Before she even knew why, Gia threw herself against the grip on her arm, broke free and ran towards the Mere Delegate’s tank. Water stained the boards around it and a selkie guard was wrestling with somebody, spear flashing in her grip as she stabbed. But Gia had eyes only for the tank.
Water streamed from it, the upper half shattered.
He’s going to die in there. Got to get him into the water.
Another cloud of gas swept over her and again she had to bend over, shielding her face with her arms. She stumbled on towards the broken tank, her eyes stinging, barely able to see she reached inside, trying to avoid the jagged sides. Something hissed and bubbled in the mess of slimy kelp and shards of glass. The Mere grabbed at her, long fingers closing on her arms. Something hairy brushed against her. Somebody was next to her, strong arms helping her ease the Mere out of the broken tank. “Get into water,” gasped the selkie, coughing out the words.
A body knocked into her, another running shape veered around them. Screams everywhere and a rattling sound. Gunfire? The Mere was slippery in her arms, but he clung to her now with a desperate strength, his face cradled against her shoulder, wheezing. She felt the selkie steering her and then they reached the edge of the wharf. Water sloshed against the tire fenders. Then she stepped too far.
Down she fell, into the freezing water, the Mere in her arms. The shock of the cold drove the breath from her lungs. She kicked against the stranglehold of the Mere. Salt water stung her eyes, strong and bitter in her open mouth. At last she felt the Mere release his hold and he was gone. A searing pain in her scalp and she was dragged up. Coughing and spluttering and breathing in seawater. Somebody had an arm around her, had her by the hair.
For a moment she hung there, getting her breath. Above them, the pierhead was a world away and all she could hear was the water, sloshing and clopping under the wharf. The selkie released its hold on her hair and she turned her face to try to see it, but became aware of something else. A displacement of water. A shape moving past beneath her feet. Something large. She could feel the tug of the slipstream as it slid past.
Shark?
“Don’t move,” said the selkie. Gia stared into its dark eyes and the two of them clung to one another, letting the water move them up and then down.
“Go, now!” The selkie pushed at her, shoved her to the edge of the wharf. Gia bashed against it, got hold of one of tyre fenders and scrambled out of the water.
She lay there, coughing, trying to get her breath back. The boards jumped under her as people ran past, but at least the screaming had stopped. The wind was stronger now.
That was lucky, she guessed. Only now and then a wisp of gas made her retch and cough again, but most of it had been blown away. Her hands throbbed where she’d burnt them. At last she dared to straighten a little and look around. The crowd was gone and all the lights were out. The selkies were gone too. Gia got stiffly to her feet, shivering so hard that her breath came in gasps. She was wet through and the wind was cold. A radio crackled nearby and she turned to see a man in a Special Branch uniform standing on the steps above her. A police car drove slowly over the paving, lighting the scene in long, blue flashes. People stood in huddled groups, or bent over fallen bodies. A siren whooped and beeped and she saw an ambulance approach.
The stage was dark except for the words that still glowed on that painted backdrop.
Your fear, our chains. But the day of reckoning will come. We will remember you, then.
A painting and a light bulb. Her numbed mind shocked into life again. Nico. Where was Nico? Was he here somewhere? Mantjies had said that whoever was controlling the lights on the painting must be close by. She remembered the doctor and his guards charging towards the stage and felt a cold hand close around her heart. Too late. I’m too late.
There were constables around the stage. She limped towards them. “Grobbelaar?” It was Mantjies, his jacket gone, and shirt torn. “You okay? What happened to you? You’re soaked.”
Gia nodded, distracted, looking around and trying to find Doctor Scubbe and his guards.
“Did you get hurt?” Mantjies was staring at her. “How did you get so wet?”
“Fell in. What’s going on?”
“We didn’t get any of them.” Something in his voice made Gia look at him. He sounded as if he wasn’t quite breathing properly. “They all got away, every one of them.”
“Who? What do you mean?”
“The Belle Gente!”
Of course, the black, gas-masked figures had been Belle Gente agents. That distorted loudhailer voice, speaking about traitors and a bloody revolution...
“You smell it?” Mantjies was hugging himself, shivering. “Do you?” Gia saw that he was shaking with emotion, not from the cold.
“I— I don’t know.” She’d smelt it, of course, the sharp, green smell that came with the gas, but had not had time to think about the implications. “It smells like—rosemary?”
“Yes. Rosemary. And liquorice. They were using one of my mixtures. One of my exact mixtures. The symptoms match exactly, the way the magicals reacted, hallucinations, the lot. And the masks they wore, those must have been the canisters I tested for.”
“But—how?” As the words left her lips, Gia understood. Because I sent it to them. I sent the gas formulae to the Belle Gente.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “It’s got to be a spy. Somebody leaked that information. Do you know—” He looked away. “They killed Robertson? They found his body just now, there by the edge of the wharf.”
Gia stared at him. “Constable Robertson?”
“Yes. And there’s a bunch of others dead or dying. Civilians. I don’t know how many. The crowd just went crazy. People got crushed.”
Somebody called Mantjies away, but Gia hardly noticed. She felt numb. People dead. Crushed. And Constable Robertson too. Dead. And what about Nico? What if he was one of those bundled shapes lying on the paving— She stared around, trying to make sense of the chaos. There were fewer people, most of them Special Branch officers, but still a fair number of civilians. An ambulance beeped and drew away, lights rotating. A group of constables stood in front of the Trading Post building, all looking upwards. Did they expect another attack? Gia drew closer, trying to overhear.
“...all gone now,” said one of them. “But they were definitely controlling it from up there. Small attic room. Bartie says they must have got in through the roof. Quite a climb.”
Gia looked up. The building was dark except for a window at the very top. Mantjies had thought that whoever was controlling the lights must be close by. It sounded as if the doctor had found the place, but had he caught them? Or could Nico still be up there, hiding, somehow?
Gia stepped into the shadows below the Trading Post. There were guards at the door. She doubted she could slip past them undetected. Maybe one of the windows? Some of them looked as if they’d been smashed. She walked carefully among the debris left by the panicking crowd. It was hard to see, the only light the flashing of the blue police lights. If Nico was still up there in the building somewhere, he’d be hiding. She’d have to get in somehow.
Several cars were parked near the building, one with its windscreen smashed and bonnet buckled in. People must have climbed onto it, trying to get away. Gia felt another scalding wave of guilt. How many people had been hurt, because of her, because of that list of substances she’d sent the Belle Gente?
Not now. All that matters now is finding Nico. But maybe she could use one of those cars too, as a way to get up to a window. She was still considering this possibility when a movement caught her eye. A window opening, somebody leaning out.
One of the Belle Gente?
A white face in the window. Dark smudges of eyes staring back at her. She knew, even before the faint whisper reached her. “Gia?”
“Nico!” Hardly daring to believe, she took a step toward him. “Nico? Is that you?”
Somebody
stood under the window. In the dark she could only see that he was tall and had a cloud of dark hair that bushed out around his head and shoulders. As she ran closer, this figure turned to look at her. Red ambulance light slid across the smooth fur of his face and glinted in his small, wide set eyes.
Billy. That must be Billy.
“Gia!” Nico was half out the window now. He struggled to get free of Billy’s guiding hands. “Let. Go!” But Billy simply lifted him down and held him as easily as if he’d been a kitten. Gia drew to a halt, breathing hard.
“What are you waiting for?” Another face appeared in the window, framed by a dandelion puff of silver hair. Large, fish-like eyes stared down at Gia. “Oh.” And then, “Fuckit. What are you waiting for, Billy? Bop her one.”
“No!” Nico’s struggles became more desperate. “Gia! Billy, no!”
Gia became aware of voices and footsteps behind her, beyond the cards. “Shut up, Nico,” she said. “They’re going to hear you if you carry on like that. It’s okay. Just be quiet.”
Spyker slid out the window, eyes never leaving Gia. “Let’s go, Billy.”
“No, wait.” Billy lowered Nico to the ground, looking at Gia. “Who are you?”
Somebody shouted from the room beyond the window and a door banged. Spyker dashed past Billy into the shadows between the parked cars. “Come on!”
The voices at the main entrance to the building were getting louder. Gia shrank back into the shadows next to Billy. Was that Captain Witbooi? It sounded like him, and there were several other men too, the armoured constables who had been with the doctor.
She bumped into Nico and the next moment he had somehow wriggled free and had his arms wrapped around her.
“Nico? Are you okay?” Gia tried to push him away to get a look at him, to feel his face, his arms, his hands. “Are you hurt?”
“No hurt.” He was breathing hard and smelled as if he’d not had a wash in days. Gia wrapped her arms around him and just held him as tightly as she could. “Oh, Nico.”
She became aware again of the bulk of Billy looming over them. “I’m his sister,” she explained. “But we can’t stay here, it’s not safe. Those guys, those cops, they’re Special Branch. If they find Nico, they’ll never let him go.”
Billy did not react and she became suddenly aware of the uniform she was wearing. He thinks I’m Special Branch too. But before she could even open her mouth to explain, a huge hand closed round her arm.
“Come,” said Billy. “I think we can slip out this way.”
Gia had no choice but to follow. They made their way through the parked cars until they reached a barrier—the temporary fence, Gia realised, which had been put in place for the event.
Spyker was already on the other side, fizzing with irritation and nerves. “Hurry up!” he said. “There’s still time. All the lights are out this side, we can— What she doing here? I thought you’d dealt with her.”
“Sister!” said Nico indignantly.
“She’s a cop, Billy,” hissed Spyker. “What are you waiting for?”
Billy ignored both of them. “You coming with us?”
Gia hesitated. There didn’t seem to be much choice. Even if she could get Nico away from Billy, where would she take him? Back to Captain Witbooi and Doctor Scubbe?
“We’ve got a van parked at the end there,” said Billy. “If we can get to it, I’m pretty sure we can get away safely.”
If she followed them now, she wouldn’t have to go back to Valkenberg. She wouldn’t have to face Mantjies. It wouldn’t matter if they figured out who’d been sending messages out on the computer. But what about the children stuck behind those metal doors in the Children’s Unit? And what about Lizzie? She had a responsibility there too.
Free or kill...
She stepped back, shaking her head. “I can’t go now, but you’ve got to take Nico back home. He’s too young— My father’s worried sick—” She faltered, silenced by Billy’s impassive face. “Please, Billy. He’s just a little boy.”
There was a sound of many feet, growing rapidly closer. “Go,” said Gia. “I’ll try to send them in the wrong direction.”
-oOo-
It was long after midnight by the time the truck, with Gia nodding sleepily in the back, rolled through the Valkenberg gates. Her clothes were damp and her skin and hair was sticky with sea salt. She wondered if she would have a chance to shower before going to bed. Surely I can get some sleep before...
“Grobbelaar? Come with me.”
A constable stood at the truck door, holding it open. Gia tried to convince herself that it was just exhaustion that made her feel uneasy as she followed the constable to the Annex. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Warrant Officer Naudé wants to speak to you.”
Gia could not get any further information from her.
Gia had not been to Naudé’s office before. It was much smaller than Captain Witbooi’s, hardly big enough for his desk and also much less tidy. Piles of computer printouts were stacked on every surface and the bookcase was stuffed to overflowing with box files and piles of paper. Cadet Mantjies was there too, sitting on a chair in the narrow space between the desk and a filing cabinet.
“Thank you, constable.” Naudé showed the strain of the long night, his thin hair mussed. “Cadet Grobbelaar. Sit down, please.”
Gia perched on the edge of the chair next to the door. She tried to catch Mantjies’s eye, to see if he would give her an idea what was going on, but he did not look at her.
“Grobbelaar.” Naudé rubbed his eyes tiredly. “We have some questions for you. Won’t take long, let’s just straighten a few things out.”
“Sir.” Mantjies sat very straight. “Is Captain Witbooi not back yet? Shouldn’t he be here—”
“Yes, yes,” said Naudé irritably. “He should, but he isn’t and he won’t be able to pay attention to anything but this dreadful business for days. In the meantime, I have to stand in for him. Now. Cadet Mantjies, you had some questions for the cadet here. Can you explain?”
Mantjies looked at her and Gia was startled by the chill in his eyes. “This is about the notes,” he said. “The notes on the gas experiments, that I gave you to take to data capture.”
“Yes?” Gia tried to stay calm. They still don’t know anything. Just stick to what you can tell them.
“And did you?”
“Oh, yes. I took them immediately to data capture. You remember, sir, I gave them to you.” Naudé didn’t respond.
“And what did you do with them?” asked Mantjies.
“I typed them in and then I gave them to Warrant Officer Naudé.” Gia tried to keep her tone light and puzzled, not to show the fear that was clawing at her. “Are they lost?”
“Well, no,” said Naudé. “I have them right here, Mantjies, as I explained to you.”
Mantjies nodded in acknowledgement, but his eyes never left Gia and they did not lose any of their chill. “But what did you do with the notes, cadet, before you gave them to Warrant Officer Naudé?”
“I— I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” said Gia. She tried to breathe calmly. “I typed them into the database. Did I do something wrong?”
“Which computer did you use?” Mantjies eyes bored into her.
“Which—?” She swallowed, her mouth dry. “I—I don’t remember. Does it matter?”
“Did you send that information to the Belle Gente?” said Mantjies. “We know that somebody was using one of those machines to send messages off the premises here. Was it you?”
Gia looked at Mantjies, then at Naudé, trying to see if they knew more, or if they were only guessing still. “I’m sorry?”
Now Naudé took over. “Cadet, are you aware that our security has been breached?”
“I’ve heard some rumours, sir—”
“Rumours.” He gave a small nod. “Mantjies here suspects that it was you who is responsible for this breach. Is that so?”
Gia shook her head.
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know much about computers. I only know the stuff you taught us in data capture.”
“Hm.” Naudé hunched his shoulders, frowned at Mantjies. “This is a pretty serious allegation, Cadet Mantjies. And I’m hesitant to act without Captain Witbooi’s input.”
“Sir,” said Mantjies. “I hope that I’m wrong, but we can’t leave this as it is. At the very least, there should be a search of her locker and anywhere else she might have hidden evidence, and we need to interview everyone she’s interacted with. We can’t just let her go free.”
“Well, we’ll have to look into it, certainly. In the mean time—” Naudé sighed. “Cadet Mantjies is correct. In the light of recent events, I cannot take any risks.”
-oOo-
“Well, there’s no way they’ll get us now,” said Billy. “I think we’re okay.”
They were rattling down the Boulevard in a tiny City Golf, a car that Billy had stolen when it had become clear that they couldn’t get to the van without drawing attention to themselves. Spyker was still fizzling and muttering about all the equipment they’d had to leave behind up in that little room, as well as the van itself.
“We’ll probably be able to get the van back,” said Billy. “There’s nothing to tie it to us. Just leave it a few days...”
But Spyker didn’t even seem to hear him. Nico tried to shut out the angry voice. He was curled up on the back seat, hoping he could fall asleep and forget the world for a while. But his mind was still spinning with everything that had happened.
It had been so strange to see Gia there, at the Waterfront. Seeing her face and hearing her voice was so different from linking with her. It brought back many other things, memories of his home, his father, his mother, things as they’d been before everything had gone so strange. He didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t seem to shut it out of his mind.
Wolf Logic Page 30
