Turncoat: Turncoat Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 18.1

I followed the men to a familiar building where the leaders of the slum resided. A couple who helped in the founding of the slum as a safe haven for undiscovered Tzis and gays from the government. They were considered Mother and Father, having taken in many orphaned children who lost parents to the government. The man knocked on the door and a brisk "enter" sounded from inside.

He opened the door and motioned me inside. I stepped in and started to enter when Father spoke up. "Please wait outside," he said.

Brother nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind him. I looked down at my disheveled appearance and cringed. I still wore the clothes I had on a month ago when I was arrested, but now that I'd been paraded through the maintenance tunnels and sewers, they were covered in dirt and gunk.

"Hello, Father, Mother," I said turning to each in turn, dipping my head. The words were a formality, nothing else. They felt stale on my tongue.

"Welcome home, Tawny," mother said. "Would you like some wine?"

"No, thank you," I said.

"Are you sure, it would be no trouble to us," she said.

"I would hate to be a burden on your resources," I said.

"You are no burden, please, I insist," she pressed.

"And I humbly decline your offer," I said.

She smiled and nodded. "Of course. Now, we've heard rumors that you're working for the resistance now. Is there any truth to this?"

"There is," I said. "I have been working for them for several months, mostly just computer stuff."

Mother pursed her lips and sighed. "You must be the most well educated child I have ever had," she said.

I felt a twinge of guilt for not telling her and father the truth. They had taken me in after the acci--attempt on my life--for a time. Of course there had been a test to ensure I really was Tzi as I claimed to be. I had been fluent enough in language and mannerisms to gain myself a spot but I never told them that my father had been excommunicated for marrying a non-Tzi. They would have turned me away if I had.

"Thank you, mother," I said.

Father frowned and closed his eyes. "Tawny, your resistance friends came looking for assistance from us to break you out of that facility. Why not do it themselves? They'd already broken someone else out a week previously."

"I was the hacker who made sure they could get in and out of the facility unseen," I said. "I don't know how many other hackers they have but not many can accomplish hacking into the Pits, father."

He nodded. "And these people believe in our cause?" he asked. "To stop the mindless slaughter of our people by resisting the oppressive regime we reside it?"

"Yes, father," I said. "They just go about it slightly differently. While you are more passive aggressive in just keep them from finding us, they believe in violently disrupting the government's war plans."

"And breaking out class a political prisoners accomplishes this how?" father asked.

"I assume he was rather important to their cause," I said. "I only saw him once and that was during the extraction."

"You risked your life for people you barely know and shouldn't be trusting," Father snapped. "You didn't know what would happen if something went wrong and you got caught."

"Yes, Father, I understood the risks when I went in," I lied. Nick's blatant refusal to tell me anything about what was going on is what scared me and what possibly saved mine and their lives. A thought dawned on me as I stood there under Father's glare. They knew I was going to get arrested for this and they didn't tell me anything because of that fact. Nick, Vicki, Kai, they knew I would have been arrested for their jail break.

"Tawny, I guess what is concerning us is that if a member of this community would have been arrested and they knew details of our security measures, the dead heads could come into this place and arrest everyone. We've had dead head arrest parties in the past and nothing has gone wrong, however, you know a lot about the security here. Made most of the digital security, we can't have you getting arrested," Mother said.

"I understand, Mother," I said. "I promise to cover my tracks better next time. The only reason I was suspected it because of the facility broken in to."

"Alright, now, I am sure you would like to return to your friends," Mother said. "I set them up in a rather dense area of the slum, just to make sure they blend in. Your brother will take you there. It is good to have you back in one piece."

"Thank you, Mother," I said. "Father."