Part 13 (2/2)

Natch raised a hand. ”Everybody ready?”

Just at that moment, an improbably tal and gangly figure came rus.h.i.+ng through the door, white robe flapping in the mountain gale. His eyes were saturated with sheer panic, but it wasn't a panic that concerned the fiefcorp master or MultiReal. The man bolted straight for Magan Kai Lee, grabbed his sleeve, and blasted some silent message in the lieutenant executive's face.

Seconds later, the dartguns of the Council officers dropped. A few rifles clattered noisily to the stone.

Without a word or a glance Natchward, Magan Kai Lee arose and made for the door, his face coated with some military flavor of a PokerFace program. He made a quick gesture with his right hand, causing the soldiers to abandon their aggressive positions around the fiefcorp. Ridgel o and his officers formed a tight cordon around the lieutenant executive, and they al marched hurriedly out of the SeeNaRee.

Rey Gonerev was the last to leave. Natch leapt up from his seat and grabbed her shoulder.

”Give me one reason I shouldn't launch MultiReal right now,” he said.

The Blade's expression was distant, disconcerted. ”Because,” she said. ”Margaret Surina is dead.”

17.

Natch had never seen a team s.h.i.+ft tracks as quickly as the Defense and Wel ness Council.

A moment ago, the fiefcorpers had been surrounded by armed stormtroopers wearing the white robe and yel ow star; now they were alone in the precipitous mountain SeeNaRee. Even the clouds had abandoned them.

Margaret Surina dead? Last month, Natch would have wondered how any a.s.sa.s.sin could possibly get to the top of that tower with al those guards around. But he had seen the condition of the Surina security forces not twelve hours ago.

Penetrating that protective shel of troops around the Revelation Spire wasn't such a daunting task-especial y if one had inside help.

Stil , if someone could get to the bodhisattva of Creed Surina that easily, why didn't they come after Natch first?

Natch looked around the SeeNaRee and took in the stunned expressions flitting across the brows of his apprentices. Any thought of MultiReal and fiefcorp licenses had vanished from their faces. Natch didn't know whether to feel relieved to be free of the Council or frightened to be without their protection. What he wanted more than anything was to retreat home, or to Omaha, or to the redwoods. Safe places.

And then his thoughts came circling back to Andra Pradesh. Margaret, lying dead at the top of a heavily fortified building, surrounded by a large private security force. There were no safe places anymore.

”I'm going over there,” he announced, rebel ing against impulse.

A skeptical pause from the fiefcorp. ”Where?” said Jara. It was the first word she had spoken since her abrupt curse when Natch arrived.

”Andra Pradesh,” said Natch. ”To find Quel . Find out what's going on.”

”Are we sure there is anything going on?” said Serr Vigal. Everyone looked at him. ”I mean, do we know Margaret's death was foul play?”

Jara snorted. ”What do you think it was-'natural causes'?”

Horvil suddenly dashed over and gripped Natch by the elbow. ”You can't go,” he protested. ”What if it's a trap? What if-what if the people who kil ed Margaret are stil there?”

”Horvil's right,” said Benyamin. He folded his arms across his chest. ”How do we know the Blade was even tel ing the truth? Sounds like a perfect setup. Get everyone in a panic, lure you to Andra Pradesh, and then-”

Merri shook her head, despondent. ”The bodhisattva of Creed Objectivv just issued a statement offering his condolences. Rey Gonerev wasn't lying.”

The channel manager stopped and pa.r.s.ed her thoughts careful y. ”Wel , she wasn't lying about that, at least.”

The entrepreneur noticed that none of the fiefcorpers suspected Magan Kai Lee had dreamt this up on the spur of the moment, to prevent the release of MultiReal. But on further reflection, Natch realized that it didn't matter. Whether Margaret Surina was real y dead or not, the news would completely overshadow everything else on the Data Sea within seconds. No amount of sales wizardry on Robby Robby's part would entice people to buy Possibilities in the next two hours.

”Al right,” said Natch. ”Where's the closest multi facility?”

The multi gateway at the Surina compound was closed. The network dumped him at a public terminal a kilometer away instead. Natch hiked the rest of the way through the city, studying the compound on the mountain the whole time for any signs of violence. He saw none, although he did see a number of egg-white Council hoverbirds touching down. As for the citizens of Andra Pradesh, word of Margaret's death had obviously not reached them yet.

When he reached the iron gates at the base of the hil , Natch was surprised to find them already guarded by troops in white, not blue and green. A crowd of curious onlookers began to coalesce across the street. What if they don't let me in? Natch asked himself.

The Council officers gave the fiefcorp master a long, probing look, and then let him in.

With an armed escort.

Natch couldn't remember if he had ever seen the Surina courtyard empty. Even in the early-morning hours, after the Center for Historic Appreciation shut its doors and Gandhi University wrapped up its academic semester, there were always people wandering around. Fiefcorpers liked to lounge here between midnight meetings in the Enterprise Facility, and there was always a pair of lovers or some forlorn poet staring reverently up at the Spire.

Now the only feet treading on the mountaintop belonged to Natch and his two Council escorts. The men were shaky and silent as junkies as they led the way to some unannounced destination; Natch could only hope they were going to the scene of the crime. What happened to Surina security? he wondered.

At that moment, as if responding to Natch's thoughts, the doors to the auditorium burst open and a gang of Surina officers came sprinting their way.

They were moving too quickly and chaotical y for Natch to count, but he figured the number to be about twenty. Some of the Surina troops threw apprehensive looks over their shoulders, as if expecting an imminent pursuit. At the front of the blue-green wedge was a familiar figure.

Quel .

The Islander came to a halt mere centimeters from the Councilman on Natch's left. The man gulped audibly as he took in Quel 's bulging chest and untamed ponytail. ”We'l take those guns,” declared the Islander, his voice gravel.

The Council lackey shot a glance at his compatriot. They exchanged grim frowns of courage. ”I'm sorry, Islander,” he said. ”We're not al owed to do that.”

Quel made no signal to the crowd of security officers gathered behind him; nevertheless, their dartguns al leapt into their hands simultaneously. The Islander slowly unsheathed a metal bar of the darkest obsidian from his belt, a long nightstick sizzling with bottled lightning. ”I said we're taking those guns.”

The Council officers winced, and Natch did too. He had heard plenty of stories about Islander shock batons. A crack on the skul with one of those things could splatter the guards' brains al over the travertine, OCHREs or no OCHREs.

The men in white robes handed over their weapons.

”What's happening?” asked Natch as he trotted across the courtyard, trying to keep up with Quel 's ma.s.sive strides.

”I don't know,” grunted the Islander. ”The Council swooped in. Caught us al off guard.

They started herding everyone into the auditorium like f.u.c.king sheep.” He glanced behind him at Borda's lackeys, who were being muscled toward the Center for Historic Appreciation by a subset of the blue-andgreen troops. ”Jayze Surina just waved the Council in.”

”What about-”

Quel cut him off with a snarl. ”I said I don't know. But we're going to find out.” Natch noticed that he had not sheathed his shock baton, opting to curl it like a barbel instead. That stick had to be pretty heavy to strain Quel 's ma.s.sive biceps.

Surina security officers began to trickle out the side doors of the auditorium and join the smal group marching on the Revelation Spire. So far there was no sign of any Council reinforcements, but Natch knew it was only a matter of time.

He could feel adrenaline spiking his veins and started to reach for a bio/logic tranquilizer, then decided to let his body chemistry handle itself.

The Surina troops flattened themselves against the base of the Spire and hid in shadow.

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