It seemed like a long time passed.
Mr. Chang sighed. “Dunno where he is.”
“Bullshit.” Mom would have washed out my mouth.
Chang pulled me close, and for a moment I thought he meant to hit me. But he only put his lips to my ear. “Halber knows how to fin’ him,” he said so softly I could barely hear. “I c’n send ya to Sub. Trouble is, Halber royal pissoff at Fisherman, an’ wants to diss ya for venge. Dunno if I c’n get him to lissen first. Wanna take risk?”
I nodded.
“Also ...” For a moment, he pulled back, and his eyes met mine. “Ya gotta face up to: Jared may wanna stay. If so, you let him?”
It was beyond imagining, yet I felt a chill. “Yes, sir. If that’s what he truly wants. But I have to know.”
Chang regarded me sadly. “You better than he deserve.” He took up the pen, wrote a long series of numbers on the pad.
I watched, trying to make sense of the figures.
He forestalled my question with another whisper. “I’ll tell govermen ta send you back unner flag of truce cause you got message for Halber. But this paper don’ mean nothin’; it’s jus’ ta give Unies somethin’ to stew over. Real message is in your head; you unnerstood Ruben, yah?”
Again I nodded.
“Gotta explain choices to Halber. Trouble negotiating by caller is, Unies are sure to listen any call I make. Halber might say anything comes in head. If you’re there to help, maybe he won’ tell Ruben all his plans. Your job, show him how to tell me what he wants over caller, without tellin’ Unies.
“Soon as you’re outa buildin’, I’ll call Halber, warn him to hear you ’fore he go craze. An’ I’ll tell him if you help with negotiate, he let you have what you want. Deal?”
I demanded, “Innifo?”
Mr. Chang’s eyes widened, until he saw my smile.
He growled, “You make trannie yet, joey.”
I hoped so. I might have nowhere else to go.
Chapter 47
JARED
ON THE SECURITY SCREEN I watched the pack of trannies race through the halls, and opened the door to the puter room before they did it more damage.
“C’mon, Jared, we gotta go.” Raulie’s face was matted with blood. “Halber say Unie army gather round U.N. Rotunda, looks like they gonna move anytime. Beside, buncha patrols searchin’ through towers!”
“Jesus!” I jabbed at the console keys, swiveling the cameras. Outside, the lights of a lone armored carrier peered down the avenue. Beyond that, all seemed as before.
Waking from his mattress, Pook rubbed his grimy face.
“You trying to scare me?” My tone was sour. “There’s no one near.”
“Not dis block, stupe. How ya think we got here? But helis are droppin’ from one end a Broad ta otha. Halber says everyone back ta sub fo’ now.”
I keyed the rooftop cameras, searching for a more distant view.
“Les’ go. Halber say you valable, not ta waste.”
His words gave me the confidence to lean back, clasp my fingers behind my neck. “They’re nowhere in sight. Besides, we’ve been schussing with the London CLIP, and we’re a snowdrift away from the Treasury trading accounts.”
“Huh?”
“There’s plenty of time,” I said, wanting to believe it. I tapped the screen, and figures flashed. “Look at this. Cruncher—one of Rolf’s e-friends—lives near New York Spaceport.”
“So?”
“He fed his satdish harvest to a miniclip, and kept it live and decoding for weeks.” I pointed. “See those codes? We could ID half the ships in the fleet, and damn near all the shuttles.”
Raulie didn’t understand a word, but I hardly cared. Trannies were too fucking dumb.
Still, I needed his help. I tried to make my tone patient. “Eventually Cruncher caught a bounce back of the ID from Earthport Station, and used that to ski down their recog slope. Don’t you see what it means?”
“No.” Raulie spat. “Stop talkin’ gibber. You comin’ wid us.”
“I can send random orders to any Naval or U.N.A.F. unit we have codes for. We can make them—let go of me!—shoot at themselves!”
Raulie’s eyes widened.
I freed my arm. “I already told Halber on the caller, but he doesn’t get it. Damn it, Raulie, go back and make him understand.”
“Can’t. Halber be total pissoff if I come back widout ya.”
“For God’s ...” I stifled an urge to tear out my hair. “Pookboy, go with him, help explain to Halber.”
Pook shook his head. “Gotta stick widya like adhese. C’mon, Jared.”
My heart was pounding. As long as the Unies didn’t come in shooting, I’d be all right. When they found me I’d look like a frightened Uppie who barely escaped the trannies. But if they gave me time, I could pay back the lot of them. Kahn, Dad, the fucking righteous Old Man in his compound, the whole world.
When I turned to Pook my voice was soft. “With those codes, we’d actually have a chance to win. And you could be the one who brings the news to Halber.”
The trannie grimaced. “If I don’ get skin first.” But his eyes were calculating.
I wasted precious time getting rid of them. Neither Raulie nor Pook dared go back to Halber alone, but as a pair they bolstered each other’s nerve.
To convince them, I had to exaggerate a bit. Even with the massive computing power of the London CLIP, at best it would take our Arfie many hours to slice into fleet traffic. As to making U.N.A.F. fire on itself, well, it was theoretically possible.
Not trusting the screens, I crossed the hall and peered out a window. Now that I was alone, the tower seemed eerily quiet. The soft sigh of the air circulators failed to calm me.
Once, when I was eleven, a lunatic had jumped the compound wall, and the guard Vishinsky had burned him. It gave me nightmares for months. I’d be all right, unless the Unies came in shooting. If they did ...
Perhaps it would be a good idea to divert them.
I pored over our available codes, wondering which units were stationed near. I sent one tendril searching the nets for the answer, sent another to retrieve a semantic compiler.
When the compiler was in my hands I linked with Cruncher’s miniframe, remembering to scramble and rescramble so I’d be harder to trace. I fed the compiler a year’s worth of military comsat traffic, waited while it digested grammar, spelling, and syntax. The last thing we need was to raise suspicion by my style.
Multiple connects and a couple of scrambles added security, but eventually my tracks would be found. And by now someone was certainly looking; bombs were starting to go off in the markets. London opened high, but within two hours it plunged seven hundred points, the worst slide in its history. New York night trades staggered under frantic buy and sell orders. Only a third of them were ours; panic was setting in.
By the time the ski patrol caught our tracks I hoped to be long gone, sliding through the wind into the next snow-swept valley.
Again, I swiveled the cameras, hoping to see Raulie or Pook skulking in a dim-lit alley, or slipping in through the broken door.
NYSE would soon open for day trading. Fun times ahead. But I needed cover. A distraction.
I turned to the military codes.
What I needed was an avalanche.
Chapter 48
POOK
LIKE OL’ CHANGMAN SAY, we watchin’ history.
Seem like history changes ya. Chang forget ’bout his frazzin’ trayfo. Unie sojers drop inta streets like spiders from high, tryin’ ta drive out trannies. Halber start seein’ hisself leader of trannies, not jus’ Sub tribe. Jared Uppie Washinton switch sides, ack like he trannie all his life. Peetee be so glitch he ain’ ’fraid a nothin’.
An’ Pookboy realize he never was no Mid. Ain’ my fault I got no upbringin’ from Karlo, but don’ matta now. Got lair of my own, maybe someday even have Pooktribe. Like Chang say, filmatleven. But meantime, not bein’ Mid means Pook gotta look afta his own life.
So, back in Sub, while Raulie fall behin’ tryin’ ta hide hisself in crowd, I walk right up ta Halber. “News fo’ ya,” I ’nounce, like tellin’ Sub Boss ya din’ do what he say be mos’ natural thing in worl’.
“Yah?”
I notice how Raulie watch, ready ta push his way through if Halber don’ explode. I go bristle. Pook don’ risk his skin ta share applause wid Raulie Sub.
“Private,” I say in important voice. “You ’n me only.”
Halber stare me down, but I don’ cooperate, jus’ stare back. I figga he ’bout ta put his fist through my head, when he grunt and say, “Kay. C’mon.” We go off ta corna room.
I tell him what Jared wanna do: drop helis flamin’ from sky, send Unie troops ta Philly ’stead a N’Yawk, break open buncha banks, whole rest of it. I tell him what Jared show me in putah, alla Unibucks he takin’ from frazzin’ Uppies. I don’ mention I take Jared word fo’ what putah say, cause I can’ read. Inside, icicle grab my heart; I hope whole biz ain’ some crazy swind. But rememberin’ Uppie’s face when Allie ’n Swee ’n me catch him, I don’ think so.
Halber think it ova. I figga it be time ta freeze out Raulie. “Was my idea ta come back,” I say, serious. “Raulie wanna drag Jared ’way from putah, but I say betta ask ya firs’. Who know when we c’n get Jared ’notha chance in towah.”
Wid dat, I shut face, knowin’ I say enough.
Halber put hand ta wall, lean ’gainst it like real tired. Chew his lip, starin’ at me, through me.
I wait.
“Can he do it, Pook?” One leader ta ’notha.
I go thrill, but try not ta show. “Think so, Halb. But wid Jared, never know fo’ sure. He glitch.”
“Course. Othawise why he help trannies?”
“Yah.” I scratch behind ear. “Seem like he c’n make Uppies awful lotta trouble.”
“Means we need him bad.”
I gulp at bleak tone in voice. “How’s rumb go, Halber?”
“Lotsa dead. Tunnels from Hunnert Sixty Nine south be full a joeys hidin’, but thas only small part a tribes. Never knew was so many trannies.” He shake head. “Since we stomped Unies in Fourteen Square, govermen been careful. Means they hadda pull back some, and that gave us room for while. But jus’ day later, thousands a sojers are landin’ in friggin’ helis. Can’t do much ’gainst a heli gunship, Pook. They ain’t like tin cans da jerries use.”
“Whatcha plan, Halber?”
“We need a distract, bigtime.”
“A what?”
“Distract Unies, keep their mind offa tribes, give us time.”
“Whas Changman say?”
“Jus’ he sendin’ messenga an I should lissen careful, then give ’im what he wan’. Dunno what Chang talkinabout. What messenga?”
“Stupe ol’ man too glitch ta rememba his own name.”
“Yah, well, g’wan back wid Jared, case he need ya.”
Noway. Ain’ gonna be stuck inside boring crummy towah wid snotty Uppiekit, not when could be here wid Halber Sub Boss askin’ my advice.
I think fas’, wonderin’ what mos’ ’rageous thing we could do.
Halber start back ta main cavern.
“Halb?” I trot ta keep up. “At Fourteen Square, we capture any ’plosives?”
He stop short. “Some.”
“Been thinkin ...” Take deep breath, cause a scare. Dunno how he reac’. “Lotsa towahs ’tween Wall and Fourteen. We—”
“So?” He make face. “We can’ move enough joeys down ta make a diff in rumb. Too many Unies now.”
I g’wan like he ain’ interrupt. “Sea dike be at Wall.”
He frown. “Watchew sayin’?”
“Blow wall. Let Hud Riv come in.”
“Mid stupe, trannie tribes live south a Fourteen!” His teeth go bare. “Who ya wanna drown firs’, Subs or frazzin’ Uppies in towahs?” He squeeze my neck. “Or maybe Midboy don’ care how Subs get diss, hah?”
I go babble. “Ya din’ think it alla way, Halber. Unies won’ expec’ break in wall. Ow! Show ’em our rumb be serious. An trannies, well, ya gotta warn. Water won’ flow in ’til high. Ya c’n ’vacuate Sub an’ move nor’. Think ’bout water sloshin’ through towahs!” I pry his fingas. “Please!”
He consider a min, an’ leggo. I twis’ neck ta see if it still work.
“We’d need time ta arrange,” he say slow. “I gotta sen’ unnercar south ta bring Subs back. Fourteen Square is ’bout far south it c’n go; past Fourteen, tracks be mess. When do water get high?”
I remember trouble I had wid Karlo in Mid lair, an’ dis time hide my proud. Tribe bosses don’ wanna be showed up.
“Dunno.” One leader ta ’notha, I reach out fo’ caller. “But my Jared, he c’n fin’ out.”
Everythin’ inna hurry now. Jared’s putah say highest tide in nex’ several weeks come jus’ afta noon, an’ it already near day when I ask. Halber warn his wall Subs ta walk north fas’. Meantime he send both unnercars racin’ south ta meet ’em at Fourteen Square. He put Raulie in charge a buncha Chinas an’ Huds, ta hit seawall.
“Wish I could wait,” he mutter. “Need time. An’ I need more friggin’ callers; Hunnert Tens took whole buncha. Firs’ they call each otha like craze joeykits. Now they tire of playin’ an won’ even ansa. I need ’em get ready fo’ Subs from Fourteen.”
I think about wall goin’ boom. “Ya got enough ’plosive?”
“Cool jets. I got what we took from Unies, an’ lasers too. ’Sides, no big deal makin’ ’plosives. All ya need is ’cetaline from torch.”
Ta my disgus’, Halber wouldn’ lemme go wid Subs he sen’ south ta organize. I protes’, but Halber want me near, case I get more ideas. He tell me come wid him ta Hunnert Ten; he gonna knock sense in heads of stupe Subboys. Stayin’ close.
I walk proud.
I look round Sub, thinkin’. Sub ways run all unner N’Yawk, but Sub tribe’s biggest lair be Four Two cave. Funny: ol’ Changman negotiate wid general in Unie head-quarry jus two block away on Forty, yet we plan rumb unner they feet.
Lissenin’ while Halb talk ta Mids an’ Subs an’ Easters, I learn ’bout how Sub life organize. Sub tribe got one boss, Halber, but live in buncha tunnels spread all ova. Got separate Sub leaders each place, ’xcept fo’ Four Two. All gotta do what Halber say.
I can’ figga. Onna street, each Mid tribe got own Boss. Mid Three Four lair ain’ gonna lissen ta Boss a Mid Two Six: What Halber gonna do if Subs unner Hunnert Fifty Nine ignore ’im? Sen’ unnercar ta start Sub rumb?
Dunno, but it seem ta work. Now dat Halber got buncha callers, it work even betta. He allatime call up ’n down track, askin’ ’bout Unie patrols ova sub.
“Halber!” High voice callin’. Alliegirl come skiddin’ ta stop. “Flagga truce!”
Halber’s eyes light. “Changman back?”
“Dunno. Couldn’ see.”
“Send Barth ta bring ’im down.”
Halber pace anxious. I smart enough ta make myself small, say nothin’. I wanna be near ta hear what history Chang make.
Inna distance, grumble sound. I been roun’ sub long enough ta know it be unnercar.
Halber growl, “Lesgo downstair. Soon as Chang gets here we goin’ ta Hunnert Ten.” He stride down hall ta unnercar, an’ I scampa afta.
Unnercar be pack full a joeykits, bitchgirls, all kinda Subs. Outside, in staysh, Halber pace like gotta piss.
Afta while, Barth ’n Allie poke head round corna. “Halber?”
I go boggle. No Changman. Can’ believe who dey brung.
“You!” Halber’s fists bunch.
Peetee look defiant, but his words not. “Yes, sir. Mr. Chang sent me.”
Halber stride ’cross room. “Gonna skin ya fo’ stewpot, ya little—”
“We’ve no time for that!” Uppiekit’s voice curt. “Let go!” He stare at Halber like he ain’ afraid. “Why do you hate me? I never hurt you. Didn’t I tell you about the Parkas?”
“Ya diss Chaco,�
� Halber say, but his heart ain’ in it.
“Yes. I’ll pay for that my whole life.”
“Damn ri’.” Halber glower. “Beside, you my venge on Fisherman.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“Fisherman, what call down Unie troops! Fisherman what stood here talkin’ boolsheet ’bout always bein trannie! Lyin’ Fisherman who—”
“Son of a bitch!” Peetee claw at Sub Boss eyes. “Don’t say that about my father! He didn’t betray you!”
Halber’s fis’ rear back ta club joeykit ta flo’, and I shriek, “No!” Somehow, I put myself ’tween. “Lissen him firs’. He brung info fro’ Chang. Gotta be reason he come back, Halb, knowin’ ya be afta!”
Fo’ min, thought I watchin’ end. Halber let out great howl, whirl roun’ and grab chair an’ smash it ’gainst wall. Trannies scatter. “Bastads! Alla yas friggin’ bastads!” He kick busted chair so hard it fly. “Goddamn Unies stompin’ streets, fuckin’ glitched Chang, fuckin’ Hunnert Tens playin’ stupe wid callers! Goddamn asshole Easters, an frazzin’ joeykits don’ know they place! Prong the lotta yas!”
I squat low fo’ safe, but Peetee jus’ stand waitin’, his eyes close.
Min or two pass. Halber stomp roun’, mutterin’ unner his breath. Then, he plant hisself fronta Peetee. “All ri’, get on unnercar.” His voice surprisin’ calm. “Need ta take trannies north, ’fore send car back south. What Changman wan’?” He signal driva ta start.
’Xcept fo’ Allie, resta Subs hang back, knowin’ Halber too well ta risk near. Halber lead Uppiekit to car bench an’ siddown. I preten’ it natural ta go sit nex’ ta, lissenin’.
Over screech a unnercar, Peetee explain Genral Ruben’s govermen ready ta dance wid trannies, if we can’ stop rumb. He say Unies offa ta build new staysh ta fix water, but not rightaway. He tell us Uppies be royal pissoff ’bout Jared’s hackin’, which make me go proud.
“What Chang say ta do?”
“He said it’s your decision, sir. Objectively speaking, I think you ought to make peace. You can’t fight the whole U.N.A.F.”
At end, Halber silent. Nobody dare disturb, while car jounce through dark tunnels.
Voices of Hope (The Seafort Saga Book 5) Page 40