Part 10 (2/2)

Not long after we take off the sun dims, clouds gather and rain starts again. I realise I've left the spade. Too bad. It would be handy for digging us out of the trouble we'll be in once we get back at base.

You only realise how comforting a crowd is when it squeezes you out.

From the moment our Storm lands back at Loren there's only Roke and Reef waiting. An official un-Welcome Committee.

I shrivel up inside to see the cold expression on Reef's face.

*What were you thinking?' he demands to know, while Roke is busy questioning Zoya. *You stole a plane!'

*I brought it back.'

*You took off without orders.'

*To find Henke and Rill!'

*They were already dead.'

*We had to bury them.'

*And who'd bury you when you got shot down, flying into the war zone in broad daylight?'

*You don't have to shout at me!'

*I'm not shouting!' he shouts, then he calms a bit, rubbing his eyes as if they're sore. *You should've connected for ac-reqs from Aura. You wouldn't have been permitted to go.'

*Do we always have to do everything according to Aura?'

Reef stares at me, stunned. The question is too abnormal to need an answer. *Look, Rain, I didn't . . . people didn't know where you'd gone or whether you'd even come back. No, don't say anything else. I knew it was a mistake . . .'

*What was a mistake?'

*This . . . Everything . . . Us . . .'

He steps away and closes his eyes. The black Eyes in the Dark tattoos show on his lids.

Zoya is in tears once the Scrutiny is done and I feel like a monster because it's all my fault. We're given our keypads back and told to go and get breakfast.

*You're grounded until further notice,' says Roke with a certain amount of unsmiling satisfaction.

*We shouldn't have gone,' moans Zoya. *I shouldn't've let you talk me into it. What's everyone going to say? Marina Furey must think we're awful. I want to die. They won't tell my father, will they? He'll kill me if I mess up here.'

For once she lets me go into the canteen first. I take a deep breath a” nearly retching on the stink of the herbs Haze still insists on cooking with a” and then, with my hands deep in my pockets and my gaze to the ground, I head over to our usual squadron table.

People a” strangers a” start to point, murmur and message. The Storm squadron go silent when they see us. What's worse is the sight of the breakfast table still set with places for Henke and Rill, as if they'll just come bustling in any moment to sit down to eat.

I link arms with Zoya, sensing she's about to turn and run. She stuck with me in the Storm, I'll stick with her now. This has got to be faced.

One by one the Storm crew sc.r.a.pe back their chairs and stand. I almost faint. Don't tell me they're going to cut and walk out on us!

At first no one speaks, then Mossie, red-eyed from crying, nods towards a seat. Petra pushes a plate of bread closer. Dee lines up two mugs. Yeldon pours tea.

Zoya gives a little sob. *You mean we can join you?'

*Are you crazy?' says Mossie.

*Probably,' mutters Dee to no one but herself. *They'd have to be to do what they did.'

*Are you crazy?' Mossie repeats. *Of course you can join us. You're both one of us. One of Many.'

*One of Many,' they all echo.

*What you did,' says Lida in a pretend-not-to-be-tearful voice, *it was brave, as well as demented and disobedient.'

*Yeah,' says Ang. *And I wouldn't worry about getting Scrutiny for it. I got detention my first week in school. Twice.'

A group of men comes to loom over us, each with an emblem of the People's Number Nine Bomber Squadron on their uniform.

One says, *Hey, we've heard about you lot, buzzing around playing war games when the rest of us are trying to sleep. They say the Crux are calling you night witches.' He prods my shoulder and says, *Aren't you the kiddie who stole one of those wooden jokes this morning?'

The Storm squadron closes ranks.

*No,' says Lida firmly, arms crossed. *She's one of the kids who kicked the Crux out of Sorrowdale because your planes weren't up to the job.'

Grounded.

It's like a prison sentence. Before I ever flew it didn't bother me to keep both feet firmly on the ground, with maybe just my head in the clouds during a really boring cla.s.s at school. Now I'm itchy, twitchy aching to be back in the air again. What use are we to the war if they don't let us fight? All day we have to wait in the crew-room, watching Victory reports that can't hide the fact the Crux are flattening resistance.

*They shouldn't be winning!' says Fenlon, bursting in on us one day. *We absolutely outgun and out-tech them and they're all just homicidal religious junkies. I'd feel sorry for them coming up against our armed forces if it wasn't for the fact that they keep churning out more troops and traptions.'

*Isn't it our superior technology that's the problem?' I ask tentatively. *They're using machines that aren't affected by the Mora.s.s. If we had more Storms and some traptions of our own . . .'

*Ha! Try telling that to the scientists! We've got the go-ahead for more Storms at least, but up in Corona City they're waiting to develop some sort of super-weapon that's going to turn the tide of war.'

*Worse than Slick?'

*Makes Slick look nice enough to pour on your porridge, I heard. In the meanwhile, keep your kit bags ready packed, kids. It's only a matter of time before Loren is in range of Crux missiles.'

He's right.

*It's not a retreat,' everyone says as Loren Airbase is dismantled and boxed up. Not a retreat, as trucks are loaded floor to ceiling. Not a retreat, as Storms take off in search of a safer home for the night-bomber squadron. The official term from Aura is Strategic Withdrawal.

Otherwise known as running away.

Still grounded, Zoya and I have to travel by road, like techies. Zoya goes on ahead in a truck with more ground crew and Roke as guard. I'm to be watched by Reef.

*See you there!' Mossie waved as they set off. She tossed me a packet of cookies, somehow knowing I wouldn't want the pack-up Haze made for everyone.

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