Nuworld: Claiming Tara (34 page)

“So what will your report say to Gowsky?”
“That’s just it,” Fleeders lowered his voice just a little.
“That is why we brought you here, or I should say, decided
to try to get you to come here.”
Tara glanced at each of them when they hesitated.
Fleeders looked
at the
other
two, then
continued.
“Gowsky stopped by yesterday and told us to infect your
landlink so you are no longer able to communicate with
your people.”
Tilk interrupted. “He told us he was going to pick you up
and charge you with—”
“Charge me with what?” Tara interrupted as she leaned
forward in her chair and slapped her hands on her knees
so hard the three men jumped.
“It’s just what we’ve been told,” Tilk said, sounding
apologetic. “Charge you with conspiring to start a war.”
“I see.” Tara stood and began pacing while her thoughts
raced. “Any defense I come up with will likely be shot down
in your government. I could leave right now, but I would
have accomplished nothing.” She stopped and stared at the
men.
They looked at her glumly.
“Why have you told me all this?”
“Neurians have been devastated by the loss of trade with
the Sea People. We could rebuild if we sold our oil. We’ve
researched you and your Runners since we had access to
your landlink system any time you communicated with
Patha. You’re an advanced race. More advanced than
Neurians think you are. We’ll try to explain all this to
Gowsky, but I don’t think it will make any difference. He
wants you brought to him.” Fleeders shrugged and
sincerely looked sorry. “We’re telling you this so you know
the Neurian government is watching you.”
“We don’t know what you want to do with this
information,” Tilk added. “Now you know what’s going to
happen.”
“I know exactly what I’m going to do.” Tara walked out
the door and hurried back toward the street.

“It’s the
government police.” Fleeders hissed from the
doorway to the office.
Tara hurried back to the three men. “Is there another
way out of here?”
A small window was the only other option. Not waiting
for an answer, she ran into their office, jumped onto the
desk and lifted the window. She was outside, alongside the
building, within seconds. The window shut behind her, but
she didn’t look back as she ran to the street. She slowed to
a walk and headed down the sidewalk toward her trailer. It
was impossible not to be conspicuous when her skin color
was different from everyone else. No one stopped her on the
street, and she wasn’t followed.
“You forgot the paper.” Syra looked
up
when Tara
walked into the trailer and plopped down on the floor next
to her children.
They immediately dropped their toys and climbed onto
her lap. She hugged and tickled them, but her mind raced.
“Sorry. I guess I did.”
“Well, can I go get one?” Syra stood up and stretched. “I
could stand to get out of here for awhile.”
Tara was so caught up by her thoughts; she barely
heard Syra. Glancing up, she stared at Syra. “Go ahead.
Make sure you take a comm. Call me right away if you have
any problems.” She looked at the long sundress Syra had
on. “Girls here wear pants, though.”
“When it’s cold, they want me in dresses. And when it’s
hot, they want me in pants,” Syra mumbled as she walked
back to her room to change.
The
children napped while Syra explored the
town,
leaving Tara time to ponder what Fleeders had told her
about Gowsky. Here was a man, with his government
stripped of commerce upon which they relied. These people
hadn’t anticipated that their main income would disappear.
Their opium was ample. It didn’t run out. It was their
buyers who had deserted them. Now they were frustrated,
desperate, and not thinking clearly. On the other hand, the
Neurians’ precious oil was important to Runners and
Gothman. They should want to discuss this with her.
Tara decided
she
must speak
with Gowsky,
which
shouldn’t be difficult since he wanted her brought in. The
question was, should she let them capture her? It probably
wouldn’t be long before his men showed up at the trailer.
Or should she seek him out on her own, maybe tonight
after the babies were asleep?
She decided to take a walk with the babies. The children
squealed in delight as she pushed them in the wagon
across the sand and tiny stones behind the trailer. The
heat from the sun made the horizon appear wavy in the
distance. It was a good sun though—warm and refreshing
on her skin.
Tara trudged across the desert that lay south of the
town. She passed several large tree-like plants with leaves
the texture of rubber. They were quite beautiful and offered
good shade from the hot sun.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye. Tara
squatted down next to her children, talking to them quietly,
as she surveyed the area.
“What do you think it was?” Tara smiled at Andru as he
squinted his eyes to look with her. Andru giggled, and Ana
kicked at him and squinted as well.
“Look, there it is,” Tara whispered to her children and
pointed to an animal crossing the field. It looked like a
large dog with dark brown hair and a long tail. It moved
closer.
Tara knew from experience that most wild animals were
not aggressive unless provoked. If she were threatened, her
laser would easily kill the animal. She remained squatting
next
to
her
children as they noticed
the
animal
and
pointed.
As the dog moved closer, the heat rising from the ground
distorted its features. The waves drifted up, making the
creature appear to be walking on only two legs. As the
distance between then lessened, Tara saw it
was
walking
on only two legs. What she thought had been a dog was
now a person. Had the creature transformed from beast to
human?
An old
woman now walked
toward
them.
She
was
hunched over. She had a deeply creased, leathery face with
large dark brown eyes. Her darkened skin, a shade more
orange than the Neurians, was covered with a loose fitting
animal skin dress. Her boots were made of the same
material and laced up to her knees.
“A blessing to you, child.” The old woman’s voice cracked
as if from lack of use.
“Hello.” Tara squinted from the sun at the old woman,
who now standing right in front of her.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m taking my children for a walk.”
The old woman moved closer and reached out to touch
Ana. Tara tensed and the old woman shifted her attention,
noticing Tara’s uneasiness. She pulled her hand away from
Ana’s head and instead placed her deformed fingers on
Andru’s head. She glanced at Tara again.
“The children will see and learn a lot. But why are you
here?”
Was this old woman crazy? Tara looked at her, and the
old woman stared back with dark, glassy eyes.
“Do you mean why am I here with these people?”
The old woman gave her a glazed stare and didn’t
respond.
“We need a new life. We’ve moved here from the north.”
Tara tried to change the subject. “Do you live around
here?”
“You aren’t through with your old life. You still have
much to do.”
Now it was Tara’s turn to stare. The old woman was out
of her head, she decided. Old age and the heat of the desert
had done her in.
“Crator knows your fears, but also your pride. You must
put that aside. There’s no time for it. You have so much to
do. None of it will happen without you. Do you realize
that?” The old woman’s eyes were glassier than before and
they seemed to penetrate through Tara. It was almost as if
they were focusing on the ground behind her.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“That is your fear. Crator knows you’re strong. Overcome
it.”
Tara didn’t know how to pursue the conversation. It was
wrong for people to not care for their elderly. The woman
was delusional and possibly lost out here. But what she
said
did
apply to Tara’s life. Was that delusional? She
turned and reached into the wagon for a bag of bread
pieces and fruit she’d brought for the children.
“Would you like to have a snack with us?” Tara pulled
food from the bag and looked back to offer it to the old
woman. The woman was gone. A large dog ran away from
her across the sand. She watched until it was out of sight.

“There you are.” Syra smiled at Tara and immediately
got up from the table to help with the children as Tara
entered the trailer. “I wondered where you went.”

“We took a walk,” Tara said, deciding not to mention the
lady in the desert.
“Well, that’s what I did, too.” Syra slid Ana into a chair
they’d found at one of the shops that attached to the table
with clamps. She then struggled to strap her in while the
child pulled her hair. “Folks here aren’t too friendly, are
they?”
“We look a lot different than they do.” Tara managed to
get Andru into his seat, then walked to the cold box for two
bottles. “Maybe in time they will warm to us.”
“Maybe.” Syra shrugged and began dicing cheese and
apples for the children. “I got a paper and read a few
stories in it while you were gone. Sounds like they have an
organized group of leaders here.” Syra commented on a few
of the stories in the paper.
Tara didn’t hear much of the conversation. The old
woman occupied her thoughts. Who was she? What she’d
said made no sense—and yet it had. It didn’t make sense
that she’d disappeared so fast.
After supper, Syra bathed the babies and prepared them
for bed. Tara sat at the landlink and decided to see if the
Neurian network said anything about a Crator. She wasn’t
connected for long when a message flashed across her
screen.
Why are you looking for Crator?
She panicked for a second, but a few clicks told her the
message was from Fleeders.
Can I talk to you?
she typed.
This method of communication isn’t secure. Log off.
Tara wondered why anybody cared if she researched the
name. Who
was
Crator? She logged off and grabbed her
jacket.
“I’m going for a walk,” she whispered to Syra who was
rocking Ana to sleep.
Andru lay stretched out in his crib. Tara gently kissed
his forehead then kissed her fingertip and placed it on
Ana’s head. She waved bye to Syra and stepped softly
through the trailer, so as not to wake her children.
The night air was brisk. A chill ran through Tara’s body
and she zipped her Runner jacket that she wore over her
Neurian
clothes.
Moving
her
laser
to
her
front
jacket
pocket, she began walking behind the trailer. The vast,
endless sand
lying in front
of
her
seemed
dark and
forbidding. Who was out there? What was out there?
Another
chill caught
her
body. She’d faced many
enemies who had posed a more obvious danger than an old
woman who babbled. What was there to fear?
The woman’s words bothered her. She didn’t deny it.
Although she’d written them off as the delusions of an old
mind, Tara kept hearing them in her head.
You aren’t through with your old life. You still have so
much to do.
Tara shuddered as she saw the truth in those words.
She was heir to the leader of all the Runner clans. The old
woman couldn’t have been more truthful when she told
Tara that her old life wasn’t done. Tara kicked the ground
with the tip of her boot and scowled. That old woman had
no clue who Tara was or where she came from.
“What do you want to know about Crator?” The voice
that came from behind her made Tara jump. She jerked
around,
pulled
her
laser
and
pointed
it
straight
into
Fleeders’ chest.
He too jumped and his arms flew into the air. “It was
just a question. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t
want.”
“You startled me.” Tara returned her laser to her pocket.
Fleeders’ eyes followed it to its hiding place as he slowly
lowered his arms.
“Who is Crator?”
“He is why we exist. Crator made all of this. Everything
you see.”
“Where is he? I want to meet him.”
“You can’t
meet
him.” Fleeders laughed, then sobered
immediately. “At least not until your life here is over.
Crator created all life on Nuworld. He’s a spirit. I’m sure
Runners must have a name for Him. Who made you? Gave
you life?”
“My parents gave me life. There’s no spirit responsible
for my life.”
“We believe there is. Crator is responsible for all living
things and for Nuworld itself. Are you saying Runners have
no faith?”
“Faith?”
“What do you think happens when you die?”
“When you die, you’re done. You exist no more.”
“I don’t think I could go through life if I believed that.”
“I want more information on Crator.”
“There’s plenty of information on Crator. But, the
council is watching you closely. I wouldn’t be surprised if
they know I’m here.” Fleeders looked around him
nervously. “Why this sudden interest in Crator?”
“I met someone today.” Tara pointed
to
the
dark,
foreboding wilderness.
Fleeders’ stared at her finger.
“Out there. She said something about Crator.”
“Who did you meet out there?”
“I don’t know her name.” Tara shrugged. “Some old lady.
Her words were mostly babble.”
“You met an old woman out there?” Fleeders suddenly
sounded very worried. “What did she say to you?”
“I don’t remember exactly.” She wrinkled her brow and
studied Fleeders’ face.
He looked back at her anxiously, frowning.
“She didn’t really make any sense. She said Crator knew
things about me. Things I was supposed to do.”
Fleeders stared out into the wilderness blanketed with
darkness. It was as if he expected to see this old lady Tara
had mentioned. There was a strange look on his face, one
of fear and awe.
“Does an old woman, dressed mainly in animal fur, live
around here? I thought I would take her some food. She
was an odd sort. I don’t think she talks to anyone much.”
“There’s a legend about the Guardians, voices for
Crator.” Fleeders shuddered and turned away from the
field. “There are animals that turn into people and tell us
the wishes of Crator. It’s just an old legend. No one’s ever
seen one. She didn’t turn into an animal on you, did she?”
Fleeders chuckled
as he
said
this,
but
still
sounded
nervous.
Tara sensed how awkward the conversation made him.
He really believed these legends of his, yet had no proof.
She had the proof and didn’t believe in them. A people with
such faith might be very powerful, and dangerous, yet
these people were scared and felt deserted.
“Why don’t we go for a ride and see if we can find one of
these Guardians?” Tara walked over to her bike.
“You’re not going to go out there tonight, are you?”
Fleeders stood firm, focusing his attention away from the
dark sandy stretch of land behind them. “No one goes into
the desert at night.”
“There are good lights on my bike. We’ll be able to see
fine.”
Something exploded in the direction of town. Both of
them jumped and turned to look that way. Large flames lit
up the dark sky.
“Something’s on fire!” Tara straddled her bike.
“Oh no! It couldn’t be!” Fleeders gave no explanation as
to what he thought it might be but squeezed onto the seat
behind Tara. She took off slower than she would have liked
since obviously Fleeders wasn’t familiar with a motorcycle;
he kept fidgeting from right to left.
A large two-story building at the other end of the main
street was engulfed in flames. As Tara slowed windows
blew out
from the
second
floor.
People
ran from all
directions. Most were curious on-lookers. If she were home,
guards would have been on site already. But no one
monitored the growing crowd.
Huge groundmobiles with long, thick hoses pulled up.
Orders were shouted and the hoses were dragged toward
the fire.
Smoke began bellowing toward them, blurring Tara’s
vision and making it difficult to breathe. She wished she
had her headscarf. Instead, she covered her mouth with
her hand and blinked out tears as the smoke rushed over
them.
“Let me off.” Fleeders squirmed behind her.
“What’s that building?”
“It’s a warehouse that’s not being used right now. Our
whole project was in there. Nothing in that building would
have caused an explosion like that. Everything is ruined.
Who would have known? Who did this?” he wailed, yelling
over the growing chaos.
Tara pulled the bike to the side of the road, and the two
jumped off. “What project was in there? Who knew about
what?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Fleeders shook his head and
looked very miserable. Instead of elaborating he took off
running toward the building.
“Wait! Fleeders!”
But he was gone in the thick, almost unbearable dark
smoke.
A big, round-bellied man shouted orders and the large
hose flooded the building with water. The fire withered from
the attack.
Tara noticed another hose still coiled on the
side of the truck. Why weren’t they using it? The smoke
thickened under their efforts. People crowded into the
street. Tara moved around them for a better view and no
one stopped her.
What
project had
been going on in this building?
Fleeders had looked as if he’d regretted saying what he had
just before he ran off. Now she didn’t see him anywhere.
The men putting out the fire seemed to move at a snail’s
pace. They seemed content to let the building burn to the
ground instead of exert the effort to put it out. Tara stared
through the smoke at group of men who stood across from
the burning building. They were talking to one of the
Neurian security men who had come
onto the
scene.
Finally, others in similar uniform showed up. They started
ordering everyone away from the building.
Tara remained down the street from the fire and avoided
the security. She noticed several people trying to get into
the side of the building that hadn’t burned yet. The
security guards were on them instantly, pulling them back.
Tara noticed Fleeders, his tall skinny silhouette easily
identified as he hurried through the thickening haze to the
group of men standing across the street. He gestured wildly
at a broad-shouldered man with long black hair. It was the
man she’d seen the first day she arrived. She watched the
broad-shouldered man gesture to several others, who took
off running. It appeared the long haired man was in charge.
Was he Gowsky? Fleeders said Gowsky had known she
was there
shortly after she’d arrived. Had Gowsky
recognized her when he saw her pull in to town? The
broad-shouldered man turned and looked directly at her.
Another window exploded, again on the second floor. A
young woman waved her arms frantically and screamed
loud enough to be heard over the shouting in the street.
In spite of the thick accent and strange vocal-inflections,
it was easy to tell what she was saying. “Help me!” she
yelled to the men putting out the fire. “Please, you’ve got to
help me!”
The potbellied man ordering his team with the water
hoses looked across the street at the broad-shouldered
man Tara guessed was Gowsky.
Fleeders raced toward the building. Several men leaped
and grabbed him.
They weren’t going to rescue the woman! These people
would let her burn. What was so awful about the project
that they would let a woman burn for it? She didn’t know
the answer, but she wouldn’t watch someone die like this.
Tara took off running toward the building.
“Hey! Get back!” The potbellied man gestured for Tara to
move away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Jumping,
she
grabbed
hold of
the
ledge
above
the
window. She made eye contact with the broad-shouldered
man. As their eyes met, he froze, and his mouth fell open.
Tara looked away first and kicked the glass in with her
boot. If that was Gowsky, she wasn’t impressed.
She glanced inside at bleak darkness, then dropped
inside the burning building. The intensity of the smoke
increased
drastically when
Tara
landed
on the
glass
covered floor. It seeped past her and outside through the
broken window. She began coughing before her eyes slowly
adjusted.
There was no time to hesitate or get her bearings. She
ran into a hallway. Smoke was rolling toward her from one
end. Tara ran the other way. It opened into the large
warehouse part of the building. Fire crawled along the floor
at the far end of this cavernous room. Some of the rafters
on the same side also burned. It wouldn’t be long before
the building started to collapse. To make matters worse,
fire swept the stairs, and the woman was trapped on the
floor above!
Tara looked around the warehouse. The large space was
empty except for boxes tossed in a corner. She ran to them,
glad when there was nothing in them. Tara collapsed
several and ran back to the stairs.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” She yelled through the
smoke. She beat the fire with the flattened boxes until it
subsided somewhat. “I’m at the stairs. Are you hurt?”
When no one answered she threw the flat boxes on the
stairs and bolted up to the second floor. Fire leapt at her
from the walls and ceilings as she entered a large, open
room. The
young lady was still leaning out the
open
window. Tara ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. “Come
on. The building is going to collapse.”
The woman spun around but then looked horrified.
“Who are you?”
Tara had grown accustomed to this dark-skinned race
reacting to her that way. She doubted most of them had
ever seen someone with her pale skin color. The woman
was young, of small build. Her black hair had once been
pulled up, but long strands fell wildly across her face and
down her back.
“I don’t know who you are. What are you doing in here?”
“My name is Tara, and I’m going to get you out of here.”
The lady, obviously in shock, looked around the room
disoriented. She glanced at Tara, then down at the loose
papers and a small plastic container she held in her arms.
“This won’t stop anything, you know.” The lady was
obviously delirious. “Why would they want to stop us?
They’re not going to hurt us. They’re stranded where they
are.”
“Come on.” Tara guided her to the stairs.
“We’ve already communicated with them. I didn’t think
anyone knew that. We weren’t ready to announce it,” the
lady rambled.