Building Harlequin’s Moon (51 page)

L
IREN STOOD WITH
her feet planted, standing in Erika’s way, barring her passage. It was a dangerous thing to do to a ship’s captain, but Liren
had
to get to Selene. “I am going down there,” she insisted. “That’s our entire project, and I’m going. Our work could be destroyed—all by that crazy boy I wanted to lock up here!”

Erika’s words were sharp and clipped. “Andrew’s a man now. Yes, he’s dangerous. In fact, you were right. Isn’t that
enough for you? You’ve never even been to Selene! I have. The gravity changes alone will cripple you. I may not let you go. Why not let the people in Clarke Base handle it?”

Liren kept her voice even. “I told them to stand down, to wait until I get there.”

“See, you don’t need to be on Selene to order people around!” Erika snapped. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Liren let a few moments of silence go by; signaling she would obey if ordered. Then she whispered, “I got us here. I got us away from Sol. There’s no time. Please don’t stop me. It’s my duty to go to Clarke Base. I know what I’m doing.”

“That is very damned debatable.”

“Remember that Council meeting when Captain Hunter and Kyu were trying to take my position?”

“Yes.” Erika bit the word out, short, clipped. She tugged on her long braid, fingering the captain’s insignia twisted into it.

“I said I’d go to Selene if I was needed there. Well, I’m needed.”

“There are enough people in danger down there right now.”

Liren let silence work for her again.

Erika pursed her lips, then, finally, smiled wanly. “For the record, I don’t agree with you.”

“I know.”

“Go carefully.” Erika was already turning away.

“Thank you.” Liren whirled and raced down the corridor, heading for the exit bay above the garden sphere.

Relief and fear and guilt danced inside her, at war with each other. Was she right? She had to be right. Surely she’d be able to see an answer once she got there. She prayed that her forces at Clarke Base would be able to hold the peace until then. Less than an hour. How much could happen in an hour?

Liren gritted her teeth at the memory of a recent conversation with Kyu. Freshly warmed, dressed in deep purples that flouted the uniform rules and accented her high cheekbones and tiny body, Kyu had said, “Your policies themselves caused the standoff. If we were not so harsh, so trigger-happy and afraid, then no one would be dead.”

Kyu was not entirely right, she couldn’t be. Kyu had been cold these last months, didn’t know how things were. Yet guilt gnawed at Liren. Not for Jacob’s death; accidents happened. But for Star’s plight and Andrew’s insubordination, which would lead to more death. Almost inevitably.

It was her responsibility to fix this. Besides, her support on
John Glenn
was clearly eroding. Erika had almost refused to let her go. This way, she would keep respect, or lose it all, in one event. That was acceptable. The honorable choice.

She was afraid and exhilarated all at once: alive. The captain—Captain Hunter—was on Selene. He had been a supporter up until his last betrayal, almost her best friend, and
now
he’d surely see that he was wrong and Liren was right. He had to. It was clear. She’d find a way to put it right when she got to Selene. She would.

G
ABRIEL TRIED TO
watch four data windows at once. Ali sat next to him, one hand on his shoulder, looking at the same four windows. Kristin labored at the other end of the table, streams of recent historical data flowing around her. It was hard for Gabriel to see what Kristin was doing, but
light flickered and low sounds emanated from the data streams; voices, conversations, slightly sped up. Kristin’s face was slack, her jaw hanging open just a bit, her concentration entirely focused on the work in front of her.

Ali pointed. “Rachel’s left her group,” she said.

Gabriel followed the line of her finger. In the second window, blue and yellow wings flashed over fields, flying back toward Clarke Base. A second pair of wings followed her, falling slightly behind. A man. His stockier shape gave him away as Earth Born.

“Who’s following her?”

“That’s Bruce. I know his wings. Good for him.”

Another reminder that Ali knew people on Selene better than he did. Gabriel grimaced. “She’d better just be going for supplies,” he said.

“Dylan is in the warehouse,” Ali reminded him.

That was answer enough. He looked over at an aerial view of the warehouse. It was a large square, two tall stories, with the top of a freight elevator poking up and a landing pad on top; one doorway from the roof into the building. Storage buildings and manufacturing shops surrounded it, but none were taller. Did he dare hope that Andrew chose this building for its height and not for what it contained? Better not count on it.

Many Council, maybe everyone from the base, stood around the building, watching the corners, leaning against walls, scanning the sky. They appeared to be waiting.

Rachel flew unerringly toward the warehouse. Bruce was losing ground. They passed over the fence, staying low, out of line of sight from everyone Gabriel could see on the ground. How did Rachel know where to go, which routes were safe? He watched them enter the warehouse and manufacturing district, flying low, dipping between buildings.

Ali stood up and brushed her lips across Gabriel’s cheek. She disappeared into the galley off the conference room. Gabriel was surprised that she took that moment to leave.
She was thirsty? With Clarke Base almost at war and Rachel flying into it? “Ali—come here. Whatever you’re doing can wait.”

“I’ll be right there,” she said. Glasses clinked, water ran.

On the screen in front of him a Moon Born—a young woman he didn’t recognize—stuck her head out of the elevator door briefly, looking around. Four Moon Born walked the edges, guarding. He recognized Justin, Rachel’s half brother, Jacob’s twin.

Some Council appeared to have a clear line of sight to Justin, but no one fired.

There had to be video inside the warehouse—they used it for manufacturing. “Astronaut? Find me identifiers for cameras inside the warehouse, and a blueprint.”

Ali returned, handing Gabriel a glass of greenish water that smelled like vitamins. He sighed. Why was he so tense with her? “Thank you,” he said, and drank greedily, his body still thirsty despite all the fluids he had taken in.

She smiled briefly. “I want to be down there. We’ve got to be sure you get past the med checks so you can fly.”

Astronaut found three cameras inside the warehouse that would give Gabriel a pretty good field of view. He left the aerial shot of the warehouse up as floating wallpaper, and embedded three interior shots, grainier but passable. Now he could see down hallways. One shot was the raw materials section, another showed a processing room, and a third detailed stacks of finished materials, mostly metals. Two figures moved through the stacks of finished goods, apparently just looking.

Rachel and her follower had ducked over a low fence, still flying, still staying low and moving around the activity, keeping out of sight.

He called her up. “Rachel, do you know where you’re going?”

Rachel’s flight went ragged for an instant. Then she said, “To stop this.”

“How?”

She answered him through the measured breathing of a flier. “I don’t know yet. Dylan is there, and Justin.” Breathe. “I think Harry is probably there too—he left to round up strays.” Breathe. “A long time ago and never came back.”

He hadn’t known about Harry. That made it worse. “Rachel, it’s a dangerous place. Go back to your people. Stay safe.”

“Does everyone want to control me?” Breathe. “I’ll choose my own risks, dammit.” Breathe. Silence.

“Who else is trying to control you?”

“Help, or stop distracting me.” Breathe. Her breath was ragged gulps for air. Dammit. She knew not to out-fly her breath.
She must be scared
.

Ali had walked to the other side of the room. Her back was to him. Was Ali talking to Rachel? Was that why she’d been in the kitchen?

“Is Ali telling you what Andrew is doing?”

Breathe. “No.” Breathe.

“So who is?” He remembered the data streams that showed Rachel and her group of children not there and then there. Rachel didn’t answer him, but she appeared to be talking to
someone
.

Kristin tapped Gabriel’s shoulder.

“What? Not now.”

“Just look.” Her voice sounded so much like Rachel’s that Gabriel stood to look. Two data windows hung in the air next to Kristin. One was a path around an empty field, a high-resolution shot that showed the cracks left by rainwater in the muddy path and the tiny movement of leaves in the damp wind. Next to it, a grainy shot showed a large group of people moving up the path. What was she showing him? Kristin spoke a command and the two pictures superimposed on each other, and even though the angles differed, it was the same shot. “Time stamp,” he said reflexively, knowing the answer.

“They match. Exactly.”

So Rachel was being run by someone. Given data. Encouraged to take risks. Someone—capable—was covering for her. Or using her. Gabriel whirled around. Ali’s back was still to him. He took the three steps needed to stand right next to her, and said, very softly, “How are you getting Rachel data?”

She looked at him, wide-eyed. “I
am
talking to her. I’m trying to reassure her. I’ll stop if you want.” She touched his stomach, lightly, fingers spread wide, a reminder of their friendship.

It was a rational response. It wasn’t just Ah’ anyway, it couldn’t be. She was no communications technician—she couldn’t doctor video like what he’d just seen. Ali was . . . Ali. His friend. She had been his lover, hundreds of nights alone in magic rooms on the ship, surrounded by stars, alone on the surface of Selene when it was new, building and creating. He trusted her. “Dammit,” he said, “there’s no time. What the hell is going on?” And then he thought he knew.

“Astronaut”—he said it out loud—”are you talking to Rachel?”

“Not right now.”

“Yes you are, you have to be.”

“You know I can’t lie to you, Gabriel,” the reply returned in Astronaut’s perfect voice.

“Turn off Rachel’s access to the Library. It’s her only major connection—whoever is talking to her has to be using that link. I want to know who it is, and if they’re leading her into danger.”

“Then you won’t be able to talk to her either,” Ali said, staring at him, a look of intense need on her face.

“I need to find out who’s running her,” Gabriel said. “She won’t go back, and I’m afraid she’s being led right into danger.”

Kristin stepped toward them. “Leave her access on,” Ali said. “Trust her.”

Astronaut’s voice, out loud, ringing in the room, so everyone could hear. “I’ve already complied with Gabriel’s order.”

They looked. Rachel shook her head. She bobbled a little, losing height, then beat her wings hard, staying on course. The camera view was from above; they couldn’t see her face. She slowed down three streets from the action. Bruce caught up to her.

Kristin spoke first. “If you take away her access to information, she’s in more danger than when she has it.”

Ali shot a surprised look at Kristin; approving. She said, “We can’t help from here. We’re still trapped. Let her get the help she needs from the surface.”

“But she’s in danger!” Gabriel said.

“So is everyone down there,” Ali snapped. “Let her act on her own—she will anyway. But give her access to information. That way we’ll have access to her too.”

Kristin looked at him. “Please? That’s my daughter.”

Ali put a hand on the taller woman’s shoulder, smiling.

“Astronaut—restore Rachel’s access.”

That perfect voice again. “Done.”

The close physical proximity of the women made Gabriel feel cornered, hampered by the lack of time to . . . think. There was a lot he didn’t understand happening on his moon. Heck, in this room. What was the right choice? No time. He chose. “Can you also override the communications block on the Moon Born?”

“To do so, I must override Shane’s command,” Astronaut said.

Gabriel licked his lips. “Okay. Do it.”

Ali reached for him and he shook her off. “Give me some room to think. I’m voting for the Moon Born. And us too. If I can. Rachel needs a way to find her people.”

Ali let out a deep breath and smiled at him, her eyes shining. “Thank you.”

Gabriel spoke to the AI. “Thanks, Astronaut. Don’t think you’re done, buddy—I think you have some explaining to do.”

“No,” Ali said, “it’s not Astronaut. We took a copy of Astronaut with us to the surface.”

Ali copied an AI? Ali hated AIs
. Gabriel grabbed Ali’s shoulders. What had she been thinking? “Who’s we?”

“Treesa and I.”

Gabriel stopped, dropping his hands. Treesa would have the skills. And she was disaffected, maybe downright crazy. What was Ali mixed up in? There wasn’t time to query her now. Should he stop Rachel? It would be easy: just tell Shane, or anyone, where she was. Ali had suggested he let her go; not intervene. And what was Liren planning? Dammit! He didn’t know enough. An AI! “Plan on explaining when we get out of here. I can get to a ship in twenty minutes.”

Astronaut spoke up. “I’ve reserved one for you.”

Gabriel turned his attention back to the warehouse shots. Star was under guard. A young woman stood over her. The young woman had a gun, but that might not be much advantage. Star was Earth-gravity strong and well trained in combat arts.
So many people I care about are in danger
.

Astronaut’s voice broke in again. “Flare.”

What was the AI trying to pull
now?
Not a bad idea, he flashed, make the hostilities go away by introducing a flare. It was . . . perhaps brilliant. Maybe. He couldn’t discount the possibility that it was real. “What class? How much time do we have?”

“Y class Nine. Solar radiation will reach Selene in nine hours.”