Scavenger Blood

by Janet Edwards

  “Yes,” said Tad.

  “Our theory was right then,” said Donnell. “Cage has been travelling around using the tunnels in the last two weeks, but he probably isn’t in there at the moment. Let’s move to my conference room so we can discuss this properly.”

  He strode off down the corridor, and the rest of us chased after him. When we reached the conference room, Donnell led the way inside, and we all sat down at the circular table.

  Tad and I were sitting on one side of Donnell, and Machico was on the other. I was hit by a vivid memory of the first time I’d sat at this table. That had been on the day that the off-worlders arrived in New York. Donnell had been questioning them, and I’d sat watching in silent anger. I’d instinctively resented Tad for being a privileged aristocrat from Adonis, but never guessed exactly how privileged he was. I’d loathed him for belonging to the enemy side, but had no idea he was the heir of the Wallam-Crane family. I’d glared my anger at him, but if I’d known the full truth, then I’d have wanted to kill him.

  It felt strange to remember my old hatred now that we were united in the common goal of survival. The survival of the alliance. The survival of the off-worlders. The survival of the five hundred worlds that were depending on Tad to build new interstellar portals.

  Donnell reached into his pocket and took out some papers that had been taped together to form a single, much larger piece. He unfolded it and spread it out in front of him. “This is Tad’s map of the local area showing the subway tunnels.”

  I frowned at the map. It was a confusing mass of badly drawn buildings and roads, but the Parliament House, the Hudson River, and the Unity Bridge were easy to recognize. Some especially long lines had been carefully shaded to make them darker, so I guessed those were the subway tunnels.

  “Which tunnels has Cage been using, Tad?” asked Donnell.

  “Most of the light changes have been on the J1 line. That’s a tunnel which runs roughly parallel to the Hudson River, from New Jersey to Fort Lee.” Tad pointed at a dark line on the map. “There were a few light changes in tunnels that connect to the J1 line as well.”

  Donnell nodded. “Where were the most recent light changes?”

  “When the New York power grid control system was copied the night before last, there were two lights on in the J1 subway tunnel. They’d been turned off again by yesterday evening.” Tad jabbed a finger at the map. “Those lights are at this position, downriver of Parliament House.”

  “That’s close to the fishing spots.” Machico’s normally relaxed voice had a tense edge.

  “It makes perfect sense that Cage was in the J1 tunnel during the night before last,” said Donnell. “Wall’s notes mentioned an entrance near the fishing spots. Cage went there at dawn to fire one of his arrows at the tree next to Natsumi and Himeko’s fishing spot. Why did he fire that arrow?”

  “As a threat,” said Machico impatiently. “He wanted to frighten us.”

  “Stop panicking about Natsumi’s safety, Mac, and think,” said Donnell. “Why would Cage try to frighten us by firing that arrow at dawn, when he was planning to shoot at one of our hunting parties that afternoon? It doesn’t make sense. Killing someone was obviously going to be far more frightening than leaving an arrow stuck in a tree.”

  “You’re right,” said Machico. “There’s only one possible answer. When Cage fired that arrow at the tree, he wasn’t expecting to shoot at one of our hunting parties in the afternoon. Something happened after that to change his plans.”

  “The temperature was above freezing point at dawn yesterday morning,” said Donnell. “Once Cage had fired the arrow, he wouldn’t have waited around for the falling stars to wake up and start hunting. He’d have gone back into the J1 tunnel immediately. Then what would he do?”

  “He’d go somewhere to sleep,” I said. “Ever since he left Parliament House, Cage has been in danger from the falling stars. He must have been doing most of his hunting for food at night, and sleeping during the day.”

  “I agree,” said Donnell. “Cage must have set up a base by now. Probably in a building, because that would be far more comfortable than a bare, unheated subway tunnel. I suspect Cage’s base is somewhere near the recreation ground.”

  Machico took a pair of glasses from his pocket, put them on, and leaned forward to study the map. Tad gave him a startled look.

  “I’ve never seen you wear glasses before.”

  Machico sighed. “I’ve scavenged several pairs from apartments, but I try to avoid wearing them in public. It’s never a good idea to show your weaknesses to people in other divisions. Please don’t mention my glasses to anyone outside the Resistance.”

  “I won’t mention them to anyone at all,” said Tad hastily.

  Machico tapped at the map. “After Cage shot the arrow, he’d head back to his base. If he followed the J1 tunnel up to near the Unity Bridge, then he could take the side tunnel that curves back past the north-eastern side of the recreation area.”

  “The C6 tunnel,” said Tad.

  “Wall’s notes didn’t mention any ways in and out of the subway system near the recreation area,” said Donnell, “but Cage could have found one. His base would have to be in a building right next to it, to minimize the risks of falling stars catching him. Perhaps he came out of the C6 tunnel, saw Aaron’s party arriving at the recreation area, and decided to go to the apartment block overlooking the recreation area and shoot at them.”

  Machico frowned. “The timing is wrong for that. I would have expected Cage to reach the recreation area well before Aaron’s party. Also, Aaron said that Cage didn’t attack them until about noon. If Cage had decided to attack them early in the morning, then he wouldn’t delay for hours before doing it.”

  “It could have taken Cage a long time to reach the apartment block when he was having to dodge falling stars, or ...” I snapped my fingers. “What if Cage’s base was actually inside that apartment block? He went back there, slept for a few hours, then looked out of his window and saw Aaron’s hunting party.”

  “That would definitely explain what happened,” said Donnell. “Cage wouldn’t be able to resist shooting at the hunting party. He knew that would give away his base position, so he left as soon as the temperature dropped below freezing point. He’ll have taken any important possessions with him and set up a new base by now.”

  Donnell paused. “Are your algorithms still showing that everything is quiet near the recreation area, Tad?”

  “Yes. There are no abnormal power fluctuations near the recreation area, and no lights being turned on or off in the subway system.”

  “Cage knows we’ll be staying inside Parliament House during the snow,” said Donnell. “There’s no reason for him to spend time wandering through cold, damp tunnels. He’ll be at his new base right now, in some apartment with working heating, waiting for the snow to melt.”

  Donnell glanced at Machico. “Blaze and I have just learned that Major has been organizing meetings of Cage’s supporters in the Banqueting Hall. I’ll tell you the details of that and some other developments later. All you need to know now is that Raeni will keep Major locked up until his punishment is over, so he can’t organize any meetings, and Shark is highly unlikely to take charge himself.”

  Donnell drummed his fingers on the table. “That means neither Cage, nor his supporters, are likely to do anything drastic until the snow melts. Once that happens, Cage knows we’ll have to go to the graveyard to dig a grave and bury Rogue. I expect he’ll have chosen his new base to be somewhere near there, so he can easily move to a good vantage point to attack the mourners.”

  I remembered the row of tall buildings near the graveyard, that had a multitude of windows Cage could shoot from, and grimaced.

  “We’ve got until the snow melts to prepare for Cage attacking the funeral,” said Donnell. “Major and Shark’s antics meant I didn’t get any rest at all last night. Once you’ve had breakfast, Blaze, I’ll need you to come back downstairs and take
charge of things while I get some sleep. My other officers will be taking turns to be on duty. I suggest you let them keep an eye on what’s going on in Sanctuary, and base yourself in Reception.”

  I nodded. “If I help with the crèche, I can achieve three things at once. Working, watching Reception for trouble, and spending time with Rebecca.”

  Donnell made a dubious noise. “Working in the crèche won’t earn you the respect of the alliance men.”

  “Working in the crèche will earn me the respect of the alliance women though,” I said pointedly. “The men have seen me taking charge of the guards here at Parliament House for over a week. I’m not just the deputy leader of the men in the alliance, but of the women too. I need to show them I haven’t turned my back on them and the work they do.”

  Donnell pulled a rueful face. “There was a time when you followed my orders without arguing, Blaze.”

  “Is that what you want from the future leader of the alliance, Sean?” interjected Machico. “Blind obedience?”

  Donnell shook his head. “I want you to have your own ideas, Blaze. I just didn’t expect you to have quite so many of them. You’ve made a good case in favour of helping with the crèche though, so I agree with your decision.”

  He paused. “Helping with the crèche will demonstrate you’re the deputy leader of the men and women in the alliance, and the children too. It will also have the advantage of not being tiring work for you, and you can make both Rebecca and Otis happy by telling the moon story to the crèche.”

  I laughed. Not at the mention of the moon story, but at the fact that Donnell thought caring for a crèche full of children under five years old, a lot of them still in nappies, wasn’t tiring work. I’d have to wait until a better time to explain the reality to him.

  “I’ll be back on duty at dinner tonight, so you can have a few hours to sleep during the evening,” continued Donnell. “I’ll find a moment to tell Weston and Vijay that Tad is webbed. They adjusted rapidly to learning he was Thaddeus Wallam-Crane the Eighth, so I expect they’ll cope with the news that he’s webbed as well.”

  I frowned. “I’m sure they will, but why do you want to tell them about it now?”

  “Because Cage will see the funeral as his best chance to attack us, but it’s also our best chance to ambush him, said Donnell. “I’ll openly guard the mourners, acting as bait to attract Cage into shooting at me. You’ll pretend to be staying to guard Parliament House, but actually sneak out to ambush Cage, and take Weston, Vijay, and Tad to help you.”

  “Me? Ambush Cage?” I heard my voice squeak. “Wouldn’t it be more sensible for me to act as bait while you ambush Cage? You’ve had far more experience of that sort of thing.”

  Donnell waved a reproving finger at me. “You’re using Major’s argument. You said that if I want you to lead the alliance one day, then I have to give you the chance to gain experience now. You were right. Ambushing Cage will be an excellent chance for you to learn about leading a group in a combat situation.”

  I made a choking noise. “Yes, but ...”

  Donnell interrupted me. “Blaze, there are only two of us with weapons that stand a chance against Cage’s sniper rifle, and you have to be the one to ambush Cage. If you acted as bait, then Cage would guess I was lurking somewhere in the area watching over you. He’s a history of underestimating women, especially you, so he’s far less likely to suspect you’re watching over me.”

  I pulled an unhappy face. “I suppose that’s true.”

  “We need to make some preparations before the funeral though,” said Donnell. “At midnight tonight, I want you to take Weston, Vijay, and Tad, sneak out of Parliament House, and try to find one of the nearby entrances to the subway system.”

  I blinked. “At midnight tonight? In the snow?”

  “Yes.” Donnell glanced across at the window. “There’s still snow falling, but it would only take a slight increase in temperature for it to start melting, so we daren’t waste time. The second that Cage discovers you’re in the area of the funeral as well as me, he’ll guess we’re trying to trap him. He’ll try to escape down into the subway system, and you’ll have to follow him.”

  Donnell shook his head. “Cage has been using those tunnels to travel around Unity City for at least two weeks. He’ll know them well by now, while we’ve no idea what conditions are like down there. It’s vital that your group explore the tunnels before the funeral.”

  I nodded. Donnell was right. Donnell was usually right about everything except his drinking.

  “You’ll obviously be focusing on exploring the tunnels near the recreation area, the graveyard, and the Unity Bridge,” said Donnell. “I also want you to test out exactly what happens when Tad plays with the power to the third rail, and look for any clues to the location of Cage’s new base.”

  I frowned down at the glowing tendrils of my gun. I’d asked Donnell to give me the chance to gain experience, and he was giving me far more responsibility than I’d expected. The question now was whether I could cope with it, or whether my first efforts at leadership would end in the same sort of disaster that had happened to Machico.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was fifteen minutes before midnight, and I was standing at my apartment window looking out at gently falling snowflakes, when I heard a knock at the door. I put on my best winter coat, and made sure I had a good hat and gloves. Finally, I picked up my bag, opened the door, and went out to join Tad in the corridor.

  “How is Phoenix?” I asked anxiously.

  “She’s comfortably settled in her new room and sleeping peacefully.”

  “Wonderful.” I turned to walk along the corridor.

  Tad fell into step beside me. “I think we need to talk.”

  That sounded ominous. “Why do we need to talk? When we were eating breakfast, I told you about everything that’s been happening. Why Aaron proposed to me. Agreeing to be Rebecca’s guardian. Talking to Raeni. Major’s failed leadership challenge. Hannah’s information about the Bronx plan.”

  I counted on my fingers to double-check I hadn’t missed anything. “You were there yourself during the meeting with Donnell about exploring the subway tunnels. What else is there to discuss? Do you have a problem with me agreeing to be Rebecca’s guardian?”

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” said Tad. “I admire the way Aaron is doing all he can to protect Rebecca, and I approve of you becoming her guardian. I know how vulnerable children can be when they lose a parent. My father was kidnapped and murdered when I was six years old, and my grandfather decided I should be webbed when I was seven. The idea of having a stolen web implanted in my brain terrified me.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean by a stolen web?”

  “All the stockpiles of webs had been used up, so my grandfather could only get my father and me webbed by using specially modified salvaged webs. He wanted to use the newest webs possible, which meant they had to come from dead children, and relatives were naturally reluctant to agree to a child’s body being exhumed to take the implanted web from their brain. My grandfather got tired of asking permission and being refused, so he just stole the bodies.”

  I stopped walking in shock. Tad had told me about his second-hand web before, and how its previous owner had been a twelve-year-old girl called Ellie, but he hadn’t mentioned the bit about her body being stolen.

  “That was an appalling thing for your grandfather to do.”

  Tad nodded. “Even as a child, I realized that, and said I didn’t want to be implanted with a stolen web. My mother took my side and refused to give her consent to the operation, so my grandfather took her to court. He used his money and status to take custody of me from her, and forced her to move from Adonis to Apollo to prevent her from contacting me.”

  Tad had never mentioned his mother before. I’d got the impression that she wasn’t part of his life any longer, and wondered what had happened to her. Now I knew. Tad’s father had been murdered, and his grandfather had f
orcibly separated him from his mother. Had Tad understood what was happening back then, or had he believed his mother had abandoned him and only learned the truth later?

  Given the pained expression on Tad’s face, I wasn’t going to push him into answering questions now. When he was ready to talk about the past, he’d tell me more details of how he’d been divided from his mother, but I’d already heard enough to hope that I would never meet Tad’s grandfather. If I did, then I’d be tempted to shoot him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “That all happened a very long time ago,” said Tad. “I only explained it so you’d know why I’m strongly in favour of what you and Aaron are doing for Rebecca. What I wanted to talk to you about is something totally different.”

  I began walking again. “Yes?”

  “Now that we’re safe behind the sixth-floor security door, I thought we could spend some time alone together. It doesn’t seem to be working out that way though.”

  “I had to be on duty downstairs between breakfast and dinner today,” I said defensively. “Donnell had gone over twenty-four hours without sleep and needed to rest. After dinner, I needed to get some sleep myself. We could be out exploring subway tunnels all night, and I’ll probably be on duty again tomorrow.”

  “I understand all those things,” said Tad. “What I don’t understand is why we couldn’t have dinner alone in your apartment this evening.”

  We’d reached the fire door at the end of the corridor, and Tad opened it. “Nadira spent this morning with Phoenix in your apartment, while Braden and I cleaned the larger apartment next door. Well, it’s fairer to say that Braden cleaned it, but I did my best to help.”

  He shook his head. “Anyway, Nadira inspected the larger apartment and approved it, so we moved Phoenix into her new room this afternoon, and she was perfectly happy there by dinner time. She and Braden wouldn’t have minded you and me eating in your apartment so that we could have a few minutes alone together.”