Simoom Rising

Chapter Twenty-six

HARMONY

The guards took me back to my cell, while Vestra went back to the arboretum to think. She was there pacing round and round, trying to piece together the whole story. But I had yet to tell her everything.

Vestra—

Wait, wait, Ann. Just let me think. Ugh, damn this headache!

I felt an ache creep up Vestra's forehead and settle behind her brows. She rubbed her temples.

You need some water. And maybe take some deep breaths, I nagged her, but like Travers she ignored me.

I just don't understand, Ann. This is so not Mac. I've known him for years. I mean he's always been willing to bend the rules a bit, but to go rogue like that? How could he convince all the Pats under his command to follow him?

He could have lied to them. Would they have questioned him if he told them he had orders?

No, probably not. Let's figure out what we know. Mancy talks to Mac at the barricades.

And forces a mind link on him.

Are we sure about that, Ann? Mac seems so adamant that he wasn't touched.

You felt his stomach churning, like I did.

Yes, but how could Mac not know if he was linked with Mancy? It's been a couple of months now.

I shrugged. Because he doesn't want to admit it. Because people can rationalize anything. Because Mancy is manipulative and really good at controlling what his links know and don't know.

I suppose. Vestra wasn't entirely convinced.

I admired her loyalty to her friend, giving Mac the benefit of the doubt like that, and hoped I had earned some of that loyalty myself. I have something to tell you—no please listen to me, Vestra. I have to tell you all of it.

***

Pit District, Simoom
Four months ago

As you pointed out, none of us on the PCC were linked directly with any of the Pit Pats that came through the tunnels that day—or so we thought. We didn't know about Mancy and Mac's link; it seems Mancy kept that secret locked up tight. And we weren't linked to any of the New Earthers. So, this is our best guess at what happened.

While we were helping the New Earthers set up the aid station, Mac led his company of Pit Pats through the tunnels and the main bunker. But then there was a bottleneck. There was only one way in and out of the Pit through the bunker. The Pats had to wait in turn to climb up the ladder and out through the piss hole in the latrine by Omari's shack. One by one, as they climbed, their thoughts emerged into the Pit and were added to the dust.

At the same time, after the media drones went down, there was a lull in the wind. The New Earthers kept smiling, but this was the first time they had felt the Pit dust, and they were antsy.

"It's all right, it's all right," Omari said. "Just a bit of a dust up. It's the still season—there won't be any grey blizzards. One needn't worry."

It was great to be free of the whining media drones, and everyone began to chat. I don't remember about what—it was small talk meant to calm the New Earthers. You could tell from their eyes and from the hovering dust, they had become a little less sure of themselves and of the rightness of their mission. Fear had crept in—perhaps a few now wished themselves away from the Pit, regretted coming. Those doubts saturated the dust, and the motes became heavier and darker.

We grew nervous too. Every time a Pat entered the Pit we felt it. We were skittish. We knew we were being stalked. Our hopes, so bright and warm that morning, gave way to suspicions.

And paranoia rose.

Of course, it was Sharise who led the charge. I knew it. I knew it. Those WAVE bastards are coming to kill us.

And Ng's temper broke soon after. Let them come. Let them come...

I bet those smug, smiling New Earthers are in on it.

Stop, stop this! Omari tried to quell the rage and panic sweeping through us all now, but no one listened to him.

I tried to push against it, tried to keep a lid on the dust and thoughts of everyone else. I kept thinking: Just calm down. It'll be fine. Let's all just calm down. We have no proof of anything one way or another.

And the dust lightened and darkened with our jostling voices. And I was thinking about Sila—always about Sila.

Then one by one the Pit Pats' thoughts started to tip the balance. It only takes a couple of disruptive bitter thoughts to swing consensus. What was Mac thinking when he entered the Pit? Was he angry and frustrated, tired of waiting for WAVE execs to resolve the impasse? Did he resent the smug New Earthers and the media, always criticizing the Pit Pats, scrutinizing him and his colleagues? Or were his thoughts colder and more calculating: Round up and arrest the us Rats, but before that eliminate the witnesses, first the media drones, second the New Earthers.

Before you gasp in horror, Vestra, and blame it all on Mac and his Pats, remember we were all in the Pit together. It was all our thoughts combined—and the Pats had no idea how powerful theirs could be.

I was inside the rickety container pod, sorting and stacking supplies. Around me, people were coming and going. Somebody was banging a hammer above us, patching the pod's metal roof. There was a New Earther beside me. She told me her name, but I can't remember it. I think...from what I can tell from your memories, Vestra, it must have been your Raquel. She kept talking to me. I could tell she was nervous, and trying to cover it up by smiling and cracking jokes. I wish I could tell you more—I wish I could remember what she said exactly, but all I remember is her long black hair and that she was a nurse.

I was having trouble concentrating on her as panic rose around me. I said very little to her. Then through the barrage of everyone's thoughts, I heard Caraq in my head: What's going on? Something's coming. Even back at his command post at the barricades, Caraq had felt it too.

Bit by bit, the dust around us woke up, moving, swirling, gathering.

Then came the blast. Beside me, Raquel yelled out. I turned to her, but she was gone. All I saw was grey dust. My eyes were stinging; I squeezed them shut. I reached out my hands to grab Raquel, but there was nothing for me to grab. I couldn't hear anything but the wind. The hammering had stopped; all noises had stopped. I couldn't call out without swallowing dust. So, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled around, looking for her.  But again nothing.

I knew better than to go too far; I crawled under a table, curled into a ball, covered my face as best I could to wait it out. Hello? Hello? I yelled in my head, trying to reach Caraq or Mancy or Omari or anyone else on the council, but none of them answered; I couldn't even feel them. I was completely alone.

I don't know how long I stayed curled up under the table. It could have been ten minutes, thirty, an hour, two hours. I drifted off, but was startled awake by a hand touching my arm. For an instant I thought it was my Sila, and it was back five years ago and she was still alive. Either that or she was a ghost set to lead me to death. I don't know which, it was all a muddle in my head. All I knew was that it was kind of a miracle that someone had found me. I wasn't alone anymore. I couldn't open my eyes, so I just blindly reached for whoever it was. I caught hold of the hand, it wasn't Sila, of course. It was Raquel, and I pulled her closer. She was trembling and I heard her breathing heavily by my side.

I was about to hug her to me when a rifle blast whipped by. Then something hard fell on me, caught me on my hip and I let go of her hand. A scream ripped through my head. We had touched each other you see, Raquel and I, and I think that scream came from her mind. Where are you? Where are you? I called to her in my head. But there was no answer and I couldn't feel her anymore.

Raquel was gone. 

:( Vote in memory of Raquel.