Banned Books, Banned Girl

Part Four

Victor Pensee's office was at the center of the Admin wing, so it was to that office that Mike Nakamura brought the report of Maria Kehoe's renewed absence. Pensee had a curious insistence upon being kept informed about certain cases.

"And she's gone," concluded Nakamura. "Do you think it's useful to contact her family members?"

"Why?" asked Pensee. "They are a nest of hate cultists. By now they've all been mercied or sent to Level Three reeducation. The girl won't bother to try and find them."

"What about those associates she had at the book shop? A Comrade Surrat, and some D-4s, one named Ronin, one named Liza. The one named Ronin is a trouble-maker, and Liza is an obese book-addict. We could pressure all of them to turn Maria in, if she contacts them."

Pensee shook his head. "Why should she contact them? The girl's set herself up as a ghost worker once before. She'd be well advised to do that again, away from any old associates."

"But she's sentimental," said Nakamura. "Likely a result of the corrupting influence of her hater parents. She's known to have tried to encourage D-4s to work harder--- for their own sake, she tells them, not because it makes her own job easier."

"She lies," Pensee said. "Her only concern is with herself. if that wasn't so, she wouldn't have left here."

Nakamura wondered if that was so. He'd reckoned that the residents of The Facility weren't that content here because of the constant threat of mercy. Even defectives had a survival instinct. But he said nothing. Pensee was his boss, and his opinions, especially his wrong ones, were obligatory on all.

The room was cold, and there were broken glass shards glittering all over the floor. A pile of old food wrappers was in the corner, and a stained mattress was in the middle of the room.

It was a standard room for a ghost worker. Maria had lived in such places before. On the upper floor of an old commercial building, the Ds didn't want it in use as residences--- there weren't enough spaces to keep people properly tamed and under the control of a D building warden. So the old apartments were locked up and officially vacant.

Ronin had picked the lock of the room. "I know a guy, used to live here. He's somewhere else now."

"Reeducation?"

"Nah, he's rich enough to get a good fake D-2 and a good place to live--- like the party hacks have."

"How do I pay to live here?" Maria asked. "Since I don't have a new ghost job yet."

"Girl, lift a banned book or two and sell 'em. They are worth a mint of money--- even worth real money, gold and silver coins. Just one book will more than pay your rent for half a year."

"I don't know how to sell banned books and not get caught," Maria said. "And I won't steal from Mister Surrat, he helped me."

"How do you know he ain't been exploiting you?" Ronin asked. "How you know he ain't the one turned you in?"

"Do you have evidence of either thing?"

"Well, nah, but..."

"I choose to believe Surrat was helping me," said Maria. "Just like I believe you are helping me, and not just planning to turn me in yourself."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so trusting," said Ronin. "I'm a bad lot, everyone says so."

"No," said Surrat, "I can't take you back, Maria."

Maria didn't plead or beg. "May I ask why?

"Number one," said Surrat, "they are scrutinizing me. Every little thing. I'm looking at having to close the used book room altogether. I don't dare take on any ghost worker under these conditions."

"Number two, there is Pensee. He's come around a couple times, both when they had you and since you've escaped. He is a dangerous man, and he seems to have an obsession concerning you. It is not good for my business, and if we have weak sales, the government will close the shop down."

Surrat seemed sad, and though Maria felt pretty devastated herself, she wanted to make him feel better.

"I suppose it's a good thing," Maria said. "Every long time ghost worker I know switches workplaces a lot. It's safer for me to move on anyway. But I liked working for you, and I worry how you are getting on."

"I've put in to have Ronin and Liza assigned to me, permanent," Surrat says. "Liza reads, and Ronin shows a surprising willingness to mop floors and dust shelves since you left."

"I'm glad," Maria said, though she wasn't, really. It was just showing her that life in the bookshop she had loved was moving on just fine without her.

Surrat reached into his satchel and pulled out three books--- a Louis L'Amour, a Jon Del Arroz, and a biography of Catherine of Aragon she'd long wanted to read.

"Here, some banned books that might be to your taste, my gift to you," said Surrat.

"Oh, you shouldn't have, you could sell them for good money."

"Friends are more important than money," Surrat said sadly. "You were a good friend to me. I shall miss you."

Maria changed apartments and jobs several times in the next weeks. It wasn't uncommon in the ghost worker world. On the third day in her latest apartment, she was awakened at the crack of dawn by a pounding on her door.

Maria opened to see both Ronin and Liza there.

"You got a problem, girl," Ronin said, and he signalled with his hands to Liza, who took a note out of her jacket pocket and held it out to Maria.

The note said I can find you. I can punish you through your friends Peter Surrat, Ronin Kelly, and Liza Braun. You have three weeks to surrender yourself, or some one you care about will be mercied. Pensee.

"You've read the note?" asked Maria.

"It wasn't sealed, we both read it," said Ronin. "Some old lady wearing rags passed it to Liza and told her to give it to you. Maria Goretti Kehoe. We didn't even know your middle name before that."

Maria felt hollow, and numb. "Don't you worry," she said, her own voice sounding faint and far-away to her. "I'll turn myself in. I won't let either of you be harmed."

Liza sobbed. "I don't want you to?"

"Yeah, where is the fun in that?" Ronin said. "I think we should do something very bad to this Pensee dude. Something that will lead to a funeral."

"We can't kill people, we'll all get in trouble," said Liza.

"Killing's too merciful for Pensee, anyway," said Maria. "He was always the most hated staff member at The Facility. I've heard stories...." The stories. If anyone else heard them, if there was any little shred of evidence to back such things up, Pensee would be out of his job, out of power, probably even in reeducation.

"Ronin, you have connections, right?" Maria asked. He nodded. "You got connections that can get you to an unmonitored computer, to download some illegal images to a data stick?" She told Ronin exactly what was needed.

Ronin grinned. "I can get it easy," he said. "It'll cost, but I've been peddling some books lately--- not stolen from Surrat, and not officially banned. Just some things the proles like but can't get any more unless they have a connection like me."

"Can you get it for me in one week's time?" Maria asked. 

"Not a problem."