Trickster (44 page)

 
"Rescue me?" Martina said. "What are you talking about?"

 
Kendi still said nothing, though the sound of Martina's voice tore his heart.

 
"It wouldn't have worked, you know," Roon continued. "We would have sought a second, outside opinion and would have realized the disease was mere gelpox. You Children think you're so smart, so clever. It never occurs to you that other people can be clever, too."

 
Todd stepped forward and punched Kendi in the stomach. Caught off-guard, Kendi doubled over with a groan.

 
"Don't damage him," Roon snapped. "He's valuable."

 
"I owed him that," Todd said. "Him and his--"

 
"Attention! Attention!" interrupted the computer. "Medical emergency level one. Containment of experimental virus XR-476 has been breached. Airborne virus detected. Medical isolation of sector CLCT4 initiated. All personnel are directed to stand by for evacuation. Repeat: all personnel are directed to stand by for evacuation." Alarms, different ones, began to blare as the computer repeated the warning.

 
"What the hell?" Roon said. "It's got to be another trick. Alice, end medical emergency."

 
"Unable to comply. Level one medical emergencies must be terminated by direct order of the Chief Physician of SA Station. Attention! Attention! Biological containment of experimental virus XR-476 has been breached."

 
"Alice, lower alarm volume in this lab by half," Roon ordered. The alarms and warnings became much quieter.

 
"That computer's on," Todd said, and dashed over to look as Kendi slowly straightened.

 
"What's he been accessing?" Roon demanded, neuro-pistol still trained on Kendi.

 
"Checking," Todd said.

 
Roon twitched, then pressed a finger to his earpiece. "Edsard Roon," he said. "Yes, Madam Chair. I'm in the research lab right now. No, I have no idea if any of the Silent have been infected. But the alarm is only a--yes, Madam. Yes, I'm familiar with the protocols, but we don't actually have to--no, Madam, I would never gainsay you. I know how important the Silent are to the company, but if you would just listen for--no. The entire sector has been sealed off, and there is no company ship big enough to accommodate all personnel in one trip. But that doesn't matter because the alarm is just a--the circus? Madam, I'm afraid I don't understand what that has to do with our current situation. Oh. Yes, I suppose the Emporium's ship would be large enough for everyone, but--"

 
Roon paused. "Madam Chair, what was the middle name of your second husband?" Pause again. "Just answer the question, Madam Chair. The middle name of your second husband." Yet another pause. Roon looked at Kendi. "She broke the connection. Imagine that. Who was that
really,
Father? It did sound very much like the Chair."

 
Kendi refused to answer. His stomach was so tight, he thought it would burst from his body.

 
"Take the mask off, Father," Roon ordered. "
Now!
"

 
Slowly, Kendi obeyed. Martina gasped, but didn't speak. Roon shook his head.

 
"Mr. Qiwele," he said. "God. I should have known you were too good to be true. Let me guess--you copied my access key when those clowns were making up my face."

 
"Mr. Roon," Todd said from the computer. "He accessed the medical database and medical safeguards. That, and the records of virus X-476."

 
Roon barked a harsh laugh. "So the gelpox was a double-blind. You deserve more credit than I thought, Father. Tell me if have the right of it. You knew Todd here was communicating with me, didn't you? Do answer. You're going to tell all in a moment anyway. Hypnoral, you know."

 
"Yes," Kendi said hoarsely. "We detected the signal right off."

 
"So you arranged for him to overhear certain conversations, knowing he'd relay them to me." Roon kept the neuro-pistol absolutely level. "Then while I was worrying about false reports of gelpox and people breaking into the Collection, this medical 'emergency' would catch me by surprise. Everyone, including the two Alphas you came in here for, would be evacuated to the Emporium's ship, delivered neatly as you please, straight into your hands."

 
Kendi didn't answer.

 
"Well, now that I know the medical emergency is no such thing, I'll simply call the
real
Madam Chair and tell her--"

 
"The release was real," Kendi interrupted.

 
"What?" Roon said.

 
"I really did release the virus," Kendi said. "It's going to hit the ventilation system in about ten minutes. Check the logs and the sensors. You have to evacuate, no choice. Your Madam Chair will tell you the exact same thing. Good thing there are only two ways to get out of here--the main entrance and the airlocks. They won't let you through the main entrance and into the station proper until you clear quarantine, so that means if you want to avoid little X-476, you have to escape through the airlocks. And the Emporium's ship is the only one close enough with the cargo space to hold everyone. We checked the records. None of the other ships in the area can get here in time."

 
"I have my private ship."

 
"Not big enough. We checked that, too."

 
"Then I won't evacuate," Roon said.

 
"And let all those Silent die? All those valuable resources? What would Madam Chair say to that, Mr. Roon, especially after all the money Silent Acquisitions sank into this project? Sure, you know the real story, but there isn't anything you can do about it." Kendi gave Roon a crooked grin. "Did you honestly think I'd be stupid enough to walk in here all by myself if there were any way I could fail? You've lost, Roon. Time to admit that."

 
"Escape pods," Todd said.

 
Roon looked around at him so fast, he put himself at risk for whiplash. "Explain, Mr. Todd. I'm tired of cryptic phrases."

 
"The station is equipped with escape pods. Evacuate with those and Security can pick them up, no problem. It'll take longer to gather everyone up, but so what? And you can also destroy the Emporium's ship, while you're at it."

 
Kendi launched himself at Todd. Roon fired his pistol, and white-hot pain wrenched through Kendi's body. He dropped writhing to the floor. Martina screamed.

 
"Put shackles on him," Roon told the security guards. "And on the Alpha. Don't forget to remove the Father's earpiece. Then get them both to an escape pod and stay with them until you get picked up."

 
"We aren't going to your ship?" Kendi asked.

 
"And risk you finding some way to escape and take over? Hardly. I'm done underestimating you, Mr. Qiwele, or whatever your name is. There's nothing you can do on an escape pod except wait, so off you go. The shackles, Guard. Now!"

 
"Yes, sir," said the male guard, moving to obey.

 
"No!" Martina screamed, but the female guard clapped a band around her wrist in a single lightning movement.

 
"Alice," Roon said, "activate sector-wide public address."

 
"Activated."

 
"This is Edsard Roon. Due to the medical emergency, we must evacuate immediately." His voice echoed from the loudspeakers as he spoke. "All personnel are hereby directed to move immediately to the escape pods. Repeat: move immediately to the escape pods. Do not stop for possessions. You will be picked up as quickly as possible. There is no need to worry--the virus has not yet reached the ventilation systems. Deltas, remain with your Alphas and Betas. Alice, deactivate public address."

 
Kendi tried to fight as the guard clamped shackles on his wrist and ankle, but his muscles refused to respond. For a moment he was twelve years old again, torn out of cryo-sleep and shackled in a slave ship. Then he was being jerked to his feet. Pain marched through every nerve, and he was only vaguely aware of Martina beside him.

 
"Evan," she was saying. "Evan, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming. It's my fault. All life, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

 
"We'll speak again, Father," Roon said as the guards hauled them away. "At great and painful length."

 
The evacuation was quick and quiet. Only the Alphas, Betas, and Deltas actually lived in the Collection's sector. Most of the food service, research personnel, clerical workers, and other such employees were off-shift, meaning only about a hundred people were present and therefore obliged to evacuate. They moved swiftly and without panic to a particular corridor on the outer wall of the Collection, where dozens of small airlocks lay open. When three or four people had filled one of the little, rounded capsules, the airlock cycled shut and a small charge shoved the pod away from the station. Kendi let himself be half-dragged toward one of the airlocks, and he was aware of people speaking in hushed voices around him as they boarded their own pods.

 
"I'm sorry," Martina whispered beside him over and over. "I'm so sorry."

 
The guards dragged them, brother and sister, across the threshold of the airlock. There was barely room for the four of them, and they crowded against the pod's rudimentary control panel. A single round porthole looked out into empty space. Already several dozen other pods were drifting away from the station. The female guard cycled the lock shut and her male counterpart hit the activator. A heavy
thump
, and stars began to move slowly past the porthole. Martina slumped to the floor and put her hands over her face.

 
The male guard put a hand to his ear. "Yes, Mr. Roon, we've evacuated." Pause. "One moment." He tapped the control panel and a small vid-screen winked to life. Edsard Roon's long, serious face appeared.

 
"I've boarded my ship, Father," he said. "If you will look out the portal to your left, I'm sure you'll find something worth seeing."

 
Kendi couldn't help but obey. An enormous hulk of a vessel was drifting slowly toward a clump of escape pods. The words
Kalopolis Intergalactic Traveling Emporium of Wonders
was painted in large, fancy letters along one side. A much smaller, sleeker vessel rushed toward it and opened fire. A dozen missile trails streamed forward like hungry fingers. Kendi stared as the big, defenseless ship exploded in a dazzling fireball that dwarfed the sun. Debris pinged off the escape pod's hull. After a long moment, Kendi turned to the male guard and held up his hand. The shackle gleamed, silver and heavy, at his wrist.

 
"Take this thing off me," he said.

 
"It would be my pleasure," said Prasad Vajhur.

CHAPTER TWELVE

 
"If you're ready for it, it isn't a surprise."

  
--
Drew Fleming, Investigative Reporter

 
"What are you doing?"
Roon yelped.
"Don't release him. That's an order!"

 
Prasad ignored Roon, and a moment later, Kendi's shackles thudded to the floor. Vidya, the female guard, knelt next to Martina and released her shackles as well.

 
"I apologize for the slaps," Vidya murmured. "There was no other way."

 
"You're both fired!"
Roon bawled. Kendi half expected him to start foaming at the mouth. He edged around the cramped confines of the pod until he could crouch down beside Martina. She looked up at him, clearly confused.

 
"Evan?" she said. "What's going on?"

 
"You silly goose." His throat was thick and hoarse. "You were supposed to wait and let us rescue you."

 
And then, for the first time in fifteen years, he hugged his sister. Kendi's cheek brushed hers beneath the wimple. The Silent jolt rocked him to his heels, but he didn't let go.

 
"You're Silent," she whispered. "All life. I'd always wondered."

 
"I told you I'd find you," he said. Warm tears ran down his face. "I told you I would."

 
"I remember." She pulled back. "What about Mom? She was sold with you. Is she here, too?"

 
Kendi shook his head. "We were separated. I don't know where she is. I'm sorry."

 
"How about Keith? He was in that place with me."

 
"Taken care of." Kendi got up and swiped at the salt water with one sleeve. "We'll talk soon, once I get the rest done. Don't worry."

 
"I muted the sound for you," Prasad said. His eyes were a little shiny. "I did not think you would want Roon's shouting to disturb you."

 
"Thanks." Kendi faced Roon on the vid-screen and tapped the mute control.

 
"--
dead!"
Roon shouted.
"You won't get two parsecs before--
"

 
"Shut up!" Kendi snapped. "I've won, and in a minute I'm going to tell you how to salvage your sorry ass, but not if you keep yelping like a dingo with its tail in a twist."

 
Roon glared at him.
"What do you mean?"

 
"First of all, I need to tell you that the rest of the station doesn't even know about this little fiasco. Yet. We used Mallory's access to sever all communication with the station proper, including the distress calls sent out by these pods. Right now 'Ms. Mallory' is contacting SA Station to tell them about the accidental explosion of a derelict ship. No rush to investigate. By the time they figure out what happened, we'll be long gone."