Thunder (23 page)

Both officers snapped to attention. “Ma'am?”

It occurred to her that Ganston might have left out other details that could be uncovered, or security could start asking
about the missing brother. “You're probably correct. Don't waste the energy for three scans.”

At that moment Ganston barged into the area, looking frazzled. Mojica hurried to his side. “All they know is Cleon was here yesterday. I made them stop before anything else showed up.”

Gaston pulled back. “Like what?”

“Like where the other brother is. You apparently didn't contemplate there could be another person running around inside my Mountain while you're worried about keeping your secrets,” Mojica said through clenched teeth.

He raised an eyebrow. “Indeed.” He turned to the officers. “Please separate the young man who met with me yesterday into private containment. I wish to talk to him alone.”

The crew cut officer opened an enjoining doorway with the containment cell and ushered the man into it.

Ganston sauntered into the room with his hands clasped behind his back. Cleon stood near the doorway. A half smile of nervous jitters played at the corner of his mouth.

“Well, young man, what do you have to say for yourself?” Ganston asked. He moved closer. He didn't want the boy creating any more of a problem.

Cleon lowered his head. “I'm sorry, sir. It's a mistake. Our little sister was playing around the fence. We went to get her, and—”

“Who are these people and where is your brother Raza?” Ganston peered through the doorway, then back at Cleon.

Cleon averted his eyes from Ganston and motioned. “These
are the rest of my family. My brother . . . he was set upon by marauders last night. They killed him and stole his ComTex with the payment you made. I was coming back to see if you could help.” He swallowed.

“I'm sorry to hear of your loss,” Ganston said. “I'll rescind the payment so the thieves will get nothing. Do you have a ComTex?”

Cleon shook his head.

Ganston walked to the doorway. “Officer, I need a payment chip.”

The two security officers looked at each other as though he were speaking a foreign language. The crew cut one turned to Ganston. “Sir, we don't have those here.”

“Then I suggest that one of you
get
me one now,” Ganston barked. He wanted this boy paid off and gone from here as soon as possible.

The overweight officer scrambled from the office, hurried down the hall, and disappeared around a corner, the echo of his heavy footfalls receding. Ganston stared at Cleon. He'd always dealt with the older brother and didn't have a relationship with this younger one. He didn't know what would intimidate him into silence.

Ganston turned and looked at Mojica, motioning for her to move the other guard out of earshot. She moseyed to the office and busied the officer with a data station in the back.

He turned to Cleon. “I'm increasing the payment by 10 percent for your troubles. But when you leave this Mountain there will be no more deliveries. And I never want to see you again. Am I understood?” Ganston stared. He could feel the twitch in his left eye betraying his stress.

Cleon nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir, you are perfectly clear. We will not return.”

He appeared relieved. Ganston had never anticipated that—he'd thought this was some sort of power play. He felt his shoulders relax. It was time to go before someone from Everling's circle spotted him. He turned to leave.

S
elah stood at the clear plascine wall of the cell and watched the man walk away with the woman. He was obviously agitated about Cleon being here. Dare she try to coerce him for help? A clumsy plan had gotten them inside thanks to Amaryllis, but now they had to find her father before they were thrown out—which in some ways wouldn't be too bad because she was worried about how the child was faring out there by herself.

A growling moan interrupted her thoughts. She spun on her heels. Bodhi leaned against the wall, clutching both sides of his head. His knees buckled and he slid to the floor as his face turned crimson. She knew the drill. He'd made contact.

Selah rushed to his side. “Where are they? Have you found my father?”

Bodhi moaned again, lifting his head to meet her eyes. Tears welled and slipped down both his cheeks. “There are many. I wasn't prepared,” he whispered. “I feel them all. Fear. Pain.”

He pressed his fingers to her temples. A spider-like feeling scurried up her spine. She'd never seen him so debilitated by impressions. She felt only random connections. Nothing strong enough to provoke an emotion.

A hum invaded her brain. Low, but growing in intensity like a swarm of bees.

She jerked away from Bodhi. “What was that?” The feeling subsided like dissipating bubbles when heat was removed from a boiling pot. Her brain cleared.

“It's time for you to join,” Bodhi said softly. He winced and pressed his eyes shut tight.

“Join what?” Yet she knew without asking. Her first instinct was to step away from the fire rather than rush in. But this would lead to her father. She touched her collarbone, deciding to embrace her heritage.

Bodhi smiled through his pain. “To come into your full rights as our next generation, as a novarium. They are all around us now. I can feel our people here in the Mountain.” He staggered away from Cleon and motioned her to follow.

She moved with halting steps. Her palms moistened. “Is this going to hurt? The buzzing was trying to consume me.”

Bodhi reached out and gently put his right hand to her left temple. “Open your mind like I taught you.” The warmth of his fingers sent pin prickles of anticipation up her back. His eyes locked on hers. Selah's skin tingled with layers of goose bumps.

She closed her eyes. “I'm afraid.”

Bodhi slowly brought his left hand up to her right temple. “I'm with you.”

Calm washed over her at his touch. She felt safe.

“She said she was afraid. Back away from her,” Cleon growled. She heard him jerk from his seat.

Her eyes flashed open. Selah raised a hand to halt him. “It's okay, Cleon. Don't interfere.”

He plopped to the metal surface. His feet shuffled as he mumbled under his breath.

Selah blocked the intruding noise and let her eyes glide shut. There was comfort in the darkness. The buzzing bees were coming closer. Bodhi was right, it didn't hurt. Anticipation was the fear—or was it being so close to Bodhi? Her temples were on fire at his touch. Her knees buckled and she started to slip. Bodhi grabbed her under the elbows for support. She felt his closeness, a vibration in the empty space between their bodies. Her mouth went dry. She ran her tongue over her lips for moisture.

Cleon lurched to his feet again.

“Sit down,” Selah said without opening her eyes. She heard him comply. She knew many things without visuals. Heightened awareness. Sounds of breathing.

She felt
him
.

Her eyes opened wide. She looked into Bodhi's eyes and grabbed his hand. “My father, my real father is alive! He's here.” Her eyes darted around the area. “He's reaching out to me. Warning me to get away from here while there's still time. Help me find him.”

“We need to get out of here first,” Cleon said.

Mojica passed the chip over her ComTex, transferring the bio-coin to the device. She glanced at the balance. Her eye
brows rose. Subversion paid very well. She must remember that for future endeavors.

She strolled to the confinement area and keyed the panel to activate the opening. Cleon stood up and she flipped him the chip. He caught it with both hands.

“I'll be letting you out of here as soon as they finish the pilot interviews,” Mojica said.

“We told you we didn't do anything,” Cleon said in a whiny voice. Mojica disliked weak men. She'd have preferred him to act belligerent.

“I know, but it would be disrespectful to our pilots to let you go before they finished giving statements. Be patient,” she said.

Her ComTex vibrated her arm, tickling the bone in her elbow. She raised her wrist and turned from the cell. “Mojica here.”

“Commander, we have a major event developing in the Lander containment area of the prison section. Be advised, we think you need to get there ASAP,” a male voice said with a hint of panic.

“On my way,” Mojica said. Another weak male. She'd need to rethink the ratio of male to female security personnel in her new command. She darted from the security area.

Treva scurried down the corridor into Lab Section Ten containment. She pushed the intercom and ran her hand over the comm panel, turning the wall to Glade's cell transparent. She heard him before she saw him.

“I will kill him! He's broken our agreement. Never again! I
will destroy this Mountain and everything he's ever touched!” Glade screamed.

The white wall turned to mist and evaporated. Treva's eyes widened. She walked toward his cell with hands raised as though in surrender. “What's the matter? Calm down. Talk to me.” She worried her drug formula was creating side effects she couldn't control.

Glade stormed to the clear wall and slammed both hands on the surface. “He lied.”

She jumped back. “Who? About what?” For the first time she was happy there was a barrier between them.

“Everling! I'm positive this time. She is not just nearby. She is here in the Mountain.”

“Who?” Treva wondered if she should give him a shot to calm him down, maybe one of Everling's drug cocktails.

“My daughter. She is here.” He stabbed a finger at the floor. “She is in this Mountain. I can picture where she is. It has light walls, a containment area like this, and two security guards. There are others with her.”

Treva mentally traced the places she knew. “It has to be a security outpost for the outside. They wouldn't bring outsiders farther into the Mountain unless . . .” She smiled. “Everling must not have anything to do with this. When he brings Landers in, they bypass security.” She furrowed her brow. “Stop. Focus on her. Is she frightened?”

Glade turned to the side, resting his head against the wall. “No, she isn't feeling fear, more like apprehension. She can feel me.” His head jerked up. “There's a Lander with her?”

Treva rocked back on her heels. “Oh no. That's not good.
The bio-scan will pick up Lander DNA and send an alert to Everling.” It was imperative for her to get down there.

He looked stricken. “You have to do something. He can't find her. Please help me.”

Treva pointed with her index finger. “I think I can do this.” Her mind raced. This would be a test of how fast she could think on her feet.

Glade stared. “What are you going to do?”

“Do you trust me?” She didn't know if she trusted herself right now, but she still must try. Maybe her plan could go into action now.

He swallowed hard. “I've only known you a matter of days.”

Treva fisted her hands on her hips. “That was not the question. I asked if you trusted me. Think very carefully before you answer because it may dictate how far I'm willing to stick my neck out for you.”

He ran both hands through his dark hair, leaned back against the wall, and tucked his hands behind him. A nod. “Yes, I trust you.”

She stood thinking for a moment, then she smiled and nodded. “I believe you.” She backed up to the comm panel, ran her hand over a few sensors, and flipped a couple switches. “I've turned the system off just in case a bio-alert comes through here, but I can't stop it from reaching Everling's lab, so I'll just have to be fast enough to cancel it down there.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I don't know. I'm not there yet.” Treva scurried to the lab door.

Ganston was nearly to his office when he got notice from the security officer that he forgot to sign for the payment chip. He tried to argue that Mojica could sign for it, but she had left. He found himself making the trip for the third time today, and he'd have to do it again to get back to his office. His back hurt and his feet were burning. The most exercise he accomplished in a normal day entailed walking a couple hundred paces from his living unit to his office.

He made a mental note to design everything he needed in Stone Braide to be within a reasonable walking distance. He could feel the ache in his hip growing as he turned the last corner. The security office sat at the end of the open area.

“Uncle Charles, is that you?” a soft, playful voice said.

Ganston whirled. He scanned the numerous merchants standing in the waiting area and spotted Treva hurrying toward him. He smiled broadly as she threw herself into his arms. The noise of the crowd faded as he embraced the bright spot in his life.

“What are you doing down here?” Treva asked.

He kissed her on the forehead and held her chin in the palm of his hand. “I signed some paperwork for a merchant.”

They moved to the side for a product cart layered with snake skin to pass by. With a clear view of the station, Ganston spotted the crew cut security officer. The officer noticed him and approached with a halo-tablet. He scrolled through some pages and handed it to Ganston, who signed for the chip and then shooed the man away.

“I didn't ask you what kind of research you're doing in Everling's lab. I was so sure you'd stay with the plants you loved as a child.” Her parents had been associates of his,
helping with his archeological digs. When Treva was born he took on the roll of a sub-parent. In historical times before the Sorrows, the position was considered a godfather.