by Lara Morgan
Code key activated.
A rush of disbelief and fear spread through him.
He dropped his bag to the ground and pulled out a slim computer, powering it up. It was risky doing it here, but he couldn’t wait. How could the code key have been activated? He booted the remote antenna, his fingers racing over the keyboard, typing in codes, pinging the signal through as many exchange points as he could until he saw what he had hoped he wouldn’t. There was the order.
Shore beacon activated. Retrieval team to recon status.
Helios had got the alert as well – and acted on it. It couldn’t be coincidence. That box the girls had found must be the one he was looking for. But why, why would they have used the key? They couldn’t possibly have known what it was. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he searched for where the beacon signal had come from. Seconds ticked by. Then he found it. The Shen house, Central East. Rosie Black must have taken the box to her friend’s house. With shaking hands, he disconnected the antenna and powered down. Time was short. Helios couldn’t know about Rosie Black – yet – he had that advantage, but they would find out where the beacon signal had come from. They weren’t as good as him; they didn’t know its signal as well as he did, but they were far from stupid. He just hoped she still had everything.
He connected his com to Pip’s number.
“Boss.” Pip’s face appeared on the small screen a second later.
Riley didn’t bother with a greeting. “Where are you?”
“Central East. Like you wanted.” There was lazy annoyance in his tone.
“Do you know where Rosie Black is now?”
“She’s still in her friend’s estate. I can’t get in there – in case you’re going to ask – security is tighter than a fish’s butt.”
Riley swore. Of course it was. But if he could get the box in time …
“Listen,” he said, “as soon as she comes out, you bring that girl and the box to me, and I mean right away.”
“Sure, boss.” He smirked. “You sound stressed – everything okay?”
“This is important, Pip. If she gives you trouble, you tell her that turning the beacon on has started some things in motion. You tell her there might be people after her.”
“Beacon, boss?” Pip frowned. “What’s–”
“It doesn’t matter what. Just get it done,” Riley said then cut the connection.
CHAPTER 6
Rosie trudged down the road back to the station. It was close to four in the afternoon and the sun was as hot as ever. There’d been no hoverbus available to take her back to the station so Juli had given her a bottle of water and a disposable UV filter for her hat. The filter emitted an invisible barrier that screened out the UV but it did nothing to stop the heat.
She grimaced as a long drip of sweat slid down the side of her face, and took a sip from the water bottle. There were no birds singing and no breeze; the leaves were drooping on the trees and the smell of dry dust and baking road invaded her nostrils. She tried to take a deep breath, feeling light-headed, and wondered if this was how Aunt Essie felt when she visited the Mars colony, Genesis. The air was still too thin up there to go outside the domes without a breather. She’d told Rosie that sometimes the breathers failed and she had to get back inside quickly or risk passing out. Rosie thought that if she walked around long enough in this heat, she’d pass out too.
The station was much quieter than when she’d arrived. There were only a few shuttles docked and hardly any passengers: just the guards, a handful of mums with young kids and a group of teenage boys who were waiting on the dock for the Central shuttle. Rosie kept as far away from the boys as possible. Rich kids from Central liked to pick on kids from the Banks, just for fun it seemed. She made her way to a seat near a closed news stream booth and shoved her hat into her bag. She checked the station display. Twenty minutes until the shuttle. She took a sip of water and watched one of the Senate guards ordering food from a noodle stall. He was wearing the regulation pale brown shirt with a black collar and had a gun and a stunner hooked to his belt, and a tiny com looped over one ear. He took a bowl of noodles from the shop owner and glanced her way as he ate.
Rosie stared down at her feet, hoping he wouldn’t ask to see her ident card. Her dad hadn’t had the money to renew the fee yet and hers was out of date – which meant she didn’t have permission to be away from the Banks. If the guard found out, he’d take her to Central Prime for processing until her dad finished work. That was the last thing she needed. What if he searched her bag? Would he confiscate everything she’d found?
Rosie kept her eyes down and took her digi book from her bag. The textbook she’d downloaded from the library was all about terraforming and she hoped it made her look just like any other kid passing time.
She hunched down and stared at the screen, keeping a lookout from the corner of her eye. Eventually, the guard went back to his post on the other side of the station. She sighed with relief and was returning to her book when she glimpsed movement in the shadows between two of the shops.
It was hard to see beyond the garish holo advertising that projected from the gaming booth, but as she narrowed her eyes she saw a boy peer out from behind a stack of boxes. He checked left then right, keeping low. His head was covered with a bit of dark blue cloth that barely held back his shoulder-length dreadlocks.
She tensed. Was that the Feral from the Old City? What was he doing here? Ferals rarely ventured into Central. If the Senate guard saw him, he’d be toasted.
Rosie pretended to read again, but her heart had begun to beat fast with anxiety and she kept a close eye on the alleyway. The boy had disappeared back into the shadows and didn’t reappear. She’d thought he might be gone but then, quite suddenly, he was there and staring straight at her.
Her insides lurched. It sure looked a lot like him. She wasn’t sure what to do. What if he came over and started harassing her for money or food? Was he mad because he hadn’t got enough the last time? She wished the shuttle would come.
She checked the display again – still ten minutes to go, but the Banks shuttles were often late, so it could be longer. She rubbed a hand nervously up and down her leg, feeling the round flat shape of the pendant from the box in her pocket. She’d almost forgotten it was there.
The solar lights hanging from the roof suddenly dimmed then brightened and from somewhere outside came the sound of grinding machinery; the power was fluctuating. It would be just her luck for it to go off and she’d be stuck here for hours waiting for the shuttle with that Feral boy watching her.
She couldn’t stand it. Was he still watching her? She looked up but the alley was empty. No face. No movement.
She shifted on the bench. She had to pee. Great timing. The toilets were on the other side of the station past the shops and near where he’d been. The teenage boys were shouting and throwing things up at the lights now, and two of them were having some kind of wrestling match. Rosie waited, hoping the urge would go away, but after a while she could ignore it no longer. She put her book in her pack and walked briskly towards the toilets.
The ladies was at the end of a brightly lit passage, and the flat white light was flickering violently by the time she got to the end of it. The toilets were empty; the long mirror on the wall reflected only her nervous face and the row of open cubicles opposite. They smelled of antiseptic and recyc water. The floor and walls were all white and two of the toilets’ sliding doors were hanging off their hinges – weird for such a wealthy area.
Rosie grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. She looked a sweaty mess. Her hair was curling up from the heat and her fringe badly needed cutting. It was almost in her eyes. She sighed and turned away and went into the second-last toilet from the end and was just flushing when she heard the soft slap of bare feet on tile. She froze in the act of putting her bag on her shoulder and stood listening. She couldn’t hear anything but she was sure the person was still there. The lights wavered and the faint sound of an a
nnouncement came muffled through the walls. Something about the Banks shuttle being delayed. Typical.
She cautiously turned the lock and slid the door open. Her anxious face stared back at her from the mirror.
“Idiot,” she muttered. There was no one there.
Irritated, she left the cubicle and washed her hands, then tried to comb her thick hair straight with her fingers. It didn’t work. She was frowning at the freckles that stood out against her tanned skin when one of the doors hanging off its hinges moved and a body came flying out. Rosie drew breath to shriek, but the boy’s long dirty fingers clamped over her mouth.
CHAPTER 7
Rosie struggled but the boy was taller and stronger. His hand tightened over her mouth and he squeezed her against his chest and dragged her back into the cubicle. She tried to kick him in the shins but missed.
“Cut it out. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.
Rosie struggled harder. She jerked her arm back as hard as she could and was satisfied by a loud grunt as her elbow connected with his ribs.
“All right,” he said. “I’m going let you go. Just don’t scream, okay?” She nodded. He took his hand from her mouth and stepped back between her and the open door of the cubicle.
Rosie tried to wipe the feel of his dirty hand from her mouth and backed away until she felt the cold bowl of the toilet against her legs.
“What do you want? I haven’t got any money.” She held her bag close against her body.
He looked offended. “If I’d wanted that, I could’ve snatched it when you were taking a leak. You left the strap lying on the floor.”
He’d been in the next cubicle when …? The boy gave her a slow smile and Rosie went pink.
He was taller than she remembered, but it was definitely the same boy. He was still wearing the same filthy jeans and stained T-shirt – surprisingly, he didn’t smell bad – but it was the eyes that confirmed it. Up close they were even bluer and more disconcerting than before. And right now they were looking at her with lazy amusement.
“What do you want then?” she said.
“Maybe I just wanted to catch up, talk about old times by the river.”
“By attacking me?” Rosie said. “And where is my friend’s bag, by the way?”
“Sold it.” He leaned against the wall. “But don’t worry about that. You’re going to be busy. You’ve got a date to keep.”
“I’m sorry, what?” She folded her arms.
“My boss wants to see you. He says you’ve got something that belongs to him.”
“I haven’t got anything that isn’t mine,” Rosie said.
But the boy shook his head. “He says you got it and he sent me to bring you.”
Her insides clenched. Was he talking about the box?
“You’ve got the wrong girl.” She tried to push past him but he put an arm up across the doorframe.
“You’re a bad liar,” he said, and looked at her bag. “Is it in there?”
“Nothing’s in here but my own stuff.” Her heart was pounding. “Let me out. I’ve got to catch my shuttle.”
“Can’t.” He shook his head. “Boss wants to see you. If I don’t bring you, he don’t pay me.”
“That’s your problem. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yep, you are.” He smiled, his teeth unexpectedly white for a Feral. He didn’t seem so threatening now.
Rosie tried to duck under his arm, but he moved it down so she couldn’t. She glared at him. “Get out of the way.”
He smiled wider but didn’t move. “It’d be better if you came with me. Boss said there’s others searching for you since you turned on the beacon.”
Rosie froze. Shore beacon activated. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t ask me. But he seemed worried when he talked about it. And if he’s worried …” He let his words trail off, watching her.
Rosie began to feel very scared now. She knew there’d been something strange about that key.
“I have to go home … tell my dad first,” she stalled.
“No time.”
“Well, why does your boss need to talk to me?” she said. “Why didn’t he just have you steal the stuff?”
“So you have got it then?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Do you think I want to be here dodging guards?” He shifted against the doorframe, looking annoyed. “You just come with me, get it sorted, and I get to go home.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
He straightened up. “Well, you don’t have a choice.” A flick-knife appeared in his right hand, the blade shining.
Rosie swallowed. She could fight fists – she’d had to before – but weapons? She wasn’t sure if this boy would really use it. He didn’t look that dangerous but it was better to be cautious than dead.
“I’ll come if you put away the knife,” she said.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he made a show of folding the blade back into the shaft and putting it in his pocket. “All right then?” He moved away from the door to let her out.
“My name’s Pip, by the way.” He draped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his side.
“Congratulations.”
His smile widened. “Thanks. And don’t look so worried. I won’t hurt you unless you try something.” He led her towards the door.
“Where are we going?” she said.
“You’ll find out.” Pip dragged her to the end of the corridor then made her stop. He peered around the corner.
Rosie was gripped by anxiety. It was getting late. Her dad would be home at six – he’d lose it if she wasn’t there again. But how to get away?
“Move it,” Pip said and held her close as they walked out, his hand clamped around her upper arm.
“You’re hurting me,” she said but he ignored her, guiding her to the row of shops and merging with the people lingering nearby. They wove through the meagre crowd, staying behind the bright holographic signs. The guards were nowhere in sight. Perfect, Rosie thought. They were never around when you needed them.
She wondered if she should try to run for it or scream. Pip moved his arm to hold her around the neck and his lips brushed her skin as he whispered in her ear. “Don’t even think about it.” He slipped his right hand across her waist, holding her even closer.
To anyone looking, they might have thought them girlfriend and boyfriend, the hand around her waist could have been a caress.
The urge to call out was strong, but there was still that knife in his pocket. Rosie kept her mouth shut as Pip took them swiftly towards the shuttle stop.
The few people around avoided them, and Rosie thought that even if she did start screaming and Pip stabbed her, none of them would help anyway. She cast around desperately for something, some way out of this mess. They were approaching the North Coast shuttle dock. Was that where he was taking her? North Coast was on the opposite side of the river to Central. Her heart gave a leap as she saw the Banks shuttle waiting at the next dock; it must have been late as usual. For once she thanked the intermittent power supply.
Pip dragged her to the bench near the North Coast stop and made her sit beside him, keeping an arm around her.
From far beyond the gaping entrance where the lines came in, Rosie saw the gleam of silver coming towards them. She glanced around. People were starting to load into the Banks shuttle. Maybe she could just run for it.
She shifted the tiniest bit along the bench away from Pip, but instantly his arm tightened around her waist. “Where do you think you’re goin’?” he said through a faint smile.
“The bench is hard.”
“Is it?” There was a mocking gleam to his eye. “Do you want to sit on my lap?”
“No, thanks,” Rosie said coldly.
The North Coast shuttle came to a stop at the dock. He yanked her to her feet. “Let’s go see the boss.”
They waited behind
a couple of old ladies trying to swipe their tokens through the door slot. Only valid tokens would allow entry to the shuttle and the women seemed to be putting theirs in upside down.
She could feel Pip getting agitated. She glanced at the Banks shuttle on the next dock.
“Stop it,” he muttered, and Rosie gave him a foul look just as one of the old women in front of them turned around.
“Please, will one of you help me?” She was holding out her token. “I can’t get it to work.”
Rosie turned to Pip. For a moment she thought he’d refuse but, with a sigh, he took the chip. “You just swipe it down.”
He leaned towards the slot. “Like this,” he said.
His grasp on her loosened a fraction. Seizing her chance, she twisted her arm as hard as she could and he lost his grip. Rosie jumped over the bench and sprinted towards the Banks dock. Pip was shouting after her and she heard the cries of the old ladies, but Rosie didn’t look back.
The shuttle’s red departure lights were flashing and she rounded the dock and sprinted to the open doors, removing her token from her pocket as she did.
“Wait, Rosie!” Pip called.
She almost faltered. How did he know her name? She swiped the token down through the slot, grazing her fingers on the metal, and leaped through the doors. They closed with a hiss and a thump and she turned to see Pip an arm’s length behind, but not close enough to follow her on board. He punched the doors and said something but she couldn’t hear him over the detach siren. She stood shaking, holding on to a pole and looking back at him through the wide windows as the shuttle slid smoothly away.
CHAPTER 8
By the time the shuttle got to her stop, Rosie had calmed down. She’d stopped shaking and her heart rate had returned to normal, but she couldn’t get Pip’s words out of her head.
