Dark Star (11 page)

“I have a message for you from Alpha,” the operative said. He scowled at a couple of boys staring at them from the closest table. The boys shrank down over their food and, with a twitch of his lips, he glared down at Rosie and Gillian again.

“Last night’s protocol break has been noted on your record and three points deducted from your training tallies, but as this is a first offence your punishment is a warning. Violate the rules again and you will be sent to solitary. Clear?”

“Clear.” Gillian and Rosie answered together and the operative scowled at them a second longer before striding away.

“Weird.” Gillian watched him go. “Either Alpha’s got a soft spot for us or he’s planning something special for later. I was sure we were about to get dragged to a cell.”

Rosie had thought the same thing. She’d stolen a stylus and used it to get into the surveillance and the Enclave network, surely Alpha would be furious at that. Shouldn’t there be questions about it? Gillian shrugged as if she was dismissing it. “No use worrying.” She grabbed Rosie’s arm. “Come on, this girl’s gotta eat.”

Rosie allowed herself to be pulled to the food line, but inside she was a mess of nerves. The lack of reaction from Alpha was disturbing and she wondered how Gillian could be so cool about it. They hadn’t had a chance to get away from the surveillance to talk yet. No chance for Rosie to come up with a story of how she got the stylus to access the surveillance. Gillian had to be curious about that, and what she’d been doing roaming around the Enclave at night. Maybe Gillian was with Sulawayo, or she was going to use what happened as ammunition to get her to do what she wanted in the future. After all, she barely knew Gillian. But still, she’d been nothing but friendly since she’d arrived. It was hard to figure her out and it made Rosie anxious.

She had the meeting with Sulawayo in the ruins tonight, and Sulawayo would be after information. She’d memorised the instructions Sulawayo had left her about how to get out of the Enclave, but after what had happened she was doubly nervous of being caught. The agent had said she’d leave her a stylus and exit door codes in her clothes locker, but would she still be able to do that? And what if Gillian was watching her now? She might not be able to get out of the room without being seen. Rosie wished she’d been able to get word to Aunt Essie about what she’d seen on the implant, about the MalX and what she’d over heard Alpha saying. Her aunt needed to know the rebellion was false and the part Jebediah was playing in it, and, most importantly, about Dark Star. Whatever it was, it had sounded important, central to their plans, and that brief moment in the medibay might have been her only chance. If only she’d known then.

They ate breakfast with Stefan and Freddie again and Gillian kept up a stream of random chatter. Rumours had already started about them being caught in the cafeteria. Someone had seen them being marched back to their room and someone else had overheard one of the operatives talking about the stylus taken from Gillian, and that it had been found to belong to Doctor Bree. Stefan told them the boys had bets going on how Rosie had stolen it. One of them involved her seducing him. Gillian was making light of it, as if it had just been some fun game they’d both been in on, but Rosie couldn’t share her attitude. She barely ate, her brain in overdrive about all that happened.

“Relax.” Gillian winked at her. “No reaction is good. Besides, I heard a rumour that the doctor has been dragged over the fire for letting you get his stylus in the first place.”

“Yeah, we heard that too,” Stefan said. “Pity you got cut off from the food though, you could have got something for us.”

“Hey, we tried,” Gillian said, “but the stiffs took it off us, and the stylus, so no more late night raids.”

Rosie kept silent, not wanting to contradict Gillian’s story, and her unease wound higher as they were marched outside and down to the underground training rooms.

She remained on edge all day. There was too much she didn’t know, too much to do and not enough time to do it. She couldn’t even contemplate what might happen should the black spots in her vision get worse. By the time evening came, she could barely force down her dinner.

Back in their rooms to study, an odd strain lay between her and Gillian as they sat silently on their beds. She felt her watching her sometimes, as if she was going to speak, but said nothing because the surveillance would pick up every word. Eventually, it was ten and lights out.

Rosie lay in the dark waiting for Gillian to be asleep enough for her to check the clothes locker. At least she couldn’t notice the spot in her vision. Time moved too slowly. Her eyes were grainy and itchy with weariness and she struggled to stay awake, but drifted off only to be woken suddenly by a hand over her mouth. She panicked and struggled.

“Relax, it’s me,” Gillian whispered. Rosie squinted as a tiny torch switched on, illuminating the other girl’s face over hers. “Okay?”

Rosie nodded and Gillian sat back.

“We don’t have much time. I’ve suspended the surveillance for a minute. Come on, get your boots.”

“Why?” Rosie said cautiously.

“Don’t be dense.” Gillian tossed Rosie her shoes. “I’m on Sulawayo’s team, figured you’d guessed that. She’s waiting for you. Shake it, this won’t last long.” She waggled a stylus in her hand. “Sulawayo set this one up so it won’t trip the alarms but we still haven’t got much time.”

“I was supposed to go alone,” Rosie said.

“Yeah, well after the other night’s fiasco, plans have changed; the boss thought you’d be better off with an escort.”

Rosie wanted to ask more questions, wanted time to think about this, but Gillian had to be on the level if she knew about her meeting with Sulawayo. She pulled her boots on while Gillian yanked the covers roughly back up, making a bulge that looked like a body.

They left the room and ran up the hall towards the iris, Gillian dealing with the surveillance as they went. The halls were silent and they made it through the cafeteria and the other iris without incident. Instead of heading into the other wing though, they went through into the same corridors that led to the medibay, except Gillian went right, running down a corridor that led to a set of doors to the outside. They opened into the back courtyard area Rosie remembered from her arrival. Directly opposite was a large hangar-sized building, massive doors opened wide, and Rosie glimpsed the shapes of some transports and a few bio bikes inside. A large transport was parked near the door, backed up as if it had been unloading earlier. It was very quiet. There were no lights and the night sky was clear of cloud, the stars blazing bright.

“This way.” Gillian jogged to the left along the back of the building.

Gravel and sand crunched and slid under their boots. As they reached the corner at the back end of the operatives’ wing, Gillian halted. Ahead was open desert, stunted trees and rocks, all dark shapes against the sky.

“Ruins are that way,” Gillian whispered. “Sulawayo will be there already. I’ll wait here for you.”

Rosie hesitated. How could she be sure this was real? It could be some trick of Alpha’s to test her.

Starlight glinted along Gillian’s cheekbone. “You better motor. If you’re late, she’ll be pissed.”

“How did you know to follow me last night?” Rosie said. “And how come Alpha didn’t come down on us?”

“Come on, girl, you seriously think Sulawayo would let her prize catch in a room with someone she couldn’t trust? I’ve been watching your back,” Gillian said. “I’ve seen you checking the place out, and then I woke up and you were gone. And don’t think she’s not pissed about that, by the way. You’re supposed to be settling in, not sticking out. It was her who made sure Alpha didn’t go ballistic about your little trip outside the dorms.” Her voice lowered. “Good thing you only got as far as the cafeteria, right?” Her face was scarcely visible in the darkness but the note in her tone was clear.

“That’s what you told her?” Rosie said.

“If she knew you’d got further, we might not be having this conversation. She won’t like you roaming around, sticking your nose in things.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“Girls got to stick together. Besides, how would it look for me if she found out I didn’t stop you? Sulawayo may be the boss, but that doesn’t mean I hang on her every word. Or tell her everything. We can work together on this, Rosie. You can trust me.”

Could she? It was too dark to gauge Gillian’s expression “How far is it to the ruins?” she asked.

“Straight that way, keep low. I’ve suspended the surveillance, but sometimes there are fail-safes. Run three hundred metres, turn right through a clump of trees and head south east.” Gillian thrust a small torch into her hand. “Take this. You’ll it need once you’re there, but don’t use it before.”

“Thanks.”

She followed Gillian’s directions, trying not to stumble in the dark. There was no moon and everything was different shades of grey. The copse of trees were spindly and she got a sharp scratch on her face as she negotiated her way, but when she emerged on the other side to an open plain, she could see the ruins, closer now, a denser patch of jagged darkness against the sky. She made it there in about twenty minutes.

Most of the buildings on the outskirts were nothing but foundations, so she guessed the town probably had been bigger than it now seemed. She reached the crumbled remains of a bitumen road and followed it towards the dark hunching mass of more intact structures. It was eerily silent. A light wind made things unseen creak, something banged intermittently like a broken shutter against a wall. She was on what used to be the main street. Other smaller streets branched off it in a grid pattern. The first intersection had two tall metal poles with broken lights dangling from the tops. There was no litter. If the Enclave used this for training, they must have to make sure the streets were mostly clear.

She passed the burned metal husk of what had been some kind of car. Further along she came to a four-way intersection, more broken metal poles, and on each corner dilapidated buildings several storeys high. Rosie snapped on the torch and played the pin point of light over them. The beam passed over a broken sign: Global Hotel. That was it. She jogged across the street and, through the hole where the doors used to be, there was a large shadowy room and at the far end a set of broken stairs.

A faint noise came from her right and Sulawayo said, “You’re late.”

Rosie swung the torchlight in her direction, picking out the tall dark woman in another doorway.

“Sorry,” she said.

Sulawayo beckoned Rosie to follow her. “In here.”

She snapped on a light. They were in what had been the hotel guests’ lounge. A long wood-panelled bar was still standing on the pitted and cracked parquet flooring. Two floor-to-ceiling windows were boarded up and there was a strong smell of dust and decay, something mouldering in some hidden corner.

“Sit.” The operative indicated a metal chair frame with slats of wood that served as a seat.

“I’ll stand.”

“Suit yourself.” Sulawayo leaned against the bar. Behind her were broken shelves and the wall was painted dark red, dirty renderings of flowers embossed in it.

“So what now?” Rosie said.

“You know our deal.” Sulawayo pulled a slim tablet from a bag slung across her shoulder. “You access the implant and give me the Equinox Gate plans and the information in the file about the Pantheon.”

“Wait,” Rosie stalled. With Jebediah being Sulawayo’s boss and the rebellion a sham, giving up the files was a terrible risk. Hadn’t Alpha said her usefulness would be over if she did? Plus once Jebediah had the gate plans and the information on the Pantheon file, what would he do? She needed to find out what his plans were. Why did he need the Pantheon file at all if he was one of the Pantheon? Was it possible that the Pantheon didn’t know each other? Was that what the whole code name business was about? And then there was Dark Star. She had to know what that was before she gave up her only leverage.

“I agreed to give up the gate plans and some of the Pantheon information for coming here to guarantee Pip got the tech he needs for the cure,” she said. “How do I know you’ve kept your part of the deal?”

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” Sulawayo smiled coldly. “And your little escapade last night cost me some effort with Alpha. I’ve allowed you to have a look around, satisfy your curiosity. I think that deserves some trust, don’t you think?”

Rosie swallowed. “You know where I went?”

“You messed with the surveillance all over the Enclave. Who do you think covered those tracks for you? As far as Alpha is concerned, you didn’t make it past the cafeteria. But the medibay? I had to erase all evidence of you on the surveillance.” She drew in a deep breath. “Did you have any success there? I wager you didn’t. Please don’t take me for a fool, Rosie. I know you have your own agenda.”

“My only agenda is to make sure my family and Pip are safe.”

“And to find out what you can about Helios. I also covered your tracks within the Grid, so Alpha shouldn’t know you were researching our MalX files. Though I can’t be one hundred per cent certain. So how about you stop wasting my time and give me the Equinox Gate plans and the Pantheon file, including their locations. I’m your only choice, Rosie. Work with me and we can change things. Try to do things alone and you will fail. And those you love will pay.”