Read Online The Burn Zone by James K. Decker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James K. Decker
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rations and keep him on. I can find a motel that will take us both, and...
I didn ’ t have much money, though, and anyway I had to find Dragan. I just couldn ’ t worry about a surrogate right now.
“ I ’ m really sorry, ” I said in his ear. I gave his cheek one last stroke.
I looked up at the female and nodded. Tānchi watched me over her shoulder, still hurt and confused, as she carried him to the empty station. She opened a smooth metal hatch there and then placed Tānchi inside. He looked back at me, and I gave him a little wave. He raised one little hand and waved back before she shut the door again with a vacuum thump. A low rumble came from the wall, making the floor vibrate slightly as she tapped at a virtual keyboard in the air in front of it.
“ Where are you send — ” I had started to ask when the mites went dark and the connection broke.
“ Back, ” she said.
“ Back wh — ”
“ Your transaction is complete. ”
She handed me a black strip of paper with a series of haan stamps on it, which I realized was a receipt. I sighed, not sure if I should laugh or cry. I stuffed the receipt in my pocket and ran my hand through a sweaty lock of hair.
“ Look, ” I said, “ I need help, okay? ”
The haan stared, not speaking.
“ Soldiers took my guardian, ” I continued, the words coming on their own. “ They tried to kill me. I can ’ t— ”
“ Thank you for your service, ” she said. “ Your transaction is complete. ”
I leaned a little closer, lowering my voice. “ One of them was a haan. ” She didn ’ t answer, but the shapes in her head writhed a little in their fluid bath. She watched me, the rigid contours of her glassy face not moving. Whoever she was, she was good at controlling the mites. I couldn ’ t feel at all what she might be thinking. “ She was pretending to be a human— ”
Light flickered behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn ’ t have to turn around to see that the gate had opened again. She was giving me the boot.
“ You guys are so far beyond us, ” I said, looking at the floor and shaking my head. “ I know you could help me. I know you could. If you wanted to you could— ”
“ Your tra — ”
“ I know. ” I turned, a little wobbly on my feet, and wiped a pink mixture of sweat and blood from my forehead. “ Thanks for the help. ” I put air quotes around the last word, but she didn ’ t seem to pick up on the gesture.
I turned around and found myself looking through a gate in the wall, back into the room I ’ d come from. With nothing else to do or say, I stepped through.
She followed me, which I hadn ’ t expected. On the other side I watched her as she reached up to grip a metal, many-eyed orb nestled up in a ceiling niche. Her long fingers rotated it so that the eyes stared up into darkness.
“ What are you— ”
A second gate crackled into existence on the other side of the room, and through it I could see the city street outside the settlement. The protesters and worshippers were still there, and they perked up at the sudden appearance of the portal.
“ Leave now, ” she said.
“ Fine. ”
I stepped through, back into the humid night air. On the other side, I turned back in time to see her approach the haan guard who first greeted me. She placed one hand on his shoulder, and I heard a muted slither followed by a crunch. As the gate fizzled out of existence, I heard the distorted splash of water and, for just a second, it looked like the draping material of the guard ’ s suit collapsed to the floor.
Then the portal vanished, leaving me to stare at the brick wall. The protesters who were gathered at the perimeter looked at me with contempt, while the gonzo worshippers looked at me with awe. To my right, the guards at the station looked up from whatever they were doing long enough for one of
I didn ’ t have much money, though, and anyway I had to find Dragan. I just couldn ’ t worry about a surrogate right now.
“ I ’ m really sorry, ” I said in his ear. I gave his cheek one last stroke.
I looked up at the female and nodded. Tānchi watched me over her shoulder, still hurt and confused, as she carried him to the empty station. She opened a smooth metal hatch there and then placed Tānchi inside. He looked back at me, and I gave him a little wave. He raised one little hand and waved back before she shut the door again with a vacuum thump. A low rumble came from the wall, making the floor vibrate slightly as she tapped at a virtual keyboard in the air in front of it.
“ Where are you send — ” I had started to ask when the mites went dark and the connection broke.
“ Back, ” she said.
“ Back wh — ”
“ Your transaction is complete. ”
She handed me a black strip of paper with a series of haan stamps on it, which I realized was a receipt. I sighed, not sure if I should laugh or cry. I stuffed the receipt in my pocket and ran my hand through a sweaty lock of hair.
“ Look, ” I said, “ I need help, okay? ”
The haan stared, not speaking.
“ Soldiers took my guardian, ” I continued, the words coming on their own. “ They tried to kill me. I can ’ t— ”
“ Thank you for your service, ” she said. “ Your transaction is complete. ”
I leaned a little closer, lowering my voice. “ One of them was a haan. ” She didn ’ t answer, but the shapes in her head writhed a little in their fluid bath. She watched me, the rigid contours of her glassy face not moving. Whoever she was, she was good at controlling the mites. I couldn ’ t feel at all what she might be thinking. “ She was pretending to be a human— ”
Light flickered behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn ’ t have to turn around to see that the gate had opened again. She was giving me the boot.
“ You guys are so far beyond us, ” I said, looking at the floor and shaking my head. “ I know you could help me. I know you could. If you wanted to you could— ”
“ Your tra — ”
“ I know. ” I turned, a little wobbly on my feet, and wiped a pink mixture of sweat and blood from my forehead. “ Thanks for the help. ” I put air quotes around the last word, but she didn ’ t seem to pick up on the gesture.
I turned around and found myself looking through a gate in the wall, back into the room I ’ d come from. With nothing else to do or say, I stepped through.
She followed me, which I hadn ’ t expected. On the other side I watched her as she reached up to grip a metal, many-eyed orb nestled up in a ceiling niche. Her long fingers rotated it so that the eyes stared up into darkness.
“ What are you— ”
A second gate crackled into existence on the other side of the room, and through it I could see the city street outside the settlement. The protesters and worshippers were still there, and they perked up at the sudden appearance of the portal.
“ Leave now, ” she said.
“ Fine. ”
I stepped through, back into the humid night air. On the other side, I turned back in time to see her approach the haan guard who first greeted me. She placed one hand on his shoulder, and I heard a muted slither followed by a crunch. As the gate fizzled out of existence, I heard the distorted splash of water and, for just a second, it looked like the draping material of the guard ’ s suit collapsed to the floor.
Then the portal vanished, leaving me to stare at the brick wall. The protesters who were gathered at the perimeter looked at me with contempt, while the gonzo worshippers looked at me with awe. To my right, the guards at the station looked up from whatever they were doing long enough for one of
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