She did take out her pocket com and call Theo. “If my security asks, I’m with Justin and Grant. I’m going downstairs and over to Wing One. It’s quiet, all’s well, no problems.”
She wasn’t totally surprised when, as they picked up Mark and Gerry, Jory showed up from the lift, out of breath, and added herself to the group; and before they’d reached the security desk at the exit, Florian showed up from the other direction, sweating a little, but perfectly composed.
Then she felt guilty, and touched Florian’s shoulder, and said, “It wasn’t going to be this long or this far.” He was as tired as she was. And it hadn’t been fair.
“Yes, sera,” he said, a little out of breath. And they went on through to Wing One, herself, Florian, Justin, Grant, Mark and Gerry, and Jory, all of them into the dim storm tunnel of Wing One, and into the lift, and up again.
“Let me,” Ari said, and went and pressed the button at Jordan’s door. “Ser. Jordan Warrick.”
There was some delay about it. Then the door opened. Paul was there.
“He says he’s going to take a shower, sera, I’m sorry. Justin–” Seeing Justin and Grant just behind her, and the security, he hesitated.
“He can wait about the shower,” Justin said. “Paul. Now.”
“Come in, sera,” Paul said, and she walked in and all of them walked in. It might not be the best thing to do. It likely wasn’t. But she wasn’t going to tell Florian to stay outside. Ari felt his presence right at her back. And Jory’s. Mark and Gerry were there, the whole lot of them.
They waited. Paul came back again, and this time Jordan walked out, in his bathrobe.
“So?” Jordan said.
“That file I sent you,” Ari said. “I know you’ve got an opinion.”
Jordan drew himself up and folded his arms, staring at her. “This isn’t the way I do consultation. Try tomorrow. Without them.”
“You read the file. You recognized it.”
“I recognize the type.” His voice was edged with anger. But restrained, and he shot a glance past her, full of fury. Then back. “What, did you think I wouldn’t?”
“That set’s older than I am by a bit.” She cast a nod over her shoulder. “Older than Justin is, or Grant. They’ve never worked with the military sets. But you have.”
“I studied the mess the War sent us back. We all did. As I’m sure you know, since you get into every damned thing you like.”
“If I had everything you know, I wouldn’t have to ask. You worked with the Defense sets.”
“As a student. You’re talking about ancient history.”
“You consulted with them. You talked with them. You wrote one very good paper.”
“Several.”
She thought about the next question. Florian and Jory were there, if anything untoward happened. Mark and Gerry were. She didn’t think Justin would side with Jordan if he went for her.
She said, “Did you know an azi named Kyle, who worked with Giraud?”
Brows lilted slightly. “Alpha. Is that who this file is about?”
“Yes. Did you think he’d been axed?”
A little delay. She wasn’t dealing with the son of a bitch Jordan, the opaque stare. Calculation was quick and sharp. “You’re saying he wasn’t. He’s still alive?”
“He was, according to records, a Fleet Alpha Supervisor. And no, the code didn’t take. After which he had access to Abban, among others Giraud had in his office. He was still working for Defense. Defense was talking to you about breaking with Reseune. Ari found out and pulled you home. Defense knew that my existence was a possibility–knew that from you andfrom Giraud’s office. Knew that Ari didn’t have that long anyway. Youwere there with a grudge that was provable. Perfect vector for suspicion. Giraud had been in Novgorod, talking with Defense. So had Abban. So had Kyle, just one of the aides.”
“Bloody hell. This is a fucking setup. Get out of here.” He waved an arm toward Justin. “Get himout of here. Get away from me!”
“No,” Paul said, from over by the bar counter. “ No.”
“The hell” Jordan said, and turned and walked out of the room.
Paul still stood there, facing them, Paul immaculately dressed, very steady. “Sera,” he said, “Justin, Grant.” A little dip of the head, “Jordan and I need to talk. We are goingto talk. If you’d please call him in the morning.”
There was something changed in that equation. She didn’t know what. But Justin said, “Good. –Ari, he will.”
Jordan came back around the doorjamb, stood there, arms folded.
“You’re not welcome here, boy. As for you–” He looked straight at Ari. “You think Kyle murdered Ari?”
“I’m fairly sure there’s a connection between him, Abban, and that event, yes. All that’s in the past. What we’ve got nowis the possibility, the very real possibility of a military operation directed at Reseune, and people getting killed.”
“Notably you.”
“And a lot of innocent people who haven’t the least idea they’re in danger. You won’t be safe here if Defense launches something. You know far too much. Defensewas perfectly content while you were shut up inside Planys. You never heard them complaining about your being yanked away from Novgorod and going home with Ari that session. You never heard them arguing that it was some political set‑up when you got blamed for Ari’s murder. No. And Yanni didn’t send you to Fargone for exile for one very good reason: because you wouldn’t have lasted the week there.”
“You’re saying Kylekilled her.”
“Was behind Abban doing it. But Defense did it. Let you take the blame. And while Denys and Giraud were in charge, Defense was real easy for them to get along with, if nothing else, because they didn’t push the way Ari did. The same day I took on Denys, Ihauled your ass out of Planys to keep anybody from Denys’ staff from doing you in; and I think that same day some faction inside the Defense Bureau got very, very upset that you’d arrived here at Reseune proper, and worse upset by the chance you might finally be talking to me. I don’t know what Yanni knows. I don’t know if he knows all of it, or just suspects and never could prove it. But I think he knew you were in danger back then, and he saved your life…if nothing else, he intervened more than once to put your son on a safer course and to keep him out of Denys’ path. So I don’t think he was ever against you–the same way he didn’t argue against my bringing you back here. So you’ve had friends all along. Noneof them are in Defense.”
He’d drawn up just a little. His face had gone white, just white. The anger was still there. But he might be thinking. Better yet, he might be listening.
“Nice theory,” he said.
“I wasn’t there,” she said. “I haven’t any way to know any of this. No record shows it. I just watch where the pieces moved, and who moved them. And I draw my conclusions.”
He made an impatient gesture. “You want my help? You want–what?”
“I want your help with Kyle, I want your help cracking the block that’s keeping him on the Defense rolls. My doing it’s probably going to kill him and get no information, because I haven’t had the experience. I need your help, ser. I need your expertise, and I need you to help me find out what else Defense has got inside our walls, before they get desperate enough to do something–like kill me, yes. About now, they’d like to see another Ari, who’ll get to grow up until shestarts asking questions, and maybe die again. Always keeping the power together, keeping Reseune together, dying before she gets to be a threat, reborn just to keep the power together–and let Reseune stay under caretakers they can deal with. Well, I’m not ready to die, ser. I don’t intend to. But I don’t think that’s what Khalid’s playing for at the moment. His actions have been too high, too wide. He’s going for a Council that will give him martial law. Control over all of Cyteen. And us.”