CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“You’re quiet,” Case said, turning to peer at me in the darkness. We’d been in the craft for at least six hours. Case had insisted that we leave at first dark to avoid any potentially incoming militia.
Daze was asleep in the back, but I wasn’t tired.
Numb was a better word.
I opened my eyes. “Are you saying you like the sound of my voice?” I asked, tilting my head toward him. “Because if that’s true, give me a chance to get my recorder out before you say that again, so I can play it back for you later. Without proof, it didn’t happen.”
“I’m just not used to it,” he groused. “You haven’t even demanded to pilot the craft.”
“I don’t demand, I tell. It just sounds threatening to you when it comes from a woman.” I stretched my arms out in front of me, bending my neck from side to side. “You’re doing a fine job. I didn’t see the point.” I glanced out the window, but saw nothing. It was still dark. Case had decided to hug the coast on the way back. “Do you think we’ll find any clues in Roman’s notes to the whereabouts of the medi-pods?” It’d been hard to leave before we went over everything, but Case had insisted, and I’d agreed. We couldn’t do much without help. Elond and Nareen had accompanied us to Roman’s dome, but there hadn’t been much to see. He’d known he was going to die and had tidied everything up. There had been a drawer full of etch boards, a few nano drives, and some old-fashioned notebooks.
We’d taken it all.
“I’d assume so,” Case said. “Elond told me that Roman told him that right before Roman arrived in the tribe, he hid away some sensitive material. Hopefully, he alludes to where he stored that stuff in his notes. It’ll probably be in code, but I think we’re smart enough to figure out the clues. My guess is he’d want the right people to know.”
I lifted one of the containers Walt had sent with us off the console and raised the lid. The sweet smell of what I knew now was chocolate wafted out. I plucked out a cupcake and tore it in half, handing half to Case. He took it, and we ate in silence. The pleasure I felt as the confection melted over my tongue warred with my vision of Knox’s face when we’d told him about Gia. The pain in his eyes had been shattering.
But the kid had rallied.
His sadness had quickly morphed to anger, and he’d agreed that between him and Nareen, and a few others, they could handle the remaining members of the tribe and whatever else the northern militia could bring. Curtis and Timmy were still alive, but I didn’t know for how long, and I didn’t care. What to do with them was the tribe’s decision to make, not ours.
“From what Nareen told me,” I said, “not only were we completely lucky not to have been blown up when we entered the town’s perimeter, but they have chemical bombs set up all over. The northern militia must know they have that arsenal. After all, they’d been in talks with Jorgen and Marvin.”
“Yeah, but militias don’t just give up,” Case said. “This isn’t over, especially when they discover what Jorgen kept secret.” Apparently, Jorgen hadn’t revealed the existence of the scientists or the extent of the resources they had. He’d been waiting to hear from his boss, Tandor, before exposing the goods. Once the northern militia found out what was at stake, it would be an all-out war. We were hoping that we could be back down here to gather up the remaining tribespeople before that happened, assuming they’d want to return to the city with us.
Time would tell. Time—and if Knox and Nareen were successful in controlling the remaining tribe members. When the militia came back to finish their negotiations, which they would soon, they each had a role to play. If someone didn’t comply, it would give everything away, which could lead to disaster.
“I felt better about them being able to defend themselves after Walt explained all their badass tech,” I said with a chuckle. The scientists had means and were willing to do just about anything to protect their work. They had rocket launchers and remote detonators, gear that disguised body temperature, and various deadly chemical agents, like the ones Nareen and Elond had used on the militia. Plus, they had a pretty sweet communication system between the domes, which were going to be the new bases.
I yawned, weariness creeping in. “Walt giving us Babble blew my mind.” Four vials were tucked safely inside the console unit.
“Tandor had to have gotten it from someplace,” Case replied.
“Yeah, but Walt knows how to make it. That’s next-level stuff. If the government finds out, it’s going to be insane. We have to keep it quiet at all costs.” There was no way I was going to allow the government to use Babble on innocent people again. “The priority once we’re back is to find those medi-pods Roman was working on, if they still exist. It’s our only chance of helping Mary and all the other seekers. I still can’t believe the formulas Tandor had on the quantum drive are all worthless. But if we’d known, we never would’ve come down here in search of the sodium alginate.” And what we’d uncovered was going to change the future of every human for the better.
“It sounded like Teddy Candor never had a full grasp on reality,” Case said.
Maisie’s voice carried from the backseat. “I detect seven like signatures.”
Daze didn’t stir, which I was thankful for. The kid was beat and needed to sleep. He’d helped Knox and Walt with everything and had been so relieved to see us, he’d just about collapsed in my arms.
“We know,” I muttered. It was the tenth time Maisie had announced that on the ride so far. We’d told her to stop, but she was choosing to ignore us. We could now add stubborn to her list of growing attributes. She was obviously trying to tell us something, but neither of us had the right words to gain the true meaning.
“We’ll be in frequency range of the city in about half an hour,” Case said.
“Good,” I said. I was antsy to get a hold of my crew. It was going to take a while to convey everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. “I can’t get the picture of Jorgen out of my mind. And poor Gia. I’m heartbroken her life ended so early. I keep going over things in my mind and thinking of ways it could’ve gone differently.”
Jorgen had been almost unrecognizable after Gia’s assault. She’d sliced her laser through him and the bomb he’d been holding. All that’d been left was a few scattered masses. I’d been happy not to make his acquaintance.
“I hear you,” Case said. “But in doing what she did, she saved our lives. We would’ve exited the dome right as he lobbed that bomb.”
“I know, but it’s still awful.” I wanted to make sure her sacrifice would be worth it. “We have to bring everyone back who wants to come, no exceptions.”
“We will. Walt said that packing everything up would take about a month,” Case said.
“It’ll take us a while to make room at the Emporium.” It only made sense to keep everyone together in a central place in the beginning. There were already bedrooms set up and more than enough workrooms. We weren’t sure how many would choose to come with us, but we were planning on the possibility of ten adults and six kids. It was going to be a huge undertaking. The logistics would have to be figured out. “Before we can think about bringing them to the city, we’re going to have to deal with the Bureau of Truth.” The mysterious government group no one knew anything about. “Have you ever heard of it?” Case and I hadn’t discussed it before. It was hard to wrap my brain around what it would take to infiltrate and possibly take down a secret government agency.
“No,” Case said. “Dixon had contacts all over, and we’d been in and out of the city before, but he never mentioned it.”
We flew in silence until Maisie said, “I detect multiple frequencies.”
We must be within communication range of the city.
Daze woke up this time, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “Are we back yet?” he asked, his voice clogged with sleep.
“Yes,” I said, drawing out my tech phone. “I’m just about to get a hold of Lockland and Bender. If everything went well with their
runs, they should be back by now.” I turned. “By the way, did you find anything in Roman’s notes? You fell asleep before I had a chance to ask.” Daze had been going over some of the written notes we’d brought with us.
“Not much.” Daze scooted closer, leaning his head against Case’s seat, yawning again. “There were a lot of references I didn’t understand. But he was working on something really important. Those medi-pods would save a lot of lives.”
“Did he talk specifically about them?” I asked hopefully.
“Only a few times,” he answered. “But since you told me what he did, I figured out his reference to it pretty quickly. Whenever he wrote about it, he used the words ‘domes dip.’”
“Domes dip?”
“Yeah, medi-pods.”
“Sorry, kid, but I’m not following.”
“The letters of ‘medi-pods’ mixed up spell ‘domes dip.’”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I would’ve picked up on that. Are you sure he wasn’t referencing his dome? He lived in one.”
“That was the best part.” Daze lifted his head, grinning. “It was genius, because anyone who looked at his notes would think that, too.”
“But you’re sure he was talking about medi-pods,” I clarified.
“Yes.”
I didn’t press him. There would be time to do that later. Instead, I brought the tech phone up to my mouth. “Jerry, it’s Ella,” I said. “Come in.” I waited ten seconds. “Johnny, it’s Ella. Are you out there?”
Nothing.
I set the phone in my lap. I’d try again in a minute. If no one answered, I’d try a different channel.
“She was real brave, wasn’t she?” Daze said, sitting back in his seat. I knew who he was talking about. Gia was on all of our minds. Her death had been hard news all around.
“The bravest,” I agreed. “She rushed out there and took Jorgen out. She sliced the bomb he was holding in half, setting it off before he could throw it. She saved our lives. She’s a hero.”
“I hope Knox isn’t too sad,” he said quietly.
“It will be hard for him, but I promised Gia we would help him, and we will,” I said. “Coming up to the city will help take his mind off things. It’ll be a whole new life for him.”
“How are we going to get all their stuff back?” the kid asked. “Walt has a lot of breakable things.”
“We’re going to borrow the mover drone from Port Station,” I said. Heavy emphasis on the word borrow—meaning steal if we had to, meaning co-opt as our own. We had to figure out what was happening in Port Station anyway. So we either took it then, or since we knew where it was located—outside the guard station—it wouldn’t be too hard to commandeer when we needed to. Once we had it, Lockland would tell his contacts we’d return it when we were done. Whether we did so was up for debate. “We’ll also have Case’s, Bender’s, and Lockland’s crafts. With the mover drone, that should be enough, at least for the initial round.”
A crackle came from my phone, followed by, “It’s Jerry.” Lockland’s voice filled the craft. “Where are you?”
I plucked up the phone quickly. “On our way home.” I made sure to keep my voice measured, and I knew both Bender and Lockland would take note. My cadence indicated we were all fine.
“Breakfast tomorrow,” Bender growled. “Success was marginal.”
“Got it,” I said. That meant they’d come up short. “Ours was…interesting. How’s Aaron’s mom?” Aaron was Darby’s handle on this particular channel. I was asking about Mary.
“Stable,” Lockland replied.
I was relieved to hear she wasn’t worse. They were giving us till morning, because they didn’t have much to share. We were beat, not having had a full night’s sleep in almost forty-eight hours. Sleeping propped up in a craft didn’t count. Before I ended the communication, I said, “I have a lead on a residence for my extended family.” We didn’t have enough code for me to explain everything, but this was enough to let them know that something was up and information would be forthcoming.
“I look forward to hearing about it?” Lockland’s voice rose at the end to make it a question, which meant he was curious. “Let’s follow up in the morning. I’m on my way out to get a haircut.”
That got my attention. I sat up. Lockland cut his own hair.
Lockland was telling me he was being followed.
If he needed help, he would’ve asked. “Same time, same place?” I asked.
“Yep.” Then he signed off, the phone going dark.
“What did the haircut mean?” Case asked, not fooled.
“Someone’s following him.” No use trying to keep information from Case. He was in it now.
“Do you think it’s some of Tandor’s men?” Daze asked, anxiety front and center.
I turned to make eye contact, just so we were clear. “If Lockland thought it was an emergency, he would’ve elaborated. Did you hear the tone of his voice? Tone, speed—all that stuff matters when you’re talking in code. He was very careful to modulate his voice so I’d know it wasn’t an emergency. If he’s being followed, it’s not aggressive.” Yet. Being followed wasn’t good news, though. “We won’t know more until we talk to him in the morning.” I turned to Case. “Head to the barracks. We’re all exhausted. After a good night’s sleep, we’ll all think more clearly.”
Maisie’s voice filled the craft. “I detect seven like signatures.”
I sighed. “Daze, can you try to find out what she’s talking about? That’s the eleventh time she’s repeated herself.” I opened up the dash compartment and took out the eye diffractors, handing one to Daze and setting the rest in my lap. “See if you can get her to say anything else about it.”
Daze murmured something to Maisie that I couldn’t make out.
Maisie replied, “AI intelligence needed to run compatible program.”
I shifted in my seat so I could see Daze and the kaleidoscope of lights in his open palm. “What do you think that means?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. But when I put the Eye Diff next to her, she lights up. She’s picking up on the software inside.” He shook the diffractor next to his ear.
“It must be important, since she keeps talking about it,” I said. “I wish we knew what to ask her. Hopefully, Darby will.”
Daze brought the thing away from his ear and inspected it. He shrugged again. “He probably will. He’s smart.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, kid.” I smiled. “Your brain is very impressive. You figured out the domes dip, after all.”
“Yeah,” Daze said. “But that was easy.”
Case angled the craft out over the ocean as I put the Eye Diffs back in the compartment. Case’s sense of direction was uncanny. I was relieved to be back in a secure location and looked forward to a comfortable sleeping pod.
As Case flew in for a landing, Maisie said, “Hydration required for all three humans, Holly, Case, and Daze. Vitamin D levels critical. Seven like signatures need AI activation to run compatible program.”
“Well, we can complete two out of the three,” I said. “We’ll have to leave the third until tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Holy shit,” Bender said, the remaining piece of cupcake sitting in his hand, his eyes locked on it. “Slurry made this?” He popped the last bit in his mouth and groaned, then ruined it by downing a couple gulps of aminos from the jug in his other hand.
“Jeez, way to flavor corrupt,” I replied, chuckling. “Yes, it came from slurry. Apparently, the bio-printers we use need to have the slurry separated finely, like they did before the dark days. Walt knows the process. Now we just have to figure out how to do the same thing on a large enough scale.” That should be easy. Yeah, right. I’d just finished filling my crew in on everything that had happened, ending with opening up a container from Walt and passing out the cupcakes, along with something Walt called bagels. They were soft and chewy on the inside and not nearly as good as the cupcakes,
but they were still a thousand times better than protein cakes. “Okay, I’ve shared my story. What happened to the two of you?”
Lockland nodded toward the Eye Diffs and vials of Babble I’d laid out on the table. “We keep this stuff at the Emporium. We’re going to have to find a place to keep valuable items locked up tight. I’ll get on it soon.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I need to show Darby the Eye Diffs as soon as possible. I’m desperately hoping he knows what’s inside them.” Darby was still at the Emporium with Mary and Ned.
Lockland turned to Case, who stood off to the side with his shoulder pressed against a pillar. “Do you have anything to add?” Lockland asked. “The way we do things around here is go one at a time, so nothing gets missed. You heard Holly’s recounting. Did she leave anything out?”
“Hey,” I interrupted. “When have I ever left anything out?” I gestured at the outskirt. “I resent that. I’ve been giving detailed reports since I was ten years old. Nothing’s changed.” I crossed my arms.
“She didn’t leave anything out,” Case answered.
Lockland ran a hand over his face. He was tired. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said gently, mollifying me somewhat. “You guys weren’t together the whole time. I want everything you’ve got.”
“Then phrase it like that next time,” I said. “And while you’re at it, ask the kid. He spent time alone with Knox and Walt.”
Lockland addressed Daze, who sat on a stool near the table with Maisie. “Anything to add to the report?” he asked. “Was Walt talkative while you were there?”
Daze straightened, giving Lockland his full attention. “He talked about some of his experiments. He perfected the slurry and was also working on some sort of laser technology. That’s about it. Knox talked about the tribe and when the militia members came. He was worried about Gia. Nothing important.”
Lockland nodded, satisfied. “How did the status egg work for you?”
Daze brightened. “She’s great. We found out she can learn, and she has lots of memory and LiveBot technology. I named her Maisie. She keeps talking about ‘like signatures,’ but we don’t know what she means. Walt knew about her software and made her make the sound of a horse. It was cool.”
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