The Burn Zone (16 page)

I shook my head.
“
Well, you
’
ll never get in there now, not until security
’
s done going over it, and probably not until they manage to pull the airbike out of our living room.
”

“
I don
’
t need to. If you
’
ll allow, I can gather what I need from you.
”

“
Me?
”

“
If you
’
ll allow.
”

I was picking up something, an anxious hum through the surrogate cluster. Something was bothering the haan, something he was trying to keep to himself but wasn
’
t quite able to.

“
I
’
ll make you a deal,
”
I said.
“
How about I let you do whatever you
’
re looking to do and you help me find Dragan?
”

The anxious feeling grew worse as he looked into my eyes with his iridescent pink ones.

“
Yes,
”
he said.

“
So you agree to help me?
”

“
Yes.
”

Nix moved in front of me and leaned closer, until I could feel the warmth of his face against my neck. After a moment he reached into his tablet and drew some kind of electronic wand from out of the field. Sprouting from the tip of it was a set of metal prongs, two thin ones coiled around a central, thicker one. He held it between two spindly fingers as he drew in air, and then something under his clothes made that rattle again as he vented it.

“
What
’
s that?
”
I asked him.

“
A congenital defect sometimes causes an internal scraping of—
”

“
No, the wand.
”

“
It will take the sample I need.
”
I looked uneasily at the device as he moved it closer to me. The prongs were wickedly sharp.

“
Will it hurt?
”

He stepped closer, and I felt another weird surge through the surrogate cluster. A wave of unhappiness, and uncertainty mixed with a strange longing ... a sense of familiarity, as if someone he thought he
’
d lost was returned to him after a long absence.

“
Nix, do I know you?
”

He shook his head, moving the prongs closer to my chest.
“
I was born in the axial hive.
”

I peered down at the wand, feeling like I wanted to back away.
“
Wait, will it hurt or not?
”

He held the wand frozen in front of me, so close that whatever energy it gave off made the skin beneath it tingle. Through the jumble of strange feelings pouring in over the link between us, I felt a sudden pulse of deep, abject misery.

“
Hey, are you okay?
”
I asked him.

The current of signals stopped. He moved the wand away from me and stowed it back inside his tablet.

“
Yes,
”
he said,
“
and no, it won
’
t hurt.
”

“
You sure about that?
”

“
Yes. I
’
ve already taken the sample.
”

“
Oh,
”
I said, but he was lying. I didn
’
t get haan completely—no one did—but somehow I was sure that what he
’
d just said was a
li
e. I
’
d just missed something, something important, but I didn
’
t know what.

“
This will help,
”
he said.

“
Will it help with the fact that you
’
re a big, fat liar?
”

His rigid face offered no expression I could read as he fell quiet. For a second I thought he
’
d gone into some kind of trance or something when I noticed a lot of little movements through the smoked glass of his skull. They settled down, and the sunset pink of his eyes flickered once.

“
Your guardian
’
s security transponder is no longer active in Hangfei,
”
he said.

“
What?
”

“
Each of your security personnel is fitted with a transponder used for identification purposes. Your legal guardian, Specialist Dragan Shao, cannot currently be located in Hangfei.
”

“
You
’
re saying he
’
s not in the city anymore?
”
That didn
’
t make any sense.

“
Maybe.
His transponder may also inactive, or someplace where the signal cannot be reached.
”

“
Oh.
”
I dropped the pack back down on the bed.

“
That
’
s all I can say.
”

“
Are you ... supposed to know that?
”

“
I have to go.
”

The sudden shift had left me off balance, and a little angry. My head was pounding again.

“
Fine,
”
I said.
“
Great. Go.
”

He paused for a minute, then turned and crossed back around the bed. I followed him as he stepped back toward the hotel room door.

“
Look, will you just tell me what
’
s going on?
”
I asked him.

“
No.
”

He stopped at the door and turned back to me. He extended his hand, and I shook it again.

“
Wait,
”
I said.
“
Before you go.
”

“
What?
”

“
The haan female ... Ava.
”

“
She is transitioning to become the new haan female.
”

“
Whatever. Will you see her again?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Can you ask her for me about
Tānchi
?
”

“
Who?
”

“
Sorry,
”
I said.
“
The kid I dropped off last night.
My surrogate.
”

He nodded.
“
Ask her what?
”

“
I was wondering if there
’
s any chance I can finish the imprint with him,
”
I said.
“
Once this gets straightened out.
”

He paused, and there was more subtle shifting from inside his skull.
“
You have already failed to complete the imprint.
”

“
I know, but—
”

“
Failure to complete an imprint disqualifies you from further surrogate service.
”

My mouth dropped. As he turned to leave, I grabbed his sleeve and stopped him in spite of the fact that doing so could, under the current laws, be interpreted as an assault against a haan.

“
Wait,
”
I sputtered.
“
This wasn
’
t my fault.
”

“
I know.
”

“
He could have starved if I didn
’
t bring him back. I did the right thing!
”

He looked down at my fistful of his suit, and I took my hand away.

“
Failure to complete an imprint disqualifies you from further surrogate service.
”

“
But
—
”

“
Thank you for your time. Good-bye.
”

“
Wait,
”
I said, squirming past to block him. I held my hands up between us, and he stopped.
“
Just wait a minute, please.
”

It hadn
’
t occurred to me until right then, not really, just how much I
’
d come to depend on being a surrogate. Not just because of the extra money or rations, and not just to earn my keep with Dragan. Taking care of the little ones was one of the few bright spots I had, one of the few things that really, truly made me feel good. Now, just like that, not only had I lost Dragan but I was going to lose that too.

“
This has to be a special case,
”
I said.
“
I
’
m a good surrogate.
”

“
I don
’
t
—
”

“
Just ask her.
”

“
Just say you
’
ll ask her!
”

He paused, his body tense, before relenting.

“
Your assigned foster has already been sent back,
”
he said.

“
Where did you send him?
”

“
Back.
”

“
Back
wh
—
”

“
Your transaction is complete.
”

“
Wait,
”
I said, almost grabbing his sleeve again. An awful feeling was sinking into my stomach.
“
Back where? What does that mean?
”

I knew, though. On some level, I knew. I remembered waving to him as Ava closed the hopper door, and the low vibration that went through the floor afterward. It had reminded me of a garbage disposal.

“
All haan young must be imprinted,
”
he said.
“
No exceptions. I
’
m sorry. I thought you knew.
”

I couldn
’
t say anything. A lump grew in my throat, and I felt tears in my eyes, but I couldn
’
t speak.

I
killed him.
It was all I could think. I
’
d talked those guards into letting me inside. I trekked all the way across town in the middle of a security sweep, just so I could send him to his death when I could have just gotten a new kit in the morning.

“
Are you okay?
”
Nix asked.

“
Go,
”
I said, my voice thick and hoarse.