Coryn shrugged. “I don’t know. What can you tell me?”
Imke smiled. “Later. I can see it’s time to tuck you in.”
She glanced at her wristlet. Midnight. “I’m not five.”
“But you are busy. And important.”
“I don’t think so.” But she did have to take care of Lou, and there was a storm coming. So she put the menu down and stood as Imke did. She let Imke take her hand and they walked out together.
Namina waited for them in the doorway.
Coryn had expected it, but she still stiffened. She nodded at Namina and managed to get out a polite greeting.
Imke went with her all the way to her apartment, Namina trailing behind like a guard dog.
When they got to the door, Coryn looked meaningfully at Namina, who smiled and went inside.
Imke waited outside the door, looking down at Coryn contemplatively. “Are you going to tuck me in?” Coryn asked, not sure what answer she hoped for.
“No. Not on the first date. But I’d like to see you again.”
Coryn nodded.
Imke leaned into her, backing her against the corridor wall gently, and kissed Coryn so hard and so furiously that her lips felt both bruised and fantastic.
She closed the door behind her, plopped down in the ugly green chair, and stared at the water, wishing Imke had stayed. She was used to living alone, but at this moment, her whole chest hurt with loneliness. She blinked back tears.
Namina came up beside her. “You should not leave me.”
Coryn kept watching the moon on the water and the varied lighting in the buildings that lined her view. “You didn’t have any trouble finding me.”
“Julianna would not like you so exposed. I can be discreet. I’ll show you how to set my privacy levels if you like.”
Coryn laughed, too tired to engage with the robot. “Later.”
Namina shook her head, but her programming was apparently fine enough that she didn’t push it. She merely held her hand out to Coryn, and Coryn took it.
Namina led her to the bedroom, where she had turned down one corner of the bedding. After Coryn climbed out of her clothes and got in, Namina tucked her in exactly the way Paula used to, almost down to the minutia of how she moved.
After Namina left the room, Coryn stared at the ceiling for some time, feeling the emptiness of a place with no one in it except for a robot. No dog. No sister. No Julianna a few rooms over. Not even any other stray orphans.
But she was important now.
Maybe.
‡ ‡ ‡
Coryn felt more refreshed than she had expected to when she woke, and she hummed through breakfast and getting ready for her run. Namina served her and otherwise said nothing, and Coryn left it just like that, content with quiet.
Outside, the morning air felt crisp against her cheeks as she limbered up with a mile-long walk, keeping Namina behind her. In spite of how devastating it had felt to be alone after Imke left last night, she felt good this morning, happy to be out in the city. She picked up speed as she slid along the waterfront, heading north. Today was a long run day, and as soon as she had been running half an hour, she started to feel the steadiness in her body and to drift into her own thoughts while she managed the route almost on autopilot.
She left her AR gear hanging loose around her neck and exposed her senses to the city, experiencing the burned-coffee taste of a latte stand, the rich damp saltiness of the Sound, and the slight wind.
Clouds scudded over the sky, largely kept up and over the city by the weather dome. The forecast was dry, and the long beds of flowers and vegetables beside the path were damp from overnight watering. Here and there, Basics had weeded and deadheaded and harvested food, either to take home for free or to sell at the farmers’ markets that would open soon.
She had been one of those, but she wasn’t now.
Imke thought she was important.
Julianna thought she mattered enough to provide her with Namina. To be fair, also to demand that she answer questions.
Jake always smiled when he saw her.
Her sister needed her.
She had come close to winning races, and she was now listed on the boards as someone to watch going into every race.
She rounded a corner and took a hill, digging into it, focusing for a moment just on her running, her breathing, her form. She made small adjustments.
She had a race soon. Next week.
Her body worked great. She hadn’t done too much damage being Outside.
Imke. Imke thought she was lucky and important, and Imke had asked her what she wanted.
Blessing had suggested she was lucky but she might not stay that way. He had warned her to be careful.
Could she trust Imke? She wanted to.
She crested the hill and started down, Lake Washington glittering deep blue in the sun in front of her.
Julianna’s questions demanded answers. She had been trying to avoid them, but she was running out of time. Coryn pulled her AR gear up and set it so she could talk to it. She dictated, and ran, and dictated some more.
What flaws was she missing? Julianna would want Coryn to state the obvious, but she’d be pleased with an accurate surprise.
At the bottom of the long trail she joined up with the historic Burke Gilman trail. She felt so full of energy it was hard to stay at her training speed. Her feet wanted to push her faster. Thoughts spooled out, flowing like her movement.
At Log Boom Park, she stopped for water and a restroom break. Paddle boarders and swimmers and kayaks brightened the dark blue lake. Maybe half as many as just a few weeks ago, and all bundled up in their bright pink-and-yellow dry suits.
Fall.
She shifted into an even more flowing state, her thoughts like air, her breath easy. She raced through the Woodinville wineries. Bicycles swarmed around her and she missed her bike, swore she’d ride on her rest day after the race.
She couldn’t be everything. Not a runner and a biker every day. Not Outside with Lou and Inside helping her.
She had to choose, and her choices had to matter.
She pulled her gear on and requested a playlist tied to her pace. The constant beat and her footsteps matched almost automatically, and she pounded along the slough.
A runner she had competed against went by, going the other way, and when Coryn waved at her she waved back and smiled, and, while Coryn didn’t turn, she sent a message suggesting they should train together some day.
The small act felt almost as good as going out with Imke.
In the end, as she ran over the 520 bridge back to Seattle. Finally tired, she found her night with Imke and her message to the other runner filled her as full as the answers she finally had to the questions everyone had been throwing at her.
She finished strong, legs flying, a few strands of damp hair clinging to her sweaty cheeks, her feet sore but unhurt.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
At the office, Coryn checked in with Lou, who was out darting deer with tiny transmitters so she could follow them over the winter, and, not incidentally, also looking for mushrooms. The farm was quiet, the ecobots well behaved, a late harvest underway to beat a forecast thunderstorm, and basically all was well enough.
A note from Jake suggested he’d show up later this afternoon.
She flipped though her transcribed audio notes from the run and made them into sense. Then she sent Julianna her answers.
The three things that threaten Seacouver:
1. Whoever fought us a few months ago. Hackers and Returners?
2. The complexity of our systems. Maybe even the systems themselves?
3. Our own sense of safety.
She felt proud of that last one. It had come to her near the end of the run—the idea that the city was so sure it would always exist that it didn’t consider itself vulnerable. She was guilty as well. When she ran here, she felt safe. Outside, even with a robotic companion, she’d had to worry about dangers from all side
s. People who wanted her robot, people who wanted her, people who wanted whatever she had. Outside, one had to be part of a group or a tribe to be safe.
But nukes? What would nukes do inside of a dome? Did they all trust the city’s security too much?
Admitting that maybe she had been acting a little too entitled about her own safety made her feel more honest, and a little older.
The three things that threaten Lou:
1. Whoever wants to attack Seacouver. (She’s helping us look for them. If she gets caught, they might kill her.)
2. Weather (storms and fire).
3. Her own stubbornness?
Number three didn’t look right after she wrote it down, so she crossed it out and wrote disease.
Then she skipped down a line or two and wrote, I want to work on diplomacy. After Lou is safe, after this summer. After they got through whatever this coming attack was and the city was safe again. Or not.
The message didn’t feel ready to send yet.
Thank you for giving me these opportunities. Aspen went with Pablo. My run was great this morning. I’m not seeing as much of Jake as I’d like. I hope you are okay.
She left it unsaid that she hadn’t seen Julianna for a few days, either. When she hit send, she felt a lot lighter. Who knew that unanswered questions weighed so much?
She settled down to look up as much as she could about Imke.
‡ ‡ ‡
At the end of her shift, Jake hadn’t come. Neither had Julianna. Nor had Julianna answered her questions, or even acknowledged she got them. Imke hadn’t messaged her. The silence left Coryn irritated as she turned out the lights and opened the door. Namina waited just outside, as always, lifting her head and smiling. “I have a message for you.”
Well. “Okay.”
“Julianna would like to invite you to dine with her this evening.”
“Tell her I’d be happy to join her.” She felt a sudden worry about her answers. Had Julianna liked them?
“Of course.” Namina paused a moment, undoubtedly messaging Julianna’s house systems. “It’s a formal occasion.”
Really? Coryn glanced down at her clothes. Simple black pants and a casual T-shirt. When would she learn to dress better? “All right. Should I go home and change?”
Namina cocked her head for a moment, maybe in conversation. “Julianna will lay out some clothes for you.”
“Who will we be meeting?”
“I cannot say. But you’ll start by having a quiet moment with Julianna and Jake.”
Ten minutes later, one of Julianna’s housemaids handed her three shirts to try on. She chose a sage-green tunic to top her own pants with, and russet boots that made her think of Imke and smile.
Julianna and Jake waited for her in a small parlor they often used before dinner. Tall ceilings gave the room an airy feel. Natural light spilled in from high windows and skylights.
Both looked ready for a fancy event. Jake wore a loose-fitting gray suit coat with black lapels, offsetting the funereal look with a pale mauve shirt. Julianna wore a black and silver pantsuit.
They looked at least a year older than when she’d last seen them. “Are you okay?” The words were out before she realized how vacuous they sounded. Jake was dying, Julianna loved him, and the city they built together was apparently under attack.
Jake smiled thinly and gave a soft nod that seemed designed to avoid pain. He looked both pale and frail.
“Sorry we abandoned you,” Julianna said. “I keep meaning to fill you in.”
She did look sorry. And tired. Coryn gave her a hug before she took water from the maid. “I’m okay.”
Adam came in; his hair was braided so the streak of gold wove in and out of only one strand. The bottom of the braid was caught in a gold band studded with glittering white stones of some kind, probably zirconia. He had even applied pale gold eye makeup.
As usual, even after she dressed up, he outdid her.
She smiled at Adam. “I like the view.”
He smiled immediately and then clearly understood that she meant the view through the window in his old apartment. His cheeks reddened. “I’m glad. You’re right, there’s no room for the chairs. But maybe we’ll trade back some day.”
With a start, she realized she liked where she lived now better. Who’d have thought? She turned her attention to Julianna. “What’s up?”
“Sit down. We have twenty minutes.”
Coryn sat on an ottoman. “Twenty minutes before?”
“There’s a dinner that was already planned, a regular diplomatic affair, and after the dinner there will be an emergency meeting. It could affect the work you do for Lou.”
She felt her throat and stomach tighten. Another challenge.
“There’s a good consensus now about who is behind this. We’ve been working with Chicago, Calgary, and Portland. After we lost so many Listeners, we needed to rebuild a network. Lou, of course, is part of that.”
Did Lou know she was a node in a bigger network? Coryn made a mental note to fill her in.
Jake picked up the thread of conversation, his voice more gravelly than usual, his cadence so slow that Coryn winced. “We need you to hear what we hear.”
“Why?”
“Lou may be able to confirm some information, and your morning conversations are more secure than anything but Blessing and Day’s travels.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “That’s why they killed so many Listeners. They were far more secure than technology. And that’s why you sent Pablo.” She felt certain she was right, and proud of herself for figuring it out. Except it meant Pablo and Aspen were in danger.
Julianna’s slight nod confirmed it. “We needed more people in more places.” She paused. Her voice softened. “It was generous of you to let him take Aspen. Thank you.”
So they had read the note with her answers, and shared it between them. “Of course I’ll come.” Maybe Imke would be there.
Jake spoke. “We’ve identified some of the people behind this. One is a family who fought us tooth and nail when we did the taking. Smith.”
When we did the taking. Sometimes she forgot the power they had once wielded. Still did, in some ways. “I think there are Smiths in Chelan.”
Jake continued, still slow in spite of the power of his words. “Most of them appear to be there, or nearby. Henrietta is rumored to be in Chelan. She used to be one of the four most powerful Returners.”
Julianna twirled her water glass in her hand. “I met Henrietta twice. She’s a few years older than me. She could be dead.”
That earned her sharp glances from Jake and Adam, and Julianna smiled. “She believed in her cause as hard as I believed in mine. They sent her in to negotiate—I think for better optics. Woman on woman and all that shit.”
Coryn startled; Julianna did not curse often. Or lightly.
“She’s ruthless. She’s also a good marketer. Strong. And she has a huge family, all of whom do her bidding.”
That sounded like Valeria. Huge family. But the two women weren’t the same. “Lou mentioned Henrietta,” Coryn said. “I don’t think she’s met her. But she mentioned her once.”
Adam spoke up. “So she must be there.”
“Is she leading this attack?” Coryn asked.
Jake spoke slowly. “Probably not. But we’re willing to bet she’s directing at least one wing of it.”
“They’re calling it the Last Fight.” Julianna raised her water glass, and the others did the same. “We cannot lose.”
Surely the city had more defenses than the Outsiders had offenses? Still, she remembered the loss of the transportation grid, and how much damage that did. And how fast. The city had come to a hard stop.
“And there are nukes,” Adam added.
Her hand stopped with her glass halfway to her mouth. “You know that?”
“There are so many small signs of it that we’re eighty-five percent certain. That’s yes, as far as I’m concerned. Small ones. Not missiles.
Could be dirty bombs or something in a backpack. Maybe as much to create fear as anything.”
The news made her throat dry. “And they’re succeeding.”
Julianna gave her an approving look.
She straightened in her chair, not wanting Julianna to see her fear. “But what do they really want to do? They can take down a few buildings, breach our dome—that’s easy enough. Pablo’s people just walked through it with a little help from hackers.”
“We didn’t design this city to withstand an army,” Julianna snapped. “Who’d want to hurt us? We’re the hope of mankind.” Her voice was bitter. “All the cities are. We are the future, unless we want to kill nine out of ten people. Maybe more. Maybe ninety-nine out of a hundred. Knock humanity all the way back to hunter-gatherers with a few technologies they can keep up and a few good survival manuals. It’s just stupid.”
Jake remained silent, but he smiled and put a hand on Julianna’s hip.
Adam started picking up glasses. “It’s an attack on our leadership. The feds are behind it. That’s the other thing we heard. They’ve been working here as well, convincing some people to be on their side. Not enough, we don’t think. They’re clumsy. But they want to get control of one city, and from there to influence the others.”
A new and unpleasant twist. Coryn frowned. “We’re under attack from our own government?” The same people she was getting permits from?
“They have plausible deniability.” Julianna gave her a hard look. “Besides, you should know by now that governments are made up of people and organizations, often with competing desires.”
Coryn smiled in spite of the sting in Julianna’s words, or maybe because of it.
“Let’s go,” Jake said. “I’m not as fast as I’d like to be.”
Sure enough, he leaned on Julianna as they left, and after no more than a few hundred steps, Adam moved up to his other side and took most of his weight, eventually shooing Julianna back to escort Coryn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Their destination turned out to be a ballroom at the top of a new Ritz-Carlton near the harbor. Windows all the way up, so high Coryn felt like they pierced the dome. They were north of the busy waterfront where she’d met Imke last night, and the view south took in the bridges, the skyscrapers, the vast swirling length of the seawall, and even West Seattle. For a moment she just stopped and stared, remembering why she loved this place so much. It looked invincible.
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