Simoom Rising

Chapter Twenty-nine

Doric

The electricity was leaving my body, when my assailant padded me down and I caught a whiff of mocha breath. Too bad. I was hoping Mac would take a little longer to find me. I kept my eyes closed—feigning unconsciousness. I knew Ann would be freaking out just about now and was vaguely surprised she wasn't screaming in my head already, so I tried for some black humour. So this is what being tasered feels like. Jeez!

I expected to get a laugh out of her, but I got nothing. I guess I wasn't that funny.

After Mac searched me thoroughly, he moved away, but not before kicking me hard in the shins. "Open your eyes and sit up. I know you're awake, Girlie."

I took my time. My head was groggy; my body ached. My pants were wet from the spilled chai. I sat up but stayed on the floor. Mac was sitting away from me on an old discarded chair, with a gun on his lap. I was happy to see that his nose was a swollen mess, and he had the beginnings of a black eye.

"How did you find—oh, yeah, only so many off-grid places on the station, right," I answered myself, when I saw his smirk.

"Where's the recorder?"

I tried to look surprised. "What? You mean, you didn't find it on me?"

"Stop fucking around, where the Hell is it?"

I shrugged innocently. "No, seriously Mac, I had it on me earlier. Maybe I dropped it somewhere?"

"You think you're so clever, don't you, Girlie?" He wasn't buying it. "Where is it?"

"How do you know I haven't already transmitted the recording off station?"

"Because I checked with my buddies in the monitoring room. Contact your girlfriend."

I blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. You're not the only one that Gambo owes favours to, Girlie. Do your mind-link crap and ask her how she's feeling."

Worry flooded me. Ann? Ann?

I'm fine. She answered me tentatively. There was fear in her voice, but she was trying to hide it.

What's going on?

There's a Pit Pat in my cell. Just standing there with a gun.

Who is it?

I don't know his name, but he tells me he recognizes me from the barricades. I think he might be the Pit Pat who stood in the back of the room with Mac when I would talk to Moses.

Mac pulled my attention back to him. "So here's the deal: if you don't tell me where the recorder is in the next five minutes, my friend kills your girl."

Don't tell them a thing, Ann said. Just let him shoot me.

No. I shook my head. "You're bluffing," I said to Mac.

"Really?" he replied. "Prisoners misbehave. Accidents happen. Lots of unattended shit goes on in the detention centre and WAVE Corp. doesn't say a thing."

It's okay, Vestra, Ann kept whispering in my ear. Do what you have to do.

I ignored her and concentrated on Mac. "But Harmony isn't your everyday prisoner. She's a media star. You know as well as I do Mac, if you don't hand her over to New Earth Sec alive and well when they arrive here at the end of the week, there will be Hell to pay. The public will crucify WAVE Corp., the politicians on New Earth will withdraw the Simoom mining contracts from WAVE and WAVE Corp. will crucify you."