“He understands,” the other man said softly. “But it’s hard.”
“It’s hard for all of us,” Pip said. Fish abruptly left the fire, walking away between the other lean-tos.
“The youngest one’s his boy,” the other man said quietly after a moment. “Fish didn’t want to say in case it seemed like he was playing favourites.”
They were always someone’s child, someone’s precious loved one. Pip glanced at Inja who gave a minute shake of his head. Pip ignored him. “We’ll take the boy,” he said, “and three others of Fish’s choosing, but that’s all we can do. Inja can protect four at a stretch, but it’s risky to take more.”
Inja cast him a hard frown, but the other man’s expression cleared with relief.
“Thank you, that boy is all the family Fish has left, if he lost him …” Words failed the man and Pip got up. “Tell him to bring them to the pick-up point tonight at one. Make sure they have enough water for the journey.”
Pip and Inja walked back to the bikes.
“Could be trouble,” Inja said quietly.
“You saying you can’t handle it?”
Inja snorted. “Get on your bike; you got to see that woman ’fore we leave, don’t you?”
“Yeah, and you’re still not coming with me.” Pip picked up his helmet. “You stick out too much in the city.”
“Only if I want to.” Inja started his bike and gave Pip the same impassive stare he’d come to know well. “You going to try to stop me?”
“I wouldn’t be that stupid.” Pip shook his head. “But just so you know, I was considering staying on for a bit after you take the volunteers back. Got things to take care of. It’ll only be a few days,” he added as Inja’s expression darkened. “Then I’ll follow you back.”
“You think you can find your girl?”
“I think there are things I need to try,” Pip said. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t stop me. Those people really need to get north as soon as possible. I left plenty of blood up there for the trials.”
Inja considered him a moment. “You planned this.”
Pip grinned and pushed his helmet on his head. “Of course I did: got to have a plan when dealing with you lot, don’t I? Besides, I’m not your responsibility – those people are.”
Inja swung a leg over his bike and revved the engine. “We are all our own responsibility.”
They were in Newperth by early afternoon and Pip headed straight for the Rim. The last time he’d heard from Essie she’d told him the places he should go, and the times she might be there if he should ever need to track her down. So he stood in the shadow of an antiques shop across the road from one of the places, watching the street through the tinted plasglass front from behind a rack of old clocks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one keeping an eye out for Essie. An operative was also trailing her. He’d noticed her just a moment ago. She was good, unobtrusive, and Pip suspected she might be on Sulawayo’s payroll, but she was also making it hard for him to get to Essie. Odds were she knew what he looked like and if she saw him, things could get very tricky. Being captured by a Helios operative, even one who was part of a rebellion was not on his to-do list. He stayed in the shadows of the clock rack and studied her.
She was maybe thirty, wearing an ordinary pale brown dress, carrying a bag and was rummaging through a sale bin in front of a robo
tics store like she was an everyday citizen. Pip wasn’t fooled though, because she had on a pair of UV glasses. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you wouldn’t see it, but he did. They were high tech tracking and surveillance glasses. Everything she saw was recorded on them and sent back to headquarters. She was waiting for Essie to come out of the market two shops down.
He blinked and resisted the urge to rub at his eyes. The ID distorter lenses he was wearing were annoying, but necessary and made it a bit easier for him to skulk around the city. Less need for sticking to the sewers. He’d left Inja with the bikes at the Game Pit. Whether he’d actually stay there and not follow him was another matter, but not one to worry about. Inja could take care of himself.
He stepped out into the heat. This part of the Rim was crowded and people swarmed over the footpath, ducking in and out of the shops. He noticed more of the smaller food traders had closed down now, and tension and desperation felt thicker in the air. Across the road, a block away, two women were shouting abuse at a low level Senate employee as he locked up a recyc water refilling station. The sign on the door read, “Out of Water”. One of the women hurled an empty sipper at the man’s back as he ran off, grabbing the attention of a man who’d been crouching on the pavement. The man stood up and joined the women, shouting at, then pursuing the Senate employee. Pip kept his head down and his back close to the wall.
The market Essie had gone into was still open. It was his best chance of talking to her, but he needed a distraction. A group of grubby kids were playing a game of skittle lids up in the street behind him. He loped closer and gave a single low whistle. A few of the children glanced up and he curled the two forefingers of his right hand and rubbed them against his thumb. There was a moment of fierce pushing and shoving and arguing, then one of the boys scuttled over. He was about six, thin, with matted hair, and one front tooth missing, making him lisp when he spoke.