Equinox (3 page)

“Could be anything. I’d rather not speculate.”

“But how can they be there without anyone in the councils knowing?”

“That’s simple, they’re not. Someone knows about it.”

“Who? One of the councils?”

“Probably. But who isn’t as important now as
what
they’re doing there.”

“Who’s the boy Cassie mentioned? Can he find out?”

Riley went to his workstation. “She said he’ll be in touch, so yes.” He swiped a finger over the controls.

“So who is he? What’s–”

“It doesn’t matter. You just lie low. I’ll find someone else to meet contacts and collect intel.”

“But we need to get up there,” Rosie said. “We have to find out what Helios is up to. I could go, I–”

“You start at the Academy on Monday, Rosie.” He held up a hand as she tried to speak. “I’ve got some trails I can investigate in the city, but you won’t be doing it. You’ve done your part for now.”

“Are you serious? I just spewed my guts, literally, to get that message to you and you don’t want me to do anything about it?”

“Rosie, Helios knows I’m alive. You can’t do anything to make them suspect you’re working with me.”

“It’s not like it’s that hard to figure out,” she said sourly.

Riley was unmoved. “So far you’ve only had a few operatives checking on you every now and then, but they’re sure to step up the surveillance. You can’t risk it.”

“I would never lead them here,” Rosie said. “I know how to avoid them.”

“I’m not saying you would, but just do what I say, for now. All right?”

“No, it’s not all right!” She couldn’t believe he was doing this. “Riley, it’s not like I’m some kind of amateur. I know what I’m doing. What about Aunt Essie? Are you going to cut her out too?”

He sighed. “Rosie, it’s safer for both of you to back off at the moment.”

“Back off?” She stared at him. “Are you seriously going to tell her that? Do you know Aunt Essie lost her pilot stripes because of Helios?”

“Yes, I do,” he said stiffly.

“Did she tell you the whole story?”

His mouth thinned. “She hasn’t talked about it much, no.”

“Of course she won’t,” Rosie exploded. “Because she’s too bloody proud.” She lowered her voice, trying to get a handle on her anger. “Riley, Orbitcorp interrogated her like she was a criminal. They almost accused her of being part of Helios when she couldn’t explain why she’d been on Mars when we brought the Enclave down. She had to make stuff up to protect us. They found her ship on Mars – which we crashed, by the way. Remember that?”

“Of course I do.” He looked at her wearily, like she didn’t understand.

“She never told them she was kidnapped by Helios,” she said. “Or that they infected her with the MalX and she almost died. She hasn’t told them how we got the files out that exposed Helios, even though it could have exonerated her. She’s kept our secrets. She told them she was on Mars alone and crashed her own ship. She said there wasn’t any surveillance of her in the colony when we blew the Enclave because she was embarrassed she’d crashed. And she kept our release of the files about the MalX anonymous, so Helios’s people in Orbitcorp couldn’t find out about you, or me, or even Pip.” She held his gaze, pleading. “You can’t just cut her out after all that. You owe us. It was your parents’ files that started all this, remember?”

“I remember,” he said, but the look he gave her was set, inflexible.

“So what, that’s just it? What you say goes?”

His face was grave, but also sad. “I’m sorry, but yes. And your aunt and I agree on this so don’t go back to her with it. We have an understanding.”

What did that mean? Rosie searched his face, but as usual he gave nothing away. Was he saying they were more than friends? It was possible; her aunt did get a little softer round the eyes when she mentioned him. Rosie kept staring, but it was clear he was immovable.

“Will you at least tell me who this boy is that Cassie was talking about?” she said. “You haven’t mentioned him before.”

“You know I don’t tell you about any of the others who work with us; it’s safer that way.”

“Safer?” She almost snorted. “I can look after myself. I saved your butt that many times on Mars–”

“Once,” he said.

“Twice actually, but who’s counting?” His calm was infuriating. “Riley, I can’t just sit back knowing this. Let me go up to Gondwana. It won’t take that long; the Academy can wait. Or at least let me do something!” She went to the desk and searched the stack of com parts and tech gear. She picked up a filament com that became invisible in hair. “I can wear this. I’ll hang out places, try to pick up information. I’m sure I saw someone follow me from the apartment this morning. Don’t worry, I lost him,” she said quickly. “But I could track him to find out who he is.”

“No.” Riley reached for the com, but she flicked it out of his reach. “That’s useless unless I activate it,” he said.

“Then activate it.”

He looked at her with the same patient but immovable expression she knew far too well.

She sighed and threw the com back on the desk. “How can you expect me to just do nothing?”

“Because that’s what I need from you right now.”

“Nothing?”

He nodded. “Yes, carry on like normal, Rosie. Go to class, be a schoolkid for a change.”

A kid. What did that mean? She wasn’t sure she knew how to do that any more.

“I need you to understand, Rosie,” he said. “I can’t have you giving them any reason to pay you more attention. I don’t want you or anyone in your family suffering again because of me. Essie has already told me in no uncertain terms that she expects me to limit your involvement and I’m not going to undermine her trust.”

“Trust, sure,” Rosie said, but her heart had gone out of the fight. She sighed. “Why do I always feel like you’re not telling me everything? Do you know who runs Helios?”

“No one does.”

“You know something, but you won’t tell me.”

“Knowledge is dangerous.” He gave her that bland, almost apologetic look. “I tell you enough. Having my level of insight would mean certain death if they decided to take you in. You wouldn’t hold out against their interrogation methods. Few can.”

And Riley was one of the few. They had caught him not long after his parents were killed. They’d caged him, flayed him, put nanos in him that slowly shredded his organs, his muscles, just enough to almost kill him. The nanos were still there. He had to inject himself with a neutralising agent so they wouldn’t reactivate. And that was just some of what he’d told her. It made her sick thinking about it.

“They won’t have a reason to take me in,” she said.

A barren smile curved his mouth. “They don’t need a reason. Right now they’ve left you alone because they thought I was dead. That and because they are hoping you will lead them to Pip. If I had more people I could trust as well as I trust you and Essie, I wouldn’t have even contacted you after I got back from Mars. I’d rather you weren’t putting yourself in danger at all.”

“I would have even if you hadn’t come back,” Rosie said. “I’d have found a way to get back at them.”

“I know.” He exhaled a laugh.

Rosie hesitated and leaned on the desk. “Riley, do you have any idea where Pip is?”

He didn’t answer straightaway and that made her heart beat faster.

“Do you?” she repeated.

“I’m sorry, Rosie, but I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

“So is that a yes?”

He sighed and said with finality, “Pip is alive. As far as I know.” Her heart gave a leap, but then he said, “Now I think you should go.”

She knew that tone. It meant this conversation was over. She straightened. “I guess Aunt Essie will start getting worried if I’m not back before dark.”

“Before you go, take off the Bridget ident lenses. I’ve made another one for you.”

Rosie removed the lenses and slid the new ones over her irises.

“And here.” he handed her a disposable money card. “Your pay.”

Rosie took it. It still felt weird taking money from Riley, but he shut her down every time she said anything. And her pride wasn’t so big that she’d refuse it. She’d been poor and hungry most of her life. Besides, she hated having to rely on her aunt for everything. “You’ll tell me when you hear anything though, won’t you?”

“I always do.”

Rosie wasn’t so sure about that, but she let it go. “You need anything? Food, MalX screeners?”

“Don’t worry about me.” He turned back to his screens. “Be careful on the way home. I’ll send word.”

Rosie left, but playing over and over in her mind was the expression on his face when she’d asked him about Pip. Riley knew something, she was certain. But the question was, what?

Pip sat by the fire and stared into the flames. The night was warm and they didn’t really need a fire, but it gave them something to gather around.

Cassie sat on the log beside him. Her blond hair glinted in the light as she gave him a lazy glance. “Thinking of tomorrow?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Lots to do.”

She leaned closer. “Don’t worry, Pippy, everything’s planned. It won’t be a problem.”

His jaw tightened. “Don’t call me that.”

She laughed softly. “Why not, Pippy? You know, you worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry enough.” He kept staring at the fire, hoping she’d go to bed, but she just sighed and rested against his shoulder. “It’s a spying trip, Pippy, nothing more. I know what I’m doing.”

He shrugged her off. “You only think you do. You should have stayed at Kev’s.”

“Are you worried about what my brother might do?” She drew back, mocking him. “What he doesn’t know can’t bother him, and he needs to find out what Helios is up to.”

“And that’s what I’m doing,” Pip said. “Riley asked me to find out, not you.”

“Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

“We did have two sets of eyes – mine and Kev’s.”

She whispered in his ear, “But Kev’s not as fun as me.”

Their faces were only centimetres apart, close enough for him to see the satisfied gloat in her eyes. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.”

She sucked in a breath. Her eyes gleamed with anger as she drew back, her smile brittle. “Don’t be boring, Pippy. You think because you grew up in Helios you know more than I do.”

“I do.”

The smile dropped. “You know what? I’ve been stuck up here hiding from Helios, listening to what’s been going on for years. Now that they’ve finally been outed for the bastards they are, it’s my chance to take them down.”

“You could end up dead,” Pip said.

“Oh,” she mocked him, “I didn’t know you cared.”

“Christ, Cassie!” He shot to his feet. “You should take this seriously.”

“I am. I’ve been taking this seriously my whole life. Don’t think you’ve got a patent on being the hero.”

“I’m not trying to be a hero.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Her eyes narrowed and her pretty, perfect face hardened. “So how much blood have you donated so far? ’Cos you’re looking a bit pale.”

Something inside him curled up tight. How did she know about that? He swallowed. “Maybe you should stop checking me out. I told you I’m not interested.”

She smirked and looked him up and down. “Never say never, Pippy. But that’s not the point, is it? I’ve seen you talking to Lakisha and the other doctors. I know you’re trying to find a way to use that cure in your blood. You want to go the UEC as humanity’s saviour or something. How’s that working for you?”

“Shut up,” Pip said through clenched teeth.

“That well?” Cassie arched an eyebrow. “If you need any help explaining anything–”

“I don’t. And what I’m doing is none of your business.”

“A cure for the MalX is everyone’s business. Helios might be evil bastards, but they sure knew what they were doing when they bred you.”

“They did not breed me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She pretended to be concerned. “So are you saying your weren’t born in the Enclave? I must be confused because I thought you used to be Helios’s prize experiment. That must be another Pip. Wonder what your parents would think?”

“You shut up, right now.” He was so angry, he was trembling. “Don’t you talk about my parents.”

“Gee, Pippy, did I hit a nerve?” She frowned. “You seem a bit unstable. Maybe you shouldn’t be here risking yourself when what you’ve got running through your veins could save people.”

“It’s you who shouldn’t be here,” he said. “We don’t need your help.”

She gave him a speculative look. “Is this about your precious Rosie again?”

His insides somersaulted. “You leave her out of it.”

“Why?” Cassie voice dripped with spite. “It seems like you can’t. And nor can Riley. Both of you act as if she’s the only one with a stake in all this. I was nine when I had to run up here. Alone. At least her dad is still alive. Helios killed both my parents.”

“Yeah? Welcome to the club.” Pip spun away from the fire, afraid if he stayed, he might hit her. And he didn’t want to be that kind of guy.

“Walking away from me, Pip?” Cassie called. “This the same view Rosie got?”

He threw his hands up in a wide shrug. Let her think what she wanted. She’d be over it in the morning. That was the thing with Cassie: she didn’t care enough to hold a grudge.

“You two fighting again?” Kev looked up from his sleeping roll as Pip crawled into the one next to him. His skin was so black Pip could barely see him in the dark.

“Like I give a crap.” Pip lay down fully clothed.

“Proper attitude, bro. Don’t let her mess with your head.”

Pip didn’t reply. After a moment Kev said, “Don’t worry about it; she’s just angry at her brother.”

“Like that’s an excuse.” He hated that Cassie knew about his efforts to cure the MalX. He’d been trying to keep it quiet, under the radar. It was his business. Finally, he could control what happened to what was in his veins, not Helios or the Senate, and it cut him deep that it wasn’t working. Not yet. It was the only good thing to come out of his previous life with Helios, and it wasn’t working.

Well, almost the only good thing. Meeting Rosie had been a good thing.

The thermo waterproof mat was thin and he could feel the ground under his back. He shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot. Screw Cassie. Even if she was angry with Riley, did she have to bring up Rosie? He didn’t like to think of Rosie too much, didn’t like worrying about how she was doing. Her face came into his thoughts anyway: the cute freckles on her cheekbones, the way her smile made a dimple in her cheek, the way she’d looked at him the last time he saw her at the hospital. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the darkness, feeling hollow.