by Lara Morgan
“Ride fast,” she said. Be safe.
He shoved the helmet on his head so she could see only his eyes and it took everything for her to keep standing there. Then he revved the bike, wheeled it around and was gone, heading out into the street, away from the approaching vehicles.
Feeling more alone than ever, Rosie took a deep breath and stepped out to meet the operatives.
CHAPTER 20
Pip kept the jammer on full, sending out a blanketing signal that bounced their location all over the place so they couldn’t pinpoint them. Stefan’s fingers dug into his waist but he barely felt them. Rosie’s expression as she told him to go was burned into his retinas like the halo of a pulse blast. Dalton. Did she really think he believed she trusted Curtis more than him? It made him want to shake her. Didn’t she understand how well he knew her by now? She was doing it to make him leave. Her goddamn hero complex again, thinking she had to do it all, solve it all, on her own. If there hadn’t been the tiniest bit of truth in what she’d said about him causing more problems if he went back there, and if he’d had the strength to pick her up, he would have ignored everything she’d said. But he couldn’t, because, annoyingly, this time she had a point. He was a danger to her but he was damned if he was going to leave her there.
He bent low over the handlebars, squinting behind his helmet through the spray of sand from the tyres. The screen showed vehicles fifty kilometres behind at the limit of the bike’s sensors, but the jammer had forced them to spread out in a wide line, and finding their trail would be slowing them down. He hoped. He should be able to make it to the Desert Bypass before they caught up. The wounds on his torso throbbed and the headache he’d been carrying for the last twenty-four hours was a tight band of pain across his forehead. He was weak, dehydrated and probably running a high risk of infection. He blinked hard, forcing himself to focus. At least the bike was doing most of the work navigating the best ground.
“They’re catching up.” Stefan looked over his shoulder at the screen. The kid had left behind the extra helmet Pip had brought with him, and was no doubt suffering from the wind and dust.
“I know!” Pip replied.
“What?” Stefan yelled. Without the helmet coms he couldn’t hear him. Pip pointed at his helmet and didn’t bother trying again. The kid was right, the dots were getting closer, but now he could see the shadow of the road ahead. The ground was harder packed as well, so he increased their speed, the fat tyres chewing through the sand. Within five minutes, they were bouncing onto the tarmac. Pip revved the bike and cut across in front of a car. It blared a collision alarm at him that faded fast, as he leaned into the sharp corner and sped out to merge with the traffic heading into Newperth.
It was after seven and the morning traffic was building up, the road crowded with transports from farms and the cars of the wealthy east side estate owners. Most of the vehicles were locked into the AI and were keeping the regulation space between them.
Pip wove the bike through the gaps between the other vehicles and checked the screen for their pursuers. He grinned. They were pulling back, not willing to follow and draw attention on the Senate-patrolled road.
His triumph was short lived. A few kilometres along, a control on the bike bleeped and he spotted a Senate-marked pair of bikes in his rear-view screen in pursuit. Senate, my arse, he thought. They had to be more Helios grunts dressed up as Senate to have been on him so fast. The real Senate patrols didn’t have a station this far out. Of course the grunts from the Enclave had pulled back; they had a team waiting on the road.
He flicked on the bike’s turbo and they shot forwards, narrowly avoiding ploughing into the back of a farm transport. The fake Senate bikes immediately blared sirens and sped up. The AI-locked vehicles behind parted like they’d been unzipped.
“They’ve got backup!” Stefan shouted.
“Really, I thought they just liked me,” Pip said, even though he knew he couldn’t hear. He pushed the bike as fast he could, weaving around the cars in front. The grunts were gaining.
“Faster,” Stefan shouted, then pulled out his bullet gun and began firing at them. The sharp crack was loud even through Pip’s helmet.
They weren’t even close enough to be in range. What was the stupid kid doing? He swerved the bike hard around a transport, almost unseating Stefan so he had to stop shooting. It was pointless wasting ammunition and the last thing he needed was the grunts shooting back. They were pushing up to three hundred kilometres per hour now, the rocks and barriers along the road verge and the other cars whipped past in a blur. It took all his concentration to keep them from sliding out and dying in a massive fireball. The bike’s warning systems were blinking into overdrive and the skin of protection was fully extended up to their thighs.
The grunts hung back, keeping out of range of the gun, but they wouldn’t do that for long. Sweat covered his forehead, soaking into the helmet bios. Up ahead, the city glittered in the hot morning sunshine, the Central towers like mirrors reflecting the glare. The rip of the bike’s tyres on the road vibrated up through his body as he swerved it through the traffic. Stefan had stopped firing to hang on, and Pip tried to think through the routes he could take to shake the Helios grunts and get to the Game Pit.
They reached the first buildings of the outer city. Other vehicles slowed, but Pip kept the pace up. It was almost better to attract the attention of the real Senate than get caught by the grunts. But they couldn’t risk it for long. They didn’t need a double pursuit. Feeder roads verged off the main artery and revolving holo signs announced exits as the buildings on either side grew denser and larger. As did the traffic. He slowed to get by them and collision alarms went off all around as he forced his way through. The grunts were starting to gain. The exit for the west Rim flashed. They were expecting him to go there.
As the exit came up, Pip angled the bike like he was going to take it. He watched the grunts behind do the same, parting traffic with the AI so it flowed thicker in the main lanes and left the exit more open. At the last moment, before his front wheel crossed in, Pip swerved back into the expressway revving the bike and nudging into the next lane right into a car. The female driver, wide-eyed with shock, screamed soundlessly at him and the AI immediately detoured it right, but her car AI failed to compensate enough and she slammed into another vehicle. Then it all snowballed. Car after car, and transport alike, smacked sideways into each other across the lanes as the AI tried to arrest the damage. Shrieks of alarms screamed along with the sound of tyres on the tarmac and the whump of collision protectors expanding to protect the inhabitants. It was a pile up, blocking half the expressway and the pursing grunts had to skid to a halt as a farm transport wheeled in a circle right in front of them.
Pip laughed, then coughed and winced in pain. Stefan let out a whoop of triumph and Pip sped the bike up and coasted in along the road towards the towers of Central. The pile up would give them a bit of time, but not much. He peeled the bike away from the traffic at the first Central exit.
Offices and apartments reflected each other above their heads, while below, the walkways were filled with Centrals strolling in their deluded bubbles of safety. The roar of the traffic was behind them now, taken over by the gentler hum of the surrounding solar cars and the whoosh of the shuttles. Unseen were the thousands of invisible eyes, watching them, hooked into the Senate Grid. Helios would have tabs on the Grid; they’d know they were in the city. They didn’t have long to get out of sight. He kept his face front, but tracked all around him and called up a grid of the surrounding area on the bike screen. Eateries, offices, apartments.
There. Cosmetic enhancement parlours, three streets ahead on the right. Pip eased the bike into the outside lane and down the smaller street. Ahead was a ten storey shimmering tower. Beautiful images of perfected people gazed down smiling and laughing silently while offers for enhancements scrolled beneath.
Pip drove the bike into the entrance, heading underground to the transport bays. The light
dimmed to artificial. Underneath was a vast cavern of solar courtesy cars and AI luxury transports. Only a few people were around, all heading for the elevator tubes to the parlour. He brought the bike to a stop against the far wall and pulled off his helmet.
“Off,” he barked at Stefan. The kid obeyed on Helios-ingrained instinct, but his expression was full of questions.
“What–”
“No time,” Pip cut him off and flipped open the bike cargo, pulling out his pack. He threw it at the boy. “Follow me.”
Pip jogged as fast as his aching body would allow. He could already hear the sound of another vehicle coming in. He reached the closest elevator tube and punched the buttons for the ground level, but grabbed Stefan before he could get in.
“No, we’re going another way.” He pushed him towards a low grate barely visible in the wall.
“Sewer vents?” Stefan sounded strained.
“Only way.” Pip pulled the grate out, ignoring the sound of footsteps. He motioned sharply for Stefan to climb in and he followed, dragging the grate back on as the first operative ran around the cars.
By the time they’d travelled the five kilometres of tunnels between the parlour and the nearest exit to the Game Pit, both boys were covered in grime and sweat and Pip was shaking. But they’d escaped the Helios grunts. At least for now. He got Stefan out into the streets of the Rim and to the back door of the Pit without them being seen. It was after midday and the streets were rowdy and heat-baked, gang bikes roaring up and down the road and clusters of people on corners watching from narrowed eyes. Here, the two of them in their dirty state drew barely a glance. Pip leaned on the back door of the Pit and thudded hard, well aware how shallow his breathing was.
Fury finally opened it.
“Keep that pounding up and I’ll pound you.” She stood back to let him in, her gaze going to Stefan.
“No bugs,” Pip said. “He’s clean.”
“I know, already scanned you. And by the way,” she called to their backs as Pip led Stefan down the hall, “people been waiting for you here all night.”
“Thanks.” Pip kept going.
“This ain’t your personal meeting place!” she shouted at his back. A door slammed. “Ignore her.” Pip wearily gestured Stefan to follow.
“Pipsqueak, you look like a bad day on Venus.” Essie greeted him from the bar.
“Thanks.” He stepped into the main room and stopped as Riley rose from the table he’d been sitting at with Cassie.
“Riley.” They regarded each other a moment. Riley seemed older, thinner.
He came towards him, his attention shifting to Stefan behind him. “Who’s this?”
“Stefan.” The kid spoke for himself.
“From the Enclave?”
“I was working with Sulawayo. Who are you?”
A thin humourless smile curved Riley’s lips. “A wanted man. You can sit over there.” He indicated a table against the wall. Stefan grimaced as if he was going to argue, but there was still enough command left in Riley for him to clamp his mouth shut and slouch over. He sat in the chair, resentment and weariness emanating from him as he watched them. Essie took him a sipper of water.
“So you let her go,” Riley said.
Pip gave him a dark stare.
“You’re hurt.” Cassie joined them.
Pip was trembling with fatigue. “I gotta sit down.” He made it to a chair before he collapsed and Cassie was immediately there with a medikit, pulling up his shirt, examining the gel patches. He’d felt them stop working some time ago and they were now dried and covered in dirt. “Stop trying to get my clothes off, woman!” He made a weak attempt to fend her off, but she smacked his hands away.
“Idiot, sit still.” She ripped the gels off fast, pulling a layer of skin with them.
“Ow!” He thumped the table, but she ignored him and began cleaning and reapplying new patches.
“Drink this and shut up.” Essie shoved a sipper filled with orange liquid at him.
He gulped it down glaring at Riley over the rim.
The man was as calm as ever. How he could show up here like this after everything and be pushing them all around again? It made Pip want to punch him in the face – if he’d had the energy. “So, you happy,” he said, “now Rosie’s off risking her life for you again?”
“She’s not doing it for me,” Riley said. “You know that.”
“Do I?” He finished the drink.
Riley sat down in the chair opposite and Pip had the feeling he was going to get one of his, “I’m right so do as I say” speeches about saving the world et cetera.
“Just don’t, Riley,” Pip said in a low voice. “Really, don’t try and tell me everything’s going to be A-OK because I really won’t take that well right now.”
Riley said quietly, “I wasn’t about to. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure it will be.”
“But you still sent Rosie back in. How’s that feel, sending her to do your dirty work?”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Be a man and step up for a change, stop running away. How’s that for starters?”
Riley studied his hands on the table. “I know you’ve lost a lot to Helios, Pip, but so have I, so has everyone and we all stand to lose a lot more if Jebediah succeeds with his plan.” His pale brown gaze was steady, controlled. “I don’t want to take Rosie away from you, but it’s her decision and her life. I know you love her and I’m counting on that being what saves her. I need you in this, as much as I need her, or Essie, or Cassie. Maybe more, because I know you’ll do anything for her, and right now she needs you to let her do this and be there to get her out. So don’t turn your back on me, not when Rosie needs you the most.”
That was a low blow. “You’re a son of a bitch.” Pip was furious.
“I know.”
“So, what exactly is your plan – if she does manage to get the Dark Star blueprints?” Pip took in as deep a breath as his injuries would allow.
“Sulawayo contacted Essie a few hours ago.”
“She got out?” Pip couldn’t say he was surprised.
“Her cousin, Nerita, owns the old Helios ship the Cosmic Mariner. Sulawayo must have had some distress call set up. Nerita picked her up. You should have seen the ship out there.”
“I was busy escaping,” Pip said.
“Anyway,” Essie said, “Sulawayo is pissed about Jebediah playing her on the rebellion thing and wants to bring him down. She wants to help and has offered to get back into the Enclave and help Rosie any way she can. Nerita has agreed to let us use the ship to get up to Dark Star. Then we destroy the command station, and all the satellites linked to it will go down as well.”
“Yeah, sounds easy,” Pip said. “They’ll kill her before they let Rosie out of there with that information. How are you going to stop that?”
“They won’t think she has the Dark Star plans. I’ll make sure Jebediah thinks I have them,” Riley said. “I’ll contact him myself. And, Pip, I will have them. I’ve figured out a way to get into the Enclave, get to Rosie and download the plans from her implant, she won’t have to run with them. Then I’ll take the implant out of her and destroy Dark Star myself. I’ll be their target, not her.”
“How do I fit in with your grand plans when there’s an army of operatives out there looking for me?”
The ghost of a smile crossed Riley’s lips. “That’s what I’m counting on. Since Sulawayo let slip to the Senate that someone whose blood could cure the MalX had cured Rosie’s dad, they’ve been searching for that someone. We’re simply going to let them know it’s you and give them a few hints on your whereabouts. Essie’s contact in the Senate, Whitely, will make sure a full force is sent after you.”
Pip got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “So instead of just Helios operatives after me, the goddamn Senate Elite will be on my case as well?”
“Exactly, and they’ll follow you, especially if we tell them you’re running to the Enclav
e and it’s a Helios training base.”
Now Pip saw his plan and despite still wanting to punch the man in the face, he had to admire Riley’s balls. “You’re bringing an army to the Enclave’s doorstep, aren’t you?”
“Well, they asked for it,” Essie said. “People should learn not to mess with the Black women.”
CHAPTER 21
Tell me something, anything.” Alpha’s furious face was centimetres away, close enough so Rosie could see the veins in his temples throb with frustration. The manacle seared the skin at her temples and across her skull and sweat wet her face. Or was it tears?
“When I was five I lost my favourite toy,” she said, and suddenly that was funny. She saw her mother’s face in her mind, talking to her, but she couldn’t hear her, and then she saw her dad and he had that grin she hadn’t seen for years. He was laughing with her.
Alpha made a sound and tweaked the manacle and Rosie screamed. Cold fire was flowing over her scalp, down her arms and back. She twisted, seeking to escape but the straps held her fast to the chair, biting into her wrists.
“Tell me!” Alpha whispered in her ear, but she couldn’t speak. Images filled her head, but they were old: her childhood; school; meeting Riley in a strange dark place like a bunker, the reflection of a holo in his eyes; then Pip, his gaze blue and clear. She tried to stretch for him but couldn’t reach. All else after that was a blank, a wall thrown up.
“Pip,” she whispered.
Alpha grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her, excited. “Yes, where is he? Where has he gone? Back to Riley? What is his plan?”
Rosie grimaced against the pain. “He was born on Mars, but he likes the river more.”
Alpha’s dark eyes seemed to turn black. Mouth set, he tweaked the manacle again. Rosie arched up against her restraints, her teeth clicked together hard, and this time the pain was so white she ceased to exist. She was nothing and, without making a sound, she let it swallow her.