Part 45 (1/2)

”Because it does, ” does, ” she snapped at him. she snapped at him.

”Ari, I'm in charge of your education. Your maman and I agreed that there are some questions I just won't answer, because they're for you to figure out. You'll be mad at me sometimes, but I'll have to stay by what I agreed with your maman. You're very, very bright. Your maman expects you to figure out some of these things yourself, just the way the first Ari would, because she knows how good you are at figuring things out. It's part of your growing up. There'll be a lot of times you'll ask me things-and I'll say, you have to figure that one, because you're the one who wants that answer. Just remember this: whatever you ask anyone-can tell them a lot. You think about that, Ari. ”

He closed the door.

Ari thought about it. And thought that uncle Denys was maybe doing what maman had said; and maybe again uncle Denys wasn't. It was hard to tell, when people could be lying to you about what maman had said.

Or even about what she was.

In a little while more Florian and Catlin came in, very quiet and sober. ”Ser Denys says you have orders for us, ” Catlin said.

Ari made her face azi-like, very quiet. Her eyelashes were still wet. She figured her nose was red. They would pick all of that up, but she couldn't stop that, they had to be near her. ”I've got something to tell you first. Sit down on the bed. I've found out some answers. ”

They sat down, one on a side, very carefully, so they didn't jostle her.

”First, ” she said, ”uncle Denys says I'm not from maman's geneset at all, I'm a PR of somebody else, and she was a friend of maman's. That maman has a grown-up daughter and a granddaughter maman never told me about, and Nelly and Ollie both knew all about where maman got me. But he won't tell me a whole lot else. He says I I have to find it out. ” She made the little sign with her fingers that said one of them should come close and listen. But she couldn't make it with the right hand. So it was Florian who got up and came clear around the bed to put his ear up against her mouth. ”It might be uncle Denys Working me. I don't know. And I don't know why he would, except Giraud is his brother. Pa.s.s it to Catlin. ” have to find it out. ” She made the little sign with her fingers that said one of them should come close and listen. But she couldn't make it with the right hand. So it was Florian who got up and came clear around the bed to put his ear up against her mouth. ”It might be uncle Denys Working me. I don't know. And I don't know why he would, except Giraud is his brother. Pa.s.s it to Catlin. ”

He did, and Catlin's eyebrows went up and Catlin's face got very thoughtful and still when she looked at her. Catlin nodded once, with a look that meant business.

So she was not sure whether she felt stupid or not, or whether it was true at all, or whether part of it was.

Florian and Catlin could track down a lot of things, because that was what they knew how to do.

It answered a lot of the What's Unusuals, that was what scared her most, except it didn't answer all of them.

Like why the Disappeareds and what Giraud was up to.

Like why maman hadn't written her her a letter in the first place, or what had happened to it if maman had. a letter in the first place, or what had happened to it if maman had.

There were new ones.

Like it was Unusual that they didn't just tell her the truth from the start.

Like it was Unusual maman had gone all round the thing about her name, and told her her papa was a man named James Carnath. Which was still not where she got the Emory.

It was Unusual maman had dodged around a whole lot of things that maman had not wanted to answer. She had not wanted to ask very much when she was a little kid, because she felt it make maman real uncomfortable.

And when she thought about it, she knew maman had Worked her too, she could feel it happen when she remembered it.

That was what made her want to throw up.

She was scared, scared that nothing was true, not even what uncle Denys was telling her. But she couldn't let anybody know that.

That last uncle Denys had said was something she knew: what you asked told a whole lot to somebody you might not want to trust. So uncle Denys knew that too, and warned her not to ask him things.

Like maman, only uncle Denys did it a different way, straight out: don't give things away to me because you don't know whether I'm all right or not.

If uncle Denys wanted to Work her, he was doing something real complicated, and the pain medicine made her brain all fuzzy. If that was what he was doing he was starting off by confusing her.

Or taking her Fix off what she was trying to look at.

Dammit, she thought. Dammit.

Because she was stuck in this bed and she hurt and she couldn't think at all past the trank.

xii Report to my office, the message from Yanni said, first thing that Justin read when he brought the office computer up; and he turned around and looked at Grant. ”I've got to go see Yanni, ” he said; and Grant swung his chair around and looked at him. the message from Yanni said, first thing that Justin read when he brought the office computer up; and he turned around and looked at Grant. ”I've got to go see Yanni, ” he said; and Grant swung his chair around and looked at him.

No comment. There was nothing in particular to say. Grant just looked worried.

”See you, ” Justin said with a wry attempt at humor. ”Wish you could witness this one. ”

”So do I, ” Grant said, not joking at all.

He was not up to a meeting with Yanni. But there was no choice. He shrugged, gave Grant a worried look, and walked out and down the hall, with his knees close to wobbling under him, it was still that bad and he was still that much in shock.

G.o.d, he thought, get me around this.

Somehow.

Grant had kept track, with Grant's azi-trained memory and Grant's professional understanding of subject, psychset, and what he was hearing, of everything that had gone on around him while he was answering Giraud's questions and of everything that had gone on around him in recovery, right down to the chance words and small comments of the meds that had taken him home. Playing all that back and knowing it was all all that had gone on, was immeasurably comforting; having Grant simply that had gone on, was immeasurably comforting; having Grant simply there there through the night had kept him reasonably well focused on here and now, and made him able to get up in the morning, adopt a deliberately short-sighted cheerfulness, and decide he was going to work. through the night had kept him reasonably well focused on here and now, and made him able to get up in the morning, adopt a deliberately short-sighted cheerfulness, and decide he was going to work.

I can at least get some of the d.a.m.ned records-keeping done, he had said to Grant, meaning the several towering mounds of their own reports that had been waiting weeks to be checked against computer files and archives and hand-stamped as Archived before being sent for the shredder. Can't think of a better day for it.

He could not cope with changes, and he reckoned on his way down the hall and up to Yanni's door that Security thought it had found something or suspected something in the interview, G.o.d knew what, and Yanni- G.o.d knew.

”Marge, ” he said to Yanni's aide, ”I'm here. ”

”Go on in, ” Marge said. ”He's expecting you. ”

A flag on his log-on, that was what.

He opened the door and found Yanni at his desk. ”Ser. ”

Yanni looked up and he braced himself. ”Sit down, ” Yanni said very quietly.

Oh, G.o.d, he thought, gone completely off his balance. He sank into the chair and felt himself tensed up and out of control. he thought, gone completely off his balance. He sank into the chair and felt himself tensed up and out of control.

”Son, ” Yanni said, more quietly than he had ever heard Yanni speak, how are you?”

”I'm fine, ” he said, two syllables, carefully managed, d.a.m.n near stammered.

”I raised h.e.l.l when I heard, ” Yanni said. ”All the way to Denys' office and and Petros Petros and and Giraud. I understand they let Grant stay through it. ” Giraud. I understand they let Grant stay through it. ”

”Yes, ser. ”

”Petros put that as a mandate on your charts. They better have. I'll tell you this, they did did record it, not on the Security recorders, but it exists. You can get it if you need it. That's Giraud's promise, son. They're sane over there this morning. ” record it, not on the Security recorders, but it exists. You can get it if you need it. That's Giraud's promise, son. They're sane over there this morning. ”