The Novida Code (15 page)

He grabbed my arm and violently pinned me down facing the wall, twisting my head round towards him: “Don't you mess with me!” he yelled. Then he switched on the microphone on his helmet and began speaking in Efeghian.

“
I've found an intruder…” He stopped mid-sentence with a little rasping sound, and released his grip. I turned round in time to see his expression of utter surprise. Then, he collapsed and I saw Auxana behind him, very pale and clutching a laser knife.

I bent over the guard. He was dead.

“Well done, Auxana!” At this, she shuddered slightly, and I added: “He saw me; I would have had to kill him anyway.”

She said nothing; she was still in shock. I'd have liked some time to help her get over this experience but we didn't have a moment to lose. So I slapped her in the face for all I was worth and saw the sense returning to her eyes. And anger.

“How dare you!” she hissed.

“
You can always sue me later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”

She looked about her and nodded. “What do we do with him!”

“Leave him there; we don't have time to hide his body. In any case, he's already sounded the alarm.”

We left the high-security zone and managed by the skin of our teeth to get close to the officers' bedrooms before the alarm went off. Along with the other officers, Oniar and Olden came out of their rooms and caught sight of us.

The officers started speaking into their headsets, asking the reason for the alert. There were soldiers running and a lot of shouting, indicating that the guard's body had been found.

I pretended to be scared by all this commotion and Oniar came up to reassure me: “Everything is fine”, he said, taking me in his arms. “Go back to your room, Lauren. It's just a little accident in the high-security zone.”

“Won't we sleep together tonight?” I asked weakly.

“
No my love; I'm needed here.”

“
OK”, I replied, clutching him to me a little more tightly. I wouldn't be able to do this for much longer. I gave Amar a few days at the most to find the culprits.

I would have liked a little time to prepare myself for giving Oniar up for ever. But that was wishful thinking. I'd already had two years and that wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough.

I had to accept it in the same way that I had to accept leaving right after discovering that Auxana was right. The Asaïs were definitely real. Something that would have warranted thorough research. Unfortunately, in two years of training, I'd learnt practically nothing about them. The only thing I did know was that I was one of them.

I hadn't been prepared to kill a man. The previous evening, I'd acted instinctively, to save Lauren. I knew that I had no choice, that everything rested on our ability to carry out phase two of our plan. Our lives depended on it, as well as Earth's freedom.

I knew this, but it wasn't enough. It didn't erase the memory of the shock at seeing my laser knife in the guard's body, and his cry as he slumped slowly to the ground. It didn't wipe off the blood running over the handle of the laser and on to my hand.

I had cleaned my hand but it still felt dirty. Perhaps it always would. I didn't know if I'd ever manage to kill without suffering like this. I didn't know if I wanted to. All I did know was that that day would be the start of the final phase of our plan to destroy Amar.

The murder of the guard had been discovered, and the whole of the HQ was in pandemonium. Classes were cancelled and I feared for a moment that the party scheduled for the prince's arrival would be, too. But Amar refused to cancel it. That would have been seen as a sign of weakness. And Amar especially didn't wish to appear weak in front of the Emperor's son.

So the party went ahead, and our class of collaborators – which for the past few months had consisted solely of enthusiasts – was invited. Lauren and I had spent entire afternoons hunting for the perfect outfits for this occasion.

I met up with Lauren just before the party and was able to assess the fruits of our labours. She had chosen a stunning white dress with a silver belt. Its style was so pure and understated that it must have been worth a small fortune. Of course, Lauren had only walk into the shop on Oniar's arm for the boutique manager to give it to her.

I had never been as comfortable in my role as a collaborator as Lauren was. I paid for my own outfit: a black strappy dress, with sequins over the top of the bodice. It was lovely, even though it was impossible to conceal a weapon in it. I knew Lauren had hidden her neuro-inductor cunningly in her cleavage, hoping that nobody would dare search there.

I didn't risk emulating her. If all went well, Lauren's weapon would suffice, and if not, then not even an army would be able to protect us. All the same, I had taken the precaution of sewing the siphon into the lining of my dress, as we were unlikely to have the time to return to our rooms before all hell broke loose.

We made our way to the function room and were able at last to admire the prince. Afren's classes in the Efeghi culture were paying off: I immediately recognised the prince by his outfit bearing the symbol of the imperial house. He was surrounded by the most senior officers, including Amar and Oniar. Bashfully, we made our way towards their group.

Amar was the first to catch sight of us, and beckoned us over. “Prince Imrael, allow me to introduce two of our most loyal collaborators: Lauren Valley and Auxana Reyn.”

The prince turned towards us and I was able to get a closer look. I was surprised to see that he had chestnut-coloured hair. All the Efeghis that I'd met until then had dark hair. His turquoise eyes were equally extraordinary. He smiled at us and it was all I could do to maintain my outward composure. I'd never set eyes on such a handsome man. He was quite simply dazzling.

“
How do you do, ladies”, he said in a lovely lilting voice.

“
Pleased to meet you”, Lauren replied shyly. She seemed even more taken with him than I was. Her jaw dropped and her eyes lit up.

The prince's smile widened and he took her hand to raise it to his lips. Lauren quivered. I glanced in Oniar's direction. His face was impassive, with only a flicker of dejection in his eyes. I didn't know how Lauren managed to find the courage to playact like this in front of the man she loved. But this wasn't the first time I'd realised that she was far stronger than I was.

The prince turned to me and I did my best to avoid drawing attention to myself as I replied. I needn't have bothered; he seemed to have eyes only for Lauren. Although he hadn't glanced at Oniar for even a second, I sensed that he knew how hurt he was – and was relishing it.

He asked Lauren to dance and she accepted after a hesitant glance at Oniar. They took to the floor using the complicated Efeghi dance moves that Amar had taught us.

I never could understand why the Commandant himself gave the dancing lessons. Perhaps after all his responsibilities he wanted to relax a little. He'd even taught us the rules of seduction that a man was traditionally allowed to follow. These took place at the end of the dance – the point at which a man who wished to express his respect and affection should hold the woman in his arms for two seconds. If he held her for four to six seconds, he was expressing his interest for the night. More than six seconds was equivalent to a proposal.

At the end of the dance, the prince kept Lauren in his arms. Holding my breath, I counted the seconds, one by one, up to four. I sensed Oniar stiffen beside me. The traditional response for an Efeghi woman who wished to turn him down was to shake her head politely and leave. If she accepted, she would smile at him and remain in his arms.

Of course, Lauren chose the latter. I saw Oniar turn on his heels and leave the room, despite Amar's efforts to detain him. Lauren showed no sign of having seen this, but I knew she had, and I could imagine what she was going through. Meanwhile, she played her role to perfection, and flirted with the prince all evening.

At the end of the party, the prince asked Amar in Efeghian if he could spend the night with Lauren. I knew he wasn't asking his permission, but rather if Lauren could be trusted. Clearly, it never occurred to him that we might be able to understand his language. Amar replied that we were totally trustworthy. The prince then turned to Lauren: “Would you like to continue our conversation in my suite?”

Lauren blushed and looked around as though searching for Oniar. “I don't know if…”

“
Our friend Oniar left us a long time ago”, replied the prince. “I am sure he would have no objection to us spending a little time together.”

Lauren glanced hesitantly at Amar.

He smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder: “There's nothing to worry about, Lauren. You are familiar enough with our culture to know that you'll come to no harm with His Highness.”

“
Can Auxana come too?” she asked shyly.

“
Of course” replied Amar, with a little smile at the prince. I guessed that Amar would quickly find some pretext to get me out of the prince's suite.

Lauren turned to address the prince: “I'd be very honoured to continue our conversation”, she replied with a charming smile. He offered her his arm and they headed towards the exit. I started to follow but Olden grabbed me for a moment: “I need to talk to you this evening, Auxana.”

“But what about Lauren?” I asked.

“
Keep her company for a while, and then come back to me. It's important.”

I realised that not only did he want to let the prince have Lauren to himself, but that he was going to take the opportunity to dump me. He must have been thinking he no longer needed to stick around with me to ensure Lauren's loyalty. Given the circumstances, the situation was almost comical.

I agreed and hurried to catch up with Lauren.

The prince was accompanied by four armed guards, who followed us as far as the door to his suite. He opened the door with his bracelet and waved us in. Lauren walked in and I followed.

She was ecstatic about the works of art and the period furniture, and asked for a guided tour. I knew that she was in fact checking whether we were alone. The prince showed us around briefly and I was able to ascertain that Amar really had left us alone with his prince.

He must be thinking that two twenty-year-old girls were pretty harmless. And he had known us for over two years.
“Being certain in an uncertain world is a costly error”,
Lauren used to say. And Amar was about to find out just how costly.

The prince invited us to sit on his couch and installed himself beside Lauren. “Tell me a little more about yourselves, ladies. How long have you been part of the peace volunteers?”

“Since the start of the invasion”, Lauren replied with her sweet, slightly diffident smile.

“
What about you?” the prince asked me.

“
Me too. We started together.”

“
Really?” I didn't like the way the prince was smiling at me, not one little bit. Realising he expected to spend the night with both of us, I leapt up:

“
May I borrow your bathroom?” I asked.

“
Of course”, he replied, turning his attention to Lauren. I stayed in the bathroom for what seemed long enough for Lauren to seduce him, and then returned discreetly. I found them locked together in a clinch. Lauren was kissing him passionately while her hand slowly moved up his back and fondled his neck. Suddenly, the prince let go of Lauren with a cry of pain:

“
What the hell did you do?” he asked furiously, clasping his neck.

“
I've planted a neuro-inductor in your neck”, she replied calmly. “You know what that is? Yes, I see you do. If you call for help, I'll blow your brains out.”

“
You don't have the remote control on you!” retorted the prince. It wasn't hard to guess how he'd reached this conclusion. Clearly, Lauren had gone quite far before I interrupted them.

“
Oh, you mean this little toy?” I quipped, showing him the ring that Lauren had let me have. “I think I could just about manage to use it.”

“
You're going to follow us nice and quietly to your shuttle”, Lauren continued. “You'll tell your guards that you want to show us the city by night and that there's no need for them to accompany us. Let them think you're also intending to take this opportunity to have a bit of fun. Above all, be convincing; your life depends on it. And don't forget that we speak your language. Just one false move, and my friend presses the button.”

“
You will pay dearly for what you've done tonight”, replied the prince, coldly. “I advise you to give yourselves up straight away, before you make matters any worse.”

Lauren smiled as she bent over his ear and whispered quietly: “Things can't get any worse, my dear.” Then she slapped him hard.

Apart from a look of contempt, the prince showed no reaction. But I could see that the message had got through to him. Lauren was not joking. She wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he tried to escape or warn his guards.

“
Get up and do as you're told”, she ordered brusquely. Slowly, the prince obeyed. He remained cool and detached, as though quite convinced we'd be arrested at any moment. He didn't know that our sole aim was to create a scandal and get rid of Amar. Whether we survived or not was quite immaterial. If anyone tried to stop us leaving the HQ with the prince, Lauren would have no compunction about killing them, no matter what the consequences for us.