‘Hey, Millie. Is there a game on?’
She nodded. ‘Who’s your friend, Peg?’
‘She’s my cousin.’
‘Course she is.’
Peg and I slipped through the doorway and into a small, dark room at the back of the house. There were five round tables, six people crowded around each, all playing cards. A makeshift bar was set up against one wall.
The girl behind the bar, who, like the one out front, was wearing little more than her tattoos, winked at Peg. ‘Your usual?’
‘Yeah. And a beer for my cousin, Jennie.’
‘Hi, cousin Jennie,’ said the girl, pushing a bottle of beer across the bar to me. She turned back to Peg. ‘You joining a table? We have stud, Texas Hold ’Em and blackjack.’
‘Not tonight. Jennie and I just fancied a nightcap before heading home.’
‘Suit yourself.’
I followed Peg through a door and into another dimly lit room, this one with couches and candles spread around. The room was empty apart from a couple sitting on a couch in the darkest corner of the room, their hands on each other’s bodies. Peg chose a couch as far from the other couple as possible and sat down.
‘So, do you come here often?’ I asked as I sat next to him.
He smirked. ‘Are you trying to pick me up? Because, you should know, that line’s really old.’
I shoved him with my elbow. ‘Thanks for the tip.’
Peg took a sip of his beer. ‘I thought this would be a good place to hide for a while until those parasites outside get bored and go home.’
‘I’m glad you brought me here. I want to see the real twenty-second century, not just the tourist spots.’ I looked around and caught the eye of the girl on the other couch. She smiled at me.
‘You wanna join us?’ she asked.
I shook my head and looked away quickly. ‘Did – does – Ryan ever come here?’
‘Sure. He’s been here a few times.’
My chest constricted. There was so much about Ryan’s life in the twenty-second century I didn’t know.
Peg looked at me. ‘We didn’t come here for the girls. We came for the cards.’
‘Oh.’
‘You didn’t think . . . ?’
‘I didn’t know what to think.’
‘Great.’ Peg laughed to himself. ‘I’ve clearly made a good impression so far.’
I tried to shrug off my embarrassment. ‘I thought things might be different now. In this time.’
‘We only ever came here to play cards. We needed money to buy parts for the ship Ryan used to get back to you, and playing poker against a table of drunk old men was a good way to do it.’ Peg turned to face me, and held his bottle up in the air. ‘Cheers. Here’s to evading those scumbags.’
I clinked my bottle against his. ‘How do you think they worked out it was me?’
Peg shrugged. ‘Dunno. I hoped the wig would be enough. But your face has been all over the com-screens for the last week, so I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised.’
‘What’s the story with Lyra? She didn’t seem to like me very much.’
‘Lyra was born sarcastic and she’s been ten times worse since she injured her leg.’
‘What happened?’
‘She was in a car accident. Her leg got crushed.’
‘Clarence said he used to date her. Do you think it bothered her that I danced with him?’
Peg took a long swig from his bottle. ‘They went on a couple of dates. That’s all. The only thing that bothers Lyra is not being the centre of attention. And right now, you’re the centre of attention.’
‘I don’t want to be. I wish everyone would leave me alone. Maybe I should just hold a press conference and be done with it.’
‘Maybe you should.’
‘I’m just scared I’ll say the wrong thing and make things worse for Ryan.’ I sighed. ‘What if the court finds him guilty? I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens.’
Peg put his hand on my arm. ‘Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’
I liked the way he said we. I had finally found a friend – an ally – in this new world.
‘Do you think the trial will be fair?’
‘I guess. Ryan’s father – Admiral Westland – is one of the best people I know, but he won’t be allowed to judge the case. Admiral Shastri and Admiral Hwa are generally in favour of space-time exploration. If either of them is the judge, I think he’ll get a fair trial. Admiral Philp is a wild card. And Admiral Wolfe opposes most space-time exploration. He is likely to be the harshest judge of Orion.’
‘Let’s hope Ryan doesn’t get Wolfe then,’ I said.
‘The thing is, Eden, I think Admiral Wolfe is behind Orion’s capture. I think it’s personal.’
I looked at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s no secret that Westland and Wolfe hate each other. Wolfe has these mining colonies on the moon. He uses prisoners to work in the mines. Westland wants to put a stop to that, claims it is cruel and unusual punishment.’
‘What’s that got to do with Ryan?’
‘Not sure. But if anyone was in a position to travel back through time without being detected, it was Orion. The ship he took had been marked for scrap. I work in the shipyard, so I altered the records to make it look like it had been sold for parts. He calculated his portal so that the energy signatures would be lost among other portals. It would be hard to find Ry if you weren’t looking for him.’
I stifled a yawn.
‘It’s just a hunch,’ he said. ‘Let’s get you home.’
‘They’ll probably be there, at the hotel entrance,’ I said.
Peg put his bottle on the table. ‘Why don’t you stay at my place tonight?’
‘I don’t want to impose,’ I said, shaking my head.
‘You wouldn’t be imposing. In fact, you’d be doing me a favour; my place is much closer than the hotel.’
‘Are you sure?’
Peg stood up and held out a hand. ‘Come on.’
Peg’s flat was only a two-minute walk away from the gambling den where we’d hidden. It was above a noodle bar on another back alley. The noodle bar was still open; steam hissed and fat sizzled and I began to feel hungry.
‘Are those noodles any good?’ I asked.
‘If you like greasy.’
‘I like greasy just fine.’
Peg ordered us each vegetable dim sum with noodles and miso broth that came in plastic trays with chopsticks. I inhaled the smell of onions and grease and my stomach rumbled. The food at the Lakeview came in small, perfectly healthy portions. I needed this, especially after the three bottles of beer I’d drunk tonight.
‘How come you have your own place?’ I asked as Peg unlocked the front door.
‘My dad and his new wife moved to Titan right at the beginning of summer. I had the choice of moving there with them or staying here. I chose to stay.’
I followed him up the stairs and inside. It was surprisingly large for a flat in a back alley. The living room stretched across the full width of the building, with views out over the lake. There were two couches, a large com-screen and a bookshelf. Against one wall was a display case filled with certificates, medals and trophies. I wandered over to take a look. Every one had Peg’s name on it. Maths champion 2119. Debating Society winner 2120. Navigation 1st Place 2122.
‘These are all yours?’ I said.
He shrugged and ran one hand through his dark hair. ‘This is my dad’s place. He insisted on displaying them all.’