Botanicaust (59 page)

Levi squinted through the duster window at the Blattvolk city, his heart sick to be repeating this journey. Mirrored walls glared sunlight. Streets flowed with green-skinned pedestrians and those strange, clear-sided cars like the one he and Tula had driven into the desert. In the center, a solitary, solid building hunkered next to the landing pad. The prison.

How could Tula do this? She
’
d run to that Blattvolk man
’
s arms as if she
’
d planned this all along. The nurses were saying she had. Even Beth refused to acknowledge him as he offered assurances Tula was a prisoner, too.

Not that he believed his own words. The tawny-eyed man had helped her into the duster like a princess, offering her a seat, petting her arm, smiling at her with puppy dog eyes. The rest of the Blattvolk deferred to that man, except for the scrawny fellow Levi recognized from the prison. Vitus. That was his name. Vitus sat up front and glared at Tula with hateful red eyes. He was like a cross of the worst traits from both the Blattvolk and the Fosselites rolled into one.

Lifting his limp son into his arms, Levi allowed the Blattvolk guards to usher him down the ramp. Josef had lost consciousness at the end of the flight. Other children from the Ward were not much better. One was worse.

Beth
’
s ashen face as she carried little Saul down the incline made Levi vibrate with anger. The boy had died in flight, in spite of a Blattvolk medic
’
s attempts to provide oxygen. At the door to the prison, Beth refused to relinquish the body to the Blattvolk technicians.
“
No, you can
’
t take him. He belongs with his parents.
”

They grabbed her arms and wrested Saul from her. Beth fell into a heap, sobbing.
“
Don
’
t touch her!
”
Levi said in Cannibal, but he couldn
’
t help her and care for Josef. The Blattvolk lifted Beth beneath the arms and carried her into a cell. Helpless bile rose into Levi
’
s mouth.

Keeping his head high, Levi
followed,
entering the cell they opened for him.
“
My child needs medicine.
”
He looked a Blattvolk in the eye and spoke Cannibal. The green skinned man turned his attention to Josef, put his fingers to the pulse at the boy
’
s neck, and then held out his arms.

Levi trembled. If Josef didn
’
t get medicine, he would end up like Saul. But to let him go freely into the care of a Blattvolk
…

“
I come, too.
”

The Blattvolk shook his head.

Feeling the judgment of the rest of the Old Order upon him, Levi couldn
’
t move. His desire to follow the Ordnung hung heavy on his shoulders. His love for his son stretched the tethers of his soul. A child in another cell started coughing. Kept coughing. Josef
’
s breath rattled.

Levi handed over his son.

The air of the enclosed building tasted stale in spite of the venting system, like plastic and the closeness of people. Sunlight filtered through the clear roof onto the oval table where several council members had already settled for the trial. After so long in the raw sun, no amount of filtered light could make Tula feel at home. She rubbed her hands down the short skirt covering her thighs and readjusted the layer of necklaces as an Enforcer showed her to her seat in the defendant
’
s box. Crime was rare in the Protectorate; the box was a new addition to the Board Room, an ugly creation of extruded nuvoplast bent into a deep semi-circle.

The Enforcer moved into position behind her. Tula smiled at him and turned to the small table inside. Her head just cleared the top edges of the nuvoplast box. A bottle of water and a gamma pad awaited her use.

The forty Gallery chairs had already filled with curious spectators vying to see the trial in person rather than on the vid screens at home. In the front row, Bats raised two fingers in greeting as he caught Tula
’
s eye. Another of her converts sat next to him, nodding slightly. Scattered throughout the room, she saw scores of familiar faces. At the back wall next to other Enforcers, Mo stood with his hands clasped in front of him. His face was immobile as stone.

Last night had turned out better than she expected with him. But he was hurting, and she couldn
’
t make him better. She was stunned when he wanted to support her plea to the Board. Filling the room with her successful converts had been his idea. While they would not be allowed an official say in the outcome, their show of support might sway the Board in her favor. He
’
d spent most of the night rallying as many allies as he could. Guilt soured her stomach that he insisted on helping her.

The only missing key was Eily. The girl had disappeared in the chaos at the Holdout, and at the time, Tula had been glad. But now she needed her. And she worried for the child. Was she being treated fairly by the Old Order? Was she reverting to cannibal ways?

Most of all, would the Board believe Tula
’
s claims against Vitus and the Fosselites without physical proof of a reversion who hadn
’
t been euthanized?

At one end of the wide, oval Council table, Vitus sat in his assigned seat, conversing in whispers to cronies who came and went. Every now and then, he shot her a look, nostrils flared and lip curled. His bloodshot eyes made her shudder, and solidified her certainty of his participation in the Fosselite experiments.

With or without Eily, Tula was determined to make him pay.

Thankfully, Levi was alive. Mo brought word on that. Vitus had tried to initiate euthanization on Levi immediately, but Arnica put a hold on all Conversion Department activity until after the hearing.

On the hour, Councilman Roben called the hearing to order. The nuvoplast ceiling dimmed, and a large vid screen at the back of the room flashed to life. Tula
’
s heart rate accelerated at the sight of Dr. Rice
’
s dark face and blood-red eyes. The Gallery buzzed loudly with excitement for a moment, then hushed as Roben cracked his gavel.

“
Dr. Macoby, we
’
ve been asked by the Fosselites to extradite you on the murder of Dr. Edward Kaneka. In light of our own multiple grievances against you, and your past exemplary service to the Protectorate, we have decided to hold the trial here.
”
The Councilman sat stiff in his chair, his hands folded across his lap.

Dr. Rice
’
s voice ricocheted through the room,
“
Councilman, I repeat my protest.
”
A tech adjusted the volume as the doctor continued.
“
This woman is guilty of a heinous crime against our foremost expert on telomerase. In the interest of trade relations, we demand you turn her over to us at once.
”

“
We must first complete our own investigation, as we already discussed. You are present at this trial only out of respect for our trade relationship.
”
Roben turned to Tula.
“
Now, Dr. Macoby, you are accused by the Protectorate of releasing a prisoner from Confinement without permission and of stealing and destroying Protectorate property in the form of one skimmer. We have testimony and evidence these actions were committed willingly and believe they
are
evidence of your reversion. What do you have to say?
”

Tula stood, resisting the urge to fiddle with her necklaces.
“
Sir, I do not deny my actions were voluntary. I do deny the accusation of reversion.
”

“
On what grounds?
”

“
The man I rescued from Confinement was not
—
is not
—
a cannibal.
”
She resisted the habit of calling Levi by name. Mo had pointed out that any hint of her origins or of anything other than a professional relationship with Levi might be used against her.
“
I believed he came from a people who survived the Botanicaust without resorting to cannibalism, which I have now proven to be correct. At Councilwoman Arnica
’
s request, I was working to discover his origins while he was interred here. However, before I was able to gather this information, Dr. Dedecus scheduled the subject for euthanization.
”

“
Sir, I object.
”
Vitus
’
s voice rose from the Council table.
“
We have video footage of this man attacking Dr. Macoby, which is grounds for immediate euthanization, and she failed to report the incident.
”

“
Is this true?
”
Roben addressed one of the attendants behind him.

“
Sir,
”
Tula interjected.
“
Levi
—
the man I rescued
—
did attempt to free himself from his cell, at one point. He does not speak any of the Cannibal dialects, and was frightened and confused. You would probably attempt to escape such a situation, as well. But he is a peaceful man, and ceased his attack when I managed to communicate safety to him. He did not hurt me, and I did not feel the need to submit a report in this situation.
”

“
So, the man was to be euthanized. And rather than go through proper channels, you helped him escape.
”

“
I have attempted to avert the euthanization of prisoners before without success. Because of the unique nature of this subject, I could not risk failure. I felt the need to make a physical protest of the Protectorate policy of euthanization.
”
This was part of the plan she and Mo had worked out last night. If freeing Levi was a conscious protest rather than an act of passion, there might be a chance she could avert the reversion charges. And hopefully change conversion policy.

Vitus sputtered.
“
If Dr. Macoby truly intended her actions to be a political statement, she would have returned home after releasing the prisoner.
”

Dr. Rice chimed in from the vid speakers.
“
When Dr. Macoby arrived at our doors, she did not request we contact the Protectorate. In fact, she asked us
not
to, which made her a reversion by your own definition, and ineligible for Protectorate amnesty. I again request extradition on charges of murder.
”

The gallery buzzed in anger.

“
Dr. Dedecus, Dr. Rice, please.
”
Councilman Roben hushed the room with his gavel.
“
You will get a turn for your request.
”

Tula drew steady breaths to calm herself.
“
I would like to address the Fosselite charges of murder at this time, if I may.
”
Without waiting for permission, Tula continued.
“
While I was inside the Fosselite compound, I discovered several Haldanians who had been condemned as reversions and sentenced to euthanization. Only they were never given the
“
peaceful
”
death our Conversion Department promised. They were traded as experimental longevity subjects. Fosselites are harvesting them for drugs, torturing them with excessive doses of ultraviolet radiation prior to chemical extraction. They attempted to do the same to me.
”

More noise among the gallery, and several people had to be subdued by Enforcers.

Vitus rose from his seat.
“
I protest! This weed
—
this woman is obviously a reversion. She is subverting this trial from the matter at hand.
”