Pandora Jones: Reckoning

by Barry Jonsberg

  But what were her chances? One girl against trained soldiers, even with the element of surprise?

  Pan sighed. As a plan, it was hopeless, but it was the only one she could think of. There seemed no alternative. Except one. The one she had tried not to think about. The sensible one. Surrender.

  Pan put her head into her hands. What had she just said to Nate? Never give up. Yet just before that she had despaired, and now she was despairing again. These wild fluctuations of intent. I am only sixteen, she thought. Or maybe seventeen by now. This is too hard.

  After all this time, and after staying strong for so long, Pan suddenly wanted her mother. She wanted her to take her in her arms, stroke her hair and tell her that sweet, soft lie. Everything will be all right, my baby. Everything will be all right.

  The crackle in her right ear was not very loud, but it seemed that way after the deafening silence. Pan shook her head, and this time the noise was more like radio static. Then, muffled, as if wrapped in cotton wool, the words reached her.

  ‘There’s no sign of movement out there. Maybe we could run to the next house.’

  ‘Why? How is that any safer?’

  ‘At least we’d be moving.’

  ‘I say we wait, see what happens.’

  ‘What’s the point?’

  The sentences merged and overlapped, and for Pan it was the most beautiful noise ever. True, her left ear was still useless, but she’d settle for partial hearing over a vacuum. She got to her feet. The restoration of her hearing lifted her spirits and cleared her mind. She had sat there and let the others take control while she contemplated surrender. Time to rejoin the land of the living.

  ‘What’s the general feeling?’

  Everyone turned and, for a moment, silence returned.

  ‘You can hear?’ said Jen.

  Pan tapped her right ear. ‘Good as new,’ she said. It was, too. The muffled quality of sound had cleared. ‘The other’s still stuffed, though.’

  It was deeply moving to see the pleasure on everyone’s face and Pan thought she might tear up again. Sam stepped forward and gave her a hug, followed by Wei-Lin. Sanjit patted her on the shoulder, Nate and Karl grinned. Jen stood back, arms folded, but her eyes met Pan’s and she nodded.

  ‘Ease up, guys,’ said Pan. ‘It’s not like coming back from the dead, you know.’

  ‘Probably won’t make much difference anyway,’ said Jen. ‘You never did listen very good, Pandora.’

  ‘I thought you loved me, Jen.’

  ‘And there’s proof you don’t listen too good.’

  Pan smiled. ‘Okay, what’s the verdict?’

  Nate and Sanjit moved back to the windows and took up sentry duties again.

  ‘No one can agree on anything,’ said Wei-Lin. ‘Jen is for moving on to the next house. At least, that was her suggestion after we turned down her offer to attack a couple of helicopters and a dozen armed men with a knife.’

  ‘Hey,’ said Jen. ‘We need . . .’

  ‘Sanjit thinks we should wait,’ Wei-Lin continued. ‘Nate wanted to see if you had any feelings or intuitions about the situation. The rest of us . . .’ She spread her arms. ‘We haven’t a clue, to be perfectly honest.’

  ‘Has anyone thought about surrender?’ Pan decided it was best to get the idea out there. Everyone must have considered it, even if no one had said anything. There was silence.

  ‘No,’ said Sam finally. ‘I mean, yes, obviously. But . . . I don’t know about the rest of you, but me and Karl have talked about it. If a situation arises where we are surrounded by soldiers, all of them with guns pointed at our heads and there is no way out, then . . . Hey, there’s no point dying for the sake of it.’

  ‘But only then.’ Karl took over. He put his arm over Sam’s shoulder. ‘Until then, we fight.’

  Everyone else nodded, though Pan found it hard to believe that even in that situation Jen would give up. She’d probably charge straight at them, teeth bared.

  ‘I’d just like to say that it has been . . . a . . . privilege to be with you guys,’ said Pan. She hadn’t intended to say anything at all, but the words spilled out. ‘I mean, you’re the best friends . . .’

  ‘Oh, stop it, Pandora,’ said Jen. ‘I mean, good to rally the troops and all, but you’re embarrassing yourself. More important, you’re embarrassing me.’

  Pan laughed.

  ‘Sorry. Okay, here’s what I think, for what it’s worth.’ What did she think? Pan wasn’t sure, but hoped that in the process of talking she’d find the answer. ‘I don’t have any instincts or hunches. But what I don’t understand is why no one’s come to get us. I mean, they must know we have no real defences, that it would be the easiest thing in the world to flush us out. A tear-gas canister through a window would do it. But so far, nothing. Why has no one even approached us?’

  ‘Ah, I think you might be wrong there, Pan.’ It was Sanjit. He had his back to them and was peering between the edge of the curtain and the window frame. He didn’t turn around. ‘We have company.’

  Chapter 21

  There was a mad scramble for the windows.

  ‘Who is it?’ said Wei-Lin. The team instinctively kept to the sides of the windows in case they presented a target to any soldiers out there, and as a result it was difficult for any of the group to see clearly.

  ‘I think it’s Ruby,’ said Sanjit.

  ‘Who?’ Pan had taken a position to the right of Sanjit and couldn’t hear a word.

  Nate leaned in and whispered in her right ear. ‘The girl from the Infirmary,’ he said. ‘The lab tech.’

  ‘What the hell is she doing here?’ said Jen.

  Nate shrugged. ‘I guess we’ll find out,’ he said. He parted the curtain a little more. ‘She’s by herself,’ he said. ‘Hands in the air, walking towards the front door. Slowly.’ He paused while he examined the surrounding area. ‘No one else about as far as I can see. Still deserted.’

  ‘What’ll we do?’ said Jen.

  ‘She’s clearly been sent to talk,’ Sam pointed out. ‘So the options are simple – we send her on her way, or we let her in and see what The School wants from us. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m for hearing her out. It’s not like we’re in the strongest position here and she’s not the toughest person I’ve known.’

  ‘Probably why she was sent,’ said Karl. ‘We’ve met her and she doesn’t pose an obvious threat.’

  There was silence while the group mulled this over.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Jen. ‘It’s a no-brainer. I can’t see what we’ve got to lose. But that doesn’t mean we get sloppy. Wei-Lin – over by the wall opposite the door. Keep an arrow on her until we know she’s not armed. The rest of you keep down and out of sight. I’ll open the door, but stay hidden.’ She took the knife from her waistband and moved to the side of the door. ‘Nate. How far away is she?’

  ‘Ten, fifteen metres.’

  ‘Okay. Let’s get this barricade outta the way.’

  Nate and Karl crouched down and scuttled under the window to the table. They pulled it to the side, and the screech as it dragged across the floor made them wince. As soon as it was clear, Jen reached for the door-handle, glanced around to check that Wei-Lin had taken up position, and slowly turned it. She pulled the door towards her and a shaft of light pooled inside the room. Jen put her eyes to the gap between the door and the frame.

  ‘Keep walking, Ruby,’ she called out. ‘Straight in, hands on the back of your head. No sudden movements. We’re kinda jumpy here, as you can imagine. Don’t do anything stupid.’

  There was no reply, but the pool of light darkened as a shadow fell across it. Pan realised that the fingernails of her right hand were gouging into her palm, and she forced herself to uncurl her fingers.

  Ruby stepped into the room and as soon as she was clear of the door Jen slammed it behind her. Nate and Karl instantly dragged the dining table back against it.

  Ruby was motionless, her hands clasped behind her head. Jen moved
behind her and brought the knife up to her throat.

  ‘Pandora,’ she said. ‘Search her.’ To Ruby she whispered, ‘Don’t move. Not a millimetre, you hear?’

  Pan hurried forward and tried to avoid eye contact, but it was obvious Ruby was terrified. Her face was pale and her jaw was clenched. Her body trembled. Ruby radiated fear.

  How do I do this? Pan thought. She had seen enough body searches on television to understand the basics, but now she had to do it, the process seemed undignified and awkward. Toughen up, princess, she reminded herself. It took an effort of will, but Pan ran her hands all over Ruby’s body, taking her time on the obvious places to conceal a weapon. She was thorough, but relieved when it was over. She imagined Ruby felt the same.

  ‘She’s clear,’ she said, standing and backing away a few metres. Ruby stayed stock-still, her eyes fixed on Wei-Lin, who still had her bow drawn.

  ‘Okay,’ said Jen. ‘You can take your hands from your head. Walk to the couch and sit. No sudden movements.’

  Ruby did as she was told, but it was like she was walking on eggshells. Wei-Lin let her bow point to the floor, but even that didn’t seem to soothe Ruby’s anxiety. She sat in the very centre of the couch, back unnaturally straight, and placed her hands flat on the leather to each side. She glanced around the room, but her eyes apparently found nothing of comfort. The team gathered around her, Nate and Karl behind the couch, Sam to the side and Jen and Pan in front. Sanjit stayed at the window, keeping watch.

  ‘Okay,’ said Jen. ‘Who sent you and whadda they want?’ Ruby licked her lips, looked from Pan to Jen and back again.

  ‘I have a message,’ she said.

  ‘Who from?’

  ‘I don’t know her name,’ said Ruby. ‘Honest. I’ve never seen her before.’

  ‘Describe her,’ said Pan.

  ‘A little taller than you,’ said Ruby immediately. ‘Red hair tied back in a ponytail. A Scottish accent. I used to work in the UK. I know a Scottish accent when I hear one.’ Jen glanced at Pan. Dr Macredie. If Jen seemed surprised, she gave no sign of it.

  ‘And the message?’

  ‘She wants to talk to Pandora Jones. Alone. I’m to escort her to the meeting place, down by the dock. The others are to stay here.’

  Silence greeted this announcement and Ruby flicked her eyes from one member of the group to another. If anything, her back straightened even more. ‘She said she would guarantee everyone’s safety. There will be no attack. And Pandora Jones will be allowed to return here when they’ve finished their meeting. She gives her word.’

  Jen snorted.

  ‘ “She gives her word.” ’ She lifted the knife and examined the blade. ‘Well, that’s comforting. Why the hell does she think we’d buy that?’

  Ruby closed her eyes.

  ‘I’m just a messenger,’ she said. ‘I don’t know anything. I’m just following orders.’

  ‘And why would you do that?’ Nate asked. Ruby went to turn her head and then obviously thought better of it. ‘Taking orders from someone you don’t know,’ he added.

  ‘Look, it’s just the way it is, okay?’ Ruby appeared on the verge of tears. ‘Someone tells me to do something, I do it. When I was offered this job, it was made clear. It was a condition. Obey without question.’

  ‘And the money is good,’ Pan suggested.

  ‘The money is very good,’ Ruby agreed.

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘She said you wouldn’t be convinced. She said to tell you there is a way out of this mess, that no one needs to get hurt. But she has to talk to Pandora Jones in private first.’ Ruby lifted a hand tentatively and wiped sweat from her forehead. ‘She also said you should consider that there are armed soldiers, who could wipe you out in ten seconds. A couple of helicopters with considerable firepower. “Tell them to think logically,” she said. “They have only survived because we allowed them to, and now their only chance is to talk.” ’

  There was another lengthy silence. Ruby took the opportunity to wipe her brow again. Her complexion had not improved and she kept glancing at Wei-Lin. Her left leg trembled and one foot tapped against the other.

  ‘Sit on the floor over by the far wall,’ said Jen. ‘Keep your hands on your head, and face away from us. Think about it as just another order, Ruby, given to you by someone you don’t know. Obey without question and think about your money.’

  Ruby swallowed and got to her feet. She walked over to where Jen had indicated and sat cross-legged, hands clasped behind her neck, her face to the wall. Jen jerked her head towards the window and the group followed her to where Sanjit was still on guard.

  ‘You got that, Sanjit?’ Jen asked.

  ‘Loud and clear.’

  ‘Anyone out there?’

  ‘Not that I can see.’

  Jen sighed. ‘Okay, guys. Whatya reckon?’

  ‘We say no,’ said Karl. ‘We’ve made it so far because we’ve stuck together. Pan would be totally without protection.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Sam. ‘There’s no advantage in splitting up. If Dr Macredie reckons there’s a way out of this, why does she need to talk to Pan alone? Why not put the proposal to all of us? This stinks.’

  Jen nodded. ‘Okay. What about the rest of you? Wei-Lin?’

  Wei-Lin shrugged. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘I need to hear what Dr Macredie wants, but like Sam says, we’re in this together. Maybe the simplest and safest course of action is to send Ruby back with our own message. Dr Macredie comes to us, and then we talk.’

  ‘What if she refuses?’ said Nate.

  ‘Then she refuses,’ said Wei-Lin. ‘Our situation hasn’t changed.’

  ‘Sanjit?’ said Jen.

  Sanjit didn’t turn his head from the window. ‘Not enough data,’ he said. The rest of them waited for him to add to the comment, but he remained silent.

  Jen shrugged. ‘Pandora? It’s you she wants to talk to.’

  ‘I think I should go,’ said Pan.

  There was an excited babble of protest, and Pan held up her hand. Silence returned.

  ‘I understand what you’re saying,’ she continued. ‘Once I’m out there, it’ll be the easiest thing in the world to take me prisoner, perhaps use me as a bargaining chip with you guys. For the first time the team will be divided and that’s not good. But . . .’ She pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘I think what Ruby said was right. I’ve seen the helicopters, remember. They are out there and from what I saw there are enough soldiers to snuff us out like that . . .’ She snapped her fingers. ‘. . . if the order was given. I want to know why the order hasn’t been given, and I think the only way I’ll find out is if I go to this meeting.’

  ‘Your intuition?’ asked Nate.

  ‘No. Yes. Partly.’ Pan couldn’t really explain it and she certainly didn’t want to reveal her own, personal reason for seeing Dr Macredie face to face. That was a dark secret and now was not the time to reveal it. The group had enough to worry about. ‘You’ll have to trust me,’ she continued. ‘This is the right thing to do.’

  The others glanced at each other.

  Nate opened his mouth and then closed it again.

  Jen sighed. ‘I’ve hung out with Pandora more than you guys,’ she said. ‘And that look on her face tells me she’s made up her mind.’ She flicked her knife over, caught it by the blade and offered the hilt to Pan. ‘You’ll need a weapon.’

  Pan shook her head.

  ‘No weapon,’ she said. ‘They’ll search me for sure and the only thing that’ll happen is we’ll be one weapon down. Keep it. But I do want something from you, Jen.’

  Jen cocked her head to one side.

  ‘Something of yours that I can carry with me. Something that you’ve had for some time, preferably.’

  Jen continued to regard her.

  ‘Look,’ Pan continued, ‘I need something so that in an emergency I can contact you. My mind and yours. Only this time, try not to throw me out, okay?’

  Jen winced at the m
emory, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she reached down the front of her top and pulled out a chain, squirmed her head through it. She handed it to Pan. A locket, silver and tarnished. Pan took it and put it over her own head, tucked the locket under her shirt. Almost instantly, an image flashed through her mind. A girl with red hair, a wicked smile, a snub nose with a faint dusting of freckles. Pan closed her eyes and tried to put the image aside. Again she felt like an intruder, an uninvited guest in someone’s private life. She opened her eyes and looked directly into Jen’s.

  ‘I’ll take care of it,’ she said.

  ‘It’s not important,’ said Jen, but Pan knew she lied.

  Pan let out her breath in one deep exhalation. The time had come. She glanced around at her friends and tried not to think about the possibility that this would be the last time she’d see them.

  Sanjit, peering through the window, his slight frame and intense manner. Still closed off to her. Closed off to everyone. He has a secret, she thought. And it’s eating away at him.

  Wei-Lin came forward and hugged Pan. Another flash from the past. A Chinese girl, holding the hand of a younger girl in a hospital bed. Machines beeped, but the girl laughed and she was full of life. And death, in equal measure. Pan returned the hug and savoured it.

  I’ll make it all up to you, Wei-Lin, she promised in her head. And you’ll know what a friend I can be.

  Sam followed after Wei-Lin had broken off the embrace and turned back to the window as if afraid there was something to be read in her face. This time, Pan saw a curled shape, one thumb pressed into a tiny mouth. A spark of life, poised between being and non-being.

  Your daughter will see the world, Pan thought. But she knew that was a hope rather than a premonition.

  Karl shook her by the hand and what came from him was love, a bright light, almost dazzling, that filled him. Pan broke away and looked him up and down. He had changed. Gone was the overweight and pasty boy who had arrived at The School. He was lean and fit and strong.