Part 15 (2/2)

Remy Helo stood and smoothed down her chin-length hair. ”Not too loud. I've been recognized once already and said I was looking for my uncle. But most people just see the uniform and ignore my face. There are so many new guards today from the Ford estate, no one knows anyone.”

”That's what we're counting on.”

Remy peered through the shadows at the salter. ”Are you a her? Or someone else?”

”What does it matter?” said Persis. ”You know what I'm here for.”

Remy regarded the beard and the other changes. ”This is a much better disguise than the last one you used.”

”I'm glad you approve. Now let's get going.”

Persis quickly dispatched the two guards monitoring the cells holding the Fords.

”Is that the drug you used on me?” Remy whispered as she watched the knockout drugs spinning from Persis's palmport and smacking the guards in the face.

Persis didn't answer. She inserted the nanotech key into the panel and it quickly scrambled the locking mechanism. With the cell unlocked, she pressed a lever on the cart battery. It began to droop and sag, looking less every moment like a piece of machinery and more like a sack of some sort. Inside were the items Remy would need to complete the mission.

Persis handed the sack to Remy and gestured to the cell. ”The rest is up to you,” she said. ”Welcome to the League.”

Remy nodded and took a deep breath. ”Waita”” she said. ”Aren't you forgetting something?”

”What?”

”I need a wild poppy. They'll never believe I'm here to help them without one.”

Persis laughed despite herself. When a wild poppy could be found on the side of every road in Galatea, it was hardly a certificate of authenticity. Nevertheless, she pointed at the edge of the battery-turned-bag. ”Everything you need is in there.”

There, on the side, glowed the outline of a wild poppy in s.h.i.+mmery nanotech gold.

Remy beamed and headed for the cells.

Back at the skimmer, Persis managed to rea.s.semble, then start her engine again with little trouble. She hovered out to the gate once more, relieved to find a bit of a backup. Everything was going according to plan. The guard transfer at the gate seemed to be somewhat chaotic, with a tangle of new guards coming in and going outa”not all of whom seemed to understand the protocol. When everything was sorted, she let out a deep breath and moved up to take her place.

”I apologize for the delay,” said the head guard as she handed over her inventory oblet once more. ”Some of these new transfers aren't especially well trained.”

”I see that,” she replied. ”Almost wondered if Citizen Aldred has taken to Reducing his own.”

The guard shrugged. ”Heard those rumors, too, huh? These lot are probably untouchable. The Ford estate transfers are all under the command of Captain Vania Aldred, you know.”

Persis swallowed. ”The daughter?”

”Explains why they're such a mess, huh?” the guard said with a snort. ”She's not old enough for her own command, if you ask me. Course, I never said such a thing.”

”Right.” Persis and her genetemps-enhanced vocal cords gave a deep, throaty, salter chuckle as the guard pressed the lever to open the gate. Persis started to move out, but there was a figure blocking her path, a medic by the look of the uniform.

”Citizen Fisher,” the medic called and waved at the guard.

”Citizen Paint,” the guard replied. ”Back again? Another problem with the latest batch of pinks?”

Persis decided it was time for her skimmer to break down again. She ground the gears to a halt and the engine died, thumping the machine to the ground.

”What's this about?” cried the guard. ”Get a move on. You're blocking the gate.”

”So sorry, Citizen!” Persis jumped out of the cab and went around to mess with the fans. ”It's been giving me problems all day.”

The guard gave her an exasperated sneer and turned back to his medic friend. ”So what's wrong now? We had a bit of a fright last week when the last batch turned out to be a dud. Prisoners waking up all over the island.”

Persis bit her lip to conceal a delighted smile. Could this be possible?

”Well, it's either the pills or the prisoners are building up a resistance to its effects.”

She'd have to inform Noemi of this as soon as she got home.

The medic turned to Persis and snorted. ”Need a push, man?” He looked back at the guard. ”Apparently not everyone needs a pink to be an idiot, right, Fisher? Anyway, the lab guys are flummoxed, and it's not like they've got the Helo wonder kid around to fix things up anymore. Have you heard he's run off to Albion? Taken up with some aristo girl, apparently.”

”You never can tell about a person, can you?” said the guard.

Persis pressed a b.u.t.ton on the side of the skimmer and the fans clanked together, emitting a shower of sparks.

The medic jumped. ”Watch what you're doing, man! Don't you know this is a prison? You're liable to get shot if you start a fire.”

”Yes, sir,” she said meekly. ”You're right about that. Say, did you say you knew a Helo? A real live Helo?”

The guard grunted. ”Don't know how much of a *real Helo' he is to run off with an aristo.”

But the medic puffed out his chest as he replied. ”I know him pretty well, actually. He was a few years below me in school. Of course, I didn't have Citizen Aldred giving me special a.s.signments like Justen Helo did. Smart as a whip, that kid, but he does put on airs. Thinks he's way too good to just sit in a lab all day and mix up pinks, so we've got to do it.”

”That doesn't surprise me,” the guard admitted. ”Aldred's daughter is the same way. Went right to the top, that one. Regs that think they're aristos, if you ask me.”

Persis risked speaking up again. ”But it was Persistence Helo what ended Reduction. Her grandson probably doesn't want to be involved in starting it up again.”

”What is that supposed to mean?” The guard scowled at Persis. ”You'd better watch your tongue, salter. You have no idea what you're talking about.”

The medic laughed in agreement. ”You sure don't! Helo's the one who invented pinks in the first place.”

Persis's heart dropped somewhere into the vicinity of her kneecaps.

”That's why he's so high on himself,” the medic went on. ”That's why he's Aldred's right-hand mana”or was until he wandered off island.”

But Justen was helping the refugees. Justen hated what was happening to the Galatean prisoners. Justen had defected from Galatea because of how evil the revolution had become.

It wasn't true. This medic was full of bitterness toward Justen. He was lying to make Justen look bad. Except a The medic had nothing at all against pinks. He thought that was the best thing Justen ever did. He wasn't criticizing hima”in fact, he was praising Justen. She restarted the skimmer and got out of the prison as quickly as she could, her mind erupting with anxiety.

Could she have left her refugees in the hands of the man responsible for their torture?

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