Stealing Phoenix

by Joss Stirling

  It’s OK, sweetheart. My shields are up.

  Just make sure they are on full power, hotshot.

  Hustling us past the security guards, we found the Seer already in occupation of the see-through car. The doors closed behind us and the capsule continued its slow revolution upwards.

  ‘Excellent. I’m pleased to see you are on time. Then again, Phoenix would have made sure of that, wouldn’t you, my dear?’ The Seer’s hateful voice crept over me like army ants that could cover and devour prey in minutes.

  I muttered something and drew closer to Yves, running my hand over his jeans pocket in what I hoped he understood as an affectionate rather than exploratory movement. The journey time for the London Eye to fully revolve was thirty minutes— there would be no escape for us, no chance of help until we came back down. I could now see why the Seer had chosen such a public place to meet. He had to ensure that we were out of reach of the other Benedicts, and this was a fl amboyant way of making sure all approaches were cut off, as we were as isolated as fish in an aquarium. Still, that was good for me; I could probably manage to freeze them all if I was careful, but where did Yves have the memory stick?

  The Seer beckoned us to approach. Dragon and Unicorn remained at our side as we moved forward.

  ‘We haven’t met properly, have we, Mr Benedict?’ The Seer tapped the place on his stomach that Yves had set on fire. His new white jacket today bore no scar but the impression had clearly lingered.

  Yves brushed his fingers soothingly on my upper arm. ‘No, I’ve not had that pleasure.’

  ‘I know a lot about you. Quite the boy wonder from what I’ve been told.’ The capsule edged out from the lower struts supporting the wheel, opening the view on all sides. We were leaving behind the things that anchored us to earth and sailing out with scant protection into a void. I already felt queasy, and normally I had a good head for heights. It had to be the company. ‘My American colleagues have been watching you with particular interest since your inventive powers became public knowledge. And now I learn that you’re my daughter’s soulfinder. Fascinating.’

  ‘No, don’t say it!’ my mind screamed but I held still, stapled to the spot by my own stupidity. It hadn’t occurred to me that the Seer would want to claim the relationship. But why wouldn’t he?

  The only reaction Yves gave was to tighten his grip on my arm. ‘Then you’ll understand what she means to me,’ he said calmly. ‘And I expect you only want what’s best for her, being her father, just as I do.’

  When were you going to tell me? Yves asked me privately.

  Never. I was too ashamed to meet his eyes. And he’s not. I refuse to believe it.

  The Seer smiled. ‘But I imagine our views as to what is in her interests are different. You have to understand, Yves—I can call you Yves, can I not?’

  Yves gave a cautious nod.

  ‘Phoenix belongs to a very close-knit community. Her family. We can’t have outsiders tearing the fabric apart just to please themselves. Even soulfinders.’

  Like he really cared.

  Yves dropped his hand to my waist, a possessive move claiming his girl. ‘But the bond between soulfinders is unique— you must know that.’

  The Seer gave a greasy smile. ‘So the legends say. Let’s see how much she’s worth to you. Do you have the information?’

  We were sprinting to the crisis; I had to act now. I’d never had the gall to try and freeze the Seer before and my audacity terrified me. Reaching out, I quickly grasped the mental patterns of Yves, Dragon, and Unicorn. Attention fixed on the confrontation, none of them were thinking about me so weren’t prepared for my backdoor approach. Now for the Seer. Touching his mind was like plunging into sewage—thick, reeking, and repulsive. I couldn’t grasp it; his mind slipped from my control like oil leaking through cupped palms.

  The Seer chuckled with dark amusement. Let them go, Phoenix. What exactly were you trying to achieve here?

  There was no defence he would find acceptable. I let go. The three started moving again, unaware I had frozen them.

  I’ll be considering my punishment, my dear. Enjoy the anticipation. He wasn’t going to announce what I’d done.

  And then I was too late. Hesitating slightly, Yves took out the memory stick on its keychain, letting it dangle enticingly from his index finger like a hypnotist’s crystal. ‘It’s all here. What does it buy?’

  He was talking a language the Seer could understand. ‘Her health and happiness—for the moment.’

  On this suicidal barrel-over-Niagara journey Yves had insisted we risk together, we were at the edge; if Yves handed the information over, there would be no going back. Blackmail never ends; surely Yves had to be smart enough to get that? It was not worth buying a few days of me being OK at the expense of his family’s security. He had to see sense before it was too late.

  ‘Yves, forget it.’ I tried to snatch the stick from his fingers, intent on snapping it in half. He lifted it out of reach.

  ‘Keep out of this, Phee.’ He pushed me to arm’s length.

  Unicorn gave me a look that made me feel like a maggot. I was surprised to find I did have some residual loyalty to the Community, otherwise I wouldn’t have minded what he thought of me. ‘So she’s not so loyal after all. I did wonder.’

  Yves stepped between us. ‘She’s loyal to me. That’s what soulfinders are. What she hasn’t realized is that the game has changed. I’ve decided to defect.’

  Pretending interest in the view of Big Ben, the Seer savoured the unusual word, not heard much these days. ‘Defect?’ His expression reminded me of a toad swallowing a particularly juicy bluebottle.

  ‘Yeah. This isn’t about Phee any longer, Mr Seer, though I admit she was the catalyst. After meeting her, I figured that you could offer me more than the Savant Net.’ Yves’s grin had turned brash, confident—the expression of a boy with more arrogance than sense. ‘You know, someone with my brains can’t make the kind of money they deserve playing for the good guys.’ We all must have looked very sceptical for he made an attempt to explain. ‘Look, it’s probably not of much interest to you, but my family have been on my back for a while now, cramping my style, needling me about my mistakes. Meeting Phee has given me the kick up the ass to do something about it.’ He twirled the memory stick. ‘I want this to be the price of my admission. And you give me Phee.’ He mentioned me as if I were an after-thought.

  The Seer fixed his gaze on Yves, trying to breach his defences to sort out truth from lies. Yves had to be lying, didn’t he? I scanned Yves’s mental landscape and found only a resolution to strike a deal. He was keeping us out of any deeper probe and I doubted the Seer would see more than I could.

  At length, the Seer threw back his head and laughed. ‘Good try, Benedict. You almost had us believing you were sincere. But I cannot believe the Savant Net’s good boy is so easily tempted to betray his family.’

  ‘Try me.’ Yves tossed the stick to Unicorn, catching him unawares. ‘I take it you have a laptop?’

  Unicorn nodded and drew a little computer out of a briefcase. Slotting the stick in the USB port, he waited for the information to come on screen. Distressed and confused by this sudden change of direction, I paced my end of the capsule, corralled by Yves and Dragon in case I tried to grab the stick again. Somehow I’d got myself in the position that they were all teaming up against me. Four against one—how had that happened?

  ‘Looks good to me,’ Unicorn confirmed. ‘Savants listed by country and skills. I know a couple of the British names—they check out.’

  Yves glanced over at the screen. ‘Just don’t copy that over from the memory stick.’

  Unicorn snorted, showing he had no intention of obeying that restriction. ‘Running a virus check right now.’

  Yves shrugged. ‘Your funeral.’

  The Seer brushed his chin, rethinking his approach. ‘So you are corruptible, I see, Yves. I thought you’d try to hand over false information, but if this holds for all the other n
ames, then I have to admit I was wrong about you.’

  ‘You credit me with far too pure motives, Mr Seer. It’s simple really. I want to make my fortune and I want my girl: you can give me access to both. What else does a man need for happiness? I’m seventeen—almost eighteen—about time I shook off my babysitters, don’t you think?’

  ‘You’ll understand if we don’t believe you on the strength of this.’ The Seer waved to the screen where Unicorn was now scrolling through the names. ‘I’ll have to consult my business partners and they will probably want to meet you. Can you do that without your family finding out? Your value to us is primarily as a source of inside information; we would not want them to question your loyalty.’

  ‘That’s fine. My family wouldn’t believe me capable of this. Even if they see me talking to you this morning, they will still find an innocent reason for me doing so.’

  Yves, no! I mentally beat against his barriers; he was keeping me out of his head just as I had done when we first met. I didn’t understand what he thought he was doing.

  The Seer nodded. ‘Yes, you’re quite convincing in your incorruptibility; I can see how they would fall for it. In that case, we’ll take this information to my colleagues; check it out; and then send you a message where you should meet us.’

  ‘OK. So what about Phee?’ Yves wasn’t looking at me, just tossed the remark out as if I were a dog he had to remember to kennel before he went on holiday.

  The Seer shook his head. ‘She has revealed that she’s disloyal so I cannot let her out on loan to you again. There’s a little matter that needs seeing to. She comes home with us.’

  ‘Then I do too. This soulfinder business is weird; we’re programmed to want to stay together, even if your partner’s a bit of a flake.’ He winked at me as if that would make the insult better.

  Dragon sniggered.

  The Seer frowned, weighing up the risks. ‘You can do this without alerting your people to what’s going on?’

  Yves shrugged. ‘All I need say is that I’ve decided to go off with Phee for a bit of tourism. My parents really buy into the soulfinder thing and will expect me to want her to myself for a few days. They would rather I was out of their hair at the moment. That’ll give us a day at the very least before they start looking for us. Is that enough?’

  ‘It should be.’

  We were coming down on the other side of the Eye. The Seer calculated that we only had a few minutes left to seal the deal and he was still unsure of exactly what he was getting.

  ‘I need some surety if you come back with us. I prefer my activities to remain out of sight.’

  ‘Of course you do. Only sensible.’ Yves stretched as if completely at ease with the unfolding situation, waistband of his boxers flashing above low slung jeans, well defined muscles rippling.

  From the glint in his eye, I guessed that the Seer did not appreciate the display of youthful body peacocking beside his own fat turkey of a form. ‘Your shields are strong, Yves. I think a safeguard planted in your brain would not set—at least not to my satisfaction. I will use Phoenix again as it is clear, even as a … what did you call her? Oh, yes, a flake, unreliable. Flake or not, she is a large part of your motivation.’

  Yves dismissed me with barely a glance. ‘No, there’s no need for that. I’ll let you put the thing in my brain.’

  The Seer tapped his lips with his arched fingers. ‘No. I don’t trust you—yet. I know Phoenix’s mind and hers is very susceptible to my touch. It will take with her and this is too important to risk in an experiment with a Savant at full power, as I sense you are. Phoenix, come here.’

  I clung to the rail at the far end of the capsule, shaking with anger. How could Yves denigrate me so? I couldn’t believe it. ‘You’re all mad, all of you! Yves, stop this right now! I don’t want you to come back with me, can’t you understand that? Just leave!’

  Dragon picked me up so my back was to his chest and hauled me over to the Seer. Yves did nothing to stop him, just stood with his arms folded.

  ‘She gets hysterical like this from time to time.’ My frigging soulfinder was apologizing for me! I kicked out, hoping to connect with his groin but my foot missed. ‘Phee, calm down. No one’s going to hurt you. It’s just a precaution.’ He turned to the Seer. ‘What were you going to do?’

  ‘I was going to suggest she kills you if you betray where we live to anyone outside the Community, but it looks as if she’s going to do that anyway when Dragon turns her loose.’

  They all laughed at me. It was only the hint that the Seer found my behaviour entertaining that cut off my protests. I went limp, head hanging. Dragon dropped me on my feet in front of the Seer.

  ‘No one said a soulfinder relationship was plain sailing. I’ll soon have her tamed,’ Yves said smugly, patting the seat of my jeans.

  I told him what he could do with himself—something anatomically impossible. The men laughed at my reaction, even Yves. This was so unlike my sensitive boy of the past few days, I couldn’t understand what he meant by it. He had to be acting, but why? If he seriously wanted to treat me like a possession, he was going to find himself singing soprano.

  ‘I’ll leave the discipline to you, then,’ smirked the Seer. ‘I’ve been searching for a strong partner for her but it seems that fate has already selected you. I’m putting you in charge of keeping her in line, as well as fulfilling your end of the deal, understood?’

  ‘Yeah, goes without saying.’

  ‘And I take it something happening to her is worse than anything I could impose on you?’

  Yves reluctantly nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess.’

  The Seer reached out and grasped my wrist. ‘Phoenix, if your soulfinder betrays me, the location, or any members of our Community, you will reject him.’

  Happy now? I snarled at Yves.

  He just shook his head, like a nursery teacher standing over a three year old’s temper tantrum.

  We completed the rest of the journey in hostile corners. Dragon and Unicorn stood guard on the computer; the Seer stayed at the front, studying the prospect as if he owned Westminster; Yves lounged against the railing in the middle of the capsule; and I, well, I’d retired back to the far end, hurt and puzzled by the course he was taking. He had said he wouldn’t betray me, and so far he was keeping to his bargain with the Seer, but he’d also said he wouldn’t hurt his family. How could handing over such sensitive information satisfy this pledge? And what was with all the disgusting macho behaviour? If he thought I would secretly swoon at being dominated by him, then he had better reconsider his options quickly or I’d do it for him.

  The doors opened with a gentle hiss.

  ‘Did you enjoy your flight?’ the attendant asked, trying to hand me a customer questionnaire.

  ‘Like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.’ I marched past her, ignoring the pamphlet.

  Yves paused to smooth the woman’s ruffled feathers. ‘Vertigo,’ he explained. ‘My friend lost her head for a moment up there.’

  No, I hadn’t. He was the one who had done that, and now we were both in the Seer’s trap, the very place I’d been trying to keep him out of since our paths first crossed.

  Finally left alone in my little flat while the information on the Savant Net was checked out, Yves and I stood awkwardly with the expanse of the room dividing us.

  I folded my arms, trying to hold in my howl of fury. ‘I can’t believe you sold out.’

  Yves dropped his eyes from mine and scanned the room. ‘Nice.’

  ‘I know it’s not.’

  He must have noted the lack of pictures or other decorations. All I had was a pillow, sleeping bag, towel and large holdall with the rest of my stuff. A spare pair of shoes was kicked under the bed. The floor was covered in worn brown lino, an old quilt cover stood in for curtains. At least my room smelt clean, unlike many of the other flats. I had made sure I scrubbed everything down before I unpacked.

  ‘This makes me feel humble: you have less stuff in a place
you’ve lived for a while than I have in a suitcase I brought for a week’s stay.’ Yves picked up my hairbrush and put it back down on the window ledge.

  ‘Yves, please …’ I couldn’t stand small talk when he’d done such a terrible thing. He had to explain or I would go crazy.

  He opened his arms wide, inviting me to walk in. I stayed on my side of the room. It would be easier, perhaps, to fall into the pattern of letting him steer me through this like some kid strapped in a chair on the backseat while he drove, but I couldn’t live with myself if I did. It just wasn’t in me.

  He dropped his hands to his hips. ‘OK. Look, I’m sorry about the way I treated you back there. I got the message that the Seer doesn’t like to see people, especially women, expressing their own views. I thought if I gave the impression you’d transferred your loyalty to me, he’d be OK with that as long as I’m on his team.’

  ‘So you are on his team?’

  Yves shrugged. ‘So it seems. For the moment. But really there’s only one team that counts: you and me.’

  ‘But what … how are you … ?’ I ran my fingers through my hair and tugged in frustration. ‘You’ve not really defected, have you?’

  ‘Yeah, I have.’ He sat down on the edge of my bed.

  ‘No, you haven’t.’

  ‘I had no choice. I can’t keep you safe otherwise.’

  ‘That makes no sense. You no more want to walk on the dark side with this bunch than have a lobotomy!’

  He had the gall to chuckle. ‘Good image. Come and lie down with me. There’s nothing either of us can do until we get our summons.’

  ‘Can’t you understand? I don’t want to get more involved with you if you’re like them.’ It was the worst insult I could think of. ‘And … and I don’t believe it anyway. You’re lying to me.’

  He kicked off his shoes and stretched out. ‘I promise you, I’m not lying.’

  ‘But that’s worse!’

  ‘You keep forgetting the most essential point, Phee.’

  ‘I do?’

  ‘I’ve only asked one thing of you. Tell me what it is.’