Authors: Mark G Brewer
[I'll try to contact Marin, if not via his
web I'll find some other way. Sarin and Brun? No signal.]
[Dead?] She asked.
[If there's any justice!] He sounded
hopeful.
Regan sat beside Buela, Rhine on her hip
gripping her for dear life. She gently reached to stroke Buela's back.
"Buela, I've just heard, your mother
is fine, and she's going to see Mer. I'm sure she'll come here straight after."
The girl sat up quickly wiping tears from her face. "You see, there's
nothing to worry about."
"How do you know?" Buela asked.
Regan tapped her head. "A little bird
told me."
Idiot!
She thought,
what on earth does that mean?
"You have a web?" Buela looked
surprised.
Regan leaned back, looking at the child
askance.
Smart girl!
They don't miss anything!
"I have something different to your
webs, but I do know it tells me your mother is with friends so for now, we
wait. You're probably hungry? Let's go and get something to eat." She led
them back to the kitchen and soon they were helping themselves. Regan left them
there walking back into the open area and sat at the table. She rested her head
in her hands, conscious of a sudden drain in energy.
[Ham, what's happening?]
[Me merging.] It was all he said. She left
him to it and rested there for a moment, very tired.
*
The Clinic
Escorted by her three guards Sindali walked
confidently into the clinic and approached the official behind a security
screen on the ground level. He recognized her immediately and jumped to his
feet.
She fixed him with a steely gaze and paused
disconcertingly, "I'm here to see my brother, what room is he in?"
"Of course Mistress Sindali, would you
like to wait for your mother? She's on her way."
"No, thank you, it will be nice to
have a few moments with him myself."
"Yes, yes, of course. I'll take you
there now." The man exited his office and led them down a hallway to Marin's
room on the ground floor, a large private room. Thanking the official she
dismissed him and he quickly departed for his booth. Sindali hesitated at the
door, gestured to her companions to remain there and entered. To her relief
Marin was sitting comfortably and recognized her with a smile. She walked
quickly to the bed and before he could speak took his hand.
"Merali, you may be in danger, we both
are, and Mother has lost her mind."
He looked shocked. "What are you
talking about?"
"Mer, listen, there's no time to
explain so you must trust me. Brun and Sarin are dead, they tried to kill me
and Mother is coming here right now, can you walk?"
"Brun and Sarin are dead? Hold on, who
tried to kill you? And who are they?"
"It was Brun, Brun tried to kill me. .
. Regan killed them both. Marin we must move!"
"Regan did what?" He gripped
Sindali's arm, alarmed, "She killed them, really?"
He swung his legs from the bed, tearing the
drip from his arm as he slipped to the floor, his robe flapping loosely.
Desperately he looked for clothes as Sindali ran to the door . . . there was nothing.
Instead Marin tore the drip tube from its stand and tied it round his waist. A
wave of nausea swept over him and he leant on the bed while his head cleared.
Sindali gestured from the door,
hurry, hurry
. Her urgency galvanized him
and he stumbled across to the door. Two of the men supported his weight and
together they fled down the passage toward the entrance. As they exited to the corridor
they could hear the supervisor calling but they ignored him.
[Marin . . . Marin!] The voice intruded on
his consciousness.
"Ham?" Marin pulled back, hauling
the men to a stop.
Sindali, frantic, appealed to him, "Mer,
we must hurry, please!"
Marin held up his hand and gestured, waving
for her to be quiet. "Ham . . . Ham is that you?"
[Marin! No time! Go the other way! Beria
and her men are coming from the tube. I've locked the door but they'll force it.]
Already Marin was pulling the men back the
way they had come "This way, they're at that stop, run!" Even with
adrenalin pumping through his system, relief overwhelmed him.
Ham . . . I
can sub!
Sindali ran beside them. "Who is Ham,
Mer? What are you doing?"
[Go back past the clinic to the next stop. I'll
have a car there. We can route around them.]
"No time Sin, we must get to the next
stop." Adrenalin drove him now and he pulled Sindali after him, the five
pounding back down the passage. Passing the clinic the supervisor was talking
urgently into his wrist com, they ignored him and two hundred meters further on
they could see tube doors opening for them. Racing on they stumbled into the
waiting car.
Marin fell onto a seat, the beginnings of a
pounding headache filling his head. He bent forward, his head in his hands. "Where
are we going Sin?"
For the first time she looked lost. "I
don't know, I don't know! I don't know where they are."
It didn't matter, the car was already
moving.
*
[Regan, you need to move!] The sub came with
urgency.
[What's up Ham?] She stayed calm while
cuddling Rhine, Buela asleep beside her.
[I have them, Marin and Sindali are in a
car, they're all safe for now but Beria knows Marin has gone. Guards are
already closing on your apartment. I've found a safe place but you must get
out]. Leave quickly by the emergency passage and I'll guide you from there.]
Regan gently roused Buela and lifting Rhine
led them to Sindali's room.
"We're going on an adventure, to see
Mer and your mother. Come quickly."
They obeyed without complaint and she pushed
through into the narrow closet. She was about to speak to Ham when Buela showing
remarkable understanding reached up and punched a panel.
"It's there." she said, and a
thin gap opened in the wall at the side."Mother said it was for
emergencies."
"Good girl Buela, you first." and
they went through into the darkness. Regan looked behind them, disturbed to see
the doorway remained open. Not knowing how to close it she turned for Buela,
but in the dim light could see the girl had already gone. She groaned, and
reaching back through the gap pulled a garment partly over the opening, it was
the best she could do. Carrying Rhine she made after Buela with the sound of
pounding already coming from the apartment behind them. The narrow passage made
progress easy but in the darkness she still stumbled over the girl when she got
to her.
"It's here," Buela said, "We're
not allowed to go any further."
[There's a small faux balcony outside the
door Regan. Then a short drop to the next level.]
"We can go further today honey, do you
know where the pad is?"
Clearly she did, the narrow door swung
outward onto a balcony, only about half a meter wide with spikes protruding
upward from the floor. Regan looked over the edge and could see a drop of about
four meters to the ground.
[That's a short drop?]
Oh shit, shit,
shit!
Putting Rhine down, she squatted beside
Buela. "Buela, listen darling, I need you to be brave and we need to get
down to the ground. I'm going to lift you over the edge and I want you to stand
with your feet between the bars while holding on to them tight. Can you do
that?"
Buela didn't reply and Regan didn't
hesitate for debate. Lifting Buela over the spikes she held her until the girls
feet were planted firmly and she had a good hold on the bars. Then Regan let go
and lay on the ground, pushing one arm through a gap, right up to the shoulder.
"Buela darling, reach down with one
arm and take my hand, you're doing well." She marveled at the courage of
the little girl as she let go with one hand and carefully reached down. Regan
grasped the hand and then, without any warning, quickly pushed Buelas feet from
the ledge with her other arm. The girl dropped with a startled cry, falling to
dangle from Regan's arm. Regan closed her eyes and couldn't help a whimper as
she braced herself for the next step. Then, she dropped the girl, immediately breaking
into sobs as she lay there, too afraid to look over the side. Then she turned
to Rhine. The boy stood looking at her with mouth open and eyes wide.
"This will be easier for us Rhine."
Before he could protest she picked him up
and painfully climbed over the spikes. As she swung her trailing leg over, the
suit caught on a spike and she wrenched at it desperately trying to tear it
free. From the passageway she could hear voices and someone forcing their way
through. With one arm she held on to Rhine and then, with her other hand on a
rail, she squatted as low as she could . . . then let go.
To her horror the suit leg held fast and they
swung under the balcony, the leg stretching out above her leaving her hanging,
ludicrously trapped. She could see Buela, sitting on the ground below and rubbing
one leg,
not even crying!
It was a simple matter now to lower Rhine
almost to the ground and she dropped him.
Then surprising even herself, with one huge
effort she curled up and used the suit to pull herself back up to the bar hand
over hand, grateful for the lower orbital gravity. Ridiculously exposed there
she hung a moment before reaching up again with one hand to pull herself higher.
As she looked up she saw a glove reaching down to grab her hand, it was a man
leaning over the spikes and smiling.
Sharp spikes!
She didn't hesitate;
Regan gripped the bar tight then put everything into one massive haul upward,
passing his outstretched arm and curling her hand over the back of the man's
head, and then she dropped.
Please don't let them be watching,
she
thought.
No such luck. Rhine peering upward, with
his mouth still open and eyes agape saw the man's head impaled and sliding
quickly down the spike. Having entered at the throat it then reappeared above
dripping, a fountain of red raining down on the boys face.
Mercifully, Regan felt the shaft pass
between her fingers so she let go and fell, her weight dropping back onto the
suit leg which stretched and slowed her fall then at last ripped clear. She
dropped the last meter, thumping onto her shoulder and rolling away to the
side. Looking back she could see the blood still dripping down on the children
and quickly she scooped them clear.
[Which way do we go Ham?]
[Left, your way is clear.]
And she ran, into the park she had so
desperately wanted to see.
So many Dahlians!
It was late afternoon and Regan drew anxious looks as she pounded
through the crowds like a muscular hell raiser, face black and blue, dressed in
red and carrying two children covered in blood. It was an image that would make
the news she knew.
She scanned left and right seeing long
haired teens and grumpy old people, mothers and children, all very familiar.
Nothing new there except most were tall, thin and deeply alarmed by her
approach, that much was clear.
[In one hundred meters you'll see a
stairway downward . . . take it.]
She slowed to a puffing walk, rearranging the
children on her hips before resuming the military trot and not bothering to
look back, eyes focused searching for the steps. Into view came railings
bordering the stairway and she made for it quickly, skipping down two steps at
a time, caution thrown to the wind.
[The first car will be yours.]
Regan barreled through the waiting people,
ignoring grunts and complaints.
"Hospital, emergency, hospital,
emergency!" she called out and the remaining pair stepped aside just as
the car doors opened. As she stepped through a couple who rushed to enter with
them recoiled on seeing her face and the bloodied suit. She stood barring the
doorway until the doors shut, screening out the shocked crowd. Leaning on her
arms, one either side of the doors, Regan finally dropped her head to her chest
and gasped for air. She took a moment to gather herself then turned to face the
terrified bundles curled on the floor. Squeezing between them she placed an arm
each over their shoulders and hugged, "Not long now, everything's going to
be alright." She dearly hoped it would be.
*
The apartment Ham had secured was in a
university complex well away from the corridors of power and on the opposite
side of the orbital from Sindali's home. He seemed quite proud of himself and
explained at great length how he had scanned all holiday records of government
and public service staff, then schools and universities before deciding this
address offered the best medium term prospects for safe haven. Fortunately the
tenant was on sabbatical away on a neighboring orbital and he was not expected
to return for seventeen periods, more than enough time for them to wait out the
situation until something more permanent could be arranged.
Marin and Sindali collapsed on arrival
while the guards remained all business, quickly searching each room and checking
visually for communications devices before returning to the main room to
report.
Sindali took the hand of the senior
officer, "Commander, thank you for all you've done, I'm so sorry; I don't
even know your names." Ever the politician she acknowledged all of them
with her smile.
"It's not important, Mistress. You
have more than enough on your mind yet you are thinking of us, that is enough,
thank you!"
"You were with my mother, yet you
helped me, why?"
He looked surprised. "You need to ask
Mistress? Many in the service only continue in the hope you will take your
place soon." He turned as he said it and looked at Marin, suddenly
embarrassed. "I mean no disrespect to you sir."
"None taken, you and your colleagues
are most wise my friend. You say there are many of you, how many?"
"Most of the Guard is ready for change
sir. The Guard is loyal to our home and the tribes of this orbital, but not
Beria, although it is sedition to say so. Beria is . . . disliked . . . I'm
sorry." He paused in the middle of speaking as if weighing up something
and then continued, "In fact Mistress, it's worse than that, she is hated."
He looked at Sindali, pleading with her, "You
must know that, only her closest troops and bastard sons are behind her."
He gestured to his men to stand. "Sir, you're safe here. We must return to
the barracks. Things have gone too far now and there will be no going back.
With your permission, it's time we gathered support and stormed the palace, so
to speak."