That way she would say she made her azi do it, and that would work, because they had to take her orders, and everybody knew that. So they wouldn't get in any trouble. She would. And that was what she wanted.
She just wanted to have a little fun before they caught her.
viii
The problem was running, the computer working timeshare on a Beta-class design and going slow this morning, because Yanni Schwartz had the integrative set running: everyone else got a lower priority. So Justin leaned back, got up, poured himself a cup of coffee, and filled Grant's empty cup, Grant working away at his terminal in that kind of fixed concentration that was not going to lose that chain of thought if the ceiling fell around him.
Grant reached over without even looking away from the screen, picked up the coffee cup and took a sip.
Someone arrived in the door, brusque, abrupt, and more than one. Justin's ears had already registered that as he looked around, saw Security black, and had a man in his office, two others behind him.
Muscles tightened, gut tightened in panic.
"You're wanted in Security, " the man said.
"What for?"
"No questions. Just come with us. "
He thought of the hot coffee in his hands, and Grant hadnoticed, Grant was getting up from his chair, as another Security guard moved in behind the first.
"Let's go straighten this out, " Justin said calmly, and put the cup down.
"Let me shut down, " Grant said.
"Now!" the officer said.
"My program—"
"Grant, " Justin said, articulate, he did not know how. It was happening, the thing he had been expecting for a long, long time; and he thought of doing them all the damage he could. But it could be something he could talk his way out of. Whatever it was. And there was, whatever else, enough force at Reseune Administration's disposal to take care of two essentially sedentary tape-designers, however well-exercised.
The only thing he could hope for was to keep the situation calm, the way he had mapped it out in his mind years ago. He kept his hands in sight, he got himself and Grant peacefully out the door, he walked with the Security guards without complaint, to take the lift down to the basement storm-tunnel.
The lift door opened, they walked out as the guards directed. "Hands on the wall, " the officer said.
"Grant, " he said, catching Grant by the arm, feeling the tension. "It's all right. We'll sort it out. "
He turned to the wall himself, waited while two of them searched Grant for weapons and put on the handcuffs, then took his own turn. "I don't suppose, " he said calmly as he could with his face against the wall and his arms pulled behind him, "you people know what this is about. "
"Come along, " the officer said, and faced him about again.
No information. After that at least the guards were less worried.
Keep to the script. Cooperate. Stay calm and give absolutely no trouble.
Through a locked door into a Security zone, lonelier and lonelier in the concrete corridors. He had never seen this part of Reseune's storm-tunnels in all his life, and he hoped to hell they weregoing to Security.
Another locked door, and a lift, with the designation SECURITY 10N on the opposing walclass="underline" he was overwhelmingly glad to see that sign.
Up, then, with extraordinary abruptness. The doors opened on a hall he did know, the back section of Security, a hall that figured in his nightmares.
"This is familiar, " he said lightly, to Grant; and suddenly the guards were pulling Grant off toward one of the side rooms and himself off down the hall, toward an interview room he remembered.
"Don't we get checked in?" he asked, fighting down the panic, walking with them on legs suddenly gone shaky. "I hate to complain, but you're violating procedures all the way through this. "
Neither of them spoke to him. They took him into the room, made him sit down in a hard chair facing the interview desk, and stayed there, grim and silent, behind him.
Someone else came in behind him. He turned his head and twisted to see who it was. Giraud.
"Thank God, " Justin said, half meaning it. "I'm glad to see somebody who knows the answers around here. Whatin hell's going on, do you mind?"
Giraud walked on to the desk and sat down on the corner of it. Positional intimidation. Moderate friendliness. "You tell me. "
"Look, Giraud, I'm not in any position to know a thing. I'm working in my office, these fellows come in and haul me over here, and I haven't even seen the check-in desk. What's going on here?"
"Where did you go for lunch?"
"I skipped lunch. We both did. We worked right through. Come on, Giraud, what does lunch have to do with anything?"
"Ari's missing. "
"What do you mean missing?" His heart started doubling its beats, hammering in his chest. "Like—late from lunch? Or missing?"
"Maybe you know. Maybe you know all about it. Maybe you lured her outside. Maybe she just went with a friend. "
"God. No. "
"Something Jordan and you set up?"
"No. Absolutely not. My God, Giraud, ask the guards at Planys,there wasn't a time we weren't watched. Not a moment. "
"That they remember, no. "
It hadreached to Jordan. He stared at Giraud, having trouble breathing.
"We're going over your apartment, " Giraud said calmly. "Never mind your rights, son, we're not being recorded. I'll tell you what we've found. Ari went out the kitchen door, all right. We found her clothes at the back of the pump station. "
"My God. " Justin shook his head. "No. I don't know anything. "
"That's a wide shore down there, " Giraud said. "Easy for someone to land and get in. Is that what happened? You get the girl out to a meeting, where you don't show up, but someone else does?"
"No. No. No such thing. She's probably playing a damn prank,Giraud, it's a damn kid escapade—didn't you ever dodge out of the House when you were a kid?"
"We're searching the shore. We've got patrols up. You understand, we're covering all the routes. "
"I wouldn't hurt that kid! I wouldn't do it, Giraud. "
Giraud stared at him, face flushed, with a terrible, terrible restraint. "You'll understand we're not going to take your word. "
"I understand that. Dammit, I want the kid found as much as you do. "
"I doubt that. "
"I'll consent. Giraud, I'll give you a consent, just for God's sake let Grant be with me. "
Giraud got up.
"Giraud, does it cost you anything? Let him be here. Is that so much? Giraud, for God's sake, let him be here!"
Giraud left in silence. "Bring the other one, " Giraud told someone in the hall.
Justin leaned against the chair arm, broken out in cold sweat, not seeing the floor, seeing Ari's apartment, seeing it in flashes that wiped out here and now. Hearing the opening of doors, the shouts in distance, the echoes of footsteps coming his way. Grant, he hoped. He hoped to God it was Grant first, and not the tech with the hypo.
ix
Olders passed them on the sidewalk and Ari kept on being azi, did just what Florian and Catlin did, made the little bow, and kept going.
They were not the only kids. There were youngers who bowed to them, solemn and earnest. And one group hardly more than babies following an Older leader in red, the youngers all in blue, all solemnly holding each other's hands.
"This is Blue, " Florian said as they walked along past the string of youngers. "Mostly youngers here. I was in that building right over there when I was a Five. "
They took the walk between the buildings, going farther and farther from the road that ran through the Town.