by Lara Morgan
“Why?” she said.
“It’s what they do,” he said.
She shook her head, folding her arms around herself. She wanted to cry. She should be crying, shouldn’t she? But she only felt a dull tightness behind her eyes.
“When you turned on the beacon, Rosie, it was like starting a chain reaction. And the people who did this will start at the beginning and follow it to the end. They don’t miss things.”
“What about my dad?” she whispered. “Is it true they found him because I …” She couldn’t finish.
“Yes.” His tone was quiet, serious, but there was no condemnation, he merely told her the facts. “I’m sorry. I saw too late you’d looked up your aunt’s name. It would have been easy for them after that.”
“Is he okay, do you think?”
“I don’t know. But if it’s any consolation, I’d say he’s still alive. They probably would have just left his body in your apartment if they’d killed him.”
His body. Rosie felt like throwing up. She rubbed a hand across her eyes. Juli was dead, her father gone, all because of something she’d found.
She fingered the pendant in her pocket. Perhaps she shouldn’t keep it. She pulled out the small, green disc.
“This was in the box too.” She held it out to him. A faint smile curved his lips, and a look of recognition lit his face as he took it from her.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. A keepsake.” He regarded her thoughtfully. “Here.” He reached into his case and pulled out a silver chain with a key hanging on it. He took the key off and threaded the chain through the pendant then held it out to her. “You have it.”
Rosie didn’t know what to say. It was obvious the pendant meant something to him. “I don’t want it.” It was part of the trouble, pretty as it was. It was one of the reasons her dad was gone and Juli was dead.
He took a step towards her and forced it into her hand. “You should wear it, Rosie. It’s important sometimes to have something to remind us of the consequences of things we’ve done.”
Was he blaming her for Juli’s death and her dad’s kidnapping? “I didn’t know what would happen,” she said. “It’s not like I wanted anyone hurt.”
His calm expression didn’t waver. “I know, but as you’ve seen, the effects are devastating and it’s not going to end here.”
There was more to come? Rosie swallowed and her voice sounded weak when she said, “What is the Shore beacon?”
“I can’t tell you. The more you know, the more dangerous it is.”
She felt like he’d slapped her. “More dangerous? My dad is gone and Juli is dead! We have to go the Senate,” she said. “We have to tell them what happened.”
“They can’t help you, Rosie. And you cannot tell them.”
“Why? We have to do something!” His calm was infuriating.
“No, I have to do something. And don’t think they won’t stop hunting you down. They know who you are now and they have people in the Senate. There’re probably guards looking for you right now. You go to them and you might as well hand them a gun to shoot you with.”
She stopped, shocked. Was that true? “But what about my dad?” she said.
“If he’s still alive, they’ll use him as bait. In fact they are probably counting on you running to the Senate for help so the people they have in there can just swoop on you. Easy.”
“But who are they?”
He regarded her for a moment and she thought she saw a flicker of sympathy. “They are very powerful and you are merely a small itch to be scratched out.”
“But–”
“I’ll send them a message and tell them you don’t have what they want any more.”
“But what if they don’t believe you?”
“They will.” He sounded so certain but Rosie couldn’t understand why. If these people were so powerful, why would they believe him?
She turned to Pip but he seemed just as remote as the man. She felt like she was in a nightmare that wouldn’t end. Just like when she watched her mum die. You tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, but you knew, all the time you knew, it was real and you couldn’t do anything about it.
“Who are you?” she said. “At least tell me that.”
He hesitated a moment, glancing at Pip. “You can call me Riley,” he said.
“Riley who?”
He shook his head. “Just Riley.” He nodded at Pip. “He’ll take you back to the city.”
“What?” both Pip and Rosie exclaimed together.
“That’s it?” Rosie stared at him. “But–”
“Enough.” Riley’s tone was sharp. “This is not a discussion. Pip, you take her back to the city by the bridge – it’s the safest way. Keep her with you, out of the way of the Senate, until I contact you.”
“But …” Rosie began but the expression on his face made her shut her mouth.
“Go,” he said.
She stood still, staring at him, but he ignored her.
Pip shook his head and jerked a thumb towards the window. Never had Rosie felt so powerless or so lost. She picked up her backpack and followed Pip to the window. Riley had gone back to his computer and didn’t look up as they climbed out.
CHAPTER 12
Pip wound his way along an invisible path through the trees. Rosie followed, barely paying attention as she kept going over what she could have done differently that would have kept Juli alive and her dad at home. A litany of could haves and should haves. If she hadn’t gone to the Old City. If she hadn’t found the box. If she’d stopped Juli using the key.
“Hey,” Pip said. “You got that shuttle token still?”
“In my pocket.”
“Good.”
They’d walked a bit further before his words actually penetrated her brain.
“Why did you ask about the token?” she said. “Shuttles don’t run this late from here.”
“The bridge isn’t far. We can show the guards the token, tell them we missed the last shuttle back so they don’t wonder why we’re here. I’ve got some papers that show we’ve got visiting rights for Gentech Research Station; we can say they kept us longer.”
“Shouldn’t you fix your hair or something then?” she said to him. “Who’s going to believe Gentech has a Feral to help them?”
Pip appeared almost offended. “They use Ferals all the time. Besides, you don’t look so hot yourself.” He turned his back on her.
They’d almost reached a road. The dull gleam of it was just a few metres ahead through the scrub and they stopped behind a thick clump of grass growing alongside it. The line for the shuttle hummed quietly above their heads and a solar car whirred past, its batteries glowing blue.
Pip said, “We need to get cleaned up. You’ve got mud on your face. Here …” He leaned towards her.
“I can get it.” Rosie pushed him back.
“Hey, I’m just trying to help,” Pip said, but he looked like he was trying not to smile.
“I don’t need your help, thanks.” She rubbed vigorously at the smudges of dried mud on her cheek. By the time she finished she thought it probably looked worse – a big red mark instead of a muddy one. Then she turned her attention to her legs, using her bag to rub off as much mud as she could.
It had to be around midnight. She wondered how close to Earth her aunt was and how she was going to tell her about all of this. What would she say? And then there was the more obvious problem: how was she going to get to her? Riley had told Pip to take her somewhere, but where would that be? And how long would she have to stay there? She might have no way of contacting her aunt at all.
She glanced at Pip, who was watching the road. There was no way she was going to just sit with him and wait for Riley. She found it hard to believe what he said about the Senate. And who was to say it hadn’t been Riley who took her dad anyway? He’d seemed believable in person but now she wasn’t so certain. Why should she trust a man who had sent a boy practical
ly to kidnap her? She had to get to Aunt Essie’s. If only she knew how to get to Orbitcorp from here.
“All clear, let’s go.” Pip nudged her. They stepped onto the road.
Moonlight cast long shadows before them. There were no lights but further ahead a sharp right turn in the road was lit by the glow of the guard station that lay just beyond it. Somewhere nearby an insect creaked noisily and from further away came the deep hum of a power source.
The air was still and humid, and Rosie could smell her own sweat as she trudged along. A heavy throbbing had started behind her eyes and she felt totally on edge. Her heart was beating too fast and thoughts were ricocheting around her mind like bugs around a light.
She could feel Pip watching her.
“What?” She didn’t glance at him.
But instead of saying something, he grabbed her hand and squeezed hard.
“Ow!” She tried to pull away but he held her fast.
“You looked like you could use it,” he said.
She glared at him. “What, a broken hand?”
“No, pain. Sometimes it helps you to focus.”
“I am focused.”
“Yeah, sure. You were spacing out.”
“I wasn’t. I–”
“Don’t pretend you weren’t trying to come up with a million ideas to get away, or go to the Senate.” He smirked.
He was still holding her hand, not so tightly now though, and swinging it lightly between them as if they were on a date.
“Let go,” she said, enunciating each word slowly.
“You sure?” He cocked an eyebrow and she gave him a poisonous look. He dropped her hand and she flexed her fingers, shaking it out.
It had been a weird thing to do, grabbing her like that, and it had taken her off guard, but it had helped. She could breathe easier now and, judging by his smug expression, Pip probably knew it. She put a little more distance between them. He made her uneasy. It hadn’t felt that bad, holding his hand, especially after the day she’d had. But he isn’t trustworthy, she reminded herself. Forget the blue eyes and remember the knife in the station, the threats, remember what happened to Juli and Dad.
When they arrived at the security station, the guards barely paid them any heed. There were three guards but only one bothered to come out from the building where a ghostly blue glow and the sound of a tinny scream betrayed the others were watching digi-tel.
The guard skimmed Pip’s papers, surveyed Rosie and motioned them forward with a bored expression. He pressed the controls to lift the laser barrier and, with a yawn, turned away and went back inside.
“Too easy,” Pip muttered as they walked along the deserted bridge.
Rosie didn’t reply. Her legs were starting to feel as heavy as bricks and every step was becoming an effort, while Pip still walked with the same long stride he’d kept up the entire night. Didn’t he ever get tired?
Ahead, the bridge continued on a gentle incline to its apex and on the other side of the river the lights of Central obscured the stars.
She wondered how far it was to Aunt Essie’s apartment at Orbitcorp and how she was going to get away from Pip. The bridge was about a kilometre long and it seemed to take forever to cross it.
She walked behind him, watching his feet, staring at the frayed cuffs of his jeans.
His feet suddenly stopped. “What’re you doin’?” She blinked and looked up at him. “Keep up, will you.” He grabbed her hand again briefly and pulled her forward. “The guards’ll get suspicious if we don’t get to the other side soon.”
Rosie was too tired to resist. “Where are we going?” she said, falling into step beside him.
He let out a long breath. “Just some place Riley keeps.” He was annoyed for some unfathomable reason. She glanced sideways at him. He was frowning.
If she pretended to make friends, she might be able to persuade him take her to her aunt.
“So,” she said, casting her mind about for a starting point. “Um, where are your parents?”
“Dead.”
Great start. “Sorry,” she said.
He shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. “No.”
“What?”
“I mean, don’t go thinking we’ve got something in common, just because your mum’s dead and now your dad’s missing. We’re nothing alike.”
“I didn’t say we were.”
“Yeah, but you were thinking it.”
Rosie felt herself go pink. For a second, she had been. “What’s your problem anyway?”
“Nothin’.” He stared straight ahead, which just made her more angry. Who did he think he was? “I wasn’t thinking we were the same,” she said. “Why would I? You’re a Feral and you know what people say about that. I’ll be working on the space station while you’re still running around in the Banks, stealing food like the rest of them.”
His stride faltered and she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes quickly replaced by disgust. She was mortified at her own words but it was too late to take them back.
“Is that right?” he said, his eyes icy. “Well then, let’s just see how you do without me.” And with that he broke into a run, sprinting away from her towards the end of the bridge.
Rosie stared after him then started running herself, cursing her own stupidity. Great plan, Rosie! What was she thinking? She wanted to get away from him but not yet. Not until she had some idea where she was.
Fearful, she watched as he ran further and further from her. He reached the guard dome and passed it, his dreadlocks bouncing wildly as he streamed past. One guard chuckled and shouted out to her. “Boyfriend dump you, love?”
Rosie ignored him, her eyes fixed on Pip’s rapidly disappearing form.
Beyond the lights of the dome, the road was darker and she had to slow down, her eyes not yet accustomed to the difference. There were buildings up ahead on either side, but the lamps set along the road were dimmer than the bridge – low-voltage yellow and unsteady, the power source weak. She stopped by one of them and looked around, but it was no good, Pip was gone.
CHAPTER 13
For a moment Rosie stood uncertain, then she moved out of the light towards the nearest wall, gripping the straps of her pack as though they were lifelines.
Excellent plan, Rosie Black, she berated herself, now what are you going to do?
The road ran straight ahead for several blocks between rows of dark buildings, each several storeys high. There were no lights in any of them and they were most likely abandoned factories. The huge windows were partly boarded up and the fences around them were ripped, trailing rusty metal onto the footpath. The distant hum of traffic from Central was like background static but immediately around her it was quiet. Too quiet.
She thought about shouting out for Pip but it didn’t seem like a good idea. Although it was quiet, she’d bet there were people about. A tinkling crash came from somewhere to her right and she spun around and scanned the dark building but could see nothing. The back of her neck prickled. There was another crash, closer this time, and she took off up the road, adrenaline chasing away her exhaustion.
She caught a flicker of fire out of the corner of her eye as she passed an alley and noticed a dark shape huddled against a wall. She didn’t stop to figure out what it was. She ran as fast as she could. Ahead, the road ended at another abandoned building and she turned right, straining to hear above the sound of her own breath and pounding feet.
She didn’t know how long she kept running, but eventually she had to slow to a walk. Her lungs were burning and her leg muscles shaking, and she had a stitch in her right side. Clutching it, she walked close to the walls. The buildings were apartment blocks now and across the road, protected by a metal grille, was a small shop. But there was no one around. Probably all asleep.
She came to a crossroads and stopped. She was sure the glow of lights to her left, like a white halo above the rooftops, had to be Central. She guessed she was somewhere in the Eastern Rim, the sector that formed the
border between the river and Central. If she went towards the lights, she should be able to find Aunt Essie’s apartment, but it could take hours.
She leaned against the wall of a building, slid down it and sat on the pavement. She was so tired. But she couldn’t stay here. Just a moment’s rest, that was all she needed. Time to think about what to do.
She didn’t realise she’d drifted off until a door slammed somewhere above and she jerked her head up off her chest. She blinked and glanced up. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?
High above her head, the suspension track of the shuttle line glinted silver against the night sky. It ran right to Central station. All she had to do was follow it. She groaned and got to her feet, looked once at the empty street behind, then began to follow the track towards the white glow of Central.
It was more difficult than she’d hoped. Huge apartment complexes kept blocking her way, forcing her to make detours. The streets were so empty and quiet, she began to feel like the only human left alive in the world.
Was this what it felt like on Mars when you were out of the colony? she thought. When they strapped a breather to your face and you were away from the domes, was Mars as silent as this? Was there nothing but the hum of energy behind you and your breath loud in your ears?
The apartments gave way to corporation buildings. Small shops were replaced with glass-fronted stores, four storeys high, the interiors lit with frosty blue lights illuminating racks of goods – mostly electrical and computer supplies.
Sometimes Rosie thought she heard noises behind her and she backed up against the walls, hiding in doorways, but she never saw anyone.
After a while it was all she could do to keep walking. She didn’t have the energy to worry about what was behind her; she just focused on making it to her aunt’s.
The sun was starting to rise when she reached Central, the early light glinting on the massive glass dome that topped the entrance to the Orbitcorp complex. She stopped across the road and looked wearily at it. The huge glass doors were closed, the front steps empty, but there were lights on inside, illuminating the moving sculpture of the solar system that dominated the massive foyer.
