There was a cheer from Alund and Wren, followed by an anguished cry from Landon. “I don’t believe this!”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“One of my messages says that Hugo didn’t come back to our Next Step after all. He decided to stay on Demeter with his norm friends instead.”
Landon started laughing helplessly. It was a full minute before he managed to speak again. “I went to such lengths to avoid Hugo. Studied for my dig site gold safety award, came on the school history club trip, pretended to be abysmally bad at everything, and got caught up in a radiation incident. Then Hugo just decided he didn’t want to come and associate with us rejects.”
The rest of us laughed too. When we calmed down again, I replied to Crozier’s message, reassuring him that we were all fine, and then sent some more brief messages to Candace, the Principal of my Next Step, and all my friends.
I’d just put my lookup in my pocket, when I heard a horrendous scraping noise. I jumped to my feet in alarm, turned to face the noise, and saw part of the end wall was moving. No, that wasn’t the wall moving. What I’d assumed were just panels in the wall were actually two massive doors, and they were sliding open.
Everyone was on their feet now, looking out through the doors at the blue sky of Earth America. I smiled. We were back in touch with the world.
Chapter Twenty-three
Two hours later, there was an announcement that people were free to leave, but Valeska insisted that she and Gradin should stay with us until Crozier arrived. We were all eager to escape from the treatment hall, so we headed out to wait for Crozier on the neatly trimmed front lawn of America Major Incident Centre 3.
By this time, everyone had managed to have rapid showers, so we had normal hair again instead of something resembling strands of seaweed. Valeska had also borrowed some scissors to cut the arms and legs of Wren’s overalls down to a more manageable length.
Valeska and Gradin sat on a bench under a tree. I thought the rest of us should give the newlyweds some privacy, so I went to sit on the grass at a discreet distance from them. Landon chose to sit on my right, and started busily researching something on his lookup, while Alund and Wren stretched out on the grass and seemed to fall asleep.
As I sat there, watching the sunset, and letting all the tension of the last few hours drift away, I could hear the murmur of voices from behind me. I thought Gradin and Valeska were having a romantic moment until Gradin spoke in an aggressively loud and grumpy voice.
“No, I don’t think it’s interesting that this lawn is a genetically modified version of buffalo grass.”
Valeska gave an exaggerated sigh. “You told me not to talk about weddings, or history, or re-enactments, George. I thought that grass was a suitably innocuous topic of conversation.”
“No weddings, no history, no re-enactments, and no grass,” said Gradin. “We should be discussing where we’re going to stay while New York Fringe Dig Site is closed for the radiation clean up.”
“Surely discussing honeymoon destinations would be classified under the topic of weddings,” said Valeska.
“Now you’re being deliberately difficult,” said Gradin.
Valeska laughed. “We could go to Niagara Falls. People have been going there for their honeymoons since the days of pre-history.”
“Too historical then.”
“What about New Tokyo Dig Site?”
Gradin gave a snort of disgust. “We aren’t going to a dig site for our honeymoon.”
“But New Tokyo has sentimental associations for us, George. It was where you saved my life for the first time. We had our first argument there as well. Don’t you remember shouting insults at me in the reception area of New Tokyo Fringe Command Centre? We had an audience of three school parties and their appalled teachers.”
Gradin grunted. “Oh yes. I remember that. One of the teachers reported me to Hospital Earth for using profane language in front of their underage wards.”
“I’m surprised that all three of them didn’t report you,” said Valeska.
There was a thoughtful pause that seemed to hint Gradin was tempted by going to New Tokyo. “Dig site accommodation isn’t exactly luxurious though.”
“If you want somewhere luxurious, then we could go to ...”
I missed the end of Valeska’s sentence, because Crozier and the rest of the history club had appeared over by the great doors of the treatment hall. They were all wearing blue overalls like ours, but Crozier had his adored baseball cap perched jauntily on his head.
I jumped to my feet, and waved madly. Crozier spotted me, waved back, and led the mob towards us.
Landon thrust his lookup into a pocket, stood up, and prodded Alund and Wren with his foot. “Wake up, you two.”
“It’s not morning yet,” said Alund, without opening his eyes.
Wren sat up, yawned, blinked at the approaching Crozier, and hastily stood up. “They’re here!” she shouted.
“What? Who?” Alund opened his eyes this time, and Wren caught his arm and tugged him to his feet.
“Is everyone all right?” asked Crozier, studying each of us in turn.
“We’re fine,” said Wren. “Jarra took great care of us.”
“With some help from Valeska,” I said.
“Only a very little help.” Valeska came to join us.
Crozier gave her the same awed look that I’d seen him use before. “Thank you for taking care of my pupils, Professor Orlova.”
“As I said, I was very little help,” said Valeska. “I only arrived late in the proceedings, and Jarra was managing perfectly well so ...”
She broke off and frowned. I turned to see what she was looking at, and gulped as I saw Sunesh was holding a blood-soaked tissue to his nose.
“We need to get medical help immediately,” said Valeska, in a tense voice.
Sunesh spoke in a muffled voice. “This isn’t from the radiation, Professor Orlova. It’s from Owen punching me.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why did Owen punch you?”
“We were in Australia Transit 1, queuing up for the inter-continental portal to America.” Dezi’s voice was throbbing with anger. “I asked Sunesh if he’d like to boy and girl with me, and he didn’t even have a chance to reply before Owen punched him.”
“Security staff came running from all directions,” added Radley. “It was totally zan!”
“It was deeply embarrassing,” said Crozier.
I looked around for Owen, but couldn’t see him. “Where is Owen?”
“Owen is in the custody of the Australia Transit 1 security staff, awaiting the arrival of a Hospital Earth Inspector,” said Crozier grimly. “Once you’re all safely at your Next Steps, I have to portal back to Australia and find out what’s happening to him.”
“I hope Owen spends the rest of the summer in Correctional,” said Dezi savagely.
There was a loud laugh from Gradin. He ambled over and shook his head sorrowfully at Crozier. “After the way you lectured me on my behaviour, I’m quite shocked that you allow your pupils to attack each other.”
“Quiet, George!” Valeska hissed at him, and then gave Crozier one of her most dazzling smiles. “Now that Jarra and the others are back in your excellent care, Gradin and I will be going.”
“Yes,” Gradin looked smugly at Crozier. “I just need to call the Dig Site Federation to let them know I’ve destroyed another aircraft, and then Valeska and I are going on our honeymoon.”
Gradin and Valeska headed off towards the sprawling buildings. Crozier gazed after them with an expression that hovered between grazzed and horrified, then gave the cough that meant he was about to make one of his speeches.
“Most of you heard me say this in Australia Major Incident Centre 2, but you’ll have to put up with me saying it again for the benefit of Jarra, Landon, Alund, and Wren.”
I gave a sigh of contentment. We were back to the normal life where Crozier bored people by repeating his speeches.
&nb
sp; “You’ve just been through a frightening and stressful experience,” Crozier continued. “New York Fringe should reopen in about two weeks’ time. Some of you may feel you can’t face returning there that soon, especially those who were on their first trip to a dig site. I understand those feelings. There will be no negative consequences for anyone who decides to drop out of this summer trip. I’ll make sure their belongings are returned, and guarantee places for them on the next school trip to a dig site with no traumatic memories.”
Wren turned to face me. “You’re still planning to go back to New York Fringe, aren’t you, Jarra?”
“Yes.”
Wren grinned. “I’ll be going back too then.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll go back to New York,” said Alund, “but I’ll definitely be going on the autumn break trip.”
“I’ll go back for the rest of the summer trip,” said Landon. “I want to show Wren that I’m not entirely useless, but I won’t be going on any trips after that.”
His voice took on a passionate edge. “I’ve decided that I won’t be specializing in history, but in medicine. I want to have a career working in a Major Incident Centre. After what happened today, I don’t just know how vital that work is, but how important it is to explain exactly what’s happening to the frightened people that you’re treating.”
“I think those are all excellent decisions.” Crozier reached up to tug his baseball cap more firmly onto his head. “We’ll now go and portal to America Transit 4. Jarra, you’re on rearguard duty again.”
He turned and led the way back towards the building, going in an entrance that led to a foyer with a row of standard portals. We all waited while he checked the destination code on his lookup and dialled one of the portals. I noticed that my trainees were still sticking close to me. I wasn’t sure if they were aware they were doing that, or it was an instinctive habit after the hours we’d spent tightly clustered together.
Crozier went through the portal, and I counted everyone else through before following myself. As soon as we’d all arrived in America Transit 4, Crozier gathered us together for an extra head count.
Everyone was eager to get back to their Next Steps, and groaned at the delay. I joined in the groans myself, and then remembered how scared I’d felt when my trainees and I were alone in America Major Incident Centre 3, and how I’d sworn I’d never complain about Crozier counting people again.
That had only been hours ago, but it already felt strangely distant. I’d never forget what had happened today, the emotion-filled memories would remain as strong as those of my first trip to a dig site when I was 11, but there was something odd about the time we’d spent in the Major Incident Centre. Perhaps it was the way we’d been shut away from the rest of the world in that hall, being ordered around by anonymous figures in white suits, that made it seem as if the events had happened in a separate reality from our everyday life.
Radley’s voice dragged me back to the present. “Oh chaos, I’ve just realized that I’ve left all my clothes back at New York Fringe.”
Everyone laughed.
“It’s not just you this time though,” said Milo cheerfully. “We’re all in the same situation. You must have some old clothes in your Next Step room that you can wear.”
Radley shook his head. “My old clothes are from when I was at least six inches shorter.”
“I’m sure the Principals of our Next Steps will find us some clothes,” said the ever-practical Meiling. “There are always plenty of clothes in the lost property boxes.”
Dezi wrinkled her nose. “I refuse to wear any of the repellently smelly objects from lost property.”
“You could wash them,” said Meiling.
“I could wash them six times, and put them through radioactive decontamination as well, but they’d still be too insanitary for even Owen to wear. It’s ...”
Crozier’s voice interrupted Dezi. “We’ve lost someone.”
We all turned to look at him in alarm.
“No, actually everyone is here,” Crozier hastily corrected himself. “It’s been a tiring day. I’d forgotten that Owen is back in Australia Transit 1, so there should only be thirty of you. We can move on now.”
Our straggling procession headed on through the bustling crowds of people. As we joined a queue for an inter-continental portal to Europe, I noticed the off-worlder baby hunter among those watching us.
She’d already harassed me once, so I assumed I was safe from her now, but she suddenly jerked into motion, hurrying up to me. “Show me your right forearm.”
It was exactly the same words, and the identical officious tone of voice, that she’d used before. The woman obviously hadn’t recognized me, but of course I’d look different in these overalls, and anyway she’d probably chased after so many girls by now that she wouldn’t remember any of us.
“You have to be my daughter,” she said. “Show me your right forearm!”
After everything I’d been through today, it seemed completely unfair that this off-worlder woman would be targeting me again as well. I opened my mouth to tell her to nuke off, but remembered something. I rolled up my overall sleeve, and held out my right forearm towards her.
She glanced at it eagerly, and then took a hasty step backwards. “Why do you have those glowing red letters on your arm?”
I smiled. “That’s because I’m radioactive, mother.”
“What?” The woman took another step backwards. “How can you be radioactive?”
“We’ve just been evacuated from an area hit by a massive leak of radioactive waste.” I gestured at the others. “That’s why we’re all wearing these overalls.”
The woman looked appalled. “How could Hospital Earth let something like that happen?”
“Earth is full of hazards, so things like leaks of radioactive waste happen all the time. I was helping to fight a forest fire only a few weeks ago.” I deliberately widened my smile. “You’re so brave to come here to look for me, mother. Will you move to live on Earth so we can be together?”
“I couldn’t possibly move to Earth. I just wanted to check that you were all right, and you are, so ...”
The woman turned and hurried off. I laughed at my victory, but Landon looked worried.
“If that woman reports what you told her to Hospital Earth, you might get into trouble, Jarra.”
I shook my head. “She won’t report me. She wants to leave Earth as fast as she can. Even if she did delay to report me, how could Hospital Earth blame me for saying things that were perfectly true? We have just been evacuated from an area hit by a massive leak of radioactive waste. I was helping to fight a forest fire only weeks ago.”
“You were?” Wren looked thrilled. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you the whole story later in the summer,” I promised.
Crozier led the way through the inter-continental portal. I did the ritual count of the others going through, before following myself. The overhead signs told me that we were now in Europe Transit 1.
Two minutes later, we were standing by a row of local portals. “You can portal straight back to your residences from here,” said Crozier. “I’ll be messaging all of you tomorrow, to check if you need help with anything, and I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve got a date for New York Fringe reopening.”
Landon frowned. “We’ll be arriving back hours after curfew roll call.”
“There’s no need to be concerned about the curfew,” said Crozier. “Planetary Incident Control had already notified your ProParents, the Principals of your residences, and your psychologists about the radiation incident. I’ve now sent all your Principals another message, telling them that you’ve completed your medical treatment and are on your way back to your residences.”
I gave a despairing groan. “Why has Planetary Incident Control told our psychologists what happened?”
“So your psychologists can schedule longer than standard sessions with you to discuss the traumatic events,” said
Crozier.
I groaned again.
Everyone knew that I hated discussing my personal feelings with psychologists, so there was a burst of laughter, and then we all moved towards the portals.
Crozier stood watching protectively as people portalled out. I knew precisely how he felt at this moment, because I wanted to see my three trainees safely back to their residences before leaving myself.
Some people vanished in groups of two or three from the same Next Step, others one at a time. Wren was the last to go. She dialled the portal, and then glanced back at me.
“One day, I want to be just like you, Jarra.”
I was relieved that she didn’t wait for a reply, just stepped through the portal. I turned to face Crozier, and gave a bemused shake of my head.
“Wren still seems to have some misguided ideas about me being a heroic role model. She’s wrong. I was as scared as she was during the radiation panic.”
Crozier smiled. “I’m sure you were scared today, Jarra. I was scared myself. Whatever your own feelings though, you still took good care of your trainees. I’m very impressed.”
I flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. “Thank you.”
Crozier hesitated. “Can I check one detail with you?”
“Yes?”
“Gradin was joking about him and Valeska going on their honeymoon, wasn’t he?”
“No, he wasn’t joking. Gradin and Valeska have just got married.”
“But ...” Crozier waved his hands in despair. “Why would Professor Valeska Orlova want to marry someone like Gradin?”
I laughed. “Wren thinks I’m heroic, and she’s wrong. I thought Felipe was heroic, and I was wrong too. Valeska Orlova and Gradin are both perfectly genuine heroes though, so it makes sense that they’d get married.”
“I agree that Valeska Orlova is a shining example of courage and skill. She’s been an inspiration to entire generations of archaeologists, but Gradin is merely an arrogant and annoying person.”
Earth and Air Page 19
