by Nic Plume
"Cash?" Taylor asked, glancing back. He continued to walk forward but slowed to match Mica’s speed.
Leer shrugged as the group’s attention turned to him. "Don’t like to hand out my ID. Not everybody needs to know who I am."
"Yeah, it’s an off-worlder leftover," Nitus explained. "We’ve been trying to break him of it, but old habits die hard." He grinned and punched Leer in the shoulder. "Don’t they?"
"Hey." Leer frowned and rubbed his shoulder. "I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else, so I’m not an off-worlder anymore." He made to punch Nitus back. "Plus, not my fault Dad pays me my allowance that way."
"Ooh, some people get an allowance," Nitus mocked as he danced out of the way.
Kaydeen smiled. It was good to see the boys relax enough to play and tease each other.
Leer started after him. Nitus slipped around Kaydeen and behind Tonee, nearly grabbing the latter to use as a shield. But he stopped short and moved on to grab Mica instead. Their antics went on for a few more moments as the group followed the street into town. Mica was quickly drawn in, but the boys avoided doing more than use the teammates as moving obstacles. The fun ended when Leer put on a spurt of speed to circumvent Mica and wrapped his arm around Nitus’ neck. Forcing the younger boy to bend at the waist, he rubbed his knuckles across Nitus’ head and then released him.
"Yeah, sure." He grinned as he fell back in beside Salayla. "I have cash you can use. You can pay me back later." He dug in his pocket for some coins and handed them to her.
It didn’t take long for Nitus’ earlier prediction to be proven right. As they followed the street into the center of the town, the team encountered more and more residents coming or going. Soon after, the street opened into a large square, filled with stands and people. The teammates looked at each other in surprise. Nitus’ description didn’t prepare them for the hustle and bustle they saw and the seeming ignorance of the fighting going on around them.
Stands with colorful sunshades and arranged in neat rows surrounded a central seating area with greenery and trees. Scents of roasted meats and fresh-baked bread hung in the air as people bustled from stand to stand, filling their baskets and bags with fresh foodstuffs, small household items, and the occasional piece of clothing. Clusters of people gathered in front of a few stands that sold food and drinks and mingled as if this was a normal day. It felt surreal. Not forty klicks away, people fought for their lives and the freedom of this planet against the Traverse oppression that had gripped Tinaree for the last two years. Here, people acted as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
The team split up to cross the plaza. Taylor and Mica skirted to the right, Kaydeen and Nitus to the left, while Salayla, Tonee, and Leer crossed through the center of the market.
Walking along the outer row of stands, Kaydeen soon realized the people weren’t quite as nonchalant as they’d appeared. A nervous vibe hung in the air—people talked in low voices about the fighting in the region and especially in Mannahe. Few were sure of its cause, but many doubted it was more than a regional routing of dissidents. These people seemed to have accepted the new reality of their life under Traverse rule. Kaydeen hoped it wasn’t too late to turn this mindset around. If enough of the populace considered the Traverse their valid government, then Intergal was landing on slippery footing. This attack was supposed to be the boost Tinaree needed to throw off its oppressors and stand on its own again, not an invasion and occupation to force a mindset down the collective throats of unwilling people. That was how the Traverse operated, and why Intergal had been founded in the first place. But, if the Traverse weren’t considered oppressors, then Intergal would be received as invaders.
Kaydeen and Nitus were about halfway across the square when she noticed two Local Enforcement Officers cutting across the market toward Taylor and Mica. Unlike the rest of them, Taylor had opted to stay outside the market’s footprint, walking along the perimeter of the square. He and Mica were thirty meters from the street they would follow out of town when the LEOs intersected their path. Taylor dropped his hands to his side and loosened his stance as they approached. He was preparing to fight but held back as Mica stepped forward. It wasn’t optimal, but Mica, being a native, would probably have a better chance at talking their way out of this situation than Taylor.
While Mica talked to one of the LEOs, the other eyed Taylor. They were too far away for Kaydeen to hear what was being said, but it looked like the officer thought Taylor might run. She knew better. Taylor wouldn’t turn his back on a threat like that. Kaydeen resisted the urge to rush over. Whatever was about to play out would be finished before she arrived. Considering how leery the second LEO was about Taylor’s change in posture, her sudden approach would probably ignite a confrontation, not soothe it.
She scanned the square. Two more officers waited in line at one of the food stands and another two stood with some locals an aisle over from the cross-aisle she and Nitus had passed. None of them paid attention to what transpired with Mica and Taylor—so far, so good. She also couldn’t see any drones the local enforcement agencies used to support their officers, but with the eight cameras she’d identified in the square so far, the drones didn’t need to be present. They could be docked somewhere, ready to swoop in when needed or called.
Kaydeen picked up her pace, motioning for Nitus to keep up. He did so without objection and immediately started to scan the area. Good boy. He’s trainable. Stands and people blocked their view of Taylor and Mica as they weaved through the market, so it took him a moment to figure out the reason for her sudden urgency. Meanwhile, Tonee, Salayla, and Leer had turned off the central aisle and were using cross-aisles to make their way toward Taylor and Mica.
"Oh no," Nitus mumbled beside her.
Mica, Taylor, and the LEOs had come back into view. The officer watching Taylor had visibly relaxed, although his hand rested out of sight by his belt. The second officer had pulled out a scanner and was aiming it at Taylor. If Mica had been trying to keep the officer’s attention off Taylor, it obviously hadn’t worked. The officer looked at his scanner, then at Mica, and finally at Taylor. Kaydeen was still too far to make out their words, but Tonee and Salayla were almost on top of them.
Salayla suddenly pulled Tonee into a stand and made a show of pointing out some merchandise. A moment later, Kaydeen saw why. Taylor was signaling them to stand down and meet up later. She slowed and scanned the plaza to make sure they hadn’t drawn attention.
Taylor pulled out a blade and handed it to the officer hilt-first. He then glanced across the square, making eye contact first with Tonee and Salayla, then Kaydeen. It was only a minuscule pause, but long enough to confer his intent to not fight. Turning back to the LEO, he nodded to instructions Kaydeen was still too far away to hear and walked in the direction the LEO indicated.
"I didn’t know he had a blade," Nitus commented as they watched the four retrace Taylor’s and Mica’s steps. "The scanner probably picked it up."
"What scanner?" The pistol in the small of Kaydeen’s back suddenly felt oversized and prominent.
Scanners had been mentioned during their pre-mission briefing, but only as they pertained to their mission specifics. It had been more important to Commander Tess to stress that Tinaree LEOs, who most often were the people behind the scanners, were sticklers for enforcing the standing law until it was officially changed, revoked, or put on hold, but were not to be considered enemy combatants. They could shoot at you but you couldn’t return the favor, at least not with deadly force. "Neutralize them," Tess had said, "but keep them alive. They’ll be the people who keep Tinaree safe once our job is done."
"The security scanner at the Magistrate building." Nitus pointed to a building with a wide stairway at the far end of the plaza. Taylor and Mica had passed it shortly after the group had split up. "It scans for weapons as people are going up the stairs to enter the building, but sometimes it bleeds into a wider area and picks up people outside the checkpoint." He looked at her ha
nd that had inadvertently moved to verify the back of her jacket was still hanging loose. "Nah, you’re good. That’s why I took you the other way around the plaza." He waved her off.
"Are there other scanners?" She suppressed a smile at his boisterous claim. Adrenaline was pumping through the boy.
"Not in a town this small."
"Okay, good." She paused as another memory from the pre-mission briefing floated to the foreground. "The LEOs are chipped?" She knew the answer the moment she voiced the question.
"Chipped?"
"They have implants providing an AR overlay to augment their vision with data."
It wasn’t the only augmentation possible, but it was the one most often used by law enforcement and said to be standard equipment for all LEOs on Tinaree, even before the Traverse had invaded.
"Yes."
"Do you know what kind of data they can draw on? Can they access the sensor at the Magistrate building or the cameras in the square?"
Nitus thought for a moment. "Not sure about the sensor, but I know they can access the cameras and the drones."
"So, although the other LEOs in the square look like they’re not paying attention, they could be watching us via the cameras."
Nitus looked at her in surprise. "Why would they be watching us?"
"Because it would be prudent for them to know if Taylor had friends who might cause trouble." She sped up her steps. "We need to move."
"So, how would they know to watch us?"
"Hopefully, they don’t. But I’m sure the cameras in the square aren’t the only ones in town, so they could’ve picked us up walking together."
Tonee and Salayla fell in beside her as she passed their stand.
"Four more LEOs and eight cameras for them to access."
"I counted ten cameras," Tonee replied.
"And three drones," Salayla added. "One just lifted up from the magistrate’s roof, one sits in the large tree in the plaza’s center, and one came out of the street we came in from."
"You think they’ve been tracking us?" Nitus asked from behind.
"Why would they?" Leer asked beside him.
"Do the drones have sensors?" Tonee asked in return.
"Some do, but not all."
"So, the drone in the street could have scanned us as we passed it." Kaydeen clarified.
"Then they would’ve picked you up, too, not only Taylor," Tonee replied. "Plus, I doubt they would’ve allowed us to enter the crowd." He shook his head. "No, I still think the drones are coincidence or standard procedure."
He and Salayla had obviously discussed this subject already. Kaydeen shrugged. They’d find out soon enough.
"And I’m sure you guys marching as if in a military parade has nothing to do with drawing attention," Leer commented with a chuckle.
Sure enough, they’d fallen into their Academy habit of marching in step—a rookie move. Kaydeen switched her step pattern immediately while Salayla fell back between the two boys and hooked her arms in theirs. Tonee harrumphed in annoyance.
By the time they entered the street, Taylor and Mica were about halfway to the Magistrate building. Kaydeen kept expecting him to bolt, in a surprise dash to get away, but he didn’t. Instead, he stayed ahead of the two LEOs and aimed straight for the Magistrate building, without another glance at his teammates.
She felt like they were abandoning him.
Tonee must have sensed her hesitation. He looked at her and then motioned with his head back to the square, giving his silent consent. She would stay behind while the others headed out of town. As he started to jog away, she turned around to head back. Salayla nodded at her and then ushered the boys forward to catch up with Tonee. They would meet up at their fallback point outside of town.
Nitus made to stay with Kaydeen, but Salayla grabbed him by the arm and dragged him with her. It was better that way. Kaydeen could move faster and take more risks without him. Plus, if the LEO network did pick up on her being armed, anyone with her would automatically be targeted with a warrant.
Kaydeen crossed the street to the opposite corner and leaned against the wall. Better to be in plain view and seem nonchalant than peeking around a corner like a thief.
She quickly picked out the LEOs in the crowd. All four were standing together, chatting while eating. The drones were harder to find. The one in the tree was easy to miss had she not known where to look, the second one was just turning up an alley on the far side of the little park, and the third had settled back atop the Magistrate building. It looked like an odd-shaped weathervane with its elongated body and two stubby wings sitting on top of a pole on the peak of the roof. Taylor and Mica climbed the stairs and disappeared into the building. Kaydeen continued to wait and watch, hoping against hope that Taylor and Mica would soon come back out.
After what felt like hours, but couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes, Mica came out alone. Kaydeen’s heart sank as he raced down the stairs and along the edge of the plaza. Kaydeen scanned the area for anybody tracking the boy’s movement, but with the cameras and the drones, the person doing the tracking didn’t have to be visible. She waited until Mica saw her and then walked down the street. The cameras would make it impossible to keep them from being seen together but she could at least make it look as casual as possible. Mica caught up with her moments later. They continued walking toward the edge of town.
"What happened?"
"Taylor…got…arrested." Mica was breathing hard from his sprint, pushing the words out in quick bursts. "I didn’t know…he had…a blade on him. The scanner…picked it up…and…alerted the LEOs."
Kaydeen motioned him to stop talking. "Take a moment to breathe." She moved her hand up and down in front of her body, coaching him to slow his breathing. "We saw what happened but couldn’t hear what was said. The LEO scanned both of you. That should’ve set off alarm bells, but didn’t seem to surprise him."
"Well, no." Mica’s breathing had slowed enough to speak in complete sentences. "Taylor’s ID was clean."
"Excuse me?" She stared at him.
"Yeah, it didn’t mention that he’d joined Intergal," he gestured in emphasis, "‘cause that would’ve definitely set off alarm bells." Now that he’d caught his breath, the words tumbled out in rapid-fire succession. "But I thought he was older. I mean, doesn’t it take more than a year to train you guys?"
"Yes."
She was still processing what he was telling her. Although her perfect memory allowed her to speak Tinareean with hardly an accent, it still took her a moment to translate the words. At the speed he was firing them off, she was playing catch up.
"Then, how can he be only seventeen? I thought you couldn’t start the Academy until you’re at least sixteen?"
"You can’t, and he isn’t." She held up her hand to keep his words in check. "Are you saying that the scanner IDed him as a seventeen-year-old Tinareean?" Mica’s head bobbed up and down. "What name?"
"Mark Taylor."
"That makes no sense." She frowned.
"Why not?"
"Because he is neither Tinareean nor seventeen," she answered.
Taylor was spaceborn and claimed no nationality, but he had lived on dozens of planets all over the galaxy. While he’d told them that he’d never been on Tinaree, the frailty of recall most people suffered, especially of early childhood memories, could mean that he simply didn’t remember. It was feasible, therefore, that he had been here and that, during that time, his bioprint was entered into the system and mistakenly assigned a permanent ID. Somehow, she doubted the explanation would be that simple, especially since it still didn’t explain the age discrepancy.
"But, that buys us some time." She turned back to Mica. "They arrested Taylor for having a blade, which is considered contraband, but they let you go?"
"He said he found it on the mountain and that I didn’t know he’d picked it up." He shrugged. "And I really didn’t see him grab it on the trail."
"Because he didn’t." She’d felt it
on him the day before when she’d checked him over in the alley.
Mica frowned at her, but she didn’t elaborate.
"What happens now?" She prompted instead.
"He has to go before the magistrate."
"When?"
"In about two hours."
"That gives us some time." She nodded, then looked down the street. "Let’s catch up with the others."
Taylor looked around the small room the LEO had deposited him in. It was a standard confinement cell with blank walls and a single bunk in the far corner. The lack of sink and toilet, or access hatches for such, indicated that it was intended for short-term use. The lack of visible monitoring devices implied that he was meant to feel like he had some privacy. Not to say that he wasn’t being monitored—audio, visual, and scanning equipment could easily be hidden within the door, walls, or bunk, or miniaturized to the point of near invisibility.
Our body cams are only detectable with scanners, after all.
Oversized or visible surveillance tools, like the cameras throughout the town, merely served as a reminder of its presence.
He sat on the hard-looking bunk and was surprised to find it conform to his body’s shape and temperature. He leaned back and looked up at the glowing ceiling. Confinement cells weren’t usually intended to be comfortable, but here, even the light felt natural and soothing. He wondered if this was a Tinareean standard or a tactic to lower his guard.
Well, nothing to do but wait and see.
His bioscan had come up with an ID. It shouldn’t have, but it did. Some people might call that luck, but he knew better. Someone added his bioprint to the system and then changed it to make him appear three years younger than he was.
Who would do that, and why?
The obvious answer was Intergal or one of its agents, so he didn’t get identified as a foreign operator if he was captured. But that still made no sense. Had he been captured while executing the mission, his gear, his squad’s presence, and the squad’s SILC would’ve been a dead giveaway that he wasn’t a local. Unless the bioscans of the whole squad had been added to the system as a contingency plan…but Commander Tess would have mentioned that during the pre-mission briefing. It’s a bit hard to use a contingency plan if you don’t have all the details. Maybe the IDs weren’t meant for the troopers’ use but for Command’s, as part of their tracking and recovery system. That sounded a little far-reaching and involved. He also doubted his teammates’ bioprints were in the system.