Nemecene: The Epoch of Redress (4 page)

Retribution at last. "You know you could have turned on the light." Sometimes Keet is in another dimension.

"I did but the generator is down. The whole circle is dark. What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I'm looking for Father's flashes. I know he keeps them locked up somewhere in his study, but I can't seem to find the box."

"That's because it's pitch black."

Well, isn't that just stating the obvious? "I had a light, pup, and it stopped working. Anyway, I know Father has a late meeting scheduled. I checked his planner. But just to be extra safe I decided to practice my thieving skills. You never know when that can be handy." Sooner than later I figure.

"If you take them now, he'll know they are missing. He'll get suspicious and we'll be forced to rethink the whole plan."

"No, he won't. The last time he looked at them was three months ago. That's when his viewer mysteriously went missing." Hehehe. My doing. "He hasn't bought a new one yet, so I'm sure he thinks he left it somewhere in the house and that it will turn up. You know how he gets. It's a wonder he has any brain cells left by now."

"You took the viewer? Are you bent? That was never part of the plan. Where is it? We have to put it back!"

"What's that story you read me once? Oh, yeah. Don't be a mother hen." Come to think of it, his mouth does look a little beakish. "I hid it somewhere safe. It's best if you don't know where, just in case." He knows what I mean. He talks too much and his brain is left trailing. The real truth is that now I can't remember where I put it. I don't want to alarm Keet so I'd better not tell him about the memory lapses. He already has enough to worry about. Everything is not in place yet and we're running low on options. "Can you help me find the flashes then?"

"I caaaaaan."

Here he goes again. "Ok.
Will
you help me find them?" I really think it's time for him to grow out of this. "That's it! Grow! I just remembered. I hid the viewer in the fern pot by the window. Right over…" Where is it? Calm down, girl. The maid must have moved it to a brighter room.

"Oh no, Eli! Now we're doomed! It's only a matter of time before Father's scary friends throw me into a dungeon and torture me for hours and hours. And my dying words will be: 'It's in the fern! It's in the fern!'"

"Rip!" I can't believe I said that out loud. "Well, now that you know where it is, we'd better dig it up so I can hide it somewhere else."

His eyes just lit up. He's excited now. "Dig? Where? I don't see a fern anywhere in this room. I don't even remember a fern ever being in this room. Are you sure you planted it in there? I mean, you might be confusing it with—"

"I am
not
confused." Honestly, does he think I am a complete scatterbrain or something? "It is in the fern pot. I wrapped it in a waterproof bag and buried it in the dirt." So fitting. A little grave is exactly where it belonged. Until we can get our hands on those flashes, it might as well be six inches under. "We've got at most thirty minutes now to find everything before Father gets back." Ok. Focus.

"We planned to look for the flashes tomorrow, Eli, remember? Let's stick to plan for once."

He's wasting time and he's supposed to be the organized one? "I'm not a greenberry, Keet. Let's just do it and you can cross it off your list tomorrow. Ok?"

I feel like my hands are going to explode. Slow down. The blood's pounding too hard under my skin. Oh no, it's happening.

"Eli. Breathe with me. Slow down. It's all right. Think this through. Is it so important that we do this tonight?"

I can hear my thoughts again. "Yes. If we don't find it and the flashes tonight, I'm afraid—" I can't control it. The voices are back. Why won't they leave me alone? "Shut up!" Did I just say that out loud again?

Keet looks concerned. Go away. You don't belong in my head. Why can't I gather my thoughts anymore? Ok. I
am
confused. Are you happy now? Good. Give me some quiet so that I can find the fern then.

"Wake up." He is shaking me like a rag doll now.

If only he could toss the voices out my ears then I'd squash them like bugs when they hit the floor. That'll shut them up.

"Ok, ok, I'm here. Just thought I heard Father slide in." That sounds plausible. He'll buy that one. Well? Yeah, it worked.

He's walking towards the entrance and checking the glass. Wow. I never realized how tall he is. Most of the time he is just pouring over old books and researching all sorts of old stuff, like he's looking for something, but he's not. He's just obsessed with bones, fossils, old garbage, anything buried actually. Brrr. It's getting cold in here.

"No one there. Let's work fast then. I'll dig up the fern." Good he's smiling again. Just say the word dig and he's on it.

"And I'll find the flashes."

He's good at finding things. For some reason he just knows where things are even if he didn't put them there himself. That's why I had to be creative with the viewer. I can concentrate on the flashes now.

Father was in here last season. I was peaking through the frame and watching him. I remember asking him about the flashes years ago, but he denied that they even existed. He said it must have been one of my dreams, it didn't really happen. But I know better. He's hiding them from us, so I haven't mentioned them to him since. There is something in there that he does not want us to see. I see it in his face every time he visits them because I am watching him. He is careful to keep them contained and out of view by anyone but himself, so I never actually see what he does. Just a faint reflection of images in his eyes.

Think back to last time, Eli. I'm there.

I can see him sitting straight up in his chair, looking apprehensive as he unlocks the box and pulls them out. His hands even seem to shake. Then when he finally manages to snap them into the viewer he becomes more tense, frozen even, until the scene plays out completely and then he sighs deeply. For years, it's been the same routine. Only his clothing is different, the suppleness of his skin, the gray in his hair. But the memories don't change. And he is relieved. Yet this time he says something.

"Soon."

What does he mean, soon? Watch him carefully, girl. I must know where he is hiding the box of flashes now. I don't want to find out what "soon" means. Behind the wall? No, he just grabbed something else. Now he's bending under the desk. Crap! I can't see his hands! Get up and turn around so I can see. He's going to the far end of the room. Shhh! I hope he didn't hear that. It's quiet now. Something heavy sliding on a hard surface. And again. He's back in view now and the box is gone. My heart is sinking. Wait! He's brushing off his shirt. Looks like dust. That's a clue. No. It's more like ash. Juicy! The fireplace!

"Indie strikes again!"

Who's that? Oh yeah. It's Keet. Good. That means he's found his little treasure. And not a moment too soon. His great quest gave me time to poll my own memory flashes and now I just need to feel my way through the darkness. Best get on the ground to keep from bumping things. Am I near the window yet? What's this? Oh yeah. The light I got Keet's attention with. That was fun. It's still broken. I guess throwing it wasn't such a good idea after all. Where is all this darkness coming from? Father says rodents are getting into the generators, but I don't buy that. I know the ins an outs of our circle and there are no rodents around. I've even asked Jenny next door. She says it's "soul suckers" watching us, but we of course can't see them because they are invisible. Sweet girl Jenny but not too bright. Quite dim actually. Must be the "soul suckers". Hehehe.

"What's so funny?"

"Creeps! You jumped me! Just thinking about Jenny next door and her ghouls and goblins."

"Well, it is very dark you know." I can hear him chuckle.

"Oh stop it. I found the flashes. They're just… Did you hear that?" Oh no. The lights are on and Father's here. Hurry. Grab the box. "Keet. Over here, quick. Wipe the floor. Get all this ash off me. And get the light by the window. Let's go. My room."

This is close. I hope he didn't see anything through the frame. I'll just put the flashes in with the other stuff we're collecting and get the board game out. It's always set up in some random fashion ready for when we need a quick cover. Keet's already in position. "Your turn. Ha! See if you can handle that one, pup." Father's lumbering up the stairs again. Just need to slow down my heartbeat now and we're juicy. His head's at the door.

"Remember I'm going to the plant tomorrow. Leaving early. Heading off to bed now so keep it quiet, ok?"

"Sure thing." It's late anyway. Keet is quiet. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Mostly when Father is around. "We should get some sleep too. We can check the flashes tomorrow when he's gone. We're almost there." It looks like relief on his face, but I can't be sure. At least he can focus back on the plan now. It feels great to curl up and just shut the voices out. Best not think about it. I can't sleep through the chatter. Sleep now.

It's still dark. What time is it? 3:33? Father will be up soon. I hear voices and this time they're real. They're coming from outside. I have to get closer to hear what they are saying. I'd better check on Father and Keet just to make sure they're asleep before I go down. I think the voices are coming from the gate. No one up, quickly and quietly now.

"She was here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. The green hedge. This is the place. We must advise."

Who was here? What place? Advise who? There's a third voice, but I can't quite make it out. Something about "them". And "found". Maybe if I peek out of the corner here I can see their faces. I can also open the frame and catch them a bit better. The mechanism is smooth so they shouldn't hear anything from my end.

"Their father is an elder. He works for the URA. It makes no sense."

Heartbeat, slow down. Muscles, loosen up. Brain, stop spinning around. And stomach, I already had my dinner, I don't need to taste it again. They're talking about us! What's the URA? Father doesn't work for the Unification; he's a technician for GenTech. He fixes cooling reactors and generators. Fear, control yourself. Is he the one sabotaging the circle generator? Maybe he knows what we just did, and he told them because they want the flashes. Maybe he is supposed to report back to them after he checks them and he hasn't been able to do so because I took the viewer. Ok, imagination, time to take a break now and let me focus on the facts. I'm starting to sound like Keet. Father wouldn't be leaving us tomorrow if he knew these creepy guys were around. He doesn't even let us go out of the house without a tag. Focus.

"She has been here. I've been talking to the others. They say the generator is wavering, especially these past three months. This must be the place."

"Very well then. We advise and wait for instructions."

"The GMU will catch wind. They will investigate and he will be warned."

"The choices remain. We prepare. We advise. Then we act swiftly. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The third one seems unsure. He knows something the other two don't. And worse yet, all three of them know something I have no clue about. And that's not juicy at all. I need to get in closer. I need a more detailed image in my mind. I certainly have the heightened emotional state necessary to put a big red dot on this one. The drawer. There's a lens in it. I can use that to zero in on their faces. Just a profile is good enough. That's it. They look nervous. The third one is sweating and dripping all over the place. The other two are also sweating, but not as much. I still can't make them out. Whoa, it's getting warm in here. Now I'm sweating. Oh, I'm not feeling very well, where's the floor. It's moving up the wall. Stop rocking. I still don't have a proper breadcrumb to follow. Ouch. That's going to leave a mark. Face down on the floor. Great! Stop. Did anyone hear that? No. Good. No movement from above. Now back to the creepy ones. They're gone! Sit here and listen. Make sure they're not coming in. Don't think. Don't let your brain make any noise.