Building Harlequin’s Moon (53 page)

A team of ten uniformed and armed Council disembarked behind her. She had chosen them for loyalty, not for experience on Selene, and she watched them carefully. They appeared to take it fine . . . and she remembered that she alone had lived hundreds of waking years in an enclosed place. These men and women remembered Sol system more viscerally than she; they stood more easily on the moon and immediately gathered around her, watching her solemnly, waiting for direction.

She led them toward the warehouse and the offending Children. The fenced outskirts of the warehouse district weren’t far from the landing field. No one came to meet them, but she saw movement behind the fence, people walking between buildings, one pair running.

There were stones and ridges in the ground. Glancing ahead of herself to be sure of her direction, she stumbled, tripping over her own feet, and nearly fell.

She stood straighter and walked slower, reviewing the building layout in her mind. If the rebels were in any other building, she would just have blasted it to smithereens. But there was nano in there—carefully programmed and carefully controlled. Surely these Children had no way to let it loose. It was just materials nano—it would take a sharp programmer to change it enough to make it dangerous. And there were controls. She couldn’t be sure the rebels didn’t have more help than she thought.

Give Andrew a tractor and teach him to run it: he would rip a garden plot apart. Give him nano . . . but he didn’t know what it was, didn’t know what to do with it. Her fear was that someone was teaching Andrew.

The flare meant she had less than six hours to resolve the situation. And find safety.

Shane stood at a makeshift command post, a set of tables surrounded by data windows full of maps, on a street corner with an angled view of the warehouse. Four chairs sat around the table, but Shane stood, talking to two Council. They stepped away as she came up to stand by Shane. He looked up at Liren, then at the line of Council she had brought with her. A brief frown crossed his face before it fell into’ a neutral expression, his eyes wary.

“What’s the situation?” she asked.

For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer. She had the distinct sense that he thought of her as an interruption. He sighed heavily. “They have Star. Still. There are ten of them. We’re following your orders, not shooting, containing them. We’re guarding the building and the main entrances to Clarke Base.” He hesitated. “We can use the extra bodies to reinforce the closest streets.”

Being deployed by Shane wasn’t in her plan. “I’ll take charge from here,” she said. “You can act as my second, directing your people on the perimeter. Keep the streets clear. I’m in charge now, and I’ll direct these ten. We’re going in to take care of the situation.”

Shane’s jaw dropped. “But . . . Liren? You don’t know Clarke Base. The situation is volatile. Star is still a hostage.”

“Were you planning to wait them out? There’s a flare coming.”

Shane’s face turned red, anger bubbling just under the surface. He swallowed, and nodded, looking like he hated it.

So he wasn’t willing to be insubordinate. That was good. His partner was in danger. She could forgive his initial reaction based on that alone. She softened her tone. “Have you had contact with Star?”

“Some. Her communications are still working, but they’re guarding her. She’s gotten us some messages. She’s not hurt. The Children are all armed. Some with two weapons. They are playing with them, experimenting. The only apparent plan is to threaten Star’s life. What they want . . .” Shane looked puzzled. “What they want is to stop the antimatter generator.”

They wanted what? Absurd. She shook her head. She could deal with that later. “Do they have any outside help? Are all the rebels there?”

He shrugged. “As far as I know, they are all there. We’ve asked around, but there hasn’t been time for ordered questioning. There aren’t enough of us to guard—like you wanted us to—and to search out Moon Born to question. We’re making sure no one else can get to them easily by watching the gates, watching as much of the fence as we can. We have patrols out. What are you going to do?”

“Confront them.”

“They’re angry, and they aren’t making any sense. I don’t want them to hurt Star.”

“Are you afraid of them?”

“I’m afraid for Star,” he said.

Liren sighed, feeling the flare warning like heat deep in her gut, goading her. At least it appeared the takeover was as unplanned as she’d expected. She had been afraid it was
more, afraid she’d missed some crucial alliance that the Children had built somehow. She eyed the warehouse. It was a huge square building, four times as tall as she was, gray and nondescript. Two small windows punched through the walls on both floors, four tiny eyes into the building. She scanned the roof. A head poked over the edge, looked down, and then withdrew.

“Tell your people—tell them to keep guarding. You stay here. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to tell people we’re going in and that they should guard our backs but not interfere. Try and get a message to Star.”

Shane turned toward her, shoulder muscles bunching under the dirty uniform shirt he wore, eyes down, avoiding hers. His voice was strong, commanding, belying the effect of his downcast eyes. “I think you are making a mistake. Let us handle it. We know the Moon Born, we know our town.”

Liren spoke softly, keeping her voice firm. “It’s my duty. I am Rule of Law for
John Glenn
, and that extends to this problem.”

Shane’s answer came through clenched teeth. “I would prefer to be the one making decisions that could affect Star’s life.”

“I know. But it is
my
job.” She said it firmly, and stepped back carefully, mindful of how Selene felt under her feet. She couldn’t afford to trip again.

Shane stepped away, toward a tall man, and began talking with him. She heard the words, “Make sure the streets stay clear,” and knew that he was following her orders. She realized she was shaking. John. Captain John was on Selene. He had fought her, but for all the first hundreds of years here, he had been her support. They had planned this project together—Selene, the Children, the collider, all of it—sixty thousand years ago. Surely now he would acknowledge the problem, help her with it.

“John . . . Liren. I’m on Selene.”

His answer came back immediately. “Why?”

He must know about the kidnapping and the takeover of the building. “To stop this. The collider is going to be built, and the Moon Born are going to understand not to tangle with us.”

“They’re wrong,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you are right.” Was he reading her mind? He continued, in the ultra-reasonable tones of someone talking to a drunk or a child. “Not all situations are black and white. Perhaps we are wrong,
and
they are wrong. Can you consider that possibility?”

“Not right now.” She needed John’s approval, and knew she couldn’t question herself. She stared at the warehouse, frowning. “Perhaps there were other decisions we might have made. But now it must be a lesson to them. There is no other choice.”

John’s voice was quiet, sure, and sounded cold. “Look, Liren, you don’t belong on Selene. I don’t see how you can make the situation better. I have to stay here and finish getting Refuge ready. We’ve already got some refugees. Perhaps you should go back, be sure you make it back to
John Glenn
before the flare. There is no good solution to this, and you can’t help.”

“Perhaps I’ll stay on Selene through the flare; see Refuge working firsthand. But first, I will finish this.”

“Be careful.” His voice was flat, and she couldn’t be sure he meant even the small support of those two words. It was not enough that he didn’t wish her to come to harm.

She drew her lips tight. The ten she had brought with her—had ordered here—they would support her. They had no choice; they knew too little of this current age to choose sides. It was almost time to go. She checked that her weapon would fire single needles, and gathered up her forces, stopping for one last look. Shane stood by the tables, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the warehouse. Other Council stood more alertly than before,
looking ready. Some had fanned out along the street, and she noticed many of them watching her. They should be watching the warehouse.

She stepped out, crossing the street, leading. She was shaking, surprised to find her shaking was as much fear as anger. She couldn’t afford to be afraid of Moon Born!

R
ACHEL WAS ABOUT
to step into the street after looking through their second empty building when Vassal warned her again, and she flattened herself against a wall inside a loading bay. Bruce, right behind her, followed suit She held her breath as three Council jogged by, just on the other side of the wall. She breathed out a long relieved sigh. If she’d taken that step they would have been found.

Rachel’s wrist pad flashed at her. The message was from Harry: “I’m on Turtle Rock. I can see them from the beak. Dylan’s not answering me. Where are you? How are Gloria and Miriam and Beth?”

If she answered it might give away their position. She directed Vassal to sneak them back to retrieve their wings. They had to duck once more as Council patrols went by.

Turtle Rock was marginally farther away from the action, and Vassal’s transmissions of conversational snippets now included Liren’s voice. So Liren had made it to Selene. There was still no safe way to go directly to the warehouse. Just getting out of the base might be hard enough. Finding Harry was still the reasonable choice. Maybe he had a plan, or more information. She could see from the turtle’s beak; use her own eyes instead of Vassal’s myriad camera eyes.

They made their way safely to their wings, walking as quietly as they could, listening for the sounds of Council patrols. Her shirt stuck to her back with dried sweat from the flight up here. Her pulse raced.

Vassal led them oddly away from Turtle Rock, over the fence, and then up higher on the crater’s flank, so they flew down to land on the turtle’s beak from above. Harry was lying across the beak, watching Clarke Base. He looked up as they landed with jarring thumps on the big rock that made the shell. Harry’s face was a mask of worry and fear, but a smile stole through it before he turned again to look down. Rachel stripped her wings and ran the short distance down the turtle’s back, jumping lightly onto the beak, slowing so that she didn’t fall. She sat on the edge of the rock, feet dangling over the drop. Clarke Base spread below them, and Harry pointed down at the warehouse. Council surrounded the building; Moon Born walked its edges warily.

“Has Dylan answered you yet?” Rachel gasped out, her breath still fast from flight. She worked her shoulders backward and forward, loosening tight muscles.

Harry’s voice was a whisper, breaking as he said, “He told me that he loved me. He asked about you. Told me to keep you away.”

“I had to come,” she said. “You’re here too. You understand.”

Harry turned his face toward hers. Had he been crying?

“Yes. But there is nothing to do but watch. I’m afraid . . . afraid I’ll watch my boy die down there.”

Rachel swallowed hard, knowing it could happen.

Bruce joined them, moving more carefully than Rachel had, settling on the far edge of the stone in a hollow that would protect him from slipping off the edge. He looked down hesitantly, then pointed. “Something’s happening.”

They were high enough that Council below them looked small. Rachel squinted, and made out a woman who had to be Liren, followed by others, walking toward the warehouse.
She stood and started backing up, her eyes on the tiny figure of the advancing High Councilwoman. Liren would be a disaster here. Harry grabbed her arm—”What are you doing?”

“Getting my wings.”

Harry pushed himself up and stood unsteadily. “Don’t go down there.”

Vassal, in her ear: “No.”

“I have to,” she said.

“I’d have gone, but I . . . I was afraid. And what could I do?” Harry’s voice was high-strung, a little wild. “You’ll die. We need you, Rachel. I need you. I’m trying to reach Dylan. Here—send him a note. Maybe together we can make him come out.”

One look at his face told Rachel he wasn’t ready to hear that his plan wouldn’t work; couldn’t work. Dylan wouldn’t back away now that he had committed.

Rachel looked down, tightening the wing-frame straps against her biceps. Going in there was right. She had started this; she was the one who had given Andrew the information that had spooked him into this. She had known better even when she told him.

Bruce stood and walked toward her.

“No,” she said, holding up her hand to block him. “Stay with Harry. He needs you. You have your own family to protect. Get everyone into Refuge. Don’t tell them where I am—assume whatever you say is monitored.”

Bruce stooped to pick up his wings. He gazed at her steadily, holding his wings loosely in one hand, not moving to put them on. “We Earth Born have done as badly by you as Council.”

His eyes were filled with a deep sharp darkness of guilt. So that was why he had followed her. He continued, slowly, emphatically. “You stay, or I go.”

“No, Bruce. Your people are not yet implicated in this. You cannot afford it.” Bitterly, “I am only a Moon Born.
You might be able to help my family if you stay away from this. Now, keep Harry safe for me.” She started to choke. “And Sarah. She’s the only one of my family who is safe now. Help keep her that way.”

Rachel looked Harry in the eye. “You too. Watch after Sarah. Stay safe. You have family: Gloria, Miriam, Beth. They’re on their way to Refuge. I don’t have anyone but Sarah that isn’t already in the fight—I need to know Sarah’s all right, that someone is looking out for her. I’ll try to keep Dylan safe. I’ll do my best.”

Harry’s eyes flashed pain at her, but he nodded. Bruce started to lift his wings, slipping an arm into a strap.

“And I’m the one they’re least likely to shoot,” she said. The last was a lie, but Harry would believe it. Maybe Bruce would too.