Read Online Railhead by Philip Reeve - Free Book Online

knows.”
    “Okay,” Zen said. “Where is it?”
    “In a private museum on the Noon train.”
    Zen looked at him to see if he was joking.
    He wasn’t joking.
    “So you think I can get onto the Noon train and just start stealing stuff?”
    “I think you’re the only person I could send to steal it, Zen.” Raven smiled, and left Zen to think about that while he ordered breakfast from the Motorik waiters.
    *
----
    Zen had never seen the Noon train, but he had heard of it. Everybody had. When the senate was not in session on Grand Central, Mahalaxmi XXIII, Emperor of the Great Network, Chief Executive of the Noon family, traveled constantly from world to world, making sure that all the people of the Network had a chance to see him. He made these journeys aboard his private train: three miles long, pulled by twin engines and Guardians knew how many auxiliary power cars.
    “Only two types of people can board that train,” said Raven. “Members of the imperial family, and trusted guests. It takes a long time to win the Emperor’s trust, and I want the box now. So if I’m going to get hold of it, I need a Noon family member on my side. Trouble is, those Noons tend to stick together. They’re too rich to bribe, too clever to trick, too dangerous to blackmail.”
    Zen still didn’t understand. “So how can I help you?”
    “Your mother never told you who she is?” asked Raven. “Who you are?”
    “No. She doesn’t talk about things like that.”
    Raven thought for a moment. “Back in ’65, young Mora Noon, from the Golden Junction branch of the Noon family, was married to one of the sons of the Lee Consortium. It was a big deal, in every sense. A grand wedding at the Noon Summer Palace on Far Cinnabar . Nine days of celebrations. Of course, once she was married, Mora was expected to produce a child. But someone as rich and important as Mora Noon doesn’t have time to be pregnant. So the family geneticists implanted the fetus in a surrogate mother. A poor relation called Latika Ketai, the illegitimate daughter of some Noon or other, who worked on their country estates.”
    Zen’s mother’s name was Latika. She’d sung old Cinnabari folksongs to him when he was little. He started to see where Raven’s story was headed.
    Raven spread his hands. “Something went wrong,” he said. “I guess she got fond of you. Decided that, after all the trouble she’d gone to giving birth to you, you should be hers to keep. So she ran. Skipped out with you, got to a K-bahn station, vanished into the Network. She must have kept traveling for weeks, changing lines whenever she could. The Noons sent people after her of course. Noon DNA is valuable; the corporate families guard their bloodlines jealously. But somewhere along the way Latika managed to convince them you were both dead, and they stopped looking for you. It took me a long time to pick up your trail myself.”
    Zen wasn’t sure what he was feeling. It was hard to imagine Ma ever having been together enough to slip out of a Noon family facility with a Noon family baby. It was hard to imagine her ever loving him enough to try. He supposed he should feel grateful that she had wanted him that badly, but he was too busy wondering how he could use this new knowledge. He was a Noon. By rights he should be living in a palace somewhere, heir to a great trading house. He was a Noon! He was related to the Emperor himself!
    And he understood now where Ma’s fears had come from. The Noons had given up hunting for her, but she had never stopped running.
    “How do I know this is true?” he asked.
    “We’ll run a blood test if you like,” said Raven. “You’ll find you have Noon DNA. Which brings us back to this job I want you to do for me.”
    He took a little device from his pocket and set it on the table. A Baxendine holoprojector, its wooden casing shaped like a big, smooth bean. It hung a picture of a young man in the air above the table.
    Zen stared at the image for