Silent. Not anymore. That's why they sold me."
Gretchen's heart twisted in sympathy and she struggled to keep her voice steady. "Your Silence doesn't matter to us, Jerry. You do. Are you in or out? I need to know now."
"In," the boy said to Gretchen's relief. She wouldn't have to bring up his mother to convince him. Kendi had told her to save Harenn for later, if possible. No sense in overwhelming the boy.
"Then let's get moving," Gretchen said, hurrying down the path toward the equipment barn again. "We don't have a whole lot of time."
"How are you going to do it?" the boy asked. "Do you have a plan? Are you going to kill the master?"
"Never mind the details," she said, "and no, we aren't planning to kill anyone."
"Oh." The boy looked disappointed. "Will it take long? Are we going today?"
"No, it won't, and yes, we are. Now come with me and don't ask so many questions. We'll tell you everything you want to know, but later."
They rounded the corner of the barn--and came face-to-face with Joe. Gretchen only barely managed to avoid slamming into him. The boy dodged behind Gretchen with a gasp.
"What are you doing out here?" Joe demanded. "And what's with the kid?"
Gretchen's heart thudded hard, but she managed to keep her face expressionless. "We need a runner, one who knows the farm," she said. "So I co-opted one of your hands. We didn't figure you'd mind."
Joe frowned. "We run a tight ship here, lady. This kind of thing needs to be--hey! Aren't you the tech that came by to fix the sprinkler glitch in the first place?"
"That's me," Gretchen said. She drew her flashlight from her belt and tapped herself on the chest with it. "Corporate HQ says the fix-it program had some bugs--a glitch within a glitch. What are the odds, hey?"
"I don't like this," Joe growled. "That man and that woman coming here to ask about a hand we just bought, then this glitch pops up and I catch you running around with the same kid those two were asking about. I better call Mr. Markovi."
Adrenaline sang in Gretchen's blood. "You don't have to call him," she said, pointing with her chin to a point past Joe's shoulder. "Here he comes now."
Joe turned to look and Gretchen slugged him with the flashlight. The man staggered in surprise but didn't fall. Gretchen hit him again, and this time he went down. Gretchen glanced quickly around. The main house was blocked from view by the equipment barn and no other workers were in sight. A small bit of luck to balance out the big chunk of bad.
"Fuck," Gretchen muttered, looking down at Joe's motionless body. "Now what?"
"There," the boy said, pointing to a clump of ornamental bushes next to the equipment barn. "I'll help you drag him."
"You're quick on the uptake." Gretchen said as she grabbed one of Joe's wrists. The boy took the other. Together they dragged him toward the bushes.
"Faster on it than him," the boy said. "That was a really old trick."
"Still works," Gretchen pointed out, her calm voice belying the tension she felt. Someone could come by at any moment, might even be watching them now.
Once Joe's limp form had been stuffed into its leafy hiding place, Gretchen bent down and extracted his earpiece. Then she took the boy's hand and all but sprinted back toward the barn, only remembering at the last minute to slow down to a brisk walk when they came into sight of the house. Once they were in the equipment barn, however, they ran all the way to the equipment bay where Ben and Lucia were waiting. Computer parts and sprinkler equipment were scattered over the floor.
"Complication," Gretchen said as loudly as she dared above the noise. "Joe got suspicious. I had to hit him to keep him from calling Markovi, and I don't know how long he'll be out."
"Vik!" Lucia swore. She opened the nearly-empty equipment crate. "Get in, Jerry--hurry!"
The boy needed no further urging and jumped into the crate. Ben and Lucia carefully
Gretchen's heart twisted in sympathy and she struggled to keep her voice steady. "Your Silence doesn't matter to us, Jerry. You do. Are you in or out? I need to know now."
"In," the boy said to Gretchen's relief. She wouldn't have to bring up his mother to convince him. Kendi had told her to save Harenn for later, if possible. No sense in overwhelming the boy.
"Then let's get moving," Gretchen said, hurrying down the path toward the equipment barn again. "We don't have a whole lot of time."
"How are you going to do it?" the boy asked. "Do you have a plan? Are you going to kill the master?"
"Never mind the details," she said, "and no, we aren't planning to kill anyone."
"Oh." The boy looked disappointed. "Will it take long? Are we going today?"
"No, it won't, and yes, we are. Now come with me and don't ask so many questions. We'll tell you everything you want to know, but later."
They rounded the corner of the barn--and came face-to-face with Joe. Gretchen only barely managed to avoid slamming into him. The boy dodged behind Gretchen with a gasp.
"What are you doing out here?" Joe demanded. "And what's with the kid?"
Gretchen's heart thudded hard, but she managed to keep her face expressionless. "We need a runner, one who knows the farm," she said. "So I co-opted one of your hands. We didn't figure you'd mind."
Joe frowned. "We run a tight ship here, lady. This kind of thing needs to be--hey! Aren't you the tech that came by to fix the sprinkler glitch in the first place?"
"That's me," Gretchen said. She drew her flashlight from her belt and tapped herself on the chest with it. "Corporate HQ says the fix-it program had some bugs--a glitch within a glitch. What are the odds, hey?"
"I don't like this," Joe growled. "That man and that woman coming here to ask about a hand we just bought, then this glitch pops up and I catch you running around with the same kid those two were asking about. I better call Mr. Markovi."
Adrenaline sang in Gretchen's blood. "You don't have to call him," she said, pointing with her chin to a point past Joe's shoulder. "Here he comes now."
Joe turned to look and Gretchen slugged him with the flashlight. The man staggered in surprise but didn't fall. Gretchen hit him again, and this time he went down. Gretchen glanced quickly around. The main house was blocked from view by the equipment barn and no other workers were in sight. A small bit of luck to balance out the big chunk of bad.
"Fuck," Gretchen muttered, looking down at Joe's motionless body. "Now what?"
"There," the boy said, pointing to a clump of ornamental bushes next to the equipment barn. "I'll help you drag him."
"You're quick on the uptake." Gretchen said as she grabbed one of Joe's wrists. The boy took the other. Together they dragged him toward the bushes.
"Faster on it than him," the boy said. "That was a really old trick."
"Still works," Gretchen pointed out, her calm voice belying the tension she felt. Someone could come by at any moment, might even be watching them now.
Once Joe's limp form had been stuffed into its leafy hiding place, Gretchen bent down and extracted his earpiece. Then she took the boy's hand and all but sprinted back toward the barn, only remembering at the last minute to slow down to a brisk walk when they came into sight of the house. Once they were in the equipment barn, however, they ran all the way to the equipment bay where Ben and Lucia were waiting. Computer parts and sprinkler equipment were scattered over the floor.
"Complication," Gretchen said as loudly as she dared above the noise. "Joe got suspicious. I had to hit him to keep him from calling Markovi, and I don't know how long he'll be out."
"Vik!" Lucia swore. She opened the nearly-empty equipment crate. "Get in, Jerry--hurry!"
The boy needed no further urging and jumped into the crate. Ben and Lucia carefully
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