Beneath the Guarding Stars

by Everly Frost

  “There’s a large section of the community that still supports me. They see the wrong in all this fighting, all this fear, but there’s an equally large section that feeds on it.” He sighed. “Is the girl safe?”

  “She’s safe.” Ruth adjusted the air screen, zooming it out so I could see myself in the little image at the bottom corner. I was shocked to realize I looked as tired and drawn as the president.

  “Miss Holland,” the President said. “I’m glad you found safety. I sent the Hazard Police to protect you as soon as I could, but I fear there were other forces at work in my organization.” He glanced at Ruth. “As much as I abhor Treble’s methods, I recognize their motives. Seversand has been waiting for any trigger to turn the cold war hot. They circle now, you know, waiting to snatch what remains of our economy and government once a civil war takes its toll. It doesn’t matter who wins this. We’ll be weakened and vulnerable. Then they’ll swoop in with all their might.” He shook his head with a sigh. “I see only one solution.”

  Ruth leaned in. “Don’t do it, William.”

  “They want my head, Ruth.” His shoulders slumped. “I fear I must become Caesar. Exile is the only solution. Once I’m gone, the government can regain its stability. I can take the fall for the sake of my country.”

  “No, you can turn this around.”

  “I’ve tried, Ruth, but Olander has support in unusual places. Even people I thought were friends have turned on me.”

  The darkness in the president’s eyes, the betrayal, cut through. He’d sent officers to protect me but they’d failed. He was trying to protect me still, but he couldn’t fight against something he didn’t fully understand.

  “If I resign and forsake all my oaths, they can’t force me to reveal her location.” He gave me a grim look. “It’s public knowledge that you were last seen in northern Evereach at the final ferry stop, but I’ve destroyed the drone footage of you reaching the Starsgardian mountains. I’ve leaked information that you were seen heading west in Evereach, instead of north to Starsgard. It’s all I can do to conceal your location, but of course, once Olander is in power he will be able to question everything, even interrogate the officers controlling the drones. They will be forced to tell him that they saw you reach Starsgard … and that they saw Ruth give you permission to cross the border. That’s what Olander really wants, my dear: to find you.”

  I said, “Olander is a Basher.”

  President Scott startled. “What? No … that can’t be. All government officials are heavily screened. Heavily monitored. There’s no way he could get away with it.”

  “I’m telling you right now, he’s a Basher. Not just any Basher. He leads them.”

  Ruth placed a warning hand on my arm. “How do you know this?”

  I chose my words carefully. “I have information from a reliable source.” I sought Arachne across the table. Josh hadn’t said whether she knew about Olander, and judging from the look on her face, she hadn’t. “If you doubt it, allow Arachne to access your systems. If he’s left a trail, she’ll find it. She’ll get your proof.”

  The president’s lips thinned as though that was an unwelcome suggestion. “Ruth?”

  Ruth’s expression was softer than his. “I realize that Arachne caused you a lot of trouble, but if anyone can find something hidden in your network, she can.”

  “Let me speak to her.”

  Ruth pressed a button and the image captured Arachne’s worried face on the other side of the table. “Hello, sir,” she said.

  He acknowledged her with a nod. “Arachne. You were part of the Basher organization for several years. Do you have any knowledge of Ava’s claim?”

  “I’m afraid not, sir. But…” She glanced at me. “I can vouch for her source. What would you need to prove it?”

  “I need more than a connection. I need proof that he financed their operations—or directed them. The only way to discredit him is to prove that he was complicit in property crime, or worse—their abhorrent practice of depriving liberty.”

  Arachne turned pale. “The Basher cells.” She shuddered so hard it was visible. “I’ve seen the inside of one of them, sir. I’d still be there if it wasn’t for Ava’s brother.”

  His expression softened for the first time, his eyes suddenly sad. “I understand you weren’t always a willing participant in their activities.”

  “If there’s something I can do to bring them down, I’ll do it.”

  “I need proof. Convincing proof. And quickly. I can hold on for another day, but no longer than that.” He looked to Ruth. “I’ll give you remote access to our system, but if Olander is who Ava says he is, then I can’t guarantee he won’t have systems ready to cover his tracks.”

  “Viruses,” Arachne said. “It’s a danger. I only know about the ones I planted.” She shrugged at the president’s sharp look. “Do they have a new genius on board since I left?”

  “Not that we’ve been able to ascertain.”

  “Fine, then give me access and I’ll prove who Olander really is.”

  “You’ll have access within the hour.” He ended the connection and there was silence around the table.

  Ruth tugged on her plait, her expression far away. She said, “Ava, it’s early morning and you need to sleep. I’ll get one of my staff to see you to the surface. Arachne, you have work to do.”

  I’d spent the night underground. I was tired but I didn’t move. I wasn’t about to leave when it was my claim about Olander that was being investigated.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She assessed my stubborn expression with a hint of a smile. “Okay. You can stay with Arachne. We’ll work in one of the offshoot rooms. You should have enough power in the Willow Room, no?” The last was to Arachne, who nodded and stood.

  I followed them both out until we reached a room with massive screens and computers everywhere. Arachne immediately sat down at one of the keyboards and started tapping at the keys, slamming in code as if she wanted to hit something other than the keys. I found a seat and stayed out of her way. Within a few minutes, a member of the staff came to the door and spoke to Ruth, who announced, “We have access. Do your best.”

  “As if I’d do anything less,” Arachne responded with a huff.

  Ruth let it slide. “Ava, there’s a lunchroom down the hall if you get hungry.” And to Arachne she said, “Call me if you find anything.”

  Arachne was already immersed in code and pages, sifting through what appeared to be everything from surveillance drone footage to bank records. For a while I watched, until the constant stream of data became meaningless.

  Half an hour later, Arachne leaned back in her chair, a frown marring her face. “There’s something going on here. I can find him—he exists—here’s a record of his basic details—birth date, parents’ names, where he was born—and there are heaps of details about his governmental decisions. His name is attached to all sorts of laws and I can even find his personal work calendar, all the times he’s logged onto his work computer during and outside of work hours … but there’s practically nothing about his life outside work. No hobbies, no social life. I can’t even find footage of him traveling home. I couldn’t tell you if he drives himself or has a chauffer. It’s like outside of government he doesn’t exist.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Only one way I can think of: the system is actively deleting every occurrence of him that doesn’t relate to government.” She leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. “But how?”

  “So he’s hiding something.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t prove he’s a Basher. The absence of information doesn’t prove anything.”

  “So if the system is deleting stuff, you can find the deleted files, can’t you?”

  “Yes…” She suddenly sat up straight. Her hand stopped in her hair. “Unless they don’t exist. Oh, I’m so stupid.”

  “What?”

  “I just realized. When I w
as there, they wanted me to create a code that would allow people to disappear, to make them invisible. It’s what I use in the bugs that got us into the data storage area. The cameras don’t see you. There’s nothing to delete because there’s nothing being recorded.”

  “How does that work anyway?”

  She shrugged. “It’s kind of like looking through a window with a dirt spot on it. Your brain ignores the spot and inputs what it assumes is there, just on a larger scale. The person, and anything they touch become anomalies to be ignored.”

  “So, even if they open a door, you wouldn’t see a door open on its own.”

  She shook her head.

  “Then, how did Ruth know we were in the long room?”

  She sighed. “She can’t have seen us, but as soon as we opened the door, it must have triggered an alarm.”

  “So surely all of this shows that Olander is a Basher, if he’s using the technology that you designed for them.”

  “Yes, but proving it isn’t so easy. Maybe if the president can catch him with the technology on him, or if they can track him in real time, they might be able to prove it.” She ran to the door and spoke to the man standing at the corner.

  “I need to speak to Ruth.”

  It was a full ten minutes before Ruth appeared. By then Arachne was jumpy and biting her nails. Ruth, on the other hand, seemed distracted and kept glancing at me.

  “The only way to prove it is to catch him in the act,” said Arachne. “You need to find him with the tech on him while he’s using it.”

  “President Scott has a detail on him already. I’ll let him know. But, Arachne, if that doesn’t work, can’t you see anything on the footage? Some kind of reverse footprint? Surely, if the tech is telling the surveillance drones to input background data instead of what is actually visible, wouldn’t there be some kind of input into the footage that you could isolate.”

  “You mean like a reflection or a silhouette?” She chewed her lip. “Yeah, maybe…” She swiveled in her chair and began batting at the keys again, her concentration intense.

  Ruth touched my shoulder. “Michael’s awake.”

  My heart lit like a flame in the dark. I jumped out of my chair.

  “His mother’s on her way too.” Ruth shrugged at my questioning glance. “I’m breaking a lot of rules today, letting a lot of people down here. But there are some conversations that need to be had in private.”

  Whatever that conversation was, it had her on edge.

  I exited the room but had no idea where to go since I’d been to the long room and back since leaving him. “Which way?”

  “Follow me.”

  I took note of the way we went. Ruth was edgy enough that my instincts were firing, and I kicked myself at how trusting I’d been, following people around in this place without noting the exits. Finally, we reached a corridor I recognized, and within moments I was back inside Michael’s room.

  He was standing beside the bed, with the head of the medical unit, Agatha, shining a light in his eyes and asking him questions.

  As soon as his eyes met mine, I felt like a real person for the first time in days. I raced to him and threw myself into his arms, not caring about the staring nurse. For a few moments I couldn’t speak.

  “I was so worried about you.”

  He pulled back enough to smile at me and crush me in a hug again. “You don’t have to worry anymore. I feel like myself again.” His grin was broad, lighting up his eyes. I wanted to tell him everything right then—about my parents and about Josh’s message—but I couldn’t, and I didn’t want to break the moment.

  “It turns out even our methods of sedation don’t work long on Michael,” Ruth said behind us. I caught her look, thinking about my sleeping parents, and wondering if she was trying to tell me: Michael will never sleep.

  My chin rose. I would never let that happen to him. Nobody else will sleep because of me.

  She pulled up a chair and motioned for us to sit. Michael pulled me down beside him onto the edge of the bed, keeping me pressed to his side, his strong arms drawing me close at the waist. Agatha found a spot in the corner of the room. The bright electric lights beat down on us and I missed the soft glow of the plant lights that were used on the surface.

  Ruth folded her hands in her lap. “How are you feeling now, Michael?”

  “I feel great. It’s like something’s lifted out of me. I mean, I guess it has literally, but it’s more than that.”

  Ruth nodded as though she understood. “Worry is a heavy thing.” She glanced at the door and I realized she was waiting. For Michael’s mom, I guessed.

  Within moments, Helen Bradley was there, a staff member ushering her in. Her whole body was a picture of the same worry Ruth had just mentioned, her dark hair loose down her back. She didn’t race to him and I felt a pang at the distance between them. Instead, Ruth stood up and beckoned Helen to sit in the chair she’d vacated.

  “Thank you for coming, Helen.”

  “You said it was urgent.” She leaned forward. “Michael, are you okay?”

  “I’m great.” This time he was guarded. “What’s going on?”

  Ruth folded her hands in front of her. “We found something strange in the bug we extracted from you. It’s a mystery we’re hoping you can solve.”

  Michael was immediately tense beside me, reflecting my own sudden concern. “What did you find?”

  “The bug wasn’t only a torture device. To our very real surprise, it was also monitoring your life signs.”

  Michael shook his head. “What … my life signs? What does that mean?”

  “It means that someone, somewhere, wants to make sure you’re still alive.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  MICHAEL’S MOM was the first to break the silence. “That’s ridiculous. Why would anyone doubt for a second that Michael was alive?”

  The choking sensation rising up in my chest was unbearable. “No, it’s not.” I held up my hand to stop her objection. “When they implanted the bug, they also made Michael mortal.”

  Michael’s hand suddenly squeezed mine, as though he wanted to tell me: Don’t remember it. We’re not there anymore. It’s over now.

  “I’m sure they didn’t want to kill him accidentally while he had the mortality ampule inside him. I guess they needed a way to make sure they never hurt him too much.”

  “Ah,” Ruth said. “So that was the reason.” She visibly relaxed, and I wondered why she seemed so relieved about it, since making sure Michael didn’t die during torture seemed like the worst possible thing to me.

  Helen’s face was ashen as she contemplated Michael. “It was your father, wasn’t it? He did this to you.”

  Michael gave a nod and his mom’s question made me think they really hadn’t talked about anything that had happened before Michael arrived. Maybe he didn’t want to. I knew I didn’t.

  “And Cheyne, too,” he said. “They both used me to get to Ava.”

  Helen’s face threatened to crumple, but she pulled herself straight. “He promised me before I left that he’d never hurt you.” Her jaw ticked and she took a deep breath. “Is that thing completely gone now? Completely out?”

  Ruth’s hands folded and unfolded. “Yes, but I’m afraid it was transmitting the whole time.”

  My heart almost leaped out of my chest. Michael and I both spoke at once. “Where?”

  “To your family home in Evereach, Michael. To your father.” Ruth held up a calming hand and her smile was sad. “I suspect he didn’t tell anyone he’d engineered that particular trait into the bug.”

  “Meaning what?” Michael was still grappling with this new information.

  “Meaning he was concerned about you, Michael, and didn’t want anyone else to know he was monitoring your life signs.” She cleared her throat. “I will never claim to know his true motivations, but I do believe he meant to protect you and Ava, in his own way.”

  Michael’s frown was back. “So when you said the bug wasn
’t tracking our location, that it wasn’t a tracking device, doesn’t this mean you were wrong?”

  “No, that’s the odd thing. It seems he designed it to mask your location. Strange, I know, but it appears all he was really concerned about was whether Michael was alive.”

  Again, the tension was back in Ruth’s posture, the same body language that told me she had other suspicions about the bug’s purpose. It was all … ridiculous … like Michael’s mom had said. Nothing could hurt Michael—nothing but the mortality ampule—so there was no other logical reason why his dad would be concerned about his safety.

  It was my turn to squeeze Michael’s hand. “Now that the bug is out, will he think Michael’s dead?”

  “He might.”

  Michael slumped beside me, and I considered that despite being reunited with his mom and younger brother, he seemed further away from his family than he ever had.

  Ruth touched Helen’s shoulder, as though she was trying to bridge the gap between them. “Helen, I asked you here for another reason. It seems that Evereach is on the verge of civil war, and given your background, I wanted to ask whether you’re aware of Olander’s involvement with the Bashers.”

  I eyed them both. I knew from things Michael had said that the Bashers had approached him, but he’d rejected their offer in the same way he’d rejected an offer of training with the Hazard Police. Still, that didn’t explain why Ruth thought Helen would have inside knowledge about the Bashers.

  Helen nodded, her expression stony, sharp, and I caught a glimpse of the woman I’d seen on the top of Tower One. “Before we left, he was positioning to be their lead man, but you won’t find anything on him. He’s one of the shrewdest, most devious…” She shook her head. “He outsmarted Michael’s father, and that doesn’t happen often, as you know. Robert’s normally a step ahead of everyone.”

  Ruth was grim, her face a stoic mask, but I could see the bitter disappointment beneath it. “So there’s little hope of revealing him to the world.”