RAINBOW RUN (15 page)

"Your VIS arrest would have never happened if Boget and Wanklurm hadn't disagreed."

I asked, "Who is Wanklurm?"

"He's the rainbow who is Chief of the VIS. He and Boget argued over how things should be done so Wanklurm decided to have me arrested to prevent my helping Boget."

"You're helping Boget?"

"I'm one of his most important associates. Have you heard about the new Simulike machines?"

"Yes. I had a Simulike experience in the one in Boget's dwell."

"What did you think of it as compared to the experience in the Simulike Palace before the VIS interruption?" he asked.

"My first experience in the Palace was engrossing. At the time I was struggling to find my own identity. The Simulike experience was like living another person's life as his own identity was confirmed. In the second experience, the one in Boget's dwell, I was myself in a series of encounters with other characters, some from my present, some possibly in my future. The second experience was more meaningful and seemed that it might be useful as my life unfolds by making me aware of whom I'd be dealing with."

Errox's expression became guarded, a change from the open-faced, nothing-to-hide look that he'd been wearing since he entered Dreena's dwell. He asked, "Was I represented in the experience?"

"Yes, you were a magician who told me I could become a winner, a major player."

He smiled. "You can, Rathe, with my guidance."

"I've got to get registered before I can play the Game."

"Not that Game. It's a diversion, useful in several ways, but it's not the game that matters to winners like you and I."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You will later. Now that you've got your wristlock, you're going back to Boget's dwell, aren't you?"

Since I was reasonably certain that Dreena had told Errox I was going back to Boget's dwell, I answered in the affirmative. "He's going to get me registered as a white wristlock wearer."

"I'll come along with you. I want to tell Boget that the installation of the new machines at the Simulike Palace has been completed."

I didn't have much trust in Errox's friendliness, but I had no reasonable way to decline his company. If he was truthful in his statements about being a valuable associate of Boget's, I might be having more dealings with him.

My Simulike experience had indicated that I shouldn't trust the magician. I wasn't sure I could trust Boget either. He had gotten me the promised wristlock but his association with both Dreena and Errox made me somewhat suspicious of his methods and ethics. Of course, I hadn't met anyone yet that I had complete trust in, except perhaps Kahalytonand he had his own agenda. Maybe I could trust Lyonella when she wasn't under the influence of Cainenol.

Errox kissed Dreena goodbye just before we left to go to Boget's dwell. That confirmed one of my suspicions, but I kept that suspicion and all the others to myself for now.

On the slideway Errox and I made our way toward Boget’s dwell. Errox seemed more relaxed than he had been at our previous meetings. Before he had been competent with a somewhat forbidding manner, a facade of confidence and arrogance that discouraged or deflected questions. Now he seemed much more open and friendly, as if things were going his way. The difference in his mood was his happiness.

Why shouldn't Errox be happy? He had a green wristlock, probably had Dreena as a lover, and also had a working relationship with Boget. Although Errox's manner suggested that he might now answer the kinds of questions that he would have rebuffed before, I didn't ask any because I wasn't sure I could trust his answers.

If Clandine's conspiracy theory had a factual basis, Boget might have brought Errox into his schemes for some illegal purpose. I believed Errox was an unlikely choice of an associate for Boget unless Boget was attempting to rehabilitate him. Maybe Boget was helping Errox just as he was helping me. I couldn't be certain of that, but I would probably learn more about their relationship when we reached Boget's dwell. I decided my best path for now was to maintain comfortable relationships with both Errox and Boget until I discovered more about the nature of their association.

I needed more information but I wasn’t going to ask any unsettling questions until I was registered in the House of Rebirth as a bona fide wearer of a white wristlock. Once I had that legitimacy, I would be in a better position to make decisions about my immediate future. I had accomplished one of the things that Clandine wanted me to do. I had located Errox. But I wasn't going to tell that to Clandine yet, not until I knew more about the situation.

Errox had saved my life and I didn't want to betray him. Regardless of what motivated him to help me, he had enabled me to continue living. I owed him for that.

Previously, Clandine had led me to believe that finding Errox would allow him to end his troubles with the VIS. I wasn't sure that was true, now. Clandine's power was limited compared to that of Boget. Boget might be able to do more for Errox than Clandine could ever do. I needed to find out if there actually was a conspiracy before making any potentially rash decisions. If there was a conspiracy, I wanted to discover whether it had sinister implications or was merely an agreement among certain rainbows to bypass unwieldy procedures.

Both Errox and I became aware of mass movement on the slidestrips ahead of us. Most of the people moved over to the slowest strip to get off. I could see a crowd had gathered in front of one of the urbodes. Errox said, "Let's see what's happening."

We moved over to the slowest strip and got off at the urbode’s apron. A crowd gathered around the cluster of VIS who encircled the urbode. As we watched, the VIS brought the urbode residents out in a single file, all of them wearing custodial collars and chained together. I felt a constriction in my own neck, remembering when I had been collared. I wondered what deviation these grays were being accused of.

Errox stared as if transfixed. The tightness of his face showed an extreme emotional reaction—anger, maybe rage, and other emotions that I couldn't identify. Instead of asking him anything I listened to the people in the crowd.

"What are they doing?" asked a young woman, addressing her question to whomever might answer.

An older man with a resigned expression said, "That's Chief Wanklurm's elite squad. They're arresting all the grays in that urbode."

Someone else in the crowd, someone I couldn't see clearly said, "They're all Freedom Crusaders. They refused to move on Transit Day. They breached the portal plate and declared the urbode a safe house for anyone seeking freedom. I knew it wouldn't work. You can't fight the VIS."

The young woman who had asked what was happening broke free from the crowd. She ran toward the VIS officer who appeared to be in charge. His back was toward her. She leaped on him. With her right arm around his neck in a stranglehold, she yanked on her gray wristlock with her left hand. It exploded, killing her and the VIS officer, taking his head off. Gore splattered over the apron and I felt sick to my stomach.

What Hushel had told me was true—when you pull real hard on a wristlock it explodes and it renders bodies into chunks the size of food cubes. I was still stunned by what I had seen when Errox tapped me on the shoulder and gestured toward the center of the slideway.

We quickly got back on the center slidestrip and proceeded to the urbode where Boget lived. Neither of us spoke. It was as if our silence was some sort of homage paid to the deaths we had just witnessed.

We went to Boget's dwell and, as promised, my new wristlock opened the door.

Boget was surprised that Errox was with me. If he was disconcerted, he covered it well by playing the good host, inviting us to sit down and offering us a drink of hot cokafa. Errox and I both accepted the offer. Boget made preparations for the brew and set a timer to ring when the drink was hot.

Errox said, "I came by to tell you that the new Simulike machines are all in place and the Palace can be reopened."

"That's good, Errox. Ahead of schedule."

Turning to me, Boget said, "Rathe, I want you to become familiar with all aspects of the Simulike Palace so that you can report to me the patrons reactions to the new machines. I believe that the data generated by the Simulike experiences can be used for the common good—"

The bell indicating the cokafa was hot interrupted Boget.

Errox said, "I'll get the drinks."

Boget continued telling me about the possibilities of Simulike data.

Errox came back with three cups and sat them down on the table. I was surprised that Errox served us. It didn't seem in keeping with his usual behavior. Perhaps the death scene had affected him strongly. We all sipped the hot, brown beverage.

When Boget paused between sips, Errox said to him, "You could spend more time with the Simulike data if I took over greater responsibility in our projects."

"Errox, I believe that your ambition knows no limits."

Errox, flashing a smile that was probably intended to be disarming, said, "Of course I'm ambitious. That's one of the reasons you chose me as an associate. But I'm also concerned about you. You haven't had your usual level of high energy lately. I thought that with the new Simulike machine installation complete and with Rathe joining the Simulike Palace crew, you could let me handle things. Now you could take some time off. Rathe could be running the entire Palace in a cycle or two and I could take care of our other enterprises."

Boget shrugged.

I said, "I'm a fast learner and a willing worker."

Boget said to Errox, "I don't think this is the right occasion to discuss this."

When he said the word occasion he shifted his focus from Errox to me for an instant. I perceived that he was indicating to Errox that he didn't want to talk about their other projects while I was present. I didn't volunteer to leave, not only because I had no particular place to go but mainly because I wanted to learn more about their activities.

Boget took a deep drink of his cokafa, draining the cup. I did the same. Errox had only taken one small sip of his.

Errox looked at our empty cups, glanced at me, and then said to Boget, "You and I both recognize the potential that Rathe has. A short time ago he was a nu-blanc that someone had dumped in the Rainbow Room. He figured out how to get out alive. Then he didn't have a wristlock, didn't know his name or the name of anyone else. Now he's got a white wristlock and he's sitting in the dwell of one of the most powerful people on the planet. He's more than just a survivor—he's a high achiever. He's going to figure everything out. I think he should be told what's going on."

"Errox, that isn't your decision to make." Boget's speech was slightly slurred and he seemed to be having trouble focusing his eyes. I wondered if he really was overtired or in bad health.

"Rathe already knows that you deal in unauthorized wristlocks because you provided one for him. He didn't go running to the VIS to report you. He understands that sometimes you have to make your own way as best you can. Right, Rathe?"

I couldn't deny that. I started to speak but my tongue seemed strangely thick. I nodded. I realized that I felt peculiar, like the cokafa had upset my system.

Boget looked at me, saw that I wasn't feeling well, and asked Errox, "Did you poison the cokafa?"

"No, I just added a little something that a friend borrowed from the medical center. It's a drug used to quiet belligerent patients physically and mentally. Your body will become too relaxed to move and your mental attitude will be cooperative."

Errox turned to me and said, "I had to dose you too, Rathe, to keep you from interfering."

I wasn't able to move my arms or legs. I couldn't take any action, even if I’d wanted to.

Errox said to Boget, "I want a rainbow wristlock. I've heard that you have one, ready for the next lover who meets all your needs. Where is it?"

Boget seemed to have no resistance. He said, "In the drawer underneath my sleep platform. Errox went to the drawer, opened it, and removed the rainbow wristlock. He turned it over and over in his hand, admiring it. Then he put it in his waist pouch and came back to the table.

Ignoring me, he said to Boget, "When I get Dreena to put this on me, I'll be able to open the storage locker in the Simulike Palace where the Cainenol is kept. I'm going to take over the trade, Boget. You will be the silent partner. Where's the rest of the Cainenol?"

"It's all in the storage locker."

"How do you get more?"

"It comes to the transporter station in the House of Rebirth with each new shipment of human blancs from the other worlds."

I was startled by the information I was getting. We were not alone. There were other worlds and there was contact between worlds. As soon as that information registered in my mind, I wondered why blancs were sent here from those other worlds. Was the House of Rebirth no more than a receiving station for blancs from elsewhere?

The implications were staggering. I had been told that reincarnation was the process by which humans began new lives with new bodies, that everyone was reincarnated, but only rainbows retained their memories. How much of what I had been told was true? Was I in a culture full of disinformation?

I heard Errox ask Boget, "When is the next shipment due?"

Boget, whose speech was slurred by the drugged cokafa, answered, "Ozerta knows. I don't. There've been some problems." His voice trailed off.

"What problems?" Errox demanded.

Boget's head lolled. Drool dripped from his mouth onto his tunic.

Errox shook him and repeated, "What problems?"

Boget blinked his eyes, looked at Errox and said, "At the Outpost, the Cainenol is packed into the pods with the nu-blancs. Sometimesthe nu-blancs escape when the pods are opened and the Cainenol is illegally unloaded. The pods are not supposed to be discharged until they arrive at the rebirthing room in the House of Rebirth. The overseers at the Outpost have reported the blanc problem."

"What's Ozerta doing about it?"

Boget seemed to have fallen asleep. Errox slapped him in the face and repeated his question when Boget's eyes opened.