Lifer (27 page)

They stare at each other. Lady pushes the Remote Device into my hands. “Asher can have it.”

The weight of the thing in my palm is almost enough to bring me to my knees. I don’t show the two women watching me the affect it has, slipping it into one of the secret folds in my dress like it’s nothing.

When Davyd pointed it at me I believed it was the end. I shake my head to dislodge the memory from my mind. I don’t care where he is and whether he’s okay.

Only a few minutes pass before an older Lifer approaches Mother. “We’re ready,” he says.

Mother looks to me. “We’re ready,” she repeats.

It’s two words. Nothing, really, in the scheme of things, but tears well in my eyes. She’s waiting on my command. The person I admire most in the world is looking to me to lead.

A good leader wouldn’t dissolve into tears so easily. I blink them back. “We need a diversion. The fewer Fishies standing between us and the Control Room, the better, and none must be free to attack from behind.”

“Fire,” Mother says simply.

The chill spreading across my nerves is hard to ignore but I manage. “It could kill us all.”

Mother nods. “Yes.” She gestures to a nearby Lifer who holds out a strange looking cube. “But we’ll burn these instead of the ship.”

My nose wrinkles. The dark green and brown material reeks of rotting food. I take one from her. They
are
rotting food, dried and compressed into hard bricks. “Food scraps?”

“It’s taken months to collect the ingredients but they burn with lots of smoke and respond well to a bucket of water.”

Dangerous, but not insane. I hand it back. “Distribute them outside Fishie doors. Don’t let the ship catch alight.”

“You heard her,” Mother says. “Will she open the intercom panels?” Mother barely looks Lady’s way.

“She will,” I answer for her. I don’t look at Lady, feeling a weird tug of guilt by reporting back to Mother. “What will that do for us?”

“The intercom system links to the main life support functions of the ship. By hacking in we’ll disable the sprinkler systems on the Fishie level, and we’ll create more fear there with less widespread damage.”

“Good. It would be nice to have a ship intact at the end of this.”

“Trust us,” Mother says.

“I do.” Mostly because I don’t have a choice.

I pause to think about the layout of the Control Room itself and the small hallway I glimpsed when Davyd convinced the Naut to leave. “There are thirteen Nauts and they have one Remote Device. What weapons do we have?”

Mother gestures to a waiting girl and it’s Kaih. I’ve been so focused on planning I didn’t see her approach. She steps forward and holds out her hands. One contains a wickedly long knife and the other a club made from a piece of old pipe. “We’ve been storing them behind the material for a long time.” Her anger the day I nearly knocked a pile over makes sudden sense. “There aren’t enough for everyone.”

I nod, taking the offered knife and feeling its weight in my palm before handing it back for someone who might be able to use it better than me. “I’ve seen the training rooms. I believe we’ll take most of the Fishies with our bare hands.” Except Davyd, but he’s occupied with Neale in the holding cells.

Mother and Kaih flash knowing grins. Those who’ve returned to wait for the go ahead chuckle in appreciation. They’re all looking at me. Looking to me.

I clear my throat. “It’s time. The herding point for the Fishies is a large room above Manufacturing where they had their ball earlier tonight. The room’s called the Commander’s Lounge.”

I hesitate and then add, “These are people too. Use no more force than necessary but don’t consider defeat.”

There’s another cheer and I grin. Being a revolutionary is addictive.

I lead the way to the elevators. From the training levels we use Lady’s access to open the emergency stairs between levels and the Lifers follow me up like a wave of navy-clad vengeance.

There’s pushing and shoving on the stairs. My shoulder slams into the wall as people push behind.

“Pain.”

“Blood.”

“Payback.”

The murmurings below rise in volume. Mother, Lady, and I increase our pace without needing to confer. Despite my hatred of serving them, I hope the Fishies won’t resist the rebellion and there will be no lives lost tonight on either side.

Lady opens the doors at the top of the stairs. An old Fishie wandering down the hallway dressed in a deep violet suit stumbles in surprise at our appearance. Bushy eyebrows fly up and he opens his mouth to speak. Before I say anything, two Lifers push past me and grab him.

“What the—” he begins in a slurred voice.

Gerrard swings the club and cuts off the Fishie’s question. Blood from an open cut on his forehead runs down his stubbled cheek and soaks into the violet lapel. Gerrard grins.

I look away, stomach heaving. What have I started here tonight? Freedom better be worth it.

Mother inhales, ready to speak, but my hand on her arm stops her. It’s my problem.

“Gerrard, take a brick and start the fire,” I order. “Far end of the hallway.” I point in the opposite direction to where the Fishies will be contained.

He drops the old man to the floor and wipes blood off his hands. “Happily.”

I look to the other Lifer. “Take the old man to the Commander’s Lounge at the end of the hall.”

He nods and drags the body behind him, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. The smell of burning food overtakes the fresh floral scent of the hallway before the prone Fishie’s halfway down the hall. Alarms ring through the ship.

It has begun.

Huckle’s one of the first out into the smoky hallway. “Why aren’t the sprinklers working?” he shouts. Then he blinks and sees the flood of navy-clad people with knives and clubs. He backs away. Gerrard’s closest and catches his arm.

“We’re taking control of the ship.” I speak loud enough to carry to some of the other Fishies stepping out sleepily.

My cry’s taken up and echoed through the entire level. “We’re taking over the ship.”

Huckle’s as brave as I thought. He submits without struggle. He glares at me when Kaih leads him past. “You’ll pay for this, bitch.”

I meet his hate-filled eyes. He must know something wasn’t right about Samuai’s apparent death, but he helped to cover it up. He’s not smart enough to have been involved, but I have no doubt he chose ignorance.

I’ve faced the Remote Device. I’ve lost people I love. He doesn’t scare me. “All we want is freedom and truth.”

His laugh’s like a trail of slime across my skin. “Be careful what you wish for, baby.” Then he sees Lady. His jaw drops. “You’re with them?”

She steps forward. “I’m doing what I need to find my son.”

Huckle shakes his head. “You should’ve let it go.”

Lady steps forward with her hand raised but Mother stops her. “We need to make it to the Naut’s quarters first.”

Huckle’s dragged roughly away with the other Fishies. His laugh snakes down the hall behind him.

“Mother?”

She turns with a smile that tells me she believes victory’s close. But I know that the Fishies are nothing but pieces we need to move aside to get to the real enemy: the Nauts.

“Do you know what struck me most about the Control Room?”

She waits.

I prepare to put into words the thing that’s bugged me since I woke but until now I couldn’t put my finger on. “There was nowhere to see the stars.”

“You weren’t there for long.”

“No.”

“You probably missed the portal. Or it was closed.”

“Probably,” I agree, but the gnawing sense of something wrong in the Control Room won’t leave me.

To distract myself, I check the progress of the four burning bricks along the hallway, moving a little away from where we’re supposed to be waiting for the all clear. They’re more smoke than flames at this point but it’s hard to resist putting them out. Logic overrules the instinct I’ve grown up with. We need the Fishies to be afraid. The buildup of smoke from these fires and the others lit in matching hallways across the Fishie level stings my eyes and coats my tongue. Grains and leaf matter sizzle and burn.

The end of the hall is hazy now from the smoke but I see more Fishies walking toward the ballroom under the prodding of Lifers behind them. Fear of the fire mixes with intoxication and the Fishies panic.

There’s a scuffle at the end of the hall. A Fishie girl breaks from her Lifer handler. She sprints toward us through the smoke. Her red dress flaps behind her. Tesae. The piece of plate’s in my hand. I’m moving without thought to block her path.

“Stop,” I cry.

She doesn’t.

I brace for impact, taking in the fact she’s unarmed, but her eyes show the effects of tubes. There’s madness in her bright red cheeks and dilated pupils. She’s not hearing anything and can’t be reasoned with. Mother and Lady stand somewhere behind me. If she gets past me they’ll be under threat.

“Stop,” I say again.

She swings wildly at my head with a clenched fist. Crunch. The blow opens up the skin below my eye and sends hot, shattering pain through my cheek and into my teeth.

No more time for talking. I plunge the long slice of plate into the chunky flesh of her thigh. She clutches at her leg and falls to the floor, writhing in pain.

Mother is there. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I lie.

Mother uses her sleeve to wipe at the blood on my face. “Not against the fight anymore?”

“Only if the cause is worthwhile.”

Two Lifers drag the howling girl back to the ballroom. I watch her go.

“She’ll be fine,” Mother says. “You used the least reasonable force to stop her.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

There’s still no sign of Davyd and much less resistance than I feared.

Kaih returns a minute later at a jog. “I think we have this level under control.”

“Fires out now.” I look to Mother. “Our backs are covered. Time to go.”

Mother gives the Lifers guarding the Fishies their orders. Soon we’re ready to ascend to the upper level with Lady to provide access.

The whole thing only takes a few minutes, but it’s long enough that my nerves ramp up and the strain across my shoulders finds a matching ache in my head. The pounding of my heart nearly drowns out the sound of footfalls on the squares. I spin.

Davyd.

He appears relaxed and unconcerned despite having literally walked into a fire. He takes in his mother and mine both flanking me and holds up his hands in surrender, although no one has threatened him. Yet.

“Good night for it,” he says conversationally.

As though he didn’t aim the Remote Device at me hours ago. As though he didn’t kiss me before that.

Why didn’t you kill me? Do you know Maston’s your father? Do you know any more about Samuai? Zed?

I don’t ask any of my questions. It’s a waste of time when I won’t believe a single answer. Davyd is playing something here and he’s as likely to help us as fight us. Depending on whether what we’re attempting aligns with his twisted goals.

I pull the Remote Device out from the folds of my dress and pass it from hand to hand. “Going pretty well so far.”

His gaze flicks to my hand and then back to the side of my face where Tesae punched me.

“If you’re going for the Nauts, you’ll need me to get through the door.”

Lady shakes her head. “I have access throughout the ship.”

Davyd takes another step closer. I tense my legs to resist stepping back. “Not the second door. Asher, you know the one.”

My name again. In his mouth it’s a rough caress and my body sways the tiniest fraction in response. “I remember everything.”

He ignores the emphasis in my words. “Let’s go.” He takes a step left to the Control Room level, then pauses and looks back over his shoulder. “Scared?”

I feel my mother’s questioning gaze on me but I don’t want to talk about it. There’ll be time for explanations after this is over. Maybe.

“No,” I say. I take the lead.

Mother and Lady follow behind with a backup force of Lifers not required to keep the Fishies in lockdown or the fires under control. Kaih’s among them. I don’t dwell on the danger my actions are putting everyone in.

Instead, I think over the challenge in Davyd’s words. I would’ve denied being afraid on principle but it’s true. Facing the Nauts should terrify me, but now it’s here I just want it over. I want to know what happened to my brother and Samuai even though I don’t hold much hope of finding them alive. I want the rebellion to succeed and a new order to begin before we land. I want it all.

Walking down the hallway’s different this time. I don’t cling to Davyd’s hand. I don’t look at him or wait for him to lead. I know where I’m going and I’m not afraid of what I’ll find.

Davyd swipes his wrist across the scanner and the doors swish open. Out of the corner of my eye Mother gazes hungrily around the Control Room. It doesn’t interest me. I want to know what’s on the other side.

“Ready?” Davyd asks. It’s an echo of his question at the ball a few hours ago.

I think about what I did last time. I refuse to look at him. What if he sees in my eyes that I remember, and thinks it means I care?

“Yes.”

Holding my gaze with his own, he hesitates over the scanner. He swipes with a flourish.

Nothing happens.

I exhale in a rush. “Why?”

“It’s locked from the other side.” He’s unconcerned.

“Okay, how does it open?”

He gestures toward the panel next to the doors with a satisfied smile. “We’ll need the Remote Device.”

I’m not going to hand over the device he was willing to use on me without hesitation. I step forward and click it into the only place it fits. The doors swish open. Beyond there’s a short hallway and four large rooms. There’s a door marked ‘Engine’ and a soft hum comes from beyond it. The space is light and airy and fresh like the Fishie level, but rich wooden boards cover the floor and the walls are an opulent burgundy. Each of the main rooms stands with its doors open wide, revealing sleeping, relaxing and eating quarters.

Empty quarters.

Lady rushes past me, my mother close behind. They’re united in their search for their lost sons.