tight against her chest— “you know in your heart that one day the sun will set and never rise again. you know the deep that waits for you, in the cold, in the dark, in the stillness, in the forever.”
He straightened, pressed my palms against the glass door. I felt the tension gather in my arms and then the glass exploded outwards.
She screamed and he leaned back down to her.
“hush. just answer the question.”
“I don't know their names! Keith arranged it! They were just drones from the Manchester nest!”
Catskinner turned and I felt his control slip away. I turned back. “Thank you, Dr. Klein.”
She looked up at me, and I could see the gratitude in her face that she was talking to a human being again. As much as she might hate me, I was better than Catskinner.
The story of my life.
“Now, who's Keith, and what's this Manchester nest?”
I could see her give up. The defiance that had been keeping her face closed and her body tense faded away, ran out of her body like water. Her voice was soft as she spoke.
“Keith Morgan. He runs The Good Earth, on Lindbergh, near highway 40. All the nests buy from him. They say he's in bed with some of the others, the blue metal boys, the nova crew—I don't know about that. I got my nettle junk from him. I just wanted to get out from under and out of town—I swear that's all it was. He gave me the seal and told me how to use it.”
I nodded, just as if I understood what she was talking about. So far, her being cooperative wasn't much more help than her being defiant.
You getting all this?
i hear it.
Which meant that it didn't make any more sense to Catskinner than to me. Still, I did have one lead to follow up.
“The Good Earth,” I repeated sagely, as if I had expected as much and just wanted her to confirm it. “And the Manchester nest?”
“I don't know the address. It's out past 270, almost to 141. It's in an old department store. That's all I know.”
I turned from her and she flinched, but I just gathered up the remains of her robe and tossed it at her. She pulled it gratefully over her body.
I needed time to think. Blue metal boys? Nova crew? They sounded like gangs of some kind. Was that what happened? We got caught in a gang war?
“So what did Keith have against me and Victor?”
I lost points with that one. I could tell from her expression that it was a stupid question, but she opened her mouth to answer it anyway when there was a fusillade of knocks on the door.
“Police, open up!”
That's our cue to exit.
She was looking towards the door. I smiled and told her, “Getting out of town—that's probably a good idea.”
She looked back at me in time to see Catskinner pouring back into my face and body.
“talking about me, now that's a really bad idea.”
And then we were gone, over the scattering of broken glass and through the empty door frame, across the patio—I had time to glimpse the water of the pool, green with algae like swamp water—then I was at the privacy fence.
And then Catskinner stopped dead. There was movement on the other side of the fence. The cops had the place surrounded. I could feel Catskinner giving the fence his full attention.
Remember, I urged him, we don't kill cops. Cops never stop looking for someone who kills their own.
In the backyard there was a pool, a couple of plastic chaise lounges, an old wooden tool shed, and me. Catskinner turned my head to look at the pool. It was worse than I thought, the surface was scummed with green and swarms of tiny bugs hung around it like a cloud.
Try the shed, I suggested.
The shed wasn't locked. Once inside I reached to take my body back. Catskinner gave it up easily. I was hungry and hot, but basically okay, although I didn't expect that to last. As soon as Dr. Klein told the cops where to find me I was screwed. Catskinner could get clear of them, I was sure, but probably not without hurting some of them.
I watched through the crack between the doors and
He straightened, pressed my palms against the glass door. I felt the tension gather in my arms and then the glass exploded outwards.
She screamed and he leaned back down to her.
“hush. just answer the question.”
“I don't know their names! Keith arranged it! They were just drones from the Manchester nest!”
Catskinner turned and I felt his control slip away. I turned back. “Thank you, Dr. Klein.”
She looked up at me, and I could see the gratitude in her face that she was talking to a human being again. As much as she might hate me, I was better than Catskinner.
The story of my life.
“Now, who's Keith, and what's this Manchester nest?”
I could see her give up. The defiance that had been keeping her face closed and her body tense faded away, ran out of her body like water. Her voice was soft as she spoke.
“Keith Morgan. He runs The Good Earth, on Lindbergh, near highway 40. All the nests buy from him. They say he's in bed with some of the others, the blue metal boys, the nova crew—I don't know about that. I got my nettle junk from him. I just wanted to get out from under and out of town—I swear that's all it was. He gave me the seal and told me how to use it.”
I nodded, just as if I understood what she was talking about. So far, her being cooperative wasn't much more help than her being defiant.
You getting all this?
i hear it.
Which meant that it didn't make any more sense to Catskinner than to me. Still, I did have one lead to follow up.
“The Good Earth,” I repeated sagely, as if I had expected as much and just wanted her to confirm it. “And the Manchester nest?”
“I don't know the address. It's out past 270, almost to 141. It's in an old department store. That's all I know.”
I turned from her and she flinched, but I just gathered up the remains of her robe and tossed it at her. She pulled it gratefully over her body.
I needed time to think. Blue metal boys? Nova crew? They sounded like gangs of some kind. Was that what happened? We got caught in a gang war?
“So what did Keith have against me and Victor?”
I lost points with that one. I could tell from her expression that it was a stupid question, but she opened her mouth to answer it anyway when there was a fusillade of knocks on the door.
“Police, open up!”
That's our cue to exit.
She was looking towards the door. I smiled and told her, “Getting out of town—that's probably a good idea.”
She looked back at me in time to see Catskinner pouring back into my face and body.
“talking about me, now that's a really bad idea.”
And then we were gone, over the scattering of broken glass and through the empty door frame, across the patio—I had time to glimpse the water of the pool, green with algae like swamp water—then I was at the privacy fence.
And then Catskinner stopped dead. There was movement on the other side of the fence. The cops had the place surrounded. I could feel Catskinner giving the fence his full attention.
Remember, I urged him, we don't kill cops. Cops never stop looking for someone who kills their own.
In the backyard there was a pool, a couple of plastic chaise lounges, an old wooden tool shed, and me. Catskinner turned my head to look at the pool. It was worse than I thought, the surface was scummed with green and swarms of tiny bugs hung around it like a cloud.
Try the shed, I suggested.
The shed wasn't locked. Once inside I reached to take my body back. Catskinner gave it up easily. I was hungry and hot, but basically okay, although I didn't expect that to last. As soon as Dr. Klein told the cops where to find me I was screwed. Catskinner could get clear of them, I was sure, but probably not without hurting some of them.
I watched through the crack between the doors and
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