"Maybe the Seekers don't consider the citizens a problem?" Suyef asked.
I nodded in agreement. "That's possible. It looks like they send patrols out there on regular intervals, but the records don't show them doing more than bringing a few citizens in for questioning, sometimes settling some kind of dispute, or every now and then quarantining people with some unspecified illness."
Suyef arched an eyebrow at that last point. "Unspecified illness?"
I frowned, grabbing the floating display and twisting my hand, making it vanish to bring up another report. "It's not described in detail. This news report mentions a slight uptick in the number of people being taken into isolation because of 'unspecified symptoms' the Seekers claim show those people were dabbling in things they shouldn't be."
Suyef's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said Altering was illegal on this shell."
"It is, but if this report is to be believed, there are people practicing it in secret again." I shook my head as the report vanished. "Colberrans don't joke around with that stuff. They may have mixed feelings about the Seekers but one thing they all agree on is that Scripting, or Altering, as you call it, is illegal and for good reason."
"You don't believe the reports?"
I stared at him for a moment before answering. "It's a good excuse to make people you don't like or trust disappear, don't you think?"
"Can you track the occurrences of these events?" Suyef asked. "You know, compile all the occurrences to see if there is a pattern?"
"That'll take some time, but yes," I answered, holding the padd up. "But there's something else you should know." I loaded the map, bringing the water line overlays back up. "This green line leading to that settlement? It's not functioning properly."
"What do you mean?"
I tapped the line and brought up statistical reports on water usage, flow, historical data and more. A moment of manipulation brought me what was needed. I replaced the map and overlay with a chart showing water usage of that line.
"Look, this shows all the usage since the founding of that line," I said, pointing at the sloping chart. "What do you see?"
The answer was obvious even to him. The oldest data stood the highest as the numbers began to lower in increments as time passed. About ten cycles ago, the numbers began decreasing exponentially.
"Their water flow is dropping," he whispered.
I nodded. "It was dropping. Fast, too. For some reason, about a decade ago, the water just began to decrease its flow to the settlement. That rate of decrease kept climbing over the last ten cycles until, quite suddenly, it halted and began increasing. I don't know why it did that, but something changed." I pointed at the last point of decrease. "Had this trend continued, that settlement would have run out of water within a few months."
Suyef stared at the data point, then looked up at me, his dark eyes locking with mine. "I think we need to go visit that settlement."
#
"Quentin, I'm starting to wonder about the original reason you guys wanted to go there," I interrupted him before he could go on. "You seem to have forgotten about the water shield missions."
My interviewee shook his head. "No, remember, we'd found that the water shortage problems began to occur around the same time as the water shield missions."
"But why weren't you looking for more information? The two problems might not be connected, merely correlative in terms of occurrence."
He frowned. "Did you strain yourself to construct that sentence?" I smiled at him and didn't say a word. "Anyway, we're getting to that. They are related, trust me, but I can't fly without wings, can I?"
My eyes shot up from my notes to stare at him. For his part, Quentin was looking out into the distance, fingering a rock in his hand. Had that been intentional? Did he somehow know of my past as well?
"You ready to continue or do you have any more complaints about my storytelling?" he asked, glancing up at me as he flung the rock toward the edge.
I eyed him a moment longer before nodding.
#
Of course, we didn't just go straight there. A lot of ground lay between us and the occupied settlement. A direct line would have had us traveling through at least one stretch of Colberra City, and that wasn't an option. Impersonating a Seeker is a lot easier in a mostly uninhabited region. Doing so in a populated city, one that held a mighty Seeker presence, was a different matter. Suyef wanted to stick to the outer edge, thus decreasing the odds of us running into anyone. I favored a more direct route, one that circumvented the mountains and the city but allowed us to shave a lot of time off our trip. At first, Suyef won.
This did give me time to research the matter further. I still had no luck whatsoever in finding any information on the doomed mission to the water shield. The truth of that matter, it seemed, was going to take a lot more work. Facing a dead end there, my focus shifted to solving the mystery of the water shortage, specifically why the outlying regions were losing it. As the records on the events were clearly doctored, a different tactic seemed in order. At the next abandoned settlement we came upon, I insisted we stop to examine the water station itself. Suyef didn't feel it was necessary and would have moved on if not for me parking my mount and going into the station without him. I could feel his icy stare when he followed me in, despite my best efforts to ignore him.
"What do you hope to find?" he asked, settling in near the entrance. In his hand, he held the padd the elder had given him. Once I'd mastered the coding language here, he'd immediately made me slave it to his mount so he could access and view its sensors from nearby. "You already downloaded the files on this settlement and found they're identical."
"I'm not here to look at historical data," I muttered, concentrating on my work. "I'm here to look at coding."
Suyef huffed. "And what could you possibly find in that?"
I shrugged. "Maybe nothing. Doesn't hurt to look."
The look on his face, just visible through the near-translucent panel of my workstation, stated with certainty that he didn't agree with that justification. Regardless, I pushed on, examining the coding that controlled the station. Close to a chron later, Suyef insisted we leave despite my having not finished my search. I quickly downloaded a snapshot of the coding and took it with me on the padd. That evening found me poring through line after line of the complex language, virtually lost.
"You look about as happy as I felt when the elders ordered me to go on this mission with you," Suyef joked, sitting across from me and staring at his padd.
I frowned at him. "Shouldn't you be standing watch or something?"
He waved the device at me. "I can see fine with these sensors," he said, smiling at me. "They're hardly perfect, but they suffice for you and get the job done."
I glared at him, and he chuckled.
"Yes, I've known for a while how you've been using the sensors while manning your watch." He arched an eyebrow at me. "The question is how you didn't figure out I knew before now."
"You're adept at keeping secrets," I muttered, staring at my padd. "How else would I not know?"
"Come now, you can't think of a single clue that might tell you?"
I closed my eyes and sighed. "You're not going to leave off, are you?"
"Nope." He grinned again. "You're stuck. You need a new problem to solve. That'll get you unstuck."
I hung my head, setting the padd down on my lap and gripping the back of my neck with two hands. The muscles almost groaned when my fingers massaged the knots forming in them. Or maybe I did.
"You could be right," I said, fingers still working my shoulder muscles, "but what makes you think it's possible for me to guess when you figured me out?"
"If you gave me a task and found out I'd been cheating to accomplish it, what would you do?"
I stopped massaging my neck and looked up at him. "First, using the technology we have to improve our senses is not cheating. Not all of us have super-eyes like you Nomads." He shrugged at that statement. "Second, I'd punish you
."
He arched an eyebrow, causing me to have a strong urge to throw something at him. "And you can't think of anything I've done that could be construed as such?"
I opened my mouth to respond, then stopped. My head turned to the side, eyes never leaving him. "No, you wouldn't have…" I whispered. He just smiled at me. "I thought you were training me?"
He clapped and cheered. "Ah, good, I was wondering if your mind had become addled by all this coding you've been staring at," he said, voice jovial, eyes twinkling. "And I was. But not at first."
I grabbed a small rock and flung it at his chest. "You twit!" I hissed.
"What?" he asked, jerking his hand up to catch the projectile. "You needed the training, and I needed an excuse to do so."
Reaching for another rock to throw, I stopped short and looked at him. "An excuse?"
"You think we teach just any outsider our ways?" he asked, frowning at me. He held up the rock toward me. "You really are thick sometimes, even for a Colberran."
I grabbed the second rock and flung it at his torso. This time, he caught the rock and flung it back at me. I barely dodged a shot to the head.
"Hey, I wasn't aiming for your head," I yelled, jumping to my feet and knocking the padd to the ground.
Suyef followed suit. "You should always aim for what will cause the most harm, idiot. Why else throw it?"
I lunged at him, intent on shoving him backwards. He grabbed my arms and flipped me over his shoulder. I locked my grip around his arm and pulled him with me as my body fell past his. We rolled around on the ground for a few moments, grappling with each other until I landed on my chest, arms pinned behind me.
"You fight like a Colberran, Offlander!" the Nomad hissed in my ear.
I pushed hard, trying to pull my arms free, and only found pain. Kicking with my legs, trying to throw him off balance, only earned me a mouthful of dirt for my effort. As hard as I pushed, he had more strength to hold me back, and leverage to boot. If I twisted, he shifted and compensated. If I kicked, he absorbed it and gripped me tighter. Desperate for an option, my eyes spied my staff lying where Suyef had deposited it when we stopped. He must have noticed me looking.
"If you can't get free from a simple hold, Offlander, how do you think you'll get your weapon?" he said, his tone quiet but serious.
I twisted my body one more time and felt pain as an answer. There just weren't any other options. A rock sat next to the staff, giving me the only option I could think to do. I Scripted.
It was just a simple change. My intent was only to surprise Suyef, if nothing else. Instead, the rock launched itself into the air and smacked him hard on the shoulder. Crying out, he dropped me and spun away, coming to a halt over me in a defensive crouch. With the opportunity in my hands, I Scripted again and felt my staff appear in my outstretched hand. Without pausing to think twice, I swung for his legs, but he looked over at me at the last second. He jumped away, dropping low and catching my staff squarely between his arm and his torso.
"So," he whispered, black eyes locked on mine, sweat glistening his dark-skinned face, "you can teach a Colberran new tricks."
We each grimaced as we tried to pull my staff free from the other's grip.
"What do we have here?" a new voice said from our right.
Suyef let go of my staff and jumped upright. I pulled my staff back and pushed myself up with shaky arms. Surrounding us was a squad of Seekers.
Chapter 10 - Questions
The squad moved in closer, three Seekers taking up positions behind and to the sides. Two others remained standing where they were, on a slight rise, looking down. They all wore their hoods up, masking their faces. Suyef stepped toward the two above us, eyes never leaving them. I remained still, right behind him. The Seeker robes we'd grown accustomed to wearing seemed a very bad idea in retrospect. Standing there, waiting for someone to do something, I contemplated the various outcomes. How much had they seen? If any of them saw me Script, we were done for. I glanced at the Nomad and hoped he had a better explanation than the few occurring to me. When Suyef did speak, what he said stunned me, although I should have been used to his tricks by now.
"Training, sir," he said, pointing at me. "Tyro, here. He's been slacking off on his duties and needed a reminder or two."
I'd like to say my shock remained hidden, but my mouth dropped open before I snapped it shut. My heart began to race as my eyes peeked at the nearest Seeker. Surely, he could hear it, too, as the throbbing in my ears seemed deafening. Above, the Seeker that had spoken glared at me with eyes solid black and hard as stone, then glanced back at Suyef.
"Training mission?" he asked.
Suyef shook his head. "First mission out of academy." He shrugged and frowned at me. "He's a bit green, but he's got promise."
I glared at the Nomad but composed myself when the Seeker looked back at me.
"When did you return to Colberra, Offlander?" he asked, eyes on me.
Confused, I started to reply when Suyef spoke up. "Several weeks back. The festival was over, so my duties called."
"I don't recognize you. New replacement?" the Seeker asked.
"Yes, sir, I took over after the festival," the Nomad replied.
The Seeker nodded, never taking his eyes from me. "You, where did you train?"
Suyef glanced at me as I searched for some answer. There was only one thing I could think of.
"My parents sent me to the academy from the isles, sir," I replied, holding my breath.
The man's cold, black eyes narrowed as he watched me. "That's a rare one," he finally said. "Didn't think the islanders fancied Seekers much."
I nodded. "They don't, sir, but my parents felt the discipline would do me some good," I went on. "Too much trouble to deal with, they said."
The other Seeker standing next to the first laughed. "See, even on those cursed floating islands good sense can be found."
The first glanced at his companion and gave him a tiny nod. He looked back at Suyef.
"What's your mission?"
Suyef shook his head. "Classified, sir. I have orders stating as much, if you care to check."
The man nodded, and Suyef leaned over to pick up both our padds. He pocketed mine as he keyed his on and looked for the supposed orders. Once he found them, he handed the device to the Seeker standing to his left and waited while the man perused the file. Only then did it occur to me that Suyef hadn't needed my help to translate the code. My mind spun a little as it tried to take in all this new information.
The Seeker nodded and took the device to the two men standing on the rise. He handed it to the first man and returned to his position. The first Seeker perused the orders, scowled, and flung the device at Suyef.
"Bah," he hissed, "I demand to know what you're after. Questioner's prerogative."
Suyef spread his hands, the padd he'd just caught gone, no doubt pocketed with mine. "Orders specifically exempt us from that prerogative. Questioner's seal is attached, if you care to see it."
The man shook his head. "You're crossing our territory. I am allowed to know your destination."
"Only if that destination falls inside your jurisdiction. It does not, as we are headed west. I assure you, we are passing through, as the orders you just read state," Suyef responded, clasping his hands behind his back.
The Seeker glared at Suyef, then nodded once at his men. They retreated behind him, joined by the other man, as the first Seeker approached us.
"Make sure you are quick in your transit, Offlander," he said in a low voice, his eyes never leaving me as he spoke. "I'm not a huge fan of having you among our number. Give me a reason, and you'll be off this shell permanently."
To this day, I'm still not sure which of us he was speaking to. Judging by the way Suyef shifted, my thoughts leaned toward him, but there were definitely a few questions on how much this Questioner knew about us.
The man stared at me for a moment, his eyes never blinking, his lips pursed; then he turned and glided awa
y. Suyef followed him up to the rise and watched them leave. I remained below, eyes never leaving Suyef. After a few moments, the Nomad nodded and came back to face me.
"Well, that went better than expected," he said, a small smile dancing across his lips.
I stared at the Nomad, leveling a finger at him. "You mind explaining to me what just happened?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, frowning at me. "We've been given free passage through this territory. Seeker patrols won't bother us now."
I shook my head. "Not that. The entire thing. You, them, this whole thing."
He furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side slightly. "I'm confused. What part?"
"How did we not just get arrested for impersonating Seekers?" I cried out, my voice rising with frustration. "How did they find us without you knowing? How do they know who you are?"
Suyef crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a steady gaze back at me, one that had become all too familiar. No answers would come from him. I'd have to figure them out myself.
"Fine, you want to play that game, let's play," I said, shoving past him and seating myself on my rock, staff still clutched in my hand.
I pondered what had happened, mulling over what was said, searching for clues. Suyef seated himself opposite me and watched, a bemused look twisting his features in an annoying manner.
"No need to scoff at me," I whispered.
He affected an innocent expression and looked away. "I'm doing no such thing."
"They know you." He didn't answer. "They've known you for some time. You're a Seeker."
He nodded. "Correct, in part."
"Which part?"
He smiled. "Fair enough," he said, chuckling. "They do know of me, although not me personally. And yes, I am a Seeker."
"How long?"
He frowned, furrowing his forehead in thought. "We've carried on this farce for. . .oh, I don't know, two centuries, I think."
Rise: Paths (Future Worlds Book 2) Page 9
