Scavenger Blood

by Janet Edwards

  He’d barely said the words when something appeared above the Citadel roof.

  “Are those more drones launching?” asked Donnell sharply.

  “Yes.” Ghost was busily counting. “Forty. Eighty. A hundred and twenty. Chaos weeping, I make it a hundred and sixty drones this time.”

  Raeni groaned. “We’ve no arrows left. Donnell and Blaze’s guns have no power. There’s no way we can handle another hundred and sixty drones by throwing coats at them.”

  Donnell closed his eyes and let his head sag forward. “That’s it then. The security system must have warned Cage that we’d destroyed the first wave of drones, so he’s launched a second, larger one. We’re finished.”

  I stared at the mass of drones coming towards us. I wanted to say how unfair this was, but I shouldn’t waste the last words of my life on pointless whining.

  Donnell opened his eyes again. “We’ve had our conflicts in the past, but we’ve just proved that when we work together we’re an incredible team. My previous deputy, Kasim, was one of the elite Military Security Armed Agents before he defected to the Earth Resistance. On a couple of occasions, it looked like we were about to die. There was a phrase Kasim used then, and I think it’s time for me to use it now.”

  Donnell paused before speaking in a formal voice. “It was an honour to serve with you.”

  “Indeed.” Ice stared, completely expressionless, at the incoming mass of drones.

  “Yes,” Raeni said, her voice strained. “I just hope the rest of the alliance make it out of New York.”

  “I suppose it’s flattering,” said Wall. “Sending a hundred and sixty drones against just six of us.”

  “Seven of us,” said Tad. “Donnell, can I just double check that you left the captive drone downstairs?”

  Donnell turned to frown at him. “Yes, I did.”

  “There isn’t a problem then,” said Tad.

  Raeni gazed at him in disbelief. “I don’t see how you can say there isn’t ...”

  Her next words were drowned out by the sound of multiple explosions. The incoming drones shattered into pieces, their fragments raining down on the vast open area of Wallam-Crane Square.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  “What just happened?” asked Wall, in a dazed voice. “I could believe that a few of those drones had developed faults from old age, but how could a hundred and sixty of them all explode at once?”

  “They didn’t explode,” said Ghost. “The off-worlder boy blew them up. It was obvious from what Donnell and Tad were saying during the battle that we didn’t come here to help Machico take control of the Citadel security system, but to help Tad do it. I was going to wait to ask questions until we were back at the Parliament House, but we need to know right now whether we’re safe from more attacks by Cage or not.”

  “Tad, we’ve reached the point where we have to tell the division leaders about you,” said Donnell. “We got away with lying about you turning on all the power to New York, and kept your magic tricks in the subway a secret, but there’s a limit to what we can cover up. A hundred and sixty drones exploding at once is well over that limit. Is that all right?”

  “Yes.” Tad’s voice was distracted. “Tell them whatever you like, but please let me concentrate now. I’m into the Citadel security system, but I’m having to work my way through the different sections of the defences, taking control of them from Cage one at a time. I’ve got control of the drone command system now, and given self-destruct orders to destroy the whole arsenal, but Cage may still be able to launch other weapons.”

  “Take all the time you need, Tad,” said Ghost hastily.

  Tad sat on the floor, closed his eyes, covered his ears with his hands, and started muttering to himself just as he’d done in the room downstairs. The division leaders stared at him for a moment before looking expectantly at Donnell.

  “I’d like to begin my explanation by emphasizing a few things,” said Donnell. “Tad is in love with Blaze, so he’ll do anything he can to help her. That means he’ll do anything he can to help the alliance as well. He’s on our side, and you’ve just seen how that can make the difference between life and death for us.”

  Donnell turned to look at Ice. “I know that sex and romance are a blind spot for you, Ice, so I hope you’ll accept my word on the power of romantic attraction.”

  “I don’t experience sexual or romantic attraction myself,” said Ice, “but I’m fully aware that they can be a powerful influence on other people. I imagine the emotions are like those I feel in response to the bonds of friendship, loyalty, and blood relationships.”

  “It was clear earlier that Ice has powerful feelings about his blood relationship to Blaze,” said Ghost. “He was prepared to give his life to save her.”

  Ice ignored that. “Donnell, I saw the strength of what happened between you and my cousin, Keira. You’re telling us that Tad has the same level of feelings for Blaze?”

  “To begin with, I doubted the extent of Tad’s feelings for Blaze,” said Donnell. “I suppose I couldn’t accept that any other relationship could match the explosive force of what happened between Keira and me. My opinion has gradually changed though. I now believe Tad is passionately committed to his relationship with Blaze, and that a slow burning fire may prove more enduring than a lightning strike.”

  He paused for emphasis. “Tad just saved all our lives. He can be a tremendous help to the alliance. It’s essential to keep him safe. I’m asking you all to accept those three facts, and give your word that you won’t harm him.”

  “You’ve got my word on it,” said Ghost. “I’m always well-disposed to people who save my life.”

  “You have my word,” said Ice.

  “I give my word,” said Raeni.

  Wall was staring in fascination at Tad. “You’ve got my word, Donnell, and you’ve got me deeply intrigued as well. Go ahead and explain.”

  “Ghost is right that we came here to help Tad take control of the Citadel security system from Cage,” said Donnell. “Tad is webbed. His mind has a direct link to the Earth data net. We successfully made the connection that Tad needed, so he could access the security system, but taking control of it was obviously rather more difficult than Tad expected.”

  Ghost blinked. “I’ve heard about the ancient web technology, but I thought all the old webs stopped working decades ago. Our three off-worlders came from Adonis, the oldest of the colony worlds. Have they begun webbing people on Adonis again? Are the other two off-worlders webbed as well?”

  “No, Tad is a very exceptional case,” said Donnell. “He comes from a hugely influential family. I emphasize again that his safety is vital to the alliance.”

  Raeni nodded. “I’ve been wondering why you were so sure that we’d be able to trade in the off-worlders in exchange for safe passage alongside the citizens’ settlements at Fence. Now it makes sense. Those three aren’t an ordinary team sent to retrieve artefacts from the New York museums. Tad can use his influence to help us get safely past Fence.”

  “Tad can help us in other ways too,” said Donnell. “Such as ...”

  He was interrupted by something shooting upwards from the roof of the Citadel. The first object was followed by several others, there was a succession of deafening claps of thunder, and a thick cloud of smoke appeared in the sky.

  Tad gave a sigh of relief and got to his feet. “I was worried that those might be nuclear weapons, but they were only standard short-range tactical missiles after all.”

  Donnell buried his face in his hands for a moment before speaking. “I’m deeply relieved to hear those weren’t nuclear weapons,” he said, in a strained voice. “Is Cage able to fire anything else at us?”

  “No. Those missiles were the last of the offensive weapons. I’ve got control of all the Citadel defences now, and locked Cage out of the security system. I still don’t understand how he was able to keep overriding my authority for so long.”

  “The important thing isn’t how he o
verrode your authority for so long, but that you’ve got control of the system now,” said Donnell. “What I’d like to know is why you warned me about all the details like trap rooms in the Citadel itself, but didn’t mention the defences included a stockpile of drones and missiles?”

  “Because the drones and missiles shouldn’t have been there,” said Tad. “When the Wallam-Crane family left for Adonis, they handed all the offensive weapons over to the United Earth Government. I suppose one of the rooftop launch points was overlooked in the confusion of the move.”

  “One of the rooftop launch points?” I repeated. “You mean the Citadel would have originally had more drones and missiles than that?”

  Tad nodded. “Vastly more drones and missiles on the roof, and then there were the nuclear missile silos under Wallam-Crane Square as well.”

  Donnell ran his fingers through his hair. “I thought Thaddeus Carmichael Wallam-Crane was famous for destroying the ancient weaponry, and uniting Earth in peace and prosperity.”

  “Thaddeus Carmichael believed in destroying other people’s weapons, but he kept a few for himself,” said Tad. “He didn’t want any enemies making airborne attacks on his rooftop residence.”

  Wall frowned. “Please understand that I’m not complaining about you destroying those drones and missiles, Tad. I’m just surprised that you were able to take over control of the Citadel security system. Even if you’re webbed, random people shouldn’t just be able to connect to a security system and take it over.”

  “The only possible explanation is that Tad isn’t a random person,” said Ghost. “He could take over control of the Citadel security system because the building belonged to his family. His name is Tad, which is short for Thaddeus Wallam-Crane.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  “Yes, I’m Thaddeus Wallam-Crane the Eighth,” said Tad.

  I anxiously studied the faces of the four division leaders. Weeks ago, Tad had admitted to Donnell that he was Thaddeus Wallam-Crane the Eighth. Donnell had reacted with a burst of terrifying laughter, before dragging Tad up to the roof of the Americas Parliament House. I’d stood there with Donnell’s officers, watching Donnell ranting about the history of the Earth Resistance and the Wallam-Crane family, and threatening to throw Tad off the roof.

  Donnell ended up going to his room to get drunk, but that left Julien wanting to throw Tad off the roof as well. I’d chosen to step forward to save Tad, a decision that had launched me along the path to becoming first an alliance officer, and then deputy alliance leader.

  Now it felt like that scene was happening all over again. This time, we weren’t on the roof of the Americas Parliament House, but even higher up on the balcony of the Wallam-Crane Monument. This time, Tad’s life didn’t depend on the reaction of Donnell’s officers but the four division leaders. This time, words might not be enough to save him, so Donnell and I could end up having to fight in his defence.

  It was true that Donnell had emphasized how much Tad could help the alliance, and all four of the division leaders had given their word not to harm him. If the division leaders stopped to think logically, then they shouldn’t attack Tad.

  The problem was that strong emotional reactions could overwhelm logic, and the name of Thaddeus Wallam-Crane was going to trigger some extraordinarily strong reactions. Tad had said that it had become more of a title than a name, and he was right. The Thaddeus Wallam-Crane who invented portal technology, and the one who gave humanity the stars, had blurred together with all the others in people’s minds.

  I guessed that the citizens of the bright new colony worlds would react to the name Thaddeus Wallam-Crane with adoration. The people in the scavenger alliance had been blocked from ever going to those bright new colony worlds though, so they would react to the name with hatred.

  I waited tensely to see if any of the four division leaders would react with enough hatred that they tried to toss the heir of the Wallam-Crane family off the balcony of the monument built to honour his famous ancestors. Donnell, Tad, and I should be able to fight off a couple of division leaders, but if all four attacked ...

  In that situation, I’d have to decide whether to ignore Donnell’s orders a second time and fire my gun. Now I knew exactly what the sudden drain of my body heat would do to me. If I fired my gun again now, then I would definitely die. Our captive drone had self-destructed along with the others, so there was no power pack left to save me.

  Firing my gun would kill me, but if it was the only way to save Tad then I knew that I’d do it anyway. I wasn’t making that decision just because I cared for Tad. The alliance had come close to starvation this winter, and now a firestorm was driving us from New York to face an even more uncertain future, but Tad could make sure we reached a new home where we could have a better life. The colony worlds of humanity were facing disaster too, because none of them could cope without vital supplies from the others, but Tad could save civilization by building new interstellar portals.

  Tad was the last of the magicians. The last hope for the alliance. The last hope for the worlds of humanity. I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life to save him.

  Wall and Raeni seemed too shocked to speak or move. Ice was as expressionless as ever, but his eyes had an odd, blank look. Ghost spoke in a calm and thoughtful voice.

  “The last I heard, Thaddeus Napoleon Wallam-Crane was head of the Wallam-Crane family. I think Napoleon was the sixth of the dynasty, so presumably your grandfather?”

  Tad nodded. “My grandfather is still Thaddeus Wallam-Crane Regnant.”

  “You must be second in line of succession then,” said Ghost. “What imposing, three-syllable name did they inflict on you?”

  Tad grimaced. “My father died when I was six years old, so I’m first in line of succession. My name is Paul, but most people call me Tad.”

  Ghost laughed. “There must have been a shortage of syllables when they chose your name. Why did the great Thaddeus Paul Wallam-Crane come to New York? Did you have a nostalgic moment and decide to visit your ancestral home?”

  “I came to visit the Wallam-Crane Science Museum in Manhattan,” said Tad. “The old interstellar portals are breaking down from age. We no longer have the technology to build new ones like them, so I have to invent a simpler design, and I needed to study some ancient components in the museum.”

  “So your trip went badly wrong when you damaged your aircraft,” said Ghost. “How did the illustrious Thaddeus Paul Wallam-Crane make such a basic mistake as that?”

  “Tad alternates between moments of working miracles and moments of total incompetence,” said Donnell. “There never seems to be anything in the middle.”

  Tad gave him an offended look.

  “Well, I can see it will be incredibly useful to have the heir of the Thaddeus Wallam-Crane dynasty on our side,” said Ghost. “Having his help today has made the difference between life and death for us. Having his help in future could make the difference between life and death for everyone in the alliance.”

  I realized that Ghost was on our side. He’d worked out exactly how much Tad could do for the alliance, and was verbally fighting in Tad’s defence. If necessary, he’d join us in physically fighting to defend Tad too.

  I hastily picked up Ghost’s point about having Tad’s help in future. “That’s right. Tad can get all the information we need from the Earth data net to help us to choose a good new home.”

  “Yes,” said Tad eagerly, “and Vijay and Weston told me that a lot of you are facing execution if you get caught by the United Earth Government. They thought I could negotiate an amnesty that ...”

  “Would an amnesty be possible?” interrupted Ice.

  “The problem is that negotiating an amnesty would bring your existence to the attention of the United Earth Government,” said Tad. “If they refused to grant an amnesty then they’d send their forces to hunt you down.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t want to gamble with your lives, so I plan to take the safer option of faking a respe
ctable background for you on the Earth data net. I can set up information about a group of citizens having to move to a new home after an old dam failed and floods destroyed their settlement. You’ll then be able to openly form a new settlement without anyone being suspicious about you.”

  Donnell gave him a stunned look. “You can really create a fake background for us?”

  “I can create new information on the Earth data net as easily as I can access existing information,” said Tad. “I’ve already cancelled the old security block that was stopping you using portals.”

  “I like the idea of sneaking our way back into civilization with a fake background,” said Ghost. “I like it a lot. Our old plan was to reach the working portals in Philadelphia, portal to an obscure new home somewhere in the wilds, and hope that no one noticed our existence. This way we could choose any suitable abandoned town, and start by saying a friendly hello to the nearest citizen settlements.”

  Raeni nodded. “If we told them the story about us being driven from our old settlement by flooding, they’d be sympathetic and helpful.”

  “There’d be great advantages in being in friendly contact with nearby settlements,” said Ice. “We’d be able to set up a network for trading goods and giving mutual assistance.”

  “You’ll just need to avoid doing anything that gets you in trouble with the authorities,” said Tad. “A genetic check against the criminal record system would pick up your old convictions.”

  “But passing ourselves off as respectable citizens won’t be as simple as telling a few lies about our background and being careful not to get arrested.” Wall pulled off his glove and held up his right hand to show the purple number on the back of it. “A lot of us have criminal conviction numbers tattooed on our hands. There’s also the point that most of humanity will recognize Sean Donnelly.”

  “They’d recognize my younger self, but I’m older these days, and I could grow a beard,” said Donnell.